Log edited with Logedit 2.6.9pl on Fri Oct 23 14:03:25 CDT 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Suddenly, the internal sensors of the tank start wildly emitting a series of beeps and alarms. The tank stops to check a quick recalibration, but that momentaril lapse is all that is needed for the creature below to ensnare the vessel with its tentacles. Giant Squid snaps its beak with satisfaction and speaks. "Come out humans, and I may spare you. Your craft is forfeit!" The opaque blue hatch on the top of the hydrotank does not budge. The vessel's turbines begin to whine, but the creature has the tank too tightly gripped, and its engines cannot catch enough to propel it away. Giant Squid tightens its grip attempting to crush the craft when its demands are not met. Its bright red color begins to fade to the pale white of surprise when the odd watercraft proves unusually sturdy... Aquatic Tank stops its turbins. There is a slight crackle as a dry voice squeals, "Stop! What do you want with our tank? Let us go!!" over its external audio transmitters. Giant Squid snaps its wicked blue-steel beak in anger. "Submit or sink, fleshlings! Further questions will cost you your pitiful existances. This vehicle now belongs to the Decepticon Empire!" Giant Squid says, "Your time grows short. I can salvage this vessel just as easily from the ocean floor as from the surface..." The delay in the response from the craft's occupants is halted when the speakers crackle to life again. The voice is quite different: deeper, more confident, and stern. "I hate to disappoint you, Decepticon," it protests, "but I'm not a sardine can..." The hydrotank begins to vibrate as its starts to fold... is it breaking apart? With sounds of shifting hydraulics, the black and white hydrotank seems to split in half, its bow moving apart and forming into arms. The large propulsion turbines at its rear fold along to the very top of the vehicle. Legs unfold from below as the black helm of Orca rises up from the middle of the vessel. Giant Squid hisses in surprise, trying to maintain a hold on its suddenly topologically unstable prize. "Hsssss! What's going on?" Giant Squid says, "Autobot!" The squid releases its grip and jets a few yards back to reacess the situation. "I suspected that the Autobots were active in the Atlantic."" Orca struggles as his tries to twist himself from the squid's ensnaring tentacles. He turns his shoulders and tries to flail his arms about. "Get your slimey appendages the heck offa me!" he exclaims. "Otherwise I'll tear 'em off myself!" Deepsea just looked at you. Orca's body makes a loud SMACK on the water as it is released. Giant Squid closely examines the autobot. Orca extends his arms and paddles himself into an upright position. The turbines along his feet active as he starts to bob in the water. He lifts an accusatory hand and points toward the squid. "Back off and scram," he grunts. Giant Squid 's eyes twinkle, black half-globes full of stars. "You are in the wrong, Spy. This ocean belongs to the Empire, and you are the Trespasser! Orca shakes his head quickly to the side. "This ocean belongs to the planet," he retorts. "Not to you, not to the Decepticons... go take your tyranny to some other planet. It will give you sometime to do in the time before we excise it." Giant Squid says, "Leave now, or prepare to become a permanent feature!" Ominous clicks, not unlike the loading of a gigantic gun, issue from the squid's maw. "You have five microcycles to get out of my weapons range." it intones coldly." Giant Squid says, "Four." Patches of red and white flash rapidly across the Monster's tentacles and mantle. Giant Squid says, "Three..." Orca reaches behind his back, withdrawing a white oblong object about 6ft in length. Hoverboard zooms into the area. You release the hoverboard. Giant Squid says, "TWO." More clicks and whines issue from the squid. Orca hauls himself onto the hoverboard. Gathing himself slowly to his feet, he stand defiantly as the hoverboard floats in the air just above the spray of the whitecaps. His hands ball into fists as he glares toward the large mechanized beast. The bluegreen optics on his face begin to glow. Lifting his left arm, Orca grabs the facecover at the brow of his black and white helm. Sweeping its reflective surface downward, he pulls it over his face as he swings his left arm behind his back. Giant Squid says, "You are the recipient of unusual