Blockade Running

Log Title: Blockade Running Characters: Ar-Gent Silverfinger, Blast Off, Dirk Manus, Knightmare, Lori, Marissa Faireborn, Sci-Nide, Scourge, Vortex Location: Inner Orbit-Earth Date: February 25, 2019 TP: Non-TP Summary: Decepticons are attempting to blockade Earth. At least one space merchant is going to run it. As logged by  Ar-Gent Silverfinger

Log session starting at 19:21:04 on Monday, 25 February 2019.

'''Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the tradeship Lazy Sue. Home to brave captain Dirk Manus, currently trying to zip through the Decepticon blockade surrounding Earth. After achieving an appropriate approach vector and velocity, Manus shut down power to every non-vital system on the ship, hoping to skate past Decepticon sensors. His target: Vilnacron Station in Earth's orbit.'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger has noticed the Decepticons closing their grip over Earth, even shooting at him a few times. He's annoyed. And thus, Evil Inc keeps a close watch on the orbit, looking for an opportunity to smash things. They lie in wait, like bad shrimp. Ar-Gent himself flies outside Spaceball-1, back far enough to get a more comprehensive view of the potential fight zone. He's the director type more than an actor.'''

'''#10505 approaches Vilnacron. With its systems shut down, its pilot is sure the last leg of the trip will be smooth sailing. Nonetheless, Dirk keeps a watchful eye on the Sue's sensors.'''

'''Scourge hovers with the group of Decepticons in orbit, scanning and identifying the approaching vessel. "Contraband vessel approaching," he growls to the others over the communicator, "You know what to do with it." He charges up his weaponry in preparation to open fire on the Lazy Sue.'''

'''Shuttle Gunner is a drone - a non-sapient copy of Blast Off, lacking any of the original's skill or panache. All SG is really good for is routine patrols. However, in this case, he may come in useful. When the Lazy Sue is identified, SG moves in, powering up its weaponry. It may not be smart, but it can follow Scourge's simple directions if needed. It does, indeed, know what to do with it. Shuttle Gunner swoops in and locks on target.'''

'''Evil Destroyer  floats quietly in space, drifting along like so much space kruft. Currently spoofing a signal to look like more junk, and masking the magnifince of Ar-Gent as well.'''

'''Vortex isnt very space capable, however hes come along for the ride. He snarls at the presence of the shuttle gunner. "Right. So let's show this fake-combaticon how real combaticons do things." He says "Let me out. I might be a chopper but I'll do a better job then it will." yeah hes defensive.'''

'''Phase-Ar is currently patrolling in orbit. "Captain's log... stardate 61461.1... The Enterprise is..patrolling the neutral zone. We expect the situation to be... volatile. We are currently running at... yellow alert."'''

<> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "Well, we've seen the opening moves. Get ready to join the dance."

'''Blast Off has been eying that other shuttle, not sure what to make of it. But if it's non-sentient, then... well... He can be heard huffing over his speaker systems to Vortex in a haughty sort of agreement. "<< Indeed. Let's. No non-sentient shuttlecraft holds a candle to *my* magnificence!~ >>" His cargo bay door opens as he scans the scene, finding a target to lock onto. "<< I'll show them how you snipe in space! >>"'''

'''>> Blast Off strikes Independent Freighter  with Laser . <<'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger sees the Decepticons moving in and makes a decision. Now is the time to strike! He moves out from behind Spaceball-1's shadow, gleaming in all his shiny glory. << Shove off, >> he radios over broadband. << I'm working this side of the street! >> He shoots some bullets at the Decepticons to warn them off while he issues orders to Sci-Nide to advance.'''

'''>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger strikes Blast Off with Machine-Gun . <<'''

<> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "Advance, Sci-Nide, and take advantage of my diverting presence!"

