Welcome to XMMMRMMMMMMRR kuuuun@RM5X xMMMMM puuuxnn@RVMX! .xnm@HMRMhnx@ @@@@h@RM @M$RRM" .z@RMMRMMM!'@@@@h@RMP""" :RRM .zMM# 9MMM#" .MMM":MMM .@M" *MMR^ `>MMZ @MMMMMM6G. MMMMH@u+ ~ .@MM MMMf :RMmnnxxxx. :$RRM M@*"` `^9MM !MMM""*"" XMM8MM*MMMMM ^""***M*MMM> :RRRM MMR...unMMM" :MMMLx@MRRdMM" JMM(dR -... .HMMf :RMMMF MMMM*""" xMMMMMMM6h@M" 'MMM."MM888MM88M" :RMMM" #MMM> :8HMM`~ XMUH dRMMMX MMP"""#MMX .z@RMMRMMM!' R@M dMMM% xRMM" dMM" :RMf dMM :MM *MM :MMMdMRMMM> MMMf dRM" MMM RML.u@RM*" MMMH@@@Nnu 'MMMMf :MMRM@M dRMM8MBMMMK dM#MMMMMk ^"""*P#8MX' MMMf RMMM@fJRM" :RM~ @MR RML.u@ . uMMM XMMM `?MMM leads to Base of Mountain. Northeast leads to Mountain Path. Up leads to Sky Above Grid Alpha. Argen is, as is fairly usual behaviour for her, stretched out on her belly on the carpet of pineneedles, sunning herself in what dapples of light fighter through the trees. Occult crawls silently through the area, in the shadows. Scouting for any unusual activities, but expecting nothing, he meanders aimlessly through the area. Occult In beast form Occult is not large, he is sleak and keen. He moves slyly and swiftly, and keeps his eyes narrowed and intent. He is colored dark red and black, with some blue spots. He can run incredibly fast, and can outrun most any bot. Slithering from his tight mouth there is also the tongue of a lizard which hisses occasionally. Occult usually is on all fours, but can stand erect, which on occasion is how he stands, as when he is talking to someone he does not like to be so low to them. Argen cracks open one dark amber eye, glancing about. She opens the other as well, then sits up with a yawn and a shake that sends pineneedles scattering over the area nearby. Occult continues scouting, but is suddenly stopped by a slight rustling in the distance. He assumes that it is simply a bird, but out of nothing better to do, he slowly and attentivly makes his way nearer towards the disturbance. Argen stretches then, forepaws digging into the ground for some moment, then reseats herself, creating further rustling noises that serve to announce her presence, if it was ever in doubt. Occult inching nearer and nearer, the sounds become more and more definate. As he approaches silently and quetly he is faintly able to spy some sort of creature, though the trees seem to obstruct his vision. He decides to move closer, hissing to himself anxiously. Argen stills, unless you count the sweeping action of her bushy black-tipped tail over the ground beside her rump. The Gray Fox swings her head, looking about for anything of interest, and so far seeing nothing. Occult is now sure of what he sees. He sneaks throught the shadows of the trees and about 20 or so feet behind the fox. He hisses quietly, "Greetings Maximal" just loud enough for the fox to faintly hear him. Argen freezes completely for an instant, then, very slowly, shifts about, turning to face the...Predacon, is it? She raises an eyebrow-ridge at that, gazing at the creature coolly. Occult hisses at the coyote commandingly, "Who be you? Identify yourself immediatly!" at this he eyes the fox straight in the face, narrowing his expression, and hisses threateningly, letting his lizard tongue quickly snap out and in from his mouth. Argen sits up, paws primly placed in front of her. "My name is Argen," she informs the other in an even tone, "Although I fail to see what right you have to ask it of me." Occult hisses back, "All bisuness of Maximals in war-time is business of mine, Maximal!" Argen says, continuing her even tone, "This is war time, certainly. But what I do is my own business, is it not, Predacon?" Occult hisses in return, frustrated, "Do not cross me, you are my inferior!" Occult Terrorize! As his skin peels back his chest thrusts itself back hurtling him into the air, as his arms and legs reverse themselves revealing the hidden robot body. Occult In robot mode Occult is at medium height and stern looking. His eyes are keen and sharp and chin usually up, in a subtle arrogance. Though he may not be strong, he is incredibly fast as a result from his beast mode. He can move through terrain swiftly and lightly. On his back, Occult carries two plasma guns which he carries in a scabbard like