King of Seekers: 2 for 1

The Arena - Vos



         You hear the roar of the crowds before you even enter the Vos Arena. One of the social highlights of Vos, crowds gather at this amphitheatre for business outings, talking philosophy, and of course to watch two gladiators beat the scrap out of each other. There is almost always a fight going on at the Arena. The combatants are a mix of mechs found guilty by the Vos Courts, Underplates risking death to improve their station, and traveling warriors aiming to make a name for themselves.



"Ha ha, this is so stupid," Needlenose had said with a cheeky smirk as he leaned back in his couch within one of Vos's many lounges. A holo-newspaper was spread out before him. "'King of the Seekers'. Heh! Talk about a retarded idea."

         "Oh, I dunno," the femme one couch over said softly, "'King of the Seekers' seems like the kind of title that might really impress a gal."

         Needlenose's optics had narrowed.



         Now, Needlenose stands at one end of the Arena with both of his Targetmaster partners flanking him. "I'm such an idiot sometimes," he mutters to himself. Neither Sunbeam nor Zigzag argue.



Blast Off walks into the other end of the arena. The Combaticon ignores the crowd for the most part, focused on doing some last minute adjustments to his ionic blaster and picking a few stray USA dollar bills out of the cracks in his arm's heat shields and shoulder armor. It's a long story. He subspaces those, then looks up towards Needlenose and gives him a slight, courteous nod. He ignores the Nebulans entirely.



Fusion has arrived.



Needlenose on the other hand doesn't ignore the crowd. He waves to them, doing his best to look heroic, brave, and confident. He sees a few of the Cybertronians wearing 'I <3 Needlenose' decals on their chest plates and waving flags with his image on them. Better put on a good show, he thinks to himself. "Stay here, guys. Lemme talk with Blast Off real quick. Maybe we can get this done all classy like. The Targetmaster strolls out to the centre of the arena, motioning for Blast Off to do the same.



<p class="MsoNormal">         "BO, m'man," he says, holding out his hand for a pre-match shake. "How about we lay down some ground rules before we get started. Ok, rule #1: No crotch shots. Rule #2: No shooting into the crowd. Rule #3: No X-Ray blaster crotch shots. I, uh, wouldn't normally feel the need to specify that but I want to be really clear on this subject."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Pyramid Fighter <Fusion> appears on the horizon, burning straight for the Arena. He finally transforms and lands on the top row of the stands, where many other flyers choose to sit for easy access to the skies.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off meets Needlenose at the center, as requested. He tilts his head at Needlenose a moment as the other Con's hand is proffered, then accepts.... but only after suspiciously making sure there's no buzzer in the other's hand first. The rest just gets a slightly baffled, annoyed look.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   "You are the second person today to tell me not to shoot into a crowd. Did I miss something? I am a sniper, of COURSE I won't go shooting off into the crowd. By the way, the third person to tell me that today GETS shot. As for the rest, what ARE you babbling about?... Fine, no crotch shots. SOME of us are more concerned with OTHER areas of our anatomy, you know... *I* certainly am." He sniffs and looks haughtily around, completely missing the point of it all.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose's handshake is genuine and buzzer-free. "Right, well, the crowd shooting thing wasn't really the most important part of those rules, eh?" Needlenose replies. "Ok, sounds like we have a deal." The Targetmaster starts to turn, but then stops. "Oh, one more thing. Lets make this look good for the crowd, eh? I have fans to think about, and from what I've seen of you it looks like you're pretty attuned to your public image also." Needlenose returns to his crew.

<p class="MsoNormal">         "What did he say? Did he agree not to shoot me and Sunbeam?" Zigzag asks hopefully.