mercy, Autobot. Do not snub it. /ONE/." Orca snaps his left arm from behind his back, holding within it a white pulse rifle. He cocks the discharge unit with his right hand. There is a hum and low WHOOSH as he points it toward the Squid. "Touche," comes the Autobot's voice from behind his faceplate. Orca blurts, "Who's going to announce the zero-count?" Giant Squid screeches "DIE!" and launches a gout of seawater at the Bot from its siphon. "Let's see if you chase as well as you stand!" Giant Squid suddenly jets backward, leaving an obscuring trail of dark oil and dye in its wake. The weird biorobotic squid turns and heads away as quickly as possible, making a good 60 MPH and producing an impressive bowshock. Orca remains in his stance atop the hoverboard. He navigates backward as he keeps the rifle aims toward the dark smear in the water. Giant Squid disappears beneath the waves. All becomes silent Giant Squid dives into the sea. You transmit a message to Elita One: Hey Elita... this is Orca on patrol in the Atlantic. I actually have something to report... Giant Squid emerges from the depths below. The giant squid's tentacles gather and move to the back of its head as arms and a crested head snap out from between its eyes. The dark red mantle appears to split, only to become finned legs. Deepsea somersaults up in his robotic mode, ready for action! Transmission from Elita One: Indeed, by all means, do. Deepsea, in robotic form, shoots from the water, missile-like, directly behind Orca and levels his long blue-black UV laser at the Bot's head. "Whose is the advantage now?" You transmit a message to Elita One: Well, here I was, enjoying a ride in the sea, when a giant squid suddenly decided to pry me open like a sardine can. Luckily, it didn't notice my Autobot symbol, so I transformed to break its grasp. We had a standoff, and it slinked beneath the wa.... uhoh... Transmission from Elita One: Orca? Orca slowly drops his arms to his side. He turns his head slightly to glance over his shoulder. Deepsea says, "I've given you more than enough chance, Bot. Now it's for real." He cocks his elbow as his shoulder mounted laser fires and invisible burst of annular high-UV radiation towards the Autobot's back. "Eat coherent light"" You evade Deepsea's UV Laser Projector attack. Successfully guessing the Decepticon's position, Orca puts his weight onto his right foot, sending the hoverboard careering to to starboard as he spins to face his attacker. "Okay then," he grumbles as he lifts his pulse rifle back into the air. "I guess THAT's the way it's going to be." Deepsea flits and darts like hunting dragonfly, his tentacles rapidly shifting and regrouping as both distraction and improvised airfoils. Orca aims his rifle toward Deepsea. The Autobot steadys the weapon with his other arm as his finger wraps around the trigger. With a quick motion, he discharges a blast. Your land a successful Pulse Rifle blow on Deepsea. Deepsea catches the blast in the shoulder and spins like a gyroscope once before recovering. "Argh!" Deepsea, dipping and swooping, flies past the Autobot. At the perehelion of his course, he points his forearms at Orca and, blinding quick, a pair of hidden tentacles snake out, seeking the Autobot's side. There is a crackle of electricity and the smell of ozone fills the air. Orca braces his shoulder for the recoil from the shot. He peers toward the Decepticon and sneers, "So, are you going to go quietly, or do I have to force you?" His feet reposition for a better foothold on the top of the hoverboard. Deepsea strikes you with Magnetohydroflux Grapple for 8 points of damage. Orca howls in pain as the tentacles grapple onto his body. "YEAAAAARRRRRGGG!!" He drops his rifle as soon as the electric charge begins to course through him. It clumps onto the hoverboard, then bounces off into the waves, where it sinks below the water's surface. Deepsea's hidden electrotentacles quickly retract into his forearms with a SSTHWIP, trailing bits of armor from the sharp hooks at their ends. Deepsea says, "Retreat while you still can, Aquabot. The depths are a cruel resting place, if beautiful." Orca hunches forward, shooting his arm to grab the side of the hoverboard to steady himself to keep from falling off. "It's going to take a lot more than that to make me retreat, Decepticon," he curtly replies. Darts." Deepsea says, "We shall see. The wrath of the Decepticon Empire is terrible, and I, Deepsea, am its