//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: Confrontation // Story: Transformers: Deep Space Exploration Team // by TcogArchitect //------------------------------// Published December 11th, 2012 Chapter six: Confrontation Racing above the forest canopy, Dark Lance mentally prepared himself to begin combat while he flew back to the Star Runner. The tone Bloodwing had used before he left told the dark blue commander that his foe was going to attack soon. He had to get back to the ship before that could happen, and warn his team, so he had hurriedly said an apologetic goodbye at the library before changing back into the creature he now knew was called an alicorn, and took off. As he neared the ship, he could see Skybreaker cleaning up his tools. ^Good,^ he thought, as the pegasus look-alike put the last wrench in a bag, and zipped it up with his teeth. ^That should mean he got the gun operational. I just hope we don't have to use it.^ He frowned at the thought of the destruction the cannon could wreak on the forest. ^Because if we are that outgunned, we won't be getting off this planet online.^ He landed next to his subordinate, quickly telling him of the impending danger. "We need to get ready for a fight. The Decepticons will probably be showing up here any minute." Skybreaker dropped his bag, and started moving quickly towards the entrance. "I hope you two have some good news for me," Dark Lance called as he and Skybreaker walked into the bridge, which looked much better than when Dark Lance had left. Bunker was now leaning into the ship's navigation console, a number of multi-colored wires hanging out of it. "Some," Burnout replied, still standing at the holo-display. "Environmentals are back online, as well as the various minor sub-systems throughout the ship that had been knocked out in the crash. Most of the major power conduits have been repaired as well, with only a handful in the engine rooms still non-functioning." She read the report with the quick, effortless efficiency that came with being a medical expert. It was something even her commander had trouble doing from time to time, but she always delivered it perfectly. "Also," said Bunker, most of his upper body still buried in the control console, "I've managed to get all primary interface consoles except this one back to full functionality." "Alright," Dark Lance replied, moving to the holo-display. "Get ready for combat, we're about to have company." As the others stopped what they were doing to check their weapon systems, Dark Lance began typing on the holo-display's control panel. The display opened, and Teletraan six shot up, catching itself before flying out of the ceiling to keep lookout. After a few seconds, a short alarm sounded, turning the Autobots' attention to the display, which now showed the top of the forest canopy, as well as multiple winged figures approaching them at high speed. Dark Lance didn't waste time giving his order. "Autobots, transform and move out!" he commanded before changing into his beast mode and running to the door, the others fast on his heels. As soon as he was clear of the door frame, he leapt into the air, unfolded his wings, and made a beeline for the incoming Decepticons. As he sped towards them, he realized something. There was an alicorn, a dragon, and the lion/eagle hybrid which he remembered as a griffon from yesterday, but the bat-winged, scorpion-tailed lion known as a manticore that Crosswire was disguised as was nowhere to be seen. He turned skyward, realizing his mistake, but it was too late. As the Energon net sprang up in front of him, Dark Lance could only brace himself for the abrupt halt that came with it. His momentum carried him in a fast circle, slamming into the ground with a thud, and the scrape of metal against metal as the plates of his head were jarred against each other. Looking behind him, he saw that the net was tied around multiple trees, which was what resulted in him slamming headfirst into the ground, but standing next to the closest tree was Crosswire, still in his strange beast mode. He was grinning evilly. The mad scientist took a single step forward before Dark Lance saw a white blur behind him, and he was launched over the net, howling in pain and surprise. Bunker came up to his captive leader and used his teeth to pull the net open just enough so Dark Lance could get out. Nodding his gratitude, he spread his wings and flew back above the trees, where he saw Skybreaker being chased through the air by Fireburst and Bloodwing, all three still in their alt-modes. Seeing Dark Lance appear from beneath the trees, the young bot flew straight at him, the two Decepticons still on his tail. Dark Lance directed himself back at Skybreaker, understanding what the scout intended. Turning at the last possible moment, Skybreaker revealed his oncoming commander to his pursuers, having blocked their view with his body. Before they could react, though, Dark Lance slammed into Bloodwing, knocking both of them out of the sky, and sending them tumbling to the ground below. Now that there was