A few informations: The ship that I have called the Conqueror is not the Decepticon flagship created by Unicron. That ship is still in space, somewhere around Chaar, commanded by a few Sweeps in this story. The Conqueror is a new ship that Megatron had chosen to be his flagship, after he had temporally taken over from Galvatron.
This chapter will include a few references to Megatron´s heritage. This however doesn´t follow the newer IDW origin story but more the marvel g2 story. This will be closely related to a scene from my story "Nightmare".
Chapter 19
The combined Autobot-Decepticon group was standing at the entrance of a long corridor, exchanging fire with two of Sideways followers.
While they were shooting each other, another group was attacking the ship from the outside.
The Conqueror was shaking under the feet of the fighting robots. Some of them had problems to hold their aim through the floor trembling under their feet.
Because of this a few laser blasts went astray and slammed into the walls of the room.
xxx
At the same time on the outside, the ship was charged by the gestalt robot Piranhacon, who was flanked by Megatron and the seekers.
As the Transformers at the inside were still struggling with each other the hull of the ship was pounded by the super robot.
It was all too easy, Megatron thought to himself as his fusion gun blew up a drone warrior. He had thought that Sideways and his followers would not expect a counterattack so soon, but this was going even better than anticipated.
"Very good Piranhacon", he said loud as the gestalt was beginning to tear the metal of the ship apart.
The Seacons had been all too eager to prove that they were not on Sideways side, even if he had been the one who recruited them and they showed it.
xxx
While the attackers from the outside were about to break through the defenses, the shoot-out at the inside continued.
As everybody had their balance back Sideways two warriors fired another salve of blasts at their opponents.
Optimus group had mostly taken cover behind the hallway´s corner.
The Autobot Skyfire however was hit by several shots and broke down, heavily damaged.
xxx
From the command bridge, Sideways was watching the battle outside and he had also heard about the fighting in the ship.
His few remaining troops here were outnumbered and outgunned.
It looked as if they would kill him very soon, very good.
It was all going as planned.
xxx
Meanwhile Piranhacon had managed to rip the shell of the ship open and created a way inside for the attacking Transformers.
"Yes, very good", Megatron commended the Seacon gestalt. "Skywarp, Thundercracker, Getaway, Joyride", he then ordered the Decepticons and Autobots, "get on board.
Darkwing, Dreadwind", he addressed the two powermasters, who were currently merged into their combined jet mode, "and you Piranhacon, you stay outside and look for any Sweeps that might still be outside. We go and get Sideways", he said then grimly.
xxx
The three Autobots saw one of them fall, like so many times before.
Skyfire had been with them since they had crash-landed on Earth, not millions of years like others, but it had been enough to save their lives multiple times.
They all saw on the first look that the the damage was fatal. Vital systems were hit, the spark chamber and fuel system damaged.
Starscream was starring at the form of his dying former friend.
This robot had been his oldest confident back on Cybertron, his mentor, his partner and fellow explorer.
But by now he was also an Autobot and he was the last link to a past Starscream didn´t want to remember anymore. That however was now gone forever.
Some of the others noticed the look on the seekers face.
"Good bye old friend", Starscream said quietly as Skyfire´s optics darkened.
Then his expression turned suddenly into one of anger. He turned around and began to fire his guns off at the two Unicron cultists.
His vigorous shots hit the robot known as Eraser several times into the chest, pierced through his fuel pump and slammed his smoking chassis back into the next wall.
At the same time Optimus took aim at their other opponent and shot second Unicron worshiper through the spark chamber.
"Skyfire?" Optimus asked, turning around to Sideswipe.
The Autobot who was kneeling next to their fallen comrade only shook his head.
"Let us continue", Starscream said in a toneless and hollow voice. "We need to get Sideways."
xxx
From the command bridge, the robot in question was watching the battle outside and he had also heard about the fighting in the ship.
His few remaining troops here were outnumbered and outgunned.
It looked as if they would kill him very soon, very good.
It was all going as planned.
xxx
Optimus and Skorponok draw their weapons. They heard voices coming closer to them and the sound of heavy footsteps on metal.
