"Double Jeopardy"

[NaitoKage]

Glowstick listened to the others while piloting, though his mind was also on other tasks.He raised an optic ridge while still glancing through the windscreen, there wasn't that much difference between the cockpit and cargobay on the craft other then having to step up into the section, while Glowstick didn't like to admit it, the craft was almost like a glorified flying motorhome. He pondered what sort of things needed to be improved and the resources at his disposal. It seemed he would need to start extracting materials from the environment to do some major work, which would probably be simpler thanks to the drone technology he acquired from Tarantulas. Though.. he also knew he would have to pay a price if he wished for help from the genius spider...Maybe the prized protoform would be of some interest to the spider..

He glanced back towards the crew In anycase, our radar is working and we'll have an early alert.. we wont be as cocky as we were with the marine unit.

(Oh yeah, don't know if you've checked Newmoon but viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3191 some art was done of Frilla if your interested.)

[Alak]

Still feeling heavy and worn, Orcariner blinked several times just to keep himself conscious. The pod and Predacon team were out of range and there was no possible way for either marine Maximal to pursue it in their current conditions. Icebreaker had started to swim after it, and it took a moment for Orcariner's tired processor to understand why. The route was directed towards the same continent they left. Either something happens to the transport and the two catch up, or they simply swim home. Spraying some water out of his blow hole, the killer whale followed his comrade in arms. It was going to be a long trip.

[starshadow]

I have a feeling if we're attack, Sonar and I will have to head out while you and Frilla gun."

"And come back with a drowned bat." Starshadow chuckled, refering to the previous battle at the sea.

"Which just leaves our...er...intoxicated pilot."

"Such a shame that I- WHAT?! You're expecting me to pilot the ship with an injured leg, all alone on the driver's seat?" she asked, looking all innocent.

A smile of a devil was formed on her face. "Meow..what fun..."

[Night-Hunter]

I have a feeling if we're attack, Sonar and I will have to head out while you and Frilla gun."

Some people have sense of fun. Sonar thought.

"And come back with a drowned bat."

Sonar ignored Starshadow's comment.

"Which just leaves our...er...intoxicated pilot."

Sonar burst out laughing knowing that he meant Starshadow.

"Such a shame that I- WHAT?! You're expecting me to pilot the ship with an injured leg, all alone on the driver's seat?"

"Why don't you just grow a pair. I crashed my ship and came out fine." Sonar said looking at Starshadow.

"Meow..what fun..."

Sonar raised an eye brow.
Great, our fate is now in the hands of a mangy cat. He thought ignoring the urge to growl.

[starshadow]

Starshadow heard Sonar laughing and narrowed her optics. "Laugh all you want, I know I can handle it."

Why don't you just grow a pair. I crashed my ship and came out fine.

"I don't have that kind of function darling..but I know you do." she smiled playfully.

[NaitoKage]

Glowstick listened to the conversation, almost containing his laughter. Well technically.. that's entirely possible. Due to how our race's gender is more of a subjective thing, plus the nature of DNA scanners. If you scanned a male version of an animal, you could in fact.. already have a pair. he snickered, then one of his tentacles moved back pulling down the computer monitor from before, it typed in something into the keypad, then suddenly the image displayed data on Tantrum. Infact, one of the wandering Predacons I mentioned suffered such a thing.. While by our race standards he was male, he showed conflict as his Stasis pod DNA scanner in fact.. scanned the female version of that cattle type, which is rather distinctly different from the less aggressive build and massive milk production system. Technically speaking.. Waspinator also suffers this effect as generally most wasp worker colony's are sterile females, and the male population is far less. Though technically not as bad as that more or less makes him more neutral if anything..

While some take part in recreational uses of that sort of thing, in the end.. it's all just programming. Sonar and Steelclaw could easily produce a offspring just as easily as the factories back home on Cybertron. And that's your useless medical facts for today..

Glowstick then put his feet up on the dashboard of the cockpit with a few tentacles behind his head still snickering rather twistedly. In any case.. I'm sure she'll be fine piloting.. there are no foot controls on this vehicle as I intended the device to be more universal for operating in beast or robot mode..

[Night-Hunter]

Sonar ignored most of what the squid said.

Technically speaking.. Waspinator also suffers this effect as generally most wasp worker colony's are sterile females, and the male population is far less. Though technically not as bad as that more or less makes him more neutral if anything..

"Waspinator was already glichy to begin with, i have no doubts that he's gender confused." Sonar said simply.

While some take part in recreational uses of that sort of thing, in the end.. it's all just programming. Sonar and Steelclaw could easily produce a offspring just as easily as the factories back home on Cybertron. And that's your useless medical facts for today..

Sonar felt his left eye twich but did not respond to that.

In any case.. I'm sure she'll be fine piloting.. there are no foot controls on this vehicle as I intended the device to be more universal for operating in beast or robot mode..

"Yeah, if she doesn't crash and kill us all." Sonar smirked.

[starshadow]

Sonar and Steelclaw could easily produce an offspring just as easily as the factories back home on Cybertron. And that's your useless medical facts for today.

Starshadow couldn't help but laugh. "Oh that's cute! I wonder how would Sonar's pups look like. Buck tooth? Grumpy faced? HAHAHAHA!!"

Yeah, if she doesn't crash and kill us all.

Starshadow was silent when Sonar said that. Those words reminded her about her past comrades.

[New Moon]

Frilla shook her head a bit, "As interesting as that might be that's a bit...distrubing to hear." She said after Glowstick explained the medical facts. And all because of a comment the grumpy bat made. What use was the subject anyway except for giving someone processor damage.

[Blazemane]

Steelclaw let the conversation fade into the background as he sat down and stared at the Maximal protoform's pod.

