CHAPTER 9. AWAKENING
AUTHOR NOTE: Wow! Has it really been 2 months since I last updated.No it's definitely been longer. Sorry so much to everyone who've been begging for updates to no avail, but your cries have been heard.
My reasons? Well not only have I started a new, harsher school year with all the homework that entails, but I am now happily(?) among the ranks of the employed, serving as a waiter in a restaurant. Also, I'm being badgered to start studying for my Driving Exams in December/January (Frankly, I need them. Last time I was in the driver's seat of a car I nearly took the rear- view mirror off).
So enjoy these new chapters.
IMPORTANT NOTE! For TF fans, my continuality sticks with that of Dreamwave's War Within story arc. i.e. all the transformer sub groups existed prior to the crash- landing on earth and are thus present when the TFs awake. Sorry for this break from continuality but it was too hard to write a decent story with so few TFs to use. But it does mean we get to see the gestalt teams (Devastator, Bruticus etc.) go into combat and beat each other up. Now I'm gonna run before the strict followers of TF cannon come after me with flamethrowers and guns.
PS. Many thanks are owed to reviewer Cyblade Silver, whose constant reviewing over the last few weeks promted me to finally update.
DISCLAIMER: This use of characters belonging to Hasbro, Dreamwave and Sunrise is not for monetary gain and purely for forms of entertainment.
ENJOY!
2 DAYS LATER (35 CYBERTRONIAN MEGACYCLES)
OUTER SPACE
"Commander Magus."
The noble face of Autobot commander Ultra Magnus turned and stared at the sinister indigo figure behind him, single cyclops eye twinkling in the darkness. He nodded slightly.
"Shockwave."
The two figures turned and gazed out of the bridge view screen of the Autobot craft Salvation. Before them, the awed splendour of space stretched out, an infinite void, dusted with myriad stars, all burning bright and steadily. Lifeless, yet full of life.
Magnus gazed at it morosely.
"They could be anywhere out there you know."
Shockwave barely inclined his head.
"We will find them. Our race's existence depends on it."
"Then you've heard."
Shockwave clenched his one purple fist, on his other arm; the barrel of his radiation cannon began to crackle with barely contained fury.
"I heard that Unicron devoured a whole world only a megacycle ago because they offered sanctuary to some of our number who escaped Cybertron."
"We've escaped his wrath for a whole orn, but now he's picking us off, one ship at a time. If we don't find the missing armies soon we may have less than a duin to live."
"NEVER!"
Ultra Magnus turned in surprise. Shockwave seemed to many to be a cold, unemotional analyst. For him to show any form of emotion called for something. Shockwave continued, his amber optic seemingly trying to burn a hole in the transparsteel viewport.
"Never will I allow that abomination to take me before I get him. My weapon may not harbour the second energy, but I swear that if he comes for us I'll unleash upon him a barrage of firepower like this universe has never seen."
The said weapon was gestured towards the viewport, now dribbling thin streams of superheated plasma.
Shockwave's voice had dropped back to its usual cold, dead tones. Magnus knew that he meant what he said. He hefted his mighty rifle, and the missile launchers on his shoulders glinted ominously in the artificial half- light.
"The same goes for me, friend."
*
"TRANSFORMERS, HEAR ME!"
The former drill area of the Ark had been converted to an assembly hall, which was now crowded with close to fifty agitated transformers, approximately twenty-five Decepticons and twenty-five Autobots, each group eying each other warily. On a temporary dais raised at the far end of the hall, stood Prime, behind what reminded Duo of the pulpit at the Maxwell church where he had grown up, and nearly died. Behind him stood the powerful forms of Megatron, Starscream and Prime's second in command, the easy-going, but battle-skilled Jazz. At the rear of the hall stood a collection of mobile suits. Along with the four Gundams and the Tallgeese stood a Taurus. Each of the Gundam's pilots was sitting on the mech's heads, where they had a grandstand view of the hall. Along with Duo on the head of the Tallgeese was Noin and Zechs, both recovered from their freefall from 20,000 ft. Sally, Latta and Howard were all perched on the shoulders of a Taurus which Une had arrived in. As they waited, the commander of the preventers shinned up from the cockpit and joined them.
Heero turned to the young blonde woman beside him, who was staring in dumbstruck awe at the mass gathering of engineering marvels. Heero himself was pretty amazed, but he was not allowing himself to show it.
"You alright Relena?"
Relena Dorlain nodded slowly and smiled, before turning her attention back to Prime's speech.
"Our war is over, and we now have peace, but we have had to pay a terrible cost for the mistakes of the past. Cybertron...is no more."
A massive cry went up from the gathered robots.
"WHAT!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"
"WE'RE HOMELESS!"
"IT'S AN AUTOBOT LIE!"
Prime gestured for silence, but the hubbub continued. He turned to Megatron and shook his head, but what he said could not be heard over the din.
"SHUT UP!"
The new bestial roar came from a group of massive Autobot's gathered in the centre of the hall. The obvious leader, a yellow and grey machine wielding a massive sword stepped forward, all eyes in the hall following him.
"Me Grimlock want hear what Prime has to say!"
Quiet held for a few seconds before the machines furthest away from the self-proclaimed Grimlock burst back into chatter, those surrounding him holding a nervous, uneasy silence.
Megatron stepped to the fore and blew a small hole in the ceiling with his cannon, quickly gaining the attention of the audience.
"Cybertron. is. GONE!" He said through gritted teeth, emphasising every word as if to infants. "It. is. not. a. matter. for. DISCUSSION! Prime has felt it, as have I!"
