| abstract
| - Tuesday, July 11, 2006 Olympic Stadium Vast and large, this circular stadium is to house the main events for the Monacus Olympics. Stands surround the center field, with chairs ranging from small sizes to much larger ones, able to seat Transformers of nearly every size. In the very center of the stadium is a raised platform about 30 meters (100 feet) on each side, obviously some sort of fighting arena. Ringing this platform is a wide, level expanse with different numbered rows, which borders the outside of the stands. And yet there is still a lot of empty space in the arena. Outside of the stadium are abandoned buildings, the remains of an area that Pangalactic Industries is in the process of rebuilding. Airwolf doesn't feel confident enough on this planet to wander Monacus's shops without an escort, so she is usually here at the stadium. At this early hour, though, there is not much of a crowd, as the scheduled events don't occur until much later. At least here are passers-by to watch, but she is tremendously bored. Rodimus Prime makes his way into the stadium, something made tremendously easier by the thinned crowds. Despite the early hour, however, there are still a number of spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite participants practicing or simply hanging about. The Autobot leader's optics scan the area quickly before settling on a familiar face. An easy smile slides onto his features as he strides confidently over to the esteemed political head of Crystal City. "Good morning, Governor," he offers casually, hopefully not sneaking up on poor Airwolf. Airwolf, having been in reconnaissance in the past and on edge to boot, does manage to spot the rather large and very... bright painted form of the Autobot leader coming in her direction, so she's not startled at his appearance. "A good cycle to you, Rodimus," she returns politely. Unlike most of her faction, she won't be taunting him for his failure the other night; she knows the vagaries of sheer, dumb luck. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?" No one ever comes to her unless they want something. Rodimus Prime inclines his head in response, more familiar than formal. Despite his unfortunate trouncing the other night, he still appears to be in good humor. "Indeed there is," he replies smoothly, the mirth from his face fading slightly. "I was curious as to how your wounded comrade was doing. I understand there were certain ... complications during the sharpshooting event." He shrugs almost unconsciously and folds his arms. "At least for now we aren't enemies and I would hate to think that something fatal had occurred during this otherwise celebratory time." Airwolf shakes her head slightly. "You know better than that, Rodimus Prime. The Decepticons are always your enemies," she chides quietly. "This is merely a very tenuous truce, balancing the desire to destroy you against the desire to compete here. Should a great enough advantage be gained, the truce will be forgotten in an astrosecond. As for Earthscorch, he was taken to the hotel for treatment, and I haven't yet heard about his condition." The Decepticons, at least, should have known better than to stay in Spoiler's presence; the mech has a talent for evoking chaos. Rodimus Prime sighs audibly and hefts his shoulders in something bordering on extreme weariness. The cheerful facade quickly reasserts itself, however, and it is with a smile that he continues. "Of course. Enemies. Despite that, I remain optimistic that perhaps in this very venue, one day we can put an end to this senseless conflict. I don't suspect that we'll ever be friends, we're all too different. But if we could just stop killing each other, it would be a start." He pauses to reach down and shake the hand of an eager young fan. "Still, I don't expect that will happen any time soon either." He gestures back to one of the combat pits. "I was about to go through some exercises, if you'd care to join me. Kup seems to think that I've been neglecting some of the more up-close and personal aspects of warfare." Airwolf follows his gaze to the indicated combat pit, recalling her temptation to join in the challenge four nights ago. At least this time, it would be more fair to Rodimus... She hesitates, frowning, and then shrugs to herself and nods. "Very well. I admit to a morbid interest in how badly I would do against you. And along with that, I was wondering if you could answer a rather strange question for me." Something she'd been meaning to ask both Rodimus and Galvatron for several months but never had the opportunity. Rodimus Prime's smile shifts quickly into a cocky grin. "A question? Of course. I've got nothing to hide." He takes a few steps towards the nearest combat pit before pausing in mid-step. "Well, except for military secrets, of course." Though the words are delivered in a light-hearted tone, there is an undercurrent of seriousness that somehow manages to creep to the