Chapter 16
The Autobot fleet had arrived at the planet Nebulos. Fortress Maximus in his space-ship mode, Skylinx and two armed shuttles were preparing to land.
In the orbit however, they were met by a large space-ship that was intercepting their way.
"I think that is the `Conqueror´, the Decepticon´s new flagship", Sideswipe informed Optimus Prime and Fortress Maximus."
"They are trying to block our way", Grimlock pointed out.
"You are right", Optimus said. He activated the comm. "Prime to Skylinx and shuttles Explorer 1 and 2, engage them and give us the time we need to land", he ordered.
Skylinx went into his dragon like transformation mode and he along with the two shuttles separated from the rest of the force and flew towards the Decepticon ship.
xxxxxxx
On the planet, Skorponok in city mode
"They have arrived", Mindwipe reported to Megatron.
"Good, let them land. It is all going according to plan", he replied.
"Fortress Maximus is heading directly to our position", Zarak stated.
Both, the Decepticon and the nebulon leader were sitting on Skorponok´s command bridge.
"Of course, they obviously long know about your new form and created Fortress new super mode especially to counter it. Have you really thought you could keep it a secret for long? It seems they have already located us."
"Well, it looks as if we are going to have a confrontation", Zarak said.
"Don´t worry Zarak. With the preparations we have made, our victory is practically safe", Megatron assured him.
xxxxxxx
The Autobot ship Fortress Maximus was flying over the forests areas of Nebulos main continent.
"Skorponok, he had transformed into his base mode and is now stationed on the ground", Optimus pointed out.
"Yes, he is waiting for me", Fortress Maximus said.
"It seems so. They have probably been watching us since we entered the atmosphere. This will be the first test for your new form Fortress. We will leave you now. Good luck."
"I know. Thank you Optimus."
"Autobots", their leader announced, "the battle begins, transform."
The Aerialbots and the other flight capable Autobots were leaving the ship from the hangars as it was still in the air. When Fortress Maximus had landed, the rest of their group was driving out in car form over the ramps.
Optimus in his truck mode was leading the convoy into battle.
"The Decepticons have scattered into smaller groups. We separate and confront them. Try to lead them away from populated areas", he told his warriors. "Remember, our victory is in first line depending on Fortress Maximus and his success, so don´t take any unnecessary risks."
xxxxxxx
The seekers Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp were standing in the middle of a field full of the burning wrecks of nebulonian tanks and jet-fighters. Now that the defending forces of this planet, for them a mere nuisance, were out of the way, they were waiting for their real enemies.
"They are here", Thundercracker informed his two partners.
"As expected", Skywarp pointed out, "they are coming right to us. Megatron said that he had a great surprise for them."
"I wouldn´t be so sure here Skywarp", Starscream told him smugly. "There are a lot of things that could go wrong."
"You are just like the Starscream I remember, always trying to find flaws."
"And you are just like the Skywarp I have known, always blindly trusting in Megatron´s judgement."
"Oh yes, had that version of me not taken over your place?" the dark jet replied.
"Yes", Starscream grinned, "after being dumped in space and being changed into a unicronian."
For a second, the other seeker looked at him uneasily, than he returned to his previous relaxed behavior. But Starscream saw that he had broken through to Skywarp, at least for a moment.
Yes, he thought, it was time to bring the pieces into position.
xxxxxxx
Darkwing and Dreadwing were flying on patrol over the border regions of Nebulon city.
Like their three colleagues they were right now overseeing some of the wrecks of the nebulonian military. The first half of the battle was over. Yet the nebulons had never been even close to being real adversaries for them. They had been removed quickly.
It was when the Autobots would arrive when the real fight would be starting.
They didn´t have to wait for long.
Two objects were coming in to them very fast. They quickly recognized the two headmasters Brainstorm and Highbrow in their jet and helicopter modes. Both Autobots opened fire on them on sight.
The real battle had begun.
xxxxxxx
As the last of the other Autobots had left Fortress Maximus began his Transformation. The space ship around him changed form and his former self became the head of a robot who rivaled Metroplex in size.
Still, Fortress new giant incarnation looked very similar to his normal robot form, only many times larger and more powerful. He showed however many outer signs of his two other transformation modes, the space-ship and the city-base, that his smaller form lacked.
The city robot began to walk in the direction of his opponent, who was also transforming into robot mode. For the first time the two rivals were standing before each other in their new forms.
