Log Title: Traitor or Slave
Characters: Nightstalker ,Ravage ,Soundwave ,Starlock ,Firestar ,Windblade
Location: Collapsed Bridge
Date: July 25, 2020
TP: Non-TP
Summary: Nightstalker chances upon Ravage on a long-range patrol.
As logged by Nightstalker
TFU2 - Saturday, July 25, 2020, 6:34 PM
Collapsed Bridge
Once a mighty bridge spanned this area, but time and battle damage got the best of it, and it collapsed in ruins. Now scavengers live beneath the bridge's remains, eking out a meager existence and trying not to get preyed on my larger mechs.
The bridge is the only thing of note in this region of Cybertron. Or -was- the only thing of note. It has long since collapsed. From war, from abandonment.. A testament, perhaps to what had befallen in the hard times to Cybertron itself. Now rubble and debris scattered all over, the only remnants of any society being those scavengers who eked out an existence here, far from anywhere that might be considered 'civilized' by the standards of the planet. Those with nowhere else to go. Those desperate enough but unable to leave.
It also made an /excellent/ ground when it came to it for what might be passed as training. Large swathes of quiet, abandoned land that was excellent for stalking. For pursuit. Or merely finding areas to scan around and observe. There was the quiet. It was a place to be introspective and to reign over. And that he would not be bothered unless the situation was pressing.
Nightstalker is out.. and about, long range patrol to remind him of skillsets to use and re-hone after his return to Cybertron and active duty. The black and dark gunmetal panther blends in well here, the debris and remnants of formations and buildings long since past lending long shadows bleeding across the rubble from the star the planet now circles.
Golden optics glint as he moves, here, hop there, pause over there, head turning to and fro to survey the destruction. A shake of his head and he leaps downwards on nigh silent paws, continuing his route.
- Nightstalker
Spanning 6 feet from nose to haunch, this cyber-jaguar is predominately an inky, coal black, matte and unshining. Breaking up the expanse of night are sections of aged gunmetal, glinting dimly, unadorned spanning the bottom sections of forelimbs and hinds. A dark, segmented tail flicks behind him, the tip slightly crooked, coloured in black with thin lines of that gunmetal exposed along the length.
Mounted to his flanks are a set of hardpoints with a rocket point on each as well as small mini-gun barrels, a single on each side. Golden optics gleam out of that inky feline head with triangular audial finials present as 'ears'. Small, crimson Autobot emblems break up all of that black, stamped into each shoulder.
And there is no particular notice of either cat by the other cat. Ravage is quite content from his 'roost'. Melded to the shadows if not cloaked or fully unseen. At home in them. Optics casually looking through the darkness, through the pollution, through the debris and the grime. In the distance, small cannisters of fuel or fire with the desperate that stood around them as if pleading to Primus for salvation from here.
Ravage watched it all.
- Ravage
A robotic jaguar, black as night except for his gunmetal grey forearms and rear lower legs. A pair of missiles are mounted on his hips, and the purple Decepticon symbol decorates his front shoulders.
Nightstalker trots from point to point pausing again to nose under an outcropping before hopping up atop a broken wall at the edge of the bridge, looking across as tail curves and curls around his back legs. Slow turn of his head as he surveys the gap, optics alighting on the bridge remnants itself.
Nightstalker challenge Ravage to a contest of INTELLIGENCE.
Nightstalker wins the challenge.
Ravage is not paying particular attention to the area. He is content, and the Autobots rarely come out here. All there would be out here are Empties. Someone driving along or flying would make plenty of noise, and he's just settle down top of one of the higher chunks of debris that's come down from the ancient bridge. So he won't be noticed anyways.
Interpreting the patterning of shadows and movements thereof are the things of which trackers, hunters, intelligence operatives dine on as snacks before an actual challenge. And in his perusal of the bridge, a particular pattern of naught is scanned over, before Nightstalker's attention and processing flags something as possibly aberrant. Finials flick forward as he slowly lowers himself ventral side down on his perch, attention and focus now narrowing, sensory systems parsing out extraneous data, watching. That tail of his ceases the next flick, simply sliding out behind him as he watches, alerted. Oh.. that is as familiar as his own shadow. And.. oh.. that is.. He slinks off of his perch now, stepping into shadows, footfalls deliberately silenced as he begins a slow circling inwards towards his now target.