All of the Decepticons took a step back at the outburst, as did many Autobots. Megatron made for a very commanding figure. One smaller mech however, a yellow and purple figure with a chest that seemed lifted off a jeep stepped forward.
"Prove it Megatron," his thin wheedling voice immediately gyrating on everyone's nerves, "we've just woken up from a four million year nap and you drop this bullcrap on us and you expect us to take the word of yourself, the leader of the enemy, screamy here, and a group of filthy organics." The smaller Decepticon waved a hand at the mobile suits gathered at the back of the hall as a low murmur of agreement rose from some of the gathered robots.
Heero stiffened; this was promising to turn ugly.
The small jeep stepped up again. "I was awake 300 years ago, when those organics took me, used my body for their own means, nearly made me fight in their own wars. USED ME!" a tone of indignation in his voice, "like a dumb machine...EEP!" A massive sword had been lowered against his neck, the razor-sharp blade gently caressing his chassis. He slowly looked up to see a towering grey machine that stood on an even height with the dominating Grimlock holding the hilt, fire in his optics. Swindle gulped nervously.
"Hello...Motormaster."
The massive Motormaster unloaded a massive amount of spleen on the tiny machine that barely came up to his waist.
"SWINDLE YOU DOUBLE-DEALING RUNT! YOU DARE QUESTION THE WORD OF LORD MEGATRON! WE PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE TO HIM, AND IF HE CHOOSES TO ALLY HIMSELF WITH AUTOBOTS AND ORGANICS, IT IS NOT OURS TO QUESTION THOSE CHOICES!"
A gigantic hand clamped over Motormaster's sword and clenched, crushing the imposing blade.
"I would like you to remember Motormaster, that Swindle is a Combatacon, and any threat to him is a threat to all of us. Don't. make. Bruticus. mad." The new voice was spoken with an air of casual indifference, but thinly veiled an immense aura of menace. The atmosphere was electric.
Megatron leaned over the pulpit. Rather than anger, his face was filled with resignation and weariness.
"Motormaster, Onslaught. This is not the time, or the place, to begin an all out war between comrades, which we all are now, by decree of both Prime and myself."
*
At the back of the hall a trio of jets were whispering to each other, their distinctive coned heads making them look rather ridiculous.
"Megatron's gone soft Thrust."
"Are you sure?"
"You can see it in his face. Allied with Autobots and Organics, he's sunk as low as a Decepticon can go."
"Perhaps the time is right for us."
"Don't be stupid Ramjet, he'd blow us away!"
"That matters not," a slow monotonous tone intervened, "He's likely to lead us to destruction with this new mindset anyhow."
"You do have a point there Dirge."
Duo, sitting behind the three on the head of the Tallgeese sniggered. He turned to Noin, trying to suppress giggles.
"Not too high on the braincell count these coneheads."
"No, and that's why I think we should be taking care."
"What?"
Duo spun to Zechs, who was leaning against one of the gold antennae that rose up from Tallgeese's brow. The preventer was in a nonchalant pose; one hand in pocket, leaning against the spike casually, but his face was deadly serious.
"This place's like a powderkeg about to blow, and it will only take one spark to ignite it. Those three," he gestured at the three gossiping coneheads, blissfully unaware of their presence, "are dumb enough to provide it." Duo joined him in frowning.
"Yeah, you're right. We should watch our backs."
*
Relena was becoming very impressed by the oratory skills of the massive red and blue mech that was currently addressing the gathered troops. As a politician herself, she was used to dissecting the speeches of opponents, but she could find no fault with this Optimus Prime. He spoke without flair, but a simple down to earth honesty.
"Megatron and I are not forcing you to believe us, you can choose to believe what you will," he leant over the front of the pulpit, "but what we are saying is the truth, and if you ignore it, it will lead to your downfall."
Relena nodded approvingly.
A snort rose up from one of the three 'coneheads'. Thrust, the large maroon and navy one stepped forward, fist raised in the air.
"Well I choose not to believe. Cybertron belongs to the Decepticons by right!" a murmur of similar feeling rose up. "I can see through your plot Prime. You seek to deceive us. And you Megatron, you disgust me with your weakness." Megatron's hand clenched into a fist, the metal creaking under the pressure.
"WHY DOES IT MATTER!?"
Heads spun. A blue Decepticon of an identical design to Starscream was hovering above the crowd, his thrusters spewing blue fire with a muted roar.
"Even if Cybertron is destroyed, why should this war continue?"
"Four million years have passed. That's near half a megavorn. We have the chance now to make peace. Our war was meant to benefit our race, but it only led to robbing Cybertron of its former glory. I call myself a Decepticon with pride, but sometimes I feel we should have tried to make peace and save our planet. Why should we let that happen again on an innocent world...ARGH!"
A single laser shot had struck the blue jet in the back, causing him to crumple to the ground unconscious. Starscream ran to the front of the temporary dais.
"THUNDERCRACKER! BROTHER!"
Thrust lowered the smoking barrel of his laser.
"Thundercracker was a coward with no true Decepticon feeling. We are destined to be the rulers of Cybertron!"
Megatron finally reached breaking point.
"Thrust! You speak of Decepticon pride, yet you just shot a comrade-in- arms. You have sunk beneath even my contempt with that act of cowardliness," Megatron paused.
"You and your brothers have never earned my grace. The three of you are cowards, backstabbers and fools. Yet I was willing to forgive for the slender amount of skill you possessed on the battlefield. But now, you have crossed the line. There is but one punishment for such treason, exile. Now go, before I consider a more permanent cure to this cancer of deceit you spread."
"Exiled, no. I choose to go!" Thrust turned to the door, his two twins following him. He turned back. "And all true Decepticons here, follow me!"