One moment later they saw the large form of Megatron appearing before them, followed closely by Thundercracker and Skywarp.
They had just been on the way to the bridge. But none of them was completely sure if the otherworldly Decepticon leader was right now ally or enemy.
"Wait Optimus", they heard someone call out. Then they recognized the Autobot Getaway.
"Megatron is on our side right, currently. He had been over-crossed by Sideways just like us."
"You can say this Autobot", the Decepticon commented, "and I really wish to get my hands on that monster, believe me Prime."
"I see", Optimus replied.
"Given the situation, we have decided to agree to an temporally alliance with the Decepticons", Getaway stated.
"As you see we have come to the same conclusion", the Autobot leader told them with a side-look at Starscream and Skorponok.
"Good, then let us do this", Megatron said, firing his fusion gun at the door to the command bridge.
"Welcome", a voice greeted them as they stepped through the large hole, the explosion had created. "Optimus, Megatron, Skorponok, how good it is to see you."
"Spare us that Sideways or should I rather say Unicron?", Megatron replied.
"We are here to stop you", Prime told him, "and we will do everything we have to."
"Really?" Sideways asked.
Beside him, Capback, who had been sitting at the consoles, stood up and draw his gun. But before he could fire a shot from Megatron´s fusion cannon cut the Autobot traitor´s head clean off before hitting the controls behind him.
"I see your precision and lethality have not changed at all", Sideways said smugly, not caring in the slightest about the death of his subordinate. "I guess that is the reason that I have chosen your other self as my messenger."
"Shut up", the Decepticon snarled.
"You fools", Sideways told them, "you can not win. Do you really think this little confrontation has any meaning. "You have already lost."
"We will see", Optimus replied before both he and Megatron opened fire, shortly followed by Skorponok and Starscream.
The others just watched, partly horrified, partly fascinated.
Like before in the fight with Cyclonus, Sideways body regenerated itself. But not even his mysterious regeneration ability could overcome the dozens of blasts that were hitting him. A few seconds later his body fell to the ground, now only a burned out husk.
"You have won nothing." That were the last words he said before breaking down completely.
"Well, that was easy", Sunstreaker pointed out.
They looked around. The ship was a wreck, Unicron´s followers were either dead or long gone. It seemed most of the black Sweeps had not even been there.
The only question was, why?
"Did we do it?" Getaway asked Optimus.
"I really wish I could think that", he answered.
"As you all see my plan had worked perfectly", Starscream announced, "and now that we have got rid of Sideways I hope…"
"You are a fool Starscream", Megatron interrupted him, saying the words he had so often heard from the other version of the Decepticon leader.
"What is it?" the seeker asked irritated.
"The Sweep army is not here", Optimus told him, "and it had not for a long time. Sideways may be dead, but he was from the beginning only a puppet, not much more than a drone that Unicron transferred his memories into.
He had ordered the most of his troops away before we even came and where ever he had send them, it can not be good."
xxxxxxx
Underground of Cybertron
The air around them was filled with the blue light. It was surrounding and compassing them.
The dozens of Transformers were standing, still forming two separate groups, in the center of the seemingly endless hall.
"As you know now, the Matrix was originally created from my life force and my being", the voice of Primus told them, "but by now it is far more than that.
The sparks of every cybertronian in existence, the sum of all their thoughts and all they had ever been, become one with the Matrix when their lives end", the voice said. "Some even join with it before their life ends", he added, obviously referring to the Primes.
"That is the reason I am unable to re-empower the Matrix by myself. It had simply outgrown me a long time ago."
The light that was filling the room became brighter and brighter, involving the group consisting of
Hotrod, Ultra Magnus, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, Kup, Goldbug, Soundwave, Scourge, the Sweeps, Springer, Astrotrain, Blaster, Blurr, Arcee, Sixshot, the targetmasters, the "coneheads", the Protectobots, Constructicons, Sparklerbots, Duocons, Technobots, Combaticons, Stunticons and others
even further. Then suddenly it stopped.
The light around the assembled Transformers had gone dark. It was over.
But this light was not gone. Now the Matrix was glowing twice as bright as before.
