The Intergalactic Highway

Onyx gave the octopus a slight nod, glad to see he was quick on his feet and well, those extra eyes seemed to be doing well to help him too. "Extra pair of eyes never hurts, but suppose being around a great many backstabbers being watchful over your shoulder might be just as good." He agreed, having come to learn fairly quickly that not very many of the Predacons could be trusted, if any at all. It was why he found himself unable to make many connections among the ranks of Megatron's soldiers when a majority of them just were psychotic, blindly loyal to Megatron, or just had their own agendas Onyx plainly didn't agree with.

But seeing Cecaelia arrive he glanced back towards the disappearing form of Megatron and Terrorsaur, "Might as well go on ahead without me. With my form I'll slow you both down." Onyx observed, seeing the fact that the octopus femme was a motorcycle of sorts which meant she'd be able to outrace him any day compared to before her change to a transmetal. Running forward Onyx transformed mid-run to his beast form and took off in full gallop after his commander and the flier accompanying him, knowing for a fact this was going to be a long run.

Nonetheless, he really didn't mind as he was in no rush to be anywhere near the tyrant in the least. The black equine had become wary and cautious of being anywhere close to Megatron's reach and after the last time he had been taken down for insubordination he was well aware he could be just as expendable as a scrap metal. And of course...it was a short way down to those lava pits that might as well have been the burning Pit itself.

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

Silverstreak gave them a thoughtful looks, realizing they were right in both points. And that would be a problem is Cheetor had to engage any Predacon enemies who would surely be aware of the pod by now. At this rate moving along the trees would have to be her best bet, and if she was lucky they might not be much different from some of her training courses she had gone through with her sensai back when she was on Cybertron. "If it means sticking to the trees then so be it. If not, I'm basically a liability on this mission so I'm going to have to take some risk when you three need to be able to transform." She told them dismissively, deciding some risks were worth taking and she wanted to show them that she could handle the situation just fine.

In an odd way, it couldn't have been the worse attitude when it came around with Cheetor as he always felt the same with wanting to show these older bots he could handle himself. "Oh come on you two, I'm sure she'll be fine and think of something. If this is a tropical terrain then you gotta bet those trees are decent size enough to hide her and give the little fox a chance from height wise. Not to mention not last bit of the ground would be mud, so relax." He said, trying to be positive and assuring nothing could go wrong. Besides, what were the chances that they may not get aid from the newly activated pod?

((You know when looking at the teams at the moment, it seems even if Onyx were to change sides(until they returned to Cybertron) doesn't seem it'd offset much for the teams. Mean the Preds have one more member than the Maximals so if I did have him change in this episode from what I can see there wouldn't be much difference, just the Maximals would have that one more member instead.))

Feralnight wrote: "Honestly Silverstreak, you might have better luck in the trees than on the ground. As Aerostriker said the terrain isn't going to be as forgiving for transformers and our systems could get pretty messed up if they were clogged up or you were sucked right into one of the sink holes."

"Unfortunately, if Cheetor ever has to transform she may have no choice but to resort to the tree tops just to have an advantage or a large rock, a root, something solid to prevent her from becoming a cybertronian fossil."

Silverstreak wrote:"If it means sticking to the trees then so be it. If not, I'm basically a liability on this mission so I'm going to have to take some risk when you three need to be able to transform."

Cheetor wrote:"Oh come on you two, I'm sure she'll be fine and think of something. If this is a tropical terrain then you gotta bet those trees are decent size enough to hide her and give the little fox a chance from height wise. Not to mention not last bit of the ground would be mud, so relax."

Aerostriker looked towards the others Well.. I wouldn't say liability. If anything.. this might be useful for some testing after hearing about Stag's exploits while I was in stasis lock.. Considering her small and slender build.. I think we could make her fly on her own for.. 20 minutes? Longer if it's just jump jet tactics and low hovering, and even longer using Silverstreak's own energy in the mix. So Cheetor transforming wont be a problem. We pondered this up after noticing Aurora and Frilla can't fly, but haven't had time to test on them.. since they have flight surfaces, they can ofcourse fly much longer. But.. this is only if you want Streak, I wont force you if your uncomfortable with it.. after all, to use Stag means he'll be going inside your head to interpret your actions and augment your combat abilities.

Stag then spoke up Due to limits in performance, this unit can not handle weights comparable to Rattrap or Aerostriker. Frilla, Aurora, and Silverstreak are well under weight compared to both. Any larger and this unit poses risk of overheating or failure to launch.

Aerostriker then spoke up Which is why you can't use that trick Cheetor, though considering Stag isn't the fastest thing around, probably just be more useful for you to transform and shoot in freefall.. as long as you're high enough.

