The Intergalactic Highway

((OOP: Sorry for the delay guys, hope I didn't hold the game up too much ))

Una wrote: Blackarachnia snickered at Tarantulas, looking back at Arachnitron with a big smirk. She had her hands touch Tarantulas' shoulders and had one stroking his chin, "Aww, do we have to take the muzzle off? He looks adorable with it on, don't you think?"

Because of how sticky the muzzler web must have been, Blackarachnia tore it off with glee.

She will be watching Tarantulas. She knew he will try anything so she better keep herself alert, watching every little thing he did or said. This pod could fall apart, but she knew a little sabotage could delay something Tarantulas would do. Looking at the transwarp cell and the supplies, it made her wonder how long they had. She didn't and she sure as the Pit wasn't going to burn with the rest of the planet.

Tarantulas resisted the urge to snap the flirtatious she-demon's neck as she continued to toy with him, practically begging for a Cyber Venom Dart to the chest as she touched him in blatant mockery of a female admirer, sending cold shivers of both attraction and revulsion across his shell. These feelings did not subside but instead intensified as she tore the webbing from his face and turned his back on him, showing off that alluring walk of hers...By the Pit, he'd sell his very spark for the chance to shoot her full of bullets for her insolence, then drag her back to his lair to subject her to EVERY form of torture his mind could conceive of in retaliation for everything she forced him to endure...And his training with the Predacon Secret Police had given him quite an extensive list of methods to choose from. He didn't voice his outrage, though he badly wanted to as he snapped his pincers together like how most bots would open and close their fists when struggling with their temper.

Blackrosefencer wrote: "He better not blow up my ship!" Arachnitron threatened menacingly more to herself than either of the other spiders in front of her, letting her usual aggressive persona slip through. "If he does, I'll tear that miserable gargoyle apart....one skinny leg at a time."

Okay, now he knew for certain Arachnitron was off her rocker, even by his standards. During his days back on Cybertron as a mole within the crime lord Cryotek's organization, before he assisted Megatron in his theft of the Golden Disk, he recalled hearing about a science program funded by the Tripredacus Council, a so-called Hybrid experiment that could explain her bizarre mood swings...Or she could just be crazy, not an uncommon condition with this crew, either way she was his best bet of escape.

In-spite of their threats and taunts, he knew losing his cool now would only amuse his giggling captors even more, or worse, give them an excuse to shoot, so instead he approached and surveyed the ship in as professional a manner as he could muster give the circumstances before turning around and saying "This ship is a wreck, even when compared to the sorry states of the Darksyde and Axalon. I can tell by the external damage alone that the supplies you forced me to carry out here won't cut it, I shall require additional, more precise equipment from my lair before I can even entertain the notion of repairing it. I'd fetch them myself, but I believe I've been chivalrous enough for one lifetime, and if you want this ship to be ready for flight before this entire planet is reduced to ruin with your lovely selves still on it, you WILL bring me the rest of the tools I need to make this...ehem..."vessel" space worthy again. I shall need a plasma torch, laser coil, energon conductor, magnetic welder..."

As Tarantulas listed as many tools as he possibly could to keep up the act, though he knew all he truly needed was some time alone with Arachnitron to turn this horrible situation around with time to spare for his escape, assuming his theory about her condition was indeed correct. Both fembots were watching him intently, so fighting back directly was out of the question, it all hinged on Blackarachnia's paranoia and strong sense of self-preservation swaying her to leave him outside to begin repairs to the ship while she, not the clearly unbalanced Arachnitron, attended to the task of recovering the obscure and complicated tools he claimed to need. She was more familiar with his lab than he cared to admit due to her past impromptu visits, always as part of her latest scheme to depose Megatron, thus it made more sense for her to go on a scavenger hunt than Arachnitron. Or so he hoped.

"Come now my treacherous creation, don't disappoint me by going against your true nature..." Tarantulas thought to himself, silently staring the lead widow down, inwardly chuckling at the thought of Blackarachnia inadvertently triggering anyone of the many nasty little surprises he'd hidden in his lair to defend his secrets from curious intruders.

Steelclaw didn't hear any condescension in Whitegrazer's tone as she explained about Cybertron, and so, for a moment he calmed down.

"Yeah. We're in a cold war. And I've wanted understanding on Cybertron."

Now it was time for him to shake his head.

"It isn't going to happen. We've gotten beyond that." He went silent as a memory came to him, and he pondered its details before going on. "Y'know, I knew a Pred, just a few stellar cycles ago, who'd documented and been witness to a data heist by a group of Predacon criminals. She wanted to make her sector of the planet a little bit safer for the 'bots around her, so she was building a case against the thieves- they'd been causing trouble for a while, see.