Exhaling for a moment, he looked to his right, and saw his mini-gun laying on the ground. He dragged it to himself somewhat gracelessly to inspect it, even though he already knew it was in perfect working order. Turning it over and around in his paws, he could see that there was nothing to do with it, which was a bit unfortunate, because that meant he had nothing immediately important to do.

So he set it back to his right, then looked over his shoulder to everyone else talking or staying silent- moving around or standing still. He turned his head back to the stasis pod. It was still there.

"So when we bring this thing back to base," he began asking no one in particular, "is the protoform going to programmed to just think allying with us is the natural choice? Or is the re-programming a bit more extensive? Like a personality change or a new sense of right and wrong or something along those lines?"

[NaitoKage]

Glowstick remained quiet for a moment hearing Steelclaw Er... Well.. that depends. The majority of the stasis pods came straight from the factory, so that's probably a newborn unit.. so it never had life before the pod was opened, however..the data snatched up earlier did mention about two units put into stasis pods, besides Frilla and myself. So.. if it's one of them, considering the damage to the pod, they may start off a clean sleight like a new pod, or even be completely confused, possibly even using beast programming to fill in gaps of their personality and memory. They're a rather sensitive piece of equipment to be honest, I never really understood the point of dropping them from space considering they're so prone to bad landings that half the time the user becomes brain wiped anyway..


He glanced back towards the stasis pod for a moment That.. strangely enough.. links with the earlier conversation. he then looked towards the windscreen again However.. that pod is lucky either way. While maximals will sometimes keep a blank protoform body around as a emergency, it's been found that sometimes the landings with stasis pods are so traumatic that on impact with whatever they hit, the spark becomes extinguished. Though.. I guess it's easier for them to cart around a bunch of newborns or citizens in pods rather then wasting energon being active as the crew on the ship, only war vessels would require more then a skeleton crew usually..

[Blazemane]

I never really understood the point of dropping them from space considering they're so prone to bad landings that half the time the user becomes brain wiped anyway..

"I thought I learned that most exploration vessels landed on the intended planet and then just placed the protoforms there before heading off- so this whole Axalon ordeal is a rare occurrence," he said, turning to face Glowstick.

"Besides, I'm obviously no big fan of Maximal government, but I still trust that they can't just allow ships to continually drop pods from space if the protoforms inside can't trust in a reliable survival rate. The government would have to go against that even if only for political reasons. 'When a spark is extinguished, the universe weeps' and all that.'"

Steelclaw turned around to stare somewhat blankly at the pod again.

"But you'd likely know better. At any rate, you're telling me that we can't be sure whether this protoform has had a past or not, and either way, whatever would have been their personality, or perhaps even used to be their personality, is not going to remain the same..." he recounted and then trailed off. Then he spoke again, still staring at the pod.

"But how much of that change is going to be our team's specific doing?"

[NaitoKage]

Glowstick scratched his cheek with one of his tentacles Well.. the personality relies more on the shell program used. Sometimes only minor tweaks to the personality are all that's necessary, however in more.. extreme cases..Lets just say they may be a complete opposite or completely new person.. So in some cases say.. a cowardly pacifist was in the pod.. the shell programming settings could be altered to make them into a berserk blood thirsty monster. Normally the tweaks done just increase things which are.. valued among the predacon community or may be useful to the commander acquiring such goods. So.. probably whoever is in there, will be alot more aggressive and self reliant then they ever would of been as a Maximal. However the most important trait.. would be survival.

Glowstick then glances at the radar for a moment, still not noticing any maximal signatures.
I realize the idea of changing a lifeform against it's will.. if it even has a will at this point, is against your moral code. However, if we didn't make it a Predacon, our only other option would be to destroy it.

In anycase.. I'm going to leave the pod to Tarantulus for the repair and shell program operation. I hate to admit it, but he's rather good at that sort of thing..I might get him to help with the transport.. if I can bribe him. Which..wouldn't be too difficult.. he didn't encrypt his video feed on his drone spiders that well.. so I have been recording some.. interesting things around his lair and the base. It's rather disturbing how little privacy that place has.

[New Moon]

"Well if we do get this protoform reprogrammed then the Predacon commande ror leader, or whatever you call him should be pleased. He gets two new Predacons, unless loosing one migh cause his mood ot take a different turn but overall only adds to the ranks." Frilla said still looking out the window. Even if they had failed to get one protoform programmed to a Predacon they still had the one yet to be activated. With a new programming then that would make two new ones at least.

'The only question is how this so called crew functions. From the looks of it sounds like they are hardly organized.' She thought.

[Blazemane]

I realize the idea of changing a lifeform against it's will.. if it even has a will at this point, is against your moral code. However, if we didn't make it a Predacon, our only other option would be to destroy it.

"Well it's probably the lesser of two evils," he remarked. "But... slag if it isn't still one of two evils."

Well if we do get this protoform reprogrammed then the Predacon commander or leader, or whatever you call him should be pleased.

"But it isn't even about pleasing Megatron," Steelclaw clarified his position as he looked over to Frilla. He turned back to face the pod yet again.

"It's... there's... we've got this Cybertronian life here, and somehow, we all got ourselves into a position where letting it live and live as what it's meant to be just isn't an option." He paused for a moment.

"And it isn't an option. And we are in that position. Were this Maximal allowed to be a Maximal, I would have to meet it later in battle, and unless I didn't want Megatron to win this war, I'd have to accept that at some point, he would have the Maximal terminated. So no matter what happens, I must wrong this protoform one way or another."

His voice grew more quiet. "And that means there's nothing I can do but help the deed be done, and hope that somehow, this protoform's being reprogrammed benefits the rest of Cybertron somewhere down the road."

"It's just kinda'... messed up," he concluded.