Chapter 23

Galvatron, with Cyclonus and Scourge, followed by the six Sweeps, were flying in close formation. Thanks to Primus actions all of them were now completely free of Unicron´s influence.

The transwarp-ship had appeared, only a few thousand kilometers from the Earth´s orbit.

As the crew of the small vessel, that included the leaders of both factions, had arrived, the battle was already going on in full heat.

Galvatron transformed into his cannon mode and fired with his full power. The blast hit and burned a deep mark into Unicron´s outer armor.

Spike had finally succeeded in bringing Fortress Maximus out of his shock-stasis and was now replacing the lost bond with Galen. Both of them were currently two parts of a "new" headmaster, at least for now.

Fortress was at the moment helping Metroplex. The two city-sized Autobots had transformed into robot mode and were trying to fight their enemy together.

Even with their giant size however Unicron was still several times larger than them and they could only hold themselves by keeping their distance and trying to avoid his attacks.

Also a number of Decepticons from the scattered groups had by now followed Galvatron´s order and joined the battle at the Autobot´s side.

They knew they had to do everything to keep Unicron´s attention from Earth. Even a single shot from his eye-lasers could cause disastrous harm on the surface. But like the battle was going they soon realized that their worries were unfounded. He was clearly more interested in destroying them and the planet was for him only second importance.

Of course, they were the creations of Primus. Unicron would put their demise above nearly everything.

In some distance on the other side of the area, the Autobot Skylinx had just been flying his attack run. At this point the shuttle mode Transformer was receiving a message, one those content he found very interesting.

"Optimus", he called the Autobot leader, "I have here something you should hear."

xxxxxxx

At the same time, a large number of ships were started from the planet Earth, flying in the opposite direction to the ongoing battle.

Seeing the threat their world was under, it was being tried to bring as many people to safety as possible.

Of course it was only a small part of the billions of people of the planet that could be evacuated. So everybody´s hope was on that the invader could be stopped.

xxxxxxx

Skorponok, space ship mode

Zarak was watching the ongoing fight from his command bridge. He had to admit he was afraid, no terrified.

While he had seen images of Unicron before, watching the monster in real life, in his real form instead of his "Sideways" disguise, was something completely different.

Unicron, the Chaos Bringer, this creature was for every cybertronian the image of pure horror, was it now from personal experience or out of legends, a being that could devastate an entire universe, the direct opponent of their creator Primus, ravager of Cybertron barely seven years back.

And since the day he had been bonded with Skorponok, Zarak had heard more than enough about it to share this sentiment as he now saw the planet destroyer.

But at the same time he could barely contain his anger. Zarak remembered how his world had been destroyed, that hundreds of millions of his people had been killed. On top of that he had even been tricked into indirectly helping in this by Sideways and Megatron.

Skorponok remembered how Sideways warriors attacked him from the inside without warning, pretending to be allies. How they had been tearing him apart from within his own body. The humiliation to be tricked and used like this, the purple robot´s gloating face. He knew by now that Sideways and Unicron were one and the same being.

And the fear was slowly overshadowed by anger. Zarak and Skorponok, both of them shared the same mind and identity and they wanted revenge.

He transformed into robot mode and threw himself at his enemy who was at that moment distracted by facing Metroplex and Fortress Maximus. The attack was quick and vigorous. He bridged the distance between them in seconds and smashed his claws into Unicron´s armor.

This monster had destroyed his home-world and now it would pay.

His arms were digging into his enemies body and leaving large cuts. With a loud growl, Unicron leashed out at Skorponok and slammed the smaller robot away.

In that moment he was hit by a volley of Fortress missiles and Metroplex fired his laser cannons at him. The onslaught of the two city Autobots caused explosions all over his giant body and was cutting deep into Unicron´s chassis.

"I have never thought that I would say this one day. But, good word Skorponok", Fortress Maximus/Spike commented.

"I do my best Autobot."

After every blow they dealt, the three city robots were trying to get on distance again and staid on guard. They knew despite everything, a single shot from this enemy could obliterate them.

xxxxxxx

The Decepticon Starscream was flying over the battlefield. Between the other jets he was firing a few of his missiles at Unicron´s giant form.