'''Independent Freighter > Dirk Manus sits up suddenly as the Lazy Sue indicates a weapons lock-on. "No no no..." he mutters to himself, hurrying to bring up shields and weapons before the Decepticons can blow him out of the sky. Flicking on the comm, he quickly broadcasts a call for help. << Um, EDC. This is Captain Dirk Manus of the trade ship Lazy Sue, calling Earth. I have a bit of a problem up here - namely a bunch of knuckleheaded Decepticons. Normally I could handle 'em myself, but I have a cargo hull full of delicate medical supplies bound for Vilnacron Station, and I could use some help shaking off my unwelcoming welcoming committee. Do you copy? >>'''

'''Lazy Sue rocks as Blast Off's laser burns across its hull. On the cramped bridge, Dirk curses in Epsilon Ariadne. Flipping a switch, he tries to bring up the Sue's shields.'''

'''>> Independent Freighter  projects a forcefield over itself. <<'''

'''The Sweep Leader notices the Lazy Sue is still on approach despite the attacks. He fires up his own cannon, taking aim and attempting to pierce the hull. "The fool, he's no match for us. His attempt to run our blockade will be futile. Sweeps, attack!"'''

'''>> The forcefield protecting Independent Freighter  deflects Scourge's Incendiary-Cannon ! <<'''

'''Shuttle Gunner follows the other Decepticons, opening fire on the Sue and trying to bring down its shields. Its wing-lasers lance out, zeroing in on the independent freighter.'''

>> Shuttle Gunner's assault overwhelms the forcefield protecting Independent Freighter !<<

'''>> Independent Freighter  is partially struck by Shuttle Gunner's Laser ! <<'''

'''Evil Destroyer  drops it's 'cloaking field' and begins heading towards the fray. One of the side doors unseals allowing the resident evil genuis, Sci-Nide to lean out to get a view of the fray. The mech looks back inside and transmits, <> A brief beat. <> Turning back he reveals an oviod shaped weapon and aims it at the leader of the Sweeps. As he pulls the trigger a horde of gleaming metal... vegtables... is sent forth into space. Just then Spaceball-1 shoots a laser towards... Shuttle Gunner... Oops.'''

'''>> Sci-Nide misses Scourge with Salad Shooter Of Doom <Medium>. <<'''

'''>> Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> misses Shuttle Gunner with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Phase-Ar picks up the distress call, and the weapons fire, and fires his thrusters to bank around and head over to help. "Red Alert!" he says, sounding the red alert klaxon. "Shields and deflectors to full!" he says as he activates his shield grid. "Captain's log, supplemental... the Enterprise is.. responding to a distress call. A civilian freighter has come under attack by... hostile Romulans."'''

'''>> Phase-Ar projects a forcefield over himself. <<'''

'''In surprisingly little time, an Autobot shuttle climbs from the planet below to assist the imperiled Lazy Sue. At the helm is EDC Commander Marissa Faireborn. << You can relax now, Captain Manus, >> Faireborn radios. << The EDC is here to back you up. >> Zooming into the fray, Faireborn arms her shuttle's weapons and immediately targets the nearest Decepticon. << This is your one warning, Cons, >> she sends out over short range broadcast. << Desist this attack and withdraw, or look forward to a future as so much space junk. >>'''

'''Blast Off gets blasted, causing the snooty Combaticon shuttle to rock to the side with a wheezing rumble. "<< How *dare* they tarnish my finish? I just got detailed! *Hufffff!* Well, I'll soon put an end to that! >>" His lasers lock onto the spaceship once more, this time aiming the X-Ray laser from under his nosecone for a heavier dose of laserfire. '''

'''Then an *Autobot shuttle* shows up? He radios right back, "<< /Please/. If you Autofools and allies had any sense, you'd turn tail and fly back down to the planet where you *belong*. You're no match for *real* shuttlecraft! >>"'''

'''>> Blast Off misses Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with X-Ray-Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger would smile widely if he were in a shape for it. Indeed, it seems like he jigs and jogs closer in an almost merry fashion. << Ah, a heroic captain to defend the benighted! And a feisty human! Excellent! Evil Inc welcomes your assistance in thrashing these scurrilous enemies of finance! >> He is broadcasting to everybody, playing the crowd even as he goes in to personally knock plates with Blast Off.'''