"Fortress", Skorponok/Zarak greeted him as both giants were standing before each other, "as I see you have found out about my last plan to improve myself and made preparations."
"Yes, I have actually copied your idea and created my own version. We will see now who of us had done it better."
"Yes we will", Skorponok replied. He fired at Fortress Maximus with the laser blasters that were placed between the claw like hands.
The shot hit the Autobot and caused smaller damage, but it was nothing actually serious that would threaten or even slow him down.
Fortress countered a few moments later by striking his enemy across the face. The giant Decepticon stumbled back before he caught himself and attacked again.
xxxxxxx
Close to the center of the city the five Combaticons were still fighting with a few remnants of the nebulon army. As they were about to destroy this last fighters, they were however attacked themselves.
A Autobot triple changer who transformed from a space jet to a large artillary-cannon mode was firing at them. He was followed by another jet, a motorcycle, a sports-car and a mobile drilling machine, the Technobots.
The shots forced the Combaticons to draw back from the nebulon soldiers and they had to turn their attention to the five attackers.
xxx
At another part of the city area, the three Decepticon targetmasters were already occupied fighting with their Autobot counterparts.
Both groups were in robot form, with their Nebulon partners transformed into guns and they were right now exchanging fire from a greater distance. Their shoot-out was taking place directly at the border between the town and the forests outside of it.
Both groups were taking cover behind rubble, trees or wrecked ground vehicles and at the same time trying to take aim at their foes. It was a stalemate in every sense of the word.
xxx
The group of Autobots led by Optimus Prime was still driving through the partly destroyed city. At the side of the streets were lying at some places the wrecks of destroyed tanks and air-planes and in between the dead bodies of fallen soldiers. A few of the jet-fighters had crashed into buildings and set them up into flames.
Panicked citizens were running around and crowding the places in some parts of the city, while others were already abandoned.
xxx
Grimlock and his Dinobots watched over the south eastern part of the town, close to the harbor area, where another group of Decepticons had been attacking.
A few hours earlier the fleet of battle-ships lying in the bay of Nebulos city was getting alerted about the invasion. The Transformers were back.
They had expected an assault from the land side or even from the air, but what happened was something completely different from what they had thought of. The first ship was sunk without anybody even realizing what had done it. Somehow it´s body had been ripped apart from the ground of the sea.
Then the soldiers finally saw it, giant monsters were coming out of the sea, with over-sized jaws and tentacles they were crunching or ripping the metal of the ships apart.
It were the Seacons, a team of Decepticons especially designed for missions under water. They all even had the alt-forms of fishes or other sea life. Because of that their use everywhere else was of course somewhat limited and they were often mocked by other Decepticons for that.
But they had one advantage clearly speaking for them, they were one of the Decepticon´s combiner groups. As they had finished demolishing the assembled military ships they merged into their gestalt mode Piranhacon and the super robot waited for the Autobots.
Now the waiting was coming to an end.
Grimlock and his group were flying in robot mode over the district, overlooking the area. They had made out the Decepticon gestalt and were heading in attack formation for him.
"Dinobots", Grimlock called out, "transform and attack."
The five Dinobots were transforming in their dinosaur modes and throwing themselves at their enemy.
Piranhacon tried everything to fight the attacking Autobots off. He stroke with his sword at them and slammed Snarl crashing in the ground. Swoop however fired his missiles, hitting him square in the chest and moments later Grimlock bite him in the arm, trying to hold him into place while the other Dinobots were targeting him.
xxxxxxx
At the core of Cybertron
Hotrod, Ultra Magnus, Kup and Goldbug were once again standing before the display of Primus face.
The entity had just informed them about a number of facts from the pre-historical time of Cybertron and he gave them a warning.
Unicron had returned. After the destruction of his body and his failed attempt to take over their planet, he had found a way to restore himself. To that came that the power of the Matrix was depleted now.
It may have started to return in the last weeks, but it was still not enough, not nearly.
Primus was the one who had called them here, they could only hope that he also had an idea for a solution.
"Hotrod, no Rodimus Prime", the voice of Primus said to him. "I have a request to you."
That was not exactly what they had awaited. What they actually expected right now was an offering of a way to help. But maybe this request was exactly that.
"What do you want from me?" Hotrod asked.
xxxxxxx
Nebulos
Fortress Maximus and Skorponok were struggling with each other. Both of them knew their fight would probably be deciding for the entire battle.
If one of them could take the other out, the army in question would barely have any chance anymore. A city robot was very hard to come by.
