Operation Ironclad: The Betrayal

Absolution – Bridge

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=================[ The Absolution ]==============================

The bridge of the Absolution is at once both futuristic and bleak. Cast entirely in dull gunmetal-colored hues with sparse purple and cyan lighting, it gives the impression of a terrible gloom. This impression is aided by the most towering presence of the bridge, a throne whose design motif largely consists of 'sharp curves and spikes.' It oversees the entire bridge, and has the best view of the giant viewscreen occupying one wall, curving overhead like images projected onto the inside of a steep dome. On the main floor, numerous wall-mounted consoles and freestanding islands bear panels regulating, monitoring, and / or controlling nearly every aspect of the ship. Engineering information can be accessed at the press of a button, communications possesses all the top-of-the-line equipment, and so forth. Most prominently placed among these islands, tellingly, is the weapons console.

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External ship broadcasts for this room are ON         Type +shiphelp for help

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Contents:

Runabout

Fleet

Motivational Poster

Full-Tilt

Shockwave

Onslaught

Cyclonus

Plaque

Obvious exits: &lt;TL&gt; leads to Absolution - Turbolift.

Shockwave comes back from working on the secret project he had been doodling on the napkin during Full-Tilt's presentation. "Zero hour approaches, Cyclonus," he intones, tapping his watch. Well, the part of his wrist that spins around to reveal a watch face.

Motormaster has arrived.

Full-Tilt hasn't left this room since his presentation. He's still waiting for someone to ask a question on it.

Scrapper has arrived.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "DECEPTICONS! Today is the DAY"

Cyclonus sits upon a slightly smaller throne below Galvatron's big throne, his optics ablaze. "DECEPTICONS!" he cries, standing to his feet. "TRYPTICON AWAKENS! FULL-TILT, press the BUTTON!"

Scrapper is at the one of the sensor stations on the bridge. He is looking over his shoulder, watching Cyclonus to see if there's any other hint of him going crazy. His gaze shifts over to Full-Tilt, nodding his approval.

Trypticon is ready for action, that nod confirms.

Full-Tilt pulls out a large purple detonator with an equally large, red button on it. He wiggles his fingers over it, cackling like a moron before /slamming/ his fingertip on the button. "INITIATED!"

Runabout stands at the back by the door, fidgeting and hopping from foot to foot, not really trustworthy with any machine more complicated than said door opener.

Runabout mutters to itself, "... wanna... a..."

Fleet is at the navigation station, where he's been on watch this whole time. Wheee!

Motormaster stands to the left of Galvatron and Cyclonus's thrones, arms crossed. He scowls at the universe on general principles.

Shockwave wasn't sure what Cyclonus was planning to do exactly upon the arrival of the day and the hour, but bellowing and button-pushing seems fairly typical. Shockwave does not react with surprise. "Shall I take a team into the tunnels, then?"

Runabout has disconnected.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Trypticon says, "NYAAAAAAARGH!"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blitzwing says, "Galvatron, is that you?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Trypticon says, "WHERE IS PURPLE CAR"

Tunnel of Retoris

The expansive tunnel was built over the ruins of the old city of Retoris which was destroyed long ago in a Decepticon raid which damaged much of old Iacon. Despite being well-lit, its condition is a stark contrast from the sections of the New Cybertron Highway which it connects. There are many scraps of metal on the ground, making driving a bit difficult, while the condensation from the top makes things uncomfortable for those who fly above the road. There is a sharp exit to the north which leads to the Iacon Plain but is well protected.

Contents:

Autobot Sensor #8561

Obvious exits: North &lt;N&gt; leads to Iacon Plain. East &lt;E&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;West&gt;. West &lt;W&gt; leads to New Cybertron Highway &lt;Far West&gt;.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Full-Tilt says, "Gahahahaha! Everything is coming to fruition!"

Avalanche arrives from the Iacon Plain to the north.

Avalanche has arrived.

Hinder arrives from the Iacon Plain to the north.

Hinder has arrived.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "Catechism, take a squad to the tunnels. The rest with Trypticon. I will spacebridge in to the Autobot FOOLS base itself!"

Fleet has arrived.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Commander Shockwave says, "I will support and oversee Catechism's team."

Shockwave has arrived.

Shockwave is here, look busy.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; &lt;:D Catechism says, "I am honoured, sir."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Commander Shockwave says, "Your team is operating on a more critical timetable."

Scrapper has arrived.

Scrapper transforms into a payloader.

Falling foward, Avalanche reverts to his tiger mode.

