Transformers: Steel Reign

[Dark Silver]

GM Note: I've chosen to write portions of the following post in First Person......


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The Canadian Permafrost has been thawed, the discharge of my alternate-form has generated more heat than has been seen in this area in eons. The momentary flash-heating has not only thawed the permafrost, but rendered it ash. A charred, smoking path directly towards my opponents.

With my orders issued and being obeyed, I step forth, away from the relative shelter of Pontifex and it's automated defenses. Three kilometers away, regathering after the firepower I poured into them, the Dinobots are regathering. Grimlock and his charges will not stop until they reach me - to have their much vaunted revenge against me for slights perpetrated millions of years ago.

Revenge is illogical, the value the Dinobots place upon attacking me is a waste of processing power. My more advanced brain functions, my more developed processing and logic nodes allow me to act without emotion. Allowing the Dinobots to approach closer will strain the automated defenses and my drone squadrons - both which will be required to function at peak efficiency when the Autobots and their humans attack.

I raise my left arm, I'm rapidly drawing closer to the Dinobots, the starlight gleams off the barrel of the x-ray blaster which replaces the hand - a hand I lost to Grimlock as he and I battled in the Gladiator Pits of Kaon.

Were I less advanced, I would still feel slighted. I would still feel the desire for revenge. But I do not. Emotion is beneath me.

I can see the Dinobots now, their forms only silhouettes through the haze of heat and smoke. The fires caused by the burning of the grass and scrub brush cause the localized atmosphere to distort.

I initiate the firing sequence of my gun, the burst of energy lancing out - the fire, smoke and heat part as the beam pierces the threshold, and flashes into the Dinobot Sludge.

The nuclear reactor within my chassis routes the decaying protonic radiation into the blaster, as a new surge of power pulses along the beam path. Sludge is knocked backward the next instant, as the new firepower.

That is all it took, the other four Dinobots turn, and attack. Swoop, the flyer, is the first to arrive, twin missiles detaching from beneath his wings, one striking my chest plate, the other exploding via proximity. The explosion temporarily blinds my optic sensors, as the Dinobots are upon me..




Slag and Snarl had rushed after Shockwave as Swoop released his missiles. The triceratops and stegosaurus dinobots opened their mouths, pouring flames and lasers into the armored form of Shockwave. The beams cut into the smoke, and the grunt of Shockwave being knocked back is clearly audible.

Grimlock flanked Shockwave, his titanic form cutting through the cloud of smoke, powerful jaws clamping down on Shockwave's gun arm. As Grimlock tilted his head back, Shockwave was taken off his feet - shaken like a ragdoll in the Dinobot commander jaws.

Grimlock's mouth opened, and Shockwave flew back. a hundred meters back, Shockwave impacted the permafrost, sparks crackling in his arm - the armor rended by Grimlock's jaws.

The five Dinobots transformed, circling Shockwave and leveling their weaponry upon him. The purple Decepticon commander slowly rose to his knees, his single glowing optic focused on Grimlock, as the dinobot gave him command, "Dinobots, FIRE!"





The Dinobot's emotions give them a level of ferocity and unexpectedness in their attacks. They defy logic and tactics. My carefully structured algorithms and tactical analysis are useless. In order to properly combat them, to overcome these immensely powerful foes, logic must give way to Chaos.

As the smoke and heat wash over me, missiles exploding against my armor as particle beams strike my chest plate, I suppress my higher functions. I give way to baser, more primal programming.

I hold back, my armor and chassis can take the punishment. And the Dinobots weaponry will eventually have to be reloaded. The weapons fire ceases, the smoke remains thick, so thick I cannot see through it on a visual wavelength. Yet I know where they are.

I can hear Grimlock and Slag speak, wonder if I am still functional. It is time.

I emerge the cloud of dust and smoke, my optic aglow as my fist strikes into Swoop's sternum-strut. The metal crumples and Swoop buckles over as I twist my body, leveling my cannon at the already injured Sludge. My aim is off as the beam I unleash pierces Sludge's thick armor plating, yet the swinging of my arm continues - the laser slicing cleanly through the Dinobot's waist. The beam is silenced as a uppercut is placed to Swoop's downturned chin, flinging him back, damage to his internal systems would place him out of comission for the next cycle.

