Another short update. I promise the next one will be longer.
Chapter Seventeen:
"The scanners do not work here," Cyclonus began, "Something is corrupting our equipment." He turned back to the main console on the bridge of SHOURISHA and stared into it. "I don't see how we can attain our goal."
WE HAVE NO NEED FOR SCANNERS. Unicron's voice boomed from the body of Megatron, echoing around the bridge. I CAN SENSE THE GOOD OF PRIMUS FROM HERE. FINDING THE ORACLE WILL NOT BE DIFFICULT.
"Then I don't understand why we are sitting here," Senator Bludgeon stormed forward from the shadowed recess at the far side of the place, "The Maximal's are here. We should dispatch of them. Megatron said it himself: we cannot underestimate them. We should strike now."
The Chaos Bringer twisted Megatron's body to face the Senator. His eyes shone a fierce red that unnerved Bludgeon. Cyclonus stared at the two.
MEGATRON WAS A FOOL, BLINDED BY GREED. HIS STRATEGY WAS FLAWED. WE WILL NOT MAKE HIS MISTAKES.
Bludgeon bowed, "My apologies lord. I am not here to question you, I just can't see why we don't strike while we have the advantage." He raised his head, glanced to the husk of Megatron who had turned away from him.
THEY HAVE DRONES. THEY OUTNUMBER US BLUDGEON. WHERE IS THE ADVANTAGE?
* * *
She stood at the console, desperately working the controls. The place around her lay in ruins, the support beams of the bridge had collapsed upon landing; the age of the craft had begun to show itself. She doubted that this ship was legally air-worthy. The hull had crumpled as they hit the runway of the southern space dock in the city of Iacon; it sent shards of twisted metal through the cargo bay and had wiped out almost fifth of her troops. Buzzsaw prodded the controls again, shouting:
"Come in, anybody! Please respond!" She was greeted with nothing but static. Had the other ship met the same fate as Cheetor's? She had watched his craft tumble from the sky, saw it hit the ground with force; throwing up thick clouds of smoke as it did so. She turned to the tank drone that stood behind her, its form over shadowing her. "Go get the others. We must get to the rendezvous point."
The tank drone didn't move. It stood, motionless; its one slender optic looking down upon her. She didn't like it, she had been opposed to the use of the Vehicons from the start but the need to use them had become to great for her to object any longer. For a moment, the two Transformers stood staring at each other. Buzzsaw raised her arms:
"Well, go on then!" She shouted and the tank drone slowly moved off into the cargo bay.
* * *
Cosmos looked at his Maximal companion with empty optics. The light of life behind them had gone and the head they were set in hung limply from the claw of the cycle drone.
Rattrap stared at the carnage before him. Cosmos' torso laid metres away, his limbs metres from that. He couldn't understand it; but somehow he knew. It had been a mistake to use the Vehicon drones, he knew that now. The evidence ahead of him spoke volumes. The cycle drone turned its gaze to him; its optics lighting up when it spied the Maximal. Rattrap began to move backwards as the cycle drone slowly advanced, dropping Cosmos' head upon the grated floor of the cargo bay.
The thick smoke hugged his body as he moved through it, his sight of the drone becoming increasingly dim as he did so. His external sensors may as well be offline as they provided him with absolutely no aid. However, he could hear the grunt of the cycle drone's motor as it advanced and he guessed that that would do. The smoke cleared around him and he took a moment to reach into one of the compartments that littered the corridor that he'd backed up into. Inside he found a welding torch and he sighed; what he wouldn't do for a disruptor rifle right about now. He started the torch up, the blue flame shone brightly in the small space and he squinted; narrowing his view as:
The thing that flew from the smoke was not what he had expected at all. It resembled a grappling hook of sorts and Rattrap recognised it instantly. He twisted and turned but to no avail; the thing caught him and he toppled to the floor. The welding torch fell from his grip and he felt himself being dragged along the floor of the corridor. He swung his tail over his head and grasped at the torch as slowly, the smoke engulfed him. For a moment, there was only silence.
The scream was shrill and the explosion that followed reverberated throughout the ship.
* * *
The breeze blew softly around the distorted technorganic body that lay in a heap in the middle of the street. It was motionless and had been for some time since it fell from the shuttle. It showed no sign of life nor would it ever again.
