The Intergalactic Highway

((OOC: Here's a joint post between Phoenix and myself -- Aurora and Silverbolt, that is. We decided to break up the joint post a little bit to give people time to react to Sentinel/Homewrecker and get outside for slaughter before fixing Sentinel immediately prior to Optimus coming online.))

Why are they doing this? Silverbolt thought to himself. He couldn't bring himself to grasp the courage and charity that these Maximals were showing with him, their enemy. And Onyx, his comrade, seemingly endorsing Maximal hospitality over that of their own? It was all so strange... and wrong. Silverbolt said nothing, but had a lot on which to reflect.

Rhinox wrote: "Maximals, this is Rhinox. The Axalon is no longer safe! I repeat, Sentinel is now targeting and firing at Maximals!"

Aurora felt a mixture of despair and relief upon hearing Rhinox’ transmission. At least it proved he and other Maximals were still alive and on their way outside, however it also confirmed her suspicions from having been denied access to the Maximal computer system. The Predacons had somehow taken control of Sentinel and was using their own weapons against them. She glanced down at the wounded fuzor in front of her again, taking note of the puzzled look on his face. He certainly did not strike her like any other Predacons she had encountered thus far.

Whitegrazer’s voice reflected the same concern she was feeling at the moment as she spoke again.

Whitegrazer wrote:"Is there anything you can do from here?"

With a sigh, Aurora tapped her wrist-mounted computer again. “Perhaps there is something that can be done.. but not from here.”
No, the virus the Predacons had used to gain access to their computer systems was complex at best. It would take too long to try to gain access from here. She would need a more direct approach.
Again her optics locked with the downed Predacon. “I think he can help us.”

Silverbolt raised his optics in surprise. In his current state, he couldn't see how he could be of use. "Me?" he asked quizzically.

"Listen," Aurora began as way of explanation, "You need repairs and the only way to do so is to get you inside our base. But with our base currently under siege by your Predacon friends, we'll have to go about it in a more sneaky fashion. If you agree to behave yourself, I can access your shell programming and make a copy of your energon signature. That way I can make myself virtually invisible to Sentinels sensors since I will display a copy of your Predacon signature rather than my Maximal one."

"Well, it would seem that I am your prisoner," Silverbolt began. "But for what it's worth, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will cause you no trouble while in your custody."

"Would you rather return to the Predacons who abandoned you to your own fate? If so, be my guest," Aurora responded, having a hard time holding back the bad memories she had from past encounters with those same Predacons. "We only wish to help you, as we would anyone in your position." Well.. Almost anyone. Some Predacons would not accept help, or they were beyond reason or sanity. The only reason she was helping this one was because he portrayed a certain innocence she had yet to see in other Predacons, aside from perhaps Onyx. A few Predacons had already joined the Maximal cause, such as Dinobot and Frilla, and deep down Aurora hoped this particular Predacon would choose to follow a similar path.

Silverbolt pondered for a moment before responding. "What do you need me to do?"

Aurora averted her gaze to the computer monitor on his wrist band, tapping a few symbols on the screen before pulling out a cord from the base of the machine and handing it to Silverbolt. "Here. This connection will grant me access to the files I need. However for me to maintain the Predacon disguise, we will have to remain physically linked for the duration." She paused to glance over at the Axalon, unaware of the large army of Predacons that had gathered on the opposite side of the base.

Silverbolt took the cord and plugged it into his wrist serial port. "Remain connected? I am uncertain yet whether I am even able stand," Silverbolt pointed out of skepticism and concern.

Realizing this was going to be a rather heavy task, so to speak, Aurora stood up and extended her hand. "I'll support you as much as I can, but we really cannot stay out here any longer. With all the flyers in he air, I'm surprised we haven't been spotted yet. Come on." She gestured with her hand to reinforce the notion that the situation was serious and that she intended to help.

Silverbolt hesitated a moment before taking Aurora's hand. With great effort and pain, he was able to stand, leaning heavily on Aurora for support. He attempted to stretch out his wings, testing them -- one of them obviously broken. Silverbolt winced as his broken wing let out a shower of sparks for his trouble. It would seem that flight was no longer an option.

"Very well then," he said heavily. "Lead on."

Aurora braced herself as much she could, but the added weight on her shoulders were still heavier than she had anticipated. Regardless, she forced herself to straighten out, thankful that the Predacon was able to stand up if shakily. Fortunately the base was not far. "We'll be okay, Whitegrazer, go check on the others. This shouldn't take long," she assured her fellow Maximal while taking the first few steps toward the base with Silverbolt in tow. This plan will work, she persuaded herself, her pace increasing a bit as they got closer to the base. She could hear what sounded like an encounter on the other side, but the noises were distorted so she couldn't make out who it was or what was being said. They entered the base, the auto guns seemingly not taking notice of them, leading her to believe the plan, crazy as it was, was working.

Silverbolt tightened his grip on Aurora's shoulder. His last encounter with Maximal autoguns had not gone well. And even though they apparently haven't targeted them yet, he couldn't help but feel uneasy around them. He looked around cautiously as he walked.

"Here," Aurora told her hesitating companion, keeping her voice low as she maneuvered them closer to the wall for some additional support. "There's a computer access port just up ahead. I can use that to tap into the computer systems and hopefully get this mess fixed."


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Right on cue, Tantrum roll up menacingly from the ditch, crashing menacingly down on the field before transforming into robot mode, pulling out his gatling.

