Chapter 1: Prologue

Guess who's a goddamn idiot and cannot get one idea out of her head without thinking that she still has other projects to complete? This fool... I was recently inspired by a Transformers/Mass Effect crossover fanfic on here known as "Transform Effect" by RECKLESS SOLDIER-MS. Originally this was going to go by the name of "Transformation Effect" or "Mass Effect: Transformers" but I went against them and decided on latin, which means "new effect" if you go by translation.

This is merely just a prologue to the whole thing. I tried not to put on an info dump on you guys, but it was a little hard. Right now, we're going through a simple journal entry by a simple... data clerk. How the Transformers mix in together with the Mass Effect universe will be revealed in good time. All in all, we'll start with something simple.

This story will follow the original plot of the first Mass Effect game, but have a lot of changes. And I mean a lot of changes.

Oh, and an easter egg if you can spot the universal stream. Because I have no idea about universal streams for Mass Effect... I made it up.

Journal Entry: 214.21 Kappa

I've never had to make a journal entry before, but Ironhide said that I needed to send this out to anyone who is listening, organic, mechanical or otherwise.

It's been... only a few solar cycles since we made the escape through the space bridge. What were merely solar cycles had actually felt more like astroseconds to me. Then again... it can mean anything to us. Time has no meaning for us long living beings, but what does it matter when all we can do is drift through the cosmos with no destination in mind? We have nowhere to go, no planet to call our own, and no ally to turn to.

We are what any being would call... exiles.

Perhaps... it is best that I start at the beginning. Why we are like this, and why things are bleak for us.

[Deep breath]

I can so easily recall the time when everything was all in chaos. Megatron had all but destroyed our will to keep on fighting. My fellow Autobots were leaderless, powerless. I never wanted to be a leader, I never wanted to be a Prime. But I had no choice. The Autobots needed me, but I could never take the place of my fallen leader and friend: Sentinel Prime.

As he laying dying in my arms, bleeding energon on the cold floor and Megatron had flown away to celebrate his cruel victory, Sentinel... ever so carefully removed his chest panels, revealing the glowing blue light that was the sacred talisman that had been kept secret for many centuries: the Matrix of Leadership.

He begged me to take it, begged me to save his people. But before I could even take it, the light from his optics that held such wisdom and such compassion... faded into what seemed like a painful recharge.

I took it, but I never placed it in my chest.

How could I do what my leader had done? How could I lead my people in their darkest hour? I can never be like him, never lead. I am neither wise nor strong enough to be what Sentinel had seen in me. Whatever he saw in me, it most definitely is not true.

Instead, I had Ratchet, who had been one of the few to have known about the Matrix, store it away in a hiding place until we found a new Prime. Until someone who knew how to lead better than I could. I was once just a simple data clerk... I'm not worthy.

But still, orders had to be given out to the confused warriors and officers.

[Sigh]

Even though Ironhide said that the Autobots would follow me to the edge of the universe I had my doubts and fears.

I had no other choice but to begin a worldwide evacuation.

None of the Decepticons were aware of our plans. We made sure to keep it on the down low. But somehow... Megatron found out. They struck hard and they struck fast, but most of the ships had escaped through the newly developed space bridge. Since it had been untested, our scientist had no idea where it would send us as long as it was not anywhere near Cybertron.

I led my Autobots aboard the newly completed Ark and we made our desperate escape towards freedom. We barely made it in time before Megatron caught up with us in his secretly hidden starship: the Nemesis. They caught up with us, attaching strong cables to the exterior and holding the two ships together.

The Decepticons boarded the ship and began wrecking destruction upon the engines, hoping to at least slow us down to prevent us from getting to the space bridge.

[Another sigh]

I was running out of options. I had Jetfire and Ironhide lead a few teams to take out the cables and prevent the Decepticons from doing anymore damage. Only... time was running out. The space bridge was closing and I had only one thing left to do.

I fought Megatron one on one.

It was a battle I'll never forget. I used everything that Ironhide had taught me in the past. I fought mostly out of desperation in the hopes that I could get my people to safety. I don't remember much else after that. All I remember was Megatron's insults in his attempts to lower my guard, the pain in my body from the beatings I took from his sword, and trickling energon over my optics that clouded most of my vision. We fought like clashing titans, beings filled with unlimited strength.

I don't know what compelled Megatron to fight so fiercely, but my will to protect my people kept me from noticing the pain that I felt in my systems and my depleting energy. But I continued to fight. I fought like I had never done before.

I finally gained the upper hand by using my own sword to slice off Megatron's arm that held his fusion cannon.

I can still remember his cries of agony, low and loud enough to pierce through the heavens. But then he struck back by using his good arm to cut deep into my asbergo, sending bright blue energon floating into the depths of space. Despite the universe being a vacuum, my com-link must've been on because my bellow echoed everywhere. I remember falling onto my injury, straining it further as Megatron walked up behind me.

I can still recall his final insult as I looked up at him through blurry vision: "You're no Prime and you never will be."

And then... everything went all black.

I remember waking up in the med-bay with Ratchet looking over me. He explained to me that we had made it through the space bridge and into another galaxy. What galaxy we were in had yet to be determined. He had also explained that Prowl was having Blaster look into any communications he could pick up through Teletraan-One, the super computer designed by our best scientists and hackers.

Ratchet had also managed to finish patching up my injuries from the battle. How I was brought back aboard the Ark is beyond my understanding, even he had no answer to it either. I was back in working shape the very next solar cycle and have remained in my quarters ever since, trying to understand what had happened.

As far as I know... everyone had been glad to see me online and well again, but I had been quick to retreat into my quarters until I hear something from Prowl.

I swore to them that I may not be a Prime, but I would do my absolute best to make them all proud. I was never given a Prime name because of refusal to take the Matrix, not like how Sentinel had once been called Senterius before the Matrix was given to him.

But even if I am a Prime like Sentinel said I was... I can't accept it. I was once a simple data clerk forced to become soldier. Nothing more, nothing less. I cannot be the leader he wanted me to be and I doubt I ever will.

We need to find a new Prime to take Sentinel's place.

But until we do, we are forced to wander this unknown galaxy without any place to call home. No destination in mind.

[An intercom chimes]

Yes?

Sir, it's Prowl, can you come to the bridge? Blaster has found something that may interest you.

I'll be right there, Prowl.

[Sighs softly]

I guess this is what we've been looking for. As far as I'm aware, this may yet prove a strange experience. I just hope that the worst is over and that we can put it behind us. Until then, we can't make contact with other Autobot ships until we find out where we are and what we're dealing with.

This is Optronix, Captain of the Ark signing off.

End transmission.