Muskrat FALLS

< Earth > Early warning systems in Autobot City and various human installations across the globe begin triggering. Earth Defence Command scouts monitoring Trypticon's activities on Mars have sent word: the Cityformer is transforming. All signs point to imminent departure from the red planet.

< Earth > Over the next twenty-four hours, Earth Defence Command watches Trypticon closely as he makes the trek from Mars to Earth. Trypticon is covered in Decepticons using him as a ride, both within him and riding outside. Numerous space-faring Decepticons serve as escorts as well. Soon, they report that Trypticon is breaking into Earth's atmosphere.

Elita One has left.

Elita One has arrived.

At Muskrat Falls, the gig is up. The EDC--or whatever unmarked, black suited forces are also here--is operating in plain sight, hurriedly packing whatever supplies they can into transport trucks, which speed out of there the instant they're loaded. Cross himself is yelling at a scientist with a bunch of schematics in his arms.

"But there's still more research inside, they didn't destroy everything--" the scientist protests.

"NO!" Cross yells at the man, shaking him by the shoulders. "I am NOT going to have another scientist die because he was too slow to evacuate. I'm not having that on my conscience, not again! Get in the damn truck and GO!"

The scientist, visibly shaken, scurries off, and Cross looks up at the sky. Even now, he can see Trypticon as what seems to be a meteor descending to the planet. "God *damn.*"

Loadout was in the far north on an extended assignment involving cybertronian operations in climate extremes. With global warming, the poles had heated up somewhat but it can still get pretty darn chilly to say the least. So it's been a good test of Loadout's capabilities under extreme temperatures. And a chance for him to discover, much to his displeasure, that you can't exactly scrub away ice and frost as readily as you would mud and dirt.

And then came the call that the Decepticons are en route. With the 'pedal to the figurative metal', the Autobot technician had made his way south as quickly as he could. Not having to stop for food or bathroom breaks for some driver, he made great time during Trypticon's mid-space journey.

Just in time in fact, his engine roaring as he tears down a dirt road leading towards the complex itself, picking up the signs of Trypticon's entry far above. "Well this doesn't look good in the slightest."

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > enters from the south, flying at top speed, barely above the treetops. It's not a smooth ride for those aboard him; the big Spooky is having to climb to avoid the larger electricity pylons and bank around terrain. At the five-K mark, he banks off and begins to circle Muskrat Falls.

"On-station!" His loadmaster hologram tells Elita, hitting the button that drops the rear ramp. A red light flashes, then turns green once it's down.

"You are GO for drop!"

Parts fold inwards, Loadout's body compacts into a blockier shape and previously hidden roadwheels emerge on his body as he transforms into an armored offroad Cybertronian truck.

< < Mind the no-fly zone, Encore. No telling what the EDC has in store, we don't want to trigger it! > > From Encore's bay, Elita starts running to the exit, wind rustling through her...okay, she doesn't have hair, but it displays a wonderful sense of motion. < < It's time to do what we do best...Kick those Cons back to Mars, and their pet monster too! > > She leaps out of the ramp, soaring through the air for about ten seconds as the ground starts rocketing up to meet her. She meets it with a fierce punch, slamming into the ground in a kneeling forward position, leaving a crater. She looks up towards the base, < < Alright Bots, stand clear for the moment...good Primus there he is... >  > Her optics zoom in on the near meteor of Trypticon's re-entry. < < Encore, watch yourself, you're a big target right now. > >

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+POT Marauder is now observing.

Trypticon is grumpy from his rude and sudden awakening. Being covered with Decepticon forces hanging onto him and carrying more within him does not help his mode. Wheelie riding Grimlock? Tsk, try a Decepticon army riding Trypticon. Anything an Autobot can do, the Decepticons can do better! The behemoth growls and mutters to himself, though his frustration is lost in the vacuum of space. Along with Trypticon is numerous space-capable, and at the lead of them is Shockwave's laser gun mode. The Decepticon Military Operations Commander doesn't bother making any feints or attempt to lead the heroes astray as to their intent. Franklin Cross is perfectly capable of putting two and two together: he no doubt knew what the target was the moment the EDC scouts reported Trypticon's movement.

The armada of Decepticons crashing through the atmosphere is an awe-inspiring sight. To those below, it is like a meteor shower that serves as a portent of doom. The shimmering lights in the sky gradually grow larger and more dangerous. Then, ten kilometres off from the Muskrat Falls base, the Decepticons fall off their ride, hovering down away from him. Some land and begin forming up while others remain in the skies to keep the air superiority the Cons are known for. Shockwave transforms into robot mode, hovering in the sky to get a good view of the battlefield. "Remain here, Decepticons. Let Trypticon do his part."

Trypticon himself, however, continues onward, SLAMMING into the Earth with his massive feet at the 5 kilometre mark. The EDC base, even at this distance, shakes from the impact. "NNNNNNRRRGGHGGHG!" he growls. "DESTROY, DESTROY... ALWAYS DESTROY... NNNGH... GOOD THING TRYPTICON GOOD AT DESTROY!" Trypticon begins advancing towards Muskrat Falls, preparing his plasma bombs for deployment.

The Decepticon eyes the forces arrayed against him with suspicion. No Metroplex? An army instead? Or rather, *just* an army instead? A small part of him wonders why he was woken up for this, but it's quickly overwhelmed by his desire to obliterate everything in front of him.

Why is Swindle here? Why do you even need to ask such a thing? Letting Trypticon crack open an EDC base and then helping himself to the goodies inside while the bulk of the Decepticon forces deal with the carbon based imps so he can then go sell off the military grade hardware to terrorists and third world nations worried about being able to defend themselves if the Geneva talks go Cross' way and the Autobots bail from Earth and turn a profit is -exactly- the sort of thing he'd be here for. Duh.

Not being a space faring sort and not getting a chance to harass Blast Off into playing space taxi, he's riding along in one of the many deploymant bays Trippy has. No irony its one of the ones closest to where he could clear a chunk of store rooms for the phat loot he's likely dreaming about during the entire trip.

Franklin Cross watches grimly as the titanic Decepticon marches inexorably towards them. From his uniform, he draws a remote detonator, his jaw set firmly as he watches the cityformer draw close. Five kilometers. Then four. Then three. His men grow anxious at this point, throwing glances at their leader. And only now does the last transport truck drive off with its cargo in tow.

"Sir!?" one of the EDC soldiers finally yells, "He's nearly on top of us!"

"STAND DOWN SOLDIER!" Cross screams. "Everyone stay calm! This is all part of the plan..." His eyes narrow as Trypticon draws ever closer, beginning to fire some of his weapons. Not all of them--Trypticon seems to be testing the waters as it were. But even a light barrage from him results in massive explosions that rock the dam and send everyone down to the deck to take cover. Even Cross stoops down, gulping nervously. Then...