"Manterror does good job holding tuna-bot still," he offered the dubious words of praise and encouragement. "I shoot now."

With that, Tantrum opened fire indiscriminately on Manterror and Orcariner, not giving a second thought who may be in the line of fire.

((OOC: Gonna put my two cents in for Sonar. Man, this week has gone by fast. Or is that juat me?))

The wind had changed and Sonar caught wind of Starshadow's scent, narrowing his eyes, he went into his beast mode and went into the cave with the still unconscious Saber-Fang. A moment later, the crazed transmetal feline showed up.

"I won't let you off you sneaky flying ball of fur! If you ever dare come back to the Darksyde or show yourself in my sight, I will eviscerate you slowly and watch you die!"

Sonar snorted softly. I'd like to see you try, you maybe a transmetal but I still have experience. He thought as he watched her as she crushed a rock then fly off.

Even at this distance, he could hear the sounds of battle which peeked his interest. He wouldn't join the fight as he was still recovering from having his sonic blast come back with a vengence. If he stayed in the cloud cover he shouldn't be discovered by anyone.

"Terrorize," Once back in his robot form, he stepped out of the cave and placed a small devise on the wall of the cave. "Might as well test it, but I'll have to wait for the right moment to do so." With that said, Sonar transformed into his beast form and rode the the currents to where the sounds of battle were coming from, gaining more and more alittude as he went.

Dinobot would never be inclined to admit it--not in a million stellar cycles, not if his own life depended on it, not if Terrorsaur himself defected from the Predacons and became an ally: never. But, begrudgingly, he found himself something... sickeningly close to impressed that Terrorsaur had dropped his usual tactic of flying back and fighting from as far away as he felt safe. And Dinobot certainly hadn't expected him to redirect twin laser shots with a sword blade.

Terrorsaur wrote:So, the proud and mighty Dinobot still hasn't forgotten how to take a cheap shot, eh? Guess you're not so honorable after all, turncoat!

...But against the infuriating (and rather hypocritical) accusations of dishonor, Dinobot's concept of Terrorsaur's self-improvement dissolved in an instant. He didn't have much time to dwell on that matter, for in the next moment, Terrorsaur's lasers came at him so quickly that they bypassed one of the rotations of his shield and slammed straight into his chest. Dinobot stumbled backwards, but stubbornly stayed on his feet.

Yet even as he tried to stabilize his footing, Nemesis swept with a leg, and he fell heavily on his back. He saw a flash of steel and reacted in an instant, blocking the swords that came for his neck from two different directions with his own blade and his shield. After bringing her weapons to a halt, he pulled himself up to a stand and pushed the swords back roughly. With a cry, he turned and took the offensive, swinging at her with his blade and charging forward with his shield. He had the strong suspicion that Terrorsaur was eager enough to see him taken down that he would risk shooting even while Dinobot was right next to Nemesis. He was hoping that Terrorsaur would be angry enough to not take the time to aim perfectly. Dinobot would gladly take a few shots in the back if it meant that Terrorsaur helped him take Nemesis down, too.

Dinobot moved to Nemesis' side and stabbed forward with his blade, trying his best to make this a moving battle.

Part of Orcariner wanted to use Manterror as a meat shield, but he had no time to react as Megatron was swift to take aim. Instinct took over as the orca managed to raise a single hand out of desperation. A bright, violet flash temporarily blinded him before he felt a powerful force strike his chest. The Predacon leader's fusion cannon knocked Orcariner off his feet, causing him to tumble backwards and lose his grip on his hostage's shoulder. Not given the chance to recover, the Maximal could felt another series of projectiles violently rock his body back. Pieces of his armor were chipping off, but the integrity of his primary systems remained intact. Despite being racked with pain, Orcariner tried his best to bring up his shields. Nothing but sparks popped out of his generators and the barrage of firepower continued to explode everywhere around him. He could not see nor hear anything at all. The only sensation that was left was the repetitive pounding against his degrading armor which forced his body to fall back against the hull of the Axalon.

Gotta... stay alive... they'll be here shortly.

Orcariner did not know for sure if help was on the way. The constant collisions of artillery made it near-impossible for him to read his own interface. Everything was blurry and there was an annoying ringing noise in his audio receptors. Yet, he still clung on to hope. His teammates were always there to help him in the past. Today would be no exception.

"There's never a dull moment around here, is there?"

"Ain't that the way we love it?" Rattrap asked rhetorically.

"What do we do?" "Can we fire on our own ship?"

The small TransMetal in command hesitated to answer Airazor. His mind raced trying to think of any ideas or solutions to stopping Sentinel. Unfortunately, everything led to taking too long before their own computer system would stop them.

Wireless network down. This unit can only hypothesize that the Axalon has been corrupted by enemy units.

"Great! So everythin's just goin' ta slag, isn't it!" Rattrap said in frustration toward Stag's harmless analysis, tossing his arms in the air before he was forced to block more shots with his small but effective shield.

This unit advises taking cover.

As Orcariner proceeded to exit the hangar with Manterror, heading for the bridge the rat assumed, Rattrap looked at Stag and said, "You do whatever you need to do ta not get caught an' see if you can access Sentinel's main core to shut it down completely or reboot it. I'm gonna have Aurora work on deactivatin' its weapons. Work it together if ya can."

