Ironhide (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heavyweaponsbot) wrote2011-12-11 01:59 am
heavyweaponsbot) wrote2011-12-11 01:59 am
14th Transmission -- Action
[Ironhide was out attacking the tree when the snow started. He should have stopped, and trundled on inside. Instead, he stayed put, pounding on the tree and generally hating on the world around him.]
[... There had been much talk of that Christmas holiday, lately. And of course, what should stand out in his mind, but the Elegante. All the more reason to stay out here and pummel a hapless tree until the cold succeeded in making every last joint in his body ache.]
[His fists actually creak when he un-clenches his fingers. That's not a good sign.]
[He heads in, finally, stomping down the pathways with a more pronounced limp than usual. Yeah, it was a bad idea staying out so long. The cold, the lack of maintenance and abuse finally seem to be taking their toll on his frame.]
[A fact which becomes all the more apparent when his bad leg loses its footing completely on the rapidly icing path. There's a surprised sort of grunt out of him before all four and a half tons of giant alien robot goes crashing to the ground with a CLANG of metal.]
[The old 'bot is nothing if not durable, but even his body has to give under the impact of his own weight. When he pushes himself back up again, his leg doesn't respond. The already damaged joint is ... okay, Ironhide has no idea what's wrong with it.]
[But it hurts.]
[And now he's moodily contemplating the walk back to the barracks and wondering if he can just transform.]
[... There had been much talk of that Christmas holiday, lately. And of course, what should stand out in his mind, but the Elegante. All the more reason to stay out here and pummel a hapless tree until the cold succeeded in making every last joint in his body ache.]
[His fists actually creak when he un-clenches his fingers. That's not a good sign.]
[He heads in, finally, stomping down the pathways with a more pronounced limp than usual. Yeah, it was a bad idea staying out so long. The cold, the lack of maintenance and abuse finally seem to be taking their toll on his frame.]
[A fact which becomes all the more apparent when his bad leg loses its footing completely on the rapidly icing path. There's a surprised sort of grunt out of him before all four and a half tons of giant alien robot goes crashing to the ground with a CLANG of metal.]
[The old 'bot is nothing if not durable, but even his body has to give under the impact of his own weight. When he pushes himself back up again, his leg doesn't respond. The already damaged joint is ... okay, Ironhide has no idea what's wrong with it.]
[But it hurts.]
[And now he's moodily contemplating the walk back to the barracks and wondering if he can just transform.]
no subject
[Or other organic beings stuck here. At least, that's what Kevas told him, and he trusted the green man.]
[Thankfully, they're almost there. He's looking forward to flopping down somewhere, not that he's willing to admit it.]
There are no medics here.
[And no organics that he trusts enough who are capable of working on him. Xanth, sure. But the boy probably couldn't lift even a piece of his armor, let alone shove it around to get at the important bits.]
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Yes, we are, but that doesn't hinder us from being in every way different from the humans, or other organic beings. I would just caution against assuming it works the same for us as it does them, especially as there is not even a single point of data yet to underpin any conclusion...
[Jetfire paused, optics narrowing, and shook his helm.]
And while I never say no to an empirical and scientific approach, I don't think going off and killing yourself is the best way to go about it in this instance.
[Even if they do come back as all others do, the memory loss... it wasn't without payment and he wondered how the loss of memories would work for them too.]
If there aren't, all the more reason to not drive yourself into scrap parts before inevitably being so hurt you deactivate from it.
[Another shake of his helm and Jetfire studies the barracks that're finally coming up. Soon inside, and then the temperature will rise, at the least.]
What floor?
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We could always kill Starscream. See what happens. If he does not return, no big loss.
[He says it so casually, he might have been talking about throwing a rock into the lake, or some other mundane activity. Honestly, he sees no reason why that can't work. Get rid of a Decepticon, find out how the system works for them at the same time.]
[To the rest, there's little more than a grunt. Jetfire doesn't understand. Ironhide just doesn't care anymore. Not about what happens to him.]
[Instead of trying to explain it, he opts for providing the location of his room.]
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[Does Jetfire sound slightly strangled at that suggestion? Yeah, he does. His supporting grip tightens slightly before he relaxes it again.]
Ahh... I would prefer if we could avoid such a course of action. Starscream isn't the nicest or most moral of mechs, but I don't... want to risk it not working on us and having him... lost, as little as I would encourage you to do it to find out if it works.
[While he could... maybe... No, he doesn't understand such a suggestion, at all. It was... You didn't conciously sacrifice someone just for the promotion of science and scientific results, or, in this case, to see if an imperfect system worked for beings not organic too. Something turned within, backing away from such an action.
He wouldn't even have killed Megatron himself to find out if it worked or not. That wasn't right.]
[Nodding at the given floor and room number, Jetfire steers them that way, still slightly unsettled at the suggestion.]<7small>
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[This is an Autobot. Telling him that taking out one of the most notorious Decepticons was a bad idea. As much as Jetfire can't comprehend the idea of killing someone the war has deemed an enemy... Ironhide can't comprehend not doing so.]
Starscream is the enemy. What does it matter, what happens to him?
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It does matter. Offlining during a battle is one thing, premediated murder to find out if something would affect us as it does others here or not isn't the same thing! I left the Decepticons for a reason, Ironhide, and among those were a certain disregard for life within and beyond scientific situations and a lack of respect for the rules of war!
[He does sound rather upset now, even if he grits his jaw and and tilts his helm after a few moments to glance at Ironhide from the corner of his vision.]
I... apologize. But that's something I can't condone.
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[Because that's what it's come to, in his war. Taking care of the enemy before they surprise you. Is it something to be proud of? No.]