Despite everything else he took great pleasure out of getting a shot at the being who had enslaved him before. But after a short time he changed his course.

While he wanted Unicron destroyed at least as much as everybody else, he didn´t found it necessary to get himself involved too much.

Should the Mega- and Galvatrons and the Primes deal with him, Starscream thought. Unicron would be destroyed, he would have his revenge and didn´t have to take the risk.

It seemed as if he wasn´t the only one with this thought, he realized. In some distance to the fight his sensors detected the presence of two Decepticons.

As he came closer he recognized them. They were triple changers. He remembered them from the time he was still second in command of the army.

When he transformed and landed before them, both pointed their guns at him. This seemed somehow to be the natural reaction to seeing him this days.

The former Air Commander smiled.

"What do you want Starscream?" one of then, the one who transformed into a dragon and a jet, asked him in an unfriendly tone. His name was Talon, Starscream remembered.

"Well, I only wanted to talk to you two. We haven´t seen each other for some time right?

"We won´t listen to anything you have to say. Everybody knows that you are lying when you open your mouth", the other, Ripper, said.

"Oh, is it that what they are now saying about me?" Starscream asked sarcastically. "I also rip the spark out of my victims and eat it and I manufacture organic children into grease oil too."

"I am willing to believe that on the spot", Ripper replied in a suppressed voice.

"It seems since Galvatron came back to his mind, I am now everyone´s bogeyman", Starscream exclaimed.

"That has probably more to do with trying to destroy us all and teaming up with Unicron", Talon pointed out.

The seeker only grinned at this comment.

"What are you doing here?" He asked the two.

"What does it look like? We are standing here and watching the battle", Ripper told him.

"Watching the battle? And I thought I heard Galvatron order to actually join the fight and help the Autobots. Well, I guess I must just have misheard this right?" Starscream had a smirk on his face now.

"Look we want to follow our orders", Talon told him, "it is only that we are not suicidal. It is against a planet sized monster and why should we help the Autobots of all people?"

"Hey, I completely understand where you are coming from. But I am not the one you need to convince. The question is what Galvatron will say when he hears about your little action here or should we call it your in-action?"

"Galvatron?" One of them asked with a hint of fear.

"Let´s see, first you two have joined the coup attempt of that Megatron impostor against him and now you are refusing direct orders. I actually don´t even want to know what Galvatron will do with you after this."

"The same can be said about you", Talon replied.

"Oh, you are already comparing yourself with me now?" Starscream began to laugh. "I hope you realize that I am a lost cause to them all for the longest time now." He became serious once more and addressed the two again.

"I see it like that. The others, who had actually followed the order and joined the battle has probably redeemed themselves in Galvatron´s eyes. You however." He let the words hanging in the air for a few moments.

"On the other hand, we lost causes should stick together or how are you seeing that?"

At this statement the two triple changers were looking at each other for a second in open confusion.

xxxxxxx

Over the planet earth

In addition to the city robots and the seekers, Unicron now had to deal with the combiners who had arrived with Optimus and Galvatron and mixed themselves under the rest of his attackers.

The Airialbots had by now ironically teamed up with the Sweeps and the two flight groups were now flying in one formation around his lower body.

While the Airialbots, Technobots and Combaticons were trying to fight him as separate beings, using mostly their air-borne or robot modes, Defensor, Menasor, Piranhacon, Devastator and Predaking had combined.

The five gestalts were attempting to attack from ankles where they would be outside the range of his lasers or hands.

Predaking and Piranhacon were firing at Unicron´s surface and were actually able to blow small parts out of his armor.

Menasor was able to come close enough to Unicron´s surface to hit him with his sword and left a long cut in the metallic "skin".

It were needle-sticks, not much, but in the long run they were causing more and more damage.

xxx

Optimus Prime had taken his form as a powermaster. He had reconnected himself to his partner HiQ and was once again merged with his trailer.

Currently he was flying somewhere between a large number of other warriors, challenging their single over-dimensionized opponent.

He realized to his relief that their attacks were actually causing damage.

"Optimus", at this point he was getting the call from Skylinx, "I have here something you should hear. Prime, do you hear me?"

