Training Edge

Orion Pax - Training Room ''==============================[ The Orion Pax ]=============================== The ship's training room, while not as big as Autobot City's, is made with the latest in holographic simulation technology. When inactive, the training room is a large, obsidian-plated room with soft illumination that seems to eminate from no single, definable source. On the wall near the entrance blast door is a computer terminal, allowing a user with appropriate access to active and run a holographic scenario, or program a new one on the fly. A metallic placard sits above the terminal. By the shapes of the letters, the message "THESE FACILITIES ARE INTENDED FOR AUTOBOT TRAINING EXERCISES. ALL UNAUTHORIZED RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY, INCLUDING SO-CALLED 'ROLE-PLAY', IS FORBIDDEN," can still be read. However, for some reason it's been covered over in black magic marker of some sort.''

Well, the sign may say 'NO RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES', but when it comes to Wreckers the art of beating the slag out of someone tends to apply as much as recreation as it does meaninful training! Though the someone part isn't really much of one, as it's just the drone. Which Sandstorm appears to be trying to stab with a blade of some sort, but he's really not done much more than nick and dent it up some while he's waiting. "Com'n you little smelt lump, hold still!"

Springer enters the Orion Pax Training Room with his usual swagger. Who was going to be the victim today? A puny drone on level 1? Or maybe something mightier at level 5? All it really meant to the Wrecker was how long it would take to gain victory.

Before Springer can program his training protocols into the wall-mounted computer, he spots Sandstorm already working the floor. "Good to see ya Sandstorm! Didn't know we were playing "Pin the Tail on the Cyber-Donkey" today! At least that's what it looks like from here!"

Strolling over to his teammate, the big green Autobot offers a mischievious grin as he beats his chest a bit for comic effect. "How about picking on someone your own size? At least you'll be able to break an energon sweat with me as your opponent. What do you say? Looks like you're working on hand-to-hand combat right?"

Offering Sandstorm a friendly taunt of a wave, Springer sets himself up in a defensive position. "Alright pal, let's show 'em what Wreckers are made of. Your move first!" Combat: Springer sets his defense level to Guarded.

Sandstorm looks up at the sound of Springer's usual bravado tone, and smirks a bit himself. "Hey, Springer, it's been a while bud. Actually, I was hoping someone a little more interesting than this reject would show up." He gives the drone a dismissive wave to go back into its storage corner and meanders in the green machine's direction. "Yeah, tryin' to pick up a new trick or two, you could say."

He pauses a moment, then grins a bit more. "But instead of explaining," there's a glint of something metallic as he flips it in his hand, and then lunges at Springer to try and jab him with the combat knife he was working with, "I'll just demonstrate!" The daredevil is just diving in headfirst as usual, but hey, that's how Sandstorm works. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Springer with his Training Knife (Punch) attack!

Usually any normal Autobot would want to avoid an incoming knife, but this Wrecker was programmed a bit different. As Sandstorm darts forward with a strike of his blade, Springer juts his chest out, taking the shot square on. "Ahhh...that's the way to get the fuel pump warmed up for a good training session!"

Withdrawing himself from the training knife, the triple-changer moves back in with his fist primed for attack. "You're pretty good with that blade pal, let's see you keep it up now. Next time, I'll actually try to avoid it."

With that Springer throws a sharp, right-hand at Sandstorm's jaw. Combat: Springer misses Sandstorm with his Wrecker Tough Love (Punch) attack!

Sandstorm tchs. "They won't let me have the real weapon until I clock 'nuf training time. Pain in the exhaust thing." The knife was new, but Sandstorm was no stranger to melee combat otherwise, bringing up his own arm to block Springer's swing. "Fists are nice and all, but I'm tired of people always pullin' swords and slag on me when I'm bare servoing it."

Sandstorm twists with the block, and attempts to stab the blade into Springer's arm before he can pull it away again. "I'm open to advice!" Combat: Sandstorm strikes Springer with his Arm stab (Punch) attack!