"Like you might expect, once the gang knew there was somebody who could sink 'em in court, they went after her. She got my attention, and I did my best to keep her safe. We actually stayed away from the punks long enough to get evidence to police, who we thought were gonna go after 'em.

"And then a few days later, she's on a rail-less high road, and some laser blast takes her under the wheel, and she falls down to some of the lower levels. Whatever sniper was after her finished the job when she was on the ground.

"I know a thing or two about sniping- I figured out the weapon and followed the trail from there- from the manufacturer to the first legitimate seller and his buyer, to the con artist who took it from that buyer, and then to the underground weapons dealer, and then to the first criminal who tried to use it, and then to the government agency that interned that criminal and put the gun to rest in a crucial evidence repository, where it could only be accessed by Maximals with proper authority. And some Maximal did, and put it in the hands of a Predacon assassin, who shot the femme without even knowing who was hiring him to shoot her.

"Turns out, the whole data robbery which started everything was as much a hire-out job as the assassination was. It wasn't that the gang wanted to steal the codes and keep them; they wanted money from a politician who wanted the codes destroyed- a politician, who, I should add, is still in office, or was when we left with the Golden Disk. And when the thieves came after this femme I've been talking about, it was with hefty encouragement from the Maximal.

"And here's the really important part. Back at her run-down garage, she had records on maybe ten different criminal organizations she was afraid to tackle through Cybertron's legal system- six of them Predacon and maybe three or four Maximal. So she was willing to see the faults in our race, the things so many Maximals speak down to us and condemn us for and hold over our heads as supposed evidence of our innate evil. Funny then, that when she finally moved on of those Pred organizations, it was a Maximal that ordered her taken out. And at the same time, with those Maximal organizations she was building evidence against, I can't help but wonder if somebody higher up than the politician I knew was afraid of other problems getting shown to the public and put pressure on the guy lower than him.

"But this isn't about the murder of one femme. Cybertron is a planet with a population I could never hope to know in its entirety. Where else do you suppose this sort of slag is going on? I'll tell you this much- in my line of work, I've seen thousands of offenses against the Predacon public, ranging from mild to severe. I was willing for acceptance to happen across factions. I fought for that acceptance, because I thought that's what Cybertron wanted.

"I'm just not convinced anymore. When Maximals reach for factional peace, they are, by-and-large, working to make Predacons more like themselves. You can imagine how that's perceived by the opposite faction. When Predacons reach for factional peace, they are, by-and-large, looking for justice. I've told you only one account of how that pans out. And it's an extreme case, I suppose. What happens most often is that Predacons get ignored.

"I'm tired of corruption leading to death, and as far as I've seen, peaceful discussion hasn't gotten anything done. Predacon society's only going to be freed when there's a fight for it's freedom."

* * *

Dinobot took in a slow breath. How best to approach this...

"You were... absent from our forces for a considerable period of time," he began. "I am interested to know, then, whether you found whatever it is you were looking for."

Things seemed to be culminating in the Beast Wars; Dinobot figured it would be in everbody's best interest for all Maximals to be ready to rely on one another. If Saber Fang had any lingering doubts which needed to be taken care of, it would be for the best to address them as soon as possible.

And, truthfully, he was skeptical of her decision to leave. A stern part of him wanted to know whether her leaving had been for any good at all.

* * *

When Cheetor finally came up on the roof, armed with a torch and pressure-hammer (and the various miniature tools always concealed within his fingers), he saw Frilla working on some of the autoguns, lost in thought.

He walked over to her and started staring at what was left of the guns in their shredded, blackened, sparking state to try figuring out what the next step would be in repairing them.

"Hey, Frilla," he said as he took one of the wires into his hand to get a closer look.

"Yeah. We're in a cold war. And I've wanted understanding on Cybertron."

Now it was time for him to shake his head.

"It isn't going to happen. We've gotten beyond that." He went silent as a memory came to him, and he pondered its details before going on. "Y'know, I knew a Pred, just a few stellar cycles ago, who'd documented and been witness to a data heist by a group of Predacon criminals. She wanted to make her sector of the planet a little bit safer for the 'bots around her, so she was building a case against the thieves- they'd been causing trouble for a while, see.

"Like you might expect, once the gang knew there was somebody who could sink 'em in court, they went after her. She got my attention, and I did my best to keep her safe. We actually stayed away from the punks long enough to get evidence to police, who we thought were gonna go after 'em.

"And then a few days later, she's on a rail-less high road, and some laser blast takes her under the wheel, and she falls down to some of the lower levels. Whatever sniper was after her finished the job when she was on the ground.

"I know a thing or two about sniping- I figured out the weapon and followed the trail from there- from the manufacturer to the first legitimate seller and his buyer, to the con artist who took it from that buyer, and then to the underground weapons dealer, and then to the first criminal who tried to use it, and then to the government agency that interned that criminal and put the gun to rest in a crucial evidence repository, where it could only be accessed by Maximals with proper authority. And some Maximal did, and put it in the hands of a Predacon assassin, who shot the femme without even knowing who was hiring him to shoot her.

