Megatrons Fire Book 1: Darkness Within

by StSE

As Primus sends new AllSparks to a dying Cybertron. The Omega Guardians join forces with their cousins to rebuild. Ultra Magnus is given a second chance to save Cybertron - but dark memories from the war and his own inhibitions stand in the way of him giving the one thing that Cybertron requires. War for Cybertron Earthrise OC/PTSD/Addiction/Mental Illness

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Life from Death

Preface: In my created series the Guardians are a religious sect of transformers that began with a rogue seeker created by G1 Starscream who used a human spark to animate her. This original Guardian, often referred to as the 'Matron' or 'Raptor', had the ability to join sparks with Cybertronians (Decepticons or Autobots) and produced offspring sparks. She and her female descendants travel the dimensions, following Primus's command to 'go forth and prosper' in order to protect each dimension from his nemesis. The Guardians are loyal to only three things: Their God Primus, their 'family' of spark related Guardians, and the planet they consider their home – Earth. You can read more about their beginnings and development in my Guardian Chronicles series.

In this story, I explore a muse that several other fanfic writers have explored – what if Megatron and the Decepticons were the good guys? So for the start of this muse, I've created a new multiverse – where Megatron, the former gladiatorial champion who went up against the caste system found in the TF Prime series, stayed on the path, righted that wrong, and made peace – instead of getting power mad and evil. This story starts after he accomplished that societal change, settled down as the military commander, and took a Guardian mate…. And what if that Guardian mate was sired by the prankster SideSwipe of all mechs?!

This is the story of his oldest son, daughter and grandsparks…Chromitron, Xenon, Zircon, Radon, Argon and Oganesson - and what happens when they join forces with the Omega Guardian Titans as depicted in War for Cybertron Siege

Home dimension:

Chromitron shrugged off the hard hit to his wing. Spinning into a swift round house kick, he caught his sire by surprise and landed a thruster solidly against his abdominal armor.

A lesser mech would've been launched backwards, crashing to the ground. All it did against Megatron was to cause his well-balanced frame to slide backwards a few meters. His lips curling into a proud smile, the former gladiatorial champion said 'good strike', even as he swiftly took advantage and crowded into his space, hitting him hard with a swift one-two that would've crushed most mechs.

As tough as his sire, Chromitron merely grunted with the force of those punches, even as he turned the now boxing match into a wrestling match. The powerful duo crashed to the floor, each of them trying to get on top of the other first.

"So when are you to going to stop with your wrestling match – so that I can get my 'missed you mom' hug?" a femme voice interceded.

This stopped both of the mechs in their quest for dominance. A tangled mass of legs and arms, both glanced up at her as they began to extricate themselves from each other. Standing up as one, Megatron got one last cuff in on his now grown son. "Missed having you around. You're the only one who can last more than one round," he joked.

Giving his mother a big hug, the young mech turned back to his sire. "Why don't you get a Prime to workout with you?"

Megatron rolled his optics, "Optimus is too busy with this convention, or that cabinet meeting. Feels that practice is just for reliving old quarrels. Just doesn't understand that to stay strong – you must keep the battlelust fed!" He cuffed his eldest son hard on his shoulder mount, "and Rodimus is too busy chasing my grandsparks around – after they've pulled some prank on him." He glanced at his mate, "They obviously take after YOUR side of the family."

She just rolled her optics. Having been sired by an Autobot renowned for his talents as a saboteur – yet cursed for his tendency towards pranks – this was an old joke between them. It had been her own tendencies towards both, that had not only attracted Megatron as a young mech – but frustrated him as well.

"Damned Autobot politicians!" Chromitron agreed, "All they ever want to do is debate debate and negotiate!" he lowered his voice into a conspiratorial tone, "though at least Rodimus can handle his own against me. When he has time." He did have respect for the younger Prime. They were good friends as they had matured together. Though he'd never understood why his friend had gone and tied himself down with a family. True, it was with his sister – but still…

"You've got that right son!" Megatron replied with a proud gleam in his optics. Sure, his sons and daughters all wore the double insignias of the Guardian faction of their mother spark – but they were all tough soldiers and would be amazing leaders one day. He had even made sure that his grandsparklings were all sired by mechs he approved of. Any mech that dared to date one of his daughters – better have some big ball bearings!

"Chromitron, never forget what I've taught you about how Guardians are to view the factions of Cybertronians," his mother's voice had its normal warning ring to it. Both of them knew NOT to argue with her when she spouted off Guardian philosophy.

"That we view them in equal light," Chromitron teased back in a tone mimicking her lecture tone, "even though most Autobots are such freagin' useless emotional wimps!" he added with a snicker as he elbowed his sire.

Megatron couldn't help but chuckle as his mate let out an exasperated sigh. This was an old argument she and he had always had with their sparklings. She had seen things in other dimensions before being called here – while he and their young only knew their own reality. "I still can't believe that I was EVIL in so many dimensions," he snickered with a dramatic roll of his ruby orbs, "ME! The champion of the servant classes! The force behind the new equality!" He puffed out his chest armor, rising to his full – and quite impressive – height. "I am the Supreme Commander of the military, and equal to everyone on the council!" he bragged.

His mate hit him hard in his abdominal armor, and even though it didn't hurt him in the least, he acted like she'd just knocked the air out of his wings. "Primus, why'd I agree to be bonded to such a narcissistic blowhard!" She joked with an equally dramatic roll of her optics.

"Because you couldn't resist falling for a handsome revolutionary," Megatron teased back.

"A mech that never quit chasing me – no matter how many times he found himself tangled and helpless in a well placed boobie trap," she reminded him with an evil smirk.

"It was all because I was trying to bag this mysterious seeker who drove EVERY side to glitches with well designed pranks which took out EVERYONE'S military systems - so much so that she had a bounty on her helm – and then drove me nuts when I caught her. Figures that she had to be of Side Swipe's mischievous spark!" the Decepticon leader replied with the warm smile he only gave to family.

His mate snickered, her optics filled with her normal mischievous gleam in them as she nodded proudly as he listed all of what she considered fine accomplishments. "Those pranks stopped a civil war from starting," she reminded him.

Yes, she had made sure that every ranking Cybertronian from BOTH factions knew of the wars and destruction she had been witness to in other dimensions. She had spoken of it at length during the trial they had put her through. She had been unapologetic and proud of every prank. Easily predicting what was planned to have occurred had she not taken out the military main frames on one side or another at a particular time. Her knowledge of each side's most classified military plans - had shocked them. Her mission to thwart those plans and force the sides to reconcile in their mutual search for the prankster - had impressed them all. As none of her pranks had caused loss of life, she was set free once she agreed to be promised to Megatron and never prank to that extent again. Their official bonding ceremony had been the most extravagant one in the history of Cybertron. Megatron smiled at the remembrance of it. He had hunted and won a prize far greater than the Matrix!

He turned to their oldest son, his strongest son, "If you are ever taken, and find out that your mother's tales about my other selves are true – kick his tailpipes and tell him that it's from me."

Chromitron grinned and just rolled his optics, this was far from the first time his dad had given him this order…..

New Dimension….. Transformers War for Cybertron Earthrise (Optimus and Megatron are now going to be gone from Cybertron for millions of years… There is an apocalyptic planet ripe for the taking...)

Blinking his optic shutters, Chromitron pushed the warm family memories back into the recesses of his meta processor. He had to stay in the here-and-now. Whether he liked it or not, he would never see his home dimension again. He met the optics of his sister, niece and nephews, they were all counting on him now. Though they had all been raised and trained with the knowledge that any one of them might be chosen by Primus, not a single one of them was happy that it had actually happened!

Xenon stretched her wings a bit, the missiles held on her pilons rattled so slightly. "Fraggin' figures that we would get taken," she growled in disgust. Crossing her arms, the femme tried to shake off the sense of foreboding that threatened to come over her. She was now the oldest femme. She must now face the fear of every Guardian femme. The fear of starting completely over. Building a Guardian nation from scratch. With a disgusted sigh, she glanced over at her brother. The only bright side she could see in her predicament was that she was not going to have to face it alone.

Chromatron smiled warmly at his younger sister. She had recently reached full maturity. Her curiosity of EVERYTHING had always driven her to follow around various mech scientists. From Shockwave to Perceptor - she had idolized them and learned from them for ages. Rumor had it that she'd not only conned them into information downloads, but had recently attended a convention with them and likely had gotten Perceptor not only over energized - but on her berth as well. His optic ridges narrowed a bit as he considered that possibility. If she was already heavy in spark - it could be an advantage to their mission. "Hmmm, yes it does, doesn't it?" he teased. To be honest, she was likely his first choice of a sister to get stuck with. Though she had had difficulty in mastering basic Guardian training as a youngster, she had eventually learned to buckle down and get through it. She was sharp witted, highly intelligent and not the type to wilt under pressure.

Seeing the look in his red orbs, the younger Guardian rolled hers. "I know EXACTLY what you're thinking Brother!" she glanced around at her niece and nephews, they ALL were likely thinking the same exact thing. She had never hidden the fact that she liked to get over energized and party after shift. It helped her forget the pain from her youth. Since their father was well known to have been a partier and player in his youth, let's just say that behavior was somewhat expected in their family. So no questions were ever asked as to why she'd gone down that path.

"Well - are you?" Megatron's doppelganger asked with an obnoxious wink.

With an exacerbated sigh, she nodded "I'd bet my last credit on it". Facing him fully, she commanded her armor to open. The multicolored glow of her exposed spark danced over his features. "How many?" she asked him.

As she was nearly the same height as he, he didn't have to bend down far to study her spark. Every Guardian, mech and femme, was highly trained in every aspect of potential reproduction. They all had to be, for in every dimension they may be called to, they were expected to cross sparks with the local Cybertronians to produce new Guardians. Though how many were produced or in what exact manner the development might take, could occur in a multitude of different ways. First order of business for a Guardian in a new dimension, was to figure out HOW the course of reproduction was likely to occur. He frowned as he studied her spark. For he had NEVER seen so many specks of forming sparks swirl around a mother spark. "Odd. Very odd," he nodded to his nephews, "look here. Do you all see it too?"

The three nephews and one niece, all leaned in to examine her spark as well. Exclamations occurred as they all saw the same thing.

"What is so odd?" Xenon demanded to know as she looked at all of them expectantly.

"It appears that you have dozens if not hundreds of forming sparks," Chromitron told her. He cocked his helm as he met her optics. "I've never heard of this occurring."

Her armor closed. Crossing her arms in front of her, the femme frowned as she scrolled through the multitude of files on both Guardian reproduction types as well as the files that she'd suckered Shockwave and Perceptor into giving her over the cycles. Finally, only one thing matched. Which wasn't that believable, but it must be! "The only description that matches - is what is theorized to be INSIDE the AllSpark!" she exclaimed.

