| Reflections of Cybertron | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 12 May 2018 |
| Location: | Starsreach Spaceport |
| Synopsis: | Sky Lynx and Blast Off cross paths in space and discuss the state of things from their perspective high above the troubles of Cybertron. |
| Cast of Characters: | Blast Off, Sky Lynx |
- Sky Lynx has posed:
It's been a chaotic...well...it's just been chaotic. Absolutely nothing about what has transpired since the meltdown between the Autobots and Decepticons has been pleasing to Sky Lynx, and as such he's taken a bit of a...vacation? No, horrible word for it. A leave of absence.
He's not far, though, and it's likely sensors from both factions have been monitoring his slow orbit around Cybertron, his own sensors just watching the planet burn in more ways than one as he sorts through thoughs and other conflicting emotions.
- Blast Off has posed:
Sky Lynx isn't the only space shuttle with turbulent emotions right now, nor the only one to seek the refuge of space as a temporary respite from the inanity of the less than reasonable beings on the surface far below. Blast Off has sought a little solace here today as well- not quite breaking away from the planet's orbit, but at least breaching it, enough to find some comfort in the embrace of the emptiness, the gorgeous view below, and the stars above. He's lost Swivel, in danger of losing his wine shop, lost the tenious peace that would have made life so different than it is now. His thrusters trail off a burn of smoke as he leaves the thermosphere for the inky blackness beyond.
- Sky Lynx has posed:
The Autobot shuttle picks up the approach, sending a quick tightbeamed warning that the airspace is occupied, but mainly to prevent collisions that would just result in nasty consequences.
Probably for Blast Off more than Lynx...but still.
With that much done, Lynx just continues to remain settled in that orbit, leaving it up to the other to really approach if that is indeed the intent or goal.
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off gets the message about the time his own scanners show a large blip on the screen and- oh slag. The Combaticon shuttle maintains course for the moment even as he goes deep into internal debate on just what his course of action should be. He's still feeling a bit... thrown off, in a way, since his nearly lethal encounter with the other shuttle. Which doesn't exactly even make sense, but there it is. He gives the briefest of pings of acknowledgement back. The Combaticon begins to adjust his course, steering away from the other shuttle.
- Sky Lynx has posed:
Sky Lynx catches that returned ping and then just takes time to watch the other shuttle's apparent departure... Unlike Blast Off, though, there's no real hesitation or debate. A quick and brief message gets tightbeamed across the space to the other shuttle.
<<If you go too far that way the lunar installations will pick you up and I imagine you'll be bothered incessantly. The blind spots where radios can't reach you from the surface are surprisingly few until you go outside the lunar orbit.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off isn't quite sure what to make of the other shuttle's almost *friendly* advice. He remains silent as he continues to run scans, both of Sky Lynx and of the installations ahead- and indeed the Autobot is correct. Again he maintains the radio silence as the expanse between them grows.... but eventually, Sky Lynx will receive a return message. The usually haughty shuttle sounds a little more subdued and flat than usual. "<< I.... appreciate the advice, but.... >>" Another pause before he continues, "<< We *are* enemies, correct? >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<Are we?>> The response is indeed a question in kind, and one which he lets hang in the silence for a few good moments. <<We all have a choice in the matter. One which is the result of weighing options and circumstance. We can disagree, but we can converse and find common ground and compromise. Or, we can simply turn guns on one another and call it a day. I would much prefer the former, but it seems I am constantly forced into the latter.>>
There's a brief spurt of retro-rockets and positioning jets to correct the orbit slightly and prevent decay on the part of the lumbering shuttle-mech. <<That's what I've been thinking on up here, and I've almost found my conclusion, but I'm not pleased by it.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
There's more radio silence as Blast Off listens to the other shuttle's response and takes it in. If he could frown in shuttle mode he would be. Eventually, though, he does respond.
