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| - Slipstream walks into the barracks, her steps not as wobbly as they were the last time she came back from an aerial patrol. Wings not drooping either. She heads toward the rations dispenser. Nova Black is sitting on her berth, frowning at a datapad held in her hands and muttering as she types on it. Her wings click in irritation until she finishes, taps the screen, and sets the datapad down. Then she looks up, seeing Slipstream walk over to the rations dispenser. She watches the other Decepticon, her optics widening and then growing bright. "You look... better," she says after a moment. Slipstream takes her ration and turns toward Nova Black's voice, she smiles and inclines her head, "I had a private meeting with Lord Megatron that cycle when he had called us all in. I'm on half rations now so am better able to perform my assigned duties without feeling like a guardian unit slapped me around." Nova Black whistles. Half-rations still don't sound great to her -- not when she knows very well what privation feels like -- but it's something. "Glad to hear it. You didn't look good at all." Slipstream moves toward the fellow seeker femme, "I didn't feel good either. After talking with Stormfront I realized I had to take control of my own destiny." she takes a sip of her energon and glances at the data pad, "Working on reports?" Nova Black looks down at the datapad with a glower. "Yep. Shoulda muted my vocalizer at that meeting." Her wings twitch. "But, slag, if anything I know helps the Empire, it's worth hearing a few more snickers than usual. If anyone I can pummel without gettin' into worse trouble hears about it, well.. heh." Slipstream nods a bit to Nova, "When the Emperor speaks it is best not to not even whisper amongst others. Sadly you had to learn that the hard way. I apologize for not warning you." she then takes a seat at the femme's verth, "Speaking of pummeling, we should spar once I'm on full rations again." Nova Black shrugs. "I probably knew that already. I just wanted to be --" her engines rumble as she searches for the right word -- "useful, now that I'm here." Then she grins. "Yeah, yeah we should. Once you're feeling better anyway." Her optics flare. "Wouldn't want me taking you apart." Slipstream snorts softly, adding, "Yet anyway." another sip of her ration. "So is Warp still being a pain in the thrusters or has he backed off a bit?" she asks. Nova Black snickers. "When *isn't* 'Warp a pain in the thrusters? I think his next battle plan should be 'annoy the Autobots into offlining.'" She shakes her head. "But no, it hasn't been too bad lately. Mainly because I haven't *seen* the little pest much, but hey." Slipstream smiles a bit to that and chuckles, "That would be a feat if he could actually pull it off." this to the offling Bots by annoying them, "But it's good he's not been around too much lately, well at least not around you or I at any rate. Maybe he'll get the clue eventually. Femmes that are annoyed are not a good thing." Nova Black snorts. "Skywarp, get a clue? I don't see that happening, though it would be funny as slag." She mimicks an uncertain version of his voice. "'You mean... you want... me... to go... away?!?!'" Slipstream giggles, nearly spit taking out some of her ration from her mouth. She swallow it down and says, "Yes.. far faaaaar away. That's how you answer that. Trust me, bringing them closer only encourages that type." Nova Black grins. "Careful there, Slipstream. Wouldn't want to lose any of your ration." Slipstream nods, "I've done this before, its all about intaking slowly and then shunting a little bit into reserves for just in case. Then there's self-initializing the protocols for outflow when you exhert yourself. No thanks to green ground pounder annoyance, I learned that very well indeed." Nova Black's optics widen. "Oh? Greenie get you into lots of trouble?" Slipstream mmms softly, idly tracing a fingertip over the edge of the ration, "Trouble yes. Lots of it however, that's a matter of perception." Nova Black leans closer to Slipstream, curious. "Not sure I understand the distinction there." Slipstream smiles, "Well if you mean in trouble with Megatron, that's one thing. Then there's getting in trouble with the medics, that's another thing." Nova Black says, "Still not sure I know what you mean. I mean, Megatron's easy to torque off it seems, but... what happened with the medics, now?" Slipstream chuckles. "Well let's just say he was afraid of Shred AND Rob. Rob! I mean seriously something must be wrong with your processor if you are afraid of Rob." Nova Black's engines stall. "Afraid of *Rob?