Prologue 1
Beginnings
Ever since the dawn of civilization, human kind has wondered one thing: are we alone in the universe? Are we the only life in the infinite expanse of space? Are there civilizations on other worlds, as advanced as we are, more primitive, or perhaps even more powerful then we can possibly imagine?
The answer is an astonishing yes.
Life does exist on other worlds, but not in the way you would think. On some worlds, life is just bacteria churning about in the primordial ooze, waiting to evolve and expand as many other species have done before. On others, they come in many shapes and in many sizes, with varying advances in technology.
But there is one constant in the cosmos, one all life shares:
War
Such is the case on a world nestled in the Alpha Centauri system, where war has raged for millions of years against those who wish to protect the freedom of all life, and those who wish to subjugate it under its iron thumb. These ageless warriors, despite being of metal and circuitry, can feel emotions and think just like a organic being.
To themselves, they are called by their faction names: the heroic Autobots, led by the mighty Optimus Prime, who fights for freedom in all things. and the vile Decepticons, led by the wicked Megatron, who would subject others to his tyranny. To the rest of the universe, however, these mechanical beings will be known and called by their iconic ability that would become their namesake...
Transformers.
For more then 7 and a half Million years, civil war had plunged the Transformers homeworld of Cybertron into a state of chaos. No longer was it the crowning jewel it once was in the past, but instead a wasteland of death and destruction. Leaders rise and fall and nothing changes. Death is a constant. The war seemed to favor Megatron and his Decepticons as their brutal campaign nearly and literally tore the planet in half. If not for the rise of Optimus Prime, he most surely would have won.
But one day... it all changed. Despite going on for eons, the battle had never left Cybertron or its twin moons. Most alien races were unaware it even existed. But one day, one fateful day, it all changed, as for the first time, war would come to a new planet, one that never asked for their war, but became the battleground for its final days.
This... is how The End began...
But it did not begin with a grand battle or a shocking discovery, no.
No, it began with a simple supply run. The lifeblood of the Transformers, a substance known as Energon, had nearly dried up, leaving the mechanical warriors and their civilization on the verge of collapse. To that end, both sides have resorted to finding Energon wherever they could, even if they must rummage around deep in the bowels where machinists would only venture.
Up from one of those inner bowels came two Autobots, a young and headstrong scout named Bumblebee, and one of the Autobots chief scientists, Wheeljack. Wheeljack was the first to emerge from the grate they entered, climbing out and grabbing the fuel rods they had discovered underneath what was once a popular bar.
"Ugh, there's not enough Energon in these rods to last a quartex." Wheeljack complained as he grabbed the four rods one at a time.
"Be glad we found these at all." Bumblebee commented as he climbed out.
"And when they run out?"
"Then we better hope we're make it on everything else." Despite the planet being in a deep state of civil war, the air was quiet. Too quiet. No shots could be heard, no roaring of jet engines or shrieking of tires. The war had entered its final days, alright, as neither side wanted to expend energy of a foolhardy mission or raid. Now, the battle is over the dwindling supplies.
"I don't like this silence..." Wheeljack shivered. "Puts me on edge every time. Anywhere out there could be a Decepticon Sniper, waiting to take our heads."
"Well, there's a cheery thought." Bumblebee joked. But he won't deny that he's feeling uneasy too. "... whatdya say we get back to Iacon before the rest start missing us?"
Wheeljack had the same idea and transformed into his vehicle form- a four-wheeled van with enough cargo space to fit a Transformer as small as Bumblebee. "Load 'em up." He said as he opened the door. Bumblebee gave a thumbs-up as he gently loaded the rods into the back.
Once Bumblebee and the rods were loaded in, Wheeljack primed his engines and drove off into the Cybertronian night. As there was no sun and no oxygen, the Transformers had a very beautiful night sky. Too bad stargazing isn't in the war rulebook, not if everyone has a built-in GPS.