surface. "Other than that particular subject, I'm an open book." He resumes walking before adding, "Shoot." You enter the Combat Pit 1. Combat Pit 1 The interior of the gladiatorial pit has not been designed for any aesthetic appeal, only aiming at pure functionality. The ground is comprised of a dirt/sand mix, allowing for both good grip and impact absorption should one find oneself hitting it hard. The pit is a ring design, encompassing a diameter of one hundred meters. Several entrances dot the walls, and large view holes are arranged every few feet. At least this question is nothing that could be remotely related to military secrets. Or *shouldn't* be. Airwolf drops to the dirt floor of the arena, easing her fall with a touch of heel thrusters. "Not a personal question nor an official one, Rodimus," she reassures, gesturing widely to cover the entire arena. "Why do warriors find such a thrill in play fighting? Why is it considered fun? We have been at war since before my time, and I cannot see the point in pretending to fight when we have the real thing to deal with. I admit that I used to challenge Autobots to combat to test my ability against theirs, but there was no malice in that, and the combat broke off before serious damage was done. Play fights, yes, but that was before I experienced the real thing." She pauses to sigh, and then finishes, "There is another reason for this question outside of my own curiosity, but I'll get into that later." Rodimus Prime drops lightly over the edge, raising a small cloud of dust into the air as he lands. He cocks his head and considers the question for a long moment. This certainly was not the kind of question he was expecting. "Well," he begins slowly, still not entirely sure of his response. "I would imagine there is a sense of relief involved. I can't speak for everyone, of course. But there is a certain appeal in being able to release tension in the form of mock combat." He moves steadily towards the center of the arena, using the time to formulate what he's going to say next. "There is also a good bit of relief, especially in games such as this. For a few weeks out of the year, we can meet our enemies on the field of battle, out from under death's sway. It's like a form of giddiness, I believe the term is. An intense feeling of... being alive, after coming so close to death. I don't know, honestly. Perhaps some do it because combat justifies their existence, or to prove to themselves how good they are. I agree it's a reminder of the dreadful reality we all face, but I cannot condemn anyone who participates." Pausing, he sighs as his shoulders slump slightly. "Sometimes only in combat can we escape the real horrors of warfare." "A sense of relief," Airwolf repeats slowly. She contemplates that for a few moments and finally nods. "I suppose that makes some kind of sense. I've always felt that these games were almost an insult to the fallen, that we should play games when people have been dying for millions of years. Not to mention the aspect of demonstrating all your combat capabilities to those who would use them against you. Wouldn't it be better if the person you fight to the death three months from now doesn't know your strengths and weaknesses?" In the middle of the conversation, she transforms. She's always felt more secure in her alt mode in combat. "As you can see, this troubles me. If there *weren't* a real war going on, I could see the appeal of testing oneself against others, a sense of competitiveness and incentive to improve." Rodimus Prime remains still for a few moments before finally offering a shrug in reply. "Maybe, subconsciously, we're doing it on purpose. Perhaps by demonstrating how truly destructive we can be, we're hoping to convince each other to stop fighting." Somber for almost too long, he suddenly offers a laugh that's dangerously devoid of any true mirth. "I'm no philosopher, just a soldier trying to do the best he can." He bends at the waist, giving the helicopter a formal bow. Rising back up, he gestures with an elaborate air of casualness. "Anytime you're ready, Governor, we can begin this dance." Something still flickers behind his optics, however, a clear indication that the question has gotten him considering some thing that he might rather not. Jet Helicopter's single rotor starts up, slicing sharply into the dusty air, and she rises nimbly upwards. She may be a bit awkward in space due to lack of practice, but she's in full control of her abilities as a helicopter. Her nose dips in acknowledgment of Rodimus's bow as she tries to remember the combat lessons she learned from Onslaught several years ago. Those lessons were quite vicious, she recalls, and she doesn't want to win badly enough to use such tactics. Well, a moving target is less likely to be hit than a stationary one, so she begins to circle the tall Autobot, changing directions and course frequently to avoid being predictable. She may not be a true