Nebulous, outer Quintessen System
Earth date: October 24, 2019
Blasterfire filled the air of the valley with thick black smoke, just by looking in front of oneself a bot could not see their own servos. Many decided to turn off their olfactory sensors as the stench of rotting flesh, rubber, metal and fire started to bring down more bots than artillery alone.
Flashes of blue, red, purple and yellow brightened the battlefield just enough to see the shadows of targets on the other side. This planet was not good for cover, so on each side Autobots and Decepticons set up barriers and artificial cover stations.
This was not very effective, particularly for the Autobots.
"Commander!" A medium sized yellow and black Autobot shouted from behind a flipped over troop transport, "I've lost my visual on Shockwave!"
Several meters away behind a different transport, Ultra Magnus is covered with three other bots. He stood the tallest, just above the top of the transport, he fired his weapon at the Decepticon line offlining two of his four targets and wholly missing the other two.
"Bumblebee, fall back," Ultra Magnus shouted into his commlink, "If Shockwave is pulling from the battle his troops will follow soon."
Bumblebee snarled, his brow bending into an angered expression. He could at least take a high value prisoner and learn what Shockwave was doing on this planet. He looked to his left at Searchlight who crouched, firing their blaster from the side of the transport. Then to his right at Rollbar who was getting ready to hurl a grenade.
"You two cover me," Bumblebee ordered his Throttlebots, pulling up his battle mask.
"Bumblebee, Magnus said to fall-" Searchlight began to protest, cutting themself off when Bumblebee grabbed the railing on the top of the transport they were behind and vaulted over it.
"Well, let's roll," Rollbar said, transforming into his vehicle mode and chasing after Bumblebee.
Searchlight rolled their optics and transformed into vehicle mode and sped after their comrades. ``We're slagged,' they thought.
Bumblebee led in his Cybertronian car form, slamming into a troop, sending him to the ground from beneath his feet. He then transformed into robot mode and jumped into the air.
He landed in a handstand on Breakdown's shoulders, he spun the Stunticon around and slammed him to the ground, pulling his blaster out as he stood over Breakdown he gunned down Dead End and Dragstrip with ease.
Getting cocky, Bumblebee didn't expect the ball and chain hurled at him. The one that nearly took off his head, he ducked out of the way and rolled over into a crouched position and fired at Wildrider.
The Decepticon deflected most of the blaster bolts by swinging his flail, but one nailed him in the knee sending him crashing down to the ground.
'None of these bozos are gonna be of use,' Bumblebee thought to himself, he looked around and then noticed that the cons were pulling back. He smirked to himself. Hardly noticing the Stunticons returning to their feet and fleeing the scene.
"Lieutenant," Searchlight shouted, transforming and standing next to him, "We have to go now."
The white and blue Autobot then pointed at Shockwave's ship hovering in the air.
Bumblebee's spark sank, they were going to die now.
"Rollbar, Searchlight, transform and fall back!" He shouted, the three then transformed and drove back toward the Autobot encampment as heavy blaster fire from the Harbinger barraged the ground around them.
"We aren't gonna make it!" Searchlight said.
"Sure we will!" Rollbar chuckled, then a missile came down right behind him, sending him flying forward at the other Autobots with pieces flying off in several directions with a wretched scream.
Then the blasterfire stopped and the Harbinger pulled out. Bumblebee and Searchlight returned to the camp drifting in with loud tire screeches and transformed running toward where Red Alert was treating Rollbar.
"No," Bumblebee whispered, he could feel the glare on his chassis from Ultra Magnus, he looked over at his commander who sighed.
"We'll talk when we get back on board the Voyager," Ultra Magnus said, "Autobots onto the remaining transports."
With that the Autobots started moving to the last four transports, "Let's head home."
The Harbinger (Shockwave's fleet flag ship)
Shockwave walked up onto the bridge of his ship, each footstep ringing in the audio receptors of his men, making them shrink in fear. Most looking away, and those lining the catwalk stand to attention and solute.
The cold-sparked Decepticon paid not a single one of them any mind. He approached the end of the catwalk and stood at a monitor, watching the Autobot's disassemble their camp and load back onto their warship.
"General," A Vehicon said from below, "Should I fire on the Voyager?"
