Megatron sat on a throne with Maria, who had reclaimed the name Lumen, on his left side. The Decepticons were celebrating their victory. The Autobots were in disarray, their Headquarters had been destroyed and they had no way to contact Cybertron for months.
She hadn't liked it, but Megatron had made a spectacle of giving her the Decepticon's insignia.
After the small ceremony, the Decepticons started to play music. She recognized it as native Cybertronian music. Suddenly, someone handed her a vial with a golden liquid. Isotopic energon. She'd heard Ironhide talking about it, but hadn't had the chance to try it. She took the vial and looked up at Megatron. He only smiled and motioned for her to drink.
It was like drinking energon, but the effect it had on the system was startling. Almost like everything was fuzzy, but loud. Like the world itself had been enhanced.
Someone pulled her down to the others to join in the celebration.
Megatron watched the femme dancing with the warriors. He knew she wouldn't have an easy time when the rush from the newest victory died down. That was how it was. They lived in the moment. An old victory would soon be forgotten, and if she didn't prove herself again and again, they would turn on her.
Of course he could order all soldiers to leave her alone, but soon they would ask questions. Some already speculated why she had joined them.
That she was his sparkling was not information he wished to indulge to his minions.
It was hours later before she had finally overnergized herself and shut down. Megatron carried her out of the hall and down to his quarters. He rarely shut down. He preferred recharging in the chambers to shutting down, so his recharge bed was rarely, if ever, used.
When Megatron exited, he found Soundwave waiting for him outside the chamber.
"You may speak, if you wish." He said as they started walking down the hall.
"She is no ordinary femme." Soundwave said, waiting for Megatron to elaborate.
"No, you are right. She is not."
Soundwave looked at his leader.
"The others are speculating if you have taken her as a consort."
Megatron stopped and laughed out loud.
"Let the fools think what they will, but imagine the pleasure I got from having Prime's own daughter destroy their headquarters. The Autobots have suffered a blow they won't recover from for months."
Megatron started walking again.
" She has given us a major victory. That is why she is here."
Soundwave nodded.
"And the other issue? I understand that is to be kept under wraps."
Megatron nodded.
"Of course. Any would-be usurpers would jump at the opportunity to use her against me if they learned of our connection."
Megatron, Soundwave and the seekers were in the tactical command room when Lumen entered. Megatron nodded to her and she moved over to the projector.
"Welcome Lumen. How do you feel?"
"Like i've done nothing but transforming all night."
Starscream failed to retain a laugh, but Megatron merely ignored him.
"You will have to excuse Starscream. he has forgotten what it is like to be young. Unfortunately, he also does not get any wiser with age."
The other seekers laughed, but quickly stopped when the aerial commander shot them a dirty look.
"I suggest we move in from the north and drain the plant dry of all the energy. As soon as we're done, we will retreat to base."
Lumen watched the scenario play out on the screen.
"What if the Autobots arrive while you're still draining energy?"
Starscream leaned over the projector.
"Then we will blast them out of the area!"
Lumen looked up at him.
"That is a highly illogical tactic."
Starscream shot up and sneered at her.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Lumen leaned over the projector and moved a large chunk of the Decepticon icons away from the plant, leaving only 4 left.
"I suggest you send 4 soldiers in, start draining until you can see the Autobots closing in. Then you abandon the plant with as much energon as you can carry without losing speed."
Megatron watched as she moved several more pieces over to the plant.
"The Autobots will most likely pursue you, so while the 4 of you draw the autobots away, the rest can move in and drain more energon from the plant. The Autobots will find out soon, but you will be able to divide and rendezvous with the others. If my calculations based on previous raids are correct, you may get up to 36.2487% more energon with you."
Megatron moved around the table and joined Lumen on the other side.
"What if the Autobots stay back to guard the plant?"
Lumen looked at him.
"I am confident that your seekers will be able to get away with a sizeable amount of energon. Even if the Autobots split up, you will still have a great amount of energon to use for another raid."
"Another raid?" Starscream asked. "Why don't we just utilize one massive strike and empty an entire powerplant so we have enough energy to build the ultimate weapon and wipe out the Autobots once and for all?"
Megatron stepped back. He was interested in watching his daughter handle the situation.
"Because that is not what I want."
Megatron looked at Starscream, who was staring at the femme with equal amounts of contempt and fascination.
"What... You... want?"
She nodded.
"Yes. What I want. I didn't join you to help you wipe out the Autobots. I joined you because I don't think the Autobots have the neccessary desire to do what needs to be done. They want to go back to the way things were. They want to restore Cybertron to The Golden Age..."
She looked at the map in front of her, clutching the edges of the table. A gesture that went unnoticed by the seekers.
"...But they fail to realize that the supposed glory days of our home were nothing but a corrupt system. A system where the rich got the good end of the bargain and everyone else had to resort to crime or hard labor in order to get by. A system that birthed a civil war. And the senate did nothing!"
She looked up at the Air commander.
"I want to empower Cybertron! I want my home to be a place of peace. I want those who calls themselves rulers of Cybertron brought to their knees! No more senates, no more bureaucracy!"
She looked at Megatron.
"I want a new world order."
"A new world order will come at a heavy cost." Starscream said. He wasn't entirely unimpressed, but he figured the femme would run away at the very first sign of hardship.
"I'm ready to pay the price." Lumen said without looking at the aerial commander.
"Even if it means killing your Autobot friends?"
She looked at him.
"My loyalty does not lie with their faction, nor is it yours. My alliance is with Cybertron. The defenseless, the hungry, the damned. Everyone who unjustly has to fight for survival. Anyone who opposes this goal, be they Decepticon or Autobot, will not be considered a friend of mine."
"So you would turn on us if we don't agree?" Starscream asked, trying to put her in a bad position with the Decepticon leader.
"Is that not the Decepticon way?" She smiled.