Chapter 6 Highlight: RATCHET
Where am I? What happened anyways?
Standing up slowly with Energon spilling out of a few minor injuries, the Autobot medical officer observed the wrecked shuttle that had crashed from entering an asteroid field. Fire burned at the oxidizing metals and the fuel of the ship flowed in tiny streams away from the wreckage. A gentle column of smoke rose from the impact site, visible for a couple of miles.
"Dear Primus," Ratchet growled as he viewed the landscape, "What is this place?"
Lush trees rose all around the wreckage that had crashed into a clearing in what appeared to be a forest. Vast mountains towered above the forest canopies, and they were topped by breathtaking snow-caps; Ratchet had never seen a planet much like this one. Not even Tranquility could be compared to this place for it has huge advancements in technology; the Autobot could not even see a trace of civilization. If he were on Tranquility, he would see the tall towers that had been established by the dragons who inhabited it. But there were none.
"Ratchet to Optimus Prime," he spoke into his comlink.
He received no answer.
"Optimus Prime, do you read me?"
After waiting a few millicycles, he assumed that he was far out of range for any of his fellow Autobots to hear his transmissions. It did not matter that much at the moment; what mattered was that he could still function up to optimal standard. Quickly he performed a scan over his chassis to determine whether or not he would require medical attention once he would get back to base. Several circuits were damaged beyond repair; he would have to get them replaced once his friends rescue him. The most important system a Cybertronian contains within its body, the transformation scanner was also rather damaged as far as it appeared to him.
Trying to transform was quite difficult now. His transformation scanner's alt-mode had been deleted as a result from the injury. He would have to assume another alt-mode… but nothing on this planet seemed to be mechanical in any way.
I'll need to blend in with this environment, he thought as he limped away from the ship's wreckage.
A clear river meandered into his path after he dragged himself approximately a mile from all evidence of the crash with the planet. Sighting it, he sat down and let his bleeding right leg dangle in the cool flow. At first he wondered whether this would cause his leg to rust, but then that possible threat did not bother him, as it felt like the cool liquid was repairing his leg. What? Ratchet glanced down at his leg that had stopped bleeding and hauled it out. Was this liquid… Energon?
Pondering it for a while, Ratchet decided the only way to really be certain was to run one simple test on: drink it. Lowering himself near it, he scooped some up with his hand and drank it. At once he felt his energy levels being replenished.
"By the All Spark!" he exclaimed, "IT IS ENERGON!"
Due to the demand of Energon to continue the war, the vital necessity to the Cybertronians was greatly depleted since the Decepticons would steal it from the Autobot bases they conquered. It had been more than a few stellar-spans since Ratchet had tasted that precious liquid; it was refreshing. But how could it be Energon? Only Cybertron had been capable of making it… unless this planet was to be their new homeworld: a new place to call home.
No. Shaking his head, the Autobot medical officer immediately labeled such thoughts as "Decepticon" nature and discarded them. This planet must belong to another race; to prefer a solution of invasion rather than a solution of science would be foolish. If the sphere was uninhabited, then establishing it as their new home would be acceptable.
Decepticon… what did that mean? Was it a group of evil Cybertronians who want dominant control of the cosmos? Or was it a term to describe someone who deceives? What if was a state of mind? Most of the Autobots nowadays could be considered "Decepticons" for the way they behave. Corruption was spreading through their ranks; Ratchet felt that Optimus Prime was unaware of this… he had other matters to attend to. Rystolth once was a planet ruled by non-Cybertronians until Dropshot and his crew had invaded and killed all the species amongst it. Many Autobots could be subject to converting quickly to Megatron's forces or be susceptible of treason.
That was why he ventured past the Gridder Mark in the first place. He felt that the war was consuming all that was good and pure in the Universe and therefore he decided to journey to a place far away from the violence to allow himself to process clearly and to escape the devastation. While he was travelling, his vessel came upon a non-detected asteroid field which damaged it and sent it hurtling down to this strange planet…
When the war started, Ratchet was compelled to join the Autobots to escape the inevitable destruction of all "peace-mongers"- that was his classification in the Decepticons' views. Although he had never wanted a civil outbreak, there was nothing he could do… war consumed the planet fifty meta-cycles later and all Neutrals were forced to affiliate with a faction. Originally, he did consider joining the limitless Decepticon ranks but after the sheer mayhem and destruction associated with their plans came into the limelight, Ratchet hurried to the Autobots where he could perhaps function as a medical officer.
