Chapter 5

I don't have a clue what those Decepticons were doing. They were pacing along the border, not on Rogue or Autobot turf. It looked like they were just messing around rather than actually planning any kind of attack. After a while they started yelling into Autobot territory. They were yelling threats and insults, and generally the kind of things you would expect a kid to say for a joke. Or just being as inconsiderate as kids are these days. I didn't see them as much of a threat, but I wasn't sure what Optimus was thinking. His face was expressionless as he watched them, his head slightly tilted.
There were several questions I wanted to ask him, but we were quite close to where the Decepticons were. If I said anything, they would hear us. I didn't want to get in trouble for jeopardising my first mission. After what seemed like forever, the Decepticons clearly seemed satisfied that there weren't any Autobots nearby. They carefully stepped onto our side of the border, looking around to make sure there was definitely nobody around. I tensed, and Optimus put his hand on my shoulder, shaking his head slightly. Not yet. I watched the Decepticons coming further into Autobot territory. Optimus waited until they were a few metres away from us before nodding to me and silently getting to his feet. He helped me up and led me over to them, careful not to make a sound. I was terrified as we crept up on the group of Decepticons. There were about 8 of them, and by some miracle they hadn't noticed us yet. It was only a matter of time though. Optimus led me over to the forest, careful to keep us out of their line of vision. There were a few large branches lying around here. Optimus looked around, picked up a large one that was about the length of a sword and gave it to me. He gestured to me to wait where I was and headed round to the front of the group. I promised myself I would whack him with the stick as soon as this was over.
Optimus shot one, and had time to shoot three more before they realized they'd been discovered. By then Optimus had come back to where I was waiting. We both watched as the four remaining Decepticons converged on the large boulder Optimus had been hiding behind. He made me get to my knees so that they wouldn't see me and disappeared to go and throw them into even more disarray. This time they were ready for him though. They managed to get to him before he could shoot anyone, so he used his swords. Ironhide had told me that Optimus had always been more comfortable with swords than guns, even though he was good with both, and he looked it, but he was only able to kill all but one Decepticon before the last one stabbed him in the shoulder, driving him to his knees. They were quite close to me. I crawled as close to them as I could without being seen, watching them over a small ridge. Optimus was in trouble. I did the only thing that came naturally. I hit the Decepticon over the head with the stick. I must've hit him harder than I thought, because he didn't get up again.
"Nice work." Optimus commented, panting as he got to his feet, wincing as he pulled the sword out of his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked him. I know, it was a stupid question to ask. He'd just been stabbed, how could he be okay? But I didn't know what else to say.
He smiled at me.
"I'll be all right. I've had worse." He dropped the sword and we headed back up to the village. "Jazz and the others probably have more reason than being chased by Decepticons to wind up here." He commented as we walked. "I think those Decepticons were trying to ambush him, and stop him getting here in the first place."
"Who is Jazz?"
"He's from another part of the territory." Optimus replied, "I've only seen him once before, when I was….a lot younger. He wasn't bearing very good news at the time. I guess I hated him because of what he had to tell me."
I looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything.

