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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 23, 2007 21:40:25 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron would be touched by the concern the others are showing for him after so short a time, but he's too busy dealing with being touched by a technodragon. The claws bite into his sides, and he's going to be feeling it for days, but the durability and thickness of his armour seems to have stopped the claws from sinking all the way through.
At Perceptor's shot, the creature reflexively squeals and tightens its grip, and Xaaron squeaks. It's hard to tell if it's from pain or if his actual metal is screeching in protest. The dragon does drop Xaaron, and he hits the ground hard. The dragon awkwardly lurches into the sky, trumpeting like an angered elephant.
Emirate Xaaron rolls to his feet. He takes a second to consider his injuries. They don't look too bad, but he's worried about the dirt. He's more worried about the dragon circling above then the dirt, though. Emirate Xaaron grumbles, "It's always fliers. Why does it always have to be fliers?"
The dragon flies circles, tail lashing. Looks like it might make another pass.
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Post by Long Haul on Apr 23, 2007 21:47:30 GMT -5
It's in the air now! That means Long Haul can't wrassel it! Oh, if only he, himself could fly... or if perhaps he had some sort of surface-to-air weapon, like, say... a rocket of some sort! But sadly, no.
Long Haul catches up to where Xaaron feel, but decides that if the other is complaining, he's probably fine. This probably says more about what complaining means to Long Haul than anything else. The caretaker grunts and mutters, "Dunno," as he raises his pistol to aim at the dragon-thing. He fires...
... and misses cleanly. After all, he's used to using the device in his hand as a welder, not a weapon. "Dammit," he mutters.
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Post by Perceptor on Apr 23, 2007 22:20:24 GMT -5
For one, brief, incredibly irreverent moment when Long Haul misses his shot, Perceptor finds himself wishing that the Long Haul of his time were as combatically challenged. In that same moment, however, it occurs to Perceptor that he is, apparently, their most skilled and heavily armed combatant. Unless, of course, Xaaron chooses that moment to pull something large and incredibly helpful out of subspace.
When Xaaron does not, and, instead grumbles while examining his wounds, Perceptor can only assume that the gold mech has no weapons to pull out of subspace. That is... potentially unfortunate. Perceptor is not used to being the most martial mech present.
Perceptor is reluctant to fire upon the creature again, unsure of it's nature and function, until it commits to further aggressive action. Which it promptly does by winging over into a stoop towards its dropped prey, Xaaron. Fortunately, dropping down towards them as it is, the creature presents a rather nice target for the scientist. Perceptor draws a bead on the creature's head, firing off another blast from his concussion rifle.
As quickly as it is swooping in, the techno-dragon has little chance to evade, and takes the blast directly to the head. It bellows in pain and fury as it drops heavily, plowing into the ground with a crash.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 24, 2007 13:26:10 GMT -5
"Thanks for the save," Emirate Xaaron says, a bit belatedly. He notes Long Haul's lack of combat prowess and purses his lips with worry. Well, at least he has a gun. That's one better than Emirate Xaaron.
He throws himself out of the way when the dragon goes crashing into the ground and ends up quite thoroughly caked in dirt. He bounces back into a crouch and calls out, evidently to the dragon. It's just a simple pattern of semi-repeating tones. There's no meaning to it, but an intelligent creature ought to recognise that there's something of a pattern and show some recognition. He hopes. Maybe the dragon can't even hear.
Emirate Xaaron slowly, slowly backs up and straightens, looking if maybe he can duck behind a tree while he's at it. Back to the others, he asides, "If this creature isn't sapient, are you thinking what I am?" There's the twinkle in his optics of a pioneer eying his very first buffalo. Oh, the possibilities. And yes, he's apparently confident in the dragon-slaying capacities of Long Haul and Perceptor. The same way that he's confident in his own damsel in distress abilities.
