. . . "Hyperblast has set up on one of the open tables in the barracks, occupying the space before him quite completely with data pads of myriad sizes. He's mumbling under his breath as usual -- either tuning out the wartime traffic around him, or relishing it. Most of what's audible is ... unrelated idioms? Strung together for some reason. Jackknife comes out of her barracks room after a long day working on stuff. \"Hello Hyperblast.\" she offers to the mech, peering at all the stuff he has on that table. \"My goodness.\" Hyperblast looks up, slowly lowering the particular data pad he has in hand. \"Salutations.\" He quickly turns back to his work. \"Hm. Can read fine,\" he mutters, then speaks up, \"I haven't had a chance to thank you for the contact, Jackknife.\" His free hand sweeps over the table to drive the point. \"I don't have any idea why they saw fit to let me bring so much info back, but far be it from me to complain, mm?\" Jackknife smiles to that and nods, \"You are welcome, I hope you are learning much from Murusa.\" she states, glancing at all the stuff you got. \"Guess she gave you homework.\" then a chuckle. \"Good, I hope you don't complain.\" \"I won't. I just hope my opinions don't give them too much tank-burn. Though they certainly didn't seem to...\" Hyperblast drifts off, then leans forward, his elbows deftly placed on two of the rare empty spots on the table. His wings flop forward as well. \"Forgive me for not just doing the research... I'm dying to know. Does Crystal City's Hierophant usually show up for outsiders? When we'd read, I suppose I never got the impression he was a public figure. But I'll admit I glossed over that topic more than I should've.\" Jackknife hmms softly to the question, \"He might. After all he is the face of Crystal City itself. Would be important for him to make a good impression.\" she moves closer now, \"I will make sure to thank Murusa for helping you out with your research. I'm sure it is important to you.\" Hyperblast sits back up, immediately putting his optics back in a data pad as Jackknife approaches. \"It's going to take a while to process, but yes, this is all very good data, and it saddens me it's not more open.\" He picks up a wider data pad, holding it outward. \"This should've been our course material, not the re-processed-for-simplicity stuffs we had. On the other hand, I suppose half the class would've flunked then, right?\" The tall mech sighs deeply. \"Many places I'd like to go, see where this is from, too. Of course, I'd get shot down in half of them, and probably be barred from entry in the other half ...\" Jackknife hmms softly to the mechs words and nods, \"Maybe.. maybe not. I rather you not go out there and find out which half happens to you. Safer to just see what those hold for you and make your own hypothesis on them until it is safe to check the locations out.. even if it is decacycles or more down the road..\" Hyperblast continues reading as he speaks. \"Don't worry. I'm patient, but it doesn't stop me from being frustrated that I have to be. In the meantime, I just keep an optic on the mission roster, yes?\" He strums his fingers on the table precisely once. \"Oh.\" He pauses completely and looks Jackknife in the optics again. \"I regret that I don't have anyone to refer to you at this time.\" Jackknife meets the mechs gaze as she's right next to him at the moment. \"That's all right. I'm sure you'll run into someone eventually.\" she states, patting one of your shoulders gently. \"Should I leave you to your work?\" she asks. Hyperblast turns his optics to an apparent hand on his shoulder, but not his head. \"If you'd like, ma'am, I doubt you speak what I'm reading.\" His wings flap a little bit. \"Have you seen Shark?\" Jackknife cocks her head, \"The mech with the teeth? I saw him go into his barracks room some time ago. Why do you ask?\" \"Did you?\" Hyperblast stands up slowly. \"Just reminded me, about keeping an eye on missions. I saw he was on the look-out for that transorganic ... and then I saw that he came back worse for wear. I wanted to talk to him about it cycles ago, now I feel I might be late.\" He shrugs. \"Did it seem like he'd mind a visitor?\" Jackknife hmms, \"Hard to tell, could knock and find out.\" Hyperblast bows. \"I'll leave you to your duties then. Productive cycle.\" He collects the scattered things on the desk, sets them into his subspace, and plods off with a wave to the femme. \"Shark commander?\" The mech crouches slightly to see, knocking on the frame of the door to the mech's quarters. Jackknife nods and departs for her room. Shark calls out, \"Who is it and what to you want.. I'm supposed to be resting here.\" Hyperblast stands up again, letting his voice carry. \"Hyperblast, don't believe we've met. I wanted to talk to you about your recent mission, but if you're on orders to rest, I can come back later. Though can I surmise the two are related?\" Shark opens the door and peers up at the larger mech, \"Related? No way. What do you want to know Hyperblast?\" he asks. Hyperblast steps back slightly so he can get a better look at this Shark. \"I wanted to know about the trans-organic transformer you reported some cycles ago.\" Hyperblast pulls another data pad from subspace, this one comparing his report against Shark's. \"Do you think it's the same femme?\" Shark looks at the data pad, \"Yeah that's her, Chimera.\" he looks back up at the mech, tapping his neck where the lone scar of his fight with the femme still remains. \"I didn't get this from a femme that likes me, trust me.\" he notes with a chuckle, \"Come on in.. we'll talk.\" Hyperblast nods and tucks his wings behind himself to get in the door, then turns around slowly to again face Shark, as well as get a better look at the scar. \"She wouldn't give me her name, but she seemed pleasant enough after the shooting ... What'd you do?\" He snickers deeply. \"It would seem you've run into her since, but the entire report isn't available to me yet.\" Shark sits on his berth, there's a data pad he been reading on it. Opposite is a aquarium that is as tall as you are and takes up the entire wall breadth wise. \"I challenged her. She was all hot to go and well , she needed to prove herself to me.. and well everyone there. She made her point vividly clear.