After several minutes, the duo were nearing the border between Iacon, one of two cities still under Autobot control, and the Decepticon's territory of Kalkular- two guesses as to where the Autobot pair were right now. It wasn't long until there were spotted by a trio of Decepticon soldiers- Seekers, to be specific.
After the war began, both factions equipped themselves with feet boosters that could allow for short periods of flight- up to 10 minutes. Before that, however, each Transformer was built with a specific function in mind: they could either drive or they could fly. Seekers are among those built to fly and were the only ones to fly until feet boosters were created, but infinite flight overpowers 10 measly minutes any day.
"Autobots!" one of them shouted. His two compatriots transformed into their Jet forms and flew off while he fired a flamethrower.
Wheeljack saw the encroaching flame and skidded to a halt just in time. the flame landed in front of them, cutting them off. The two Seekers flanked the pair, with one landed behind them while the other circled above. Bumblebee got out just as the rear Seeker cut off their escape route with his own flame thrower. He dodged incoming fire from the Seeker in flight and returned in kind.
"Prime warned me there would be days like this!" The young Autobot quipped as he took cover behind Wheeljack.
"Heh. And you didn't believe him."
A laser bolt from the Seeker in flight narrowly missed Bumblebee's head by a micron. "I do now..."
The Seeker in front of them transformed and took potshots as he flew overhead. "Alright, i've had enough. Get inside- we're ramming 'em!" Bumblebee hesitantly got in, putting the rods behind him so they wouldn't accidentally get fired upon. Wheeljack put pedal to the medal- his tires screeched against the pavement as he blazed on through the blaze. The fire licked his paint, but that was at the bottom of his concerns.
The remaining Seekers transformed and chased them in the skies. All three fired on the fleeing Autobots, who had pulled onto a freeway that would give them the quickest route. Bumblebee fired back from Wheeljack's trunk, but Wheeljack's erratic steering and the mere fact it's three against one made fighting back more irritating then ever. Bumblebee made sure the rods were behind him- even if he himself was scrapped, that means his brothers-in-arms will still get the energy they needed.
After several long minutes, the wheeled warrior could see the border straight ahead, with rows of Anti-Vehicle turrets on both sides of the road. They quickly picked up Deception signatures and fired to the skies.
With the enemy firepower overshadowing theirs, the Seekers had no choice but to turn back. One of them kept up his attack a lot longer then his comrades. He got lucky and scored a lucky shot on one of Wheeljack's left wheels. The Autobot spun out, but still had momentum to make it into Iacon. As he pulled away, the same Seeker fired a missile that's a bit too large for him to carry. The turrets didn't fire- they weren't programmed to shoot down missiles. Even then, they were still firing at the Seekers until they were out of range. Luckily, the missile missed, falling past the highway.
However... the missile didn't detonate. Bolts hissed away and the chassis blasted apart and a small figure flew out of it. It silently flew into a alleyway and waited.
At the same time, Wheeljack skidded to a stop, leaving a streak in the road. Bumblebee hopped out, taking the rods with him. "Wheeljack!" He shouted. "You ok?"
"Ugh.. do i look ok...?" He painfully replied. "That stupid Seeker got lucky. Ergh..." Wheeljack transformed into his robot form as the missile fell past the highway. The damage he sustained was pretty severe- wires and circuitry were exposed on his left thigh. "Oh, that looks nasty..."
"We better get you to Ratchet."
"My thoughts exactly." He tried to get up, but the pain he was feeling was too severe to stay up. "eeerf... I'm not going anywhere."
"Like Primus you aren't." Bumblebee put the rods down and helped Wheeljack onto his feet. He helped him over towards one of the turrets and had him lean up against it. He then transformed into his small vehicle form and honked. "You can ride on my roof. Just don't scratch the paint."
