Star-Crossed Paths

Deep Space - Subplanar

These reaches of space are a hollow grey from the light given off by Quintesson, Lygia, and the Orion Nebula. It is a wide expanse of emptiness, completely devoid of character or feature. Quiet desperation is the overwhelming feeling here, as somehow a hollow grey is less comforting than a pitch black. Or at least it seems that way now...

Contents:

Snapdragon

Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet

Sky Lynx

Robot Pteranodon &lt;Swoop&gt;

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt;

Windshear

Black Dassault Rafale &lt;Vendetta&gt;

Springer

Panavia Tornado GR1 Fighter Jet &lt;Darkwing&gt;

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt;

Autobot Shuttle &lt;Sarikus&gt; Rodimus Prime

Obvious exits: Above Plane &lt;AP&gt; leads to Quintessa System. Driftward &lt;D&gt; leads to Orion Nebula. Coreward &lt;C&gt; leads to Deep Space - Subplanar. Spinward &lt;S&gt; leads to Deep Space - Subplanar. Rimward &lt;R&gt; leads to Lygian System.

It not just one thing after another. No, it's a whole bunch of things constantly.

The Decepticons own Mexico and seem to be building one hell of a ditch there. They're putting fake bases on Cybertron for some reason. Several Autobots have been turned into collector's items. They *still* haven't figured out what all is up with that Dyson Ring.

Rodimus Prime sits slumped in the co-pilot seat of the Sarikus, watching the sensors. "All right, steer a bit more towards these co-ordinates," he tells the pilot, transferring the co-ordinates over. Then he rubs his forehead. "We've still got a ways to go... how far away *did* that guy take our guys?" Then he activates his radio to speak to Sky Lynx. "Hey, Lynx, see anything out there so far?"

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; has volunteered for the arduous task of... monitoring the sensors. Naturally, he's concerned over missing allies, but a small part of him is terribly amused that they'd been stolen by what appeared to be a massive kitbashing nerd. He stands in his tiny exo to the left of Rodimus. "At least we have a lead," he notes absently.

Because no mission is complete without a Dinobot, Swoop has come along for the ride and the brawling if the opportunity arises. He sits in the shuttle, seat belt latched securely across his lap. Swoop is all about safety, baby. "We there yet? Me so bored!"

If you're going to have a shuttle pilot, you might as well have the best one on your side. That was at least Springer's mentality about his current position.

Maneuvering the Sarikus with ease, the Autobot shifts his optics over Rodimus Prime's incoming coordinates. "Roger that Captain...I'll have us there quicker than Blur can hiccup."

Tapping his metallic fingers over the shuttle's controls, Springer calculates an intercept course for the latest coordinates. Once the data has been input, he pushes the velocity controls forward.

As the shuttle lurches forward with a boost from the engines, Springer peers up at the viewscreen, "If we're looking for our guys, then you have to figure the Decepticons are doing the same. Our sensors are clear so far, but I recommend we stay on the alert Prime."

"Afraid not, Rodimus. While I hate to being the pessimist around here, but it does seem like we're wandering ahead blindly. There's no habitable planetoids within a 2 light years vicinity." Sky Lynx responds grimly as he flies in formation with the Sarikus. The Autobot lieutenant commander has thus far been tagging along, flying wingman and generally acting as an early detection for the Autobot shuttle behind him. He hasn't been stopping much since the Autobots' abduction, it's clear that the large dinobird is very much concerned with the task of recovering his lost subordinates.

The large Autobot occasionally breaks away as false blips on the sensors in deep space draws his attention.

Windshear is flying along, following the Sweep leader in this small assault shuttle he bought from Swindle. He doesnt remember buying it, doesnt know Swindle that well and sadly thinks he got duped somehow in one of his drunken binges. But if it keeps him in one peice for this space mission so be it. Hes so not built for a vacum environment so hes in a shuttle... that hes just realized is an escape pod not an assault shuttle. Slag was he drunk that night. Well, its got something slapped on it for a weapon and after some quick system checks it does seem to be hooked up fairly well and looking functional. The Seeker quickly makes some adjustments to some circuit panels to try and make it better. And then tossing his tools aside he continues to follow the Sweep. &lt;"Anything yet, Scourge?"&gt; Windshear asks through the comm.

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; is flying escort for Scourge, which is pretty funny, all things considered. She's a decent scout, but no better than that, and she certainly isn't a master tracker. The space F-35 does pay attention, as best she can, but she's mostly just cataloging space junk and comparing it to her ephemeris maps. Catechism comments, &lt;&lt;Huh. Oddly-shaped comet coming up at 12'o'clock.&gt;&gt; It is the most interesting thing that she has seen in hours, she swears.

The grungy, grimy Snapdragon sits at a console onboard the Decepticon cruiser, dripping his filthy drippings all over the computer. "What a waste of time... That bearded freak Scourge can do all the sniffin' and trackin' all on his own, he never needed to drag half the army with him." The Headmaster/Horrorcon bemoans, as he idly flicks some black sludge-boogers across the cabin.

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; would scowl if he could in this mode. It was nice to actually have some company in space... but at the same time, it meant all these jets and groundpounders were invading -his- domain. Ugh. Having to share space with the riffraff. If he wasn't more interested in finding the alien scum that has the gall to treat their superior mechanical race as -collectable nicknacks- and nuking his most prized collection from a high geosyncronized orbit just to piss the intergalactic brat off, he would probably be dissing everyone else present. Hmph. But as is he's keeping quiet and staying closer to the front of the pack, just behind the Sweeps as they do their thing, mainly just because he has more respect for Scourge and Co. than he does the non-spacefarers, so he'd rather be closer to them.

