Elite Guard Try Outs

[Slider]

While Slider certainly isn't a stick among knives, he isn't going to rock the boat here. Selling secrets to Decepticons was enough for him. It was also enough for him to know that Perceptor and Cheetor were on the line here. Even though he knew the situation was fake, he'd treat it as real. Both left very little room for him to feels sorry for their prisoner.

//It seems like security is the reason we're here,// he answers, still glancing about as Skyfire brings up the subject of the different morphs, //Is there a visual file to use as a reference?//

[Mirage]

As Sentinel lists off the Autobot afflicted, Mirage continues to keep his attention on the guards, and, as the group walks, on the other Aquillans along their path. Privately, the spy is considering how very neatly Sentinel attempts to give the group more reason that mere duty to follow through with this witnessing. Unlike Slider, Mirage does view this exercise as merely that; Sentinel will not trip Mirage into reaction rather than acting with so easy a ruse.

Puzzling, though, that Sentinel even bothers setting such a hook. What has he got planned that he thinks will make it being those individual lives on the line pertinent?

They are not moving so fast that Mirage can't take the time to note the social habits of the aliens. //The larger should be the dominate, with the smaller serving as harem or servants, depending on terminology and the Aquillan's predilections. Note the few cases where they are not grouped by styling; if the smaller were dominant, then there would hardly be only one larger attending such a group.//

//Typical behavior, really.//

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OOC: Okay so- I think we managed to get seriously out of order here, but it's easier to just run with it. However, Optimus, Elita, and Override need to post in before we can start another rotation.

[Optimus Prime]

//It's a bit odd to find a robotic species native to a planet full of organic life,// Optimus comments. He could be completely wrong, maybe it happens all the time, but he doesn't have a lot of reference.

He frowns at the mention of who all has been hit with the gravity gun. Typical manipulative Sentinel. Does he think they wouldn't respond to preserve the lives of any member of the crew?

//Do we know what the scientist's original crime was?// he asks. The Prime has a sneaking suspicion that he knows where this scenario is going, and he doesn't like it.

[Override]

//Animatron was that way,// Override points out to Optimus. //'Course, they started as a Cybertronian colony, but they'd been there long enough that it was home, just like with Velocitron.//

Override finds the list of injured concerning, but not for personal reasons - their best scientist and two of their best engineers are on that list, which'll make it harder to come up with an alternate solution on their own. Sometimes, there's more than one path to the finish line, but sounds like this one calls for the technology that the locals have either way.

Override swaggers forward, quickly pulling alongside Sentinel's left and putting herself in a position where she can easily move ahead if it looks like she should take the lead. //Anyway, we'll have to think on the track. We keep spending all day at the pit stop, they're going to start to figure we're out of the running. //

[Elita-1]

//Mmmm, I don't see it as odd, really, but then moving toward the technological would seem to be a relatively normal evolutionary step.//

Elita moves up and tries to position herself loosely between Optimus and Slider, keeping her pacing just slightly ahead of them. If Mirage's summation of the species's habits is correct, then it would make sense for Override, as the larger, more dominate female to walk with the more capable or intimidating appearing males, such as Sentinel and Skyfire*.

She does open a private channel to Optimus, //Do you... think we're going to have to watch this guy die?//

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*no offense meant guys, but Slider and Optimus are smaller and sleeker compared to the other two. :/

[Sentinel Prime]

//Not permanent security. We just do this one tiny favour for them, and they do a favour for us.//

//Mirage is right. The larger ones are generally the females, who are generally higher ranked than the males. One successful female'll usually snare two to four males. There are exceptions, of course,// Sentinel Prime explains, rather neutrally.

If he has to play Override's arm candy for the duration of this simulation, he supposes that's all right, but Optimus and Slider had better watch out. Sentinel Prime does not comment at all on Optimus's assertion that a robotic species on an organic planet is odd. Hey, look at Beast Machines!

They pass by a rather brightly painted robust morph, wide-opticed, trailing after a more sedately coloured robust morph, almost as if Hot Rod and Kup were alien robot bird women and Kup was actually telling an interesting story for once. Legal intern and experienced lawyer, perhaps? The elder of the pair pays the Autobots no mind, though the younger does take a moment to scrutinise Elita-1 and Override, as if sizing them up, before hurrying after her mentor.