Scratched paint over exposed wound... one of these things is not as important as the other. "I'll try to be considerate..." He jokingly replied. Bumblebee backed up close enough to allow Wheeljack to climb on. He grabbed firm on Bumblebee's roof as the young scout drove off. He stopped by the rods long enough for Wheeljack to lean over and grab them. Once he had them, the two sped off towards Autobot HQ.
Once it heard driving, the flying unknown took to the air once again.
From a safe distance, the Seekers could see their small, bird-shaped comrade flying. One of them called it in, "Lord Soundwave, mission successful. We found some Autobots and Laserbeak is following them straight to their hideout. The idiots were none the wiser."
"{Excellent work, Skywarp. Stay on station until Laserbeak's return. He will require extraction.}"
Whenever battles could be fought, the Autobot city of Iacon shrinks little by little. Once it was the capital city of the entire planet, serving as the central seat of government. Now, it was the site of many skirmishes and battles. The central region of the city remained more or less untouched. Several buildings had damage in them, but so far, the Decepticon war machine had never reached the inner towers where many now call home. Surrounding this inner city was a domed wall, and outside that domed wall were the ruins of Iacon that fell to enemy hands, and beyond those was the border; hyper intense encryptions by many leading Autobot scientists have made the turrets virtually unhackable, forcing the Cons to sneak by or find gaps.
Ignoring the turrets, the Decepticons had resorted to brutal frontal assaults that resulted in casualties for both sides, but new territory for the Decepticons, whereas the Autobots countered with guerrilla raids on Decepticon supplies. But these were done on days when either side had the energy to spare. This was a lax day- Wheeljack's and Bumblebee's earlier skirmish was the first action seen in a week.
Speaking of the two, Bumblebee revved through the ruins of the city, driving as fast as he could in spite of the extra cargo. Both he and Wheeljack were unaware of the Cassetticon in the air, following them as it dodged and weaved through buildings to avoid detection. As they neared the wall separating the ruined battlegrounds from the mostly untouched haven, a section of it opened up. Bee drove through like a demon, leaving Laserbeak very little time to slip through the closing bulkhead.
On the other side, the Autobot slowed and drove a speedy, but leisurely pace. Laserbeak slowed up and once again followed from the buildings, keeping extra careful this time. For now, they were safe; no Decepticon was going to get them now. The dome above was made of strong, sturdy stuff; no Con has ever broken through it since it finished construction. That doesn't stop them from trying, but Autobots and neutral non-combatants that call Iacon home can breath easy knowing this was up. Holographic cameras connected to projectors showcased the outside world.
While Iacon was a safe haven, it was far from perfect. There are always scrabbles and there are always limited supplies. Despite being safe, nobody could escape the pressures of war and fear. Anyone can and will do stupid things to survive. From the highest tower, to the lowest depths, Iacon was full of warriors, opportunists, and cowards.
Passing through what had been dubbed Hardtack Row, which was the slimiest, scummiest part of the city, the duo plus one approached the Decagon, the main command center for the war. Before, it was to serve as planetary defense from alien invaders. Now, it served as Autobot Headquarters. Rising up like a fingered bowl, it was the tallest tower in Iacon. It was the third tallest, but Con raids before the domes construction destroyed the Council Tower and the Spacebridge.
In front of one of the garage entrances, Ratchet, the chief medic of the Autobot cause, was overseeing some Autobots offloading supplies from a cargo hauler. "Careful with those." He called out to one who almost dropped his crate. "That is pure Ridonium. Until it is refined into a medical compound, it's highly flammable. That much heat will wreck your circuits and wires."
"Sorry, Ratchet, sir." The nervous young recruit said.
The sound of a familiar engine caught Ratchet's audio receptors. He turned to see Bumblebee drive up with Wheeljack riding on his rooftop. "Do i even need to ask?" The medic asked as he approached.
"We got the rods, but a Seeker squad ambushed us on the way back." Wheeljack reported. Ratchet put one of Wheeljack's arms over his neck and lifted him off. "One of them got a lucky shot on me. I lost a tire and i got a hole in my thigh."
