Author's Notes: Late night update! In this chapter, we flash back to see how Megatron became aware of the happenings on Cybertron, and how he knew Soundwave needed help. We glimpse his personal struggles with his guilt, and the conflict with a ghost from his past… In the present, will Megatron be enough to stop Tarn's rampage?
Location: Outer Asteroid Belt Trading Colonies
Time: Three weeks ago
Megatron
He tried to knock on the thatched roof as softly as he could without causing it to collapse. It still produced a jarring sound, and the small organic juvenile under the roof still startled. The Nibarian looked up from behind the splintered store counter she manned. Her light green face turned perplexed as she was met with the sight of two massive peds. She leaned across the counter to look past the roof until she met Megatron's gaze, and she startled again.
"Cybertronian?" She gasped. She didn't seem to trust her own sight, rubbing at her large black eyes. "Long time since one came through of you!" She announced to the mostly vacant multi alien species trading post. Her accent was thick and disjointed. He almost didn't catch what she said despite her yelling it as loud as her organic voice box could manage. The Nibarian was either not well spoken, or more than likely, his translator was on the fritz. He had taken quite the knock to the helm in that last scrap with a roving Autobot battalion.
Keeping his moments slow, Megatron knelt to better see the Nibarian trader under her shop roof. He wasn't exactly an expert in organic life in this region of space. He was almost sure this Nibarian was a female, and very young to be running a store by herself.
He kept his tone low, face plate hidden under the ripped covering he utilized to hide his identity. Even with his new Unicron mutilated chassis, he was recognized more then he cared to be.
"I heard; you sell processed Energon." He said.
The Nibarian girl blinked. "That glowing blue stuff, right?"
"Yes."
"Ask will I. MAMA! ENERGON HAVE WE?" She shouted again, this time towards the curtains behind her leading into the dark of the small dwelling. Megatron winced as the few other patrons in the alley turned towards the commotion.
There was a considerable pause before another Nibarian accented voice screeched back. "WHAT ENERGON FOR?"
The girl manning the front rolled her dark eyes. "Like the taste I guess, NO, FOR CUSTOMER OF COURSE!"
The ripped curtains whirled open to reveal an aged Nibarian. Stress had carved rivers of wrinkles around her black eyes and dulled her green skin grey. Even ravaged by time, she still resembled the young Nibarian at the counter. Before, Megatron would not have given the similarities a second thought. But now, in his copious amount of free time, he found it fascinating how organic life could pass physical features down to their offspring.
The older Nibarian yanked her small woven hoof coverings off from one of her four legs and wielded it like a weapon. She then slapped the younger Nibarian on the back with it. "Sass talk, just like Papa you have! Now why-" the older Nibarian stopped the lecture mid-sentence when she spotted the massive form looming over her shop. Unlike her offspring, she didn't startle. She did offer Megatron a surprised once over. "Oh, that explains it."
"Biggest Cybertronian ever seen I have." The girl commented.
"Rude, Nu!" the older woman chastised. She turned her expression around to offer Megatron a trade post worthy smile. "Want to buy?"
"How much do you have?"
"How much can afford, you?" She asked right back.
"Not nice, Mama." The girl, Nu, huffed. "What if refugee he is?"
"Life is hard, but that not problem of mine." Nu's Mama bit back.
Nu only shrugged, fiddling with a trinket on the counter. "Refugees were once we." She pointed out.
The smile on the older Nibarian's face soured into a scowl. Then she made a sound reminiscent of a vent from Megatron's perspective. "Three cubes, have we." She offered up, very reluctantly. "Open to trade, are we."
He pulled three shanix from a subspace compartment. He placed it before the women on the counter. The Cybertronian money was as large as the older Nibarian's torso. She stared at his offering, then back at him. "Old shanix, real is?" she asked, anything but convinced. She whipped a handheld device from the folds of garment she wore before he could answer. The device scanned his payment, and it beeped once. For the first time since their interaction started, her confidence wavered. "Real is it… where get old shanix you did? Very rare after war."
He offered her a shrug in answer.
"To much is that. Energon have we worth less." The girl informed her elder. The comment earned her another glare and a threatening wave of the woven hoof covering.
"Much to learn about business do you!" Her Mama hissed.
"Call it a good faith trade." Megatron offered, bringing their attention back onto him. "You can pay me back, by not telling any other Cybertronian's about my presence here."
The Nibarian woman didn't take long to consider. She smiled again. "Work with Swindle, do you?" She snickered when he was sure she caught the recognition on his face plates. It had been a while since he heard that name. "Deal have we. Unba is me…make sure to tell other Cybertronian's Unba's store is only one to stock Energon in this region of space." She said with a grin.
