transform 1

NCC Central Hub

Fleet wanders in from Trypticon, where he keeps his quarters (whether there's technically an object there is another matter...). Fully fueled and not due to go on duty for awhile, he actually appears to be in rather a good mood.

Catechism was passing through, en route to somewhere else, looking to see if anyone was up for a raid, a scouting mission, an arena bout, or something. She likes to be doing something. She's not much one for sitting in contemplation.

Fleet looks around a moment. He figures he's going to stretch his wings for a bit, but most seekers are by nature social animals, and he's had enough of flying solo. He spots Catechism, also looking about, and nearly skips in her direction.

Catechism waves and (guess) grins. She tilts her head a bit to one side and asks, "What's got you so happy?" Usually, Fleet seems a bit reserved, at least to her thinking.

Fleet looks skyward. "Fully fueled, and a good amount of time before duty. Was thinking about stretching my wings..." He pauses and glances at Catechism. "Perhaps a game?"

Catechism looks curious. "A game? What do you have in mind?" With Decepticons, a 'game' can refer to anything from assigning your underlings to paint rocks to having your wings fed to you to an abstract battle simulation with symbolic pieces...

Fleet shrugs a wing and a shoulder. "Thinking about tag or something. I'd just assume avoid the heavy repair, so a rather light game."

Catechism shrugs and smirks a little, "Fair enough." Aw, is the Fleet damage-shy? ...are Insecticons hungry? Nevermind.

The yellow seeker glances sideways at Catechism. There are some undertone there that run a bit... well, a bit. Eh. Not that it matters. In the end, what matters is that he survives. He leaps into the air and transforms, radioing back to the conehead, "Catch me if you can!"

You take off and soar upward to Sky above New Crystal City.

Sky above New Crystal City

The air above the island is rough and turbulent, but it does little to hide what lies below. Instead of the rocky islands typical of this region of the Pacific, there is an enormous, blueish metal structure of some kind, like an outlandish, oversized oil-drilling platform. Huge sparkling spires stretch up into the skies, massive squat domes litter the island, and tall sky-scrappers loom over the ground, all made of solid metal. The city is currently in battle mode, and one can see huge cannons and missile turrets targeting any invaders. The entire coastline has been lined with long-ranged weaponry to ward off any invasion.

Obvious exits:

Fly <Up> Plaza <P> Spaceport <S> Coastline <C> R'Lyeh <R> Central Hub <H>

Catechism flies up from NCC Central Hub.

Catechism has arrived.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) twirls in the air, then changes direction suddenly and dives at Catechism, coming in for a little wing-tap pass.

F-35 <Catechism> evades your grasp attack.

F-35 <Catechism> spins that wing down while bringing the other one up. She holds herself orthogonal to the ground for a moment and then flips back down to a horizontal pose. She chases after Fleet and radios, "So, all I have to do is catch you? Any restrictions on how?" Once she figures she's close enough, she tries for a wing-tag, jinking in close.

Catechism succeeds in grasping Pyramid Jet (Fleet), throwing him off-balance.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) twists away but not in time. It takes him a moment to recover his flying pattern, but he does it easily enough. His flying becomes less manic, and he starts to move into something of a holding pattern. "Not that I'm thinking, although now it's my job to catch you. I'll give you a count of five... 1..."

Fleet says, "2..."

Fleet says, "3..."

Fleet says, "4..."

F-35 <Catechism> peels away from Fleet, heading up and away. She scissors her flight, weaving to-and-fro. She's heading for the cloud layer, where her colouring will stand out less.

There's a pause just moments longer than the others, and then Fleet radios, "5!" at high power level, transforming into robot mode to tumble into an upright position, then transforming again so that he's pointed straight up. He turns his thrusters on high and takes off after Catechism, attempting to close the distance.

Fleet succeeds in grasping F-35 <Catechism>, throwing her off-balance.