Time enough for what must be done.

I rush at Grimlock, as Sludge's abdomen slides off of his waist, the light has gone out of his optics as his internal repair systems throw him into emergency stasis lock. Slag attempts to block my approach, and a burst of particle weaponry throws him away, his right shoulder holed through, his gun arm hangs limply at his side. A single backhand sends the injured Dinobot flying back into Snarl.

There is only Grimlock and myself left, Snarl will be taken aback by his own programming as he attempts to see to his injured comrade.

Grimlock is holding his energo-sword in one hand, his missle rifle in the other.

The combat between us is brutal, his sword bites into my armor, as I knock away his rifle away. He grasps the juncture of my cranial unit and torso, attempting to keep a grasp and squeeze the flow of Energon to my positronic cortex. My fist impacxts the side of his head, as I unleash a blast of gamma-radiation into his torso.

Our blows - I could only assume - sound like bombs impact to those in the distance. Yet we do not give up.

Only when I have snapped the connecting joints of Grimlock's arms, and severed his primary motor control core in his torso, does Grimlock go into stasis, Slag has been taken care of by a stray burst of weapons fire during the scuffle.

I struggle to bring myself back under control - the Dinobots have been dispatched. It takes a total of five astroseconds to return my higher function algorithms, slowly, Chaos is replaced by Logic, and I am myself again.

I turn back towards Pontifex, the still burning tundra covering my retreat from the battlefields in smoke and heat haze.







The Autobots had gathered, surrounding Prime's trailer section, the Aerialbots holding patrol overwatch.

Via his datalink with the trailer's sensors, Optimus witnessed the fall of the Decepticons, and the retreat of Shockwave. This could not be allowed.

"Breakout, Bluestreak, Deathstrike, Overload and Shellshock, lock to my transponder and roundevous with me, the Dinobots are done.

Leaving the trailer behind, Optimus transformed into his cab form, and burned rubber for the fallen Dinobots. He had to get to Shockwave before he got behind the defensive perimeter....

[LadyTevar]

Crimson was just pulling into the meeting area with Stryke and BreakOut in tow when the sounds of the massive fight between the Dinobots and Shockwave echoed over the Canadian wilderness. She transformed, extending her sensors as far as she could, but only registered the interferance from the weaponsfire.

It only took a quick glance around to see who was missing. "Who are the Dinobots fighting?" she asked ... just as the sounds of violence stopped. She looked to Stryke and BreakOut, but didn't get to speak before Prime's orders ran out, followed quickly by the sight of Prime's Alt-form rolling at full throttle towards the Decepticon base.

"I guess... that means the Dinobots lost," Crimson said softly, giving Stryke a worried look, and suddenly glad that he was not among the ones Prime called out.

[Charon]

Shellshock growled as his sensors picked up the fighting. During the fighting the Dinobots had been too close to Shockwave to be able to reliably hit him and not his own allies. Now was different however.

"Full steam ahead Overload." Was all Shellshock bothered to say, focusing on getting his targetting solution down.

Shellshock's cannon turned, aiming at the injured Decepticon Second-in-Command, a plasma shell was loaded and fired while on the move. A few seconds later a second plasma shell was fired. After that a series of three shells in rapid succession. Maybe it wouldn't stop Shockwave, but it would slow him down, not let him get back under the safety of his own defenses before they could get to him.

[SirNitram]

"Prime, this is Overload. We are enroute to the Dinobots transponders at maximum acceleration." There were three basic realities Overload found himself presented with. The first, was he no longer truly needed rails, as he began to accelerate, faster and faster, pulling Shellshock along over the Canadian ground. The second, was that Shockwave, even with his positions being shelled, was upright.

The third, was that since there was a sizable Decepticon, he'd not need to worry about breaks.

The duo roared forward, the sleek prow of Overload targetted like a missile. A very large, angry missile.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike dropped his nose further as he began his attack run. Shockwave was clearly visible, his form blazingly bright from the energy generated within his chasis and blasted into his armour. An attack run on Shockwave had a low chance of success, but the damage Shockwave had sustained in combat with the Dinobots altered the odds.