officer over water."" Deepsea transmits a message via radio to Harbinger. Orca stands to his feet. He extends his fingers and puts them on his shoulder as he crosses his arms across his chest. "I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you, then," he says, "but I, Orca, am a key element of the Autobot Naval Division." He quickly snaps his arms forward, releasing an mesmerizing array of tiny darts through the air. "I will stand!" You don't have that weapon armed. Available weapons: Disruptor Kick Laser Punch. Your land a successful Urchin Darts blow on Deepsea. Harbinger soars down into view from the skies above. Harbinger flies in from above having intercepted the unscrambled call for help from the autobot. He hovers high above, waiting to se who is who. Orca's darts catch the Decepticon by surprise. Deepsea finds himself dead center in a rain of small sharp projectiles which thunk, smack, and plink into him. "SCRRRAACK! Not disarmed after all, Orca?" he pants. Deep red chromofluid oozes from a multitude of puncture wounds in his semi-organic skin. "Let's see how well you fly without your board!" Harbinger see's the Decepticon emblem, but does not recognize the con. Harbinger just looked at you. Deepsea striking with the speed of a deep-ocean stalker, Deepsea whizzes under Orca and attempts to wrap his tentacles around the Autobot's means of support and rip it away. You evade Deepsea's grasp attack. Deepsea says, "Harbinger, what are you waiting for?! Help me!" Harbinger smiles, "The Autobot called for assistance, I thought you wer winning, my appologies." Harbinger looks to Deepsea, "My appologies Brother, you seemed to be fairing well." Deepsea is dented, holed, and leaking various fluids, obviously taking th big end of this fight's stick. Orca feints to his left as he whisks the board away from the reach of Deepsea's sentacles. Looking toward the newcomer, Orca appears to be trying to evaluate his declining list of options. Harbinger transforms and hovers abover the water, attenpting to take aim on the Autobot. Harbinger begins to hover in the air. His head retracts into his torso while his arms and legs combine to become front and rear hoverjets respectively. He lowers to the ground hovering as the main turret slides into place becoming an Ancient Cybertronian Hover Tank. Cybertronian Hover Tank targets the Autobot with his main turret and fires off a rocket. Cybertronian Hover Tank strikes you with rocket for 10 points of damage. Orca is engulfing in a blast of fire and sharpnel as the rocket from Harbinger collides with him forcefully. The Aquabot is knocked backward by the force of the blast, and he splashes into the water clumsily. Cybertronian Hover Tank merely hovers, no emotion is readable from it Deepsea screeches in pain as he transforms to his squid mode, carrying the fight back into his native element. Deepsea's arms and head disappear within a mass of tentacles and menacing dark reflective eyes appear where his shoulders had been. His legs move together, rotate 180 degrees, and fold together, becoming the finned mantle of his frightening squid mode. The squid's tentacles writhe and its beak snaps as Deepsea revels in his weird aquatic form. Cybertronian Hover Tank attempts to Evaluate the cons status. The water parts to accept Deepsea's super-hydrodynamic form with hardly a ripple as he drops from the air. Cybertronian Hover Tank hovers waiting for the AUtobot's next move The water around him cluttered with chipped paint, slivers of metal, and a few other broken pieces, Orca rights himself in the water and glares intently toward the Decepticons. Diving forward, Orca thrusts his arms over his head. They combine as his legs fold under him. His head descends into his body as his tubrines move backward into position for directing aquatic movement. A large dent is visible on the squid's right side, and it trails bright red fluid, like, but not quite exactly blood, in the water around it. Many of the ships in the distance turn away from the explosions here in the battlefield, fearfull of their own destruction. "Leave while you still can, Orca. I will not repeat my offer again. These waters belong to the Decepticons and we will brook no intrusion." it hisses. Cybertronian Hover Tank moves to the opposite side of Orca from Deepsea US Coastguard USCG Siren reports, "We have had several ships radio us within the past hour of an apparent conflict between a small number