'''>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger misses Blast Off with Ram. <<'''

'''Lazy Sue rocks again as the Decepticons bring down its shields almost immediately. The Sue starts to drift off course as one of its engines in damaged. Making a quick change to the auto-pilot, Manus aims for high-orbit instead, luckily changing course just in time to dodge Blast Off's latest attack.'''

'''Manus drops down to one of the weapons pods. Slipping into the turret, Manus grimaces. "Is it Monday on this planet? It feels like Monday," he complains to an empty ship, opening fire on the Shuttle Gunner. << Heroic captain? >> he radios Ar-Gent. << Oh, yeah. That's me. Much appreciation for the assist, heh, 'Evil Inc.' Nice doing business with ya. >>'''

The Lazy Sue targets shuttle with its weapons.

'''>> Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> strikes Shuttle Gunner with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Scourge growls as the Evil Incorporated ship interferes. "Don't you have better things to do, like interfering with those goody-goody Junkions?" he snaps at the ship that attempted to hit him. "Take that, to teach you to interfere with the Decepticons!" He returns fire on the craft.'''

'''>> Scourge strikes Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> with Laser-Blaster <Medium>. <<'''

'''Shuttle Gunner slips in behind Blast Off, following its 'big brother' shuttle and trying to follow Boff's lead... except for the missing part, of course. As the Lazy Sue fires at it, Shuttle Gunner returns fire, lancing out with kinetic rounds as the Lazy Sue's quad-bolt cannons rake its delicate armor. Shuttle fragments drift spinning in space. Shuttle Gunner simply presses on, however, moving in with its relentless attack.'''

'''>> Shuttle Gunner misses Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with Laser <High>. <<'''

'''Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> has some of it's plating scorched off by Scourge's blaster. It winds up for another shot with some larger artillery at the Sweep leader. Meanwhile Sci-Nide focuses his shoulder cannon on the, surprisingly accurate, copy of Blast Off to release a stream of laser energy at him.'''

'''>> Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> misses Scourge with Heavy Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''>> Sci-Nide misses Shuttle Gunner with Laser-Blast <Medium>. <<'''

'''Vortex joins in the frey, using his boosters to join at his brother's side "So. Lets show them who's gonna win this right?" he asks. He chuckles. "Hey crazier then me people. Take this!" with that he fires on the lazy sue.'''

'''>> Vortex misses Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Some days, it just doesn't pay to fly when you have the chance. Case in point: a certain human who, courtesy of major experimentation by a rogue Decepticon scientist, has a power-armor integrated /into/ her body, only to come out a la Extremis Iron Man. Crazy, right? And so here the G.I. Joe pilot formerly known as Banshee is, flying supersonic without the benefit of an aircraft, when she gets an alert through her data relays. She hmms for a moment, pondering whether or not to do anything, then inwardly shrugs. What the hell, let's see what happens. If nothing else, it could be one of those 'tests' the scientists all enjoy subjecting her to.'''

'''She looks up, altering course as she flies upwards... higher and higher, until finally she's aware of the battle going on in orbit. Well, that and the fact that she can actually see the curvature of the Earth. Last time that happened... well, that was nearly a decade ago, after escaping from the aforementioned rogue Decepticon scientist. But hey, it's still quite a sight to behold.'''

'''But that sight is short-lived, before her attention returns to the battle ahead. And so she pushes herself onwards, setting her sights on one of the Lazy Sue's attackers. With no friction now in the vacuum of space, the scramjets in her armor rocket her into the fray, optics blazing as she targets said attacker -- the Shuttle Gunner. Suddenly she shifts from flight into more of an upright position, letting the lack of inertia keep her moving forward as the central chest-arc glows, brighter and brighter until finally, she lets loose with a blast.'''

This should be interesting...

'''>> Lori misses Shuttle Gunner with Chest-Arc <Medium>. <<'''

'''Phase-Ar brings himself to bear on Blast Off. "Torpedoes armed and ready... phasers fully charged. It is a GOOD day to die! Attack pattern Beta 3!" he says, performing a few evasive maneuvers as he closes in. Then from the launcher under his 'chin' he unleashes a glowing blue projectile that sails towards the Combaticon shuttle, carrying a payload of pain courtesy of an anti-matter warhead.'''

