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Post by Farlane/Faye Fairlane on Feb 23, 2011 23:35:30 GMT -5
Oooh, a serious minimal word type! The sly smile on the cotton candy lips widen further as he answers, “An’ yer terribly pretty too.” Wink. “Wanna hang out after class?”
Luckily, Drift is saved from any more flirting when Professor Xaaron starts the class. And then of course, all the cheer drains from Farlane’s face the moment Unicron is mentioned.
He’d watched the mandatory video. After living through his universe’s Unicron attack, taking the monster lightly under any circumstances was out of the question. He just... didn’t imagine they’d have a Unicron stuck in Rodimus Prime’s chest.
The pink car leans quietly back into his chair, arms crossed and doorwings flattened tensely against his back.
OOC: Skippable!
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Post by Gertrude Huldon/Guzzle on Feb 24, 2011 7:47:36 GMT -5
With his size, it could have been relatively easy to miss Guzzle, especially with how crowded it is in here. But the barrel poking up over some of the heads of the larger bots here dashes any hopes of him blending in.
Well, not that he cares. He's been spending his time glaring at Drift from where he is, bright blue eyes pressed together into angry little slits, his crossed arms and tapping fingers completing the image of someone who is not happy. He knows of Drift. Hell, which Autobot from his reality (and timepoint) doesn't? But he also knows the stories. And he's none too pleased to have someone with such dubious motives here. Wheelie? A joke. What harm could he possibly do? Jetfire? Powerful but ancient, but he means well. Drift? Yeah. A lot more shady, and Guzzle will be keeping an eye on him.
His glaring stops though when Emirate Xaaron speaks up. One optic widens before he shifts his gaze, sitting up a bit straighter as he visibly relaxes. Yeah, yeah, Unicron. Big scary planet killer. He's read about him before, incredible destructive power...Sure, he was unnerved at first. But there's nothing a big badaboom can't fix and he knows that the Matrix is the payload they need.
The relaxed stance and calm state of mind do a radical 180 once Xaaron tells them what's up. The Wrecker's optics widen while his posture becomes tense again, though in an entirely different way. He's not the smartest mech, but he gets what's basically being said, especially when Jetfire explains it a bit better.
And just like that, his concerns about Drift shift in priority. No, now he has a far more pressing matter in his mind. Can they still trust Rodimus? He opens his mouth to ask that, but just as quickly closes it again. Hell no. He's not going to be that bot. He'll just wait for someone else to inevitably ask it.
OOC: Skippable.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 24, 2011 11:47:39 GMT -5
"Jetfire the Elder is more or less correct, but let me address your questions in turn," Emirate Xaaron explains. He finds it a bit charming how at least someone is taking the mystical aspect of this problem in stride.
Trust good old Impactor to try to weaponise Unicron. Emirate Xaaron looks over at the zombie and explains, "In theory, Rodimus Prime could draw on Unicron's power to bolster his own. A while back, we ran into alternate versions of ourselves, who were evil, and cons who were good," he calls up some pictures and videos associated with the whole mess. "We have reason to believe that the evil Rodimus Prime rather freely and liberally called upon Unicron's power. However." He raises a finger. "I talked about the Matrix being a storage device for energy, but it's a lot more than just that. It stores the minds and memories of those who bear it long enough. Thereby, the fallen Primes can advise the current bearer. So the Matrix can be shown to be a data storage and execution device, much like any computer. Unicron's mind is also stored in there, not just his energy. We can't figure out how to get one without the other. So, any time Rodimus Prime draws on Unicron's energy, there is a chance of Unicron's mind subsuming Rodimus Prime and taking him over. Even if the effects are not quite that drastic, suppose that Rodimus Prime was trying to use the Matrix to revive a recently-deceased comrade. If he drew on Unicron's energy to do so, there's a chance that revived comrade would come back twisted and warped, even if Unicron didn't take over Rodimus Prime's mind. It gets slightly worse. Any time Rodimus Prime draws on the Matrix to do anything, there's a chance for some of Unicron's energy or influence to leak into the end product, which is precisely why Rodimus Prime has not used the Matrix in any revivals or to create any new Transformers."
