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Post by Perceptor on Sept 20, 2011 21:14:58 GMT -5
Month 2, Week 2, Day 6. Initial location is the Event Horizon, however the thread will take place at the site that would correlate to the position of Autobot City if this were G1 Toon Earth from TF:TM and later. Semi-private thread; please send a request to join.
Perceptor has been somewhat subdued since arriving at this planet, keeping mostly to his lab, with the occasional visits to the main recreation bay with the massive view ports that gaze down upon the brilliant blue and white body floating amidst the black sea of space. There, he would gaze pensively down at the surface of Earth for long minutes, still and quiet, provided that no one else would interrupt. Once, only once, he had even transformed to train his scope sights down upon the cloud-shrouded surface before returning to robot form and retreating back to the confines of his lab.
"I need to visit the planet's surface," he announces quietly to the other occupant of his laboratory. He's been delaying a visit for too long as it is, half afraid of what he might find, and half afraid of what he might not find. He isn't entirely certain why, even, he feels the vague sort of dread when he gazes down upon the Earth from where the Event Horizon orbits, or why he has been resisting the pull to visit.
It's Earth. He's been to Earth before. Lived there for most of 2 decades. The Autobots have been granted access and autonomy, relatively speaking. What is there to fear? But fear it is that haunts him, the edges of unease, at least, as he seeks out the other's blue gaze and repeats, "Yes, I need to visit Earth."
He just doesn't want to go down there alone.
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Post by Drift on Sept 20, 2011 21:23:56 GMT -5
Drift has, in the interim, mastered two vitally important skills: lurking and sulking. Otherwise known as keeping a profile so low even a dustbunny couldn't see him.
And, in lurkmode, he'd seen Perceptor stare longingly down at the swirling cloud-covered planet beneath the Event Horizon. Stare at it as though part of his spark were down there. He'd seen that look before on mechs who were homesick.
He was inoculated against that himself: 'home' could burn--and had--for all he cared. But he knew that it hurt, because it looked like how he felt when he thought of Crystal City.
And Perceptor finally came to him and said it. And he felt bad then, for not pushing earlier. He'd been practicing patience. Or trying to.
"Then we'll go."
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Post by Perceptor on Sept 20, 2011 21:43:08 GMT -5
Not so much part of his spark, but... part of him, nonetheless. Or, rather, he does not know if part of him, his past, his anything, was down there, and he needs to know that. To face the ghosts haunting him here.
He's relieved at Drift's easy agreement, though, in retrospect, he never should have questioned that. Drift takes looking after him quite seriously, even beyond the friendship that has grown between them. He sags with that relief, and nods, offering a grateful smile.
"Thank you." There should be a shuttle free to take them; he doesn't want to have to bother anyone else with taking them down, and, perhaps, while they are on the surface, Perceptor can show Drift some of the sights? Something, at least, to make the trip worthwhile to the Knight. "I will make the request to go."
// Rodimus? Do you have a moment? I was hoping to receive clearance for a trip down to Earth. //
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Post by Drift on Sept 20, 2011 21:54:34 GMT -5
Just thinking of it felt...better. Maybe he'd been cooped in this ship too long himself. And the planet below them meant less-than-nothing to him; not even a military objective, but the idea of something different stirred some interest. Just to get out of this place. Just to do something.
And, if he didn't actually lie to himself, because it meant something to Perceptor.
"Good." Another thing Drift had finally accepted: He had the social skills of a rabid cyberwombat. Better if he stay quiet.
He stands, turning toward the view, to give Perceptor a chance to react to his question without Drift's scrutiny, the added weight of having to control his emotions.
"What are you afraid of down there?" It's not a judgment or a taunt, but he'd learned to read the microscope's moods, and Perceptor had shown less vulnerability when facing down Botanica than the idea of this planet.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 20, 2011 21:59:51 GMT -5
OOC: Currently only in to radio post.
// Hey, not a problem. Where you off to? //
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Post by Perceptor on Sept 20, 2011 22:33:44 GMT -5
As far as Perceptor is concerned, Drift's social skills have improved immensely since his rather chaotic arrival, but he is likely very biased, given the company that Drift has so willingly offered him. Even when the Knight is quietly tucked away in a corner, reading as is his wont, Perceptor has grown accustomed to that silent presence, to simply having another there.
// Oh, ah... I thought, perhaps... the northwestern portion of the United States. [Co-ordinates that may seem rather familiar to Rodimus, where in more than one reality, a Cybertronian city had been built.] //
Perceptor tilts his head as Drift turns away, but is grateful a moment later as he register's the question and gives a small jerk of surprise. He... is not very adroit at hiding his emotions, and has gotten even less so, at least in regards to Drift.
