Pokémon is the property of Nintendo, Gamefreak and several other companies, while Beast Wars and all other Transformers related media is the property of Hasbro and Takara Tomy. I've got nothing else to say. Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Garrus-9

The brig onboard the Axalon wasn't the biggest in the entire Maximal Science Navy, containing only four holding cells, each one only slightly larger than a standard walk-in closet, but it was good enough for an exploration ship that size, and it would certainly be good enough for the likes of Team Rocket.

After receiving the grim news that Megatron and his gang were not only alive, but had also abducted several human children for Primus only knows what reason, the crew all shifted into high gear to prepare for what they needed to do next. And at the top of their list was unburdening themselves of the troublesome trio.

Unfortunately, as soon as the Professor tried to call the local authorities, the human thieves and their talking cat raised a big stink and threatened to use their one phone calls to notify the tabloids and something called the 'Pokémon Mystery Club' about the Maximals' presence in Pallet Town, essentially condemning the entire community to a swarm of sleazy reporters and UFO hunters, unless they released them immediately.

Naturally, this was completely out of the question, for a variety of reasons, but luckily Optimus came up with a splendid compromise.

"Great plan, Jess." James said sarcastically as he sulked in his corner of the holding cell. "Now, instead of going to jail, we've been abducted by aliens."

"Oh, quit your bellyaching. At least we're not in handcuffs anymore." Jessie replied annoyedly before turning to face her two jailers on the other side of the forcefield. "Hey, Fido. You'd better take good care of that check."

"Relax, lady. It's in a safe in Optimus' office. Along with your Pokeballs and everything else you had on you." Houndor replied, back in his Robot Mode now that he was protected from the Energon Fields by the Axalon's outer hull. "You'll get it all back when we turn you loose."

"And when will that be?" asked Meowth concernedly.

"As soon as we can get this crate off the ground." Rattrap answered sardonically. "Of course, given our current situation, it really depends on how long it takes us to bump off the Preds and raid their ship for parts. So if I were you, I'd make myself at home. Heh-Heh."

"It might take longer than that if the Preds don't have a working Trans-Warp Cell." The young rookie said offhandedly.

"What eh… What are you talkin' about, kid?" the older Maximal asked, starting to sound a little uneasy. "Our Trans-Warp Cell is fine. It's one of the few parts of the engine that still works."

"Well, yeah, but it's not gonna be much use to us once Backstop takes it out to build the Ground Bridge."

"Ground Bridge? What the slag are you talkin' about?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? It'd take too long to get to the Orange Islands the normal way, so Backstop's gonna use the Trans-Warp Cell and a few other engine parts to make a Ground Bridge to send us there in no time. He should have it done by morning."

Just then, Rattrap go a strange look on his face; like fear and dread and an overwhelming sense of doom all rolled into one horrified expression.

"No… no… he can't do that. If he rips up the engine, the ship 'll never fly again."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Houndor replied casually. "If the Preds don't have all the parts we need, then we'll just wait 'til someone comes to rescue us. Besides, we're not due back on Cybertron for five years anyway. It's no big deal."

"Those stupid, stupid idiots!" Rattrap shouted as his fear gave way to fury, before running out of the brig without another word; leaving Houndor and the prisoners looking quite confused.

"Jeez, what's got his circuits in a snarl?"

XXX

Ash wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting when Optimus invited him and his fellow trainers for a tour of the Axalon's bridge, but it wasn't this. That is to say, he hadn't expected it to look so much like something from one of those old science fiction shows his mom likes to watch while dusting the living room. But then again, as he and Brock had already established, stranger things have happened.

Anyway, while Houndor and Rattrap secured Team Rocket down in the brig, and Backstop and the Professor were down in the engine room securing the parts they needed to make their 'Ground Bridge', Ash and most of his friends decided it might be fun to see the command deck of a real-life alien spaceship. Max, who was still clinging to his suspicions, opted to go back home with Mrs. Ketchum, who had quite frankly had enough excitement for one day. But putting all that aside, the group was quite happy with their decision, for all things considered the Axalon really was an amazing looking vessel; inside and out.

"Oh, wow~ Just look at that gorgeous view!" May exclaimed dreamily as she gazed out the bridge's main window.

"Yes, I suppose it is quite lovely." Optimus commented as he walked over to join her; now towering a full 2 ½ feet over her in his Robot Mode. "All things considered, we were very fortunate to crash-land here, instead of in the ocean or some barren desert."

"And just think, if you hadn't landed here, I'd probably be dead right now." The young Coordinator replied thoughtlessly just before her face turned deathly pale. "On second thought, let's just pretend that's not true."

"Fair enough." The Maximal leader said before they both broke into a good-natured chuckle.

Honestly, it did Ash good to see May in such high spirits after her ordeal earlier that morning, and the same could be said for him seeing Brock and Tracey having fun as they took turns sitting in Optimus' command chair; albeit for entirely different reasons. However, there was something their new friend had said back at the lab that gave the young trainer an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"Hey, Optimus." He said as he walked over to the alien automaton, trying to sound respectful. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ash. What's on your mind?"

