Epilogue - Chapter 25

In the weeks after the last battle a line of important decisions were made.

The first thing was that the war came to a stop.

Negotiations had been started between the different factions, that meant the Autobots, Decepticons, the humans and the different groups of nebulons, about an end of the fighting and to discuss the future of the local part of the galaxy.

Despite the best efforts of everybody this didn´t mean complete peace.

Galvatron had declared an end to the hostilities. But as it turned out a few splinter groups of Decepticons were not willing to lay down the weapons.

This groups were still a minor but relevant threat and would probably remain to be for a long time.

Another important matter was the planet Cybertron. As Primus had warned them, the opening of the plasma energy chamber had dire consequences.

The ancient device had given Cybertron new energy, but as a cruel twist the radiation that it had produced and still was had a lethal effect on all modern cybertronians. It was by far not longer as deadly as at the time when the chamber had actually been opened, but still contaminating the systems of Autobots and Decepticons alike.

That meant the Transformers of both sides had to leave Cybertron in the near future and that the planet was lost to them.

This was a possibility that they had known then they had made the choice to open the chamber and were willing to pay that price if they had to.

Most Autobots who had survived the war had decided to settle on earth or on any of their colonies.

The Decepticons under Galvatron´s leadership as they had announced were planing to leave the local part of the universe. This was however another decision that the renegade Decepticons were not willing to accept.

Ironically Perceptor and some other Autobot and Decepticon scientists were already working of the designs of a new form of Transformer, one that might replace themselves on their home-world someday, a half-organic form that would be able to withstand the energy radiation.

As a last thing there was the transwarp technology.

After the line of disasters that were either directly or indirectly caused by it, the decision was made by the participants to outlaw it´s use in the known universe, a decision that was a short time later backed up by nearly all other known races of the galaxy.

Before that however there was one last thing to do.

xxxxxxx

May the 12th 2012, two weeks after the end of the "final battle"

On the fields before the ruins of what had once been Autobot city, two groups of Transformers and a few humans were now standing before each other.

The curious thing about this entire meeting however was the fact that a number of them were in fact the same people.

At one side stood Optimus and Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Perceptor, Kup, Jazz, Goldbug, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and Soundwave

and on the other side a second Ultra Magnus, Megatron, Wheeljack, Jazz, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Ravage.

Only a few days after the end of the last battle, another contact with the universe where Prowl and Megatron´s group had originated from had been established

and another group of newcomers arrived.

The few surviving Autobots from the other universe under the command of the Ultra Magnus of their world had finally gathered enough energy to follow Prowl and make the jump to this dimension, to safety.

They had arrived a few days after the battle against Unicron and spend the last week as guests inside of Metroplex.

Here they had been informed about the state of the world they were in now and also about the last actions and the death of their comrade Prowl.

Five Autobots and four Decepticons, that was all that remained of the cybertronians of their universe.

Despite this however, they had made the choice that they wouldn´t stay in this universe.

They felt that there was no real place in this world for them or to put it simple, too many roles were already taken.

xxx

Megatron knew for some time now that he had lost the leadership struggle with Galvatron. But he was also aware that alone his presence here could destabilize the Decepticons as a whole in the long run.

He wasn´t willing to put down his own command, even if it practically existed in name only at this point.

So ultimately this meant he was "supreme leader" over an army of three Decepticons. But he wouldn´t serve under anybody else, not even another version of himself.

Beside that, as long as he was here others might question Galvatron´s leadership, so in the end it was better for both of them when he just vanished from this world. And that was exactly what he was intending to do.

xxx

For the foreign Ultra Magnus and his followers it was a equally strange experience, suddenly being surrounded by people and especially old friends that they had seen dying.

The other Autobots had told them what happened to Prowl. How he had died, trying to stop Starscream and his allies, possible helping to save this universe.

It was a great loss for them, the last of an nearly endless number. Only five of them were left now.

But hopefully it was also the end for Unicron, once and for all.

Magnus had been the leader of the surviving Autobots in his world for years at this point.

But now he saw his other self, still subordinate to both Optimus and Rodimus Prime, still at the place that he had always thought was the best suited for him.

He never wanted to be the leader, but the situation had just forced it upon him.