This time around Springer does make an honest effort to avoid the training knife, but Sandstorm is quicker with his melee. The blade punctures the Wrecker's forearm armor as he draws it back, "Nice swing there pal. My only advice right now is to come at me stronger with it next time!"

Pulling the knife from his armor, Springer tosses the weapon back to Sandstorm. While its in mid-flight, the Autobot charges forward, aiming a flying kick at his opponent's knees.

"Don't think I'm going to give you the training knife back /that/ easy! Why don't you try this on for kicks first?!" Combat: Springer strikes Sandstorm with his Flying Kick (Kick) attack!

Sandstorm grabs the knife from the air as its tossed back at him, realizing a moment too late he stepped right into a trick. Springer's foot connects solidly with his chestplate and knocks him backwards onto his rear. "Oof.. Should of seen that coming." Sandstorm rocks back and reverse flips back onto his feet. "Alright then, no more playing nice then!", he retorts with a smirk. That was playing nice?

Dashing back at Springer he drops his arm down low, flips the knife around so its blade up this time, and then swings to try and stab it into his side instead. "Maybe if you stopped letting me hit you!", he taunts back. Combat: Sandstorm misses Springer with his Side stab (Kick) attack!

"Time to /spring/ into action!"

The green Autobot takes to the air briefly, using his powerful legs to avoid the fury of Sandstorm's training knife. Upong landing back on two feet, Springer grabs his foe, and for a second their optics lock in some sort of weird Wrecker love....

NOT!!!

Springer rams his battle helm forward for a transformer-sized head butt. "Maybe this will knock some sense into you! Don't let me know where your coming with the knife! Wait until the last micro-second to let me know where you're going to strike!" Combat: Springer strikes Sandstorm with his Use Your Head (Smash) attack!

CLANG! It's a good thing they've both got really hard heads. Though Sandstorm certainly got the worst of the that, staggering back a few steps after the impact. Then takes another step or two back as he rubs his head a bit. "Well, if you insist."

Sandstorm kicks off as if he was going to charge Springer again. When he closes in he makes a quick slashing swipe with the knife... But it comes up short of hitting. As he was using the feint just to get his arm raise, and thrusts it back down to try and club Springer with the bottom of the hilt instead. Let's see him see -that- coming then! Combat: Sandstorm misses Springer with his Handle you roughly (Kick) attack!

Sometimes, even larger things can be excessively quiet and unobtrusive until they're almost on top of someone. How else does Grimlock get the drop on someone? But in the case of Steeljaw, his subtleness is a bit more practiced and actually on purpose. Which may explain that despite the fact that Steeljaw is now about thirty feet tall or so, he quietly enters the training room. Likely looking to take advantage of the free time to get used to his new size. Except the room is occupied already.

Steeljaw settles down in a corner, being as unobtrusive as possible. Which is odd for something with solid gold armor. But he still manages it, sitting on his haunches to observe the two fighters curiously.

Sandstorm's move was definitely an improvement on his previous attempt, but alas Springer was still quicker this time around. Swinging his arm at his foe's to parry the attack, the Wrecker sets up his offense off the defense.

"Hey Steeljaw, I see you've been eating those new Kibbles N' Energon Bits! They're working wonders for ya pal! Keep up the good eating!"

Focusing his attention back at the task at hand, Springer quickly grabs Sandstorm again by the chestplate. However, this time instead of throwing his head forward, he drops backward, using his opponent's weight as leverage for the classic overhead-toss.

"Ya know Sandstorm, it never hurts to go back to square one! Focus on landing your attack and worry about the technique later!" Combat: Springer misses Sandstorm with his Overhead Toss (Kick) attack!

Sandstorm gets hauled off his feet and tossed, there's no doubt about that. But a few seconds of airtime is more than enough for the daredevil to twist his body to land on his feet, crouching as he does so compressing his legs absorbs the recoil of the impact. Though thanks to Springer being the tough guy he is, Sandstorm's halfway across the training arena now. "Oh, hey Steeljaw, didn't see you there. And that's saying something now!"

