[Video - Evening] Lights amongst the dark

[solianpolarity]

[The camera clicks on, and two very different Primes appear. Solus Prime is kneeling down, examining what appears to be a large, metal container as she speaks with Liege, who watches on. A moment goes by before she gives the comm, held in unmoving acolyte hands, a glance.]

-Prima's Touch was a clever addition. It will be interesting to see if his boon will help them survive the wilds more readily- Ah, very good.

[She stands, dusting off her hands with the faintest of pleased smirks.]

In the interests of continuing our work, we have elected to make this next experimental addition for improving Cybertron a bit more...visible.

[She turns a bit somber, optics softening.]

It also happens that it has been an entire solar cycle since you all have started arriving here once more. Roughly. Perhaps that is not a cause for celebration for many of you, but it is still a significant occasion to be honored.

[She gestures to her brother, who rises the lid so she can reach into the container and pulls out...what seems to be a handful of light. In actuality, it is what appears to be little glowing robobugs. They skitter across her plating, varied in design quirks but largely resembling a cross between rotor-laden dragonflies and moths with delicate metallic wiring.]

[Liege reaches out, picking one up in-between his claws and examining it closely--it might be obvious to all who were present for it that these definitely have a relationship to Jetfire's glowbugs.]

It would be best if you left them alone to do their job. They are perfectly harmless. However, they are designed to seek out raw resources and other sources of energy, so following their glow could be quite...lucrative. Consider it something of a treasure hunt, if you will.

Among a plethora of other functions. They should also be able to give us more information about the boundaries and composition of the badlands, once they depart the Haven. Until then...perhaps some enjoyment can be found in their display.

[Solus shrugs faintly, before lifting the lid holding back the swarm and vanishes in the midst of the glowing rush of tiny wings.]


...

[For those not watching the communicators or happen to be outside...from the top of Prima's glowing tower, a different sort of light slowly emerges, and seems to balloon out. The cloud gets larger and larger, like glowing smoke, before breaking up and fanning out in all directions and lighting up the sky.

For the next week, the swarm of Pixels will flock around the Haven, highlighting various, previously unknown energon pools, crystals, and even some nice finds in the junkyard. Solus Prime will be releasing a new batch each night, adding to the swarm until they eventually depart, en mass, for parts unknown.]



[Note: Those who reply to this message with an in-character action of following the pixels will be rewarded with a small item! Be creative in specifying where and how, and see what treasure awaits...]

Comments

[action]

[adamndoctor]

McCoy thought it was all rather nice and very beautiful, but... Well, he wouldn't normally go chasing down bugs. Or anything, really. These sort of adventures were more Jim's thing. But upon the Firstforged's comments, if they could lead him to energy resources... Maybe there was a chance they'd find something useful to his fellow humans and organics?

McCoy grumbled and picked up his tricorder. He'd managed to follow out a trail of the creatures, hoping to God he wasn't walking right into danger. That, too, was more Jim's thing.

[action]

[re_alignedmods]

A number of pixels that noticed McCoy trailing along came down to investigate him in turn, flitting about his head and attempting to land on his hair and shouders. They probably give the tricorder fits in the process. The glowing trail above, however, eventually splits into two.

One heading for the junkyard, and the other into the empty gap between quadrants. Which does McCoy follow?

[action]

[adamndoctor]

Yup, you can say that again. The tricorder can't exactly read these... strange little bugs. Nothing programmed. Still, he tries before doing his best to gently swat them aside. It sort of reminds him of summer in Georgia, when it's humid and all the bugs are out flitting about. And that makes him momentarily homesick (again).

It is a somewhat difficult decision to make. For a moment, McCoy thinks of Jim, and how he might choose the path leading to the empty gap between quadrants. Felt more like a sense of adventure. And while McCoy was very curious, the junkpile tended to yield things - both useless but occasionally valuable - for both these robots and humans.

If there was a chance McCoy could find something useful for humans in a place where he found most related things in the past, he'd take it. Play it better safe than sorry, but he still felt a bit anxious even when he chased the fireflies off to the junkyard, looking back twice before focusing all together on the path he chose.

And, well, hey - maybe he could come back and search the place another time? Who knew.

[action]

[solianpolarity]

Unharmed, the swatted bugs still eventually take the hint and keep their distance, though a few of the more oblivious ones still manage to touch down in the good doctor's hair.

Fortunately for McCoy, the least adventurous path is the one giving the quickest results.

The trail is a little rough, given the mounds of junk, but the pixels filter out to the various piles readily enough. Some piles glow more brightly than others, especially the lumpy one just past what may just be a space-outhouse, and the pile that leans a bit too steeply to be entirely stable.

Choose wisely...

[action]

[adamndoctor]

It takes a little effort for McCoy in regards to these more rough bits of terrain. Goddammit; but he does prevail. He overlooks the piles, taking note of both the bright and least lackluster ones. But the one next to the space-outhouse in an unstable area-- "Oh, go figure," McCoy sighs and rolls his eyes. He runs a hand through his hair, thinks about it...

