Visit to the Vet

[Rook]

Feathers are awesome, you don't even know, Skyfire. They get all kinds of lift and are far more energy-efficient than jet engines. The entire flight system can be powered by simple carbohydrates! Though Rook's tends to run on vintage high-grade energon aged in aluminum casks, when he can get it.

"Earth," he lies easily when Skyfire asks where he picked up his vehicle mode. "Technically it's not a vehicle, of course, but a facsimile of an organic lifeform." The crow nods. "I'll be more than happy to take any additive you prescribe. One cannot be too careful with one's health, after all," he says with a pointed look at Rampage, the uncooperative patient, followed by a nod to Skystrike. "Quite. The last thing we want is for this to become a plague ship. Though doubtless certain of your colleagues would be delighted at the prospect," he adds, looking up at Skyfire.

[Dark Skyfire]

Skyfire hasn't had a chance to read up on all the various universes and the presence or absence of girly bits. He'll err on the side of Manners. He averts his gaze as she finishes drying herself, busying himself looking up Rook's specs for an anti-parasitic additive.

"Earth," he says. "I've never been there. Is it an outpost? Do we have a base there? It has these sorts of life forms?" He tilts his head, studying Rook's feathers. Fluffy from the dryers. Maybe he floats in helium gases trapped in the feather fibers?

It's a theory.

He punches in the proper codes--thank Primacron there's a manual--and after a few moments, the machine beeps. He pulls out a series of vacuum sealed packets of some vile color, handing them to Rook. "These should finish clearing your system. There, uh, there may be some side effects so...if you feel anything...odd, please consult a medical technician." Someone perhaps a bit more experienced with these things than Skyfire.

"When you're ready, miss, erm, Skystrike, ma'am, I would like to perform a scan on you as well?"

He's hopefully not being too obvious about stalling, one optic drifting over to where Rampage is wriggling around in the decon shower. The other mech seems to be behaving but something tells Skyfire...this won't last.

[Skystrike/Skylar Stringers]

After a moment, Skystrike steps out of the dryer looking significantly less fluffy than Rook. She casts a brief glance Rampage’s way; so far, no trouble. Maybe things won’t be too bad after all. Perhaps there was an alternative way of dealing with this, then? The Predacon wasn’t entirely unreasonable, he just didn’t seem to like medical berths- or any part of the infirmary- both of which were easily understandable. Skystrike herself doesn’t exactly have a good history with these places after all.

After a brief check-over to make sure she was relatively dry, the seeker looks up Skyfire at and nods in answer, “That is fine.” The scans for her will perhaps be a bit more troubling. While being bigger did indeed save her from feeling the affects earlier, it also protected a significant population of parasites that have taken to nesting hidden in her systems from the decon shower. Some deeper scans may be needed here.

“Earth can be more aptly described a battlezone. It is rich in energon. Neither side has been entirely able to overtake it and there are some concerns with locals.”

[Rampage/Xavier Goodkind]

Rampage lets out a bark of laughter as he leaves the shower, heading for the dryer.

"Earth! A backwater mud-ball infested by humans, that just happens to play a pivotal role in our race's history. Across more than one universe, even." It's also the experimental playground for bizarre energy beings in his universe. He wonders if they have anything to do with the little rock's remarkable multiversal importance.

He's going to ignore any pointed looks directed his way, but nervous glances will have him smirking devilishly as well as someone without lips can. Making a 'Con of Skyfire's stature fret is a rare treat.

[Rook]

Rook nods at the replies the others give to Skyfire's question. "Indeed, the histories of Earth and Cybertron seem irrevocably intertwined across realities. Often to the detriment of our people," he says, sourly.

The crow accepts the medication from Skyfire, eyeing the packets dubiously and giving one an experimental shake to see if it sloshes. He gives Skyfire a reproachful look out of the corner of his eye. It's going to be a shame to add something like this to perfectly good energon. And it better not leave stains on his tea set, either.

[Dark Skyfire]

Skyfire hopes that Rook considers a parasitic infection to be worse than a stained tea set. Because, oh yes, it will stain. Which is what crows get for drinking tea, in the first place.

But first, he holds the socket a bit awkwardly in front of Skystrike. He doesn't want to guess the wrong location for an access port and...get slapped. Once she reveals the data port he'll program it to run the scans. He'll even turn the scanner so she can read the results, too.

He nods about Earth--they all seem to agree on that. "It has valuable resources. It should be ours." He's wondering why they even worry about the 'locals'. If they are in the way, they should be, well...OUT of the way. "Is the indigenous population that dangerous?"

He twists around, tracking Rampage, but the mech is simply heading to the dryers. See, Skyfire? All that fretting for no good reason. Rampage may look rough and be a little...shaky about manners, but he knew what was good for him. Self-interest was the best logic of all.

[Skystrike/Skylar Stringers]

Skystrike arches a brow at Skyfire. Guess the new medic wasn’t too familiar with everyone’s ports yet or something. Odd. Shrugging, she pops a diagnostic port in her forearm open and offers it to him. Really, if the shuttle guessed the wrong port, he was more likely to get his face blown off than slapped.

“They’re not as dangerous as Autobots, but you don’t want to let your guard down around them. Standard procedure of dealing with most aliens, really. It’s just the problem of ‘dealing’ with them is a bit compounded by the Autobots trying to protect them,” Skystrike cycles air through her vents in a mechanical snort. “Pretty easy to step on when they’re not in an sort of transportation or building. Hard to pick out of your armor afterwards though. Better off burning the pests.”