With him finally off, Bumblebee transformed and stretched his back. "Ugh, no offense Wheeljack, but you are heavy. I almost blew out my axles on the drive in."
"Pure Cydoniun, baby." Wheeljack jested as he pumped his fist onto his chestplate.
"Yes yes, we all see your personal modifications, now i should get you to medical. Bluestreak, come assist." The new recruit nodded and jogged over to help. Ratchet took the rods out of Wheeljacks hands and handed them to the Bumblebee. "I trust you know where to go to take these."
"Un.. not really." The three of them groaned a sigh. "What? I can ask Optimus, can't i?"
"Afraid not. Optimus is currently put on a mission. But he will return soon..."
...Backed into a corner, Optimus Prime and his companions Kup and Ironhide were blasting away at Decepticon grunts. They had left the safety of Iacon to find something crucial to a project that could turn the tides, but they were discovered by a scouting party and were forced between a wall and a crumbling building as enemy reinforcements came rushing in when the officer made the call. Warpath's vehicle mode was damaged, forcing their heavy hitter to be stuck in robot mode, and he wasn't looking too good.
"This isn't looking too good, Optimus!" Ironhide commented as he blasted down a sniper trying to get a good flanking spot. "Once the Seekers get here, we're pretty much scrapped!"
Optimus, the powerful and charismatic leader of the Autobots, kicked his foot into the terrain, kicking up a piece of rubble to serve as shelter for him to hide behind. He took several pot shots as he ran to it, taking out the officer that called in for reinforcements, but they were so outnumbered, it hardly mattered when overwhelming firepower is what will do them in."Keep holding on, old friend. Help will come."
"But Kup can barely stay functioning- he'll fall into stasis any moment now." Kup provided visual proof, finding it difficult to stay awake.
"I know, but we must hang on. We-" On their built-in Heads-Up Display, or HUD for short, several friendly signals came online. Laser fire came from behind the enemy lines, catching the Decepticons offguard. Several powerful Autobots came through the ruins and tore through the Cons.
"Guess you were right." Ironhide commented as he peaked out of cover.
"Ironhide, keep Kup safe." Optimus leaped out of cover to join his comrades. Four new Autobots emerged from the ruins, attacking the surprised Cons. Optimus jumped up and dropkicked a Con that was giving the Autobot Hot Shot a hard time. "Welcome to the fray, soldier."
"Thanks for the save, boss." Hot Shot commented as he spun around, blasting off a Con's left arm, the force of which made the robot flip around onto its back. His comrades were equally causing damage to the Con ranks: Warpath, one of their most powerful warriors, with his tank form being a powerhouse, Prowl, a master at stealth, and their squad leader, the enigmatic Elita One.
Between these five powerful warriors, plus a few pot shots from Ironhide, it wasn't long until the Decepticon squad was wiped out, with the last one having its head crushed in by Warpaths treads. "Kaplamo!" He shouted as he stomped the Con's head in. "Haha... that's gotta be my 20th takedown."
Elita One, panting from overexertion, wiped oil from her mouth as she put her blaster away. "Sorry we couldn't get here sooner, Optimus."
"Your timing could not have been better, Elita."
Warpath rolled his eyes with a grunt. "Oh Primes, here they go with the lovey-dovey stuff again..."
"I don't think they're going to do all that in the middle of a battlefield." Hot Shot commented as he and Prowl scavenged for blasters and useable parts. He pulled Warpath down to help. "Little thing called Time and Place."
"We can hear you, you know." Elita called out to the two commentators, who shut themselves up.
Optimus turned to the scavengers not to reprimand, but to give orders. "Now is not the time to scavenge, Autobots. Kup is in critical condition. He needs to be taken to Ratchet before things get worse. Hot Shot, you and Elita are the fastest among us. Hurry and take Kup before he falls into permanent stasis." Hot Shot gave a salute and ran to Ironhide, who was waving him over.
