Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Jul 1, 2007 17:00:11 GMT -5
Dead End pulls that prybar-screwdriver thing out of his tool kit again and pops the hatch. He's starting to get a feel for breaking and entering the local technology. Vault doors might be a bit trickier, though. Inside the hatch is a slightly larger-than-human crawlspace containing multiple racks of devices connected to very heavy cables. Everything is bolted down with very sturdy looking straps and bolts.
"Oh, yes," Dead End purrs, a very satisfied sound. "It is the battery compartment--or whatever the technical name might be for this thing's energy storage banks."
He carefully pulls a set of cables loose and hooks up Fleetwind's cables to the terminals so revealed. A quick check with a multimeter (indispensible part of any mech's personal repair kit) confirms that the battery/energy bank/kumquat is live, holding a charge, and not too overspec for the recharging cables.
"After this fries my circuits, have Hook figure out how to step the voltage down a bit, and do pick up the pieces," Dead End says drily, then attaches the charging cables to his own recharging ports, hidden behind covered plugs in his chest.
Dead End does not collapse in a heap of sparking, smoking robotic parts. He doesn't do much of anything except stand there for a moment.
"It's good. Someone hand me their cable ends, and I'll attach them to another battery so we can get this operation finished," Dead End says. "I know Cannonball, Hook, Demolishor and the flying shark fellow burned power doing this, so..."
// Hook, there may be a fair amount of charge left over after we all get topped off. Or perhaps not, there's a bit more of 'us' than there was before. //
"Starfighter, make a note that this terminal type is the negative pole, and that terminal type is the positive pole."
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jul 1, 2007 17:32:30 GMT -5
Fleetwind watched the others recharge quietly. Now and again, he glanced to the sky, and briefly considered taking to it to stand (or rather, to fly) watch. He quickly changed his mind. For one thing, Skystrike 1 was still up there, and should have been able to handle the task well on her own. For another, this was the best opportunity he'd had so far to observe the strange new party members. However, he couldn’t learn much from them if everyone's quietly refueling. In what was as much an attempt to get someone else to speak so as it was to accomplish something productive, the Seeker pointed out, "Whenever you lot are ready, I can transmit the terrain between here and the downed dirigibles to you. There were some spots where tree cover got in the way, but I think I've got the bulk of the majors roads, plus quite a few structures, mapped out." 1 Uhm... unless Skystrike's player decides she's been down here with us for awhile, instead.
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Post by Hook on Jul 2, 2007 20:35:26 GMT -5
There had been something during that fight Hook had tagged as interesting... Ah, yes. His visor dimmed faintly as he reviewed the footage of Cannonball releasing his built-in guns. The flashy device that connected with the pirate obviously caused the guns to flip up, just as the removal of the device caused them to fold back down.
Peculiar. He needed to find out more.
However, now was neither the time nor the place for that. Without a lab or even a good amount of time with his toolkit, he wouldn't be able to perform any tests. Basic inquiries into the item would undoubtedly drive him to distraction with the information he did or didn't gain. No, now was not the time or the place at all.
Later, however...
Hook did not respond to Dead End's comm, because he's rude like that. He didn't think of it as being rude, but there were many people who would disagree with him. (And a fair number of people who would agree with him.)
"So we do, Starscream." As it didn't look like the other Decepticons were going to tear apart his new toy- mining equipment, he allowed the jet to lead him away from the others.
---
Starscream and Hook are exitting this thread for a bit. We'll re-enter when we're done talking. Screamer, I'm letting you make the conversation thread.
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Post by Demolishor on Jul 2, 2007 21:55:35 GMT -5
Demolishor shifted his feet a bit, not exactly sure what his role here was. He didn't recognize any familiar faces; even the Decepticon insignias were ever-so-slightly altered if you looked at them carefully. Demolishor felt like...well, like how Tidal Wave must feel. Physically there but generally ignored. He peered past Dead End into the crawlspace and then back at the car-ish Decepticon.
"Are those supposed to be recharge cables?" the tank asked tentatively. "They don't look like any kind I've ever seen. I don't think they'd work."