warrior, but she can think. After a few moments of hopefully unpredictable flight, she opens fire with her less-than-awesome machine guns. Rodimus Prime darts to the side, dropping low to try and remain below the arcing rounds, marked by the tracers flashing brilliantly overhead. He stays low, charting a zig-zagging course to the arena wall. This particular tactic didn't work especially well against the seeker, Fleet, the other night, but Rodimus isn't one to abandon something after the first try. He refrains from bringing his ranged weapons to bear, not wanting to risk another lecture from Kup about meeting the enemy face to face. Charging quickly, he leaps upward and grabs the upper edge of the pit. With a quick twist, he reorients himself and launches skyward. It's really one of the age old problems. How to catch a flying Decepticon without going to guns. No time to think about that now, however, as Rodimus nears Airwolf, he reaches out to grab with one hand and rears back with the other. Jet Helicopter zigged when she should have zagged. Or something like that. Despite her attempts at not being predictable, good ol'... er, bad ol' luck puts her right in Rodimus's range. The impact startles her, but having an inconceivably high threshold for pain at least enables her to ignore her newly dented chassis. Her response is to try and loosen the Autobot's grasp by applying a touch of power to her jet thrusters, sending her lurching forward but still hampered by the excess weight. Seeing as her engines are capable of launching her into space, they do have a respectable amount of power. If she succeeds in slipping free, she rolls enough to bring her rotor into striking range of the hopefully falling Rodimus. Rodimus Prime firmly believes the old saying that discretion is the better part of valor. He struggles to maintain his grip as the helicopter begins to roll, but clearly decides that hanging on is in no way preferable to getting a rotor blade through his face. Pushing away, he shifts his center of gravity enough to orient himself head down. Ideally, this is not the position one wants to be falling in. In the case, though, it serves a purpose. Clumsy though the action may be, the Autobot leader lashes out with a leg on the way down in an attempt to catch his opponent squarely in the undercarriage. Jet Helicopter's roll, clumsy as it is, fails to hit Rodimus but at least helps her to miss the full impact of the falling Autobot's kick. In fact, the glancing blow helps to straighten her out from her extreme tilt. Thank you, Rodimus. As she levels off, she maintains her lock on the falling mech and sends a burst of disruptive energy to, if not assist him in a speedier arrival, then to at least escort him to the arena floor. Rodimus Prime tries to adjust himself to not take the impact with the ground squarely on the helm. He manages to twist only a fraction before his struck by a rather unpleasant surge of energy. His limbs seize up momentarily, leaving him unable to correct his descent any further. He slams into ground, taking the blow on his shoulders. Amidst the tortured squeal of metal, he crumples to the arena floor. Dazed for a moment, he shakes his head and pushes himself unsteadily to his feet. "Good shot," he comments wryly, glancing up at Airwolf with a grin. Lurching into motion, he takes a few quick steps and leaps into the air. He doesn't get quite as much distance as before, but he's just hoping for fleeting contact at this point. Despite what the rumors say, Autobots can jump. There's no question that Rodimus Prime has got game. Jet Helicopter should not have been surprised; after all, the mech already leaped into the air and hit her not too long ago. The speed of it is what really impressed her. Despite her being a Decepticon and all, she's not seen all that much combat, and whenever the top fighters were engaged, she wasn't often close enough to see. Rodimus is *fast*, and he definitely tags her. Knocked back several meters by the impact, she fights to stabilize her hover and admits wryly, "Luck, sheer luck. I am nothing close to being a marksman." He should have dropped back to the arena floor by then, so she resumes her irregular circling around the colorful Autobot, waiting for a good opportunity to strike. Should he slow enough in turning to face her, she brings her atmospheric flight engines to full throttle and accelerates rapidly towards him at close to mach speed. Rodimus Prime drops back to ground, this time without any major mishaps. He plants his hands on his hips for a moment, cautiously surveying Airwolf as she circles overhead. He's getting a bit of a workout, trying to keep to melee with an airborne opponent. In fact, from the stands this little tussle might very well resemble a Terran basketball game. The thought actually bemuses the Autobot leader and it takes hold for a moment, causing him to chuckle. Unfortunately, the mental image is more than enough to provide a distraction