As Thrust strode between the sliding doors that the Wing Zero and Tallgeese flanked, he shot a look of disgust at the humans on top.
"Organics. We are of a higher order you cannot hope to comprehend, and Megatron deigns to lower himself to your level..."
Thrust felt the sudden shock of two cold barrels being prodded into his back. He slowly turned. Starscream stood behind him, along with a similar, if smaller robot coloured in purple and black. Both wore expressions of utter hatred and loathing, the muzzles of their laser rifles levelled at Thrust's cocky face.
"Leave." Starscream said lowly, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. "Leave quietly, leave now."
The second mech spoke up. His face was younger and less battle-hardened than many of the other transformer's present, but the tone of menace in his voice was almost tangible.
"And never come back."
Thrust slowly sneered.
"Skywarp. You think a pup like you can take on someone like me." He winced as Starscream's null ray jabbed him in the chest.
"My younger brother is more than a match for you coward. Yes, coward, a coward who sinks low enough to start threatening those smaller and weaker than him, and attacks behind the back of someone powerful enough to oppose him."
A large blunt object tapped the back of Thrust's coned head. He spun again and found himself staring down the twin barrels of Wing Zero's buster rifle. Deep within the black pits, incandescent golden energy pulsed slowly. Thrust gulped and raised his optics. A small organic rode on the muzzle of the massive gun. It stood up, and spoke in a voice which despite it's feminine sound, carried a lot of strength.
"I'm an advocate for peace, but you are such a loathsome piece of scum I'd take up arms against you any day."
Thrust gulped.
Skywarp fired a brief shot into the floor at Thrust's feet, causing the conehead to jump backwards.
"Now get out."
*
Duo, Zechs and Noin watched this little repartee with more than little interest. When Relena effectively spat in Thrust's face, Noin looked at Zechs with a cocked eyebrow.
"Wonder where she gets that spunk from?"
"You obviously. You spent more time raising her than me, and I'm supposed to be her brother."
"Oh come off it Zechs! You know she loves you."
Duo just goggled. His opinion of Relena 'Peacecrap' Dorlain had just risen several points.
*
As Thrust effectively ran from the room, the massive Onslaught rose, powerful frame dominating those around him.
"Thrust is a weakling. But I agree with what he preaches. Combatacons," he tipped his head, "and anyone else who sides with us, to me."
With that Onslaught led his four minions from the hall. Swindle hung behind briefly, only to be picked up by the scruff of the neck by Onslaught and dragged from the room.
Thrust's two twins Dirge and Ramjet followed in the group's wake, followed by a massive grey machine whose transform none of the humans could place.
"Astrotrain" Megatron murmured.
Three of Motormaster's four followers shuffled nervously, and began to edge back. Motormaster gazed on them with growing contempt. Megatron viewed them with equal distaste.
"If you feel you must go, then go, but by doing you ensure your own destruction. As soon as you leave this room you estrange yourselves from our forces, and in doing become our enemies. And tell that fool Onslaught, that if he makes any moves against the inhabitants of this planet, he does so on pain of death."
Assured that Motormaster was not going to cleave them in two with the broken blade he still wielded, the three Stunticons; Drag Strip, Breakdown and Road Block turned to leave. Motormaster was muttering rapidly beneath his breath at this point, and the remaining Stunticon was watching him warily.
"TRAITORS!" Motormaster's eyes suddenly flew open, red fire blazing in them like Hades. He spun, and brought the sword, it's blade flashing, down on the back of Drag Strip.
'CLANG!'
Motormaster's sword was cut short in its fall by another mighty blade, one that proudly bore the sigil of the Autobots. Drag Strip cringed under the crossed swords. Motormaster looked along the second weapon's length into the red optics of Grimlock, which somehow carried a look of sympathy for the former leader of the Stunticon attack team, the one whose first words had been to pledge eternal loyalty to his leader.
"You betrayed by own men. Me feel your pain. But Gun-bot," he looked at Megatron, "say let car-bots go. So let go. Get traitors other day. Me help."
Motormaster stared in surprise at the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, before smiling grimly, and proffering his hand.
"Ally?"
Grimlock reached out and took the proffered palm.
"Brother."
As two skilled swordsmen and former enemies shook to seal their alliance, Megatron and Prime smiled. By their simple action, the two had formed the first bond between the Autobots and Decepticons. As Drag Strip scampered away, Grimlock turned to Motormaster, a wry look in his optics.
"On that day, me get yellow car-con. Me save his life, me take his life."
Motormaster smiled slowly, and then began to chuckle, which burst into a full-hearted belly laugh.
"So be it. Drag Strip is yours Grimlock. When you do get him, give him one for me."
Grimlock slapped him hard on the back like an old drinking buddy and began to join in with the laugh.
As the surrounding transformers followed the two's example by bursting into laughter, a great weight seemed lifted from everyone's shoulders. In the levity, Relena clutched Heero's hand tightly, and was surprised when he returned the small embrace.
*
Megatron shared a grin with Prime as the laughter faded before turning to the two remaining Stunticons.
"Motormaster and Dead End," he boomed, "your loyalty to the Decepticons is well noted and will be well rewarded." he slowly viewed his remaining forces, his eyes pausing briefly on a team of purple and lime green machines, who were distinguished by the pieces of construction equipment protruding from their bodies.
"As will you and your Constructicons Scrapper."
He turned again, nodding to a beige and purple machine who had a tank barrel sticking up from his back. He nodded.
"Blitzwing."