He wasn´t Optimus Prime and never did he want to.

He didn´t want the pressure, the responsibility for the life´s of every Autobot or the eyes of everyone on him.

Even back then when they were still Orion Pax and Dion it had always been his friend who was to be in the spot light, for better or worse. For Orion, being the one in charge always came natural, but not for him.

Ultra Magnus never felt well with it. Over the years however he had grown accustomed to his new position. He was now Magnus Prime, he had accepted this.

And now he was confronted with a world where everything was exactly like it had been before. It just felt wrong.

He knew that his other self felt the same way. The two had spend hours sitting together and talking about the situation, how to integrate the two groups effectively into the existing society.

They found out that it was more than just difficult. There was one copy of the Decepticon leader, one of Magnus himself and of other high ranking members of both factions, both alive and dead.

It was nearly impossible to keep them along without making the situation even more complicated as it already was, especially now that the war was barely over and the state of the galaxy was still unstable.

Still the true reason they had to leave was Megatron. Him being in this universe was it that was causing the real trouble. Everybody of them was aware of that. His mere presence, even without Sideways influence, could break the Decepticons apart.

There was simply no place for two Decepticon leaders in this world. His existence could cause unrest and chaos under the other Cons, just like it already had in the last months.

Megatron knew he had to leave and Magnus, if he was honest, wasn´t willing to leave him and his followers out of his sight. Despite or maybe even because everything that happened to them, he wasn´t willing to trust Megatron completely. So he and his Autobots would come with them.

Both groups would travel into a new universe. As Magnus hoped, one where neither the Autobot-Decepticon war or Unicron were ever even heard of.

For this and other reasons, they had made they choice to leave.

xxx

Now they were standing on the fields before Metroplex, preparing for their departure.

It was also the last time the transwarp-technology would officially been used.

Behind them the transwarp sphere began to form out of the air.

"The system has chosen a universe as our new destination", Wheeljack announced. "By the information the probes give us, it is save for passage."

"Good", Magnus Prime replied. "Let us go.

It was good to see you again Optimus", he to the other Autobot leader.

"Like it was to meet you the first time Magnus", Optimus answered with barely concealed amusement. "Goodbye my `old friend´."

"And you thought you would never made a good Autobot leader", Rodimus commented to the Ultra Magnus from his world, who was standing right next to him.

"Well, who knows", the native Magnus said with a half-smile.

At the other end of the line, Megatron took a step forward and the tall green armored Decepticon addressed his purple counterpart.

"Galvatron", he said.

"Megatron", the other replied in the same tone-fall.

"I and my group will leave now. As the situation is you will probably have it easier without us."

"Certainly, after the crisis your presence has caused", Galvatron commented.

"You know I, we, were never the type for apologies", Megatron remarked. "So I wish you good luck. The Decepticons in this world are back in your hand, where they belong."

"I see", Galvatron answered. He knew this was as close to a true apology as he could ever hope to get from his other self. Megatron had just admitted the wrongness of his actions and recognized him as the rightful leader.

"You said the war is over?" Rodimus asked him.

"When this is over we will leave this part of the universe. The Decepticons under my command have agreed to search for new worlds to settle.

"Worlds that are already claimed by others?" Kup asked sarcastically.

"No, the days of this methods have past", Galvatron claimed, at least for now, he silently thought.

"As leader of the Decepticons I swear that we will not occupy a habituated world without the consent of the natives."

Optimus and Rodimus Prime exchanged a meaningful glance at this statement. Both of them were unsure about this and they were clearly not the only one.

Could they believe this?

But they knew they had to take this risk if their would ever be a true chance at peace.

It was not as if they would completely loose sight of the Decepticons either. Wherever their, now former, enemies would be settling in the future, they could always sent someone to search them out.

"There are however some of us who didn´t get along with our ideas", Cyclonus reminded them. "A few groups of Decepticons refuse it and separated from us."

"More renegades", Rodimus commented.

"Yes, so it won´t be as if you will be out of your job", Galvatron´s second commented to the Primes.

"Well Galvatron, Cyclonus", Optimus answered, "then let us hope for a better future."

Before them the foreign Autobots and Decepticons were stepping into the transwarp bubble.