Hmmm. Optics narrow a bit as he squints some at Springer opposite from him. "Y'know, it's a bit hard to stab you over there." He makes a quick snap of his arm, the sharp motion used to throw the knife at Springer instead. "But never said I had to be close!" Combat: Sandstorm misses Springer with his Knife Throw (Punch) attack!

Usually, Steeljaw is used to just not being seen at all. Sort of easy when everyone is so much bigger than you. So he briefly looks a little surprised that he actually gets some attention. "Thanks, I think," He tilts his head slightly to one side, his tail tapping against the ground a couple of times as he watches.

"Don't mind if I watch, do you?"

Springer shakes his head, "Always good to have someone here to witness how tough Wreckers are! You're more than welcome to throw your claws up and hang out....hey wait a minute...throw...GOOD IDEA!"

As Sandstorm's training knife comes flying into view, Springer extends his hands and expertly catches the weapon with the moves of a Texas Ranger.

Somewhere Chuck Norris is smiling.

Measuring the weight of the training knife in his hand, Springer takes aim and flings it back towards Sandstorm. "I don't have the receipt, but I hope you'll accept my return!" Combat: Springer misses Sandstorm with his Return To Sender (Pistol) attack! Combat: Springer (Springer) used "Pistol": A Level 1 RANGED attack.

"Maybe you'll learn somethin' about fighting with the big boys now."

Shoot, Springer managed to catch the knife. But Sandstorm is already moving onto the next step. As Springer is throwing the knife back he breaks into a charge towards the other Wrecker, ducking the blade hurtled at him.

Then pulls out a second knife as he closes in and tries again to stab it into Springer's side, hopefully before he realizes he's got a back up! Combat: Sandstorm sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Sandstorm misses Springer with his Best thing about knives easy to carry more than one! (Smash) attack!

"Woah! I forgot about that two-for-one special that was in the paper!"

Jumping a few steps back, Springer is successful at dodging another swing from Sandstorm. Looking at Steeljaw, the triple-changer walks over and slaps the larger beast on the top of the head, "Tell you what Steeljaw, since you're a 'bigger boy' now, I think it's time you tango with the 'big boys'. I think it'll be good training for you. What do you think?"

Jumping up onto an observation stool, Springer flexes his impressive arms behind his head, "Go get 'em Tiger..or Lion..or uh..well year...get 'em."

Sandstorm isn't so surprised when the quick legged Springer dodges again. That he's managed to make him have to keep quick thinking like that counts almost as much as actually hitting him.

He pauses a moment as Springer goes to tap Steeljaw in instead, and then snickers a bit. "Not a bad idea. Let's see how well I can do this against something a bit larger." And less tempermental than, say, a dinobot. He takes a moment to reset the simulator, and then crouchs a bit in a ready stance again, gripping the knife in one hand. "Let's see what you can do, goldy-paws."

Fangs show more as Steeljaw pulls himself up to all fours. He stretches out his front legs, arching his back briefly in a very feline like stretch. "I wouldn't mind the chance!" He grins wider, stretching out the other end of him. He has a lot more to stretch now, after all. He tilts his head a little at Springer, fangs showing more. "Gladly! Thanks, Springer."

Hind legs tense briefly, then release, as Steeljaw pushes himself into the center of the arena. Sparks fly when he catches the ground with his front claws, and swings his backside around to face Sandstorm. His tail lashes from side to side as he crouches down, the very epitome of a cat prepared to pounce. "Don't go easy on me just because I'm usually a lot smaller! I sure won't."

Then, Steeljaw untenses, and in one smooth motion, pushes himself out from his crouch and into a straight out pounce right at Sandstorm. Except that he isn't aiming with those wicked sharp fangs. It's with his claws that he tries to clamp down on Sandstorm. And a good deal of force behind the rush as well. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Clawing his way into the big leagues (Punch) attack!

Sandstorm chuckles a bit. "Going easy ain't in the Wrecker dictionary!" Neither are a few other choice words, such as 'sensible', if you ask a few people. "Gimme all you got."

Which he does. As the large clawed paw swipes at him, Sandstorm partially twists down from the appendage. Not enough to actually dodge, but that wasn't entirely the point. Claws scratch into his armor as he hits the ground.

