The Intergalactic Highway

(ooc: Aww, poor Starshadow.. Oddly what just happened to her reminds me of the plot of some movie, but I can't quite put my finger on which one it was..

@Arachnitron: I know.. Sometimes things get a little crazy. First post I made I was in zombie land when I wrote it, then Whitegracer decided to move forward which I hadn't anticipated so I had to build on that post. )

Ironclaw wrote:"I wouldn't know where to start"

"How about at the beginning," the female responded, a bit teasingly, as she pushed the button to open the door to the cargo bay.
As the doors opened, Aurora let out a surprised gasp upon seeing the inside of the vast chamber. Among other trinkets, her eyes immediately focused on the large Maximal transport vehicle Nomad. It was built almost like a tank, but appeared to have been designed with speed in mind as well.

"Wow.."

In her rush to get over there for a closer look, she released her grip on Ironclaw's hand. "It's enormous," she muttered admiringly, before looking back at her companion. "Let's see what's inside!"

Nemesis did not budge as Primal trained his weapon on her. She was fairly confident he would not open fire as long as she had a clear line of fire at the arachnid. From the few times she had come face to face with the Maximal commander she had learned that he was willing to sacrifice everything for each and every one of his troops, even this new black widow who was as much a Predacon as she was a Maximal. It was this flaw in Primal's character that had caused her to select the spider as her target, rather than Primal himself. His endless compassion for the others, especially those who were injured, was quite sickening to behold. But at the moment that compassion, as well as the other Maximals' respect for their commander's wishes, was what would give her the edge even when faced with so many foes at once.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Nemesis, we don't have time for this. She needs to get inside the Axalon immediately,"

Nemesis could see the spider cringe with each passing surge, but if the Predacon cared she sure was doing a great job of hiding it. The Predacon had been in a similar situation not too long ago, surrounded by Maximals while the energon surges wrecked havoc with her systems. It was not a pleasant experience, but the Predacon believed the arachnid would go into stasis lock soon enough, a reversible condition once she finally got to a safe haven. That is if the spider was not so foolish that she would disregard her imminent stasis lock warnings. If she did not heed the warnings, well, perhaps she was not the potential ally Nemesis imagined.

Optimus Primal wrote:"You're greatly outnumbered. Leave now,"

"Leave? So you can wipe the Predacon programming from her system? I think not.. I'm sure the Predacon I saw would rather die right now than fade into oblivion at the hands of some filthy Maximals!"

She attempted to conceal the frustration she was feeling right now. Being by herself against all these Maximals, and for what? Trying to save a Predacon she did not even know, but whom she still felt like she had known forever? Contemplating it, Nemesis found herself doubting her decision. As much as she wanted to bring the other Predacon with her, it hardly seemed like a good option to risk her own life to do so. Through the corner of her optic she noticed Cheetor as well, with his weapon trained on her, and in the distance she could see another flying Maximal approaching. Perhaps she had miscalculated the amount of Maximals who had stayed behind at the base rather than gone to pursue the other pod that fell.

Optimus Primal wrote:"You're greatly outnumbered. Leave now,"

For the first time during this confrontation, Nemesis' grip on her weapon faltered ever so slightly. She fought back a twinge of doubt on whether the Maximals would hold back on firing for much longer. Although the nanobots making up her circuitry would no doubt repair her to the best of their abilities, even they had their limit. And it would hurt a great deal, she had no doubt about that. The other option was to flee, an option that left a rather bitter aftertaste in her mouth. It would have been the logical choice, but her pride was preventing her from doing so.

Then the voice of the mare echoed what Primal had just told her.

Whitegracer wrote:"Leave, Nemesis, now. You are free to go, Nemesis. We won't fire upon you if you leave. Just leave Arachnitron alone."

After meeting Arachnitron's stare one final time, the Predacon slowly lowered her weapon. "Very well, Maximals, you leave me no choice."

To those that overheard her the words must surely have sounded like she was going to depart without causing any more trouble. Yet as she let the weapon dangle at her side for a moment, her ruby red optics flashed brightly.

"Die!," she suddenly shouted, immediately raising her weapon again and firing a series of grenades (the regular kind this time) at the Maximals surrounding her. Unfortunately for her, one of the grenades misfired and dropped to the ground right in front of Nemesis without her noticing as she was far too preoccupied with trying to kill each and every Maximal present.

As the grenades started exploding, as did the one that dropped. It caught Nemesis by surprise, and the shock wave created by the explosions hurled her a great distance before slamming her into the hard surface of the ground. As the dust cleared, Nemesis' still, unconscious form could be seen on the ground.

