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Post by Rodimus Prime on May 2, 2009 22:42:30 GMT -5
Rodimus does, indeed, look like his attention is starting to drift as Botanica starts to rattle on about technical details. If he had anything more pressing, he'd have cut her off sooner than she cut herself off, and it's only then that one of the last things she said actually registers on him.
"Woah... woah... woah... what was that about nanite tracers?" He frowns and rubs his chin, shaking his head faintly. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that... seems to me it's the things that combine organic with technology that poses the most risk to the rest of us."
Then he remembers who he's talking to.
"Well, I mean, the non-us things that combine organic and technology, I mean," he amends.
Then he listens to her other proposal. "Well, why stop there? Once you do that, don't you need some other species to keep the birds in check?" Then he shakes his head. "We've got to draw the line somewhere, Botanica. And for that matter, we don't know how many or which other organic worlds we'll encounter on our trip. The more alien species we have along, the more we risk inadvertently contaminating some other world's environment."
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on May 3, 2009 10:50:10 GMT -5
"You are welcome," Spy Shot replies to Botanica, once more absorbed in observing his current selection of plant. When his curiosity for that particular plant is sated for the moment, he turns to make a new selection when a thought occurs to him: he can ask about the plants.
Having spent his entire life - however short a span that might be by Transformer standards - seeing things first, and then seeking out their identities and purpose later through research or careful observation, Spy Shot is still internalizing the concept of just asking. He really must get used to it, as asking seems to be a rather efficient way of gaining information, and now seems like a perfectly good time to practice.
"What is it?" he says, pointing at the plant and craning his head to glance up at Perceptor. "And what is that?" His claw moves to point back at the first flower he was looking at, the image flickering onto his screen once more.
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Post by Ramulus on May 3, 2009 15:10:58 GMT -5
Soil rips violently from the voltage bursting through them, their emitter the beast jumping up and directing v-shaped horns straight at Rodimus in a bold, unwavering defense.
White streaks are very visibly darting between the arcs, and strangely enough the ibex seems to be hurting with each flash. Each flare on the sensor net stimulates the willingness to cause harm, but when 'want to' becomes 'will do' in a context he'd normally never act out, Ramulus's sparkcrystal shoots millions of greenglowing vines of transformer consciousness to encapsulate the out-of-control beastmode. Do not, do, do not. With a clenched "Maximize" Ramulus tackles the equally strong mindset, for a moment both are dazed. Then he clears up, shifting away from the larger bots. His voice steeled, unemotional and rough as he answers Botanica's earlier comments; "Grains and Grasses, stimulated by being cut, no alkaloidic nor any other toxin-carrying vegetation whatsoever" His words are hurried, "could provide one-third to a half of my energy supply" Okay so maybe it can replace the full length, and maybe bots can guess that considering he does not come in to refuel that often.
Taking out the datadisk and laying it on the table, he throws a foul look towards Rodimus, but it also shows pity "It's wise to be extremely cautious regarding such combined infusions, a stance I would even share, but you are undermining your own integrity by proclaiming there is a difference between us and them. Just what makes us so special to be excluded from your fears? Is it personal contact? Racial favor?" Then he lowers his tone, "in the light of your hapless words, I am one of them! You don't like the sound of tech/organic combinations; that's rough, harsh and not in context... you cannot exclude bots you know from such a statement; that's just the wrong way of assessing risks!"
Of course, he's no scientist, and completely aside from the nanite prospect "....speaking for my selfbeing only in regards to combinations, and not to the atrium"
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Post by Perceptor on May 4, 2009 5:39:01 GMT -5
Perceptor has been absently paying attention to Rodimus and Botanica, and is about to respond to absently respond to Rodimus' fears when he is interrupted by Ramulus and that show of frustration and temper. He cants a rather shocked and surprised look back towards the ibex, wondering just exactly what about the Prime's words had been so very... off-putting. Ramulus, despite his claims, is in the "us" category, for all that he is aware, nor does the concept that there is anything wrong with such a division register as being... wrong, somehow.
"You are Cybertronian in origin, are you not, Ramulus?" he asks, confused.
