1274/All Play and No Work...

Cast of Characters: | Swivel, Healthpoint, Starlock, 139

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      After last night (and videos of last night), Healthpoint feels like she needs to get some extra training in to make up for the out of character partying. It wasn't even bad as far as parties go, but well...when you have been programmed to be a no-nonsense soldier and medic that was still too much.

      But, with all the more combat-capable troops busy, Healthpoint has had to ask Starlock for her help again. The tall femme waits in the training sim for the nimble little medic. She is trying to keep herself psyched up, but memories of how it went last time still rattle around in her memory.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock strolls into the training simulator and gives a salute, and a casual wave to Healthpoint as she approaches, stave in hand, and against her frame as she walks, she looks rather relaxed and gave her a smile.

      "Hey HP, ready for this?" She'd smile as she set up her familiar Radio, before heading out onto the field.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint gives a sharp salute as Starlock enters, then vents slowly. "I am not sure. But, if I am going to improve I must keep working." she says. She blinks at the staff, then points. "...is that new? Or have I simply not seen you in combat in a while?" she asks as she runs through her own weapons check then engages the sim.

      Healthpoint intakes a few cleansing times, then faces Starlock. "Ready whenever you are, Ensign." she says, deploying her syringe launcher and scalpel sword.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock pauses a moment and looks to her stave and then to Healthpoint and nods. "Both, it is new, got it when i was promoted to sergeant. I've modified it a little though." She'd explain, taking a moment to look over Healthpoint, before bringing her stave forward and pressing the button to activate the charge...

      At first it appears like a normal stunstave with the electricity dancing about the crystal, but soon a blade takes from in the shape of a scythe. Starlock Grins, and disengages the maglocks on her refueling tank, and lunges forward.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint blinks as the full form of the weapon is revealed. "...well...that is..." She doesn't know what to say. It is hardly a weapon she'd have pictured a medic using. Starlock comes in, and somehow Healthpoint manages to step away at just the right moment to avoid the strike. She looks as surprised as anyone!

      With Starlock already in so close, Healthpoint aims a needle-laden punch at the smaller medic. "Hopefully I can be more of a challenge than last time!" The swirling prismatic blend of chemicals in the syringe are ready to wreak havoc if injected!

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock curses as she swings and misses! quickly ducking under Healthpoint's arm. She may of missed but she is still a slippery mini-bot to hit! The blade had missed, that was fine. (Or so she told herself) The electricity sparking and snapping as the blade hit the floor with loud cracks and pops.

      Starlock de-activated it and quickly stowed the stave away and quickly pulled out her dual pistols! She'd quickly start speeding out of range and opened fire! "Here's hoping!" She'd call eagerly with a grin.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Those pistol shots impact over Healthpoint's side and arm, leaving smoldering marks in her pristine white finish. But, overall the damage is not bad and so she stays in close and brings her over arm swinging in. The polished metal of her oversized scalpel comes flashing in. "S-so! H-how much of a fool did I make of myself last night? I...I think I might have drank too much..." She's worried about that, even though all she really did was sing and dance a bit?

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock takes the slash, some energon spattering a cross the ground as Starlock hisses out in pain. Starlock would slip away her pistols into their hoisters on her belt and pull out her dual blades to meet Healthpoint's own! If they were going to be a sword fighting, let's do Sword fighting!

      I wouldn't say too bad, fairly I thought it was fun~" she'd grin through the pain as she swiped at Healthpoint.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint mmphs as those blades of Starlock's come out. They are quite troublesome! However instead of another sword strike she throws another punch. "Well...yes it was fun but...was it not also embarassing?" she says even as she punches, trying to get some of that prismatic liquid into Starlock's systems.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock swerved and arched her back, dodging out of Healthpoints punch, before taking a spinning step. "You were not the drunkest femme there... I actually have it recorded if your interested~" Starlock chuckled, before going into a quick spin towards Healthpoint with her blades.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Another punch goes wide. Healthpoint vents softly before letting out a slight gasp at Starlock's hit. Even if the blades do not cause much physical damage, those energy surges are wreaking the very havok that Healthpoint has been trying to induce in Starlock. She may not go down for a while, but that won't matter much if she can't do any real harm to Starlock either.

