Chapter 32-Illumination part 1

News of Rodimus's rebellion against the ERD had spread and was practically front-page news almost, as in running second to the fact that Karaba bombed the Golden Gate Bridge.

Commander Kati Sunderland was living with the Autobots for Rodimus's stunt, and at Lazer for inciting a riot. Demotion was a mercy compared to what she did to him.

There were numerous complaints to Optimus from various government officials for Rodimus's actions, including from the President. He left said complaints for Prowl to handle. Right now, he had more important things to worry about.

Optimus took a ground bridge to Rodimus's location, which was an old junkyard by the river that the Minicons had remade into a makeshift base/home. Rodimus was sitting on an old van looking out at the river when Optimus walked up to him.

"Hey, Optimus," Rodimus greeted him, giving a half-hearted wave. "Come to discipline me for saving lives?"

"Don't act like you're innocent, Rodimus. What you've done has put the Autobots under intense scrutiny from the government." Optimus said. "The last thing we need is for the humans to turn against us at this point in this war, especially when Megatron is using any sign of conflict between us to his advantage."

Rodimus frowned and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm…I'm sorry, Optimus, but someone had to take a stand. I don't know what Prowl told you (probably nothing good) but I didn't do this to be a hero. These people need someone to fight for them, and if their own people won't do that, then we have to step up. And so far, we've done an abysmal job of doing that."

He patted the derelict car next to him. "Have a seat. This is going to be a long talk."

Optimus cautiously sat down on the car, which caved in under his weight, and looked at Rodimus.

"It's obvious the Brotherhood is using the government's unfair treatment of espers to draw them all into their ranks. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that. The government forces espers to register, cracks down on the rebels, imprisons them, causes them to hate humans and join Karaba, leading to attacks on humans, forcing the government to fight back harder, and the cycle continues." Rodimus explained. "And we're standing by because we can't interfere in what should be a human problem unless it involves saving lives. We've got to do something before this country tears itself apart in a race war."

"Sounds familiar." Optimus noted. "This situation…it reminds you of Nyon, doesn't it?"

Rodimus exhaled air through his nose and looked away. Long before the war, he had been born in the city-state of Nyon, a derelict city that had become a cesspool of criminals and outcasts thrown aside by Cybertronian society. When the Senate began torching Nyon for harboring Decepticon sympathizers under Zeta Prime's orders, it was Rodimus who was forced to make the call to destroy what was left of the city to protect the survivors he and Prime were escorting to safety.

Rodimus rarely talked about that point in his life, and Optimus knew not to bring it up. But he was starting to see the parallels between the lost people of Nyon and the espers of Terra.

"They're just like my people in Nyon, Optimus. They didn't choose to be dragged into this war. They were just caught up in this mess and are being treated like slag because they're a convenient target." Rodimus growled. "Don't you see, Megatron's doing the same thing he did back on Cybertron, using the government's actions against them to fuel his campaign."

"I know, and we're in danger of facing another event on the same scale as the Decimation of Nyon," Optimus sighed. "With the Brotherhood as the aggressors."

"Then you know what you have to do." Rodimus said.

"Rodimus, it's not that easy, and you know it." Optimus held up a hand to stop any protests. "Listen to me, Rodimus. Our treaty with the humans prevents us from getting involved with these kinds of situations. We're forced to remain neutral in this conflict between humans and espers unless we cause the whole situation to spiral out of control. If things got worse, then they'll evict us from Osean territory."

The two mechs sat in silence for a moment before Optimus got to his feet.

"I will talk with President Flagg about rescinding the registration act, and to have the ERD leave Esper Town alone. For the moment, you will stay here with Bulkhead and Armorhide to protect this area."

Rodimus smiled. "Thanks a lot, prime—"

"Do not mistake this as me overlooking your actions. There will be disciplinary action, just not right now." Optimus said sternly. Rodimus gulped and nodded. "I must go and try to fix the situation before Prowl loses his temper. I imagine being challenged by you of all people has put him in a bad mood."

"Like he's ever in a good mood to begin with." He snorted. "Thanks for hearing me out, Optimus. I know I might have made things worse for everyone, but I hope you'll at least consider changing things."

"Rodimus, I know you meant well, and there is truth to your words." Optimus began. "But even if I try to change things…I fear the damage is already done."

XXXXXX

A day had passed since the Neo Knights were captured and subsequently freed from the clutches of DNAgent. They had found a treasure trove of classified and encrypted information that basically doomed not just the company but their many partners as well in their illegal experimentation and weaponization of espers. With the Minicons' help, Sumeragi leaked the info to the government, and later public sources to spread the word of DNAgent's naughty deeds. Suffice to say, the President was absolutely livid.

But for Annie, the victory was bittersweet. She hadn't been the same since returning from the mission, and her bloody fight with Darren was fresh in her mind. She and Darren had fought plenty of times, as siblings often do, but this was absolutely the worse conflict they've ever had. What was even worse was that she had possibly scarred Darren for life.