After getting over his initial shock, the eldest began to chuckle. "This dimension must be so fragged up - that Primus thinks we need an Army to balance it!"

"And I've got a slaggin' army developing inside me! Of all the Primus damned jokes!" Xenon began to pace angrily back and forth. It was bad enough becoming a Matron and having to pop out a few Guardians to start a nation - but to pop out the entire nation itself?! She glanced at Oganesson, "Guess you won't have to worry about finding a mate anytime soon," she snorted. Yet she hid what emotion she truly felt going over her. The emotion of overwhelming panic. If they needed an army sparked, then they were likely going to be flying directly into war like they had never seen. She calmed her frantically beating core, behind a facade of anger. She had her eldest brother with her. A brother raised as a warrior and leader!

The younger orange tipped femme grinned somewhat sheepishly at her. "Thank Primus for that!" she agreed. Much like her sire, Rodimus Prime, she had no interest in being responsible for much of anything besides herself!

Xenon's eldest brother wrapped a comforting arm across her intakes. "We'll be right there helping you. Primus couldn't have chosen a better sister for this task," he said with a kiss to her helm. "No one has as much knowledge of the sciences as you - though unfortunately I do believe your convention party days are behind you now. Though Perceptor would be pleased to know his sparkfire will become so wide spread."

Now she couldn't help but chuckle, "They aren't JUST Perceptor's get…" Remembering her party days, helped her push aside her growing fear of the future...

He pushed her at arm length for a moment, his optics widened in feigned disbelief "Now you can't be telling me that you were already a player back home?!"

She punched him in his abdominal armor, just as their mother spark had often done to their sire. "I ONLY 'played' with the best minds!" she snickered. In actuality, she played around to forget her inadequacies as a daughter of Megatron - that was not born a natural warrior. Her father had finally accepted that her lack of tactical abilities was because she seemed to be a genius like Shockwave. And he had always respected Shockwave's talent. Megatron's exploits with the femmes as a young mech were well known. So by becoming an apparent player too, she had also gained some of his approval.

"Oh, do tell - do tell," he teased back with a light return punch to her. Though he said it lightly, he was deadly serious about it. Sparklings generally took after their Cybertronian parent's personality. So it would make a difference. "Now that we know you were trying to beat 'ol dad's reputation," yes Megatron in his youth had been a major player when it came to bedding femmes. Well before he had met their mother. Then he'd ended up hanging upside down in her well placed snares - while SHE played with him. Ah, the stories the sparklings had heard growing up...

"Hmmmm, let's see," she held up her hands and started counting on her digits, "Perceptor, Scrapper and Shockwave - one each night at last week's convention."

"My my…" he chuckled, "I can't say that I see anything desirable about Shockwave. Perceptor and Scrapper maybe…"

She shrugged, "I just wanted to see what would happen if I got Shockwave over energized." The entire group laughed at that thought. "But yeah, he was definitely not one I'd bond with a second time!" That made all of them hit the ground in hysterics.

After they'd finally quit laughing, Chromitron brought them back to reality. "Well, my fellow Guardians, it looks like it is time to scout our new dimension and see just what a mess of it the Cybertronians have made."

Xenon glanced over at her fellow femme. "We need to know if your spark is mature or not. Just in case something happens to me." the Guardians had to build a Nation here. That took mature femme sparks. The more they had, the more secure their future would be.

Oganesson nodded, and opened her panels. Xenon peered inside at her spark, and gasped. "Have you been playing around too?" she asked as she glanced up at her.

"No, why?" Oganesson asked.

Chromitron crowded in and peered at her spark too. The same swirl of hundreds of tiny sparks flowed around his niece's spark. He whistled under his breath. This was absolutely unheard of! Narrowing his optics, he really studied them, and realized something even more shocking was going on. "I don't think those are Guardian sparks," he said as he met his sister's optics.

Xenon looked closely at them. "You're right. Those aren't Guardian. Those are Cybertronians!" Patting her niece's panels to close, she met her confused optics with her own. "That strange dark wormhole we passed through. Must've been Primus's dimension."

"Frag! I didn't even get to have any fun - and I'm slaggin' heavy!" Oganesson put on a full Rodimus Prime pout.

"On the bright side, now you can frag whatever mech you want to - and not worry 'bout the sparklings being like him. Hahahaha!" her orange tipped brother snickered.

The young femme's lips curled up in a wicked grin as the well made point cheered her up. "Yeah, ya got a point bro. I ain't the Matron and now don't have to worry 'bout sparkling personality. I'm so gonna P-A-R-T-Y on Cybertron!"

Chromitron rolled his optics. THIS was what he was going to have to deal with?! Two femmes with hundreds of sparks inside them, more than happily partying it up with whatever Cybertronian they ran across. Ugh! "Just remember my Matrons, we obviously are walking into a huge Cybertronian mess - if Primus is sending hundreds of sparks!" he reminded them in a steady tone.

The two femmes met each other's optics. "This dimension is likely gonna really suck for a while, isn't it?" Oganesson grumbled to her Aunt.

Xenon nodded, her mood somber. Putting a comforting arm over her intakes, she gave the slightly younger femme a squeeze. "Yes, but at least we have each other to lean on - and Chromitron's experience to guide us!" Her own spark was terrified, but she had to put on a confident facade for her niece. As the eldest femme, she was expected to carry the mantle of Matron. As well as the responsibilities that came with that.

They all nodded in agreement. Even though by their societal rules the eldest femme was the leader, they were all so accustomed to Chromitron being a leader, it just seemed natural. He smiled at his younger sister, a sister he WOULD follow and protect until his final breath. "As you are the future Matron, what are your orders?"

She grinned and shook her head, "We ALL know that YOU are the one raised to lead. So until the nation is built and stable, I think we should trust in your experience." Her core seemed a little less heavy as he nodded and took control. Relief flooded through her systems.

He nodded in acceptance of his temporary command, "Then I think the most logical course - and easiest - is to find Cybertron. We recon undercover upon our arrival to find out what we face."

Without hesitation, every Guardian set their hand on his….

On Cybertron, after Megatron has left in his quest to hunt down Optimus Prime. Cybertron is a dying, desolate world.

Xenon and Zircon roamed Decepticon headquarters, hidden behind their cloak, the accomplished spies were merely ghosts. This was the basis of every Guardian's training. Above all else, they prided themselves on their stealth abilities. Their ability to become mere ghosts. Undetected and free to access even the most classified areas, they accessed one of the few mainframes left functional. The few mainframes of Decepticon base coding that were protected from the Autobot code destroying virus Shockwave had unleashed so long ago.

Xenon contemplated upon this as she studied that very mech as he worked to try and repair the damage wrought by a recent attack from the Autobot renegades. When the Guardian squadron had arrived in stealth mode, they had found a decimated world. A post apocalyptic dystrophia where mechs starved on the streets from lack of energon. A world so depleted of resources that mechs fed on the life spark of other mechs. It was truly the worst case scenario. Far worse than any dimension that her Guardian foremothers had recorded history from.

The Guardian scientist frowned a bit as she considered their options. There had been little Cybertronian historic data to be mined from the Decepticon databases. It seemed that the Decepticons did not consider history before their rise to be worth knowing. This left the Guardians at a disadvantage, as they could not search for clues of previous Guardian missions, or even the passage of the Autobot matrix from one generation to another. Wandering out of Shockwave's wrecked lab, she headed towards the heart of Decepticon command. Where Megatron's private quarters were located.

Warping past the secured door, she began to look for clues around his quarters. Keepsakes and trophies from his past. Read his memoirs on his private network. Stepping close to a cabinet in order to reach up with her hand to feel if there was anything of interest on the top shelf, her thruster tapped something that was hidden underneath. The object rolled out a bit, stopping against her other thruster. Looking down, she saw the head of a mech. Cocking her head in curiosity, she bent down, picked it up and held it up to optic level.

The shape and details of the construction of the helm, seemed more Autobot than Decepticon. Wiping the dust off of the face plate and optics, she noticed a blue tint to them. This confirmed that this was of Autobot origin. Going through the vast amounts of military data she had recently hacked from the Decepticon mainframe, she matched the head to the Autobot it had once belonged to. An optic ridge arched up in amusement as she realized she was looking into the unlit optics of the Military Commander, Ultra Magnus. Now she could understand why it had been kept as a trophy.

She started to put the apparently discarded trophy back where it had rolled so long ago. But something stopped her. Holding it back up, she pulled out a buffing rag and gently wiped the rest of the faceplate clean. Staring into those empty optics, she felt songs well up in the back of her processor. Songs she hadn't thought about since her youngest days. Back when she had actually idolized a cheerful Autobot communications officer. Had followed him around, learned from him as he taught her how to sing duets with him and write songs. An early childhood filled with the dream of being an artist. A dream quickly extinguished by her parents as she entered Guardian training and realized her responsibilities as a Guardian femme and daughter of Megatron.

A sigh escaped her invisible lips as she fought back the tsunami of emotions that threatened to wash her resolve away. Gently, she caressed the head's damaged audio receptor. It was obvious that towards the end of his life, this mech had suffered great pain. Agony of war that Xenon had been spared of experiencing in her youth, by the path her mother spark had guided Megatron on. Something within her, urged her to keep this head. Perhaps write a private song to honor the mech that it had once been.

But how could she explain keeping this head to the rest of the Guardians? Guardians did NOT keep trophies such as this! She locked optics with his empty orbs as she contemplated on any tactical advantages she could claim by keeping it. Then it came to her! Her niece carried Cybertronian sparks. Could she use this mech as the first experiment in resparking a Cybertronian? Could she possibly locate the rest of the corpse, put it back together and have her niece respark it? If it worked, she could claim to Chromitron that the value of this particular mech's resparking was that it would give them access to the entirety of the opposing side's history. Gently wiping off some more of the dust from his faceplate, she smiled at the head from behind her cloaking. "Primus has delivered you to us for a reason. We will make you whole again," she promised it. Opening her cockpit, she gently stored it safely inside.

Tapping the side of her helm, she sent messages to her fellow Guardians. Plans needed to now be modified. As she was a scientist and not a trained doctor, A Cybertronian medic needed to be located. Messages were sent back and forth across their encrypted frequency, until a plan was finally agreed too. While Chromitron and Argon continued the reconnaissance to locate any previous Guardian activity on this desolate world - she and the others would begin the process of building a following amongst the few surviving Cybertronians. A following who would assist them in identifying a good region to build the first Peacekeeping force base. A base that would work towards the saving of the critically endangered species of Cybertronian mech life. Feeling the weight of the head secured in one of her seats, she smiled confidently. From the Decepticon files on him, this mech would eagerly join the peacekeeping force. Perhaps he would even agree to lead the Cybertronians that they resparked to work for them in building the foundation of the future Nation.

