A Medic's Perspective

-Blast Off winds his way down a street in Kaon near Wreckage Row. The shuttleformer has a lot on his mind (though when *doesn't* he?) but foremost right now is his sighting of Autobots in Kaon- and Whirl. He shot Whirl- in the head- and isn't quite sure what happened to him. Nor has he made an effort to find out. I mean, for one, the crazy mech was threatening him, and so Blast Off shot him! But... also... Blast Off was jealous. He didn't think about it... not as much as perhaps he *should* have. he's a soldier, a warrior- battle is in his circuitry. 
Still.... somewhere in the back of his head he wonders if he *should* have shot Whirl- and how the emch is doing. And he knows one person who might know- Panacea, who he just saw here the other night. So he makes his way towards her shop.... by happenstance. Or is it?
-Panacea is sitting inside her shop, looking over some datapads. When she has patients she collects a lot of information from them for her medical records. A rough 'open' sign hangs slightly askew over her doorway, the light flickering slightly. It wouldn't do to look too polished in Kaon, which is why she set it up to look artfully 'low caste'. Simply existing in the city is somewhat dangerous, but she considers it her calling, so there you have it.
-Blast Off just *happens* to find himself in front of Panacea's shop. The shuttleformer is sure it's pure coincidence, of course. Still, now that he's here, perhaps he should see what she's up to. The space warrior knows how valuable a medic can be- might as well make sure he's on her good side. He peers inside the shop. "Hello?"
-The Shuttleformer will see Panacea lounging slightly on a 'waiting' bench in the front of the shop. Inside it looks a little nicer than the outside; it's clean at any rate, and while the colors aren't spectacular, they're not dark and gloomy, but rather a soft, neutral blue-grey for the most part.
Upon hearing a voice, Panacea looks up to see Blast Off's face peering inside. She sits up a little straighter and offers the mech a smile. "Hello right back at'cha," she says cheerfully. With a hand she motions him inside. "Make yourself comfortable." There's the bench she's sitting on as well as two others.
-The shuttleformer looks at her, the bench, and the more distant benches... and strides over to sit on one of the more distant ones. Gotta have that precious, precious personal space after all! Blast Off's black hands grasp just above his knee servos as he takes in the shop. What to say? Something polite. "...Nice place you have here. Do you see much work?"
-"A fair amount," Panacea says. Blast Off might hear the sounds of machinery going on in the background from the other rooms. "It seems a lot of the local medics have been dragged into causes, which leaves a lot to be done for the 'normal' citizenry," she says slowly. "I don't know why so many people have such a hankering for those fights, but I wasn't built to fight, so..." She just leaves that hanging. "Thanks for asking." And she awards the mech with a beaming smile.
-Blast Off doesn't return the smile- or maybe he does? Who knows, that faceplate obscures a lot of his expressions- but he does give her a nod. "Yes... the fights have drawn in a lot of medics, through neccessity." He shrugs non-commitally. "The fights give the populace something to do... and they hone their skills that way. Which could come in handy, should enemies come for them."
-Panacea doesn't care about the faceplate; Blast Off can smile or not as far as she's concerned. "Well, did it ever occur to people that if they weren't always looking for the next fight they might not have so many enemies?" she asks, shaking her head slightly. "Again, I don't pretend to know what it's like to actually be able to kick in someone's aft; I just do the fixing once all the aft kicking is done with."
-Blast Off shakes his head. "It doesn't always work that way. Sometimes no matter what you do, you will have enemies. It is better to be prepared. To be trained, and make sure your skills are as sharp as your wits- and weaponry. For there will always be those who simply *take* what they want, and if you do not wish to have everything taken from you, you will find that you must fight." It's been his experience, certainly. And despite it all, he still has lost nearly everything.
-Unfortunately, Blast Off started on an even more warlike world than Cybertron and had his shuttle form pushed into near obscurity. Panacea is from a completely different background, so quite likely, she doesn't understand this. "I guess," she says, perhaps a bit doubtfully. "People always seem to need medics though, and as long as I don't turn people away a lot, I'm guessing a fair number will be content to let me be." This might be a bit optimistic of her, but she hasn't had much reason to believe otherwise. "But how are you doing?" she asks conversationally.
-Indeed, Blast Off has been expected to fight since about the moment he came online. This does give him an opinion on medics, though. "Medics will always be seen as valuable. As long as you aren't an Autobot sympathizer, you should always have a place here." He looks around, "And I doubt you would have set up shop here if you were..." 
Then he blinks and looks at her almost warily. "Why... do you ask?" She meant it conversationally- he takes it as criticism, or fishing for one of the (many) issues he's been dealing with lately.
