Out of Shape

Neddron Jungle

Almost no light reaches in this dark corner of the jungle, and as your foot sinks into a large pool of water that appeared out of nowhere, you have come to the conclusion that you are probably lost...    Faint paths lead off in all compass directions, although it is not evident why they are there or where they lead...

Contents:

F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; Rodimus Prime Scattershot Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; Komatsu D575A Superdozer

Obvious exits: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Neddron Jungle.

South &lt;S&gt;

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; thinks that this jungle could do with a good clear-cut, and he says as much, "This jungle could do with a good clear cut! Perhaps we should build a giant machete-machine to just scythe through the whole area. Hah, that'd make Beachcomber and Groove miserable, for sure. But we should be getting near that nitinol seam, soon... ugh, if only Scavenger hadn't fallen down a hole." Scavenger does that a lot.

"Chief!" bellows Bonecrusher, from behind Scrapper. "I volunteer to remain here after the mission's completion and clear away this jungle personally! I hate jungle."

Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; drives a little bit out of his way just to push over something that looks like a cypress tree by way of demonstrating how much he hates it.

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; agrees, "The only good jungle is a concrete jungle! Alas, however, I think we're booked up to build a casino over the ruins of Iahex. If the Autobots try to take back their city, they'll be gambling... with their LIVES."

The F-15 has been nicknamed the "Mud Eagle" after a favored tactic of flying low to avoid radar by hiding in its ground interference effect -- down in the "mud," so to speak. The favor for this tactic extends even to alien worlds, as unlikely as that seems, for there is one such aircraft skimming along quietly just over the jungle canopy. Blue doesn't make exceptional camouflage against the treetops, but the plane is darkly colored and not running its afterburners, instead circling around a slowly-moving center point.

The F-15 directs its radio toward the vehicles below. Audibly impatient, or just being mean about the inconvenience of having to fly around on this backwater: "While the conversation is fascinating, perhaps our task would be better served by expending less energon on breaking silence.."

A Short Time Ago...

Due to the Law of Episodic Coincidence In Fiction, Rodimus Prime just happens to have been piloting a shuttle nearby on his way to a diplomatic function when the shuttle's sensors picked up suspicious readings that may indicate Decepticon activity.

Now...

Rodimus Prime has already landed the shuttle and is now driving through the jungle, on a trail that looks suspiciously like it was made by construction equipment, Skydive and Scattershot overhead (because of course they're logical choices for a diplomatic mission). He radios up to the other two, "I think I'm on to something - what can you guys see from up there?"

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; cruises along not far overhead. &lt;&lt;What do you think we see?&gt;&gt; he radios back, voice dour and sour as usual. &lt;&lt;A bunch of trees, couple of fortifications here and there. Yup, I'd say this is Neddron all right. You're damned lucky someone left a frakkin' road through here.&gt;&gt;

F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; flies above the Commander in a formation behind Scattershot. "I agree with Scattershot sir. Visibility is poor."

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; hears that Dirge Enjoys The Silence. Hmph. He finally reaches where the supposed nitinol seam is meant to be, though it takes some searching to be sure he really has it, what with all these stupid puddles and vines. Scrapper transforms and explains, "If you can bash it open or blast it open, it shouldn't be too hard to just shovel out enough of it for the main barrel, housing, and stand."

The totally unassuming lime green payloader unfolds to become Scrapper, the architect of destruction!

The bulldozer noisily and awkwardly pulls itself up into a dense, compactly built green robot about twenty feet tall.

Bonecrusher plants his fists on his hips and eyes the ore seam with an expression that says he hates ore seams, too. "Yeah, I can crack this open with some blasting packs. Lemme get to drilling and I'll have this whole hillside split into bite-size chunks in no time." His right forearm noisily transforms into a drill, with which he sets dutifully about boring blasting holes.

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; transforms and drops down through the canopy to land a short distance away from the Constructicons, cracking a few branches as he shoves tree limbs out of his way. He glares at the two other Decepticons in a way that says he hates jungle, ore seams, and Constructicons. "I will assist," he offers, dully.

The blue Experimental F-15 warps, bends, and reconfigures itself into the form of Dirge, Decepticon warrior!

