Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Oct 25, 2008 2:58:43 GMT -5
The only sign of someone cruising, not in the skies, but rather a few feet below the surface of the black desert sand is an oddly traveling (and lengthening) ridge crossing the dunes and valleys. Only closer to the site where this 'Emirate Xaaron' was spotted does something roughly triangular in shape begin to emerge from the ground. Its path stops abruptly and black sand erupts into the air as something bursts from beneath the sand.
With a gleam of serrated teeth and quite satisfied laughter, Sky-Byte arches into view. It's a flashy and dramatic entrance, utterly lacking in any subtlety--lucky shark, he's not looking to be subtle.
Come one and come all, Autobots! Sky-Byte is ready for any of you!
...Granted, Sky-Byte might have to get a little bit closer than where he thought he'd be to be properly within range. The supposed location is just a bit further than he appeared. Drat. Ah, all's well that ends well, and Sky-Byte will be sure to make this battle end very well. So early entrance or not, watch out! This shark bites.
OOC: Sky-Byte's a little further out in the desert but he'll be on location next round. Anyone feel free to join in!
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Post by Long Range on Oct 25, 2008 5:45:08 GMT -5
And a bit behind Sky-Byte, Long Range runs (Read: jogs) as fast as his legs will carry him. He needs to get somebody to build a hover bike for him.
"Where do you want me in this fight, Sky-Byte? Up close smashing or long range blasting?" He says,hoping for the latter. It'll mean he won't have to run that much further.
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OOC: How did he get out here? A friendly purple dragon brought him most of the way, obviously.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Oct 25, 2008 14:31:52 GMT -5
Lurking beneath the sands is Botanica. Originally, she was lying in wait for the other Prime, but based on what she can tell from listening to the vibrations (and the sparse desert flora) surprise may no longer be an issue. Now, someone has churned uo the soil, and close behind that someone comes the sound of heavier than normal footsteps. Much heavier than any footsteps with which she is familiar.
She surfaces behind a jagged outcropping, carefully peeking around. Their allies did not have that large one with them, if she recalls correctly, though the...odd shark-like one was among the alternate Startscream's troops. Radio is down. She can't confirm they aren't on her side. However, her alternate is known to be a dangerous entity. How these two react....
Though turns to action, and she darts out into the open, mamking sure to remain in view long enough to be noticed, but not so long as to be targetable before diving back beneath the ground. She surfaces again behind another outcropping.
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Oct 27, 2008 16:07:23 GMT -5
"Just a little closer and then we can set down for long-range blast--"
Sky-Byte reacts to the sight of an odd, moving, strange green figure darting across the sand like any other confident-but-on-guard predator: carefully making his way towards the area that this strange thing was last present.
Back at base, he never took the opportunity to catch a glimpse or meet Botanica's counterpart---in fact, up to the arrival of these flipped Autobots, he's never even heard of her! But in the days leading up to this interesting assault, Sky-Byte has definitely heard snippets and bits about a strange (and slightly terrifying) plant-lady. Even so, to put two and two together at such a time, that'd be a bit too much. The figure before him didn't look the slightest bit terrifying or threatening, no flexing and curling vines in sight and no prickly bits, right? So Sky-Byte circles the area where Botanica disappeared in the sand.
"Did you see that, Long Range?" Sky-Byte's voice is authoritative and sharp. "Can you make any identification?"
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Post by Long Range on Oct 27, 2008 16:43:57 GMT -5
"Yes... Yes I did. And no, I can't identify." He says as he stops and reaches behind him, withdrawing his rifle from subspace.
"Shall I start blowing holes in rocks?"
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Oct 28, 2008 11:20:42 GMT -5
Long-range blasting? So the big one is the one that did so much damage to base, then. Oh, what the blast is wrong with the radio? She isn't equipped to deal with these types, and unlike her alternate, won't abuse the flora by making it follow her whims.
If she can just keep then busy a bit, distracted....
Below ground again, being sure to makes noise this time as she circles the pair (from a safe distance, course), appearing above ground at staggered internals, like a dolphin cresting in the sea.
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Oct 29, 2008 7:38:15 GMT -5
Flipping dolphins.
"No, don't start blasting now, I want to find out what we're dealing with," Sky-Byte says, optics following the surfacing something. "Some sort of native fauna perhaps?" But two can play at this sand-swimming game.
A small plume of black sand goes up as Sky-Byte's form slices back into the desert floor, the shark making a direct bee-line towards the area where Botanica last surfaced. He tries to follow her now, speed steadily picking up and using whatever navigation allotted to him in these now-frequent underground 'swims'. It is truly a sad thing when a shark spends more time churning through dirt than through water.
// Keep your optics peeled, Long Range. See if you can't grab this thing if it comes too close to you. //
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Post by Long Range on Oct 30, 2008 1:28:41 GMT -5
Long Range would rather just blast it and be done with it. At best its some local animal with a death wish, at worst its one of their "allies" with a death wish.
Either way, Long Range doesn't really mind.
//I'll be sure to try, but don't expect much.// He replies. Now, if Sky-Byte had asked him to fall on it, that would be a different story...
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Oct 30, 2008 22:33:38 GMT -5
An advantage Botanica has over Sky-Byte is that she does not disturb the soil as much as the shark. Also, she has the tiny flora of the black desert to help her keep tabs on the shark, the giant, and her own heading.
Which means that she can easily avoid the half-buried column of rock up ahead, even when headed toward it at full speed.
She does a quick turn around the rock, then continues on. She surfaces, hopefully behind Loing Range and lets fly two of her data spikes before disappearing into the sand again. With luck, the giant won't even have noticed her. If he did...she'll have to change tactics.
Now, what to do about the shark?
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Nov 1, 2008 8:16:53 GMT -5
If Long Range just starts blasting, he's going to be down one 'nice' superior officer.
