And here we go, on to another chapter of A Simple Mission. Last time was quite dramatic, wasn't it?

RaginStar19: That was mean and horrible!

LeafRanger: Well that's what happens when you find yourself in a difficult, emotional situation in the middle of war. You get some pretty horrible results, especially if you try to handle it on your own and don't turn to others for help.

Nightwing: I admit even I was disturbed a bit by what you did. And I do not feel easily.

LR: I know. So anyways, on to the next chapter! Hopefully you will all enjoy them!

Ripfang: Bah, I just want to enjoy more fighting! Where's Wrex?!

Wrex: *Bursts through wall* OH YEAH!

LR: ….did you just rip off the Kool-Aid guy?!

Wrex: The what now?

LR: …..uuuggghhhhhhh…..

Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Wars, as it is the property of Hasbro and Mainframe Entertainment. This is a non-profit work of fan made fiction. Please support the original releases.


Chapter 29

The Return

Sauria quietly sat on the bridge of the Axalon, staring into nothingness as nearby, Rhinox examined the alien disc. Things had not been well for the femme saurian, not that she had expected them too. Shortly after returning to the base, Optimus had gathered up the others and told them exactly what had happened. Sauria had requested he not hide anything, that they fully understand what she had done.

It had hurt seeing their expressions afterwards. She had not thought, or rather perhaps hoped, it would hurt as much as it did. But seeing the confused and hurt look Vixtrion sent her, the disappointment from Lycanok and Rhinox, had been even worse then she expected. Yet strangely it was the look of disgust and contempt from Rattrap every time he saw her that hurt the worst, even if she expected it the most. Perhaps because out of all the Maximals…he was the one she knew she had hurt the worst. He had never trusted her from the start, had never hidden his dislike of her, and she the same of him. And yet they had forged a bond, learning to depend on each other. Despite his constant whining and seeming cowardice, she had learned he was a strong fighter and dependable ally in his own right. He had courage, in his own way, as well as cunning and wits. And after she had realized she could trust him. She found herself enjoying their barb trading, trying to get under each other's protomatter.

But what's more, he honestly had been one of the few she could open up around, and expect blunt honest from. The other Maximals all either were too scared of angering her or would often be too polite and 'nice' in their responses. Rattrap, she could expect blunt honesty from. And she appreciated that. And it was something she never experienced with any of her Predacon 'comrades', who all simply did not care, or would view any such talk or admissions as weakness.

And now that was gone. She had thrown it all away, allowing fears and ideals of duty and self sacrifice to cloud her processor and turn her back on the most loyal and truest comrades she had known. It was a bitter pill to swallow, as the humans would say.

She was drawn from her thoughts by the computer beeping as it finished analyzing the data Rhinox had input into it. On the screen it showed the locations of the Standing Stones, the Floating Island, and the landing area of the probe that had led to the near destruction of the planet. These locations, each considered to be a major alien installation, were being shown relative to the Maximal base at the time of their discovery, showing that they formed a perfect triangle with the base at the center.

"Well there's definitely a pattern," Rhinox said, looking at the image before turning to the alien disk, noting that the emblem on the Floating Island's obelisk matched one on it. "In fact, there might be more to it than that. Search models of installations One and three for markings similar to those on alien disc," he ordered the computer.

Sauria quietly joined him as the computer hummed and soon gave him two smaller images, showing two more matching icons. "Definitely something going on here," he said. "Perhaps it's some kind of code?"

"I do not know. And I was not able to find out what Megatron knew about it either," Sauria said quietly as Rhinox glanced at her, before turning back to his work.

"Computer, begin plotting potential alien sites utilizing the pattern described by known alien installations," Rhinox ordered, as the computer began to work.

Sauria turned to the command table, watching the hologram there go to work. "You do not think there are more alien installations here, do you?" She asked.

Rhinox turned to look at the hologram as well. "They have automated facilities here, that much is certain. Besides the three we're using for the pattern, there was the obelisk I encountered with Lycanok and Airazor, and the installation Lycanok found underground. So far they appear to be relatively benign in nature. But that doesn't mean there isn't something else out there like the Floating Island. We'll need to find out for certain in order to make sure to avoid them, and to keep them out of Megatron's hands. If any of them still exist," he added softly.

Sauria let out a soft growl, one that was quieter and more subdued then her usual one. "Focusing on Megatron should be our priority. He is the greater threat, especially…thanks now to me," she said.

Rhinox glanced at her, before shaking his helm. There was silence for a few moments, before the hologram on the command table displayed the planet with a green triangular section appearing. "Confirmed alien energy signature, Grid Zyphon."

"Slag, Tigertron and Airazor were heading in that direction!" Rhinox said, turning to the communications console. "We'll need to contact them quickly before the accidentally trigger whatever is there!" Activating the console he tried to open a channel to Tigertron. "This is Rhinox to Tigertron, do you copy?"

There was no reply, save for a blast of static, as Rhinox tried again. Sauria, however, quietly input a couple of commands to the table, causing the hologram to change its focus. "Megatron has set up a new jamming tower. It apparently is blocking all communications within that sector," she said, causing Rhinox to turn to her.

"We'll need to take it down, and fast," he said. "Who is out in the field at the moment?"

