Raising (Havoc in) Arizona

Arizona - North America



      The Grand Canyon state consists of terrain from the high desert plateau in the northern and eastern sections to the desert basins and jagged mountain ranges in the southern and western parts, broken only by the high, forested mountains in central Arizona. The spectacular Grand Canyon, for which the state is best known, displays its timeless beauty close to the border between Arizona and its northern neighbor, Utah. To the south are the major cities of Phoenix and Tucson, irrigation from the Colorado and Salt Rivers making them green oases in the southern desert.





Contents:

Cybertronian Transport 

Arizona State University

Grand Canyon



Space Shuttle  flies towards the Hoover Dam on the Arizona/Nevada border. The shuttle is returning to the Combaticon base from a medical visit to Trypticon. His scanners pick up the large Engineering marvel and he is reminded that Shockwave has offered rewards to those who destroy Earth structures and cause general havoc, which leads to Autobots wasting time and resources saving these worthless fleshlings and their habitations. Hmmm... perhaps the Dam would be a good target... certainly, it is so large that there's no way a sharpshooter like him would have any trouble wiping it out... and consequently, wiping out the homes of many people who live downstream on the mighty Colorado River. He flies in closer to ascertain the situation.



Cybertronian Transport , COINCIDENTALLY, is also in the area. The crimson flatbed truck coasts along easily enough on relatively abandoned roads. The pavement snakes and the turns and together with the gradients all conspire to keep her well enough entertained. Firestar's been dispatched to keep a vigilant watch over prominent landmarks, monuments, and places of interest, what with the Olympic truce having come to an end. Just a short time ago, Firestar somehow managed to single-handedly foil a plot by none other than Shockwave himself to plunder a reactor plant in New Jersey - and she'll be damned if any Decepticon equal to or lesser than him is going to do near enough the same on her watch.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> 's scanners pick up a blip... an Autobot blip. On one of those little insignificant fleshling roads snaking through the mountains below. Hmph. Figures they'd be here, too... Autobots seem to infest everything. Just like the revolting organics they love to waste their time defending. He banks and comes in a little closer, bouncing along the turbulence caused by the rugged, barren-looking mountains. He's seen that Autobot before, near where the humans call San Francisco... well, this will probably be the last time he sees her, too- once he's done destroying the Autobot he'll destroy the dam. Or perhaps he'll try to do both at once! So many options! So many targets! Such bliss! For now, he's going to make his presence known with a barrage of laserfire, then decide whether to keep shooting her or continue to the Dam- which isn't far anyway. Without a warning, he lets loose an aerial assault as he swoops in from above!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> with his Greetings! attack! [Pulled -5]

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<p class="MsoNormal">Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> revs along (peacefully I might add), completely minding her own business! when SUDDENLY the road just in front of her is violently vaporized into globules of heat, stinking of carbon and tar. Firestar internally gasps and wrenches herself to one side, scooching off the road and fish-tailing over a hill. The manuever kicks up a dust cloud and Firestar grumbles until it clears, unable to get a clear view of her assailant immediately. In time, however, the femme picks up the vapour trail of the Combaticon rocketing off not far away, and the missile rack mounted near her aft end whirrs to life, pivots, and explodes as a retaliatory volley is jettisoned into the air. "Not tonight, bird brain!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> sets her defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> strikes Space Shuttle <Blast Off> with her Missile Launcher attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> finds that the Autobot is not quite so dazed and confused from his attack as to be unable to retaliate. The missiles pierce the thin walls of his fuselage, making the shuttle rock from more than just turbulance this time. Vents hiss as he adjusts course and stablizes elevation again. "Not bad, Autofool... But I hope you realize you don't stand a chance to my shooting skills and sheer firepower!" He decides to continue heading towards the Dam, but launches a quick orbital bombardment back towards the femme as he does so. Quickly arriving at the Dam, he transforms and lands on one of the jagged mountain peaks surrounding the structure. "Hmmm... this is almost too easy a target. No challenge here." He shrugs. Oh well, it's a target nonetheless, and he's very good at destroying targets!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off shifts into his battle-ready robot mode.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> hoots in delight as she witnesses the small victory of her vengeful missile volley impacting along the shuttle's fuselage, though she is not quick enough herself to avoid the reception of Blast Off's prompt reply - hazing her in the form of a second wave of burning laser fire. Firestar howls in pain as the blasts lance across her hood, killing her engine for a moment. Sputtering and fighting for ignition, the femme squeals off down toward the Hoover Dam once her propulsion systems burp back into activity. "You ain't the first pompous aftplate that I've trounced in my day - and you sure ain't gunna be the last!" Approaching the Combaticon, Firestar ramps up onto her rear axle before transforming into robot mode, poised to bodily spear Blast Off.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cybertronian Transport <Firestar> transforms into her robot mode.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar sets her defense level to Aggressive.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar strikes Blast Off with her Hello My Name Is Firestar! (Smash) attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off stands, pondering where to shoot for maximum damage on the Dam, when Firestar decides to make with the meet 'n greet. He swings around just in time to get a fist full of femme that knocks him back a bit. "Ooof!" She wants to get up close and personal, does she? Of course... the shuttleformer doesn't usually do "up close and personal"... distance is more his style, both in his attacks and his attitude. But Onslaught's been hammering at him to try different battle tactics, and surely a femme the same size as him would be good practice? Anyway, the Autobot is so close and in-his-face that it's easy for instinct to kick in... he takes the opportunity to launch himself back down at the femme with a punch of his own! "Are you sure about that?"

