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| - Mon Aug 27 2033 The smooth and almost creamy atmosphere of Saturn beckons you from your orbit, the rings majestic and shining brilliantly from the faint light of the Sun. Thin and thick black bands decorate Saturn's atmosphere, while the moons are visible from your orbit. The largest of them, Titan, seems quite intriguing, the methane clouds covering it like a shroud, not letting one see any further in... Shockwave Red Spacecraft Mimas Titan Galvatron comes in from the void of space and slips into orbit. Fusillade comes in from the void of space and slips into orbit. F-35B Lightning II skims through the upper atmosphere of Saturn, the rings wheeling large above her, taking up most of her field of view. She tracks the icy debris with a blase nonchalance. Yes, moving the distance into the ring debris field would put her in peril, but her opponent, the brash Redshift, is going to be more dangerous than autopilot errors. Red Spacecraft cruises above the slowly drifting veil of ice below, the shimmering frozen ring of Saturn becoming a gentle halo of ice and dust instead of a shimmering plane as he approaches the edge of the gas giant's gravity influence. The ring's shepards continue their slow orbit, unknowing and uncaring about the battle about to ensue. GAME: Shockwave rolls a (100)-sided die: ROLL: Contrail rolled a 96 ROLL: Redshift rolled a 5 <> Shockwave states, hovering fifty-five thousand kilometres above beige gaseous giant of Saturn. A squadron of camera drones buzz around him, capturing the ref from all angles even as he sees fit to disregard their sponsor. <> With a quick burst of his boot thrusters, Shockwave faces Contrail. The drones buzz up to her for some beauty shots. <> To the other he now turns as the drones zoom up to him, <> The camera returns to Shockwave. <> Shockwave glances at Contrail, <> F-35B Lightning II replies softly, <> Now, the F-35 decides to live up to her current position. She pours on the speed and pulls away from Redshift, putting distance between them, and she studies the red warrior. What weaknesses will the pitiless eye of her camera reveal? Aside from the weakness that his brother is currently pink. That one is not very helpful. Combat: F-35B Lightning II sets her defense level to Protected. Combat: Contrail analyzes Redshift for weaknesses. Combat: Drained 4 energon. <> Redshift emits, his signal garbled, but readable, warped by the giant planet's radio-band emissions. The red and blackcraft adjusts trajectory to match Contrail's vector, flaring his engines to close the distance while maintaining sufficient room to maneuver. Opening fire with his laser array, bright red pulses slash across the cold black backdrop of space. Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Red Spacecraft misses F-35B Lightning II with his Laser attack! Combat: Red Spacecraft (Redshift) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. To the camera drones flirting with some flattering angles near Contrail, the Triplechanger isn't doing anything but slowly hover back while staring at her opponent. Shockwave knows better, however. Now turning towards Redshift, he sees the speedster closing in. Shockwave backs off, already knowing what he's planning. There's subtle maneuvers between the two as Contrail neatly evades, but does Shockwave narrate this for the audience? Hell no, he isn't here for their benefit. He's here to judge two of the Decepticons finest. F-35B Lightning II stays in jet mode now, for some very long-range, upper-atmosphere dogfighting. She turns on Redshift, which foils the lasers, which travel in straight lines! Sounding like she may be grinning, she replies, "You confuse information gathering with sheepishness," and she tries to get a lead on his vector before letting a missile off the chain. Combat: F-35B Lightning II sets her defense level to Neutral. Combat: F-35B Lightning II misses Red Spacecraft with her AIM-120C AMRAAM attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Gained 1 energon. Redshift's lasers may not have been very effective, but Contrail's missile proves no better! Raising a wing and pulling his nose up to peel away from the incoming projectile, the small spacer powers through the loop to again direct himself towards Contrail, flipping up into his robot mode while maintaining thrust from his engines, now neatly transformed into boots. "What have you gathered then, hmm? None of it will do you any good if you keep missing like that!" Rifle in one hand and pistol in the other, he fires a crackling neutron beam towards Contrail, sweeping it across his field of vision to try and catch the space-flying jet in it's black beam. The sleek red spacecraft transforms into the winged warrior Redshift. Combat: Redshift misses F-35B Lightning II with his Entropy Ray attack! Combat: Redshift (Redshift) used "Entropy Ray": A Level 2 RANGED attack. The camera drones split apart, with half zipping after Contrail and half zipping after Redshift. Shockwave flies after Contrail in order to keep the pair of them in sight, taking note of the amazing maneuvers she and Redshift are pulling off. It's brilliantly executed... but results in nobody ever getting hit. Shockwave can sympathize. A single drone remains by Shockwave in case he deems the audience worthy enough to explain anything to (hint: he doesn't). The space bleachers weren't even out for this match