Chapter 8: The End of an Era
Orion Pax looked up at the tall dark blue Mech who had come out of nowhere. Soundwave along with Barricade and a squadron of Seekers had come out of nowhere. When he had first seen them, he had thought that Megatron had send them to escort him to the Autobot High Council building. A sign to all Cybertron that the two Mechs from completely different social upbrings in Cybertron had come together for the same goal. He was quick to see how naive he had been to think that Autobots and Decepticons could find peace with each other. He had watched in silence as Soundwave lead an attack against them and the whole dock. No dock worker was spared as the Cybertronians who agreed with Megatron attacked everyone who worked at the docks. The only thing that these Cybertronians cared about was causing as much damage as possible to the docks and collect as much Energon as they could carry. He had watched as a warehouse that was filled with Energon blow up from a divebombing Seeker who was just showing off to those on the ground.
He had tried to fight back. He truly did, but he was not a fighter. He was not like Soundwave or Barricade who were both gladiators and had spent so much of their lives fighting in the Pits. Then there was the Seekers, they were Cybertron's arial defences. To see them attacking Iacon it made Orion really shocked and worried.
The shock that he was feeling was strong that it was felt across the sibling bond that he shared with Nightshade. For a brief second Orion felt pain on his back and down the left side of his face. He knew that he was not wounded on those parts of his body. That had to have been from Nightshade, so the question that was in the back of his mind was what she was doing wherever she was. Then as quickly as the bond had allowed both of them to fell the others pain the wall that had suddenly appeared overnight was back in its place. The pain on his back and the left side of his face was gone, but the damage that Soundwave had done to him was still sending warnings to his processor.
He looked up at the red visor of Soundwave and tried to move forward to the large Mech. The larger Mech was not looking at him. Instead, he was silently watching as Barricade brought out a struggling Ariel out of the burning warehouse that was still seeing explosions happening inside its walls. He did not get far when he received a blast of Soundwave's rifle on his shoulder. He screamed out in pain as he felt his body falling to the ground. Coughing up Energon he looked up to Soundwave to see the Mech who was always Megatron's shadow looking towards him. On his shoulder was the Cassetticon that was called Laserbeak. The two of them were watching him as he was helped to his feet by two Seekers, one on each side of him. The two Seekers kept a strong grip on his arms when he found his feet again.
"Why Soundwave? Why have you attacked us? We are friends with Megatron." Orion demanded from Soundwave. He tried to shack the Seekers to let go of him but they kept their grips tight on his arm. He stopped struggling when one of them growled at him. He looked at the Seeker then back at Soundwave. He was still hoping that Soundwave would tell the Seekers off and tell Orion that this was some understanding. There was a growing feeling that was no longer the case.
"Orion Pax: Only pawn to Megatron's plans. A pawn that is no longer needed in the grand plan of Lord Megatron. You have served your purpose in getting Lord Megatron a meeting place with the Autobot Council and Sentinel Prime. Hence you are no longer needed!" Soundwave responded with little to no emotion at all in his voice. He kept watching Orion with little to no emotion at all. On his shoulder Laserbeak cawed as he hoped from foot to foot before he settled down.
"Lord? What are you talking about? We were campaigning to end the noblemechs from Cybertron so that all Cybertronians were equal!" Orion shouted back at Soundwave. He heard Ariel and Dion struggling and turned to see them both Struggling against the gladiators who were holding them.
The other Cassetticon that was called Ravage running about their heels. When he got closer to one of their heels, he went to bite it. He seemed shocked when Ariel actually kicked him before he could get away. Ravage glared up at Ariel and hissed at her before heading to Dion. The other dock worker just screamed when Ravage came in to nip his ankle, this resulted in the Mechs that were close to him to burst into laughter.
"Let them go! They have not done anything to have this sort of treatment! And neither have I! So let me go, Soundwave!" Orion shouted at Soundwave. He was once again struggling against the holds of the two Seekers but stopped quickly when the pain from his wounds got to much for him.
Orion watched as Soundwave turned his attention away from him and towards Ariel. Ariel who was being restrained by Barricade struggled to get out of the Paraxians hold. "Let her go Soundwave. She is not a threat to you or Megatron. She did not even want me to be helping with Megatron and his false hopes of a united Cybertron." Orion argued back to Soundwave.
"Statement: Correct. Femmes and weak dock workers are not a threat to Lord Megatron and his new reign." Soundwave stated back to Orion Pax when he looked at the small dock worker. He showed no emotion as both Orion Pax and Ariel both struggled to get out of the Mechs who were holding them back.
