Disclaimer: Beast Wars, Beast Machines and all characters related to those series are the property of MainFrame Entertainment and Hasbro Incorporated. The Transformers and all characters related to that series are the property of Hasbro Incorporated. This fan fiction is dedicated to the cast and crew of all three Transformer generations.
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, portions of the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 9; Point of No Return
"Choppa-Face! Choppa-face! Kin ya hear me?"
Dinobot winced. Even in his dreams he was never free from the Vermin.
Rattrap's voice faded and Dinobot was left to the void, an existence between sleep and consciousness. It was an artificial state of meditation, and Dinobot was enjoying his time there. Dinobot's spark calmed. He felt as though he was in complete control of his destiny. He felt at peace. He felt relaxed.
He felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulders and shake him violently!
"DINOBOT!"
Dinobot let out a monstrous roar as his optical sensors flashed. He lept to his feet and grabbed the first blurred object his sensors registered as a Transformer by the neck and lifted hit high above his head.
"Nice ta see ya, too, Choppa-Face." Rattrap choked
Dinobot blinked. His eyes adjusted to the light and he looked around. He was standing along the banks of the glowing river, surrounded by the Maximals. All were in robot mode. Air Razor was knelt near Dinobot's feet, looking up at him. Rhinox stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest and chuckling to himself. Not far from Rhinox stood Cheetor and Tigatron, who were laughing.
And not far from the cats stood Terrorsaur, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
Rattrap struggled to pry Dinobot's fingers from around his neck. The Pred could palm Rhinox's head if he wanted to, and his fingers reached all the way around Rattrap's neck. And his grip was as hard as steel. Rattrap was having a hard time breathing, his vision was beginning to blur.
"Lemme go, ya big mook!" Rattrap gasped, kicking Dinobot in the rips as hard as he could "Ya chokin' me!"
Dinobot winced at the impact and cast a quick glance at the squirming rodent. Dinobot snorted and then released him. Rattrap landed on his skid-plates with a hard THUD! grateful that he could breath.
"Terrorsaur!" Dinobot thundered "explain your presence, quickly!"
"Thought you could place all the blame on me, did ya." Terrorsaur demanded "Thought I'd fall for that old trick again. Well, that might have worked a few stellar cycles ago, but not this time! I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
Dinobot raised his brow, stunned and confused. Why was Terrorsaur with the Maximals? What was Terrorsaur talking about? Dinobot placing the blame on him, for what?
"By the Pit," Dinobot started "What are you~"
Rattrap scrambled to his feet and yanked Dinobot aside by the arm, saying "Rhinox en I found 'im down stream, soaked ta da core en 'iz memory bank void a da last stellar cycle en sum odd quazars. 'E thinks 'e's on our side en dat 'e got surged last night cuz ya blamed 'im fa Optimus' disappearance."
"And how, pray-tell, did he come to THAT conclusion?" Dinobot snarled, pulling his arm free of Rattrap's grip
Rattrap waved the question off hurriedly "Dat's naht important. What iz important iz dis; turns out da biggest stable energon reserve on da planet iz only a few deca-quads up da river, en Megabutt en 'iz goons are in da process a mining da stuff!"
"And I suppose HE told you all of that." Dinobot snorted, motioning towards Terrorsaur
"Yeah. So?"
Dinobot trilled in disgust and was about to point out how obvious of a trap it all was...when his optical sensors caught sight of the energon fragments in the river.
"Soaked to the core, was he?" Dinobot said, preoccupied "His memories fragmented, scrambled or vaporized."
The puzzle pieces began to fit together.
"I don' know about 'iz memories bein' vaped," Rattrap said "but 'iz history tracks are crossed sumtin awful. Look, whateva happened ta 'im, da result iz 'e t'inks 'e's a Maximal en 'iz willin' ta take us ta dis Engeron Valley ta stap Megatron. Now, fore ya say 'It's a trap, Vermin. Can't ya see dat!', I know it could be a trap but we've gotta risk it! If dis Valley does exist~"
"I doubt Terrorsaur is lying to us about the Valley's authenticity." Dinobot snorted, crossing his arms over his chest "My only concern is how long has Megatron had to learn it's secret."
