#38 - Other Voices
Weeks passed. There were no battles or confrontations of any sort. Nothing. This made Starfeather even happier about her life, but deep inside, she still had that same fear. Now that the alien signal was detected again, she was even more afraid. She had the gut wrenching feeling that something terrible was going to happen that day. Something so horrible, she almost felt sick to even consider what she was really scared of, but her mate was there to try and comfort her.
Terrorsaur didn't have that same constant fear but he did feel like she had some instinct warning her about something. Something big. He didn't want her to dwell on these feelings. He didn't like seeing her so unhappy. A kiss to the lips and a murmur of those three words always got her perked up again... for a while, anyway.
-x-
Megatron was leading G-Force, Deltasurge, and Scorponok to where the alien signal was coming from. Moonscope had already been sent out to secure the area, but was forced to retreat and the spiders had disappeared. Inferno had been sent after them. Most of the Maximals were already at the location where the alien signal was detected, but that didn't matter. Megatron walked right up to Optimus Primal and spoke with him for a moment about how they were going to get inside the alien 'bungalow'. It was shaped much like a short and fat mushroom. He then ordered Scorponok to attempt to blast a hole in the wall. It surprisingly worked, but Airazor had been trapped inside when the structure formed, so Megatron allowed Optimus and Rattrap to go in first. Once the two had disappeared inside, Megatron spoke to his team.
"This is a calculated risk. We shall let the Maximals serve as primary targets. And if things should go awry..." he trailed off, looking to Scorponok for assurance to the plan.
"I've got a mega missile right here," the scorpion confirmed, clicking his claws. "I can fire it right through that hole."
"Excellent, now if only Inferno is doing his job."
"I have a bad feeling about all this," G-Force murmured.
"You've been saying that for weeks," Deltasurge said, poking him in the side with her tail tip. "You're starting to make me feel jittery."
"You should be. If these aliens can create energon, then what chance do we have if we're forced to fight them?" the hard-headed saurian argued.
"An excellent conclusion, G-Force," Megatron lightly praised. "However, if we can seize control of one of their own weapons before the Maximals, we just might gain an advantage, yes."
A moment or two of silence and it was shattered by a cry of agony from Optimus. The others flinched at the sudden outburst and wondered what was going on inside the structure. Megatron, on the other hand, took to this noise differently.
"Ah, if I could have that sound lull me to sleep each night..."
The pachycephalosaurus glowered at him, but movement from inside the alien structure turned all of their attention to the hole. It was Rattrap and he appeared to be dragging Airazor outside. Just as the rat got himself and the falcon out, the hole healed. Rattrap fell to the ground on his back, panting at the effort of lugging the larger bird all the way here. Megatron transformed and signaled for Scorponok to get ready to fire. Rattrap saw the two mechs standing over him and sighed.
"Let me guess, the truce is over." He might as well have said that they were all going to die.
"What did you expect, vermin?" Megatron proceeded to laugh darkly. Deltasurge and G-Force took this as their cue to transform and take their aim on the two Maximals. The green mech grimaced. He didn't want to have to kill anyone. He didn't see the sense in it in this scenario. If these aliens were out to get both factions regardless, shouldn't they be working together to defend themselves against this danger rather than squabble pointlessly over an artifact that may or may not even prove useful?
-x-
Terrorsaur had been called out by the Maximals for back up. He was crouched in beast mode behind the crest of the hill, looking down on the alien structure in the valley. He could see the Predacons surrounding Airazor and Rattrap, but made no move to aid his cornered comrades. This might be the chance he'd been waiting for.
Suddenly, the whole structure began to glow and the light from it pulsed. This caused the Predacons to look at it in a mixture of confusion, wonder and fear at what might be happening inside. However, Rattrap took this opportunity to try and attempt an escape. He lunged and grabbed onto Scorponok's claw and shot one of his missiles at the Predacon leader. The blast forced him back several yards away from the group. The scorpion turned to the rat.
"Why you-!"
"Back off!" Airazor ordered. During the may lay, she had been able to Maximize and took aim at the offending arachnid. Deltasurge also aimed at her target, the offending Maximal femme. Rattrap would have none of that and he too transformed and blasted the brown and pink femme back against a near by boulder. Naturally, this ticked off a certain mech.
"Hey!" Scorponok shouted as he blindly shot at the rat, but he missed. At the same moment, Optimus burst from the flashing structure. He landed a little ways away from his comrades and they came up to him, knowing that the scorpion and saurian were no threat as they went to help their downed comrade.
"Hey big banana, what gives?" Rattrap asked earnestly.
"They've started a termination sequence. Head back to base, on the double!" Optimus ordered.
"You just said my favorite phrase," Rattrap exclaimed before the Maximal leader grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and took off while shifting the rat to perch on his back, Airazor right behind.
Terrorsaur stayed low as they passed over head. They didn't see him and he smirked, turning his attention back to the Predacons still near the glowing alien structure. It began flashing brighter and G-Force and Scorponok, with Deltasurge hoisted between them, moved as quickly as they could away from it. Terrorsaur lingered a little longer to see the structure glow even brighter as it changed shape, the top narrowing and elongating until it burst open to allow a beam of light into the sky. It hit the closest moon, making it glow as well. He stared at it with wonder and a flicker of fear.
