"Other Visits"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"These aliens.... They have a complex type of language. From my own analyze, they seem almost similar to our language with the use of mathematical and binary numbers, but they also use symbols similar to a language used by earlier humans' cave paintings. Like back on the floating island, they used a symbol to label a trap location."

Primal looked to where Blackarachnia pointed as she spoke and studied the mess of drawings and etchings on his walls. "Like a hieroglyph of sorts," he commented without looking at her.

"Though, I believe these aliens have combined them with another language from another species, but I couldn't find out who or what. If there is another, then it may be from a species we have no records of, living or dead."

As a scientist and explorer in his roots, Optimus grew intrigued by that. On the other hand, it may be one too many species that he was willing to deal with right now. He licked the scar across his mouth and looked over at her with subtlety while she was distracted with her own curiosity. Funny how she was the one who helped give him this permanent indentation on his face, and now she was standing there right beside him, with or without the intent to actually help him with these symbols or gather the knowledge for herself. He had the power and strength to overthrow her right then and there and lock her up if he wanted to, or worse. Could they truly trust her? Just let her wander around the base without someone keeping an eye on her? They had done so with Nemesis... And Blackarachnia was nothing like Zodiac in the sense of lacking his ability to shape shift, disguising himself and manipulating all of them. Turning his head away from her and lowering it thoughtfully, he remained true to himself and knew he could not go against his programming to harm her or imprison her - without reason to do so. She acted like she enjoyed being a Predacon, but deep down in her core there was no denying that her original programming was indeed Maximal. And back at the Darksyde when Megatron was torturing Optimus, she didn't seem to care for it. Kicking his face seemed more like a cover to protect herself and obey the tyrant who rules with an iron first rather than feeling his wrath for herself. Primal couldn't blame her... After all, Megatron had a history of killing those who disobeyed him. He would take his wrath for any of his Maximals so they wouldn't have to endure it because he had and he could again. He was stronger for it. And he would protect Blackarachnia because there was no doubt in his mind that she had a very large target on her back. Did Optimus trust too much? Yes. But more often than not, he was right.

"Many of them are just the symbols they used to label their sites." "Like the pod from the Standing Stones and the floating island. The others are familiar, expect I haven't seen this one...," "or that one... Whoa."

The Maximal Commander followed her pincer to the symbols that suddenly stole her attention and glanced at her with some eagerness, expecting her to elaborate on her reaction because most of them had no meaning to him. But perhaps she didn't know either.

"That's pretty freaky. I like it."

When she expressed her opinion on the skull-like figure with the tentacles, a flash of it crossed his mind again, causing a brief but agonizing headache that only lasted a couple seconds. He turned and stepped away from her and held a hand up to his temple, trying to appear calm and casual while it passed. Taking a breath and standing by his computer, Optimus secured it and shut it off.

"I suggest we copy all of these symbols into the database. It might be easier for me to translate with the use of your computer systems."

Primal nodded and turned around to her, but before he could say anything, Rattrap came through on his comm. link.

"Hey, Fearless leader, you might wanna get over to the command center. We got things goin' on."

"On my way, Rattrap," he replied. "We'll have to document these later," he told Blackarachnia and gestured with his hand for her to lead them out of his quarters, saying politely, "After you." With the door closing behind them, Primal limped his way to the bridge, allowing the black widow to return to what ever she was doing or to follow him.

Aye, I'll tell them.

"Anything new going on?"

"Dat was quick," the Spy said, blinking at Wintersong arriving so quickly after he had hailed Landslide to send her up, unknowing that she had already been on her way.

"Looks like Megatron has been really busy lately. I noticed the Predacon leader has been setting up the jamming towers in specific areas." "I suggested these coordinates for Aurora's project."

Rattrap studied the icons and coordinates that Whitegrazer brought up on the center console.

Gonna probably need more then Cheetor's expertise convertin' this engine.. don't know as much about these transwarp drives.

"Rhinox is good with that stuff but he's off chasin' butterflies with Aurora," Rattrap smirked to the beetle over their transmission.

But I'll ask Cheetor to mark off where these jamming towers are.. Could be useful fer parts. Got some ideas fer increasing radio com ranges and those would have the parts to do it.

"Ain't a bad idea."

Hey, so where's these Pred jamming towers you were talking about?

"Hello, Cheetor." "I was just showing Rattrap that these towers are in a fix pattern." "These jamming towers are a huge problem. If any one of us is in trouble and in need of backup, if they get inside the towers' range, they wouldn't be able to contact base. I suggest if anyone is on a mission or simple patrol, should have someone with them. It's too risky for any of us to go out alone. Not until we find a way to take those towers down."

"Yes..." "I got to go to them." "You can accompany me if you want."

"I..." "Whoa, Whitegrazer wait up!" "Uh, we'll get the jamming towers while we're out Rattrap, see you later and good luck on your end Cheetor!"

Rattrap gave Winter and 'Grazer a small wave as they headed out, and then glanced at Cheetor.

"Jamming towers?" Optimus inquired as he stepped onto the bridge and looked at the mapped out area that Whitegrazer had brought up.

"Yeah, 'Grazer says de Preds got some set up again." He nodded to the locations on the map projected on the console. "Landslide wants de parts from 'em. But dat's also where Whitegrazer suggested dat Aurora an' Rhinox try out dose sensors."

"Why there if we know there are jamming towers?"

Rattrap shrugged. "By the way, uh, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it... Ironclaw's alive. Barely, but we got 'im in de CR in the hangar."

Primal's optics widened, bewildered by this news. "Alive?! How?"

"Don't know but he practically crawled to our doorstep before collapsin' in stasis lock."

Optimus seemed lost for a moment, obviously relieved to hear this news after everyone thought they had lost him back at the volcano. He tried keeping himself calm and assess their other situation before rushing off. "Alright. The jamming stations. Instead of destroying them, let's use the Predacons' own strategy against them. Can you do that?"

"Reprogram them ta jam deir frequencies instead? Yeah, I can do that, piece o' cake. It'll take a little longer dan just knockin' 'em down but it'll work."

"Take Cheetor with you to watch your back. And when you get there, let Wintersong and Whitegrazer know." Optimus looked at the TransMetal cheetah and nodded to him.

"You got it," said Rattrap as he glanced at Cheetor, grabbed some equipment to store in his subspace and went to the lift to be lowered outside. Converting to his vehicle mode, he drove off in the same direction after the tigress and mare.

As they exited, Optimus immediately headed down to the hangar in a fast walk. Well, as fast as his limp would allow without accelerating to a jog. Entering the large room, he glanced about the revisions and updates Landslide had made to the ship - impressed - as he walked to the repair chamber, looking in the door's window as if he had to see Ironclaw with his own optics. Sure enough, it was him. It was him, right? Zodiac hadn't survived and regained his shape-shifting abilities, right? No, he was dead. He saw him fall. This had to be the badger. Looking at his vitals, he sighed quietly in relief since it appeared that he was on the mend despite his critical condition. Primal was a quiet for a little bit before stepping away from the big chamber and looking toward Landslide. "I thought we had lost him," he said softly without expecting a comment. He moved closer to the beetle to see what he was working on. "You've been doing a great job here, Landslide. Since the Axalon will never fly again, our best bet is fortifying this place with the materials we can spare."

-----

"Well.. that's just great, isn't it?,"

Rhinox empathized with Aurora's sarcasm. "It isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, it proves that your detector works." His audio sensors alerted him of a very familiar canter, and he turned to find Whitegrazer quickly approaching them in beast mode before she transformed.

"Rhinox? Aurora? Are you two all right?"

"Yeah.. We're much better off than he is at least,"

The engineer simply nodded to Whitegrazer.

"Zodiac." "I thought... I felt him die."

"He's got quite the grip for a ghost if so,"

"We all thought he died according to what Optimus witnessed. Even in death he is a master of deception," the rhinoceros commented. He was like a magician.

"Was he at the alien site?"

"So you knew what we would find here,"

Rhinox was a little disappointed as well, and his curious optics eyed the mare again like they had earlier, only a little more accusingly this time. She could have warned them, but she couldn't have known about Zodiac.

"Guess luck never lasts."

"Because our shapeshifting friend here survived and Ironclaw didn't,"

The male Maximal suddenly looked down at Aurora, unaware that she hadn't known, and said in his deep voice, "No, Aurora. Ironclaw is alive. Landslide and Wintersong recovered him just before we left. But he was in stasis lock." He hoped he was doing well in the CR chamber. Rhinox's gaze lifted a little to the tigress to see how she was fairing so far about all of these developments, especially Ironclaw. He remained by the transport to keep an eye on Zodiac while the females conversed. There was a familiar dragster noise in the distance heading in their direction, and he presumed Rattrap had been sent out there as well, possibly for the jamming towers.

[NaitoKage]

"Hello, Cheetor."" I was just showing Rattrap that these towers are in a fix pattern.""These jamming towers are a huge problem. If any one of us is in trouble and in need of backup, if they get inside the towers' range, they wouldn't be able to contact base. I suggest if anyone is on a mission or simple patrol, should have someone with them. It's too risky for any of us to go out alone. Not until we find a way to take those towers down."

