The first portion of this chapter is archived at PBPArchives' original archive
"I was right, the robot was buggy..." Arkady thought to himself as he looked back at the remaining embers of what were Tinker.
"What the hell was that?" Nike called back from the front of the pack.
"Tinker exploded, but he wasn't hit with anything!" Arkady called back. He had turned to look behind him when he realized that Tinker wasn't following. "I wonder if he was in league with the Watcher after all," Nike thought to herself as she pushed forward to the hangar. Her thoughts continued to try to understand what made no sense. "Maybe he feared the Watcher's retribution? No, he was armed... he could've taken at least a few of us out before resorting to self-destructing... Maybe one of his circuits shorted with some kind of EM-pulse that we couldn't see?" But her thoughts gave her no obvious answers as the hangar doors loomed ahead.
OOC: "Tinker, No! Man, we sure could've used that metal disruptor pistol ..."
Farewell X 8(
As I stand protected by Nike and the others my breathing becomes labored and as my hand touches my chest I feel the wetness of my own blood. Looking down I realize I have been shot. O god, it can't believe it. I'm a mathematician, not a soldier I think to myself, why would anyone want to shoot me? In my heart I know everyone loves mathematicians. Gasping for a last breath of air, I collapse to the floor and die a quick painless death, my eyes glazing over. My mathematical future adding up to nothing.
OOC: Speaking of death wishes ... my participation has ceased also. Ciao!
Upon hearing the explosion behind him, and Arkady's subsequent exchange of words with Nike, Percy flattened himself against the wall. He turned his head down the corridor to glimpse at what was left of Tinker. There wasn't much left of the robot. "A darn shame that is," he muttered to Arkady as the pilot caught up with them. "I was hoping to pick that 'bot's memory about the disaster that befell Warden. It may not matter since we're trying to abandon her, anyway," he continued with regret in his voice.
Percy glanced at the straps of his duralloy armor, and checked his laser pistol again to reassure himself that he was at least partly defensible on his own, with or without the firepower and armor of Tinker, and gripped his sleak weapon tightly. Seeing Arkady's pod launcher was a bit comforting, too.
"To have stayed online for so many hundreds of years only to end like that..." he spoke softly, then shook his head. "No sense in crying over spilt motor oil," Percy reminded himself aloud as he dealt with the frustration of Tinker's destruction. "Lead on, Cap'," he said to Nike grimly and with renewed intensity. "Seems like we're running out of time, and we're definitely a little lighter in the firepower now!" As they neared the hanger door, Percy fired another shot toward the enemy 'bots ahead to give cover to whomever was going to work on opening that hangar door. "Heh," he smirked to himself. "Maybe Zhaxier's already got it unlocked for us!"
OOC: Once again, the game metamorphs, as players leave and characters die. zhaxier and amanda_flockheart, if you're still listening, happy space trails.
OOC: Sorry to lose you, amanda_flockheart. However, since the GM has control over the actions of the hostiles, Amanda was never shot, and Amanda Flockheart is not dead, and will continue on as an NPC. PC's who are remaining in the game should be aware of this.
Happy Trails to our PC's who are leaving.
OOC: That does it.
Problem #1 - driving Zhaxier to kill his PCs out of frustration.
Problem #2 - Nike is an obnoxious, all-knowing NPC that is being used to railroad the PCs.
Problem #3 - Amanda should be able to decide the fate of her own character.
I'm leaving too. Most of it was fun while it lasted ...
OOC: 1. I did not drive Zhaxier to kill his PC's out of frustration. The person that played Zhaxier was also the archivist, and the changes that happened out of necessity from the SA changeover were frustrating for him, so he chose to quit. At least that's what he tells me. And I should know, since he's my brother-in-law in real life.
2. Nike's personality, as a character, is a know-it-all. She's a military type, command. She is not being used to railroad the PC's, rather, is being played true to character. No one is forcing the PC's to go along with her.
3. Amanda started out as an NPC. Perhaps you weren't around when that happened. That is why she is continuing to be an NPC, and why the GM has control over her fate. With Zhaxier and Tinker, they were begun as independent characters, and therefore were allowed to die.
I'm tired of getting attacked at every turn, and getting needled about every detail. If you want to quit, that's your prerogative. I hate to lose you. But these bad attitudes and attacks on my GMing are not based on fact.