<p class="MsoNormal">         "...y-...eah," Needlenose murmurs.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire has arrived.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off looks rather unimpressed, but nods- until the comment about "being attuned to his own public image", which just makes the Combaticon want to faceplatepalm. "That was just something I did to make money, to pay off a debt... which I just so happen to have paid off today...." he looks slightly pained. "Well... kind of." He shakes his head. "Anyway, I do NOT care about my public image... except maintaining the proper respect that I deserve!" Geez, where do people keep getting this idea? Oh yeah, right... the Team Blast Off/Blurr ads that were everywhere during the Olympics. He would SO like to forget those existed, and he thought perhaps that others finally had too... Guess not.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   The shuttle walks back to his side of the arena, preparing to fight. No, he doesn't like attention at all. The fact that he glances over at his heat shields and flicks off a piece of debris that just stuck there so he looks better for his fight doesn't count. Nope.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose rolls his optics as BO claims to not care about his public image, but as his back is turned towards the Combaticon it will go unseen. As far as he's concerned, Blast Off's need to have his rank respected is starting to smack of desperation. Poor bastard. Putting that out of his mind for now, though, Needlenose focuses on this battle. "Ok, lets get this show on the road. Sunbeam! Zigzag! To me!" The two Nebulons transform just as Needlenose folds up into F-16 mode. The faux-Seeker takes off while Sunbeam pivots under his right wing, taking aim at the Combaticon with powerful light bursts.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Robots in disguise! Needlenose transforms into his F-16XL Jet Fighter mode!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose misses Blast Off with his Light Bright (Pistol) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire enters the arena from above, his sleek form appearing out of the sky and descending quickly toward the center. It's about time for his match against Polarity, a Decepticon seeker. It's kind of a waste of time, in his mind...but Prime and some others wanted him to help represent the Autobots--he is an excellent flier, after all, though he never was one for PR stunts like these.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         However...the scientist is one of those people who has a hard time telling people 'no', even if he does have a choice in the matter. Anyway, he circles the perimeter of the staging area, searching for his opponent. It seems another match is going on at the same time, as he is able to identify Needlenose and Blast Off going at it on the other side.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire folds up, shifting into a technologically superior spacecraft.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> sets his defense level to Protected.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Oh look, someone was already getting their fight going. That's okay, it's a big arena. Plenty of room for people to fly around in, and over, and so forth. Metallic fingers rapped against upper arm as Polarity watched the targetmaster and combaticon get down to business, because he was getting impatient waiting for his own opponent to show up.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Oh wait, there he is now.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Thrusters flare to launch him off the ground and transform as he reachs the higher altitude. "Well this will be different. Usually I just get sent to blow up stuff on the ground." The jet fighter rolls to the opposite side, keeping a fair distance between them. This wasn't a fight for rushing blindly into.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">With the familiar click-clacking sound the Seeker becomes a F-15E Strike Eagle jet!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> sets his defense level to Protected.