Whatever it is, it's got to be the most powerful. Even if it's not made for humans, if it can be useful somehow... McCoy curses. Why couldn't he have just stumbled upon a mattress store or ye olde Wal-Mart?

McCoy heads over to the pile, assessing it. He needs to do this carefully. Finding the most stable and safest angle, he clings to something heavy as he digs one hand furiously through the brightly lit junk. Whenever it seems he's about to fall over, he quickly retracts, digging knees and feet into the disgusting junk to anchor down.

action;

[prettyfly4adinobot]

[Swoop very rarely listens to the Link network. There isn't much point most days, he figures. So he just leaves the thing off. Especially when he's flying, which he is at the moment. No disturbances to his flights are allowed.

He's surveying around Alpha Trion's quadrant when he spots a curious glow in the sky below him. Huh. That's different. They're like clouds of the fireflies that sometimes visited Dinobot Island. Except the fireflies didn't travel in lines. He slowly descends to get a better look at them and where they might be headed.]

action;

[re_alignedmods]

[The pixels continue their path unimpeded, even though the wind from Swoop's approach sends some of them tumbling. A number buzz their way up closer to investigate the metal being joining them on their flight, attempting to land on the parts of him that are not in motion.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group slowly begins to descend, hovering down to the point where they are flying just above ground. From the air, it is clear that they are following what seems to have been an old, mostly eroded road that once led from Alpha Trion's lake. It simply leads North.

Will Swoop continue to follow?]

action;

[prettyfly4adinobot]

[The parts not in motion on him are mostly his head and beak, though he does chirp a greeting to one that lands on his beak where he can see. Hello bug!

He stills his wings to glide down with the group, transforming to robot mode to continue following the trail they're making. It's easier to walk on longer legs. That, and hopefully he'll disturb the pixels a little less this way. Swoop does mean to hurt wildlife unless it hurts him first... and they definitely haven't hurt him.]

action;

[solianpolarity]

[The pixel wiggles it's antennae curiously; it does not answer, of course, but seems to settle in for the ride.

Walking along the path is certainly the long way to go about it, but it is not completely devoid of features. Even if they are mostly long worn down.

The pixels pause over remnants of the past as their seek their destination; lost buttons and bottlecaps, and the remains of an old wooden signpost or two. The organic material doesn't seem to last long here.

Eventually, the path splits; and curiously, so does the cloud of pixels. Right or left; northeast or northwest?]

action;

[prettyfly4adinobot]

[Hey, it's a new and different place. That means everything can still be interesting for a while. Even when it's just a long, long path. And it tells him that either junk just shows up everywhere around here, or somebody that used to be here made these things. Though eventually he does simply start whistling and chirping a tune as he walks.

He pauses when the path splits, looking in both directions. Hrm. He eventually shrugs and decides on northeast. It's as good as any other direction, right?]

[imnotyours]

[Lyra really hadn't been paying attention to her feed much as of late. She was still mad about the way others had been treating her and just wanted someone to recognize that she wasn't just some normal kid.

Too bad that didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon.

She had started to explore Liege's quadrant more, as of late, curious about it because, in a way, it reminded her of the North. Which wasn't necessarily all good but it wasn't all bad either. And this version was..different. In an interesting way. She and Pan had made their way into the empty beginnings of a city, Lyra completely unafraid even as her daemon cowered on her shoulder in the form of a small bird, feathers ruffled as he chirped softly every now and then.

It's Pan that notices the odd lights first and panic floods him as he immediately takes to the air, flittering about Lyra's head quickly.]

Lyra, Lyra! It's dust! There's dust here!

Wot--Pan come her--

[Just as she caught her Daemon and clutched him close, she frowned, peering up at the sky.]

...That ain't dust, Pan.

[re_alignedmods]

[Not dust in the slightest, despite the superficial resemblance of the swarming glow. The pixels slowly meander across the sky, eventually passing almost directly overhead. A few fearlessly flit down to investigate both Lyra and Pan, lights blinking, and will attempt to land unless shooed away.

The vast, remaining trail of pixels continued on, heading straight into a hilly, rocky area that may involve an unpleasant climb. Will Lyra and Pan follow?]

[imnotyours]

[Lyra's hesitant but she lets them land, peering curiously at them with an eye of wonder as Pan, on the other hand, presses close to her chest--since he's now a cat--ears flat to his head.]

Lyra are sure that's safe?

Pan, darling, I don't think they want to hurt us.

[As she said it, her gaze lifted to follow the others that had created a trail, that wonder now turning into all out curiosity as she took a few steps forward.]

They want us to follow.

..So we are, aren't we?

[Glancing down at her daemon, Lyra grinned and shifted him up onto her shoulder, the feline stretching across them both and holding on as his human started to follow the trail.]

[solianpolarity]

[The pixels remain harmless and nonthreatening, though they do seem to blink more brightly when around Pan.