'''>> Phase-Ar strikes Blast Off with Photon Torpedo <Low>. <<'''

'''Autobot Shuttle <Federation> rushes towards Blast Off, powering up its weapons. Careful not to hit Ar-Gent or Phase-Ar, Faireborn opens fire, piling on against the blazin' braggart Blast Off. << Go back to Cybertron, Decepticons! >> Marissa radios. << You're not welcome here, and we're more than capable of taking out the trash! >> She pilots the shuttle up and away from the Junkions, using the three-dimensional nature of Zero-G combat to her advantage to flank Blast Off from 'above'.'''

'''>> Autobot Shuttle <Federation> misses Blast Off with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Blast Off ....missed? There's a moment the pontificating shuttle suddenly is silent, as if in shock. Then he huffs again, doing a slow barrel roll as if shaking it off. He quickly goes from surprised to denying he missed at all on the Decepticon radio, "<< I will NOT miss again. I was simply... actually, I was being *sporting*. I gave them a warning shot, is all. NEXT time I will be serious! Yes. >>" Yes, that's it! That was totally intentional on his part! '''

'''Then the Lazy Sue goes for the up close and personal treatment, which causes the standoffish shuttle to immediately #Nope outta there quick. He doesn't like up close and personal! "<< Ah-ah! I do not think so! You're really no match for me. I let you off with a warning shot last time, but *this* time... >>" He then notices Shuttle Gunner following- then missing. "<< Er... we *both* were simply firing warning shots. It is only sporting, after all. >>" Next, Vortex. "<< Yes, we'll.... ah. >>" Looks like Vortex is doing more "giving them a sporting chance" ...i.e. whifffest. '''

'''Yes.... wait, what's that? Blast Off finds himself staring (through sensors) as Lori appears... what exactly *is* she? He's distracted, and just as he realizes Phase-Ar is coming at him, he's hit, rocking the shuttle again. "<< Arrgh! That *does* it! >>" The Combaticon circles around to attempt return fire. "<< No warning shots THIS time! >>" This time, at least, he sees the Autobot shuttle coming and is able to hit the thrusters and evade the attack while biting back on the radio. "<< Ha! The space debris here will be *you* in short order, fleshling. You can't even survive out here outside your ship's protective shell, is that not correct? Tsk. >>"'''

'''>> The forcefield protecting Phase-Ar deflects Blast Off's X-Ray-Laser <Medium>! <<'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger whiffs past Blast Off and fires retro thrusters to brake, then transforms. << Always glad to help a fellow captain of commerce! >> A bit more discreetly, he tightbeam radios to the Lazy Sue. << Evil Inc does sometimes hire independent contractors, by the way. If you survive this encounter, perhaps we can arrange a chat and discuss possibilities. >>'''

'''Ar-Gent draws a laser pistol, but in his enthusiasm for business, he's drifted past Blast Off and now has the fake shuttle in his sights. He fires, anyway. One Decepticon shuttle is as good as another, right?'''

The jet unfolds and rearranges itself into Ar-Gent Silverfinger, who dusts himself off briefly.

'''>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger misses Shuttle Gunner with Laser <High>. <<'''

'''Vortex tries to cover Blast Off. "Allright, this time we'll both hit. We're not gonna make laughing stocks of ourselves here." hes in professional mode tonight. Lets see if that helps him fire.'''

'''>> Vortex misses Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue>> Dirk Manus chuckles. << I'm always looking for new business partners! >> Manus radios back to Ar-Gent. << Help me get out of this alive, and you'll definitely get a discount! >> Manus laughs. As Ar-Gent turns his focus on the Shuttle Gunner, Dirk presses his attack as well. Spinning in his turret pod, he fires a stream of cannon-fire on the agile shuttle, trying to hit it as it speeds past.'''

The Lazy Sue targets gunner with its weapons.

'''>> Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> strikes Shuttle Gunner with Ballistic <Medium>. <<'''

'''Scourge snorts as the Evil Junkion misses again. "Incompetent trash," the Sweep Leader says, as he again returns fire at the vessel that's trying to distract him from his goal.'''