"Annie?" Brittany entered their dorm room, where she saw Annie sitting by the window looking pale and sad. "How…How are you feeling?"

Annie didn't say anything. Brittany walked up to the bed and sat next to her, pulling her in to lean against her.

"He hates me, Brit." Annie whispered. "He really hates me."

"That's not true, Annie."

"You didn't see the way he looked at me, Brit. He was out for blood and not even Gina could stop him." Annie looked up at her with wet eyes. "I don't think I could've screwed up as much as I did yesterday. I don't think I can fix this."

"It'll be okay, Annie. Darren just needs some time by himself. A lot of time." Brittany said, planting a kiss on Annie's forehead. "Just hang in there, okay? Maybe one of your Autobot friends can help you."

"I doubt it. Darren hasn't spoken to anyone, not even High Wire, since we got back." Annie muttered.

Brittany didn't know what else to say. She didn't have any siblings, and she knew that after a fight like that, it'll take a long time for the twins to recover, if they ever will. "Just let things run their course, Annie. Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

Annie nodded and leaned up to give Brittany a kiss, making the girl blush. The werecheetah was still a bit new to the whole "liking girls" thing, but she quickly found herself really loving Annie's kisses.

"Thanks, Brit." Annie whispered. "I still feel like crap, but only a little less so thanks to you."

"Anytime, Annie." Brittany smiled.

XXXXXX

Gina stood outside Darren's room steeling herself for the unpleasant conversation they were going to have.

After escorting Annie outside the base to reunite with the Neo Knights, Gina had Sara go back in to retrieve Darren. He had lashed out at Sara even as she carried him outside and nearly attacked the Neo Knights several times before passing out from exhaustion and blood loss. Afterwards, he hadn't spoken to anyone even after he woke up in Omega One's medibay.

Gina knew that she was probably the last person he wanted to see, but she had to see how he was doing to at least give Annie some peace of mind.

"Darren?" Gina said softly, entering the medibay. She found Darren sitting in a bed near the back of the room, his head turned towards the Solivision monitor and hadn't turned to face her when she got close to his bed. That was already a bad sign and she hoped that it didn't signal how bad things were between them.

"Darren, are you okay?" Gina asked. It was a stupid question considering the injuries he's suffered, but she didn't know how to start things off for the most part. "Um, I heard from Longarm that you had slept—"

"Leave me alone."

Gina froze at the cold tone in Darren's voice. "I-I'm sorry?"

"You heard me." He said, still not looking at her. "Leave me alone."

Gina frowned. "Excuse me? Darren, I came to see how you were doing. You tried to kill Annie last time and you were unconscious for several hours. We were both worried about you."

"So now she actually cares about something other than herself? That's a surprise." He said with scorn.

"Darren, please be reasonable. Annie genuinely feels sorry for going behind your back."

"I don't care. Every time I think she's changed, she turns around and spits in my face. I'm done with her and her bullshit." Darren spat. "If she wants to get herself killed, that's fine. I'm over it."

"You don't mean that, Darren." Gina said softly.

Darren spun around and shot out of the bed in a flash, suddenly standing inches away from her. He was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was a large white bandage covering the left side of his jaw where Annie hit him.

"What do you know? You knew what she was doing. You knew and you kept it from me!" Darren shouted. "What if something happened? What if she screwed up and the heat came down on me and Debbie?"

"Annie is a big girl, Darren! She does what she does and she knew the consequences. All I could do was make sure she was safe." Gina replied. "Annie was just doing what she thought was right."

"Oh so now you're taking her side." He growled.

"I'm not taking anyone's side! I love you both, Darren, and seeing you two fight was an absolute nightmare!" Gina yelled.

"That didn't stop you from using me as a damn punching bag!" He shouted.

"I was stopping you from hurting you own sister. What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to be on my side. I trusted you and Annie, and you two went behind my back to cater to Annie's stupid fantasies."

Gina felt helpless as she tried to form a response. She had never seen Darren so full of hate. It was heartbreaking to see him like this because of Annie. "Darren…she's my friend."

"So was I."

With that said, Darren went back to his bed and laid back down, not looking at her. Knowing that she was not welcome anymore, Gina wordlessly turned away and left the room, tears streaming down her face. She missed the tears also running down Darren's face as well.

XXXXXX

"Mr. President, we need to talk." Optimus said as he established a secure line with the President.

"Yes, we do need to talk, prime." President Flagg said. "And I hope it's about handing over that insubordinate Autobot of yours for proper punishment."

Optimus narrowed his eyes. "Whoever gave you that idea, Mr. President?"