"I... am not certain. Yet," he finally answers, scuffing one foot upon the floor as he wrings his hands together nervously. "It was on Earth where... where the war turned the most drastically. Where... I failed them all."
"Perhaps I fear... a ghost."
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Post by Drift on Sept 20, 2011 22:47:03 GMT -5
...Which is what made Perceptor perfect to practice on: even a newframe could read his emotions.
Which meant Drift was right about 50% of the time.
Drift looks back over his shoulder, head dipped low enough that his optics are barely visible over the deep spaulder. He feels...helpless against Perceptor's wringing hands. He knows how to kill. How to antagonize. NOT how to smooth over, to make better.
"You didn't fail anyone. You did your best." Even without knowing the story, Drift feels confident saying that. Perceptor always pushed himself--too hard, most of the time.
He wonders how he'd feel looking down on that planet, on Crystal City again. He had failed. He had let everyone down. Including himself. "....you're not who you were back then." They were the words he'd most want to hear: maybe they'd do Perceptor some good.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 20, 2011 22:56:06 GMT -5
// Oh, su- // And then Rodimus recognizes those co-ordinates. // Autobots City? //
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Post by Perceptor on Sept 20, 2011 23:13:51 GMT -5
// Yes. // Or, whatever happens to occupy that space here, on this Earth, now.
Drift underestimates himself. Perceptor has gotten used to that, too. And to the little scowl Drift gets when Perceptor tries to tell him as much.
// If you do not believe there would be any, ah, issue with that, that is? //
Perceptor worries his lower lip and crosses the room to join Drift, forcing himself to still. "Perhaps not. I am not certain that any of us are who we once were."
Even you, Drift.
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Post by Drift on Sept 21, 2011 5:43:30 GMT -5
Normally Drift tensed when mechs got close to him. Reflex from more than four million years of fighting, even before the war. For four million years, everything has been an enemy, even mechs who fought on the same side, for the same cause.
But he doesn't, when Perceptor approaches.
"It's our nature to change," he said. "And I've seen things change for the worse," a discontented sound--the Decepticons may have had worthy goals, but they'd fallen from them at terminal velocity. And the Autobots? Not much better. "--why not for the better. Statistics."
He hoped. He was teetering into mathematical territory in some clumsy attempt to meet Perceptor--the only mech who had put up with him and his quiet rages these last few months--halfway.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 21, 2011 7:42:51 GMT -5
// Not that I know of! Actually, I had been thinking about paying a visit to the area myself. //
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Post by Perceptor on Sept 21, 2011 16:03:23 GMT -5
Perceptor offers Drift a wan smile. "Law of averages?" he asks with soft amusement.
// Drift will be accompanying me. Why do you not join us as well, Rodimus? // Perhaps having Rodimus there, another almost-tie to the very ghosts Perceptor is planning to confront will help. Or fling him into a deep fugue from which he will be unable to pull himself unaided. One or the other. If the latter, Perceptor is certain that both Rodimus and Drift would be all too happy to apply appropriate physical force to eject him from his self-pity.
"I believe that Rodimus may join us," he remarks, and then offers that smile again.
"You offer a sound hypothesis." Especially since Perceptor can guess at exactly why Drift had couched his thoughts the way he had. "Thank you," he offers quietly. Not merely for agreeing to accompany him, but Drift's friendship and especially his trust.
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Post by Drift on Sept 21, 2011 16:25:59 GMT -5
"Or that." Stop talking math, Perceptor. You're talking to a mech who has three swords and two hands. Give him an A for effort and let it go.
He tilts his head at the news. Not just sightseeing then if one of the head mechs was going. "Fine with me," he said, quietly. "Let me know when and what we need."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Sept 21, 2011 20:52:56 GMT -5
// Glad to! Meet you in the hanger? // Rodimus is just assuming that Perceptor doesn't plan to take the spacebridge. Or maybe he's just hoping. Because the spacebridge still tend to make him queasy.
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Post by Perceptor on Sept 23, 2011 16:01:59 GMT -5
// That sounds quite workable. We shall rendezvous shortly. //
"Not so much 'or', but 'leads to'," he replies with a quiet smile. Perceptor is trying to build on your own analogy! He's quite proud of your efforts!
"I believe that we will be departing from the shuttle bay as soon as we all arrive. I leave it to your judgment as to what you believe we should bring, however, I do not anticipate that we should expect to encounter any conflict?" Of course, Perceptor never expects to encounter conflict, so... take that as you will, Drift.
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