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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 23, 2009 14:14:21 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron does not cross his arms, but instead his brings his hands up near his face, palms out, and he points out, "If you have already decided that there is nothing you can do to please me, you are the one who has given up, and you can hardly blame me."
Coolly, he points out, "Springer and Jetfire are not the ones in question here. You are."
Sure, Mirage, try to distract Emirate Xaaron by ratting out other Autobots. That will go over well, of course.
"And it is noted that you are more interested in seeing your comrades punished for their actions than you are in facing what you yourself have done. Or would have done."
Granted, Emirate Xaaron would have yelled at Springer and Jetfire, but due to temporal weirdness...
"You are also conveniently forgetting that I sent you to look for her, and you refused. So you can hardly claim any true concern, even as you use her as ammunition, when it suits your purposes."
And argh, Mirage is sidetracking him. If only he had some lightsaber nunchacks...
Wait, what?
Emirate Xaaron has covered the finding, Mirage's initial thoughts, why Mirage did what he did, that this is Mirage's future... "What is your opinion of his ability to be integrated into the forces?"
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Post by Mirage on Aug 23, 2009 17:01:25 GMT -5
Mirage shoots Xaaron a glare. Mirage wants to defend his position, because that isn't how he meant his words to be taken at all. He wants to try and make Xaaron understand his point of view.
He's just so damned tired of this.
"I'm not avoiding anything. I'm not blaming anyone. I'm am just slagging tired of being scolded, of getting treated like I'm less because I'm not some perfect solider from a hardened time. I do my job Xaaron, and I'm damned good at it."
He jerks a hand toward the screen. "He'll be fine, as far as that goes. Despite what he may have done, the Ultra Magnus I knew was everything his brother was not. A career soldier, loyal to the planet, devotee of Sentinel Prime- if he can mentally recover from whatever Shockwave put him through, he'll be a fine addition to your fighting company."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 24, 2009 20:54:30 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron admits, "When you do your job, you do an excellent job. You did, indeed, find Ultra Magnus and deliver him to us alive. Thank you."
He is entirely sincere as he says as much, but even if he wasn't, he could fake it. He reaches out to give a confirmatory pat on Mirage's shoulder, if the spy will allow it.
Then, Emirate Xaaron's expression turns sour, and he sighs. "Fighting company? Is that where you think my priorities are?" And maybe his priorities are there. However, Mirage continues to try to sidetrack him. "Do you think he can recover?"
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Post by Mirage on Aug 24, 2009 22:41:50 GMT -5
Mirage allows the pat, though he tenses slightly. It's a testament to how tired he is that even that little reaction is shown.
"I think he will. I can't say for sure. I'm not a medic, or a psychologist. But he's here. If he were broken completely, he wouldn't be."
"And," Mirage spreads his hands, "It may not be all you care about, but you can't pretend it isn't a large concern. We are, overall, out gunned by the Decepticons. Too many who aren't fighters, too many with little real experience, too many civilians. And yes, I'm lumping myself into that second lot," he adds bitterly.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 25, 2009 19:51:28 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron notices that slight tensing. Is he so threatening, a slight and short crippled Autobot, that a touch is enough to tense a hunter? He withdraws his hand, as if burned, though not quite so hastily.
A long look over at the screen. Kill Shockwave. Hm. He guesses that is an acceptable answer.
Emirate Xaaron neither confirms nor denies, and instead he asks, "Now. What do you think I am forgetting to ask you?"
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Post by Mirage on Aug 25, 2009 22:24:57 GMT -5
It is not that Xaaron is threatening, though Mirage suspects the Emirate might well be one of the more dangerous members of their company in some ways. No, it is more that Mirage is exhausted, exhausted on so many levels, and drawn so tight, that flinch is automatic, a reflex.
He stretches his neck and makes a grimace as it creaks uncomfortably.
"You haven't asked what I might know of him aside from his current situation. Though I have volunteered some of that, I suppose."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 26, 2009 11:32:26 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron is familiar enough, perhaps too familiar, with the sound of creaking.
He smiles, a tight and drawn lopsided expression, and he holds out a hand in a 'lead the way' gesture.
"Then by all means, tell me what you know of him."
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Post by Mirage on Aug 26, 2009 17:43:59 GMT -5
Mirage opens his mouth to again mention the familial connection, when Ultra Magnus himself explains it himself. The spy waves a hand at the screen.