"<< The last time we met in battle I certainly remember it that way, yes. >>" Come to think of it now, maybe he shouldn't have said that, but it's been said. Ah well. He gives an extra boost to his thrusters as he contemplates the rest. "<< ....I... I would prefer the former though, yes.>> " Another silence ensues from the slightly recalcitrant Combaticon, then he can't resist: "<< ....What is your conclusion? >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<There were warnings given last time, and warnings were followed through on. There was no malice behind them, but make no mistake that I do follow through on the things I say I will.>>
There's another silence. <<Which also brings me to the inevitable conclusion I'll have once I'm done here. I long for the day I no longer have to deliver ultimatums or warnings, much less follow through on them, but I cannot, in good faith, agree with Megatron or the majority of Decepticons. They have proven time and time again that their world is driven not by common ground, but by their own ground or none at all. So while I have a choice, yes, it seems the decision was made for me by them. But that's where your earlier question is again met with... are we? Are we enemies?>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off likes to think of himself as very svelte and refined and sophisticated... but today he feels more like a bumbling, socially inept buffoon. Struggling to find words, he finally responds with an awkward, self-aware *huff* audible around the edges of his sentences.
"<< We... well-I.... You... You nearly offlined me, isn't that the definition of an enemy? >>" Cripes, is he really whining about someone from another faction doing their job and engaging him, their enemy, on the batttlefield? ...Apparently he is. He thinks to add, because this is something true as well, "<< I-I mean, of course, it was after I nearly killed one of your teammate- well, no I *did* kill one of your teammates, then you nearly killed me, and...>>" He becomes embarrassed by this stupid, so so stupid train of thought that makes NO sense and.... yet again, here he is. Here it is. "<< Doesn't that make us enemies? >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<As I said, there was no malice behind the action. Enemies willingly engage in such hostilities as a first resort, not a last resort, and usually on a whim rather than for any truly defined reason.>> He falls quiet for a moment. <<Let me ask you two questions, and answer truthfully. Did you enjoy what happened prior to my arrival? The killing of a mech? And what was it you hoped to gain from that?>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off is really glad none of his own teammates were around to hear this pathetic outburst. It's so stupid... yet somehow the fact that Sky Lynx nearly *killed* him really hit home some of the harsh realities of this war- and the limits of honor among shuttles. He mulls over Sky Lynx's questions. "<< ....I did not... enjoy killing that mech, no. Though I... did take pride in a job well done,and it was a job. Not many can take a shot like that. Of course, Hyperdrive was rather upset and... >>"
He stops that line of thought, at least out loud, pausing before he continues, "<< I did not enjoy it. Killing contains no satisfaction for me, aside from the sense of doing my job well, when that is what is called for. I... well, what I hoped to gain was... following my orders. Take out threats where I spotted Autobot expansion into Decepticon claimed territory. I... I had my orders, and I followed them. You may say Decepticons are unwilling to find common ground, but in my experience, many Autobots are the same. Like- like the fiasco we both just experienced firsthand. >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<Good. Because then you'd have been unredeemable.>> It's a rather frank statement. <<But...make sure you don't let the notion of 'following orders' take you past that point. It's an easy line to cross once, but forever difficult to cross back over again. Were they truly a threat? Would a warning shot have sufficed? I do try to utilize proportional force when I can, but even I know the consequences of it.>>
There's a pause. <<Think carefully. I received a call. Autobot down. Dead. Another severely wounded. Extraction needed, hostiles still in area. I could have easily made sure only Autobots left there alive. I held back, hard as that may be to think.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off doesn't argue. In fact, a lot of what Sky Lynx says even makes sense. Did he really need to kill Hyperdrive's teammate? Would a warning shot have sufficed, or was he having a bad day, tired of everything, especially Autobots, and wanted to strike some fear in their sparks and make sure they knew he was not someone to mess with? Get the job done fast so he could go home and not risk a prolonged, drawn out fight? Though isn't that technically an act of-of self defense, ultimately? ...or is it? Or is that denying something?