      Then Starlock mentions a recording. "Oh Primus..." Healthpoint mutters, then considers. "...I...actually would not mind a copy. But please ensure that Hot Rod never aquires one." she says as she punches again.

**Swivel has posed:**
    "Wait - did you have it /all/ recorded?" Where did Swivel come from? Does it matter? The femme is standing with her arms folded near the entrance.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock grits her denta as she's finally struck by the punch as well as Healthpoint's needle, she'd take in a hissing vent and shake her helm. "Y-Yep, I've kept everything that happens around me recorded s-since that whole mess with Pharma, after he cornered me in Deltaran... Couldn't report it cause no one else /saw/ it." She'd explain as she looked at her own systems read out, taking in another vent.

 "Yeah, could, I normally delete most stuff for space reasons, but this.. I could gladly pass too you." She'd chuckle, pulling out her refueling hose, and hooking it to the necessary port.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      "Swivel!" Healthpoint exclaims in surprise, almost tripping over Starlock as the smaller femme refuels. She mmphs as she regains her balance, then takes advantage of the opportunity to recover some energon of her own. "H-how long have you been there, Ensign ma'am?" she asks.

**Swivel has posed:**
"Long enough to worry about videos of Ensigns singing on stage getting released." Swivel says, with a small tilt of her head and a smirk. "Although Starlock is a femme of character, so I am sure I need not worry abou that." Swivel gives Starlock a /look/, and then her smirk turns into a full on broad grin. "Sorry to interruot your sparring session. Proceed."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock still feels that fluid running through her lines and weighs her options as she squints at the imonile Healthpoint. She catches Swivels look and her focused scowl breaks into a grin and chuckle. "Oh, /please/ you know I'd only do that to a /select/ few bots, and only because they deserved it." She'd tease.

      Starlock takes a deep vent and draws her pistols once more and starts speeding around the room once more, attempting to burn off what Healthpoint had injected into her.

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel shakes her head. "Deserved it or not, you wrestle with the Gyropigs, you both get dirty." Swivel rolls back her shoulders, watching the both of them fighting. "But then... few people care to stay on the high road full time."

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Those pistol bolts impact Healthpoint and she grunts as some of her acctuators short out. She stumbles to a knee for a moment as her systems adjust, then she smirks just a bit. "And...just which bots would be deserving of such treatment?" she asks even as she throws another punch, that gleaming needle in place as always and ready to pump who knows what into the other femme.

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Hot Rod." Starlock says dryly, without missing a beat. "But even then!" She'd see Healthpoint incoming and jump up, and kick herself off Healthpoints arm in a show of her acrobatics as she dodged the hit. "Wouldn't really effect or bother him as he'll just think he's awesome regardless of how bad." She'd laugh, opening fire once more on Healthpoint.

      "Ehh, it's true, but fairly? I don't think it's really all that possible to stay on the high-roads all the time, sometimes you do have to take the low road if you're to survive, after all... Those attacking you would sometimes, /gladly/ take advantage of such things." She'd knit her ridges. "S'all about moderation and situational awareness in my opinion.. Mind you I'm not saying be /Pharma/ dirty, but I am saying don't get caught with your armor down."

**Swivel has posed:**
For a moment or two Swivel scowls at nothing in particular. But the movement and noise from the training session cause her to refocus her attention to the here and now. "So... is it right and justified, then, just because you assume someone else will take advantage of you, to pre-empt them with some low and dirty trick?"

