Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 4, 2010 21:51:54 GMT -5
OOC: Day Eleven. Open to Autobots. Jetfire's communication mentioned with player permission.
Given what he's heard of the planet below – even of the space station – Ultra Magnus is more certain by the day he's missing nothing by staying aboard the Event Horizon and minding things while other Autobots sightsee. What he's less certain of is what he could be doing to help; there's still local currency to be earned, after all, and salvage on Omega Supreme, but Magnus is still wary of his standing given that he still hopes the other Autobots are wary of him.
He could take a transport down to assist with the salvage, he supposes, if another strong back is needed for lifting. If no-one has a problem with his lending a hand.
He'll ask once the latest haul arrives on board. Which shouldn't take much longer, he notes after checking his chronometer. Jetfire, who sounds nothing like the former Decepticon Magnus knows, mentioned somewhere in his last, rambling transmission he wasn't too long out.
"…Just how many Jetfires are former Decepticons?" Magnus murmurs as he loosely crosses his arms, shifting from one foot to the other, thinking out loud for the sake of hearing something other than the chime of the bay doors reminding him they're still locked. It's a comforting sort of sound. Familiar. He's been acquainting himself with the Event Horizon as much as possible these past days; in a way, it's become his new city. A new start, something to which he can devote himself to protecting. Perhaps he'll redeem himself for his failures on Cybertron. Perhaps he won't. He won't know without trying, and he'll give everything he has if he must. He can do no less.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 4, 2010 22:03:21 GMT -5
Not far out now, indeed. In fact, the bay doors should be pinging with his entry code right about now! Magnus may even be able to hear the low, just-as-rambling-as-his-previous-radio-transmission muttering coming from the vast, predatory bi-- err.. Yeahno.
Sound doesn't carry in space? Pish posh! Grampa Blackbird is a law unto himself! If he wants to mutter to himself in space about how the ions feel good against his old joints and how youngsters these days just don't appreciate a good bit of calculated flying, and how he's going to stick the landing, by the Matrix, then he's going to! And the sound will carry! Don't ask how! You don't have the clearance for that!
Oh wait. Magnus may actually have the clearance for that.
Well, nevermind. It's all pointless conjecture by now anyway, since Jetfire has already cleared the open bay doors and is slowly drifting into position - slowly because he's got several odd cargo nets filled with charred bits of orange and yellow and grey mech parts carefully stowed inside dangling from his undercarriage.
And don't go asking how he managed to get off Pz-Zazz with all that strapped to him, either. He might answer, and, really, who honestly wants that?
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 4, 2010 22:21:44 GMT -5
Jetfire's verbose arrival doesn't garner much more than a quick upward twitch of one brow even as Ultra Magnus starts across the deck, getting straight to business.
"Do you have an estimate on how many more loads like this there are?" he asks as he starts pulling ties loose. The netting snaps tight around his hands as he pulls this first bundle free of Jetfire's fuselage; he just locks his grip to make sure the load doesn't get away from him as he walks it off to one side, clear of the landing zones, then sets it down. He rounds back to do it all over again without pausing any longer than it takes to peel his fingers free of the net.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 4, 2010 22:30:23 GMT -5
Cables and straps grate across Jetfire's wings as Magnus starts divesting him of his load. Briskly divesting him, even. Harumph. Kids these days. No appreciation for a bit of friendly chatter. Bah.
"Have'nae the faintest clue, lad," Jetfire replies, wings waggling just a little in something approximating an almost shrug as the white mech strides away with the first batch. "I'm a Seeker, nae a cargo drone. Welll, usually. Seem tae be doin' a fair bit o' a good impression o' a cargo drone t'dae, I s'pose. Tis good t' stretch the old wings, though." He gives an all over shudder, his hull plates rattling against themselves, and a few odds and bits clattering free.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 4, 2010 22:53:17 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus, unfortunately for Jetfire, still isn't terribly good at conversation. He's been trying to improve that. A little. Here and there. It's just… awkward.
"A Seeker…?" he echoes absently, not so much asking as simply filling the dead air, as he starts on the next load. Seekers must be very different things where Jetfire comes from. "Hn." This smaller batch of parts goes up on his shoulders and Magnus tugs the loose cables off Jetfire with the hand that isn't steadying the sack. He drags them over with the rest of the cargo.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 5, 2010 20:11:39 GMT -5
"Aye, a Seeker!" Jetfire agrees proudly. "Tasked by th' Primes themselves t' find new worlds!" To harvest, but everyone here has seemed so twitchy about that, so he'll... just leave that part off.
"Actually, speaking of Primes..."
"Anyone ever mention that ye've a vauge look about ye... like that wee Optimus lad. Or the images Perceptor an' th' others have shown me o' their own Primes..."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 5, 2010 22:17:16 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus falters mid-stride, recovering only when the sack of parts unbalances and starts shifting down his back. He lets it slide further before changing his grip on it, essentially dropping it halfway to the deck.
"It's… come up before," he admits stiffly and doesn't elaborate further. If anything, mentioning the Optimus Prime on board only makes it more awkward – that strange yet familiar young Autobot with the name of Magnus's commander but who reminds him far more of a young archivist he once knew. "So Seekers," Magnus begins, trying to steer the subject away from himself, "where you hail from, at least, in fact search out things. As opposed to Constructicons, who tend to destroy things when they aren't experimenting on themselves…." He pauses to sort out the mess of criss-crossed straps securing the next parcel. "…Or Stunticons, who spend too much time in lockup to do anything flashy."