He flicked over Starscream and his two brothers, Skywarp supporting a limping Thundercracker, and came to rest on a imposing indigo machine, who had not said a single word and barely moved during the whole meeting. A group of smaller robots, including one that resembled a panther were gathered round his legs, and a mechanical bird rested on each shoulder.
"Soundwave!" Megatron chortled. "You haven't changed, still the strong silent one."
The one called Soundwave nodded slightly, showing less emotion than a rock, yet to Megatron this simple gesture meant a lot.
"And your cassettes. He nodded at the two humanoid robots. "Rumble, Frenzy." The two birds who each crowed in return to him, "Laserbeak, Buzzsaw," and finally the panther.
"Ravage, you devious thing."
The cat called Ravage purred to his leader.
*
Optimus had been surveying his own troops, but rather than regard them with Megatron's aloof pride, he was down among them, sharing comments and old jokes. A stout red Autobot who looked about as immoveable and steadfast as a rhino slapped him hard on the back before addressing him in a deep southern twang.
"Prayme yah' old glitch. You had me thinkin' that you'd gone over to the Decipti-creeps for a nano-klik there."
Prime chortled.
"Those Decepti-creeps are our allies now Ironhide!"
After making his way through his assembled ranks Prime finally approached the Gundam pilots and the other humans.
"I take it you will need to speak to myself and Megatron as representatives of your planet."
The humans looked at each other from the shoulders of their respective mobile suits before nodding. Relena stepped forward. Prime bowed respectfully to her.
"Vice Foreign Minister Dorlain, it is a pleasure."
She took a step back in surprise.
"You know my name."
"A full account of your recent human history has been downloaded into my memory banks. Nearly all of you gathered here played a prominent role in the Eve wars and Barton rebellion." He gestured at the humans.
*
After some prompting, Relena, Lady Une and Quatre were selected as ambassadors to the earth and went off with Prime. Howard and Latta went off to help tend to Thundercracker's injuries, as they had more knowledge of the transformer's new bodies than the Autobot and Decepticon medics. While Zechs and Noin went off to a quiet corner to talk, the four pilots gathered together on Wing Zero's left shoulder to chat. Duo finally popped the question that everyone had been dying to ask.
"So, what happens next?"
Heero looked around, before sitting down cross-legged.
"Their world's been destroyed, one of their spacecraft is broken and the other is unaccounted for, and they have no place to go. My idea is that Relena will grant them asylum in the Earthsphere."
"The question is, will Relena try and hide this from the public eye. We've finally achieved peace, but it's a fragile one. Something as revolutionary as this could shatter that. The best means would be to try and find them an area to settle that is either sparsely populated or uninhabited. This place might well do for know but eventually possible survivors of their race are likely to contact them and come to Earth. A larger area will be needed then for them to live in."
Everyone turned to Trowa, who had startled everyone with the sudden speech. It was only on rare occasions that 'clown who never smiled' lapsed into such fluent speech.
Wufei stroked his chin.
"Another problem is that many of them are like us. The Autobot's have fought for peace, but the Decepticons were built for the sole purpose of war, like we have trained all our lives to fight. What will they do if they have nothing to fight for, and no planet to defend?"
Duo nodded slightly.
"And then there's this splinter faction conundrum." He leant back and stared at the ceiling, "it's going to be near impossible to keep this under wraps if there's a group of warmongering robots on the loose..."
*
Ten miles north from Mt. St. Hillary traffic was moving slowly along the interstate. Hilde Schbeiker impatiently hummed jazz to herself as her motorbike crept south at barely twenty-five.
'Why on earth did Duo demand I take the day off work and drive out to some backwater mine. He better have a good reason for this or...'
Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of jets and she looked up only to see a group of aircraft fly overhead. She couldn't recognise recognize them but even by AC198 standards they looked futuristic. At the same time as those four streaked overhead the sound of massive vehicle engines began to build ahead of her as well as an odd methodical beat, and the sound of -steam?
Just as the noise rose to an unbearable pitch, she saw a small black object fall from one of the aircraft that was passing back overhead again. She had just enough time to think 'Oh my God', before a massive roaring filled her ears and she was blinded by a massive flash of light...
TO BE CONTINUED.
A/N. (Ain't I a stinker? Hehehehehe.)
CHAPTER NOTES.
I'm keeping this short (ish), but I though there was an important detail that needed to be known in this chapter and 'Minds of Darkness'.
I've taken to using Cybertronian units of time at periods. The values of each are given below.
KLIK Cybertronian second. Equal to 4.98 earth seconds.
NANO-KILK One tenth of a Klik. Equal to 0.498 earth seconds
CYCLE Cybertronian minute. Equal to ten kliks or 49.8 earth seconds.
BREEM Value for ten Cybertronian minutes or ten cycles. Equal to 8.3 Earth minutes.
MEGACYCLE Cybertronian hour. Equal to 10 breems or 83 Earth minutes.
ASTROCYCLE Cybertronian day or time taken for the planet to complete a whole rotation. Equal to 99.75 Megacycles or approx. 5.75 Earth days (138 hours)
QUINTUN Cybertronian week. Equal to five Astocycles or approx. 28.75 Earth days.
DUIN Cybertronian month. Equal to five Quintuns or approx. 143.75 Earth days.
VORN Cybertronian year or time taken for a full orbit of it's sun. Equal to 21 Duins or approx. 8.27 Eath years (3018.75 Earth days)
Basically, Cybertron has a 99 and three quarter hour day, a five-day week, a twenty-five day month and a 525 day year, or twenty one months.
One Cybertron decade is an ORN, one century is a DECAVORN, a millennium a KILOVORN, and 1,000,000 years is a MEGAVORN.
Hope this clears it up for you. Or maybe I just confused you further. EEP! Cannon worshipers, RUN!
