Carbombya, near the border:

Scrapper stares off the way that Long Haul went. Something nags at him. The bridge over troubled waters? The great big hole in the ground? The refinery he was supposed to rebuild? No, not that... that Long Haul didn't look like he was in such good condition to go lugging Mixmaster around. That was it. He starts, "I... I'm gonna go check on them. See Mixmaster gets hauled out of the way properly." Scrapper tries to climb out, but finds himself a bit too unsteady on his feet for the task.

Arachnae watches Long Haul and his less than graceful exit, and then Scrappers attempt. She gives a shrug of shoulders, reaches out to wrap an arm about the tipsy enginneer and leaps upwards, pulling him out of the hole before setting him back onto his own feet. "Good that you should check on your brothers, Scrapper." she offers him her rather untouched save for a sip now and there cube. "Take this with you, if you would." Wry smirk which fades as she peers over at Scourge, quizzically.

Pyramid Jet (Fleet) returns from a standard patrol (what with all the invasions lately, you can't be too sure anymore) and comes in low for a landing, transforming at the last instance to touch down in robot mode fairly near the whole hole business. He looks around... GHA! Constructicons! Wait, only one, so he should be safe... besides, he's not in Medical. Then he spots Arachnae and Scourge. GHA! Sweeps!

The yellow Cybertronian jet unfolds, revealing the robotic form of the seeker Fleet.

In a simple, utilitarian transformation, Scrapper becomes a payloader. His lower legs fold over his thighs. His arms tuck along his sides. His head retracts into his body, and his shovel folds down into place.

Payloader (Scrapper) stashes away Arachnae's cube and tips over into his payloader mode with a heavy thunk. Now having four point balance and the added bonus of tyres with good traction, he stands a fighting chance at getting out of this hole. If all else fails, Scrapper can always pull put that big purple wing of his and fly out. Despite being a payloader, he 'shrugs', tipping his shovel down and replies, "Eh... someone has to go check on them."

Scourge shakes his head, and if he had eyes to roll, he'd be rolling them. Instead, though, his gaze focuses on the approaching Seeker as Long Haul vanishes into Trypticon. He looks back at Arachnae, and another evil little smirk appears on his face.

Arachnae slides her attention to the payloader before she shakes her head, a little grin on her face. A soft snort before she resetles wings behind her, pacing towards Scourge, curiousity lending her features some level of impish delight. "Have you had your engines tended to properly, wingsib?"

Oh, good, the Sweep and semi-Sweep haven't spotted Fleet yet (well, yes, they have, but they haven't acknowledged him, so Fleet just thinks that he hasn't been spotted). He stands at attention briefly and then turns, intent on hurrying off before he's noticed.

Payloader (Scrapper) finally manages to wind his way out of the pit. Just about as he's about to track dirt over the other two passed out Constructicons and pass out himself, he hits upon a singularly brilliant idea. Scrapper radios into MSE and has a squadron of gumby Seekers dispatched to haul them back to medical. Then he passes out. Bet Hook won't be pleased about all the dirt on him and tracked onto his brothers.

Scourge's smirk grows slightly. Running away? Fleet? Normal behavior by his own standards, perhaps, but of late that isn't something encouraged by Geist's training regimen... let alone Scourge's occasional observations of Fleet's training with Galvatron. "My engines are just fine, wingsib, thank you." He gazes at Fleet as he retreats. "Hold it right there," he intones. "Better yet... come here. Now." He points at a spot directly in front of him for Fleet to approach.

Arachnae ahhs, resting arms across her chest as she settles aside Scourge. "good to hear." Pause and look given to the fleeing Fleet. Puzzled interest furrows her brows, narrows her optics or however these things work.

Fleet needed to refuel! Really! But when Scourge calls for him he stops rushing off and turns. "Erm, yes sir." The yellow seeker walks back, nodding a polite greeting to Arachnae as he does, and stands at attention in front of Scourge. "Sir?" he asks.

