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Post by Jazz-3 on Jan 31, 2008 22:43:15 GMT -5
Another shadow passing through the mirror. Unnoticed. Untrumpeted. This one is dark silver, battle mask and visor fully covering the face, as Jazz slips through the portal, and watches the burning city. The leader is here, somewhere. This world is waiting to be taken. Perhaps Jazz should go find Rodimus report the status of the world left behind before heading out to join in the plundering, and burning. Instead, tarnished silver footsteps follow another path. Blue visored gaze searches momentarily finding only an arial battle that cannot be joined by one with no wings. No loss there. But Jazz does need to explore; tactics can be used to one's advantage, only if one has the proper information. With that, the Silver being transforms, in order to do exactly that. Perhaps Jazz will find something useful along the way.
<OOC> Just passing through.
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Slingshot-3
Cadet
"Why give a weapon a tongue?" "To hear it exult at fulfilling its purpose."
Posts: 50
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Post by Slingshot-3 on Feb 1, 2008 0:40:56 GMT -5
Slingshot performs a sharp wing-over, almost appearing ready to slam into Needlenose. He's just trying to herd the copper down lower, though; if it looks like Needlenose can't get out of the way fast enough, he'll sidewind and corkscrew to bring his mortar cannons to bear on the unfortunate Targetmaster.
For all that Duskwing and Skyblast have been trashing each other, the most notorious heckler of the Aerialbots-1 hasn't said a word.
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Skyblast-3
Cadet
Let the sky bleed and its blood be my paint.
Posts: 55
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Post by Skyblast-3 on Feb 2, 2008 9:50:13 GMT -5
The Valkyrie fairly screeches, seething, //I'm not materials, you mass-produced moron! Materials wear a purple badge of shame, a sigil that says I should cut you up and scatter your pieces across the sky as a monument to your own wasted potential!//
This rationale is one part Slog - although Slog wanted to show the horrors of war. Skyblast is a horror of war. It is also one part Bonecrusher - the destruction of anything found aesthetically unappealing and finding most everything to be so. It does not scan at all with the chipper, jesting little Autobot artist who has been noted down as drawing out a rude gesture at retreating Decepticons and who once drew a target around a Seeker.
Skyblast zooms after Duskwing, his top speed defined nebulously as somewhere supersonic. The Valkyrie scissors back and forth, still chasing Duskwing with cannon shots when he thinks he has a good line on the Seeker.
Below, Slingshot seems to be performing well. Skyblast mentally ignores the Prime's 'assist' to the Aerialbot. He's a bit of an elitist, that way. Skyblast can't find the attention to check on anything more.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 2, 2008 12:37:19 GMT -5
Duskwing, alas, hasn't been here all that long, and isn't the most observant warrior in the first place. That Slingshot's silence and Skyblast's viciousness are seriously out of character for the Autobots fought to date passes by Duskwing completely... for now.
It eventually penetrates his processor that Needlenose isn't actually following him. Now, why is that? Duskwing scans back over his shoulder and eventually realizes that the two Autobot jets are between him and Needlenose, and Needlenose is being forced lower. This, he dimly concludes, is bad.
Duskwing chops his throttle and stalls, falling out of the sky with a little twist of his ailerons that sends him pointing straight back down--toward Skyblast. He fires a double brace of cluster bombs, and the rocket-propelled bombs hurtle straight down, well ahead of him. He chases them with a flurry of laser shots at Skyblast's face.
Skyblast's shots lash his wings and hurt him, burning holes in his skin and trashing sensors and other electronics. His self-repair systems start to fall behind... He has orders to withdraw, but Needlenose is in trouble! The guy isn't too bad for an officer, really. Duskwing is unsure what to do; his frustration at things getting suddenly complicated comes out in his voice and the fury of his cannonfire.
// What the slag are you, an artist? // Duskwing pronounces that word with a peculiar horror--the horror of someone who nearly became a genuine Sloggism. // Youse got a dirty mouth for an Autobot! Didn't Prime teach youse not to talk like dat, when he was teachin' you to pet squishies? Maybe youse got some bad fuel? LET ME SPILL IT OUTTA YA! //
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Post by Needlenose on Feb 2, 2008 17:45:11 GMT -5
When Slingshot wingovers, Needlenose does, indeed, dip a bit lower.
Needlenose is being herded lower, and he knows he's being herded lower, and it infuriates him. Slingshot's silence may be uncharacteristic, but right now Needlenose has other things on his mind.
//So you want me to go down?// Needlenose snarls over low-power general. //Fine!//
Ready, boys? Needlenose gives his partners a heads up before he transforms, pulling them from his cockpit before that moves out of reach. They transform at the same moment, all three beings moving in sync, and an instant later Needlenose's forward momentum is swiftly turning to downward momentum while he's aiming two Targetmaster partners at Slingshot.