Cheetor gave a nod, looking towards the monitor and started taking down the coordinates.

"Whoa, Whitegrazer wait up!""Uh, we'll get the jamming towers while we're out Rattrap, see you later and good luck on your end Cheetor!"

Huh? Cheetor looked up with wide blinking optics, seemingly been distracted by the display. He turned noticing Wintersong and Whitegrazer having already left. Cheetor then turned as he noticed Optimus walk onto the bridge.

"Jamming towers?"

"Yeah, 'Grazer says de Preds got some set up again." "Landslide wants de parts from 'em. But dat's also where Whitegrazer suggested dat Aurora an' Rhinox try out dose sensors."

"Why there if we know there are jamming towers?"

"By the way, uh, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it... Ironclaw's alive. Barely, but we got 'im in de CR in the hangar."

"Alive?! How?"

"Don't know but he practically crawled to our doorstep before collapsin' in stasis lock."

"Alright. The jamming stations. Instead of destroying them, let's use the Predacons' own strategy against them. Can you do that?"

"Reprogram them ta jam deir frequencies instead? Yeah, I can do that, piece o' cake. It'll take a little longer dan just knockin' 'em down but it'll work."

"Take Cheetor with you to watch your back. And when you get there, let Wintersong and Whitegrazer know."

Cheetor gave a nod back, then looked towards Rattrap.

"You got it,"

Cheetor then followed Rattrap to the lift, transforming to his vehicle mode and flying along keeping pace with Rattrap.

__________________________________

"I thought we had lost him," "You've been doing a great job here, Landslide. Since the Axalon will never fly again, our best bet is fortifying this place with the materials we can spare."

Landslide looked up from the console and glanced towards Optimus. Aye, she's a bit of a wreck. But I've made do with worse before. Though I was a might bigger back then.. If we can keep the base from becoming a smoldering hole in the ground, we wont have to worry as much about materials.

Landslide pointed his thumb behind him towards the engine sitting in the middle of the hanger The armor around the ship is more of a plan B solution. That engine there is more of a plan A.. But fer a ol' rust bucket like me, I dun know much about this "transwarp" technology attached to it, so I'm looking up what I can from the Axalon's schematics. With a second generator as a backup, that should keep shield failure down. If we can't get this one workin', probably take me a few days but I could probably construct or cast a turbine fer a generator. As fer materials..

Landslide then brought up a schematic on the console display of a mechanical looking dragonfly. Lookin' at that Cyber bee in storage and those spider drones runnin' around, gave me some thinking fer dealing with some of our problems around here. Mostly just ideas fer now.. But more or less a solution fer the range limit of our communications. Besides the obvious use as recon for predacons,battlefield data, or resources.. It'd be easy to install a radio repeater inside this drone.

Landslide then pointed along the long tail section of the dragonfly drone. With this acting as the antenna. The main problem with our radios is most our team can't fly, so natural obstacles like mountains, forests,rain, or the curvature of the planet limit radio signal ranges. The drone would repeat Maximal signals broadcasting them over those obstacles. Further more..

Landslide then brought up a display showing four drones with a curved map from above and a line broadcasting from the ground to a drone, with lines connecting all the drones. With the use of multiple drones, it'd be possible to send radio and video communications to the other side of the planet, possibly even reroute laser pulse communication signals to send instructions to allies or damaged stasis pods. But, that's a future project fer now.

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw was still encased within the CR chamber, recovering much quicker than expected. The significant damage had already been repaired, his arm was successfully reattached, armour integrity restored and his core systems were back up and running. Suddenly the badger's optics shot on, bright blue and looking right out of the chamber window. He saw him. Optimus Primal. Ironclaw released a low growl then he struggled in his chamber and interrupted the repair sequence. Once he was free enough he pressed his large clawed hands against the door. The badger burst out of the chamber and raised his fist into the air as he marched towards the gorilla. He stopped just before his blow came down upon him.

[una]

"Like a hieroglyph of sorts,"

Blackarachnia nodded, "Yeah. Something like that."

The Maximal ape was quiet for awhile. She wondered what he was thinking about. If he was planning on trying anything on her, she might seem harmless, but when she entered the room, she already made certain she had an escape if he pulled anything. Though, she really didn't think the Maximal leader was actually going to because after all, she hasn't really done anything wrong... yet. She wasn't going to play the good girl. These Maximals should know that she was going to use whatever knowledge to her own agenda against Megatron and Tarantulas. Still, Rhinox hadn't had the time to actually help her in removing what was left of Tarantulas' control on her. It poked her like someone was holding a stick to her. It was still there. Lingering, and she knew how vulnerable she was if Tarantulas got closer to her area. Her control stripped away from her. She would go mad if he did it again! If the Maximal's was going to take too much longer, then she might have to do the surgery herself, which would be tedious and dangerous, but she would rather die than being stripped of her agency. Though, preferably she would like to take Tarantulas with her rather than die on an operating table.

"On my way, Rattrap," he replied. "We'll have to document these later," he told Blackarachnia and gestured with his hand for her to lead them out of his quarters, saying politely, "After you."

Blackarachnia made one last look at the skull-like face. That facial structure looked familiar to her, "You know what? Something about that skull-like figure you drew looks oddly familiar." But she couldn't place anything or anyone.

She shrugged and followed Optimus towards the bridge. Listening to the two male Maximals talking about the jamming towers, well, if they wanted to take down those jamming towers, she could help with that. First, though, she studied the map. She recognized the symbol the supposed jamming towers took on. It as the same symbol on the golden disk. The original one, not the alien one, ""I should have known..."

"Yeah.. We're much better off than he is at least,"

"We all thought he died according to what Optimus witnessed. Even in death he is a master of deception,"

"He's got quite the grip for a ghost if so,"

Whitegrazer looked at Aurora's mark around her neck, telling her that Zodiac must have held the young one by the throat. Due to the spikes, it was either done by his arm or by his hand. Either way, Whitegrazer looked it over with a grimace then changed to a sorrowful expression, shook her head softly. "At least, the mark would fade away in a CR Chamber once we get back to the Axalon."

"So you knew what we would find here,"

Whitegrazer realized her error. Stared down at Aurora's disappointed face then looked at Rhinox who seemed disappointed but also, looked her over accusingly. She didn't blame Rhinox or Aurora's attitude towards this. Yes, she didn't tell the whole truth. She knew this was an alien site, and yet, she remained silent. For her own personal reasons. No doubt Aurora and Rhinox were close to figuring out what was going on. They weren't dumb that ingenious invention of Aurora's must have sensed the alien's frequency. She knew they must have looked over Zodiac, and then realized something that shocked them. Also, that she was lying to them.

She turned her back towards them. Part of her despised herself for this deception, but the other part chastised her weakness. She lied for a good reason, but they would never know. Not yet, anyway. Should she try and lie to them again? Try to cover her tracks? Even if futile? Her words won't destroy the evidence from their own eyes.

She would have to do something about that equipment. She was disgusted with herself.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you both." She turned back towards them and smiled, "Do what you two feel is the right thing to do."

That's all she was going to say. She apologized, but that was all. Rhinox and Aurora no doubt would have to report this to the others and Optimus. Optimus... How was he going to...? She shook her head. No. She couldn't dwell on that. No matter how much it hurts to see those she loved look at her this way, she needed to stay the course.

There was a time when you didn't care. Maybe... Maybe it would have been better on you if you had shut off those feelings.. those desires. It would make this easier.

When Wintersong finally showed up, while Rhinox told Aurora about Ironclaw's status, oh, that's right. Ironclaw. She hoped all this stuff happened before he got better. If he got a sniff of this, no doubt he would try and do what it took to bring her down, believing her reasons to be evil. Even since he saw her secretly talking to Steelclaw, despite the fact it was explained to him why she did that, he hasn't trusted her since, and that distrust had in on occasions get into a physical confrontation towards her, which she has silenced herself from ever telling anyone. Optimus wouldn't like it, and it would hurt Wintersong as she loves Ironclaw. She didn't want to deal with that Maximal right now. If he just stays away, things would be a lot better for her and everyone else.

She sighed. He was going to get in the way. She would have to prepare herself.

"Let's get Zodiac back to base. We can..." she looked towards the distance, towards the alien site, "come back here later. I bet the readings your device picked up would be very interesting, Aurora." She smiled down towards the little one. Though, when she turned her head, she expressed sorrow and disgusted at herself. For Aurora might not have a chance to show her readings.

As she walked behind Zodiac, of course, making sure he didn't walk up or try anything, she felt a slight dizziness. It didn't last long, but she knew it wasn't from her. Optimus? Are you okay? Then she felt another presence through Optimus. It felt like... what the? Ironclaw is behind you.

[Phoenix]

(ooc: Sorry for the delay, guys. I meant to post last night but after only getting 4.5 hours of sleep the previous night I fell into a sleep coma.. I was also waiting for Wintersong to post but..)

