Arc 1: 09 Casualty of War

by Macx

The expedition to a solitary planet holds many surprises for the Decepticons looking for energon and the Autobots who have set out to explore. And one of those surprises comes in form of a long dead comrade.

Casualty of War
by Birgit Staebler (mac@gno.de)
The weather had improved since last night. The rain had ceased and the winds had turned into a gentle breeze, carrying the smell of salt and wet earth, as well as of winter. This year it would be early and promised to be quite cold. He stretched and moved carefully down the steep cliff, using the path that had been trodden into the muddy ground. His sharp hooves left deep imprints in the mud, but the soggy earth slid into the holes and covered his traces neatly. He arrived safely in the valley and looked around, noticing how the river had grown through the rain, not yet turning wild, but one more night of rain and it would. He smiled and trotted down the river bank, feeling the breeze whip through his mane, running along his smooth, streamlined body. His trot turned into a gallop and he stretched his legs, running until his energon level was more inside the normal level. He had fed recently and as always, too much energon brought an incredible elation with it; a feeling as if he could run forever. He stopped after some time, his nostrils opening, air escaping with a hiss. He felt good today!
Something cast a shadow overhead and he looked up, noticing a small, leather-skinned lizard with too large wings for his frail looking body circling overhead. It's skin was colored in all shades of brown with black stripes, which would make it invisible on the muddy ground. Well, nearly invisible.
He snorted loudly and the lizard angled down, finally landing on a large rock, its claws giving it some hold. It folded its wings meticulously, then cocked its head at him.
"Haven't seen you for a long time," it said, then added,"Oi."
"I have been away," he answered in his usual rumble.
"Where to?"
He stretched his neck and his red optics glowed slightly. "You are nosy, Bat."
Bat hopped a bit on his rock. "Being nosy is my job! Known for my wossname. Nosiness. I am! Oi!" His small chest swelled with pride.
He chuckled. "If you have to know, I was in the mountains."
Bat shook his folded wings nervously. "Mountains?" he chirped. "Mountains like, oi, Deareehm Mountains?"
"Exactly. I don't know what you are so nervous about, Bat. Its perfectly harmless. I've been there dozens of times."
"Oi, oi, oi," the small creature exclaimed, his faceted eyes changing color in a rapid motion. "Maybe for wossname like you, but for life like me it's Hell."
He snorted again, shaking his head. "You are superstitious, Bat. Nothing there but a few of those small, green pests."
"Green pests? Oi! You encountered the wossname. Rats?"
He shook his head again. "Like I said, nothing to it. They won't bother me. Now, what is it with those rumors about others like me? More non-life?"
Bat nodded eagerly. "Saw them, yes, I did! Two of them, one like me, one like you in your other form, boss." He hopped up and down again.
"One like you?"
"Wings, oi! See!" Bat stretched out his large wings and balanced on the rock.
"And another one like this?" He transformed and Bat nearly fell off the rock in the attempt to balance his wings without aerial support while craning his neck to look at the now much larger former.
"Oi!" he exclaimed as he finally lost his fight for balance. His friend stretched out one large hand and caught the little winged lizard. "Yes," Bat finally managed. "Just different. Not so .... wossname ...." he searched for words. "Smooth? Big? Eh, broad? Oi! More.... eh, edges."
He chuckled. "Okay, so we have one winged and one bipedal robot, right?"
Bat nodded.
"Where are they?"
"Moving toward the Mountains. Oi, bad for them." He nodded gravely.
The other one looked toward the faraway mountains, which he first explored several decades ago. There hadn't been much to explore. Some caves, one very deep abyss, some canyons. The usual stuff. And the Deareehm, the green pest, as he called them, had not dared to attack him. They were predators, but they only attacked the wounded and the weak. He didn't qualify for either.
"Then I'll take a look at them," he muttered. "I want to know what brings them here. Say, did they bear any symbol?"
Bat nodded again. "Oi, oi! Looked like yours. But not like the other one here. Like this one on this shoulder." Bat pointed at the respective places on his friend's body.
He froze. Had they found him? After all this time? He had to be sure. Because if there was one thing he didn't want, then it was to go back.
"You in trouble, right, boss?" Bat asked softly, his eyes full of worry.
"Maybe, my little friend. Maybe."

* * *

The planet was small, compared to most M-Class planets, but it was rich of life, apparently intelligent to a degree, though nothing breath-taking like a civilization had emerged yet. There were several animal life forms displaying a rudimentary intelligence that would lead to maybe a faster evolution in the next few generations. Right now there was nothing but the wilds of the planet, something Silhouette enjoyed immensely. When she had heard about this expedition to Crea, as the planet was called by Cybertronian astrologers, she had immediately volunteered because it meant a break from the almost oppressingly boring events on Cybertron. What was it with all those treaties anyway? The delegates were talking and talking and talking and in the end nothing was solved. She had never understood politics and she surely never would. And then there was the fact that Optimus and Rodimus were having several discussion about the changes occurring on the Decepticon side, with Galvatron suddenly back to his new old self. It was puzzling both to no end, but Silhouette, though intrigued by it, saw no use in discussing things gone by. The Decepticons had been quiet lately and this kept the Autobots on the edge. As Rodimus had once told her, they suspected they were on to something. But what?
The expedition had been Labyrinth's idea. The Sentinel had found several hints in the Nebulan data banks concerning this planet and so he had decided to take a look, then return to Nebulos for his studies there. That it was listed in the Nebulan data banks had been a bit of a surprise for Lab, as Silhouette remembered. He had asked why it was there, but none of the Nebulans could answer this. There were also footnotes concerning this planet, very confused footnotes, which had him puzzled and ready to leave one interesting place for a more fascinating one. Well, Sil was ready to encounter whatever mystery there was to this place.
Now they were on this marvelous planet, alone with nothing but nature around them, and Silhouette's Dinobot instincts flared with new life. Labyrinth didn't mind that she wasn't as scientific minded as he was. While he examined every plant, every animal, every rock, Silhouette simply ventured forth to explore. Of course it could be dangerous, but she had weapons and she was a skilled fighter. Her raptor mode was fast, agile and deadly if push came to shove. She wasn't afraid to be attacked, anyway. Most of the animals gave her a semi-curious look and then went back to minding their own business. Few came closer. Those who did found her not very interesting and left her alone.
Sil had crossed the plains leading toward the mountains in one day, her aim the large formation of rocks before her. Labyrinth was a day behind her, steadily following her trail in his ceaseless studies. She always sent a signal beacon as to where she was and he answered. No need to get careless, even if the planet was beautifully peaceful. In her data banks was a rough map from an overhead observation flight made long ago by a Nebulan exploration satellite. Not all on the map was accurate, but that was just natural since this planet was still shifting its continents. And the files in the Nebulan data banks dated back several thousand years.
She arrived at the foot of the mountains by late morning the next day and decided to look a bit further. In her raptor mode she had no difficulties climbing around, her sharp claws always finding a hold. She could have flown everywhere -- as a Dinobot flying was a second nature -- but she had decided to make use of her dinosaur mode and do some coordination training. She was already halfway up one of the smaller mountains when she turned to look down. And that was when she saw them.
Decepticons.
Sil froze like caught in a stun ray and skin turned a few shades more grey in an attempt to camouflage her against the rocks. She saw two Decepticons, both which she knew. One was a bipedal, blue and white colored one. His name was Soundwave. The other was a black bird, larger than an Earth bird, circling above Soundwave. It was the female called Raven. She had met her once, on Mernan, and had immediately disliked her. Sil didn't know why, but Raven gave her the creeps.
Soundwave was walking up a narrow path leading deeper into the mountain range, away from her position, and Raven was apparently scanning the surroundings. What were the two of them doing here? And why were there only two? Normally Decepticon invasion troops counted more than two individuals. Sil watched as the two disappeared up the path and then climbed carefully down the mountainside, also using the path. She had to find out what they were planning.

