What Makes No Difference Is No Difference (WMNDIND 20)
-0-On a ship cruising toward habitable worlds
Arachnid lounged in her berth in the central point of her rather large vessel. She'd gotten the ship off a high caste refugee who'd fled Cybertron and then a number of colonies where he'd worn out his high toned welcome. She'd seen him fuel up at a station where she'd come to do the same. Her ship which was not a huge elegant yacht was swapped out along with the spark and helm of its former owner. The other three bots with him were also eviscerated, their skulls adorning the walls of her trophy room nearby.
A femme had to do what a femme had to do in the boy's club world of the universe.
Right now, she was heading toward a planet in a small system that held interest. She was able to determine from their broadcasts that leeched into the universe that they were organic, technically underdeveloped, numerous and violent. In short, it was her kind of world. Hunting prey was her new vocation. It allowed her to bleed off some of the deep stirring hatred she felt for others who had defied her attempts to rise in the Decepticons. The male dominated club of her faction was a dead end so she set out on her own.
World after station after colony, she'd made her way taking what she wanted and collecting trophies of her exploits. She was insectoidal with all the lack of empathy and alien coldness that any human would instinctively sense in such an alien creature. The predatory sneaky insects that they usually feared and disdained were embodied in her, an unusually strange Decepticon figure.
Some modes were considered hideously ugly and even frightening by Cybertronians and thus reviled and shunned by one and all. Those who took on an organic frame were considered lesser beings among their kind. Their sensibilities weren't geared to see such figures among them. Swoop, the Dinobot flier was so frightening to look at that he often dive bombed Decepticons to make them run. Insecticons were considered vermin and she was no exception. Almost no one on either side of the divide or among the civilian population could look at her without revulsion.
It was ironic that she was heading for a world where the mere appearance of insects, especially spiders which was her alt format could bring screams and chaos. It would work to her advantage if she ever showed herself. A spider her size would be horrifying to anyone let alone the humans.
She watched her screens on the monitor overhead as she lounged in root mode, her arachnoid appendages pulled back and away. She would land there, reconnoiter and spend time hunting. Maybe she would land in the north where it was easier to hunt without being seen. Jungles were nice but drippy. She would see when she got there. It would take a while but she would land in the prairies of the northern part of North America.
-0-In the northern tier of America following a trail
They drove nearly bumper to bumper heading toward a strange signal that very well could be a relic. Springer and Drift picked it up so they called Bumblebee and the twins to join them. Speeding through the night, they homed in on the signal. That was when they noted that someone else was as well.
"Springer to Ratchet."
"Ratchet here."
"We have a strange signal that's unlike what we get from human tech. We think we found another relic. I called for the twins and Bee to join us. Can you scan the area? I think the 'Cons found it, too."
"Stand by, Springer."
The pause stretched out uncomfortably, then Ratchet spoke again. "Springer, its a relic. There's a ship heading your way, a small runabout. Hurry up. I'm bridging back up. This may be something very important but I'm not sure if it's what I think it might be. Hurry."
"You heard him, boys," Springer said as he put the pedal down.
They roared off down the dark highway cutting across South Dakota toward the Badlands National Park. Highway 90 was almost a straight shot there but the others had a ship. They flew over the dark road toward the barren mountains of the park.
-0-Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States of America, Planet Earth
The sun was breaking over the horizon when the ship landed. A number of mechs stepped off onto the sandy dirt patch that ran in both directions for miles without much break. There were craggy peaks, tall sheer cliffs and desiccation for miles and miles. It was hot here, summer at its peak, so the dry season of blistering heat had settled down in these sacred lands.
They walked in circles checking the ground for something that had drawn them here. One held a scanner and the others their guns, all of them staring around themselves as they waited. The heat didn't bother them. They could adjust to heat, cold and any other form of weather torture a planet could affect. What they didn't want to tolerate was the sudden blast of a plasma weapon from a hidden enemy.
On a cliff nearby, lying on the ground out of view as they watched, Springer and Ultra Magnus scrutinized the situation. So far no one had come to help the 'Cons present but they were pushing their luck. Around the edge on the other side, the twins, Drift and Bee were taking up positions even as Bluestreak sat on a cliff ahead of them sighting in his gun.
:Everyone check in: Springer said.
Pings hit the two as Magnus and Springer counted helms.
Magnus glanced at Springer, then nodded.
They stood up, then leaped into the air, both of them falling at a trajectory that would land them into the middle of the unsuspecting group below. As they fell, one caught the movement then turned to fire but it was too late. It was over so fast that the others positioned around never had a chance to join in.
Half a dozen Decepticons lay sprawled around as Magnus picked up the scanner. He turned slowly in a circle, then nodded. "This way," he said. Then he paused. "Bag up the 'Cons. We'll give them to Prowl. The ship, too, unless we can use it." Then he began to walk forward.
Sunstreaker heaved a dazed 'Con to his peds. "Sunstreaker to Ratchet."
"Ratchet here."
"We have the 'Cons. We're bringing them in on a ship. Magnus and Springer are looking for the relic. What's the situation? Is anyone looking this way?"
"Not so far. Make haste anyway," Ratchet said.