"They have been rather quiet lately" Deathroll replied in agreement, unaware that usually the predacons were the aggressors against the more passive yet meddlesome maximals, not that it would have mattered to him, the oppressors had to be crushed!

"Indeed. No doubt they have kept themselves busy repairing the damage inflicted to their base and licking their wounds from our last encounter. However, it is only a matter of time before they become aware of our recent construction projects, and Primal would have to be a colossal fool to not be making his own preparations in anticipation of what I, or the Vok, have in store for him" Megatron said thoughtfully, before noticing the mischievous gleam in his Commander's optics and returning one of his own.

"Whatever did you have in mind, Commander?" Megatron inquired, his curiosity peeked, he himself had been wanting to do the maximals harm but with the inevitability of a Vok invasion on the horizon he had preoccupied himself with contending with the greater threat, while inhibiting the maximal's own progress with his new jamming towers.

She remained silent for the time being, waiting for the right time to respond. It wasn't long before the topic was brought up, however..

"Ah Yyyyesssss...My favorite spider, how I do miss her so"

In truth there was no love lost between Megatron or any of the spiders. Thus far they had all proven themselves to be quite treacherous. But Tarantulas was at least a bit less open about it than BlackArachnia had been. And he was a genius by his own rights.

"While I cannot imagine the likes of Waspinator or Terrorsaur ever demeaning themselves with a maximal insignia, you are correct in saying that an example must be made. I have long since grown weary of treachery, and of being tolerant of it for the sake of pragmatism alone. Blackarachnia must die, this was never in doubt, but what you propose is certainly an interesting way to go about it, yyyyessss. Blackarachnia maybe playing maximal for now, but even Primal cannot blind himself to the fact that Blackarachnia is no Dinobot, she serves him now out of self-preservation, not because of some misguided sense of honor. I don't doubt that when push comes to shove Blackarachnia will choose her own benefit over that of her new "comrades," but anything we can do to hurry their inevitable falling out along can only be for the best. The question now is, how do we do it?" questioned Megatron.

Deathroll suggested "We could frame her for a crime she didn't commit, such as the murder of a comrade or the theft of an important item the maximals cannot do without."

"Valid suggestions Deathroll, but sometimes the best deceptions are seasoned with a hint of truth, yyyyyessss. We know that Blackarachnia is not a changed femme, she merely hides amongst them to shield herself from my wrath, so we in turn must show the maximals why allowing her in their midst is not worth their time or trouble, nnnnnoooo. I can see us accomplishing this by one of two means. We either create a scenario in which Blackarachnia abandons her new playmates to save her own hide, or tempt her ambition for power and make sure she gets caught in the act. Either way, we expose her true nature to the maximals and force them to cast her out into our waiting arms" Megatron said, facing Nemesis as he added "What say you, Nemesis?"

Nemesis glanced briefly between her fellow conspirators before she spoke up again, keeping her voice low even though there weren't anyone else present in the room aside from Megatron's secretary.

"I recently acquired some new technology. Although originally intended to keep the likes of Terrorsaur in check, I see now that Deathroll already has that well in hand, which has made me contemplate using this technology to make our spider friend reveal her true colors to the Maximals sooner rather than later."

She paused only to bring up the schematics of the microchip on the table monitor.

"Unlike the physical collar Umbra has been attempting to use on Starshadow, this implanted device is undetectable for the individual being controlled and anyone attempting to scan them as well. It's powerful enough to produce a substantial amount of pain by releasing a neurotoxin that attacks the ability to move ones limbs. If overloaded, it will impede the very spark's ability to function and effectively kills at the push of a button. Once inside the body, it will attack itself to the nerve transmitters in the neck at the base of he central processor so it cannot safely be removed even if someone does discover its presence. The toxin it releases is artificially made and no antidote exists."

Following up with a smile, Nemesis left the schematics on the screen for a few more moments.

"We could force the spider to do our bidding and the Maximals would be none-the-wiser. And when the spider has outlived her usefulness, well.. We'll just hit the kill switch."

"Bluntly said, but tragically more true than I would care to admit. Perhaps a bootcamp for these Predacons might be in order."

"Another marvelous idea, Sub-Commander, you're truly on point today. We'll have to put this idea into effect when time allows it"

Nemesis' smile widened a bit for a brief moment, finding the thought of a boot camp quite intriguing indeed.

"As entertaining as that idea is and as much as I'd love to see it come to fruition, " Nemesis added to bring their conversation back on topic, "I am rather curious to find out how we are going to handle the situation with the aliens. They must have noticed the signal from the volcano."

"It isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, it proves that your detector works."

Aurora sighed, glancing over at the unconscious form of the former shapeshifter as she did. Normally she'd be thrilled with learning that her experiment had worked, but the implications from knowing that meant that Zodiac wasn't the only one who had been concealing the truth. It wasn't that she minded knowing the male had some connection to the aliens, but if Rhinox was correct it also meant that Whitegrazer had been holding back potentially vital information from them as well. And that was a lot more difficult for the fuzor to accept.

"Yeah," she said, sounding less than happy about it. She rubbed the indentation on her throat from where Zodiac had squeezed her to the point of choking her mere moments ago.

"We all thought he died according to what Optimus witnessed. Even in death he is a master of deception,"

The fuzor bit her lip ever so slightly, wondering how Rhinox was able to keep his calm demeanor. Well, for the most part. That punch he had given the former shapeshifter had been quite impressive and Aurora felt fortunate that she had not been on the receiving end.

"Perhaps we'll get some answers soon," she replied, her throat sore from the earlier attack on her person. Truthfully her mind was everywhere, her thoughts racing as if her very existence depended on the answer she was trying to come up with.

An answer she feared she already knew. And one she didn't know how to wrap her mind around.

She really wanted to be wrong this one time. But as they prepared to return to base, the white mare said too much.

The look on Whitegrazer's face when Aurora called her out on what she had said was all-telling as well. The fuzor merely nodded, sending Whitegrazer a brief but resentful glance as they started the trip back to the Axalon.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you both." She turned back towards them and smiled, "Do what you two feel is the right thing to do."

Unfortunately a simple apology didn't make up for it. Aurora didn't know how long ago Whitegrazer started lying to them. Had she been dishonest all along?

"No, Aurora. Ironclaw is alive. Landslide and Wintersong recovered him just before we left. But he was in stasis lock."

Even the great news of Ironclaw having been found alive did little to improve the fuzor's rather sullen mood. She honestly felt like she had been betrayed by the one individual she trusted above anyone, causing that trust to shatter into fragments of what it once had been. And she didn't know if it could ever be restored to the same level again.

"You should have told us..," she muttered to Whitegrazer, repeating her words, while doing nothing to hide the resentment she felt. She then turned her attention back to Rhinox, trying to change her focus to something else.. something that hurt less.

"Is Ironclaw going to be all right?," she asked of Rhinox in a mixture of genuine concern and the need to clear her mind. He was buried inside an exploding volcano after all. That ordeal should have destroyed him. Then again Zodiac had survived as well, even when Primal had seen him perish. Or at least it had seemed that way.

"Let's get Zodiac back to base. We can..." she looked towards the distance, towards the alien site, "come back here later. I bet the readings your device picked up would be very interesting, Aurora."

Aurora's green optics settled on Whitegrazer as they continued their track down the uneven terrain. "We'll return here," she told her, keeping the statement short, blunt, and to the point. There was no doubt they would return to learn more. The question was whether Whitegrazer would be a part of that exploration team or if Optimus would order her to stay behind when he found out she couldn't be trusted. That she had been lying to them.. and possibly had some history with the aliens that were trying to kill them all.

The familiar roar of Rattrap's engine could be heard approaching from the distance. Aurora attempted to smile as the rodent pulled up, followed by Cheetor, but she wasn't entirely successful. But she wasn't going to blow the whistle on Whitegrazer, not yet. Instead she was going to give the mare a chance to be honest with them, to tell them what was really going on. Part of the fuzor was desperately clinging to the hope that this was all a big misunderstanding.

Aurora raised her arm and waved to the incoming team members.

"Perfect timing," she called out to the rodent as he was pulling up, "We were actually just about to stop by the Axalon with a present for Optimus," she said, gesturing towards the still renegade. Even now she kept at a safe distance, not trusting the creep to stay down. She didn't say anything about Whitegrazer, not yet.

Aboard the transport, Zodiac stirred ever so slightly in his slumber. But he didn't wake up, not yet, his body was simply too exhausted and wounded. Yet being so close to Whitegrazer, he could almost feel her in a sense. Like a presence, a slight warmth in an otherwise very cold and hostile place, the comforting rhythm of a pulsating spark..

Yet he was too weak to realize who it was or what was happening.

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Hope this is alright, I'm basing Megatron's conclusions based off what Rhinox learned from the Alien Disk in the original "Other Visits" episodes, gotta give the Preds someway of figuring out where the alien site is so we can move the plot along XD. Hope that is okay.

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis glanced briefly between her fellow conspirators before she spoke up again, keeping her voice low even though there weren't anyone else present in the room aside from Megatron's secretary.