"Okay, that's close enough. He'll be firmly within the blast radius. Everyone, remain calm, the blast wave will not harm you."

"W-what?" a soldier blurts out. "Blast wave?!"

"STAY CALM I SAID," Cross snaps. Then, he keys into a public radio frequency: "Decepticons, this is General Cross. Good job locating out secret base in Muskrat Falls. Too bad your little mission didn't discover one important little fact: Our city-buster bomb, designed specifically to kill Trypticon, is ready, RIGHT NOW, and you just walked him within range. If you want to say goodbye to him, now's the time. You know, on second thought, you're all just soulless robots anyway, so I'll set it off now."

He depresses the detonator, and a huge white dome of energy rapidly expands from the damn and outwards, almost perfectly in the five km radius Cross described. Trypticon is quickly and completely enveloped in the energy!

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< Earth > Franklin Cross says, "Decepticons, this is General Cross. Good job locating out secret base in Muskrat Falls. Too bad your little mission didn't discover one important little fact: Our city-buster bomb, designed specifically to kill Trypticon, is ready, RIGHT NOW, and you just walked him within range. If you want to say goodbye to him, now's the time. You know, on second thought, you're all just soulless robots anyway, so I'll set it off now."

Combat: Shockwave compares his Technical to 60: Success!

Elita One was running almost sideways, watching Trypticon. You never know when a mortar shell would be lobbed her way. She keeps parallel with the great monster, though well out of her own combat range. Cross' announcement leaves her scowling. < < Citybuster? > > She repeats quietly, but then an enormous explosion of pure radiance just seemed to coalesce out of the air, a perfect dome of blinding white. It leaves her speechless as she stops, absently just watching the sheer horror of it. < < I...... > >

Oh yes, there was that little matter of Cross requesting the Autobots remain five klicks back from the epicenter of...whatever it was that was going to happen. He isn't liking this one little bit. Something in his fuel pump is just running cold with the feeling of something bad about to happen. And not necessarily because of that city-sized robot dinosaur that just set down with all the dramatic presence of a weapon of mass destruction.

And speaking of weapons of mass destruction...

It's a good thing Loadout literally kept to the edge of that 5 km radius, because as the weapon goes off, he's JUST scooting up along where Elita One is running, finally transforming and rising up on both feet as he lifts one hand to shield his optic visor from the bright flash, trying his best to ignore the fact that even out here in the 'safe' radius his circuits are still buzzing uncomfortably, "By Primus...what have they -made-?"

Splitting down the middle followed by spinning in the center, Loadout unfolds into his Robot mode.

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > circles Muskrat Falls at five thousand one hundred and thirty kilometers; when the Blast Wave goes off he veers off, gaining altitude. He goes into nascar syndrome by default now, pulling a tight pylon turn as he tries to understand, through the buzzing energy and his own shock, what horror he's just scene.

"What... have they done...?"

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Trypticon wades towards the secret base, blissfully unaware of the frustration and conflict Franklin Cross and his soldiers are suffering from. Although he hears the threat by the EDC General, it sounded dull and so he stopped paying attention after 'Decepticons'. The detonation of the city-buster bomb does, however, catch him by surprise. "Grragh?" he questions, momentarily staying his mouth-mounted plasma bombs. The energy expands outwards, covering him completely from the view of the Decepticons outside the blast radius.

Shockwave watches all this. The weapon being used against Trypticon was expected, but the Cybertronian Commander takes Franklin Cross's threat very seriously. He's silent for a few moments as he runs through the possibilities, but ultimately concludes that he is right and the human is wrong. < < Decepticons, the plan remains as is. Once the energy dissipates, we move in for the kill. Consider this a test of Decepticon science against human science. > >

To those within the white energy explosion, Trypticon remains, though he is unmoving. A funny look crosses over his face as he looks around blankly. Did the weapon work on him? Is he merely confused? Is he preparing his plasma bombs again? Are his internal systems shutting down? Then, the behemoth looks down at the source of the explosion and laughs a roaring laugh that can be heard across the entire battlefield.

Swindle cocks his scatterblaster and makes sure it's armed and ready, smirking a bit as Trypticon's roaring laugh rumbles through his entire body. But he's not going out there until it's -entirely- safe. He's ready though.

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There's an initial outcry from the EDC troops as they are also enveloped in the white energy--which fades when they realize that they haven't been harmed at all! There's even a small cheer as they conclude, obviously, that the weapon will work exactly as Cross predicted, and when the energy fades, Trypticon will no longer be there! And yet... the blast fades away, and there Trypticon still stands. Laughing. The EDC troops all stare in horror.

Cross himself is among them, dropping the remote detonator in his hand. "I... no, that's impossible, he... he couldn't be--he couldn't be immune!" Cross says, disbelieving. "I... dammit, dammit, I should have known! Everyone, we are EVACUATING, get the hell out of here!" His troops are still frozen in shock, so Cross actually turns and slaps one across his helmet. "GO I said!" That does it--the EDC troops scurry to hop into their vehicles and trucks and make ready to move out. Cross, meanwhile, looks at Trypticon, heart filled with dread. "Dammit all. Only one thing I can do now..." And so he, climbs into his own tank, and bounds away from the dam--TOWARDS the Decepticons.

"Continue the evacuation, I'll cover you!" Cross yells over his PA.

The Global Pose Tracker marks that Franklin Cross has 'skipped' his action for this round.

< EDC > Franklin Cross says, "Men... today I've failed you. I should have anticipated that the bomb wouldn't work on Trypticon. There's no reason for you to suffer for my lack of foresight. Withdraw. I'll cover your retreat."

A dark, forceful laugh verberates from the area. Trees sway away from the massive cityformer, as Elita watches... Her receptors flicker as she starts to regain her senses, her communique goes to the NEST frequency, "General...I hope there's more to that show than what I saw. That's why you wanted us outside the base?" She looks to her team, "If that couldn't dent him, I doubt there's much else that can...we're going to have to take this on ourselves. Come team, we have to...." She pauses, Cross has gone nuts, "Bots, He's gone suicidal. We have to get to Cross, that monster is going to tear him apart!"

She looks back to Loadout, "Move! We can't let him die if we can help it! Come on, Bots, what do you believe in? Isn't any life worth the risk? Don't let his size fool you, he's beatable!"

Combat: Elita One inspires Loadout and AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > with majestic and heroic words!

"This is -exactly- what I was afraid of." Loadout states finally when he lowers his hand, staring back at the bulk of Trypticon still unphased by the blast itself.

Maybe, maybe it's just a -faint- bit of prejudice in his own view. That hint of doubt that not a few Autobots carry that the humans are really capable of taking care of themselves. Maybe even moreso in his case because he missed the whole 'humanizing' years when the Autobots first landed on Earth.

Prejudiced about the humans or no however, Loadout is still an Autobot and his first concern -is- their wellbeing all the same. In an instant, he's transforming again, engine roaring as he takes off with a heavy lurch and churns up the ground under his tires, now heading straight towards the showdown that's suddenly turned into a FUBAR situation.