You begin constructing a bomb...

You complete work on Nothing Suspicious, Honest, now in your hands.

The tunnels beneath Cybertron are numerous. It just so happens that there is a tunnel that connects the Warrens to the Tunnel of Retoris. It just so happens that Catechism has taken that tunnel, along with a group of armed and dangerous Decepticons. She emerges from it, grinning widely. She looks back over her shoulder and calls out, "Decepticons, attack!" She has to make this feint look good, or it will be all for naught!

Shockwave is here to make sure that if the Autobots don't take the bait, the 'feint' deals damage on its own. He stays at the rear of the group, walking slowly with his metronomic gait behind the other Decepticons.

Grimlock arrives from the Iacon Plain to the north.

Grimlock has arrived.

Mecha Tiger &lt;Avalanche&gt; follows along behind the rest of the group, making sure that their flank is protected. The huge beast just clomping along, waiting till the attack begins. He's here to make it look just a bit more convincing.

Swoop has arrived.

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt;'s job on this mission was to help widen any of the tunnels that get too small. Tunnels and Constructicons go together like EDC and Soap Opera. Due to this task, Scrapper is near the front of the attack force as it bursts free of the tunnel, into the much larger Tunnel of Retoris. The Constructicon folds upwards back into robot mode, laser pistol already in hand.

Crash has arrived.

Payloader &lt;Scrapper&gt; transforms into robot mode.

Silverbolt has arrived.

Fireflight has arrived.

Hinder asked to come along, but only to observe. She wasn't doing so well keeping up, though, so hitched a ride with the mecha-tiger regardless of what anyone says. She balances on the space between his shoulder blades, doing her best to not fall off and so far succeeding. However, her promise to 'keep silent' is getting harder and harder to follow, her beady red optics taking in all of the new sights eagerly.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "Catechism, continue your assault. Trypticon, the defense grid is down, ATTACK! Technicians, prepare to SPACEBRIDGE me to the base"

"SSSSSSHHH." One would not think a dinobot could be stealthy. One would...probably be right. But, as luck would have it, the Tunnel of Retoris is large enough that even Grimlock can lurk behind one particularly large part of destroyed overpass. Grimlock, and...several other Autobots, whom the dinosaur is admonishing to be quiet, holding up a dinky little claw to his menacing dino-jaws, gesturing to be silence!

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave says, "Metroplex reports: commencing emergency procedures..."

Swoop pops out from behind Grimlock, trying his best to be sneaky and silent but failing miserably. "Why we SSSSSSSHHH? Why not just charge in screaming and throwing stuffs? Works every other time."

Fleet is here with the Decepticons. Attacking and stuff. Longer pose once things get sorted.


 * SNICKER* That may have may not been Fireflight near the back.

Crash is among the gathered, a laser rifle in hand as he hunkers down behind cover, he slowly slides a energy pack into the weapon, settling it in place with a faint 'click'.

A nice closed in space with a bunch of bruisers.. oh yes, this was going to end well.

Behind another chunk of rubble and twisted steel, Silverbolt nods in response to Grimlock's gesture. Stealth isn't any of the Aerialbots' strong point - though Slingshot somes close sometimes, the way he turns up in unexpected places sometimes. That line of contemplation ends as he hears snickering behind him, and he turns to check on Fireflight and anyone else back there (but mostly on Fireflight.)

Fireflight has a hand over his mouth, murmering into his radio the question. At the look from Silverbolt he shrugs apologetically and points to the two DInobots leading theway.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "ENGAGE SUBSPACE LOCKDOWN"

"Avalanche reports Autobots behind the rubble just ahead of you and to the right," announces Shockwave, uploading the point to the other Decepticons via their HUDs.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "Nnnn what treachery is THIS?"

Mecha Tiger &lt;Avalanche&gt; brings his paw up, and sends out a radio transmission. It seems that his superior acknowledges, which the beast then leans down. "Hang on, Comrade." He says to Hinder, and then bursts into a full on charge right at where the Autobots are located. The beast roaring as he literally rams through the makeshift cover, his claws slashing at anything that may be infront of him. However, it seems that since Grimlock was the closest, he would be first in sight.

Avalanche strikes Robot T-Rex! &lt;Grimlock&gt; with slash.

Catechism drops her bomb off the side and surveys the Autobots that have arrived. The Dinobots was pretty frightening, and Silverbolt is no slouch. She has no idea about the car Autobot - could be tough, could be a pansy. Fireflight, she seems to recall vaguely is not being horrible. She snaps off the car, though she's ready to switch to another target, if needed.