What is the point of fighting yourself? You know exactly how you move. You know exactly how you fight. In a mirror match, the first one to figure out how to break the pattern is the one who will have the advantage. Here? Here Ravage is not even aware that someone is maneuvering towards him. He has no particular expectation of a threat that he would not see coming long off. So he just rests atop his perch, 'settling' down and slinking his optics from side to side.
Nightstalker continues his circling, each move as careful as if the floor were lava. Slinking, crawling, stalking that spiraled in circle, all the while watching Ravage with some unusual glint in his golden optics. Then.. yes.. he curves in on himself, tail slowly leveling out behind him, then leaps at Ravage, foreclaws angling to rake down the other panthers back. "Traitor." lowly rumbled as he moves to strike.
>> Nightstalker strikes Ravage with Claw. <<
And as -something- comes out of nowhere Ravage curses himself for his foolhardiness and his lack of awareness. And a reminder that no matter where one is there is always.. His internal recriminations are cut off as his optics take in his adversary and then run a rapid analysis program to identify his opponent. That frame.. Familiar. That tone.. One he will always remember. The slash comes out of nowhere and knocks Ravage from his perch. He shrieks. With rage.
"Fool. I had hoped you had taken death and that you would have found forgiveness in it. Since you still exist.. Then I will have to remedy it." There is rage in Ravage's body. And he would go to slash back at his adversary, even as a good chunk of one 'joint' would have been slashed at. Ravage retaliating with a dual clawed attempt!
>> Ravage misses Nightstalker with Claw. <<
Nightstalker pushes off of Ravage even as those claws of his dig furrows in. "Traitor, liar, oathbreaker!" is the returned rumble, anger threading his usual calm tones to ones ragged with ages old pain and rage. Lashing his tail, he half circles before darting back in again, "You left him to die. You left -me- to die and what for?"
"Another leash and collar?!" Pushing off of the ground to launch himself again, snapping with mouth agape, "Branded like an animal to what end?"
>> Nightstalker strikes Ravage with Bite. <<
Ravage would be slashed, driven back once more by the bite, "And you would have had us sacrificed like /animals/ for one that saw us as toys to be paraded about for amusement and to be sacrificed like pawns?" He would be driven back by the attacks.
"You would fight to the death for our permanent -enslavement-?" Ravage is backing up rapidly. Close quarters combat with a berserk adversary is dangerous and he seems to be rapidly backpedaling to get out of range. But.. It's a maneuver of a feint as he would twist over to the side, going to launch himself at Nighstalker to try and hit from the flank with a slash and a cut aimed at one joint!
>> Ravage strikes Nightstalker with Claw. <<
Nightstalker slides past as the bite connects, shaking his head as he disengages and twists, finding a joint being slashed. There's a hissing snarl as he pushes backwards then turns to circle again, tail lashing, "We were -not- animals! We were guards, honorable guards tasked with a duty to which we had sworn to do until his end." One hop, another as he races back in then leaps up and outwards, intent to pounce-strike atop Ravage himself.
"You made us seem like animals even -more- by betraying your word, /Ravage/!"
>> Nightstalker strikes Ravage with Pounce <Medium>. <<
>> Ravage temporarily loses motor functions from the attack! <<
Ravage is shouting back, rage filling him, "They could -think- what they liked. We were /slaves/. We meant /nothing/ to them. We were but little -beasts- they toyed with to make themselves feel superior. Your -loyalty- meant nothing in the scope it would never be returned." Then he's slammed hard over by pain sending him tumbling down in pain, smashed hard and howling.
Nightstalker sinks claws in as he strikes, riding Ravages tumble, twisting with the other panther in a black and silvery blur before releasing with a rabbit-kick of a single back foot, talons extended to sink in as deep as he can. "You're just as much of a slave now as you though you were then if not -worse-, Ravage."
