Early 2010, behind the Quintesson border

Boom, boom, boom...

Quintesson scientists darted about their laboratory, their tentacles spasming and waving in the air like reeds in a whirlwind. Two Judges floated amongst them, their faces looking all around at once. "How did the Autobots find out about this installation?" one asked, its Rage face speaking.

One of the scientists spoke up, its own voice even more high-pitched than usual. "We don't know! The utmost secrecy was used in the building and maintaining of this place!" He floated over to a table and the one of the primary experiments in the room. A tentacle reached out and pulled a lever down. "We must secure our research and materials, or all of this will be for nothing!"

The entire room shook. Small chunks of the ceiling rained down, smashing vials and spilling iridescent liquid all over the floor. An Executioner glided in on repulsors built into its feet. "Our defense fleet in orbit has been smashed. Autobot and human soldiers have landed just outside the base defenses and are advancing rapidly. Our Sharkticons are being wiped out."

The Scientist turned to the Executioner. "Impossible! The new upgrades and sheer numbers should have been enough to stem their advance! Why aren't they working?!"

The room shook. The main lights dimmed and turned off. Emergency lighting clicked on, but it flickered. "I do not know, but the fact remains. We will soon be overrun. And when they discover what we have done here, they will be merciful if they simply kill us."

Impactor rolled along, his Cybertronian-style tank mode belching plasma and firing off missiles at anything in front of him. "Stupid scrapping squidheads," he muttered. "Ultra Magnus' informant better be right about this!"

Several Sharkticons rushed him from his left flank, while others charged at him from the front. He managed to blow apart three of the ones directly in front of him, but they quickly surrounded him and began striking him with their maces. Impactor quickly transformed to robot mode, slicing at them with his hook-hand and continually firing from his main plasma cannon, now mounted on his right shoulder. While more Sharkticons were blown into small bits of debris, two of the Sharkticons grabbed his left arm, while three more pounced on his back. "Scrap you!" he shouted, managing to yank his arm free. The three behind him, however, managed to maintain their grip while others surrounded him. "Glitching upgrades..."

One of the Sharkticons suddenly toppled back, its head blown apart and orange smoke pouring from its neck stump. A soldier of the Earth Defense Command flew into the fray, clad from head to toe in blue-colored power armor. A rather large heavy laser cannon mounted to her waist spat a continuous stream of energy at the Sharkticons while her jetpack and shin-mounted maneuvering thrusters kept her out of their reach. A dozen more soldiers appeared, swarming over the Sharkticons like mechanical locusts. They targeted joints, their heads and any gaps in the armor with pinpoint accuracy. The ones grabbing Impactor's back let go, but they stood there, mouths open in confusion. One of them finally pulled a laser rifle out of a compartment in his bulbous body, but the arm, along with most of his upper torso, was blown apart by massed laser and missile fire.

Impactor half-smiled and nodded as the last of the Sharkticons were destroyed. He focused on the soldier wielding the heavy laser cannon who arrived first and accessed her armor's IFF transponder. "Thanks for the assist, Sergeant Carlo."

Chief Master Sergeant Verity Carlo grinned behind her faceplate, but she straightened up and saluted Impactor. "Not a problem. My squad and I were just passing through." The young Latino turned and looked down the battlefield at their main target, the Quintesson compound. "Whatever's in there better be worth a direct assault instead of just flattening it from orbit."

Impactor's optic sensors focused on the small cluster of onion-shaped domes and tapering spires a mile away. Their main shields had failed, but backups still cast a patchwork protection over it. Several laser batteries and pillboxes spat withering fire into the air, but almost as many were little more than smoking ruins. Scattered groups of Sharkticons and Allicons attacked anything that moved on the battlefield, but were being surrounded and cut down. Impactor thrust his hook out and pointed it at the compound. "Well, I'm curious, too. Let's say we knock the front door down and take a look." He strode forward. "Come on! Time to Wreck and Rule!"

The soldiers formed up alongside Impactor. Verity glanced up at him. "W-wait, does this mean we're honorary Wreckers?"