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint laughs at Starlock's answer, though that laugh is cut off as Starlock actually uses Healthpoint's larger frame as a stepping stool to evade Healthpoint's blow. She also mmphs at Starlock's and Swivel's words. "Maybe in some things, but there are others high roads which should not be avoided if we are to preserve any of our morality once this war is all over." she says as she swings her oversize scalpel again.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock would take take the slash, the scraping of the steel against her armor ringing out throughout the training arena. Starlock attempts to dig her heels in, in a bid to not be knocked backward, taking a heavy vent. "Assume? Naw that's how accidents happen, I wait for them to actually /do/ it, that way I actually know what kind of person I'm dealing with... But that's just me, I try to be hopeful, and take the path I think is right." Starlock would Pause.

      "But I temper it with realism, that's really all I mean, hope it didn't sound to bad." Starlock would add with a weak chuckle, as she quickly swapped for her blades, and took a quick couple of swipes at Healthpoint, going specifically for her fuel lines in a bid to attempt to disable her further.

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel nods her head. "I am with Healthpoint on this. If we make sacrifices to keep our morality in tact, in the long run, it will make us more capable of maintaining a peaceful and enlightened society once peace returns. If we sacrifice our morality to win, then it will be too easy to keep resorting to those measures to continue to rule. We'd be back where we started. Once the relief of the war ending has worn off, people will realize they didn't get what they fought for, and a new revolution will happen." Swivel has a distant look in her optics as she remains standing near the entrance, observing the fight with only passing interest. After all, she's not a fighter despite all the efforts to turn her into one. "And that is /my/ realism. Seeing the big picture."

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight comes wandering in, looking a bit distracted (as usual), glancing back where he came from, then looking over to watch the other Autobots in the room. He stops and just stares awhile before thinking to wave at the others in greeting. The jet then leans against the wall, bringing some sort of sweet that looks a bit like a lollypop, maybe some rust sticks, out to absent-mindedly suck on it as he watches the others.

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint is hit again, and there are some terrible creaking and grinding noises. She vents heavily, then smiles a bit. "Well, I think that is enough for now. My targeting systems are glitching out, my servos and accuators are slow to respond, and my energon is running out. And I don't have an extra tank of it like you do." she says, smirking just a bit.

      She hits the reset, then intakes slowly and lets it out just as slowly. "Still no match for you, it seems." she says, smiling with just a bit of disappointment to it. "How did I do this time?" she asks her superior officer. She nods in agreement with Swivel. "Realism is fine, but we have to remember why we are fighting and not let it simply become and endless war with no one remembering why it started and merely fighting because we are 'us' and they are 'them'."

      When another joins them Healthpoint stands and offers a wave to Fireflight. "Hello there. I am not sure we have met before. I am Private Healthpoint."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock rolls her optics. "Basically, we said the same thing, it's situational." She'd state dryly, feeling a bit insulted they think so lowly of her, but she just sighs and lets it go with a wave of her hand, feeling it was nothing for her to get angry about, or go through the tiring route to explain.

      Once Healthpoint concedes, Starlock relaxes and straightens her posture, taking a vent to calm herself. "Better, learning to dodge, aim is also getting better as well as the steadying of your hands, nothing went off trajectory this time." She'd smile at Healthpoint.

      Her finials twitch upward as she heards Healthpoint address someone a crossed the room and waves. "Hey Fire." She'd call and looked over to Healthpoint. "Should work on yourstances, even with your height, as you can see, it matters if you your body posture." She'd grin. "I've been able to hit you more due to you being in that much more offensive position."

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel lifts up and single finger. "Precisely. It's easier on the psyche, I know, to vilify and make monsters out of the enemy to do what needs to be done. But what really needs to be done is to remember we are all Cybertronian - and no one deserves to suffer needlessly." Swivel crosses her arms. "And, yes, it is situational. But... the ends justify the means should never be the standard cop-out. I think those willing to do the immoral thing for a noble cause also need to accept the consequences gracefully, rather than expect a pardon."