"Prime, don't play games with me. Your Autobot took up arms against the ERD in clear defense of suspected terrorists—"

"Let me stop you right there, President Flagg." Optimus cut in. "I'm well aware of Rodimus's actions and rest assured I will be taking disciplinary action against him, but I must also mention that Rodimus was defending civilians from ERD troops firing upon them with live ammunition."

Flagg's jaw tensed. "Prime, General Lazer will be held accountable for his actions, but Esper Town is a clear and present threat to New York City and its people."

"So you would demonize every man, woman and child by race just like that?" Optimus accused.

"I'm not pointing a gun at these people, Prime, I'm securing our country's national security. You may not like the measures I'm taking, but I can't take any chances with these people. Any esper who refuses to register is a potential Karaba support that needs to be contained and monitored." Flagg said. "And I recall that the conditions treaty were clear that you Autobots would not get involved in matters not pertaining to the Decepticons."

"That was before the Decepticons jumpstarted Karaba's recruitment of more than half the unregistered espers you imprisoned." Optimus replied, not backing down. "I had a long talk with Rodimus and he made some good points. Your law drove the espers to find sanctuary with Karaba, if not to join this war as soldiers, then to be safe from people like DNAgent and the Human Front who hunt them down to either exploit or hurt them."

Flagg sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What do you want me to do, Prime? Repeal the bill? Do you know how long that'll take?"

"No, President Flagg, the damage is already done. We can't change anything after everything that's happened since then. All I ask is that you stop your witch hunt for espers in this country. These people are just caught in a conflict that has spiraled out of control." Optimus said. "Please make an effort to keep things from escalating further."

The president was silent for a moment before exhaling through his nose and giving Optimus a look. "I will order the ERD troops to withdraw from Esper Town, but they will remain under 24 hour surveillance to ensure Karaba doesn't make an appearance again." Flagg said. "And I will try to keep the ERD from becoming too aggressive with the espers across Osea, but that's all I can promise. Can you ensure that your Autobots won't get into fights with local authorities?"

"So long as innocent people are not in danger, Mr. President." Optimus said. "We can continue on from there."

XXXXXX

A few minutes later after hanging up on Optimus, President Flagg was contacted by another person he wasn't interested in talking to—Director Hollander.

"Now what does he want?" Flagg sighed and answered the call on the monitor in his office. The rough face of Hollander appeared on the screen.

"What do you want, Hollander?" Flagg asked. "You're calling at a bad time."

"I apologize for the abrupt call, Mr. President, but I wanted your approval on deploying the Taskforce." Hollander said. "It's come to my attention that the Autobots are beginning to step out of line. If you'll authorize it, I can have Skywatch—"

"You will take no action against them, Director." Flagg said with a glare. "I have enough on my plate with the Decepticons and Karaba, the last thing I need is you antagonizing the Autobots."

"But Mr. President, it's clear that the Autobots are no longer a viable solution to handling the Decepticons. Their recent failures coupled with the incident in Esper Town is only the start of more problems with them. Skywatch is more than equipped to keep them in line and handle the Decepticons running around our country."

President Flagg wasn't having it. "Do you think I'm a fool, Director?"

"Sir?" Hollander asked puzzled.

"You're not as subtle as you think you are, Hollander. Despite all that's happened with the Autobots, I still trust them more than I trust you." Flagg said. "Keep them in line? You mean like how you kept your own people in line when Horiuchi tried to enslave the Minicons, or how Maylander launched an attack on Atlantis and murdered hundreds of innocent people at the behest of one of your agents?"

"Sir, I—"

"Whether or not you had a hand in that is still in question, but I wouldn't put it past you. I know you're preparing Skywatch to act as some last line of defense for humanity, and I know that even if you aren't doing it, you'll gladly go behind my back thinking I haven't got a damn clue." He growled. "You're not the first person to think he can get one over on me, Hollander. And to be honest, you're the last person I'd trust to watch Skywatch with your track record. Lord knows what you did to have your name recommended."

Hollander's face was hard as stone, but his eyes betrayed his growing anger at being berated like this.

"You will not take action against the Autobots without explicit orders from me, Hollander. If I even get a hint about you going behind my back to do any covert operations or something along those lines, I'll shut Skywatch down and put you before a military tribunal." Flagg threatened. "I'm prepared for that case scenario, Hollander. Don't think I won't do it."

Hollander took a moment to gather himself before nodding. "I understand, sir."

Hollander hung up and Flagg leaned back in his seat. He had little patience for people like Hollander. Things were too delicate to let people still hung up about allying with aliens cloud their judgment and common sense. Right now he needed to focus on the clear and present threats endangering his nation, not internal squabbles between allied factions.

XXXXXX

"I wasn't expecting him to roast you like that." Harvey couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched Hollander silently fume in his seat. "What did you do to make him dislike you like that?"

"I don't need your color commentary, Harvey." Hollander growled.

