24- One Shall Rise (Part 1).
Planet X
Dark energon hail pieces fell from the dark sky while Optimus was still on the ground, with Megatron over him.
"Why is the blood of Unicron erupting from beneath the earth?"
"A question, Optimus, that you shall take to your grave." Megatron declared, ready to execute him.
Fortunately, in that moment, a ground bridge appeared in front of them and Bulkhead came out, pushing Megatron backwards and started hitting him with his wrecking ball. Arcee jumped out of the portal too, and got shocked at seeing all the dark energon show. Cliffjumper and Ratchet followed her.
"Quickly, we must pull him through." Ratchet said as he and Cliffjumper helped Optimus get up.
Megatron managed to block Bulkhead's weapon and punched him back. Fortunately, he recovered fast.
"Bulk!" Cliff called.
"Now, now, now!" Arcee shouted.
Bulkhead changed to vehicle form and headed back to the portal, with Megatron right behind him. Megatron pulled out his sword, which surprisingly was covered in purple flames, but Bulkhead changed to robot form and jumped into the portal before the portal closed. Megatron tried to strike, but he missed. He groaned as he took a drop of dark energon from his mouth, and took a close look to it. Next, he saw how all his surrounding glowed with the same color, extending as far as the eye could see. There was no doubt, all the ground where he was standing was the biggest deposit of dark energon no one has never saw, which made him start laughing.
"This is merely the beginning. I now possess enough dark energon to reanimate Unicron himself." Megatron cheered as his laugh echoed through the area. "YES!"
Megatron was laughing sinisterly and so excited on his moment of victory that he didn't realized that behind him multiple huge fragments of dark energon from the planet's surface were launched to outer space. Back to the Autobot base, Bumblebee was managing the ground bridge as Bulkhead and Ratchet were helping Optimus.
"Easy Optimus. From the looks of things, you've been exposed to a massive amount of dark energon." Ratchet advised as he sat him on the medical berth.
"I am not the only one." Optimus said sitting down before looking at Luke and Leia with a smile.
"Hey." Luke saluted.
"We passed through the same." Leia added.
"They're lucky to be alive." 3PO said, causing Optimus to look away in shame and sadness.
"Megatron found more dark energon?" Aris asked.
"A volcano full." Arcee answered.
"The question is how?" Bulkhead said.
"No, the question is what? As in what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing there, on Planet X?" Ratchet corrected.
"Unicron? Who is that? Another alpha Decepticon?" Han asked confused.
"No, something worse. An ancient evil, whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call dark energon. As legend would have it." Ratchet explained.
"So, you're saying this Unicron is some kind of boogeyman?" Padmé asked.
"Boogeyman?" Ratchet asked.
"Make-believe creepy guy who hides in your closet." Han explained.
"No, senator Amidala. Unicron is very real. Was…that is… Well, I do believe he once existed I just don't subscribe to the theory that his primordial life force is the substance which…harmed the twins." Ratchet added.
"I've heard enough. 3PO, R2, BB-8, please help me get Luke and Leia into the speeder." Padmé suddenly said.
"(But why that?)"
"But mom, we are feeling better." Luke objected.
"You need to be examined by real doctors. We need to be sure after what happened." Their mother explained, while Ratchet seemed affected for what she said.
"But mom, they are not responsible for what happened to us, nobody expected it. They were just trying to protect us." Leia added.
"Padmé, it deeply grieves me that I have failed. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to our human friends, or any native. Ever again." Optimus promised getting up slowly.
"Optimus, they're children, they do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about exploring, games, making friends. Not their own survival. We ended the Clone Wars to make sure they don't have that kind of future." Padmé explained.
"Mom, dark energon is pouring out of that planet, so it is not an ordinary one. This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours." Luke pointed.
"You're coming with us, all five of you, and they will not be coming back."
"What? Mom, that's not fair!" Leia objected.