"Goodbye", Magnus Prime said.

"Goodbye", Rodimus, who was standing closest to them, replied, "and keep an eye of them", he said in a quieter voice while shaking the other Autobot´s hand.

"Don´t worry", Magnus replied. "We will."

Then he and Megatron walked nearly at the same time into the transwarp field.

One moment later the large energy globe vanished and they were gone.

xxxxxxx

2 million years earlier

He couldn´t remember how long he had been floating through space.

The last thing he knew was the explosion, the transwarp shuttle, destroyed just as he was about to activate the drive.

In a strict physical sense he could not see anymore, hear or feel. His body was gone. But still he could, somehow.

He was aware of his surroundings, like it had been before when he had been reduced to a ghost. It wasn´t the first time for him.

Starscream knew his body was lost in the destruction of the ship. In fact he knew he died, just like he already had before.

The transwarp drive had been meant to transport him 2.000.000 years into the past. That meant he should be in a position close to earth, either in the one era or the other.

Still he didn´t recognize anything around him. He was caught in a storm. The bodiless spark was floating through wind and rain, every few seconds illuminated by lightning.

His plan had been to travel to the past and the rest would have been quite easy, find the Ark, assassinate Megatron and Optimus Prime as long as they are deactivated, reactivate the other Decepticons, take over and then correct everything that had gone wrong in the past, to make all things like they should have been, with him in charge of everything.

To erase all his defeats, his many defeats, his fall from power, to make him powerful, respected and feared again.

But once again everything had fallen apart. Even if he somehow reached the Ark, without a body he was not even able to hurt his targets. He couldn´t possess the unconscious Decepticons and neither could he influence the deactivated machinery of the Ark computer. This meant he had lost.

All he could do now was to fly through the nothingness.

But there might still be one last thing he was able to do. As he was with Megatron and his group, he had learned more of the strange mutation of his own spark, the one that allowed him to survive his own death at Galvatron´s hands

and he could copy the process.

Starscream was sure about one thing. He was not created with this ability. Someone would have noticed over the millions of years. Something had happened to him.

Whatever it was, it has to be happened after his reactivation on earth or maybe before it.

All he had to do was to merge with the spark of his past self, even if only temporally. If only he was able to find the Ark.

He would at least secure his own immortality and then, some day, he would find a way to set things right and to get his revenge.

xxx

After countless days, maybe even weeks of searching, he finally found something, not the Ark, but at least it seemed to be something of interest.

It was a crashed spaceship, not the one he was looking for but at least it seemed cybertronian in heritage, Decepticon in design in fact.

The creatures inside however to his surprise were not Decepticons as he reached out with his unnatural senses or any other Transformer that he had ever seen before.

They were small beings, not so much larger than humans, able to transform without a doubt, but they seemed to have organic part in their design.

"Pradacons", he heard them calling themselves as he was listening in to their words.

"Megatron", he heard them calling their leader. Megatron was here? No that was impossible.

It was someone else, he realized as he noticed the purple cyborg-mech in charge, someone who was calling himself by the same name.

Idolizing, he thought, glorifying the past, naive. Yes, he though as he continued to watch, maybe he could find use of this beings.

"Waspinator", he heard the purple colored leader call to one of his underlings. "Go and inspect the storm damage. Then report to me directly."

Oh, don't worry, Starscream thought, I will.

xxxxxxx

The "present time"

Somewhere in a unnamed universe

They were standing in a large underground hall on some forgotten world, nearly empty except for the large machine in the back of the room.

Two lines of aliens and robots alike, wearing strange looking, horned masks that had a visible resemblance to Unicron´s face.

In front if them on a tribune, the head-priest was holding a strange religious litany.

"Brothers", he called out, "you all have heard the horrible news." The robot let his voice hall through the room. "Our master, the great chaos bringer has been defeated, his body destroyed, his mind and essence gone from our reach. Let us all mourn this great loss." His theatrical words were answered by several cries from the audience.

"But don´t be afraid. A new leader has come to guide us. The one who had been chosen by our lord a long time ago and is now returning to us", the mech shouted.

While the bizarre ceremony was going on, the machine before them became active.

