The Transformers are property of hasbro.
This fanfic is based on the g1 Cartoon and the Transformers Marvel comics. It will play in the Cartoon continuity. The fanfic will follow the seasons 1-3 of the cartoon show but ignore rebirth. My biggest problem with the three partner? Why in the world are the Decepticons trying to blow Cybertron up after they conquered it? Galvatron don´t longer seems insane, he was even rational enough to negotiate with Zarak as he had to. And even if he would have been, why is everybody getting along with the plan? This don´t seem to be insanity but simply bad writing. So I ignore that episode.
Authors note: During the last months I have overworked several parts of this story and added several parts to it, especially in the second half.
Transformers: Time Circle
Chapter 1: Prologue
It was in the earth-year of 2005 as many Autobots, one of them their leader Optimus Prime, had died in the battle for Autobot city.
At the same time Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, was badly wounded during his fight against the Autobot Prime and like so often before he ended up being betrayed by his Second in Command Starscream. Who abandoned him, threw him damaged into space, to die.
A short time later Unicron appeared, a monstrous being with unknown heritage and hostile intentions.
He rebuilt Megatron and the Decepticon troops who were abandoned along with him and gave them new lives and new forms. But he also enslaved them and used them to his own agenda.
Unicron´s finale attack nearly caused the destruction of Cybertron and it shattered the Decepticons on the planet.
The Autobot Hotrod however was able to use the mysterious Matrix of leadership to destroy Unicron. As a result of the battle the Decepticons lost Cybertron and the Autobots used the chance to take over the planet.
Galvatron was missing in space again. Both sides of the war had been decimated. But the Autobots used their chance to rebuild.
For the Decepticons on the other hand the loss of Cybertron caused a chain reaction that made them temporally loose the entire war. Their best troops were scattered in space after the hasty retreat. Without their leader and Cybertron as center of their empire the remaining strongholds were disorganized and could easily be conquered by the Autobots.
xxx
One year later however a alien race named the Quintessons provided the Decepticons with new energon and allied themselves with them for a attack on Cybertron.
Galvatron´s new Second in Command Cyclonus had even earlier organized an rescue mission and found the Decepticon leader. But he was driven insane through Unicron´s manipulations and because he had fallen in a sea of molten plasma after the last battle.
Still the Decepticons and their allies were able to destroy the defence system of the Autobots on Cybertron and the Ark, one of their main bases on earth.
But the Quintessons betrayed the Decepticons and tried to destroy all Transformers.
The war was continuing for another year, now with two fronts.
Galvatron´s level of insanity seemed to decrease somewhat over time, but was still present for the most of the year.
In another attempt to destroy the Autobots the Quintessons were rebuilding Optimus Prime, originally as a mindless zombie, to let his old comrades into a death-trap. But his personality re-emerged and he and his successor Rodimus were able to save the Autobots.
A short time later a terrible plaque appeared. This powerful and dangerous epidemy drove it´s victims insane and spread over the entire galaxy.
To stop this new threat the Quintessons were finally forced to restore Optimus Prime completely. He was able to wipe the so called "Hate Plaque" out, by opening the Matrix a second time. It´s knowledge and power however was seemingly lost in the process.
It was the beginning of the year 2007.
xxxxxxx
Galvatron walked towards the three Autobots Optimus, Hotrod and Kup. It was true, he and them had teamed up earlier to stop the Hate Plaque. But they didn´t know how he would react now.
They had been working together out of common interests, like their two sides did often before. This alliances however ended in principle very quickly when the problem was solved.
In this case however the Decepticon leader was surprising them.
"There will be no war today Optimus Prime, you have earned Galvatron´s respect," he declared.
He offered his hand to the Autobot Prime and Optimus took it. A temporally ceasefire, that was it what he was offering them.
The Autobots didn´t have peace like they always wanted, but at least a truce for the time being.
Galvatron then flew off into the sky, followed by Cyclonus and the Sweeps, who transformed into their jet modes and the Predacons.
After the Decepticons had left, Optimus gave the well known command,
"Transform and roll out."
xxx
They drove back to Autobot city. As their convoy came close to the base they saw Ultra Magnus approaching them, behind him some of the other robots stationed at the place. The Autobot second in command transformed into robot mode and made a disbelieving face.
"Optimus?" he managed to bring out, "is that really you? Are you really back this time?" Magnus looked in Hotrod´s and Kup´s direction.
"It´s him Magnus," Hotrod stated happily. "It is no trick this time."
Magnus looked now back at Optimus, who said in a somewhat held back tone.
"Yes. Yes I guess this time I am truly back for good. It is good to see you old friend."
The last time Optimus had returned from the dead it turned out that he was a zombie, programmed by the Quintessons. So it was no wonder a few people, even Optimus himself sometimes, were a bit insecure.
Now Ultra Magnus pulled his friend and leader into an embrace. It was a really strange sight, the two giant fighting machines hugging each other in a friendly manner.
