Chapter 1: Lunar Spark Part 2


Cybertron Orbit, Nemesis


Starscream fidgeted as the turbo lift made its final ascent to the Nemesis's command bridge. The memory of his defeat in the human system was still fresh in his mind.

It was the fault of these humans, Starscream thought. Their interference had cost him his chance to seize the Ark and claim the prize that both sides of the great war were after. But Starscream knew that Megatron would only be more displeased when he learned his second-in-command had been defeated by a bunch of primitive organics.

"There has to be some way I can spin this in my favor," Starscream muttered. He knew better than to try to hide the truth from Megatron. He had eyes and ears everywhere in the Decepticon ranks. There was no doubt that his lord and master already knew what had happened.

Just blame the humans. It is their fault, after all, yes, that should work. If Megatron wasn't pleased by that, then Starscream would tell him about his plan.

The turbo lift halted, and its doors slid open. Starscream took a brief moment to mentally prepare himself for his conversation with Megatron. He walked out onto the bridge of the Nemesis. The seat of power from which Megatron commanded all Decepticon forces. A place that Starscream hoped to find himself in one day.

Megatron was standing in the middle of the bridge, his optics seemingly locked onto the screens hanging above. Even with his back turned, Megatron made for an imposing figure. Easily three times his size and towering over him.

Starscream carefully approached the leader of the Decepticons. He showed no signs of being displeased or angry. Which was both reassuring and worrying to Starscream. From experience, he knew how well Megatron could hide his anger until he chose to display it.

Starscream stopped behind Megatron and bowed. "Lord Megatron," he said in the most respectful tone he could muster. "I bring you news."

"Do you now Starscream?" Megatron said in a calm voice.

That was enough to send off warning bells in Starscream's head. "Y-yes Lord Megatron," Starscream said. "It grieves me to say. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I could not capture the Ark and procure its prize."

There was no warning. One moment Starscream was bowing to his lord. Then he saw a flash of grey and was knocked to the ground. Pain shot through his head as his hand went to his dented cheek.

"Starscream!" Megatron bellowed, his eyes burning with a fury that Starscream rarely saw and feared. "Do you take me for a fool?"

Starscream tried to crawl away from his enraged master, knowing there was no good way to answer that question. "No, Lord Megatron," he groveled. "I meant no disrespect."

Megatron continued to glare down at him. "Then explain to me why you failed to capture the Ark," he roared. "Why has Optimus Prime not been brought before me? Why do I not have my prize?"

"Lord Megatron, please forgive me," Starscream begged. "I did not mean to fail you," Megatron's leg shot out, connecting with his chest plate.

Starscream was sent flying across the bridge. He landed several feet away, skidding to a halt. Before pulling himself up, Megatron was on him, pressing his foot down on Starscream's chest plate. Starscream could feel the energon draining from his body as he gazed up at Megatron. The massive cannon attached to the side of his arm was pointed directly at his head. "Explain."

Starscream gulped as he stared down the barrel of the cannon. "It was the human's fault. They interfered," Starscream hastily said.

"The humans?" Megatron questioned him. "You mean the primitive organics?"

Starscream slowly nodded. "Y-yes, Lord Megatron. It was due to their interference that I was unable to claim the Ark and its contents."

"So, what you mean to tell," Megatron growled out. "Is that you were defeated by a bunch of primitive organics?"

"Well, I wouldn't call them primitive," Starscream interjected. "They did have starships," Megatron stared at him for a second. Then Starscream heard the telltale signs of Megatron's cannon charging up. Starscream screamed out, and quite pathetically.

"Starscream," Megatron said dangerously. "If capturing the Ark was not so vital to my plans, I would have found the whole situation funny. Do you hear me laughing?"

"No, Megatron," Starscream begged. It was the only thing he could do to ensure he would get out of this with his head on his shoulders. "Please forgive me. I did not mean to fail you."

"Give me one reason why I should forgive you," Megatron said. "Why I should not blow your head all over the floor of the Nemesis."

Starscream gulped. "I have a plan to salvage the situation, my lord. A plan I have already put into motion."

Megatron actually looked intrigued by what he said, a good sign. He kept his blaster cannon aimed at Starscream's head. "Explain. Quickly."

Starscream nodded. "Before withdrawing from the battle with the humans."

"You mean fleeing?" Megatron corrected.

"Yes, fleeing," Starscream said. "Before that, I had a strike team inserted on the surface of the celestial body orbiting what I believe to be the human homeworld."

"And why there, of all places?" Megatron asked. He was calming down, but Starscream could still hear the dangerous edge in his voice.

"That was where the battle took place, my lord," Starscream explained. "The Autobot ship was heading directly towards the moon. Their engines were severely damaged, Lord Megatron. They have to land, and the only place they can land on is that moon. The strike team will find their way to the Ark and seize it from Prime. We- I mean, you will have your prize."

Megatron looked at him for a while longer. Starscream didn't know what was going through his mind. He didn't want to know. All he cared about was if Megatron would spare him. He got his answer when Megatron pulled his cannon back and took his foot off Starscream's chest plate.

"For your sake, it had better work," Megatron said.

Starscream got back to his feet and dusted himself off. "I assure you, Lord Megatron. The Ark and its contents will be yours. Shall I contact Makeshift and tell him to proceed with my-" Megatron shot him a sideways glance. "Err, Your plan?"

"Make sure he doesn't fail," Megatron said before he stepped away.

Starscream sighed and allowed his shoulders to slump over. He was relieved that he escaped Megatron's eerie, mostly intact. Of course, that would only last if Makeshift succeeded in his mission. He made his way to one of the bridge's terminals and tapped into the ship's interstellar comms.

"Makeshift, do you read me?"

Far away from Cybertron on a moon orbiting an insignificant blue dot. "I read you, lord Starscream."


Luna, Neil City Military HQ

"Okay, so what do we know about these Cybertronians?"

One of the researchers cleared his throat and stood from his chair. "We know that they are some kind of living machine."

"Living machine?" One of the Admirals asked. Following the battle with the alien faction called the Decepticons, a board of the highest-ranking military officials had been called to discuss the issue. That was where Admiral Cartwell found himself.

