Chapter 7 – Escape Velocity

Broadband worked silently, as usual. He was fixing one of the command modules at the Escape Velocity Center. The EV Center was a system that was constructed to assist ships and shuttles in achieving a high enough velocity to escape the planet's gravitational pull without expending the high amounts of energon needed. It worked like something out of Earths Stone Age, little more then a magnetic slingshot that hurtles the ship into the upper atmosphere where it can then fire its own rockets and enter space. However, due to the strong magnetic field that is generated, the surrounding electronics are often shorted during launch.

And that is why Broadband is here. He worked steadily and was focused on the task at hand. Opening a compartment in his forearm, he removed a small piece of circuitry and being to solder it into the board he was working on.

His extraordinarily strong sensors picked up the group of Autobots and one Decepticon walking up to the building, picking up their team based on the energy signature and transponder code. The Decepticon wore an Autobot transponder, but his system still processed Energon in the typical Decepticon fashion. Broadband also knew that there were no scheduled launches today, and that one of their number, an Autobot named Stargazer, transformed into a shuttle large enough for interstellar travel. Broadband also knew that the newly named Autobot Stratowing was outside his permitted zone and he has not been assigned to a mission. Broadband knew all this, but it did not pertain to him, he was only here to fix a control module.

Moving from the roof through a work hatch back down into a Control Room, Broadband barely noted the group. He pulled their IDs from the Central Core of Iacon. Ultra Magnus, Radial, Skidmark, Scrap (although Broadband had to rely on his own personal database for that one as his transponder was almost completely non-functional and he was listed in the database as MIA) Stratowing, and Stargazer. They had entered the building and Magnus left the group to approach the Control Room. Broadband took note, but continued to fix the command module. That is what he was here to do.

Ultra Magnus entered the room, his blue and white bright in the gloom of the grey walls. The main console was shut down, but a few lights still twinkled dimly. Broadband knelt down and opened a panel door under the main switch board. He did not speak, simply went about his assigned task.

Magnus stood still for a moment, watching his fellow Autobot work. Broadband was a genius when it came to system repairs and field work. He carried on him enough communication equipment to talk to Cybertron from almost anywhere in the galaxy, and he could make it work using almost anything he could find, even parts of his own body. His construction, his unreal concentration under fire, and his unshakeable focus on the task at hand was what Magnus needed him for. However, there was a price that came with his asking Broadband for help.

A long time ago, Broadband had been binary bonded to a Powermaster while on assignment on Nebulous. During a battle some time later, the Powermaster was killed, and Broadband had never recovered fully. He never had all that much of a personality to begin with, but whatever spark of self he had was lost when his Powermaster died. Now he was little more then a machine, little better then the systems he worked on with amazing skill and precision. Broadband was thought incapable of making personal choices and was more or less taken off active duty.

"Broadband," Magnus began. "I have come to talk to you."

Broadband did not turn from his adjustments. The compositor he had to work with had less then one-millionth of a kilowatt parameters. It everything was not perfect, the system would fry completely next launch and make a lot more work for Broadband. Still, without testing it, he knew that it was perfect. Without taking his mind off his task, Broadband replied with a monotone "Yes?"

Magnus hesitated. What he did now could mean the death of an Autobot that was nearly childlike. No, not childlike, thought Magnus more like the androids of old Earth science fiction. If he asked Broadband to go, he would say no, that he had duties here, and that there was no formal mission in place. And he would be right. However, if he ordered Broadband to go...

"The Council has ordered me to assemble a strike force for the complete liberation of Thalous. I need you to be on that strike force." The lie ripped through Ultra Magnus's metal heart with more pain then any Decepticon weapon would.

Broadband did not reply for several moments. Normally Magnus would think that an Autobot would be in thought as to if he would accept such a mission, but in the case of Broadband he wondered if there were any thoughts.

Just as he was about to speak up, Broadband spoke. "If I am needed, then I will go. Query; are those with you the entire strength of the strike force?"

"Yes."

"You are aware that a force as small as the one you have assembled can not hope to defeat the combined Decepticon forces, are you not?"

Magnus let out what would have been a sigh if he needed to breath. "Yes, Broadband, I am aware."

Broadband closed the hatch and stood, turning his blocky body toward Magnus. The blinking lights from the control board twinkled off his armor as the board flared to life. A whir of energy filled the room with a soft mumble. "If I am needed, then so I must go."

Optimus Prime walked into the temporary Command Center, his steps slow and even. Jazz was in the command chair, scanning a group of reports. Noticing that Prime walked in, Jazz started to rise to give him the command seat, but Prime waved his hand absently. Without speaking, Prime took the offered display and read the words there. It was the duty roster for the day, and a few Autobots did not show up for duty, including Ultra Magnus.

The silence was broken when one of the technicians spoke up. "Sir, we have an unscheduled launch from facility 3-16. Sensor Dynamics report it is a shuttle class small craft. Looks to be... Wait, It's Stargazer!"

Prime nodded and looked down toward the floor. Jazz turned, "Contact Autobot Command, let them know that we have a rogue Autobot leaving the planet. He won't make it past Moon Base 4."

After the war with Unicron, Cybertron rebuilt the moon bases and added two more. The reasoning was so that they could be used to monitor the reconstruction and scan for Decepticon activity, however they were now mostly used to monitor planetary traffic. The Autobots simply didn't have enough Energon to maintain the sensor screen.

Before the communications officer could make the call, Prime turned and said, "Wait."

That one word made everyone in the room freeze and turn to face the field leader of the Autobots. "I will personally make the report."

Without another word, Prime left the room.