Author's notes: Hey all! Nothing to update on my side other then the latest chapter! As always, please comment and enjoy!
Soundwave
Clobber had described the phenomenon he now experienced. A bright flash of light and whole chassis pain followed by the T-cog's failure to respond. Soundwave felt like a fool for not recognizing the signs. It was a weapon Shockwave had been working on before Megatron assigned him to other more pressing projects. It would seem the New Council had the good scientist finish it for their uses.
They had tested this weapon on the Decepticon prisoners, and now himself.
Soundwave plummeted towards Cybertron's surface. He reoriented himself out of the freefall. He forced away the panic and calculated how long he had before impact. His navigation system was completely unresponsive. His fellow fliers were in similar circumstances. Thunderblast twisted in the sky a distance from him. She fell in her bot form in a flailing ballet of screaming panic. The wings on her back twitched, but she didn't transform. The troopers that made up their flying party were just as helpless.
The only one not affected was Laserbeak. He flew frantic around Soundwave, trying to grab him with his tentacles to slow his dissent. But Soundwave was too heavy. He tried everything to realign his inner body, to force a transformation. He felt his T-Cog burn in his side. It refused to respond any further despite the fast-approaching ground. A Spacebridge portal would be his last option. But, wherever he bridged would not change the current velocity he was traveling. Weather directly below him or Bridged to some random location, he would still smash into pieces.
He worked the problem. If he opened it at an angle, he would not slam into the ground at full force, but rather he would skid across the ground. This would leave him severely damaged, but his odds of survival would be greater. The same would not be said regarding the rest of his plummeting crew. He could not open a Bridge for them all…
The freefall jerked to a sudden stop midair, his internal plan halting mid calculation. Something had snatched him by a servo. "I got you Master!"
Soundwave looked up to see the jet form of a Vehicon Trooper. This Trooper hadn't been a part of his original attack party. Their serial number was not registered onboard the ships in Cybertron's atmosphere.
Whoever they were, they had been far enough from the T-Cog scrambling weapon to remain unaffected.
Other jets emerged from the atmosphere. They snatched Thunderblast and the others before they made impact. "We weren't ordered to move in," the Trooper who held Soundwave said with a snicker. "But it looked like you needed the help."
"You made the right decision, breaking protocol this one time," Soundwave acknowledged after he took a moment to compose himself. The Trooper let him down at a less then lethal speed, and then transformed themselves. The Trooper only stood at Soundwave's lower torso. They had to strain their visored helm to look Soundwave in the faceplate. "That T-cog weapon takes a while to recharge. The effects aren't irreversible, so we have observed. But you will need medical intervention, or it won't fix itself." He reported as the others landed. Soundwave studied the strangely talkative and well-informed mystery Trooper. He tried and failed to recognize their number in the clone archive he had.
The Elite Guard were moving in. Soundwave decided he could unravel the mystery later. "Do a final sweep for prisoners, and lead everyone into the portal back to the Renegade." Soundwave ordered them.
They saluted, transformed, and blasted off, expertly avoiding Elite Guard gunfire.
"M-master?" Thunderblast stumbled up through the debris. She was to shaken from the near death experience to wear her normal smile. "I can't access my weapons…"
"Welcome to the club!" came the still chipper voice of Blitzwing. He threw a gun arm in a long arch to Thunderblast, who managed to catch it. "Where better to make our last stand then on the chassis's of our enemies?" he declared, bellowing an evil laugh.
"No," Soundwave snapped. "We need to retreat." He opened a portal for them to escape through.
Clobber snatched Blitzwing from the ground. She then threw him over her shoulder before he could protest any further.
"You big brute! This is far from dignified!" Blitzwing shouted. His griping ignored; the group hurried for the portal.
"Grenade!"
A silver and purple blur smashed into Soundwave. It shoved him backwards just as the explosion shook his insides and left his helm spinning. He reoriented himself, and saw they were cut off from their escape portal. There must have been an explosive activated right under their means of escape, which he hadn't seen.
Someone helped him up, which he did need against his spinning helm. It was the mysterious Trooper who had now saved him twice in one solar cycle.
Soundwave didn't have time to thank them. A flank of armed guards arrived in their path, weapons buzzing and ready to fire. This Trooper and their unit aimed their own weapons in retaliation. They stood to protect Soundwave and the others as the only ones who still had access to their blasters.
A massive Spacebridge opened in the sky above them and a ship came crashing downward. The Elite Guards pointed their weapons up but didn't fire when the Autobot emblem became clear. The ship landed hard between the guards and Soundwave's injured and disheveled party.