He offered a nod to placate her, and she seemed satisfied. "Moment give me." Unba yanked a wheeled cart against the counter and with a huff pulled the three shanix down onto it. She wheeled it behind the curtain and out of sight.
A spindly tentacled patron skulked through the trading post, slowing it's slithering gait to glance him. Megatron readjusted the tarp over his helm again when he felt their sight orbs on him. He stuck out in the almost exclusively organic trading post, that was very clear. But it was too dangerous to linger close to the places his own people did business. Any Cybertronian would recognize him twenty kliks away.
It seemed Swindle was still doing his shady deals with Cybertronians and organics alike. Megatron didn't want to associate with Decepticons. He didn't want anything to do with anyone who once called him 'Lord'. But Megatron's original standards had lowered when his Energon alarms became louder by the cycle. Swindle may be his best bet, wherever the cheap, half afted excuse for a Decepticon was. For the right price, Swindle wouldn't sell him out, probably. Swindle always said it himself. He was a capitalist first and a Decepticon second.
"Nu, is me." Nu offered out of the blue.
Megatron glanced down at the organic and saw her studying him. He assumed she wanted a name in exchange. "Good to know." He offered.
Nu pursed her thin lips. She knew he was dodging her prodding. She was cleverer than he first gave her credit for. "Cybertron war still going on?" She was either changing her strategy to get information out of him, or she had no strategy at all. She was young, so it was more than likely the latter.
"I, don't know." He answered. It wasn't a lie, not even by omission. He legitimately had no idea. The Autobots controlled Cybertron. There was infighting amongst his old team and unknown terrorist activity in the underground. And he dumped it all onto Soundwave's shoulders...
"Returned to life, Cybertron did." Nu informed him with a smile. "Go home will you?"
"Not much of a home left for me there." He said.
Nu nodded, a bit too knowing. "Understand, do I. Cybertron war spread to home of Nu, when only a larva was I. Killed in the crossfire, was Nu's Papa. Flee world, did family of Nu do."
Megatron hesitated. The girl was like a non-password protected data pad. Throwing out personal information like it was currency in their trade. He could almost feel those blue optics on his back strut, judging him when he failed to comment on the story. He didn't need his stalker's judgment. His own internal strife was more then he could handle. "I'm sorry." He offered.
"Why sorry are you?" Unba huffed. She and her cart returned, a single Energon cube in it's broken basket. "Start the Cybertronian war, you didn't." She said. Thankfully, she was busy hoisting up the cart with a rusted leaver to dump the contents on the counter. She didn't see the pained expression Megatron let slip. He managed to hide it when she gazed back up. "Get others, will I." she promised with an already exhausted puff. She and her basket wheeled towards the back again. This time she hesitated before the curtains. She turned back around and rose a brow ridge over a black eye. "None business is mine… Familiar look, do you."
Megatron tried to maintain a casual front. "I get that a lot."
She shrugged before hurrying back to work.
Megatron didn't wait for the other two cubes to arrive. He took the first and drank it dry, desperate to ease the mild starvation he had been ignoring. He replaced it on the counter. He didn't have much use for the vessel as he assumed the traders would.
Nu was staring at him again. He hoped he could get the rest of his purchase and rush away before she determined anymore of who he was. She hummed thoughtfully, her expression scheming. Whatever she was planning appeared worthy of a punishment worse than a smack from her Mama's hoof covering. But she was determined. She glanced the inside of the shop with a glint of worry before she retrieved a thin, non-digital map from the cobble wall. She pointed the longest of her four fingers at a spot for him to notice. A small asteroid belt three planetary territories away. "This place." Nu whispered so her mama couldn't hear. "Where raw Energon we get. Not tell anyone, you. Only for you."
Nu replaced the map on the wall and jumped back into her chair to look inconspicuous before Unba came back out. Megatron stared down at the kind, naive girl. Unba was right, she wasn't exactly in the right mindset to sustain a cutthroat business. If he had won the war, if he remained focused on his war path, and not Optimus, creatures like Nu would have been purged. Was his distraction a good thing back then? Was this organic's life worth the Decepticon cause? Was the war over? He still didn't have an answer. But war or no war, he remained. Nu and other innocents like her were still here, even though Optimus was gone. Optimus was supposed to be gone, anyway…
"Help from Nu! Going to die, Is Nu's Mama!" Unba huffed, looking exhausted already. Nu jumped off her chair to assist her. She offered a sly smile and a shrug before vanishing behind the curtains. The alley became uncomfortably quiet as he waited. In that stillness, he felt those blue optics on his back again. He stiffened under the scrutinizing gaze but didn't turn to face the bot who stalked him.