as the organizers knew they wouldn't be nearly fast enough to keep up with the fighters, but even the drones chasing after their targets have to kick it into high gear so that they can *almost* keep up. "Nor you," Contrail observes, and she drops under his line of fire. She transforms into her car mode, which seems like an exceptionally strange choice, but it is proofed against temperature and chemical extremes, and she can recover altitude easily enough as long as she shifts back to robot or jet mode before she hits the more liquid levels of Saturn. Her Gallardo mode offers a different array of weaponry, namely her machineguns. Turning into a police car, Contrail fights crime! Wait, that's not right. Contrail causes crime. Combat: Lamborghini Gallardo sets her defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Lamborghini Gallardo strikes Redshift with her FN Minimi 5.56mm Light Machine Guns attack! Combat: Removing analysis data for Redshift. Combat: Gained 1 energon. The machinegun rounds pepper Redshift's lithe frame, drawing a line of dents and holes diagonally across his torso and shoulder. Fragments of his gilded cockpit crack away, drifting freely in the vacuum to join Saturn's shimmering rings. "A CAR? Who brings a CAR to a spaceship fight?" Redshift asks incredulously, but he doesn't waste any time transforming back into his spaceship mode to capitalize on his advantage in speed over the incongrious Lamborghini. He swoops past it in a strafing run, pulling up at the last moment to escape the burst of self-oxygenating phosphorous flares. Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Red Spacecraft strikes Lamborghini Gallardo with his Phosphorous Bombs attack! Combat: Red Spacecraft (Redshift) used "Phosphorous Bombs": A Level 5 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: You took 16 damage. Combat: That attack has temporarily affected Lamborghini Gallardo 's Accuracy. (Blinded) With both contestants chasing out of their respective flying modes, Shockwave and the camera drones get a chance to catch up. When Contrail transforms into a police car and plummets, though, the drones groan in frustration before diving down after her. Shockwave remains between the two, though out of the line of fire. Well Redshift? He thinks as he turns towards the other mech. You've both drawn blood: Now are you going to go down there and get her or wait up here until she comes out? Lamborghini Gallardo may not make much sense, falling through Saturn's atmosphere, but she sure does explode prettily, her headlights shattering, and her paintjob blackening. Yeah, that's going to ruin her alignment. Contrail returns to F-35 mode to regain altitude, but her sensors remain foggy, needing more time to reboot. Her answer is simple, "Me." Flipping into a modified F-35B Lightning II, the sky is not the limit. Combat: F-35B Lightning II sets her defense level to Protected. Combat: Contrail analyzes Redshift for weaknesses. Combat: Drained 4 energon. The particle collectors in Redshift's wings are certainly getting their fair share of exotic ions and high-energy photons from all this swooping through a gas giant's upper atmosphere, all the better to enhance Redshift's plasma rifle and other energy weapons. He pours on a blast of speed from his oversized thrusters bfore returning to robot mode, brandishing his rifle and openng fire with a searing plasma bolt aimed at Contrail's angular tailfins. The sleek red spacecraft transforms into the winged warrior Redshift. Combat: Redshift sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Redshift strikes F-35B Lightning II with his Incinerator Rifle attack! [Pulled -4] Combat: Redshift (Redshift) used "Incinerator Rifle": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 6 damage. Ah ha, force her out it is, then. The camera drones move into position now that the pair are at least somewhat closer. A couple of the feeds are lost thanks to Saturn's proximity, but the new calculations from the Swordfish right that problem. One of the drones zips in for a close-up of Redshift firing his rifle... and sizzles into dust as the plasma bolt strikes it and keeps on going without pause. Despite her caution, Redshift manages to wound Contrail once more, adding more charring to her bodywork. The jet climbs and then transforms again into Gallardo mode, trying to sink some bullets into Redshift's armoured hide. Turning into a police car, Contrail fights crime! Wait, that's not right. Contrail causes crime. Combat: Lamborghini Gallardo misses Redshift with her FN Minimi 5.56mm Light Machine Guns attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Redshift has seen this trick before, and even in his robot mode he can out-pace nearly every ground-mode Cybertronian, especially here in his native element. Flaring his impressive wings and firing his powerful bootjets, he rockets up through the vestigial wisps of Saturn's icy atmsophere, gaining a higher vantage point above the floundering space-car. His rifle comes to bear again, firing a constrained burst of charged particles. Combat: Redshift strikes Lamborghini Gallardo with his Incinerator Rifle attack! [Pulled -5] Combat: Redshift (Redshift) used "Incinerator Rifle": A Level 1 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 7 damage. "Your aim is impressive," Contrail observes, even as the incinerator rifle annihilates one of her doors and catches her upholstery on