Warping out of the wrecked base that was what was left of Decepticon command, Xenon wandered the empty streets of Cybertron. Safe behind the invisibility of her cloaking, she observed the few surviving mechs she spotted scampering about as if they were organic rats looking for meager scraps to eat. They were all about as desperate too. Their armor was so dirty and damaged, that one could barely identify what their alt modes had been.

She noticed here and there were displays of corpses up on poles. Every corpse had an Autobot insignia on it. "Our Father - what have you become?" she whispered to the winds howling through the empty streets. It was obvious that they were facing one of Megatron's darkest selves. "Father - what have you done?" she sang in a low voice, as her invisible optics were the only ones to look up at the deceased Autobots - with tears filling them and regret in her spark.

Finding a hidden spot high amongst the bombed out Skyscrapers. She tucked herself in what had once long ago been some mech's quarters. Now, with the entire outer wall blasted open, it was the perfect vantage point for a Seeker to use their long range sensors and visual focus, to study all of the morbid displays of Autobot corpses around the city. Hopefully, she could locate the headless chassis that matched the head within her cockpit.

A strange urge filled her, an urge to pull it out and look deep into those dark optics again. Pulling it out, she sat down and propped it up on her knee servos. "Why was my father spark fixated on you?" she asked it. There were plenty of other great warriors the Decepticons had offlined - yet this was the only one to have his cranial unit removed. The only one to have his head kept as a personal trophy in Megatron's most private quarters. "And now why do I seem to share that same fixation? It is not - logical," she said to it. She grinned as she thought about the logical aspect. Shockwave would have given her a long lecture about any fixation being illogical. Not to mention a fixation on a trophy head.

Running her digits gently along the steep angles on the top of the helm, she continued to look deep into those dead orbs. For some reason doing so made her somehow feel closer to the mech it had once belonged to. Closer to her father spark who was obviously on the dark side. "Why did he keep you? Did he also converse with you as I'm doing?" she asked the dead. "Did you bring back memories from his youth? When you stood on the same side of the initial rebellion?" Her digits drifted the damaged audio receptor. Knowing how sensitive these were in living mechs, she could imagine the pain he had endured for it to have been twisted in half like that.

She'd seen the Decepticon files of some of the torture this mech had been put through. Torture which had not broken him. His recorded screams filled her meta processor. His final day cycles of words which were said in Shockwave's presence and captured by the cameras. His pleas for Megatron to not make Cybertron suffer anymore. "Even in your darkest hours, you worried more for the mechs of Cybertron - than yourself." Shifting her mass a bit, her digits slipped to his chin guard and jawline. "I know you will support us in our mission to bring all Cybertronian races back from the brink of extinction. With your knowledge of abandoned military facilities, we can choose the best places to start reconstruction."

For some reason it calmed her spark and focused her meta to talk to the head. It seemed to agree with her words. She gave it a determined smile. "Rest time is over, let's locate the rest of you. Begin our first experiment to see if we can bring one of you back." Running a gentle digit over it's lip components, she could almost see a smile on the face plate. "You want to be the first one. The first of many," she promised. Stuffing the head safely back in her cockpit, she stood and began to scan every square meter of the devastated city...

First Aid looked up from his work, as some of the self appointed guards came in the hidden workshop. Following them was a tall Seeker femme with a large grounder corpse thrown over her intake and wing. It wasn't the corpse that caused him to stand up and face her in shock - it was her physical condition. Her finish shimmered in health, not a scar marred the surface, she was so well maintained and well nourished, it was like he was seeing a mech from before the war. His optics searched her for insignias, and that's when he noticed she bore the insignias for both factions.

Boldly, the medic walked up to her. "I don't know who you are, but only those who are peaceful are allowed to stay," he informed her.

She smiled down at him, "Name's Xenon, and I most definitely come in peace." She gently laid the corpse down at his peds. "I'm hopeful that you can repair my friend here." She hid her nervousness at being uncloaked and making first contact with the surviving Cybertronians. It was up to her to develop a good rapport and begin recruitment for their cause. She was the future Matron of the new Nation they would build. She had to learn to lead. Learn to recruit followers for their cause.

That's when the medic noticed that the corpse was headless. "He's gone. Not even a head unit. There's nothing I can do."

"I have his head," she replied. Opening her cockpit, she pulled out the matching head and set it upon the body. It felt strange to see the wreckage together at her peds. She prayed that she could keep her act up and convince the medic to put him back together. Perhaps he'd even allow her to assist him and learn to act as a medic as well? One thing Xenon had always been good at, was learning complex sciences. Medical couldn't be that much different.

He studied the incredible amount of damage on the chassis. The mech had obviously been executed at close range. A full quarter of his torso was blasted away. "Even if I could spare the parts and the energon to repair the chassis, there's no replacing his spark. I'm sorry. He's beyond help," he sighed sadly and turned away from her to finish working on his current patient.

"What if I supply you with enough energon for all of your patients? Would you put his chassis back together?" she asked. It was an idea that Chromitron had thought up. These Cybertronians were starving to death. Most would do anything for energon. That's what the Guardians could easily supply. As Guardian's were built to produce their own energon by harvesting the photons from stellar rays. Realizing the value of this, they had all basked far longer than their system's required for full cores. The excess production had been syphoned into cubes. Cubes they had stuffed their bays with, until they could fit no more.

Not only did that stop him in his tracks, but it got every starving mech and femme's attention whom sat and lay against the walls and exam tables. As they murmured to each other at her bold offer, the medic slowly turned back to her. "You have that much energon?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

"Yes, and a steady supply for those who choose to assist me," she replied with a warm smile as she glanced around and met all the desperate optics now fixated on her. Chromitron's guess at their desperation was right on the credits. The Guardian's definitely had the perfect product to trade for anything on this destroyed world. From work to loyalty, they would be able to barter for it.

"But even if I repair the chassis, your friend is still gonna be dead," First Aid warned her as he walked back up to her. "There is no AllSpark anymore. Once you're dead - you're dead. So I'm not sure why you want me to waste valuable parts to fix this chassis. Why'd you waste your energon to pay for it." He studied the strange Seeker with intense optics. It was obvious that she'd been built for war. But it didn't appear she'd ever been damaged in a single battle. She was just - odd. But he'd sure take her energon if she truly had enough for ALL of his patients!

"Primus has sent new AllSparks," she announced to them. "A new Nation will be built on our dying world." Like her sire, Megatron, she was a dynamic orator when she needed to be. She spread her arms wide and slowly turned around, meeting every single optic in turn. "A new Nation with no factions. Where everyone is paid well for their labor. Jobs best matched to skills. Those who choose to join me in the initial planning and building of our first city - will be well maintained and never know starvation again!"

By that time she had turned full circle, and now faced the medic again. He narrowed his blue optics as he met hers, "You make the same promises that Megatron once did. Now we struggle to survive and hide! If his forces find any of us - they suck out all the energon within us! We are all facing extinction. There is no energon left to mine on Cybertron!" Crossing his arms, his optics challenged her to prove she was more than empty promises.

"Bluff called," she purred with an approving gleam in her red orbs. Opening one of her side bays, the Cybertronians were all bathed in an eerie green glow. Pulling out an energon cube, she held it out to him. "Bluff is now proven a fact," she purred. "Take it, give everyone a single sip. If it's not the best you've ever had, then I will bother you no more."

Accepting the strangely hued energon, First Aid could feel the tingle of power in his hands. "What is this type of energon?" he asked suspiciously.

"The type produced by Autotrophic mechs," she replied. She smiled as he looked up in confusion. This was where her background in the sciences came into play. This was her area of strength. Her specialty...

He looked up at her as he handed it off to one of the many self appointed guards to pass out rations from it. "Mechs aren't autotrophs," he argued. Though her smile had seemed fairly honest. Figuring that she had to have a background in science, he wondered if she was an experimental design that had escaped from one of the militaries. "Are you a military experiment that escaped?" he asked with his optic ridge arched up.

She smiled as she shook her head to answer the military escapee idea. Boldly, she stepped up close to him and placed a hand on his shoulder plating. "Mechs from Cybertron are not. Those of us that have recently arrived from elsewhere - are," she whispered as she bent down and whispered in his audio.

Reaching up, he pulled her hand from his shoulder. As he grabbed her armored arm, he knew instantly that she was built of different materials than a Cybertronian would be. "You are not - Cybertronian!" he gasped as he tapped her armor. No heat emanated through her armor. No metal ring when he tapped with a digit. Now he was absolutely fascinated! He'd always heard that there were mechs on other planets in far distant systems, but he'd never thought in a million cycles that he'd get to meet one! Much less one who wanted to hire him. "Where are you from?"

Placing a hand over his examining touch, she stopped him from further exploration. "All will be explained in due time doctor," she promised. Looking around at the half of the mechs who'd already had a sip of the energon, she nodded to them. "What is your opinion on the quality of what I can supply?"

Most of them smiled in an overenergized manner. Many of them declared how pure it was… Begging for more.. Agreeing to work for her as long as she kept it coming.

She turned back to First Aid, "Do we have a deal, doctor?" she asked.

He looked up at her, still a bit suspicious. Her request for him to fix a corpse, as well as the fact she was an alien mech - was just beyond his entire experience. But she seemed like a friendly femme, and definitely had the energon they all so desperately needed. So who was he to argue with the job she had just hired him to do? "Ok, I'll fix the chassis. Afterwards, we'll see…" Nodding for his guards to assist him, they hauled the wreckage to an exam table.

Giving the other patients a warm smile as she watched them carefully passing the energon cube around, a sense of satisfaction came over the seeker. The same emotion that she had gotten during successful missions serving the Galactic Peacekeeper force back home. Moving out of the way, and to the side of the building, she tapped the side of her helm and radioed her success to the others… Then received reports from each of them in turn.

Several week cycles had passed. The femme Seeker scientist learning from the medic and doing minor repairs on other patients to enable him to focus on the corpse. She joked with the other mechs. Mechs from all the different factions. Gleaning the history of Cybertron as they each knew it. As they each had experienced it. They now all looked past the fact that she was an alien to their world. All they cared about was that she was a friendly, who provided much needed sustenance.

"Ok, he's about as good as I can get him with what resources we have. I've used some of your energon to fill the power core - but without a spark - well…." First Aid told her as he came up to her side. Now comfortable around the alien femme, he set his hand on her wing as he leaned over to watch what she was doing to the patient. They had become friend's as she had assisted him. He found her drive to learn about Cybertronian physiology very refreshing. It was good to actually have an assistant for once!

