| abstract
| - Darkmount, ancestral fortress of the Decepticons. There have been three incarnations of the Decepticon capitol building; the original, built under Straxus' reign, was destroyed in the early days of the War. The second collapsed into its own smelting pits during the battle between Galvatron and Avatar the Usurper. The third stands before you now. The Darkmount compound first presents a curtain wall patrolled by drones and studded with laser cannons. Behind this stands the hunched shapes of the drone factory, the shuttle hangars and their ancillary buildings. Looming over it all is Darkmount itself, a faceless and unlovely edifice sixteen hundred meters tall, about which flights of Decepticons circle like roosting birds. Apart from the landing platform halfway up, it has no other visible apertures, no entrances at ground level. The only beings that enter Darkmount by choice can fly. During the day, the tower is more clearly visible, a vast monolith against the sky which commands a view of most of this hemisphere of the planet. Contents: Scattershot Rodimus Prime Scourge Shockwave Redshift Obvious exits: Bridge leads to Bridge over Molten River. Fly leads to Sky above Darkmount. South leads to Forum. East leads to Cybertronian Swamplands West. Jetfire has arrived. From a balcony a thousand feet off the ground, Shockwave throws out an imperious hand towards the southern approach. "Decepticons. The Autobot champions approach. Although it would be illogical to deny that they are both more powerful and more competent than you are, you outnumber them. We have a strong probability of success. Do your utmost." He activates Darkmount's defensive guns, the drone army marching out through the streets southwards, towards the oncoming Autobots, and Decepticons launching from Darkmount's bleak edifice. "Decepticons: defend!" Combat: Shockwave takes control of capture point B - Base Defense Controls. Hinder has arrived. XF-35B Astral Lightning is in theory patrolling the airways around Darkmount. No one ever said she had to it in a boring fashion, however. Straight lines are for SR-71s and losers. The tower rises higher and higher, into the sky, like the Dubai Burj in steroids, and it is just begging, just begging, she thinks, to be buzzed. But the F-35 doesn't just buzz the tower - that would be crass and crude. She coyly cavorts, running straight at it and then pulling up into a hammerhead, racing along the side of the tower and falling back. Her moves would not be out of place in an air show, but more than just aerial artistry, they speak of the primal Decepticon domination of the air, something every Decepticons worth his anti-gravs knows on at least some level. Catechism then breaks away from the tower, like a crystal fracturing into jagged planes, as Shockwave makes his announcement. She relays, "Aerial units, scramble!" Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning inspires Red Spaceship , Shockwave, and Scourge with majestic and wise words! Having been at Darkmount, after dropping Windshear off for repairs after their recapture of the ruined outpost, Scourge had been on his way out to do....Something, when Shockwave noted Autobots approaching. With a smirk, the Sweep moved to the top of the tower and scanned the southern approach, indicated by Shockwave, and chuckled. So, Jetfire, Scattershot, and Rodimus Prime himself have finally come to the field of battle. Excellent. He wanted a piece of each of them, anyway, and this would save him the trouble of trying to track them down at a later time. Activating his anti-gravs, he begins moving to intercept, and perhaps, when the time has come, to lead the mindless drone army. (But not yet.) Redshift stands atop a towering spire, a long red scarf trailing in the breeze. "The open skies above Darkmount are MINE, and I will not let the be /sullied/ by interloping /autobots/!" He tosses the scarf to the winds, and makes a dramatic leap from atop the spire, before transforming and pulling up sharply. He activates purple smoke, and fires up into the sky, trailing Decepticon purple as he flies. Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spaceship takes control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Red Spaceship sets his defense level to Protected. Hinder is once again, a passenger. How she managed to get on Scourge's good side even SHE doesn't know. But she's not about to complain. So instead she peers out of one of the Sweepcraft's viewports as they change course. "Objective changed?" Battlecruiser streaks in on Jetfire's wing, main engines leaving huge plumes of flame behind him that are probably visible for miles in any direction. Onle when he broaches Darkmount airspace does Scatterhot ease off and slow to cruising speed. Never a particularly skillful flyer, he feels his sense of control grow even mushier as he changes from all-thrusters to his rather minimal maneuvering thrusters and vestigial wing control surfaces. But there's a time and a place for full burn engines blazing flight, and there's a time for circling around and blowing up everything in sight. But first, he's got to wrest control of the skies from a certain Red Spaceship . Combat: Battlecruiser challenges Red Spaceship for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Battlecruiser defeats Red Spaceship in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Combat: Battlecruiser takes