Ultra Magnus did not like being a spy.
It didn't help that it was easy—that he didn't have to do anything besides watch and listen.
In fact, in some ways that made it worse, especially considering the specifics.
He climbed the familiar Council steps. The members of the Elite Guard on either side of the doors saluted him and he nodded as he passed them, feeling out of place.
The halls were filled with their usual quiet chatter as politicians talked, made deals, and schemed.
As a member of the Elite Guard, you were almost invisible. You overheard their private conversations, the words they muttered under their breath about each other, the agreements they made off the record.
He had watched the corruption spread to consume the entire Council, and it still surprised him, every time.
These mecha weren't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to follow the rules—the rules they, themselves, had put into place.
He was supposed to send someone in to alert them that he had arrived, but since he was still technically in the Elite Guard, he could do that himself. The guards standing off to either side opened the doors for him, and Ultra Magnus entered the Council Hall and walked to the center of the floor. They were already discussing the things that he had been sent to say to them and they continued for nearly a breem without acknowledging him.
Eventually, Halogen raised his hand for silence, and the senator who'd been speaking finished and sat down with a deferential nod toward the Grand Councilmech.
"Ah, Ultra Magnus," he said. "We have been expecting you, and it is good to know you have arrived. You may wait outside. In half a joor we will give you our instructions, and you may return to the noblemech's tower."
"I have been sent to speak with you in behalf of the Autobots," Ultra Magnus said.
"And we already know everything Orion sent you to ask us," Halogen said. "So there's no need for your presence in this meeting."
"I respectfully request to remain."
"Why?" Halogen asked.
He was frustrated. He hated lying, and he wanted to at least be able to honestly tell the Prime that he had stood before the Council and relayed his requests. But he wasn't sure how to convince Halogen that was important.
"Ultra Magnus, for the security of the Council, I'll have to ask you to leave the room. I'm not certain we can speak openly around you, as I'm sure you'd love to return to the Prime and tell him exactly what we said."
"You know I would never betray the Council," Ultra Magnus said.
"Do not pretend you are loyal."
"I never pretend," Ultra Magnus said, fighting to remain calm and to control his anger. The longer he spent with the Autobots, the more convinced he was of the Council's guilt.
"You agreed to this assignment," the Grand Councilmech said.
"You implanted a device in my helm that forces me to record everything I see and hear and then relays it back to you," Ultra Magnus said through gritted denta. "I did not agree to that."
It had been part of a quick decision, and in order to send him with the Prime just half a joor after choosing him for the job, they'd had to rush the surgery. Ultra Magnus could still feel the device—a mild, but uncomfortable pressure behind his left optic. It was a constant reminder of who he worked for. His own optics didn't even belong to him anymore.
"You told us you were concerned about your role, so we made it easier for you," Halogen said. "Now leave. You can file your complaints once your mission is complete."
Complete? Did they not expect him to be with the Autobots for the entire war? Or was Halogen simply telling him that he didn't get to complain ever?
Probably the latter.
He turned and walked toward the door. He would keep following orders. He'd made an oath, and he wasn't going to break it. But he didn't have to be happy about it.
"I miss the orns when we were just a little rebel group," Ironhide said.
Orion nodded, watching out of Landquake's windows as they drove past the tall buildings of Iacon Central. Yoketron had sent the transport to pick them up. Orion would rather have walked, but he understood the need to avoid drawing attention to himself.
"You mean back when you were all living out of a professor's house?" Prowl said. "Causing riots and trying to avoid getting arrested?"
"Yeah," Ironhide said. "Back before we had to try and run an army. We still don't have anywhere to keep an army."
"Then it's a good thing we don't really have one yet." Prowl said. "Aren't we still in the hundreds in recruitment?"
"We're all doing the best we can," Orion said. "And yes, it is a good thing that we don't have very many soldiers yet."
"Yeah, for now," Ironhide said. "But if no one volunteers, then we're going to have to find some other way of getting them to—"
"I will not force mecha to fight," Orion cut him off. "I will never force anyone to fight."
