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shadows-snakes · 3 years

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Clones vs Caf

I'd like to think that on Kamino the Clones aren't given caf or sugary things, to like keep them in top condition. So, the first time they would have those things would be in space on the job, right?

The clone wars is still new, its only been about a few months and Obi wan is in space on his cruiser and notices that none of the clones have touched the caf machine. He talks to Anakin about and his former padawan says he noticed the samething. Next time Obi wan is with Cody, planning for the next battle, he casually mentions that they are allowed to drink from the caf.

Which leads to a group of clones all huddled up around the forbidden caf machine all too afraid to go first. They all know what caf is, they read about it when learning about what types of cargo pirates go after and what supplies should be prioritised when evacuating. All it's supposed to do is give them more energy. That doesn't sound like a bad thing.

"I'll do it." Cody says, grabbing one of the disposable plastic cups. The liquid is warmer than he thought, but it's nice, comforting.

He takes a sip and his eyes go as wide as dinner plates. The rest of the clones follow suit, wanting to know exactly why their brother looks like he knows exactly how to end the war.

Chaos runs rampant.

There's no more caf.

Obi wan is in his room when it first starts. The force warns him that something is wrong, but he assumes it is just a warning to be extra careful at their next battle, general Grievous was going to be present. There's a loud bang in the halls, like a body hitting the wall then thudding to the ground, followed by cheers. Reluctantly, he pokes his head out, raising Anakin he has some idea of what's going on outside. The hall is just filled with clones running into each other at full force, helmets first. Some of them are just running, arms flailing behind them going somewhere. There is someone in the vents. Maybe more, but someone is definitely in the vents. And there is so much talking that it doesn't sound like basic anymore, or mando'a.

Walking through the chaos, trying not to get hit with a clone, Obi wan concludes that it's not just the clones who fight, it's also the ones in charge of piloting and other stuff.

Obi wan sighs, realising that this was going to be a long battle, and goes into responsable dad mode.

"No, Boil don't put your knife in your mouth."

"Please don't climb the hyper drive while it's active."

"Cody? Cody where are - What are you doing?"

(cut to Cody with crazy hair in the briefing room as that meme with the dude trying to solve the conspiracy - you know the one).

Obi wan slowly backs away and closes the door.

We will never know what Cody almost figured out. Order 66 He's super big brain right now.

The escape pods. Obi wan runs through the mess of bodies that clutter the ship to find a window. Outside the blue streaks of hyperspace greet him. He sighs with relief there's still time. The Master Jedi begins to make his way down to the escape pods, only stopping to help a trooper who got stuck in the ventilation system.

He locks all the pods in place to make sure none of them got to the planet sooner once they were in orbit.

Now all he had to do was come up with a plan that super charged super soldiers would pay attention to.

"Alright." Obi wan begins, "A group will come in from the left and then-"

"We'll use the missile launchers." Cody interrupts.

"Yes Cody, but first we-"

"Charge at them full force." Waxer chimed.

"With canons!" said another.

"We could ram them with the laats!"

"And use the missiles!"

The room erupted into cheers. Kenobi feels like he's aged about a million years.

Meanwhile on the Resolute, Anakin is taking every, and any, idea that is being thrown at him with enthusiasm.

Finally reach the planet surface. The separatists are already there, waiting. But the cruiser hasn't stopped to orbit and no-one is going to the gunships. They are headed full speed towards the surface and there's no turning back now.

By some miracle they land in one piece with everyone thankfully still on board. All the clones are geared up, fully decked out from head to toe, standing ready at the cruisers exit. Waiting with baited breath.

With one last, desperate attempt to have some semblence of order, Obi wan asks in the unsettling quiet that has been created.

"Does everyone remember the plan?"

The large door opens, the planet's natural sun shining in and someone in the crowd yells "Take 'em out!"

With one thunderous battle cry they come swarming out like ants. Every single clone on the ship.

The droids don't stand a chance. They're being ripped apart by bare hands. Clones are being shot but aren't staying down, as if the wound was just a minor inconvenience.

In the distance Obi wan can sense Anakin leading the charge. He signs hopefully for the last time today, and opens a chair watching the battle. General Grievous spaceship flies away off in the distance.

"Wish I could do that."

Once the caffeine has worn off none of the clones can be commissioned for like a week.

Word gets to Palpatine and he immediately sends word to Kamino to give the clones caffeine, this war can't end that quickly.

Masterlist

#Clones #Star wars #Star wars the clone wars #Swtcw #Clone troopers #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #501st #212th #Commander cody #Captain rex #Jedi #General Grievous #palpatine

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optimusphillip · 4 years

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OptimusPhillip Reviews 23: Studio Series 22 Dropkick

While I do have a lot of nostalgia for the early Michael Bay movies, I cannot deny that Bumblebee was a far superior film. As a result, it’s hardly a surprise that some of the first Studio Series figures I sought out, and to this day the ones that I seek out the most, are the ones from Bumblebee. And now that I’ve secured all four toys of the film’s main villains, Shatter and Dropkick, I think it’s high time I gave them a review, starting with Dropkick in his helicopter mode.

Helicopter Mode

Just like in the movie, Dropkick transforms into a Bell AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter (thank you, TFWiki). While there sadly aren’t many clear shots of Dropkick in helicopter mode from the film, he is a near-perfect match for the pictures I was able to find of the real AH-1W. Almost every panel line, vent, fin and light is present in some form on this figure, which is very impressive. They even included details like the small fin under the tail and the upward angle to the forward gun, which probably could’ve been left off and no one would notice. In fact, I was confused by some of these details before looking up the real helicopter, but I’m just so glad that they took the time to carry everything over. There are some imperfections, owing to his nature as a transforming robot figure, but even then he’s pretty clean overall. Though he seems a little tail-heavy in this mode, to the point where he’ll occasionally have a hard time sitting flat on his landing skids.