Problem #1 - driving Zhaxier to kill his PCs out of frustration.
OOC: zhaxier killed off Zhaxier because he was tired of fighting inconsistencies in the game mostly caused by the change of Supreme Arbiter. And, as the archiver of this game, he couldn't live with these inconsistencies as the game is translated to readable story-like form. Regardless, it perhaps makes sense that Zhaxier would enter a tube head first, so his death is reasonably possible.
zhaxier killed off Tinker for less explanable reasons. The SA is going to have to retcon reasons for Tinker's self-destruct, since there's no real reason why Tinker would do that to itself, especially having been online for 500 years. That was just a frustrated player exacting a final bit of revenge on a game he couldn't play to his liking.
Problem #2 - Nike is an obnoxious, all-knowing NPC that is being used to railroad the PCs.
Nike started out as a PC. When her player took over as SA, Nike had to be converted to an NPC, but I don't think she changed the modus operandi for playing Nike as an NPC instead of as a PC. She was still a military commander who was trying to take charge of the situation. She certainly isn't all-knowing. None of us know what's in the hanger. As a group, the characters decided to go to the hanger. Nike's just leading the charge.
I can understand the delicacy one must use when running a game with an NPC that has a leadership role. Usually, NPCs take a back-seat to leadership, but since Nike was clearly the group's leader beforehand, it wouldn't make sense for her to just start letting others take command. I thought the SA did a fine job of running Nike as an NPC.
Problem #3 - Amanda should be able to decide the fate of her own character.
Actually, the original SA created Amanda as an NPC, and when the current SA took over, the original SA offered to play Amanda as a PC. However, when relinquishing control of the game, the original SA has no authority to call the shots that are only called by the SA--literally. If a player wants to go out in a blaze of glory, they can't just write into the game that suddenly they are hit by enemy fire. That's overstepping player bounds and authority.
The SA converting Amanda back into an NPC is less to keep her alive, and more to show players that they have no control over things that the SA is supposed to have control over. If Amanda bites the bullet, it will be from a shot authorized by the SA. Not because she wanted a blaze of glory exit. It may very well be the case that Amanda gets taken down in the next SA move, but if so, it will be because the SA orchestrated it.
I see that the SA just posted before I did. Just to let it be known, I constructed my thoughts on this before I read her post, just so you don't think I'm being redundant or ignorant.
I hope the remaining players continue to have fun. And as always, if you have a problem with something, e-mail the SA and I'm sure it can be worked out.
On a related note, if scottenkainen is quitting, I look forward to seeing what happens to his character as a newly-dubbed NPC. (Mwa ha ha)
OOC: I have been reasonably happy with the game so far. I have not been able to give it the attention it deserves due to a very busy real life, this is why Chelydra is somewhat a one-dimensional, grunt character and not a philosopher or leader. I wanted a character I could have fun with, but who not be expected to take a starring role in the saga.
Changing SA's has been hard on all of us, as has been playing in an environment where so much is unknown, even how much our characters know is unknown.
I am sorry to see so many go, but I do hope the game can continue.
OOC: Two-bits
I've never seen a game successfully change hands without a 50% player fall-off. Them's da breaks ...
When in any game or sporting event, the ref is in charge. Pro players have to deal with that fact -- which obviously is tough, or else they wouldn't fine players for cursing-out, spitting on, or even striking the officials. When the GM's manner in running a game is no longer desireable, the player's only recourse -- hopefully, after attempting to reach the ref and find a solution -- is to walk away.
When an NPC is played or a PC GM controlled, there's bound to be trouble. Folks just get used to one actor portraying a role, and when the switch is made -- even by an actor dedicated to the character (in our case, the GM or other player) -- the nuances of the original are usually lost or distorted. Which kinda sux, right?
So, we learned some things for our own, next games, whether we are going to GM or play. But what about this game? What, if anything, needs to be done to resolve any remaining grievences?
I'll air mine:
* Rufus has been in a hallway for about three months of my life. Advanced Squad Leader scenarios don't take this long to resolve. Yes, there were disasters, and holidays, but...puhleez. ;-)
There you have it, my one and only complaint (so far ;-}).
Who is still onboard the Warden?