Across the room, he saw a viewscreen showing a live image of the President of the United Nations of Sol. Samson Blum a man in his mid-sixties with short brown hair that was graying.

He was listening in on the conversation intently.

The researcher coughed slightly. "Yes, Admiral, we have identified them as living mechanical organisms."

"Hang on," the President interjected. "Professor?"

"Kobashi," The researcher said. "Professor Kobashi."

"Professor Kobashi," Blum said. "Are you meaning to us that these robots are alive somehow?"

Professor Kobashi nodded. "Mister President, calling these Cybertronians robots is both a gross understatement and an insult. These are living machines, mister President. They are no less alive than anyone in this room. They are fully capable of independent thought and action."

That was when Cartwell decided to add his two cents. "And emotion, sir," he said, grabbing the attention of the room.

"Admiral Cartwell, I believe," President Blum said. "You're the man who made first contact with these aliens. Correct?"

Cartwell nodded. He stood up and saluted the President. "Admiral Archie Cartwell, commanding officer of the 2nd Fleet, also referred to as the Lunar Defense Fleet."

"At ease, Admiral," President Blum said. Cartwell nodded and sat back in his chair. "So, you were saying that these rob- Cybertronians are capable of emotion. Explain."

"Before the battle, we were able to make visual contact with one of the Cybertronian factions. A group calling itself the Decepticons. The being I met called itself Starscream and claimed to be the second-in-command of the Decepticons. From what I can gather of this Starscream, he is an arrogant and cruel being. The moment he realized what I was, he outright dismissed me."

"And what would that be," a general asked.

"A primitive organic," that caused several others in the room to bristle. Even the President narrowed his brown eyes. "Suffice to say, he did not think much of us and did not take our warnings and commands seriously."

"Which then led to hostilities between our two forces," the President summed up.

One of the Admirals scoffed. "Not so primitive, were we?" He said.

Cartwell kept himself from glaring at the man. "Admiral Walker," he said. "The ships that engaged us were powerful and had highly advanced technology. Five of our warships were destroyed, and four others were heavily damaged. Those ships will need weeks of repairs, maybe even months. They were just six ships, and we only managed to destroy four."

Admiral Walker glared at him. "We still won the battle, did we not?"

"Only because we heavily outnumber these Decepticons, and they underestimated us," Admiral Colson said, a man in his mid-forties and by far the youngest person in the room. "I agree with Admiral Cartwell, mister president. These Decepticons are a dangerous foe, and we should tread carefully with them."

Cartwell nodded at the man from across the room. He may be one of the youngest Admirals in the UNS fleet, but Cartwell always considered him more sensible than most.

President Blum sighed. "Let us shelve that issue for the moment," he said. "We have established that the Cybertronians are a race of living machines possessing advanced technology that exceeds our own. You may be seated, professor," the researcher nodded and sat down. "Now, what do we know about the two factions we encountered today?"

"Only what the Autobots have provided us with," Admiral Colson said. "And I advise that we take it with a pinch of salt."

Cartwell nodded. "I second that motion, mister president," he said. "What they provided may be a fabrication or, at the very least, heavily biased," Cartwell's instincts told it was the truth.

President Blum nodded. "I will take your words under advisement. So, please tell me what the Autobots have provided."

Admiral Colson nodded. "First off are our new friends, the Autobots," he brought up an image of a red face made of geometric shapes. "They are led by Optimus Prime, who is currently on board the Ark. The ship that crashed on Luna," an image of the Autobot leader, was displayed next to the emblem. "As far as we can tell, before the great war, they were the ruling faction on their homeworld of Cybertron."

Another image appeared over the table, a planet that was seemingly made of metal. "Mister president, this is incredible," the professor said. "According to the Autobots, this planet is made entirely of living metal, with no trace of organic life anywhere. Cybernetic life rose and evolved here."

"Evolved?" Admiral Walker said. "How is that possible? You're making it sound like these things occurred naturally."

The professor looked at the admiral. "While I am skeptical to take their word at face value. But if any of what they say is true," the Professor looked at the President. "Mister President, sir. This could very well change everything we thought we knew about life and its evolution in this universe."

Cartwell was not a man of science. But he could understand the point that the professor was trying to make. It was going to rewrite all of the science books. Hell, this is going to do more than rewrite the science books. Our history is about to change.

"Getting back on point, the society that the Autobots built was supposedly a peaceful and prosperous one. "

"Supposedly?" The President said, catching onto what Colson was saying. "I assume there was more to this."

Admiral Colson nodded. "The Autobots of today appear not to be blind to the faults their society had before the great war. There was a strict caste system placed upon every Cybertronian. This placed them into certain occupations in life and bared them from others. For example, a labor class could serve as a miner or as a builder."

"But they couldn't work anywhere else," Admiral Cartwell said. He was seeing where this was going. "They couldn't be a doctor or businessman if they wanted."

Colson nodded. "Exactly, and with each passing generation of Cybertronian, the disparity between classes grew wider and wider. Which leads me to the other faction," he brought up another image. Like the Autobot symbol, it was a face made from geometric symbols. That was where the similarities ended. This one was purple in color and was angular.

"These are the Decepticons," Admiral Colson said. "The group that our fleet fought less than twenty-four hours ago. They are led by a Cybertronian calling himself Megatron," the image of the Decepticon leader was displayed next to the leader.

For a moment, Cartwell saw a wave of fear pass over the room. He could not blame them. Compared to the Autobot leader, who had an almost noble bearing to him, this thing was a far more imposing figure. He was bulkier and stood taller than Optimus Prime. Attached to his right arm was a massive cannon. His skin (was that the right word to use? Maybe metal plates?). Was different shades of grey, and he had red piercing eyes.

"According to historical records, he hails from a place called Kaon, and he was a gladiator of some kind," somehow, Cartwell was not surprised by that. Everything about this Megatron screams warrior. "Before starting the great war, he led the Decepticons as a political movement. Their intended goal was to overturn the strict caste system of Cybertron and create an equal and free society. Megatron even went as far as to take a name from their ancient mythology. Megatronus, before shortening it to Megatron."

The President nodded along, showing he understood what he was hearing. "They started out as a noble cause. So, what happened?"