He readied to take off and tail the Predacons, but stopped when he thought he heard a faint call and felt a light tug at his chest.
Wait for me, the familiar voice said. It was through their spark bond. He was still getting used to that.
"Starfeather," he murmured and looked behind him. Her black feathers were hard to spot in the twilight, but he could just make her out.
"Star, no!" he cried. "Go back!"
"Not without you!" she replied and landed in front of him. She leaned forward and rubbed her beak against his. "Why aren't you following Optimus and the others?"
As much as he hated to do so, the pterodactyl pulled away. She stared at him in confusion.
"Screechy...?"
"Go back to the Maximals," he said. "You'll be safe with them."
"Terrorsaur, what are you doing?" the raven demanded. He transformed to robot mode and bade her to do the same. She did so and he seized her in his arms. She was surprised but leaned into him.
"Starfeather," he whispered. "Now I think is the best time to go back to Megatron and take him down. But I want you and Waspinator to stay with the Maximals. They'll keep you safe."
"Terrorsaur..." she murmured. She pulled back and stared at him like he was insane. Slowly, the red mech loosed her arms from him and held both her hands in his own. He looked her directly in the optics.
"I'm doing this for both our sakes... Go on, Star. You're the only thing I've ever cared about more than myself." He then gently and affectionately kissed her forehead before letting go of her hands and leaping into the air. He shifted back to his beast form before heading in the direction of the Predacon base. He didn't look back.
Starfeather stood where she was and watched her mate fly away until she couldn't see him anymore. He was gone, just like that. She could still feel him, sending reassurance. She sighed, knowing there was probably no way she could've stopped him. It was who he was and it was who she had fallen in love with. She couldn't change him and she knew it. He had to change himself. And she had to give him the space in order to do so.
Still, the raven had half a mind to go after him, but thought better of it. She didn't want to upset him further. At least she had gotten to say goodbye. She suppressed her tears as she leaped into the air and transformed, heading back to the Maximal base.
-x-
The trio was able to reach the Predacon base before their systems could be overtaken by energon radiation. Megatron was there waiting for them. Deltasurge insisted that she was able to function so he had them put all scanners and visuals on the moon the beam was still pointed at. After a few minutes, the beam causing the moon to glow vanished and the moon stopped glowing as well. It became very dark and hard to see in space.
"They're leaving. We scared them away!" Scorponok said, looking back at Megatron. He took this as a good sign.
"Hardly," Megatron scoffed. "Computer: activate space scanner."
"It's gone," G-Force growled quietly and turned back to the monitor showing the moon's position. He didn't see anything but black space. Moonscope stayed quiet by his side and listened and watched what was going on.
"The aliens must have destroyed it," Deltasurge concluded.
"Idiots, it was never a moon! And it's far from gone," Megatron said, muttering the last part quietly. He then ordered the computer to magnify the image on screen. The magnified image revealed that it was indeed not gone, only black as the void of space. It didn't stay that way. Shafts of light appeared from slits from pole to pole and it opened up like a deadly flower to become a giant ring. This allowed for the core to be visible. The core did a similar action to its outer shell, only it turned into something like a satellite dish with sharp, pointed edges like claws.
"W-what is that thing?!" Deltasurge exclaimed, taking a step away from the screen.
"Well, I'd say it was the instrument of our destruction," Megatron answered. "Impressive, yes." He turned to the golden disc suspended in a yellow beam at his side and gave it a spin. He was beginning to feel some kind of respect or kinship for these aliens.
"What'll we do?" Scorponok asked, his voice high with panic.
"Seal the base and charge all shields," the Predacon leader ordered. "I shall see to the rest." He then commanded the computer to activate a program that none of the other Predacons in the room had heard of before. It seemed that it had something to do with whatever Tarantulas was doing. Megatron quickly became absorbed in what the computer was showing and telling him. Scorponok was busy watching the view screen. Moonscope glanced at everyone in the room and noticed a shadow with dimmed red optics. She studied the figure and it stared right back at her.
"Megatron," Scorponok suddenly stated, turning Moonscope's attention back to what was happening. "The alien machine is active again." He turned back to the view screen. The core 'satellite dish' started to become charged with energy. Beams then shot from the edges toward the center and created one larger beam that fired down at the planet. Sensors began warning that the surface temperature outside the base were skyrocketing hotter.
"Brilliant!" Megatron declared. "They're causing a chain reaction that will ignite the energon deposits and rip this planet to atoms and destroy all traces of it!" He paused dramatically. "Simply to deal with us. What shear ruthlessness, what disregard for sentient life!" He paused again then spoke mostly to himself. "I rather like these aliens."
Most of the other Predacons were stunned at what their leader had just said.
"Like them?" Deltasurge was the first to speak. "They're trying to destroy us!"
"And everything else on this planet!" G-Force added.
