The Intergalactic Highway

(( OOC: Awe, Aurora gets the first hug in the RPG instead. But technically, even though we're just pretending that we've gone through all of the other first season episodes, Cheetor has still hugged OP.

I have nothing but respect for all the characters involved, but shouldn't the rank actually reflect their role in the hierarchy?

I agree with Phoenix. They don't have to follow the silly toyline. Rhinox should probably be 9. Rattrap should be 8, and Orcariner should be promoted as well to 7 or 8. Dinobot, Whitegrazer, Valkyrie at 7. Feralnight, Frilla, Icebreaker, Saber-Fang, Airazor, Tigatron, Ironclaw at 6. Cheetor and Wintersong at 5. Aurora at 4. Just my thoughts on that judging by characters' progressions in our game. ))

"I hope your hand feels better soon,"

Optimus stopped in his tracks when Aurora spoke up just as he approached her and Ironclaw. Looking down at her after lifting his bandaged hand and glancing over it, he said, "Thank you, Aurora. It'll need more than a well-applied bandage but it can wait. I've had worse." He was glad she appeared to have forgiven him for putting her on the spot earlier, but wasn't expecting her sudden embrace. Taken aback by her action, just for a second, Primal gently wrapped his arms around Aurora, returning the hug until she let go. He smiled lightly at her as she walked away, leaving Ironclaw and him to speak. As much as the new Fuzor reminded him of Nightmist, her age also reminded him of Cheetor, who was like a son to Optimus. He had a feeling Aurora might become the daughter he never had. Many of his crew didn't quite show affection like that. Perhaps it was because of his rank and it would be "unprofessional" or "out of line" in such a situation of war, but Optimus wasn't strict with military code. Besides, they were originally an exploration crew. Or perhaps others simply weren't comfortable with it. Cheetor had hugged him before, but no matter who did, it was a very comforting and humble feeling to receive embraces from the ones he cared for so deeply. It let him know that he had made a positive influence on their sparks just as they had on his.

Noticing Ironclaw's reaction to everything Aurora was doing, Primal hoped the honey badger wasn't taking it the "wrong way." He had picked up on his "flirting" with Aurora, even if she hadn't. However, it might be too much too soon for her.

"Yes sir" "Optimus I never really got a chance to speak with you. I'm not really used to all, I mean i didn't mean to come here so at first I felt out of place. Since you already have an engineer. I was looking through some of the archives. As you may know Ironhide was my ancester, who knew your ancester the original Optimus Prime. Ironhide was also his second in command" "I know I can't live up to that but I want to you know that I'm going to try and hope we can be good friends"

Listening to Ironclaw, he tended to jump around on topics, so the Maximal leader tried following him. Seeing him extend his hand for a shake, and then retract it because of Primal's injured hand, Optimus gave a faint chuckle and shook Ironclaw's opposite hand with his good one. "Then it is a great honor to meet you, Ironclaw, and to have you among my crew," Optimus smiled warmly and released his hand. "Don't cut yourself so short. I have seen these Maximals accomplish incredible obstacles that I don't believe they were even aware of how far their abilities could go, making great strides for themselves and their teammates. Ironclaw, you can't be someone else, so just be yourself. I certainly welcome your friendship, and hopefully we can make our own history together and make our ancestors proud. As for Rhinox, he is a very old friend of mine and an extraordinary engineer, but it doesn't hurt to have another onboard. We can always use a second opinion. He has more recently been preoccupied with many other problems, including the interactions we've had with the aliens. Did you examine the Axalon's engines? We just don't have the resources or the power to fire them up again." A tiny hint of disappointment still lingered in his voice when Optimus talked about it, but by now he and his original crew were used to living on this world with two moons and dangerous Predacons. And the Vok.

Primal could still feel the waves of warmth and peace that Whitegrazer was miraculously sending out somehow. She was far more intune with everything about herself than anyone else Optimus had ever met before. Maybe someday he, too, could learn it as well she. It certainly made him feel better, especially since it told him that she was on the road to recovery despite her critical status. But for now, he hoped she would rest.

