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A Transformers: Armada Story
By William Rendfeld
The Earth, a shimmering sphere in the void of space. A shining blue world, teaming with life and energy. Unbeknownst to the majority of its inhabitants, the human race, they are no longer alone. The Transformers have arrived.
In the mountains near Portland, Oregon, a yellow sports car roared into a large clearing, its markings leading one to believe that it was headed towards a mountain climbing accident. This was not the case, however, as the car rolled towards Mt. Saint Hilary, an active volcano and the point where an adventure began less than a week prior.
As the car continued, its lone occupant continued to see nothing in the distance, only to be greeted by a large vessel seeming to appear out of nowhere. The massive ship, a light gold against the earthen brown and green around it, towered over the landscape, almost making one fear who or what was within its confines.
The car halted not far away from the ship, and allowed its one occupant to exit; Diana Masters, a simple school teacher. "This is your ship?" she asked. "Somehow I thought it'd be bigger."
"The Ark shuttle isn't much, I'll give you that, Ms. Masters," the car replied as it shifted and changed into the familiar shape of the Autobot warrior Hot Shot. "But stealth is the bigger concern right now, and a smaller ship's a lot easier to hide than a bigger one."
Diana nodded her head in understanding. "That makes sense. So, how about we get this tour started?"
Hot Shot nodded, then knelt down, extending his hand to allow Diana to climb on. She did so, and quickly found herself deposited on his left shoulder as the large robot walked up towards the shuttle, its primary hatch opening to allow them entry.
Elsewhere, on Earth's moon, the Decepticon Starscream silently looked over some sensor readings from Earth. Several small beacons were clear across the planet, displaying the locations of Mini-Con stasis units.
Not much to go on, Starscream thought to himself, noticing the locations of several Mini-Con pods. Most of these are near human settlements or installations. We'll have to be careful about where we go from here on out.
"Starscream?" a familiar voice asked.
Starscream looked up from his console and asked, "Yes, Demolishor? Something the matter?"
"I'm just curious to see what you're doing," Demolishor replied.
With a smile, Starscream explained, "I'm keeping an optic on the Mini-Con pods, just in case the Autobots head after them." Shifting the sensor scope a bit, he asked, "Speaking of, how are you getting along with Blackout and the Land Military Team?"
"Pretty well, actually," Demolishor replied. "I can almost get to like these guys, actually. Wreckage is pretty clear-headed and has good military senses, and Bonecrusher's a good fighter in his own right. Knock Out's a bit trigger happy, but that's forgivable. It's Blackout that's a problem."
"How so?" Starscream asked.
"He's a bit...radical," Demolishor replied. "He's got an open disrespect for authority, especially with Megatron. He'll follow orders, but I doubt he'll be too willing to engage in battle."
"Some things can't be helped, Demolishor," Starscream replied. "Right now, however, we have bigger concerns." The screen on Starscream's monitor flickering even as he said this, he added, "Low energy being one of them. Between the cloaking device and repairs from battling the Autobots, our Energon supplies are low, and Megatron will definitely expect a solution to this little problem."
"Your armor's patched up, Optimus," the Autobot medic Red Alert dutifully informed his commanding officer as he finished repairing the small scorches and scars in Optimus Prime's armor from the Autobots' recent battle with the Decepticons. "You'd best lay off a bit to allow your internals time to repair, but you're good to go in case something happens."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Red," Optimus noted as he got to his feet. "I only hope we can keep this up. We only have so much Energon, and we can't risk a warp gate to Cybertron to replenish it."
"Smokescreen's been tossing a few ideas around, but nothing concrete so far," Red Alert reported. "Still, he'll find something."
"I don't doubt that," Optimus noted. "Still, we'll worry about the Energon at a later time. Hot Shot should be back by now, and we have a curious guest to entertain."
"Optimus, are you sure having her here is a good idea?" Red Alert replied.
"We will eventually have to reveal ourselves to humanity, Red," Optimus explained. "Having a few people know now, and know the whole truth, won't hurt us in the long run."
With those words, Optimus exited the medical bay, leaving Red Alert to think aloud, "I hope you're right."
"Now, Starscream," Megatron, leader of the small faction of Decepticons in 'control' of Earth's moon, began, "you know as well as I that we require Energon in order to power our equipment, our weapons, and ourselves, correct?"