"Airazor, Tigatron, let's give some back-up to the others," he ordered with as much confidence as he could at this point. With haste, Rattrap left the hangar and hurried through the corridors of the ship, the red lights still flashing and some alarms still sounding. He deflected and dodged most shots as easy was it was for someone his size. His back and arm were still aching, but like all the others were suffering much greater damage than him, he pushed forward with his team.

"Maximals, dis is Rattrap. All units converge on Orcariner's location. We gotta draw the line," he said firmly to all of them on their comm. links. Arriving at the bridge and taking in all the damage, his mouth agape for a brief moment before blocking a shot from one of the stun guns, the Spy-turned-Commander felt a mix of emotions; sorrow for the memories that resounded in this command center since the first day they boarded this ship back on Cybertron and their true leader who departed them too soon, fear for losing everything now and being responsible for all these lives, anger toward Megatron being so ruthless and merciless, causing all of this grief and panic.

"Aurora, I don't know where you are, but if you can bypass the Preds' virus and deactivate Sentinel's firepower, that'd be a huge plus right now." Unbeknownst to him that she was already ahead of him with this plan. He was certain she'd be capable of such a mission, but it never hurt to have a little help deeper within. "Stag might be able ta help and shut it down completely, but it might take time. Be careful! There are still Preds in the base."

Down the platform Rattrap went and outside to what was about to be a barrage of firepower...

As his vision came back to normal, Rhinox realized how many Predacons were grouping around the Axalon now, and the two most powerful were right on the front doorstep; Megatron and Tantrum. So he drew his other chain gun and held them both out in front of him as their front plates began rotating, ready to fire. It wasn't long when Orcariner showed up, letting Manterror go, and Rhinox came up behind the orca.

"Listen up, Preds!" "I have a bomb here that packs enough oomph to kill me and the bug here. If you respect his life, you will hold your fire!"

The rhinoceros gripped his guns tightly in his damaged hands, aiming them at their enemy, fearing the Predacons would call his bluff. And they did. Rhinox couldn't even hear Rattrap's transmission about everyone gathering at the Axalon's main entrance over the firepower from Megatron and Tantrum. "Orcariner!" With the already heavily injured whale bravely taking the brunt of the impacts, witnessing the behemoth Maximal falter backwards with great fear, Rhinox saw the opportunity to return fire and did so. One hand targeted Tantrum's knees and swept by his ankles while the other fired relentless bullets towards Megatron's chest. "RRRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!" He bellowed in anger and enthusiasm to face the Predacons and protect his friends while his powerful weapons shook his arms.

"Hang in there, Big O!" Rattrap called out as he arrived on scene from inside the Axalon. He immediately joined Rhinox in the fire fight, holding his hubcap shield in his injured arm now and drawing his gun with the other. Targeting the Predacons, he opened fire, hoping the rest of the Maximals would lend them some much-needed assistance.

Tigatron jumped down from the ship's lift without waiting for it. The landing pierced the wound on his back from Umbra, but with it still bandaged thanks to Rhinox, he failed to give it a second thought as he wielded his weapon and stood beside Rattrap and Rhinox, firing at their enemy. The three of them seemed to create a barrier for Orcariner, to relieve the pressure and any further injury to their large comrade who was obviously suffering a great deal. Foolish perhaps since they didn't have much cover of their own - a few boulders that wouldn't last long in this onslaught - but their concern for Orcariner's well-being outweighed their safety. They may not have arrived on this planet as warriors but they were determined to leave it as such and take a final stand against Megatron and his troops.

Umbra waited a bit, then hearing no response disconnected from the terminal. He stood up slowly with some assistance from his extra limbs, then looked towards Cecaelia speaking up Alright, we should get going. Do you want to blast through the door, or go through the vent? he then asked.

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Rattrap wrote:"You do whatever you need to do ta not get caught an' see if you can access Sentinel's main core to shut it down completely or reboot it. I'm gonna have Aurora work on deactivatin' its weapons. Work it together if ya can."

Stag remained silent as he looked around the inside of the nomad, then gave a simple response Acknowledged.

He moved deeper into the vehicle, noticing some equipment in the back. As he moved closer, his cable manipulator extended grasping a strange small pistol from the wall of the ship.
Examining the weapon, he devised it was a type of Cryo weapon, noted under his database as a "Frost shot" pistol, which appeared to be used as a method of dealing with fires on the Nomad. While not the most destructive weapon, it did have the advantage of being able to freeze things, even better it could probably freeze or slow the flow of energy in machinery, slowing or stopping processes. If he couldn't get rid of Sentinel or force it to reboot the normal way, he might be able to cause it to at least crash. If that failed, his last resort would be to self destruct on top of Sentinel.

His manipulator then slid the pistol into the slot where his Electron beam rifle once sat, his shell closing over the weapon as he rolled out of the Nomad, then drove under it rolling towards the back. He peered out from under the hulking 2 story vehicle around the hanger, then as he noticed a camera start to move, he rolled towards a wall, going into the camera's blindspot and rolling along, towards a vent hatch.

His mandibles latched onto the hatch pulling it out, he then released the hatch and drove inside of the vent, his shoulder exterior lights turning on to illuminate the vent while his clubbed antenna moved sniffing the area with his ol factory sensors.

So there was something that can be done? Whitegrazer listened with intrigue at Aurora's plan. She didn't like the idea of staying out here. After all, the base was just as dangerous as the outside was now, and with a injured Silverbolt, Aurora would have to do what she had to do while watching out for him until her plan succeeded. But she knew that they needed to have their base under their control again, especially with the CR chambers and Optimus. There was no other way. If they got their base fully functional again, the Predacons inside could be thrown out and the Maximals could regroup, planning a strategy.

