EP0.5 - Helicopter Mom [Closed]

[airazor]

"But you logged the problem, right?" Airazor said, holding out that much hope even though Velocity had already informed her this 'assignment' was nowhere in the base records. He may have simply entered it incorrectly.

To Velocity, she continued, ::Please log that the arrays are out of alignment. I'm sure Rhinox will find time to take a look at them once he knows.:: Truth be told, she wouldn't be surprised to encounter Rhinox on the way back down into the base; she doubted the vorn had made the big mech any less of a stickler for mainenance. ::I'll be in with Dipper shortly.::

Cycling out one of her forearm blades, Airazor deftly cut the lead still tangled around Dipper's pedes and helped him up. "All right, let's get you inside where we can sort this out," she said, maintaining a firm grip on his arm as she guided him to the nearest hatch and took him back inside the base.

[velocity]

The tall femme let out a long and slow venting of annoyance. So not only had Dipper not followed the rules he had also made the mistake, hopefully it was a mistake, of not logging the problem in the system. Velocity could feel her plating heat up just a fraction and pulled her field in tight so that it didn't give away just how frustrated and irritated she was right now.

Though Vel was not Prime she was pretty bossy and had started to consider herself an authority in this mess they had here. She had tons of experience in situations like this and just automatically slipped into the roll when there was no one else to fill it. She had to have something to do while she was stuck here and maybe this would work with making her want to stay longer or at least come back more often. Though authority wasn't the right word she didn't think on it too much, let other people decide what they thought she was. ::Alright see you shortly, and Dipper of course.::

Tapping on the log with the tip of one of her claws she entered in that the sector five sensor arrays were in need of fixing as soon as possible. That wasn't her problem but she would check on it before her shift was over to make sure someone had gotten on it. She was going to end up riding everyone's afts to get everything done and on a schedule now. They needed this, what a mess.

[Deleted]

Rhinox was just heading up the stairs from fixing a (dangerous to humans) gas leak in the power block when he got a ping from Velocity about the arrays on the cliffs. He sighed, shaking his head - he'd been looking forward to a break! - but when duty called, Rhinox answered. He took a quick detour to collect his tools and headed back to the stairs, only to spot Airazor headed down them in the company of a rather shellshocked-looking aquatic model. He lifted a hand in greeting.

"They put us right to work, didn't they, 'Raze?" he offered with a chuckle. "Not that I'm complaining."

[airazor]

Airazor smiled at Rhinox's greeting, her EMF flickering out automatically to brush against his. "I volunteered to be put to work," she said. "Someone has to make up for Rattrap lounging around and drinking all the highgrade."

She let her grip on Dipper loosen marginally now that they were inside, with nothing more dangerous to navigate than stairs. "Watch your step up there," she said, more for Dipper's benefit than Rhinox's; she'd trust Rhinox sensor-blind and with his optics offlined. "The arrays are right on the edge of the cliff."

[steele]

Dipper walked along side Airazor and kept walking after she let go. He was the engineer around here. Fixing stuff was his business. Although, at times he primarily HYPER-focused on his business with little attention to everyone else. He felt stupid for having to be bailed out by.... whoever that other guy was just now. Did his name start with an R? Dipper wasn't introduced to that guy yet.

"Th-Thank you f-f-f-for h-helping me u-up," said Dipper quietly.

[Deleted]

"Thanks for the warning." Rhinox's EMF responded to Airazor's readily, flickering with warmth. "If you hear a loud thud, send someone out with a shovel, would you?"

He nodded as well to Airazor's companion. They hadn't been introduced yet, but they would be.

[velocity]

She waited for them, long arms folded over her chassis. Velocity could be incredibly patient, unless you screwed up. That right there usually threw all her patience out the nearest window or doorway. She completely hated incompetence and wasting other peoples time. That is exactly what Dipper had done and he was going to hear it something fierce once him and Airazor got to her.

Finally the pair of them walked around the corner and her optics landed on Dipper and practically bored a hole right through him. Her field, which was held close but not tightly contained, swirled with frustration, annoyance and pure anger. Though she wanted to pounce immediately she waited until they had gotten just a little closer before she walked down to them.

"Dipper are you completely out of your mind? Do you have any idea the trouble you could have caused everyone?" Surprisingly enough her tone was quiet but it was shaking with just how angry she was. Being taller than the both of them they would have to look up if they were going to look at her. If Dipper tried to look at her pedes, or his own, she was going to stick one claw underneath his chin and force him to face her. She couldn't stand cowards and she was not about to put up with one now.

"Going off on your own and not telling anyone? Not logging it either so that maybe we wouldn't waste someone elses time?" She stopped then, he did need a chance to answer back after all.

[steele]

Dipper didn't even look Velocity in the optics. He looked down at his pedes and fidgeted.

"S-s-s-sorry. I-I thought i-i-it was g-g-g-going to b-b-be a quick f-f-f-fix. D-didn't ex-expect to s-s-s-s-slip," said Dipper nervously.

More accurately, he was mumbling at his feet. His EM field was entirely submissive and full of nervous energy.

[airazor]

Airazor stopped a few feet behind Dipper, meeting Velocity's optics and offering her a nod of greeting. The tall femme did not look pleased, and really Airazor couldn't blame her; this was an utterly unnecessary interruption of her duties, whatever those may be.