\" he fingers that scar a little. \"Magnum got me out of there before I bled to death.\" \"I suppose I did not offer any similar challenge ... or, perhaps, I was perceived as prey.\" There's a very slight roll in Hyperblast's optics as he speaks about that. \"What do you know of transorganic behavior, Shark?\" He thumbs over his shoulder. \"Based on your decorations, I'd assume more than nothing. But either way ... she seemed on the defensive ... not doing too well. Was she like that before? Energon-starved?\" Shark hmms to the question, smiling a bit at the thumb gesture to his aquarium, \"I know some things about them. Fought some raptors once. Then there was Sparky my cyber eel. Had to help free a mech from a electrogators jaws once.\" he rolls his shoulders, \"They survive basically. Eat or be eaten.\" he pauses though, \"You realize of course she drank of my energon when she bit me.. so yeah I'd say energon starved.\" \"No, I don't realize, though I suppose that's why it looks shredded and not just a simple puncture wound,\" Hyperblast leans for a closer look still. \"I take it that describes her programming, then?\" He stands up. \"Curious. It has to be more than that, though, she must've realized she'd be better off waiting for a handout than attacking...\" He idly traces one of the grooves in his shoulder as he thinks. \"How someone gets an alt mode like that, though, I have no idea. Do you have any idea what's become of her? Her mind seemed ... almost in the right place. Not quite.\" Shark nods to the mech, cocking his head a bit to expose the full expanse of that scar.. it\u2019s from her big canine.. a good sized puncture would used to be there.. right into his main fuel line between the head and body. \"I guess so, yeah. But she thinks and speaks like a Cybertronian and acts like a beast too. Perplexing if you ask me.\" he notes. \"And I've no clue how she got it... maybe some builder has an odd sense of style.\" then a shake of his head, \"No clue, like I said we left after she bit me.\" \"Forgive me for finding that unfortunate.\" Hyperblast looks around for a place to take a seat. \"Nothing particularly odd about it to me. I've subscribed to the theory that we each take at least a little programming from our alternate modes. I've yet to meet a roller among us without a fear of -- wait, no, the twins...\" He scratches his head, \"I've yet to meet a roller among us with neither a fear of heights nor a death wish. Nor have I ever met a flier who wasn't a claustrophobe.\" He inhales, \"It is noble, in a way, perhaps truer to Cybertron than we can be, to have that sort of programming. On the other hand, I am told and have observed she hunts civilians, so that has its fee.\" Shark hms softly to that theory, \"So how does me having a third mode that's only good in liquid like say the Mercury River fall into that theory. I'm curious is all.\" then an pause, \"Eh heights don't bother me. Rogue took me for a flight once... but then I was latched onto her chassis with my teeth.\" he grins a bit. Hyperblast holds his hands up in an I-dunno gesture. \"Just as well, I don't mind being proven wrong.\" The most bench-like thing he can find is a berth, so he sits. \"You said you freed a mech from an electrogator, so I'm willing to bet a liquid environment doesn't phase you. Doesn't that make Chimera's designer a touch less odd, though -- Cybertron has few bodies of liquid on it...\" He eyes Shark, probably trying to key out the submarine components. \"I don't know a Rogue. Decepticon?\" Shark nods, \"It doesn't phase me at all. Alas I don't get to use it much, if at all.\" the young mech shrugs then nods, \"Yeah, femme seeker Con. Nasty. Don't cross that one, she'll fry your circuits.\" Hyperblast shudders. \"I try not to cross seekers in general, Shark. Though there's a conflict-of-interest, that-- It's regrettable that such a self-centered air force presently owns the sky.\" Bad memories, but he shoves them off the vocals, with a noticeable hitch in his voice. \"Aerodynamics and hydrodynamics aren't that far apart...\" he muses. \"At any rate, don't let me keep you from resting, if I am. If you run into 'Chimera' again, I'd like another chance to talk to her ... perhaps without her trying to eat me. Can I trust you'll radio me in, if possible?\" Shark cocks his head a bit to Hyperblast words then nods, \"Probably not too far apart no, just different medium to fly through.\" he agrees, then a shrug, \"I'm off duty til Lifeline releases me.. even then I'm not really eager to go find Chimera.. sorry.\" Hyperblast waves his hand to the apology. \"No need, it's not like I'm asking you to go out right now, nor to divert resources to a search. Based on the mission parameters, I can see that didn't go very well.\" The flier rises to his feet. \"I'm sure you're already hearing it, but take it easy. That sort of injury can flare up again at the worst time.\" But he doesn't move for the door quite yet ... he actually shuts up a minute to look at the aquarium. \"Copper tetra?\" he mumbles. Shark nods to the mech, \"Right. And correct.\" he states, then a chuckle. \"Yeah I collect the little nippers when I can.\" Hyperblast smiles to himself, though invisible. \"You think? Some of these haven't existed overland in ... vorns.\" He turns around, and bows his head again. \"I'll leave you to yours, Shark. Quick recovery to you.\" His bowing performs a sort of double function as he ducks his head to get out the door. Shark nods, \"Good cycle.\" he offers back."@en . . . "Its About Research"@en . "Hyperblast has set up on one of the open tables in the barracks, occupying the space before him quite completely with data pads of myriad sizes. He's mumbling under his breath as usual -- either tuning out the wartime traffic around him, or relishing it. Most of what's audible is ... unrelated idioms? Strung together for some reason. Jackknife comes out of her barracks room after a long day working on stuff. \"Hello Hyperblast.\" she offers to the mech, peering at all the stuff he has on that table. \"My goodness.\" Jackknife hmms, \"Hard to tell, could knock and find out.\""@en .