-----

"Hi," "I take it you must be Orcariner? I saw you briefly on the way inside after the battle, but didn't get a chance to say hello." "I'm Aurora, in case you didn't figure that out already."

Rattrap glanced at Aurora and gave her a friendly smile as he stood there with Orcariner.

"I set the thermostat to negative degrees," "It'll take an hour or so, but her cell will feel like a polar climate zone soon enough. Given the effect Icebreaker's weaponry had on her nanobots from Nightmist's corpse, we were able to deduce that Nemesis has a weakness to freezing temperatures. It won't kill her, and our conditioners probably won't even be strong enough to freeze her, but at least her systems will be so scrambled that she won't be thinking straight enough to bust out.

"Good idea," Rattrap agreed, nodding at Orcariner as he followed him. "Those minus degrees should really slow down her nanos."

The cells are isolation chambers with no windows or openings. The door and walls are thick enough to stop most Cybertronians except for those whose strength exceeds a class 10. Well, some class 10s might succeed, but I'm going off of the ship's retail manual and not experience. Only one security camera is installed and it's covered by a black-glass orb. The cover is not protective at all, but at least we'll know if she's attacking the camera before it actually gives out. Door is sealed and there's actually no password to get in. I rigged the algorithm so that the Sentinel will only open the cell to Maximals with a rank of 8 or higher. Rhinox designed the security system himself, and given that he's the best coder we've got, I'd say Megatron won't breach our firewall that easily."

"Yeah. Actually, I doubt Megs will even try to rescue her," the rat commented. "But it's probably a good idea for Sentinel to be set up like that, allowing only the higher ranks ta access the cell 'cause we don't want any curious, young and inexperienced bots comin' down here and accidentally lettin' her out or gettin' themselves killed. Optimus is right to get permission from him if anyone wants ta chat with Nemesis, for our own safety, you know. Can't be foolin' around here with her."

"Sentinel also enforces the security here with auto-turrets from the ceiling which are set to stun. Rather than fire concentrated projectiles like your usual military weapon, the turrets emit electromagnetic waves to cover a wide surface area. The emission is broad enough to tackle even the most acrobatic individuals, and the steady stream ensures that the transformer is disabled within nanoklicks regardless of armor thickness." "Again, Rhinox designed that part of the system and yes, I was the one he tested this on. Given my size and militaristic design, I was built to withstand damage from a variety of things including your typical EMP shots. Rhinox found a way around it. The flood effect of the guns ensure that whatever's trying to escape will be brought down before it can even blink."

Rattrap chuckled with Orcariner. "Okay. I'm impressed," he grinned, feeling slightly more comfortable about the situation. Slightly. The darkened area didn't bother him at all since he was used to spending time in dark places thanks to his beast mode.

"Oh, and the cell is insulated so she can't hear what we're saying and vice versa. The lack of sound and visual means that we'll still need to monitor her on camera, even though the only feasible exit is breaking down the door. It's better to be safe than sorry so I can stand guard and you can do monitor duty. My scanners are strong enough to penetrate these walls so I can also keep tabs on her through my own interface. The only thing we'll have to change is the temperature once Optimus comes down here. I don't know if he'll want to talk to her in a freezing environment, and I doubt she'll be a very good conversation-piece with all the shivering."

"Nice, Big O. Yeah, in dis scenario? Definitely better to be safe than sorry. Optimus can handle cold temps, but he probably won't wanna be a frozen ape popsicle talkin' to her. I don't know what he expects to get outta of her, though," Rattrap added, lightly shaking his head. "Does the camera have audio?"

((OOC: Yeah Cheetor hugged Optimus in Victory and I think he was crying too. No, really. You see his shoulders moving up and down. Awwwww. so cute. We need a Maximal group hug in the future. You hear me, people! Group hug when Optimus comes back to life. ))

Ironclaw shook Optimus's other hand and was pleased that they had a similar outlook on things. He had heard a few different opinions now on his expectations of himself, wanting to be so much like Ironhide is a lot to ask. If he ever lived up to it it would probably out of his own actions instead of forcing it.