Finishing up a minor repair on the bearings in another patient's knee servoes, Xenon gave him her most winning smiles. "Thank you for all your hard work," she said with a quick side hug. Turning from her patient, she tapped the side of her helm. "Oganesson, it is ready for resparking," she announced over the Guardian's encrypted radio frequency. Glancing around at the two dozen survivors, she knew that the Guardians would fully own their loyalty once they had witnessed the new 'AllSpark' in action.

Another Seeker femme appeared out of warp. "You sure this planet is worth the effort? These mechs have fraggin' destroyed it!" she snorted. Everything she'd seen and explored was pure devastation. The sheer amount of time and effort it was going to take - just made the younger femme want to leave it to rust.

Xenon nodded, "It is our mission." she reminded her niece. "We have to save these endangered species." She knew every audio and optic in the building was now firmly locked on them. With their next move, she knew they would either be viewed as prophets - or potential enemies. She was most definitely going for the prophet reputation. As such, these mechs and femmes would eagerly follow them. Build for them. Live under their rules in peace.

The orange tipped femme rolled her optics in contempt. "A species who made themselves endangered," she replied. She met a few of the survivor's optics as she went by. They knew she spoke the truth, but it was a hard pill for many to swallow. Walking over to the empty chassis on the exam table, she inspected him with a critical optic. "Wasn't he one of the leaders of this civil war? One of the mechs who destroyed this place?" She glanced up at her fellow Guardian. Her questions made it quite clear to everyone around them, that just as they blamed the warring factions for the devastation - so did she.

The Cybertronians began to talk amongst themselves. The truth did hurt. All had recognized Ultra Magnus's corpse, but none had actually dared to ask Xenon why she wanted it repaired. She seemed friendly and helpful to them all. But it was her business as to why she had brought THAT particular corpse in for repairs. They were just grateful for the energon she was supplying. Though it was good to hear that not every alien Seeker was in full support of that particular mech being brought back from the dead. Although, IF they were successful in doing so… It would change EVERYTHING! So most of them hoped that the aliens were successful.

The black tipped, gray femme walked up and stood next to her niece. She knew every mech in the place had wondered at her fascination with the executed war criminal. Well, at least that's what the Decepticons had led everyone to believe with their propaganda. "As Peacekeepers, we must ensure the survival of all factions of the endangered species. That includes the Autobots." she glanced around them as she explained it. "He was one of the original leaders of the Revolution. With the Autobot mainframes erased - only he and the other two - know the full history of this world. The other two have abandoned Cybertron. Have destroyed Cybertron by taking the original AllSpark away." She paused for effect, and from the whispers, she was getting the reaction she sought.

She set a hand on the chassis's windshield. "My friends," she began as she looked around and met their optics. She had made sure to strike up a lot of friendships with the survivors. It was all part of their strategy. "I promise that he will not be above any of you. He will work to build - just as we all shall. But we need to remember your history - from both the winning and losing sides of the civil war. He is our source of that side of your history. The source of all the classified Autobot information that we will all benefit from as we move forward."

First Aid walked up to stand next to them. "Ok, I kind've get it," he said. The black tipped femme had impressed him with her scientific knowledge as well as her humility when acting as his nurse aid. "But how are you gonna make sure that HE gets it?"

She gave him a warm smile as she offered her hand across the prone form, "Because we both know that with the amount of new linkages you had to put in him, he's going to be dealing with a lot of physical rehab to become fully functional. During that convalescent period, he will learn how life is like here. How to be one of us." She motioned to every survivor in the building.

Reaching out, the medic shook her hand. "Yeah, I agree it's gonna take him a while to be fully operational." He still had his doubts if the Autobot would learn to fit in. Autobots had been recruited from the higher classes of society. They viewed things a lot differently than the lower classes did. However, she was correct in that the mech would be pretty helpless for a while. Totally dependent on others while he went through physical therapy. Plenty of time for him to learn how to be humble.

"I've got to get back to my mission," Oganesson interrupted. Flipping a panel open on his chest, she connected a line to hers. "So let's get the transfer over. It's YOUR problem to deal with him!"

First Aid stared at Oganesson, "YOU are the new AllSpark?!" he asked in total disbelief.

"One of them, aye Xenon?" the orange tipped Guardian snickered. A bright light pulsed through the connecting line. A spark transferring to the repaired chassis….

The medic's hidden mouth hung open as he looked from one femme to the other in amazement. "YOU are both AllSparks?! But why? How?" By Primus he had so many questions now.. So many…. All around them, mechs gasped in absolute disbelief.

Ultra Magnus's optics began to brighten as the spark settled within the empty spark chamber. Xenon set a hand on one of his forearms to hold it down, and nodded for the medic to hold down the other. "Let's just say that Primus wanted AllSparks who could take care of ourselves if necessary," her hydraulics whined a bit as the patient began to stir and try to move. "Since you Cybertronians had already lost the original one - who couldn't take care of herself."

The transfer complete, Oganesson unplugged herself from the activating mech. She patted the medic's shoulder plating. "Xenon's our Science expert. She can teach you everything you want to know about all this," she quipped with a wink. Looking down at the activated optics which now stared up at her in confusion, she bent down and kissed the top of his helm as a mother would kiss their child. "Guess you're my first son spark!" she snickered. "Well, back to business then! Have fun with this crew Xenon!" With that, she transformed into jetmode and vanished in warp.

The Autobot's optics darted from medic to the femme - whom physically almost matched the femme who had just claimed him as a son spark. His meta was raked with confusion. HOW was he alive? Visions of staring down Megatron's blaster was still at the forefront in his meta processor. WHO were these two strange femme Seekers? He had never seen double insignias like theirs before. "Where… Who…" he stammered in a weak voice.

"You need to stay fairly immobile for a while. You had significant damage that was repaired. To move too much, may tear linkages," the medic warned him as their optics met. He turned his optics to the femme, "I've got as many questions as he does now."

Forcing himself to relax, the resparked mech quit struggling to move his arm servos. "I understand, doctor," he replied in a weak voice.

Lifting his arms off of the patient, First Aid met Xenon's red optics. "He's all yours to rehab. I fulfilled my end of our deal." While he really didn't want anything more to do with the resparked War Criminal, a part of him now wanted to learn so much from the alien femme. A self-described AllSpark.

"Now that you've seen what we offer, are you willing to work for us longterm? We really could use a doctor of your skill," Xenon asked. She still kept a hand on her patient's arm, but held her other hand out once again. "Same deal that I've offered all of them. Hard work, fair pay, respect, equality, peace, and to never know starvation again," she added, with a slight nod to the other survivors.

First Aid glanced from the confused resparked Autobot to her and back again. "To build a nation where those lost - might be resparked? With living, thinking AllSparks" he said as hope now filled him. So many patients of his had died during the war. Friends that might have a second chance. A medic's dream! "You've got yourself a doctor," he agreed as he shook her hand. "Can I start repairing more corpse's? Will you call Oganesson back to respark them?" He'd ask her more about the science behind it all, during their next rest period. But right now, he was buzzing with the excitement of saving more lives!

Xenon nodded, "Yes, when you have five more ready, I will call her back," she promised.

The Medic beamed in joy as he let her hand go. Turning to his fellow survivors, he asked them to help him get started. One could feel the joy in the air as they jumped to do as he asked.

Ultra Magnus mulled over everything that had been said as his systems fully came online. He met the femme's red optics. "Resparking? How?" he asked as he reached over with the hand the medic had released, and touched her arm. He'd never heard of the term. But apparently that's how they had brought him back. As his digits curled around her arm, he realized that she was of no materials made on Cybertron. "You aren't - Cybertronian.." he gasped in surprise as he quickly let go. He searched the alien femme's face plate for clues as to her origin. Unlike the other survivors, he was rather well traveled when it came to other planets. But nothing about her, nor the odd double insignias shimmering on her wings, matched any off-world mech factions he had ever met.

"It's a long story, Ultra Magnus. But don't worry, you will learn it as you work for us," she promised. Seeing that he wanted to sit up, she slid a helpful hand under his arm and grunted with effort as she assisted. It felt so good to see him functioning! Her experiment was a complete success! Pride filled the Guardian scientist as she reveled in the sensation of his warm armor.

"Work for you?" he asked. He groaned a bit as his new linkages stretched with the new position. It was hard to even tilt his head back to meet her optics as he sat in front of her. Confusion still flowed through him. Flashbacks of his final days flitting through his active RAM, making it challenging to really compute.

Keeping a stabilizing hand under one of his arms, she caressed his helm with gentle digits. Every angle and bolt familiar to her digits. As prior to locating First Aid's workshop, she had spent many astro hours with it in her hands. Many astro hours strangely fascinated with his head - and him as a mech. "Let's just call it payment for your medical bill," she joked.

"What will you require of me?" he asked with a slight narrowing of his optics. Was she considering him a slave as Megatron would - or as a free mech who would be paid and respected? He optics roamed over her air frame. She was of impeccable health, not a single scar marred her gleaming finish. He hadn't seen mechs so well nourished and maintained, since before the civil war. So wherever she had originated from, had to have been a planet of plenty. Why would an alien from a plentiful world, even come to the devastation that was his world? Most importantly, why did she select HIM for this resparking technique? "Why did you save me?" he added.

She gave him a warm smile as she continued to stroke one of his audio receptors. She knew that caused calming signals to flow through the mechs who were outfitted with them. Now that he was definitely reactivated, she no longer had to imagine doing it to the mech in her imagination while she stroked his separated head unit. It felt good to stroke warm, living metal - instead of cold, dead metal. "You are offered the same deal that all of the survivors are. Hard work, fair pay, respect, equality, and to never know starvation again." Her optics held a strange gleam in them as she locked them with his. "I brought you back because we will need your knowledge of history. The classified information about the location of defunct Autobot facilities. Everything that was once on Autobot mainframes - which have now been erased."

"The mainframes are erased?! Every single one of them?" Ultra Magnus asked in disbelief. He searched her optics frantically with his own, this information was very upsetting to him. It must have occurred after his demise. Normally, he would have shook off a femme's caress on his sensitive audio receptors. But with his overall weakness, stiffness and now his emotional turmoil - he decided he did need those calming signals flowing through his networks. It was obvious the alien femme understood the calming technique and was using for that very purpose. For that, he was actually grateful.

Xenon nodded, "According to the information we hacked from the Decepticon mainframe, upon your death, some type of Autobot code was released." Since he seemed more stable, she slowly removed her supporting hand. But as he had not tried to shake her hand off of his helm, she kept the calming sensations flowing through his networks. She relished the living warmth radiating through her digit tips.

"Alpha Trion's protocols automatically released," he said. He'd known that they would be passed, just like the Matrix would be. Likely confused the tar out of the Decepticons when it had happened. "They would have been passed to a new carrier."

