exsiliumlogs | Horrible Holiday Family Reunion [closed]

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Horrible Holiday Family Reunion [closed]

Date & Time: Dec 11
Location: Winter Wonderland Exsilium; On the outskirts of town somewhere
Characters: Nova Prime & Rodimus Prime
Summary: Prime time! The pair have a heated conversation about Things important to robots. Cont'd from here.
Warnings: Mangry robots. Discussion of future shenanigans. Victimized trees.

The quiet of the outskirts would soon be interrupted by the high pitched whine of a jet pack's turbines. Nova Prime had moved to meet him within minutes, and he made sure to make an appropriate entrance. Driving or walking was most likely the more energy conserving method of travel, but their brief conversation left him taking the alternate route. He wasn't here to just receive the information he demanded, he was here to establish the ground rules of their interaction from here on out.

As much as Rodimus implied to be his successor down the line, that didn't excuse him from what he saw as problematic behavior. Nova was never known much for tolerating any hint of disrespect, especially not from other Cybertronians, and it was something he would need to correct if they were to move forward. That, and Rodimus apparently knew his future, and the future of Cybertron. That was information he couldn't afford to let go.

So there he was, quickly melting some of the snow underneath his landing zone before making a firm plant on terra firma, wings extended and all. Optics looked up to meet his supposed successor with a narrowed intensity as the cannons folded back and out of the way.

"Rodimus, was it?"

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Nova Prime carried himself in a way that was different than Optimus, that much became increasingly obvious to Rodimus. He expected that, but he didn't think it would be as different as it was - it's intimidating. Or would have been, if Rodimus was the type to be intimidated. Instead he just stood taller, shoulders back and chin raised to meet what he felt was an unspoken challenge.

"Ask anyone from home and they'll tell you I'm not in the habit of doing anything 'wise' in the first place," Rodimus counters. But he does get the job done, which is what counts. "Look, you don't exactly have the best reputation back home. None of the Primes do until Optimus."

He didn't need to ask to determine that. That was clear enough from Rodimus' actions before he even began talking.

"Fortunately, I am of the mind that believes that there shouldn't be a schism between Cybertronians. Not in a place like this." He breaks eye contact for a moment to glance at the frozen wasteland around them. A completely alien planet to him.

"Despite what you may have heard, I am willing to work with you, Rodimus. I will lend you my knowledge and my power when I can. It is only right as your predecessor. However," he leans to meet Rodimus' defiant stare.

"Remain antagonistic, and I will destroy you until you've properly learned how to treat the matrix bearers that came before you."

Well, looks like the despot was still there.

"Don't threaten me. It won't work and I've dealt with worse." Rodimus doesn't blink or flinch away from Nova, mouth curved into a frown. He's been shot point blank by Megatron, after all, not to mention all of Tyrest's doings. But even as he frowns, Ultra Magnus' face swims across the back of his mind, and there's a resigned intake of air. If he's going to lay a claim to the title of Prime, he's going to have to start acting more like someone who can do the job. Or at least that's something he figures Ultra Magnus would say.

"But fine, I'll try not to hold the fact you're a mecharacist conqueror against you." That was probably not helping his case. "There's a place that someone's throwing together for non-humans since," a wave of his hand back towards the Exsilium they've found themselves in, "they're obviously not very fond of us."

"..."

Nova Prime stood straight again as he got his response, acting oddly quiet considering what he just said. Though the mask hid most of his expression, there was a dangerous narrow of his optics.

An arm shoots for Rodimus' throat mid-sentence as he marches forward, aiming to slam him against the trunk of one of the trees around them, enough to buckle the bark. He'd given Rodimus his verbal warning, but apparently that wasn't enough.

Call it petty, but Nova wouldn't have been much of a Prime if he was subdued by a little sass. No, he going to have to properly make his point before they discussed anything further. Even if that meant a little physical demonstration for Rodimus to see who he was messing with.

Next time Rodimus sees Magnus he's going to tell him that doing things his way just doesn't work.

He didn't expect it - but that's been the story of his life for the past six months so maybe he should start actually learning - so there's no time to try and escape. Instead he feels his frame slam into the tree, one hand coming up to try and pry Nova's hand fingers from his neck. The other arm rises on reflex, exhaust pipes pointed at Nova's face - glowing white hot from heat as a warning.

"This isn't," a pause as he struggles against Nova's grip, "helping you any. Because all I want to do now is punch your faceplate right off." But Rodimus will settle for shooting it off, if he has to. His optics narrow as he tries to get a kick or two in on Nova's chest, hoping it'd get the other bot to drop him.