contraption. On the area above his hands are his most prized posesions, his talons. These are long curved blades that are very powerful and dangerous, which he prizes the most. Occult is colored in a metalic, and burgandy colors, as well as some dark blue. Occult hisses, "all Maximals are Predicon's inferiors!" Argen grunts, a distinctly non-comital sound. "Perhaps," she comments drily. "But I do not thing you would find complete agreement with that sentiment, among us." Occult hisses loudly, "I do not care what you Maximals would think about me! you will perish for your insolence fool!" At this he unlatches his plasma guns and fires a shot at the tree nearest to Argen, intentionally missing in order to provoke her. He hisses and laughs. Argen betrays an expression of shock for an instant, which few could blame her for, before she scrambles to her paws, bushy tail swinging behind her. Eyes narrowed, she 'dodges' with deliberate, offensive slowness towards a more thickly treed part of the bluffs. Occult leaps after her, wrist talon's outstretched. he lands near her, talons pointed directly at her face, he hisses, "Transform and face me, or do you have no courage. But trust me, I have no problem fighting you like this!" Argen skitters to a stop, forequarters held lower in an ironic parody of a canine's 'bow' inviting a friend to play. "I have no wish to face you," comes her deliberate answer, as she slowly blinks at the talons nearby. "I fail to see why I should bother." Occult hisses, "Do not condescend me, you shall pay!" At this he leaps at full speed towards the Maximal and slashes with his talons in fury, angered at being toyed with. Occult strikes you with Talons for 24 points of damage. Argen stills except for the speeded rise of fall of check and flanks as she breathes, observing in a shock near detachment the parallel lines scored through 'fur' and 'flesh' by the predacon's talons. As might be excepted, the glittering patterns of metallic structure within have been revealed. Yet that seems almost unexpected to the Gray Fox. What, did she except herself to bleed red blood, rather than leak mechfluid? Perhaps. Then she manages to snap out of the near trance, circling to try and get past her foe, and away to the Maximal base. Occult screams, "Do not run away you coward! have you no dignity Maximal!" At this he takes out his plasma guns from his back scabbard and fires five shots to the ground near her feet, in an attempt to provoke/anger or do anything to get a rise out of this bot. Argen's triangular ears fold back at the shout, but otherwise she does not respond, circling, past, through the trees there...yes, surely that route will bring her past the Predacon, and back to the base she has never called home, but is willing to seek as shelter now. Occult hisses softly, "Fine she-bot you want to play that way huh?" Beast mode! Occults back flips over his head, revealing the reptillian skin underneath, as his arms and legs thrust back inside the body, revealing those of a lizard. Occult runs after the Maximal in an attempt to hunt her down. Argen gathers herself, head down as she runs, not flat out--she knows well enough that she needs to conserve what energy she has left, after the injuries from that unprovoked attack--but still at some speed, and most certainly with a purpose in mind. Mountain Path Nestled along the least treacherous part of this mountain, a winding path forged by the visitors to this world has sprung up. Or at least, been trampled. Crisp and frigid air wafts against your frame, battering the entire length and breadth of this rock. Occasionally, an intrepid plant squeezes underneath a rock in life's persistance to thrive. Slowly, birds circle and swoop and rodents scurry and scuttle. Obvious exits: West leads to Maximal Landing. Southwest leads to Pine Bluffs. Up leads to Sky Above Grid Alpha. Occult enters into view from the Pine Bluffs below. Argen slows somewhat here, needing to avoid the crumblings of rock over the path that could cause her to missing her footing if encountered at speed. But nonethless, she is still trotting at a fair pace, and determined. Occult chases after Argen, gaining slowly. He shouts ahead, "Come back