"Alpha Trion Protocols?" she asked with a raised optic ridge. Obviously not knowing anything about them.

He let out a sad sigh, "It was a collection of the entire history of Cybertron which Alpha Trion had spent eons collecting. He had even gotten accepted by the Omega Guardians and added their knowledge to it." He actually felt a void in his processors from their departure. An emptiness that he really couldn't begin to describe.

"Hmmmmm, I'm assuming the Decepticons were not aware that the Protocols existed. Now the data from their mainframe makes sense," her optics gleamed as it dawned on her why they had destroyed all Autobot mainframes. Megatron had destroyed what he didn't understand - just so the opposing side wouldn't have whatever it was. "As they decimated your faction, They sent out a virus to destroy all Autobot coding in mainframes as well. They sought to erase your entire existence. Then Optimus stole the AllSpark and deserted Cybertron through a Spacebridge. Megatron soon used the ship he had built for a mass Exodus, to instead also desert Cybertron in his quest to hunt down Optimus. Neither of which have been seen in many orbit cycles," she made the synapses of the military timeline that had happened after his execution, as short and simple as she could. .

His optics became downcast "It's… it's all gone," he whispered. Tears wheeled up a bit in his optics, as he realized that he had not only failed in negotiating peace - but had also failed Alpha Trion entirely. His race was destroyed. Everyone he'd once called friend and brother - gone! Her arms went around him then. He did not fight it as she pulled him tightly against her cockpit. "I.. I failed.." he whispered to her.. To himself… his core shattering in despair..

She rubbed his back armor as she allowed him to grieve his failure. Allowed him to wrap his arms weakly around her waist as he sobbed against her cockpit. For some reason, it just felt - right - to hold this particular mech. Support him in what had to be a very dark time for him. To be reborn, only to find out that everything he once knew.. Once loved… was gone! Her optics met some of the other survivor's curious orbs as they worked around them, assisting First Aid in repairing their deceased friend's chassis. Everyone filled with hope that they would be resparked too. It was good for them to see the Autobot's grief, his regret, his admittance of failure. That would help them to forgive his role in the civil war.

Finally, she put her hands gently on either side of his helm and helped him to stretch overly tight new neck linkages so that he could look up and meet her optics. "All may have not been lost, my new friend. Once we get you out of the medic's way, I want you to tell me what you know of these 'Guardians' that I've heard some mention of," she said in an understanding tone.

Friend? He studied her intelligent red orbs. He had nothing left in the world from what she had said. Cybertron was destroyed, the AllSpark gone. The protocols erased… "You are going to build a new Nation here? Save Cybertron?" he asked with desperation clear in his blue optics. "Save all races?"

She nodded, honesty bright in her optics. "With your knowledge, we can do it together." She moved a hand from the side of his helm, to gently caress his chin guard. It just felt so right, to touch this particular mech in a somewhat intimate fashion. For some reason, touching him made her uncertainties disappear. She needed him to agree to work for them. Needed him to stay near, as she faced the staggering responsibilities she was sure to face as the primary Matron.

He chewed on his bottom lip component, oh how he wanted to blindly believe her promises. However, the treachery of Megatron had left a scar of mistrust within him. He needed assurance. He needed to know their plans - before he agreed to work for them. "I'll tell you what I know of the Omega Guardians. But I'll need to know more about your faction - before I agree to work with you."

"Spoken like a wise mech," she complemented. Slipping her hands off of his cranial unit, she gave him an approving smile. Moving to his side, she allowed him to throw an arm over her intake as he struggled to stand. Sliding a hand around his waist, she staggered under the big grounder's mass. Step by slow and agonizing step, they made it to a wall off to the side.

Gratefully, he slowly slid down into a sitting position, his back armor against the wall. Just that little bit of movement had totally exhausted him. Resting his arms on his bent legs, his optics followed her movements as she sat down next to him. "You are silent in your steps, in every movement," he observed. He really scanned her airframe with a critical optic. She was most definitely built for stealth. Built for war. But her optics bespoke of a peaceful civilian spark, not the spark of a warrior.

She gave him a wry grin, "and you are very observant." She was interrupted in finishing her answer as another mech came over to them, knelt down and asked her for the week's ration.

Ultra Magnus watched as she opened a bay and handed the mech a green glowing cube. Before she handed it to the mech, she dipped out a small shot cube of it. He arched up an optic ridge in curiosity as she handed him the shot. "This is the strangest energon I've ever seen," he commented as he held it up and swirled it.

"It's what mechs like myself produce," she explained, "Don't worry. It's safe to consume. Though grounders like you shouldn't drink more than one shot of it." Her side bay door automatically shut. Not a whir or latch could be heard.

He didn't understand what she meant by 'produced'. He figured it just meant that it was artificial energon. But if it was edible - who really cared? "Hmmm, that high grade?" he asked as he dared to take the tiniest of sips. It burned down his fuel intake and lit his core on fire. "Fraggers that's good!" he complimented as he leaned his helm back against the wall to enjoy the spreading heat. "I can more than understand the one shot limit," he chuckled. Just that small sip, and he already could feel his chassis relax. He could just imagine how quickly a smaller grounder could get over energized by it.

The sound of happy mech and femme giggling filled the room. Glancing over at the other Survivors, Ultra Magnus's faceplate warmed up as a smile replaced his earlier sorrow, "It is good to see them able to relax and get over energized," he said in a low voice. The fact that there were Decepticons blended in with unaligned, laughing and joking together, made his new spark sing.

"Indeed," she agreed. Settling herself more comfortably next to him, she enjoyed the press of his warm armor against her retracted wing. "Now tell me all you know about the Omega Guardians."

As he slowly sipped his weekly ration, he began to recall every detail he'd ever heard of about them. He answered every one of her questions to the best of his ability….

After about an astro hour, he had told her everything he knew. She tapped the side of her helm and reported it to others of her kind over their encrypted frequencies. At least, he assumed that was whom she was reporting it to. She switched to another language and it appeared they were having a rather deep discussion concerning it. He sipped the last of his shot as he listened. The language seemed somewhat familiar, like he had heard it on occasion. Frowning, he went back through his memory banks. Back through the small snippets of the Protocol code he still remembered - as he had apparently accessed it before and made copies of those files on his CPU. Eventually, he found a close match. His optic ridges arched up in surprise as the connection was made.

She finished her private conversation about that time. Taking her digit off of her helm, she noticed him watching her intently. Giving him a warm smile, "The information you've provided is proving of great value," she thanked. Stretching her thrusters out, she enjoyed a good stretch. Once again, her airframe did not make any noticeable sound as she did so.

Ultra Magnus was beginning to wonder if he'd ever get used to a mech that made no sound with any movement. Sure, there had been stealth types built on Cybertron, but where ever this femme had originated from had much superior stealth technology! As a military minded mech, he had so many questions forming in his meta processor about it all. Meeting her optics, he brought his meta out of his musings. "I'm glad to be of assistance," he responded as he set the empty shot cube down on the floor between them. "You are fluent in ancient Cybertronian," he noted. His optics locking with hers.

Giving him a curious look, she nodded "Hmmm, our tongue was spoken here at one time? Do you speak it?" This would change how she conversed around him. They used their home dimension's language in order to discuss classified information. The fact that he could identify it, might indicate a previous Guardian mission had definitely been sent here.

"Yes, it was the language of the Omega Guardians and the thirteen Primes." He gave a sad sigh as he then admitted, "But I do not speak it. The last Autobot who understood it was Alpha Trion, my mentor." His meta was actually thinking along the same lines as hers. "Are you related to the Omega Guardian faction?" Daring to move the arm closest to her, he touched her airframe. There was no interest other than general curiosity as to the materials she was built from - in his touch.

She shrugged, "That's what our military Commander is going to find out." Leaning her helm back against the wall, she put her hands behind it and looked up at the high ceiling. "If they are what remains of a previous mission, it may expedite our mission." Her tone was full of hope that it was the case. Her spark also sang in hope. If there were already Guardians here, perhaps they had a mature femme leading them already? Then she didn't have to be weighted down with that responsibility.

Oh so slowly, Ultra Magnus unwrapped his other arm from around his knee servos. Cringing at the stretching of tight new linkages, he let his legs go straight on the floor. His bearing and linkages screeched at the motion. The sharp sounds piercing the air. "You have a Military Commander? This is a military operation then? Why would a military from a system far away - be interested in saving another species from extinction?" His tone dropped a bit as he added, "A species which caused its own decline." The darkness within him forced him to make that admission. As well as the admission that he had played a major role in that very decline. He felt his processor teeter on the edge of despair for the briefest of moments, before he ruthlessly forced his thoughts to return to the present.

"We ask ourselves that same question nearly every day cycle we're stuck on this desolate world," she chuckled, as her optics sparkled with brutal honesty. Setting a hand on top of his lower arm, she gave it a squeeze. "We follow Primus's command. If he guides our wings to a new dimension, we are to build a new Nation, and restore balance." She slid her hand down, until it rested on top of his. "By balance that means that all the races on Cybertron, which Primus' counts as his mechs, are in equal populations and there is peace. Whether they must live separately to achieve that - or the warring parties have achieved total destruction and the survivors can rebuild together - our mission is to follow our directive as the Peacekeepers." She met his optics as she squeezed the top of his hand. She wasn't about to tell him the other reason - at least not yet. That Guardians REQUIRED Cybertronian sparks for their own reproduction. That knowledge would come with time.

"And we are now in the later situation," Ultra Magnus sighed as the weight of all that had happened in the war, seemed to try to crush his new spark. He looked away for a moment, blinking back the haze of tears he would not allow himself to shed again. "Before I surrendered to Megatron, I… argued with Optimus Prime," he admitted. "I told him that we needed to change our focus. To realize that we were down to the survival of our race now." He turned his optics back to meet hers, "That we needed to give up trying to win the war. He refused to listen to me. Same with Megatron," he sighed despondently as he recalled that last true conversation he'd had with the grey mech. "I could not bring them both to the same table. To talk of the old days. To negotiate some type of peace. In the end - we lost everything. Cybertron is in ruins."

Xenon arched up an optic ridge as the mech turned his hand over and curled his digits around hers. She held a digit from her free hand to his lips, to pause him. "We learned this all in our hack of the Decepticon mainframe. Then when I was searching Megatron's private quarters, your head rolled into one of my thrusters. Based on your bravery and sacrifice in the attempt for a final peace - We considered it a sign from Primus that he desired you to be resparked." She didn't want to tell him of her unusual fascination with both his head and his story. She still really didn't understand the slight fixation herself. Not something he needed to be burdened by.

"To join you," he finished for her. It was obvious to him why he'd be of such value to their mission. His knowledge of the location of every Autobot installation and most of the Decepticons installations would be of great tactical value. Then he cocked his helm as he considered how she had found a part of him. "He actually took my head as a trophy?!"

