(( OOC: Much better, una, thank you!
Nicely done with Megatron, Phoenix! I think it was a good idea to stick to a more scripted post until you get the feel for him. Then you can start venturing out more as you feel more comfortable. Again, many, many thanks for playing him until Wildfire returns.
Also,
at Aurora poking Tarantulas.
Great post, Blackrosefencer! Tell it like it is! XD
...Also not sure where Blazemane is, but he has some catching up to do.
))
BIC:
"I'm fairing just fine."
Optimus had nodded at Wintersong acknowledging her response. He wasn't entirely convinced but she seemed to be doing well enough. Certainly much better than Ironclaw and Rhinox. The Maximal leader grew quiet while he examined the stasis pod before him and listened to everyone else in the room as more of Maximals entered and confronted the Predacons.
"I haven't had the chance to do anything with it yet, garbage breath and why should I help you Maximals anyway? I'm holding the information to use it. Why should I save all your hides?"
"You don't really want to die here now, do you?"
"Why not? If I die here, so will all of you. Give me one good reason to finish fixing that pod."
"You don't want to die here."
Was Blackarachnia really
that selfish? As Optimus began to grow impatient with their words, the fluids inside him started to bubble, so to speak.
"NOO!" "Don't let them have that pod,"
The gorilla's brown eyes shifted to Arachnitron for a moment, narrowing slightly before turning them to Aurora.
"What are you doing, Arachnitron? The Maximals took you in before when you were lost. Same as Starshadow. We offered you a shelter, somewhere to call home, and you respond by betraying us at our darkest hour? Are you so desperate you would seek the kinship of someone who will leave you to die without as much as a moment’s hesitation?" "We have so little time left before the situation outside goes critical. What were you all planning to do? Snuggle up in the single stasis pod you might have a chance to get working before this planet goes under? No.. Do not fool yourself into thinking these Predacons had any intention of taking you with them."
The young Fuzor was right about one thing, Blackarachnia and definitely Tarantulas would not have shared this plan. They were merely using Arachnitron and Starshadow as pawns. A shame to think they'd have actually thought otherwise. And then what would they do after their betrayal and left alone to fend for themselves? Beg Megatron for forgiveness and ask him to save everyone some how? Unlikely. They would be outcasted or severely punished. ...Or even likely killed as had been Glowstick's fate. These Predacons were hanging on by a thread, foolishly desperate. It may very well cost them their lives anyway by Megatron's hands.
"Because you have no intention of perishing with the rest of this planet, that's why. If you weren't desperate to avoid such a fate, you would not be here. And we all know you will never be allowed to board that vessel and leave, so why not help us all survive by completing your task and letting one of us go? You may be a Predacon but you know better than to think a Maximal would leave his comrades behind."
"You know it's best if you listen to them Blackarachnia, you spiders value your lives too much to be taken out by aliens such as the Vok. Besides I'm sure you spiders and the cat didn't go through all this trouble just to end here."
"For their case, it's obviously survival. For me, survival to return to my original crew and to accomplish a mission."
Primal's gaze bounced around the room like a pinball in a pinball machine, taking eveything in with their tones, words, concerns, fears, before it settled on Arachnitron. Aurora seemed to have the best words, however. She understood exactly what Optimus had in mind. Whitegrazer did as well but she used her involuntary visions to help. Her warning was still there, lurking in the back of his mind, but he didn't entirely believe that the future was set, or that her visions were completely accurate. He truly thought what he had in store was the best way to save everyone so no one would have to lose their lives. He secretly promised himself that to Aurora. He didn't want to see anymore death.
