Astrosecond~ .498 seconds, milli-cycle~1 sec, cycle~1 min, breem~ 8.3 minutes, mega-cycle~1 hour, meta-cycle~1\2 hours, solar cycle~1 day, day~ 20 hours, orbital cycle~ 1 month, gigacycle~ 1 year, deca-cycle~10 years, vorn~ 83 years, stellar cycle~400 year, mechanometer~ 1 meter, vun~ hectometer, hic~ 1 kilometer

As the Normandy entered the Parnitha system, the situation went south really fast. "Commander, Thessia is under heavy Reaper attack! There's activity across most of the planet."

EDI chimed in after Joker, "I am also detecting Decepticon signatures mixed in with the Reapers. Decepticon forces may be on the planet as well."

"EDI, patch the Con signal to me," Vibes quickly requested. "Scrap. Those aren't just Cons, they're Insecticons. A swarm of them."

Shepard moved to the cockpit as Liara rushed after him, "What about the temple? Can you raise the scientists?"

"Negative. All channels are scrambled across the spectrum. The mission's looking really dicey."

Despite Joker's concern, Shepard knew they couldn't leave empty handed, "This is too important. It's now or never."

Liara stopped him as he was about to head toward the elevator, "Shepard…that's my home down there. I have to go."

"Then get to the shuttle, and let's do this. Vibes, are you ready to roll?"

"Always."

On the shuttle flight down, Liara continued to watch the video feeds of the Reapers stomping their way across the planet. Shepard could see the distraught on Liara's face. Wanting to have her think of something else he called to her, "Liara, do you have anything more on this artifact?"

"These coordinates the councilor gave you are for the Temple of Athame. My mother took me there once. It's several thousand years old. And for some reason, it has classified government funding."

"Sounds like we're on the right trail."

Liara couldn't help but look back to the video, "What if we're too late? My people are dying down there."

Before Vibes or Shepard could assure her, Javik spoke out, "Your empathy is a weakness. You must numb yourself to loss."

Shepard knew what was at stake, he wasn't going to become that which he was fighting, "We can't ignore that people are dying. The Reapers may not have mercy, but we do."

"It is their indifference that gives them power."

"Then you weren't fighting a war. You were fighting against a slaughter."

The shuttle touched down at an asari checkpoint amid the ruins of one of their buildings. Vibes transformed, and moved away and behind a pillar for cover as Shepard's team came out. "This can't be happening," the carnage was far more devastating in person, "My home…"

Javik pushed Liara out of the shuttle, "There's no time to mourn. We're exposed up here."

"Let's get down."

"You must be Commander Shepard!" one of the asari waved him over. "Commander, we heard—" before she could continue a large explosion took out a section of wall and two of the asari defenders. "The barrier's been breached! Commander, we'll talk later! Get on that gun up there and do some damage!"

Vibes was scoping out the bridge, "Careful, we've got Reapers and Insecticons mixing, and they don't seem to be blending well." Vibes was right, one of the Reaper brutes jabbed its claw into the head of an Insecticon before being torn apart by two more. "I've got the Cons, focus your fire on the stragglers."

Shepard jumped onto the gun turret and was blazing through the husks who managed to pass the Insecticons and Vibes destroyed the Insecticons that started to move on the barrier. While they were holding the line Shepard shouted to Vibes, "These Insecticons don't give up!"

"They're mindless eating machines. These drones will follow their leader until they get what they want or are lose direction. And the easiest way to do the latter is disposing of the original Insecticon." Before Vibes could kill her seventh Insecticon, they started to pull back, "Or something else calls them…" concerned what could interest them more than a free meal.

"Do they ever run like that?"

Vibes checked out ahead and spotted something she didn't want to see. "Great, my usefulness has gone down significantly…"

"You mean…?"

"Those changed by Reaper Shockwave, yeah." Vibes watched as these augmented organics jumped around the Insecticons and started to break into their chassis and ripping out or shot them until they stopped functioning as weaponized augmented elcor started to shell the others.

As the smoke clear the augmented organics were utterly victorious and pushed toward the barrier. The asari obviously heard Shockwave's ultimatum, though seeing them up-close was something different. "Hold your fire!"

"A wise decision, Commander." A salarian from the group walked up, his augments were not as visibly as extensive as the others but it was obvious by his eyes. "Do not mistake our intensions. We are here to battle the deluded Reapers, however we are only here to aid those who signaled that they wish to join us."

"You mean become slaves!"

The salarian had a cocksure face, though he tried to look sympathetic, "Slaves?" Turning back to the others, "Are we slaves, my brothers and sisters?"

"No!"

"Our thoughts are our own."

"Clarification: And yet we are as one."

"There is no misconception, only understanding."

"See. Everyone has a voice. And nothing happens until all voices are heard." The salarian turned back to Shepard, "Please keep this in mind, this was a courtesy for you, Commander Shepard."

"A courtesy?"

"Yes. For you wish to break the cycle that they have forsaken and doomed us to follow. Shockwave does not believe that. He wishes to find another path. But this was a onetime courtesy. We are still enemies. You seek to destroy us while we seek to save the others. Know that our next encounter will not end so civilly."

