Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. Vox belongs to a friend.
Authoress: *hanging from chains* What are you two going to do to me?
Starscream: Oh good, you're awake. We just want to ask you some questions, human. You would be wise to answer them.
Wheeljack: Of course, you could always just undo the mess you've made. That would work too.
Authoress: *glares* You know I can't do that. Once it is written, it does not get undone.
Starscream: *smirks* Then let's get started.
Chapter 54: Neutral Fyre
Pandimala's 1st P.O.V.
I was starting to wonder how Talon was able to deal with this mech so much. Ever since I had told the two of them that I would try and reason with the scythe, he had been doing everything thing in his power, outside of challenging me to a fight surprisingly, to get me to change my mind. However, after hearing everything that they had to say before, I at least wanted to talk to whatever spirit was in the scythe.
Even though the reaction it gave Talon seemed angry, I would bet that the spirit was lonely. Not only that, but I had been serious before. I was sure that the scythe and I had a lot in common. It was obvious that the scythe was powerful if it was able to shock a Predacon into stasis for seven solars. And being powerful meant that others would want to use you for whatever you wanted.
While back when I was used my true strength wasn't physical power, I did have the power of my knowledge. I had been so ready to help Paul with his goals, blindly loyal now that I looked back on it. In all essence, I had been his blade. If I would have ended up with the Autobots, I would still probably be his blade. But, being with the Decepticons, and working with them, showed me that there could be a better way to end this war than what Paul might be planning. But, as soon as I made a stand and told him my other loyalties, he snapped. I wasn't allowed to go against his master plan. None of it. I needed to fall in line and be a good weapon for him to use.
No. I would not be his obedient little weapon. I had a free will of my own, and I was going to use it every way I could to bring peace. While I was furious with the Autobots right now, I knew what my end goal was. But, this was a setback. The Autobots had to screw up my plans for now. Slaggers. At least I had Raf and Wheeljack working in their faction to keep them moving in the right direction.
Back to the mech in front of me though. "Predaking, this is war. I am not changing my processor on this. And I'll need you two to go ahead of me to the Lake."
"Why would you need us to?" He asked me, though I could see that he still wanted to argue.
"Because I need to make sure that Rumble and Frenzy make it out of whatever it is that the Autobots are planning. I might be cutting it close, or I might not make it, depending on what happens with the scythe."
"You want us to leave you to try and touch the scythe alone? Are you mad?" He all but roared in response to my reasoning.
I shrugged my shoulders. "The council's still out on that." He didn't look amused at my response. "But seriously, we all know I can survive an attack against my processor. If I can take a god's misguided attempts to protect my processor, then I can take a grumpy spirit's attack."
"She has a point," Talon came to my defense.
"You get no say in this," Predaking snipped at his bondmate. "You two have been ganging up on me this entire time." Was he pouting?
"Back to my plan though." I started, ignoring his last statement. "If I have you two making sure that Rumble and Frenzy are alright, I can focus on this talk I'm hoping to have with the scythe. If it does let me talk to it, I might push getting to the fight in time to help at all. However, even if the scythe knocks me out, you all will have earned a chance with the Decepticons, since they won't know you, and then you can have them bridge here and pick up my idiot aft and the weapon to store away."
Predaking held up a servo like he was going to argue with the plan that I just made. But, every time it seemed like the mech was going to say anything, he would stop himself and lower his servo. This was honestly really amusing to watch. Well, to be fair, I hadn't told them what I did for the Decepticons. I was a strategist trained by the best the Decepticons had to offer, including our Lord himself. Predaking was not going to win against that no matter what he tried.
Finally, the mech threw his servos into the air, in what I was assuming was surrender. "Fine! Have it your way. Frag arguing against you is worse than arguing with Talon." He then let out a low growl. It sounded like an annoyed one so I wasn't worried. "What do you do for the Decepticons again? I thought you were just a warrior."
I let out a laugh at that. "While I've had some combat training, my training was focused as a strategist." I then smiled at the end of that.
Predaking's expression deadpanned at that so fast that I thought I broke him. "Now that's just not fair. Between you and Talon, I'm never winning an argument again." It took all my willpower not to laugh as the mech started to pout.
Talon, though, was looking at me like I was her greatest savior. "I thought maybe they would have trained you as a warrior, maybe an aerial leader...but a strategist? I love you so much right now!" She then glomped me before I could stop her.
"Talon...we need to keep moving. Time might be of the essence." I said as I barely kept my balance.
She let go, thankfully, but she now had a victorious look on her faceplate. I did send a quick apologetic look to Predaking since he was going to have to deal with this from now on. He just shook his helm at me. Guess he accepted his fate already. I'd make it up to him one solar.
But, for now, we had work to do. "Okay, so how long will it take the two of you to fly to the lake?"
The two looked at each other and seemed to have a private conversation before Talon answered me. "We think about two solars if we push it and take the minimal breaks. Do you think that will be soon enough?"
Honestly, I did. "I think so. Depending on why the Autobots took the twins, they are going to want the Decepticons to stew in this fact for as long as they can. But, from the article I read about the government closure of the area surrounding the lake, they only have seven solars...six now, to put their plans into motion. They'll probably wait halfway through the time to make the Decepticons desperate to get the twins back. You will either get their right as events are unfolding or the solar before. If you get there during the confrontation, do your best to not get seen and free the twins. However, if you are there early, I would suggest hiding in the lake. It seems like the best place for them to hold the twins and that way you will be in the perfect spots to free them."
"And what happens if the twins react poorly to our presence?" Predaking asked. "The two of us can be intimidating."
And he had a good point. If we were going to be covertly rescuing the twins, then they could panic. Soundwave would pick up on that and possibly get in the way. Possibly causing the Autobots to hurt them. Soundwave was going to offline me for this, but giving these two the twins comm frequencies would let them send personal messages to them, so the twins hopefully wouldn't go into a panic.
