The Intergalactic Highway

((OOC: Well Sunny, you know what they say. Valkyrie is more then meets the eye.
You can also use her to have Nemesis escape.
She's much weaker now then she ever was or will be.

Candi, for the time being, you can just have Optimus react like he actually would. Refuse her request, and give her a reason you think that would work best in that situation.))


It was weird, she admitted, but her curiosity was to strongly present in her mind to ignore.
There was a high possibility that a black-out might scramble her systems again, but it was a chance she was willing to take.
She opened a door, and she stared into the section inside the Axalon they had converted as a holding block.
One of the cells held the Predacon identified as Nemesis.
"Nemesis. It's a well known name. Coming from the history files from the great war. Megatron's flagship. the very jewel of the Decepticon fleet. I wondered what made you so extraordinary to be named after this legendary ship?"

((Deleted Venatrix her part. Cant keep up with you guys posting rate. Before i could post anything worth posting, others beaten me to the punch.
Dont think writing long and detailed posts will cut it anymore sadly enough.))

((OOC: Hey, Ven. Just as a heads up, in order to talk to Nemesis, Valkyrie will have to open the door (the rank restricted one) to her cell. Each cell is soundproofed so conversation or even eavesdropping is impossible otherwise))

IC:

Orcariner shuffled a bit. With Optimus in such a close vicinity to the Predacon now revealed as Onyx, who's name the giant immediately registered, the orca was unable to get a clear line of fire. Luckily, both of the war horse's weapons were lain on the ground as a sign of genuine peace. While the Axalon did not have much data on this new Predacon, Orcariner quickly assumed that his strength output was inferior to that of the 3 meter tall commander. While tempted to lower his weapon, he noticed that Rattrap had maintained a line of fire in the other transformer's direction. Granted, it was not a clear line of fire but the attitude made sense. Continuing to aim down his sights at Onyx, Orcariner also glanced at his radar to make sure that the vicinity remained clear of any potential ambushes.

"Huh..."

He noticed that Valkyrie was awake again. Her unknown physical condition had unfortunately prevented her from joining in on as many missions as she had when the crew first landed. While Orcariner was comforted at the sight of her activity, he noticed that her signal was coming from the detention facility. As a matter of fact, she was adjacent to Nemesis' block. It was difficult to tell whether the air commander was outside or inside the prison cell because Orcariner's scanners were not that intricate at this range. Yet, the situation was still curious to him.

What is she doing in there?

Not wanting to disrupt the highly delicate conversation between Onyx and Optimus, Orcariner decided to radio someone else.

"Rhinox," he softly said into his radio, "This is Orcariner. Valkyrie is inside the brig near Nemesis' cell... alone. I advise we send an escort ASAP, over."

It was not that he did not trust Valkyrie. She had never met Nemesis in face-to-face before. While all Predacons were gifted with spontaneous thinking, Nemesis was one of the few who was actually able to surprise even the most experienced Maximals. To confront her without any preparation was foolish, even for someone as daunting as Orcariner himself. Turning his attention back towards Optimus, the titan simply waited for the propositions to unfold before him.

Onyx listened to Optimus knowing he was right and he glanced at Icebreaker, though he had no clue of the ship or stasis pods Glowstick had been collecting save for the ones used to create the Levianthan. "Hm like I said it was a theory, and yes my teammates would be onto the idea quicker then you could say Cybertron but of course the ship collecting is news to me. I have been here a short couple of days, as of which I am sure you were aware of already." The black stallion said turning his head slightly to look at the sky. He had been gone for a while plus the trip there, it would have been far longer then for a patrol excuse, he'd have to be going quite soon. Finally looking fully back at the Maximals he gave a final decisive nod,"I am glad we could have a peaceful chat Maximals but the day is going by quickly and I must be heading off."He said.

Stepping forward he grabbed his weapons, aware of Rattrap and Orcanier still armed and the tigeress ready to pounce at any moment. It seemed Icebreaker, Optimus, and the fuzor were the only ones at ease for the time being and as he put his weapons on his back again he looked at Aurora, she had seemed the only kind one when he first arrived but he thought her form quite unique. "By the way kid nice beast form." He commented with a brief smile,"Beast mode."Transforming he gave a final glance at the group gathered."Farewell Maximals I'm sure we'll be seeing each other enough." He said before he trotted in a wide arc and then took off in a full gallop back towards predacon territory.

