The View

Summary: Catechism and Reflector go scouting with the most egregious use of the +scout command perhaps ever, and Catechism later wanders off to observes some card games.

Agorahex

The province of Agorahex has been a hotly contested zone for eons, and recently the stronghold of Agoraplex fell to a Decepticon invasion. The majority of the buildings still stands, but the further one travels towards the centre of the city, the more ruined and battered they become. The main command chamber of Agoraplex has been utterly demolished, and its reactor melted down. Radiation seeps through the entire area in heavy doses, slowly frying circuitry of those who enter. Organics have an even worse fate should they stay for long. This province is now a ghost town, and rarely will one see anything else alive.

Contents:

Autobot Sensor #8562

Obvious exits: Fly &lt;Up&gt; leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;. South &lt;S&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;.

Reflector descends from the Sky above New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt; above.

Reflector has arrived.

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; flies through the still, starry skies of Cybertron. She strains her sensors to pay attention to her surroundings. Agorahex, according to her map, belongs to no faction... yet. It's on the edge of Decepticon territory and yet extremely close to Iahex. There are definite possibilities for the area, but her self-repair systems start to ping at her. Radiation? Hmm. She wasn't planning on staying long, anyway.

Reflector sits strapped into Catechism's cockpit, a tiny camera in a jetplane. His lens extends outward as she flies into the area. A small flash of purple might be caught in the depths of the lens, but only by the quick and keen of sight. "Click, click, click. Too much radiation for long-term deployments. But more than enough to hide in... For us or for them."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; switches to flying upside-down, to give Reflector a clearer look at the area. Due to her aerobatic modifications, she's as at ease upside-down as she is rightside-up. She murmurs over her internal speakers, "You see that?" She changes her heading to fly closer to the Autobot sensor. Will this let the Autobots know she's there? Yes. But she rather doubts it'll notice Reflector. He's so nicely portable.

Autobot Sensor #8562

A small, sophisticated array of detection equipment, designed to observe enemy movements and not immediately noticeable unless one is actively scanning.

"Yes, I see it." Of course Reflector sees it. That's Reflector's job, and this is a scout mission. "Hmm. You're the tactician here. Would you find it easier for a sneak attack if we destroyed the sensor or had someone in DCI modify it? Or, perhaps, use it as a deception - let the Autobots see us building up forces here while our main attack comes from a different direction?"

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; is a tactician? Oh snap, the Decepticons are in trouble! Tactics are something that Catechism has always meant to learn, but in between being shot by Shockwave, taking Onslaught to the doctor for a cortex bomb, and insulting Cyclonus, who exactly would teach her? She muses, "If we destroy the sensor, the Autobots will know that we're up to something here, and given its proximity to Iahex, it'll give them a good guess as to what we're up to. Better to either alter it to give them phoney readouts or to amass fake forces here when planning something else in a different location."

Reflector's the spy, so HE can't be the tactician! Besides, people make snide remarks when he starts telling warriors how to do their jobs. "Yes. Continue to sweep the area so the sensor has something to look at."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; jets around the area, going as North as she dares, before the radiation makes her start to feel nauseous. She then darts east, toward the Iacon Plain. Over her internal speakers, she inquires, "For how long, Reflector? This place makes me want to dump my fuel."

"I think we've given their sensor enough of a show. Leave back towards our territory, and they'll think this was either a bored Seeker or a quick scouting sweep of Agorahex's territory only."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; agrees to Reflector, "And I am the world's best bored Seeker." She kicks on afterburner, eager to be out of this place. Her circuits could use some cool-down time after that baking, that's for sure.

You move south to the New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;.

New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;

The scale of the aching dullness of the Iacon Plains is great enough that the curve of Cybertron can be seen from these functional flattop lanes. Off-road, the metal plating is interrupted in some places, providing nooks and crannies for would-be explorers. A fine sheen of road grime reflects the ambient light back to the viewer, confusing in its reflective mirages. When aerosolized, the oils produce an opalescent haze that makes the road trips seem even longer. The smoothness of the multiple lanes gives way to undulations over tin-streaked foothills as one moves west. The highway exit signs to Magnaron are defaced, detours diverting land travelers to the perimeter of the astroclicks-wide crater.

Obvious exits: Fly &lt;Up&gt; leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;. North &lt;N&gt; leads to Agorahex. East &lt;E&gt; leads to Tunnel of Retoris. West &lt;W&gt; leads to Magnaron East.