But it also gives him the perfect oppritunity to do something that, due to his normally smaller perspective, Steeljaw won't be expecting. How often can someone actually attack his underside, after all? But right now from his spot on the ground and halfway beneath the feline, Sandstorm grips the knife in two hands and tries to thrust it up into Steeljaw's gold plated underbelly. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Steeljaw with his Gut stab (Kick) attack!

It's not something Steeljaw expects in the slightest. Seriously, the only thing that he has to worry about attacking his underbelly most of the time are humans and maybe other tapes. The knife begins to graze across the metal, creating sparks from the impact. Yet if there's anything Steeljaw knows, it's how to avoid critical damage. He rolls with the knife, hind paws quickly shuffling behind him.

"Nghr. Looks like I need to protect my stomach like this. Not used to that!" But it doesn't slow him down.

Claws grip at the ground as he pushes himself forward, taking advantage of the close range. He opens his jaw, aiming to grab ahold of Sandstorm by the shoulder. Wickedly sharp fangs try to clamp down, showing off his namesake, as it were. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Steel Jaws attack! [Pulled -2]

When the lion jerks away from getting stab, Sandstorm twists and rolls in the other direction, coming up onto one knee. "Hey better you find out now than in a real fight, bub." But he's not quick enough to evade the jaws clamping down on his shoulder and making the metal screech and crunch some. "Yow! That'd sting even if you were normal sized."

A grunt and a jerk, and he pulls himself away again, backing up a step. "Alright, -just- the knife ain't gonna cut it with you, Kitty Kong. Time for some combined tactics." He tosses the knife into his other hand to keep it handy as he backs up, and pulls out his rifle. "I'll just have to soften ya up a bit first!" A stream of corrosive silicate spews from the weapon to hopefully blast away some of that shiny armor. Be glad its only a sim! Combat: Sandstorm misses Steeljaw with his At least its not WATER! attack! [Pulled -2]

Chances are, Steeljaw wasn't clamping down on Sand's shoulder as hard as he could be, because it's not altogether that difficult to twist away from the giant metal cat. But Steeljaw isn't going to relent! His paws hit the ground hard in an attempt to keep up close and personal with Sandstorm. At least, until he pulls out that rifle. Somehow, cats can always tell when there's liquid around, and Steeljaw is no different. Optics grow wide, as he quickly tries to change his trajectory. But being a lion, his strength is in his powerful rushes, not in his agility. He manages to avoid the stream of corosive liquid, at least mostly, by hitting the ground in a roll. Some of it gets on his tail, making the end begin to rust over.

"... Thank goodness this is just a simulation. I do not want to know how long it'd take to sand the rust off of that," He rumbles in irritation, tail flicking briefly. "Remind me not to face you for real with THAT weapon."

He remains crouched to the ground, poised and ready to snap out. But those rifles train on Sandstorm, glowing. There's no sunlight in the room, but he doesn't need it for those rifles on his back. Mostly thanks to how long he lies out in the sun each day to charge his batteries. They begin to fire, releasing what looks to be a solid stream of material, but which is in fact just rapid fire metal pellets. They don't hurt much probably, but they're bigger than they used to be. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Solar-Powered Pellet Guns attack!

And this is where you get to see just how reckless/crazy/insert your word here the Wreckers can be. Sandstorm pushes off from his crouch and runs -right into- the volley of pellet fire, sparks flying every time one of them rattles against his form as he charges.

Then at the last steps leaps into the air towards Steeljaw, gripping the knife in both hands as he tries to thrust it into his shoulders. Or there of in general, considering the armor mane makes it hard to tell exactly, but you get the general idea. "Banzai!" Combat: Sandstorm strikes Steeljaw with his Overhead Stab (Smash) attack! Combat: You took 3 damage from that attack.

The barrage of pellets stops the moment that Steeljaw realizes that it has no real effect on the Wrecker's speed. Tenacious is a pretty good way to describe these guys, it seems. He rises, pushing up with his powerful legs to launch him right at Sandstorm. Or rather, slightly off from Sandstorm. He misjudges just how maneuverable this new shape actually is tough. If he was smaller, sure it might miss. But in this case, it lands solidly on his shoulder, sparks flying.