This was the moment Orcariner had been waiting for. Having already planned out the worst case scenario, he charged forward as soon as Nemesis shouted. Now, the orca may have been a terrible marksman, but he certainly knew how to throw objects using his gifted strength. With a big heave, Orcariner chucked his carbine directly at the spider femme who was nearby the threatening Predacon. The weapon was larger than the poor girl, and Orcariner knew that he may be reprimanded for nearly squishing her, but the sheer force of the impact of the thrown object would surely send her flying back away from harm.

"Sorry!" he simultaneously yelled.

Utilizing the gained momentum, Orcariner wrapped his arms around Optimus Primal and covered him with his larger body frame. The grenades exploded as soon enough, sending the shrapnel flying everywhere. The giant felt the pieces of metal bounce off his armor, but he was too afraid to look up in case the explosions would rip through his less protected face. As he kept himself and his leader covered, Orcariner could not help but wonder what happened to Whitegrazer.

Did I protect the right person?

Whitegrazer was just as close to Nemesis as Primal was. However, at least Optimus had a durable breast plate, pauldrons, and a face plate. The equine was not physically designed to be as combat ready. Orcariner closed his eyes and hoped that once the smoked cleared, he would not have to regret his actions.

Ironclaw smiled and joined her by the Nomad. He had used these transport vehicles before and had been involved in the design of them. He touched the armor plating and reminissed about how exciting it was to design and build such a simple yet versatile vehicle. The vehicle had originally been designed just to carry heavy objects but then there was a demand that it could transport carry these objects from place to place in a short amount. Thus not having to create two different vehicles for different roles. This one could do both.

The Nomad hovered. It suspended itself a short distance off the ground silmutating the anti gravity principle through the use of repulsion technology. It wasn't a new technology but it removed most of the friction forces so that it could travel fast. The Cybertronian metal it was made of helped greatly with its purpose. The metal had a great strength to weight ratio which again allowed the Nomad to travel fast but with out being crushed by the heavy loads.

Ironclaw moved over to the front of the Nomd and opened the door onto the drivers seat. He looked inside and saw that everything looked in fairly good condition. Ironclaw looked back at Aurora and then heard the sounds of battle outside. He knew he was meant to keep out of danger. He was about to ask her to hop in and give the Nomad a test drive. He also thought about what she had said to him before about being involved. He felt ashamed of avoiding the fight while other took the hits for him. He might not be that much help but he could try.

"Aurora get in and start driving. We shouldn't be left out" Ironclaw told her unfolding his cannons from his forearms. He stood on the back end of the Nomad where it usually carried objects. He realized that this could be used as a weapons platfrom aswell as a trasnport vehicle. He opened the cargo bay doors, "It's simple to drive and you should be safe in there. Take me out to the front of the Axalon"

After meeting Arachnitron's stare one final time, the Predacon slowly lowered her weapon. "Very well, Maximals, you leave me no choice."

To those that overheard her the words must surely have sounded like she was going to depart without causing any more trouble. Yet as she let the weapon dangle at her side for a moment, her ruby red optics flashed brightly.

"Die!," she suddenly shouted, immediately raising her weapon again and firing a series of grenades (the regular kind this time) at the Maximals surrounding her. Unfortunately for her, one of the grenades misfired and dropped to the ground right in front of Nemesis without her noticing as she was far too preoccupied with trying to kill each and every Maximal present.

At first, Whitegrazer thought Nemesis might leave and she was about to smile but her instincts became alert when she realized that she should have known better. A grenade came towards her but she thought that if she used herself as a shield, hopefully the others will be all right. Orcariner had already pushed Arachnitron far away from harm and was protecting Optimus. Icebreaker was okay as well so was Cheetor ((OOC: I don't know their exact position. I hope that's right. If not, you guys move your afts! ))

Explosions ripped the air and she could feel the heat, burning through her chest then the shockwaves. She kept her optics open but the pain on her chest was causing her trouble and she could only see white lines, shadowy images. Little did she know that the grenades had hit her more harder than she had realized and there was a burning hole through her chest, sparking and little trickles of flame.

Her audios were ringing and she tried to get up. Why couldn't she get up? Whitegrazer knew that maybe she shouldn't ask that but she tried to keep herself from going unconscious to ask.

"Is everyone okay? Arachnitron? Orcariner? Optimus? Icebrea--" It was then she noticed that she could see her spark from the wound in her chest. The grenade was more powerful than she thought if it could rip her whole beast mode head off. Her optics went wide and her hand covered the pulsing, white spark ((OOC: Wait, aren't Sparks supposed to be blue. Hmm interesting )) to protect it.

Her computer automatically went into stasis lock against her will.

((OOC: ))

(Alrighty, Nomad specs. The Nomad is armed with two Axalon style Autoguns, stand roughly the size of a 2 or 3 car auto garage and has a built in recessed CR tank in the cargo bay. On top is a Crane with hook, as well as the autoguns. Between the two vessels the Nomad is fast, but slower then the Leviathan and much heavily armored but also very simple to operate, though it works kinda like a high speed hovercraft, top speed is bad unless you have alot of distance to slow down.

