Relatively standard disclaimer stuff. Existing characters are properties of Hasbro in this situation. While the names might be the same, the characters themselves may not. The story is original, and the setting is mine. Historical figures are used without permission. Contact me at if you have any queries about the story contained herein.
Please note, this is version 1.3 of this chapter. No text has been changed, however it should now display correctly. Gah. Involved long workarounds by emailing this into work, then using work tools to flatten the HTML to a straight MS-DOS standard file, and then sending it back home to post. But it shows properly now. No more crying, just a real pain in the ---. Chapter 2 is underway.
TRANSFORMERS 1942
Issue 1
Fallen Star
CYBERTRON
A planet where machine life grew to dominance instead of organic. A world where only machine life could grow. a giant orb of metal and alloys, encasing vast rifts that extended nearly to the planetary core and vast, towering spires that reached into orbit. A machine world where every cubic metre was given over to factory production or energy storage. Oceans of petrochemicals washed in bizarre tidal formations around the globe, the ripples caused by the six similarly-technological moons in high orbit.
On this strange world, small nanoviruses combine and recombine into more complex forms. Over eons, they shape themselves into simple mechanical devices, which combined with the growing survival urges of the still-growing techviruses, began to find the benefits of co-existence and society.
Eons more pass, and simple mechanical predators stalk those machines less aggressive, and as more time passes, all continue to grow, learn, adapt, change. evolve.
Three billion years have passed before mechanical life achieves sentience. By this time, they are beginning to understand higher concepts - loyalty, culture, entertainment, fiction, advanced mathematics. Over a further billion years, they spread across the planet, finding that they can use their developing technological knowledge to manipulate their mechanical bodies. Who first realised that a body could hold two forms within itself is not recorded, but his idea revolutionised the way these Cybertronians viewed themselves and their planet.
Calling themselves Transformers, they began making tentative steps into the depths of space, first establishing footholds on their moons, then other planets in their star's system, then moving further and further out until they launched themselves deeper into space.
While some races would have gone further to develop an interstellar empire, these Transformers merely wanted to explore and ensure the survival of their race by dissemination of their people. Truly, it was a golden age of peace, prosperity and the advancement of knowledge.
Unless you were one of the Transformers who lived outside the major cities, outside the larger states, or below the surface, closer to the core of the planet. Those who lived in regions where resources were scarce, siphoned off to supply the larger cities, became resentful of those who used their materials. Over millions of years, they found others in their predicament. Talks progressed with the Elders from the cities behind the worst of the resource-stealing. But to no avail. For the large part, the Elders refused to power down their cities, or cut back on resource budgets for research, entertainment, fueling.
And so many of Cybertron's lesser developed states grew to resent and hate the larger city states. Many felt the Elders had grown corrupt, and that the Judicators who enforced their law and the order they stood for were as corrupt as the Elders themselves.
Mostly, though, the Elders were merely blind at what was happening outside their chambers. They were unaware of resource shortfalls in poorer nations - but then, neither did they care enough to check. And the Judicators, who did see, felt that obeying the orders of their superiors who did not understand the crisis as they did was the correct course of action.
Sadly, after millions of years, these disenfranchised Cybertronians branded themselves Decepticons and began a series of terrorist strikes across the planet to chase the others from their ancestral homes. The civilian populace fled wholeheartedly, but the Judicators refused to evacuate and fought to the last mechanoid. Eventually, the planet was divided up roughly evenly between the Decepticons, and the faction that had called itself Autobots. Once the borders were settled, the two races had little to do with one another.
Occasionally, an Autobot would stir trouble with the Decepticons, and sometimes a Decepticon would act in aggression towards Autobots, and the cold war would thaw a little for a thousand years along a single front, then die down again.
And it continued as thus for millions of years.
Buried deep within the Knowledge Dome in Iacon, a young historian busied himself with filing records recently brought in from the F'tor Cluster. It was a little-explored region of space, and a group of three Autobot cruisers had been attacked just on the other side by a force more powerful than them by far - but thankfully slower. Two ships had been lost in the engagement, but the third had returned, and in the historian's hand was the report contained on a series of teleflimsies.
A rapid high-pitched sound behind him made him turn around to see who had arrived in his office. She was shorter than he, and more rounded, pink and purple in colour. She had one of her head-dangling dataplugs between two of her fingers and was twirling it idly. "Optimix," Arcee sighed. "You were supposed to meet us eight breems ago," she reminded him, almost scolding.
Optimix stared for a few moments, then shook his head. "I was?"
"Yes, you were," Arcee repeated. "Ratchet has been waiting for four of those breems, and he's only got another half dozen breems before he's off again." "Oh. oh right. I'll just file -" Optimix didn't get the chance to do anything with the teleflimsies in his hand, as Arcee reached up and snatched them away from him.
"No more of that, please," she said, as she started skimming the report. "Hmmm. lost the Abraxas and Xaaron's Pride. bet the Council hates that. view attached report by Repugnus." Arcee tapped the link, and the teleflimsy brought up the stated report. She skimmed that, too, then sighed in disgust as she threw the report onto a nearby cabinet. "You're down here reading second-hand reports when Ratchet's got several of his crewmates with him in Oil Reflections, all of them giving firsthand accounts of how all this went down? You surprise me." Arcee shook her head as Optimix went to say something. "No, you don't surprise me. Not anymore. Why are we still here? Come on, let's go." She grabbed the historian's hand and pulled him from his office.
"This isn't what I should be doing!" he protested in the gravlift. "I'm supposed to be filing those reports and linking them to other exploratory missions in that sector. The Council is deliberating over whether to send a mission in force to the F'tor Cluster, and want all the information on it in hand by-"
"Primus, but you can be boring. Remind me why I hang out with you again?"
"Because I can get you priority access to the central hub, that's why," Optimix reminded her with a grumble.
