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Post by Perceptor on Oct 11, 2007 18:04:41 GMT -5
// Skyfire? // It's that same almost ponderously polite voice from the general frequency that had addressed Skyfire by name. // I am Perceptor, a scientist currently performing medical duties for the Autobots. My apologies for the rudeness of this abrupt and unsolicited transmission, however... If you are truly interested in the explanation you requested, I will be willing to make the attempt. // He adds his own personal frequency afterwards so that Skyfire may respond.
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 11, 2007 18:53:20 GMT -5
// I am listening, // Skyfire replies calmly.
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 11, 2007 21:42:51 GMT -5
// Thank you. //
// First, I must extend my apologies for the recent outbursts. Although Autobots generally strive for acceptance and peaceful existence, we are not perfect. We also, generally, tend to be quite... protective of our number, and when one of our number is assaulted and harmed, it tends to garner an instinctive response. A somewhat... vehement instinctive response, it seems, // he explains with faint embarrassment.
// Secondly, I must apologize for myself. I am no exception to that instinctive response, and I will confess that I find this situation to be particularly distressing. You may well believe that it was Kup who gave me your personal frequency by which to contact you, however, it was not. I was given this frequency by your future self in my own time. We were compatriots then and there, and, while those events have not yet happened for you, they are but weeks past for me. For this reason, I can understand why your trust still remains so firmly with Starscream. I apologize for myself, however, because I cannot be objective in regards to your partner. There is too much between us, and I am afraid that it will color my relation of these recent events. I am sorry. I will make every attempt to be as factual and as objective as possible, however... please understand that should I fail, that I am not intending to imply a personal attack against your character, and I am sorry for any distress I may inadvertently cause by a perceived attack on your... your friend. //
// I will not attempt to convince you that you have erred, nor that your trust is misplaced. You make your decisions based upon the information you have presented to you, and this situation we all find ourselves in is tangled and confused. I merely ask that you exercise caution, Skyfire. Even if we are meant to remain in opposing factions, I do not wish to see you come to harm. I... I cannot promise that we will not attempt to defend ourselves from you, however, should it come to that, // he adds sadly.
// That is, however, not what I had offered to attempt to explain, // Perceptor continues with a sigh. // Portions of the events which I will relate to you were captured on video. If you would consent, I can forward that data file on to you? //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 11, 2007 21:56:39 GMT -5
Skyfire considered the hazards of accepting and viewing unknown data files from probable enemies... enemies who seemed quite anxious that he think well of them. Booby-trapping this evidence would work against that, so it was unlikely. Still, on the off-chance that it was incapacitating, he'd wait until he wasn't in the middle of a rescue.
// I will accept the transmission, but I am a bit busy to be viewing videos right now. I will look at it eventually, // he replies.
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 12, 2007 3:07:42 GMT -5
// Understood. Thank you. // The file follows shortly after. If and when Skyfire eventually gets around to viewing it, it's a relatively brief file - minutes, rather than hours - and free of any attempts at "booby traps". In three perspectives from above, beginning as Cannonball bears down on Holi, it clearly shows the abduction, the "bomb" placement, everything - including how the other Autobots fire upon Cannonball to try and free Holi - all the way to Perceptor's dive to catch the micromaster as he crumples to his knees after being released. As the scientist gently braces Holi upright, the file spools to a halt. // Cannonball was sent to infiltrate our number, // Perceptor explains. // It is he who spoke up of having left a "present" on the general band. While repairing his radio which he claimed had been damaged by Starscream in battle, I noticed certain discrepancies. // // I have repaired damage inflicted by Starscream before, Skyfire, // Perceptor finally continues after a thoughtful pause. His voice, if Skyfire has the attention to note, is tight as he struggles to keep the rawness and accusation out of his tone. // I have faced damage Starscream has inflicted that could not be repaired. I am quite conversant with his offensive capabilities, and to be perfectly frank, "Hardwire", as he called himself, did not possess significant enough damage to correlate with the injuries he claimed to have received. // // I will admit that I was not present when "Hardwire" was questioned about this discrepancy; I cannot say precisely how that confrontation occurred. I can, however, relate how he responded, as I am still repairing the damage he inflicted even now, and I am told that there are others with wounds who require tending. // // With his "Hardwire" identity compromised, Cannonball fled, intending to return to retrieve his radio from me. At some point before he arrived, he happened upon Holi, a youthful