Winnebago &lt;Rodimus Prime&gt; continues to follow the Decepticons' trail, passing rather close to a local village. He sighs and grumbles at the reports from above, but he does that out loud, so his troops don't get to hear him complaining. "Well, keep looking. We'll keep looking a little longer. Maybe... maybe the sensors need calibrating?"

Winnebago &lt;Rodimus Prime&gt; might be audible to the Decepticons by now.

F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; gains a bit of altitude, "I will scout from above, I can scan more terrain from a bit higher."

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; ascends slightly, angling in the direction of the Decepticons. &lt;&lt;Good news bad news, chief. The road you're on is ending soon. With Decepticons at the end.&gt;&gt; He pauses, then adds, &lt;&lt;Guess it's all good news, actually. Let's scrap 'em!&gt;&gt; He's practically snarling at the last words, engines flaring to send him surging ahead. A few of his smaller ballistic weapons open up, sending shells pattering down at Scrapper.

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Scrapper with his Pistol attack!

Scrapper is not so much startled to be shot at as he is startled that someone missed. Absent-minded, he only realises he was shot when the shot hits a bromeliad next to him. He straightens and sputters, "I... what. Did someone just MISS me? How!?" He turns around and snaps off a shot in reply before he realises it is Scattershot. Oh slag! Scrapper mutters darkly, "He had /better/ not have his full team here..."

Combat: Scrapper sets his defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Scrapper strikes Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Long Shot (Pistol) attack!

Dirge looks up as shots come flying through the trees. A miniscule smirk. "Battle, here in the pristine, untouched wilderness.." he rasps, with a casual glance over the trail of destruction caused by the Constructicons' approach. "Hnnh.." he murmurs, then rockets up into the air to look for targets. "He has minimal support. This should not take long." Slowly he draws his machine gun, aiming at the F-16 and squeezing off a single shot, then moving the rifle away to watch the tracer round fly toward its target.

Bonecrusher, busy tamping down the blasting packs with an alarmingly vigorous stomping, looks up at the sound of Scrapper's laser. "Technobots! I hate those guys!" He pulls out his own little laser and adds his fire to Scrapper's own.

Combat: Dirge strikes F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; with his Rifle Shot (Pistol) attack!

Combat: Bonecrusher strikes Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Standard-Issue Constructicon Laser Pistol (Laser) attack!

Winnebago &lt;Rodimus Prime&gt; doesn't fly. He can go through tunnels, sure, but he can't fly, and while he's getting close to the fight, there's still a fair amount of jungle between him and his opponents. He hrms, worrying a bit about the closeness of the battle to the village, but it looks like he has a few more moments to think - he'll need to come up with a way of drawing the battle further away.

F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; does the same as his fearless leader. He rocks a bit in the air as he gains altitude, but continues on the course to gain some distnace, "I am taking fire," is all he says..

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; feels the pistol shots pelting him. He's heavily armored for an aircraft, true, but as a Battlecruiser his design is more about giving better than he gets. Even as his velocity makes him overshoot the Decepticon position, a dorsal turret swivels and turns to point back, spitting out a barrage of high-explosive artillery at the space roughly in between the two Constructicons. "No slag we're taking fire, 'Dive. Now send some back!!"

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Bonecrusher with his Turret-Mounted Artillery Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Scrapper with his Turret-Mounted Artillery Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Scrapper is okay with Bonecrusher stomping on explosives, because Scrapper makes the sometimes-faulty assumption that Bonecrusher knows what he is doing. He is less okay with Scattershot raining down bullets around his head. Luckily, some very tough tree leaves protect Scrapper from the artillery. He calls to Bonecrusher, "We're going to need better machetes!" He shoots up at Scattershot some more, but really, Scrapper is not about firepower. As little as he may like it, he needs Scattershot to get in closer...

Combat: Scrapper strikes Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Devastating Blast (Laser) attack!

Bonecrusher isn't much for dodging, but he can duck. This is what he does, making himself slightly smaller by dropping into a crouch while the artillery shells are coming in. As soon as the barrage has passed, he raises his pistol and resumes blasting away with purple laser beams. "That guy's a regular safety violation waiting to happen!" he remarks to Scrapper in regards to Scattershot's unrestrained and uncontrolled blasting.