You strike Crash with Zap!.

Scrapper waits by the tunnel entrance for the other Decepticons to pass him by. He was willing to lead them through the tunnel but not into battle. Not when there's powerhouses like Avalanche and Shockwave around. While this might spare him an initial volley from the Autobots, it means he isn't in any position to blast any of them just yet. Shockwave calculates the density of the rubble according to its sensor returns and adjusts his frequencies accordingly. His cannon barrel swivels as the magnetic lenses alter the wavelength to one that will pass through the mixture of iron and lead. He fires over the heads of the Seekers, aiming for the guttural sounds coming from behind the debris.

Shockwave strikes Swoop with Penetrating X-Ray.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "SCRAPPER! The lockdown unit has FAILED, what IS THIS?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave has encrypted this channel.

Shockwave glances at Scrapper in response to a radio transmission. "User error?" he asks.

Fleet crouches onto one knee as the Autobots approach, neither advancing nor dropping behind. From this position, he's able to make a sturdier shot, and he lifts his right hand to fire at one of the onrushing Autobots.

Fleet strikes Silverbolt with Shoulder-Mounted Rifle - &lt;Low&gt;.

"User error," Scrapper confirms to Shockwave. The Constructicon manages to hide his amusement.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scrapper tries to hide the amusement out of his voice. "Are you sure you're operating it properly, Cyclonus?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "Have you betrayed us? HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Commander Shockwave says, "I would not consider that a reasonable logical leap."

Hinder hangs on as instructed by Avalanche, though for her that means digging in her tiny claws. Then when he goes barrelling through the Autobots' cover and at Grimlock, she ducks her head down and bites into whatver convenient surface is on his back so she doesn't get knocked off. This was not quite what she'd had in mind when she demanded to go along.

Crash apparently wasn't quite as out of sight as he had thought. A shot rang out with his name on it, streaking past or over his cover and giving him a good little jab.

With a grunt, Crash shrugs it off and raises up into full view. His weapon is shouldered, the seeker-chick with the smoking gun settling into his sights, "Shoulda brought the taffy gun." he lements as he steadies his aim and pulls the trigger, a bolt of light zips from the buisness end, zeroing in on Catechism.. unless it doesn't

Crash strikes you with Laser Rifle for 3 points of damage.

"Hnn. We need wait for- OW!" Grimlock's explaination is cut short by a tiger (and a smaller...whatever Hinder is) pouncing upon him- soon to be followed by more Decepticon attacks! "Rargh! AUTOBOTS, ATTTACK!" And with that, Grimlock swivels his head around to glare at Avalanche. "You 'gain? Me Grimlock need KILL YOU FOR GOODS!" he snarls- and then bears those dino-teeth of his down on the kitty, aiming to *CHOMP!* down upon him! "Me Grimlock say them NOT GET THROUGH!"

Grimlock strikes Mecha Tiger &lt;Avalanche&gt; with bite.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scrapper says, "With all due respect, sir, comparing our records of going crazy within the past year would suggest that if anyone has betrayed anyone, it would be you."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scrapper says, "No offence..."

Swoop begins to feel a weird burning sensation on his forehead, which he idly scratches at. He just sort of watches Grimlock get mugged in front of him for a few seconds before throwing his hands up in the air and giving a loud cry of "DEEECCEEEPPPTTTTIIICOOOOONNNNSSSSS!" He leaps over their 'barricade' and charges towards Shockwave (mostly because he's reaaly reaaly puple and therefore more enticing.) Throwing himself at the giant lasergun turned robot, he bellows "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAAAWWWWW"

Swoop strikes Shockwave with ram.

"Silverbolt!" Fireflight chirps as his leader was attacked. Sidestepping quickly, his rifle appears from subspace and he darts sideways into the clear, firing - attempting to hit fleet, but the bolt goes more towards Catechism.

You evade Fireflight's Fleet ducked. Blame him attack.

Scourge has arrived.

Scourge arrives. He will make his presence known if and when he wishes. But whether one notices him or not, the fact remains, he is here.

One moment, bots are trying to stay quiet. The next, there's a Decepticon tiger all over Grimlock and weaponsfire lights the tunnel bright as a sunlit sky. "Yeow!" Silverbolt spotted the larger, more obvious attackers right away, but the shot to his shoulder is a stinging surprise. "Who..." he scans the battlefield and notes Fleet staying low and near cover. "You." His optics flash, "We owe you one," he opens return fire at Fleet, "Here you go, with interest."