"Then why are you doing this?" questioned Ariel. She was no longer trying to get out of Barricade's hold. Instead, her blue optics were narrowed onto the large blue Mech before her. "Why is Megatron ordering that you attack us? Trained gladiators and Seekers from the military attacking dock workers who only have self-defence programming to defend the shipments from crime lords and pirate!" she spat at all of them but she was still glaring at Soundwave.
Ravage having enough of nipping the ankles of Ariel and Dion strutted back to Soundwave and sat on his haunches beside his master. His yellow optics glowing brightly as stared over at Dion who looked away from him.
Soundwave showed no emotion as he stared right back at her. "Ariel: More of a nuisance to Lord Megatron. You attempted to stop Orion Pax from doing his part in the plans in bringing down the reign of Sentinel Prime and his allies!" he stated to her. He patted Ravages head as he kept watching what she was doing before his attention returned back to Orion Pax.
"Megatron was only replacing one corrupt leader with another. He is just changing everything around for his own benefit." Orion explained to Soundwave. He still had little hope that he could make the mech see reason, but that was growing fainter and fainter with every second that was passing by. "Soundwave you have to see reason here. Megatron has shown that he is ready to get rid of me. How long will it be until you are no longer of use to him!" Orion shouted at Soundwave.
Soundwave turned his full attention back to Orion Pax as did Laserbeak and Ravage. "Orion Pax: False. I am loyal to Lord Megatron and unlike you I have skills to offer Lord Megatron!" Soundwave spat back to Orion Pax in showing anger that the dock worker would question his loyalty to Megatron and Megatron seeing the benefit of keeping him around.
Orion Pax snarled as his engine revved in anger. "Soundwave if Megatron takes over Cybertron he will become the same thing that he was saying that he was going to remove. Soundwave listen to reason. That is all you are about, isn't it? Logic? So, think about it closely. Megatron is making himself Lord. How long is it until he becomes Prime and he just becomes like Sentinel Prime?" Orion kept arguing with Soundwave. "How long until we go full circle once again?"
Soundwave just stared at Orion. His red visor showed no emotion as he stared down the smaller Mech. "Soundwave: Loyal to Lord Megatron and the Decepticon cause!" Soundwave growled back to Orion Pax.
Orion opened his mouth to say something to Soundwave or the other Mechs that where there but a sudden blast to his chassis caused him to scream out in pain. He also found himself falling back to the ground as the force from the blast caused him to be forced out of the hold of the two Seekers. He crashed to the ground with a loud crash as metal scrapped against metal.
"Orion!" he heard Ariel scream from where she was still being held by Barricade. "Let me go you beast!" she snapped at the black and white Mech who was holding her. She was once again trying to fight out of his hold, but Barricade was just too strong for her to wiggle out of his hold.
Orion onlined his optics and came face to face with Megatron. The large gun grey and red Mech was standing beside Soundwave. His red optics were glowing brightly as he glared down at Orion as he struggled to get back up onto his feet. Orion took in Megatron. His armour plating was covered in blast marks and there was more scratches that were still leaking fresh Energon. "What have you done?" he shouted at Megatron at seeing his so-called friend towering above him.
"Just what was needed to be done. I must thank you Pax. You have allowed the age of the Decepticons to begin. And the reign of Megatron!" Megatron explained to Orion Pax.
Orion shackling got back to his feet, but his victory was sort lived when he collapsed back to the ground. He was not designed for fights or battles like Megatron. The damage that had been done to him by Soundwave may have been something that he could walk away from but for Orion it was something he could not walk away from. He was just a dock worker and an archivist in his free time. He was not a warrior or a gladiator like Soundwave and Megatron. He did not look for adventure like Nightshade had done years ago. He was happy to read about adventures in the many datapads back in the Iacon Hall of Archives.
He heard the stomping of Megatron as the large gun grey and red mech stomped towards him. He looked up to see Megatron towering above him. His red optics were growing brightly as he glared down at him. "You're insane!" Orion heard Ariel shout towards Megatron. Orion kept his focus on Megatron as he slowly walked closer to him until he was towering above him. Megatron growled town at Orion Pax and Orion suddenly felt fear as he watched Megatron closely. He growled in pain when Megatron gave him a quick kick. Hesitantly he looked back up to Megatron to see that the much larger had his ion canon aimed at him.
"Before you send me to the Well of Allsparks, I have a request." Orion said to Megatron. He tried to get back to his feet, but once again the pain was overbearing. He was getting warnings that he was losing too much Energon from the blasts from both Soundwave and Megatron. There was also the large dent on his side from where Megatron had given him a good kick to make sure that he was going to stay on the ground.