COMPUTER TIME LOG - DAY ONE
09:30:03 p.m. - SEARCH AND DESTROY PROTOCOLS
.........RUNNING: TARGETS ALPHA & BETA IN RANGE
09:31:31 p.m. - DISRUPTOR FIRE CONTINUING TO BE EXCHANGED
09:32:56 p.m. - S&D TEAMS 2,3&4 ATTACK MODE ENGAGED
.........ELIMINATE ALL HUMANOIDS
.........APPROACHING RENDEZVOUS
.........ALL UNITS STANDING BY FOR ASSAULT
GROUP 1: Nike, Percy, Chelydra, Arkady, Rufus, Gregory, Amanda
The explosion of Tinker and the absence of Zhaxier coming so close on the heels of Sharneste's death shook them all. Instinctual adrenaline kicked in, overran the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm them, and placed survival foremost in their minds. As Arkady, the last group member, crossed the intersection, the assault from the bots behind increased, and it was obvious that they were moving in for the kill. Simultaneously, the bots ahead began a more sustained firing pattern. Nike stood in front of the door, staring at a computer terminal that controlled access into the hangar. She scanned her card, and the hangar doors opened.
Rufus's mouth hung open, a little drool liberating itself from the canine's jowls, as he stared at the hangar bay. A ship sat there, beautifully well-kept, shiny and like new.
"Is anyone else surprised that it looks so well-maintained?" Arkady asked.
The hangar bay doors closed behind them.
*What do you do?*
Rufus skitters to the frame of the door with heavy stunner (or whatever) in pawed-hands, ready to blast _____ scum to _____ in small bits!
Sniffing, and cocking one tall ear to discern any movement, Rufus awaits further orders before peering in ...
Arkady struggled with the urge to escape the impending doom that lie behind them, on the other side of the door, and the sudden suspicion that plagued him regarding their presumed escape ship. It was too good to be true. "That door won't keep them out! Can we force or jam it shut?" Arkady examined the area for anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps there was some sort of defensive mechanism that killed anyone approaching the drop-ship. Perhaps it had been maintained by someone that was still in the area. Perhaps it was an illusion. Cautiously, with the pod launcher held in front of him, Arkady approached the drop-ship.
Percy gazed at the ship with awe. It was an impressive ship and he hoped that the pilots among them could fly it out of the hazard zone this section of Warden had become.
In answer to Arkady's fears about the door, Percy looked at Chelydra and spoke up. "Hey Lieutenant, know any security protocols we can use to lock this door?" He scanned the inside access panel. If Cheyldra's memory was Swiss cheese on the topic, maybe Percy could program some kind of locking algorithm or jimmy it closed with his toolkit's tools.
Regardless, Percy didn't plan to spend much time at the door. Gripping his pistol tightly, he knew this door, even if locked, might not keep those bots out.
"Waaaaaaaitaminute." Suddenly Percy wheeled around and looked at the ship again. Those bots ahead of them. He never could see them. Something bugged him about that fact and this shiny new ship conveniently awaiting them. "Gregory, Amanda, er, Rufus," he said, a bit unsure of how to address a canine-oidal creature such as Rufus, "you came down the corridor from the other direction, right? Could you see the bots at that end?"
Looking at the ship with a sort of awe, the turtle-man thought that here might be a way out. Then he realized that nothing good had happened to him to him since he woke up and decided that where ever the ship landed them was sure to be worse than here, he just wasn't sure how yet.
Turning to the security access panel he began to do what he could to override the opening mechanisms and at least buy the group a little time before they hard to start dodging 'bots again.
COMPUTER TIME LOG - DAY ONE
09:33:00 p.m. - GAMMA-ALPHA SEQUENCE ABORTED
09:33:16 p.m. - DELTA NU SEQUENCE ENGAGED
.........ALL UNITS EVACUATE AREA OR LOCK DOWN
.........60 ... 59 ... 58 ...
Group 1-Percy, Chelydra, Arkady, Rufus, Gregory, Amanda, Nike
Rufus and Nike approached the ship first, cautiously, and the canine smelled nothing that resembled a humanoid. The scents of polish, cleaning fluids, and new metal were all that his nose could pick up.
Arkady approached behind him, talking as he went. "That door won't keep them out! Can we force or jam it shut?" As he looked about for anything out of the ordinary, he saw a rack of small autobots on a rack on the near wall. By them was a large set of lockers, and a doorway.
In answer to Arkady's fears about the door, Percy looked at Chelydra and spoke up. "Hey Lieutenant, know any security protocols we can use to lock this door?"