"Secert?" Rattrap asked
"Are you two done pow-wowing?" Terrorsaur asked "We're wasting time!"
"Wasting time?" Cheetor asked "What's the rush?"
"The rush is Megatron! We've gotta stop him!"
"Megatron? Hey, what's going on, Rattrap?"
Rattrap approached the others, saying "Seems dat while Terrorsaur wuz on 'iz binge last night, 'e found Megatron en 'iz goons camped out in a huge stable energon reserve."
"STABLE energon!" Air Razor gasped "On THIS planet?"
"Yep, an entire valley of the stuff." Terrorsaur said "I confronted them, but in my surged state I couldn't do much damage. Inferno picked up a log and knocked me into the river. I floated down stream and washed up on shore."
"Where we found him," Rhinox added "hang-over and all."
"How big is this Energon Valley?" Tigatron asked
"Big enough that one-fourth of the energon there would be more than enough for Megatron to kill us all a few dozen times." Terrorsaur explained
Tigatron cringed "Very uncomforting thought."
"You asked." Air Razor reminded him
"If one fourth of the energon reserves could take us out and then some," Rhinox said to Rattrap "imagine what the entire valley could do."
"We gotta git down dere en stap Mega-butt fore 'e gets da chance ta take any a dat energon back ta 'iz base." Rattrap said, slamming his left fist into his open palm "NOW!"
"I'll lead the way....If I can remember how to get there." Terrorsaur groaned
Waspinator and Scorpinok watched with wide eyes, hidden behind a patch of shrubbery on the other side of the river. Neither of them knew why Terrorsaur was with the Maximals or why the Maximals hadn't scrapped him. Or why Terrorsaur was telling them about the Energon Valley.
"Don't make sense." Scorpinok muttered, shaking his head
"Does not." Waspinator corrected
"They shoulda slagged him by now."
"Not true. Terrorsaur not slag Mouse-Bot when they meet."
"Met, and the only reason Terrorsaur didn't blast that Maximal was because the Rat begged for mercy."
"Changed sides."
"Whatever." Scorpinok turned back to the scene before him.
Rattrap said a few more things that the wind kept from Scorpinok and Waspinator's audio sensors, then motioned the group on. The Maximals plus Terrorsaur changed into their beast modes and started back into the forest.
"Not 'whatever'. Is difference between 'beg for mercy' and 'change sides'." Waspinator said, then he gasped "Scorpinok not think Terrorsaur change sides?"
"His logic chip must have been knocked out of whack when we..." Scorpinok shock his head, trying not to remember "Those slaggin' Maximals are taking advantage of him! They're no better than us!"
Waspinator's brow rose "That could be compliment."
"We've got to warn Megatron." Scorpinok said, a smile sneaking its way across his face "Finally, Megatron will see just how useful I am!"
* * * * *
Optimus groaned. Every nano-klick of his frame ached. Slowly, painfully, he opened his optical sensors and looked around. He was no longer in the crystal cave, but laying outside in a cool patch of grass beneath a shady tree. He could hear a rushing river to his left and the songs of birds above him. Sunlight trickled down from breaks in the forest canopy and touched Optimus' cool frame.
Optimus sat up and shock his head. Then his optical sensors widened in surprise. He was in his robot mode! He was also aware that his memory glitch was cleared up.
"By the Matrix!" Optimus gasped "What happened?"
"You were restored." A deep voice said "In mind and in body."
Optimus turned to see Silverback standing a few feet away. Behind Silverback, in the distance, was a high stone cliff and the back entrance to the crystal chamber.
"You....can talk?" Optimus asked, getting to his feet
"As can you, it would appear," Silverback said, a smile crossing his face "though your gift is due to your species, not a blessing. I am not questioning the true VOK's motives for sending a changeling to lead my people, but I do suggest you use this form sparingly when around the others."
Optimus narrowed his eyes in confusion and frowned.
Silverback paid no heed, he was too excited to notice. He continued "I am so relieved that the Generator found your Essence pure. I would hate to think what would become of this world if the Swarm were to figure out its secrets and take over The Project. Hopefully the true VOK can hold out a little while longer, until our people are advanced enough to aid them."
"I hate to interrupt," Optimus broke in "but what are you talking about?"
Silverback's eyes widened. "You...do not follow me?"