at just the opportune moment and Rodimus finds himself with a helicopter in his back. Carried for a moment by the force of the impact, he seems to defy gravity as he's thrown violently into the air. A small network of cracks appear in his bright armor plating, clearly visible as he meets the arena wall, up close and personal. Sagging heavily to the ground, he is still for a moment before slowly pushing himself to his feet. "Wow," he mutters, reaching back to gingerly probe the damage. "Didn't see that coming, in more ways than one." Too far distant to get close for retaliation this time, he risks Kup's ire by producing his rifle. Taking a brief second to aim, his finger convulses once on the trigger. Jet Helicopter was already braced for the impact, so it's not a surprise this time, but her nose is now crumpled and liberally decorated with red, orange, and yellow paint. It's also an effort to pull up in time to keep from accompanying Rodimus to his violent encounter with the arena wall, but manage she does. Spinning on her rotor, she applies all that thrust to the opposite direction and ends up accelerating out of Rodimus's reach, at least melee-wise. The Photon Eliminator is another matter, and it jolts her frame enough to temporarily disrupt her gyroscope. She doesn't exactly fall, but she does drop to the arena floor, transforming and landing hard enough to drop to her knees. "Even someone as weak as I am can do some damage," she points out a bit unsteadily. Since this *is* a good, stable position for shooting, she remains where she is long enough to extend a retractable laser from her arm, point at Rodimus, and open fire. Rodimus Prime isn't exactly keen on standing still at this point as there is no telling what he might end up getting in the back. In motion a fraction of a second after his shot strikes, he dashes across the arena floor. Weaving to avoid incoming fire, the Autobot leader barely manages to avoid the broiling bolt of energy as it lances by. Rifle still in hand, he quickly closes the distance between himself and Airwolf. Just shy of his opponent, however, Rodimus lets himself fall backwards. Although it aggravates the wound in his back, it also allows him to use his momentum to slide across the arena floor as he attempts to personally introduce his foot to his 'mock' foe. Airwolf erks as Rodimus dashes towards her, chiding herself severely for making the same mistake twice in a row. The mech is *fast*. She has only a split second to think, and she reacts instinctively with the obvious: she throws herself into a desperate roll to get out of his way in time, and miraculously, she succeeds. As he slides past her, her roll ends face down, she rises to one knee, and, trying to return the favor, she kicks at the mech's head in passing. That's all that's in immediate reach for the brief instant she has. Once again, Rodimus Prime's plan fails to work out exactly as he anticipated. Instead of his foot connecting with Airwolf, her foot clangs noisily against his head. The impact sends him sliding off course and he comes to a halt nearby. "Primus," he mutters, climbing to his feet as best he can. He really wasn't sure how much of a challenge she would be, but Airwolf is proving to be full of all kinds of surprises. The Autobot leader doesn't foresee any opportunity that would involve conflict with the Crystal City Governor, but it's still an important bit of knowledge gained. His musings don't leave him vulnerable again, as Rodimus is moving during the entire process. Closing in on his opponent, he hefts his rifle, trying to bring the weapon into play as a simple club. If Airwolf were aware of the Autobot Leader's musings, she would deny that she was any kind of real fighter. As happened so many other times, freakish luck is taking a hand in this match. As he comes at her with raised rifle, she quickly rises to her feet and doesn't stop there, kicking off into the air to avoid the hit. Though not as quick as her helicopter mode, flight at least takes her out of melee striking range, and she stares down at Rodimus, absently rubbing the major dent in her chest. Particles of chipped red, orange, and yellow paint flutter down on the mech as she makes a decision on which weapon to use, that being the disruptors in the tips of her fins. As soon as she fires, she's moving again, trying to get out of the way of any retaliatory attacks. Rodimus Prime stumbles backwards as the energy from the disruptor washes over his rather attractively colored frame. Smiling tightly, he moves quickly to the side in order to avoid any potentially unpleasant following fire. Lucky for him, there doesn't seem to be any at the moment. Not for the first time, the thought occurs to him that getting more flight capable Autobots would be a very good thing. Once again he amuses himself with his inner dialogue. Imagine a flight capable flaming RV. This clearly isn't the time for such childish fantasies, however, and