F-35 <Catechism> is tagged. Looks a like a big clunky conehead cannot successfully pretend to be a wispy little cloud. Her engines sputter a little, as a 'sigh', and she hovers in place. Catechism radios, "You've got 5..."

You take off and soar upward to Skies Above the Southwest Pacific.

Skies Above the Southwest Pacific

The sky is filled with racing clouds that partially obscure the ground below. Up above the lower layers of the atmosphere, everything you see seems sharper and more distinct. Surveying the land below you, you can see various things moving and spy the layout of the terrain in detail.

Obvious exits:

Fly <Up> leads to Stratosphere above Pacific Ocean.

North <N> leads to Skies Above the West Central Pacific.

South <S> leads to Skies above Antarctica.

East <E> leads to Skies Above the Southeast Pacific.

West <W> leads to Skies above Australia.

New Crystal City <NCC> Great Barrier Reef <GBR> S Pacific West <SPW> S Pacific Australian Coast <AUS>

Transmission from Catechism: 5...

Transmission from Catechism: 4...

Transmission from Catechism: 3...

Transmission from Catechism: 2...

Transmission from Catechism: 1...

F-35 <Catechism> flies up from Sky above New Crystal City.

F-35 <Catechism> has arrived.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) is darting amoung the clouds, almost teasing Catechism to come chase him. At one point he even flips over and flies upside down for a bit.

F-35 <Catechism> would have tried for a trickier entrance, but there didn't seem to be any other obvious ways of getting here other than, er, just flying up here. She goes for altitude, rather than tagging Fleet. That can wait until later, once she's got an idea of what he's up to.

Up to? What makes Catechism think Flee would be up to anything? Aside from, well, a very impressive altitude. Oh, wait. Apparently he is up to something. He suddenly raises his nose and actually flies after Catechism. Wait! Isn't she it? Seems rather silly...

F-35 <Catechism> would be hunching up her shoulders and preparing to pounce if she was robot mode. As is, she's all too willing to let Fleet chase her. Too willing by half, as she slowly verges into hover and stops in the air, as if begging for a midair collision. In a flash, the F-35 then transforms and makes a grab for Fleet.

F-35, Marine Corps variant, transforms into robot form. Catechism's feet unfold, her arms unfold out of her body, her nosecone rotates through her body and ends up on her shoulders to expose her face, and her wings rotate into position.

Catechism succeeds in grasping Pyramid Jet (Fleet), throwing him off-balance.

Oh! Bad gambit on the yellow seeker's part! Now he's 'it' again! He barrel rolls smoothly away, lowering his altitude slightly, and moves into another holding pattern. "1..."

Fleet says, "2..."

Catechism returns to jet mode and concentrates on getting the slag away from Fleet. She moves laterally rather than upward for a change.

Catechism transforms into her alternate mode: a F-35, Marine Corps variant. Her feet flip up against her shins, her nosecone rotates through her body and out in front where it belongs, her arms tuck into her torso, and her wings rotate into position.

Fleet says, "3..."

Fleet says, "4..."

F-35 <Catechism> flies the vast distance north to the Skies Above the West Central Pacific.

F-35 <Catechism> has left.

You transmit a message to Catechism: 5!

You fly the vast distance north to the Skies Above the West Central Pacific.

Skies Above the West Central Pacific

Contents:

F-35 <Catechism>

Obvious exits:

Fly <Up> leads to Stratosphere above Pacific Ocean.

North <N> leads to Skies Above the Northwest Pacific.

South <S> leads to Skies Above the Southwest Pacific.

Southwest <SW> leads to Skies above Indian Ocean.

East <E> leads to Skies Above the East Central Pacific.

West <W> leads to Skies above Southeast Asia.

Central Pacific S Asian Coast <SAS> Central Pacific West <CPW>

The cybertronian jet rockets into the general area at top speed, engines roaring as he tries to close the distance between himself and Catechism. This time he tries to fly above her, then transforms and attempts drops on her suddenly!