AUTHOR NOTE: Wow! Has it really been 2 months since I last updated.No it's definitely been longer. Sorry so much to everyone who've been begging for updates to no avail, but your cries have been heard.
My reasons? Well not only have I started a new, harsher school year with all the homework that entails, but I am now happily(?) among the ranks of the employed, serving as a waiter in a restaurant. Also, I'm being badgered to start studying for my Driving Exams in December/January (Frankly, I need them. Last time I was in the driver's seat of a car I nearly took the rear- view mirror off).
So enjoy these new chapters.
IMPORTANT NOTE! For TF fans, my continuality sticks with that of Dreamwave's War Within story arc. i.e. all the transformer sub groups existed prior to the crash- landing on earth and are thus present when the TFs awake. Sorry for this break from continuality but it was too hard to write a decent story with so few TFs to use. But it does mean we get to see the gestalt teams (Devastator, Bruticus etc.) go into combat and beat each other up. Now I'm gonna run before the strict followers of TF cannon come after me with flamethrowers and guns.
PS. Many thanks are owed to reviewer Cyblade Silver, whose constant reviewing over the last few weeks promted me to finally update.
DISCLAIMER: This use of characters belonging to Hasbro, Dreamwave and Sunrise is not for monetary gain and purely for forms of entertainment.
ENJOY!
2 DAYS LATER (35 CYBERTRONIAN MEGACYCLES)
OUTER SPACE
"Commander Magus."
The noble face of Autobot commander Ultra Magnus turned and stared at the sinister indigo figure behind him, single cyclops eye twinkling in the darkness. He nodded slightly.
"Shockwave."
The two figures turned and gazed out of the bridge view screen of the Autobot craft Salvation. Before them, the awed splendour of space stretched out, an infinite void, dusted with myriad stars, all burning bright and steadily. Lifeless, yet full of life.
Magnus gazed at it morosely.
"They could be anywhere out there you know."
Shockwave barely inclined his head.
"We will find them. Our race's existence depends on it."
"Then you've heard."
Shockwave clenched his one purple fist, on his other arm; the barrel of his radiation cannon began to crackle with barely contained fury.
"I heard that Unicron devoured a whole world only a megacycle ago because they offered sanctuary to some of our number who escaped Cybertron."
"We've escaped his wrath for a whole orn, but now he's picking us off, one ship at a time. If we don't find the missing armies soon we may have less than a duin to live."
"NEVER!"
Ultra Magnus turned in surprise. Shockwave seemed to many to be a cold, unemotional analyst. For him to show any form of emotion called for something. Shockwave continued, his amber optic seemingly trying to burn a hole in the transparsteel viewport.
"Never will I allow that abomination to take me before I get him. My weapon may not harbour the second energy, but I swear that if he comes for us I'll unleash upon him a barrage of firepower like this universe has never seen."
The said weapon was gestured towards the viewport, now dribbling thin streams of superheated plasma.
Shockwave's voice had dropped back to its usual cold, dead tones. Magnus knew that he meant what he said. He hefted his mighty rifle, and the missile launchers on his shoulders glinted ominously in the artificial half- light.
"The same goes for me, friend."
*
"TRANSFORMERS, HEAR ME!"
The former drill area of the Ark had been converted to an assembly hall, which was now crowded with close to fifty agitated transformers, approximately twenty-five Decepticons and twenty-five Autobots, each group eying each other warily. On a temporary dais raised at the far end of the hall, stood Prime, behind what reminded Duo of the pulpit at the Maxwell church where he had grown up, and nearly died. Behind him stood the powerful forms of Megatron, Starscream and Prime's second in command, the easy-going, but battle-skilled Jazz. At the rear of the hall stood a collection of mobile suits. Along with the four Gundams and the Tallgeese stood a Taurus. Each of the Gundam's pilots was sitting on the mech's heads, where they had a grandstand view of the hall. Along with Duo on the head of the Tallgeese was Noin and Zechs, both recovered from their freefall from 20,000 ft. Sally, Latta and Howard were all perched on the shoulders of a Taurus which Une had arrived in. As they waited, the commander of the preventers shinned up from the cockpit and joined them.
Heero turned to the young blonde woman beside him, who was staring in dumbstruck awe at the mass gathering of engineering marvels. Heero himself was pretty amazed, but he was not allowing himself to show it.
"You alright Relena?"
Relena Dorlain nodded slowly and smiled, before turning her attention back to Prime's speech.
"Our war is over, and we now have peace, but we have had to pay a terrible cost for the mistakes of the past. Cybertron...is no more."
A massive cry went up from the gathered robots.
"WHAT!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"
"WE'RE HOMELESS!"
"IT'S AN AUTOBOT LIE!"
Prime gestured for silence, but the hubbub continued. He turned to Megatron and shook his head, but what he said could not be heard over the din.
"SHUT UP!"
The new bestial roar came from a group of massive Autobot's gathered in the centre of the hall. The obvious leader, a yellow and grey machine wielding a massive sword stepped forward, all eyes in the hall following him.
"Me Grimlock want hear what Prime has to say!"
Quiet held for a few seconds before the machines furthest away from the self-proclaimed Grimlock burst back into chatter, those surrounding him holding a nervous, uneasy silence.
Megatron stepped to the fore and blew a small hole in the ceiling with his cannon, quickly gaining the attention of the audience.
"Cybertron. is. GONE!" He said through gritted teeth, emphasising every word as if to infants. "It. is. not. a. matter. for. DISCUSSION! Prime has felt it, as have I!"
