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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jul 22, 2010 11:27:44 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime's antennae are laid back as far as they can go, his optics narrowed to thin slits. Then, all at once, an easy-going pose and expression come over him, and he rubs the back of his helmet absently, looking at his free hand idly. Then, grinning, he turns to Botanica and spreads his hands wide. His tone of voice is the most respectful thing ever heard, and if one didn't listen closely to his words, well, they wouldn't sound a thing like what he's actually saying, which is, "Ma'am, with all due respect, you don't have the context. Anything is going to sound absurd in a vacuum. You weren't protoformed in my reality, but if you had been, well... my Botanica is a botanist, too... and a member of our High Council, y'know, the body that sets down the rules and policies that all Autobots follow."
There's ever so slight a cutting edge to that smile, a hard glint in his blue optics. "The reasons behind the use of powers are cultural and deeply engrained, but I guess it's okay for you to make fun of my culture and history, ma'am, and tell me I'm wrong, because I'm an elitist, and you're... oh, right, so much morally better than I am because your reality turned out a bit differently, and you would have never gone along with anything so horrible as turning down ranged firepower or allowing Sentinels if you'd been built in my reality... except you did."
"I've had to put aside a lot of pieces of my culture and adapt just to get used to this reality, but that's all right, ma'am. I'm a Transformer. I'll suck it up and change. You know, they train us all to be xenophobes and organophobes?" Sentinel Prime is at least shrewd enough to know that there's some doubletalk and hypocrisy going on, probably to keep Autobots from becoming too interested in exploration and by proxy conquest, since Ultra Magnus himself has been known, off the record, to train with alien species to improve his martial prowess. The idea gives Sentinel Prime the willies, but he's liar enough to see he's being misled. "Yeah. Protocol dictates that I shouldn't get within a nano-klick of you, and I'd still have to decontam, anyway, but I don't think you'd appreciate me treating you that way. We are, after all, all Transformers here. So I've put my culture aside and been polite as I can to you Maximals, ma'am. Silly me for thinking the favour might be returned."
Go ahead, brig him. He's sick of being sneered at for coming from such a 'backwards' reality, when they all look like lunatics to him.
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Post by Impactor/"Imp" on Jul 22, 2010 19:38:01 GMT -5
"That would be... Long Haul the Constructibot, right?" Impactor asks, warily. "So, what, you're telling me he isn't a burnout, either?" He pauses. "So is he a hippie or not?"
The scanners suggest that Impactor's brain module is having a hard time recognizing the new parts as actually belonging to him, so it isn't routing enough of his heavily compromised self-repair system to actually settle those new parts in. It's not quite so bad that the parts might as well be sitting on a shelf, unused, but they're still not fully functioning as a cohesive, living whole. It's almost as though he doesn't have a self-repair system at all.
He doesn't comment one way or another at Botanica's rant, but Sentinel Prime's elicits a quiet 'heh.' "Actually, he's right about one thing. I am a brute." Okay, Sentinel didn't call him a brute, but it implied that everyone who uses ranged firepower is, which leaves him to add, muttering, "Although I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm willing to use ranged firepower." Louder, he continues, "One of the many advantages about being a brute is that I don't give a damn about 'cultural sensitivity', or whatnot. If someone has a problem with working with a brute, that's whose problem it is - theirs. Not mine. And if I think something's stupid, I'm going to say it's stupid. And I still think making dumb living weapons of mass destruction sounds stupid. I know it wasn't your idea, I don't care. I still think it sounds stupid."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 22, 2010 20:23:01 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron observes mildly, "I don't suppose you ever reformatted a whole planet without the consent of the inhabitants, Sentinel Prime?" his gaze sliding sidelong to Botanica. Then, he throws his hands up in the air and grumbles, "I have no idea what's with that! If Optimus Prime had died on me, I would have at least taken the Matrix and looked for the next Prime before jettisoning the body into space." Emirate Xaaron has the uncomfortable sensation that he's seeing a younger version of himself here, but no... if he'd been made in Sentinel Prime's reality, he has the even more uncomfortable feeling that he might well have been a Decepticon. He murmurs quietly, "Hmm. Your track record here leaves an awful lot to be desired, but I think I finally see how you earned that rank in your home reality." Sentinel Prime's not stupid then - he's a pretty cunning manipulator, in fact, albeit he seems to let his emotions rule his judgement to an unacceptable degree, and there's that whole problem with the xenophobia. Better watch him and make sure he doesn't get up to anything untoward. More loudly and animatedly, Emirate Xaaron explains, "Okay, so imagine if Bludgeon was a Stryker Armoured Vehicle and actually knew when to shut up." Being his annoying personal space-invading self, he tries to pull up Wreckage's file in the database on Impactor's monitor. "That's Wreckage. Kup took him on solo. So don't call Kup a hippie unless you're looking for a fight." Emirate Xaaron expects that Impactor still might, but he can't say Emirate Xaaron didn't warn him, now.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Jul 23, 2010 14:28:44 GMT -5
Botanica's head is tilted down, and her attention on her readings when Xaaron makes that too-knowing and too-mild comment. Without moving her head, she cuts her eyes up and over at the Emirate.
