Transformers
More Than Meets
The Eye:
Rebuilt
Part III:
The Best Laid Plan
Kaon
Both Shockwave and Scorponock strode down the hallway with an uncontested intensity. Shockwave continued to glance out of the hallway window with his single optic to view the sights of the Decepticon city-state of Kaon. Even as he spoke to his Decepticon counterpart, he still watched the horizon of Kaon with a delight that could go unmatched by any other sight in the universe.
"Are you even listening to me, Shockwave?" Scorponok asked bluntly.
Shockwave turned his head slightly and sighed at the green and purple Decepticon. "Yes, Scorponok," he stated as if he already had enough of the conversation with the massive Decepticon. "I am listening."
Scorponok huffed and continued walking down the hallway. Although he never trusted Shockwave completely, he understood that he did not agree with the current situation that the Decepticons were in with the Autobots. Therefore, he was the only mech that he could talk to without the fear of betrayal. "If Megatron proceeds down this path, then we surely will be thrown into a complete stalemate with the Autobots."
Shockwave chuckled at the naivete of Scorponok and his statement. He then fully focused on his partner and gazed into his optic-visor. "My dear Scorponok," Shockwave began. "I believe that you have the entire situation blown off course." He stopped at the elevator door and pressed the call button with his right hand. He then looked up at Scorponok and shook his head at his comrade. "We are not headed toward a stalemate with the Autobots, but rather we are at a stalemate with them. If my calculations are correct, and there is no doubt that they most certainly are, we will continue to fight for a planet that will completely shut itself down within the course of several hundred vorns, at the most!"
Scorponok grunted at the thought of stasis lock. He looked at Shockwave and sneered at him. "This is pitiful!" he groaned. "What we need is change!"
The words seemed to please Shockwave, although he would never show it to any mech for fear of persecution by his peers. He glanced at the elevator as it locked into place. "Perhaps you are correct, Scorponok," he stated plainly. The doors opened and both of the Decepticons walked into the elevator. "This continued war with the Autobots has created stagnation amongst our best warriors, and I'm sure that it doesn't sit well with them."
Scorponok nodded at the Decepticon strategist. "There are times when I wonder why we continue to fight this war at all!" The elevator began to ascend to the top of the Decepticon citadel. Scorponok placed his hand on the railing and continued. "What could be achieved if this vendetta against Prime was set aside is unimaginable. Imagine the possibilities of a united race!"
At that moment Shockwave understood that Scorponok did not share the same vision of the future, which pleased him completely. Shockwave knew now that Scorponok would much rather put the differences between Autobot and Decepticon aside and work together for the improvement of Cybertron and its people, whereas Shockwave would much rather rule over the planet entirely. In Shockwave's opinion, this eliminated the threat of fighting for rule with Scorponok, should Megatron falter in his leadership abilities.
"Our opinion matters little," Shockwave stated coldly in an effort to hide his beliefs. "As long as Megatron leads the Decepticons, we are at his disposal, and the future that he envisions is the one that we strive to achieve."
The elevator began to slow down as it reached the top level. Scorponok glanced over at Shockwave just before the doors parted and spoke gently. "Then what we need is for Megatron to disappear."
The doors opened and revealed the conference room in its entirety. At the far end of the room stood Megatron and Soundwave. Megatron gave a cold smile that indicated that he was not happy. He waived to the two of them and spoke.
"There they are," Megatron said with sarcasm. "The last of my District Magistrates. What ever would I do without the likes of you?"
Scorponok smiled at Megatron and walked over to his leader. "Megatron," he said. "We arrived once we received word that. . ."
"And Shockwave," Megatron said as he turned his attention to the strategist. "Truly, it is an honor."
Shockwave became confused at Megatron's attitude. He was unaware of any Autobot victory or advancement in either his district or Scorponok's which would displease his leader. He focused on Megatron completely in an attempt to unearth the reason . "Megatron, Soundwave sent word that. . ."
