Arcee
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Posts: 330
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Post by Arcee on Jan 30, 2008 22:58:21 GMT -5
This immediately follows the "Perceptor Updates Kup" thread
And so Arcee drew the straw of being on guard duty for the other-universe version of Emirate Xaaron. Whether that meant he felt he was more capable of defeating her than Mirage, she didn't know, and frankly, she didn't care. She believed herself to be more than capable of taking him out. The real Xaaron, or at least, the one she had had become familiar with, was no fighter, and she was willing to bet this one wasn't either.
So there she was, keeping a watchful eye on him outside the Autobot base. She has one hand on her pistol, ready to draw it if need be, but it's kept down, not pointed at him. He's no prisoner, after all. Not yet, anyway. Not quite.
Perhaps she should say something, strike up some form of small talk, but nothing especially comes to mind.
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
Posts: 162
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Jan 31, 2008 12:47:08 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron knows he has no chance of taking Arcee. However, Swerve thinks he has a chance of taking Arcee, and that's good enough for him. In retrospect, maybe he should have asked for Mirage, just to make sure he knows where Mirage is.
He rather nervously wrings his hands and keeps looking up at the sky, as if he expects death from above. His attention flickers back down to his captor and to the area around him.
Hesitantly, he tries to get her talking, because a talking enemy is one who is wasting processor cycles on speech and thus doesn't have a complete complement of processor cycles for killing. He inquires, voice soft, "So. What are your Decepticons like?"
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Post by Long Haul on Jan 31, 2008 12:59:21 GMT -5
A lime green dump truck with deep purple windows rumbles up towards base, and therefore towards Arcee and Emirate Xaaron. There's some metal scrap and salvage in the back, though it's not anywhere near a full load - it's difficult for Long Haul to load himself up on his own. There is also a small mechadragon hanging her head over the side, her tongue lolling out. They've gotten Tiny to the point where they generally don't have to muzzle her anymore, and indeed, can have her unleashed for short periods of time.
As he approaches, he hails. "Hey, Arcee! Hey, Em'rate!"
Apparently no one decided to tell him that this isn't his Emirate Xaaron.
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Bluestreak
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Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Jan 31, 2008 14:28:54 GMT -5
Bluestreak's been offroading a bit, practicing getting around in the local terrain, and as such mud and dirt spatter his gray plating as he drives home, not far behind Long Haul. Tracks or Sunstreaker he's not -- while he wouldn't mind a trip to the washracks in the near future, he's not fussing about it either. So he makes no bones about stopping and transforming to talk to Arcee and Xaaron.
"Emirate Xaaron, sir," he greets in a friendly tone, unfolding to robot mode and saluting with a grin. "Hey, Arcee, how are you? What are you guys up to? Waiting for someone? Maybe I can help you find them." He looks down at his grimy armor, and his girn turns apologetic. "Sorry about the mess... been practicing offroading, just in case of a battle, you know... always good to know the terrain..."
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Arcee
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Post by Arcee on Jan 31, 2008 20:18:50 GMT -5
Prior to the arrival of Long Haul and Bluestreak, Arcee answers Xaaron's question. "Evil. Pure, unmitigated evil. They're out to dominate the universe and everything in them. Murder, treachery, torture, there's nothing they won't do to get what they want."
The presence of others brings Arcee's pistol up with a snap. She doesn't bring it down. Not when they might be the ones from Xaaron's universe. She hates the thought of turning her weapon on friends, but this is no time for chances. "One sec, guys."
She also takes a quick moment to fire off a radio to Kup.
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
Posts: 162
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Jan 31, 2008 22:32:12 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron isn't particularly afraid of Long Haul. He is afraid, of course, but Long Haul never did anything overly horrific to him. Then it hits him that this probably isn't his Long Haul at all, not with a casual, 'Hey, Em'rate!' Also, Tiny isn't trying to kill anyone.
The fallen Emirate puts on a winning smile and greets pleasantly, "Hello, Long Haul. Busy day?" They don't need to know he's terrified. If they think him at ease, they're more likely to be at ease, as well.
He does, however, have to correct Blustreak's wrong impression, because if he doesn't, Arcee assuredly will, and that would be embarrassing. He gestures to Arcee and explains, "I'm not your Emirate Xaaron, Bluestreak. I'm, ah, new, and shall we say under probation. Arcee just so happens to be guarding me."
Away from his demon Prime and his monster Perceptor, Emirate Xaaron is starting to act a little more like what he once was – still a wretched little coward, but someone in enough control of himself to not let the fear show.