F-35 <Catechism> evades your grasp attack.

Fleet falls... right past Catechism.

F-35 <Catechism> is actually flying quite low, as if just begging to be knocked into the ocean and have her engines ruined by saltwater. Catechism's not that masochistic, though. She just wants to see if Fleet will follow her down there. Probably yes, but that would take away the fun of the experiment. When Fleet drops down and tries to tag her, she gets her answer. She manages to dodge out of the way by jinking to the left, but deciding that she's had enough of low flying, she pulls up sharply and scissors away.

Oh, slag! Now he's plummeting right towards the ocean! What's the little yellow seeker going to do now?

...

Oh, yeah, he can fly. He controls his fall easily, turning as he does so that he's once more upright, one leg slightly bent and arms held out, almost like he was... posing. Then the instant ends and he rockets upwards once more, transforming as he goes and attempting to wingtag Catechism again.

Fleet succeeds in grasping F-35 <Catechism>, throwing her off-balance.

F-35 <Catechism> looks down, a bit confused by Fleet's pose. Thus, she hesitates, and thus she is tagged. Making a mental note not to get puzzled when Fleet does weird things, Catechism hovers serenely and begins a countdown. "5..."

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) continues to rocket upwards, trying once more to outrace the count-down.

You take off and soar upward to Stratosphere above Pacific Ocean.

Stratosphere above Pacific Ocean

Through breaks in the cloud cover you see only an endless region of dark blue, the vast and shifting expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Strong air currents beat against you, shifting you back and forth as you soar through the stratosphere.

Obvious exits:

Fly <Up> leads to Stratosphere above Western Hemisphere.

North <N> leads to Stratosphere above Arctic.

Northeast <NE> leads to Stratosphere above North America.

Northwest <NW> leads to Stratosphere above Asia.

South <S> leads to Stratosphere above Antarctica.

Southeast <SE> leads to Stratosphere above South America.

Southwest <SW> leads to Stratosphere above Oceania.

NE Pacific Skies <NEP> NW Pacific Skies <NWP> SE Pacific Skies <SEP> SW Pacific Skies <SWP> EC Pacific Skies <ECP> WC Pacific Skies <WCP>

Transmission from Catechism: 4...

Transmission from Catechism: 3...

Transmission from Catechism: 2...

Transmission from Catechism: 1...

F-35 <Catechism> flies up from Skies Above the West Central Pacific.

F-35 <Catechism> has arrived.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) is still moving upwards, but he seems to be approaching an apex of sorts and preparing for a dive, and thus has slowed a bit.

F-35 <Catechism> bursts up into the sky like a bullet. As if ignoring Fleet, she just continues up and up. After all, Catechism likes swooping down from a high altitude and grabbing her pre...playmate, and she can't do that if he's above her.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) passes through the apex and dives, gaining momentum as he goes. Catechism may have a tough time catching up with him... unless, of course, the gods of randomization favor her once more.

F-35 <Catechism> always makes a point of buying the gods of randomization a round of drinks whenever she sees them. Still, she doesn't go after Fleet yet. She evens out her flight and starts a lazy circle around the area. Perhaps when Fleet stops imitating a falling rock, she'll strike. Perhaps.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) ... does not stop imitating a falling rock just yet. In fact, he continues to plummet right out of the general neighborhood.

You fly downward to the Skies Above the Southeast Pacific.

Skies Above the Southeast Pacific

Obvious exits:

Fly <Up> leads to Stratosphere above Pacific Ocean.

North <N> leads to Skies Above the East Central Pacific.

South <S> leads to Skies above Antarctica.

East <E> leads to Skies above Western South America.

West <W> leads to Skies Above the Southwest Pacific.

S Pacific S American Coast <SAM> S Pacific East <SPE>

F-35 <Catechism> soars down into view from the skies above.

F-35 <Catechism> has arrived.