The shuttle rumbles, frame rolling slightly from side to side in irritation. This kind of self-introspection, especially of feelings and morals, is not really very pleasant. Nor was the thought that Sky Lynx knocked him from the sky SO effortlessly, or so it seemed. That mauled a bit of his pride, too. Still... "<< ... True. I suppose you could have easily finished the job then and there. >>" There's another stretch of silence before, "<< You... did not do anything wrong. I... >> " Gah. Words, what are those? What's the weird sense of guilt he's had since talking to Hyperdrive? "<< Tit for tat, I... suppose. One casualty for another. Such is... such is war. Yet then Hyperdrive... after all that, he. >>" Does he want to finish this sentence? "<< He helped me later. In that other world. Even after I killed his teammate. >>" He still doesn't quite understand that.
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<I nearly burned up waiting when the meltdown happened. Hyperdrive looked past...what transpired between you and him. I can even tell Swivel is precariously walking along a tight line which could prove disastrous down the road. There's something inherently different between most of the Autobots and most of the Decepticons. We don't see it as 'tit-for-tat'. We're just trying to make sure Cybertron survives in the end as Cybertron ought to. A place where might-makes-right is regarded as the byproduct of a mistaken era in history.>>
There's a soft rumble as jets make another series of fine adjustments to the orbit and trajectory. <<We can look past things. It pained me to see so many Decepticons who could not. Phantom was unstable. He'd proven to be unstable in the past, and what transpired was the result of instability. However, it did pull to the surface the true colors of many. Autobots and Decepticons alike, no less. But none of them had to die that day. Still, that after everything we strived for together ended like that is telling.>> He pauses. <<That I was the only one to stay behind is also telling.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
The mention of Swivel would have Blast Off biting his lip if he were in root form. His immediate desire is to ask how she is doing, what it is that Sky Lynx sees, but Primus that would be a bad idea. He has no special *anything* going on with the Autobot and it has to stay that way. He also finds himself biting his figurative lip regarding Autobots and Decepticons, not really wanting to get into an arguement with the other shuttle about it right now.
What he does say is, "<< I would counter that many Autobots could not- *Prowl* could not, and he was the one in command. You were there, right? I tried to call for reason, and I'll admit that both you and Hot Rod showed a commitment to it as well- but it seemed everyone else around us was itching to get back into the fight again. >>"
He's thinking of what else to say when the Autobot's last comment gets an instant gut reaction from the Combaticon shuttle. "<< I *wanted* to help! But I had a hole in my side and could barely fly myself... in fact I had to get a ride eventually because I couldn't go far. The Decepticons who could have taken a ride in you and did not were *fools*, unfortunately... though given our past experiences I can't blame them for not trusting an Autobot. >>" He suddenly thinks to add as he realizes how that might sound, "<< I- I mean, they did not know you personally. That you are a mech of your word. >>"
His tone is a little more thoughtful now. "<< I don't know what even happened there. Phantom *is* unstable, yes. He may have done something crazy- but it didn't have to turn out the way it did... if people had just *listened*. >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<And I defied Prowl. Do you know how many orders I had to simply leave? That the Decepticons would just kill me if they were allowed to board? I know you couldn't stay, I saw what happened, but there were options. There's always options. There's no reason I had to be the last flight out alone. But what's done is done, we can't dwell too long on it.>>
There's a soft vent that almost sounds like a sigh. <<Moving forward, I suppose this will be the way of it. The war that is wanted shall be fought. We'll just see who comes out in the end, but I'll do what I can to make sure it's the side that will not leave Cybertron in ruin. That's my choice.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
"<< I *couldn't* stay, >>" Blast Off feels the need to repeat. Possible struck nerve there. "<< I'm not looking for the extinction of our race, either. >>" Grumble. The grumbling quiets, though, and he thinks back to what Sky Lynx said about ignoring orders during the evacuation. "<< Really? >>" Hmm. "<< Well... maybe the shuttle code still means something, then. I... wanted to do more. We're... supposed to shuttle people away from danger, after all. >>" He pauses before continuing with a question, "<< Wouldn't you be vulnerable though? If you did bring Decepticons on board? >>" It's something he always thinks about- a shuttle can't easily defend himself from *inside*, after all.