When we reached the village, I was shocked. There were actually people about. True it was just Ironhide and Arcee, but still. It was progress in my eyes. Optimus said something to Ironhide quietly. He nodded and led me to his workshop.
"What's going on?" I asked him.
"Arcee is taking Optimus to Ratchet to get his shoulder sorted out. In the meantime Optimus wants me to see how you do with swords."
Ironhide had me sit down instead of help him get the swords out, since I was near collapsing from exhaustion at what had happened. True I hadn't actually done anything, but the expectation of something happening had drained me completely. Soon the table was piled with swords. Long swords, short swords, curved swords, straight swords. Loads of different kinds of swords. I actually felt confident this time. It was the first time Optimus had actually shown an interest in my weapons training, and I guess I'd been starting to feel a little dejected.
My confidence was in vain. I was as bad with the swords as I was with the guns and the axes, but Ironhide was acting like we were finally getting somewhere.
"You're definitely a sword person." He said slowly, his head tilted. "I can see that. But none of the swords here are right for you. I'll talk to Optimus about it and see what we can do."
I nodded slowly. So I was a sword person? That was….interesting. I'd never even touched a sword in my life. They were made and fixed by the blacksmith. Not me. I looked round as Optimus came in. I smiled. He was looking a lot better. There wasn't any sign that he'd been stabbed at all.
"Sentinel wants to see both of you." he said grimly. I tilted my head, wondering what was going on, and we followed him back to the main building. Sentinel was waiting for us in the first room I'd been in. Arcee was already there, as well as Jazz and one of the Autobots who had come with him, and Roxy.
Sentinel looked around at us all, and nodded to Jazz, who stepped forward.
"The Decepticons wanted to stop us getting here, because we have some information that could determine the outcome of the war." He said quietly. "Some Autobots from my village were mining for Transozite, and we found some….crystals. I was there when we first uncovered them." he held something out to the rest of us. It was a crystal, about a metre long, a muddy greenish brown sort of colour.
"Don't touch it." He warned. "When I picked it up Mudflap tried, and he got blasted and almost brought the roof down on top of us. They seem to….bond to the DNA of the Cybertronian that picks them up, and anyone else who tries to touch it is automatically blasted. We decided not to touch any of the others, and managed to get them onto an Autobot ship without doing so, but the ship was shot down and crashed on a previously unknown planet. The rest of these crystals are all somewhere on that planet, and we don't even think we got all of them out of the ground."
"Hold up." Arcee interrupted, "You're making it sound like we're gonna have to go and get these crystals back."
Jazz nodded.
"Why?" she asked, "Why are they so important to get back?"
"Good question." Jazz replied, "Each crystal has command over one of the 5 elements, which it will grant to his possessor. The Decepticons know that they exist, but if they get their hands on them before us they can easily win this war. But if we get them first, we can defeat them for good."
He stepped back and Sentinel stood up.
"It's decided. All of you will accompany Jazz and Bumblebee here to this planet, and help them get those crystals back."
"What's this planet?" Roxy asked.
"Earth." Jazz replied. "We don't know much about it, but it's full of life and it's a very long way away."
"We don't have a ship to get us 'a very long way away'." Optimus grumbled.
I pulled a face and looked at the floor.
"I can take care of that." I said quietly, almost hoping nobody would be able to hear me. Of course they did. Sentinel nodded.
"Very well. Take Arcee with you and do what you need to do to get a ship. The rest of you need to prepare yourselves as well. Go now."
We left the room. I led Arcee out of the building, towards the edge of Autobot territory.
"Where are we going?" Arcee asked as we walked.
"Rogue turf." I replied. "There's someone there that can help us out."
"Can't you just radio him?"
"No. He doesn't like that."

We carried on walking, and it was dark by the time we reached my old hometown. I led Arcee to the grand building at the centre of the village and we headed inside. Kaitlynn was just walking past the door when we walked in.
"Oh. It's you again." She walked off.
"Again?" Arcee asked me quietly.
"Optimus and I stopped off here on the way to Autobot turf." I replied.
She nodded and we headed into the main room.
"Clara!" my father cried as soon as he saw me. He hugged me. "Is something wrong?"
"No." I replied. "But….I didn't want to ask you for such a huge favour, but we need a ship."
He nodded.
"Of course. What kind of ship?"
"A large, deeper space fighter ship." I told him, "Big enough to take at least seven Cybertronians."
He nodded again.
"I'll see what I can do. When do you need it?"
"As soon as possible."
"Right. You'll have it at once." He left the room.
Arcee was wandering around the outside of the room, looking at the photos on the walls. I sat down on one of the sofas and stared at the floor. After a minute Arcee came and sat next to me.
"Who is it in this photo?"
I looked at the one she was showing me. It had been one of my favourites.
"It's me, when I was 7. That's Luke. He's my older brother. He was 14. And my older sister, Tessa. She was 12."
Arcee tilted her head as she looked at the photo.
"You look a lot happier than you do today."
I nodded.
"Times change."
"Where are Luke and Tessa now?"
I winced, but Arcee didn't notice.
"Dead."
She looked at me.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault."
At that moment my dad came in.
"Got you one. It's a beauty, you'll be able to do a lot with it."
I stood up and turned to Arcee.
"Do you know how to drive a ship?"