Without answer, Chelydra began working on the opening mechanism.
A second set of doors slammed shut, and a red light
came on above the hangar bay doors. "hangar lock-down
engaged" a sterile computer voice announced softly. "That
ought to give us a few extra moments!" He said.
"Waaaaaaaitaminute!" Suddenly Percy wheeled around and looked at the ship again. Those 'bots ahead of them: he never could see them. Something bugged him about that fact and this shiny new ship conveniently awaiting them. "Gregory, Amanda, er, Rufus," he said, a bit unsure of how to address a canine-oidal creature such as Rufus, "you came down the corridor from the other direction, right? Could you see the 'bots at that end?"
"We saw something, but I'm not sure it was the same group of 'bots." Gregory replied, breathing very quickly and looking pallid.
"It doesn't sound like we have much choice ..." Amanda said nervously.
An explosion sounded from outside the bay.
*What do you do?*
Arkady quickened his pace towards the ship's door [OOC: Is it open? What sort of open/close mechanism is there?] "Check out those autobots over there," he said, [OOC: This is directed to whomever is closest to the rack/locker and preferably doesn't already have their hands full] nodding with his head to indicate their direction since his arms were occupied. "Those might be handy, as well as the locker's contents." To the others, he said "I fear there's not much time. Is anyone free to fire at any cameras that may be watching us?"
OOC: It is open, and the ramp extends downward to the bay floor. It is lit up in an otherwise dim hangar bay by floodlights all around its perimeter. There is a computer box to the right of the ramp into the ship, that seems, on first glance, to be the opening mechanism. It is flashing a small green light.
Arkady headed for the ship's entrance and put the pod launcher and his bag down. He began to examine the closing mechanism.
OOC: Percy, Nike, can either of you 'remove' any cameras that may be watching us with your pistols?
OOC: I assume Arkady's OOC comment about removing any cameras that may be watching us was followed up in character, perhaps with a gesture or verbal suggestion...
Percy half-grimaced, half-smiled to Amanda. "Yeah, you're right. Not much choice..." The open gangplank was a little too convenient for his comfort, but he agreed with Amanda--there wasn't much choice. "Looks like we found our ticket outta here then, Nike?!" It made him uneasy, the ship just sitting there as if it were waiting for them, but with the killer 'bots coming to call, well, something about looking at gift horses' orifices came to mind.
Catching on to Arkady's sentiments toward camera bashing, Percy agreed with a head nod. "Good idea Ark'," he muttered sotto voce in the drop-ship pilot's direction. If they were being watched via camera, it wouldn't really matter if he were whispering, but he lowered his voice all the same. "That Watcher fellow must be hard up for entertainment," Percy mumbled to himself, "if he's really tapped into all the cameras. I wonder if he's watching us now.... Why's he watching us anyway?" He considered the Watcher carefully while he looked around the room for security cameras to unplug, blast, or otherwise disable.
As Percy quickly surveyed the room his eyes fell upon the storage lockers. "Hey, Nike, Arkady," he spoke aloud, breaking his own silent code, "are we going need spacesuits or something?" Percy had no memory of training on this type of ship, or preparing for a flight on one. He thumbed the lockers to bring attention to them.
"I'm pretty sure we're not living up to the specs for a standard issue clone," he thought to himself. "Here we are, supposed to be saving the ship since our original selves got themselves into trouble, and we're looking for things to break instead of fix."
"Of course," he followed up his own sentiments silently, "it doesn't help matters that the security robots are trying to break us instead of 'serve and protect' us."
OOC: Percy will prefer his gun over his toolkit to disable any cameras.
COMPUTER TIME LOG - DAY ONE
09:33:21 p.m. - DP LOCK-DOWN IN PROGRESS
09:33:37 p.m. - 23... 22... 21...
Arkady quickened his pace towards the ship's door. The door stood open, and the ramp extended downward to the bay floor. Floodlights all around its perimeter illuminate the boat in an otherwise dim hangar bay. Arkady notices a computer box to the right of the ramp into the ship, that seems, on first glance, to be the opening mechanism. It is flashing a small green light. Putting down his pod launcher and bag next to it, he begins to examine it carefully. "Check out those autobots over there," he said to Chelydra, who was walking away from the hangar bay door after shutting it off. "Those might be handy, as well as the locker's contents." To no one in particular he added, "I fear there's not much time. Is anyone free to fire at any cameras that may be watching us?"