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> transforms and takes to the air. The Combaticon has been keenly watching Needlenose (though he misses the optic roll) and is ready when the other Con makes his attack. The shuttle arcs to the right quickly, coming back towards Needlenose as he spots Polarity and Jetfire in the other arena. The sight of Jetfire makes his armor crawl... he hasn't forgotten the scientist's armor-dissolving attack on Bruticus. The thought also leads to Blitzwing, and it puts Blast Off in an inexplicably foul mood.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   Yes, he doesn't like Jetfire, he doesn't like these silly contests (though... hopefully his armor is nice and polished after being repaired from his earlier battle? It would be a shame to look unpresentable, after all... *Hey, it's all about being professional, yes, that's it!*), he doesn't like crowds,.. well, there's basically a lot he doesn't like. Swinging his side lasers towards Needlenose, he seeks to vent a little of this frustration on the other Con- and fires.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his Venting (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Ah, there he is. Jetfire's sensor array quickly identifies his assigned opponent for this match. "Prepare yourself." He emits, but doesn't give Polarity all that much time to do so before firing off the first shot in the seeker's direction.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> misses F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Ready set go (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Hey you know what'd be funny?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "...I'm not the humorous sort, Needlenose."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Man you didn't even hear what it was."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off sighs. "What was it, then?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "If me, you, and Polarity started 'accidentally' shooting the crap out of Jetfire instead of each other."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "Oh! Well, actually... I might like that sort of "humor" just fine. Yes, that would be laugh out loud comedy of the highest caliber."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">For someone who's designation was more often directed towards blasting enemy ground forces, Polarity was not bad off in the aerial mobility department, either. As lasers fire off her corkscrews out of the way, raising up higher and looping back over at the end to reorient towards his opponent. A few shots are fired off from the small guns on the tips of his wings before the Seeker banks off from the attack and away again, still keeping his distance. "Catch me if you can~"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Strafing Pass (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "What do you say, Polarity?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity says, "Huh? I wasn't paying attention to the conversation?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "The Cap'n and I were saying that the three of us should just start beating down Jetfire."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "The Cap'n? You make me sound like a certain fleshling breakfast cereal."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Sunbeam's shot goes wide. The beach bum just doesn't stand a chance at hitting someone as nimble as Blast Off. Unfortunately, the reverse definitely isn't true. As the shuttle rises up into the air, one of those side lasers gets a bead on him and nearly knocks the F-16 clear out of the sky. The jet fighter spins out of control. "Holy crap!" Needlenose exclaims as his fuselage starts to smoke. Normally he'd shift back into robot mode right around now, but that isn't an option anymore.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         "Hey how about you try dodging harder?" Zigzag asks.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         "I don't think that's gonna help. Dude's a sniper, like he said. Our only chance is to go all offense and try to out-last him," Needlenose replies. "Lowering velocity. Zigzag, you're up. Try to keep the sucking to a minimum!" A lightning bolt shoots out from under Needlenose's left wing.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "...Not that I watch fleshling television, of course."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Ha ha.   Me and the Cap'n can make it happen, man."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> strikes Space Shuttle <Blast Off> with his Static Charge Bolt (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> grunts as the shot hits his fuselage, wobbling ever so slightly but maintaining control. "Not bad... but I can do better!" However, the Combaticon isn't pleased about being hit already. Low endurance and weak armor are a bad combination. Like Needlenose, he's stronger in root mode. But... a shuttle he will stay. He arcs around again- as a shuttle he tends to circle and arc.. that's kind of it. There aren't any really fancy aerial stunts like some can do... since shuttles, well, shuttle things around. But what he lacks in manueverability he makes up in speed- and the Combaticon comes hurtling back towards Needlenose and his team in the blink of an eye. He tries to keep some distance, however.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   Blast Off fires again, this time from under his nose cone with a lower level orbital bombardment burst. "Watch out, Needlenose... you wouldn't want to make this too easy for me, after all. What would your fans think?" Of course, his warning comes conveniently AFTER he fires off the shots.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         And prepared he had been, despite the little time Polarity was given. Impressive. Hm.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire ignores the seeker's taunts and slows down just a bit, dropping a few feet in altitude. The particle beam charges partially and fires upward at his opponent's undercarriage.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> sets his defense level to Guarded.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> misses F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Double-Barreled Particle Beam attack! [Pulled -4]

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his All Eyes Are On you... No pressure though! ha attack! [Pulled -6]