"This astronomical sector is more sparse than the inside of Brawl's head unit," he mutters over the local faction radio to no one in particular.

He's also trying hard to not do more than snicker at Windshear's ride, knowing full well where he got it from. Score another mark for Swindle.

Vendetta is aboard the shuttle with Windshear since he is not space capable. For the moment, the seeker focuses on making last minute checks on his weapons. "Are vee zhere yet?"

Ahh, the thrills of the hunt. The very purpose that Scourge had been created; And the Sweep commander did it very well. He had picked up on the ion trail left by the Guardian's propulsion system, and had been following it. Granted, there were a /lot/ of ion trails around, but Scourge's advanced sensors had managed, after studying each for a short time, that /this/ trail was indeed the correct one. Flying well ahead of the shuttle that followed behind, the 'rescue' party, he kept on the trail, only turning his sensors away only to check for Autobots, or anything that might prove a threat or deterrent to his mission.

After a long, long hunt so far, deep into the darkness of space, those Unicronian sensors pick up something, moving into a course that would intersect with his own, and the Collector's, paths. From this distance, it was difficult to tell exactly what it was, but from it's trajectory, size, and what readings he had on it, it was almost certainly an Autobot shuttle. &lt;&lt;Decepticons, a shuttle approaches on vector 329. Break off and run them off or terminate them. The Sweeps will continue the hunt, rejoin when you have finished.&gt;&gt;

With the sound ot turnign gears ans shifting metal, Darkwing changes into his ever blue robot mode.

Darkwing was also aboad the cruiser with Snapdragon; unfortunatly without his lazy aft brother he wasn't able handle space travel. "That collector has a Guardian robot, and who knows what else he has collected. Even Scourge is intellgent enough to know that back up will be needed if we actually manage to find that slaghead."

Rodimus Prime sighs. "Thanks, Spike, but I've come to believe that just because things could be worse doesn't mean I need to be thrilled that they're bad." Then he shakes his head and glances back. "No, Swoop. Not there yet." He nods at Springer. "I'm sure we're all ready for the worst, Springer, but..." He nods towards Spike. "Better run another sensors sweep, Spike. And Sky Lynx," he adds over the radio, "we're not blind. We're just... not there yet. That Guardian must of took them quite a distance away."

"Oh," Swoop says quietly. He puts his hands on his lap and twiddles his thumbs, eyes darting around the room, desperate to find something, anything, to occupy his time. He unbuckles his safety belt, stands up, and begins to walk around the shuttle. "We there yet now?" he asks excitedly.

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; does sympathize with poor Roddy, for what it's worth. "Sorry Swoop, long way to go." As instructed, he hovers up to the console and activates another sweep. "...We've got some life." He pauses a moment, waiting for more data to feed in. "Decepticons, a number of 'em." He peers up at the viewscreen, unperturbed.

&lt;Autobot&gt; Sky Lynx says, "Tally ho, mechs! Hostile targets detected a few klicks away.  Pity.  I had hoped the Decepticons would refill their roster with more fodder, rather than search for them."

Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet cruises along the same vector as the Autobot shuttle, but in a picket position far to the port. Inside, James runs checks over the sophisticated sensor suite in his Exo-Jet. Always alert in space, where quick decisions are essential and the tiniest mistake could mean death, James is even more on edge given the nature of this trip. He blinks and then peers at a sensor display more closely.

Where the heck was Arcee?!? Springer understood that the Autobots were searching for their comrades, but he sure was curious as to where his favorite femme was these days.

After thinking about the color pink for a second, the Wrecker shakes off the memory-bank retrieval as he hears Spike chime in from the sensor station. Running his optics over the viewscreen, Springer points towards the twinkling lights that are fast-approaching. "Looks like the femme scouts are out selling energon cookies again! I'm bringing the ship's tactical systems online now!"

Hitting the big red button that says --WEAPONS ON -- Springer moves the Sarikus into firing range. "Time to show these Decepticons the meaning of air superiority!"

Sky Lynx rockets further ahead, placing himself between the Autobot shuttle and the incoming Decepticons in an effort to act as a barrier for the other non-space worthy Autobots that he's charged with the duty of protecting. The Autobot lieutenant commander swiftly falls into a defensive flight pattern, goading whichever Decepticon who is aggressive enough to approach him. "Well now, looks like we're going to get side tracked after all."

Combat: Sky Lynx sets his defense level to Protected.

"I have no idea." Windshear replies to Vendetta as he continues to follow the party in this assualt-- escape shuttle. A wing twitches in annoyance at the thought that he actually got duped. Thats ok, revenge is sweet as they say... he picks up Scourges comment then and angles the shuttle to the coordinates given. "At least this is a long distance /escape/ pod. Its propulsion systems arent bad at all. Maybe if it makes it through this mission in one piece I might just upgrade it to a full assault shuttle." he says as he heads for the unknown shuttle to take it down. The shuttle comes into view quick enough and with a smirk, Windshear sees it for what it is. "Autobots." he rasps and in the same beat opens fire.

Combat: Windshear strikes Rodimus Prime with his Laser attack!

