The Lost Prime

Summary: Primes and their Lord High Protectors are made as twins, their sparks coming online together far from other Cybertronian life, protecting one another until the Herald of Primus comes for them. However, the Council can't allow that and the newest Prime goes missing, his Lord Protector tearing Cybertron apart to find him. Every war has its reason. This one is just coming to light. TFA AU

Megatron had never thought that there would come a day when he would be boarding an Omega Sentinel to be brought back to Cybertron, not as a prisoner, but as its rightful ruler at last. He had honestly thought that the Autobots would even program the giant shipformers with an instant kill order if they ever encountered a Prime and their Lord High Protector, but, thankfully, the Autobots had apparently not seen that as a possibility or a viable threat to their plans so they hadn't bothered with adding so specific a line of code into their machines of mass destruction. A blessing, especially given as Optimus would have been reluctant to let Megatron and his warriors offline Omega if he tried to bring them down.

The Prime's coding could be so inconvenient at times.

Luckily, they hadn't had to face such a situation, as Ratchet had managed to explain the whole thing to Omega Supreme by sharing his own memories with his giant charge. It had taken but a few breems and then Ratchet and Sari had went straight for bringing back online all of Omega's long since dormant systems. Including his transformation sequence. Which was loud and needed some oiling and very obvious and attention-drawing.

At least the people of Detroit had something other than Decepticons to gawk at these days, much to Ratchet's annoyance.

It had actually taken them three more planetary rotations before they were ready to depart. Partially it was their own fault. They had brought a war to Earth's doorstep and they had to secure the planet. His little Prime had been quite adamant about it and wouldn't budge, no matter how much Megatron reasoned the impracticality of it all. Optimus would not let innocent human lives be treated as an inconvenient casualty of their war, which the organics had nothing to do with, in the first place. It was a delight to watch more and more of Optimus' Prime coding take over as he spoke about the rights to freedom for all sentient beings and the need to treasure all of that life. Megatron might not be all that attacked to the little squishies, but Optimus was and so he let the Prime have his way. With the help of Blackarachnia and Starscream, Professor Sumdac managed to extend his protection field from the Sumdac Tower to cover the entirety of Earth, should there be any signs of an attack. He and Bulkhead - who Shockwave, his spy in the Autobot Intelligence, reported was actually a Space Bridge engineering genius, despite the looks of him - then created a pseudo beacon, a something-something stabilizer that will allow them to come back to Earth if it is ever needed.

Then came the repeated argument with Sari about her friends needing to leave and her having to stay behind. Megatron had to admit, the little girl could make quite a bit of noise when she is so inclined. And she had persistence. Persistence matched with half-baked reasoning that was almost logical. Only Optimus was once again putting his foot down. She may keep the AllSpark Key, but it was far too dangerous for her to come to Cybertron in the middle of what was about to be a war in one battle. The argument would have probably gone on far longer than it had - Starscream, Blackarachnia and Random weren't exactly helping - had Isaac Sumdac not decided to drop a bombshell on them. Well, figuratively, anyway.

It turned out the little redhead was a techno-organic and her mechanical half was of Cybertronian origin.

Megatron hadn't paid much attention to the following screaming matches, instead sharing a look with Optimus before both leaders capitulated and let Sari come along if she stayed on Omega Supreme at all times. Sumdac protested, Sari all but told him to sit on a missal and rotate and Megatron closed the rest of the discussion before he got a helmache. If the little one was really of Cybertronian origin, she was officially his and Optimus' responsibility. They couldn't just leave her on Earth until they found out how a fragging protoform, if the black and gold cyberninja, Prowl, is to be believed, had gotten to Earth. But letting the younger Sumdac come ended up requiring to let the older one, too. He may be more of a sire than a ... father to her, but they were still ... family. They then had to explain that to that earthling, Captain Fanzone, and Detroit's mayor. After all, they were taking away their greatest technological inventor away to a far away planet on rather short notice.

In the end, Megatron had resorted to his old tricks and practically guilt-tripped/manipulated Sumdac in staying to protect Earth, should it be needed. He got a glossa-lashing from his Prime for that, but Optimus appreciated his efforts none the less, as they really didn't need Sumdac to worry about, too. Sari was going to be more than enough.