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What, really?" Needlenose asks when Blast Off says he can do better. "Damn... I was kind of hoping you couldn't..." The F-16 puts in only a token effort in trying to dodge the laser blast. The right side of his wing is blown clear off, and it's only due to Needlenose's Cybertronian anti-gravs that he's still flying. "Nnnghghnarghanadfblarghgrablenghrg!" Needlenose wheezes. A bunch of red warning indicators start flashing in front of his vision, and darn if they aren't big and scary looking. Unable to reply to Blast Off's comment, the F-16 struggles to keep Blast Off in his crosshairs as he lets fly with a powerful proton missile. The projectile falls before its rear section ignites, propelling it forward as it chases after Blast Off.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> strikes Space Shuttle <Blast Off> with his Proton Missiles attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose>'s attack has damaged your Strength!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> almost flies right into the attack as he finishes his pass, only for the jet to tilt onto his side at the last possible moment. The particle beams hiss past him on either side as he flies between them, a little too close for comfort. It's followed by making a turn that's much tighter than a jet of his exterior design should be capable of pulling, but that was another wonder of Polarity's abilities, using his magnetism to reinforce his structural integerty instead of having an outwardly projectable field like his robot mode does.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"What's the matter, spacebutt?," Polarity chides as he comes around for another pass. "This better not be a chump fight after how long I waited." A burst of small round machinegun fire is rattled off at the larger spacecraft.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat (Pistol) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire barrelrolls and flies behind an obstacle that shields him from the machinegun fire. He chuckles a little at the seeker's taunts. "Taunting me avails you nothing." he says evenly, and he speeds up, flying dangerously near Polarity's left flank. The techjet suddenly jerks sideways, attempting to run the other flier into the wall.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> misses F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Hello Wall (Ram) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> starts to get cocky, and that leads to bad things, as usual. The Combaticon is too busy congratulating himself and already starting to think about what it will be like to be the King of Seekers... will the medal look nice next to his Olympics medals? Oh wait- or is it a CROWN? How... ROYAL! How FITTING! ..Basicaly, he's too busy thinking all this to notice the missile strike coming his way in time. Thus, he gets CLOBBERED by the attack. It rips through his fuselage, leaving sparks in its wake. He has to fight to keep control this time, boosters engaging as he does so and circles back around for another attack.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   Slag... time to get serious, then. He won't last long if he keeps getting hit like this. Another orbital bombardment comes Needlenose's way. There's a faint blue glow emitting from under his nosecone as a hatch opens and the weapon points to and fires at his opponent. That's a bad sign, if he's aiming at you.... indicating a much higher-power blast. "I tire of this, Needlenose. I have places to be, people to see. Sadly, YOU won't be going much of anywhere for awhile after I hit you with this..."

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his Getting Down to Show Business attack! [Pulled -2]

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">As the spacecraft tries to close in on him Polarity quickly breaks way before he can get too close. The Seeker noses down sharply, briefly flying parallel to the wall instead of crashing into it, before pushing himself away from it with his magnetic fields and angling away once more. "Oh, so you wanna play like that, do you?" He loops up and over, pumping a bit extra into his afterburners to get more speed going, and then dives right towards Jetfire's flight path as he goes into another spin. "Sorry, I only get close on -my- terms." The twisting motion causes his magnetic fields to churn in a similar manner, creating a sort of magnetic vortex in his wake as he passes.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> sets his defense level to Fearless.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Magnetic Field attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Boo-motherf---ing-yeah!" Needlenose shouts as his missile hits home. Unfortunately he only has one of those bad boys, meaning he'll have to rely on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum for the rest of this battle. "Incoming!" Zigzag shouts as he sees the blue glow and hatch opening up. The F-16 pulls off a remarkably impressive barrel roll, whirling to the side. The end result is that the terrifyingly powerful beam only glances off his tail fin rather than annihilating him outright. Bonus? Still, it hurts like hell. "Argh... I *needed* that tail fin! Come on, Blast Off. Just bow out and you can totes go do whatever else it is you have to do."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Somehow Needlenose isn't going to rely on Blast Off just giving up, though. The F-16 increases speed, moving in a wide arc. "This is it, guys. If we're going to put him down we'd best do it right now. Go team Needlenose!" "...woo." "yey..." "Yeah!" Needlenose exclaims, trying to boost morale now that he actually needs those two morons. The twin Targetmasters both unleash their powerful, with Sunbeam firing light blasts and Zigzag shooting lightning bolts. The air is filled with a colourful display that threatens to take out anyone flying near Blast Off. But is the Combaticon himself hit?