In other words, this is why Rodimus Prime hasn't used the Matrix to fix Impactor yet, because the Matrix could accidentally make Impactor into an agent of Unicron.
He glances to Override and shakes his head. "Unicron's energy is contained, so it won't be able to form a black hole."
Emirate Xaaron actually leaves the podium and walks in front of it to answer Breakaway's question. "Transformers arrive here all the time, without warning. They aren't always friendly. Some of them are friendly but aren't thinking too clearly. Suppose a Unicronian cultist arrived? He might decide to try to free his master by murdering Rodimus Prime in his sleep - which, by the way, wouldn't work. The Matrix would hold Unicron for a time. Time enough for us to deal with the matter." By 'us', he mostly means 'me'. "Suppose someone figured he could kill Unicron for all time and become a hero by dumping Rodimus Prime into a black hole. The fact is, there are a lot of idiotic things people might do, now knowing what they know. There's never been a time where everyone's been around and their security clearance has been absolutely rock solid. The fact is, there never will be such a time, so we're just doing you all in groups now and trusting you to be prudent with this information, not hasty or spiteful. I am trusting you, and trust me, you don't want to know what I'm like when my trust is broken." His yellow optics narrow, and his helmet tilts down slightly, shading over them.
He nods to Jetfire the Younger. "Unicron's under control. Rodimus Prime has even trained such that he can keep Unicron under control while unconscious, drugged, or under torture. "
It's a lecture hall, so voices carry, and Emirate Xaaron points out to Drift, "Unicron was in a body. Killing the body just released his energy form. Think of a spark that just won't die, even disembodied."
Now it's Jetfire the Elder's turn. "As I mentioned to Jetfire the Younger, Rodimus Prime has trained to keep Unicron contained even under duress. From what I hear from Perceptor and Botanica, he's expected to make a full recovery from his bout with Cosmic Rust. He and the Matrix should be fine."
Emirate Xaaron quashes Farlane's flirting. Tragedy.
Guzzle just looks shocked.
So Emirate Xaaron adds one other thing, "Twin Twist is from the year 2510 Earth reckoning, in Rodimus Prime's future. By that point in time, Rodimus Prime has... fixed the Matrix, somehow. Dealt with Unicron once and for all. Twin Twist doesn't know the details, but I expect that our own Rodimus Prime will figure it out eventually, give or take a few centuries. So this is a problem, yes, but there's a solution that can be found."
Emirate Xaaron concludes by pointing to Elita-1 and inquiring, "Yes, Elita-1?"
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Post by Impactor/"Imp" on Feb 24, 2011 18:31:54 GMT -5
Impactor grunts. Well, that explains that! Otherwise, however, he remains silent now.
OOC: Still skippable.
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Override
Minor
The Chancellor, Her Noble Potency, Empress Override. The Glorious Victor over Everyone Else On the Track
Shut up and drive
Posts: 476
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Post by Override on Feb 25, 2011 20:26:04 GMT -5
OOC: Skipping Elita-1 due to time-out on a large thread-size.
Override nods. "Okay, cool," she answers, otherwise taking the whole affair in stride.
OOC: And now skippable myself!
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Post by Elita-1 on Feb 26, 2011 8:35:02 GMT -5
Elita-1's hand slowly inches down as everyone else just talks out and, well, over her. Right, so next time don't bother with being polite.
"I... think my question was answered, sir," she says rather sheepishly. Elita folds her hands in her lap and looks down at them.
Skippable
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Post by Drift on Feb 26, 2011 8:59:52 GMT -5
[ooc: if I'm out of order, bludgeon me--my bookmarks did not notify me!]
Drift tries to force all of the 'aw hell no' into the word as is possible. "Pretty." Just to make sure the pink mech gets the point, he adds, "Don't have time to deal with women." Or zombies, or other confusing things. He's just here to stab, thankyouverymuch.
He feels...something. Someone watching him, with those Optics of I Hate You he himself did so well as Deadlock. He lets his optics sweep the crowd, but can't quite manage to spot the source. Huh. Someone here doesn't like him. Feeling, he thinks, is most likely mutual.