"Okay, I'm sending you both the twins' comm frequencies. As soon as the twins are not being watched by the Autobots, send them a message with this attached." Then, with reluctance, I sent a picture of when I fell victim to the twins' prank. "Make sure you say that a friend of theirs sent you to help. With that phrase and that picture, the twins should trust you and not panic."
Predaking nodded at that. "Very well. Though I do not see how this picture will make them trust us."
I could see a smug look in his optics at that. Oh, that fragger just wanted me to admit that it was me in that picture. "Back when I was human, I pranked the twins and they got revenge. That is what is in that picture. Only bots from the Nemesis have that picture so they will know that an ally sent you...though they won't know specifically that it is me...and don't tell them it was me either. I don't want the Autobots to get wind that I am online if I do make it to the battle. I want to see the surprise on their faceplates when I show up."
Both Predacons nodded at that before Talon spoke up. "And what about if you don't show up? Should we mention your designation?"
Well, that was an easy question to answer. "Rescuing the twins should at least get you both access to the Nemesis no question. If you don't rescue the twins, then just mention my designation and that will get you on the Nemesis. Then let them know where to pick up my in-stasis chassis. If you do rescue the twins, once you are on the Nemesis just mention my designation and where I am at and I have no doubt those bots will be racing to come and pick up my in-stasis chassis." And they would. I could just picture Starscream's trine racing through the bridge to come and see me first. Of course, they would have to wait for a couple of the bigger bots to come and carry my aft through another bridge to get me back to health.
Oh frag, and then no bot was going to let me out of their sight ever again! Frag it!
"So, no matter what, wait to tell them your designation until after the twins are secured?" Arctic Talon simplified my explanation.
"Precisely." I agreed with her before I motioned to them. "You two ready to go?" They both nodded, though Predaking looked reluctant. Guess he was trying to delay me from interacting with the scythe as much as possible. But, it had to happen. "Then let's get moving. You all have a long flight ahead of you and I have a scythe to try and talk to."
"Try not to get your processor fried again," Predaking commented before he started toward the entrance of the ship.
Talon nodded. "Yeah. As much as I want you to get it, you're the first femme I've met. I don't want to lose my best femme friend." She then pulled me into a hug.
I hugged her back with a laugh. "Don't worry Talon, I'll be fine."
"You had better," She threw back before she joined her bondmate.
Once they were both out of sight, I turned toward the bridge and started my way toward it. This was it. I was either about to partake in a very long conversation with a grumpy spirit or I was about to be knocked out for at least seven solars, if not longer. Well, at least this time I was going to be knocking myself out of my own free will instead of at the whim of a fragging god who couldn't keep to himself.
Fragger.
It didn't take me long before I was walking through the doors of the bridge. The first thing that my optics were drawn to was the size of the container. The container was close to my height, so Talon had been pretty accurate about her guess on the size of the scythe. I continued to study the silver container and noticed a small insignia on the front. However, it wasn't one that I recognized. A full moon was set with black flames around it. Kinda ominous-looking but, given what I was worried about, it also fit.
Since I didn't see any other way that might open the container, I walked up to it before lightly tapping on the symbol. As the symbol started to light up with a black light, I took a few steps back. And I was thankful that I did when, as soon as the two panels of the front moved to the side, a flare of the black energy they were talking about flared forward. I would have been knocked out instantly if I had stayed standing close.
Well, better get this talk started. "You know, attacking others before you get to know them is kinda rude."
The energy, that was still trying to strike out, seemed to slow slightly at that. So, It could hear me.
"All I want to do is talk."
It seemed to hesitate for a nano, even receding slightly, before it flared and struck out even further. I had to take a step back to make sure that none of the energy hit me.
"I get it. You don't trust anybot. They've probably tried to use you for things you didn't want to do ever since you got in there. I get it. I do. I've been used ever since I got to this dimension by a portion of a god that thinks he knows what's best for everybot! I understand being used. He used me for so long, took so much information from me. And the one time I voiced a different view than me, he immediately tried to put me in my place! I do understand why you don't want to trust anyone. I wouldn't either if I was in your situation...instead of having a chassis as I do."
The energy seemed to pause at my outburst. Like it was trying to see if I was lying. I wasn't. Finally, the energy receded to the point where it was just surrounding the scythe.
"All I want to do is talk to you. May I simply place a digit on the blade so we can speak together, both of us using words? Please?" I asked the scythe.
This was the risky part. If the blade was malevolent, then it might trick me into touching it just so it could zap me. An argument I was glad that Predaking didn't bring up was the fact that there would be no bot here to close the container as he had been for Talon. She was out for seven solars from the zap she got and he blocked her from getting hit by more energy by shutting the container. I wouldn't have that relief. I had to put my trust in the scythe that was just defending itself.
The energy stayed surrounding the weapon for a few more clicks before the black energy slowly removed itself from the blade. It was still on the staff, smart of it, but the blade now seemed available to touch. So, I slowly moved toward it. Again, I wasn't sure that the blade was completely safe. However, I had to take the risk. At the least, I could find out about whatever spirit was possessing the blade.
Once I arrived within touching distance I stopped and started to reach my servo toward the blade. I noticed the energy flickering a little on the staff but I forced myself to put down my instincts to move away. The blade was opening up to me, I thought at least, and I couldn't show that I was not reciprocating that trust. I needed to be confident. No hesitation. As my digit touched the blade, I felt a jolt of pain before my vision went dark.
I onlined my optics to see that I was on Cybertron. But, it looked different. Comparing the area around me to what I knew, this should be the Sea of Rust. But, instead of a desolate wasteland, it looked like a miniature paradise. Energy seemed to shimmer from the metal below my pedes. To my surprise though, as I looked around, I only saw one house and it didn't look that impressive. Large enough for one bot definitely but there were a couple of buildings near it that must be workhouses. Was the spirit some sort of craftbot?