Vendetta raises from his seat at the mention of Autobots and draws his sword to make sure the blade is ready to slash some poor guy. "Ahhh yes vhis should be entertaining." Not totally convinced the timing was the best to launch the assault Vendetta stays back in the shuttle and observes for now.

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; gawks at the comet like a goober - the wonder of space travel has not warn off on her yet. &lt;&lt;It looks sort of like Blot!&gt;&gt; Then Scourge warns that there is a shuttle approaching, and she blurts, &lt;&lt;What, really?&gt;&gt; Catechism looks along the indicated vector. &lt;&lt;Oh, really! Oh good, that's more interesting than that comet, anyway.&gt;&gt; She peels off, breaking hard and fast toward the shuttle. However, between the shuttle and her, like Gandalf between the Fellowship and the Balrog, is Sky Lynx, the beast she tricked underwater to help teach her student, Ruse, a lesson. Over shortrange, she challenges, &lt;&lt;Oh hello, did you ever get the water out? Or would you like me to boil it off for you?&gt;&gt; Catechism presses in for a close pass, trying to image the shuttle.

Combat: Catechism sets her defense level to Protected.

Combat: Catechism analyzes Sky Lynx for weaknesses.

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; quickly switchs his sensors to scan in the direction indicated when Scourge points it out. &lt;Well well, seems we have a bit of unwanted space debris&gt;. This trip may not be so dull after all. The Combaticon shuttle banks from the path with the flare of thrusters as he adjusts course and turns towards the Autobots. Despite being one present designed for outer space, he's in no hurry to actually charge them. Why, when he doesn't need to?

Panels open in the sides of the shuttle and Blast Off's X-ray cannons slide out, locking into place, as well as a smaller gun turret beneath his nosecone. Scanners sweep over the gather... but he finds a much more deserving mark than even the Autobots. &lt;&lt;Disgusting organic germ!&gt;&gt; While maintaining his safe distance, Blast Off fires a laser bolt at the Exo-Jet. Yes, he's enough of a big jerk to shoot at the human ship instead. &lt;&lt;Your inferiority has no place amongst the magestic spans of space!&gt;&gt;

Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded.

"Huh, looks like this won't be so boring after all!" Snapdragon replies to Darkwing, as the big filthy Decepticon rises from his seat, and heads for the escape hatch. He grabs a zero-G jetpack, and dives out into space, ready to dish out some hurt on the Autobots! Sky Lynx's presence makes choosing a target an easy task, and as Snapdragon bursts out of the 'con shuttle, he makes a slow bee-line for the massive spacefaring Autobot, firing his gyro-guns to keep Sky Lynx off-guard.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; strikes Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with his Damn kids get off my intergalactic yard! (Laser) attack!

Combat: Snapdragon sets his defense level to Aggressive.

Combat: Snapdragon uses up a charge on his Radar Helmet booster pack!

Combat: Snapdragon strikes Sky Lynx with his Gyro-Guns attack!

Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Sky Lynx's Agility. (Crippled)

Those Autobots might be a fair distance away still, but in space, that distance meant little. Scourge continues, however, on the trail of the Collector's Guardian robot. If the others need his assistance dealing with the Autobots, they will undoubtedly call him. In anticipation of such an event, the Sweep commander slows his pace, to remain close enough to close the distance between himself and the Autobots quickly.

Darkwing grins and chuckles. "Yes, I didn't think we'd cross their paths so soon." Darkwing replies as he too grabs one of the jets back, and exits the ship. "Oh and look, their giant Turkey's here again..." He says and fires his blasters on Sky Lynx.

Combat: Darkwing strikes Sky Lynx with his Electro-Kinetic Blasters attack!

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; isn't exactly equipped for hardcore space maneuvering, but he's got the basics, and he intends to use them. Darting for the airlock, he climbs out onto the Sarikus' hull with magnetized feet and lifts his weapon-mounted arm, aiming for the nearest 'con he spots. &lt;&lt;Got a shuttle on your tail there, Bailey.&gt;&gt; It's Blast off who he happens to target anyway, so he charges his blaster, a sphere of red light expanding before lancing towards the Decepticon.

Combat: Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; sets its defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; misses Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with its Laser attack!

Rodimus Prime starts to turn around, now annoyed, and snaps out, "No, Swoop, not yet!" Then he gets a warning, both from Spike in person and Sky Lynx and James over the radio. "Damn it," Rodimus mutters, activating his own weapons console. "I'm... going to try the radio first. We're both after the same thing, after all." He reaches towards the controls, then hesitates. "Naw. Why give them another chance to stab us in the backs? Bring us around, Springer. We're going in guns bla- ack!" The shuttle rocks, slamming his forcefully back against his seat. "So much for negotiations," he smiles grimly as he activates his seat's weapon systems. "Let's see... looks like those 'Cons clustering around Sky Lynx are more dangerous than... is that an escape pod?" He shrugs and fires.

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Snapdragon with his Shuttle Lasers attack! [Pulled -9]

Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet is flash-fried by Blast-Off's attack, armor getting scorched from glossy matte-black to just plain black. Inside, several of the readouts momentarily blanked by snow as the delicate sensors are overwhelmed by the sudden energy, and the temperature suddenly increases a few degrees before internal climate control kicks in. But that's not what causes James to grimace. No, what causes him to grimace is the sight of the American Space Shuttle, legendary vehicle for peace, science and the overall betterment of human race...sporting lasers. And Decepticon emblems. That's what gets him, every time. Nevertheless, he takes up his control and flips his spacecraft onto a new vector before sending a few more energy bolts in addition to Spike's back at Blast Off.

