Scene #1236: Cybertronian Intrigue!?

Owner	Pose
Soundwave	A large black-and-red metallic condor soars through the Citadel's Dark Holds, weaving through the tunnels easily despite his 10-foot wingspan. In his beak, a blue microcassette recorder silently re-evaluates the data leading to this meeting. It's not anyone's fault but his own that it's taken this long to deal with this matter, and he isn't entirely certain why he allowed such a delay to begin with. Then again... perhaps he does. Laserbeak soon emerges from the tunnels, slowing down to almost a hover before dropping Soundwave mid-flight. The Decepticon spymaster transforms to his humanoid robot mode, taking a few steps forward to bleed remaining forward momentum, and takes a moment to evaluate and appreciate his surroundings. While doing so, he sends a ping to Mihk to alert her to his arrival, if she didn't see it for herself.
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk is standing to the side, and watches in a little bit of awe at the display. She's seen golems, Warforged and other mechanical beings since Unification, but the Transforming Cybertronians are something else. The ping breaks her little trance, and she clears her throat. "Sir Soundwave! I have taken the liberty of having the sample transfered to the Air-oh-naut-icks laboratory, to accomodate your larger size." she says, gesturing to a large hangar-like building with a suspicious lack of people going in or coming out.
Soundwave	Soundwave hears Mihk clear her throat, which focuses his attention on her as she makes her presence known. "-Soundwave is sufficient, Miss Lihzeh,-" he responds, his head tilting in a respectful nod as his frame shifts to a relaxed military 'at rest' stance. The melotone of his voice makes it difficult to gauge vocal cues and the yellow visor and solid faceplate negate any facial cues, so he is being more expressive with body language than usual. His head turns to regard the hangar-like building, gauging the doorway and analyzing the apparent roofline. Aeronautics... right, Mihk comes from Eorzea, which does not have technology as Earth would understand it. He will need to keep that in mind. "-Your foresight is appreciated.-" Perhaps the understatement of the day. "-Shall we, then?-" He motions for her to lead him in.
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk nods, and turns primly on her heel to head towards the hangar. "From what little I studied the artefact before being attacked, it appears to be a vial of some kind, filled with a glowing liquid. Aetheric resonance was non-existent, so I was unable to glean anything further." The Miqo'te approaches the door, and peers at the buttons, before slapping her open palm on the entire console. Luckily she somehow managed to hit 'open' and the doors begin to grind open. Within the hangar is a large-ish table. Tiny by Cybertronian standards, but more than ample for human-sized people, and atop it, is a 'small' vial of green liquid. Small being a matter of scale, as it's rather large for the Miqo'te, and would be like a paracetamol-pill to Soundwave.
Soundwave	Soundwave ducks his head as they enter the hanger, more out of reflex than actual need. It's a habit he's developed as of late, since few structures in the Multiverse can accomidate a 4-story tall robot. "-I should have released a statement warning the Confederacy of the dangers of my homeworld. I apologize for my inaction putting you in harm's way.-" He sounds like he means it, melotone or not. Upon seeing the vial of green liquid, Soundwave noticeably freezes mid-step. Casual scans are already telling him chemical properties of the substance, though he is not quite willing to assume the answer from just that. He kneels on one knee, both to get a better look at the vial without actually touching it and to make himself a little less imposing to Mihk herself. "-Can you describe the location where you found this substance?-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk ponders for a moment or two... then pulls out her book, flicking to the pages near the back. She flips it to a sketch of a broken building, armour plates, medical equipment, and the Cybertronian 'Medical Facility' logo. "Within this ruin, amongst a mass of broken equipment that I at first thought to be medical, or Magitek." she replies. "I only had time to grab this, before being assaulted by some large, mechanical insect monsters."
Soundwave	Soundwave's visor dims noticeably as he remains both silent and still for a moment. A Miqo'te mind is differently wired than a human's, and he does not wish to breach trust by trying to scan her mind directly. Instead, he focuses on the imagery behind Mihk's words, mentally expanding upon the sketch within the tome. He sees fragile and shattered landscape surrounding the broken building, the face of the bug-like mechanical THING that discovered her within the dilapidated structure... The Decepticon spymaster cycles air abruptly, just as someone may sharply inhale or gasp, but he doesn't otherwise move. "-I understand.-" There is weight added to his words, implying there's more to it. "-I will explain what you saw to the best of my ability, but first.-" He motions to the vial. "-We need to begin a chemical analysis on that substance. I would like to know if my suspicions are correct.-" He looks around for a moment, then points to a machine in particular. "-There. Place the vial on top of the device and press this,-" the laser sight on his shoulder-turret activates, highlighting a button on the machine's front, "-to activate it.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk blinks, watching the Cybertronian closely. When he 'gasps' she jolts in surprise, but then tilts her head. "Alright." she hefts the vial, and heads over to the device, inserting the vial and hitting the button as instructed. "Were my suspicions correct? Was that a medical facility of some kind? I assume by your reactions so far, that this substance is of some importance to you or your race."