He didn't need to paint Shockwave with active scans as passive rad and IR sensors would do. Two heavy electron pulse missiles that could knock systems offline and damage and disrupt circuitry were the first two missiles to launch. A single near hit would probably stun Shockwave for a few astroseconds, allowing the four heavy armour piercers now launching from Deathstrike's weapon bay to impact on the Decepticon Commander's heavy armour.

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke looks down at the Fembot. "I don't know. Could be that we are winning." He said hopefully, before looking back out towards the battle.

[LadyTevar]

"Then why didn't we hear them roaring and bragging?" Crimson asked darkly, straining her sensors as far out as they could go, but was too far short to get anything clearly. "I think they're offline, Stryke. I think that's why Prime went."

[Agent Fisher]

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Stryke hung his head. "Maybe, but don't worry about that."

[LadyTevar]

Crimson gave him a wry look. "Don't worry... when we've yet to see a trace of Decepticons, only the hu-- ... drones."

The slip still made it clear she was having processor problems there.

[Agent Fisher]

The dark green warbot sighed. "It'll be ok, Crim. It's Prime, Overload, Shellshock, Breakout and Deathstrike, I think they can handle themselves."

[LadyTevar]

"I know, Stryke...," Crimson sighed, looking over the tundra and the clear lines in the permafrost where Overload had pulled Shellshock into the fray. "... But I keep wondering when the spanner's going to drop. They didn't pull the drones back for no reason."

[Dark Silver]

30,000 feet above the Canadian tundra, Shadow cuts through the atmosphere. Two miles off her eastern flank and 3000 feet below, Corneria paralleled her partners course.

Black Mass hovered silently over the frozen grass plains, staying out of visual range of the human armor column moving to meet with the Autobots. No fighters passed overhead yet, she assumed they were back at the base, still being refueled and rearmed.

Utilizing encrypted frequencies, the three Decepticon fembots kept in constant contact. Black Mass shadowed the humans, utilizing her naturally stealthy configuration to keep hidden. When it was time, she's attack.

Shadow and Corneria descended, their sleek Cybertronian forms piercing the atmosphere silently. They remained invisible to Autobot radar until the last possible moment, the twin fembot's sharing a sensor blanking ability.

Photon lasers erupted from their fuselages, as they began strafing runs. Jetfire and the Aerialbots where not in the air, having decided to land with their comrades - Jetfire's imposing form was the first to be straffed. Autobots threw themselves to the ground, rolling onto their backs as they opened fire into the air.

The unfolded Trailer's weapon platform angled upward, seeming to track for a few moments, before unleashing twin bolts of unadultered energy at the Decepticon jets.

Shadow and Corneria pulled away as the combined Autobots fire light up the sky, gaining altitude quickly.

They then turned, utilizing their special ability to remain hidden from the sensors, and flew towards the human column.






Shockwave had managed to move a few hundred meters, when the whistling of plasma shells broke the sound of crackling flames. He wasted no time in looking, instead he dove away, utilizing his anti-grav thrusters to fling him further than his simple leg actuators were capable of.

He was still caught up in the blast of the first plasma shell as it impacted the ground in mid-leap. He did not need the thrusters then, but managed to use them to ride out the shockwave, plasma rolling over his armor, seeping into the rends and causing him pain.

He did not cry out, though the plasma exhaust boiled away as quickly as it arrived. His internal sensors screamed at him of the internal heat damage registered on his tactical displays.


The first missle exploded ten meters behind him, the wash of EMP flood his systems, as the second one struck him in the back pushing the Decepticon over. Systems screamed, then blanked out as the electronic pulses flared. Unable to move, yet still conscious, Shockwave hurried along the reboot sequence that would take only seconds to work through. He had no doubt now the Autobots where attacking. He wasted to much time with the Dinobots, he should have returned to Pontifex immediately, instead of surveying their stasis locked forms.