Combat: Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet strikes Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with its Disruptor attack!

OH GOD, DECEPTICONS! There's only one robot for the job (actually there's a bunch of robots for this job but who's counting?) and he jumps into action. Swoop rushes across the shuttle and yanks a generic brand jet pack off the wall. He slips it over his shoulders and latches it. Before opening one of the shuttle hatches he looks over his shoulder and says, to no one in particular, "If me Swoop not come back, tell me wife 'hello'." Then he jumps out into the cold cold place we call outer space, waving his arms around wildly. "Hey Decepty-cons! You is all stupid and ugly!"

Somewhere from the darkness of space, Springer had just received his answer about Arcee, in some weird mental flash of sorts. Kind of like the hologram that R2-D2 made of Princess Leia for Luke.

With his fuel pump content for the moment, the Wrecker grits his teeth as he watches the flurry of laser fire light up the space around the shuttle. "Fancy Flying Rodimus?? That's my middle name back on Cybertron!!"

Pulling up on the ship's flight stick, Springer lines up the swarm of Decepticons in his sights. Looking down at his console, the triple-changer focuses the targeting reticule on Snapdragon. "Time to get a taste of Sarikus' lasers Decepticon!!!"

Squeezing the flight-strick trigger, a few bolts of laser dart into space.

Combat: Springer misses Snapdragon with his Sarikus Shuttle Lasers (Laser) attack!

&lt;EDC&gt; James Bailey says, "Appreciate the assist, General. This guy's specs say he's deadly in space."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off says, "Insolent Autobot scum. Not only do they plaque us with their presence, but they have the gall to bring their human -pets- with them and give them weapons. Pathetic."

&lt;EDC&gt; UN Gen. Spike Witwicky says, "All too aware. I don't need to tell you to keep focused. I'll try to cover as long as I can."

The Decepticons speeds in as the Autobot lieutenant commander had anticipated. Sky Lynx studies the approach of the three Decepticons that had entered an attack approach vector towards him, and attempts to steer their path of travel with a few convenient sprays of acetylene blaster fire from his gaping maw. "Well, I dare say you Decepticons are rather reckless tonight." The massive Autobot banks around, attempting to follow in behind Catechism as she zooms by but is quickly knocked off course as Snapdragon and Darkwing's combined attacks strikes him in the side.

Sky Lynx quickly finds him thrown into a spin as he goes off course from his intended target, "Gah! Bloody propulsion malfunction!" The large dinobird continues to sail helplessly across space, his engines temporarily offline.

Windshear sees his shot hit and grins. He looks at Vendetta, "Hey nice blade, not ready for that yet I think." he says and fires again at the Autobot shuttle, leaving the rest around to the other cons. I mean really who would expect an escape pod to be attacking, right?

Combat: Windshear strikes Rodimus Prime with his Laser attack!

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; watches as Sky Lynx sails away, rather anti-climactically. Hmm! Perhaps she should have attacked the /other/ prehistoric reptile present, instead. Catechism shouts over short wave, &lt;&lt;Hey. Hey you. What are you doing in space?&gt;&gt; Heckling completed, she opens fire on Swoop, zot zot zot.

Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; misses Swoop with her Zappy Space Explosions attack! [Pulled -3]

Snapdragon is jubilant that he pegged his long-time nemesis with a fancy gyro-gun blast, but his joy is short-lived as he gets blasted in the back by the Autobot shuttle's lasers. Normally he would shrug off the damage, but it also ruins his space-jet-pack, sending him spinning helplessly!

Combat: Snapdragon sets his defense level to Guarded.

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

Vendetta returns the sword to it's scabbard and observes for any lonely Autobot who would not expect to be stabbed in the back real quick. "Zon't vorry about me. Soo as vee reach atmosphere I shall unleash my zuperior skillz on zhe enemy. Fighting at zhe moment vould be a vaste of energon and efficiency. I can vait some more."

Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; pulls up and away from Spike's attempt at shooting with grace and easy, and more or less ignores him. He has no interest in squashing the bug trying to sting him from an airlock. Briefly he passes by Snapdragon and Darkwing's forms, snorting softly. "Amazing, your mediocare shooting skills managed to disable Sky Lynx," Then after a pause he adds in a less sarcastic tone, "Good job. Show the Autobots that even in space our airforce is superior!"

Then growls as he starts to pull away again, only to have energy bolts sheer his hull on one side and leave scorch marks in the already dark coloring. Once again he brings his bearing around to to track the Exo-Jet. With no more witty commentary this time, he's gone into full cold calculating mode. Maneuvering thrusters keep him tracking the spacefighter, leading its path a little, and then opens fire. The X-Ray cannons are actually less effective at combat range than they are orbital strikes, but they should still pack quite a sting.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; misses Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with his X-Ray Cannons attack! [Pulled -4]

"Spring-fancy-flying-er?" Rodimus asks the Triplechanger, faint smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. He's once more rocked heavily as the shuttle is hit, and comes away with another ding in his armor for his troubles. He glances down at the sensors and grumbles, "Not good... they've got too many space capables with them right now." He looks up at the viewscreen again. "Going for a wide spread to try to cut their numbers down," he says louder, his fingers working the controls, firing multiple shots at as many foes that he can target.

Combat: Rodimus Prime misses Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with his Wide Are Multi-Target Attack Area attack!