"I have allowed you in here. Now, you are in my domain." A deep voice sounded from the direction I had originally been staring. Turning back to it, I saw a large cloud of that same black energy floating in front of me. The cloud had to be at least twice my height. Frag. "If you try anything, I will have full power to take you out."
His vocals, as powerful as they sounded, also sounded nervous. Guess I was the first bot who wanted to talk with him. "I guess I should introduce myself," What else was I supposed to do? I didn't plan out how this talk was going to go. Better to start with introductions anyways. "My designation is Pandimala. However, I used to be a human, known as Lizzie Val, from another dimension where everything that has to do with your race is just a make-believe show to us. Then, I was brought to this dimension from a portion of Primus called Paul Riley Muskogee to help bring peace. However, Paul and I had a falling out because we had different ideas of what peace truly was."
The energy seemed to flicker slightly at that. Then, to my surprise, the energy started to dissipate. As it did though, my optics widened at the mech that started to appear before me. I never thought, outside of combiners, Predacons, and other big bots like those, that I would ever find myself looking up to another bot. Yet that was what I found myself doing as the energy completely vanished, revealing the mech in front of me.
My helm only reached his chest plate, making him a decent amount taller than even Predaking. The mech's optics were a very vibrant silver color as they stared down at me. If he were to be on Earth, I wouldn't doubt he would turn into a huge coal-run locomotive. However, his coloring would have stood out. His chassis was a forest green color with white trim. The wheels along his chassis were rimmed in a sharp red-colored metal. I didn't know who this mech was, but he was intimidating even without the energy that had been surrounding him.
"Well, that was quite the introduction. I suppose I should follow suit." The engine mech spoke finally. He seemed to have relaxed slightly but I could still see a nervous edge in his optics. "My designation is Catastro. Now, convince me that you are worthy of this scythe."
Frenzy's 1st P.O.V.
I let my pedes swing as I continued to hang here from this cylinder. It had been a solar since the Autobots had taken us and, while I wasn't happy to be here, it definitely could have gone worse for us. Thankfully, Wheeljack's group had been able to keep up their word and make sure that they were the ones in here with us, even though two of them were the only medics that, as far as we knew, they had. But, all four of them had kept up their rotations in watching us.
Also true to Wheeljack's prediction, we had a couple of visits from Eject and Rewind. They confirmed that their host, Blaster, was furious that we hadn't been taken back to the Decepticons already. Then, we had just started to chitchat between all of us. Rumble had been a little reluctant to talk to them at first, but once they brought up pranks, my twin was all audios. They had some pretty cool ideas that I was excited to try when we got back to the Nemesis.
...If we got back to the Nemesis. While Wheeljack and his group were making sure we were alright here, Rumble and I both knew what they wanted with us. They wanted to trade us for their leader, who most of them thought that the Decepticons had. But, we didn't. Frag it, we didn't even have Lord Megatron.
And they had taken Pandimala away from us. While it was good to know that Wheeljack didn't betray us like I knew Soundwave had brought up as a possibility to us, there was still at least one Autobot here who had attacked her. And they knew who she used to be. What would they try to do to us Decepticons who had been so for as long as the Decepticons had existed?
"You okay?" Rumble asked me. Guess he was feeling my worry over our bond.
I shook my helm since I couldn't lie to him. "No, I'm worried about what they might try to do to us when they realize the others can't give them their leader."
"I'll make sure no bot can get near you," I jumped when that voice sounded. Looking up, I saw that Zarron was taking his shift. Frag it that mech should not be able to move that quietly! "Even if I have to take over all the shifts watching you and have to recharge in here."
"How long were you standing there?" I threw at him as I frowned. The first time he had taken over for Wheeljack, I had about sprung a leak when he suddenly just appeared at the door. Not even Soundwave could move that quietly.
He shook his helm. "I just walked up to hear you say what you were worried about." Well, at least he wasn't there for long this time. The third shift he had taken, he had stood at the door for thirty clicks before he let himself known. We had been talking about 'Mala at that point and he had scared us when he jumped in with something he had experienced with the femme. Something about her not taking care of her cannons or whatnot.
"Well, that's better than before," I muttered.
The mech opened the cell door and sat down next to where we were restrained. "Glad I am improving," Cheeky mech. "How are you both feeling? Do I need to call Balm in here for anything?"
I shook my helm. "No, I'm feeling alright. Rumble?"
My twin was quick to answer. "No, I'm good. Thanks anyway though."
"Okay, but if you need her at any time during my shift, let me know and I can get her in here real quick." He insisted. He then pulled out two cubes of energon. Ah, I thought we were forgetting something. "I also brought your energon ration for the mid-solar. Ready?" He asked Rumble, starting with him.
"Yeah, do what you gotta do Autobot," Rumble answered. We weren't a fan of having to be fed our energon like this. But, since our servos were bound to our sides, we weren't in a position to do much else. Well, they could starve us but I didn't want that to happen.
After a few clicks, he moved in front of me with the other cube. "Ready?"
I nodded toward him and he held the cube to my mouth. Thankfully, he poured it slowly so I could drink it easily. It was hard not to gag on the stuff though. The Autobots were not as skilled at refining their energon as we were and it showed in how the stuff tasted. But, energon was energon and we needed to stay fueled so we could be healthy enough to make a break for it if we could.
Once the cube was done, he pulled it away. "You Autobots need to get better at refining energon. That stuff tastes like the smelting pits used to smell."
Zarron let out a laugh at that. "Well, you aren't wrong. This stuff is pretty basic. However, with us working with human technology, for the most part, this is probably the best that we can do for now." Fair point. "I know an Autobot who can brew an energon so smooth that it makes anything you've ever tasted taste just like the energon you just took."
"That's not nice to tease," I huffed as I looked away. Frag that sounded good. If it was as good as the Autobot was saying that was. I wasn't sure. Sounded kinda too good to be true to me.
"But, you have to admit that it made you feel a little better about drinking that," Zarron shot back.
