A/N: This chapter mainly consists of what Optimus reads from the datapads Firestorm gave him, but there's more "present day action" towards the end.
Oh, yeah-the bit about Alpha Trion's true identity comes from the novels Exodus and Exiles. Those books aren't really supposed to tie directly into any one part of this new "aligned continuity" we're getting, but after reading Exiles, I think it's safe to say that they tie completely into the Prime TV series, and nothing else. I'm utilizing bits and pieces of Prime stuff, so I'm adding this as well.
And Megatronus Prime was the Fallen's name before him became the Fallen.
Action begins next chapter, so stay tuned!
Regarding a review for the last chapter…Laserbeak's death was more of a tag-team between Bumblebee and Sam-Sam got Laserbeak in range of the ship's weapon, and Bumblebee pulled the trigger. Therefore, I think Bumblebee is more responsible for Laserbeak's death than Sam, seeing as how he actually is the one who fired the kill shot. Not to say that Howlback wouldn't be above taking her anger out on Sam, though-she just places the blame for Laserbeak's death solely on Bumblebee because he was the one who pulled the trigger.
UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.
Dialogue Guide:
"radio speak"
Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words
"normal speech"
"Cybertronian"
Enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.
HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.
NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!
Transformers: Day of the Black Sun
Chapter Seven-Duties and Loyalties
Rating: T
Words: 4,928
MY NAME IS FIRESTORM, AND THE FIRST THING I MUST WRITE ABOUT MYSELF is that I am a Seeker.
I guess that means that I am very important to Cybertron, but I do not feel all that important…it is just a job. A vital one, yes, but it is what I was created to do, so I do not believe that I should think myself overly important, as I am just carrying out my main function. And I am not the only Seeker among the population of our planet, so I am not unique in that regard, either.
Our planet-Cybertron. As a planet, it is fairly young, even though it is older than I am. But Cybertron was not always a planet. It was once something-no, someone-else entirely, and during that time bore a very different name.
…I am not permitted to speak of this-to tell that it is the truth- to anyone; it is the wish of the Thirteen that our planet's beginning be regarded as nothing more than a legend, for the time being. I cannot say I blame them for this; things are relatively unstable right now and there is much work to do to care for our home. The general population worrying about a potential, terrible threat that lurks out in the far reaches of the galaxy is something that we do not need right now. But I will write it down, in the hopes that, one day, in the future when life on Cybertron is more stable, others will be able to read this and learn from the past, so that they will be able to defend themselves from what is out there.
But I am rambling. It is time for me to get to the point.
We Seekers know the truth of our planet's origin, yes, but the reason we know it because we have an additional vital task to perform in addition to the duty we are publicly responsible for. Every Cybertronian knows that we Seekers travel out into the far reaches of space, searching for suns in uninhabited star systems that we can use to harvest the energy we need to keep our planet alive. It is important to do this, yes, but in reality, our most important task is the one no one knows about, except for the Thirteen-and all of us Seekers, of course.
And that mission is to keep a vigilant watch for signs that Unicron the Destroyer might possibly be awakening, and returning to our home.
I know that, by the time this personal log of mine finds its way into the servos of someone else, Unicron will have completely faded into nothing more than a legend, a tale to tell Younglings. It is already happening now, per the requests of the Thirteen, and I know that the story will continue to lose its foundation as truth as time goes by. But Unicron is very real, and very, very dangerous.
When Primus sealed Unicron into his planet form and banished him to the farthest reaches of the universe, he knew that there was a risk of it being nothing more than a temporary fix. While Unicron was locked in what all hoped would be a permanent stasis, the possibility of him awakening and coming back to finish what he had started was there. That is why Primus created the Matrix of Leadership, using some of his essence-since he and Unicron were polar opposites, Unicron would not be able to stand having the power of the Matrix unleashed on his spark; it would severely damage him and lock him into stasis again, most likely permanently. Killing him outright is beyond anyone's power, unfortunately, except for Primus, and the reason Primus had not done so was because the result of such an absolute unleashing of his own essence onto Unicron would have killed them both. With the Matrix, there was a way to defeat Unicron if he ever returned, without having to sacrifice Primus himself-our home planet of Cybertron. But the problem remained-how would the Thirteen be made aware of him awakening, let alone returning?
The solution was simple-us.
Primus may be locked in planet form now, but he is not as deeply in stasis as Unicron is. He still has some control, and, however briefly, he was able to influence the All-Spark to create life once more. The Seekers-myself included, of course-were the result of this last direct action to assist our lives that Primus was able to do.