One of the others slapped his helmet with his gauntleted hand and slowly dragged it down his faceplate. "Jeez, Sarge. Can't you keep your fangirlism in check just once?"

"Stow it, O'Nion! We've got Sharkticons to gut. Wreck and Rule!"

Impactor grabbed a Sharkticon by the head and slammed it into the ground. He, fellow Wreckers Roadbuster and Springer, and soldiers from the Earth Defense Command were fighting just outside one of the largest domes. Bits and pieces of Sharkticons were scattered all around, along with more than a few crushed and mangled Quintessons.

Roadbuster's laser rifle blew apart two Allicons and he made his way to the dome's main doors. He glanced back at Springer as he disemboweled a Sharkticon with his helicopter blade. "Admit it," Roadbuster said, "this is better than doing paperwork back at the embassy on Earth."

Springer kicked the sparking chassis away and turned to Roadbuster. "Quite honestly? No, it's not. I could do with racing around with Blurr and Arcee or fishing with Hot Rod. Scrap, I don't even mind the paperwork. Beats fighting, that's for sure!"

Several squadrons of EDC heavy fighters soared overhead. Impactor's comm system activated. "Skull One to ground forces; aerial superiority has been achieved."

Impactor walked up to the main door and looked it over. "Trilithium-steel, heavy hydraulics, the works."

Verity looked the fifty-foot tall double-doors over and let out a low whistle. "O'Nion might be able to hack the interface and-"

Springer stabbed the central seam with his sword, sinking it halfway in. He twisted it back and forth, shimmying a small gap open and allowing Impactor and Roadbuster to each grab a side. Their fingers dug into the metal as they pushed it open, the hydraulics screeching.

Verity stood there, jaw working a bit before she could finally speak. "O-or you could just do that." She looked away, cheeks red. "Damn, I forgot how strong you guys could be, sometimes."

Springer turned back and knelt down in front of her. "As Wreck-Gar would say, we all ate our Wheaties today." He stood back up, laser cannon now in his other hand. "Stay close. We don't have any idea what – "

"Oh, NO! They're in! They'll kill us all!"

Springer's optics blinked off and on. "Okay..." He, Impactor and Roadbuster rushed in, weapons at the ready. He stopped short as his optic sensors took in the contents of the room. "Dear Primus!" He grabbed the nearest Quintesson with one hand and jabbed at it with his sword. "What in the name of the Allaspark have you done?"

The human soldiers spread out a bit, most of them aiming their weapons at any and all Quintessons. Verity approached one of the slabs. "My god," she said, eyes widening.

Computer banks lined three of the four walls, Scientists huddled up against them. The fourth wall had four slabs jutting out of them, each one with a monitor hanging above it. On the slabs lay the barely-recognizable bodies of four Autobots; Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn and Prowl. Killed in 2005, their bodies had been placed in the Autobot Mausoleum for their eternal rest, at least until the Quintessons had raided it to partially resurrect Optimus Prime and turn him against his friends. During those events, the Mausoleum and all interred there had thought to be lost – until now.

Impactor slowly walked up to one of the slabs and looked down on the inert form of Ironhide. His optics were burning a bright crimson, and his mouth was peeled back in rage. He turned to the Scientists near the computer banks and his shoulder-mounted plasma cannon twitched. He slowly walked over to them, his hook-hand spinning. "Get the Rough and Ready on the horn. I need Brainstorm and Mainframe down here and I need them here yesterday. I also need a real-time connection to Iacon. And finally, get me something or someone to skewer."

Iacon, the High Council Pavilions

Optimus Prime, Elita One, Kup, Jazz, Silverbolt and Ultra Magnus all gathered together in the Main Council Chamber, the heart of the Autobot government. Optimus Prime glanced up towards a viewscreen mounted in the far wall as he sat down. "Any more news?"

Elita One shook her head. "Just what we know before; that it has to do with Impactor's raid behind Quintesson lines." She looked across the table to Ultra Magnus. "What did your informant tell you about where Impactor went?"

Ultra Magnus held up a hand. "I told Impactor all my informant told me. I wouldn't hold anything back and risk endangering anyone's functioning." He leaned back. "Although this time he was rather cryptic. All he gave me were the coordinates of the solar system the base was at and that it was something we needed to find."