I hesitated as surprise filled my circuits. He was right. I didn't feel as bad drinking the energon now that I was thinking about how good that other energon might be. "Touche,"
Honestly, this mech wasn't bad for an Autobot. The medics got a pass. They were supposed to be nice bots in general. But regular Autobots usually didn't come so nice. They usually came with sneers and jeers. Even before the fighting, back when the Decepticons were just a political party, those who didn't like us were like that. Thinking that we were all crazy. That our hope for equality was just a pipe dream.
But, with what Pandimala had been working for, we had that peace closer than ever. Hopefully, we could keep working for that even with her gone. That would be something nice to remember her by. It would be awesome for us to get peace achieved and then name Pandimala as one of the ones who fought for peace. That way everyone would know what she sacrificed so we could live in peace.
We all jumped when the door to the holding area opened. It hadn't been three cycles yet. Ratchet shouldn't be taking his shift for a while yet. I noticed that Zarron was relaxing so he must recognize whoever the bot was.
And I did too when I saw Balm appear at the door of our cell. She didn't waste any time in opening it before she sat down. We all saw that she looked upset by something. "Balm, what happened?" Zarron asked the femme
After a click, seemingly for the femme to calm down, she answered him. "They voted Zar."
We all froze at that. They had brought it up last night cycle that they were down to two options that the Autobots could use us for in their negotiations. The first was the one we were hoping for. The two of us would be left here at the base, in their main hub being watched, while the Autobots negotiated with the Decepticons to try and get their leader back. If the Decepticons returned Prime, which I knew that they couldn't since they didn't have him, then we would be brought through a ground bridge and the exchange would happen. If they didn't, then we were still in their base and the Decepticons wouldn't get us back.
Of course, I knew that if that happened, then they would launch a raid on their base. We all knew where it was. It was just a matter of us needing to waste the time in doing that.
But, the second option would put us in danger. We would be brought to the negotiations and placed into the lake, so the Decepticons couldn't interfere and try and retrieve us. They would have fake bombs planted on the device holding us there that they would threaten the other Decepticons with to make sure that they got their leader back. If we returned their leader, though again I knew we couldn't, the Autobots would give the Decepticons the control to the device we would be attached to. If their leader wasn't returned, then a fight would most likely happen, and, after the fight, we would be brought back here if we didn't get offlined first.
From the worried look on her face, I had a bad feeling about which choice they picked. "What was the vote?" He asked her.
She shook her helm. "Those idiots chose to bring the twins to the battlefield." Slag I knew it.
"Morons!" Zarron hissed. "All of them. The Autobots have been tiptoeing the line to break intergalactic law ever since we had Pandimala. We might just break it during this if they aren't careful. Risking hostages like this goes against so many different intergalactic laws that my helm is spinning. This isn't good at all." He then motioned to her. "How close was the vote?"
I shivered when Balm growled at that. I hadn't heard her angry before, and if I was honest it was kinda scary. "One vote swung it to the second option."
"How did everybot react when the results were announced?" Zarron asked back.
That was weird. While that was a normal question to have, he seemed personally invested in it. It made me wonder what his angle was in this. Zarron was a strange bot. We knew that from the information we would get from Soundwave and the others. He seemed to poke and prod at a fight, but he never seemed to put in all of his effort in fighting. Always tried to ask questions about different things. I remembered Vox saying that Zarron seemed to be interested in his past with the Autobots in particular.
I let that thought go when Balm answered him. "Mostly what you would expect from most bots that have been here for a while. Sentinel and that trio seemed pleased. I was surprised that Cliffjumper and Arcee seemed happy as well." She then shook her helm. "Of course, they had to put Blaster and his symbiots into forced stasis. They were ready to go rogue and take you two with them. But, that could have gotten you two hurt otherwise we would be doing the same." Glad to know some bots cared. "But strangely enough, Ultra Magnus looked upset too." Why was that weird?
"That is weird," Zarron agreed with her. "He's seemed very by the book since he got here. Even suggesting the vote to settle the debate here. Seemed like the kind of bot who would just accept how the vote went. Maybe things here on Earth aren't what he was expecting?"
Now that he said that, I guess it was weird that the Autobot was upset. Oh well. It wasn't my business. I would send a message to the boss during our nap later about what the Autobots would planning. This way, the rest of the Decepticons would be going into the negotiations knowing what to expect. I was also going to send him what Zarron and Balm just mentioned. This way, he would know certain bots to go after.
Lockdown's 1st P.O.V.
This was one messed-up situation. When I came to Earth with Thunderblast, I had come thinking that the command was returned to what it was like during the early stellars of fighting of Cybertron. Earth was the location to be for an organized and cooperative fighting environment. Frag, from the rumors, Scavenger had even come out from where he had been hiding to join back up with Lord Megatron. Since he was back, then it made sense for me to join as well.
But, of course, things had gone to the Pit cycles before I got here. However, it was good to know that the rumors about the command being organized and cooperative seemed to be holding up. Starscream had changed a lot since the last time I had seen him. Went from a scurrying little shadow of a mech to a natural leader who was ready to admit when he needed help. He had grown a lot.
And that was probably one of the things holding the Decepticons together right now. He had reacted correctly to the news of the disappearance of Soundwave's twin mechs. He got the medics ready to subdue the mech, who was as frantic as to be expected when we learned that the Autobots had captured them during that raid. Then, he was quick to explain the reason why we weren't just raiding their 'secret' base to get them back right away. He was starting to use his helm again, and that would make him a dangerous mech for his enemies.
Once we had calmed down from that, Starscream outlined his plans for the foreseeable future. Our first order of business, and rightly so, would be to get the twins back from the Autobots. Vox, a good mech, had filled me in on what had been happening here on Earth since his arrival and, after what the Autobots did to the femme, then it was important to get the twins back as soon as we could. Once the Autobots made their move on that front, then we would bring them back. Since we had more information about their situation, they were our top priority.