The strange ritual that Primus had performed and that everybody had agreed to take part in came to an end.
"Thank you", Rodimus said, holding the Matrix in his hands, now again with his own voice.
Now that their work was done Primus had separated from Hotrod´s body and they both were once again for themselves.
The face of the ancient being was back to see on the holographic machine.
There was only one visible difference from how things had been before.
The young Autobot leader was back in the form of Rodimus Prime and by what Primus had let him know he would stay like this permanently, independent from the presence of the Matrix.
In the beginning, Rodimus Prime had just been a upgrade, given by it´s power. But it was also what he could be and was meant to be, his destiny so to speak. At the inside he had always been Rodimus and now now it was for everybody to see.
"Did we succeed?" he asked, looking at the object he was holding.
"Yes we did", Primus answered him. "You are now connected to the Matrix, all of you, like usually only very few would be. All of you have given a small part of your essence and have been given something in exchange. Like back then when it had been used to cure the hate plaque, only to a far deeper level.
Your minds are now bonded to it, your experiences, your energy, your hope, it is all now filling it, you and it are one."
"Does that mean we all are, well, Primes?" Ultra Magnus asked in amazement. He watched the dozens of Autobots and Decepticons around.
"In a sense. It is not exactly identically as what the Autobot leaders experience, but essentially it is the same.
"Oh great, we are all Primes now", Swindle commented sarcastically.
"Be quiet", Onslaught ordered him.
"So we have done it", Rodimus concluded.
"Yes, the Matrix is nearly as strong now as it had been when you first opened it", Primus said.
"Nearly?"
"It will be enough."
"Good, now we have to return to the surface, as fast as possible."
"It has taken us days to get down here", Kup pointed out.
"When we didn´t know the way and had to over-think every move. I think we should be able to made it back in a few hours", Rodimus replied.
"Can Primus not simply teleport us again?" Springer wanted to know.
"I have already spent too much energy doing it the first time", the entity himself answered the question, "and we will need it against Unicron."
"Okay I only wanted to ask."
"There is however one last thing to do", Primus told them.
"Galvatron", he addressed the Decepticon leader, "tell me, what will you do now?"
"I have agreed to work with the Autobots for now to stop Unicron. Don´t worry, I will hold up this alliance that you have proposed."
"And what then?" Primus asked him. "When, if you find a way to stop Unicron, what will happen afterwards?"
"When things will continue as they always had", Galvatron said.
"Do you really think it had to be like that?"
"I know what you are trying to do Primus", the Decepticon told him. "This is my empire. I have struggled and fought for it for millions of years. I and my Decepticons have conquered Cybertron. I won´t give it up now, especially not for an `understanding´ with the Autobots who would only try to dictate us what is right and what not. I have seen all this before."
"Yes, I know and I remember, back in what the Autobots call the golden age", Primus told him.
"More like a short period between two wars when the Autobots were ruling just because through some luck they had won", Galvatron replied with a side-glance at the Bots present.
"And now you are ruling because you have won?" Primus asked him.
"At least I am honest about it and not hiding behind false ideals."
The others present, Autobots and Decepticons, were following the exchange.
"Maybe. Tell me Galvatron, Megatron, have others fought and struggled less than you? Have Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus?"
"No, they have not", Galvatron replied.
"So you respect them?"
"They are my enemies and I will destroy them to reach my aims."
"And then? If you truly defeat them forever, what will you do then? Will you continue on the next world and the next? Destroying everybody who stands in your way, who disagrees with you. When shall that end?"
"When we Decepticons have an empire that spans the galaxy."
"No", Primus replied, "even if you would succeed in this, it would not be the end, not if you use this methods. Worlds that you have conquered would constantly revolt, enemies from inside and out would target you, usurpers from your own lines would appear. The war that you have started Galvatron can never end. It will always continue in an endless circle. The only question is, do you really want that?"
"It is the way of the Decepticons."
"Why?"
Galvatron was himself surprised to realize that he didn´t knew an answer.
"I know", Primus told him. "I know how it all started and I know who is responsible."
"What do you mean?"
"Your creator, back when you were still Megatron, the one who had been called the Liege."
