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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Sept 5, 2010 12:45:56 GMT -5
Day 15, Open, but takes place in private quarters on the Event Horizon.
The door to Spy Shot's assigned quarters slides open on his approach, the cheerful music from his transport ball filling the room. Rolling to a halt, the camera-bot is pleased to find the room occupied. He quickly parks his ball by the berth that is technically his and climbs out.
Placing his pincers on his hips, Spy Shot raises the volume of his voice and announces, "I will protect you when you are in need."
Though fairly loud, his declaration is made in a near-monotone.
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Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
Posts: 735
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Post by Nimbus Tsura on Sept 5, 2010 20:18:07 GMT -5
Skyblast is sprawled out on his berth in a position that looks extremely uncomfortable and slightly physically impossible. He's a sketching on a piece of blued steel with one of his feet, the sheet held pinned against the wall, upside-down by the wall.
He takes a moment to stare at Spy Shot 6. Is the kid kidding him? Does the kid even have a sense of humour? Skyblast finally settles on, "Uh, thanks? But you don't need to worry about me." He flashes Sky Shot 6 a grin. "In trouble is where I like it best."
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Post by Arcee (RotF) on Sept 5, 2010 21:51:10 GMT -5
Arcee rolls into the room face buried in a datapad, but if there’re any obstacles along the way to her berth, she’ll weave around them while still never looking up from her article.
She sits down on the edge, and lowers the pad for the moment. “Hi, Spy, hi, Sky! How’re you both doing?” She waves lightly to them both, smiling.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Sept 5, 2010 22:45:12 GMT -5
"I don't worry, but when you need it, I will protect you," Spy Shot says, giving Skyblast a determined nod. His attention turns to Arcee as she enters and after she sits down he begins to jog over to her.
"Hi, Arcee," he greets. "I am doing well. I will protect you when you are in need."
His protection, everyone must know they have it. He's never really had an important revelation about himself before, so he feels the need to share this one. Pay close attention, this is the closest Spy Shot is likely to get to showing excitement without someone dangling something especially pretty and colourful in front of him.
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Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
Posts: 735
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Post by Nimbus Tsura on Sept 6, 2010 8:39:42 GMT -5
The last thing Skyblast wants is people worrying about him, so when Spy Shot 6 says he doesn't worry, Skyblast says firmly, "Good."
Skyblast's not really sure about this whole protection when in need thing, though, so he asks, "What are you supposed to be protecting me from? Boredom?"
He cuts a glance over at the Arcee. Oh, the things a bored thrill-seeking artist could do with a camera and a motorcycle. Photography is so not Skyblast's medium, but playing around with different mediums can be fun. He answers Arcee, "Wondering if I'll come down with space madness from soaking unshielded rads in vacuum. Might liven things up a bit. You?"
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Post by Arcee (RotF) on Sept 6, 2010 16:38:43 GMT -5
Arcee sets her datapad aside before bending over and holding her hand out for Spy to climb up on, if he so chooses to.
Arcee gives a confused look at Skyblast before quirking an eyeridge at Spy Shot. “Oh?” “Just don’t get in over--just make sure you don’t take on more than you can handle, alright?” she says gently, hopefully sparing the camera of having to figure out how he could literally get in over his head.
She shoots Spy shot a slightly wry grin. “Besides, if I can’t watch my own back, especially nowadays, I’d really have to question my ability to take care of myself.” Or selves, as it were. “What brought this on, anyway?”
“If you do start to get more ‘lively’” and here she makes air quotes with her free hand, “and start talking to the furniture and such, I’ll be sure to document it. For science.” And not at all for her own personal amusement, never. Arcee is the picture of innocence! Which is why she’s grinning, now. She does feel sorry for Skyblast being couped up on the ship. “Is there anything you want me to get you?” She does have her own ideas, but it’s best to keep them secret for now.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Sept 7, 2010 18:37:01 GMT -5
Spy Shot climbs onto Arcee's hand - it's almost an automatic reaction to being presented with a palm at this point - but divides his attention equally between Skyblast and her, his head swiveling back and forth at regular intervals.
"Will you die from boredom?" he asks Skyblast. "Because if you will then I will protect you from it. Otherwise I will keep you from getting caught by Decepticons-" He pauses for a moment, then adds, "Or humans. And if you are captured I will free you. I will not let you die."