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blast Off strikes Firestar with his I'm Not a One Trick Pony Really I Swear (Punch) attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Firestar grunts in gritty satisfaction as she unceremoniously plasters herself into the mech with a pure, resounding crunch! Firestar bounces back from the Decepticon, fists already held up before her while she stutter-steps hesitatingly toward the Combaticon. Firestar's footing is good but her strength just isn't nearly on par with Blast Off's, and his fist snakes its way past her defenses and into her chest. "Auch!" she spits, though almost instantly wraps her arms around the mech's arm like a jujistu combatant. "Yeah, pretty damn sure!" Firestar fights to hold Blast Off just near enough, pivots and slams a hip into his torso while simultaneously sliding a leg behind him in hopes of putting him on the deck.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar sets her defense level to Neutral.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar strikes Blast Off with her Judo Flop! (Kick) attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar's attack has damaged your Agility!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off, again, finds out why he really doesn't usually do the up-close-and-personal thing as Firestar slams into him yet again and sends him flipping into the air! His back hits the rocky hillside with a metal "clang". Lifting himself upright and fighting to gain his footing again, he slips along the slope as boulders get dislodged from their resting places. Slag. Alright, time to go back to his strong points... and he has so many, of course! But none of them better than his amazing shooting skills! His rocket feet engage thrusters and he lifts off, hovering above the Autobot while sending a few ionic blaster attacks her way! "I beg to differ.... You should have run while you still could. I have never understood the Autofool's obsession with protecting these miserable fleshlings and their pathetic attempts at architecture."

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blast Off strikes Firestar with his Maybe I am a One Trick Pony After All attack! [Pulled -1]

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<p class="MsoNormal">Firestar fistpumps with an HOORAH! that'd make a Marine stand at attention, grinning over the Combaticon as he's slammed into the hillside. The femme lifts her chin defiantly as Blast Off throttles up abover her, and she instinctively withdraws her trusty axe, gripping the handle tightly in one hand as the weapon nonchalantly twirls about her in a loose wrist. As Blast Off circles her, Firestar sneers, "That's because you ain't the brains of the operation. If you had any smarts aboutcha, you'd- why am I arguing with a toadie?!" The femme growls as her armor plating is used as a firing range, and she hunkers down to offer up the most resilient parts of her composition to the assault. Weathering the strike, Firestar glowers at her opponent before raising an arm that glows white-hot at the tips of what appear to be Hot Rod-like exhaust spikes. "If you don't scram real soon, I'm not going to be such a classy lady for much longer!" Invisible to the naked eye, pin-pricks of focused plasma begin to bore their way into Blast Off's armor...