"Well, it's just… back at the lab when you were telling us about the Predacons, you said that 'at the moment' Megatron doesn't have the manpower to do anything. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh… you noticed that, did you?" Optimus replied in a tone that was… not quite concerned, but something else; something much more complicated.

"Yeah, I figured if it was any of our business you'd bring it up eventually, and I'm sorry if it's not, but…"

"No, no, you were right to bring it up." The Maximal commander said as he shook his head and walked over to his chair. "We've already involved you this much, you deserve to know everything. I'm just not sure where to begin."

Optimus continued to shake his head as he sat down and thought about what he was going to say.

"Well, it's like this," he began after what felt like an eternity. "As I've told you before, the Axalon was originally an exploration ship. Our mission was to explore the uncharted regions of space, discover new worlds and new forms of life, and then return to Cybertron after five years. Normally, a ship this size houses a crew of about seven or eight, but since five years is a long time, in order to conserve Energon, expeditions like ours typically start out with a smaller skeleton crew and then add on or replace crewmembers as needed."

"And how exactly do you add on crewmembers while you're exploring the uncharted regions of space?" Brock asked, speaking for everyone.

"Well… that's where it gets a little complicated." The Maximal commander replied. "Up until yesterday, our ship carried with it a large cache of Protoforms. That is to say, well… they're like Cybertronian embryos, made out of liquid metal, and we keep them in special pods to keep them safe. When necessary, it's possible for us to use one of these Protoforms to create a new crewmember to fulfil a certain role or replace someone who's died."

"Heavy…" muttered Ash, still trying to process all of this. "What did you mean by 'up until yesterday'?"

"I meant, up until we were about to crash." Optimus answered. "We couldn't risk the Protoforms getting damaged, so when our ship became trapped by your planet's gravity, we ejected them into a safe orbit. For now, they're protected from the Energon Radiation and the pods are made of the same metal as our ship, so they're not likely to show up on any of your scanners, but if any of them should break from their orbit and fall to Earth, and Megatron should find them first, he could use them to build up his army."

"But if they're Maximal Protoforms, why would they join the Predacons?" asked Tracey.

"Despite what most bots choose to believe, there's no such thing as a Maximal or Predacon Protoform. A Protoform is just a Protoform. The only difference between us and them is a few lines of code in our programing, and that's only determined by where you happen to be born on Cybertron. If you Spark emerged from a Hot Spot in New Iacon or Cybertropolis then you're a Maximal, but if it was Kaon or New Helix then you're a Predacon."

"So you're saying that if Megatron gets a hold of one of those pods, he could just change a little programing and turn the Protoform inside into a Predacon?" asked Brock concernedly.

"According to the official police report, Megatron has a scientist in his gang who used to work with Protoforms for a living, so it's within the realm of possibility."

The atmosphere on the bridge took a sudden turn as everyone processed this new information in their own way. Ash personally found the whole concept of Megatron's 'recruitment' strategy quite unnerving. However, before he could voice these feelings, another voice intervened.

"Optimus! Come in, Optimus! We've got a situation down here!" called Backstop over the intercom in Optimus' chair; sounding quite frantic.

"This is Optimus. What seems to be the trouble?"

"It's Rattrap! He's lost his mind!"

"Primus help us. What'd he do now?"

"He burst into the engine room with an Ion Cannon from the armory, chased me and the Professor out and then barricaded himself inside! Crazy slagger actually took a shot at me!"

The Maximal commander signed as he let all of this sink in before he answered,

"Well, that's just Prime."

XXX

By the time they all made it to the hall outside the engine room, Backstop and the Professor were hunkered down around a nearby corner; trying to keep out of the line of fire.

"Backstop, are you okay?" Optimus asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. More ticked off than hurt."

"But you said Rattrap took a shot at you."

"He shot at me, but he didn't hit me."

"Well, that's a relief."

"Are you okay, Professor?" May asked the old researcher.

"Oh, I'm quite alright, my dear." He answered with a smile; clearly trying to put her mind at ease. "Had myself a bit of a scare, but otherwise I'm fine."

"What exactly happened over here?" the Maximal commander inquired.

"It's like I told you before." The Science Officer replied. "He just burst in with an Ion Cannon, chased us out and locked himself in. Says he'll shoot anyone who tries to take out that Trans-Warp Cell."

"Oh dear…" Optimus said wearily, suspecting he already knew what this was about. "I'll try to talk to him. Everyone else stay back."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I, old friend. So do I."

With that said, the Maximal commander stepped out into the open and addressed his supposedly crazed underling.

"Rattrap, it's me, Optimus." He said in a calm nonconfrontational tone. "I can see you're upset about something. Why don't you come out and we'll talk about it."

"Don't get all psychological with me, Shellhead! I see right through ya!" the rogue Maximal shouted from inside the engine room. "You take one step towards me and I'll blow yer damn head off!"

"Rattrap, please, whatever's bothering you, we can resolve it peacefully."

"I don't want a conversation! And before you start getting any funny ideas, let's remind ourselves of our roles here. You might be the Commander of this ship, but I'm the one who's taken over the engine room. I'm the one holding the obscenely large gun. And apparently I'm the only one who gives a damn about our survival!"