While the room was being filled with the whispering voices of the masked robots, a figure began to shape itself out of the energy globe in the center of the mechanism.

They watched as a large cybertronian mechanoid stepped out of the transwarp sphere.

The Transformer was of impressive stature, even larger than Megatron. His armor was in the color of red and black and his entire body, as he was walking before the now silent cultists, was standing in flames.

"Welcome master", the head-priest greeted him.

"I am back", the robot said, "I have returned from the void between the worlds."

"Yes, great one, we have finally located you. We need you in this time of sorrow, now that our lord is no longer in our existence."

"You say Unicron is gone?" The Fallen asked as he was standing at the podium before the brotherhood of chaos.

"Yes, lost fighting his foe Primus and his creations. His essence itself is no longer with us", the head-priest explained.

"That is actually impossible, unless Primus had somehow found a way to capture Unicron´s life-force itself", The Fallen murmured in thought.

The priest heard his words, but didn´t seem to pay it all too much attention.

"But with your return, we can continue his work. We will start where he left of", he restarted his speech. "Together we will rise the greatest armada the multiverse had ever seen, we will attack one planet after the other and eradicate the life from them. The creatures of this universe will drown in their own lifeblood.

In the name of our lord Unicron", the high-priest shouted.

"No", The Fallen said.

"What?" The robot asked confused.

"I had been loyal to Unicron as he was alive. But his methods had failed several times, he had failed.

The time of the old methods had past. We will destroy the universe, but we will do it my way."

"This is blasphemy", the head-priest screamed.

"No, that is progress, born from chaos, death and suffering, like always", The Fallen answered as he grabbed the other mech by the throat.

"Who stands in it´s way will be destroyed", he said as he ripped the struggling robot´s head off and showed it to the audience.

"Listening to me followers of chaos", he said. "The times are changing, that means we have to change too. I promise we can reform the universe in our image.

Whoever is willing to follow me to new ways is welcome. Find the ones who are still stuck in the past, who are not willing or able to improve. Purge our brotherhood from inside out and I promise the world will follow.

And whoever is against us", he let the head fall and crushed it under his foot, "will die."

The assembled cultists were frozen for a few seconds after the speech of their new leader. Then the crowd suddenly became alive, shouts and screams were heard over the place.

The Fallen stood and smiled as he saw them turning against each other.

End

Afterword - explanations to the story:

That was my fanfic story "Transformers: Transwarp".

The story is chronologically laying between the third season of g1 and Beast Wars.

One of the key aspects of the story "Transwarp" was, like the name suggests, to a great part the transwarp drive that we know from the series Beast Wars and Transformers animated. It resolved to a great part about ideas how the technology had been invented and came first to use.

In canon transwarp drives can be used to travel great distances and to different time periods. That it can also be used to reach parallel universes is mostly my idea. However I have seen similar concepts in other fanfics before.

There were also many other influences that were flowing into this story.

For example I had the idea to bring Megatron, Skywarp and Thundercracker back after the movie as alternate reality versions.

A great part of the story is based on plot lines for a never written fifth season of the g1 series that I have found in the internet. This was in first line the return of Unicron and his alliance with the Quintessons.

I don´t know for sure if it is true, but it can be found online that this was supposed to happen in a fifth season, if it had been ever made.

Another important source was the "Unicron" storyline from the US marvel comics.

Skorponok´s death against Unicron for example is inspired by his death in this comic.

Unicron´s/Sideways end here was also based on the similar demise of Primus in "At the edge of extinction". I had actually a mention in chapter 23 that Primus had shown the Autobots and Decepticons this happening and Galvatron recapitulating the same scene.

xxx

A important factor here is that according to Transformers canon Primus is existing in all parallel universes simultaneous, Unicron on the other hand, due to his different nature exists only ones.

So Primus being killed in a host body would theoretically only affect one universe, Unicron on the other hand.

I have never pointed this out directly in the story because I didn´t want to state clearly if Unicron is dead for good here or not.

And because I never really liked this particular factor of the Primus-Unicron mythology very much.

xxx

I had the most Decepticons during this story slowly developing from enemies into allies. Galvatron, Cyclonus and Sourge and also their counterparts being the most noteworthy examples.