Edited 2013-12-15 17:26 (UTC)

The hand tightens its grip around his neck as the barrels of Rodimus' gun is pointed at him. Nova Prime seems undisturbed by the struggling, keeping a dangerous, intense stare focused right into Rodimus' optics. His own armament flares, as if to reiterate how easy it would be to just turn his successor into a smudge on the snow. Eight cannons, flooded with energy. It was excessive, but that's exactly why he did it.

Nova Prime pushes him further into the thick trunk, nearly snapping entirely,"I am Nova Prime, leader of Cybertron and bringer of its Golden Age! I am not whatever farce was created of me by the Cybertronians of your time."

A charge of energy pulsed through his body, running through the hand that gripped Rodimus before a bolt of lightning fired out of the other, striking another of the nearby trees and shattering it to splinters.

"And I do not make idle threats."

Who puts eight fusion cannons on themselves and then decides to throw lightening around? There's the sneaking suspicion at the back of Rodimus' mind that he might be out of his league, way out of it; the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies the rush of energy through him doesn't lessen it any. But that's also nothing he hasn't been before, and he won't give Nova the satisfaction of admitting to it. He'll work his way out of this like he always does, no problem.

"I'm trying to restore the Golden Age, I'm trying to find the Knights." The hand he's using to pull at Nova's seems to be increasing in temperature, not that Rodimus notices. "Because you missed a lot hanging out in the Dead Universe."

Rodimus drops his arm to fire a number of shots in front the other's feet in an attempt to get Nova to step back or drop him out of surprise. It's probably not as big of a surprise when that other hand bursts into flames, because even that takes Rodimus aback. That-- well it's not like he hasn't erupted into flames before, but never localized and never without him knowing about it in the first place.

Edited 2013-12-15 19:00 (UTC)

The shots pierce through the thick armor plating, but Nova only shifts when the white of his forearm begins to turn red from the fire suddenly engulfing Rodimus' hand. Nova steps back and hoists Rodimus into the air, looking quite startled himself. Well, and angry. Pretty angry, too.

He lets go as Rodimus intended, but with the added affect of throwing him at more of the trees around them. More of the electricity crackles around his hands, and while the cannons stayed powered, they're not aimed towards him. As irritating as Rodimus was proving to be, Nova wasn't intent on murdering him just yet.

It did look like he was done with talking, however, because it won't be long before the bolts are fired off in Rodimus' direction.

The unfortunate tree Rodimus hits after being tossed away loses no small number of branches, due to the combination of force and having any number of tons of metal thrown at it. He's not certain about the fact that one of his hands is on fire and it doesn't seem to be doing anything to him, but he can't spend forever just staring at it until it makes more sense. Grabbing a trunk to pull himself upright - and setting an unfortunate fallen branch on fire - Rodimus only has time shoot once or twice before he needs to move and get out of the way.

Which he does. And then decides to run towards Nova - firing a few more followup shots. If it was anyone but Rodimus, they'd probable have a target in mind. Rodimus just wants them to hit and for Nova to stop trying to make him a fried slab of circuitry.

Nova Prime's forearm is raised to take the shots from Rodimus' blasters, though he himself stays firmly planted in place. He waits for Rodimus to get closer to him, biding his time until he was within reach, allowing his armor to sink in the shots that land.

A massive fist is waiting to make contact with Rodimus' torso, launching itself towards him as soon as he fell within range. He brought the full weight of his body into the blow, his shoulder angled forward. More than anything, he was simply aiming to create an opening to properly pin the other Cybertronian to the ground, before Rodimus got damaged beyond what his own systems could repair. He was still the only other one of his kind on the island, after all.

Rodimus was never built for speed the way Blurr was, and Nova's punch hits true even as Rodimus made an attempt to avoid it. It knocks him back, into another tree (and he's getting really sick of forests, what did organics see in a bunch of trees anyway). His optics narrow, the hand that's on fire reaching out to grab a trunk to steady himself. At least until he notices he's now burned the shape of his hand into the bark and lets go. He was definitely going to have to figure out how to deal with that development at some point.

"Are we just going to do this all day? Because I'm cool with that if you are." He needs to know so he can plan the rest of his week around recovering without a medic.

If it were someone else, it would be clear enough that Rodimus wasn't interested in fighting. His actions had only been defensive, and in all honesty the more efficient solution would be to just stop and move on. To just ignore Rodimus' comments and just look at the bigger picture at hand.

But this was Nova Prime; this was the guy that got eight fusion cannons attached to his body during peacetime. This was the guy that shaped his chest armor after the Matrix he'd been charged to hold. This was the guy that would later fire his advisor for suggesting his judgement was wrong. Excessive Prime should be his name, really. And he needed one last finishing touch.