"We will. Sunstreaker out." Bluestreak joined Sunstreaker and Sideswipe as they bagged, then dragged the 'Cons to the ship.
Bee watched and 'straw bossed', then hurried down the trail to follow Magnus and Springer.
Drift who was lugging the bots into the ship waited until all were aboard, then walked to the flight deck. Disabling locator devices on the vessel, he lifted upward to follow those on the ground as they searched.
The dry ground crunched under their peds as they walked through the gully, one that had been carved out eons before when water was plentiful in this, a highly desert area. The beeping of the meter grew faster as they approached the side of a cliff. When it squealed, they paused.
"Here," Magnus said.
Bee stepped forward, then punched the hard dirt which exploded outward. Pulling out rocks and hard pressed sand, he began to dig out a device that appeared in the matrix surrounding it. It was golden and appeared to be round.
The sound of a bridge nearby was heard. They turned to see Optimus walk out, heading to where all of them labored or watched.
Bee turned back to enlarging the hole.
"What have you found or do you know, Magnus?" Optimus asked.
"I think though I'm not yet sure that we've found The Magnificence, Optimus," Magnus said as Bee dragged more dirt and rock away.
Gleaming in the spot where it had been placed long ago, a shimmering gold object made its presence known. It was round, rather underwhelming as an artifact but the power it contained was evident to everyone in the group.
Optimus stepped forward, peered at the object, then reached inside to pull out as gingerly as he could a round glittering sphere. It was marked here and there with the odd protrusion and jewel but other than that, it was inscrutable. There was nothing that looked like it could be unlocked or opened. "We need to get this away from here. If this fell into the hands of the enemy it would be catastrophic."
The group glanced toward the ship hovering nearby. Then to Optimus.
"The ship can go ahead. We better get a bridge," Springer said. "Drift, take the ship to base. We'll meet you there."
"Acknowledged," Drift said as the ship nearly immediately flew upward and away to disappear into the rapidly lightening sky.
The others watched, then a bridge appeared. They entered it and were gone which was thankful. A Seeker flight passed over them only seconds later. It would be too late to detect more than just the trace elements of a bridge.
-0-At base
They entered the big room as the elevator nearby opened. The bots from the ship entered nudging sullen Decepticons ahead of them. They glowed with energon cuffs and hatred, pausing in the concourse under heavy guard.
Prime walked to Ratchet with the object.
Ratchet blinked. "Optimus … what is The Magnificence doing here?"
"I have no idea but it is a miracle that we got to it first," Prime said holding the device up for everyone to see.
They gathered around, humans on the mezzanine and bots on the floor. They stared at it silently, then Miko spoke up. "What's The Magnificence? What does it do?"
Ratchet glanced at her, then Prime spoke. "This device can find any kind of resource in the universe and locate it without fail. It can also answer any question you ask."
"How? Ask it where old Buckethead is," Bulkhead said. "Does it only take a Prime?"
"No," Optimus said as he looked it over. "That is why it is so dangerous. Even a human could use it."
"Alright. Hey, Magnificence! WHERE ARE THE OTHER RELICS!?" Miko called out.
"MIKO!" Bulkhead called out just as the object in Prime's servo rose into the air.
Everyone stepped back warily as the object hovered by some device unknown. Bulkhead stepped closer to the humans who stood rooted to the floor in surprise. The object then began to spin faster than the eye could follow, the glow of its light becoming brighter as well. As fast as that did, it ended.
"What's happening?" June Darby asked with unease. She gripped the railing of the mezzanine, staring at the device that somehow had become active.
"Do not be afraid. It is not a weapon," Optimus said as he stared at the object that was moving away from him on its own. It was eye level with the big mech as it floated toward the rock wall that led upward several hundred feet in the bunker built for the cold war. Then without warning a huge flurry of lights shot out and began to etch writing on the surface of the stone wall.
It hummed, a not unpleasant sound as the smell of scorching filled the room. Neat lines of writing appeared, then a round shape filled with fixed points before the lights abruptly ended. The device hovered, then floated back to sit on the open palm of Optimus's big servo. When it settled, the lights terminated and it was inert once more.
"Well, wasn't that special," Arcee said sardonically.
Everyone turned to the etchings on the stone wall, then Ratchet gasped. "That's a map of Earth, Mars and Planet X, Optimus. The glyphs are in Vernacular Primal speech. The markings on the Earth outline are the location of the relics and where they can be found, though I'm unclear what they are because I do not read Vernacular."
"Then that was a good thing," Miko said with a smile.
Optimus who by virtue of the Matrix and his lineage read the now dead language of his primal ancestors, then turned to the others. "The locations are clear and so are the relics. What is unfortunate are their locations. Some of them are located in the midst of the Decepticon fortresses where they are digging in to reside in this system. To get them, we have to go straight into the heart of their strongest territory."
Miko considered that, then wilted slightly. "Scrap."
No one argued with her.
-0-TBC 3-17-16 01-24-2021
Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all. Slainte to everyone! :D:D:D edited 4-1-16
PS All of the commentary and information about the insectoidals and Swoop is canon. Swoop is considered so ugly and strange that he uses that fear and revulsion to dive bomb Decepticons and scare them away. Truly. :D
