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Post by Elita-1 on May 10, 2011 7:36:24 GMT -5
Low blow or not, it seems to have gotten the point across.
"I wouldn't want to, Sir. I don't think anyone who puts on this symbol really does it from a desire to kill other beings." Sure there are violent exceptions, but Elita is still young after all, and she hasn't really met any of those exceptions, Drift notwithstanding.
"But if it came down to it, I could, Sir." Not I think I could.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 10, 2011 11:12:56 GMT -5
"You have never met Impactor," Sentinel Prime observes dryly, "but then again, he doesn't actually wear a symbol at all." He rubs his chin, mulling that over thoughtfully for a moment.
Okay, enough with the heavy stuff. Instead of needling Elita-1 mercilessly some more like she might be expecting, he asks, "How do you feel about performing?"
She seemed to dig borrowing Mirage's cloak for holo-deception-purposes, he seems to recall.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 10, 2011 18:43:16 GMT -5
Elita had a blast borrowing Mirage's holo-tech- though just how much she enjoyed that assignment she hasn't really talked about.
However, "performing" covers a lot of territory. Elita isn't going to do a striptease for the Grand Poobah of Gladious 8, thank you very much.
Well.
It would take a lot for her to do that, anyway.
"If I could ask for clarification on the parameters covered by 'performing' in the context of this squad before answering, Sir?"
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 10, 2011 19:05:56 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime is too much of the jealous sort to ask Elita-1 to do that.
He'd ask Skyfire.
Sentinel Prime replies, "You could." Then he does clarify. There's hardball, and there's ball bearings. "We're expected to show a good face for the Autobots. We might, at times, have to put on a show, you know parade marching, formation drills..."
...propaganda, but he won't say it.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 10, 2011 20:59:39 GMT -5
If Elita knew she still had enough of Sentinel for him to be jealous? She would totally start parading Optimus by Sentinel, just because she could. Really, someone should do something about that cruel streak the girl has.
His explanation gives her what she needed, so she rather confidently answers, "Understood, Sir. That would not be a problem, Sir."
Sentinel Prime doesn't have to use the P-word. Same reality set and all, ya know?
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 10, 2011 21:59:53 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime will likely be jealous until the day he dies. He's just the possessive kind.
He leans back and puts his arms behind his head and then asks wryly, "And how do you feel about lying?"
It's nice to have someone attentively calling him sir, in a perfect parade polish, again. Sentinel Prime had almost forgotten just how good that felt.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 11, 2011 16:43:05 GMT -5
"Sometimes the situation calls for it, Sir," Elita responds, "It may not be the so-called right thing to do, but if the choice is lying or starting a thermonuclear war, lying is the better option."
Really Sentinel Prime knew the answer to that one. What did he think she would be that hypocritical?
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 11, 2011 22:18:00 GMT -5
Elita-1 might be! It's a legit question!
Sentinel Prime asks, "What are your opinions on Cybertronian-xeno relations?"
He sort of regrets telling her his, or a version of his. He's not sure what his story is today. It changes a lot. It's not... lying, just... telling people what they want to hear.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 12, 2011 9:59:09 GMT -5
Haven't they all ready had this conversation?
Elita hasn't had to hold a perfect parade rest in awhile. Now, she can hold it all day if she needs to, but she'd dearly like to just flex her shoulders a bit. Or her neck.
"Cautious. Interactions with other species are inevitable in our situation and even necessary, so we may not be able to be as cautious as we'd like."
"I do feel that complete isolationism isn't the answer. It fosters a populace unable and unwilling to deal with a threat from the outside if and when it comes. Such a platform fosters fear and paranoia, as well, and that never ends well."
Case in point being big blue boy here.
"We need to find the balance that allows us to take advantage of what the rest of the universe has to offer while still maintaining our racial identity."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 12, 2011 10:44:08 GMT -5
Making people uncomfortable is one of Sentinel Prime's specialties.
They did have this conversation before. Stupid him, discussing this with her. He can still loop it back and salvage something out of it, though.
Now Sentinel Prime asks, "Elita-1, how much do you think your opinion matters?" Another thought strikes him, so he adds, "And when you say 'racial identity', what exactly do you mean?"
There are Transformers here made of blades and meat and plants and wings, and they wouldn't be considered Autobots back home or even Transformers, for the most part.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 12, 2011 23:05:58 GMT -5
Interesting questions. Elita actually has to pause a moment before answering. When she does speak though, her voice is not hesitant.
"As far as my opinion goes, Sir, that would depend on situation. In regards to acting in a unit, my opinion matters as little or as much as my commanding officer chooses."
"In the context of myself as an independent individual, I believe my opinion deserves weight, and that I deserve the right to voice that opinion in a social context. To remove that right would be to essentially make of me a slave."
"We- those of us here- are all Cybertronians, Sir. We are vastly different, but we share many core histories, beliefs- we are one people. One race, regardless of where evolution may have taken our respective realities."
"We are all Autobots, Sir, and I believe that designation means more than a mere faction symbol."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 13, 2011 9:18:54 GMT -5
Victory is his, when she pauses!
Intrigued, Sentinel Prime rubs his chin and asks, "But Decepticons are a different species?"
She has very specifically fingered Autobots as one people and more than just a faction. He's not going to let that go without comment.
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Post by Elita-1 on May 13, 2011 18:33:24 GMT -5
No pauses this time.
"It has been said that the average Autobot is a product of his society, but the average Decepticon produces his society." Oh yes, she is doing that. "The average Autobot's bent is toward peaceful pursuits that do not go contrary to the majority. The average Decepticon's bent is toward the opposite: violence and conquest, even if the origins of their choice are rooted in supposed freedom fighting."
"I think that it is possible for an Autobot to become a Decepticon, or a Decepticon to become an Autobot by changing side. But I would also argue that there is a certain something present with those whose final choice is the Autobot faction that is not present in those whose final choice is the Decepticon faction."
"It may not be enough to truly make of them a separate race, but I feel there is enough validity in the idea to consider it a possibility."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 13, 2011 19:09:46 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime actually smirks when she throws his words back at him. However, he shakes his head, and he explains, "I would not be comfortable with suggesting that Decepticons are a different species in this company. It is an ideological choice. There are and have been other factions than these, third factions, neutrals, even."
That's what they'd want him to say here, so he will.
Sentinel Prime stretches a little and admits, "But my opinion doesn't really matter, anyway."
Besides, he doesn't want to say that Elita-1 is a different species just because her future self chose to become a Decepticon.
"How do you react when someone knows a topic better than you do?"
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Post by Elita-1 on May 13, 2011 21:44:36 GMT -5
In this company....
Yeah, Sentinel, Elita sees what you did there.
"That depends entirely on the situation, Sir, and how said person is behaving with said knowledge. But overall, I prefer to attempt to learn from them."
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