Knockout

"I'm not only an automobile; I'm an automobile enthusiast."

Name	Knockout
Faction	Decepticon
Function	Medic/Inventor
Species	Cybertronian
Type	FC
Rank	7-Lieutenant
Alt Mode	Speeder
Char_id	89
Status	Active

Profile

Knock Out is oily slick; the ultimate salesman. Everyone knows his weapons are dangerous and prone to malfunction, and his installations methods often leave Decepticons scarred and crippled. But who can resist having quantum disintegration at their fingertips? Knock Out doesn't often test weapons himself - the danger of a catastrophic malfunction is just too great. Once his weapons are thoroughly tested and proven safe, Knock Out keeps the best ones for himself. He boosts their power output, adds a few personal touches, and then takes them out into the field to see what sort of damage he can do. Given a choice, he will opt for ranged attacks over up close ones, but he has the tools to deal with either method. He is a skilled medic, frequently looked to for help repairing those injured in the field, but he prefers to do his work in the safety of his lab where he probably won't be getting shot at in the process. He is also extremely vain, overly concerned with his finish and maintaining its pristine condition. To damage it would be horrifying under normal circumstances. In addition, he loves racing and speed, perhaps as much as he loves himself.

Background

From Velocitron, Knock Out's spark was produced through a hot spot within Navitas, the Titan that colonized the planet. From the beginning, like many Velocitronians, Knock Out was obsessed with speed and a sleek design. However, he tended to go beyond the norm even for most of them, developing a sense of vanity that left him on an unending quest to fine-tune himself for any extra speed and aerodynamic advantage he could gain; a scuff or scratch would often send him into a fit.

Living in Delta, Velocitron's largest moving city, Knock Out's growing prowess as a mechanic resulted in him going through the Delta Science Institute, and he became his planet's leading weight-loss surgeon and aerodynamic specialist. Whether the truth or his own boasting, many Velocitronians looking for any advantage they could gain when it came to racing sought him out for modifications.

Over time, he eschewed the traditional Velocitronian way of self-imposed isolation from the other planets, initially planning on spending some time around Cybertron to ply his trade and find out if anyone else could match him on the racetracks, though he avoided the primitive dirt tracks entirely. At one point, he won a wager with the owner of the Ibex Cup racing circuit, only for the mech to stiff him.

Incensed by this insult, he waited it out until the bot was arrested for fraud. It was simply bad luck, according to some. Wrong place, wrong time. The fact Knock Out gathered evidence of other bets going unpaid and reported it to the authorities on the down low was inconsequential, and when he convinced the man to transfer ownership of the racetrack to him for safekeeping before he was taken to prison, all was well. Right place, right time.

Cycles passed by with Knock Out gaining status and wealth through not only running the Ibex Speedway races, but also in providing modification services to those in need of them. While he tried to remain neutral during the ongoing civil war, caring only for things that had to do with the racing circuit, fate would not let him be. The Decepticons, wanting his talents for reasons of their own, came calling with a choice: join them or wind up on the scrap heap.

Faced with such a decision, it wasn't long at all before Knock Out came into the employ of the enemy of the Autobots, where in addition to winding up experimenting on both the willing and unwilling, an interest in weapon development grew. While he's made his share of duds, he's kept the best stuff for himself, including an energon prod and a bow and arrow combination with a variety of arrowheads. These would become his preferred weapons depending on how willing he was to get into the midst of a fight, great for varying degrees of zapping. Blasters, saws, and other implements of doom were developed under his watchful eye. As far as he knew, it kept his higher-ups satisfied, so he stuck with it.

Skills & Abilities

Skills:

• Inventor - Owing to being a rather unskilled fighter, mostly because the idea of having his finish damaged is so revolting, Knock Out has worked on alternate ways of protection for himself since gaining access to the Decepticon labs. His weapons of choice are an energon prod or bow and arrows, though he's also modified himself with a variety of toys he can use whether in vehicle or alt mode. Others have been granted access to use some of his inventions, but those tend to be the ones he's put through the least amount of testing, often potentially unstable and dangerous.