Characters:

Galvatron and Cyclonus, like their Autobots counterparts Rodimus and Ultra Magnus, are two of my favourite characters from the Transformers.

Other favourites are various versions of Optimus, Starscream and his air-group, Megatron, in first line the g2 version, Soundwave, Rumble and others.

But the character notices here are based on story relevance, not preference.

The most important here would be…

Starscream

A noticeable exception is Starscream, who was a temporally ally against Sideways and is finally turning on everyone once again at the end of the story and so becomes the final antagonist.

This had a number of reasons. Thirst of we know that Starscream will appear in Beast Wars and will still be a rogue. So it was actually set from the beginning that Starscream won´t stay allied to anyone.

I also came up with a theory how exactly he ended up in the past, with the failed attempt to capture the transwarp shuttle.

Another reason why he ended up as a back-stabber, well, because he is.

Lets see, during the g1 series he was working for Megatron, against Megatron, with the Combaticons, abandoned them, was conspirating with the Autobots and Octane against Galvatron and was teaming up with Unicron against the Autobots in an attempt to take over Cybertron, only to betray him in the end

and in Beast Wars he was supporting Megatron II and stabbed him in the back later.

All that not even mentioning the comics.

Starscream actually staying loyal would simply not being true to the character.

I have still made a point of made it clear that nobody would really have accepted him anyway.

Galvatron would never accept him back, he had enough from him once and for all, that he made clear very well in season 3 and I think the Autobots would never trust him either after his alliance with Unicron. To that comes that g1 Starscream in my opinion would never want to be an Autobot.

But honestly, could you really blame anyone after his track record?

During the story I made it purposely vague if Starscream would have staid loyal to the Decepticons if only they had accepted him back.

I would say, no. It would have all happened the same way, only that it would have possibly taken a bit longer for him to made that decision.

As some of you had probably already guessed after the last chapter, I have Starscream land in the past. His part here ends exactly where his role in Beast Wars begins.

xxx

Alternate Megatron/Ultra Magnus

The Ultra Magnus of the time-line where Megatron´s group came from is here also named Magnus Prime, as distinction from the native Magnus and because he is the leader of the Autobots from this world.

During the story this world had mostly been described from the explanations of Prowl and Megatron and a few flashbacks.

I have thought for some time about letting the alternate Autobots and Decepticons stay in this universe. But I came to the conclusion that this would not work out.

First from a story-telling perspective because their presence would mess up later stories, official like Beast Wars or fanfics set afterwards

And second logically. The alternate Megatron had taken part in a coup attempt against the Decepticon leader, who is a double of him.

It didn´t made much sense for Galvatron and his followers to accept him to stay and it didn´t made much sense for Megatron to accept playing second fiddle to someone else.

His Autobots on the other hand would not simply let him out of sight and maybe wrecking havoc in a third universe. So I let both groups leave together.

As a idea where they would land. I had a story idea about both groups arriving in a world where the war never happens, Cybertron is a peaceful society and the Transformers not separated into Autobots and Decepticons. But when the Quintessons return and attack, this cybertronians have no great chance.

I don´t know if I will ever actually write any of this. It is here only as information.

The 9 Autobots and Decepticons would then join the war against the Quintessons of that world.

Galvatron/Cyclonus

The Decepticons under Galvatron´s leadership are leaving the galaxy and are founding a new empire, with different methods.

That have I already described in my stories "Conquerors" and "Evolution", based on their ideas after their confrontation with Primus.

This ends up with a similar situation like "Rebirth", that I ignored for this continuity, with the Decepticons outside of known space.

The Beast Wars cartoon states that the Decepticons have lost the great was. In the end of this story however, the most of them call out a truce and leave peacefully. Yet I try to stay in continuity to the cartoon.

That was one of the reasons I came up with the renegade Decepticons who wants to continue to fight. The Decepticons who had lost the war could also be them. Good possible that the Decepticons, who have stayed have regrouped later and were defeated once and for all.

On the other hand a look at Beast Wars made it clear that great part of the history about the war are concealed. The Predacons didn´t even know the circumstances of Starscream´s death, so a scenario like I have described it here could be possible.

This story is finally over. Thank you for reading.