Before the war even began to creep into the lives of the once-peaceful Cybertronians, Ratchet was nothing more than a veterinarian; pets from all across the cosmos were popular amongst the high-class and therefore special attention was needed to care for them. Despite being a lowly veterinarian, he had made a legacy as being the highest-skilled amongst his caste… he had impressed wiser and more experienced members of his caste and was given the title of "Chief Vet" or simply "Doc". A passion to care for animals, inspired by the first sight of a Dogba- a Cybertronian canine-like species native to the Sonic Canyons- Ratchet had read everything there is to know about an "animalic" creature.
Praised amongst the colonies of the Sonic Canyons, Ratchet received a pet Dogba which he respectively named "Fang" from a fellow client who had learned of his adoration for the species. They were almost inseparable- even when the veterinarian moved to Iacon for a higher position in his caste, Fang went with him. Alas, a few deca-stellar spans later, the war came to his new home and when they tried to escape, Dogba was killed by a fast-moving automobile of Autobot allegiance. Poor Ratchet was heartbroken and that's when he felt it was time to seek a faction to serve. At a time, there was a third faction- the Brotherhood of Cybertron- and it consisted of Cybertronians who wished to remain neutral to the war and sought peace; he had affiliated himself with this faction previously. Ultimately after the Brotherhood was disbanded, after weighing the pros and cons of both sides, Ratchet joined Optimus Prime and his peace-seeking Autobots.
Neither side should know of this planet's existence, Ratchet decided, Autobots process like Decepticons do; if either faction discovers this planet… it would be destroyed.
A scream filled the forest and alerted Ratchet. Immediately Ratchet had dashed over to the location of the cry and was shocked at the sight that was before him…
Two large griffin-like birds were attacking what appeared to be a village of intelligent creatures that resembled wolves but with a different natural colour: blue. Blue-furred wolves? This was quite interesting… forget that for a cycle! They were in danger and he had to help them!
Not caring on how much attention he drew to himself, Ratchet leapt out of the forest and landed on one of the impossibly-large griffins' back. Transforming his hand into a small stiletto, he jabbed it into the bird's neck, spilling lots of blood. One down, one to go. Jumping off the dead griffin, he combat-rolled into the other that was attacking pups. The final griffin was shot in the head by his Sigma-class blaster.
The only gratitude he received was petrified and shocked faces from all of the wolves that were present. Not wanting to frighten them even more, Ratchet transformed his hand back to normal and took a step back, in an attempt to show that he was not hostile.
"Greetings… my deepest apologies if I have frightened you."
For a couple of millicycles, the wolves remained silent until one spoke up, "W…what are you?"
Ratchet realized there was nothing he could attempt to escape them so he answered the wolf's question in the way he had been taught, "I am a peace-seeking autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron. In simpler terms, I am a Cybertronian. My name is Ratchet and I function primarily as a medical officer."
"But you have those deadly utensils…"
"My weapons are for self-defence purposes and defending others only." He went on, "Far from your planet, a war is raging across the Universe, threatening to destroy it completely; I confess that I am one of the belligerents, an Autobot. We fight the oppression of the malevolent Decepticons who dream of conquering the cosmos…"
"We wish for no such war to befall our world, thank you. Please return to wherever you came from and forget that you have ever set sight on this planet."
The medical officer sighed, as he remembered the famous proverb "Some things are best left unsaid." It was far too late to try to take back what had been said.
"I'm afraid that I cannot comply with your wishes, Wolf. My vessel has been damaged beyond repair and I have no other means of extraction. But I assure you that I am the only one here... well… at the current cycle that is."
"You cannot stay here," the wolf was obviously of a high authority bearing; the way he talked to the medic was no different than ordering a servant around, "We don't need a war with other races coming upon WereKespair. Our world has its own tribulations to attend to."
Ratchet hesitated. He knew that there would be no way to get off the planet and it seemed that this authoritative wolf would not allow him to remain, unless… "If I were able to assimilate into your world, would your permit me to dwell here?"
"Assimilate? What can you do to assimilate?"
The Cybertronian medic had never attempted to take on a non-metallic alt-mode before, but it was worth trying, if it would give him permission to stay. He scanned one of the wolves and transformed into a wolf but more of his style: he was a yellow and green wolf with crystal blue eyes and a few tufts of red and grey here and there. Each wolf now was no longer terrified, but rather marveled and awestruck of the transformation.