The helicopter is primarily done in a light gray, also like the movie. However, there’s also a lot of extra blue details, which aren’t present in those few shots I am able to make out. Also included are a pair of jolly roger decals on either side of the nose, which can be seen on his other modes in the movie, though I can’t tell if these are movie accurate in this mode. Aside from those, the only other details are pretty basic: safety warnings on the intakes, and Air Force decals on either side of the body. It seems the rest of his paint budget went into painting more gray onto the body and nose pieces, which are both cast in clear plastic to create the look of a glass cockpit. While it’s probably not the most movie accurate deco, I personally really like the way he looks.

Of course, being a helicopter means that he retains some functionality in this mode. The tail rotor is pinned into place and can spin freely, as one would expect. The main rotor is also pinned into place, but there’s too much friction for it to spin freely. Instead, you have to be constantly pushing them to keep them spinning. I don’t exactly know why, I’m sure there’s a reason, but it’s kind of annoying. Aside from that, you can remove the missile launchers from under his wings, since they’re just mounted on 5mm pegs. This means that you can also mount pretty much any other weapon you want underneath, just in case the stock parts don’t appeal to you.

Conversion

Dropkick’s conversion scheme is actually quite a lot of fun. The way the legs fold up to form the underside of the helicopter can feel a little clunky at first, but after a couple tries it becomes simple enough. The part I really like is how the entire leg and torso assembly rotates around. After that, the tail section splits apart and does some pretty clever folds to turn into the robot arms, which are then locked into place by folding down the chest piece. Unfortunately, the intake sections can kind of get in the way at times, especially given how loose they seem to be. Once the arms are done, just position the main rotor and the intake pieces correctly, and we're done.

Robot Mode

Onto robot mode, and this is the part where the figure starts to lose me. I don’t know when in the film’s production cycle this toy was designed, but this figure bears only the most tenuous resemblance to the CGI model from the film. The most glaring inaccuracy is the almost complete lack of visible car parts, aside from the taillights on his knees. He’s missing the wheels on his arms, the door wings, the headlights on his chest, all major details of his character model. Sure, you could argue that the intakes on his back are supposed to mimic his door wings, but they don’t really work for that. Even the rotors on his back are in the wrong spot.

Then we get to his proportions. In the movie, Dropkick was big and beefy looking bot, looking almost like a bodybuilder. This toy couldn’t be further from that. His limbs are lanky and thin, with almost no muscle definition aside from the kibble on his calves. Not only does this make him even less accurate to the movie, but it makes him look almost frail, which just doesn’t feel right at all for a Decepticon warrior. I know that the Bumblebee toys had a bit of a troubled production, but these are details that go back to the concept art. Aside from that, my best guess is that these are concessions made for the sake of the vehicle mode, which I can somewhat accept, but is still very unfortunate.

At least the head design is accurate. The three stripes of silver grating on his cranium, the triangular mouth parts, and the beady red eyes under the arched brows are all present from the movie design. There is some slight overspray on my figure’s forehead ridges, but I’d still say the head sculpt is the best part of this robot mode.

At least he’s decently well articulated. Ball joints in the neck, shoulders and hips, bicep and thigh swivels, 90 degree elbows and almost 180 degree knees. You can definitely get some awesome poses out of him, though strangely for a flyer, he doesn’t have a hole for a flight stand anywhere on him. Still, I’ll give him points for posability.

Lastly, we come to his weapons. The missile pods from helicopter mode transform into a pair of handheld Gatling guns. 5mm handles means that they can be given to other figures if you so choose. They’re alright, I guess, but they’re nothing like his weapon in the movie. Still, it’s a clever reuse of a vehicle mode part, though I wish they’d included his movie weapon.

Backdrop

Dropkick’s backdrop is labeled by the package as “Autobot Pursuit”, but it doesn’t really resemble any scene from Bumblebee. In fact, it looks very similar to the one that came with Studio Series Thundercracker, who bears Dark of the Moon branding. This really confuses me, since the inaccuracies with the figure can at least be attributed to either being based on an earlier model or concessions for the sake of transformation. Here, though, there’s no reason not to just use a scene from Bumblebee. Even if it was a placeholder of some kind, they could’ve changed this at any time at what I assume would be little cost. Why they chose this backdrop of all things is beyond me.

Okay, enough negativity. Since he’s so slim, Dropkick in robot mode actually has a really nice footprint for the base here. Even with his legs spread out for a dynamic pose, he fits on the base with no difficulty. The only challenge is keeping the rotors out of the way of posing without bumping them into the backdrop. The same can’t be said of his helicopter mode, however. It’s so long that it’s almost impossible to sit him down on the base without having the sides folded all the way out. Still, he is thin enough to fit on the base without hanging off the front, and his landing skids are short enough to fit easily. Just don’t expect to compact the sides with him in helicopter mode.

Final Thoughts

As harsh as I’ve been on this figure, there’s very little actually wrong with him. His helicopter mode is well detailed, his transformation is lots of fun, and his robot mode is well articulated. What kills it for me, though, is the inaccuracy of it. Studio Series is all about screen accuracy, so seeing a figure under that banner that resembles the movie design so little is a major letdown. If you’re specifically looking for a good representation of Dropkick, the only real appeal I can see with this figure is the helicopter mode itself, since that’s definitely where he most resembles his movie self. Aside from that, you’d probably be better off hunting down his remold as AOE Drift. However, if you’re just looking for a fun Transformer to mess around with and don’t care about screen accuracy, he’s actually pretty good and I would recommend him.