Galvatron´s expression turned into one of anger.
"What do you know of that?"
"The Liege was one of my earliest creations and one of my greatest disappointments.
I know that he ordered the construction bots to build you and only minutes later let you fight for your life by ordering a few of his warriors to kill you.
I know that he used and manipulated you, like Unicron tried millions of years later.
I know that he created you as a weapon against the Autobots, to fight a war for him and even now, you are still following that schematic."
"No, I freed myself from him a long time ago, I overthrew and defeated him and forced him to flee."
"Only to become like him?"
"I am not like him", Galvatron shouted.
"No? The liege wanted you to fight the Autobots, you are doing it.
He wanted you to take over Cybertron, you did.
He wanted you to target other worlds, you are already planning and doing this. How are you not following his instructions?"
"I am doing all that for my own reasons."
"Maybe, but you are still working by his rules, by his dogma and with his methods, by his ideas of violence.
I have seen all this. But I have also seen more. I know by now how far his manipulation really went.
He used the powers that I gave him to take over Cybertron´s warrior line from the background and used them as his pawns, for his agenda, his personal dreams of universal domination.
Then he started the first Autobot-Decepticon war that left your people broken and defeated, a war that he didn´t even wanted you to win. It was all a distraction that he could secretly take over parts of Cybertron and prepare for the true war, the one were he wanted to use you as his personal warlord.
I have seen how he played the Autobots and Decepticons against each other. You should know that many of the grievances you originally rebelled against were his doing in the first place.
Now we are here. You have defeated him and forced him into exile. The Decepticons are still fighting the Autobots and you are now trying to conquer your own empire, the only question is, was all that your idea or was it his?"
Galvatron looked downwards, again he didn´t have an answer.
"Galvatron, five years when the Matrix had been opened the last time, I was the one who healed you from the insanity that was forced over you. After I couldn´t allow you to stop Unicron in time to save your troops, that was the least thing I could do for you.
I also cut off his mental influence over you, Cyclonus and Scourge and now I did the same for the Sweeps.
What will happen now will be your choice. I won´t and can not made them for you. As I told you, I can not and will not force you to do anything. You are the one´s in charge here, you are making the decisions."
"We understand your message Primus." This time it was Rodimus who answered.
"Yes", Galvatron simply said quietly.
"One last thing. Have you been thinking about what I had suggested?" Primus addressed the Decepticon leader again.
"Indeed", he answered. His face showed many motions, anger, determination, worry. "If we do what you propose we could loose Cybertron."
"You could", Primus admitted, "and so would the Autobots. But if you don´t you could loose the entire universe. You are the ones fighting this war and it is your choice."
"Yes Primus, it is ours", Galvatron replied.
"I will do now the last thing that is to do and transfer the rest of my essence into the Matrix. Then it will have it´s full power again. I will be with you when you fight, completely. Goodbye my children. We will see again soon." With that Primus face on the display vanished and was replaced with a blue ball of light, identical in color with the one that filled the room earlier.
This sphere moved in Rodimus direction and finally merged with the Matrix. The machine in front of them however was now quiet and dead.
For a few seconds, Galvatron was in thought, what should he do?
Cyclonus stepped beside him.
"And Galvatron, should we do it?" he asked his leader.
For a few moments he thought about the situation and how to continue from here on and about Primus last idea.
"Yes Cyclonus", he replied, "we will."
xxx
In a little distance Rodimus and Ultra Magnus were standing before the group consisting of the Sparklerbots and a triple changer they didn´t recognize, as on the Decepticon side, of the Duocons, the Battlecharger and one Sweep.
"So you have something to tell us?" Rodimus addressed them.
"We wanted to tell you the entire time, but you all seemed to be somewhat preoccupied", Fizzle apologized.
"It is okay, we really were", the young Autobot leader remarked.
"Our two groups were sent to research the attack on the planet Scarvix", this time it was the Decepticon Flywheels who was talking.
"What have you found out?" Ultra Magnus asked them.