There's an open... courtroom, too, perhaps, with Aquillans sitting around in a circle, in some form of heated argument, with much gesturing at holos. The case appears to be about... jaywalking? But the defendant, in shackles, is weeping openly.

//Oh, him?// Sentinel Prime hikes a thumb at their captive, who looks increasingly more desperate as they drag him deeper into the Hall. //Embezzling grant money. He blew it trying to impress a lady friend of his. Tried, convicted, and escaped just before his punishment. Suppose that's why he turned to the Decepticons.//

There is a keening noise coming from down the hallway, low right now, almost imperceptible, but increasing in volume.

[Skyfire]

// I see, // Skyfire radios as he stalks behind Override, playing the part of escort and guard. He watches everything round him as best he can, studying behavior and reactions. Speaking of reactions, how are the locals regarding their little party?

// Either the expected punishment is very severe, or these people have an extremely strong sense of socially-enforced shame, // the big white Autobot muses at the reactions of their captive and the sobbing defendant in the court. He turns his head toward the noise, one hand slightly crooked to retrieve his proton cannon from its resting place should this be the prelude to an attack.

[Slider]

//What does stealing money have to do with impressing a woman?// Slider asks. //It's not like she found him attractive without the money. So why risk getting caught?//

Personally he doesn't like falling back behind Elita, a fact made obvious by the way he fidgets and looks around even more nervously than usual. With so many 'bots in front of him, how was he supposed to catch wind of anything threatening and/or interesting? Rear guard duty was for bigger and tougher Cybertronians capable of weathering a sneak attack. For how much he disliked the marching order, he couldn't argue that it gave him a clear view at whatever might be making the wail behind them.

//Does anyone else hear that?//

[Mirage]

Mirage shoots Slider's back a look, //Please, one's wealth makes a huge difference when courting a partner. It's no substitution for class and breeding, of course, but there are quite a few people who care more about the figures in one's bank account than their character.//

//I hear it. I do not like it. But we have seen much evidence that this species, for all it's seeming advancements, has a bent toward the more old school views of crime and punishment.//

//Still, they are better allied with us than the Decepticons. We must tread carefully, I think.//

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus responds to Elita-1 over the same private channel. //I think the point of this simulation is to have us forced to do unpleasant things for unpleasant people in order to save our friends. We'll probably have to watch him be executed for embezzlement, yes.// He knows this is part and parcel of what the Elite Guard is supposed to be all about, but it's not what he would have chosen as a first training exercise. This is exactly the sort of slag Sentinel would pull. On the other hand, this isn't a training exercise. It's a try-out.

On the public channel he asks //What's the sentence?// He may as well confirm his suspicions.

[Override]

//You know, back on Velocitron jaywalking was more or less seen as a death sentence, but that wasn't because of our laws or anything.// Override observes as she overhears the trial that they pass. //It was just a really, really stupid idea to try and cross one of our streets when you weren't supposed to.// She brightens and looks entirely too chipper as she adds, //If you actually manage to survive the crossing, you generally got cheered!//

She returns the look of the brightly colored aid with a nod and an arrogant smirk. If she's being sized up, her own expression says, 'Whatever standard you're measuring me by, I meet.'

//Anyway, this really isn't sitting right to me. It sounds like he turned to them out of desperation, and from what I'm overhearing, I can understand why! Can't we just race them for the cure instead? Or maybe for him?//

Override is Velocitronian. Everything can be solved by sufficient racing.

[Elita-1]

Elita-1 desperately wants to fall back slightly to walk with Optimus, maybe even take his hand, because yes, this is starting to bother her. A lot. Mainly, because she so recently argued the execution of someone else, and she knows it was right, but she didn't have to watch that execution. She stays in her position, though, and outwardly seems unconcerned.

//Right and wrong are extremely specific to the civilizations. Regardless of how we feel about it, jumping and telling them they are 'doing it wrong' just because we don't agree on the definitions won't go over well.//

[Sentinel Prime]

How are the locals regarding their little party?