"And your fears are groundless, Rodimus," he continues blithely. "Botanica can explain better than I the process, but the nanites of which she speaks will be under her direct control and monitor. As for the inclusion of birds of prey, there will be no need to include additional speciese for their control. They will control their own population by the natural process of the availability of prey. That is how a self-sustaining biosphere regulates itself, through the balance of predator and prey and their constantly fluctuating ratio of population growth and decline. Failure to include half of the balance will result in a flawed ecosystem which will be unable to sustain itself in the long run. I caution against restricting their inclusion."
And if Rodimus does not believe him, he has treti upon tretis in his memorybanks of scientific study of viable biospheres from acoss the galaxy to back up his assertion. Granted, the research is quite heavily peppered with Cybertron and Earth data, however, those are the two worlds he has spent the most time on.
He does have a very interesting study on a world of robotic insects upon which a species of robotic plants had been introduced, however.
"My apologies, Spy Shot," he finally answers the tiny mech, glancing back down, although he still has his audios tuned toward the others. "This is known as Dichestrial Quinon, the Starred Abordaerium. The previous specimen, however, appears to be a cultivar of Mistralis Gaorgen, I believe. Although the varieties of Centaureen Flowering Bistren I am familiar with have fewer stamen than this variety. Perhaps Botanica can provide a more accurate identification."
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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 May 4, 2009 10:50:36 GMT -5
Oh, bugger. Things are getting rather tense now, aren't they? Between Rodimus's ill-thought words, Ramulus's display of temper, and Perceptor's babling, Botancia is getting a right nasty headache. That and she's a bit annoyed. No starting fusses in her garden! If she can take on Dinobots, she'll not hesitate to toss a Prime and Maximal out on their metaphoric ears.
The plants nearest to Botancia rustle sharply, though that could be the wind. Surely it is. "Ramulus! Such displays are quite unseemly. I am sure Rodimus did not mean any disrespect, regardless of how...poorly worded his comments may have been."
She had not missed that moment of struggle between Ramulus beast and robot selves; she may even recognize it better than most. In a much softer tone, she adds, "Thank you for the data. I would like to speak with you a bit more in depth about your beast mode's needs later."
As Perceptor finishes his rambling, she merely nods. Yes, she can explain further. Yes, he is correct about the cycle of predator/prey. But even she can see that trying to explain any of that to Rodimus right now would be a waste of breath. For if his attention is not mostly taken by Ramulus's at the moment, she will be very surprised.
Instead, she moves nearer to Perceptor and Spy Shot. "You are close enough in your assessment, Perceptor. This Mistralis appears to be a new strain." Very gingerly, she opens the petals a bit wider. "See the spots near the base? Those are more commonly found in the Cluineid varieties, but never in this color, or this climate." She shrugs, " But of course, we are both applying alien terminology and classifications to the fauna. Who knows what the locals actually called it."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on May 4, 2009 23:41:24 GMT -5
Oh, Botanica is right about one thing. Rodimus isn't really paying attention to much after Ramulus's remarks. The boy Prime's optics narrow dangerously at the Maximal's accusations.
"My words aren't the only thing 'lacking context,'" Rodimus says, tone soft but angry, "because if you knew thing one about me, Ramulus, you wouldn't be leaping to such... misinterpretations of what I've said, or just casually throwing out unfounded accusations like that."
"I don't like the sound of tech/organic fusions? Ramulus, I was one! Hot Rod- I- I used to be a Targetmaster. I was binary bonded to a Nebulan, Firebolt, a born-organic who had been fused with technology. Binary bonding. If you don't know what that means, it means we shared minds... memories... thoughts... to an extent our souls overlapped! For all intents and purposes, I was part organic!1"
"He died," Rodimus continues, and now his voice is laced with a pain he rarely speaks about. "He lost his life in our war, on a planet that wasn't his, and when he went... when he went it ripped out a part of my soul, left a hole even the Matrix doesn't fill. So no, I don't have any inherent dislike for tech/organic fusions, but my background, including my involvement in the adaptation of Pretender tech for the Autobots, tends to give me a much clearer idea of some of the risks involved when it happens, and there are risks involved."
As stated, Rodimus hadn't much been listening to Perceptor (in fact, it's likely he spoke over the scientist), and he seems to be no closer to the proper mood for listening now. He picks up his datapad and, addressing both the scientists, "Look, I'll consider your proposals, but I'm not going to just give blanket approval for this level of zookeeping without taking some time to think it over. I'm going to point out that no one's addressed my concerns about contaminating another world's environment, and would like to remind people that, common Autobot naming schemes aside, we're not building the Ark here.