"Lycanok, Cheetor, and Rattrap at the moment," Sauria reported to him. "Vixtrion and Silverbolt are still here at base, as is Optimus."

"What's going on?" Optimus asked, stepping onto the bridge and looking at Rhinox and Sauria. Rhinox quickly stood, moving to the command table.

"We've detected a new possible alien construct, but Tigertron and Airazor were heading towards that destination. We tried to contact them but Megatron has set up a jamming tower, preventing us from reaching them."

Optimus let out a soft curse at that. "Rhinox, contact Cheetor and tell him to try and reach Airazor and Tigertron as quickly as possible. Redirect Lycanok and Rattrap to engage that jamming tower. Sauria, you and Vixtrion will back them up. Silverbolt and I will follow Cheetor, just in case the situation with the alien site escalates. Rhinox, keep on the comms," Optimus ordered before reaching to the intercom, relaying his orders to Silverbolt and Vixtrion via the intercom.

Within less than a cycle the four Maximals were leaving the base, splitting up on their respective missions while Rhinox set to work trying to break through the jamming field set up by the Predacons.

Elsewhere, Tarantulas was humming to himself in his beast form as he strung up more cyber webbing in his lair, putting the finishing touches to his secret home away from the Darksyde. "Almost finished. Once my lair is complete, I can finally start putting my plans back into action," he said with a smile.

He had felt annoyed initially at how long it had taken to finish rebuilding his lair, but considering he had to work by himself and without drawing Megatron's attention, he wasn't surprised. He first had to salvage what little he could from his previously destroyed lair, and then proceed to steal whatever he needed from the Predacon's supplies in order to finish his new lab. But with the amount of Energon present, he had no need to worry about an energy source for his equipment.

He had just finished stringing up another strand when an alert started going off, as one of the monitors he had set up began blinking before displaying a map with a sector highlighted. "Warning, alien energy signature detected. Potential alien activity in Sector Zyphon."

Tarantulas stared at the screen, the arachnid equivalent of a smile on his face. "Well, it seems my prey is returning. How wonderful. And here I was thinking I would never get another chance. But I suppose I must move fast, before Megatron or the Maximals interfere," he said as he turned, transforming into his bike form. With a squeal of tires on dirt he sped out of the opening in his lair, heading off to find the source of the alien energy.

On the Darksyde, Blackarachnia let out a bored vent as she sat back at the sensor station, watching the sensors continue to sweep the area around the ship, while long range sensor towers monitored Predacon territory beyond the ships sensors. All in all, a rather dull assignment. But she knew not to complain, especially with the mood Megatron had been in lately. Sauria's apparent change of Spark at the last moment had left him angry, though his temper was somewhat dampened by at least getting the Golden Disc back. Blackarachnia knew that with the disc back his plans would be back on track, meaning she'd need to accelerate her own if she was going to beat him to the punch.

Megatron's mood, however, had been soured lately by the actions of the other arachnid Predacon. Tarantulas had been disappearing from the base more often, and at times didn't even bother answering Megatron's summons. Blackarachnia was honestly surprised their saurian leader hadn't scrapped the tarantula Predacon by now.

An alert from a sensor station caused her to snap out of her musings, leaning forward and identifying the blip now on her sensors as Tarantulas. "Speak of the devil," she muttered, activating the intercom. "Megatron, Tarantulas just appeared on sensors!"

"Track him, Blackarachnia. I'm on my way," Megatron ordered, cutting off the communication. Blackarachnia quickly focused on Tarantulas, pushing the scanners to maximum to see where he seemed to be going in such a hurry.

Sector Zyphon

On a rather desolate looking plain, Tigertron paused and looked around. Like most of the planet, there was no sign of life, all the plants and animals on this side of the planet having been burned away or perhaps somehow fled in the case of the latter. It had weighed heavily on his Spark, seeing the destruction wrought against the nature of this world, and at the hands of the creators of it no less.

Yet his Spark felt lighter today, for just the previous megacycle he and Airazor had discovered seedlings floating on the winds, released from some plant that had managed to survive and was now growing and thriving somewhere. The duo had begun tracking the path of the seedlings, hoping to find the source.

He glanced up, seeing Airazor wheeling high above, and smiled softly. He had to admit he was quite glad to have her as company. She seemed to be the only one amongst the Maximals who understood him, his connection and empathy for the planet. It was nice being able to speak to someone and have them understand his feelings and thoughts. He felt in her a kindred spirit, one he thought he would not have since his companion, the tiger his beast form was based off of, had died.

He paused as he saw her hover for a few moments, focusing on something, before diving down to him. As soon as she drew close she flared her wings, pulling up from her dive, in order to hover slightly above him. "I think I found it!" She said excitedly. "Follow me!"

Tigertron grinned as he watched her flap back up into the air and quickly took off after her, eager to see what she had found.

Soon enough he was standing on a cliff edge, looking down into a large valley below. Unlike the ground around him the floor of the valley was teeming with plant life. A stream flowed from one end of the valley to the other, feeding the plants growing on the valley floor. Most of the plant life was only about waist high, the highest plants being perhaps as tall as a cybertronian. But it was all flourishing, the first sign of life returning to the world.