"Yes," Starscream replied.
"And you know that with our battles with the Autobots, the constant activation of our cloaking field, and the planetary scanners, we are using Energon at a high rate."
"Also correct," Starscream replied.
"Then tell me, here and now..." Megatron asked, slowly walking up to Starscream in calm, controlled steps. Without warning and within seconds, Megatron grabbed Starscream by his collar, lifted him up, extended a small knife blade from his left hand and bellowed, "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO REPLENISH OUR ENERGON SUPPLIES!"
"I've been giving some thought to that, actually," Starscream admitted. "The humans have numerous hydroelectric power generators. We could warp to one of their facilities, scare off any humans in the vicinity, then begin converting any energy created into Energon cubes. With proper timing, we can be in and out before the Autobots even know we're there."
Megatron thought that plan over in his head, then smiled. "An excellent proposition, Starscream," he commended. "Ready the others and the Mini-Cons. We have some Energon to collect."
"I hope we haven't been poor hosts, Miss Masters," Optimus Prime said as he led Diana down a small hallway, his Mini-Con partner Sparkplug in tow.
"Far from it, Optimus," Diana replied. "You've all been very accommodating. Besides, I'd give my left arm to see information like this."
"Don't be too excited," Sparkplug warned in a saddened tone. "There really isn't that much to talk about so far as our race is concerned. We haven't really done much beyond fight amongst ourselves."
"The same can be said for Earth, Sparkplug," Diana reminded the Mini-Con. "Sometimes looking through history from someone else's perspective can put new light on your own problems, maybe even solve them." With an odd look, Diana shrugged and explained, "A girl can dream, can't she?"
A massive door opened before the trio, allowing them to step inside a large chamber within the Ark shuttle. "Miss Masters, welcome to the central computer hub of Teletran One."
Before them stood a massive, cylindrical computer bank, its core pulsating and glowing with energy and coolant. Numerous, massive screens extended from the core via mechanized arms, displaying data on ship's systems, sensor readings, and memory usage.
"Incredible," escaped Diana's lips as she took in her surroundings.
"You should see the central computers back on Cybertron," Sparkplug noted as a screen lowered itself down before them. "Teletran One, access historical files. Begin with earliest confirmed data." As the program began to load, Sparkplug advised, "You might want to take notes."
"Already got that covered," Diana replied, a notepad and pencil already in her hands.
The screen quickly displayed a large, metallic planetoid as Optimus narrated, "Cybertron, the homeworld of every Transformer ever brought into existence. Cybertron is in orbit of the binary star you know as Alpha Centauri. It's approximately the size of the sixth planet in your own solar system, the gas giant Saturn, and has two natural orbiting satellites, each one the size of Earth. The capitol city and central point of government and defense is Iacon, a massive hub-city located at Cybertron's North Pole. Cybertron and its moons have hydrogen-oxygen atmospheres, but relatively little in the form of proper resources for organic life; no water, and no true plant life to speak of."
"Amazing," Diana realized. "You aren't that far away from us."
"Far enough that humanity won't be encountering us in space for a while," Sparkplug commented as the screen shifted again.
"While many parts of the origin of our race remain without absolute proof, the information here is unquestionable," Optimus continued. "About nine million years ago, a race of robotic beings known as Quintessons found Cybertron, and saw a world of limitless potential. They found resources, raw materials, and the capability to build an empire the likes of which the galaxy had yet to see. They used these resources to build weapons, starships, and ultimately, labor units for use as a workforce. These units were little more than slaves, used and discarded when no longer capable of being repaired. This practice continued for ages until the Quintessons began exploring the inner workings of Cybertron. Their curiosity ended up allowing their defeat, as they discovered a massive super computer deep beneath Cybertron's surface called Vector Sigma. The eight drones sent, two heavy labor, two defense, and four precision labor, were imbued with sentience and life. They were the first sentient inhabitants of Cybertron capable of fighting back against the Quintessons. Slowly but surely, more slaves, captured by living Cybertronians, were given life by Vector Sigma. Once several thousand were given life, the First Cybertronian War, the War of Independence, began. We struck back against the Quintessons and their forces, but not without casualties. The heavy labor units became Autobots, the defense units became Decepticons, and the precision labor units became Mini-Cons."