As Dipper began to stammer his explanation, Airazor vented quietly, fighting the urge to plant one servo on Dipper's helm and one on his back and straighten him up. Not that it would help; she sensed that Velocity wasn't a femme who would take well to receiving excuses rather than answers. Airazor herself was somewhat appalled that Dipper apparently didn't see the problem with what he had done, neither the risk to himself, nor the failure to follow basic protocols. While Dipper was clearly not a military build, the meticulous scientist in her cringed at the thought of failing to record errors and maintenance to their equipment.

Velocity seemed the sort to have the same deeply entrenched respect for procedure and why such procedures were in place. It was surprisingly nice after so many vorn of only Rattrap for company. She would, Airazor decided, have to take a moment to properly meet the other femme.

[velocity]

Dipper did exactly what she expected him to and she let her field touch his so he would know just what a big mistake that was. Just as she had planned one sharp claw caught the mech under his chin and pulled upward until he was forced to meet her optics with his own, even if it hurt a little. "You will look at the person speaking to you! This staring down at the floor bit is completely disrespectful and I will not have any of that, you hear me?" Now her voice was just a tad louder and she fixed him with an annoyed glare to make sure he understood her.

"You thought? Are you sure about that? You know procedure Dipper, there is no excuse for the negligence with which you handled this." Then she heard him say he fell, that had not been mentioned and she went completely still. The urge to grab him by his arm and stick him in a corner like a bad sparkling was strong. Though really he didn't deserve something so nice.

Venting harshly she kept her claw hooked under his chin and shook her head at him. "So, not only did you fail to log anything or tell anyone but you also slipped? You are very lucky Airazor was out there at all or you could have been alone for a very long time. Not to mention you would stick out and anyone flying by could obviously see you! How incompetent can you be?!" Finally she let him go and began to pace about the room.

[steele]

Dipper was looking directly at Velocity. DIRECTLY. AT. HER. He started quivering as though he were a bowl of green Jello caught in the middle of an earthquake. A large and uncomfortable pit had formed at the bottom of his tank as he let out a quiet whimper.

Why was he such a loser?

WHY WAS HE SUCH A LOSER?!

It was only when she let him go was he allowed to avert his gaze from Velocity's figure to the safety of his feet.

[airazor]

Airazor shook her head. Dipper was not, it seemed, capable of keeping himself out of trouble.

Taking pity on him, she took a few steps closer, and this time she gave in to the desire to physically straighten him up. "Velocity is right, Dipper," she said, in the same tone of voice she had used on Talus when he was just a sparkling. "It's rude not to look at a..." she stumbled a little, about to say 'adult', "superior officer when they're speaking to you."

She gave him a reassuring little pat on the shoulder and brush of her EMF against his before stepping back. She had the sinking feeling that Dipper was just going to keep digging himself in deeper, and while part of her felt sorry for the small mech, she felt even more strongly that Dipper couldn't be allowed to continue to behave as if his actions held no consequences for the rest of them. Even Rattrap was better disciplined, and that, Primus help them, was saying a lot.

[velocity]

While she was holding him and speaking to him he began to shake so much she was half expecting his limbs to start falling off. Her field had not shown concern however but an idle curiosity during this time. Velocity had never once met a mech who behaved in this fashion. It seemed the oddest thing, and was definitely bothersome, at least to her.

She could see him cant his head back downward, focusing on anything but up. Stopping in her pacing she kept her optics on Airazor this time, lest she drag Dipper's head back up herself. Hearing the other femme stumble on her wording made Vel very curious as to what she had been about to say. Maybe she would ask her later on.

"Dipper, I asked you plenty of questions and yet I did not get one answer. They were not rhetorical. I want to know why you didn't report this, log it and let someone know. Are you in the habit of just doing whatever you want regardless of others?" Still with the imperious and annoyed tone. If he did this often he needed to be reported to Prime. Maybe she could help to straighten him out. Vel was not often in the habit of adding others to her flock of none but he obviously could use the help.

Would she be able to stop being so annoyed with him to help him out?

[steele]

"I-I-I-I c-c-c-c-c-can't l-l-look at h-her," Dipper whispered to Airazor.

He tried several times to try and say something to Velocity. All that came to mind was how much of a loser he thought he was.

"I-I-I-I a-a-always l-log things. A-a-a-all my l-l-logs are pu-public," said Dipper still shaking and shuddering, "I-I-I thought I-I would b-be q-q-q-q-quick."

[airazor]

"Of course you can," Airazor said reassuringly when Dipper insisted he couldn't look at Velocity. She patted him on the helm again. "Just cycle your vents slowly and keep your chin up."

She couldn't quite hide her grimace when Dipper said his logs were public, though. If that meant what it sounded like - that he was keeping personal logs, and not entering things in the base systems and reporting them - well, that was worse than the idea that he simply hadn't known to keep records of these things.

She turned her attention back to Velocity. She seemed the capable, efficient type, in all probability used to working with those at her own level. Airazor could sympathize with her impatience over this situation; she just hoped that Vel would be able to rein that in long enough to deal with the situation productively.