coward!!!" laughing sadistically to himself. Argen ignores the shout as she has ignored the Predacon's previous words, and to some extent even his physical attack on her. Head down, the dark of her spine tracing a weaving line to her flying tail as she dodges, moving west now. Maximal Landing Smooth sandstone runs the breadth of this meager plateau, occasionally marred by a cliff, a rock spire, or a starship. Here, the Axalon, flagship to the Maximals and surrogate home, rests since its fall from the sky. Where once it spanned stars, now it spans only the width of a waterfall fed river meandering a path underneath the ship. Southward a Mesa looms and to the east a Savannah, giving this landing the ubiquitous features of transition; choking grass meets barren rock under derelict spaceship meeting harsh gravity. Voicing its agreement, the rock crunches underfoot. Contents: Skiff Maximal Skiff Medical Mobile Center Crater Axalon Obvious exits: South leads to Cracked Mesa. East leads to Mountain Path. West leads to Ki Savannah. Down leads to Rapids. Up leads to Sky Above Grid Alpha. Occult arrives from the Mountain Path. Occult hisses loudly, "Running away to hide behind your ship are you!! return immediatly!! face me!!!" he ceases his pursuit, not daring come to close to the Maximal ship. Argen is panting now, and limping where the slashes have caught the ineer edge of one foreshoulder. But her goal is within sight, and the Fox puts on a burst of speed, carefully hoarded for this moment, dashing for the security of the ship. You raise the platform and enter the Axalon. Bridge - Axalon Circular in design, relay stations dot various sections of the one-time starship bridge. Sliding chairs rest on tracks, ready to ferry a Maximal to a console underneath a panorama of monitoring screens, systems displays, and threat indicators. Dull grey meets dusky brown when in the middle of this room a table rests below holographic projectors, the controls receded into the veneer. Dusky brown meets light yellow with concentric circles following the lazy motion of the room wind across the floor. An open corridor to the north beckons further into the innards of the Axalon. Contents: Cleoset [Robot] [M] Tumbleweed [Robot] [M] Weapons Scan Axalon Central Computer Obvious exits: North leads to Corridor. Elevator leads to Maximal Landing. Down leads to Medbay. Up leads to Maximal Landing. Tumbleweed eyes the Monitor for a minute, snarling. "A bot's gotta do what a bot's gotta do...." with that, Tumble simply stands and heads for the elevator. Tumbleweed steps on to the platform and lowers it to the landing below. Tumbleweed has left. Monitor> Tumbleweed descends from the Axalon, lowering the platform. Argen is panting and wideyed as she enters, a series of parallel gashes over her chest, catching one foreshoulder, dripping mechfluid that glistens over her exposed robotic structure. Cleoset blinks at Argen. "What the..." Monitor> Tumbleweed tromps outta the Axalon, in robot mode, pistols in hand, and lookin' PISSED. Could Argen have suddenly turned into a male coyote with severe ass kicking ability? Naw, just keep one of those handy 'round the axalon. Monitor> Occult stares at the Maximal whom just exited the Axalon, looking stern he continues his vigil silently and not moving. Monitor> Beast mode! Occults back flips over his head, revealing the reptillian skin underneath, as his arms and legs thrust back inside the body, revealing those of a lizard. Cleoset looks at Argen. "What's going on out there?" she asks. Cleoset The first thing anyone admits to noticing about Cleoset is her eyes. They are dark wells of secrecy, with bright green serpentine slits at their centers. They are shadowed by the gold and lapis-blue headband on her forehead, and hilighted by the jet-black detail around them. The detail features a stylized tear beneath each eye, and a crescent beginning at the bridge of her small nose and travelling above her eye and curving around to her cheek. Her face is round and humanoid, in a slightly less brilliant gold than is featured on the rest of her body's robot parts. Her full and muscular mouth features a smirk most of the time, occasionally serving a coy smile, or a