"We just came from the New Quintessa system, you won´t believe us what is going on out there."
xxxxxxx
The star system of New Quintessa
It was ready, the great project they had been working on for over a year was finished now, achieved by the work of Sharkticons, Alicons and other robotic slaves and drones.
The Quintesson fleet was lying in space over the planet, waiting and anticipating to see the results of their plan.
By now the planet of New Quintessa was mostly evacuated, the population removed to a neighboring world.
On the surface of the planet, hovering over the now abandoned cities, was the head of Unicron.
The connection was now going in the last phase.
Over a year ago his minions had for the first time made contact with the Quintessons and the alliance between the two groups was forged.
This was only a short time after Unicron had first copied his personality and a part of his essence into a smaller body and became Sideways.
The Quintessons had agreed to two things,
first to build for him an army of drone warriors in the design of his old Sweeps, a few hundred prototypes that from that point would be able to replicate themselves independently into even greater numbers
and second, to give him a new body, in form of the planet New Quintessa.
Like he had tried it years ago with the planet Cybertron, his severed head was now connected to this world.
It wasn´t the old body of Primus and he wouldn´t have the pleasure of taking the former mortal form of his old enemy against himself, but this one would do.
A metal world like Cybertron, actually reforged in the image of it by it´s current residents or more likely former residents, since he was by now in control.
Still New Quintessa wasn´t Cybertron and not at it´s standard. Overtaking the planet that was shaped to be Primus body would have been easy.
It was already designed to be the physical shell of a god, ripe for the taking.
This world however was different. Unlike Cybertron, it wasn´t created to be a living machine.
A few weeks ago the Quintesson fleet and their new army of black Sweeps had attacked the planet Scarvix.
They completely destroyed the largest city on it and killed millions of inhabitants.
But in fact they had only one objective, the retrievement of a single being, one of the patients of the mental asylum that had once been at that world, a very special patient.
The rest of the destruction, the complete annihilation of the town where the installation was located in from orbit, was only serving as a diversion.
And exactly this former inmate was now deep inside the control center, giving commands to the various Sharkticon workers and construction machines.
Six years ago a group of Autobots and Decepticons had encountered a insane scientist calling himself Primacron. Physical a rather small organic being, primate like in appearance, was he still very dangerous because his skill as an inventor.
Claiming to be responsible for the creation of Unicron himself, this madman had then unleashed another being, a monster made by his own design, a energy vampire called Tornatron. With much luck the Transformers had been able to stop Primacron and his new creation.
Rodimus Prime had then decided to hand over the mad scientist to the authorities of the asylum on the planet Scarvix, who had then incarcerated him there, hopefully for the rest of his existence, until the Quintessons had freed him on Unicron´s wish.
All that was of course only the half truth. The scientist had actually designed Unicron´s body once, but only to be inhabited by a already existing presence.
And so he did now.
"Ah, you see my creation", the scientist said while he was working on the systems, "it was a good decision to come back to me."
"Indeed master. My near destruction at the hands of the Autobots did teach me humility", the Chaos Bringer claimed, saying what the small creature wanted to hear.
Unicron thought about the situation. He knew the marionette Sideways was destroyed. The part of his being that he had transferred into the robot, along with all it´s memories just having been returned back to him. It has all been going nearly as planned. Except of course for Megatron´s survival. But that was only a unimportant detail.
And he knew a short time ago the Quintessons had detected some intruders in their star system, as it seemed a cybertronian shuttle and they had sent a few ships after them.
It didn´t matter. Even if they would manage to escape, they were far too late to warn anybody.
Primacron smiled.
"Don´t worry. Soon you will be complete again. As you see my new servants have nearly finished their work", he said.
With his `servants´, he was referring to the Quintessons.
"And then we will together conquer the universe. We will completely destroy this galaxy and then we will completely rebuild it, stronger and better than before. Don´t you look forward to this?"
"Of course I do", Unicron replied, telling the truth now. Only who exactly would be the conqueror was a question they would clear later.
"You have always been my greatest creation Unicron. Did you know that?"
"Thank you, my master."
xxx
In another part of the system, another group was following their own business.
A group of Sharkticons and Alicon guard-robots was on board of a transport ship and on a route out of the sector of space.