But he had left out the second reason he had come there, thinking now was not the time to mention it but to wait for a better moment.

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

After his insubordinates had left Megatron went back to opposite side, heading back through the halls to his personal quarters and came to the front of his monitor screen, "Computer retrace interference from earlier." He ordered getting a 'acknowledged' in return and waited impatiently as the systems tried to retrace the source of what had occurred and it wasn't long before the screen showed something of a glowing mountain, catching the t-rex's attention immediately.

~Energy signature found in delta coordinates 796.~ Came the report and as Megatron asked of confirmation of the Maximals part of the screen showed in the lower left corner of several bots flashing in quick succession but had no confirmation of bots but of the signature being of alien origins. Truly intriguing. "Well seems our old alien friends are still up to something and whatever it is lies in that mountain, yes." Megatron said aloud to himself before turning away.

Now how to get that object when it was in the middle of the mountain? Then one bot in particular came to mind who would prove useful for such a mission,"Inferno I have a mission for you of the upmost importance, and only you. Something of great value lies in delta sector 796, go and get it immediately." Megatron said over his com-link before he finally left his quarters, wondering what could be within the heart of that mountain and what was causing this strange anomaly to appear out of no where. Though after he had crossed to the other hall and was heading to the hanger he heard the commotion and stepped out seeing Feralnight, a maximal who didn't seem to act reckless like this."Is one maximal really so hard to take care of?" He growled in agitation, unimpressed with the performance of his so called team.

"Capture this pest and get her restrained, we have more important things to do then to deal with a single Maximal."He barked.

Starshadow stood up, pressing her knuckles on her palms and did a neck rotation. "Come here little puppy so I can muzzle you and send you to our dog pound!" she lashed the floor a few times before coiling her whip around Feralnight's right hind leg. Of course, it would be stupid of Starshadow to pull the winged wolf down just like that. The pantherbot looked for a pillar and tied the other end of her whip around it and started to pull towards her.

Cecaelia watched and exited the Leviathan from the roof hatch, launching her tentacles around the maximal's jaw, wings and front legs. "Got her!" she said and tightened her grip.

((The Preds have a new game, Maximal Rodeo ))

Feralnight growled as she fell on her side while Starshadow pulled her towards the pole but before she could make a move to retaliate her partner, friend, or whatever she was had her restrained thanks to the tentacles of Cecaelia's beast form, keeping her mostly immobilized save for one leg, her tail, and part of her upper body and neck, her fur bristling with rage as she growled deep in her throat. Her eyes though narrowed with a hatred the normally peaceful winged wolf had instead of such behavior. What had she gotten herself into? More importantly why had she even risked it and been stupid to come when the Predacons would have caught her with such numbers outside. Not to mention the Maximals would surely notice her long absence, if she was even lucky to make it out alive.

((OOC: Been a very busy bee. At least, it gave me time to think about what to post. There is just so much to do. Didn't know which to do. XD Feralnight! Why did you do that, girl? Man, Maximals need to wear trackers. XD))

Whitegrazer had been watching the ordeal with Onyx and Optimus. She actually had to respect her "evil twin". It made her think what if they could get Onyx, Steelclaw, Glowstick, and other Predacons to join with them in a peaceful cooperation to help bring everyone off this planet? Maximals and Predacons working together to get back home. Problem was Megatron would probably kill any other traitors but maybe they could work together to bring Megatron to justice? It would be funny to see the looks on the Maximal Elders' and Tripredicus Councils' faces to see Maximals and Predacons returning home in an unified force. It would give hope that maybe they can be a true peace but still Cybertron was drowned in politics. It would be hard to make the stubborn Elders and the high Council to reduce the restrictions on Predacons. It would be risky because there are some Predacons who probably will take advantage of it. It would be risky for both sides.

She was willing to risk it though. Isn't peace worth the risk? A true peace?

Whitegrazer looked at Frilla and Cheetor, "Feralnight has been gone for awhile, guys."