Whitegrazer listened intently towards Steelclaw. Her optics saddened as she heard what had happened to the Predacon femme. A story which was so familiar on both fronts.

"

Turns out, the whole data robbery which started everything was as much a hire-out job as the assassination was. It wasn't that the gang wanted to steal the codes and keep them; they wanted money from a politician who wanted the codes destroyed- a politician, who, I should add, is still in office, or was when we left with the Golden Disk. And when the thieves came after this femme I've been talking about, it was with hefty encouragement from the Maximal.

"And here's the really important part. Back at her run-down garage, she had records on maybe ten different criminal organizations she was afraid to tackle through Cybertron's legal system- six of them Predacon and maybe three or four Maximal. So she was willing to see the faults in our race, the things so many Maximals speak down to us and condemn us for and hold over our heads as supposed evidence of our innate evil. Funny then, that when she finally moved on of those Pred organizations, it was a Maximal that ordered her taken out. And at the same time, with those Maximal organizations she was building evidence against, I can't help but wonder if somebody higher up than the politician I knew was afraid of other problems getting shown to the public and put pressure on the guy lower than him.

She wasn't at least bit surprised by the fact of the criminal organizations ran by Maximals. She had tangled with such organizations before. A couple of those organizations were largely funded by money that only politicans could give. Some were built under Maximals who were prejudice against Predacons, fighting for Maximal supremacy for all of Cybertron to the point that they fought for the exodus of all Predacons from Cybertron. Because of her unorthodox views on Cybertron, she was regularly attacked by such organizations.

But what bothered her is that Steelclaw was working under a criminal. Megatron was under Cryotek's gang before he did the theft. He may have left but he has an important artifact in his hands that belonged back in the safe it came from or destroyed.

He speaks against criminal organizations yet he is working with a criminal who formerly was part of one? He talks down about Maximals having one and yet, doesn't he realize that he isn't fighting those people?

To her, his logic seems unsound.

"But this isn't about the murder of one femme. Cybertron is a planet with a population I could never hope to know in its entirety. Where else do you suppose this sort of slag is going on? I'll tell you this much- in my line of work, I've seen thousands of offenses against the Predacon public, ranging from mild to severe. I was willing for acceptance to happen across factions. I fought for that acceptance, because I thought that's what Cybertron wanted.

"I'm just not convinced anymore. When Maximals reach for factional peace, they are, by-and-large, working to make Predacons more like themselves. You can imagine how that's perceived by the opposite faction. When Predacons reach for factional peace, they are, by-and-large, looking for justice. I've told you only one account of how that pans out. And it's an extreme case, I suppose. What happens most often is that Predacons get ignored.

"I'm tired of corruption leading to death, and as far as I've seen, peaceful discussion hasn't gotten anything done. Predacon society's only going to be freed when there's a fight for it's freedom."

"I'm sorry about what happened to her. What was her name if you don't mind me asking?"

Whitegrazer took a moment to really gather her thoughts before she began to speak in response to Steelclaw. What Steelclaw had told her really gave her more insight into the person Steelclaw was. It was fascinating yet...dangerous. His words showed that his intentions were noble. He wanted to help a society fight their oppression and she had no objection to that. She had always knew the evils of the High Council and always hoped to make them see the more harm they are creating than good, but the High Council have ignored her. Probably, they just wanted her to die already.

But Steelclaw's noble intentions are overshadowed by his actions. He was willfully helping a dangerous criminal, Megatron in his goals, which to her seemed contradictory. Her spark couldn't help but feel chaos inside that Tyrant's spark every time she met him in battle. He may not mean to, but he was attacking an exploration crew that were on a mission of peace, not war.

Also, he didn't really believe that Maximals and Predacons can accept or understand each other? If he doesn't believe that, peace would be unachievable yet he seems to believe in it or wishes to believe in it.

He was tired of not getting results and wanted action. She felt that many years ago, but that mentality changed. Her years of maturity and experiences throughout her life had changed such a perspective. Many people may not understand her way of thinking, but it was what she believed she must do. Her purpose in life.

A question she was eager to ask Steelclaw had came to her from all of what she pondered.

"Steelclaw, do you think my comrades are your enemy? Do you think that I am your enemy?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Tarantulas resisted the urge to snap the flirtatious she-demon's neck as she continued to toy with him, practically begging for a Cyber Venom Dart to the chest as she touched him in blatant mockery of a female admirer, sending cold shivers of both attraction and revulsion across his shell. These feelings did not subside but instead intensified as she tore the webbing from his face and turned his back on him, showing off that alluring walk of hers...By the Pit, he'd sell his very spark for the chance to shoot her full of bullets for her insolence, then drag her back to his lair to subject her to EVERY form of torture his mind could conceive of in retaliation for everything she forced him to endure...And his training with the Predacon Secret Police had given him quite an extensive list of methods to choose from. He didn't voice his outrage, though he badly wanted to as he snapped his pincers together like how most bots would open and close their fists when struggling with their temper.