"Sorry, it was just amusing to see Flagg flex his military muscle on you. Must not have had a good impression on him." Harvey took a seat at his desk. "So now that the President has made his views on you and Skywatch very clear, what do you intend to do now?"

"Nothing, at least not without bringing the Army down on my head. Right now, we'll continue working on rebuilding Skywatch's arms division. The President may be willing to put our nation's future in the hands of aliens, but not me." Hollander said. "Skywatch will be ready to put them all down if necessary."

'He's a trooper.' Pisces thought. 'Though his arrogance will get him in trouble if he doesn't temper it. I still have need of him.'

"So long as you're careful, Director. We're all hanging on the edge, and it wouldn't do to incite internal conflict this late into the game."

"You worry about your problems, I'll worry about mine." Hollander said, giving Harvey a look.

Harvey smiled and raised his hands in surrender. "No offense intended, Director. Just looking out for a business partner."

Hollander watched Harvey leave and gave a slow exhale to calm himself. Looks like he couldn't count on the President's support. That's fine, he just had to make sure that other likeminded individuals helped him carry the weight of global safety on his shoulders.

XXXXXX

Thundercracker had forgotten how boring energon harvesting was with all the excitement these past few months. Supervising his comrades mine energon crystals was a seriously boring job. Though the transport of the energon crystals was made speedier with the help of Karaba's vehicle moving the crystals into the ground bridge.

Thundercracker was honestly surprised that Nightshade deemed him trustworthy enough to supervise energon mining operations. Something told him that aside from Dreadwing, he was the only other Seeker she could tolerate. Granted, it was not an exciting job, even more so that he didn't have Debra to talk to.

"Thundercracker!" A familiar high pitched voice called out to him. "Just the mech I wanted to see."

"Damn it." Thundercracker muttered. "What do you want, Starscream?"

Starscream, who had flown into the canyon without so much as a head's up to the other Cons, landed next to him with a frown. "What's with the rudeness, Thundercracker? Is that any way to treat your comrade?"

"You're only my comrade through name, Starscream. To me you're just a walking danger magnet with a death wish. We both know the only reason you're talking to me is because you want to drag me into another one of your stupid plans for dominance." Thundercracker drawled, turning to look at him. "Or to look at your reflection."

Starscream scowled at him. "It appears that being around those espers has increased your confidence."

Thundercracker crossed his arms and glared at the former Seeker commander. Starscream rolled his eyes.

"Oh fine, you're right. I did come to you for a reason, but not the reason you're thinking. I just wanted to know about something." Starscream stood close to Thundercracker, hands behind his back as if he were still a commander scrutinizing his troops. "It has come to my attention that you have been spending a lot of time with the espers, particularly Dreyas's youngest daughter."

"Yeah, what about it?" Thundercracker asked.

"Just wanted to be sure you were still with us." Starscream gave his fellow Seeker a look. "Don't get too attached to them. Remember that these people can easily become our enemies the moment Megatron screws this alliance up."

"I'm well aware of that, Starscream, thanks for stating the obvious." Thundercracker said and tried to walk past Starscream. "Now if you'll excuse me—"

Starscream's hand shot out and gripped Thundercracker's arm, stopping him. Thundercracker stared at the hand, then at its owner.

"You better take your hand off me, Starscream." He growled.

"The only reason I'm telling you this is because we are comrades, brothers. I'm just warning you that your little friend could easily stab you in the back when the tables turn." Starscream hissed.

"You mean like you?" Thundercracker replied. "Don't worry, Starscream, I'm keeping an eye out. Not just with Karaba but also with you. So you can take your false comradery and go bug someone dumb enough to actually believe you. Like Skywarp."

"You'll regret saying that, Thundercracker." Starscream growled.

"Tell me that when you're actually our leader again." Thundercracker replied uncaringly. He was done getting caught up in whatever slag Starscream had planned.

"Thundercracker, this is Dreadwing. Do you read me?" Said a void from his comm-link.

"I hear you, Dreadwing. What's up?"

"Have your team finish collecting the energon and return to base. Something's come up."

Thundercracker narrowed his eyes and against his better judgement, asked, "How bad is it?"

"Considering there is a ship in orbit that that looks big enough to give the Nemesis a run for its shanix, I would say that the situation has the potential to be really, really bad."

XXXXXX

"Where did that thing come from?" Trailbreaker asked.

Optimus wished he had an answer to that. Upon Teletran-1's detection of the large starship emerging from foldspace near the moon and steadily approaching the planet, he recalled all Autobots from their missions back to the Ark. Teletran couldn't identify the ship in its database, which meant that it wasn't Autobot or Decepticon.

"It has to be an unaligned starship." Wheeljack said, rubbing his chin as he studied the grainy images coming in. "But it doesn't look like anything that the neutrals from Archon would have."

"You're right. It's probably an older model. It looks familiar to me, though I can't exactly put my finger on it." Ratchet said.

