CHAPTER EIGHT
HELL HATH NO FURY...
SUNBLAZER
I soon forgot about the airborne vehicles, for they did not seem to have returned, so after being on alert for a while, I decided that by some amazing chance I had escaped detection. Either that, or they were Autobots, who wouldn't be bothered about me. Feeling more relaxed, I went back into reconnisance mode.
The area I was in at the time was a large flat plain, which seemed too poor for farming or grazing, so there was no native settlements. Engaging a scan, I found that the rock beneath the thin covering of dirt was rich in dense metals and energy-rich raw fuel materials. Here was a very large bargaining chip. If I could do a detailed scan, and present the results to the Autobots, promising co-ordinates in return for supplies, I might be able to get by for a while.
Maybe I could survive until another space-faring race came by, and hitch a lift far enough to go into protoform once we'd escaped the planet's gravitational pull, or maybe I could befriend a native settlement, give them some technical tips, and wait till they developed spaceflight, and hitch a lift with them. After all, what was a couple of thousand years to me? If I asked for the right supplies-and taught the natives to make the components I needed, over a suitable span of time, of course, I could probably survive that long with relative ease.
Once I had completed my scan, and feeling very pleased with myself, I turned back. It was getting late, the sun would soon be setting. It was time to get back to my cave.
Then I heard, once again far off but getting closer, the sound of engines. It sounded like more than three this time, and I realised that on this flat plain, there was no way I could escape notice. Speeding up, I ran towards the distant mountains, even though I knew I was not going to make it on time.
Now I could see them, five motes in the sky, and I was certain they had seen me. Of course, if I were lucky, they would turn out to be Autobots, but they were not coming from the direction of the Autobot base. The Autobots had far fewer flying types than the Decepticons did, so I could not rely on them being friendlies. I brought my arm lasers on-line. I would not be totally defenceless when they got to me, whosever side they were on.
It didn't take long for me to find out, for they began firing at me even before they got within range. They were Decepticons, as I has suspected. I didn't bother firing back. I'd save my energy until they were within range.
I recognised three of them by their colour schemes as they got closer, although I didn't know them by name. The fliers tended to set themselves apart from non-fliers, unless the non-fliers were, of course, superiors, or someone who could do something for them.
As they came within range, one fired at me, I stepped aside as a laser blast slammed into the ground beside me. I was considered nimble and fast in robot form, and this was one of my greatest strengths, and the cornerstone of my fighting style, which was dodge-and-blast-them-back.
Two of them stayed in the air, circling overhead and firing at me, as the other three landed and took robot form.
'Five? To deal with me?' Ithought.That had to be overkill, surely? An unfortunate choice of word, I realised as I dodged one of the airborne's lasers. Decepticons were skilled at the art of overkill. They obviously wanted to be very sure that my 'treachery' would cost me my Spark.
One of the three on the ground fired and clipped me on one shoulder. I staggered, but my armour did not breach, although I didn't expect this to be the case for very long. One of the penalties I paid for my swiftness was comparatively light armour. The one who had shot me called "You will pay for your defection, traitor."
The three on the ground were standing around me fairly closely, limiting how much I could move and dodge. The one who had shot my shoulder fired at me again, but this time, I was able to dodge. it was the one behind me who didn't miss, his shot throwing me face-forward, which actually stopped the third one's shot from hitting me.
Both of the airbornes fired, in such a way that by avoiding one, I could not avoid being hit by the other. Rolling back onto my feet, I shot at the nearest and then dodged. Instinct and experience told me to go for the Decepticon at my back, common sense said to concentrate on one opponent and keep hitting till he was down, but survival told me to stop firing and concentrate on dodging. I chose to dodge and fire at anything that was an enemy and moved, my usual battle technique. I danced about, shooting whenever any of them came into my sights.
Maybe this would have worked if I had had more room, or fewer opponents, or if they had not arranged themselves in such a way that one of those on the ground was always out of my sight, behind me. Maybe it would have been easier if the two circling above me, taking shots whenever I was distracted by those on the ground, had not stayed airborne. However, no matter how much damage I did, I was still taking damage myself, despite the fact I was moving about.
'They've seen me fight, they know my tactics' I realised. Had the circumstances been different, maybe I could have made myself less predictable by changing tactics, but my moving and dodging was the only thing stopping me receiving more hits than I already was.
I refused to give up, but as there were so many of them all attacking me, this was one battle I knew I could not win.
'Maybe I can at least try to take one or two of them with me.' I thought.
RIAN
I was close enough to Bumblebee to quickly join him. Ratchet and Optimus sent a message saying they were on their way, but told us to go ahead, find Sunblazer, inform them of the co-ordinates of her location, and then, if possible, help defend her.
"We'll get there as soon as we can." I responded, while Bumblebee nodded enthusiastically.
