Iacon

En Route to Autobot Retaliator HQ

Present Orn

Optimal Retaliation strolled along the long causeway linking the Autobase with the smaller spires arranged in a circle around it that held the major Autobot combat units and their respective headquarters. There were twelve smaller spires in all, each connected to the Autobase by a kilometer long causeway. Said causeway was a direct route of transportation for Autobots between each location, and the outer spires also were adapted to serve as the last exterior line of defense for the Autobase. A while ago after several waves of Decepticon infiltrations had resulted in the deaths of many Autobots and the theft or destruction of many closely guarded secrets within the Autobase itself, it had been sealed off from direct access from the ground. The only way to access Autobase was either though the air (in which case you'd have to get the base to lower its defense shield and let you in) or by going through one of the smaller spires surrounding it and walking or driving along the causeways. For simplicity's sake, most Autobots chose the latter method.

Granted, the increase in traffic didn't do much for the internal security of the teams who inhabited those spires, but Optimal Retaliation suspected that the Council of Primus had also made this arrangement to remind said teams that while their contributions to the cause were important, it did not truly make them more important to the war effort than any other Autobot. And having hordes of disgruntled, usually damaged, occasionally lifeless Autobots pass through their homes on an hourly basis was a very effective reminder of that fact. The Autobot Retaliators were one of the teams who had become accustomed to the intrusion of other Autobots into their home on a regular basis, something Optimal Retaliation was still getting used to. This was exemplified by his current situation, for as he walked down the causeway, a line of fellow Autobots bumped past him on the crowded walkway. He should have been used to this, but the sheer amount of traffic this last deca cycle was far higher than normal, and not with casualties. He'd recognized leaders from teams on the front line, commanders who'd never have left their posts for even a millisecond unless summoned by the Council of Primus itself. Something big was going down, he could feel it, and thinking over Centbot's last request of him back in the training center, he wondered what could be happening.

Sparing a glance south of Autobase and the causeway he was walking on, Optimal Retaliation gazed silently at The Array. The Array was a group of six massive shockwave cannons, and it had been responsible for protecting Iacon and what was left of the battered Autobots for the last vorn. It seems ridiculous to a degree on the surface, six cannons being able to stop a horde of Decepticon seekers? Had he not been witness to its deadly capability before, he'd think it was impossible, but it wasn't. The Array fired a volley of concussive charges into the air that upon detonation created an atmospheric shockwave sufficient to crumple armor planting and more specifically wings of seekers in flight, grounding them permanently. Denied their Ariel attack advantage, the Decepticons were unable to press their numerical advantages very far, and thus had been unable to capture Iacon or destroy the Autobots. Back in his historian days, Optimal had been very interested in The Array, as like almost all of Iacon itself a vorn ago, it predated the Awakening. Some archeological theories had suggested it was constructed before even the Dark Era.

Part of Optimal Retaliation still longed to go and unravel the mysteries of The Array, especially now when so much of the ancient Iacon was destroyed by Decepticon artillery bombardments. The Array was one of the last surviving hints as to what Seibertron was like before The Awakening, before current Transformer history began to be recorded. It was the clue to unlocking the truth behind the legend of the Matrix. Sighing quietly, he lowered his gaze and dropped to the metal deck plating of the causeway after someone shouted "incoming!" The other Autobots around him did the same, and Optimal Retaliation felt a surge of energy build up in his servos as the Autobase's defensive shield increased power. Streaking across the sky was what at first glance appeared to be meteors, but was really the latest in seemingly endless volleys of Decepticon artillery fire. There were several hundred streaks of light across the skies of Iacon, each of them heading for their assigned targets. When they impacted those streaks of light stopped moving after hitting an invisible wall, exploding with terrible force and with sufficient energy to weaken the building's defensive shields and make it opaque as the shield strained to defend those within it from the impacts. The sound of thunder filled Optimal's auditory sensors, but the sound quickly faded, and the shield became transparent once more after having successfully completed its job.