"The engines look pretty busted. I'll start work on them though, I might get lucky and have a break through." Ironclaw said feeling like he had said everyhitng that needed to be said.

He was just about to leave for his quarters when something got to him. Ironclaw had notied the way Optimus had looked at him in regards to Aurora. "I know what's going on between me and Aurora is unprofessional. I'll put a stop to it" He said looking down to the ground then walking to his quarters. He was unsure of the matter but thought Optimus would want it to stop.

Icebreaker thought for a moment as Optimus mentioned the ice weapons, they had made some ice guns as fire extinguishers for the Nomad, so he could probably just use spare parts and modify one of those. He glanced towards Aurora as she tended to Optimus, she was a good kid, but the whole situation was still just weird. She at least seemed more mature for her age considering she was mentally younger then Cheetor.

He glanced towards Rhinox, who seemed to be inputting the information as Optimus requested. While at times Icebreaker felt a bit stretched for his function, Rhinox was in worse shape. Being the head Engineer and medic, he was constantly working on something. It's why he would often ask Icebreaker to do tasks for him.

He crossed his arms as he watched Aurora hug Optimus, it didn't seem that unusual to him. His optics then shifted noticing Ironclaw's actions, becoming almost puzzled at the scene.

Ironclaw wrote: "Optimus I never really got a chance to speak with you. I'm not really used to all, I mean i didn't mean to come here so at first I felt out of place. Since you already have an engineer. I was looking through some of the archives. As you may know Ironhide was my ancestor, who knew your ancestor the original Optimus Prime. Ironhide was also his second in command""I know I can't live up to that but I want to you know that I'm going to try and hope we can be good friends"

Icebreaker blinked, that seemed kind of forward. Plus wasn't Ironhide the security officer in the history books? But normal at least..

Mystrea wrote: "I know what's going on between me and Aurora is unprofessional. I'll put a stop to it"

NOT NORMAL. What the slag was with today?! They captured a monster, a pervert, and a mental case all in one day? He remained silent as he thought this over, he then looked towards Optimus I'll er.. Work on that gun..and keep an eye on Aurora.. he then said, he'd have to watch her like a hawk..

He then walked towards the hall, leaning down he scooped up Aurora setting her on one of his shoulders, least the height advantage made it easier on her having to look up at Orcariner Hey Kiddo, I'm not as busy now. So I'll take you around the base more, and maybe you can help me out with something too.

________________

Visia wrote:"It's expected for a Cybertronian to think my kind as "parasites" stupid creatures. The scientists call me Visia."

Glowstick raised an optic ridge Scientifically speaking.. a creature that feeds off another creature, and in some cases controls them, is a parasite. a Symbiont provides some sort of benefit.. Your not really doing that at the moment. But alright, we'll call you Visia.

Visia wrote:"Somewhere...away from your tentacles."

Glowstick's optics blinked, there was only one or two spots he didn't go around. His faceplate seemed to cringe slightly at the thought Geh.. Always did think she had teeth down there.. But alright. We'll go to the Darksyde and play your little game. However.. to keep things safe for both sides..You.. stay in here. He then pulled Onyx back as he projected one of his tentacles to the door button, having the door close and lock.

Glowstick then sighed I knew that parasite thing was going to bite me in the fin one of these days. Alright.. we're heading back to the Darksyde.

He then turned floating towards the bridge and climbing into the pilot seat, then started powering up the engines. The ship then started to float off the ground raising in altitude and turn, flying towards the Darksyde. He wasn't sure how Megatron would take having them bring most the Starhopper there, but he'd come up with some excuse..

((OOC: Pervert. Nice, Icebreaker. Be careful, Ironclaw. Icebreaker has the hatchet. ))

Security officer yes. But he holds the rank of 9 along with Jazz and Prowl. However Prowl and Jazz are seen more as advisors for Optimus, rather than an active team leader.