Reflector arrives from the Agorahex to the north.

Reflector has arrived.

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; flies back to what her map tells her should be Decepticon territory. She returns to flying upside-down, scouring over the area. She flies down low, making use of her thrust vecotring capabailities and her lift fan. The haze gets to her sensors, and she considers the defaced road signs. The Battlechargers were here, she guesses.

The endless emptiness of the Iacon Plains. Good for magnificent sunrise/sunset shots when Cybertron had a sun. Also good for depressing photographs that convince you of your insignificance compared to the rest of the world.

Reflector would have been happy to turn the whole place into wreckages of shredded metal.

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; does not really consider the aesthetics of the highways, just that visibility is poor, due to the haze. She jets over and down, closer to the Tunnel of Retoris. Catechism has some bad memories there, but she puts them out of mind.

You shift your attention to a new location.

You begin scouting out Tunnel of Retoris...

From Tunnel of Retoris: Tunnel of Retoris

From Tunnel of Retoris: The expansive tunnel was built over the ruins of the old city of Retoris which was destroyed long ago in a Decepticon raid which damaged much of old Iacon. Despite being well-lit, its condition is a stark contrast from the sections of the New Cybertron Highway which it connects. There are many scraps of metal on the ground, making driving a bit difficult, while the condensation from the top makes things uncomfortable for those who fly above the road. There is a sharp exit to the north which leads to the Iacon Plain but is well protected.

From Tunnel of Retoris:

Contents:

Autobot Sensor #8561

From Tunnel of Retoris: Obvious exits:

From Tunnel of Retoris: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Iacon Plain.

From Tunnel of Retoris: East &lt;E&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;West&gt;.

From Tunnel of Retoris: West &lt;W&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;.

Reflector's lens extends slightly as he stares off into the blackness of the tunnel. What he does is almost automatic - electromagnetic scanning, adjustment for lighting conditions, everything. It's sight beyond sight. "Autobot sensor ahead."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; has better sensors in her jet mode than she does in robot mode. They're nowhere near as good as Reflector's, not even in the same ballpark, but once he points that sensor out to her, she can just barely make it out. She murmurs, "They'll know we're coming if we take that tunnel in." Catechism does not sound pleased.

Reflector's lens pulls back in until it's almost flush with the main body of the camera. "Then we won't take the tunnel right now. I want stealth going through there rather than a quick fly-by. Let's try something else."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; rolls a little, first to the left, then to the right. It is the jet equivalent of a shrug. She notes, "Agreed. It would be far too easy for the Autobots to collapse that tunnel, and then trap us inside their city, to be picked off and slaughtered at their leisure. That they will have advance notice is just refined oil topping on the energon." She returns to level flight, and she explains, "We'll be off to someplace a little different now."

"And away we go," Reflector drawls.

[travel spam]

New Cybertron Highway &lt;East&gt;

The plasteel surfaces along this equatorial drive are well marked, and the western stretches under Autobot protection are well-lit. The blue-white track lighting on the medians is ample enough to blow out many of the stars in Cybertrons typically dark skies. The ambience is cool, reserved, encouraging travelers to neither dally nor speed through. The high retaining walls do much to visually shield against the stale off-road carnage. The brushed nickel lanes are well-groomed, but the charred, irregular ruins of buildings lining either side reflect the ongoing epochs-long conflict between Autobots and Decepticons. As one travels east, the road loses its sheen and more of the lights are burnt out and cracked.

Obvious exits: Fly &lt;Up&gt; leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway. North &lt;N&gt; leads to Construction Site. South &lt;S&gt; leads to Energon Spring. East &lt;E&gt; leads to Vestral Overpass. West &lt;W&gt; leads to Outside Memorial Spaceport.

Reflector arrives from the Outside Memorial Spaceport to the west.

Reflector has arrived.

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; flies nearly all the way around Cybertron to come at the problem of Iahex from another angle. According to her map, this is neutral territory, but it is also very close to Autobot territory. She really doesn't think going in this way would be a very good idea. It's too far away from Iahex.

You shift your attention to a new location.

You begin scouting out Outside Memorial Spaceport...