Shockwave had only just begun to move, his arms twitching, when the first of the armor piercing missiles exploded next to him. The shaped charge of the missile was designed to penetrate armor and deliver it's energy into the exposed internals. Had it struck, it may have caused major damage to him. He had the entire astrosecond to think that thought, as the force of the explosion rocked him to the side, flipping him over as another of the armor piercings struck his back. The explosion unleashed on the armor was terrible, causing a dent in his chassis, and cracking the armor, a wash of heat and energy flooded into the non-essential systems. Secondary bypasses kicked in, as Shockwave's antigrav thrusters turned on, pushing him forward. the third missle struck the ground just in his wake, as the fourth just passed his right shoulder, the proximity fuse allowing it to detonate. Sharpnel flecked his right side, a peice of metal clanging against his head unit, as he was thrown away.

Cracks formed in his armor from the beatings of the missiles, sparks crackling up beneath them. Yet Shockwave was getting to his feet. He was built to hardy to be taken down by such an attack. His optics and audio sensors were coming online again, the world coming into focus as he looked up.

Reserves of power flooded his form, drawing from the reactor built directly into his body - supplementing his Energon reserves. By quickly scanning his sensor logs, he was able to plot a trajectory for the missiles, his advanced cortical processors - while still slightly sluggish from the battle with the Dinobots - where still up to the task. He raised his gun arm, unleashing bolts of power as his sensors tracked the Energon exhaust of the flier.

"I am Shockwave, Guardian of Cybertron, Commander of the Decepticon Armies. It takes more than missiles to defeat me Autobot. Come and face your death with some semblance of honor."

[Charon]

"Guardian of Cybertron Shockwave? You're a worse comedian than Starscream."

With that Shellshock released another barrage of solid shells, this time most of the shells were not aimed directly at him. Based off of calculations on how far and where Shockwave would likely jump, the first shell was meant to throw Shockwave in the direction of the explosion of the second shell, the second shell aimed near perfectly to throw Shockwave towards the explosion of the third shell, thus narrowing down his landing point even more. The fourth shell was a hardened plasma shell, meant to pierce Cybertronian armor, and aimed for where the Decepticon Commander would land, hopefully too jumbled to be able to dodge properly. Even if the first shell missed, the chances were still good that the explosions of the rest of the shells would catch him at least on their outskirts.

Behind Shellshock, his sensors picked up a firefight occuring behind him, but he couldn't worry about that now, he could only hope that those left behind could deal with the issue by themselves. Internal sensors realized how little ammo was left, as well as what his energy stores were at and Shellshock thought for a moment, ammo was running low.

"Brother, I'm running low on ammo, going to need a refill soon."

[Cynical Cat]

Shockwave would spot him soon enough. Deathstrike operating at high power was anything but stealthy. He rose and circled, keeping his flight path erratic and hard to target. "Shockwave, save the taunts for fools who do not respect your power," Deathstrike replied. "I know better than to match my armour against your firepower."

[LadyTevar]

The strafing run on Jetfire and the Aerialbots left Crimson cursing. "See! I told you the Drones had been pulled back for a reason!" she ranted to Stryke, extending her sensors like every other Autobot to try to find the twin fighters that had streaked by.

But the Decepticon planes dropped off radar far too quickly, fled without doing enough damage. "It doesn't make sense."

[Dark Silver]

I hear their voices over the general communications frequencies - even as the whistling sounds of the shells reach my audio receptors. A glance upward and analyzing of the plasma shell trajectories provide a simple fact - I am not in danger of being hit.

The plasma shells explode fifty meters to my right, another explodes further down. Any other Decepticon, and the trick may have worked - I am no ordinary Decepticon.

"Deathstrike, you were once a valuable warrior for the Decepticon cause. Why have you allied yourself with the Autobots? Return to the fold, Megatron is no longer - I command now. Pledge yourself to me and the new Decepticon cause, and I will garrente your safety."

There is little chance he will accept my offer, but it gives me precious moments, as I scan the skies for him, my steps taking me to within three meters of the Dinobots ruined forms.

