Author's Notes: This is a story I have sat on for about four years. Yeah, it's been that long. I didn't rush to write this one for two reasons. One, I already have a lot of stories in progress. Two, the idea needed refinement before I felt comfortable with working on it. Well, inspiration hit and I finally know what direction to take this little adventure in. So, thank you for giving "Under New Management" a chance, and hopefully time will permit this story to have regular updates.
Chapter 1
Skirmish
The cold embrace of space was becoming a familiar feeling to the Autobots. Whereas the old war had been fought on planets both near and far, it seemed the modern era insisted on speed over practicality. Galvatron and his Decepticons would frequently target the enemy from orbit without landing on the planet proper, and thus the Autobots were forced to adapt to the same insane strategy.
Rodimus Prime led his troops to their current battlefield, specifically an asteroid field. Galvatron and his mechs had an Autobot freighter cornered, and if the Autobots were going to prevent casualties they would have to move fast.
"Ultra Magnus, how many Decepticons do you see in your viewfinder?" Rodimus asked.
"Hm…I see Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, and several Sweeps in the vicinity," Ultra Magnus reported.
"I just asked how many, I don't need their names," Rodimus snapped, "Let's just hurry up and deal with these clowns. I have paperwork back on Cybertron."
"Of course," Ultra Magnus replied without complaint.
Ultra Magnus led most of the Autobots to where the action was happening, but Arcee stayed behind and held Rodimus Prime back, much to his chagrin.
"You shouldn't be so hard on Ultra Magnus," Arcee chided her leader, "After all, it isn't his fault you waited so long to finish your report on the peace negotiations with the Brali."
"Can this wait?" Rodimus asked impatiently, "We have Decepticons to fight, remember?"
"I see them," Arcee replied, her stare hard as ice, "You've been yelling and sniping at everyone for orns. What is wrong with you?"
"I'm just busy, that's all," Rodimus said defensively, "It's no big deal."
With that Rodimus used his thrusters to float to where the fight was taking place. Arcee just shook her helm and followed him. She knew being a young Prime couldn't be easy for him, but sometimes Rodimus could be so difficult to work with. She remembered the fun loving fast talking mech that Hotrod used to be, and wished sometimes that Rodimus could be that mech again. Rodimus Prime spent so much time trying to be the stoic leader that Optimus Prime had been that it seemed he was actively trying to suppress the Hotrod inside.
"Kill! Kill! Take no prisoners!" Galvatron shouted boisterously at his troops, "The energon is ours, and soon Cybertron will be too!"
Just as he said this, laser fire pelted the Decepticons' flanks and caused them to stop attacking the cargo ship. The Sweeps cringed at the impact, and the leading Decepticons turned to see Ultra Magnus leading a group of Autobots to defend their helpless allies.
"Autobots! Yes!" Galvatron cheered, much to the surprise of his soldiers, "This is perfect! More celestial bodies for the cosmos! Kill them!"
The Decepticons knew better than to disobey an order from their unstable leader, so they began to fire on the Autobots.
The Autobots, prepared for the attack, began to split up and fire in what Ultra Magnus had dubbed a 'star' formation, where they fired from three directions at three heights in a widening stance. The formation was shaped like the earth symbol for a star.
If the Autobots had better strategy, then the Decepticons had adaptability on their side. At least, that was what they told themselves. In reality their leader was just crazy enough to make up moves on the fly that caused serious damage. Who received that damage often varied, so they hoped that this time it would be the enemy.
True to form, Galvatron didn't bother firing at all but rather turned his thrusters to max and rocketed to the Autobot at the top of the formation.
Galvatron crashed straight into Rodimus Prime, and started choking him immediately.
"Die, Autobot!" Galvatron screamed.
Rodimus, no slouch in combat himself, used his pede as leverage to dislodge Galvatron from his person. Rodimus floated away, and Galvatron quickly pursued. Galvatron wasn't going to let the leader of the Autobots escape his grasp. Rodimus realized this, and decided to use this advantage to lead Galvatron away from the others. Without their crazy berserker of a leader, it wouldn't take too long for Ultra Magnus and his troops to secure victory over the Decepticons.
Turning his thrusters up as high as they would go, Rodimus flew toward a nearby planetoid. The land mass was small, but the slight gravity would offer him an advantage. Galvatron fought better in space, but Rodimus fought better on land, and he would need every edge he could get to buy time.
Scourge and his Sweeps meanwhile were having trouble defending against the Autobots, and the freighter used this moment to try to make an escape. The ship was slow however, and Cyclonus was quick to recognize what was happening. He went after the ship and found an exhaust port to shoot. This was unfortunately a bad idea on a small ship filled with fuel, and the whole thing began to explode!
