Chapter 10-A Storm of Swords part 1

"And in other news, Autobot engineer Wheeljack is heading the design team for the new underwater research center for humans and merfolk in the Pacific Ocean. According to Queen Tyr of Atlantis, the center will act as a joint operation between both races to better understand each other in light of the events that transpired a month ago. The facility runs on power generated from surface aligned solar panels…"

'Not even a month into their siege and they're already building castles.' Admiral Maylander thought as he watched the news broadcast.

Whenever he had time off, when he wasn't making sure that everything was at optimal condition on his ship, he would hole up in his office and read up on any updates about the Autobots and Atlantians. It would not only keep him on top of what Terra's nonhuman residents were up to, but also remind him of how much the world he lived in was changing.

James Maylander was no stranger to change. He was a naval commander taught to expect different variables out on the water and in battle. Nothing was certain or completely static in the heat of battle. The only global problem he was more concerned about aside from patrolling Osea's waters were the growing esper population and the threat of Karaba. Out here in the ocean, you never knew if there was some esper with water-based powers that might decide to pop up and slaughter everyone on board, be they Karaba terrorists or simple pirates with espers in their employ.

Then came the aliens.

The Autobots and Decepticons had presumably been warring on Terra for over a year undetected before that mess in Texas. Maylander had trained himself to expect different variables and outcomes in battle. He knew the limitations of his human enemies and the variations of weaknesses in espers, which, despite harboring miraculous powers, were often bound by physical and natural laws. But these aliens-there was little he understood about them. There was literally nothing they couldn't do thanks to their transformative physiology, and their very existence went against everything humans knew about biology. He had no idea what they could do about them, and that scared him.

As if that wasn't enough, there was the existence of the merfolk to consider. Maylander knew he had to do something. Humans had been sharing the planet with a race more biologically and technologically advanced then them and no one had a clue they existed. Possible enemies hidden right under the sea, his sea, and he was completely unaware of them until now.

A crisis was averted when Optimus Prime and Queen Tyr managed to stop a coup that would've started another interspecies war on Terra. Though war had been averted, it revealed another problem that Maylander had to assess-both the cybertronians and the Atlantians had the means to bring humanity to its knees. Their aquatic neighbors controlled the oceans and could command the water to do their very bidding. Not ideal for a navy commander like himself. He needed an edge on these beings before they attacked again. And the Autobots were half way on the other side of the world.

Someone knocked on the door and he bade them entry. "Come in."

A handsome man with short, tidy blonde hair clad in a crisp, clean, but surprisingly durable black suit walked in with a sigh. "Sorry I'm late, Admiral. Some stuff went down on my end that needed taking care of first."

"Trouble back at home base?" Maylander asked. The agent gave him a humorless smile as he sat down at his desk.

"You can say that."

Agent Chris Calloway, formerly Navy before Skywatch scouted him out for recruitment following an investigation into the disappearance of an entire population aboard a yacht. An incident that possibly related to the Atlantians. He was assigned to him by field agent Jackson to aid him in improving defenses against the newly discovered Atlantians, discreetly of course, and possibly even snatch up a few live specimens to better understand their physiology.

"So I take it you heard about the new research station?" Calloway inquired.

"Yes, built with human and merfolk hands with some Autobot help. Supposed to be an underwater embassy if things go well." Maylander took a sip of some ice cold water. No alcoholic drinks, even on downtime. "It took over two weeks to build since announcing it."

"Well, you can't say they're lazy at least." Calloway took out a small device and placed it on the desk, pressing a button and creating a large holographic map between them. "This is a map of what few Atlantian settlements we were able to locate with our undersea drones. A good portion of them are centered in the Pacific Ocean, and most of them are moderately sized communities."

"Impressive. You were able to do all this by yourselves in such a short time frame?"

"Skywatch doesn't like leaving loose ends. While my associates Jackson and Fredericks bungle their little pissing contest with the Autobots, I've been amassing a counter offensive against our new neighbors in case they get…violent again." Calloway said.

"A counter-offensive. I can get behind that-a pre-emptive strike even more so. But their cities are located at such depths that only submarines can reach without crunching from the pressure. Not to mention we are in their element." Maylander stared hard at Calloway over the holo-map. "I want to know what these creatures can do before they even know we're onto them."

"My division has all the resources you'll need to reach them for any planned future operations. Thanks to what tech specs we were able to glean from our cybertronian…specimens, on top of acquiring some wreckage from Atlantian warships in the North Pole, we now have some new toys waiting to be tried in the field." Calloway smiled. He eyed Maylander cautiously. "But Admiral, I must remind you that our operations are largely secret from the rest of the Navy, as well as the government. Unsanctioned. Are you not the least big concerned about going behind the President's back to do this?"

Admiral Maylander didn't take his eyes off the map of the underwater kingdom. "President Flagg was a special forces commander back in his day. He'll understand if I deem these matters out of his…jurisdiction." He said. "You need to understand, I don't do this because I like to. I do it because I believe in the red, white, and blue. I do it because my father gave his life to protect our country from outside forces that even today threaten to tear it apart. You've seen what happens when this country rests on its laurels…I'm seeing to it that we never do again.