mechanism who, at no more than two meters, posed little threat, and even less of an obstacle to Cannonball's freedom. That did not prevent Cannonball from seizing Holi as his prisoner and hostage. When the other Autobots made an attempt to free Holi, when Holi, himself, made an attempt to escape, Cannonball wrenched Holi's structure open and placed within his frame an item which he claimed was a bomb. // He's trying to remain objective and calm, but there's anger in his voice now, anger at the pain caused and damage done to the micromaster, and Perceptor finds that he cannot hide it all. // Cannonball threatened to detonate that bomb if his radio was not returned or if any attempt was made to hinder his escape. Once I replaced Cannonball's radio and Holi was finally released, I discovered that the "bomb" was nothing more than an empty container. Although not entirely harmless given the quantity of damage Cannonball inflicted upon Holi in its placement, I must admit that an empty canister was by far more preferable than the bomb which Cannonball had claimed it to be. Torn and crushed structures can be repaired; disintegration cannot. I cannot be happy about the outcome, however, Skyfire. None of us can. // // There was no need to harm Holi in such a manner. // Perceptor doesn't continue for a long moment; when he finally does, he heaves a tired sigh. // That is all I may offer you, Skyfire. We are not perfect, and few of us are warriors, but we will protect our own, even if all we have available to utilize is words, however coarse. // // Thank you for at least hearing me out. That is all I can ask. //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 13, 2007 19:35:59 GMT -5
// Received and understood. I will consider what you have said. //
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 13, 2007 19:47:08 GMT -5
// Received, perhaps, // Perceptor replies sadly. // Understood... I may grant you should ever we meet again. Be careful, Skyfire. //
// Perceptor out. //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 21, 2007 11:30:34 GMT -5
Many hours, or even a few days later: // Perceptor, this is Skyfire. I have reviewed the video you sent me. // His tone is neutral, indicating neither approval nor disapproval.
// I am not going to debate who is right or wrong here, as you will say that the Decepticons are evil, and the Decepticons say you Autobots are evil, and that is all predictable. I am concerned about your Holi... this is a dangerous, alien environment, and he panics. Short-circuiting logic for a faster preprogrammed response was effective back on Cybertron in a known environment; out in space or on alien worlds, it is detrimental and can get him deactivated all too swiftly. Believe me, I have the experience to know this. Neither Starscream nor I would have survived our missions if we did not think flexibly even in critical emergencies. Please do what you can to train Holi not to resort to his built-in panic responses.// Yes, that is concern in Skyfire's voice.
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 22, 2007 21:02:44 GMT -5
Skyfire speaks of training someone not to panic to an Autobot who dissolves into a total damsel-in-distress when confronted with a pack of Stunticons. The irony would amuse if anyone were able to make note of it.
Of course, said pack of Stunticons had only been threatening said damsel-in-distress, and no one else. Threatening someone else tends to garner a less... helpless response. Still, the irony should amuse.
// Noted. Holi is a very young and innocent mechanism; I cannot blame him for his fear. But I will take your recommendation under advisement, Skyfire, // he replies wearily.
He'd hoped for a more supportive response, although, truthfully Perceptor hadn't expected much else beyond what he'd gotten, Xaaron's assumptions notwithstanding. When both sides are saying the same things about the other, one's primary inclination is to believe the individual one thinks they know.
Even if that individual is no longer the mechanism one once knew. If Perceptor recalls the scenario correctly, it had taken being physically assaulted by Starscream to sway Skyfire back on Earth in the decades before when the shuttle-mech had been reawakened. Starscream had quite obviously learned his lesson well. Well enough to maintain Skyfire's allegiance until he'd managed to sway the explorer perhaps?
Perceptor must suppress a shudder at that thought. With the way things seem to be going, that isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Especially not with Autobots from such darker worlds as that which Xaaron and Nightbeat had been taken from amidst their ranks.
That Skyfire can believe Starscream's lies, however, even if Perceptor understands generally why he can... it still hurts. It aches like acid etching away his lasercore to know that Skyfire believes in Starscream's integrity over their own. Over a mechanism as youthfully innocent as Holi or Wheelie, or over Kup's admittedly seasoned moral fortitude. Over Synapse's unassuming solidity or Long Haul's sheltered naivety. Even over Swerve's rough and abrasive honesty.
It hurts, and the constant fear for his former friend... For what Starscream will eventually do in one manner or another - either by words, twisting and warping Skyfire's moral compass until he is a Decepticon in truth, or by weapons, punishing the explorer for seeing through the ruse. It just hurts with unexpected ferocity.
// Navigate your course, Skyfire. You were never one to stand on either ceremony or faction, // Perceptor adds quietly.