She had faith that Aurora would do fine, "All right. Just be careful and watch yourselves for any Predacons while you are there. Don't take what you can't handle." She smiled, watching the battlefield when she noticed Rhinox and Orcariner, seeing Orcariner getting knocked down by Tantrum.

"Maximals, dis is Rattrap. All units converge on Orcariner's location. We gotta draw the line."

She rushed over towards them, seeing Rattrap and Tigatron joining the fray. She used the blast shield to shield the injured Orcariner from anymore harm from the Predacons.

Optimus... Don't worry. We are getting our base back, so you will be safe. We are still holding on. Alive.

Rattrap wrote:"Aurora, I don't know where you are, but if you can bypass the Preds' virus and deactivate Sentinel's firepower, that'd be a huge plus right now." Unbeknownst to him that she was already ahead of him with this plan. He was certain she'd be capable of such a mission, but it never hurt to have a little help deeper within. "Stag might be able ta help and shut it down completely, but it might take time. Be careful! There are still Preds in the base."

Aurora ears tilted back as she listened to Rattrap's ideas. She was already inside the Axalon after having come up with the same conclusion on her own. For the time being everything seemed to go according to her crazy little plan, the autoguns did not recognize her signature as that of a Maximal and therefore she was safe from them. All thanks to a Predacon who was oddly enough willing to help them.

As Rattrap mentioned that Predacons were still hiding in the base, her optics slipped over in Silverbolt's general area. And one is standing right next to me, she wanted to tell Rattrap, however explaining the situation would take too long so she decided to just keep quiet about it for now. "Already inside the base and working on it," she replied to Rattrap's hail.

Silverbolt did his best to remain watchful as best he could in his current state. He wasn't sure what he was watching for. Any sign the autoguns were targetting them? Any sign of his fellow Predacons? If he did encounter any of his comrades, this might be a little difficult to explain.

As the approached the terminal, Silverbolt scowled. "This terminal appears to be offline. Perhaps a terminal on the bridge would be operational?"

Slightly disappointed that this task proved not to be quite as straightforward as she had initially hoped for, Aurora merely shook her head. "The bridge has been blocked off. Unless you're packing some whoopin' firepower in those feathers of yours, I don't see how we're supposed to get inside the bridge. Also the terminals in there were severely damaged in the initial attack. "

Brushing some long locks of white fur out of her face, she suddenly seemed to light up. "Wait a nanoclick.. Perhaps we don't need direct access to the bridge computers. All I really need is an access port and I can do the work through my own computer." She tilted her arm slightly, gesturing at the small wrist mounted device.

"There should be some a bit further up the hallway, near the bridge entrance. "

"Well, let's make our way there then, shall we?" Silverbolt replied. He supported himself along the bulkhead as they progressed through the corridors. Oddly enough, the bulkheads themselves felt almost familiar and comforting.

As they approached the bridge, Silverbolt could see an odd set up involving a stasis pod. He turned his head a and stared at it for a moment. What in the world...? He wanted to ask his captor about the pod, but thought better of it at the moment.

Finally, they reached a point where the path to the bridge was obstructed.

So far the road had been surprisingly free of any enemy forces. The massive destruction done to the bridge stood in great contrast to the almost eerily silence in the hallway. In the far distance Aurora thought she could hear some muffled sounds of a firefight, causing her to stop in her tracks for a moment. She could only hope nobody else she cared for would get injured.. or worse. Some good news would make such a welcome change after all the havoc she and the others had to endure lately, but after so many disappointments the little ermine fuzor was terrified of even allowing herself to hope.

She glanced at Silverbolt, almost halfway expecting the Predacon within him to surface and to attack her, yet she had little choice but to trust him. Thus far he had behaved, maybe.. No, not hope. Placing too much faith in someone would only cause harm in the long run. Too many lies had been told, too many promises had been broken already. Optimus had sworn he would return, leaving his swords in her care to prove it, and look what happened to him..

With an audible sigh, she started touching a series of symbols on her wrist mounted computer. She couldn't allow herself to get distracted right now. Too much was at stake. The others were counting on her and she couldn't let them down.

The process of writing up the program was painstakingly slow, or at least that's how it felt while keeping a constant watchful eye on her companion as well as a lookout for anyone who might turn the corner at any moment. Yet finally she was satisfied with what she had done. It was not an overly complex program, not compared to the virus used to reprogram Sentinel in the first place, but it should be enough to put a bug in the bugged system, so to speak.

"Silverbolt," she told him, almost whispering as she did, "I'm ready to transmit my little file into the mainframe. It will force the computers throughout the base to reboot into an earlier version, more specifically it will reverse the damage done to Sentinel. However.." She paused for a long moment, her voice almost trembling a bit as she spoke up again. "I have to disconnect from you for a moment to upload the file, which will cause Sentinel to detect my Maximal signature for a short time until the program has the chance to work."

Silverbolt nodded in understanding. He admired his counterpart's courage and dedication. He began to draw his feather sword/missile from his wing, stopping partway seeing Aurora's expression.

"Let me protect you. I'll buy you the time you need," he reassured the Maximal as he drew the remainder of the weapon from his wing. He wasn't sure how effective he would be in his current state. But he wasn't about to stand by and let this little Maximal get inujred or killed trying to save her comrades while he did nothing -- not while his spark still had charge.

