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| - Aboard shuttle T-223, Backblast watches Mars slowly slip past the window on the approach to Earth. Bored, he keys his radio to the Autobot general frequency. It's been too damn long since he was in range of anything but the strongest radio signals! "Hm?" +++Quite a While Later...+++ Auxillary Landing Pad - Metroplex Established on a small corner of Metroplex's vast roof, the auxillary landing pad is not much to look at. There is barely enough room for two shuttles to sit at the same time, and even then Autobots must take cover elsewhere during landing procedures. Many a new recruit has landed in the repair bay for not minding himself around the steep drop-off on two sides of the pad. The shuttle begins to make its landing approach now, slowly pulling in to land. It touches down, the door opening moments later. Various gumbies shuffle out, but there's apparently no sign of Backblast. Until that is the cargo ramp lowers, and a rather large-sounding diesel engine sputters into life, followed by the bright glare of headlamps! Fanfare grins a little bit and nudges Warpath "There 'e is! Ah'd recognise that racket anywhere!" he rumbles, blinking into the headlights. "Oh, WHAM, there he is!" Warpath exclaims. He waits anxiously and rather impatiently. "Let's ZOOM, get this show on the road!" Scorch steps back as the ring of landing lights all come to life to alert those on the ground to stand clear and to offer the arriving shuttle a guide for touching down. Grumbling the large mech moves away and watches. As the ship lands and people begin to file out he motions a crew to get to work hoping this will be his ride home. As the other duo on the pad point and chatter he looks over to see then shrugs. "Who dat? Me Scorch not members see him befores." Backblast' angular nose is visible first - and it certainly won't be the Backblast Fanfare remembers. For a start, there are wheels. As he noses down the ramp, it turns out to be six of them, the middle pair raised up for faster on-road travel, though they still spin as he noses down the bank, turret tracking around. There's a feature Fanfare /will/ remember though - the serial number, and the fancy writing of his name - in English now, not Cybertronian - on his rear quarters. With a hiss of airbrakes, he rocks slightly to a halt, before... Cogs shift and grind with the classic noise as Backblast transforms into a Panhard ERC-90 Sagaie six-wheeled scout car. You say, "Fanfare, you old bastard! How ya doin?" Fanfare grins a little bit "That's Backblast. You'll like 'im." he chuckles at the tank, blinking a little bit as the vehicle exits "'Ey! Ye went Human too mate! Did Any'un but Cosmos NOT Get switched over? " he shouts over the sound of the engines as it rolls up to them. Warpath walks up to Backblast. "WHOO, I'm BLAM, Warpath. Nice to meetya!" he says, "Welcome to the Beat Up Decepticons On Earth team! And other ZING, places too!" Cogs shift and grind, as Backblast transforms back into his robot mode. An enercig is lit and the Bren gun shouldered as it enlarges to match its owner. Backblast grins and holds out his hand to Warpath, taking a pull of his smoke. "Warpath, eh? Nice to meetcha bud." He looks over at Fanny, then up at the bigger bot's face. "See you're still a fatarse, Fanny." He grins, offering up his smaller fist to the haulier. "Been a long time since we rolled together, man. Too damn long!" Fanfare smirks at Backblast, reaching out to grasp the mechs' arm and give him a slap on the back and hug "Aye! Rolled OR rumbled! nice tae see ye! Still the fattest arse around too! Encore's here too!" he notes. BFF. "I can't wait to POW, roll with ya and roll over some Decepticons!" Warpath says, "I hear they have beachfront property now. We should go and BOOM, devalue it!" Backblast laughs and then blinks "Encore? Damn, that's awesome to know!" He grins. "I would come visit the Cons on the Island, but unless Fanny or someone big's goin I can't get there. My chassis is supposed to be amphibious, but right now? It just floats." He sighs. "Been out scoutin' fer the past, what, ten orbits, checking out the very arse end of space and somewhere along the way I burnt out the waterjets. My wheels can propell me through the water, but... I'm not 'zactly quick" Fanfare lets go of Backblast with a huge grin, arm still around the other mech's shoulders with a chuckle "Nae, nae quick, but sturdy an' efficient." he agrees "Ah