"I recently acquired some new technology. Although originally intended to keep the likes of Terrorsaur in check, I see now that Deathroll already has that well in hand, which has made me contemplate using this technology to make our spider friend reveal her true colors to the Maximals sooner rather than later."

Megatron raised a brow ridge at this revelation and replied "Do continue, Commander. Enlighten us."

Deathroll was curious about this alleged new technology as well, though to be honest he was used to such things by now considering how the bulk of Predacon technology was new to him, such as the existence of CR Tanks that could heal you faster than a medic's hands for example. If he allowed himself to be openly blown away by every new piece of tech he stumbled across he'd look like a clueless bumpkin rather than a ranking officer.

Phoenix wrote:
"Unlike the physical collar Umbra has been attempting to use on Starshadow, this implanted device is undetectable for the individual being controlled and anyone attempting to scan them as well. It's powerful enough to produce a substantial amount of pain by releasing a neurotoxin that attacks the ability to move ones limbs. If overloaded, it will impede the very spark's ability to function and effectively kills at the push of a button. Once inside the body, it will attack itself to the nerve transmitters in the neck at the base of he central processor so it cannot safely be removed even if someone does discover its presence. The toxin it releases is artificially made and no antidote exists."

Following up with a smile, Nemesis left the schematics on the screen for a few more moments.

"We could force the spider to do our bidding and the Maximals would be none-the-wiser. And when the spider has outlived her usefulness, well.. We'll just hit the kill switch."

Megatron's optics eagerly devoured & memorized every little scrap of detail concerning this new implant off the schematics, and as a scientist himself had to admit he was impressed, though at the same time very curious about who had developed this technology...One of the spiders? Unlikely, that left the spinosaur, who mostly kept to herself, or possibly Umbra...Regardless, he was glad he had won over Nemesis before she developed this decidedly deadly technology, otherwise she have become quite the complication.

"Decepticon intelligence would have KILLED for something like this" Deathroll commented, finding the thought of something so tiny, so insignificant being so dangerous, once implanted not even the strongest of cybertronians would be safe from such a device.

"No doubt, but it is ours now, and we shall utilize it to our full advantage, yyyyessss" Megatron said, before adding "But if you don't mind me asking Commander, which of our tragically few scientists is responsible for developing this device? And how will you deploy it? Drones?"

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis' smile widened a bit for a brief moment, finding the thought of a boot camp quite intriguing indeed.

"As entertaining as that idea is and as much as I'd love to see it come to fruition, " Nemesis added to bring their conversation back on topic, "I am rather curious to find out how we are going to handle the situation with the aliens. They must have noticed the signal from the volcano."

"Hmph, these aliens ARE going to be a problem if they return to finish what they started" Deathroll stated in agreement, their power undeniable despite his resolve to destroy them in the name of Megatron should they endanger their plans once again.

"Ah yes, the Vok, the worst landlords in the cosmos. With them there are no guarantees, only windows of opportunity with which to gamble and hope the odds will ultimately be in our favor. These are planet killers we are talking about after all, it is always an uphill battle against the likes of them...For now at least. Fortunately, as I have explained already, I have studied the alien disk extensively and learn something new each time, regarding them, their technology, and how to use it. Among my recent discoveries is the revelation that the disk lists locations of alien sites" Megatron explained as he pulled up a map along with the alien disk itself, revealing several of the alien sites they had encountered over the course of the Beast Wars and how they were marked by symbols identical to those found on the disk, forming a definitive triangular pattern between each site.

"I believe we can use this pattern to track down more alien sites if they still exist on this world, and given recent events, I am fairly certain they do, especially considering how while this world maybe the resting place of our great ancestors, to the Vok it is merely a massive experiment designed to test any sentient species that may stumble across their testing grounds" Megatron explained "I intend to use whatever relics the Vok left here to test the locals to our own advantage, it is our best chance of not only defending ourselves against whatever planet shattering threat they may unleash upon us next, but also of ensuring we will be able to return to Cybertron as conquerors rather than a ragtag team of freedom fighters."

"But assuming we even find any Vok technology, how will we control it? The quake maker was beyond our control and had to be destroyed, how will any other Vok relic we uncover be any different?" Deathroll inquired, Megatron appreciating someone who asked intelligent questions for a change.

"Because Subcommander, in my studies not only have I learned how to interpret the Vok's language and symbols, but I have also discovered that the alien disk itself can operate as a control module as it were, or so I theorize, and rarely do my theories turn out to be false, nnnnoooo" Megatron explained further, confident in himself and the strides he had made working with the disk and unlocking its secrets.

Deathroll nodded in understanding, marveling at the imagery presented to him on the screen and the breakthroughs his leader had made...Who could have thought that a former miner like him could go from being just another cog in the Decepticon army's war machine to serving directly under the command of the heir of Megatron himself? These were strange times the ancient alligator lived in, but exciting ones full of possibilities!

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

Optimus? Are you okay?

Yes, he communicated to Whitegrazer. Are you? he returned, feeling some clashing emotions and deception from her. What was going on out there with the others? Had they stumbled upon something with Aurora's sensors? There was something familiar that he felt through her... Something... No, someone... And it wasn't TyCross. It was someone dark and mysterious...

Aye, she's a bit of a wreck. But I've made do with worse before. Though I was a might bigger back then.. If we can keep the base from becoming a smoldering hole in the ground, we wont have to worry as much about materials.

For a moment, Landslide's words took Optimus back to when the Axalon was able to fly. She was his very first vessel, with his very first exploration crew and mission. He never would have thought she would have carried them through time and space and stranded them all here on Earth. After all of the hits she had taken from the Predacons and the Vok over the years, she was still standing and still offered them shelter and defense. But for how much longer? And were they ever going to return to Cybertron?

The armor around the ship is more of a plan B solution. That engine there is more of a plan A.. But fer a ol' rust bucket like me, I dun know much about this "transwarp" technology attached to it, so I'm looking up what I can from the Axalon's schematics. With a second generator as a backup, that should keep shield failure down. If we can't get this one workin', probably take me a few days but I could probably construct or cast a turbine fer a generator. As fer materials..

Primal looked to the engine as the beetle pointed it out and explained his little predicament with his lack of transwarp tech experience. Being it was his ship, Optimus knew a little bit about it, but like Rattrap had already mentioned earlier, Rhinox was the most knowledgeable in that field of technology. In any case, he enjoyed watching Landslide flourishing with his tinkering and ideas; all of which were incredibly helpful to them and their base of operations. With his size, he was glad the beetle could find something to dabble in with his talents and creativity that would be beneficial to everyone.

Lookin' at that Cyber bee in storage and those spider drones runnin' around, gave me some thinking fer dealing with some of our problems around here. Mostly just ideas fer now.. But more or less a solution fer the range limit of our communications. Besides the obvious use as recon for predacons,battlefield data, or resources.. It'd be easy to install a radio repeater inside this drone.

"You have my attention," Optimus said with curiosity, obviously intrigued. He looked at where the beetle pointed next on the schematic he manifested - to the dragonfly drone's long tail - and listened while his optics skimmed over the plans.

With this acting as the antenna. The main problem with our radios is most our team can't fly, so natural obstacles like mountains, forests,rain, or the curvature of the planet limit radio signal ranges. The drone would repeat Maximal signals broadcasting them over those obstacles. Further more.. With the use of multiple drones, it'd be possible to send radio and video communications to the other side of the planet, possibly even reroute laser pulse communication signals to send instructions to allies or damaged stasis pods. But, that's a future project fer now.

The leader nodded thoughtfully, saying, "It's a clever idea, and it would certainly be effective. We've run into this problem before in the past, using the moon as a satellite, but it looks like you may have developed a solution. I imagine we could encrypt the communication to keep Predacons from spying or hacking into our audio and video feeds, and we could move the drones out of harm's way whether it be weather anomalies or Predacon activity. This is a great idea, Landslide."

It was then when Primal heard some ruckus coming from the larger CR chamber nearby where Ironclaw had been undergoing repairs, and it made him turn around to see what was going on. Was the badger experiencing trouble? Was the CR failing to do its job? Why had he interrupted the repair cycle?

Ironclaw is behind you.

Hearing the mare's warning, it puzzled him. The Maximal Commander started walking toward it but stopped in his tracks when Ironclaw emerged, appearing to be hostile or aggressive. "Ironclaw, what's wrong?" This is Ironclaw, right? he started to second guess himself again. But when the badger raised his fist and brought it down upon him, Optimus immediately went on the defensive and strafed to the side to avoid it. Being a little quicker and more agile than Ironclaw who was bigger and more robust, Primal lifted his right leg and ignited a burst of thrust from the back of his foot for more force as he leaped into the air and swung it forward, aiming to give a sweep kick to the back of Ironclaw's knee to knock him down or off balance. Spinning once in the air horizontally from the thrust's power, Optimus landed on the palms of his hands and his feet and quickly stood up. He purposely avoided resorting to more forceful and aggressive maneuvers and weapons. "Use your words, Ironclaw," he told him firmly, disappointed with this sudden resolution to violence, especially directed toward the commanding officer. Was he angry at him? Was he actually Zodiac in disguise? Could Zodiac have gained his shape-shifting abilities some how again? What ever the case may be, he was growing tired of this Maximal's temper.