((OOC: I'm sorry. I laughed when I read this. I just loved how you conveyed Tarantulas' anger here at Blackarachnia because it seems like what I feel Tarantulas feels towards Blackarachnia. XD ))

Blackarachnia felt Tarantulas' stillness, knowing that despite his anger towards her, he had his little sick pervasions because she was still his creation. A creation built from the spider's sick pervased mind, satisfying his own little ego and fantasy. What he didn't like was her intelligence and her ways of getting to him, getting information that he wished to keep from her and everyone. Maybe that's why she loved picking on him because she knew deep down inside his reactions reforced that her little antics worked, showing how pathetic and crazy he was down the surface of his oh-so-clever scientific mind.

But of course, she was cautious and her hatred of him kept her guard up, knowing that Tarantulas will try to retaliate in full-force to repair his little reputation of danger and...creepy.

"This ship is a wreck, even when compared to the sorry states of the Darksyde and Axalon. I can tell by the external damage alone that the supplies you forced me to carry out here won't cut it, I shall require additional, more precise equipment from my lair before I can even entertain the notion of repairing it. I'd fetch them myself, but I believe I've been chivalrous enough for one lifetime, and if you want this ship to be ready for flight before this entire planet is reduced to ruin with your lovely selves still on it, you WILL bring me the rest of the tools I need to make this...ehem..."vessel" space worthy again. I shall need a plasma torch, laser coil, energon conductor, magnetic welder..."

"Are you ordering me, Tarantulas?" She asked blinking her optics seductively at Tarantulas though her tone was on a slope of threatening.

Narrowing her optics, she went to inspect the pod, checking it out. Many of the consoles were trashed, sparking ferociously. It could be fixed, but it seemed they were need a power core and...like Tarantulas said, a laser coil. Checking her supplies, she had everything but the laser coil was no where in sight or something to help power...dang it. She didn't want to leave Arachnitron and Tarantulas together. Something told her she was going to be stabbed in the back. Arachnitron wasn't all there it seemed and she noticed Tarantulas eyeing her with interest.

Aww, you want another mate? Tsk tsk tsk.

Not wanting to attempt Tarantulas' little statement, she looked at Arachnitron with a warning, "Watch him. He is a lunatic. Nothing more." She handed Arachnitron the little leash she had on Tarantulas.

"I need to get a better laser coil than this if we are expecting to get this pod up in space. I will return." Transforming to her beast mode, she quickly headed back to the lair. She better high tail it before Tarantulas ruins this.

Aurora listened in silence as Optimus mused on the probable outcomes of this ongoing conflict with the Predacons. The Maximal commander almost sounded as if he expected something else was brewing, something even more threatening than what they'd seen so far. Megatron had seemed fairly cool-headed and collected, perhaps confident would be a more accurate description, so Aurora could not help but hope the Maximals that went to the Predacon base had managed to find what they were looking for.

Albeit AirRazor had gone with Rattrap and Ironclaw and was to function as a faster means of transportation, the small ermine had her doubts about whether the avian Maximal female would be able to bring both the rat and the badger back to base safely. It had already been several hours since they had split up to smaller group so if all had gone well, her comrades should be done with their mission by now and on their way back.

Yet with Megatron surely being on his way back to base, and the probability of the two teams running into some resistance while there, she could not help but feel that time was running a bit short.

"Optimus," she whispered as she clung to his furry patches to hold on, still not entirely sure Megatron or some of his crew were not nearby, "We should make a detour by the Predacon base, I think. Neither Rattrap nor Ironclaw are especially fast on their feet, and AirRazor can only do so much. They may need our help with getting away."


Her already quiet whisper then became barely audible.
"If they got out all right.."

Hearing the alarm and Terrorsaur's voice over the communication system Onyx's thoughts seemed to be confirmed. The Maximals really had been up to something and it amazed the stallion of how clever they really were,"Duty calls, as normal around here."He said to himself, moving the hover board to the hall and stepping off before the black and dark gray mech sprinted down the hall towards the hanger, the fastest way he could get out and pursue the intruder.

Of course Onyx didn't plan to harm the maximal, after all they did have a truce and surely the others wouldn't risk Megatron's anger. Least hopefully to not meet a fate so much of what Glowstick suffered. Shaking his head Onyx focused on the task at hand: stopping the Maximals from getting away, or figure out what they had been up to. Upon reaching the hanger which was already opened by Scorponok he sped up just slightly before yelling 'beast mode!' and shifting to his horse form. He may not have been as fast as Whitegrazer but he was fast enough he could hopefully keep an eye on where this other maximal was going.

