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| - Megatron finally takes his place in his seat. It sure took the Emperor long enough to get here, as the crowd is already restless. The holo-vid changes to Megatron's steely mug as he addresses the contestants inside the arena. Megatron's voice carries through the arena on the loudspeakers as he rasps, "Decepticons. The Gladiatorial combat event is over. Taking second place is Starscream. First place went to Nitrogear." Though cheers are heard for the Air commander, the arena erupts at the mention of the tournament underdog's name. Megatron dismisses further cheering with a wave of his palm, indicating he's ready to announce the next event. Megatron pushes a button he's had ready since the start of the fight, and large doors begin open to in the side of the arena. Slipstream is standing among those that fought in the combat section of the games. Standing tall and straight, hands at her sides, wings flexed back a bit - basically at attention. She smiles a bit at the cheering for Nitrogear. The mech certainly gained an audience from his performance in combat. The door opening at the mention of what is upcoming though has her turn her head that way to see what Megatron has planned. Starscream's also standing there, having been defeated by Nitrogear in the combat. He idly ponders how he managed to only get second place. He's still a little miffed that the tables were turned, but doesn't make an issue of it. He's curious what Megatron is up to, not knowing what the Decepticon Emperor has in store. Goa is among the games' gladiators, though one of the most at-ease -- his hands are on his hips as he watches the Emperor finally announce his presence. He shakes his head, smirking, at the mention of Nitrogear... His optics fall on Starscream a moment. But that was the games, wasn't it? Goa didn't have time to poke his nose into what, precisely, the Tron Games /were/ -- when they ended, what they were composed of. He turns only his optics toward the movement of doors and machinery, crossing his arms over his chest, choosing not to run through the possible scenarios in his head just yet. Firestorm's wings shift uncomfortably at the rather packed bleachers she'd been seated upon since the event's final announcements had started. She wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Hunching forward in her seat, arms upon the front row wall, the femme would increase the zoom of her optics to easily see her fellow Cons on the field. A smirk lights her face once Nitrogear is announced the winner, making her wonder how much she just won on that bet. A large dinobot jumps out of the open arena doors, and proceeds to give an intimidating ROOOOOAAARR!!! Megatron rasps over the loudspeakers: "Decepticons! Destroy the Dinobot before all other contestants. In addition, prevent your fellow Decepticon from destroying the Dinobot before you." Megatron gives the instructions with an evil-looking grin, nearly in glee of his surprise. With another intimidating roar, the Dinobot is first to strike, swinging his tail around to try to attack the entire group all at once since they are bunched together. Dinobot rolls for attack: 13 Dinobot also rolls for intimidation: 4 Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 3! Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 12! Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 7! Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 2! Slipstream isn't intimidated by the surprise at all, but the quick swish of that things tail did take her by surprise. She catches it low on her legs, sending her stumbling then falling on her front. "Ow." she grumbles. "Okay.. no miss nice seeker!" she growls, going for her lariat. Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 5! Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 12! Something to fight that isn't another Decepticon? Goa could like this ... the roaring and flailing of the beast just finds him a little glassy-opticed with glee. A bit too much, actually. He gets enough advance warning from Slipstream to turn and take the Dinobot's blow in the back, but it still sends the smaller 'Con sprawling. He curls his limbs up under himself and takes the astrosecond to think ... "Slip!" He scrambles to his feet so he can actually look in whatever direction the seeker landed in. "Distract it." A moment's toothy glare at Starscream, and Goa zips off in a direction on his ankle jets, likely with some plan to outmaneuver the beast. Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 5! Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 10! Starscream is quite surprised at the arrival of a dinobot. He is incredibly intimidated, which is probably why his first attempt at an attack fails miserably. "Back, monster!" he shouts, trying to beat the monstrosity back with his fists. Not that this would do any good. Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 6! Dinobot rolls to dodge: 2 Dinobot rolls to dodge Goa: 20 Dinobot rolls to dodge Starscream: 4 Megatron seems pleased as the melee free-for-all rumble begins. He wonders if the Decepticons will work co-operatively.. and if so, for how long. After all, only ONE Decepticon can be credited with the final killing blow and receive points. Though both Slipstream's lariat and Starscream's punch hit their mark, it doesn't bother the Dinobot at all. The Dinobot turns his attention to Goa, and proceeds to fire several on-board lasers. Pew-pew! Dinobot rolls to attack Goa! 10 Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 14! Slipstream chuckles a bit at Goa's comment about distracting the beast as she loops up her lariat and gets to her feet. "Funny, I thought this was a fight to keep each other away from it while trying to bag it ourselves." she comments. But he's already well on the way toward it as she whips up her lariat and runs toward it herself. She'll go for the head if she can. The loop lands neatly over the head and she draws it taught, keeping a fair distance between it and her. "Uh uh uh.. no messing with Goa." she tsks at the beast, triggering the special power of that lariat to begin depleting the Dinobot of its energy levels. Goa zigzags back and forth, a forced improvisation after the dinobot decided he was a more interesting target than the seekers. Incoming fire forces him to pull off some new footwork, speeding in one direction on his tires, then jumping and burning rubber in the other. The lasers glance right behind him. So much for counting this vorn as one he hadn't had to run from violent animals... And this one was a tough slagger, too. Slipstream seems to have a handle on the situation now, at least-- Goa rockets himself at the creature, aiming to wrap his grip around its jaws or at least catch a ride on its neck, while it's occupied. Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 10! Starscream tries tripping up the big monster, since little else seems to be working. "The bigger they are the harder they fall!" the Air Commander announces, "Go for the legs!" Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 10! Dinobot rolls to dodge Goa: 5 Dinobot rolls to dodge Starscream: 3 Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 5! The dinobot gets tripped up by Starscream's sweep, which allows Goa to hop onto the beast's head. It's quick enough to rise back to his feet though, taking Goa along for the ride. Feeling the drain on its power systems (though it has plenty in reserve), the dinobot decides to divert its attention towards Slipstream and her lariat. Rearing its head back, the dinobot lurches forward with a cone of fire in an attempt to scorch Slipstream and destroy the lariat. (and any other contestant unfortunate to get in the way) Dinobot rolls to attack Slipstream! (and Starscream, if you are in range): 19 Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 20! Slipstream holds firm to her lariat, keeping just enough distance between her and it while controlling that head. "Drive one of your knives into its neural net and let's be done with it." she says to Goa. As it moves to attack her she jumps up, jet boot thrusters igniting briefly then she lands with a bit more distance between her and it. "Hurry." Goa gets a nice grip in behind one of the dinobot's cranial plates, bringing his legs around to stabilize on the underside of its jaw. The worst that can happen to him now, he figures, is a bit of flailing around, or getting smashed against the wall -- nothing worse than he'd weathered before, holding on in high-G maneuvers. Goa hears Slipstream's idea, glancing at her a moment before the flames start roaring, but apparently, he already has something else in mind ... or rather, in hand. The instant it stops venting plasma, Goa tosses a fragmentation grenade down the beast's gullet. Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 5! "Oh no you don't! The glory shall be MINE," Starscream mutters under his breath. As soon as Goa tosses the grenade, he grabs hold of Goa's leg and YANKS, so that when there's an opening, Starscream can take advantage of it. Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 19! Dinobot rolls to dodge Goa: 5 Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 2! Dinobot rolls to dodge Goa: 1 Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 15! Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 13! Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 10! The dinobot gets a mouthful of hand grenade before Goa gets pulled off of his head - So much for trying to make a snack of Goa. The explosion goes off inside the beast’s mouth, causing him to roar loudly in response. Looks like that just made it mad, as the Dinobot charges forward in an attempt to stampede Slipstream and finally free himself from her lariat. Megatron looks on with a grin as the Decepticons start fighting each other now instead of the dinobot. This should make things interesting, the Emperor concludes, as he watches on. Dinobot rolls to attack Slipstream! 14 Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 20! Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 8! Slipstream frowns as Starscream goes for Goa. She's not going to have any of THAT! She keeps a hold of that lariat while taking out her pistol and taking a shot at him. At the same time she has to avoid the beast. It's a tricky little jump flip maneuver she pulls off. Getting off her shot and just baring evading the beast. Meanwhile she tries to keep that lariat on its head too... to keep a bit of control over it. Slipstream baring=barely Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 2! Dinobot rolls to finally get out Slipstream's lariat: 14 Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 11! Starscream fortunately gets out of the way of Goa's shoulder charge just in time. He goes around the Dinobot as the lasso breaks, hoping to distract the beast and get a kick in on its aft. Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 11! Dinobot rolls to dodge Starscream: 12 The dinobot uses Slipstream's distraction to finally whip himself away from her lariat. What a relief for the dinobot, but not the contenders. The dinobot turns himself around just in time to doge Starscream's boot as well as swing his tail towards the Air Commander. Dinobot rolls to attack Starscream (and Goa since you are likely still in range): 15 Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 16! Slipstream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Slipstream rolls a 17! Slipstream feels the lariat come free of the Dinobot's head. She has plenty of power now anyway thanks to the leech affect of that lariat. While it goes after Starscream, she brings out her lance and flies after it. She'll try to lodge the lance into a good spot that will have it slow down or even just cripple it for some points. she warns him over the link as it charges him. Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 5! Goa spins around, baring his teeth. Then he processes what's going on and his mouth goes flat. The seeker doesn't even know how to approach this problem, does he? Or he's just biding his time. He quickly transforms into his vehicle mode to duck a swing from the beast, then back standing ... With a grin at his realization, Goa bounces a couple of times on his heels, then wheels in close to the dinobot. At the first window, he jumps, holding his blades like picks to hook and tear its neck, jaw, cranial unit, whatever he can get to ... Goa picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Goa rolls a 18! Starscream gets knocked right on his aft by the metal beast. He shakes a fist and utters a cry of protest. He gets up and tries to tackle the beast and force it to the ground. Starscream picks up the dicebag and takes out a D20 Starscream rolls a 11! Dinobot rolls to dodge Slip: 11 Dinobot rolls to dodge Goa: 2 Dinobot rolls to dodge Starscream: 6 As Slipstream's lance hits, the Dinobot goes down, hard. With a muted roar, Energon begins to pour out of the beast. It's Goa's scythes that finally bring the beast down, it's metal form landing on the pit floor with a distinctive metal THUD. Starscream's takedown comes one moment too late as he pounces on an already terminated dino. Megatron sounds the bell as the beast falls. It impressed him that the Decepticons actually worked together to bring the Dinobot down for the majority of the fight. He actually expected more infighting then what was demonstrated today. A replay of the dino's death replays over the holo-vid as Megatron awaits for the contenders to take their places. Slipstream grins as her lance connects deep into the beast, she pulls hard to get it free so the energon pours free out of the wound and takes a hop flight backwards as it starts to come down.. more than likely with Goa riding it all the way down. she murmurs over the link. Goa has to dig himself out from under the wreck to some extent, awkwardly shaking away some torn plating and cables that snagged on his heel. Of course he hung on for dear life. Who wouldn't? Perhaps a mech with less of a vendetta in this tournament. But nonetheless, the green mech stands -- confirms the creature is dead with a kick, confirms that Starscream is still nearby with a glare and a sneer, then finally confirms that his armaments are still in working order with a quick scan. No torquing, just covered in gently-glowing energon. As are his hands, and ... he looks down. Most of him, for that matter. His acknowledgement on Slipstream's link is wordless, but there, before he turns his head over his shoulder to glance at Megatron. Starscream smirks in triumph. The beast is defeated, and he hopes Megatron recognizes his role in its ultimate downfall. He doesn't look unmarred by the combat, that's for sure. "My Liege," he says to Megatron, "We have defeated the monstrosity as you ordered." The holo-vid changes focus to Megatron as he makes the announcement. His raspy voice is carried over the arena loudspeakers. "Decepticons. Though each of you contributed to the downfall of the Dinobot, there can be only one winner. The Decepticon that struck the killing blow was..." Megatron hesitates for a minute, as to build tension. The crowd appears restless, either standing up or sitting on the edge of their seats. "Goa." Megatron rasps his name, much to the delight of the audience. Slipstream moves before Megatron, taking a kneeling position in due respect to the Emperor. Hopefully Goa will catch on and do the same without her having to prod him over the link. "Congrats Goa." she murmurs toward the grounder. Megatron gives a few moments for Goa to celebrate his victory, then proceeds to the announcement of the next Game. "Decepticons. During the next Game you will be able to use the cooperative skills you displayed to me during this round." Megatron rasps, giving a preliminary hint as to the next event. "The next event will be a challenging event. The weak need not apply, for it is Capture the Flag. Interested participants will inquire with the Pit master." Megatron rasps, officially announcing the next event. Goa is busily wiping the violet from his chest -- not to mention double-checking none of it's his own -- when he hears his name. The Decepticon freezes with a flinch. Throw him off-balance, why don't you ... He looks up at the screens suspiciously a moment before turning again to the Emperor, striding into formation, and kneeling, both blades clasped in one hand against the ground like a short sword. "Lord Megatron." He can keep the cynicism from his voice, but not his bonded -- surely his seeker would be better awarded the title? He smiles unsurely at her before returning his attention to the floor.
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