control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Autobots actually trying to assail Darkmount? They probably thought that was insane to try and pull off. Of course that's half the reason they were doing it. With Scattershot providing cover against the likely aerial resistance, Jetfire blazes down towards the Decepticon stronghold at a speed few aircraft can muster. The air guardian swoops down as low as he dares and opens his rear bay, it's still going to be a bit of a jump but certainly the Prime can handle it. With his passanger dropped off the veritech fighter pulls up again and speeds towards one of the towers, strafing it with laser fire to clear out any potential gunners that could make this more difficult than it could already be for the outnumbered Autobots. Combat: Super Veritech Fighter sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Super Veritech Fighter takes control of capture point A - Sniper's Nest. Rodimus Prime rides in in Jetfire cargo hold, him and any number of faceless car soldiers (who will be focused in this scene with dealing with nameless Decepticon soldiers and so can be safely ignored from this point out). As the shuttle comes in on the approach, Rodimus leaps out, plummeting like a stone towards Cybertron's surface. He lands on the metal ground with a resounding crash, leaving a deep crater of dent that he straightens up out of. He looks out over the Decepticon defenses, surveying the positions of his opponents, optics narrowed. Then, loudly, he calls out, "AUTOBOTS! Today, Darkmount falls once more! Take it down!" With those simple words, he himself starts running full tilt towards the tower. Combat: Rodimus Prime inspires Super Veritech Fighter and Battlecruiser with uplifting and noble words! The skies are suddenly brimming with acticity, but one Autobot stands out amogst the chaos; Scattershot has invaded Redshift's turf, and this is one little crescent fighter that isn't going to take it! Angling downwards, he attempts to dive towards and past Scattershot, to fill the Technobot's visual field with gobs of patriotic Decepticon smoke. Combat: Red Spaceship challenges Battlecruiser for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Red Spaceship defeats Battlecruiser in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Combat: Red Spaceship takes control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Shockwave throws a switch on the control podium mounted across the railing of his balcony, laser cannons folding out of slots in the outer hull of the titanic, hollow tower. They sweep the ground, raking through the advancing Autobot ranks and doing grave damage to no one important. Miscolored Windcharger says, "SHYEAAAGH" Gears with a Red Decepticon Symbol and Pipes' Arms says, "Better to FIGHT and DIE- GRAAGH" Combat: Shockwave remains in control of capture point B - Base Defense Controls. XF-35B Astral Lightning transforms and nose-dives towards the ground, before tumbling three time and landing on her feet at the front of a phalanx of mindless drones. They do not seem inspired by her aerobatics, so she berates them, "Mindless drones! Have you never aspired to anything better in your pathetic existences? ... probably not, given that you're mindless drones. But all the same, you serve the Empire, and battle must be joined!" XF-35B Astral Lightning transforms into robot form. Catechism's feet unfold, her arms unfold out of her body, her nosecone rotates through her body and ends up on her shoulders to expose her face, and her wings rotate into position. Combat: Catechism takes control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Watching the Autobots soar in, the Sweep Leader's demonic shadow passes over the faceless drone army as he soars above them. The thought of taking command of those mindless drones, however, was suddenly changed. Scourge would much rather command his Sweeps than those mindless /things/ below him, so he circles away, for the moment at least, back towards Darkmount. Sneering down at the ground-pounding Autobot Leader, the Sweep catches hold of the side of the spire and laughs derisively down at Prime. "Do you truly think your pathetic warriors could take the mightiest of Decepticon strongholds?! You will fall this day, Prime, and the Autobots will be no more!" As the Sweep perches on the side of the mountain, doing a strange impression of a gargoyle, there suddenly appears a strange glow around him, as though a GHOST were making it's presence known! Combat: Scourge takes control of capture point E - Avatar's Ghost. Hinder shrinks back in on herself as the strange glow starts up around Scourge, transforming into a relatively tiny off-white cassette tape to hide until she's told to do something. Cream colored parts shift and fold, the ferret shrinking into an old school cassette tape. Rodimus Prime faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips and he wonders at the level of AI programmed into those things. From subspace, he pulls out a post-it note pad. For some reason, the top note is scrawled with a crudely drawn Decepticon symbol, which he removes and promptly sticks on his chest, covering his Autobot symbol. Then, in a voice of certainty, a voice that COMMANDS OBEDIENCE, he declares, "Don't listen to her! Drones, our ranks have been infiltrated! You are now to obey only me!" Then he points at the tower. "Erradicate the, uhm, AUTOBOT SPIES