Though his gaze looked to a flare, shot up a little distance from the Darksyde which made for a good guess to where to find the maximal. Follow the flare, he thought as he changed his direction towards the source of where the smoke rose and where Ironclaw was, or at least where he thought the maximal intruder was, having no idea of who they were.

The Axalon's terminal began to rapidly beep. Rhinox charged to the monitor and saw that a distress signal had been initiated via flare. Ironclaw was in the process of escaping the Predacon base. Using the ship's powerful communications package, Rhinox sent out a universal signal to all Maximals within a several mile radius of the base.

"This is Rhinox reporting," he said with a sense of urgency, "Ironclaw has fired an S.O.S. in deep Predacon territory. Despite the truce that we have with Megatron, we need to help him out. I'm sending coordinates to everyone, but only those able to deploy are obligated to take up this mission. Rhinox out!"

With that, he broke away towards the elevator. Rhinox did not know how they were going to save Ironclaw from Predacon pursuit, but he knew he would figure something how on the way.

Rhinox wrote:"This is Rhinox reporting," he said with a sense of urgency, "Ironclaw has fired an S.O.S. in deep Predacon territory. Despite the truce that we have with Megatron, we need to help him out. I'm sending coordinates to everyone, but only those able to deploy are obligated to take up this mission. Rhinox out!"

A unfamiliar voice was heard on Rhinox's radio with some static I don't know about this "Megatron" or "Truce".. But I'll see what I can do.. she muttered, almost seeming like an annoyed tone, then followed by a dark chuckle before finally silence.


Drillclaw moved through the Volcanic soil rather effortlessly, while this would be dangerous for many, she had become skilled to detect the location and flow of lava under the surface of harden obsidian rock. Having earlier detected this Predacon encampment during her travels, she was originally there with the intent of using a discovered energon vein under the Predacon base as a means of wiping the group out. Though it seemed now that plan was to be put on hold for now, she could do it any time she wanted..

As she came towards the surface, her strange mole head popped up from the ground, looking around with nostril tentacles wiggling. Her star nosed mole mode was blind, it only interpreted the world through a sensitive touch, smell,sound and a electro location system.

She glanced up towards Terrorsaur in the sky, watching as electrical impulses moved through his body to power his movements, it made him light up in the darkness. Glancing down she then saw a figure running in her direction, with two figures following behind. Doesn't take much to figure this out.. she then muttered to herself, sinking into the hole Drillclaw.. Maximize! the mole shouted, then transformed.

As Ironclaw came closer, her massive arm came up grabbing him and pulling him into the hole.

As he had a moment to realize what happened, he could notice light coming from the female maximal's head. she looked bizarre, almost down right frighting. A green left optic, and a red right optic, her chest having a Maximal insignia on it, but most noticeable was a massive right arm with an array of wires sticking out of it, the claw of it releasing it's grip on him and lowering towards the ground.At first her optics seemed to narrow examining Ironclaw until she noticed a Maximal insignia on him.

She raised her left hand, pointing a thumb towards the tunnel behind herself. Unless you have a good reason to object, I think you should transform and follow this tunnel out of here. I'll keep them from following..While retreating.. do you mind explaining this.. "truce" I heard on the radio? It should resolve if I nuke this slaghole or not..

((I have completely forgotten about Cecaelia omg.....))

Maximal in the base?!

"Time for pest extermination!" Cecaelia followed Onyx outside for the chase.

No weapons...slag it. she thougth.

* * * *
Starshadow had her optics fixed on Ironclaw until....

"What?"

It was as if he fell into something. Stopping after a moment of confusion, she scanned the area around her and transformed into her beast mode.

"Come out Ironclaw, it's only our second date! Don't be shy, I won't bite.." Of course he would not come out. There are predacons around hunting him down without weapons. The panther sniffed the air to track his scent and followed it which led her to a hole. There was another scent, not any scent she knew. She had to be silent to avoid alerting him or the newcommer. Transforming into her robot mode, she knelt down and looked at the dark entrance of the tunnel.

Standing after getting her thoughts organized Feralnight was prepared to head back, wondering if the others had begun to search for her once more. Shaking her head she launched herself into the air, flapping her wings to get airborne and head towards the Axalon, but as she activated her com-link it was in enough time she heard Rhinox's transmission. "Good timing for once,"She muttered before coming over the cliff before changing her course and heading towards the Predacon base. If anything she could at least help the others since she didn't have much else to do and would rather have avoided being questioned.

Though the fuzor knew she would have to answer some questions later on, if they even got curious. Hopefully she could come up with an excuse to avoid any unwanted suspicion. Rattrap was already suspicious, or just curious, and Feralnight wanted to avoid any more attention for her odd behavior.