"No.", He marches up to the tree Rodimus was using, "It should be over quick enough." and attempts to knock him over into the snow with a thrust from the knee.

Edited 2013-12-16 09:13 (UTC)

"Like I haven't heard that before," is all he manages to get out before Nova's knee is connecting with him. Rodimus goes down, but not before making a grab for Nova's other leg with the flaming hand and taking the poor scorched tree with him.

He might be outclassed by sheer size and raw power, but that's never stopped him before. And if Nova is going to bring him down, Rodimus is going to make sure he makes a lasting impression on the other Prime. Which means aiming two more shots from the exhaust pipes to the inner part of Nova's knee.

Edited (i'm so sorry for the edits oh my god) 2013-12-17 02:19 (UTC)

The tree in question falls over, showering Nova Prime in dried tree branches and snow as Rodimus makes a grab for his other leg. The metal armor lights up as it's brought under the intense heat, but it's only after Rodimus fires his shots at the exposed joint mechanism that Nova Prime appears to finally respond to the pain.

The joint itself sears and burns, finally sending spurts of pink energon seeping onto the white snow. There's a growl from the Nova Prime as pain shears up from the vulnerable area.

"That is enough!" The leg slams down onto the elbow joint of the flaming hand, attempting to pin it into the deep layers of snow - even if it got damaged in the process. His own hand reaches for the blaster barrel to attempt to force Rodimus' arm down and keep it restrained, leaning into the action with his weight.

Edited (its ok) 2013-12-17 04:31 (UTC)

Rodimus groans in pain as Nova puts all of his weight behind keeping him on the ground - the metal of the joint buckling under the pressure with a matching screech. He doesn't make any movement to continue the struggle, if only because a hidden amount of self-preservation kicks in to remind him that they don't have a medic and no one is around to fix the damage he already has.

Instead he just focuses his gaze on Nova, defiant expression still on his face. The fire on his hand fizzles out as it sinks further into the snow, steam hissing almost menacingly. Well it's something, at least, and Rodimus' frown deepens further.

"So what now? You gonna stand around and gloat?" He has to say something, naturally, mostly because he is utterly incapable of keeping his mouth shut when he really should know better.

"No."

The damaged knee makes a scraping sound as he bends forward and rests it on his torso, while the other keeps the arm pinned in place. He can disregard it for now. There will always be time for repairs later.

"You will tell me what happened to Cybertron in my absence."

Nova Prime demands this craned over Rodimus, meeting his defiant stare head on with one of his own, albeit less defiant and more of the overly aggressive dominance variety.

"Fine," he says, "but only if you get off of me."

He's going to have some dignity left by the end of this, Primus help him. He tries to yank his arm out from under Nova, but that only ends in further screeching of metal - and promptly gives that up as a lost cause.

Besides, telling Nova Prime that his empire never existed and they'd been in a civil war for the last four million years is something Rodimus absolutely doesn't want to do in a vulnerable position if his reaction to calling him out on his mecharacist galactic conquering ways is anything to go by. And he still wants to be able to use that arm.

There's what appears to be a mildly amused vent of air from within Nova Prime's mask as Rodimus struggles beneath him and makes his own demand. He, too, was aware that there weren't any Cybertronian doctors he knew of, and could only push Rodimus so far. This could serve well enough as his reprimand.

"I'll grant you your wish, Rodimus Prime."

The weight is removed from Rodimus as Nova Prime stands straight and takes a step back, giving him room to recover. Another pang of internal warnings reminded him that he should have his own joint wound looked at, but he promptly ignored it for the time being.

Rodimus pulls himself up to his feet, one hand going to his chest to feel out the damage there. Satisfied that it's nothing his own systems can't handle, the hand moves to grip his injured elbow. Which will need someone to repair it; not for the first time Rodimus wishes there was someone else from Cybertron there instead of Nova or Swindle. Who he hadn't seen lately, which meant that he was probably causing trouble and cheating people out of their hard earned goods.

Satisfied with his own once-over, he finally turns back to Nova.

"Thank you." He's beginning to understand on a very deep and personal level why Optimus was eager to be rid of the title. Who'd want to be Prime when your predecessors were a bunch of jerks? "Short version? We had a civil war and it lasted four million years. Cybertron became unlivable, and we never had a galactic empire. Oh, and we can live on it now, but it's been reverted back to a primordial state. So that's what you missed by not being around for the last six million years."