"I'm afraid I'm as lost as a neophyte in the Lower Levels of Cybertron with no guide, no compass, and a dying flashlight."
Silverback blinked, disappointment and sadness filled his eyes. He sighed and said in a tone of voice that made Optimus believe the old gorilla's life depended him "You have their essence inside of you, empowering you! The Generator found your energy to be pure and, yet, you know not of the VOK?"
"I have heard of the Swarm, but they're only characters in a story parents tell their Sparks! They are a part of our legends and folklore. As for the VOK...I'm afraid I don't know who or what they are."
Silverback sighed and shock his head "Then, you are not the one."
"I'm sorry I've gotten your hopes up and I don't mean to sound inconsiderate, but could we attempt to meet on the same level of understanding, please." Optimus said, holding out his hands "I don't understand what you're talking about, but I would like too."
"Very well, let us start with the basics. My name is Silverback, I am the leader and elder of my tribe. We are the favorite species of the Master VOK, Atronai, who created this world in hopes of creating the perfect race....but that was eons ago."
"Who are the VOK?"
"They are the creators and observers of this world. They gave this planet life and watch over those who live here to ensure our survival. They built many monuments to remind their creations of their presence and they littered the land with powerful jewels to increase our powers."
"So, our landlord has a name." Optimus said "The VOK."
"And now, Young One, what is your story? How can you be of the VOK and know nothing of them?"
"My name is Optimus Primal and I am not a VOK. I'm a member of a race called Transformers... to be completely accurate, I'm a Maximal, which is a branch of the Transformer program."
"I see. Where is your place of origin?"
"A planet called Cybertron, several Mega-lightyears from this solar system and, perhaps, a few eons into the future....or past."
"You are unsure of your own existence?"
"No, it's just that....Well, this may take a while to explain."
"Go on."
"Very well then. My crew and I were sent on a space exploration mission a few weeks before we got word that our enemies, the Predicons....a less than prime example of the Transformer race, had captured a very important relic from our Archives. Being the only ship close enough to intercept them, we were ordered to follow and capture them. When we caught up with them, they tried to lose us in a transwarp jump."
"Transwarp?"
"It's a unit of speed. See, 'warp speed' is measured according to how close you reach the speed of light, while 'transwarp speed' is measured according to how many times over the speed of light you go. Problem with transwarp is the higher the number, the greater your chance of cutting a hole in the space/time continuum and being shot into the past or future....and I've lost you?"
Silverback smiled and shock his head "For such strange creatures, your kind is very wise. The VOK are still trying to master the art of controlling time, and you have stumped upon it accidentally."
Optimus smiled wryly, not sure if he should feel insulted or humbled. He cleared his throat and said "Yes, well, with advanced technology comes advanced side-effects, I suppose. As for us, once we exited the transwarp tunnel both ships found themselves over this planet and we crashed."
Silverback nodded, disappointed.
"As for the VOK, I had never heard of them until this very moment. However, I have encountered them, half a stellar cycle ago."
"Half a what?"
"Well....uh...." Optimus scratched the back of his head and thought. How was he going to explain a stellar cycle? "Well, it takes a planet a certain amount of time to revolve around the sun."
"Just as it takes a planet a certain amount of time to rotate around its axis. Yes, I am well aware and well versed in all branches of science, mathematics and the like. You don't become a Keeper because of your good looks. You have to be trained."
"I see." Optimus smiled "Well then, my kind calls the time it takes a planet, namely our home planet, to revolve around the sun a 'stellar cycle'. A rotation is a 'solar cycle'."
Silverback nodded "I see."
"As I was saying, a while back the VOK scanned me shortly after we found one of their... monuments."
"Which one?"
"It was a ring of stones and in the center was an altar. There were energon crystals beneath the altar, but they were set off by one of the Predicons. The next thing we know this beam of light is shot out of the altar and into the sky...a few days later I met the VOK."
"Well, that answers many things. You set off a test. A test no life form on this planet has the knowledge to activate. It takes a lot of brain-power to realize light can fracture through crystals and create a pulsar beam."
"And yet you are well versed in all aspects of 'intelligent' conversation." Optimus said slyly, crossing his arms over his chest
Silverback smiled "It is a gift."
"Some gift."