only one opponent to deal with, Skybreaker turned around to face his challenger, the fire-red dragon roaring with all the menace it could. The Autobot scout replied with his own battle cry before charging straight at the monster. Meanwhile, down in the forest below, Burnout had locked gazes with Sharpedge, who had dived at her through the dense leaves, attempting to finish her with one blow. The initial strike had missed, and the two of them were now staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Burnout shifted one leg slightly, and then Sharpedge was in the air, her talon reaching backward, ready to attack. Burnout anticipated the move, however, and jumped out of reach just as the claw slashed at the space she had been occupying. Deftly turning around, the medic used her anatomical knowledge to angle a two-legged kick so that one hoof connected with her opponent's chest, and the other slammed into the Decepticon's eye as her head lurched forward from the first. Sharpedge reared back, screaming in pain and anger. Burnout grinned a little, knowing that the enemy scout had underestimated her combat abilities because of her rank as medic. In another part of the forest, Bunker found himself dodging yet another stab from Crosswire's tail before lunging back with his horn. The two fighters had yet to land a blow on each other, despite their best efforts. Bunker's less bulky form gave him the agility to dodge the Decepticon's attacks, but his spear had to be shorter in order for it to look natural in his beast mode. This meant that the advantage of reach he usually had that allowed him to keep his opponents at a distance was not there, and it was starting to aggravate him. Dodging another swipe from his adversary, he decided to change tactics. If he couldn't attack Crosswire's main body, he would attack the deranged doctor's weapons. He lunged again, this time at the scorpion tail which had dug yet another ditch into the ground around them, and scored the first solid hit of the fight. He allowed himself a small smirk as a thin trail of Energon fluid streaked through the air behind the retreating tail, knowing that victory was now his. Skybreaker, on the other hand, was not faring as well. Fireburst was cruel and uncaring, and his beast mode was the same. Another gout of flame spewed from his maw, and Skybreaker barely dodged it, his tail singed in the attack. Turning around, he noticed that although his opponent was fully capable of hovering, starting and stopping were difficult. The large, ungainly form may be powerful, but it was not at all maneuverable. Realizing this, he used it to his full advantage, flying quickly past the relatively slow brute of an opponent he was fighting. The dragon suddenly stopped, his whole body jerking at the movement, and slowly turned around, only to have the yellow and green blur shoot past him again. He swiped futilely at the empty air, and turned again. Skybreaker now knew what his advantage was, and he was going to use it to its fullest extent. He flew in tight, confusing circles around Fireburst, who was becoming increasingly agitated by his inability to even land a blow on the Autobot scout. Finally, Skybreaker flew right behind the Decepticon's head and turned around, bending his legs in mid-air. When Fireburst finally looked at him, he violently extended his legs, kicking the now-infuriated dragon in the face, disturbing his flight. The bright yellow scout grinned as he realized he might just pull this off. The team's leader, however, was not so sure. He had locked his horn against Bloodwing's almost immediately after landing, pressing his head against the red alicorn and trying to get into a position where he could make his enemy surrender. Neither had managed to get more than a step or two before the other pushed them back, though, and they were both getting tired. Bloodwing suddenly dipped his head to one side, causing Dark Lance to slip, giving him the opportunity he needed to flip his head upwards, sending the dark blue Autobot stumbling back. Seizing his chance, Bloodwing pushed the assault forward, his head violently pitching every which way like an angry bull. Dark Lance finally saw an opening, and brought his own head down, blocking the upwards thrust his opponent had intended for his spark chamber. Pushing down with the weight of his body, he put the Decepticon leader's face into the ground, holding it there, waiting for his opponent to give up. Instead, a metallic hoof smacked him in the snout, the impact reverberating through his mostly-hollow pony head. He took a few steps back, shaking his head as Bloodwing pulled his nose from the dirt, wiping of the muck with a hoof. Before the two could continue, though, a large red object came crashing down through the trees, Skybreaker right behind it. Seeing his commander, Skybreaker quickly jumped to his side, taking on a ready pose as the object revealed itself to be Fireburst. Next, a white mass came flying into the clearing from behind Bloodwing, narrowly missing the Decepticon leader and landing next to Dark Lance, who