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Post by Long Haul on Apr 24, 2007 16:57:08 GMT -5
Long Haul, again, is too slow to move out of the way, and is, instead, plowed into by the dragon hitting the ground. But then, he wasn't even trying to avoid it; the transport grabs tight the beast's neck as it passes and hangs on as it drags him forward, leaving a furrow in the earth. When the thing finally comes to a stop, he's still holding on, and here he finally displays what potential use he may have in a fight as the caretaker successfully holds the head down of the much larger machine.
Over the scream of metal against metal as the monster strains against him, he shouts, "Dunno! Y'thinkin' this thing's just full o' spare parts and that there must be something makin' it run, 'cos that's what I'm thinking!" He pauses, and struggles a bit more to continue to hold on. "That, and that we'd better decide if this thing's thinky pretty much right now, 'cos I'm gonna have to either let it go or twist it's head off here in a moment."
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Post by Perceptor on Apr 24, 2007 22:16:50 GMT -5
Perceptor eyes the large creature, noting its non-reaction to Xaaron's attempt to communicate, and the continued aggressive response, despite having the opportunity to flee. The probability of releasing the creature and evading its continued attention is very low, while the probability of continued combat attracting unwanted attention from elsewhere is significantly higher.
Perceptor does not believe in unneccessary death, although he is perfectly willing to defend his compatriots. Without knowing where they are, how they have arrived there, if the process is reversible, or if they will be able to obtain regular access to fuel and supplies, this creature represents a significant investment towards their continued survival.
Given the suddenness and lack of provocation for the attack, it is likely that either this creature is malfunctioning, or is defending a territory, either by command or out of some programmed instinct. The latter two possibilities open the door for a potential lair of additional materials to scavenge within the arbitrary territory claimed or assigned by the creature. The former possibility renders the dillema a moot point.
Perceptor is also not given to making an excessive impact on an unfamiliar world, if possible, however, this is a mechanical creature deep in the heart of an obviously richly biodiversant organic world. This creature is not an evolved participant of the ecology here, but some sort of loosed transplant. Although it may have assisted in directing evolution during its freedom, removing it from this ecosystem will merely return an original parameter to default.
Although it seems an eternity to the scientist, these thoughts process in his CPU in less than a second or two. He tries to keep the regret out of his tone as he finally - to him - responds, "The creature is non-sapient."
He levels his weapon, prepared to assist Long Haul, but awaiting the lime green mech's actions. Less damage to what could be important components if he does not employ his concussion rifle, as well as conserving charge in his weapon.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 25, 2007 7:26:58 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron allows himself a small smile, more lopsided than is strictly by the book. He peers out from behind the tree where he's taken cover and nods. Emirate Xaaron calls out, quite cheery for a filthy, injured machine, "Why, I was thinking just that very thing, Long Haul!" But he thought in better grammar.
He doesn't move out from behind the tree yet, though. It wouldn't do much to hold off the dragon, but it's something. He knows that he's pretty much useless here. He does, however, call out encouragement. Emirate Xaaron can cheerlead, if nothing else. He cheers, "You heard the scientist! Show that metal monster the what-for!"
Emirate Xaaron has a right to be antagonistic, for all that Autobots often urge turning the other cheek. He's the injured one. He can be contrite and sorrowful over the waste of life later, when he isn't dirty and wounded.
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Post by Long Haul on Apr 25, 2007 16:01:39 GMT -5
"Righto!" Long Haul answers, almost cheerfully, as he further tightens his grip on the mecha-dragon's neck. He twists and jerks it, but the creature twists and jerks with him, and for all that the 'dragon' is straining, Long Haul, also, is starting to struggle. Had the thing not already been damaged by blast and crash, he might still have met his match, but as it is, after a fair amount of fighting, he manages to break something important. In the creature, that is.
The maybe-future Constructicon releases the monster, which continues to flap and shift reflexively for a moment, then stops. Then he himself drops to his knees, and pants, "I sure hope whatever amount of fuel was in that thing is worth it, 'cos between this and the drive, I'm runnin' pretty low." He falls silent as he studies the creature from his kneeling position, settling a bit further back as he does, and then he groans. "Dammit! I'm gonna have to be the one to haul this somewhere, ain't I?"
