by Aetrius » Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:25 pm
Space, Sol system
In the vast emptiness between the planets, the very fabric of space seemed to twist, distorting and rippling as if giant hands had gripped it and begun to mangle its' surface. Had the telescopes of Earth, the closest planet to the distortion, been focused on this particular area, they would have been sure they had discovered a wholly new phenomenon. They would have been right - the fabric of subspace ripped open disgorging the burnt-orange bulk of an Autobot freight shuttle.
"All right! We made it!" exclaimed Blaster, the Autobot communications expert who just happened to be manning the controls of the shuttle. "Eject, get me an exact position, and Earth here we come."
"You got it coach," the cassetobot replied, turning his attention to the navigation console in front of him. "Baseball, Basketball, heck even Nascar, and no time delay... I can't wait."
"Uh guys, you might want to put your celebrations on hold," Rewind interjected. "I'm reading a subspace distortion on our six. Looks like that 'con followed us through."
"How in the name of Jimi's left hand did she manage that?" Blaster demanded, perplexed. "She didn't have a ship, there's no way a 'con plane should be able to generate her own transwarp field." Even as he spoke, Blaster's fingers danced over the controls, bringing the sub-light engines online, then shoving the handle that controlled thrust all the way forward. The freighters engines roared to fiery life and the heavy shuttle surged forward at a speed far beyond manufacturer's recommendations.
"Rewind, get the stealth filters online. We're still under infiltration protocols, we don't want the humans seeing us," Blaster commanded even as exact coordinates appeared on his screen courtesy of Eject's efforts. The Autobot adjusted his course towards the distant blue gem of Earth just as the sleek purple and black form of the Decepticon fighter appeared on his rear monitor.
"She's here and under her own power," Rewind remarked pointing at the screen. "I'm sure there's nothing in the archives about anyone doing that, though there was a professor on Cybertron that was researching such things circa.."
"Not now Rewind," Blaster interrupted. "She's firing at us!"
Lances of pale purple fire shot from the cannons mounted under the wings of the Decepticon jet, raking the rear portions of the Autobot shuttle. The freighter shook under the assault, and though it's armor was no match for the Decepticon's firepower, the sheer mass of the vessel made her attack less deadly than it could have been.
"Autobot shuttle, I am Slipstream! Surrender to me and live!"
"Eat me!" Blaster replied, borrowing an earthly colloquialism that seemed particularly apt, and driving the shuttle into a series of evasive maneuvers that made its' superstructure groan and creak alarmingly. Unfortunately for the Autobots, their shuttle was no match for the speed and maneuverability of the Decepticon on their tail, and her laser fire continued to rip into the rear sections of the ship.
"I have an idea!" Rewind proclaimed, leaping from his chair and racing back into the cargo bay.
Blaster had no idea what the cassetobot had in mind, or how he'd bolster their flagging defenses when suddenly the power output of the shuttle redlined, and acceleration slammed him back into his seat. The freighters engine output went from orange to blue white and flame shot out from the back of the shuttle to four times its normal distance. The burst of rocket fire from the shuttle surprised Slipstream, causing her to pull up, and allowing the shuttle to gain a few seconds lead. A few critical seconds that brought them in range of the Earth natives' primitive scanning devices.
The Decepticon jet let loose with yet another blast from her lasers though her power supply was rapidly reaching critical levels. The Autobots had no way to know that though, and Blaster transmitted desperately on a tight band back at his pursuer. "Stop firing you crazy glitch! The humans will see us, and neither Megatron or Prime want that."
"I'll not let your cargo fall into Autobot hands," Slipstream snarled and consequences be damned, fired off a pair of heat seeking missiles. They streaked unerringly into the thrusters of the freighter, blowing the already damaged engines, and sending the shuttle screaming down through Earth's atmosphere.
As the shuttle ripped across the skies in a display the humans could hardly fail to note, Blaster tried desperately to bring it under control. To no avail. The engines were gone, and the maneuvering jets wouldn't even begin to halt their headlong flight into oblivion. The communications expert sent a quick distress signal to Ark-19 then popped open his chest cavity, allowing Rewind and Eject to transform and merge with him. Then with only seconds to spare, he activated the emergency bounce platform and disappeared from the ailing ship, just before it slammed down into the deep waters of the GULF OF MEXICO.
OOC - Slipstream belongs to Devastron, he was gracious enough to allow me to use her to intro this new story arc.