Phantasmos made copies of the data and uploaded it into his ship's database through a transmitter. As he was doing this, Spike and Draco watched for Alpha Trion and the other Cybertronians while NightHawk and Eclipse helped Serpentine get ready to book it to the vessel when their leader was done.
Multiple Kanjian and Cybertronian symbols flashed on his pad. Each foreign cyber pictogram had a Kanjian counterpart which roughly meant the Cybertronian information was being translated.
Phantasmos smirked as his pad signaled it has sent everything successfully. Unhooking it from the main computer, he activated his ship via comm. link. On cue, Draco motioned that someone was coming. Nodding, he said, "Time's up. Rally up the girls and head for the ship. I'll distract whoever it is."
He passed Spike as the grounder headed towards where the femmes were. "I suggest you accompany him if you want to assure they make it to the ship without complications," he uttered as he stood by the blue seeker's side.
Draco hesitated but obliged, leaving the black and blue dragon to deal with the stranger.
"Did you find what you wanted?" A naïve voice asked.
Phantasmos didn't smile at the young archivist but had to agree. "Orion, I have what I need but I am afraid I must go immediately whether Alpha Trion likes it or not."
Orion frowned, "You have to consult him before leaving otherwise there will be consequences."
"I know," he hissed.
Suddenly, his comm. link lit up with a familiar voice. "Alright, Boss, your crew is all on board, but there are Iacon guards staring us down right now. They may be on to us so I'd hurry and get out of there before they communicate with big, bad Prime and make him check on you. Deal with the guest and scram or we'll all be stuck on this Primus-forsaken planet!"
"Acknowledged," he breathed before closing the link. He turned back to Orion, "In advance, I'm terribly sorry."
Orion stood there confused until a fist collided with his faceplates and he found himself flying backwards into one of the data consoles, shattering the screens. He faded into unconsciousness mere seconds after impact.
Instantly, Phantasmos ran, avoiding glancing back at the knocked out data clerk as weak but meaningful alarms began sounding. He knew what they signified: broken console or data breach. Either one meant someone was bound to be an intruder and since he was a foreign Transformer, he figured they will believe he is the prime suspect along with his juvenile friends. Alpha Trion was not going to be pleased.
All screens turned red, locking all information and freezing the stream promptly. The dragon jumped through a sealing door before bolting to the nearest window. When he climbed through, it shut as well, leaving him on a platform edge. He reluctantly peered down to see vehicles of all sorts on the highways as well as Cybertronian police surrounding the building.
Apparently, they did guess it was him. He could see the tiny armor-clad figures shove through the entrance which was invisible to him. They were angry and determined almost like the Kanjian Guards.
He frantically looked around to find a bigger stretch of platform but all were the same small length and width. His ship, however, was somewhat visible from where he stood; its wings held the reflection of Cybertron's sun which was beginning to drop below skyscraper level. How he was going to get over there would prove to be a challenge with no way to step from window sill to window sill.
Wait, step? He didn't need to maneuver his way over. He had wings for crying out loud! He smiled as he shifted his armor parallel to his shoulders and spine to reveal his light blue-membrane annexes. Slowly, he opened them, feeling the air tickle the newly exposed metal and the warmth of the setting sun awakening numb nerves. It felt wonderful to have them out after months of concealment. It was almost like they've never seen the light of day before and were freshly made. The question still remained though: did he remember how to function with them and will his wings work after being cooped up for so long? Time to find out.
He found it hard not to look at the ground which wasn't helping his grip on the window sides loosen. He hadn't done this for so long, it felt surprisingly unnatural. His pede claws didn't give way either, preventing him from falling both willingly and unwillingly. He needed to let go someday. Finally, he let his mind relax before his hold softened and sent him tumbling down to the surface.
Panic began to set in when his wings didn't want to catch the wind almost like it was denying the air it was offered. Phantasmos breathed rapidly as ground floor was coming fast though it seemed like forever. "Come on! Come on! You can do this!"
Suddenly, the wind picked up and he felt himself lift upward. Using that to his advantage, he began pumping his wings up and down before letting himself glide above the buildings he managed to evade. Keeping his arms curled up to his chest, legs falling next to his tail, and his tail horizontal, he swerved high, observing the city running overtime and the lights of structures coming to be because of the dying sunlight fading into the distance. Flapping some more to keep his position steady, he drifted to do a U-turn to head back to Iacon Tower to his awaiting vessel and crew.
