Relics

Summary: (July 2031) Pleasant conversation over salvage. Black Forest, Germany The thick forest and the foliage up above make this place as dark as...well, black. Except for the wide expanses of the Autobahn, there is little room to move for giant robots. Smaller humans, and human-sized robots, however, can move about more freely and hide in the underbrush.

Contents:

Dee-Kal

Rammstein Air Base

Steel Foundry

Obvious exits:

Northeast [NE] leads to Berlin, Germany.

Northwest [NW] leads to Brussels, Belgium.

South [S] leads to De-Militarized Zone.

Southeast [SE] leads to Zurich, Switzerland.

Fly [Up]

Once again, Smokestack has found himself in a German forest. If this keeps up, he's going to have to apply for citizenship. Nonetheless, here he is again. Nine miles north of Auerbach, thirty one southwest of Chemnitz, rusted remains of the single greatest cannon ever built on earth lie beneath the forest leaves and moss, now corroded into worthlessness and near invisibility. The barrel long since removed to the Soviet Union, the remains of the original are nonetheless of interest. So it is that Smokestack is shin deep in a hole, excavating scattered parts into a line of three trucks sitting nearby. One is half full of rusted detritus already, one empty, and the last half full of coal. Taking a break for a moment, he scoops up a handful of coal and crunches it thoughtfully. A renewed cough of black colours the grey steam leaking from his stacks.

Dee-Kal tumbles through the skies, anime theme "Go Tight!" blasting on her headphones. Deep in a mental dance fantasy of Mighty Orbots and Japanese Beast Wars, the multi-hued little Junkion spins, arcs, glides and fans out her arms, feeling air on her fingertips, blue skies overhead and green valleys below. Euphoria is obvious. As is the young Junkette herself.

The brightly coloured Junkion could scarcely be more noticeable, and she’s quite recognisable from the last time Smokestack was lurking in these forests. Troublesome. She might well call for support if she finds herself dealing with him, and the last thing he wants is more damage to what wreckage remains here. Still, her upset over the forest damage could be played in his favour, provided he points out the consequences of combat before it actually begins. Standing in a clearing and towering over most of the trees, there’s little point in trying to hide. Lifting one heavy hand, traces of dirt and soil falling loose in clumps, he shades his deep set optics and waits.

Hologram fireworks, light-streaks, a celebration plays out in the air overhead. Then the music switches a quieter bridge, ready to build up the final chorus. Dee-Kal cuts lights as she curves in the final arc... slowly barrel-rolling, arms at her sides, flying faster... faster... faster... perhaps ready to smash some unseen barrier. Then POW-! dance-dance-dance and twirl, which eventually plays itself out as the song fades to its end. Which brings her back to a slightly buzzed reality. Phew! Then her nostrils twitch. Phew. What IS that smell..? Chimneys? Is she over a factory..? Dee-Kal focuses and flies down, following the smoky smell.

Smokestack watches the brightly coloured celebration overhead, somewhat interested by the holographic fireworks. The Junkion seems quite caught up in herself and for half a moment he considered the possibility he would once again escape detection. No: the already escaped streamer of smoke rising into the air has caught her attention now she has finished. Swift consideration of the best way to protect what he has salvaged so far from further damage flashes through his mind and he chooses to step away from the oversized trucks with a handful of coal, tipping it into his mouth as he crosses the clearing. Levelly, he watches her descend and rumbles “Junkion.” when she is close enough to hear.

Dee-Kal shakes hair out of her optics and tidies up her ponytail. No factory here! She looks around, sniff-sniffing. Then she catches a visual wisp of smoke and circles, diving down in more cautious frame of mind, in case of danger. Spotted at the same time as she spots, the teenager pulls up in mid air, nose wrinkled in some distain. "Oh. It is *you*..."

“Yes. I am not here to fight today. I would advise you to consider the potential consequences to this forested area if you summon assistance for combat.” Smokestack’s heavy arms are left hanging by his sides, the hand mounted flamethrower in no position to fire at anything except the earth beneath him. Of course, it must be a trick. He’s a Decepticon, right? It’s in the name, even.

The young Junkette looks about her, then past Smokestack. He's obviously here for some typically Septic-related reason, and she doubts it's tourism. "You think I *need* help?" She fold her arms, head tilted. "I did not summon last time. They chose to gate-crash. Not that I cannot summon if I require." She eyes some train-trucks in the near distance. "SO... do I require..? What are you smurfing up to?"

“Excavation.” the large, black plated machine replies succinctly. Magnetic resonance scanners built into his hands feel through the detritus and leaf mould and he bends, carefully edging the dirt off a large, rusty piece of curved metal. His hands moving with precise care unsuited to his general impression, he cradles it and carries it across the clearing to lay in the bottom of the empty middle truck. “I am recovering the remains of a device.”

Dee-Kal taps her junk badge, reports in neutral manner, then shuts it off again. She flies in closer. "What device? Some hidden Septic-artefact..?" Her optics turn purple as she scans the metal. It appears to represent just that. A large lump of iron or steel. "..what is that..?" she asks more curious.

“You are roughly aware of this region’s recent events?” Smokestack asked without looking away from his work, using his resonance scanners to step carefully into the shin deep hole he has dug already without stepping on any buried pieces and beginning to pick metallic detritus from the earth, much of it rusted into unwieldy masses of non-functional orange and brown. “During the last land war carried out by the natives of this region, they constructed two weapons of sizable magnitude, and were working on a third when they were defeated. Of the two complete, one was never fired. Only the first was ever used in anger.”