His gaze rests on Arcee for a slightly longer interval as he begins to address her questions. "I will not. I do not intend to get captured or die, either." Looking especially stern and determined, he continues, "I have realized that it is my duty as an Autobot to protect those in need. Also, that I would miss any Autobots that I know if they died."
Personal information, he will spill it all to any Autobot who will listen.
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Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
Posts: 735
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Post by Nimbus Tsura on Sept 7, 2010 20:27:18 GMT -5
"Death from boredom is just a figure of speech, Spy Shot 6, though there's probably some weird space disease that'll turn boredom lethal," Skyblast replies, smiling faintly. "Though I wouldn't be too concerned about that. But uh.... what brought this urge on, anyway?"
He looks over at Arcee and asks, "Well, Miss Science Division, do you have any idea why when the Allspark makes Transformers offworld it leaves out all the function libraries on social relations and colloquial speech?"
Skyblast twists himself around so that he's more or less sitting normally on his berth, and he rubs his chin. "There's a lot of things I'd like out of you, Arcee, but most of them end in me getting a restraining order."
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Post by Arcee (RotF) on Sept 9, 2010 3:49:11 GMT -5
"Spy Shot," she says firmly, making sure she has his attention, "nobody ever intends to get captured, unless--" 'Unless you're name was Breakaway and you let yourself get caught because you aimed to misbehave,' comes the painful thought, but she doesn't miss a beat, "--there's a reason for it. Nobody ever intends on dying, either. But trust me, both cases can and do happen. Often, despite intentions. If they didn't, nobody would ever die or get captured in war." The latter is a sore point for her, especially. One capture was one too many for Arcee, but she's had repeat experiences, to her very incredible annoyance and shame. Of course, the second time it happened, she tried to make the best of it, and does get a kick out of kicking Decepticon aft with their own technology, but it doesn't erase the helplessness she felt, not knowing what was going to happen to her when she was a mad science experiment made to be turned loose against her comrades, her friends.
Waking up to see her broken, lifeless body on a table still haunts her.
No, Arcee can say, without a doubt, that she did not intend for any of that to happen, but it still did.
When Skyblast asks his question, she looks back at him with a small grin. She's still thinking about her failures--having three heads made it very difficult to completely distract her from her thoughts--but she's glad that she has something else to occupy her mind, as well.
“Because, Mister Security Smartaft,” she replies matter-of-factly, setting her hand down on her berth so Spy can get off, “toasters and vending machines come up just a bit short in the protoform department.” she says, bringing a finger and her thumb close together. Her tone, sarcastic just a moment ago becomes a lot more studious as she continues, “There isn’t any sort of base programming in Allspark mutations to act as a buffer in creation. When we’re sparked, there is a varying, yet undeniable, understanding of where we are, what we are, who we are, and why we're here.” Arcee ticks off her fingers with each point. They were born fully-formed from the brain, so to speak. “Not to mention how to communicate with one another. Remove that buffer and all the fine trimmings, and all that’s left is pure, chaotic instinct. One quality that's found in countless beings regardless of complexity or origin is survival. Being...torn into existence would be an understandably tramautic experience without groundwork, if you think about it. Especially when you don't know what can or can't, will or won't hurt you, everything will be seen as a threat." she leans forward, and makes an excited gesture with her hand, smiling away. She's on a roll here, and she's loving it.
"And that's just it--it doesn't occur to many people to think about it. We just accept it, and go on with our lives. It just is." It was a completely natural and deeply-ingrained truth for their species, and the only reason why Arcee has a basis for comparison at all is because she's been to other planets and observed and documented their development and growth, which was, at the time, surprisingly--and fascinatingly--not always instantaneous. Alien biology has always interested her. The universe was an infinitely vast place that had all sorts of different things and people one could learn about--you'd never come up short. And, in the process, you could learn more about what you were as a species by learning about what you weren't. Oh, she was getting on a tangent, wasn't she?
Coming back down to...the ship, she supposes, Arcee glances at the camera as she lightly bites on her thumb in thought. That, hopefully, answers the sky painter's question when speaking inclusively, but she doesn't know what, in turn, makes Spy Shot different from all the ferals she's heard about from her comrades. He's not rabid at all. She understands why they had to be destroyed, but she can't help but wonder if they would, perhaps, mellow out overtime, calming their primal urges and instincts as they further interact with their environment. All of the mutations were destroyed, so nothing would ever be conclusive. Shame.
