|
Post by Kup on Jun 4, 2008 7:10:53 GMT -5
Kup finally returns to the main group, possibly carrying Jazz over his head. His expression is very serious and perhaps a little sad. It's never easy to leave someone behind, but at this point, better to give her the chance to repair herself and sneak out on her own than continue to risk all of them. If Pee-Dee's alive, she wouldn't want that on her conscious, and if she's dead, she wouldn't want that on her memory.
"Emirate Xaaron made it," he reports to anyone listening. "We're bringing the tunnels down behind us."
|
|
Optimus Prime
Minor
Oh yeah? Well I don't know what that means!
Posts: 383
|
Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 5, 2008 5:06:32 GMT -5
Optimus has been following Kup silently for some time now back into the main area. Unlike his departure, he's in robot mode now, in his full Optimus Prime-y glory. Such as it is.
However, he's not very happy. His processor has been cycling over the same line of data. Finally, he says something.
"Kup.. the Autobot that Xaaron couldn't find." The one you are going to abandon out there. "What... is her name? I'd like to know."
|
|
Jazz
Rookie
SugarSugarBoozeSugarSugarBoozeSugarSugar!
Posts: 175
|
Post by Jazz on Jun 5, 2008 10:12:12 GMT -5
Jazz does limp through the entrance shortly after Kup. There might have been a need to physically lay a hand on him to stop him-- but there was no need to carry him where he needed to go. Still visored gaze searches the refuge for a moment, as he pauses, finds Botanica, and notes that she is occupied. Jazz knows better than to disrupt things like medical treatment. There are others hurt worse than himself-- and frankly, he needs to cool down. Looks like he's going to flop himself next to Bumblebee. And no, Jazz hasn't noticed the radio silence yet.
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jun 6, 2008 21:24:33 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron hates how this looks, he really does. As soon as he gets in, he sounds the final retreat. He doesn't mean it that way - he went out and looked for her. He spent perhaps too much time looking for her.
He would look an awful lot better, he reflects, if he had died out there, looking for her. Of course, he would be leaking useless to the Autobot cause. He wouldn't even be an effective martyr. None of these people know him well enough to be spurred by his death to fight even harder. He's tried to get to know the troops, but these things take time.
So Emirate Xaaron lives, and he's here, and it's time to finalise the retreat, no matter how bad it makes him look, worse than the holes through his armour, worse than the blackening and warping and sludge. It's what needs to be done.
He raises his voice, and he announces, "Autobots, Maximals, as soon as the wounded can be moved, we're going deeper into the tunnels, and we're cutting the supports behind us."
No Mayhems hunting them down in the tunnels. No trail for Pee-Dee to follow. Acceptable losses never are.
OOC: Everyone is being given one round to re-act, and then this thread is being closed. If you're skippable or were in a related subthread (such as Bughunt) and want to show your character's reaction, now's the time to come unskippable.
|
|
Firebolt
Major
Brutal Gladiator, Scarab Lord Firebolt of the Shattered Sun
Moving Violation
Posts: 575
|
Post by Firebolt on Jun 7, 2008 16:06:27 GMT -5
Despite the fact that First Aid is in vehicle mode, Firebolt does manage to hug him, throwing her arms around him the best she damn can. The few she half-cared about seem to be safe. So that's all that ends up mattering in the end.
"I wonder if there are any bodies of water that aren't filled with crap. I need to get a wash," She muses as she plops down next to First Aid in vehicle form, engine humming. Somethings just won't change, like knowing her vehicle form is safe. "Ho-kay, then let's not wait, hmmm?" She says as she trails a bit behind First Aid and goes to try and nudge him to go forward.
|
|
Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
|
Post by Bluestreak on Jun 8, 2008 11:32:37 GMT -5
Bluestreak jerks his head up at Xaaron's announcement. "O-okay, sir," he chokes out. He says nothing more -- for once the chatterbox doesn't feel like filling the uncomfortable silence with words. It seems somehow profane to do so.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Jun 8, 2008 11:48:04 GMT -5
Having been cleared of any... unwanted embellishments to his systems by a certain non-sigiled Decepticon, Perceptor trails back into the primary tunnel where everyone is gathered just in time to hear Xaaron's announcement. Then they have all arrived. Goo-
He pauses, peering around at the assembled Autobots in their various states, taking and re-taking a tally--
And coming up one short.
Shock plays across his features as he turns back toward the remains of their base, back in the direction from which they had fled. They cannot have lost Pee-Dee. It isn't...