As Diana quickly jotted down the notes, the screen before her showed footage of the battles between the early Cybertronians and their Quintesson oppressors. As the battles continued, massive robotic forms tearing apart the much smaller Transformers they were combating. Despite this, two familiar Cybertronians stood out. One of them, a large, familiar red and blue robot, stood on the front lines, flanked by several smaller Cybertronians and numerous others of similar sizes.
"That 'we' back there, you meant 'we' as in the Cybertronian people, right?" Diana asked.
"Yes, and no," Optimus replied. "I was there from the beginning. In fact, I was among the first Cybertronians to be given life by Vector Sigma. Sparkplug was another, as was my current second-in-command, Jetfire, and the Decepticon Starscream."
"Which would make the two of you about nine million years old," Diana noted. With a surprised glance to both Sparkplug and Prime, she joked, "You've aged well."
"It's very hard to get rid of us once we're brought online, Miss Masters," Sparkplug replied.
"Despite our constructions, it eventually became clear that we would require unique technologies in order to defeat the Quintessons and free our world. Drawing on ancient data from within Vector Sigma's databanks, we developed two unique technologies; Powerlinx technology, and Transformation technology. It is thanks to the latter that we draw the second name for our race; Transformers."
"And that technology allowed you to shift between forms, allowing for greater strength and speed in one mode and greater agility and maneuverability in the other," Diana reasoned.
"Exactly," Optimus replied. "Powerlinx technology, meanwhile, allows for several Transformers to combine with one another. In the case of a Mini-Con combining with a larger Transformer such as an Autobot or Decepticon, it allows for an overall increase in power, strength, and weapons yield. In the case of several Transformers of a similar size Powerlinking, it can serve to increase one unit's firepower, strength, armor, or give them additional combat abilities. You've already seen one example of a Mini-Con group Powerlink in the form of the Street Action Team merging into Perceptor."
"I remember," Diana replied. "I take it the war eventually ended."
"It did," Optimus continued. "After two million years and countless casualties on both sides, the war ended, and the Quintessons left Cybertron at last. For the next three million years lasted an age of peace and tranquility dubbed 'the Golden Age', where we rebuilt our world, explored it, developed the many technologies we have now by reverse-engineering Quintesson technology, and repopulated our planet. Then, four million years ago, tragedy struck."
The screen shifted to show massive explosions throughout a Cybertronian city. As the three watched, numerous Transformers bearing the Decepticon emblem stormed the streets, tearing through the city and attacking any Transformers in their path, capturing Mini-Cons and leaving any other Transformers, Autobot or Decepticon, destroyed.
"The Second Cybertronian War, otherwise known as the Uprising," Optimus narrated. "A small faction of Decepticons, represented by none other than Megatron, had become dissatisfied with the state of Cybertron at the time, claiming that their natural right to expand into other systems had been stifled. We Autobots argued that all Transformers were needed on Cybertron in order to rebuild our world, as well as to discover all we could about our world and our origins. Some discussion was made about allowing for the Decepticons' request, but their harsh actions only showed us what they meant by expansion; conquest and enslavement, as they forced several Mini-Cons into their service. In response, a force of Autobots, Decepticons and Mini-Cons took up arms to stop Megatron and his forces. We were successful in freeing the enslaved Mini-Cons, but not in capturing Megatron and his forces."
"Shortly afterwards, it was decided amongst us Mini-Cons that we should evacuate Cybertron and seek a new world to live on until Megatron and his forces were permanently dealt with," Sparkplug explained. "We modified one of the last remaining Quintesson ships into a massive vessel capable of carrying us to another world, and launched into space. Unfortunately, something happened not long after we launched."
As the screen cut off, Diana asked, "What happened?"
"Several of the ship's systems malfunctioned at once," Sparkplug explained. "We managed to evacuate into the stasis units and jettison them from the ship, but we had no idea where we would land. Most of the pods are probably here on Earth, while others are probably scattered throughout the inner Sol system. But we still have no idea what caused the systems to fail."
"What happened to the ship?" Diana asked.