Soundwave	Soundwave hums non-commitally as he shifts his weight incrementally, perhaps to get a little more comfortable? He'd been kneeling in the same place for a while. "-Affirmative, Miss Lihzeh.-" He reaches over to point at the sketch within her arcanist's book. "-You arrived on what we call the 'Mitteous Plateau', the most fragile area of Cybertron's landscape. The building you entered was once a medical facility, most likely also doubling as an Autobot research station. It repaired -- healed -- Cybertronians while also studied technology and substances for military application and intelligence to assist the Autobot war effort.-" He looks over his shoulder at the machine analyzing the substance that brought them here. "-I cannot say for certain at this time, not until analysis is complete. If my suspicions are correct, you have rediscovered something very rare and considered lost.-" He emits a low rumble, akin to the deep bass found in techno music. "-You were extremely lucky. Cybertronian substances can be highly toxic to organic life, never mind the lifeless world itself and the Swarm you encountered.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk ponders this for a time. "Perhaps I should police my Aetherite travel a bit more closely. I would not want to emerge on a world that is actively hostile to me." she looks at the big robot, and leans against the wall, arms folded over her chest. "Tell me a bit about those insect monsters, they seemed mindless."
Soundwave	Soundwave rumbles again, head tilting and shoulders hunching incrimentally in minute but classic non-verbal signs for a moment. This wasn't exactly a topic he wanted to discuss with a non-Cybertronian, but he did state he would explain what she saw. Better to get it out in the open. "-They are known collectively as 'The Swarm', failed attempts to bolster the Decepticon ranks before Cybertron was fully abandoned. Last known count numbered approximately three thousand individuals comprising the Swarm.-" He rubs at the forehead vent on his helm, as if to alleviate a headache. At least there aren't too many voices around to compound the feeling. "-You are correct. They are mindless and bestial, just enough intelligence to survive and hunt but little more. I originally believed they only attacked Cybertronians for the Energon in their systems, as a carnivorous beast may attack a human if hungry enough, but new data shows otherwise. They attack anything emitting energy in hopes of gaining substenance, as there are no natural energy stores on Cybertron for them to feed off of.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	"How long have they been on that dead world? Unless they have found some new source of 'food', why have they not starved and died out yet?" asks the Miqo'te. "I am not a naturalist, but even I know that a species who's food source is removed, very quickly starves and dies out unless they acquire a new source of sustenance." She gives a shrug. "What are your suspicions about my discovery? Something rare and thought lost is often very valuable."
Soundwave	Soundwave shakes his head. "-Only a few years, perhaps a decade at most. Cybertronians function on a much longer timescale than the Earthen standard, so such a timeframe is only equivocal to...-" He pauses, calculating. "-...A few months at best.-" He motions with his hand. "-There are other possibilities, though impossible to prove. There are possibly abandoned Energon rations and artificially-made Energon stores hidden in bunkers. Most likely, the Swarm hibernates to conserve energy if there is no activity within their range.-" He chuckles darkly. "-Cybertronians who return home without a plan for survival are easy prey for them, especially if they are civilians.-" Upon the question pertaining to his own suspicions, he falls silent for a time. "-I doubt you would find a market for it. It is highly specialized, and only a high-ranking Decepticon from my world would even know what it is or was used for.-" It goes unsaid that he fits the bill on both terms. "-The green color comes from a substance called 'propex', often used at high concentrations for preservatives.-" He rubs his faceplate as a human would rub their chin. "-Explosive at lower concentrations.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk hrms a little. "Indeed." is all she says in reply to the explanation. She opens her mouth to ask more, but the machine bleeps to indicate it's finished. This startles the felinoid woman and her reaction would be rather priceless. She jolts, yelps and her tail POOFS OUT.
Soundwave	Soundwave simply turns his head when the machine beeps, though noticeably winces at Mihk's reaction. Not so much at the physical cat-like part, mind, but the mental one she inadvertantly released at the same time. Something akin to the screech of tires coupled with Ravage getting an anti-scraplet bath. He does emit a chuckle, surpisingly musical despite his melotone otherwise. "-It must be a feline trait to react badly to surprises,-" he remarks as casually as one would talk about the weather, clearly an attempt to avoid embarassing her any further. "-Ravage can react much the same way.-" He shifts his weight, leaning towards the machine while picking up a non-descript cylinder from the table, and uses that cylinder like a pencil to poke a button on the machine. This would allow Mihk to regain her wits (and some shards of dignity) while the machine prints out the data.