"Well, there is that for one. He and Optimus are build brothers."
"I did not know him except by reputation, and he was not stationed in Iacon," Mirage begins, "But as you may know, I make a habit out of collecting bits of information as they fall my way."
"As I mentioned, Magnus was career soldier. He looked up to and idolized Sentinel Prime, I believe. I saw him once or twice, when making runs early after my...enlistment, but that is all."
"All accounts I heard of him labeled him a fair mech, yet very black and white in his thinking. He showed a great grasp of tactics and strategy early on in his career. I imagine he was quite proud of his brother's ascension to Prime; he seems the type to think highly of family."
Mirage shakes his head, "It is not much, and again, none of it is first hand experience. But that is what I know. I would like to ask, however, why it seems so odd that he looks as he does. If the Ultra Magnus from yours and Rodimus's reality much different, then?"
Mirage has never seen Ultra Magnus with his armour, you see.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 26, 2009 19:54:31 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron snorts. "You have a deft hand in setting up some of those falls, I am sure."
So this Ultra Magnus is quite unlike his own. Emirate Xaaron cannot help but be a bit disappointed, drawing one arm across his chest to hold his other upper arm. He really should know better, but hope dies hard.
"Very." Then, he withdraws one of his many beloved holocubes and flicks on a picture of his own Ultra Magnus. "My Ultra Magnus," distinct possessive note, "looked like this."
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Post by Mirage on Aug 26, 2009 20:53:40 GMT -5
Mirage quirks a brow and smirks as Emirate Xaaron gives him what is, in truth, a backhanded compliment. Or at least that is how the spy takes it.
"Well, that is part why you keep me around, is it not?"
He looks with some interest at the holocube. Quite different. The spy doesn't miss the note of possessiveness, or the posture change before, either. He looks back up at Xaaron, and it is the spy's turn to reach out, fingertips trying to just rest on Xaaron's arm.
"It's getting harder on you, not having anyone here who's yours, isn't it?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 26, 2009 21:49:55 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron takes the quirk and smirk as confirmation that Mirage does indeed nudge some pieces of information into falling.
He accepts Mirage's touch, but with a perfect poker face, he reminds, "There are many from my reality or close cousins of it here. Nightbeat, Rodimus Prime, Blurr, Goldbug, Spinister, Needlenose..." Ratbat, Misfire, Duskwing, and Hellbender, also, but Emirate Xaaron doesn't know their realities for sure.
"Some of them want to kill me, but ah, who hasn't had that urge, now and then?" He holds up his hands and shrugs.
That is, however, quite enough about himself, and he replies to the earlier point, "I keep you around because I can't seem to get you to leave me alone." A slight smirk. "But I think we have a wrap here?"
He looks over toward the other quarantine room.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 26, 2009 22:29:44 GMT -5
Mirage tries to keep his gaze locked with Xaaron's as he softly says, "Having ones about from similar or the same reality set is not the same as having someone who is yours."
Mirage drops his hand, and hopefully the subject. He imagines this is not something Xaaron wants to discuss in front of Wedge, if at all.
He looks back at the screen. "I suppose so. Does that mean we can let a medic look me over, so that I can some rest and perhaps a refuel soon?" And a shower.
It really has been a long several days.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 27, 2009 15:05:46 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron's own gaze is steady, and he replies with a calm, unruffled confidence, "No. The latter is much easier to reliably acquire than the first." His glance over Mirage nearly turns into a leer. Emirate Xaaron is quite sure Mirage wouldn't want to volunteer, but all the same, if Emirate Xaaron really decided he wanted to work on Mirage, Mirage's wants would hardly matter.
But Emirate Xaaron has no particular pressing need to work on Mirage in specific, not when he yet has so much to do with the rest of the crew.
Emirate Xaaron reminds, "You'll have to let a medic look you over. Quarantine, remember?"
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Post by Mirage on Aug 27, 2009 22:47:34 GMT -5
Mirage doesn't flinch at that look from Xaaron. He may be tired, but Mirage will be damned if he'll let Xaaron know just how much he is discomfited.
He is quite certain Xaaron is the most dangerous person in their company.
"Yes, yes," he says at the reminder, and he sounds both tired and cross. "The sooner the better."
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