re_alignment | [Video] - Bugs bugs bugs, but they glow, so it's like Christmas spirit?

Entry tags:

tf: dreamwave | jetfire (crau)

[Video] - Bugs bugs bugs, but they glow, so it's like Christmas spirit?

[The video comes on to Jetfire frowning thoughtfully at one of his hands, held up and... apparently crawling with pinpoints of moving lights. He shakes it, and there's a veritable cloud of winking lights exploding in all directions.

Some of them fly past the screen close enough to reveal they're tiny, dragonfly-like metal bugs. That glow.]

There was an accident, and the thirty of these that I had contained in my lab and were developing were let out. It seems their replication matrix is working, because they're certainly not thirty any longer.

I apologise if they are a... er, nuisance.

I am rather sure I can hazard a guess from a few cycles of observing that the replication matrix is working correctly though, since while they've become more as a response to the greater space available outside of the lab, I believe they're not replicating completely out of hand.

[He shakes his helm slowly, dislodging a crowd tiny bugs that has landed on his helm and nasal ridge.]

Hopefully they'll... spread outside of Haven soon.

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[ Navi's head is nearly swimming under the weight of the bugs; when she whines his name, Marvelous reaches up to brush them away. ]

They're not a hazard as-is, but you never know if something around here's gonna try and eat you. Between the bird and my ship, I wanted to check in, make sure I'm not gonna fall out of the sky suddenly.

As of yet, I doubt there's much around that's going to eat you, unless it's from the Badlands... Or come through the Lambda. But the concern's not misplaced, truly.

[Jetfire's smile is slightly dry, and he might be a bit guilty, but he hadn't really intended to let them loose yet. Ideally they'd have been spaced out as well, not all let out in the Haven.]

But no, your ship and your... er, bird should be all right. They don't eat metal, but you might consider landing your ship for the moment, if only to observe if they'll be drawn to it.

[Though he doubted there were enough bugs to weigh the ship down enough it'd crash.]

[ He makes a series of annoyed faces. ]

Yeah, all right. What're they, uh, attracted to, by the way? Somethin' specific? I mean, they're ignorin' me, pretty much.

The light, I would surmise. But if it were only you there, they might be interested in you as well.

Your bird might simply seem closer to familiarity... Interesting thing, by the way. What is it?

[It was hard to tell just looking at it how intelligent, or not, that it was, and since they were speaking, he could as well ask.]

[ He turns his head to look at the bird. ]

That explains why they like your head.

[ Back to Jetfire. ]

She's some kinda perpetual motion machine. And my first mate.

Hey, I've been on this ship longer than you, Marvelous!

[ He shrugs her off. ]

Think I'm gonna keep her around just in case. These things are a lot bigger for me than they are for you.

[The byplay is watched with interest, Jetfire nodding at the last reply to him, then glancing back to the bird.]

Might as well. She should be able to carry their weight better than you, especially if she's sitting on you as well. Interesting phrasing... [Trailing off, Jetfire's optics dim slightly for a brief moment.]

I was under the impression perpetual motion machines were impossible. She also seems to possess some type of artificial intelligence?

[ The comedy routine never stops around here, Jetfire. When Navi finally sets back down on Marvelous's shoulder, there's some wing-to-head contact and glaring before Marvelous turns back to the camera. ]

I don't anything about engineering, man. I think she might be a little magic, or something, but don't quote me or anything.

And yeah, though the intelligence part might be questionable.

She used to be helpful in finding the treasures I was looking for, but they're not here so no prophecies for me.

[He's not smiling at glaring or anything, oh no.]

Hmmm. I suppose that could be possible, yes. [Jetfire grimaces and shakes his helm. He's seen enough of magic in the Keep to... more or less accept that if anything, there might be applications of energy that would be called "magic".]

Perhaps most of her A.I went to predictive and triagulating calculations, making up those "prophecies" for you, though she seems capable of... ah, keeping up some commentary at the least.

[ Good, keep it that way. ]

It's as good an explanation as anything I've ever heard.

Hey, now, she's a pirate who can take care of herself.

I'm perfectly intelligent! Don't let my size fool you.

[He can't give any promises regarding how long he can keep it that way, however.]

Ah, yes. I apologise. I know size doesn't usually correlate to intelligence or sentience... Or even several minds combined into one. [Jetfire smiles, helm tilting as he directs the apology to Navi directly before glancing back at Marvelous.] We have some very large, combined warriors where the technology to combine them haven't succeeded well in translating the individual intelligences.

Apology accepted! See, Marvelous? That's how you apologize!

I don't have anything to apologize for!

Oh, like a combiner? Guess I can see how that'd mess up--sum total of the parts, and all that. [ Not for the first time, he's glad his combiner doesn't have intelligence, gestalt or otherwise. ] I've got one of those too, but it's a piloted system. Figure you've gotta give up smarts for combat in a situation like yours.

