A/N: Hello and welcome back! (Or just plain welcome, if you're new.)
"Apex" is the sequel to my story "Rise," as was mentioned in the summary. I STRONGLY urge any new readers to read that first, simply because this won't make much sense without it. (You'll like it, I promise.)
This will be a bit different from Rise in that some chapters will be in third-person. There are just too many things going on.
Enjoy!
1. The Scout
In the cold, dark reaches of deep space, the alien fleet seemed to hang suspended. With no point of reference it was impossible to tell how rapidly these ships moved. In space everything was far-between, and the same stars shone coldly in the distance, unmoving, for light-years.
The fleet had traveled for centivorns, leaving behind a dying world in search of a new home, stealing its fuel from any resource-rich planet it passed and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. The ships would soon reach their destination: a small metallic planet orbiting a minor star.
It was not the planet itself that interested the fleet, but rather the inhabitants. Mechanical life-forms, built to serve, which had developed sentience, independence.
Some of the fleet had been lost on the journey, some to navigational errors leading them into the heart of a star or the pit of a black hole, some to the mysterious beings which lived in the endless darkness of space. Yet enough remained for their violent purpose. These were warships, built to conquer and destroy.
A lone shuttle-type sporting purple insignias on broad wings watched the strange fleet from the cover of a drifting cloud of gas.
No question about it. They were on a direct course for Cybertron.
He had to get back and warn the Commander. This fleet, though diminished during its age-old journey, was massive. Dozens of battleships surrounded one particularly large and imposing craft, with smaller ships in between, the combined strength of an entire world brought to bear. If they caught Cybertron by surprise…
The shuttle was fast enough to get back to Cybertron well in advance of these ships. He could not fail, or a fleet this strong could spell the doom of all Cybertronians. He peeled away from his cover, powering up his thrusters.
He failed to notice the enemy fighters closing in on him from behind.
The fleet moved on, inexorable.