//Duskwing,// he orders over the Seeker's frequency, //Shut down your visual sensors for a quarter of a second, starting... now!// and at 'now' Needlenose fires both Sunbeam and Zigzag at Slingshot. Zigzag's blast will most likely go wide, but sometimes he gets lucky (and sometimes people have been known to fly into one of his shots while expecting something more accurate). Sunbeam's not at full power, but even if he doesn't hit, he'll generate an incredible amount of light, and given the fact that everyone out here is working on night time sensors, this should blind not only everyone with active visuals in the air, but anyone on the ground looking in his direction.
Before he falls much farther, the three transform once more, and Needlenose desperately works to pull up from the dive he's just put himself into, despite a damaged tail...
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Slingshot-3
Cadet
"Why give a weapon a tongue?" "To hear it exult at fulfilling its purpose."
Posts: 50
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Post by Slingshot-3 on Feb 2, 2008 19:04:38 GMT -5
Slingshot has enough time to register that no, Needlenose's pets aren't dead when the world turns white in a very, very bad way.
Instinct and training urge one way to deal with this - get sky-high as fast as possible. Slingshot tilts his nose up and shoves it on down into overdrive. Zig-Zag's blast narrowly takes off his nosecone - the blind Harrier's sensors go wild at the near-pass of such tremendous energy, blinding him even further. That will fade more quickly than the blasted optics, though.
Slingshot pings Skyblast, a wordless assurance that he's still alive for the moment and that the little jet is also still alive.
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Skyblast-3
Cadet
Let the sky bleed and its blood be my paint.
Posts: 55
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Post by Skyblast-3 on Feb 3, 2008 0:23:19 GMT -5
//Isn't it obvious? Of course I'm an artist! And the only thing fleshlings are good for is splatter-art. My Prime concurs. What do you take me for, some bleeding-heart Decepticon? Because it's yours that will bleed, not mine. Talking like an Autobot won't save you!// Skyblast cries. He takes a smattering of laser shots, although the rockets and cluster bombs are heavy enough to dodge. Still, the laser shots are enough that the little jet is definitely hurting.
It hits him that, gee, this Seeker really is talking like an Autobot. So was Needlenose, who is usually a lot more mild-mannered. Then a wave of light hits Skyblast, and he can't see anything at all.
He levels off his flight, trusting that no one around here can see well enough to hit him. It was already dark, but now he has to rely purely on instrument flight, which is tricky. The Valkyrie transforms, to the whisper of blades. His robot mode optics are just fine, but if he transforms back to jet mode, he'll still be blind. Skyblast dives, electro-cannon in hand and a single blade extruded in the other. He isn't freefalling, for he plays his surfaces, directing himself toward Duskwing. Hopefully, he'll be able to hit and slash into the Seeker.
He radios Slingshot, just Slingshot, //Play wishbone with the Nebulans once the copper's downed?//
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 3, 2008 0:57:37 GMT -5
In the ordinary course of things, Duskwing would have been completely screwed by Needlenose's abrupt warning and surprise maneuver. Fortunately, Needlenose had warned Duskwing well ahead of time that he would do this thing, and in the course of his dive and slinging of taunts and bombs, it worked his way through his CPU that he'd better be ready to shut down his optics when the warning came--assuming Needlenose gave a warning.
Needlenose obligingly gave warning while Duskwing was pondering what the slagging slag Skyblast meant by "bleeding-heart Decepticon", and the piece of his CPU that was sitting on the pre-warning said "He's gonna flashy-thing me!" and Duskwing cut off his visual inputs. It took him several seconds to sort through what Needlenose actually said and figure out the "for a quarter of a second" part.
Optics back on, and Duskwing realized that he dove past the little Autobot jet. Oops. That could have been bad. Where the slag was he?
The other Autobot jet--Slingshot--went roaring into a near-vertical climb somewhere over where Needlenose was, his afterburn making a streak of flame behind him. Duskwing rolled as he dove, trying to get a look around and find the other jet.
Where in the smoking slag of the Smelting Pools was the blasted jet? Duskwing couldn't see the micro-jet anywhere, only a robot... falling from the sky... toward Duskwing. The ground was rising rapidly toward Duskwing as well.
He pulled up, trading kinetic energy for potential energy--in short, he zoomed into a climb, not so steep this time. Duskwing successfully avoided the ground. He wasn't quite so successful at avoiding getting in reach of Skyblast for a brief moment--on the other hand, he took the opportunity to fire another flurry of lasers at the enemy robot.
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Oracle-3
Cadet
It's such a thin line between heaven and hell.
Posts: 80
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Post by Oracle-3 on Feb 3, 2008 1:13:52 GMT -5
Oracle came tearing her way up from the direction of the edge of the city, growling unhappily to herself. Even though she could still see, her optics were distinctly painful at the moment and she knew she was going to have to get Perceptor to take a look at them later or they could be a problem. She was not the least bit happy about this fact, and currently felt like spreading that unhappiness around.
