re_alignment_logs | Open: Just doing my job, ma'am

Entry tags:

Open: Just doing my job, ma'am

WHO: Elita One and anyone in/near Solus' Temple/AKA YOU
WHERE: Solus Temple and Quadrant, just note where you are and she can be there!
WHEN: NOW (plus minus a few days)
WHAT: Exploring the temple, conversations, etc.
WARNINGS: NONE

The corridors underground that would let people approach the temple without having to worry about what the temperature was at that particular moment on the surface were winding, complicated things, and while she was careful, it was hard to resist not going deeper, beyond the lit, well-constructed parts.

But she wandered the temple from her room down to the corridors, several times, mapping out which route took what time, and then the same for the corridors, mostly keeping to the finished parts... Elita also wandered the temple itself curiously, noting rooms, alcolves, crannies... In one of the lower areas, closer, she assumed, to Solus' forge, she found a pale, but opaque crystal that easily came out from between the crack in two large flagstones it'd been sticking out between.

In the light, it changed colour depending on how it was angled, though it lacked any obvious facets. Uncertain what to do with it, but vaguely reminded of stories of crystal gardens and forests on Cybertron at home, she took it with her as she left the sweltering heat of those lower areas, meandering upwards and out onto the surface.

The only issue she had with walking was that it took such time. She didn't really want to change her altmode, but was aware she ought to...

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Indeed, this particular tunnel was a bit... too small perhaps since Solus was one of the largest of the Firstforged and Elita wasn't overly tiny for a regular-sized cybertronian. So she certainly stopped and went to stay up against the wall to let Solus past more easily, giving a nod as well.

When the vague thought that Solus probably took less time walking around her own temple because she was more fit for it crawled up briefly, Elita at first dismissed it so the Prime had gotten at least two steps past before her processor caught up with her and she remembered what Solus did.

Or could, perhaps, potentially do. It was worth asking for input at least, wasn't it?

"Do you have a moment, Solus Prime?" Elita called after the Firsforged as she stepped away from the wall.

Solus paused in her tracks, glancing critically down at the smaller being already behind her.

Did she?

"...I believe I can spare a moment or two."

The holo-schematics flickered out of existence, and she turned to expectantly face the femme with her Mark.

Elita waited, quietly and with the patience of someone used to be still for unknown lengths of time until some sort of result had been gained. Whether or not Solus said yes or no didn't matter now; she'd wait and accept the answer, whichever it was, especially since even if the Prime humoured her, there was still a chance this would lead nowhere.

"Thank you. I've been... trying to find another altmode; mine isn't precisely... suitable for easy and fast transport on Cybertron." Elita shook her helm, twirling the crystal between her hands as she spoke.

"I need to keep these panels however, as I use them elsewhere and not just as parts of my altmode, and none of the passable vehicles in the Junk Pile would give me a scheme that'd let me keep them. Do you have any suggestions?" She had ended up extremely fond of her speedboat altmode, found that racing across water was an exhilariation and a three-dimensional experience even a hover-capable alt wasn't exactly capable of giving.

Nonetheless, she was practical, and currently, with there being only one body of liquid of limited size (she wasn't even sure if the Sea of Rust was around yet) on this Cybertron... If she needed to get somewhere quickly, she simply couldn't keep the speedboat alt.

Whatever she had been expecting - a quick request, a question regarding the Haven or Cybertron or the Lambda - this wasn't it.

This was far more complex - and potentially interesting.

"Hm. And intriguing difficulty. You have found no other satisfactory alternative modes on your fellow refugees that you can scan?"

She takes a moment to scan Elita's current form herself, which she had not previously paid much attention to.

"...Your current form is curious, but most certainly not adapted to this world."

Understatement.

She shook her helm, frowning.

"Not really. I possess only limited mass-conversion, and of the ones of a similar size and mass, wouldn't really allow me to keep the back-mounted panels, which make up my hull," Elita said, a static sigh ghosting over the last words as she nodded at Solus and her assessment.

It certainly wasn't.

"I spent some time with an alien planet which was mostly made out of mercury seas as my base; my altmode was at first merely taken to fit in. It didn't take long to take advantage of and incorporate the hull-panels into my fighting style, however." She had, after all, been able to use her alloys' absorbing and releasing lasers as strong flashes of light even before this altmode, though it'd been slightly more precarious then.

Further, using her camouflage ability was a lot easier with the panels acting as extra shields to "hide behind". She did not need them, she was certainly skilled enough to go unnoticed without them, but they lent some margin of error.

Solus 'hmm'd thoughtfully as she eyeballed Elita's frame further, while the quick yet intricate scans she'd taken were already idly being meshed together with several dozen possibilities within her processor. The size class was limited, but the design possibilities were endless.

She nodded to herself. Her Marked required a better altmode, not something frivolous. There was little reason not to help, and she resolved to assist fully.

"What was your original mode, before you switched to this one?"

She could probably guess, but it was impossible to know for sure without accessing Elita's files.

Solus could indeed probably guess, but Elita nodded and flipped open the computer she had on her arm, bringing up a holographic display of the vehicle.

"Four-point speed-based hover. I could, of course, revert to it with no problems, but I'd lose the panels due to how it was built and where the hover engines were set." She frowned at the slowly rotating display thoughtfully.

It had been a lovely altmode, but she'd become used to being able to use the panels, and while she could make the panels collapsible to redistribute their mass a bit, that wouldn't work with her previous altmode.