"Oh yeah, it's convenient, yeah. Forgot that." Arcee flashed Optimix a cheeky grin as the gravlift slowed to a stop. They stepped out into the lounge area of Oil Reflections, a middle-class bar high up in the Knowledge Dome. It was a favoured spot by starship crews, mostly because from this lofty spire, they could see most of the top part of Cybertron - in effect, seeing as much of their homes as they could in the short turnaround time they often had before being shipped out again.
Gathered in a group near one of the full-wall windows were several Autobots Optimix recognised. Ratchet, his friend and mentor; Brawn, a hard-headed dock loader; Ironhide, security chief in the section of the Dome that Optimix worked in; and Prowl, one of the strategic theorists who worked on the floor above Optimix's office, and a former Judicator. Most of them knew Ratchet, and would have gathered here once they knew his ship was back.
In truth, that was one of the main reasons Optimix had tried to avoid this meeting. He liked the others, but he didn't feel comfortable with them. He knew, intellectually, that it was stupid and he should rise above it, but having been programmed as a historian he felt. insecure about his function.
It was stupid. He knew that. So, he tried to rise above his fears.
Ratchet was the first to notice him, hanging back behind Arcee as she skipped across the decking to leap into Brawn's arms with a squealed, "Did you miss me?"
The senior medic nodded at Optimix, and extricated himself from the conversation he was in regarding the effects of rapid application of nucleon on major injuries to step over to the historian. "It is good to see you here, before I ship out again."
"Likewise," Optimix stumbled verbally, "it is good to see you, also."
"How has work been lately?"
"I have been busy these last breems with the reports from the Axalon." Optimix paused, then leaned forward quietly. "Was it as bad as the reports say?"
Ratchet gestured behind them at the mass of crew from the Axalon. "Try and grab some conversation from them: but in short, yes, it was very bad. We don't know who they were or where they came from. But they came hard. Caught us by surprise, and we lost two ships. Gone." For a moment, Optimix heard the bleak tone behind Ratchet's words, but then it was gone, and he was solid again. "But the captain did his job, got us out of there and back to Cybertron with the data. The Council is deliberating on it now."
"I know. That's, uh, why I was late. I should be down there now filing -" Optimix broke off as Ratchet took him by the arm, and led him into conversation.
Eventually, Optimix managed to relax, and enjoyed himself. Still, he felt more towards the back of the group rather than part of it. At one point, he was the centre of attention as Brawn somehow roped him into an impromptu arm-wrestling match. Optimix had done this before, though, and put all his effort into it. Brawn struggled for a half-breem, then slammed Optimix's hand down against the table.
"Better luck nex' time," he grinned at Optimix as he got up from the table, checking for paint scratches and internal injuries. He looked around for Ratchet, and saw the doctor talking to someone bigger than Optimix. He looked fairly brutal, and if it wasn't for the Autobot insignia emblazoned across his golden chest, Optimix would have assumed he was a Decepticon.
"Yoohoo? Optimix?" Arcee's voice brought his attention back to the group. "Treadhead was just asking - is there any truth to the rumours of massive ships being built at Kanex?" There was a twinkle in her optics, and Optimix knew she knew more than he about the ships under construction, but also that she wasn't supposed to know. She was one of the best network saboteurs the Autobots had, but few realised she kept her skills sharp by hacking Autobot networks in her spare time.
"Yes, there's. ships being built there," he confirmed for Treadhead. "Minutes from Council sessions suggest there's a colonisation boom about to be announced."
"That would be awesome to be part of," Treadhead replied wistfully. "Better than being shot at every time we explore a new part of the galaxy."
"Arcee, that Autobot with Ratchet, do you know him?" Optimix asked, forestalling any further questions and comments from Treadhead.
Arcee looked, and shook her head. "No. But I'm not up on everyone."
"That's Grimlock," Brawn offered from behind Optimix as he slammed someone else's arm down on the table. "He leads a security team that comes in through the docks now and then. I'm guessing they're bad flickers, 'cause their shuttles are always badly shot-up."
"Oh." As Optimix spoke, the one called Grimlock turned and stalked off into a gravlift, and Ratchet rejoined the group. "What was all that about?"
Ratchet sighed, looked at the crew of the Abraxas. "Sorry, gentlemen. And ladies," he added, glancing at Headcase and Stormwind, "but I won't be joining you on your next mission." There were a number of cries from the Autobots, calling for him to reconsider. He held up a hand, and they fell silent. "I'm sorry, guys, but orders are orders. I'm supposed to prep one of the Arks for launch."
"One of the ships at the Kanex dockyards?" Treadhead asked.
"Yes, one of those," Ratchet confirmed. "I'm to lead the medical contingent on Ark Secondus."
"Congratulations," Optimix managed before the crew of the Abraxas pushed him aside and demanded to (a) give up the plum new job and come back to their ship, and (b) when that failed, demanded to know who was taking Ratchet's place.
"Optimix!" Ratchet called before he was dragged off. "I've been asked to tell you to report to the Council chambers immediately! I'll be along as soon as I can. But - okay, okay, guys stop it! Fixit! Fixit!" Ratchet was hauled up a gravlift, apparently heading for the docks at the top of the Dome.
Optimix hesitated, and he felt Arcee's hand brush past his. "Do you want moral support for when they yell at you?" she asked.
"Thank you, Arcee, but. no," Optimix replied. He offered his apologies to those who remained, and left for his meeting. He knew it was going to be bad. Something told him it was going to be bad. He hadn't completed that filing, and that would be the whole reason he was being hauled in front of the Council now. He wasn't looking forward to it.
When he arrived at the Council chambers, the guards stepped aside for him, and the twin doors swung open. With a moment's hesitation, he stepped inside the darkened room. The doors shut behind him.
A single spotlight shone down from above into the centre of the room, and Optimix stepped into that. Perhaps a breem passed, in which time Optimix could hear muted conversation from the terraces above him, still cloaked in shadow.
When the lights did come up, Optimix saw there were only a dozen Elders present - not a full Council session, then. That was confusing; if he was to be reprimanded, the whole Council would have been present - failing that, then the members who sat on the Record Access Mainframe committee, and he didn't see half of those members.