_______________________________

Onyx wrote: "Extra pair of eyes never hurts, but suppose being around a great many backstabbers being watchful over your shoulder might be just as good."

Cecaelia wrote: "I usually don't offer rides to any mech, but eh..hop on? We'll get there faster with wheels."

Onyx wrote:"Might as well go on ahead without me. With my form I'll slow you both down."

Umbra watched as Onyx ran on ahead, then looked towards Cecaelia scratching his cheek while looking to the side slightly, he then cleared his throat I ..er.. Thank you Lady Cecaelia.. I really don't know how to properly repay you. he swung his leg over her seat grabbing the handlebars as they started to ride off.

As they road, they caught up to Onyx, but kept a similar speed. Wheels are faster then tentacles, but offroad a horse is hard to beat. You may outrun us until we get there.

I ..er.. Thank you Lady Cecaelia.. I really don't know how to properly repay you.

"You're welcome. You can repay me later after we get the pod. I got something in mind~ Other than that, just call me Cecaelia."

Wheels are faster then tentacles, but offroad a horse is hard to beat. You may outrun us until we get there.

Cecaelia was silent for a moment, then the glowing parts of her engine started glowing, "you know what, let's race! Ready, go!" she accelerated even faster, hoping that the sudden speed did not throw Umbra off her back. Afterawhile, her engine blasted out black smoke which made her speed significantly slow out of shock but thank primus it still smelled like regular carbon monoxide. (She sort of farted LOL! Don't blame me, I didn't know what interesting thing I could post!) To cover up her embarrassment, she sped up again.

"Hmm...the engines must've overworked. Gotta fix that later."

((OOC: Since I should RP as Waspinator to make up my absence, I'm gonna do that now. Again, sorry for my absence. ))

Suddenly, entering the bridge of the ship was none other than Waspinator, holding a handheld buffer on one hand and a hand mirror on the other. Appearantly he did not only late to hear Megatron's call of every Predacon to head at the bridge but appearantly wasted his time on polishing his appearance. Go figure.

"Ahhh, Wazzzpinator happy that Wazzzpinator never blown up once after gaining new zzzhiny body..." He said before noticing what's going on. He immediately grabbed the buffer and mirror before opening the cockpit from his vehicle mode and placing the two items in it in hopes of no one noticing what he was doing.

"Wazzpinator was here the whooole time." He lied in hopes of everyone believing what he said. There's a large chance that it won't work though.

Wintersong came to a quick stop when hearing Optimus suddenly com her and Ironclaw, checking the coordinates on her internal computer and glancing towards it's direction and it would be a bit of a long travel. "We'll head out that Optimus, and meet the others there in the process." She responded before turning off her com-link and turning to the badger, "Guess we're heading this way for that pod, hopefully this will be quick and painless." She said before smiling and turning towards the direction of their destination and crouching down to allow her paws to flip up slightly and the wheels to touch the ground followed by her boosters popping open from the side. "Boosters maximum power,"She ordered, the engine within bursting to life with bluish flames before she took off at her maximum speed to begin heading towards the pod.

----------------

Back in the Zeta sector, Spineback had finally decided to come out from the murky waters of the swamp already wading her way back to the firmer but muddy short and the water coming off her body as she went. When feeling both feet planted on the solid ground she shook her body vigorously to rid of any more water that remained before giving a quick look around the landscape once more but finding no disturbances as of yet. Things around here had been relatively quiet, and even a few animals that had come and gone had only been the native organic beings of this world but no Cybertronian signatures had yet come to her attention so she had waited all this time until it finally seemed she should start moving on from this patch of water and began moving her way through the tropical trees.

But it wasn't long before she began feeling a nagging feeling in her stomach, a kind of rumbling sound began to be heard as she realized she must be growing hungry yet she had seen nothing of civilization upon this planet to get the proper energy she needed. Perhaps she should try eating like her form did? From what information she could find Spineback was a carnivore, which meant almost anything related to prey could be on the menu but it seemed her form had a particular liking to fish above anything else which might explain it's narrow snout and amphibian like qualities. Moving further and further into the swampy jungle the dinosaur femme eventually found another patch of water, this one more open and making her visible from the air. Quietly and carefully moving closer she stepped to the embankment of the swampy lake, seeing little shadows moving from time to time which no doubt had to be fish. "Hm, let's see if my hunting skills are any good."She muttered to herself before leaning down on all fours to watch the water carefully.