Combat: Rodimus Prime misses XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; with his Wide Are Multi-Target Attack Area attack!

Combat: Rodimus Prime (Rodimus Prime) used "Arm Blasters": A Level 4 AREA-RANGED attack.

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes Windshear with his Wide Are Multi-Target Attack Area attack!

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; scales the Sarikus' hull with a dull *clack-clack-clack* as he tries to find a better position. He ends up on the underside of the shuttle, upside down. Again, he takes aim on Blast Off and fires off three spherical blasts of contained molten heat. He also keeps an eye out for any other hits the Sarikus may take, blue visor scanning metal.

Combat: Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; misses Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; with its Heat Blast attack!

From Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt;, James Bailey's main thrusters kick in just as Blast Off is beginning to line up for his shot, and it accelerates toward a field of drifting space-debris. With no chance of dodging the attacks, James instead tries to find cover - or what passes for it in deep space. He rolls and pitches, keeping the fuselage of his jet mere meters from the jagged surfaces as he passes, but also using them to soak up the majority of the destructive energy from the Blast Off's dreaded cannons. Once the bombardment has stopped, his Exo streaks out of the X-Ray-blasted cloud of space-junk. Spotting the web of allied firepower zeroing in on Blast Off, James figures he has a few moments to try and distract some of the other Decepticons who are currently pounding on the Autobot shuttle (and maybe more importantly, his ride home). He quickly re-orients his fighter on Windshear and fires a few quick lasers that way.

Combat: Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet strikes Windshear with its Laser attack!

Watching his sensors, Scourge notes Snapdragon spiralling off into space. Worthless space-incapable warriors. Veering off from the ion trail of the Collector's Guardian robot, he streaks into the path of the jet-pack-less Decepticon to halt his careening off into the void. &lt;&lt;Stay in the shuttle next time, fool.&gt;&gt; If he doesn't hold on, he'll be sitting pretty close to stopped in the void, as the Sweep leader suddenly accelerates back towards the rest of the group, and the nearest shuttle, to drop Snapdragon back off.

Windshear cant help but grin a bit at Vendetta's accent. "If we find and atmosphere for some bot beating, I will make sure to get you there, Ven." he rasps and begins to fire at the shuttle again when theres an incoming blast. Pulling the escape pod hard port the Seeker tries to avoid but the shuttle just isnt fast enough and takes the hit broadside. Windshear tumbles out of his chair as sparks explode out of the nav console. "OH this is not good." he mutters as he scrambles back for the controls to try and get the shuttle back under control. He has no idea where Vendetta went, "You ok, Ven?" he asks as he brings the pod back under control and starts accessing the damage. And then the shuttle is hit again by some little spec. Windy waves away some smoke from some new damage and looks out the staticy viewscreen, "Oh no uhoh.. we just got hit by a human in a fake robot suit..." that annoyes him and he aims for the suit and fires.

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; gets her answer to her question. What is Swoop doing in space? Dodging her shots! How frustrating! So she seeks out a target less wily than the tricky Dinobot, and she goes after... uh, either some exos or Rodimus Prime. In a reflex action, she jinks to avoid the shot from Rodimus Prime, and the choice is made. She vectors around and opens fire on the Autobot leader.

Combat: Catechism sets her defense level to Guarded.

Combat: Windshear misses Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with his Laser attack!

Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; strikes Rodimus Prime with her That is what you get for shooting at me attack! [Pulled -4]

Snapdragon is no fool, despite his laziness and filthiness. He and Scourge do not always see eye-to-eye, but he knows he has to rely upon the Sweep this time. He grabs ahold of Scourge's hull with one greasy, grimy fist, being pulled along towards the fracas still underway. With his free hand, he opens fire upon the Sarikus, aiming for the shuttle's windows.

Combat: Snapdragon strikes Rodimus Prime with his Gyro-Guns attack! [Pulled -2]

&lt;&lt;Incoming dispersal fire!&gt;&gt; Blast Off belts over the tact-band as his sensors pick up the shuttle's firing. His exterior may look like a 20th century american shuttle, but he easily outperforms the apperance as he banks to the side and barrel rolls, spiralling his way through the shuttle's barrage. One of Spike's heat blasts does skim his nosecone, but the heat resistant re-entry plating abosrbs it without damage.

Watching as his previous target goes off after another attacking, Blast Off takes advantage of the break as well as his spin. As the momentum carries him along one side of the Autobot craft, he suddenly transforms into robot mode. The space warrior's feet automatically magnetize to land, and he levels his ionic blaster towards the exo-suited human. &lt;&lt;You should of stayed inside, insect.&gt;&gt; Though not firing yet. He's trying more to divide the Autobot's attention by doing the evilist thing possible. Threaten their little human 'pet'.

The shuttle unfolds as its size compresses down to form layers of armor, wings folding up as limbs and a head emerge, and Blast Off now stands hauntily in robot mode.

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

This time, between Catechism's attack and Snapdragon's, the shuttle is struck hard enough to throw Rodimus from his seat. He pushes himself to his knees, taking a moment to wipe away a small hydraulic leak that's sprung on his left shoulder. "Maybe one of these days I should learn to strap myself in," Rodimus mutters as he climbs back into the control seat. He says that, but he won't - he needs to be able to grab a jet pack and leave at a moment's notice. He overhears the radio taunts from Blast Off, and responds by activating his own radio.

//Kick him in the thrusters, Spike!// he shouts before opening fire on the Decepticons, trusting his old friend to let him know if he needs a bailing out.

