Chapter 73 – In A World I Do Not Know

Prime P.O.V

''So majestic and peaceful this planet,'' Sentinel scanned the horizon before him, the way the light casts shadows and illuminated the landscape around him was breathtaking and its beauty was not lost on him. ''Unlike the final days of Cybertron.'' The sadness in his voice mirrored the regret I still felt to this day and had voiced to no one – until now.

I walked slowly towards Sentinel, my mentor and friend, ''I've wondered what might have been if you had fought the final battle instead of me.'' The thought had indeed plagued me since that fateful day millions of years ago. Perhaps if Sentinel had led the Autobots instead of I, we would still have a home? Perhaps my race would still be thriving not dying? It gnawed at me and now Sentinel knew too.

He turned towards me and gave me a small smile of understanding, ''Never mourn the past young warrior. Thanks to you, our race survives.'' His words helped to alleviate the weight that had settled around my spark for millennia, though I doubted I would ever truly be rid of it. Still, his words were a balm to my spark.

/It is time/, I thought to myself. Opening my chest cavity, I removed the Matrix of Leadership from its place of safe keeping. Kneeling before Sentinel Prime, my predecessor I offered it up to him. ''You were our leader Sentinel. It is your right to lead us again.'' As the Matrix left my servos and floated towards Sentinel, I felt a great weight and a feeling of freedom flood my system and yet at the same time, a feeling of grief and loss, as though I had just given him a large piece of myself.

Sentinel considered the Matrix for a moment, as though he may take it and all that it encompassed. However, after a moment, he sent the revered object floating back towards me, ''In a world I do not know. I am no longer your teacher Optimus, you are mine.''

As the Matrix returned to my servos and Sentinel's words echoed in my audials and processor, I felt my shoulders sag with renewed responsibility and the addition of becoming mentor to my mentor. I had hoped that Sentinel would resume his position as rightful leader of the Autobots so that I may be free of that responsibility and could dedicate more time to my relationship with Phoenix, something I had never been able to do with Elita 1 and regretted deeply.

It would seem, once again, my own personal wishes and needs would have to give way to the ''greater good.'' I sighed inwardly. ''As you wish Sentinel,'' was all I said out loud as I once again stowed the Matrix back within my chest, its power flowing through me and providing the strength and resolve necessary to rise to my pedes and once again shoulder the mantel of Leadership.