#transformers #bumblebee #studio series #dropkick #helicopter #helicopter dropkick #bumblebee movie

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allspark · 5 years

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Joining us in the Allspark Studios today is the strongest and wisest of all Autobots, Optimus Prime! Will he fulfill his role of protecting all the life on your toy shelves, or will he split into three autonomous modules and spend the day watching Nextflix with himself? Tune in after the break to find out!

At this point, you could basically fill a small museum with all the different versions of Optimus Prime. Each one has its own personality of design, with high points and limitations of the era within which they were created. Having been a fan of the franchise for most of my life, I have owned nearly all of them, minus G2 Go-Bot Optimus Prime, which still leaves a void in my collector’s heart. Every time I buy an Optimus figure, there has been a moment of reckoning, as I look at the new figure and compare it to the Optimus Prime in my head; the spirit of the character, as interpreted by my once 7-year-old’s mind as he watched cartoon Optimus in awe every Saturday morning in the 80’s. While each figure is essentially him, none of them have ever truly come close to glory of the cartoon aesthetic of Optimus Prime while maintaining the ability to transform. While we may be getting an official MP (and some 3P) that will do just this, finding a figure at the average collector’s budget just didn’t seem likely…then Hasbro dropped Siege Optimus on us. Let’s see how he measures up!

Vehicle Mode

There are a lot of really good things going on in this vehicle mode, even if it does not perfectly embody G1 Prime’s cab mode. It has the right basic square cab shape, clear-ish windows, tires on metal pins, and a nice amount of red, blue and silver with just a bit of white thrown in. From a bit of a distance, it comes really close to getting things on the G1 dot, but there are a few elements that break the illusion. Most of the non-slavishly G1 elements come out of looks versus function needs, and I am OK with that.

The smokestacks are not the “right” proportion, and if they were, they would get in the way of transformation and posing/play. The “overcab” light section that also contains the grill, headlights, and bumper is needed to turn a heroic torso section into a flat-faced cab front. All things considered, the only design element I find a little off-putting is the grill, which is covered in the same translucent blue plastic as the windows and lights. I would have preferred for this section to have been grey or silver, but that is easy enough to correct with some touch up paint if it really starts to bother me.

The paint ops are nice enough on this mode, with the exception that the “battle damage” was not clearly designed with this mode in mind. There is a little bit on the front just under the windshield, and the shoulder damage is still in view, but aside from that the rest of the vehicle mode is devoid of this random detail. I understand budgets come into play, and perhaps this was the best medium between all or none in both modes, but it leaves the vehicle mode with random markings that just seem out of place.

One feature of the Siege line that I love on this figure is all of the 5mm ports. Between the deluxes like Cog and Six-Gun, the Micromasters and Battlemasters, a creative young (or old) fan can turn Optimus into a veritable “battle convoy”. It is even possible for Headmasters and Titanmasters to get in on the fun, if only as pilots for the added weaponry. This is a great move on Hasbro’s part, and I think most fans will love it as much as I do.

Robot Mode

Truck Mode was great. Robot mode is where Siege Prime really shines. First off, he has the right look. Except for the wheels at his sides, the “overcab” panel (which could be looked at as a jetpack) and the panels on his forearms (which are way less obtrusive than the panels on Classics Prime), he is basically cartoon Prime. Get rid of the battle damage paint and swap most of his greys with his whites, and he’s there despite those other details, all for the cost of a voyager (local pricing policies may apply).

One of the things that really pushes this Prime to the top of my personal list is the insane amount of articulation. He has:

Ankle tilts

Knee joints

Lateral knee movement

Lateral thigh movement

Hips on rotating swivels

Waist movement

Backward shoulder swivels

Shoulders on rotating swivels

Lateral bicep movement

Elbows

Swivel fists

Swivel neck

Partially moveable head on ball joint

He can do lots of awesome poses, such as the classic scene from the ‘85 movie where he transforms and blasts Decepticons from the air as he leaps above them.

This is truly one of the most iconic Optimus Prime figures ever, especially at anywhere near an affordable price for most fans. If you throw in the added fun from all the 5mm ports and the ability to add weapons and other figures into the mix, he is well worth the cost.

Transformation

While I was able to transform this figure back and forth without the instructions, the first time through was a bit of a learning curve to get all the parts in the right place. While I enjoy a mildly challenging transformation, this might make Prime a little difficult for younger fans. Don’t be surprised if you gift him to one of the kiddoes and find yourself being asked to switch him back and forth. At least he’s not as frustrating as Car Robots were back in the day.

Recommendation

I give Siege Optimus Prime 9 blast effects out of 10! He is a packed with fun in vehicle mode, ready for action posing in robot mode, and very close to the ideal Optimus Prime with a price tag that won’t kill your wallet. While he may still need some assistance if gifted to younger fans, I still think they will love him as much as the G1 generation will. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled and pick him up as soon as you have the chance!

Firedrive

During my review of Megatron and the Wave 1 Battlemasters and Micromasters, I lamented slightly about how HasTak ditched the Japanese Targetmaster molds from Legends in favor of newly designed Battlemaster molds. Since then I have spent more time with Firedrive and Blowpipe and they have grown on me because of their designs. There is a certain amount of curve or puffiness in the techno-organic, Cybertronian style that the Legends figures just don’t have. Once you look at Firedrive’s shins and shoulders, you will see what I am talking about. There is something very classic to their look, and I am happier now that we got new figures because of it. I still wish Firedrive had a slight bit more articulation, but I will keep buying Battlemasters because they look great and come with blast effects.

Lionizer

Lionizer is a Cybertronian lion whose tail becomes a back-mounted blaster, and who can also transform into a sword/blaster (Qualta blade, #farscape). He comes with a slashing effect that also looks nice on Megatron’s sword/blaster. I think he is my favorite Battlemaster so far.