"You agree with us, right dad?" Luke asked. "Dad?"
"I'm sorry, son, but your mother is right. If something bad happens to you, I would never forgive myself. And we have been so close to lose you. And if that had happened in the end, we wouldn't know how to live with that."
"I understand." Optimus said.
"That's it? After all we've been through together, see ya? What about our freedom to choose?" Han asked.
"That may fly on their planet, but not here on our galaxy." Padmé retorted as she and the droids helped her children to enter in the speeder. "Get in."
Han scoffed. "Do you really expect me to ride in a non-transforming vehicle?"
"Han, I'm serious." Padmé repeated.
"You're not my mother."
"Han." Bulkhead started.
"Neither are you!" Han yelled, causing Bulkhead to look at him in shock.
"But we know yours. Let's go." Padmé said to Aris and Sky.
Both kids looked away with slight hesitation, not sure what to do. Sky was about to answer, but fortunately for him, Aris decided to intervene first.
"We'll call our parents for pick us up. Don't worry."
With all settle, Anakin and Padmé walked back to the speeder. Of course, Luke and Leia looked at Bee through the glass with sadness, the same as him.
"Ratchet, activate the ground bridge." Optimus asked.
"That will not be necessary, Optimus." Anakin reassured as he drove out of the base.
The kids looked back at Bumblebee as faded away from their sights. Leia sat back down in her seat as she wiped away tears from her eyes. Luke tried to comfort his sister, but he was the same affected as her and dropping tears, something their dad could sense, so R2 and BB-8 tried to comfort them. Bee looked down sad.
"Are we really going to call our parents so they would not allow us to come back here ever again?"
Of course not, Sky. I simply said that, well…because I don't want to go too." Aris revealed.
"Don't worry, we'll not tell them." Cliff reassured them.
Right in that moment, someone called them.
"Optimus, do you copy?"
"I hear you, master Kenobi."
"You're not going to believe this, but it seems that nature has gone mad."
"We know about the volcano of Planet X." Optimus said.
"Planet X? No, I'm talking about earthquakes: seven major temblors of the exact same magnitude at the exact same time occurred on Kamino moments after some strange asteroids impacted on the planet. Also, we received reports of a huge tropical storm appearing right in the big desert of Tatooine, right after some similar asteroids impacted. In theory, these phenomena are unrelated, if they hadn't happened…"
"At the exact same time." Ratchet finished. "Wait. In two far distant planets?"
"Check it out. There are not the only ones." Han said pointing at the news of the Holonet.
"Freak storms unlike any region of Bespin has seen. Tsunamis threaten the coasts of Mon Calamari, while lightning storms pummel the regions of Lothal and powerful tornados destroy everything on Felucia. Meanwhile, electromagnetic anomalies plagued urban power grids. These abnormal planetary phenomena, all caused by the impact of strange asteroids, are leaving most to wonder why now, and what next?" The reported announced.
"Let me guess, the Decepticons have built a machine that alters planetary natural factors and that's what they send on those asteroids." Obi Wan suggested.
"One that powerful? Highly unlikely." Ratchet answered.
"I do not believe the appearance of dark energon on Planet X at this point of time to be coincidental." Optimus deduced.
"Indeed. There's something I must check." Ratchet said typing on his terminal. "Oh no, is just how I feared. The asteroids have left a trail that signals their trajectory on our scanners. And if we follow them, we see that their origin is on..." But Ratchet was shocked when he discovered it. "By the Allspark."
"What is it?" Cliff asked.
"It cannot be. All those asteroids come from Planet X. But that's not the worst: the dark energon lectures are increasing, getting out of the scales."
"You're meaning dark energon is expanding all across the planet?" Aris asked.
"No, much worse. The planet itself is made of dark energon." Ratchet revealed.
"What?!" Everyone yelled.
"How is that possible?" Bulkhead asked.