that have taken over Darkmount, pretending to be Decepticons!" Combat: Rodimus Prime challenges Catechism for control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Combat: Rodimus Prime defeats Catechism in a clash of MIGHTY ORATORY! Combat: Rodimus Prime takes control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Battlecruiser powers through Redshift's smoke-trail and finds his vision momentarily obscured. When he's view is clear again, he's headed straight for one of the structures of Darkmount. He flies low and fast over the large plateu-like roof of some sort of factory structure, swerves between two huge smokestack-shaped towers and then snaps sideways, skimming alongisde the outer wall. And all the while, underside turrets spit out artillery and energy bolts, carving a path of destruction in his wake. He's tempted to head back into the rabbit warren of buildings again, unleashing even more firepower, but that would leave him out of the air fight. So instead he pulls back into the air and rolls wildy to right himself. "You really want a piece of me, Redbot? Okay, let's do this!" Combat: Battlecruiser challenges Red Spaceship for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Battlecruiser defeats Red Spaceship in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Combat: Battlecruiser takes control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Super Veritech Fighter banks around after clearing out the nest and comes around for another pass, but finds himself unhindered for the time being as Rodimus and Scattershot seem to take the most attention. And the squads of generic minibots and one-off color carbots soaking up gunfire from the defenses, the brave unnamed souls. As Jetfire speeds back towards the sniping post he transforms and lands in it, kicking out one of the wounded Con snipers he shot up on the first pass as he does. The less guns trying to shoot up his comrades, the better. Super Veritech Fighter transforms into his Jetfire mode. Combat: Jetfire remains in control of capture point A - Sniper's Nest. Catechism is foiled by the return of Postinotitron! The Seeker skews her face in displeasure, but she has to admit, loathsome as the Autobot may be, he has charisma in spades, something a mass-produced minion like her just cannot match. She hmphs and shouts at the drones, "This is going on your quarterly evaluation! No lasercores for you! You'll never be Real Boys!" Obviously miffed, she takes to the air and tries to interpose herself between the sniper nests and Jetfire, shouting, "Hey, no sniping the snipers! You have it completely backwards. Honestly." Combat: Catechism sets her defense level to Fearless. Combat: Catechism challenges Jetfire for control of capture point A - Sniper's Nest. Combat: Jetfire defeats Catechism in a battle of PRECISION! The typically dark, evil chuckle of the Sweep Leader somehow becomes more dark as Scourge watches the scene unfold below and above, from his perch on the side of the spire. The gravelly voice takes on a somewhat hollow aspect, as well, as he again calls out to taunt the Autobots. "Flee, and your worthless lives might take on new meaning, as our /slaves/!" The glow seems to have diminished around Scourge, but can still very faintly be seen, lending his already somewhat demonic appearance a whole new level of EVIL. Combat: Scourge remains in control of capture point E - Avatar's Ghost. Shockwave pauses in murdering miscolored filler troops with the defenses to listen to his radio. Some of the sharpshooters are reporting trouble on a higher level. He looks upwards, but it seems that Catechism is already working on it. Attentive to reports from the field, he seals the barracks and orders the evacuation of wounded and non-combatant personnel. Combat: Shockwave remains in control of capture point B - Base Defense Controls. Red Spaceship doesn't care about Scattershot's random destruction of Darkmount's skyline, but he DOES care about Sattershot's continues presence in the sky, and trying to outpace a Decepticon space warrior! Redshift cuts the plumes of purple smoke for now, and concentrates on retaking his aerial superiority from the Technobot. "Yeah, I want a piece! C'mon, give me your best shot!" He replies, swooping down low and flipping over, revealing his underside to Scattershot briefly, before ramping up his thrusters to full and blasting off again. Combat: Red Spaceship challenges Battlecruiser for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Red Spaceship defeats Battlecruiser in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Combat: Red Spaceship takes control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Cream-colored cassette tape is still honestly a bit creeped out, so unless Scourge specifically tells her to, she's staying right where she is. Tiny and hidden. That's what cassettes are best at anyway, right? Rodimus Prime frowns as he looks over the battlefield. The skies seem highly disputed, but Shockwave is getting more and omre entrenched at the control station, and... he doesn't even know WHAT is up with Scourge. However, he's managed to wrest command of the drones, and what the heck. While he has them, may as well use them and risk fewer of his own guys! "Keep at it, drones!" he roars, waving them towards the tower defenses, approaching along with them. Even when leading mindless drones, he leads from the front, running