vicious grin. Further black detailing stretches from her ears down to her chin, mostly black shadow, ending in fang-like markings on her strong chin. The headband features an onyx scarab, within which can occasionally be glimpsed a small grey Maximal symbol. Her head, striped in gold and blue, merges into a glittering cowl in the same colors that sweeps around her head and ends hanging over her chest. Two tassles jingle musically as she tosses her head playfully, and the gold in her headdress flashes. Her chest is a seamless mettallic gold, though your eye is drawn to a red gem at her throat, featuring another Maximal symbol that can be seen if one pays close attention. Gold shoulder guards jut out to her sides, and her arms hang heavily beneath them, extending and shifting subtly into sandy brown scales. Her arms are disproportionately long, and end in the two halves of her beast-mode's cobra head, her hands concealed within the jaws. As you watch her, a single long fang-like dagger deploys and retracts. Her abdomen, in gold, punctuated by a small ruby-like gem where her navel would be, shifts like her arms from the seamless gold to a sandy brown, split by a white line like a skirt with high-split legs. The white becomes the underbelly of a snake, and coiled about her in an impossibly large mass of muscle and scales, is the body of the cobra. She has no legs. Over all, she is a sinuous and disturbing image. A Maximal symbol on a thoroughly bad-girl Predacon body. No wonder she makes everyone nervous. Argen brings herself to a halt, head hanging as she regains her breath. Trembling, her stance wobbly still, she manages to say, "Predacon. Pine bluffs. Unprovoked," she adds with a touch of defensiveness, although her voice is little above a whisper. Monitor> Tumbleweed grunts, raising both .45's to the predacon in question, gritting his theeth. "Yew leave. Now." Monitor> Occult hisses defiantly, refusing to obey, "And what will you do Maximal?" Monitor> Occult Terrorize! As his skin peels back his chest thrusts itself back hurtling him into the air, as his arms and legs reverse themselves revealing the hidden robot body. Cleoset grumbles. Tumbleweed will see this rude Pred off. Maybe you should go to medbay and have yourself looked at." she says. . . o O ( An XO for a week, and I'm already being responsible. Damn you, Rattrap. ) Rattrap pads onto the Bridge, looking around. "Rattrap, Maximize!" The little rodent before you begins to stand up. His abdomen splits in the front, his sides fold against his back, along with his limbs. The tail folds against his back, and his robot limbs emerge from his beast form. The rodent's head forms the chestplate. Rattrap transforms and says, "What's up?" Cleoset looks from Argen to Rattrap. . o O ( Speak of the devil... ) "Argen reports being attacked by a Predacon on the Pine Bluffs. Tumbleweed went out to chase it off." she reports. Rattrap points at the monitor. "That him?" Monitor> Tumbleweed shrugs "Namuch......just.....this." with that, he fires a single shot Occult's way, burying the bullet inbetween the guy's feet "Next time" he drawls "I won't miss.... Argen draws herself up somewhat as the other enters, helped by the clotting, or whatever is the equivalent in roboto-kind, over the gashes. She puts in, "Him. Occult. Superiority complex." Monitor> The Axalon's weapons come online, charging up or a shot. Monitor> Occult hisses back, infuriated at this lame attempt to teach him a lesson, "I look forward to that next time Maximal! Why not hasten its appearance! to not keep me waiting!" at this he returns the shot with his plasma gun. Rattrap arms the weapons systems. "Heehee, like shootin' fish in a energon barrel," he smirks. Monitor> Occult strikes Tumbleweed with his Plasma attack. Rattrap grrs and fires a round. Cleoset hisses as the Predacon opens fire on Tumbleweed. "Blast him!" she exclaims viciously, springing from her chair. Monitor> The Axalon's cannons fire a round at Occult, sending a streaking missile at the foolish and obviously dumb Predacon before it. HAHAHA! Rhinox has arrived. Monitor> Tumbleweed blinks at Occult's blast, yet stands his ground, getting only a slight scorchmark for his