We headed off at a run, going in the general direction that Bumblebee had scanned the signal as coming from, which was a vague heading at best, although very soon, we found something else to guide us-the sound of laser fire!
Bumblebee and I hurried on, worried we would be too late. Then we saw the two vehicles in the sky, and not long after that, we came upon the ground battle.
It was a singularly unfair fight. Two airborne Decepticons in vehicle form and three on the ground in robot form had cornered Sunblazer, and she was employing the same dodge-and-shoot technique that had served her so well in her fights against us. However, this was an entirely different situation, and at least two of the five would hit her one way or the other. She could not keep up the punishing routine forever, especially not seeing as she was taking damage every round. She only had two optics, and no-one to guard her back.
'Not for much longer!' I thought. I powered up my arm lasers, as Sunblazer took a shot to the hip from one of the circling airbornes. She fell, and tried to rise again, but seemed unable to get up or even move the leg. Without being able to dodge, she wouldn't stand much of a chance.
"Bumblebee, send the co-ordinates to Leader Prime and Ratchet, would you? I think she needs all the help she can get."
Without waiting for his response, I threw myself into the fray, lasers firing.
SUNBLAZER
A shot from behind threw me forward, and it was only a supreme effort that stopped me ending up face-down in the mud. Instead I ended up on one knee, with my hands helping me keep my balance.
"Are you going to beg for mercy?" the one in front of me taunted. "You should have thought about that before defecting!
My response was to raise an arm and fire at him as I scrambled back to my feet. However, he had achieved his aim, which was to distract me. Two bolts from the other two in robot form threw me forwards, and this time, I did end up face-down in the dirt. Then one of the circling fliers fired, and I felt the searing bolt drilling into my left hip joint, and then my left leg lost feeling and function.
Without being able to dodge shots, I would not last very long. I raised an arm, determined to dish out some punishment. I might be about to be terminated, but I was determined to fight until the last fragment of my Spark flickered out of existence.
I heard a laser bolt firing twice, but did not feel any hits. Instead, it was one of my attackers who flinched, looking in surprise at two burn marks that had suddenly been inflicted on his chest plates. He looked, not at me, but behind and to one side of me.
I blinked as two red feet descended, one either side and slightly forward of my head. I felt a shadow fall over me. Somebody was standing between me and one of my opponents.
"Let's even the odds a bit, shall we?" came a well-known voice. "Leave my sibling alone!"
RIAN
I don't know who was more surprised-Sunblazer or her attackers.
"Autobots!" one of them cried in alarm and anger, transferring its attentions and attacks to me. I was able to keep two of them at bay, one arm laser firing at each, but the one at my back started attacking me too-until Sunblazer managed to flip herself onto her back, lever herself into a sitting position, and began blasting it. From her position, she could cover more than a hundred and eighty degrees around her.
It was the two fliers circling above and taking pot shots at us both that became the biggest menace, but I could not worry about them while holding the two in front of me at bay, trying to keep them in my sights as they danced and dodged and I followed, firing the whole time.
More laser fire sounded, and Bumblebee was there, a little further out, taking aim at the fliers, with both arm lasers. "Need a hand there?" he databursted at both Sunblazer and I. Sunblazer didn't take her optics off her opponent, or let up in her firing one bit, but gave Bumblebee an acknowledging nod.
'That makes this fight a bit fairer.' I thought. I fired quickly at both my own opponents, hitting one and missing the other, who managed a quick dodge. They both fired at me, and both shots hit. Standing guard over Sunblazer left me at a disadvantage.
Sunblazer, for her part, was giving her opponent a blasting. No matter where he moved, her blaster followed him. It was clear that Sunblazer felt she had a score to settle with that one. It seemed the appearance of Bumblebee and I had given her the spirit to keep on fighting, especially as now there was a chance we might win.
Her opponent stumbled backwards suddenly, as his armour abruptly sprouted a hole and began to vent black smoke. Quickly, he backed out of range.
Sunblazer had not escaped unscathed from her encounter with that Decepticon. Her armour had cracks and striations, her left leg was apparently nonfunctional, and judging by the expression on her features, she was in pain. As I took another hit, I pulled my attention back to the two I was confronting
Bumblebee was also having trouble with the fliers: they were now both circling above him in opposite directions: he could only shoot at one of them some of the time. Both were concentrating on him rather than us, and he was suffering for it.
Sunblazer beneath me began firing at one of them, which took some of the pressure off Bumblebee, but next time my two opponents attacked, I was forced to move. Although my armour was a little stronger than Sunblazer's, because I was not as manoeuvrable, it was still fairly light, for I was no Ironhide, built to withstand hits. It meant leaving Sunblazer, in her vulnerable state, alone, but I would not be a help to anyone if I was also disabled by the shots. I stayed close to her, firing at them to keep their optics on me.
As I dodged and blasted, I began to wonder if we would all leave this battle with our Sparks in one piece.
