Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on Aug 11, 2009 19:17:52 GMT -5
Magnus gives Rodimus a cold and weary look; he expected this line of questioning and resents it all the same – resents that sentiment of Shockwave's especially.
"Shockwave is deluded if he thinks he owns me," he growls. "I… uhh…." His optics flicker to black for an instant. "…I wasn't part of the Ark's crew. I remained on Cybertron; Shockwave stayed, too. After – after the Great Shutdown, he founded… joint government." Magnus's optics darken again, this time because he shuts them off briefly, and a shudder runs through his frame as Rodimus finds something especially raw and pain skates across his circuits. He hardly even notices Perceptor's work after that. "…Autobot council," Magnus continues, returning his gaze to the ceiling. "Made me chief of security. He – they – declared the war over." The look in his optics grows distant, his voice faint. He still remembers the declaration. He still remembers how it felt to have that burden lifted from his shoulders after too long.
He remembers feeling at ease for the first time in aeons and rejoicing in it.
"…I wanted peace," he admits quietly in both anger and sorrow for only the second time. "Wanted… I wanted it to be real. And it wasn't."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 11, 2009 22:10:56 GMT -5
That last part sounds entirely too familiar. After all, that was how he lost Cybertron.
If Rodimus is being watched, the expression of... recognition he wears for a moment is unmistakable. He looks down, finishing the clean-up of the wound, and begins the first gentle repairs.
"I... understand," he says, tone sincere and sympathetic.
He continues to work in silence for awhile longer, then goes on, "But you didn't explain what cued you in."
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Post by Perceptor on Aug 12, 2009 21:38:52 GMT -5
Probably Shockwave. Perceptor manages to keep that thought to himself, though, as he works his way through the slides, one by one. (Best not to ask how a microscope is loading his own specimen tray. It's cartoon-physics.) Perceptor is still rather bitterly (one might almost call it biasedly) certain that Shockwave is somehow to blame for disaffecting Ultra Magnus.
Except that it just doesn't seem quite... right that the conniving Decepticon would throw away a useful tool so easily. Even if it does sound like that so-called tool is worn enough to break at the moment.
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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 Aug 13, 2009 7:54:09 GMT -5
"That…." Magnus pauses and cycles air, mostly to split his concentration before thinking about it gets him into a rage again. "…As security chief, it was my responsibility to apprehend… war criminals," he says slowly. His duty to Cybertron was to keep its peace and that duty had pitted him against his former comrades. His own brother. Despite knowing they were anything but criminals. It still stings. "Those the council – Shockwave – declared enemies of the peace. The resistance cells on Cybertron… the ones that were on Earth… all of them. So I went. I – I tried to make a case for the Autobots. I swore that they would be under my supervision once we returned… that I would be accountable for them. What they did. I took it directly to Shockwave and… he agreed."
A faint rattling noise strikes up as Magnus's hands begin to shake against the table. He's fighting not to ball them both into fists.
"But when I brought them home–" His optics narrow. "On the way, I reported the mission status. Shockwave… changed the terms of the agreement," he grinds out in a furious rumble. "Declared they were too great a risk. Ordered them… deactivated upon arrival. I refused to let it go that far – kept them isolated. Went to the council. Went to Shockwave when they refused to act…." Magnus is drawn so taut from head to toe that the brace in his neck crackles with the way he clenches his jaw. "…I wouldn't let him keep dodging my questions. Wasn't going to… rrh– take the same scrap for an answer. When I turned my back–"
The brace snaps and Magnus crumples back to the table, limbs going slack, optics nearly flickering out. They remain dim even when he speaks again, voice tight with pain.
"…He shot me." His voice wavers as he goes on, tangled with uncertainty of his own memories after the blast tore into him. "Stepped over me… left me there. I don't know how, but… I stayed online until Prime got there…." And forgave me in spite of everything I'd done. "Then there was… nothing."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 13, 2009 11:06:45 GMT -5
The answer not only addresses Rodimus's question, it helps fill in other details as well. Some of them, he knew thanks to the reports they had received, but it's important for the other Autobots to understand why they're being so cautious, so guarded with this Ultra Magnus. Not only did he used to work for Shockwave, he hunted other Autobots for Shockwave. The Autobots will tend to his physical state, will give him the opportunity to make good on his mistakes, but caution is more than justified.
When the brace snaps, Rodimus does not move suddenly. Instead, he swiftly ties up what he is doing, continuing to work with in his not-neat-but-effective style, the style of a gifted but self-taught field-tech rather than a than a trained or studied specialist. Then, as soon as he can remove attention from the wound he had been tending to, he straightens, moves about the table, still working to stay out of Perceptor's way, then leans over and examines the neck wound.
"I'm not going to bring you down for this, but I'm going to have to take most of your motor and sensory functions off-line." The later is probably a blessing, but oh, poor Magnus, he'll still have to deal with Rodimus's questioning!