After that, then we would move all of our focus to locating and retrieving Lord Megatron. At this point, since it had been a couple of solars since his disappearance, he was officially M.I.A. But, since we weren't sure who had taken him, then we had to wait to find him until the situation with Rumble and Frenzy was taken care of.
And of course, after that, we would follow Lord Megatron and what he wanted to get accomplished. From what Vox told me, we had been working toward peace with the Autobots. After all of this, however, I wasn't sure that we were going to be working toward that still. Peace sounded nice, but the Autobots weren't making that easy here.
If we were back on Acetamin Beta...now that was a smart group of Autobots. They accepted trade with anybot who passed their checks, didn't matter on the faction. They made good use of their sources but seemed consistent in what they believed. Wait, Acetamin Beta...I had seen one of the Autobots here on that planet. Which one was it?
"Lockdown my old buddy old pal. Haven't had a chance to speak with you," I turned my helm and raised an optic ridge as Swindle approached me. "How have the stellars been treating you?"
"Swindle. I see you haven't changed tactics much. I have been doing average, just to answer your question," I swear, that mech tried to retest everybot that he came across. Sometimes, I was surprised that the DJD didn't just bring the mech into their fold. But, they had stayed active during the dark times of our cause while Swindle and I both went into reclusion.
In return, the mech shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? Habits are hard to break."
"You couldn't tell that by looking around the ship," I shot back at him. Even outside of Starscream, it was obvious that many of the bots who had been here for longer than a few solars were changed, and changed seemingly for the better.
Swindle nodded and leaned on the wall next to me. "True. Starscream surprised me the most."
"You and me both," I agreed with him.
"But, there are others. Soundwave seems more...talkative than I remember him being. Shockwave seems to be more social with other bots than the Shockwave I used to know. The mech even approached me earlier for a conversation. Surprised the scrap out of me, that's for sure. And Blitzwing even seemed more put together in his helm, for being him. Didn't seem to switch around nearly as much, even when I baited him." Swindle pointed out others who were changed from the last time we saw them. "And I can't say I'm not happy about it. Those mechs needed to get themselves sorted out."
"I haven't talked to the others, but I didn't even realize that Soundwave could talk until I arrived here. I thought he was solely a mech who communicated with clips and images." And that had honestly thrown me off during the beginning of the fight here on the ship. I couldn't get my processor off of the fact that Soundwave of all mechs had vocals. Almost lost my other servo to that Pitch, before I refocused my attention.
"Speaking of the mech," Swindle started. "He seems to have calmed down from the panic attack I heard he had before I got here."
A panic attack was a light way of describing it. Soundwave had been ready to be a one-mech army against the Autobots when he found out that they had his two symbiots. And again, Starscream had prepared for his panic and had the medics sedate him. When he woke up, and the plan was explained to him, Soundwave reluctantly agreed to it. I think it helped that the twins were still communicating with him over their bond. Also, from what I heard, some Autobots were making sure that they were being kept safe while they were there.
"All officers, report to the bridge," Starscream's voice echoed through the ship before the comm was audibly turned off.
"Well, guess we are heading the same way," I said to Swindle as I started to walk.
"It's probably about Rumble and Frenzy," Swindle commented as he joined me. "Unless he found Lord Megatron, that would be the only thing he would call all of us officers to the bridge for. The mech seems to be dealing with a lot more than just our big issues."
I shook my helm. "Guess you haven't seen everybot enough. Outside of you, me, and Thunderblast, all of the officers seem like they are dealing with more than just our big issues. Vox mentioned a femme strategist we had in our ranks that offlined recently in Autobot custody. It might be her offlining that they are thinking about."
"Really?" Swindle asked with a surprised tone. "I'll have to talk to Vox myself then, see if I can learn more about this femme."
At this point, we arrived at the doors to the bridge. When we walked inside, about half of the command was already here. So, we simply stood near Thunderblast and Shockwave and waited for the others to arrive. While we waited though, I noticed that both Starscream and Soundwave looked tense. This meeting was looking to be most likely about the twins. Something must have changed. We knew, from the message Frenzy had sent Soundwave the other solar, the Autobots were going to be bringing the twins to the negotiations and going to be bluffing about holding their sparks over our helms to get their leader back from us.
Primus Autobots were so dense. We told them that we didn't have their leader. Even if we did, once they took the twins, we would have contacted them for trade negotiations. We wouldn't be waiting these solars for them to make the decisions about the negotiations. The first rule of trade, always make sure that you pressed any advantage you had. If we had Prime, we would have the advantage. But, we didn't. Instead, the Autobots were expecting us to bring something that we didn't have for our comrades.
Finally, Crumplezone and Ransack walked onto the bridge. Good. That meant that we could get this informational meeting out of the way. We knew that was what it was, so that meant that we were all paying attention to what was going on. "The Autobots have contacted us," So this was about the twins. Starscream then continued to speak. "They have told us they will send us coordinates for where the negotiations will take place tomorrow around mid-solar. Remember, we are there to retrieve the twins, first and foremost. Any grudges you might have can be saved for another solar. We do expect a fight with the Autobots, but we are going to make sure that we are not the ones who fire the first shot. We are going to follow intergalactic law on this. I will not let the Autobots claim that we went against the standards for conflict that the Galactic Alliance set up."
"But they've gone against it a lot of times," Ransack pointed out.
Soundwave nodded and flashed just a few examples of evidence we had that they had gone against the laws. "We know this," Starscream picked up verbally. "And we will continue to gather evidence in the case that we need to use this against the Autobots at any given point. However, if we give the Autobots even one chance to cry foul to the Alliance against us, then our complaints, and our work, would be for nothing."
"What are we going to do to save Rumble and Frenzy?" The mech known as Dunce spoke up. I didn't know much about the young Decepticon, but given that I was going to be on this ship for a while, I would find out more about him eventually.