The Autobots immediately got up and resumed what they were doing before the attack. They knew there would not be a second volley. After a couple vorns of warfare, Autobot defensive shielding technologies rapidly outgrew the Decepticon artillery power, thus rendering them nearly useless. The barrages were shot off at random by the Decepticons, in the vain hope that they'd catch some unlucky Autobots napping and hit something important. Optimal Retaliation's quick glance about the city revealed nothing his optics could discern as burning, and so he was pleased to come to the realization that once more the Decepticons had come up empty-handed. Optimal stopped for a moment, looking up to the top levels of the Autobase, where the three members of the Council of Primus made their homes, and wished Centbot would hurry up and get done with his meeting so that he wouldn't have to deal with Speed Railer for a single solitary moment longer than he had to. He couldn't stand the diminutive Autobot, and if forced to endure him for too long, he might have to break his word to Centbot and kill the little pest at long last. Actually, as he started back off towards the Retaliator's base again, he took a certain sadistic pleasure in imagining Speed Railer suffering in all sorts of ways at his hands...

Iacon, Autobase

Council Chamber of Maximus Prime

Present Orn

Once the shuddering from the bombardment stopped and the alarms cut off, Centbot lifted up the rim of his right optic at Maximus Prime. "Don't you just hate unscheduled interruptions?"

Maximus Prime, for his part, consulted a chronometer before saying anything. "Actually, they're right on time. But you're right, that was a rather rude interruption to our conversation. Where were we?"

Centbot scoffed, then leaned over from the chair he was sitting on to plant the palms of his hands on Maximus Prime's desk. "You were apologizing for calling me old."

Maximus Prime seemed surprised at that. "I was doing no such thing."

"Correct, but you should be apologizing." Centbot muttered as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Maximus Prime just sighed at Centbot's reaction to his words. He found himself devoutly wishing that Centbot was capable of doing anything without drama being attached to it somehow, but if that were so then he wouldn't be the Centbot of such infamy that he was now. And the fact of the matter was that Centbot was old, just like him and the other two members of the Council of Primus were. The difference between them was that Centbot was never happy unless he was doing something to fight for the cause, whereas Maximus Prime being the leader of all Autobots had a responsibility to look after all Autobots, even old firebrands like this one. Maximus Prime stood up and walked over to a window that gave an impressive view of Iacon.

"What do you want me to say Cent? I mean, honestly… you aren't exactly young, and your own team medic's repair logs show you returning from missions with increasing amounts of damage. Levels of damage, I remind you that have consistently grown for the last vorn. And now you come here and ask me to send you off on what could probably be the more dangerous mission that could ever be assigned to any Autobot, without proper backup, and expect me to praise your brilliance?" Maximus Prime's tone clearly dripped with sarcasm.

"It's worked before Maximus. Come on… you're not still blaming me for the Highland incidents are you?"

Maximus Prime wasn't even thinking about that to be honest, but now that Centbot had brought it up Maximus realized it was the perfect example as he turned to face Cent and leaned his back against the window. "Cent, those highlands are now very flatlands."

Centbot shot up out of his chair to protest. "I was in a one-on-one fight with that gun-toting Freak Gore!"

"That's right, and oh so brilliantly you decided to use the highland support structures for cover."

"How was I supposed to predict he'd use his plasma cannons on them all?"

"Gee, I don't know, you'd think after he used 'em on the first hundred of the things you'd notice a pattern." Maximus Prime said with his rolling optics accompanied by a voice oozing sarcasm.

Centbot had been put on the ropes with that one, so he tried to defend himself with an undisputed fact. Sadly, that was playing right into Maximus Prime's hands. "I got the mission completed didn't I?"

"Yes you did. And a deca cycle later after they finished putting the pieces of you back together again, you went right back out into the field."

Centbot flinched at that memory, realizing he'd walked right into that one. Suddenly feeling very deflated, Centbot sat back down in his seat again, his optics seeming to darken. It took him a cycle before he spoke again. "I'm not that old, Prime."