"Indeed he has, my 'loyal' subjects." Megatron walked over to his chair and stood over it. "Please, sit down. We have much to discuss today."
Each of the Decepticons, except for Soundwave, sat in their designated chairs. Shockwave looked at the others who were in the room. He saw Starscream who sat next to Scorponok. There was Bludgeon, Hook, Mangle, and Skystalker on the opposite side of the table, while Scheme, Nightlife, and Snaptrap sat on the same side that he did. They all focused their attention on Megatron, who motioned to Soundwave to activate the holographic projector in the middle of the table.
"We've been at war with the Autobots for too long," Megatron said. "This damn war has drained our supply of energon, thereby putting us on the endangered species list." An image of Cybertron appeared on it from the projector. It was glowing yellow, depicting the Golden Age of Cybertron, but then it began to slowly fade into the black husk that it had become. "We've begun to extinguish our race completely, and there seems to be nothing that either side can do about it; we were both willing to enter stasis lock on a global level, as long as the other side never gained control of the planet."
Starscream sighed as if he was unimpressed by the lecture. "What has this got to do with anything that we don't already know, mighty Megatron?" he asked boldly. "It seems as if our little history lesson reviews nothing new."
Megatron smiled at Starscream. "Starscream, you're an IDIOT!" Megatron snapped. "You see, my incompetent friend, all this time both sides have been scrounging for resources on this planet, resources that are rapidly becoming extinguished." He glanced at Soundwave briefly, who then switched the image of Cybertron to a new planet. "What if we had unlimited energy at our disposal?"
All of the Decepticons gazed at the planet's image and wondered what Megatron had in mind. It was unlike anything that they ever saw before. The planet was mostly blue, indicating large amounts of water which could be converted into energon. Several large land masses were strewn about on the face of the planet, and it was orbited by two moons.
Megatron sneered at the gathered Decepticons. "I find it somewhat disappointing that this information of such a grand level had to come to me through espionage, rather than from any of my 'trusted' advisors." Megatron glared at Shockwave and then at Scorponok. "I thought that each of you were talented enough in your own fields to give us the edge over the Autobots, but that was a foolish notion on my part!"
Hook looked over at Megatron and began to speak cautiously. "Most of us have been busy focusing on the war here on Cybertron, attempting to gain a strategic advantage over the Autobots. If we were granted the opportunity to. . ."
"Spare me your sniveling, Hook," Megatron said as he held up is hand toward the green Constructicon. "The point is that we failed to discover this planet before the Autobots did, but I suppose creating individual bases of power is far greater than the survival of our faction!" Megatron again glanced at both Shockwave and Scorponok as he finished speaking.
Shockwave, realizing that Megatron was through, formulated a verbal defensive strategy for his questionable actions, and then looked up at Megatron and spoke. "It is with a heavy spark that I must admit that my own. . ."
"Oh, enough with the mindless banter already!" Starscream shouted across the table. "You've been so tied up in your holier-than-thou attitude that you've neglected your duties to the Decepticons!"
Shockwave stood up and placed his arms on the table. "How dare you!" he shouted. "If it wasn't for me and. . ."
"ENOUGH!" Megatron shouted as he slammed his fist on the table, causing it to break. Both of the Decepticons turned their attention toward their leader. "The fact of the matter is that Prime and his band of do-gooders have discovered something that can severely tip the balance of power to their side! That's not something that I will allow in this lifetime or in my next!"
Scorponok looked at his leader and raised his claw-like hand. "What do you suggest that we do about this?" he asked.
Megatron smiled at Scorponok's question and sat in his chair. Soundwave then approached Megatron from behind and stood at his right side. "I'm glad you asked, Scorponok." Megatron turned off the projector and looked at the gathered Decepticons. "I will be leading a team of Decepticons on a mission to intercept Optimus Prime and take the planet for myself!"
Skystalker smiled and nodded at the idea. "Perfect," he said. "With a base of power established on another world, we can not only conquer Cybertron, but we can expand our faction throughout the entire galaxy as well, thereby creating an empire the likes nobody has ever seen before!"
