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Log Title: Seismic Strain

Characters: Dust Devil , Hot Rod , Imager , Soundwave

Location: Remote Desert Region

Date: November 12, 2021

TP: Wild Cybertron TP , Spotlight Imager TP

Summary: Seismic activity flares up in the Remote Desert region. And then, a mishap.

As logged by Ghost


TFU - Friday, November 12, 2021


Remote Desert Region[]

<< Autobot >> Nova Point Observatory reporting: We're picking up some ground tremors occurring in several locations across the upper hemisphere including near the peak here, several on the Iacon plains and way out by old Alyon.


<< Autobot >> Iacon reporting: We're picking up several series of rumblings, different epicenters around the plains.


<< Decepticon >> Praxus Aerie reporting: We're picking up some ground tremors occurring in several locations across the upper hemisphere including near the peak here.


<< Decepticon >> Tarn reporting: Same here southside, Near Tarn, just north of Polyhex and outside of Kaon.


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Slag. This isn't good. Give a general location Nova Point Observatory? En route."


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Ugh. Do we have any patrols in the area that can be dispatched?"


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Command, if none are available request consideration of approaching the Destrons to see if they have anything that can be deployed."


<< Autobot >> Iacon reporting: Near Alyon seems to be the largest in terms of the quakes right now.


<< Decepticon >> Deathsaurus says, "Polyhex Reporting: . Our forces are ready to be deployed as needed."


<< Decepticon >> Kaon Reporting: Patrol reports that we've a group in Praxus assigned to the aerie. Reporting is indicating that the largest tremors are coming from the Remote Desert Region right now.


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Thanks Iacon. En route. Good luck. Anyone near there might need to button up. And keep your scanners spacewards."


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Thank you Kaon, appreciated. Keep us informed please."


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "planet quakes?"


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "Not again."


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "well, yeah I'm free, I dunno about you all, but we can grab some scanners and maybe get some readings of stuff"


<< Autobot >> Iacon reporting: Affirmative. Smaller ones around the Iacon plains but sensors are reporting major groundswell activity in the Remote Desert Region near the Alyon ruins...


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "I'll get a hoversled"


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Thanks Imager. This has been really, really messy last couple times."


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "messy? its happened before?"


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "This'll be the third time. Last time Ultrix was bombarded."


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "...yeah...I heard about that. Wait, I thought this was a planetquake not some...whatever the smelt happened there"


<< Autobot >> Optimus Prime says, "Imager, Hot Rod, be cautious. And take some field medic supplies if you can." You invite Soundwave to join you.


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "Oh! uh...okay sir. I mean.......I'm not repair qualified, you know? but yeah, I can load that."


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "I got some supplies on me Prime, I can help"


<< Autobot >> Optimus Prime says, "Duct Tape, that medfoam that's shown up and splints would work in an emergency."


<< Autobot >> Optimus Prime says, "Good Dust Devil. Alyon is remote but the changes of injury with quakes shouldn't be downplayed for the team that goes out to investigate."



The ground here in the Remote Desert Region is not nearly as stable as it -should- be. Here and there, the very planet itself gives a tiny tremble, translating into sheets of sand and silica landsliding down as the desert is rearranged here and there, the dunes settling and resettling into new sinuous lines.



Imager kneels, her armored frame splitting apart to form a heavy grey hovercraft, complete with solar array. The young robot begins falling forwards, as his roof spins into place, legs come together, chest rises into position, and arms form into doors, converting him once again into a futuristic hot rod car.



Hot Rod is driving along at high speed, going on evasive as the ground starts to tremble, going to bounce along the dunes, maneuvering from each of them with jolts, undercarriage rattling.



A big grey hovercraft is bringing up the rear, towing a small skid of supplies using Imager's grapnel beam. Yes, thats what it was meant for, not for snagging bad guys out of the air. Her left rear intake flares up again, coughing and sputtering. << Aghhh Primus damn the desert and clogged intake vents. >>


The turbine sputters again and goes out, sending Imager wobbling as the Autobots start to reach their position.



Top o' the round to ya!


Another series of tremors starts, softer, rolling in bumps and waves. Well, soft for planet-quakes. The sand shifts and hisses as it's moved again and again, resettling, some faint electro-luminescence kindled by the constant friction.



