Skyfire-3
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Post by Skyfire-3 on Apr 23, 2008 11:55:05 GMT -5
Skyfire pursed his lips, considering, then nodded. "True enough... but it's the self-interest that makes it effective. Fear alone will not be enough for a mech of any spirit."
Fear alone was not enough to bend Swerve to Prime's will, and it's not enough for Skyfire. Right now, his chances are better with Prime than on his own, or with his own Decepticons. However, with these Decepticons, who might not care about his record of looting and slavery...
Skyfire smiled ingratiatingly; this Fleetwind seemed nervous, constantly looking around as if he expected enemies to sneak up on them or hoped for allies to arrive--not at all like his 'own' Fleetwind.
"So what tools does your leader, Starscream, use?" he asked softly.
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Fleetwind
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The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
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Post by Fleetwind on Apr 23, 2008 20:39:28 GMT -5
Fleetwind hopes for no allies, for he expects no support from his own. Receiving it is cause to be suspicious, more than anything else, unless one's proven oneself useful enough to keep around.
"What tools?" Fleetwind asks, brightening despite the warnings going off in the back of his mind. Perhaps brightening because of them. "Why, all of us! All of us are the tools he uses." The misunderstanding is quite intentional, though it would take an unusually observant mechanoid to gather as much - Fleetwind is a superb performer, and can convincingly feign an angelic innocence that is wholly inappropriate on one who wears his sigils.
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Skyfire-3
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Post by Skyfire-3 on Apr 24, 2008 8:42:15 GMT -5
Skyfire gave Fleetwind an exasperated look; the Fleetwind he knew of wasn't anywhere near that dim; this one is being disingenuous. If Rodimus Prime had been around, Skyfire would have had an irresistible urge to express his annoyance via a cannon barrel alongside Fleetwind's head.
Fortunately, he wasn't.
"Don't play dumb with me, Fleetwind. I really doubt the main difference between you and your counterpart is stupidity; you aren't Duskwing. You know what I meant--how does Starscream control you lot? He's no match for the sheer power of a Prime, and he can't be the bloody bleeding-heart loyal idealist1 our Starscream is, so he's got something else going for him," Skyfire growled. He couldn't exactly ask, 'Is he someone I'd rather work with than that psychotic Prime and is he likely to come out on top?'
--- 1This Skyfire did spend some time on Earth.
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Fleetwind
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The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
Posts: 730
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Post by Fleetwind on Apr 24, 2008 10:43:12 GMT -5
Ah, but Fleetwind has no way of knowing that Skyfire is merely job hunting, and even if he is, among Decepticons the job hunter of today is oft the usurper of tomorrow.
Fleetwind is damned if he's going to hand over the tools needed for the task tomorrow. For he is ruled by fear, and he still fears Starscream far more than he does Skyfire.
The Seeker grins, and shakes his head. "I doubt our alliance goes so far as to allow for the sharing of sensitive internal information, Skyfire, though I suspect you underestimate the power that he does have. Perhaps because yours is such a... 'bleeding-heart loyal idealist.'"
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Skyfire-3
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Post by Skyfire-3 on Apr 24, 2008 11:02:03 GMT -5
Blue optics narrowed. "Really? It'll be interesting to see, then, who comes out on top: my Prime, their Prime, or your Starscream. Starscream versus two Primes? Doesn't sound good. Too bad you don't even have a Megatron."
Because when all's said and done, Skyfire thought, you know damn well this will be a three-cornered conflict. Rodimus Prime knows no peers, no equals--only followers and victims.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
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Post by Fleetwind on Apr 24, 2008 21:55:41 GMT -5
"And here I thought you had just disparaged leaders who control primarily through fear," Fleetwind's grin turns dark as he looks up at Skyfire from beneath his helm. "Besides, Starscream has a very reasonable option to avoid battling two Primes at once. All he need do is never be the greatest threat on the field to either of them, so long as both are still around."
Of course, one reason Starscream managed to remain leader of these Decepticons is that no one is quite sure whether killing him would really end him, but that is the sort of information one does not share with a kind-of-sort-of-ally-enemy, and so Fleetwind keeps such things to himself.
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Skyfire-3
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Post by Skyfire-3 on Apr 24, 2008 22:09:04 GMT -5
Skyfire's optics widened, then narrowed again. Starscream standing back and watching the two Primes battle each other would only make sense... if he planned to finish off the weakened survivor. And that meant---
Skyfire smirked. He had to meet this Starscream; he just might be the kind of mech Skyfire could work with.
"Nice meeting you, Fleetwind. You seem like a smart guy; you'll probably figure out all the angles. If it all goes south for you, well... my captive, Thundercracker, has a much better time of it than Perceptor and Prime's playthings. If it goes south for me... I'm no fanatic. Pragmatism and self-interest are my watchwords." Skyfire stepped back and half-turned, as if getting ready to fly away.
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
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Post by Fleetwind on Apr 24, 2008 22:44:17 GMT -5
Fleetwind narrows his optics, his expression turning both suspicious, wary. He snorts faintly. "So the Autobots from your realm are not all your Prime's playthings by default?" Because if things go that far south, Fleetwind will slap the Autobrand on his wings before he seeks shelter from the shuttle he watched chased off once. The Seeker is willing enough to accept safety from those he can manipulate it out of, but he only relies on himself. Like any good Decepticon, he knows that he's the only one he can really trust. "How fortunate for you."
He takes a step away, making it obvious that he has no intention of stopping Skyfire should the other fly off... and that he may well fly off himself if the other doesn't.
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Skyfire-3
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Post by Skyfire-3 on Apr 25, 2008 11:08:41 GMT -5
Skyfire only frowned at Fleetwind's reply; the barb hit a little closer to home than he liked. "Yeah."
Skyfire turned and walked off, not wanting to waste fuel on transforming-and-flying. The yellow Seeker had an agile mind, and, if he was like his counterpart, an equally agile body. The mind would need a bit of... attitude adjustment, though. Perceptor could manage that just fine, if Skyfire could manage to get his hands on Fleetwind during the upcoming festivities--and 'his' Autobots won.
Otherwise... he really needed to talk to this Starscream, feel the Decepticon leader out. If they came out on top, Skyfire just might want a bolthole to run to.
--- ..and out-of-thread, unless stopped
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Fleetwind
Major
The Chancellor, His Eminent Grandeur, Marquis Fleetwind. The Insurgent Subduer of A Non-Threatening Cute Little Furry Kitten
Twined Elf
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Post by Fleetwind on Apr 25, 2008 11:36:40 GMT -5
The Seeker watches Skyfire walk away for a moment, optics narrowed. Then he leaps into the air. He's had enough of studying these strange ally-enemies. It's time to catch some sky.
Out of thread.
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