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 4, 2008 0:22:04 GMT -5
Frag. Now that wasn't very nice. It seemed as though Needlenose was running instead of staying to play, which meant of course she had to chase him. While it was undoubtedly a smart move on his part considering he was outnumbered and injured, it just left Oracle feeling even more annoyed that she couldn't get her hands on him as easily as she had hoped. While running down prey could be fun at times, usually she just left that to mechs like Mirage since she didn't do very well with patience or frustration.
Since it seemed like Skyblast had things well in hand with Duskwing for the most part, Oracle opted to follow her current target, so with another growl of irritation she arched around to follow the retreating jet, pushing herself for as much speed as she could get to try and close the gap. Even injured it looked like he was faster then her, but he also didn't look like he was going to make it very far. Picking up the pieces after he crashed would have to do, even though it wasn't nearly as satisfying.
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(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 4, 2008 15:22:07 GMT -5
White wings slice through the air, then cut to the side as sensors finish a painful reboot. Abruptly, the stars come back on for Slingshot, and the freezing cold condensation forming on his wings can actually be felt. He slows, circles, surveys the world below him. Skyblast is tangling with that Seeker still. The city burns merrily far, far below. No Needlenose. Hnh. After a brief radio exchange with Skyblast, Slingshot stoops into a dive on the dusky blue Seeker.
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Mirage-3
Rookie
Totally Not The Geezer
Posts: 222
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Post by Mirage-3 on Feb 4, 2008 23:07:18 GMT -5
Mirage is moving even before the Prime has finished speaking, letting said motion serve as his acknowledgment. A few steps, then he transforms, speeding quickly in the direction Needlenose had headed. He goes invisible, and will remain so until out of sight of the group. Mirage wants no company. He hunts alone.
OOC: and out.
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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 4, 2008 23:10:59 GMT -5
Skyblast retrieves his spear, scowling fiercely. Just piercing one engine makes the composition so lopsided. It will not do at all! Skyblast may want asymmetry tomorrow, but today, his Muse, hand in hand with duende, screams for symmetry. The only solution is to stab the Seeker through the other engine.
Singsong, Skyblast calls to Duskwing, //I only want to make you beautiful before you die, but if cruelty is really your star, you'll end up like Thundercracker.// Unbridled revulsion infuses Skyblast's voice at that name, and he makes it sounds less a name and more a synonym for 'pathetical, worthless abomination'.
He transforms, pained, and his spear stows to his undercarriage, the tip protruding past his nosecone. Skyblast isn't doing any fancy flying now, shot through with holes as he is. He just waits for his jet mode optical sensor to reboot and tails after the radar signature of the Seeker in the meantime.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 5, 2008 1:31:19 GMT -5
Duskwing shudders in revulsion at Skyblast's chant. Slog probably wanted to make him "beautiful", too. Duskwing does not want to be beautiful artwork. Art is transformative, but the 'art' of such as Slog, or, Duskwing suspects in his dim way of 'I knew the bastards was out to get me!', this Skyblast, involves transforming Duskwing from alive to dead.
He prefers to remain an unfinished work.
// Hey! Are youse sayin' I'm ugly? You come over here and say dat to my face, sump-dump! // Duskwing snarls back at Skyblast. // You got a lotta nerve for a pipsqueak toy jet! //
Damn toy jet was still on his tail. Not good. Where were the others? Duskwing scanned his surroundings, looking for the rest of the battle. He wasn't doing a good job of drawing them off if only the micro-jet was after him-- Uh-oh. Slingshot was after him, too.
Time to draw a bit faster and further. Duskwing ignited the one functional afterburner and got moving. As he flew, one of Skyblast's taunts puzzled him. It made no sense to him. Duskwing did not like things that made no sense; thinking about them frustrated him and made him angry. He really didn't like it when people taunted him with things that made no sense; they were usually doing it to laugh at him because he wasn't smart enough to follow their in-joke.
// Whassa matta, Thundercracker hurt your feelings, little baby jet? No, wait, you'd have to big enough for him to notice to do dat! // Duskwing taunted back.
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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 5, 2008 20:16:02 GMT -5
The Seeker is running away. Most Seekers run away when they're alone in the air with the Aerialbot and the artist. It's when the whole flock of them is out that the Autobot jets start having trouble.
Slingshot pulls out of the dive and hurtles through the air after Duskwing. No more need to kill altitude, not yet. There's other things to kill-
No. Rodimus wanted the blue jet alive.
Mental lips peel back to expose too-sharp teeth. Rodimus didn't deserve this, didn't have the authority- He'd usurped Optimus, deserved the Aerialbots' contempt and deathblow-
Rodimus would rip his jet away again, leave him a mewling wreck on the floor with no wings or tail.
The Aerialbot barrel-rolls and lines up a shot on the blue Seeker. He wanted to hurt the stupid thing-
His grappling line fires out, tines sharp and barbed to dig into metal.
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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 5, 2008 20:57:51 GMT -5
The Valkyrie's optical sensors finally reboot. He spent the blackness imagining the Seeker scattered across the sky, a more pleasant vision than this star-spangled expanse.
//I'd be delighted to say it to your face if you'd stop running away,// Skyblast cries, the carrion crow. //If I'm a toy, what does it make you, that you run from me? A child who can’t read safety labels?//
Skyblast, not the sharpest crayon in the box for all that he's a razorblade given an artist's soul, replies, //Thundercracker is a soulless slave. His shell moves, but he is dead. You should let us kill you. It is a kinder fate.//
The Valkyrie reallocates his fuel, splitting his spear to form wingblades and his cannon. He opens on the Seeker again, aiming for the tailfins so that he doesn't accidentally sever Slingshot's rope.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 5, 2008 22:31:56 GMT -5
Duskwing's already got a big notch chewed out of his right rudder, thanks to someone's lightning gun, and a smoking hole in one engine. His night continues to go downhill.