XXXXXX

Megatron stood in the commander center of his base on Decepticon Island watching the human news broadcast about the human/Atlantian research center. That, and the merfolk themselves were almost as talked about as the Autobots these days. For once, Megatron was glad. He was getting sick about hearing all these absurd notions about the Autobots, most of all who was dating who. If the thought of mnemosurgy didn't terrify him so, he'd have that particular memory purged from his memory banks in a Spark pulse.

He knew about the war that almost started between Atlantis and the human nations, but chose not to intervene. It was clear that these people were far more advanced than the humans, and harder to reach too. He wasn't going to combat these creatures without learning about their capabilities.

'The Autobots are gaining more allies by the day, while we're stagnating in the corner like an empty, rusting corpse.' Megatron thought. 'The Atlantians trust the Autobots but are still wary of the humans. I can use that to my advantage in some way, but how?'

"Megatron," Nightshade appeared in the doorway with Knockout. "We got back the data from the drones we sent into Atlantis."

"Show me." He commanded.

Knockout quickly made his way over to the computer and downloaded the data into the console. A few seconds later, they were looking a map of the perimeter of Atlantis' capital city, Mu. It was showing a topography scan, so there were multiple temperature readings of the city and the land around it. What Nightshade noticed was that directly under the city was a massive heat signature that shouldn't be possible for something that deep underwater.

"What's the temperature reading under the city? Is that some volcanic hotspot?" Nightshade questioned. Knockout shook his head.

"No, that is an artificial structure generating large amounts of energy. All 500 meters of it." He said. Megatron and Nightshade looked at him in surprise.

"500 meters? How can they be sitting on something man-made that's so large?" Nightshade asked. The heat signature was massive, and it was disc-shaped. When you took a step back, it almost looked like…a ship!

"The city must be sitting on something buried under the sand. You'd never tell it was some massive…vessel unless you had wide scale detailed thermo-scans." Knockout said. "I can imagine their capital has an abundance in high tech defense systems in place that we don't even see."

"So attacking the city directly is out of the question, for now." Megatron said. "What about the other settlements on the ocean floor?"

Knockout brought up another topographic map of the rest of the kingdom's territory, highlighting the major cities. "This is all we have on the places we were able to find. Many settlements dot the ocean floor, some in isolated areas accessible only by a single tunnel or pathway."

"And often defended by a mechanical monstrosity." Nightshade noted. "They have gigas, Megatron, and use technology that apparently hasn't been seen since-"

"The Arians." Megatron nodded. "Yes, but it also means they have more efficient means of generating large amounts of energy to power such machines and weapons."

"Energy that could be ours." Knockout grinned. Megatron smirked.

"I think I know how to acquire such energy, but it will require a lot of planning and cooperation on your part with the Seekers." He said to Nightshade. "Open combat with our enemies is our last resort, but we will have the edge if we take advantage of their fragile bonds."

"I understand, Megatron." Nightshade said. "And Soundwave wanted me to tell you about the data we got from that Skywatch base."

"Oh yes, that." Megatron frowned at the thought of Skywatch. "What did he find?"

"He's still sifting through the data, but it appears that what he found pertains to the merfolk. It seems Skywatch is also investigating the Atlantians as well, and from what I've seen, the information they've gathered is the kind that they definitely do not want leaked to the public."

"Good." Megatron grinned. "More fuel to the fire."

XXXXXX

Penny really envied the luck Gina had sometimes. There was just something about her blonde rival that attracted every kind of once in a blue moon opportunity in the world. Discovering an alien race, getting a boyfriend before her, gaining superhuman powers, and becoming friends with Atlantian royalty; maybe somewhere down the line Penny should just add "discovering immortality" to be ahead of the game.

Thankfully, Gina wasn't a glory hound. She convinced Princess Astrea to give her and Razor a tour of one of the outer Atlantian cities, Saba, during a holiday weekend. A little nerdy girl's day out for the four of them while Darren and Kevin spent some time doing whatever it is boys did without girls around.

"My god, this place looks like something out of a sci-fi comic." Penny breathed as she pressed her face against the window of one of the main communal areas. Outside was the cold, dark reaches of the ocean, hundreds of miles from the surface, where sunlight barely touched the ocean floor. Before her eyes were large domed areas that were connected by walkways, with odd looking vehicles ferrying passengers from dome to dome.

"Penny, you're drooling." Gina smirked.

"I wasn't." Penny growled.

"You totally were."

"No I wasn't!"

"Girls, please." Sureshock sighed, shoulders hunched from the looks the people were giving them.

"Let them have their fun, love." Razor said, sitting on a fountain. "Let them be kids."

Astrea smiled at the two girls. Really, she never thought she'd be giving two human girls a tour through an Atlantian city after that mess with Killian and Gryphon, but it's funny how fate works sometimes.

Unlike their ill-fated exploration turned rescue mission to the Arctic Circle near Lemuria, Astrea's tour group would be strolling through the city of Muria, one of the colonies located near the outer reaches of Atlantian territory. The city sat both on and inside an undersea canyon and was one of Atlantis's most remote colonies. There was nothing special about it, but to Gina and Penny, this place was heaven.

The girls wore form-fitting dive suits which were provided to them by the Atlantian science division, to protect their bodies from the changing temperatures of the city and the deep sea pressures they might be exposed to. It wouldn't keep Penny from being crushed by the immense pressure at these depths, though Gina might have a fighting chance if push came to shove. Sara was the only one who didn't wear protection, not that she needed to. Her body was outfitted to handle extreme environments such as the deep sea.

