Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 2, 2011 19:24:14 GMT -5
OOC: Month 1 Week 3 Day 6. Open. Posted with okay for skipping the IC announcement.
Up 'til now, Slugslinger's stay here has been like some twisted dream come true: a ship full of Decepticons who have no idea who he is. Blank slates. One round of hilarity and fun after another as he's poked and prodded, looking for the buttons he wants to push and the sore spots he should needle – and the ones to be looked over carefully, in the highly unlikely event he gets in over his head.
Up 'til now, he's enjoyed himself every waking moment.
Up 'til now.
He's still quite numb with the shock of it all and trudges along down the corridor at a sluggish pace, arms hanging limply at his sides while he stares blank-eyed into the space ahead of him. Most of his panels lie flat where he'd normally have them fanned out to make himself as big an obstruction as possible, and they may even be drooping slightly. If his headfins could emote, they most certainly would be tilted downward. He might as well have been ordered in front of a death squad, the way he's carrying on. But it's worse, he thinks with a sense of overpowering, stifling despair. It's so much worse.
"How?" he asks, stopping in place. He doesn't understand the process that resulted in this horrific new circumstance, try as he might. "How?" His dead-faced stupor gives way to frustration; he hauls back and slams his fist sideways against the bulkhead, flight panels flaring. "How the hell did this happen?!"
How in Unicron's name did he get promoted?
|
|
Blast Off
Rookie
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Blast Off on May 3, 2011 21:43:43 GMT -5
Blast Off is just passing through the hallway. Possibly he was out being a creepy stalker who stalks Assault, because it seems that Blast Off has vowed to do so with Vortex. It's more likely he's just headed one way because he was on duty and is now headed to a lounge for a break moodily staring at the stars.
He pauses and watches Slugslinger's distress. Blast Off should mind his own business. The jet with the maimed face is nothing and no one to Blast Off. His suffering isn't even by Blast Off's own hand; there is nothing for Blast Off to enjoy here.
He pauses, sighs wearily, and asks, "Are you quite all right?"
Blast Off remembers asking Onslaught about why he was doubled over in pain in the hallway, not so long ago, just before they all died. He expects no better answer from this later day Janus than the one Onslaught gave him.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 5, 2011 9:46:11 GMT -5
Slugslinger looks up, slightly baffled that anyone even asked the question. Blast Off doesn't know him all that well, he's sure; and he doesn't know Blast Off from Jetfire, really, other than the both of them being shuttlecraft. Clearly Blast Off doesn't – can't actually care. Decepticons don't care, especially not Decepticons who don't know each other, and especially especially not about Slugslinger. But Blast Off did ask and Slugslinger does love talking about himself.
"No," he says quite frankly, in full sulk, "no, I'm not. D'you know what they did?" He points up the corridor, back the way he came, with one arm while the other curls by his side, fist clenched near his waist. Outrage as genuine as the marred half of his face works where ego couldn't and his shoulder vanes fan outward. "They promoted me. Promoted me!"
|
|
Blast Off
Rookie
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Blast Off on May 5, 2011 9:54:29 GMT -5
Blast Off is fairly impassive as Slugslinger sulks. Sulking is unseemly, Blast Off thinks. He listens as Slugslinger goes on, and his brows knit ever so slightly. Blast Off does not understand Slugslinger's complaint. Is he upset that he wasn't promoted sooner? That they didn't promote him higher?
Blast Off settles on a mild, "That is certainly a shame," without a trace of irony.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 5, 2011 10:45:42 GMT -5
"A shame?" Slugslinger flings both arms wide and gives Blast Off an incredulous look. It's at least halfway honest of him. "It's a joke! It's gotta be a joke! I don't know nothin' about command!" He heaves a sigh and slumps, falling back against the bulkhead. The deck earns another vacant stare afterwards; he can't go into too much more detail without revealing more than he'd like, and he's probably said too much as it is. This could take some mighty obfuscation to deal with later.
|
|
Blast Off
Rookie
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Blast Off on May 5, 2011 11:16:22 GMT -5
Blast Off's gaze narrows. Well, it's possible that... Slugslinger, if a quick glance over the files database is correct, is lying, so Blast Off does a wireless sync to check. Wireless syncs aren't always the wisest thing to do. Catching a virus off the ether right into one's head is not prudent. However, Blast Off is young with the foolishness that entails, and he's built for communications duty as a secondary function, sitting in a lonely orbit and bouncing signals. Snatching the information he needs right out of the void is natural for him.