Dust Devil is heading in a trajectory to meet up with the other bots. He's having no trouble with the desert himself as his forcefield protects him from much of the sand. << Marco! >>



When the tremors start, Imager transforms abruptly, and sinks her feet into the sand. She's then promptly hit by the sled she's been towing though it doesn't phase her much. Needless to say, she's got a lot on her processor. With disgust, she looks down at her feet, "I am going to sink in this place, I...really regret coming here" She calls out on shortwave radio << Hey guys, my IFF is 3211763 in case I... I dunno. fracking sink and disappear. I really don't want to spend an eon... >> And then the rumbling occurs again, pushing her to get with the program, She shakes her head, "Right right....planet problems...again." The big femme steps up on the sled, which sinks under her weight, and starts to break out the sensor kits that came along. One, she throws right into the middle of where the rumbling seems to be coming from...



Hot Rod could call out along inter-Autobot radio << I know I'm not exactly the one to say it, but the previous things of this have been really bad. Like 'altered surface of the planet bad'. So everyone take care and be on guard. Let's not get eaten or have something worse >> The Cavalier, who has ridden through this before multiple times, has his sensors pinging at their best rate. Sparks of silicon and whatever else on the ground bouncing off his external frame, leaving scorch marks along it. As Imager is going to bounce along towards the rumbling and her sled is playing rough-shod, he's making a veer towards that direction, ready to go to help.. And go on down.


The sleek, futuristic sports car begins to stand up, doors forming arms, hood lowing into the chest piece, roof twisting around one-eighty degrees. Soon, the familiar appearance of Hot Rod is revealed.



<< Autobot >> Imager says, "what makes you think this is related though?"


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "because if this is related, I am NOT sticking around."


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "MARCO!"


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Fact that the last incidents have all gone according to the same pattern. Ground destabilization, tremors, things pickable from orbit. And Nova Point Station tagged it last time. Sorry Imager."


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "If you want to disengage.. Go for it."


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "Hey guys pay attention to the frequency of the shaking...the wrong vibration can cause liquifaction of the sand and you'll sink just like if this was water."


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "yeah well if it does, you'll sink too, Dust Devil, I'm sure you get clogged turbines all the time"


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "anyway, throw out some more sensors while we can, hopefully THEY will sink and read more data"



Round!


The sand is acting more liquid-like in areas, even to the point of swirling as tremors seem to cross over certain spots as if there were more than 1 epicenter. The fine silica swirls and shifts, slowly growing 'whirlpools' of solids acting as if they were fluidic now. Flickers of that static charge build up pops and brightens here and there as the fine sand rubs against larger particles.

All players touching the -ground- in any way roll vs agil 7


GAME: Imager PASSES an AGILITY roll of High difficulty.


GAME: Hot Rod PASSES an AGILITY roll of High difficulty.


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "Whoa!"


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Everyone, watch it!"


GAME: Soundwave PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of High difficulty.



<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "Clogged turbines when I'm usin' my forcefield to keep the particulates out"


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "I'm headin yer way, anyone got some rope or tow cables?"


As Soundwave approaches, he can visualize the shifting sands.. And several areas where the duns have been rearranged in concentric rings, at the center which are small sand whirlpools crackling with static. They're clustered close to Alyon. Oh.. And there are Autobots too. But really, the concentric sand dune circles are rather noticeable from on high.



<< Autobot >> Imager says, "I'm good for the moment, but...this is getting worse"


<< Autobot >> Imager says, "I got my grapnel beam"


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "I have some ropes."



Dust Devil speeds over toward where the other bots are pinging. And frowns at how much activity is occurring in the sands. "Hope no one else has watched Dune...." He stares, "If it gets really bad I can maybe forcefield a ledge fer a bit but Ummmm anyone good at picking out solid rock from sand?"



<< Autobot >> Nova Point Observatory reporting: Picking up some larger shockwaves coming from the core, be careful team!


<< Decepticon >> Praxus Aerie reporting: Getting reports that there might be larger seismic waves coming up from the core from the old mine's sensors here in Praxus.


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod says, "Thanks Nova Point. How does this one scale to the previously reported ones?"


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Thank you Praxus, update is appreciated. Patrols in area, please update as you are available, it is appreciated."



Imager's foot starts to slip into the sand, and in reflex she falls onto the skiff with her, and pulls herself up before it goes bad. Half of the gear she brought was dislodged or smashed in the fall however. She looks around warily as the sand turns into an ocean about her. At least its not water. "What is causing all this?" She frowns and considers Dust Devil's words. frequency...shaking. Her eyes light up, "Sound!" She braces herself against the skiff, and puts a foot up on the hull of it. "Guys, this is going to look stupid, but...well, I'm giving it a try." Her shield transforms into her Vioello, and gets tucked to her chin. The trick would be finding the right frequency...if she even had a chance.


