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| - Fresh off of his victory against a cyberpede that didn't fight back, Dirge is eager to get off Antarctica and back into the field. The best way to do that is to get the attention of the Aerospace Commander... MEMO TO: BLAST OFF I, DIRGE, DEMAND A SIM-DUEL WITH YOU, THE AEROSPACE COMMANDER, BLAST OFF. BY HUMBLING YOU IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE, I SHALL PROVE MY WORTH AGAIN TO THE CAUSE, AND SHALL BE REQUESTED TO RETURN TO THE FRONTLINES OF BATTLE. KNOW THIS, COMMANDER, ONLY THE DOOMED KNOW THE POWER OF DIRGE. Blast Off walks in the Sim Chamber, nose in the air and looking as snooty and aloof as ever. He does so hate having to bother with this sort of thing.... he could be having a nice evening sipping wine and listening to opera... but NO. No, one of the rank and file needs to be reminded just how AWESOME the shuttleformer is. *sigh*. It's hard to be so amazing, but someone's got to do it. He steps in, looking for Dirge. Experimental F-15 transforms into his Dirge mode. To emphasize exactly how serious the Seeker is, a laser round strikes within feet of Blast Off. It digitizes away, a sim-round. A low, flat tone emenates from the shadowy corners of the sim chamber. "You've come. Good." Dirge steps forward, the conehead all blue, black and yellow. His arm is still raised with the disruptor he fired, a light glow to the weapon. "Make no mistake. Give no quarter, Commander." He doesn't sneer it at you as so many others tend to do. The sim-chamber flexes with holographic capability, shifting the innards of Trypticon into the majestic low orbit of Cybertron. "I am your opponent...and I give you the opening round." Combat: Dirge sets his defense level to Protected. Blast Off nearly jumps as there's suddenly a blast of gunfire at his feet, but the shuttle sticks to his ground and simply looks over sharply at Dirge. Optics take in this brash Conehead critically, then the shuttle strides in once more. "I see. Nice show, if nothing else." He brushes him off casually, giving no ground if he can help it. He's Aerospace Commander- got to look good, right? "I am not sure what you expect to gain from this, Dirge- besides defeat. But if that is what you want, then..." Suddenly his ionic blaster is out and firing on the Seeker as he leaps into the air, "...then that is what you shall get!" Combat: Blast Off sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Blast Off misses Dirge with his I'll show you opening rounds! attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Blast Off (Blast Off) used "Ionic Blaster": A Level 1 RANGED attack. Dirge is surprisingly nimble, it seems. He, almost casually, floats to the side, evading Blast Off's initial assault. "You'll have to do better than that, Aerospace Commander. I was stationed at the Vos Aerial Academy with the original Seekers." He lets that commendation sink in, as he raises his weapon, "as an instructor." Gunfire trails forward towards Blast Off, as he proves he is no ordinary prey... Combat: Dirge misses Blast Off with his Suppressive Fire! (Pistol) attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Blast Off blinks. He MISSED?!? Wait, that's not right... not right at all.... Suddenly much more serious now, the shuttle lifts into the air, anti-gravs sending him upwards. "Alright... not bad, I'll give you that. But a Seeker cannot begin to compare to the magnificence that is a space shuttle. And I am Aerospace Commander *for a very good reason*." The Combaticon suddenly launches forward, firing off another shot. This *better* hit. Combat: Blast Off misses Dirge with his That last time was a fluke- it had to be! (Laser) attack! Combat: Blast Off (Blast Off) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. As Blast Off moves to open fire, Dirge is already in motion, transforming into his F-15 altmode. "You think I am not space-capable? You think me prey? Blast Off, insolent Combaticon. I am the very fabric of space, the creeping shadow that envelops you!" He roars forwards towards Blast Off, heedless of the counterattack, because this, this was his element. A horrific roar follows behind him, a soulless screech of pain and sorrow that few can withstand. "I cannot be outrun, I cannot be endured! I am Dirge..." The sonic howls echo throughout the holochamber, echoing, vibrating, sowing panic of the worst sort. "AND I AM FEAR ITSELF!" Dirge transforms into his Experimental F-15 mode. Combat: Experimental F-15 strikes Blast Off with his Petrifying Tone attack! Combat: Drained 5 energon. Blast Off gets...blasted. Surprised, the Combaticon falls back with a startled rumble of engines, his heat shields cracked and some smoke already curling up from places it shouldn't. The jet roars overhead and he does actually feel a twinge of fear as the vibration seems to envelope him whole. Shaking his head, he pulls away... the decides it's time two played at that game. So he transforms- into shuttle mode- and rockets upwards, sending a strafing attack at Dirge. "I...I am NOT afraid of someone like YOU! You're just a relic... the old Seeker frame... which was outclassed long ago by space shuttles such as I!" With a disdainful shrug, Blast Off transforms into a space shuttle. Combat: Space Shuttle sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Space Shuttle strikes Experimental F-15 with his STAND STILL SLAGGITALL attack! [Pulled -4] Combat: Space Shuttle (Blast Off) used "Orbital Bombardment Laser": A Level 4 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 16 damage. Combat: Experimental F-15 compares his Agility to Space Shuttle 's Agility: Failure :(Experimental F-15 gets strafed, a series of precision shots catch his underbelly as he banks around back towards Blast Off. He grunts once as the pain fills him, "A relic? Viator was a relic, and he met his end with pride and duty. You're a shirk, a layabout. I've read your casefile, you only adopted the mercenary way of life after the war started." He veers around towards Blast Off, attempting to engage him in a dogtail, but can't seem to hold the angle of pursuit for long, the best he can manage is an anticipatory hail of bullets, "You're but an explorer, guised as a warrior, nothing more!" Combat: Experimental F-15 sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Experimental F-15 misses Space Shuttle with his Automatic Machine Gun attack! Combat: Used up 1 Belts. 