Chapter Seventeen:
"The scanners do not work here," Cyclonus began, "Something is corrupting our equipment." He turned back to the main console on the bridge of SHOURISHA and stared into it. "I don't see how we can attain our goal."
WE HAVE NO NEED FOR SCANNERS. Unicron's voice boomed from the body of Megatron, echoing around the bridge. I CAN SENSE THE GOOD OF PRIMUS FROM HERE. FINDING THE ORACLE WILL NOT BE DIFFICULT.
"Then I don't understand why we are sitting here," Senator Bludgeon stormed forward from the shadowed recess at the far side of the place, "The Maximal's are here. We should dispatch of them. Megatron said it himself: we cannot underestimate them. We should strike now."
The Chaos Bringer twisted Megatron's body to face the Senator. His eyes shone a fierce red that unnerved Bludgeon. Cyclonus stared at the two.
MEGATRON WAS A FOOL, BLINDED BY GREED. HIS STRATEGY WAS FLAWED. WE WILL NOT MAKE HIS MISTAKES.
Bludgeon bowed, "My apologies lord. I am not here to question you, I just can't see why we don't strike while we have the advantage." He raised his head, glanced to the husk of Megatron who had turned away from him.
THEY HAVE DRONES. THEY OUTNUMBER US BLUDGEON. WHERE IS THE ADVANTAGE?
* * *
She stood at the console, desperately working the controls. The place around her lay in ruins, the support beams of the bridge had collapsed upon landing; the age of the craft had begun to show itself. She doubted that this ship was legally air-worthy. The hull had crumpled as they hit the runway of the southern space dock in the city of Iacon; it sent shards of twisted metal through the cargo bay and had wiped out almost fifth of her troops. Buzzsaw prodded the controls again, shouting:
"Come in, anybody! Please respond!" She was greeted with nothing but static. Had the other ship met the same fate as Cheetor's? She had watched his craft tumble from the sky, saw it hit the ground with force; throwing up thick clouds of smoke as it did so. She turned to the tank drone that stood behind her, its form over shadowing her. "Go get the others. We must get to the rendezvous point."
The tank drone didn't move. It stood, motionless; its one slender optic looking down upon her. She didn't like it, she had been opposed to the use of the Vehicons from the start but the need to use them had become to great for her to object any longer. For a moment, the two Transformers stood staring at each other. Buzzsaw raised her arms:
"Well, go on then!" She shouted and the tank drone slowly moved off into the cargo bay.
* * *
Cosmos looked at his Maximal companion with empty optics. The light of life behind them had gone and the head they were set in hung limply from the claw of the cycle drone.
Rattrap stared at the carnage before him. Cosmos' torso laid metres away, his limbs metres from that. He couldn't understand it; but somehow he knew. It had been a mistake to use the Vehicon drones, he knew that now. The evidence ahead of him spoke volumes. The cycle drone turned its gaze to him; its optics lighting up when it spied the Maximal. Rattrap began to move backwards as the cycle drone slowly advanced, dropping Cosmos' head upon the grated floor of the cargo bay.
The thick smoke hugged his body as he moved through it, his sight of the drone becoming increasingly dim as he did so. His external sensors may as well be offline as they provided him with absolutely no aid. However, he could hear the grunt of the cycle drone's motor as it advanced and he guessed that that would do. The smoke cleared around him and he took a moment to reach into one of the compartments that littered the corridor that he'd backed up into. Inside he found a welding torch and he sighed; what he wouldn't do for a disruptor rifle right about now. He started the torch up, the blue flame shone brightly in the small space and he squinted; narrowing his view as:
The thing that flew from the smoke was not what he had expected at all. It resembled a grappling hook of sorts and Rattrap recognised it instantly. He twisted and turned but to no avail; the thing caught him and he toppled to the floor. The welding torch fell from his grip and he felt himself being dragged along the floor of the corridor. He swung his tail over his head and grasped at the torch as slowly, the smoke engulfed him. For a moment, there was only silence.
The scream was shrill and the explosion that followed reverberated throughout the ship.
* * *
The breeze blew softly around the distorted technorganic body that lay in a heap in the middle of the street. It was motionless and had been for some time since it fell from the shuttle. It showed no sign of life nor would it ever again.