"Do you know why you were brought here, researcher?" a single voice asked from above. Optimix didn't see who had spoken at first, but then a small mechanoid stood and started down to the central lectern that overlooked the floor where Optimix stood.
"No, Elder Spanner, I have not been made aware as to why I was asked to come here."
"Hmmph. We have need of you, researcher. I'm sure your friend told you he was to ship out on one of the Arks under construction at Kanex?" Spanner asked once he arrived at the lectern.
"Yes, he did," Optimix confirmed.
"That wasn't all we told him. The ship. also needs a commander."
Optimix paused while he processed that statement. The way it was parsed, it suggested Ratchet could be the commander of the ship. Ratchet, or. "Me, Elder Spanner? But I don't know how to command a ship!" Even to Optimix's audio sensors, that sounded lame. Of course he didn't know, but he could be programmed for it.
"We would not be sending a junior researcher off into the depths of space without backup." A wry smile ghosted across Spanner's face. "We're not that stupid or senile."
"Not yet," a voice from behind Optimix made him start. He turned, and saw Grimlock enter the room, the doors behind him closing silently. "This the mechanoid you entrusting me to? This weakling?"
There was anger in the tones from the tiers above the gallery, Optimix noted. This Grimlock apparently wasn't very popular in these halls. For some reason, that made him feel better about himself.
"Commander Grimlock," Elder Boltax cut through the murmurs and mutters with a voice like a broken circuitboard. "Your presence was not required, nor requested. You were to be seeing to the security contingent onboard Ark Secondus. You have little time to be making your presence known in these halls."
"Pardon me, Elder," Grimlock replied icily, somehow managing without obviously trying to coat the word 'Elder' in thick and contaminated oil. "Command of me and my troops is something I don't give lightly. When I was called for this mission, I reserved the right to have final say on my deployment."
"You -" Elder Boltax started, before Elder Spanner cut him off with a curt hand gesture.
"Grimlock, you would be there for the upgrade ceremony. We thought it best to have you meet then, to avoid any unpleasantness."
"That might be true, and the doc say he's solid, but I don't believe anything without seeing it first." Grimlock turned to Optimix, folded his arms across his broad chest, and stalked around the researcher. Optimix felt intensely scrutinised, internal systems registering broad sensor sweeps as well as the visual inspection, and after a completed circuit, Grimlock gave a muttered, "Huh, she was right," before stepping back from the spotlight. Once outside the cone of light, Optimix could only see him in the visual by the burning blue of his optics. Elder Spanner's voice jerked his attention away again.
"Does he meet your approval, Commander Grimlock?"
There was silence for a few ticks of the Council timepiece, then Grimlock gave a terse, "He fine," before turning and stalking out of the chambers.
"I'm so glad he's gone," Optimix heard Boltax mutter. Someone agreed with him - it sounded like Elder Maximus - but then Elder Spanner was back on track.
"Optimix, you have been selected to command the Ark Secondus. It was due to be the second vessel in our new armada to be launched for a new colonial effort, but there have been... unavoidable circumstances with Ark Primus, and we are having to launch Secondus first. Your name kept rising to the top of our selection lists." Again, Optimix thought he heard Elder Boltax muttering something disparaging, something he'd never heard from a member of the Council in all his vorns, but he thought perhaps he had some unknown system error; he'd have to have it checked when he left the chambers. "You will be given a full systems overhaul and upgrade. Programming on all issues you will experience will be uploaded into your personality matrix. Your new mission will be to oversee the construction efforts of the ship's crew and colonisation component on a planet just over two hundred and seventy one light-breems from this system. Once there, your first priority will be to start construction of an energon-refining facility - probe flybys show the world is rich in petrochemicals, and your ship's store of energon will not last forever. You will have a total complement of just over five thousand Transformers. Of those, approximately one thousand will be Autobots. Another thousand will be Judicators, nominally Autobots themselves in all but name. The rest will be a colonisation force of around three thousand neutral civilians."
"No Decepticons?" Optimix asked.
"No. We have... reason to believe they have begun their own colonisation project," Elder Spanner replied. "Once reformatted, you will be allowed to select your senior crew and fill out any as-yet unfilled positions. The only exceptions to these, as you may be aware, are Commander Grimlock, who will be heading an armed force under your command in case of issues with the civilians or Decepticons, or other hostile forms of life, and Ratchet, who I believe you know - he will be the chief mechangineering officer on the ship." Elder Spanner paused. "Do you understand this?"
"Yes, Elder," Optimix responded with a slight bow of his head. "But... Elder? If I may - why me? Why not someone with colonising or ship command experience?"
"Let us say, Researcher Optimix, that the Matrix has spoken and guided us in our moment of darkness," Elder Spanner returned with a small smile. With that, he gestured to the doors, and Optimix took that to mean the audience was over. As bade, he left the chambers. Not long after, the Elders gathered their belongings, and also left the chambers... all bar Elder Spanner.
Once the door was shut behind him, a figure moved, and stood up.
"Sentinel Prime," Spanner said aloud.
"He is the one," the Prime rumbled. "I can feel it."
"I was not comfortable speaking of the Matrix," Spanner continued. "He, like many of the others, no longer believe in it or our guiding light."
"It is no matter," Prime said, then sagged. A slight figure beside him helped him to stay upright.
"It is not good that you stress yourself," she said quietly. "What is coming will not be easy."
"It is not meant to be," the Prime said, equally as quiet. "I remember my time. Prime Nova said nothing. But you were there for me at the time I needed you. You were -"
"I was your Harbinger," she interrupted. "And I will be his, also."
The Prime shook his head as Spanner joined them on the floor of the gallery. "It is no longer enough. You can feel him grow stronger, as can I. But I suspect only you will face him."
"Are you all right, Prime?" Spanner asked.