of Autobots and Decepticons in the central Atlantic Ocean. Please alert shipping lines routed through this area to make appropriate course adjustments to ensure their own safety." Harbinger transmits a message via radio to Deepsea. Deepsea receives a radio transmission. Cybertronian Hover Tank waits for the Autobot to make a move before continuing it's attack as the Bot may be injured. Deepsea transmits a message via radio. Harbinger receives a radio transmission. Aquatic Tank starts it turbins. The ocean waves smack into its battered frame, but the tank remains in mostly one piece. "I will not allow your terror of the seas to build," comes Orca's voice over speakers. Harbinger transmits a message via radio. Deepsea receives a radio transmission. Cybertronian Hover Tank turns toward the aquatic tank and prepares for engagement Aquatic Tank turns toward the new arrival and activates the long black shafts along its flank decks. With a loud FWOOM! the hydrotank fires a pair or concussion blasts toward Harbinger. You strike Cybertronian Hover Tank with Concussion Shell. Cybertronian Hover Tank takes the shots on the bow and sinks beneath the surface of the watercovered in smoke. then he reemerges and begins travelling toward Orca Strangely catlike, Deepea's giant squid mode shoots toward the Aquatank, riding a jet of seawater. At the last moment, the grouped tentacles part and grasp, and the horrid beak comes to bear on Orca's exposed hull... Giant Squid strikes you with evisceration for 5 points of damage. Following the blast of concussion shells, Orca begins to increase his velocity. Unfortunately, he wasn't watching out for Deepsea as the giant squid's tentacles grab him and pull him toward the beast's maw. The piercing beak rips several layers of plating from the external armor of the tank. Cybertronian Hover Tank kicks his thrusters into full as it rises out of the water and travels toward the Auquatank. Gaining speed and leaving the smoke behind him, the tank appears to be less damaged then you first thought. It attemps to Ram Orca into Deepsea's maw You evade Cybertronian Hover Tank's ram attack. Harbinger just looked at you. Giant Squid chews on a mouthful of armorsteel, tightening his grip and getting down to causing some beak damage. Cybertronian Hover Tank misses the Bot and nearly runs into his fellow con. regaining himself and reducing speed the tank slowly turns to reevaluate the battle Aquatic Tank has been able to reposition itself due to the distraction provided to the Decepticons by the Cybertronian tank's missed ram. Arming its ballistic cannon, the hydrotank attempts to aim for the mouth of Deepsea. "Are you hungry, Deepsea?" he says, "Let me give you a little appetizer of my own making..." Deepsea nimbly dodges your attack in a flurry of tentacles. Giant Squid releases its grip just in time to scoot out of the way of Orca's cannon shot, which smacks into a slick of oil and ink left behind by the squid. Deepsea just looked at you. The oil, a safe dye underwater, is highly flammable on the surface, and immediately kindles in the shell's detonation. Cybertronian Hover Tank turns to the bot as it gets loose and tries to make out any damaged areas through teh smoke, so that it may target them first. THe tank then takes off into the air and transforms. The Hover tank raises into the air and begins a confusing and complex transformation. The turret slides back and the hover jets become Arms and legs respectively and then finally Harbinger's head raises from what is now the torso of his robot mode. Harbinger reaches behind to his back and pulls the barrel from his turret. As he draws it over his shoulder the blade emerges from the turret on the end of the shaft. The blade begins to hum ominously. Title set. The banner of the decepticon empire hangs from the Halberd Aquatic Tank transmits: "Great, let's just set the ocean on fire! You and your darn ink, Deepsea..." As if in resonse to this, the flames leap higher, giving off gouts of thick black smoke. Deepsea darts and flashes under the water, continuously changing colors and ejecting more ink. Harbinger flies down through the smoke, from either side of his helm two sheer plates cover his face hiding all emotion. He flies directly at Orca with his Halberd humming louder as he approaches attempting to cleave open the Autobot. You evade Harbinger's Force Halberd attack. Although damaged, the Aquatic Tank is still able to evade the