* Seriously? Rob's less frightening than most of the *Neutrals* I used to know!" Slipstream nods, "Afraid of sweet gentle handed Rob." she replies, "More afraid of Shred, but she can be scary when she wants to be." a little roll of the shoulder, "Those two are an item you know." a little smile. "Mmm I bet he's good with his hands." her engine purrs softly. Nova Black shakes her head. "Got a little crush of your own there?" she laughs. Slipstream's wings quirk a bit, "MMm guess I have a weakness for ground pounders. Not small thanks to Goa." she freezes as she says his name. "There's this Bot grounder who was all over me when I tried to escape." she shivers a little, "Too bad he's on the other side." a roll of her shoulders. Nova Black listens to her friend, nodding half-sparkedly as she describes her preference for grounders. It's not something most Seekers would admit to, no, but it doesn't bother her, not after -- She stops, her jaw creaking as it opens wider than it was designed to. Did Slipstream really just say -- ?! She edges away from the other Seeker, her wings twitching as if she's just stepped in something distasteful. "That's *disgusting!" she finally manages, sputtering. Slipstream giggles at the other femme as she becomes shocked to her admission, "I know.. I know.. I was thinking that after the fact. But when you got a mech on top of you that's that big... " she shivers again, "Made Goa look like scrap metal. Not that Goa didn't have his own... charms." Nova Black shudders violently, her tanks still roiling. "Don't give a slag what kind of mechs you like. Don't. Want. To Hear. It. if you're talkin' about the enemy. Go find yourself a nice big *'Con* and stop -- ugh --" She breaks off, shuddering again. Slipstream chuckles softly, "You are a bit too easy, you know that?" she inquires then sips on her ration again, "So I suppose I should tell you about what I saw on Goa... or did I give you enough before to make your own decisions?" Nova Black eyes Slipstream warily. Joke or not, *ugh*. She gives a last twitch and says, "You're gonna tell me anyway, so why not just go ahead and say whatever's on your mind?" Nova Black grunts, waiting. Whatever Slipstream is about to say, it can't possibly be as bad as the mental image now seared into her processor. Slipstream finishes off her ration first, just to make you wait and think on that image a bit longer. "Let's see now.. where to begin..." Nova Black shakes her head as the intense wave of disgust begins to fade. Apparently it really *was* a joke. She waits for Slipstream to begin, laughing herself now at the absurdity of this whole thing. Slipstream says, "Well I met him at the Spire of Victory. I was looking at for inspiration. Starscream showed up and let's just say our Air Commander had one too many to drink the cycle before. Goa shared how it was at the bar. Quite amusing really." Nova Black chuckles cautiously. Bad mental images? Not funny. Drunk Starscream? Hilarious. Slipstream says, "Next time I saw him was in the Tina. Rogue showed up. And yes she was nice to me or Goa, just like she was with you actually." Nova Black's optics flicker. "Nice? Is that what they're calling it now?" She laughs again. "Did she pull that 'I test the new recruits' slag with you guys too?" Slipstream smirks, "NO, but she had that 'I'm better than you two' attitude then as well. Some femmes just don't change." Nova Black snickers. "Well, I haven't seen her in a while. Heh. Maybe I proved myself well enough that she decided to stay the slag out of my way." Slipstream shrugs, "Maybe, anyway the first time we got into trouble was in med bay. I had damaged him. We argued, got in a fight in med bay. Oh that made us popular really fast." Slipstream says, "Suffice it to say Megatron got involved. I was given a private room and ordered to stay away from Goa." Slipstream says, "He also cut back our rations." Slipstream says, "We worked it out eventually but Megatron warned we were to behave or else." Slipstream says, "Eventually I came to enjoy being with Goa, he really wasn't a bad mech once he got past the whole annoying the slag out of a femme stage. He helped me understand mechs better." Slipstream says, "He listened. That was the key part. He actively listened. He.. cared.." she pauses, optics dimming, "He showed me it was okay to care back." Slipstream looks up at Nova who's been quiet as she spoke, "I got to know sensations I didn't think possible when I was alone with him. I experienced what truly is meant by 'til all are one'. For that I thank him. But for leaving me, leaving the Cons like he did, I curse him." Nova Black lifts a gray hand and awkwardly pats her new friend's shoulder. "Some 'Cons would say -- caring -- like that -- that's weak. I don't know what I'd say -- especially not when losing the mech did such a number on you. But I will say I know what it's like to suddenly find yourself out in the middle of nowhere and learn what 'alone' means. And it ain't pretty. There -- there are 'Cons out there who make it their mission to drive you half-crazy, but who have your back when they ought to, on the field or off. And then there are 'Cons who really mean the slag they do." She is quiet for a moment. "It's all about knowing who's who." Slipstream nods in agreement. "Exactly." she smiles a hint. "Poor Shred was so freaked out when the spark seperation happened. She thought maybe I was carrying.." a shake of the head, "Thank goodness that wasn't the case.. I don't know if I could have raised a youngling on my own." Nova Black snorts. "At least it did happen. Better for you -- better for all of us -- that you're not connected to someone who would betray you *and* the Empire like that." Slipstream rises from the femme's berth, "As much as I loved him, I hated him equally. Remember that when Skywarp is annoying you. Opposites can attract." she smiles down at you, "I should get some recharge in, just take my words to spark Nova. Don't settle for the first mech that makes you want to shut him up without using your fists." Nova Black nods. "I've got to get some recharge too. Rather wait until I wake up to see exactly who got a look at that report." Slipstream says, "Rest well then Nova." Nova Black says, "You too, Slippy."
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)