"I don't want to be blown apart," Deltasurge whined.
"Megatron will save us," Scorponok said, whether to assure everyone else or himself, no one could tell. With his statement, the shadowed figure chose to show himself. He stepped out from the dark corner and scoffed.
"Get a clue, you walking dunce bucket! Mega-moron doesn't give a piece of scrap about any of us!" Terrorsaur shouted, pointing accusingly at Megatron. The Predacon leader, taken by surprise for a single second at the red mech's appearance, glared back at him.
"Ah, Terrorsaur, my traitorous flier," he calmly greeted the intruder. "What brings you here on such an occasion?" To which Terrorsaur had an answer ready.
"I've seen the error in joining the Maximals," he started. "They're too soft-sparked for their own good and nothing ever gets done. I couldn't stand it anymore!"
"And what of Starfeather and Waspinator?" Megatron asked. He was not convinced in the slightest. He eyed the red mech thoughtfully. The pteranodon paused for one second.
"They didn't want to come back. They were afraid of you." Then he narrowed his optics. "But I'm not afraid of you. Not any more."
"I see," Megatron replied simply, but he had other things to attend to. "Alright, you may stay. Get to an empty station." He then began his work in altering what Tarantulas had planned to do that seemed to be taken over by Optimus Primal...
-x-
As soon as Blackarachnia and Tarantulas had burst into the control room on the Maximals base, Bluesprite had screamed at Waspinator to grab Snowbelle and hide. The wasp had done so and had locked the youngling in an empty CR chamber.
"Zzztay in there," he said, albeit nervously. "Wazzpinator will protect little fox."
Snowbelle nodded and curled up on the floor below the hatch window. She hated feeling so useless and hoped that her father and her friends were okay.
-x-
When Starfeather had caught up and returned to the base with the others, they met up with Cheetor and Tigatron and went inside the base. They found Dinobot, Rhinox, and Bluesprite strung to the ceiling in webbing. Optimus ordered that they be taken down and put into CR chambers and that he wanted the entire ship searched for the others and for the culprits. Airazor and Rattrap were a team while Starfeather hunted alone. She knew the ways of the spiders and could handle them by herself. The first person she found was Waspinator standing guard in front of an offline CR chamber. The raven and the wasp lowered their weapons.
"Waspy, what are you doing down here?" Starfeather asked.
"Wzzpinator protecting little fox," he answered, indicating toward the chamber.
"Is she okay?" Starfeather moved to open the chamber and check on the youngling.
"Yezz, sizzy bot ask Wazpinator to hide little fox," he answered as the other opened the chamber to reveal the cowering arctic fox. She immediately relaxed when she saw who was outside.
"Are the spiders gone?" Snowbelle asked nervously. Her question was answered when the raven's comm. link went off. It was Optimus.
"Starfeather, Airazor and Rattrap have located and disabled the spiders. Have you found anything on your end?"
"Yes," she replied. "I found Waspinator and Snowbelle and they're not injured."
"Wonderful," the Maximal leader sounded relieved. "Have you heard anything from Terrorsaur yet? He still hasn't returned from the alien sight."
Waspinator was now curious and worried. Starfeather didn't say anything for a moment.
"He... went back with the Predacons," she answered reluctantly.
"I see," Optimus paused. "Come down to the stasis pod bay after you take Snowbelle and leave her in my quarters."
"I don't want to hide in your room, daddy. I want to help too..." Snowbelle suddenly spoke up, but her ears slowly went back as she trailed off and she wished she hadn't said anything. Optimus sighed on his end before replying.
"Alright, but just this once."
-x-
Everyone had grouped in the stasis pod storage bay. The burnt tarantula had been placed in a holding cell, even though they presumed him dead. An unconscious Inferno had also been put in a cell. The Maximals had discovered what Tarantulas had attempted and what Blackarachnia had completed. An empty stasis pod rigged into something like an escape craft. They had come up with a plan to put it to better use. Someone would fly it up into the alien weapon, clog the works, and eject before it exploded. First Tigatron and then Cheetor offered to go, but a flier would be better equipped for the job so Airazor said she would go. Then Starfeather said that she should go.
Optimus turned them all down, stating that he was going to go. He knew that whoever went up there most likely wouldn't come back. He knew that Tigatron and Airazor and Cheetor were all still relatively young and had their whole lives ahead of them. He knew that if anything happened to Starfeather, Waspinator and Terrorsaur would go mad. He also knew that Snowbelle had wonderful people around her that would help her grow up and try their hardest to get her home again. He had to do this for all their sakes.
"Promise you'll come back?" Snowbelle asked innocently. Optimus smiled sadly as he kneeled before her. He put his hand to the side of her face and she clung to his wrist, eagerly awaiting his answer. He knew that he might break this promise, but there was still a chance that he would return.
"I promise," he replied, hoping that fate would allow him to fulfill that promise. He then looked to Starfeather. "Take care of her while I'm gone."
"With my life, sir." The raven nodded. However, during the commotion, Blackarachnia was able to slip away.