He would not budge on that point. He was certain that enough mecha would enlist eventually.
Ironhide frowned at him, but then shrugged. "Either way, I miss the time before we had to play politics. And it's awkward to have Magnus in charge of me again."
"I'm sorry about that," Orion said. "I think he's a good mech, though."
"Oh, I know he is. Self-righteous as pit, but honorable to a fault."
Orion nodded.
Landquake pulled up in front of his apartment building and opened his doors to let them out. Ironhide exited first, and Orion and Prowl followed, then Landquake transformed and led the way inside.
Yoketron was sitting at the too-tall table, talking with Landquake's bonded, but he turned around when they entered.
"Ah, there you are. Thank you for coming," he got down off of the enormous chair he'd been sitting in. "Orion, this time I would like to speak with you in the garden, alone. Also, from now on, Prowl, I would like you to come first. I will meet with you for a joor, and then Orion will join us for another half a joor. After that, I will train Orion privately."
"But…" Prowl said. "Because Orion is the one who needs more training—at least when it comes to fighting—wouldn't it make more sense for you to train him first? Then when we train together, he could practice what he'd just learned."
"There are factors contributing to this schedule that I cannot share with you," Yoketron said. "And I cannot always be certain how long I will need to spend with Orion in each session."
Prowl nodded. "Very well, Master Yoketron."
Somewhat surprised by Prowl's submissive tone, Orion turned to look at him. Ironhide was staring as well.
"What?" Prowl snapped, doorwings flicking in irritation or discomfort.
"I would like you two to come up with a time that works best for meeting with me," Yoketron said. "And let me know by the end of the orn. Are you ready, Orion?"
"Yes," Orion said, though something in Yoketron's expression worried him.
They walked out to the crystal garden, and Yoketron led the way to the center of the courtyard, and sat, then gestured for Orion to do the same.
Once they were both sitting, Yoketron took in a deep vent and let it out slowly. "Before I teach you anything else, there are things you must know about receiving the Matrix of Leadership."
Orion nodded. He'd been wondering when they were going to get to this.
"There are many mysteries and rumors surrounding the process. However, the vast majority of the rumors are untrue, and the requirements for being a Prime are not quite what the world believes. One does not need to accomplish any notable feat or be naturally talented. In fact, there are many, many mecha worthy of bearing the Matrix. Primus chooses an honest spark with good intentions, and the Matrix bestows knowledge and power on the mech or femme who has been appointed."
Orion nodded.
"You, Orion, need never feel as if you are unworthy. However, if you do feel unworthy, you can be comforted to know that you are not alone. I have made the acquaintance of many Primes, and most of the greatest and noblest felt unworthy. Understood?"
"Yes," Orion said. "Thank you, Master Yoketron."
"You are welcome. Now, in order to become a Prime, you must first be appointed to the position and accept that appointment. Because Councilmech Halogen has the key to Vector Sigma, he was able to appoint you as a Prime. In the past, the current Prime has often chosen and appointed his or her successor."
"So Halogen could have appointed anyone?" Orion said. "Even someone who wasn't worthy?"
"In a sense," Yoketron said.
"So I might not be worthy."
"Orion Pax," Yoketron said. "Councilor Halogen is a Quintesson, who presides over a den of scraplets. They claim the reason they have not appointed a Prime for the past thirty vorns is because the Matrix of Leadership is lost. But in truth, they do not want a servant of Primus in power. When Alpha Trion stood and demanded that they appoint you as a Prime, they would have refused. But they all felt Primus's will upon them that orn, and they could not deny you your right. By definition, Optimus Prime, you are more worthy than any before you."
Orion looked down.
"And before you ask, it would serve no purpose to appoint someone who is unworthy, as only worthy mecha may bear the Matrix safely."
"Safely?"
"Yes," Yoketron said. "After you have accepted your appointment, there is a period of training. I'll explain what the training entails in a few breems. Once you've finished your training, you can receive the Matrix of Leadership. It is an object of power which strengthens you in numerous ways, enhancing physical and mental capabilities, providing protection from emotional trauma, heightening senses, stabilizing the spark, and even guiding or warning of the future."