"Presumably, it fell into Earth's atmosphere," Optimus stated. "However, that's only a theory, and we don't have the resources to mount a full scale search. This shuttle only has a pair of useable flight pods, and all our resources at this point are necessary for locating the other Mini-Con stasis units and holding back the Decepticons."
Diana nodded, then asked, "You said earlier that some of your origins were shrouded in mystery. Which ones specifically?"
"Where Vector Sigma came from, and how it was able to give us life," Prime replied. "And what triggered its activation. There are only a few theories, but nothing that can be easily proven in a scientific manner. One popular theory deals with Primus."
"Primus?" Diana asked.
"In human terms, our God," Sparkplug replied. "Some believe that Primus's consciousness is housed deep within Cybertron itself, and that Vector Sigma is one of several bridges between him and Cybertron's populace. While it's mostly speculation and religious mysticism, the existence of sparks do support the theory."
"Sparks?" Diana asked. "Are those like a Transformer's soul?"
"Yes, but we can actually see them," Sparkplug explained as several panels slid open in his chest, revealing a pulsating blue orb protected by heavy armor. "Each spark gives us our personalities, our individuality. We cannot live without them."
"And these sparks are said to have been created by Primus?" Diana asked.
"They are portions of Primus's own essence," Optimus noted. "When a Transformer passes, their Spark returns to Primus, enriching him, Cybertron, and in turn all Cybertronians. The longer the life, the greater the enrichment."
"So mass suicides aren't encouraged," Diana noted. "That's one thing Earth could do without." As Sparkplug closed his spark chamber, she asked, "But you said that Vector Sigma was only one of many links between the average Cybertronian and Primus. Are there any others?"
"One," Optimus noted as he knelt down. He opened his chest plate, revealing a large, vaguely oval-shaped golden frame surrounding a circular core. "This is the Matrix. It was given to me soon after I was given life. Contained within is the essence of Primus, imbibed with wisdom and power the likes of which no other Cybertronian is capable of. His wisdom has guided me since the beginning."
"So you truly believe that Primus does exist," Diana reasoned.
As he closed his chest plate, Prime replied, "When you carry a large golden frame around in your chest that can and has given life in the past, you tend to think it's not just a piece of jewelry."
"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the owners and staff, I welcome you on a grand tour of the Sherman Dam Hydroelectric Power Facility," came the warm greeting from the tour guide as she welcomed her charges.
The tour guide and her charges stood within a massive courtyard, numerous large electrical turbines, each spinning and creating massive amounts of electricity every second, surrounding them at all sides.
"Before we begin the tour, we ask you to turn off all cameras and recording devices and please remain with the tour group at all times," the tour guide asked. "Thank..."
Within seconds, several large flashes of light interrupted her thoughts as five massive forms, the tallest being well over thirty feet in height, took form within the courtyard, six smaller human-sized forms appearing with them. Within seconds, the eleven took form and towered over the smaller, more terrified humans within the chamber.
"Long-range transport complete," Starscream reported as he and his fellow Decepticons collected their senses from the trip.
"That wasn't bad at all," Demolishor noted. "Kinda tickled."
It was at that point that the Decepticons noted the smaller figures at their feet. Megatron quickly declared, "Earthlings, I am Megatron of the Decepticon Armada. Vacate the premises immediately, or I will wipe you all out in an instant!"
Suffice it to say, the humans present quickly vacated the premises, one Japanese man complaining, "This is why I left Tokyo!"
"That was quick," Cyclonus noted. "Great show, boss."
"Thank you, Cyclonus, we tyrants must amuse ourselves," Megatron replied. "Starscream, Demolishor, begin harvesting energy from this facility for conversion into Energon cubes. Thrust, Cyclonus, take the Military Team and ready the defenses. No doubt the Autobots will attempt to stop us."
"I hope our little lecture hasn't bored you, Miss Masters," Optimus noted as he led Sparkplug and Diana out of the computer chamber.
"Not at all," Diana replied. "This whole thing has been fascinating. But there's one thing that's nagging at me."
"What's that?" Optimus asked.
"Well, Cybertronian beliefs mesh a bit with Earth religions," Diana noted. "The one 'god' entity, an 'Allspark' for lack of a better term, both have similarities in things envisioned here on Earth. But one thing seems to be missing from what you told me; a counter to Primus, a Destroyer to the Creator." Noticing the tomb-like silence from her two companions, she asked, "Or is there one?"