"Incoming call from Agent Barnett." Teletran-1 announced.

"Put him through, Teletran." Optimus said.

Barnett's face appeared on the side of the screen looking very concerned. "Prime, what's going on? Everyone's in an uproar over at the Hexagon and NASA."

"I'm as confused as you are, Colonel." Optimus said. "The ship doesn't belong to us or the Decepticons. As far as we can tell, it's unaligned."

Barnett was about to ask another question, but Wheeljack cut him off. "Hold up. I'm getting a transmission wave from the ship. I think they're sending out a message."

Wheeljack tuned into the signal and another face appeared on the screen. It was a cybertronian, his face was bright red with a silver mouthplate and green eyes. They couldn't see his body, but they could see the golden spikes protruding from his head like a natural crown.

"Greetings people of Terra. My name is Apollyon, leader of the Luminaries." The mech said. "And we have come to liberate your world from the cybertronian scourge."

XXXXXX

All over the world, on every television, phone, and computer screen, the message from the cybertronian starship was heard far and wide, Apollyon's words sent to literally every single human on this planet.

"I come from a world far from this planet. A world that was one of many in a vast empire that spanned the entire galaxy. An empire built on the backs of decent mechs and femmes whose only crime is being different. An empire that was brought down by its own arrogance and the greed of false Primes who thought themselves kings." He said. "I have roamed the galaxy and witnessed the unholy damage that the Autobot/Decepticon war has caused to worlds like this one. Even after its death, the cybertronian scourge continues to spread like a disease, and I intend to cure the cosmos of this malady. I call upon the instigators of this war—Optimus Prime and Megatron, to meet with me on my ship, the Illumination. It's time the leaders of Cybertron faced the consequences for the damage their little war has caused."

Apollyon's gaze turned intense as he finished his speech with an ultimatum. "You're welcome to refuse my invitation, but keep in mind that I have no problem using force to remove you from the equation. Any hostile action from the humans will be met with similarly deadly force. And you certainly won't like my definition of force. You have 24 hours."

XXXXXX

Megatron's expression was unreadable as the message ended. Next to him Starscream crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Who the hell does he think he is, making threats like that?" He said. "We don't even know who he is."

"Some refugee from Cybertron?" Knockout suggested, rubbing his chin. "I feel like I'd recognize a fine frame like that back on Cybertron."

"He's not from Cybertron." Megatron said. "He's from the pre-war colonies. Most likely the colonies that were cut off from Cybertron during the Rust Plague."

A wave of surprise fell over the group. Those who were well-versed in cybertronian history knew of the thousands of cybertronian colonies that spanned the western arm of the galaxy. Colonies born from Nova Prime's attempts at expanding Cybertron's influence across the stars. Colonies that were completely decimated from the Rust Plague that euthanized thousands upon thousands of their kind and forced Cybertron to cut them off completely.

Megatron was only a few hundred Terran years old when the Senate gave the order to destroy the space bridges orbiting Cybertron. He remembered the outcry and panic that was caused by the decision, the riots and screaming, the Senate's first descent into the depraved cesspool it had become by Optimus' time. If he was right, then this mech was probably a survivor of that dark time. Which meant that it was going to be unpleasant for everyone involved.

"So are you really going to grace this so-called enlightened individual, Megatron?" Starscream asked.

"Don't be an idiot, Starscream." Megatron harshly replied, earning a smirk from Nightshade. "I care not for what some relic of the past wants. I'm trying to fight a war, in case you've forgotten."

"I doubt Apollyon will take this lying down." Dreadwing said.

"Then we will handle him and his group like we've done with every other moronic fool who thought they could handle me." Megatron said, walking out of the bridge. "We decimate them!"

XXXXXX

At the Ark, the Autobots were having a similar discussion, though Optimus's decision was a bit different than Megatron's.

"Don't tell me you actually intend to see him, Optimus." Ratchet admonished. "It's too dangerous!"

"I agree with the doc on this one, boss bot. that Apollyon guy looks like he has enough chips on his shoulders to make an entire snack food franchise." Jazz said.

"Story of our life, eh?" Skyfire quipped, earning a nudge in the side from Lifeline.

"If I don't meet with Apollyon, then he will resort to violent means to apprehend me and Megatron. I would rather we avoid a fight if we can manage that." Optimus said. "And I'm sure the humans won't appreciate yet another cybertronian faction declaring war on their planet."

"Who cares about what the humans think?" Sunstreaker said. "Those savages would sell out their own countries to save their own skin!"

"That's enough, Sunstreaker." Prowl scolded and turned back to Prime. "I know nothing we say can change your mind, we have few other options that don't end up with casualties. Just please execute caution, Prime."

"I will, Prowl. Hopefully I can get some answers out of Apollyon about his intentions for Autobots and Decepticons." Optimus said as he headed to the door. "He wouldn't challenge us if he didn't have something planned. Prep the Ark for combat if that ship looks like it will start attacking."