So Slugslinger really is Air Commander. Interesting. It doesn't affect Blast Off - he was assigned to Intel/Comms, since there are not too many communications personnel as of yet. He is not overly fond of the mere concept of an Air Commander, considering what his own Starscream did, but holding that against Slugslinger would be terribly shallow.
Blast Off takes another moment to process Slugslinger's complaints, and he asks softly, "You suspect you are being set up to take a fall?"
An incompetent Air Commander will die rather quickly, and Slugslinger just admitted to incompetence, which is a bad move in and of itself. Slugslinger is probably doomed by now. Someone must want him dead for some reason.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 5, 2011 18:29:11 GMT -5
Slugslinger wouldn't put it past anybody to set him up as Blast Off suggests, and he does wonder, but he keeps that to himself.
"I don't know!" he cries indignantly instead, pushing away from the bulkhead to pace. He did needle Starscream at that ridiculous bit of pageantry put on for Lugnut. Rather gratuitously. Is this revenge on Starscream's part, forcing Slugslinger into an unwanted position? Is he actually trying to paint a target on Slugslinger's back by promoting him where other, likely far more qualified and desirous fliers should have had preference and will try to take out the competition? Remembering his dumb angry thug act, he rubs his head with both hands, growling, then punches a bulkhead again. "I don't know!"
But he has more ideas now than he had before running into Blast Off.
|
|
Blast Off
Rookie
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Blast Off on May 5, 2011 18:42:43 GMT -5
Slugslinger really does carry on, doesn't he? What a drama queen. Blast Off doesn't let on with his observations, keeping them silent. He folds his arms against his chest and thinks. Blast Off naturally tends to assume a standing position that doesn't use much energy, which tends to make him look a bit on the stiff and formal side, which is a bonus.
He suggests, a tad frostily, "May I recommend throwing yourself on the dubious mercy of the first Decepticon who tries to kill you, surrendering quickly, and hoping he makes your death swift?"
An officer who blubbers in the hallway about how he doesn't know is frakked on every axis, please pardon Blast Off's Vosian.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 5, 2011 21:31:42 GMT -5
This last suggestion Blast Off gives him earns a truly disgusted glare from Slugslinger, right optic whirring as the shutter dilates and contracts, lens refocusing. He stops dead still in his pacing and every bit of his posture speaks of resentment and outrage, from the spread of his feet to the tension in his fists and even the cant of his shoulder vanes.
"I don't know anything about command," he snaps, "and I don't know what I'm gonna do about this, but I know I ain't just gonna lie down and die. So how about you shove that surrender garbage up your second-stage fuel tank and burn it!" He rounds on one heel and storms off to find somewhere he can sincerely mull over his new situation in relative security. All he needs on top of this mess is being caught out actually using his processors the way they were designed.
|
|
Blast Off
Rookie
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Blast Off on May 5, 2011 22:05:05 GMT -5
Blast Off's optics glow fractionally brighter as Slugslinger finally shows something vaguely resembling spirit and will to survive. He doesn't back away. Slugslinger may be bristling, but he hasn't opened fire yet, and Blast Off has faith in his own skill on the draw if it comes to that. He magnanimously ignores the insults; they are beneath him, at the moment. Perhaps Blast Off will have some revenge for them later, if he feels in the mood. He can wait months for just the right moment.
Right now, as Slugslinger storms off, Blast Off says softly, almost sincere, "That is good to hear. Perhaps there is hope for you yet."
He pauses a moment, looking at Slugslinger's departing back. Blast Off holds his arm out, as if reaching. He gets a target lock. Then Blast Off heads off the way he was going.
OOC: Out of thread unless stopped.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 6, 2011 8:55:59 GMT -5
OOC: I'd like to leave this open for a bit, on the off chance anyone else might want to point and laugh at Slugslinger's predicament and/or delay him from going somewhere he can think.