"It quickly became clear that Megatron wanted more," Colson said. "When he was brought before the planet's leaders, he demanded that he be allowed a seat on their council and that they submit to his will. You can imagine how well that went."

"Probably laughed him right out of the room," Cartwell commented. "If they didn't arrest him, that is."

Colson nodded. "Megatron was humiliated by the affair and left the council chambers, claiming they would come to regret their decision. Several decades later, he made good on his word," The images of the Decepticon leader and their symbol were replaced by pictures of battles across metal landscapes. "In a move that shocked all Cybertron. Megatron led his Decepticons in an offensive that took several Autobot-held cities. Thus, starting what has become known as the Great War. A war that led to the death of the planet is self," The images winked out. In their place was what Cartwell guessed what the Cybertronian homeworld looked like now.

The difference was stark and disturbing. The first image the room saw was a planet that was littered with glowing lights. Some were small and thin, cities perhaps. Others were massive, stretching across whole landscapes, and may have been a feature of the planet. Like Earth's Oceans, if the compassion could be stretched far enough.

The image they were seeing now was a far cry from what they had seen before. Cybertron was completely dark, even the metal grey of the planet was duller. Cartwell replaced the lifeless Cybertron with a dead Earth. A cloudless grey-out world whose oceans had long since vanished.

Cartwell swallowed hard. And to think we came close to doing what they did more than a few times, he thought. Could still do, he added as his thoughts drifted to the League.

"How long ago was this?" President Blum said, looking horrified.

"By our estimates, the Great War started more than ten thousand years ago."

"Ten thousand years?" Cartwell said, giving voice to everyone's surprise. "Are you sure about that?" That would be going back to the earliest recordings of human history.

Colson shrugged. "Our people tried their best to translate the Cybertronian timescale to our own. But they are reasonably sure that is the correct timeframe, with a margin of error of about two or three centuries. These Cybertronians are long-lived people. It makes sense that their wars would also last longer," Cartwell wonders just how long they could live.

"That's," Blum said. "That's difficult to wrap my mind around, Admiral Colson. I can't imagine humankind fighting a war for that long."

"With their homeworld dead, both sides took to the stars seeking refuge. But even then, they still fought on. That brings us to today," Colson said.

The President sat back in his chair. "This is a lot to take in," he said. "We are dealing with an alien civil war here. How are we supposed to manage something like that?

We haven't even dealt with our own issues, Cartwell thought bitterly.

"Mister President," one of the generals said. A woman in her mid-seventies. "If I may be permitted to ask."

President Blum gestured towards her. "Go ahead, General."

"What are we going to tell the public about this?" She asked.

Cartwell felt his lips tighten. That had been another question lingering in the back of his mind. What were they going to tell the people of UNS? That they contacted a race of sapient machines and engaged one of their factions in battle not even five minutes later?

"I don't think this is something we can cover up," the General continued. "Half of Luna must have seen the battle, and half a dozen living stations must have seen it too. Surely people must be asking questions."

The President remained silent for a moment. The man had a thoughtful expression on his face. "For now, I have ordered a media blackout on this incident," he said.

That surprised Cartwell and several others in the room. "Mister President, you surprise me," Cartwell said. Cartwell did not have a high opinion of politicians. Mostly, they were all bluster with no real actions to back up their words. He could count the number of politicians he respected on one hand. "I thought you would jump at the chance to be known as the president that made first contact."

President Blum gave him a weary smile. "You are right," he said. "I would love to have a claim to such a thing. Think about it. The President that made First Contact. That would undoubtedly secure my re-election. It would also ensure my name went down in the history books."

"So then, why not tell people about it?" Cartwell asked, testing the man.

"Because Admiral Cartwell, I do not want to be remembered as the president who not only brought ruin to our nation but also to our species," Blum said seriously. "We know very little of what is going on here. One wrong move and the Human race may very well be doomed to extinction or worse. When I took this office, I took an oath to defend this nation, its ideas, and its people. Despite what you may believe, Admiral, I take that oath very seriously. Seven months ago, my fourth grandchild was born. A little girl named Andy. I will not allow her or any other child to be the last generation of our species. Until we know more about these Cybertronians and what kind of position we are in. I cannot, in good consciousness, reveal anything to the general public. As of this moment, the Battle of Luna and the contents of this meeting are to be classified to the highest levels. All communications coming out and into Luna will be monitored in case of an information breach. We cannot allow any of this to get out. Is that understood?"

Admiral Cartwell smiled. "Yes, mister President," he said. "And if I may be permitted to add one thing."

The President looked at him for a moment. "And that would be?"

"You have gained my respect," the meeting went on for hours.


The Ark, Hanger Bay

Hotrod watched on as several of the humans made their way into the Ark's hanger bay. The Autobots had created an environment that they would be safe in. Something he imagined the humans were grateful for.

Outside the hanger, he saw a hastily constructed base. "Sort of impressive, isn't it?" He heard his brother say from behind him.

Hotrod turned around to face his bother. "What?" He asked.

Bee pointed towards the base outside. "The humans building something like that this quickly," he said. "It's impressive that they could build something like. Granted, it's nothing like we can build. But impressive all the same."

Looking at the hastily constructed base, Hotrod had to admit that his brother was right. To a Cybertronian, it was not big, maybe enough to have about a dozen of them. But for these humans, hundreds of them could crawl around it.

"They're an interesting species," Bumblebee said. "I've been reading through their history."

Hotrod nodded. He wasn't an avid reader like his brother was, but the red and orange meche had skimmed through the data files the humans had provided them. He was fascinated by these humans, an advanced organic race. As far as Hotrod knew, that was the first time Cybertronians had found something like that.

Sure, they were aware of organic life and that some were sapient. But whenever there was talk of organic races, it was always about how primitive they were. How they lived in caves and used sharpened sticks to hunt and defend themselves.

But now, here was an organic race that had not only colonized its home system. But had weapons that, while primitive, could damage Cybertronian warships. Namely, Decepticon warships. That brought a smile to his face.

Seeing those con ships being shredded to pieces had been a satisfying sight to see. Boy, Starscream must have been surprised to see his ships get blown up by a bunch of organics. That must have wounded his pride. What Hotrod would give to see how he explained that to Megatron.