Megatron nodded at his Space Commander's enthusiasm. "Indeed, Skystalker. With the Autobots so low on energon, taking a planet such as this would wipe out the Autobots with one stroke of the hand!"
The green and gray Decepticon called Mangle looked at Megatron with curiosity. "Shouldn't we send someone else to lead the mission?" he asked. "If the Prime. . ."
"The Prime is my responsibility, Mangle, and nobody better forget that!" Megatron shouted. He then stood up and walked over to the opposite end of the room. He gazed out of the large window and smiled at the sight of the stars above. "I will destroy Optimus Prime, as I did with his predecessor and the House of Republic!" He turned around and looked at Soundwave. "Have Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak, Ravage, and Buzzsaw accompany you on this mission, Soundwave." He walked over and placed his hand on Soundwave's shoulder. "At least I'll have the pleasure of knowing someone who actually gives a damn about my vision will accompany me on this venture."
Soundwave nodded at Megatron. "As you command, Megatron," he said in his monotone voice.
Megatron paused for a moment and then spoke to Soundwave again. "Bring Reflector as well. They should come in handy should we need to resort to spying on the Autobots."
Soundwave nodded at his leader's orders again. "As you command., Megatron," he repeated.
Megatron the looked at Starscream, causing the Decepticon to stir in his seat. "Bring Thundercracker and Skywarp as well. I have needs for their. . . talents!"
Starscream looked puzzled by Megatron's request. "Does that mean I will be. . ."
"Yes it does, Starscream," Megatron said with a smile. He then looked at the gathered Decepticons and sneered at them. "My team will go to the far moon and board the Nemesis. We will follow the Autobots through this asteroid field, and then to the planet itself." He smiled and thought of the victory that would ensue from his venture. "Once we wipe out the Prime and his little band of Autobots, the universe will be ours for the taking!"
Iacon
Autobot High Command
Red Alert walked next to Optimus Prime and scratched his head. As loyal as he was, Red Alert was unsure that his leader was making the right decision on this venture across the universe. He looked over at Optimus Prime and spoke his opinion. "I'm not sure that an endeavor such as this is in our best interest, Prime." he said cautiously.
Optimus Prime looked at his friend and nodded. "And what reasons do you have, besides the obvious ones?"
Red Alert stopped in the hallway and focused on Optimus Prime, "Don't get me wrong, Optimus. I fully believe that establishing a base of operations on another planet so rich in energy deposits is a valued concept, but sending you instead of another Autobot is quite. . ."
"Foolish?" Optimus Prime added knowing that Red Alert would never use such a word when referencing his leadership abilities.
Red Alert turned his head for a moment, realizing that his leader was able to say the word that he was afraid to. "Perhaps it would be best if Magnus or Maximus led the mission." The two Autobots continued to walk down the hallway toward the hanger where the Ark was stationed. "What if something goes horribly wrong?"
Optimus Prime stopped at the entrance to the hanger and turned around. He laughed for a brief moment as he pressed the button to open the reinforced doors. "I'm glad you have so much faith in me." He then looked down at his trusted advisor and nodded at his concern. "I appreciate the thoughtfulness, Red Alert, but there is no changing my mind; I will be leading this mission through the asteroid field and to the new planet."
The door opened and the two Autobots gazed into the hanger in astonishment. They looked at the enormous ship that took up the entire area. It was nothing like they had ever seen in their entire lifetime. The two mechs began walking over to a group of Autobots who were gathered underneath the wing of the monstrous ship. Optimus Prime waived at the group of Transformers who were awaiting their arrival.
"What's the situation look like, Wheeljack?" Optimus Prime asked the ship's designer.
The quirky Autobot turned his attention to Optimus Prime and handed him the data pad that contained all of the information about the ship on it. "She's almost ready for departure," he stated happily. "The energon that Kup procured for us was more than enough to get the job done." He looked over at the older Autobot who was standing next to him and slapped Kup on the shoulder. "I guess that he's still got some usefulness left in that old chassis of his."