Aurora glanced over in the direction where Ironclaw and Optimus were talking, not being able to help being curious what they were saying. Whatever it was about, it sounded serious enough for her to respect their privacy. Well.. to the extent that was possible with everybody gathered in such a small area. She did catch bits and pieces, such as Ironclaw mentioning someone named Ironhide.. He had mentioned the guy before, so Aurora assumed it was someone important.

She noticed Icebreaker chip in with his own two cents just as she turned her attention back to Orcariner and Rattrap, but before she knew the large penguin had joined them as well. Not able to withhold a giggle as the newcomer suddenly hoisted her up onto his shoulder.

Icebreaker wrote:Hey Kiddo, I'm not as busy now. So I'll take you around the base more, and maybe you can help me out with something too.

"I'd like that! I never got to see the private quarters before the commotion broke out earier," she told him.

Then she shifted her attention down at Rattrap, who seemed quite small from her lookout on top of the penguin.

"I'm glad you guys made it back safely and mostly in one piece. Truth be told I really wanted to come with you guys, but we had plenty of excitement back at base so I just couldn't get to it. Anything fun happen on your trip?"

OOC: I was going to wait until the next episode, but after seeing that long list of things that needs to get done next episode....I thought it best to bring her out now instead of holding up the progression of the next episode. If you disagree, though I can always delete the post and repost it again later.

I'm taking some liberties here with the symptoms of Arachnitron's Dissociative Identity Disorder since she is a robot instead of a human....

And so as to not confuse the reader, I have changed the coloring of the dialogue in reference to who is speaking...I'm sure you can put two and two together as to who is which color...

BIC

While awake, Arachnitron's dual programmings fought relentlessly to maintain control of the body they inhabited. It was exhaustive to say the least and caused much strain to the internal workings of Arachnitron's frame. By the end of the battle with the Predacon, Nemesis, Arachnitron's systems slowly began to fail due to the exposure to the energon and because of the painful switch between the two personalities. The switch had been increasingly more and more painful of late...in the beginning, the switch was subtle and almost undetectable until she woke up not remembering where she was or how she got there. But, it appeared that the dual programming was taking more and more of a toll on her inner workings. Arachnitron was beginning to wonder if this is what happened to the other test subjects before their inevitable demise. How long did she have before she went offline too?

Now, as far as the Maximal programming was aware, this was the first time that the Predacon programming made the switch painful on purpose. The first time she had ever attempted harm on the other personality. Just before the stasis lock took hold she had asked herself: What had Optimus said to her to make her so angry towards me?

In stasis lock, though, Arachnitron's energon dampeners were able to re-stabilize themselves. The CR Chamber was mending her internal processes and she'd soon make a full recovery. With the body in stasis, neither programming had control which gave her competing personalities an interesting opportunity and surprisingly enough, it was the Predacon who made the first move.

"You're still alive?", she spat angrily.

The Maximal personality was quite taken aback at the Predacon addressing her as she had. This also was something new. Before this, she knew of the other programming by virtue of stealing her own records. Something each personality had done of its own accord at one time or another....proving that they are more alike than they could possibly fathom. Neither personality had even acknowledged the other existed until very recently....neither one had wanted to admit that they were not alone in the body they were inhabiting.

"Um...yes," the Maximal answered hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she should be carrying on a conversation with her like this.

The Predacon growled in response. "I'll just have to try harder next time," she promised.

"But....I....I don't want to fight you."

The Predacon contemplated this for a moment. "Then, you'll do EXACTLY what I say, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Get us ...THE SLAG OUT OF HERE!"

The CR chamber's systems finally signaled their completion. The door slowly opened and Arachnitron opened her optics. She tried to remember the dream she had just come out of. Two bots had been fighting- Maximal and Predacon. The rest was forgotten as she awakened. She looked down at her body....she looked a bit different now then she did on Cybertron. What had happened? She struggled to remember. Bits and pieces came back to her....a fire at the research facility, flying in her escape pod, landing on this new planet, gaining a new form.....she shook her head. She didn't remember much else.