But that was it regarding their Earth problems. They now had a few problems on Cybertron and the Space Bridge outposts. Well, Cybertron itself was half fine. Shockwave was still uncompromised and had access to the Space Bridge Nexus as well as the prisoners in the Stocades and Trypticon, but there was some civil unrest ever since Optimus accepted Megatron a few weeks ago. Apparently, Cybertron itself had lit up like a candle and quaked like jelly and people were starting to ask questions that the Elite Guard still had no way of answering. Not until the Magnus returned to make an official statement. And there were a few people who actually knew what was going on and were spreading word about it on the Extranet on the planet and to the colonies. Caminus' entire population were preparing celebrations in proportions never before seen on the world and the Mistress of Flame was apparently demanding to speak with the Prime. There were people around the Primal Basilica when the Matrix of Leadership had lit up and the Well of the AllSpark had been shining brightly enough to be distinguished from the station up on Luna 2. No one of cybertronian origin was left uninformed within the first few joors. The Autobot High Command thought it had something to do with the spike of AllSpark energy that had occurred in the same instance Cybertron had reacted, completely disregarding the other likely cause.

As galling as it was to be so overlooked, Megatron was thankful for their continued ignorance of the fact that he had been reunited with his spark twin, his Prime. It was probably Alpha Trion's doing, but the old bot wasn't acting out of the ordinary, or so Shockwave has said. Knowing how crafty the ancient mech was, Megatron had no doubt he was somehow evading his best spy, despite said spy's best efforts.

Outside of Cybertron, on the edges of Autobot space, the outposts with Space Bridges were being fought for, his Decepticons not losing a single one as more and more forces gathered around said Space Bridges. His most fearsome General of Destruction, Strika, was keeping the Autobots well occupied, so even if Magnus beat them to Cybertron, none of their troops could just abandon such active battlefield, nor could they spare any numbers. Not with how viciously his people were attacking. Not with how many prisoners they were taking. Not without losing territory, strategic points and important strongholds. Not without the noose around Cybertron closing in. Not without the Magnus and the Council both losing face and the weak support of the people. He will need to greatly reward Strika and Shockwave both. Had it not been for them, the Decepticon Cause would have been lost fifty stellar cycles ago, when he had went offline.

He hoped Optimus will like them. He was uneasy enough around Blitzwing, Lugnut and Starscream in the beginning, due to their previous interactions. He will have to get used to the idea of big, looming warbuilds being deferential towards him, and Strika was probably the best for that. She was loyal to a fault and respectful, but she was a lot more liberate where deference was concerned. It would let Optimus get comfortable with such treatment. Shockwave was also pretty logical about it and he was nowhere like Lugnut in his displays of loyalty. No overbearing speeches or grand gestures that usually made Megatron's optics 'twitch'. It also helped that, like only very few Decepticons and warframes in general, they were grounders and not flightframes, so that might help with expanding Optimus' comfort zone. It might turn out to be a rather slow process. After all, Optimus was barely used to being respected as a commander of Space Bridge repair bots. Going from that to a Prime had left him out of balance like nothing else could have and the following responsibilities and expectations attached to the title were definitely not something one could get used to. If they could, then they are definitely not suited to be a real Prime.

That didn't make it any less necessary for Optimus to get used to being the center of a people. Primes were the 'heart' of Cybertronians as one people, whether they live on Cybertron, its two moons, their many colonies, Caminus or any world outside of Cybertron's immediate influence. Their people looked to the Prime for guidance while the Lord High Protector mostly dealt with protection of their interests and interplanetary relations. Megatron was used to running an army. He was used to dealing with various species. He was programmed for that, sparked for it. Megatron had needed a long time to get used to the idea of having to deal with some of the Prime's responsibilities as well, feeling the absence of his second half especially acutely when he had to speak with bots like Cyclonus or anyone close resembling him, bots old enough to remember at least two Primes and their protectors. They knew the new Prime was lost and so they had to address their concerns to him. He was not meant to deal with the more civilian matters, such as architecture, economy and, most of all, their all but forgotten religion. He was the Protector of the conduit of Primus, not a Prime himself! Hopefully, Optimus will take to his duties like a 'duck to water' as the human saying goes.