All of the Decepticons took a step back at the outburst, as did many Autobots. Megatron made for a very commanding figure. One smaller mech however, a yellow and purple figure with a chest that seemed lifted off a jeep stepped forward.
"Prove it Megatron," his thin wheedling voice immediately gyrating on everyone's nerves, "we've just woken up from a four million year nap and you drop this bullcrap on us and you expect us to take the word of yourself, the leader of the enemy, screamy here, and a group of filthy organics." The smaller Decepticon waved a hand at the mobile suits gathered at the back of the hall as a low murmur of agreement rose from some of the gathered robots.
Heero stiffened; this was promising to turn ugly.
The small jeep stepped up again. "I was awake 300 years ago, when those organics took me, used my body for their own means, nearly made me fight in their own wars. USED ME!" a tone of indignation in his voice, "like a dumb machine...EEP!" A massive sword had been lowered against his neck, the razor-sharp blade gently caressing his chassis. He slowly looked up to see a towering grey machine that stood on an even height with the dominating Grimlock holding the hilt, fire in his optics. Swindle gulped nervously.
"Hello...Motormaster."
The massive Motormaster unloaded a massive amount of spleen on the tiny machine that barely came up to his waist.
"SWINDLE YOU DOUBLE-DEALING RUNT! YOU DARE QUESTION THE WORD OF LORD MEGATRON! WE PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE TO HIM, AND IF HE CHOOSES TO ALLY HIMSELF WITH AUTOBOTS AND ORGANICS, IT IS NOT OURS TO QUESTION THOSE CHOICES!"
A gigantic hand clamped over Motormaster's sword and clenched, crushing the imposing blade.
"I would like you to remember Motormaster, that Swindle is a Combatacon, and any threat to him is a threat to all of us. Don't. make. Bruticus. mad." The new voice was spoken with an air of casual indifference, but thinly veiled an immense aura of menace. The atmosphere was electric.
Megatron leaned over the pulpit. Rather than anger, his face was filled with resignation and weariness.
"Motormaster, Onslaught. This is not the time, or the place, to begin an all out war between comrades, which we all are now, by decree of both Prime and myself."
*
At the back of the hall a trio of jets were whispering to each other, their distinctive coned heads making them look rather ridiculous.
"Megatron's gone soft Thrust."
"Are you sure?"
"You can see it in his face. Allied with Autobots and Organics, he's sunk as low as a Decepticon can go."
"Perhaps the time is right for us."
"Don't be stupid Ramjet, he'd blow us away!"
"That matters not," a slow monotonous tone intervened, "He's likely to lead us to destruction with this new mindset anyhow."
"You do have a point there Dirge."
Duo, sitting behind the three on the head of the Tallgeese sniggered. He turned to Noin, trying to suppress giggles.
"Not too high on the braincell count these coneheads."
"No, and that's why I think we should be taking care."
"What?"
Duo spun to Zechs, who was leaning against one of the gold antennae that rose up from Tallgeese's brow. The preventer was in a nonchalant pose; one hand in pocket, leaning against the spike casually, but his face was deadly serious.
"This place's like a powderkeg about to blow, and it will only take one spark to ignite it. Those three," he gestured at the three gossiping coneheads, blissfully unaware of their presence, "are dumb enough to provide it." Duo joined him in frowning.
"Yeah, you're right. We should watch our backs."
*
Relena was becoming very impressed by the oratory skills of the massive red and blue mech that was currently addressing the gathered troops. As a politician herself, she was used to dissecting the speeches of opponents, but she could find no fault with this Optimus Prime. He spoke without flair, but a simple down to earth honesty.
"Megatron and I are not forcing you to believe us, you can choose to believe what you will," he leant over the front of the pulpit, "but what we are saying is the truth, and if you ignore it, it will lead to your downfall."
Relena nodded approvingly.
A snort rose up from one of the three 'coneheads'. Thrust, the large maroon and navy one stepped forward, fist raised in the air.
"Well I choose not to believe. Cybertron belongs to the Decepticons by right!" a murmur of similar feeling rose up. "I can see through your plot Prime. You seek to deceive us. And you Megatron, you disgust me with your weakness." Megatron's hand clenched into a fist, the metal creaking under the pressure.
"WHY DOES IT MATTER!?"
Heads spun. A blue Decepticon of an identical design to Starscream was hovering above the crowd, his thrusters spewing blue fire with a muted roar.
"Even if Cybertron is destroyed, why should this war continue?"
"Four million years have passed. That's near half a megavorn. We have the chance now to make peace. Our war was meant to benefit our race, but it only led to robbing Cybertron of its former glory. I call myself a Decepticon with pride, but sometimes I feel we should have tried to make peace and save our planet. Why should we let that happen again on an innocent world...ARGH!"
A single laser shot had struck the blue jet in the back, causing him to crumple to the ground unconscious. Starscream ran to the front of the temporary dais.
"THUNDERCRACKER! BROTHER!"
Thrust lowered the smoking barrel of his laser.
"Thundercracker was a coward with no true Decepticon feeling. We are destined to be the rulers of Cybertron!"
Megatron finally reached breaking point.
"Thrust! You speak of Decepticon pride, yet you just shot a comrade-in- arms. You have sunk beneath even my contempt with that act of cowardliness," Megatron paused.
"You and your brothers have never earned my grace. The three of you are cowards, backstabbers and fools. Yet I was willing to forgive for the slender amount of skill you possessed on the battlefield. But now, you have crossed the line. There is but one punishment for such treason, exile. Now go, before I consider a more permanent cure to this cancer of deceit you spread."
"Exiled, no. I choose to go!" Thrust turned to the door, his two twins following him. He turned back. "And all true Decepticons here, follow me!"