The bot that stepped out of the CR chamber was neither Maximal nor Predacon. She was Arachnitron. That was all. She gave off no energy signature. She carried herself, much like her Predacon personality, as though she were confident and determined. But she wasn't reckless or angry. While hatred had been written all over the Predacon's demeanor, it was not so with this bot. She was calm and collected unlike her Maximal programming who was jittery and afraid. But like her Maximal programming, she was open to new ideas, her optics were green and her expression spoke volumes of her thoughts and feelings. Right now, if one were reading it, one would know she was a little confused and unsure how she had gotten to where she was. She looked around for a familiar face, but had seen none.

To the careful observer, the emergence of this new personality would shine hope on this situation. It was a healthy incorporation of the Maximal and Predacon programming. With her systems revived and her strength restored, the other personalities could be kept at bay. At least for the time being. She felt a little uneasy and confused being in this new strange place, but she did not feel threatened or anxious or even the least bit intimidated by these new surroundings. In fact, she was intrigued to learn where her other personalities had taken her.

Sure, she knew of them, but there was much she had to learn about their motives and their abilities and her own abilities. She had no memory of what her Predacon personality had done to the body she shared with the others nor was she privy to the fact that the Maximal personality had sought out the companionship of other Maximals. She had only been in control of the body for a brief period of time once she landed on this planet. As things started spiraling out of her control, she had left for another to take over. She had significantly underestimated her strength in coping with the situation, so she disappeared in hopes that someone she deemed as stronger than her would take control.

But that was not so now as she stood gazing upon the Maximal command center trying to recall her journey to this place.

"The engines look pretty busted. I'll start work on them though, I might get lucky and have a break through."

"I'm afraid we've used up what was the last of them when we attempted to leave this planet not too long ago. Rhinox informed us that the Axalon wouldn't fly again, but perhaps you might have some other ideas," Optimus informed Ironclaw. He didn't doubt Rhinox's diagnosis on their unrepairable engines, but it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion on it. And it would give Ironclaw something to do in the meantime.

"I know what's going on between me and Aurora is unprofessional. I'll put a stop to it"

For a split second, Optimus had the same expression Icebreaker did. He shook it off. "There's nothing wrong with it, Ironclaw," Primal said with a friendly but almost perplexed tone to the honey badger as he started walking away from the leader, whether he heard him or not. Sighing, Optimus just thought that Aurora wasn't responding as well to Ironclaw as he thought she was. She seemed too preoccupied with getting to know everyone else and letting her curiosity get the better of her. It was clear by this point that Tigatron and Airazor were a couple, and it didn't bother Optimus at all, as long as it didn't interfer with their duties. He thought about himself and Whitegrazer, but only briefly as he turned and started walking down the corridor, gently exercising his hand. Now was the time to focus.

"Orcariner, I'm on my way. Is everything ready?" the Maximal Commander contacted the orca via his comm. link.

Onyx only watched, slightly in wonder about this situation before Glowstick pulled him out and shut the door to keep this Visia in and away. What the heck was going on in this team and what little game did Visia have in mind? It was all just too strange. "I've seen some strange things in my function but this definitely takes the cake." He said as he put his Friction Rifle on his back, returning to the ladder and climbing up to the bridge and took his seat again. This had been quite an exciting first day for coming online, a brief confrontation with the maximals, meeting these strange Predacons he would soon see as teammates, and now he could only wonder what other things, strange or not, had occurred while being up in orbit. Leaning back a bit in the chair, crossing his arms as he thought about this, Onyx considered this for a long moment as they were returning to the Darksyde.

This planet was different from cybertron and it seemed the issues of their home had leaked over to this one, the looming threat of war that most higher up Maximals and Predacons could feel coming. Here it seemed it was already an example, a small one that these events would very much occur. Onyx thought so at least, if it occurred in a small war here then it would only grow to happen in other parts of the transformer establishments if none of them could find a working compromise. Only an example of things to come, he thought.

OOC:

"Orcariner, I'm on way. Is everything ready?" the Maximal Commander contacted the orca via his comm. link.

*sits on edge of seat* oooo....the good part is coming up!!