The sensation of flying filled his mind with a lost feeling he had forgotten about for such a long time. He felt weightless, immortal like nothing could stop him and he could maintain this life until the end of time. A good ambiance but it would have to cease till he was back on Kanjis. His concentration changed back to his original task, pushing the beautiful impression aside.
Cybertronian forces, and a furious bastard who carried the title of "Prime", had his personal craft surrounded, some even being rude by using warning shots on its bow. Well, to be honest, they were even now. He damaged a valuable data console and they're lighting up on his ship, both can be repaired though one's going to need a reboot and clerks to reinstall lost archives. He noticed in the corner of the cockpit, not visible to the guards, Draco crouched armed in case any of their units decided to break into the vessel.
"Hey, where are you!?" His comm. link screamed, "We're taking hits and judging by how many rounds are in your hull, this baby may have slight difficulties getting airborne. We need you, o Knight in Shining Armor."
Phantasmos heard more shots ricocheting off the metal and glass. Draco's voice yelled again as the streak of blasts ended for the moment, "Hey, Prince Charming, here's a tip: get your ass over here before we're all royally screwed and I decided to get trigger happy on you!"
For some obvious reason, he just wanted to leave the blue seeker in the hands of the pissed off Sentinel Prime and laugh as he and the remaining crew sailed away scar free. Then again, that would be against his code of honor. It was still a funny thought, and a suitable punishment for patronizing the one mech who knew how to fly the Phoenix Sitara and knew how to escape Cybertron without ending up a pile of rubble above the atmosphere.
Scouting his options, he observed how Sentinel never looked back nor up; he was fixed on the Phoenix and nothing more which left his backside vulnerable as well as his senses only focused on his friends, henceforth, he wouldn't recognize nor pay any mind to the dragon's own scent and appearance. Perfect.
After hovering over the police mechs and their superior for a second, Phantasmos dived downward, his wings folding to his chassis to increase speed. The impact in which he hit the Prime made him short of breath and when he stood to recover over the cataleptic leader, his vision was nearly all white but he could note the outlines of blasters being aimed at him. He blinked several times while holding his head before he knew he didn't think out his plan entirely.
"Um…hey, boys! Can't settle this like civilized bots?" The dragon mused with a short, improvised laugh.
The blue-optics police didn't lower their weapons which made his fake smile quickly deteriorate. As they closed in, he heard his ship's cockpit open. "Yo, slag-eaters!"
All the mechs, including a bewildered Phantasmos, turned to the origin of the insult with scowls. Their eyes widened when they saw a box of grenades in NightHawk's arms and one being tossed up and down in Draco's servo carelessly. The latter grinned evilly, "Taste this!"
Everyone took cover as the jet threw the bomb. Just as it hit the ground and stopped rolling with its timer running, Sentinel awakened, only to be face to face with the explosive. "Oh sh…!" The Prime couldn't finish his sentence as a flash of light emitted and the dock shook on a great magnitude nearly sending several hidden guards toppling over the edge.
When the dust from the crater, which now had a thin layer of metal supporting its base from exposing the city streets below, Sentinel had slammed against a wall, oozing cuts littered his faceplates, but he was still very much alive though unconscious once again. Seeing his chance to leave, the dragon made a break for the ship, closing the cockpit upon entry.
As he ensured their safety from the forces outside, he received several hit on his back, congratulating him on a job well done. Knowing that there was still more to come, he sat in the pilot's seat and activated every essential part of the vessel. When everyone was seated as well, he flipped a few switches before lifting the Phoenix Sitara off the wrecked dock.
More blasts grazed the poor ship's underside but soon those bullets were the least of their problems. In the distance, swerving through the buildings, three big battle cruisers were making their way towards them.
"I don't suppose your dinky little starship has weaponry powerful enough to take on these bad boys!?" Spike said as he stared fearfully into the shaded window of the nearest enemy cruiser.
"Also, can you outrun them?" Serpentine questioned.
Phantasmos knew their chances were slim without a fight and the Phoenix wasn't built to withstand cruiser firepower. They might as well try. Under pressure, he flew in front of one of them and at the last second, pulled away which made the larger craft veer off to the side in a panic, almost hitting the side of a building in the process.
"Getting ballsy, are we?"
"Shut up, or I'll slam on the brakes and we'll see what they'll do," the dragon growled.