As Thrust strode between the sliding doors that the Wing Zero and Tallgeese flanked, he shot a look of disgust at the humans on top.
"Organics. We are of a higher order you cannot hope to comprehend, and Megatron deigns to lower himself to your level..."
Thrust felt the sudden shock of two cold barrels being prodded into his back. He slowly turned. Starscream stood behind him, along with a similar, if smaller robot coloured in purple and black. Both wore expressions of utter hatred and loathing, the muzzles of their laser rifles levelled at Thrust's cocky face.
"Leave." Starscream said lowly, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. "Leave quietly, leave now."
The second mech spoke up. His face was younger and less battle-hardened than many of the other transformer's present, but the tone of menace in his voice was almost tangible.
"And never come back."
Thrust slowly sneered.
"Skywarp. You think a pup like you can take on someone like me." He winced as Starscream's null ray jabbed him in the chest.
"My younger brother is more than a match for you coward. Yes, coward, a coward who sinks low enough to start threatening those smaller and weaker than him, and attacks behind the back of someone powerful enough to oppose him."
A large blunt object tapped the back of Thrust's coned head. He spun again and found himself staring down the twin barrels of Wing Zero's buster rifle. Deep within the black pits, incandescent golden energy pulsed slowly. Thrust gulped and raised his optics. A small organic rode on the muzzle of the massive gun. It stood up, and spoke in a voice which despite it's feminine sound, carried a lot of strength.
"I'm an advocate for peace, but you are such a loathsome piece of scum I'd take up arms against you any day."
Thrust gulped.
Skywarp fired a brief shot into the floor at Thrust's feet, causing the conehead to jump backwards.
"Now get out."
*
Duo, Zechs and Noin watched this little repartee with more than little interest. When Relena effectively spat in Thrust's face, Noin looked at Zechs with a cocked eyebrow.
"Wonder where she gets that spunk from?"
"You obviously. You spent more time raising her than me, and I'm supposed to be her brother."
"Oh come off it Zechs! You know she loves you."
Duo just goggled. His opinion of Relena 'Peacecrap' Dorlain had just risen several points.
*
As Thrust effectively ran from the room, the massive Onslaught rose, powerful frame dominating those around him.
"Thrust is a weakling. But I agree with what he preaches. Combatacons," he tipped his head, "and anyone else who sides with us, to me."
With that Onslaught led his four minions from the hall. Swindle hung behind briefly, only to be picked up by the scruff of the neck by Onslaught and dragged from the room.
Thrust's two twins Dirge and Ramjet followed in the group's wake, followed by a massive grey machine whose transform none of the humans could place.
"Astrotrain" Megatron murmured.
Three of Motormaster's four followers shuffled nervously, and began to edge back. Motormaster gazed on them with growing contempt. Megatron viewed them with equal distaste.
"If you feel you must go, then go, but by doing you ensure your own destruction. As soon as you leave this room you estrange yourselves from our forces, and in doing become our enemies. And tell that fool Onslaught, that if he makes any moves against the inhabitants of this planet, he does so on pain of death."
Assured that Motormaster was not going to cleave them in two with the broken blade he still wielded, the three Stunticons; Drag Strip, Breakdown and Road Block turned to leave. Motormaster was muttering rapidly beneath his breath at this point, and the remaining Stunticon was watching him warily.
"TRAITORS!" Motormaster's eyes suddenly flew open, red fire blazing in them like Hades. He spun, and brought the sword, it's blade flashing, down on the back of Drag Strip.
'CLANG!'
Motormaster's sword was cut short in its fall by another mighty blade, one that proudly bore the sigil of the Autobots. Drag Strip cringed under the crossed swords. Motormaster looked along the second weapon's length into the red optics of Grimlock, which somehow carried a look of sympathy for the former leader of the Stunticon attack team, the one whose first words had been to pledge eternal loyalty to his leader.
"You betrayed by own men. Me feel your pain. But Gun-bot," he looked at Megatron, "say let car-bots go. So let go. Get traitors other day. Me help."
Motormaster stared in surprise at the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, before smiling grimly, and proffering his hand.
"Ally?"
Grimlock reached out and took the proffered palm.
"Brother."
As two skilled swordsmen and former enemies shook to seal their alliance, Megatron and Prime smiled. By their simple action, the two had formed the first bond between the Autobots and Decepticons. As Drag Strip scampered away, Grimlock turned to Motormaster, a wry look in his optics.
"On that day, me get yellow car-con. Me save his life, me take his life."
Motormaster smiled slowly, and then began to chuckle, which burst into a full-hearted belly laugh.
"So be it. Drag Strip is yours Grimlock. When you do get him, give him one for me."
Grimlock slapped him hard on the back like an old drinking buddy and began to join in with the laugh.
As the surrounding transformers followed the two's example by bursting into laughter, a great weight seemed lifted from everyone's shoulders. In the levity, Relena clutched Heero's hand tightly, and was surprised when he returned the small embrace.
*
Megatron shared a grin with Prime as the laughter faded before turning to the two remaining Stunticons.
"Motormaster and Dead End," he boomed, "your loyalty to the Decepticons is well noted and will be well rewarded." he slowly viewed his remaining forces, his eyes pausing briefly on a team of purple and lime green machines, who were distinguished by the pieces of construction equipment protruding from their bodies.
"As will you and your Constructicons Scrapper."
He turned again, nodding to a beige and purple machine who had a tank barrel sticking up from his back. He nodded.
"Blitzwing."
He flicked over Starscream and his two brothers, Skywarp supporting a limping Thundercracker, and came to rest on a imposing indigo machine, who had not said a single word and barely moved during the whole meeting. A group of smaller robots, including one that resembled a panther were gathered round his legs, and a mechanical bird rested on each shoulder.