I search for stars to harvest, yes. Myself and all of the others, we travel great distances every stellar cycle to perform our duties. But, as I said before, finding stars for the harvest is not the only duty, or most important one, that we have. When Primus used the All-Spark to create us, not only did he give us a power that had once been only one that he and Unicron possessed-the ability to Transform into alternate shapes-he instilled in us an ability that is both a blessing and a curse.
We can sense Unicron.
I can sense Unicron.
Do you know what his presence feels like? It is horrible. Simply horrible. It is like being on the edge of a pit of hatred at all times, and if you take one wrong step you will fall in the darkness and never be able to experience happiness again.
If his presence is this horrible when he is in stasis…I dread to think of what it would feel like if he were awake.
Fortunately, while I am cursed to always feel that horrible pit that is his presence, it is faint and still. This means that he remains in stasis. I hope that this will always be the case, and that I will never have to feel the full strength of his presence, because that would undoubtedly mean that he has awakened.
In the meantime, there are stars to find, and, as long as I know that Unicron sleeps, I will search for them and only concern myself with Unicron if I feel his presence stir. That is what I am ordered to do by the Thirteen, and it is my duty to serve the Primes.
And I know that will never change.
Optimus Prime sat the datapad he had been reading back onto his desk with a slight frown. What he had just read only served to confuse him even more about Firestorm's motives during the war back on Cybertron. If the old Seeker truly served the Primes, as he had written in his personal logs, then why had he joined the Decepticons?
That does not add up, the Prime thought, picking the datapad back up and reading the last few sentences of the entry once more. During the war, there were only two Primes on Cybertron-myself and Sentinel-and at the time both of us were firmly on the Autobot side. So why did Firestorm go over to the Decepticons, if he was duty-bound to follow the orders of a Prime? Neither of us ordered him to follow Megatron.
He had thought about it for only a moment when an idea occurred to him. Had Firestorm known about whose side Sentinel was truly on, and was following him? He didn't think so, but he knew that he had to consider the possibility. If that was the case, though, why had Firestorm sought him out? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to find the Decepticons on Earth, if Firestorm had know that Sentinel was a traitor all along, and he was following his orders to fight on the side of the Decepticons?
It was all so confusing.
Optimus sorted through the datapads and found one that was slightly newer, dated for a time after the war had started, and activated it.
He still had time before the meeting started, and maybe the answers to the questions the reading of the first datapad had created would be found here.
War is upon us. Once we were all Cybertronians, but now, things are only defined by whether you call yourself an Autobot or a Decepticon. The Autobots are noble; the Decepticons are savage. Everyone is taking sides. There are neutrals in some areas, but that will soon, in all likelihood, become rare. The Decepticons do not take "no" for an answer. If you do not join when Megatron asks, you are killed. Most join to avoid this, and others are fleeing to the Autobots for protection. The war is slowly killing Cybertron.
What a mess.
I long for the old days when all we had to worry about was finding stars for harvest and keeping watch for Unicron, who has now, as I long ago predicted, faded into nothing more than a legend.
Who would have thought that the devastation of our planet would come from the inside, and not the outside as Primus warned us? It is all very horrible, I am afraid. War is never a pretty thing.
I do not take what I am about to do very lightly. I would rather not be doing it at all; it goes against my values-values that I have set myself by ever since that long ago day when I first came online. I have my orders, though, and I cannot deny them.
I see no harm in explaining myself here. This log will be in my possession at all times, and only I can change the encryption setting so that others would be able to read it. Here, there is no harm in writing the truth once again.
Sentinel and Optimus are the leaders of the Autobots. Optimus Prime is young but shows great promise; I have no doubt that he will lead the Autobots to victory. Sentinel Prime is older and wiser, but he is beginning to take less action, allowing Optimus to take charge as the main leader. There…there is something about Sentinel that I do not like, but I cannot figure out what. Something about him strikes me as being…off, for lack of a better term. Something about him also reminds me eerily of Megatronus, before he…but that is not important.
What is important is the fact that, while they believe themselves to be the only Primes left on Cybertron, they are both mistaken. There is one more. Over the stellar cycles, he has become more than just a Prime to me. He is a great friend now, but that does not change who he once was. Who he is.
For you see, one of the Thirteen survives.
Alpha Trion.
I went to see him just a few solar cycles ago, and it was he who gave me the task I am reluctant, but duty-bound, to perform.
"Things are getting worse," I told him as I entered his office in the Hall of Records. "Very soon now, the war will come here. I do not think that there will be any way to avoid it."
"Yes. The Autobots will fall back to Iacon, and the Decepticons will follow. And once they arrive, I will offer my assistance to the Autobots as they need it." He looked evenly at me. "And what do you plan on doing, Firestorm, when the Autobots arrive here?"
