[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]New World [open/Finale]

[Deleted]

Episode 2.5 – Week 2 – day 6

Location: Blackridgehold.

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Earth! This was what the locals called this planet, one he'd found deserved the name as given. True, it wasn't the most creative name, though wasn't Cybertron, yet it was the most fitting one for sure.

And it was this planet where the great forces of the Decepticons lay, currently hidden under a mountain. While not big and only temporary, Downfall already admired the craftsmanship behind said structure. One had to be skilled to accomplish such a task without proper resources, he knew as much and dipped his helm in respect to the mech responsible, even if the mech was not present at the moment.

It wasn't long since the big flier had arrived at Blackridgehold. And so he was thankful for any help that had been offered to him during his stay.

The green jet stood near the entrance of the control room, leaned against a wall as to allow any individual who wished to enter free passage. He waited silently before pulling himself upright to shift his weight some. His heavy armor rested tight on his frame with each movement, pale green paint already damaged on some portions to make him look worn and old. Which was more than true in one way or another.

However, his thoughts were interrupted as a pair of Vehicons left the control room, seemingly occupied with whatever they were doing. It only took a few seconds before they vanished with hurried steps behind the next corner, leaving nothing than the abandoned path behind.

After a while, the green jet pushed off of the wall, now supporting his own mass and weight once again. His five digit clawed servo reached up to one side of his helm and tipped at the side lightly before he spoke over the comm.

::I apologies for the sudden interruption, miss Finale, but may I ask for a rendezvous at the control room? I fear, I might have taken a wrong turn...::

His voice was rough and tired, but laced with the faintest hint of guilt.

Downfall knew the femme, not very well he had to admit, but she seemed like a courteous individual who valued good mannerism. It may had been only a few vague interchangeable words between the two, if even, yet he found the small grounder appealing.

[Deleted]

Annoyance.

Slowly, her sense of self rose up through the black, still pool of her meditation, unfolding like a flower in the moonlight.

Eyes opened.

Finale sat, cross-legged in her small personal quarters. Roughly hewn from stone, there was just a thick piece of carpet pulled across the entrance, in place of a door. It was heavy enough that it cut back a great deal of noise from the hallway outside, not that she would have been aware of it anyway. Finale had long ago learned to block all outside stimulation when meditating.

Not yet moving, she considered, for a brief moment, not to answer. Searching her inner clock, she was aware it was close to the time she would have given up anyway…it still irked her slightly she hadn’t been able to rise from the meditation properly, peacefully and slowly.

Still…in all honesty, Downfall did sound as if he regretted disturbing her. It clearly wasn’t some reckless and impolite brash behavior.

He did apologize, and sounded sincere.

Manners must always be appreciated.

::I will be there in a moment.::

Rising silently to her peds, Finale invented deeply, then exvented. Reaching out with a hand, she pushed back the carpet covering to her door, and started down towards the control room.

Vehicons moved along the hallways, talking, performing duties. Some saw her and saluted, not really knowing her but assuming she, not being one of them, must have some rank. Many more were not even aware of her passing - the low lighting and her subtle black blending allowing her simply step into shadows and vanish until they moved by.

Turning a corner, she stepped into the Control Room proper, and began to approach Downfall, “Greetings, Downfall.”

[Deleted]

The big flier was thankful to receive a true and honest answer once the reply came through the comm. Though, he did not reply back, finding it unnecessary to do so and decided to just simply wait for now.

Patience was something he was good at anyway.

And it truly wasn't much of a wait before the femme stepped up to him. Her voice already familiar and pleasant sounding, one he'd memorized rather quickly upon their first encounter. It was one so very different from the Vehicon soldiers traveling around the base, and therefor, it was an easy task to decipher her voice from the other one's.

Once she fell silent, Downfall nodded to welcome her in return. His field open and friendly.

“Greetings Miss Finale. I sincerely apologies again, should I have disturbed you in any way.”

Better save than sorry.

He really did not wish to cause her any trouble, yet it was a virtue from her to lay her duty to rest and instead follow his call.

“I truly do not wish to waste your time, but may I ask for your assistance? I am afraid to admit, that I am not familiar with the schematics of the outpost. While I do understand that this information is accessible through the terminals located here-”

An abrupt pause.

His voice dying mid sentence as he realized that he had no proper form to address this 'misfortune' of his. And while he'd never bothered with insults or degrading names that had been thrown his way? He wanted to make sure that the femme could understand that this was not a confession of a weakness, but rather a disability he had no means to work around.