Megatron assured he had not been followed before returning to camp. It was well hidden past the thick overgrowth of the large asteroid. His camp sat right on the edge of the asteroids drop off before the gravity vanished into the void. It was a dangerous, borderline suicidal place for any sane individual to wander. So, it was perfect for Megatron's needs.
He sat hard on a empty crate with a deep vent, setting down his two Energon cubes. It wouldn't last him long. Nu's bad business practices had come at a good time for him. He would have to mine his own Energon from the nearby asteroid field before he left. And he did have to leave soon. Even if he bought Unba's silence, he made no such deals with any of the other shop owners. At least a few no doubt recognized him despite his chassis changes and poor disguise. Bounty hunters would be crawling all over the trading post in no time.
He felt the gaze on the back of his helm again. He could outrun the bounty hunters and Autobot patrols until the heat death of the universe. But he had a sinking feeling he could never again shake this particular bot. The irony of that wasn't lost on him at all. How many vorns had he hunted this same bot across the cosmos?
"I'm sure you found my conversation with the local alien life amusing, seeing as it was at my expense." He mused. He didn't bother turning around to address them. Instead, he remained fixed on the asteroid rings in the sky, gravity swirling them in a cosmic predictable dance.
Heavy ped steps approached him from behind, cautious, and careful. He felt them hesitate, looming over him. Maybe this was his lucky cycle, and his familiar stalker would finally give up and leave him in solitude.
The large chassis sat by him, settling a servo on Megatron's shoulder.
So, no such luck.
"You always assume I find some sort of pleasure in your discomfort, Megatron. You know I do not." Optimus assured him.
Megatron shrugged out of the Prime's grip. Despite Megatron's outward expression of hostility, his old enemy remained on the crate by his side.
"So, what pitying words of wisdom do you have for me today, Optimus?" Across his camp he caught his reflection in the metal of his Energon distiller. Optimus didn't grace the place by his side in that reflection. As usual.
Megatron had barely two orbital cycles of peace before the phantom started to haunt him. In fact, it wasn't long after his meeting with Soundwave did Optimus start appearing to him, and only him. No other entity could even glance him. To the best of Megatron's abilities, there were three possible options to explain the phenomenon. Option one: The infallible Spark of Optimus Prime had sway over death itself. Primus had allowed him access to Megatron on a near constant basis, for some cosmic justice no doubt. Option two: Unicron had done far more lasting damage to Megatron then he knew at the time. He could now be teetering death, allowing him glimpses into the world beyond. Or, option three: Megatron had finally lost his mind. Option three was the more likely scenario. It had certainly taken long enough.
Whether Optimus was real or not, his never-ending presence was putting a damper on Megatron's want for a peaceful exile.
He released another vent. "If you are real, and not a figment of my slipping processor, I can only imagine how much effort these little chats tax you. I would think the peace of the All Spark would be better company then your miserable old friend."
"Assumptions were always your weakness, Megatron." Optimus informed him. "I am only worried about the state you are in."
Megatron couldn't keep the laugh from escaping him. "Now I know for sure you are not real. The Optimus I knew in life would have taken this opportunity to snuff my Spark."
"Before I became one with the All Spark," Optimus began. Megatron vented again in anticipation of the drawn-out explanation coming his way. "When we saw each other for the last time, you were freed from Unicron's clutches. You made the choice to leave the Decepticons behind. I did not make a move to terminate you, though I had an opportunity."
"You had the Spark of a God/Planet shoved inside your chest at the time." Megatron said with a shrug. "I assumed you had more pressing matters on your mind."
"You would not be wrong." Optimus confirmed. "But I also had hope for you. I wanted you to have a chance to know true peace."
Megatron rolled his optics. He turned to study his small supply of Energon he bought from Unba and Nu. He couldn't afford to waste a drop. But the thought of hyper charging it to produce a small amount of high grade to get drunk from was sounding better by the nanoklik. If he got drunk enough, he could tune out the ghost of Optimus as he prattled on. That would be worth wasting Energon. "I may know true peace, if you leave me alone."
"We both know that is not true." Optimus said sternly.
Megatron turned to glare at the phantom. "Oh really, Optimus? What else do you know that I don't? I am painfully aware of the irony of my current predicament! I would chase after you, even at the expense of my own goals. Now nowhere I run in this universe is safe from your blustering! So please, instead of leaving me alone, bless me with your endless wisdom about my own fate!" He spun away in disgust. He instead scowled at the endless expanse of space rather than take in the Prime's patronizing face plates.
"You would not be open to see me, if you did not feel guilt." Optimus said.
Megatron felt the familiar pull of scar covered mesh that carved his face plates. He was scowling again. "I have made it clear to Soundwave, and every bot who has confronted me, that I do not regret my past. I have told you this truth the most out of anyone."