My answer was immediate. "I will join them as well. I side with the Primes. You know this."
"Hmm." He drummed his servos on the table briefly before he spoke again. "As to that, Firestorm, I believe that your skills will be better utilized among the Decepticons for the time being."
I could not believe what I was hearing, and I stared at Alpha Trion in disbelief. "What? No! I cannot do that! You know what the Decepticons believe, what they do, what they are capable of…I could never bring myself to that." I shook my head frantically. "Never. My values, my beliefs-I share those with the Autobots!"
"That is exactly why you must join the Decepticons, Firestorm. You have said it yourself; you have strong, decent values, and you pre-war reputation gives you the position of someone that can be turned to for advice; you were and still are someone whose opinion carries importance. On the side of the Decepticons, you would be able to use this influence to possibly prevent some of what they plan to do."
"You honestly think that I can prevent the Decepticons-prevent Megatron-from evoking further unnecessary harm? Optimus has the same values and respected standing. He tried the same, and failed." His plan was becoming clear, but I still failed to see how it would work. I shook my head firmly. "Megatron listens to no one besides himself."
"He may listen to you. You are older and have more experience than Optimus Prime," Alpha Trion told me. "Even Megatron respected you in your old role."
"Those days are long gone, judging by the look of things," I responded bitterly. "I do not think Megatron is capable of respect or reason anymore. He will not listen to Optimus-his own brother! I highly doubt he will listen to me."
"You must try."
"The Autobots are severely outmatched in flight combat," I argued. "They will have need of my strength and maneuverability in the air. I am old but I can still help in that regard."
He leaned across his desk towards me. "Firestorm. I do not like it, and I know that you do not like it, but it is necessary that you do this. I am not aware of what the results will be. But there is one thing I clearly know- you must join the Decepticons. I can see that it will, in some way, serve the greater good."
I wilted. "I cannot." My voice faltered. "Please, I cannot." I knew denying it was useless. Alpha Trion knew things that no one else could even begin to understand; it was the ability that had identified him amongst the other members of the Thirteen. There was a greater purpose to be served here. And to serve it, I was to be a Decepticon. But the idea horrified me.
He looked evenly back at me. "Firestorm, are you still loyal to the Primes?"
I held my head up again. At least I was certain of one thing. "Yes."
"I am your friend, Firestorm. But I am also a Prime, and I wish that you do this."
I hesitated. I still did not want any part of this. But…"Are you certain it is the only way forward for me?"
"Yes. It will give you a purpose that will drive you forward later on…but I do not know what that purpose may be at the moment."
"I will have to fight."
"Yes."
"Maybe…maybe even kill."
"It is a possibility."
"I am not a killer of the innocent." Desperate pleading entered my voice once again. "I do not want to become one. If I fight for the Decepticons…I might have to. I do not think I can do such a thing."
"You may not have to. There are other ways. You may still have to fight, but you should be able to avoid killing anyone. You could oversee those unfortunate Autobots that are captured and prevent their suffering."
My optics brightened. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. "An interrogator? I am good at persuasion, and I do not have to cause harm to get answers, unlike some of those thugs in the Decepticon ranks."
"If that is what you think you can achieve, than do so. But you must leave before the war comes here."
"I am afraid I still do not understand. But I will do as you ask."
He nodded at me. "Go, Firestorm. When we next meet, it will be as enemies."
I shook my head. "Then I hope we do not meet again, sir."
I left after that. I am afraid that I am still greatly troubled by what I am duty-bound out of loyalty to the orders of the Thirteen to do, but if Alpha Trion believes that, in some way, it will serve the greater good, I must do it, regardless of how much the idea of becoming a Decepticon sickens me.
Tomorrow I will fly out to meet Megatron and pledge myself to the Decepticon cause. I will try my best to prevent him from causing any further unnecessary harm, but I do not know if I will succeed.
The last surviving member of the Thirteen has faith in me, but I wish I could have faith in myself.
But war is terrible, and things are never easy.
Never.
For a long moment after he finished reading the entry, Optimus Prime stared unseeingly at the datapad he held.
Alpha Trion-the old Cybertronian he had been a page for in the Iacon Hall of Records so long ago, when he had been nothing more than a Youngling named Orion Pax- had been a Prime? No, not just a Prime, but a member of the Thirteen?
After the initial shock wore off, Optimus realized that, in some way, he had always known the Alpha Trion had been a Prime. It had never been at the forefront of his thoughts, but now that he had read it, he realized that yes, he had always known.