"I don't have any idea, but one thing I'm certain: those asteroids are the responsible ones of corrupting the planets factors of all kind. It is like…it was…attacking them."
"Then…that means…those things can happen, here too?" Sky asked scared.
"We need to get the Skywalker family right back, now!" Optimus said alarmed.
"(I will take care.)" Bee offered.
"You must hurry, Bumblebee. Because our sensors are detecting another group of asteroids, the ones that are coming right at Naboo." Ratchet informed.
Meanwhile, the Skywalker family was driving across the wild lands. As they were heading back to Theed, the kids were passing time looking outside the window.
"One one hundred, two one hundred." They muttered.
"You okay back there, kids?" Their mother asked.
"We saw lightning." Luke answered.
"We're counting until the thunder…" Leia said until they heard it, which scared R2 and BB-8 a little.
"Oh, don't be scare, you two, that's a natural phenomenon here." 3PO reassured.
"Hehe, looks like a storm. The plants will love it." Anakin said. "Huh?"
"Ani, what is it?" Padmé asked.
"This presence. I haven't felt it since long ago."
"Dad, I sense something scary, something sinister." Luke said.
"Me too. Why are we feeling this?" Leia added.
"Don't be scared, honey. We'll be fine once we arrive home. Besides, storms are normal on Naboo." Padmé reassured.
"It's not about the storm, its…another thing." Luke said. "Something's coming."
In that moment, R2 started to beep alarmed.
"What wrong, R2?" Anakin asked.
"R2 has detected some objects heading right at us, entering the atmosphere." 3PO told.
When they looked at the sky, they saw a group of purple fireballs passing through the storm.
"Meteors! Brace everyone!" Anakin shouted.
The meteors started to fall into the ground, but Anakin managed to dodge them all. A small fragment fell onto the vehicle, which C-3PO was about to take.
"No, 3PO! Don't touch it!" The kids yelled before they levitated it out.
But that was not the worst. Immediately, the storm started to increase the number of lighting, making some of them to almost hit the speeder. Anakin managed to dodged them, but that made him to hit a rock.
"Kids, are you okay?" He asked.
The children nodded, BB-8 and R2 too, but then the ground started to shake.
"Is that…an earthquake?" Leia asked.
Suddenly, lava streams started to erupt from the earth like geysers around them.
"Lava? That's impossible. Naboo's core is made of water, there can't be molten rock here." Padmé said in disbelief.
Rivers of lava started to form around them, forcing everyone to climb up to the speeder's top before the lava flows arrived. Then, a near mountain in front of them exploded, turned into a volcano, which started to launch volcanic bombs. Fortunately, Anakin, Luke and Leia managed to push the bombs aside with the Force, but that was not the worst, because a few minutes later the volcano erupted again, with more force. That made one part of its surface to start falling down the mountain, creating a pyroclastic flow, and it was heading right at them.
"Think we can contain it, dad?" Leia asked terrified.
Anakin didn't want to scary his children more, but he wasn't sure they could contain such menace. Fortunately, right from the road they came, Bumblebee came driving at full speed, dodging the volcanic bombs and lava geysers. He stopped right next to the crashed speeder.
"(Get aboard!)"
"He wants us to get on board!" Luke communicated.
"Then let's not make him wait! R2, Luke, you go first!" Anakin instructed.
As R2 used his thrusters to take Luke safely to Bee, Anakin and Leia used the Force to move 3PO and BB-8. Next, R2 returned back to carry Leia back with Bee. Finally, Anakin grabbed Padmé and jumped onto the Autobot. With everyone aboard and safe, Bee started to accelerate all he could to get away from the incoming pyroclastic flow. It was a difficult task, the cloud was following them almost at the same speed, until Bee turned at the right and passed above a cliff, so the cloud ended going slower as it took a while to cover the distance. Now they were finally safe.
"Oh, thanks the Maker. If it wasn't for you, we might had ended as molten metal." 3PO thanked.
