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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 13:04:33 GMT -5
Kup stares at Drift for a moment.
Then he bursts out laughing. He just can't help it. That's what Drift thinks a female is? Someone with special powers? Kup briefly pictures Springer of the leaping powers as a woman and laughs some more.
Finally, Kup recovers and explains, "Son, that's not what a female is. Females are just Transformers that use a different set of pronouns than males. Now, they tend toward a pretty face and a light build," which may explain to Drift Twin Twist's mistake, "but that ain't any kind of rule with 'em. Some of them got special powers; some of them don't, just like us."
Kup wags a finger when Drift complains about special powers. "Now, I don't got no fancy powers m'self," just an implausible musket, "but they're damn handy, and a 'bot can't help how he's built. Tell Mirage he's a dishonourable sneak," which may actually be true, but go with it, "for turnin' invisible and you'll have an honour duel on your hands."
He leans a bit forward over his desk, "And sneaky's only bad when you're on the receiving end. If you can go around the back to break into an enemy base and don't lose a man, that's a sight better than attacking from the front and losing everyone."
"You're from Springer's reality, kid. We got him, Topspin, and Guzzle here. They're Wreckers. Maybe they know you?" Turmoil and Dreadwing haven't been reported yet, so Kup doesn't know about them.
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Post by Drift on Mar 27, 2011 13:59:01 GMT -5
Drift is just going to sit quietly, arms folded over his chassis, frowning with Extreme Unhappy at Kup's really kind of mortifyingly embarrassing laughter.
When Kup--finally--composes himself, Drift grunts. "Fraggin' stupid grammar?" Seriously? These 'females' not notice there's a war on? Got nothing better to do than cause a ruckus about pronouns? This whole thing sounds very elitist. "What? Too good to use the same words as the rest of us?"
He suspects there's more to this, but he's going to wait until the next time he can find Perceptor. Nail him to the wall and grill him on this 'female' nonsense. At least Perceptor wouldn't laugh at him. ...much.
"If a mech is doing something dishonorable," he retorts, "Any claim to an 'honor duel's kind of invalid." In short, don't tempt him.
"And what you're talking about is tactics. Stealth tactics are fine. Using an unfair advantage against your opponent is fine. But some things are just...," he shrugs. "not for me, I guess." He's not going to tell someone how to live their life.
"Springer." A frown. NOT Drift's number one fan. "Topspin." He shrugs. "They...not concerned at all about getting back?" He can't speak for any other realities, but he knows where he's from? There's a pit of a war on, and the Wreckers, and their unique 'talents', are sorely needed.
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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 14:33:22 GMT -5
"What? No!," Kup snaps, baffled yet again that folks have such a problem with this whole concept. Women have always been around in Kup's reality, and no one's ever made a fuss about them. When he was just a fresh-paint, he even heard tales of a legendary green female warrior who fought for freedom... from what, he wasn't sure at the time, but now that he's older and knows more, he's pretty sure it had to be a trickle-down tale from the Quintesson era. Kup is old-fashioned, but the idea of 'no women' is new-fangled to him, and he just doesn't get it.
"It's just how they're programmed. There's no choice to it." Kup rubs his chin. "I mean, I s'pose, you can have yourself reprogrammed into a female if you're unhappy with being a male or vice versa, but that ain't common."
Drift is still going on about sneaky behaviour being wrong? Oh, okay, so sneaking around the back of a base isn't sneaking, it's being tactical. For a kid who is touchy about his lack of education, Drift loves to play with semantics.
Kup suggests tiredly, "C'mon, Drift. Imagine that when you first came online, you had the ability to phase through walls. Would you call yourself a coward for being built that way? Would you call it dishonourable to use your full potential, even if you really needed to get into a fortified bunker to off the enemy's commander? Would'ja rip out the phasing unit and stomp on it?"
The kid frowns over Springer. Hmm. "We all want to get back." Eh, maybe not some of the dying folks. "Thing is, last time we tried... we opened up a doorway to a weird place where Autobots were a bunch of freaky evil sadists and Decepticons were kinda nice... milquetoasts."
That's not exactly correct, but it more or less summarises the situation.
"We're still trying, but it ain't easy."
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Post by Drift on Mar 27, 2011 16:56:38 GMT -5
Drift rolls his optics. "Yeah, of all the problems I've run into in life, strangely, pronouns about myself hasn't really made it to the top of the list yet." He's pretty, not gender confused! Well, okay, he is confused about gender, but in a totally different way. He's pretty secure in his dude-itude. After all: THREE swords. How much more manly can you get?
Stealth =/= sneaking. Everyone knows that, Kup. He was stealthing along Turmoil's ship when he ran into the Wreckers. Perfectly legitimate strategy.
Drift sighs. "Look, it's combat. There are rules. One side surrenders, the other side stops shooting." In..theory at least. "Problem is, where it all leads. You get some special abilities guy, the other side gets one. You get another, they get another. And on and on and on until..." He spreads his hands. "What are we? What do we stand for? Ideals or having the bigger team of freaks?" It's a....rough paraphrase of what he said to Turmoil
"That weird place--why'd you run? Why not help the side that was fighting for the right thing? Or did this," he taps his faction sigil, "matter more than right or wrong?"
Yeah Kup, huh? Huh? Answer that one, Greeny Mc Oldypants.