wunder if ah could tow ye? But prolly easier tae just carry ye fully aye?" Hot Spot trots out onto the landing pads, carrying a large crate on one shoulder, probably supplies to be shipped up to Iacon or something. Seeing as his own chief medic is nagging him to not get into too much action yet, he's resided in at least helping get some other work down around the city. "Looks like a bit of a gathering out here." Fanfare turns to focus on Hot Spot then blinks, straightening and letting go of Backblast "Wot, ye doin' me job now sah?' he drawls casually, optics focusing on the crate the mech carried "Aye, a welcomin' partee fer Backblast 'ere. Ye heard 'im on the radio earlier. The one who ah kick out of me hatch over the battle n' all that." Scorch has given the new arrival and the others he doesn't recognize a good once over as he waits off to the side. Having little to say he glances over as Hot Spot arrives with cargo in tow. Giving a nod of greeting he wonders if that is going to the Ark or the new fancy city on a planet he has no love for. Specter has arrived. "Hey, BLAM, Hot Spot!" Warpath says, "New guy in town!" He looks back over at Backblast. "Maybe we can ZING, tagteam Blitzwing sometime!" Hot Spot sets the crate down with some others, then turns to Fanfare with a good-natured chortle. "You know me Fanfare; don't like to just stand around and do nothing, hurt or not." Partially because First Aid won't *let* him do anything else, but that's besides the point. He dusts his hands off a bit, then shifts his attention to look the unfamiliar face over a bit. "Oh? His shuttle arrived safely then, good, good." Backblast nods in agreement "Yeah, carryin' me would prolly be best until I got the waterjets up an' runnin' guv." He agrees, grinning at the way Fanfare describes it. "Yup dat's me. Prolly the craziest outta the whole Suicide Jockey team - or a pretty close contender." He laughs, offering his hand to Scorch and Hot-Spot in turn. "Like the big guy said, name's Backblast. I can feed targeting data to anyone who needs it - or if needed, I got me a ninety-mil cannon so I can put a hole in any Con 'oo dares give it a go." He laughs, looking at Hot Spot "Yes mate, literally just touched down! This is quite some welcome!" Fanfare says, "Woy not read reports sah? " returns FAnfare with a grin, glancing over the crate from where he stood to ensure it was going the right place. "Ye filled out the requisition form aye?" Scorch shakes the offered hand with as much welcome as he can muster, after all this guys gut a gun mounted on his shoulder so can't be all bad right? Having really only been here by chance he just rolls with the idea that he came along with the others. Has he gone mellow? Nah, more than likely he's just too lazy to start anything at the moment. Hot Spot accepts the handshake in his own firm grip. "Glad to have you with us." Then makes a bleah expression at Fanfare. "I do enough paperwork as it is for my position! And while important, it doesn't get much -real- work done. I don't know how Ultra Magnus can stand being a desk jockey," he adds good-humoredly at the end. Then ohs. "That's right. Well, saves me the trouble of passing it off to someone to deliver later!" He lets go of the shake to pull out a datapad and pass it to Backblast. Fanfare pauses, confused at Hot Spot "Errr. Is that an Aye or a Naye?" he asks the mech Backblast grins widely at Hot-spot, taking a pull of his cobalt-lithium cigarette. "Glad to be 'ere, Hot-Spot mate. Can't blame you on the hatred of paperwork - I'm glad someone else hasta deal with the reports I send in - not much use for paper out in the field, after all." He chuckles softly. "I fink it's a 'no' Fanny." Grinning, Backblast transforms again to show off his altmode. Yeah. He likes the Panhard chassis. Cogs shift and grind with the classic noise as Backblast transforms into a Panhard ERC-90 Sagaie six-wheeled scout car. Hot Spot says, "The 'pad has his barracks assignment and such on it, yes." The Protectobot takes a step back as the newcomer transforms. "Yeah, I think some of our other big hitters are going to take a liking to you." The day is calm, quiet, serene even. Specter slinks his way across a catwalk on the outer perimeter of the Autobot City's Auxillary Landing Pad. Truth be told, he was more bored than on a mission. The operative had still yet to speak with high command, over more than one matter. Spotting the gathering below, Specter catches the railing