She smiled as she moved the hand that she had shushed him with, to his neck linkages. Tracing the scar of reattachment. "That was one of the more challenging repairs for First Aid and I," she said as she gave him an appraising look. Though she had always been into more of the cerebral types, this mech was actually not too bad on the optics. Her strange fixation on him had merely increased since his resparking. This surprised her, as she had assumed that her original fixation had been purely scientific curiosity to see if her experiment would actually work.

"I can imagine," Ultra Magnus agreed. He rubbed his thumb servo against the side of her hand which he still held. It did feel a bit odd to allow someone he barely knew to touch sensitive neck linkages, which sent sensations racing through his newly repaired grids. But as he assumed she was just showing him where the reattachment region was, and not making any type of moves, he didn't shake her touch off. "Since your mission includes preserving the Autobot race as well as the others, I give you my oath of loyalty," he said in a low voice, for only her to hear. Lifting her hand that he held, he brought it up against his helm as he tipped his head forwards in a nod of subservience. "I am for the Peacekeepers to command."

Shifting to her knee plates, Xenon knelt across the weak mech's leg servos, careful not to put any of her mass on them. Pulling him into her arms, she kissed the top of his helm. "This is how we welcome you to our family," she whispered to him. She held him a bit tighter and for a bit longer than she normally would've held a new member to the family. For some reason she could not explain, his armor against hers just sent a feeling of peace throughout her grids.

As she finally released him from her hug, stood up and walked over to First Aid to assist, Ultra Magnus followed her with his optics. Her faction did indeed have some strange customs that he would have to get used to. Some movement from the other side of the workshop caught his optics. He noticed two Decepticons who had been watching him from afar, discuss something at length while constantly optic balling him. Holding a hand up in the sign for peace, he gave them a respectful nod. They discussed a bit more with each other, then stood up and headed his way.

"Greetings!" he said in what he hoped was a warm welcoming tone as he looked up at the two of them.

"You've given the Guardians your oath?" one of them asked, an optic ridge arched up in curiosity. He was a big purple and orange grounder, looked to have once worked construction.

"I gave her my oath," Ultra Magnus replied, he narrowed his optics, "Wait a second. They call their faction the Guardians?" he asked the cons.

"Yep, sure do," the other Decepticon answered. He was a smaller grounder, a brightly colored red sportage type. He nodded to his friend as he sat down facing Ultra Magnus. "She didn't bother to tell you that?"

"Hmmmm, guess I never asked. She just said they were a Peacekeeping force," the big Autobot replied. He gave them both a warm smile as the other one also sat down facing him. "How about you two? Have you given your oaths?"

They both nodded. "Guess that means we are now all on the same side. The side that's going to save our afts from everything we've done!" the constructicon joked.

Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement with that observation. He gave the two grounders a relieved smile as they bumped fists in agreement. "It's great not fighting anymore," he admitted. He meant it from the deepest part of his new spark. THIS was what he had always wanted! To coexist peacefully with the Decepticons.

"You can say that again!" the sportage agreed. He met his friend's optics as if silently questioning if he should say something to the former Autobot Commander or not. His friend nodded for him to go ahead. "Yeah, it got real rough after Optimus Prime and Megatron abandoned us all. Shockwave shut down more sectors and threw those of us who were too weak to work - in detention centers."

The big Autobot's mouth dropped open in total disbelief. "But you were loyal!" he declared. His meta just couldn't wrap around the idea of killing your own kind. Killing those who were loyal...

"Yeah, I told you he'd understand how we felt," the constructicon winked at his friend. "It got even worse. Rumor has it that energon crystals have run out, so those in the detention centers - are all getting processed. If you know what I mean." He motioned a digit across his throat linkages, making gasping sounds.

Ultra Magnus shook with rage. Putting his head in his hands, he grunted in total rage. "HOW had it gone this mad?! That's insanity! You are Decepticons!"

"Yo, don't strain a new linkage," the sportage patted him on one of his arm servos. "See, he's just like those bots who busted everyone out. I told you!"

"Bots freed you?" the big bot looked up. "Which ones were they?!" he demanded to know.

The Orange and Purple con shrugged. "Don't know their names. But they were led by a pink colored femme - if that helps ya."

"Elita One… She's alive?" Ultra Magnus felt the world brighten around him. If one of his old friends had survived! "How long ago were you freed?" He asked in a desperate tone. This was the only bit of good news that he'd heard since being resparked.

"Bout ten day cycles ago," sportage answered. He gave Ultra Magnus a lopsided grin. He could tell they had brightened the bot's day cycle up a bit.

Done with the conversation about the past, the constructicon tapped his leg with one of his peds. "You good at playing cards?" he asked as he pulled a deck out of his cab.

"Yeah, I'm ok at it," the Autobot replied as he held his hand out for his set. His new spark sang as he counted his cards and arranged them. At least one of his old friends was still out there… Still surviving… Still fighting.. Obviously, Elita One still had some type of team helping her. Once he was at full strength, he'd work with the Guardian Peacekeepers to locate them. He knew he could negotiate an alliance between them. Elita One had always been better at listening to him and agreeing with him - than Optimus had ever been!

The former enemies bonded over a few games of cards as they let their chassis' heal from all the surgical repairs they'd recently had.

For many weeks, Ultra Magnus and the other survivors recovered and helped each other do the physical therapy as directed by First Aid. They regained their strength, and for the first time in eons, never felt the pain of hunger. They were even given good wax and buffing supplies. With astro hours to burn, they got each other buffed up to almost new condition. During this time of rest and recovery, they became good friends. The past now forgiven - though it would never be forgotten..

The survivors witnessed a few dozen more resparkings. Sometimes the two guardian femmes would swap out for a period of time. With Oganesson taking command of their growing ranks, while Xenon was off resparking mech in another division they were building. While the resparking of mechs did not seem to phase Oganesson terribly much, when Xenon returned from her trips, she tended to fall into an extended period of defrag. During the time that she was down, a mech Seeker Guardian would appear. He was a doppelganger of Soundwave, if Soundwave had been built as a seeker. And he had the same silent lack of personality. There were rumors that there were actually two of them. But they were apparently so identical, no one really knew for sure. It was obvious that the mechs showed up to ensure the AllSpark was protected.

Now was such a time. Ultra Magnus sat on guard next to the resting Allspark. Once he was strong enough not to need her nursing him anymore, he had basically self appointed himself as her bodyguard. True, every mech and femme in the now crowded hideout would lay down their lives for either one of the AllSparks - but for him it went much deeper. For him it was his path to redemption to protect her. For she was part of the future rebuilding of Cybertron. A Cybertron he once helped to destroy…. The silent Guardian mechs had nodded to him, apparently giving him approval to act as such.

"Here ya go," one of the resting mechs next to him said as he passed him a full shot cube of energon. As there was little space left for the ever growing ranks, when they were resting they all sat or lay side by side on the floor next to the walls. It was primitive for sure, but the company was good.

Thanking the small mech, Ultra Magnus sighed in contentment as he leaned back against the wall. The femme Allspark laying comfortably with her wings retracted and head propped up in his lap. He looked down at her deactivated optics as he joined the mechs and femmes around him in a quiet toast to the new AllSparks. Taking a small sip, he set the hand holding the shot down on her wing's edge and relaxed as the burn cycled through his power grid. He was starting to get used to how odd her armor felt. No heat ever escaped. It was like the total lack of sound when she and the others moved about. Tapping the shot cube lightly against her, his sensitive audios could only pick up the tiniest thud thud.

He felt her stir about then. Looking down, he watched as her optics slowly brightened. "How are you feeling this time?" he asked her, concern showing in his voice. The other AllSpark never seemed phased by releasing new sparks, while this AllSpark came back exhausted and with slightly haunted optics. A look she normally quickly hid by closing them in defrag as soon as she laid down next to him.

"Ugh! My meta processor feels like it took a direct hit!" she grumbled unhappily. She moved her arm up his leg servos, as if to reassure herself that it was actually him that she lay next to. Then rubbed her helm with her hand. Her expression was one of intense processor pain. What she didn't ever say, was the horrific memories that burned through her processors with every new Guardian she sparked. Memories that were not hers. Memories which allowed her to learn more about the history of Cybertron than merely talking or reading about it ever could. Her spark was wrenched apart as she experienced the intense emotions that came with those horrors. Remembered pain that she assumed the dead still knew. From processors she had to wipe clean. Had to load new programs and information into. To give each new Guardian a clean slate for their life. Primus! All she wanted was to get drunk and forget it all! Doing that always helped!

Downing the rest of his weekly ration, Ultra Magnus motioned to the silent mech named Zircon. "Do you have any of the blue stuff?" he asked as he held his empty shot cube out.

Nodding, Zircon opened a side bay. Pulling out a glowing blue energon cube, he took Magnus's empty shot and filled it. Then put the cube back within his bay. Handing the overly full shot cube back to the Autobot, he ordered "Tend to her needs until full recovery," in his monotone voice.

His own meta now spinning a bit since he'd taken his energon a bit too fast, Ultra Magnus gave him a half aft salute like he'd done back in the academy. He held back an over energized snicker as he swore he could tell the mech had an amused smirk behind his mask. "Here you go," he told the femme Allspark as he held the shot to her lips. Taking care of her in her astro hours of need each week, gave the Autobot a sense of purpose. In a way, it seemed to be the answer as to how to make his new lease on life - worth it. Helped to push back the blackness deep within him, and forced him to focus on securing the future for the Autobots as a race.

Grateful for it, she chugged it in a single gulp. Though some of it spilt down her face plate and onto his armor. For a moment, they both looked at the mess, not sure what to say. Then the fog of over energization hit her as well. Their laughter caused others around them to join in on the amusement. Relief filled her as the horrors drifted back into the deep recesses of her processor. Allowing her some internal peace for a while.

After they'd finally quit laughing uncontrollably, Ultra Magnus pulled out his buffing rag to clean up her face plate. She grinned up at him with glazed optics. "Can't believe a femme never caught you!" she snickered. Grabbing the rag from his hand, she cleaned up the mess on his armor.

He smiled at the teasing. Ignoring that there was truth to her words. He'd never had a femme 'catch him' - because he had always been the expert at pushing them away. He just couldn't bear to let anyone get that close to him. To actually see the darkness that the war had imprinted on his processors. To truly share sparks with someone else, would mean he'd be laid wide open to their judging optics. That was something he just had never had any interest in doing. He faced enough judgement and responsibilities in his life as it was. Xenon and he had gotten to be friends. Much like he'd been with Elita One. Though unlike Elita One, He had quickly learned when Xenon was buzzed or drunk on the blue energon, that she liked to mess with mech's processors with teasing. He tried to not get too uptight about it. As he assumed it was the energon talking. If one teased her back, she usually stopped. "Just like no mech caught you? Or were there just too many for you to settle down with just one?" he teased back.