"You have." Optimus agreed. "But perhaps you feel guilt for a more recent decision you made, not as Decepticon leader, but as Megatron."
The scars again tightened uncomfortably when he willed his scowl to deepen. It was all he could do to keep himself from throwing a punch into the empty air where he thought Optimus occupied. "The Decepticons, are Soundwave's burden now. He will do fine. He will be a better leader then I could be, what I became…" Optimus didn't contribute any words. Or rather, he didn't interrupt. Megatron glared at his own peds. "I guess, that decision could have been better executed. I rewarded my most loyal follower with a sinking ship of a cause and all my failings. I assume he only took the offer because he felt like he had to. Soundwave couldn't say no to me… And I knew that. It was an out for me. And it was at his expense." He glanced up at Optimus. As usual, his face was calm and unreadable. It only irritated Megatron more.
"What was so important, my old friend?" Optimus said at last when Megatron was too disgusted to hear his own voice any longer. "When you had all but won the war, but you could not let me go off without giving chase?"
Megatron was sure Optimus was already well aware of the answer. He wanted to hear it spoken out loud. Or he wanted Megatron to hear it. "I felt betrayed by you. You know that."
"Starscream betrayed you more than me." Optimus offered with a shrug. "But you did not chase him across the cosmos." He pointed out. Megatron felt Optimus's servo on his shoulder again. Persistent as always. Not even death could change the statis quo. "I am sorry, the old Senate could not see you worthy of a Prime, as I did in my youth."
Megatron's jaw hinge tightened. "Old history." He whispered.
"I was too naive at the time to see the truth." Optimus continued. "The Senate chose me for all the wrong reasons. Because I was not a slave class. I knew you were mad, but I thought you would return. I had wished you had stayed to guide me. I was too blind to see how hurt you were."
"Why dredge this back up now?" Megatron wondered, feeling empty and beyond done with the discussion.
"Because I want to assure you, your original want for change was a noble goal. Cybertron wanted you to be the next Prime. The Senate did not because they feared what would become of them if you were. But, if the Senate had bestowed on you the title, it would have been just as hollow a victory as it was when they gave it to me."
"It was only a title." Megatron managed to say without too much bitterness tainting his tone. "You became a true Prime when a dying Primus gave the real Matrix to you. I was too busy poisoning our world to convince the deity of my worthiness."
"Gaining the Matrix was not when I saw myself becoming a Prime." Optimus said. Megatron questioned him with a single raised optic ridge. "I became Prime, when the full weight of my responsibilities to our people dawned on me, and I chose not to run from them."
"Good for you." Megatron grumbled.
Optimus smiled in defiance of Megatron's sour attitude. "I am glad this new age does not have the burden of Primes. I am relieved I was the last. With the Primes, there was an expectation of perfection. A demand on the people to give up free will to a being deemed 'more worthy' then most others. Reminiscent of our time enslaved. It held us back. Now all can choose to be a leader, no matter the bot."
"Does it ever get exhausting having to keep up that righteous pretentiousness all the time?" Megatron wondered, helm lazed in one of his servos. "I hope when you aren't here bugging me, you can enjoy the afterlife without having to drag this bravado around."
Optimus was silent, observing him with an unreadable expression. Megatron tried to remain as he was, looking board and fighting involuntary recharge. To his legitimate surprise, Optimus smiled. Then he laughed. It was a sound Megatron hadn't heard since, well, since he was Orion Pax.
"I assumed, you wanted to speak in a way that was familiar. But thank you for the concern. I do know peace, at least as much as I can. My dear friend is still plagued in the living world with burdens… and you are determined not to listen to me."
Megatron hid his own laugh with a scoff. He pulled himself up from the crate they sat on and wandered over to fiddle with his radio. He needed something to focus on other than the Prime. Sometimes he caught tidbits of Soundwave's broadcasts. Despite his insistence to Optimus he didn't care anymore, that was far from the truth. Optimus didn't call him out on the lies. Old habits died hard after all. "You'd know true peace if you would leave said 'friend' to his own misery. Enjoy the All Spark with the knowledge you will never see my miserable mug again, even if I spun off into a black hole."
"What do you mean by that, Megatron?" Optimus asked, the previous humor gone from his tone. Now he sounded worried. As if he feared Megatron intended to do such a drastic thing just to end the conversation. Megatron had to admit, it felt good knowing Optimus was still burdened with that noble worry for other's wellbeing. "Your thoughts have lingered on death for a long while. And try as you might, you can't blame it all on my presence. You don't want death. You only want relief from the guilt that burdens your Spark."
There the Prime went again, talking about guilt. Was that what he was feeling? He wasn't sure anymore. But as much as he hated to admit it, Optimus was right. He was running from something. But in this case, termination would not end his suffering. If it was anything like the last time he died, he would just return to Unicron again. That was an experience he did not want to repeat.
