Hello once again, and welcome to yet another exciting instalment of New Beast Wars, chapter 25. As usual, I must warn you all that I do not own Beast Wars, Beast Machines, IDW Comics or any characters that are associated with The Transformers…oh well. Anyway, last chapter had the Maximals and the Predacons allying themselves with the Vehicon Separatists, as they prepare to launch an assault on Megatron's fortress: The Decepticon Spire. Will the attack succeed? And what about Jetstorm and his nefarious plans? Let's find out, shall we? Don't forget to leave a review when you're done, and thanks for reading!
Not too far from the Decepticon Spire, a meeting was taking place between the leaders of the Maximals, Predacons and Vehicons. They were all huddled around a table inside of a tent that the Vehicon forces had prepared. Sitting around the table were Optimus Primal, Razorbeast, Magmatron, Tankor, Quake and Hank, Tankor's closest confidante.
"Alright, we need to plan this battle out before we go rushing in." Razorbeast said, aiming a stern glance at Tankor.
"Bah! What's wrong with the plan we have already?" Tankor demanded.
"Oh well, let's see, the plan involves "Walk up to Megatron's front gate and shoot everything that moves, and then shoot everything that doesn't move for good measure"! That's your plan genius!" Magmatron said, glaring at Tankor.
"Thank you!" Quake said, throwing up his hands.
"Look, Tankor, as…simple as that plan is, we will need something much more…thought out if we are to stand any chance of defeating Megatron and his forces." Optimus Primal said, hoping to defuse the tense situation.
Tankor turned to Hank "Hank, what do you think of this?"
"I believe that the Maximal is right sir, your plan is…simplistic at best, imbecilic at worst…" Hank replied.
If it had been anyone else, Tankor would have slagged him, but luckily for the Diagnostic drone, Tankor liked him.
"Hmm, very good Hank. Maximals, Predacons, Quake, I leave the heavy burden of planning the assault on Megatron's fortress." Tankor said, as he stood up to leave.
When he was gone, Magmatron spoke "Well thank Primus for that! With that idiot gone, we'll have a much easier time of planning this attack! Incidentally, what was the name of the operation?"
"Operation Leroy." Quake replied sheepishly.
"Oh my God…" Razorbeast said, massaging his brow.
Optimus cleared his throat "Well, now that we have been placed in charge, we will rename the operation and significantly adjust it."
Outside, Manterror, Silverbolt, Rhinox, Dinobot, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, Rattrap and Vespid were standing outside of the tent, waiting for any news, when suddenly, Tankor came bursting out.
"Hmph! And what are you doing out here?" Tankor demanded, glaring down at the soldiers.
"We, uh…we were just coming over to see if anyone needed…refreshments?" Manterror replied, looking nervous.
Tankor narrowed his eyes "Well, in that case…get me a John Coffey! And add a little lemon slice!" Tankor said, before he rumbled off.
"John Coffey's not a drink…why the hell is that idiot in charge of the Vehicon Separatists?" Blackarachnia asked.
"It doesn't always take a genius to run an army" Rhinox reminded her "Before you joined the Predacons, Terrorsaur briefly overthrew Megatron, understandably, it didn't end to well…"
"Hey!" Terrorsaur cried out, walking over to the group of soldiers, alongside Lazorbeak, Fractyl and Waspinator.
Rhinox cleared his throat and looked sheepish "Ah, no offence intended of course Terrorsaur."
In response, Terrorsaur glared at Rhinox "Maybe it's not the best idea to tick off the guy who leads a squad of highly trained soldiers!"
"Highly trained soldiers?" Blackarachnia echoed "Fractyl's a geochemist, Lazorbeak's a trigger happy maniac and as for Waspinator…well, it is Waspinator…"
Terrorsaur and his squad mates stared at Blackarachnia in a mixture of horror and shock.
"…I take offence to trigger happy…" Lazorbeak said, finally breaking the silence.
Another silence followed it. Suddenly, it was broken once again when all present burst out into laughter. The other Maximal and Predacons that were nearby turned to see what the raucous was about, the Vehicons just went about their business.
"I have to admit, for a Pred, you can be pretty funny!" Rattrap told Lazorbeak, slapping him on the back.
"Heh, thanks. Ya know, for a Maximal, you're not too bad…for a Maximal of course!" Lazorbeak replied, putting emphasis on the word Maximal.
Blackarachnia rolled her optics "You just can't insult people nowadays…"
I don't understand what you people are laughing about
"Hmmm, neither do I, humour was never really one of my strong points." Dinobot replied.
High above, Jetstorm was observing the scene with fascination. He seemed to be particularly interested in Dinobot…
"Hmmm, yes, he has the exact qualities that I need…" Jetstorm said to himself as he flew overhead.
He remained flying overhead for a few moments, before flying back to base.
In the Decepticon Spire, Thrust was conversing with Antagony. As usual, they were conspiring to overthrow Megatron.
"So, as soon as the Maximals and the Separatists make their move, then we strike?" Thrust asked.