[Rampage/Xavier Goodkind]

Finished with drying off, Rampage gravitates back towards the walls near the door, prepared to go back to leaning impatiently. He's a bit more laid back now that the conversation has moved to a topic he approves of.

"Almost wiped their species from history, once," he says casually. Too bad they hadn't succeeded. He would have loved to add the genocide of a race before it truly existed to his resume.

[Rook]

A parasitic infection is worse than a stained tea set, but only if Rook is the one infected. Otherwise, it could go either way, depending on how useful the infected person was. It's a really nice tea set.

"Every indigenous population has the potential to be dangerous," the crow professes, before turning to look at Rampage, barely managing to keep an open-mouthed gape of horror off his face. The thought of Rampage of all mechanisms mucking about with the time stream is terrifying to contemplate.

[Dark Skyfire]

Just because Skyfire is just fine with conquest and planetary colonization doesn't mean he must be without manners, Skystrike. That sort of attitude would give Decepticon Imperialism a bad name. He will persist in erring on the Side of Nice. And you cannot stop him. Nyah.

"Autobots seem to make poor choices in allies. And why befriend them? It complicates the taking of their resources...unnecessarily." He does not quite get these Autobots. Nor do humans, from Skystrike's definition, seem particularly appealing. He's glad he's got a good protective coating on his armor, just in case. "Do they carry parasites as well?"

He attaches his device to Skystrike, still half-expecting a slap.

Rampage is nearly talking! Almost civilly! Skyfire must try to keep this going. "Unless they themselves aid in the creation of resources," you know, like organic matter -->petroleum, "that seems like a fine strategy. What went awry with your plan?" He avoids the word 'wrong' because, well, he doesn't think Rampage would quite care for that.

"And your alt form, Rook? Is that dangerous as well?" Because, he doesn't mean to be impolite, but a fluffball doesn't really look that intimidating.

[Skystrike/Skylar Stringers]

My, but Skyfire didn’t put up this much of a fuss with Rook and Rook is such a delicate little thing. Mildly exasperated but tolerant no less, Skystrike watches the proceedings with an air of apathetic acceptance.

“Sometimes it does seem like the Autobots prefer protecting things at the cost of Cybertron’s potential resources,” the seeker shrugs. “interspecies relationships can be mutually beneficial, but the earthlings? They’ve yet to get past their own satellite much less have started to partake in intergalactic trade.”

She does perk up a bit in curiosity when Rampage mentions destroying them. “Pity. Albeit, some other creature would have probably taken their place later down the line.”

[Rampage/Xavier Goodkind]

Rampage leers at Rook. That's right, he was in your past, killing your future! And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling Maximals.

He waves a hand dismissively at Skyfire. "It wasn't my plan. The Maximals-" A Maximal. "-distracted us-" Beat them up single handedly. "-long enough for the stupid apes to scatter. Of course, then Megatron found the Ark, so hunting organics became a rather lower priority..." Why yes, he is trying to get more of rise out of Rook.

[Rook]

Rook's first instinct is to answer Skyfire that picking a dangerous alternate mode is for soldiers, Rook picked his because it's known for its cleverness, and fashionable. Of course, dripping wet with the feathers on his kibble in disarray, it doesn't look terribly fashionable. His wings don't look like a great high-collared sinister cape behind him at all. They look like wet feathers. "It is not particularly dangerous," the crow manages stiffly. If only Skyfire had been rude about it, Rook could have snapped back a retort.

Quickly seizing onto Skystrike's comments to bury the topic of his own appearance in a shallow grave, he pipes up "I've no personal experience, but it seems to me that if properly managed, humans could make useful laborers or even shock troops, provided they are allowed to maintain the illusion of self-governance."

"Ah yes, you were with the crew that stole the transwarp cruiser, according to your file. It seems such a waste, a soldier like yourself having to work for a common criminal like Megatron," he says, optics flashing. Not an attack, precisely, but it'll be interesting to see how Rampage responds.

[Dark Skyfire]

"Well," Skyfire says to Rook. "There's more to life than looking dangerous." He's found that being underestimated as the Big Geek actually served him well in combat. "Besides, your form is very unique." He means it as a compliment.

He's trying to get him to not goad Rampage out of the almost civil state he's in. He nods, in fact. "You made the best decision. Following your unit commander is always best." And Megatron himself? Well. This Rampage knew some impressive mechs. Maybe soothing his ego would make him amenable to treatment.

"I...can't imagine what our kind could make of an alliance with these technologically unadvanced species. It serves no purpose. Unless the Autobots know something we don't?" Then again, Autobots have...strange priorities. Survival of the fittest: it was science. Decepticons should win.

And would win.

The scanner gave a rather ugly-sounding blat. Uh oh. "Miss, uh...Miss Skystrike? You didn't happen to, ummm," this is an exceedingly unladylike question: he expects to be punched, "eat any of them yourself?"

[Skystrike/Skylar Stringers]

“They wish to protect other life at the cost of their own race. Such is Autobot madness,” Skystrike rumbles unhappily. She glances at the machine when it blats and then curiously at their medic, curious as to what it might mean. It didn’t sound positive, either way.

“No.” the seeker answers Skyfire simply. Rampage had been the only one who had. That meant the method of infection was not through oral ingestion. At least, not alone. “The worms stung us.” She is tempted to say she has eaten one now, if only to see Skyfire’s face. The delicate tip-toeing was eating away at her patience faster than any nuisances from her other comrades so far.

“Perhaps that is the method of transmission instead of ingestion alone?” Skystrike rumbles in contemplation.