Prime shook his two companions off, and pulled himself erect. It took an obvious effort, one which made his companion smile to herself. "I am as ready as I'll ever be," he said, then headed towards the upgrade facililty. Once he arrived, he saw Optimix strapped down to an engineering pod, mechanical arms darting in and out replacing machinery, upgrading strength, endurance, armour, motive capabilities... Sentinel Prime remembered this happening eons ago himself, to himself... but for different reasons. He found himself contemplative, and after a few breems, he realised his companion was with him again. He looked down at her, and she looked up.
"I am standing here, and there is nothing now that is stopping me except this brief... flimsy material of this door. And yet, I have come so far, but cannot take that final step. I am scared," he admitted. She smiled at him, and her hand found his. A brief squeeze, and something in his chest opened and filled him with confidence and power, renewed strength and vigor.
Her hand left his then, and she gestured at the room beyond. "Go," she said, and he stepped into the Light.
"Where... where am I?"
"You are in the upgrade core," Ratchet replied, helping his friend into a sitting position. He noted with little surprise that the former researcher was now much larger than himself, and similarly more powerful. "The process has finished."
"F... finished?"
"Yes," Ratchet said, "Now, arise Optimus Major. Your ship and crew await."
Optimus stood, unsteady while his neural processors ran through the systems upgrade list he'd been supplied with internally, and rewrote on the fly how to control his new body. After a few moments, his systems checked out, and he relaxed. Only then did he find something reflective in which to observe his new form.
"I'm... massive," Optimus said, dumbly.
"There is that, yes," Ratchet replied. "Also smarter, stronger, better armed."
"Armed? I was never armed before..." Optimus flexed a massive hand, opening it and closing it into a fist repetitively.
"You are an Autobot," Ratchet reminded him, "and now the commander of a colonisation vessel. Your crew will look to you for guidance and leadership. They will rely on your strength to inspire themselves to excel."
"I... I.. am speechless."
Ratchet guided Optimus towards the doors. "Come; the others want to greet you. And you have to pick your command crew."
"Yes... the Elders said I had to pick my senior staff..." Optimus' voice trailed off and he shook his head. "No, no, no - this isn't right. This - I'm a researcher, a historian! Ratchet -"
His old friend was reassuring, but firm. "Believe me when I say this has been coming for a long time. Believe me when I say you have been watched, waiting for the right opportunity. And that opportunity, that time - is now. You are the correct officer for this job. You are the... the one who was chosen." Ratchet stumbled over the last words, but Optimus didn't catch the hesitation.
"Ratchet..."
"You are going to go out there," Ratchet said, urging his friend towards the door, "and you are going to access your programming upgrades, integrate them into your personality core, and you are going to pick your staff and lead this crew. This is very important, Optimus. This time..." Ratchet's voice trailed off into silence.
"This time?" Optimus queried.
"It is not yet time to talk about such things," Ratchet finished, dimly. "But the time is coming. Soon. For now..."
"I get it, I understand," Optimus sighed, delaying movement long enough to be pushed out the door by his friend.
NEWS FEED DIRECT FROM KANEX:
[ATTACHED IMAGE - ARK SECONDUS SENIOR STAFF file ref666783hfy30111976
[REPORT GENERATED BY SLAMDANCE
[REPORTING ASSISTED BY SPINISTER
[IMAGES GENERATED BY REFLECTOR
[REPORT ASSOCIATED TO FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
...MILITARY BUILDUP AT KANEX-SLAMDANCE
...DECEPTICON VIEWPOINT:NETWORK SUBVERSION-SPINISTER
...DECEPTICON VIEWPOINT:DEEP SPACE RECON-SPINISTER
...AUTOBOT COLONIAL ESCALATION-SLAMDANCE
SLAMDANCE: We're live at the Kanex Fleetyards, where the Autobot Council of Elders have unveiled a project so secret, it has been causing controversy over the last eight vorns. It was announced twelve breems ago by Elder Spanner of the Council that the Autobots would be heralding a new age of exploration and colonisation. Such a colonial wave as had been planned has not taken place for at least one hundred thousand vorns.
SPINISTER: The last such "colonial" effort was also generated by the Autobots, early in their evolution, after using the resources previously abundant in the Teramax Canyon and draining the Caspid polar ocean to construct Iacon. The last actual colonisation attempt was the neutral civilian effort to cyberform Paradron. [HISTORY - PARADRON Rumours abound in Decepticon territories that at least one of these Ark vessels will be headed to Paradron to rape the planet of resources.
SLAMDANCE: Elder Spanner reported earlier this breem that the secrecy was being lifted due to wild speculation and an information war being waged by Decepticon sympathisers in the Prion Cluster regarding the Arks being designed as a first-strike weapon.
SPINISTER: The Arks, it should be noted, have a number of weapon systems that, while less in number than a standard warship, are directly tied to the transwarp reactors. The ships themselves, in a staggering waste of resources, contain a large amount of energon. Four main tanks, each capable of fueling the crew for 15,000 breems, are complemented by a series of smaller tanks throughout the ship. The transwarp system itself is designed to allow the vessel to travel 15,000 light breems with a minimal amount of temporal wake. In short, the ship is a stealthy design, able to transwarp from a distance with no advance warning and able to be used as a kinetic bomb, with energon able to cause intense firestorms around any planet.
SLAMDANCE: Despite Decepticon scare-mongering, the crew selected for this mission are anything but warriors. The ship is the second of the production run to be built, but first completed due to construction problems with the flagship, Ark Primus. The commander of Ark Secondus is Optimus Major, newly upgraded from researcher Optimix -
SPINISTER: A likely story - it is well-known among neutral states that Autobot special operations is hidden within the Iacon Knowledge Dome. This "Optimix" is nothing more than a spec-ops agent who's previous function would have included subversive activities in Decepticon territories.