Ignoring the pain, Silverbolt took up a defensive stance and nodded to Aurora that he was ready for her to begin.

Aurora's green optics widened upon seeing her companion start to pull out his sword. She had been wrong about him.. He had only waited for the perfect time to backstab her. Of course. All Predacons were the same, deep down, it was a flaw in their programming. Yet to her surprise, the wolf hybrid then offered to protect her rather than run her through with his sword. Aurora looked rather skeptical at first, eyeing the sword in the male's hand for a long moment. Upon realizing how tense she had become and as Silverbolt's words slowly sank in, she then eased up and gave him a nod. She was still not entirely convinced, but right now this Predacon was all she had. "Thank you..," she muttered softly, not knowing what else to say after he had just witnessed the fear fully displayed on her face. And so she disconnected the link between the two of them, swiftly hooking her computer up to the access port. The little device immediately started transmitting its content, but as it did her newly revealed Maximal signature also alerted the weapon systems of her presence.

"Maximal Scum Detected," Chimed Homewrecker/Sentinel.

The nearest autogun spun to life, targeting Aurora. Silverbolt was ready for it, slicing it from it's mount and sending it bouncing down to the deck. No sooner had he taken down the first autogun that another deployed from the ceiling behind them. Spinning around, he threw his wing sword at the new threat, severing the data cable where it connected to the gun, rendering it inert.

"Escalating Response, Level 2," Added Sentinel.

Silverbolt looked around wildly, not sure from where to expect the next attack. This time, three autoguns deployed from the ceiling. Silverbolt leap at the middle one, which happened to be the closest. He winced as he tore the autogun from the ceiling, aggravating his injuries. Trying in vain to raise his injured wing to blast the remaining autoguns, he was rewarded with searing pain for his troubles. Realizing he was out of time and out of options, his jaw dropped and eyes widened in dismay.

"No, run!" he yelled to Aurora.

Aurora curled up into a ball, trying to make herself as tiny as she could possibly get while Silverbolt rather heroically attacked one autogun after another. It was a display of courage and a willingness to put himself in harms way that was essentially unheard of for a Predacon, which left Aurora wondering where Silverbolt's true allegiance was after all. She did not have long to ponder it, however, as more autoguns popped out and started firing at her. The little ermine barely had time to glance at her computer screen where a symbol was blinking to let her know that the upload had been successful.

She pulled her arm back to disconnect herself from the main frame, her sense of self-preservation kicking in now that she had accomplished what she set out to do in the first place. Her legs kicking out as she prepared to run as fast as she possibly could, to get away for the few remaining seconds until her program had finished running. Yet as she looked down, expecting to see the floor moving underneath her feet, all she saw were her knees slamming against the floor. Moments later the fierce pain in her backside set in, sparks flying and smoke escaping from the large hole left by a well placed shot from the autoguns.

Her scream came out muffled, distorted, more like a pitiful whimper than anything else as her body collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"System Restore pending in 20 nanocycles," chimed a computer voice.

Silverbolt had little time to react. The autoguns were already charging another volley. He quickly crossed the deck to where Aurora had fallen and shielded them both behind his wing. The force of impact from the autogun blasts drove Silverbolt to his knees. Undeterred, he drew back his wing and threw two wing missiles like oversized kunai at the two remaining autoguns, exploding on impact.

"Additional targets upgraded, Escalating Response, Level 3."

Drawing a final wing sword, he placed it on the deck, leaning against it heavily. He had overexerted himself immensely and now, he could no longer stand. His energy levels were critically low. Most systems were offline or working off of secondary systems. He would be unable to face any further challenge.

"System Restore complete. Goodbye." Chimed the system cheerfully. Lights onboard the Axalon went off briefly as the system rebooted.

"Looks like your mission was a success." He turned to his counterpart, gently putting an arm on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the stasis pod as is took on a strange glow.

What is that thing?

Cecaelia was walking around waiting for Umbra to do his job until he spoke.

Alright, we should get going. Do you want to blast through the door, or go through the vent?

"Blast. I'm too lazy to squeeze myself in the vents.." she charged up her cannon and fired at the door until an entrance was made, "Shall we, partner?"

* * * * * * *

Starshadow landed on a high cliff and watched the battle. There was nothing she could do except keeping Maximals in the area. "Break time...finally.." she sat down and looked at her nails while waiting for further commands.

Cecaelia wrote:"Blast. I'm too lazy to squeeze myself in the vents.." "Shall we, partner?"

Umbra rubbed the back of his neck observing how simply she melted through the door, like a blowtorch through icecream. I probably should of just had her blast through the entire area instead of cloak and daggering it.. he thought to himself in hindsight. He then smiled and responded Yes, lets.

Sentinel wrote:"System Restore complete. Goodbye."

Umbra's optic twitched as he stepped out into the hall and noticed the lights went off after hearing the computer voice speak up. Seems we had some rats scurrying around that quickly made work of Tarantulus's efforts.. We'd best hurry.. While they could of gone back into the medical bay, it'd of been a pointless effort. If someone onboard the ship was able to disable Tarantulus's virus so swiftly, they'd had to been an elite with computers. In Umbra's current state, he was incapable of searching the ship for said hacker, let alone taking on Sentinel once again. All he could do was retreat for now..