Tigertron could only smile even more, quickly finding a path down to the valley floor as Airazor slowly drifted downwards. Soon Tigertron was slowly stepping onto the grass, feeling the sensation of the plant life against the pads of his paws. "By the Matrix, I had forgotten," he said softly, leaning down to sniff the grass.

Airazor slowly landed as well, peering around at everything. "Look at it all. I can't believe how much growth there is here," she said, before eyeing one plant in particular. "I think those are the ones that are releasing the seedlings!" She said excitedly, pointing to said plant with a wing.

There were several of them, most of them only waist or chest high and consisted of a long stalk with a bulbous head that was releasing dozens of small seedlings. Surrounding the stalk at their bases were large white petals, which had bloomed outward and lay on the ground. However there was one specimen that was far larger, standing even taller than Airazor or Tigertron if they were in their robot forms.

Airazor smiled as she transformed, pulling out a scanner as she approached the largest plant. "I don't think we saw a plant like this before the alien machine. Do you think it's a new species?" She asked Tigertron excitedly.

Tigertron also transformed, smiling at Airazor's excitement. "I do not know. It is a new mystery to discover," he said, moving beside her. "You seem quite excited."

She gave him a grin. "I do love adventure and exploring the new and unknown…especially when I can share it with someone special," she said, her voice growing softer, as did her smile.

Tigertron smiled back, slowly reaching down to grasp her servo with his own. She leaned against him, sighing softly in happiness as they enjoyed the sight together.

Tigertron frowned as some sixth sense went off, causing him to look over his shoulder, only for his optics to widen as he suddenly grabbed Airazor. "FLY!" He shouted, throwing her into the air.

Airazor let out a sudden cry of surprise, flailing in the air before catching herself and hovering. She turned to question Tigertron only to let out a cry of horror and surprise as she saw him being engulfed in massive thick plant tendrils. "TIGERTRON!" She screamed, immediately readying her rockets and aiming them at the tendrils. She launched a volley of them, only to watch as they seemed to have no effect, the tendrils constricting around Tigertron as he cried out in pain. She began to fly towards him, only for the tendrils to shoot up, trying to grab her, causing her to dart back.

"S-Stay back! D-Don't…GAAHHHH!" Tigertron tried to warn her. Airazor could only shake her helm, refusing to give up as she kept firing rockets at the tendrils, with the same result as before.

"H-HANG ON! HANG ON!" She shouted, trying to find some way to get to him as he was hoisted up over the plant. Seeing the tendrils start to glow blue, with that glow engulfing Tigertron, she shot towards him, not caring if she put herself in danger. She didn't notice the figure approaching from the sky, nor the beam of energy descending down towards them from the atmosphere.

Cheetor, arriving on the scene in his flight mode, could only gape in horror as he saw Tigertron being suspended by the vines, and Airazor trying to save him. "NO! TIGERTRON! AIRAZOR!" He shouted, shooting down towards them as well.

Tigertron, seeing Airazor coming for him, tried to wave her away as Airazor reached out for him, her servos reaching for his. And in that moment the beam came down in a flash of light. Cheetor was forced to pull back, blinded by it as all he could hear was the screams of both Airazor and Tigertron. Squinting, he saw Airazor outside the beam, her frame being engulfed in blue and silver energy as she gripped Tigertron's servo while his frame seemed to be disintegrating. Airazor let out another scream as her arms and servos met the same fate before she was blasted away, a ball of energy that slammed into the ground, leaving a crater. Tigertron meanwhile was nothing more than a beam of light now, shooting up into the sky with the pillar of energy as it left as quickly as it came.

Cheetor quickly shot down to the crater where Airazor had hit, only to find a deep crater half buried in soil and rock, with no sign of the Maximal femme. "Airazor?! AIRAZOR?!" He shouted, moving down to the crater and trying to shift through the rubble. "ANSWER ME! AIRAZOR?!" He cried out.

As he frantically dug through the debris, he never heard or noticed the approaching figure, not until he heard their laugh and the sound of a weapon firing. He let out a cry as his frame was engulfed in a brief flash of energy before he fell to the ground, offline.

Tarantulas could only cackle softly as he looked at the now still tendrils, before looking up to the sky. "Welcome back, my prey. Now…let the games begin."

Darksyde

"Well so much for the Maximal," Blackarachnia said, looking at the sensor screen and seeing the blip representing the Maximal darken but not disappear. "Looks like Tarantulas knocked them out."

Megatron didn't appear to be paying attention to her, instead focusing on his holographic display. In the sphere he was watching a recording of the beam, taken from one of the few satellites the Predacons had managed to launch into orbit for orbital reconnaissance. At the moment he was feeling a mixture of anxiousness and anticipation. He had thought the aliens were done with this world after they tried to destroy it, but apparently they still had some interest. He was worried about what their next attack would be, as he did not have the alien disc to interpret and analyze. And yet this presented an opportunity. If he could retrieve the alien disc, he could turn this sudden surprise into an advantage. Perhaps even a means to end this war.

"Megatron, looks like two more Maximals are approaching Tarantulas' position. Should we help out?" Blackarachnia asked, looking over her shoulder at Megatron.