"Okay…" Orion said. What exactly did that mean? Did it… talk to you? That sounded a little unsettling.
"The Matrix, as far as I have been told, is a wonderful and helpful gift. The information contained in it, on the other hand—the information that is also stored in Vector Sigma—is very dangerous. In fact, it is the ordeal of receiving that information that makes training and preparation necessary."
Orion looked down. "What is… dangerous about it? It's just like a library about the lives of the Primes, isn't it?"
"The information does not simply download into your processor. Some of it downloads to your core. It can change you. If you are not previously prepared, it may erase you. All of your memories, all of your personality, gone. Unworthy mecha who attempt to receive the Matrix become, in essence, just another Vector Sigma. A computer, in which is contained all the knowledge of the Primes. In a worst case scenario, your spark could be extinguished, or at least go dormant, putting you in permanent stasis."
Oh, Primus.
"Now, don't mistake me, that won't happen to you. However, even with much training and preparation, Primes typically have a changed personality after receiving the Matrix.
Orion stared at him. He would have a different personality? "What if… you mean I won't be myself afterward?"
"No. You will be you. But you will be a different you. The more you are prepared, the less you will lose. If you received the Matrix this orn, I am certain you would be very much changed."
Orion looked down.
"A little frightening, isn't it?"
"Not a little."
"It will be all right. My job is to make sure you are ready when the time comes, and I will do everything I can to help you prepare."
"But how do you prepare for something like that?"
"Patience," Yoketron said. "I will explain. But first, there is one more thing you need to know. As soon as you receive the knowledge of the Primes, you will lose all of your memories from before you were appointed."
"What?"
"They will be overwritten."
"But… I can't…"
Master Yoketron looked at him calmly.
What had he gotten himself into?
He took a deep vent, shuttering his optics. "I apologize. This is a lot to take in."
"You don't need to lose everything from those memories," Yoketron said. "There are ways to upload those memories to a storage unit and download them again after the ordeal, though the emotions associated with them will be lost. I am sorry."
Orion vented a sigh. "All right."
"It is natural to be uncomfortable with this," Yoketron said.
"I…" Orion trailed off.
"Go on,"
"I didn't ask for any of this. And I know sometimes we have to accept responsibility we didn't ask for..."
Yoketron nodded.
"If I have to do it, I have to do it," Orion said. "And I will, but…" He un-shuttered his optics and looked up at the tiny patch of sky above. Lose all his memories? Possibly be erased?
Yoketron was silent, and Orion was grateful for the chance to think.
After a few breems, he realized he was being childish. The fate of the world was at stake. He shook his helm as shame filled his spark. "I apologize. It's an honor to be a Prime and I shouldn't complain."
"No," Yoketron said, suddenly stern. "Do not feel guilty because you are upset." His voice softened. "It's all right that you don't want to do this. If I were you, I wouldn't want to do it either. Let yourself be unhappy about this, but keep moving forward. Things will eventually get easier. Not easy, but easier."
Orion nodded. "Thank you."
They sat in silence for another few breems and then Orion met his instructor's optics.
"You still haven't told me about the preparation for receiving the Matrix."
"Correct," Yoketron said. "Training you in Circuit-Su does have a purpose in that regard. The Matrix will enhance skills and talents that you have developed, especially skills and talents that you develop after being appointed. If I can teach you the basics of Circuit-Su before you receive the Matrix, it will benefit you greatly later on. But there is another curriculum, developed by the Original Thirteen Primes, that specifically prepares the processor and the spark for receiving the Matrix."
Orion nodded expectantly.
"It is a series of challenges—virtual challenges—that will test the integrity of your spark, and strengthen your processor's ability to function under stress. The challenges are called the Primal Trials."
Orion frowned. "Are they… like virtual games of some sort?"
"No," Master Yoketron said, and Orion could hear some carefully guarded emotion in his voice. Perhaps… sympathy?. "More like viruses."