The younger ones appear to be somewhat interested, mostly in Skyfire, because he's big and winged. The older ones seem to be too busy with what they're doing to care about the aliens. They've had contact with aliens before, and it has lost its shine and newness.

Mirage is very good at this, at least the social side of it. Sentinel Prime's glad he pulled Mirage, even if it took some ugly leaning on the noble to get him to play along.

They round a corner, and a bright pink, teal, and indigo Aquillan robust morph tries to greet Override with a hug, having surmised that Override must be in charge. She greets, her voice lightly accented, exotic, but understandable, "Ah, so you have found our escaped miscreant! Very good." She holds up a vial. "This is the reward you were promised. You must be worried about your lost ones. You are so few, after all."

The door behind her slides open. There's an Aquillan on the table... well, what's left of one. She's been almost entirely dismantled. There's a silver and blue with green accents Aquillan at work taking her apart, and in a second, the light fades out of her optics. The keening sound they heard earlier stops. The silver and blue one looks over at their captive pointedly.

Sentinel Prime stays back, playing along as Override's 'man', and he comments quietly, //Pinkie there is your girl if you want to try to challenge her to a race.// His tone suggests that he doesn't think it will work, but he's not stopping her.

It would appear that the conjecture is correct: yes, their captive is going to be executed - taken apart alive - for embezzling. It's an interesting quandary, Sentinel Prime feels. If their captive did give the Decepticons state secrets, that is treason, which is usually punishable by death under Autobot law. However, their captive hasn't been tried for that crime yet. Maybe he didn't do it. However, this isn't their world, and it isn't their place to tell the Aquillans how to run their lives. Sentinel Prime is quite, quite curious to see just how this team will take it and what they'll decide to do. He's more or less staying out of it because he does know how Kup handled it when Kup ran into a similar problem.

[Skyfire]

As he takes in the execution chamber, Skyfire's optics widen and his mouth opens in an expression of pure horror--but then his optics narrow and his mouth closes in a firm, hard line.

"No. This is wrong!" Skyfire steps forward and seizes the prisoner at the same time radioing on the secure Autobot channel, // Override, you're nearest, grab that vial. If we have to, we're stealing it--I know it's wrong, but letting Unicron free if Rodimus dies is far worse. //

He glares alternately at the alien leaders and at Sentinel. "We don't turn anyone over to be tortured to death, and we definitely don't passively join in! That's not what Autobots do. That's what Decepticons do."

"Look at this man!" Skyfire hauls the prisoner up by one wing/chain/other convenient projection. Cold fury fills his voice, and his ice-blue optics blaze. "His processors are defective--he can't make rational decisions about right and wrong--and you would torture him to death for it instead of trying to cure him? You would turn him into spare parts instead of giving him a chance to repair what he did wrong, once he's cured? What kind of people are you? Because from where I stand, you are no better than the Decepticons. And if we help you destroy this poor mad fool, we aren't, either!"

// Be ready to shoot our way out of here if necessary--with the prisoner. I really could care less about diplomacy right now, but maybe these people will see reason. If they're not completely depraved. Otherwise, I wouldn't leave a turborat in their hands--and he might know something about the grav weapon. //

[Slider]

As the door opens on the door opens on the dismantled Aquillan, Slider isn't with the rest of his party. He's back in his cell in Cybertron. He's watching a Decepticon tear plating and extremities off of a prisoner across the hall with cruel and deliberate ease. He sees the smile on the 'con's face as he watches Slider watch him.

And then reality snaps back into place as Skyfire freaks out. As he listens to the bigger mech, he's torn. On one hand Skyfire is completely right, this is wrong no matter what the reasons are. On the other hand success in this mission (and subsequently his position in the Elite Guard) hinge on turning the prisoner over. As Skyfire finishes Slider come to his own choice on the matter.

He steps behind Skyfire as he produces his rifle, eying the big, broad back of the scientist. He turns then and takes up a defensive position behind Skyfire with his weapon at the ready to cover their escape. It might not have been the right choice, but it was the only one Slider Honestly believed he could live with.