Laserfire coming from the the northeast draws my attention, my optics zoom forward, the Autobot Bluestreak, accompanied by Jazz and Hound have arrived. They are on foot, having assumed their battle modes. Laserfire strikes my armor, a silver bolt of lighting flashes by, narrowly missing my chest. I feel the distinct charge in the air around me from Bluestreak's weapon, even as the annoyance of the other lasers deflect off me. I am to close to their downed allies to risk the use of explosive ordinance, and they know it.

I raise my left arm, and unleash my own energy bolts at the Autobot warriors - even as I grab Slag's seemingly dead form, and use him as a shield. Slag's body twitches as the laser bolts strike him, then no longer moves as the Autobots cease fire.

Their weakness is pathetic.








Shadow and Corneria streaked, near invisible, through the sky, already having climbed back to 10,000 ft. The attack run had gone well, a quick assault, sow confusion and chaos in their midst.

"Shadow to Black Mass - phase two," the lithe voice of the Decepticon fembot spoke over the secured transmission.

Black Mass's voice was husky as she replied, "With pleasure." The barrel of her forward cannon raised up. The burp of the first volley was loud, echoing over the plains. The arc and direction of fire was carefully calculated, making it appear to come from the human armored column.

Humans rounded in confusion as three more thundercracks were heard, the flash of firing coming from seemingly no where, before disappearing again.


The Prismacons were going to enjoy the confusion they sowed.

[SirNitram]

"Not the best time, brother!" Overload barked backwards at Shellshock, now on the final approach. No chance to do an in-transit handoff now; gonna have to do this the hard way. The final course adjustments were laid in. He silently reflected for a tiny moment about what Slag would have wanted.

Slag would have wanted him to hit while in flight mode.

The collision was going to be epic.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike circled around for another attack run. "Deathstrike to Shellshock. Shockwave is using a Dinobot as a shield. Target coordinates as follows." A microburst of data relayed Shockwave's precise coordinates to the Autobot. Shellshock wouldn't fire, of course.

"Shockwave," Deathstrike replied, "I pledged my services to the Autobots in return for my life and restoration. My decision to abandon Megatron was an error, but one I must live with. I cannot regain my honor with more betrayals."

He finished circling Shockwave and dropped his nose. Shockwave's armour was tough, but he had taken a lot of punishment and Deathstrike's x-ray laser was powerful and quite effective against armour. From this angle Shockwave received little cover from the Dinobot's body.

Deathstrike dived, intense blasts of x-rays flashing towards Shockwave from his cannon.

[Charon]

Shellshock growled low as Shockwave used the body of a fallen Autobot to protect himself. Once again the Decepticon showed his knowledge of how hesitant the Autobots would be to fire on a fellow.

He got Deathstrike's coordinates and went over them. "Unless you're planning on guaranteeing me those openings, I'm not going to be able to take that shot Deathstrike." There was no response and though Shockwave wasn't facing Shellshock right now, it wouldn't take much for him to turn and put Slag infront of any ordinance Shellshock fired. Shellshock's gun did not fire.

"Let's get in close and finish this Overload. Full steam ahead."

Shellshock braced himself for the inevitable impact, his gun lowering and training on Shockwave as he and his brother in arms planned. The attachment between the two began to loosen, just before impact the two would seperate, so Shockwave would not be thrown in the wreck and be able to keep his aim.

[LadyTevar]

Something was tickling Crimson's memory banks. Something about the Cybertronian jets that had overflown them.

The sudden artillery bursts seemingly from the Human column coming up to support them threw that memory into high relief. It was one of Elita-1's favorite tricks -- confuse two groups of paranoid, suspicious 'Cons into thinking the other was firing upon them. Right now, the Humans and the Autobots were just as edgy as any two 'Cons. "Stryke! Its not the Humans, it's a trick!" she shouted, running towards Prime's trailer. It couldn't be, it couldn't be. They were scrapped.

She managed to get past the closer Autobots to take a look at what Trailer and Roller had scanned in the brief strafing run, pausing the shot to take a long hard look at one of the planes.

"Illioutkh ........," Crimson cursed softly, feeling like a weight just fell on top of her. "Corry." With sick dread she scanned the other, and her shoulders dropped more. "Shady...."