"Yes, that is when we shall strike." Antagony replied.
"And are you sure that it is safe? No chances of failure?"
"Yes, of course. Do you doubt me Thrust? Jetstorm would not doubt me." Antagony said, moving to put her arms around Thrust.
Thrust shook her off "Don't. You may have Jetstorm wrapped around your little finger, doesn't mean that you can do the same to me. I am nowhere near as gullible as he is."
"Aw, would Jetstorm like to hear you talking like this?" Antagony asked
Thrust glared at her "Jetstorm and I are friends, I would like to think that he would trust me over some Tripredacus agent who worked for the Maximals!"
"Hmmm, you seem to forget that what I did, I only did for the sake of removing Megatron from his ill gotten throne." Antagony said.
"So you say, personally, I have my doubts." Thrust replied, suddenly calm.
"Hmph! Look, I'll show you my loyalties my finishing off Megatron myself, you can just sit back and watch from somewhere safe!"
"Good, you do that." Thrust said, a bored look on his face, his voice uninterested.
Antagony stomped her feet and growled "You are the most infuriating being I have ever had the dishonour of meeting!"
"Nice to know." Thrust said as he rolled away.
Later, Optimus and the other leaders of the Maximal/Predacon alliance, plus Quake and Hank exited the tank and faced their massed forces. The Maximals and Predacons were standing at the front of the group, while the Separatist drone were standing in columns behind them.
"Attention, Maximals, Predacons and Vehicon forces!" Optimus cried out, facing the crowd "We have finally formulated a plan to defeat Megatron and his Loyalist forces!"
A cheer erupted from the assembled crowds.
"The first stage of the plan is simple, we shall begin our assault on the Decepticon Spire, where the Vehicons and a small detachment of out forces shall remain behind and delay the Vehicon Loyalists. Once inside of the fortress, the remainder of us shall work our way up until we hit the throne room. Once there, we shall surround Megatron, where he will hopefully surrender peacefully. Questions?" Optimus finished
"Uh, yeah, hello? Boss monkey? Exactly why do you think that Megatron will, uh…go peacefully?" Rattrap asked.
"We're hoping that if he sees that he's vastly outnumbered, Megatron will surrender himself into our custody." Optimus answered.
"And, uh, what makes you think that that's going to work?" Rattrap pressed.
Optimus sighed "Look, Rattrap, I understand your concern, but frankly, it would be suicide to stand up against all of us, Megatron would be foolish to try."
"And since when has Megatron ever been anything but foolish?"
Magmatron stepped forward "Megatron may be many things, rash, arrogant, cocky and boastful, but foolish is one thing that he is not."
"And what about Jetstorm, Thrust and Antagony? What about them?" Silverbolt asked.
"Well, we're hoping that they will come out and try to repel those who remain behind." Razorbeast replied
Beside him, Optimus shifted uncomfortably. He had still not told them that Scorponok lived and was working with Megatron. Optimus had believed that it would cripple the group's morale if they were to learn that one of them had turned traitor and was responsible for the deaths of numerous fellow soldiers. Soldiers like Archadis, Wolfgang and Apexus.
"And who shall remain behind?" Dinobot asked
My thoughts exactly
"We believe that the fliers should remain behind, as they will have more room to manoeuvre outside than if they were inside of the Spire." Razorbeast answered.
"Anyone else?" Dinobot asked.
"Well, you, Rampage if he wished, Torca, Ramulus, B'Boom and myself." Optimus replied.
Dinobot nodded "Yes, I shall relish the opportunity to test out my blades!" Dinobot said with a grin that showed a great many of his jagged teeth.
I too shall join the fight, those animals shall pay for what they have done!
"Then it's decided. All forces should prepare for battle, we leave in two mega cycles." Optimus announced.
The entire crowd erupted in cheering, some of the more excitable Maximals and Predacons even fired into the air.
Optimus sighed If only we had rounded up more of the survivors before this time He thought.
In the Vehicons new hidden base, Jetstorm was examining a new device which he had invented. It was perhaps his cruellest creation yet, one which could inflict gruesome amounts of damage.
A portable spark extractor.
"Yes, this will do nicely!" Jetstorm said to himself "Eh?".
Jetstorm turned when he thought he heard screaming. He walked up to a rack on the wall. On the rack were two spark containers, one of them contained a fragment of Rhinox's spark, the other contained the spark of a much more powerful being, a being who was in incredible pain at being contained.
"Ah Starscream, I would have thought that you would have adjusted sufficiently since your imprisonment but alas, it would seem not." Jetstorm said to the container which held Starscream's ghost, before shaking it cruelly.
As he continued with his experiments, Jetstorm laughed at the prospect of returning to a Megatron free Cybertron.
Two mega cycles later, the Maximals, Predacons and Vehicons had assembled themselves just outside of Megatron's fortress: The Decepticon Spire.
"All right soldiers, on my mark, we rush forward" Optimus told the others "One…two-!" Optimus was cut off when Torca rushed forward.