"I am extremely useful, my good sir." Ratchet went on, "You see, I am a medical officer. That means that I excel in the fields of medicine and…"
"You mean you are, in a way, a Healer?" The wolf enquired.
"Precisely."
Pondering this for a moment, the wolf sighed as he weighed the pros and cons of this possibility within his mind. Would it be fine to harbour a creature of another planet to serve as a medic for his own use? How would other wolves react to an acceptance of this? What would his followers think of him if he just decided to cast out the medic and force him to return to his own planet? No, cruelty would never be a good option and it would be plain inwolfane. Reaver was not one to behave in such a heartless manner, though he had been cruel in the past but age and time changed him. Perhaps age and time will change this strange outworlder too.
Finally he replied after a period of silence, "We'll permit you to reside on our world if you promise two things. First: you must never revert to that larger, more frightening form when you around other wolves; you may when you're far from civilization. Second: you must serve as the Royal Healer, and you will do everything I command you to and answer only to me. Do you understand, Ratchet?"
"Perfectly. I've always had commands given to me since I first began to function; I will serve you loyally and faithfully then, good sir."
"Please don't call me that. My name is Reaver, and I am the king of this kingdom… Arrowshore Kingdom to be exact."
King? This was a new term… other than hearing it mentioned from Megatron who wished to be "king" of the entire Universe.
"Pardon me for asking but you are in a sense the "Prime Leader", yes?" Ratchet felt stupid for asking such a question but he needed to know.
"If you put it that way…" Reaver replied.
"Very good then, Reaver Prime."
"Just "Reaver" or "King Reaver" would be fine if you please."
"My utmost apologies, sir."
"Come then, Ratchet. My mate has given birth to a young prince. I need to know whether he is healthy and strong enough to survive the extremities of the Quaa' Islands."
With a quick nod, the medical officer began to follow his new leader. Perhaps he'd leave his former faction to be on a world of peace and prosperity… no. There would come a time in which he would have to return to Optimus Prime and battle the power-hungry Decepticons once more but it was not now. At this current cycle or however long time permitted him to, he would serve the wolf king.
Despite his energy sensors being damaged, Ratchet detected a powerful source of energy that made the very strands of fur of his alt-mode stand up on end, "Reaver, you would not happen to be harboring a strong form of energy on your world, would you?"
"I don't believe so," the wolf king replied, "Why do you ask?"
"I detect a vast quantity of energy that radiates as an incredibly powerful form of energy. If I am correct in my assumption, I fear for your planet. My existence will not be of importance to the Decepticons, but a power-like energy signature will draw them here like bees to a source of nectar. Megatron lusts for power and he'll do anything he can to get a hold of it, even if it means to eradicate an entire race. I have seen it happen time and time again; it led to Cybertron's destruction."
Reaver raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning Ratchet's logic.
"I understand that I bear appalling news but you have a liquid on your planet that we call Energon. This is essential for any Cybertronian to continue to function; without it, we will die. When our world Cybertron was destroyed in the war, the only source that we had known of it was depleted greatly, and due to the shortage, both Autobots and Decepticons will do anything possible to claim it for their own. Most of the time when the Decepticons do attack, they not only slaughter all who oppose them but they steal Energon. And if by chance either side learns of this source of Energon on your planet, WereKespair will go dark."
"And you are not one of them?"
"You have nothing to fear, King Reaver. All means of communications with my Autobot colleagues and I have been rendered inefficient."
"Ratchet…" Reaver was trembling as the medic's prophecy echoed in his ears and mind, "What do you mean by 'WereKespair will go dark'?"
"I really wish I did not trouble you with my pitiful plight and my tales of doomsday, but I will tell you this: across the Universe are thousands of Autobots, and tens of thousands of Decepticons. Each side has the undeniable potential of eradicating several hundred planets over a set period of time. If both sides were to clash here at full strength with the same common purpose in mind or the same mission at hand… believe me when I tell you: 'WereKespair will go dark'."
"How long do we have?"
"Time will tell…"
Feeling ashamed of dropping the Decepticon threat on them right away, Ratchet continued to follow the king, noting his oddly-coloured fur. He had once visited the planet of Rystolth, which inhabitants were very much similar to those of WereKespair, but the wolves there had furs of what he considered to be natural colours: grey, brown, black, and white. Here they seemed to exist in exotic shades of blue… perhaps of other colours too.
