"Focus within yourselves, the pulse of your spark, your soul. Maintain control over your emotions, clear your minds over any distractions."
Sitting cross-legged in beast mode on the ground outside of the
Axalon, Primal's palms resting on his knees, he remained silent in the group's circle with his eyes closed, listening to Whitegrazer's words, her voice. Feeling his spark's pulse slow down, Optimus relaxed and cleared his mind while the rest of his senses seemed to be enhanced. These techniques were coming to him much easier now, and after their last battle with the alien clone, the Predacons, and the Maximals that had been trapped undergound facing terrible obstacles, he definitely needed this meditation. The gorilla's ears picked up all of the birds' songs surrounding them, the insects' buzzing and clicking, the waterfall beneath their base. His sense of smell grabbed the aroma of the water, flowers and each individual's scents in the group. His feet felt the ground he sat on and his fur lightly ruffled in the calm breeze. He felt at peace and regenerated, which was quite an accomplishment for the exploration-captain-turned-war-commander.
"Good. Calm. In a state of true serenity, you can control yourself. We are not trapped inside our passions, physical shells or emotions. We are our own masters. We alone are responsible for what we are and what we do. Every action, every response, every reaction sends ripples through the universe and towards the people we care and love for. We must all learn ourselves and what lies within in order to overcome the inner demons we have within ourselves. IF we can't, then can we defeat the demons that are outward?"
Inner demons. Did Optimus carry inner demons? Everyone had a dark side, didn't they? Or perhaps his inner demons were a different kind. The kind that crept up on the confidence of his leadership and gave him doubt. Being a positive or negative influence, a good or poor role model to his crew. As this war resumed on this planet, Primal was learning more and more about himself every day. Sometimes his comrades helped him discover knew aspects and qualities, and sometimes the Predacons did, especially when they pushed him to the edge. The way Whitegrazer worded it, Optimus hadn't thought of the whole picture like that; that every action and reaction effected everyone and the entire universe. He and his Maximals were right in the middle of the balance. That was a lot of responsilibity and weight on his shoulders, but he wouldn't wish it upon anyone else. The Maximal leader accepted it and would lead his crew to the best of his ability, to the end. He would see it through. They would stop Megatron and go back home to Cybertron.
"How is everyone?"
"Good on my part."
"Improved," Optimus answered Whitegrazer without opening his eyes. Immediately following his response, he seemed to slip right back into his meditation. A deep inhale, expanding his chest, and a slow exhale, clearing his mind.
-----
"I don't care how many drones he got running over the city! You focus your attack on him. I want him dead, and I want him dead now!"
"O.k., boss. So you want me to do that before or after I scrap the robots that are destroying the generator, which is keeping our weapons and communication systems online?"
"Oh, I love this one," Rattrap said, walking up behind Cheetor who was watching the movie.
"Heads up 'bots," "A star-hopper just touched ground, and I'm reading a Maximal signature by it. Sector 7... 5, 2."
"Eh?" He watched the monitor pause the film and switch to the scanners.
"What the heck is another Hopper doin' out here?" Rattrap wondered.
"A Maximal?" Please let it land safely so they could someone to get help and finally go home!
"A star hopper out here? Think the planet is becoming a magnet for ships."
Looking at Feralnight, Rattrap said,
"Huh. I don't think it's a coincidence."
That area? That's not that far away..We should send a scouting party to investigate.
The Maximal spy nodded, agreeing with Rhinox.
Hrm.. she's awake. I have some things to deal with in the lab, but I can take over monitor duty for you Cheetor. You and Feralnight can go investigate the scene, you should probably take Icebreaker with you.
Rattrap crossed his arms over his chest and stood back, watching the others.
"She's awake, eh? When do we get ta meet 'er? Should we refer to her as Icebreaker's daughter?" he smirked. In all honesty, the vermin was curious to see what kind of Maximal she was going to be. He hoped she would be as kind as Nightmist was.
(( OOC: Not sure what to do with Tigatron just yet. With both episodes being open at the same time, I might lag a little in either one trying to keep up. Taking a break with one character would make it easier for me for now. XD
))