Race Car Patrol

This is a neat set of mini-figures. Both Roadhandler and Swindler maintain vehicle modes that look close to their G1 forms of a Trans-Am and a DeLorean. If that wasn’t cool enough, they have decently articulated forms for such tiny robots, and they can combine into a blaster (of sorts). The only knock I will give them is that they don’t stand very well on their own if you do much more than a vanilla standing pose.

Battle Patrol

These were the Micromasters I wanted as a kid (who was considered too old for toys by that time). Topshot and Flak are great recreations of half of the original team. There is something cool about tiny Cybertronian tanks and missile launchers, especially since they are a bit more in proportion to the city bots. Due to the way their feet are designed, the Battle Patrol is more stable in standing and action poses than their Race Car Patrol brethren. They also form a much more convincing blaster, which is almost as cool as having a DeLorean on the team.

Siege Optimus Prime

Lionizer

Firedrive

Autobot Race Car Patrol

Autobot Battle Patrol

Siege Optimus Prime, Wave 1 Autobot Micromaster and Battlemaster Gallery and Review! Joining us in the Allspark Studios today is the strongest and wisest of all Autobots, Optimus Prime!

#BattleMasters #CHUG #Classics #Firedrive #Flak #Generations #Legends #lionizer #Micromasters #Optimus #Optimus Prime #Roadhandler #Siege #Swindler #Targetmasters #Topshot

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brothermouzongaming · 5 years

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Devil May Cry 5 review

This very much follows the guidelines of your typical DMC game which confounds me as to how that manages to be more good than bad. Stagnation is never a positive mark but come to think of it, DMC isn't the franchise that pumps a title out every year or every other year for that matter. So following the steps that made the IP successful to begin with isn't exactly something to fault. To go even further, I’d say it’s a little refreshing in the old school approach it takes to gameplay loop and presentation. It reminds me of how the previous generations felt while keeping me locked in the present with the gorgeous graphics and art direction. The gameplay expertly straddling the old and new gaming worlds in an intoxicating concoction of nostalgia and realization of what modern gaming can be. Combat overall is timing and direction based due to the one button controls. It forces the player to splinter their command concepts, throwing away the convention of light, medium, and heavy attacks. Your variation comes in the direction of the left stick in combination with the spacing between button presses, and even whether or not you’re locked on. Your melee, projectile, and special buttons are spread out in the typical DMC fashion and this alone is very unique to this series. It seems like a lot because the control scheme doesn’t coddle the player and in many ways demands quite a bit from them. Especially when this game is meant to be played at the speed of two hummingbirds fucking. (Also, anyone else's hands get tired af after a battle? Or am I just old now...)

Nero to Hero Boy-wonder is all over the place with frenetic and quick movements that take him from enemy to enemy or more interestingly: bringing enemies to him one by one. The grapple arm is great, on the lighter enemies (most of them) it pulls them to Nero, however, the largebois work as anchors and pulls Nero toward them. Each devil-breaker is unique and even when some may seem niche, at least they have a purpose when they were put into the game. There's a lot of layers when throwing in not just what you like and when you want to whip it out, but which ones you don’t mind burning should the situation arise. The devil-breakers have a main function and an alternative mode with one even having a third ability (Punch Line’s missile-hoverboard feature). My only real problem with Nero’s mechanics is that we can’t rotate through the holster to pick which breaker we want to use next in-game. Other than that, Exceed moves spice up the swordplay and bouncing around the arena never losses it's feeling of excitement and sense of raw power. V is for Vanity Everyone's combat comes with a level of understanding and familiarity even if you've seen nothing but cutscenes and gamers playing. V shakes up the gameplay and the mindset of the player which was jarring at first, but in time I would gain these moments of clarity where I'm this maestro of chaos orchestrating from afar as the battle plays out before me. The demonic bird handles projectiles while an equally demonic Jaguar (...Panther...?) that is your melee attack. With an Ogre like Devil Trigger that lays waste to everything in the arena. It's clear and understandable why he's so divisive given these “hands off” aspects but it's just as over the top as the rest of the series so it doesn't feel out of place. It’s well designed so much to the point of almost being too easy but again like the specific devil-breakers: V is different from the ground up and it’s done to freshen up the experience. A commendable act especially when it really seems to be an honest go at it and less than an idea they threw in last second. There are issues with commands and some not working exactly as you think but with adjustments to the way you play it becomes smooth and fun in no time again. Back to V being dipped in hyperbolic angst: reading his own poetry refills his meter and it sounds like the angriest high schooler wrote it, but again, it's how aggressively everything is leaned into that gives it the charm. Also, V definitely has the best "sprint" feature. He hovers on this little nimbus cloud of black thoughts and Pierce the Veil lyrics it's so cute. Dante’s Inferno The top shelf killer, Nero is close with his arsenal, but Dante's is the most varied and honestly the most fun. I've encountered few things more satisfying than Lu Kang combo-ing the shit out of two demons to seamlessly switch to your motorcycle dual ax and eviscerate whatever remains of the crowd. It’s so intoxicating I can honestly name on one hand how many other games gave me this feeling (Spider-man 2, Far Cry 3, God of War, and Halo 2). Four styles of combat change most weapon move sets and this keeps the player at the edge of their seat all while the ride remains smooth as butter. Between guns and other projectile launchers as well as the handful of weapons all very diverse in functionality and performance, there’s almost too much to thoroughly use in a single level playthrough. Of all the levels, I’m constantly throwing myself back into Dante’s to see just how smokin and sexy my style can be. Final thots After the learning curve is conquered, the flow and style of combat are entirely dictated by you the player. This combat is the shining achievement of this series and this iteration of it may be the best yet. The camera does a good job of managing the angles on its own and with little attention, it lacks almost all jank and assists the experience more than competently. Levels are bog-standard but what they do offer past the intro missions are many alternate routes and passages that lead to item discoveries, secrets, and combat scenarios you will otherwise miss if you barrel along the main path forsaking all others. I really enjoy how brave this game is for being itself in a world where every game needs some crazy intrusive online feature or component that stifles or gets in the way of the core game’s potential. The most of DMC5′s online capabilities begin and end with the cameo system, something that drops other players into your level at specific times to assist you or mainly just to look at and watch them do their thing. It’s not intrusive and is even exciting when the action starts to heat up and you and another player are cutting everything in the room to ribbons. I almost want more of it, and that’s what a well-implemented feature can do.