Swivel is about to add more when someone else enters the room. Swivel tilts her head, looking over Fireflight for a moment or two. She hasn't memorized every face and name in the Autobot database, although fliers aren't as common among the Autobots as the Decepticons. "Greetings, private.... Fireflight?" She has to guess based on what she's read and what Starlock calls him. "Looking to get some practice in?"

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight notes the greeting from Healthpoint and hastily lifts his hand to wave again, almost dropping his treat but juuust capturing it with his mouth. "Omff! Hiiimph. Immmph..." He blinks and just as quickly takes the stick from his mouth. "Er. sorry. Fireflight! Nice to meet you. Uh, Private Fireflight. Aerialbot Private Fireflight! Um.. Hey!" he greets Starlock with a smile, then starts fumbling around his subspace.

A bottlecap or two fall out but he doesn't seem to notice as he thrusts some more rust sticks towards the others. "Want some?" Then Swivel greets him and he smiles. "Yeah, Fireflight, and umm... I was thinking about it but if you're full up, that's fine. I can wait and watch, if you don't mind that is!"

**Healthpoint has posed:**
      Healthpoint blinks as Starlock rolls her eyes and she gives the other medic an uncertain look. That is a bit insulting as well, after all. "I guess only time will tell just how much we are willing to sacrifice of our individual ideals." she says, then her weapons retract. She salutes Starlock, then heads for the door, saluting Swivel as well on the way past her and Fireflight. "If you are a strong fighter and need a challenge, I suggest taking them both on at once." she says, a slight smirk tugging at her lips. "Good night, all."

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel looks to the two medics who had been duking it out. "Seems you came at just the right time." Swivel herself had been staying out of the spar herself; a mere observer. She casually reaches over, accepting one of the rust sticks. "Thank you." She says with a smile before nibbling on the end of one. With it firmly held in her mouth, her hands are free to pick up the bottlecaps which fell to the ground. She squints at them a moment, then chuckles a little as she holds them out. "You dropped something."

Swivel returns Healthpoint's salute with a nod and a wave. She then looks between Starlock and Fireflight, with an inquiring tilt of the head as if asking 'what next?'

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Duh." Starlock says in a simple response, be she just vents out. "If you cannot bend, you will break." to herself softly, tapping at her chassis, clearly deep in thought, before moving to the control panel of the simulators and.. Switched off the session recording camera.

      "Naww, can totally join us, I like teaching people." She'd smile walking back to the field. "And Yeah, I'd like one." She'd smile tiredly, the bag-like ridges under her optics showing. "By the way Swivel, while I got you here, I need to ask you something, if you don't mind me being a ng good nosy-nobody." she'd smile.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
"Both?" Fireflight blinks, then looks at the remaining Bots as Healthpoint exits, giving her a small wave as she does. He stands there as Swivel approaches, holding out a rust stick for her. "These are the sweet variety, with just a little touch of spice," he informs her, then follows her gaze over at Starlock. "Ok! Sure, root mode or jet?" He glances towards the ceiling, judging the space.

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel arches an optic ridge, glancing at Fireflight, then at Starlock. "You are always welcome to ask. You just might not get a satisfying answer." And Swivel takes a few steps further into the training area. "And I have a different challenge for the two of you. Score a virtual knock out on me in three rounds. I can't really offer any award - I merely feel it's about time I begin testing my own limits."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock quirks a ridge. "Sure on that? may not be a bit fair, two on one.." Starlock would question as she waited for Fireflight. "Personally I'd want you to do both, fight with what you got." She'd nod before looking to Swivel. "But should also let Swivel answer for her challenge too." She'd nod again.

      "You /sure?/" Starlock Emphasises with a bit of worry in regards to her question.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight's face pinches in concern at Swivel's request. "Uh, you sure?" He looks down at her a bit uncertainly. "Though I guess..." he glances to the door, "...this isn't really real anyway, right?" He nods to Starlock's question, though. "Yeah. You sure?" Looking at the medic he adds, "So you're thinkin' a three way free for all?"