"Tomorrow, all officers will go to the negotiations." All officers? That sounded risky. Wouldn't that leave the Nemesis vulnerable? "I have gone over the options with Soundwave and Shockwave and we believe that the drones, given the training we have put them through, will be able to efficiently run the ship until our return. Steve will be the drone on the helm while we are at the fight and Hannibal will be in charge of communications. Saladin will be in charge of the ground bridge and helping Hannibal with communications."
Those must be drones. They must have trained the drones a lot if there was no objection coming from the officers who had been here longer than I had. So, I kept my vocals muted as Shockwave picked up where Starscream left off. "We want all officers on the bridge by 9 in the morning local time where the Autobots are," That was one of the good things. We did know where they were based, so we would know about when they would start growing active. And, then we would have Rumble and Frenzy giving Soundwave any intel as well.
"I want this to be a clean operation," Starscream spoke. "Don't get ahead of yourselves, and keep your wits about you. We all know that these negotiations are not going to go smoothly. Don't let that overwhelm you. Now, get some rest. We will have a long solar tomorrow."
Pandimala's 1st P.O.V.
Convince him I was worthy? I was just here to talk. Whether or not I got the scythe didn't matter. Would it help? Yes. Was I desperate for it? No. "Look, Catastro, whether or not I leave this meeting with your scythe in servo or not isn't a concern for me," A surprised look crossed his faceplate as I continued. "I was serious when I was talking to you from the outside. I just want to talk. Learn about your scythe."
The mech in front of me stared down at me. Seemed to study me as that surprised look stayed on his faceplate. Was it that weird that I just wanted to talk? "You are serious, aren't you?" Before I could respond to that, he seemed to come to his own decision. "Of course, you are serious. I remember what you said before I let you touch the blade. You spoke of being manipulated as well. What manipulation did Paul, a portion of our god of Order, put you through?"
"When he first asked me to help him here, he said that we were going to make Cybertron as it once was, with no factions and everybot lived in peace and prosperity. I believed him and left everything I knew to come here. But, something happened and we were separated. I don't know what caused us to be separated, but we worked through it at first. I would give him the name of any new Decepticon that came onto the ship, and major events that I had witnessed. Even as I trained to become a Decepticon, he had my loyalty as well. I still gave him information. But, then, I realized that I could truly make peace between both factions if I placed my loyalty with the Decepticons as well."
"Did Paul not take that well?" Catastro asked.
I nodded. "He took it badly. Said that I was supporting the enemy. That was when I realized that he didn't want peace for everybot, truly. He just wanted it for the Autobots. I was so hurt. He told me that they were using me for their own 'twisted desires' when I knew that they weren't. I had earned my place, and they wouldn't do that to me. But, he didn't believe me. Used every trick he could to make me 'see the light' that the Decepticons were monsters. But, I fought back, and I have been against him ever since. It hasn't been easy. He was the only link to my last life...to my mom and dad...to everything back then. But, the Decepticons have supported me. However, nothing hurt more than when Paul turned his back on me after everything I did for him."
There was silence between the two of us for several clicks. Catastro seemed to move between studying me and zoning out into his thoughts. I didn't mind. Speaking about all that brought up the emotions that those memories gave me. Paul had broken my loyalty to him, and that had hurt so much back then. I had felt lost. Thankfully, the twins had reminded me that I now had the Decepticons to focus my loyalties on. But, in those moments after I had woken, I didn't think I had a future. People without pasts couldn't have futures, and my last link to my past had been wiped away by Paul's actions. I owed the Decepticons so much, and I would continue to serve them, no matter what.
"You and I are truly similar femme," I jumped. It was strange. In my introspection, I forgot that the mech was standing there. A mech who could probably punt me across this expanse without much effort and my processor forgot that he was here. I really could be oblivious at times.
But, now I focused on the mech again. "We are?"
The locomotive mech nodded. "Yes. Let me show you my past with the scythe, and why I protect it as I do." He then started to walk toward the house I saw earlier.
Not one to be left behind, I followed beside him. He seemed to have calmed down a lot from when he first tried to talk to me earlier. Now that he was like this...he didn't seem as scary as he did before. Perhaps it was an act he put on to make sure he could keep back bots from getting the scythe.
When we reached the house, he didn't hesitate in opening the door and standing to the side. Once I was inside, I shut the door behind me and moved to stand by him. "Is this your house?"
To my surprise, he shook his helm. "No, it is the house in which I committed my greatest sin...one that I have been atoning for all my time in the scythe. This house belongs to that mech," I jumped when the back door opened and a mech about Bumblebee's height walked in holding the scythe. His main color was silver with red highlights around the edges of what would be a truck alt mode if he was on her. He had sapphire blue optics that looked excited about the scythe in his servo.
"Who is that?" I asked.
Catastro let out a laugh, though I noticed sorry in his optics. "That is Plena Teo. In Cybertronian history now he is known as the Last Weapon Smith of the Ancients. He was a master of combining the mystical arts of weapon-smithing with the new technologies that were being developed. That scythe was his greatest creation. However, due to the herald of Unicron at the time, he never got the chance to truly enjoy it."
Since the mech said that this house held his greatest sin, it was easy to see where he fit in this story. "You were the herald, weren't you?"
"I was a fool who was manipulated. Unicron promised to help me stop the corruption that was starting to crop up in Cybertron's Council if I let him control my chassis. I believed him and let him take control. But, all he wanted was power. Some of the most powerful weapons known were created by my best friend, and Unicron saw this in my memories. So, he brought my chassis here." Catastro answered me.
Before I could say anymore, the scene in front of us started to play out. The door suddenly slammed open, causing me to jump, and a past version of Catastro walked into the room. However, instead of his optics being silver, they were a purple color that I knew well. It was the color of Unicron.
"Catastro, what is going on? I haven't seen you in hundreds of stellar cycles." Plena Teo asked the past Catastro.
Past Catastro moved closer inside as he answered. "My master has heard of a weapon that you have created and he wishes for me to use it to fulfill his desires." Catastro had been manipulated, and now Unicron was making his chassis say these things to his friends.