"As for your essence, they must have endowed it upon you while they were scanning you. Probably an attempt to boost your power or to make you one of them, but more likely it is a tracking device of some sort."
"Tracking device? You mean they're~"
"Keeping an eye on you. But do not worry, as long as you do not activate anymore tests, they will not harm you and the essence should fade with time." Silverback sighed and sat down, head hung and eyes closed. He looked tired, worn out. His age was finally showing.
"Are you all right?" Optimus asked
"I am old, my friend." Silverback sighed "Older than any other member of my tribe. My longevity was a gift from the VOK, as well as my gift of speech, so that I may lead my tribe from their current state to creatures acceptable to the VOK. As I mentioned before, one member of each animal species is given the gifts of advanced speech, intelligence and longevity, so that we may over see the evolution of our species and ensure that The Project does not collapse within itself. We are called Keepers."
Silverback shock his head and started towards the rushing river a few yards away. Once he reached the river bank, he sighed sadly and looked his reflection over in the glowing blue water.
"But even the VOK are mortals and their gifts are finite."
"Why don't the VOK just let the creatures of this world evolve at their own pace?"
"Because that would take too much time. All ready the VOK are becoming poisoned by the Swarm and its evil energies. We must evolve in order to stop the Swarm, before it taints the Essence."
Optimus narrowed his optical sensors, not entirely sure what this 'Essence' was.
Silverback smiled, but only half-heartedly, and said "To bridge the translation gap, let us equate the 'Essence' to the 'Matrix', though the Matrix is, more than likely, a small part of the Essence."
Optimus' optical sensors widened "How do you know about the Matrix?"
"You tell marvelous stories in your sleep, Optimus Primal, only now do they make sense."
Optimus flushed with embarrassment.
He really wasn't sure what to ask next. He had been shown a brief history of the VOK, but what was currently going on in the Realm and the Vortex? How close an eye did the VOK keep on The Project? How close an eye were they keeping on him? What was the 'perfect creature' they were trying to create? What would they do if The Project creatures did not want to join them? How would the VOK react to outside influence? How would The Swarm react? After all, there were millions of other inhabited planets out there and one of those species was bound to find this planet~
Optimus suddenly realized that one race already had. Now only one question could be asked;
What were the VOK planning to do about the Transformers?
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, portions of the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 9; Point of No Return
"Choppa-Face! Choppa-face! Kin ya hear me?"
Dinobot winced. Even in his dreams he was never free from the Vermin.
Rattrap's voice faded and Dinobot was left to the void, an existence between sleep and consciousness. It was an artificial state of meditation, and Dinobot was enjoying his time there. Dinobot's spark calmed. He felt as though he was in complete control of his destiny. He felt at peace. He felt relaxed.
He felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulders and shake him violently!
"DINOBOT!"
Dinobot let out a monstrous roar as his optical sensors flashed. He lept to his feet and grabbed the first blurred object his sensors registered as a Transformer by the neck and lifted hit high above his head.
"Nice ta see ya, too, Choppa-Face." Rattrap choked
Dinobot blinked. His eyes adjusted to the light and he looked around. He was standing along the banks of the glowing river, surrounded by the Maximals. All were in robot mode. Air Razor was knelt near Dinobot's feet, looking up at him. Rhinox stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest and chuckling to himself. Not far from Rhinox stood Cheetor and Tigatron, who were laughing.
And not far from the cats stood Terrorsaur, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
Rattrap struggled to pry Dinobot's fingers from around his neck. The Pred could palm Rhinox's head if he wanted to, and his fingers reached all the way around Rattrap's neck. And his grip was as hard as steel. Rattrap was having a hard time breathing, his vision was beginning to blur.
"Lemme go, ya big mook!" Rattrap gasped, kicking Dinobot in the rips as hard as he could "Ya chokin' me!"
Dinobot winced at the impact and cast a quick glance at the squirming rodent. Dinobot snorted and then released him. Rattrap landed on his skid-plates with a hard THUD! grateful that he could breath.
"Terrorsaur!" Dinobot thundered "explain your presence, quickly!"