**Swivel has posed:**
"Alt modes are fine, even if the space is a bit confined." Swivel pauses. There's something nagging at the back of her mind telling her that might not be a good idea in regards to Fireflight. But why? She gives a small shake of her head. "And we often are up against unfair odds. I've nothing to lose by losing - it is the expected outcome. You've nothing to lose or gain either. It's merely an exercise in a safe environment."

 Swivel glances around, then back towards Starlock. "As for your question, the way you are going on about it, I get the feeling it might be one better asked privately."

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Alright." Starlock says, taking to the field, setting her pedes carefully. "Well.. It's more cause its got some pretty /gorey/ details is all, wanna be extra sure, after all I'm the one used to seeing death and gore day-in and day-out, just cause I'm numb to it doesn't mean everyone else is." Starlock explains with knitted ridges. She doesn't reach for anything yet, waiting for a signal.

      "And nope Fireflight, it's all simulated, still /hurts/ but it's not real." She'd nod.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight isn't sure if he should step out and let these other Bots have some privacy, but they seem ready to go so... "Ok! 'Long as it isn't real." He smiles brightly at the two femmes and steps away. "Lemme know anytime you want to stop!" He prepares himself, bringing out his Photon Displacer to begin with. "Ok, ready when you are!"

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel snorts at Starlock's caution about gorey details. She walks into the battle zone and adopts a defensive stance, looking between Fireflight and Starlock. "Well that is very courteous of you. But now I'm a bit worried how a question can contain gorey details - unless it contains a pre-amble." Swivel tilts her head to one side, then the other, and turns her torso sideways. "I'm ready. But to knock me out, you'll have to see me." She didn't say she wouldn't be trying to /stop/ them from winning.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock is blinded and shakes her helm hard, and proceeds to get out her twin pistols and open fire! "Well, it starts with /Hot Rod/ breaking into apparently a what I assume was an old bunch of hard drives that contain simulations that were being stored or marked for deletion?" She'd start, trying to get the sunspots out of her optics.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight sees Swivel coming and ducks in time, unlike poor Starlock, returning fire with his own brand of flashing light from his Photon Displacer. "Ha, I see you like making a light show, too!" Boom!

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel waits patiently for the question. INstead, as she suspected, there is a pre-amble. Swivel's optics shift over to Fireflight. She knows him less, and is less certain of his fighting method. She shifts her weight uneasily, ready to move as Starlock begins firing. Swivel darts to one side to avoid Starlock's pistol fire. She looks back to check onf Fireflight, only to find her own optics on the fritz. She fights the urge to put her hand to her optics and just keeps moving. She returns fire with her sidearm shakily to where she last heard pistol fire. No. Starlock wouldn't stay still. Left or right? Ah, get Starlock to speak and she'll know. "And...? What has it to do with me?"

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Cause like some comedy of a main character trying to avoid the plot of a story, on purpose mind you, this simulation had a.. odd, looking version of Phantom speaking some kinda language in it? and everytime that fragger comes up..." She'd sigh out. "I'm pointed to you, and this last instance I can't.. keep trying to /avoid/ it anymore." She'd knit her ridges looking to Swivel, now that her optics are clear and quickly side steps the shot.

      Going in a backflip she transforms into her mini-bus mode! and fires that familiar cannon of hers at Swivel.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight succeeds in giving Swivel a taste of her own medicine, as it were, then looks to aim at her again... and then pauses. His instincts are to pick Starlock as a target and not to double-team the small femme... but then again, she did ask for it, basicaly, so.... he suddenly runs towards her, looking to flip her off her feet entirely. "Comin' through!"

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel listens as she keeps moving, light on her feet. She frequently shifts direction, like a petrorabbit dashing from a turbofox. But there's no thicket or burrow to find cover in. It's hard to tell what impact Starlock's line of inquiry is having on the femme in the middle of the spar, as her face just keeps wearing that same focused expression.