* * *

I receive a signal >>
Raven angled her wings a bit and flew deeper into the canyon before her. She was gliding through a strange and weird region. The landscape everywhere was made out of rock. The canyon was about 800 meters deep and the walls were rugged, into the ground by the small river running along the bottom of the natural formation. Trees clung to small ledges, bushes grew out of cracks and an abundance of wildlife scurried around the maze before her. The sun was high and gave a perfect light to look into the canyon, the beams reflecting off the river, bouncing off natural arches, fins and spires, all rising up before her. Most of the stone had a grey or red color, sometimes even creme or whitish grey. It was a breathtaking spectacle of light, scenery and colors, but all that didn't primarily interest her. Raven brushed close by some trees, then angled her wings so she shot over the river, the light bouncing back from the water onto her body, sparkling around her. For a second she had the fleeting image of being all alone here, no other sound than that of the water reaching her sensor, no other sight than the immense canyon filling her sight. Then she rose again, her mind clearing, returning to the task at hand.
There's definitely energon down here, though it has weird readings for energon... >> Her voice trailed off.
She couldn't describe it properly for someone else to understand. It was instinct, a feeling. She ignited her thrusters, which were small and hidden beneath her wings, so no one ever saw them at first sight, and climbed the last few meters over the rim.
Soundwave stood at the rim of the canyon and watched the dark form of the small spy come back up again. Data received >> he told her in his monotonous voice. Conclusion: energon resources present. >>
Raven transformed and landed beside him. "Still, it has strange readings. It's very different from the energon we use. Do you think it's safe?"
"We won't know until we have tried it," was the simple answer.
"Yeah, right. That's what we're here for." She looked down again. "You want me to go down and bring up some?"
"We will both go."
With that Soundwave walked toward what looked like a very narrow path down to a rather large plateau. Raven shrugged and followed him, but in her bird mode. She was more comfortable flying than walking. She had spent most of her life as a bird, only occasionally using her bipedal robot mode. As they arrived on the plateau, her eyes were once again drawn into the canyon. She imagined shooting through the narrow openings at full speed, twisting and turning, soaring through the arches and around the tall spires. It gave her an energon high. She shook her head. What was she thinking off? They had a mission here! She transformed again, walking over to Soundwave.
Soundwave seemed not to have noticed her fascination. He was studying a faintly blue glowing vein running through the grey and red rock. It was energon all right, but it read so very different from everything else he had ever scanned, that he was strongly confused. Before Soundwave could do anything else, there was a faint rumbling sound. Raven looked around in confusion, then felt the earth beneath her feet shake. It trembled like an angry animal, then bucked and she and Soundwave lost their footings. The tremors got even worse and for several seconds she lost orientation. She felt the ground beneath her give way. She tried to transform, but suddenly she was in a free fall. Stones hit her as she fell and she was violently thrown onto a protruding rock. She slipped over it, then resumed her fall. The last thing she was consciously aware of was the dim, blue glow to her left. Then she hit the ground with a sickening crunch.

* * *

Labyrinth was scanning the area he had entered and making notes. His data banks were large and could store nearly infinitely. As a scientist he needed these nearly infinite storage capabilities and he used them whenever he was on a new planet. Labyrinth was one of the few Sentinels constructed not to fight, but to gather information. He didn't like the term 'spy', though this was exactly what he had been in the Quintesson era. He had all the stealth capabilities and the necessary remodified system to stay motionless in one place for years without displaying a single energon pattern for someone to detect. In the old days he had been forced to use his skill to scout out rebellious slaves or record data they had collected and which the Quintessons wanted to use for themselves. Now he was a scientist, his curiosity no longer focused on any rebels, but on new worlds, other civilizations.
Crea had proven to be all he had expected it to be. There were traces, small traces you could miss, for him to follow, to explore and to guess that there had been intelligent life here before. Whoever had visited this planet, and he was sure they had only been visitors, had left a very long time ago, taking everything with them but a few, hard to find pieces. And he was looking for those pieces, trying to figure out what they meant.
That he had not such a science-fascinated partner in Silhouette didn't bother the Sentinel. He liked her and she was easy to get along with, and her explorations had proven quite useful. Silhouette had sophisticated sensors which recorded everything she encountered and then transmitted it back to him. He and Perceptor and rigged her sensors this way, something that could easily be undone after they returned to Cybertron. Silhouette felt no difference through it and had not complained.
Suddenly he felt the tremors of an earthquake hit the ground and he took the easy way out of trying to maintain his balance. He transformed. Since he was an airborne Sentinel, he simply hovered there for as long as the ground shook, then descended slowly, transforming back again. Well, earthquakes were something to expect on such a young planet and he knew them from Alean as well, since there was one particular region that was prone to get hit by quakes now and then.
Without loosing another thought to the quake he returned to his studies.

* * *

Silhouette had been hiding behind a cluster of rocks, listening to the two Decepticons. So it was energon they were after. Well, she had to contact the others and report her findings. That was when the earthquake hit. The ground beneath her feet gave way and she slipped toward the canyon. Her hands clawed at the rock around her, but she was unable to stop herself from sliding further into the abyss. With a sick feeling she realized that the ground had heaved up and she was now fighting against a rising mount. She did the only thing possible. She transformed.
Her claws left deep cuts in the stone, breaking her speed somewhere halfway down the canyon. Her muscle cables were strained and she felt exhausted. Clinging to the steep wall of the canyon she felt like a fly against a wall -- with a sticky jar beneath her, where she would find certain death. She looked down.
The ground below wasn't so much further and she considered jumping. Moving carefully a few feet further down she finally jumped. Landing heavily on the gravel below her, Silhouette hissed softly, releasing some air. Well, here she was. Next thing to do was to raise Labyrinth over the com.
"Lab? You hear me? This is Sil."
Only static answered. She frowned at her communicator and then looked around. There was a faint blue glow around her and now that she took a closer peek at it, she saw that the blue glow emanated from vein-like enclosures in the rock around her. And they were radiating raw energon, she realized seconds later. Sil stepped carefully closer to the wall and sniffed at the energon. It smelled strange and her instincts told her not to taste it. It would be bad for her. Very bad.
Well, this bad energon also kept her from getting through to her partner. Sil cursed softly and decided to take a look around. Maybe there was a way up. She couldn't fly since she was too low on energon and she didn't want to use up what was left by unnecessary maneuvers. Walking was an acceptable alternative.
And then another earthquake hit. It wasn't so bad as the first one, but it was enough to make her stagger and nearly loose her footing. Rocks cascaded down from the top and a few hit her. Her skin wasn't even dented, but it was annoying nevertheless.
When the rock rain was over, she began to explore the canyon. She didn't see the small creature stick its head out of a narrow tunnel. It looked like a very large rat with dark green fur and very sharp claws. Greedy black eyes watched her move away, then it followed her.