He liked having technicians around, they were useful and all, but slag if they didn't make him feel stupider than he usually did.
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Jul 3, 2007 0:20:22 GMT -5
He watches as the others get and place (or figure out how to place) the recharge cables. Moving as subtley as possible, he runs his hand along his torso, searching for any place that he might put such things. Sky-byte does eventually find the place: a jack extended from the center of his claws. Thank goodness for appendages with multiple uses.
As strange as this is, it would be just heavenly to get a proper recharge. Well, as proper as a recharge on a strange and foreigh planet in the middle of a strange and foreign group of Decepticons can be. Out of the frying pan and into another this is. Though this still might be preferable just by a nano-smidgen to the situation that would await him back at base.
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jul 3, 2007 2:45:09 GMT -5
After Cannonball's recharge, he steps to the side, leaning against the worm to let the charge sink in and get flowing, and the contemplate the strange feeling that using his key power had given him. It was difficult to pin down exactly -what- the feeling was. Something that wasn't right, for sure...
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Jul 4, 2007 8:07:40 GMT -5
OOC: Starfighter has been missing for 3 days, so I'm posting. Go ahead and fit Starfighter in whenever, please.
Dead End looks at Demolishor. "Electricity is electricity. It's just a matter of matching up impedances, frequency, current and voltage. If your specs are different from ours, I'm sure Hook can whip up something to make them compatible." Dead End nods slightly in the Constructicon's direction.
He unplugs the recharge cables from himself, being done, and holds them loosely. "What do you use for recharge ports? I can take some readings and see if they are close enough. I'm no Constructicon, but I know one end of a tool from the other. I also now know that this tech," he points at the mining worm's energy banks, "is compatible with mine. So if yours is close enough to mine, you should be able to top your energy stores off."
Dead End looks at the mud covering half his body and says mournfully, "Now if only we could go back to the clean running water. .."
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Post by Starfighter on Jul 4, 2007 8:48:11 GMT -5
OOC: Apologies for the delay; travel time took longer than expected.
Starfighter nodded as Dead End talked, typing out notes with someone skilled to the point where his fingers are a few centimeters shorter and smoother than those of an average seeker. He surreptitiously looked at Demolishor when he was sure the tank wasn't paying attention to him, and took down a few more notes about general size, personality type, and likeliness to shoot him.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jul 4, 2007 10:54:52 GMT -5
Fleetwind's offer went unheeded, but no matter; Demolishor spoke some more of his own volition. He fell silent once more for observation, until Dead End bemoaned the lack of clear running water.
"There's a river that seems clear until it reaches the swamp. I saw it on the other side. But here, I'll transfer my recordings." And then he transmit the information he had gathered direct to Dead End. The group hadn't gotten very far beyond the swamp, and, indeed, there is a river, and the roads. As the land dries out, it becomes what Dead End would recognize as farmlands, although considerably overgrown farmlands at this point.
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Post by Demolishor on Jul 4, 2007 23:18:52 GMT -5
Demolishor took the cables in one hand and gingerly probed a small open panel on his side. "The size isn't right," he grumbled. "Just a few centimeters, but the size isn't right. This is standard for you guys?"
Now that he had a chance to stop and look, there was something extremely off about all of them. Not completely obvious, but jarring enough to make him uneasy.
"Where's your Mini-con ports?" he asked, peering around to look at Dead End's back.
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Sky-byte
Minor
Worst Luck Ever
Posts: 334
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Post by Sky-byte on Jul 5, 2007 0:02:38 GMT -5
"What in the world are Mini-con ports?" grumbled Sky-byte with a hint of revulsion in his voice. Mini-con....ports? Sounded like an excuse to create a mismatched combiner. Sky-byte would rather anyone and anything to stay away from any of his ports. Combiner technology just wasn't his thing. As far as he could tell, it wasn't a Predacon thing either.
Yes, combining was a distinctively Autobot or Decepticon thing to do. It must have something to them being vehicles...appliances with mob mentality?
Then there was someone's mention of clean water. Now that was something Sky-byte could appreciate: something to just sink himself into. Nothing like that swamp gunk, no thank you, but clean, cool, water...