At that moment however, a sudden communication erupted over the radio. "Megatron, jamming station 7 is under attack! We are engaged with four of the Maximals at this moment!" Terrok reported over the communications unit. He had been put in charge of Quickstrike and Waspinator in patrolling the Predacon facilities, to ensure they were up to date on maintenance and power supplies. And it seemed they had intercepted a Maximal attack on one of the jamming stations.

Megatron's optics widened as he turned to look at the sensor screen over Blackarachnia's shoulder. The two Maximals on approach to the valley appeared to be moving rapidly, most likely fliers. Meaning Optimus and either Silverbolt or Cheetor. Four more Maximals were attacking the jamming station, and one was at the valley, rendered inoperable for the moment. That meant that out of the Maximals known to frequent the base, there would be only one left.

Megatron quickly stood, activating the intercom and ignoring the transmission from Terrok. "Nightwing, you will join Inferno, Blackarachnia and I. Ripfang, take over sensors!" He ordered, turning and stomping away as Blackarachnia quickly followed. "Now is the perfect time to retrieve the last of my stolen property," he said with a smug chuckle.

Hidden Valley

Tarantulas murmured softly to himself, studying one of the now inert tendrils that had just attacked the two Maximals. "Hmmmm, interesting. Why are you not attacking now? Drained of energy perhaps? Or do you not sense me as a threat?" He mused, pulling out a scanner and analyzing the tendril.

His musings were cut short, however, by the sound of an engine, forcing him to look up with a curse. Pulling out a small device he slapped it onto his arm, activating it as he quickly ran off, moving into cover.

Soon enough Optimus and Silverbolt arrived, both circling the area from the air. They had both detected what they thought was a Predacon signature, but now it had seemingly vanished. Seeing no sign with their visual scans, the two landed near Cheetor, transforming. Optimus quickly scanned him as Silverbolt kept watch. "He's been hit by a cyber-venom. Must have been Tarantulas or Blackarachnia. Keep a sharp optic out Silverbolt," Optimus warned as he pulled out a device from his storage compartment. Placing it on Cheeetor's chestplate he activated it, allowing the device to start purging the venom from Cheetor.

While waiting for that he looked around, trying to see any sign of the other two Maximals. His optics lingered on the crater, seeing how it was fresh, a frown forming on his face plate, only to look back down as Cheetor let out a soft groan. Seeing him coming around he pulled the device off. "Cheetor? Are you alright?" Optimus asked him worriedly.

Cheetor shuddered, his optics blinking online. "B-Big bot?" He asked, before they brightened to full and he tried to sit up, only to groan. "A-Airazor! I-In the crater!" He said, turning and pointing.

Optimus looked at it, his scanners on full as he hopefully searched for any sign of her. After a few moments, he shook his helm. "I'm sorry Cheetor…I'm not detecting anything," he whispered.

Cheetor let out a soft shuddering cry at that, looking down. "…no…she can't be gone…t-they can't be gone," he whispered.

Optimus placed a servo on Cheetor's shoulder. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

The young mech didn't look up, keeping his focus on the ground. "…some type of alien plants…they grabbed Tigertron…Airazor was trying to save him, but…a beam from the sky…it took him away…and sent her flying into the ground…I-I didn't get here in time."

Optimus just squeezed his shoulder joint, before his comm unit crackled. "Yeh reading me fearless leader? Over?"

Hearing Rattrap's voice, Optimus responded. "I'm reading you Rattrap," he said in a subdued tone.

Several klicks away, Rattrap was grinning a bit as he watched the burning wreck of the jamming tower fall, pinning Waspinator and Quickstrike beneath it while Terrok was hiding behind a rock, occasionally popping up to fire back at the quartet of Maximals. "Jammin' tower's down Pop Op. We ran inta a little opposition, but it weren't nuthin' we couldn't handle. So get on da horn ta stripes and da bird lady," he said.

There was a pause, before Optimus responded. "I'm afraid we were too late. Tigertron and Airazor are gone," Optimus reported, his voice barely controlled. "Make sure that tower is down for good, then report back to base."

Rattrap could only sit there, the grin gone, before he responded. "Understood," he said, deactivating the comm unit. He gripped his blaster, optics dimming, before he suddenly stood and whirled, firing right at Terrok as he was rising up to shoot back. The Predacon Fuzor flier let out a cry of pain as the shot hit him and sent him crashing to the ground, taking him out of the fight.

The others looked to Rattrap, who was now pointing his pistol at Waspinator and Quickstrike, the duo squirming their way out from under the tower. "Youse got exactly five nano-cycles ta grab dat freak and get out of here," he said dangerously.

The two Predacons let out a yell, Quickstrike blasting them free and the two rushing off, grabbing Terrok and dragging him behind them. Rattrap followed them, so very tempted to shoot them in the back, before venting and lowering his blaster. He didn't look up as Lycanok approached him.

"Rattrap? What happened?" He asked quietly, making the rat mech shake his helm.

"We lost Tigertron and Airazor," he said simply, before pulling out two demolition charges, planting them on the remains of the jamming tower. "Optimus wants us back at da ship ASAP."

Lycanok stood there, absolutely shocked. "They're…gone?" He asked, optics wide.