Sentinel's comments and attitude touches a nerve because Botanica herself used to hold similar attitudes. She almost lost her friends, and by default all of Cybertron, because she felt herself above such things as war. Yet, of all of the reformatted Maximals (that we see onscreen anyway) she has one of the more deadly and dangerous attacks, her form the most versatile, one strong enough that even her fellows were a bit cowed by it.
Her ability still unsettles her, time to time.
"Context... context is a very important thing," she says, tone a shade milder. She doesn't look at Sentinel, instead casting her eyes back down at her readings. "But context, tradition, and conditioning do not excuse refusing to evolve when circumstances dictate the need. Especially when the choice is evolve or watch your loved ones devoured or suborned."
"You have been attempting to be tolerant, yes, and that is to be commended, but you have not actually considered reexamining your conditioning. You may not be able to do so for various reasons, and that I understand. But do not expect someone to simply accept your censure, or the rightness of your people's actions, anymore than you should blindly accept another's censure."
Finally she looks up again, but this time it is at Impactor.
"You are going to be in here a lot, I'm afraid."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jul 23, 2010 15:43:24 GMT -5
Talk of Constructibots and burnouts and whatnot mostly goes over Sentinel Prime's head. One optic narrows and the other one widens as Emirate Xaaron asks him about reformatting planets and Botanica gives Emirate Xaaron that look. Hmm, what's up with that? Sentinel Prime stiffens and straightens, and he replies, "No, sir, to the best of my knowledge, we didn't do any planet-scale reformatting without consent."
Just experimenting on injured miners and stuff like that.
Impactor continues to beat up the horsepower rating of a dead engine, so Sentinel Prime clamps a hand to the side of his own helmet and gestures with his other hand, offering, "Look, you're a straight shooter. I see that. Let me get you a cube in the mess when the medics let you out of here, and you can tell me how your Wreckers are, since I told you mine."
The man is dead, but he's got not one but two officers fussing over him, and he's an alternate of the guy that trained Sentinel Prime's Ultra Magnus. Might be worth getting on his good side. Might be worth getting on anyone's good side, given his track record here.
He smiles back at Botanica, just a bit of a smirk in the expression. Sister, if she'd walked a half a mile in his boots? She'd wake up screaming over spiders, too, and be grabbing for the sanitiser spray so hard she'd have whiplash. With cheer realistic enough that even Sentinel Prime almost believes it, he answers, "Good enough for me, ma'am."
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Post by Impactor/"Imp" on Jul 23, 2010 16:51:31 GMT -5
Impactor stares up at Emirate Xaaron. "Wait, Optimus's dead?!" He pauses. "Is that why the Matrix Flame went out?" He grunts and starts to sit up enough to pull the screen back towards him. "Wait, think I saw something about this in the files..." Before he manages to pull up what he'd remembered, though, Xaaron has brought up Wreckage's file instead. He looks it over and smirks.
"We still only got Kup's own word and that... one bladey guy's that this Wreckage is all that tough," he points out, but a slight smirk shows that he might be kidding.
He looks up at Sentinel. Sentinel's... slick, and Impactor was never a fan of slick. The way he clashes with Emirate Xaaron is evidence of that. Still, he's gotta be here, so he might as well give the kid a chance. "Eh, sure," he says, shrugging, as he goes to pull back up the file on his own reality.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 23, 2010 19:41:05 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron smiles lopsidedly back at Botanica. Who, me?
He explains patiently, "Yes, Optimus Prime died. In my timeline, he was resurrected. In Rodimus Prime's timeline, he died a different time and stayed dead, and Hot Rod became the next Prime, as Sentinel Prime passed the Matrix to Optimus Prime," he looks over up and over at Sentinel Prime, "But not that Sentinel Prime."
He rubs the back of his helmet and admits, because Impactor is not going to take this well, and he doesn't want Impactor taking it out on anyone else, "The first time, anyway, Optimus Prime committed suicide over a video game."
Yes, moronic weapons of mass destruction are stupid, but so is this.
"But that's not why the Matrix Flame went out. It went out because Optimus Prime was displaced from reality by time travellers."
Oh, that makes so much more sense, right?