• Medic - Knock Out is a capable doctor, primarily in the field of robotic weight-loss surgery and aerodynamic improvements. This originated on Velocitron where every little advantage in speed is sought. However, he's also learned general repair, if for no other reason than the fact he's been allowed to experiment on various captives to see just how they're put together.

• Racing - If you aren't a racer or someone there to help racers, you aren't going to be very high on the ladder as a Velocitronian. While Knock Out is not the fastest out there, he is better than most and sneaky enough to take advantage of any opportunities presented to him. Since he hates losing any race he's in, there are few lengths he won't go to in order to win, even if it occasionally means needing to get a little damage to his finish repaired afterward. This may be the one case where he can live with that.

• Silver Tongue - With fighting not among Knock Out's specialties, he's practiced the art of persuasive speech in order to get his way - or avoid a worse punishment if he finds himself in some kind of trouble. Though arrogant and full of himself, he respects politeness and is prone to returning it in kind if he feels like it.

• Solar Energy Usage - On Velocitron, scientists learned how to draw power from solar energy, which left Energon for personal use through no shortage of reserves. Knock Out has taken that knowledge and applied it to various tools and weaponry, making them more efficient and less dependent on Energon alone to power and operate.

Abilities:

• Network Usage - Knock Out has some capability when it comes to interfacing with computer networks. He isn't much compared to someone like Soundwave, who is an expert at infiltration and circumvention of nearly any sort of security whatsoever, but he's figured out a few tricks that he can use to his advantage when it comes to breaking through moderate encryption and security. Much beyond that may run the risk of being found out.

• Physical Traits - Knock Out is of somewhat below average strength for a Cybertronian of his size, which is considered in line with others of his type. He is capable of lifting around 25 tons, and can brace and hold more in case of needing to support additional weight. He moves exceptionally fast, being extremely agile for any Cybertronian. On foot running, he can run up to 120 MPH. In alt mode, he is faster than many other Transformers. In fact, he is one of the fastest around. Unfortunately, he is not faster than Blurr. Nobody is.

• Forcefield - Knock Out has developed a personal forcefield he can activate during combat situations that gives him some added protection from physical or energy attacks. However, it comes at the cost of pulling from his pool of energy, which could potentially impact his ability to attack if he uses too much for defensive purposes. Successful attacks against him that the forcefield absorbs may further drain his energy.

Weaknesses

• Competitive - Knock Out hates losing. He absolutely despises it. Racing is one of his main loves, second perhaps only to his personal appearance. However, he can't stand being beaten in any way. His desire to win is so prominent that he will even risk damaging his paint job in order to come out on top.

• Cowardly - Make no mistake about it, Knock Out is a bit of a coward. He knows he isn't a skilled fighter, nor a strong one, so he's developed weapons and protection to help him in that regard. However, if he sees himself in a losing situation or faced with taking damage, he's going to flee to try again another day. Self-preservation is the name of the game.

• Immoral - Knock Out lives by his own set of rules, which frequently do not line up with what is generally accepted by others. He enjoys his experiments, especially when he can work on someone who isn't interested in what he's up to. The Decepticons have more or less encouraged this in the name of science, but even he knows on some level that what he's doing is not right. The problem is, part of him likes it while another part of him fears what might happen if he refused.

• Vain - There may not be another Cybertronian as in love with himself as Knock Out. He is extremely particular about his appearance, spending extra time to ensure his finish and paint job is immaculate and perfect as can be. His biggest fear is not so much running afoul of others, but damage being done to his handsome body.

Personality

Knock Out is as self-centered as Transformers get. Constantly fussing over his appearance, he is obsessed with keeping his finish as polished and buffed and, most importantly, scratch-free as possible. As a Velocitronian, he often comes off as snobby or impatient toward those he sees as slower than him, and for a mech from a speed-based planet, that means nearly everyone else is considered inferior in some way.

That doesn't mean he's going to put himself in dangerous situations with those who hold power over him. He understands the value of respect and politeness, and appreciates the same in return. All the same, his arrogance, vanity, and often sarcastic attitude is frequently on full display.

He would be considered cowardly, unafraid of bailing on a bad situation especially if he thinks he's going to get damaged in any way. If someone messes with his finish, don't be surprised if he looks for an opportunity for a little payback. Knock Out also has a love of experimentation and invention, often showing no concern for the well-being of someone under his brand of care, or putting extra time and effort into developing a new and impressive weapon for his use.