"Are we ready to launch?" Ratchet's voice broke the warlord out of his musings and he nodded, along with the other Decepticons, while the Autobots all sounded their response. Omega Supreme himself affirmed that everything was ready and Ratchet warned them that the transwarp won't be gentle. Sari Sumdac seemed to be the most excited about all of this, counting down from ten until they lifted off. She gave a whoop as the Omega Sentinel quickly took to the atmosphere and then left it, leaving Earth behind like a small marbel. "Transwarp in ten breems."

Blitzwing, Lugnut and Starscream remained tense but their weapons were still offline, so at least they had a handle of their battle protocols. Blackarachnia looked both uncomfortable and in place in the Autobot ship, her days as an Autobot and her experiences as a Decepticon warring with each other for dominance. Well, that or she didn't know what to think about her once best friend turning out to be a Prime and taking her back to a home she had thought she'd never see again due to Autobot xenophobia, especially where organics and techno-organics were concerned. The Autobots had all apparently gotten used to them by now, though the cyberninjas still tensed at every bump or clang and Bumblebee and Ratchet apparently still got perfectly well on each other's nerves. Still, everyone seemed to be doing okay and no one appeared ready to start shooting, so the Lord High Protector took the chance to come to stand next to his Prime.

"So," he started in a casual tone, not giving anything away. "I had an interesting conversation with Ratchet last recharge cycle."

For some unexplainable reason, Optimus choked on his next intake, his vents sputtering on the atmosphere in the ship. The others turned to look at them, but Megatron glared at them a little and they turned back to whatever they were doing before. He turned back to look to his companion, only to find Optimus' face radiating alarming amounts of heat. "W-what?" The red and blue mech stuttered out, much to Megatron's confusion. He hadn't exactly said anything particularly confusing or ... Was Optimus embarrassed? Whatever for? "Oh? R-really? What about?"

Megatron frowned but figured he might understand his companion's reaction if he continued the conversation as he had started it. "He seems to be of the impression that I need to work on my courting gifts. Apparently, giving you Earth as one is unacceptable."

"What!?"

The Lord Protector nodded. "My thoughts exactly. A planet is the perfect courting gift for a Prime. Megazarak gifted Nova with two planets and Galvatron had given an entire solar system to Sentinel. Well, before he was offlined, anyway. Earth is a small gift. But, then again, I will also present to you the reaches of the Decepticon Empire, which, I think, outdo any other Lord High Protector's courting gift to their Prime. I figured that it was only appropriate, seeing as you brought meaning back to my Cause. And my function."

Optimus had calmed somewhat - apparently, embarrassment quickly gave way to indignation and righteousness on behalf of the humans, the Prime's coding and own morale code not allowing him to let that slip by - but his embarrassment returned with a vengeance when Megatron admitted to that last fact, much to Megatron's fond amusement. It was endearing and -dare he say it? - cute. Should he find his Prime cute? Not that propriety meant much to him in the first place. He only cared about his Prime. It was like a balm to all of his scars and war wounds to have the younger near him again.

"A planet is not a sufficient or acceptable courting gift!" Optimus finally managed to squeak out, surprising his companion somewhat with the frequency his voice somehow reached. The odd sound brought the attention of their traveling companions back to them and this time they weren't as easily cowed by a glare as they were the last time. Well, except Lugnut. At least he was polite enough - and obedient enough - to take a hint and give them some 'privacy'. The younger cyberninja, Prowl, also looked away, although his white companion seemed interested enough for the both of them. All of the former Autobots, save Ratchet, who just grumbled under his intake about the 'pigheadedness' of Lord Protectors before returning to preparing them for the jump, were too busy gawking at them. Yes, even Blackarachnia.

"Why not?"

"Why not!?" Optimus quickly went from embarrassed and indignant to downright frazzled and a bit angry. "Because planets usually house living beings! Sentient living beings! You can't gift me sentient beings! It's wrong, it's unethical, it's unacceptable and inexplicable!"