Rodimus quickly returns his attention to the task at hand. Deciding that one good turn deserves another, he hefts his rifle and fires, unleashing a small blast of shimmering energy. Airwolf wouldn't exactly agree with Rodimus's opinion of the attractiveness of his color scheme - or lack thereof - but she is a polite person and usually wouldn't say so to his face. As she circles him, still in the air, she has the time to realize that he's not struck her with anything really powerful. A sense of fair play, she supposes, seeing as her most powerful weapon is about the level of his least powerful. Slower as she is, the burst of energy catches her, destabilizing her gyroscope once again, but the increasing strain it is producing on her internal components isn't severe enough to send her to the ground again, at least not yet. Her hovering becomes noticeably unsteady for a few moments as she laboriously pushes the weakness away, a chance for Rodimus to get in another shot, but he apparently doesn't take it. She sighs as the disorientation finally drains off, drawing the small pistol maglocked to her side and snapping off a quick shot. Rodimus Prime utilizes the oldest tactic in the book for successfully avoiding incoming fire: he gets out of the way. In particular, he's moving towards Airwolf, ducking low and weaving to avoid getting shot. He kicks up little puffs of dirt as he charges forward, working hard to get in fisticuffs range before his opponent can get off another round of fire. Once again, Rodimus demonstrates how he could totally rule in giant robot b-ball. Leaping high into the sky, he pumps his legs as he moves the action seemingly granting him massive air. Stretching his arm as far as he cans, he falls back on the things that work. This time, at least, Airwolf is expecting this, but she is also expecting that she cannot get out of the way in time. Oh, she tries, but with the cumulative damage from repeated disruptions of her systems, she's slowing down. Then there's also that point that she's realized before: Rodimus is just plain fast. At least the blow impacts on her shoulder rather than her already-dented chest, but it sends her reeling through the air and to the ground. Ouch. A cloud of sand and dust rises from the impact, and would clog her engines if she weren't fitted with extra heavy-duty air filters. Slowly rising to her feet, she is surprised to find herself rather closer to the Autobot leader than she expected, and out of sheer surprise, she reacts with something that is likely the stupidest things she's ever done: she lashes out with a punch towards his face. "Sorry," she mutters, surprised at herself and forgetting for a moment that they're *supposed* to be fighting. Rodimus Prime dips his head and twists low under the punch. He reaches up to grab her arm and perhaps go for a quick hip toss. Despite his intentions, none of this comes to pass. His arms drop to his sides and he stands back up, the most incredulous expression prevalent on his features. Quite honestly, he's never had this happen. Rodimus just stares for a moment. "Did you just say 'sorry'," he inquires, trying hard to suppress the grin that is fighting so strongly to be set free. "I just want to be sure I heard that correctly." So bemused is the Autobot leader at this develop, that he simply forgets to make an offensive move. It seems like Rodimus has also forgotten that they're supposed to be fighting. Even so, Airwolf is still terribly embarrassed but now for a different reason: what a *stupid* thing to say in the middle of a fight. At least Rodimus's surprise gives her some time to pull away, transforming. Internal systems aren't operating at a good enough level for her to gain a lot of altitude, but it's something. As always, she feels more secure in this form, maybe because of her tremendous speed. Because of her embarrassment, she circles longer than before, hesitant to resume the fight, but since it was agreed upon, she feels obliged to finish it. The outcome is certain, but she knew that going in. "Yes, I did," she finally admits, truthfully as always. "And I will be opening fire on you now." Fair warning, considering his shock. Rodimus Prime's startled expression eventually settles out. Conveniently enough, it's just about the time that Airwolf announces her intention to open fire. Springing backwards, he considers the possibility that this may be the most unusual bout he has ever participated in. The war would certainly be a lot different if everyone was nice enough to offer apologies and friendly warnings. Unfortunately that's not the way the world works, and if Rodimus doesn't want to embarrass himself again he'd better get his head in the game. Not wanting to resort to his rifle again quite so soon, he glances quickly about the ground. His optics fall upon a piece of debris, most likely his since it's vibrantly red, and he dashes over and snatches it up. Rearing back, he sidearms the chunk of armor at the