"Thought you could place all the blame on me, did ya." Terrorsaur demanded "Thought I'd fall for that old trick again. Well, that might have worked a few stellar cycles ago, but not this time! I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
Dinobot raised his brow, stunned and confused. Why was Terrorsaur with the Maximals? What was Terrorsaur talking about? Dinobot placing the blame on him, for what?
"By the Pit," Dinobot started "What are you~"
Rattrap scrambled to his feet and yanked Dinobot aside by the arm, saying "Rhinox en I found 'im down stream, soaked ta da core en 'iz memory bank void a da last stellar cycle en sum odd quazars. 'E thinks 'e's on our side en dat 'e got surged last night cuz ya blamed 'im fa Optimus' disappearance."
"And how, pray-tell, did he come to THAT conclusion?" Dinobot snarled, pulling his arm free of Rattrap's grip
Rattrap waved the question off hurriedly "Dat's naht important. What iz important iz dis; turns out da biggest stable energon reserve on da planet iz only a few deca-quads up da river, en Megabutt en 'iz goons are in da process a mining da stuff!"
"And I suppose HE told you all of that." Dinobot snorted, motioning towards Terrorsaur
"Yeah. So?"
Dinobot trilled in disgust and was about to point out how obvious of a trap it all was...when his optical sensors caught sight of the energon fragments in the river.
"Soaked to the core, was he?" Dinobot said, preoccupied "His memories fragmented, scrambled or vaporized."
The puzzle pieces began to fit together.
"I don' know about 'iz memories bein' vaped," Rattrap said "but 'iz history tracks are crossed sumtin awful. Look, whateva happened ta 'im, da result iz 'e t'inks 'e's a Maximal en 'iz willin' ta take us ta dis Engeron Valley ta stap Megatron. Now, fore ya say 'It's a trap, Vermin. Can't ya see dat!', I know it could be a trap but we've gotta risk it! If dis Valley does exist~"
"I doubt Terrorsaur is lying to us about the Valley's authenticity." Dinobot snorted, crossing his arms over his chest "My only concern is how long has Megatron had to learn it's secret."
"Secert?" Rattrap asked
"Are you two done pow-wowing?" Terrorsaur asked "We're wasting time!"
"Wasting time?" Cheetor asked "What's the rush?"
"The rush is Megatron! We've gotta stop him!"
"Megatron? Hey, what's going on, Rattrap?"
Rattrap approached the others, saying "Seems dat while Terrorsaur wuz on 'iz binge last night, 'e found Megatron en 'iz goons camped out in a huge stable energon reserve."
"STABLE energon!" Air Razor gasped "On THIS planet?"
"Yep, an entire valley of the stuff." Terrorsaur said "I confronted them, but in my surged state I couldn't do much damage. Inferno picked up a log and knocked me into the river. I floated down stream and washed up on shore."
"Where we found him," Rhinox added "hang-over and all."
"How big is this Energon Valley?" Tigatron asked
"Big enough that one-fourth of the energon there would be more than enough for Megatron to kill us all a few dozen times." Terrorsaur explained
Tigatron cringed "Very uncomforting thought."
"You asked." Air Razor reminded him
"If one fourth of the energon reserves could take us out and then some," Rhinox said to Rattrap "imagine what the entire valley could do."
"We gotta git down dere en stap Mega-butt fore 'e gets da chance ta take any a dat energon back ta 'iz base." Rattrap said, slamming his left fist into his open palm "NOW!"
"I'll lead the way....If I can remember how to get there." Terrorsaur groaned
Waspinator and Scorpinok watched with wide eyes, hidden behind a patch of shrubbery on the other side of the river. Neither of them knew why Terrorsaur was with the Maximals or why the Maximals hadn't scrapped him. Or why Terrorsaur was telling them about the Energon Valley.
"Don't make sense." Scorpinok muttered, shaking his head
"Does not." Waspinator corrected
"They shoulda slagged him by now."
"Not true. Terrorsaur not slag Mouse-Bot when they meet."
"Met, and the only reason Terrorsaur didn't blast that Maximal was because the Rat begged for mercy."
"Changed sides."
"Whatever." Scorpinok turned back to the scene before him.
Rattrap said a few more things that the wind kept from Scorpinok and Waspinator's audio sensors, then motioned the group on. The Maximals plus Terrorsaur changed into their beast modes and started back into the forest.