and creeps down to ground level. "It appears.." he whispers, taking careful precaution to stay out of view. "That we have a new arrival." Combat: Specter slips into the shadows and out of sight... Not a moment too soon; it seems the Panhard-based Autobot has sharp hearing and eyes; his turret tracks around to where he /thinks/ he saw movement. "Huh?" Fanfare blinks and looks up "hrm. Did ah see something? Musta been a gull." he shrugs and nods to Hot Spot, relaxing "Aye. Ah dinnae want tae have to rip apart me warehouses tae find et." he grins easily. Scorch watches the transformation and gives a slight shrug. "Me Scorch tink gun not bads, not know why need wheels. Dem just gets in way, tink me add gun to back too den me shoot tings gooder den can now." Hearing a voice from nowhere he scowls again wondering why he's being spied on. Hot Spot takes a few more steps to the side when the turret turns, to keep clear of the cannon attached to it. "Don't get too jumpy there fella. It's good to be aware of your surroundings, but Earth has a lot of small indiginous wildlife that can trip heightened senses." "ZOWIE, Scorch, you were made for POW, clobbering," Warpath remarks. Panhard ERC-90 Sagaie turns his turret back around with a soft 'huh'. "Yeah, just a gul." He agrees, though he doesn't sound 100% certain. "Legs have their advantages, Scorch mate, but with me wheels I can move over pretty much any terrain, pretty quickly. Plus bouncin' over some nice proper rough ground is WAY more fun than just flying over it." He laughs. "So this is Earth, huh? Tell me 'bout the place." As he speaks... Cogs shift and grind, as Backblast transforms back into his robot mode. An enercig is lit and the Bren gun shouldered as it enlarges to match its owner. Scorch nods at Warpath with a smile. "Clobbering best ting." he comments as he smirks at Hot Spot's comment. "Stupids in-digging-us tings, dem always gets in way. No burn trees, no steps on bus. Dem shoulds move out of ways." Inching ever closer, Specter aligns his over the shoulder mounted scope on the target.. pulling up all sorts of good hard-data. Not because he'll ever have reason to utilize it, will he?, but moreover.. a force of habit and constant training. If it weren't for his million years hiatus, the guy might need a vacation! Specifically the transformation is captured, and rerouted into his internal banks for cross-reference and matching. Combat: Specter analyzes Backblast for weaknesses. Hot Spot folds his arms across his chestplate loosely as he listens. Then turns his head to look to the slightly larger Scorch. "I know being careful of collateral damage can be a hassle big guy, but think of it this way... Burn down or smash up too much environment, and Earth is going to start looking like Cybertron does," he replies stoicly, appealing to the Dinobots' tendancy to prefer Earth over the world they came from. Backblast nods slowly as he listens to hot-spot, looking over in the direction of Specter, but not seeing anything. "I swear someone's watchin' us..." He comments quietly, then shrugs and turns his attention back to Hot Spot "Yeah, man, Earth's great - I got a look at some REALLY awesome places to go trailbashing on the way in here. I can't WAIT to get out to Arizona and start racing the off-roaders! SUV? HAH! I'LL show 'em what off-roading really is!" He laughs Scorch snorts in semi-agreement. "Cybertron worst, dem no moves out of way either and dem bigger to have to no hits." Looking around at Backblasts comment he shrugs again as he spots nobody. Hot Spot unfolds his arms to pat Backblast on the shoulder as he chuckles. "I think you're going to do just fine around here, with an attitude like that! ... And I wholely support taking some time to enjoy the 'local' activities, its a fine way to get a good idea of what we're fighting for down here." "Interesting.. choice, of altmode." Specter intones when the hard-data comes back. Panhard ERC-90 Sagaie. Terran. French. "According to my stores.. he's adopted a scout-car variant, from a country known for surrender? Oh, -quite- interesting indeed." the operative inquires to no one but himself, stealthing along again. Pulling up quite short of the actual conversation, his gaze turns to the rest assembled. Backblast grins, flicking away his enercig and adjusting the scaled-up Bren gun. "So what else can you guys tell me 'bout Earth, anyway?" He asks. "All I know really is the travel guide from the shuttle and what I saw