helicopter with the strength he can muster. Now that things are back to normal. Airwolf touches her thrusters, resulting in a powerful surge of thrust that propels her clear of the brightly-colored missile of doom. As she was facing Rodimus, it also carries her into striking distance of the debris' originator. No more warnings this time; he should be well aware now that it's business as usual, at least for two members of a species that's engaged in civil war for nine million years. Once again rolling to her side, she brings her rotor to bear on the blazingly bright target that is Rodimus Prime. She usually doesn't like using her rotor as a weapon, but this isn't a real fight, and it won't really snap off if it hits at a direct angle. Surprisingly, the rapidly spinning rotor doesn't do a tremendous amount of immediate damage. It does however transfer an incredible amount of kinetic energy to the Autobot leader. The impact picks him clear off the ground and sends him hurtling through the air. This is becoming quite an unfortunate habit. If he ever gets that flight system installed though, this should count as 'stick' time. Once again, Rodimus finds himself down in the dirt. With a cautious optic, he glances down to survey the damage even as he lays prone and vulnerable. Other than one heck of a nasty dent and an abundance of missing paint, it isn't as gruesome as he might have expected. He's faced with a small dilemma, get up and leave himself wide open in the process or once again use the rifle he inexplicably managed to hang on to. For the time being, option 'B' is the safest, so he takes it. The impact didn't help Airwolf much either, but at least her rotor didn't snap. For an astrosecond, she thought it would... she's not accustomed to using it as a weapon, and it's certainly not built for it. Miraculously enough, it's intact, if noticeably bent and affecting her ability to hover. If worse comes to worse, she'll have to retract it and depend on her space maneuvering thrusters, something with which she's not had a lot of practice. Rodimus's Photon Eliminator makes matters even worse, once again disrupting those same systems, and that takes the choice away from her. Her main rotor painfully, loudly, scrapingly retracts into her back, and her tail rotor folds away as well, leaving her something like a badly dented dark blue torpedo with fins. Oh well, if she's going to fly like this, she may as well take advantage of her higher velocity. Firing her normal space-flight thrusters, she darts towards the fallen mech, something that will probably hurt her as much as him, not to mention crash her into the arena floor with him due to his prone position. Rodimus Prime rolls quickly out of the way, having no intention of being speared by a helicopter for the second time. He scarcely manages to clear the damage path when Airwolf intersects with his previous location. Still on the ground he performs a quick kip up, and lands squarely on his feet. He raises a hand to his back for a moment, indicating the action further served to affect the injury suffered in the last ramming run. Despite the pain, the Autobot leader is still fairly quick. He knows it's only a matter of time before Airwolf manages to right herself and most likely start shooting at him once again. Darting in even closer, Rodimus snaps out his leg and attempts to land a kick squarely on his opponent's side armor. Jet Helicopter barely manages to hit at an angle that *doesn't* spear her nose into the arena floor. Instead, she impacts in the sand and slides along for nearly half the length of the arena, followed by a plume of dust and sand and moving too fast for Rodimus's kick to hit her even in passing. Still, helicopters and space vessels belong at least in the air rather than on the ground, and she's a bit stunned at the impact. It being a bit too awkward to lift off normally, she transforms and staggers to her feet, so thickly covered with dust that she appears to be gray rather than blue. Shaking her head to clear it, she turns to look back at the direction from which she came, almost expecting to see Rodimus dashing towards her at uncanny speed. Well, this time, he's not quite in pouncing range yet, so she snaps off a disruptor shot from the tips of her fins. Rodimus Prime really needs to work on that kicking thing. It looks like Kup was right to give him that lecture. He can't help but stare as the helicopter continues sliding away before transforming into a groggy Airwolf. Before she's done shaking her head however, Rodimus is rushing towards her. He ducks and zigs, just barely getting out of the way of her rather skillfully launched taser attack. His legs pump quickly as he gets near enough to lash out with a follow-up attack of his own. Unfortunately, the area floor chooses to intervene and the Autobot leader slides a bit instead of coming to the abrupt halt he intended. His strike, therefore, is a bit off-balance and clumsy. No, the