The Leviathan on the other hand is a bit smaller then the Nomad, amphibious, and has possibly the biggest gun in the game, acting as a mix between a flying tank and a submarine. The craft is alot more complex to operate taking a skilled pilot of aircraft to operate, as well as a gunner who also has access to the Leviathan's manipulator controls. )

Icebreaker cringed looking at Optimus Primal's hand, detaching the magnetic anchor. He then moved around Optimus towards the fight as they started to talk, but was soon taken by surprise as Nemesis started to unload with her grenade launcher. He shifted to his left side allowing his shield to take the grenade hit, seeming to move down to one knee to brace the impact.

After the explosions had finished, Icebreaker got up slowly, his shield showing pieces of shrapnel stuck into it with some points of his body sparking. Just can't finish the day without a little damage eh? he then looked around, noticing Nemesis was now unconscious.

He walked towards her with narrowed optics, then leaned forward grabbing her body by the head and in a swift action pulled her forward onto the ground having her land on her face. He grabbed her hands placing them behind her back, then fired his gun freezing her hands together, to her back. It would probably be pretty uncomfortable to wake up like that. But he didn't care. Just seeing the sight of her put him in a bad mood.

He then shifted his aim and shot a continuous beam along her legs freezing them together in a thick layer of ice.

He leaned up and holstered his gun at his hip You're lucky that's all I'll be doing monster..

He then looked towards the others, his optics widening as he saw Whitegrazer running over towards her. His optics shifting rather rapidly as he was investigating her damage while patting out the flames, moving her hand to the side the chest wound became visible and serious. This is bad.. he told himself, then scooped the female up into his arms, though she was only a few inches taller then him, she wasn't that heavy. Her armor was light and thin and she barely carried anything for weapons, he always felt she was practically naked on the battlefield compared to some of the others.

He then rushed towards the lift as fast as he could, going inside.

______________

Glowstick let out a sigh as he examined Starshadow's body. What was once an intricate system of processes and life, had become a twisted pile of slag on his table. However strangely, there was no sign of a spark, even stranger, her spark chamber didn't seem all that damaged. Without a spark, the body served marginal use at best. If he repaired it, he could probably use it as a means of life support if another's body became too damaged as a possibility, though he wondered what sort of effects that would have psychologically, let alone the fact Starshadow's body was unnatural to begin. Her purple glowing mech fuild, fang mutation.

He then looked up as he overheard Onyx Not often you meet someone with Manners. Name's Glowstick, the girl is Cecaelia, and our Munitions officer up there is Steelclaw. As for the ship, we call her the Leviathan.. she's been a work in progress.. but the effort always pays off. Unfortunately.. it seems my efforts with Starshadow.. wont. Best I can tell, a bomb blew her to pieces, but strangely the spark chamber seems undamaged..But the spark is gone. I guess I'll fix the body, maybe keep it around for emergencies.. though with her unique condition.. probably be better off studying just what sort of effect her mutations had on her cybertronian biology.

Feralnight let her shoulder cannon fold back behind her shoulder as Nemesis finally seemed to realize it was useless and flew down closer but was surprised when she started firing the grenades. "Crazy bird." She mumbled as she managed to dodge two that came her way but grabbed the pistol at her side to fire at a third, though the force of the explosion sent the fuzor backwards with enough force she even fell from her current altitude. Shaking her head Feralnight straightened herself out, spreading her wings out enough to slow down and flared her wings before she landed finally before she glanced at the others and watched with concern as Icebreaker took Whitegrazer quickly back to the lift. Things had gotten out of hand fairly quickly again.

OOC: I have to say...we'd make a great team of writers for the next Transformers/beast wars series. I wonder if they're hiring.....

BIC:

Though it was only mere seconds that all of this took place, it felt like long, long minutes to Arachnitron. She was staring up the barrel of the Predacon's assault rifle. Her energon levels were increasing and her power levels were draining. She had little strength left, but she did her best to maintain her composure. She didn't want the pred to see her pain. It took all of her will power not to cry out.

She had no ability to defend herself- no available weapons, only one functional arm...the Maximals fought to protect her, though. Optimus and Whitegrazer both demanded that the Predacon take her leave. They stood up to Nemesis bravely. Optimus had his weapons pointed at her. Arachnitron just stared at the pred defiantly, but she didn't dare move. She didn't dare use up what little strength she had in case she'd need it to escape the fray while the Maximals distracted Nemesis.

"Leave? So you can wipe the Predacon programming from her system? I think not.. I'm sure the Predacon I saw would rather die right now than fade into oblivion at the hands of some filthy Maximals!"