The four hover-engines wouldn't allow for it, and she'd prefer merely two collapsing/joint points for the panels each, if she needed any as that would lessen the stress put on them when they were used, but might actually allow for some more flexibility...

"A reasonable design," Solus remarked upon seeing her old designs, quickly noting to herself several areas that could be markedly improved upon.

"But yes. You will need a rather different design if you wish to keep those shield-panels. One moment."

It would take her longer to come up with something from scratch, but not by terribly much. And either way, she did not have to. There had been a number of refugees over the years, and the Prime had taken an interest in the multitude of designs the Cybertronian and mechanoid beings had. Most had never asked for assistance with their forms, content, but Solus was constantly changing and altering and improving...even on designs she never intended to use. A hobby and a calling, both.

So it only took the length of their conversation to finalize a good half dozen designs (with a plethora of more cosmetic options,) transferring them over to one of the smallest datapads she had on hand. She stooped down to offer it to Elita.

"Cycles and trikes are your best fit, along with hover options of the same configurations. I included a few more unusual modes if those might be your preference, such as gyroscopic and solar-sailor modes, but neither are particularly versatile in this environment."

Solus Prime's face twitched to reveal a wry smile.

"Choose well."

Taking the datapad, still somewhat oversized but comfortable enough, Elita flicked through between the possibilities. While the gyroscopic modes were exceedingly interesting and she lingered over them for a good few kliks, she finally shook her helm and went back to the more possible suggestions.

Yet maybe...

"You don't make it easy to choose, Solus Prime, but..." She once again flicked back to the gyroscopic suggestions, then went to the latter of the two, realising it may not be as impossible as it looked. Frowning as the holographic representation made its little circle above the datapad. "I know I can't choose something with limited versatility, no matter how interestingfree.

She wasn't sure how it would handle, being that the balance would rely on that single wheel (balance, not truly movement, so there was an element of hover-effect still), but she doubted the Firstforged would have suggested something that wouldn't be feasible insofar as control went.

And it looked oh-so-very interesting and sleek.

So sue her.

Edited 2012-09-14 22:26 (UTC)

Solus knows that look, and she raises a brow, not bothering to hide the faint, self-satisfied grin that crosses over her faceplates.

"...I take it that you've made your choice?"

She watched the gyroscopic holomodel circle about, nodding to herself. It would suit her, in form and aesthetics both.

Another moment of hesitation, but this time it was more of a question of Elita giving in to what she wanted or not; it wasn't massively or obviously impractical and... Now she was just being silly.

There was no reason not to try and if it didn't work, she'd be no worse off than she was now.

"I have, yes. The others may be known quanities insofar as handling goes, but change... is part of what we are, yes?" She couldn't help the little grin, and even just as a schematic the vehicle simply... called her attention to it.

"Exactly." Solus nodded approvingly, her smile deepening.

"Now, my question is this: are those from your universe capable of self-shifting? I am aware of some that cannot."

Which was something of an odd shame, and while she would never admit it out loud to any so afflicted, Solus Prime could not help but wonder if something was lacking, or had even gone wrong in those universes. Freedom between shapes was their gift, and if she were not able to continually upgrade and re-perfect her own design as she willed...

The idea of being so constrained vexed her, but she was willing to aid those that were.

She should perhaps not be surprised by the question, but she was, nonetheless, and nodded, toning the brief flare of her optics down to regular strength.

"While I'm somewhat constrained in what I can choose - I couldn't choose to easily, or at all, become a flyer as far as I'm aware, Anything ground-related as long as it matches my mass and height I can access on my own." She shrugged, looking up at Solus with a tilt to her helm.

"But I'm going to need to download the schematics from a comupter or a drone which has scanned the actual vehicle and gained the information that way." So on-the-fly scanning and changing wasn't possible, but on the other hand this meant a drone could scan several different vehicles and they could mix and match if desired and then get the altered schematics downloaded.

The Prime's optics narrowed brightly in smug amusement, and she gestured down to the datapad in Elita's hands.

"You should be able to jack into the third port on the right side of that, if I am not mistaken."

She almost does so immediately, going so far as to pull free a jack to use, electricity teasing the connectors as she pauses right before actually plugging in, pausing.

She doesn't want to wait, but...

"I... don't want to draw this out unnecessarily, but..." She grimaced, annoyed at herself, but on the other hand, while she was practical, she should probably not jump on this amazing suggestion the first thing just because it was there.

"Could I... ah, keep this? To think it over for a bit." It's probably obvious this wasn't what Elita would necessarily want to do, but found it as the best thing to do.

Even if she wanted to change immediately and get used to it.

"It's your frame," Solus said dryly, shaking her head.

"And the design is free to use. My brothers may horde information, but then the information never evolves or grows. Take it, use it, tweak it, modify it. For the better, I hope."

She smirked. "Just show it to me when you are done."

She grinned then, and the datapad disappeared into a subspace pocket as Elita dipped her helm in something near a simple bow, gratitude obvious.

"I'm not an engineer, even less one specialised in frames, but I do know enough about what I'd want out of my altmode I might be able to do some light tweaks." Very simple ones, if any, in that case.

"I'll certanly do that, Solus Prime. Considering the help and what's being asked, it's a simple request to fulfill." And really, considering it was simple, it'd be sort of rude to refuse to do it.

And she would certainly want to show of whenever she changed altmode.

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Open: Just doing my job, ma'am

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