on the way in..." Hot Spot chuckles a bit. "You should talk to Streetwise or Groove some time, they're the Protectobots that do most of the wandering. Or Jazz, if he's not already soaking up the culture somewhere. I just show up when lives need saving and evil needs a good swift kick to the skidplate." Not much of a thinker Scorch just nods in agreement that Backblast would be better off seeking others for info on earth. After all unless he wants to know that sometimes it rains and sometimes it doesn't Scorch probably isn't the best person to ask for a breakdown on what to expect on the planet. "Nonstandard modifications to the main artillery assembly, MK II Bren, if my data-banks are to be correct." Specter intones again, taking curious study of Backblast. But then, it hits him.. like a ton of bricks. PAST Specter sulks in the repair facility, his legs crossed over a slab. "I do not.. understand, sir. Are they taken aback by my.. appearance?" he asks aloud. Defcon paces in front of him, stopping to look him dead-center in the optic. "From one loner to another.. How would -you- feel if everyone was sneakin' round on you, studyin' from afar? Jeez kid, not a great way to make friends." NOW Rounding on the perimeter, Specter dashes in towards Backblast in a blurr of movement. Aiming a slap on the back, as is custom he's learned for friends in terran circles, the white ninja speaks! "Apologies, good friend.. It appears I've forgotten my manners!" Combat: Specter appears from the shadows... Combat: Sneak Attack!! Combat: Specter strikes Backblast with his HELLO FRIENDY FRIEND!! (Grab) attack! Combat: Specter (Specter) used "Grab": A Level 0 MELEE attack. Hot Spot stumbles back and spins around at the sudden voice, tense for a moment... but then relaxes when he sees it's another Autobot, lowering his hands back to his sides. "I'll never get use to the 'bots that are able to do that...." Backblast laughs and raises his hand for a fistbump with Hot spot. "Ah, one of my favourite pastimes." He laughs, patting the currently-inactive 90mm gun barrel. "Jazz, Streetwise, and Groove, I'll remember them names." He nods. Then Specter's metal hand clonks off his back in a friendly slap, and he practically leaps out of his armour. "PRIMUS!" He yelps, only just managing to hold off on the instinctive defense reaction that /almost/ has the old Bren gun aimed at the white ninjabot. Instead, however, he laughs. "Tinscraps, you got me good there mate." A hand is offered "Name's Backblast." Scorchs optics flash as the view before him suddenly has another bot in the picture. A bit slow to have noticed the dashing ninja he asks, "Where hims come from? No see him there seconds go." As he thinks a moment he suddenly pivots drawing his blade to make sure no sneaky sneak is creeping up on him to slap him on the back, satisfied that all is safe he turns back to the others putting hiw weapon away. Specter shakes it heartily, "Backblast. Interesting choice of altmode, was it self imposed or chosen for you?" he asks, still looking the Autobot over. "Oh, manners.. I am Specter, current Covert Operations Captain." "Wow, ZAP, he gotcha!" Warpath says. The now-visible Specter slightly startles the red minibot, "That's like, ZOOM, an extreme intro!" Fanfare returns to the here/now, having been called away to deal with some logistics thing. Soon he wa back again "Sorreh. Duty calls, and ah must answer." he apologises to those present. Backblast chuckles "Chose it myself. See, the French have a bit of an unfair reputation as... what was it...? Ah, yeah. 'Cheese-eatin' surrender-monkeys', when it's actually only two governments that did so, and they actually conquered a fair portion of Europe. Whatever Europe is - it sounds pretty big, though." He rubs the back of his head with a smirk. "I chose the Pan'ard 'cause it was pretty similar to my old Cybertronian model but put out a smaller heat-signature and electromagnetic profile than the hover scout - and the 90mm cannon hit harder." He shrugs. "Listen, when you got some time- could you teach me how to do a bit of that? My job's to scout things out, and if I could hide like that it'd be /really/ useful." (And when I've got the AP for it XD) "Ah, the subtle art of striking without being stricken.. I know a few of those ways." Specter humbly chuckles, stepping back a pace. Nodding to the rest of those collected, the albino Autobot redirects his attention to Backblast. "I am at your service, dear friend.." he