effort. "Shouldnt't a done that, bucko....." Tumble opens up himself, hoping that those bullets do a world of hurt on the villain' of the day (Tm) Argen lowers herself to her haunches, tail curled closely about her paws as if in an automatic wish for security. She takes the time now to gaze down at her unlooked for battle wounds, staring as if in disbelief at the glitter of...well, internals. Monitor> Occult evades Tumbleweed's Pistols attack. Rhinox walks onto the bridge, and blinks at the viewscreen. "What the slag?" Cleoset is glaring at the monitor angrily as Occult bushwhacks Tumbleweed, and Packrat blasts the Predacon with the Axalon guns. Rattrap looks at Rhinox. "Predacon," he smirks, "Eh, I think I got him." Rattrap turns back around and aims the weapons at Occult once more.... Monitor> The Axalon charges up for another shot at Occult, waiting for him to make his move again... Monitor> Occult aggrivated at This Maximal's cowardice he leaps out of the way of the lame attempt, still incredibly damaged from the axalon. He turns to Tumble and hisses, "You coward! hiding behind your ship! I dont blame you though, you should be afraid of me!" At this he turns his back to Tumbleweed and dashes off. Monitor> Beast mode! Occults back flips over his head, revealing the reptillian skin underneath, as his arms and legs thrust back inside the body, revealing those of a lizard. Monitor> Occult heads south to the mesa. Katscan has arrived. Katscan blinks a couple times and looks around. Rattrap smirks and stows the weapons. "Gotcha," he smirks. Cleoset frowns and pats Rattrap on the back. "That showed him." she comments viciously. She continues to frown though as she returns to the ops console. Katscan says innocently, "Hello people." Tumbleweed tromps on back in, scorched a bit. "Damn.....I -REALLY- hate predacons..." he mutters to nobody in particular. Argen's teeth flash for an instant as she grimaces in pained agreement. Rattrap smirks. "Eh, can I help it if I'm a crackshot," he smirks and walks over to Rhinox, nodding to Katscan as he heads along... Katscan meows, "Katscan, Maximize." The silver cat, with a hint of purple here and there, that stands before you transforms into her robot form. Her cat head drops behind, her arms fold back near her shoulder blades. Katscan's feet rotate and the claws support for balance. Her tail stays behind as it gracefully waves around. An overlay is covering the lower part of her face cloaking her mouth... Katscan walks over to the centre console and starts to catchup on the reports that she had missed. With a shifting of parts, Tumbleweed assumes his beast mode, a Coyote. He hunkers down, allowing his internal repair systems to take over. Rhinox hrms at Argen, walking over to her. "Are you all right?" Argen says bluntly, "Not especially, no." Katscan says innocently, "Any big changes guys?" Rhinox looks at Katscan. "I'll brief you in a moment. Come with me, Argen." Argen slowly stands, tail hanging limply behind her as additional evidence of her unhappy state, and moves to follow Rhinox. Katscan meows, "I hope I did not leave for too long. I mean, I was kind of occupied reading the Axalon datatracks still. But I think I am finished with all of them?" She blinks and shakes her head after cycles and megacycles of reading. Katscan nods to Rhinox and sits down on a comfy chair. "My gosh, I have been looking at that datapad for so long, I probably could not throw even a single punch right anymore." Argen favors Katscan with an irriated amber gaze. "I," she says shortly, "Am going to get myself patched up. I'm dripping." Rhinox nods to Katscan, and leads Argen down to the medbay. Rhinox descends on the lift to the medbay. You descend on the lift to the medbay. Medbay The medbay is roughly the same size as the Axalon bridge, semi-circular in shape with 10 Medical beds set against the curved wall. Each one has typical monitoring equipment, plus there is one surgical bed in the middle of the room where all non-R-chamber work goes on. There seems to be a full complement of medical supplies and equipment thanks largely to Rhinox and his technicians' work. The original R-chamber rests here along with a second one that Rhinox built single