Firebolt's casual and childish disregard, her uncaring infuriates him suddenly, and he turns away to stalk back toward where they had come from, away from her before he speaks words that cannot be unspoken. She is a child, just a foolish, stupid child, and he... he...
He needs to put his own traumas and dramas away for the sake of those still living and in need. Pee-Dee either lives and is merely awaiting her own chance to escape - Junkions just don't die! He'd watched them resurrect Ultra Magnus from shards once, and surely their own systems are more hardy than even that!
Or else she is truly gone, and nothing more can be done here, except to endanger the living with a delay. If she lives, she will find them. Somehow. She is resourceful.
That will not stop him from developing a weapon against that dark Rodimus Prime once everyone is repaired, however.
"Understood, Xaaron," he replies firmly, and there is understanding and regret mixed in with the sorrow in his gaze. But not even a single spark of recrimination.
"Bluestreak, will you assist me with Arcee, please?" he asks, getting briskly to work. "Wheelie, Holi, someone will need to watch over the Dinobots and the others similarly damaged during travel." Mainly to keep parts from bouncing out of the buckets, really, and they are both small enough to ride with the containers.
And, unless interrupted, he will continue his efforts to get the injured situated safely to get them all along their way.
skippable again unless needed
|
|
First Aid
Rookie
Conscientiously Objecting
Posts: 239
|
Post by First Aid on Jun 8, 2008 22:00:35 GMT -5
“Understood, sir.” It wouldn’t occur to First Aid that Emirate Xaaron’s actions look bad. When he runs into politicians whose actions look bad, those politicians usually come out of it all less scraped up, banged about, and muddy than the Emirate currently is. He’s glad Xaaron doesn’t look like a likely candidate for keeling over. They’ve got too many of those.
Firebolt’s nudging does not get the response she wants. It might get her some gentle shooing if he were in robot mode, but as it is he just says, “I’ve got work to do, Firebolt. I am glad you’re all right, but a lot of people aren’t. I need to help them.” It’s a mild rebuke, but it’s definitely a rebuke. Hopefully she’ll get it.
“Botanica!” he calls, “Let someone else handle the heavy lifting this time.” Because people with massive burns on their torso shouldn’t be doing that if there’s another option. (And if he says it loudly enough that other people hear, they’ll take the work. It’s effective and simple and likely to make Botanica mad at him.) “Jazz, beg your pardon, can we get a hand?”
He knows Pee-Dee’s not there. He’s been keeping track of who he needs to keep track of, after all. It just hasn’t occurred to him that he should worry about her. Not because he doesn’t like Pee-Dee, because he does, quite a lot, but because somewhere in his subconscious lurks the assumption that Groove and Streetwise have a handle on the situation, and hardly need him neglecting his own work and getting in their way. Consciously he knows they’re not here. The subconscious, creature of habit that it is, hasn’t really figured that out yet.
And so he joins in getting everyone situated and moved out with, perhaps, more equanimity than he should have.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Jun 9, 2008 8:12:59 GMT -5
Long Haul has been so busy tending to the wounded that he hasn't taken the time to count the walking, and so just assumes that everyone's there.
He's going to be in for a nasty surprise later on.
For now, he quietly helps sort supplies and people onto those capable of carrying them - being a logistics specialialist, he's actually rather good at taking the best advantage of the available space - until it's time for him to get loaded as well. Then he transforms and waits for others to place some of the larger remaining wounded in his truck bed.
He does all his work in relative silence, still unused to and a bit shaken by mass combat such as what he's just been through.
|
|
|
Post by Rodimus Prime on Jun 9, 2008 8:29:09 GMT -5
Rodimus returns to the main group at about the same time Perceptor does, and in time to hear the announcement. "Yes, sir," he answers, nodding grimly in response to the Emirate's orders.
Withdrawal, retreat, is something that never comes easily to Autobots. The complete withdrawal from Cybertron, the self-blame and self-pity Rodimus had wallowed in during that trip through the Void to Earth, when he made himself so weak with self-doubt that Unicron had been able to take command of his body - he still had very clean memories of all of these things. They had been forced to leave a lot of people behind during that retreat, and even knowing that they returned soon after doesn't soften the memories.
They never did learn Ultra Magnus's final fate.