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> strikes Space Shuttle <Blast Off> with his Light Burst Discharger attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Needlenose uses up a charge on his Double Targetmaster booster pack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose>'s attack has damaged your Accuracy!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire banks sharply downward after Polarity, but sees him coming as he dives toward him with that vortex of magnetic fields. The twisting motion kind of gave away what exactly the scientist would be up against, and predicting its path he is able to avoid its trajectory completely. At the same time, a missile moves into his launch bay and hurtles itself out toward the Decepticon. At such a close range, it'll take quite a feat of evasive maneuvering for Polarty to shake this one.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> sets his defense level to Neutral.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> strikes F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Armour Piercing Missile attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">*Boom!* Bits of smoking metal flies in various directions as Polarity gets a missile more or less up the ... err, anyways. Better to skip the terrible visual image. The Seeker drops sharply downward, actually skipping off the ground of the arena and sheering off more external pieces unintentionally before he manages to nose up back into the air.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">And right back towards Jetfire with guns blazing. Hitting, anything, less likely. But they're blazing definately. When in doubt, just don't let up on the trigger. "Hah! Bet you thought that was all it would take!"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> strikes Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his BEAM SPAM (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> hehs at Needlenose's "offer". "Sorry, Needlenose, but I like to finish what I've started before I move on to another task. You wouldn't want me to lose my professional reputation, would you?" He lazily arcs to the side, snerking- when the other Con unleashes a new attack. Blast Off attempts to avoid being hit by the light show riot coming his way, but doesn't quite succeed! Lightning strikes several places, including the shuttle's side laser cannons and nosecone. "Ahh!" Some smoke is starting to trail behind the Combaticon as he continues his flight, and that polished look he had earlier? It's long gone now. Blast Off is really starting to look-and feel- battered. "I JUST got that painted, too!" He gripes, then comes around for another attack, firing from the side lasers as he powers up for another bombardment burst...

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> misses F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his But this doesn't mean I CARE about my Looks... no of course not... (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Technically losing still counts as finishing what you've started!" Needlenose protests. "Trust me, it works great!" The F-16 is seriously flagging, and his single engine is sputtering just trying to keep him in the sky. "Or maybe we can call it a draw. Yeah! We can tie and both retire to the Steel Balloon. Drinks and femmebots all around!" Then the side laser turrets open up again, and Needlenose has to prove that he is, at the end of the day, just as good as he claism to be.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         The F-16, although horribly damaged, veers sharply to the right as the laser barrage passes him by. He drops in altitude, evading more of the shots as he narrowly avoids crashing into the top of the arena stands. Fire and exhaust shoots out of his engine as he manages to throttle up hard enough to keep maneuvering. Coming at Blast Off from his right, Zigzag has the best chance to take a shot, and so does so with a quick lightning burst.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> strikes Space Shuttle <Blast Off> with his Zigzag > Zeus (Laser) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose>'s attack has damaged your Agility!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire's missile makes purchase and explodes against Polarity's armor with a satisfying BOOM. Mainting altitude, the scientist tracks his opponent's progress as the seeker goes into a sharp dive, then pulls up quickly, guns blazing. He dips and rolls, twisting out of the way of most of the shots, though some of them graze his wingtips. "Oh, quite the contrary, actually...as one of aerospace's elite soldiers, I expect far more than this from you."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         The particle beams direct themselves toward toward Polarity.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> strikes F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Double-Barreled Particle Beam attack! [Pulled -3]

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "So are you winning, Polarity?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Harrow says, "He's a seeker, he ought to be!"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Yeah you'd think so."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> is surprised when his shot misses! Given that his unlucky streak of NOT being able to evade atatcks as well as usual is continuing, he needs his customary accurateness more than ever! But Needlenose's shots have hit his lasers, and now that appears to have affected his accuracy as well. Slag it all... He responds, "No, losing counts as...losing. Tell you what though, Needlenose? I'll extend the same offer to you..." As the jet nearly knocks into the stands, he can't help but comment, "I thought you didn't want stray shots hitting the audience? I'd say YOU count as a stray shot, you know..."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   Then that bad luck streak regarding evasion continues as Zigzag's shot connects as well. Slag it all! Blast Off is starting to get frustrated as he receives shot after shot... his armor just can't take this well. Worse, Zigzag's shot hit a wing, and his agility, -and he- gets knocked off kilter. This is going to make it even HARDER to evade shots now. The shuttle has to really work to stay aloft himself, but manages to do so, smoke trailing behind. Ok, he MUST end this. After Needlenose and company come up at him from his right and take their shots, Blast Off uses the opportunity to aggressively angle towards them- and fires the orbital bombardment point blank!