Kup grimaced at Wheeljack and his comment. "I'll show you some usefulness," he huffed. He looked over at Optimus Prime and smiled. "Please tell me that you're gonna leave old hex-nuts here out in the outer rim before you return."
Optimus Prime laughed at Kup. "Believe me, Kup, there are times that I wish I could do that!" He then looked at the data pad and accessed some of the information on the ship. "So we've got all of the hardware loaded onto the ship, Prowl?"
Prowl nodded proudly at his commander. "All of the equipment was loaded up first thing this orn." He handed Optimus Prime another data pad and pointed at the equipment list. "You'll see that we've added a reformatting module onboard the ship in the engineering lab."
Optimus Prime stared at Prowl with a puzzled look on his face. "Why's that?" he asked.
Prowl looked over at Wheeljack and smiled. "Wheeljack thought that it would be best to bring it along should we need to adapt to the environment."
"You can't be too cautious," Wheeljack added. "If the terrain is to difficult for us to navigate in our alternate modes, then we'll need something to help in the adaptation process."
"Excellent," Optimus Prime said. He then looked over at Red Alert. "Is there anything else that you feel concerned about?"
Red Alert knew that there was no changing his leader's mind. He shook his head and replied. "No."
"Very well," Optimus Prime stated. He handed Wheeljack the data pads and looked at Prowl. "How about the roster?" he asked his second in command.
Prowl smiled and the two of them started walking to the ramp that led into the ship. "I've compiled a list of Autobots that should accompany us on the voyage." He handed it to Optimus Prime and continued walking. "The list is quite lengthy, but I thought it best to have too many mechs than to have too few. Besides, Wheeljack said the ship can handle a crew of three-hundred."
"Excellent thinking, Prowl," Optimus Prime said. He looked at the names that were streaming across the pad's monitor. Each name had a primary function listed after it as well. "We are better off having a larger crew than a small crew, should something happen."
The two Autobots reached the ramp of the ship and began to walk inside of it. As they walked inside the shuttle, there were several Autobots working on various maintenance duties to make sure that the Ark was ready for departure. They stopped at the top of the ramp as Optimus Prime looked at some of the Autobots that would be joining him.
"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker?" he asked with hesitation. "It's not like you to bring such 'loose' Autobots on such a structured mission."
Prowl nodded at his leader's remarks. "Those two are on there for redemption," Prowl said with a smile. "Consider this some 'community service' that they own me."
Optimus Prime nodded and continued looking at the list. Prowl noticed that Optimus Prime had some reservation about some of the members of the list, so he began to elaborate.
"I chose Mirage and Jazz simply because of their stealth abilities," he began. He looked at some of the maintenance drones who were finishing some reinforcement welding on the ship's hull. "Brawn, Ironhide, and Cliffjumper were chosen for heavy duty, while Bumblebee, Hound, and Windcharger were chosen for their scouting abilities, as well as their fuel efficiency."
Optimus Prime nodded as Prowl went through the roster. "Huffer was an obvious choice, as was Trailbreaker."
Prowl looked up at Optimus and nodded. "Huffer was hesitant on coming, but he's one of the best design engineers that we have, outside of Grapple and Hoist."
"Who I noticed were not on the list," Optimus Prime said.
"I would have taken them both, but that would be short changing the Autobot forces on Cybertron." Prowl then looked at the list again and continued. "Bluestreak volunteered for the mission, and I can't turn him down because of his uncanny ability to bug me constantly." He then looked at the last two names on the list. "Gears thought it best to come along to keep Huffer in check, which I couldn't argue with either."
"And then there's Ratchet," Optimus Prime said.
Prowl looked confused for a moment. "It was between First Aid and Ratchet, but I thought that separating First Aid from the rest of the Protectobots would be too difficult. Besides, Ratchet is the best, and if we can only have one medic, I'd want him."