Silverbolt strikes Fleet with laser.

Mecha Tiger &lt;Avalanche&gt; grins up at the Dinobot, as it seems the Autobot actually remembers him. "Did you think I would give up on trying to kill you, Grimlock. I still have to add you to my collection of defeated mechs." Though, it seems all his boasting leaves him open to the Dinobot commander. Avalanche roars in pain, as those deadly jaws lock onto his shoulder. Needless to say, Hinder is probably in for the ride of her life. As with Cybertronians like Grimlock and himself, they play rough. "You'll pay for that..." He manages to squeak out. Avalanche has to get those jaws open, or it will be over before it starts. "Hinder, get ready for one Pitt of a ride!" With that, the Horrorcon transforms into his robot mode. Swinging himself into a small circle, he tries to grab the Casseticon with his left hand. However, his right hand grasps at his side for a weapon designed just to fight the Dinobots, a warhammer. The Decepticon using the momentum to try and strike the side of the Dinobot's snout.

Leaping up, Avalanche transforms into his titanic robot mode.

Avalanche misses Hinder with his grasp attack.

Avalanche strikes Robot T-Rex! &lt;Grimlock&gt; with Hammer + your face.

Shockwave suddenly finds himself on the floor as a semi-coherently screaming Dinobot charges through the Decepticon lines and tackles him. Fortunately it's not the big Dinobot (relatively speaking). Shockwave draws back his fist and attempts to straight-arm Swoop in the face. "I seem to have acquired a Dinobot," he asides to Scrapper. "Our conversation may be interrupted briefly."

Fleet manages to duck underneath Fireflight's attack, but in doing so he's hit by Silverbolt's, which is probably worse, anyway. "'Owe me one,'" he snorts. "This is a million year long war! Who keeps track of these things!" he shouts, then returns fire, trying to crouch further against the wall.

Fleet strikes Silverbolt with Shoulder Mounted Laser Rifle.

Shockwave strikes Swoop with Calculated Brutality.

Shockwave lands the hit and follows up with a knee and an elbow. "Desist your ravings and retreat while you can still walk, Dinobot. You are outnumbered and, more importantly, outclassed."

"Oh quite alright," Scrapper replies to Shockwave. "Perfectly understandable." He's always found the way Shockwave understates things to be hilarious. Backing away so he doesn't get accidentally ravaged by the Dinobot flier, the Constructicon sprays several laser blasts towards Swoop. Shooting Autobots in the back is the best way to shoot them.

Catechism has no idea why taffy would be her undoing. Does she look like a robo-diabetic? However, Crash's actual gun does indeed hurt bit as it hit, so she volleys back at him with a higher powered shot before ducking under Fireflight's shot entirely. It's still too close for comfort, though.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Trypticon says, "METROPLEX IS MINE"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave says, "Autobot spacebridge tower under attack, source: undetermined."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blitzwing says, "Not gonna argue with you over that one, big guy."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "It should be ME! Investigate IMMEDIATELY"

You strike Crash with 25-mm GAU-12 cannon &lt;Long Burst&gt;.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave says, "Affirmative."

Grimlock takes a smack across the snout, but this doesn't slow him down- not at all! He snarls, and wheels around, "You can't beat me Grimlock!" he snarls, "You kitty NEVER CAN!" and with that, Grimlock rears up with one clawed foot, aiming to show Avalanche just WHY, as the Dinobot puts a better part of his weight on, well, wherever Avalanche happens to be. *CRUNCH!*
 * BONK!*

Grimlock strikes Avalanche with Stompy stompy!.

Hinder yeeks and hisses past the bit of Avalanche-armor in her mouth as Grimlock chomps on the mecha-tiger mere inches from her head. She actually dares to let go with one little clawed paw to swipe at the T-Rex's nose just before Avalanche transforms...which of course prompts another squeak of surprise and indignance. Of course, now she's hanging from his back by her teeth. Not a secure place to be. She scrabbles to try and get a foot(paw?) hold.

Crash takes a heavier hit, the burst fire drilling into and past his thick hide. Sparks fly and smoke begins to issue forth from the new rent in his armor. "Should stayed behind the rock.." he muttered to himself tucking down into partial safety. He does a field dressing, clapping a piece of scrap over the wound and forcing it partially into the hole. A bandaid over a bullet hole, it just made a gesture at keeping his insides from coming out to visit.

When next he sprang up, he showed off one of his gimmicks; Shoulder guns.