“...I do lack the proper tools to read them.”

He then finished his sentence. Words spoken heavy with regret and an unforgettable pain he could not get rid off. Though, as much as this was painful to admit, his field did not sway and remained an natural pulse of kindness.

[Deleted]

She walked directly up to the much larger mech and looked up at him, studying the large form before her. Her movements were exceedingly quiet, save for the odd metallic sound when a ped made contact with metal on the floor instead of carved rock.

The last time she had seen him had been in slightly odd circumstances, and she had been more concerned with her duty of ensuring he wasn’t going to attack their CMO or others. Therefore she hadn’t been concerned with the more aesthetic side to the mech.
Now, however, she was able to get a much closer look, and found it interesting.

The mech must be able to see in some fashion; otherwise he wouldn’t be able to see whatsoever.

She spoke, her voice smooth and mellow.

“It is of no concern – I was nearly finished my task anyway. I assume you wish an overview of the base, then? That is easily arranged, although I will confess I am somewhat new myself and may not be able to answer some questions you may have.
That being said, in order to get a proper understanding of your abilities, forgive my rudeness when I ask what are you capable of seeing? Outlines? Forms? You must be able to see to a degree, or is it simply representations you have trouble with, such as computer monitors and the like?”

She looked around the room they were in, and made a faint sound of disapproval, “Primus knows it’s dark as the pits down here. Not that I mind, of course....”

[Deleted]

As Finale spoke, Downfall turned ever so slightly to indicate that he was listening.

Her words were comforting and he appreciated her careful approach. The jet never enjoyed talking about his condition as most saw it as a weakness. All too often he'd been judged, found guilty for whatever miss heap they could toss at him. But Finale did not, and it was this what made him feel more comfortable at the moment, easing his stance to appear more relaxed.

“Thank you kindly. An overview of the base would be very much appreciated.”

Downfall said casually while nodding to her statement.

“Your observation skill is impressive my dear. I indeed am able to distinguish forms and outlines. But do forgive me if I have to say that... I do no wish to talk much about it.”

While he already felt comfortable around the smaller Decepticon, he couldn't trust her fully yet. And as much as he wanted to, it was still too early to call her 'friend'. They only had met twice, in one day, and therefor, Downfall was careful of how much information he would like to exchange at the moment.

But nonetheless, he found her appealing enough and approved of her mannerism.

Then, with a slow but careful roll of his shoulder, the big flier eased his frame towards the corridor, helm lifting to watch into the hallway in front of them. He did not move, nor started to head into said direction yet, but would make sure that Finale could pick up on the intended movement.

He was ready for her to guide, to whatever location was next.

“Then only Primus shall guide us through it.”

[Deleted]

With a nod of her head, Finale passed Downfall, taking up point in order to lead. She digested what he had said, silently, for a moment. As she suspected, basic forms and outlines were what he could see and use to navigate, and little else, perhaps. While it was likely inhibiting, it was likely all that was truly needed to get around.

“Very well. Here, of course, is the main room, with the consoles and monitors used to keep the base running, and monitor Decepticon activities. The tunnel we are entering is to the west, as used by this planet. It’s a bit low, mind your head.”

She moved forward, stepping into the tunnel, the low light casting their shadows behind them as they approached the light source, only to flash beneath them and loom before them once they passed. The rough rock the tunnels were carved from echoed their steps back to them, somewhat hollowly. Despite this, the floors were quite level and made walking easier.

Even in the dry environments they were in, however, there was a faint sheen of moisture on the rock, as cooler temperatures caused faint condensation.

Finale pushed away the thought of just how deep they were.

“How are you fitting in, Downfall? I assume you have located some form of personal quarters for yourself?”

[Deleted]

As Finale began to lead and explain, Downfall kept note of what she said. The last thing he wanted was to run into an obstacle which could cause any unpleasant outcomes, and therefor lowered his helm some.

He followed her with great interest, his field open and receptive to her voice.

The rock and stone surrounding them still was something he would need to get used to, as was the fact that they found themselves underground at the current time. Nothing was more inhabiting for a flier than being stuck in a certain area for too long, especially when this area was entombed under a thick layer of rocks.

At her mentioning of a personal space, the green jet nodded before answering thoughtfully.

“I sadly did not have made myself comfortable as of yet.”

He admitted.