>> Nightstalker strikes Ravage with Slice. <<
There's another slash from Nighstalker, sending Ravage scrambling backwards from the attack. He's yowling in pain from this while backpedaling. "My -service- is of my own choice. My own freedom. I was not -forged- against my will. I do not -recall- us having an offer extended to us. Merely a -re-purposing-. They have given me -freedom-. I have made my own decisions. Which is something you tried to die to stop!" Now there's a sense of berserker rising up in him while he would go to boost back. Then flying with his claws over in front of him he goes to try one of his trademark -pounces- with claws slashing in front of him!
>> Ravage strikes Nightstalker with Pounce <Medium>. <<
>> Nightstalker temporarily loses motor functions from the attack! <<
Nightstalker lands, pivots and lashes tail, voice a low grating rumble as far from his usual cultured tones as one could dream of, "Is it?" he challenges. "Could you walk away from what you've become now as easily as you walked away from your oath?" Skidding sideways and twisting but to no avail, finding himself tumbled in return, yowl-snarling in reaction as he's rolled. "Face it, Ravage! You're a tool now as much as you thought you were /then/!"
Ravage goes to maneuver in, going to head in for a bite upon NIghtstalker, "Oh? How? I have those who have accepted me. I have a -family-. I have a purpose. I have those who would die for me without thought, that I would do the same for. And what are -you-? One more little toy for the Autobots? Do they speak behind your back when you -know- you can hear them for how much you scare them -purely- as you look like me? Do they -trust- you at all or speak of you in hushed tones? Knowing that if they so much as think they'll throw you into a cell?" Ravage is throwing back the insults.
Then he's going in for another claw at that hopefully already damaged joint.
>> Ravage strikes Nightstalker with Claw. <<
Nightstalker snarls, snapping at the air itself as Ravage passes and again lashes at the joint. He stumbles, holding a hind leg up, claws extending-retracting. "You think they judge me for what you look like? Are you deluded.. wait... yes, yes you are. I am accepted.." hop-circling, testing that hind every step or three, keeping pressure off. "If anything.." hop-step, hop-step... tail lashing, "-You- look like /me/, oathbreaker." twist, putting that hind down for another hard push off of the ground, single bound that twists in into a sideslide, Nightstalker curving as he rolls to lash out with all feet, claws out, "You're nothing but a bad memory, a name that'll get rusted off the rolls of time. You and your 'family' will fall, the tyranny of despots and dictators is over, and the bad thing is, you're just as bad as the ones you said you were against now, /Ravage/."
>> Nightstalker strikes Ravage with Slash. <<
>> Ravage retreats from the area, escaping all attackers. <<
There's some further mockery from Ravage, "You broke your oath to -me-. You would have had us both die as puppets for something meaningless. Service is -earned-. Respect is -earned-. We were toys because we were told to be. The Decepticons have accepted me with open arms. Which is more than.." Then Nightstalker is going over on the offensive. And Ravage is screaming over in pain as claws would dig in. Fly out, And bits would be slashed off as he would let out a feral cry of agony. "You'll -die- for that, freak! The way you should have so many vorns ago!" But fear and pain make his own hails turn to almost feral, and Ravage is bolting as fast as he can. Leaping from column to column along the bridge to escape.
Nightstalker's claws rend and rake as he rolls, finishing up on his feet, tail lashing, hind leg held up again, claws retracted only on that foot. "You're deluded.. And you're the animal now that they once accused both of us of being." He watches the other panther retreat, tail a dark lash behind him, optics dark gold, finials pressed back. "Traitor."
There is just quiet now. Whatever neutrals had gone to cover from the fight are coming out cautiously. There has been no damage over to the area beyond some light scuffs to the already ancient and scarred landscape of rubble and ruin of what was once a majestic span, an architecture covering a large swathe of the planet. But.. There is a little bit more clearness in the air just for a short time as the seeming eternal fog that enveloped much of Cybertron would lift. Just enough to see up into the sky in ways one normally could not unless they were flying.