They rose out of his heft shoulder padding and jerked to life, following Crash's line of sight befor they flung a spray of lead in Catechism's direction, trying to get her on her hooker-boot heels.

Crash strikes you with Shoulder Guns for 9 points of damage.

Fireflight scowls as Catechism ducks his blast. But it was close at least. Turning to see how Silverbolt faired, the Aerialbot darts across the passage, intending to find some cover to continue sniping. As he jogs, he strafes Catechism again, before his foot catches on something and with a startled cry, he crashes tail over wings on top of it. "oof! What the...-" he pulls himself up to his knees, his gun fortunately, still in hand.

You evade Fireflight's Strafing Stun Stumble attack.

Avalanche has disconnected.

Swoop is totally taken aback by Shockwave's kung-fu. First, a hit to the face. And then to make things worse, he throws in those extra hits. Oh, and Scrapper peppers his back with blasts, but no one cares about Scrapper enough to care. "Rrrgh! Swoop say YOU retreat while YOU still walk. YOU are outnumbered...and...and...YOU UGLY!" Step up your game, Swoop. This isn't a Seeker you're up against. This is mohfukn Shockwave!

In a single action, Swoop pulls out his thermal sword, ignites it and, after waving it around menacingly, swipes it diagonally at the Decepticon.

Swoop misses Shockwave with his BURNING SPIRIT attack.

"People with teammates, that's who." Silverbolt's rifle crackles with increasing charge as he retorts. The Aerialbot ducks to avoid the snapping, snarling mess of tiger-and-dinosaur, snaps off another shot at Fleet and takes the excuse to move to aother pile of debris closer to the enemy.

Kup has arrived.

Silverbolt strikes Fleet with electricity.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Trypticon says, "WE WIN! THE END!"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge laughs maniacally, "Always."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Full-Tilt says, "SUCCESS!"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Big-Brother-Sweep Sunder says, "My Lord Scourge, is my presence required?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave says, "Autobots reporting aberrant combat activity."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Not Rumble but Frenzy says, "Should I eject? Are things going okay?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Hinder says, "If that means I hurt the big chompy one's nose, then it's true."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "I need no help with these dregs, but there are plenty of Autobots to go around Sunder."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Big-Brother-Sweep Sunder says, "Ahhh, excellent."

Kup, per the Grimlock Witness Protection Program, never left the Dinobot's side. It was actually a pretty good deal for both of them. Grimlock got to listen to Kup's stories, and Kup got to tell his many, many stories to the Dinobot unfettered by annoyances like duty. Also, since Grimlock didn't kill Kup the first chance he had, Kup was pretty sure he could trust the Dino. As for his physical condition, Kup's paint looks like it blasted off in some areas. He also has crude metal welded to his body to heal himself up.

"Is that Scourge up there?" Kup mutters. "Scourge!" The old mech waves his hands at the Sweep, and says, "Look, as much as I love beatin' yer face in, we got bigger problems. Couldja put this invasion on hold fer a bit?" Otherwise, Kup makes no effort to attack at all. Yet.

The electricity hits Fleet, arcing and sparking over his body, knocking out system after system. He tenses, arms pulled back, as the attack plays out, then slumps forward, listening to warning alarms go off in his head. Then he hehs. "If your /teammate/ can't handle a little beating," the Seeker says, pulling himself to his feet, "He shouldn't be going to battle." Fleet is, obviously, the one being beaten here. But hey, he knew it would happen going into battle!

Then Kup arrives, speaking of co-operation and defeating a greater menace. Oh, no. Can't have that! The Seeker suddenly spins and fires on the veteran, shouting, "Cool it, old man!"

Fleet strikes Kup with his Freeze Ray attack.

Shockwave reaches over, picks up a rock, and holds it in the path of Swoop's blazing thermal sword to catch the smoldering blade harmlessly. This done, he rolls out from under the Dinobot with a firm kick, straightens up and levels his cannon arm. "It is, perhaps, unsurprising that you would find my appearance unappealing," he lectures Swoop as he starts pumping blasts of radiation at him. "Being, as you are, limited in your experiences to Earth aesthetics. My body's design is of my own devising, and artistry (in the way that the word is normally used) was not one of the factors I considered in its current state. In my case, form entirely follows function."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Cyclonus says, "Shockwave, Catechism, Full-Tilt, Soundwave, REPORT"