And with a quick snap of her head followed by a loud splash she had her target, a decent sized fish in which she could try. Leaning her head up she gave her jaws a few small snaps to crush the fish and move it down into the back of her mouth before swallowing it. The taste was new and foreign but not half bad. "Hmmm, maybe I can learn to like this place, least the food is decent." She said before she went back to her hunting for a bit before she froze, listening closely as she thought in the distance she heard the sound of jet engines which she had not heard since back on Cybertron and turning on the spot to pinpoint the sounds.

Nemesis had wasted no time getting away from the uncomfortable base, rapidly increasing her speed to near maximum but still holding a little bit back in order to conserve some energy for when she got there. It was a long flight after all, but she was confident that nobody would be able to catch up.

The avian female adored the sensation of the wind against her frame and the solitude was a most welcome break from the constant noise back at the base. In her wake she left behind all the bickering and random outbursts that were all too common when several Predacons gathered in a single location, the sudden sounds of shots being fired or explosions going off as the crazier of the bunch got into a squabble or decided to experiment on this or that, and the nearly continuous humming of the CR chambers as some of the less fortunate members had to be pieced back together all fading into a distant memory. How anyone could willingly enter one of those CR chambers was beyond the decepticon-turned-predacon, given the close quarters and inability to move inside those things. No, she much preferred her own body's natural ability to rebuild. Even when her circuits had been malfunctioning for a short while, she had refused to let anyone place her in one of those chambers. They reminded her way too much of a prison cell for that.

As she proceeded to her destination, her thoughts began wandering. She had been attempting to block out recent events and had to some extent been successful in doing so. But now, being by herself, those thoughts began surfacing.

"You want a reason?"

The caring nature of the voice almost made the Predacon cringe. Again she attempted to block out the words, not wanting to remember the fiasco that had been the conclusion of that encounter.

"To be stronger than what you are."

The attempt failed.

"Wounds take a long time to heal, but eventually, they will. All I am saying is give us a chance. Give yourself a chance. I have just opened the door for you. You and only you can choose to walk through it."

Again a sickening doubt arose from within. Why had she been unable to finish the job she had started? Those words did not mean anything, they were just empty promises, a futile attempt to halt the inevitable.

"We can never erase the past, Nemesis, but we can forgive."

... What should have been inevitable..

Deciding that the sickening sensation originated in her own weakness, her own inability to take the life of the annoying Maximal when the opportunity presented itself, Nemesis silently cursed herself and vowed never to display an act of weakness in such a way ever again.

Upon realizing that she was once again flying over land and was nearing the coordinates for the pod's landing spot, Nemesis began scanning the environment. It didn't take long before she located an area that showed clear signs of a recent impact. Slowing down she began her descend, immediately taking note of the crater with the remnants of a pod within its borders. It appeared to be empty, so chances were its occupant had already chosen a form.

Well.. at least now she had something else to focus on.

Nemesis converted to her robot form and landed, looking around at the few animals present.

((Sorry for the delay in posting! This will be a catch-up post.))

Manterror's shots missed his target, as usual, and his immediate reaction was that of disappointment. His shots seemed to do nothing to slow down Nemesis. In a fit of anger, he slashed wildly into the air with this claws, not aiming at anything in particular. In the process, he narrowly avoided a shot from Umbra and Manterror was oblivious to the whole thing.

Inferno did seem to notice however and fired upon Umbra with his own firepower. Then, he stepped in front of the Mantis in an attempt to stop him from... something. Manterror had no idea what was bothering him so much. He just assumed Inferno wanted to stop him from reaching the pot before him.

"We have an important mission and we are disappointing our Queen!

"Blow it out your ass, bug!" Manterror quickly retorted and spun around Inferno with the blink of an eye. Lowering his head and beating his wings as fast as he could, he figured if he couldn't reach the pod first... the least he could do was be second.

---

"Rattrap, Airazor, Silverbolt, Wintersong and Ironclaw, this is Optimus. Converge on sector Gamma 81 for stasis pod retrieval and assisting the life form. Be cautious of a Predacon attack,"

"Duty calls." The falcon spoke to herself. She was rather far away from the destination, but she was still one of the fastest bots in the sky. Without warning, she spread her wings and dropped from the treetop, only to let the wind grab her and keep her afloat. Then, she took off like a rocket towards her destination.

OOC: sorry for not waiting for you to post again Blackrose, I just wanted to get one post in before Halloween this Thursday, don't plan on roleplaying then, gonna be busy watching horror films and giving out candy, first halloween I've had off in years lol. I wasn't sure if it would be alright to have Megs and Terry find the pod or Spineback right away, so I just established that they are in the swamp at least lol

Night hunter wrote: The Axalon was just a mile off, Sonar could easily see the Maximal ship. He smirked a little then used an updraft to gain more height when Megatron contacted him with his usual ego. Demanding that he return to his duties and help Inferno with a Maxinal stasis pod.