Concerning red orbs mentioned in my demo post, Capcom went with the confusing decision to load us up with orbs and means of getting them in the main game; only to give us the option to pay for more whenever the need arises. Why Capcom? This game has next to no blemishes but this is one minor one in my book, but I can understand why anyone would look past it. This, however, is my biggest peeve: locking so many of Nero's alternative busters behind the ultimate edition or whatever, made me sigh disappointingly. Why couldn't it have at least been the option to unlock those immediately while other players can grind for them like...everything else in the game... To me, it just goes to show that oldboi Capcom is still lurking in the shadows somewhere looking to nickel and dime us at every dark alley it finds us in. At least this $60 dollar product is one I'm still proud to own. This goes in my “GOTY contenders” folder honestly and I have been having an absolute blast with DMC5 and can’t suggest it enough. Even if it’s your first in the series just do it they have a catch-up cinematic you can watch. Seriously. Play it, pull that fucking devil trigger.

tl;dr 8.5/10

#Devil May Cry 5 #DMC5 #Capcom #video games #gaming

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black-strike-otp · 7 years

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part 16

“We need u to chill out with the drama and death, ma’am.”

Try ‘n stop me. I’ma start rolling d20′s to determine everyone’s fate in this story ‘n you can’t stop me.

~Days Later~

Neutroboost took front and center in the largest gathering room on the Rising Star days later. It was an announcement everyone was either dreading or eagerly anticipating, depending on your viewpoint.

The mech looked visibly troubled. The same, haunted look that manifested the moment he was informed that Guard had been sent to the medic’s bay for immediate surgery. It hadn’t lost his optics sense.

On the bright side, he continued working in Guard’s position (well, what should have still been his position, as he was supposed to be an acting commander all along). The guards protected the energon reserves and everything remained very much the same as it did prior to Guard’s injury.

Novastrike squeezed past the legs of some of the much taller bots so she could get a better look at Neutroboost. Sure she could technically hear the mech just fine from the back, but she wanted to see his reactions as he spoke.

“Guard’s expected to survive.”

An immediate sigh of relief casted over the crowd.

“Unfortunately, our fine medic has informed me that his wounds were strenuous and worse than originally thought. Guard’s going to require a lot of rest. There’s... little hope that his left leg. We expect he’ll be in a lot of discomfort, with the possibility of never having a functional appendage.

“You all must understand,” he continued, “Guard is an older mech. Older than anyone left on this ship. When he is ready to get back to work, he will let us know-”

“A very spark-warming speech, Neutroboost, but I’ve been lying low long enough.”

Everyone turned their helms around with a mixture of disbelief and joy. Novastrike’s audios strained to hear the Commander as she hopped up and down from her position to try spotting him. It was both ridiculous and comical, leaving a few to chuckle a little as they spotted her.

“Guard! I- I thought you would still be-”

“Yeah, the medics not too thrilled with me getting up and moving around yet either, but he knows I’m stubborn,” Guard pointed out, his blue optics twinkling. Bots respectfully inclined their helms and parted the way as he stepped by.

Quivering in place, Novastrike grinned and stepped back as she waited for Guard to pass. She kept her helm held high as he walked by; wanting a very good look at the mech.

Her smile faltered just a moment.

There was a massive patched up scarred section on the front of his chassis. Using spare materials, a large support structure had to be made for him to use as a cane to walk. He barely placed weight on his left leg, hopping more than walking to move around.

Neutroboost took a step back to allow the larger mech some space to speak. He, too, offered a slight blow as Guard turned to address the crowd.

“Now, I know all of you have been working extra hard since... Well, the incident. Neutro’s told me that the top of the ship has been properly sealed off. I’m sure you’re all very tired with energon running low, and I appreciate your hard work.”

Guard gave a small pause as a brief round of applause and whistled chorused through the crowd. He made a gesture with his servos, snickering a little as the crowd settled. “However, the fact remains that we lost some very good friends in the battle. Good family. And we were ill prepared. So, much as this concerns me to say, we’re going to need to look for energon. Desperately. More than ever. Because we’re going to need energy not for today, but for tomorrow. For the fights that may certainly come our way.”

Novastrike glanced around. She met the worried optics of bots. They were rogue specifically to stay out of this war. And although they all knew Guard would do everything he could do to keep them out of harm’s way, his openness to acknowledging the threats around them left everyone uneasy.

“I know everyone here has a good spark in them. I know all of you want what’s best for the crew, for Cybertron, for our species. But we can no longer slack of training. We can’t continue to think just because we’re in the big, wide open space that we’re unseen. It isn’t Cybertron, but there’s signals coming off of us of our origins. And for some, just because we don’t follow, that’s simply enough to offline us.”

“But I will do everything in my power to keep everyone here safe, as I have tried to do so far,” Guard stated softly, turning his optics down upon his wounded leg.

Servos came together in colossal set of applause. A chant began to spread through the crowd moments later. Novastrike turned to see thebots placing one servo against their chassis armor over their spark and pumping their other servo in the air. Needless to say, with a whimsical grin, she too joined in.

“For Guard! For the Rising Star! For Guard! For the Rising Star!”