Soundwave is flying out to the desert, following the reports of the tremors. He scans the area, looking and listening for anything out of place. He watches the shifting sands a moment, noticing their proximity to Alyon. As he approaches, he notices that he is not alone. Autobots. He lands nearby, recording the quakes as he approaches on foot, trying to get some closer and more detailed scans. He watches Imager...what is she planning?


<< Decepticon >> Comm Guy Soundwave says, "Arriving on the scene. Autobot forces there, getting ready to try something. Bracing self."


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Be on alert"



As the group is starting to sink, Hot Rod goes to take a quick leap back, reflexes saving him as he's maneuvering away from the silicate-holds that are starting to vanish. "not getting any complaints with me! If it works, it works! And I'd really hate for us to find a huge-slagging Drill-worm burrowing along through here that's responsible for all this." He's on alert and ready to pop out a couple of ropes ready to hurl them up.. mostly trying to not fall!


<< Decepticon >> Comm Guy Soundwave says, "Seismic activity level: High."


<< Decepticon >> Ravage says, "Keep Rumble away or he'll make the situation worse."



The ground, the sands, everything stills, even that faint wisping of static-electricity dissipates as an overall calm crosses the region. The faint sound of Imager playing her Vioello carries far.. and wide.


Then felt, more than heard is the deep, low, subsonic rumble of the heavier planetary plating below the sands rupturing, the sands jiggle, fine spurts rising upwards before becoming sand geysers. Here.. there... concentrated on a region near the old city of Alyon, and one erupts.. beneath Imager!


Ground touching folks roll vs agil 8, Imager 9



GAME: Imager FAILS an AGILITY roll of Immense difficulty.


GAME: Hot Rod PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of Very High difficulty.


GAME: Hot Rod FAILS an AGILITY roll of Very High difficulty.


GAME: Dust Devil FAILS an AGILITY roll of Immense difficulty.


GAME: Soundwave FAILS an AGILITY roll of Very High difficulty.



The ground below Imager pushes upwards with a suddenness that's almost blinding, sand spurting before it -swallows- Imager up with great gouts of glowing silica that fires upwards, some sections hyper heated, cooling immediately into glass and landing with thunks. Other sand geysers do the same, firing out chunks of molten silica that rains down like a volcanic eruption.


One of the geysers erupts near Hot Rod, the ground gone completely unstable and weirdly liquid, sucking at him.


As Dust Devil moves across the sand, another uprising of the very ground ripples around him, as if all of a sudden he were in a valley surrounded by sand thats beginning to landslide inwards.


Soundwave's endeavor to land a bit off doesn't save his footing as a massive series of shakes strikes.


Those with sensory systems fined tuned can feel the static -prickle- of an electro-magnetic pulse rising upwards like a magma bubble from below as the sand again dances to the song of Cybertron. The ground shimmers, starting to glow in pockets of blue and green, spotty, dim, but present.



As the sand ripples and then suddenly surges and drops, Dust Devil finds no purchase to keep himself airborn. He transforms and hamsterballs, using the greater surface of the forcefield to try and keep him from being sucked under and then be buried. "Slaggit!" << Guys are you okay?! >>


A clarion tone peals out from Imager's vioello, radiating from the skiff. Its not too different a pose than she made just the other week. The sand settles. Imager shifts her gaze about worriedly, but finally it seems legit. She waves with the bow of her instrument, "Hah! See that? I think I j..." And then an explosive sand boil just erupts, upends the skiff and darkness takes her.


Falling, falling endlessly, her hands reaching up, Her optics flaring as she claws at the sand for any purchase. Her vioello disappears into the sand, it fills her optics, her vocalizers, she sinks and sinks, her large form utterly unable to fight off this foe.



Soundwave finds the ground moving underneath him, as he realizes the folly of landing. Soundwave quickly tries to take to the air again, letting out a gasp of surprise! The Autobots are left to their business briefly as he focuses on getting away from the ground trying to eat him alive.



Hot Rod is going to start to make a comment right as -something- is slinking up his heel struts, right where he'd been about to state something. "Waugh!" Right as the sands go to slither up and yank them on down and take them to deposit. "Slaaaaggg!" Going just to brace himself over as he would be buried and taken down along with the rest of them! The short range electronic pulse going to fritz over him and make him stagger, disorienting and jolting his sensors into overload and then a forced shutdown and reboot.