* * *

Rodimus shuffled some reports and then leaned back. He looked out of the window over the woodlands. He felt the need to get out of here, leave the whole stuffy paperwork behind and do nothing but feel the wind whip around him as he raced down an empty road. Someone knocked and he looked over to the door, discovering Shanygn. She was leaning with one shoulder against the door's frame and smiled at him, her face softened by the smile.
"Busy?" she asked.
He sighed. "A bit. Look," he spread his hands, "I'm sorry about the transport and all."
She shook her head. "Not your fault, Roddy. Skyfire's duties are more important than my and Chip's research." She held up a hand to still his protests. "No, I'm not whining here. Both of us know you guys are busy now, especially after Galvatron seems to be back full force."
"Seems so," Rodimus agreed. "But he hasn't hit anything yet. I wonder what they are up to. When the Decepticons are quiet it bodes nothing good."
Shanygn nodded. "Sil still on this lonely piece of planet? Crea, or what's it called?" she then wanted to know.
"Yes," Rodimus answered briefly.
She raised one blue-black eyebrow. "Miss her already?"
"No." Rodimus looked sharply at her. "Why should I?"
"Well, I thought you and Sil were ...."
"We're nothing. She's a friend." His voice relayed that this was the final word on the subject matter.
"All right." Shanygn smiled, then eyed the stack of paper critically. "Did Optimus leave that to you?"
The Autobots' second-in-command chuckled. "Nope. At least not all of it. There are some of Spike's Nebulos reports in here and several on Mernan, not to forget Halicon."
Shanygn nodded. Skyfire's duty had been to get the researchers to Halicon. They wanted to help clear the damage done to the natives by the Decepticons and also have a look around.
"How about you and me taking a little break?" she asked. "If you don't mind riding into town first to drop Carly off at the baby center."
Rodimus chuckled as he rose from his chair. "No problem. What destination do you have?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. How about a little trip just for the fun of it?"
Rodimus smiled. "Let's try sneaking out then. Haven't done that for a long time."
The blue-haired woman only laughed.

* * *

The attack had come fast and had been viscous. Raven, barely able to defend herself, fought against the small, green creatures, which had appeared in mass. Soundwave, whose leg had been turned by the fall and who was not able to move yet, fended off most of the attackers, but a few got through. Raven felt sharp teeth bite into her legs and arms, acid attacking the metal. She kicked at the small pests, then swung her claws at one. It squealed, but only hopped back a few feet, regarding her with those tiny black eyes. She looked over to Soundwave, who was just as heavily wounded as she was, acid eating through to his delicate circuits. He was unable to eject either of his cassettes because the door was jammed shut. Finally he decided on drastic measures.
Disconnect your audio receptors >> he said and then activated his ultra sound weapon.
Raven saw the small green creatures cringe and move away, squealing in pain. Finally they turned and fled. Soundwave sank back against the canyon's wall, exhausted. His visor was flickering a bit and Raven was immediately worried. She stumbled over to him, her feet splashing through the water, and checked the wounds.
She cursed softly as she discovered that part of the acid had already begun to destroy some circuits, threatening to do further, more serious damage. She had to get him to a safe place to work. Looking around she discovered that they were several hundred meters below the plateau, on the bank of the small river running through the canyon. The sun had changed position and she guessed they had been here for about three of this planet's hours. Shadows bathed the walls in a strange light, trees and protruding stones blocking her view to the rim. Raven's optics fell on the entrance to some kind of cave near-by. She knew Soundwave was heavy, but she was sure she could get him over to it with some work.
Footsteps on gravel made her freeze. She turned and saw an Autobot. She had seen this Autobot before, about two months ago on Mernan. She tensed as Silhouette came closer: The Autobot's head was drawn back a bit, her blue eyes glowing softly. Sharp teeth glittered in the twilight of the canyon. Suddenly Raven saw one of the green rats again. It was following the Autobot in a respectful distance, but it was clearly spying on her. As long as it kept its distance, Raven was sure they were in no danger.
"I'm not armed," she said, holding up her hands. She had no intention to fight, not in the state she was in, and not against an opponent who was in a much better shape than her.
"And I should believe that?" Silhouette asked disdainfully. "You have more weapons on your body than a whole squadron of Decepticons!"
Raven sighed. "I'm a medic, not a warrior, Autobot; my only weapons are surgical instruments. And right now I've no quarrel with you."
Silhouette looked at the badly damaged Soundwave. "What happened?" she wanted to know.
"Earthquake. When I woke we were attacked by those creatures." She pointed at the rat still sitting behind the Dinobot female.
Silhouette turned and frowned at the little thing, which looked at her with greed. "What are they?"
"I don't know," Raven answered truthfully. "They seem to like the taste of metal."
As if it had understood the words, the little rat lifted his head and gave several, short and shrill barks. There was a general rustling among the stones and rocks in the canyon.
"Oh, no," Raven breathed.
More of the green rats appeared, forming a living wall, a hungry wall, between the robots and the river.
Silhouette snarled at those coming too close and they moved back, but they didn't seem to be intimidated. They were merely biding their time.
"The cave!" Raven told her. "We have to get to the cave. We can defend the entrance much better than both our backs and front!"
Silhouette seemed to see the logic in that because she nodded. "Get him over!" she told her enemy. "I'll cover you."
Raven didn't argue, merely lifted Soundwave with an effort and dragged him over to the cave. The green rats saw their prey moving away and chittered, daring another few steps forward. They met Sil's sharp claws and teeth and some of them sustained scratch and bite wounds. It still didn't manage to dishearten them. They moved forward en masse, trying a tactic used by many commanders: overrun your enemy by sheer numbers. Some would die, but those who got through would be victorious.
Silhouette fought with every available weapon while she moved back under the pressure, steadily toward the cave. Raven was already inside. Using her flame thrower, the Dinobot scorched the first two rows badly and the creatures fled further back, licking their wounds, but not inclined to abandon the task. They would be back.
Another quake hit the continent, though not as bad as the one before. Silhouette stumbled a bit and looked nervously around. She hated to be in these confined quarters. She walked carefully into the cave. Raven had dragged Soundwave to a spot several feet inside the natural hole in the wall, checking his eject lid.
"We need to get the cassettes out!" she said. "They can help us!"
She tugged helplessly at the shut lid. With a frustrated sound she finally extended her claws and sank them into the metal skin without hesitation. After forcing the lid open she retracted them again. Silhouette watched her with morbid fascination. Those claws were sharp, damnit! Soundwave hadn't moved or made a sound throughout the whole 'operation'.
"I can only get two right now," the female medic muttered and carefully loosened the two first cassettes inside the Decepticon's chest.
Laserbeak transformed immediately, Ravage with a bit of difficulty, but both were unharmed and appeared alert. And both looked at Silhouette with suspicion.
"She's an ally," Raven told them. "Our enemies are outside." She emitted a high sound and transmitted the data necessary for the two to perform their task.
Laserbeak whisked out of the cave, closely followed by Ravage, and they took up their positions outside.
"It won't be enough," Silhouette said silently. "They are superior by sheer number."
Raven nodded darkly. "I know. But right now I can't do more. Rumble and Buzzsaw are too deep inside his chest compartment; Frenzy wasn't with us. I'd do more harm than good by forcing them out. All I need to do now is get him in a state where he can transform. As a tape recorder I can carry him out of here."
There were several screeches coming from outside and Silhouette's head turned to the sounds of battle. "I think I'll go and lend a helping talon," she said.
She moved gracefully away and left Raven to he task. With a sigh she set to work.