"They do seem a little wary of us, though," Hotrod noted. The humans were looking around the hanger bay of the Ark. Some in wonder and awe, others showed more reserved reactions. But more than a few showed signs of fear on their faces.

"Can you blame them?" Bee said. "To them, we're a bunch of giant robots that can squash them underfoot," to illustrate, Bee stomped his foot on the ground.

"True," Hotrod admitted. "But you got to admit they got some bearings on them if they are willing to take on the cons," Bumblebee nodded. "I'd like to get to know these people better. Do you think they might be willing to talk to us?"

Before his brother could respond, another voice responded. "Wonderful idea. Let's do it."

Hotrod and Bumblebee looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who said that?" Hotrod asked. "And where are you?"

"Down here," the voice said. Hotrod and Bumblebee looked at each other and then down at the floor. Both bots blinked their optics at what they were seeing.

A small blue and green mech, around the size of a human, looked back at them with a smile and waved.

Awkwardly Hotrod waved back. "A minicon?" Hotrod said. He didn't know one was on the Ark. He thought they were all wiped out by now.

"I thought there weren't any of you left?" Bee gave voice to his thoughts.

The small Cybertronian's smile took a sad note. "Some of us are still around," he said. "If you know where to look, you can find a few others on this ship."

Hotrod nodded. He would have to keep an eye out for them now. "So, what was you said about a wonderful idea?" He asked the minicon.

The minicon bobbed his head up and down. "Your idea about talking to the humans," he explained. "I think it's a wonderful idea. So, let's try finding some humans and talking to them," Before Hotrod and Bumblebee could get a word in, the minicon turned around and started to walk away. Then he stopped. "Oh, by the name is Jix."

"Hotrod."

"Bumblebee."

Jix nodded and resumed his walk. "All right, then, let us talk to some humans."

Bee and Hotrod looked at each other. "Well," Hotrod said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Bee returned the gesture. "It should be interesting," he said. The two bots followed the Minicon.


Jack entered the massive hangar bay of the alien ship. He looked around in awe, wondering how a massive ship like this could be built and still fly.

Jack checked the readouts on his suit. It showed that the hanger bay had a breathable atmosphere. He took his helmet off, taking in the air.

Around the hanger bay, he saw the massive robots, the Autobots he thinks they're called, walking around. It felt more than a bit surreal to him. These alien robots were about as tall as buildings, yet they were doing many of the same things he would see humans do in a hanger bay.

Some were conducting various tasks, such as moving crates around or performing maintenance. Others walked from one place to another. While others seemed too lazy around, doing nothing, hanging out with what he guessed were their friends.

They were so alien, but at the same time, the way they acted made it feel just like they were humans. "Excuse me, sir," a voice said. "Do you need something?"

Jack looked over to see a woman walking up to him. She had private stripes on the side of her collar. "Yes," Jack said. "I'm looking for someone. I heard he was stationed here for the moment."

The woman nodded. "Can you give me a name? I might know who they are."

Jack nodded. "Corporal Conner O'Neil," he said. "He's a marine, a little bit taller than me. Black hair."

The woman nodded. "I think I know who you are talking about," she said. "Why do you want to see him? Last I checked, marines and flyboys like you don't mix."

Jack blushed a little. "Well, you see," Jack started off. "He's my boyfriend, and I'm off duty right now. So, I thought," Jack trails off, unsure what else to say to the woman.

The woman smiled. "I get it," she said. "If I had a man as handsome as he is, I'd want to see him every day too," she pointed in a direction. "Last I checked, he should be over there by some crates.

Jack nodded. "Thanks," he said before walking off. Walking through the Autobot hanger bay, Jack looked around again, amazed by how massive it was. It was probably big enough for some of their smaller warships to land in. Like a patrol ship or corvette, maybe even a destroyer.

The crates lying around looked to be the size of houses. Walking through, Jack felt small. I wonder if this is how mice feel, Jack thought. He was careful to give the Autobots a wide berth. Looking at them, he knew the towering giants were being careful with their steps. But Jack wanted to give them the space they needed.

A few minutes later, Jack found who he was looking for. With his arms crossed, Conner was looking around the bay, leaning up on one of the crates. Jack felt a wide grin spread across his face on seeing his boyfriend. His long black was better kept than it was before and tied back in a ponytail. His pale green eyes were alert with activity.

Jack walked up to his boyfriend and called out his name. "Conner!"

He saw Conner's shoulders jump a little. He looks back at Jack, confused for a moment, before a smile spreads across his face. "Jack," he said, opening his arms wide.

Jack ran into those arms and felt them wrapped around his torso. Both young men looked at each for a second enjoying the embrace. Before Connor leaned his head down and locked his lips with Jack's.

A few seconds later, the kiss ended, and they gazed at each other again. "I'm happy that you're here," Conner said. "But what are you doing here?"

Jack smiled. "What, I can't come and see my boyfriend when I'm off duty?" He said teasingly.

Conner shook his head. "All right, you got me there," he said. "But you might be off duty. But I'm not," he pulled his arms off Jack. "My superior officer might not like it."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he won't mind. Besides, it's not like we're on an active front. We're on Luna, far away from the front in the belt."

He got a nod from Conner, showing he agreed. "True, but if yesterday is any indication. That can change very quickly."

Jack had to give Conner that. He had never expected to fight aliens around the orbit of Luna. Nor did he expect those aliens to be giant robots. Come to think of it, those fighters he fought against yesterday, were they some form of drone fighters? "The good news is they're gone."

"For now," Conner commented. Jack heard the worried edge in his voice.

Again, Jack couldn't blame him. The same thought had been lingering in the back of his mind. The others they fought the Decepticons. They would be back, and this time in force. Jack shuddered to think of what would happen then. A small handful of their ships could do significant damage to the fleet around Luna. What could an entire fleet do?

Jack shook the thought off. It wasn't going to do anyone good to dwell on those thoughts. Besides, there was a chance that the Decepticons, whoever they were, would back off after their defeat around Luna.

Jack tilted his head forward. "Come on, Conner," he said. "I came here to enjoy my boyfriend's presence. Not talk about doom and gloom," he saw Conner smile just before their lips locked together. Jack wished they could stay like that forever.