halberd as swung through the air by Harbinger. The tank turns a tight change of direction, sending a spray of whitewater into the air as it does so. It faces the two Decepticons appraisingly. Harbinger hovers still as the water splashes over him. he merely sits still, you are unable to read what he is going to do next Norwegian Freighter Danksegard radios: We are in area of reported Autobot/Decepticon sea battle. Much black smoke visible, have heard no distress calls. Advise all ships to avoid area at all costs. Coordinates follow in Morse Code. In the distance ships can be seen leaving the area Autobot Submarine soars in from the skies to the west. Typhoon> Elita One waves OOC, in case that last didn't get out. :) A fire rages on the ocean surface, obscuring everything with dense black smoke. Aquatank and Harbinger are locked in a gun duel, while flashes of a large sinister sea creature can be seen flicking through the besmirched waves below. Harbinger is ingaged in combat with Orca. SMoke fills the area as the oil on the surface of the water is burning Aquatic Tank is sitting atop the water, weapons turned toward the Decepticons. Overs it speakers comes the voice of Orca: "Looks like I won't have to finish the job of sinking you two to the ocean floor by myself... what a shame." From within his helm you hear Harbinger simply say, "SHut up and engage in combat Autobot!" OOC and FYI Elita Harb's face is hidden behind two sheer metal plates. Typhoon> Elita One surfaces nearby, bringing weapons to bear. "Good thing I got worried." She scans the oil slick fire with a frown, using the subs scanners to assist in identifying targets in the thick smoke. Harbinger transmits a message via radio. Harbinger smiles within his helm, unseen to the others Deepsea transmits a message via radio. Harbinger receives a radio transmission from Deepsea. Typhoon> Elita One can't submerge witout it. :) You transmit a message to Elita One: Greetings, Elita! Is it good to see you!! Mind giving me a hand with these two? Transmission from Elita One: Absolutely. That's why I came. Harbinger transmits a message via radio to Deepsea. Deepsea receives a radio transmission from Harbinger. Harbinger hovers within the dense smoke watching for an opening to attack Giant Squid surfaces and hisses loudly. "Harbinger, keep the Autobot busy, I will attend to the Sub!" Harbinger charges Orca in an attempt to...'Keep him busy' Harbinger begins to hover in the air. His head retracts into his torso while his arms and legs combine to become front and rear hoverjets respectively. He lowers to the ground hovering as the main turret slides into place becoming an Ancient Cybertronian Hover Tank. Cybertronian Hover Tank hovers through the smoke an grows ever closer to Orca Giant Squid shoots from the water in an arc over the Autobot sub, transforming in midair. The giant squid's tentacles gather and move to the back of its head as arms and a crested head snap out from between its eyes. The dark red mantle appears to split, only to become finned legs. Deepsea somersaults up in his robotic mode, ready for action! Typhoon> Elita One smirks slightly. "You looked better before." Somersaulting, Deepsea drops to the Sub deck and attaches his magnetic tentacles to one of the hatches with a CLANKK. "Your antipersonnel defences are laughable, Autobot." He stands and wrenches at the hatch with all of his strength... Cybertronian Hover Tank fires another Rocket burst from his turret at Orca in an attempt to damage him near the water line. You evade Cybertronian Hover Tank's Rocket attack. Aquatic Tank darts dexterously to its port, moving to avoid Harbinger's rockets. Pointing its weapons toward the Decepticon, Orca prepares to retaliate. Deepsea's semi-organic tentacles pop and groan under the strain and the metal in his leg joints screeches under the mighty effort he is putting out. Deepsea says, "No mere ship can withstand me!" Cybertronian Hover Tank watches his rocket explode in the water and ponders getting his targeting sensors checked. Typhoon> Elita One smiles and reaches for a button on the console. "Let's see, think I'll give him a chance first." A turret swivels and takes aim on Deepsea.... "Fire one." Aquatic Tank aims his concussion ejectors to fire another pair of shells toward Harbinger. "You were not welcome here in the first place, Decepticon," he transmits. "You are no more welcome now..." With another FWOOP! of firing, Orca sends a pair of shells toward the Cybertronian Hover Tank. You strike Cybertronian Hover Tank with Concussion Shells. Cybertronian Hover Tank turns toward the tank just in time to see the concusion shells coming for it. It transforms and attempts to slice the shells from the air........ The Hover tank raises into the air and begins a confusing and complex transformation. The turret slides back and the hover jets become Arms and legs respectively and then finally Harbinger's head raises from what is now the torso of his robot mode. Harbinger fails and flies backwards into the water, smoke billows from his chest Harbinger disappears under the surface...... Typhoon> Elita One drats OOC, can't see if I hit or not. Harbinger sinks beneath the surface and disappears in the depths...... Typhoon> Elita One says, "Hey, did this tub even do anything?" Typhoon> Elita One meant that out of character. :) To the scream of rending metal, barely louder than the agonized wail coming from Deepsea's own vocalizers, the hatch of the Typhoon seems to tear loose. Deepsea flies into the air, grasping his trophy, only to discover on looking down, that he has only ripped off the hatch's sacrificial armor plate. The pressure door remains undamaged. "Ohhhhh, ack." he groans as he drops the worthless hunk of vanadium steel into the deeps. Aquatic Tank makes a triumphant chuckle as its concussion blast sends Harbinger beneath the waves. Smoke whisps from the ejection barrels as he turns toward Deepsea. "You know what to do Elita," Orca emits. "Send 'im down!" Typhoon> Elita One says everything is armed according to the console. Typhoon> Elita One grumps. ex here doesn't give me any clues. Elita One says, "LEt me do this in reverse and see if it fires then." Orca targets Harbinger with the Autobot Submarine 's weapons and fires! Orca targets Deepsea with the Autobot Submarine 's weapons and fires! Typhoon> Elita One fires a few warning shots from the sub's gun turrets. Deepsea is shocked out of his failure to open the sub when its guns open fire on him, and notices the abscence of Harbinger. Aquatic Tank swivels in the water to turn his concussion cannons toward Deepsea. "Still planning to stick around, Decepticon? The odds are no longer in your favor..." comes Orca's voice. "Retreat and live to return the message to your brethern that these seas will not fall under your tyranny." Deepsea says, "AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" he shouts and dives into the water." Typhoon> Elita One draws her weapon and unseals the hatch. "Need a ride?" Entrance hatches on the submarine suddenly open up as the vessel unseals. Deepsea's head bobs to the surface. "The day is yours, but you're no closer to victory. Our plans are still beyind your knowledge." With that, he transforms and dives deep, beyond the reach of conventional vessels. Deepsea's arms and head disappear within a mass of tentacles and menacing dark reflective eyes appear where his shoulders had been. His legs move together, rotate 180 degrees, and fold together, becoming the finned mantle of his frightening squid mode. The squid's tentacles writhe and its beak snaps as Deepsea revels in his weird aquatic form. Giant Squid dives into the sea. Aquatic Tank monitors the retreat of Deepsea. Turning, it maneuvers over toward the Typhoon. "That would certainly be appreciated, Elita..." it says. The hydrotank pulls along the side of the submarine. The bow of the black and white tank shoots into the air. It unfolds its form and shifts, transforming into the broad form of the Autobot Orca. Orca grabs onto the hull of the Typhoon and climbs to the top of the vessel. Reaching the pressure lock, the Aquabot kneels down and releases the hatch. Orca descends the ladder and enter the submarine, confident that the Decepticons' efforts today have been successfully averted. Autobot Submarine (#6364 Oae) Elita One says, "Welcome aboard." Orca climbs down the ladder and enters the submarine. The Aquabot doesn't look too sharp--his armor plating has been shredded, blasted, and blown away in several locations. He lifts his arm and raises the reflective faceplate of his helm. Smiling, Orca greets Elita One, "Hello Elita... thanks for the save." Elita One says, "Any time." Orca holds his arm out to use one of the railings along the wall as he staggers toward one of the sub's seats. Elita One returns to the helm and submerges the submarine. > You dive down into the sea...