After travelling for several thousand meters, he was led to what seemed to be a large palace… about the size of any average Cybertronian building. It had five stories and many sculptures of what he assumed to be iconic figures from the past that must have done great things for the planet. Beautiful blue crystals peeked out of the ground and a lovely river- of a liquid form of dihydrogen monoxide- meandered around the land. By now Ratchet was beginning to understand the language that was inscribed in many places and began deciphering them.
"This is awkward… my scanners did not detect technological advancements at all; this building and that village stands as testimony against it," he muttered under his breath, "Well, I don't see any technology advancements rather than in structural architecture, so I suppose they were not concerned with these small things."
Three large statues were erected in what appeared to be the courtyard: two were of wolves and one was of a dragon. Interesting. Ratchet was about to enquire whether they were of gods but as he viewed them, it seemed to be much different. The first was dedicated to a wolf named "Wayne the Warrior" and a short description depicted what heroic deeds he had done. A statue of a larger wolf had inscribed "Captain Seduri- Chief Protector of Arrowshore" and a short biography about him, indicating his goals and dreams that were fulfilled. And the final statue of the dragon read: "Prixmus, Ancient Protector over All WereKespair- Hail!"
As he read the name, a shudder travelled up his spine; whoever this dragon was seemed to have an evil presence lurking to his name. Now when other evil names like Megatron or the Fallen were mentioned, no chill ever befell Ratchet but this name seemed as if it foretold a dark future for the planet of WereKespair. He had wanted to warn Reaver of this discovery… yet how polite would it be for a foreigner to knock down someone else's great champion? That option was immediately discarded, although Ratchet knew in his Spark that even if no other Cybertronians found WereKespair, dark times, worse than those of Cybertron, was coming.
"I've asked you many questions, Ratchet, but it makes me curious of whether or not you have questions for me regarding my planet or my species." Reaver glanced back at the Autobot for a split second before returning his attention to his path.
"I feel they are irrelevant at this time; I would much rather see this child of yours,"
Before Ratchet could continue to utter another word, he was led into a room in which a mother wolf lay with a tiny pup, caressing it with her tongue. Never had he beheld such a precious sight or set eyes on something so small; it made his Spark become full of awe and wonder.
"Roxane, this is Ratchet," the king introduced the Autobot medic, "He is to be the Royal Healer."
The she-wolf's sparkling aqua eyes met with Ratchet's glowing blue optics and smiled, "Hello Ratchet."
"My lady," he lowered himself to the ground respectfully, "And this is the young prince?"
Both wolves nodded and Reaver lay down next to Roxane, caressing her face with his own tongue. Not wanting to frighten the little pup, the good doctor stooped even lower so he could see the little wolf pup even better. Holding up his right paw over the pup, Ratchet watched as his paw empowered a holographic scan which he waved over the baby, paying close attention to the schematics.
As he continued his work, he marvelled at the little pup. It was no bigger than a Cybertronian power core that resides in all their chests; it could fit in the palm of a Minicon's hand. A small whimper had escaped its tiny orifice; the sound reached his audio receptors and made his Spark leap for joy. Back on Cybertron when he had cared for the young Sparklings, they were all strong in appearance; this pup looked so weak and helpless in comparison. The Autobot medical officer had no idea of what sort of appearance would indicate whether it was healthy or strong… he never had to guess before, but this was different. There seemed to be no illness or disease present, nor was there any noise that affected the breathing rate or pulse rate. Sighing, Ratchet decided it was time to deliver his report.
"He's a healthy and strong pup, Reaver. How long ago was it…?"
"I birthed him about three hours ago," Roxane replied.
Birthed? Ratchet couldn't believe his audio receptors, Cybertronians emerged from the Well of All Sparks but these creatures carry their own within the female's womb. How fascinating!
As he read over the schematics, his eyes widened and he staggered backwards, completely shocked at the results that had been presented in his schematics, "Great Primus, it cannot be…"
"Ratchet?" Reaver was curious about his strange behaviour, "What is the matter?"
"Remember when I told you about how I sensed a vast quantity of energy somewhere?"
The wolf king nodded slowly, a little confused.
"I just discovered the source… it's your son."