Scourge begins walking quietly around Fleet. "Last cycle you engaged Air Raid... in fact, from what I've seen of recent records, you seem to engage the Aerialbots quite frequently... and your performance in such engagements is not entirely... satisfactory." He pauses, regarding Fleet carefully. "Why do you continue to engage them anyway?"

"Because it has to be done by /someone/, sir," answers Fleet, his tone of voice actually hinting at the baffled. "It's my job. I don't seek them out, exactly... if anything, they seem to bare a grudge against us seekers. But I can't just not fight them because I know they're tougher and have superior firepower!"

Arachnae ruffles her wings behind her, simply observing the two. Scourge circling the seeker, the seekers baffled response and body posture. Talon tips begin to tick along a forearm.

"Perhaps not," Scourge replies, resuming his pacing around the seeker. "However, there is one lesson I think Geist has neglected to instruct you upon. As such, I will instruct you myself." He pauses again. "Replay the events of last cycle in your mind... the interlopers... yourself and myself. The engagements... match-ups, if you will. Then tell me what was wrong with yesterday's events and what should have occurred instead."

Fleet frowns as he considers what's being asked. "They never should have gotten so far in, for one, but I wasn't on border patrol that day, and I can't control how they performed. There's also the fact that they were a distraction, and we were completely duped." He thinks hard. "I let Air Raid come to me... let him make the first attack... I had my reasons for that. Honestly, I'd have preferred to go up against Briar, but the problem was, I was on scene first, and Air Raid was on scene first, and so we engaged first. You and Briar were late-comers."

Scourge nods slowly after a moment. "Why, then, when Briar and I arrived, did you continue to engage when you knew that a match-up with Briar would have been preferable to you, given your capabilities?"

Arachnae headtilts, reminding herself to review the security footage of this event of which these two are speaking. Wings flick in absent patterns behind her, optics narrowing as she waits for Fleets response. Much like watching tennis really.

"Because Air Raid was still shooting at me!" Fleet responds quickly. "It was either continue to fire back at him, or just be a target." The seeker falls silent for a moment and thinks. It couldn't have been a matter of pride, after all. Fleet has no pride... does he? He tilts his head as he considers, a look of uncertainty touching his expression to reflect these unspoken thoughts.

Scourge quirks an optic ridge. "So, instead of believing that Air Raid might have been too busy to fire if I had intervened and fired upon him and allowing you to evade, you chose to continue because you believed yourself more capable of dealing with the threat posed by the Aerialbot." He glances at Arachnae. "Interesting... most interesting..."

Arachnae headtilts, optics glinting golden green. Wings mantle neatly behind her, panels sorting themselves out. "Are you asking me if I think it is interesting or simply wondering if i hav anything to add, my dear wingsib?" soft, respectful tone even if the words border on something else.

But Fleet didn't know that Scourge would have engaged Air Raid... because he didn't think to ask. The seeker just nods and murmurs a quiet, "Yes, sir," as he waits to hear what he has to say to Arachnae's question.

Scourge nods after a moment. "By all means, wingsib. If you have something to add, then do so." He looks at Fleet. "Therein is my lesson to you, Seeker... choose your battles more carefully. If you're outgunned, then change tactics to increase your chances. If that means switching to another target and letting someone else engage your original target, so be it."

Arachnae ahhs softly, "There is no harm in asking for assistence, Fleet. Some things, work better as a group." She smiles faintly, "Tactically speaking, if you know that you are outgunned, it is better to seek aid or distraction to another target."

"I do know this," answers Fleet, "and when I do have any options at all, I try to be smarter about who my opponents are. Although lately it feels like I'm not only outgunned in most battles, I'm also outnumbered... In a number of the other battles where I've had to fight the Aerials they were the only foes available, or something similar. But yesterday..." the seeker hesitates for a good while, clearly worried about the response to what he has to say next. His focuses his gaze at nothing, as he often does when he's trying to avoid looking anyone in the eye, and says very softly, "I think I'm still getting used to the idea of actually being able to ask a Sweep for assistance." There. He said it, and having done that, he braces himself for the response.