"I say we locate that river." he voiced without thinking. Oh yes, locate the river and just set down to relax. After all, there were no Autobots within close proximity and there was no order or disorder to be maintaining. Why not just laze around for a while and pop open a good tome of Shakespeare?
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Cannonball
Minor
Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.
Posts: 470
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Post by Cannonball on Jul 5, 2007 1:01:54 GMT -5
Cannonball perked up at Demolishor's question. "Eh? Mini-Cons..? Oi, 'aven't seen them wee buggahs since we last took a shore leave...never 'ave seen very many of 'em, though. Ah donnae 'ave any of the ports meself. I do know a bloke called Astrotrain wot 'as some ports, and a 'ole lit'l squad of the buggahs." he states, glancing Demolishor over a bit.
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Dead End
Major
Yes, we're all doomed. I already knew that.
Posts: 797
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Post by Dead End on Jul 5, 2007 7:38:15 GMT -5
"Do let me check that before you go hooking yourself up! Frying your main CPU would be just counterproductive, don't you think?"
Dead End pulls out his multi-meter and starts checking the ports that Demolishor has just revealed. "I see. Well, assuming your power system wasn't so badly designed that rubbing a cat reboots your main CPU," Dead End's dolorous voice suggests that with their luck, it probably was, "this should work. Just need a little improvisation to make the probes fit..."
Dead End pulls a pair of snips out of his kit and cuts off a short piece of one of the mining worm's battery cables, then squeezes it and bashes it into a set of conductive probes (fingers plus heavy lug wrench work wonders in that department). Then he twists them onto the end of the recharging cables.
While he's working on his improvised adapters, Dead End says, "What are mini-cons? Are they like minibots, only Decepticons? And why would you have ports for them?"
"There, insert those into your charging ports--that end goes in the right side, the other bit goes in the left--and you should be good. Please stop making me do stuff like this or Hook will think I should train as a repair tech," Dead End says. "I don't look good in lime green."
"Thank you, Fleetwind--ah, those look like cultivated fields. There should be a town or other transportation center somewhere around, then. They may also be irrigating from the river, and that often requires power." Dead End, alas, has no clue aboutis not an expert on farming, or he'd know that this area is wet enough that it probably doesn't require irrigation.
"Sky-byte, advance that suggestion to Starscream, he's in charge. If the natives are like Earth humans, they may have cities along the river," Dead End says, seemingly oblivious to Sky-byte's desire to go slack.
"I knew an Astrotrain," he says to Cannonball, his tone of voice suggesting that the poor blighter is probably dead by now, even if he was fine when Dead End last saw him. "But no mini-cons. Probably not the same individual. Was your Astrotrain a triple-changing space transport/locomotive?"
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Post by Starfighter on Jul 5, 2007 10:53:01 GMT -5
Starfighter flicked out and makes a new entry for 'Mini-con ports'. In a rather distressing fashion, he was forced to fill the space with a large question mark until he figured out what's going on.
"Could you transfer that over to me as well, Fleetwind? Just to make sure we're in the same sector, I mean." He'd seen the same general thing while they were flying over, but data from someone who was actually looking where they were going was probably better than what he'd got. And besides that, he'd never been off Cybertron, he had no idea what to look for.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Jul 5, 2007 11:10:16 GMT -5
Fleetwind has never been off Cybertron, either, but he has some scout training, and his distance sensors are perhaps a bit better than most. Besides, it never hurts to verify one's information. The pastel Seeker nods his head. "All right, Starfighter." And then he transmits the data. He spares a curious glance to Sky-Byte and adds, "Locate the river? But I already know where it is!"
He listens with curiosity to the Mini-Con banter. Dead End's already covered any questions he has. Curious. Demolishor seems to think that everyone should have "ports" for them. Cannonball has heard of them, but doesn't appear to view their "ports" as universal. Meanwhile, the Predacon is just as confused about them as the others who seem to be from more-or-less Fleetwind's reality. He tilts his head and listens to see what else is revealed.
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