"Good evening," he finishes, tone still snapping, and moves to stride off, though someone who tries to catch his attention or delay him may be able to do so.
1 While this didn't happen in Rodimus's particular timeline, the outcome of the Underbase Saga in the main Marvel timeline also supports this, as it was only those Transformers who shared organic components of some sort who were able to avoid death by Starscream's power, and this included the Targetmasters.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on May 5, 2009 14:22:22 GMT -5
Perceptor will find his hand has been rapidly vacated, Ramulus's display putting Spy Shot on edge, and Rodimus's heated reply setting off the camera's deeply ingrained response to most any sort of commotion: run and hide. So it is that Spy Shot finds himself huddled deep under the leaves of the plant he had just been looking at, tucked up into his camera form and lightly dusted with the soil filling the container.
He waits, silent and unmoving, for several long moments, screen and any LEDs kept dark, until his instincts give way to logic again. He is not at Sector 7 anymore. There are no humans around to kill him if they catch him. The Autobots will not kill him. Therefore it is safe for him to move around. His lights and screen blink back on as he relaxes and transforms, peeking out from under a leaf to look around.
"Thank you for the information," he finally replies to Perceptor and Botanica. He glances to them, and then over at Ramulus, and after Rodimus, curious about the argument, but not having the background to understand half of what's being talked about. There are too many gaps in his knowledge to even know where to begin asking for clarification, so for now he just files the conversation away to perhaps decrypt at a later date.
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Post by Ramulus on May 5, 2009 15:46:27 GMT -5
Caught off guard, Ramulus just stares at Rodimus, expression turning more and more conflicted. "How..." He manages to finally pitch out, optics shifting nervously, "How is that fair, Prime, sir?" He questions, "where was even the slighest hint of this when you said what you said, how am I supposed to know any of that? I don't know!" It's no challenge reading the hurt on his face,"Just saying 'I've had very personal experiences with the subject' would've been enough, you would've been clear without stepping into detail!"
Ramulus glances before bowing his head, sighing, "I have nothing else to go on but what others tell me; and what they say I can only pray to be the truth. But all these worlds bring in so much that I don't get, and what cannot be grasped so easily. Don't expect me to understand where someone comes from if they ommit complete information. Certainly don't expect me to back down if warped information gives me an equally warped point of view, for I don't back down in the light of my fears." His voice is not sharp, but rather concerned and cautious.
Brushing up a patch of fur, he remembers what Botanica said, and his optics dart to stare at the soil he ripped apart, "... yeah, sure..... if you want" after a moment, he adds, "that was an accident, and I'm sorry". Not sure how else to make amends, he kneels by his destruction, and begins to even out the ground.
If the Prime left because of their conflict, even if deep down Ramulus knows that he himself did not invoke his own temper, the Maximal would feel bad for having let it turn against an ally.
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Post by Perceptor on May 7, 2009 9:40:26 GMT -5
Perceptor's hand is suddenly empty!
"Spy Shot?" he queries, missing entirely Rodimus's frustrated outburst. Yes. Oblivious scientist is oblivious.
Perceptor kneels, carefully parting the leaves with his fingers and peering within the foliage for the incredibly tiny camera bot. "Spy Shot? Are you unwell?"
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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 May 7, 2009 11:11:28 GMT -5
And now Botancia is in a quandary, for there are before her two mechanisms she considers under her care who are hurting, and she can not go to one without possibly slighting the other. For she is, at her spark, a mother, and though her role of actual leadership here is slight, she considers them all hers to watch over. Perceptor and the inquisitive Spy Shot must be set aside for the moment.
"Excuse me, please," she murmurs, before leaving the two, slipping beneath the soil and emerging again near to Rodimus. Not quite an attempt to cut him off; she knows better. But close enough that ignoring her completely might be tricky.
"I am in the midst of preparing a report and proposal which I hope shall put your worries to rest. If it will not be too soon, I can present it to you tomorrow morning, and we can see what compromises need to be made." On both sides, she silently adds. That Rodimus had not dismissed her out of hand did not mean that all of Command would agree with him. But in some areas she simply cannot afford to back down.