It never even had occurred to him to find a place to call his own yet, not until the smaller femme had pointed it out. A place to seek some privacy and get some rest after a long day of work sounded just about right, and he was looking forward to it... but not right now.

“With your permission, I would like to overview said personal quarters after we have located the areas of importance first.”

“But may I ask how long you have been part of this crew already?”

It was tempting to get a room for himself, though it was wiser to seek the main rooms first. He still was curious to inspect the alien like constructions within this base. How it all had been formed from only one single rock... into this.

[Deleted]

“I have been here six days, as judged by the local solar cycle. Not long, but enough to have managed to find a place for myself, so far. I’ve yet to meet most of the officers here, but I am content yet to train and bide my time.”

The tunnel they were in continued along, bending faintly to the left or right as they moved.

Occasionally, they would encounter an archway, leading into a large, open space, used for simple storage. When they found one, Finale would announce it, and what it appeared to be storing. Essential supplies were the majority – replacement parts for weapons, wiring for the base itself, lights. In one they found what looked like broken furniture, likely to be repaired and reused.

“Private quarters here are hard to come by...actually private, that is. And most are lacking doors. If you find one large enough to accommodate your frame, let me know if you need a door. I’ve found a smallish stockpile of metal sheets. I’ve discovered a Vehicon who will weld them together in a sort of suitable barrier if you pay him with a little extra energon.”

The tunnel they were in broadened out, and they stepped into a much larger open space. Here were benches along the walls, and a few carved out from the rock itself, to rise up in the middle. Large metal columns rose regularly, support for the ceiling. Small flecks of mica dotted the walls and floor, making soft flashes of light any time any illumination occurred.

“This is the assembly hall. Right now, more of a....social gathering place, I assume, than anything else. Perhaps when Megatron returns it will be used as a briefing area, or a place for announcements, speeches and the like.”

Finale spoke as though the Warlord’s return was simple fact. The sun rose in the morning, and their leader would return.

Pausing, Finale looked to Downfall, and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do, before the war?”

[Deleted]

The base itself was foreign and alien like to Downfall. The structure was made from stone and rock, a rare material to use for constructions like these, yet, it was an astonishing work of art. The green jet admired every inch of it, how the tunnels bent and snaked their way through thick layers of rock.

Hallways and corridors faded into each other, and it was only the faint distinct pulse of traveling sound waves that told him how the construction came to be, even looked like.

Finale's interpretation and information was a welcoming help to further manifest an imagine and form an imaginable map of their surrounding. He could already envision how it all had been planned out, how much detailed thought someone had to put into it in order to raise such rough terrain and bend it to their will.

But as much as he enjoyed it, he could tell how much work it still required until it would be suitable for their standards.

As Finale elaborated the private quarters more, he slowly tilted his helm towards her, trying to shift his attention back to the small grounder. He was curious to inspect them on his own once the time was right. The fact that they had no actual doors on the other servo did not concern him much. He was used to share his room with other soldiers back then, and wouldn't mind an open area to welcome his friends. But privacy did sound tempting...

“Of course, I would appreciate that.”

He said with a simple nod to urge her on. He too did not doubt their warlords return. Downfall was confident and strongly believed in their master's capabilities, and thus, would patiently await his return.

At her question however, he gave a deep low hum of thought, thinking for a moment before answering.

“I was an ammunition specialist, working for a company owned by the military, and was later granted to educate myself further to work as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal mech. It was one I truly did enjoy.”

He did not know if those specializations meant anything to the femme, yet he would not try to elaborate them as he found them rather self-explanatory.

“But may I return the question, Miss Finale?”

[Deleted]

“Let us continue.”

Finale started walking again, leading Downfall across the gathering place, and towards another tunnel entrance. A few Vehicons exiting from the tunnel paused and saluted, moving swiftly to the side so as not to block the tunnel. The femme did not return the salute, but moved a hand in a lazy wave, acknowledging their existence and salute. Not so much a meeting of equals, but neither outright ignoring them, either.

As she walked, she clasped her hands at the small of her back.

“Before the war,” she mused, “Mmn. I was a very different person. You might say I was in the entertainment business. I performed for the high caste in various ways, acting, playing musical instruments, and the like. My speciality was dancing. I fear I never receiving any coding or training for singing.

So I missed out on a great deal of the early start to the Decepticon cause. I regret I did not hear the great speeches Lord Megatron delivered before the war, nor did I have the opportunity to watch him compete in the gladiator pits.”

