-Personal Log: Entry #003-

It appears that I must disregard Perceptor's "alien" theory. It does not add up logically with the information I have gathered on these creatures.

When I scanned both ships, the energy signature of the Axalon was very similar to that of Alpha Seven, as I mentioned before. What I did not mention was that the other ship (which I later learned was called the Darkside) had an energy signature equally similar to that of Nemesis, the Decepticon flagship.

Upon my arrival, Rhinox demonstrated a fluent Cybertronian tongue.

Could this all be coincidence? Perhaps. But it suggests, to me at least, that these "Maximals" are native to Cybertron.

Also, while they were debating among themselves about what to do with me, the one known as "Rattrap" said, "Autobots ain't been around for almost three stellar megacycles."

This leads me to conclude that the Maximals are, in fact, the descendants of the Autobots. I know it may sound far-fetched, but that is all I can come up with at this time.

I will continue to monitor the Maximals until I recover my ship, and expect my suspicions to be confirmed.

Nightshade's ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. His door unlocked and slid open, and Optimus looked at Nightshade.

"There's a problem. As soon as Rhinox said 'Decepticon'--"

"All hell broke loose. Yeah, I could hear it from here."

Optimus stepped inside, and the door closed behind him. "Care to explain?"

"Rhinox is correct. I was a Decepticon, until I defected. I never expected anyone to trust me the first cycle, or even the first lunar megacycle."

"How'd you get here, exactly?"

"On a ship, same as you."

"Let me elaborate. Why are you here?"

"Consider my primary function when you ask that question."

"If you don't answer me, how do I know I can trust you?"

"There's more to being a Decepticon than having a lust for battle. Decepticons don't just throw around information. They don't give it away. Like everything else, it must be earned. That's the one thing I carried over from being a Decepticon--one of the very few things about their way of life that I find worthwhile, now that I've tasted that of the Autobots."

"Okay. So exactly how do I earn my answers?"

"Find my ship, and you will find your answers. But I warn you: Be careful of how far you search, as there are things you may not want to know."

"Well, that's just--"

"Prime," Nightshade said.

Optimus lifted an eyebrow. "You heard that too, huh?"

"Infiltration units hear a lot by trade. And the design of these--" Nightshade tapped the side of his head. "--audio receivers doesn't hurt either."

"Prime. Now, I won't jump to conclusions, Nightshade, but you haven't given me much reason to trust you so far. I'm putting you on one lunar cycle's probation, during which you're not to leave the Axalon without my direct approval."

"Understood, sir," Nightshade said. "So all that remains is the matter of my protection from Energon contamination."

"You'll be granted a beast form, in case I need you to join a battle. I've had Rhinox activate the wildlife scanner for you, so if you'll report to the scanning room, you can be reformatted."

"Tarantulas to Megatron."

"Report."

"It's very strange, Megatron. The space scanners just came back online by themselves, but the surface scanners are still down. If not for the encryption algorithm, I'd think it was merely a malfunction. I'm currently trying to find out if the space scanners picked up anything new before they--Gaaahhh!"

"Tarantulas, report."

"Come quickly, Megatron. There's something you must see."

-End Chapter Three-