The Sharkticon named Gnaw was sitting at the controls.
For as long as he could remember he and his kind had been slaves to the Quintessons, doing their work, fighting their battles, attacking other species, dying for them, sometimes helping to ruin whole worlds.
They were the ones who were the backbone of the Quintesson empire. But despite that their masters didn´t treat them much better than lifeless machines.
For the longest time he wished nothing more than to end it.
Several years back, after the events with the Autobots, in first line the group known as the Dinobots, the Sharkticons started a rebellion.
Back then Gnaw was one of the first to turn on their masters, one of the first to storm their palace. But their revolt had been pushed down.
One of the main reasons for it´s failure were the Alicon guards who staid loyal to the Quintessons. Now however a few of them were at their side. Some who had broken their programming and wanted the same thing they did.
Back then however they had still been bound to it and were forced to defend their masters.
This time he had only a small group around him. Eleven Sharkticons like himself and eight Alicons. All of them had broken their programming, developed beyond their mental limitations and developed sentience and all of them wanted to be free.
As their masters were occupied with their new ally they had used the chance to take over a transport ship and would use the distraction to escape from this sector.
They were aware that their relationship with this "ally" could only end up in a disaster and when a Sharkticon could realize this, every halfway intelligent being should be able to. But for some reason the Quintessons seemed to be blind for that fact.
He worried about the rest of his kind that they had to leave behind. While the most Sharkticons were little more than drones for the Quintessons, they had at least the potential for sentience.
However, by the time anything would happen, if something happened, they themselves would probably already be at the edge of the star system.
xxxxxxx
Cybertron
They had arrived at the surface, like Rodimus had thought far quicker as the descent had been.
"We are back", he said.
"And not too early", Ultra Magnus pointed out.
"We are a few miles off-side from the place where our last battle with the Autobots took place", Cyclonus informed Galvatron.
"Nobody moves", they suddenly heard somebody yell.
Then they saw around them dozens of Decepticon coming out of their hiding places, pointing their guns at them.
"They had been waiting for us here", Kup murmured.
"Let us just hope that Galvatron keeps his word", Rodimus replied.
"Galvatron." They heard the leader of the group greeting his commander in surprise as he recognized him.
"Spinister", he addressed the robot, "you don´t have to explain anything to me, I am informed about the situation. I know that Megatron´s attack on Nebulos had failed, that the troops are scattered and he himself is missing."
"Yes, that is exactly the situation."
"Try to reach all of the troops that you can, inform them that I am back in charge. They are ordered to assemble at the border of the Earth star system. Then you will made contact with Optimus Prime. Tell him that we have an alliance."
xxxxxxx
New Quintessa
Everything was ready, he could feel it. His new body awaited him.
Flashes of energy went through the planet from one pole to the other.
For months now New Quintessa was in a state of molecular transformation. It was Unicron´s presence itself that changed it for his needs, together with the physical work of the Sharkticon slaves and Primacron.
Now the process exploded in it´s speed. The work was finished.
Unicron transformed.
His connected head was now fused to the planet, out of the surface formed arms, legs.
He was whole again.
His mind run a scan on his new form. It was only a pale shadow of his old body, but with the help of his new Sweep army it would be more than enough.
The Matrix was exhausted after all.
He felt that someone was contacting him, his "partners", he realized.
A Quintesson ship that was floating close to him was sending out a call.
"Unicron", he heard one of the judges speaking to him. A picture was transferred directly into his processor.
The judge was flanked by two others and a group of guards on board of the command bridge of the ship.
"As you see we have kept our word", the Quintesson told him.
"Indeed you did", Unicron replied.
"Now regarding our end of the bargain, our fleet is ready for the flight for Cybertron to take it over, as your new messengers of course."
"Yes, actually you could do a great service for me", he said.
In the next moment his hand ripped through the ship and crushed it down to a wreck. Then he fired blasts from his eyes that caused two other cruisers to explode.
Next he turned to the neighboring planet that most of the Quintessons had settled on.
Yes, it was really courteous of them to prepare him such a nice meal, he thought, as he began to rip the planet apart.