((OOC: lol I wait until nightfall to post and I already have three characters talking to Orcariner. I'll try and keep my post in chronological order so that I won't mess up what's been posted already.))

Aurora wrote:"Hi," "I take it you must be Orcariner? I saw you briefly on the way inside after the battle, but didn't get a chance to say hello."

Orcariner paused at the sound of a soft voice from below. Seeing the fuzor climb up to the ledge, the titan was granted an easier view of the one speaking to him. She was small, only rising up to the bottom of his knee guards. This was the sparkling which had risen from the body of his old friend. Her creation a result of Nemesis' first act of murder on this planet. Orcariner honestly felt unsure of how to feel about the fuzor now that he was staring down into her optics. He was Nightmist in the miniature body, but at the same time he saw Nemesis, as well. Nevertheless, he offered her a smile of acknowledgement as she called his name.

Aurora wrote:"I'm Aurora, in case you didn't figure that out already."

"It's a pleasure meeting you," he said, "We've been looking forward to your birth for some time now. I'm glad you're safely here with us, and I'm sorry you had to witness what you did a few moments ago outside."

She was so small. It was evident that Aurora was not meant to have a soldier's body. The small frame reminded him of her "mother", the equally fragile medic who had the heart of a warrior. Orcariner wondered to himself if Aurora will follow suite. In any case, he would make it a point to keep an eye on this one. No Predacon would touch her without losing that same arm... or more. Icebreaker entered the facility and called for Aurora. As she departed with the tall penguin, Orcariner threw a nod to silently greet his marine partner before they left. He turned his attention back to Rattrap who was still anxious to discuss the Sentinel security system.

Rattrap wrote:"Does the camera have audio?"

"It does not," Orcariner replied, "We wanted to keep it as basic as possible. Otherwise, we run the risk of Predacon hackers being able to wire the camera so that the audio transmission is open both routes. Even in a jail cell, an enemy who listens to all our conversations is still deadly."

The radio cracked.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Orcariner, I'm on way. Is everything ready?"

"Yes, sir," he said, "All systems are online and we're ready for your arrival."

Turning back to Rattrap, he continued.

"We should probably raise the temperature a little bit. The cell itself is too small for the both of them to fit inside, at least not without compromising Optimus' safety. We'll have to open the door and we might get some chills because of how cold it is out there. Prior to opening the door, seal off the hallway exit and set the security settings to 'interrogation'. That way, no one will be able to enter or exit the brig without a rank 8 or higher clearance. Optimus is the only one who can open Nemesis' cell now, so we're going to have to stand guard in case she tries to run out."

He stole a quick glance at the cell door.

"I alone should be enough to keep her at bay, but once the door is fully open and she's still in the cell, just stand behind Optimus with your weapon drawn as an extra precaution. He's powerful enough to handle her one on one, so we're not going to worry about any potential hostage situations with our boss. We're only here to make sure she doesn't run away. Hang back, don't show any emotion, don't say anything, and just let your presence do the talking. It's a small cell, and we have three bodies blocking her exit. Hopefully, that'll deter Nemesis from doing anything stupid."

Orcariner took a breath as he finished his instructions. He knew that he would not hesitate to do whatever it took to stop Nemesis if she tried to run. In such close quarters, a single stride of his would be enough to cover the brig's hallway and cut an opponent down. Optimus did not need her to be in good health; he just needed her to be alive.

((LOL @ Icebreaker!!!))

Scientifically speaking.. a creature that feeds off another creature, and in some cases controls them, is a parasite. a Symbiont provides some sort of benefit.. Your not really doing that at the moment.

"I prefer calling my "parasatic" act as a way to survive. In fact, Starsha- Nightstar traded her own body for power."

But alright. We'll go to the Darksyde and play your little game. However.. to keep things safe for both sides..You.. stay in here.

Visia nodded. Since the squid is going to participate in the game and she is making the rules, she intends to cheat. It would have been more fun if it were at the Axalon. She stepped back as Glowstick closed the door.

((lol forgot to tell you guys change of plans in the venue in my last post..))

(( OOC:

Optimus did not need her to be in good health; he just needed her to be alive.

