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Post by Drift on Oct 25, 2011 16:19:43 GMT -5
"Why would I want to catch a fish?" Seriously. "And what kind of weapon is a line?" It didn't sound very impressive.
He slouches into the seat. Look, his only planetfalls have been about conquest. Not 'camping.' And they sure didn't ask anyone's permission to camp.
"How possessive?"
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Oct 26, 2011 11:27:58 GMT -5
"Well, I do it for relaxation. You know, to unwind," Rodimus answers cheerfully, then he adds, an amused smirk pulling at the right corner of his lips (though it may be hard to see, as he doesn't look away from his piloting), "not that you're in need of anything like that, I'm sure. And a 'line' is, in this case, more a trap than a weapon. A very, very simple trap. Fish... aren't too bright."
"It depends on the humans and the areas, but these are public lands. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put in that call now." He reaches over to the shuttle radio, using that because his personal one isn't really made for orbit-to-surface distances, and starts getting proper permissions squared away.
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 26, 2011 19:55:01 GMT -5
"An exercise of patience and skill?" Perceptor offers, dropping his voice into a quieter tone while Rodimus busies himself with making the appropriate calls. "We have no use for the fish, itself, however, there is some skill involved in capturing one with the methods that the humans use and have taught Rodimus."
He smiles, nudging Drift's shoulder with his own. "Many of us who have spent time upon Earth, at least in my reality, have experimented with attempting human hobbies and past times. Optimus Prime had been quite fond of a sport called Basket Ball. The concept eluded me, I will admit, however, quite a few individuals enjoyed testing their mettle against him upon the Basket Ball Court."
"I was always most fond of their televised dramatic programming, particularly those which were broadcast during the diurnal portion of their daily cycle." He has many fond memories of watching episodes of "As The Kitchen Sinks," in fact. But this is really just another demonstration of the very different worlds they had developed in.
"While my primary goal is to... to 'reconnect', as you so eloquently surmised, Drift, this would be an excellent opportunity for you to, if you are so inclined, experiment with a hobby or two, yourself? These humans... yes, they are somewhat possessive of their world, for all the poor care they take of it, however, not so possessive, generally, as to pose us a threat. Their weaponry is not sufficiently advanced to pose us a threat."
Of course, this is Perceptor saying this.
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Post by Drift on Oct 26, 2011 20:15:05 GMT -5
Drift kind of wonders how trapping a stupid creature is considered relaxing. "Guess there's a lot I don't know about humans." And hobbies. And...well..pretty much everything. Except killing.
"Games. Programs." He tilts his head, "Did they have these things on Cybertron, too?" Not that he would have seen any of it. But it's another piece he's missing.
He wavers, rubbing his hand idly where Perceptor had bumped him. "If they're no thread....," he trails off, but the rest is clear. ...what good is he?
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Oct 27, 2011 21:52:40 GMT -5
Rodimus finishes his permissions, but manages to just catch some of Perceptor's words. He raises a brow-ridge. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Perceptor. It may be true in your reality, but it wasn't true in mine, and it would be a tactical mistake to assume it's true here, especially since we're further along the Earth timeline than either of us actually come from. And that's before we even take into account the powered humans."
"Not that I'm expecting trouble." He pauses. "And we will not cause any," he adds firmly, making it an order. "After all, we've got a treaty with these guys."
He returns his focus to flying, but adds, "I can't speak for other Cybertrons, but mine had both games and programs." Among those who've spent the most time in this new universe, there seems to be a certain amount of... forgetfulness, that they don't all come from the same Cybertron. For the most part, Rodimus counts this a good thing, as it encourages the Autobots and Maximals to 'adopt' each other as 'one of their own,' but when talking about what Cybertron, specifically, was like, it's worth distinguishing which Cybertron. "Not as many once the war was on, but they still happened. Kind of depended on what resources we had. Wreckers vids were kind of popular, but a lot of those were really low budget." He sounds amused.
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 29, 2011 18:27:16 GMT -5
"There is quite a bit that humans do not know or understand about themselves, much less what we understand about them," Perceptor replies with a small shrug.
Drift's question, however, catches Perceptor off guard. "Games? Programs? You mean, such as the human sports which Optimus favored?" he asks to clarify. With a thin, rueful smile, Perceptor rubs the back of his head in an absent, embarrassed gesture. "I, ah... well, I am certain that there must have been?" He shrugs again with acute chagrin. "I was not much, ah, interested in those sorts of things, really. I'm certain they existed, but I am not certain as to what types or how widespread they were?"