* * *

"We noticed some movement around the Charr system," Hound reported. "Nothing serious. Two shuttles, some Sweeps, but never any threatening moves."
Optimus Prime frowned. "What about the shuttles?"
"One went through a warp gate designed to exit in the Crea sector, the other one made a short run to Miklos Five. Our contacts there said the Decepticons in the shuttle were looking for energon."
Prime's frown deepened. energon. The Decepticons were chronically low on energon and always on the look for more. So this was nothing new. "The Crea system?" he then asked.
Hound nodded and called up a map on his monitor. "There."
Optimus studied the screen. Crea was close to Nebulos, close as far as distances measured in light-years were concerned. The warp gate was near the system, but since it didn't represent a commercial system, it ended far outside the closest planet.
"Anything on Crea?" he then wanted to know.
"Nothing much. No civilization to speak of, very young planet for that fact. There have been expeditions to Crea in the far past, but nothing recently."
"Okay, keep me posted on that shuttle. Get a copy of the report back to Autobot City."
"Will do, Prime," Hound nodded and left the room. Optimus went back to his work.

* * *

When the earthquake had hit, he had been just at the foot of the mountains. He found it hard to stay balanced on four legs, so he transformed and crouched down. Bat circled overhead, chirping loudly. Finally the earth quieted down, only now and then trembling a bit as if in an afterthought that it should not just stop shaking just like that. He straightened again and looked around. Not much had changed. A few more cracks here or there. Nature at work.
He had been on this planet for a long, long time, watching it grow and develop, enjoying the feel of being alone and in no threat of being revealed. Well, that had been so until a few hours ago when Bat had told him about the other robots. He sighed and transformed into his animal mode again.
Bat circled down and landed on his back, bumping slightly against his neck. "You really wanna go after the wossname? I mean, oi, if they are after you ... why bother?"
He chuckled, which was a low rumble from deep inside his chest. "I have to know who they are, Bat. I have to know if they are looking for me."
Bat shook his head in dismay. "Wossname!" he muttered whole-heartedly. "They can't be looking for you because you are no longer you. You are another you altogether now!"
"I know, but maybe they still found out."
"It's impossible!"
He simply began to walk up a narrow path and into the mountains. His highly tuned sensor showed him footsteps in the sand and gravel, footsteps of one heavy individual. After some time he arrived at the rim of the canyon he had explored decades ago and which hadn't changed all that much. Not nothing much of the rim was left. It had apparently broken down under the stress of the quake, and judging from the traces on the ground, leading to this edge, it had taken the intruders with them. Bat peered into the canyon from his place between the shield-like shoulder blades of his 'transport'.
"Oiiiii!" he squeaked. "Deep."
"Very," he rumbled. "How about you take a look down there?"
"Me?" Bat hopped nervously up and down on his back. "Why?"
"You have wings?"
The little creature looked at his large wings. "That's no reason," he said weakly.
"Please?"
Bat sighed softly and stretched his wings. "You owe me for that. Oi!" Then he jumped off his back and sailed down into the canyon.
The other one smiled. "As always."

Bat sailed carefully down into the depths and looked for traces of the intruders. He didn't have to look very hard. He came upon several metal shards lying around one spot, covered by fluids and acid. He shuddered.
The rats had been here. And they had apparently found something for their liking: metal food. As he followed the clearly visibly trail in the sand, showing that something had been dragged toward a cave, he became aware of Them. The green, rat-like creatures were clustered around the entrance of the cave, waiting for something.
Bat nearly panicked at the sight of the rats and flapped his wings to get out of there again. As he arrived at the top, he was out of breath and flopped down gracelessly in front of his friend's hooves. The much larger robot bent down, his snout touching him carefully.
"It's ... them, boss," Bat gasped. "And, oi! They have the others trapped. Oi! Wounded as well. It's a damned wossname. Mess!"
"How much are there?"
"Hundreds! Oi!"
"I mean robots."
Bat frowned a bit. "Didn't see them. They are hiding in a cave."
The other one looked into the canyon. He could leave them down there to die. The green creatures would kill them sooner or later and no one would find out about him or anything else on this planet. Like he had told Bat once, the rats only attacked the weak and the wounded, but once they got their minds set on it, they went through with the hunt. But he had to know who those visitors were. He had to know if the war was still going on. He just had to.
"Bat, stay here. I'm going down."
"What?" the little lizard squealed. "Are you completely out of your wossname?"
He rumbled something, then said, "Maybe. But I have to know."
"Then I'm coming along. You might need, oi, back-up."
He gave his friend an amused look. "Back-up?" he asked.
Bat looked defiantly at him. "Yeah, so what?"
He shrugged and they began to search for a way down.

* * *

Labyrinth was worried. Silhouette should have checked in hours ago. She hadn't, which had him more than just a bit worried. It had him upset. The female Dinobot had proven to be quiet reliable, checking in at the preset times, marking her route meticulously so he could follow her. Now she was no longer on any of the channels.
The Sentinel frowned at the communicator, briefly considering a malfunction, then he shook his head. The self-check of the small device told him that everything was okay. So something had be wrong with Sil. Well, he was on his own here, since SkyLynx wouldn't be back for another three days and calling for help seemed unnecessary at this time. Labyrinth sighed and stowed away his equipment. Then he transformed into his other mode and shot away toward the mountains, from where the last check-in of Silhouette had come.

* * *

Rodimus groaned as he heard the insistent beeping of his personal intercom. He exchanged an annoyed look with Shanygn, who only shrugged.
"Yes?" he answered the call.
"Rodimus, this is Kup," came the voice of the old warrior over the line.
If he had been able to, Rodimus would have rolled his eyes. "What's up, Kup?"
"We just got a message from Cybertron. The Decepticons are moving. Looks like they're after some more energon."
"So?" If this was important enough to call him way out here in the wilderness, then he needed to have a word with his security officer.
"Our contacts reported a shuttle entering a warp gate leading to Crea." Kup was ominously silent after this one.
Crea? Rodimus frowned, then it hit him. "Crea?!" he exclaimed. "That's where SkyLynx dropped Labyrinth and Silhouette!"
"You got that right, lad. SkyLynx has been informed and is standing by to fly there immediately. I just thought you wanted to know."
"Of course I wanted to know. Tell SkyLynx to drop by at the coordinates I'm transmitting now to pick me up," he ordered and then relayed his position to Kup.
"Gotcha. He's already on the way. Kup out."
Rodimus closed the communicator and a worried look crossed his features.
"Cheer up, Roddy. Sil's a grown girl, she can take care of herself against Decepticons," Shanygn said encouragingly. "And there's also Labyrinth. He might be a complete egg-head from time to time, but he is still a Sentinel and he can fight."
"Yeah."
Rodimus' optics traveled to the sky, waiting for SkyLynx to arrive.