"Not 'whatever'. Is difference between 'beg for mercy' and 'change sides'." Waspinator said, then he gasped "Scorpinok not think Terrorsaur change sides?"
"His logic chip must have been knocked out of whack when we..." Scorpinok shock his head, trying not to remember "Those slaggin' Maximals are taking advantage of him! They're no better than us!"
Waspinator's brow rose "That could be compliment."
"We've got to warn Megatron." Scorpinok said, a smile sneaking its way across his face "Finally, Megatron will see just how useful I am!"
* * * * *
Optimus groaned. Every nano-klick of his frame ached. Slowly, painfully, he opened his optical sensors and looked around. He was no longer in the crystal cave, but laying outside in a cool patch of grass beneath a shady tree. He could hear a rushing river to his left and the songs of birds above him. Sunlight trickled down from breaks in the forest canopy and touched Optimus' cool frame.
Optimus sat up and shock his head. Then his optical sensors widened in surprise. He was in his robot mode! He was also aware that his memory glitch was cleared up.
"By the Matrix!" Optimus gasped "What happened?"
"You were restored." A deep voice said "In mind and in body."
Optimus turned to see Silverback standing a few feet away. Behind Silverback, in the distance, was a high stone cliff and the back entrance to the crystal chamber.
"You....can talk?" Optimus asked, getting to his feet
"As can you, it would appear," Silverback said, a smile crossing his face "though your gift is due to your species, not a blessing. I am not questioning the true VOK's motives for sending a changeling to lead my people, but I do suggest you use this form sparingly when around the others."
Optimus narrowed his eyes in confusion and frowned.
Silverback paid no heed, he was too excited to notice. He continued "I am so relieved that the Generator found your Essence pure. I would hate to think what would become of this world if the Swarm were to figure out its secrets and take over The Project. Hopefully the true VOK can hold out a little while longer, until our people are advanced enough to aid them."
"I hate to interrupt," Optimus broke in "but what are you talking about?"
Silverback's eyes widened. "You...do not follow me?"
"I'm afraid I'm as lost as a neophyte in the Lower Levels of Cybertron with no guide, no compass, and a dying flashlight."
Silverback blinked, disappointment and sadness filled his eyes. He sighed and said in a tone of voice that made Optimus believe the old gorilla's life depended him "You have their essence inside of you, empowering you! The Generator found your energy to be pure and, yet, you know not of the VOK?"
"I have heard of the Swarm, but they're only characters in a story parents tell their Sparks! They are a part of our legends and folklore. As for the VOK...I'm afraid I don't know who or what they are."
Silverback sighed and shock his head "Then, you are not the one."
"I'm sorry I've gotten your hopes up and I don't mean to sound inconsiderate, but could we attempt to meet on the same level of understanding, please." Optimus said, holding out his hands "I don't understand what you're talking about, but I would like too."
"Very well, let us start with the basics. My name is Silverback, I am the leader and elder of my tribe. We are the favorite species of the Master VOK, Atronai, who created this world in hopes of creating the perfect race....but that was eons ago."
"Who are the VOK?"
"They are the creators and observers of this world. They gave this planet life and watch over those who live here to ensure our survival. They built many monuments to remind their creations of their presence and they littered the land with powerful jewels to increase our powers."
"So, our landlord has a name." Optimus said "The VOK."
"And now, Young One, what is your story? How can you be of the VOK and know nothing of them?"
"My name is Optimus Primal and I am not a VOK. I'm a member of a race called Transformers... to be completely accurate, I'm a Maximal, which is a branch of the Transformer program."
"I see. Where is your place of origin?"
"A planet called Cybertron, several Mega-lightyears from this solar system and, perhaps, a few eons into the future....or past."
"You are unsure of your own existence?"
"No, it's just that....Well, this may take a while to explain."
"Go on."
"Very well then. My crew and I were sent on a space exploration mission a few weeks before we got word that our enemies, the Predicons....a less than prime example of the Transformer race, had captured a very important relic from our Archives. Being the only ship close enough to intercept them, we were ordered to follow and capture them. When we caught up with them, they tried to lose us in a transwarp jump."
"Transwarp?"