"So. You used to hunt Autobots for Shockwave," he states, tone strangely soft and almost... gentle. It is not an accusation, but a statement. As Rodimus speaks, he works, now working on Ultra Magnus's neck. He lifts a hand to forestall protests, "I realize you probably thought you were doing it for Cybertron." Then he gets back to work. "Believe me, I can understand deluding yourself in the hope for peace," his tone turns bitter, and for a moment, there's an angry edge to them. "But if you've finally opened your eyes, it's time to keep them open and face what you were really doing, not what you thought you were doing."
"So what about the Decepticons on Earth? You've only mentioned the Autobots so far."
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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 Aug 16, 2009 0:12:46 GMT -5
OOC: Skipping Perceptor due to time-out/by player request.
Ultra Magnus would nod if he could, but not only can't he nod, he doesn't imagine Rodimus would appreciate it. He makes a noise of assent instead, coupled with a flicker of his optics. Putting himself that much at a disadvantage no doubt looks stupid. It is stupid, no less so because these are Autobots; he was in Shockwave's service, after all.
"I know what I did," Magnus says quietly and with just as much bitterness as Rodimus. Too much time trying to play the political game. Too long accustomed to dressing up his words, too long believing he was doing the right thing even though it left a foul taste in his mouth.
Consistency. Habit. It comes to him so easily. He'd just as soon go back to leaving the talking for those who know how to do it.
"The Decepticons…." His gaze unfocuses. "Shockwave arrested them himself. He sent me for the Autobots because… I was the right tool for the job." And perhaps because Shockwave just wanted to see Magnus squirm.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 16, 2009 1:00:03 GMT -5
"Good," said softly, is Rodimus's only response when Magnus states that he knows what he did.
He works in silence for awhile longer, carefully rewelding support and resoldering cables as he mentally chews over what Ultra Magnus just said about the Decepticons. Finally, he asks, "Do you know what he did with them?"
Such questions about Ultra Magnus's home reality might seem unimportant here, but it's important to Rodimus due to the insights they offer of Shockwave himself, a current and very real threat to them in the here and now. Rodimus is betting that they were somehow seen as less of a 'threat to the peace' than the Autobots. More trainable and more controllable (except perhaps Megatron and, if Shockwave is smart, Starscream). He needs to see how close his predictions are.
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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 Aug 16, 2009 20:21:59 GMT -5
Magnus has to think about that question for a moment.
"…I was still on deployment," he finally says, frowning. "Securing the Autobots. And I wasn't told what exactly happened to the Decepticons that were arrested, though I can… make an educated guess." His tone grows spiteful and if he still had his full motor functions, he'd be clenching his fists again. "Had their medical needs seen to, like I… tried to do. Given the downloads necessary to catch up on our history, the new laws in place… equipped with energy transfer modules – everything they'd need to rejoin society. It's what the Autobots were supposed to have received once I got them back to Cybertron."
In retrospect, Magnus should have known better. But he'd so wanted the peace. He'd wanted to bring that peace to his fellow Autobots, relieve them of the need to keep fighting a war that didn't have to carry on any longer. Wilful stupidity on his part, and that peace had shattered once Optimus was free and united the resistance cells. It's a miracle Megatron wasn't there to add to the chaos.
That thought makes Magnus pause, scowling suspiciously. Did Shockwave eliminate Megatron?
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 17, 2009 8:32:03 GMT -5
Rodimus inclines his head faintly in acknowledgement of Magnus's words, carefully hiding just how impressed he is with Ultra Magnus's ability to scowl without a mouth. Woah! He falls silent for awhile, working carefully, and if he's not completely gentle, nor is he particularly ungentle. After awhile, satisfied that Ultra Magnus's head isn't going to fall off (which is fortunate, since they have no little men available to stuff into it), he wipes the area clean and returns to work on the larger wound in the white mechanoid's side.
It's only after he's resettled and working when Rodimus finally asks his next question.
"So, why were you an Autobot in the first place, anyway?"
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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 Aug 20, 2009 8:48:55 GMT -5
Briefly, Ultra Magnus looks at Rodimus as if to ask what inspired such a stupid question. But, he realises, stifling a sigh and looking again at the ceiling, it's probably reasonable. Somewhat. In some world or another. Perhaps not terribly unreasonable for his own, he decides when he thinks of one or two particularly… flexible allegiances.
"Because the Decepticons were terrorists," he says, voice a little more gravelly with the fatigue that keeps creeping up on him, once Rodimus finishes work on his neck. It feels leagues better than the deliberately haphazard patch job Shockwave had given him. "Thugs with firepower. Would-be conquerors." His optics narrow with still-lingering pain at the memory of all the chaos they wreaked and the lives they claimed so quickly in the dawn of the war. "…Murderers. They came from nowhere–" The gladiator pits were nowhere to Magnus even in his long-ago younger days. "–We… weren't ready for them. I couldn't stand by like – like some," and here again, the bitterness in his voice as he can't even bring himself to say his brother's name with respect for and disappointment with Optimus still tangled together, "and hope it would just blow over. The war had to stop and I would help to end it. Cybertron…." He trails off briefly, wincing. "Cybertron deserves peace. Freedom from tyrants," Magnus murmurs, shifting his gaze to Rodimus. "Any tyrants."
