“Oh, so completely disregard the fact that while you and your gang were going around space, attacking easy to conquer colonies, stealing from merchants and killing innocent men and women, I was staying in Iacon enforcing the law and its long hand. Certainly this didn’t put me in a better off spot than you! Certainly a life of crime is just as better as a life of justice, if not even better! Certainly!” he sarcastically said. “Let’s all follow you our of this place and, luckily, we will all become space pirates like you, and we will all get to have our own colony planet made off the corpses of thousands of soldiers that died to defend and to save it from the profanity that letting a bunch of criminals and murderers take over its civilised lands would be!”
“You know nothing about what we do! Nothing about what you’ve said has been even remotely accurate! We only ever attack those Maxinal Federation dogs who hunt us down! And never go out of our way to harm innocents!”
Which wasn’t entirely true. He did recall raiding the occasional civilian cruise liner, but no one was ever actually killed in those attacks anyway. And even then, that was far more tame compared to what Gronius described.
“What you’re talking about sounds more like The Scavengers than the Star Talons, and we’re nothing like them!”
“See? See how the pirate is lying to protect his own cause?” he told the ones wiling to listen, pointing at Maximus. “See how he lies, how he tries to save his own position from the organisation that he willingly chose? Here is the one that you all expect to follow out of here: a brash, murderous pirate! An incapable, dirty murderer! A young fool who thinks that he knows this whole place, that he thinks he can get us all our of here after only one day —LESS than a day actually— of staying between us! That doesn’t even want to stay between us more than a day, that he is pushed by the need to get out of our world and return to his band of outlaws and mischiefs! A real life, self-entitled ‘main character’, that thinks he is the center of his world, that thinks he can resolve anything and jump from faction to faction to being a leader of a revolt against an entire intergalactic empire, just because the world is his playground! You disgust me, kid!”
Gronius was fully aware that he was overplaying his cards, but he was also aware that the ones who would know that were a very, very small minority. He was waving his hands in the air, trying to talk as dramatically, as loudly as possible to try to impress the crowds and make them at the very least sympathetic towards his cause. In all of these years of imprisonment he got quite the talent for crowd speeches.
“And now, when one that knows how Cybertron works, one that knows how this arena works, one that understand how life works goes ahead and try to create a new group, a new union, a new legion with the goal of bringing together every Cybertronian in this arena, for better rights and better lives, he comes here, he insults it, he continues with his sick lunatics about getting out of here and finding our own planet, instead of even thinking that, above all, above a home, we need to have our Sparks in the same place, our goals united under one cause, one faction, one flag!” he yelled jumping on a bench for the crowds to better hear him. At this point, he wasn’t even paying attention anymore to Maximus, but he was focusing all of his efforts in trying to impress the people.
Gronius evidently lost a lot of the support from the crowd in his assault. Yeah he was a pirate, but it wasn’t like the majority of the individuals in the room were all that better.
Everything Maximus had done so far made him look like a naive kid. Someone with a lot of determination and high hopes, but didn’t fully understand how everything worked. And when trying to accuse him of being some horrible murder, among other things, that’s when he lost most of the crowd.
Maximus wanted to jump forward. To shout, to fight, to do something. Until he felt a large clawed hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Blackout who was standing behind him. The decepticon scowled disapprovingly at Gronius.
“I think you’ve said more than enough.”
The decepticon asserted.
OOC: Personally, I find illogical for a crowd made out of random space prisoners, so the criminals in it would represent only a small to medium part of it, to be lost by Gronius accusing Maximus of piraty and murder. At least some should have been intrigued by his speech, if not by him accusing Maximus of such bad things for his ideas of unity between the Cybertronians.
IC: “Yes! That’s it, Blackout! Protect him. It’s not like you also know that we have to come together and work our lives into this arena.” he said, jumping off the bench.
The trio takes their collection of new scraps and stores it in one of their hidden compartments in the floor of this place. Soon after which, they hear the call of that fight and made their way to watch the fight. Of course, they were more curious to see how Griffin would do this time, always supportive of fellow little guys. Even if it was one of their larger cousins.
However, the very loud conversation between Gronius and Maximus distracts them as they watch. Eventually causing the three to walk away from the fight entirely and towards the two. They watch, listening to the two argue, but quickly find both of them to be pointless, needlessly straining their vocal-modulator parts.