The old mech offered a tired smile, a blurry look about his optics. He blinked rapidly and startled, glancing over to see Neutroboost place a servo against his arm and nod solemnly with a smile of his own.

It was quite possible he shed a tear or two before the meeting was adjourned.

~Months Later~

The Nemesis was under heavy fire. There had to be at least half a dozen starships in its fleet, and even more ships that didn’t qualify as technically ‘starships’ but those stolen and used as such during the Exodus.

Standing against it was the Ark, and a much smaller armada of Autobot vessels. Much like the Nemesis, it took was encountering heavy fire from its opposite faction.

Seekers and fliers were using their abilities to their advantage. With the Autobots lack in these fields, the Nemesis had a slight upper servo.

Upon the Ark, Blackout could make out Lord Megatron taking on Optimus Prime himself. Obviously anyone with half a processor was letting the leader of the Decepticons have his thrill for the kill. Any Autobots who attempted an intervention were either being slaughtered or punted off the ship, where they would soon find themselves surrounded by a hoard of Decepticons.

The havoc was delicious.

Blackout took a ‘grunt’ job. Since all the lazy, stupid Decepticons didn’t act nor think of it, he had his cannon open and was going after the Ark’s weapons. Most of the dumbafts were trying to go after the Autobot’s themselves instead of considering the giant mcfragging laser beams and particle-combustible cannons, and missile launchers.

Oh, not to mention the overshock sonic battery that sent out massive waves of discharge that made auto-calibrating systems malfunction like Blackout’s EMP generator.

Blackout used his EMP discharges and machine guns to try keeping away the Autobots that kept coming at him like mosquitoes. They hardly had enough Seekers to prove a real nuisance, any any trying to fire on board the ship were for the most part, easy to dodge so he could focus his attacks on the Ark’s weapon systems.

Explosions riddled the ship, but seemed to only be leaving surface damage. It was well-built, Blackout would give them that. Shards of metal and any bots outside the ship trying to attack went soaring off from his attacks, but it seemed he was doing minimal damage to the vessel itself.

:: Blackout to Nemesis, direct attacks on the Ark’s front and top where the laser emitters are. Be aware, Lord Megatron is fighting on the upper deck. Do not hit our Lord. ::

:: This is the Nemesis to Blackout, we read you. ::

The Nemesis’ charged up its large fusion cannon and fired. The enormity and strength of the blast washed over the front of the Ark in a blaze of fire. A wave of energy from the black went soaring like a sonic blast in all directions, hitting a flier Autobot. The bot went soaring in Blackout’s direction and he fired his cannon, leaving the poor sap a ruin of scrap metal floating in space.

The Decepticon Hound whipped around his machine guns and trailed bullets along a couple of Autobot fliers and seekers that darted around him wildly. He began flinging his alt-mode around swiftly, aiming to try taking another of them out.

A seeker streaked by Blackout as he turned. His cannon went off with a clap of thunder, striking the seeker and sending him spiraling.

But not before he managed to drop a small gift of a payload before he went flying.

Blackout put full power in his thrusters, but it was too late.

The flak grenades detonated. With the openness of space the damage could have certainly been much worse, but fire and shrapnel pelted into Blackout’s frame; digging into him and his undercarriage. One of his thrusters was knocked offline and the other sputtered, slightly.

He could feel a swift reaction of Scorponok’s pain through the bond.

Blackout jerked his cannon around. The thing spat sparks as it loaded up another shot and he fired after the seekers and fliers even as they flew well beyond an accurate shot.

A sudden sonic blast slammed into Blackout, sending him spiraling in circles. His systems glitched as he whipped around and around, trying to gain control of his steering.

The Nemesis had powered up the fusion cannon again and fired.

Scrap, he was too close to the Ark.

Although the direct attack was no where near him, the energy whipped around the ship and sent Blackout hurtling away from the Ark. With a lack of control, he simply started flying randomly and couldn’t stop.

Seekers suddenly came jettisoning past him, deploying missile after missile into his frame. Energon and metal exploded outward from his body and into space.

“ERROR: Systems Malfunctioning. WARNING: Reaching critical energon loss.”

Blackout tried to hail the Nemesis or frag, any of the stupid Decepticons floating their useless afts around.

The seekers rounded back around, firing off their neutron blasters and energon blasters as they passed.

Blackout was floating further and further out from the fight at this rate. His systems suddenly went into lockdown; going into stasis as his frame was blown into by hundreds of tiny blaster shots.

“It looks like there must have been a major battle here.”

“Indeed it does,” Guard stated wearily, looking at massive wreckage and rubble left behind by the warring Autobots and Decepticons.

Novastrike’s audios lowered slightly, seening all the offlined bodies simply left to float in space. She sent a silent prayer out to Primus. No matter how far they were from home, she knew he must be accepting the sparks of these fallen souls back into His grace.

Guard turned slowly at the team of bots standing around him, jutting out a digit to one of the many ships left stranded. “We’ll start with that one first, and see if there’s any survivors or energon that managed to get left behind.”

The group nodded their helms respectfully in response. “Yes sir!” they shouted in unison.

With her tail giving a small lash to and fro, Novastrike stepped closer to Guard. The mech looked absolutely exhausted. She wondered if he’d been drinking his ration of energon at all lately.

“Sir, is there anything I can do?”

The Commander adjusted his cane to the best of ability. He was clearly exhausted; he barely managed to shuffle slightly in her direction to look down at her better.

“You may wait at the hatch for them to return, Novastrike. I’m sure they’ll salvage some things from the ship, and we’ll need help organizing and categorizing anything that’s brought in.”

“Yes sir,” she responded respectfully, trying on her best supportive smile. Despite how tired he looked, he still offered the kindest smile in return.