"Soundwave!" Megatron chortled. "You haven't changed, still the strong silent one."
The one called Soundwave nodded slightly, showing less emotion than a rock, yet to Megatron this simple gesture meant a lot.
"And your cassettes. He nodded at the two humanoid robots. "Rumble, Frenzy." The two birds who each crowed in return to him, "Laserbeak, Buzzsaw," and finally the panther.
"Ravage, you devious thing."
The cat called Ravage purred to his leader.
*
Optimus had been surveying his own troops, but rather than regard them with Megatron's aloof pride, he was down among them, sharing comments and old jokes. A stout red Autobot who looked about as immoveable and steadfast as a rhino slapped him hard on the back before addressing him in a deep southern twang.
"Prayme yah' old glitch. You had me thinkin' that you'd gone over to the Decipti-creeps for a nano-klik there."
Prime chortled.
"Those Decepti-creeps are our allies now Ironhide!"
After making his way through his assembled ranks Prime finally approached the Gundam pilots and the other humans.
"I take it you will need to speak to myself and Megatron as representatives of your planet."
The humans looked at each other from the shoulders of their respective mobile suits before nodding. Relena stepped forward. Prime bowed respectfully to her.
"Vice Foreign Minister Dorlain, it is a pleasure."
She took a step back in surprise.
"You know my name."
"A full account of your recent human history has been downloaded into my memory banks. Nearly all of you gathered here played a prominent role in the Eve wars and Barton rebellion." He gestured at the humans.
*
After some prompting, Relena, Lady Une and Quatre were selected as ambassadors to the earth and went off with Prime. Howard and Latta went off to help tend to Thundercracker's injuries, as they had more knowledge of the transformer's new bodies than the Autobot and Decepticon medics. While Zechs and Noin went off to a quiet corner to talk, the four pilots gathered together on Wing Zero's left shoulder to chat. Duo finally popped the question that everyone had been dying to ask.
"So, what happens next?"
Heero looked around, before sitting down cross-legged.
"Their world's been destroyed, one of their spacecraft is broken and the other is unaccounted for, and they have no place to go. My idea is that Relena will grant them asylum in the Earthsphere."
"The question is, will Relena try and hide this from the public eye. We've finally achieved peace, but it's a fragile one. Something as revolutionary as this could shatter that. The best means would be to try and find them an area to settle that is either sparsely populated or uninhabited. This place might well do for know but eventually possible survivors of their race are likely to contact them and come to Earth. A larger area will be needed then for them to live in."
Everyone turned to Trowa, who had startled everyone with the sudden speech. It was only on rare occasions that 'clown who never smiled' lapsed into such fluent speech.
Wufei stroked his chin.
"Another problem is that many of them are like us. The Autobot's have fought for peace, but the Decepticons were built for the sole purpose of war, like we have trained all our lives to fight. What will they do if they have nothing to fight for, and no planet to defend?"
Duo nodded slightly.
"And then there's this splinter faction conundrum." He leant back and stared at the ceiling, "it's going to be near impossible to keep this under wraps if there's a group of warmongering robots on the loose..."
*
Ten miles north from Mt. St. Hillary traffic was moving slowly along the interstate. Hilde Schbeiker impatiently hummed jazz to herself as her motorbike crept south at barely twenty-five.
'Why on earth did Duo demand I take the day off work and drive out to some backwater mine. He better have a good reason for this or...'
Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of jets and she looked up only to see a group of aircraft fly overhead. She couldn't recognise recognize them but even by AC198 standards they looked futuristic. At the same time as those four streaked overhead the sound of massive vehicle engines began to build ahead of her as well as an odd methodical beat, and the sound of -steam?
Just as the noise rose to an unbearable pitch, she saw a small black object fall from one of the aircraft that was passing back overhead again. She had just enough time to think 'Oh my God', before a massive roaring filled her ears and she was blinded by a massive flash of light...
TO BE CONTINUED.
A/N. (Ain't I a stinker? Hehehehehe.)
CHAPTER NOTES.
I'm keeping this short (ish), but I though there was an important detail that needed to be known in this chapter and 'Minds of Darkness'.
I've taken to using Cybertronian units of time at periods. The values of each are given below.
KLIK Cybertronian second. Equal to 4.98 earth seconds.
NANO-KILK One tenth of a Klik. Equal to 0.498 earth seconds
CYCLE Cybertronian minute. Equal to ten kliks or 49.8 earth seconds.
BREEM Value for ten Cybertronian minutes or ten cycles. Equal to 8.3 Earth minutes.
MEGACYCLE Cybertronian hour. Equal to 10 breems or 83 Earth minutes.
ASTROCYCLE Cybertronian day or time taken for the planet to complete a whole rotation. Equal to 99.75 Megacycles or approx. 5.75 Earth days (138 hours)
QUINTUN Cybertronian week. Equal to five Astocycles or approx. 28.75 Earth days.
DUIN Cybertronian month. Equal to five Quintuns or approx. 143.75 Earth days.
VORN Cybertronian year or time taken for a full orbit of it's sun. Equal to 21 Duins or approx. 8.27 Eath years (3018.75 Earth days)
Basically, Cybertron has a 99 and three quarter hour day, a five-day week, a twenty-five day month and a 525 day year, or twenty one months.
One Cybertron decade is an ORN, one century is a DECAVORN, a millennium a KILOVORN, and 1,000,000 years is a MEGAVORN.
Hope this clears it up for you. Or maybe I just confused you further. EEP! Cannon worshipers, RUN!