-----

"At least, the mark would fade away in a CR Chamber once we get back to the Axalon."

Rhinox looked from Whitegrazer to the indent left around Aurora's neck, shaking his head slightly to the Empath's poor attempt at comforting the smaller Fuzor who had just been held hostage moments ago and was now left with her perpetrator's hand print on her body. Sure the CR would repair it but the mare was obviously at a loss of words for explaining herself. He could feel the tension and frustration emanating from Aurora.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you both." "Do what you two feel is the right thing to do."

"You should have told us..,"

The engineer agreed with Aurora but was a little less resentful about it. The mare may have had her reasons for not telling them, although at the moment he couldn't think of any that wouldn't have benefited them, but to put them both in danger by purposely sending them to that specific location left him vexed.

"Is Ironclaw going to be all right?,"

"Yes, I believe so. But I'm sure he'll need some time to recover. It's not easy returning to base alone when you were left behind, presumed dead or missing in action," Rhinox answered the newly appointed Chief Biologist/Chemist.

"Let's get Zodiac back to base. We can..." "come back here later. I bet the readings your device picked up would be very interesting, Aurora."

"We'll return here,"

"I think it would be wise for you and Wintersong to remain here," Rhinox told Whitegrazer. "We should secure this area while we can before the Predacons get suspicious and send scouts." He then watched Rattrap and Cheetor approach.

"Perfect timing,"

Seeing his little Fuzor friend waving at him and the flying cat, Rattrap gave a toothy grin and slowed his speed as he rolled up to their comrades, coming to a stop. He looked up at everyone but sensed from the unsettled energy of the group that something had recently transpired.

"We were actually just about to stop by the Axalon with a present for Optimus,"

The rodent, still in his dragster mode, appeared both puzzled and curious as he tilted his head and relaxed his tail that calmly swayed back and forth behind him. He couldn't really see from the ground what Aurora was talking about, so he maximized and stood there to peer over only to find Zodiac's seemingly lifeless body on the back of their transport vehicle. He immediately panicked, going wide-eyed and gasping, wielding his gun in a flash and targeting the renegade. "Whoa, look out! Zodiac's on yer vehicle! I thought he was dead! He can't be killed! I knew it!" Rattrap cried out. He almost started firing at him until he calmed down just a little bit and waited for the black bot to move. But he remained still. Now, surely if Zodiac had known Rattrap was there and could get up to kill him, he would do so. Instead, he just laid there, ignoring him and everyone else.

"He's unconscious and badly injured," Rhinox explained to his shorter friend to help ease his paranoia.

"You sure?" Lowering his weapon to his side, Rattrap bent down to pick up a rock and then threw it at Zodiac's body, watching it bounce off of him a couple times until gravity finally returned the rock to the ground. "Huh. He's probably fakin' it."

"We found him here after he attacked Aurora and threatened us to help him."

"He was still functioning? He was never grateful. Dat's the de problem with shapeshifters; dey happily take advantage of everybody," the Spy shook his head and looked at Aurora, noticing the mark left on her neck by Zodiac's grip. "You okay?" he asked her with concern as he temporarily placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You actually wanna take him back ta base?" the rat then asked Rhinox, having no idea how Optimus would react to this news. Of course, with the jamming stations, they couldn't communicate with anyone over their comm. links right now to ask or notify them, so their only option was to give Zodiac a lift.

"Yes. He might still have the valuable information that we need, remember?"

Rattrap gave Big Green a dismissive wave, recalling their previous mission with the jerk who activated that quake-maker alien weapon and nearly killed everyone, including himself. "Alright. You guys be careful. Me an' Cheetor are gonna reprogram dese jamming towers." He looked at Whitegrazer and Wintersong, asking them, "You gals stayin' here?"

Rhinox gently motioned Aurora to move out with their cargo and return to the Axalon.

[NaitoKage]

"It's a clever idea, and it would certainly be effective. We've run into this problem before in the past, using the moon as a satellite, but it looks like you may have developed a solution. I imagine we could encrypt the communication to keep Predacons from spying or hacking into our audio and video feeds, and we could move the drones out of harm's way whether it be weather anomalies or Predacon activity. This is a great idea, Landslide."

Landslide gave a nod, his attention then turned to the console as it alerted him of Ironclaw's sudden awaken and struggling. Hitting the emergency release and stop to prevent Ironclaw from damaging the CR chamber as he forced it open, Landslide then turned seeing him move towards Optimus with his fist.

"Ironclaw, what's wrong?""Use your words, Ironclaw,"

Landslide brought Ironclaw's arm down Cool it lad. Wintersong and I didn't drag you back ere' just so you could scrap again when you woke up. Landslide then took a step back to give Ironclaw some space.

______________________________


Cheetor came down for a landing near Rattrap, his optics widen as he noticed Zodiac.

"Whoa, look out! Zodiac's on yer vehicle! I thought he was dead! He can't be killed! I knew it!"

Cheetor then observed as Rhinox and Rattrap spoke, happy to hear Zodiac was in stasis, though perhaps not happy he was still functional.

"Alright. You guys be careful. Me an' Cheetor are gonna reprogram dese jamming towers." "You gals stayin' here?"

Cheetor glanced towards Whitegrazer and Wintersong.

[Wintersong]

Wintersong remained quiet for most of the exchange, knowing there wasn't much she could say on the matter of Zodiac being alive. Quite frankly she wanted to give the mech payback for what he put them all through like most of the crew, but more so for him making use of Ironclaw's identity and tendency towards aggression and violence to frame him for what was going on. Deep down she had also come to partially blame the mech for Ironclaw's condition, making her glare her optics at the dragon shapeshifter who was so helpless right now, so weak, he would be easy to kill, so easy to rid of! But her glare was all that she showed to express that anger.

Yet, she immediately turned her gaze away, already suspecting many of the crew might inquire to how she was doing or wonder. After what had transpired Wintersong truthfully was mixed on it.

Turning her attention back though, she looked between the three as Whitegrazer's knowledge of the coordinates was brought up making the tigress curiously look towards the mare. Had she really withheld information? Had she known Zodiac was alive as well? She wasn't sure whether to be angered like Aurora but she did feel the similar disappointment, making her wonder if Ironclaw's belief about Optimus might be true, that something big would eventually happen and sides would be picked but a part of her couldn't believe it but yet she couldn't completely blame the mare for not saying something. By now, it shouldn't have been surprising someone was hiding something. She wanted to point this out herself, especially since a lot on the crew seemed to have secrets they wanted kept hidden, pasts they didn't want to remember, the skeletons in their closet to remain that.

But the Transmetal tigress didn't have time to say anything before Rattrap and Cheetor arrived and Rhinox having to reassure them that Zodiac was down for the count...for now. She held some disbelief like the others for taking the mech back but it was not her place to say. "Rhinox suggested we stay and handle the towers Rattrap, me and Whitegrazer will help give cover if necessary." Wintersong said before she growled as she transformed to her robot form grabbing her blaster from the compartment in her leg and getting it ready, "We got plenty to uncover here, add onto what we've maybe already found." Wintersong stated, though she also was subtly pointing out other matters they seemed to be dealing with, primarily with everyone's nasty secrets coming into the open.

At this rate, the femme didn't feel so bad for being a stow away at the beginning of all this craziness and had already expended three to four of her lives in this conflict or war, metaphorically speaking anyway.

((Sorry guys, this past week has been busy. Been trying to get my stuff together for school which starts next Wednesday for me, moving back into my dorm on Sunday, and been doing the same for siblings this past week on top of having a ton of stuff going on. Overall, I haven't had the time or energy to post until now.
Also, not posting for Spineback again for now, haven't really had anything to do with her until the Preds start doing stuff.))

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw was about to swing for Optimus Primal when he turned around and saw him coming. The badger did not expect that and kept going unable to react as Primal countered him. The whack on the back of the knee sent falling forwards until his foot went out and stopped his fall. With a metallic thud he stopped his decent and tried to continue his assault when a hand which was of similar size to his, grabbed his arm and pulled it down. Ironclaw realised it was Landslide so he snatched his wrist back, bearing his teeth and flexing his body which he needed to do anyway, it not being long since he left the CR chamber. Once the big beetle backed off, he relaxed a little and turned his attention to Optimus. Pretender! He still makes play at leader. What's wrong he asks? Given his present company that would usually speak volumes about his mood however recent events are the true explanation for his emotions to be running high.

Back up. This IS Axalon and everyone had survived. All of that torment for nothing. That meant only one thing, they had left him behind. The all mighty Optimus Primal, coming from a heritage of good deeds and selfless acts had left a fellow Maximal behind. The funny thing is that Ironclaw would do that, completing the mission is more in important than just one life. The badger would usually agree with this type of action but Optimus had done nothing but betray his own philosophy and thus left Ironclaw to his doom.