Please, I have other important matters then you're ego boost. Sonar thought with a roll of his eyes then smirked again as he activated his COMM to reply,

"My apologizes, Lord-" *fake static* "Een busy with-" *more fake static* "Minerals in a mi-" *another bout of fake static before deactivating his COMM link*

Once he reached the Axalon he circled it in a lazy circle, he was just out of range of thier defense systems but he knew that thier scanners would be able to detect him. He smiled, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they came to attack him.

I could use a little work out, He thought with a toothy smirk. Nothing like a battle to start ones day.

"Note to self, put serious thought into Sonar's termination after this mission, Yesss..." Megatron promised himself, not buying his pitiful static excuse for a second, relishing the thought of dismantling Sonar bit by bit with his bare hands when he inevitably returned to base begging for the use of a CR tank or energon...If he could acquire both pods, Sonar's death would not impact his military strength at all.

"Trouble in paradise?" Terrorsaur chuckled at Megatron's irritation, only to be slapped aside by Megatron's tail a second later.

"Nothing swift and pitiless disciplinary action won't cure Terrorsaur, no" Megatron replied, keeping his ruby red optics on the prize that awaited him up ahead, the swampland stretching out beneath them.

"Ack, glad to hear it" Terrorsaur grumbled, no worse for wear thanks to his new armor, but maintaining a safe distance from Megatron's tail from now on...He truly resented Megatron's new flight mode, sure, Terrorsaur was still king of the air, but now that Megatron could fly it complicated matters should he ever challenge him again or have need of escape.

The two flyers soared over the murky waters and twisted trees of Zeta with great speed, their sensors & optics peeled for signs of the pod, which hopefully had not been recovered or activated by maximals yet. Megatron was confident his ground troops would catch up, especially in the case of the two octopi, who's aquatic abilities would make them quite handy in this crisis, even in the case of the flighty Caecelia.

Wintersong wrote:
Back in the Zeta sector, Spineback had finally decided to come out from the murky waters of the swamp already wading her way back to the firmer but muddy short and the water coming off her body as she went. When feeling both feet planted on the solid ground she shook her body vigorously to rid of any more water that remained before giving a quick look around the landscape once more but finding no disturbances as of yet. Things around here had been relatively quiet, and even a few animals that had come and gone had only been the native organic beings of this world but no Cybertronian signatures had yet come to her attention so she had waited all this time until it finally seemed she should start moving on from this patch of water and began moving her way through the tropical trees.

But it wasn't long before she began feeling a nagging feeling in her stomach, a kind of rumbling sound began to be heard as she realized she must be growing hungry yet she had seen nothing of civilization upon this planet to get the proper energy she needed. Perhaps she should try eating like her form did? From what information she could find Spineback was a carnivore, which meant almost anything related to prey could be on the menu but it seemed her form had a particular liking to fish above anything else which might explain it's narrow snout and amphibian like qualities. Moving further and further into the swampy jungle the dinosaur femme eventually found another patch of water, this one more open and making her visible from the air. Quietly and carefully moving closer she stepped to the embankment of the swampy lake, seeing little shadows moving from time to time which no doubt had to be fish. "Hm, let's see if my hunting skills are any good."She muttered to herself before leaning down on all fours to watch the water carefully.

And with a quick snap of her head followed by a loud splash she had her target, a decent sized fish in which she could try. Leaning her head up she gave her jaws a few small snaps to crush the fish and move it down into the back of her mouth before swallowing it. The taste was new and foreign but not half bad. "Hmmm, maybe I can learn to like this place, least the food is decent." She said before she went back to her hunting for a bit before she froze, listening closely as she thought in the distance she heard the sound of jet engines which she had not heard since back on Cybertron and turning on the spot to pinpoint the sounds.

At long last the two predacons found what they were looking for as they flew overhead, though instead of a stasis pod, it was the new protoform itself, having picked a beast mode already, a saurian much like Megatron, though of a different species.

"I'll say this much for the newcomer, it has good taste in beast modes, yes" Megatron observed in approval.

"You're taking this rather well considering the maximal came online before we could reach it...Shall I slag it?" Terrorsaur inquired, more eager for blood than he was curious about Megatron's uncharacteristic patience.