<<Autobot>> Nightstalker says, "Heading back in from mildly inconvenient patrol. Who's the on-call medic?"
<<Autobot>> That's our Folly says, "Hmmm, ahhh"
Nightstalker gives watch over the area for but a short time longer before turning, shaking that hind leg out, flattening finials then racing off.
<<Autobot>> That's our Folly says, "I do not believe it is me"
Ravage is gone. But has certainly survived. And now whatever loathing the two might have had beneath the surface for events and betrayals and things in the past.. Has no raged out to the full open.
<<Autobot>> Nightstalker says, "Alright. Just giving a heads up that I'm turning myself in for a bit of a check-up. Had a scuffle."
It is but the freshening of the grounds of hate fed by blood and loathing and enraged betrayal to a blistering inferno.
<<Autobot>> That's our Folly says, "Oh dear, that sounds scuffly."
<<Autobot>> Starlock says, "Ah? I can head over"
It's in the ruined bridge. A great span however many eons ago that was destroyed, whether through battle, neglect, or abandonment. Now just being a once great feat of architecture that is but one more thing that has been ruined. A testament upon Cybertron itself. And along one of those many pieces of debris that litters the area, Ravage is jumping. In 'hide' mode, his stealth systems on. Large chunks of his exoframe slashed off and parts missing, including half of his face and his tail, and much of an upper 'joint'. He's leaping from one to another, silently. Comms shut off, and his mindlink locked down.
Soundwave flies overhead, tracking Ravage looking for where he last detected him. The ruined bridge doesn't seem like a good sign. The mindlink shutting down is an even worse one.
It's hard to trace Ravage - particularly when he doesn't /want/ to be found, by enemy or ally alike. But him bleeding and an awareness of his general position makes it possible. So with a minimal amount of effort Soundwave could track him down. And Ravage is skulking. There's an agitation in his frame of total rage, bleeding off the edge of what was a berserk fury.
Nightstalker is racing 'homewards' possibly noticeable, possibly not as he has been moving out of the area for a bit of time.
- Travel***
Iacon Medical Center - Iacon
The first floor of the facility is a masterwork of elegant precision of movement; dozens of medical droids carrying tools and materials rushing in between medics and gurneys rapidly, Autobot medics moving from room to room while reading datapads or discussing matters in low, hushed tones, and automated medical equipment moving slowly from floor to floor make the entrance floor of the medical center seem like the production stage of a choreographed waltz. Two elevators on either side of the floor allow access to other areas of the facility, which include patient rooms, testing labs, and rehabilitation facilities.
Windblade is currently speaking with the on-duty medic about getting her personal stocks resupplied with some of the rarer things she needs to keep what she considers minimal to repair Metroplex.
Starlock passes by as she heads into the nearest medical bay room and gets her hands sterilized, as she isn't sure what to expect with Nightstalker, or if anyone already got to him... She's quite but.. in a much, much better mood then normal, a smile actually on her face.
And in comes a black and gunmetal gray jaguar. Limping on 3 legs, the left hind held off the ground, the secondary joint a mangled, clawed up Picasso of a thing, Nightstalker appears to have been in, as he termed, a bit of a scuffle. Deep claw and bite marks are scattered across his form including down his back in parallel furrows. His tail lashes behind him as he limps, golden optics dim. Yes, he looks exactly like Ravage at initial glance.
Starlock looks down at Nightstalker and knits her ridges. "..Sooo, what happened?" She asks as she moves to help him onto the berth.
Windblade frowns a bit and walks over to give a hand to move the wounded, though she remains quiet as she just looks over the wounds.
Nightstalker lets out a restrained 'chuff' sound as he's assisted, finials flattening to the sides of his head, tail giving a single lash as he stands on the med table now, keeping weight off that hind. "Minor fracas." blink.