This is true. ))

"It's a pleasure meeting you," "We've been looking forward to your birth for some time now. I'm glad you're safely here with us, and I'm sorry you had to witness what you did a few moments ago outside."

Rattrap had waited patiently while Orcariner spoke to Aurora. Granted she was cute, but she was young and very inexperienced. He and the others would all keep a close eye on her until they were sure she could handle herself. For now, she was just extremely curious about everyone and everything. It might get her in trouble but hopefully she'd learn from her mistakes. When Icebreaker came to distract the ermine and take her away, he and the whale continued.

"It does not," "We wanted to keep it as basic as possible. Otherwise, we run the risk of Predacon hackers being able to wire the camera so that the audio transmission is open both routes. Even in a jail cell, an enemy who listens to all our conversations is still deadly."

"Gotchya," Rattrap said, agreeing with him. And it was one less thing for the rat to worry about in case Optimus wanted it a private discussion with the nasty bird.

"We should probably raise the temperature a little bit. The cell itself is too small for the both of them to fit inside, at least not without compromising Optimus' safety. We'll have to open the door and we might get some chills because of how cold it is out there. Prior to opening the door, seal off the hallway exit and set the security settings to 'interrogation'. That way, no one will be able to enter or exit the brig without a rank 8 or higher clearance. Optimus is the only one who can open Nemesis' cell now, so we're going to have to stand guard in case she tries to run out." "I alone should be enough to keep her at bay, but once the door is fully open and she's still in the cell, just stand behind Optimus with your weapon drawn as an extra precaution. He's powerful enough to handle her one on one, so we're not going to worry about any potential hostage situations with our boss. We're only here to make sure she doesn't run away. Hang back, don't show any emotion, don't say anything, and just let your presence do the talking. It's a small cell, and we have three bodies blocking her exit. Hopefully, that'll deter Nemesis from doing anything stupid."

Nodding, Rattrap went ahead and adjusted the temperature and set the security settings so Orcariner could remain where he was and be ready for anything. It sounded simple enough for them to just guard the place, but there was always something that went wrong and unexpected in these kinds of situations. Orcariner should be enough to stop her, though.

Meanwhile, Optimus was walking down the corridor, and when he came to the brig entrance, he punched in the security code and entered, hearing Orcariner and Rattrap's voices. Stepping up to the largest Maximal, Primal glanced up at him. "Everything's ready?"

"Ready, Freddie," answered Rattrap who had secured the exit and interrogation settings and drew his gun, pointing it upward and laying the barrel against his shoulder. "We're gonna stand guard here."

Looking at Rattrap and glancing back at Orcariner again, Primal nodded and said, "Let's get this over with then." Stepping around Orcariner, the Maximal Commander punched in the code for Nemesis' cell and the door opened. Brisk air, refreshing at first before it lingered, hit Optimus as it wafted out of the door from her cell. It felt good against the wounds on his bandaged hand but it was not cold enough to make his teeth chatter. It must have been far below freezing earlier seeing how the former Decepticon's wounds were slow to repair even with her nanobots, and the thick restraints made of ice that Icebreaker had applied on her that she had since broken off had not melted on the floor yet.

Spotting Nemesis on the opposite side of her cell and sitting on the floor, Optimus simply stood there silently, watching her, giving her the opportunity to speak first. He was curious as to what she might have to say and how she would react; he wanted to see what state of emotions she was in first. Although he was angry about what happened earlier during her attack, nearly losing Whitegrazer and Arachnitron, he remained calm and tried not to let the emotion of rage get the better of him because Nemesis could use it to her advantage and cloud his judgement. No, right now he needed to concentrate. He couldn't afford any room for error.

Ironclaw went into his quarers to think over what Optimus had said. Maybe trying to work on the engines was a bad idea. Then there was Aurora. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, but really theres wasn't much to it. He wasn't whether to go to her agian. he put the thought to the back of his mind.

He layed out what scraps he had on his table and looked at them. He tilted his head thinking what the Maximals needed right now and if he could actaully make it.