"Not just yet, no. For if you paid as close attention to detail as I, you would notice the spinosaur is not giving off a maximal energy signature, its more akin to our own in fact, yet at the same time different. I'll be interested to learn how such an unexpected passenger ended up part of Primal's crew...Yes. Inform the others of our find and to home in on our coordinates while I introduce myself to my new soldier" Megatron said as he flew down to face the spinosaur, landing gracefully in the swamp's shallow waters a few feet away.

"You're the boss...For now" Terrorsaur replied, mumbling the last bit under his breath, choosing to land on a tree branch above and behind the spinosaur, warily watching on like a vulture waiting to pick at a corpse, regardless of whether said carcass belonged to his leader or the spinosaur as he carried out his orders "Terrorsaur to Umbra, Megatron and I have found what we were looking for, its online and is giving off an unusual energy signature. Home in on our coordinates, Megatron is ascertaining its allegiance now. Over and out."

"Greetings, I am Megatron, leader of the predacons, I welcome you to my world. To whom am I speaking?" Megatron inquired with the cordiality of a polite aristocrat rather than a corrupt tyrant, deciding to play good cop for now.

Una wrote: Blackarachnia was disinterested in such a task, but she decided to just smile and bear with it. Might as well just get it over with. She bowed, "Yes, Megatron." She glanced at Arachnitron as Tarantulas was ahead of them. She was about to say something, but she shook her head. No matter what she said, it wouldn't make a difference. She turned her glance towards Quickstrike and gave him a little flirty looking over before she walked off.

She didn't know what scheme Tarantulas planned on today. Despite the fact that Megatron interrupted his fun in torturing Terrorsaur for his amusement disguise in scientific curiosity of their new forms, Tarantulas seemed edgy. Probably because he hasn't been able to get any sort of time to himself since he literally forced Arachnitron and herself to help build a makeshift lab for him.

While the rest of the predacon forces were busy hunting stasis pods, Tarantulas and the rest of the arachnids, including the new fuzor Quickstrike, were busy loading the supplies they would need to build the refueling station in Grid Arachis, the scientist far from pleased by the work he'd been assigned.

"I cannot believe that Megatron expects me to carry out such a menial task" Tarantulas complained, carrying a small but surprisingly heavy container that was to be loaded on the transport carts the members of his team would be pulling, a task far better suited to mindless brutes like Tantrum or Inferno, perhaps even that bleeding spark workhorse Onyx.

Thankfully, he had an assistant to aid in the labor.

"Careful with those containers Arachnitron, last thing we want is Megatron to whine about us damaging his precious resources before we even begin construction of his oh so important refueling station, a complete and utter misuse of my talents" Tarantulas told his underling, who'd done a commendable job of playing the pretty fool since her reintegration into the predacon ranks, Megatron seemingly satisfied that her split personalities were under control and had been replaced by one more agreeable, though he doubted the purple reptile would ever trust any spider completely unless special efforts were made to deceive him...Though for now he was satisfied with having a minion he could count on without the use of telepathic manipulation.

Silverstreak was silent for a moment as she considered Aerostriker's alternative, but wasn't so keen for the aerial fighting tactic since she much preferred some kind of solid ground beneath her feet, even if that meant standing on a large enough tree branch or even a fallen log. "I don't know about that Aerostriker, I prefer the ground beneath my feet than risking flying maneuvers of some kind. So, think this time I'll take the risk of the muddy ground or standing on a tree." She answered him after a minute or two passed. "But if things start getting a little hairy I'd say have that as a back up plan if things turn out for the worse. Or just hope that the pod that crash landed is not yet activated by the Predacons or is on our side." She added, deciding to at least have the jump jet tactic as a back up plan if her attempts from a height didn't work or having to move along the ground.

"Whether it's on the ground or a free fall, I'm all for shooting the Preds any way I can."Cheetor said, shrugging as Silverstreak seemed to make her decision and seeing the swampy landscape begin to show up beneath them. This time Cheetor moved down to fly around the trees and to avoid the chances of any fliers spotting them, though he was also trying to track any signs of the pod along the way but was having no luck in seeing the crash site through all the thick foliage. That was until the fox upon his back suddenly pointed off towards their right, "There! I saw something along those rocks!"She told them quickly, the flying cheetah having to make a quick stop and glancing to where Silverstreak pointed finally spotting something definitely not part of the natural rock formations. In fact, there seemed to be some disturbance in the landscape to which he wondered if the femme found the pod.

"Guess we better check it out."Cheetor said before he flew to the right and began to circle above the rocks, seeing among them was indeed a pod...but an empty one as well. "Oh man, it's definitely the pod but it looks like it's been activated."He said with concern, glancing over at this fellow fliers.