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar sets her defense level to Protected.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar misses Blast Off with her Pinpoint Plasma attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off manages to evade the attack with his customary speed, the plasma pricks peppering his armor but not penetrating through the seams. However, Firestar did manage to successfully hit something else- Blast Off's ego. "PLEASE. I am no "toadie"... While my Commander is indeed quite the strategian, I come from a high class, educated background... and I gaurantee you I have far more "class" than a guttermech like you will *ever* have!" With that, he fires again while circling above and looking imperiously down on the femme.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Blast Off strikes Firestar with his I'm Sophisticated and You're Not attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Firestar grumbles to herself as Blast Off flutters away. The haughty mech must have caught on, she muses. The Combaticon refuses to cooperate with Firestar, zipping about instead of HOLDING STILL long enough for the firestorm that she had been summoning to develop. Cursing under her unncessary breath, the femme pays for her attempt at subtle trickery instead of sticking to her normal shtick of outright bash-n-crash. Another light show peppers her frame, causing a few large chunks of armor plating slough away. Alright, girl! Firestar barks at herself. Make or break it time! This is going from worse to awful in a hurry! You got one shot to get your point across! Firestar grimaces, fights through the pain that ravages her body, and breaks off at Blast Off in a dead sprint, whipping her trusty axe about her head like she was Vortex in helo mode, vibro-blade axe head humming as it whistles for the Combaticon's face.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar sets her defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar strikes Blast Off with her Fireman's Axe attack!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar's attack has damaged your Strength!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off sees the rapid attack coming and has just enough time to begin turning away when that axe comes whipping across the side of his helmet, sending the Combaticon whirling back down onto the ground with a thud and corresponding cloud of dust. His faceplate and one optic on the impacted side is now cracked and the helmet looks dented. Some circuits have been knocked loose and the shuttleformer has to adjust a few of them, using his hand to try and stuff them back where they belong. He looks a little...crooked now, almost, as the battered mech attempts to fly up, evade further attacks and straighten himself out. This femme is turning out to be more trouble than he expected. Determined to follow through on orders, however, he decides to try one last thing. "Fine. You like to make an impact, do you? You are not the only one who can do so..." The Combaticon transforms into his shuttle mode, then comes screaming through the air, aiming to ram right into the femme and knock her into the hillside!

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<p class="MsoNormal">With a disdainful shrug, Blast Off transforms into a space shuttle.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes Firestar with his Last Ditch Effort (Ram) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: You took 3 damage from that attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: You have foolishly damaged your own Agility!

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Firestar falls to the ground, unconscious.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Firestar is having a hard enough time evading an equal-sized robot, how on Earth do you expect her to avoid a giant hyper-fast space shuttle? Well don't fret because that was a rhetorical question. Firestar doesn't get out of the shuttle's way in time, and ends up akin to a bug splattered on the windshield of a moving automobile. With a scream that eerily fades into static before fitzing out entirely, Firestar crashes against the shuttle's cockpit and lands in a crumpled heap on the Hoover Dam. Her axe escapes her failing grip and sails off into the man-made lake below.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> does indeed make an impact, and finally tastes the sweetness of victory as he sends Firestar crashing into the Dam. It's about time... the Combaticon has had too few victories of late, so this success ought to make him look good. And a mech of his skills and standing deserves some success! However, Firestar was no pushover, and her legacy is such that he is battered and leaking energon even as he circles overhead. His systems scream warnings at him as he considers flying down to finish the job, but his scanners pick up some military aircraft heading his way. Tourists must have called 911 and alerted the fleshling authorities to the grand battle taking place at the Dam. Unfortunately, in his condition he may not survive a military strike against him, so the shuttle keeps high in the air, shifting elevons to gain altitude and begin to head away from the incoming aircraft.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   But he hasn't forgotten why he came here, and he doesn't have to be THAT close to send several orbital bombardment strikes onto the Hoover Dam, causng enough damage to send much of the formally contained lake water hurtling to the river below. Maybe Firestar too, but he doesn't have time to check! What is certain is that the damage will cause flooding and months of repairs for the humans, and Blast Off has accomplished his goal. Smug and satisfied, the shuttle rockets off.