Thanks go out to Alaskan Olive for beta-ing this chapter! ((I think I've corrected all of the spacing issues))
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Starscream couldn't believe his optics. Everything had been inspected a dozen times. All the wires were connected, the circuits had been cleaned and the proper switches flipped. And yet, despite his latest super-weapon receiving a perfect bill of health, it now was nothing more than a melted heap of steel. Smoke rose from its crippled mass, as periodic sparks shot out and crashed to the ground. The few Decepticons who had actually gathered to witness the event quickly returned to their prior business. Starscream took one last long look at the failed weapon, and kicked it in disgust. "Nothing but junk!" he yelled. "If it was any other day, this would be enough to put me in a bad mood." Starscream began to make his way back inside the base. "But it isn't every day I become the new Decepticon commander!"
The brave and fearless Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, stared at the view screen in disbelief. In his storied life, he had seen countless incidents that defied explanation. But nothing compared to what he was witnessing at the moment; three distinct and verified images of their home-world of Cybertron. "That cannot be," he said to nobody in particular. He turned his attention towards Megatron, and again raised his weapon in his direction. "If you know something about what's happening here, Megatron, start talking!"
"I have no idea what's behind that madness," he stated, pointing at Tele-traan 1. "I've come to inform you that Starscream has taken over as leader of the Decepticons, and I..." Megatron's voice was overpowered by another barrage of sirens, signaling yet another reason for the Ark's alarm to sound. "Bah!" he snarled. "What now?"
Perceptor quickly made his way to the nearest long-range communications console. His smooth tone concealed the fact that he was actually one of the more nervous Autobots in the room. The world Perceptor lived in was one of science and logic, where every problem had an answer and each action led to a reaction. That world was being attacked by the impossible, testing Perceptor's faith in the science he dedicated his life to countless years ago. "Prime, there are several small and medium sized crafts requestingpermission to land; all ships have been identified as having Autobot or Autobot-like energy signatures."
Optimus looked around at his fellow companions and then took a long hard look at Megatron and Soundwave, both returning the look in silence. Prime lowered his weapon a final time, pausing for a brief moment before finally deciding Megatron was not behind the recent events. "Perceptor," he ordered, "Let them land."
Inside Decepticon Headquarters...
Starscream had longed for this day, and after what seemed an eternity, it had arrived. He now stood as the commander of the Decepticons, the most impressive race of warriors in the universe. He had ordered a gathering of his forces, to announce his intentions as their new leader, and to flaunt his newly gained power. As he made his way towards the center of the room, he could hear whispers coming from all directions, some he could make out as compliments; others he simply ignored. "My brave Decepticons," he started, "The time has come for us to take our rightful place as rulers of the universe!" His initial statement earned a loud chorus of cheers, filling him with a satisfaction he had never known while walking in Megatron's shadow. "With my great intelligence and raw power leading us, Optimus Prime and the other Autobots will crumble into dust! We will claim not only Earth and Cybertron, but every planet we deem worth taking!"
The room was suddenly flooded with the siren of their proximity alarm, indicating someone or something had entered into their perimeter. "What's the meaning of this?" Starscream yelled into crowd before him. Silently, he wondered if perhaps Megatron had returned for his revenge, but the thought was quickly forgotten when the green-plated Constructicon, Scavenger, informed him of the true reason for the siren.
"A handful of ships are landing," he reported from a small monitoring station located at the back of the meeting room. "Our sensors indicate some have Decepticons on board. Other readings are inconclusive, but aside from a few alterations, they share the same engineering." He paused, allowing himself a few seconds to receive more data. He backed away from the screen and looked beyond the gathered Decepticons, finding Starscream eager to hear more. "They've breached our defenses; they're coming in."
end Chapter 7