Her attention was currently fixed on the cause of that potential problem as she tried to close the distance between herself and Needlenose as quickly as she could. Warning the others on the ground may have cost her a clean strike, but if she could she wanted to tear a few strips off him in repayment for her pain. Besides, Rodimus wanted him brought down. She would be pleased to accommodate that.
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Post by Needlenose on Feb 3, 2008 14:13:11 GMT -5
//Just concentrate on getting yourself out of here, Duskwing!// Needlenose orders. He had heard Duskwing's report over the radio, especially how it cut off, but the fact is, Needlenose is in no condition to take care of anyone but himself right now. //I have to do the same for me!//
There's another jet, Needlenose notes, closing on him, but it's just as he notices this that he finally gets his nose up. With that, his afterburners kick into high gear as he pours on the speed, reaching once, twice, three times the speed of sound. He uses fuel like it's water, knowing he won't need it for his own survival, though he won't be able to get anywhere near his maximum distance before injuries force him down.
He makes it out of the immediate area, but he won't make it home.
OOC: Out of thread.
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Slingshot-3
Cadet
"Why give a weapon a tongue?" "To hear it exult at fulfilling its purpose."
Posts: 50
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Post by Slingshot-3 on Feb 3, 2008 20:46:39 GMT -5
Slingshot's sensors are still mostly down. He knows he's going up very rapidly and he knows he hasn't gotten seriously hurt, but other than that, he has no readings on the outside world.
Skyblast's radio is almost comforting. A link back to the world outside his skin. //Yes.//
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Mirage-3
Rookie
Totally Not The Geezer
Posts: 222
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Post by Mirage-3 on Feb 3, 2008 22:44:11 GMT -5
A blue and white mech shimmers into view beside the Prime, not bothering to stay out of arm's reach. It has already been proven that if Rodimus Prime wishes you harm he will not let a tiny thing such as distance dissuade him. Still, it smacks of recklessness, and an arrogance born of knowing one's value. Too relaxed, too at ease, his rifle cradled in the crook of his arm as he watches the Prime's prey escape.
Coolly, he says, not actively addressing the Prime, "Two wounded birds returning to the nest. Reason enough for a hunt, if reason was needed."
A comment only, not a request for orders, no deference in tone or stance, his outward calm belying the his eagerness to be on the hunt and stalking his prey. Yet, he waits, tracking the jets as they flee as best he is able by sight alone; the Prime may have some other task for him.
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Post by Rodimus Prime-3 on Feb 3, 2008 23:05:16 GMT -5
The Prime smiles nastily. He lifts one hand, fingers relaxed, palm upward, index finger pointing in the general direction where Needlenose has fled. The flames reflect orange and red flickers on his silver face, brightness in contrast to the blackness of his smile.
"Go," he says. "But remember: I want the robots alive."
Beyond the need for bait, the thought has finally occurred to Rodimus that they need someone to question as well.
OOC: Not staying in the rotation. Just in the thread to respond to Mirage.
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Skyblast-3
Cadet
Let the sky bleed and its blood be my paint.
Posts: 55
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Post by Skyblast-3 on Feb 3, 2008 23:15:39 GMT -5
Skyblast takes a beating, because at this close a range, it's more or less impossible to dodge. He is blackened and cratered, a grim angel of annihilation. He brings his cannon and his single blade together. There is a flash of light as he pumps more energon into them and seals them, creating his energon spear. Skyblast hefts it back and then tries to quite run Duskwing through, substituting gravity and flicks of his arm-mounted wings for a running charge.
C'mon, it won't kill him.
Skyblast transmits back to Slingshot a languid, //Mmm.//
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 3, 2008 23:56:04 GMT -5
Duskwing, as mentioned in our last episode, strayed too close to Skyblast. Skyblast's spear lashed out, and Duskwing didn't dodge quite fast enough. The energon spear stabs deep into the side of one of Duskwing's engines--
"YOU FRAGGER!" Duskwing yelled, voice harsher still with pain; he banked sharply away, trailing flames and smoke from the damaged engine. The smoke was invisible against the night sky; the flames weren't.
//Just concentrate on getting yourself out of here, Duskwing!// Needlenose orders him. //I have to do the same for me!//
// Breaking off, boss. Fragger got one of my engines, // Duskwing replied as he shut down the fuel feed to the burning engine and fled, leveling off and opening throttle on the good engine.
It occurred to the dark blue Seeker that he should go a different way than Needlenose, and make the enemy split up to chase them. That that would make it harder for their own forces to intercept and retrieve them didn't occur to Duskwing. He banked and turned north.
After a bit, it finally occurred to him that he ought to report what he was doing. // Trying to draw them off north, away from you, boss. //
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