Suddenly, Arachnitron turned to the Maximal commander a quizzical expression on her face. Were those really his intentions? Did he intend to remove the Predacon programming completely? Was that possible? Was that even a good idea? She had a hunch that Nemesis' intentions were to remove the Maximal programming and that she would continue to pursue Arachnitron until she did just that.

"Very well, Maximals, you leave me no choice. Die!"

Nemesis screamed out in frustration. She raised her weapon and took several shots at the maximals. Arachnitron had no strength to stand, let alone run away. As she attempted to crawl away, one of the Maximals tossed a gigantic rifle into the path of the explosion. The impact of the gargantuan object on the ground next to her and the explosion of the Predacon's granades was enough to send the spider flying backward.

Arachnitron's body landed with a small thud some several feet away from where she had been before and then lightly rolled even further away. When she landed, the ice encasing her arm cracked open and her hand was finally free. The energon pistol slid out of her limp fingertips. She lay on the ground, her tiny body convulsing with the energon surge, her green optics dimming...

Ironclaw wrote:"Aurora get in and start driving. We shouldn't be left out"

Aurora nodded excitedly and was just about to enter when she noticed the sounds of explosions from outside the base. The fuzor immediately halted and listened for a moment. The explosions had ceased as quickly as they had began and now there was silence, a fact she found even more scary than the loud noises she had heard moments before.

"Oh no..," she muttered quietly, fearing the worst had occurred and that the others outside were now seriously injured.. or worse.

Ironclaw wrote:"It's simple to drive and you should be safe in there. Take me out to the front of the Axalon"

With large concerned eyes she turned to her companion. "You'll have to show me the details later. Hop in! Sounds like a war broke out outside!"

As soon as they were both securely inside the vehicle, she walked over to the control panel and started pushing buttons. Oddly, for never having driven one of these contraptions before, she appeared to have a knack for which buttons to push. She opened the cargo bay doors, and started moving the large vehicle outside.

The sight that met her was not a pretty one.. The Maximals were scattered about, several of them appearing injured. Some weren't even moving. Yet she could not see any signs of anyone attacking, at least not anymore.

"We're too late..," she whispered, gazing at the destruction left behind.

Aurora stood up from the chair, letting go of the control stick as she did. Among the devastation outside she had caught eye of Icebreaker carrying Whitegrazer. The female mentor appeared to be in bad shape..

Regretting ever having disobeyed Whitegrazer's wishes, Aurora opened the hatch and rushed over to them so she could tag along to wherever he was taking her.

"What happened..?," she demanded upon catching up with the penguin, the fear and devastation obvious in her voice.

Just a short distance away Nemesis lay on the ground, still unconscious. Even if she was to wake up, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere since Icebreaker had securely encased her arms and legs in ice and it would probably take a while to thaw them out. Her left wing had gotten partially severed by the blast, and most of her body was covered in wounds caused by the flying shrapnel. Nevertheless the healing process had begun. The tiny nano-machines making up her circuitry were rapidly using the debris as raw material for rebuilding the Predacon female, but it would take them a while to restore her to her normal state.

She let out a faint whimper, moving partially onto her side, but she did not regain consciousness at this time.

(( OOC: Noooo! Whitegrazer and OP were supposed to talk. Now she'll be in the CR for days. Well, I guess it will give OP time to chat with Ironclaw, Aurora, and the others. ))

"Leave, Nemesis, now." "You are free to go, Nemesis. We won't fire upon you if you leave."

The Maximal leader's focus did not leave Nemesis despite Whitegrazer stepping up as well and enforcing the option he had already given the Decepticon-turned-Predacon. His aim remained on her torso.

"Leave? So you can wipe the Predacon programming from her system? I think not.. I'm sure the Predacon I saw would rather die right now than fade into oblivion at the hands of some filthy Maximals!"

"I don't see how any of that is your business, Nemesis," Optimus said in a deep tone, losing his patience. "We have no intention of doing anything against her will." As usual, his words probably meant nothing to Nemesis, but he felt they needed to be said anyway.

"Very well, Maximals, you leave me no choice."

Watching Nemesis lower her weapon, Primal did not do the same. He kept his arm raised and his cannons ready to fire. He didn't trust her, and perhaps, for some reason, she didn't trust them to let her go unharmed even though they had proven themselves of keeping their word the last time they were in this situation right after Nightmist had been killed. Or maybe it was too much pride, that she couldn't leave without going out with a bang.