Shockwave strikes Swoop with Repetitive Microwave Bursts. Shooting someone in the back is usually the safest way, but shooting in the back from a higher altitude is even safer, especially when so few Autobots can fly. Circling the battlefield, Scourge fires randomly, aiding his fellow Decepticons in their assault without imperilling himself. His maniacal laughter fills the skies, "It's like shooting Sharkticons in a Execution Pit." Flying over Crash, he overhears some idle remarks, replying "Yes you should" and follows it up by laser blasts striking the landscape he had hidden behind. Taking a few more passes, he laughs and leaves Shockwave and Scrapper to tangle with Swoop, and Avalanche and Hinder seem to be teaming up, in that elephants and birds kind of way. In a lot of ways, Kup is Scourge's equal and opposite. They hold high rank and when they speak, others listen. But where Kup is respected, Scourge is feared. Where Kup is as old as dirt, Scourge is only a few decades old. But neither is a fool. Flying downward with a foot flying towards Kup's face, he'll talk, but he'll get in his fair share of shots, melee or ranged, as he does, "Sure, surrender unconditionally, and I'll order my troops to stand down."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; &lt;:D Catechism says, "At the Tunnel, sir. Have a bomb ready. Am under attack by a car and Fireflight."

"That function being world domination," adds Shockwave dryly.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Commander Shockwave says, "There are also two Dinobots here. We are holding them off thus far."

Catechism gets shot again by Crash, distracted by Cyclonus on the radio. He seems to have pretty good aim! That's rather painful for her. She tries to snipe back at him with her arm guns. She spins to evade Fireflight's stun, thankful that three more Aerialbots are not here. That would be killer.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Full-Tilt says, "I don't even know anymore, Cyclonus, sir!"

Crash evades your Taser attack.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "'World Domination?' Since when did you narrow your ambitions Shockwave?"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Big-Brother-Sweep Sunder says, "My Lord Cyclonus, where shall I go?"

Scourge strikes Kup with Kick.

Scrapper backs up away from Swoop. "Outnumbered? What are you, stupid or so- ah nevermind," he says, remembering who he's talking to. "I'm going to give you a little mathematics lesson, Swoop. First of all, it is WE who outnumber YOU when it comes to BADASSES." Scrapper actually hasn't counted but he assumes this is true. Badass is pretty subjective, after all. "Second of all, you're the /weak/ Dinobot, don't forget. There isn't a hope in the pit for you that you're going to take out both myself and Shockwave. Give up while you still can!" Scrapper has no problem blasting away at Swoop from behind.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Commander Shockwave says, "I thought it simpler for a Dinobot to understand that way."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "Ah, yes..."

Sunder has arrived.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Not Rumble but Frenzy says, "So hey, has anyone mentioned that some of the Autobots have turned evil and are beating the slag out of some of the other Autobots? I just happened to notice it myself, it's messed up!"

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Soundwave says, "External agency attempting to extract Autobot Matrix of Leadership."

Fireflight unsuccessfully tries to pick up Nothing Suspicious, Honest.

Crash's aim was only as sharp as his eyes with those guns, luckily, Catechism wasn't being so movey as she could have been. He chalked it up to the cramped quarters.

She fired back and he lurched just out of the way. "Get one of the heavies!" Crash calls back to Fireflight as he stepped up onto the rubble that had so pitifully protected him, "I've got the cone!"

With that, Crash steps up and over and starts into a hustling charge towards Catechism. He launches himself at Catechism in a body tackle, trying to take her to ground with his bulk.

Crash strikes you with Pop on Top for 11 points of damage.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Not Rumble but Frenzy says, "Ain't that our gig?"

Kup freezes up all over his body as Fleet blindsides him with a freeze ray. Ice crusts up all over his body, freezing up his joints, rendering him utterly immobile as Scourge plummets down towards him with a hefty kick. The boot to the face throws to the ground and knocks off one of the metal plates Kup had welded onto his face, and oil drips from the reopened wound. "Agh!" Kup casts Fleet a nasty glare. "Yeah, yer in on it, too, aren't ya? Yer little scam fooled me fer a bit, but not forever. Got you figured out, too. An' ya know what? After I kill Nightbeat and Steeltread, yer next on my "to-do" list."

Grunting, Kup tries to stand up, but only succeeds in sitting up a bit. His joints are still iced over. "Scourge. Yer not gonna believe a word I'm tellin' ya, but the Autobots have been infiltrated from within. And I think you guys were, too."

Fireflight grunts as he tries to pick the bomb up. What was it made of - lead?? He grunts and pushes at it, but could not move it. "Too heavy..." he puffs a little, glancing towards Crash "Crash! I dont know when or if this thing will go off!" he notes, obeying the directive and firing at Catechism again from where he was beside it.