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

"Hmm,perhaps Umbra, but we shall see." Onyx said, wondering if he really could out pace the transmetal femme beside him but was left coughing some dust as she sped up so suddenly with wanting a race, making him shaking his head at the femme's enthusiasm. It amazed him that her and Starshadow were even friends or supposedly had been teammates long ago, considering how opposites they were he had began to wonder how that even played out. "I think I'll go without the racing."He muttered, seeing she had already gotten ahead as he pushed his body to go as fast as it could but his form was not built for speed, it was a far more muscular horse than that of the Maximal Whitegrazer which her form seemed more fitting for a race like Cecaelia was wanting. So for the moment the black equine was going at the pace he could until he heard the sound of an engine going off, his ears going forward in wonder.

And soon he could see it was Cecaelia that this noise was coming from and it had in fact slowed her down considerably enough for him to catch up. "Think perhaps testing your limits first would have been better Cecaelia, seems you overworked that engine of your's." Onyx remarked to her, chuckling slightly for once around two Predacons he actually was growing not to mind at all. "Umbra seems right though, it hasn't been that hard to keep up with you or almost outmatch you." He said over his shoulder, realizing he was beginning to get ahead of the transmetal octopus but soon found himself coming across a more tropical like landscape, guessing this was the coordinates of Zeta.

"You can talk to us whenever you need to, Saber-Fang. We will be here for you."

"There's nothing to talk about," Saber replied, not meaning to sound so harsh. "I'm a ticking time bomb, a threat to any Maximal abroad this ship. Primus, why did I even come back to the Axalon? At least out in the wilds, no Maximal is in danger of becoming the latest victim of my... condition."

She had asked herself that very question several times since she recovered from her latest transformation.

Aerostriker had a good idea, Feralnight could easily give Silverstreak a boost too when she thought about it. She didn't exactly need to worry about being off balanced in the air by a smaller femme with Silverstreak's stature, so it might work if the fox decided to try that instead. It'd be worth a shot but for now it seemed like it would be a back up plan if all else failed, although the fuzor wondered if this would really be a good idea for the young ninja femme to be on the ground the more she looked at the landscape beneath them. For the most part it seemed like trees, murky waters, and nothing but mud, which could likely be hiding sink holes not visible to the naked optic. "If we don't try jump jet tactics I can probably easily give her a lift, as you and Stag pointed out Aerostriker Silverstreak, like Frilla and Aurora, is a small framed femme so she wouldn't be hard to lift or give a hand to. But suppose we are seeing how this plays out." She said while glancing towards the transmetal bird on her right.

But before long she was coming to a quick halt at Silverstreak's sudden discovery, flapping her wings hard to prevent from suddenly plummeting to the ground from the abrupt change in direction by the two younger bots. "Well, guess the little ninja has sharper eyes then us fliers," Feralnight joked a little before she changed her course and followed after the transmetal cheetah and wild silver fox and easily spotting the familiar pod which had crashed into some rocks and seemingly revealing some fossilized animals, or most specifically a single one which contained a dinosaur of some kind. "If it's empty then we might have gotten here too late,"Feralnight murmured before sniffing the air to check for signs of Predacons but smell none, only one that was not familiar among all those of stale scents from the organic native animals. "Hmmm, but I don't think it was the Predacons." Turning slightly in the air and following the scent the wolf/raven fuzor noticed the foot prints left within the muddy ground and seeing it heading off into the forest. "In fact, I think whoever came out of that pod just left us a way to find them."

( Well, there shouldn't be too much jet noise from the Maximals, Only one using vehicle mode is Cheetor at the moment. The Preds however are probably making alot of noise. )

Silverstreak wrote:"I don't know about that Aerostriker, I prefer the ground beneath my feet than risking flying maneuvers of some kind. So, think this time I'll take the risk of the muddy ground or standing on a tree." "But if things start getting a little hairy I'd say have that as a back up plan if things turn out for the worse. Or just hope that the pod that crash landed is not yet activated by the Predacons or is on our side."

Cheetor wrote:"Whether it's on the ground or a free fall, I'm all for shooting the Preds any way I can."

Feralnight wrote:"If we don't try jump jet tactics I can probably easily give her a lift, as you and Stag pointed out Aerostriker Silverstreak, like Frilla and Aurora, is a small framed femme so she wouldn't be hard to lift or give a hand to. But suppose we are seeing how this plays out."

Aerostriker nodded Agreed. Not like we'd try to force someone out of their element anyway.

Silverstreak wrote:"There! I saw something along those rocks!"