"They brought reinforcements!" Blitzwing flailed in Clobber's grasp in an attempt to get down. "We need to fight to the last bot! Make them regret the day-" Clobber retrieved him from her shoulder, then shook him violently until he shut up.
It was reinforcements, but Soundwave didn't know for whom. The ship belonged to Ultra Magnus. As Miko had promised, the familiar Autobots from Earth had arrived. They had placed themselves smack dab in the middle of the battlefield to bring the conflict to an end.
The bottom of the ship opened, and Bumblebee appeared with his familiar entourage in tow.
Thunderblast scoffed. "They got that last transmission no doubt. I'm sure they are only here because they saw fellow Autobots on the chopping block." She assumed. Soundwave legitimately did not know anymore.
Bumblebee caught Soundwave's gaze from the short distance between them. Soundwave didn't have his weapons, or his wings. Those around him were not Autobot affiliated. Like him, they were full-fledged Decepticon. If the Autobots took this opportunity, they could annihilate them for good.
"Soundwave, are you guys ok?" Bumblebee finally asked.
Soundwave had no idea what to make of this yellow Bot.
"Ultra Magnus! What is the meaning of this treachery?!" Came a voice that filled Soundwave with an annoyance not even Starscream could top.
Decimus appeared, flanked by his own personal guards. An energy shield protected him from every angle as well, as if the small army of personal Elite Guard wasn't enough.
"You say we are treacherous?" Bumblebee snapped. He got these words in before Ultra Magnus could address the old Senate member in a more *respectful* way. "Arachnid may be a threat to Cybertron, but that doesn't give you free range to start executing whoever you want!"
Decimus's blue optics narrowed at the young bot's bold tone. "I was charged with protecting Cybertron from ALL threats." He pointed an accusing digit at Soundwave's party. He even graced them with a glare before turning his hostility back to Bumblebee. "This horrific attack from these Cons is proof that we acted-" He paused. Something had shocked him into silence. Thankfully.
He did a double take towards Soundwave. Blinking optics hard as if he was willing the Communication's officer turned Decepticon leader to vanish before his sights. Fear overtook every sensory circuit in Decimus's faceplates. Soundwave assumed Decimus finally recognized him. "T-the rumors are true… It really is, why is HE here in person?!" he demanded, another digit pointed at Soundwave. Even hidden behind an energy shield and a flank of guards, Decimus stumbled backwards.
"You two know each other?" Ultra Magnus ventured.
Soundwave finally spoke up. "Indeed. He used to own me."
"Terminate them, starting with the Con leader!" Decimus snapped to his guard, voice box still trembling.
Buzzing gunfire stalled. Bumblebee and the other members of team Prime had jumped in the line of fire.
"How is this helping Cybertron heal?" Bumblebee snarled.
"What are you waiting for, fire!" Decimus snapped to his soldiers.
The Elite Guard were visibly shaken from the order. "But Senator, that is Team Prime…" one Elite Guard pointed out.
"For Primus's sake!" Decimus snarled. "Where is my special task force? They will make quick work of these traitors!"
"Soundwave, get out of here!" Bumblebee yelled over his shoulder.
He didn't take longer than a moment to consider the Scouts words. The Groundbridge activator seemed to be the only thing not affected by the T-Cog scrambling weapon. He opened a portal back to the Renegade and motioned for his last few soldiers to retreat. Many limped through, followed by the still unknown Trooper unit who came to their aid. Soundwave was the last one through. He risked a final glance towards Bumblebee and his team. They remained steadfast, keeping the Elite Guard from pursuing them through the portal. He shut down the system, and the portal closed between them.
The once quiet, almost deserted atmosphere of the Renegade shattered when they arrived. Moaning from injured or panicked Decepticons echoed off the rigging. They had transferred the chaos of the battle to the small cargo vessel within moments. The ship had been many things within the past few solar cycles, from the new Decepticon Flag ship, then a war ship, and now a triage unit.
"Well, it could have gone way worse!" The speaker was the same Vehicon who saved him. They were chipper despite the energy of the room.
"UG," Thunderblast vented. "I'm going to lay down for a klik, ok boss? Holler if you need anything…" She did not retreat to her quarters, but instead opted to just lay facedown on the floor.
"Soldier," Soundwave began. Away from the fighting, it was a better time than any to get answers. "Your number does not come up in the databanks I possess. Can you explain?"