Combat: Bonecrusher sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Bonecrusher strikes Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Standard-Issue Constructicon Laser Pistol (Laser) attack!

Dirge frowns just barely as his shot connects. "An interesting reaction to the challenge.." he hisses softly. "Aerialbot!" he shouts. "I will not be ignored!" Dirge quickly transforms, igniting his afterburners in an effort to catch up with the other jet. As he tracks his target, two ports open on either side of his fuselage and start rapidly blasting pale yellow laser beams.

In a flurry of arms, legs, and wings, Dirge reconfigures himself into the form of an Experimental F-15 fighter jet.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; strikes F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; with his Twin Laser (Laser) attack!

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; gets riddled by continued fire, and still seems to be the only one on his side returning fire. And that's just fine with him. As far as he's concerned, being the Technobot leader requires a special temperment, a special mindset. Many of Scattershot's comrades suspect he may be a little too eager for a fight. The rest are certain of it, and Scattershot himself would be the last to deny the charge. Because it's really an image he cherishes and goes out of his way to foster. Banking ponderously so that all three Decepticon contacts are roughly in his forward field of fire, Scattershot unleashes a huge barrage of shells and energy bolts. Some thrumm with power, others glow or crackle or flicker, some just make satisfying PEW-PEW noises. But none of them sizzle. No he's left the thermal shells in their ammo bays for once. Too much jungle.

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; strikes Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; with his DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA Area attack!

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Scrapper with his DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA Area attack!

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Bonecrusher with his DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA Area attack!

Winnebago &lt;Rodimus Prime&gt; finally bursts out of the woods and into the area where the crack in the ground that the Constructicons find so interesting is! He transforms, landing on right knee and left foot and grinning, perhaps a touch closer to the thing then he really should be. "Tropical vacation, Scrapper? Looks like Galvatron's not giving you enough work!" he observes as he fires from the pipe on his arm at the Constructicon leader.

Winnebago &lt;Rodimus Prime&gt; transforms into his Robot mode.

Combat: Rodimus Prime misses Scrapper with his Arm Blasters attack! [Pulled -3]

F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; takes another hit and pulls hard into a loop as Dirge comes into the air as a jet. He doesn't have much to say but responds with laser fire. "Engaging," is what he says over the radio. And with that he fired a barrage towards his target.

Combat: F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; misses Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; with his Laser attack!

Bonecrusher takes cover in one of the holes he'd drilled earlier, using it as a makeshift foxhole as Scattershot comes roaring in and bathes the whole general area that the Decepticons are in with shells and energy blasts. "Wish the others were here!" he grouses as he sticks his head up and returns fire with his puny laser. "I hate not being able to form Devastator against this kind of firepower!"

Combat: Bonecrusher misses Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Standard-Issue Constructicon Laser Pistol (Laser) attack!

Scrapper calls back to Bonecrusher, "Think we shout cite him for faulty worksite practices?" Because Pit, if /Bonecrusher/ thinks something looks like a safety violation...? Dakka whizzes into more improbably tough tree leaves, and a fern that has to be made of adamantium stop Rodimus Prime's shots from actually touching Scrapper. Scrapper rasps, "Hard at work, as usual! Unlike you lazy layabouts." He transforms into a payloader and tries to shovel Rodimus Prime down into the crack that Bonecrusher laced with explosives earlier.

Scrapper cleverly disguises himself as a bright green payloader. No one will ever suspect!

Combat: Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; strikes Rodimus Prime with his Shovel Bash attack!

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; is so focused on crashing Skydive that he somehow misses the barrage of fire from Scattershot. Pelted with DAKKA, he drops some distance in a defensive roll, then swings back around after the Aerialbot. "Nor shall I be distracted. Aerialbot, you enter a game you cannot win. To what shall I commemorate your destruction?" The laser blasts stop, replaced by several static-sounding bursts from a high-velocity machine gun.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; misses F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; with his Automatic Machine Gun attack!

Rodimus Prime is rammed into by a payloader! It doesn't hurt near as much as you'd think (though a goodly dent is still left in his chest), but that's not the worst of it. No, the worst part is that is knocked down into the crack and sent tumbling towards the explosives set by Bonecrusher! By pushing his arms towards one wall and his legs towards another, he manages to stop his fall before he hits bottom, but he's left in a rather precarious position.