This whole briefing sounds...unnecessary. Right. So this 'Rodimus' (whom he seriously doubts is the Rodimus from his world, because, yeah, he's..fallen for that a few too many times before) has this 'Unicron' who's really an energy being, trapped in a 'Matrix' and that's that. And has for a long time. Who. Fraggin'. Cares?
He's not asking a question as much as registering his stupidity his doubt that this is an imminent threat. "Nice history lesson. Why waste our time with it if Rodimus has it under control."
[Still skippy]
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Post by Breakaway on Feb 26, 2011 19:16:28 GMT -5
Breakaway shrugs and adjusts his seat. It sounds like Emirate Xaaron is being honest with them, anyway. "Meddle not in the affairs of officers, for you are unimportant and good at scrubbing things," he mutters to himself, too low for anyone who isn't sitting right next to him to hear.
Whatever is going on in Rodimus Prime's chest, it doesn't sound like it is going to affect how the jetformer does his job.
Skippable
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Feb 27, 2011 21:03:14 GMT -5
Of course Jetfire is taking the spiritual aspect into account; these days, it's pretty much all he has left, what with his body falling apart around him. Besides, he's from an era where the spiritual and the secular were inextricably bound together as one.
"Ah. Good," he replies to Xaaron, nodding.
"Better to hear it from them," Gramps observes, nodding toward Xaaron before glancing down at Drift, "than some meddling Decepticon bent on rattlin' out spark, eh, lad?" He offers an almost painfully lopsided smile. "It's wha' I wouldda done, once, and I'm not the most inventive fragger wha ever lived."
ooc: skippable unless addressed now.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 28, 2011 21:40:04 GMT -5
"Are you certain, Elita-1?" Emirate Xaaron asks. The troops are bound to have concerns. They're right to. The god of chaos walks in their midst.
He nods as Jetfire says it would be better to hear it from Autobot officers than Decepticons propagandists. Emirate Xaaron's expression turns dark and stormy, and he slinks back behind the podium to explain, "In the interests of disclosure, before Rodimus Prime trained himself to cage Unicron, even unconscious or under torture, Unicron was able to possess Rodimus Prime. At one point... Unicron-in-Rodimus attempted to eat Cybertron."
Yes. Rodimus Prime knows what Cybertron tastes like.
"This was common knowledge in his reality. It couldn't be anything but. Friends, Rodimus Prime led his Cybertron, and they forgave him for what Unicron did with his body. I ask you to keep that in mind should a con raise the matter."
Emirate Xaaron sweeps a searching glance over the audience.
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Post by Farlane/Faye Fairlane on Mar 1, 2011 21:21:17 GMT -5
“Ya have time t’ deal with dudes then?” Farlane says quietly, trying to lighten the mood somehow. “But you can call me a woman ‘f you want. I’m cool with that.” Yeah, he’s not exactly here to help with anyone’s gender confusion.
He silently ex-vents when Xaaron finishes his speech. “I ain’t exactly comfy with the whole Unicron living amongst us thing, but I ain’t gonna cause the Prime trouble fer fraggin’ containing him.” The pink car can’t even begin to imagine how much it’d suck to have that bastard stuck in his chest.
OOC: Skippable still.
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Post by Drift on Mar 4, 2011 19:49:00 GMT -5
....
Farlane: you might just have officially broken Drift's cortex. He'd congratulate you if his head didn't hurt so much from you. "The frag you want from me, anyway?"
Farlane's second comment isn't directed at Drift, but he's going to answer anyway. "Never know who's among you," he murmurs, darkly.
And he notices that Xaaron ignored him. That puts his mood straight up into 'peachy'.
"If you're so worried about Rodimus losing control of this...unicorn thing, why not just send him over to the 'cons, let him blow, and...end of fraggin' story?'
Deadlock: Tactical genius.
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Post by Jasper Stoneham on Mar 5, 2011 23:20:42 GMT -5
The only Prime Jetfire has not forgiven, cannot forgive, is the Fallen. Otherwise, the Original Prime FanboyTM could forgive a real Prime anything. Heck, he doesn't know it yet, but he yanks his own spark out for one to scavenge his own parts in his own future!