sand on the arena floor isn't exactly good traction, as Airwolf has already discovered. Once again, Rodimus's speed brings him into striking range, and the odd thought occurs to her that he's getting a lot of exercise dashing around the arena chasing her. She's still dazed, and he's there almost before she realizes it. The grazing blow knocks her on her aft into the sand, but at least that's a softer landing than it would be on the metal surface of Cybertron. Drawing her feet up and together, she braces herself with her arms and kicks out at the slightly off-balance Autobot, and considering that he overran her a bit and that she's on the ground, that *should* impact on his backside. Well, she didn't *mean* it that way, but if it works, it works. Rodimus Prime avoids getting a metal-shod boot in his backside, not through any measure of skill, but because it's at that moment that he loses his balance and tips forward. In what proves to be yet another embarrassing chapter of this trip to Monacus, he pitches over and lands rather ignobly on all fours. Shaking his head, he mutters aloud with a small amount of exasperation. "Primus, I hope no one is recording this." Then, since he's pretty much already looking like a jackass, he lashes out with a mule kick. Airwolf's own attempt at kicking opens her to retaliation, and she has no chance to capitalize on the Autobot leader's fall before getting kicked herself. It sends her rolling in the dirt again, but at least gives her some space. Unfortunately, she can't do too much about it because of her injuries. In addition to her own pain, she is close enough to feel Rodimus's, and that is distracting. Briefly clenching her fists together, she pushes the pain aside and concentrates on her next step. Choices are limited, seeing as she isn't sure she can get to her feet. Reminding herself that this is all holographic, and that the blasted sand won't get into her internals, she extends a laser from her upper arm and fires at close to point-blank range. Well, seeing how much her arms are shaking, it wouldn't be surprising if she missed even if it is point-blank. Rodimus Prime is in the process of rising to his feet and turning to face Airwolf when she unleashes the brutal fury of her arm lasers. Despite the shaking of her limbs, she does strike the Autobot leader. But, the freakish position of his body somehow causes the beam to deflect off the mirrored chrome of his smokestacks. The blast does almost no damage, merely causing a bit of carbon scoring. The possibility of such an occurrence is... well, best left to Perceptor to calculate. Prime isn't too far from the downed political figure and he jogs over quickly. The most logical choice in a combat situation would be to hit her while she's down and put her out of the fight. Rodimus doesn't do that now, and he'd like to think he wouldn't do it in a real fight, either. Instead, he shunts his rifle away and calmly reaches down to help Airwolf to her feet. He offers a congenial smile as well, as if to support the fact that this isn't a trick. Airwolf watches in bemusement as her pathetic shot actually hits, sort of... and then ricochets in a chaotic display of luck gone insane. Considering what she's seen in this very stadium in the past few days, random displays of insane luck are becoming commonplace. Rodimus's assistance is grounds for an arched brow, but she doesn't object to being pulled to her feet. She's too trusting, and she knows it, but what's the worst that can happen? "Thank you," she murmurs quietly, trying to keep her balance. "I concede the match." Rodimus had the chance to finish her, regardless of whether or not he did, and that means he won anyway. Rodimus Prime inclines his head respectfully after a moment's consideration. "You fought exceptionally well. Although I get the impression that battle is not one of your favorite pastimes, you handled yourself with skill and grace." The Autobot leader takes a few steps back and offers an antiquated and even more formal bow than the one he opened the match with. "It was an honor, Governor. And, if I may, I feel even more secure with Crystal City in your capable hands. No one is going to try and bully you around, I think." He smiles openly, without reservation for a brief second before his expression darkens. "I sincerely hope this is the only time when we will meet each other on the battlefield." Airwolf sighs and shrugs, her unsteadiness turning that into a stagger as the holo damage hasn't yet been reversed. "That is not up to me, Rodimus Prime. As long as I am Governor of Crystal City, there will be no war between us, but for affairs outside of Crystal City, I am subject to the orders of my superiors, and if that leads into battle..." She shrugs again and then smiles in return. "... I am not likely to do well anyway. It would be a foolish decision to send me out to fight, considering that and other handicaps. No, my service to the Empire will not be on the