Combat: Rodimus Prime strikes XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; with his High Power Sarikus Lazors attack! [Pulled -6]

Combat: You took 12 damage.

In James' experience, space combat tends to /not/ be a drawn-out affair of maneuver and countermaneuver the way EDC tactical doctrine suggests. Instead it's chaos, punctuated by brief periods of fire-shrieking fury and fear. Expert Exo-Pilots have learned to wait until they were within close range and then give as good as they get. When he sees Windshear raising a hand to take aim, James fires bursts of maneuvering thruster to vacate the line of fire, then sends himself straight at the Decepticon, only rolling out of the way at the last moment after firing off a tiny swarm of missiles.

Combat: Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet strikes Windshear with its Missile Swarm attack!

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; braces when the Autobot shuttle is hit, not that he really needed to keep his balance. With a curse, he rushes over to try and repair the damage, but gets stopped by a massive, heavy Combaticon foot in his path. He looks up, up, up and takes a tentative step backwards. &lt;&lt;Kick him in the thrusters... hnnn.&gt;&gt; For being currently tape-sized, Spike isn't terribly keen on doing such. He begins backpedalling, gun lifted towards Blast Off's helm in some form of defense.

Combat: Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; strikes Blast Off with its Laser attack!

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off hrrns coldly. "Pains my pride to waste effort on the bug, but he was attempting to repair their craft, and that makes him a credible threat."

Windshear gets hit by the fake human operatetd fake TF again. And this time it does damage to the nav system on the pod. He also takes a quick glance to the side and sees Vendetta is offline. Great. This is not going well at all and this shuttle it not going to take much more abuse before it comes apart and takes the Seeker with it. But what the slag. Windy tries to bring the pod around and fire at the human again.

Combat: Windshear misses Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with his Laser attack!

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; is thankful for Mixmaster's machinations, because as bad as the hit that she takes is, it could be much, much worse. She vents fluids into space, until her injuries autoseal, but no one can hear her scream. She is thankful for that, too. Leaving a cloud of frozen fuel and hydraulic fluid, tiny crystal glinting in the wan light of a billion stars, behind her, she circles under the Sarikus, harassing the underbelly of the craft.

Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; strikes Rodimus Prime with her AIM-120C AMRAAM attack!

Blast Off Holds up an arm to shield his face as Spike fires, but THE EGO has underestimated how much those exo-suit lasers can do, and one of the shots skims under his arm to hit his torso, blowing out one of vents just under his chestplate. Unfortunately they're part of the cooling system that keeps his weaponry from overheating. A minor, but noticable inconvenience. &lt;&lt;You should of just run.&gt;&gt; He launchs himself back into space, but points down and fires a few low level ion blasts in return.

He's not really interested in -killing- the human, considering them such lowly pests. It's the fact he is trying to fix the shuttle that deams him enough of a threat to at least shoot a few times before returning to more important threats.

Scourge's sensors remained on their highest settings, and mostly focused on the ion trail still. But he did take a few moments to assess the combat situation as he neared a Decepticon shuttle so Snapdragon could get his greasy paw off him. The battle was fairly one-sided, with the strike-team that Scourge had brought. It seemed that the Autobots didn't think about the fact that this Collector had at least one Guardian robot that would most likely need to be dealt with, and only brought a few along. Fools, all of them.

After he drops Snapdragon off, he turns and broadcasts over the local channels; &lt;&lt;Windshear, next time get a shuttle that works. I will breach their shuttle's hull. Board it and terminate the Autobots on board so we can get on with the hunt.&gt;&gt; And he turns, veering directly towards the Autobot shuttle, his disintegrator beam lancing out at the large thing. If they could board and take it, they would have no need for the smaller shuttles these fools had brought for the non-space capable fliers. And their firepower would be increased.

Combat: Blast Off strikes Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; with his Ionic Blaster attack! [Pulled -2]

Combat: Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt; strikes Autobot Shuttle &lt;Sarikus&gt; with his Disintegrator Beam (Grab) attack!

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; isn't quite swift enough to avoid a blast of IONS. It jars him good and smacks him back against the hull - though seeing as his feet are magnetized, only one detaches, the other simply breaks. His bone, that is. &lt;&lt;Gahh!&gt;&gt; he yelps, Blast Off's attack eating away at his armor and thusly damaging some of his firepower. But wills himself upright, and limps for the damage of the shuttle's underbelly.

Once more the shuttle takes heavy hits, both from Catechism and worse, from Scourge. The weapons control this time explodes, throwing him backwards... and fortunately putting him into a position to realize that the Sarikus has been breached. "Oh, no you don't, Scourge!" he growls angrily, drawing his own photon eliminator and firing through the breach, using the edge of the hole as partial cover. "You're not pulling that trick on *my* watch!" With that, he fires through.

Oh, that was Rodimus, by the way.

Combat: Rodimus Prime misses Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt; with his Photon Eliminator attack! [Pulled -7]

Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet rolls to the left, just ahead of Windshear's fire, then dives out of the Decepticon's line of sight under the Autobot Shuttle. James' original plan is to come around on the other side and blast Windshear hopefully from an unexpected angle, but once there he sees the results of Blast Off's handiwork - in the form of Spike's heavily damaged Exo. Gritting his teeth, James snaps back onto an attack vector and sends a few energy bolts streaking ahead to give the EDC's biggest VIP some breathing space.

Combat: Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet misses Blast Off with its Disruptor attack!