as much risk as them. "Evict those trespassers! Don't give up!" Combat: Rodimus Prime remains in control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Despite Catechism's attempt at interference and his own size being somewhat awkward in a place that was meant for smaller mechs to hide in and headshot people, Jetfire manages to avoid being dislodged. Huh. Maybe being lodged in is an advantage at the moment. "I'm not sniping," he remarks flatly. Shoving open one of the panels that was kept closed because it pointed towards another gunnery point on the opposite side of the courtyard, he aims his rifle out of the opening and fires off several particle blasts into the other sniper bunker. "I'm systematically eliminating the potential threats to our opposition in a calculated manner. Unlike your brash hooliganry." .. What, you expected a simple comeback? Pfft. He may be built like a warrior, but the guy is still a big geek at the core. Combat: Jetfire remains in control of capture point A - Sniper's Nest. Battlecruiser curses as Redshift cuts him off again. But upon hearing his rival words, the Technobot gives a revel yell. "My best shot? You remember who you're talking to right?!" His engine's power output decreases visibly, letting Redshift get even farther ahead. But while the angry flames from his engines dim slightly, a new glow lights up the multiple gunbarrels on his wings. Scattershot opens fire, and true to form it's no small precise anti-air strike. It's a huge barrage of projectiles aimed at anything he sees in the area 'above Rodimus Prime height'. Glowing tracer rounds streak along Redshift's flight path, then slew across the spires and walls and snipers nests alike, stopping just short of Jetfire's position. Combat: Battlecruiser misses Red Spaceship with his Side-Mounted Thermal Shell Area attack! Combat: Battlecruiser misses Catechism with his Side-Mounted Thermal Shell Area attack! Combat: Battlecruiser (Scattershot) used "Side-Mounted Thermal Shell": A Level 2 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Battlecruiser misses Scourge with his Side-Mounted Thermal Shell Area attack! Shockwave redirects the anti-ground-attack lasers to blast away at the drones, but it is no use! The laser emplacements are being overrun... by Shockwave's own drones! This new data would suggest that he shouldn't have made them QUITE so mindless, he reflects calmly, and blasts the defense console with his cannon arm set to 'x-ray,' fusing several of the important electronic parts. Although the defense lasers may not be of use to him anymore, he will make sure that none of the Autobots can make use of them either. Receiving a transmission from Catechism, he finds that the podium still works as three-fourths cover even in its inactive state. Combat: Shockwave remains in control of capture point B - Base Defense Controls. Scourge had forgotten, once again, about the tiny Casseticon that he had taken 'under his wing', so to speak. Laughing, a hollow, demented sound, the Sweep looks down upon Rodimus Prime, his crimson optics gleaming more brightly than they should, and then up to the sniper's position, as though he were pondering something. And that something would certainly bode ill for the Autobots, even if some ghostly presence wasn't seemingly inhabiting the Sweep Leader. His voice rings out over the sounds of combat, a ghostly sound now, rather than the typical, harsh sounds of his 'normal' vocalizer. "You Autobots are clearly outmatched! Flee for your lives, that you might be destroyed later!" Laughing again, the thermal shells impacting the area he was /just/ at, the Sweep had taken flight, moving to a different perch upon the spire, as his enhanced senses heard the shot coming in long before it was a true threat to him. "Hinder, go wreak havoc among the drones being subverted by Prime! Cause chaos among their ranks!" Combat: Scourge sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Scourge remains in control of capture point E - Avatar's Ghost. Red Spaceship 's flipping of his underbelly is sorta a airplane way of saying 'you suck' or something, because it makes Scattershot flip out and start shooting everything. Of course, he goaded Scattershot into opening fire on purpose, and the extra burst of speed was just what he needed to avoid the soon-to-be-incoming fire from the Technobot. Redshift does a quick exultant barrelroll, and streaks off into the sky, weaving among Darkmount's towers and antennae. "USELESS as always, Scattershot! You couldn't hit me if I /let you/!" Combat: Red Spaceship remains in control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Catechism glares at Jetfire and snaps, "I'm not even going to start on what a big hypocrite you are! You are totally sniping! But I'll show you what real brash hooliganery is." Scattershot's shot go whizzing by her, close enough that she can feel the air heating near her. "...I think it is that, actually." Still hovering near the sniper nests, she pulls out her demolitions kit and goes to work. One aerial 'depth charge', coming right up! Combat: Catechism has created a bomb: "The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)"! Combat: Catechism strikes Jetfire with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism's The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet) is destroyed! Combat: Catechism strikes Battlecruiser with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism misses Rodimus Prime with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism misses Scourge with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism strikes Shockwave with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism misses Red Spaceship with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism strikes herself with The Real Nature of Brash Hooliganery (it is a Cyberjet)'s Huge Explosion #9683 Area attack! Combat: Catechism (Catechism) used "Huge Explosion #9683": A Level 6 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: You took 14 damage. Combat: Used up 1 Bombs. 