Swivel hears the sound of a T-cog, and gets a feeling she knows what is coming next. Swivel drops to the ground and rolls away, escaping Starlock's nova cannon. This seems to jar her optics back online, giving her time to see what Fireflight has in store for her. "Well, what is the question, then?"

It just so happens just as she gets on her feet, Fireflight comes barelling at her to knock her down. Once again, Swivel ducks down, and leveraging her low center of gravity, attempts to grapple Fireflight about the torso and roll back while planting her foot firmly aginst his pevlic manifold. Using his momentum and her legs, which are stronger than her arms, she attempts to kick him off over her head.

**Starlock has posed:**
     "...I guess I was hoping you'd actually know what I was supposed to ask, as I'm not sure what's going on with him? I don't know squat about the seeker, I just know he phases through things like a /ghost./" She'd empsish. "Not to mention keeps coming up like one." She'd roll her optics, which.. makes her four headlights roll.

      Starlock grumbles at missing and attempts to take aim once more, but watches as Swivel goes after Fireflight. "First it's at the bar with him telling me some backstory I didn't ask for, which I'm pretty sure is partly a lie, then again at the bar singing, and refusing to take no as a hint, and not to mention at deltaran when he was trying to get me to break into Pharma's office." She'd groan.

      "And now this weird aft stimulation of a rebuild, but.. corroded? Looking Harmonex, and an empty untouched Nyon.. oh, know, cept the fountain full of corpses and energon with a freaky aft hot-rod at got stabbed through the chassis, weird colored clouds of fog just.." There's a crack in her voice, it seems that simulation had gotten to her. "Aaand what ya know, there's Phantom, in some different armor speaking primus knows what."

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight rushes towards Swivel only to get hooked with a foot and swung with momentum so that his own weight and speed works against him, sending the Aerialbot flipping over and landing on his back with an "Ooof!" His blue optics flicker as he finds himself staring up at the ceiling with possibly little jets doing circles 'round his vision. Then he shakes his head, sitting up to rub at his helmet and looking back as Starlock talks about... something. Phantom who?

"Heh, good one. Uh..." Oops, he didn't catch her name. "Ooof, I think I'll sit the next one out." He smiles and gets to his feet. "Oh, and you... Oh! You found my bottlecaps!" It just took him several rounds to remember and react to that, that's all.

**Swivel has posed:**
And Swivel is up on her feet again. She doesn't begin her dodging routine just yet, giving Fireflight time to recover and Starlock time to say her peice or make her next move. "Yeah. The name suits him." Swivel remarks. Then she sees Starlock taking aim. That's her queue to get moving again. Swivel twirls out of the way of the oncoming blast. But rather than launch a counter attack, she patiently waits while Starlock keeps talking. "Sounds like a simulation of the alternate Cybertron. The fog sounds like a Psychosonorum miasma." Swivel looks uneasy, her hand hovering over her left forearm for a moment. "I'm near certain Phantom is not of our world." Swivel shakes her head.

When Fireflight declares he's out, Swivel shrugs. She survived their concentrated effort for three rounds with barely a scratch on her. Did she purposely underplay her capabilities? Or was she just that lucky? It's hard to tell. She certainly doesn't gloat. She just smiles to Fireflight. "You're welcome. If you've had enough, that's fine. Next time you launch an attack, don't announce it. They only do that in shows." Okay, so most people around her do that, too.

 Swivel turns to face Starlock squarely. "Now I have a question. Why do you think I know anything about Phantom? I'm not saying that I don't, but I didn't go out of my way to advertise my dealings with him."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock transforms back into root mode, shaking her hem, trying to get herself back into training, but she sighs, admitting defeat that she's to upset and confused at the moment to continue. "Because I keep getting /told/ to talk to you." She'd say again, frustrated, her optics welling as she pinches at her nose bridge.