He heard his companion growl back but not retort in any way. Suddenly, the vessel jolted and a warning signal emerged. Their pursuers were angry. He noted the damage but didn't stop. Two of the cruisers were trailing on his tail, not willing to lose them. They were stubborn, but he was more persistent.
Weaving under bridges and zipping past blockades with ease, Phantasmos led one of the two into a row of hoops on the bridge that attached to the Iacon Tower. The Phoenix Sitara went through it just fine but the first cruiser lost its wings. All of the ship's crew was now just a rolling fireball doomed to collapse onto the road below the bridge. Those poor citizens; then again, they weren't Kanjis' inhabitants so they weren't much of a big loss.
The second cruiser fishtailed when the smaller vessel navigated the first away, separating them and almost making the second crash into a construction site. Now that it had sight of its enemy once more, it was determined to keep its target in its range.
"Hate to break it to you, Big Boss, but Cyber-Craft 2 is gaining and it's looking for blood," Draco mused.
"That's fine. If it wants to avenge its twin, it's more than welcome to if it can catch us."
"You don't care if you die, do you?"
Phantasmos smirked, "Nope."
The second cruiser swerved and rammed the side of his vessel, aiming to put in a permanent tailspin. However, thankfully, some buildings got in the way so both starships had to separate which gave Phantasmos enough time to counter the cruiser's next move. When the line of structures ended, the cruiser tried once again to strike at the smaller ship only to find it no longer there. The crew members inside were confused until a rain of blasts came from above, chipping part of its Energon fuel line that was located on the cruiser's starboard.
"Try and kill me, huh?" The dragon narrowed his optics as he noticed where the cruiser's weak points were. Instantly, he fired missiles at them and within seconds, the second cruiser was scattered across the community.
The third and last major cruiser was nowhere to be seen. That made Phantasmos suspicious. Carefully, he pulled up, heading directly for the atmosphere where Kanjis' Space Bridge floated in orbit along with the Bridges to Velocitron, Helivan, and other worlds. As they left Cybertron, the dragon stopped the ship to hover near his Bridge but he didn't activate it.
"Well, congratulations brother, you've just killed about seventeen or more Cybertronians. We're officially banned from Cybertron and now there's probably a warrant for us in which if we go back, we'll be tried and executed. Lovely way of saying goody-bye to Alpha Trion and his planet," Eclipse mocked.
Phantasmos just sat in his chair, elbow on the control pad and his head in his servo.
Spike was looking out the passenger window at the small, faint lights in the black sky. He smiled when he saw the spiral arm of Andromeda nearby. "You think that we'll know everything in a million years more?"
NightHawk turned off the gravity in the vessel and lay with her legs crossed and her arms behind her head as she drifted from her seat. "No, there will always be mysteries out there, one's we can't nor ever will solve. I'd say certain things are better left alone because if we were to chase such things, we'll end up hurting ourselves as well as other species. We'll probably kill other species too, but people like Alpha Trion keep the idea of exploration G-rated so we're inspired to do it. We can't say bad things like that to future generations of Transformers otherwise there won't be new explorers."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure telling children 'hey, it's okay to explore new worlds; you'll be able to find new things as well as kill new species to claim them' isn't the best thing to do. It'll spawn future rebels trying to protect new planets and life, but it will scar them if they knew how cruel even their parents can be to life on a world that has valuable items. It amazes me how greedy and monstrous we can be," Serpentine sarcastically replied.
"Quiet, all of you. Something's not right. There was a third cruiser and it's nowhere to be seen. I don't trust this silence of space one bit," Phantasmos snarled.
"It probably retreated when it saw its two buddies crash and burn."
"No, Cybertronian Air-Hawk Cruisers are not permitted to let someone go. It's either return with the suspects or go as far as you can to attempt to get them. We were visible from any point when we came up here so the cruiser knows we're here or they were alerted. Either way, they know; they aren't here."
Phantasmos switched the gravity back on, noting NightHawk and Spike clashing with the ground since both were floating either upside down or near the ceiling. Draco and Serpentine landed perfectly.
The dead silence was threatening to say the least. On Kanjis, it was considered scarier to not know where your enemies were than to meet them face to face and get killed. The silence was broken when the scanners began picking up several energy signatures.
"Um…I think we should've gone through our Space Bridge instead of waiting here because that cruiser is back with more reinforcements," Draco said as he poked at the thick glass.
