(OOC: @ Darkspark.....were you going to have Megatron respond to Inferno's report or no?????)
Sorry, yesterday was busier than I expected....so here is the post that I meant to submit yesterday...
BIC:
Arachnitron listened intently knowing her place in this conversation was to pay attention to Tarantulas' plan and not interfere. She was interested to see how Blackarachnia would respond, but she knew the other she-spider had very little choice in the matter. If she resisted, Tarantulas would only use the psychic link he shared with her to make her do as Tarantulas commanded. Eventually, she'd be forced to comply.
"You, me, Arachnitron...And perhaps the fuzor as well. An Arachnid Quartet allied against Megatron and Maximals alike! With this much energon and the four of us working together, we could be a force to be reckoned with in the Beast Wars!"
A cold shiver ran down Arachnitron's spine when Tarantulas spoke her name. He didn't often use it referring to her as "my dear" more often than not. Hearing him speak her name was.....she gave her head a quick shake. She had to focus on this conversation. She had already missed too much of it thinking about Tarantulas. She realized she had tuned out his voice and that of Blackarachnia and missed most of their bickering. When she came back to her senses, the fuzor sauntered into the room setting down some supplies.
(OOC: Couldn't let everyone forget about the creepy crush, now could I?! )
"I reckon I gotta do all the work around here or what?"
Tarantulas turned on his heel and before Arachnitron could blink he was already working his magic on the fuzor.
"Hhmm, tell me Quickstrike, how do you feel about Megatron?"
"Boss bot? Well, he's done well leading us so far.. Infact my only complaint is not having enough kiesters to wail on regular like!"
"Side with me against him Fuzor, and you'll have ample opportunity to prove how tough you are" Tarantulas promised the excitable but simple newcomer, boxing at the air in place for added emphasis.
Quickstrike scratched his head with the fang on his snake arm while blinking, puzzled as he started to think it over. "I will huh? Eh, that sounds good! Destruction is better then CONstruction heh heh heh.. if you get my drift......Still.. Megatron's pretty tough.."
"I see, you, fear him?"
"Wha.. There is nothing.. that crawls,walks,flies,or swims that I'm afraid of! Count me in! But if yer lyin' Spiderbot.. Yer's will be the first keister I dropkick!"
Arachnitron faked a smile....she was still not sure she liked the idea of having the fuzor around. Yet, she was pretty impressed by Tarantulas' quick thinking. The fuzor seemed a simple enough creature to manipulate. She'd have to remember Tarantulas' little mind game if she ever needed something from Quickstrike (which she doubted she ever would).
Tarantulas' glee was short lived. He looked around and then turned to Arachnitron.
"Where is the witch? We weren't done here yet!"
Arachnitron was taken aback by his tone. She lowered her optics in shame. She had no idea where Blackarachnia had gone. She should have been watching the other widow to make sure she was staying out of trouble.
"She....seems to have walked off...." she mumbled head still lowered.
She followed after Tarantulas to find Blackarachnia had wandered away from the group and was, as Tarantulas had been earlier, talking to herself.
"Something on your mind?"
Tarantulas questioned her. Arachnitron returned to the task of listening to the exchange between the other two spiders, but vowed to pay closer attention to Blackarachnia.
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Dinobot, recovering from his injuries from the battle, lumbered over in beast mode to the lift of the Axalon and rode it up to the bridge. He happened to arrive just as the others were questioning Onyx, the black stallion Predacon. He had seen Onyx run past him with Cheetor right at his heels. He wasn't surprised in the least that the horse had ended up at the Maximal base with the others. Dinobot blended into the background as he usually did to listen to the answer to Rhinox's question of what made Onyx change allegiance.
"I'm sure you already know why Rhinox. But the reason is mostly because I don't agree with Megatron's ways nor most of the Predacons, nor of how things are exactly taken care of for a crew ruled by an iron fist and tyranny. I've had hoped things would be different when I heard the rumors of Megatron's stealing of the Golden Disc but guess I was wrong." "But the change is temporary until we return to Cybertron, or can even get back home. If this isn't to happen then I shall remain a Maximal throughout the remainder of this war until hopefully that grape faced poor excuse of a leader is taken down."
Dinobot resisted the urge to snort a reply. Onyx was a fool to think he could return to Cybertron to the life he once knew before Megatron stole the golden disk. He, like Dinobot, may still consider himself a Predacon on the inside, but on the outside, he'd still be thought of as a Maximal. This thought crushed Dinobot who worked so hard to uphold his Predacon honor and abide by his training.
"Well I'll admit, like most Predacons back on Cybertron I didn't exactly start out in a peaceful manner to try and get ourselves to be on equal terms to the Maximals back home. I was in quite a few campaigns of destroying parts of cities or destroying buildings and property with renegade groups of Predacons now and again, although my career really started back in the Predacon Military Forces for a long time in my function."
"I'll admit, trying more peaceful tactics was only recent before I caught wind of what Megatron had done of stealing the Golden Disc artifact. So before the Axalon's departure I volunteered to become a protoform again in some hopes maybe I'd see this group and that hope came true. But as I said, not quite what I was hoping for now."
Dinobot listened silently, but inside, his mind was reeling. Onyx wasn't the first Predacon tricked into believing there could be peace between the two factions and he wouldn't be the last. But Dinobot knew the truth. There would never be peace. There were more Predacons like Megatron. Once Megatron was gone, another would resurface more brutal and more ruthless. And that is why he believed the Predacons would win....not just the war on Cybertron, but the war, here, on what he now knew was Earth. Now that the mysteries of the golden disk had been unraveled, Dinobot knew the truth. But what was he to do about this knowledge? That much, Dinobot, still had yet to figure out.
Suddenly, the computer interrupted his thoughts.
Unit Aerostriker, destroyed.
For the first time since his return to the Axalon, Dinobot looked around and took notice of the Maximals on the bridge. He had just assumed that all had made it to their destination. He had thought Aerostriker had been with Cheetor and the others. But it appeared that he was not. Another casualty at the hands of the Predacons. Peace. Ha! How wrong Onyx was about peace.
"RAWR!!!" Dinobot growled angrily and slammed his fist down on the table.
"He should have let me provide cover fire as was my function!" Without so much as a backward glance, Dinobot stormed out of the room and headed for his quarters to be alone. There were too many emotions swirling around in the ex-Predacon's mind.
One by one the Maximals were being picked off. Dinobot pictured the Predacons marching through the Axalon with the Maximals begging for mercy at their feet. He felt helpless and alone. Losing so many allies was taking its toll on the old warrior. How much longer could he continue being on the losing side of the battlefield?