* * *

The signs of battle were clear for him. There was the pink blood of the green rats, shards of metal, fluids that could only have come from a robotic entity, and scorch and scratch marks on the ground. He stopped at the edge of the battle field and let his sensors roam the immediate area. Bat was circling overhead, now and then darting off into one direction or other. Suddenly he gave a terrified screech and flapped his wings, trying to get away from something.
His head shot up and he looked toward where his small friend was frantically flying toward him -- pursued by a metallic creature. The creature was three times as large as Bat and looked like a bird. He didn't hesitate. His friend was threatened and he acted. A single beam of laser fire cut through the air and hit the bird directly into the chest. It gave a screech himself and fell out of the air like a stone. Bat got himself to safety on a ledge and gasped in exhaustion and fear.
"Boss, watch out!" he suddenly called.
Another opponent appeared, robotic as well. It was bipedal and looked like a big lizard, complete with reptile eyes and a long, though stiff, tail. It was colored in grey and blue, slightly striped and speckled, and its lips were drawn back to reveal sharp teeth.
He tensed, ready to defend himself if necessary. He noted that the robot looked damaged and the damage was that done by the green rats. But it appeared functional and dangerous. Especially dangerous. Before he could think more about attacking, the robot spoke.
"Why did you shoot down one of your own?"
With surprise he noticed that it had a female voice. On the outside he showed no reaction at all, but on the inside his thoughts were reeling. Female? He had heard about females of his kind, but he had never seen this one before! Then her words registered and he looked at the bird again, which was unconscious from the blast. On the wings was a symbol not unlike his own. So he had shot one of his kind.... His eyes wandered back to the female. She had another symbol on her chest. His mind flashed back to a time he wanted to forget and supplied him with the owners of that symbol. Autobots. His once-time enemies. The past. Long gone, but not forgotten.
"Why are you working with someone who should be your enemy?" he asked.
She snorted. "It's an alliance against a greater threat."
"The rats."
She nodded. "You didn't answer my question: why did you shoot your own kind? And while you are at it, who are you anyway?"
He considered the questions, then decided to tell the truth. "My name is Nightmare, and I didn't shoot at him, I defended a friend."
Bat took this as an invitation to glide down from his ledge and land on a rock. "And who are you, oi?" he demanded.
"My name is Silhouette," the female answered slowly. "Are there more of you here?" She was clearly suspicious and Nightmare suspected he knew what of.
"No. I'm alone."
A chittering could be heard and Silhouette tensed, her nostrils flaring and her eyes darting around.
"Don't worry. I'm a new factor. They won't attack until they are sure they can handle me as well," Nightmare told her.
"Then we should hurry up and get your friends in the cave out of here."
"My friends?" he asked cautiously and then remembered that Bat had said that the two robots he had seen were a humanoid looking one and a black bird. Neither of the two he had met now qualified.
"Two Decepticons are hiding in the cave, both badly damaged," Silhouette explained. "I'm extending this truce to you as well, if you consider it an option to fighting me on the basis that I'm an Autobot."
He shook his head. "I won't fight you just because you're an Autobot," he told her and it was the truth. "I'll help you with your friends, but only because I'd hate to see them fed to the rats. Where are they?"
Silhouette gave him another queer look, then gestured at a cave not far away. The chittering increased and a few rats poked their heads out in the open.
"Let's go," Nightmare said softly.
Silhouette picked up the bird, which was already moving a bit, coming around quickly and seconds later launched itself into the air. Only now did he notice the feline robot perched on a slightly overgrown boulder. Its red eyes followed him warily, then it hopped down, trailing behind, moving almost noiselessly.

*

Soundwave returned to consciousness. It was a swift return, without a time between two worlds where everything was just a fuzzy haze. He was simply back on-line. The first thing that he was confronted with was the internal repair systems report. Multiple circuits ruptured, acid damage to very important chips and circuitry, and concussion dents and bruises all over his outer skin. Then there was the fact that his eject system had been violated, ripped open by sheer force. Laserbeak and Ravage were missing, the other cassettes reported in after a second, all slightly concussed as well.
He heard steps and turned his head to see who was coming. First he realized that he was in a cave, which was more a narrow tunnel with a high ceiling. Then he saw Raven standing beside him, her outer skin looking something akin to how his had to look, with more damaged parts than healthy ones. Her optics were fixed on the opening toward the canyon, which they had fallen in. Soundwave didn't doubt for a second that they were still in the canyon. He just knew it. He tried to sit up and found that he was able to do so under his own power. His energon level was in acceptable limits, though most of it was currently used to run the multiple repair programs.
And then the steps materialized into two robots. One was an Autobot, a Dinobot to be correct. He knew her, just like he knew every other Autobot ever discovered by the Decepticons. Soundwave had files for each of them, though he barely left them anywhere in his conscious archive. He mostly downloaded them in compressed form, calling them up when asked for. This Dinobot's name was Silhouette, she was female and the youngest member of the Dinobots. Silhouette was followed by a four-legged horse-like creature. It was much larger than an Earth horse, colored in dark blue and black, with red eyes shining through what looked like an armor covering not only his head, but his whole body. Sharp ends stuck out like bone rising out of the skin. A mane fell over the armored neck and the hooves left deep imprints in the sand of the cave. Two horns curling up from above the eyebrows and a long, dinosaur-like tail completed the picture. Soundwave's eyes fell on the flank of the creature. It was wearing a Decepticon symbol on one shoulder and a strange insignia Soundwave had never seen on the other. The second insignia seemed to be carved into his metal skin..... Soundwave stared at the symbol and his memory circuits presented him with another symbol that was roughly shaped like this one, just a bit different and it hadn't been carved into the skin of the owner.
"We have to get out of here," Silhouette said briskly. "Those pests will be back in force any minute."
"Who is that?" Raven asked, slightly curious, but all cautious. She had noticed the Decepticon symbol as well, but also the second insignia. There was a strange expression in her yellow eyes.
"One of yours, Raven," was all Silhouette answered, her voice cool. "Can he move?" Her blue optics fixed on Soundwave.
"My motion control system is working," he answered before Raven could do it for him.
One of yours, echoed the Autobot's statement through his mind. This meant more than what Silhouette had implied. The symbol....
"Then get motioning," the Dinobot told him. "We are not on friendly territory."
Soundwave carefully rose and then saw Laserbeak, who showed a laser wound in his chest, and Ravage, who was constantly looking toward the entrance of the cave. Both cassettes transmitted what had happened and the urgency to get out of here. Raven watched him carefully as he followed the stranger with the Decepticon mark and the Autobot. His left leg was slightly stiff and he remembered that he had ripped several muscle cables when he had hit the ground. Raven had patched him together and he could walk with a limp; running was not an option even worth considering. As they stepped outside they were greeted by several packs of the green rats. The little organic creature watched them with their beady eyes as they stopped.
The four-legged Decepticon snorted and gave the pack a calculating look. A small, winged creature sailed down toward them and Soundwave instinctively reached for his weapon. The creature landed on a small rock protruding from the canyon wall and chittered a bit. Then his eyes fell on the stranger.
"Back-up," it declared and then added, "Oi!"
"What is that?" Raven asked.
"This is Bat, a friend of mine," the stranger answered.
"It's a little lizard with wings."
"Up yours!" Bat growled and hopped around on the rock. "Wossname!"
"Bat," the stranger admonished.
Bat simply muttered something, which Raven couldn't understand, but sounded like 'wossname' again.
"We won't get past them," the stranger said calmly.
"Why not? We simply shoot at them if they come too close," Silhouette suggested.
The Decepticon chuckled. "You have no experience with them, Autobot. These are only a fraction of the whole pack. The others are waiting further up along the canyon. If those here fail to finish us, the others will. Their sheer number will be our doom."
Soundwave looked at him, a feeling of familiarity rising inside of him. He had the eerie feeling he knew the stranger -- from a time long ago.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"The name's Nightmare," he answered.
"You are of the Decepticon army."
Nightmare appeared nervous. "In a way," he then answered.
Soundwave studied him intensely. He knew him, he was sure of it. Nightmare snorted.
"We have to get out of here before the others decide to pile up here too."
"Where should we go?" Silhouette wanted to know.
Nightmare cast a look back at the cave. "Those caves lead through the mountains," he told the others. "We can go through there. The rats won't follow us inside. Their territory is this canyon."
"And you know your way through these tunnels?" Soundwave asked calmly.
"Yes."
Soundwave nodded. He accepted this. Then he looked at the Autobot, who had not made any threatening move, and decided that as long as it stayed this way, he would accept it. For now. Silhouette answered his silent gaze with steady optics, then nodded slowly, as if answering an unspoken question whether this was a peaceful team-up.
Nightmare walked back into the cave and they followed. Bat sailed after them and finally landed between the curled horns on Nightmare's head. The rats chittered and squeaked, but, true to Nightmare's words, they stayed outside.

