Defender holsters his gun.
“My apologies,” he says. “I think it’s been too long since I was a civilian.”
He follows the others inside, glancing with surprise at the luxurious interior.
“The Primes really know what ships to use,” he says to Salvage over the comlink. “I haven’t seen such a nice yacht in years!”
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Firestorm nods, “I wish all had the opportunity to consult the Primes like this, you have great wisdom.”
He walks to Megatronus.
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Razor sees the woman standing nearby, and begins walking in her direction. She asks, “Is there anything you want to ask us, ma’am?”
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“That shouldn’t be too surprising,” Armax tells Nova. “For better and for worse, our species have been sharing technology for eons.”
This whole time, the Knights of Cybertron guarding the Tomb have remained unmoving at their posts, somehow keeping their discipline despite all that they must have seen and heard within the last few minutes.
“Hello, old friend,” Megatronus says to Firestorm as he comes near. The softness with which he speaks is most at odds with the raspy growl of his voice, which seems to have been almost deliberately engineered to be intimidating.
“What would you ask of me? Or are have you merely come to say hello?” (@BlackBeltGamer98)
The woman quickly switches off her datapad and tucks it into her coat as Razor approaches. She’s wearing an opaque visor that makes her face difficult to read. A tiny spot of blue light above the left eye may suggest that it is currently recording video. Her apparel is rather nondescript.
“There’s a lot I want to ask you,” she replies briskly to Razor, “but I doubt your friends would appreciate you telling me anything, considering how they’ve behaved so far.”
She produces a small datacard from her pocket, bearing a sleek black casing onto which her name and contact information are projected via a hologram.
“I’m Leslie Jiménez-Hansen,” she says, identifying herself as she holds out the card for Razor to take. “Seventh Section Broadcasting. If your group ever feels like cluing the rest of us in on whatever’s happening right now, give me a call. The people of Sol are always curious about our friends from Cybertron.”
“Uh-huh,” Salvage says. “The bullet holes and the broken windows are a nice touch too, aren’t they? Gives her some real personality- a real ‘unkempt beauty’ kinda vibe.”
He laughs at his own joke, before lamenting, “Eh, Riveter’s not gonna buy that.”
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Defender recalls a scene from his return to Cybertron.
A scientist opens a massive crate, covered in caution tape and scanners. Several Knights of Cybertron stand nearby, armed with ceremonial weapons, most of which are absurdly heavy due to decorations. They stand impassively as a large, black-armored tank is driven out of the crate.
“Ah, there’s the bridge,” Oreo says, breaking off his thoughts. “Hey, Ivory, Salvage, meet Defender! Axis sent him up here to get the mercs off our hands.”
He turns to the somewhat discomfited Defender.
“Ah, yes, thank you for letting me join,” He replies. “I hope there will be no inconvenience caused by my calling the proper authorities to remove the guys in the brig?”
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“So I’ve heard. Honestly, given everything I’ve learned, its crazy how I barely knew anything about you Cybertronian guys up until a few days ago.” Nova remarked.
“Well, I think we’ve all had plenty of time to commune with the dead. Now we must be going.” Axis said hastily as she dismissed the apparitions.
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“Actually,” Razor says, “we were just going to do that. If you’ll wait a bit, we have some pirates to hand over to your military (or whoever it is that arrests people). So, yeah, you’ll be able to get some news to send back soon.”
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Salvage looks up at the enormous walking tank that has now joined our heroes’ ranks, thankful that he is- for the moment, at least, an ally.
“Uh… sure,” he says, pointing a finger at the bridge’s communications console. “I’d wait until we’re back in Iacon to ship 'em off, but letting the authorities know would be good.”
“I take it these pirates were the ones responsible for roughing up your ship,” Leslie infers, gesturing toward the Pulsar’s pockmarked hull. “Got something worth stealing, then? Or are you racing somebody for something you don’t have yet?”
@MaxinePrimal @MakutaOisli @BlackBeltGamer98 @DuneToa @Rukah @ProfSrlojohn
At Axis’s command, the spirits of the old Primes vanish. The ghostly light that has filled the Tomb of the Primes winks out, darkening the necropolis once more. The ghost of Megatronus remains for a moment longer, however, taking on the shadowy visage that some of our heroes might recognize from the events of five thousand years ago. The Dark Warrior holds himself in the material world for just another moment, so that Firestorm can have words with him.