fire, a fire that quickly dies out due to the lack of oxygen. However, her foggy sensors have finally cleared. She flips back into jet mode, flies in close past Redshift, and calls, "Fox three!" Flipping into a modified F-35B Lightning II, the sky is not the limit. Combat: F-35B Lightning II sets her defense level to Fearless. Combat: F-35B Lightning II strikes Redshift with her AIM-120C AMRAAM attack! Combat: Removing analysis data for Redshift. Combat: Drained 8 energon. Redshift has the advantage, Shockwave decides. It didn't take his strategic brilliance to know that. The idiot fans watching from back on the Swordfish and across the galaxy can tell that. But while most of them are now cheering for an inevitable Redshift victory, Shockwave is unwilling to call it just yet. His theory is proven correct as Catechism climbs rapidly, comes in close... and blam! Shockwave raises his hand, shielding his optic from the blast. With numerous camera drones in perfect position, this is going to be on every highlight reel until the end of the Olympics. The aggressive strike from the previously cautious Contrail catches Redshift off-guard! He tries to turn his body away from the incoming projectile, but it connects with his left arm, the momemtum and the explosion sending Redshift into a spin as he tumbles down amidst the hydrogen clouds, the blasted remains of his demolished left arm raining down after him. For a moment, he is lost in the haze... Until a roar of engines announces his return, a sleek (if somewhat battered) spacecraft cutting through the wisps and shooting up like an arrow, piercing the pull of gravity and careening towards the starkly-illuminated F-35 above him. Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spacecraft sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Red Spacecraft misses F-35B Lightning II with his Full Speed Ahead attack! Combat: Red Spacecraft (Redshift) used "Full Speed Ahead": A Level 6 VELOCITY attack. F-35B Lightning II transforms into robot mode and literally flips up like a Minoan bull dancer, vaulting over Redshift and twisting around her long axis as she does, flipping around to face his now receding form. She pops open her cockpit and pulls out something nondescript shaped. And beeping. Smiling a slasher smile, Contrail flings it at Redshift. In a transformation that is harder than it looks, Contrail rises up into robot mode. Combat: Contrail has created a bomb: "Eat This"! Combat: Contrail strikes Red Spacecraft with Eat This's Huge Explosion #11002 attack! Combat: Contrail's Eat This is destroyed! Combat: Used up 1 Bombs. 0 remain. A quarter of the camera drones dive in after Redshift. Each of them gets a good ten seconds of footage before shorting out and losing power, plummeting deeper into the atmosphere until they're ultimately crushed by the gravity. Those seconds, though, of watching Redshift careening down towards Saturn at a breakneck speed and just starting to make his turn make it all worthwhile to the Olympic sponsors. For Shockwave's part, he's lost track of Redshift until the spaceship blasts back out towards Contrail! But Contrail outmaneuvers and opens her cockpit. Just what is that femme doing? A few camera drones zoom in and are caught in the resulting explosion. Shockwave, meanwhile, has moved off, having figured out what was going to happen. Someone pulling a 'surprise' from their cockpit is never good. Redshift's breakneck accelleration leaves him little time to recover after Contrail's deft maneuver, and another powerful explosion rocks Redshift's frame as the grenade detonates. His tailfins and one of his main thrusters are demolished by the explosion, and the ship struggles to right itself. Redshift's wings snap down to regain attitude control, breaking out of a spin by transforming and a quick burst from his fine-control thrusters in his shoulders. With no left arm anymore to steady his aim, Redshift holds his long plasma rifle straight out in one hand, eyes narrowed to slits as he focuses on his dwindling target. Redshift fires a bright bolt of plasma, His wings firing a short burst of thrust to counter the forces as he struggles to maintain control over his orientation. The sleek red spacecraft transforms into the winged warrior Redshift. Combat: Redshift strikes Contrail with his Incinerator Rifle attack! Combat: Redshift (Redshift) used "Incinerator Rifle": A Level 6 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 11 damage. Combat: Redshift's attack has damaged your Firepower! A searing shot of plasma slices through one of Contrail's back-mounted cannons and splashes against the rest of her frame, pitting it and exposing it to chemical attack by Saturn's exotic chemical atmosphere. However, Contrail has chemicals of her own. The remaining cannon swings down over her shoulder to acquaint Redshift with what runs through her lines. Her smile closes but widens slightly. Combat: Contrail sets her defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Contrail strikes Redshift with her Acid Strike attack! Combat: Drained 8 energon. Shockwave slowly descends as Redshift tries to regain control. This is in case he ends up plummeting again and needs to be hauled out before being crushed. He notes the damage to the tailfins and thrusters and is thus unsurprised when the space warrior shifts back into robot mode. Redshift had been having more successful in that mode anyway. To his