(no subject)
So about ten minutes before going in to work today, I started writing again. Yeah, fantastic timing, I know. I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this, even if it is infinitely more fun than Decepticons just playing StarCraft2.
“Unknown aircraft located,” Soundwave said, scanning the odd satellite from a distance. “Identifying.”
Easier said than done - nothing in his data banks came close to matching the sleek black construct in front of him. There were letters and numbers printed along its flank, glaring English, but they were no better than gibberish to Soundwave. He would have to hack it to discern its secrets.
Soundwave drifted closer, already reaching out towards the black satellite. He could sense it sending and receiving data, and hopped on to the radio channel it had open. The wings folded and spread as it situated itself, and Soundwave reached out for it, intending to grab on before it got too twitchy.
“THIS VESSEL WILL COMPLY,” the thing barked over the radio, and then, under its own power, propelled itself forward a few hundred yards. Soundwave stared after it, mildly annoyed, waiting until it came to a stop and readjusted itself into the same downward facing position. Cautiously, he followed the thing, tuned into the radio channel it had used.
The vessel rotated and whirred, the dual optical lenses shuttering and refocusing. It was taking atmospheric pictures, then. Interesting.
“UNDERSTOOD,” it said, and Soundwave could see the lense shift, selecting a more precise filter. It resumed its stoic, singular task without pause. Soundwave advanced again, probes extending cautiously, searching for the best points to anchor. He was too slow - the moment one appendage brushed the armor of the drone, it jerked out of range, wings flaring.
“THIS VESSEL REQUIRES ASSISTANCE,” it yelped, then jerked again, shakily pulling itself around in a tight circle. Soundwave barely had time to glide around behind it, staying out of sight of those large red optical lenses. The drone rotated a few times, its motions less graceful than before. So, someone on the planet could control it remotely.
Soundwave drifted around it as it spun, the operator clearly frustrated that there was no sign of any danger. Just as well that they believed it to be defective. It would be in a few moments.
It wasn't long before the drone resumed its original position, lights dimming. When they brightened again, the voice returned: “RAVEN ONLINE. COMMAND AUTHORITY REGISTERED. AWAITING ORDERS.”
Soundwave attacked. The raven shrieked in alarm for only a second before being silenced, a systems override shutting out the manual operator and cutting off the radio. The humans would get their drone back undamaged, with an emotionless report of a simple malfunction. Once he was done with it, anyways.
“Soundwave's back,” Blackout announced, sparing Starscream a brief glance before turning back to his console.
“He certainly took his time,” Starscream rose, hesitating when the bridge doors irised open and Soundwave walked in. Since when did Soundwave stoop to reporting directly to his face? And what the frag had he done to his armor?
“Starscream,” Soundwave started, before the Commander could get a syllable in. “Investigation of human colony strongly encouraged. Humans in this sector possess advanced technological capabilities. We can benefit from them.”
“I see,” Starscream said, taking a moment to look the satellite over. Apparently whatever they'd seen out there struck his fancy, and he'd adopted its armor. “Found something you liked?”
“Correction: found something functional,” Soundwave said flatly. “There is more on the planet. Much more.”
Well, Starscream thought, perhaps this little diversion through the space bridge wasn't a complete catastrophe after all.
“Unknown aircraft located,” Soundwave said, scanning the odd satellite from a distance. “Identifying.”
Easier said than done - nothing in his data banks came close to matching the sleek black construct in front of him. There were letters and numbers printed along its flank, glaring English, but they were no better than gibberish to Soundwave. He would have to hack it to discern its secrets.
Soundwave drifted closer, already reaching out towards the black satellite. He could sense it sending and receiving data, and hopped on to the radio channel it had open. The wings folded and spread as it situated itself, and Soundwave reached out for it, intending to grab on before it got too twitchy.
“THIS VESSEL WILL COMPLY,” the thing barked over the radio, and then, under its own power, propelled itself forward a few hundred yards. Soundwave stared after it, mildly annoyed, waiting until it came to a stop and readjusted itself into the same downward facing position. Cautiously, he followed the thing, tuned into the radio channel it had used.
The vessel rotated and whirred, the dual optical lenses shuttering and refocusing. It was taking atmospheric pictures, then. Interesting.
“UNDERSTOOD,” it said, and Soundwave could see the lense shift, selecting a more precise filter. It resumed its stoic, singular task without pause. Soundwave advanced again, probes extending cautiously, searching for the best points to anchor. He was too slow - the moment one appendage brushed the armor of the drone, it jerked out of range, wings flaring.
“THIS VESSEL REQUIRES ASSISTANCE,” it yelped, then jerked again, shakily pulling itself around in a tight circle. Soundwave barely had time to glide around behind it, staying out of sight of those large red optical lenses. The drone rotated a few times, its motions less graceful than before. So, someone on the planet could control it remotely.
Soundwave drifted around it as it spun, the operator clearly frustrated that there was no sign of any danger. Just as well that they believed it to be defective. It would be in a few moments.
It wasn't long before the drone resumed its original position, lights dimming. When they brightened again, the voice returned: “RAVEN ONLINE. COMMAND AUTHORITY REGISTERED. AWAITING ORDERS.”
Soundwave attacked. The raven shrieked in alarm for only a second before being silenced, a systems override shutting out the manual operator and cutting off the radio. The humans would get their drone back undamaged, with an emotionless report of a simple malfunction. Once he was done with it, anyways.
“Soundwave's back,” Blackout announced, sparing Starscream a brief glance before turning back to his console.
“He certainly took his time,” Starscream rose, hesitating when the bridge doors irised open and Soundwave walked in. Since when did Soundwave stoop to reporting directly to his face? And what the frag had he done to his armor?
“Starscream,” Soundwave started, before the Commander could get a syllable in. “Investigation of human colony strongly encouraged. Humans in this sector possess advanced technological capabilities. We can benefit from them.”
“I see,” Starscream said, taking a moment to look the satellite over. Apparently whatever they'd seen out there struck his fancy, and he'd adopted its armor. “Found something you liked?”
“Correction: found something functional,” Soundwave said flatly. “There is more on the planet. Much more.”
Well, Starscream thought, perhaps this little diversion through the space bridge wasn't a complete catastrophe after all.