4 million years ago.

Cybertron.

Iacon.

Cybertron. A metallic jewel in the universe, and the home of a fleeting, crumbling remnant of a once mighty empire. Very few in the known cosmos know of why, or how it exists, but what is important is that, be it of magic, science, or some other element in the universe, it exists, and it thrives, but not of creatures of flesh and bone, but of sentient machines of steel and iron. Creatures who can shift their bodies to whatever shape they desire, to best suit their purpose. They are more complex than even we can imagine. They truly are more than meets the eye.

Yet beneath this once glistening utopia, it's darkness brews unendingly. For many a millennia, the population of the Cybertronian empire lived under a ruthless autocracy, who's ruler wasn't afraid to put down anyone who he perceived as a threat. Answering to him was a few loyal subjects, and a massive army of lifeless Vehicons, that enforced his rule onto the populace. Concentration camps and torture pits were common place, as soulless automatons rounded up anyone perceived as a threat, and all that anyone could do, was watch, as the autocracy began to commit genocide on all who oppose them.

That was before, though.

Now, an uprising is beginning. An armed, bold, and deadly militia of outcasts and exiles is rising, not afraid of the autocracy and their armies. From a hidden base far in the outskirts of the empire, they strike out against the tyranny, spreading hope to the oppressed, and fear to those few who still remain loyal to the tyranny. A Grand Uprising is starting.

Yet our story begins not with these individuals, but with a simple transformer in Iacon. An average info clerk by the name of Orion Pax. Or, as some people call him...

"Optimus!"

Orion quickly looked to the left-hand side of his desk to see the Cassettebot, Rewind standing there, holding a datapad in his hand, his blue visor lighting up his face.

"Rewind", sighed Orion through his faceplate, with an exasperated look in his eyes, "how many times have I told you that I hate being called that?"

He then spread out his fingers and flashed his hands at Rewind, "1...2...3...more than the amount of fingers than I have. Which means more than eight."

"You mean ten?"

"No, eight. thumbs don't count."

"Honestly 'Optimus', you can be weird sometimes", said Rewind with a smile behind his faceplate. Orion was one of his oldest friends, and one thing that Rewind had learnt over the years is that it is always fun to annoy him when he doesn't want to be annoyed.

"Even so", continued Orion, not caring enough to argue, "what is it? I'm quite busy."

"Well, I've been trying to tell you for the last 40 seconds that it's closing time, but you zoned in to your work. Again. For like, the seventh time this week", Rewind muttered that last part as he started heading to the door of Orion's office, "Come on, it's a Friday night. Lets grab the others, head over to the white flame, and make a day of it. Or night. Or whatever."

"Oh, well, you go on ahead. I've still got a bit of stuff to get done", replied Orion as Rewind walked out the door, "I'll catch up with you."

"Suit yourself", said Rewind, and a moment later, he was gone.

Orion quickly started to close his documents (and made sure to delete his browser history) and shut down his laptop. Placing it in a compartment in his back, he then turned off the lights, and locked up his office.

A few minutes later, he was outside of the archive centre, and was driving down the main street in his truck form. As he drove, he took in the scenery: Great Cannon and Sand-Storm were sitting by a barrel fire, Diablo was being kicked out of his hut for a house by two Vehicons, Cerberus, Formikon and Double Punch were wandering aimlessly through the filth ridden streets, and the two diminutive Cyberdroids Convobat and Megalligator were being arrested by two other Vehicons.

All the while, Orion was forced to drive through increasing piles of debris and rubbish, and sometimes through murky polluted water pools that had formed in the road, between shanty huts that had been hastily set up, and between bots of all shapes and sizes.

Orion sighed to himself. Iacon, a once glistening city (At least, from what he'd heard from the few reliable records that still existed beyond Nominus Prime's rule), now reduced, like every other place on the planet, to a Shanty town gone to seed.

Yep. Just another normal day in paradise.

There we go. Another chapter down. If you didn't know any of the people that were featured in this chapter, look them up on TFWiki. Other than that, have a good one.