"Yes, Prime." Tomahawk nodded.

Optimus and his team left the room and headed to the ground bridge. No one said anything along the way, though they all had their worries about what dark memories this meeting will bring up. Apollyon's words hinted at a connection to the long-forgotten colonies that were abandoned by Cybertron in the waning years of the Golden Age, and they knew that whatever happened next, this whole situation was going to be very unpleasant.

Optimus was not feeling optimistic about this at all.

XXXXXX

Optimus brought along a small team consisting of Ironhide, Jazz, Hound and Trailbreaker with him to the meeting point where he would be picked up. It was in the middle of a mountain range, with few visible places to hide for a strike team.

"Prime, I see a ship incoming." Ironhide said.

Up in the sky, a spacecraft descended from orbit. The shuttle was slightly larger than an escape shuttle from the Ark, but its appearance showed a possible orientation towards combat that simple transportation. Older mechs like Ironhide could tell the design was archaic by modern standards, and would probably move like a turtle in real combat. Didn't make him lower his guard though.

Optimus watched the ship touch down just a few feet from them. He tensed up slightly when the landing hatch slid open and two figures walked out.

The first to exit the shuttle was a white femme with a slender frame and smooth, angular pieces that hinted at an aerial alt mode, though her alt mode was nothing like anything seen on Terra, or Cybertron for that matter. Her face sported a mouthless face plate and blue eyes, with long golden tendrils extending from the back of her head like hair. In her hand was a long staff with a sun-shaped piece on the top.

Her companion was considerably larger. He had dark brown and black armor, with a heavily armored body that was wide at the shoulders and a similar faceplate to the femme. Optimus couldn't guess what kind of alt mode he had, but he could tell the mech was probably very resilient and hardy. A powerhouse that can deal damage and take damage like Bulkhead. His movements were slow, but by no means did he look like some lumbering brute like Lugnut. He was already eying Optimus's companions with a critical gaze.

The pair stopped before the group and the femme nodded to Optimus.

"Greetings, Optimus Prime. My name is Lars, and this is Gorem. We are pleased that you've shown some common sense, unlike your arch nemesis." Lars said cordially. Her voice was soft and smooth, as well as blank enough to make discerning her emotions difficult. "Lord Apollyon is very interested in speaking with the second Prime in Cybertron's history."

Optimus narrowed his eyes. "Second?"

"Yes. Second."

Looks like Apollyon was more informed than he thought. "I'm sure he is. Is there anything else I need to know before we leave?"

"Only that you are allowed to bring along another person. We do want you to feel at ease on the trip."

"That's my cue to enter." Ironhide stepped forward. He gave Optimus a look and Optimus nodded back.

"We're ready." He said. Lars nodded.

"Good. Let us be on our way."

Lars and Gorem led Optimus and Ironhide back into their ship and it lifted off. Jazz, Hound and Trailbreaker watched the ship take to the air and vanish into the cloudless sky.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say I have a very bad feeling about this." Jazz said to his friends. No one refuted his statement.

XXXXXX

The flight to the Illumination was silent. Optimus and Ironhide sat facing Lars as Gorem piloted the shuttle. Optimus couldn't tell what Lars was thinking due to her lack of facial expressions. He could tell from the way her body moved that she was a fighter, skilled at that. Most likely mid to close range given her staff. Gorem was definitely close range, with an alt mode that was probably a tank or armored vehicle of some kind. If it came to a fight between them and these two, he knew a lot of energon would be shed if they won it.

"You look tense." Lars said. "There is nothing to be worried about, Optimus. Lord Apollyon simply wants to talk."

"You'll understand if I'm a bit wary of meeting a mech who is quick to threaten hostile action against an entire race." Optimus said.

"You say that as if they're innocent. We both know that's not true." Lars replied.

"How about we agree to disagree." Optimus said, not wanting to get into an argument with her. He saw Lars' eyes narrow a bit but she said nothing, letting the conversation die out.

"We are here." Rumbled Gorem, his voice deep and rumbling like a drum.

The Illumination was a massive blue and gold ship that was hovering stationary between Terra and Luna. It was just slightly smaller than the Ark, and Ironhide realized that it was a starship used by the colonies back in the Golden Age. He recognized the outdated but clearly modified design. It was an old model of starships mainly used by colonies on the outer reaches of Cybertron's territory.

The implications of this realization was going to leave a serious headache, because it meant that the Luminaries were possibly survivors from the worlds lost to the Rust Plague.

'Primus love giving us the crank shaft, doesn't he?' Ironhide thought angrily.

XXXXXX

The interior of the ship looked more ornate than it needed to be, and Optimus almost felt like he was walking through the halls of a temple. He and Ironhide followed Lars and Gorem through the ship towards the bridge, passing by many other cybertronians sporting similarly gold plated armor and bearing the same crest like a badge of honor. Most of the looks they got were ones of curiosity, but some were openly hostile.