He moved towards an exterior wall as one of his tentacles brought up his poison short sword to his hip, which he then grabbed and swiftly drew slashing rapidly at the wall in a random geometry. Once he finished, he sheathed his blade slowly, having the guard-less grip click when it slide against the sheath. The wall exploded into a random array of metal shapes that fell free towards the ground and water bellow, much like something out of a cheesy ninja flick.

He then turned around, scooping Cecaelia up with his robot and octopus arms, then turned and dropped out of the side of the Axalon. Four tentacles moved straight down as his jump jet kicked in, reducing his speed for the drop while his tentacles and legs absorbed the rest of the force of the fall, landing rather softly considering the height.

____________________

Sentinel wrote:"System Restore complete. Goodbye."

Stag merely stopped in place, his assistance no longer required. He turned around inside the vent, then exited out into the Maximal hanger while shutting off his exterior lighting.

Nemesis' optics flashed for a brief moment as Dinobot managed to block her incoming blows, stepping back voluntarily as the traitor made his push so that he wouldn't run her through with his blade.

Yet as he made his move, slashing at her with his sword while making a charge with his shield, Nemesis merely twisted to the side with surprising speed and ease while bringing one of her blades up to deflect his incoming blows. Metal grinding against metal as she forced his weapons away from her, followed by a forceful slam of her elbow against Dinobot's throat and the side of his face once her foe's weapons were far enough away to not pose a risk to her. Sword play was a game she was accustomed to, but she found it thrilling to finally be facing a foe who was capable of fighting back.

At the same time she maneuvered her remaining sword to slash at Dinobot's exposed backside. The sword impact would come hard and swift, hopefully impaling the traitor in the process.

Rhinox wrote: "RRRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!"

Megatron had been so caught up in his attack on Orcariner that he did not stand a chance of avoiding the shots coming towards him before they pierced into his chest. Growling in pain and anger, the Predacon commander held his fire for just a moment so that he could assess the damage that was done. Several bullets had impaled themselves into his chest plate, leaving dents and holes with smoke and sparks escaping from the damaged armor.

Tiring of the persistence of those infernal Maximals who were refusing to accept their defeat, Megatron shouted to his entire armada. "Destroy them all!" Regaining his momentum, the tyrant then lead the charge by being one of the first to open fire on the Maximals. He fired wildly at them, consumed by hatred and an intense desire to melt them all down for scrap, not sparing any Maximal in his rage.

Silverbolt wrote:"Looks like your mission was a success.""Are you alright?"

Aurora did not respond. She was merely laying limply in a heap on the ground, smoke rising from the large wound to her backside, an agonizing look of pain frozen on her face.

Una wrote:
True, there was a time that she wanted to rule the Predacons like Terrorsaur tried to do. That was why she took over that alien island, so she could destroy the Maximals and make Megatron beg for his life as she crushed him with the sheer ruthlessness he had bore into all the Predacons who were trapped here. But that plan failed, and she accepted her failure. That's why she didn't care anymore about ruling such a motley crew. All she wanted was power to keep people from messing with her and power to keep her strong. Tarantulas talked about her failure, but he forgets his own.

Two could play at that game. Her chalk was making another line but it stopped for a moment.

"My skills and cunning are what keep me alive." It dug the line to make a symbol, "and what keep me from being utterly at your will. That pains you, doesn't it?"

Her right arm struggled against Tarantulas' control, making a "z', "You created me to be a servant to you, but that's not all, is it? You wanted me. Me. You loved it when I showed my defiance to Megatron. You loved those moments where I touched you, making you squirm in delight until you overheated. Remember? I bet you do. After all, that's what you wanted. A plaything to satisfy your cravings and perversions beside eating the inhabitants of this planet?"

Scribbles were all over the board, "You loved it. All of it. Until you realized a truth: I used what you gave me for myself, not for you. I did the same thing you did with me like you are doing with Arachnitron. I played you. I played you for a fool."

"And you know what is pathetic, Tarantulas?" She laughed with mockery, "You still do. Don't try to deny it. I can feel it despite my disgust. Some part of you still wants me and it burns you. A desire that can never be fulfilled. You hate me because inwardly, you can't control your own twisted affections."

The chalkboard was written in gibberish except that fact that drawn on it was a half-eaten spark on the web.

"You can't control nor resist me, Tarantulas. Even if I lose, Arachnitron would catch on just as I did and I can't wait for her to get wise and tear you apart if I don't do it first."

((OOC: I loved your post, Darkspark. ))

Tarantulas did not answer Blackarachnia's accusations, no shouts of indignation, or cocky cackles of insanity, only silence...Dead silence, until the "ground" beneath her feet gave way, causing her to fall head over heels into the pitch black void that surrounded her on all sides, indecent school uniform and all.

Farther and faster she fell, with nothing to grasp with thread, pincer, or grappling hook, nothing but empty space...As though her descent could go on forever! However, it was not to be, for deep in the shadows she saw...IT...Appear, a massive, three fingered hand tipped with yellow claws, rising up to meet her, catching her in the center of its palm, the claws closing in around her to prevent escape, forcing her to remain seated...Not that she had anywhere to go considering her surroundings.

However, worse still, was when the light from before pierced the darkness like a spotlight, focusing only on Blackarachnia as the hand rose up to meet the light, and she drew closer and closer she was forced to confront the reality of the light's source, namely, the poison yellow eye of Tarantulas himself as he gazed down upon her like a child examining an insect...Or a predator toying with its prey, his chelicerae moving ominously in the shadows.

