pbChapter 4/b

p"Cybertron, the Axalon is ready for take off." Optimus Primal told the figure on the screen. "All crew, except for the bridge crew, are all in pods and sound asleep. Waiting for your signal to take off, docking bay."

p"Signal is given, Optimus Primal. You and your crew may take off. Good Luck, Axalon."

pThe figure disappeared. Optimus turned to Starchaser, "You heard the order, cadet. Lets move on out, Maximals."

pStarchaser nodded and said, "Outer space, here we come! YEEEE HAAAW!"

p"Oh, for de love of...Optimus will ya tell our cowboy over dere ta be quite! I can't even here myself complain!" Dipper cried out after Starchaser finished he yell. Starchaser shrugged and press some buttons.

p"60 nano-clicks to lift off." Starchaser told Optimus.

p"Good." Optimus sat back. He looked at the big screen in front of him and nodded. "Well, crew. Say good bye to Cybertron."

p"Ah...c'ya later, planet. Like I need ya anyways." Dipper snorted. Dionico just waved then went back to work.

p"Bye Cybertron." And Mom and Dad, and Starhopper. Starchaser thought with a frown. He looked over to Optimus, who saw the sad expression on the young bot's face and said, "Don't worry, Starchaser. We'll be back before you know it." That made 'Chaser smile and turn back to his station. He saw they had 10 clicks left 'til take off and started counting.

p"10...9...8..." Starchaser started.

p"Oh, boy. Now we get to see da kid count backward."

p"7..."

p"Shut up, Dipper."

p"6..."

p"What? I was just sayin'..."

p"Leave me alone, Dipper! 5..."

p"Ah...screw you!"

p"Dipper!"

p"4... Why are you talking about a screw?"

p"What!!! Ha ha ha..."

p"3...what's so funny."

p"Yous don't know what screw is?"

p"2...if it's not a tool...no."

p"Oh, Primus! Ha ha ha!"

p"Shut up, Dipper!" Optimus looked pissed now.

p"1...Blast off!" Even if Starchaser didn't know what Dipper was talking about, it didn't stop him from having fun with the blast off gig. He always wanted to do that.

pThe Axalon shook. The Maximals held fast in their seats, though Dipper didn't hold on tight enough because he was laughing too hard and fell to the ground when the Axalon took off. He stopped laughing for a minute and sat back down, then he started snickering as he looked over at Starchaser. But 'Chaser was looking at the stars and planets, they were as beautiful as he remembered as a kid when he went with his parents to their work. His optics filled with tears.

p"Hey...I didn't mean ta make ya cry...It was only a joke." Starchaser wiped his eyes, 'I was caught again!' he thought. After he finished drying his tears, he looked at Dipper.

p"It wasn't you. I was just thinking..." Starchaser looked down on his controls when the rest of the Maximals look his way. "I was just remembering when I went with my...parents...to there work in outer space." He looked up at his screen and pointed, so the others could see. "Everything looks the same as it did when I was little. Only..."

p"Sadder?" Starchaser looked at Dipper and nodded. The smaller bot smiled and said, "Don't worry kiddo. I lost my dad in a factory explosion. And my mother...well...never knew her anyway." Dipper shrugged, to make it look as if he didn't really care. They all knew that wasn't true but didn't say so. "But, I met friends who cheered me up when my pop died. So, uh...I might as well cheer you up. How 'bout when we get a break, I'll play another card game. Except I'm winning."

pStarchaser smiled, "Think again!" Before he could speak again, the comm came on with a Maximals voice saying, "Axalon! Come in, Axalon. This is Cybertron. Please come in, Axalon!"

pEveryone jumped. "Dipper! Put it on screen! Now!" Optimus yelled. On screen a male Maximal who looked almost panicky. "Yes, Basker. What is the problem?"

p"Six rebel Predacons, lead by a Predacon traitor that named himself Megatron, had stolen the Golden Disk. " Basker said, "And your ship is the closest. You are given orders to follow and retrieve both the Predacons and the Golden Disk. We are sending their transwarp drive signature. Good luck, Optimus Primal."

p"Don't worry, we'll get the Disk for you, and the Predacons. Optimus Primal, out." Optimus picked up the sheet of paper and handed it to Starchaser. "Follow that signature, Starchaser. And lock on." Starchaser nodded and started pushing some buttons. But Dipper wasn't too happy.

p"You mean, we have ta follow dat stupid pred ship just to get some disk? Oh, give me a break!"