"No, allow the Autobots to return to orbit, and we will do the same," Shockwave answered in an unnerving, expressionless voice, "I have all I need here, Onslaught assume command on the bridge I will be in my lab."
"You heard the mech!" Onslaught shouted as Shockwave left the bridge, "Bring this boat back to the fleet!"
"Commander, we're getting a hailing from the Nemesis." A small blue Decepticon named Radar called out to Onslaught, "Do I answer it?"
"What kind of question is that?" Onslaught, "Open the frequency."
Onslaught then instinctively crouched to one knee and bowed his head, believing the caller to be Megatron. When the voice on the other end chuckled he violently stood up and crossed his arms.
"I always knew you'd be the first to kneel to me," Starscream's voice cackled, Onslaught looked at the display of the Seeker on the screen and grimaced under his faceplate, "I just thought it would be after I assumed total command over the Decepticons."
"You're lucky you still command our Air Forces after the mutiny you pulled back on Cybertron," Brawl shouted.
"Onslaught tell your men to address the Decepticon High Commander with more respect," Starscream spat.
"If Soundwave actually wanted it, that position would be his," Dead End chuckled, earning the laughter of several others on the bridge.
"Quiet! All of you!" Onslaught barked, "What the frak is this call about High Commander?"
"Where's Shockwave?" Starscream asked, "I was told to speak to him."
"In his lab, I can take a message," Onslaught growled, his patience with Starscream wearing thin.
"Very well, Megatron is requesting that the Harbinger fleet travel to this backwater system the Nemesis has found itself in," Starscream said.
"Let me guess Starscream, your strategic genius lost you Megatron's ship and you need a rescue," Dead End sneered.
"No you idiot!" Starscream yelled, "And the rest of you stop laughing or you'll be court martialed!"
"Why would we take our fleet to the edge of that galaxy?" Onslaught asked, looking at the star chart.
"Because Onslaught, we've found it," Starscream said, "The Allspark is on this backwater planet."
Onslaught and Brawl exchanged glances with each other, Onslaught nodded and informed Starscream that he'd let Shockwave know about this development before closing off the transmission.
"The Allspark, Starscream's lost his mind there's no way he actually found it," Dead End spat, "And even if it did it being removed from Cybertron as long as it was probably killed the slagging thing and there's no poi-"
"Shut up, Swindle, Brawl bring Shockwave back to the bridge," Onslaught ordered, "Radar, inform the rest of the fleet about this development."
Earth
Toykyo, Japan
The rumble of jet engines rattled against the wind and rain of a stormy night along the harbor. Three differently colored jets of the same model flew down to the surface and with grace and elegance transformed into three metal men.
The rain on their chassis rang as it hit their metal 'skin'. Starscream looked around, his eyes furrowed in disgust at the water falling from the sky.
"There is rain on Cybertron you know," Thundercracker said.
"Yes of electron, not this crude and vile 'water'," Starscream retorted.
The third Seeker, Skywarp, uncharacteristically said nothing. He instead ran over to where the pier ended and crouched down, shining a light into the dark blue water.
"Are you sure that it's down there?" Skywarp asked, "I can't see it."
"That's because it's beneath the ocean floor," Megatron said as he approached in jet mode, he transformed and landed by his Seekers in robot mode, "When Shockwave and the Constructicons arrive we will drill down to it."
"Why do we need the entire fleet Lord Megatron," Thundercracker asked, "Not to question your wisdom, I just wonder the purpouse."
"Because Thundercracker, before we can use the Allspark to revitalize Cybertron we must ensure that the Allspark is still capable of generating life and cybermatter all this time, and to do that we must make sure not Autobot or human military can stop us in this mission."
"So we're conquering this planet after all?" Thundercracker asked.
"Indeed, and if the indiginous life survives the Cyber Formation process they will be the first subject in our new Decepticon empire," Megatron answered.
"And if they don't," Skywarp asked.
Megatron, in response, only grinned. His crimson topics reflected in the ocean on a cold stormy night. He turned to his Seekers, two of him grinned and cackled with him.
But the third, Thundercracker, frowned. He looked back at the city lights of Toykyo behind him. This world was going to burn.