After moment of contemplation, optics fixed on that ape through out, the badger went a very serene state. His optics glazing over Optimus. He'd come to the conclusion that none of these Maximals would aid him and he would simply carry on his mission solo. Internal repairs was the best option. Transitioning from robot to badger, the council's subject turned to leave in silence. They couldn't possibly of managed to bring down Zodiac by themselves. His arrogance getting the better of him.

[una]

((OOC: Still not time yet. I hope this post is all right. I hope. I rarely post at night like this. ))

Yes, he communicated to Whitegrazer. Are you?

Whitegrazer, at first, didn't know how to answer Optimus' question. Part of her just wanted to say the same platitude she always expressed despite what she really felt. That she was all right. The truth was that she wasn't all right. She wasn't "fine". Part of her hated herself for what she was doing. She didn't like to lie because that was the one characteristic people she despised back on Cybertron did. They lied. Lied to her, about everything. Lied to their people. Now, they forced her silence about who and what she really was. Threatened her. Though they couldn;t do much to her here, although she wasn;t sure how much Ironclaw knew about her, he didn't seem to but she wasn't going to underestimate him, but she had faith that they would return to Cybertron, and Optimus and others she has grown to care so deeply for would be in serious jeopardy. She didn't want this crew to come back home and get killed because of her. Because of politics. Especially Optimus, who already has been through such, and Aurora, who was still young and didn't need to have her life in peril just because she knew who she was!

But despite the fact that some part of her lies were selfless, there was a part that many would consider selfish in face value.

Self-preservation.

After all, there were worse things than death.

Rhinox and Aurora have a hint now. They will put the pieces together. What do you plan on doing? You know what I would do? TyCross paused and hummed a bit. Though, I just realized you might not like to hear it, so I'll just keep it to myself.

"You should have told us..,"

Whitegrazer didn't need to feel in order to see Aurora's resentment towards her for lying. But she didn't hold anything against the little one. After all, for the past month or so, they had to deal with lies and deception. Zodiac pretending to Nexus Prime for example. She understood the little one's feelings towards her. this crew has dealt with enough dark secrets and wild deceptions. Betrayals that still echoed within their own sparks. But despite her lies, everything was going well, maybe whatever they found on that site, they could investigate or figure out what it was.

"We'll return here,"

Me, not you, little one. It was too dangerous for her or any of them.

"I think it would be wise for you and Wintersong to remain here," Rhinox told Whitegrazer. "We should secure this area while we can before the Predacons get suspicious and send scouts."

Rattrap and Cheetor, she saw them two approaching their direction. Wondered why they were here. Oh! The jamming towers. Were they going to bring them down.

"Whoa, look out! Zodiac's on yer vehicle! I thought he was dead! He can't be killed! I knew it!"

"He's unconscious and badly injured,"

You sure?" Lowering his weapon to his side, Rattrap bent down to pick up a rock and then threw it at Zodiac's body, watching it bounce off of him a couple times until gravity finally returned the rock to the ground. "Huh. He's probably fakin' it."

"We found him here after he attacked Aurora and threatened us to help him."

While the others were talking, Whitegrazer sensed something from Zodiac. She looked down at him. Curious. Concerned. He was clearly too exhausted or wounded to do anything. She wondered if she should try and regain her link to him, but she didn't know if Zodiac would appreciate that, even though there was something she wanted to discuss with him. Not now. Maybe she would get a chance before she left. It was important that she gained assurance before she left that the Maximals didn't have to worry about anything.

"Alright. You guys be careful. Me an' Cheetor are gonna reprogram dese jamming towers."

"Reprogramming them is a brilliant move." She smiled at the rat and the young cat. It was a bit stealthy then just blowing them up and gaining Predacon attention.

Rhinox suggested we stay and handle the towers Rattrap, me and Whitegrazer will help give cover if necessary."

"I don't feel comfortable with just you two escorting Zodiac back to base. Especially since we just found out he is alive." Whitegrazer still was surprised by Zodiac's presence. And she had a feeling that Optimus might need her assistance when he finds out that Zodiac is alive. "Maybe Wintersong and I should accompany you two. He may not be as powerful as he once was, but he is still dangerous if he awakens. Or Wintersong, if you so choose, you can remain with Rattrap and Cheetor to help them." It was the Maximal tigeress choice.

As Rhinox and Aurora made their way forward, towards the Axalon, she eyed Zodiac and the device. She wondered how she was going to do this. How was she going to get the device and if so, separate Zodiac and her's data from the data on the site. If there was no way, then she might being giving they a disadvantage in order to conceal her secrets. But she wasn't willing to do that. She wasn't going to put them at risk. Not again.

What are you doing, Whitegrazer? I hope you aren't just going to expose yourself and open up a can of chaos just to spare your weakness. There is more at stake here.

There are other options, TyCross. You should know better. I... should have known better. But not now, we need to get Zodiac secured first.

"Rhinox. Aurora. Wait." Whitegrazer said then stopped, staring at Zodiac. She wanted to say something now. After all, they were in the privacy of outside, but she didn't want to to distract. Zodiac... He needed to be watched over. "I... wish to talk to you both in private. After we secured Zodiac. The only thing I ask right now is that you hold up in sharing your findings. Mines and Zodiacs, at least." She looked at them both then at Zodiac. "I will explain myself to you."

[Phoenix]

"Do continue, Commander. Enlighten us."

"Do continue, Commander. Enlighten us."

Nemesis continued on to explain the concept, leaving out any greater details for now. She could see that Megatron was keenly interested in what she had to say, but Deathroll, someone who had lived in a completely different era, seemed utterly baffled by it.

"Decepticon intelligence would have KILLED for something like this"

The female smirked slightly at that remark.

"As they often did, indeed," she said before elaborating, "Decepticon intelligence did not die with the creation of protoform technology. Some Decepticons went into hiding to avoid being forced into undergoing the change.."

She lingered a bit longer on the word than she strictly needed to. Even now part of her still missed her old body, the power she had held and the capabilities she had possessed. Ironically an alternative mode capable of space travel, the very thing Primal wanted to achieve so they could return to Cybertron, had been her original design.

"Instead of being treated with the respect they deserved, the Decepticons were prosecuted and forced to submit to Maximal rule.. To bow to a council responsible for countless lost Decepticon and Predacon lives.."

A sigh followed.

"Deathroll, I so wish I could tell you that our kin came out victorious in the war that the Decepticon of the old days will start. So it is certainly more than a little ironic that that we all ended up here, before these events took place, and with the ability to change the course of history."

"No doubt, but it is ours now, and we shall utilize it to our full advantage, yyyyessss" Megatron said, before adding "But if you don't mind me asking Commander, which of our tragically few scientists is responsible for developing this device? And how will you deploy it? Drones?"

Nemesis turned her red optics to Megatron, politely waiting until he was done speaking before she responded.

"None of our scientists developed this device," she informed them both, "But I did obtain it with Umbra's assistance. He can be quite resourceful and is a valuable asset to our cause. Ever the opportunist, Umbra has acquired samples of technology from many of his past contracts. I was quite pleased to learn he had some dealings with certain renegade factions in his past.. or should I say future?"

She let her optics linger on Megatron for a moment longer before returning her gaze to the specs on the table. "I don't trust the accuracy of a drone, oh no. I plan to ambush BlackArachnia and leave her with this gift myself. I owe her that."

Her optics flashed briefly as she said the last words, a certain bitterness present in her voice. Back when they were still trying to bring down Zodiac, Nemesis had protected the female spider. And to show her appreciation, BlackArachnia had simply deserted the Predacons.

"Hmph, these aliens ARE going to be a problem if they return to finish what they started" Deathroll stated in agreement, their power undeniable despite his resolve to destroy them in the name of Megatron should they endanger their plans once again.

"Ah yes, the Vok, the worst landlords in the cosmos. With them there are no guarantees, only windows of opportunity with which to gamble and hope the odds will ultimately be in our favor. These are planet killers we are talking about after all, it is always an uphill battle against the likes of them...For now at least. Fortunately, as I have explained already, I have studied the alien disk extensively and learn something new each time, regarding them, their technology, and how to use it. Among my recent discoveries is the revelation that the disk lists locations of alien sites" Megatron explained as he pulled up a map along with the alien disk itself, revealing several of the alien sites they had encountered over the course of the Beast Wars and how they were marked by symbols identical to those found on the disk, forming a definitive triangular pattern between each site.

"I believe we can use this pattern to track down more alien sites if they still exist on this world, and given recent events, I am fairly certain they do, especially considering how while this world maybe the resting place of our great ancestors, to the Vok it is merely a massive experiment designed to test any sentient species that may stumble across their testing grounds" Megatron explained "I intend to use whatever relics the Vok left here to test the locals to our own advantage, it is our best chance of not only defending ourselves against whatever planet shattering threat they may unleash upon us next, but also of ensuring we will be able to return to Cybertron as conquerors rather than a ragtag team of freedom fighters."