"Oh…" Silence fell. Yoketron watched him carefully.
He should probably say something, but he had no idea how to react to that.
"Becoming a Prime isn't as appealing as history makes it look," Yoketron said. "And since I've thoroughly terrified you already, I might as well tell you that normally, the progression from trial to trial is at whatever pace the Prime is comfortable with. But you have no such luxury. Alpha Trion has only given me a quarter of a vorn to prepare you."
Dread sank deep into Orion's spark. "How long does it usually take?"
"It depends on the Prime," Yoketron said. "Some not too long, others quite a while."
He didn't want to ask, but… he had to know. "What's the average?"
"About a vorn and a half."
Six times as long as Orion had been given.
"I know," Yoketron said. "It's anything but ideal. Please forgive me for refusing to train you earlier, when Alpha Trion asked me to."
"That was…"
"Two or three vorns ago, yes," Yoketron said. "In my defense, you were not ready to begin training then, and I did not expect that Cybertron would need you so soon. But I should have at least stayed instead of running off to hide in Simfur. There are ways in which I could have begun to prepare you."
Orion took in a deep vent and let it out slowly, trying to cool systems that his nervousness was overheating. "It's all right."
"We will do the best that we can," Yoketron said. "It is possible to complete the trials in a quarter of a vorn."
"Do you want me to start them now?"
"No, Primus, no," Yoketron said. "Next orn at the earliest. But I wanted you to know."
"Is there anything else?"
"Any other bad news, you mean?" Yoketron asked. "No, I believe that's the worst of it."
Orion nodded, trying to integrate it all. "So I'll forget everything from before I was appointed as a Prime. And receiving the Matrix will change my personality. And I have to… download viruses that will help me prepare for it."
Yoketron nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.
He had said Orion could upload the memories and then re-download them, but that the feelings wouldn't stay.
He would forget what it felt like to be bonded to Elita. He would forget how much he'd loved the sparklings he bought energon treats for. He would forget the simple pleasure of being an archivist before all of this started.
Maybe that would make things easier in a way…
No.
He didn't want to lose those feelings. Those feelings were why he was willing to fight in the first place.
"Are you ready to begin training for the orn?" Yoketron asked at length. "It might not be easy for you to meditate at the moment, but attempting it should calm you down a little."
Orion nodded.
"Then let us begin."
Elita cut the comm. with a sigh.
"They said no?" Moonracer guessed.
"Yes," Elita said. "Though the femme I talked to was a little nicer about it. Maybe we can work with them…"
"Or you could try a station outside the sector."
"Too far away. The closer it is to us, the better."
"We should build our own groundbridge station," Moonracer said.
Elita shook her helm. "We can look into that. Will you find out what we have to do to legally own and operate a groundbridge?"
"Seriously?"
"It was your idea. Just look the permits up."
"You could just hunt down whoever made that one in Perceptor's basement."
"Really?" Elita snapped. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think one of those mechs is mentally unstable, and the other one was reprogrammed by the Council."
"Oh," Moonracer said. "I forgot about that."
"Besides, we have to do things legally now that the Council isn't trying to arrest us for existing." She shuttered her optics, regretting her impatience. "I'm sorry, it's been a long orn. It's not even halfway over yet, and it's already been long."
"Tell me about it," Moonracer said, smiling ruefully. "I'll go look up how many forms you have to fill out to make a groundbridge station, okay? And you should take a break for five breems."
"That's always your answer to everything," Elita said. "Take a break."
"Duh," Moonracer said, and walked away.
"Thank you," Elita called after her, then pulled out her datapad and looked at her list of things she still needed to get done before the ornly meeting. Orion should be back by then, but Prowl had come back later the orn before, and so he might be gone this orn too. She'd have to take notes, or ask someone to take notes for him, because she doubted anyone higher in the chain of command would think about that.
She was probably going to take notes anyway, so she might as well put a little extra effort into that so she could pass them on to Prowl and anyone else who missed the meeting.