"What? I trusted you all by telling you my secret and where did that get me? No one trusted me because of the Predacon inside of me. And no one welcomed me. As soon as the big monkey was out of the room, one of your crew practically HANDED me over to the Predacons who invaded the base. It was you all who told me I didn't belong here. You Maximals think you're so high and mighty. You know what the Predacons will do when they find out about the Maximal and me? Help the Predacon. You know what you Maximals did? Help the Maximal. You know what Tarantulas did? He helped me. So as far as I'm concerned you're all the same when it comes to your prejudiceness. All the same. No one. No one accepted the fact that there are THREE of us in here. Do you know what that is like?" "Do not fool yourself into think that I didn't have my own plans." "You couldn't possibly understand the pain the other personalities were causing me. This was my only choice. My only chance at being normal! Everyone was so quick to help the Maximal and give her what she wanted. No one asked the rest of us in here."
The Commander didn't believe Arachnitron was being completely honest, but it didn't really matter.
"ENOUGH!" Optimus bellowed, looking at everyone before focusing on Arachnitron and Starshadow and addressing them with,
"If there's one thing I've learned so far, it's not to trust those with their own agendas so easily," glaring at them and speaking in a deep voice. He felt taken advantage of, used, and unappreciated. He tried his best to help them, putting a lot of his own time and effort aside for them, only ever having the best intentions in mind, and now
this? Unfortunately, this entire situation may very well harden him and take a toll on his faith in those he would try to help or welcome into his ranks and his ship. His Maximals were right about him trusting too much. It was a weakness he intended on turning around in the future.
"But we don't have time for this. In fact, it would seem I've wasted enough of my time as it is," he added with a growl, implying at Arachnitron and Starshadow how dissatisfied, disappointed, and outraged he was to realize now how much of possibly everything he had selflessly given had been wasted on them out of the goodness of his spark. Deep down, however, whatever Tarantulas had done to supposedly "help" Arachnitron, he hoped it was for her best interest and not his own. If she truly thought he had helped her, then clearly he had the intelligence, understanding and equipment that the Maximals did not.
"You want a reason to finish programming this stasis pod?" Primal rhetorically asked Blackarachnia in a cold tone once he turned around to face her and stepped closer to her, grabbing her by her collar and effortlessly lifting her up off the floor. Yes, he had been pushed far enough now.
"Because this is no longer your way off of this planet! Now it's in my possession! You've lost your chance to escape, but if you want to live longer in order to find some other means out of this war tomorrow, then your best bet is to co-operate. If it works, you'll still be saving your own life." Releasing his grip, he dropped her, letting her land on her feet. Hopefully by making it about her survival, since there was no other choice for her, it would make her help them, in a way. But just in case that wasn't enough motivation...
"Computer, projection," ordered Optimus.
"Planetary destruction in 22.5 cycles," answered Sentinel. Time was running out.
Pretending to dramatically bite his fingertips, Rattrap pointed out,
"I'd hate put a bug in the program, Boss Monkey, but dis stasis pod ain't equipped ta duke it out with the planet buster."
Stepping away from the black widow and turning around to look at the Maximal Spy, Optimus explained,
"Every one of these alien structures have been designed for a specific purpose, Rattrap. This one is busy, and I'm betting I can fly close enough to take it out."
Hah! Was he nuts?!
"With what?!" the rodent asked.
"One of yer famous 'We Can Do It' speeches?" he mocked.
((OOC: Sorry to jump back into the script for a moment, but I HAD to put that in there. I love that line.
))
Ignoring the humor and mockery, Optimus corrected Rattrap by saying,
"With a transwarp explosion." He was certain Blackarachnia had one, or one of the Predacons did. Because they used transwarp to get to this planet, the only way to get back home or in the right time period was by using a transwarp cell. But an explosion like that would definitely do the job. It would be a very risky and dangerous maneuver, but that was why he was only willing to do it himself. It didn't mean certain death either, his plan was not meant to kill him; in fact, it was to do just the opposite if calculated correctly. It simply meant turning the pod into a mobile bomb. He had the flight speed to escape the explosion and return to the planet. His idea was simple and effective. Save the planet, save its inhabitants, and save themselves.
Rattrap glanced at Whitegrazer in disbelief before looking back at the ape.
"Uh, Optimus, I think some of yer cheese has slid off your cracker."