On top of the Axalon Frilla paused as she heard be transmission, hoping the others would be safe as they left. For now she turned her attention to the task at hand,"Hey Cheetor."She greeted as she looked at the feline,"Loooks like the Levianthan hasn't lost it's touch."She remarked, looking at the remaining damage.

They would have some work ahead of them but surely not a whole lot. Or at least it would hopefully not take long.

Ironclaw kept running until he felt something grab his leg and pull him down beneath the ground. He could only react when his back hit the ground and could see his captor. He drew the weapon that he stole from Starshadow, moved towards it and pointed the pistol. Before he could do anything it's hand came to his chest and stopped him dead. He then heard her speak, yes it was a female. He didn't have much choice, he would to make his way through the tunnel. "The truce is ridiculous, Optimus have agreed to it while Megatron plans his next move. However, Optimus wouldn't want you to nuke th Pred base" Ironclaw said sensing the conflict within. He knew Optimus was a good leader but something's just weren't right, especially with Whitegrazer. He had already seen the Maximal insignia on her chest, so he put the pistol away. Now Ironclaw said something very unexpected, "I'll talk to you later" he went into beast mode and made his way through the tunnel.

Moments later he found himself bursting out of a hole out of the ground. He emerged covered in mud and dirt.

(( OOC: Wow. I haven't posted for almost a week; mostly because I was waiting for other people. But I was also quite busy this weekend, so here I go trying to catch up. ))

"They just got finished with phase one Optimus, which Rattrap just commed base at the same time so phase two is ready."

What timing, thought Optimus. However, it was a little sooner than he had anticipated. "Acknowledged. Stand by, Wintersong," he returned to her over their transmission, unaware of Rhinox's discovery of Ironclaw's flare signal. Actually, he was unaware of Orcariner and Rhinox having exited the repair chambers by now. He was not so worried about Rhinox finding out about Icebreaker's death as he was with Orcariner, who was still young and had been very close to the penguin.

As soon as the ermine Fuzor climbed on to his back, Optimus ignited his thrusters and blasted off into the night sky toward the Predacon base, but this time, his altitude was much lower.

"Optimus," "We should make a detour by the Predacon base, I think. Neither Rattrap nor Ironclaw are especially fast on their feet, and AirRazor can only do so much. They may need our help with getting away." "If they got out all right.."

"Not to worry, Aurora," the Maximal Commander tried assuring her with a lighter tone. He understood her doubt about this mission, and possibly even about his leadership, and that anything could go wrong, but most of the time, they had been able to escape dire situations with utter chaos with their lives because all of them worked so well together and were always watching each others' backs. Just because they had recenlty lost a dear friend didn't mean that they were about to lose another, or that one would be captured. Primal had confidence in his crew. They would pull out of this mission successful. He was certain. Something had to work in their favor.

It was then from their vantage point in the moon-lit sky, toward their left, that Optimus spotted the bright red flare from the location of the Darksyde that had been fired up toward the skies and then lightly exploded into four separate small red balls of fire which slowly began falling back toward the ground. Ironclaw's signal. Primus, things were happening a lot quicker than he expected. "Hold on!" he warned his young passenger before he suddenly slipped into a full barrel roll, sharply turning his body and the direction they had been previously flying moments before. At the end of the roll, he smoothly leveled out and accelerated his speed significantly.

"Wintersong, have everyone move out toward the Darksyde immediately, except for Frilla, who needs to get those repairs complete, and Saber-Fang, who can assist guarding the base," Optimus quickly explained. "Ironclaw may need a lot of help in his retreat from his mission. And relay to everyone that we are still under a cease-fire," Primal emphasized. "Aurora and I are on our way to assist Airazor and Rattrap."

"Rattrap," he called over his comm. link, "assistance is on the way. The truce still stands."

-----

"Got it Rattrap, telling Optimus now."

"Copy that," the rat confirmed Wintersong's verbal message as Airazor released him from her talons and he lightly dropped to the ground on all-fours before standing up on his hind legs and looking around while she landed next to him.

"Sure did get dark quick," Rattrap made an observation with the nightfall. "Well, at least it should make for an easier getaway, eh?" he glanced at the falcon beside him. "You, uh, you weren't too bad back there, Bird Lady," he actually complimented Airazor. It wasn't often he gave out compliments, but every once in a while everyone needed them from someone. He liked Airazor's attitude and witty remarks. She was a good Maximal. Loyal. And tough.

Suddenly, Ironclaw's signal errupted into the star-filled sky back toward the Darksyde. "Well. Dat was quick," said Rattrap. But at least this meant that the badger had escaped and was on the run, hopefully with some valuable information. So far so good.

"Rattrap," "assistance is on the way. The truce still stands."

