Full Circle

((Takes place immediately after the events of Rough Ride, Rougher Landing))

-So here they are, back at Thunderhead Pass, Blast Off and Swift Blade. Blast Off's face still holds the bandages from the headshot he received from Quickswitch- plus a fresh neck wound thanks to Blurr. He can also "thank" Blurr for the mangled mission he just finished. Sent at the last second, despite his injuries, to try and steal a ship full of weapons. That didn't go so well- Blurr's shots managed to help crash the ship, leaving Swift Blade to land it while Blast Off tried keeping Blurr at bay. Ultimately there was a stalemate- Blurr holding Swift Blade hostage, then as the ship landed letting her go. Once she was free, Blast Off took the opportunity to grab as many of the weapons as he could and transport them himself, in shuttle mode, to a safer location. A much more reduced "bounty" than he had hoped for. He doubts the Decepticons are going to be very pleased at the results, though at least he's got \*something\* to show for all this.

It's been an ordeal, though, and the shuttleformer is exhausted. He's also full of questions, too. Thus why he finds himself here- stopped on top of a remote mountain peak, in root mode, wanting to talk to Swift Blade before anything \*else\* interrupts them.

-Since getting away from the landed shuttle, and Blurr, Swift Blade hasn't said much at all. She took what she could as well, though with her much more limited capacity, it probably wasn't very much. At least Megatron is still /somewhat/ reasonable.

Now that they've stopped, Swift Blade stands there looking at Blast Off, perhaps expectantly. Her optics show concern; she knew that Blast Off was still in recovery, and yet here he is with more injuries. It is unfortunate, but that just seems to be the shuttleformer's luck. As for her own luck, well, she's not sure she has to say about that.

-Blast Off stares into the distance for awhile. He's not the most chatty individual to begin with, and sometimes it's nice to just share some space with a person without having to fill it with words. Other times, though... it's an awkward silence. Right now it might be both. But eventually the shuttleformer glances towards Swift Blade. He isn't quite sure where to begin, so...

"You... landed the ship quite well."

-"It was a bit better than my last landing," Swift Blade says with the barest trace of a smile. "Which means I must be improving since things were much more turbulent /inside/ the craft this time through." If she's feeling the awkwardness, it doesn't show on her features. Then again, she's generally a rather composed individual.

-There's a glance to the ever-present electrical storm raging high overhead. At least now it's not affecting them down here on the ground. Blast Off allows himself a small near-chuckle. "Yes. This region seems to draw in turbulance of one form or another. At least when we're involved." Then he looks at Swift Blade. "It somehow seems ironic to be here again. Where.... we first met."

-Swift Blade nods her head slowly. "I'm sorry for any confusion back there," she says frankly. "It seemed more prudent to keep him guessing, though I regret the necessity of that." Her tone is rueful. Even that level of deception is uncomfortable for her.

-Blast Off looks thoughtfully at her a moment, then shrugs. "Don't be. Blurr is a brainwashed minion of the Senate. He can't be trusted anymore. He can't even think for himself- he can only act like the puppet he's become." There's a tinge of sadness there, but not about Blurr. About someone /else/ he cared about, someone who is now also brainwashed. Blast Off sighs and looks away. "Still... I must confess...." He suddenly brings a hand up to the heat shields on his arm, idly tracing the seams. "I find myself a bit confused, still."

-"That is why I regret the need for such things. If he cannot be reasoned with, then I have to resort to deception, and the regret is for what I lost, not for what he did," Swift Blade explains. "Still, it is a cruel thing that they took such a young spark and manipulated him into such a position. He's a victim despite his abilities and caste." Tilting her head to the side, she regards Blast Off. "What in particular confuses you?"

-Blast Off considers this. There's so much animosity that's sprung up between Blast Off and Blurr that it's hard for him to be entirely fair and non-partial about the racer. Still, he can see the logic in what she says. "...Yes. Just another example of the Senate's corruption."

The shuttleformer then mulls over a number of questions. "For one...." he glances towards the femme's sword. "... I guess that /was/ indeed your sword I woke up in the hospital with, still gripped in my hand?"