Dee-Kal tilts her head, arms unfolding. Remaining airborne, a slightly in-the-pool edge to her movements, she looks over the side of the truck and at the large rusted chuck of machinery in it. She looks up at Smokestack. "Earth military history interests you..? As a Decepticon, or as a historian..?" As he locates and lifts another lump, she flies practically in his face to take an intrigued look at the segment.

She touches the side of her helmet and her optics turn darker purple again. World War Two. The present geography. Giant land artillery. Nazi. Dee-Kal says, "Gustav and Dora..?"

“The military activities of this world are rapid, badly planned and inadequately documented. They lack the patience of a longer lived race.” Smokestack responds matter of factly, holding up the rusted clump of mechanisms for inspection. A train wheel can be made out in the agglomeration. “Yes. Schwerer Gustav, to be exact. It remains the largest weapon created by this entire species. A feat of engineering, by their limited capabilities, and a clear sign of a technological path different to our own. In short, an interesting and worthwhile relic. I intend to conserve what remains of it here.”

Dee-Kal looks a little sheepish. "I thought they were a comedy double act. Earth Music Hall... like Flanagan and Allen..." At his mention of conservation she perks. Then her wings angle, her brow furrows into a frown. "Conserve...? she asks, both palms on top of the bulk metal. "Conserve *how* ...?" she challenges, suspiciously.

Both wings twitch and the spiked tips sparkle in the sun. "'Lovingly restored to *full working order*'-type conservation, I suppose.?"

Lowering his hand, he places the exposed mechanisms on the lip of the hole and continues digging, scanning with his hands outstretched across the bare earth and occasionally plucking odds and ends from the dark loam. “Scan the components and attempt to separate the rusted together pieces. Recondition the metal as far as possible. Create new components to fill in the gaps, and join the pieces together again where the cannon was originally cut up. I will also have some scrapyards to search for larger pieces of the barrel.” Looking up, he added calmly “If your concern is for its use as a weapon, it would be magnitudes easier to construct a new weapon based on the original design. Doing so would be a waste of time, however, as it was grossly inefficient to move and fire. To be useful to my cause, it would have to be redesigned from scratch, which would not require any components of the original. I am here because I wish to preserve what remains of the actual device.”

Dee-Kal hovers, hand to her head, slightly perplexed as to what to do. The mech's a clear Decepticon. And yet... respectful of artefacts..? It could be a lie - maybe he wants the metal. And yet, again, why did he choose a steam engine as his alt mode? His 'cover' story does actually ring true. "And once you have preserved it. What future for it then?"

“Then I will keep it in one of my caches of preserved artefacts. I have many. They are well hidden and well protected. Eventually, when the war is over, I will create an exhibition hall for them.” A faint smile flashes over the mech’s black face. “It will need to be a hall of exceptional size. for the time being, while it is restored, I will keep it in my quarters. I may keep it there for a time once it is complete as well, with other selected artefacts I have had transferred to this world once I had prepared suitable places for them.”

Dee-Kal looks somewhat won over, although still retains a cautionary frown on her face. She taps her junk icon, relays some opinions, then shuts it off again.

Stepping out of the now substantially wider and somewhat deeper hole, Smokestack carefully gathers the rusty metal lumps into his hands and carries them across the clearing, placing them with due care into the half full truck. “Thank you.” Smokestack remarks to her as she assists, and returns to digging out rusty iron. “I am interested in the design of the holographic fireworks generator you deployed. I would like to know whether the emitter is custom, or of standard form with unique software.”

"If Mander Rodimus saw me doing this he would smurf me in the brig for a week..." she supposes aloud. To herself she muses that helping Smokestack in his intended task will get him out of the way faster. Just so long as his collection isn't going to be put to active use at any point in the near future...

Dee-Kal flickers her fingers at Smoky and makes tiny fireworks sparkle in front of his nose. "A present from a Bot named Depthcharge who usd to be stationed on Earth some years ago. I found a discarded unit and fixed it. He installed it for me." She grins. "I suppose you could smurf it a 'custom' emitter."

“Yes.” Smokestack says simply. “I imagine he would. He possesses appropriate suspicion of the intent of my faction, which extends to everyone within it. Cooperation with the enemy is not encouraged.” Bending down, his stacks pour of a thicker gust of black smoke for a moment as he heaves a heavy, partially intact piece of framework out of the loam and leaves a large hole behind. Balancing the fragile mass of rust in his hands, he carries it to the mostly empty middle truck and lets it down carefully. “I would wish to see the schematics of the device, if the emitter itself is integrated and unremovable.”

A scan of the shallow excavation and of the undergrowth reveals no more small pieces remain for lifting. Dee-Kal hips a hand at Smokestack when he requests schematics. "You know I cannot do that." she chides, but with some levity in her voice. "Do I look like a fellow Septic to you..?"

She fans her nose when he isn't looking, in a vain attempt to divert the smoke from her face. Phew. Heavy smoker..!

"Have you ever considered low tar...?" she quips in an undertone. "Or smokeless fuel? Oh.. never mind..."

Smokestack turns, spreading his hands as he scans for any more small pieces that he might have missed. Striding across the clearing, he replies “If you think the device to be of tactical value. I do not foresee any particular tactical uses that cannot be replicated by other holographic emitters in common knowledge. It is the derivation of the device that interests me... Junkions often acquire components that are unique in origin.”