"Die!,"

Fear suddenly washed over Optimus, watching Nemesis raise her weapon and begin firing grenades all over the place. Her reaction made him fire off one shot at her, but he hit a grenade instead which exploded into a quick fiery ball in mid air, not injurying anyone. The shot was meant for her weapon, but she had turned at just the same moment he fired. Before he could do anything else to protect Arachnitron or help Whitegrazer, Primal suddenly saw two arms fall around him and then Orcariner's entire body covering him from the explosions. He could see flashes through the cracks of the giant Maximal's arms as the ground shook from the detonating grenades. While grateful for Orcariner's selfless reaction to protect their commanding officer, he feared for Arachnitron's and Whitegrazer's lives. As soon as it fell silent, Optimus gently pushed up on the orca's body, motioning him to get up so he could assess the damage.

Standing up when Orcariner lifted, Primal grabbed his sword on the ground and put it away before holding his defective hand in his other hand. Nemesis was gone, thrown some distance away by a grenade that had accidentally ignited near her. She appeared to be unconscious. Then, to his horror, he saw Whitegrazer laying lifelessly on the ground right nearby, her hand covering her chest that appeared to be seriously injured. "Whitegrazer!" he hollered. Just about to sprint to her side, he saw Icebreaker hurrying from Nemesis and over to the white horse in robot mode. Watching him examine the extent of her injuries, Optimus had a glimpse of her spark, taking notice of its beauty, its pulse, and its color. By Primus! Now he was growing angry for Nemesis' senseless act of extreme violence, nearly killing not just Whitegrazer, whom he cared for very much, but one of the other new bots, Arachnitron. Seeing the penguin immediately pick the equine up and take her away to the base, Optimus ran to the black widow who also laid lifeless on the ground, skidding to her side and kneeling down beside her, praying he wasn't too late to help her.

Briefly looking back over his shoulder, he coldly said to Orcariner (though the coldness was directed at Nemesis' actions and not the orca's), "Grab Nemesis' weapons, unarm her if she has anymore, and take her to our brig. Lock her up. It's time she took responsibility for her actions." Clearly, Optimus was furious how this ended. While Primal would have had Orcariner protect Whitegrazer instead of himself since she was less prepared and had inadequate armor to such explosions in close proximity, he would speak to him about that later. The Predacon hawk's sai laid on the ground before Orcariner, where Optimus had left it, bloody and dirty from it being jabbed through his hand and the ground. He didn't know where her assault rifle had gotten to. Looking back down at Arachnitron who was possibly slipping in to stasis lock right in front of him as her optics began dimming, the Maximal leader softly said, "Hang on, Arachnitron," and carefully slipped his arms under her back and her legs, picking her up and getting to his feet. His hand aching, bleeding and throbbing, its fingers unable to work, he started carrying the spider in his arms back to the Axalon. He needed to get her inside and away from the raw energon fields.

Opening his comm. link to all of the Maximals in the immediate area and inside the base, Primal ordered with a firm voice, "All units report to the command center." He glanced at Cheetor with a small frown as he walked by the younger Maximal toward the Axalon's lift after Icebreaker. He also noticed the Nomad appear with Aurora hopping out, hurrying to the penguin with Whitegrazer. He didn't know whose idea it was to take it for a joyride, but he was too upset to yell at anyone else right now. He just hoped they'd put it back and report to the meeting.

-----

"Think we're alright, Frilla seemed shaken up and well I shouldn't be transforming outside the Axalon that's for sure. What about you two?"

"Rattrap, what's wrong?"

Rattrap glanced at the females for a second, nodding to their answers, before looking forward again, continuing his walk. "Uh... Well, I..." he stammered until he gathered his thoughts well enough to speak them. "Starshadow kept attacking me. She had me pinned on the ground, and since she had nearly taken my head off earlier, I thought I was in real trouble. I mean, we all know how psychotic she is, right? So... So I slapped one of my little bombs on her and shot her to get her off me and... and I think I... killed her." Why was it so difficult to tell them? Why did he feel so bad about it? Didn't he do the Preds and everyone else a favor? No. That was cold. Even for Rattrap. He grew silent after that until he realized Feralnight was probably still waiting for an update.

Opening his comm. link again to her, he said, "Feralnight? We're on our way back ta Base now. We got some injuries. Be there soon," keeping it short and to the point.

As they walked Frilla listened and was actually rather surprised to hear this, never expecting Starshadow would allow that to happen or thinking Rattrap was capable of doing so. Sure he hated Predacons but he wasn't a killer. "Rattrap it was self defense, you had no way of knowing that would happen. Starshadow was a tough cat but even she had her limits, you can't help what happens all the time." She said still concerned for the rat, it seemed rather difficult to explain for him and she wondered how the others would take this news.

----------------

Feralnight started to head back to the Axalon but heard Rattrap,"Alright Rattrap it'll be good to see you guys made it at least. We had some trouble ourselves and well it wasn't exactly the return home we expected." She said with a sigh taking flight and flew to the lift.