"Basically, it's like an incomplete puzzle: you've have a good idea what the picture's going to be, but it's still not all there." Maybe it would never be. "Some set of circumstances decided that this would be enough, and ran with it. It's very bare struts."
The moment "out of you" hits her audios, Arcee begins to clear her throat rather loudly, hopefully drowning the sky painter out. "AHEM. Skyblast," the huntress smiles. Hard, unmoving, obviously fake, and yet dangerously all at once, "that wasn't what I asked." she says the rest through her teeth while inclining her head ever so slightly at Spy. He doesn't seem to grasp the concept of discretion, and discussing anything of that nature while he's around is an embarrassing anecdote waiting to happen. Since the camerabot is in the room, though, Arcee's also trying to set a good example. By not feeding Skyblast her datapad.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Sept 9, 2010 11:08:47 GMT -5
Spy Shot nods and makes a mental note not to be concerned about lethal forms of boredom. Then tilts his head at Skyblast and repeats, "I have realized that it is my duty as an Autobot to protect those in need. Also, that I would miss any Autobots that I know if they died." That's all he's getting out of the camera-bot unless he feels like asking more specific question.
At his name, Spy Shot turns his attention to Arcee again. When she finishes, he says, "I know." He's seen his fair share of Transformers - feral though they may have been - die, considering his age, because they hadn't been able to escape, and given how hard they fought he never thought that any of them intended for that to happen. "But that's why I must protect people in need. Because sometimes they cannot protect themselves, despite intentions."
Spy Shot hasn't actually missed Arcee's point, he's just been distracted by a shinier point.
Climbing off Arcee's hand as she sets it down, he briefly considers sitting next to her. Instead he soon finds himself off exploring her berth, giving the conversation a small portion of his attention. It isn't until what Arcee is saying strikes a chord of familiarity in him that he looks up from his investigations. Wait, they are talking about him and those like him, aren't they? (Skyblast's question didn't tip him off, because as far as he's concerned Earth isn't 'offworld'.)
He drifts back towards the edge of the berth, nodding slightly as she explains the difference between other Transformers (NBEs, he supposes) and ones like himself. It makes sense and sounds about right based on his own experiences, but... "I am an Allspark mutation?"
Skyblast and Arcee's final exchange goes right over his head.
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Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
Posts: 735
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Post by Nimbus Tsura on Sept 9, 2010 11:21:09 GMT -5
Skyblast points out, "C'mon, we can't have been protoforms all the way back, unless there was a third party that made the first protoforms, which the Allspark then used to make the first us." Skyblast does not know the mythology of how the first Primes came to be and then beseeched workers of a different, lesser species from the Allspark to serve them. He has a fuzzy idea that there was some Dynasty of Primes that was important for some reason, but that's it. "Really. Either there was a third party to make the first protoforms, or the first of us were Allspark mutations, who became civilised somehow and then made protoforms for some reason."
Skyblast smirks at Arcee's reaction to his rather bad pick-up line, and he points out, "Innocence is overrated."
He explains to Spy Shot 6 thoughtfully, "Life's not always that simple. What if there was a situation where there were two people in need, and you could only save one? What if someone was pretending to be in need to trick you and really wanted to do your loved ones harm? But yeah, I suppose you're an Allspark mutation. That's what we call Transformers from our reality who were not made on Cybertron."
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Post by Arcee (RotF) on Sept 9, 2010 17:27:39 GMT -5
Arcee smiles when Spy explores her berth.
Arcee chuckles and tilts her head at Spy, elaborating, "What Skyblast means, I think, is that this is the first we're hearing of this from you, Spy. We've never heard you say anything like this before today. It's a noble realization, definitely, but something must have helped you realize it in the first place. What did?"
"Maybe. Either case is plausible. Maybe the puzzle would have completed itself overtime, but we may never know, now." Pursuing the unknown and putting their history together, slowly, but surely was once exciting and fulfilling, but having destroyed their home and any chance of getting a better idea was yet another source of great frustration and sadness brought on by the war. They're a dying species who still don't entirely know where they came from. She'll never forget the moment she and her team found that relic. They were onto something big, maybe the key to everything, she just knew it!
She worries for the camerabot, but it does warm her spark a bit to hear him say that.
Arcee snorts before pressing her lips together in a thin line. //Innocence is probably underrated in this case. If this is anything to go by, any time he learns something big, he'll tell it to everybody within audioshot.// Hopefully, she doesn't need to spell out why this would be a Bad Thing.