[Jetfire's lips twitch, but he manages to keep from smiling at the exchange and then nods.]

Precisely so. The very first combiner was made by the inventors of the mass intellect process, and the gestalt form is... somewhat lacking in intelligence. Mostly because the Constructicons cannot agree, so their combined form is left with the barest of commonalities.

There has been upgrades to the technology, and some teams fit together better than others, but overall I'd hazard a guess that creating drones that combine and let a single sparked mech control them, to use an analoguous system to yours, might be the easiest solution.

[He huffs slightly, crossing his arms.]

And you're correct in that even those who fit well together have something being lost in the translation.

[ Marvelous smirks. Of course the system he used was the best, Jetfire, come on. ]

Guess it's less portable than a collection of 'bots, though, which'd be the draw, right?

Then again, I'm used to a crew. When you pick your teammates, things're different.

[Mmmaybe.]

A bit, yes, and you aren't by simply being, carrying with you what you need to form the combiner...

[A chuckle.]

Mm, there's that, though the teams we put together were carefully chosen by volunteering and matching them together, as well as familiarity with each other; that still doesn't protect you from the considerable chance that when supposed to sublimate into one, balanced mind, it might not work.

Does your crew take part in the combining, or is that a singular job?

Combining your brains'd mean a whole hell of a lot more cooperation than just plain old working together, wouldn't it.

[Man, this was all a bit more extitential for him than he was comfortable with. He jumps on the next question.]

Either/or. She works best when I've got the whole crew, but there wouldn't be much point to being a captain if I couldn't get the job done when I needed to, right?

Basically yes, which has been, and continues to be, the problem.

[The explanation makes Jetfire chuckle, and he nods.]

I suppose so, yes. That seems somewhat similar to that for our combiner teams usually have something of a leader who forms the torso and head module... But all five or six still needs to sublimate, so your method would still be less absolutely dependent on a larger amount of participants. Is it a matter of power-levels, or access to power that rises with additional crewmembers, then?

Yeah, helps with reaction speed and firing calibration. You want a demonstration?

[He's perfectly serious. His system's been retooled for Energon, after all, and he can't resist showing off.]

As for powers, well, we got help from the guys who preceded us.

Ah... yes. I would certainly be interested if you're willing.

[Jetfire even leans forward slightly, more or less unconciously. Of course, a demonstration would properly be done in person, but that doesn't mean he's not going to show interest for said offered demonstration.]

Oh..?

Sure. You let me know, I'll get her going for you.

[Oh, scientists. Doc'd been like this, too, when they'd first met.

There's a moment's pause, and then the video feed switches to locked.]

Where I'm from, we got what're called sentai. Task forces. Mine's the thirty-fifth in a row, and we use all the powers of the guys who came before us using Ranger Keys. Like this. [He lifts a tiny figurine in the shape of a little red guy up to the camera, and taps the side; the legs flip up, revealing a key.]

You have a guy's Ranger Key, sometimes he gives you his squad's power. And you can use that power in your Megazord. And I do.

Hmm, thank you. Finding a moment over shouldn't be overly difficult.

[Jetfire listens to the explanation with interest, and it's not so hard to accept the basic premise, if you allow such a thing like... more or less "magical" sources of power, unless Marvelous has a perfectly scientific explanation for where the power he uses comes from.]

Interesting... And a very effective way of making sure at the least power isn't lost... you have access to any knowledge of earlier teams as well?

Might even let you have a look, if you're good.

[That is, if he was appropriately intimidated by the size of the damn thing. Marvelous has no intention of sharing every secret he has; he'd had to do enough of that when the fuel system was modified. But Jetfire was one of the goodie-two-shoes robots, or whatever, right?]

Knowledge of their weapons and styles. It's--weird. Like you're wearin' more than just the suit.

[Man, this guy was a giant robot, he probably wasn't going to get the 'wearing someone else's skin' analogy. He shifts back, reaching for his precious other key. It's red and white, in contrast to the original red-and-black.]

Take this guy, for example. I turn up like a blackbelt in somethin' when I'm wearing this.

I certainly wouldn't mind, if you'd let me.

[And yes, that's exactly what he was. He probably wouldn't even be able (or necessarily want) to do anything with the information, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious.]

Like sharing memories or getting a temporary information dump, which you probably can't keep because... hm, I don't know enough about humans to speculate, but I'd surmise it'd have to do with not properly knowing or having learnt what these keys give you, and the knowledge is only present for as long as the key's in the... ah, lock?

[And no, while he would hardly understand the "wearing someone else's skin", there's always other descriptions that can be used and understood, given that he is a giant robot.]

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[Video] - Bugs bugs bugs, but they glow, so it's like Christmas spirit?

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