They climbed onto the backs of the elcor as they rushed off, jumping down onto a lower walkway and continuing into the tower. Vibes turned to Shepard, "Well that wasn't strange at all."

"Vibes, can you track them?"

"Surprisingly…" She started to tap the side of her head, "I noticed they were giving off a faint Decepticon energy signature. Not as powerful as a regular Con, but seeing that they're traveling in a pack, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Good, cause we need you to keep an eye on them. And if you can, try and see what the Insecticons are doing here."

"Right," walking over the barrier, Vibes started digging for memory units or a cerebral processor to try and tap into the Insecticon hive mind before going after the altered organics.

With the latest attack, Soundwave reported, "Megatron, 99% of Cerberus facilities and operations have been compromised or destroyed. Final outpost is Cerberus headquarters."

"And where might that be?"

"The station is in orbit of a dying red supergiant star in the Hersehead Nebula."

Slipstream seemed rather pessimistic, "Really? So when we gave the organics the data on the Cerberus fighter base, we gave them the front door to Cerberus?"

Shockwave was quick to point out, "This particular system is unique. On all open source star charts, the system only holds the supergiant, barely a footnote worth mentioning. Cerberus has gone through great lengths to keep this base secret. The only reason we've managed to deduce the location of the station was due largely to the data retrieved from Sanctuary."

Megatron seemed almost lost in thought about this station. "Lord Megatron?"

"Nightbird, does your memory hold anything about this station?"

Nightbird and her sisters turned to one another, slightly uncertain where this line of questioning was going. "None my lord. Our memories were of our home station and our targets. Anything more, you and the others know."

"This is Cerberus' last strong hold. They will put everything into defending it." Megatron started to walk away, "Soundwave, ready a message for the Autobots. Give them the coordinates for the station. But don't send it just yet. I wish to see how events play out on Thessia first."

Skyquake's team reached Kaon and they were awestruck. "All of that energon…"

Dragonblade had never seen so much before, "That's more than the last time I was here…"

"Not even the old store houses had this. With all of this they could easily steamroll Iacon whenever they wanted."

To which Silverclaw asked the obvious, "So then what's stopping them?"

Alpha Trion had disappeared on them for a moment, returning just as mysteriously, "The question shouldn't be what they are plan, rather it should be what we are to do about it?"

"Right," Ultra Magnus watched the patrols around the energon surplus, "If we time it right, we could place a charge in the middle of the energon stockpile. Then we haul tracks before the detonation."

"Good plan," Silverclaw nodded her head before grabbing Magnus by the collar, "if you want to take us and half of Cybertron out!"

"Then you have a better plan?"

"We steal the energon."

Dragonblade was the first to turn to Skyquake, "Commander…"

"With all of that energon, there's more than enough to distribute to the others. And if managed it correctly, we could hold out until Cybertron naturally returns to life. It won't be easy, and the chance they'll notice is high, but we can't let this opportunity for our people slip past us."

Alpha Trion didn't seem to agree, "There is more at stake than your small enclave. Cybertron itself is in danger."

"I see that, but I must see to it that our enclave survives."

"Thanks for thinking about us and all but," Dragonblade pointed out to the energon, "the Cons are starting to move."

"Move you miserable worms!" Jhiaxus himself was there, overseeing the energon, "Lord Megatron will have your sparks if even a single energon cube is consumed or lost before we reach the core! Once Cybertron has been reenergized our march on Iacon will begin and Cybertron will belong to Megatron."

"If we are to do anything about this we have to do it now."

Silverclaw had something in her hands as Magnus looked to her, "What are you doing?"

"Getting a message back to the others."

She revealed what she had in her hands, "A zap-mouse?"

"This little guy is smarter than you think, Ultra Mag-none. He's got a homing signal back home. He gets the message back to the others and they'll help fortify Iacon while we do something in the immediate."

Vibes couldn't believe she had to follow these organics, or that she had to treat them like hostiles. Though it wasn't too difficult to following them, as Insecticons popped up from time to time trying to eat her and she used that as her reason for crossing paths. However like they claimed, they were only here to 'save' those who asked Shockwave to save them. "Commander, looks like the salarian was telling the truth. There's a makeshift shelter that was waiting for them."

"Have you found out what the Insecticons are doing?"

"That's been a bit more difficult. There are so many active Insecticons roaming around, and their pretty wide spread too. Not to mention their attacks on the Reapers aren't exactly helping me differentiate signals here. Should I just rendezvous with you at the temple?"

"If you can. The area is crawling with Harvesters."

"I've had Con infestations before. I don't think a few flying bug cannons will be much of a difference."

Skyquake silenced the back of this mass convoy, managing to take some of the energon. As Silverclaw and Dragonblade moved into position, Ultra Magnus was next to Skyquake, waiting for Jhiaxus to notice. "Are we certain that old bot can handle getting the energon to Iacon?"

"I'd be more concerned if he had to fight. So can we really let those two do this?"