Leading Downfall through the tunnel - this one shorter and bare of any side storage rooms, they exited into a long hallway of carved out chambers. There was a vivid blue glow emanating from them, and Vehicons were working diligently. Their shadows grew and shrank as they moved to and from the light source, stark black against the walls.

“Energon crystal storage,” she explained, “Waiting for processing. The Vehicons have been working hard to try and rebuild some of the stores lost when the Nemesis went down. We are, however, in much better position than the Autobots, or so I have heard. They are apparently starving.”

[Deleted]

The jet kept up with the smaller Decepticons pace, allowing her to lead and decide to where they would go next. As always, he remained silent as she spoke and kept note of what she was saying. Once she had explained her own occupation and fell silent, Downfall nodded in return before speaking up.

“A very delightful, but difficult job I may assume.”

While he could remember a great deal of the old Cybertron and how it all had once been, he also could remember the caste system and how much strain it put on those who were unfortunate enough to end up in one of the lower castes.

Thankfully, Finale had not been one of them, so it appeared.

Continuing to follow her, he moved to enter the small facility and took a good 'look' around. It wasn't much different than the other room's he'd seen so far, yet it was special in its own way.

He nodded as Finale explained the function of the room, and its purpose. Energon was indeed a rare substance to find on this planet, so he'd heard, yet it was encouraging to know that their faction was still maintaining the majority of the mines present on earth. The mentioning of the Autobots, however, led him to shift his weight in an uncomfortable way.

Their foes appeared to be few but strong, unwilling to fall under their might as countless of battles had proven it so far...

“I have been briefed about our current situation, yet I was unable to find any source of information suitable to educate myself further. But I did hear about a truce between our factions, though, as I have to admit, it is an unfamiliar concept.”

It truly was difficult to grasp the concept behind such an arrangement, and while he had listened and paid attention to what the red medic had said not all too long ago, it still was so very 'new' and 'fragile' to him.

[Deleted]

Finale smiled faintly at her companion’s words. Delightful, but difficult, indeed. How different it had been back then. The music, the dancing....how she had loved just losing herself in the music, in the presentation, the art of theatre. For a while, she could just vanish as a person, just be whatever the music needed, the situation demanded.

Turning, Finale lead them back out into the hallway, walking on again.

“Ah yes, the truce.”

Finale lightly grasped her hands behind her back, “It is a difficult thing to process, I agree. We appear to be winning, so why this? Why now?

However, it was Lord Megatron himself who called for it, so who are we to judge it? He has the best interests for the Decepticons in his mind, and I am certain he has a very good reason for it. I was told it was to allow both the Decepticons and the Autobots to work together to stop the threat of MECH...but the Autobots seem to be content to remain hiding wherever their sad little base is, and unfortunately, we lost the Nemesis.

If nothing else, the fact we don’t have to worry overmuch about them at the moment while we gather our strength is a boon to us.”

An amused tone crept into her voice, “They never were very good at gathering resources. They always needed the manual class to do so, and now it’s biting them in the aft. With any luck, they’ll all be dead from starvation before long.”

The next room they came upon was another storage room. Here were larger bits and pieces of scrap – Earth shipping containers, or pieces of them, the occasional car engine in various states of repair, and miles of rubber hose coiled in huge circles.

“Another storage room. As you can imagine, Blackridge runs almost entirely on whatever can be salvaged from Earth. While the upper ranks seem capable of performing magic with the mundane earth tech, most of the average Cybertronian tech was lost with the Nemesis. Anything with the slightest hint of use is stored here. Those large containers are surprisingly strong for earth metal.”

There was a pause for a moment, then she spoke again, “Apparently they’ve been returning to the Nemesis to try and bring back what they can. Perhaps, with a little luck, they may be able to raise it again, and we can return to the sky. Anything would be better than this, I am certain.”

[Deleted]

As Finale began to speak, Downfall turned his attention to her voice once again, listening.

It was obvious that the Decepticon faction outranked the Autobots by far, not only resource wise, but also in strengths and numbers. Downfall could not agree more and dipped his helm in a way to show his approval.

One day the Decepticons would be victorious, they just had to be patient!

Another interesting fact however, was Finale's wording. Her strong believe and the way she talked about their leader was hint enough for the green jet to notice her loyalty. It was not difficult to decipher someone's interest in the cause, from one's own personal goals. 