Transforming into her cyber-cat alt-mode, Novastrike bolted down the hallway. Her claws scrapped the ground below her, helping to grip the ground and propel her forward faster. Bots staggered as she darted by, shouting obscenities at her speed that it wasn’t a race and that she needed to watch it.

A purring laughter escaped her. Just because they didn’t understand the thrill of a good run, stretching out all your limbs and feeling the pressure loosening in your joints, didn’t mean they had to be so snippy.

Nova came to a halt just outside the hatch bay. Magnetizing her pedes onto the floor, she waited for someone on the other side to open the door for her so she could come out.

“Hey there Novastrike,” the mech stated warmly.

She offered a polite nod.

“Ooh no, looks like Guard sent short stuff to help us out,” teased another.

“Short stuff’ll still kick your aft in the training room.”

“Ooohh she got you!”

“Shut up.”

Nova’s optics looked over those standing around with the hatch open. Neutroboost made the most prominent presence, standing near the middle of the room with a datapad in one servo and speaking to a mech standing beside him.

:: This is Team Alpha. We found energon, I repeat, we found energon! ::

Everybot broke out in cheers. Over the open comm channels on the ship, Guard’s voice echoed through the radios, “Excellent news. Any survivors on board?”

:: Negative, sir. Massive casualties. We’ll keep looking, though. ::

"Roger that. Report in with anything else you find,” Neutroboost murmured over the comms.

Venting a sigh of reassurance, the little femme walked close to the edge of the hatch. Space extended out in every direction endlessly. Planets, stars, the cosmos itself. She took a deep breath through her vents as though she was in awe.

A sheen of light captured her optics. For a moment, she thought it may be a comet, but it seemed too close.

Her optics readjusted.

It was an outline. The armor was so incredibly dark, it blended in with space itself.

Novastrike zoomed in the scope of her optics. There were gaping holes in the small ship, wires protruding here and there, and-

Her spark lurched. There had to be something wrong with her optics. That couldn’t be?

“Does anyone else see that dark, black ship about forty-eight degrees off, right there?” Novastrike asked, pointing a digit towards the manifestation.

A couple of the mechs stepped closer. Their optics whirled faintly as they readjusted.

“You know, I think you’re right.”

“That one looks pretty rough, I don’t think we’d find anything on board it Novastrike.”

Neutroboost strode over slowly. Nova gazed up at him, watching as his optics shifted slightly to look better into the void.

He gave a small noise. “Well I’ll be fragged,” he stated.

“Do you see it?” Nova asked helplessly.

“Of course I see it,” Neutro half snapped. He gave a morbid chuckle. “Looks like that mech finally got what was coming for him, huh?”

Instantly, the little white femme’s ears lit up. Her derma peeked out slightly from a deep frown on her faceplate and she snarled.

“How could you say such a thing- he could still be alive!”

Neutro turned a bored expression over to the femme. “How is that our problem? The big fragger probably met his fate anyway, look at how damaged he is.”

Neutroboost turned back and gestured to Blackout’s alt-mode. The other mechs turned to look at Novastrike, their optics showing alarm.

By the time the other turned his smug expression to where Novastrike had been, she was no longer there.

“Sir-”

Neutroboost turned to follow the gazes of the other mechs, spotting a rather defiant looking little femme harnessing up one of the few jet packs they had on board the ship.

His optics paled. “Are you mad?” he stammered. “Don’t you dare go out there.”

Clicking the harness into place, Novastrike gave a wave of her servo. The tether she secured around her floated lightly behind her as she demagnetized her pedes from the floor.

“Somebot, stop her!” Neutro demanded over the comm links. “Guard, we have a situation with your favorite little femme.”

Pressing curiously down on the accelerator for the boosters, Novastrike shot out from the Rising Star as she turned off her comm channel.

She gave a nervous squeak and let go of the accelerator. She continued floating straight out from the ship, her optics wide as she glanced around. It looked incredible out there. Looking out from the windows of the Rising Star didn’t do it justice. It was like being encompassed in shadows and moonlight faded and distant from every direction.

Glancing around, Novastrike adjusted the positioning and angle of her jet pack and gave a small pulse in the opposite direction. She flipped the direction around again and gave another small burst, slowing her approach as she directed herself over to the familiar ship.

Sure enough, the closer she got, the more it looked familiar. Or, should have looked familiar.

Shards of Blackout’s armor seemed to levitate around him in a debris field. The closer she got, the more she could see the speckles of energon that were simply floating around him as well.

Flipping her direction, Novastrike turned on the magnetism on her pedes and clanked into Blackout’s side.

Her spark fluttered anxiously. It was impossible to tell if he was alive, or dead. She reached down and slowly ran her digits over the mech’s armor.

Armor shifted from atop Blackout. Novastrike let out a small shriek, slapping her servos over her mouth. Oh Primus- was something- was something on him? Was it feeding on him, was it a Scraplet-

Scorponok undocked from Blackout’s frame and Novastrike let out a ragged groan of relief. It didn’t last long, as she noticed that Scorponok’s backside was lined with holes. His golden optics were rather lifeless and fatigued.

“Hello there buddy,” Nova all but cooed, carefully shifting her pedes on Blackout so she didn’t rip off anymore armor or get stuck as she reached a servo out to him. “You doing okay?”

The bug blinked his optics out of sync. He gave a chirp like he was confused by what he saw, and tilted his helm slightly.

“Hold on a moment, Scorponok. I got you,” Novastrike soothingly said, reaching out further. She ever so slowly placed her digits against the bug’s helm. He gave a small, weak whirl and nudged his helm a little more against her servo.

“Thank you,” she whispered, smiling slightly.

Demagnetizing, Novastrike angled her jet back and gave a light squeeze. She circled around Blackout and looked into the tether one way, knotting it. Then she floated slowly around the other direction, knotting the tether over a different section.