"Yes, we owe you our lives." Padme added hugging one of her children.
"(You're welcome, senator.)"
"He says you're welcome." Luke translated.
Both R2 and BB-8 beeped, thanking Bumblebee for his actions. Meanwhile, on Planet X, the Decepticons started a massive mining operation, extracting crystals of dark energon from the planet's surface and taking them to the Nemesis. Megatron saw the entire scene from his ship's bridge, as more fragments were launched at space.
"Rivers and mountains of your very lifeblood, rising from the depths to become one with me."
"But why the planet is launching those fragments from its surface?" Airachnid asked.
"I don't know, but indeed those asteroids are made of dark energon. In fact, it seems the entire planet is made of it." Knock Out pointed.
"An entire planet of dark energon. No one would expect to discover such a thing. What more could I ask for?" Megatron asked.
Then, Megatron had another vision: the volcano erupting again, but this time cracks forming around the surface before the planet explodes. Meanwhile, Bumblebee returned to base with his passengers.
"We're back." Luke called.
"And we are glad." Ratchet said.
"Are you alright?" Han asked as he, Aris and Sky approached them.
"Yes. But we have been so close to not be." Luke started.
"First a meteor shower almost crushes us. Then, the storm becomes very aggressive and lava comes from the earth and a volcano." Leia followed. "And that's not the weirdest thing, because those meteors seemed to be made of…"
"Dark energon? We know. And it seems Naboo is not the only affected place. Many other planets are going crazy, and the number is increasing." Aris told.
"Also, there is another thing. Recently, I have been sensing a strange, unpleasant presence." Sky added.
"The Senate is classifying these bizarre patters as a galactic emergency." The Holonet informer reported.
"What?" Anakin asked in disbelief.
"Galactic?" Padmé followed.
"Meanwhile entire star systems become drowned in chaos, scientists believe the phenomena to be somehow related to the current huge planetary alignment across the entire galaxy." The reporter said.
In that moment, the elevator opened and not only master Kenobi came out, also Aris's mother and Sky's parents.
"Mom, dad! I'm so glad that you're okay." Aris said hugging her mother.
"Me too. I hope I could say the same for Mandalore." Satine said.
"Well, at least we're glad our children are fine." Lux said as he and Ahsoka hug their son.
"Mom, I have been sensing a weird feeling, we all have. I don't know how to explain it, but it's very scary." Sky revealed.
"It is some weird disturbance in the Force?" Ahsoka asked, earning a nod from her son. "We also have sensed it."
"And that's not a non-familiar feeling. Is the dark side of the Force. But I never felt it with that intensity, and it's still growing." Obi Wan told before turning at the Autobots. "So, what have you learned?"
"We have learned this: the asteroids are made of dark energon, and all comes from the same place: Planet X." Ratchet started.
"Which is also completely composed of dark energon." Optimus added.
"For some manner we don't know, the planet is expulsing these fragments of itself, each of these with a perfect calculated trajectory to specific planets to impact." Ratchet continued.
"This has no sense. There is not such a thing that can do that in the galaxy."
"No, commander Tano. I have seen this kind of behavior before, from my medical perspective. Imagine the planets are cells, and Planet X launches its fragments to the rest in order to infect them and spread the dark energon, just like a virus." Ratchet explained.
"Then it's not a strange phenomenon. It's some kind of attack?" Anakin questioned.
"Something like that. And yet, there's more. We have made a deep scan of Planet X's surface. As with this dark energon magma from the volcano, these earthquakes originated far below the earth's crust, from the very center of Planet X's core in fact." Ratchet showed on the screen.
"Quakes don't start there. I think." Obi Wan said.
"Of course not, dad. They start from a tectonic plate shift."
"Tiny tremors, rising and falling in a consistent pattern. Almost like…" Ratchet trailed off seeing the readings, and he thought about something. "By the Allspark. If I convert these data points to audio files…"
"What? What is it?" Satine asked.