"Yeah, dey're gone. Now git movin'," Rattrap snapped, arming the charges and stepping away. Sauria and Vixtrion quickly followed him, the former grabbing Lycanok to shake him from his stupor and pull him to safety. Soon enough the charges detonated, leaving the already wrecked tower now nothing more than fragments of molten steel and destroyed circuitry.

Rattrap just stared at the wreckage, before turning and transforming into his beast form, the wheels folding into place as he entered his alt form. "Let's go," he snapped curtly.

"O-Okay," Vixtrion said in a soft voice, climbing onto his back before he sped off. Lycanok just stood there, shocked, before Sauria spoke up.

"We should return to base," she said quietly, causing Lycanok to nod dumbly, transforming into his beast form and then the vehicle alt form. Sauria slowly climbed onto his back, before he sped off after Rattrap.

At the Maximal base, Rhinox was analyzing the beam of energy that had descended down to the planet and almost as quickly had retreated, before the communications crackled to life. "Rhinox, are you reading me?" Optimus voice spoke over the speakers.

"I'm hearing you Optimus. Did you see the beam? What was it?" Rhinox asked worriedly.

"I don't know. Cheetor saw it, but he's in no state to describe it. He…he said it took Tigertron. And Airazor has apparently been destroyed attempting to rescue him," Optimus said, his voice as calm as he could keep it.

Rhinox froze at that, before looking down. "…I understand," he said quietly.

"I want you to get the base defenses ready. We're on our way back," Optimus stated, before cutting the communications. Rhinox just sat there, helmed slumped, before turning back to the screen with the beam on display. He frowned as he studied it, the image being of it returning to space. He noticed there was something odd about it. He was just about to enhance it when the alarms went off.

"Alert. Predacon unit Megatron approaching base. Sentinel at the ready," the computer warned, as Rhinox moved to the combat console.

"Raise the shield and prepare all cannons for combat!" Rhinox said, bringing up the screen to see Megatron approaching. "Are there any other Predacon signatures?"

"Confirmed. Predacon unit Nightwing is holding above, outside effective firing angles," the computer said, as a smaller screen appeared in one corner, showing a 3D map of the exterior with the positions of Nightwing and Megatron on it. Rhinox frowned at that, before a second alert went off from the communications console. "Receiving communications from Predacon unit Megatron."

Rhinox frowned, activating it. "What do you want?" He snapped, watching the crosshairs of the autocannons settle on Megatron. If the shield dropped, he'd be a sitting duck for the base's defenses.

Megatron tried to give him a disarming smile. "I came hoping to talk to Primal. I'm sure by now you know about the new alien presence. I think-," he started to say, only for Rhinox to interrupt him.

"Don't try pulling that slag here, Megatron. Your last truce was a joke, and we're not going to fall for it again," Rhinox said.

Outside, Megatron merely kept his smile up, his optics flickering down. The shield around the base had gone up, but the disadvantage of the shield was it was incapable of penetrating the ground. Which meant that a certain ant-mech was fully capable of digging an entrance under the shield. Megatron was barely able to stop a smirk from appearing as he saw Inferno dig his way up under the Maximal base, quickly climbing up into the ship via one of the breaches in the hull caused by the sheer amount of damage and stress the ship had undergone during the Beast Wars. Blackarachnia quickly followed, the duo using portable sensor masking devices similar to the fixed ones the Predacons had deployed when they had tried to steal the Axalon by faking their deaths.

Megatron looked back at the Maximal ship. "Surely you must know I'm the only one who knows how to deal with the aliens. If you'd just return the alien disc, I'd-," he started to say again, only to be interrupted.

"Do you really believe we could be that stupid, Megatron? That would be like consigning ourselves to the scrap heap. Leave, before I give into my temptations and blow you away. And right now, I'm REALLY tempted," Rhinox stated.

"Now there is no need-," Megatron started to say, only for an opening in the shield to appear, one large enough for one of the auto-cannons to fire a single round at Megatron pedes.

"You have five nano-cycles," Rhinox said, the cannons re-aiming at Megatron, only for him to be drowned out by alarms and the sounds of static before the radio cut out. The auto-cannons slumped in their mounts as the shield dropped, indicating that Inferno and Blackarachnia had succeeded in disabling the ship's weapons and communications. With a smirk Megatron strolled towards the ship while Nightwing flew down, landing on the roof.

Inside, Rhinox cursed as he tried to figure out what happened, as almost all the screens on the bridge suddenly went dead. He heard the soft clank of someone landing on the hull of the ship above him, causing him to draw one of his chain guns, only for it to be blasted out of his servo. He turned just in time to catch a second blast to the chest plate from Inferno, who cackled happily as he saw the large Maximal mech go down.

"The Royalty will be so pleased!" Inferno shouted happily as Blackarachnia swept past him, her optics fixated on the device Rhinox had been using to analyze the alien disk.

"He'll be more pleased if we get our aft-plates in gear and get this disc before the Maximals get back," she said as she set to work disabling the device so she could retrieve the disc. Inferno frowned as he joined her, preparing to remind her that Megatron had said not to touch anything, only for a large clenched servo to smash him in the face plate, sending him flying onto the command table. Rhinox, his chest plate charred and dented, immediately grabbed Inferno around the neck joint and slammed him into the table again, before turning and throwing him against Blackarachnia, who had drawn her blaster to try and hit him with cyber-venom. Instead she was sent crashing into one of the consoles with Inferno on top of her, just as the roof hatch was forced open and Nightwing dropped in. She immediately raised one of her arm cannons, preparing to shoot at him, only for Rhinox to flip the command table up, blocking the shot.