“There, I think that’ll do,” she murmured, glancing over the big ship.

She turned her comm channel on.

:: -in Primus name do you think you’re doing, you idiotic, ridiculous, stubborn, hard-helmed- ::

:: You can reel me in now Neutroboost, I got him. ::

:: Reel you in?! Reel you in?! You think I’m just going to- ::

A gentle tug came from the tether, and Novastrike magnetized herself against Blackout’s side, curling her digit against his armor as he got yanked forward slightly. Scorponok gave a startled metallic click and wrapped a section of his tail against Blackout to make sure he didn’t go floating off.

As they came closer to the Rising Star, Novastrike could see Guard standing by Neutroboost at the front of the hatch with his arms crossed as Neutro flung his arms wildly around, ranting and raving.

Uh-oh.

Giving a slick boost on the jet pack, Novastrike raised Blackout just enough so that he’d slide into the open bay without hitting the lower section of the hatch. Guard and Neutroboost stepped further back, and Guard, without turning his optics away from Blackout and Novastrike, gestured to another mech standing nearby.

The doors slowly closed for the hatch, and gravity was initialized once again.

Scorponok tumbled off of Blackout and onto the ground. He didn’t even so much as make a noise of pain as he simply lay sprawled where he fell.

Nova dropped down off Blackout and on the floor, her audios lowered.

“I can’t believe you!” Neutro growled. “Of all the stupid stunts, you bring this back? He’s probably not even online! You’ve wasted time and energy, and now we’ll need to throw him back out! And what if was online, hmm? You think we have the energon to spare for him?”

Guard raised a servo to Neutroboost. His optics grew brighter and he looked absolutely livid. He clearly wasn’t done chewing out the tiny femme but pouted furiously, waiting to see what Guard would have to say.

Much to Novastrike’s surprise, he made a wide arc with his servo, offering for her to speak.

“Guard, I’m sorry.”

“You are apologizing insincerely,” Guard rumbled deeply.

“I’m sorr-”

“Explain yourself, femme.”

Novastrike bit into her lip slightly. “I... I don’t really have a good explanation, sir. I know him. If he’s alive, I just... I wanted him to have a chance at living...”

“So, are we going to give all these poor, helpless individuals a ‘chance at living’ now?” Neutroboost snarled with annoyance.

Guard lifted a servo to him again for silence. Neutro grumbled, turning his helm away.

A little smile pulled at the corner of Guard’s faceplate. “I suppose we should call in the medic, then. You have a kind spark Novastrike, be sure that you’re placing it in the right servos.”

Novastrike started, and Neutroboost’s jaw dropped at the comment.

“Y-Yes sir,” she whispered, feeling a mixture of confusion at the comment and vulnerability.

The large mech gave a small nod. Ignoring Neutroboost’s sputtering as he tried to aim a disagreement towards him, Guard turned and headed for the exit to the bay with his fellow Commander right on his heels.

The others in the bay room exchanged glances, and turned to follow after the two Commanders.

“Well, he’s online. Barely,” the medic said softly, checking her scanners as she walked around the massive tattered obsidian ship.

“Do you think you can save him?” Novastrike asked anxiously, her digits twiddling in front of her chassis.

The femme glanced down at Novastrike slowly. “I can try my best. No promises.”

“And Scorponok?”

“He’ll most likely live,” the femme stated. “It looks like most of the shots glanced him. I would say your big friend here probably tried positioning himself so that he took the brunt of the attacks in order to save his minicon.”

Novastrike’s spark skipped a pulse. She looked between Satan and his small companion, whom the medic had managed to place upon a berth in her med-bay unlike giant’s large form.

A questionable grumble moved through Guard as he spoke: “How are you going to patch up the mech in this state.”

“I can’t,” the femme admitted. “I’m going to have to force his t-cog to transform. That alone might kill him.”

Novastrike could feel Guard transfixing a glance upon her. She tried to keep a steady, blank face.

“I’ll do what I can,” the femme repeated. “I’m going to seal up as much of his energon lines before I do that as I can, and with the fresh energon the team’s bringing in he’ll at least have a fighting chance with some of that in his system. I do assume, anyway, you’ll allow him some...?”

“Of course,” Guard agreed. “He’s our guest. And if Novastrike trusts him, then he is welcome here. We’ll do our best to help him recover, and protect him.”

Nova let out a soft, breathless gasp. Guard’s optic ridges raised high as he looked down at her, chuckling at her reverence gaze that lay upon him.

“Thank you, sir,” Novastrike gushed warmly, bowing her helm low.

Embarrassment flashed across Guard’s faceplate, and he quickly waved his servos in the air. “None of that, Novastrike. Although, if he does make it, I am putting you in charge of him. We can’t keep the mech against his will, but if he decides to stick around for any length of time, anything he does...”

“Is under my jurisdiction and punishment if he acts up. I understand, sir,” Novastrike murmured softly.

Guard gave a short nod. “Very good,” he stated. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to return to Neutroboost and try to calm him down and explain... all of this.”

The medic gave a thin laugh. “Ah, yes. Neutroboost is going to love this.”

Guard winced. “Indeed,” he agreed.

Novastrike flinched slightly as the Commander shuffled slowly around and ambled out of the room. She could see the worry written in the medic’s face, too, as she watched him too. That did nothing to ease any of her worries.

Suddenly, she turned her face upon Novastrike. She practically jumped out of her armor from the stern gaze.

“You brought him in, you’ll be helping fix him,” the femme stated matter-of-factly. “Now, get over here and put those little servos to use. You’ll start with stabilizing his little friend while I work on big-n-scary.”

A nervous smile stretched on Novastrike’s lips. “Y-Yes ma’am,” she squeaked, trailing after the medic.

#quid pro quo au #OTP AU #OTP Lit #Badass OTP

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