"It's a unit of speed. See, 'warp speed' is measured according to how close you reach the speed of light, while 'transwarp speed' is measured according to how many times over the speed of light you go. Problem with transwarp is the higher the number, the greater your chance of cutting a hole in the space/time continuum and being shot into the past or future....and I've lost you?"
Silverback smiled and shock his head "For such strange creatures, your kind is very wise. The VOK are still trying to master the art of controlling time, and you have stumped upon it accidentally."
Optimus smiled wryly, not sure if he should feel insulted or humbled. He cleared his throat and said "Yes, well, with advanced technology comes advanced side-effects, I suppose. As for us, once we exited the transwarp tunnel both ships found themselves over this planet and we crashed."
Silverback nodded, disappointed.
"As for the VOK, I had never heard of them until this very moment. However, I have encountered them, half a stellar cycle ago."
"Half a what?"
"Well....uh...." Optimus scratched the back of his head and thought. How was he going to explain a stellar cycle? "Well, it takes a planet a certain amount of time to revolve around the sun."
"Just as it takes a planet a certain amount of time to rotate around its axis. Yes, I am well aware and well versed in all branches of science, mathematics and the like. You don't become a Keeper because of your good looks. You have to be trained."
"I see." Optimus smiled "Well then, my kind calls the time it takes a planet, namely our home planet, to revolve around the sun a 'stellar cycle'. A rotation is a 'solar cycle'."
Silverback nodded "I see."
"As I was saying, a while back the VOK scanned me shortly after we found one of their... monuments."
"Which one?"
"It was a ring of stones and in the center was an altar. There were energon crystals beneath the altar, but they were set off by one of the Predicons. The next thing we know this beam of light is shot out of the altar and into the sky...a few days later I met the VOK."
"Well, that answers many things. You set off a test. A test no life form on this planet has the knowledge to activate. It takes a lot of brain-power to realize light can fracture through crystals and create a pulsar beam."
"And yet you are well versed in all aspects of 'intelligent' conversation." Optimus said slyly, crossing his arms over his chest
Silverback smiled "It is a gift."
"Some gift."
"As for your essence, they must have endowed it upon you while they were scanning you. Probably an attempt to boost your power or to make you one of them, but more likely it is a tracking device of some sort."
"Tracking device? You mean they're~"
"Keeping an eye on you. But do not worry, as long as you do not activate anymore tests, they will not harm you and the essence should fade with time." Silverback sighed and sat down, head hung and eyes closed. He looked tired, worn out. His age was finally showing.
"Are you all right?" Optimus asked
"I am old, my friend." Silverback sighed "Older than any other member of my tribe. My longevity was a gift from the VOK, as well as my gift of speech, so that I may lead my tribe from their current state to creatures acceptable to the VOK. As I mentioned before, one member of each animal species is given the gifts of advanced speech, intelligence and longevity, so that we may over see the evolution of our species and ensure that The Project does not collapse within itself. We are called Keepers."
Silverback shock his head and started towards the rushing river a few yards away. Once he reached the river bank, he sighed sadly and looked his reflection over in the glowing blue water.
"But even the VOK are mortals and their gifts are finite."
"Why don't the VOK just let the creatures of this world evolve at their own pace?"
"Because that would take too much time. All ready the VOK are becoming poisoned by the Swarm and its evil energies. We must evolve in order to stop the Swarm, before it taints the Essence."
Optimus narrowed his optical sensors, not entirely sure what this 'Essence' was.
Silverback smiled, but only half-heartedly, and said "To bridge the translation gap, let us equate the 'Essence' to the 'Matrix', though the Matrix is, more than likely, a small part of the Essence."
Optimus' optical sensors widened "How do you know about the Matrix?"
"You tell marvelous stories in your sleep, Optimus Primal, only now do they make sense."
Optimus flushed with embarrassment.
He really wasn't sure what to ask next. He had been shown a brief history of the VOK, but what was currently going on in the Realm and the Vortex? How close an eye did the VOK keep on The Project? How close an eye were they keeping on him? What was the 'perfect creature' they were trying to create? What would they do if The Project creatures did not want to join them? How would the VOK react to outside influence? How would The Swarm react? After all, there were millions of other inhabited planets out there and one of those species was bound to find this planet~
Optimus suddenly realized that one race already had. Now only one question could be asked;
What were the VOK planning to do about the Transformers?