0 remain. Cream-colored cassette tape is not very happy about it, but she does as Scourge instructs. Transforming and leaping away from the increasingly CREEPY Sweep Leader, she freefalls most of the way to the drones, activating her anti-gravs just in time to keep from hitting the ground the way Rodimus Prime did. It wouldn't end the same for her as it did for him, guaranteed. Once she's on the ground, she starts dashing toward the drones, snapping at their ankles as she goes. It's an odd similarity to watching a cattledog herding a group of bovines. The cream colored cassette tape opens out and unfolds into the weaselly shape of Decepticon Hinder. Rodimus Prime lifts an arm to cover his head as the bomb goes off, shaking down rubble and debris all around him and forcing several ducks and leaps to avoid falling bits of Darkmount. He glances towards the other Autobots, seeing they've taken damage, but not having time to sort it out because now he sees that SOMEHOW several of the drones seem to have tripped up over each other and there is a drone pile-up. "Oh, for the love of..." he rushes over there to try to put some of them back on their feet, completely missing the cause of the whole mess. "Not each other! Go after the Dece- I mean, the Autobots pretending to be Decepticons in Darkmount!" Combat: Rodimus Prime remains in control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Jetfire hunkers down and braces himself as best he can, not willing to vacate his position like the crazy femme is likely trying to push him to doing. Still the blast buffets against the air guardian's form, leaving cracks and scorch marks in armor and causing paint to melt and peel away from the heat. Not to mention that the entire position is pretty much rutted out by the detonation. Jetfire grunts a bit, shoving some knocked loose structure out of the way and jumping free of the inside of the nest as it starts to collapse from all the damage. Well, at least the Decepticons can't use it now, either. "Hey, thanks for doing the work for me!" Combat: Jetfire remains in control of capture point A - Sniper's Nest. Battlecruiser barks another curse, this time his voice showing frustration. Redshift's form is halfway across the Darkmount skies by this time, so catching him now is clearly out of the question. But chasing him down was always Scattershot's second choice. /Shooting/ him down was his preference. The Technobot transforms and lands on the nearest spire, lifting his acid pellet rifle to his shoulder and sending a signal to flip open the cover on the small reflex scope mounted on top. But before he can take his shot, a warrior's sixth sense tells him he's not alone. Scattershot whirls around and sees Scourge on the next spire. "Oh, you want some of this too?" He says, voice low and dripping with menace. "C'mon, there's plenty to go around." Battlecruiser transforms into his Scattershot mode. Combat: Scattershot challenges Scourge for control of capture point E - Avatar's Ghost. Combat: Scourge defeats Scattershot in a battle of INTESTINAL FORTITUDE! Shockwave rises from behind the even MORE wrecked control podium now that it's been blown up. Shockwave now regrets having used the power to shoot it. Rodimus seems to be having some trouble with the drones- this may be to Shockwave's advantage. He ignites his plasma rockets and blasts off, landing with the trademark THOOM amidst the drones (crushing one in the process). He holds out a hand for attention and amplifies his voice to stentorian tones. "Drone militia #2147. I am Shockwave. Recognize me. Obey me. Destroy Rodimus Prime, who is the enemy." The Sweep's optics, practically glowing, glare at Scattershot as he perches nearby. When the Autobot turns, he laughs that same, hollow, 'evil' laughter that has been his trademark for the last few minutes, and merely sneers at the much larger Autobot. Slowly and deliberately, the Sweep Leader's hand reaches out and gently pushes the barrel of the acid pellet rifle away, and then speaks, his voice almost an echo, almost like death itself. "Your feeble mind could not hope to contend with the likes of /me/. Begone, lest I show you how to /truly/ frighten someone." The voice of Scourge is quiet, almost a whisper, but it carries well, despite the hollow, deathly 'style'. Combat: Shockwave challenges Rodimus Prime for control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Combat: Rodimus Prime defeats Shockwave in a clash of MIGHTY ORATORY! Combat: Scourge remains in control of capture point E - Avatar's Ghost. Red Spaceship is buffeted by the blast wave from the tremendous explosion, but it does little more than ruffle Redshift's hypothetical feathers at his distance from the epicenter. <> He emits, as he makes a sharply banking turn to