More shelling came, from the direction of the Human Army, and the Autobots were calling for instructions. Unfortunately, Jetfire and Silverbolt were wounded, adn the rest of Prime's lieutenants had either followed him or were back at the Ark. Crimson found herself looking optic to optic with Roller. There were rumors....

"Roller, inform Optimus the shelling is -not- from the humans, it's another diversion by the Decepticons. The two who strafed us are Corneria and Shadow .... two Female Autobots presumed captured on Cybertron." Crimson's voice broke admitting that. The implications were clear. "Jetfire and Silverbolt wounded -- What are Prime's Orders?"

[Dark Silver]

Atmospheric disturbances and the distinctive hum of Cybertronian magnetic anti-gravitational drives are resonate in my audio receptors. My tactical response subroutines are also acutely aware of the incoming weapons fire of Deathstrike.

Deathstrike....I offered him a chance to be at my side, he has refused. A small fraction of my vast intellect understands his reasons, Deathstrike has always been a tool to be used - giving his loyalty to those he deemed honor bound to. If the Autobots repaired and re-energized him, then his honor will not allow him to betray them.

Yet.

Still, he must be withdrawn from the battle. There are other Autobots I must be concerned with, Hound, Jazz and Bluestreak have not opened fire yet again, but I know as I move Slag into position to intercept the blasts from Deathstrike, I have left myself open.

I had not expected the attack to come as it did. As Deathstrike's opening volley of x-ray laser fire reached me, I was to slow to stop the first few bolts - tearing into my already damaged shoulder armor, the ionizing effects leaking into my systems. I bring Slag's body up to intercept the other bolts, each holing themselves into the Dinobot's central chassis. I reflect that this will not be enough to extinguish the Dinobot's bastardized Lasercore, as several deca-tonnes of cybertronian alloy impacts me at a high rate of speed. I do not fly, the momentum, as well as the bulk of myself and my captive instead cause us to be taken along with the impact.

A summary observation which takes all of .0034 seconds computes that the one who struck me, and carries my bulk along his nose, to be the powerlink capable Overload. Even in my weakened, damaged state, it is possible I could deal with him, if not for his allies. As it stands, I have bigger things on the table.

Optimus Prime is coming, I know this. I must be prepared for him.

I send a coded micropulse from my tertiary subvocal communications system, a word which would signal the attack.

"Oblivion."

Two kilometers away, the Decepticon Seekers I had earlier hidden, stepped from the subterranian stealth bunkers, and launched into the air. A total of fifteen Seekers, all with full armament, and lead by the loyal Solarflare, take to the air, and home in on my position.

Less than 1.5 kilometers distant, another set of stealth bunkers unleash their contents, Decepticon warriors, each armed, fully powered, and ready. A small force by any other standard, forty-five warriors for the ground, and fifteen of the Seeker Corp in the air.

Normally, this would be more than enough to eliminate the Autobot threat, but Optimus Prime is here, and he has allies elsewhere. If Operation: Cypher is unsuccessful, it will be a battle hard fought.

I release Slag, from my grip as I throw his mauled, damaged body away. Using my now freed hand, I dig my hard digits into Overload's hull, my body straining with the exertion. I will require repairs to my primary systems once this is over with. If i am not taken prisoner by the Autobots.

My servo-actuators in my arm strain with the effort I place into them, the damage caused by the energy bolt from Deathstrike was powerful - he is obviously in excellent repair. I will have to change that. I pull myself along, off his nose, and nearer to the cockpit location. I lament I will not be able to cause sufficient damage as I place my blaster against the cockpit, and open fire. As this occurs, I activate my damage anti-grav units, launching myself from Overload's speeding form, even as the first renewed energy blasts from the three Autobots passes me.





Roller had speed along his patrol, and stopped when Crimson called for him. He couldn't speak, technically being only a intellegent drone slaved to Optimus Prime and his trailer - yet he had some level of autonomy.

As Crimson gave him the message, he relayed it to Optimus via direct neural info-dump. Optimus sent the reply back, yet since he could not talk, he speed to the nearest console, which played the orders in text across it -

Code: Select all

Protect the humans and wounded, send Aerialbots to my location.  