*

There were large chunks of rock buried in the ground. The rock was black and polished like a mirror. Though it should have been completely dark in here, with no torches anywhere in sight and electrical power existing down here being a bit unlikely, there was a strange twilight. It was enough for the four robots to see each other and their surroundings, though Silhouette could have thought of happier things to see. The energon veins running through the stone were responsible for most of the light, strange lichen like growth for the rest. The blue energon and the yellow lichen mixed into a greenish glow with yellow and blue rims to it.
"Where are we going?" Raven wanted to know, looking around curiously.
The walls stayed the same -- gray rock and blue energon veins. Only the black, polished stones kept varying in size. The light -- or whatever you could call it -- stayed, too, and Raven had the feeling it was moving with them. Every time she looked back over her shoulder she could see as far as a few feet, then there was only a murky blackness. The same was the truth about the way they were going.
"We are moving north from here, to the other side of the Deareehm Mountains," Nightmare answered. "The mountains are not very deep, just long. It shouldn't take too long."
"How do you find your way down here?" Silhouette wanted to know, her blue optics darting down tunnels that crossed their tunnel from time to time. Some were not very deep and caved in, others were lost in the blackness.
"Like I said, I've been here before. I know my way around."
Raven had the feeling that he wasn't telling them everything. Her optics were drawn to the symbol on his left shoulder blade again, the carved symbol. He was a Decepticon, he had confessed to that, but the other symbol meant something completely different. She knew it, in a way, though the one she could compare it with was different; slightly different. Her only comparison was her own symbol, the one that was now hidden under the Decepticon insignia on her chest.
Soundwave had given her the Decepticon insignia when she had joined the Decepticons, but she had never lost her old one. It wasn't carved into her chest, simply painted on. In effect, she was still a member of her old race. She raked her memories of those old, painful days for a comparison to the symbol on Nightmare's shoulder. Hers had meant she was a medic, not a warrior. The warriors had a slight alteration in the overall structure, and Nightmare's..... she had seen it before, but where? She wanted to ask him, wanted to know, but a small part of her was afraid as to what she might find out. She felt nothing but loathing and fear when she thought back to her time among the warriors who had seen in her nothing but a weak creature, unable to fight, only able to mend a broken body and work as a spy. She had been cast out and from then on survived on her own -- until she had met Cyclonus.
Banishing all thoughts about the past, Raven concentrated on their underground journey.

Nightmare felt uncomfortable as he led the others through the tunnels out of the mountains. He was sure that Soundwave knew him. He had recognized the communications expert right away. Agreed, Nightmare looked different, but still.
I know you >> a voice suddenly whispered in his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it away. He wasn't hearing it! I know you >> the voice returned more insistent.
Nightmare didn't answer. Answering meant confessing that he had heard the other one. He simply walked on.
They had been in the tunnels for what seemed to them all like hours, but were only minutes in fact. Nightmare led them through bends and turns, up a lot of natural stairs, until they finally stood in front of a large door. It was bare of any ornaments and seemed to be made of simple, though through the centuries petrified wood.
"Who made those steps and this door?" Raven asked in confusion. "We found no signs of civilization anywhere on the planet!"
Nightmare regarded her with those red eyes. "Those who built the tunnels and door are long gone. Their race are travelers," he explained briefly, not willing to give them more information.
He transformed, his animal mode stretching and shifting into a bipedal robot with the same red eyes and armored looking body. Bat landed on his shoulder, looking smug, as if he wanted to say, 'What do you think of that, huh?'. Nightmare touched a dark stone panel on the right side of the door and the door opened with a silence that was as eerie as if it would have creaked loudly. He stepped back, looking at the others, meeting Soundwave's silent gaze.
I know you >> the other Decepticon whispered again.
Nightmare forcefully ignored him and stepped through the door. Silhouette was the first to follow, transforming into her robot mode as she climbed the stairs. They were definitely out of whatever underground world they had been in. Above them was the open sky. The ground was bare rock with grassy plants growing here or there. A withered, gnarled tree stood left of the portal they had come through. There were no outstanding landmarks anywhere. Just plain, bare earth. Long shadows crept over the hard ground, bathing the four robots in an eerie light. Soundwave turned to the stranger, who was watching him carefully.
"This is The Khelljin," Nightmare explained, "The land behind the Deareehm Mountains. You're on your own from now on," he said dismissively.
I know you >> Soundwave repeated.
Nightmare's red eyes flashed dangerously at the other robot. A low, barely audible growl emerged from his chest.
You can hear me >> He didn't sound triumphant.
"What do you want?" Nightmares whispered dangerously.
"I want to know who you are," Soundwave answered, his optics reflecting the moons' light.
"I told you already."
"Not who you are."
Nightmare hissed.
Silhouette moved nervously, her muscles tense, ready to make whatever move was necessary. Her blue glowing eyes followed the build-up of hostility and she glanced at Raven, who was watching the two Decepticons as well. Both were indecisive as to what to do now. Silhouette was an Autobot and as such she had no intention to interfer in a 'family matter'. Raven didn't know what this was all about and held back, trying to hold a neutral position right now.
I know you >> Soundwave said again.
"So what?" Nightmare answered angrily. "I know you as well, but I don't make a big deal out of it!"
He looked at Soundwave's impassive, though somehow questioning face and hissed again. He came to a decision which might cost him his life, but he was ready to take it. He transmitted his ID code.
Soundwave's visor flashed once in recognition. "Static," he said in his monotonous voice.

* * *

Rodimus Prime was worried, but he tried not to show it. He knew that Silhouette was perfectly able to defend herself, but there was a limit to what one could do against many, and they had no idea now many Decepticons had landed on Crea. He refrained from drumming his fingers on the seat's armrest and simply stared out of the window. SkyLynx was flying as fast as possible and had already used two warp gates to get to the Nebulos system.
"Only two more hours until we are on Crea," the shuttle announced.
Shanygn looked over to her Interface partner. [Everything's all right down there] she told him through their silent communication, a talent both of them had improved over the last months.
[I'll believe it when I see it] he answered.
[Roddy, she can take care of herself!]
[I'm not solely worried about Silhouette, Shan] he responded quite fiercely.
[Yeah, right] was the muttered reply.
Rodimus shot her an angry look, but didn't respond to her taunting smile.
SkyLynx changed course after some time and minutes later they heard the familiar sound of a ship entering the atmosphere.
"I'm getting a strong signal from Labyrinth," SkyLynx told his two passengers as they steadily lost height. "He's on the soon-to-be dark side of the planet."
Rodimus refrained from asking about Silhouette, so Shanygn did it for him.
"I can only pinpoint the Sentinel's position," SkyLynx answered.
"Get us down there," was all Rodimus said.
"Roger that. Hold on, we're about to land!"