"Don't think tha'll be an issue, Emirate," he rumbles. "Discontent, confusion, disarray, hate, hate, hate. S'easier t' let us tear ourselves apart, if not as fun for them," he adds with a shrug. "It's an easily disarmed weapon, though, with but a little truth! That's what it's about! Truth! And this is--"
The old codger's aimless rambling is cut short when he catches Drift's suggestion in one audio, and every panel and spine suddenly flares up and outward like a porcupine's quills as he slowly turns his blood red gaze upon the white Bot.
"Send him... over... let him blow..." he repeats quietly. This feeble young pup is suggesting that they toss the Prime out as some sort of kamikaze sacrifice to the Decepticons?
"You're suggesting that we send the Prime - bearer of the Matrix, a relic of unfathomable power and the repository of the power and knowledge of the ancient Primes, and currently the prison of a being so vast and evil that it makes the Fallen look like a half-byte hatchling - to the Decepticons to 'blow', thus destroying the Prime, ending the legacy, possibly destroying the Matrix, one of the most potent and sacred artifacts of the entire Autobot and Prime lineage, and setting another Unicron loose within this universe, in the hope that the Decepticons will be destroyed as well, and we'll be rid of the inconvenience of supporting our Prime as he continues to face the trial of keeping Unicron imprisoned?"
"Are you SLAGGING DAFT!?!" Jetfire shouts, rising from his seat with a snarl.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 7, 2011 20:35:31 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron sighs heavily as Drift suggests going kamikaze with Rodimus Prime and then as Jetfire the Elder goes completely bonkers over the suggestion. He shoots Breakaway a look as if to say, 'And you wonder why we haven't told anyone?'
He leaves his podium to stalk up into the audience. He tries to put a soothing hand on Jetfire arm, and he murmurs, "Calm yourself."
More loudly, Emirate Xaaron explains, favouring the logic he's been using so far, "That would be a short term gain for a long term loss." He looks right over at Drift. "You see, while Unicron wishes to devour all life, he very specifically wishes to kill the Transformers on top of that. There is already one manifestation of Unicron free in this universe. So while releasing Unicron in his energy form might well kill the Decepticons, he would shortly thereafter find and slaughter every last one of us, because this manifestation of Unicron knows we're here, unlike the other, and this manifestation of Unicron is an energy being, unshackled by a physical form. Releasing Unicron would end the war – by wiping out all of us."
"In addition, the Matrix can be used to create new Transformer life or revive the recently dead – it is an invaluable tool on the battlefield, when it is in proper working order. We have news that it has been purged of Unicron in Twin Twist's timeline, which is somewhat ahead of most timelines. I have faith that our Rodimus Prime will similarly purge his Matrix here in a few centuries, at least, if we all remain here that long. Throwing away the Matrix on such a gambit would be foolish."
Then Emirate Xaaron's face splits into a nasty grin, and he concludes, "So with those two points on the table, I think we can safely ignore the fact that he's a fellow Autobot and a good friend to many of us. Though speaking of a few centuries... there is a dark side to Twin Twist's news. Rodimus Prime will suffer accelerated aging as a result of caging Unicron. It'll clear up when the Matrix is purged, but until then..." one of his shoulder slips down in a half-shrug, "...medical's already seeing the signs. We may have to pull him off the battlefield and use him more for tactics, strategy, and diplomacy, as his aging progresses."
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Post by Farlane/Faye Fairlane on Mar 10, 2011 1:12:23 GMT -5
“Right now?” the pink car glances at Drift, expression bemused, “a bucket a’ high grade.” And then Drift goes down the ‘whoa, whoa, wait, what?’ route of things and Farlane leeeaaans awaaay from samurai boy with a slightly perturbed expression.
So like, Farlane definitely needs to stop being attracted to ruthless killers now. He does make it a point to subtly try and kick Drift’s leg though, a stern ‘dude, seriously, no’ expression on his face though. Might as well try while he’s at it, right? Of course, by then it was a little late since Jetfire had already ranted at the madness and Xaaron was kindly picking a giant hole into that logic.
He's momentarily distracted at the mention of accelerated aging though, and turns a quizzical look at the golden mech, asking, "how would gettin' older quickly cause any problems?" Kup is old and he's tougher than most mechs a fourth of his age.
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