Chapter 13: My Friend, the Warlord
Zeta Prime sat at his desk.
Staring at a hologram, showing a map of Cybertron. He became entranced by it.
He looked at it often. Whenever he doubted himself. The steps he had taken.
To remind him what it was all for.
Nothing and no one would stop him from saving his home.
He opened a comm link.
"Quickmix, begin fueling the cannon." He commanded.
"Sir, it is my duty to inform you that we will using...a lot of Iacon's energon reserves to fuel this gun." Quickmix replied nervously.
"I understand and am aware." Zeta replied. "Proceed with fueling. With any luck we will only have to fire this gun once."
He opened a different comm link.
"Outback. Pull back all autobot units from Kaon. And have them on riot control in other cities across Cybertron. I fear Kaon is a lost cause. Bring the majority back to Altihex base until further instructions."
"Copy that Prime. We expectin any riots from the populace?" Outback asked.
"Yes. Possibly." Zeta replied. "Better safe than sorry."
"You have to see the irregularity of this sir." Arcee pleaded.
"Arcee, my hands are tied. He doesn't want you on the case, and in all autobot matters, he has the final say." Ultra Magnus replied, holding up his hands.
"Sir. I'm not asking to be put back on the case." Arcee replied. "But please...look at what's happening. Zeta is up to something. Five of the best autobots on the force don't just...decide to defect, all at once, out of nowhere! Six, if you count Mirage last week."
"It is certainly troubling." Ultra Magnus replied, scratching his chin as he pondered the matter, and walked toward the elevator. "But it's internal affairs business. Our job is to carry out the will of the Prime on behalf of the autobots."
"Magnus." Arcee said, sliding over to block him from the elevator as it dinged open. "Orion Pax, Ironhide, Prowl, Jazz, Hound, AND Mirage all accused of being spies in the last week. But Barricade got caught being an undercover decepticon and Zeta Prime had no idea?" She asked.
Ultra Magnus frowned, as he looked at the wall and thought it over some more, the femme forcing the matter onto him.
"Meanwhile Zeta hasn't shown us a shred of evidence that those six are guilty of anything. He says sources, what does that mean? We're cops, we need to see evidence, it's our jobs." Arcee continued.
Ultra Magnus nodded slowly.
"It has certainly felt irregular, since the beginning. Very well. First thing in the morning I'll have a talk with Zeta. Even if he is a Prime, he must disclose evidence, especially when ordering the execution without trial of six autobots."
Arcee nodded. "Thank you sir."
Ultra Magnus headed for the elevator.
"In the meantime, Arcee. Keep your head down. If I find any wrong-doing...this situation could take a wrong turn, and fast."
Orion went up to catch some air. He stood above the decepticon bunker, his optics looking out across the city.
Kaon may have been the decepticon's home city. But it was like any other.
More working class than most. Lots of factories. Lots of blue collar workers.
And while 76% of them were decepticons, 24% were innocents. Just neutrals caught up in it all.
He wanted it to be untrue. Zeta Minor had been a friend. But in his spark, he knew Zeta Prime had it in him.
Zeta had always been passionate about Cybertron. Just as Orion was. Just as their mentor, Senator Shockwave was. But he had often spoke of going to any length to save his homeworld.
Destroying a city to save his planet.
And now that Orion had escaped, he was likely to move up his timetable.
"You doubt yourself." Megatron said, walking up behind the mech. "I see it in everything you do. You've never been less sure of yourself than you are now."
Orion turned to him and sighed.
"Can you blame me?" He asked. "I've been betrayed by two Primes, one of whom was my friend. And you. And I'm not sure which hurt more. You or Zeta."
Megatron looked down at the streets below.
"You understand why I did it, yes?" He asked. "I trusted you. I believed in you. And Prowl. And when I discovered that...I acted irrationally. Emotionally. I regret it Pax. Truly I do. I regret what I did to you in that pit."
Orion nodded.
"It's the past."
"But I do not regret standing up against Zeta Prime." Megatron added. "And surely now you see why. I don't believe in Primes, Orion, I never have. I believe they lead only to fascism. Tyranny. And more than anything, they do not work to advance Cybertron. No Prime since Nova has actually acted on behalf of their world."
"They act for themselves." Orion agreed. "Nominus, Sentinel, Zeta...all more corrupt than the last. Maybe one day we'll have a real Prime again, but I can't see it."
"No. No more Primes." Megatron replied sternly. "Zeta will be the last. Cybertron can never again rely on Primes for salvation. Once we are victorious, Pax, it will be a true democracy." He looked at the mech and smiled.
"You and I could lead this world together, Pax. We would be better for this world than any Prime."
"You would stand alongside an autobot?" Orion asked.
Megatron shrugged.
"I'm not terribly trusting of any autobot." He replied. "But I trust you, Pax. I know you have a good spark. You want what's best for Cybertron, just as I do."
"We have...radically different methods." Pax replied with a dry chuckle.
"It happens." Megatron laughed. "But all that ends once we seize Cybertron from Zeta Prime. The question now is, are you prepared to do what's necessary?"
Orion turned to Megatron.
"No autobots die. I want that clear." He stated. "We kill no one, except, if necessary, Zeta himself. Is that clear?"
Megatron nodded.
"As you wish, Pax. No autobots dead. We will need them to unify Cybertron, I do not wish for excess energon shed. But we will destroy that rust cannon. I'm assuming you have no moral issues with that?"
Orion turned to him and chuckled.
"Not even remotely."
Megatron grinned, then patted the smaller mech on the back.
"We will have a grand celebration when it is done. There will be much Engex, you are more than welcome to join. Or do you still not drink?"
Orion turned and headed for the door.
"After all this, Im damn sure gonna need a drink."