There is no way, Slugslinger determines after thinking on it while barging stiff-legged and outwardly fuming down the corridor a ways, Blast Off could have been trying for any sort of motivational speech. There's no way he could care enough to bother. So of course indignation was the proper response to a clear insult, however politely phrased. Not that Slugslinger wouldn't have been rude right back in any instance, and he stops to tap his foot and cross his arms, scowling at the deck, but he doesn't want to give too shrewd or too slow a reaction to certain things. Or too quick a reaction. "Blast it all," he hisses under his breath, "I can't concentrate out here." He looks around guiltily, hostile gaze checking all the nooks and crannies. Maybe he can fob it off as someone dull who has just been enlightened on why he might have been promoted to a dangerous position showing the reasonable paranoia to accompany his tenuous situation. But where to go? Quarters? He shakes his head; if Duskwing comes in and catches him doing something uncharacteristic, he's sure he could lie his way out of it, but he doesn't want to hear his bunkmate's opinion on the rank issue – assuming Duskwing has one. Or he could just lock the door. Duskwing's probably on duty somewhere anyway, where command can keep him occupied, or hanging around with Mistwind or Swindle. "Perfect," Slugslinger mumbles to himself. He sets off again, this time with a purpose and a destination.
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on May 6, 2011 10:56:57 GMT -5
Hellbender isn't thinking anything particularly exciting right now beyond mulling over how he'd organize the groundpounders as a fighting crew.
Basic principles: keep the raving nutjobs (like Bonecrusher) on a tight leash of someone strong enough to wrangle them (me). Make sure the violence-lovers get plenty of frontline action (Bonecrusher, Wreckage, Brawl, Counterpunch); if there's no Bots to fight, make them run combat training sims where they get to dismantle Autobots in graphic detail. Wreckage has discipline and can be held in reserve or detailed to wrangle the excitable if necessary. Make sure someone with at least half a processor is teamed with Brawl (Brawl + Bonecrusher = bad idea). Have someone with discipline keep an optic on Cannonball; Wreckage, me, Turmoil himself? The psychopath (Rampage) is probably good for PsyOps--go after the weak Bots the others try to protect, hit undefended areas beyond the battle area, take hostages, that sort of thing. Throw all this together into a report for Turmoil.
He is thinking quite a bit, though, and is pretty much unaware of his surroundings as he strides quickly down the corridor--and may plow into Slugslinger unawares.
|
|
Slugslinger
Minor
And if it weren't for this blasted coin…
Posts: 388
|
Post by Slugslinger on May 7, 2011 6:20:41 GMT -5
Slugslinger isn't too busy thinking to watch where he's going, but he's walking at a fast clip and Hellbender isn't paying attention when he seems to suddenly appear from a side corridor. Slugslinger would jump out of the way if only he had antigravs. (He really should see about those things the first chance he gets.) The ensuing impact leaves Slugslinger's audio receptors ringing rather painfully and for a moment as he lies where he fell, staring dumbfounded at the lights overhead – that third bulb is faulty, he thinks absently, watching its frequency veer further and further out of synch with the rest – he wonders if he's already been shot. It certainly hurts badly enough.
"What's the big idea?" he demands in a groan.
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on May 7, 2011 8:06:32 GMT -5
Hellbender looks a bit nonplussed. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't see you. Seriously--got too much to think about. Have you seen the promotion list yet?"
|
|
|
Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on May 7, 2011 9:25:37 GMT -5
Assault may not have eyes and ears quite like a certain mute version of Soundwave, but he does try to pay attention to certain things. Even if he stumbles on it accidentally. He had wondered where one of his stalkers had gone off to, retracing his steps, when he caught a bit of Slugslinger's little talk with the shuttle.
The matter both intrigued and amused him terribly, so when the new Air Commander started to move, Assault followed at a distance, his steps quiet and following the shadow, or a bit of wing. That loud crash he did not see coming, though. Deciding that this is a good time to make his entrance he walks past a corner and quirks an optic ridge at the sprawled out flier. And since Hellbender gave him an opening by talking about the list...
"Tsk. You should learn to watch where you are going, Slugslinger. We can not have our new Air Commander colliding with objects in his path because of something as unfortunate as insufficient environmental awareness."
|
|