careen past the now devastated area in front of the Darkmount, dipping down low to observe the carnage, and to see where Scattershot went. The Technobot seems to be bothering Scourge, so he leaves him alone, rocketing off again and cracking past the sound barrier to break the one window Cate didn't smash with her explosives. Combat: Red Spaceship remains in control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Catechism is rocked by her own aerial depth charge when it explodes, and her cockpit glass shatters and her frame is warped by the blast, but Shockwave is correct. Her work is satisfactory. With a grim smile, she notes that Jetfire was hit by the blast, even if the sniper nests are a lost cause. Catechism shouts at Redshift, <> She also facepalms and shouts at the drones, "Oh, for... look! It's just Rodimus Prime wearing a Post-It note!" Combat: Catechism challenges Rodimus Prime for control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Combat: Rodimus Prime defeats Catechism in a clash of MIGHTY ORATORY! Hinder caused the drone pile-up without realizing it and has already dashed on, harrassing another section of them. She might be visible past the mindless hordes every now and again .. she IS nearly bright white against all of the Cybertronian grey and Decepticon purple. Rodimus Prime quickly checks to make sure his post-it note is still in place, then shouts to the drone, "Don't listen to their LIES! They're just trying to confuse you! You, the loyal drones of the Decepticon Empire! Now prove your worth and finish them! Take out the defenses that those /insideous/ Autobots have gained control of!" This speech done, and proven effective, he looks up at Shockwave and Catechism, the edge of his helm covering the upper portion of his optics from their position relative him, and winks. Behind him, more drones trip over each other and cause other pile-ups due to the bouncing white speck. SIGH. Combat: Rodimus Prime remains in control of capture point D - Mindless Drone Army. Jetfire watchs Catechism go off to try and harass Rodimus farther again. Scattershot tried to drive Scourge out, but wasn't very successful despite the effort. Looks like the only option is try and keep the Decepticons from retaining aerial superiority. A daunting task in itself, but driven by his own dedication and Rodimus' simple but effective words, he'll accept the challenge. Plumes of engine fire erupt to scorch the ground as Jetfire launches back into the air and transforms once more into his larger spacefighter mode as he screams into the sky over Darkmount, homing in on Redshift's position and attempting to drive him out of his flight path. "This engagement isn't over yet!" Combat: Jetfire challenges Red Spaceship for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Red Spaceship defeats Jetfire in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Scattershot stares in amazement as Scourge pushes his rifle away and then starts talking. "That supposed to--" he pauses, tilting his head to one side as if listening to something only he can hear. More likely just a radio. "Aw, frak it." Then he turns and leaps off of the spire, a second later, TRANSFORMING. Only then do his engines roar into life, sending him blasting into the sky. Not so much after Redshift, but more to get some altitude for Scattershot's next ammo-burning attack. Scattershot transforms into his Battlecruiser mode. Combat: Battlecruiser challenges Red Spaceship for control of capture point C - Own the Skies. Combat: Red Spaceship defeats Battlecruiser in a RACE TO THE FINISH! Jetfire transforms into his Super Veritech Fighter mode. Shockwave has subverted drones crawling all over him now, beating on him with their various little weapons. This is highly unsatisfactory. He goes through a quick cogitation while within the drone pile. DATUM: BURIED IN DRONES. DATUM: RODIMUS PRIME EMPOWERED BY GODLIKE FORCES DATUM: GROUND LEVEL DEFENSES OVERRUN. DATUM: AIR SUPERIORITY CRUCIAL. DATUM: SCATTERSHOT INCAPABLE OF TARGETING REDSHIFT. DATUM: JETFIRE CAPABLE OF TARGETING REDSHIFT. DATUM: JETFIRE VULNERABLE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE. DATUM: UNABLE TO ENGAGE JETFIRE WHILE IN DRONE PILE. ...WORKING... ...WORKING... SOLUTION: BURST OUT OF DRONE PILE LIKE "THE ONE" Shockwave crouches inside the drone pile, drones stacking on top of drones as they tear at him and scramble over eachother in frantic, uncoordinated attempts to get at him. He is lost entirely from view for a second or two, and then suddenly drones go flying in all directions, bouncing off of the surrounding buildings as Shockwave blasts off from within their mass, rocketing upwards with his fist rising as if to pierce the heavens. His cannon arm comes up and targets Jetfire as he closes on Redshift's altitude, glowing brightly with cosmic power. Combat: Shockwave sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Shockwave misses Super Veritech Fighter with his The Power Cosmic attack! Merely laughing again at Scattershot's amazement of his actions, Scourge watches as he takes to the air. Activating his anti-grav's, he takes to the skies after the air warriors the Autobots brought along, and smirks as he closes with the Autobot, reaching out to merely touch him, as that strange glow that seemed to follow the Sweep Leader from his perch upon the spire transfers some of itself over. Moving right along, without