-"Because you asked about me, so it's my turn to ask about you," is Panacea's rather simplistic reply to his question. "As for sympathizing with the Autobots, no I don't. But that doesn't stop me from fixing them either. For me, being a medic goes beyond politics. So unless someone picks a fight in my place while I have a patient, I'll fix them up. Whatever happens to them after that, well, that's not really my concern."
-Blast Off nods. "Ah, I see. Well... you might be careful speaking of helping Autobots here... but otherwise, no, I suppose as a medic you try to "do no harm"." His optics narrow a bit- not ALL medics are like that. He met one recently who certainly was not. But surely this nice femme medic is *just fine*. As for the rest, he thinks about that. "Ah. Well... I am... fine." He looks around a little awkwardly, then... "So you... never follow through? Find out how a ... patient has been?"
-Panacea laughs softly. "I doubt a lot of Autobots would seek me out here. I came here because I specialize in miner's repairs, and this is a large mining community. I'm just saying, I don't believe in turning people away because of ideology. Just as I wouldn't turn someone away because I personally didn't like them." She tilts her head to the side. "If I have a way of checking how a patient is doing, especially if I reccommend that they rest or have continued checkups, then I will do so. If someone leaves in pretty good health, I'm less worried. What I meant earlier was that I don't track people down and I'm not going to get into a fight to stop someone from hurting a person I fixed up. I'll just fix them up again if there's enough left to patch."
-Blast Off nods to that, still looking around a bit awkwardly. He seems to make a point of looking anywhere but her. "So... like.... say that mech you repaired.... the one in Nyon. With the... gunshot wound to the head? Did you know how that turned out?" He shrugs, still looking away. "Just idly curious."
-"He left me with everything repaired except his optic," Panacea says. "I didn't have a part for such a unique piece." She sighs softly. "If I had better means I could hire someone skilled in making such parts, but for now, I'll just make do with what I've got." She smiles faintly. "So, things really are complicated, aren't they?"
-Blast Off ahhhs. "I see." He nods, feeling oddly a little better. Not *overly* so, the crazy mech is a headache and will probably come seeking revenge or some such nonsense. But still... "...Good. Though..." He finally looks at Panacea. "You said he's... blind? How did he walk out then?" There's a pause, and he adds, "Yes... things are *always* complicated. When I needed repairs, it was... rather difficult. They don't make many spare parts for shuttlecraft anymore, after all..."
-"He had some assistance getting out of the shop. His alternate mode's sensors were not destroyed, just his protoform's optic," Panacea explains. "After all, we don't have our faces put out in front for the world to see when we transform, yes?" She shrugs her shoulders easily. "The parts problem is an issue," she agrees. "I made casts of that mech's claws because they're not standard hands. But the optic was so completely damaged there was nothing to work with. I might just have to brush up on making crude parts so I can keep up with the injuries."
-"Yes, true. And yes... those claws of his are... unique." Blast Off raises an optic ridge, thoughts lingering on those... claws. Then he blinks and continues. "That was the issue I had when my feet were damaged." He lifts one up- his feet are also the rockets of his thrusters. "These are extremely hard to replace. I found a medic who was finally able to help- Torque, I do not know if you've heard of her?"
-Panacea shakes her head at this. "The name doesn't ring a bell," she says. "But I didn't get out much before my community shut down." She smiles faintly. "When you're in full health you should get a medic you trust to give you a full scan; it's easier to get replacement parts when we know exactly what we're looking for," she advises while examining the proffered foot. "Ideally I'd just advise you to not get hit, but I have the impression that would be hard advice for you to follow," she adds with a soft laugh.
-Blast Off sighs. "You have no idea. I think /half of Cybertron/ is after me for something or another." He complains, allowing her to look at his foot. "I try to mind my own business, but everyone seems to just be looking for trouble these days. *I* on the other hand, would be very content simply minding my own business, enjoying a little high life and culture, and a little peace and quiet. Something I rarely find in this *rust pit* I've found myself stuck in." Of course the fact that he has this propensity for /shooting people in the head/ has nothing to do with his woes.
-Panacea shrugs her shoulders. "I've never been into high life; I'm a mid caste medic, which isn't too bad. Not a lot of shanix for luxury things, but I'm comfortable. It's all I really need." She considers Blast Off for a few moments. "Granted, if I had been high caste and then ended up being told I was obsolete, I imagine I'd take that rather personally, you know?" She sighs. "Still, your 'complication' doesn't seem entirely stable. If you don't want trouble, why go near him?" She's refering to Whirl of course.
-Blast Off's optics dim. "Yes... I *was* High caste, and a highly valued shuttleformer. My skills and ablilities were widely recognized as a vital part of Cybertron's economy and place in the Universe. And now they want to simply cast me and my kind aside like refuse?" He lets out a huff. "No, that has not quite... sat well with me." He shakes his head. "But soon, I hope, things will be changing. That is certainly the feeling one gets here in Kaon, with recent events." 