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; decides that this is taking too long, so she tries to rally the troops over shortwave, &lt;&lt;Decepticons! The monster Sky Lynx is lost in space. These Autobots should be nothing but child's play to finish off. Remember, our comrades await us, and eliminate these obstacles to Lord Scourge's glorious tracking!&gt;&gt; Short version: go kill them faster.

Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; inspires Windshear, Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt;, and Blast Off with dramatic and patriotic words!

Windshear gets Scourges comm and replies, "Talk to Swindle about this.. shuttle.. he tricked me.. caught me at a weak moment, I will remember that.. I want a refund.. woah... hey.. lets kick some aft, escape pod of no." yup, Catechisms words of encouragement always work on him. Then again, Windys a hound for punishment anyway. He wrestles the pod around to head toward the breech in the autobot shuttle hes counting on the Sweep to make so he can board and attack.

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

Content with having stopped that annoying Witwhicky from repairing the hull, Blast Off jets upward from the Autobot shuttle. His robot mode isn't -quite- as well suited for space as his shuttle mode, but since the thrusters are in his feet, he manages, intending to return the distance from the fight he prefers. Then Bailey comes back for more, the Combaticon jerking out of the way just in the knick of time, the shot flying past his shoulder.

&lt;&lt;Are you still buzzing around like some insignificant stellar fly?&gt;&gt; For a moment he considers the implications of the system Spike did manage to damage, but it's quickly forgotten at Catechism's encouragement. Using his heel thrusters to turn he aims after the exo-jet and opens fire a few times.

Combat: Blast Off strikes Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with his In we're in space but this is sci-fi so of course there's still an actual PEWPEWPEWPEW sound effect (Disruptor) attack!

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off is still internally laughing at Windshear for buying that thing. "Windshear, even in that heap of junk you should be superior to these lackwit Autobrats."

That worked well. Now to board the thing! Scourge laughs derisivly at Prime as he fires, and just barrel rolls out of the path of the photon beam. Over the shortwave, he calls to the rest. &lt;&lt;I will remove Prime from his position, then board that shuttle and take it over!&gt;&gt; Still streaking in towards the Autobot's shuttle, he doesn't charge any weapons, or change his course. He does, however, slow down to gather structural data on Rodimus, to ensure his next move works to the best possible advantage.

Combat: Scourge analyzes Rodimus Prime for weaknesses.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Windshear says, "Easy for you to say, Blast Off. Swindle ...swindled me... how he managed to trick me into buying this thing is beyond me.."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off, with JUST a hint of smugness. "Because that is what he does."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off, with JUST a hint of smugness. "Because that is what he does."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Catechism says, "The hint is in the name, you see."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "You were most likely overenergized. Stop the useless banter and focus on the task at hand.  We take that shuttle, we increase our liklihood of finding and destroying that Collector, and freeing those who were captured by the Guardian robot."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Rodimus Prime says, "There's too many of them, and we've still got the beacon - we should be able to find another route. James, Spike, get back in the shuttle, we're pulling out."

&lt;Autobot&gt; Spike Witwicky says, "Understood."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Windshear says, "yes... I was very overenrgized... point taken on.. 'swindle' and chatter over...""

James' left hand adjust the throttle, killing his ship's thrust. To his eyes, the Sarikus appears to be accelerating past him at rapidly increasing speed. But this is only an illusion, created by the fact that his ship is no longer keeping pace and instead willingly falls behind. He then fires his thrusters and pulls up on the opposite side of the Autobot Shuttle from the boarding action (and thus all the Decepticons), where his Exo burst-transmits a few NEST codes 'requesting permission to board' and is allowed to enter an airlock like a civilized space traveler.

&lt;Autobot&gt; James Bailey says, "I'm on board now. No friendly signals left outside of the shuttle."

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; tries his best to patch up some basic systems on the shuttle, and hobbles back towards the hatch Rodimus is standing at, dragging his foot. &lt;&lt;Ah-ah-ah!&gt;&gt; He makes his way inside and promptly collapses near the navigation console.

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; tries his best to patch up some basic systems on the shuttle, and hobbles back towards the hatch Rodimus is standing at, dragging his foot. &lt;&lt;Ah-ah-ah!&gt;&gt; He makes his way inside and promptly collapses near the navigation console.

Rodimus Prime considers the situation and makes a tractical decision. He activates his radio. //There's too many of them, and we've still got the beacon - we should be able to find another route. James, Spike, get back in the shuttle, we're pulling out,// he orders, then he darts back into the co-pilot's seat, struggling with the damaged console working. Though the thing's less responsive than it should be, he gets the thing working. "All aboard?" he asks, then nods. "All right, let's get out of here." And with that, he starts to pull up, attempting to leave the battle behind.

Combat: Rodimus Prime begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt;, Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt;, Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet, XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt;, Sky Lynx, and Autobot Shuttle &lt;Sarikus&gt;

Combat: Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; and Autobot Shuttle &lt;Sarikus&gt;

"You okay, Spike?" Rodimus asks, glancing down at the human before turning his attention back to running.

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; can't exactly get out of his exo for all of the punctures in the shuttle, so he just sits there and clutches at his broken foot. &lt;&lt;Just peachy, Prime.&gt;&gt;

Sweep Spacecraft &lt;Scourge&gt; was preparing to clear the breach in the shuttle when it began to veer off, retreating. Snarling, he transforms and draws his high-heat laser rifle, and before the shuttle can maneuver out of range, the Sweep leader maneuvers himself into position to fire a shot through the hole his disintegrator made, to strike Prime in the back. He wasn't letting them get away /that/ easily. They had interrupted his hunt, and would pay! "Running like the cowards you are? You only delay the inevitable by running!"