Plena Teo's optics hardened at his response. "You are not Catastro. I don't know who you are, but you need to leave his chassis now. Catastro would never submit himself to a master."
Past Catastro stopped and stared at the mech. "Why would you say that Plena Teo? I am the same Catastro that you have always known."
But, Plena Teo could see through Unicron's ploy. "Catastro's optics cannot be changed. We have tried during the festivals. Only if a force was controlling him, I suspect, would his optics change from the beautiful silver color to the sickly purple they are now. Who are you?"
Past Catastro frowned at that. "Very well, Plena Teo. I am Unicron the Chaos Bringer, and you will submit your weapon to me."
Plena Teo didn't even flinch before he extended the scythe in his servos, its blade taking on black flames before he shook his helm. "You will not take the Moonfyre scythe from me, and I will free Catastro from your control."
Then, past Catastro transformed his servo into a blade before the two clashed. "None can resist me, Plena Teo. I will make you submit!"
I could barely follow the clash of blades as the two mechs clashed. While Plena Teo was lacking in height, he was able to move more in his home while past Catastro had difficulties moving. However, past Catastro had a sizeable amount of power behind each of his swings that would obviously through Plena Teo off his balance.
Finally, the possessed past Catastro seemed to grow annoyed with Plena Teo and used his powers to slam Plena Teo against a wall before, a nano later, he ran the weaponsmith through.
"No!" A different voice sounded from past Catastro's vocals. It must be the actual past Catastro taking control back from Unicron. Injuring his friend like that must have pushed his consciousness into action and given him enough energy to fight the god of Chaos.
"You cannot fight me!" The voice we had been hearing through Catastro yelled.
But, the real past Catastro seemed to persevere and was able to eject the essence of Unicron out of his chassis. Given the prosperous state of Cybertron, I was sure that the essence of Unicron couldn't be on the planet without a host, and I watched as that portion of the Chaos god was destroyed by the energy surrounding the planet. Guess he did need a host.
I returned my attention to the scene as past Catastro fell to the ground and pulled an offlining Plena Teo onto his lap. "Plena hang on. I'll call a medic. Just don't offline!" He yelled to his friend.
But, Plena Teo shook his helm and set her servo onto past Catastro's. "It's too late my friend. I am just happy that I can look at your beautiful silver optics as I go to meet our Creator." My spark tensed in sadness as Plena Teo's optics flickered before going dark.
As his chassis started to gray, past Catastro let out a scream. I had to offline my optics for a nano as the pain in that scream hit me. He had just been trying to fix the corruption that was starting to develop on Cybertron before it got out of control. But, Unicron had used his desperation to take control of his chassis and then struck the blow that offlined his best friend with said chassis. He had trusted Unicron, and the god had used him.
After a few nanos, I onlined my optics again to bots moving into view in the doorway of Plena Teo's home. "You offlined him! Catastro you traitor!" A mech that looked like he would be a seeker yelled at past Catastro before he ran in, picking up the discarded Moonfyre Scythe and driving it into past Catastro's spark. Past Catastro never made a move to stop the mech.
As the black flames seemed to take the last of past Catastro's spark, the mech smiled at the seeker. "Thank...you," Were the last words the past Catastro spoke before his optics too went dark, and his chassis went gray.
"I had wanted to offline, and Caplet gave me that release. Back then, I had been grateful. But, that feeling wasn't to last. My consciousness awoke and I realized that my spark had been bonded to the scythe. Caplet used the scythe as I knew Plena would have wanted. However, with each bot that the scythe was handed off to, the more corrupt each holder became. They would threaten bots with the scythe to get their sleazy desires. Eventually, I had enough when a bot known as Hurracone, who held a seat on Cybertron's council, tried to use the scythe to offline a youngling just for not moving out of his way as he walked down the road." Catastro continued to tell me the past of the story.
I felt anger at this Hurracone. How selfish and self-centered did you have to be to stoop to that kind of low? "I hope you roasted his spark so it couldn't go to the Well."
"I did," Catastro nodded as he sat on one of the chairs. I followed suit as he continued. "He screamed and tried to drop the scythe, but I wouldn't let him let go. They tried to pick up the scythe after that, but I had decided that no bot else would ever hold the scythe. They resorted to using magnetism to move the scythe into the container you see. At that time, most bots knew the history of the Moonfyre Scythe and so created a seal to fit the name of the weapon. Through the ages, more have tried to touch it. But, I did not want them to use it...not like I had been used."
"How did the scythe end up on Earth?" I asked.
He smiled. "The only mech I ever considered letting hold the scythe again, a mech known as Alpha Trion, was jettisoning other relics off of Cybertron during the war I believe you are currently fighting." I nodded at him to confirm that the war was still being fought. "He decided that a distant planet would be the perfect place for my blade to rest in peace. And he was correct. Only one other time before yourself as anybot tried to touch this blade after that. And I only sent enough energy at her to put her in stasis for seven solars. She didn't seem malevolent, but she didn't seem to understand what the scythe was." He then seemed to study me. "But you are different. Why?"
Well, I had to be honest. "Honestly, it was from that femme's story that I realized that you were even sentient. When she told me what she had felt when you knocked her out, I realized we had a lot in common. We were both betrayed and used against what we believed in. Now that I know the story of the scythe, I know that we were both used by the gods of Cybertron, you were used by Unicron while I was used by Primus. Yet, we both persevered and overcame those gods. The only place our story turns is that I had the support of the Decepticons from making me lose myself, and you were offlined for something that you weren't in control of."
"So, you believe that you would be like me if you had not had your Decepticons?" He asked me with an optic ridge raised.
But, I knew myself well enough to know that I had to shake my helm. "No. I would have been worse." He looked surprised at my answer. "Without my loyalty to the Decepticons and my Lord, I know I would have only been able to focus on taking vengeance against Paul. What better way of taking vengeance than offlining each of those Autobots that he hoped would survive so his peace could be realized? Yes, I was human. But as a terrorist organization known as MECH has proven, humans can do much against even Cybertronians. Must be the genetics we get from Unicron. I would have joined MECH, given them the information I had so they could hunt the Autobots. I would leave his precious Prime for last. And I would have made Paul watch helplessly as I took out his last hope for peace."