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Post by Perceptor on Apr 25, 2007 18:10:41 GMT -5
Perceptor sighs and lowers his weapon, however he doesn't return it to subspace just yet. Even as he is visually inspecting the creature and Long Haul, his audial sensors are tuned to high sensitivity, checking for any other potential attackers. The forest is quiet, however, even the avians and other creatures silent for the moment as they settle and calm down from the disturbance of the brief battle.
"Given your stated fuel situation, it may be more prudent to scavenge the most immediate and important materials from it now, and leave the remains until we can investigate that potential settlement. I am uncomfortable having any of us so burdened in unknown and potentially hostile territory. It may have also possessed a lair nearby with additional materials that we may appropriate."
Satisfied that they aren't about to be ambushed by anything else immediately, Perceptor finally subspaces his rifle and turns to where Xaaron had taken refuge.
"Come," he beckons, waving towards the small clearing created by the creature's graceless landing. "Let me examine your injuries. Long Haul? Did you sustain any injuries? Knowing what repairs you both require will better direct our efforts to most fully utilize this creature."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 25, 2007 20:20:53 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron watches Long Haul deal with the dragon and whistles lowly. He comments, "Bravo. That was fairly impressive." Once he is satisfied that the creature is, indeed, dead, he emerges from behind the tree and considers the carcass.
He winces at Perceptor's suggestion. Emirate Xaaron really has no desire to let Perceptor see his injuries. Medical professionals can get awfully nosy. He excuses, "Tend to Long Haul first. He's the more important one here. I'm just scratched. What do I need to do to help piece this creature out for parts?" There, he's focusing on the task at hand. Maybe they'll forget his injuries.
He also notes, "If it does have a lair, there may be more of them." And if there are, Emirate Xaaron knows what to do: throw Long Haul at it.
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Post by Long Haul on Apr 25, 2007 20:34:36 GMT -5
Long Haul, despite his size, is actually pretty heavy, being very densely built. Odds are, the only one in this group strong enough to throw Long Haul anywhere is Long Haul himself! And that would be awkward, at the very least.
Long Haul looks up at Perceptor. He seems to swell a bit with pride as Xaaron talks about his importance, and his optic band brightens, but even so, what he does is shake his head. "Naw, I'm good. A bit dinged and dented, and maybe some joints were a bit strained, but there ain't nothing my recovery systems can't take care of faster'n you could open me up and start swappin' out parts."
The transporter pulls himself to a standing position and begins looking down the dragon's crash-path. "Think I dropped my welder when that thing slammed into me, though, and that's gonna come in useful if we're gonna start slicing this thing up. Hang-on." He trigger's a locator signal, and begins trudging, perhaps a bit more tiredly than before, back towards the trees. "Once we get it chopped up, I'll transform and you folks can load me up, but if we can use its fuel without special processing, I want somma that right away."
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Post by Perceptor on Apr 25, 2007 21:52:31 GMT -5
"Given your fuel expenditures, I believe that would be the most appropriate, Long Haul," Perceptor replies, nodding as he watches the lime green mech wander off to find his welder.
Perceptor would be more than happy to debate the probability of an individual throwing himself anywhere, which would, undoubtably lead into a long dissertation on probability clouds and quantum mechanics and particle physics and...
Well, let's just say that no good can come of that just now. They have a deceased techno-dragon to carve up, and a stubborn Emirate trying to eel his way out of repairs.
"Long Haul is retrieving his tool, and has denied any injuries. We must all be at the maximum level of efficiency possible if we are to maintain the highest probability of solving this puzzle and returning to our own indvidual realities. The creature was quite strong, and had formidible weapons. Please allow me to examine your injuries."
It's not so much a request, although it's phrased politely enough as one.
"Even if I am unable to effect any repairs for you at this moment, knowing what type of damages you may have sustained will better direct our efforts as we seek materials and supplies."