Meanwhile, Rufus moved to watch Arkady's back and continue sniffing out the ship's orifice while Percy half-grimaced, half-smiled to Amanda. "Yeah, you're right. Not much choice..." The open gangplank was a little too convenient for his comfort, but he agreed with Amanda--there wasn't much choice. "Looks like we found our ticket outta here then, Nike?!" It made him uneasy, the ship just sitting there as if it were waiting for them, but with the killer bots coming to call, well, something about looking at gift horses' orifices came to mind.
Nike was ready to go in. "No use delaying the inevitable" she thought, and nodding to Rufus, said "Want to come in with me?"
Nodding his affirmation, the two of them entered the ship, slowly and carefully.
Catching on to Arkady's sentiments toward camera bashing, Percy agreed with a head nod. "Good idea Ark'," he muttered sotto voce in the drop-ship pilot's direction. If they were being watched via camera, it wouldn't really matter if he were whispering, but he lowered his voice all the same. "That Watcher fellow must be hard up for entertainment," Percy mumbled to himself, "if he's really tapped into all the cameras. I wonder if he's watching us now.... Why's he watching us anyway?" He considered the Watcher carefully while he looked around the room for security cameras to unplug, blast, or otherwise disable. He spotted four cameras; one in each corner of the bay. All were mounted at an angle off of the ceiling, and all had a steady green light on their lower right-hand corner.
As Percy quickly continued his survey of the room his eyes fell upon the storage lockers. "Hey, Nike, Arkady," he spoke aloud, breaking his own silent code, "are we going to need spacesuits or something?" Percy had no memory of training on this type of ship, or preparing for a flight on one. He thumbed the lockers to bring attention to them, then noticed Chelydra approaching the lockers to get a look.
"Well, I guess there's no time like the present!" He thought to himself, and took aim at one of the four cameras. He missed with the first shot, but the second blew the camera into a million tiny metal shards that showered the hangar bay floor with a tinkling sound and a flurry of sparkles. Everyone paused to see what would happen.
Nothing.
"Whew! Well, I guess that's the first lucky break we've had in a while!" Amanda said, and giggled nervously to herself.
"Uh-oh." Chelydra said. As the rest of the group turned to see why, the first of the racked autobots began to move off of the rack, muttering to itself.
"Shoot it! Shoot it!" Gregory screamed hysterically, and ran into the door as he tried to exit the hangar bay with a thud.
**What do you do?**
OOC: Arkady recalls, while examining the opening computer, how to open and close the ship door, as well as suiting up for a "run". What a run is, isn't quite clear to him yet.
Percy knows that there is something familiar to him about those small autobots on the rack, but he can't quite put his finger on it yet.
Rufus skittered up the ramp, and, ducking behind the rampway, aimed for one of the 'bots' -- those noisy boxes that had been giving them so much trouble.
"These folks a danger magnet!" he thought to himself.
"Wrut's wrup?!" he half-barked, half-shouted.
"don't they know I'm *just* a lil' ole doggie? What have I ever done to tick-on this so called 'watcher'?"
Percy: "Hey, Nike, Arkady," he spoke aloud, breaking his own silent code, "are we going need spacesuits or something?"
"Yeah," Arkady answered, "especially if there are any holes in the ship, like from a security bot's laser, or an open door ..."
The sudden motion of the bots on the shelf caught Arkady's attention. He wondered if they were defending the ship. "Hurry up and get in here!" Arkady called urgently to the others. "Those bots may just be attending to the broken camera." He looked back into the ship to see if he could find the location of the enviro-suits. He suddenly felt very exposed without one. Then he looked back to the hangar floor to measure the progress of his cohorts.
He made ready to close the ship's door.
Rufus cleared the way for others to enter the 'ship', and looked for a place to be which wasn't in the way.
He wondered whether or not there was a suit for him. He didn't like getting all dressed up -- not even for his birthday, but he sensed that this was for his own protection. Looking about, he got the impression that doggies might not have been planned for as far as these suits were concerned.
"Sheesh! What now?", he thought, tucking the pistol into his sash. He spoke to anyone who didn't look too busy, but no one seemed to understand what he was asking. "Great ...", he simply shook his head, and hunkered down in a corner if there were no seats available.