      She takes in a deep vent, trying to calm down. "Sorry..." She'd murmur and just looks to fireflight, trying to stuff down the emotions she'd been showing before. "Alright.. Honestly I... think I need to stop, maybe rest.. stress is getting to me, did have some injured from the last siege succumb to their wounds.." She'd murmur.

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock transforms back into root mode, shaking her helm, trying to get herself back into training, but she sighs, admitting defeat that she's to upset and confused at the moment to continue. "Because I keep getting /told/ to talk to you." She'd say again, frustrated, her optics welling as she pinches at her nose bridge.

      She takes in a deep vent, trying to calm down. "Sorry..." She'd murmur and just looks to fireflight, trying to stuff down the emotions she'd been showing before. "Alright.. Honestly I... think I need to stop, maybe rest.. stress is getting to me, did have some injured from the last siege succumb to their wounds.." She'd murmur.

**Fireflight (139) has posed:**
Fireflight stares at Swivel as she tells him not to broadcast his attacks. "Oh." he laughs, "Ha ha, good point. I'll try to remember that." He starts heading to the door, then stops and turns around, looking back and forth between the two as they talk about... something. "Oh, here, you can have this one, too." He'll hand some more rust sticks to both femmes if they want them. "Thanks for the practice!"

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel knits together her optic ridges. "I'm not trying to be difficult. I just want to know who is telling you to seek me out. I find it... distressing to not know." She rolls back her shoulders, looking around awkwardly.

"Ah, sorry that was such a short session, Fireflight." Swivel accepts the extra goodie. "Keep up the good work, Private." She has no idea if he is doing good work. She'll have to look in on his record later to avoid the continued used of insincere platitudes.

Swivel then turns back to Starlock. "I am sorry you are going through a difficult time." Swivel isn't sure if right now this would be well received, but she walks over and puts a gentle hand on Starlock's pauldron. "But I'm afraid I might not have all the answers. I spent some time trying to help Phantom before I became an Autobot. I got pulled into a crazy world and was afraid no one would believe in it, furthermore, that Phantom would be hunted down and exploited since he seemed the key to accessing it. I wanted to protect him." Swivel shrugs. "When more incidents happened and people began to take notice... it quickly became out of my hands. I wanted to stop the exploitation of this other world, but was also drawn to it. Strongly. As was Phantom. I don't know why. I just know that it all lead to the Simanzi Massacre eventually, and Phantom was conveniently blamed for it all - and also conveniently thought to be dead so no one could get the truth."

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Know Hot Rod brought it up once.. think Phantom did?" She'd squint, like she's trying to remember, only for Rust stick! Shed blinks at it but accepts and lets out a vent, and smiles, yeah that helped Fireflight. "She'd chuckle. "THank you Flight, rest well, and safe steps." She'd call.

      She'd then glance to Swivel and nod. "I.. I know.. I'm just." she'd bite her tongue, she didn't want to explain, she shouldn't shove her feels onto others.. She'd silently and listen, scratching at her optic ridge in thought. "..Okay I.. Guess that makes sense of the simulations of ruin cities not being in ruin anymore but.." she'd squint her optics in thought.

      "...My head hurts." She'd vents and starts nibbling on the rust stick anxiously. "But that does.. tell me that what he told me, was a lie." she'd murmur.

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel frowns as Starlock tries to remember who all hinted at her connection to Phantom. "Phantom himself? Aaahhh... I've not had a chance to speak with him since he reappeared. Every time I come close, he gets rather... homocidal." Swivel frowns again. "And I know not why. I only ever tried to help. I failed, but I tried."

Swivel takes a nibble of her own sweet and spicy rust stick, thinking for a moment or two. "And what is this lie you keep bringing up?"

**Starlock has posed:**
     "Oh.. Right, what he told me regarding his history, the first time at Maccs" She'd answer, finally sitting down to nibble on the rust-stick. "Told some story about how he was apparently some kinda experiment in his past, girl he liked tried to kill him because he was becoming a monster? but that doesn't add up with what you told me if that's the case, which weirder... I'm more likely to believe."