"Thank you so much to allowing us here, princess." Penny said, looking over at Astrea. "Your kingdom is amazing."

"Thank you, Penny, and please, call me Astrea." Astrea said. "I'm happy to share Atlantian culture and history with anyone willing to listen, but please stay close to me. The local militia was ordered to be on guard and I don't want any misunderstandings."

"On guard?" Sureshock blinked. "For what?"

"For any unwanted intruders. Since our altercation with the Lemurians, we're stepped up security just in case they decide to retaliate in response to our ill-fated trip." Astrea said.

"Lemurians?" Penny asked.

"They're a separate nation of merfolk that broke off from Atlantis centuries ago. They've been fighting against Atlantis for decades now, and we ran into them while visiting one of the abandoned Atlantian cities." Gina explained, rubbing the back of her head. "Long story short, their queen wanted Astrea dead in revenge for Queen Tyr killing her son, Astrea broke out, and I rescued her with Jazz and Bumblebee."

"And we all got tongue lashings from mother when we got back to Mu." Astrea smiled dryly. "Come, let me show you the rest of the city."

Atlantian architecture was like a fusion of natural formations and artificial constructs. The primary method of travel was either through walkways going between the massive domes, or by swimming. What vehicles were used were piloted by the military patrolling the city's borders. Security, though increased, was a bit lax considering that nothing large (human-made) could make it down to those depths without being detected, on top of the water pressure being too immense for ordinary humans.

Astrea told Gina and Penny about what she was allowed to tell them about Atlantian technology, with the Minicons listening in as they followed close behind. Much of the merfolk's technology was a strange combination of ancient and advanced; body armor that was flexible but stronger than Kevlar, energy weapons with miniature power sources, gigas automatons remote controlled by the user's thought patterns, high speed amphibious aircraft, and buildings that could withstand tidal waves and underwater earthquakes.

"Much of our technology was passed down to us from our ancestors, who survived the great cataclysm." Astrea said, waving to a couple of children that were watching the Minicons happily. "The people of the sea have lived like this for generations. There was a time when we once had cities on the surface world, but that time is little more than a distant memory now."

"Maybe Atlantis can branch out onto the surface. There are plenty of uninhabited islands for you to use." Sureshock said.

"That's a nice thought, but I doubt it'll be possible in my lifetime, Sureshock." Astrea said. "And besides, we merfolk do better inside water."

As they passed a group of patrolling guards, Astrea spotting Kiani walking towards them. The woman was wearing coral armor that hugged her slender body, looking every bit the dangerous beauty she was, and her icy blue eyes glared at the four guests behind Astrea.

"Kiani," Astrea said. "Shouldn't you be on patrol?"

"I was, until I heard you were giving two humans and midget Autobots a tour of the city."

"They're honored guests who mean us no harm, Kiani. Don't treat them like criminals." Astrea said tensely.

"I'm just doing my job, which is keeping you safe. After last time, I thought you'd be smart enough not to hang around these hairless apes again." Kiani spat. Penny gave her the finger.

"You overstep yourself commander." Astrea growled. Kiani tensed up and saluted the princess.

"My apologies, princess. I'm just looking out for your well-being." The bodyguard said.

"Well, do it without starting something with people you've just met. We're trying to improve relations with humanity, not give them a reason to blast us out of the water." The princess said.

Kiani couldn't keep the glare from her face, and it looked like she wanted to argue, but then a handsome young merfolk man came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Kiani scowled before taking a deep breath.

"I must get back to my patrol, princess." Kiani said and bowed her head. Astrea nodded and watched her bodyguard go with a cool expression.

"That was nuts." Razor said.

"Kiani has a low opinion of mankind. She knows a lot about the things humans have done to their own kind, and to espers, and she thinks they only invite trouble. Gina's involvement with the Lemurian incident last time hasn't helped changed her view either." Astrea smiled apologetically.

"She's not one to talk considering her father tried to start a war." Penny grumbled.

"Don't say that in front of her or she might actually skewer you." She replied. She took the girls' hands. "Let's go see the theater. There's a show starting in a few minutes that I'm sure you'll love!"

"Sure…that'll be great." Gina smiled, trying to put Kiani's hateful ice cold gaze behind her.

XXXXXX

"Well, well, well…this looks interesting." Knockout muttered as he looked at the monitor.

"What is it, Knockout?" Megatron asked.

"There are a number of human installations along the same outline of Atlantian cities that we've mapped out." Knockout looked at Megatron. "Coincidence?"

"I think not." Megatron said. "What country do they belong to?"

"Osea, but something tells me that they're not official." Knockout remarked. "Info says that they're military installations protecting passing ships from esper pirates and Karaba raids."

"And yet no sign of any naval patrols." Megatron tapped his chin. Knockout could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"What is your plan, my lord?" He asked.

"Something that might benefit us further down the line." The Decepticon warlord said. "Call up Soundwave and have him bring a couple of holomatter generators. We're going to shatter this façade of an alliance between the land and sea and reap the rewards from their bloodshed!"

XXXXXX

Darkshadow was deployed to the chain of secret Osean bases with the Seekers on Nightshade's orders. To her, this operation was going to be relatively simple. A group of secret black ops bases sitting right on top of Atlantian territory without any clear sign of authorization from the Osean government? The humans were just asking to start a shitstorm.