((OOC: D'Oh! Blame the grenades and Whitegrazer's instinct to use herself as a shield. And now, time for a long post. ))

You always did get attached to your comrades quickly. A weakness.

You still call it a weakness, Master?

You know me, pupil. I never change, stubborn like you.

Master, I'm seeing...well...actually, hearing voices.

Going crazy, student?

Master, that's not funny.

Yes, it is. Come on, my dear. I can't do anything. Only you can solve it and figure it out but always remember-

The future is always in motion and that what I see can change. I know that but the problem is I can't see it. Only voices and noises like He doesn't want me to see it.

He always liked to keep secrets.

Like it is supposed to happen but-

Ah! Is that what it is? Fear, Whitegrazer?

I'm not afraid, just worried. That's all. I can be worried. Right now, I'm in stasis lock. I hope the others are all right.

Don't worry, they are. Some are worried about you.

I had worse, master, you know?

Shut up! I know that! Did you remember all those times you stared at Death's door because of you stupid...

I'm not dead, master.

One of these days you will be and we will be talking like this for all eternity. I'm not looking forward to that.

My number is not up yet. Besides, I don't want to go out like this.

Ooooo! How do you want to go out?

With a bigger bang.

Bwahaaaaahaaaaa! I wished I did. I died weak. Pathetic.

Your time was over, master. You earned some peace from your life of war.

I was built for war. I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory and maybe taking an enemy with me. But no! My spark just faded away

Some part of you must have wanted to die peacefully, master. You deserved some peace.

Shut up. I never wanted peace! I wanted war.

You never knew what you wanted, master.

Don't analyze me. I get that enough from enemies I killed, talking to me here. Til All are one! Stupid. Too many voices.

Hahahahaha.

Not funny. That's why I bother you and it's nice to watch some battles once and awhile. Good entertainment.

Master...

I know what you are going to say and before you say it, yes. Maybe some part of me wanted this. That's your fault. You made me soft.

I have to interpret this vision, master but it was nice talking to you, master.

Same here, Whitegrazer.

She saw the explosion in space again. It repeated over and over again. Then there was a scream. It was Optimus' and a bellow of laughter came. Megatron. She knew it was his. That evil laughter of his when he was victorious. A golden head appeared with horns and a beard, signaling age. Unicron? What?

There is more danger than you know. We are not interested. Begin termination sequence.

You can't do that! There are living creatures here. You, with all your power, even you have no right.

She had to warn him! She had to! She had to! Thrashing herself, she fought the darkness. Her concern for her friends. Optimus. She thrashed more, denying the darkness' hold over her. It was hard. It gripped her like snake, keeping herself from even trying to escape stasis lock, but she fought and she kept fighting. Her systems were getting errors of warning but she didn't care. This wasn't new. Stasis lock always hated to be interrupted because it was working on healing her cut wires and burnt fluids even though it needed the CR chamber. Her spark was pulsing madly as she used her energy to lighten her optics.

"Is everyone okay?!" Whitegrazer asked, head moving around to see Icebreaker and Aurora beside her in worry, "Are you two okay?" Also, she heard Optimus' voice. She asked the question over and over again frantically like a mother asking and worried for her children. Then she started asking for Arachnitron and Optimus, "Arachnitron? Arachnitron? Optimus? Optimus?"

The pain in her chest was nonexistent to her but her systems were telling her that she needed to go back to stasis lock now. Reaching out to Optimus, she tried to talk despite the whizzing noise she heard from her chest, "I have to tell you something. I have to warn you. It's-"

Stasis lock reactivated with a vengeance.

((OOC: Stupid stasis lock. She didn't get to finish. ))

"Well..that means I uh..would have a vacation forever..yay.." Cecaelia tried to smile to keep her cheerful side but failed, "someone take the driver seat.."

She took a seat and sobbed with her head lowered. Starshadow was gone, gone like the Hell Fang members who were on the Mission: Protoform X.

Hearing this as well Wintersong looked at Rattrap, even he wasn't one to resort to killing even if he bated Predacons. Just as Frilla said it was in self defense, stuff like this happened even if we felt remorse later. Sometimes a outcome is much more different then we hope for and you couldn't always change that fact. Though it didn't seem Rattrap would get over this any time soon not unless Starshadow survived.

Though the tigeress kept her mouth shut, not wanting to say something to make matters worse. If it wasn't trouble she had a knack for it was often saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. This wasn't a time to be risking it now. She had not particularly liked Starshadow but she didn't think killing the cat would have been a way to take care of her though it seemed Starshadow's fate was sealed, maybe. Though Wintersong had her doubts and wouldn't be surprised if the panther appeared out of the shadows once more.