"None of it really matters. Even if I was terminated, again, I would not bother you in the All Spark. I am destined to return to Unicron, remember? I took on His dark Energon, so I severed myself from Primus. I know, my fault, like everything else."
"I locked Unicron away." Optimus said. He sounded like he wanted to be reassuring. Megatron wasn't sure if Optimus knew something he didn't, or if he wanted to make him feel better. "If anything were to happen to you, you would return home to the All Spark, as you should. And if Unicron attempts to take your Spark again, I will assure that does not happen."
"I'm flattered, I guess." Megatron said, still fiddling with the radio. "But again, that would mean I would then be stuck in eternity, with you."
Optimus snickered. Megatron was once more caught off guard by the nostalgic sound. "I promise we can avoid the topic of politics. Besides, it's not like the All Spark is just every departed Cybertronian stuck in one room. There will be plenty of space to avoid me if you desire. Plus, Alpha Trion wants to speak to you. He has wanted to for many many years."
"What does the old fool want?" Megatron asked while trying to hide his genuine curiosity. "Does he have some ancient curses to bless me with?"
"Not that he told me." Optimus said. "He said, he wanted to apologize."
Megatron stalled. Truth be told, he had no idea how to respond to that.
The radio screeched before he could inquire anything more. Megatron's already shot nerves sent him stumbling backwards from the usually silent device.
He gave the device a whack to cure it of the static, which was the extent of what he would normally do to fix it. This time the tried-and-true method failed him, and the static grew in intensity. He felt Optimus's looming presence alert and by his side in an instant.
"Soundwave?" Optimus wondered.
"No." Megatron said. "It's from deep space… but it is a Decepticon beacon."
Scrambled voices brought both Megatron and his ghostly guest to silence. He adjusted the frequency enough to clear the chatter. He didn't dare make it clearer by strengthening the signal. If he did, it would give away his position.
His tampering worked, and a clear voice came through. "This is Kaon, Communication's Officer of the Peaceful Tyranny. Identify yourself."
Megatron jolted. The Peaceful Tyranny… Tarn's war ship. They were still online? That initial shock set aside, he wondered who on Cybertron would be summoning Tarn from deep space.
"Oh good! You finally answered. It has been a nightmare sending these beacons into space without Soundwave intercepting them... I've given him plenty to do, but that would have only lasted for so long."
Megatron glared at the radio. Arachnid. Well, that answered one question, but raised so many others. Even for Arachnid, contacting Tarn's army was insane. What was she trying to accomplish?
"You've yet to identify yourself." Tarn's Communications chief snarled. He seemed far from amused by Arachnid's games.
"Of course. My name is Arachnid. The famous rogue Decepticon who cut from Megatron's club when the war got too political for my tastes. I assumed Tarn would find that admission interesting enough to chat."
Megatron blinked, staring at the radio in dumbfounded surprise. Going by the silence, he could only assume Communication Officer Kaon wore a similar expression at his station on Tarn's ship. She must have totally lost her processor. Arachnid was baiting Tarn out of deep space so he could hunt her down.
"Ok…" Kaon finally said. "Sit tight lunatic. I'll let the boss know."
"Very much appreciated." Arachnid said.
Arachnid's patience was soon rewarded with the (literally) deadly voice of an old, assumed terminated warrior. "What do you want?" Tarn's deep inflection demanded over the airwaves.
Another moment of static made way for Arachnid's cackle. "Straight to the point! I heard you would be like that even after all these vorns." Arachnid laughed.
"Cut the scrap." Tarn hissed. "You have been broadcasting into dead space in search of us. I know of your treachery to our glorious Lord Megatron's cause. Give me one good reason your name should not find its way to the top of the Decepticon Justice Division's list?"
"Oh, dear Tarn! I have something much more interesting for you to sink your denta into then little old me." Arachnid informed him. Megatron's old Spark sank at her tone. He had a distinctly bad feeling about where this was going. "Do you know who is in control of the Decepticons now? And no, the answer is not your precious lord. Not anymore."
Dead silence haunted the airwaves. Then Tarn took the bait. "What has happened while we were hunting in the outer rings?"
"Megatron is gone, and of all Bots, Soundwave is the big bot in charge." Arachnid informed him.
Tarn scoffed. "That is not news to me. When our lord Megatron is called away, his loyal Communication's Officer is one of the few decent choices to watch over his post until he returns."
"But Megatron is not intending to return." Arachnid hummed. "Soundwave claims Megatron has given up the ghost for good! Everyone has gone along with the new arrangement… but there are rumors, as you can imagine. I for one don't believe old Megatron would give up anything. And Soundwave was the only WITTNESS to this so-called power pass off. No one has seen Megatron since."