credit, he zaps Contrail yet again with his plasma rifle, but Contrail fails to be detered. He's surprised but impressed when Contrail manages to deliver her chemicals without having them lost in the chaos caused by Saturn's close proximity. How much of that is calculation vs instinct vs luck, he wonders. Redshift brings up his remaining arm to shield his face from the gush of acid, the insidious chemicals eating away at his armor, bubbling and oozing as it seeps into his systems. He grits his teeth, his hand spasming and grasping at the hilt of his weapon. He reverts to his vehicle mode before any more outward indication of pain is captured on Shockwave's ever-present cameras, and his remaining over-taxed systems propel the batetred spaceship on another derelict crash course. Redshift transforms into his sleek spacecraft mode and takes to the air. Combat: Red Spacecraft misses Contrail with his Wing Slice attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Red Spacecraft (Redshift) used "Full Speed Ahead": A Level 5 VELOCITY attack. Combat: Your attack continues to damage Red Spacecraft Contrail is actually quite calculating in combat, but as any fight jock will tell you, it's better to be lucky than good. She is lucky now. Contrail can almost feel the shockwave, the air splitting apart as redshift's razor-sharp wing passes her by. Rattled but unscathed, she transforms back into car mode to try to hit Redshift with her machineguns. Turning into a police car, Contrail fights crime! Wait, that's not right. Contrail causes crime. Combat: Lamborghini Gallardo sets her defense level to Neutral. Combat: Lamborghini Gallardo strikes Red Spacecraft with her FN Minimi 5.56mm Light Machine Guns attack! Combat: Gained 1 energon. Shockwave can see that Redshift is barely holding on. At this point it's only determination and Decepticon pride that's keeping him going. Shockwave would expect nothing less. An Autobot might have crumbled at this point, but not one of the Decepticons' finest. Redshift shifts back into jet mode and blasts off towards Contrail, but he's too damaged and too slow. To Contrail's credit, Shockwave was leaning towards skill rather than luck for how she escaped unharmed. The machine-guns, though, leave no room for interpretation. The camera drones close in around Redshift for what they expect will be the climactic finish. Barely holding together as it is, Redshift is scarely able to maintain stable flight let alone pull of the sort of fancy flying he's famous for- Especially not in the grip of Saturn's inexorable gravity well. More bullets tear through his armor as the red and black craft struggles to fly back to return fire upon Contrail. Energon levels critically low, he has little choice but to rely on his risky, often recalcitrant and rebellious, phosphorous flares. Combat: Red Spacecraft misses Lamborghini Gallardo with his Phosphorous Bombs attack! Combat: Red Spacecraft (Redshift) used "Phosphorous Bombs": A Level 5 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: Your attack continues to damage Red Spacecraft Lamborghini Gallardo is blown out of the way of Redshift's phosphorous bombs by a sudden gust of wind that sends her tumbling end over end. As she rotates, she transforms, reeling out her electric whip and letting it spin up to supersonic speed. Charge flashes and crackles along the length of the whip. Then Contrail casts it out, bringing the lightning to Saturn, planet of storm and wrack. In a transformation that is harder than it looks, Contrail rises up into robot mode. Combat: Contrail sets her defense level to Fearless. Combat: Contrail strikes Red Spacecraft with her Whiplash Whirlwind attack! Combat: Red Spacecraft falls to the ground, unconscious. Combat: Drained 11 energon. Some of the camera drones move in for the finale. Some get in obnoxiously close to Redshift, wanting his every expression. Others look over his shoulder towards Contrail as she brings back the spinning electro-whip. A few others back off for the long shot, making sure that Saturn is beautifully positioned behind the pair. Shockwave, meanwhile, is still positioning himself for the inevitable. Redshift's defeat is more of a slow fizzle than a triumphant finale, the relentlessly seething acid doing as much tp finish off Redshift as the final crack of the electrified whip. His illuminated panels and running lights crackle with electricity before sputtering and going blank, leaving Redshift smoldering and adrift. Shockwave flies up after Redshift, grabbing the mech by the arm before gravity can exert itself. <> Though, importantly, all the medals are going to Decepticons. Contrail watches Redshift sink, her electric whip crackling and trailing behind her in the wind, leaving a trail of sparks behind her. She nods once when Shockwave grabs Redshift and gives the commander a proper military salutes. Optics thoughtful, Contrail replies, "Thank you, sir. Either way, the Empire wins, of course." =============================== 2033 Olympics ================================ Message: 37/41 Posted Author Heavy Full: Contrail vs Redshift Mon Aug 27 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A great match between two skilled fighters, but as soon as Contrail got the tiniest advantage she put Redshift away for the victory. ==============================================================================
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