Radio clicking off, and he's just helpless to try and drag his way on through, not even sure which way was up and if he was flying, floating, or fumbling!



The rumbling continues, low and rapid, sand erupting in geysers, the triple whirlpools spinning rapidly as the dunes are re-arranged again, into 3 separate sets of concentric rings, one glowing green-blue at the center.


<< Autobot >> Imager has left this channel.



Dust Devil is struggling with the forcefield as he feels the electro magnetic pulses. His forcefield shrinks a lot, and he's struggling, head shaking with some confusion.



Disoriented, spinning, it was impossible to tell which way was up now. Her lasercore floods into overdrive. This was it, out of all the ways she could go, this was it. Channeling all power she could muster to her Helios Array, Imager fires it at full power, hoping for something, anything. A light to shoot out of the sand, a beam that cuts through the sand. anything. She can't even scream for help. Everything was burning about her, her thick armor glowing orange.



Tumbling along, Hot Rod would go to hold up his hand and switch it to the flamer. Setting it ot the lowest setting where it might as well just be a torch, he would go to power it up and set it for a wide area arc in a cone. This would mean as he would tumble the flame would go in a wide arc about five meters in front of him. Even without the disruptions of his sensors, it would be a frame of reference. Too low power to even crystallize the shifting silicon sands of Arrak.. We mean Cybertron, or to do more than surprise anyone if it came into contact with them.


But it was more than he could do to even get out a call at the moment, as he was sent tumbling around, losing sense of direction, orientation, and.. Yup, there went his internal gyroscope. That honestly might not be a bad thing in this situation..



The spin of the other two sandpools begins to slow as the rumbling lessens, the rippling waves of the ground slowing, the static pop of Electromagnetic pulses subsiding as well. The whirlpool glowing greenish blue brightens, a nimbus of light rippling underneath the surface, shifting the hue yellow-orange briefly. The sand slows, stilling as well before a soft 'whissh-pop' and there's the partial emergence of a vioello. Or part of one. Another stillness settles now, less fraught with the disturbed energies of the sands in motion, that lone pool still softly glowing with whatever energies have coalesced, pulsing once, twice, then blindingly so before subsiding.


Dust Devil sits on his little forcefield dish on the sand, trying to figure just what the hell happened. "Hot Rod? Imager?" He frowns and rubs his head again.



<< Autobot >> Nova Point Observatory reporting: Seems to be subsiding, whatever that was. Have some teams going out to take energy readings and check for damages.


<< Autobot >> Hot Rod <Sputter><reconnect> Ugh.. Imager? Location.



The sands settle, some smaller sliding happening as gravity asserts itself to pull and tug things back into place gently. That glowing spot begins to dim after that bright flash, slowly growing darker and darker until it's simply a pit amidst several rings of dunes.


<< Autobot >> Dust Devil says, "Imager?! Hot Rod where are you?!"


Hot Rod is currently crawling up and seems to be mostly surface-side. There's a chirp as his gyroscoptic stabilizer announces that it has rebooted, and then Hot Rod is hit with several hundred revolutions of backed up sensory transit data before his buffer can relapse and wipe them as unnecessary sensory data. He would twitch another moment, forcing himself upright and then noticing the vioello.


"Reporting.. In. Present." Going to force himself to scan, and seeing the instrument.. The instrument part, at least. And no Imager. Going to try and switch to short range radio << Imager? You picking this up? >> And then that -darkness- is going over and Hot Rod is going to snap his hand over to aim at it, his photon blaster rifle deploying. "Dust Devil, get out of here and go report back and take her violin with you." The lights vanishing is one more freakish thing on top of the others. Even as Hot Rod is trying his best to track it. And with his sensors rebooting not even sure Dust Devil is -around-.


Dust Devil frowns, and tries to half reboot his systems. "But I can't leave you guys....What if they come back and swallow you too?"


DUN DUN DUUUUUN


Hot Rod would glance at Dust Devil, "Imager's missing. This area is going to mess with you thanks to the EMP's. We can't be sure on radios working this far out with the systems damage we took. You're faster than I am and can get back to help and back. Your force fields will make the transit easier. Get out of here and get help. No Autobot left behind. I'm not damaged in anything that my auto-repair systems can't fix. We both can't stay out here and if we don't keep searching we might lose her. So one of us goes back and other stays here to keep searching. We have those sensors she brought with us so I'll use those to setup mobile relays so when you get back we can keep in touch. Dust Devil, please."

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