No, the Nerd... really doesn't know what the Jocks were up to much. Sorry Drift.
He offers Drift an apologetic grin for being unable to really answer his question, and then listens to Rodimus Prime's input.
"A valid point. I forget that we come from differing realities."
As to what use Drift would be, even if Perceptor were right, if Perceptor were aware of the concern, he would have an answer: company.
"Wrecker vids?"
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Post by Drift on Nov 1, 2011 20:36:30 GMT -5
"Powered humans." There's a distinct frown. Not a threat? It sure sounded like a threat.
"Treaty." He scoffed. "Words. That can be broken as soon as someone finds advantage." Paranoid and cynical? Drift? Nooooo. He remembered the empty promises of the Senators all too well, and the pretty speeches he'd fallen for.
A quiet laugh. "Vids. Yes. Where I'm from, we had...a sort of unofficial historian." He'd never met Fisitron, but even the Decepticons had heard of Wreckers Declassified. He wondered if there were any vids of him.
...probably not.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Nov 2, 2011 21:48:44 GMT -5
"Well, we won't be the ones breaking them," Rodimus says sharply. For most of this trip, he's been playing the casual, everybody's buddy sort of Prime that he prefers to be, but now his tone and demeanor slip into a more traditional command type. "Understood? Be alert, yes, be prepared, yes, but not so prepared, so expectant that things will go wrong that you cause them to." Because really, this whole thing has the makings of a self-fulfilling prophesy, and that's the last thing the Autobots need in a human recreational area.
Now, slipping back into a more conversational tone, though he has yet to recover the easy-going manner from before, Rodimus observes, "Kup would be a good one to ask about what sort of hobbies and entertainment Perceptor's reality had, and... I don't know about Drift's 'unofficial historian,' but in my reality there were a number of vids made about what were supposedly the Wreckers' adventures." He shakes his head. "Not very accurate. From what I understand, most of the later ones had both Impactor and Springer in them, and those two were ever only on two missions together." He tilts his head as he considers the matter, then adds, thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, I think Impactor died at the end of both those missions."
Then he glances down at the consoles. "All right, coming in for a landing. We're cleared for a small partial valley not far from our actual destination. Shouldn't be any humans in the immediate area, but keep in mind we're not too far from their camp grounds."
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Post by Perceptor on Nov 18, 2011 21:57:43 GMT -5
"Powered humans?" Perceptor repeats, having completely missed that in Rodimus Prime's previous comments. His universe intersects with a certain military establishment that viewed personal uniforms and extraordinary talents as a must, rather than a certain selection of costumed heroes of human, and super-human variety. The closest to a "powered human" Perceptor has ever been is Spike's Exosuit.
He reaches over to rest a soothing hand upon Drift's arm. "Understood, Rodimus." He tries to put all of the trust he has that Drift will keep them both safe into the smile he offers the swordsmech, without, he hopes, adding any silent commentary about Drift's fears.
"The dramas of which you speak sound quite similar to the programs produced and transmitted by the humans on my Earth. Different subjects, of course, and featuring themselves, rather than us, however, quite entertaining. I was always most fond of 'As The Kitchen Sinks'."
He stiffens, though, as Rodimus maneuvers their craft in for a landing. It's almost time. He isn't certain what he will face out there, except for the ghosts he can feel pressing in on his memories now.
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Post by Drift on Nov 18, 2011 22:27:04 GMT -5
In your face, Rodimus. Perceptor was intrigued by the powered humans, too. So there!
He shrugs, uncomfortable. "Not going to start anything. But I will defend myself. And Perceptor." Mostly Perceptor.
He quails back at the mention of Kup. Ask Kup a question like that and he'd probably rust apart from boredom by the time Kup stopped to take a breath. He's not...that curious. "I'll take your word for it."
"Ours had a sort of unofficial mysterious historian. He seemed...encyclopedic." Like a nerd, but about Wreckers. Weird.
He notices the tension in Perceptor's frame, as the ship swings down through the atmosphere. He didn't figure the mech would have planetfall jitters. Then again, he probably hadn't had as many combat drops as Drift had.
He leans over, bumping his shoulder against Perceptor's offering a small smile. "Nothing we can't handle down there."