Cheetor wrote:"Guess we better check it out.""Oh man, it's definitely the pod but it looks like it's been activated."

Feralnight wrote:"Well, guess the little ninja has sharper eyes then us fliers,"

Stag then spoke up Ninja are similar to Snipers and scouts in many regard.

Aerostriker shrugged his wings I'm no falcon.. I leave the eyes to Airazor.

Feralnight wrote:"If it's empty then we might have gotten here too late,""Hmmm, but I don't think it was the Predacons." "In fact, I think whoever came out of that pod just left us a way to find them."

Aerostriker backflapped his wings as he came down to slow his decent, then landed on a near by log. Well we have a trail, might as well figure out what we have and start tracking. Stag, see what you can find.

Stag suddenly detached from the small golden bird, flying into the air and landing onto the Stasispod. His manipulator cable extended attaching to the console Entering access codes... extrapolating data...Download complete. File data seems not to be corrupted, displaying DNA scan.

A small holographic image appeared above the insect, showing a image of a DNA helix, then switching to an image of a Dinosaur with a large fin on it's back and a narrowed jaw. Scan relieves moderate sized semi-aquatic bipedal lifeform.

Aerostriker then spoke up Can you tell if the programming is Maximal or Predacon?

The display then disappeared Data is inconclusive.Programming memory banks have been purged. the cable retracted and reeled back into Stag's back.

Slag.. well, at least we have some clues to go by to set up a plan. Aerostriker looked around, then looked towards the tracks Lets try to follow these tracks, since you ladies are built for tracking you should take the ground route. You can decide if you want to keep flying or not Cheetor. I'll take to the air and keep and optic out for Predacon activity with Stag.

_______________________________

Cecaelia wrote:"You're welcome. You can repay me later after we get the pod. I got something in mind~ Other than that, just call me Cecaelia."

That's seem a bit forward, but if you insist. Umbra responded, though he had no idea what she had in mind for repayment. [/color]

Cecaelia wrote:"you know what, let's race! Ready, go!"

Umbra barely got any chance to protest, as he gripped onto her handlebars, his tentacles latching onto her as she sped up, the ride jaring with bumps considering this wasn't a paved road.

Cecaelia wrote:"Hmm...the engines must've overworked. Gotta fix that later."

Umbra seemed a bit pale Ug.. You know, since this isn't a smooth road, you shouldn't try to drive that fast.. you could damage your suspension. You also haven't broken in your engine yet, so it'll probably act up until the seals seat for the cylinders..Least from what I remember of my Bike mode back on Cybertron..

He then noticed the grass and trees up ahead Might want to slow down here..

As he finished, he heard Terrorsaur on the radio.

Terrorsaur wrote: "Terrorsaur to Umbra, Megatron and I have found what we were looking for, its online and is giving off an unusual energy signature. Home in on our coordinates, Megatron is ascertaining its allegiance now. Over and out."

He seems to be on his best behavior.. surprising. Alright, lets regroup with Megatron and Terrorsaur.Keep an eye out for Maximals as well, we don't want to end up in an ambush. Umbra said outloud.

Nemesis had already landed when Manterror arrived. She seemed to be looking around for something, likely the protoform since the Pod which had crashed nearby, was empty. Perhaps though, it was mearly a diversion. It was very possible that Nemesis was working for the Maximals - freed the protoform and was now pretending to look innocent. Yes. That was likely it. The insane bug felt like he was the best investigator in the world!! He should have been a spy.

"What did you do with the protoform!?" He snapped. The mantis was transforming back into his Robot form and landed just a few feet behind Nemesis. "No wonder you wanted to be first, to steal the new predicon for yourself!! Bahahahah!!! Can't trick me you stupid bird!!" He laughed in her face, knowing it would piss her off. He didn't care.

((So, I have no idea where Airazor is actually going... Which of the 2 pods is she headed to?))

(Okay, for clarification!


Spineback stasis pod:
Maximals: Aerostriker,Cheetor,Feralnight,Silverstreak.
Predacons:Megatron,Terrorsaur,Umbra,Cecaelia,Onyx.

Buster stasis pod:
Maximals:Rattrap,Airazor,Wintersong,Ironclaw,Silverbolt
Predacons:Nemesis,Manterror,Inferno,Waspinator,Starshadow.

Mining operation:
Tarantulus,Arachnitron,Blackarachnia,Quickstrike. )

(( OOC: So I'm moving on with Rattrap since Warwulf is a huge slacker.

Welcome back, Big Convoy! ))

"Seeing how I can stand on my own two feet again, I guess I'm doing really well!"

Optimus smiled with the larger mech, thrilled to see him in good spirit.