When he finally gets one strap loose, it sets off a cascade effect, sending the rest of Jetfire's payload to the deck in one deafening crash. Magnus winces, then covers his optics with one hand and sighs, dragging his hand down his face in disgust with himself.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 5, 2010 22:46:13 GMT -5
Oooo, now not even Grampa Blackbird can miss that bit of trippage there. Almost as if Magnus here doesn't like being compared to the Primes! Now who wouldn't appreciate a compliment like-- ow.
Whelp, there goes the rest of the load. Good thing Omega wasn't in the best shape already, and Jetfire, too, even if he is in the best shape he's been in for... well... ages. He shudders, shaking off the feeling of that last cargo strap scraping across his wing as it had jerked free and snapped to release the whole load.
"Bah, last time I trust some squishy little fleshbag to 'check the load' during my pre-flight," he grumbles as he settles on the deck and starts to transform.
Starts, because, despite being in the best shape he's been in in ages, there's a few servos and gears that have suddenly chosen just this moment to act up and... well... stick. Like the whole cockpit array covering his optics. Oh, and one knee.
Jetfire staggers a little as he tries to get his knee to unlock, while at the same time slamming the palm of one hand against the panels on his head, trying to get them to slide back into their proper configuration. "Slagging, wretched... UNLOCK blast you!" he growls, giving his head a massive shake when the windows and panels finally slide free. "Bollocks," he adds as he whacks his cane across the glitching knee, grunting when it, too, finally releases.
The cane thumps down solidly on the deck as he leans on it, nodding as he answers, "Aye. We seek. Errr, rather, we sought. 'Til th' Fallen tried t' steal th' Matrix an' th' Primes sacrificed themselves t' keep it safe. Not much t' seek after tha'. S'pose there may still be one oir two out there; been out o' circulation fuir a long while. Never heard o' any 'Constructicons' or 'Stunticons' there, though. Tha's pro'lly changed, too." He shrugs and offers a grin, whiskers flicking.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 5, 2010 23:15:48 GMT -5
"I don't know if those groups are in every… er, reality." It still seems odd to think of other versions of the universe – such as a version where Cybertronians look eerily bare and skeletal, like the massive old mechanoid currently smashing his own forehead. Ultra Magnus stays right where he is, quite willing to shove the Seeker aside if the cargo is endangered, while Jetfire wobbles and staggers into mode; he doesn't even twitch a finger until that cane slams down and Jetfire stabilises himself. Then Magnus simply gets back to work. "But they're in mine."
He hauls up two lighter bundles in either hand and starts for the cargo area, and it takes far more effort to keep the bitterness from swallowing him. It still creeps into his voice.
"Primes do tend to throw themselves away like that," he says quietly.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 6, 2010 16:34:28 GMT -5
"Ah, aye. Coul--"
Jetfire jerks upright as if struck, a scowl pinching his features; yes, Magnus, he can look even less pleasant than before.
"Throw thems... I-- You--" The implied insult has Jetfire so worked up, he can't even wrestle his words into any sort of sense yet. He settles for an inarticulate growl of displeasure as he advances on Magnus menacingly.
"You've no idea what they were up against," he hisses lowly. "They didnae 'throw themselves away', ye gurt fool. Was the only way to keep the Fallen from getting the key to destroying Earth and every other world he cared to!" The hand not braced on his cane is clenching and unclenching as he struggles to reign in his temper.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 6, 2010 18:42:32 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus wordlessly sets down his load and just as silently goes to take up the next. He takes the time to settle it on his shoulder and shift his balance to carry it from the landing zone before he gives Jetfire a cold, sidelong look. There is real pain and anger behind his optics when he finally responds with his free hand tangled in the netting so he doesn't ball it into a fist.
"And my Prime was up against Megatron," he tells Jetfire. "To stop him, Prime pitched them both into the Space Bridge. It exploded and they vanished." He looks away and starts for the cargo area before adding, "We had to face the Fallen without him."
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 24, 2010 20:53:35 GMT -5
Jetfire's optics narrow as he watches Ultra Magnus struggle with himself, his own anger cooling to a slow simmer as he notes Magnus's pain. There's something more, something deeper than merely the dissapointment of having lost his Prime there. Something more personal. Something... sharper.
"You had t' face them without him," he guesses shrewdly. "It fell t' you."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 25, 2010 23:50:20 GMT -5
Here, Ultra Magnus falters again. He wasn't entirely truthful when he said "we"; he was actually, painfully absent from the battle with the Fallen for reasons he won't discuss with just anyone, much less the bizarre ex-Decepticon giving him a look that's far too canny. Everything after the Fallen was defeated fell on Magnus's less than capable shoulders.
"…You could say that," he finally answers.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Apr 27, 2010 17:22:59 GMT -5
"And then you had to face him," he adds, watching Magnus's expression carefully. The mask hides much, but the old Seeker is old and canny, if a bit batty at times.
No, he's not repeating his earlier queston. He'd asked about facing them, not him. Now to see if Magnus was paying attention enough to have caught that.
"And you didn't feel up to the task."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Apr 27, 2010 18:13:16 GMT -5
No answer for the old Blackbird is forthcoming; Ultra Magnus stares adamantly at the wall instead as he sets down his load and keeps silent. Any response he gives will only confirm Jetfire's suspicions now that he's already fumbled, he realises. Even the silence is more than enough answer.
Jetfire is frighteningly, infuriatingly correct, though. The first real challenge had been facing the Autobots knowing they expected someone other – someone greater than Ultra Magnus.
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