[But it's necessary.]
[Jetfire isn't the only one who abandoned the Decepticons -- but he's a little more pragmatic. There aren't any rules in war.]
Then do not. Your choice.
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[With his free hand, Jetfire drags it down his faceplates, words fuzzing slightly with static.]
If we did things in a way undistinguishable from the Decepticons, we would be no better, we would be the same as them, no matter our professed "values".
[He's not going to say that Starscream would kill whoever he found of least use, and least importance to himself and his chances for survival... There might be a few more criteria, but with what happened in the pit, he's not certain they pertain to (him) anyone anymore.]
Perhaps I simply aren't enough of a warrior, Ironhide, but while I can see the cold logic and reason in that, no matter what we could gain from it, from a scientific standpoint and survival point of view, I'm not going to have us either kill Starscream... or sacrifice either of us to find out if it works.
[No matter that he'd basically went to certain death against Sunstorm; that had been a special situation and Jetfire wasn't suicidal.]
no subject
[Taking care of a problem wasn't anything like the Decepticons. It was preemptively protecting those they'd eventually destroy. Keeping them from harming anyone or anything.]
[Starscream, no matter the universe, was a problem. One that it was unwise to leave alone.]
Let me off here. Walk the rest of the way.
no subject
[Jetfire frowned and shook his helm; there really was no reason at all to go through with the initial action, not due to expediency, nor due to "taking care of a problem". The biggest problem, truly, would be if Starscream died and the loss of memories. This Starscream seemed... was - no matter how little he'd seen of him - a lot more tolerable and less dangerous than what he'd been. Then, despite the request, Jetfire's grip firmed slightly.]
No. There's no reason you should have to stagger the rest of the way, clutching at the wall. But I can leave at the door if you wish.
[They were there soon, anyway.]
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Not sure. Would like to say "no". Want to say I would lock him down... but... hmnf. Depended on what he did.
[It's honest, at least. Maybe brutally so, but it's honest, nonetheless.]
[He let his temper get the best of him before. There's no reason not to think it won't happen again.]
Hmnf. All right. Suit yourself.
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[Jetfire frowns, and the honesty is appreciated. Better that than lies.]
I'm more concerned that if the system does work, what I'm going to end up dealing with when he loses his memories.
[Because, yes, he's not going foist that problem onto anyone else.]
I'm sure you could handle the rest of the way by yourself, but there's no reason to.
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[There's a pause. He glances at Jetfire.]
He... what are you talking about?
And why would you even bother trying to put his processor back together again?
[To the rest, he just grunts, reluctantly accepting the continued support. At least until they get there.]
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[Of course Ironhide would be the type to prefer to, if not solve, at least attack a problem with violence.]
Which part? That he saved an Autobot? He brought Bumblebee out of the pit we were in while I went off to confront Sunstorm. Or that he was... worse, earlier in the war?
[Jetfire's voice is soft, and there's a frown on his faceplates, more thoughtful than anything else.]
I have no idea what happened, but he was--- Well, even with how little I've seen since he thawed me, he's closer to how he was in the Academy than in the early war.
[A shake of his helm as he tosses a glance down the corridor.]
And I care because we neither want nor need a Starscream stuck in the past. I much prefer what he's become compared to what he turned into during the war.
[Not that what he's become is that much more stellar, but it's a giant improvement... and easier to deal with since it's more familiar. Then they're finally - though a lot more faster than two humans would be, obviously - at Ironhide's room.]
Ironhide... [There's a brief few astroseconds of hesitation.] While you might prefer no further assistance with this... from me or otherwise, consider it would you? If your self-repair can't fix the injury adequately and something happens...
[There's no need to finish the sentence, Ironhide is hardly stupid.]
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[To the explanation, he just sort of listens. He doesn't know what to say. Starscream shouldn't be any different. He shouldn't change.]
[He's irredeemable. No matter the universe.]
[He grunts.]
[Jetfire probably knows this Starscream best. Even if Ironhide can't bring himself to agree, even in the slightest.]
... I will consider it.
[No more than that. He just can't.]
[Ratchet is his medic.]
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[There's a slight huff as he leans against the door he's just pushed up.]
But I also know Starscream, and his plans tend to have holes in them. Or he reacts impulsively, changing things without having the whole situation... Which, admittedly, can sometimes be useful, and other times will just complicate things.
[Jetfire, on the other hand, had always hoped for that sort of change. He'd changed once, maybe he would again? And here were proof of the beginnings of such a change.]
That's all I'll ask. It's your decision.
[Jetfire nods and steps away from the door. Still, he looks over Ironhide once again, frowning slightly. But he says nothing.]
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[Okay, Ironhide, you're just arguing for the sake of arguing right now.]
... That is something all Starscreams have in common, seems like.
[He can't believe a Decepticon would change. Obviously, he didn't get the chance to hear the story behind the Jetfire in his own world, or he might think a little differently.]
Yeah. Sure.
[A pause, while he starts to drag himself into his room.]
... thanks.
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Well, yes, but getting to that point would be a tad more complicated than just demanding he come out and present himself for a beating, yes?
[Jetfire has a hard time not rubbing his faceplates at that. How is that a plan at all?!]
Mmm, they would have to, I think, share something to even remotely share the same template across differing realities, I think.
[His smile is more thoughtful than amused at the thought that it would be that trait the various Starscreams might share. Then he looks up again as Ironhide passes him into the room.]
No problem at all, Ironhide. You know where to find me if you need to.
[Jetfire briefly lays a hand on the nearest bit of plating before he withdraws and leaves to go back to his own room, letting Ironhide have his space, even if what he needs is a medic. Or at least someone attempting to repair him.]