Firestar has just had her replacement arm installed and is testing it out. She's going through a series of automated routines, making sure that it's linked up properly and that the mechanisms are fitted. As she enters in, she would glance at Nightstalker evaluatorily. "You have Moonracer's definition of 'minor fracas' given the shape you're in."
Starlock would null his pain receptors and immediately got to work on repairing Nightstalker's wounds, raising a ridge at some of them. "...Fight with another beast former by the looks." she'd muses with a hem, as if trying to puzzle together what happened.
She'd nod at Windblade and Firestar in acknowledgment.
Windblade moves over to assist, mostly handing Starlock any parts she needs as she works, "Looks like cat claws.. I have seen a few of those turbocats I believe they are called? Got clawed by it when was looking for some plants near the area they range.." She again looks him over a bit, "Will he be ok?"
GAME: Firestar FAILS an INTELLIGENCE roll of High difficulty.
Nightstalker lets out a whuff as the removal of pain takes away most of that stiffness he'd carried himself with. Finding himself now lying on his ventral side as he just slid to his belly, he slowly lowers his head to rest on front paws, twitching plating in reaction to movements sensed more through pressure changes than anything else. "Just a run in with an /animal/." a dark growl to his usually cultured rumble, tail lashing.
>> Starlock finishes the repairs on Nightstalker. <<
Firestar goes to quickly analyse Nightstalker's frame, agreeing with Windblade's assessment. "How'd you get a turbocat to attack you? Generally they won't assault someone unless they're cornered or fuel thirsty and near feral. And.." She would look over at Nightstalker, "It's battle damage. Bad but nothing critical." She would evaluate quickly. The comment of 'animal' would get a nod of agreement.
"Yeaah he odda be fine." She says as she steadily works along, slow, but methodical. She's tempted to make a bad pun, but, clearly, Nightstalker was not in good enough a mood to handle such, so she keeps working. "Thank you by the way." She chirps to Windblade as she replaces parts and brings out the welder.
Windblade nods as she sets a few of the removed pieces off to one side, briefly brushing one of the clawed parts before turning back, "We are all one I believe is the saying Autobots' use?" She had paused as she tried to find the right phrase. "Help should be given when it can be."
Nightstalker hnnngks, optics narrowing as he snarks, tone droll, words anything but, "Well if you bite an animal in the aft, it does get even the stupidest ones attention." Lash of tail, "He looked far worse running off like the cowardly creature he.." trailing off, closing optics to thin, thin lines of gold. A hiff of air cycled out then in. "Close enough.." cracking an optic open to study Windblade.
Firestar looks from Nightstalker to Windblade and slowly holds back a grin as she would watch, "One way to put it sure. We all have our fair share of stubbornness and those of us who think we can do everything on our own. So just be ready to deal with that as well." She would look down over at Nightstalker. Evaluatorily. But not speaking.
Starlock thinks on Windblade's words, and nods. "Yeah, we're all people, we should help one another." She says as she works. Noting Nightstalker's tone she thinks, and smirks. "Guess you can say you got in a cat fight, huh?" She'd give a stupid grin.
Windblade keeps quietly and just helps where she can.
Nightstalker lifts his head, staring at Starlock, "Madame..Please." tone regal and snarky but amused, if rough as if he had been screaming, "That joke is.. hardly worth commenting on." huff. "I am a cat, any fight I get into is automatically a 'cat fight'."
Firestar would look down the frame of Nightstalker, "Well, looks like you managed to bite off the other cat's tail and went away with most of your own still on. Guess that counts as a win."
Starlock just grin in amusement and shrugs. "Guess the cat's outta' the bag on that one." she'd snort, and look over his frame once more and nods, flicking his pain receptors back on. "There we go~"
Windblade blinks and frowns, her head tilting to the side a bit, "I was told cat fights were two human females fighting? Was I told wrong?"
Nightstalker lashes his tail, flicking the end just at Starlock, "Cat puns. Oh. how new, how droll." snark tempered with amusement now. A shift of panels and he stands on the table slowly, arching back, stretching paws out and wiggling understructure back into place. then he sits, tail, looping about feet. "thank you." blink, peer at Windblade, "Errrr.. idiom and truism both?"