"You think there was foul play?" Tarn said with a voice just barely suppressing fury.
"What do you think?" Arachnid said. "And his rule is controversial to say the least… Tarn my dear, remind me again, since I haven't been a Con for a while. Is there any good reason for Autobots to be among the Decepticon ranks these cycles?"
More silence. This wasn't good.
"Where can we meet, where there isn't risk of anybot overhearing?" Tarn demanded.
"Cybertron of course!" Arachnid sang. "The Autobots turned the lights back on. Soundwave has been happy to jump right into their favor to share the bounty. Me and my loyal friends have set up camp in Slaughter City. You are welcome to come by for a more personal chat… I have a few odds and ends to run by you for my own gain of course. But, I think we can come to an understanding. There is much for you to catch up on."
Without any further comment, Tarn shut down his chatter. But it was not before Megatron's radio scanner saw his ship changing course. He was on a new heading straight for Cybertron.
So it was Arachnid who stood in Soundwave's way for total control of the Decepticons. She was the one behind the chaos Megatron heard rumors about, even so far from home. Really, he wasn't that surprised it turned out to be her. Now she had just played the most insane, suicidal card that existed. She drug Tarn into the chaos on a false assumption Soundwave had something to do with Megatron's disappearance.
He felt suspended in time, staring at the radio as it spit static back at him. The frequencies cackled, mocking him and his inability to do anything.
"What will you do, Megatron?" Optimus demanded of him.
With slow, mechanical movements, Megatron retreated from the radio. He sat down on the crate with a thud. Optimus was staring a hole through him, waiting for an answer. "I am, no longer leader of the Decepticons." Megatron said finally. It sounded just as hollow as he assumed it would before it left his voice box. "Soundwave is leader."
Optimus remained where he was, standing over Megatron. Gazing through him with those steely blue optics that demanded action. "But does Tarn accept that?"
Megatron clenched his fists. "He will not." He acknowledged. "I created that branch of the Decepticons myself. They are the most ruthless crew of murderers to ever wear the Decepticon emblem. Tarn won't recognize anyone but myself as the true leader."
"Then you must intervene." Optimus insisted.
"It's not my burden. That is the last time I will repeat that point to you." Megatron hissed.
"I disagree."
"Of course you do." Megatron vented.
"So, then Tarn is Soundwave's burden?" Optimus said.
How could the Prime still be so cutting with so few words? Megatron found himself short an adequate retort. Of course, Optimus took the opportunity to continue. "It is fine you are no longer Decepticon Leader. That is your choice to make. But are you still not Soundwave's oldest friend?"
Megatron released a haggard chuckle. "Even in death, you can't help but lecture me."
He glanced the sky once more, Tarn's voice ringing fresh in his helm. Tarn wouldn't listen to reason… He would rip Soundwave apart if he believed what Arachnid said. And he didn't need to believe it in order to make traitors out of loyal followers. Soundwave was a logical leader, not bound to the burden of revenge and bitterness like he was. To move Cybertron forward for the betterment of all, Soundwave would find a way to work alongside the Autobots. Work around their bureaucracy and cooperate with Optimus Primes followers on behalf of all who were oppressed. To Tarn, that was a crime worthy of death.
Megatron clenched his fists, thoughts reeling. Despite his company not having said anything recently, he fixed Optimus with a glare. Damn the Prime's annoying habit of always being right.
He swallowed down the rest of his purchased Energon before he transformed, leaving his items and Optimus behind. He blasted off towards the world only two solar cycles ago, he had no intention of ever seeing again.
Nu
In the emptiness of the abandoned camp, a bush rustled along its edge. The small green form of Nu clopped out into the clearing, a scuffed bronze coin in her clutches. "Cybertronian, here are you?" she inquired.
She gave the edge of the asteroid's drop off a wary glance before she wandered further into the collection of looming tech. "Convinced mama I did! Spent to much on Energon did you. A discount for next time was all mama allowed. Just bring this coin back next time, for… discount."
Nu stopped to glance about. Summoning up her courage, she edged to the drop off and peeked over. No big Cybertronian falling into the void. With a breath of relief, she hurried away from the edge and continued her search. The giant wasn't in the open, or anywhere. That was strange. The biggest Cybertronian she had ever seen seemed a hard kind of folk to lose sight of.
She arrived at the familiar Energon cubes he bought, his ripped cloak in a wrinkled pile on the ground next to the empty cubes. "Fix this I can." She offered to the air in hopes he was somewhere close enough to hear her but too busy to respond. She attempted to pick up the cloak, only managing to pull it into thick bundles that cascaded folds over her arms. "Will need a lot of string to fix, but do it can I. 'Take care of a customer, then always come back and take care of you, they do.' Would say papa did…" She sighed, embarrassed of only talking to herself.