-Swift Blade smiles faintly. "Yes. You couldn't hear or see me, and you had just been in a fight; there was no way you could tell you were among friends. I though perhaps if I gave you something that an enemy would never give you, you would know you were on your way to safety," she says. "Your team-mate Swindle and I showed up around the same time; he carried you back."

-Hmm. That explains it, then. Blast off looks down at the ground, studying a crack in the earth. "Yes... that seems... right. I woke up clutching that sword like a... like a lifeline," he finishes quietly. "I expected to wake up back in... prison." There's a pause as that brings a bit of a shudder to his frame. "So.... I thank you for responding. For... getting me to safety instead."

He glances away, still a bit awkward about all this. "In fact, I woke up to /Whirl/ of all people. He learned I was there somehow, came to see how I was... doing." That still seems so strange to him. Almost... sweet, yet unexpected.

There's another long pause before Blast Off gingerly brings up the next question. "However... that is also... confusing to me." Pause. "I thought you said you were not going to interfere should the Authorities try to apprehend me?" Now he looks at her through the corner of his optics, waiting for her response.

-Swift Blade actually looks mildly amused for half a second. "And am I not allowed to change my mind?" she asks Blast Off. Then her expression returns to a more solemn countenance. "I realized that I was never going to stand against you, which means, if I am to survive, I will have to stand /with/ you. Since that is my best option then sooner or later I would come against those same forces. What better time to start than to save you from going to prison?" she explains.

-Blast Off's sideways gaze becomes a full on stare. But it's a thoughtful, mildly surprised, even \*touched\* expression, not a glare. The shuttleformer blinks at this. There were hints, yes, but never any gaurantees, and Blast Off tried never to get his hopes up but... this news, stated so clearly, brings a small smile to his face. The Combaticon relaxes a little, too, put at ease. Swift Blade was rapidly becoming someone he thought he might actually be able to trust- making her the only one outside of the Combaticons he really does trust right now- and this clinches it. Which is wonderful- and scary at the same time. No, Blurr will never get his hands on HER. Blast Off will make SURE of it.

He glances away now, suddenly... is shy a word that ever describes Blast Off? "I am... very pleased to hear that. I... really did not want to see you as an enemy. I..." He pauses again, as something else occurs to him, and he turns to look at swift Blade once more. "Wait... does that mean you will join the Decepticons?"

-"I've already spoken to Megatron," Swift Blade says. "I don't know that it has been formalized, or if there is a formal process involved, but unofficially it seems to be an accepted fact." For a moment she looks off into the distance, then her optics returned to Blast Off's face. "It seems like I hesitated for a long time, even though I haven't actually been on Cybertron that long. I didn't want there to be a war. But the more I see, the more I realize that wishing for a better option isn't going to make it happen. Too much is wrong, and it has to be set right. While there are probably a variety of ways of doing so, and I wish this way wasn't so violent, it came down to the fact that I wished to secure myself on your side."

-Perhaps it's his general weariness, but for a moment Blast Off's usual aloof and guarded facade breaks away and the shuttleformer can't quite conceal the pleasure he's feeling, even stepping towards Swift Blade. "Really?" He looks like he wants to reach for Swift Blade's hand and squeeze it for a moment before he catches himself and stops again. "I...uh... \*ahem\*"

He looks away once more, trying to regain the calm demeanor. "I mean, that is good news." His gaze returns, his violet optics looking into her red ones. "I think you will be a tremendous asset... a voice of reason, to counterbalance the more... violent ones. And your skill with the sword will only improve. Plus, you are a Seeker... and most Seekers seem to be gravitating towards the Decepticons." Then he stops- not sure if she knows Starscream is a Decepticon yet. Should he mention that, or let her find out on her own?