She and several other femmes around them, burst out in drunk laughter. "Awe, too many mechs - not enough time!" she and several others toasted empty shot cubes too.

He smiled as his friend finally quit laughing. It felt so good to live relatively care free for the moment. Sure, she had warned everyone that they would soon be on the move. Informed them that her Military Commander had negotiated an alliance with the Omega Guardians. That those Guardians would stand as their protectors when they began to rebuild. But for now, life was easy, and it was all fun and teasing between the mechs and femmes.

Most of those around them, slowly drifted on to deep defrag cycles. They always did after filling up for the week, This left the two of them with clearing optics. He couldn't wait for her to sober up. The only part of her he really struggled to deal with - was her drunk self.

He helped her as she began to shift into a sitting position. "You seem a lot weaker this time," he observed as he finally got her leaned up against him. He did worry about the femme during her recoveries. They seemed to be taking a little longer each time. Her processors seemed to hurt more each time. But she'd always brushed off his concerns.

"Ugh, tell me about it. I'd so much rather be the Cybertronian Matron - than the Guardian Matron," she replied in a whisper. "But don't tell Primus that!" she finished with a buzzed giggle. This is the only time she felt happy. The blue energon chasing the demons away for a while. Only thing that would be better, would be getting a little interface action too. So far, she hadn't had any luck in that department.

Understanding that Guardians seemed to use the term 'matron' in place of 'Allspark', Ultra Magnus kind've understood what she was saying. "So everything you spark - is a brand new Guardian?" he asked in amazement. It still seemed odd how one AllSpark only produced Cybertronian sparks, while the other produced only Guardian sparks. Apparently, the AllSparks themselves couldn't even explain it. It was just the hand dealt to each of them. The other one, Oganesson, was even more unhappy over the entire situation. She was forever griping about it.

She nodded against his shoulder mount. "It's much more taxing than resparking Cybertronians. The new Guardians' chassis must fuse with the carbon and silicon they are placed upon. That and the erasing and loading of new programs…" she groaned as she thought about the effort. The effort that allowed the terrors from the past life of each corpse to infiltrate her processors. She had begun to dread every activation of her sparkfire. These were the times she wished she had been sparked a mech.

He knew from previous discussions he'd overheard between her and First aid, that the Guardians selected the chassis of loyal soldiers who had died in battle - to spark as new guardians. They couldn't afford to respark them as Cybertronians - whose loyalties might still lie with their former leaders. But as new Guardians, they came into the world with blank memory banks and sole loyalty to the Guardians. The Cybertronians who had died of starvation, or worse yet, had been processed by the Decepticons to harvest their energon - were the ones resparked with their memories and former identities intact. Basically giving them a second chance at a better life. So far, they had yet to have any of those Cybertronians want anything to do with either the Decepticons or Autobots anymore. Factionless Cybertronians were the perfect recruits for the Guardian cause!

"How many Guardians have been sparked now?" he asked. Putting his arm around her, he pressed his weak charge against his side. Every Guardian sparked meant one more Peacekeeper to protect the Cybertronians from their natural tendencies of territorial tribalism. He fought back the welling darkness that threatened to enter his active RAM. The residual memory echoes of war and violence. Rubbing his digits against her cool carbon armor, he forced his active RAM to focus on the future. A future where his race survived and hopefully would one day thrive again...

"Hmmm, about a division," she replied. Shifting to sit more on one hip facing him, she laid an arm across his hood. "They are driving Chromitron and the Omega Guardians crazy," she snickered. She did enjoy her recovery periods under his guard. Him nursing her, as she once nursed him. It made him all the more attractive to her growing desire. A desire that she only allowed herself to show - when the blue energon loosened her inhibitions. That way, she could always blame being drunk for every action.

He smiled as he tried to imagine a powerful military commander and those Titans, trying to corral and train so many high energy fledglings. "But that's what the Omegas demanded, is it not?" he replied. He had yet to meet that commander, but as she had mentioned the mech was her brother spark, he just assumed that the mech was a standard stealth Seeker type - as she and the other AllSpark were.

"Sure did!" she agreed. She'd been a tad bit put off by their demand to prove the team had a Guardian Matron, a Guardian Allspark. So they had agreed to raise and train the sparklings. They had gone millenia without a Matron, without a reproducing femme Omega Guardian - that the mech Omegas were just so desperate to have sparklings around again. Sure, they had agreed to follow Chromitron's command - but it was only because she, the Matron, had ordered it so.

"I can't wait to meet this Chromitron," Ultra Magnus said. He smiled over at the recovering AllSpark as she doodled on his headlights. "Now, we've already discussed this," he joked as he reached over with his free hand and stopped her. She was sometimes pretty persistent in messing with a mech's meta processor - especially when buzzed. He gave her a warm, understanding smile as he stopped her. He had no interest in it - likely never would. Though he did try to take it as a compliment that he seemed to be her favorite target when she was tipsy.

She sighed in disgust as he stopped her teasing. "Perhaps I need a different body guard?" she threatened. Every bolt in her airframe waited for the day he wouldn't stop her. Perhaps she might have to get him over energized like she had with Perceptor? Autobots were just so fraggin' uptight about playing around. The fact that there was never privacy, only compounded it. Autobots absolutely did not engage in displays of affection in front of everyone. But heck, when she had no inhibitions, she still liked to try.

"Perhaps you need to realize that you're the Guardian AllSpark, and should act the part?" he teased back. "For a femme with a genius IQ for science, you are a horrible tease - everytime you get buzzed," he chuckled. She was rather annoying to him when she was like this. Tested his patience every time. But he knew it always stopped when the buzz left her circuits.

She snickered as she gave him a mischievous smirk. Twisting her hand free of his restraining hand, she boldly set it down on his codpiece. "There is no conduct code for Guardian Matrons, when it comes to the dating scene," she snickered. Her airframe really needed some action, and he was so damned - irresistible - when she was a bit drunk.

As expected, he quickly removed her hand. Only this time, he held it tight enough that she couldn't get it free. "There IS a code of conduct for Autobots," he reminded her, "Especially between Commanders and Privates." They both understood in this new world, Ultra Magnus held no rank. He was at the bottom of the totem pole. He definitely used this as his primary excuse to always say no to the femme's advances.

Rolling her optics in exacerbation, the femme tried to free her hand. "Perhaps I should give you a promotion then? Hmmmm" she teased as she threw a thruster over his leg servos. It really wasn't a tease though, she had already submitted the paperwork for him to get the rank he needed, upon their arrival on base.

He opened his mouth to shoot that idea down, when a Guardian mech came out of warp in front of them.

The orange tipped mech cocked his helm as he looked down at their prone forms on the floor and a devilish smirk spread upon his features. "Still giving the single mechs hell, hmmmm Xenon?" he teased. Meeting Ultra Magnus's slightly horrified expression as the Autobot struggled to extricate himself from what could appear to be a slightly compromising position, the Seeker snickered and gave him a wink. "Don't worry 'bout it dude. She's just like Granddad - a player."

This stopped Ultra Magnus in his struggle to still keep her hand contained, while trying to get her thruster off of him. It wasn't the fact that the mech had called her a player, he'd already figured that out himself, it was the 'granddad' term. "Granddad?" he asked them both.

Not realizing that the femme had yet to educate any of the Cybertronians about how Guardians became heavy in spark, much less the history of where they had come from, Argon spilt the beans. "Yeah, Megatron still brags about his conquests back at the academy. Apparently, he bagged far more femmes than either Optimus or Magnus ever did! Heheheheh!"

In shock, Ultra Magnus easily used his far greater mass to roll the femme off of him and perched threatenly on top of her. "Megatron?! Me? Optimus? Explain!" he snarled, with his olfactory sensor almost touching hers. He half expected the orange tipped Seeker to get involved, but instead heard the mech laughing his tail pipes off. All the pain and horrors from his previous life, flew across his active RAM. The memory echo flash of visions causing him to momentarily allow his battle processor to click on.

"Hahahaha, guess you haven't told them yet? This is gonna be good!" Argon crossed his arms to watch his aunt get herself out of the mess that he'd actually created.

"You can really suck it Argon!" Xenon yelled at the Seeker. While she could have easily warped out from underneath Ultra Magnus's greater mass, she was actually enjoying the fact that he was on top of her. Wrapping her thrusters on either side of his hip servos, she forced him to press down against her.

"Frag Argon! Explain everything to me, Xenon!" Ultra Magnus growled as he held her down and glared at her. Desperately, he tried to ignore what she was doing with her thrusters - nor how it must look to others. He needed to know their connection to Megatron! A connection she had never mentioned before. A connection she would have most definitely known would mean everything to him!

"My my my, what DO we have here?" another mech voice asked, a voice so familiar from his past, that Ultra Magnus instinctively sprang up and landed in a defensive crouch. Battle processors now fully engaged. He ignored the gasps around him as many other survivors also reacted to the Guardian mech who had just warped in. A mech who was Megatron's doppelganger, had the mech been built a heavy Seeker.

That mech just gave him an approving nod as he chuckled. "Looks like for once, my sister has her optics set on a very high quality military mech," he complimented as he made a show of scanning Ultra Magnus's frame up and down. Stepping towards the defensive Autobot, the mech seemed totally relaxed and not threatened in the least by an Autobot of equal strength more than ready to attack him. With a warm smile spreading on his faceplate, he held a hand out to Ultra Magnus, "Let me introduce myself, I'm Chromatron."

The doppelganger's relaxed behavior and actions, quickly brought the tensions down. Still not liking the fact that he really had no clue as to what this whole granddad thing was, their apparent knowledge of how he, Optimus and Megatron had been like back at the academy, and how this mech was a doppelganger - Ultra Magnus warily stood up and shook the mech's hand. "Ultra Magnus," he introduced himself, "and I have a lot of questions." he added in a low, fairly threatening tone.

Chromatron arched up and optic ridge at his now standing sister. "It appears that you have not informed them fully of our origins - nor our ancestry? Hmmmm?" He chuckled again as he glanced around him at the now very wary survivors. "I received a similar welcome from the Omega Guardians." He gave a roll of his red optics, "Oh how our father spark has fragged up this dimension!" he lamented. Obviously not the least bit concerned that every mech and femme surviver were now ready to defend themselves against whom he reminded them of, the confident mech casually removed his cannon and set it in a rather confused Ultra Magnus's hands. He set a firm hand down on his blue shoulder plates. "All in good faith," he told him with a confident wink.