battlefield." There's a hint of warning there. She may not be much of a warrior, but she does have other, more important skills, and Rodimus knows what they are. Rodimus Prime's brow creases, but he nods in understanding. "Of course. This war doesn't always unfold in conventional ways. As I said before, I can always hope that we'll learn enough to stop fighting one day and live beside each other with some level of understanding." He shrugs self-consciously as signals for the battle damage to be dissipated. Smiling a little sadly, he dusts himself off and paraphrases something he heard once. It's not exactly typical for him, but for some reason it feels appropriate at the moment. "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..." The words are most likely meant only for his own receptors as they are barely audible over the din of the Olympic Stadium. It takes a few seconds, but he finally snaps out of his internal musings. Clearing his vocalizer, he grins a little sheepishly. "Still, well done out there. If you'd like, I'll be sure to mention to Galvatron that you trounced me thoroughly." Airwolf doesn't have much hope of peace between them; too much has happened in the millions of years of this civil war. The only times of non-warfare between them have been when a dire threat unites the two factions against some overwhelming threat like Unicron and the Quintessons. Hopes and dreams are a luxury that she cannot afford any longer, so life can be lived only one day at a time. "The past is over and done with, and the future will never come; only the present is real", she murmurs, as softly as Rodimus. That's the only way she's preserved her sanity over the years. "Trounced you?" she inquires ruefully, gratefully accepting the change of subject. "Only once did I do you anything other than cosmetic damage, and I know you were using your least powerful weapons. Besides, it would be a lie." Rodimus Prime shrugs again, waving a hand as if completely dismissing the idea. "Of course. I'm sorry. Sometimes humor isn't always an appropriate response." It beats brooding, though, which is what he used to do. All the time. "As for whatever weapons I was using... I don't like to brutalize my opponents. You should know that. Everyone should know that. I'm not going to cause anyone unnecessary pain. It may be simulated in here," he gestures around the combat pit, "But it still hurts." Airwolf isn't cruel enough to mention the five-way battle between Rodimus, Briar, Bandit, Catechism, and Fleet that utilized everything up to and including cannon. That must've been terribly embarrassing for the Autobot leader, and it was a perfect example of luck gone insane. "Humor is the way some people handle things," she admits. "I'm not usually one of them, tending more towards gloominess." Continuing on with the new topic, she adds, "The pain may still hurt, but it's a different feeling than the real thing. I suppose I'm something of a connoisseur of pain, considering my experiences in the past, so I can tell the difference. Whatever it is, it still serves a purpose." Which is probably to entertain the more bloodthirsty elements of the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, she glances stadium-wards and asks, "Is there anyone expecting you? I wouldn't want to keep you here if you have other duties." Rodimus Prime responds with some amount of reluctance. "Unfortunately, yes. I have a meeting regarding some... well, a meeting. I had also hoped to catch Foxfire before I went." He offers a quick salute and dips his head in respect. "Regardless of what you may believe, you did quite well. It was both a pleasure and an honor." Taking a few steps toward the exit, he smiles. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay on Monacus. Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to see you in Crystal City soon. Our conversations are always ... enlightening." Hrm. Does that mean he'll be traveling to Cybertron soon? Sneaky Autobot leader, planting ideas. Airwolf answers simply enough, "Thank you," returning the salute with an inclination of her head. "A good cycle to you, Rodimus." The commentary about his plans is ignored. Right now, she's on Monacus as the Governor of Crystal City, and factional plots and secrets are of no interest to her. One last thing she recalls, though... "Oh, I would like to once again extend my thanks to Foxfire and possibly another for their assistance to an accidentally injured Decepticon." She adds more softly, "Even though the individual in question may feel no gratitude." Rodimus Prime accepts the gratitude as it is offered. "I'll be sure to pass that along to Foxfire. I'm proud of him, it was the right thing to do." He nods once more before turning and climbing out of the pit. Pausing at the top, he looks back down and offers a jaunty wave. "See you around, Governor," he adds, a bit of his cheeriness creeping back in.
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