The large rhino engineer moved with surprising speed, slamming into Nightwing and slamming her against a bulkhead, causing her to let out a cry. He mentally winced at that, but knew that his corrupted friend wouldn't show him any mercy, so he pulled back a clenched servo. "Sorry Nightwing," he said, preparing to slam his fist into her faceplate to knock her out, only to feel a powerful grip in his wrist.

"I thought you Maximals knew better then to hit a femme. Yeeeessss," Megatron said, twisting Rhinox's arm behind him. Rhinox let out a cry of pain as the movement twisted the joints, breaking them and rendering the limb useless. Megatron proceeded then to slam Rhinox into the deck plate, before stomping down on his chestplate for good measure, knocking Rhinox's systems for a loop and stunning him. Turning to the others he pointed to Blackarachnia, who had barely struggled free from under Inferno. "Hurry up and retrieve that disc. The Maximals will most likely be back soon and we don't have any time to waste," he ordered.

Blackarachnia nodded and quickly began retrieving the disc as Megatron pulled Nightwing up. The femme flier was still dazed, shaking her helm before Megatron forced her to focus on him. "Finish off this Maximal then join us at the base," he said, turning away and stomping off with Blackarachnia and Inferno behind him, the former carrying the disc while the latter was a bit wobbly from being pummeled by Rhinox.

Nightwing looked down at Rhinox, whose systems were starting to run normal again. He groaned as his optics slowly blinked back into focus, only to find himself staring at Nightwing's arm cannon. He shuddered, looking towards her face plate, seeing the stoic, emotionless expression there.

Yet suddenly there was a twitch in her arm. Her optics seemed to blink and her expression changed, becoming one of confusion, with a hint of horror. Her frame began to tremble before she suddenly jerked her arm cannon to the side, the shot hitting the deck plate next to Rhinox's helm.

Rhinox could only stare in surprise as Nightwing took a step back, suddenly seeming to vent harder than normal. He tried to sit up with his one good servo, staring at her in confusion. "Nightwing?" He asked.

She turned away, retracting her weapons. "Consider that repayment for saving me from the abomination," she said, referring to when they had temporarily worked together against the mutated protoform monster. "I will not spare you again." (1)

She quickly shot up through the roof as Rhinox stared after her in confusion, before groaning and slumping back, gripping his dead arm at his side.

A decacycle later Rhinox sat in his beast form on the bridge, allowing his internal repairs to fix his arm so he could be present for the team briefing. Cheetor was fully functional again, though he, like every other Maximal present, was in a somber mood. Rattrap and Lycanok were finishing rebooting the security systems, getting Sentinel back online.

"I can't believe we never thought 'bout dem diggin' in. Slag, I should know better, dat's somethin' I definitely woulda done," Rattrap muttered quietly. "We'll have ta fix dat problem."

"I think we have a bigger problem to deal with," Vixtrion said, as on the holographic table they were looking at an image of the hidden valley. "We're looking at another alien visit here and the last few haven't been that pleasant. Not to mention Megatron now has the alien disc, so who knows what he'll plan to do with that."

"We need to worry about figuring out what happened to Tigertron!" Cheetor said, looking at the others. "And we shouldn't have just left Airazor back there! She could still be alive under that rubble!"

"Cheetor," Optimus started to say, knowing that the young mech was clinging to hope that their friends were still alive, that they could still somehow be saved, only for Cheetor to interrupt him.

"We could have tried to dig her out, to find her!" The young mech shouted, only for Sauria to quietly speak.

"They are gone, Cheetor. We should focus on the more dangerous threats at the moment, lest we join them," she said, only for Cheetor to round on her anger clear on his face plate.

"That's what I'd expect from a no good Predacon!" He shouted, causing Sauria to barely flinch at his words, looking down slightly.

There was silence for a few moments, before Lycanok spoke up. "She's right though," he said, his voice quiet and stoic. "Whatever took Tigertron probably took him halfway across the galaxy. And Airazor…Optimus didn't detect anything, Cheetor. Even if we could save them, it won't do them any good if we get scrapped because we're not prepared to deal with whatever Megatron or the aliens prepare to throw our way."

"They're our friends! We can't just abandon them! Don't you care?!" Cheetor snapped t him, only to freeze as he saw the look on Lycanok's face.

"...don't think that you're the only one who cares about them, Cheetor," Lycanok said in a dangerous tone. "You're just the only one acting like an immature mechling about it." The wolf mech turned, slamming the panel back into place over the circuits he had been fixing as the weapon console came back online. "Sentinel is online," he reported emotionlessly.

Optimus took a deep vent, nodding. "Lycanok and Sauria are right. Right now we need to focus on being ready for whatever is coming. First things first, we'll need to make sure the base is ready. Afterwards, we'll secure that valley, to keep Megatron away from it. Everyone get to work on securing the base, then gear up," he ordered.

The Maximals all nodded and started to disperse, with Optimus stopping near Sauria. "…he didn't mean what he said. He's letting his anger get the better of him," he said softly.