To the Mini-Cons, the fight between Maximals and Predacons meant little to nothing to them. If descendants of Autobots and Decepticons they were, and similar faction and wars still took place, then nothing has changed. And for them, who have long since been away from the old “glory days” of that “great” war, did not care for the original sides either. They knew that they were after having been taken and stuck here for so long. Just tools and helpers who happened to be useful and forced into one side. Sides that are laughed at by their new overlords, who use such infighting to their advantage.
The only thing they agreed with was escaping. Whoever could provide a decent means for that would be the ones that win their assistance. Be that person a murderer, criminal, monster; didn’t much matter to them, they were all guilty of war here.
However, what Gronius was saying about life started causing rockets to ignite inside Machbreaker’s processors. He looks between the two before heavily focusing on Maximus, thoroughly looking him up and down. He then looks down at himself over before, without warning, transformed and raced off for elsewhere, much to Tie-Grabber and Railgun’s alarm. The two transform and race after him, but they could not hope to match their brother’s speed.
Machbreaker returns to one of their storage depots and begins swiftly constructing something. Once he finishes, he races back off and passes Tie-Grabber and Railgun, causing them to make a huge turn to get back to chasing Machbreaker. They of course try shouting to him, but so consumed with this thought he did not hear them.
He transforms back into his robot form and skids to a stop in front of Railfire’s office. He gives a couple knocks on the door and hopes the doc will answer.
OOC: I did say most not all.
“I never said working together was a bad idea. But I don’t see how attacking the new guy is supposed to help.”
He said sternly.
“Come in.”
The medic replied from the other side, and the door opened. The old medic was pleasantly surprised to see who was here to see him.
OOC: Heads up. I gotta go to work soon. I’ll be off for a few hours.
Backbreaker recoils at the flames wash over his armor, groaning as he transforms to robot mode. Grunting, he fires a shot from his plasma cannon at Wildsong.
Machbreaker looks up at Railfire, cradling something in his arms. He delays in coming in, just long enough for the other two to finally catch up. Railgun comes to a screeching halt, though Tie-Grabber has to pull on him to effectively stop without crashing into a wall. The two are panting heavily as they return to their robot form.
“Whirlp clink?!” “What was that?!” Tie-Grabber tried shouting, but being out of breathe it come out a lot quieter.
“Chrink crunk crunk blurk.” “You know better than to run off like that.” Railgun continued, hands on his knees as he tries to let the rush die down.
Machbreaker was silent and stepped in, with his brothers too confused and a bit too tired at the moment to really give many other questions. So instead they follow him inside and Machbreaker lifts up what he’s holding. Railfire might be able to recognize it, despite how crude the replica was; the Well of AllSparks. Along with it was a decently size scrap of metal with Cybertronian written on it. The lettering was a bit small, but not illegible, though may still require pick it up to get a closer look to read.
Railfire took the model and inspected it closely.
“The new guy is a space pirate that went into conflict with my whole city numerous times! Of course I am going to expose him for what he and his friends have done!”
She dodges it as she continues shooting fireballs at him.
Backbreaker raises his shield to block the fireballs.
Song continues, as Giffin starts shooting from behind again.
Grunting as Griffin’s bullets sting him, Backbreaker, keeping his shield up to protect himself from Wildsong’s fire, turns his cannon on Griffin and fires a shot at the bothersome minicon.
Brunt watches the fight eagerly, leaning forwards in his seat.
“Oooh, I wonder who’s gonna win!”
Spotlight, however, stayed back in the shadows again. His attention was not focused on the battle in front of him, but on the arena itself, searching for cameras, Vex, and other threats to escape.
@MaxinePrimal
Giffin is hit in one wing, as he looses control. He turns into his robot mode and falls on Backbreaker’s head, starting to punch him in the face and trying to force his hands into his optics.
Backbreaker shakes his head vigorously, and transforms back to beast mode to throw Griffin off of him.
Several camera drones whizzed about the arena. Avoiding detection would be difficult.
Oddball was watching the fight, wincing as the two fighters burn each other.
“I wouldn’t do that.” Ivory said from where he was leaning against the wall. “I doubt you’re exactly the paragon of virtue either. I doubt any of us are.”