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > blinks as he spots Trypticon isn't down - the big cityformer is, infact, laughing. Well frag, that's never good!

He circles towards Trypticon, readying his weapons systems and hoping against hope Loadout gets close enough for him to fire the guy in cannon mode. If he can do that then Encore'll -never- smoke in medbay again.

< < ENC-55, call targets as you need them hit. > >

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The white energy fades around Trypticon, and the behemoth still lives. He throws his head back, laughing as if this was the most hilarious thing in the world to him. Inside his mind, the effects of the cybercidic city-buster plays with his twisted, freakish lasercore. His optics flash as he looks back down again at the base. What was he here to do again? Protect? Destroy? He grins at the EDC troops, all frozen in shock. It isn't until they start running towards their vehicles that he remembers. Oh yes, obliterate. The monster takes a thunderous step towards the base, firing one of his plasma bombs at it.

Shockwave, meanwhile, would stop holding his breath if he had any. The weapon's effects on Trypticon were not a certain thing, but now that Cross has failed, the outcome is now clear. "Excellent," he intones calmly. "Decepticons, advance." Shockwave peers at the EDC and Autobot forces arrayed against them. "Kill them all." Shockwave and the Decepticon army surges forward, with the fliers quickly outpacing the ground troops. Seekers and Sweeps begin strafing the EDC vehicles, all of which are running.

Ah, all but one. Shockwave takes note of Cross's brave sortie. "Swindle, with me," he orders, changing his course to intercept the EDC General. Elita One, Loadout, and Encore are all with him. So few against so many. "Such noble nonsense," he comments to Swindle. There are plenty of targets for the heroes to shoot at, and many of them are trying to rush past to get to the base and the other EDC troopers. Given the advantage they have, many are getting sloppy. Shockwave, however, is a different story.

Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Guarded.

"Hah! Looks like their iffallible plan wasn't as iffallible as they thought." All too delicious. It adds an extra bit of cockiness to Swindle's swagger as he strolls out while Decepticons of assorted generic sorts start pouring out of the big guy. He's still not too keen on getting too close -just- yet, but that doesn't mean he's going to just stand back and not join in the fun. "And look at what we have here. The little squirts are trying to flee now."

He -was- going to go give chase, but then Shockwave orders him to follow. Sigh. But considering he's still in a bit of trouble over the whole Vertigo thing, he decides not to push his luck, jumps off Trypticon and takes a defensive position alongside the big purple calculator of doom.

Combat: Swindle sets his defense level to Guarded.

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Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > arrives from the Western Provinces - Canada to the west.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > has arrived.

Elita One scowls as she rushes forward, Loadout well ahead of her now since he transformed. "Shocks and...looks like Swindle took notice of us. We're not going to get a hole punched in Trypticon with them around! To battle!" She summons her trusted plasma cannon, that purple pink blueprint quickly takes the shape of her enormous weapon. < < We're on Plan C, right now. Damn, we could use a...full blown reactor... > > She summons her smaller pistol as well, taking a preemptive shot at Shockwave, anything to keep his attention right now.

Combat: Elita One sets her defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her Disruptor attack!

Behind Cross, the base isn't entire defenseless, it turns out--automated flak turrets burst out of the grounds near the base and begin firing up at the Decepticons, but their tracking is a bit slow, and as a result all they can really do is force the Decepticons to take extra evasive maneuvers and focus less on destroying the retreating troops.

General Cross, meanwhile, is hellbent on fighting the Decepticons, but he finds himself joined by two Exo-Suits which land behind him and keep pace with his tank. "What are you two doing?" Cross says. "Get out of here, I said!"

"Sorry, sir!" one of the troopers says. "We can't let you have all the glory!"

Cross switches off his radio. "Dammit. Not for me. *Not for me.*" Nevertheless, Cross charges forward, right at Shockwave, as if welcoming the cyclops's advance. Cross fires a spray of Autocannon shells at him before they close the distance!

Franklin Cross hops into his jump tank!

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > strikes Shockwave with his 20mm HE Autocannon attack! [Pulled -2]

Combat: Used up 1 Autocannon Ammo. 5 remain.

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > picks his target- Swindle. He's heard the Con has been selling knockoff copies of his Enershine blends or something, but he banks towards Shockwave and Swindle, though Cyclops doesn't seem to be his target. With a grin, he banks suddenly away from the pair, his minigun spraying out a burst towards the scam-worthy con!

Combat: AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > strikes Swindle with his Minigun burst (Laser) attack!

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Noah Wolfe leaves the Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe >.

Noah Wolfe has arrived.

Noah Wolfe has left.

Noah Wolfe enters the Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe >.

Trypticon takes another thunderous step forward, trying to smoosh the base with his foot. As automated turrets sprint up and begin blasting at him, Trypticon tries to protect his face with his short, useless stubby arms. "Nrrgghghgg..." The shrapnel embeds itself in his hide, but the odds are poor that it's getting past all that armour. The monster himself, however, is still showing at least some signs of the citybuster. "...WHAT TRYPTICON HERE FOR AGAIN." He idly smacks one of the turrets with his tail, crushing it with no more thought than someone swatting a mosquito. Oh, that's right, he's here to fight Metroplex! Trypticon does an agonizingly slow 360 degree turn, but cannot find his opposite. Maybe it was the time before this that he was told to fight Metroplex?

The rest of the Decepticons are not as hindered as their vanguard, though, as many try to chase down the fleeing vehicles while Shockwave himself leads the attack against Franklin Cross's retaliation strike. Autocannon blasts ricochet off Shockwave's heavy armour, denting but failing to crack his chest plate. Elita One's small pistol glances off his side, but Shockwave does not stop. "Elita One, you are turning hopeless fights into a habit. And you, General Cross, surely you are aware of your situation." Shockwave looks past him towards the soldiers that caught up to Cross. He motions with his hand, ordering a trio of Tetrajet Seekers to strafe Cross, his soldiers, and Elita One with cluster bombs.

Combat: Shockwave misses Elita One with his Seeker Cluster Bombs (Full-Auto) Area attack!

Combat: Shockwave misses Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Seeker Cluster Bombs (Full-Auto) Area attack!

Swindle gets clipped by a few lasers as he was 'escorting' Shockwave to delivering a buttkicking. Turns a bit to peer in the direction of the plane. ".. Hmm, I wonder how much parts for that old of a model can get on the black market." Typical Swindle. He draws a generic looking blaster from one of the several compartments built into his body, points back at the Spooky and returns fire.

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Combat: Swindle strikes AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > with his Generic Combaticon Blaster (Laser) attack!