"Are you trying to eat each other?" Unfortunately, someone else had other plans. Jack and Conner abruptly broke apart their kiss, surprised and mildly irritated. They looked to the source of the voice. Jack blinked when he saw one of the alien robots standing in front of them. Except this one was around their height and not towering over them. It was blue with green highlights.

Two more of the aliens stood behind it, though they were normal-sized. If the height of a building could be described as normal size. One was yellow with some black, and the second was a mixture of red and orange, giving a flame motive. All three of the aliens were giving Jack and Conner curious expressions."

"Wh-what?" Jack asked. Eating each other? What could give them that impression? Next to him, he saw Conner's face was a bright red.

The smaller robot pointed at them. "The two of you were trying to eat each other," it said in a voice that had an edge of concern in it. "When the two of you had your mouths on the other. It looked like you were trying to devour each other. I hadn't realized that cannibalism was a trait of your species."

Jack was dumbfounded. Cannibalism? Mouths on the other? Just who were these jokers? Wait. Jack's mind backtracked to one of the robot's statements. When the two of you had your mouths on the other, Jack's face turned just as bright as Conner's. He was seeing where the confusion came from.

Conner spoke first. "We," he said, trying not to sound flustered. "We weren't trying to eat each other. We were, huh?" Conner trailed off for a second, trying to come up with an explanation. "Who are you guys? And why are you here."

The three robots looked at each other, the two bigger ones almost looking embarrassed. Could robots get embarrassed? "Right, I suppose introductions are in order," the smaller of the three said. "I'm Jix," the robot introduced itself with a broad smile. "And these are," he gestured to the other two.

"Hotrod," the flame-colored one said.

"And Bumblebee," the other said. "We're brothers," he then added.

That got a look of surprise from the two humans. Do these alien robots have a concept of family? How did that work? "Your brothers?" Jack questions, getting a nod from the two giant robots."

"Your kind can have siblings?" Conner asked.

"Sib-lings? Jix questions.

"Brothers and Sisters," Conner explains.

Bumblebee nodded. "Yea, why not?" He asked like it was strange to question whether giant robots could have siblings. "Don't you have brothers and sisters?"

Jack scratched the back of his head. "I don't," he heard Conner say.

The others looked at Jack, who squirmed a little under the attention. "Two sisters," he said. "Both of them are older," he then added.

"I see. I see," Jix said, walking up to Jack and Conner. "But that doesn't explain what was up with the trying to eat each other bit. You said you weren't trying to devour each other? So, what was it? Is it something that humans just do?" Jack had the feeling that this Jix liked to ask questions.

"W-well?" Jack started off. How was he going to explain kissing to these robots? "Not all the time. Only when we're with certain people. It's called kissing."

Hotrod frowned and folded his arms. "Kissing?" He asked, his head tilted to the side. His brother next to him had a thoughtful expression. Was he somehow connecting the dots?

"Yes," Jack answered. "Among most humans, it's considered a sign of affection."

Jack really hoped that they would drop the subject matter. But the smaller of the three robots, Jix, didn't seem to read the room right. "A sign of affection?"

"Y-yes," Jack stammered. "It's usually done between family, though not on the lips." He explained. "Something like that is for, huh?" Again, how was Jack going to explain that he and Conner were boyfriends?

"So, does that mean the two of you are family?" Jix asked innocently.

Jack could feel his face burning up now. "No, we're not family," Not yet, he wanted to add silently. But he wasn't sure how good these robots' hearing was. "We're…," he trailed off, trying to think of an explanation.

Conner saved his boyfriend from an awkward explanation. "We're boyfriends."

Jix queried with an eyebrow, or whatever their equivalent was. But the other two showed they understood. "Boyfriends?" Jix asked.

Bumblebee looked like he was about ready to explain things to the smaller robot. But Conner beat him to the punch. "Basically, we're mates."

Understanding finally seemed to dawn on the blue and green robot. "Ohhh," he said. "Your mates. Well, why didn't you say that to begin with?"

So, these robots did have a concept of mates. Or they had encountered other races that did. "You know what mates are?"

Jix nodded. "Why wouldn't we?" He asked. "Lots of Cybertronians like to pair off. In fact, our leader Optimus Prime has a bound mate named Elita One. She's a nice Femme."

Jack and Conner looked at each other, silently asking the same questions. The Robots could have mates? They could have families? The more they learn about these beings, the more Jack realizes that just thinking of them as robots was a disservice.

"So, this kissing thing is done among family and mates?" Jix questioned, beginning to pace around. "Very interesting. You, humans, do seem to have complex social interactions. Would you mind demonstrating?"

Jack blinked. "What?"

Jix tilted his head. "I want to see a demonstration. I want to see you two kissing," he said like it wasn't strange.

Jack's mind was drawing up blanks on how to respond to the little robot's response. Next to him, Conner was just as surprised as him. He looked up to see if the other two ro- Cybertronians (was that the proper way to refer to them?), were looking down at Jix in shock. That was a bit of relief. Jack was quickly reaching the conclusion that Jix was strange by their standards.

"We can't do that," Conner responded. "You just can't ask some a question like that."

Jix frowned. "Why?"

Conner looked over at Jack, looking for help. Jack wasn't sure how he could help. "It's just not something you do," he explained. "Some of us don't like being watched when we, uhh, kiss." Or other things. "It's sort of a private thing," Please don't ask. Please don't ask.

Jix, though, didn't seem to catch on. "But," he started.

They were saved by Hotrod. "Hey, little guy," he said, bending down and putting his hands on his knees. "I think that this might be something that's a little uncomfortable for them."

Jix looked up at the larger Cybertronian before he understood what he was getting at. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, gazing back at Jack and Conner. "I didn't think of that. Back on Cybertron, I was not good at noticing social cues. I guess I won't have much luck with humans, either. Sorry."

Jack nodded at Jix. "It's all right," he said, feeling a little sorry for the guy. He was curious. "You didn't mean anything by it," he then looked up at Hotrod and silently mouthed a thank you at the bot.

Hotrod smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "But I am curious about human culture," Jix said after a quick recovery. "There is only so much one can learn from a database, and I want to know what Humans are like personally."