SLAMDANCE: Newly upgraded from historical researcher Optimix from Iacon, and his senior staff. Next to him is the Chief Mechangineer Ratchet, recently returned on the Axalon. Also with them is Chief Tactical Operations Advisor, Prowl. A former Judicator, after the Ibnet invasion -
SPINISTER: The Ibnet reclamation, for those who may not have studied the subject, was the period in which the indiginous Decepticon population was assisted by Decepticons from Polyhex to reclaim the citystate, after continual abuse from Judicators.
SLAMDANCE: It was an invasion. And after this unprovoked invasion, Prowl was reassigned to duties in Ubik, then moved to Iacon to work with other former Judicators on tactical doctrine and theory. Beside him is Bumblebee -
SPINISTER: A known agitator, the instigator of the Polyhex blackout two vorns ago.
SLAMDANCE: Not everyone is a spy, you know. Not everyone on that ship is a spy.
SPINISTER: The Autobot behind Optimus Major is Grimlock, leader of a secretive sect rumoured to be warrior-priests. Grimlock himself has been recorded committing acts of aggression against Decepticons, neutrals, and on occasion, Autobot Elders. First recorded several million vorns ago, Grimlock is thought to have previously been a Decepticon, for the tactical knowledge and martial attitudes he displays.
SLAMDANCE: You mean, he's violent, aggressive, and very violent?
SPINISTER: Exactly.
SLAMDANCE: I give up. I'm asking for another assignment. I can't take this anymore.
SPINISTER: Coming up after this public service announcement for the Autobot territories of Iacon, Ubik and Polm, the launching of the Autobot spy ship...
Optimus stood uneasily on platform immediately outside the main entrance hatch to the ship behind them, while media mingled with Autobot Elders below them. Elder Spanner stood just off to the side of the command crew, having introduced the crew. He had given his speech, a stirring example of the words Spanner had used in his long life to push through needed reforms in the Council chambers, and then stepped aside for Optimus to continue.
And now the former researcher stood in front of a crowd, who seemed as bored as half his crew. Ratchet stood just behind him, Grimlock to the side of Ratchet, his large pulse rifle in hand swinging in a low arc from side to side as he scanned the crowd below, as well as the production facilities around them. Grimlock's security contingent were everywhere, weapons at the ready.
Ratchet's hand found its way to Optimus' shoulder. It was a reassuring weight, he thought, and Ratchet leaned forward slightly and murmured in a low tone, "Just be yourself. Believe me when I say the words will come."
Trusting his old friend, Optimus stepped forward. The low conversation in the crowd below silenced almost immediately, and looked up expectantly, waiting to hear these next words.
"This is an honour... I did not think I was due. The command of a starship is something that must be rigorously trained for, tested for. It is not something entrusted to one who has come from so low as I. Yes, we as a people can be reprogrammed. Our datacores can be updated with the information necessary to command, to direct, to action. But we are not all our programming. As a whole, we are so much more. Trillions of microscopic mechanical lifeforms, all living in harmony and unison. Lifeforms that add up to more than the sum of their parts. These influence us. We are a community within ourselves, and that community is as unable to be reprogrammed as is a piece of lifeless rock. I have been given the skills to command this mission, and yet I feel I am lacking in the capabilities to lead effectively."
There was a confused murmur from the crowd.
"I am uncertain. I have no experience to say, 'this course of action is better than the others,' or 'this is the point at which you give up,' or even 'this is the point at which I must take a stand.' So, with this in mind, I have selected a capable group of command officers, who have the skills I do not yet possess. Ratchet, my chief mechangineer, will also double as my first officer. His compassion and understanding have helped me many times in the past when I have faced personal crises of judgement. Grimlock brings a lifetime of security experience, from both areas with high and low levels of conflict. Prowl, a respected Judicator, brings experience with law and order, as well as the respect of the Judicators on board. Arcee is the best network systems engineer I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. There are others, but their skills and abilities will allow me to make the best informed decisions I possibly can."
Optimus paused for a few moments. He had everyone's attention now.
"This mission is like no other in living memory. Being the first of a new colonisation wave, spreading the life and vibrancy of Cybertronian culture to the stars, interacting with new and unexpected alien life forms, pushing forth the boundaries of knowledge... I am honoured to have been considered for this position. And while I do not think I deserved the honour, the fact remains I am now the commander of this vessel and her crew, and will act in the best interests of both to the best of my ability. My command crew will be best able to help me accomplish this, by telling me when I'm doing things wrong. By telling me when I'm doing things right. And by telling me where and how I can do things better."
"In short," Optimus concluded, "this mission will be a success, because I do not think there is a finer crew I could have to support me. The one major skill I had prior to this upgrade and position was historical research, and I have filed many reports based on the activities of these mechanoids. I know where they are strong, and likewise where I am weak; they are both avenues we can explore together in our time on this mighty vessel. Knowing these mechanoids in such ways, I have been doubly honoured in this breem. Command of a fine vessel, and command and support of a fine crew." With that, Optimus turned and strode up the ramp into the ship.
Taking his que, the other Autobots and neutrals on the podium turned and followed him. Arcee shot a look back at Cybertron, and muttered to Ratchet, "I so wish he hadn't picked me for this. This makes me way too high profile."
"All things happen for a reason," Ratchet said gently.
"Maybe so," Arcee muttered darkly, "but you're not the one facing assassination when we come back now, are you?" She shook her head in disgust and boarded. Ratchet eyed her from behind. After a moment, he realised Grimlock was standing behind him.
"She going to cause trouble?" the larger Autobot asked in a low voice.
"No," Ratchet replied. "She's young. And working in a dangerous field. I doubt our young friend knows half of what she gets up to. But his request... is already directed."
"That what worries me. His choices, already planned. Always hate that part of this." Grimlock, too, entered the ship.
Which left Ratchet. He gave Spanner a brief nod, then boarded, the ramp retracting behind him and the huge doors cycling shut with a resounding boom. It echoed with such finality that Ratchet was left feeling as if he'd never see Cybertron again. But he shook the negative feelings off, and headed for the bridge.