// If you require assistance for whatever reason... You have my frequency. I will always listen. //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 24, 2007 15:07:47 GMT -5
// Perceptor, do not misunderstand me. This war of yours and Starscream's is still almost unreal to me; the hazards of exploring alien worlds are much more real and immediate. Those are dangers I know too well. I am not blaming Holi, I am concerned for him. We lost good mechs out exploring--friends of mine--before we learned the danger of falling back to pre-programmed responses in an unexpected situation. //
// I have already encountered deadly surprises on this planet and its nearby environs. Be careful how you deal with them. //
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Post by Perceptor on Oct 26, 2007 22:38:47 GMT -5
Perceptor will not open a debate about whose war this is. Yes, he will freely admit that the losses of Autobot City are still too fresh for him to be able to be as objective as he would like about certain topics, however, he would be perfectly content to be left alone to his studies rather than propagate any conflict. It's all semantics and conjecture for Skyfire, however, and returns back to the issue of his word versus Starscream's. He'd rather not dwell on that issue right now.
// Although it is fortunate that you were not forced to endure millions of years locked away under the ice, the ultimate outcome is still, unfortunately, in this case the same. You have been thrust into a divided world not of your making, // Perceptor observes wearily.
// I understand your concern, and I do appreciate it, Skyfire. We are, however, for the most part not the warriors your Decepticon compatriots are. Certain lessons are not so easily assimilated, although I have taken your advisement quite seriously. //
There's a moment of pause, and when Perceptor continues, he doesn't sound very comfortable, rather awkward in fact. // Your compatriots... have been conducting most of their communications on a band from which you have been excluded, // he explains hesitantly as he gives the primary Decepticon frequency. // You may find listening to that frequency.... educational. //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Oct 27, 2007 0:16:36 GMT -5
// I see, // Skyfire says in a neutral tone. // I thank you for you concern. // And the connection goes silent.
Perceptor's information does not surprise Skyfire. The supposed Decepticon general channel has been far too quite to be the actual main communication channel. At least now he didn't have to ferret the frequency out of the memory banks of the dead. Not that he still didn't need to do forensic data recovery of any he could find, to get a clue to many of the mysteries of this world and their transition here... and other things.
He'd listen to the frequency Perceptor provided, and seek independent confirmation. There were still two viable hypotheses: one, Starscream was his trusted partner and ally, and told the truth, while the Autobots wove an elaborate deception to try to recruit Skyfire or trick him into betraying Starscream. Under that hypothesis, anything he heard on this frequency provided by Perceptor might just be an elaborate radio play for his benefit. The second hypothesis was that the Autobots were telling the truth, and Starscream was weaving an elaborate deception to recruit Skyfire and.. what?
Both hypotheses had major holes--or rather, the same major hole. If the Autobots were the sinister oppressors that Starscream claimed they were, what was Starscream trying to conceal from Skyfire about himself and his own organization, and why? If Starscream was creating an elaborate deception to recruit Skyfire--why bother? He was his partner, he only needed to ask--which he had, and Skyfire was happy to work with him. Starscream should know his own partner well enough to know that.
Starscream's apparent deceptiveness made no sense from either point-of-view. Therefore, neither hypotheses was complete, let alone correct. Skyfire needed to learn why Starscream was deceiving him, and what about--and, if necessary, confront him. He could not whole-heartedly support Starscream until there was truth between them.
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Nov 12, 2007 21:11:02 GMT -5
Perceptor's private frequency comes to life; it's a weak signal, nearly obliterated with static.
// *crrk* --fire to Perceptor. I am--*crrk*--damaged--*crrk**crrk* by Starscream and-- *crrk* --cons. *crrk**crrk* --inbound--*crrk**crrk* -- be in pursuit. //
// I repeat, --*crrk*--Skyfire. I --*crrk*--*crrk*-- *crrk*-- need help; --*crrk*--*crrk*--*crrk*-- Decepticons. I-- *crrk*--*crrk* --your base; they may be in pursuit. //
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Post by Perceptor on Nov 12, 2007 21:40:50 GMT -5
// Skyfire? //
It's the message Perceptor has been expecting with dread; if he is understanding Skyfire's transmission correctly - if it is the truth - then history has seen fit to play true here as well.
// Your transmission is broken; understood that you have been damaged by Starscream and the Decepticons and that you are inbound to our location with possible pursuers, // he repeats back, already opening channels to Kup and Xaaron to relay. // I require intercept coordinate, Skyfire, to attempt to send help. I repeat, transmit intercept coordinates. //
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Nov 12, 2007 22:13:42 GMT -5
// Skyfire--*krrk*--Flying east from --*krrk*--base toward--*krrk*--*krrk*-- reciprocal of 092. --*krrk*--sensors damaged. No reference beac--*krrk*--able. Crossing forested--*krrk*--ated airspeed Mach 3.--*krrk*--fuel. Will --*krrk*--reduce airspeed. Starscream is capable--*krrk*-- //
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