As Onyx seemed to be done with his talk, Whitegrazer had took the time to contact Optimus, "Optimus, Feralnight has gone off the radar. I don't know what she is doing but I have a very bad feeling." She was ready to go and get her herself but there may be closer Maximals like Tigratron or Airazor? "You want me to contact Tigratron and Airazor to see if they can find her? Maybe contact Saber but I think she still doesn't respond to us." Hopefully, she wasn't in a bad situation but something told her Feralnight was in danger.

Another question rose to her: Where was Arachnitron?

She looked back at Frilla and Cheetor, "Hey, where is Arachnitron?"

So much was happening and it seemed people were losing track of people. That was a very big problem.

((OOC: Well, we'd been discussing the new ranking system. Naitokage and OOP were in agreement, but I had a slightly different opinion. I haven't heard back on whether you two want to just go ahead with what you have planned or if you want to discuss the ranks further, etc.

And Venatrix, I think everybody who wants to play on the board should be able to participate within whatever part of the story they want to so long as they can post within a reasonable time, so I wouldn't give up on Venatrix's involvement in this episode.

But yes, people often post very quickly. I'm wondering, is it possible for you to post at a minimum of one post every 3 days (I believe that was the old time we set for how long people should wait for others to post before they moved on without them)? Because if you stick with that rate, then other players would know to wait for you, because they would know you will post eventually.

Then, of course, whenever you get to post quicker than in three days time, that would be great.

I just think that it's good to have you back, and so long as you are actually playing, we should let you play. We just... need to know that you are actually playing.

While we're on this, thanks everybody else for taking my recently slow post-making in stride. I'd like to think I've figured out how to keep up a little better now, but then, it's also much easier to play one episode than two.))

Venatrix wrote:Sorry, but no. We lack sufficient skills to use the weapons we already have most effectivelly.

Ouch.

Just... ouch.

"Speak for yourself," the munitions expert muttered under his breath.

Venatrix wrote:Besides, something else have caught my attention. Something that doesn't belong around here. So it seems i'll be busy honing my tracking and hunting skills. Thanks for the offer though Steelclaw.

Something else was here that she didn't like? Huh. Well, he wasn't that worried. The worst thing that could be around, aside from an alien, was a Maximal.

"You're welcome for the offer, Venatrix," he said overly-nicely.

He watched as Sonar flew out of the ship. He was interested to see how this would work.

* * *

((OOC: Will post for Cheetor when I get back home. Go figure.))

Frilla wrote:Depends what data you mean Cheetor. By planet standards this place has some diverse places and many things yet uncovered. Which leads to my other data, the aliens or the Vok as we've come to call them now are well shrouded in mystery. I cannot make heads or tails of anything we have on them, even the data tracks Glowstick saved and gave back to me. My assumption though is Rhinox might not even be doing any better.

"Oh, o.k.," Cheetor answered her. "I bet there's a lot of stuff for you to go through. Sometimes I wonder if there's any pattern to the alien visits, like something we could use to get why they're attacking us or what they're doing here. Then our strategy could be something other than trying to survive every time they show up."

Of course... they had been doing a pretty good job with that strategy so far.

Whitegrazer wrote:Feralnight has been gone for awhile, guys.

Had she been? Cheetor hadn't been around the base enough that day to have ever known where she was.

Whitegrazer wrote:Hey, where is Arachnitron?

He felt a bit dumb, but could only shrug in response. As with Feralnight, Cheetor hadn't seen her at all that morning.

Starshadow looked at Megatron and took a deep breath. "You know...you could just stop whining for our "sloppy" performance in battle. You didn't even LIFT a finger!" she knows what she was saying now is going to end her up in trouble but she couldn't help it. It has been months since she stayed in this dirt ball and Grapeface always let his minions get their hands dirty. She placed a foot on Feralnight's stomach and thought for a few moments while Cecaelia jumped off the Leviathan.

"Hey Sonar, Feralnight is currently in the hangar, tied up and grounded so...I was wondering if you could use your new and marvelous invention on her." she comlinked the bat.

"Inferno I have a mission for you of the upmost importance, and only you. Something of great value lies in delta sector 796, go and get it immediately."

"As you command, my queen!" The ant said excitedly then saluted before taking off at a high rate of speed.

* * *

"Hey Sonar, Feralnight is currently in the hangar, tied up and grounded so...I was wondering if you could use your new and marvelous invention on her."