Scourge nods. "The pack watches over each other," he tells Fleet. "You are not of the pack, granted... in spite of Geist's seeming insistence on trying to groom you for such a radical change. However, Geist seems to... relish... your sessions with him in training." He begins to pace around Fleet again. "Normally, I would discourage this, but of late I've noticed something... a certain drive and determination. A certain sense of perseverance in the face of adversity. This... is a good thing. And so I allow it to continue." He pauses, glancing at Arachnae, nodding at her, then looks back at Fleet. "Arachnae, for a very long time now, has been one of the pack, partially because of the same drive, determination, and perseverance... not to mention a certain tenacity that seems to have been encouraged by Dredclaw and Bloodwulf." He looks between Arachnae and Fleet. "Whether history may repeat itself... that is another matter. But it is one I will take into consideration, should the circumstances prove right for such a repetition."

Arachnae's optics glimmer, and with a wry, amused smile, tone borderng on laughter, "Run while you can, Fleet." She winks, "Ahem.." trying to look more serious in the face of all of this. "The pack does watch over one another, and... will watch over those it considers under it's wing for training as well. Until the time is right for fledging out." Wry smile shades serious, optics narrowing, "You know you can call me if you require aid, if asking a trueborn causes you discomfort."

Scourge isn't mad at Fleet? Yay! The seeker's optics dim just slightly as he nods, giving an appearance akin to a 'blink.' "It's just... just... requires an adjustment to the way I'm used to thinking, is all. It's going to take a bit," voice still hushed. He wings twitch a bit as he is circled , his instincts telling him to move out where he has more space. "But Scourge... it's as I keep telling Geist, I am open to learn... I am made a weapon, and want to better serve as such... but you're not going to be able to de-Seeker me! All this talk about the Pack..." once more his wings twitch as he trails off uncertainly.

Scourge shrugs slightly. "We still have vestiges of Arachnae's old ways to contend with, Fleet. Those issues, however, I believe are finally resolved. But in some ways, you benefit in that you remember yourself from... before. Not all of us have such a luxury..." He smirks. "Then again, sometimes, we don't need it."

Arachnae gives a toss of her head, attention flicking to Scourge. Her optics narrow, she considers speaking to the point her mouth opens and then shuts. Wings flick behind her for a moment, optics glowing golden.

Fleet cocks his head suddenly, seemingly taken off-guard by Scourge's answer. /That/ comment, even /with/ the addition at the end about sometimes not needing it, is certainly a far-cry from the "created by a dark god and with all the instincts and abilities needed to serve our purposes" spiel Fleet once got from Geist, but then, in those days they were still just Seeker and Sweep, not yet Student and Mentor, and certainly not yet... friend. The seeker nods slowly but takes a moment before replying, and when he finally does it's with a simple, "Yes, sir."

Scourge nods after a moment, appraising Fleet carefully. "Is there anything you would ask to satisfy your curiosity, or no?"

Arachnae fans her wings out, shifting the panels out then back in, attention on Scourge, optics aglow. A wry smirk and a tilt of her head as attention slides back to Fleet, curiosity playing across her features.

Fleet frowns as he thinks about that. "Scourge, sir... I don't think... I don't think there are words for the questions I have, or words for the answers. Language has its limits. I'm... I'm just going to have to be patient, I think."

Scourge nods. "Then be patient, and when you feel ready, ask... Geist or Arachnae, either one, would prove most enlightening. However... if you feel the necessity to ask me something personally... then do so."

Fleet is standing near a very big hole. A big hole that Scavenger might find rather familiar. Arachnae and Scourge are nearby. The seeker replies answers the Sweep Commander, "Yes, sir."

Arachnae chuckles softly, "There are always questions, Fleet. But there arn't always answers." Flick of her wings, "Feel free to just ramble at me when you feel up to it."