With a grunt of a growl, Steeljaw pushes himself upwards. His head comes up to try and slam the underside of Sandstorm's wrist, trying to force that knife upwards. And with it, rises his entire body. He's literally throwing his weight around, trying to slam into Sandstorm point blank, while bringing those claws to bear on his chest in a move seen primarily in documentaries of actual lions. Combat: Steeljaw misses Sandstorm with his CRIST IT'S A LION GET IN THE CAR (Kick) attack!

The maneuver isn't a total waste at least. Steeljaw's armor is a bit thicker than Sandstorm imagined considering he use to be a tape, and though the stab hits it doesn't get the purchase he was hoping for and the bucking is enough to dislodge him from his sparring partner.

Sandstorm was known for his headstrong courage and reckless advances. But people seem to forget just how sharp of a processor is running behind the cockney smirk. After the first few roundabouts he's picking up on the details other people don't always consider, like in the way Steeljaw moves and responds to the attacks.

As such he sees the follow-up coming with the paws, and quickly jukes out of the way in a flurry of sidesteps. "Well, no matter how big you get, there's still one advantage you can't copy!"

In a flurry of motion Sandstorm takes off, reverting into helicopter mode. And as he rises into the air the swirling vortex of his propellor starts whipping up clouds of grit from the ground and sending it whipping about to obscure the field of vision for a few moments around them. Jumping to the air, Sandstorm twists around rapidly, rotors whirl to life and he takes off in his helicopter mode. Combat: Sikorsky S-61R Copter  strikes Steeljaw with his Sandstorm attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Steeljaw's Accuracy. (Blinded)

Sadly for Steeljaw, he does have a significant weakness when it comes to facing off against fliers. That is, of course, the fact that he can't /fly/. Sand whips up around him, obscuring him from view. He growls in frustration as sand starts to get into his optics, making it hard to see. In fact, almost makes it painful to look around him.

But he doesn't emerge from the flurry of dust as quickly as might be expected. Even though most may consider him a 'wild animal', there is a mind as sharp as some of the scientists in the autobots. He crouches low, about as low as can manage at this size. And observes. His intense sensor systems cut throught he sand, and over the course of a second, Steeljaw is already halfway through scanning Sandstorm's armor and systems for vaulnerabilities. Combat: Steeljaw sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Steeljaw analyzes Sandstorm for weaknesses.

He's out of sight, but not out of scent or sound. But it's a start, at least. Sandstorm is using the brief but intense dust devil for as much a smokescreen as he is to blind Steeljaw. He pulls up higher into the air, pausing for a moment when the titan-fided cassette doesn't attack back directly. Which means he's probably plotting something.

Not that it stops him. From his overhead vantage point Sandstorm can make out the shadow of where Steeljaw is crouching as the sands start to settle, and that's enough for him to line up... and transform.

"GERONIMO!"

Dropping from above, light glints off the practice combat knife as he aims to try and land on the cat's backside, and aim the blade for the joint between his shoulder and foreleg. With a lightning fast flip and twist, Sandstorm lands in his robot mode, ready for action. Combat: Sandstorm sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Sandstorm misses Steeljaw with his Ride'em Wrecker! (Kick) attack! Sandstorm needs to stop yelling like that and giving it away

In the cover of the small dusty whirlwind, Steeljaw sets himself up. He adjusts himself just so, watching Sandstorm's movements closely, attempting to predict them. In the cover of the sand, a grin starts to form on Steeljaw's maw. He lowers himself further, servos tensing, coiling like springs ready to burst. And when Sandstorm drops, Steeljaw strikes.

Steeljaw launches himself upwards, nearly straight up, a feral roar bursting from his muzzle. Jaws open wide, he seems to be thrusting himself right into Sandstorm's attack. Which isn't quite so far off. He shifts his head just at the last moment, evading the dagger. And with his jaws open wide, aims to clamp down on Sandstorm's arm. Tightly.