She was ready to admit defeat. But a hunch pulled her attention skyward. She saw what she thought was a blue contrail vanishing into the dark stary sky. The Cybertronian? They could change shape, so it was possibly him. He wasn't headed for the asteroid belt to harvest more Energon like she suggested. Where was he off to without his things? She assumed he would return soon, and she would catch him when he did. At least she hoped so. For such a large being, he was so scared of whatever was following him. Whatever was chasing him must have been terrifying.
Nu pocketed his discount coin and attempted to roll his cloak down into a more portable shape. She would have them both back before he returned.
The echo of heavy steps, and a shadow crossed the corner of Nu's vision.
She startled but recovered quickly to put her smile back on. She spun around to greet her large customer. "There are you! Thought you were flying away, did…I…" She scanned the camp, greeted with only emptiness. She looked back to the sky and saw her customer twinkle out of sight. Again, she glanced down. Strange. She could have sworn she had just seen a Cybertronian standing there.
Location: Pits of Kaon
Time: Present Day
Soundwave
Soundwave struggled to remain upright. Only the sheer shock of seeing Megatron kept him from slipping into stasis lock. He stumbled, and Megatron caught him, shouldering his weight so he didn't fall forward.
"On your peds, old friend." Megatron's familiar inflection rumbled. It was really him… Megatron was standing by his side.
Tarn crumbled to his knees to bow low into the Energon stained ground. His two men had recovered enough to limp back to his side. They soon followed Tarn's example and bowed to Megatron.
"We had thought the worst, my Lord." Tarn said, optics still low.
For the moment, Megatron seemed to be ignoring Tarn and his men. Despite his blurry vision, Soundwave saw his old Lord was in a similar state as he last saw him. Optics tired and shoulders slouched. Though burdened with untold troubles, he remained focused on Soundwave, keeping him upright.
Soundwave felt the stares of his own remaining soldiers. The motion made him dizzy, but he glanced back at Thunderblast and the others. They stood frozen, unsure what to do or who to listen to. It was clear who Tarn intended to follow. The rest could only shift their optics between Megatron and Soundwave. Alliances were torn apart and protocols were unclear.
Soundwave was ready to make the decision for them and all but throw the job back at Megatron. The rightful ruler. The only Decepticon Tarn would listen to.
"My Lord Megatron?" Tarn repeated, louder this time. The attempt caused clear discomfort, his deadly voice still recovering from the damage Clobber inflicted. "Was this a test? Have I and my men proven our loyalty?"
Megatron released a vent. At last, he turned up to look Tarn in his mask. Soundwave noted his focus didn't stay there. Megatron glanced a large portion of broken metal ceiling once used for the lighting of the arena. Dulled from age, but it still managed to reflect them in its once polished surface. Megatron gazed at his reflection, or rather, a part of empty space next to his reflection. As if some other bot Soundwave couldn't see stood there.
"No, it is not a test, Tarn." Megatron promised.
"Then, it was a true betrayal of your officers?" Tarn assumed, jumping to the next possible conclusion.
"No!" Megatron snarled. In the silence he managed to inflict on Tarn, Megatron faced those at their backs. "Come help your leader. He needs assistance."
Thunderblast thawed, approaching on shaky peds to help support Soundwave alongside Megatron. Jetfire, being in much better condition, arrived to shoulder Soundwave's other side. Clobber and Demolisher were unable to stand to lend a servo. Starscream was still frozen and gawking wide mouthed at Megatron.
"I don't understand." Tarn admitted.
Soundwave felt Megatron's support leave him. His shaky weight shifted to the two seekers on either side of him. Megatron left him behind and began a slow, cautious march towards Tarn and his men. Helex and Kaon stood frozen, helms almost comically shifting between the approaching bot and Tarn's stoic chassis. "Many things have changed since you have been away, Tarn. The war has waned. The old world is no more. And what you have heard is true. I have passed my duties on to Soundwave."
Tarn took a step back. Retreating as if Megatron intended to lash out with a deadly blow. "You would not have done such a thing! Lord Megatron, you are the true and only leader of the Decepticons! Your Spark is the light in our darkest hour!"
"My Spark flickers, when once it flared… I've burned myself out." Megatron explained. He reached his hand out to rest it on Tarn's shoulder. The massive bot flinched under Megatron's touch. "I am only here, to inform you Arachnid utilized your loyalty to her advantage."
"I am here because you needed me to be." Tarn insisted.
"If you still wish to help the Decepticon cause," Megatron pointed to Soundwave. "Then follow his command. I have left it behind me. I have stepped aside, so there can be a fighting chance for our cause to change. So it can be what I wanted it to be, before it twisted me, and everybot it touched."