'''>> Scourge strikes Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> with Acid-Ray <Medium>. <<'''

<<Evil Inc.>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "Status report, Sci-Nide. How's the old girl handling?"

'''Shuttle Gunner zips around crazily, dodging this attack and th' other. With no passengers and all of its attention focused on evasive maneuvers (instead of gloating and huffing), the Shuttle Gunner at least keeps from getting creamed - until the Lazy Sue strafes it with its quad-bolt cannons. Spinning in the zero-G, Shuttle Gunner opens up its cargo bay and deploys an Ionic-Blaster, which it immediately fires on the Sue.'''

'''>> Shuttle Gunner misses Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with Ionic-Blaster <Medium>. <<'''

'''Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> doesn't get out of the way of the sickening, green beam from Scourge etches some of it's panels. As the shuttle turns a pair of small, mismatched panels open long enough for a rocket to be launched... at the offending Con. Evil Inc's resident mad scientist steps onto the surface of the shuttle so can survey the damage and have a wider filed of fire. Again the Oviod weapon comes up and gets aimed back at the duplicate shuttle. It fires a series of 'paintballs', only these are filled with super sticky glue.'''

'''>> Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> strikes Blast Off with Rocket. <<'''

'''>> Sci-Nide misses Shuttle Gunner with Glue-Gun <Medium>. <<'''

'''Knightmare approaches the coming battle from the Earth, the Dominicon leader having made a sidetrip to the world to pick up a order of... none of you concerns, nope, not at all. All that is important is she caught the battle on her sensors and since she was still mildy pissed off at what had occured to Delusion a few weeks ago the odds in the fight matter little to her as her engines drive her quickly towards the fight, her sensors picking up two particular pains in the aft.'''

'''The Dominicon Fighter spins a bit as she puts on a bit more speed as she streaks into the fight and aims right for the Twiddle Dee Twins, a.k.a. Blast Off and Vortex, a smattering of flechette rockets dropping off her phylons to streak towards their general area, announcing her arrival with a smattering of fireworks.. the deadly kind, before she races between the two and transforms, her mace dancing with energy and the heavy shield expanding to full size.'''

<<Evil Inc.>> Sci-Nide says, "She'll hold together."

'''>> Knightmare strikes Vortex with Flechette Rocket <Medium>. <<'''

Federation> GAME: Marissa FAILS an INTELLIGENCE roll of Average difficulty.

Vortex lowers to become a deadly looking helicopter.

'''Vortex Sees Blast Off go get hit and snarls. "Blast Off! I'll get oyou out of he.." and then the Dominicon shows up "Ahh slag. Uh.. hi." He starts up his rotors, tyring to do the impossible. Nope, his funnels are out of the quesiton. He'll have to fight her with traditional Vortex weapons. He fires a missle at her. "Well hi there. Welcome to the party!"'''

'''>> Vortex strikes Knightmare with Missile. <<'''

'''Frowning within the confines of her armored helmet, Lori corkscrews up and around, angling in on the Shuttle Gunner for another attack. Leading off with the chest-arc was perhaps not the wisest of ideas, but it had been worth a shot; after all, it's not like she's actively fought in space before. Eyes narrow within the helmet, and the optics on the helmet mirror that facial tic. Instead, she takes advantage of the moment, darting back 'down' and inverting flight underneath the Shuttle Gunner. "Let's try this..." Hands open up to reveal the glowing aperture in each palm, and suddenly a twin pair of laser blasts fire, once from each hand as she tests the Shuttle Gunner's wing armor. The amusing image of actually slicing off the shuttle's wings floats through her mind, but she isn't really expecting that to actually happen...'''

'''...unless her armor's keeping secrets from her, at any rate. But really, what are the odds of that?'''

'''>> Lori strikes Shuttle Gunner with Dual-Palm-Blast <Medium>. <<'''

'''Phase-Ar watches as Blast Off gets pretty well riddled, so he shifts targets. "Moving to secondary target. Attack pattern Alpha 2!" he says, aiming at the Blast Off knock off, sending a pair of phaser beams at the drone.'''