Looking over Sentinel Prime’s journal again will reveal that a new entry has been unlocked, containing the holographic message that activated when the device was brought near Sentinel’s sarcophagus, the image of the sword and lantern (perhaps some kind of human emblem, judging by the English writing beneath it), and some scant details on the planet Lacuna, on which we now know some artifact of great importance is hidden. What this artifact is, the ghost of Sentinel would not say, though he warned of dire consequences should our heroes’ mysterious adversary manage to obtain it.
What shall our heroes do with the information that they have gleaned, and how will they prepare for what lies ahead?
OOC: college has been demanding my near-full attention these past few days. Thank you all for your patience.
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With the specter before her gone, Nova decided to walk over to where the important people were gathering. And Niko, having nowhere better to go, decided to follow.
Axis summoned her phoenix scepter and firmly stamped it on the ground, as if to gather the attention of everyone near her.
“Well my actions are already decided. I will travel straight to Astrum and speak to Liege Maximo, do everything I can to convince him to join us. Then I will go to Lacuna, and see the relic recovered.”
“I hope you won’t mind if I join you.” Nova interjected. “Maximus told me about this Liege guy earlier. I’d love to get the chance to talk to him.”
Axis thought for a moment. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of bringing the girl along, but she also didn’t have any good reason not to let her come either.
“Very well. But I expect you to give me proper respect while you’re with me. No disobedience, understand?”
Gungnir moved its arm into an exaggerated mock salute. “You got it boss.”
“Mind if I come roo? I don’t have anywhere else I need to go. But I overheard someone talking about ship builders from Astrum. Figured it might be a good place to get Ferrex tuned up.”
Axis sighed in mild irritation. “Sure. Why not.”
“While we’re at it, I should probably go to Eukaris. I’m long overdue for a meeting with Carrion. And with everything going on, I could try and recruit a predacon or two.” Maximus said.
“And you’re also homesick.” Axis quickly replied.
“Okay, yeah. I also really just wanna see home again. But I wasn’t lying about meeting up with Carrion.”
Axis nodded. “Don’t worry love, I understand. I miss home just as much as you. And besides that you do make a good point. Just because we may be in a time of crisis, that doesn’t mean we can neglect our usual responsibilities. Just be sure you don’t take too much time sight seeing.”
Maximus smiled. “Thank you Axis.”
“Oh! If you’re going to Eukaris, can I come with? I have some friends back home I haven’t seen in ages!” Honeycomb eagerly cut in.
Maximus turned to the young insecticon and put a thoughtful hand to his chin. “I’m not sure about it little bug. If you travel with me, you’d have to stick with me. And unfortunately the path I travel is a dangerous one. Yes, the spark-crushing boredom of politics is a weight very few can bear.” He said in a playfully dramatic tone.
“Onyx knows I can barely handle it myself.” He quietly muttered.
“I’m sure it can’t be too bad. Besides, it’ll all be worth it when I get to see my friends again.” The insecticon gasped as a new idea crossed her mind. “You could come with me and meet them while we’re there! That would be great!”
Maximus gave a bright smile. “Then it’s settled! The two of us will travel together to Eukaris.”
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“Well, you should probably ask the Prime herself about that,” Razor says. “All I know is that it had some connection to Sentinel Prime’s tomb, but it seems that we have to go somewhere else to find out what he meant.”
The Mini-Con wonders at the uncanny knowledge of the human reporter. Could she be one of those responsible for the hijacking attempt, she thought. It wouldn’t be impossible.
Meanwhile, back on the Pulsar…
“Thank you, friend,” Defender says to Salvage. He walks over to the controls for the ship’s communications. After some minutes, he finds a frequency with human security encryption. Defender tunes the Pulsar’s transmitter to the same frequency.
“This is the Cybertronian yacht Pulsar calling the nearest human authorities,” he says. “We have some mercenaries locked up on board that we’d like to return to you for prosecution. We will be leaving soon, so if you’ll wait for a bit, you can speak to Lady Axis Prime about arrangements for picking them up.”