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: Outside Memorial Spaceport

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: The expanse of the metal planet known as Cybertron stretches for as far as the eye or optic can see, a worn, battered vastness of torn, warped, irregular metal plating damaged by millions of years of warfare. The ruins of Autobot Headquarters lie to the north, all that's left after a massive Decepticon assault. Running east and west is the more-recently constructed, and so in better condition, highway that encircles the planet and provides a speedy means of transport for ground vehicles, be they Transformer or non-sentient. To the south is what remains of the old Memorial Spaceport, its gleaming building now nothing but a painful memory.

From Outside Memorial Spaceport:

Contents:

Tunnels under Memorial

Autobot Sensor #8558

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: Obvious exits:

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: Fly &lt;Up&gt; leads to Sky above Memorial Spaceport.

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Ruins of Autobot Headquarters.

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: South &lt;S&gt; leads to Old Memorial Spaceport.

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: East &lt;E&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;East&gt;.

From Outside Memorial Spaceport: West &lt;W&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;West&gt;.

Reflector has been taking lovely scenic pictures. Also, many pictures of the scenery going by too fast to be more than blurs. Oh, rapid shutter speed, how he loves you. "Impressive flying."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; replies quietly, "Thank you, Reflector. I do try, and I've had some good teachers." She then quiets, looking around the area. Some burned out lights around here. She's familiar with what lies north, and it is of little interest now. She made certain of it. West is Autobot territory, and she takes a look over there, for all the good that does. South is neutral territory.

Reflector turns his attention to the Autobot territory, lens extending out. He trusts that Catechism will be able to identify any trouble in the neutral territories. "My, my. Our Autobot friends are practically littering the ground with their sensors."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; grouses, "More sensors? Slaggit. How are you folks supposed to put energon on the table?" More seriously, she adds, "Anything else here y'wanna look at?" Dutifully, she tilts over in the air.

"For everything else, I need to be on my own six feet. Unless you can do an orbital hop straight into Iahex?" Reflector shifts a bit against the straps holding him in place.

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; replies mournfully, "Unfortunately, not. Do you have any idea how hard it is to install space-engines into a standard Seeker? I looked it up, after a bad fight with Sky Lynx. Curious, y'know. It's... a massive rebuild. Nearly never done. Some of the more advanced models of Seeker take to these kind of upgrades more readily, but I'm bog-standard. However, we can go... up." She starts to gain altitude, heading toward the Sky above New Cybertron Highway.

Reflector hmms. "Up might suit our needs. Let's go and find out."

Reflector rises upward to the Sky above New Cybertron Highway.

Reflector has left.

You rise upward to the Sky above New Cybertron Highway.

Sky above New Cybertron Highway

The small population over this broad expanse of highway is even sparser than it is to the west. The habitations and roadways are not entirely deserted, but they are fewer and farther between. The busy construction site to the north is gone, only an irradiated mess remains.

Contents:

Reflector

Obvious exits: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Sky above Construction Site. South &lt;S&gt; leads to Sky above Razor Hills. East &lt;E&gt; leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway - Far East. West &lt;W&gt; leads to Sky above Memorial Spaceport.

New Cyber Hwy - East &lt;NCH&gt; Vestral Overpass &lt;VO&gt;  Koriolis Desert &lt;KD&gt;

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; pulls up, above the thin, sickly cloud of Cybertron's dark skies. She looks back, at the highway, and she looks forward, to the sky above the memorial spaceport. Dare they chance flying closer to the land of their enemies?

Reflector's lens extends again as he studies the sky over the spaceport. It's going in and out like a... Oil derrick. Yes. "Another sensor. It pains me to think how little they trust us." A pause as a flash abruptly lights the cockpit. "You know, if we weren't planning an assault, I would take great delight in sneaking in to destroy all of them."

You shift your attention to a new location.

You begin scouting out Sky above Memorial Spaceport...

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: Sky above Memorial Spaceport

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: Once overlooking Memorial Spaceport's launch pads and terminals as well as part of the New Cybertronian Highway, now only piles of blackened, shattered rubble are visible to the south. Memorial was another casualty of not only a Quintesson assault but of a Decepticon sapping operation, leaving nothing standing to mark where shuttle traffic landed and launched, passengers waited, and freight was unloaded.

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport:

Contents:

Autobot Sensor #8560

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: Obvious exits:

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: Fly &lt;Up&gt; leads to Stratosphere above Western Hemisphere.

