Chapter 2

Okay, this is my second chap. i had severe writers block for ages but now I'm back on track. This is very alternate universe from the Transformers franchise and I have changed things to suit my plot-line, so please forgive any inconsistencies and changes. Anyway hope you enjoy and I shall be moving onto planet Earth soon enough.


Darkstreak gazed around at the remnants of the battle that had only just taken place. The land was barely recognisable from what it had previously looked like. Blast fire from plasma cannons and numerous other weapons left their signature scorch marks upon whatever surface it hit. The metal which made up almost the entire infrastructure of the planet was tarnished and damaged, in a way that even the most experienced of Constructicons would have difficulty in restoring.

The bodies of the dead, Autobot and Decepticon alike, were scattered as far as the optic could see. It was too hard to say which faction had suffered the most losses, though it was clear that the loss was great on either side. One body caught my eye in particular as I made my way through the wreckage. The anatomy of the Cybertronian was twisted and destroyed, near impossible to identify, if it were not for the markings on the almost non-existent torso. Acidclaw, I thought with a pang of sadness in my spark. One of the few Decepticons I could truly call friend. He had been by my side since we were sparklings. I protected him and helped him when he was down or in trouble. He was, in every way, like a brother to me. My grief was so deep I did not notice the sound of footsteps behind me.

"Darkstreak, we are ready to head out to the next sight, at your word".

"Yes…..yes, I'm coming," I said distractedly, turning to meet the gaze of Firewing.

"Acidclaw," Firewing sighed, noticing the source of my sadness, "the Autobots will pay dearly for his loss, and the loss of the others".

His conviction eased the angst I was battling through and I felt the bittersweet notion that coursed through my circuits at the prospect of revenge. It did not truly matter to me at this point, which Autobot did this for they were all guilty; all had some part to play in every death, no matter what the more logical side to my mind thought.

"We have suffered so much loss. I cannot foresee an end to this anytime soon. I promised him that we would make it through this together, and now he's gone," I spat.

"Acidclaw fought bravely Darkstreak. He has made our people proud. His sacrifice will not be in vain, I assure you. The day will come when we shall prevail and all those Cybertronians who are responsible for the deaths of our brothers will suffer the consequences".

A sudden wave of bitterness and despair washes over me, recollections of the past few days swarm through my mind. Gazing upon body after body was taking its toll. I spin round to face him, red eyes blazing.

"Oh yes and what day will that be, because by that time everyone we care about could be either dead or close to it. He was the closest thing I had to a family. Now all I have our orders and empty promises of a better future", I say harshly.

"You don't honestly mean that, do you? You know better than any of us what it is we strive for. To give up now is not an option, nor is it one the others will take kindly to".

Of course, I thought dismally. This war will end only when Lord Megatron reigns victorious and his half-brother Optimus Prime is wasting away in Primus knows where.

He placed his clawed hand briefly on my shoulder, in a gesture of reassurance, one that I appreciated despite my warring emotions. Attempting to draw upon a confidence I did not feel, I moved away from my fallen friend, pausing a moment to give my final regards.

Turning away a moment later, I begin to head to the rest of my team, Firewing following.

"What is the update from Starscream?"

"They have succeeded in claiming the previously occupied Autobot lands of Altihex and are now seeking to move their remaining artillery further north, to Praxus. They have suffered severe losses, although not as damaging as it could have been given the scale of the attack. Word is that the Autobots are trying to recruit neutrals into fighting."

Huh, so much for the peace propaganda. "And how is that going".

"Unfortunately, there are more opposed to our way of thinking than those who agree with our cause. News of the massacre at Kalis has spread far, and many of the neutral territories resent that."

"Nothing can be done about that I'm afraid. Many Autobots died that day yet they all conveniently look past the fact that there was an equal amount of Decepticon losses as well."

"Yes, and all for nothing", muttered Firewing.