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; jukes left and then right, just managing to evade the last few lasers sent scorching his way. He then proceeds to drop like a rock and transforms into robot mode, landing next to the crack where Rodimus with a good solid THUD. He barks out, "This is no time to go explorin', chief!! Get back up here and let's send these guys packing, before the other four show up!" Smoke still rises from the gun barrels on his shoulders, the tiny twin guns on his hand, the winglet-lasers now on his lower legs. But that just means it's time to go to the rifle. Cradling the barrel with his free hand for stability, he unleashes a stream of metal pellets at Bonecrusher.

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; transforms into his Scattershot mode.

Combat: Scattershot misses Bonecrusher with his environmentally-friendly pellets attack!

Bonecrusher waits for the stream of hypervelocity ball-bearings to stop, then peers out of the makeshift foxhole and notices, to his glee, that Rodimus Prime has fallen into one of the holes he's already packed with blasting gelatin. "Chief, head down!" he calls to Scrapper in warning for him to take cover. "Fire in the hole!" Dirge can't exactly get down because he's in the sky, but as Bonecrusher ducks back into the foxhole and flips open a panel on his left wrist, he reflects that Dirge is fast, Dirge can take care of himself. Bonecrusher pushes the button.

Combat: Bonecrusher sets his defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Bonecrusher misses Rodimus Prime with Crude Explosive's Mining Blasting-Gelatin Area attack!

Combat: Bonecrusher's Crude Explosive is destroyed!

Combat: Bonecrusher strikes Scattershot with Crude Explosive's Mining Blasting-Gelatin Area attack!

Combat: Bonecrusher misses Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; with Crude Explosive's Mining Blasting-Gelatin Area attack!

Combat: Bonecrusher strikes F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt; with Crude Explosive's Mining Blasting-Gelatin Area attack!

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; gets down when Bonecrusher makes the call, transforming and hiding in a puddle. Now he's all wet. And he thought that was just Hook! Scrapper waits patiently for the world to stop shaking, biding his time.

The totally unassuming lime green payloader unfolds to become Scrapper, the architect of destruction!

Combat: Scrapper sets his defense level to Protected.

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

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; is low enough to catch the edge of the explosion, but only enough so to distort his senses. "Hrrnh.." he grumbles over the radio. "I have lost sight of the targets. Are any left alive below?" The jet climbs higher into the sky to get a better vantage.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Rodimus Prime is right above a bomb. A bomb about to explode. This... isn't good. His optics open wide as he hairs a faint 'beep', and he immediately pulls his arms and legs *away* from the cliff ledges he's wedged between just as the blast's shockwave hits him, throwing him into the air like a rag doll. After he's blown free of the crevice, he lands in a thud amongst rubble and rocks thrown up by the the explosive device. He groans and for a moment, is a very bright and very vulnerable target.

Some of the rocks thrown up by the explosion look to be made of some /very/ unusual substances.

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes himself with his Explosion And Rocky Landing attack!

Scattershot hears the call 'fire in the hole', but doesn't have time to do much other than fling up his arms to cover his face. By the time the explosion fades enough to see him, he's battered and scorched. And yet he's looking more impressed than upset. "Nice one," he comments as he approaches Bonecsurher's foxhole. "Brutal. But you Decepticons ain't the only ones who can play that game." Scattershot takes a running leap, then brings his heavily armored feet together and angles them to come down into the foxhole and whatever's inside.

Combat: Scattershot sets his defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Scattershot strikes Bonecrusher with his Smackdown attack!

"Ahhh, that's a nice fracture pattern," Bonecrusher gloats, satisfied with the destruction he's wrought on the hillside. "Lots of good ore out of that." He pauses to take some photos. The first one has his thumb over the lens, the next two are fine, but the third is of the dirt because Scattershot takes this moment to stomp Bonecrusher into the hole. "Hey, I'm workin' here! Some of us got JOBS to do! You like it so much, you leave me alone, buddy!" protests Bonecrusher, trying to throw off Scattershot's bulk. Transforming to equalize their sizes, Bonecrusher rumbles out of the foxhole and guns his huge engine, aiming to crush Scattershot into the brand new cliff with his dozer blade! Bonecrusher hates kibitzers.