p"I don't have time for this now, Dipper. We are going to follow orders, whether you like it or not. Starchaser," Optimus turned to the young bot. "Have you found it?"

p"Yes, locking on...now!" Just as he pressed the button, his world turned blue. Everything he saw was blue. He felt the ship jerk and he looked at his screen.

p"What happened? Where are we?" Starchaser asked, a little frightened by what had just happened.

p"We hit a time warp." Dionico said. "Megatron has his transwarp drive activated. Who knows where we are? The transwarp drive can take us through space and time."

p"Well, that's just Prime." Optimus turned to 'Chaser, "Where is Megatron?"

pStarchaser shrugged, "He's some where, just don't know where-"

p**KABOOM!!!**

pThe hull of the ship shuttered under the impact of the blast from the Predacon ship. "Never mind...I found them!"

p"Starchaser! Move to the weaponry council. Dionico, pilot the ship. Move!" Starchaser ran to his new post and sat down before the ship shuttered again.

p**BOOM!!! **

pStarchaser felt the blasts of the other ship hitting the Axalon.

p"Starchaser! Get that gun online! And hurry!" Optimus yelled to the young Maximal.

p"Right, Big Bot! I'm on it!" 'Chaser looked down at the weapon council. 'This seems familiar' Starchaser though. He got the guns online and started to fire at the Predacon ship. "Yes got-" before he could his statement, Starchaser was blasted from his council. 'Oh, Primus...the PAIN!' Every part of Starchaser's bodies hurt.

p"Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed out in terror and pain. 'I remember now!!! Don't call on Optimus, please! Don't call out!'

p"Starchaser!" a voice yelled, "Are you alright?" Before 'Chaser could answer, a blast from the other ship cut him off. Starchaser looked over where Optimus was sitting, as relaxed a bit to see that he was still there. He told his systems to ignore the burns and he got up. "I'm fine! Just burned a bit." He lied as he sat down at his council. All his body parts hurt but he didn't tell the others that. He was also relieved that the he could still use the guns to fight. He was about to fire when everything turned blue again.

p"We're in a time warp again."

p"Prime. Starchaser, lock on and prepare to fire when we get out of this!"

p"Yes, sir!" Starchaser locked on. They came out of the time warp and Starchaser fired. Both sides exchange fire. Starchaser looked at the scanners and the Axalon shook again.

p"Ah! Hull breach in sector 7. Guidance systems failing!" Starchaser reported.

pDipper responded, "Oh, man, dis is ridiculous! Dis is a exploration ship, not a battle cruiser!"

p"We have no choice, " Optimus said. "This ship was the only one to lock on to Megatron's warp signature."

p**BLAST**

p"Shields are doing a major fade!"

p"Plasma cannon to full power!" Starchaser did as he was ordered.

pThe ship was hit again, all the members of the crew screamed. "Rupture, the stasis hold is failing!"

p"We're going down!"

p"Launch all pods! Get them into safe orbit!" Dionico launched the pods as Megatron shot at them again. "All plasma cannons, FIRE"

pAs the Axalon spinned out of control, they fired at the Predacon's ship. The target was hit and both ships went down. One in a lava pit, the other near some waterfalls. When everything was quite except the sound of the falls and the broken pipes, Optimus asked, "Damage Report?"

pStarchaser looked down at his screen and saw it was blank. "Believe me," he answered, "You don't wanna know."

pOptimus sighed, "That's what I thought."

pEveryone looked around and at each other. It took a few nano-clicks before Dipper realized something. "Holy, moley, Kiddo?! What happened to ya?" Everyone looked at the young bot.

p"What?" Starchaser didn't know why they were.

p"Starchaser! Get yourself in the CR chamber right now before you go off-line!" Optimus was shocked that he didn't see Starchaser's burns before. Finally, Starchaser looked down at himself; he almost fainted right then and there! He was almost black from the charred metal. He suddenly felt week and almost stumbled over. Dipper ran over and stopped his fall. Then he dragged him to the CR chamber before he went off-line.

p~o~o~o~

pWhen Starchaser awoke, Dionico told him that he has to change his exo-structure because of the energon and to pick an animal.

p"Something fast." Was what he told them and went off-line again to change.

pAgain, Starchaser awoke in the CR chamber; he started to hate it. He came out of the chamber and walked toward a metal surface. He felt short but when he looked at him self he saw spots. 'What? Spots?' but then he got the picture.

p"Cool! I'm a cheetah! No, no. I'm Cheetor..."

pThe End.


pChapter 3