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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 17:35:19 GMT -5
"It's not one or the other, and folks ain't gonna take kindly t'ya callin' 'em freaks," Kup all but spits when Drift basically comes out and says that he feels Autobots with special powers are ethically retarded.
Clearly getting even more riled, Kup snaps, "Why'd you assume we ran? Yeah. I helped those Decepticons. We helped those Decepticons and fought those Autobots. Let me tell you, that alternate evil-me was a right preening dandy. Needed that stupid shiny face of his caved in a few times and a boot to the head."
Kup disapproves of Shiny Politician Kup on general principles; the fact that he was evil, too, is just insult to injury.
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Post by Drift on Mar 27, 2011 17:48:21 GMT -5
Drift would never use such an unpolitically correct term as 'retarded'. More like, ethically...challenged. Morally handicapable. And you say he talks like a Decepticon.
"My point was not the individual," because according to Kup they don't really get a conscious say in their freaky special powers status, "but the side that uses them." His lip twitches into something like a sneer. "I mean, what? Aren't Autobots all about equality? Yet they have 'special' powers?"
He bunches his hands on his lap. "And where does that leave you and me, anyway? Huh? Obsolete because we weren't lucky enough to be onlined with special mods? We're gunmeat. For no reason than what we were made as."
Drift would be stunned that you were surprised that politician was sleazy and corrupt. They ALL are.
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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 19:04:54 GMT -5
"You know who's elitist, Drift? You. Do you even listen to yourself?" Kup snarls, throwing his arms up. "Equality ain't about everyone being the same. It's about everyone being treated the same, no matter paint scheme, alternate mode, function, powers, religion, or creed. You wanna say you won't allow folks with special powers to join your Autobots, Drift?"
"Because that's what this is. A volunteer army. We don't force people to stay here. They're here because they want to be, so if a speedy gal with an extra-fast transformation who can call a glowing key down from the sky wants to sign on, I ain't gonna turn her away because it might make Firebolt feel bad about herself, that she ain't got the same loadout as Override. They're different, and we accept that and move on."
He points a finger at Drift, scowling. "And we accept that there's more to an Autobot than powers. Turning invisible don't do a 'bot a lick of good if he can't stay quiet. Everyone's got something to offer, and I don't mean as mesh shield. Everyone matters."
This is, after all, the same Kup who, in a moment of crisis, let a rather fishy shuttle try to land, for fear of fatalities if he shot it down. Life matters.
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Post by Drift on Mar 27, 2011 19:37:43 GMT -5
Drift sits there, stunned, for a long moment. Yes, even after Kup's done talking. He's about 40% berating himself for not getting his point across right and 60% on just...being wrong.
When he finally does speak, his voice is very quiet. "Kup. I've seen what can happen. I've seen what can happen when one side focuses on winning, thinks about mechs only in terms of statistics and kill/hit ratios and loadouts. When mechs get reduced to what they can do rather than who they are, and we lose sight of what we're throwing into combat, and why."
He sighs, staring at the desk and the...whatever Kup's been scribbling on. "I've done it. I don't want to do it again." The blue optics flicker up. "I really...can't."
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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 20:17:48 GMT -5
Kup is just about ready to break his foot off in Drift's exhaust pipe when... Drift finally gets off his high horse and starts talking sense again. Kup regards Drift with his optics narrowed, shaking slightly. He finally calms himself and says, "Hnn."
Finally, he elabourates, "I guess I can see that this kind of interview would make you just feel like a lil' number to be crunched on some spreadsheet, but that weren't where I was tryin' to go with this. We ain't that kind of operation. Sure, we'll try to put you where we can make the most out of what you can do, but we won't forget you - or any of us - are people, first."
Except Impactor. He's a zombie.
"So. I'll put you in the Main Forces, get you a security clearance, and get you sent off to medical for your check-up and to get assigned a room, if you don't got anything else to ask me?"
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Post by Drift on Mar 27, 2011 21:09:32 GMT -5
Drift is earnestly wishing he could pull words back out of the air and stuff them in his mouth. Wow, let much slip there, Drift? Why don't you start listing names of Autobots you've killed so Kup can recognize how many friends of his you've probably offed?
It was all so clear, the way Wing had it. When Wing spoke, everything made sense. But when Drift tried to get the same things across...? Drift gives a frustrated shrug. Must be him. He's doing something wrong.
"Yeah," he manages. He doesn't even bridle about not being put with the Wreckers. Right now...Springer's the last one he wants to face. He...kinda just wants to disappear until there's a battle now. Maybe get his head straight. Or something.
Main Forces means he gets to fight, though. That's something. A place to start. He nods at Kup. "That's fine." A long, awkward pause. He's...still working on manners. "Thank you." You know, for not punching him in the face or threatening to blow his head off with a laser cannon or something. This is a new, and weird style of leadership.
He's...not sure he likes it.
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Post by Kate Mason on Mar 27, 2011 21:39:06 GMT -5
Kup could not assign Drift to the Wreckers if he wanted to. It's Springer's call, yet another point of annoyance for Kup. Anyway, Kup wasn't going to assign Drift to the Fine China Department; that would be stupid.
He's a bit startled when Drift thanks him, and he shows it. Kup slides over a datachip that'll give Drift his clearance, some important 'read this first' files, and a map of the darn place and replies, "You're welcome, kid. If you think of more questions, you can come back later."
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