"Tail..TAIL!" Being too close to the monster is bad enough, but even Trypticon's absent turn around is enough to level all the trees in the area...and a few boulders...some gumbies in the way... Elita dives to the ground beneath the huge purple swath of destruction. Due to her trajectory change, the bombing run inbound exploded before her. She squints, "Last few times we fought, Shockwave, I came out the victor. Who is being hopeless? However, now that I have your attention, I have a question for you." She raises her cannon to bear, belching plasma at her nemesis. "Is Galvatron good for Cybertron?" No reason not to play some mind games in combat, it's only one of the most dangerous battles of her life...

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her Plasma Cannon attack! [Pulled -4]

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > flashes Swindle his Autobot tags, growling as the lasers plink into his hull, the big Autobot growling quietly to himself as he circles, taking a moment to aim carefully with his big Bofors gun. Of course, this makes him an even easier target, but... well, that 40mm cannon spaks quite loudly.

< < You've been sellin' dodgy enershine, givin' me a bad name. > >

Combat: AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > strikes Swindle with his Bofors Cannon attack! [Pulled -2]

Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > bounds over the cluster bombs dropped on him by the Seekers, but the Exos that decided to follow him aren't quite so quick. Though they manage to fire off a few shots first, their pilots scream as the cluster bombs rain down on them, the dozens of bomb blasts throwing up so much smoke, dirt, and flame that their grisly fate is obscured. "Dammit!" Cross says to himself. "I told you... I TOLD you to run..."

"SHOCKWAVE!" Cross roars over his PA, barrelling down relentlessly at the cyclops. "Here's the situation--I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" A drill extends from the front of the tank as it leaps up at his foe, trying to drill right through that clear armor plating on Shockwave's chest!

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > misses Shockwave with his Drill attack! [Pulled -1]

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank sits in the darkened interior or a drop ship, drop packs are strapped to the hull of the tank, ready to slow the decent of the exo-armor when it's dropped from the belly of the ship. Noah sits at the controls and even though it's not hot inside, sweat prickles on his forehead. He gets a message from the drop ship pilot that the drop zone is approaching. The ship rocks from explosions about it and the rough air it's plowing through. Soon enough, the floor opens up to daylight and the battle below. Noah hears the squeal of the alarm as the hooks holding onto his armor release and the exo plumets through the ether of battle towards the ground. Noah's head is jerked back as he mouths something kids should never hear, this is afterall a family show!

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Combat: Shockwave compares his Strength to Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > 's Strength: Success!

If there is any Decepticon that knows guns, it's Swindle. To the point that he actually raises an optic ridge at first the Bot markings and then the 'classic' weapon to go with the Gunship, even as it's lining up to aim at him. "Armaments kept to match the form, huh? Not sure if I should regard that as having taste, or just being low tech sentimental." Which is followed by a laugh and a shrug. "Your human allies are being routed and scattered and you're worried about -that-? And people say my priorities are messed up, hah!" But even as he's chortling he takes aim, bracing his weapon arm with one hand to keep steady as he pumps off a burst of explosive rounds at the gunship.

If there is any Decepticon that knows guns, it's Swindle. To the point that he actually raises an optic ridge at first the Bot markings and then the 'classic' weapon to go with the Gunship, even as it's lining up to aim at him. "Armaments kept to match the form, huh? Not sure if I should regard that as having taste, or just being low tech sentimental." Being old fashioned however doesn't stop the shot from producing a nice blast effect when it impacts with his chest. Then there's the retort about knockoff booze. Which is followed by a laugh and a shrug. "Your human allies are being routed and scattered and you're worried about -that-? And people say my priorities are messed up, hah!" But even as he's chortling he takes aim, bracing his weapon arm with one hand to keep steady as he pumps off a burst of explosive rounds at the gunship.

Combat: Swindle strikes AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > with his Scatter Blaster attack! [Pulled -1]

Shockwave doesn't quibble with Elita One over their recent bouts. They aren't going to agree on who wins what. At her question, however, Shockwave lowers his head, "An interesting question, Elita. One that is irrelevant." Elita's plasma blasts hits him dead on, and part of his chest armour melts on contact. The Decepticon insignia just above his chest plate warps and sags, becoming disfigured. Shockwave dives downwards as the Seekers blow past him. Explosions go off throughout the battlefield, and Shockwave is pleased to see several of Cross's soldiers vanish.

This serves to infuriate the EDC leader, but Shockwave is well prepared for his charge. The Jump Tank leaps for him, drill extended, but Shockwave's hand lashes out, grabbing the side of the tank and keeping the drill just out of reach. It takes all of the cyclops's strength to withstand the strike, but it succeeds in keeping the General away from him.

Twisting around in order to use the tank as a literal human shield against further attacks from Elita One, Shockwave replies, "Your 'ally' asked an interesting question, General Cross." Shockwave's vice-like grip begins tightening, threatening to crumple the Jump Tank's armour. "One thing Galvatron *has* done well for Cybertron was eliminating a pesky EDC leader. Such successes should be repeated." His hand squeezes, hopefully crushing side of the tank.

Combat: Shockwave strikes Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his A Strong Hand attack!

Combat: You took 25 damage.

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Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > looks to either side of himself as Shockwave grabs ahold of his tank and begins to squeeze it, the armor audibly groaning and cracking around him! His MFD's light up with damage warnings and advisories to begin evasive maneuvers before Cross overrides them. "This time it'll be a Decepticon leader that does down, Shockwave. You think you've got me, but I've got YOU... right where I want you!" And a cannon pops out from the frontal section of his tank! "So Trypticon was immune to the weapon. Noted. Are you?" And a pale beam of radiation fires point-blank into Shockwave's chest!

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > misses Shockwave with his Cybercidic Radiation Ray attack!

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > 's risky attack leaves him temporarily incapacitated!

< EDC > Noah Wolfe says, "General Cross, Corporal Wolfe here, I'm ready for...action? I'm 1543 feet up and coming in fast."

< EDC > Franklin Cross says, "Agh--get Shockwave off of--*shkkk*"

Elita One tightens her hand into a fist, "Not....Today..." Franklin's blast left him well out of luck, it was up to her now. "...Shockwave!She leaps into the air, very nearly getting smacked by a gumby Seeker as she does. With her cannon raised over her head, Elita descends towards Shockwave. Being a practitioner of Circuit-Su, she may not be Shockwave's equal in hand to hand, but right now, she had to get in close enough to keep him occupied!

Whether the kick to the head hits or not, possibly staggering the purple bureaucrat. "You know what I'm sick of?" She swings her cannon's barrel around, clubbing at her foe, "You claiming to run on pure logic, when you..." She kicks at him again, to knock him aside, "know...you KNOW that Galvatron is an ineffective leader!" She presses the attack, launching another kick at him, "FOUR EONS, and he can't wipe US out. Is that leadership, Shockwave?" She practically growls out the last part.

Combat: Elita One sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her A Woman Scorned attack!