"Resistance? Control? These words mean nothing to you anymore my dear, your mind and body no longer belong to you, any influence you think you have is but a courtesy on my part, a luxury I can snatch away at any moment. You can talk big & drudge up the past all you like, just as Megatron can delude himself into thinking he's the second coming of our ancestor's greatest hero, but in the end even he and his petty schemes are nothing compared to the far larger web that I have spun throughout the course of this war. A single fly's struggles cannot harm the web as a whole, nor escape its grip, MY grip. You're no longer the rogue creation to my Frankenstein my dear, you're merely a spoiled little girl who's used to getting her way, throwing a tantrum because the time has finally come for her to be disciplined...And THAT my dear, is what truly frightens you, the realization that all you can do now is cry & whine and stamp your feet in the face of my power. Submit, or else this lesson in humility shall become one of...PAIN." Tarantulas said, his voice echoing all around her as though he were Unicron himself.

Phoenix wrote: Megatron had been so caught up in his attack on Orcariner that he did not stand a chance of avoiding the shots coming towards him before they pierced into his chest. Growling in pain and anger, the Predacon commander held his fire for just a moment so that he could assess the damage that was done. Several bullets had impaled themselves into his chest plate, leaving dents and holes with smoke and sparks escaping from the damaged armor.

Tiring of the persistence of those infernal Maximals who were refusing to accept their defeat, Megatron shouted to his entire armada. "Destroy them all!" Regaining his momentum, the tyrant then lead the charge by being one of the first to open fire on the Maximals. He fired wildly at them, consumed by hatred and an intense desire to melt them all down for scrap, not sparing any Maximal in his rage.

In the real world, Tarantulas and Arachnitron had reached Megatron and the others in record time, the eight legged schemer whispering to Arachnitron "Remember your act my dear, Megatron must not guess your true value, play the pretty fool for all your worth, the coy clueless vixen Blackarachnia pretends to be but isn't, and Megatron will write you off as just another harmless pawn, not the dedicated assistant I know you to be."


The more she trusted him, the better off he'd be, and unlike Megatron, he knew that feeding a pawn's feeble ego could be just as useful in manipulating them as making them feel down about themselves.

"Tarantulas, TERRORIZE!" Tarantulas called out out as he changed back into robot mode, dropping Arachnitron off and making his presence known to maximal and predacon alike by firing a swarm of missiles into the growing gathering of maximals outside the base, as well as a few shots of his brand new cyber venom blaster, eager to test out its effects on the frightened maximals.

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis' optics flashed for a brief moment as Dinobot managed to block her incoming blows, stepping back voluntarily as the traitor made his push so that he wouldn't run her through with his blade.

Yet as he made his move, slashing at her with his sword while making a charge with his shield, Nemesis merely twisted to the side with surprising speed and ease while bringing one of her blades up to deflect his incoming blows. Metal grinding against metal as she forced his weapons away from her, followed by a forceful slam of her elbow against Dinobot's throat and the side of his face once her foe's weapons were far enough away to not pose a risk to her. Sword play was a game she was accustomed to, but she found it thrilling to finally be facing a foe who was capable of fighting back.

At the same time she maneuvered her remaining sword to slash at Dinobot's exposed backside. The sword impact would come hard and swift, hopefully impaling the traitor in the process.

Terrorsaur observed as Nemesis pressed her advantage against Dinobot, his weapons away from her and his back exposed to her attack...Now was the time to fight dirty. Terrorsaur fired his eye beams, not at Dinobot's torso, or even his legs, but at his hands, the hands holding his weapons. His plan was simple, even if Dinobot avoided being impaled, he'd still find himself without his weapons, and what was an outmoded warrior without his weapons?

"A dead bot walking, that's what" Terrorsaur answered to himself, brandishing his blades for the moment of weakness he knew was coming, rushing forward again to join the fray, and Dinobot's demise, his blades swinging high and low to hack and slash at the traitor.



OOC: sorry for the wait, hope these posts cover everything, lemme know if I missed someone

((Sorry for not posting, but been waiting on Blackrose which didn't seem anyone answered her. But if this'll help Blackrose I'm assuming Winter and Inferno were near the forest a little ways from the ship but seeming as everyone is gathered at the front, almost everyone at least, I can make this a bit easier and just have her head that way and Inferno can follow.))

It seemed a few clicks before Wintersong regained her wits about her, the disoriented feeling finally passing as she didn't feel Inferno attack her yet again surprisingly. But as she was pushing herself to her hands and knees she could still hear the sounds of a firefight going on, a much bigger one and no sooner did she hear this did she catch Rattrap's com to regroup. "On my way Rattrap,"She commed back before looking back,"Best to high tail it out of here anyway, beast mode!"She called out as she shifted to her beast form but settled slightly on her wheels before the boosters popped out from her sides. "Please don't loose control,"She pleaded quietly as her boosters burst to life with dark blue flames bursting forth and propelling her forward towards the Axalon, wanting to quickly help her teammates make a stand, even if it would be their final one. If Primus did shine on them though she greatly hoped this would not be their last stand, they had lost enough friends already and for all of them to die now everything they had gone through would have been in vain.