And aims to bring him back down to earth with him. Somehow, trying to end up on top of the other bot. Combat: Steeljaw sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his LET LOOSE THE LIONS OF WAR! attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Sandstorm's Agility. (Crippled)

.. Oh, scrap. Apparently he may not be very fast, but Steeljaw is one -hell- of a leaper. The attempt at stabbing him misses as Sandstorm is intercepted, and the jaws bite down hard enough to actually cause part of his armor frame the crunch inward from the pressure. Even if this is a simulation, that really hurts like a son of a glitch!

"I really hope this is enough training to get the real thing approved," Sandstorm mutters mostly to himself as he squirms a bit, as if trying to get free. Darn rules insisting he clock so much practice time before they'll let him have the actual heated blade he wanted. Alas.

Or maybe he's not trying to wiggle loose. Well, he is to an extent. But he's also trying to squirm enough that, to encourage letting go of him, he can pull out his blaster, and fire it down Steeljaw's maw. Wouldn't do much to armor at this point, but getting your mouth full of high velocity sand is still unpleasant! Hopefully. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Steeljaw with his Suck on this! attack! Combat: Drained 8 energon.

Well, you take vinegar to a real cat to get them to stop doing something. Obviously, it takes a bit more to get a metal cat to stop doing something. Blasting them with sand down their maw seems like a pretty good way to do that. Steeljaw growls in annoyance as sand blasts right down his gullet. He releases instantly, staggering backwards away from Sandstorm. And the noise he makes sound something akin to a real cat trying to get out a hairball, coughing sand out on the arena floor.

"Ugh, that's just VILE!" He stammers, spitting out more sand from his maw. "Fewh!"

But he's not about to let himself get truly distracted. For long, really. Honestly. Legs tense, servos humming quietly as he builds up strength behind him. And he barrels right back right at Sandstorm. Not to latch on with jaws or claws. But to smash into him, trying to hit him hard and fast, possibly trying to jar that pistol out of his hand the way that his head aims to come against that head first. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Smash attack!

Sandstorm clunks to the ground and bounds back a few steps, chuckling a bit and twirling the gun in his hand. "No offense Steel, but I've had bigger things try and eat me before. Know how to get them to let go." And then the big cat charges right at him. A saner Autobot probably would of taken the advantage of size and just dodged out of the way.

But this is Sandstorm we're talking about here. Granted, he'd probably be doing better if he wasn't trying to 'practice' with the knife, but that's the whole point of training with it now. Learn what works and what doesn't work.

Steeljaw plows right into him, partially because Sandstorm lunges on him at the same instant. The giant feline's shoulder slams into his already chewed up and crumpled midsection, causing a few subsystems to offline as they're shook up violently. But it also leaves the Wrecker hanging off his shoulder a bit, and he tries to reach back far enough to jab and twist the knife into the cat's side one last time. Combat: Sandstorm sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Steeljaw with his Desperate times call for desperate STABBITY! (Kick) attack!

Being big, there is an awful lot of Steeljaw to aim at. We're talking lots of room to jab something into one of his shoulders. Sort of like the tip of a knife, jabbed right into the joint of his shoulder. He snarls in pain, because even though this is all just a simulation, that still hurts. But he doesn't try to pull away from the pain in his shoulder.

Using his strength to its fullest, Steeljaw starts to push at Sand. He forces all of his weight against the smaller bot, trying to push him backwards at more and more speed. Until finally, they hit the wall. Which, Steel will hit whether or not Sand is there between him and the wall. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Between a Lion and a Rock (Ram) attack!

Wham! Sandstorm jerks back a bit as he's slammed into the wall, grunting with the impact. That stung, yes, but speed clearly isn't the lion's strong suit. "Heh... you put up a good fight for someone normally not so big." The Wrecker is kind of on his last legs here (and they're not even touching the ground at the moment), but even if he did want to quit its not really a good position for it. With a snort he pulls the knife out. "Next time I won't focus on just the knife so much, give ya -real- fight." And makes another attempt to dig in with it, this time aiming for the base of where Steeljaw's neck structures would be, hoping the mane armor isn't quite so thick towards the end. Combat: Sandstorm strikes Steeljaw with his Spinal Tap (Kick) attack!