Roller beeped and booped as he speed around, then rushed up the trailer ramp, and docked himself. he linked up with the trailer's control computers, as the repair and attack drone mounted on the swivel arm seemed to scan the area.



Corneria and Shadow circled back around through the air over the human column. Of course the humans would be on combat alert - but the object was to sow distrust. From oppisite directions, the two female fliers came in, particle blasters and missles eating into the ground, human flesh, and military equipment. The humans where not taken by total surprise, and many aimed skyward and opened fire with their weapons, unfortunatly they were not quick enough to hit the speeding Decepticon fembots.

Black Mass meanwhile, continued with her shelling, taking her time as her cloak allowed her to be invisible between shots. Shells sailed through the air, exploding around the Autobot location, though never quiet hitting - they came close enough.

[LadyTevar]

Crimson hit a button that would project the text on the screen into a holo all the Autobots could see. "Orders From OPTIMUS!" she shouted over the confusion of the shelling. "Aerialbots, he needs you!" She hoped the holodisplay would be enough to get some order back in the group.

She looked to Stryke and spoke softer. "I'm going to cover the Human Column... Corneria and Shadow will strike at them next. Get a couple 'Bots and follow as fast as you can?"

She didn't wait for an answer, transforming and rolling out at her best speed towards the humans. As she flew over the permafrost, she activated an old radio frequency that she'd not used in Vorn.

"Still can't hit the broadside of a factory, can you, Corry... That was some lousy shooting back there."

[Cynical Cat]

Another attack run would allow Deathstrike to inflict severe damage on Shockwave, but it was unlikely that he would have the opportunity to complete it. Multiple squadrons of Seekers were closing and they would tear him to pieces before he completed his attack run. Shockwave's move was carefully calculated and successful. Some things did not change. He did miss being on the side with aerial superiority though.

The Seekers would tear him apart in combat. He turned back towards the Autobot lines and burned away at maximum power, dropping down low. If the Seekers wanted him, they would have to come in range of Autobot ground fire without back up from their land forces.

[Charon]

Shellshock had released from Overload mere moments before impact, his gun trained on Shockwave unerringly as even at his slowed pace he kept up with the equally slowed Overload. The old warbot would have grinned as pieces of purple metal flew past them if he'd had a mouth right now. He'd grin later.

Shockwave was good, really good, but even he couldn't stand up to all the punishment he was taking for much longer. Shellshock's merriment turned to anger as Shockwave blew a chunk out of Overload's front. His war ally spun away from the force of the blast, out of the way of Shellshock, Shockwave was pulling away now, but he was still close.

"Shockwave you bastard!"

A hardened plasma shell had been prepared for this moment, and fired, but that was hardly the end of it, in his anger, Shellshock would not let Shockwave get away.

Before, Shellshock had been lighting the sky with his fire, as Overshock the powerful blasts had fried dozen meter craters into the ground. Now he opened the floodgates though. Plasma poured out of the 356 mm cannon. Much more power coming out a slightly smaller cannon than when Shellshock was in his robot mode meant a faster muzzle velocity, and a far greater devestation to whatever he was targetting. The explosion and the heat itself began to burn out secondary actuators and shorting Shellshock's long range sensors. But with Slag and Overload behind him now, at least they would be safe.

The ancient warbot took pleasure from the release of power at his enemy. This, was war.

[SirNitram]

Pain sensors redlined as the discharge from Shockwave's arm-cannon tore through the cockpit and flash-melted durarmor. Overload had acheived sufficient deceeleration, however, as he transformed, standing up. His left arm had suffered damage, and while part of the material of his ground-mode had shunted out into a pocket of subspace, the part that didn't was melted and glowing red hot. The arm hung uselessly as self-repair system screamed and fought to restore control.

The right hand had a shell. With a satisfying, familiar motion, he slammed it into Shellshock's cannon as he moved beside his brother. His position was calm, natural, ready to take any blast Shockwave dished out to protect his Brother. "He's still fighting, brother. How stupid. You'd think he'd have run the numbers on this world by now, the depletion rates of war footing and mechaforming..."

"In the end, Shockwave.. You're a third rate abacus! You don't even see the stupidity of your actions!"