* * *

"Static?" Raven asked, looking at Nightmare in confusion. "Who is Static?"
"A casualty of war," the Decepticon answered. "Static is dead."
"One of the very first of the Decepticon army," Soundwave answered calmly. "A member of the Assassins, an elite fighting force. And you are alive."
"Nightmare lives, Static is dead," Nightmare corrected him. "He died in the war."
Bat made an unhappy sound and hopped nervously around on the other Decepticon's shoulder. "I knew it was a bad idea, boss!"
Soundwave looked at the creature.
Bat looked back. "Up yours," he suggested, then muttered, "Old wossname".
Raven gave the little creature a curious look. "What's wossname? Why do you say it all the time?"
Bat turned his faceted eyes on her. "Limited wossname. Thingy. You know. Got words in it."
Raven frowned. "Memory bank?"
Bat seemed to consider it. "Probably," he then answered with a smile.
"Why have you chosen to remain hidden? Why didn't you return to your kind?" Silhouette asked Nightmare.
"Because I was tired," Nightmare answered. "I was tired of fighting, I was tired of killing, I was tired of hunting or be hunted. Static died through an assault and was left presumed dead on the battle field."
"We came back," Soundwave told him levely. "You were gone. Megatron believed that scavengers took you."
"And he was correct," the other Decepticon said. "I was carried off by .... someone. They .... gave me a new body and I left after some time." It had been centuries. "I looked long and hard at what was going on around me and I saw the senselessness of it all. I wanted no more part of it. That was when Static died, forever." His red eyes glowed softly. "I traveled and finally I came here."
"Long time ago, oi!" Bat commented.
Raven shot him a look again.
"I won't go back. Tell Megatron what you want," Nightmare said calmly and there was a defiant look in his red eyes.
Soundwave's steady gaze held that of his former friend for a long time. "I see," he then said finally.
Nightmare knew that if Soundwave decided to tell Megatron that one of the very few Decepticon Assassins was truly alive, that it was Static, the very first Assassin and the leader of the small team, Megatron would come for him. But he didn't want to go back. Static was dead. He had died through deadly fire on a battle field light-years from this planet. Someone he hadn't known until then had saved his memory core and central energon processing unit, so it had been sheer luck he had survived. Maybe not so much luck, maybe fate.
The ones who had saved him had given him a new body, this body, and in return had asked him a favor. At first he had told them that Decepticons owed no one anything, but over the long time he had had to be among them, he had learned. And he had seen a new sense in life. He had wanted to be part of what they were, mainly because it meant he finally got away from all that fighting. He had been tired, worn out, sick of killing or nearly getting killed, but as a Decepticon you had no other choice. Either serve the Cause or be cast out -- if you were lucky; if not, you were killed -- always marked as a traitor by your own kind and never trusted by anyone else.
So he had come to this world, with a task set out for him, with a friend who didn't care what he had been before. Nightmare had been born and Static had truly died the day he had set foot on this world. He still wore the Decepticon symbol, mainly because those who had rescued him had told him that this was part of his heritage, just like the new symbol was part of his future. It had been carved into his skin shortly before he had come here and he wore it with pride. It told what he was, just like the Decepticon symbol told what he had been.
"Galvatron will come here because of the raw energon on this planet," Soundwave finally said, no judgment, nothing at all, relaying through his voice.
Nightmare frowned. "Galvatron?"
"He leads the Decepticon army."
"What happened to Megatron."
Soundwave's optic shield never displayed a single emotion when he said, "Megatron became Galvatron."
Nightmare decided not to inquire further. Then he remembered what Soundwave had said about the energon. "Forget the energon here, Soundwave. You won't be able to use it. It'll kill you instantly."
Raven looked suddenly interested. "Why?" she wanted to know.
"This form of energon, the blue one, is deadly. It can be refined, recycled into an edible form, but it takes tons of this raw material to produce a single cube," Nightmare explained. "And this refined energon isn't very nourishing. About two hundred cubes of refined blue energon contain what one cube would normally register as nourishment."
Soundwave regarded him silently, then said, "You use it."
"My body has adapted to it over thousands of years, my old friend. I can use it, yes, but you can't. It's not worth it."
"How do I know you tell the truth?"
Nightmare's eyes flared. "I'm no liar, Soundwave, I never was. And if you don't believe me, then use your brainscan!"
The other Decepticon considered this, then shook his head. "I will tell Galvatron about the energon and I will also warn him of its danger to out systems. Beside that, I can do nothing."
"That's enough for me. "
Bat made an unhappy sound. Nightmare smiled humorlessly.
Silhouette, who had been listening to all of this with interest, filing it away for later evaluation, suddenly heard the sound of thrusters. Her eyes searched the horizon, which was filled by the mountain range, and through the approaching darkness she discovered a small airborne craft coming closer. Soundwave had heard it as well and his hand closed around his weapon.
"It's my partner," the Dinobot said. "Labyrinth." She shot Soundwave a warning look. "If you shoot at him, you're scrap metal, Decepticon."
Soundwave regarded her solemnly, then turned to Raven. "We will leave now."
Raven nodded and transformed, flying off to the south, away from Labyrinth, who was steadily coming closer. Soundwave looked at Nightmare again.
"You will stay here?"
Nightmare nodded calmly. "I am dead to all of our kind, Soundwave, and I will stay dead."
Soundwave didn't respond to this one, only nodded. Then he disappeared into the darkness, his limp more pronounced now. Laserbeak and Ravage, who had sat through this whole conversation silently, followed without a second's hesitation. Nightmare turned to Silhouette.
"What will you do now?"
The female Dinobot cocked her head, then shrugged. "I'm not sure. As you said, you are dead. I see no reason to alert any Autobot to your presence as long as you remain as neutral as you are."
Nightmare nodded. "I can live with that."
Silhouette transformed and stuck out one hand. The Decepticon shook it carefully, a small smile crossing his features. Bat landed on his shoulder, his wings getting slightly in his way. Silhouette looked curiously at him.
"Say, how come you and Bat live together? I mean, how did he learn to talk?"
Bat looked mightily annoyed at this. "Wossname!"
"I taught him to talk," Nightmare explained with a small smile. "Bat and I met when he was just a hatchling. He stayed with me and learned my language. His kind is very intelligent."
"Yep, that's us!" Bat said proudly. Very intelligent, oi!"
"Why he stayed with me ... I don't know." The robot gave his little friend a fond look. "I guess I proved more interesting than everything else."
Bat didn't comment on this one, only his facets changed color.
"Wow, wait a second. You said you've been here for thousands of years ...." Silhouette interrupted.
"So?"
"He's thousands of years old? I mean, he's organic!"
"Up yours!" Bat snorted.
Nightmare simply shrugged.
Labyrinth's search lights cast a strong beam of light across the plains. Silhouette shot Nightmare a look and he transformed, moving back into the rocks. Bat lifted off his shoulder and circled over the Dinobot one, then disappeared as well.
"Silhouette?"
She turned to the approaching Sentinel. "Over here!"
"What happened?" Labyrinth asked as he took in her slightly cut and bruised form. "Are you all right? I lost radio contact."
"I'm fine, Lab. I just fell down a canyon and the raw energon in these rocks made it impossible to get a signal through. Sorry I got you worried."
"Got me worried?" Labyrinth asked. "Shortly before I found you I received a message from SkyLynx. He, Rodimus Prime and Shanygn are coming here. Apparently there has been some Decepticon activity in this sector."
Silhouette smiled, which was hard to see in the darkness. "Lab, my friend, I guess we need to talk."