"Three!" Torca yelled as he charged in the direction of the Spire.
Optimus groaned "All right soldiers! Forward!" Optimus ordered, and all around him, Maximals, Predacons and Vehicons rushed forwards towards the Spire.
"Eh?" Thrust asked when he felt a rumbling.
"Is that an earthquake?" Jetstorm asked as he struggled to remain upright.
"No, it can't be, unless…the Maximals are making their move!" Thrust exclaimed.
"Then we don't have much time! Quickly, tell Antagony to get into position!" Jetstorm ordered.
"Already there boys!" Antagony reported over the com link.
In Megatron's throne room, Megatron was looking out a window to see what was going on.
"The Maximals…the Predacons…working with the Vehicon Separatists? Argh! Curse that ineffective fool Scorponok!" Megatron exclaimed, punching the wall.
"My lord?"
Megatron turned to see Antagony walking up to him, her hands behind her back.
"Antagony! Quickly, go get Thrust, Jetstorm and Scorponok and prepare for battle! We're under siege!" Megatron ordered.
He was baffled when Antagony stood where she was, until she activated her com link and spoke into it "Thrust? Jetstorm? Do you copy?"
"Loud and clear Antagony. What's the situation?" Jetstorm's voice drifted through the com link.
"We're under attack by enemy forces, it would seem that the Vehicon Separatists are working alongside the Maximals and the Predacons." Antagony replied.
"We're on it Antagony! Jetstorm, out!"
Antagony changed frequencies "Scorponok?"
"Yeah? What do you want insect?" Scorponok asked over his com link.
"We're under attack from enemy forces, why don't you go out there and deal with that?"
"What? I don't take orders from you! I'm second in command!" Scorponok protested.
Megatron growled and activated his own com link "Damn it Scorponok, just do it!"
"Y-yes sir lord Megatron! Right away!"
"Incompetent fool!" Megatron cursed "Antagony! Get to your post immediately!"
Antagony simply smirked "Oh no, "lord Megatron" I don't think I'll be doing that!"
Megatron frowned "And why not?"
At that moment, an explosion rocked the Spire, and Megatron was sent sprawling.
"Ugh!" Megatron grunted as he hit the floor, he began to get up, but Antagony pointed a strange weapon at his chest.
"Because, you're no longer in control!" Antagony said, before she fired.
Megatron gasped. He suddenly felt cold all over. He looked down to see a cable had pierced his chest.
"Game over Megatron." Antagony said, before pressing a button on her weapon.
Instantly, the cable retracted, and a claw came out with it. Held in its grip was Megatron's spark. Megatron stumbled weakly towards it, hoping to stop it from leaving him. He only made it two steps, before he collapsed and darkness descended upon him.
Antagony snorted "Arrogant fool."
Outside, the fliers were shooting down heavy numbers of Aero drones.
"Ha, yeah! Shoot em' all down!" Injector cried out enthusiastically.
He suddenly let out a yelp as a shot clipped him.
"Watch out Predacon! There's only one ruler of the skies on this planet, and that's me!" Jetstorm gloated as he fired again.
"Whoa!" Injector cried out as the shot hit him, sending him spiralling from the sky.
"Injector!" Sonar called out, swooping down to grab him.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the Maximals and Predacons who had been assigned to storm the Spire were waiting outside of the entrance. Hank was attempting to open the gate with his hacking skills.
"Hmm, Megatron has significantly increased his defences. Not to worry, though I can break through is defences!" Hank said as he interfaced with the security console.
"Well, please, try to work as fast as you can!" Cheetor hurried as a shot whizzed by his ear.
"Aha! I think I have it!" Hank exclaimed in triumph as the doors opened "Quickly, inside!"
As the others rushed inside, Hank made sure to close and lock the doors behind him. Suddenly, Manterror dropped from the skies, having been shot down by an Aero drone. He turned to see a number of Cycle drones facing him.
"Open the doors Hank!" Manterror screamed, pounding his fists on the doors, he turned to see the Cycle drones had raised their weapons "Open the doors! Open the doors! Open the doors!"
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Dinobot and Rampage were fighting alongside each other.
"I never would have thought that I would have to fight alongside you Rampage!" Dinobot said as he ripped a Cycle drone's head off.
"Nor I you!" Rampage said as he tore another Vehicon in half.
"I would have thought that-Urk!" Dinobot was suddenly cut as a a cable pierced his chest.
Rampage's image flickered and died.
"Gotcha." Thrust said as he reeled the claw holding Rampage's spark back in, before driving off.
Dinobot collapsed. Rattrap witnessed this and ran over.
"Chopper face? Hey, speak to me! Dinobot! Dinobot!"
End of chapter 25. Well, pretty action packed eh? And a lot of secrets revealed too. So that was how they planned to dispose of Megatron! And now we know what happened to Starscream! Pretty exciting stuff eh? Well, thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed it. I'll have another update soon. Until next chapter!