Bonecrusher collapses to the ground, rearranging and expanding to become a huge bulldozer.

Scrapper calls up, "Yeah, Scattershot's alive and kicking... kicking Bonecrusher around, and Rodimus Prime just got blown out of the crack I jammed him down." Scrapper draws his sword, which is just a plain boring sword, and he tromps over to the momentarily vulnerable Autobot leader. Hmm. Just what is the structural strength of a retractable wrist, anyway? Scrapper brings the sword down.

Combat: Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; misses Scattershot with his Killdozer attack! [Pulled -2]

Combat: Scrapper sets his defense level to Neutral.

Combat: Scrapper strikes Rodimus Prime with his Sword attack! [Pulled -3]

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; responds, "Hrnnh." Pause. "I will return in a moment." The jet swings out wide to scan the area, then rockets back toward the fray.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

The structural strength of a retractable wrist is... pretty high, when the wrist belongs to Rodimus Prime. However, the physical strength of most Constructicons is also pretty high - high enough to slice that wrist off! Rodimus's optics open wide in shock, and then he narrows his eyes as he pushes himself to a crouching position (with his good hand, of course).

"You /really/ shouldn't have done that," he says lowly as his blade extends from the hole in his wrist. It begins rotating as he leaps towards Scrapper, slashing with his sawblade!

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Scrapper with his Buzzsaw attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: You took 10 damage.

Combat: Rodimus Prime's attack damages your armor.

Scattershot puts a hand on Bonecrusher's cab and vaults over him. Figuring the bulldozer can't exactly turn on a dime, Scattershot takes a moment to look around and assess the situation. "Frak it." Between Skydive apparently getting blown out of the skies and Rodimus getting turned into a pincushion by -- oh wait. "Oooh." He comments as Rodimus gets in a few licks of his own. "All right then. That's more like it." Turning back to Bonecrusher, Scattershot reaches behind his back and produces a large, sturdy looking sword. Rather than a normal sharpened cutting edge, the front surface is lined with metallic teeth-like links. He depressess a button with his thumb and these links stutter into motion, whirling blurringly fast around the sword-edge and accompanied by motor sounds very close to those produced by a chainsaw. "Looks like we're doing this old school."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scrapper says, "Hmm. Note to self: grab mysterious rocks at some point - AGH."

Combat: Scattershot strikes Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; with his chainsword attack! [Pulled -3]

Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; actually CAN turn on a dime, since unlike Scrapper he's a tracked vehicle and can simply run each track in an opposite direction to pivot around his own center. This doesn't mean he can do so quickly, however. With Scattershot behind him, the quickest way to get at the Technobot leader wailing on him with those grinding teeth is to try to back over the big guy. "Just wait'll I get you under my treads!"

Scrapper wants to grab the mysterious rocks, he really does! But Rodimus Prime's severed hand is just right there, and it's so very tempting... so Scrapper makes a greedy grab for the hand, and in the process, Rodimus Prime's rotary blade cuts deep into Scrapper's side. He cries, "Abuse of power tools!" He thwacks at the Autobot leader with his sword, trying to fend him off, as he scrabble backwards.

Combat: Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; misses Scattershot with his BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP attack! [Pulled -4]

Combat: Scrapper strikes Rodimus Prime with his Thwack! attack! [Pulled -2]

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; skims the treetops until he spies an opening. "Rodimus Prime.." he rasps, "Defender of the forests. Leave us, there is nothing for you here." To punctuate his command, he fires a burst of machine guns at the Autobot leader.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; strikes Rodimus Prime with his Automatic Machine Gun attack!

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Boomslang says, "Unless they're glowing with arcane power. That never turns out well."

Scattershot slips around to Bonecrusher's side, most likely alerted by the helpful beeping sound. "Slag," he mutters, "Site safety ain't no joke with you guys, is it?" Twisting his head towards the opening in the tree cover at the sound of sudden gunfire and seeker-jet sounds, Scattershot leaps into the air and transforms again. "Rodimus, we got air pollution! Where he hell is our Aerialbot?!" Blazing into the air, Scattershot keeps one turret locked on Bonecrusher while the other tries to track Dirge across the skies.

