Dominicons in Valvolux

Log Title: Dominicons in Valvolux Characters: Delusion, Discretion, Encore Location: Valvolux Date: July 6, 2018 TP: Valvolux TP Summary: The Dominicons patrol Valvolux, hunting Decepticons As logged by  Delusion Log session starting at 15:01:08 on Friday, 6 July 2018.

Delusion stands, a foot on the back of a minor Decepticon foot soldier while she has one of his arms bent painfully in her hands. She speaks in a low tone with one of the native Valvoluxians.

Encore can be found in the skies above Valvolux. Because of Decepticon air superiority, he can be found flying low and fast to avoid radar, but that's his only concession to stealth. He reasons he's such a large, loud airframe that any additional noise he makes isn't going to matter worth a jot. Which is why, as he flies, he's blasting Keel's Speed Demons at absolute full volume.

He blasts over Delusion and the natives close enough to draw loose debris in his wake, heralding that the Stopcock has another delivery en route.

A short while later - long enough for a rapid unloading of maybe weight to twelve kegs - he comes lazily sauntering in to the street where Delusion is having her conversation. He stands out of the way, leaning against a wall casually and taking a swig of his engex.

GAME: Delusion FAILS a STRENGTH roll of Average difficulty.

GAME: Delusion PASSES a DEXTERITY roll of Average difficulty.

Delusion gives the arm a twist and frowns, then applies her knee to the elbow and leans on it, using the superior leverage to accomplish the desired force. With a sickening *crack*, the arm separates from the shoulder, just enough to hang loose as the Dominicon drops it and steps back. "I suggest you not come back," Delusion tells her victim.

The Decepticon glares hate but leaves, especially when he looks up and sees Encore's large frame not far away. Unfortunately, the native Valvoluxian also runs off, though in a different direction.

Delusion frowns, then turns to see what's behind her.

Encore gives a smile and a wave when she sees him. "Sorry 'boot scarin' yer mate off, lass." He motions in the direction the Valvoluxian went. "Should let 'em ken, we Autobots aren' a threat. We jus' wanna kick the cons oot... soon as tha's done we'll merrily feck off 'pon our way 'gain. They're th' only reason we're here an' when they're gone... well, I'll still be makin' the engex deliveries, an' I'm sure there'll be bots comin' here to do their shoppin' an' all tha' crap. But there won't be such a... huge embuggerance of us."

Delusion shrugs. "They're all skittish amid the fighting," she comments. "A few of them can throw a punch, but as a rule they're unused to combat." She holds up a hand in greeting. "Have you had good hunting today?"

Encore chuckles "Not a bird within range." he says. "Which, when I'm smuggling highly volatile engex across heavily-contested airspace, is just how I like it." He laughs, offering her his flask. "There'll be a scramble at the Stopcock when it opens, mark my words lass. He'll let ken tha' I've been seen aroon'... smart people will dae th' math an' figure oot tha' I've jes' delivered to th' place. If y'wanna get a space at the bar, arrive early. I've le' Caliburn borrow Big Joe fer th' night."

Delusion accepts the offered flask and sniffs it once before taking a healthy swig and handing it back. "I should stop by, then. And, perhaps, it would be prudent to ensure that noone takes advantage of the gathering."

Encore nods "Aye, tha's why I lent him Joe. Feller's a bug Simian, wee bit shorter than me. Looks like one o' them Earth gorillas, dinnae ken where he's actually from." A pause. "Dinnae call him King Kong, Donkey Kong or anythin' like tha', he doesnae like it. I mean he won't dae anything to yez, he's a professional, but... he dinnae like it." He stashes the flask away.

Delusion nods. She fingers the handle of her scourge momentarily, then turns from her thoughts to address Encore again. "So.. if the Autobots succeed in driving the Decepticons out, they don't intent to establish any permanent base?"

Encore shrugs "No tha' I ken. Maybe a wee outpost if the locals want is to, but... pro'ly not. City was neutral before, tha's how I reckon it should stay. I've nae heard any talk on fortifying th' place up or stayin' once they're gone. I figure, we should only step in to keep th' place neutral. If they wanna join us, they can ask. It's nae our place t' force it, an' there's enough...discontent at our presence that I dinnae think it would be a smart idea anyway."

Delusion takes a pack of enercigs out of a storage compartment and offers it to Encore first. "Would you say that they resent more that the Autobots are involved in the war, or that they don't wish to be ruled by anyone at all?"

Encore shrugs, taking one of the enercigs and lighting it. "Dinnae ken, t' be honest wit' yez.Probably a wee bit of both." He says, after thinking about the question. "Some of 'em probably jes' plain resent th' fact tha' the war's come here at all an' are lashin' oot at the closest target."

Delusion nods, lighting one for herself before putting the pack away. "That matches with most of my observations. Though some are mere anarchists. There are a few in most societies."

Encore nods "Aye, you get 'em everywhere. Best thing you can dae with tha' sort is keep 'em under control an' point 'em in a useful direction. Doesnae always work but... it's better'n most of the alternatives."

"Long term detention tends to be a waste of resources," she agrees.

Encore nods "Aye, and you never ken sometimes they end up learning something along th' way." He chuckles.

Delusion stands without speaking for the moment, watching the smoke from the enercig, then flicking her gaze downwind to scan the buildings.

Encore is also wary and scanning the rooftops. "Y'got something?" he whispers

Delusion nods. "Not a Decepticon, though," she says. "Just some curious onlookers." She gestures loosely at one of the windows.

Encore blinks, scanning over in that direction. He smiles in a friendly way, then nods. "Well, at least they're nae throwin' stuff at us."

Delusion scans the other direction while she draws on the enercig, covering all bases. "I understand why they hesitate. Many find my appearance unsettling." She gives a sly smile.