You evade Fireflight's Laser attack.

Robot T-Rex! &lt;Grimlock&gt; growls! Having stomped down on Avalanche, Grimlock storms forwards- and then he glances back at Kup & Scourge. "Hrrr." he murmurs, and sways his tail from side to side, waiting. "HEY!" he bellows, waggling his arms around as he roars. "Me Grimlock say EVERYONE SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO HIM KUP! BAD STUFFS AM HAPPENING!"

Swoop turns into a flying dinosaur!

Hinder goes tumbling away from Avalanche. Hope he'll be okay. She shakes herself and looks at all of the activity around her. Especially with that big stompy thing it's just too chaotic and dangerous. She skuttles to find better cover, by chance heading toward Fireflight and the blinky not-yet-a-bomb thing.

WHAT DEVILRY IS THIS? A mere rock saving Shockwave from the sharp sting of a sword? This is just blowing Swoop's mind, maan! Or maybe it's just the waves upon waves of burning, brain melting radiation currently washing over him. Yeah, it's definitely the radiation. Swoop could feel his body getting hotter and hotter, pops emitting from various points of his frame. And to make matters worse, Scrapper decides to jump in and /berate/ him with all sorts of personal attacks. Swoop was badass! He was! And he's totally not the weakest Dinobot! He's just..he's just special, okay!?

"Stupid...stupid...stupid..stupid stupid stupidstupidstupidstupidstupid STUPID DECEPTICONS!" The blue robot decides to take it to the next level and, with a sharp ear splitting roar, he folds up and shifts into his beastly form. His jaws part not to offer another articulate insult but instead to release a bright hot stream of fire.

Swoop misses Shockwave with his Hot Hot Heat attack.

Fireflight called out for Crash, but Silverbolt answers, "Hang on, Firefight. Two of us might be able to move it," he strafes a couple of shots at Decepticons overhead as he runs toward the other, "Hey, what's that other thing moving?"

Had he been Galvatron, or perhaps even Cyclonus, Scourge would not believe a word Kup said. But Scourge is different. In this life and his last, Scourge has never been that deeply committed to the Decepticon cause. He follows Galvatron because he was programmed to follow Galvatron and because the Decepticons are stronger. But he derives no special pleasure from killing Autobots. They oppose the Decepticons and for that they will die, but if they were ever to accept their fate, Scourge would welcome them as subjects of the Decepticon Empire. And if that's not enough, Scourge knows that lies are not Kup's thing. What would a delay in his death gain him? So, Scourge delays. Assuming a defensive stance, Scourge keeps his plasma rifle securely aimed at Kup's ill-repaired torso. If he moves, Scourge will pull the trigger. With all the chaos around them, Scourge hesitates, and flatly commands his enemy, "Explain."

"You have piqued my interest, Autobot," Shockwave says to Kup, while stepping back behind a curve in the tunnel to let Swoop's firey breath pass by. "Elaborate upon your theory," he continues after a moment when he steps back into view and resumes shooting UV rays at the giant flapping thing.

Shockwave strikes Robot Pteranodon &lt;Swoop&gt; with Ultraviolet.

Catechism doesn't fight as well in tunnels, it is true. She's a Seeker, meant for the sky. Crash is starting to make Catechism look like a mess. As he tackles her down. However, by being tackled down, she evades Fireflight's laser attack. Considering her options, she attempts to smash her spiked knuckles into Crash to induce him to kindly leave.

You strike Crash with Spiked Knuckles.

Crash compares his Strength to Catechism's Strength: Failure :(

A Sweepcraft appears, and moves towards Scourge. "My Lord Scourge, I am here! Command me!" Sunder says. He is eager for battle.

Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible.

Damn it all! The others are actually /listening/ to Kup! Fleet needs a distraction! The Seeker looks around desperately, then sees Catechism working on the bomb, and the Aerialbots trying, and failing, to move it. He turns, kneels, and aims at the device, switching his shoulder-rifles into superheated mode.

Bringing this whole place down around everyone's heads should serve as a suitable distraction, yes?

"Shockwave!" Scrapper calls out. "Let me know if you need repairs!" Better that than constantly shoot at Swoop, which isn't having much effect compared to the Decepticon cyclop's efforts. The offer of course is good for any Decepticon who needs assistance.

You complete arming the dangerous explosive. Time to detonation is now 20 minutes.

Catechism deliberately triggers the detonator on Nothing Suspicious, Honest.