Maximus Prime moved off the wall and sat down in his seat again, staring at Centbot, the two Autobots locking optics. "You are that old, Centbot, and you know it. More than a third of your team's part requests are for you. One Autobot in a five 'Bot team takes up a third of the parts?" Maximus Prime leaned back in his own chair. "I'm sorry Cent, but if you're unwilling to take the extra help with you, then I'll just give this mission to someone else."

The old fire blazed again, and Centbot's optics lit up after Maximus Prime said his last words. "You wouldn't."

"Correction," Maximus Prime said as he leaned over his own desk to bring his gaze to lock onto Centbot's and hovered it a mere few centimeters in front of his face, "I don't want to do this, Cent. However, don't think for an astrosecond that I won't. I'm not risking your safety and the safety of your team because you want to believe you're still as great as you were in the old days." Maximus Prime leaned back after Centbot's gaze dropped to the deck. From the way he was slumping in his chair, Maximus Prime knew he'd finally driven his point home. There was some regret on his part for forcing such a proud Autobot to admit his age, but he had no choice. The mission was vital, Centbot was the best Autobot to carry out the mission, and the Council wanted to make sure Centbot would get it done and come home in one piece.

Centbot's head slowly rose up from the deck and his gaze locked itself on the wall behind Maximus Prime's head. "Funny, isn't it? You'd sit there and shove something down my throat that you claim is in my best interests, yet you'll say that subtracting the deadbeats from our society is something you will not do, despite the fact that it is for the greater good." Maximus Prime didn't say anything, and the silence continued until Centbot nodded his head, whipped around on his left heel, and walked out the door of Maximus Prime's office.

After Centbot had left, Maximus Prime just sat in his chair, rocking it side-to-side, thinking over what Centbot had said to him. Eventually, he turned his head to address his door. "I can only change what I have the power to influence." He mumbled regretfully to the empty space he addressed.

Iacon, Autobase

Central Communication Chamber

Present Orn

Centbot was feeling rather dejected at the moment, he was never the most social Autobot. Prideful, boastful… Centbot took great pride and stock in saying that he had accomplished something. Asking and receiving help was always uncomfortable for him, even from his friends. He measured his own self-worth based upon what he himself could accomplish, and what he'd just had to put up with could be described as the most through decimation of his pride he'd ever endured. It was like insulting every accomplishment Centbot had ever done, and while Centbot knew such was not Maximus Prime's intent, it sure as heck still hurt quite a bit. Even worse is that he was being force-fed this 'help', and he hated being commanded to do most anything as if he never had a say in the matter. Sighing, he got himself composed before opening a communication line with Accelerate Demon at the base.

Centbot's personal feelings were something to be dealt with privately, and had no place being discussed in public. He was an Autobot who had his orders, which meant he had work to do, work that was expected to be done whether he liked it or not. It took a few moments, but eventually Accelerate Demon's face to appear on the vidscreen, but when it did, Centbot immediately was on guard. Accelerate Demon was agitated about something. "Centbot! Thank Primus, I was about to call you in the Council Chambers, court-martials be damned." Centbot's second in command said rapidly, and with shock combined with a hint of worry mixed into his tone.

"What's going on down there? Is Optimal Retaliation trying to cut Speed Railer in two again?" Centbot was tired and in a foul mood, thus this was not a good time for the usual team bickering between those two.

"No sir, this is something, far, far more worrisome." Accelerate Demon was clearly worried about whatever this thing was, and before Centbot could say anything else, Accelerate Demon stepped away from the screen, allowing Centbot to see behind him. There was a gathering of Autobots, the same Autobots Centbot assumed were sent to his team by the Council of Primus, but the female Autobot closest to the camera immediately stirred a memory in Centbot, a memory that made his lower jaw drop wide open once he recalled it. "Correct me if I'm wrong on this one Centbot, but isn't Helicon One supposed to be dead?"

To be continued…