NPCs Ahoy!
Stormcloud
"There's no warning before I roll in."
Bio: For Stormcloud, the sharp tang of the ocean is the smell of home. He finds endless pleasure in being the fastest member of the Sea Team, and leaps at any opportunity to demonstrate his speed, regardless of his orders. After countless years of being mistreated along with the other Minicons, Stormcloud couldn't have been happier with his current position of power alongside Tidal Wave and the Decepticons. He rarely misses a chance to take advantage of being one of the most-feared pirates in the galaxy, as his many randomly chosen victims can attest. Going from a maltreated peon to a powerful warrior has made Stormcloud an uncaring monster, a fact that is not lost on his friend Oceanglide during the latter's more introspective moments.
Weapons and Abilities: Subject possesses above-average strength and incredible speed. He is by far the fastest of the Sea Team when in the water, able to move in at lightning speed and strike without warning thanks to his stealthy engine. His ability to get in and out fast and unnoticed has made him the team's expert in covert demolitions operations. His cannon mode's main weapon is a sonic missile launcher that can strike accurately from up to 8 miles away. Subject also uses the cannon as an overhead launcher in robot mode.
Weaknesses: If the tables are turned and Subject is forced to go on the defensive against superior forces, he can slip back into his old, cowardly mentality. After such an episode, the embarrassed Subject tries to prove his worth by doubling his efforts to torment the defenseless victims of his piracy.
Waterlog
"Whether it's land or sea, there I be, matey."
Bio: The most versatile combatant of the Sea Team, Waterlog is the only one whose rugged vehicle mode can travel as easily on land as the water. While Waterlog is mentally and physically the slowest of the team, he's still the most competent warrior of the trio. He's an old-style pirate in the truest sense; he despises "landlubbers" and believes that "dead 'bots tell no tales." He obsessively scours the waterways and spaceways for Energon or other valuables that he can use to enhance the team's power and their standing with their Decepticon cohorts. Tough and remorseless, Waterlog still bears the emotional scars of the days when the Sea Team was bullied and mistreated by larger Transformers.
Weapons and Abilities: Subject is the strongest member of the team, with the most artillery resistant armor plating. His vehicle mode is capable of travel over most terrain, although its speed is decreased considerably on land. His main weapon in both modes is his powerful ion torpedo, which is guided by an advanced scanner system utilizing a combination of radar, infrared, and sonar technologies.
Weaknesses: While having no outstanding physical weaknesses, Subject does have some psychological problems. If cornered by multiple foes, he sometimes suffers flashbacks that trigger an intense, violent rage. This usually becomes more detrimental for his attackers than for the Subject.
Mission Crew:
Cliffjumper is the designated leader of the mission Oceanglide and co. find themselves on. Ironically for her name, she’s a withdrawn, quiet Minicon who prefers to avoid conflict and combat. Like the rest of her non-Sea Team crew, Cliffjumper partnered an Autobot during the war, but seems more than happy to return to a life of research… even if it doesn’t always involve her geological specialty. She’s high on intelligence, much lower on strength and co-ordination; in vehicle mode, she’s a purple and orange jeep with a towbar.
Ironhide officially finds herself on the same team as Oceanglide, since the Minicon warrior signed up for the mission as a security unit. Unofficially, she thinks otherwise: Ironhide’s reputation as a long-standing Autobot supporter is well-known, and she’s made her feelings about Oceanglide’s presence only too clear.
With her tough build and rapid-fire machine gun, Ironhide’s more than capable of the job, though Cliffjumper sometimes wonders just why her less than technically-inclined colleague chose to come on a data-retrieval mission in the first place…
Armorhide's a bot with a reputation for exceptional strength, endurance, and anti-Bulk capabilities. It’s true his armour’s near-impenetrable and he puts other Minicons to shame with his strength, but he’s on this team because of his extensive knowledge of literature and scientific theory. At least one of his new colleagues has found out how sensitive he can get about the assumption he’s more armour plating than processor…
His vehicle mode is a blue and silver snow plough - although when he wears it, you may as well call it a tank.
Nightscream is presumably on board as a spare pair of hands, because he’s shown no special talents for anything other than making noise. This little Minicon makes most riots look quiet and well-behaved. If he isn’t straining his vocaliser, he’s putting the sonic weapon hooked up to his engine to uses it was never intended for. Time will tell if his new team-mates can stand his lack of discipline or respect, or if Stormcloud and Waterlog will get tacit permission for a piñata. He transforms into a black race-car with the ability to emit a high-pitched tone that can deafen or damage innocent bystanders, the effect being stronger the faster he drives.
(Also staying with them currently is an AU 2007-verse Ironhide, brought home from the Nexus by his orange namesake.)