Tarn focused long on Megatron. He shook, optics flashing with uncertainty and desperation. He was waiting for Megatron to say something more. He didn't. Megatron remained connected to Tarn, a comforting hand remaining fixed on his shoulder plating.
Tarn lowered his helm, the red glow of his optics vanishing as he closed them behind his mask.
Then he lashed out.
Soundwave stumbled forward as Megatron slammed into the ground. Thunderblast and Jetfire managed to keep him from falling in his haste to help.
"What, what has happened to you?" Tarn demanded. His servo canon came to life and fired down at Megatron before he could answer the question. He only stopped when his own servant Helex snatched his canon servo and yanked him back.
"It's got to be an Autobot trick, boss! Let up for a nanoklik so we can figure this out!" he insisted. Tarn stumbled back, the weight of his own canon suddenly too heavy to bear and he fell to one knee joint.
With Thunderblast and Jetfire's help, Soundwave managed to get to Megatron. He was still online, and still conscious. Tarn had blasted a large wound in his shoulder joint, but the other blasts had missed him. Tarn must have been too distraught to aim true.
"Megatron…" Soundwave muttered, straining against his own broken chassis to help him up.
Disoriented, Megatron started to laugh. "Yeah, that was about how well I thought that conversation would go."
"What can we do?" Soundwave asked.
The question rewarded him with one of Megatron's classic expressions of simultaneous annoyance and mild amusement. It was a look usually reserved for Starscream or Knock Out. Soundwave never thought he would have missed seeing an expression so much.
"Why are you asking me? You are the leader of the Decepticons." Megatron told him flatly. "Treat me like a senile civilian who wandered onto the battlefield. Shoot me if you have to."
"This fight has compromised me, Megatron." Soundwave admitted. His servos shook. Despite his foggy processor and stinging chassis, the anger crept back into the forefront of his focus. "He was the one who killed Ravage." He added in a whisper. It was all he had to say. Megatron staired at him in disbelief. Megatron would know all he needed to from the statement. When Ravage died, Soundwave had been worthless to the cause for a time. It was one of the few times he had witnessed his Lord act out of kindness, granting him time to grieve.
Laserbeak kept his communications with anybot other than Soundwave and the other Minicons to a minimum. It was not the case with Ravage. Ravage was outspoken, even with Megatron. Ravage, Rumble, and Frenzy were the rare few to feel comfortable enough to speak with the war lord. Ravage even snuck in the occasional jab at Megatron's more unreasonable battle plans. Soundwave was sure this was the reason Megatron took a personal liking to Ravage. It was the same reason Ravage went to Megatron when Soundwave refused to grant permission for his solo mission to infiltrate the Autobot Wrecker base. It essentially was forcing Soundwave into granting him permission to go…
Soundwave didn't know if Megatron ever blamed himself for that decision when Ravage never returned. He had apologized to Soundwave back then for his loose. Soundwave knew there was a deeper meaning behind that simple sorry.
"Why?" Megatron finally asked, pulling Soundwave out of his nostalgic grief.
"The same reason he is trying to kill us now. We found another way to victory that didn't involve fighting the Autobots to the death." Soundwave said.
"Boss, what do we do?" Kaon asked Tarn. They were as confused as Soundwave and his men were. "Call a truce until we can figure this out? Arachnid has played us, clearly. And I still can't hear Nickel over whatever scrap is playing over our frequencies. I can get it all back under control if we get back to the ship and regroup."
Tarn didn't respond. He remained knelt in the dirt, watching Megatron across the arena. All Soundwave could see of the killer were his optics. Grief and uncertainty had Tarn twisted.
Helex glanced Kaon over Tarn's shoulder. "Our army should still be headed our way… I can cut them off and circle them back to the ship."
"I can maybe make out Nickel." Kaon growled. He pressed two digits into both his auditorys to cut back on background noise. "I think she is saying something about the Renegade… They have a visual. Something about the Spiderbot and the Autobots too? We need to retreat and figure out what is going on."
"All of it." Tarn whimpered.
Helex and Kaon both looked down at him. They glanced each other again, not understanding the vague statement.
"Sir?" Helex said.
Tarn stood slow from the crater his body occupied. His men on either side of him were an afterthought. Soundwave and the others might as well have been less then phantoms on the battlefield. He could only focus on Megatron. His optics flickered with sorrow and confused loyalty. He closed them, extinguishing the glow of his mask. The shaking of his chassis ceased. A calm overtook him, and he vented deep.
Tarn's red optics flashed open. Only murder remained in their distinctive glow. "Destroy it all. The traitors before us, the organics on the Renegade. Autobots, Arachnid, any bot you glance on the surface of this world. Lay waste to it all."