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Post by Long Haul on Jan 31, 2008 22:42:29 GMT -5
"Arcee, what the blazes is wrong with you?!" Long Haul asks, surprised, before he gets a radio call from her. A radio call that... does nothing to clear things up. Then Emirate Xaaron explains himself.
"Another Em'rate, huh? Hnh. That could get confusin'. Might wanna, dunno, mark an 'x' on one of you, or something." He pauses. Wait. Asking someone to change their paint job could be taken as rude. "Or maybe just wear a sign?"
Then the dump truck grunts. "And what's she guardin' you against? Us? Arcee, put that thing away. Sheesh."
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Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 1, 2008 1:07:26 GMT -5
Bluestreak shuts up immediately when Arcee aims her weapon at him. Whoa, did she get sick of his chatter already? The radio call's confusing, to say the least...
//I'm right here in front of you, Arcee! What's wrong? Are your optics not working or something?//
Xaaron's reply is even more baffling. Not his Xaaron... every time he thinks things on Gillinan can't get any stranger, Fate throws another monkey wrench into the mix.
"Wow, another Xaaron? That's kind of cool, actually, though it could get confusing... whoa, if Xaaron has a double, does that mean we all do? That would get WEIRD. How would we tell each other apart? I guess we could go for the X's like Long Haul said, or signs..."
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Arcee
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Post by Arcee on Feb 1, 2008 11:47:18 GMT -5
Arcee finally drops her weapon. "Sorry guys. Couldn't be sure you were really you. And the other ones of you... aren't likely to be so nice."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Feb 2, 2008 0:00:50 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron actually seizes onto the redesign idea, "I don't mind that at all. Not an X or a sign, though. Perhaps a nice, bright orange with some grey?"
Why those colours? He wouldn't say if you asked him.
Anything to keep his demon Prime from recognizing him at first glance, should he ever make his way here. He could start over - a new life and a fresh coat of paint.
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Post by Long Haul on Feb 2, 2008 1:57:48 GMT -5
"Erm, Bluestreak? We alls gots doubles, and triples, and more than all that stuff. What with the different realities and all. That's why folks from so many different places can recognize me, even though I ain't from their reality and they got sparks or brain modules instead of laser cores and stuff?" Where's Bluestreak been? Then Arcee talks about their alternates not being nice.
"Huh? Ah, yeah, I know, Arcee." Of course any other Long Haul that shows up isn't very likely to be very nice! He's slated to become a Decepticon in his future, and apparently there are some realities where he was built that way!
It should be mentioned that it's not yet occurred to Long Haul that they're not talking about an ordinary new arrival just now.
To Xaaron, he explains, "I think we mostly got lots and lots of purple, but we got some other colors, too." He pauses to consider. "Orange, definitely. I'll have to check up onna grey, though."
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Bluestreak
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Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 2, 2008 19:53:30 GMT -5
Bluestreak realizes he should have clarified. "I knew that, Long Haul. Sorry, I meant doubles HERE. Looks like we have two Xaarons now, I was just wondering if other doubles of us were here. You know, like maybe they're here and we just haven't found them yet. It's possible, I guess."
To Arcee he replies "No worries, Arcee. But what do you mean about 'not so nice?' You think there's a Decepticon Bluestreak out there somewhere?"
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Arcee
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Post by Arcee on Feb 2, 2008 22:29:56 GMT -5
She shakes her head. "Even worse. Evil Autobots, based on what this Xaaron's said."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Feb 3, 2008 11:24:26 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron's Long Haul was a nice person, but he was a Decepticon. Most Decepticons are nice, where Emirate Xaaron comes from. Then, at the eve of Unicron's ascension, Emirate Xaaron was dropped onto a forsaken planet with an Autobot Long Haul. It just figures, doesn't it?
He points out, "Where I came form, there wre both a Bumblebee and a Goldbug. They're sort of alternate duplicates. Do you have both of them, too?"
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Post by Long Haul on Feb 3, 2008 15:01:22 GMT -5
"Why're evil Autobots worse than evil Decepticons, Arcee?" Long Haul asks, genuinely confused. "Isn't evil, evil, either way?"
To Emirate Xaaron, he says, "Yeah, we got a Bumblebee and a Goldbug. They're both, erm, both yellow. Think I remember hearing they had the same personal frequency when they got here, too."
It doesn't occur to Long Haul that maybe he shouldn't be revealing details about troop strength and such.
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