Edited 2013-12-18 05:29 (UTC)

Nova Prime watches Rodimus as he checks his injuries, offering no assistance but not mocking or gloating about the fight, either. He could appreciate someone with as much courage as Rodimus, even if it leaned into dangerously stupid levels.

Surprisingly, what Rodimus initially gets from dispensing the news is not anger. The way he explained the news to Nova didn't leave him enough time to react to each one. It's clear enough the news does surprise him, because he had been ready to leave plenty for the planet to work with before he departed on the Ark.

"How?! Why did you allow Cybertron to decline and perish in a Civil War?!" The 'you' isn't specific to Rodimus. This sounds like a compounded fuck-up of generational proportions. His voice was filled with a worried anger, with the worry particularly sticking out as it's something he almost never shows.

It's the worry that throws Rodimus for a loop - everyone knows Nova as the bot who threw him around for making a true statement. But it had never occurred to him that he'd actually care about what happened to Cybertron. Just expansionism and imperialism - the glory of the never existing Cybertronian Empire. So that? That's pretty weird.

"I didn't do anything." Just so they're clear. "And we didn't let it either, it just happened."

Rodimus vents the air from himself in a sigh, continuing on. "Megatron and the Decepicons killed off the Senate and Sentinel Prime, but Zeta wasn't better. Which is why Megatron killed him, too." There's a distinct lack of respect in his tone for Sentinel and Zeta. So he took harvesting the citizens of his city-state for energon personally - he can't be blamed for that. "Orion-- Optimus got the Matrix after that, and we just never stopped fighting until recently. Turns out energon is only found on Cybertron - we can come up with substitutes, but nothing's as good as the real stuff."

Edited 2013-12-18 22:35 (UTC)

"Rebellions do not just spring out of nowhere." he adds sharply, beginning to make a little sense of the future that lay in store for his planet, despite not knowing who Megatron and his Decepticons were. A Senate never existed on his Cybertron either - it was only him and his circle of advisors.

"What happened after the Ark Launch to cause this aggression? Why did this Megatron murder his Prime?" Because going through four Primes through the course of six million years seemed a little excessive, given their long reaching lifespans.

Even if he only cared about expansion and leaving a great legacy, it would rely heavily on the health and wellbeing of their home planet. Unstable footing would leave it to crumble, and if there was one thing Nova Prime could be credited for, it was his persistence to keep their people under one united rule. He would prevent this from ever happening if it was within his power to do so.

"Nominus Prime and the Functionists happened. Disposable classes depending on what your alt-mode is, things like that. And he murdered two Primes because it's Megatron and that's what he does." That's also kind of personal, considering he got a fusion canon blast to his chest. "The Decepticons rose up against the corruption and the Senate, except they did it violently. And, well. Murdered everyone they thought deserved it. Resist that, and war results."

Rodimus gestures to his chest and the Autobot symbol smack in the middle of it.

"We're the Autobots."

There's a hint of pride there, more than when he used Prime thanks to the healthy amount of guilt attached to that title. He turned down the Decepticons and their offer to join them, remembers fondly the day that Optimus himself gave him his badge. It didn't matter the name, not really.

There's a long silence as Nova Prime fills in the one remaining blank. It didn't take long to guess what the failure of his successor Nominus Prime was in this entire story. He'd been too weak if he allowed this to run unabated by the Senate. Or he was too short sighted to see the effects of oppressing his own. That needed to occur off-world and to other species. Not their own!

"Not all Cybertronians were destined for leadership," he remarks,"and our homeland suffers as a result."

His optics drift down towards the Autobot symbol Rodimus seems so proud to be wearing. The name of the faction means nothing to him, but the badge...

"Intriguing that you wear the First Face as your symbol. History has a way of repeating itself."

Edited 2013-12-19 04:47 (UTC)

"Well it's not like it has anywhere to go but up at this point." He's just saying. Wait. Rodimus takes that back - Starscream is in charge. "They're trying, even if they're going about it wrong." See: Starscream.

But that really isn't his problem anymore. Rodimus is focused on finding the Knights through whatever means he can - even if it meant teaming up with, ugh, Thunderclash. The glory of the Golden Age, to let everyone remember who they are after four million years of losing it. He's not going to let them lose that forever.

"Optimus picked it - the Security Force used to use it. I guess he thought we could give it a better image among Cybertonians." As well as the name 'Autobots', since Rodimus distinctly remembers causing the Autobots as much trouble as he could manage at the time.

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Horrible Holiday Family Reunion [closed]

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okay NOW i wasn't kidding about the tree thing

tree homicide

who needs oxygen anyway NOT THEM

they're trees they'll grow back

it won't take long at all - few decades

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