"Optimus, it's really good to see you with us again. Things got pretty out of hand with you gone, and I probably wouldn't even be alive right now if you hadn't come back. Thank you."

"Thank you, Orcariner, but I'm afraid your gratitude should be directed toward Rhinox and Whitegrazer. If not for them, I wouldn't even be here," he explained to Orcariner in modesty while he took the mare's hand in his for a moment and squeezed it gently before letting go. "From what I understand, your courage and selflessness is to be commended." Something about seeing the whale now suddenly triggered a memory from the Matrix, and Primal's expression looked distant for a moment.

Hey.. um, listen.. if you manage to get in contact with them again.. Just tell Aurora and Orcariner I'm doin' alright, and try to keep up hope..

The penguin's voice flooded his mind and his words echoed within his head. "Icebreaker..." Optimus muttered. "I remember." He looked up at Orcariner and added, "Icebreaker wanted you and Aurora to know that he's doing all right. And to try to keep up hope." Blinking, the blue gorilla looked down, realizing how crazy that must have sounded and possibly a little insensitive the way it came out. "I'm sorry," the leader apologized as he recalled how close the orca and the penguin had been and the emotional toll it took on Orcariner. "They are only fragments but when I saw you, it specifically triggered that memory." He paused for moving on. "It was reported to me that you've taken on a different attitude now, that your self confidence has grown significantly and you're more involved with the crew. I can't tell you how proud I am to hear that, Orcariner. You've always had the strength and courage, you just needed to believe in yourself and your abilities because I have never doubted them." He smiled warmly at the taller Maximal.

"You can always talk to us whenever you need to, Saber-Fang. We will be here for you."

"There's nothing to talk about," "I'm a ticking time bomb, a threat to any Maximal abroad this ship. Primus, why did I even come back to the Axalon? At least out in the wilds, no Maximal is in danger of becoming the latest victim of my... condition."

"No Maximal except you," Optimus said, turning his attention to Saber-Fang. "And what if the Predacons were to capture you? Or if you stumbled across a Vok trap? ...Assuming there are any left and if they know the planet is still here. Saber-Fang, you are right where you should be. Everyone is aware of the possible danger and we have precautions in place. But as for your involvement with Sonar, that's something that we have yet to discuss."

"We'll head out that Optimus, and meet the others there in the process."

"Copy that, Wintersong," Primal returned before the TransMetal tigress ended their transmission.

-----

"Rattrap, Airazor, Silverbolt, Wintersong and Ironclaw, this is Optimus. Converge on sector Gamma 81 for stasis pod retrieval and assisting the life form. Be cautious of a Predacon attack,"

Okay, NOW it was worth getting up when Rattrap heard the monkey's voice over his comm. link. Maximizing into robot mode, the Spy walked over to his door and opened it, finding Silverbolt standing there in his way. He glared at the Fuzor as if to say, You were the one knockin' on my door?!, and then used his hand on 'Bolt's shoulder to shove him out of the way. "Let's go, Bird-dog, we got a pod ta fetch," he said without looking back at him as he walked briskly to the command center.

"Hey, Aurora!" Rattrap happily greeted her on the bridge, gently ruffling the hair on her head with his hand as he walked by her. Quite the opposite of how he treated Silverbolt.

"No he isn't, so guess the better phrase would be getting into places his metal butt couldn't reach."

Rhinox shared the chuckle with Frilla.

"Definitely more lethal,"

"More lethal? You guys talkin' about me again?" the rodent smirked. "Where's Wintersong and Ironflaw?" he asked Rhinox.

The engineer spun around in his chair and looked at his TransMetal friend after nodding with a smile to Aurora. "Looks like they're already outside and on their way, along with Airazor. Better hurry on out there," he urged.

Rattrap gave him a dismissive wave and joked, "They'll be eatin' my dust in 60 seconds," as if he had time to linger longer while his team had already left without him and his new vehicle mode was fast enough to catch up in no time. He was the "senior officer" of this team by chain of command. Joy. Dis should be interesting... he thought.

"Communication will be limited in that location, Rattrap," Rhinox added on a serious note. "Be careful."

"Got it, Big Green. I'll make sure at least half of us come back," he winked. Turning around, he walked over to the lift and stepped on to the platform. Giving a wave to Aurora, Rhinox and Frilla, the rat was lowered down to the ground where he converted to his dragster-like mode and drove off after Wintersong and Ironclaw's trail.

Sighing, Rhinox looked at the others and rhetorically wondered, "Can he ever be serious?" "Aurora, how are you doing? You look well rested," he smiled at the Fuzor.