Darkshadow thought it laughable at how easy the humans made it for the Cons to take advantage of their fear and paranoia. There were always cracks within a government or military system that can be exploited by their enemies. When allies keep secrets from each other, even within the same country, there was always a chance that the enemy could take advantage of that lack of trust and secrecy to spread the flames. The natural prejudices of humanity was just ripe with all kinds of material for an attack, and that's what Darkshadow intended to do.

Her team targeted the largest of the bases on an island. Hidden from radar, Darkshadow hid on a remote part of the island and created a holomatter avatar of a beautiful teenage merfolk girl.

She walked towards the base, pretending to look for seashells on the beach, acting like she didn't know this island was already taken. When she got close enough to the base, she was approached by one of the guards on patrol.

"Hey! Stop where you are!" One of them yelled, pointing an assault rifle in her direction. "How'd you get here? This is a classified Osean facility!"

"I'm sorry, I was just looking for seashells. I didn't know humans were working on this island." Darkshadow said sweetly, laying on the sugar.

"It's one of those fish heads." The other soldier whispered to his partner. "Should we call for backup?"

"We can handle one girl, Jones." The first soldier looked at the fake merfolk girl. "You're trespassing on Osean military property. We're going to have to bring you into our custody."

Darkshadow knew this was a lie. The Osean military most likely didn't even know this base existed. Chances were they were either going to imprison her indefinitely or send her off to another facility to study and dissect her or something. Too bad she wasn't a merfolk.

"Oh, do I have to? I have to be home soon." Darkshadow whined.

The second soldier unclipped the safety on his rifle and took aim. "We have orders to shoot any intruders, girl. Come with us, now!"

"Okay fine." She sighed. "Can I bring my friends too?"

"Friends?" The soldiers blinked.

Out of the water, three Tigershark fighters burst from the ocean, large and menacing. The soldiers scrambled back as the Seekers-disguised as the fighters-took aim with their weapons. They were powerless as blue beams of light vaporized them completely.

Darkshadow smirked and dispelled her holomatter, her real body trudging out of the forest. She looked up at her team and snapped her fingers. "Let's make some noise."

XXXXXX

"They did what?!" Chris Calloway roared into his phone. He was on his way to Admiral Maylander's quarters for a progress report when he got some really bad news from one of the Skywatch outposts. It made him nearly bust down the door in rage to get to Maylander, who was going over some documents.

"For someone involved with black ops, you make a lot of noise." Maylander said. "I can hear you halfway across the ship, Calloway, what's going on?"

"Sir, we have a problem." Calloway said. He told the admiral the bad news and Maylander's eyes narrowed.

"Four outposts destroyed? In one night?"

"We don't know how, but according to the survivors, these merfolk attacked without warning and without mercy. They made sure to cut communications in the entire area before…slaughtering everyone on site." Calloway frowned. "They didn't even bother to leave their ships before leveling the bases and everyone inside."

"So they know about our little operation. Didn't think they'd be this aggressive in their attack, but what can you expect from a violent and dangerous race such as theirs?" Maylander scowled.

"So it's time." Calloway said. Maylander nodded.

"Yes. Have the Achilles and the Ajax head for the nearest city. It's time t show these creatures that humanity will not stand for anymore aggression from them."

There was a time Maylander had thought that he would only be in this position against other humans or even espers. The world was one of domination and violence, it's always been like this since time immoral. Humanity had a habit of pushing around every other life form on the planet just to build a place for their hat or club or sword or whatever. Wars were fought for control over territory and a show of sovereign power to display their might.

Maylander had learned someone from seeing Karaba wage war on mankind. Throughout history, war has always been about one thing. It wasn't about property or ideology or religion. Conflicts like the Belkan War and the Yuktobania/Estovakian War were never about right and wrong. It was about survival. And it still is.

Invaders from the stars come down from above to wage war for control over the planet, while the inhabitants of the sea vie for dominance over the world's oceans, each with superior levels of technology. Both were threats to humanity. Maylander didn't understand them, but that wasn't his job. His job was to eliminate any threats to his country, to his species.

He couldn't do a thing about the aliens, yet, but he could do something about the danger sitting in his backyard. The time for humanity's war with the sea has come.

XXXXXX

Gina stood by the windows inside one of Saba's communal domes. As the merfolk thankfully had their buildings pressurized and filled with air, she and Penny were able to walk around without too much protection. It was odd to have the merfolk staring at her in awe, but she didn't mind. She was as much an alien to them as they were to her.

"Gina." Sara walked up to her, her emerald green hair reflecting the light of the domes beautifully. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Sara. Just trying to process…this." Gina motioned to the city around them. "I never dreamed that I would ever had the chance to explore something as beautiful as this. It's a miracle, Sara."

"In my experience, miracles aren't random occurrences. They must be created by someone first." Sara said.

"Who said that?" Gina asked. "Your mother?"

"Yes."

"Them she must be a wise woman." Gina smiled.

"She is." Sara's vibrant green eyes brightened at the memories of her mother.

"I'm sorry, Sara. You must really miss her, huh?" Gina said. Sara nodded.

"I do. I will always miss her. Now and forever." Sara said. Then she gave a small smile and took Gina's hand. "But I know she's not gone…because I have you."