This particular Perceptor may be a bit more stubborn than the one Xaaron is used to dealing with. Poor Xaaron.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 26, 2007 10:25:34 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron sighs, thinking. He could protest that Long Haul might be understating his injuries, but that this point, it is just going to look like what it is: filibustering. He reasons it more prudent to submit to Perceptor’s demands now. If Xaaron continues to insist that Percptor not tend to him, it will look more suspicious than if he just cedes. Perhaps he’ll get out of this with just a cursory scan.
The bit about ‘maximum level of efficiency’ particularly worries him. He hasn’t been at a maximum level of efficiency for, er, longer than Long Haul and Perceptor have been alive, he’d wager.
“As you wish,” Emirate Xaaron surrenders, moving to directly face Perceptor. Idly, he brushes some of the dirt off of himself.
A few quick force estimate ought to tell Perceptor that if Xaaron was wearing civilian armour to go along with his lack of weaponry, he should have popped like a tin can. Indeed, off-the-cuff estimates ought to put Xaaron’s armour in the ballpark of tank armour. It’s a peculiar thing, and Xaaron knows it, hence his hesitance.
Aside from the gouging, there’s a bit of internal thrombosis. If Perceptor does insist on going into detail in checking over Emirate Xaaron, there are a few other odd things he might notice.
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Post by Long Haul on Apr 26, 2007 11:08:08 GMT -5
Perhaps Long Haul should be suspicious of Xaaron's reluctance to be examined, but in his experience, no one likes going to the doctor, so he just ignores it while he trudges over to pick up his pistol/welder, then he trudges back.
Without even consulting the others, he activates the welding action and approaches the dragon, preparing to cut into it. He is, after all, a trained electro-medical personal... he should be able to at least get started on opening this thing up on his own.
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Post by Perceptor on Apr 26, 2007 18:45:00 GMT -5
"My apologies, Long Haul. We will be there to assist you shortly. I just wish to attend to Xaaron's injuries first," Perceptor calls over his shoulder.
Perceptor's tools are, currently, limited. A situation which he hopes to remedy with the materials scavenged from the techno-dragon creature. For the moment, however, his scope, properly weilded, is more than up to the task of welding closed the rents in Xaaron's armor. It will not be a cosmetically appealing repair, but cosmetics can wait until they have established a base camp of some sort and have started sorting out far more pressing matters.
Like fuel and energy.
Perceptor makes a note of the curiously thicker armor; there are some Autobots he's familiar with that have similar armor, but they are generally the more combat inclined. Thus far, Xaaron has not shown any indications that he is such a mech, has not shown any indications, in fact, that he is even armed. Curious. More curious, that Xaaron wears not faction marking, despite claiming to be an Autobot. He is, however, from a rather different reality, from his comments. Perhaps that is the norm there, rather than the reverse. Perceptor files that away for later contemplation, and continues repairing Xaaron's armor.
Some of the rents and gouges in Xaaron's armor are deep enough to warrant checking below to ensure the damages did not transfer or ar not severe. What Perceptor finds within Xaaron's systems make him pause for thought far more than the disparity between activity and armor class had.
Xaaron is a far older mechanism than he appears. Older even than Kup. Xaaron has also been the victim of half-hearted or poor repairs for a very long time. Perceptor is begining to understand that faint bit of misstep and stiffness the Emirate exhibited when he hopped down from Long Haul's bed before. Returning the gold mech to the state of functionality in which he appeared on this strange world in is a simple matter, easily rectified there. Returning Xaaron to something approaching his original functionality and comfort will... require time, materials, and a laboratory or repair facility not available just yet. Perceptor quickly catalogues as much as he can of the materials which he will need to repair Xaaron's repairs, making notes of those items which Perceptor will most need to locate first.
"Once we have established a base of operations, and more appropriate materials can be located, I will begin the task of improving upon your previous repairs," he informs Xaaron quietly, pitching his voice to be swallowed by Long Haul's work by the time it reaches the green mech. "There is much I can do even with the limited materials available to us here, and, as I have been with Optimus Prime's forces for the last two decades, I am more familiar with warrior class repairs than it seems your previous repair technicians have been. I cannot guarantee maximum efficiency, however I can guarantee an improvement in, if nothing else, at least your comfort level."
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