Fleet looks at Arachnae and... are her optics golden? Didn't they used to be green? He hesitates a moment as he notices this before inclining his head slightly. "I will, Arachnae."

Arachnae smiles faintly, "Now.. are we all done with the happy happy fun family talk?" She peers at Scourge, pauses and seems to deliberate something but decides against it. Wings shuffle and settle behind her.

Scourge glances at Arachnae, giving her a quizzical glance. "Indeed... well, I have other matters to attend to, since Cyclonus is keeping himself busy with other matters."

Fleet's attention is still on Arachnae, anyway. "Erm. Yes, sir," he says, glancing for a moment at the Sweep Commander before looking back at Arachnae and frowning. Does he want to ask about this...? Well, he was just told that he should feel free to ask questions or to ramble. "Erm, Arachnae...? Did your optics change colors?"

Arachnae blinks... headtilts and makes a face, "I have no idea. What colour are they?" Wings freeze behind her as she asks.

"Kind of... goldish?" answers the Seeker.

Scourge pauses, turning to regard Arachnae and Fleet and watching them thoughtfully.

Arachnae ohs... frowns... thinks on it a moment, "Well... They do tend to shade lighter the more aware of my surroudings I am. Or when I'm not.. er.. It's a.. er.." Wings flick.. "Try to keep them dimmed usually. My apologies." She makes a face, concentrating on lessening optic intensity. She blinks.. and some of the glow dims. "Better?"

"Well, I wasn't bothered! I was just curious." Fleet chuckles a little. "You know that about me. I'm curious."

Arachnae taps her visor, "I think this also causes some color confusion, refracts incoming light as well as outgoing." She flicks her wings, "haven't been able to retool it to the same specs as the one that was broken some weeks ago."

Fleet ahs. "Yeah, the plane-parts raid. That business." A good example of Fleet /not/ taking on targets that are way out of his league... mostly because, as with many of his raids, he's the one who grabs the stuff and runs away while everyone fights. Fleet shrugs. "Sorry if I'm being nosy."

Arachnae shrugs, "Most folk are too scared to ask. Sometimes I enjoy being asked things."

Fleet spreads his fingers and turns his palms upwards, arms slightly out from his side. "Well, I keep getting told I needa ask more questions lately, anyways. 'Though I've had an easy enough time asking you for awhile now..."

Arachnae chuckles, "Is it hard to ask me things?" quizzical look at Fleet.

Fleet's optics flicker as a surprise induced transient voltage spike tickles his visual circuitry. "Well, no, not really. I mean... that's pretty much what I just said." Although he does keep getting warn- eh. Might as well say it out loud. "Although I do keep getting warned to be... wary about you."

Arachnae headtilts, wings rustling behind her, amusement on her face, "Yes, that is pretty much what you said. I like to clarify though.." Wings rustle more, "Now now, what have you been warned about?" purring, amused tone.

"Never anything specific," Fleet answers. "I usually get told things like, 'Arachnae is... uhm... just watch yourself with her.' Or similar. It's happened a couple of times, but not exactly often or anything." Of course, he gets told the same thing about dealing with Sweeps as well, so go figure.

Arachnae ahhs, "Nothing like She'll perform experiments on you or dissect you alive or vivisection or neuro-transmitter testing or throw you through a wall or things like that? Just vague things?" Smile smile smile.

Again the optic flicker. Fleet does take a step back and looks at Arachnae rather strangely. "Uhm, no..." he says slowly. "Nothing like that. Just vague things."

Arachnae hrnns, "They wold be better off telling you detailed things than vague things. Really now, one would think that after over 4 million years serving time in cryo, one would be free of things form ones past." Even larger smile.

"Well, Arachnae..." Fleet ventures slowly, "We're pretty long lived. Sometimes millions of years aren't enough to shake a reputation... there are always records, or you could even run into someone you knew from before... Catechism was put into storage during the shortages some time after we served together. Now, millions of years later, here we are again." He shrugs.