"They're already a part of my Empire, which will be combined with the current Autobot Commonwealth," the Decepticon Lord reasoned, but Optimus was in a snit over this already and would not be reasoned with. Megatron could do nothing more than look at his counterpart in bemusement as Optimus scolded him about this thing or the other. It's not as if the people on Decepticon controlled world were maltreated! Most of them might not be of Cybertronian origin, but they still fell under his jurisdiction. They were treated well. They were free to move about as they wished. There was no registration act nor did they lack standard rights. The Decepticons even protected them from any other malicious species that wanted to conquer them and they had free reign over their trade. In return, Megatron just asked for a quarter of their resources. Sure, that could sound downright tyrannical, but given that the Decepticons allowed them to keep their own weapons - in most cases, anyway - it spoke a great deal about how they were treated. Autobot colonies may have to give only 20% of their resources during peace time, but if a war was ever to break out, all but the most essential resources would be taken from those colonies and their people would be used in the war effort, regardless of how involved or not they were in it. Decepticons were the mightiest warrior race in the universe, an army like no other. They had no use for weaker species in their ranks so they didn't bother recruiting anyone but fellow Cybertronians. Sure, rare few individuals joined their ranks for short periods of time but that was the exception rather than a rule.

Megatron really didn't understand Optimus' indignation and said as much. Optimus stared at him for a few seconds before closing his intake and just shaking his head. "Integrate them into our borders, sure, but they are not, and neither are their planets, a part of your courting gift for me."

"So you wouldn't be opposed by a gift, just this one and would hypothetically accept an entirely different one," he observed, knowing he sounded way more pleased than he probably should. Optimus was staring at him incredulously again and Megatron huffed. "What?"

"You really want to court me?" And the Prime was back to squeaking again. And to the flushing. Megatron swore the Prime's face was lighting up with Energon in his embarrassed state. Primes really shouldn't be this endearing and yet his was. He wondered if he was biased and dismissed the thought. Optimus was beautiful, his Prime or not. It made sense he would be adorable, too.

"Of course. I had intended to give you at least one proper courting gift before we bonded and then throughly woo you right off your stabilizer struts once all of this nonsense is over. If you would allow me, that is. Unfortunately we are short on time and the best I could find on that mud-ball was the planet itself. But since you're so against it, I guess I will simply have to find something else." He might have made it sound like more of a chore than it was - especially as he was delighted in having such a debate with his Prime and prompting him to speak out more and more his opinions, reversing the damage those idiotic fools in the Elite Guard have done - but the gentle shyness that pulsed across their bond was definitely worth it.

What he didn't expect, though, was his counterpart's response.

"Secure an alliance and a working trade with the humans. Bring Earth under our protection in front of the Galactic Council. Bring us home. Don't kill Ultra Magnus and the Council - exile or lifelong imprisonment will do, after a fair trial, of course. Don't punish or reject the Autobots; instead, remind them what it means to be Cybertronian. Help me rebuild our world." Optimus met his optics squarely. "There. That's all I ask. Six courting gifts for the six weeks you've been courting me. Though, if you could not annoy or aggravate Alpha Trion or gloat too much when we meet him, that would be a great bonus."

They were all openly staring at them now. Not even Lugnut or Prowl or Ratchet were bothering to pretend otherwise. The former Autobots were apparently further shocked by the boldness of Optimus' requests. The Decepticons were waiting with bathed vents. Sari was barely breathing.

Megatron smiled. "I think we can manage that." He chuckled as Optimus relaxed and smiled back, almost beaming at the warbuild. His co-ruler really was just too cute. And far too kind.

The Decepticons broke out into cheers that the civilianframes soon enough joined as they realized that their courtship was now a little more than official. Sari gave an excited squee and high-fived Bumblebee and Blitzwing's Random persona. Blackarachnia didn't really seem to know how exactly to react, but she seemed happy enough for her former friend.

"Attention. Jump point ahead. Transwarp to Cybertron in five kliks." Omega's booming voice interrupted their impromptu celebration and had Ratchet snapping at them all to get strapped in. Megatron did so, right next to his Prime, and they waited. He cast a look from the corner of his optics at that blue faceplate and his spark skipped a few harmonics when he saw the excited twinkle in those blue optics.

As Omega began glowing with transwarp energy, Megatron couldn't help but smile.

A bright future awaited Cybertron.