"Rattrap, you're not making any sense. Can you please be a little more specific?"

"Garrus-9, Primal! Garrus-9! There! That specific enough for ya?"

Naturally, Optimus understood right away what he was talking about, but the humans, of course, did not.

"Backstop, what's Garrus-9?" asked the Professor, speaking for everyone.

"It was a military prison from back during the Great War." The Science Officer answered solemnly. "The warden was Fortress Maximus, one of Cybertron's most decorated war heroes; a living legend. But during the last century of the war, a rogue Decepticon named Overlord staged a prisonbreak and turned the place into his own private sanctuary. Most of the guards were slaughtered, but Overlord kept a few of them alive, including Fortress Maximus himself, so the prisoners could… entertain themselves. It took the Autobots over three years to take it back."

"Three years, two months and ten days!" Rattrap clarified, apparently having heard the explanation. "That's how long it took High Command to send in the Wreckers to clean up the mess! And by the time they found Maximus, he was barely alive. Poor slagger spent the rest of his short, miserable life in therapy. He was a living legend, a hero to billions, and it still took three years before he reached the top of Cybertron's 'to-do list'? How long do you reckon it'll take before they get around to lookin' for a bunch of nobodies like us?"

"It was a different time then, Rattrap. There was a war going on." Optimus reasoned. "Please, I know you're scared, but you have to trust me, Cybertron will not abandon us."

"And how would you know?" Rattrap asked bitingly. "You're just some wide-eyed academy bot tryin' to impress the locals! You know full well that if Backstop takes the engine apart there's a good chance he won't be able to get it workin' again! Even if the Preds do have a Trans-Warp Cell we can steal! And yet you still made this stupid, unilateral decision without discussin' it with any of us! Well, I'm not gonna let you endanger our lives just so you can play Cowboys and Indians!"

It was clear to Optimus at this point that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Rattrap by pussyfooting around. It was time for a little 'tough love'.

"Everyone stand back." The lead Maximal said sternly. "I'll handle this."

Then, before anyone could object, he marched straight towards the door without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm warnin' you, Shellhead!" Rattrap shouted from his unseen vantagepoint. "One more step and I'll blow yer freakin' head off!"

"Go ahead and try!" Optimus barked back as he kept moving forward.

Seconds later, Rattrap jumped into view and fired six shots from his Ion Cannon. All of them missed, and the Maximal commander continued undeterred. Seeing this caused the rogue Maximal to panic and duck back into the engine room; shutting the door behind him.

But alas, even a locked door wasn't enough to stop Optimus Primal, for when he reached it, he simply plowed through the metal barrier with brute force. One inside, he saw his insubordinate underling standing just to the side; weapon still in hand and shaking like a leaf.

"Let me just clarify a few things with you, Rattrap." Optimus said sternly as he slowly descended on the smaller Maximal. "1. This might be my first time sitting in the Command Chair, but I'm not stranger to hairy situations. I served onboard the Lemuria for three years, under Commander Razorback. And believe me, she's nowhere near as lenient as I am."

As he got closer, Rattrap raised the Cannon as if to fire it, only for Optimus to swat it out of his hands with minimal effort.

"2. A weapon is not a tool for intimidation or negotiation. So don't you dare point one at me unless you're really trying to kill me."

By this point, he was directly in front of him; towering over him by at least a foot and a half.

"And 3!" he said sharply as Rattrap closed his eyes, clearly expecting the worst, only for Optimus to gently place a hand on his shoulder. "You're right. I shouldn't have made a decision like this without discussing it with all of you first. I'm sorry."

"W-W-W-What?" the smaller Maximal stammered, obviously thrown by this sudden shift in tone and demeanor.

"Rattrap, we haven't known each other for very long, so it's only natural that you'd question my intentions sometimes. Especially since I'm so new to being a Commander. But you have to believe me. I would never have asked Backstop to repurpose our only Trans-Warp Cell if I wasn't 100% sure help was coming."

"What are you talkin' about?" Rattrap asked, still sounding confused, but much less hostile.

"There's something I haven't told you. Any of you. Do you remember when we first spotted Megatron's ship and I sent a message to Cybertron that we were giving chase?"

Rattrap nodded silently.

"Well, a short time later, I got a response from High Command. It was General Obsidian from Maximal Central Intelligence, and he told me something rather… disturbing." Optimus said uneasily; scratching the back of his head. "It seems the Golden Disc wasn't the only thing Megatron stole from New Iacon. He took something else. Something infinitely more valuable and dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Whoa… back it up there, Optimus. Tell me yer not sayin'…"

"I'm afraid I am." The Maximal commander interrupted, as he prepared to unveil the grim news that had burdened him all this time. "Even as we speak, Megatron is in possession of… a Relic of the Primes."

End Notes:

Before anyone asks. Commander Razorback is character I made up. She's a high ranking officer in the Maximal Science Navy, her Beast Mode is a wild boar, which compliments her harsh and scathing personality, but is a stark contrast to her sleek and alluring Robot Mode. I plan on giving her a cameo later on.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one.

Peace.