saw that it was Bunker as he got up and dusted himself off. Crosswire slowly limped forward through the hole in the branches, stopping next to his leader. Then Burnout and Sharpedge appeared from Dark Lance's right, each one dodging and returning the other's attacks. They appeared to be evenly matched, but when they saw their respective teams, they broke off from their fight to stand next to their comrades. Dark Lance decided to speak, but knew that what he had to say would fall on deaf sensors. "Bloodwing, stop this. We don't have to fight, and this planet does not have the means to save itself from the destruction we could cause!" he pleaded, already knowing that he would not be listened to. As he expected, his opponent just laughed. "Oh please, Lance, do continue. I know you've got another heroic speech in there, so let's hear it." He smiled. He would never actually do what the emotional Autobot wanted, but he enjoyed listening to his rival's ramblings about peace and harmony. To his mild surprise, though, there was no speech this time. "Please, Bloodwing, just stop. We don't have to do this." Dark Lance pleaded, hoping that the Decepticon leader would listen to him, just this once. Instead, he got even more laughter. "'Please, Bloodwing'? That's it!? I guess you used up all your heroics, huh?" he laughed again. "I mean, really, if that's all it would take, don't you think I would have joined you a long time ago? And to think you used to be so fearsome." He looked truly amused by his foe's pleas, and Dark Lance didn't like it one bit. "Alright then," Dark Lance sighed, his circuitry cooled by the flow of air, "I guess we have no choice. Autobots, transform and prepare for battle!" he shouted to his team, who rapidly complied. "Decepticons, transform and destroy!" his counterpart yelled with excitement, standing up as his wings fell away from his back, allowing his forelegs to rotate behind him to form his right arm, his left appearing from below his beast mode's neck before his entire upper body rotated and dropped down, forming his shoulders as his wings returned to their previous position. His head protruded as his shoulders dropped, revealing a double row of red plates sitting on top of his abyss-black face. His eyes and mouth were lit a bright red, giving him a demonic appearance. His legs turned around as this happened, and his feet extended from the backs of his hooves as the front moved back and up to form a solid heel spur. He then removed the top of his beast mode's head, attaching the long, single spike of mane to his left arm before drawing an equally long, double-edged sword from the bottom of his horn, which then split into three parts that laid down parallel to the top of his shield, spinning so that the center part of the horn was sticking straight out above the mane, and the two pieces from either side of the horn stuck straight back, making the shield look even more dangerous than the sword. Fireburst stood up on his front legs as his neck collapsed into his body, which rotated upwards as his front legs supported him, his rear legs folding backwards and locking into place on his back. His tail, now positioned above his head, split down the center, rotating outwards and falling to either side as the tips split into a pair of clawed hands, his elbow, wrist and swivel joints revealing themselves along the lengths of the halves of the tail. His wings hung at the sides of his legs as the top of his beast mode's mouth moved up above his eyes, and the bottom split to either side, creating a helmet around his hard-edged, serious face. He grabbed the single claw on each wing with his new arms, and drew two long, curved blades from the outer-most spines. Sharpedge pushed her wings back as she moved to a bipedal stance, allowing her shoulders to rotate the area around them until her talons pointed up, and then fold down as her rear legs unfolded, turning the claws on her feet into knee guards. The center of her beast mode then pulled away from her in flaps, unfolding from the struts that held them to become skirt armor. The sides of her beast mode head then pulled away as the front flipped down to her chest, the sides giving her a swept-back collar as her robot head was revealed to be as appropiate to her name as the rest of her. Crosswire cackled with glee at the order, anxious to see the looks of fear the Autobots would give him. His beast mode's head, tail, and entire spinal area lifted away from the rest of his body, then turned so that the head was on his right and his tail on his left. He also stood on his hind legs, which then unfolded, revealing a whole new leg attached to the end of the first. His forelegs then moved towards each other and occupied the space where his beast mode head once was. Then the panels that used to be his stomach moved away, and his lopsided, patchwork head fell forward as the areas that were once his shoulders unfolded down to rest on the screens in front of him that were on the back of his stomach panels. He smiled as he tested his joints, revealing sharp, white teeth.