The Trooper tilted their helm with momentary uncertainty. Then they laughed when something Soundwave wasn't privy to seemed to strike them. "I may have an explanation for that. I was part of a group stationed on Cybertron, sort of. That is, we were being shipped to Cybertron. Our mission: assist Commander Shockwave with his first attempts at a reconstructed Spacebridge."
That was not the answer Soundwave had expected. That report dated the Trooper and their team to say the least. Their ranks seldom lasted that long. "We would have arrived on time, but an unexpected cosmic storm held us up. Then when we finally got to Cybertron, there was word of Autobot sabotage of Shockwave's lab. Protocol stated we were to remain in Cybertron's orbit until ordered otherwise. We had a shipment of Energon intended for the Spacebridge prototype… But solar cycles turned into orbital cycles. We received no word. We were going through the Energon shipment just keeping the troops and ship powered. We weren't able to communicate with the Nemesis, or any other Decepticon ship. So…"
Despite the lack of an expressive face, the Vehicon seemed embarrassed. Soundwave was well practiced reading the emotionless. He had been faceless once as well. "We had a vote, and they selected me as prompt to leader of our small band. I had the ship's functions cut back, and we took shifts in stasis to conserve Energon. I had the troops train while awake. We studied different fighting techniques servo to servo and long range. Medical treatment as well. I tried to keep morale up while we waited for intercept from command. But, since we aren't in the database, my long-standing theory was correct! We must have been assumed offline with the others when the Spacebridge prototype exploded. Hence our being off record. Us not being 'technically' alive has come in handy when the Elite Guard came sniffing around for names."
It was a better explanation then any. But the story did elicit a pang of guilt in Soundwave. With that information, he would have at least sent a search party to confirm the reported death toll. He was sure Megatron would have done the same; if he had deemed it worthwhile. But this had only been a squad of Vehicon Troopers, not even specially trained Eradicons. Cloned from the same protoform molds, identical and replaceable. Soundwave knew Megatron would not have deemed it worthy to investigate. Even if there was a high probability there were functioning bots in standby around Cybertron, awaiting orders. In a roundabout way, they were all abandoned. But in a twist of fate, these same bots came to Soundwave's own rescue.
"What is your designation, soldier?" Soundwave inquired.
"Sharpshot!" the Vehicon said with a merry disposition. Soundwave's face must have betrayed him with a confused expression because the Trooper shrank. "Um, s-sorry my Lord. Force of habit, that's what my squad calls me. My assigned designation is ST-3-V-3."
"Sharpshot is fine," Soundwave said after a moment of contemplation.
"Commander," said another vehicon to Sharpshot. "Word from our spy network. They observed the Elite Guard collecting Energon samples on the battlefield."
Sharpshot's aura darkened at the news. "My Lord, do you have any injuries?" They asked with concern.
Though a random and unrelated query, Soundwave looked himself over. He noted a few very insignificant lesions on his servos. "Compared to the other prisoners, I would not consider myself injured."
"Any spilled Energon is going to be a problem," Sharpshot informed him coldly.
"How do you figure?" demanded Demolisher. He was only a few steps away, having a rather large and bleeding laceration in his side soldered.
"We still don't know how. When they have Energon from individual bots, the Council's 'Con hunting task force' are able to track them." Sharpshot explained. "It isn't worth the risk. Everyone who may have lost even a drop of Energon in that battle can't be out in the open."
"What?" Demolisher snapped. "I'm not sitting out on the next fight!"
"Sounds fair," Thunderblast's muffled voice vented, faceplates still squashed against the floor.
"Ug, does it matter?" Blitzwing radiated a tired aura. He was leaned against a work terminal while rubbing the side of his helm with two digits. His accented voice had softened, taking on a more calm, irritated pitch. It was like his personality had flipped. He was far from the 'destroy every Autobot while standing on the chassis's of our enemies' type he had been while in battle. "We all got out alive. Problem solved. What do we have to fight for now?"
Soundwave ignored his bitter attitude and instead turned to question him. "Were you captured by this special task force? What can you report about their skills?"
Blitzwing sneered. "Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't catch even a glimpse of them."
Now Demolisher scoffed. "They captured you and you didn't bother noticing who they were?"
Blitzwing shot back a glare. "They jumped me from behind! It was sudden and silent, and it was lights out before I even knew what hit me! You will find most everyone else has a similar story. Same for those who weren't already in Autobot custody... OR were the traitors." He said the last comment with a hum and glanced across the Renegade's crowded Bridge. Even disoriented, those who wore Autobot emblems had separated themselves from the loyal Decepticons. The group ostracized themselves into a corner away from everyone else. They tended to each other, a few watching Soundwave and his band with very suspicious optics.