Gina's eyes watered a bit and she wiped her tears away. Giving Sara a hug, she said, "You've come a long way, Sara. You really have."

In another part of the area, inside the meeting hall, Astrea, Penny and Razor still talked about various things while they relaxed in a special balcony overlooking the city.

"How are you able to make all these vehicles and weapons?" Penny asked. "I know you guys don't have any factories that work underwater. Even Atlantians aren't that advanced."

"No, we aren't. We have disguised factories and forges on the surface that make our weapons, gigas and vehicles, and no, I'm not telling you where they are." Astrea grinned. "As I've already mentioned, we're just using techniques and methods passed down from our ancestors."

"Survivors of the cataclysm that brought about the Void Century." Penny muttered. "I take it the Atlantians weren't unaffected?"

"No, but information on that time period is scarce even for us. The most we know about the cataclysm was that it was caused by so-called gods coming down from the sky and battling for control. Their battles had caused great devastation to the world, and human civilization was greatly decimated. As humanity picked up the pieces, we retreated to the sea to escape the natural disasters that plagued the world."

"It must have been terrible." Razor said.

"It was. It wasn't until the Circum-Usea war that we started sending agents to learn more about humanity again. We modernized ourselves, advancing our technology and society for the inevitable meeting of our races. Submarines grew closer to our territory every day and it was only a matter of time."

"Until the Autobots and Decepticons showed up and kickstarted the part."

"Exactly. Garen was our main source of information, though tapping into human television stations helped too." Astrea grinned. "Free cable for everyone."

"Nice." Razor said impressed.

'Gods from the sky…' Penny thought. Something about that didn't sit right with her. It reminded her of another danger that was currently threatening Terra.

"Something wrong, Penny?" Astrea asked.

"Um, Astrea, do you remember the Edo incident a month ago?" She asked.

"Who can forget? It was all over the news, and my mother was rather worried about the appearance of that giant ball-thing hovering over Anea." Astrea said.

"The monster that took all those people along with Megatron and the Autobots, it's one of many creatures that the cybertronians had been fighting in secret since last year." Penny explained. "They're called the dolems, and they've been on Terra for centuries, originally worshipped as gods by humans. I was wondering…if the gods that your people spoke of were actually the dolems from ancient times. What do you think?"

Astrea thought about it. She thought those monsters looked familiar but she couldn't place her finger on the similarities. They certainly bore a strong resemblance to the monsters depicted on the murals of ancient Atlantian structures, that's for sure. "You know, I think you might be onto something…"

Astrea didn't finish her sentence when she notice something strange outside. Lights were fluttering down above the city, and very soon everyone began noticing them. It didn't take long for the mysterious lightshow to begin making the populace nervous, for they didn't know what it was or where it was coming from. They were right to be afraid.

Because as soon as the lights-the depth charges-hit the buildings, Saba was illuminated by a host of huge explosions that blossomed across the city. The ground trembled and the water itself vibrated from the force of the explosions as debris and smoke filled the area. The initial strike alone was enough to kill hundreds without fail.

So began the first strike in the war between the land and sea.

XXXXXX

Thalasaar was one of the lucky ones. As the assault began, he only escaped being buried alive in the palace because he sought to swim instead of using one of the walkways leading from the building. Using his hydrokinetic powers, Thalasaar was able to weave through the fallen debris that destroyed the buildings around him.

'This is madness!' Thalasaar thought as people swam around him in panic trying to escape the collapsing buildings and exploding charges. Gritting his teeth, he swam towards the watchtower and shot into the air lock, where he emerged inside the launch bay for the security team's vehicles.

"Thalasaar!" A female guard exclaimed. "We've been trying to contact you at the palace since the attack began."

"The palace is gone, as is most of the western pavilion. Have defense measures been activated?" He asked.

"The two remaining towers are doing their best to destroy the depth charges before they reach the city, but there are too many of them." Another guard reported.

Thalasaar could feel his heart sinking. "What about our ships?"

"Gone. The hangars were the first things they hit." Came the reply. Thalasaar closed his eyes.

"In other words, we are defenseless."

"With the damage to our communications systems and the interference from all the debris, our surveillance cameras cannot even confirm who is attacking us."

"It's the humans." Thalasaar said without hesitation, drawing surprised looks from the guards.

"The humans? Why would they attack us?" The male guard asked.

"I'll worry about the why later. For now, we have to dig in and wait it out. We haven't the means to go up against their behemoths." Thalasaar gave the only order he could give in this situation. "Inform the garrison at Mu of our situation. We need their help."

"And if they don't come?"

Thalasaar looked up at the monitors, which displayed the destruction of his city "Then Saba will be destroyed."

XXXXXX

Princess Astrea was hanging out with her guests when she got the emergency call.

"Princess, we have an emergency. We require your presence at the command center at once."

Astrea's expression darkened and she stood up. "I'm sorry, girls, but I have to go. Something might be wrong."

"There goes the happy feelings." Penny muttered as she watched Astrea swim away. Gina shared a troubled look with Sureshock and Sara.

At the command center at Muria's militia headquarters, Astrea was escorted to the situation room where they were getting an emergency call.

"This is Mator of Saba. The humans have attacked the city. Our defenses have been destroyed and we don't know how much longer we can hold out. Please, we need help!"

Astrea and Kiani both had grim expressions as they heard of this. An unprovoked attack on an Atlantian city? That was tantamount to a declaration of war.