"Waaaaaaaaitaminute," Percy remarked, not the first time he'd uttered such an opening. As Gregory ran about running into walls and panicking from the movement of the bot, Percy considered the situation carefully, trying to form clear memories of the robot's function and purpose. He'd identified the food processing robot well enough back in the cloning bay. Why were these robots eluding his memory? Maybe he didn't work with them, or perhaps it was the holes in his memory no doubt caused by the same disaster that had mutated him, Chelydra, and Zhaxier. "Hmm...." Nike had been spared, or so he assumed--the stray thought passing quickly through his focus.
He backed away from the camera he'd vaporized and started up the ramp to the ship. "I guess we won't be peeking in the lockers, Ark?" he said to the pilot as Arkady manned the gangplank tensely.
Suddenly, he mentally backtracked and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He paused mid-way up the plank. He'd been thinking of his "freshman" class of clones--Chelydra, Nike, Zhaxier...
"Hey, Nike, if the hangar's in lockdown, how's Zhaxier gonna meet up with us?" he shouted up to the inside of the ship. He crunched his lips. Percy sighed, frustrated. "Damn 'im, where'd he run off to again anyway?!" He considered the possibility that Zhaxier was already in the hangar--maybe the ship itself, invisible ... But if that were so, surely Zhaxier would've spoken up?
Percy shook his head and skipped up the rest of the way inside, wondering if they'd ever see the independent-minded engineer again. He wasn't calling the shots in this escape, and he certainly wasn't going to blow everyone's chances getting out of this hot zone of Warden by worrying about the rogue clone.
"Shoot it! Shoot it!" someone was yelling hysterically. Chelydra brought his shot gun to bear on the moving autobot, but then paused.
He didn't trust any of the robots on this ship, but it went against his training to simply blast first and ask questions later. He dug deep into the recesses of his fragmented memory for some clue as to what these robots were for. If he could just remember that ...
He flicked his eyes sideways scanning the bay quickly to make sure he hadn't overlooked another entrance, he'd had enough of ambushes.
"You just hold it right there little autobot." He drawled.
COMPUTER TIME LOG - DAY ONE
09:33:50 p.m. - DP LOCK-DOWN CYCLE RED?
09:33:51 p.m. - 09... 08... 07...
As Chelydra spoke to the autobot, it kept moving, and, moving past him, went in the direction of the smashed camera.
"Yep, just a maintenance droid." Arkady said, pleased that he had a fuzzy recollection of them. He felt more at home in this hangar bay than he had in the corridors, and he liked that feeling.
Rufus sat in the corner, looking quite out of sorts. He saw Arkady, looking quite concerned, readying to close the door, and in his canine brain he wondered if this weren't more of his bad luck, hitching up with this group. He hoped that they weren't the end of him.
Amanda sat next to him, looking *comfortable* of all things.
Percy asked Nike something that had been on several minds--were they going to leave Zhaxier?
"We don't have any choice, Percy" the voice came back from the cockpit as she began the flight readying sequences. "If we can, we'll try to come back for him when we're in a safer, less vulnerable position."
Arkady nodded from his position at the door. Then he heard it. Hearing a familiar sound of whirring, he felt the panic inside of himself before he realized why, and then it came to him. He yelled "Holy shit, GET IN THE SHIP NOW!!!!!!! They're depressurizing the damn bay!"
**What do you do?**
OOC: Chelydra and Gregory need to roll 3d6 to determine if you make it into the ship before Arkady has to close the door. Your total needs to be less than your PC's dexterity in order to make it.
Gregory rolls: 10(+4) panic modifier. Dex=13. doesn't make it
Arkady nervously watched as the last two of his crewmates rushed for the gangplank. The whirr of vaccuum locks began to be replaced by the hiss of escaping air. He wanted to wait until the last possible second. But then he realized that the last second would be too late, and he became concerned for the safety of those already aboard. He had waited long enough, he heard himself say. He initiated the closing procedure and watched as the gangplank retracted. The hatch began to close. He hoped that he could pull any stragglers in before it was too late ...
Seeing that the autobot was just a maintenance droid, Chelydra was glad he had not wasted ammo on it. Hearing Arkady's yell he turned and began to run for the shuttle. Unfortunately his reconfigured self was not built for speed. The shuttle hatch slid closed just as his outstretched claw was reaching for the opening.
OOC: Roll:12, DEX 11