Megatron lowered his fusion canon and narrowed his optics as he glared at the damaged hurt mech before him. He couldn't help but scoff at the sight he was seeing before him. The once pristine red and blue armour of the mech was scuffed with scratches and dents. There was also the leaking Energon that was forming a puddle around the mech. If Orion was a gladiator he would never have survived so long. The mech had been lucky that growing up he had been around an older mech who cared about him, something that Megatron did not have at all. He sneered down at Orion who he had fooled as being a friend in the beginning of his plans. "And what would that be? To tell all of Cybertron that you were such a fool to believe the words from a Decepticon? Ha. Everyone already knows that Pax!" Megatron laughed at Orion Pax. He flung his head back and allowed himself to laugh at the naivete from Orion Pax. He returned his attention back to Orion after laughing at him. "You fell for my plans from the very beginning and you just helped speed them up. So I think because of that I should listen to the request that you have for me. So quickly tell me what your request is before I send you to the Well of Allsparks and Primus himself?"
Orion tried to get back to his feet and stand his ground before Megatron, but he was not use to the amount of damage that his body had sustained from the gun fight against Soundwave and then Megatron. So he just stayed on the ground and looked up towards the large Mech. "Was threre anything that you said true? That you are going to remove slavery and the caste system from Cybertron?" Orion asked Megatron. He was still hoping that his 'friend' was going to keep at least some of the promises that he had made during his many speeches that he had done in both Kaon and Iacon. The speeches that saw him gaining more support all over Cybertron. Had they all been lies to get what he wanted. To be the new ruler of Cybertron.
"When I have complete control of Cybertron, there will be nothing from the old Cybertron. I will lead a campaign that will remove all the weaklings from Cybertron. Until there is only the strongest. It will be the will of the strong over the weakest. The way it is supposed to be. Not this system were if you have enough Credits and Energon that could get you what you want. I will remove all the weaklings that have been allowed to survive since the last Quintessons Invasion of Cybertron. But do not worry Orion I am sure that we can come to a new agreement." Megatron explained to Orion. He kept his optics locked onto Orion. He smirked that Orion was no longer trying to get back up to his feet. "Work for me and help the Decepticon cause that you have helped to start!" Megatron replied to Orion Pax.
Orion Pax looked down to the pool of Energon that was forming underneath him before looking back up to Megatron. "I will never work with a monster like you! I would rather join the Well of Allsparks than become a monster like you!" he snapped back at Megatron.
Megatron chuckled as he raised his arm with the ion canon on it. "Then there is no need for you in the New World Order that I am creating from the ashes of the old one!" Megatron stated as he powered up his canon once again. He fired his icon weapon at Orion Pax who had just kept staring at him as he waited for the death blow. The blast hit Orion Pax close to his Spark Chamber, but not close enough to cause instant death for the small red and blue Mech.
Orion had felt the blast to his chassis. The blast was strong enough to force Orion to go into a stasis lock. The force of the blast was also strong enough to break the wall that was between him and Nightshade.
"Orion?!"
Orion heard Nightshade's voice through their Sibling Bond. He could feel her exhaustion from her side of their bond. Even with that she was shielding his Spark from the pain that was coming from his wounds. "Nightshade? Where, where are you?" he asked the Drakeian he had seen as a sister since he found her all those years ago when they had both been young.
"I'm heading to Cybertron right now. Ratchet and a femme called Ariel had called me saying that you were in trouble. I will be there as soon as I can." Nightshade replied over the sibling bond.
"Ariel did not mention that she called you. Neither did Ratchet. I should have listened to them. Never trust a con." He said to her.
Nightshade blocked her side of the bond for a brief second before she fully returned. She somehow felt more confident in herself than the last time that had communicated with each other. He had no idea that traveling the stars would do that.
"Hold on as long as you can. I have called Ratchet that you have been attacked and he is heading there. He will be there before I get there. Just hold on. Because if you offline I am dragging you out of the Well to send you back." She told him.
"There is no way for a Spark to be ripped away from the Well of Allsparks. So I will be safe from this new you." He laughed in good humour towards Nightshade and she returned it with her own.
"You have no idea what I can do now, Pax!" she warned before she went back into her side of the sibling bond.
"You beast!" Orion heard Ariel scream in the real world. He couldn't even online his optics to see what was going on, but he got a feeling of what was going on. A second later he heard Megatron firing his weapon at Ariel.
"Collect as much Energon as you can carry and get back to Kaon. And burn this place to the ground!" Megatron ordered his followers before he transformed back into his tank form and got away from the destruction that he had just left behind. That was before the world went black.