Oh, good. So the boss monkey was nearby somewhere and had seen the flare. "Gotchya, Big Banana. We're movin' in," he told Optimus.

"Airazor, take to the air an' cover Ironclaw. Let 'im know he ain't alone. I'll catch up on foot." Knowing Optimus and Aurora were on their way, and whoever else from the Axalon, the brown rat immediately took off on all-fours, running as fast as he could in his beast mode toward ironclaw who may or may not be being chased by a Predacon or several.

-----

"Huh."

Frowning lightly, concerned for Orcariner's current state, not even willing to turn to look at him, Tigatron slowly approached the large Maximal and came up behind the orca still slumped against the wall. His body was too large for the white tiger to get around and stand by his side instead, so he gently placed his hand on one of Orcariner's forearms that he could reach around and try to comfort him. "I am so sorry, Orcariner," he said softly. "I understand your pain and confusion." He, too, had lost someone very close to him ever since he had landed on this planet and emerged from his damaged stasis pod. Although not Cybertronian, Snowstalker was a dear friend of his, who in unspeakable ways helped him cope with who he was as a Maximal and a tiger. The day he had lost her ((I assume 'Stalker was a female?)), he felt himself lost, confused, extreme grief, and responsible for her fate because of his involvement fighting the Predacons. "However, not all is lost, my friend. If I may, I would like to assist you with the preparations. As you were his closest friend, it is only right and honorable for you to lead his funeral in his memory." Tigatron hoped that was graceful enough. While he wanted to express his condolences to the large Maximal, and knew everyone needed their own way and duration to grieve, he didn't want to keep him dwelling in his memory chip. To push him back to the present might help Orcariner to cope with such a traumatic loss and focus on such a meaningful "project" to celebrate and remember a beautiful life that was lost all too soon but not in vain.

"This is Rhinox reporting," "Ironclaw has fired an S.O.S. in deep Predacon territory. Despite the truce that we have with Megatron, we need to help him out. I'm sending coordinates to everyone, but only those able to deploy are obligated to take up this mission. Rhinox out!"

Tigatron let out a thoughtful and low, "Hm." Pulling his hand away from Orcariner, he looked up at the back of his head. "I'm certain you would be excluded from that obligation to participate. If you'd like, I will remain here with you."

'Finally some action,'Snow Trix thought, hearing Terrorsaur's voice over the intercom and already running to the hanger, the closest palce she could leave the Darkside. If anything the female fox was looking forward to hopefully facing some Maximals, despite that they wouldn't be able to use firearms but she did have her energon whip handy that it likely could come into use if needed, unless Megatron only meant for them to fight in beast mode which would do little help for her when most of the Maximals were twice her size. Shaking her head Snow Trix just dashed out of the hanger, already in beast mode, and following after the others as fast as her legs would carry her.

Though if she had to she would hang back and watch for a good opportunity to spring in and make her attack then. She was at least patient enough to find the best way to attack, though not always when off the battle field. But Snow Trix also had to consider the fact that she stood out among the rocks and dirt, her white coat making her quite an open target or leaving her exposed enough the Maximals could make a move or escape. Frowning she slowed to a stop, thinking of a better way to disguise herself and moved off to the side, slinking into the shadows before finding a spot to roll around in and coating her fur with dust and dirt, making it appear more of a brownish black from the ground, being the second time ever she had had to do this.

Satisfied that she could blend in the femme began to creep around, casting her gaze here and there for signs of the maximals that were sure to be there.

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

Wintersong waited for a moment, letting Optimus figure out what he would say next before she grinned at hearing all others, save for two, to head towards the Darkside. "Rhinox already gave a first announcement but I'll relay this before he's too far ahead."She assured Optimus before the transmission ended and she turned on the communications for the ship,"All maximals besides Frilla and Saber-Fang report to the Darkside, time for phase two and to give some help to Airazor, Rattrap, and Ironclaw.But stick to the truce of a cease-fire." She said over the communications before ending the transmission one more time and stood, heading for the lift before she paused, glancing towards the hall. She really had to wonder if Orcanier would come on this one, considering what he had just found out and the likely shock he was sure to be in. It was concerning but the tigress knew there was little to really help the orca and that Tigatron would have been able to help ease the shock.

Sighing a bit she could only turn back to the lift and stepped onto it after Rhinox had gotten off, letting it take her down but was already jumping down before it had fully hit the ground, taking a running start before she transformed to beast mode. Though there was only a slight discomfort from the movements for her chest, nothing compared to the initial pain from when Cecaelia had stabbed it along her chest a few times, luckily not going any deeper that her spark had nearly been at risk. Which was a great relief for the tigress. For now she focused on the mission at hand, hoping and praying they wouldn't be too late to confront to Predacons before they manage to do something.