'''>> Phase-Ar strikes Shuttle Gunner with Phaser <Medium>. <<'''

'''Federation> Unseen, Marissa frowns in frustration as her attack misses Blast Off. She brings and Federation around, her frown deepening at all the moving targets on her viewscreen. Simulator training is one thing... real life is proving to be a lot more chaotic. She tries to target Blast Off again, only to see a rocket from the Spaceball I slam into him, and then a new player join the scene. Banking right,she avoids the newcomer as she targets the Decepticons. << You're outnumbered and outgunned! >> she broadcasts. << Your blockade is over! >>'''

'''This is turning out to be one of /those/ days for the stuffy shuttle. Blast Off will soon wish he'd stayed on planet with Astrotrain. Probably also wish he'd not spoken quite SO loudly about his spacecraft superiority. Knightmare comes rocketing in, sending a spray of weaponfire that peppers the shuttle's hull. He huffs to Vortex, "<< Yes, let us show these meager planet-bound guttersnipes the meaning of- >>" Well, he never does finish that sentence. The Evil Destroyer Spaceball suddenly turns its massive weaponry system towards him and fires. "<< Err... >>" That's a HUGE ship with a lot of rockets coming his way, and he does NOT do well with anything explosive. especially when it's HIM doing the exploding. The shuttle tries to turn but he doesn't get far before the rockets hit their mark, leading to a cascade of impacts that send shuttle armor, ceramic tiles, and bits of wings and fuselage all over. '''

'''He doesn't even make a sound, not that it could be heard well in space anyway. He doesn't have enough energy left to even complain, or snark back at his opponents. There's a sputter as what's left of his shredded thrusters attempts to fire up enough to start boosting himself away from the scene of battle. "<< Vort...*zt*tex.... ap...*krt* plogies.... >>" He tries to get out as he starts limping... er, floating away, leaving a sparkling trail of colorful ceramic tiles glinting in the '''

starlight.

'''>> Blast Off retreats from the area, leaving himself open to Scourge, Phase-Ar, and Lori. <<'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger humphs at the miss. He did better as a jet. At least Spaceball-1 is proving as fearsome a dreadnaught as ever. And what's this? A *new* player on the field, firing at the Decepticons. Interesting! The Evil Inc leader fires another blast at the dummy Blast Off and then transforms into a jet, firing thrusters to get closer and possibly introduce himself.'''

'''>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger strikes Shuttle Gunner with Laser <Medium>. <<'''

Ar-Gent Silverfinger rapidly transforms into his privately owned jet and prepares to get the heck out of here.

'''Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue>> Dirk Manus laughs as he teams up with Lori, Phase-Ar, and Ar-Gent to pound on the shuttle drone after its big brother got smeared by the giant destroyer. << Looks like I didn't have to worry about the Dec-- >> he starts to brag, but then realizes that the auto-pilot isn't sliding the Sue into orbit as planned --- and is instead spiraling him towards Earth. "That's not good," he deadpans, climbing up out of the turret and back into the bridge. "Son of the First One," he mutters as the Sue begins to heat up....'''

'''Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue>> >> Dirk Manus retreats from the area, escaping all attackers. <<'''

'''Seeing as the Evil Inc ship is now currently occupied elsewhere, the Sweep leader returns his attention to the Lazy Sue. If the ship has a chance of going down, he's going to make certain of it. He pursues the craft and fires at it once more, intending to destroy or cripple it.'''

'''>> Scourge strikes Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue> with Laser-Blaster <Medium>. <<'''

'''Shuttle Gunner gets hammered from all sides. Part of one wing is sliced off by Lori, and panels from all over its damaged body leave a trail of space debris in its wake. As Blast Off is forced to retreat, Gunner moves in, taking his place. The drone sails over to Vortex, ready to provide an evac for the crazy Combaticon as soon as she's done killing things. In the meantime, the Gunner fires at the Spaceball I, in emotionless revenge for what it did to Boff.'''