As far as Whirl goes, well... "I am not planning on going near him. He is unstable, and unpredictable, and tends towards trying to threaten and attack me, so..." No, not a good mech to hang around. "...But ... we have some shared... history, and, well... I somehow keep running into him. He hangs around people I work with."
-Panacea nods her head at this. "Is there any other skillset you have that doesn't depend on being a shuttle? Or is that too close to snubbing the not so benevolent system we have." She's not blind enough to think the system is a good one. She just doesn't think violence is the best way to solve the issues.
"Yeah, that could be awkward if you run into each other because of mutual acquaintances. Not a lot to do about that. Though maybe these people he hangs around should help him a little more." She thinks for a few moments. "He seemed to think he didn't really belong anywhere."
-Blast Off almost says *sniper*... but then realizes that maybe that wouldn't be the best thing considering that whole "headshot" brouhaha. "I... trained as a soldier." He keeps it vague. "But flying and exploring through space is what I most enjoy. Though I suppose I could also count my knowledge of culture and the arts as a skill, as well. I'm quite used to that *high class* and all the pleasures that go with it." 
He sighs about Whirl. "... Who does, anymore? I thought *I* belonged somewhere. I was wrong." There's a pause and he adds just a /bit/ sympathetically, "Though I suppose it's even worse for an empurate victim. His "shame" is there for all to see. He can never escape that fate- or the judging looks of his peers."
-Panacea suspects it's Blast Off who shot Whirl anyhow, but since she doesn't have confirmation, it's just as well Blast Off doesn't say too much more about it. "I still fit, though I feel kind of guilty that I do. In some ways we medics are lucky, but in other ways, it's a thankless job." She shrugs her shoulders. "Especially now. People take it for granted that someone will come by to patch them up if they get hit in a fight, and there's a lot of that going on around here."
-"Yes." He peers out the window. "And as I said, I believe there will be much more fighting in a short while. But we need it. Someone needs to shake things up. Or better yet... tear them down entirely and start anew."
-"I'm not interested in tearing things down anymore than I'm interested in tearing people apart," Panacea says. "Things can be fixed without entirely demolishing them." She shrugs. "Then again if the system simply will not allow itself to BE fixed, then I suppose there's not much anyone can do for it."
-"Not these things." Blast Off shakes his head. "I've watched corruption, attempted assassination, brainwashing, and all sorts of manipulation come from the top. It's time to burn it down and start anew." Leaning back, he brushes a hand a little bit angrily along the bench upon which he sits. "Rub it out. Let THEM be the ones suffering for once." He's angry- the Senate and the Autobots have taken so much- he doesn't want them to take anymore. Though of course his anger is still subdued compared to some.
-"Unfortunately suffering isn't something easily controlled. Once it starts, it won't stay with just the mechs /you/ want to see suffer. It will hit everyone." Panacea leans forward slightly. "Just consider anyone you like, or respect, and ask yourself if this upcoming war people are talking about is worth those individuals being blotted out forever. Because once things are in full swing, the bodies are just going to pile up and my hands will be full."
-Blast Off considers this, and while some of it makes sense there are other parts his military training just responds with *meh* to. He shrugs. "I have *already* lost people I liked, or respected. Sometimes one must fight to PREVENT the further loss of those one cares about." He gives her a hard look. "I am no war-mongerer, but if it comes down to me vs. them- which it already *has*, by the way- then I say let THEM fall. I refuse to sit back and be so afraid to fight back that I fall meekly away without a shot being fired."
-Panacea shakes her head. "That wasn't exactly the point I was making," she hedges slightly. "There's a difference between war and a complete shut down of the system. Unless you have a system to put in place then things will never get better, you see?"
-"But war usually means the shutdown of a system. One group comes in, and destroys what was there before. They replace the old system with something new. Something *they* approve of. This is simply the way of worlds... the way of the universe. It is destructive by nature. Chaos is all around us, after all." Blast Off lifts a hand. "Now, of course, this is why civilization is an important counterbalance- I will give you that. Destruction at all costs leaves no winners. But... that's why one should train. To make sure that when you do have to fight, you WILL be a winner."
-Blast Off points out, "Yet an unarmed medic is often the first target of an invading army. Take out the enemy's ability to repair itself, and you weaken the enemy considerably. You would do well to take advantage of the forge's proximity. Go there, learn to use a weapon. If only for self-defense. You may well need it someday." Now he's the one leaning in. "Otherwise you'll be a turbo-sheep ripe for slaughter when enemies come. And they *will* come."