"We often speak the truth in the heat of the moment, Optimus Primal," Sauria responded to him, turning to head off towards her quarters. "Besides…what else am I, other than a treacherous Predacon?" She added in a voice so quiet that Optimus almost missed it.

The Maximal leader could only shake his helm as he watched her leave, feeling the tension and stress his crew was under, that could end up tearing them apart at any moment. If things didn't turn around, it was possible that they wouldn't need Megatron to destroy themselves.

Darksyde

Megatron could only smirk as he looked over the alien disc in front of him, as his computers were working overtime to finish analyzing and translating it, replacing all the lost data that Sauria had destroyed when she had stolen the disc. His minions currently were running around, fixing up the base, but it ultimately didn't matter. If the information he was reading were accurate, the base would mean nothing in a few megacycles.

He glanced over his shoulder as Inferno and Blackarachnia entered the room. "The defenses have been strengthened, royalty! We have installed the new cannons, and reinforced the most vulnerable parts of the hull!" Inferno loudly proclaimed.

"Good. See to it that the others are geared up and ready for heavy combat. I expect we'll be revisited by the aliens soon, and I want everyone ready to fight," Megatron ordered.

Inferno left to carry out his order while Blackarachnia remained. "You really think we can take out whatever horrors these aliens have planned for us?" She asked skeptically.

"Oh yes, my dear arachnid. For you see, this alien disc can tell me all I need to know about what the aliens have planned. This knowledge, that I alone posses, will allow me victory over them!" He said, only to be interrupted by sinister chuckling.

"Oohhhh, you think so much of yourself, Megatron. But tell me, do you actually know HOW you'll defeat what's coming?" Tarantulas asked, standing there with a smug look on his face as he leaned against the doorway.

Megatron growled as he turned to confront the arachnid scientist. "Tarantulas…you have some nerve showing yourself here," he said softly.

Tarantulas just smirked at him. "Nerve, Megatron? Or is it simply confidence in knowing I'm too valuable for you to destroy?" He asked, moving past Megatron to look at the alien disc.

"And what makes you think that?" Megatron asked, charging up his tail cannon as Blackarachnia, sensing Megatron's mood, drew her own blaster. His optics narrowed however when he saw Tarantulas was completely unafraid of their drawn weapons.

"The fact that I know information about these aliens that you don't. Information I stole from you long before Sauria stole the discs, and that I've been using on my own. You might like to think you alone know how to read the info this alien disc provides, but the truth is that you're not," Tarantulas said with a snicker, turning to look Megatron. "I already know what is coming, and I already have a countermeasure ready. Of course, the only thing I'm lacking is the resources."

Megatron's optics narrowed at that. "Then tell me, so that we can proceed with dealing with the alien threat," he snapped.

"Oh I don't think so, Megatron. After all, I did admit to basically stabbing you in the back here on more than one occasion. If I tell you what I know, you'll simply destroy me and move on. Oh no no no. The information will stay safe and cozy in my processors. But I'll of course be happy to work WITH you to stop these aliens," Tarantulas stated, tapping his helm.

"You, my minion, dare to try and bargain with me?!" Megatron roared, as Blackarachnia took a step back, not wanting to be in range of Megatron's rage. Tarantulas chuckled at the large saurian's reaction.

"Oh, but I don't really think of myself as your minion anymore. I'm more of a…free lance advisor," Tarantulas said, causing Megatron's optics to widen in fury.

"YOU PLAN TO BETRAY ME?!" He shouted, raising his cannon and preparing to fire, only for Tarantulas to raise one servo, showing off a detonator in it.

"Temper temper, Megatron. Did you really think I'd stroll in here with nothing but a smug attitude and some information as a bargaining chip? I made sure to leave a little insurance in the base just in case," Tarantulas said, showing he had a dead man's switch. "I might hate that revolting rodent of a Maximal, but I've learned a few tricks from watching him."

Megatron's optics narrowed at that, lowering his tail. "…you are far too clever for your own good, arachnid," he said, his voice heavy with anger, but the slightest tinge of respect. "Very well then…let us talk."

Tarantulas just smirked even more, lowering his hand but keeping the dead man switch primed. "Yes…let us talk."

Axalon

"We've managed to reinforce the shield, and diverted all power from non-essential systems into backups," Lycanok reported to Optimus, the pair currently on the bridge as Silverbolt manned the combat station while Vixtrion monitored the scanners. "we won't have to worry about running out of power for the defenses, but I'm not sure how much they'll hold up against whatever weaponry the aliens might have, if they choose to attack us."

Optimus nodded as he looked over a report from Lycanok. "What about munitions?" He asked.

"We have a fairly large stockpile of ammo for the cannons and weapons. We also have a large reserve of Energon that's already been processed and is ready to be used to manufacture knew ammo and components, if need be. Overall, I think we're as ready as we're going to be, given the circumstances."

Optimus nodded at that. "Then I guess we'll need to move out. We'll keep Rhinox and Cheetor here at base to watch over things, while the rest of us-," he started to say, only for Vixtrion to speak up.

"Optimus, our orbital satellites are detecting a surge in space! And long rnage scanners are picking up Predacon signatures at the valley!" She reported, causing Optimus to curse softly.