It would take nearly the entire rest of their forces to even match one of them. But a decision between them was so far not to see.
"You won´t win this Skorponok", Fortress Maximus told him.
"We will see", the Decepticon answered.
xxxxxxx
The Terrorcons were rampaging through the town, wrecking havoc in their dragon and monster modes.
This team didn´t have it´s name for nothing. The Terrorcons were one of the most nasty and aggressive sub-groups of the Decepticons and they were proofing it.
While the most other Cons had so far mostly only been attacking military targets, they and a few others were, only for the fun of it, tearing buildings down, killing people and leaving a path of destruction all through the city.
xxx
Capback, Bulkhead, Punch, Skyfire and Strangecase were fighting with a group of black Sweeps. The drone fighters had surrounded the five Autobots and were trying to take shots on them from different directions.
Despite not being experienced warriors, they were holding themselves quite good against the drones.
Carnage, the leader of the black Sweeps and the only one with a mind of his own, was overseeing the fight. The robot named Punch had destroyed one of his Sweeps and three others were now attacking them from two sides. He decided that it was time to get involved personally and joined his followers.
Carnage took aim and shot one of the Autobots. It didn´t matter to him which one as long as he caused damage. The target fell down to his knees. Very good, he thought.
"Bulkhead had been hit", Capback called out.
"Is he still functional?" Skyfire asked him.
"He is, but his damage is serious, he needs to the repair bay now."
Skyfire shot another of the Sweeps down.
"We have to bring him out of here", he said to the others.
"I will bring him back him back to Fortress Maximus", Capback offered. "Can you handle the rest of them alone?"
"We will have to", Skyfire answered. "Go and take care of him."
While the wounded Bot was dragged away, the others were holding the Sweeps back. Above them Carnage grinned.
xxx
Optimus and his group, consisting of the powermasters and the three Autobots Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Prowl, had arrived to confront the groups of Decepticons who were terrorizing the people.
He transformed into robot form and from there directly into his new, improved robot mode. Instead of sending his trailer into sub-space, like he would usually do, he merged with it and became taller, stronger and more heavily armed.
"So, let us see how good we work together", Optimus said loud to his new nebulon partner. Silently he received the confirmation from the nebulon through their mental link.
It was a strange feeling, he thought, sharing senses and experiences with somebody else. But the outcome, he had to admit, was worth it.
He felt as if he could move twice as fast as before, that he could perceive his environment now far better, of course he knew that was because his processor was now working with the information it was getting from both his and Hi Q´s mind.
And he felt stronger, far stronger, thanks to his upgrades. He knew, without the advanced reflexes of the powermaster process, this new form, a merging of his normal body and his trailer, wouldn´t have worked.
Before them, they saw a few Decepticons attacking natives. A oversized, metallic crocodile, in fact the headmaster Skullcruncher was shooting a group of Nebulons who were trying to flee from him and disintigrated them with one laser blast.
Despite being connected to a nebulon himself, he had obviously no problem to hunt them down and kill them for sport.
Seeing this, Optimus and the other powermasters went into attack. As Skullcruncher saw them coming he reunited with his nebulon partner and transformed back into a robot. He took aim at the Autobot leader, attempting to shoot him, but Optimus was faster. He aimed a blast at the chest and one at the head of the attacking headmaster, hitting the Decepticon and his nebulon partner at the same time. With a third shot at short distance that ripped through the spark chamber, he killed the robot instantly.
Behind him the other powermasters and the rest of his group were now struggling with the other rampaging Cons. Optimus recognized the two so called Horrorcons Snapdragon and Apeface, three of the Terrorcons and one of Sideways followers.
xxx
In the sky over them Megatron, Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker were levitating over the battlefield and watching the ongoing fight.
"It seems Optimus Prime had upgraded himself", Megatron commented.
"Have you seen Prowl with them?" Skywarp asked him. "We know he is dead here. This has to be the one from our world."
"This means the Autobots probably know who we are", Thundercracker said.
"That doesn´t matter anymore", their leader replied. "When we have won this battle nobody will ask anymore where we came from. Now let us go down there and finish this Autobots."
"Now you are talking like the Megatron I remember", Starscream told him.
xxx
"Prime", Megatron greeted Optimus as he and the three seekers landed close to him, "how good it is to see you again."
"Megatron", he said, "it looks as if your take-over attempt had actually been successful right?"
"Indeed it was, before you stands the new leader of the Decepticons."
"We will see. By the way, the charade is over. We know now exactly what and who you are."