"Anything else?" Optimus Prime added.
"Not that I can imagine," Prowl replied.
"Excellent," the Autobot leader said. The two mechs walked to the cockpit and watched as Sandstorm and Pointblank finished the computer diagnostics. Optimus Prime smiled at the two of them as they gathered their equipment and began to leave the bridge of the massive shuttle.
"She's all clean," Sandstorm said. "Chromedome installed that supercomputer that he and Wheeljack designed."
Optimus Prime looked over at Sandstorm. "What supercomputer?" he asked.
"Teletran-1," Pointblank said as he piekced up the last of his tools. "It's interfaced with the reformatting program, as well as the entire ship." He smiled and looked at the control consol of the Ark. "They've spent quite a bit of time tied up wiring that thing together."
Prowl looked over at Optimus Prime. " Wheeljack thinks that we need a logical advantage if we are to navigate into unknown territory. He says that Teletran-1 should be able to compute through multiple scenarios on the fly."
Optimus Prime nodded at the statement made by Prowl. "Indeed," he said. "Every advantage makes it a little less challenging for us as well." He watched as both Sandstorm and Poimtblank left the room. He turned and looked out of the frontal window of the cockpit. "When should the Ark be ready for departure?"
Prowl looked at the data pad and smirked. "It should be ready by tomorrow."
"Excellent," Optimus Prime said. "Have the designated Autobots meet us here in twnety-five breems so we can brief them on the entire scope of the mission." Optimus Prime stood there and watched as the final preparations were completed. He walked over to the command chair and sat down in it. He looked around the cockpit and began to wonder if this was indeed the right choice for him and his fellow Autobots to embark on.
Omani-Attune
Far Moon of Cybertron
The Decepticon shuttle landed at the sight of the complex where Scorponok had his forces stationed. The wings folded upward as the ship nestled closer to the ground. Several forward gun batteries also rotated upward. The landing gears descended and touched the ground softly. There was a hissing sound that resonated from the belly of the ship as the hydraulic gears locked into place.
Three Decepticons made their way from the large hanger and walked toward the shuttle as its ramp began to extend to the ground. Once they made their way to the end of the ramp, they stood at full attention as they prepared to greet the passengers of the shuttle.
The door of the shuttle opened and out walked Megatron. He stood at the top of the ramp for a moment and gazed out at the sight of the moon base. He smiled at the fact that his forces had such a base created without any Autobot resistance. Megatron looked down and saw the three Decepticons at the bottom of the ramp, and then he began to walk down it, followed closely by Soundwave, his most trusted and loyal followers. He glanced over at one of the Decepticons who was there to escort the party to the hanger.
"Is everything ready?" he asked the white Decepticon.
The cone-headed Decepticon nodded in acknowledgment of Megatron's question. "The shuttle is almost prepared, Megatron," he said. "There are a few slight adjustments that need to be made in order to cloak your departure from the moon, but other than that, everything is set for take off."
"Excellent, Ramjet," Megatron said. "See that all is ready upon my command. I do not want to give the Autobots any more leverage in the situation than they already have."
"Yes, Megatron," Ramjet said. He then turned around and began walking to the hanger where the Decepticons were preparing their own ship for deep space conquest.
Megatron and the rest of his party entered the hanger and gazed at the ship that stood there. It was larger than any other ship that they ever scanned, and each of them knew that it would be an enormous responsibility to navigate such a ship. Megatron turned and faced his warriors.
"This, my fellow Decepticons, is the Nemesis!" he said with a smile. "This ship will usher in the demise of Optimus Prime and his pathetic band of Autobots!"
A black technician made his way over to Megatron and handed him a small data pad that contained the technical specifications of the ship. "You'll find everything on this pad, Megatron," he said. Megatron activated the pad and read the information as it scrolled upward. "You'll see that we've installed a cloaking device that will blind Autobot scanners from detecting you."
