01 ⚡ voice - un:starscream;

[vosseeker]

[ You'd be forgiven for thinking that this world had sent Starscream away, considering he hasn't been present in Anchor for a good while. Not down in the public park, not in the vehicle bays, not even poking around engineering. No word of a departure, no expected return.

And yet here he is! Spending an obscenely long time in the garage decontamination showers, until the systems check finally says he's free of dangerous radiation levels. Sadly, it seems Anchor is not yet free of him. ]

In all your little scurrying about and exploring this place, tell me someone has come across excavation equipment. Specifically rock drills and cutters. For that matter, are there any hauling carts? Mag-grav would be best, I'm not carrying this all back by hand. I'm not a mining drone.

Further, I require the following items:

[ He lists off about a dozen parts, which individually aren't that special, but combined sound an awful lot like he's building a distillation tank. ]

Finally, I have high fidelity scans of planetary areas outside the colony. In exchange for assistance with extracting my located resources, I will share them with the rest of you.

Comments

Audio @Spides

[itsnotaonesie]

I haven't seen any excavation equipment just laying around, but I can definitely take a look around. Same with that other stuff, might have a couple parts sitting around in R&D, I'll see what we can do about the rest. What'd you find?

[vosseeker]

[ Finally, someone who can report progress. There's a reason you're more tolerable than the others around here, Peter. ]

Anchor is built through lower levels, so there may be something functional in whatever passes for the colony's maintenance areas.

A sizable energon deposit, in an underground cave.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Daw, Peter would almost feel special if Starscream said that out loud.]

That is a very good point, I'll start there. it's also really interesting that there's some of that stuff here, good news for you.

[vosseeker]

Very good news indeed. If I can gather the components, the processing unit won't take very long to assemble.

[itsnotaonesie]

Odds are we can make the parts, too. I've got one of the printers up and running, we just need to program what you need into it and we're in business.

It's a, uh. Like a 3D printer, not like a paper printer.

[vosseeker]

[ Starscream's interested. ]

What types of materials can it make assemblages out of?

[itsnotaonesie]

So far I've been able to run plastics and metals through it. I have another couple printers laying around that I can experiment with once I get them up and running again, but for now that's all we have.

[vosseeker]

It's better than nothing. The other items - tubing, shielding, etcetera - can most likely be pulled from other parts of Anchor's salvageable mechanics.

[ He might need help with that part too... a lot of the areas those things are in aren't places he'll necessarily fit. ]

[itsnotaonesie]

Oh yeah, that's totally doable. We've got plenty of scrap laying around, shielding might be trickier to get a hold of but I think we can do that.

[Good thing Peter just LOVES to help people. He will be all over this.]

[vosseeker]

[ Starscream appreciates the can-do attitude, Peter. If he ever feels the need to blow up Anchor, he'll make sure you get at least a decent head start to escape. ]

Qubit suggested re-purposing one of the R&D areas for this.

[itsnotaonesie]

[The problem with that is that Peter is more likely to try to fist fight Starscream than escape, but he'd appreciate the thought!]

That's a great idea, actually. There are some larger areas up here that you'd actually probably fit in, too.

[vosseeker]

Yes, the offer was surprising. He hasn't yet elaborated what he expects in return, though.

[itsnotaonesie]

Probably nothing, honestly. It's not like the labs all belong to him, and even then, I was here first. Just make yourself at home, man. We're all in this thing together.

[vosseeker]

"Probably nothing."

[ There's an impressive wealth of skepticism packed into the words. But the way Peter remarks that he was here first, like it's possessive, is interesting. ]

Having a common circumstance rarely dictates generosity.

[ At least not when one is a Decepticon. ]

[itsnotaonesie]

[He's only being a little possessive over the lab space because he and Qubit are in a fight. Any other time he's all sharing is caring blah blah nice boy.]

The most I can see him doing is being annoying asking you questions about giant robots, which you are under no obligation to answer.

[vosseeker]

[ That difference is what makes it interesting. ]

But you wouldn't do that?

[itsnotaonesie]

Maybe if something specific came up? Like if you were injured somehow and I needed to know how to help you. Otherwise I think we've already covered everything important.

[he figures if there's anything else that Starscream /wants him to know about giant transforming robots, he'll tell Peter himself.]

[vosseeker]

[ Sounds too good to be true, Peter. Starscream's ever suspicious. ]

I suppose if there were a standing list of questions, some of them I might be inclined to answer. Within reason.

[itsnotaonesie]

[That just sounds like Starscream though so it's all good.]

Right, right, I mean, I wouldn't ask you anything ridiculous like where's your weak point or do you go to the bathroom.

[vosseeker]

[ As if Starscream would ever admit to having a weak point... ]

Consider it an ongoing project, then.

[itsnotaonesie]

[But does he go to the bathroom]

Awesome, yeah!

Anyway, I'm gonna go see if I can find any of that mining equipment and whatever, holler if you need anything.