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > snarls as the explosive shots hit home, banking a little to try and get a little bit of space as his hull is pockmarked. As he does so, Swindle will see the Autobot isn't up to scratch, with his 105mm replaced by a fake one, and the 25mm is a smaller replacement; the big Autobot got took out of stasis and hasn't been able to get all his weapons fixed.

That said, the smaller minigun is still dangerous, spooling up to send another hail of shots at Swindle.

< < Not a priority. But I thought I'd let you know I'm aware and not happy."

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank does as it's told and angles the booster packs strapped to the falling exo-armor to drop him towards Shockwave. "Oh bugger...." as the realization comes to Noah that this is really happening. Not training, not hiding in the woods, an actual combat situation. Noah squares his quivering jaw and pushes the throttles forward sending bursts of thruster fire downward, slowing his decent. Then flipping a switch the armor splits apart forming arms and legs, then a head. Noah rears back the fist and as he falls on Shockwave he calls out, "Let my general go! Oh crap!" And Noah timed that wrong, instead of a really good falling punch, the armor looks to be on a collision course for Shockwave.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank transforms into its Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Robot mode.

Combat: AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > strikes Swindle with his Minigun burst (Pistol) attack!

Combat: Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > strikes Shockwave with its look out below (Punch) attack!

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"You speak with emotion, General Cross," Shockwave replies, "Not intellect. Do you *truly* believe you can defeat me? Even if you did, do you truly believe my forces would let you leave here alive?" Shockwave presses his advantage, lowering the tank so he's ready to crush it into the ground like a soda can. Before he's able, the cannon pops out of the front. Shockwave moves remarkably quick, lashing out with his gun arm to viciously smack the cannon away. The pale radiation shoots high into the sky, where it strikes and disintegrates an Insecticon. "So long as you fail to strike your target, yes." The force of the blow, however, causes Shockwave to lose his grip on the tank, freeing Cross.

Shockwave doesn't have time to reassert his advantage, however, before Elita One comes rushing in. "Decepticon internal politic-- UGH!" Elita One's foot catches him square in the 'face', and Shockwave reels a step backwards, clutching at his optic defensively. Falling to one knee, he glares at Elita from between his fingers. "Decepticon politics are none of your concern." Galvatron's leadership rankles, yes, but Shockwave is unfortunately incapable of grabbing command from him. "As for *your* leadership, Elita, consider that you had four eons to topple my absolute rule of Cybertron, and I /barely realized you still existed/."

Shockwave stands up again just in time for Noah to plummet towards him, fist outstretched. Shockwave reaches up to grapple with Noah, blocking the punch/crash with his forearm. "More EDC cannon fodder, General Cross? You would have made a terrific Decepticon." Shockwave lashes out with his arm, swiping at both enemies that are still within melee range.

Combat: Shockwave strikes Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Smacking Cross's Cannon and then Swiping at Elita One and Noah Wolfe (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: You took 12 damage.

Combat: Shockwave's attack has damaged your Accuracy!

Combat: Shockwave misses Elita One with his Smacking Cross's Cannon and then Swiping at Elita One and Noah Wolfe (Ruckus) Area attack!

Combat: Shockwave strikes Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > with his Smacking Cross's Cannon and then Swiping at Elita One and Noah Wolfe (Ruckus) Area attack!

Swindle adjusts his position to hold his non-weapon arm up in front of himself, the burst of fire rattling dents and dings in the plating... and a bit of smoke hissing out of the upper joint as a lucky shot manages to pierce a weaker connection point. Swindle grunts, shifting his arm a bit to peer over it at the assorted potmarks. "You know, I could probably get you the -real- thing for an appropriate price if you wanted..." Then remembers Shockwave isn't far away. "... if we weren't on opposite sides and arming an enemy could be considered an act of treason," he quickly covers his skidplate.

"So how about a different demonstration?" He pulls out what looks like it would be some sort of shoulder-supported weapon for a human-sized creature,b ut Swindle just holds it in one hand like a pistol. "This little darling fires triple-folded tritanite warheads for exceptional puncturing power, regardless if the target is covered in armor alloy or hardened carapices."

Naturally the sales pitch is summed up by actually firing the rocket powered grenade sized shell at the Spooky.

Combat: Swindle strikes AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > with the Swindle-forged Armor-Piercing Rocket-Grenade Launcher attack!

Triggerhappy descends from the skies above.

Triggerhappy has arrived.

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"Praise indeed, that the master logitician couldn't find us over such a long term! I may have had to subdue my wants to blow up your entire damned cities, but YOU've sublimated your core beliefs, Shockwave. You've failed in your own beliefs, and THAT is why you hate the Female Autobots so, because you have proof. Proof that your emotionless analysis, while nice, is NOT the superior way to live. And you *hate*, don't you, Shockwave? You hate me." She glanced aside to Trypticon, actually approaching the enormous beast. A bit more and she could actually climb onto Trypticon, scaling the giant as it were.

'Come on, break out the big gun, Shockwave...I need a dent in this dino.' Far too small to be noticed by the behemoth (she hopes) Elita tries to lure Shockwave away further from Cross at least. She raises her cannon to her eye, more pinkish-red plasma generating at the weapon's base, before opening fire again at him.

Combat: Elita One sets her defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her Plasma Cannon attack! [Pulled -2]

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > snarls as the rocket hits home, ripping a piece off his tail and cracking one of his optic lenses. "Frag!" He mutters, banking around to try and shake swindle before bringing that Bofors gun to bear again.

He fires a full-strength string, all five rounds from the clip, straight at Swindle - trying to return the favour from the big hit of that missile.

< < Not bad. Not 'zactly in theme with my chassis, though is it? Lemme show you exactly why it is that the Bofors gun has been in service for over two centuries... > >

Combat: AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > strikes Swindle with his Bofors Cannon attack!

Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > lets out a vicious curse as the power goes out in his tank, leaving him vulnerable! "Oh, damn," he mutters, seeing Shockwave wind up for the swing. He is rocked in his tank as Shockwave's gun smashes his disintegrator cannon, bending it to the right and rendering it--at least for this battle--useless. And yet, the impact at least jarred the tank's systems back to life, all of his displays and indicator lights flickering back on.

"I don't give a damn what you think is possible," Cross snarls as the tank comes back to life. "Or what orders you've given to your wind-up toy soldiers. I'm bringing you down!" The tank bounds away from Shockwave, peppering him with machine gun rounds.

Meanwhile, the fight on the dam has become desperate for the EDC. Some of the military vehicles are still trying to escape but the swarm of Decepticons buzzing around them is making it a deadly task. In one instance, a Seeker lands beside a troop transport, and the men inside barely have time to bail out before the Decepticon blows it apart with one shot.