That Jack could understand. He had skimmed through what the Autobots provided them with, and now he was more curious about what they were like. Jack almost jumped when he felt a hand wrap around his hand.

He looked over at Conner, seeing that he was giving him a smile. He looked over at Jix. "Maybe we can find somewhere and talk," he looked up at Hotrod and Bumblebee. "That is if your two friends here also want to join."

"Hey, we're just as curious about humans," Bumblebee said. "We can exchange stories about what our people are like."

Conner and Jack nodded at each other. "That sounds like a deal. Come, let's find somewhere to talk."


"This is strike team two," Makeshift's comm activated. "We will soon infiltrate the Autobot ship."

"Good," Makeshift responded. "Proceed as planned. Give us the signal once you are in position. Once you do, we'll begin our assault."

"Yes, commander," the vehicon infiltrator said.

"Remember, Lord Megatron expects results," Makeshift warns. "We already failed to secure the Ark once. I doubt that our Lord and Master will be so forgiving the second time," Starscream no doubt had already received his punishment from Lord Megatron, and it was no doubt a brutal sight. Makeshift shuddered to think what would happen if they failed here.

Despite his unease, though, he also felt excited. Very soon, they would achieve their greatest victory by taking the Ark and the prize it contained. I might even be able to present Lord Megatron with the lifeless body of Optimus Prime.

In his alternate form, Makeshift smiled. He imagined the rewards and accolades he would receive for their success here. Lord Megatron might even make him the new second-in-command of the Decepticons. He could already see the look on Starscream's face when he found he was being replaced.

His smile quickly vanished upon seeing the human filth crawling around their makeshift base. They were so small and squishy. He was utterly unimpressed by them. How could such a tiny and weak species be able to turn back a Decepticon fleet, however small it was? Lord Starscream, you must be an incompetent fool to let these humans defeat you.

He saw some of the humans approaching him. Inside his alternate form Makeshift's optics narrowed. What were these humans doing here? Then he saw what they were carrying, tools of some kind. A maintenance team.

For a moment, Makeshift was worried that they would somehow detect him. Then he calmed himself down. There was no way these humans could detect him. He was disguised as one of their vehicles. Some kind of troop transport, he guessed. The humans will not be able to detect him.

The Humans pulled out scanning devices. "Hey, Williams," one said after a moment. "Are you getting some strange readings from these transports?"

Scrap.


The Ark, Bridge:

Optimus Prime looked out the window of the bridge. He gazed passed the barren landscape of the lunar body, looking at the blue jewel that dominates the sky. He had seen images of other worlds before, some had different colors. While others shared the same blue as the orb he was looking at. But somehow, this one felt different than any other.

He didn't hear the soft set of footsteps behind him. "Penny, for your thoughts?"

Optimus tore his optics away from the planet and faced his bondmate. "Penny?" He asked.

Elita smiled at him. "It's a human expression," she explained. "I'm asking what you're thinking."

Optimus nodded and looked back at the human homeworld. "Many things, Elita," he said. "A great many things. But mostly of what happened yesterday and about our new friends here."

Elita stepped up beside him. "I would hardly call them our friends right now," she said. "They are wary of us."

"As they should be," Optimus replied. "We did drag them into our conflict," he heard the regretful tone in his voice.

"Optimus," Elita began. "We didn't drag them into anything. You did what you had to get us away from Cybertron. Starscream was the one who opened fire on the humans. Not us."

Optimus knew his bondmate was speaking the truth. But he still felt a weight on his spark. "They are an interesting species," he said after a moment. "Starscream and the Decepticons underestimated them, and I fear some of our own do too."

Elita nodded. "But you believe there is more to them than meets the eye."

"Don't you?" Optimus asked Elita.

His bondmate smiled and looked out at the planet Earth. "I read through everything the humans provided us," she said. "They are so different from us. Yet, at the same time, so alike that it's disturbing."

Optimus nodded. He had come to much the same conclusion as Elita One. He saw a lot of his kind in the humans. Even now, with their recent history, he drew some uncomfortable parallels with Cybertron's. "But one key difference is they still have their home," he said.

But how long would that last? Even without the threat of Megatron's reprisal, the humans were in as much danger of destroying their home. Like the Autobots and Decepticons did with their homeworld of Cybertron.

"You worry that Megatron will try something?" Elita said in a knowing tone.

"He has already killed one world," Optimus said. "What is to stop him from doing it again?" And again. And again. How many more worlds would Megatron destroy? How many more lives had to be lost before the Decepticon leader was finally satisfied with his conquest?

In a rare moment of anger, Optimus tightened his hands into fists. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned his head over to see Elita giving him a warm smile. She looked back at the blue orb in the sky. "It is a beautiful world," she said softly. "I've seen planets of all kinds of colors. Reds, oranges, greens, blues, and greys were captivating in their own way. This planet named Earth is perhaps the most beautiful I have seen. A deep blue that I have not seen before. With patches of green, and swirls of white mixing together in ways I never thought possible. I can look at it all day and never cease to be amazed by it."

Optimus looked at the world they were orbiting. And what Elita saw. A world whose majesty gave his spark pause. He had only felt like this when he looked at Cybertron from Orbit before the war. Before it went dark.

"I've been looking through several catalogs of this planet," Elita said after a moment. "This world has some incredible sights to be seen. There are places I want to see with my own optics. Like their Grand Canyon or the Himalayas," she got a mischievous smile. "Though perhaps I should put any plans of visiting the Mariana Trench on hold." She chuckled out.

Optimus tilted his head, confused by his Bondmate's statement. He quickly accessed the database given to them by the humans and looked up the words Mariana Trench. He smiled. "Yes, perhaps that would be for the best," he said, laughing with her.

Elita nodded. "They are a fascinating people, Orion," she said. "I look forward to learning more about them and their world."

Optimus nodded. That was his hope too. But he knew they couldn't remain here for long. Not without putting the humans in more danger. "Has Rachet said anything about the space bridge?"

That was when he saw a tight frown form on Elita's face. That confirmed his worst fears. "That was what I came here to talk to you about," she glanced at the Earth for a second. "Before we got sidetracked," she turned away from the window and started to walk away. Optimus followed close behind. They arrived at one of the terminals. "According to Rachet, the space bridge is completely fried," she said, pulling up an image of the Ark, highlighting the portions of the ship.