"Guess we're out of time," he said, activating the intercom. "This is Optimus Primal to all Maximals! It's time!"

At the valley, the Predacons were unpacking several large devices, with Tarantulas consulting a data pad with information on it. "I'm transmitting coordinates to you! Place those devices firmly into the ground at each of the points!" He told the other Predacons, as each one soon received a series of coordinates on their HUDs.

As they proceeded to fan out to the points, Megatron stalked over in beast form. "this had better work, Tarantulas," he growled, as Tarantulas looked up at him.

"It will work. I've studied the readings on the alien's weapons and technology. This will keep them contained, and allow us to deal with them at our leisure," Tarantulas told him.

Megatron regarded him quietly at that. "What is your stake in all this? You obviously have no loyalty to me, so why bother aiding me?" He asked.

Tarantulas shrugged as he went back to reading the data pad. "I have my reasons. The aliens will try to destroy me just as much as they will you, so why not work together to make sure they can't succeed? It benefits us both."

Megatron regarded him carefully, until Blackarachnia spoke up as she rejoined them, having finished placing and activating her device. "He hates the aliens. Mostly because he doesn't like anyone smarter than him being able to manipulate or interfere with his plans. He wants to wipe them out to prove he's better than them," she said.

Tarantulas snarled as he turned around, only to see Blackarachnia smirk as she tapped the side of her helm, indicating how she knew that about him. Megatron merely smirked as he considered Tarantulas carefully.

"I see then. So you're doing this out of hatred and jealously. Good. Those are emotions I can trust," he said with a smirk. "Rest assured, Tarantulas, we shall deal with the alien threat, and you'll have your revenge in due time."

Tarantulas smirked as she turned away, before Megatron leaned down to Blackarachnia. "Did you and Inferno deal with his present before we left?"

"Yes Lord Megatron. He didn't hide it nearly as well as he'd like to think. His 'present' is now deactivated and sitting in the armory, waiting to be used," Blackarachnia said with a smirk.

"Excellent. You have done well Blackarachnia. Continue to prove your loyalty to me and you shall be rewarded," he said, moving off.

The other Predacons soon finished setting up the devices, as Megatron watched the skies. Anytime now, the aliens would send another of their devices down. Either manned or unmanned. And Megatron would be ready for it. He smirked in anticipation, only to frown as his sensors alerted him to incoming Maximals. "It would seem we have uninvited guests," he said, turning to see Optimus landing, with the rest of his Maximals arriving and transforming, forming up behind him. "An impressive display, Primal. Though I'm rather surprised you have allowed the traitor in your midst…and even more that you trust her at your back," he said, looking to Sauria.

Optimus ignored him as he reached down, drawing his blaster pistol. "Stand down Megatron. We're not going to let you antagonize these aliens any more then you have already."

Megatron snorted as he transformed. "And do you really think you can stop me? Or these aliens for that matter? You have no idea what is coming. I do, and thus I shall be the one to handle it. Yeeeesss," he said, as the other Predacons drew their weapons as well.

"Considering how you handled the last problem? Dream on," Optimus said, he and the Maximals readying for a fight. The Predacons did the same, only for them all to be interrupted as around them, the tendrils began to move yet again.

From the ground and undergrowth around them, tendrils surged towards the center of the valley, causing all of the Cybertronians to back up as the tendrils began to weave together, forming a large structure in the shape of a large dome like structure. At the same time, a beam of energy shot down, striking the center of the structure and blinding them temporarily.

As soon as their vision cleared, all of them could only stare up in awe and trepidation at the sight of the massive construct, now covered in a chrome metallic skin. It was a massive affair, its height being almost equal to that of the valley walls around them, as it took up most of the center of the valley floor.

Suddenly, the very top of it seemed to rise up, as all of them could suddenly detect a buildup of power.

"COVER!" Optimus shouted, trying to get his Maximals out of the line of danger, but it was too late, as a sudden burst of energy shot out of the top of the machine, engulfing Maximal and Predacon alike. All of them screamed out in pain as bolts of energy arced over their forms, causing all of them to drop to the ground, offline. And then there was silence, as the top of the alien construct lowered back into place, leaving the valley floor silent and still.

However, below the surface, buried under rubble and earth, a faint glow started, slowly engulfing a set of twisted remains, causing them slowly to morph and twist.


And chapter. Yeah, I know I'm kind of ending right where canonically the episode ended, but honestly it was a good place to do so. Especially since it was taking me so long to finish this chapter. So I hope you all enjoyed what I've done here. Guess we'll see and-CRAP! *Ducks under a cybertronian katana*

Lycanok: WHAT DID YOU DO TO AIRAZOR?!

LR: OH C'MON, I DON'T NEED MY NEW OC'S TO TRY AND KILL ME TOO!

Vixtrion: Lycanok, calm down!

Lycanok: YOU'RE DEAD! DEAD! *Keeps trying to kill LR*

LR: WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?! *Dives into cover as Ripfang, Vixtrion, and Nightwing dogpile on Lycanok*

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, and Happy Birthday to me! Or post Happy Birthday. Eh, either way. Thanks for reading!

1. Re-read chapter 20 if you don't remember.