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Beams for beams, as the blasts hammer away at the Seeker as he has to make a turn from one pass to the next. "Elite?" A faint chortle can be heard over the straining roar of engines fighting to keep him airborn from the impacts. "Who said anything about elite?" There's smoke in his wake from where there's little left to stop anything from penetrating farther into his body... but whatever factory he came out of at least made him tough enough to take some abuse. "I'm just a crazy guy that's been lucky enough to not die in a trench yet!" Not that they have trenchs in air combat, but you get the idea.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Though by the way he's laughing, such a lot in the way of things doesn't seem to bother him much. Even as he tries to blast past Jetfire once more and let the magnetism radiating off his form do more of the work.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Mangetic Wake attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Space Shuttle <Blast Off> strikes F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> with his Sorry but your flight has been canceled. attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Earthquake says, "Use brute force! It works every time!"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "What if the other dude is also using brute force?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "Spoken like a... brute."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "Some of us prefer finesse. It's far more sophisticated."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Earthquake says, "So go for brute finesse!"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire again sees Polarity coming, having been tracking his movements as best he can the entire time. He peels away quickly before the seeker can get close enough--out of the magnetic field's range. This mech might be fast, but Jetfire is faster. "Hmm...perhaps you are right. It seems I've overestimated your aerial combat prowess."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         And thus he'd rather be working on one of his numerous projects back at his lab right now, so he'd like to get this over with quickly. A different missile launches from the weapons bay, and this time it packs a much harder punch.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> strikes F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Heat-Seeking Missile attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "...I'm not sure if that's idiotic... or idiot savant."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> wasn't missed. Needlenose dodged. There's a difference, baby. "Whoa dude, it's ok if *I* go into the stands. That just gets me closer to my adoring fans. I'm not too worried about it, though." Despite his ballsy comments, the F-16 is clearly in a lot of trouble. His engine keeps sputtering off and on. It doesn't look healthy. When the space shuttle speeds up after him, Needlenose isn't able to get away. Then Blast Off lines up for another shot, and jusssst as Needlenose is about to barrel roll to freedom, his engine gives out entirely. "Aw crap."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         The end result is the laser beam slicing cleanly through the top of his fuselage and exiting out the bottom, blowing a new crater in the arena. The F-16 spins out of control as both his engine and anti-gravs fail entirely. "Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap cra-" WHAMMO! Needlenose smashes into the stands, where he transforms back into robot mode; Sunbeam and Zigzag are flung into another section. Needlenose looks to the pair of lovely femmes in the seats next to him. "Well hey there," he says. "I'm hurting, ladies. I'm hurting real bad." he puts on his sad face in order to win sympathy points.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">More Than Meets The Eye! F-16XL Jet Fighter <Needlenose> transforms into robot mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">There sure are a lot of fireworks tonight... and Polarity has been at the center of all of them. Smoke and flames and now smoking flaming Seekers as he goes arcing upwards into the air after another missile detonates after he's sped past. Honestly that would be enough to ground even some of the better Seekers.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe instead of estimating prowess, Jetfire should of worried more about common sense. Or lack of therefor.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"WAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" What goes up has to come back down. And it's coming back down despite smoking wounds and burning wings. And this time he's not pulling any fancy maneuvering to make a slick passby instead.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Is he Crazy or Just Plane Suicidal? (Ram) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Space Shuttle <Blast Off> snorts at Needlenose's comments, but watches keenly as he fires the bombardment- and it hits. No missing this time. Or dodging. WHATEVER, NEEDLENOSE. The result is the same- the desired one. The space shuttle circles around triumphantly once as Needlenose plunges to the stands below. Well, it was a given he'd win anyway, right? He can afford a quick scan over at the other arena, where things aren't looking too good for Polarity right now. Blast Off is tempted to help Polarity out and fire a few shots at that blasted scientist, but he'd probably get disqualified or something for that... stupid rules. He never did like them much.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">   The Combaticon focuses his attention back to his own arena, transforming and landing. He's hurt quite badly himself, and limps towards the stands. If Needlenose will pull his attention from the ladies for just a second (good luck with that) he will note Blast Off giving a small nod in his direction. "Not bad. At least you were not the *worst* shot I've ever dealt with." This is actually praise coming from Blast Off.