And maybe she should take a bit of a break. She shuttered her optics and sat back in her chair, but then started feeling sad about Orion again, and changed her mind.
If her only options were working or feeling sorry for herself, then she would rather get back to work.
Everything was fine. Orion still loved her, and things would work out. Somehow.
Right.
She double-checked her list and looked up the comm. code of another company she needed to get in touch with.
She got through almost everything before the meeting, and was feeling fairly pleased with herself, even though she'd probably have even more to do afterward. She left her subordinates with a few tasks she thought they'd be capable of completing, and walked out of her department. She'd decided to abandon her office so she could be around the mecha she was working with on one of the lower floors of Mirage's tower. She took the stairs up to the main floor and entered the meeting room. She'd intended to look for the scorch mark Mirage had complained about, but she forgot all about that when she saw Orion and Ironhide were already sitting at the meeting table, talking quietly.
They looked up and she caught Orion's gaze and smiled.
He started to smile back, but then suddenly his expression turned sorrowful and he looked away from her.
Her spark sank, and she sat down at the table without saying a word.
"So," Ironhide said. "We have somewhere to keep our mecha yet?"
"No," Elita said. "We need to find a groundbridge station that's willing to service us first, and then I'll look for somewhere nearby. We'll want to be able to deploy soldiers quickly."
"Right," Ironhide said. "I can't imagine that's going well."
"There are only two groundbridge stations in the sector," Elita said. "And I've talked to both of them."
The door opened and Mainspring came in, followed by Chromia, who went and sat next to Ironhide.
He grinned at her, and she raised an optic ridge. "What?"
"Nothing. Just happy to see you. Hey, you should come with me sometime to meet Landquake and Petra, the mecha Master Yoketron's staying with. I bet you'd like them."
Chromia glanced toward Elita, who looked away quickly.
"If I wasn't so busy trying to make sure we don't go bankrupt, I might take you up on that. But just because you're friends with someone doesn't mean I'm going to like them, 'Hide, you should know that by now."
Ultra Magnus came in next, followed by Red Alert, and then finally Ratchet, who was a few breems late.
"Is Prowl not here again?" Red Alert asked, narrowing his optics. "Are we sure we know where he is?"
"We know exactly where he is," Ironhide deadpanned.
"Is someone taking notes for him?" Mainspring asked.
Well then. Elita had underestimated him. "I can," she volunteered, and Mainspring nodded, smiling kindly.
He was far too nice to be in charge of intelligence.
But then again, Orion was too nice to be an army general, and on the other end of the spectrum, she'd never met a medic who was as cranky as Ratchet.
Elita looked to Orion. It was time to start the meeting, but he seemed lost in thought. Was something wrong? If they'd still been bonded, she would have been able to feel whether he was upset about something.
"If Prowl will not be joining us, then we should open the meeting," Ultra Magnus said.
"Yes, thank you" Orion looked up. "First item of business… how is recruitment going?"
"Good enough," Chromia said. "At least, it hasn't stopped. We've got nearly a hundred just this orn, bringing us up almost to a thousand recruits."
Elita wrote that down in her notes.
"That won't be enough," Ultra Magnus said. "The Council thinks it ought to be moving faster, and I concur with them."
"Well, there isn't too much we can do about that," Orion said. "Forcing mecha to enlist is not a line I am willing to cross."
"What if we have to?" Chromia asked. "We don't have much time. The Decepticons have tens of thousands already."
"Then we'll think of some other way," Orion snapped.
Chromia frowned, and Elita's optics widened slightly. Something was definitely wrong.
"My apologies," Orion said.
"No, my apologies," Chromia replied proudly. "Prime, Sir."
He didn't quite flinch, but his faceplate twitched slightly. "How is our financial situation looking?"
"It's… all right," Chromia said. "Mirage has pledged his entire fortune, which could supply an army for a while, but there's not enough income to keep supplying an army."
"What?" Red Alert said. "His entire fortune?"