"Move your afts!" Rivet's snarl rose over the crowd. The older Constructicon shoved through the Bots in his way. He scanned the faceplates of the segregated Autobots in the corner. "Wedge!"
The small orange bot was almost invisible in the crowd. He was sat against the far wall with a vacant stair that shattered at the announcement of his name.
"M-master Rivet?" Wedge muttered in total shock.
The moment Rivet locked optics with him, he made a B line for him, even with Autobot aligned bots in his way. Wedge's surprise turned to fear as he pressed backwards. He looked back and forth in search of an escape route. With nowhere to go he could only shrink more into the wall. He winced at whatever was coming as his old Decepticon teacher marched towards him.
Rivet yanked him up from the wall by a servo. He then pulled Wedge into a crushing embrace. "By the damn pits…" Rivet huffed, his previous vitriol gone as he hugged the smaller bot. "I thought your useless aft was dead."
Wedge blinked his optics in a disoriented confusion. "I- I'm sorry for running off, Master." He finally whispered. "I met Optimus Prime while on your assignment. He really helped me. He helped me join the Rescue Bot Academy on Earth."
"And then they sold you out?" Rivet guessed. He pulled away from their embrace long enough to give him a raised optic ridge.
"Not at all!" Wedge insisted. "We didn't know what was happening back home… I didn't even know anyone on Cybertron knew I used to be Decepticon. I went home for something small, and then they arrested me." His optics turned to the floor, unable to look at Rivet any longer. "Don't be mad, for me deserting. The Cons, they weren't who I was."
Before Rivet could respond, Demolisher gave the reunion a dark snicker. Most of the room, Autobot or Decepticon, had turned to behold the spectacle Rivet and Wedge had made. "Kid does make a point. We didn't only save our fellow Decepticons. We have among us a good chunk of traitors to deal with. Should we start scrapping them now?" The comment was obviously aimed Soundwave's way.
Rivet threw Wedge behind himself to shield him from Demolisher's line of sight. "Over my Sparkless husk! Scrap the rest, but you aren't touching Wedge! I sent him away on purpose, on some nonsense errand and as far as I could! To get him away from the war! Him defecting to the Autobots was my fault! Blame me!"
The bot most startled by the damning confession was Wedge himself. Soundwave observed the old bot, his resolve unyielding. Then he turned his attention to behold the rest of the Autobot aligned. They were defenseless, no access to their weapons or vehicle modes. It would be very easy to deal with them. To save on Energon they didn't have to even put blaster fire into their helms. They could toss them out the nearest air lock. Decepticon protocol was very clear in that moment. Traitors were to be given no mercy.
It was a rather random time for him to flash back to a moment not so long ago. When Soundwave knew he had to terminate Rhea before he left her for the first time. She had been vulnerable too. Blissfully unaware he had his blaster aimed at her tent to erase her off the surface of the Earth. Her death would have assured his safety from the Autobots if she chose to turn sides and align with them. It was the Decepticon way. But he couldn't do it. And it was very fortunate he hadn't. Rhea had been a priceless ally in the months that followed. So much so he now intended to have Shockwave bend the natural world to somehow extend her life.
She didn't share all the same values of the Decepticons. But he would die to protect her.
He looked to the Autobot aligned once more. He heard Demolisher calling to him. He was sure his sudden silence was alarming. Everyone, Con and Autobot aligned was staring at him, awaiting his decision. Right, he was leader. Megatron wouldn't hesitate. Megatron wasn't here. Ironically enough, their once glorious leader deserted the cause, making himself, a traitor.
He allowed the silence to stretch on a while longer and opened a commlink to Rhea on Earth. 'Rhea. I will need your assistance.' He sent her recorded clips of the problem conversation for context. When it finished, he elaborated. 'They cannot stay here; they will be a burden to keep as prisoners. But I will not terminate them.'
Almost with no hesitation, Rhea had a solution. 'Why not send them to Earth? I have the shielding frequency done. Thanks to Raf's help to sneak away, I've been able to sort of reestablish myself on the North Carolina coast with our tech. At least the stuff Ultra Magnus didn't take. I could use help making something a little more permanent. I'm on crutches and am only five feet tall even when my bones aren't broken.'
It was a productive idea indeed. 'I will give you the locations of the nearest Energon mines to the North Carolina location." Soundwave added. 'You may divulge these locations if the bots I send through assist you.'