Firestar opens her mouth, "I.. Wouldn't know. I would want to know -who- you got that particular explanation of it first. IF the cultural database exchange.. Well, I'd certainly have to look who wrote up the entry." She looks highly amused.
Starlock just grins and starts cleaning up. "Ah, Earth Male slang." Starlock states to Windblade. "Yeah males, and some females, tend to use that as slang for females fighting, because of the other term for a feline 'pussy' which is also a slang term for female genitalia." Starlock explains. "But two cats fighting is also called that, so it honestly depends on the context." Starlock explains as she wags her tool in the air behind at them as she is cleaning.
Nightstalker's head turns and he stares at Starlock, optical ridges rising over wide optics at the informational dump as it were. "... Whyever.. What.. but.. Wait.. What?" males, females, cats, slang.. Earth.. A shake of his head, " What do felinoids have to do with.. gender based genetic differences?"
Firestar would just look over at Starlock, "I'll just say that's a very specific turn of phrase that makes me strongly question as to how it was in the database. But.." She would grin. "I suppose that will remain a mystery for now. But.." She would turn to the Cityspeaker. "I might suggest you avoid using it in more informal meetings until you've confirmed it or you will get amusing responses." Oh yes, yes she's smiling. Glancing at Nightstalker. Then going up to if allowed scritch him behind the audial receivers if permitted.
Windblade is slowly looking more and more confused as she stands there and listens to the conversation as she gets a education she was not intending on getting.. or wanting.
"Organic mammals for you." Starlock states in amusement at Nightstalker. "Also, don't google that." Starlock tacks on. "Don't want another Blast Off incident, no matter /how/ funny it was." She'd smirk as she thought about it. She'd reach over for a cloth and started cleaning her hands, before reaching over to pet Nightstalker.
Nightstalker errrs, looks at Windblade, "I don't get it either." he notes from her expression. Then finds not one, but two hands.. petting him. A snort, tail flicking, "Ladies.. please! Maintain some dignity and decorum. One does not simply.. femme-handle a mech when it suits a whim."
Firestar sighs, "Don't tell a femme what she can and can't handle." She would lightly correct in amusement. "Know what you can say to speak up for yourself and what just dooms you further by attempting to resist. And it's a cultural aphorism. And a rather suspicious one." I mean, Dust Devil.
Windblade considers for a moment then turns around and goes to a box she had set to the side with the supplies she had before she pulls out a slightly glowly stick of energoodie and walks over to offer it to Nightstalker, "You were injured so getting some energy back would be good, right?" And does her absolute best to ignore the topic that had been going on.
"Right, right, sorry." Starlock says with a chuckle at Nightstalker. She'd lean on the wall, watching the trio.
Nightstalker hrmphs at Firestar, "Don't touch me without asking first." tone stinging, "I am not a pet nor object." gruff, irritated, tail lashing once, then again. A look at Windblade, a blink, then careful acceptance of the treat. "Fank eww." blink, setting the treat under a paw, "Ahem.. thank you, madame."
Firestar would sigh, "Apologies, Nightstalker. Forgive me, that's the.. Second or third time I've done that. I don't mean to infringe upon you and you're right that's incredibly rude of me."
Windblade dips her head before she stands back, giving the feline-type some space as she puts the box back in the..uhm.. main box.
Nightstalker side-optics Firestar while nibbling the offered treat, "Next time, madame, I will bite. Well within my rights."
Starlock smiles but nods in understanding, she relaxes there against the wall, watching the conversation like the pseudo-wallflower she was. She wasn't going to bring up how she was so used to Glit who was the most cat of cat.
Nightstalker sets his head down on his paws.. blinks... and between the tiny snack, the repairs, and coming down from a fight, the proud feline finds himself... asleep.
Windblade shakes her head as she chuckles softly at the conversation then dips her head, "Good day folks.. need to finish getting these parts so can go do maintenance on Metroplex." She waves as she heads back to speak with the current Medic for the last few parts on her list.