Optimus reflected on that for a moment, then said, "There is, yes. And like Primus, there is evidence to suggest his existence. Cybertronian astronomers have watched the stars for millennia, and have seen numerous worlds blink out of existence, seemingly at random. And for those of us who were the first to be given life millions of years ago, there has been a growing dread from the deepest corners of our sparks. We can feel it; he is out there, and he may be coming."
"'He?'" Diana asked.
"Unicron," Sparkplug replied. "The Dark God, the Chaos Bringer, the Devourer of Worlds. It's said that he is as old as space itself, and can only be harmed, never destroyed. It's said that he has crossed dimensions, taken countless prisoners from worlds claimed in the past, and subverted them for his own ends. It's said that his very voice can tear stars apart."
"And you think he may someday come to Cybertron?" Diana asked.
"It's very possible," Optimus replied. "Should he ever come, however, we will stand against him."
Before Diana could ask about the extent of that 'we', alarm klaxons blared throughout the Ark, alerting those within.
"Optimus, we have a situation," the familiar voice of Red Alert intoned. "We're picking up Decepticon activity at a human energy facility. All five Decepticons and their Mini-Con contingent."
"Have Hot Shot, Scavenger, Jolt and Rollbar meet me in Shuttle Bay Two," Optimus replied. "And ask Smokescreen to come down here to escort our guest to the Forward Command Center. If anything happens, she'll be safest there."
"Understood," Red Alert replied before cutting the transmission.
Optimus then turned to Diana and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to cut the tour short."
"I understand," Diana replied. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Optimus responded as he and Sparkplug transformed to vehicle mode. "We may need it."
Megatron couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride in himself. Starscream's plan was succeeding quite well; the humans had been scared off, artificial Energon was being produced at a satisfactory rate, and thus far they had no problems. And even if the Autobots arrived to attack them, they had already won the battle; all that would be needed was a diversion to keep the Autobots at bay long enough for them to make off with their prize.
"Megatron, sir, I'm reading a small craft heading towards us," Thrust reported. "Most likely an Autobot stealth pod."
"Not unexpected," Megatron noted. He clipped on his radio and ordered, "Starscream, report status."
"Energon production is sixty percent complete," Starscream reported. "We could use some assistance with loading, however."
"You'll make due with what you have," Megatron harshly replied. "We're about to have company. Load all the Energon you can then pull out. No excuses."
"Understood," Starscream replied as another empty cube glistened a bright pink with converted electrical energy. "Demolishor, how much more can you carry?"
Demolishor stood nearby in vehicle mode, a massive cargo hauler connected to his rear. "I'm at 45 percent capacity now, sir. How much longer before they arrive?"
"Considering the fact that the Autobots would only be setting off from wherever they're based right about now?" Starscream replied. "I'd say about a breem, maybe less."
"No pressure," Blackout dryly noted as he loaded another Energon cube into Demolishor's cargo hauler.
The peaceful skies above Sherman Dam were soon shattered by the low roar of atmospheric engines. An angular black craft, small by Transformer standards, arced through the air towards the dam even as fire began to pour against it.
"I'd say the 'Cons have noticed us," Hot Shot stated as he plugged a flight wing into his left Powerlinx port.
"They're far from stupid, Hot Shot," Scavenger assured his protégé as he keyed in several commands to the ship's control panel. "Autopilot's set and stealth systems are online."
"Get ready to roll out, bots," Optimus commanded as Sparkplug Powerlinked to his back port.
Optimus pulled a small lever, opening the ship's main hatch seconds before he leaped from the ship, Hot Shot and Scavenger following soon after with Jolt and Rollbar Powerlinked to their respective left limbs. Hot Shot's flight wings soon activated, allowing the young Autobot to jet in over the area and begin strafing the Decepticons below.
"Hey, no fair!" Cyclonus cried out from below. "Since when could Autobots fly?"
"It matters little," Megatron bellowed as he prepped his fusion cannon. "We'll simply blast them out of the sky!"