"Yes Skylinx, I hear you. What is it?"

"I have just been receiving a hyper-space message. It is something you will find very interesting."

"Just tell it Skylinx. I am in the moment quite occupied", Optimus replied as he watched a group of flyers scattering from Unicron´s fire.

Another blast had been fired from Unicron´s eyes and went through the lines of the Autobots. Whoever was not fast enough to evade this shots was destroyed.

The headmaster Highbrow, the Autobot leader recognized him, was caught by the blast and vaporized. From one moment to the other the robot ceased to exist. Another one who was lost, just like so many, Optimus thought. Forcing down the wave of sadness he concentrated again on what was at hand.

"Okay Prime, you won´t believe this", Skylinx told him. "The message is from a Sharkticon named Gnaw."

"A Sharkticon has contacted us?" Optimus asked incredulous.

"Yes as it looks he and his group had just escaped from New Quintessa."

"Escaped?"

"By what they told us, the Quintessons had forced them to work on the construction of Unicron´s new body, out of the planet New Quintessa itself."

"I understand", the Autobot leader replied grimly.

"Their group has somehow managed to break free from their programing and organized an escape. That was right before Unicron turned on the Quintessons and destroyed them."

"Destroyed them, the entire race?" Optimus asked in shock.

"By the information, practically everyone in the system. That would mean most of them. There may be survivors in other sectors. It is not as if anybody would miss this particular species", Skylinx pointed out.

"It is still genocide Skylinx. Let us make sure that this will be the last species Unicron had destroyed."

"In this case you will like to hear this Optimus. The message also said that they had with the reconstruction, how should I say this, not done as good work as they could have."

"Sabotage?"

"Not a very offensive or obvious one. For that they were too closely watched by their former masters. It was in many cases it was not much more than, let us call it neglecting their work. Using shoddy materials for isolation and connection points, leaving one or two parts out, something like that. But it seems they had also knowingly sabotaged a few sub-systems of the planet´s machinery.

Just at a level that Unicron or the Quintessons wouldn´t notice. Pretty smart for Sharkticons if you ask me."

"As you said. They have obviously "grown beyond" their programing and developed into more than their masters had ever intended for them to be, like our ancestors once."

"Déjà vu", Skylinx commented.

"Exactly my friend. Who knows, maybe we will have other dealings with this group in the future."

"You mean if we survive this."

"Believe me, we will." The Prime sounded confidently.

"You think we have actually a chance?" The shuttle Autobot asked.

"I know", he answered. "Skylinx", Optimus said, "send this Gnaw a reply and tell him that we thank him for this information and that the Autobots are always open for future contacts."

"With pleasure Optimus."

xxx

Fortress Maximus was caught by one of the blasts. It was tearing into his shoulder and ripped his right arm off. Left was only a large hole at the side of the damaged super robot.

Inside his body Spike was screaming in agony. Though the connection he was feeling Fortress pain as if it was his own.

Carly had left the giant robots body on a shuttle just before the battle begun, together with the other human personnel on board, everybody who would have otherwise been unnecessary endangered. She had her doubts about this from the beginning just like he had.

There was a great chance that he would die here and even if he survived all this he could easily be left with physical or mental damage. But he had no choice. Without a replacement for Galen, Fortress Maximus would not be functioning and he was simply the best choice available.

Maybe it was actually for the best that Carly was not here to see him in this state.

Skorponok and Metroplex were attacking once again. Spike realized that their earlier attempts had already left deep wounds in their opponent´s body. Maybe they could really win this, he thought.

In that moment Unicron yelled out an loud scream. One split-second later he struck and landed a single punch on Skorponok that alone was more than enough to seriously harm the Decepticon. His fist was literally as large as his opponent.

Then the planet eater made a noise like in horrible pain and suddenly froze in his movement. It was nearly as if for a moment something in him just set out. And, without anybody knowing, this was actually pretty close to the truth.

Spike and with him Fortress Maximus took this opportunity to attack once again. He hit his opponent hard with the fist of his remaining arm and to his surprise, actually felt the material giving in, leaving a large dent in Unicron´s upper body. Seconds later, Metroplex tackled him from the side.

xxx

Skorponok had caught himself. He knew he was in a terrible state. Like Spike, Zarak was feeling every bit of the pain his super robot was in.