So there is a small, shameful, selfish part of the Prime that is glad that this time, Emirate Xaaron is the one to give the order this time. Rodimus agrees with the order, it has to be given, but he can't help but feel the tiniest bit relieved that it is someone else making the call.
"All right, people, you heard the mech," he turns towards the others. "Load 'em up. We need to be already moving." He claps his hands once, twice, to encourage folks to move faster, then helps with loading the few remaining supplies and wounded onto Long Haul. At this rate, he, himself, will still be free to transform, which is good - his firepower will come in handy in bringing the tunnels down behind them, or dealing with other problems.
|
|
|
Post by Kup on Jun 9, 2008 8:47:24 GMT -5
"Pee-Dee," Kup answers Optimus. "Her name is Pee-Dee, and if you wanna get technical, Junkions aren't quite Autobots. They've been closely allied with us since the Battle of Unicron, but except for Wreck-Gar, who's close friends with Rodimus, they tend to only get involved in things if it's brought to their turf."
"And the thing about Junkions, lad, is that their self-repair ability's nothing short of amazing. They think nothing at all of dismemberment, and most worse damages are just a minor setback. I wouldn't count Pee-Dee out just yet." Of course, Kup wouldn't rely on her showing up, either, but he keeps this to himself. It's war, and in it, people die, but right now folks need to be reminded that hope remains more than they need to have the brutal reality of death driven in.
He helps with the loading, and then transforms himself. He announces loudly, "For anyone who can't transform, or just have slow-moving alts, I can still carry a few!" Most of his injured had been transferred over to Long Haul by now.
|
|
Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
|
Post by Shanodin on Jun 9, 2008 10:37:07 GMT -5
Botanica's head darts up from her works and she levels a glance that is not entirely happy on First Aid. In her plant mode, the damage isn't visible, even though she most definitely feels it, and she was hoping to not have to report that damage at the moment. There was too much to do, too many to tend, and sleep, the best way for her to heal, too far away.
"I know my limits, Doctor Dearest."
Not a snap, not really, but not exactly the most pleasant of tones. Botanica has not missed that they are leaving Pee-Dee, and even knowing the resilience of Junkions, leaving her rankles. She could offer to go look- after all, her method of travel is by nature more stealthy but...such a doing is not practical.
A thought occurs as she moves to do stopgap repairs as needed, while the others handle the loading, silent acquiescence to First Aid's instructions. What happened to the Junkions in her reality? Did they even exist?
There will be time for wool-gathering later. Now, there is work to do.
Still skippable, and will move out when everyone else does. Anyone who wants to pose Botancia working on them, feel free.
|
|
Holi
Major
Captain Can-Do
Posts: 672
|
Post by Holi on Jun 9, 2008 12:07:19 GMT -5
Retreat. Holi has seen retreat ordered before, and as Rescue Patrol captain, he sort of expected it here even if he still baulks at it almost instinctively. The casualties they've incurred tell him everything he needs to know. He pauses mid-reach and doesn't salute or draw to attention, but he's acknowledging the order all the same.
"Yes, sir," he answers Emirate Xaaron. Then he gets back to preparations.
OOC: Remains skippable. Will move out with the rest of the group.
|
|
|
Post by Bumblebee on Jun 10, 2008 6:26:31 GMT -5
Bumblebee had been too busy in his own funk, he barely registers the presence of Jazz. But perks up when Emirate speaks up. He's bothered that he didn't get the opportunity to resolve his own personal matters, but doesn't let it show. His problems are unimportant to the matters of the Autobots and Maximals as a whole. His radio gets reactivated as he gets up and turns to Jazz.
//come on. there's work to be done.// He extends a hand to help his buddy up.
|
|
Optimus Prime
Minor
Oh yeah? Well I don't know what that means!
Posts: 383
|
Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 10, 2008 6:42:37 GMT -5
Optimus nods at Kup as he finishes his explanation of Pee-Dee and the Junkions. "I see. I hope you find your ally." And presumably, Optimus' too.
He had advance warning of the demolitions, so he doesn't react too much at the announcement. Instead he looks at the people around the room and their own reactions. The people who are objecting. The ones that accept the loss easy, the ones that do not. The ones that are throwing themselves into their work to take their mind off matters. He witnesses them all, and not for the first time he feels like an outsider. But there's no time for that. He carries whatever and whomever is needed, helping whoever would call to him or ask for help. Once all is done, he transforms as well. Carrying people--conscious ones, anyway--is about the best part of his role since he's joined here, at least he has people to talk to and learn from.
|
|