Ultimately he is an opportunist who seeks to play for the winning side, which he has determined will be the Decepticons, but there is reason to believe he is not entirely evil. Rather, Knock Out may just be misguided, lacking a normal set of morals, given room to indulge in his interests by the 'Cons.

Logs

CLICK TO EXPAND

Title	Date	Scene Summary
Rough Cycle Drinks	August 6th, 2020	A bunch of Cons walk into a bar...and so does Windblade. They almost share a drink? At least they shared civil words.
Jealous Of My Lessers	July 28th, 2020	Knock Out runs into Blurr on the fringes of Ibex.
Mimic Musings	December 14th, 2019	The science class gathers in their hideout to talk about their collective findings.
The Truth at Triton	December 11th, 2019	Mimic reveals to Blurr and Nightlash the true mastermind behind the pylon tech, while the Decepticons keep watch nearby.
Aftermath of Ibex	December 9th, 2019	Goth and Knock Out return for repairs and are greeted by the 'normal' medbay crew.
Battleground: Ibex Central 5 - 6	December 9th, 2019	Autobots capture central Ibex sectors.
Clean up! Aisle Medbay!	November 27th, 2019	Knock out and Goth return from being covered in Dead End Sewage.
Following A Hint	November 26th, 2019	shenanigans ensue as Knock Out and Goth follow a hint form Blast off, later to be joined by Sixshot.
Medbay Activity	November 13th, 2019	Knock Out, Scrapper, Dustoff, and Goth end up chattering in the medical bay, sorting a supply delivery.
Cracking Prometheus	November 12th, 2019	Knock Out shows Sixshot and Goth how to crack a code.
Clemency: Warehouse Wars 2	January 17th, 2019	Autobots are trying to move the ununtrium to a new and more secure location. The Decepticons and native Clemencians intervene.
War Games: Praxus 4-1	December 16th, 2018	The Decepticons capture Praxus, but at the cost of the Helix Gardens
War Games: Ruins of Nyon 3-1	December 2nd, 2018	Swivel, Hound, Sky Lynx and Blurr take on the Decepticon base in the Ruins of Nyon.
Repairing a Rotary	November 11th, 2018	Knockout repairs Vortex, who pokes numerous things, both physical and otherwise, Brawl brings the engex, and Blast Off regrets his life.
Rescues and Public Relations	November 10th, 2018	Both Autobots and Decepticons go to the surface of Clemency to recover Hammerstrike and Vortex. They also meet some natives.
Thymesis Aftermath	November 4th, 2018	Post-battle banter.
Cybertron War Games: Thymesis Mining Facility 1-1	November 3rd, 2018	Autobots and Decepticons battle for control of Thymesis Mining Facility on Luna-2.
Data Delivery	October 23rd, 2018	Decepticons defeat the Concordance and interrogate NItro.
Top Secret Transaction	October 18th, 2018	The Decepticons make a deal with a mercenary group called The Concordance.
Bank Heist!	October 10th, 2018	Blast Off, Vortex, Brawl, Knockout, and Scavenger participate in a bank heist!
Can't You People Stay Fixed	October 9th, 2018	Shockwave and Knockout repair the troops. Deadlock decides to give them more work.
Wild Runs Raid	July 18th, 2017	AKA An Alleyway of Cowards! Autobots finally make a move on Wild Runs HQ.
Helex Wild Runs	June 5th, 2017	An illegal race in Helex becomes a catastrophe when a rift opens up, spewing hallucinogenic gas.
Drag Racing in Tesarus	May 8th, 2017	Swivel enters a race full of unscrupulous mechs, including Knockout, and learns there's much more to these races than illegal gambling and unsanctioned use of roads.
Fashion & Repairs	April 8th, 2017	Phantom has been acting strange lately.
The Destruction of Graceful Charity	January 11th, 2017	An Autobot vessel goes down in Petrex. The Combaticons aim to take advantage of it. The Autobots aim to stop them from doing so.
Rude	December 20th, 2016	Brawl meets Knockout and disregards him.