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Post by Springer on Aug 18, 2008 18:44:21 GMT -5
After getting directions to the Arena from someone he passed in the tunnels, Springer finally gets out in the open. For a moment, he enjoys the bit of peace, but not for long. If he were to wax poetic about the beauty of the place, it'd totally ruin his tough-guy image.
So, before he can be accused of such, he transforms to his chopper mode. He takes off in the direction of the arena, but keeps relatively low.
Once the dilapidated place is reached, he maneuvers under the roof, and finds his way to the box seats before transforming. He glances around, not really sure who he's looking for, as he hasn't met the Emirate yet...
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 20, 2008 12:12:12 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron is a slight golden fellow, still shiny but rather dinged up, as if he has been shot and pummeled recently. To tell the truth he has, and his repairs are simply low priority. He stands behind the dark glass in one of the box seats. It's a tight fit, even for him while stooping, and Springer's probably going to have to sit down.
He pokes his head out the door, and he waves to Springer, hailing warmly, "Springer! Pleased to meet you. I am Emirate Xaaron." He holds out a hand to shake.
Emirate Xaaron doesn't know whether to be relieved of not. This Springer could have been made of blades or meat or turn into a submarine - or he could have been a meat blades submarine. Looks are deceiving, however.
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Post by Springer on Aug 21, 2008 23:46:45 GMT -5
Huh. That's a strange mech. Springer can't ever recall seeing a transformer that all their armor was gold and/or silver... And what's with the things on his mouth? And why doesn't he have any vehicle mode bits?
Putting those questions aside to ask later, Springer walks up and crouches to shake the other's hand firmly before wriggling into the small area. Yeah, gonna have to sit. "Hnng... Likewise, Emirate..."
...this is just a bit of an akward situation.
Finally, Springer speaks again. "...so. You say you knew some Wreckers?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 26, 2008 21:31:51 GMT -5
Xaaron sits down, against the back wall of the box, and he crosses his legs casually.
He smiles and explains, gesturing in animated fashion, "Knew? You could say that," but not in the sense of the Book of Primus. "The Wreckers were an elite Autobot commando squad. They did the jobs that people said couldn't be done. Sound familiar?"
He searches Springer's face for a spark of recognition.
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Post by Springer on Aug 27, 2008 15:21:04 GMT -5
A wide smirk crosses Springer's face. "Like I've said a few times before - 'Of course it's a lost cause - That's why we're here'."
Squirming a bit, Springer fumbles a bit before finding a comfortable position, leaned back against the opposite side of the box, one knee bent, the corresponding arm resting on it. "Familiar like you were reading my dossier."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 27, 2008 20:20:24 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron smiles wanly at Springer's comment about lost causes - that sounds about right. He assures, "I worked closely with my version of Springer." He's not going to go into details yet. "I suppose that you two are reasonably similar, but I am not about to make any assumptions."
"In more detail, the Wreckers were, until recently, led by a brave Autobot named Impactor, and their membership consisted of Impactor, Rack'n'Ruin, Roadbuster, Topspin, Twin Twist, and Whirl. Ultra Magnus assisted, occasionally. My Springer, Broadside, and Sandstorm were added to the ranks, and my Springer took over leadership of the Wreckers after Impactor passed away." His voice is just a bit strained, there.
"In my reality, the Decepticons and Autobots contested over Cybertron, with the Decepticons possessing the lionroid's share of the power. I led the Autobot resistance on Cybertron, and I had to coordinate the various resistance groups. I often ended up working with the Wreckers. Good people." A pause. "The best."
He tilts his head and grins rakishly, inquiring, "So, what are your Wreckers like?"
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Post by Springer on Aug 27, 2008 23:36:20 GMT -5
Huh. So in Arcee's reality, there are no Wreckers, but there are in Xaaron's, and he's got some guys he's never heard of.
"Rack'n'Ruin is a new name to me, and I'd not often expect Magnus to help me out. He tends to run around the universe, making sure folks obey various conduct codes of interplanetary conflict. Me and my boys come in and clean up when everything goes to the pit."
Springer clears his vocaliser a bit. "Back home, our Cybertron is dead. A husk. Some majorly bad stuff went down centuries back when we -were- fighting over it. The war depleted the resources, and essentially killed the planet. It's uninhabitable now." Springer shakes his head. "Brought it on ourselves, though. Now, though, combat is more covert. Though, the Decepticons are still intent on gathering resources. They infiltrate various planets and use very covert techniques to manipulate the government, send the planet into chaos, reap the goods, and then destroy the planet. Buncha pests..." Springer's face grows a bit disgusted.
"Anyway, should the Decepticons grow a little big for their armor, the Wreckers get called in. Myself, Whirl, Roadbuster, Twin Twist, Topsin, Broadside, Sandstorm, and Scoop. We are the best at what we do, if I do say so myself." His face grows a cocky grin.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 28, 2008 21:11:38 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron laughs and then covers his mouth, excusing, "My Ultra Magnus liked justice, but he wasn't any sort of interstellar cop. Rack'n'Ruin is... are... an odd case. Rack and Ruin used to be two Autobot mini-jets. They ended up fused together." He shakes his head. Such is war.