"But assuming we even find any Vok technology, how will we control it? The quake maker was beyond our control and had to be destroyed, how will any other Vok relic we uncover be any different?" Deathroll inquired, Megatron appreciating someone who asked intelligent questions for a change.

"Because Subcommander, in my studies not only have I learned how to interpret the Vok's language and symbols, but I have also discovered that the alien disk itself can operate as a control module as it were, or so I theorize, and rarely do my theories turn out to be false, nnnnoooo"

"I highly suspect there are more Vok secrets hidden on this planet," Nemesis added, "It appears to have been an important testing ground and since we have uncovered multiple sites thus far, there are bound to be more. If your hypothesis is correct and the alien disk allows for some control over the Vok technology, perhaps we can use their own technology against them when they return? "

"Yes, I believe so. But I'm sure he'll need some time to recover. It's not easy returning to base alone when you were left behind, presumed dead or missing in action," Rhinox answered the newly appointed Chief Biologist/Chemist.

Aurora took Rhinox' words to heart but cast an unavoidable glance at the unconscious form of the transmetal dragon while she considered them. The similarities in the trauma the two foes had experienced was eerie to say the least. Of course Ironclaw was a higher priority to the fuzor, being a fellow Maximal and one that had saved her life and all even if he had committed murder while doing so, but some small part of her couldn't help pity the renegade a little as well. Yes, he had attacked them multiple times, but the way he looked right now.. barely even holding on after everything he'd been through, a small inkling of pity emerged from within her.

She rubbed her neck carefully, tracing her fingers across the indentation the dragon had left there, and wondered why she felt the way she did. Why couldn't being a Maximal be easy for once?

"I'd like to see Ironclaw when we get back," she commented, her optics still fixated on the renegade. "If Wintersong is planning to stay here, he needs a friendly face when he wakes up after his repairs are done. We all know of his feelings towards Optimus.." She let the words linger a bit. They were all aware of Ironclaw's dislike for their commander, even if nobody could really understand why he felt the way he did. The larger male had never been much of a talker but perhaps some day he'd be willing to tell them all where his hatred came from.

"I think it would be wise for you and Wintersong to remain here," Rhinox told Whitegrazer. "We should secure this area while we can before the Predacons get suspicious and send scouts." He then watched Rattrap and Cheetor approach.

Aurora immediately turned to Rhinox, staring at him in surprise.

She'd expected Wintersong to remain to do whatever she had come here to do, but Whitegrazer had a lot of explaining to do. She had just lied to them, potentially put them all in grave danger, and the fuzor was very keen to find out why.

But she knew better than to question Rhinox' decision openly. He was, after all, pretty much Optimus' second in command.

Fortunately Rattrap arrived to provide some much needed distraction.

"Whoa, look out! Zodiac's on yer vehicle! I thought he was dead! He can't be killed! I knew it!"

Aurora couldn't help letting out a slight chuckle upon seeing the rodent's reaction but she quickly caught herself, especially since it made her throat hurt after the traumatic experience she just had.

"He's unconscious and badly injured,"

"You okay?"

The fuzor nodded. She was all right, well, for the most part anyway. Yes, her throat hurt and she probably looked a bit messed up, but from the looks of it the former shapeshifter had been through a far worse experience. Now that he was laying there, not moving, she could actually see all the injuries on his body in more detail. It looked like many of them resulted from the battle, one Aurora was happy she had missed although they had plenty of action back at the Axalon even so. But some of the injuries looked more recent, likely from the fall and barely escaping the pit of lava. The tips of the wings and his feet looked to have been damaged from the heat and were now partially malformed with some parts looking like they'd melted from the exposure.

Presuming they were putting him in a repair chamber when they returned to the Axalon, Aurora wondered how well the chamber would work on someone with a clearly different internal structure than the rest of them. Hopefully the repairs wouldn't inadvertently reactivate his nanomachines. The fuzor didn't want to go through that ordeal again.

"Rhinox could very well have been a professional wrestler," she confirmed to Rattrap as she turned her attention back to him. "Because after that blow I doubt our friend over there will be getting up any time soon."

Rattrap soon declared that he and Cheetor were staying behind as well, leaving only Rhinox and Aurora to return to the Axalon with Zodiac in tow. The fuzor was a little disappointed by this, honestly, and had hoped for answers from more than just the former shapeshifter. But Rhinox knew what he was doing, she hoped, so she let it go. For now.

"Reprogramming them is a brilliant move."

As usual Whitegrazer seemed to be filled with positive energy, always one to encourage the others. Aurora actually had to remind herself why she was angry at the white mare, that she had just lied to them even though it felt so surreal now. It was clear that Whitegrazer had something to do with the aliens.. and now also Zodiac. So many questions that needed answering. Even though she was angry with the other female for lying and putting them all in danger with her secrets, she still cared deeply for Whitegrazer and didn't want to see her hurt in any way. Hopefully the others would finish their mission quickly so they too could return to base. But Aurora felt a little better knowing that Rattrap and Cheetor would be nearby as well. The rodent hadn't failed her yet and she trusted him with her life.

"I don't feel comfortable with just you two escorting Zodiac back to base. Especially since we just found out he is alive."Maybe Wintersong and I should accompany you two. He may not be as powerful as he once was, but he is still dangerous if he awakens. Or Wintersong, if you so choose, you can remain with Rattrap and Cheetor to help them."

Aurora secretly agreed with the white mare but she remained silent, letting her superior officer decide on the outcome. Or at least she did for a few moments before uttering "If he does wake up, I'm sure Rhinox will be more than wiling to administer another dose of his especially formulated sleeping medication." Yes, she felt bad for the renegade in a way, but it had also been very satisfying to see him go down with a single well placed punch.

The fuzor quickly gathered the rest of her equipment, placing it on the transport but hopefully outside of Zodiac's reach. She left a single sensor behind as had originally been the plan. At least this way they could still monitor the alien site from afar. Then she started the trip back.

"Rhinox. Aurora. Wait." Whitegrazer said then stopped, staring at Zodiac. She wanted to say something now. After all, they were in the privacy of outside, but she didn't want to to distract. Zodiac... He needed to be watched over. "I... wish to talk to you both in private. After we secured Zodiac. The only thing I ask right now is that you hold up in sharing your findings. Mines and Zodiacs, at least." She looked at them both then at Zodiac. "I will explain myself to you."

Aurora sighed. Truthfully, she was a bit afraid of what Whitegrazer was about to tell them. Surely she hadn't been helping the shapeshifter all along? Could her betrayal really have reached that far? "Can we trust you to be honest with us?," Aurora responded, maintaining a steady pace back towards the Axalon. She really didn't know if she wanted to hear Whitegrazer's confession right now or not. She was undoubtedly curious, but part of her was terrified of the answers as well.

"But if you wish to accompany us back to the Axalon, that is fine by me." Rhinox had the final word on that matter though.

[DarkSpark]

OOC: was babysitting today, so sorry if this post isn't one of my best.

Phoenix wrote: The female smirked slightly at that remark.

"As they often did, indeed," she said before elaborating, "Decepticon intelligence did not die with the creation of protoform technology. Some Decepticons went into hiding to avoid being forced into undergoing the change.."

She lingered a bit longer on the word than she strictly needed to. Even now part of her still missed her old body, the power she had held and the capabilities she had possessed. Ironically an alternative mode capable of space travel, the very thing Primal wanted to achieve so they could return to Cybertron, had been her original design.

"Instead of being treated with the respect they deserved, the Decepticons were prosecuted and forced to submit to Maximal rule.. To bow to a council responsible for countless lost Decepticon and Predacon lives.."

A sigh followed.

"Deathroll, I so wish I could tell you that our kin came out victorious in the war that the Decepticon of the old days will start. So it is certainly more than a little ironic that that we all ended up here, before these events took place, and with the ability to change the course of history."

Deathroll scratched his claws across the table in barely restrained frustration over the bleak future of his kind...Back in his time the Decepticons had RULED Cybertron and controlled what limited resources they had left, yet somehow it had all gone wrong and the autobots had stolen everything away from them, casting them out from their rightful place in the universe and now their descendants ruled over his own, the Predacons...Such injustice could not be allowed, not when he was now in a position to change everything back to the way it was, the way it was MEANT to be!

While his new form was something he still needed to adjust to, it didn't matter to him if he had returned in his original body, a transmetal, or as a feeble maintenance bot, whatever form he took he would fight to the best of his ability to right the wrongs of this twisted future he now found himself in, and restore his faction's rightful place at the top of the food chain.

"Irony or destiny? Lord Megatron set all of this in motion long before the tragic end of the war, he KNEW someone with the guile to carry out his vision would emerge one day and put his longterm plan into effect in defiance of time and space itself. We're all here because of that plan, and together we shall undo the horrors brought about by an autobot ruled Cybetron" Deathroll replied, raising a clenched fist in defiance of the Maximal Elders, Cybtertronians he had never met and who certainly could not possibly know of his existence, but who he saw as enemies in need of being defeated either way.