At the top of that list right now sits Shockwave.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 20, 2009 10:58:57 GMT -5
Rodimus returns Magnus's gaze, his own still expression calm, sympathetic, sad... but determined. Determined to keep going, even though he must cause pain to do it.
It's a lot like healing, really.
"Just Cybertron?" he asks softly as he finishes replacing the tubing for several essential lines in Magnus's side. It is a harsh but essential question - everything he's heard about this Shockwave has involved his boasts about ruling a peaceful, united Cybertron, but what price might the rest of Magnus's universe pay for Cybertron's peace? Rodimus cannot restrict his concerns to the peace of just one planet, the Matrix won't allow him to. But even without it... even the thoughtless youth Hot Rod was not so selfish.
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Post by Perceptor on Aug 20, 2009 13:24:36 GMT -5
Perceptor has been quietly listening to the interrogation as he spools through the slides he has prepared. There isn't much that he can add to the questioning, nor does he want to interrupt Rodimus and potentially disturb any process which the Prime may be building with the line of questioning.
Still, he is curious about something Magnus has mentioned. "Energy transfer modules?" he asks as he transforms back into his robot mode, having finished examining the final slide.
"Rodimus, Xaaron, I would prefer if Botanica were to verify my findings, however, I have not detected any microscopic threats to the Event Horizon or crew at this time," he explains, transferring all the data onto a series of filesw that he will forward to the Maximal plant-former for examination.
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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 Aug 20, 2009 13:59:03 GMT -5
"I wanted to stop them there," is the beginning of Magnus's roundabout answer. "If we'd stopped them on Cybertron, it never would have spread." And even Ultra Magnus can't manage to blame himself solely for the failure, as skilled as he normally is at finding ways to shoulder fault. There were simply too many things that contributed to the launch of those ships and the migration of the war to that human planet for Magnus to trace it all back to himself. If Optimus hadn't vanished in the Space Bridge explosion; if Magnus had succeeded somehow in securing the truce before Megatron returned; if the war hadn't dragged on so long and depleted their resources; if Shockwave had chosen to pursue those who'd left Cybertron earlier than now; if Magnus had chosen to pursue them, open contact, anything to bring them back home.
Ultimately, he supposes, the blame lies with them all.
"I wish we had stopped them," he says very quietly, millions of years of regret starting to weigh him down again. "I wish the human planet had never been involved. But wishes… won't change what happened. Wishes won't fix the damage we've done and they won't stop the Decepticons. I'm just… I'm sorry I didn't see what was happening sooner than I did."
Perceptor's abrupt question shakes Magnus from his downward spiral; he blinks slowly, groggy mind trying to switch tracks.
"The modules…?" What were the specifics he'd come by? "They let us draw our energy from Cybertron… reduces consumption." His own module might even still be intact; Shockwave spent most of their time together cutting up other, less essential parts.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 20, 2009 14:44:36 GMT -5
Rodimus looks up at Perceptor, then jerks his head towards Ultra Magnus as the 'energy transfer' modules are discussed. If these things are standard equipment on Cybertron-based Transformers in Shockwave's reality, even (or especially) if it's only on those who fell in line with Shockwave's grand plan, they'll definitely want to examine it, and while Rodimus can reverse-engineer an alien spacecraft well enough to hotwire it on the spot, this was definitely more a job for Perceptor. He adjusts his work, now soldering in fresh wiring to replace the damaged ones, so that Perceptor can have access to the fuel and power processing units, the most likely place for such a device.
After he shirts, though, he takes a moment to grin at Ultra Magnus. "Not exactly what I was intending by the question, Ultra Magnus, but that was the right answer, anyway."
"Shockwave wears no sigil, and unless I'm mistaken, nor did you, publicly." Rodimus makes it sound like he's making a guess based on what's presented. "The Autobots were war criminals, and it was your job to hunt him. I know why you were originally an Autobot, but tell me, Ultra Magnus," and now he taps on the white robot's shoulder, where his own Autobot symbol shows, "why was Cybertron's chief of security secretly wearing a symbol shared by 'terrorists'?"
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Post by Perceptor on Aug 20, 2009 21:01:31 GMT -5
// Botanica? I have uploaded some files I wish you to examine. They are high resolution images of the samples I took from Ultra Magnus, seeking any microscopic anomalies which may pose a threat to us. You may find them in the secured science sectors in the folder titled "UM-Samples". Could you examine them and share your conclusions with me, please?// he radios her securely.
Perceptor nods his thanks to Rodimus as he zips up all the image files of the slides and uploads them for Botanica. That done, he fetches some small tools and slips in beside Rodimus.
Perceptor does fully intend upon examining each and every circuit of Ultra Magnus's structures, however having a definite point to start - Shockwave's power processor unit - is an excellent advantage.
Besides, Perceptor would like to be able to see Ultra Magnus when he answers that last question of Rodimus Prime's. He is quite curious as to what the answer will be, too.
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