waiting for anything, he targets Jetfire next, his crimson optics flashing as he draws near. Cutting his anti-grav's, he lands in the middle of that drone pile-up that Prime was trying to untangle, and reaches out to touch him. Immediately launching back into the air to perch upon the spire once more, that strange, hollow mockery of Scourge's voice rings out again over the battlefield. "Do you recall all those who have fallen in this war? Allow me to refresh your memories, and let those memories /haunt/ you!" Combat: Scourge sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Scourge misses Super Veritech Fighter with Darkmount's Haunting Memories Area attack! Combat: Scourge misses Battlecruiser with Darkmount's Haunting Memories Area attack! Combat: Scourge strikes Rodimus Prime with Darkmount's Haunting Memories Area attack! Red Spaceship pulls another high g-force turn, which would no doubt cause incredible negative effects upon any weak human pilot if he had one, and wheels around to fly back over the devastated area, full of combating faceless soldiers and very confused drones. He has held the open sky for too long without interference, so he isn't surprised when both Jetfire and Scattershot leap into the air to challenge Redshift for ownership of Darkmount's skyline. <> He emits, and he opens up all the stops, running his thrusters to thier maximum safe running limit and beyond, and blasting off across the city. Combat: Red Spaceship remains in control of capture point C - Own the Skies. "Destroy the enemy aircraft and air superiority will yield inevitable victory," commands Shockwave, hovering in midair on his roaring plasma rockets and firing his cannon at Jetfire in quick pulses. "As above: so below." Catechism wearily takes to the air. Those drones are just much too stupid, she thinks. At least Redshift is holding their air superiority, and Scourge is... Catechism has no idea what to make of that. Spooky. Seems no one can nail Jetfire, though. Catechism transforms to her jet mode, which is quite astoundingly simple for the coneheaded model that she is. At Shockwave's command the second wave of defenders come swarming out of Darkmount's upper levels, marginally-wounded Seekers who were stricken from the combat roster and had to be hastily rearmed and ruthlessly thrown back into the fight as soon as the Autobots were sighted. They swoop into formation behind Catechism and Redshift, lasers filling the sky. Hinder looks up as Scourge 'attacks' Rodimus, fleeing the chaos of the drone army, and then stopping to look back when they seem to be not chasing after her. And it looks like Scourge didn't even do anything to hurt the Autobot leader. Just said more of that scary stuff. Maybe it'll be okay, then? Rodimus Prime stumbles backwards, clutching his head as Scourge's assault brings up unpleasant memories - and as someone who used to keep Unicron contained in his chest, he's got some pretty unpleasant ones. However, by this point he's already made the call over the radio. Sacrificing the drones is all well and good, but there are real, living, (nameless) troops to worry about, too, and the memories being stirred make Rodimus all the more determined not to lose any more this day. "Autobots," he says, voice soft but carrying as he shakes off the affects of the Unicronian's assault, "Pull back. We'll level this place another day - today, we'll have to be satisfied with the damage done." Battlecruiser comes to a stop in mid-air over Darkmount. He knows he's out in the open and vulnerable to massed fire from the Decepticons, but he can't help take the chance to unleash a little more senseless destruction on the Decepticon facilities here (if there was time he'd probably carve an Autobot symbol on the smoking ruins of a roof somewhere). Artillery turrets and laser batteries swivel slowly, and Scattershot adds a little rotation as he hoses down everything in sight that doesn't have a friendly signature nearby. "Just a little something to remember us by!" He bellows out loud and over multiple short-range frequencies. Scanners designed to analyze energy signatures and spacial anomolties go crazy at the massive output from Shockwave's position, lighting up the screens inside the spacefighter's cockpit like a christmas display and blaring warnings inside of Jetfire's head. With a snarl he snaps his wings back out into maneuvering position and aborts his attempt at knocking Redshift out of position, so he bank and barrel-roll away from the sheering blast of cosmic energy fired at him. Curse you Shockwave! Being someone that has little interest in the supposed supernatural in general, Jetfire marks up the strange readings from Scourge as some sort of energy flux and nothing more, and undaunted by the attempts to evoke haunting allusions to mind. Yes many of the transformers he's served with are gone, and a few 'old friend' or two as well; but the later got what he deserved for turning his back on a more peaceful calling, and the former died fighting for what they believed in. ... Rodimus may not handle it as well as his analytical breakdown of the phenomanon though, he realizes. Once again swooping low to the ground, Jetfire fires off a few strafing shots to scatter any gumbies that may be moving in on the Autobot Leader, opening his hatch for Rodimus and any remaining gumbies to jump in. Then noses up, hits the afterburners and blasts