Scattershot transforms into his Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; mode.

Rodimus Prime extends himself too far in his attempt to slice off chunks of Scrapper's armor, and is thwacked in the right shoulder for his troubles, a strike that shatters the headlight on that shoulder. Then Dirge blasts him, a lucky shot that blows out one of his eyes and sends him stumbling backwards. "GRAH!" He holding his good hand up to his eye for a moment as he recovers, then shakes his head, trying to get his bearings. He lifts his arms, one pointed towards Dirge and one pointed towards Scrapper. "You people want something from here, that's enough reason for me to keep you from it!"

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; with his Turret-Mounted Artillery Area attack! [Pulled -2]

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; with his Turret-Mounted Artillery Area attack! [Pulled -2]

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; with his Arm Blasters Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Scrapper with his Arm Blasters Area attack! [Pulled -3]

Combat: You took 8 damage.

Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; dives through the barrage of fire, losing chips of armor as he transforms and lands heavily on the ground, pointing a missile in the direction of the Autobot leader. With an expressionless face and dim optics, he rasps, "What once was here is past. Here now lies only death." The missile exits its launcher with a quiet *fwoomf* sound, before its engine blasts it toward the target.

The blue Experimental F-15 warps, bends, and reconfigures itself into the form of Dirge, Decepticon warrior!

Combat: Dirge misses Rodimus Prime with his Concussion Missile attack!

Komatsu D575A Superdozer &lt;Bonecrusher&gt; stops backing up and transforms to make himself a smaller target, Scattershot's shells blasting craters into the ground all around him... in places that he would've occupied himself if he had stayed a giant bulldozer. "You think we're this color for no reason?" he shouts back up at Scattershot rhetorically, peppering the sky with lasers.

The bulldozer noisily and awkwardly pulls itself up into a dense, compactly built green robot about twenty feet tall.

Combat: Bonecrusher sets his defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Bonecrusher misses Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; with his Standard-Issue Constructicon Laser Pistol (Laser) attack!

Scrapper is blasted back by Rodimus Prime, and he stumbles backwards over a alien rafflesia flower. (It smells terrible.) Tumbling onto his back, Scrapper groans. He snaps, "You thought we were on vacation! You were perfectly willing to ruin someone's holiday trip." He charges Rodimus Prime again, hacking wildly. He really has no form or technique.

Combat: Scrapper strikes Rodimus Prime with his Hack Wildly attack! [Pulled -1]

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; banks around, tries to reorient on Dirge...but the jet is no longer anywhere in sight, as Scattershot has missed the Deceptijet's dive and landing. "This is gonna be one of those fights," he grumbles, then does a pushover and roars back towards the ground yet again. "Only color I paid attention to is that slaggin' purple!" He barks back at Bonecrusher. The cannon housed in his nose glows briefly, then unleashes a series of optic-searingly bright electron pulses, walking his fire across the ground in a seemingly endless barrage that starts with one Constructicon and doesn't stop until it reaches the other. Then Scattershot pulls up just before slamming into the ground himself (or Rodimus who was standing just beyond Scrapper from the Technobot's POV).

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; strikes Bonecrusher with his Electron Pulse Cannon Area attack! [Pulled -1]

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

Combat: Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; misses Scrapper with his Electron Pulse Cannon Area attack! [Pulled -1]

Rodimus Prime didn't /actually/ think they were on vacation. He was just coming up with crummy taunts! However, he's not going to admit to that now.

For one thing, he's busy leaping and rolling out of the way of a missile coming his way.

"Even your guys' holidays is bad news!" he qipts back, lifting his forearms to block Scrapper's sword. This, unfortunately, damages the pipes attach, making it unlikely he'll be able to use them at full power.

"WOAH!" he exclaims as he then dodges the pulse riffle shot from his own teammate. "Hey, Scattershot, watch what you-" then he realizes who he's talking to. "Nevermind," he mutters as he charges towards Dirge, trying to hit him with his damaged shoulder (or the spoiler attached to it).