"Listen."
Ratchet combined the readings and turned them into sounds. Everyone waited until they started to hear a curious constant thumping noise. No one knew what that meant, except Optimus. Soundwave was reproducing the same sound too.
"Stop, Soundwave. Turn it off. I can still hear that pounding in my brain." Megatron said clutching his head.
Finally, they started to realize.
"A cybertronian heartbeat?" Anakin identified.
"How is that possible?" 3PO retorted. "A heart pumps blood, there's nothing inside that planet to pump, except…"
"The blood of Unicron!" The children said at the same time.
Deep inside Planet X, while dark energon continued to emerge, two purple eyes opened, revealing to be the source of all it: Unicron, the Chaos Bringer.
"I awaken."
Back at base…
"Okay, hold on, you mean something's living down there, inside Planet X?" Han asked.
"I fear that Planet X's very core is not comprised of magma as much other planets, but of dark energon, as the rest of the planet." Optimus theorized.
"And if we're hearing a spark, then Unicron is the rising darkness that the prophecy foretold." Ratchet realized.
"And you said that this Unicron is a being of evil, which explains why we are feeling the dark side growing in power." Obi Wan added.
"So, how do we stop this thing from rising?" Anakin asked.
"That I am afraid was not foretold." Optimus answered.
"How can something be in a planet's core and be alive?" Lux asked.
"Such a thing is not unprecedented. Before the beginning, there was Primus and there was Unicron. One the incarnation of creation, the other of destruction. For eons, Primus and Unicron battled. The balance of power shifted between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the Thirteen, the original Primes who preceded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron, and cast him out. Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the Well of all Sparks. While Unicron was never to be heard from again, until now." Optimus related.
"Maybe we can find the weak point of this dark side being and hit it with all our military might."
"Master Skywalker, I do not believe that Planet X became Unicron's home, but rather that, with time and gravitational force, debris collected around the slumbering titan." Optimus explained.
"Forming Planet X itself." Ratchet finished. "However, it seems when that happened, his lifeforce expanded all across the planet, from the inside out, as a side effect. Until the entire planet became made of dark energon."
"And during all this time, the essence of the Chaos Bringer remained inactive as ordinary rock, until some impulse made it show its true form." Optimus continued.
"Which is now." Cliff said.
"And he's only awakening now due to the great magnetic pull created by the massive planetary alignment across the galaxy." Arcee added.
"Okay. Well, what happens now when Unicron wakes up from his billion-year nap?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, does he stretch and Ka-Pow, Planet X poofs to dust and becomes free and ready to continue his quest for cosmic chaos?" Han followed.
Optimus didn't answer.
"You don't know, do you?" Ahsoka asked.
"My guess is that Unicron has transcended physical form as we know it. Nonetheless, we must find a way to ensure that this force of the universe never fully awakens. The fate of your galaxy depends upon it." Optimus decided.
At the same time, on the Nemesis…
"Lord Megatron, our cargo hold is nearly filled with the dark substance. I recommend a retreat: the troops are growing weak from its effects. And the eruptions from the surface are increasing." Airachnid reported.
"And yet I grow stronger." Megatron said.
Suddenly, the Nemesis started to shake.
"What's going on?"
"We're under attack, Lord Megatron. Some kind of metallic turrets had started to appear on the cracks of the surface and are firing energy projectiles and missiles at us." A Decepticon reported.
"I see. Airachnid, you're in command until my return."
"Your return from where, master?" Airachnid asked.
"From my audience with Unicron. Retreat the ship from the surface, put it to a safe distance." Megatron said before he left.
The Nemesis left the planet, making the turrets to stop firing. Megatron flew in vehicle form right at the crater of the volcano, where he transformed and landed.
"I feel your presence, share your very spark. I call on you as my lord and master, almighty Unicron!"