"No!" Ultra Magnus shouted when he saw what happened, "Autobots, get to that tanker quickly! We have one breem until that thing blows up completely!"
"Then why are we flying toward it?" Springer asked incredulously.
"We have to save the survivors, obviously," Kup answered for him, "Now hurry up! We don't have much time."
With the Autobots distracted the Sweeps checked each other for damage. Scourge, seeing an opening, aimed his gun at Arcee's back, but was stopped by Cyclonus.
"What are you doing?" Scourge growled, "We have them at our mercy!"
"Galvatron has not given the order to pursue them," Cyclonus pointed out.
"Galvatron is not here!" Scourge huffed impatiently, "He chased their Prime to some tiny planet near the asteroid field. I'm sure he wants us to kill them."
"We shall see," Cyclonus replied curtly, "Take no action until I return."
Scourge snorted derisively but did nothing to challenge Cyclonus directly. Scourge considered Cyclonus a brother, given that they were both forged by Unicron himself. He did, however, often silently lament that Cyclonus seemed incapable of action without Galvatron's direct orders. In fact, the last major decision Cyclonus made on his own was to search for Galvatron when he went missing. Scourge couldn't understand why such a capable mech was so subservient to such a boorish crazed psychopath.
Meanwhile, the fire on the ship was expanding from the cargo area to the engine room and beyond. The Autobots hurried around the ship directing crew from their quarters and common rooms to get them to safety. Fire couldn't burn in space, but that wouldn't stop it from engulfing the oxygen-rich atmosphere inside the ship.
Arcee flew out with several crew members in time to see Springer already having made his escape with some survivors. Kup and Ultra Magnus were likewise exiting from the opposite side of the ship. For whatever reason, the Decepticons weren't bothering them but also weren't retreating.
"Is this everyone?" Arcee asked.
"Almost everyone," The ship's captain said sadly, "Our janitor, Clean Slate, was in the cargo bay when the energon detonated. He didn't survive."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Arcee replied somberly, "Was he the only casualty?"
"From what I can tell," The captain replied, "Everyone else is here from what I can see."
"Not everyone," Ultra Magnus observed, "Where is Rodimus?"
That was when Springer noticed Cyclonus flying away from them and toward the nearby planet, and then realized Galvatron was nowhere nearby.
"I think Rodimus and Galvatron are down there, sir," Springer informed Ultra Magnus.
"Follow them," Ultra Magnus ordered, "I'm with Springer. Arcee, Kup, you take the survivors to the larger planet 30,000 mechano-miles from here. The weather there is more stable than the planetoid. From there you can call for a ride home."
"Yes, sir," Arcee replied, "Come on, everyone. Before the Decepticons decide to attack again."
With that the survivors were led to safety, and Springer and Ultra Magnus followed Cyclonus to where they assumed their leader was being held.
Meanwhile, on the planet, there was a windstorm kicking up particles of sand and flecks of copper. Both hunter and hunted were getting dinged up, but that didn't stop Galvatron from chasing after Rodimus. Of course, this was a bit more difficult now that Rodimus could transform into car mode.
Rodimus drove like a mad-mech, while Galvatron had trouble maintaining flight in the violent storm. Every now and then the Decepticon leader would switch from flying to running, but without a mobile alt-mode Galvatron was having trouble catching up to the Prime. The purple mech gritted his denta in frustration as he fought the weather to catch up to the young Prime.
Rodimus figured that the space battle was probably almost over, so all he had to do was transform and fly back into orbit to meet up with his friends. He might even lose Galvatron altogether given how hard it was to see in the windstorm. He initiated the transformation sequence and jumped up to fly away…only to fall flat on his face and get sand in his mouth.
"Pfft…pfft…what the?"
Rodimus tried to activate his thrusters again, but nothing happened. He checked the bottom of his pede where the orbital thrusters were built in, and saw that grit was caked into his internals. Frowning, he tried to pick out the offending matter with his finger, but that just pushed the sand and copper deeper into his structure.
"OW!" Rodimus screamed, and then instantly remembered he was still being pursued.
Galvatron heard the young Prime and followed the noise to where his enemy was likely hiding. He found Rodimus sitting on the ground trying to repair himself, and grinned wickedly at his luck. Soon Rodimus would be naught but a memory.
As Galvatron flew toward Rodimus, Ultra Magnus and Springer flew down to the same convergence point. They saw Galvatron going for their leader and opened fire. Cyclonus showed up just in time to see their assault, and likewise opened fire on the Autobots. Galvatron either didn't notice or didn't care about the laser fire, because he didn't even slow down as he charged toward Rodimus.