bows a bit, coming back to stand a second later. "Though I must warn you, it is no easy task.. nor is it glamorous." Hot Spot grins a bit at Fanfare, "I'm the last Bot you need to apologize to for doing your job, you know that." Then turns his attention back to the other two as they chat. Good to see both the new guy getting aquainted -and- Specter trying to socialize a bit more. "Being able to sneak up on a heavy target so you can hit him in surprise or mark him for someone less.. subtle, would probably help you out." Backblast snorts "Glamour can kiss my tailpipe. I just wanna hurt Cons and help the innocent. I can do that better if I can remain unseen - and I'll know that I'm the best. If other folks don't see that, I'll tell 'em." Chuckling, he nods to Fanfare, smiling. "I know the call, mate, hell I've helped you answer it more times than I can count, and I look forward to doing it again!" Fanfare smirks at Backblast "Aye, ye are usually me cargo mate!" he then nods to Hot Spot "oh by the by, ah've got another shipment of that foam ye use comin in friday. " "Well if you want to BLAM, hurt cons, you've come to the KAPOW, right place," Warpath says. "Overconfidence is the way of braggarts." Specter warns, an outstretched index finger swaying in front of Backblast's face. "Perform well enough, and we will see what can be.. arranged." he finishes, pacing away from Backblast's direct vicinity. "In due time, of course." Hot Spot perks a bit at that. "Oh, excellent Fanfare. While a good ol' pressure cannon blast is hard to beat, that foam is wonderful for dealing with things water would actually make worse. Some types of fire will actually flare up if you throw cold liquid on it. One time we had to merge Defensor just to use his forcefield to 'suffocate' a warehouse fire that had gotten too strong to simply water down." He just shakes his head a bit and grins at the exchange between the other two, though Specter does have a point. "Euthusiasm is good, but be careful to not let it become arrogance." Fanfare nods at HOt Spot "Been on fire enough times tae know that! Oh by the by, ye know anything aboot Water Bombing?" he asks casually, folding his duct-tape arms. Backblast chuckles softly. "I'll just be up to my old tricks -I'm the best shot with a ninety-mil this side of Quintessa" He grins. "Least, in altmode. Course, nobody's perfect - currently my swim system is offline and I need to get /that/ fixed before I can do anything else." He makes eye-contact with Fanfare a moment. "Besides, I've got a reputation to uphold as the cockiest little smeghead this side of Quintessa, too." Hot Spot raises an optic ridge slightly in curiosity. "Not equipped directly for it myself, of course, but I certainly know of the method. Useful for dousing flames that us groundpounders can't get to easily." Then his attention is caught by Backblast again. "Amphibious capabilities? You're really taking all-terrain seriously!" Good natured laugh follows. Fanfare nods "Ah was thinking of gettin' a water bay fer et, specially with the yearly forest fires op around Metroplex in the summer here." he notes to Hot Spot "Could be useful fer dumpin other things too." he grins at Backblast "Aye, an' then ah've a reputation tae taek ye back down a peg or two!" Scorch has by now wandered away from the gathering to see just where his ride is from a deck officer. Getting the update he grumbles and starts heading back into the inner city the others forgotten about in his disgust at yet another delay. off, too. "Well, this is all BANG, very interesting, but I have an appointment with a recharge booth," Warpath says, "I'll POW, catch ya all later!" He waves as he walks back into the base. Backblast holds up a fist for a bump with Warpath. Warpath fistbumps! Backblast snorts "Knowing you, Fanny? You'll link it to yer main cargo bay so you can get me out and into the hotzone faster. And if not? Now ya will. I fink it's a great idea - a fire extinguisher for ALL occasions!" He smirks at Hot-spot "Well, yeah. I mean, a scout's gotta get everywhere, right? Makes everyone's life easier if I can drive most places, and only need an airlift if we're going a big distance. I'm a cocky little twerp, not an inconsiderate one." Fanfare snickers and reaches over to smack Backblasts' shoulder "That's right! ah could evne scoop ye oop outa the ocean with the water too! Two cons with one stone, aye?" Hot Spot nods his head. "It would be useful for crowd dispersal and