Destination: Moon!

[Skyfire]

"Thank you, Long Haul."

Skyfire's engines rumbled, vibrating his whole hull as he lifted from the blue moon. A quiet farewell went out on the local broadband to Omega Supreme, and then they were off, zooming back into space.

Skyfire carefully plotted his trajectory--transfer orbits to use minimal energy, then a long return glide on the side of the globe away from the Decepticons and evil Autobots... though the very end of that glide must needs come down over the ocean toward the occupied city--though distant even beyond Dead End's long-range radar.

Once they got in range of receivers on Gillanan III again, Skyfire sent a short directed transmission to his senior officers regarding the information he'd put together about Hellbender from his and Omega Supreme's experiences; after that, he maintained silence.
---
Time-skip home?

[Long Haul]

By the time Skyfire takes off, Long Haul has strapped down the carts and himself. He's mostly quiet and introspective on the ride home. However, since this is Long Haul, "quiet" and "introspective" means, "He occasionally mutters to himself."

"Not enough of nothing ... bug for scout ... more salvage ... lucky will be out for the good part ... nooooo, probably not 'til it needs hauling..." and so forth. The words can only occasionally be made out, and even then, only if one is listening very closely.

As he mutters, he rests his chin lightly on the knuckles of his right fist, gazing absently towards the nearest window and at the darkness beyond. The vast nothing is a bit much to contemplate, and so he fills his thoughts with the mundane instead.

---

OOC: Sure!

[Skyfire]

Skyfire swooped along the top of Gillanan III's atmosphere, skipping in and out to slow himself down for re-entry. Finally satisfied with his course, he made one last burn and plunged in.

"Everything okay with you, Long Haul? There's nothing to worry about, really, except being spotted on descent. I'm coming in over the farside of the planet to minimize that, then going below radar for the final approach," Skyfire explained, hoping to reassure Long Haul. He wasn't quite sure what Long Haul was worrying about, but the Constructibot did seem to be worrying.

Skyfire was as good as his word: the flight was uneventful as he screamed through the atmosphere, plasma glowing with brilliant fire around his hull as he plunged into the thicker air below.

[Long Haul]

"Huh?" Long Haul jumps, startled out of his musings, and he looks about the cabin, optics glowing too-bright with bafflement. "What? I'm fine. Ain't worried about nothing." And his tone (for Long Haul has never been good with guile) seems genuine. He honestly does not consider what he was doing worrying (or, indeed, was even aware he was speaking out loud). He was thinking over things that needed to be thought over. Supplies and supply lines and transportation and how he'll have to be the one doing it.

In short, he was being Long Haul. Which only looks like "worrying" to the unfamiliar.

He's well-behaved on the ride home, although, yes, he still occasionally mumbles to himself. As the air gets thicker and the ride, presumably, gets bumpy he starts to swing his legs (being built a little on the short side for typical Transformer furniture) and once more cranes his neck to look outside, ready to be moving, doing, acting once more.

[Skyfire]

Skyfire stooped low over the ocean, coming in at supersonic speeds. The tropical resort island with the hot springs flashed by underneath--Skyfire wished for an instant that he had time to investigate it further--then he dove.

"Brace yourself, Long Haul!" Skyfire reversed thrust and popped his airbrakes, slowing his dreadful speed to something less energetic--then skipped off the surface of the water with a hard 'thwap' that shed yet more speed--and jolted everything and probably everyone aboard fairly hard.

He skimmed just above the waves, the wind of his passage tearing the tops of the waves into whitecaps as he passed. It wasn't long before the reddish-blue haze on the horizon announced that land was nigh.

He swung his wheels down just in time to roll through fathom deep water, splashing saltwater in sheets to either side. "I do believe we're back," Skyfire said.

---
OOC: do we shock the tourists at the beach? (Tourist Trap thread).

[Long Haul]

Long Haul starts when Skyfire calls his name, and protests, "Wha-huh? I am bra- woah!" The last bit comes when Skyfire "bounces" off the water and is rattled hard. Fortunately, he hadn't been lying: he was properly strapped in, and he's a rather sturdy mechanoid. He's shaken, but not stirred.

As Skyfire skims across the water tops he unbuckles himself and clambers over to a window. His optic band gleams eagerly and he lightly puts his right fingertips against the see-through surface in order to watch the impossibly deep blue-violet water, to gaze at the spray being kicked up on either side, to watch the wind rip at the waves.

It's almost disappointing when the ride comes to an end, and he looks up and nods when Skyfire makes his final announcement. "Ahkay," he answers, tone subdued.

----
OOC: Sure!

[Skyfire]

"Hmm, we may have a welcoming party," Skyfire mused as he rolled onto the beach.

---
OOC: Posted in "Tourist Trap" thread, and out of here.