Galvatron tackled Rodimus just as the other three Cybertronians were getting close enough to see what was going on. What happened next was something no one expected…
The ground beneath Galvatron and Rodimus Prime gave way, and opened a hole in the planet. They both fell into the chasm, and Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus looked down to see swirling pink magma below the planet's crust!
"AAAHHHH!" Galvatron screamed as he sank into the magma.
"Whoa!" Rodimus shouted, "Ultra Magnus, help me! I'm being pulled in!"
Wasting no time, Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus both rushed to the aid of their leaders. Ultra Magnus grabbed onto Rodimus's servo, and Cyclonus pulled on Galvatron's arm cannon, as it was the only piece above the magma besides Galvatron's head.
"Hang on, Mighty Galvatron," Cyclonus urged, "I will save you."
Galvatron could do little more than scream incoherently as he sunk deeper into the mysterious hot liquid. Cyclonus tried to pull him out, but the cannon was too round to get a good grip on and he could feel his digits slipping.
"No!" Cyclonus grunted as he realized his efforts were futile.
"Cyclonus!" Galvatron screamed desperately.
Cyclonus tried to pull, but his digits couldn't find a decent grip and the cannon slipped away. Galvatron sunk beneath the ooze, and Cyclonus tried to reach in after him, only to pull his servo away at the intense heat.
"…Galvatron…" For a moment Cyclonus floated there in frozen shock, but then… "Noooooooooo!"
Ultra Magnus meanwhile was trying to pull Rodimus out of the magma, but rather than getting him out it only seemed to make the force of the undercurrent stronger. Rodimus could feel his legs being crushed by the pressure and the heat, and could feel the force pulling him down relentlessly.
"This…won't…work," Rodimus forced out.
"Don't say that," Ultra Magnus hissed as he struggled to pull, "I'll get you out."
Rodimus realized that if Ultra Magnus kept this up then he would be pulled in too. He couldn't allow a good Autobot to die because of him, especially not his own second in command.
"Stop…" Rodimus insisted.
Ultra Magnus wouldn't stop trying to save him however, so Rodimus knew there was only one thing left to do…
Rodimus fired the weapons attached to his wrist and forced Ultra Magnus to let go!
Ultra Magnus flew against the planet's crust due to the recoil, and activated his thrusters before he fell in the magma. He reoriented himself just in time to see Rodimus's servos sink under the magma. Ultra Magnus couldn't believe this. Their leader, and the Matrix of Leadership itself, were both swallowed whole by a random planet.
Looking up, Ultra Magnus could see Cyclonus flying away, and decided to follow suit.
Springer, who had stayed behind, saw Cyclonus flying away and fired a few shots at the Decepticon's back. Ultra Magnus saw this, and ordered Springer to cease fire.
"Let me guess, they're retreating again?" Springer asked sardonically.
"No," Ultra Magnus replied gravely, "We need to return to Arcee and Kup. We have a lot to discuss."
"Uh, sure," Springer said uncertainly, sensing something was wrong, "So where's Rodimus?"
Ultra Magnus didn't reply right away, but the look in his optics gave Springer chills. The last time Ultra Magnus wore that look was when Optimus Prime died. What on Cybertron happened down there?
The Decepticons stood around as Cyclonus and Scourge gave their report on Galvatron's untimely demise. There were no tears shed, no grief felt from most of them, and no time wasted. The underlings immediately turned to the matter that concerned every headless regime…
"So who's the new leader?" Scavenger asked, "Last time this happened we all nearly killed each other, only for that wimp Starscream to knock out the last guy left. How are we gonna pick a leader now?"
"I say it should be me!" Motormaster declared, "I'm the strongest, I'm the meanest-"
"And your breath smells the worst!" Wildrider impishly interjected.
"Shut up!" Motormaster growled.
There were murmurs amid the Decepticons about who would replace Galvatron. Soundwave had his cassettes to back him up, every combiner unit insisted their leader should step up, and Astrotrain pointed out that without him none of them would ever escape Planet Chaar again. Civil discussion soon gave way to shouting, which soon gave way to screaming.
"I am leader now!"
"It should be me!"
"We're all doomed!"
"No, it's me!"
"Where would any of you be without me?"
"Quiet!" Scourge finally shouted, "The answer is obvious."
"Lemme guess, you?" Swindle asked sarcastically.
"No," Scourge rumbled, "As much as I would enjoy being the new leader, I know as well as anyone should that our best hope for survival is Cyclonus."