"I understand", he replied. "Prowl", he addressed the Autobot from his home dimension, "as I see you are still alive and you have actually made it to this universe too. I guess you are the one who gave them his new information."
"Yes I did."
"Now it doesn´t make a difference anymore. Nobody will doubt my authority after I have destroyed you."
He aimed his fusion cannon at the Autobots and fired.
Optimus and his men could barely dodge the shot. He felt as fire and burning splitters of stone were thrown on him from the explosion. Then they fired back.
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Cybertron
"Do I understand you right Primus? You want me to let you take over my body?"
Hotrod and the others had been listening astonished to what the ancient being was proposing.
"I would rather say that I want to transfer part of my essence over to you, but technically you could call it what you have said", he explained.
"Yes, what´s the difference?" Kup asked incredulous.
"I am not going to subdue Rodimus mind or in some way trying to control him", he assured them.
He again addressed Hotrod.
"Your thoughts and everything what you are would still be your own. You could actually say that you will have mine in addition to it.
What I need is a way to channel my power and concentrate it on the outside world, when we can do what is necessary to fight Unicron."
"Can you not simply re-empower the Matrix?" Ultra Magnus asked him.
"The Matrix is more than just my energy. It is the sum of the lives and experiences of all cybertronians. To answer your question, yes I could re-energize the Matrix, but it would not nearly be what it had been before, not even close. It would simply not be enough.
"I…I understand", Magnus replied.
He had never claimed to be an expert about the Matrix and the mystical elements surrounding it. That was also one of the reasons that he had never felt comfortable back then in the role as Autobot leader. But in his time with both Optimus and Rodimus he had still learned some things about it.
"I will do it", Hotrod said loud.
"You will what?" Kup asked him incredulous. "Moment, you actually want to agree to that?"
"We have not much of a choice right and besides, he is the creator of Cybertron. We can trust him."
"And you know all that how?"
"Because the Matrix told me."
"Oh, the Matrix had told you that", Kup commented sarcastically.
"Yes and if we can not longer trust it then what?" Hotrod looked at his comrades one by one.
"Primus", he said then, "do it."
"As you wish."
In the next moment a powerful stream of energy left his holographic representation and flew to Hotrod. As it hit the body of the Autobot it began to glow around him, as they all recognised, exactly in the same color as the light of the Matrix.
It was exactly as seven years ago when he first opened the legendary artifact. The energy, the light surrounded him, flew through him. Hotrod´s form was now shining as bright as a star.
He felt how his body was changing, became larger, his stature subtilely different, his transformation mode was changing and he became far more powerful. Before the eyes of the others he changed back into Rodimus Prime.
Then the energy was absorbed into his body. Their friend was standing before them, nearly the same as before.
"Rodimus?" Ultra Magnus asked him.
"Yes and no", he answered. As he spoke his voice sounded different, distorted, nearly as if it was a mix of the voices of Primus and Hotrod and his eyes were shining with the same energy that was around him a moment before.
"Don´t worry", he told them, "I will do what is to do."
With this words Rodimus began to levitate from the ground, without any outside help and teleported away.
xxxxxxx
He could feel the presence of the other Transformers in the distance. His senses were now going far beyond his physical form. He could feel their life energy, their sparks, their minds.
Rodimus could feel Optimus, far away on another planet and with a thought, he teleported.
He was on a organic world, on the first look a bit similar to earth. Nebulos, he recognized the planet.
And there was a battle going on, on the planet and in space over them. He himself was still out of their sight.
Then he saw Optimus in hand to hand combat with someone who was looking like Megatron. Impossible, the Hotrod part of his being thought.
This was the Megatron from another universe, Primus gave him the information, refugee from that world and somehow part of a greater scheme. Primus had felt his arrival in this dimension months ago. What scheme, he thought? Even they didn´t know.
Optimus and the new Megatron were exchanging heavy blows right now, both were taking at least serious superficial damage.
Around them he could see other Autobots and Decepticons in similar fights. He could make out for example Getaway, Sunstreaker, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Prowl?
Other visitors from the other universe, he suddenly knew.
He couldn´t help them, he realized and he couldn´t take Optimus at this moment, he was needed here right now.
Optimus had to wait.
But he could feel others, Galvatron, he recognized him and teleported.
xxx
He appeared right over the damaged group of Decepticons consisting of Galvatron, Cyclonus and the Sweeps, the real Sweeps, left behind after the challenge with Megatron and his followers.