And yet, all the combatants there look up with a shocked expression as a shadow looms over them, followed by panicked fleeing as the source of the shadow descends. It is, naturally, Trypticon's foot, which comes crashing down on the right side of the dam, opposite from the turbines, and it would be an understatement to say that the dam can't support his weight. The walls of the dam immediately crumble away and water pours forth from the breach. Meanwhile, as the dam gives way, Trypticon loses his footing and falls forward, landing face first in the river behind the dam. Water shoots up into the air and the ground rocks from the fall. The cityformer incoherently roars, "TRYPTI--*glarghlearghlearghle*"

< EDC > Franklin Cross says, "Noah. Thanks for the backup, for all the good it will do."

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > strikes Shockwave with his Pistol attack!

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > would hop for joy, if it could hop. Noah hoots, "I hit 'em, I hit...argh!" And shockwave hits him sending the armor crashing onto its back. It wobbles and gets to its knees. Noah is no worse for ware and could take a few good hits. The armor pushes off and starts moving around while firing off a burst from his laser gatling gun mounted on an arm. "Suck lasers!" noah calls out, then slinks back in his seat realizing that was kinda silly.

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Combat: Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > strikes Shockwave with its gatling laser short burst (Pistol) attack!

The return demonstration does it's job, the BOFOS barrage blasting Swindle hard enough to knock him out of the air. The Combaticon hits the ground in a tumbling skid across the ground, which just adds a bit of insult to injury before he gets a chance to stop himself. Sitting up the shyster looks skyward for a moment. "COVER!" Several Seekers (who probably owe him something) drop out of the blitzing squads and land in a protective formation around Swindle. "Thank you very much my good sirs." Sitting in middle of the defensive huddle he pushes a hand to his chest (those windows are just decorative thank Primus) and shoves some stray broken bits back into place. Tch. He really needs to learn how to do actual field repairs or something.

The other arm aims up from within the huddle, the muzzle of his cannon-like weapon irising down to a more focused blast radius and returning fire

Combat: Swindle sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Swindle strikes AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > with his Scatterblaster Full Burst attack!

Triggerhappy had been recharging in the barracks aboard Trypticon after having had a bit too much of Misfire's special engex brews. That is, until the mobile Decepticon base had 'tripped' over the dam. Yes, he'd managed to remain in stasis while the giant had transported itself to Earth from Mars. Somehow. And don't ask Blowpipe how. But anyway, he is unpleasantly jolted from his overenergized stasis nap when the floors are suddenly reoriented into a vertical position, and his recharge slab slides across the floor, crashing into the opposite wall. "What in the name of Primus?!" he exclaims as he scrambles to his feet to the sound of explosions and gunfire outside. Then a -big- grin slowly spreads across his face. "Well what do you know, Blowpipe?! The fight's come right to our door! Hahahahha! I love my luck!" The Targetmaster laughs and grabs his binary bond parter, flying out of the nearest port and descending upon the fray.

He immediately catches sight of Shockwave getting assailed by Elita One and a couple of EDC people one of which he -thinks- might be Franklin Cross. "Don't worry Shockers, I'll save youuuu!" he bellows, still cackling like a madmech as he dives toward the enemy, photon pulse guns blazing. "One BIG aft order of coverfire coming right up! Or should I say, 'down'? Hahahahhah!"

Blowpipe pfffs to himself.

"Hate?" Shockwave considers even as he steps forward, absorbing more plasma to the chest. "Unlikely. If I had the time I would review each of your flawed premises, but as it is I have a native army to finish annihilating." Elita One is just too quick for Shockwave, and once again she's able to nimbly evade his brutal attacks. Separately her plasma cannons do little damage, but with each hit more of Shockwave's armour starts to melt, making it harder for him to move. He sees her heading towards Trypticon and doesn't chase after her. "Triggerhappy," he orders, "Cover me. Also, watch for Elita One. She is heading for Trypticon."

That's the Targetmaster's cue to come down and save him from the femme and two fleshlings. Shockwave squares off against the latter. More machine gun blasts ricochet off his armour, leaving tiny dents for each bullet. "Not with a weapon like that, General Cross. Would it interest you to know that your leadership has been a great source of discussion amongst the Decepticon High Command? Some believe you to be more of a detriment to your kind than an aid, but I for one feel it is irrelevant." Shockwave gestures at Trypticon, "No matter who leads the humans, one footstep is all it takes to extinguish you."

Glancing at Noah Wolfe's tank, Shockwave deflects the laser blasts with his arm. They leave scorch marks but don't slow him down. "Pathetic. Is the EDC reduced to using outdated equipment now?" For now, Shockwave doesn't retaliate. Perhaps he's been injured? Perhaps he's powering up? Perhaps he's rerouting power to ensure his subsystems don't go offline from all the abuse they've received?

Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Shockwave quickly patches up some of his minor injuries.

Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > misses Elita One with his Hahhaah now I sound like Swindle! (Full-Auto) Area attack!

Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > strikes Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > with his Hahhaah now I sound like Swindle! (Full-Auto) Area attack!

Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > misses Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Hahhaah now I sound like Swindle! (Full-Auto) Area attack!

< EDC > Franklin Cross says, "Noah, get that lunatic off our backs."

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Combat: Elita One compares her Agility to 70: Success!

< EDC > Noah Wolfe says, "I'm tryin...I'm tryin!"

< EDC > Acting General Nate Briar says, "Wolfe, don't get yourself killed. I know that's a challenge."

< EDC > Noah Wolfe whimpers over the radio.

< EDC > Apocryphacius looks up Noah's blood type to make sure they have plenty of that in stock and ready to go.

Trypticon stumbles at the cliff's edge...and Elita is on him...rather low, but still, the ground beneath her crumbles! She gauges the great monster's size, as it starts to tilt, then leaps up onto an outcropping on his hide, then onto his back. As Trypticon starts to plummet, all that remains is his tail, whipping about. She runs, her cannon disappearing in a flash as she bolts down Trypticon's tail. A single flick at the end from Trypticon gives her just enough of a save. It launches her into the air again. She must have such a flair for the dramatic today.

With her pistols summoned, she potshots at both of the Cons near her, "Sorry, Shocks, I couldn't hear you over your boy sinking into the river." With a quick PAF PAF! she intends to blind the two before her.

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her Battle Pistols Area attack!

Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Shockwave's Accuracy. (Blinded)

Combat: Elita One strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > with her Battle Pistols Area attack!

Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > 's Accuracy. (Blinded)

Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > evades the manic gunfire by bounding about in a zigzag pattern, which leaves the forest decimated but Cross unharmed. "In both cases your analysis is flawed, Shockwave," Cross says. "Because if you seriously believe that that was the best thing we can throw at you, you are SADLY mistaken! As for our weapons, well, you'd be surprised at how potent they can be..." His combat scanner locks onto Shockwave's silhouette, and zooms in on the points of Shockwave's body that seem to have taken damage, and begins calculating the optimum attack location in order to wound the cyclops. Meanwhile, Cross focuses on being evasive.