Slingshot's grapnels hit; one latches onto his right vertical stabilizer and the other skitters across his engine cowling without catching. The one that catches is bad enough; it digs hard into the damaged leading edge, hooks burrowing deep into the wound.
Then Skyblast opens up with his cannon, chewing Duskwing's horizontal stabilizers to pieces--and he's babbling things that take too much time to sift through and understand. Duskwing understands simple things, like he's half-crippled, one engine down, he's grappled, and his tail surfaces, that let him maneuver, are being torn to shreds.
// Uh, okay! // he says to Skyblast as he transforms, and whirls to face the harassing jets, arms and arm cannon extended. Balancing with difficulty on the one good jet, with Slingshot hooked to his bad ankle, he opens fire on Slingshot at close range.
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Post by Skystrike/Skylar Stringers on Feb 6, 2008 8:42:09 GMT -5
//Duskwing,// it was the only warning Skystrike bothers to give him.
A hail of laser fire aimed at Skyblast and the fading roar of a broken sound barrier announces her arrival to the Autobots.
She’d caught bits and pieces of the ‘conversation’ between Skyblast and Duskwing over the general frequency as she flew in. The insults from the small jet were the first thing that caught her attention. They were vicious insults, more befitting coming from the vocalizers of Decepticon artists. This fighting style also wasn’t very typical for the Autobots, holding a half crippled Decepticon in place to shoot at them.
//Shoot the line,// she growls softly to Duskwing. //Then we’ll try to pull back.// There was something very, very wrong going on and the seeker was pretty sure it wasn’t the Decepticons that were causing it this time. That alone was cause for more concern than usual.
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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 6, 2008 14:23:08 GMT -5
Slingshot jinks and twists along the end of his line as Duskwing opens fire at him. This close, though, that vaunted Harrier agility can't save him from every shot. Energy blasts splatter against him, scorching his armor and seriously threatening to hole his wings.
The Harrier abruptly cuts his jets, letting gravity pull them both down towards the ground.
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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 6, 2008 22:08:22 GMT -5
The problem with mass-production is quality control and the lack thereof. See the Seeker that Slingshot just hooked. Also, what the slag is up with all the blue? If Skyblast wasn't a homicidal maniac, the blue would have pushed him over the edge.
Skyblast is again peppered with shots. It's a good thing Skyblast is tougher than he looks. Sure, he's a toy jet... from the Titaniums line. He loops up and then comes down hard on Skystrike, opening fire on her with his electro-discharge cannon and trying to get in close enough to slash her with his wingblades.
//One Seeker, two Seeker, blue Seeker... blue Seeker. How about I colour you screaming?//
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Feb 7, 2008 0:17:02 GMT -5
//Shoot the line//
As the weight of Slingshot drags Duskwing down in spite of the one protesting boot thruster, Skystrike's advice strikes him as very clever and well-times. He points his arm-guns down, towards the line connecting him to Slingshot and fires repeatedly. If he misses the line, he might hit Slingshot instead. This does not strike Duskwing as a problem.
What is that blasted jet babbling about? He's making no sense again.
// Hey, stupid! 'Screaming' ain't a color! // Duskwing points out over General. // It's a participle, sub-standard! //
One of his shots finally parted the line and in the abrupt surge upward, Duskwing shot himself in the foot. "ARRRGGGHH!"
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Post by Skystrike/Skylar Stringers on Feb 7, 2008 4:16:47 GMT -5
Skystrike rolls to one side to dodge the shots. She still utters a low snarl as she feels a charge skim across the surface of one wing, sending sharp twinges of pain up her sensory lines, but did little to deter her movements otherwise. Pointedly ignoring the obnoxious little jet’s taunts, the berkut transforms facing the Valkyrie as he dove down at her. So, he wanted get close enough to use those wing blades on this dumb little seeker, did he?
At the last second, Skystrike unsubspaces her pipe cutter, swinging the whirring blade up at an approaching wing as she radioed Duskwing once again, //Duskwing, your orders are to retreat and get fixed, not shout at Autobots.// It wasn’t ‘shoot at your own foot’ either, but she didn’t see that, being rather occupied. She does hear it, though. //Get moving.//
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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 7, 2008 12:16:50 GMT -5
Some of Duskwing's blasts that miss the line scorch and blacken his nosecone. The Aerialbot swings back and forth on the line, trying to keep it moving out of the line of Duskwing's fire.
Then the blue Seeker responds to Skyblast's taunting, and Slingshot goes very still.
...
Slingshot is trying to capture a defective Seeker.
Passive-aggression against the Prime was just as likely to get him beat as outright aggression, but the reflection of Skydive in his head purred that bringing this back to Rodimus would be pleasing. To him.
The defective jet is trying to escape. What, does he need Slingshot to just blast those wings clean off?
That's fine then. He cuts the line entirely and opens up with his mortar cannons. He's aiming for the wings deliberately, and Slingshot always had a natural aptitude for hitting what he aimed for.
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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 7, 2008 13:28:20 GMT -5
//...// Then, over private channel, he transmits to Slingshot, //It hurts. Make him hurt for me.//
Slingshot is so beautiful in battle, so clean, so pure.
Skyblast nimbly flicks his wing down and out of range at the brandishing of the pipe-cutter, graceful as a veteran showman. So this Seeker has some teeth? Time for cavities, then. He pulls past her and slopes back up, like a pemdulum. At the apex of his swing, he falls, end over tail, and snap-spins back 180, belly to ground, cockpit to sky. He again dives on her, cannon firing and he passes in close, trying to get in a hit with his blade on one of her wings.
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