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Sky above Ruins of AHQ.

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: East &lt;E&gt; leads to Sky above New Cybertron Highway.

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: West &lt;W&gt; leads to Sky above Tunnel of Retoris.

From Sky above Memorial Spaceport: Memorial Spaceport &lt;MS&gt; New Cyber Hwy - West &lt;NCH&gt;

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; comments, "It's funny that they can get these sensors to fly, but Autobots are so lousy in the air, and... hmm. I do think that messing with the sensor feeds could be of some use. Little happens out here. Just play a loop..."

"Easy enough to design a loop. The hard part would be getting it rigged on the sensor without alerting anyone or anything to our presence." Reflector shifts slightly. "This assault is either going to need DCI trickery or be _very_ hard and fast."

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; replies, "Or both. If we could get someone like Ravage, he would be ideal, but I somehow doubt that we'll be allowed to use his services." Who really knows what Soundwave and Ravage are up to, anyway?

Reflector would like to say he knows, but he mostly avoids his boss and co-workers in favor of Seeker-dames.

Reflector either has taste or doesn't want his knees broken, both of which are acceptable reasons. The F-35 comments, "So, is that a wrap, do you think?"

Reflector confirms, "That's a wrap. Would you prefer to make the report?"

F-35B Lightning II &lt;Catechism&gt; replies, heading off, back toward Nightsiege, sweet Nightsiege, "I can make the report, although it'll be from a tactical standpoint, and it won't have half the details that you would include." Her tone is teasing, and she barrel-rolls, absently.

[travel spam]

You enter the Rusty Angel.

Rusty Angel

The main room is very large indeed, looking like it could seat upwards of thirty to forty Cybertronians if necessary. A quarter of the room is taken up by a stage and music booth, while an area has been cleared as a dance floor. The main area is filled with large, round tables, made of indigo metal flecked with shining titanium, each surrounded by five chairs, while most of the walls are taken up by booths for more private conversations. The bar extends along most of the north wall, behind which is a holographic display of shifting colors, surrounded on either side by row upon row of containers. Slammer, the bartender, stands behind it, idly polishing an already spotless glass.

Thing Contents:

Dirge

Americon

Munition

Aerospace Deck &lt;AD&gt;

Counterpunch

Ramjet

Penumbra

Thrust

Rampage

Blitzwing

Fusillade

Slammer

Mawri

Thrust is holding: 3S 8H.

Dirge looks at Thrust's revealed hand, calming. "Thrust holds a pair of tens."

Thrust casually tosses his cards on the table and shrugs, "What do I have?"

Counterpunch meets Americon's bid without batting am optic... partially because he doesn't have optics, but an optic band instead. Guess he'll be banned from the next game as well as Rampage.

Ramjet folds his arms over his chest again and looks /away/ from Dirge. How snobby. "It was better than your idea of playing the recording of /Vogon/ poetry at the enemy. Hnh. Whoever heard of poetry stopping an entire army!?!"

Blitzwing snickers and turns his chair around so that he's leaning over the back of it. "So did you successfully defeat the hill? Did you kill it or just knock it unconscious?"

Then, Ramjet looks from Penumbra to Counterpunch. "Counterpunch," he calls out. He jerks his thumb at Penumbra. "You're Intelligence. Who's this weird strangercon!?"

Catechism wanders into the back of the bar. She glistens and shines, oddly for her usually matte plaint scheme, because a thin coating of oil clings to her frame, as if she had recently flown through an aerolised haze of oil. In fact, she did. Catechism had heard something about a poker game, and a slight smile tugs at her face. She waves to those assembled, and then she wanders over to the bar to get a drink while she mulls over her plans.

Americon's grin widens to epic proportions as he picks up his cards, flips them over, and lets them fall to the ground in slow motion. They make an exaggerated "THOOM" noise as they both land, face up. "It's over! You--" He points around the table. "--LOSE! You win NOTHING! Good day, sirs!"

Yeesh. Not much of a sportsman, is he?

Americon is holding: 3C 8C.

Rampage is holding: 5H 10S.

Counterpunch is holding: AH JH.