-Swift Blade doesn't know Starscream is a Decepticon, but she knows Thundercracker is, and he's a seeker. Slipstream was also at the Forge, so there's a good chance she is involved as well. "I don't know about being an asset, but I'll do my best and follow orders," she says. "I think as long as I do that much then I shouldn't come to too much grief from Megatron." She hopes. "We really should get you back somewhere that you can rest. Even though the mission wasn't a complete success, at least you have some small thing to show for it." She frowns slightly. "They should have sent someone with you," she adds.

-Blast Off nods. "That is part of being a good soldier." That gives him a bit of pause, as it reminds him of his and Whirl's discussion in the Hospital- how they will likely wind up as enemies, and may even be instructed to kill one another someday. It's not something he looks forward to. HOWEVER- he finds relief in the fact that he will now NOT have to worry about the same thing with her.

Then... yes. Rest would be good. "Yes... they should have. I was the only one who could fulfill the mission who happened to be nearby." He huffs, reaching up to touch the sensor on his forehead. "Of course, having to leave the Hospital did NOT help me." His optic ridge furrow down as he remembers something. "And... again... I am sorry about shooting you. I.. Well, normally, a shot at that close a range would've been the easiest thing in the world for me, and given what I know about Blurr I expected him to take YOU, too, and I couldn't allow that, so I took the risk and..." He glances down. "... My aplologies."

-Swift Blade doesn't think of herself as a soldier at all. But she does know something about fighting, and receiving pain. "It hurt, but I know you didn't mean to. No serious damage was done," she says. "The situation was far from optimal and I know your skills are best employed out in the open where you can achieve the distance you like." She's not going to falsely represent Blast Off's skills just to make him feel better, but she's also not going to call him down for being in a bad situation. "The important thing is that we both made it out in one piece."

-Indeed, there was nothing "optimal" about that situation from the get-go. "...Yes." Blast Off glances off in the distance towards the last place the ship landed. "I am surprised Blurr didn't keep trying to apprehend BOTH of us, but perhaps he had his hands full. You will need to be careful when you see him again. And... if you require assistance, I am but a radio call away."

-"Before either of us get into further troubles, you need to rest up," Swift Blade insists. "Megatron has told me that I should familiarize myself with his writings and with the list of Decepticons," she goes on to say. "And then he will figure out where I fit in." She shrugs her shoulders. It will be an assessment of a different sort. "He told me to seek out a mech named Rumble to get the information, but I hadn't found him yet."

-Blast Off ahs. He certainly knows Rumble. A little TOO well, perhaps. "Rumble is a small miner mech. He hangs around with Soundwave sometimes and he has \*terrible\* taste. Basically a street punk." Pause. "Though he is.... alright, in his own way, I suppose." Rumble wasn't really so bad, really.

Then the shuttleformer nods. "Yes. Those writings will help you understand where the Decepticons come from and what they are trying to achieve. I do not argee with all of it, but it is certainly a good place to start." With that, he steps away from Swift Blade to transform into shuttle mode. The sudden shift in size may be a little jarring, but perhaps Swift Blade is used to such things? There's a pause, then: << You are welcome to ride inside, should you like. >> That is a BIG DEAL coming from the Combaticon shuttle, who ordinarily does not like people hitching a ride in him.

-Swift Blade elects to take Blast Off up on his offer. After all, if he trusts her enough then it would seem like a slap in his already injured face to say no. And he's probably faster than she is. So she boards the shuttlerformer and will probably take a seat and sit quietly with no fidgeting. She probably makes a nicer passenger than Blast Off's team-mates, especially when they're all together.

-Indeed she does. It's a testament to the growing trust between them that Blast Off made the offer, and that he feels at ease as she sits quietly there now. The shuttle's loudspeakers come on, playing some quiet, calming music as he starts the countdown sequence, revs up his thrusters and launches into the sky. Blast Off- and his friend- and ALLY- Swift Blade.

-Swift Blade closes her optics and listens to the music. She finds it's much nicer to be inside a sentient shuttle than it is to try and pilot one herself. Maybe one of these days she'll get proper training in the matter, but for now, this is actually pleasant. Even injured, someone who /is/ the shuttle probably has a smoother, more natural flight than any non-sentient shuttle can have with even the best of pilots.