For once, Phantasmos felt at a loss for words. He was wrong about the cruiser but at the same time, he was right. He waited too long and misjudged his enemies. Even he forgot that it was best to call in assistance when someone was too troublesome to handle. Thinking on his options, there was only one he could really do. It was the first time he didn't have more than one strategy; he felt frail like his mind had given up on him.
"Boss!?" Draco cried.
He frantically peered at all the buttons on his console and looked back at the screen that showed the fleet of Cybertronians.
"Phantasmos!" Eclipse yelled.
His mind snapped. Instinctively, he hit the button that sent a message to his home world to awaken the Space Bridge. In response, the Bridge's sides began to glow before the middle erupted in a blue-green vortex. He punched in a few codes as he took off towards it, the cruiser and its battalion following.
The Phoenix Sitara began to shake as it entered, swiftly feeding off the energy of the portal to maintain velocity and precision. Luckily, their pursuers couldn't fire upon them inside the Bridge without risking their shots absorbing energy and exploding everything within the vortex. All they could do was trail the vessel until they successfully reached the other teleporting end. The Bridge was already probably strained by how many entities it was transporting; a blast could also be enough to trigger an output to an unwanted destination. Pretty much, they were screwed if someone decided to be an impatient dick.
Finally in a blinding light followed by sudden darkness, Kanjis was visible. Its mint-blue plant life glowed magnificently in both shades of night and day. The night portion of the planet had light blue markings that were the collected energies the plants gave off only in darkness. Together, they formed a series of web-like designs over the world, encasing it in stunning patterns.
Sight-seeing would have to wait again. Phantasmos discarded his small smile and focused on getting the ship through the planet's atmosphere. It was a bumpy ride but they made it. He landed near one of the green rivers that met with the main Diango River that led to Gemelo's free-formed forest. He waited beside his craft until the Cybertronian starships landed and the femme Captain of the third cruiser stepped out.
"What you have done is a violation of the planet of Cybertron. You are also accountable for: damage of property, attacking a member of Iacon, resisting arrest, attempt of assassination of a Prime, illegal kidnapping, and harboring criminals. There are more charges against you since I have lost two of my cruisers and their crew plus the lives of the people the wreckages may have destroyed," the Captain scowled with guards pointing their weapons at the younglings.
Phantasmos smirked, "I take responsibility for all those charges, except the assassination part, because that was Draco, the kidnapping, because Serpentine came on free will, and harboring 'criminals' simply because my friends are not fugitives; they are orphans who had no choice but to steal to make a living. Oh and this just escaped my mind, technically you can't arrest me. I'm on my home planet and you are the foreigners now, therefor you are out of your zone of jurisdiction and I can press charges against you. I am a free mech and all my friends are no longer your concern. They are Kanjis' problem now so I decide what happens to them."
"You cannot do that!"
"Prince, remember, Captain? I have authority on this world, you do not. Besides, who do you think the Council of Kanjis will believe? Me…or you?"
The Captain of the cruiser shut her mouth. She couldn't retaliate with anything without it being used against her. She looked to the ground before turning back to her large vessel, "Very well then. But, you best not even think about showing your face around Cybertron, Prince, or those charges and my power will return in full capacity."
The dragon narrowed his optics, still heaving the toothy grin, "I wouldn't make threats yet, dear Captain. Save it for when I do decide to revisit. I'll be sure to greet you first."
With that, the Captain went back to her ship and took off, leaving a group of joyful, free younglings to celebrate their victory.
"Well override my circuits and clone me, you actually did this!" Spike laughed, "We are free bots, ladies and gentlemen; I think we owe our own captain a life debt best paid by helping him with his future antics and adventures. Don't you think?"
All nodded while Phantasmos kept his optics trained on the dawning sky. "There always will be more to come, whether we seek it or let it come to us. You are all ready to face the challenges this world and many others can present. I am honored to service you as your leader."
Serpentine hugged Spike who grew stiff from the gesture while NightHawk peered up to the now reopened Space Bridge that had several black dots move through it before closing once more. "By the way, 'my liege', what ever happened to your Guards?"
The dragon's smirk dropped instantly. He had left them on Cybertron. In response, he face palmed.
AN: Phantasmos is a lucky bastard. The younglings won't return until later because when they come back to Kanjis, something bad has already happened that has not technically appeared yet. there will be several chapters on its events.