For Rodimus Prime they had been enemies for a long time, but for Primus they were allies and so they were for them both now.
"Galvatron", he called out the name.
The Decepticons starred at him. He saw that some of same were grabbing for their guns.
"You", Galvatron said astonished.
But before they could do anything, Rodimus/Primus had transported them away.
xxxxxxx
Optimus had the Decepticon leader in the defensive right now. His powermaster form was as it looked even stronger than Megatron´s upgraded body.
A blast from him hit his opponent´s shoulder and ripped parts of metal out.
"Give up Megatron", he told him.
"The Optimus I knew had always said the same thing", he said mockingly, "and always he didn´t understood that I had still a trump left. You have already lost Prime, you just doesn´t know it yet." He laughed.
xxxxxxx
Fortress Maximus shot a salve of missiles at Skorponok that hit the Decepticon frontal and he fell to his knees.
With a strike of his hand Fortress send his opponent down and the damage forced him to transform back into city mode.
"It is over Skorponok. I have won", he said and pointed his main weapon at his downed foe.
xxx
"Fortress", he heard someone calling out a short time later.
He saw two Autobots on the ground, one was obviously injured and the other was carrying him.
"He is damaged", the other, Capback, he remembered him, shouted.
"Good, bring him inside", Fortress Maximus said and opened an airlock.
xxxxxxx
In space over them the fight between the small Autobot fleet and the Conqueror was still going on. They had reached somewhat of a stand-off situation as something unexpected happened.
The two Bots who were piloting one of the shuttles registered something on their scanners. Hundreds of objects had suddenly arrived in the system.
"Damn", one of them cursed, "can you see what they are?"
"Yes", the other answered in a more than worried tone. They are Sweeps, the same black variant that had been seen over Autobot city, hundreds of them.
xxx
On board of the Conqueror, one of the Decepticons on duty had also noticed the new fleet.
"What is that?" he asked the Sweep standing next to him. "Reinforcements we have not been informed about?"
"Yes", the drone answered him in it´s monotone voice.
xxxxxxx
On the ground Fortress Maximus was still watching the defeated Skorponok at gun point.
In the command station inside his head the nebulon leader Galen was sitting, connected to the systems of the super robot.
He heard that someone had entered the room behind him.
"Capback", he greeted the newcomer, "how is Bulkhead and by the way what are you doing here?"
He suddenly registered disturbed that the Autobot was still dragging the damaged form of his comrade over the metal floor with him at one arm. Why had he not brought him to the med bay?
Before he could say something to this, before he had even the chance to somehow react, his visitor had already drawn his gun and fired at him.
Despite his exo-suit, the nearly helpless nebulon was completely vaporized and the machinery around him heavily damaged.
Then Capback looked down at his wounded comrade and with a smile shot him in the head.
xxx
The Autobot super robot fell to the ground, like a marionette whose strings had been cut and like Skorponok, he automatically transformed back.
"So Fortress, it seems that your victory was kind of short whiled", Zarak said in his own command center and laughed.
"Lord Zarak", he heard a call coming in. It was Doomsday, one of Sideways mercenaries. "the plan had worked. We were sent by Megatron to report to you and inspect the damage."
"Yes, I will let you on board", he replied.
xxxxxxx
Megatron was receiving a signal on his communicator.
"Sir", one of the Decepticons on the flag ship called him, "our troops on the ground report that Fortress Maximus has been taken care of."
"Yes Optimus", Megatron informed him, "it looks as if your friend Fortress is dead."
"No", Optimus said.
"Our plan had perfectly worked out", Megatron told him cheerfully.
"Megatron, there is something else. A few moments ago a force of several hundred black Sweeps had suddenly arrived in the system."
"What", Megatron called out. That was a surprise even for him. Had Sideways modified the plan without his knowledge? Another safe guard he hadn´t informed him about and how had he been able to create so many drones?
He and his ally would have a lot to talk about when this was over. But in the end it didn´t matter now, they had won, he thought in triumph.
"Megatron, there is something wrong", the Decepticon contacted him again, this time obviously in distress. "The Sweeps, they are attacking us too."
"So it seems your victory wasn´t truly yours after all Megatron", Optimus told him.
This was the longest chapter in this story so far. I wanted to bring when possible the entire battle on Nebulos in.
The Autobot Bulkhead who played a small role here and was killed off is indirectly based on the "animated" character with the same name and is meant to look similar. He has however not much in common with his counterpart except his appearance and is a relative unimportant side character.