"Is there no way to repair it?" He asked. But Optimus already knew the answer. Space Bridge technology was an ancient technology from the Golden Age of Cybertron, tens of millions of Solar Cycles ago. Few understood anything about it. They could maintain and repair them but building them was another story. Before the war, it had been difficult to the extreme. Now with Cybertron gone, it was impossible.

Elita shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Optimus," she confirmed. "We're stuck here."

Optimus had been afraid of that. "What of our precious cargo?" He asked. "Is it okay?"

This time Elita smiled. "Now there, I actually have some good news," she pulled up what looked like a large cargo hold that spanned most of the ship. "It is undamaged. Whatever the ancients made that thing out of, it's durable."

Optimus looked at the bay glade for the good news. "And operable?"

"Operable," Elita confirmed. "Cybertron still has a future, Orion," Elita remains silent for a moment. "Optimus, should we tell the humans?"

That question had been lingering in the back of Optimus's mind. Should he trust the humans? "Elita we."

Alarms blared to life. "Optimus, it's the Decepticons."


Outside the Ark

Makeshift quickly realized he had made a mistake.

That mistake being underestimating the humans. The same error that Starscream had made. He didn't think they could detect him even when disguised as one of their vehicles. Indeed, the disguise itself had fooled the human maintenance workers.

The humans had detected him for another reason. A reason that is so mundane that it infuriated the Decepticon to no end. He had energon. The lifeblood of all Cybertronians, regardless of what faction they fought for. It was in their technology, in their buildings. They mined and fought for it. Energon was vital to their very biology.

But here in the human home system, it was a substance they had never encountered before. Energon would not be powering their technology, which included their vehicles. Had Makeshift realized this, he would have found a way to mask his and the rest of the strike team's energon readings.

The Decepticon infiltrator mentally shrugged as he fired his cannons, downing an autoboot soldier. The human maintenance workers that had blown his cover were dead now. Vaporized by two quick blasts from his cannons. As a soldier, he knew that no plan ever survived initial contact, and he knew how to work around that.

Sure, the enemy had detected his group sooner than he would have liked. But his group was just here to distract the Autobots. Draw them out so the secondary team can do its job.

"Commander Makeshift," Makeshifts comm buzzed. "We are in position and awaiting your orders."

Makeshift smiled as he took cover behind one of the human buildings. "Proceed," he ordered.


Bumblebee didn't know what was going on. One moment he, Hotrod, and Jix were talking to their new human friends, Jack, and Conner. They were learning everything they could about human culture, and, in turn, they were teaching the humans what they could of Cybertronian culture.

It was a nice conversation (even if Jix tended to ask too many questions.), and they learned a lot from each other. As different as the two species were, there was a lot of common ground between them.

The conversation was interrupted when they heard the commotion. Several soldiers autoboot and human alike, ran across the hanger.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"That's a good question," Hotrod said. "Bee?"

Bumblebee was about to grab a nearby meche to ask them what was happening when he noticed that Conner was holding his hand to his ear. "Conner?" He asked the human male.

"Picking up comm chatter," he explained. Then his eyes narrowed. "What? Please confirm. Here how?"

"Conner, what's going on?" Jack asked. "What are they saying?"

Conner motioned for Jack to be quiet. "Understood, sir. I'll get my unit ready," he removed his hand from his ear and pulled his rifle out. That concerned Bumblebee.

"Hey, little guy," Hotrod said. "What's going on? Why's everyone running out of the hanger."

Conner looked up at the Autobot and explained the situation. "It's those Decepticons. They're attacking the base."

Bumblebee felt his optics widening. The Decepticons here? But how?

Hotrod had the answer. "It's Starscream," he said. "He must have inserted a team on the lunar surface before fleeing the battle."

"We were so focused on chasing the enemy out that we didn't think they would leave a parting gift," Jack said, reaching the same conclusion Bumblebee had.

"Starscream's a coward," Bee said. "But he's smart and an opportunist."

Conner nodded. "Our ships are on high alert. And we have all eyes on your ship," he said. "We never thought someone would try to sneak in and attack."

Hotrod slammed a fist into his hand. "That doesn't matter right now," he said, smiling. "We got some cons to beat."

Bumblebee grabbed his brother by the hand. "Hold on, Hotrod," he said. "Something about this doesn't feel right." Why were the Decepticons attacking now? Why not sooner or later? Why were they attacking the human base when the real prize was on the Ark?

Bumblebee's optics narrowed. He looked around, feeling that something was off. He noticed that one of the humans, Conner, was doing the same. Jack and Hotrod quickly followed suit.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. That concerns Bumblebee more than anything else. Bots and humans were scrambling around the hanger, all previous tasks having dropped on the spot. It was chaotic and messy, but Bee could not find anything amiss.

Conner stopped scanning the area and stared off at something. Bumblebee directed his gaze in the same direction. Several vehicles sat idly by as people ran past them. Bumblebee couldn't see what was so strange about them that they caught the human's attention.

They were just ordinary cybertr- human vehicles. They were human vehicles in the Ark's hanger bay. They were supposed to be outside in the human base. Bumblebee's vision zoomed in on the "human vehicles," looking them over. His arms transformed into cannons when he saw what he was looking for.

In that same moment, the human vehicles transformed into several squads of vehicons, just in time for one of them to have a hole burned into his chest plate, courtesy of the Bumblebee. The group of Decepticons soldiers was stunned. Clearly, they were expecting the element of surprise to be on their side. This gives the yellow and black meche a chance to down another the vehicons.

With a second comrade offline, the Decepticon soldiers began to fire into the crowd of Autobots, who stopped and watched the Decepticon soldiers in stunned silence. Several good Autobots were cut down before the rest could react and take cover.

In moments, the hanger was washed in blaster fire. Red and blue bolts sailed through the air, trying to land on their targets. Several crates exploded as bolts of energon burned through them. Shouts and screams filled the air.