<p class="MsoNormal">

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

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Needlenose, flanked by two femmes, gives a double thumbs up to Blast Off. "Ha ha, ok I'm going to take that as a compliment coming from you. Good show, Cap'n. Next time we'll try our /other/ plan." The plan they talked about on the Decepticon broadband. The secret plan. "You better win this whole King of the Seeker thing now." He looks to the femme to his right. "Don't worry, baby, my chassis may be injured but my will to live returning just from being around you."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Three rows down, Sunbeam wakes up, finding himself flanked by two Nebu-femmes. "Whoa," he exclaims. "What brings /you/ two to Cybertron?"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Two rows down from that, Zigzag wakes up, flanked by...nobody. "So unfair," he says.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Blast Off is not sure he likes "Cap'n" either... what is it with people and all these nicknames they like to give, anyway? But he's too tired and beat up to protest, and simply nods instead. "Indeed. I would have enjoyed the other plan. And, well.." He looks off to the other arena, "...I may still get the opportunity." Which- actually, Blast Off isn't exactly sure that sounds like such a great thing. He knows what a tough customer Jetfire is, and even he isn't in a hurry to fight him. But beating him down... would be quite satisfying. "A Decepticon must win this, after all.." He rolls optics at Needlenose and pick up lines, then turns and heads off to do whatever it is the winners of these things do....

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Okay, this time Jetfire thought that missile would for sure put Polarity down for the count if it hit, but apparently Seekers have no common sense, and the Decepticon comes hurtling back down, attempting to slam his smoking body into the scientist's flight form. "Ergh..." Jetfire barely manages to avoid getting smacked by the sparking, flaming heap. "I suggest you withdraw, Decepticon--you are simply not going to win this cycle--better luck next time?" And perhaps he needs a bit of prodding...

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> strikes F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Better Luck Next Time attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         "If it's any consolation, this battle is merely for show and show alone--your surrender is of little consequence to either of us."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Avalanche arrives from the City Center.

<p class="MsoNormal">Avalanche has arrived.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Man you better kick Jetfire's tail pipe, Cappy."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "My name is definitely NOT Cappy. And yes, I look forward to doing JUST that."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "It's, y'know, a term of respect."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose does his best to sound sincere.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Would that guy just hold still! Man, Polarity feels like that coyote in one of those dumb earth cartoons right now. It looks like he's about to ram into the ground instead when he misses, but comes to an abrupt halt in mid-air just a few feet away. "Hah! Air brakes still work!" ... he's probably using his magnetism to push away from Cybertron's metal surface. Because physics certainly don't work that way normally. Pretty obvious in the way he flips back over to point upward and shoot skyward once more. Despite not being a lot of him left to shoot anywhere.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"That's just the sort of thing an Autobot wuss would say so he doesn't have to finish it like a real fighter!" So that's a no? Probably a no. "Besides." He flies up on one side, then down on the other. Then up once more at a different angle, and down again. "Principle of the matter!"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Despite the delapitated shape he's in now, there's still a lot of magnetic energy building up as he keeps flying circles like that.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "....Sure it is."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Dude, would I lie?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose oO Don't start laughing don't start laughing don't start laughing don't start laughing... Oo

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Russian wrecking machine Avalanche says, "Decepticons are being always truthful to each other!"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "Suuuure they are. Do you think I was manufactured yesterday?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Russian wrecking machine Avalanche says, "....Da?"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "The inexplicable Ruskie is right. We can totally trust one another."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> misses Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his I only have one trick in this mode so I'm gonna just keep using it until I'm a smoking wreck attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "......"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity says, "Remind me next time to 'borrow' someone's missiles for this shit"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "You can borrow Sunbeam and Zigzag."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity says, "Only if I get to throw them at someone"

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Once you get 'em they're your responsibility."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity says, "Sorry, I'm not very good with pets."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "If we can totally trust one another, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving me the door codes to your recharge shelters. Nor mind if Swindle happens to come by later.... I assure you, he wouldn't steal a thing."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity says, "... If I wasn't in so much pain right now I would laugh so hard"

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire is getting rather annoyed with this Decepticon! Why won't he just give up? This fight is so pointless, ugh! Truth is, Polarity is kind of right, he really would prefer not to have to run his opponent into the ground and thrash him until he simply can't get up any more just for the sake of show. "Why should I behave as a 'real fighter', when this is not even a 'real' fight?" And actually, he's more of an intellectual than a warrior, so perhaps he doesn't even fall into the 'real fighter' category...

