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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 9, 2012 22:56:29 GMT -5
Ms. Zaman takes her turkey breast sandwich, murmurs, "Thank you," and sets it down on her plate. She should maybe feel bad about eating in front of Victoria, but she doesn't, because she is a jerk.
"No, see, I can deny that," Ms. Zaman says, her face quirking in a smirk. She never left her own slagging planet until she was dumped here. One cannot try to pin Imperialist leanings on a homebody. "That said... there are patterns that seem to repeat in many universes. Earth is one of them."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Mar 10, 2012 21:34:38 GMT -5
"Yeah, but it's still never out and out adopted us!" Rodney exclaims before taking a bite of his roast beef sandwich. Then his eyes widen in realization. He chews what's in his mouth (though probably not as well as he really should), swallows it, then admits, "Okay, yes, I guess it has, just never quite in this way."
The Autobots of his reality had been granted sovereign territory in the United States. And that's after a start that involved having some of their kind hunted, captured, disassembled, and even placed in toy cars by the United States government. That's really quite a turn around!
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 11, 2012 13:26:02 GMT -5
"This is not adoption. This is genocide," Victoria says tone lighter than her words would indicate. She takes up her glass and sips her wine.
"Consider the extent of what has been done. Few remain untouched, and there is no certainty that they will remain untouched. What was used once to touch us all could be use again."
Of course, Victoria was changed a long time before any of the others. She wonders if they have realized exactly how long she has had to prepare for them.
"I have had the dubious pleasure of experiencing aging in this form. I do not intend to die in it."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 11, 2012 13:40:53 GMT -5
"Adoption and genocide can be one in the same," Ms. Zaman observes, "Consider all of the schooling efforts wherein natives were ripped from their families and cultures and forced to assimilate with the ruling class in the lowest echelons of society."
"This planet has made a grave mistake, however. It isn't going to like what we do to it. We are perhaps a more corrupting influence now as cuckoos in the nest than we ever were in our proper forms."
If they can figure out how to turn one human into a Transformer, what is to say that they will stop there? Ms. Zaman can certainly think of some people who would like an army of billions.
Even if they never resume their proper forms, how long before their technologies are dominant here? Their technologies, which require their unique ways of thinking, some ways of thinking that humanity cannot perhaps quite grasp yet... they'd have to change to a new form to even understand some of it; they'd be human no longer.
How long before the planet speaks their tongue?
"I wonder if there's any chance of a discourse on the subject."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Mar 13, 2012 20:43:36 GMT -5
"What? Just go down there, knock on the edge of the well, and say, 'Hey, can we have a chat?'" Rodney asks, blinking. "It didn't exactly strike me as all that conversational."
He takes another bite of his sandwich, then washes it down with soda. He starts speaking when he's swallowed just enough of his bite to be coherent - his manners? Not so great. "The bird was chattier, and the bird was still cryptic as the pit."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 14, 2012 20:43:03 GMT -5
"It seems to be a failing of gods that they are unable to speak plainly," Victoria says, shrugging one shoulder. She eyes Rodney over the rim of her glass, "At least, when they are not speaking through someone else."
"The bird also named you brother, as I recall."
"It would be worth trying. Certainly, I am capable of altering this planet and its people, and it and they are certainly not as it was when I arrived." Energon deposits, anyone?
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 14, 2012 21:04:55 GMT -5
"I'm not sure it is a failing. I think it may be intentional," Ms. Zaman opines of the gods being cryptic.
Ms. Zaman has impeccable manners, although she does appear to be enjoying her food a bit more than is strictly plausible, given that it's just a turkey sandwich and some Jell-O.
She observes, "What can it hurt to try? If it wanted us dead right this second, there are easier ways to do it than turning us human."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Mar 15, 2012 16:20:03 GMT -5
"That doesn't mean much when we're talking about how cryptic they are," Rodney points out when Victoria observes on how the bird had called him "brother." He grabs another one of the Jell-O cubes and pops it into his mouth. He shrugs one shoulder as he considers the proposition.
"There's also the trouble in getting down there to begin with, but that's not insurmountable." He eyes Victoria. "I mean, you seemed to manage it."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 15, 2012 21:53:06 GMT -5
"I have resources," Victoria says with a small shrug when Rodney eyes her, "And I am still an engineer of some skill, small though it may be."
She takes another small sip of her wine. Her eyes are drawn from the two people in front of her to the performance in full swing a short distance away. It appears this segment includes a baton twirler.
"Hmpf. That routine would be much more impressive in the evening, with fire batons," she observes, "But then, the girl seems of only average skill."
She returns her attention to her companions, "I don't think it wishes to kill, not outright. It is a more nurturing soul. Though that might be something about which to ask your dryad."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 15, 2012 23:32:32 GMT -5
Huh, Victoria is offended by inadequate baton-work, Ms. Zaman files away. That is weird. Maybe she can use that against Victoria somehow. Give Swerve some tonfas and...
"False modesty is unbecoming," Ms. Zaman tsks at Victoria.
The problem with Botanica is that she doesn't remember much and is more cryptic than usual, but the suggestion is worth a try. "You can just tell us that you don't trust us with your submarines. Our feelings won't be hurt."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Mar 16, 2012 16:57:25 GMT -5
Rodney's brows knit and one eyebrow lifts as he looks at Victoria out of the corner of his eye in response to her criticism of the performer. "Uh... huh," is all he says. Had Sharon made her observation of Victoria's opinion over baton-work known, he would have heartily agreed.
A well-timed drink from his can of soda keeps the scowl hidden when Victoria mentions "your dryad," though he puts it down with an amused snort at Sharon's final comment.
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 16, 2012 22:19:27 GMT -5
Every once in a while, Victoria thinks and reacts very much like a human. Often she does not realize she has done so until much later, if at all. So the reason for Rodney's odd look escapes her at the moment.
Victoria actually smiles outright at Sharon and says, "As if you would trust any machine of mine, freely given or no."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Mar 17, 2012 21:53:07 GMT -5
Victoria is wrong, actually. Emirate Xaaron doesn't trust anyone, but he's fairly cool with Ultra Magnus. So in short, Sharon will gleefully use Victoria's stuff if it suits her purposes.
Sharon just smirks and looks at Rodney. She says, "I do not think such difficulties are insurmountable."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Mar 18, 2012 19:53:06 GMT -5
"Well, you did shoot me in the back last time I tried to work with you," Rodney points out absently. Then he looks back at Sharon and grins. "But yeah, I'm sure we can figure something out on our own."
He drums his fingers absently on the table top once, then says, "So, anything else you want to share with us? You are the one who called this, after all."
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Post by Victoria Raines on Mar 19, 2012 22:05:11 GMT -5
Ultra Magnus would probably resent being considered Victoria's "stuff."
Victoria shrugs one shoulder at Rodney's point. "It was expected," she says, as if that is explanation enough.
"Think of me what you will, but I have no desire to see us destroyed as a race. I merely wished to create an open line of communication in regards to correcting the matter." She sips her wine, "We can go back to trying to destroy each other once we're back in our proper forms, if that remains the general desire."
Again, Victoria cuts her eyes toward Rodney, "Though with Unicron as prevalent in this universe as he is, I doubt this will be the last time we speak of cooperation."
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