-Panacea considers this. "I suppose people won't just accept that I'm not their enemy, hm?" she asks with a little smile. "After all, if /they're/ on a side then everyone must automatically be on one as well, and since I'm /obviously/ not with them I /have/ to be against them?" She shakes her head. "War is complex, or so I've heard, but that seems like a rather simplistic point of view." She frowns deeply. "I'd bury myself deep and go offline before I decided to take up arms."
-Blast Off hmphs. "I'm a Combaticon. I DEAL with people who live and revel in war /all the time/. And yes- in war, for some people at least... if you're not already on their side, you're their enemy. They just don't care otherwise. For them it is quite simple. Go in, wipe out everything in your path that isn't you or your team, and leave the survivors to sort it out. They are brutal, fast, merciless- and they often win."
-"But I notice, you never once said that they were right. Just that it happens that way. Reality doesn't usually match up to ideology, but that doesn't mean we should just give up, yeah?" Panacea smiles. "Or are you going to fall back on the old saying of 'might makes right'?" She doesn't sound terribly impressed by that saying.
-Blast Off glances away, then shrugs. "It /does/ "make right", sometimes. Again, thats simply the way the universe works." The Combaticon shuttle's optics fall back upon her. "But... I suppose it might not always be... ideal. That kind of destruction can lead to *mindless destruction*... and that leaves no winners at all." He should know, he just learned his home planet is a victim to it. "I believe that combat has its place. But it should be used with discretion and intelligence, not random chaos. Not if one can avoid it, at least."
-"Might pushes people into saying it is right, but that doesn't mean it is," Panacea says with an almost dismissive wave of her hand. She stands up and paces a little, hands clasped behind her back. "Discretion and intelligence. You might have these qualities, but how many others out there, calling for war, can also exercise them? How many of them will be content to stop once they've won?" She shakes her head. "No, I really don't think I can get on board with all of this." Her footsteps come faster now. "That mech that was here, Whirl, he wants revenge on you for shooting him. I honestly can't say if that is the truth of the matter or not, but he seems to believe it."
-Blast Off has to admit, "...Yes. I suppose not. I am simply stating the way the world works." His optics dim a little. "Oh, well... I don't have to imagine. I know that some who command these armies have NO discretion whatsoever. that is where good leadership becomes vital. It makes the difference between a true victory and a very hollow one." 
Then he lifts his head a little at the confirmation that Whirl is seeking revenge. "Ah, I see." He sighs. "This does not surprise me. Well..." He looks a little weary. "He'll just have to get in line, then." Getting revenge on the Combaticon seems to be in style lately.
-"I just thought I'd pass on the message since he told me to," Panacea says with a little shrug. "Though, if he ever attempts those shinanigans in MY repair rooms, then he'll find himself with one less medic willing to fix him," she says stonily. "But, the way he spoke of himself, I doubt that would be much of a threat. He's got issues, that one."
-Blast Off considers this, and his response is an oddly... empathetic one. Maybe living in Kaon and meeting people like Rumble and others who have struggled here has given him a slightly new perspective. "Yes... he does have issues." The shuttle glances around. 
"Look around you- we're surrounded by people with... *issues*. When you have a government that takes people like Whirl and thinks chopping off their head and their hands is some sort of acceptible punishment ...or thinks *brainwashing* them into submission is an OKAY thing...." Then YES, you are going to get people with *issues*." He lets out a long siiigh of his ventilation systems. "I wonder if he was ever that stable to begin with... but something like empurata is going to push *anyone* off the edge."
-Panacea nods her head at this. "I got a pretty good look at his workings when I fixed him up. Not only is it really obvious what happened to him, and that he had obviously found disfavor with the system, it's really hard to fix him too," she says. "The system has no place for fixing people. You either follow along or you get cut out." She shrugs. "But I see that more as a result of the people running the system than the need for organization in general." She waves a hand to encompass her own body. "Each person is made of up many systems that work together. We are organized beings, and when our systems run to chaos, we don't work very well. This is why, as a medic, I can't really believe in complete chaos. There might not be anything left /TO/ fix. You see?"
-Blast Off slowly nods. "Yes, I know. Sometimes I think the system is set up for reduction, not maintainence. Certainly, it has no room for people who DARE think for themselves." He sighs, then gets up. "But that may have always been the case here. It's certainly been my experience, at least." The shuttle looks towards the door. "I understand that as a medic you seek... repair, not destruction. I will give you this much.... I can see this something like a virus.... something that requires strong antivirus programs and firewalls to block and combat. I am just not sure what will be left after. Will there be a smoothly running system, or will the system itself crash and need a complete reboot? Only time will tell."
-"Yes, time will tell. And, it might not seem like it, but I'm fighting against the issue in my own way. Passive resistance and all." Panacea waves as the mech makes his way to the door.