He saw the deep wounds he had caused and felt a sense of satisfaction. Then he realized that Unicron suddenly stopped moving and saw Fortress Maximus attack right afterwards.

Like Fortress, he found an opening and used it. He was aiming for Unicron´s right eye. Dealing just with the assault of the two city Autobots, he didn´t see it coming.

Skorponok´s claw hit and smashed the transparent material that protected the optical sensors and the circuitry behind it, leaving the Chaos Bringers body half blind.

Unicron let out a even more horrifying scream of both, pain and anger.

Skorponok, Fortress Maximus and Metroplex had already gotten back to a safer distance. But this time it didn´t help them.

Unicron aimed now directly at Skorponok with his remaining eye laser and fired. This time there was no chance to avoid the blast.

Zarak saw it coming. He knew he had no chance, he was too badly damaged to get away in time. But still he was trying.

Skorponok had known that he would probably not survive this mission right from the start.

But still he didn´t want to die. Many on his home-world would probably say that he deserved it anyway.

He himself was responsible for the loss of millions of his fellow nebulons. And as Skorponok for the loss of many cybertronians. Most of it he regretted by now. Seeing his burning world had made him over-think many things.

Despite everything he didn´t come here to lose his own life but to kill Unicron. He intended to fight till the end and hopefully survive.

But as his aching body didn´t want to move, he knew it was over. For a short moment he saw the blast coming directly to him and accepted it.

He was glad however that he could have done his part to stop this menace and hopefully would be able to take his enemy with him.

xxx

"Skorponok", Fortress Maximus shouted as he saw the demise of the Decepticon. They had been enemies for years, as Transformers just like as nebulons, but here he had been risking his life to help them.

Fortress knew there was no chance that Skorponok would survive this. His head and the upper half of his body had been completely destroyed.

"You did a good job my friend", Fortress said about his former enemy.

xxxxxxx

Rodimus and his team were trying to fight their way to their foe. With him were Ultra Magnus, Springer and the two targetmasters Kup and Blurr. They were the group that had volunteered for one of the most important and also most dangerous tasks.

The fighting with the city robots and the air units was keeping Unicron distracted and the heavy damage from it had left large holes as much in his defense as in his armor.

If they were able to get close enough or in the ideal case, get inside Unicron´s body, Rodimus would be ready to use the Matrix again. They would be the ones to end this conflict.

"And to think that I have volunteered for this. I must be crazy."

"It is not much more dangerous than being at any other place in this battle", Ultra Magnus pointed out.

"Not much", Springer commented.

"Well Kup, doesn´t this remind you of the last time we did this?" Rodimus asked.

"Now that you say it", the old Autobot answered. "But as I remember, the last time you simply crashed a space ship through his eye and we didn´t have to fight our way inside first."

xxx

At the same time a group of Decepticons was trying to do a similar thing. In some distance to the Autobots, Galvatron, Megatron and Cyclonus, closely followed by Scourge, Skywarp, Thundercracker and Sixshot, wanted to get near enough to the planet destroyer to enter through Unicron´s open wounds and destroy his body from the insides.

On their way they were literally shooting their guns off, letting a rain of fire getting down at their enemy. Galvatron transformed into his cannon mode, fired and changed back, burning down another part of Unicron´s surface.

Less than one minute later they found what they were searching for and entered the body through a large hole in his side.

"Now we are at our destination", Galvatron said as he was looking at the familiar walls and corridors. Unicron´s powers had truly began to morph New Quintessa into a replica of his old physical shell.

"Yes, you can not imagine how long I have waited for this moment", Megatron, standing next to him, said.

"Oh no, you are wrong", Galvatron replied, "I can imagine. After you my comrade", he said with a gesture forward.

"Thank you", Megatron answered. He transformed into his tank mode and opened fire. His shots burned through several walls and began to destroy small parts of the giant machinery.

Seconds later the other Decepticons draw their guns too.

xxxxxxx

Unicron found it hard to admit it to himself, but he was losing. His body was in horrible pain. Something in him seemed to be short circuiting and exploding. He felt as if he was nearly falling apart.