She goes back to looking at the camerabot, curious as to what he'll say in reply.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Sept 11, 2010 10:49:53 GMT -5
"Rodimus Prime," Spy Shot says simply in answer to Arcee's first question.
He doesn't really have anything to say about the creation of NBEs. It's certainly beyond his range of knowledge! So instead of thinking of anything to say, he decides Arcee is interesting enough to explore and attempts to scale her lap. Personal boundaries, he still hasn't developed a sense of them.
Skyblast's questions require a more thought, and Spy Shot mulls over the scenarios. Unfortunately, they're rather vague scenarios and he doesn't really have the imagination to fill in the holes and come to a solid conclusion. For now, he answers, "I do not know what I would do. I suppose it would depend on the situation."
He has to frown slightly at one of the concepts brought up by the scenarios, though. People can make it seem like they're in need but not really be? But people in need are in need, and people who aren't are not, so how could someone who wasn't in need be in need? Or... appear to be in need, he supposes. Because what he sees and hears isn't always the truth? Mental sigh. Dishonesty has to be one of the hardest concepts for him to grasp.
"How do you tell the difference between someone who is need and someone who isn't in need if someone who isn't in need can appear to be in need?" Sometimes Spy Shot thinks concisely. Sometimes... not so much.
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Nimbus Tsura
Major
Secretary to Mr. Breakaway
Sky-Painter Extraordinaire
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Post by Nimbus Tsura on Sept 11, 2010 16:23:08 GMT -5
Skyblast replies to Arcee, "I'd say Spy Shot 6 is a point in favour of the first generation learning civilisation on their own and protoforms coming later, but... with no one around to make vehicles for us to scan, I wonder what the first generation turned into. Rocks?"
Flaming death space chickens would not be his first guess.
Sounding slightly annoyed, he replies to her more privately, as well, //Allspark, Arcee! We're in a war. If he's old enough to fight and die - and by default, he is, since we're in a war - he's old enough to love and be loved. If he finds someone who is into the really literal and really tiny thing, I don't see why they shouldn't hook up and be happy together. He should at least know the option is out there, even if he's not interested.//
He nods to Spy Shot 6, "Context is important. As for how you tell the fakers from the real deal... eesh, that's hard. You have to look for things that don't make sense about the scenario, and sometimes, you just have to go with your intuition. Like say you run into a Transformer that looks injured. You've never met him before. He claims he needs help. Maybe he does. On the other hand, maybe he's a Decepticon with a gun behind his back, waiting for you to get close enough to murder you. If he seems like he's hiding something, or the energon splatter pattern doesn't look right, or he seems more mobile than his supposed injuries would let him be, those might be signs that he might be trying to trick you for some reason. Or maybe someone tells you that he wants to transfer a lot of energon to your account, but you need to give him some energon first - he's probably just trying to trick you out of your energon and will never give you the big sum he promised."
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Post by Arcee (RotF) on Sept 18, 2010 21:16:41 GMT -5
Arcee snorts in good humour, before replying in kind, "I have to wonder if transformation is inherent, a product of evolution, or invented by later generations." Necessity begets invention, after all, and what she's read in the database has made her ponder other parallels between universes. Though, as far as she knows, they didn't need alternate as a means of stealth in war.
Arcee fights to keep her own annoyance to a minimum. Like she hasn't noticed. //I'm not saying he can't, or shouldn't, Skyblast. Allspark knows I'll be happy for him if he does, but I just think he should develop a stronger sense of, well, everything basic that comes easy to the rest of us. Maybe he already likes somebody romantically, but if he doesn't, you're going to have to explain the difference between platonic and romantic love, why and how it's different from how he feels about his friends right now, and why he may or may not want to get closer with them, among other things. It'll be a lot harder without some kind of basis for comparison.// Love can be complicated enough as it is!
She giggles and twitches slightly before looking down. "Ah--you know, Spy, you really should ask permission before you go scaling people like that. I don't mind, but some people might feel uncomfortable with it and don't want you touching or exploring them at all." Although asking "May I please climb all over you." would be strange, to say the least.
She sighs audibly over the radio, conceding, //Though if there's anything at all I've learned in life, it's that it won't wait for you to be prepared before throwing something at you.// Funny how that works for both love and war.
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