You take 30 points of damage as you detonate the bomb.

You fortunately evade the bomb blast.

Catechism is knocked down a tunnel by the bomb going off. Oh dear.

Catechism lands a good prod into Crash's side, those pointy knuckles digging into his side. He lets out a rough bark of pain and rolls away, gripping his side. He's about to be conservative.. when a bomb goes off. Crash rolls for something to duck and cover under.

[This log is incomplete. Will someone please add the rest?]

================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/54                     Posted        Author AAR: Operation Ironsides (team 2) Sun Nov 23    Shockwave -- Shockwave dictates this report while audibly busy in the war room. The camera is displaying a Decepticon logo against a black background.

"After action report, Operation Ironsides, team two, Commanding officer Shockwave reporting.        "We began the operation at 26:30:43 Cybertron time. Entering the equatorial tunnel via Undisclosed Location #2410, a team consisting of myself, Scrapper, Catechism, Avalanche, Hinder and Fleet traversed the equatorial tunnel to the junction with the Tunnel of Retoris, where we were to mine the tunnel, draw out as many as possible of the Autobot defenders beyond the mined point, then detonate the explosives to collapse the tunnel behind the Autobots, thereby preventing them from returning to the defense of Iahex with the main assault group."

The screen updates to display the following chart: http://transformers2005.wikia.com/wiki/Image:Chart1.png

"Unfortunately our team was compromised by forces unknown. Fleet and Scrapper are traitors. Scourge and Sunder, who arrived late and briefly harassed the Autobots, and Hinder, who clung to Avalanche but made no attack against the Autobots, may or may not be traitors. Catechism, who was disabled by treachery, and myself, are not to the best of my awareness traitors.       "Next slide."

http://transformers2005.wikia.com/wiki/Image:Chart2.png appears on the screen next.

"I started the clock upon hard contact with the enemy. Avalanche detected them via sonic sensors. We outnumbered the enemy forces, although they were formidable, being comprised of Grimlock, Swoop, Silverbolt and another Aerialbot, and an unknown Autobot tow-truck. The battle went well initially in spite of Soundwave's minion being of no use whatsoever. It was salvageable through the one-minute-thirty-second mark, where Catechism was suffering serious damage from fending off two Autobots, and I had all but defeated Swoop. It was at this point that Kup arrived from the Autobot end of the tunnel, with a warning for us that our organization may have been compromised by double agents. At one minute thirty-six seconds, Fleet revealed his treachery and fired upon the explosive early, disabling Catechism and preventing us from trapping the Autobots. I scrambled Fleet's neurological activity with a microwave pulse and ordered that Scrapper take him into custody. "Scrapper collected Fleet and withdrew into the tunnels. He assumed radio silence and has not been seen nor heard from since. I can only conclude that he has also turned traitor. The Autobots withdrew, pursued briefly by the Sweeps. At three minutes into the engagement I called the retreat.       "End of line," concludes Shockwave, and the recording blinks out.

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==================== Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/55                     Posted        Author Debrief and Orders                Sun Nov 23    Cyclonus -- Cyclonus appears on screen, seated in his own, smaller throne on the Absolution. His optics shine brightly, and dare we say it, evilly.

"Decepticon!" he thunders. "The Iahex assault did... NOT go to plan. The tunnel assault team did a sterling job however." He holds up two shining medals. "Imperial medals of valor are to be given to Shockwave and Catechism for their role in leading the attack."

Cyclonus then slowly crushes the medals in his hand. "And then the medals will be taken AWAY for the FAILURE of the overall assault. This is due to TRAITORS and FAILURE!"

An image of Trypticon flying into the sun from BRUNT-CAM can be seen on the screen. "Trypticon is missing in action. Operations, you are to LOCATE and RECOVER Trypticon!" (OOC - talk to Mr Shifty!)

An image from Soundwave of the scuffle with The Fallen in the Iahex spacebridge room is then shown. "Intelligence, you are to ascertain the identity of this Cybertronian and if he can be of any use to Galvatron's mighty cause!" (OOC - talk to TP staff or any players involved!)

Cyclonus leans towards the screen. "I hold Scrapper FULLY responsible for the FAILURE of the subspace lockdown unit to teleport myself into Iahex. I want him found, interrogated and FLAYED. There will be reward for whoever achieves this!"

Cyclonus then sits back into his throne. "Further orders will be forthcoming once we have ascertained the Autobot's situation. For now, base of operations is the Absolution. Go forth and do Galvatron's WILL!"

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