Following Optimus' motion, Orcariner opened his eyes and rose to his feet. The dust was quickly fading and the ground was riddled with burn marks from the grenades. He looked for the spider transformer he had tried to save by throwing his weapon at her. Not far from where she originally stood, the femme was sprawled on the ground in stasis lock. Orcariner questioned whether it was from prolonged exposure to the energon radiation or from the damage of the impact from his relatively massive weapon.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Whitegrazer!"

The alarming call caught the giant's attention. He quickly turned and saw Whitegrazer in stasis lock, as well, having sustained much damage from Nemesis' attack. Icebreaker was quick to rush to her attention, but Orcariner feared the worst. Having the thickest of body armors which was comparable to that of a light tank, the orca had little experience seeing a transformer being so severely damaged to the point that the internal structures were visible. As a matter of fact, it was the first time he had ever seen a spark in person. A sharp pain struck his own spark as he realized he had indeed made the wrong decision. Primal was not the one who needed protection. His armor was strong enough to survive Terrorsaur's missiles, so what chance did a simple grenade have? Whitegrazer, on the other hand, was not as blessed with such physical capabilities. Orcariner saw it as his duty to act as a living shield for those who could not defend themselves. He saw this moment as his failure to perform this duty.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Grab Nemesis' weapons, unarm her if she has anymore, and take her to our brig. Lock her up. It's time she took responsibility for her actions."

"Yes, sir."

That was all he could muster in that moment in time. Orcariner contemplated heavily as he approached the motionless Nemesis. If Whitegrazer died today, that would have been the second time Orcariner had failed to prevent a death from the hands of this former Decepticon. It was a hard thought to accept. Scooping the frozen Nemesis into his hand, the Maximal could not help but stare down at the much smaller body. It would be so easy to finish what he had started so many months ago. He could crush her with his powerful fingers, or perhaps tear her in two and watch as her evil spark dissipated for all of eternity. The temptation was strong. Optimus sounded angry enough that perhaps such an action could go by without reprimand. He did say that she would pay for her actions, and such actions included taking the life of one of their comrades. Maybe Primal would resort to Cybertronian law and demand her execution, which would mean killing her now would be no big deal. He would simply carry out the inevitable as well as finishing what he should have done back in the arctic.

You were right in not killing her...

Orcariner blinked and looked up. Optimus was still staring intently at Whitegrazer's body, but somehow that voice in the orca's head sounded like it came from the Maximal leader. He looked back down at the unconscious Predacon. He silently whispered to himself the sentence that had just resonated throughout his mind.

"You were right in not killing her..."

He remembered now. It was Optimus who had said those very same words back in his office after Nightmist's death. The clouds of anger and frustration slowly dispersed. The temptation to commit the war crime subsided as Orcariner realized that such an action would not only be ill-advised, but it would have taken him down a path that had no return. In spite of his high admiration of his leader, the Maximal could not help but feel even more thankful for the wise words given to him.

Orcariner reached down and picked up Nemesis' quasar rifle. Without hesitation, he crushed the gun in his left hand, having that action blow off much needed steam from his system. He continued to confiscate the remaining sai from her body and proceeded to walk back into the Axalon. Out of the corner of his optic, Orcariner noticed that there were two new Maximals who were standing by. While it would have been common courtesy to greet them and introduce himself, the orca chose to say nothing. It was not the time nor the place for salutations. Instead, Orcariner simply looked down at the fuzor and the furry creature and provided a very concise nod to acknowledge their presence. With that, he disappeared into the ship.

The journey to the brig was not long as he had entered the Axalon through the hanger bay. The Maximals typically did not take prisoners of war, mostly because they did not have the opportunities to, and so every cell was vacant. Orcariner set Nemesis' body into one without a window, and he proceeded to seal it shut. Accessing the control panel, the giant adjusted the temperature so that the ice would remain intact. Icebreaker had applied a thick coat, so it was improbable that the Predacon flyer could muscle her way out of her confinements with such a frail body. Orcariner shut off all the lights in the brig and walked out with a slight sense of satisfaction.

Unless if we have a pretty extreme heat wave, I doubt she'll be getting out any time soon.

He had no idea how much irony that thought carried.

(ooc: Middle-of-the-night-baby-feeding-time!)

Aurora had taken a hold of Whitegrazer's hand, squeezing it gently while vowing to her that she would try to be a better student if the equine would just recover. She fought back to hold off a tear as she took a quick glance behind her to see what Ironclaw was doing with the Nomad at this point. Her reason for taking the vehicle outside had been to be able to perform a rescue mission if needed, but what, or whomever was responsible appeared to be long gone by now. The young ermine had not seen the unconscious body of the female responsible, being far too preoccupied with her injured comrades.

She saw Primal carrying Arachnitron inside and she caught the desperate look in his eyes. It was obvious to anyone that the Maximal commander cared a great deal for each and every one of his team, a most admirable trait in anyone let alone a commanding officer.