"When did this come in?" Astrea asked.

"Six minutes ago. But we haven't been able to get a message to them, princess." The soldier said.

"And you said the humans were our allies. Well here we are, with one of our cities being attacked out of nowhere." Kiani glared at Astrea and marched to the door. "Prepare for launch. I want all available pilots ready for takeoff in ten minutes."

"Commander, we can't." Officer Bran said. He shrunk back from the icy glare Kiani gave him.

"Excuse me?" She hissed.

"We don't have any ships fast enough to reach the outer territories in time. They're too far away." Bran explained.

"So you expect us to do nothing?" Kiani growled.

"N-No, sir. But that's just hot it is. With the queen topside, the council won't allow any military deployment."

"He's right, the council won't let you go." Astrea said.

"So we're just supposed to leave them to die?" Kiani yelled.

"Um, excuse me." Everyone turned to the door, where Gina was standing. As she entered the room, the guards went to stop her, but Astrea had them stand down. "Maybe I can help."

"Help? Saba is under unprovoked attack by humans! Your people! For all we know you could be here to stab us in the back, girl." Kiani snarled. "You certainly have the power to do so."

"Kiani, stand down, that is an order!" Astrea commanded and looked at Gina. "What do you have in mind, Gina?"

"If distance is your problem, then I can have the Autobots send a ground bridge to take you from here to Saba in seconds." Gina said.

"Is that possible?" Astrea asked, feeling hopeful.

"Yes, the city isn't too deep that the ground bridge won't reach it." Gina bit her lip as she added, "But…I want you to let me help in the counterattack as well."

"Absolutely not." Kiani said.

"It's too dangerous, Gina." Astrea said. "Especially for a human this deep underwater."

"No different from fighting Decepticons, and my body is strong enough to handle the water pressure." Gina replied. "You've seen my fight. You both know how strong I am."

It was hard for the two merfolk women to argue that. For some reason, Gina was different from other human children her age, and in all honesty, her power scared them. But they couldn't be picky right now with so many lives at stake.

"Fine, you can come." Astrea said and turned to Kiani. "Kiani, gather your battalion and prepare a Vimana for transport. Time is of the essence."

"Yes, princess." Kiani saluted and went to assemble her team. It was time to finally show the humans how powerful they really are."

XXXXXX

"Attacked?" Optimus exclaimed after hearing the news from Gina.

"Yeah, Saba is under attack by human subs. The princess can't send a rescue team in time unless they have something faster-like a ground bridge." Gina said. "Can you help, Optimus?"

"As unusual as this is, I'll send you a ground bridge, though the signal can't go very deep." Optimus said. "Send me your coordinates and that of Saba's. At those depths, I can't promise the bridge to be very accurate."

Gina gave him the coordinates and Optimus send the ground bridge. "Thank you, Optimus. You've saved a lot of lives today!"

Gina signed off and Optimus sighed. "I certainly hope so." He looked back to the doorway. "Did you get all that?"

"Yeah, things are heating up again." Ironhide walked up to Optimus. "Looks like the humans decided to take the law into their own hands."

"Maybe. This might explain the attacks on those military bases over in the Pacific. This might be a retaliatory attack." Optimus said.

"But you don't think bucket head might be behind this, do you? The Atlantians don't have any reason to start things up like this." Ironhide said.

"It's hard to tell, but right now we'll need to focus on the disaster happening right now." Optimus replied. "Teletran, contact Agent Barnett. We have to stop this before it gets out of control."

XXXXXX

Admiral Maylander didn't show it, but he was definitely pleased. The first phase of the attack was going well, and already a city was on the verge of total collapse. But that wasn't the whole plan.

"Admiral, the fighters have reached the perimeter of the city."

"Instruct the Achilles and the Ajax to cease all depth charge deployment and stand ready. Send in the second wave." Maylander ordered. It was time to test out the new toys Calloway had his people cook up. If this test run was successful, then not even the seas would be cut off from mankind.

"Sir, I'm getting readings of an energy signal outside the city. It's nothing like I've ever seen before." An officer reported.

Maylander frowned. "Send Bravo Squadron to check it out."

XXXXXX

The ground bridge portal sat at the edge of the garrison outpost, and the strike team was prepped and ready for the operation. Astrea had outfitted Gina with a sleek dive suit to protect the girl from the worst of the water pressure that deep in the ocean. The Vimana, an ancient Arian ship originally built for high speed flight, acted as their heavily armored transport carrier, holding the entirety of Kiani's strike team, all twenty members, each of them highly trained esper warriors. Penny remained behind with Razor and a worried Sureshock, as Sara was the only one who could withstand the immense pressure, at least for a time.

Kiani would never admit it, but she had to admire the genius in the girl's plan. Having the Autobots send a ground bridge that could lead right into the heart of Saba to allow the team time to move across half of Atlantis's territory in the span of just a few seconds. It was a smart plan, one that might save lives if they move fast enough. Though something about Gina…unsettled Kiani. There was a look in her eyes that shouldn't be on a child's face. The eyes of someone getting ready to kill.

"Kiani," Astrea walked up to Kiani, who sat in the co-pilot seat of the Vimana she and Gina were taking with the first wave of Atlantian troops. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready for the last seven minutes, princess. Let's go and save our people." Kiani said darkly. Her soldiers all nodded in agreement.