The world was very non-descript, to most of the Autobots who had previously travelled in space. An orgy of colour, form and sound on the surface, above the surface, even below the surface of the world Ark Secondus now orbited, and although it was new to Optimus Major, Grimlock and the others of the initial landing survey team had seen its like many a time before, and so were businesslike in their unloading of the shuttle.
Optimus stood still, allowing his sensors to attune themselves to their new world. Every breeze recorded, every burble of the nearby river flowing between the hills denoting the sides of the valley the shuttle had landed in listened to, every cry of a predatory avian lifeform stored. He watched, enthralled, as a communal group of four-legged organic creatures sprung from under a nearby canopy of vegetation before stopping and eyeing the Autobots warily and leaping back into their cover. Optimus tracked their progress with a careful audio sensor.
From behind, Grimlock paused, watching his new leader. It had been a thousand breems since the ship had left Cybertron, and Optimus hadn't shown much difference from his previous designation, Optimix. So far, he was mostly content to review reports from the safety of his office, catching up on work he had left uncompleted on Cybertron and spending a little time seeking council from Ratchet. He appeared afraid of Grimlock, something Grimlock fancied. It meant if the Major needed saving, Grimlock only had to bark and the meek mech would turn tail and scamper, like those small organics in the forest had moments earlier. But still, it wasn't what was wanted. Not what was needed. This mission would require a leader, a commander, someone forged in the fires of combat.
He wasn't saying Sentinel Prime was wrong. He'd worked with him far too often to think the Prime was mistaken about something such as this, but the Major needed experience, and he wasn't going to get it on this rockball. Internally, he gave a release of tension. At least he had come down from the ship to see this planet firsthand, and not experience it through virtual screens in his office. Leading from the front, even if only charging headlong into peacetime. It was a start. The way he was observing things as well, that was -
Grimlock paused, and dropped the crate he had been holding. Delicate electronics smashed, and he heard Cosmos and Scamper behind him scramble to pick up the crate and salvage anything that could be saved. He tweaked his optics, and cast a look skywards, but still couldn't see anything due to the glare on his protective visor. Shading it with a hand, he saw something. "About time," he muttered.
"Grimlock?" Optimus asked, turning to face him.
Grimlock pointed skyward. "There something else up there."
Optimus looked up himself, straining his optics before belatedly increasing his magnification and fine-tuning his resolution. "I can't see anything. Are you sure?"
"Positive," Grimlock replied, lowering his face. "Something in orbit of this world that's not us."
Optimus considered, taking a few moments longer than Grimlock would have preferred, before turning to Cosmos. "Cosmos, contact the others. Have them return here, now. Leave the cargo. Scamper, ready the shuttle for launch." Returning his attention to Grimlock, he asked, "Is there any chance of it being something we can take out with the shuttle?"
First sign of combat intelligence, Grimlock conceeded, asking his security advisor if a stupid idea was a good idea. "Shuttle's a 76-HAPS. Has weapon systems, more combat-ready than the 42-LAPS, but still not advisable against anything other than unarmed Decepticon crawler drone. We have 102-AAPS's on board Ark Secondus, but I think our best option is with Ark Secondus' primary weapons."
"Hmmm..." Optimus considered a few more moments while Grimlock waited, before deciding. "No. You're right, we'll go back to the ship and go from there."
The trip back to the mothership seemed to take forever. Grimlock was very aware of tapping out a drumbeat with his fingers, and let others think it was anticipation of battle rather than annoyance at how slow this was taking. Still, Scamper eventually led them into the primary shuttlebay on Ark Secondus, and with a few deft touches, the shuttle settled into a mount on one of the elevator shafts to the storage bay. The shuttle doors opened, and Optimus was the first out. Was he ready for battle? Itching for combat? Heading for the bridge?
But no, Prowl and Ratchet were standing near the elevator. Once the Autobots had exited the shuttle, the elevator's warning siren sounded, and it was taken belowdecks, while the Major stopped to confer with Prowl. "Grimlock spotted something in orbit," he stated, the nervousness almost not showing in his voice, but showing in the way his frame shifted from foot to foot.
"We haven't seen anything," Prowl responded, handing Optimus a datapad to view, "but we have been detecting some disturbing readings nearby."
"Why didn't you contact us to communicate this?"
"There has been a large solar flare, commander" Prowl explained. "Long-range cOmmunications are out and sensors are malfunctioning intermittantly."
Grimlock stepped forward into Optimus' sight line. "Major, this is good time for an attack. We blind, incommunicado. Unaware. Anything happens to us now, no one know."
Optimus shook his head. "But surely, there can't be Decepticons this far from Cybertron. They don't usually range so far. I mean, galactically-speaking, we're very close to Cybertron, but still, this planet was picked because the Decepticons tend not to come this far out in this direction."
Grimlock watced patiently until Optimus finished talking, then explained so simple a newly-generated AI nanobot could understand it, "Decepticons go lots of places we think they don't. Ships don't always make it back in one piece, or they work through client species. Sometimes, they even create accidents. And sometimes, ship captains lie to avoid problems with the Council. Bunch of flickers. They got everyone placated that Decepticons no threat; some are. Simple as that. And this ship, very tempting target. And now a natural communications blockage. Believe me, they are coming." Grimlock stepped away from Optimus and gestured to his approaching Dynamobots. "I suggest we all get ready for combat."
Before Optimus could retort, Arcee's voice flickered through the ship's commnet. "Alert! General alert! Mother's systems have detected a transwarp jump in the immediate vicinity! Drive signature is recording the vessel as IDC Ravager!"
Prowl lifted his wrist to his mouth and spoke into his comm. "Arcee, does Mother record the jump as terminal or outgoing?"
At the far end of the shuttlebay, the external doors exploded inwards. Two Autobots working on maintenance on the frames were lost immediately in an expanding bubble of superheated plasma, and another was hit by a huge chunk of the door, splicing her in two. Her legs jerked spasmodically, but Prowl couldn't see where her top half had gone. "Nevermind," he spoke into his comm while Arcee was double-checking her readings.