Catastro looked surprised at my answer. "That is pretty dark femme."
"You want the truth, and I want to give it to you," I answered honestly. "If I didn't have the Decepticons, that's probably what would have happened." I then relaxed and smiled. "But, that didn't happen because I had the Decepticons, and I had freely given them my loyalty. I don't think they realize, but they have helped me grow into a better bot like I know I have helped them grow closer as a faction. They are my family." I then let out a laugh. "To be honest, they are the only reason I decided to speak to you in the first place."
"Why is that?" He asked, now looking curious.
Thoughts on Rumble and Frenzy caused me to frown. "Our enemies, for reasons I don't know since I have been separated from the main Decepticon force, raided our ship and bot-napped two symbiots that I have thought of as brothers for almost as long as I have known them. I do not know what the Autobots plan to do with them, but I know that it will be happening any solar now. I hoped to have the assistance of the scythe to make sure that they were returned online and healthy, and that the rest of the Decepticons come out of the conflict that is bound to come in one piece." But, after seeing Catastro's history, and the reason he refused to allow anybot to hold the scythe, I knew that it was selfish of me to ask him that. "But, after seeing all of this, I know that was selfish of me to ask of you. I'll leave the scythe in the container, and re-seal it before I join the fight. I apologize for possibly wasting your time, but I do thank you for your time all the same." I then stood to leave.
A servo on my arm, stopping me, caused me to turn to see Catastro holding onto the said arm. "And why do you think this choice is yours alone?"
Wait...what? "What do you mean?" I asked him.
He shook his helm. "I swear femme, for having such a bright and sharp processor, you can be quite oblivious." He then led me outside, and I didn't fight him on it until we were back where we started. "When I first introduced myself to you, do you remember what I told you?"
Of course, I did. "You said 'Now, convince me that you are worthy of this scythe.'. But, I already told you that it would be wrong of me to use the scythe after I've seen its history."
Catastro let out an exasperated sigh. "And again, you aren't the only one who gets a choice here femme." He then poked the top of my helm with his digit. "I believe that my choice matters here as well. You have shown me that you won't use the scythe for only your wishes. That you will also fulfill the will of Plena Teo, as well as my wishes. You have proven yourself to me. You will take the scythe with you. Use it well."
"Wait, I said I wasn't going to take it!" I argued back with the mech. After seeing all the pain that he had witnessed, I couldn't put Catastro through that.
He put his servos on his hips at that. "Let me tell it like this then. Either you take the scythe, and be its protector, or you will find that you cannot remove your digit from said scythe and it will never be unstuck." Wait, I could just remove my digit. "And before you even think you can just remove your digit, I will use the energy of the scythe to make sure the scythe never becomes unattached from you."
I wasn't winning this argument. Well, the scythe would help in critical situations. But, I had to make sure. "Are you sure you want me to have the scythe? I'm not always the most logical bot in the cosmos."
"I'll be there to help guide you if you need it," He said with a laugh. "Now, you need to be going. It's been over two solars in the outside world since we started our talk."
What? "It's been that long? Then that means that whatever the Autobots have planned for the twins is probably already happening!" This wasn't good. I would have to use their bridge to get as close as it would let me. But, since it was a beta version of a ground bridge, I wouldn't be able to go to the lake precisely.
"And make sure you drink a couple of cubes of energon when you awaken. You will need the energon." Catastro stated before the world around me went dark.
I shook my helm as I came to, the scythe somehow having ended up in my servo instead of me just touching it. "Well, looks like we are partners now Catastro," I whispered before reducing the scythe to its smaller form, as I had seen in the memory, and placing it in my subspace. From the warm feeling I suddenly had in my processor, I knew that Catastro was now sharing my chassis. Well, at least I would have some company.
A wave of dizziness coming over me made me remember what Catastro said about my energon levels. Thankfully, I still had my emergency cubes in my subspace from before I left the Nemesis. Taking two of them out, I drank both before discarding the cubes. We would be back to get them.
For now, I needed to get to the sight of whatever the Autobots had planned. Approaching the ancient form of ground bridge, I typed as much of the coordinates that the old bridge would let me before I activated it. A yellowish-green vortex suddenly appeared. Perfect. I wasted no time in moving through the bridge. I would make sure that Rumble and Frenzy survived this, and as healthy as I could make sure. They would not fall to the Autobots' plot.
We would make sure of it.
Starscream: Why did you offline Pandimala?
Authoress: *tired and realizes they already broke the rules, so she can tell them* Who said that she is officially offline?
Wheeljack: *confused* But her processor scan showed no activity.
Authoress: *shakes head* You do know that sometimes the spark can restart a processor...right?
Starscream: Are you saying that she is online?
Authoress: *tried of the hiding* Of course, she is online you idiot! Why the hell would I kill her? *whispers* Except for a really good plot.
Wheeljack: What was that Authoress?
Authoress: *bored* Nothing you need to hear.
AN: And here is the next chapter! Frag this one was even longer than I thought it would be. *glances at notes for next chapter* And the next chapter is supposed to be longer than this one! It feels so weird writing these super long chapters again. But, for the plot, I needed all of these details. So, you all get extra-long chapters. Aren't you lucky? The only thing I'll comment on from this chapter is that poor Predaking can't win an argument to save himself.
Well, here are the next chapters for you all!
Chapter 55: Flashpoint
Chapter 56: MECH
Chapter 57:...(find out next time, though I will say this one will be full of some fun for a change (and a few emotions given what all is happening right now)
And that's all for now! Again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and are enjoying this story overall. Please leave a review, or just drop one to say hi. I do appreciate seeing them. Well, that's all for now. Until next time, TTYL! *still listening to Peyton Parrish because it's just that good*