Penumbra glances at the temper tantrum and shakes his head, and continues on, "Slipstream would be gone before any alarm could be sounded. She'd be gone almost as soon as she came. But that wasn't all to her. No no... See you don't get away with ripping off someone else's chances at ripping off others... Pirates. Syndicates. Bountyhunters. Law. All of em chased Slipstream down anytime she stopped anywhere long enough to refuel... Freng was smarter than them all though... Somehow... and some reckon part of it was through foolin others sensors and even their eye, into not seeing where he'd be leading them. They'd be chasing Slipstream, and she'd just lead them into the gravitational field of a black hole... and she'd be deeper in it but make it out as if it'were nuthin... but anyone fool enough to chase her would be goners..."

Dirge looks at the hands. "Counterpunch holds a straight. Rampage holds three of a kind. Americon wins with a flush."

Blitzwing squints at Americon. "I don't get why Americon wins."

You say, "Give me a Torquolon Twist."

Mawri says, "Heya, Catechism, sure, no problem, right away!" as she hops up and runs over to the bar.

Mawri fumbles through the bottles behind the bar. Strangely enough, Slammer seems to be used to her doing this.

Mawri says, "Just another second...I'm having trouble with this lid...oomph!"

Mawri finishes off the final touches of Catechism's order.

Mawri runs back over, saying, "Here you go, Catechism! One Torquolon Twist, just the way you like it." She grins widely as she hands Catechism the drink.

Americon narrows his optics. "I win.. because I am AMERICAN. And that is what Americans DO." He looks off to the side for a bit. "Well, usually." He holds up a Dark Magician Card, and a bunch of gaming cards. "I knew my hand was unbeatable! Nothing could destroy my monsters!"

A slow, sneaky grin slides across Ramjet's face as Catechism makes her oil-slicked appearance. "Play a round of five-card draw or something, Dirge." He advises the Decepticon Ace before rising to his feet. Walking past Penumbra, Ramjet makes his way to the bar to meet up with Catechism. "Tell me you found something," he tells her as he comes up beside her and leans against the edge of the counter.

Rampage wasn't really expecting to win, but the 3-of-a-kind was a bit of a surprise. Maybe his luck will improve next hand.

Dirge collects all the cards. At Catechism's suggestion, he turns. "There are too few cards for that game, for this many players. Unless someone were to, say, kill several of the players, we must play a game that will not exhaust the deck."

Dirge collects all the cards and starts to shuffle them.

Dirge finishes shuffling the cards.

Penumbra smiles warmly, red optics twinkling. "Now when I saw her, she was docked at this rust hole of a port. Even if she looked like just a cargo ship, she still stood out as a hundred times classier than anything else docked there. I was... well that's another story what I was doing there... anyway, so no sooner than she got topped off by the fuelers than the local thugs show up wise to her presense. And wasn't but a second after they reached the dock than Slipstream launched. I ain't ever seen a smoother yet more rapid acceleration in my life. Nothing close. She's breaking atmosphere. I hop in to my vessel and just tag along behind the maurader the local thugs were flying... and by golly if Slipstream sisn't just fly circles around them bozos and then disappear. Untracable. I was in love... I had to know more..."

Ramjet made the suggestion, not Catechism! Okay, maybe those coneheads really do look all alike. It's like dealing with Sweeps, but way more satisfying. Well. Mostly satisfying.

"I'm gonna stay out this time I think," replies Blitzwing, pushing back his chair. "At least until my luck turns."

Dirge's optics turn slowly to rest on Penumbra. "Your words are empty echoes of a life unfulfilled."

Catechism accepts her Twist with a 'thanks' and she throws Mawri her credits. The Seeker sips at her drink and leans against the bar. She smiles and replies, "Ramjet, sir. I have indeed found a few interesting things, but, hmm... this is a bar, and you know what they say about bars. How has the game been going?"

Fusillade leaves the Rusty Angel.

"Americon won.." Ramjet mutters. "/AGAIN/." He emphasizes with a terrible growl, casting a hateful stare at the diminutive-but-patriotic Decepticon. "Hnh. Soundwave must've programmed him for /luck/.. or something." His cone shakes sharply, as if to dismiss such a bogus notion. "Mnn. This game is.. unsatisfying.. without a few punches being thrown."

Americon glares at the belligerent Seeker, assuming a boxing stance on his toddler seat. "Beware! I am also programmed for WAR!"