'''>> Shuttle Gunner misses Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> with X-Ray Laser <High>. <<'''

'''Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> closes the missle ports just in time for Shuttle Gunner's best impression off Blast Off. Sadly, the beam just as weak as the original is right now as it gets absorbed by Evil Junkion Technology. Firing manevuering thrusters the ship turns towards the little shuttle. It's engines coming to life as it picks up speed. Sci-Nide seems undisturbed as he transforms into an independent weapons platform as he attempts to zero in on Scourge. It unleashes a scorching hot, bright red beam into space...'''

'''>> Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> strikes Shuttle Gunner with Smash. <<'''

Shuttle Gunner is overcome by injuries, losing consciousness.

Sci-Nide seems to shrink as the barrel on his shoulder extends and his head receeds into his chest, forming into a massive Death Ray (intended for purely peaceful purposes).

'''>> Sci-Nide misses Scourge with Heat Ray <Medium>. <<'''

'''Knightmare shakes off the missile strike from Vortex, most of the damage being shrugged off by her shield. She growls a bit as Blast Off is out of her reach so turns her full focus on Vortex as she floats there in space, "It seems you will have to do, so let's see if I can use those rotors of yours to dig your arms out, little chopper, so I can make them a gift for my Daughters."'''

'''Her thrusters and jets flare to life as she charges at Vortex, her shield leading the way as she quite literally tries to barrel her way through the Combaticon with her shield leading the way. '''

'''>> Knightmare strikes Vortex with Shield Bash. <<'''

'''>> Vortex temporarily loses motor functions from the attack! <<'''

'''Vortex is struck HARD. He snarls. "Another time, Dominicon. My hands.. or your optics.." he tries to turn to fly off, knowing when it sbest to run.'''

'''>> Vortex retreats from the area, leaving himself open to Scourge, Ar-Gent Silverfinger, Blast Off, Phase-Ar, and Lori. <<'''

'''Lori does a 180, arching backwards to reorient herself into her typical flight pose after veering off from Shuttle Gunner. System readings flash across her HUD, but everything looks nominal for the time being. Seeing Blast Off and Vortex in retreat is a nice thing to see, though seeing Scourge gives her pause. That would be quite the target, but there's no telling if she could actually take on the Sweep leader, and she's certain her superiors would flip their lids. So, for the moment, she moves to flank the Federation.'''

'''Federation> "Oh, no!" Marissa gasps as the Lazy Sue starts to drag in the atmosphere. "Captain Manus!" Breaking off from the fight (since it seems like her new allies have things well in-hand anyway), she brings the Federation around and pursues the trade ship. << Manus! >> Faireborn radios. << Prepare to abandon ship! I'll move in and pick you up! >> Doing her best to match his speed, Faireborn brings the Federation as close to the Lazy Sue as she dares.'''

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger is pleased at how well things are going! The Spaceball-1 looms over the field, and the Decepticons are fleeing. In fact, that helicopter chap is limping away in a positively inviting manner! And after the femme engaged him! Rude. Ar-Gent takes a shot with his guns.'''

'''>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger misses Vortex with Machine-Gun <Medium>. <<'''

'''Lazy Sue is indeed crippled by Scourge's strike, and it's all Manus can do to slow its descent. "Come on, Manus," he grumbles through clenched teeth. "After all these raeys, you're really going to die over mudball Earth?" Manus does everything he can to put on the brakes, and then steps to the back of the ship to try to get the shields back up before he either a) cooks, or b) crashes. Opening up a panel in the floor, Dirk drops down with a set of tools, and works as quickly as possible as the Lazy Sue continues to plummet towards Earth. << Not on your life, >> Manus radios back to Faireborn. << I'm getting these medical supplies to Vilnacron if it's the last thing I do! >>'''

Independent Freighter <Lazy Sue>> GAME: Dirk Manus FAILS a TECHNICAL roll of Extreme difficulty.

<<Evil Inc.>> Sci-Nide says, "Are we rescuing the shuttle plummeting into the atmosphere?"

<<Evil Inc.>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "Ah, well, I suppose we ought to. He can't tell others of our exploits if he dies."