Rhinox did not break stride as the unfamiliar voice broke into the channel. The femme's identity did not register into his memory banks. However, her compliance indicated that she was on the Maximals' side. Rhinox did not respond to the message but merely continued to run down the dirt path. He may not have been the fastest runner on the team, but the rhinoceros had remarkable endurance for distance travel. The officer only hoped that he could reach Ironclaw in time before the Predacons apprehended him.


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Terrorsaur squawked at the sight of the furry Maximal suddenly disappearing into the earth. He blinked several times before realizing that he had no way of pursuing his prey.

"Terrorsaur to Scorponok," he radioed, "The Maximal went into the ground. You're our best chance or recovering them."

The 1st lieutenant nodded as he approached the hole left behind by Ironclaw.

"Oh, and remember that we have a truce!"

Scorponok growled, "Of course I remember, fool! I am the one who never disobeys our great leader. I will not forget his orders!"

Raising his tail and clapping his pincers, the Predacon proceeded to make his way into the makeshift tunnel.


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Orcariner finally turned his head as Tigatron placed his paw on the giant's arm. He listened to the older Maximal's condolences and nodded with politeness. The orca even tried to crack a smile, but the action conflicted with his emotional states and the resulting expression looked extremely awkward and forced. Tigatron then brought up the offer to help with the preparations.

I really want to be alone right now...

...but you also want to be with someone.

I can manage myself just fine...

...says the guy who's blocking up the hallway.

He hated arguing with himself. Breathing a heavy sigh, Orcariner nodded wearily in response to the offer just as Rhinox's transmission came through.

"Yeah," he said, "I could use the help if you're willing to stay. Don't know exactly where his body is either, so I suppose I could use some direction."

Ironclaw wrote:"The truce is ridiculous, Optimus have agreed to it while Megatron plans his next move. However, Optimus wouldn't want you to nuke th Pred base" "I'll talk to you later"

Drillclaw let out a low annoyed sigh, so the Maximals for this camp were playing into the Predacon hands. How annoying..

Her optics shifted to the enterance of the tunnel, detecting electrical signals from Starshadow coming closer, as well as the smell of the cat. She'd smelled it a few times before in her wandering the planet. It'd seem these Predacons get around.. I may have to put a stop to that at some point.. but for now, I'll cover that kid's retreat..

One of her legs opened as she fired off a drill missile at the floor of the tunnel, it seemed to burrow into the floor near the entrance way, then let out a plume of White phosphorous smoke with thin strips of metal floating up into the air.

As the smoke raised from the tunnel, the smell seemed absolutely horrible towards Starshadow, burning at her nose and irritating her optics. A loud crash was heard in the blinding smoke with the whine of an electric motor,The smoke then started to cut out as a noticeable pool of lava appeared at the bottom of the tunnel entrance which appeared to have a portion of the tunnel collaspe, making pursuit not impossible, but more difficult then most Predacons would be willing to risk.

(Basically, a portion of the tunnel is caved in with debris, the entrance of the tunnel has a shallow slow forming pool of lava.If you REALLY want to risk it, you can stand in the lava and dig out the debris to pursue, but I'm pretty sure the only one who is well suited to do that is Scorponok.)

As Scorponok came closer to the area, he noticed a "hole" in his radar around the area of the smoke, and the smoke its self gave off a heat rating, making it difficult to see through even with his thermal scanners, something rather unusual as it didn't appear to be of volcanic nature.

Drillclaw let out a low giggle, transforming to her mole mode she proceeded down the tunnel she had made. If they dared to enter her domain, they'd regret it.

Smoke? Could it possibly be-

"Ugh! The smell!" the unknown gas was some sort of irritant that was irrating her nose and her optics. Starshadow took a few steps back when she noticed the ground was forming a pool of lava then backed off from the area to prevent her skin and optics from getting itchy and burning. She shrieked when she knew she had failed to capture the badger. Whoever that Maximal was, that filthy bot was going to pay for assisting the badger's escape.

"Did you manage to capture him?" Cecaelia asked as she jogged towards Starshadow.

"No. It seems the Maximals have another pet. If I find him, his spark will be a target practice for me..."

"I don't see you your husband anywhere."

Missing gun? Starshadow had her hands on her hips then to her lower back, no gun.

"SLAGGING PIT! That furry short legged slagger stole my gun!"

"Uh huh..."

"I'm going to get it back...Stay in the base."

Starshadow transformed into her beast mode and ran towards the direction of the Axalon. It was a crazy idea, all the trouble of getting her gun back. It should be fun anyway, a personal mission to retrieve what belongs to her and probably steal a few items for the future. If she were to get caught by one of them, she would come up with stupid excuses like rescueing Sonar's aft.

Nobody touches my gun and gets away with it! (If you know where this quote originates from, congratulations! You'll get a cookie )