Astrea nodded. "Okay, you all know the mission. Engage any hostiles you encounter and eliminate the bombs dropping onto the city. We need to secure Saba before enemy reinforcements arrive."

"The Vimana is ready to go, princess." Brande, their pilot and recon scout, said.

"The move out!"

Gina held onto Sara's hand as she felt the vessel start up and her insides lurched a bit when the Vimana glided through the ocean. Launched from the port, it flew out of the base and right toward the portal. Everyone on board tensed up in anticipation of what they may find, and Gina continued to keep her calm by silently seeking support from Sara.

'Onward and upward.' Gina thought as she saw the glow of the ground bridge. 'Jumping right into danger without a second thought…jinkies, I'm pulling an Annie!'

The vessel entered the portal, and for a moment the interior of the Vimana craft was lit up by a bright green glow. It only lasted a few seconds before they returned to reality again, emerging on the other side. Astrea and Kiani looked out the window and were met with a sight of absolute chaos.

All that was left of the underwater city of Saba was a field of destroyed buildings and lingering explosions. Instead of bombs, oddly shaped yet streamlined sea craft that looked a lot like fighter jets flew through the city, shooting anything that remained standing. They were human-made vehicles, and they were laying waste to Saba.

"Oh my god." Gina gasped. Sara put a hand on her shoulder, but even she looked appalled at the senseless destruction.

Astrea dark indigo eyes were like a raging storm as she fastened her armor and grabbed her laser gauntlet. "All units, scatter and eliminate all enemy units. Main platoon, deploy. Engage the enemy with extreme prejudice."

The merfolk soldiers were deployed from the Hammerhead transports that accompanied the Vimana, swimming out into the water and scattering in different directions. Astrea and Kiani took point as the loading bay was filled with water, with Gina and Sara in the rear. Once the bay was full of water, the hatch opened up and the princess led the charge into the first battle of her life.

XXXXXX

"Well, Soundwave? What do you hear?"

Megatron's question wasn't answered as Soundwave stood on the beach of an uncharted island extending his senses into the ocean. Nightshade and Dreadwing stood farther back to give the spymaster some space.

"I hear…explosions. Guns firing. Shouting." Soundwave said. "It is a massive battle."

Megatron grinned. "Good. The plan is going smoothly."

"So far." Nightshade said. "But you haven't exactly been forthcoming with the next phase of the plan. What's our next target?"

"For now we'll sit back and watch the humans and merfolk tear each other apart. No doubt that Autobots will be caught in the middle just like last time, which is exactly what we want." Megatron said. "Originally I was going to try to attempt a raid on one of their major facilities, but recent developments have led me to change my plans. Apparently the humans have been stockpiling a lot of stolen goods that were acquired from desolate Atlantian cities far up north."

"Skywatch?" Said Dreadwing.

Megatron gave him a smirk and said nothing more. He was enjoying this too much to give the surprise away.

XXXXXX

The first clash between humans and merfolk was, as expected, chaotic. Lacking their own Tigershark fighters to combat the human-made Silver Fish fighters, the merfolk soldiers relied on their hydrokinetic esper powers to match these odd hybrid aircraft. The water bent to their commands, slicing apart fighters and destroying missiles before they could hit their mark. Some unfortunate merfolk were also shot down, taken out by machine gun fire or consumed by explosions caused by missiles.

Astrea moved through the water like a bullet, waving her arms and summoning tendrils of water to gather around her and rip apart any fighters within her sight. Kiani was no different, mercilessly killing any humans that caught her eye. Kiani made sure to stay close to the princess to watch her back while doing so.

When Kiani saw two fighters heading right for them, she got ready to take them out…only for them to be vaporized in a massive burst of energy that was almost as bright as the sun.

"What the…?" Kiani grunted and looked aside to see Gina swimming beside Astrea with Sara at her side, her eyes glowing like twin suns as she generated multiple distortion halo effects to create a chain of energy spheres along the canyon wall. Sara fired energy blasts at any passing enemy craft that got too close to them, but she mainly swam by Gina's side to protect her. "Of course it's the human."

Astrea looked around for any sign of civilians or at least some members of the local defense militia. That's when she heard a cry.

"Princess!"

"Thalasaar?" Astrea looked up and saw a man swimming towards her with a large shoulder cannon in hand.

"Come, princess, you need to take cover." Thalasaar urged her.

Astrea nodded and took Gina's hand. "Gina, you're with me. Brande, continue the fight and keep them scattered."

"Yes, princess." He nodded.

Thalasaar led Astrea and Gina to the shelter that was formed out of the surveillance base near the pavilion. Once inside, they saw at least a couple dozen civilians gathered together in the main hall; men, women and children who barely survived the first strike.

"Jinkies…" Gina gasped.

"Thalasaar, how…are you okay?" Astrea asked.

"How do you think, princess? My city is under siege and what you see here is all that remains of my citizens." He said.

"This is it?" Gina exclaimed.

"I have to assume if there are any others, they have already fled the scene…or they are dead."

Astrea's eyes watered as she looked at the devastation. "I'm…sorry we didn't get here sooner."

"Do not apologize, princess, for you being here gives us a chance." Thalasaar said and looked to his people. "Now that reinforcements have arrived, we must develop an attack plan. Going after one ship at a time is pointless. We will strike with precision at the very heart of our enemy's forces. They will pay for what they have done!"