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk clears her throat, wringing her tail through her hands to smooth the fur down. Her cheeks have flushed a brilliant red and the chuckle only makes her squirm a bit more in embarrassment. She /does/ feel a little better when Soundwave mentions his own little partner reacts similarly, much like anyone would feel better knowing they're not some FREAK OF NATURE or something. She remains silent while the data prints out, looking at anything but Soundwave, or the device she has now assigned the worst possible title: Embarressment-Generator. HMPH.
Soundwave	Of course, the machine's two-page print-out is the standard human legal-paper size, which is at best the size of a mini Post-It note for a mech of Soundwave's size. It takes careful pressure to remove the papers from the machine and transfer them onto the table, where he lays the sheets out so Mihk could read it as well if she so wished. Optical sensors behind his yellow visor whirr audibly as they zoom into the text like an inbuilt magnifying glass. The majority of the text was a long chemical chain due to having no Multiverse comparitive, but a tiny second paragraph has a simple statement: Element 113 of the standard Earth periodic table. There are also percentages of how much each comprises the volume in the vial, with Element 113 being the much smaller of the two. Soundwave emits a tone that sounds like a hum but more... buzzing? "-As I thought.-" He carefully retrieves the vial from the machine, pinching it gently but firmly between two fingers, and sets it back down on the table. "-It is Ununtrium, suspended in a highly concentrated propex solution. Miss Lihzeh,-" his helm turns to regard the Miqu'ote, "-you have found a long-lost sample from an old Decepticon project.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk walks over, and peers at the paper, completely lost at the strings of unfamiliar words and lettering. "Indeed? And what was this... Unumtrim.. meant to do?" she asks, mispronouncing the name while turning to look up at the much larger mechanoid.
Soundwave	Soundwave does not correct Mihk's mispronunciation, finding it unnecessary and needlessly condescending. The Arcanist is handling technology and science far beyond her world's normal purview surprisingly well, and he won't alienate her simply because he could. Instead, he recalls data pertaining to the element in question. "-Early in the war, Megatron -- the Decepticon Commander -- wanted unstoppable soldiers. Walking weapons for last-resort measures. The scientist in charge of the project, Rossum, discovered a way to bind Ununtrium to the internal frames -- skeletons -- of compatible Decepticons. The element is extremely rare, and the supply was exhausted after four subjects were created.-" He chuckles lowly, obviously humorlessly. "-The fourth subject killed Rossum upon waking post-procedure, and no other scientist resumed his work. Megatron had what he needed, and there were no resources to continue besides. The subjects came to be known as Phase Sixers.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk hmms. "Interesting... so this is something that was better left undisturbed... My guild seems to keep finding such things." she sighs. "Perhaps tis a curse, Arcanists are naturally curious, it's one of the requirements for a member to approach someone about joining."
Soundwave	Soundwave shakes his head. "-Curiousity and finding that which is lost is not a bad trait. Neither is learning the truth behind your discoveries.-" He motions towards the vial. "-I am glad you found it and brought it here. It is kept out of the Autobots' hands, and denying the enemy vital intelligence is just as important as defeating them in battle.-" He rubs his chin again, head tilting in obvious consideration. "-I would suggest keeping it in storage for now. One would never know when it may be required, and I have found the Multiverse problems sometimes require... intriguing solutions.-"
Mihk Lihzeh	Mihk ahs, and nods firmly. "Control the battlefield. Shape it to your will and victory is assured..." she recites like some kind of memorized religious mantra. "The first rule of the Arcanist, how I could have forgotten that..." she sighs. "Perhaps I am tired... I shall summon the custodian to return the vial to the storage area."
Soundwave	Soundwave nods in confirmation as Mihk finds a correlation between his words and something familiar from her own world. "-Affirmative.-" He finds a poster-sized piece of paper (about the size of a standard Post-It note) and a large enough utensil he could use as a pen. "-I have given you much information.-" He writes in English, block lettering so precise a laser printer would be envious, his fingers barely moving due to the small scale he's dealing with. "-I apologize if it was too much at once.-" He presses the paper against the vial and finds tape to attach it with, as well as protect the paper itself. The writing on the paper's surface says 'Origin: Cybertron-2. Contents: Ununtrium, suspended in propex. Warning: Possible toxicity to organic life if mishandled. Refer to Soundwave for data if required for testing or usage.' Only then does he leave the vial be for the custodian to take to storage.