He also winces, visibly aghast. Cybertron is the flesh of his living god! For Cybertron to die... but many of these people are godless, anyway. Emirate Xaaron rubs his chin, and he asks, "Ever heard of Primus, by the way?"
Scoop? That's weird.
He nods and replies, "Different circumstances, different roster, but it sounds as if Wreckers are fundamentally the same in both our realities. I look forward to working with you."
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Post by Springer on Aug 29, 2008 8:40:39 GMT -5
Springer shakes his head at the question. "No, never heard of anyone named Primus." He does grin, though. "Likewise, Emirate. And here's hopin' a few more of our boys show up. From what Kup told me, we could use 'em."
Thinking about Kup again, his mind goes back to before he woke up here, and he falls silent for a moment.
"A question, though... In the time that you knew me in your universe, did I ever make any bad decisions?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 29, 2008 20:55:27 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron leans back a little more heavily against the wall, and his expression turns a little shrewd. He points out, "We all make mistakes. You can't be asking me about your alternate because you haven't made any. What's weighing on you?"
Still, he's good enough to actually answer Springer's question, and he does, "Yes. The Springer I knew made some bad decisions. The important thing is that he was able to overcome them."
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Post by Springer on Aug 31, 2008 0:59:07 GMT -5
Springer's expression falls a bit.
"Well. Remember me saying that I'd have to believe it when I seen it about Kup being alive and well here? It's related to that."
Springer adjusts a bit, uncomfortable with the thought of dragging through that whole story. Sighing, he casts his gaze aside at some debris on the floor of the box. "Long story short, the Kup back home disappeared ages ago. We found him recently, stuck on a planet full of unstable radioactive energy crystals - one shot, or if his sparkcore overloaded, we have one big boom. Due to the radiation, Kup went nuts and thought the guys in anti-rad suits were out to kill him. So...he killed all of them, save for one. I...I was so determined to get him back that I sent a second group to try and recover him... I had proper backup coming, but I was so desperate to get him back, that I sent more in there, to die at the hands of the mech who taught them to be a soldier." By now, Springer is gripping his brow, fairly tightly. "Finally, Trailbreaker showed up...he goes down there and gets Kup back, but the shock at seeing a familiar face put his sparkcore over the limit... So now he's on life support, and he's been gone so long, and since he refused to upgrade, his body is incompatible with most current stuff, so no one knows if he's gonna make it."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Aug 31, 2008 21:16:25 GMT -5
So Springer got his men killed again and again out of sentimentality, as opposed to getting his men killed due to panicking when faced with zombies. It's nice to see that the lad is at least inventive in his mistakes across the dimensions. Emirate Xaaron leans over and tries to gently take Springer by the hand 1. No, it's not his Springer, but the child is clearly hurting. It's Emirate Xaaron's duty to be there for his troops. His voice soothing but firm, he tries to reassure, "Well... if even in that condition, he could kill that many Autobots, he has to be something of a terror, hmm? If he recovers, he'll be a valuable asset to your side, in your reality." Emirate Xaaron won't leave it there. There is a darker side to cover. "But. He may not recover, and there are the dead to consider. You certainly did make a mistake. However, that a second team was willing to follow your orders, knowing the risks, suggests that you have a certain charisma and talent for leadership. That's something to value, even if you found it out under less than optimal conditions. You have also shown tenacity, perseverance, focus, and loyalty." "The trick is knowing when to apply these qualities and knowing how to temper them so that they do not lead you into these kinds of mistakes. The worst thing is not making a mistake. The worst thing is learning nothing from it. So tell me, Springer, what have you learned?" Emirate Xaaron fixes a searching gaze on Springer. 1 He does this sort of thing: members.fortunecity.com/arcof/polyhex/uk167/UK167_08.JPG
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Post by Springer on Sept 1, 2008 10:08:33 GMT -5
Springer looks up when Xaaron grabs his hand. He doesn't pull back, at least not yet. The gold and silver mech says some important, and true things when one looks at the big picture.
Then Xaaron asks what he's learned, and Springer clenches his teeth. "That not all situations can be solved with enough manpower thrown at it. If there's a better option, wait for that opportunity..." He sighs a bit. "And a good soldier shouldn't let emotions get in the way of logical thinking. That leads to needless losses."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Sept 1, 2008 17:58:55 GMT -5
See? If Emirate Xaaron had told Springer to be less sentimental, Springer might have been defensive and refused to listen to Emirate Xaaron. Instead, he coaxed Springer into admitting it on his own, which he will be more likely to keep as a lesson and use.
"Very good." He prods, gently, "And what will you do differently, in the future?"
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Post by Springer on Sept 3, 2008 20:21:38 GMT -5
Springer finally draws his hand back from the Emirate, crossing his arms. It's defensive only on a physical level. Strange mechs holding his hand just doesn't sit that well after a few nano-kliks.
"Well, first, I'm never going to tell Prowl about it. If he ever found out I admitted that he was right, he'd never let me live it down. Second, I'll try and remember that not everyone I command are Wreckers...which will probably come into play a great deal here."
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