'''The other Decepticons appear to be in trouble, and the Sweep Leader sighs. Well, the Lazy Sue is more or less taken-care-of, at least as far as he can tell. He retreats with the others, the objective more or less completed. "Sweeps, follow me!" he orders, as he heads in the same direction the other Decepticons are taking.'''

'''>> Scourge retreats from the area, leaving himself open to Ar-Gent Silverfinger, Blast Off, Phase-Ar, and Lori. <<'''

'''Shuttle Gunner bravely faces off against the massive Spaceball I - only to wind up splattered like a bug on a windshield. The Shuttle Gunner winds up imbedded in the front of the Junkion destroyer, at best a new ornamentation - at worst, another layer of very flat armor. He's probably not going to be retreating with the rest. #sad'''

'''Sci-Nide transforms and runs back inside the dreadnought to a supplementary weapons control console. The mech does his best to aim the tractor beam at the Lazy Sueship before blasting it at full power. To slow and, if possible, reverse it's impending meeting with the ground.'''

GAME: Sci-Nide PASSES a TECHNICAL roll of Immense difficulty.

'''Knightmare floats there for a moment then reaches out and picks up one of the scraps left behind by Vortex then moves over to where Blast Off's location was and collects something there as well, "Take a scratch and run. Combaticon's my aft they are." She turns her focus on the falling shuttle and the efforts to rescue it and sends a general broadcast, <<Is assistance needed?>>'''

'''Lori hears the radio chatter from Marissa aboard the Federation, and she moves to fly in close as well. In fact, she moves closer still, then launches ahead before slowly turning around to face the Lazy Sue. She has no idea if this is going to work, but hey... it's worth trying, right? Big as the Lazy Sue is and small as she is, the best she can hope for is to slow the descent and buy Marissa enough time to get Manus off the ship. And so she grabs the ship, bracing herself against the hull as much as possible before kicking in her scramjet thrusters.'''

'''Autobot Shuttle <Federation> matches the trajectory of the Lazy Sue... just as it suddenly slows and then begins to change course. Between Lori and the Spaceball I, the Lazy Sue is saved. The Federation wildly overshoots, and Marissa has to take it into a wide arc to bring it back around to give chase. << Banshee. Spaceball I, >> she radios others. << ... I appreciate the help. Do you require any assistance? >> Marissa pulls the Federation alongside the Spaceball I, but keeps a respectful distance.'''

<<Evil Inc.>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "Just hold it there, then."

'''Ar-Gent Silverfinger heads down towards the atmosphere and transforms a short distance away from the transport. He gives the various beings one of his charming smiles. << Well, just what is the plan, here? A catch is one thing, but this is hardly the place to linger. >>'''

'''Lazy Sue is pulled out of its descent by Lori and the Spaceball I. Manus gives up his field repair and heads back up to the tiny cockpit. << I think it's under control, >> he radios Knightmare. << But trust that I appreciate the help from all of you! When I get back to Vilnacron Station, the drinks are on me! >> Manus pulls up the damage reports and frowns. Ick. This supply run just got expensive. He looks out of the window at Ar-Gent and Lori. << Could the two of you help me get back to the station? >> he asks, chagrinned.'''

'''Evil Destroyer <Spaceball I> carefully pulls the Lazy Sue out of the atmosphere and holds it there. Sci-Nide starts his own scan of the damaged vessel. << Oh, I don't see why we can't get you back without something else falling off. >>'''

Knightmare simply floats there as she waits but finally she is answered so she nods a bit before the Dominicon spins in place and she changes forms again before darts off back towards Cybertron.

Ar-Gent Silverfinger lingers long enough to supervise the recovery.

<<Evil Inc.>> Ar-Gent Silverfinger says, "This has been a nice diversion. And we routed some Decepticons. Well done."

'''Federation> << I'll fly ahead and make sure they're ready to receive a damaged ship! >> Faireborn radios, and turns the shuttle around once more, making a beeline for Vilnacron Station. She radios ahead for docking permission, and then carefully pilots the shuttle into its landing bay, waiting there for the others while she reports back in to Earth below.'''

Autobot Shuttle <Federation> has left.

Log session ending at 23:21:05 on Monday, 25 February 2019.