"Don't count on it, Megatron!" Optimus returned as small jump jets in his legs activated, slowing his landing as he descended onto the dam. Almost instantaneously, Optimus opened fire with his arm-mounted guns, allowing for cover as Scavenger activated similar jets in his legs and came in for a landing nearby, his waist-mounted gun providing fire of its own. "Give it up while you can, you can't keep it up forever!"
"You'll see just how long I can keep this up!" Megatron commanded. "Land Military Team, Leader-1, Powerlink!"
Megatron's leg compartment opened up, allowing Leader-1 to emerge and Powerlink to the large Decepticon tyrant's right arm. The three members of the Land Military Team begrudgingly leapt up, transformed to their vehicle modes, and Powerlinked to Megatron on his other arm and opposite shoulders. The powered-up tyrant began unleashing his firepower against the comparatively-weaker Autobots as Hot Shot came in for a landing at an elevated position and readied his cannon unit. His targeting screen flipped down as he locked on to Megatron and said, "Okay, hold still..."
Hot Shot's thoughts were interrupted as a blast rocketed into his back. He turned around to find Thrust floating nearby. "A cunning tactic, young one. However, you forgot to watch your back."
Hot Shot spun around and shot back, "Watch this," before firing off his cannon at Thrust, striking the flying Decepticon hard in the abdomen. He staggered back as Hot Shot readied his pistol and continued fire.
Just as the battle was beginning to increase in intensity, Starscream radioed in to Megatron, "Sir, we've finished loading the Energon. Demolishor and Blackout are already back at base, and I'm preparing remote transfer."
"Understood," Megatron replied as he cut off the transmission. "A worthy effort, Prime, but wasted! We've already gotten what we came for!"
With those words, Megatron, Cyclonus and the Mini-Cons with them shifted away, Thrust following soon after.
Optimus deactivated his weapons and called, "Status report."
"No damage to us, sir, and the structure has only suffered light damage itself," Scavenger replied. "Any idea what all this may have been about?"
"Most likely an energy raid," Optimus noted. "They're most likely in more dire straights than we are."
A long range-transmission soon came in as a familiar voice piped in, "Optimus? You there, sir?"
"I'm here, Smokescreen," Optimus replied. "The Decepticons have departed. No injuries on our part. Any specifics on this facility?"
"It's a hydroelectric power plant," Diana's familiar voice answered. "One of the cleaner sources of energy here on Earth. Water goes through a set of turbines, which generate electricity using their motion. That plant supplies energy to most of Portland."
"We can verify that, sir," Red Alert piped in. "We read several power drops throughout the area while the Decepticons were present. They're gone now."
"Can we talk about this later, guys?" Hot Shot piped in. "I'm seeing several ground vehicles heading for our position."
Optimus considered his options, then declared, "Head back to the shuttle and prepare for lift-off."
-
Hours later...
"...Numerous minor power outages occurred today throughout Portland, owing to equipment failure at Sherman Dam. The plant was temporarily evacuated shortly thereafter. No injuries have been reported, and normal plant operations have since been restored..."
"We're lucky they left when they did," Optimus noted as he shut off the monitor. "Any ideas, gentlebots?"
"Power drain on the nearby city, lack of damage to any equipment," Smokescreen listed off. "Sounds like they stormed the place and used the turbines to create artificial Energon."
"A sound theory," Red Alert noted. "They're more desperate for resources than we ourselves are, and this is the easiest option they had. Starscream may even have suggested it himself."
"Sounds like him," Scavenger noted. "The big question at this point is, how are we going to avoid the same course of action? We can't exactly call in for refills."
"I've been working on that particular problem," Red Alert noted as he activated a monitor. "We can build a small group of solar receivers here on Earth. They'll go unnoticed by the humans and Decepticons, and should allow us to create artificial Energon of our own."
"How long will we need to construct them?" Optimus asked in reply.
"Assuming I can get the materials and a suitable place for construction?" Red asked. "Three Earth days, a week at most."
"Get started as soon as you can," Optimus replied. "We're going to need all we can get."
Meanwhile, Starscream stood within the Nemesis, going over the Decepticons' rather impressive haul. Assuming nothing exciting happened within the next few breems or so, they would have this stockpile for some time to come. No need to worry about Energon depletion, and plenty of time to worry about locating more Mini-Cons.
"No rest for the wicked," Starscream noted to himself as he exited the chamber.
The End