The only difference between this and any other drop for Drift is that this time, his rules were NOT to shoot anything.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Nov 19, 2011 21:43:27 GMT -5
"Uhm, yeah, powered humans," Rodimus answers Perceptor, confused. "They crop up in a few realities. Heck, in mine, I think it was... Gears? Worked with a powered human named 'Spider-Man' pretty early during our time on Earth." Perceptor may or may not have heard of Spider-Man. He is fictional in some realities (and given that someone was seen wearing a Spider-Man t-shirt at one point in Perceptor's, he's either known as a fictional character there, or he's a real person who markets t-shirts). "So some of them have potential as allies." Rodimus is mostly adding this comment for Drift's benefit. "Anyway, from reports, we've got a few on this Earth, too, so it doesn't hurt to remember that 'more than meets the eye' doesn't always just apply to us." Rodimus grins at his last remark as he sets the shuttle down and begins shut down procedure.
He nods his head as Drift states he won't start anything. "Good." He considers whether he also needs to add a warning about not getting too "preemptive" on the defense, and just decides he'll stay alert, instead. While it's true that Drift still feels a little trigger happy to Rodimus, this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that none of his primary weapons have triggers.
He shrugs as he stands up. "Not sure who did our videos, but they always seemed to be around bases or Autobot City, no matter what Springer did to try and get rid of them." He quirks a grin. "Actually, come to think of it, that may have been my fault once or twice."
He opens up the hatch and gestures. "And here we have it! Scenic <name> campgrounds! Last stop, watch your step as you depart, and mind the fish," he announces cheerfully.
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 17, 2011 19:35:21 GMT -5
Perceptor is busy cross-referencing any mentions and definitions of "powered humans" he can find, as well as attempting to access the local networks to look for mentions of "Spider-Man" and other "powered humans". His first mental image at the phrase is of humans in some sort of power armor, or connected to some external energy source. It is only after extensive consultation to the various databases that he understands that these individuals could possess any number of mutant, meta-human, supernatural, or extra-sensory abilities.
"How very curious! To my knowledge, we did not encounter any such gifted individuals upon my Earth!"
How couth would it be to find one of these "powered humans" and ask to study them?
Perhaps he should wait until later, for their PR efforts to bear positive fruit.
"I would be interested in observing some of those recordings, if you would happen to still possess any, Rodimus," he offers as he rises and heads to the door. At the threshold, he pauses, and allows Drift to precede him out.
Look, Drift! The Nerd can learn!
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Post by Drift on Dec 17, 2011 20:02:28 GMT -5
Allies. Right. Drift trusted 'allies' about as far as he could throw them. Actually, looking at them, that might be pretty far. Still didn't mean he'd trust them. Just meant they'd be more aerodynamic if he did throw one. Or...something.
...Drift should avoid cliches.
But he takes a hint--if grudgingly--and resettles his swords in their scabbards. You, Rodimus, are no fun.
"Problem with videos," of both sorts really, "Is they let the enemy analyze your tactics and abilities." And/or, Drift's camera shy.
And with that sage pronouncement, Drift steps down the ramp. Hello, Earth. You are not ready for this much brooding.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 18, 2011 16:39:52 GMT -5
Rodimus hops out of the shuttle himself, a slight bounce to his step as he walks. At Drift's observation, he barks a laugh. "If the Decepticons were using those videos as a combat reference, we'd have won the war ages ago. They, erm, aren't what you'd call realistic."
He looks around and smiles faintly, then glances at Perceptor. "I don't know about you, but I'm planning to head straight for the site, then move on to the nearest fishing hole." Sure, Rodimus has nostalgia penned into his schedule, but there's only so much of that he can take when there's fishing available!
He transforms and hesitates. "Need a ride, or got one?" he asks.
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 19, 2011 19:54:21 GMT -5
Perceptor isn't hesitating on the threshold. Honest.
He's already gazing off in the direction that the city would have been built, and flinches, startled, as Rodimus addresses him. "Oh. Ah, yes. That would, ah... Yes, I think the site, first."
He finally steps down, feet sinking into the soil of the planet's surface in a way that they never did on Cybertron or on the ship. Not much, but enough that he instantly notes the difference between standing upon Earth and standing... really anywhere else he's been recently. Even Pz-Zazz had lacked this sort of plush surface, although Pz-Zazz had also lacked this much healthy greenery, as well. He takes a moment to fill his intakes with an olfactory profile of the area, cataloging it against what he remembers, and venting out the last of the ship and shuttle atmosphere.
Well circulated and well filtered or not, the air from the ships is simply so much more stuffy than the living atmosphere of the planet's surface.
"A ride?" He turns toward Drift. "Would you mind? Or would you prefer to remain unencumbered?"
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