Another explosion shook the doors, and one of them blew inwards towards Optimus' group. However, Broadside was on the shuttle deck at the time, and blocked with his forearm, the huge thick sheet of metal riccocheting off to the side where it sliced into a wall. The ship juddered to one side with the impact, and the Ravager swung into view through the holes, still firing weapons at the Autobot vessel. But what depressed Optimus Major wasn't the sight of the small compact warship firing on his colony vessel, but the lines of Decepticon troops now reaching from the squat animal-like black ship and his own.
First in through the holes was Megatron, commander of the Ravager. His frame was larger than Optimus', and obviously built more for combat. Twin-linked chainguns at either side of his chest, a heavy plasma cannon mounted on his right arm, numerous tactical subsystems dotting his surface, and right now, everything on his body was targetted towards the Autobots. "Decepticons! Attack! Bring this ship down, and bring me the commander!"
With some small satisfaction, Megatron noted the Autobots almost as one turned and fled towards the doors from the shuttlebay. Among them, near one of the shuttle elevators, was Optimus Major. His red and blue colouration stood out from the others, and he smirked. This might be easier than expected. Or harder. Grimlock was there; of course Grimlock was there. And Grimlock and his troops were covering Major's retreat, so that meant this was going to be difficult. Megatron swore under his vocalisations.
Jetforms screamed past him. Skywarp paused for a few moments at Megatron's gesture. "Have you seen Starscream yet?" he asked.
Skywarp transformed into her robot form for a few moments before responding with a negative shake of her head. "No, commander Megatron. Starscream had been directing the troops from the launch bays when last I saw him. Do you want me to -"
Skywarp's sentence was interrupted by Starscream's arrival. He also transformed, his alternate mode almost as large as Megatron's. "Commander Megatron. All troops accounted for. Shockwave is standing on station with the skeleton crew, and advises if you require back-up, he stands ready to assist."
"Excellent," Megatron replied. "You nearly missed all the fun," he continued, gesturing at the shuttlebay, where Decepticon jetforms were strafing the still-scurrying Autobots. Broadside, notably, was using his massive body to shield numerous smaller Autobots, including Optimus Major, as they escaped down side passages, sealing the doors shut behind them.
"Oh Megatron, you know me," smirked Starsrceam. "I wouldn't miss this moment for all the energon left on Cybertron."
Grimlock stood up from where he had smashed open the door controls and yanked the locking mechanism. "That won't hold them for long."
"Seal the doors!" Optimus said from behind. "We have to hold them out of the living areas. We have too many neutrals on board to allow that to happen!"
There was a particularly loud, but muffled, explosion from behind the doors, and the ship reverberated again with the collapse of something large on the other side. A few seconds later, Optimus could hear shooting again, and thumps of explosions and physical impacts, on the other side of the doors.
"Sorry, commander, but it's too late now. They're already coming through."
There was a brief interval when Grimlock thought Optimus would charge the doors, rip them open, and throw himself to death in the shuttlebay, but that passed, and Optimus instead helped pick up some of the wounded, headed deeper into the ship.
"What do we do now?"
Ignoring Grimlock for a moment, Optimus opened a comm line to Arcee. "Is Mother still secure?"
"Mother is," Arcee replied. "Soundwave's not up to my skills. Least, not with Autobot networks. Do you have a plan? We're taking on a few Decepticon troops, and with Grimlock and Prowl down with you, we've got no one up here to direct a counter-offensive."
"I have some different orders, Arcee, and it's going to take all your skill to make sure it's not detected and not countermanded."
"Okay..."
Grimlock didn't hear the rest, due to the bulkhead doors behind them blowing open to focussed Decepticon firepower. Slinging Windcharger over his shoulders, he turned and fired several times down the corridor, into the billowing smoke and vapour from the door, his Dynamobots doing likewise. Snarl and Sludge stepped in between him and the door, firing while they backtracked with Grimlock.
"You want me to fly where?" Arcee exploded over the comms.
"And then meet us in the Central Plaza," Optimus repeated, before closing the comm line on Arcee's angry squawk. He turned to the other Autobots, and gestured ahead of him. Autobots! Retreat to the Plaza! We'll hold the line there!"
Was this some kind of divine revelation? But no, Grimlock decided, it was more likely that Major thought it, being an open space with more room to spread out in, would be an easier place to defend. "That's madness!" he shouted. "The Plaza is open, little cover to be had! It much easier to protect the ship - to fight here!"
Major gave him a look that might have broken a soldier who didn't know he was still new to this, still unsure, still scared. A little minibot playing fully-upgraded. "We won't be doing any fighting, soldier," Major blurted. "It's time to end this. Our way." Then he turned, helping injured Autobots and civilians along, disappearing into smoke at the end of the corridor.
"Great," Grimlock muttered, "more talking."
Optimus stepped into the Central Plaza. Usually, this was full of life, light and colour, a bazaar showing the various nationalities of the peoples onboard Ark Secondus. But with combat ongoing, Mother had diverted power from the holodisplays and environmentals into structural integrity fields and engines. The ship gave a shudder as Major stepped across the threshold. He glanced upwards at the ceiling. Normally, this showed the outsides of the ship. Running along the central forward spine of the ship, the Plaza was exposed to space, enclosed by strong transparent alloys and overlapping energy fields in case of structural failure. The ceiling gave a low moan, metal under huge stress. "Please Mother, hold together," he offered to the mainframe.
Behind him, Grimlock entered, tossing Windcharger to a nearby mechangineer. "Here?"
"Here, and no further," Optimus agreed.
"Right! Sludge, Snarl, barricades here, here and there," Grimlock pointed. "This is our containment point. This is where we hold. This is where the Decepticons to not get past!" He reached out and grabbed a passing Autobot. "Get me a bigger gun."