handedly. All in all, this is a very well-stocked and built Medical Center that should serve the Axalon well. Contents: Rhinox [Robot] [M] surveillance disk Restoration Chamber Alpha Restoration Chamber Beta Obvious exits: Up leads to Bridge - Axalon. Rhinox performs a quick scan on Argen, checking for damage. Rhinox tsks at Argen, picking up a tool as he points her to a bed. "What did you do to yourself?" Argen eyes the bed with wary consideration before gathering herself to leap up onto it. As expected, she lands rather awkwardly, then shifts and remains in that position, not quite sitting up, only enough to keep the gashes over her check from contacting the material of the bed. "Predacon," she says briefly. "He wished to fight, I did not." Rhinox mmhmms, beginning to work on the gashes. "Any particular reason you didn't just go sit in the R-chamber? Normally, I'm happy to tend to minor injuries, but it seems like I don't have time to do so nowadays." Katscan arrives on the lift from the bridge. Argen remarks, to keep her mind off whatever is being done to fix her up, "I kept getting asked what happened. Therefore, I did not have a chance to...'go sit', as you put it." Rhinox carefully seals the first gash, and begins working on the second. Katscan says innocently, "What is going on?" Rhinox rumbles, "Well, Optimus has gone off hunting for the probe, we've got a bunch of our people switched with ones from an alternate timeline, there's an alien cloud out to eat us all, and some of the alternate timeline folks are even worse than the Predacons." Katscan blinks slowly. She says, "People switched with ones from an alternate timeline?" Rhinox rumbles, "I don't think I've left anything out." He finishes with the second gash on Argen, and keeps going on to the third. "Yes." Katscan says innocently, "How can I tell who is who then?" Rhinox grunts. "Most of the alternate timeline personnel look fairly different from our versions..." He pauses, looking at Katscan. "Trigger is leading them." Katscan nods slowly thinking carefully and then asks, "Is there anything I can help you with? I finished what you wanted me to read and I went on and read more for a pretty long time....." She looks off to the side thinking about all she had read, equations, theories, etc. "Trigger..." She tilts her head. "I do not know him... or her." Rhinox rubs his jaw. "Yes. Windsong is currently... unavailable. Her alternate is, from reports, not nearly as friendly as ours. I want you to take over medical temporarily until we can retrieve our version of Windsong." Katscan's eyes widen. "Take over Windsong's rank?" Argen shifts back from Rhinox's ministrations as the last gash is closed, relieved to be whole once more, and feeling a strong urge to slink into a corner and groom. Rhinox rumbles, "Temporarily. Think of it as a test drive. When we get Windsong back, she'll retain her spot... though if you do well, I -will- remember it." Katscan thinks carefully, "I suppose I could... But I have so much in my processor that it is not as easy as I thought it would be to remember my medical skills." She sighs, "I am scared I might kill someone." Argen stretches each leg in turn, feeling somewhat more herself. She glances to Katscan, ears flicking in interest, then with narrowed eyes at that talk. How deeply reassuring. Rhinox turns away from Argen, quirking an eyeridge at Katscan. "That's not exactly the right attitude for a medic." Katscan peers intently at Argen's recently repaired form then at Rhinox. "I know, I am sorry..." She looks back at Argen and thinks, "You know... If you repaired Argen this way..." She shows Rhinox how she would have repaired Argen. "That would have been more efficient." Rhinox shrugs. "I don't like to waste bonding compound. It's hard to make with the materials we have." Katscan says innocently, "Oh, if that is the case I could fix something up that would take a lot less..." Rhinox nods. "In the meantime, work on reviewing your medical knowledge. I think we may need every medic we have before this is over." Argen shakes herself, resettling her mussed fur into place, then gathers herself and leaps to the floor, landing more securely this time, and heading out.