Sonar chuckled before replying. "Flattery will get you no where with me, Starshadow. So quit trying. And if I wanted to blow her up into a million tiny pieces, I would but I'm not in the mood, I'd be more then happy to torture her though. Sadly, I would need Megatron's blessing to do so."

Like I need MEgatron's blessing to do what I do best. Sonar thought with a smirk.

"I am no one's creation, And I am no imitation! I am the original. It's the others who imitate." "

The Mantis said nothing, as he was a bit perplexed by the spiders statement. How could she be the original when he had never seen her before? Surely Tarantulas was the original! She lied! All lies! Predicon's would never lie... this must have been a Maximal. Then again, he hated both allegiances equally, so it hadn't really mattered.

"Well, Do those blades actually do anything or are they just for show?"

"Ha!" Manterror finally said with a huge grin on his face. It was clear this one had no desire for peacefully communication. She wished to battle! And a battle she would get! "I use them for show AND FOR DISMEMBERING!" His battle cry left his lips like a air-raid siren as he pulled his right arm back as if to throw a frisbee. Then, in one quick movement, he spun around and released one of his blades from inside his claw. Its target: Arachnitron!

---



Airazor had been perched on her favorite branch for the last few hours, scanning the horizon for any abnormal activity. For the moment, all seemed to be quiet. The last few days had been almost completely uneventful and this one appeared to be no different. Even the other Maximal's had yet to patch any messages through to her for some time. She was patient, in fact, she may have been one of the most patient bots on the Maximal team. Yet, she had to admit that she was beginning to feel a bit bored and maybe even a touch lonely. While she loved simply perching and keeping an eye on the wildlife, there came a time when it became a bit monotonous. Even for a her.

Maybe it was time for her to check-in with Tigatron. Hearing his voice would make her feel a bit better and perhaps he would know something that she didn't. "Airazor to Tigatron: The land is peaceful today, any pred prowlers in the tundra today?"

"Hm like I said it was a theory, and yes my teammates would be onto the idea quicker then you could say Cybertron but of course the ship collecting is news to me. I have been here a short couple of days, as of which I am sure you were aware of already." "I am glad we could have a peaceful chat Maximals but the day is going by quickly and I must be heading off."

Well then, that was probably one of the most peaceful altercations Optimus had had with any Predacon. Onyx was quite interesting. Watching him bend down and pick up his weapons, Primal made no attempt to get defensive, but Rattrap quickly lifted his gun and kept a target on the Predacon just in case.

"By the way kid nice beast form." "Beast mode." "Farewell Maximals I'm sure we'll be seeing each other enough."

Optimus nodded to Onyx's departure, although he thought he'd have stuck around a little longer, but no doubt Megatron would be pondering his whereabouts. Hm.

"Okay, I'll admit he's a little different from the others," Rattrap spoke up, lowering his weapon again when Onyx transformed and trotted off, "but it could still be a trick. Maybe dis was just a distraction, you know? Maybe Onyx is a spy."

Turning around to face everyone else, Primal shook his head at Rattrap. "Or it could be possible that not all Predacons are as bent on conquering the universe as Megatron is and some sincerely want to help. Not to mention that it would seem Onyx has had his fair share of battles in the past."

"Then why not just be a Maximal?" the rodent asked, putting his weapon away.

"Allegiance doesn't make you who you are," the Maximal leader answered thoughtfully. "If there are corrupt Maximals, and there are, then there can be peaceful Predacons."

"Eh. I still don't trust 'em."

"Probably because the worst ones have given the others a bad reputation for their entire faction, and that's who we've come to profile all of them as. Much like some of the Predacons here who we're stranded with think of us as the tyrants and torturers, the 'bad guys,' because of how some of the less merciful Maximals have treated some Predacons and other innocent lives."

"Optimus, Feralnight has gone off the radar. I don't know what she is doing but I have a very bad feeling." "You want me to contact Tigratron and Airazor to see if they can find her? Maybe contact Saber but I think she still doesn't respond to us."

"Yes, Whitegrazer," Primal immediately answered her over his comm. link in a firm voice as he glanced for a moment up at the Axalon. He, too, wondered where Feralnight had flown off to in such a hurry when he had stepped outside, without informing anyone of her intentions or presumed location. Optimus wasn't fond of not knowing where his Maximals were. As Commander, it was his duty to know his units' whereabouts in case they got in to trouble. It was for their own safety, and his responsibility. He hoped Whitegrazer would be able to reach one of them, and that one of them could track her.