Turning towards the other survivors, Chromitron went into full out master orator mode. Just as his sire could enrapture a crowd - so was he a master. Holding his arms out in a welcoming fashion, he described the dimension they had come from. A dimension that sounded like the utopia that every one of the survivors had once fought for.. Suffered for… died for… A dimension that Chromitron and the other Guardians were charged with creating again in this dimension.

Ultra Magnus stuck the powerful cannon on his arm as he silently observed the well done speech, which answered most of his own questions. He watched as the self admitted son of Megatron, won the minds and souls of all of the desperate survivors around them. So reminiscent of how the Megatron he knew - had risen in power. Finally, the speech was finished, energon shots were passed around to all, and Chromitron invited everyone to raise a toast to the future Nation they were to start building.

As the crowd went back to talking amongst themselves and getting back to the work of repairing empty chassis for resparking, Chromitron turned back to him. Noticing the Autobot had put his canon on his arm, he gave him a warm smile. "My canon fits you well," he complimented. "Though you might need it - to keep my sister's over eager hands off of your codpiece," he snickered with an understanding wink at the Autobot.

Xenon strode up to him and brought a thruster up hard into his codpiece. "It's my business who I play with," she snorted as Chromitron bent over, clutching his stinging interface array. "Fraggin' mechs!" they heard her cuss under her breath as she marched off to assist First Aid.

Chromitron put a hand on Ultra Magnus's shoulder plates to keep himself standing as he slowly straightened up. "Did I mention that she fights as dirty as our mother spark?" he coughed.

Knowing just how much that type of impact would hurt a mech, Ultra Magnus put a supportive arm around him. "I still cannot wrap my meta around your history.. Your ancestry," he admitted. Offering the canon back to its rightful owner, he knew without a doubt that he could trust this mech. He'd just have to get over the fact that he was a doppelganger of the mech who had assassinated him at point blank range. That very memory was trying to superimpose itself across reality right now. Blinking his optic shutters, he forced it back into the deep recesses of his processors.

Finally able to stand straight again, Chromitron smiled at him. "Just as we have struggled to wrap our metas around YOUR history and current situation." Pulling his arm off of Ultra Magnus's shoulder, an understanding expression passed between them. "Hell, back home you were nothing but an old mech who preferred to spend his days in the council chambers, spouting off ideology," he joked.

The Autobot met his optics with steady orbs, "Honestly, I WISH that was my life at this point," he admitted. He was in no way joking either. That life was what he had dreamed of back in his youth, as he idolized Alpha Trion and drank in every bit of knowledge his mentor shared.

Chromitron chuckled and gave him an understanding nod. "We'll work towards that," he promised. Turning, he fixed his optics on his sister, who was now working hard next to First Aid, and making it a point to NOT look their way.

Ultra Magnus copied his actions, both mechs now studying the busy femme. "She is similar to you in many ways. She has gotten the love and loyalty of every survivor here," he complimented. "You both take after your sire in that regard." Honestly, this was the side he liked seeing in the femme. The side he'd originally known as a patient she had nursed back to health. The difference between the working femme and the drunk femme - was like night and day.

Chromitron set a hand back on his shoulder mount. "Guardians DO tend to take after the Cybertronian parent in personality," he whispered in his audio, "eventually she will run out of the sparks she brought with her. She will have to take a Cybertronian mate in this dimension."

The Autobot knew what he was getting at. "She's not exactly my type," he admitted. It was the easiest way to get out of what he suspected the mech was going to recommend. Autobots were known not to enjoy forward type of femmes. That was the description that Xenon truly met.

The Guardian shrugged, "Honestly, you aren't her type either. Back home she went after scientists and engineers." He chuckled a bit, "it was very surprising to see her messing around with a soldier." He couldn't have been more pleased either...

"We weren't messing around!" Ultra Magnus shot back. His optics still followed Xenon as she performed surgery at First Aid's side. He was attracted to this side of the femme, when she showed her humility, compassion and empathy. He was just not attracted to her teasing player side. He wouldn't get one without the other. With his dating history, she'd be better off setting her optics on someone else anyways. His spark was not for sharing.

Not knowing the Autobot's history of relationship avoidance, the doppelganger just saw before him the perfect soldier to produce good soldiers. Soldiers that the new Nation would desperately need! Just seeing Ultra Magnus's reaction as typical Autobot propriety behaviour, Chromitron chuckled as he patted his shoulder mount in a brotherly fashion. "I see it in your optics as you watch her right now. There is a side of her that is 'your type'. Is there not? Obviously, some side of your personality attracts her as well."

The Autobot sighed, in some ways Chromitron was as persistent as his sister. Did he have the patience to deal with both of them? "I'm not into players," he stated dryly. That was going to be his way out of it. Autobot mechs were simply not attracted to players like Decepticon femmes tended to be. It was a difference in their base programming.

"Once a femme becomes a Matron and takes her final and official mate - they mate for life," Chromitron informed him. "Xenon is entering that life stage now. The mech she finally settles with - will have a direct impact on the future of the Guardian nation for generations to come. A Nation which will support the preservation of your race." He gave Magnus's shoulder mount a strong pat, "If you have half the intellect and sense that you had back home - you more than understand the advantages you can give to your faction's survival - depending on your future actions towards her."

Ultra Magnus's core dropped as he realized just how much the Guardian Commander wanted him to end up with his sister. The arguments were very logical. Heck, he'd likely even make similar arguments himself if he was in a similar position. The problem was, he was simply not into relationships - period! But he wasn't about to actually admit that to anyone. So he tried to find another escape route. "Why are you telling me all this? Pushing me to initiate a relationship with her?" Ultra Magnus dropped his tone as he locked optics with the doppelganger. "Just like your father always has an ulterior motive - I highly suspect that you do as well." The mech was far too much like Megatron NOT to have long term plans for everything!

"Ah, a sharp mind as well as a strong back!" Chromitron purred. Fully wrapping his arm across the Autobot's shoulder plates, he pulled him close. "You and I are both soldiers. We think like soldiers. We plan," he motioned towards his sister. "She may be trained to be a soldier, but she's not. She can fight when backed into a corner. But she would never understand planning.. Understand tactics. Understand prevention and security."

As he paused, Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement with those observations. "Continue.." he prodded. It really was pointless to argue with the mech. He figured he'd just hear him out, and then figure a way out of it.

Chromitron sighed as he considered the fledglings he had been busy training. "The sparks she now carries are sired by engineers and scientists. They were given portions of her vast knowledge in those fields. While that is perfect for the building phase of our Nation.."

"They are not natural soldiers able to protect that Nation," Ultra Magnus finished the thought for him. He glanced at Xenon and then back at Chromitron. "You fear that Megatron may survive his mission and return. You want to be prepared in that event."

"Fear is a strong word my friend," Chromitron grinned, "I was raised and trained to defeat him. If that is what becomes necessary." He shifted his weight on his thrusters, though just like with the other Guardians - not a sound could be heard. "However, if the Nation is already protected by a formidable military force. A force of the grandsparks of his own, crossed with your formidable sparkline. All trained to the same standards as I was…" He looked to Ultra Magnus to finish the thought.

Ultra Magnus sighed and nodded. "I clearly see your tactics. If Megatron returns, he faces not only his son, but hundreds or even thousands as powerful and skilled as himself." Sure, he did see the mech's tactics. But that didn't mean he was actually going to become a part of them.

The doppelganger gave him an approving smile, "That's why I was actually very pleased to see that Xenon had finally found a soldier of her liking." He turned his optics back to his sister. "A formidable force such as that, will give your Megatron pause. Discovering that his own son commands it, may bring him to the negotiating table." His optics gained a mischievous gleam to them, "When he sits down across from a mech he assassinated, who is resparked and now stands at the side of his daughter.."

"He's either going to really blow a gasket - or be driven mad by knowing that his son holds the key over life and death." For a moment, Ultra Magnus wondered why it was already so easy for him to finish Chromitron's thought processes. Perhaps because they followed logical assumptions about Megatron's own thought processes. "He'll either try to become close allies with you - or somehow destroy you and take what you have." Well, he could imagine Megatron having to sit across the negotiation table from HIM - but not as a son-in-law to him. Just as a ghost come back to bring him some justice!

Chromitron chuckled as he turned his optics back onto the mech. "That's the beauty of the Guardian AllSparks being able to take care of themselves. The value of both of them having been trained in the same manner as I was." He paused for a moment, before continuing, "No, if you are already bonded to her, with Oganesson the daughter of an Autobot Prime, and the Omega Guardians at our side - he will quickly deduce that he cannot simply take what I have by destroying me. He will either enter a treaty - or he watches his dying Decepticon Nation while we continue to grow in numbers, flourish and rebuild."

Ultra Magnus turned his optics back onto the femme. "Why is it that I feel like I've just gone through a military negotiation?" he commented. Not that Chromitron's plan for him was going to be successful. He already knew deep in his spark that it would be a spectacular crash and burn type of ending. The type he'd had with every relationship he'd tried as a young mech. That was before he'd just quit trying, because life was much simpler being single and focused on your job.

"Ha ha! It's good to know where everything stands between mechs!" Chromitron banged a bit on his shoulder mount.

"And what if nothing permanent develops between her and I? I may end up nothing but a short fling for a femme like her," Ultra Magnus asked. He turned his optics back to the mech. It was more than a passing question, as he really did need to know if ending up single would change how he was viewed or treated by the Guardian faction. He would lay a lot of credits on that being the ultimate outcome. However, if all he had to do was to appear to have made an effort, which then failed, then he was certain he could more than succeed!

"Make her work to catch you, Ultra Magnus. Refuse all of her advances. Femmes like her are driven to obtain what they think they cannot have. Once you've gotten her to the point where she will literally do anything to get under your armor, force her to become promised to you first," Chromitron actually snickered a bit as he gave the Autobot dating advice. "Guardians do NOT go back on our word - especially in my family." With that final word, the powerful Seeker gave him a wink, turned and strode off to deal with some business.

Knowing that he'd just been given clear orders by her brother to date Xenon, didn't clear up the Autobot's mental strife about all he had learned that morning, nor how he really felt about the femme. Though he had actually been given a clear way out of the situation. All he had to do was what he always did - push interested femmes away. His spark was already dedicated to her because she was an AllSpark to him. She was bringing new life and new hope to Cybertron. But could he see himself standing next to her as anything more than a friend and bodyguard? That, he could say was a definite no - even though he fully saw the clear benefits to all races if it came to pass. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the femme. He was certain that she would make some other mech a very happy mate. He just wasn't the type of mech. Shaking his head a bit as if to clear it, he turned to go find the scavenger detail he normally worked with - and see if they needed any help. With her powerful brother and nephew in attendance, Xenon had no need for him as a bodyguard while she recovered her full strength. He really needed to be away from both of them - to think...