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Dirge with his Pointed Shoulder Check attack! [Pulled -6]

Bonecrusher shoots Scattershot in retaliation for that electron cannon shot! Wait, no, that was a tree. He tries again and lases the local wildlife, something that looks like a cross between a springbok and a beaver. Frustrated, Bonecrusher puts his laser away and just picks up a double armful of the precious ore to run away with. "Stupid Technobots, messing with our worksite, we weren't even doing anything," he grumbles as he tromps off into the jungle and, presumably, towards whatever craft the Constructicons came in.

Combat: Bonecrusher sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Bonecrusher begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt;, Scrapper, Rodimus Prime, Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt;, and Dirge

Scrapper decides to take a moment to gather up some of that lovely, lovely nitinol ore which may or may not be filled with eldritch power while Rodimus Prime is busy making Dirge's life a little moe uncomfortable. Scattershot's attacks whizz by him as he gathers up his goal. Scrapper cleverly disguises himself as a bright green payloader. No one will ever suspect!

Combat: Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; sets his defense level to Protected.

Combat: Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Dirge growls over the radio, "Scrapper, your ore is not worth this trouble. Enjoy the remainder of your short time here." Dirge transforms, blasting back out of the canopy toward space. In a flurry of arms, legs, and wings, Dirge reconfigures himself into the form of an Experimental F-15 fighter jet.

Combat: Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt; begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit.

Rodimus Prime manages to plow into Dirge, and that seems to send him running off. He straightens and looks around to see who's left. Ah. Scrapper. Rodimus draws his photon eliminator from subspace. Is he going to try to kill a guy who's not even in the process of attacking?

Yes. Yes he is. At the chance of taking Devastator out? He totally is.

"Should have left with the others, Scrapper," he says grimly, and fires.

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; with his Photon Eliminator attack!

Combat: You took 22 damage.

Combat: Rodimus Prime's attack has damaged your Agility!

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; lets Bonecrusher go, confident that he can catch up with the slow-mover at any time. Instead he banks and blasts off in the direction Dirge has disappeared. "Come back here! You owe us one Aerialbot!!" He bellows. He's left quickly behind though and soon the Decepticon is out of range of Scattershot's guns as well.

Bonecrusher has disconnected.

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; is rendered unto a black repaint, as all his photons are eliminated. This increases his worth on eBay considerably. He feels sluggish, as some of his reflex pathways are burn out entirely, but the pain catches up with him eventually. "Oooooow!" he cries. Scrapper flashes out his purple flying wing, and he makes a run for it, abandoned by his comrades but with his ore to keep him warm.

Combat: Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from F-16C &lt;Skydive&gt;, Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt;, and Experimental F-15 &lt;Dirge&gt;

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; finally gives up the chase, turns around and returns to the scene of the jungle fight. But by both Constructicons are gone as well. Transforming, he skids to a landing with feet plowing little troughs in the jungle floor before he ends up more or less next to Rodimus. "Well, they got away." He reports, although he doesn't sound all that torn up over it. Sometimes he just likes a good scrap. "Looks like they got some...whatever, too." He gestures around at some of the ore left extracted and abandoned.

Battlecruiser &lt;Scattershot&gt; transforms into his Scattershot mode.

Rodimus Prime pulls the rotating blade back into his arm, but has no hand to replace it with. He straightens and frowns, then shakes his head before going to pick up one of the ore samples with his good hand. He idly tosses it into the air, catches it again, and shakes his head.

"Wonder what the blazes they wanted this for, anyway?" he murmurs to himself, then louder, "All right, guys. Guess we better get back to the shuttle." Rodimus transforms and groans in pain as several panels misshapen from the battle are sheered off by the process. "Which is /not/ going to be a pleasant trip."

================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/138                    Posted        Author Neddronese Nitinol Raid Successful Tue Apr 06   Scrapper -- Scrapper looks like a black repaint. On closer inspection, it is just that all his photons have been removed. He reports, his raspy wheeze a bit pained, "Bonecrusher and Dirge assisted me on a mission to obtain some high-quality nitinol ore. The mission was relatively successful - I have what I need to construct the... device, and none of us are dead. That last point is important. Rodimus Prime and Scattershot sure tried! I'm not sure Skydive was really paying attention. Oh, and I got Rodimus Prime's hand. That's gonna have a... special place in the casino. I can see it already. Scrapper, out."

=
=================================================================