How could that be? He thought.

Was New Quintessa really that inferior as a body? Had the cybertronians grown so much more powerful? Or was their something missing he didn´t realize?

Losing to this inferior creatures. They didn´t even needed the Matrix to bring it this far. The Matrix, the essence of Primus, in a way Primus himself, that was something he could have accepted.

But being defeated by mere creations of his real foe. That was a shame he couldn´t take.

He knew that his drone armada had been destroyed. Somehow they had reactivated the ancient device to collect energy from exploding stars. Primus doing without a doubt. All his plans had been fallen apart, he realized.

He had lost his black Sweeps with that he had been planning to raid entire worlds and now he was about to lose his new body.

Primus and his spawn had won, once again.

But he would return and someday he would have his revenge. His essence, his true self, was indestructible.

Somewhere he would find a new body, he would recreate himself like he did before and then he would destroy them all, Autobots and Decepticons alike, even if it would take millions of years or tens of millions.

But there was one last thing he could do here, the Earth. He was probably already too weak to destroy the planet, but he knew even a single blast was enough to cause global devastation. That would do as revenge for now.

He turned his gaze around, facing the blue organic world. But before he could do anything, another terrible pain shot through him. He felt something deep in him exploding. Fire burned out of his mouth and his limbs stopped working.

He couldn´t move anymore. It was over.

xxxxxxx

The fight had come to an end.

The planet-sized figure was now slowly drifting motionless through space, away from Earth. Through the massive damage Unicron´s body was left a wreck.

But the mind that was controlling it was still intact. It would always be intact. The essence of the chaos bringer would simply find another shell and continue what it always did, like many times before.

But not this time, Rodimus thought. They would put an end to Unicron here once and for all.

He was standing inside the control center in the planet body´s head. Next to him were Optimus, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Springer, Megatron, Skywarp and Thundercracker.

"Unicron", Optimus was calling out, "we know that you are still here."

They all knew the Chaos Bringer´s mind was still there somewhere in the giant machine. Probably waiting to transfer into another body or just to fled into the void of space.

"Yes I am", the deep voice answered after a few moments of silence.

"You have lost Unicron", Rodimus told him.

"Maybe for now Chosen One. All that you have destroyed is my body. I will find a new one. You will never truly defeat me.

Tell me, where is Galvatron? Is he afraid to face his master?" He mocked them.

"You are nobody´s master anymore", Megatron said angrily. "You are finished."

"We will see."

"Unicron, chaos bringer, how often have we defeated you? How often have we stopped you, derailed your plans, humiliated you?" Rodimus asked him. "The self proclaimed god, beaten by mere mortals."

A growl went to the construct around them.

"I will have my revenge Autobot. I will find a new body and someday I will return. Even if I don´t get the chance to destroy you, then it will be your descendants."

"No, not this time", the young Prime answered. He opened his chest plate and took the recharged Matrix in his hands.

"So Primus has re-empowered it", Unicron said. "But even his essence can not truly destroy mine. All you can hope for is a tie."

"There is something you should know", Rodimus continued. "The Matrix can also be used in another way. As you know it is working as a collector for the sparks of every Transformer in existence, the living and the dead. Whose bundled energy can be released and send against you."

He began to open the Matrix.

"But it also works the other way around", he said. "Instead of releasing the energy of Primus children, it will now absorb yours. The Matrix will become your prison."

The blue light began to fill the room.

And at the same time, a formless being started to separate itself from the walls around them. It looked like a dark cloud of energy that quickly took humanoid shape.

They all realized that this was possible their first glimpse of Unicron´s true nature.

The figure that formed itself still showed the typical attributes of his appearance, the horns and large wings of it´s back. Otherwise it was completely black, like a shadow, living darkness.

The light seemed to wring itself around the dark shape and hold it.

"Primus essence will keep yours trapped for all eternity", Rodimus told him.

"No", they heard the dark figure scream.

The light seemed to drag it down, rip parts of it off and draw it into the Matrix."

Another scream from Unicron´s essence filled the room. More and more of the darkness vanished into the light and then it was gone.

Everything was back to normal. All of them just starred at what had just happened before them.