"Thalasaar, wait," Astrea walked up to him. She had to stop him before he got more people killed. "I didn't come to save the city. I came to get everyone out of here."

"I'm not running, princess." He growled. "I will not let my city fall."

"You are focusing on the wrong thing. Buildings do not make a city, Thalasaar. It is the people. Look around you." She pointed to the disheartened and frightened people around them. "Save your people, and you will save your city."

Thalasaar grimaced and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I…princess, this is our home."

"And I'm sure mother will send a large force to fight back the humans. Until then, we must focus on evacuating the civilians."

"How?"

"The Autobots have lent us their aid. We used their ground bridge to reach Saba in no time at all, and we can take it back to Miura."

"Out there in the open…how far do you think we will get before they catch us?" He asked. "Our ships aren't fast enough to get us away."

"Leave it to me." Gina said. "I'll make sure that no one gets close enough for a killing shot."

XXXXXX

Back in Mu, the situation was also very dire. Queen Tyr had learned of the attack on Saba, and tried to contact her daughter in Miura, but to no avail.

"Where is my daughter?" Tyr roared as she marched into the council chambers."

"Your grace," Dyranna ran up to her. "Your daughter took a platoon of soldiers from Muria's militia and somehow got them to Saba. We just got word that they'll be making a return trip with refugees."

Tyr narrowed her eyes and gripped her trident tightly. She was in a meeting with the President of the Osean Republic when she had gotten the news. A surprise attack on one of her cities, and by humans of all people. The Oseans were lucky that she didn't immediately jumped to conclusions, or else she would've put Washington below sea level by now. Now she's learning that her daughter is in the middle of that mess risking her live in an unsanctioned rescue mission against an unknown enemy.

"Dyranna, call up Garen and have him talk to Agent Barnett about what's going on. I want answers now!" She commanded.

"Yes, your grace." Dyranna gulped, scurrying back into the meeting hall. The only thing scarier than an angry queen was an angry queen mother.

XXXXXX

It didn't take long for them to get the people into the Hammerheads in an orderly fashion. The transports could hold a max number of 30 people each, and Astrea came with only half that amount. Once everybody was sitting tight, she had the ships launch from the base and head for the extraction point at the ground bridge.

"Everyone, relax, please," Thalasaar told his people once they were settled in. "It's going to be a bumpy ride, but we're going to be okay."

"Um," A little boy looked up at him. "Do you really think we can make it?"

"We wouldn't be here if I thought we couldn't." He smiled.

Seconds later he said, "This is crazy. We won't survive long in these waters."

"The ground bridge isn't too far from our position, Thalasaar. We won't be exposed for long." Astrea said.

Kiani checked the radar and saw some enemy fighters on their tail. "Princess, I'm picking up something on the rear scanners. Three fighters approaching fast."

Astrea mentally cursed. "How long until they reach us?"

"Too soon."

"Kiani, maintain your course. I'll give you some breathing room, but it's going to be up to your to maneuver through the bridge." Gina said, already getting out of her seat. Sara made to follow, but she pushed her back down into her seat. "No, Sara, I'll move faster if it's just me."

"I'm coming with you." Astrea said. "You'll need support, superpowers or not."

"Wait," Thalasaar said to her. "I should go, princess. These people are my responsibility."

"Exactly. Which is why you're staying with them." Astrea replied. "As your future queen, it is my responsibility to make sure everyone here makes it out alive."

"Time's running out. Whoever is going better go." Kiani said.

Thalasaar looked stricken. "Princess, we will never forget all you have done for us."

"Good. Just as long as you remember." She smirked. "I need something to hold over your head."

Astrea and Gina ran over to the entry hatch with five soldiers and waited for the hatch to fill with water. Once they were ready to go, they were released back into open water. The Vimana and three Hammerheads went into the ruins of Saba's borders, leaving them behind to face their pursuers. The three human fighters that were in pursuit came into view and fired their missiles at the group.

"Counterattack!" Astrea shouted.

Gina created a ring of energy spheres that destroyed the missiles, while the merfolk warriors released sharp, cutting waves of water at that fighters. Two fighters were destroyed, cut in half by water blades that easily sliced through their armor, while the third fighter broke off and flew back the way it came.

"Soldiers, on me. We're returning to Muria." Astrea said, her body shaking.

"Astrea, are you alright?" Gina asked. Astrea took her hand.

"After this, Gina," She answered. "I'm not so sure anymore."

Astrea, Gina and the soldiers swam into the ground bridge, which felt even more disorienting when going through it underwater. They emerged out into the other side…and smack dab into a group of soldiers assembled before the bridge.

"Princess Astrea, I'm sorry for the cold welcome, but we all have our duties." Commander Kreeg said. "We're taking you into custody by order of the queen. Your mother wants to speak to you."

Megatron decides to get his kicks of by starting fights to see the world burn. Up next, the conflict between humans and merfolk escalates while the Autobots and Decepticons clash in the background. Just like old times, am I right? Be sure to check out the Transformers Titan website on Wordpress. Also, checkout my Fictionpress story, Fantasia: Red Dawn, which is posted under Saya3x3. Oh, and go read my new Avatar story, The Lotus War: Metal, a new project I'm working on. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Have a nice day.