And now, it had made even more sense the way Alpha Trion had sacrificed himself to buy the Autobots enough time to evacuate Iacon when the city fell to the Decepticons; it had been something that no one had thought the old Cybertronian capable of-single-handedly holding off the Decepticons while the other Autobots got to safety. It was the way of the Primes to do so to help those in need. Optimus had even done so himself, although he had been fortunate enough to return.
So, Alpha Trion was a Prime. And as for Firestorm…
He had only joined the Decepticons because Alpha Trion had told him to do so. Optimus wondered what it was that Alpha Trion had known Firestorm would gain from the Decepticons. He wished he knew what it was. Was joining the Decepticons the only thing that would have brought Firestorm to Earth to warn the Autobots about Unicron? No. Optimus knew Firestorm would have done so even if he had fought on the Autobots' side from the very beginning. Alpha Trion had to have known something else. But what that something was…Optimus couldn't even begin to guess.
If the words he had read were true, then all doubts about whether or not Firestorm could be trusted could finally be cast aside. He had been a Decepticon in name only, and his actions proved that.
There was a very long gap in-between the entry he had just finished reading and the next one. Noting the date-a few cycles after the slaughter at the Youth Sectors-he read on. Finally, he would learn why Firestorm had disappeared.
I have failed.
Alpha Trion was convinced I could prevent harm like this. He trusted me. A Prime, a member of the Thirteen, trusted me, and I failed.
When Megatron revealed his plan to attack the Youth Sectors some cycles back, I protested. I told him that it would be unwise to kill the future generations of Cybertron, using the argument that they could be potential Decepticons, to get him to see whatever reason I possibly could. I know the reason he wanted to carry out such a horrid plan was because the risk of the Younglings at the Youth Sectors becoming Autobots was too great. Nearly all of the creators of the Hatchlings, Sparklings, and Younglings there WERE Autobots. Yes, there was the odd neutral or two among them, but for the most part, they were all Autobots. I knew it was important to keep Megatron away from them-they were innocent. They did not deserve to be killed.
Megatron was adamant about carrying out this…this slaughter, but I kept up my argument that it would be unwise. There were others who sided with me-younger Decepticons, recently graduates from the Sectors themselves, who still had friends there. Finally, Megatron agreed to call it off. Trusting old fool that I was, I believed him.
I should have known something was off when, a few cycles after he had agreed to not carry out the attack, Megatron sent me off with a few of the other flight-capable Decepticons to do a routine patrol. I did not normally go on patrols. I was an interrogator and a soldier, not a scout. I should have realized something was wrong. Should have, but did not.
It was not until one of the scouts accompanying me remarked that it was odd that Megatron had sent all of us who had argued against the attack on the Youth Sectors on a patrol together, that I realized just what was going on. It hit all of us at the same time, and without a word to each other we turned around and raced in the direction of the Youth Sectors. I prayed fervently to Primus that we would get there in time. But Primus was not on our side that day.
We were too late.
I will not write down exactly what we found, what we saw had become of those living there, when we arrived at the Youth Sectors. Those images will be my own private horrors for as long as I live, my own reminder of my failure. Megatron had done his work quickly, and there were no Decepticons there when we arrived, but the Autobots were already there, trying to find survivors amidst the rubble of the buildings. They saw us as soon as we arrived and immediately opened fire. They blamed us, even though we were not responsible, and to be honest…I do not blame them one bit for assuming such a thing. I wanted to stay and help the Autobots, but the angry, grief-stricken weapons fire they were sending our way was too intense for us to land. We had no choice but to leave.
Never before in my life had I been truly angry. I realized that as we made our way back to the Decepticon base of operations. But I was angry then-at Megatron, at myself-and I had every intention of confronting Megatron about what had happened.
Again, I was a fool.
I did confront Megatron, with those who had agreed with me alongside, every bit as angry with the Decepticon leader as I was. Megatron was not afraid, though, and we should have been. He told us that it was a shame we had figured out the true reason he had sent us on the patrol, and now that we had, with the anger we were foolish enough to direct towards him. Megatron ordered his loyal followers to cut us down. I tried my best to defend the younger scouts, but there were too many, and even with my size I was overwhelmed. Most of the younger ones never stood a chance, but two of them were able to avoid getting hit. I tried to get to Megatron, but could not, he was using his own soldiers as shields and I could not get even remotely close to him. I am ashamed of this, but I again had no choice. I fled. I used my fire bombs as cover and fled. The two surviving young scouts came with me.