Now the real question, could Steeljaw really take this much of a beating as his smaller self in the first place? But there certainly is a good deal of armor there in his neck. He shifts just as Sandstorm removes the blade to try and go for another strike. Shifting just enough so that he can cover his neck slightly, blocking it with the thicker armored mane. "Heh... By then I might be small again," He huffs, though he actually sounds a touch disappointed about that. Knowing cats, he's not even remotely close to giving away his true feelings about something. "But I'll face off again against you any cycle, you put up a good fight."

Stretching his neck out, he pushes forward abruptly. Fangs open wide again, grabbing not at the hand that stabbed him, but at that free hand. He tries to grab it firmly by the wrist, jaws clamping down. And abruptly twists his neck with as much force as he can put behind it, attempting to slam Sand into the wall properly this time. Combat: Steeljaw strikes Sandstorm with his Steel Jaws attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Sandstorm's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: Sandstorm falls to the ground, unconscious.

There's a point where even the hardest and bravest know they've about had it. But he's gotten in plenty of good shots with the knife, getting the hang of picking out the right spots to hit. And Sandstorm's pretty much reached that point. "Well.. hey, at least you'll know better how to fight the bigger guys after being one, right?"

Witty advice gets cut short though as he's grabbed in those jaws one more time, and the lion smashes him against the wall like a chewtoy. "Gah!" Battered and bashed to the point even he can't hold out any longer, Sandstorm slumps limp in the feline's jaws.

At least until the system reboots after the fight is over, at least. "Okay, okay, you've got me... can you put me down now?"

And it shows that the Wrecker has gotten some pretty good shots on Steeljaw. There's gouges all over his form, and some of his face has been sandblasted. And rust has now overtaken his entire tail. His coolant system is making him breath heavily to cool off his enlarged processor. But it's also him caught up in the moment. His simulated breathing starts to slow as the simulation comes to an end, erasing all the marks on his form.

Slowly, surely, he unclamps his jaw, to finally let Sandstorm go. Then, abruptly, the big cat butts his head against Sandstorm's briefly like one very large, metallic kitten. He even has the brief purr, but it sounds more like a strange sort of metallic growl than anything. "Thanks for the spar, Sandstorm. You alright? I don't know my own strength right now."

Sandstorm urfs, tucking the knife away and rubbing his head some as he uses the wall to push himself to his feet. "Heh, yeah, I'll be fine. I'd say something about being through worse, but that's kinda cliche from my sort." He gives the giant feline a pat on the head as he steps around him. "As I was sayin', just remember, even if you do go back to normal sized, ya can still learn a thing or two now that'll be useful, no?" He walks over to the training room console and after a few taps of the controls it spits out a data card to him. "Hopefully that'll be enough 'practice' logged to get me the real thing, this was just a trainin' blade." He tucks the card away, smirking. "Not nearly as awesome."

"I would say that the pain in my neck and shoulder is enough proof that you've had enough training in it," Steeljaw rumbles, his naturally rumbling voice giving him the impression of more of a beast than his worse suggest. "When you get the real blade, we will need to fight again. I want to take advantage of learning as much aboug this size as I can." So at least he does sound like he's taking Sandstorm's suggestions! "What sort of blade are you looking to upgrade to?" He asks, curiously as he follows after. Cats, curious about everything

"I'm hoping so! Not the most damaging weapon, but hey, I like to get up really close, so it suits me better than a sword would. Besides, it has other uses." He flicks the blade out again in one hand, and makes a cutting motion with it. "Nice for cutting and prying stuff and not falling off cliffs when you stab it into rocks. And throwing. When it works." Speaking of, he walks over to pick up the one that Springer tried to throw back at him earlier. "Thermal blade. The heat's suppose to warp and and weaken metal so it can cut in easier."