Encore chuckles, nodding. "True." He says, equally alert. Backblast's recent sniper duel has him watching the buildings for the tell-tale lens-glint. "Aye, I 'spose. An' there's somethin' naturally intimidatin' aboot us big feckers."

Delusion nods. "Yes. Stiletto can do much to quiet a room simply by showing up. But it does entail trade offs."

Encore nods "Och, it does." He agrees. "Harder fer us tae get in some places... dinnae got a fart's chance in a hurricane o' blendin' in anywhere..."

Delusion is standing in an alley, calmly smoking enercigs with Encore as she keeps her optics open for trouble.

Encore is speaking about the difficulties being huge - he's taller than Optimus, and how he's got no chance of ever blending in.

Discretion walks up to the pair and just looks up at Encore. "Even if you were smaller I don't think you'd blend in. Your personality is as big, if not bigger than your frame."

Delusion lifts a hand in greeting to Discretion. "Find anything interesting, Disc?"

Encore chuckles "I'll take tha' as a compliment, lass." He pulls out his flask, takes a swig, and then offers it around.

Discretion shrugs, "A mixed bag of folks who want the 'Cons out, some who don't care, and others who want to be left alone."

Her gaze returns to Encore. "Good, because that's how it was intended." She holds a hand up and waves off the offered flask.

Delusion also waves off the flask, having already had some earlier. "This mech here," she points to Encore with the enercig. "Has delivered a batch of illicit intoxicants, so there'll be a gathering at the bar later." It would take a sharp eye to notice the glint in her optics to belie her straight face.

Encore nods "Pr'muchwhat I've found." He agrees, looking to Delusion. He shrugs and puts the flask away. "I go' my bouncer on standby in case Calburn needs 'im." he smirks. "An' it's nae tha' they're illicit, per se, it's jes wit' Con air superiority, delivery's nae easy."

Discretion considers possible options to help ease Encore's delivery issues. "Well, you could always take the road they wouldn't usually have eyes on from the sky; if you aren't doing that already."

Encore nods "Aye, we'd have t' hire ootsiders fer tha', the Suicide Jockey's only groundrunner is Backblast, and he can carry maybe a keg or two at max, and that's stretching it."

Delusion drops her enercig and grinds it out with her foot. "Is there some reason you wouldn't trust others with your engex?"

Discretion inclines her head at her sister's suggestion. "Rum runners and moonshiners did it back on Earth; not to mention if you have more than one person supplying it any seizure will have a smaller impact," she offers.

"Also, you may want to dig a little deeper into alternate transport routes than just the roads..."

Encore shrugs "Tradition, mainly. We smuggled it back 'fore th' war, we should keep it in-hoose." He chuckles, nodding thoughtfully. "Aye I suppose we could recruit more, or hire ootside but..." He laughs. "I'm a wee bit of a hideboond ol' fart in some matters."

Delusion contemplates the idea. "Moonshiner style races would likely be quite popular," she muses. "Especially if gambling on the results were allowed."

Encore nods "Aye but racing with engex is a -real- bad idea. Hell transporting it by ground at all is a bad idea full stop without cooling it." He chuckles, then sobers. "I dinnae ken if I would be happy to ken tha' someone was racing wit' a batch of my moonshine, took a turn too hard, rolled and blew hissel tae itty bitty pieces 'cause it got too warm and there was too big a shock."

Discretion reaches up and scrathes her chin. "So you're telling me you need a refridgerated, shock resistant container to make ground transportation feasible..."

Delusion leans against a wall nearby, tapping the handle of her whip. "Widget could whip something together relatively quickly. Especially if there were shanix to be made on it."

Encore nods "Pr'much. Each keg is about yay big." He holds his hands out on the size of the container. He nods, thoughtfully. "I'll buy one unit, something tha' Backblast can pull, as a trial. And I'll let word oot tha' Widget's the feller that built it, and tha' he does bigger... the market'll make itsel'."

Discretion quirks an optic brow at Encore. "Widget is part of our team, and there are no mechs on it."

Encore shrugs "Feller, lass, doesnae matter. There'll be shanix in it."

Delusion steeples her fingers in front of her torso and contemplates them. "We'd need a drop off of the containers locally. Knightmare wouldn't want attention brought back to home."

Encore nods "O' course. We'd only want the one - at first - for Backblast, but... I know a few good places for covert drops an' th' like. Valvolux, fer example, once we've liberated it, is full of 'em."

GAME: Discretion PASSES a TECHNICAL roll of Above Average difficulty.

Discretion nods, "We'd want one as a proof of concept anyway. That way we can fix any problems that show up with the design and meet your specs as things progress."

You say, "Valvolux does seem to have quite a lot of unused resources."

Encore nods. "'s a good place for it. Place should stay neutral, I jus' wanna shift the Cons oota here and leave th' people to their lives. If for no other reason than to thumb mah nose at them pricks like Drill Bit who said we was jes' here to occupy."

Delusion tilts her head at Encore. "If Valvolux returned to its neutral status, and was secure, do you think you'd be running engex through it to other places, as well?"

Encore looks thoughtful, then nods. "Aye. It'd be a good rest/fuel stop-off on the run out of Torraxis."

Delusion shares a look with Discretion. "I suppose we ought to go about our work, then," she says with a perfect poker face.

Discretion seems to be drawing out dimensions and figures in the air with a fingertip. It takes a few seconds for her to respond to Delusion, "I guess so."

Encore raises an eyebrow, then shrugs "Fly safe then." He smiles. "Let me ken when yer ready fer a test."

Delusion waves a farewell to Encore and gives Discretion a subtle nudge to the shoulder to get her to move while she thinks.

Log session ending at 17:41:35 on Friday, 6 July 2018