I could not help but agree. Recalling the incident always left me restless. It was the first major setback in our Lord's plans, and my first failure that had haunted me ever since. The city of Kalis was directly situated under a huge fusion reactor and propulsion engine, powered by enough Energon to keep alive the entirety of Tarn for a good long time. At the briefing with Megaton's generals and trusted allies, and Megatron himself, it was made clear that it was of paramount importance that the city was captured. It was but the first stage to transform Cybertron into a travelling battle station, a stage that never came into fruition. I was honoured to be placed in command of the operation, although I had doubts about it. The ramifications of a failure were too great, not to mention that if something happened to the reactors engine, it would annihilate Kalis completely. As the city was under Autobot jurisdiction, a full scale battle to capture it for Decepticon control would have jeopardised the plan. In order for us to succeed, it required subtler methods. Many Cybertronians at the scientific facility were either neutral or Autobot, Decepticons were obviously not allowed. It was too risky to send in a Decepticon spy, so the best course of action was to bribe one of the scientists. Anyone can be bought, whether through greed or fear or even manipulation. It was our luck that we became acquainted with an Autobot who was less than satisfied with his colleagues for one reason or another. He simply stated that he wanted the recognition he was denied, angry at the fact that his ideas and projects were never taken seriously. He was more than willing to switch sides if it meant he could achieve whatever he desired in the field of science, and we would be able to seize control of the reactors. A win win situation or at least it should have been.

There was a small setback however. The reactors needed to be rebuilt before they could be activated. This he assured us was possible, although it would be impossible to do so with the station filled with those who would stop him. To overcome this, it was decided to raise a false alarm within the facility to evacuate all personnel, except for our ally. To protect him whilst completing his work, he was given a small army of reanimated robot corpses (thanks to the Dark Energon) to guard him. Unfortunately the rogue Autobot proved to be more cunning than he led on. Once he had rebuilt the engines, he held the activation codes for himself, using them to attempt to achieve his own ends which to this day I do not know. Furious that I had lost control of our supposed ally with an army at his disposal, I contacted Lord Megatron. Of course, he was enraged by this turn of events. He ordered me to do whatever it took to get those codes. Thinking quickly I had sent a small task force of Decepticon infiltrators with Energon powered weaponry inside the unit to eliminate the guards and contain the scientist. By that time however, unknown to us, a group of Autobots had already made their way inside the base, destroyed the army and the reactor. The codes were now useless to us and Lord Megatron's plan along with it. The only reason why I was not punished for the failure was because of me and my unit, who managed to capture the fleeing scientist before he fell into the clutches of the Autobots. Needless to say his punishment for his betrayal issued by an infuriated Lord Megatron was severe at the very least, death would have been the kinder option but that was out of the question. Ever since that incident, the once grand city had become yet another crumbling ruin, and all who fought there were massacred by each other. It reached the point where the city was too damaged to bother fighting over anymore and so the battles moved on.

Although it was not widely seen as a failure on my behalf, I have always seen it as such. I was not keen on the plan to use fusion reactors, but it was not my place to question the Lord's motives, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter. Besides, he gave me the position many of his other generals would have killed to have. A result due to our shared history.

The calling of my name shook me from my thoughts. Slightly dazed, I turned to Firewing, who had a concerned look on his face.

"Sir, are you okay? You blanked out for a moment there."

"Yes, just thinking on something from the past. Never mind that, we need to meet up with Starscream, if he intends to take on Praxus, he will need more fighters."

"I heard that Optimus Prime was heading there, do you think we have the firepower to take him on?" Firewing asked, unsure.

"Prime is as vulnerable to plasma fire as any other Cybertron," I state confidently.

"I hope your right, because he hasn't gone down yet," Firewing pointed out.

Putting on a brave face is one thing; acting on your words is another. Despite my allegiance to the Decepticon cause, I cannot help but feel a small amount of respect for Optimus Prime. When I look past the Autobot sigil I see a skilled warrior and a visionary leader. I am sure that I would feel regret if such a Cybertronian were to fall, but alas, this is what the war has reduced us to. They call it the Great War, yet I see nothing great about it. Death and destruction are not defining symbols of greatness, honour and justice are. Once again I question myself on why I think such thoughts. I am certainly no Autobot, nor would I ever intend to be. Also there is the fact that I am not at all popular with any Autobot given my close ties to Megatron. So why should I think like this?

Shaking these thoughts from my head I and my two wingmen, Firewing and Titan, transform into our aircraft forms and set our destination to Praxus. My silent doubts once again flickering around in my mind as a mixture of determination and anticipation flows through me.

One thing is clear to me though, I will not fail.