"Given time, all of these injustices and indignities that our faction has been forced to endure will be undone, history be damned, I swear it by my own spark!" Deathroll vowed, eyes glowing brighter than usual, as if fueled by his rage and his passion to set right the wrongs done to his people.

"Strong words Sub-Commander, but don't be too quick to offer up your own spark just yet, I still have use of it, and I'd rather have those of the maximal elder's instead anyway, yyyyyessssss" Megatron interjected, pleased by Deathroll's devotion to the cause, it was nice to have loyalists under his command driven by true patriotism rather than delusions of being an earth bug serving his queen like Inferno.

Still, he would not show them the original Megatron's resting place just yet, he still believed he could conquer Cybertron without rewriting history, that would remain his trump card, his very last resort once all of his more practical and potentially self-destructive plans were exhausted.

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis turned her red optics to Megatron, politely waiting until he was done speaking before she responded.

"None of our scientists developed this device," she informed them both, "But I did obtain it with Umbra's assistance. He can be quite resourceful and is a valuable asset to our cause. Ever the opportunist, Umbra has acquired samples of technology from many of his past contracts. I was quite pleased to learn he had some dealings with certain renegade factions in his past.. or should I say future?"

She let her optics linger on Megatron for a moment longer before returning her gaze to the specs on the table. "I don't trust the accuracy of a drone, oh no. I plan to ambush BlackArachnia and leave her with this gift myself. I owe her that."

Her optics flashed briefly as she said the last words, a certain bitterness present in her voice. Back when they were still trying to bring down Zodiac, Nemesis had protected the female spider. And to show her appreciation, BlackArachnia had simply deserted the Predacons.

"Ah yes Umbra, my ever reliable ninja, a mech of so many talents" Megatron said, making a mental note to keep closer tabs on the octopus in the future, he trusted that Umbra was a professional who faithfully served the highest bidder, but still, one did not rise to power by being overly trusting, nnnnoooo.

"I approve of your plan, and of the feelings behind it as well, yyyyeessss" Megatron stated, hate was often a very reliable emotion when you wanted someone to carry out your bidding, and added "Shall you require a strike force for this mission? We wouldn't want the maximals to suspect your true intentions, and truth be told, I HAVE been curious as to how they've kept themselves occupied while we have kept busy with our own projects."

Phoenix wrote:
"I highly suspect there are more Vok secrets hidden on this planet," Nemesis added, "It appears to have been an important testing ground and since we have uncovered multiple sites thus far, there are bound to be more. If your hypothesis is correct and the alien disk allows for some control over the Vok technology, perhaps we can use their own technology against them when they return? "

Megatron grinned at both his top officers as Nemesis said that and replied "That is the plan Commander, yyyyyyeessssss."

[una]

((OOC: I just remembered I totally forgot to do a post for Blackarachnia.))

Blackarachnia let the others deal with the jamming towers. Blackarachnia decided to go back to Optimus' room after she took a datapad and scanner with her for documentation. The scanner would make things better. Though she wished the datapad was able to analyse the information it gathered, but she didn't think the Maximals were like her tinkering with their equipment, even though it was severely more out-of-date than what she had to work with back on the Darksyde. Of course, she didn't really care for their opinions, and she wasn't going to work with secondhand equipment, but for the time being, she was just going to make do with what she had.

She scanned through every single drawing Optimus made. After she was through with that, she went back to the bridge and entered the drawings into the computer console and let Sentinel try to interpret the drawings with what little knowledge it was aware of from the alien and their sites. After the computer downloaded the information, she watched for a moment before she got bored and decided to tinker with the datapad a bit.

I wonder before the Maximals handed over the alien disk to Megatron how much they were able to obtain from it? She hoped they had something. Especially, since the aliens were are of their survival, no doubt they were planning to try and kill them again. She wondered how Tarantulas was handling this... She totally forgot about him. He might know.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Sorry for my tardiness. August is a busy month. una, I'm not sure who Blackarachnia is speaking to. If she's on the bridge, then I believe she's alone because Optimus and Landslide are in the hangar and everyone else is out in the field. ))

Wintersong and I didn't drag you back ere' just so you could scrap again when you woke up.

After the little scuffle with Ironclaw was over, and the badger turned his back to them proceeding to leave, Optimus almost threw his hands up in the air as a notion of giving up on this bot, tired of this unnecessary behavior from him; always walking away or resulting to violence. Instead, he tried remaining calm, although the slight irritation in his voice may have suggested otherwise, and called to him, "Showing a little gratitude toward Landslide would be the appropriate reaction, Ironclaw. Would you have had him and Wintersong let you expire out there instead? Why bother dragging yourself back to the Axalon if you're unwilling to communicate and be a part of this team? If you're angry about us having left you behind, then you can take it up with Rattrap. He was in charge in the last mission, and it was his decision, not mine. What would you have had us do? Because you are so intent on secluding yourself and taking matters into your own hands, we didn't know your location or if you were even present at the volcano when we took the battle elsewhere with the Predacons. You didn't answer our transmissions and we couldn't detect your signature. We only had so much time before the volcano erupted and the alien weapon exploded, and we had to evacuate."

-----

"Reprogramming them is a brilliant move."

"I'd love ta take the credit, but it was Optimus's idea. You know how lazy I am, an' dis just makes more work for me instead of just blowin' 'em up," Rattrap told Whitegrazer with a small smirk.

"Rhinox suggested we stay and handle the towers Rattrap, me and Whitegrazer will help give cover if necessary." "We got plenty to uncover here, add onto what we've maybe already found."

The Spy nodded to the TransMetal tigress. "Seein' as they got so many fliers and diggers, we could use some extra eyes."

"Rhinox could very well have been a professional wrestler," "Because after that blow I doubt our friend over there will be getting up any time soon."

"Yeah? I kinda wish I coulda seen it," the rat snickered. "At least yer okay."

"Come on, guys, let's hit the first tower," Rattrap said as he began walking in its direction according to the coordinates that Whitegrazer had provided for them. Upon reaching it, he put his weapon away and proceeded to climb up the tower until he reached its communication device. Then he pulled out some of his tools and diligently began tampering with it, adjusting its radio frequencies of blocking from Maximal to Predacon. Hopefully the Preds hadn't installed any alarms to alert them that someone was messing around with it. So far, things were quiet, and Rattrap didn't notice any such alarms or beacons indicating it would relay anything back to its developer. "What if dese jammin' towers are just distractions?" he asked Wintersong and Cheetor as he leaned back on a steel bar above the ground and studied his work thoughtfully.

"I'd like to see Ironclaw when we get back," "If Wintersong is planning to stay here, he needs a friendly face when he wakes up after his repairs are done. We all know of his feelings towards Optimus.."

All of them were still baffled by Ironclaw's attitude toward their leader, and the trouble he seemed to deliberately cause him. As if they didn't have enough to deal with every day, Ironclaw had to make things even more difficult. Rhinox wondered how much longer Primal's tolerance and patience would last with him.

"I don't feel comfortable with just you two escorting Zodiac back to base. Especially since we just found out he is alive." "Maybe Wintersong and I should accompany you two. He may not be as powerful as he once was, but he is still dangerous if he awakens. Or Wintersong, if you so choose, you can remain with Rattrap and Cheetor to help them."

Already aggravated by the mare's decision to keep information from him and Aurora, Whitegrazer seemed to think she had the authority to overrule Rhinox's orders. "With all of your unique Empath abilities, Whitegrazer, I don't find you any less dangerous than Zodiac right now." He had heard about her causing missiles to explode in midair in the last battle, never mind all of the emotions she could feel and the senses she could see from everyone else. What other influences and manipulations could she have on others? After all, she "tricked" him and Aurora to come here when she knew it was dangerous. He didn't intend to sound mean, he was simply being honest.

"If he does wake up, I'm sure Rhinox will be more than wiling to administer another dose of his especially formulated sleeping medication." "But if you wish to accompany us back to the Axalon, that is fine by me."

The engineer wanted to smile at Aurora's first comment, but he was too much in a somewhat bad mood to be jolly. Since she voiced her opinion on the matter of the mare accompanying them, Rhinox decided that he also wanted answers from her, so he said firmly, "Wintersong stays. Whitegrazer, come with us. I want an explanation, as will Optimus."

"Rhinox. Aurora. Wait." "I... wish to talk to you both in private. After we secured Zodiac. The only thing I ask right now is that you hold up in sharing your findings. Mines and Zodiacs, at least." "I will explain myself to you."

"Can we trust you to be honest with us?,"

"You want us to delay any information we may have acquired so far with Aurora's sensors after you put us in danger, and how we've noticed that her device sounds its alarm when you're in range? Whitegrazer, you are asking a lot from us now. You better have a good explanation, and you had better be truthful." Rhinox's words not only sounded accusingly, but were almost threatening as well. Surely she knew how important this was for them and that they couldn't afford delays or lies. Big Green then motioned to both of them to get moving so they could return to base as quickly as possible while he glanced at Zodiac's unconscious body every so often on their transport vehicle.