Across the ship, separated from Optimus and his group, Ratchet stumbled towards the engineering bay. He knew, once the attack was repelled, there would be casualties, and he would need to be in the engineering bay to direct the various damage control teams. Ark Secondus heaved beneath him, and he was flung into a wall. "Steady now, Ratchet, steady," he said to himself, before pushing himself to his feet. He could hear the structure around him groaning under pressure, and the wall beneath his hand didn't feel very steady, either. Perhaps, he decided, it wasn't a good idea to be headed down this corridor. It ran along the edge of the ship, and it felt like it was under some intense pressures from outside. Something had gone wrong. He'd passed a cross-corridor a few steps back, that headed into an area that had more structural reinforcing, and would be safer, whatever was coming, so Ratchet turned around -
- at the same time Brawl exited the corridor. For a moment, Autobot and Decepticon regarded each other in shock, then Brawl's faceplate gave the imitation of a smirk. "Just how I like my Autobots. Weak, defenceless, alone."
Before Brawl could fire, there was a loud groan to Ratchet's right, and then an even louder crack. Ratchet managed to get out an "Oh de-" before part of the primary load-bearing strut for this section snapped loose from its connection to the outer hull, and smashed downwards and sideways, smashing him into the wall. There wasn't a lot left for Brawl to shoot, seeing as he could only see feet and an arm protruding around the sides of the huge beam, so he stepped back, a little shocked and embarrassed. Perhaps he could still claim this kill? Still, the unstable ship made him worried. He chuckled nervously as he stepped back down the corridor he'd entered from, before an explosion ripped out of the floor and temporarily overloaded his neural processors.
The Central Plaza was awash with light again, and sounds, but not the happy sounds from the bazaar. Instead, explosions and weapon discharges washed through the open area, and smoke wafted throughout, obscuring target locks on missiles and scattering the beams on lasers. Plasma bolts created interesting whirls and patterns in the smoke, before evaporating armour and internal subsystems and creating more smoke to obscure and confuse.
From the direction of the bridge, Arcee arrived in her vehicular form. Springing off her back tyre, she transformed and took up a place at the central barricade beside Optimus, who was using his new considerable firepower to try and keep Megatron in check. Arcee also picked him out as a target, and snapped off a few well-aimed shots that nonetheless splattered harmlessly off his armour. "I did what you asked me to! Now, will you tell me why you had me set a collision course?"
From the other side of Optimus, Grimlock's attention perked up. Collision course? Maybe he did have the right mechanics.
From the next barricade over, Starscream also heard this as he dismembered an Autobot.
"Ark Secondus and her secrets cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Decepticons. And, likewise, this world and its petrochemical deposits cannot be allowed to be used and abused by citystates allied to that cause. Either way," Optimus concluded as Megatron stepped from the doorway into the Plaza fully, "this has to end, now."
Starscream looked from Optimus, to Megatron, and then the door behind Megatron. A split-second of hesitation, but the news about the ship crashing, that was all he needed to hear. A quick glance at the transparent ceiling, and the first flickings of flame licking over the edges was all Starscream needed to see. He transformed quickly, and shot down the corridor they had arrived through, racing for the shuttlebay.
Megatron's head turned to follow, even as Skywarp yelled, "Commander! Where are you - wait for me!" Moments later, she had transformed and followed Starscream into the clouds of smoke and steam in the corridor.
"Where are they going?" Megatron mused.
"Dunno," Thundercracker replied from behind Megatron, using his leader as a shield to fire around. Megatron returned his attention to the Autobots firing at him.
Almost as if on cue, Mother reported over the comm lines. "Warning. Deep vehicular storage bay removed. Engine 3 failure. Engine 4 failure. Engine 1 failure imminent. Fuel systems disrupted. Defence networks down. Computer core damaged. Attempting to reroute -"
"No," Megatron breathed, then turned to look at Optimus, before turning to the front of the Plaza. Through the transparent metal ceiling, he could see the planet now, much, much closer than it should have been. Flames burnt across the surface, and the ship shuddered and shook, bucking and almost causing him to lose his footing. Stresses groaned through the decking, and he saw the metal at the end of the Plaza start to buckle.
Starscream made it to the shuttlebay, and could see the flames of re-entry flowing around the edges of the blasted-in external doors. Outside, he could see Ravager, following the ship, but keeping just outside the atmosphere to be safe. "Only have moments," Starscream yelled to himself, urging more response out of his engines. "Only have moments! Have to survive!"
Skywarp followed. "Commander, what - what's -" But before she could finish, explosions ripped the Ravager apart in the distance, and the shockwaves from the engine core's detonation reached out and flipped Ark Secondus off it's nicely-planned re-entry crash curve, and plunged it deeper into the atmosphere.
The two Decepticon jets didn't notice Broadside's body falling from the back of the ship, even as they were dashed into the ceiling and then smashed into the decking.
Megatron kept his footing, and Optimus only kept his since Megatron had him around the neck with a big hand and was squeezing. While the grip itself wouldn't terminate Optimus' functions, much more of a grip, and his head would pop right off. A recoverable injury, to be sure, but in the meantime, he would lose much in the way of important fluids and mobility. "What have you done?" Megatron shouted at him.
Calmly in the face of certain death, Optimus replied, "Exactly what I had to," before the front of the Plaza gave way to atmospheric stresses and caved in, plasma roiling through the open area, melting, scorching and vapourising those closest to it, the compression wave smashing the others towards the rear wall of the Plaza before the plasma could melt them. The wave dissipated, but only moments before it was all over.
From the outside, the coastal scene was quiet. Then, there was a screaming. Something large and heavy, hot and fiery passed overhead, causing spontaneous fires to explode in its path.
In the distance, a volcano bisected its travel. There was a huge explosion, and moments later, the shocked volcano shudder and gave an eruption, before everything calmed down.
Time passed.
Animals and vegetation came and went. Eventually, an egotistical animal settled the area. Within a far shorter timespan than was normally expected of such things, they developed internal combustion engines, wireless communications, ranged weapons.
And then, the egotistical animals developed atomic weapons...
TO BE CONTINUED...