"Well, that is at least something you don´t see every day", Skywarp said.

xxxxxxx

Inside another room of the planet sized construction, Sideways activated his eyes.

He had done it, he had escaped. It was already some time ago that he had created a new version of Sideways, after the first one had been destroyed. At that time it has only been a safety measure in case his new body would fail.

Now it has been his rescue.

He was able to download his conscious mind into it in the last moment, before he ended as Primus prisoner.

But the greatest part of his essence was gone, absorbed into the Matrix, like Primus chosen had said.

Primus, cursed be his name, he, Rodimus, Optimus, Galvatron, all of them.

Thanks to them he was now only a shadow of his former self, barely more than a mortal.

But it had one good thing in the end. If Primus was using his own essence to keep his imprisoned, then he could not use it for anything else. He would need all his power to keep it in check.

Primus creations thought he was gone. That gave him time and opportunity to start anew, even in this pathetic form. His power may be gone, but so was his enemy´s, bound by his own trap.

Like he had told Rodimus Prime earlier, it was a tie.

"Welcome Unicron." He heard a voice coming from the darkness.

"Galvatron", he said in shock.

The Decepticon leader, Cyclonus and Scourge came out into the open.

"It is really interesting to see you like this", Cyclonus commented, "you seem somehow smaller now."

"How have you find me?" Sideways asked.

"Primus had foreseen that you would try this", Galvatron told him. "He had put us on your trail."

This was more than true, they were carrying a small part of Primus with themselves now, that had made it possible for them to find him.

xxx

Galvatron remembered how Primus had told them about a battle against Unicron in one of the parallel universes.

In this universe the Matrix had been missing and Primus had been forced to transfer his mind into the body of one of his creation, the Autobot Xaaron.

After seeing his drone body Sideways, Primus had anticipated that Unicron would try something similar.

He remembered seeing the hologram of Primus in Xaaron´s body levitating before Unicron´s giant form, glowing with energy.

And he also remembered how Unicron easily destroyed him. Nearly all of Primus essence had been inside the Matrix at that time, only a spark was left for himself.

Primus had told him that Unicron had then actually killed the part of him that existed in that universe. Their version of the Matrix was still there, but his conscious mind was gone.

xxx

And so was it now with Unicron. As price for his escape he had lost his godly power and his immortality.

Galvatron transformed into cannon mode.

"Goodbye my `master´. As a old friend of me had once said, this is the end of the road Unicron", he said and fired with his full power.

The blast hit Sideways before he had even the chance to react. The energy burned itself into him before he was even able to scream and destroyed him from inside out.

With a grim satisfaction like even he had never felt before Galvatron watched as Sideways body, just like Starscream years ago, crumbled to dust.

xxxxxxx

Decepticon transwarp-ship in orbit over earth

The battle was over.

They were still counting their losses. By the first estimation over hundred Autobots had been killed and at least two hundred humans.

The Decepticons had reported the loss of twelve warriors, including Skorponok.

And the most tragic thing was that this body count was moderate considering what they had been facing.

Prowl was currently one of the warriors watching over the transwarp-shuttle and was standing in the back of it´s command bridge along with two Decepticon ground troopers. His presence was more or less a gesture of trust from the Decepticons and to them.

If he was honest he had never thought that he would ever see this day, the defeat of Unicron. Even if it happened in another universe. Now was the only question left what would happen to him and the three Decepticons from his home dimension. Would they stay here or maybe travel somewhere else?

Suddenly they heard a explosion and the door was blown open. A laser blast hit one of the Decepticon troops direct in the chest and he was slammed backwards into the wall. The robot sank dead to the ground.

A second shot hit the other guard.

Prowl saw a figure he knew only all too well walk through the door.

"Sorry, but we are taking over this ship now", Starscream said.

Comments: The parallel universe that is described in Galvatron´s flashback is from the US marvel comics, the story "On the edge of extinction".

Unicron is physically defeated here much easier than in the movie. That is for a line of reasons.

a. Unicron´s new body is just not at the level of the old one.

b. The Transformers are much more powerful. City robots for example didn´t exist back them.

c. The sabotage from the Sharkticon slaves.