* * *

Nightmare stood on the hard ground and looked thoughtfully over the plains, the Deareehm Mountains rising at the far horizon, looking small and insignificant. He was alone. A soft breeze blew over the land and he smelled snow, the first one of this winter. The morning sun lit the plains below him and he inhaled the fresh, clean air, his airvents opening wide. As a robot he didn't depend on oxygen or any other form of atmosphere, but he had a very adaptable body and this body used every available method to power the energon converters. The light played across his dark skin and every movement made it glint.
Nightmare was worried.
What if Galvatron didn't take Soundwave's word for the truth and came here?
What if the Autobots returned with a whole fleet? He could live with one nosy scientist, but a whole army? Hiding one relic after another was easy if the one he was hiding it from was alone. But what if hundreds fell over this place like a swarm of midday fireflies?
What if one of their scientists discovered the secret of this world anyway?
It would be catastrophic.
His red eyes were drawn to a construction that was clearly not of natural origin. Only a few hundred meters ahead of him rose a large, round structure straight up from the barren ground. It looked like a gigantic ring, precariously balanced and like it would crash over any second. There were inscriptions all over the ring. The ring in itself consisted of five different rings. The outer ring was without inscriptions, appearing like a frame for the other four. The second, third and fourth rings were lighter in color and with inscriptions. The inner ring was even broader, very lightly colored, appearing nearly glass-like, and there seemed to be something painted on it.
He heard the flutter of wings and Bat landed on his shoulder. "They are gone, boss," he said. "Took off in their wossname. Space ship. Talking space ship."
"I know."
"You worried?" the little creature asked softly.
"Yes."
Bat looked at the ring as well. "What'll you when they come back, boss? Oi."
"I don't know, Bat, I really don't know." Nightmare shook his head. "I don't want to leave. This planet has been my home for so long, I'd hate to move out."
He looked at the rings again. The material seemed to be stone, but it was polished and glistening in the sun. Nothing was keeping the circular structure upright, it just seemed to stand on its own. Nightmare moved toward it. The closer he came, the larger the thing got until it loomed over him, gigantic and alien. He knew that, if they came in large numbers to this world, he would be unable to defend it.
Bat nodded, looking at the exotically beautiful device with solemn eyes. "Would miss it, too," he muttered. "Oi. Sometimes even miss home."
Nightmare smiled. "You didn't have to come with me."
"Wossname! Of course I had to. You need someone to look after you." The little lizard gave him a critical eye. "You end up in deep wossname all the time! They said so as well when it was time for you to leave and come here, so I thought I'd better come along. Oi!"
Nightmare chuckled, then looked at the structure again. "I'd hate to destroy it," he confessed. "But if the Autobots return in large numbers, I have no other choice. I promised it."
"Oi," Bat agreed silently.

* * *

Raven was alone in her room in the Decepticon base on Charr. Her body, transformed into her bird mode, was completely motionless as her mind was delving deep into her past, recovering tidbits of information she was sifting through for an answer to the question as to what the symbol on Nightmare's shoulder meant. In the process she also wanted to analyze the feelings of incredible freedom she had experienced on this world. They had frightened, as well as fascinated her in one. She had felt at home. Back.
Galvatron had taken the news that the energon on Crea was poison for them with a much calmer exterior than she had expected. Then again, since the encounter with first Starscream and then Braintrust, as well as his partial destruction, he had changed a great deal. His temper flares, his sometimes very erratic and mad behavior, were gone, replaced by a more calm and rational minded being, which was just as devious as the old Galvatron had been, but on a more acceptable level. Gone were the days he would rush into a fight, ready to sacrifice every single warrior he had to prove his point that Decepticons were superior.
Cyclonus was more than pleased by the change, as he had told her once, though he was worried whether this was only temporary or a lasting effect. It would show in time. Cyclonus. This reminded her that he had wanted to talk with her about something concerning the both of them.
Neither Soundwave, nor Raven had mentioned a single word about Nightmare -- or Static. Soundwave intended to keep his promise, maybe because Nightmare was the shadow of an old friend, maybe for completely different reasons she would never find out.
Suddenly her search brought up a hit. With amazement she retrieved a very old file from the depths of her core programming, something she had never accessed before. It was useless anyway because as a medic she never used any other programs than those meant to heal and help. The core was a storage unit mainly full of those files out of her former days among her own kind. But it also contained material about her birth, her heritage, her home. She knew her race was older than the Decepticons and Autobots, though she wasn't so sure about the Sentinels and the renegade Sentinels, the Seekers. She also wasn't built on Cybertron and had never been there before. Her race had a different origin.
In the file she had dug up she found a row of symbols, many of which she recognized. Warriors, Command, Strategy; her own symbol, the one of the medic, which also had another meaning as she saw from a cross-reference attached to it. She had to follow that cross-reference later. And then there was Nightmare's.
Her yellow eyes flared with surprise.
Impossible! she thought fiercely. They don't exist! Not any more! Not since the Creators left us on our own!
But Nightmare was proof enough. And if he was still acting as what his symbol implied, then Crea was one of the worlds marked by the Creators before they left. Raven shook her head.
If he exists, how many others are still
out there? she wondered. How many Gatekeepers were left?
How many Gates?
And if the Gates were still there, as well as their Keepers, what did this tell about the Creators?

* * *

The flight back to Cybertron had been eventless and Silhouette had had enough time to think about everything that had happened. Rodimus and SkyLynx had arrived about half an hour after the Decepticons had disappeared, and this had given her time to explain everything to Labyrinth. She hadn't mentioned Nightmare at all. The Sentinel had agreed that leaving might be a good idea. He had enough data to keep him busy for some time, evaluating it all, as well as the sensor scans of what Silhouette had encountered, including the poisonous energon.
Rodimus had been quite happy to see them alive and functional, maybe even more happy to see Silhouette. She had to smile when she remembered his worried look, which was quickly replaced with an expression he wore while on 'official' business. He had been deeply worried, but he didn't want to show it. Well, she had seen it for a fleeting moment and she knew it was about time she took the first step for them. Knowing Roddy, he'd never come around to do it.
Her mind wandered back to Nightmare -- or Static. She was curious and she was planning to take a look into the Autobots' archives to find out a bit more. There was more to him and his presence on this lonely planet than he wanted them to know. She had seen the second symbol on his shoulder blade and she knew that it had to mean something. It wasn't there for decoration. Well, she would try and find out.
As for now, she wanted to spend some time with her brothers, whom she had missed lately. It would be fun to be with them again. She could work on all the other stuff later.....