back off into the skies. Combat: Super Veritech Fighter begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from XF-35B Astral Lightning Combat: Battlecruiser begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Red Spaceship , XF-35B Astral Lightning , and Super Veritech Fighter XF-35B Astral Lightning isn't known for being fast, though she isn't bad shakes in the speed department, herself, and she catches sight of Jetfire and his precious cargo hauling out of the area. Burning her rocket tri-propellant, the F-35 speeds off to follow him and make sure that he stays gone and does not return for another pass. She hollers, over the whistle of slipstreams, "Get out, and stay out!" Combat: XF-35B Astral Lightning strikes Super Veritech Fighter with her Bad Tidings attack! [Pulled -4] Red Spaceship is starting to get a little sick of Scattershot's liberal application of weaponsfire against the once intact cityscape. Wheeling around, he proves again that he is one of the fastest aerial Decepticons, by catching up with the fleeing Technobot. The fact that Jetfire is too fast to catch is not something Redshift is willing to admit. <> He emits, and he lances forward, trying to cut through Scattershot with the edge of one of his razorsharp sickle-shaped wings. Combat: Red Spaceship sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Red Spaceship sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Red Spaceship strikes Battlecruiser with his wing slice attack! [Pulled -2] Super Veritech Fighter growls as the XF-35B comes up behind him, and makes up for being slower by planting some well-placed fire upon his backside. There's a plume of smoke and sputtering as one his normal engines suffers a failure from getting shot. But Jetfire has already got his nose pointed skyward, sweeps back his wings into high-speed position and fires his scramjets to pick up the slack. He'd been planning to make an orbital sling to prevent being followed anyways. As the Autobots begin falling back, Scourge seems to shake off whatever effects that odd glow had on him, and he smirks. Oh, the power he had felt was near intoxicating for the Sweep Leader. But it was gone now, more suddenly than it had appeared. Surveying the scene, he chuckles, his voice back to it's usual gravelly self, he lets go of his perch and kicks in his anti-grav's, lowering himself to the ground near the mindless gumby drones to find Hinder. Odd, that the Cassetticon has managed to 'befriend' Scourge, but the Sweep's mind was a puzzle indeed. "Well done, Hinder." Shockwave touches down on the command balcony where he began the defense, and lowers his glowing cannon as the Autobots make good their withdrawal. He knows he can't hit them at this range, and logically conserves his power. "A successful defense," Shockwave announces. "Warriors, return for repair, refuelling and rearmament. Engineers, corral and reset the drones, then effect repairs to our defenses. I will be in Cybertron Master Control." Shockwave turns around and reenters the tower without further praise for the troops, many of whom were injured in defense of the city. But then, that's what they're for. Hinder bounds away from the drones to 'hide' behind Scourge's ankle. She doesn't really understand what's happened here, but Scourge seems happy and that's better than if he were angry. Far better. Battlecruiser leaves a few pieces of armor falling off behind him (part of him savagely hopes they'll fall on Redshift's quarters). "NNNH! I'll remember all right, you little red twerp. I'll rememember to use my /big/ guns next time!" He powers after Jetfire, but lets the bigger Autobot aircraft grow farther and farther ahead, occasionally swerving back and forth in an attempt to break any signal locks on the larger Autobot's form. And possibly in the hopes that some of the Decepticons will come after them and he'll be in position to turn around and chase them off. Shockwave has disconnected. ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/204 Posted Author Attack on Darkmount Sat Mar 06 Rodimus Prime ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rodimus appears on screen. From the background, he looks to be in Jetfire's cargo-hold, and for some reason, he's wearing a post-it note with a crudely drawn Decepticon symbol over his Autobot symbol. "Earlier this evening, I led Jetfire, Scattershot, and a number of other troops," gumbies, "in an assault against Darkmount. Jetfire managed to take hold of one of their weapons stations, and I succeeded in taking command of their drone army." Rodimus points at the post-it note and grins. "Turns out, their mindless drones really /are/ mindless. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep control of the skies, and when their second wave of Seekers arrived, we were forced to pull back. The good news is, we managed a /lot/ of damage to the area, and they'll be spending a lot of time in repairs. Unfortunately, we were not without our losses." Rodimus looks down and sighs. "Unfortunately, Miscolored Not-Windcharger and Looks-Like-Gears-With-A-Red-Decepticon-Symbol-And-Pipes'-Arms both took mortal wounds during the assault." He looks up and gives the recorder a serious, solemn look. "Their bravery and their names will never be forgotten." Spinny. ==============================================================================
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