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         The techjet pulls away, retreating to the other side of the arena. "You can't even hit me, why waste your efforts?" He discourages, hoping Polarity will give up.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> sets his defense level to Protected.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Needlenose says, "Dude, if you're ever entering my recharge room you better knock first."

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Blast Off says, "Believe me, I would. I wouldn't want to burn out my optics walking in on... things."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Your COMBAT flag has been cleared.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ugh, why do nerds talk so much?" Comes a retort from the jet. "And I hit you once, so nyaaaaaa to your can't." Seriously, when has trying to talk down a Decepticon ever worked? Especially ones that lack most of their common sense in the first place. "If you don't wanna fight like a fight is suppose to be, then -you- leave." He loops up, over, and around -yet- again despite the terrible shape he's in. "So either go, or shoot me, because I sure as scrap ain't whimping for a star snorting space geek!" Dives in for another pass.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">... and realizes the ends of his wings that had his lasers have already busted off from all the explosions...

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">... And just keeps going anyways. "NYAAAHAHAHAH!" He's already beat to slag. And Jetfire's probably going to just dodge yet again anyways.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> strikes Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> with his Too Stubborn To Quit and Too Dumb To Care (Ram) attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">< Decepticon > Polarity just keeps laughing his stupid crazy laugh

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire had been temoporarily sidetracked by his own frustration with the situation, and thus ends up getting scraped by Polarity's charge. A few armor panels crack and fly off of his wings, but the attack does little damage.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Ugh, perhaps he should leave. This cheap victory isn't worth it. Hmph. A few more shots, and if the glitchead doesn't go down, he will have had quite enough. The scientist's sublights kick in full throttle, and he climbs, speeding up at the same time. Another missile launches, directed below him this time.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> sets his defense level to Guarded.

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: Tech Spaceship <Jetfire> strikes F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> with his Heat-Seeking Missile attack!

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Combat: F15E Strike Eagle <Polarity> falls to the ground, unconscious.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         "About time..." Jetfire mutters.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">"WHERE'S YOUR CAN'T HIT NOW?! WAAAAHAHAHA!" Even as he more rebounds off the larger aircraft than rams it. Who cares. He hit him. Twice.... which actually kind of sucks in some extent, but still, he HIT HIM.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">And then he gets hit with another missile. To say there's an explosion is an understatement, considering there wasn't a lot of Seeker left to explode at this point. But again, principle of the matter. Or he's just that crazy and/or stupid. This is the guy that once flew the Olypmic race drunk off his tailfins after all.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">What remains of an airframe to even be smoking and burned smashes into the bottom of the arena, finally, skidding to an antagonizing stop and tumbling over a few times before finally coming to a stop in robot mode. Polarity half sits up. Dramatically lifts one arm overhead. "...... ow ....." and then collapses over backwards, out like a burnt light. Because he is pretty burnt himself.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Jetfire watches as Polarity FINALLY goes down. Phew, now that's done with...wait...

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Wow, talk about crash and burn. He hadn't intended to hit him all that hard. This was just for reputation, after all. The scientist sighs, and instead of flying off back to his lab, he descends toward the floor of the arena and transforms, deploying several spherical hoverdrones that run a few quick damage-assessment scans and execute what field repairs they can with the limited resources available to them. It should be enough to stabilize him so that he surely won't leak out completely before the Decepticons' medics arrive and carry him away.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">         Once the drones are finished, he brings out a welder and seals up the major wounds, then verifies that the seeker's condition has been stabilized before transforming once again and taking off into low orbit.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The vessel shifts into the biped form of Jetfire.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire goes home.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire has left.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">