F-35 <Catechism> follows Fleet down, losing her lovely little altitude advantage. In a fight, that would be a serious worry. In a game of tag such as this, it is merely irksome. She transforms into robot mode and goes through the motions of crossing her arms and tapping her foot against a non-existent floor.

The pastel pyramid dives into the racing clouds, and... does not emerge for quite awhile. This would happen to be because he had transformed while in the clouds and tumbled, using the sudden change in form and orientation to stop his fall. He remains, hovering in the clouds.

Catechism shrugs and transforms back to jet mode. Then, she plunges into the clouds herself, hunting the pastel one. Given her blind plunge, she's wary of a mid-air collision. It's a fun and games until someone breaks a wing... then it's a sport.

You evade F-35 <Catechism>'s grasp attack.

Fleet smiles to himself as Catechism passes by only a few feet, apparently unaware that she even came near him. Still, moments after she passes he transforms and bursts out of the clouds at the highest speed he can optain in such a short period, engines roaring as he pushes them to the limit, rocketing toward the cold...

You fly the vast distance south to the Skies above Antarctica.

Skies above Antarctica

Your sensors twist and realign for a moment as you approach polar south. The temperature is well below freezing, and a frigid wind blows constantly, fighting to drop you from the sky to the fields of white below you. Between drifts of snow, you can faintly make out scattered scientific outposts and oil wells.

Obvious exits:

North <N> leads to Skies Above the Southwest Pacific.

North2 <N2> leads to Skies above Southern Africa.

North3 <N3> leads to Skies above Mid-Atlantic.

North4 <N4> leads to Skies above Indian Ocean.

North5 <N5> leads to Skies above Western South America.

North6 <N6> leads to Skies Above the Southeast Pacific.

Fly <Up> leads to Stratosphere above Antarctica.

South Pole <SP> Antarctica Ice Shelf <AIS> Ronne Ice Shelf <RIS> East Antarctica <EA> West Antarctica <WA>

F-35 <Catechism> flies in from the Skies Above the Southeast Pacific far to the north.

F-35 <Catechism> has arrived.

F-35 <Catechism> might not have been able to see Fleet, but she could hear him when he rocketed away. She follows that sound as best she can. Catechism's disoriented when she finally gets there and spends some time scanning the area, wondering if she heard correctly. Hearing isn't her primary sense, after all.

What do you know? Catechism guessed right! He hasn't yet reached Antartica, however. Right now he's racing for the frozen continent, although he's lowered his altitude considerably, rocketing as close to the waves as he can safetly go to reduce the distance at which he can be picked up on radar.

F-35 <Catechism> looks for Fleet, but among all the pointy, pale icebergs, the pyramid jet actually blends in. Curses. The one place in which that Seeker can camouflage... Still, pale as he is, he's still yellow. She's pretty sure he's not in the sky, so she pick one of the yellower icebergs, dives, and hopes that she's not going to end up tagging a lump of ice.

Catechism succeeds in grasping Pyramid Jet (Fleet), throwing him off-balance.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) is caught off-guard as Catechism, by a complete stroke of luck (and with the blessing of the gods of randomization) finds just the right little bit of yellow. He barrel rolls 360 as he gets tagged, and actually laughs over the radio. "Good game! Good game!" he calls.

F-35 <Catechism> pulls up, wanting away from the frigid waters. With a bit of disbelief, she replies, "Yeah... fun." Catechism was able to catch tricky Fleet that many times? He must have been having an off day, she muses. No one got hurt, but she supposes it's wasteful to get hurt over a game. Save the pain for the Autobots.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) radios back, "It's about time I got on patrol... here is as good a place to start as any, I imagine." With that he transforms, air-tumbles head over heels and then transforms again, taking off in the opposite direction and increasing his altitude a bit. "Catch you later!"

Of course, considering the game they were just playing, he could mean that literally.

Oh no, Fleet might get her! What a terrible fate! Catechism "waves", tilting her wings, and goes off to her own tasks.