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“Both.” Firestorm says, “I’ve been talking with the other Primes and I’m worried about if Quintessons attack; I know it would cheapen what it meant to you but we may need the power of the Requiem Blaster.”
(Sorry about the delay)
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“I would like to join on this journey as well.” Kitai said, as he stood up.
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“I would be more than willing to have you come along. Though I’m not sure how well Liege would handle your… origins.” Axis replied.
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Oreo turned to the computers in the bridge, and typed in a few lines of simple commands. A text box appeared, reading, “23,327 vehicles are available for download.” Below it was a long list of vehicles, ranging from antique cars dating to the 1900s to the most expensive sports cars available in all of human space. Oreo scrolled through leisurely, looking at the different designs.
“I don’t need something too fancy,” he muttered. As he continued down the list, a certain hatchback design caught his eye. A Gavril Zeta R, outfitted with off-road tires and suspension, with rally lights and improved fenders. A grin spread across his face. He took a cable from underneath the computer controls, and plugged it into a spot on his armor.
He clicked on the link underneath the vehicle. Lines of code began running down and across the screen. Reams of data, three-dimensional mapping, material configurations. He saw schematics and interfaces, pictures and logos. Then it stopped.
“Process completed. Thank you for utilizing this service.”
The screen went back to showing a picture of the sky outside. Oreo looked at his body. He smiled with excitement. His armor had changed. No longer was it bulky with van parts. It was formed from the smooth body panels of a vehicle more suited for their journey. His chestplate featured new details: a thick metal fender covering a grille and two large headlights. A small winch was attached, with the hook retracted. The armor was still light blue and gray, but it now looked better with his pattern of logos. He had the appearance of a rally car, made for action. Suddenly, he laughed. The idea struck him as ridiculous. Nothing bad could happen right now, right?
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“Would you mind if me and Firestorm came with?” Seraphicon asks, “I’ve been meaning to visit Liege for a while but with Zepar’s tomb being unlocked, things got a little crazy.”
“I’m sure Liege won’t mind a small reunion,” Firestrom says, “but we should probably keep it to a small number so we don’t make him too uncomfortable.”
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Axis nodded. “Your company would be very much appreciated. But you do have a point. Our group is as large as it probably should be.” She replied.
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“Lead the way.” Seraphicon says.
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“Who meant what?” Leslie asks, leaning in closer. She takes out her tablet again and draws its stylus from the frame.
Unfortunately, the Pulsar’s commlink hasn’t the range to contact human authorities. Defender would need to find another way to reach them and turn over the mercenaries- provided that no-one else among our heroes objects to that course of action, perhaps.
“Oh, that’s what you meant,” Salvage says. “We’re too far from Avalon Prime for this ship to get a signal out- not unless you’re cool with waiting a year or two for the humans to get the message, I mean. You’ll have better luck using one of the comm towers when we get back to Iacon.”
The red Junkion’s attention is then drawn to Oreo as the bot reformats himself to take on his new alt-mode.
“Trying something new, huh?” he remarks. “I dig it!”
“I’d love to pay my old friend a visit as well, but I feel as though my time would be better put to use elsewhere,” Beta Maxx abruptly says. The recent revelations seem to have shaken something in him. “Vector Sigma and should hit the books, as the humans say. I shall rejoin you all when you have finished your preparations.”
While the Knight guardians in the Tomb are all stock-still, many of the Angelicon stewards present are still a little dumbstruck after the spectacle that just took place. For most civilizations, ghosts and spirits are squarely in the realm of fantasy, and even for cybertronians the appearance of such phenomena is rare.
“Your concern for my peace of mind is appreciated, my friend,” Megatronus says gratefully. “However, I would not deprive you of an advantage against your new enemy for my sake. Should you come to need the Requiem Blaster again, you have my blessing to retrieve its remains and rebuild it.”
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Firestorm seems relieved and comforted by Megatronus’s willingness to allow them this boon; he would do all he can to not betray the Prime’s trust.
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Megatronus smiles once more. Without another word, the spectral energy forming his body dissipates into the shadows, and the Dark Warrior returns to the Allspark.
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