The rest, meanwhile, head up and up. The climb is a little rough, but not outside human norms; in fact, it seems like this was a human trail at one point. A long-dried patch of mud even holds a partial human footprint, forgotten leather shoes crumbling away not far up the path from it.

The trail ends at a little cave, the pixels lighting the way inside. Will Lyra and Pan follow?]

[imnotyours]

[Pan's not a huge fan of having the little things close to him but he just hunkers down close to Lyra and does his best to ignore them.

Lyra, on the other hand, is fascinated by them and isn't about to give up despite a rough climb, slowly but surely making her way up. When she finally gets to where they're leading her, panting softly with her hands on her hips, the little girl debates for half a second before heading into the cave.

It's just too tempting and she's already come this far after all.]

Hope these late tags are okay. orz

[my_own_trope]

[Meanwhile, in prison, Starscream was DEFINITELY not spazzing out. Not even a little bit. And certainly not because HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUT THERE DOING THE THING THAT EVERY SEEKER-WANNABE WOULD BE GETTING ALL UP INTO.

It wasn't fair. And given that he'd also been left relatively alone (since everyone else was out following the yellow brick glowing road), Starscream was free to angrily monologue without interruption to his usual captive audience: The Air.]

I should be the one out there securing new resources for the glory of Liege Maximo! I'm an Energon Seeker! It's what I do! NO ONE has my experience, and I've YET to see another seeker as specialised for the task as I.

They should release me for my skills alone! For the PRIVILEGE of working with a seeker with my accomplishments. But noooo...

[He scratches at the floor angrily, sending up sparks.]

They'd much rather let these... these... amateurs bungle around pretending they know the first thing about asset search and recovery.

[Starscream's grandiose hand gestures settle down as he pouts, mumbling something to himself that sounds kinda like:] --and half wouldn't even know a raw energon deposit if they had to wade through an ocean of the stuff.

Of course~ I am late as well

[solianpolarity]

[Unfortunate as it is, Starscream's situation goes mostly unnoticed. If the seeker can see outside, though a window or even just comm cameras, it's clear that the clouds of pixels continue streaming on overhead, oblivious to his plight and monolog both.

Mostly.

Thanks to drone-curiosity, convenient ventilation systems, and simple chance, a single pixel eventually flits it's way inside. It drifts down to land on the tip of Starscream's wing, light blinking.]

Oh boy, he hopes these don't reproduce asexually

[my_own_trope]

[Starscream doesn't immediately notice the single little light, too busy still whining aloud. But hey, at least this time his audience is an entity that exists on the physical plane. However minor, it's still an improvement.

It's in the middle of his next sulky sentence, he trails off:]

--show all of them. Back on Cybertron there was no greater... [He freezes in place, eyes on the soft glow.]

And what do we have here?

[Gently he raises one hand to pluck the insect off his wing with the very tips of two claws.]

Now why don't you just stay with me, for a little while, bug?

[And from then on, all monologues are addressed to the itty bitty teeny weeny little glow nestled in the tiny space beside his spark. Thank Primus for company, little guy. You're the only thing keeping him sane in here. You're his new best friend. You and him are going to be together forever... until he gets out, sets you free, and you lead him to untold riches of course. BUT UNTIL THEN; it's just you and him against the world! He loves you so much, precious. He'll never let anyone have you... so precious.... _precious...]

Couple days later, Tarn and Blackarachnia [Action]

[songofmypeople]

[A few days ago Tarn had seen the First Forged video. He'd declined responding because he really saw no point, and hadn't gone off to follow the insects since he had neither the interest nor the time (micromanaging a small group of lost boys was hardly a part-time gig). The glowbugs had hung around though, and each time Tarn saw a group of them, either in the distance or in stray clumps, his curiosity would grow a little more.

Today he found himself with both time and company; the perfect combination for a little sightseeing.

Sending Blackarachnia a ping, Tarn let her know her date was here to pick her up.]

Re: Couple days later, Tarn and Blackarachnia [Action]

[treacherous_widow]

[It had been a few days since Blackarachnia had followed her own trail of mechanical glow bugs and she was still running tests on the results. In fact, she had just finished one of those tests when a certain tall dark and creepy Decepticon pinged her.

To say she was amused was an understatement. So she wrapped up her little project and slipped into her beast mode. It wasn't long before she was approaching Tarn. Hopefully he knew to look up because a certain spider might be clinging to the ceiling of the entrance of her firstforged's temple.]

Finally decide to pay me a visit huh~? I was beginning you had forgotten about little ole me.

[Perma-Action]

[songofmypeople]

It would be hard to forget someone as intriguingly talented as yourself.

[Looking up with a slight tip of his head, the comparatively enormous Tarn raises a hand and offers a perch should she choose to drop down.]

With recent environmental developments, I thought an excursion was in order, and given the nature of the insects now found everywhere, I could think of no better company to investigate with, than a spider.