My younger companions had stood with me, and Megatron had killed most of them. I had been unable to prevent the slaughter of all the Hatchlings, Sparklings, Younglings, and their caretakers. The entire point of my joining the Decepticons was to prevent harm like this, and instead I had been unable to stop it.
I got us as far away from the other Decepticons as I could. I knew that none of us could go back. We had tried to attack Megatron, and he would no doubt have marked the three of us for death as a result. But, as the leader of those who had challenged Megatron's orders, I was the one who would no doubt feel the full wrath of his anger. The young ones were in danger as long as they stayed with me, and that would not change if the three of us remained together. I sent them to live with some neutrals I had known before the war had started, and was fortunate enough to still have the friendship of. They were heading off-planet, so I knew that the young ones would be safe.
I cannot go back to the Decepticons. And I cannot bring myself to go to the Autobots. I failed, and I know I cannot face Alpha Trion again. I am still loyal to the Primes, yes, but I failed in the duty that he charged me with and so I know I no longer deserve his friendship…or to ask for his forgiveness. So I will disappear. I will go underground, and busy myself with the task I once had-preserving the history of our planet. After my failure, I know that this is the one thing I am good at. I will record my own mistakes as well, so that not only will I learn from my own failures, other may, in some distant time when the war ends.
If there will be anyone left to read the history when the war ends. The Hatchlings, Sparklings, and Younglings were all killed. Entire generations, simply wiped out. It might be that the only thing that ends this war will be the death of our race.
That is what I used to believe.
Recently, you see, I have come across a faint hope. It has been cycles after I fled from the Decepticons, and I have heard that some Younglings survived the attack on the Youth Sectors and are now training safely with the Autobots. I pray it is not a rumor. I pray that it is the truth.
The young are our future, and, with them, we will never lose hope.
Because, without hope, we are nothing.
A hesitant knock on the door of his quarters brought Optimus Prime's attention away from his reading and back into the present. He deactivated the datapad and placed it back onto his desk, taking note that it was almost time for the meeting they had scheduled to discuss their updated plan of defense with their human allies. Reading the datapads had passed the time much more quickly than he had expected. Not all of his questions had been answered, but now Optimus was now more certain than ever that Firestorm could be trusted. Perhaps the first step in getting the others to come to the same conclusion was to have Firestorm present at the meeting.
"Come in," the Prime said, looking up at the door as another hesitant knock came. Optimus recognized the knock, and he switched his comm-which had been off so his reading would not be disturbed-back on.
The door opened, and Bumblebee edged in. The Youngling glanced at the datapads scattered on the desk, his optics bright with curiosity, before turning to face the Prime. Sir, everyone's in the main hangar, ready to start the meeting. Ratchet was going to comm you but then he realized you'd be reading and probably had your comm off, so I offered to come and tell you instead, and he said to go ahead and do it, and he also said that we'd better hurry up with the meeting, because the Sparklings are all in recharge and we should try to get it finished before they wake up.
Optimus stood, favoring the young Autobot with a slight smile. "Thank you, Bumblebee. Ratchet was right. I did have my comm switched off."
Ratchet also wanted me to ask if Firestorm should be present at the meeting, Bumblebee continued. Since he's the one who really knows all the details of the…the problem.
"Ratchet is right. I also came to that conclusion myself. Firestorm should be there." Optimus contacted the medic immediately. Ratchet?
Yes, Prime? The medic responded quickly.
Bring Firestorm to the main hangar. He needs to be present at this meeting as well.
Under guard, of course, Ratchet replied promptly.
Yes, under guard, Optimus told the medic. But I believe more and more that he is not a threat. Still, it makes the humans seem more at ease for the time being. Bumblebee and I will be there shortly. He returned his attention to Bumblebee as he ended his comm with Ratchet. "Bumblebee, let's go."
Sir, what were you reading? Bumblebee asked curiously as he left the room with Optimus.
"Some of the datapads that Firestorm gave to me," Optimus replied. "The ones I read were some of his personal logs. They had some history of early Cybertron, and they answered some of the questions we had about him. I believe his trustworthiness is no longer an issue."
Can I read them sometime, sir? Bumblebee asked hopefully.
It did not escape Optimus's notice that Bumblebee's request to read the datapads mirrored the one he had asked Firestorm long ago when he had been a Youngling himself, asking the same thing. Despite the serious nature of the oncoming meeting, Optimus welcomed the amusement he felt at Bumblebee unknowingly rewording his old request to Firestorm, and the Prime allowed himself another slight smile at the younger Autobot as they made their way to the main hangar.
His answer was the same one that Firestorm had given him on that long-ago day.
"Maybe someday, Bumblebee. Maybe someday."