Any further discussion was cut off as the viewscreen brightened, quickly resolving itself into a staticky image. Impactor dominated the center of the screen, blocking out most of the background. To Impactor's left stood the scientists Brainstorm and Mainframe. The pair was huddled together and quietly conversing amongst themselves.

Impactor's optics brightened. "We transmitting, Push-Button? We are, okay. Iacon, this is Impactor. Copy?"

Jazz spoke up. "We read you, Impactor. Maybe not too clearly, but sure as heck loudly. What's the 411 on your little party?"

Impactor glanced behind him and spoke. "Sorry to dredge up bad memories, but I have to ask." He looked forward once more. "Optimus, you remember four years ago, when the Quintessons stole you from the Mausoleum and partially rebuilt you?"

Optimus's optics brightened. "I... remember, Impactor, when they used me in death to harm those I loved in life. What are you..." He leaned back as the full implication of Impactor's question hit him. He slowly rose, clenched a fist and slammed it into the table, denting it. "By the Allspark, they didn't!"

Impactor bowed his head and stepped aside. Brainstorm and Mainframe stepped forward, but the four slabs and their occupants were visible to all. The two scientists exchanged a glance before Brainstorm finally began speaking. "T-the Quintessons took the bodies of Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet and Brawn when they m-modified you. It appears they've been using them as testbeds for enhancing their Sharkticon and Allicon armies."

Arcana, Brainstorm's Headmaster partner, continued. "According to the datatrax we've decrypted, they were trying to replicate Ironhide's armor and Brawn's strength. They were using Ratchet's vast medical database to try and glean weaknesses in our chassis, and Prowl's battle computers and tactical simulators were being run through simulated battles and maneuvers."

Ultra Magnus finally spoke up. "What's their condition?"

Mainframe turned around and walked up to the foot of the slabs. "Well, there's good news and bad news. All four of their laser cores have been restarted and are working stably. Prowl's been completely repaired and his brain module's functioning at one hundred percent. Ratchet, too, is in similar shape, although he's in deep stasis lock. Ironhide and Brawn, however, are not doing so well. Their autonomous functions are working properly, but beyond autonomic functions, their brain modules have been in cold shutdown for nearly six years, and their bodies have undergone extensive and almost brutal testing. They're alive, but I'm not sure when they'll go online again, if ever."

Kup slowly shook his head. "Just as heinous as before. I swear, I'm getting too old for this."

Optimus sat back down, hunched over the table. "Impactor, how much has survived?"

Impactor straightened up. "The squidheads were trying to purge their computers when we broke in, but we stopped them dead in their deleting. Mainframe and Brainstorm think they can recover just about everything. As for their victims, we should be able to get them to Cybertron."

"And the Quintessons?"

Impactor stared straight ahead. "No survivors among them, Optimus. They put up a fierce resistance and we had no choice but to use lethal force. A... shame about it."

Kup's optic sensors narrowed. "Kid, I'm old, but not even I'm that old."

Optimus slowly sat back down. "We'll save that for later, Kup. We have more pressing issues at hand. Impactor, is it safe to transport them back to Cybertron?" At his nod, Optimus glanced to the others sitting there. "Any objections or concerns?"

Jazz spoke up. "Probably not a good idea to leave the Quintessons anything to salvage. Take anything that's not screwed down, then get screwdrivers, crowbars and cutting torches for anything that is."

Elita One crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "I also suggest orbital bombardment after they've pulled out, just to make sure there's nothing left for them." She looked over at the others. "Any objections?"

At their silence and shakes of their heads, Optimus focused on the viewscreen. "Very well, then. Impactor, your first priority is the Quintessons' victims. After that, any data storage device, computer, sensor or whatever. Get everything that you can. After that, leave them nothing to salvage. But above all else, Impactor, bring them home." He looked to his right. "And Ultra Magnus, I'd have a talk with your informant if I were you."

Here's another prequel/side-story to 'The Elements of Harmony and the Savior of Worlds'. :) Thanks to Space Battles forum member IRUn for the idea and permission to write.