With a heavy sigh, she looks back over her shoulder at Ramulus, notes how he is trying to repair the damage done. "It will be all right, Ramulus. That is one of the most amazing things about organic life- all can be healed and forgiven, with time, even if one must be reborn to do so." There is a message there, perhaps, for more than just the Ibex.
"However, I think we should have that talk a bit sooner than later, if you don't mind." She cants her eyes over toward Perceptor. With luck, the scientist will catch her meaning and take Spy Shot on an extended tour.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on May 7, 2009 22:38:01 GMT -5
Rodimus's expression seems to soften even before Botanica intercepts. In fact, he winces as, out of the corner of his eye, he spies Spy Shot running for cover, but Ramulus's response causes him to sigh tiredly.
"No, you didn't have any way to know, but... that's why you shouldn't have just made the accusations you did. Because you didn't know. At least give a 'Bot a chance to explain himself before you tell him what he does and doesn't like."
Then, he forces a faint smile. "But hey... no harm done, all right?" He glances from Ramulus to Botanica, then back. "F... Firebolt isn't someone I talk about often, but that's not because it's any big secret. Where I come from, everyone already knows." He shakes his head. "I don't mind that it's out. He deserves to be remembered."
The Prime nods as Botanica mentions the report... and the need for compromises. "Well, I can't make much in the way of promises until I see the actual report, Botanica. We will bring what we need to, that much is certain. In fact... if you can make clear what is essential and what would just be nice to have, but add the explanations for why it should be along, that might help." Then he grins, just faintly. "And no marking everything as essential, all right?"
With that said, Rodimus steps back, allowing Botanica to go speak with Ramulus... which would convienently get her out of his way.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on May 8, 2009 0:13:56 GMT -5
Spy Shot's round red optics glow in the shade of the plant's leaves as he peers back at Perceptor. "I am not unwell," he replies, then adds an explanation, "I was startled."
He moves out from beneath the leaves and jumps a bit, attempting to grab a hold of one of Perceptor's fingers. "I want to look at something else."
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Post by Ramulus on May 8, 2009 11:43:29 GMT -5
What about 'hinting without detailing' didn't receive so well? Ramulus can be as stubborn as he can be flexible. Still, making a fuss now will not do his sparkcore any good, so he puts his health up first, "well, maybe if I try to understand your luxury of lengthy conversations, maybe you could try and understand how your words might come across if you don't provide adequate pointers while you are speaking". That sounds fair enough on his strained systems....
Taking heed of the sudden acceleration of time, he eyes Botanica. A talk about his beast mode, and she felt the need to move that closer to the now, as in, this instant? He keeps a calm stare on her, or is it more a stare of 'I know that bolting is very, very futile'. "I...... don't?"
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Post by Perceptor on May 10, 2009 11:49:40 GMT -5
"Startled?" Perceptor muses, glancing around to see what could have distressed Spy Shot, just happening by chance to catch that look Botanica gives him. Oblivious scientist is oblivious, yess, however there is a deep tension in the air that even he picks up on, and another quick glance susses out some of the cause as he takes in the way Botanica is trying to hover over both Ramulus and Rodimus at the same time.
Oh. Oh!
Even he can take a hint sometimes.
"Well then, Spy Shot," he offers, reaching down with his other hand to assist the tiny mech into a safe position upon his palm, "what about that specimen over there?" He nods toward a particularly fetching creeping vine with brilliant orange flowers with deep black speckles that can just barely be seen down the path deeper into the forest - and away from the other three mechanisms. "I would be happy to identify as many specimens as I am able to for as long as you wish. Would that suit?"
ooc: if Spy Shot agrees, Perc can wander out of thread with him in the next post unless stopped.
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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 May 10, 2009 20:13:54 GMT -5
Ramulus can attempt to bolt. He'll even succeed, as Botanica will not make any attempt to hold him there. But if he bolts, she will be most disappointed in him.
With one last smile and nod for Rodimus, and a very deliberate ignoring of Perceptor (who has thankfully taken the hint), she heads over to Ramulus. "Yes, well, you may not, but if I am to give Rodimus our lists of needs versus wants, I need to know what is best for you...and the others come to think of it. Oh bother! What will we do about Claw Jaw?" She shakes her head. "That's for later, you are for now. Come, walk with me this way. There is a good selection of grasses here that may suit."
It's a delaying tactic. She has a concern or two, but does not wish to voice them until the others are out of hearing distance.
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