Author's Note: I wouldn't expect another chapter for a while. I'm going back to school tomorrow, and I'll probably have too much homework to worry about the story. I'm not giving up on it though, so stay tuned. I'd also like to hear more constructive criticism. Tell me what you want to see happen, but remember that all possible spoilers go through e-mail. Also, my IM on AOL is SilverSPiderTM2 so you can contact me that way. Last thing, there will be more reference to The Lord of the Rings in later chapters, especially a character named Eomer, so watch for that.

Chapter 10

"Diagnostic check complete. Memory chips are unaltered in any way," Blackarachnia looked up from the first book in the trilogy, which she had begun to read while her terminal preformed a diagnostic check on the chips. It claimed that they were not tampered with, but she was still not sure.

"Too easy," she told herself. "If that piece of slag did anything to them, he'd make sure it was well under the radar of automated equipment. I'll have to check them out personally."

Manual diagnostic took another three mega cycles, after which Blackarachnia had to leave for duty in command. Even after personally checking out the chips, she was not entirely convinced that they were clean, and Blackarachnia was becoming very agitated and puzzled at the same time. She couldn't find any modifications to the chips. Within the coarse of the solar cycle, she had checked for everything from simple overwrite codes to anything Tarantulas may have used to try to reestablish their mental link. But not only did her terminal claim that they were clean, but her own skills seemed to be supporting that claim.

Her greatest concern was that Tarantulas gave them to her willingly, supposedly no strings, or web threads, attached. Were it any other bot, she might have accepted them with gratitude, checked them out, and be halfway to uploading the information into her core. But it wasn't any other bot, it was the same sadist who had tortured her on numerous occasions, who never did anything unless it benefited him in some way. The question was; if he didn't seek to control her, what was his agenda?

Still frustrated, the female drummed her nails on the smooth surface of her desk. Finally she decided that the knowledge of her past was worth the risk. It wasn't like she was going in completely blind. Within half a mega cycle, Blackarachnia erected several internal firewalls as well as other precautions. If anything went amiss, her internal defenses would catch it before any damage was done.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the first chip and inserted it into her terminal, which was ready to upload it at her command.

"Computer," she addressed the terminal, "upload data on my mark. Mark."

Intantly data stream of bright light shoot out of the terminal screen and hit her optics. Once it was complete, the data stream disappeared and her optics went dark.

Nanocliks late, the twin black holes of her optics swelled with crimson light, as the memories flooded her mind. Within nanoclicks everything came back to her. The memories began with her first day at the M.T.A. which had turned out to be a disaster.

Flashback,

Isis sat outside of one of the training rooms in the M.T.A.. She shifted on the bench, feeling very nervous and uncomfortable. Twirling a lock of hair around her finger, she hung her head and stared at the floor. A large shadow blocked the light from the hallway lamps, but Isis still didn't look up. She knew very well who it was.

"What happened?" Taratron didn't sound angry, but then he rarely lost his temper. His was the silent anger.

"What makes you think anything happened?" she played the innocent, still keeping her optics focused on the floor.

"Let me think," he said sarcastically. "I get a call in the middle of an important strategic discussion, and an angry instructor tells me to come down here to pick you up, because, apparently, you are incapable of going through your first solar cycle of training without fighting with your classmates. Now I ask you again; what happened?"

"He said I was a girl," her voice was a whisper as she finally raised her gaze to her guardian, "that I didn't belong here. So I hit him."

"You hit him in the groin," Taratron pointed out, "That makes a difference. "

Isis chewed on her bottom lip. Taratron sat down on the bench next to her. "You felt your honor insulted, as well as your place threatened and decided to defend both."

"Something like that," she shrugged. Isis never understood the military code that her brother refereed to.

"Well," Taratron cleared his throat. "I am certainly proud of you for standing up for yourself, but do you think that next time you could try to react in a way that does not involve sending your classmate to a CR chamber?"

Isis sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I guess I did overreact," she laid her head on her brother's shoulder.

"People like that don't matter," Taratron whispered running a hand through her hair. "Believe me, little sister, when I say that he will not get far in anything, least of all the military. His own bias opinions and narrow mind will keep him from successes," he stood and looked down at her. "Ready to go home?"

She also got up. "I'm suspended for five solar cycles."

"I know," Taratron sighed. "If nothing else, it'll give us some quality time together. I feel like I've been ignoring you lately, little sister."

"I thought you'd never notice," they began to walk down the hallway. "You're always away somewhere lately. Where do you go, anyway?"

"On business for the army," he replied. "Top secret."

"Ah-uh, sure," she rolled her eyes. "And is this top secret business finished?"

"Not yet," her brother admitted, "but I'm willing to put it on hold for the next five solar cycles."

End of Flashback,

Blackarachnia pulled back, realizing that it would be her first memory of her brother. He was much like she'd imagined; stern, but very kind. Now more than ever, she wished he was still alive. Of coarse, it all was wishful thinking, so Blackarachnia returned to her previous task.

More memories followed; training at the M.T.A., meeting Dila, and later Celadon as well as Astroburn, for the first time. She remembered her first commanding officer, her first military assignment, the first Pred she fought.

The newer memories were more vivid; the invitation to the M.I.U., meeting Commander Prowl, the POW mission, Anárion, and finally the assignment to the Axalon.