Rattrap walked over to Aurora and grinned. "He liked yer beast mode. Ain't that cute?" he teased, "batting" his bright red optics at her. "I can't believe Starshadow's alive. I coulda sworn..." He shook his head. "I gotta say, I feel a lot better now."

"Starshadow is alive after all?" Optimus inquired, approaching Aurora and Rattrap. That was surprising news that he had missed before joining them and Onyx.

"Yeah, well, that's what Onyx said," the rodent shrugged. "You'd actually agree ta buildin' a ship with them?"

"I'm willing to try anything at this point to get everyone off of this planet, Rattrap. Even if that means your worst nightmare; working with Predacons. Unfortunately, I don't think we have the time, resources, or co-operation from Megatron in order to get it done. Some how, some day, we'll have to think of another way," Optimus explained. He was still hopeful, though. One day they would leave this place and go home. As beautiful as it was, as much as he admired the life here, including the mammals, the insects, the birds, the ocean life, the sunsets and sunrises, the diverse seasons, weather and terrain, they couldn't stay here. Not forever. Back on Cybertron they were probably listed as M.I.A. or K.I.A.

-----

"Airazor to Tigatron: The land is peaceful today, any pred prowlers in the tundra today?"

The white tiger stopped in his tracks upon Airazor's voice over the transmission. The falcon's vocals always soothed his spark and his spirit. He had been missing her company greatly as of lately since they had separated to cover more ground on their daily patrols. Hearing her voice was as if she was there beside him. "Not a soul or scent as of yet, my Guardian of the sky," Tigatron responded with warmth and a smile in his voice. He continued on his walk while he asked, "Has your soaring been just as uneventful?"

(ooc: Ok I'm holding off on posting as Nemesis since I still am not clear on whether Valkyrie is talking to herself, if she unlocked the door and stepped inside, or if she's trying to talk through the door. If so Nemesis won't be able to hear her, since the door is sound proof.)

Onyx wrote: "By the way kid nice beast form."

Aurora smiled as the black stallion surprisingly gave her a compliment. It was something she had not expected and was, quite frankly, a rather nice compliment. Granted her beast form had proven to not be as effective as she would have liked it in some ways, such as Aurora's difficulty with flying on her delicate wings, but she had simply not been able to decide between the two rather different creatures. Still.. She rather liked her form, despite these minor drawbacks.

She was about to respond when she noticed the Predacon had gathered his weapons again and was heading out. Part of her had hoped he had come here because he wanted to join forces, but even so it was nice to know that not everyone of the Predacons wanted to use their heads as clay pigeons, despite Rattrap frequently making it sound like they were.

Rattrap wrote:"Okay, I'll admit he's a little different from the others, but it could still be a trick. Maybe dis was just a distraction, you know? Maybe Onyx is a spy."

"He didn't attempt to gather any information though," Aurora pointed out briefly as she watched Onyx disappear off in the distance, "If anything he just seemed to want to talk."

She paused and listened to Optimus' thoughts about Onyx, and Predacons and Maximals in general, finding the monkey's words to hold a great amount of wisdom for someone she had read had only been in charge for the short time they had remained on this planet. He seemed to share a point of view where everyone, even the most violent of Predacons, possessed the ability to have something good in them as well.

Making a silent note of getting to know the commander a bit better, Aurora turned to get onto the platform to go back inside.

Rattrap joined her.

Rattrap wrote:"He liked yer beast mode. Ain't that cute?"

"Maybe he just appreciated the fact I bathe once in a while?," the fuzor retorted teasingly before adding, "Though if I were you I'd get that strange eye twitch checked out.. If you're not careful it might become permanent. Although.. that would be an improvement in your case."

She winked back at him to make sure he realized she was still only teasing. The rat was rapidly becoming one of her closest friends here, and she could not help hoping he would sometimes let her accompany him on one of his surveillance missions.

Noticing the change in the rat's spirit as he mumbled,

Rattrap wrote:"I can't believe Starshadow's alive. I coulda sworn...I gotta say, I feel a lot better now."

,
the small fuzor softly let one of her delicate wings brush up against him.