Turning as it approaches, the Sweepcraft seems to split in places, the arms and legs of a robot emerging, then the demonic wings unfurl and the menacing visage of Scourge makes it's appearance, completing the transformation from Sweepcraft to robot.

Combat: Scourge misses Rodimus Prime with his Laser Blaster attack!

Blast Off merely floats there and crosses his arms for a moment as the Autobots start to retreat, glaring for a few moments. Everyone else is going to be shooting at the thing. Sure, he could transform, chase after it .... but what's the point? The Autobots have been damaged, their craft has been battered to the point that even if it does get away it will tremendously slow them down, and he wounded one of their human repair monkeys so they won't be fixing it soon.

And shooting a retreating enemy in the back is just not satisfying. He likes to keep his distance, but there's no gratification if they're not resisting.

Finally Blast Off just drifts away and transforms, no longer caring either way. &lt;&lt;We've mauled their craft -and- their morale, let's get on with this mission before they come back doing something idiotic in revenge.&gt;&gt;

XF-35B Astral Lightning &lt;Catechism&gt; gets the idea that the Autobots and their human pets don't want to be here anymore. Objective achieved, then. Lord Scourge will be able to follow those ion traces, without being harassed. But there's something to be said for making sure. Zooming after Sarikus, Catechism transforms, and she pulls out something that was made roughly 11 million years ago (aaah, time travel), and she pulls a pin. Boom.

XF-35B Astral Lightning transforms into robot form. Catechism's feet unfold, her arms unfold out of her body, her nosecone rotates through her body and ends up on her shoulders to expose her face, and her wings rotate into position.

The Combaticon folds up, yet at the same time expands several times in side, extending wings and engines to become a space shuttle.

Combat: Catechism sets her defense level to Fearless.

Combat: Space Shuttle &lt;Blast Off&gt; takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass]

Combat: Catechism strikes Exo-Jet Apollo &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet with Saving Harrow's Seat's Small Explosion #9480 Area attack!

Combat: Catechism's Saving Harrow's Seat is destroyed!

Combat: Catechism misses Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; with Saving Harrow's Seat's Small Explosion #9480 Area attack!

Combat: Catechism strikes Rodimus Prime with Saving Harrow's Seat's Small Explosion #9480 Area attack!

Windshear sees the bots retreating and takes this moment to try and do some emergency repairs on his 'shuttle'. Surprisingly it responds well and he heads it back toward the rest of the cons. he does not even want to hear any more about the fact he got tricked into buying an escape pod. But hey, it held together somehow, its worthy for some mods now. He will make it something awesome when hes done... "Alright." he rasps, "Vendetta is offline but I think he will be ok, this things still together -- no I dont want to hear about it, lets get on with the mission."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "The cowards are running. Let them go, and return to the hunt."

The Sarikus is rocked by the thrown grenade, spending more sparks sputtering from the co-pilot console and burning Rodimus's fingers! However, he's still able to get the shuttle out of there. He sighs. "We need to get back to the search, but first, a stop at the Pax for repairs." He looks down at Spike and smiles. "I'm pretty sure we can get an EDC medic up there before we arrive, too."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off says, "Agreed. That shuttle is scrap, and Sky Lynx is still adrift somewhere. They've been tremendously slowed down."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off says, "For a bunch of planet siders... you didn't do too bad, I'll admit."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Windshear mumbles something about his escape pod/shuttle held together after all...

Exo-Suit Salamander &lt;Spike Witwicky&gt; apparently happens to be seated where the flames don't lick, phew. How Roddy can have enough will to /smile/ after all this is beyond him. &lt;&lt;That'd be nice, thanks.&gt;&gt;

Scourge watches the Autobot shuttle retreating for a few more seconds, then returns to his Sweepcraft mode and goes back to tracking the ion trail of the Guardian robot.

Catechism transforms back to space jet mode with a shrug, and she lines up to escort Scourge on the long, cold work of tracking.

Catechism transforms to her jet mode, which is quite astoundingly simple for the coneheaded model that she is.

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Blast Off says, "Though. This encounter does mean the Autobots have some means of following the alien as well, this was too accurate of a crossing for it to have been random chance. Fortunately we have a much superior tracker leading our way."

&lt;Decepticon&gt; Scourge says, "They have been suitably delayed. They will not bother us again."

================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/150                    Posted        Author The hunt interrupted              Thu Jan 28    Scourge --        *Voice only, as Scourge is currently in deep space.*

The hunt continues, Lord Galvatron. The Autobots are also tracking the Collector, and intersected our path. Rodimus Prime, Sky Lynx, Swoop, Springer, and a pair of human exo-suits in a shuttle. Blast Off, Windshear, Snapdragon, Vendetta, and Catechism engaged the Autobots and humans and did suitable damage. I engaged after Snapdragon got shot and lost his jet-pack. The fool would be floating through the void forever had I not broken off the hunt to rescue him and breach the shuttle. After I breached the shuttle, the cowards retreated, badly damaged, and with a nearly crippled shuttle. The hunt has been resumed. I expect no further trouble from the Autobots, as they must return to repair their shuttle, or get a new one.

*Transmission ends.*

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