"We're get him there as fast as we can, Optimus... assuming we're not too late." Reaching into a retractable pocket, Optimus pulled out a shard of glass shaped like a pyramid. Elita looked at it while slowly turning to aide Sideswipe. "Was it all worth it, Optimus? Was this information worth the trouble and danger and potentially Kup's life?"
Optimus held it up to the skies; the sunlight glistened off the glass, giving it a ethereal look. "I hope so, Elita. I hope so. Otherwise... the Ark and Kup's potentially sacrifice would be built for naught... even so, it will take time for Perceptor to look through all these files, and even then, we can't do much with this data until Jazz returns from his mission." As if on cue, a Autobot dropship, one of their last, raced overhead, heading for the Iacon dome. "Speaking of which..."
A section of the dome retracted, giving ample room for the dropship to fly through. Once through, the gap closed. The ship flew as fast as it could- it had limited Energon reserves and was trailing smoke; it had seen some hard times. Nearing the Decagon, the pilot forwent the usual landing procedures and instead came in with a controlled landing, slamming hard onto a landing pad as it grinded to a halt. Several dock workers jumped out of the way, not wanting to become spare parts.
The ship came to a halt, steam hissing out of places it shouldn't. The hatches all opened, venting out even more steam. Two elite scouts rolled out, dazed by the flight they were unfortunate to witness. A third, the pilot, blasted out the viewport and climbed out. He coughed as he swatted smoke away from his receptors. "Not... not my best landing." Sideswipe panted.
"That... that was bad..." Jazz groaned as he worked to stay on his feet.
"The worst!" Cliffjumper called out, holding one finger to the sky as he lay on his back.
Dock workers armed with fire hoses came running up, dousing the ship to prevent any flames from spreading to sensitive equipment that could risk an explosion of great magnitude. That has happened on more then one occasion. Medics quickly arrived on the scene and went to take care of the returning warriors. One of them, Ratchet's second Red Alert, stood back as he looked at the damaged ship. "Looks like you all have been busy."
"You should see the other guys." Jazz chuckled. "Whoo, never saw those Seekers coming."
"What did you even do?" Red Alert asked as he scanned Jazz for any internal injuries.
"Afraid that's classified for now." A retractable pocket in his chest opened up. He reached in and pulled out a small cube, with Cybertronian text scribbled across it. "Right now, i need to get this to Perceptor."
"You need to be examined. Cliffjumper and Sideswipe don't look so good, and i don't think you're much better." He proceeded to scan Jazz, only to have the Bot swat his scanner away.
"You can do that AFTER i deliver this." Jazz transformed into his vehicle mode and drove off, leaving the perturbed medic in the dust.
Elsewhere, amidst plains of yellow rust and dilapidated skylines, Megatron stood on a cliff edge, overlooking a valley that once was filled with Energon, now it had dried up. Behind him sat Soundwave, his most loyal soldier, who was in his cassette form, currently tapped into Decepticon communications. Others have tried to overthrow Megatron's lofty position, to become the new leader of the Decepticons. They all failed. Megatron never had to worry about that with Soundwave- his loyalty is unwavering, absolute, unquenchable. He will never betray him, not on his life.
The sound of thrusters filled the air; he recognized those thrusters. Starscream, his traitorous second in command. Out of all who have tried to usurp him, Starscream had tried the most, and would do more in the future. He looks for ever opportunity to take command and always tries to act on it, but it never works out. Why does Megatron keep such a bumbling, opportunistic dunderhead around? It could be because of his silver tongue- the snake with engines always knows what to say to take advantage of a situation. Or was it for his air superiority- there was no denying that Starscream and his Seekers are incredible fighters. Or it could be the third option: Megatron likes putting him in his place with his fists; it's therapeutic.