With that in mind, he went over what else she had mentioned. The truce truly was something 'special', if one could call it that. Never had he experienced a ceasefire before, especially between Autobots and Decepticons. But since Lord Megatron himself had announced such an arrangement, he would not question it any further.

He followed her as she continued to move along the corridors, until they reached another section of the base. It was here where the area began to expand, growing into the distance. The room exposed various kinds of metals and while most would not pay attention to it, Downfall was very much aware of any object that emitted an impulse of electricity into the room, humming and singing in unison, yet completely unaffected from each other.

Earthen materials, there were many different types, hollow ones, thick layered ones and cheap coated and less clean fabricated containers of mass production stock piled within this area. Their rough outlining and shape, enclosed under thick layers of rock trapped the sound within.

“I am impressed at our fast recovery. I was not aware of our leadership's current plans, but I do admit that these are welcoming news.”

He admitted truthfully. How much he just wished to spread his wings again, to feel the wind whipping past his frame and to allow himself being lost in the sky. It was not much of a secret that most fliers tend to miss the open sky, and Downfall was no exception.

He gave a light hum, husky and sore as he thought about it before addressing Finale once more.

“With all due respect, miss Finale, but may I ask as to why exactly this base exists? I could not ignore that this outpost is far more advanced than anything I have experienced so far.”

[Deleted]

Here Finale paused, considering Downfall’s words and his question. As before, when they had first met, she was struck by his more...cultured way of speaking. While she doubted he had been living in Iacon, he still did not use slang, nor did he seem blunt or brash. It was an interesting combination in the large mech.

Folding her hands behind her back, she gazed at the area they were in for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before she turned back, and spoke. Their shadows moved and jigged across the walls as they moved, the stark lighting causing their shadows to appear sharp like a razor.

“As far as I have been able to ascertain, this was just a back up location. A place, perhaps, to store extra supplies. There had been too many Vehicons within the Nemesis, and the constant mining operations in order to supply the Decepticons here saw a need to place some of them in an area separate from the Nemesis.

We are lucky it was in existence. Had it not been, those from the Fortress would have found themselves utterly without shelter. Considering this is a hostile planet, that could have been bad for us.”

There was a pause, and then she spoke again, a faint, wistful tone entering her voice.

“While I find this base....utilitarian....I confess I wish I could have been present on the Nemesis. I heard much about it, and it must have been a grand sight to see, soaring in the clouds, so far above this primitive planet and our enemies.”

A faint, bemused smile, “Advanced? Yes, I suppose it is, all things considered. The one who built it should be commended. I am certain they did not expect to take on the entirety of Earth’s Decepticon units all at once, and yet, here we are.”

[Deleted]

The explanation Finale gave in return was very much appreciated by the big flier.

While the Nemesis itself probably was massive and could welcome a whole army of their forces, it sure must had its limits as well. And as far as Downfall was concerned, the mining operations of their faction were down on earth, hidden underneath multiple layers of rocks, which converted them into excellent hiding locations for some of their troops. It was somehow understandable that their leaders found it necessary to construct a secondary base, even if this one was mostly done to support their population.

He was just glad it existed and aided them in dire times.

However, as Finale began to elaborate her wish to visit the Nemesis and announced just how much she would like to soar through the sky, Downfall couldn't help but smile. It was a rare emotionally response, all things considered. Nonetheless, the corner of his mouth slightly curved upwards, faint but still visible forming into a light sparked smile before addressing her in a soft spoken voice.

“I agree. It sure would be nice to feel the wind underneath ones wings again. But I do have to admit, I was not aware of your desire to visit the sky, miss Finale. It truly is a fascinating aspect we both would have in common then.”

It sure was a welcoming aspect. Downfall had worked with a lot of ground based Cybertronians in the past, but he'd never experienced one to be so eager to be up in the sky. He always assumed that most of them feared the great distance one could fall if they were not capable of flight. But nonetheless, it pleased him to hear that she was interested at seeing the world from above.

Taking a moment to process the information, Downfall took a second to inwardly fall silent as he made sure to remember this for later.

“I appreciate your effort to take the time and brief me with our current situation. And I apologies in advance should my next request sound too intrusive, but would I be allowed to suggest to have a refuel somewhere?”

He surely enjoyed her company and was thankful for her detailed tour of the base, but having spent a long time in space, his systems were alarming him repeatedly to maintain his own fuel levels as well as other things. And taking a small break maybe wasn't that bad of an idea anyway.