Penumbra sighs, winding down near the end of his tale perhaps? "So what's left that I've picked up? Well lets just cut to the big ending... Seems the Law got bought by the syndicate... a partnership. The look Slipstream was held account for collecting was mind-blowingly huge. Star system purchasing numbers. So you think Law couldn't be tempted to make a deal with the devil? Riiiight. They set themselves up a trap... baited. A genuine treasure with genuine guards and genuine subordinates in the syndicate plotting to swipe it... So naturally Doc Freng and his girl Slipstream would be expected to swoop in and pinch it first... And she did.... but they were all waiting for her...."

Penumbra winks at Dirge. "Wait for it, son..."

"Not very effectively, but programmed, sure," agrees Blitzwing from across the room where he is poking at the jukebox.

Dirge considers dealing out blackjack hands, with the winners earning the right to live.

Catechism looks over at Americon, and she comments to Ramjet, tapping the side of her cone, "You know what we need to do? Get Americon into the World Series of Poker on Earth. Use it as a propaganda and fundraising tool. First, however... he must train to a higher level!" She pumps a fist into the air.

Ramjet hnfs, "What do humans know about SPACE POKER!?"

Penumbra doesn't seem interested in the game anymore it seems. "So they thought they had her. They thought they'd even prepared for her trickery ways... modified sensors... optic filters... enhanced engines. The works. And they gave her a good long chase, longest one she'd ever been given. She couldn't shake them... such a fleet on her tail. But ole Doc Freng must have decided to pull his black hole trick on them anyway... So he lead them closer... and closer... and closer. The hunt-fleet weren't fooled though... they kept their reverse thrusters in check... and Slipstream, she went deeper into that black holes grav field than she'd ever gone before... and it must have got the best of her... cause she wouldn't or couldn't veer off like she'd done times before... and she sank... accounts say she imploded and then disappeared completely. The ship. Doc freng. And the loot all lost to that great cosmic deathtrap..."

Americon smiles as he begins to slowly push the pot, pile by pile, to his side of the table. "So, uh, Thrust, do you actually have a Sweepcub? And... are they... ripe?"

Rampage snorts. "You think they grow on trees?"

Americon says, "...do they?"

Penumbra smiles. "Hmm. But if that sonnofaglitch Freng was so smart, survived so much for so long... got away with his fun all that time..." He falls silent. After a long moment of quiet he leans forward out of his seat and gets up. "Have fun, my warriors... it keeps the poisons away." He strolls to the exit.

Rampage says, "The original ones didn't, now, did they?"

Catechism replies, "The humans know nothing about space poker! But surely, Americon can beat then at their piddly little Terran games."

Ramjet says nothing more on the matter of Sweepcubs. He has attempted to forget the incident at planet Furr'hi.

Thrust nods sagely to Americon, "I have four in my storage collection. Ready for the picking off. I am thinking we'll go put one in Rodimus Prime's office!"

Ramjet places a hand on his cone and rubs it in thought. "Hnh. I suppose it would prove our supremacy.."

Penumbra leaves the Rusty Angel.

Americon kicks over one last chip. "Well, didn't they, Rampage? I mean, I wasn't there, and from what I hear, I should be glad." Rubbing his chin, he turns and looks thoughtfully at Thrust. "Hmm! Capital idea! But how will we get Rodimus Prime to keep his new friend?"

Thrust smirks, "Capital idea indeed! But we can let his new friend eat him instead!"

Americon says, "I like the way you think, even though you have the colors of a communist, Thrust!"

Thrust waits for Ramjet to say, "No, he has the colors of a moron since he's a Maroon!"

Dirge rasps, "A round of Blackjet, for variety. I suppose I will front the credits for the house." He sighs, secretly assured by the fact that the odds are in his favor to make lots of money here.

Thrust drools, "Let's go!"

Blitzwing has disconnected.

Dirge deals 2 cards (6H QC) to Ramjet.

Dirge deals 2 cards (10C 10H) to Thrust.

Ramjet tosses his chips in.

Dirge deals 2 cards (KH 2S) to Rampage.

Dirge deals 2 cards (10S 10D) to Americon.

Dirge deals 1 card (QD) to himself.

Dirge deals 1 card to himself.

Thrust tosses chips in!

Dirge looks at Ramjet. "Sixteen showing."

Ramjet hnns. "Hit me."

Ramjet says, "... WAIT."

Ramjet says, "GIVE ME A CARD."

Mawri says, "Heya, Ramjet, sure, no problem, right away!" as she hops up and runs over to the bar.