Skyquake was doing last cycle adjustments to his chain gun, "They have the advantage of surprise, and plenty of structures for cover. I think we should worry more about when we move from this position." Magnus was ready, now they just had to wait for the signal to start. A very powerful, very loud roar cried out as Decepticons started to disappear in a mysterious fog. "As you Autobots say, time to roll."

"It's 'Let's roll out'." Magnus was ready to go out guns blazing but the fog had covered them too.

Skyquake seemed to have anticipated this, executing a few Decepticons quietly with his bare hands. Magnus followed suit, taking out his first Decepticon before encountering something strange. A large silver and grey plated fox-like creature with nine tails walked into view. It was giving him a rather scowled look not too dissimilar to Silverclaw as one of its tails ran clean through a Decepticon that was about to discover him. After dropping it, Magnus noticed that this fog was coming from a few of this fox's tails.

Jhiaxus wasn't a fool, even without the flying platform to see he knew they were under attack, but now that the bodies were being left behind only seemed to anger him. A powerful gust was being generated by a few Seekers that blew the fog away compromising them, "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them all!"

Ultra Magnus and Skyquake started to blast the Decepticons with their weapons as the fox started to breathe fire similar to Grimlock's new beastly form, although the fox was using its flames mostly to cover its retreat back. The same roar from before bellowed out as a draconic creature swooped down and blazing the area in blue fire, avoiding the energon cubes for obvious reasons.

"Come on Magnus! Move!" Skyquake turned his fire to Jhiaxus' platform.

"Must I do everything myself?" Jhiaxus walked off the platform, quickly transforming into his jet form and strafing at Magnus and Skyquake. "Keep the energon going or I'll execute you myself!" Most of the Decepticons got back to moving the energon loads while the remaining defenders fought back as Insecticons started to arrive.

"Looks like we've reached our limit." Skyquake whistled, waving to the fox and drake to fall back. The fox stared to release even more of the strange fog from its tails as the drake burned some of the Insecticons before running into the smoke.

Jhiaxus stopped his pursuit, though the others continued for him. "Bothersome pests. They are only delaying their extinction."

Magnus and Skyquake had reached the subterranean access before the Decepticons caught up as the fox and drake appeared once more. They swiftly transformed into Silveclaw and Dragonblade respectfully. "Where did you find the data for those forms?"

"They came from the old archives from the Ancients. The original explorers of the galaxy. Not like any Autobot or Decepticon even remembers them."

"I know the stories." Magus corrected Silverclaw, "But how did you bypass their security end encryptions?"

"That's a bit of a secret." Dragonblade paused as they heard the Decepticons running above them. He lowered his audio output, "We better hurry back to Iacon. This isn't going to end well."

After an unexpectedly rescuing a falling gunship and its pilot, Vibes finally managed to climb back up to the temple and it didn't look good. There were claw marks everywhere, some of them looked like they came from Insecticons while the others were far too small for their legs. "What happened here?"

"We're not sure, but we're almost done here."

Vibes nodded, turning her attention back outside to keep watch on the Reapers. Also so she didn't have to think about all of those claw marks and what could have left them or what was with the strange glow coming off of the statue. Vibes suddenly sensed a power surge coming from that statue, looking back to see what was happening. Before her full attention turned to Shepard, she heard something flying toward her, turning back just in time to grab hold of the pincers from clamping onto her head as it rammed into her at full force.

"Vibes!"

Vibes was pinned on the ground while holding the Insecticon back, "Don't worry about me, Commander! Just get what you came for! Hurry!" The Insecticon continued to try and push forward as its mandibles continuously sliced open and shut as it began drooling at the mere presence of her Cybertronian metal body.

Suddenly something started to eat its way through the floor. A massive red robotic stage beetle was crawling onto the ground, "Fleshlings…" the Insecticon transformed, "Thanks for turning the computer on. That barrier was not letting us through until now. I fried five drones to test." Just as suddenly as the Insecticon appeared he quickly transformed and tunneled back down, "No supports on the floor, curious. I'll have to remember to steal the blueprints."

The Insecticon that was trying to eat Vibes' face stopped and flew down the hole to help its hive in the deconstruction and transportation of the device. "No! They're taking the beacon!"

Liara watched as the Insecticons quickly and effortlessly dismantled the Prothean beacon like ants at a picnic. "Liara!" Shepard pulled her back as the gap between the two holes started to crack and fall into the area below.

Vibes could hear the Insecticons at work, and there was nothing they could do. "Come on. We have to get going." She turned back, ready to call Cortez for pick up.

"No! We're so close! We have to do something!"

"Commander, even if we had the Wreckers and Grimlock's team the planet is infested with Insecticons! We have no way of retaking the computer components without losing them in the battle. I'm sorry Commander, but we have to fall back for now."

Shepard wanted to do more, but he looked back as more Reapers started to land onto the planet and Insecticon swarms that came out to intercept them.

A/N: Cerberus on the verge of extinction, and Shockwave's plan on the precipice of fruition, can the Decepticons and the Autobots put asside their differences to cooperate for the greater good, or will Shockwave ultimately succeed without faulter?