"It's you Decepticons that will be rendered irrelevant," Cross says. "History will speak of the dark fifty-year period where humans were menaced by transforming robotic monsters, but given the span of human history, it will ultimately just amount to a drop in a bucket. A few pages on a textbook, something for our descendents to wonder about. Nothing more."

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Franklin Cross analyzes Shockwave for weaknesses.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > is pelted with laser fire from Triggerhappy, Noah even manages to evade a few of them. But most pepper his armor and jolting him around. "I...I...damn it! Stay b..back, stop shooting at me!" Noah calls out as the armor shrinks and shifts back into hovertank mode. The turret lifts up and aims for Triggerhappy, the plasma cannon powers up and lets fly with a beam of heat sending the small tank backward.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > transforms into its Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank mode.

Combat: Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > with its Main Cannon attack!

< EDC > Noah Wolfe says, "I got 'em, holy queen mary mother of scotts I got 'em!"

< EDC > Franklin Cross just sighs

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Shockwave gives Trypticon an appraising, but disappointed look. The Cityformer has once again been outfoxed, but Shockwave doesn't seem terribly concerned. His forces have overwhelmed Cross's, and the humans' ultimate weapon has been dealt with. Unfortunate that Trypticon will need repairs... again. Ignoring Elita One--she can waylay Trypticon but he's confident she can't kill him--Shockwave stares back at Franklin Cross. He knows what the human is doing. Shockwave is doing it to him as well, analyzing him and his battered jump tank for weaknesses.

"Likelihood that you have yet another ultimate weapon to use against us? Low. If you had the capability to save your soldiers, General Cross..." Shockwave makes a sweeping gesture towards where the Seekers' cluster bombs earlier fell, "Then you would have done so by now. Your compassion for your troops would not permit you to act otherwise."

Shockwave touches back down on the ground. "As for the Decepticons' role in history, our war has lasted longer than your entire species's existence." One might wonder if Shockwave realizes that this is actually a compliment or not. Shockwave takes aim with his arm cannon, "I shall leave it to history to decide whether you are correct, then."

Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Shockwave misses Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Arm Cannon Blast attack! [Pulled -2]

"Stop shooting? Stop -shooting-? Pfffah! What kind of a request is -that-?!" Triggerhappy scoffs, even has he is pelted by Elita One's battle pistols and then by the tank as well. His wings are smoking a little now, but he doesn't even seem to notice. "Fleshy I don't think you know who I -am-." The jet wobbles a bit then recovers and banks toward the Warthog. Once he's gotten to a certain distance, he turns his nose toward the ground into a practically vertical dive straight down toward tank. "How about we have a little 'get to know you' session? No time like the present, right?"

Combat: Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > strikes Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank with his Pleasure to meet you fleshy! (Ram) attack!

Swindle is ... perfectly fine with staying in middle of the huddle of Seekers protecting him at the moment. The Combaticon peeks between two of them, just to see what's going on. Oh hey there's Triggerhappy. "Blow that piece of scrap up and I'll give you some free ammo clips in exchange for the spare parts!" Hey he's trying to at least be encouraging here.

Combat: Swindle takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

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Elita One fumes, Shockwave was hellbound to keep Cross in his sights. No taunting was enough, he was on a mission. At the new cliff's edge, Elita braces on her knee. She had a mission too. She fires two powerful rounds from her cannon at Shockwave, determined to keep his focus.

HER focus however is before her, not on the canyon behind her, where Trypticon's errant tail whips back and forth twice, before slamming into the cliff face behind her. The ground is pulverized almost immediately beneath her, sending her toppling over the edge. < < Keep Cross secure, I'll be...*static* >  > The Femme Commander has disappeared, at least for now...

Combat: Elita One sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Elita One strikes Shockwave with her Plasma Cannon attack!

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank gets shot up just a bit more, but it doesn't look too bad. Noah however...how the heck did he get shot?! Noah holds his shoulder, now bleeding, to stem the flow of blood. The tank shifts into robot mode and lifts its rifle firing out a ruby laser blast. "Never hurts to ask..." he says through a cold sweat. "...I...oh god...why won't you stop! YEEEEEAHHH!"

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank transforms into its Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Robot mode.

Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > smirks to himself. For all his intellect, Shockwave doesn't know everything. And if he did... "I'd accuse you of false bravado, Shockwave," Cross replies, "but I know better. Let's just say it'll only be apparent how flawed your analysis is after it's far too late to do anything about it." Cross could be bluffing. Or he might not be. Who knows?

"As for deciding history--let's do that NOW!" And he fires two missiles from the back hatch of his tank, which speed towards the Decepticon commander. "You thought our weapons were weak, Shockwave? I was just *softening you up.*" And the missiles, linked up to Cross's combat scanner, fly right into a breach in Shockwave's armor that was opened up by one of Elita One's earlier shots!

Combat: Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > strikes Cybertronian Turbo-Thrust Jet Fighter < Triggerhappy > with its high speed laser cannons (Laser) attack!

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > strikes Shockwave with his Image Recognition Missile attack!

Combat: Removing analysis data for Shockwave.

Combat: Used up 1 Guided Missile. 1 remain.

========================[ Eastern Provinces - Canada ]========================

Name                Idl Act  Last Action

--

Franklin Cross      1s  4m   Image Recognition Missile (LVL 6) vs Shockwav

Noah Wolfe          16s 4m   high speed laser cannons (LVL 2) vs Cybertron

Inside: Exo-Armor Warthog

Swindle             1m  11m  Rested (!pass)

Triggerhappy        2m  11m  Pleasure to meet you fleshy! (LVL 3) vs Exo-A

Shockwave           4m  13m  Arm Cannon Blast (LVL 4) vs Jump Tank < Frankl

Encore              2m  > 1h  Bofors Cannon (LVL 5) vs Swindle (Hit)

Loadout             16m > 1h  Passed Turn/No Action

-( Other Combatants )-

Marauder [Observing]

============[ Use +pot/last to retrieve their last pose ]============

AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore > watches Swindle go down and seems satisfied, even though the Con isn't taken out, moving to give the fleeing convoy some top-cover. His Bofors gun should take care of any gumbies trying to harass the convoy!

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"Hmm, why won't I stop? Well, -maybe- that's because your fleshy little hide hasn't been turned into a little dark red splatter on the ground, yet!" Triggerhappy transforms and cackles wildly before he's knocked backward as the Warthog's cannonfire bores into him. The Targetmaster goes flying toward Cross' jump tank, threatening to collide with it if the EDC commander doesn't manage to maneuver out of the way in time. Wolfe will just have to hope Cross doesn't do too much more than berate him later.

Triggerhappy reverts to his root form.

Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Collateral damage? (Smash) attack!

Combat: You took 7 damage.

Combat: Triggerhappy's attack has damaged your Agility!