He grows more quiet as the other shuttle speaks of the war ahead. He *wants* to counter what is said, but then he thinks to Megatron's speech recently- about the conquest of the stars. What *is* happening with his side? All he can say honestly right now is, "<< I am not fighting to leave this planet in ruins... I want *freedom*. >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<Yes, I would have been. I suppose at that point I'd accepted the possibility that I could go down in flames with them all if one of them decided to capitalize on the situation. But that never came to fruition for obvious reasons. It was my risk to take and I took it, as did everyone else on board who waited with me.>>
There's a bit of silence again and the shuttle finally starts to move, engines humming to life. <<So, have you answered the question yet? Probably the only one that hasn't been answered since this conversation started?>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Blast Off listens, taking this into consideration. Would *he* have done the same thing? He's... not entirely sure. He's always been fussy about who gets a ride inside anyway, and the thought of being vulnerable- well, it's not pleasant in the least. Sky Lynx's question catches him off guard. The shuttle tips a wing, keeping a course away from those stations Lynx mentioned earlier, then asks carefully, "<< ...What question? >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
The response is both precise and swift in coming. <<Are we enemies?>> There's a pause. <<I said before, we all have a choice in the matter. That's part of why I'm asking. I want to know what your choice is. In light of all of this, everything that's led up to this moment and everything that could come after, the power you have in answering that question will set into motion a cascade of events, branching off into infinite possibilities, each one unique and yet determined all the same by one word.>> There's a pause.
<<Yes or no?>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Oh. Blast Off grows quiet, even the background sounds of his shipmode systems running fading to only the barebone processes as he himself processes that question. For a moment, he's not sure. Sky Lynx nearly killed him, sending a blow to both his pride and ...well, perhaps his sense that shuttles could stay above such things somehow, that the shuttle code of honor that exists (at least in his head) can stay intact even during the savagery of war. Yet... Sky Lynx did keep his word, his honor, as best he could. He never lied, did anything *uncouth*, stayed true to himself to the end. And perhaps it's the sorrow of so much loss already- the loss of Swivel, of hope of peace, of security of a simple and *normal* life at a wine shop.... but it informs his answer now, as he faces... the possible loss, if it could even be called that (?), of another person he's known for years. Given everything that has happened, even as harsh as it can be, there's only one answer to give.
"<< ...No. >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
<<Good. Then let it be understood here, and now, never between us will anything be done out of malice, greed, or dishonour.>> Already, engines are whining to life as he begins to get into position to re-enter Cybertron's atmosphere. <<Hopefully, when the dust clears, one of us will have been on the right path.>>
And that is that, in truth. It's almost an oath, but just shy of one that might be construed as treasonous. Just enough that there's guidelines and principles, but freedom all the same. <<Do be well. The view is quite nice when the sun crests over, in spite of the thermal radiation in the atmosphere.>>
- Blast Off has posed:
Even as Sky Lynx lowers position to re-enter the atmosphere, something inside the Combaticon shuttle seems to lift. He feels just a *tad* bit lighter, somehow, for the first time in quite awhile. He's even able to look down and appreciate the view.
"<< Yes. Yes! Understood. And... agreed. >>" He doesn't think that it's treasonous unless conducting himself in an honorable manner is considered such, and if it is, then he's got more thinking to do anyway. Blast Off veers off to the side, not quite yet ready to join Sky Lynx in dealing with the planet and its inhabitants far below. He will take just a moment longer to enjoy the magnificent view. "<< It is. I... do always love it when the light has *just* hit the horizon. >>" He pauses a moment before adding, just before Sky Lynx starts breaking through the atmosphere, "<< Be well, also. >>"
- Sky Lynx has posed:
And just like that, the Autobot Shuttle is focusing on making his way back to the planet, mapping out the approach, getting the right angles and ensuring heat shielding is right where it needs to be in order to prevent skipping or burning... both equally terrible. There's nothing else said on his part, either. What more is there to say, anyway? Just a shuttle streaking through the sky on a return back to Iacon.