And wait, is Sentinel Prime trying to chat up Impactor? Emirate Xaaron frowns, and for a brief moment, he consider putting Sentinel Prime back in charge of Jetfire and Jetstorm, if only to keep him distracted enough that he won't get up to shenanigans. But that's a terrible idea. Isn't it?
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Jul 24, 2010 13:50:21 GMT -5
If Botanica had an internal radio, and could keep such conversations private, she would... probably just get into another argument. And she's really, really tired of arguing, especially with Emirate Xaaron. She really does respect the man, and she wishes the two of them didn't seem to automatically cause sparks when ever they are in the same room.
Hmph. Reminds her of how she and Rattrap used to be, actually.
She sighs. "I'm going to have to talk with Perceptor. There has to be some way to make new parts take a bit better." She glances back at Xaaron. She wants to talk to the Emirate about this zombie business...later! She's too tired right now.
"You'll probably be cleared in a day or two to be out and about. We'll try to make it sooner rather than later. In the meantime...," she rubs her forehead, "in the meantime, my frequency is <numbers>. If you notice something unusual, please let me know."
"Emirate, if you don't have anything for me at the moment, I'm going to retire to the biosphere. You'll probably want a report on the past few days, if Rodimus hasn't all ready given one, I know. I'm just... exceptionally exhausted right now."
OOC: Impactor can make other threads whenever he feels like it, of course, and assume he's been cleared. Botanica will be out of thread on her next post, unless Xaaron or someone else requires something of her.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Jul 24, 2010 14:33:18 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime was pretty happy when his Optimus Prime died, even though he had to pretend he wasn't to deliver the eulogy. If only the fellow had stayed dead or not arrived here alive from before he died! Seems Optimus Primes have as problem with staying dead, but they don't come back as death metal zombies. At the mention that Emirate Xaaron's Optimus Prime committed suicide over a video game, Sentinel Prime tries so very hard to be good, but he can't suppress a single, "Heh," though he covers his mouth. Who comes from the stupid reality now, Impactor? He tries to give Impactor a pat on the non-weapon-y shoulder and promises, "I'll catch you in the mess sometime, then, buddy." Snapping off a crisp salute to the officers, he excuses, "Anyway, break's over. I got pilot watch. You catch some defragmentation cycles, eh, ma'am? Can't have our resident gilded lily wilting." That said, Sentinel Prime turns on his heel and is off. - - - OOC: Out of thread unless stopped.
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Post by Impactor/"Imp" on Jul 24, 2010 19:58:33 GMT -5
Impactor groans and covers his face with the palm of his hand as Emirate Xaaron describes the hi-jinks to have gone on in his own reality. Of course, just because he's willing to admit that home can be stupider doesn't mean he'll be retracting that comment about dumb living weapons being stupid anytime soon. "All right, all right," he grunts. "I guess I'll get back to getting caught up, since there's a damned lot to get caught up on." He looks up and nods as Botanica mentions trying to get him out sooner than a couple of days, although he can't be managed to look thrilled about it. She did also say he'll be in there a lot, after all. When she provides her frequency though, he snorts. "'Anything unusual'? Listen, that'd be about everything that I've been through since I came back to myself in Kalis." He shrugs. "I'll try, but I'm still working out what counts as 'unusual' right now, anyway." That last statement rather conveniently works for both his own specific condition and the larger circumstances that they're all in. At Sentinel's parting gesture, he gives an absent nod without looking up. "Yeah, sure," he mutters, going back to his reviews. OOC: Not going anywhere anytime soon, and therefore still in thread until fade-out.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jul 24, 2010 20:47:42 GMT -5
Rats, buzzards... perhaps Botanica just has a thing for vermin.
Emirate Xaaron ignores Sentinel Prime's amusement. He waves to Botanica as she goes, saying absently, "Primus be with you, Botanica."
Then, he grins over at Impactor and notes casually, "And that's just starting with what happened in our reality. Then there are all the other parent realities, and in this reality... oh, we ran into a mirror universe where the Decepticons were good and the Autobots were evil." He pauses, expression sour. "My alternate was a simpering coward."
Emirate Xaaron wonders if his alternate pushed the alternate Impactor into the shot, and his hands twitch.
But just think, Impactor, Emirate Xaaron is totally going to sit enough here and talk about completely nonsensical things in deadpan fashion until he either has a shift to pull, a crisis comes up, or Impactor gets better. Get better fast, Impactor!
OOC: Fade out after Botanica leaves?
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Jul 24, 2010 22:15:01 GMT -5
Botancia nods her head in recognition of Xaaron's words.
"And with you Emirate."
She mutters under breath as she leaves, "Not that He ever really leaves either one of us alone."
Out and go fade go!
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