"Cyclonus?" Scrapper asked derisively, "You mean the guy who spent the past few cycles kissing Galvatron's aft? Do you think we're fools?"
"Yes," Scourge replied shamelessly, "Which is why I nominate Cyclonus. His battle strategies are nearly flawless, his discipline is unmatched among our ranks, and he's the closest thing to incorruptible we Decepticons have left. Everyone here has an agenda, from profit to power to petty revenge. Cyclonus has yet to reach for any of these things, and has served the cause for as long as he's been online."
"Yes, however long that's been," Hook muttered.
"I…I cannot accept the position," Cyclonus replied miserably, "Mighty Galvatron cannot be replaced. Who am I to lead the Decepticons to victory when even our glorious leader failed to stop those accursed Autobots? Our troops should be given sufficient time to mourn."
"Uh, news flash psycho-nuts," Drag Strip rudely replied, "No one misses him! Galvatron sucked, this planet sucks, and you suck. I should be leader!"
"You mean I should be leader!" Motormaster argued.
"You see, this is my point!" Scourge interrupted before a new argument could commence, "All you morons do is complain and fight. We don't just need a strong warrior. We need a mind for strategy, weapons for combat, and vision for the future of our great cause. Cyclonus, if you don't want the job I will respect your decision and take over the Decepticons myself. I hope you reconsider however. We've only made it this far because you kept Galvatron's worst impulses in check."
This last stament gave the other Decepticons pause. At first they were perfectly willing to fight among themselves over the position and ditch Cyclonus altogether. Remembering how he calmed Galvatron during his tirades however, they realized just how much Cyclonus did to keep everything running.
"I, uh, I nominate Cyclonus too," Breakdown sheepishly piped up.
"Traitor," Motormaster spat.
"Eh, it can't be worse than Galvatron," Astrotrain shrugged indifferently, "I'll vote for him too."
"Vote?" Onslaught asked haughtily, "This is no democracy. We're Decepticons. We don't pick leaders this way."
"Indeed not," Dead End said wryly, "There have been exactly three leaders for our faction. One was thrown into deep space, one was shot, and the other died in molten pink goo. It seems to me like we never really solidified how to choose our champion."
"We could fight to the death," Motormaster suggested.
"No!" Cyclonus suddenly shouted, but in a calmer voice explained, "We lack numbers. We have Scourge's drones, but that isn't the same as experienced fighting mechs. The Autobots have resources, our home planet, and foreign allies. We cannot afford to waste our limited energy and manpower arguing over management. Since there are so many who want this job, I urge each one to convince the masses of your worthiness. Whoever captures the sparks of the Decepticons earns their place, and no more usurpation will be tolerated. Now, Motormaster, why should we follow you? What is your plan for us?"
"Uh…" Motormaster, feeling put on the spot, stammered helplessly for a moment, "Uh…I…I'm the strongest. Yeah, I'm strong and…I can kick Rodimus Prime's tail pipe from here to Cybertron!"
"If you could do that, you would've by now!" Scrapper heckled, "Besides, Rodimus Prime is dead, you moron!"
The Constructicons laughed, and Motormaster stewed and crossed his arms petulantly. He didn't have a rebuttal however, so he didn't argue his case any further. The next one to speak was Drag Strip.
"I'm the best at everything! You should pick me because I'll turn Chaar into the greatest planet the universe has ever seen!"
"So your plan is to remain here on Chaar?" Cyclonus probed.
"Well yeah! Wait, I mean no!" Drag Strip fumbled, "I mean…slag it! I didn't want your dumb old job anyway! You can all eat a corkscrew!"
"Well that was graphic," Hook chided, "I see what Scourge means, however. Cyclonus is probably one of the only prospects here that has a processor in his helm. I stand beside Cyclonus."
"Well if Hook votes for him, so do we," Scrapper spoke on behalf of the Constructicons.
"Wait, I don't want to lead," Cyclonus backpedaled, "I am merely searching for the proper selection."
"It must be you," Scourge urged, "You're the only one with enough integrity and skill to perform well under pressure."
Cyclonus felt overwhelmed by all of this attention, which seemed to contradict what Scourge just said. He never expected the Decepticons to warm to the idea of him being their leader. He was still devastated over the loss of his great leader Galvatron, and didn't feel ready to take on command. It wasn't like he could just run away from this however. The Decepticons were in a dire situation and needed someone to guide them. Galvatron would want them to carry on, and Cyclonus vowed to himself that they would do exactly that, no matter how much was drained out of him in the process.