"Will it hide us from the Autobot ship?" Megatron asked.
"Yes," the black Decepticon said. "The device will mask any evidence of your departure."
Megatron smiled and nodded at the Decepticon. "Excellent." He turned to his warriors and pointed to the ship. "Get on board the shuttle and prepare for launch!"
The Decepticons made their way to the entrance ramp on the back of the ship. They watched as many Decepticon drone-mechs finalized the last preparations to make the ship ready for liftoff. As the crew of the Nemesis reached the ramp, they saw another Decepticon departing from the ship. Megatron stopped the Transformer by grabbing him on the shoulder.
"Is everything alright, Blitzwing?" Megatron asked suspiciously.
Blitzwing hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Ab. . absolutely, Megatron," he said nervously. "The last scans confirmed that the Nemesis is prepared for departure whenever you are ready."
Megatron sneered at the sight of such a warrior. He let him go and began to enter the ship. Blitzwing rubbed his shoulder where Megatron held him, and then continued down the ramp. He looked back at the ship and began to quicken his pace toward the opposite end of the hanger.
Once he was out of the view of the ship, he activated his wrist communicator and spoke into it. "Do you read me?" he said softly.
An image of Shockwave appeared on the screen. "What is the status of the mission, Blitzwing?" he asked.
Blitzwing peered around to make sure that he was not followed. He then looked back at the digital image and spoke again. "Megatron is on board the Nemesis," he said. "I've installed the navigational virus as ordered. Once the Nemesis is no longer within initial scanning, the navigational computer will scramble the data, thereby erasing the information which would allow the Nemesis to return to Cybertron."
"Excellent," Shockwave replied. "The virus should also cloak Cybertron from any scanning that they may perform if they try to return. It should develop an echo in the opposite direction, thus throwing their return off course." Shockwave looked deeply into Blitzwing's optics. "The virus makes it impossible for any Decepticon to track them once they leave long range scanners," Shockwave stated. "It will make their transponder frequency invisible to all our tracking efforts; there will be no way we can contact Megatron."
"But if Megatron succeeds, he'll have all that energon at his disposal," Blitzwing added.
Shockwave chuckled for a moment. "My dear Blitzwing," he said with a hint of compassion. "All the energon in the universe will do nothing for Megatron if he cannot return to Cybertron."
Blitzwing looked around again and then spoke into his wrist. "Is it wise to dispose of Megatron in such a manner?"
A look of seriousness came over Shockwave's single optic. He gazed coldly at Blitzwing and nodded. "Megatron's thinking pattern is illogical, at best," he snapped. "He's allowed his vendetta against Optimus Prime to blind him from our true goals." He paused for a moment as he realized that he would finally be rid of Megatron. "Perhaps it is time that the Decepticons began to embark down a new path of leadership."
The communication device snapped shut, and Blitzwing was left alone in the hanger. He stood up straight and began to walk out from behind the corner, hoping that he would not be spotted by any suspicious Decepticons who were lurking about.
Outside of the Decepticon Moon Base
Speedometer retracted his scanning visor and slid down against the rubble. He took the image-scans and uploaded them to his small computer. He pulled a wire from under his wrist and plugged it into a small port on the side of the computer. He watched as the wire glowed green as the information from the computer was uploaded to his internal data-driver. Once the image-scans were fully loaded, he unplugged the wire and folded the computer in half. He placed the flat computer inside of his chest compartment, and then transformed. He revved his engine twice and then sped off across the vast openness of the moon.
"Damn!" he shouted to himself. "Magnus is not gonna like this slag!"
The young Autobot threw himself into high gear and made his way to the Autobot safe-house on the moon. He extended his antenna and began to encode a signal to the other Autobots stationed on the far side of the moon.
"I ain't gonna make it in time," he said. "Hopefully, Streetwise can get this slag back to Magnus before Prime leaves!"
The red Autobot sped across the surface of the moon knowing that time was of the essence, and that there was none to spare.