Rhea snorted a laugh. 'Thanks, but I'll try asking them for help first, before resorting to threats.'
Soundwave tried not to snicker out loud. 'Unorthodox, but I trust your judgment.'
He turned back to Rivet. The old bot looked ready to fight a small Decepticon army off with nothing but his bare servos. Soundwave opened a large Spacebridge portal before the Autobot aligned bots. Many of them jumped in alarm. Others stared at him suspiciously. They were trying to understand his intentions strictly from his cold features. "Consider this compensation for whatever services you once provided to the Decepticon cause. This portal will lead you to a distant world called Earth. It is out of the New Council's reach. There you will find an associate of mine who will direct you with further instructions."
"Earth?" Wedge said with a sharp intake. "That's where my friends are." Despite the young Bot's hopeful report, no one moved towards the portal. Though silent, Soundwave could feel the confounded optics of his crew boring into the back of his helm. He understood their confusion. This was far from what a Decepticon would do.
"Um, Master?" Demolisher ventured. "You feeling ok? Did you take a hit to the helm that last fight?" Soundwave ignored him.
"How do we know the portal doesn't lead to the middle of space?" demanded one of the bots. "Or hurtling into a sun?"
Soundwave narrowed his optics at the speaker. "I suppose you do not. But this is among the only choices you have available to you. I remind you all the Autobot side has betrayed you. As leader of the Decepticons, I am offering you all a pardon. It is a pass for any traitorous behavior during the war and a chance to live. If you do not take this opportunity, I will be happy to open a Spacebridge back to Cybertron. You may then resume your role in the New Council's little spectacle of an execution. But know that a similar rescue will not be coming for you a second time."
Murmurs floated among the group. The light of the Spacebridge portal illuminated the Renegade's dim interior. Rivet was staring at him also, trying to gage if he was being sincere.
From the crowd, a single bot emerged. Despite being a Autobot, they were also a seeker. Silver and tall, a high-ranking soldier. Or he used to be before the side he once betrayed the Decepticons for betrayed him. Soundwave recognized him from old files he had once memorized. This was one of the original traitors. Jetfire. A seeker who's desertion allowed Starscream to move up the ranks unopposed. "I can test it," Jetfire offered the group. It was a noble sentiment. A very Autobot thing to do. He gave Soundwave a final glance before vanishing into the Spacebridge. After a tense moment, every pair of optics staring at the portal, Jetfire emerged again. "He is telling the truth. It's some sort of organic world." He reported.
It was finally enough to get the group moving. Jetfire remained to help heard bots through in a somewhat orderly fashion. Soundwave was surprised to receive a few fearful but sincere thank yous from some of the fleeing bots.
Rivet all but pushed Wedge towards the portal. "Go through and keep your fragging helm down! Don't get yourself captured again; you hear me?" Rivet barked.
Wedge fought to keep a hold on Rivet. "Master, come with me!" he pleaded.
Rivet scoffed a disgusted laugh. "I ain't no fragging Autobot, kid! I'm where I belong, and the best I can tell, so are you… You sure you can trust these friends of yours on Earth?"
Wedge nodded, completely confident in his certainty. "Then what are you waiting for?" Rivet snarled. "Consider this an official expulsion from my apprenticeship! Now get your goody two shoes Autobot self out of my sight!" He shoved at Wedge again, both almost at the cusp of the portal. Wedge hesitated, staring at Rivet who's chassis shook, and he was trying to play it off as rage.
"Master…"
"Go, kid!" Rivet snarled.
With an unwilling gaze Wedge released his hold on Rivet's servo. "Thank you, Master." He whispered, and then turned to run into the portal. Once he was gone, Rivet's servos slumped to his sides. "Good luck kid," he vented. Optics downcast, he stumbled over to Soundwave and gave a half-Sparked bow. "Um, forgive me, my Lord, for my previous outburst."
"Consider it stricken from the record," Soundwave said with a nod.
Rivet's faceplates were a mix of relief, uncertainty, and sadness. "Permission, to go recalibrate the engines?"
"Granted," Soundwave said.
"Thank you, my Lord," he only took a few steps towards the doors before stopping. Emotion overtaking him, he placed a hand on Soundwave's shoulder. "Thank you for your mercy, my Lord…thank you." He whispered again, this time the meaning being far more Spark felt. It was so unlike what a Decepticon leader would have done. Rivets optics almost shed lubricant, his voice box trembling. He dropped his hand from Soundwave and stumbled off the Bridge.
