(( OOC: All right. Time to give the Preds inside the Axalon a little push, me thinks. Indecisiveness in a desperate situation will get you no where. Clearly.
I'll be moving Optimus quickly in this post, so read it carefully. He needs to redeem his absense.
After this, I await Blazemane's post to catch up.
Also, what do you guys think about this, when Optimus meets Megatron to talk about the pending truce after this battle, he'll have a couple Maximals with him for support just in case. But what if there was another Maximal who happened to follow them on ground and use OP's and Megs' talk as a distraction to infiltrate the Darksyde and get information on the alien disk? There are plenty of unharmed characters left to use for this whole part. Essentially, Megatron's and Optimus' talk about the truce almost falling apart will be the equivalent on the show as Rattrap and Airazor trying to sneak into the Predacon base, being the diversion for another Maximal to actually succeed in doing so. "Oh well, Megatron. What goes around comes around."
And Tigatron doesn't have to be the Maximal to get the alien golden disk info, either. I was thinking Ironclaw could do it since I think he'd be capable of it and he'd be good for snooping around the dark ship. Would you be comfortable with that, Mystrea? It would give you a lot to do.
))
IC:
Swiftly approaching his vessel, lowering his altitude, Optimus took notice of the new damage to it, as well as Dinobot nearby, and Orcariner, Ironclaw, Tigatron and Rhinox. Except for the Leviathan, he couldn't spot any Predacons roaming around outside. And from his direction and perspective, he hadn't seen Airazor and Feralnight either. In fact, it was awfully quiet now. Diving in for a closer look, Rhinox seemed to be out cold on the ground, or paralyzed, and Orcariner was heavily damaged as well. Great concern filled the leader and he immediately flew to his old friend's side. Swooping in, Primal landed with a heavy thud on his feet as a plume of dust surrounded him, clearly growing upset with this scene that his dark red optics gathered. Stepping out of the cloud of dust that began wafting away in the breeze, Optimus kneeled down on one knee to the durable engineer with a small frown.
"Hang in there, Rhinox," he said softly.
After witnessing Arachnitron suddenly run off, Tigatron feared what might be happening inside the
Axalon. From where he was standing, though, he could not see Airazor or the lift; he was quite a distance away around the other end. However, Optimus had finally arrived, and after a quick glance up at Orcariner, he jogged over to their leader, his gun still in his hand, and the injured rhinoceros to give him a quick run down on the situation so Orcariner wouldn't have to suffer from using his jaw to talk.
"Optimus, there are a few fellow Maximals who have sustained damage. Dinobot, Ironclaw and I arrived to the battle scene a little late, so I do not know all of the details, but I believe Rhinox and Orcariner took the majority of the Predacons' firepower. Glowstick was wounded and declared a retreat." He paused before he added,
"Optimus. We have not seen any other Predacons retreat. There are still hostiles inside, toward the command center, I believe."
Primal looked up over his shoulder at Tigatron before standing up and turning to him, listening as he updated him on the situation. His optics briefly ventured to the whale behind the tiger, examining his damage. He was slagged. Anger was beginning to take over his concern. Had this been Megatron's plan all along?! Despite his outrage, Optimus kept himself composed and thought quickly.
"Have the others out here regroup with you," he ordered Tigatron with a firm tone.
"You and Dinobot get Rhinox into the base so he isn't exposed to the energon fields. And get Orcariner to the large CR chamber. Use the Axalon's hangar to enter the base," Optimus emphasized,
"I don't want anyone using the lifts. Not while there are still Predacons in there. Have Ironclaw keep an eye on the Leviathan." And just as soon as he had arrived, Primal quickly hurried off to the hangar, leaving it open for the rest to follow as soon as they were able to.
Entering the ship's hangar, Optimus grabbed a spare reinforced shield that was on the wall, slipping his left arm through the loops on the back of it, and immediately made his way toward the corridor, stepping lightly so as not to make any loud sounds. He stopped at corners and intersecting halls, peering around them cautiously to make sure there weren't any Predacons lurking. And he prayed Nemesis hadn't escaped. Fortunately, everything seemed calm. Although the Maximal leader wasn't as stealthy as some of his smaller Maximals were, he made sure his shield didn't clang against anything, and that his feet were as quiet as he could possibly make them on the metal floor.
Approaching the command center, Optimus kept himself out of sight in the corridor, holding the shield very close to his body. Crouching, he silently picked up something with his right hand that his optics spotted on the floor. A piece of shrapnel from something. Or someone. Then his gaze began following a trail that lead to a splatter everywhere. Standing up, he walked closer toward the main bridge, hearing Maximal and Predacon voices within. Stopping just near the entrance, he finally found where the mechfluid had come from. Icebreaker.
By Primus... Primal thought, nearly choking in his throat. He was not expecting such a scene.
Icebreaker... What had they done to him?! A quick scan told him that the penguin was in stasis lock. He would need medical attention as quickly as possible. The Maximal leader could feel his body temperature rapidly rising in fury. Clenching his jaws, he gave a subtle but speedy glance to peer inside the room and get an idea who was in there. He saw the three Predacons, and Frilla and Wintersong. Still hiding in the corridor and looking for a diversion, Optimus sent a signal to open the roof hatch, hoping it would distract the Predacons just for a moment. As it slid open, Primal stepped into the command center, placing himself with his shield between the Preds and Icebreaker to protect his fallen comrade, and activated his right duel-wrist cannons, automatically targeting them around his shield and at Steelclaw's hand that held his weapon in case he would try firing it again on someone.
"Steelclaw, Snow Trix, Sonar, I'm giving you two choices," Primal told the Predacons in a very cold and deep voice, his oil boiling inside him, his spark racing, and his optics narrowed just above the shield. Really, after what they had done to Icebreaker, they didn't deserve any chances. He blocked the way he entered the room so they wouldn't be able to escape that way and harm the other Maximals who would be using the back to get in safely.
"Surrender or retreat. You're outnumbered and surrounded. And your transport is pulling out."
-----
Meanwhile, outside, Tigatron called to the honey badger and the velociraptor, unaware (like Optimus had been) of Airazor and Feralnight who were still roaming out there as well as Whitegrazer, Aurora, Cheetor and Rattrap who were further away.
"Dinobot, Ironclaw!" he called them over. Using their comm. links might be unwise since they might still be jammed, or the Predacons could still hack into them and listen.
"We must get Rhinox inside!"
Turning to Orcariner, he looked up at him and asked,
"Will you be able to get yourself to the CR?" No one else was really big enough to hold his hand and help him along, but he knew he could grab a hovering dolly or something in order to get him to the repair chamber if the orca didn't have the strength on his own.
I must have a speech fetish. 
))
))