Ramjet says, "DO NOT HIT ME."

Mawri fumbles through the bottles behind the bar. Strangely enough, Slammer seems to be used to her doing this.

Mawri says, "Just another second...I'm having trouble with this lid...oomph!"

Mawri finishes off the final touches of Ramjet's order.

Mawri runs back over, saying, "Here you go, Ramjet! One CARD, just the way you like it." She grins widely as she hands Ramjet the drink.

Dirge deals 1 card (JC) to Ramjet.

Ramjet corrects himself before Dirge complies the old fashioned way. Rampage looks at his cards. "Hit me," he says.

Dirge says, "Bust."

Ramjet growls.

Thrust waves his jazz hands at Ramjet, "Careful, I might have to hit you. I can't keep my hands busy!"

Dirge rasps, "Wait in turn. Thrust, twenty showing. Stand, split, or hit?"

Thrust shrugs, "Stand."

Dirge nods, then turns to Rampage. "Twelve showing.."

Rampage says, "Like I said. Hit me."

Catechism watches from where she leans at the bar, still sipping her cube. High octane jet fuel chaser. Yummy. She needs to write up a rather major report, so she doesn't join in on the fun, but she can observe for a while.

Americon frowns, tosses in chips, and says, "Stand. Do your worst, you bastards."

Dirge deals 1 card (AH) to Rampage.

Dirge says, "Thirteen."

Thrust is still in with twenty.

Thrust is holding: 10C 10H. The Predacon knows he's not busted yet. "Hit me," he says again. Hopefully not something too big or too small.

Dirge deals 1 card (7D) to Rampage.

Dirge says, "Twenty. Rampage stands."

Americon looks at his cards. "Dammit."

Dirge has a queen showing. "Stand or split," he tells Americon.

Americon says, "Uh, stand, I guess!"

Dirge flips over his hole card. "Dealer has twenty, all push. Except Ramjet." A smirk.

Dirge is holding: QD JS.

Ramjet sneers at Dirge.

Americon is holding: 10S 10D.

Americon gives Dirge a squinty-eyed look.

Dirge looks at Americon. "That means you failed to win or lose."

Thrust blinks, "Orientalcon?"

Dirge collects all the cards and starts to shuffle them.

Dirge finishes shuffling the cards.

Americon grumbles, "BASTARDS."

================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/135                    Posted        Author Scouting Report                   Wed Jul 30    Catechism -- Sick of her yet? Catechism reports, gesturing to a map on the wall for reference. ( http://tf2005.pbwiki.com/f/cyber_img.gif ) She explains, "Reflector and I went scouting the other day. He was in camera mode in my cockpit, so hopefully any Autobots monitoring the sensors thought I was just a bored Seeker on a joyride. I haven't made my rank known to the Autobots yet, anyway."

"We looked at Agorahex first. Due to its close proximity to Iahex, I wondered if we could take Agorahex quickly and then just tunnel our way into Iahex. This is... a really bad idea. First off, the whole place is radioactive. My circuits still feel kind of fried," or maybe that is just normal for Catechism, "and if you have good sensors and look really closely, you can just pick out an Auobot monitoring sensor there. How it doesn't get fried, too, I don't know."

"We then checked out NCH Far West. The haze there makes for bad visibility, but you can get a decent view of the Tunnel of Retoris from there. I don't like the Tunnel for a few reason. First, the Autobots have a sensor out there. Second, it's a tunnel. We attack there, and the Autobots can just cave in the tunnel on our heads to pick us off at their leisure." She shakes her head disapprovingly.

"Next, we jetted around the planet to NCH East. I rather doubt the viability of an eastern assault. There's too much territory to get through before we get to Iahex. We'd get bogged down. Also, in the sky on the outskirts above the Memorial spaceport? Yeah. The Autobots have a sensor up there, too."

"I could use more reconnaissance data of Autobot holdings, especially near Iahex, and I would be quite grateful to anyone who could provide me with some. That said, I do have a plan that should neatly circumvent some of these issues, and I would like to discuss it with Air Commander Ramjet and Military Commander Shockwave at the soonest convenient time for the both of them. Also, I could use a surplus of energon for one phase of the plan, so my brethren on Earth, plunder would be greatly appreciated. Catechism, out."

Fade to just a picture of the map, which slowly turns entirely purple, before winking out.

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