Lars led them to the bridge, where the door slid open, allowing them entry.

"Lord Apollyon, I've brought Optimus Prime and one of his soldiers." She said.

She allowed Optimus and Ironhide inside and they got their first look at the mech who called them out.

Apollyon was standing in the middle of the bridge, tall and regal. He was taller in person, standing at about the same height as Optimus, with bright red and gold armor that looked clean and spotless. Optimus couldn't really figure out his alt mode, though he saw no wheels or signs of a levitation system. In his hand was a large golden staff with a stylized sun at the top.

Aside from Lars and Gorem, there were two other bots there too. A slender green armored femme with emerald plated wings and a bird's head on her chest, and a dark blue mech with parts of a hovercraft hanging on his shoulders like makeshift shields.

"Optimus Prime." Apollyon said, looking Optimus over. "Yes, you certainly look like a Prime. Feel like one too. Similar but…different to Nova Prime."

"I…thank you?" Optimus hadn't meant it to sound like a question, but he was a bit caught off guard by Apollyon's comment.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I can see the similarities between you and Nova Prime. He's the only other Prime I've seen in person." He said.

"The resemblance is only skin-deep, I assure you." Optimus said.

"So you say." Apollyon replied. Optimus decided to ignore that and got to the point of his visit.

"Apollyon, I came as you so respectfully requested." He said. "And I must mention that your little threat wasn't very well-received by this planet's native population."

"Natives." Apollyon said. "I could care less for a race of organics native to this tainted planet."

"What do you mean by tainted?" Ironhide growled.

Gorem growled but Apollyon waved him down. "Tainted by the filth of Cybertron. By the Primes and the monsters they created after abandoning the colonials to the Rust Plague."

Optimus and Ironhide stared at Apollyon in shock. "Abandoned?"

"Don't act so surprised. You know of the Rust Plague. Of how it ravaged thousands of cybertronian colonies and killed millions of our kind. A slow, painless death in which our bodies slowly rusted over and broke down from the inside out. Some would be lucky enough to still have a corpse to bury if the disease didn't break us down into rusted scrap." Apollyon said. Something in his tone changed, and Optimus tensed up.

Apollyon raised his arms to the other bots in the room. "We hailed from the outer colonies. The ones that were hit the hardest. The worlds that sent cries for help to Cybertron and the inner territories. We saw first hand what the plague was doing to us and we begged the Senate to save us from this nightmare. But what do you do? Nothing! No one came to help. No one even thought about us, let alone looked in our direction!"

"Apollyon, there was no cure for the plague back then. I understand your feelings but the plague was too contagious. Any rescuers would've been infected too."

"Excuses! Cybertron didn't help us because we didn't adhere to their divine view of functionism! The targetmasters and beastformers and bots with so-called useless alt modes! The dregs of society sent to die in the far reaches of space while the Senate clamored for whatever piece of Nova Prime's empire they could get their hands on like gods damn scavengers!" Apollyon roared. "It's no wonder they let loose the plague upon us to eliminate the unwanted population! They sought to make their world pure by purging us from the universe!"

"W-What?" Optimus gasped. "Apollyon, the Senate has done many terrible things, that's true. But they didn't create the Rust Plague."

"LIES! They did create it. That's just the kind of filth they were!" Apollyon raged, stomping up to Optimus until they were standing face to face. "You've seen their work first hand. You know what they were like. You know how far they were willing to go for their glass empire!"

Optimus did know. He had seen many terrible things done that sparked the Decepticon revolution. The empurata, the shadowplay, the persecution of beastformers, the conscripting of outliers by the Functionist Council, and the burning of Tarn. So many atrocities building up one after another to make a pyramid built on the corpses of the oppressed and persecuted. Yes, he knew exactly what they were capable of, but he just couldn't believe that the rust plague was created by the Senate. At least, not before their fall from grace in Nova Prime's absence.

"And even after their deaths, their influence continues to contaminate the universe through the very individuals born to oppose them—Optimus Prime and Megatron." Apollyon continued.

"Now hold up," Ironhide stepped forward, not even flinching when Lars pointed her arm cannon at his face. "We didn't do a damn thing!"

"Except take part in a war that has decimated Cybertron and weathered away our race over the last few thousand stellar cycles." Apollyon replied. "You and Megatron were born from the atrocities of the Senate and Functionists. Born from the fires of rebellion but ended up causing more damage than they could have ever achieved in their lifetimes. For too long this galaxy has suffered from the crimes of Cybertron, and that ends today!"

"What are you planning to do?" Optimus demanded.

"What I set out to do when I formed this loyal band of brothers and sisters—wipe the slate clean. Eliminate every Cybertron-born mechanoid and rebuild our civilization from your ashes. Starting with you and Megatron." Apollyon said, stepping back. "And once I'm done with you, this world will be the seat of our new civilization."