Just then Whitegrazer started stirring a bit and her eyes flickered open for a brief moment. Aurora squeezed her hand a little harder as she did, to let her know she was not alone.

Whitegrazer wrote:"Is everyone okay?! Are you two okay?"

Aurora nodded and smiled as bravely as she could. "Just lay still," she told the white horse, just then noticing the pulsating spark and immediately realizing how severe the female mentor's injuries actually were. "We are all safe, you as well." She wanted to comfort the equine, assure her everything would be all right. Truth be told Aurora did not know the extent of everyone's injuries just yet and it was apparent that at least Whitegrazer and Arachnitron, who was being rushed inside in Optimus' arms, had sustained some rather severe damage. But she did not want to worry the white horse with such details, not now with her condition being the way it was.

Whitegrazer wrote:"Arachnitron? Arachnitron? Optimus? Optimus?"

Aurora glanced up briefly, taking note of the giant Maximal who passed by while carrying a much smaller female. Aurora did not know her, but she assumed it was another Maximal who had been injured in the fight. She'd have to look into it later.. Right now her attention remained with the white horse in front of her.

"They're both fine," the little one assured her, doing her best to maintain her composure. "We're all heading back inside the Axa.."

The other female interrupted her with a message Aurora could not help feel was meant for Optimus. She listened, while trying to locate where the commander had gone to. By now they were back inside the Axalon, hurrying to the CR chambers.

Whitegrazer wrote:"I have to tell you something. I have to warn you. It's-"

And the voice faded as Whitegrazer again slipped into stasis lock. Without letting go of the hand, Aurora helped maneuver the equine into the CR chamber. She only let go as the doors started sliding shut, sealing the wounded female inside.

Sighing, Primal's orders as she was heading inside came to mind.

Optimus Primal wrote:"All units report to the command center."

Aurora looked around again to see if Ironclaw had managed to keep up, while making her way to the command center as ordered. She was now regretting her earlier desire to have some action. Now all she wanted was to wake up from this nightmare..

Nemesis had looked oddly peaceful as the giant orca picked her up and carried her inside. Occasionally she would moan slightly, twitching a bit in the giant one's arms, but she did not wake up.

Not until a while after Orcariner had finished locking her up, at least.

Slowly her optics' red color started returning. Her vision was a bit blurry at first as she made her first attempts at looking around. She appeared to be inside, although it was difficult to make out the details with only some very dim emergency lights available.

It was freezing cold..

The Predacon hawk lifted her head a bit and attempted to move her arms and legs. She couldn't. After a few attempts to break free, she realized that her limbs had been frozen in place. A feeling of panic was starting to grow inside her, but she fought it as best she could for now.

Where was she..? How did she get here..?

She rolled over onto her back. With every bit of effort she could muster, she lifted her encased legs off the ground and slammed them hard against the floor. A few pieces of ice broke off, but the layer encasing her legs was thick. She repeated the movement, again and again, chipping away at the ice a bit at the time. It was an insidious, slow process that would take her close to an hour before she managed to break free of her icy chains. Once she was able to stand up, she proceeded to slam her backside against the wall until that ice cracked as well.

Finally able to move again she rubbed her sore wrists while taking a closer look at her environment. Much to her horror she realized that she was confined to a cell. A very bare one at that. She noticed the faint light from the surveillance camera mounted up in one corner. Her initial instincts were to rip it down, to destroy it, but she didn't. Right now that dim light from the camera was the only company she had.

The female started searching for weak spots so she could have a shot at getting out, the anger and frustration building rapidly in her as she started to realize there were none.

Those infernal Maximals..!

She entertained the idea of ripping each and every one of them to shreds for doing this. When she got out, she would tear them all limb from li..

The initial fit of rage quickly subdued as the severity of the situation started to hit her. If she got out.. She was alone.. Trapped in this bare cell..

Then the desperation set in, causing her to slam herself against the cell door. It was a futile attempt that sent her sprawling back onto the floor.

She quickly stood up, looking around desperately. Upon realizing there was no escape, she let out a low whimper.

"No.. No, no, no.."

She repeated the words to herself over and over, finding a certain comfort in hearing her own voice echo off the walls. Within moments the frightened female slanted down in the darkest corner of the cell, pulling her legs up close to herself and holding them as she softly rocked back and forth.

Aside from the beast form parts, she looked no different now than the last time she had been locked up like this. Her regenerative powers given to her as a result of the fusion between the nanobots and her own circuitry had eternally frozen her in time, leaving her appearance as that of someone barely more than a teenager. A very frightened one at that.. The worried look on her face made this fact all the more obvious.

Her mind kept flashing back to her youth, trapped in a cell like this one while the experiments had been ongoing. She felt no different right now than she had back then, the memories of those days still haunting her.. tormenting her..