Botanica has Sky-Byte in terms of maneuverability and guidance under ground, but is she tougher than him? This shark cuts through concrete on a semi-regular basis back home! So while she avoids the rock column, its presence dawns upon Sky-Byte much too late in the game to swerve aside (granted, if they were in a more aqueous scene, things would be much more in Sky-Byte's advantage, minus help from local inhabitants...no, the fishies don't talk to Sky-Byte much). The column visibly shudders above ground as the shark goes plowing through its subterranean section. The collision brings Sky-Byte to a brief stop though as he looses track of his quarry. With another flurry of sand he bursts back into he air, a few scratching and dings from his collision.
"Where is that thing?"
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Skid-Z
Minor
'Not obsessed; possessed! There is a difference, you know.'
Posts: 411
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Post by Skid-Z on Nov 1, 2008 12:38:13 GMT -5
When told that the Emirate and the rest were setting traps for the Decepticons, one particular bot thought of the plan as good, and smart. When the location revealed, weeell.... better them than him.
Unluckily for Skid-Z, it wasn’t all too long before the stragglers set out for location as well, be it theirs or that of the revealed hostiles. Explaining his late arrival was the clear eye-catcher of tires: this set was bigger scaled, grooved thicker with distinct patterns and had lesser air-pressure. Still, his off-road hike was marked by seeking out rock plateaus to drive on, traversing the sand by foot. He’d rather be doing so many other things right now.
Scanners tell him to make a diversion to his right, avoiding a sand spot on his current plateau. Skid-Z does so, sending silent curses to the surroundings for all this waste of time. Valuable time!
“Huh?” A figure to his left catches attention, Hostiles? Allies? Brushing past the danger zone, he heads towards whoever’s there, transforming to quiet his engines and to step onto the sand. If he caught up to someone familiar, that’s going to be the highlight of his trip.
The scout quickly scoots behind a rock, folding himself as much as possible to disappear. His optics turn on their zoom, colouring the field with his signature’s red. They lock on Long Range, but since he had never heard about or seen him, he doesn’t know who he’s seeing. Skid-Z marks him as possibly foe, yet prepares to step out for the confrontation anyway.
Then a flash of something/someone behind Long Range has him resign on that thought, gone to quickly to assure its alignment. When the ground bursts open from the assault beneath, shock, surprise and recognition flash through him when greeted by the blue tone of a Cybertronian shark, “Sky-byte!” The young bot instantly retreats behind the solid geometry, hand clasped over his vocal unit.
All pit stops on the track; these are no friends of his! Even if Sky-Byte never hit him off as ‘dangerous’ or ‘violent’, there’s no confusion anymore of who’s out there. The scout opens his radio, determined to find out who the underground element is. Unless he was heard, he’ll take action after broadcast.
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Post by Long Range on Nov 2, 2008 3:57:29 GMT -5
Skid-Z goes unnoticed by Long Range, who is too busy dealing with these sharp things in his back and trying to get a bead on the piece of scrap that put those there.
//Blasted thing hit me in the back with something, see if you can't try to keep it above ground.// Long Range says to sky-Byte as he tries to spot Botanica.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Nov 2, 2008 10:30:19 GMT -5
Ah, good, she hit the behemoth. She can't do as much to a transformer as she can to general electronics with the connection, but she can, at least muck around with systems, make them misfire. The problem is that Long Range is so damn big...she can't affect more than a couple of foot radius at most.
Still, maybe she can misfire bits of his transform mechanism? Worth a shot.
Her radio buzzes, crackles, and she risks surfacing long enough try and clear it. Then she catches sight of Skid-Z. He's further out than she, and she's just inside the edge of radio jam. Dive, move closer to the racer, try not to alert the shark, surface, risk a try at a call.
//Rad-Zzzerk...ja- Not...white noise// She smacks the radio hard. Yes, even she gives into the lure of percussive maintenance from time to time. //Watch....self!//
The problem is that she's had to stop moving to do this. Stop above ground. Behind a rock, yes, but not fully hidden.
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Nov 4, 2008 11:25:44 GMT -5
"That's easier said than done," Sky-Byte growls whirling around as he tries to make some sort of headway in finding that strange creature's position.
His name! Someone said his name! Sky-Byte whirls around, but spots nothing. Looks like Skid-Z's still safe, this shark's too focused on his present target. After all, he does have someone else with him to keep an optic on other things, right? But someone did say his name...was it the creature?
With an air of pent-up frustration, Sky-Byte thrashes higher into the air. Where is that---"Ah-hah! There! Don't let it get away!" His exclamation is practically filled with relishing delight as he spots Botanica's partially hidden form. Like a spring, Sky-Byte launches in her direction, jaws open and ready to clamp down.
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Skid-Z
Minor
'Not obsessed; possessed! There is a difference, you know.'
Posts: 411
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Post by Skid-Z on Nov 4, 2008 15:24:03 GMT -5
A flash of movement at his right edge, simultaneous with the cracking of his radio. Skid-Z quirks an eyebrow as the comlink spits and distorts, but the ending is very, very clear. While he ducks even further away as Sky-Byte turns to glance in his direction, -not that he wasn't out of sight already to begin with-, his optics lock on an exotic fembot he relates to the radio message. Skid-Z tries to reply, unsure if he reaches her with the radio acting this strange, //Got it!//
"Ah-hah! There! Don't let it get away!" Sky-Byte's yell has him twist quickly, ready to meet the incoming shark. Only, he's not going for him, but the Maximal!
The choice between remaining covered or firing is evaluated, but can he trust Botanica to avoid Sky-Byte? Gun snaps from his back as he decides he's not sure, and not going to take the risk. Stomping one foot against his rock, Skid-Z aims, and pulls the trigger.
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