Steeljaw tilts his head slightly to one side. If he was a real cat, he'd have one ear cocked back curiously as if in thought. "Thermal blades would be useful to cut into armor such as my own," He admits with a nod of his head. Then snorts quietly, sounding briefly disgusted, "Just keep that corroding weapon away from me. I was worried that the rust may actually pass over."

Sandstorm grunts a bit as he puts both knives away. "That's the other reason I need something to mix it up with. Relying too much on one weapon isn't all that good in my line of work, either." Then leans on the wall with one arm, so he can catch his own breath and let his systems cool down. Simulated or not, that was a workout. Especially after going at it a few rounds with Springer beforehand. "Any other questions about fighting with the big bots?"

Frowning thoughtfully, Steeljaw settles himself down on his haunches when Sandstorm stops for his cooling systems to catch up. Actually, despite being such a big size 'class', it'd be hard to tell just how large he is just by how tall he is. Mostly because there's a lot more to him in his depth as well. It's a little more obvious when he sits down. "Not really. But before I ended up like this, I was considering upgrading my systems somehow," He muses, tilting his head slightly over to one side, "... I rely too heavily on my jaws. I'm currrious if you'd have any suggestions."

Sandstorm shifts his position a little, so he's instead leaning his back against the wall, and crosses his arms over his chest plate. "My advice? Don't make the big mistake most people do, thinking strongest is best. Sure, it helps. But hitting someone repeatly with a less potent attack can do just as much damage in the end. And... well." He shrugs his shoulders a little and smirks. "You get guys worse than me, who aren't gonna think 'little stuff' is a big deal, and not think about how it racks up in the end." He half unfolds an arm to reach up and tap one temple of his helm with a finger. "Might sound weird comin' from a Wrecker, but war's as much a thinkin' game as it is swinging fists and unloading clips of ammo into some poor sucker."

"It does sound strange coming from a wrecker," Steeljaw replies dryly, though there's a hint of amusement, "Are you sure that I didn't slam you against the wall a little too hard?" He frowns a little bit again, tilting his head slightly to the side. His tail twitches abesntly from side to side a little bit. "Maybe I should ask for an upgrade to my solar systems to add something that can create a system-confusing pulse of light energy. Maybe a bit of a heat effect as well, but primarily to confuse and dazzle. It would be useful to getting away in a scouting mission as well." A pause, as he looks down, "Well, if I return to my original size."

"Or the reflection off that armor of yours!", Sandstorm replies with a chuckle. "Though, seriously, that's a good idea. Y'saw what I did with my sandstorm... though it didn't stop your nose too much. Maybe.. well, I'm sure you could ask one of the tech-heads for more ideas. My knowledge is limited to knowing how to break Decepticons' stuff." Somewhat of an exaggeration, but it is what he uses it for most of the time. "And if you did get small again, a bedazzlin' would be a good setup for yer bigger allies too." He lowers his arms to push off from the wall. "Right, now that I'm not weezing through my manifold, I'm gonna go turn these training logs in."

"Hmmm..." Seems like the wheels are turning in Steeljaw's head now. The tail behind him twitches back and forth a few times in thought, as he tilts his head a little to one side. "I'll have to ask Jetfire. He seems to understand the finer points of systems." But, abruptly, the feline tilts his head back and makes a wide, rather loud yawn. Just a signal from his systems that he's getting a little bit low on energy. Great, being bigger means that he has to take more naps to recover his energy. "I'm going to find some place to recharge. There must be some place I can find here."

"On the hull?", Sandstorm jokes. Then adds more seriously, "They probably have sunlamps or some such in one of the labs. Try that." He gives the golden feline a final pat on the head as he walks towards the doors. "I'd say take it easy, but that'd just be repeating things, hehe."

On the plus side? Steeljaw can be pet by bigger transformers without them having to worry about actually crushing him. So the feline in him is relishing the attention that he gets, resulting him in pressing agaisnt the pat briefly. "Haw haw. I don't need to be a big gold target." He seems to grin a little, tilting his head a bit as he starts to walk towards the exit. "I'm a cat, we have no issue with taking it easy. See you, Sandstorm. Good luck getting your full dagger."