The volcano started to become more active, generating a huge cloud of smoke, and a couple of purple eyes appeared in front of Megatron with a shadow of a figure.
"Who speak to me?" Unicron demanded.
"Your servant most humble: Megatron, leader of the Decepticons." Megatron introduced himself bowing to him. "And your very herald, the one who wielded the dark energon which binds us, to awaken you once again. The prophecy has been fulfilled. It is only the beginning of what we shall accomplish, together. For you shall rule this galaxy's worlds, and those who walk upon them through me."
"Prideful fool!" Unicron said, surprising Megatron. "How dare you think yourself capable of summoning my lifeforce? I rise because I have deemed it my time!" He yelled approaching his face to Megatron.
"Master, I did not mean to overstep…"
"Silence, worm! I have no need of your lowly assistance. Besides, I've already spread my lifeforce to many planets, and my influence with it. As well the rest will follow."
"Please, my lord, I exist only to serve you." Megatron pleaded as he got on his knees.
"What is this I sense? The taint of Primus, here? On one of these worlds?"
"That is Optimus, the last of the Primes, our sworn enemy." Megatron answered as he got up.
"You profess loyalty to me, yet allow a disciple of Primus to live?!"
"I will destroy him for you. His screams will be heard…"
"I grow weary of your prattle. Surely if you had the power to destroy this Prime, you would have done so already. I will deal with him myself. He has come to me."
And with all said, Unicron's shadow disappeared, as well as the smoke, leaving Megatron disappointed. At the same time, Optimus was in other part of the planet, exploring the inside of a canyon.
"Ratchet, this epicenter is consistent with the findings of the others. It's terrain in rich in ore, in its dark energon version." Optimus reported.
"So, what does tell us?" Anakin asked.
"It follows that the natural metals at Planet X would be extensions of Unicron. His limbs, if you will." Ratchet explained.
"So, he did have his morning stretch, which is why these quakes happened." Padmé deduced.
Then the terminal sounded.
"Optimus, I'm detecting a swell in Unicron's spark activity."
"Rest assured, Ratchet. I will proceed with vigilance."
Suddenly, Optimus heard something from a rock wall behind him. For his shock, a face with purple eyes appeared on the wall.
"Do you know me, Follower of Primus?"
"Unicron, the Chaos Bringer."
"Good."
The rocks started to break and crumble, until a little portion of the wall was no more. In its place, stood a tall rock body which resembled the body of Unicron: a tall cybertronian with long horns on his head, like-demon skeletal wings on his back and two sharp melee combat weapons, a club and a scimitar instead of hands, a cybertronian devil.
"Now know me as Unicron, your destroyer!"
Unicron attacked him, but Optimus managed to block his attacks with his swords and jump out of the way. Suddenly, he retrieved his swords and simply stood in front of him.
"I humbly request your ear, Lord Unicron."
That surprised Unicron, who stopped attacking. "And what would a Prime be so compelled to say to me?"
"I make this appeal not for myself, but for this galaxy in which you are, and the beings who inhabit their planets. Those beings rely upon those worlds, for life, sustenance. Your resurrection will only result in the destruction of species which had learned to coexist together in society and harmony. I'm sure that if you gave them a chance, they will also learn to coexist with you."
"So, this society of species of which you speak, you consider them my neighbors?"
"Indeed."
"Invaders! They too shall know my wrathful hand once I am finished with you." Unicron declared as he changed his weapons for hands and launched lighting to Optimus, sending him flying backwards. "The line of Primes has grown weak in my absence, and thus you shall fall." He said, ready to shot more lighting.
"That outcome is inevitable, but not on this day."
Optimus pulled out his cannons and fired at Unicron, until the rock avatar was down. The manifestation disintegrated, but in that moment, Optimus saw the ground and his surrounding turning purple as more Unicron manifestations raised around him.
"Yes, disciple of Primus. On this very day, for Unicron may be one, but we all are Unicron!"
To be continued…