Optimus saw his old lieutenant Jazz, who welcomed him in nearly the same way as Magnus did and the human Spike, who came as his driver.
"Jazz, I am happy that you are here," the Autobot leader greeted him.
"Spike." He nodded to the human.
"Optimus I´m glad that you are back. I only wish it was under better circumstances." Spike looked behind himself at the mostly destroyed Autobot city. Insane Transformers had been marauding there for days.
"It was our luck that you were able to short-circuit Metroplex before he began to ran amok too, Rodimus. You did a good job," Ultra Magnus said, looking at Hotrod.
"Thank you. But I have really enough of being leader, at least Commander of all Autobots. We have the right bot for this anyway."
This statement from the younger Prime was met with applause from everybody around.
"We will repair autobot city, as we will rebuild everything that had been destroyed on Earth and Cybertron," Optimus announced." His words caused even more applause.
xxxxxxxx
The Decepticons had arrived back on Chaar. Galvatron looked at his assembled troops. He told the Constructicons to check the damage to their base. Then he addressed his Second in Command.
"Cyclonus, tell Soundwave to contact every Decepticon who is not on Chaar right now and send someone to bring them back."
"Yes Galvatron," he replied.
Then the Second in Command turned around and addressed their Communication Officer.
"Soundwave are you able to make contact with everybody who is not here right now?"
"Yes Cyclonus," the communication expert answered after less than two seconds. "All units are responding," he said after a few moments.
"Ask them if they are still operational."
"Causalities none; irreparable damage none; light, middle and two cases of heavy damage," Soundwave reported in his usual monotonous way.
The Second in Command nodded.
"Good, take Astrotrain and all currently operational shuttles and go to retrieve them," he ordered.
xxx
Cyclonus was now entering the throne room along with Galvatron.
The nearly ever faithful Decepticon looked at his leader, the being he had been following loyally for now two lives.
When Galvatron had become insane during the last year Cyclonus had sometimes refused orders, disagreed with his leader in front of the troops, even tricked him into going to a planet that was actually a mental asylum to cure his madness.
It later turned out to be a trap and probably his greatest mistake. But despite that he had always acted ultimately in Galvatron´s best interest or at least it had been his intention.
Except in the last days, as the plaque had him. He wasn´t himself. Not responsible for his actions. Just like Galvatron hadn´t been all this times in the past, he realized. He didn´t know what to say.
"Mighty Galvatron, I…" he tried to say something.
"Cyclonus can you feel it?" This question surprised him. Then he started to check his systems. It was gone, he realized.
"Yes Galvatron, I do," he answered.
When they had been rebuilt by Unicron two years ago he placed various programs into their systems. Programs designed with the purpose to manipulate and rearrange their minds and personalities.
A certain change of personality was normal for a Transformer with a new body, at least to some degree. New circuity, a new appearance and skills, all this is leading to different thinking and behavior.
This programs on the other hand had the sole purpose to bend their minds over time to Unicron´s will, to make them his puppets.
It was more than simply software. They were an extension of Unicron himself, small microscopic pieces of his mind that were slowly trying to take them over, to change them into what he had truly wanted, creations of his design.
The corrupting programs were deactivated when the planet destroyer´s body exploded. But they were still there, lying dormant in them, until now.
They were gone, erased.
"Unicron´s manipulations are removed from us now," Galvatron explained. "The last bits of the madness that plagued me for so long are also gone."
Cyclonus was surprised, normally nobody even talked about the insanity in Galvatron´s presence out of fear of his reaction. Now he brought it up himself
"The Matrix has cured me. I am, no we are…" the Decepticon leader, "… finally completely free of him."
He smiled. For the first time for long, Galvatron was truly something that one could call happy.
"Who had thought, that the Matrix and the Autobots will be the cause of this?"
"In some sense they have saved us," Cyclonus agreed, "from Unicron and the Hate Plague. Even if they did it to save everyone else to. What do you plan now my lord? Are you going to hold the ceasefire with the Autobots for a longer time, giving both us and them the chance to rebuild?"
That was in many senses a reasonable idea and beside that Cyclonus was someone who lived by his personal honor code.
In his eyes the Autobots should have the chance to recover from the damage the plague had caused to them. And besides, it would also give the Decepticons the same chance as well.
His leader´s signs of insanity had already been decreased drastically in the last months and now it seemed he was completely back to normal.
It felt good to have a reasonable commander again, he admitted.
Galvatron´s true self, he knew, was very close to his own way of thinking. This was if he was honest one of the reasons for his loyalty.
The true Galvatron, the leader who had always existed beneath the layer of insanity, was someone with many traces that he admired, someone he respected and had tried to live up to in the last months.
But that was not everything. Megatron had once saved his own former self from a terrible and senseless existence and gave his life a sense, back then when he had been disregarded and thrown away the first time.
"Yes Cyclonus, I will keep a truce with the Autobots for some time. And I have my own plans that will come to fruit," the Decepticon leader said.
"Let them have their time of peace," Galvatron stated. "Soon they will loose this war once and for all."