"Yeah," Chromia said. "It's kind of suspicious, but I guess we can't complain about it too much . In any case, we're still going to need to ask the Council for some help."
"They are willing to fund you to whatever extent you need," Ultra Magnus said. "On certain conditions."
"See, that's the catch," Chromia said. "The harder we lean on the Council, the more control they'll have over us."
"Are there any concerns you have to bring up?" Orion asked.
Chromia shook her helm. "Just the fact that we need storage space, and barracks. But Elita's working on that."
"I'm stuck on securing us a groundbridge to use for deploying troops," Elita said, saving a copy of her notes, and pulling up the list of things she'd wanted to talk about in the meeting. "Neither of the stations in Iacon Central want to help us, and I'm sure I've heard somewhere it takes a very long time to get a license to run a station…"
"The Council could probably help you there," Ultra Magnus said stiffly.
Elita met his optics, and he looked surprised for a moment that she was holding his gaze. Then he glared at her and she turned her attention back to Orion.
"If it becomes necessary to ask the Council for help getting a permit, or negotiating with the groundbridge stations, then we will ask them," Orion said.
"I'm not comfortable asking the Council for help," Elita said. "I'll think of something."
He nodded but wouldn't look at her. Something was definitely, definitely wrong.
"Is there anything else you have to report?"
Elita read things off of her list, and they discussed them.
When she was finished, Orion turned the time over to Ironhide, who sat back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Well, I don't have anyone to train yet, because we aren't asking anyone to show up yet, but I know I'm not going to be able to train them all alone. We're going to need help from the Elite guard. That's something we have to ask the Council for."
That was true.
"Also," Ironhide said. "I had a thought earlier this orn. All of you need training in self-defense. Call me Red Alert, but I don't feel comfortable knowing most of you wouldn't even be able to defend yourselves from an assassin."
"Excuse me?" Red Alert said.
"I'm not going to be fighting anyone," Ratchet said. "And I doubt someone would try to assassinate a medic."
"I agree with Ironhide," Ultra Magnus said. "You should all learn the basics at least."
"Hmph," Ratchet said.
Elita made a note of it, and then focused on Orion while everyone else argued about learning to fight. He still seemed distracted.
After Ironhide finished, Mainspring talked, then Red Alert, then finally Ratchet, who had nothing to say other than to admit that he hadn't talked to any local hospitals about recruiting medics yet.
Elita might have to do that for him.
After the meeting, Elita wanted to go talk to Orion, but she knew he was busy, so she waited until the very end of the orn.
He was reading something on a datapad when she entered his office, so she sat across from him and waited patiently for him to finish. At length, he set the datapad down and looked up at her.
"Hello."
"Do you have time to talk a little?" She tried to sound cheerful.
Orion looked down at the desk. "I'm done for the orn, I think."
Silence fell. "Are you all right?"
"No."
"Silly question. Sorry. But you're doing wonderfully, even if you don't think so. You amaze me all the time."
Orion sighed.
"What's bothering you?" Elita could see he was hurting, still, and she wished more than anything that she could help somehow.
He stared at the desk for more than a breem. She tried to figure out what he was thinking by watching his expression, but just ended up lost in his deep blue optics.
He broke the spell eventually by speaking. "I'm just tired. It's been a long orn."
So he wasn't going to tell her what was wrong. She crossed her arms. "I think you're lying to me. I don't need a bond to know something's wrong, Orion."
He shook his helm. "Don't worry. I truly am—or will be—all right. I am simply worried that I can't... live up to my calling. I don't feel like I'll ever really be ready for it."
Elita nodded. "Okay. But if there's something on your processor, something really bothering you… tell me, please?"
Orion nodded.
"Thank you. If you don't want to talk about whatever's wrong, then maybe we could talk about something else. It's been a while since I've had a good conversation with you."
He shuttered his optics.
"Orion?"
"I'm tired," he got up. "I'll talk to you next orn. I promise."
He left her sitting in his office.
Note: I think I'm going to switch to updating on Fridays, so don't freak out if there's no update next Tuesday.