Shockwave believes he knows everything about Cross's latest plan. He is of the opinion that Cross is bluffing. He and the EDC may have other weapons squirrelled away, but the citybuster was their best shot, and it fizzled in the face of Trypticon's might. Shockwave's arm cannon blast flies just wide of the tank, but he's lining up for a second to shear the vehicle in half. Just before he can fire, though, two very bad things take place. The first is Elita One's two cannon blasts. The first flies just past his head, but the second scores a direct hit on his face, causing him to jerk backwards.

The second very bad thing is the pair of missiles that soar towards him. Recovering from Elita's One's shot just before the missiles can hit, he fires. The blast hits one, and they both go up in a massive explosion right at Shockwave's feet. Stepping out of the fires, one can see that Shockwave's arm cannon has been badly damaged. The barrel is bent slightly, and there's a gash all along it. More than that, Franklin's one of the detonations ripped a hole in his chest where Elita One's plasma had already melted it. Wordlessly, Shockwave charges straight for the jump tank, still powerful despite his injuries. The Decepticon tries to smash the tank with his fist before beating him repeated with both arms.

Combat: Shockwave strikes Jump Tank < Franklin Cross > with his Brutal Strikes attack!

Combat: You took 21 damage.

Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger!

Combat: Shockwave's attack has damaged your Velocity!

Looks like Encore lost interest. Though Swindle frowns a bit. That convoy of escapees is much too far away for him to chase down at this point. Looks the other way as he nudges past the gumbies guarding him. Shockwave and Triggerhappy seem to have other things well in hand. Thusly he rubs his hands together, then gives the gumbies a nudge. "Seeing as they're busy... why don't you guys get started on the pillaging? Go forth and break it to itty little pieces, my friends, and I'll pay two rations worth of energon cubes made from the finest Carbombya oil to anyone that brings me back some usable or sellable hardware!" he adds in a shout after them.

First rule of business: Get someone else to do the heavy lifting.

The Global Pose Tracker marks that Swindle has 'skipped' his action for this round.

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THWAM! THWAM! THWAM! The fists rain down on Cross's tank, and the advanced, lightweight armor does a respectable job of holding out under the blows, but can't do so forever. The wheels are the first to go out, collapsing inwards, followed by the turret, which is actually broken off of the tank itself and falls away. Within, Cross is sitting inside, covering his head as the turret falls away. He looks up to see another fist coming down. "No!" he yells, cheek twitching, sweat pouring down his face and neck. "NOOOOO!"

He stands up in his tank, drawing his magnetic disruptor from a hip holster and aiming it at Shockwave. "NOOOOO!!!" he yells again, depressing the trigger. And should it find its mark, Shockwave may find it very difficult to move! Almost like someone put a giant magnet directly inside of his chest, forcing all his limbs to snap together. In fact, that's pretty much what's happening!

Franklin Cross hops out of his jump tank!

Combat: Franklin Cross strikes Shockwave with his Magnetic Disruptor attack!

Combat: That attack has slowed Shockwave, making him less efficient.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > having received a hearty woopin for what little he's done, flashes a warning to Noah. Noah clicks on his short range radio and transforms back into tank mode before high tailing it out of there. Without so much as a 'until next time gadet!'

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > transforms into its Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank mode.

Combat: Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > Tank begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Shockwave and AC130U Spooky II Gunship < Encore >

< EDC > Noah Wolfe says, "Sorry, that's all I can do, I need a medic!"

Encore has left.

With each strike, Shockwave's strength seems to grow with intensity. He can feel the tank begin to crumple underneath him, and he knows it's only a matter of time before he rips through the shell and gets to the helpless human inside. Once that happens, Cross ceases to be. Tearing off the turret and peering inside, he finally finds his target. "Farewell, General Cross," he states as his fist comes down.

In that split-second, General Cross shouts at him and fires a magnetic disruptor. Hitting the Decepticon in his already breached chest, Shockwave jolts, suddenly finding his joints freezing up. His fist is still half thrown, a mere metre away from General Cross before it sloooowly gets forced back against his body. Although his servos cease to respond, Shockwave's mind and voice remains, and he already knows how to counter this. "You have under ten seconds before I recover, human. Use that time to flee or you. Will. Die."

___   ___    _  _   ___   _   _

/ __| / _ \  | \| | / __| | | | |

| (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_|

\___| \___/  |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_)

Triggerhappy is slammed right into Franklin's tank even as it cracks and buckles under the generous amounts of punishment it's taking. "Well, that -kinda- hurt." He gets up slowly, rubbing his helm and realizing the showdown going on between Shockwave and Cross. He watches as Shockwave's servoes are suddenly clamped to his body, and chuckles slightly, thinking it looked rather awkward. "Don't worry sir, I'll clobber 'im for you!" He laughs and rips away the side of the tank's armor that stands between him and the EDC commander, then brings a fist down toward the human.

Swindle has by this point wandered off to help the raiding/looting parties. Because that's his thing to do.

Combat: Triggerhappy strikes Franklin Cross with his When Shockwave can't I CAN! (Punch) attack!

Combat: You took 17 damage.

Combat: Triggerhappy's attack has damaged your Agility!

Combat: Franklin Cross falls to the ground, unconscious.

Noah Wolfe leaves the Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe >.

Noah Wolfe has arrived.

Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe > has left.

Noah Wolfe takes Exo-Armor Warthog < Noah Wolfe >.

Time slows down for Cross as the fist comes down that will end his life. The General squeezes the handle for his ejection switch, and yanks it back. And just in time, his seat rockets him out of the tank just as Triggerhappy's fist descends upon the tank, crushing its hull further. But Cross doesn't escape unscathed--his ejection seat bounces off of Triggerhappy's head during his rapid ascent, and the jarring impact is enough to knock the exhausted General unconscious. He soars off and away into the horizon.

Shockwave's fingers start moving again. Then his fist, then his arm, then his legs... but by then, Triggerhappy has already smacked Cross (well... vice versa) and sailed off. Shockwave takes several powerful potshots at the soaring ejection seat, but with his barrel damaged by his and Elita One's tricks, they fly wide. The EDC will be able to pick up their 'beloved' General and carry him to safety, much to Shockwave's chagrin. Not one for crying over spilled milk, however, Shockwave presses on. "Triggerhappy," he says, still staring in the direction Cross was travelling. "Assemble a team to get Trypticon back on his feet. Find solid ground for him to revert back to base mode. He is staying here until he is fully repaired. Swindle, begin looting the base for... Swindle?" Shockwave turns, unaware that Swindle has preemptively followed orders.

Triggerhappy stumbles sideways slightly when Cross' ejector seat knocks him in the head. "Ha! That's the best you can--" But then he was gone. "Awww, slaggit! Fraggin' little fleshbag got away!" He curses, disappointed. "Oh well, at least we can beat him up again next time."

But he snaps to a sharp salute when Shockwave starts doling out the orders. "Of course, right away sir!" He makes a mental note to pick up some of the remains of Cross' tank and give them to Swindle later, though. Yes, he -had- heard that bit about the free ammo clips earlier.