13 remain. Space Shuttle strikes *finally*... which is good, his sniper pride was starting to hurt. And every other form of pride he posssesses. Which is a lot. But then Dirge throws insults at him and, <> Yes, that seems to have brought out his *gentlemech* side, complete with all it's trapping and odd speech patterns. <> And once again he fires. Combat: Space Shuttle misses Experimental F-15 with his Such TOMFOOLERY-I shall not MOLLYCODDLE YOU FURTHER! (Laser) attack! Combat: Space Shuttle (Blast Off) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Blast Off's sensitive to sounds already, and this is positively unnerving. Shaken now, he attempts to regain composure, catching himself and pulling up again. Ventilation systems heave as he aims carefully at the Jet. <> He waits for his targetting systems to lock on while flying high above and staying as far away as possible.... for now. The Death Seeker, Dirge, manages a dark laugh at Blast Off's expense. "And yet you reveal yourself as already beaten. You hesitate, Commander, and you are lost." Dirge jukes to the side, avoiding the shuttle's targetting for the moment. He airbrakes, sending Blast Off rocketing before him. A fire bursts from one of his wings, as Fox One is launched at the Aerospace Commander. "Your defeat is as my missile....Inevitable." His very structure seems compromised, and as Blast Off starts sailing downwards towards a crash landing, he has only one thought left in him.... making that strike he had so carefully prepared for! <> He lets loose a massive orbtial bombardment burst... his last hurrah, as it were. His very frame is shaking and wobbling as it heads down in a spiral of smoke. SKRAAACK! Boy those sound effects are hard to put into onamotapeia. Dirge catches an enormous purple beam of destruction that blankets him with its energy. "HRAAAGGHHH!" He bellows out in pain. He was rapidly losing control of the situation, and it weighed on him. Blast Off had to be down, he had to! He was hit with the sheer power of despair twice. There was no way the Combaticon couldn't submit. His engines sputter, that haunting sound off kilter as he stalls, his frame angling downward, a thick, greasy cloud of smoke behind him as he plummets to the ground as well. "I...I am fear itself, I am not denied!" He transforms, fortunately without a malfunction, and lands not too far from Blast Off, his presence making the very planet dent beneath him, leaving a crater. He grimaces in pain, still sizzling from that burst of plasma. Dirge rights himself, and draws out his halberd. "So...submit, or feel my blade, Aerospace Commander. I say again, it is inevitable!" As it is, he transforms- painfully- and stand there unsteadily as Dirge thrusts a halberd at him. The shuttleformer staggers back a step, looking extremely worse for the wear and concentrating hard as he /attempts/ to remain looking calm and aloof. Just maybe not so convincingly. But there is a flash of purple anger in his optics at the word "submit", and when Backfire shows up that just makes him straighten out further, trying to keep his dignity. This *is* a simulation, after all. It's not real. It just... feels like it is. "I...I *zkt* do NOT submit. I am CO of Aerospace... and I... am a *Combati*crk*Con!" As Dirge stalks forward, Backfire gets a ringside seat to grounded Decepticon mayhem. Dirge rests the halberd before him, the polearm at a low angle. "You submit, you flee. You all flee before the strength *I* wield." He glances aside to Backfire, a stern look on his face. "And now there is a witness to your lacking." He raises the halberd up high as he limps forwards. "Now there is NO QUESTION that I am fit for the lines of battle, and neveragain shall I be shelved to this wretched foe-less iceberg!" He slashes forwards towards Blast Off, intent on driving him back. It was a feigned hit, one to get the Combaticon in motion. However just as his true attack comes into play, a powerful thrust, one of his optics shorts out, leaving his accuracy questionable. Upon Backfire jeering at him, the shuttle momentarily consider shooting THAT Seeker instead... but no, he must focus. Looking back to Dirge, he states, "Fine... yes, I admit... you are skilled in *zkt* some areas, but..." He hunches over in pain, trying to steady himself, then looks back up, speaking to both mechs, "I will NOT yield! Combaticons do NOT yield!" He stumbles back nervously, raising an arm up weakly, and fires his ionic blaster. "It..it would not be *proper* *rrrtz*..." Those penguins would be terrified daily in that case. Dirge had to resign from the combat, that was how he won...by having Blast Off *know* he was beaten, but given the opportunity to save face. Dirge hesitates for a moment, then drops his halberd. "I resign." He exhausts a heavy breath, "I cannot see, and I know well enough how difficult it is to assault a mech equipped with mark IX boosters. This battle is lost." A dark fury enters his tone as he glares at Blast Off, even with part of his face ripped away from that shot. "But know that I stood against you, Aerospace Commander, and know that I am more than capable of doing the same...and MORE...to our foes." With his resignation, the sim-arena flickers and fades, returning the group to the white gridded basic training area. Then he blinks, surprised as Dirge ...surrenders? The Combaticon is not sure whether to be suspicious... or grateful. He pulls himself up as best he can, and answers, "....Understood. *zkkt*. You... fought well." He's suddenly interrupted by Backfire's outburst and turns to look shakily at HIM as well... and there's no mistaking his annoyance. "And then there's...*zkkt* YOU! You... *Lame*? You called me *lame*? I led our group to victory in Tarn.... You and I will have a talk." He then places a hand over his head... slag, it hurts. "....Later." That doesn't even make any sense...
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