enemy troop disruption, if that's what you're thinking. Like being hit with a water balloon from high altitude; not going to hurt much but it'll really knock the target for a loop. If you consider it farther, we can see about getting you the hardware I'm sure." Fanfare grins widely "Arright! Ah cannae wait. Encore's gonna FREAK when 'e sees this newest trick. Ah dun think he'll admit it..." he leans in close to the others "But Ah think 'es jealous of me JATOS." Backblast nods as he listens to Hot-shot "Yeah man, definitely." To Fanfare, he laughs softly and nods "Yeah I reckon yer probably right." he agrees, smirking. "What's yer altmode, anyway mate?" Fanfare ohhs and starts to back "lemme show ya, ye'll LOVE et! Lemme show ya!" he notes, like a kid with a new toy as he starts to expand outwards, his wings rising and shadowing those as the four props burst into power with a loud BOOM of air-moving action. Folding down and around, Fanfare turns into a Realistic Silver Duct Tape CF-130 Super Hercules. Specter fades into the background, allowing Backblast to continue on with his discussions and well welcoming. A spy's job is never done, it seems! "You might want to back up a bit," Hot Spot notes as he does the same, to give Fanfare room. Backblast nods and does indeed step back, shielding his optics a little from the windrush. "YEAH!" He calls out, pumping a fist a moment in approva. "Yer still the best fat-arse I know!" Silver Duct Tape Covered CF-130 Super Hercules revs up the engines a little bit, pratically beaming "And with just as flashy a paint job as evah!" he notes "Ah've lots o tricks up me sleeves to ye'll like. Ever Rappell?" Backblast blinks and shakes his head "Naw, never done that. Heard about it though!" He grins. Silver Duct Tape Covered CF-130 Super Hercules says, "Ye like the idea, HOt Spot?" Hot Spot walks around to the other side of Fanfare's vehicle mode. "... Mmm, yeah. I think you'd make a really good water bomber if you did decide to go through with it." Silver Duct Tape Covered CF-130 Super Hercules ayes "Ah think Ah will, they just gotta redesign me belly. Aint as easy as puttin scoopers on. Ahv'e got me undercarriage, me tracks, me JATOS... They're worried me structure will fail." Backblast rolls around the new altmode, blinking. "Yeah I'll bet... man you always were one fer the bells and whistles." Hot Spot mmms, rubbing his chin for a moment. "I'm sure that's a reasonable concern. I'm sure it's one that can also be worked on, with time and effort." He walks up and pats the side of the Herc. "Tell you what. I've got some friends in the SanFran Fire Department, I'll get the specs on the hardware from their forest firefighting division for you, and the techs can start working from there." "Oh, ah'm nae complainin. Dun want tae break apart in midair." he states. THen he oooos "Sounds SPLENDID! Cannae wait! Just dun tell me Bruv!" Backblast nods "Course mate, course!" He laughs, heading towards the elevator. "Would'ja mind if I went for a little drive and let you two talk about firefightin' stuff...?" Silver Duct Tape Covered CF-130 Super Hercules says, "Go ahead! Say HI iffen ye see the wee lass called Andi! Ye cannae miss her. Fier in 'er eyes an' a bot in 'er soul."" Hot Spot chuckles a bit. "It'll be a secret." Then waves to Backblast. "Oh, by all means. Go stretch your new wheels out, get accustomed to the form." Backblast grins widely, nodding "Sure thing, no worries, Fanny mate!" And then, he takes the lift outta there. ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/152 Posted Author Backblast reporting. Thu Apr 21 Backblast ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***AUTOBOT SPINNY*** A new face appears on screen, that of Backblast, the newest addition to the Autobot roster. "Backblast here. Reporting completion of my scouting trip to the outer fringes, and I'm happy to report it's bloody boring out there. I've collected just under four terraquads of data, which has been uploaded to the network for download by whoever's got to deal with it. I'm glad that's not me." He then sniffs. "Unfortunately I've got to report that I'm not currently available for amphibious operations without transport, however, because along the way I burnt out my waterjet propulsion systems. Other than that, sniper support is available." ***AUTOBOT SPINNY*** ==============================================================================
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