Arachnae flicks wings, "Already ran into someone from my past. Unfortunatly, he couldn't just let it go.." A shrug, "Pity, he had potential. But he couldn't reconcile himself to the changes that the empire has undergone. And he.. well.. for lack of a better term, suicide ran alone against metroplex. So, yes, we are long lived.." She looks up at the sky, "But we have to evolve to times that fluctuate far more rapidly than anything we have ever faced. If we can't, we are all doomed." She smiles at Fleet, not such a fearsome expression, more thoughtful than anything else.

Fleet smiles as an amusing thought enters his processing core. "Well yes... this is true. Among those of us left who practice the Dance," the capital 'D' that can be heard as he brings it up means that Fleet must be discussing the competitive dance in some regions of Cybertron that once served as a means of choosing Seeker wings, "there's a split. There are the Purists, who believe in staying as close to tradition as possible... of not allowing anyone to participate who wouldn't have been part of it back when it was in full use. This even leaves out certain models of seeker, such as the coneheads. They say to do otherwise is a corruption. Then there are the Survivalists, who believe that sharing the art with any who wish to learn it is better than allowing it to die. It's... it's a split in the art, but also serves as a metaphor." He grins. "It may not surprise you to learn that I side with the Survivalists."

Arachnae laughs, a delighted little noise, spinning around and around for a moment before facing Fleet once more, delight etched on her face, making her look ever more the sprite, "I knew I liked you Fleet. I like you even more for that. Artist and intellectual. Such things are hard to find. Survivalist, yes yes, I do like that metaphor." Wings flick behind her.

Wow! That was an interesting reaction! Fleet can't help but chuckle a little himself at Arachnae's delight. "I'm glad you approve. Actually, I've even been thinking of taking on a student myself." The seeker sobers a bit as he watches Arachnae for reaction. "A student I would have automatically rejected, had I been Purist, as she's no true-built Seeker."

Arachnae pauses, headtilts like a curious ferret, optics glinting gold again in their brightness. "Well..." She offers a faint smile, "I think Chimera would do rather well with something to hone her agility with." And the subtle hint complety escapes her, cause you see, noone offers to teach her things anymore, scared of the claws she guesses.

"Well, her agility is already pretty honed but... well, from the way she fights, and from other things I've seen..." Fleet pauses, trying to consider just how to say this. "She doesn't use her body to its fullest. That's how I was able to figure it out, really. She's not an instinctive Seeker, and at times it shows... she doesn't always take full advantage of her form. So my idea is to... to try to teach her a few things intended to help correct that." He shrugs. "Once her ban from medical's been taken care of, I may also get Catechism to help teach her storm tag... at least, nothing teaches crashing quite like that game." One needs to learn how to crash? More to learn to crash in such a way as to take minimum damage from the fall.

Arachnae hmmms softly, "She's unique." softly spoken as optics dim down to green. "And has need to learn much more than she knows now. She's a great deal like I was, learning how to use what she is to the fullest. Or like I am on occasion." Her head tilts to the side. "If she wishes to learn, then she does not have to seek my permission. I am not her commander." faint smile.

"Oh. I know. I just thought you might interested to know I was doing this." And Fleet wanted to see for himself Arachnae's reaction when Chimera's... curious background was brought up. After all, he doesn't really know her history, besides to figure out that she wasn't Seeker-built... and he didn't mention her by name until after Arachnae did. "After all," he continues, "You did show enough interest that time Catechism brought up storm tag." The pastel one chuckles. "The sort of game you just /know/ was invented by a drunk seeker."

Arachnae chuckles softly, "Now I really won't care for it should folk get very damaged." Wings flick as she watches Fleet watch her. "Storm tag does interest me. And.." wry grin, "Not that a seeker is going to admit that they came up with that while inibriated." soft chuckle... "Keep me posted on if she chooses to learn this.. and how well she does. I really should tkae more of a proprietory interest in her doings." Wings flick and she turns on a heel, heading towards Trypticon, "Have some reports to handle. I'll see you later Fleet." Headtip to Scourge as she passes.