Shaking the chances of this happening Wintersong focused on her destination ahead, seeing the firefight was coming from the entrance where most of the Maximals were and Orcanier was down. Growling at this sight Wintersong pushed to her full speed of at a maximum 50 mhp before she got into the fray,"Maximize!"She growled as she transformed and skidded to a halt beside Tigatron and drawing her rifle to begin firing back. But a grunt escaped her when feeling one of Tarantulas' missiles hit her but only caused her to pause briefly before firing once again.

For Onyx this was the moment he had been dreading since the start, knowing full well he'd have to help slaughter the Maximals despite the fact he saw it was unnecessary but surely he would have to. Or did he? For the last several minutes the black stallion had hung back from Megatron and the remainder Predacons finally joining to attack and eliminate the brave Maximals, putting up a courageous stand to the end which he found greatly admirable but seemingly futile with many in their ranks obviously damaged, one missing, and their Commander dead. So he thought. This whole time he had remained in beast mode, only watching from afar as Megatron finally lost patience and began the onslaught. Two sides of his conscious seemed to be conflicting, attacking them because he was under a commander he should be loyal to which he ordinarily was but on the flip side he wasn't one to strike down enemies when they were at their weakest, even if they took a stand.

Sighing, Onyx gave into the inevitable and transformed as he came to join his suppose to be comrades and reached back, almost tempted for his Friction Rifle but decided that was drastic enough and switched to grabbing the standard Laser Pistol at his side and drew it. Once again he hesitated before silently wishing the Maximals luck in their last stand and beginning to fire at random among those of their foes joining this fire fight but not knowing if his shots actually made contact. This time he really wasn't trying to aim.

========================

At the same time a silver to gray creature quickly bolted from some cover of rocks, having had her lucky escape from Steelclaw already and having let her repairs take a little time to kick in before she could really try joining a fight again. Silverstreak knew she had been risking her Spark in taking on a much larger, bulkier foe but this time there was no turning back as about all the Predacons present were twice or three times her size, or in Tranturms case ten times that and she wasn't about to run like the bear had told her to. It wouldn't matter if she ran and escaped for a little while, the Predacons would eventually realize there was one Maximal around still alive and kicking and no doubt hunt her down and eliminate her. It was a cowardly way to go and she wouldn't let her comrades suffer just to save her own hide, call it suicide but it just wouldn't be right.

So with some repairs done in her primary systems that lied beneath the protective covering of her armor the young vixen and left her temporary cover spot and hurried up next to the others as she transformed, drawing both her guns mounted at her side in hand and beginning to fire. But even she was concerned that this attempt might be futile as the Predacons were packing heavy fire power, half of the Maximals were injured or down, and they were beginning to run low on ammo. In other words the fight was not looking in their favor and to make this last stand it might seem admiring to most groups who wouldn't have attempted half the things the crew had done but it was well worth it.

OOC:

Seriously.......I had a post and was posting just as you posted, Wintersong. Now I have to completely redo all the Inferno stuff.

And yes, I was still waiting for a response to my question. No one really answered it as to the location of Tarantulas, Inferno, Arachnitron and etc. The only answer I got was that the Predacons should eventually end up where they were in the show which was not my question since that had already been mentioned several times before.

Not only that, but the first time I asked, I was told that there were no Predacons near Orcariner and Manterror. Now all of a sudden ALL the Predacons are over by Orcariner and Manterror. So which is it?!?!?

And then, Darkspark brought up something OOC asking if his post should have been edited which would have impacted my character, but no one responded to him. So how can I post if I have no idea whether or not a player who is interacting with my character is planning to edit a post. Here I am waiting and waiting for his edit which never happened so that I can post and I get skipped TWICE!

On top of that, there's something going on with the comms with the Maximals. I mean first they work and then apparently they don't work so OOP goes back and edits her post so that they reflect that. Then, the next post later apparently they work again since Rattrap is talking over the comms with Aurora, but nothing had changed with the Home wreaker virus....they hadn't gotten rid of the virus yet, so shouldn't the comms still have not worked?

Anyway, here is the Arachnitron stuff. I will read Wintersong's post tomorrow and edit what I already wrote for Inferno.

BIC:

Tarantulas lead the way to Megatron and the other Predacons (OOC: Even though he originally said they were going to Terrorsaur and Dinobot which I got the impression they were over fighting Feralnight near the Axalon, but not in front of it since Dinobot did clearly state that he changed directions once he saw Feralnight was in trouble. This whole battle sequence is really getting to be a headache. I don't think we're all on the same wavelength with the location of the landmarks. *eyeroll* Anyway, back to the story....). Tarantulas raced on ahead in his vehicle mode with Arachnitron riding his back.

"Remember your act my dear, Megatron must not guess your true value, play the pretty fool for all your worth, the coy clueless vixen Blackarachnia pretends to be but isn't, and Megatron will write you off as just another harmless pawn, not the dedicated assistant I know you to be."

Tarantulas reminded her.

"I'll do my best," Arachnitron assured him. She wanted nothing more than to please him, but after her previous attempt, she wasn't sure she could do it.

Once they reached the other Predacons, Tarantulas transformed into his robot mode and began firing his cybervenom towards the Maximals. Arachnitron followed suit sending her own cybervenom into the fray. She flashed a nervous look towards Megatron hoping he would keep his distance during the battle and after. She didn't want to interact with him at all just in case she couldn't put on the kind of act Tarantulas wanted.

(EDITED: I know it's silly, but the color wasn't right for Arachnitron's dialogue. I had to fix it. Also, I forgot the quote box around what Tarantulas had said....I know, I know....it's silly....)