"You will not touch Terra!" Optimus growled, drawing his ion rifle and pointing it at Apollyon's head. This caused the other Luminaries to draw their weapons and take aim at the two Autobots. "I understand your anger at us, but don't drag the people of Terra into our fight!"

"They have been contaminated by Cybertron's sins—your sins. Myself and everyone on this ship had seen the horrors unleashed upon us by the people of Cybertron, and we made a vow to wipe your influence from the face of this galaxy no matter what. We cannot allow the terrors of the Rust Plague to happen again, and if an organic species or two must perish in the process, then so be it. At least they'll be given a mercy kill instead of the slow death your war is causing."

Optimus fired his ion rifle at Apollyon, but Apollyon easily deflected the shot with his staff. He lunged at Prime and swung his staff at his head, forcing Optimus to jump back and draw the Star Saber, blocking Apollyon's next strike.

"Whether you die here or on Terra it makes no difference to me!" Apollyon said. "As we speak, my comrade is on her way to finish off that false warlord and his crew! Death will come for you, Optimus Prime. Make no mistake of that!"

"Not today!" Optimus grunted and kicked Apollyon aside before pointing his ion rifle at the windshield. "Ironhide, grab on!"

Ironhide grabbed Prime's arm just as Optimus shot a blast at the windshield, blasting a hole in it and causing the glass to shatter. Immediately all the pressurized air was sucked out into the space and the two Autobots allowed themselves to be carried away by the strong flow, getting flung out into space.

"Kill them!" Apollyon roared. The green mech, Phaedra, and Lars ran forward and transformed into their respective alt modes—a high speed fighter aircraft for Lars and a large emerald green avian creature for Phaedra.

They flew out into space and shot towards the two Autobots, who were still spinning wildly in the void. Ironhide spotted them coming and took out his own laser cannon, firing several shots to give them some propulsion to gain some distance between them and the fliers.

"Prime, they're on our tail!"

"Optimus to Ark, we need a ground bridge at our coordinates!" Optimus called the Ark.

The armor panels on Lars' wings opened up and released several micro-missiles at the pair, while Phaedra opened his beak and shot a concentrated beam of photon energy at them as well. Just before the two attacks reached their destination, a ground bridge appeared behind the Autobots. Optimus fired a shot from his ion rifle that gave them enough propulsion to go flying into the portal just before the missiles could hit their mark.

"Slag!" Phaedra growled.

"Lord Apollyon," Lars called the ship. "I'm afraid the Autobots escaped."

"It's no consequence. They'll come back to us sooner or later." Apollyon said darkly. The windshield had been replaced by a metal blast shield to halt the expulsion of air to the outside and he quickly made his way out of the bridge with Gorem at his side.

"Contact Exceedra and tell her that she is to kill Megatron and his associates. The plan is entering phase 2 at this moment." Apollyon said. "Prep the World Engine for transport and have it ready for deployment."

"Yes Lord Apollyon."

XXXXXX

Optimus and Ironhide flew out of the ground bridge and landed in a tangled heap on the floor in the Ark's shuttle bay. Prowl and Jazz quickly helped them to their feet as Ratchet ran over to them.

"Are you two all right?" He asked. "What happened?"

"Apollyon's mad. He wants to wipe out any and all Autobots and Decepticons as well as cybertronian natives from the galaxy in some mass genocide." Optimus panted, getting to his feet as he made his way out of the room. "He's already making plans to turn Terra into a forward base to act as a new home for the displaced colonials from worlds ravaged by the Rust Plague."

"Primus…" Jazz muttered.

"Called it. Who else thought that guy was a total asshole?" Skyfire said.

"Not now, Skyfire." Prowl said. "We need to prepare for an attack."

"It's already happened. He's sent someone to kill Megatron already." Ironhide said.

"Isn't a good thing?" trailbreaker said. "Let them kill each other so we can focus on the head hancho."

"Trailbreaker, Megatron's going to fight his hardest, regardless of the damage to his surroundings. If they're anywhere near a human settlement, a lot of people are going to die." Prowl said. "We need eyes on that ship now!"

"Too late." Tomahawk said as the group entered the command center. "I've just got word that a shuttle was deployed from the ship while you two were talking with Apollyon. I lost track of it as soon as it entered the atmosphere. I have no idea where it's going."

"It's going after Megatron." Optimus growled. "Apollyon's making good on his threat, and he'll see this world burn so long as we're all dead at his feet."

This is a rewrite from the original Event Horizon two-parter. After reading it over, I decided to save Nova Prime for future volumes, to make him and his crew more epic. Doesn't mean I'm gonna skimp on the quality for this chapter though. Thanks for giving these two chapters a chance, please leave a review and stay cool everbody!