      She'd huff. "Was the one trying to manipulate me while I was captive so I'm not inclined to listen to what he says.."

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel listens to the Starlocks tale. Or Phantom's tale according to Starlock. A tall tale, at that. She nibbles away on her rust stick as she continues to stare ponderously at nothing in particular, occasionally shifting the rust stick from one side of her mouth to the other. "Closest I ever came to trying to kill him was shooting him while he was in a crazed state to stop him from hurting a medic named Aegis. He doesn't tend to trust medics. Or didn't used to. But it doesn't mean that his story was a lie. Maybe in some other reality, he experienced that. And I sometimes think his mind drifts into other realities. Possibly even his body. It's got to go somewhere when it becomes intangible, doesn't it? And I've already SEEN portals to an alternate world that exists juxtaposed to our own, so it isn't a stretch to believe he is shifting through different realities."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock thinks it over a moment in silence. "Well.. I'm not Brainstorm.. /But/ that does sound possible, other then it like, possibly shifting to someplace like his subspace or some sort of distortion.." she'd hem. "That and considering you've seen such portals.." She'd nod. "Would give it more grounding.."

      She'd nod and looked to Swivel. "Sorry again for bringing this all up just.. been something I kept trying to avoid given all the going ons with the Pharma mess.. just.." She sighed. "Wanted to recover some of my mental exhaustion."

**Swivel has posed:**
"It's fine. I just get a little paranoid sometimes." Swivel says. Sure, she's not Red Alert, but she has her moments. "THe alternate world he opened... it's a nightmare. Whatever you fear, you will experience there. But it isn't real. Except for the poison itself that eats away at you..." She pauses. "You saw my neuro scans - the signs of corrosion? That was a result of exposure to that world's atmosphere. I don't know why I'm not dead or insane, to be honest. But... if you ever want to hear about a scarier me, ask Healthpoint about my 'black outs'. She had to hand out tranquilizers to anyone who worked with me for a while. And Phantom? He's been far more exposed to that world than I ever was."

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock nods as she listines and hems, well, that made some sense of all that! but still, left her with more questions than answers... Like the personality flipping she saw him doing with Rung. Starlock gives one more confirming nod. "...Well, This is definitely something... up there." she'd click her jaw.

      "...I'm not sure what to make of it.. but.. Thank you for telling me, and again I'm sorry I was so flustered.. I just.." she'd sigh, planting her hand against her face, stopping herself before she said something more.

      "...I really should Rest, may need to go over this again later if something comes up." And she was /quite/ positive something was going to come up.

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel nods her head. "Yes. Get some rest. Clear your thoughts. Seek some different perspective. All I will say is even before all this, Phantom was... eccentric. But now he is... fractured. Mentally. I don't know who he is anymore and won't presume to do so." For a moment, a look of sadness comes over Swivel. "....Seems that happens to people I know..." Swivel gives a small shake of her head. "Well, if that is everything, then we shall go. If you ever have a more specific question, come to me with it. The right prompt may jog my memory." Swivel slings an arm about Starlock's shoulders. "Shall we head on out, then?"

**Starlock has posed:**
     Starlock gives a look of sympathy, and empathy to Swivel, and gives her a smile and brings her own arm around her fellow Mini-bot. "Yeah.. Lets go." She'd chuckle. "I'm also sorry if I seemed.../short/" She'd have to give pause not to giggle at her own pun, dumb as it was.

      "Earlier, with my answers I'm not..." She'd pause again, looking around. "Used to giving very long explanations of my own thoughts or opinions, that was always discouraged, so i'd clamp down, but I didn't want to not answer you."

**Swivel has posed:**
Swivel gives a shrug. "I often don't let people getting, ahem, short, bother me much. I put up with Hot Rod and he is very defensive. So long as something is eventually worked out, I can easily overlook it." Swivel tilts her head. "Though it's good to aknowledge it, all the same.... shorty." Swivel smiles a little as they head out.