Starscream transformed and landed in a huff. "L... Lord Megatron. The Autobot transport has gone out of range.. We managed to damage it, but-"
"You failed to destroy it." He chuckled. "Why am i not surprised? You fail even the basic of functions." Starscream opened his mouth to speak, but Megatron stopped him. "Don't even bother. Soundwave, before the idiot tells a fabricated tale, what did happen with the transport?"
Soundwave transformed into robot mode and approached. "Lord Megatron, according to communication logs, Burst Fire recommended pursuit, but Skyfire and Thundercracker insisted that it was unwise, suggesting that an escort was likely hidden for such a tactic, while Starscream left to return without a word to his fellows. The ship has currently entered Iacon airspace, but could crash at any moment- one of its engines is trailing smoke."
Starscream felt a lump form in his throat, a rare feat for robots. This was going to make Megatron angry, and it was happening with his raised voice. "So thanks to you failing to keep a fire for conquest in your underlings, and you just leaving the airspace, that allowed those three Auto-fools to escape?"
How was he going to get out of this one? "Y-yes, Lord Megatron. But w-we were low on Energon, so we couldn't pursue far. We're pooling it all for the Nemesis project, aren't we? So reserves for us common grunts is limited." Starscream readied for a hard punch to the head- that's always where Megatron likes to hit the most.
"You are correct, Starscream." Megatron instead replied, surprisingly the opportunist. "All our Energon stockpiles is reserved for the Nemesis, so it makes sense you wouldn't be able to pursue." He turned to face him. "You are lucky i'm in a good mood right now, otherwise your smoldering wreck would be halfway to Crystal City by now." The second-in-commands knees shook in fear- Megatron has the power to back up that threat.
Lights sparked up on Soundwave's chestplate- another transmission was coming in. "Lord Megatron." Soundwave spoke up. "Report from Shockwave: Optimus Prime has raided Fortress Kokullar in Kaon."
"Optimus raided Kokullar?" Starscream repeated. "Why would he risk attacking our main headquarters?"
"Because he is as desperate as we are. He knows his time is near and will do whatever it takes to survive now." Megatron answered. "And desperation breeds fools, like yours truly." Starscream pouted and crossed his arms in a huff. "Continue, Soundwave."
"Shockwave reports that Optimus, Ironhide, and Kup raided his lab, likely in an attempt to find a hidden stash of Energon, and downloaded the observatory data. He encountered them and wounded Kup, but they escaped. A patrol in the Iacon Ruins recently engaged them, but all contact has since ceased."
Megatron scoffed at the notion. "I think we can all assume what happened. It'll take more then just a measly soldier to wreck Prime. Besides..." He closed his hand into a fist. "He's mine and mine alone to destroy."
"B-but Lord Megatron, that is bad news." Starscream whimpered and groveled. "With the data those idiots took here and Prime took there, they could figure out our plans! They'll ruin everything!"
"Don't pity me with your foolish thoughts, you unyielding sycophant. Even if they are able to figure out what our plan is, it'll be all too late for them. And by the time they are able to pursue, our base will be established and we'll be processing enough cubes to last us till the end of time. Prime's time is finished and he knows it." He returned his attention to the the valley, and what lied beyond it: Project Nemesis, a massive vessel that will take them to the stars for the first time since the Golden Age of yore. "All he can do is delay the inevitable. And even then, it won't last long."
"One last report, Lord Megatron." Soundwave spoke up. "Laserbeak was able to infiltrate Iacon. Skywarp had encountered the Autobots Wheeljack and Bumblebee on a salvage run and was able to follow in the forged confusion. He is currently in station above the Autobot headquarters of the Decagon."
"Excellent work, Soundwave. With Laserbeak in their city, we'll learn much: the frequency to their cities shields, the state of their forces, and what their plans for the ultimate end will be. It won't be long until the Autobots time is done. This will be the beginning of a glorious new age for our kind: the Era of the Decepticons and the dawn of the First Cybertronian Empire!"