"Sometimes things happens for a reason we simply don't understand at the time. I'm sure you did what you had to do, and now you don't have to worry about the consequences anymore. Besides.. I'm sure you will get another chance!"

The fuzor's tone lit up considerably as she added the last part of the otherwise serious statement. There were times when parts of the former Maximal medic's personality appeared to have survived the transition to the new form. The same caring nature was definitely present in Aurora, even though she also had a certain distinctiveness of her own.

Again, it at first appeared that the mantis did not intend to make any movement or reaction, but then her taunting seemed to finally do the trick. He grinned with delight anxious to fight. Arachnitron smiled back slyly.

WorpeX wrote: "Ha! I use them for show AND FOR DISMEMBERING!"

He pulled his right arm back. Sensing his intentions, Arachnitron dove into the safety of the nearby bushes. She was not nearly as quick as the mantis. Even though she had attempted to dodge his attack, his circular disk-shaped blade still lodged itself deep into her leg. She winced, but she didn't remove it right away. She was skilled in the art of stealth, so she could use the brush around his trebuchet to hide her from his view and creep around him without him knowing where she was. She did this now. She moved slowly and quietly being especially careful not to crack any twigs or rustle the leaves or put a lot of weight on her injured leg.

As she moved she assessed her new opponent. From what she could tell, the Predacon was stronger than she, taller, and faster too. But she was definitely smarter and she could endure much physical pain so she could play this game of cat and mouse with him for quite a while. She might not be able to outrun him or even dodge his blades completely, but she could use her intelligence to guess when an attack was coming and use that small window of time as an opportunity to escape serious damage.

She stopped moving. In her new position, some several feet away from where she had entered the bushes earlier, she grasped the edge of the circular saw blade and yanked it painfully out of her leg. She looked down at her leg. The damage was great, but not severe enough to cripple her. Her beast mode could probably handle the repairs.

Quickly, she rose from her hiding place and sent the blade spinning back towards the mantis. She was not half as skilled as he at throwing the blades. She considered radioing the Maximal base acting as though she were controlled by the Maximal programming, but thought she could wait it out a bit longer. She wasn't quite desperate for back up yet....nor was she damaged enough to prove her point.

She folded her arms over her chest-plate again. "Neat toys," she winked at him. "Got any more to play with?" If she could keep taunting him to throw the blades at her then she could keep letting them hit her and then send them flying back towards him. It was the only weapon she had at this point.

Although he maintained a bead on Onyx as the latter was leaving, Orcariner eventually lowered his gun and holstered it. This was certainly an interesting start for the day. Conversation broke out within the Maximals' ranks. As usual, Optimus offered his words of wisdom to calm Rattrap's stereotyping demeanor. The gorilla's reply reminded him of the time he was trapped underground with the other Predacons. Orcariner was still pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work with his enemies. It was a display of cooperation that defied the notion that Maximals and Predacons were too different to co-exist. The giant even found a sense of fellowship with Steelclaw. If they happened to be fighting for the same faction, maybe they could have even become friends. It was a particularly strange concept to grasp, but then again Optimus championed the idea from the very beginning. Perhaps it was his leader's naive belief that everything was perfect on Cybertron, but Orcariner had always viewed the Predacons as descendents of those who had tried to wipe out the universe. After all, the courses history taught at the Academy always portrayed the Decepticons as the bad guys. Megalomaniacs like Megatron and sociopaths like Nemesis also reinforced this attitude that Maximals generally had for their counterparts.

What if Optimus was right after all? What if the Maximals should be actively seeking peace rather than a war on this planet? Megatron already dismissed the idea and the majority of the Maximals did not mind. Orcariner knew he did not mind despite the fact that he did not exactly relish combat. He only wished to protect the friends he made on this world. After fighting for about a year, peace seemed to be the last possibility for the two factions. That is, until Onyx arrived. Unless if it was against a mutual enemy, it had been months since anyone had bothered to offer cooperation or the proposal of co-existence. Orcariner wondered if this meant that some of the other Predacons shared the same feeling that Onyx had. Perhaps he would even try to extend a hand of friendship to those willing to accept it rather than shoot it off.


((OOC: Is Tigatron still going to be the first to report the energy pulse? I know some of our OCs have already picked it up on their monitors, but I refrained from mentioning it in case we wanted to stick to canon.))