Bumblebee was behind some large crates taking cover from the enemy. Hotrod was across from him, hiding behind his own stack of crats. Occasionally, Bumblebee would poke out from cover to fire at the Decepticon attackers. But he never stayed out long enough to see if his shots hit. He would return to cover, avoiding a hail of energon bolts.

The Decepticons had the advantage here. There were more than Bumblebee thought they would have been able to sneak onto the Ark, and they were on the offensive. It didn't take a tactical genius to guess what their objective was. Taking the Ark.

Bumblebee didn't know if the cons had the forces to take the ship. But he knew that even if they were defeated, a lot of good bots would be killed. There had to be a way to beat the cons before they dealt too much damage.

Bumblebee looked around the hangar for anything that could give the Autobot forces the needed advantage. It was then that he noticed the much smaller bolts of energy flying through the air. He was confused for a moment and wondered where they were coming from.

He looked in the direction where some of the bolts were coming from and then down. That was when he mentally slapped himself, the Humans! He had forgotten about the humans.

He looked down and over to see that Conner and Jack had taken cover beside him. Connor was busy ducking in and out of cover, firing his plasma rifle at the Decepticons. Meanwhile, Jack had his hand to his head, radioing the other humans. He had a smaller weapon in his free hand.

"I repeat the enemy as infiltrated the Autobot ship," Jack said loudly to be heard over the noise of battle. "We are heavily engaged and need heavy fire support. I repeat heavy fire support is requested," then he slammed a fist on the crate. "Damnit, our forces are heavily engaged outside Conner. They can't spare anyone."

Jack ducked back into cover. "Jack, we need that fire support," he said. "Those things are basically carrying anti-tank weapons as standard issue. Not to mention their armor is tough to get through."

"I'll try again," Jack activates his comm. "But I'm not sure what good it will do us."

"Just keep trying," Conner ordered. Then he turned his up to Bumblebee. "Speaking of things. Care to explain what happened there?"

"What?" Bumblebee asked, unsure what the human soldier was referring to.

Conner pointed over the Decepticons. "The whole transforming into vehicles bit. Then back into giant robots," the human was looking at him furiously. "Why didn't you tell us about that?"

With the clarification made, Bumblebee was still confused. Transformation was an innate ability of all Cybertronians. It was something that everyone knew. Why wouldn't he . . . Because he's human. They weren't Cybertronian. They were an organic species that couldn't transform into alternate forms. Bumblebee adopts a sheepish look on his face. What a way for their new human friends to find out.

"Sorry," Bumblebee said. "We didn't think to tell you because it's something that every Cybertronian knows," he tried to explain.

Conner's expression softened but still held a lot of anger. "Just tell us what the deal is with transforming into vehicles," he said.

Bumblebee ducked out of cover and fired a volley of energon bolts. He ducked back into cover and nodded at the human soldier. "We Cybertronians have something that we call an alternate form. We possess the innate ability to transform into the alte-form whenever we please and back into what you see now. It's just something we're born with."

Conner had a contemplative face on. "Can you transform into any other forms?" He asked.

"Sort of," Bumblebee said. "We can only have one alternate form at a time, though we can scan for new forms."

"Scan for new forms?" Conner asked.

An energon bolt clipped past the crates Bee was hiding behind. "I can explain later," he charges his blasters. "Right now, we have cons to deal with. How quickly can you get your people out of here?"

Conner shook his head. "Negative," he said. "A squid tried to withdraw to outside the hanger. One of those cons," he gestures with his rifle to the cons. "Fired at them. The whole squad was vaporized."

Bumblebee felt a pull at his spark. Leave it to the Decepticons to fire on a group of people with nothing to do with their conflict. And were just trying to get out of the fighting.

"Pitspawn," Hotrod said, summing up Bee's thoughts. He fired an arm cannon from cover, one of the cons went down as the bolt hit him in the chest plate.

"Then we have to find a way to get your people out of here," Bumblebee said. The situation in the hangar was getting out of control quickly, and he didn't want to endanger the humans.

But Conner had a different idea. "Negative, Bee," he said. "We are not withdrawing from this fight. It may be a distraction, but they are attacking our base as well. This is as much of an attack on us as it is on you," he stood up from his cover and fired a pulse of plasma blasts at the Decepticons, leaving small burn marks on a soldier.

"We're staying to fight," Conner said, returning to cover.

Bumblebee wanted to protest. "But you can't do anything here," he said. "Your weapons aren't doing anything."

"I wouldn't say that," Conner said. "We're leaving some burn marks on them. That's got to be stinging them a little."

Carefully, Bumblebee slid his head over the crates' side and closely examined the vehicons. He was surprised to see that the Human soldier was right. The human weapons were leaving burn marks on the Decepticon's armor. Not light burn marks that a dust of a hand could wipe off. He could see small burn holes in the Decepticon soldiers.

They were doing damage, but not enough. If only the human weapons were a bit more powerful, or . . . Bee looked down at Conner. "Concentrate your fire," he said.

Conner looked at him. "What?" he asked.

Bumblebee repeated himself. "Concentrate your fire. Don't just shoot at a random place on the cons. Choose a spot and have your people focus their fire there. Your weapons are not powerful enough to burn through their armor on their own, but."

Conner caught onto what he was saying. "But if we were to focus our fire. Any place in particular?"

Bee nodded, glade the human caught on. "The chest plate, that's where the spark is," he said.

"I'll assume that's the heart," he said. Conner then activated his comm link. "All units focus your fire on the enemy's chest plate. Repeat focus fire on the enemy's chest plate," his hand went back to his weapon. The human stood out from behind cover and fired his rifle at one of the vehicons. This time aiming his shots at the soldier's chest plate.

His bolts easily landed on the con's chest, along with several other bolts, from different directions. The con staggered back as the blasts started to burn through his armor and into his spark chamber. The Decepticon soldier fired wildly in a vain attempt to strike at his attackers, but his shots missed. Then the human weapons breached his spark chamber. The Decepticon soldier staggered back for a second and then fell over lifelessly.

Conner almost let out a yelp of joy as the enemy soldier fell over lifelessly. But discipline held his tongue; he would celebrate later. Right now, they had more enemies to take care of. And take care of them they did.

Two more Decepticon soldiers were felled from the concentrated fire of UNS forces. A smile spreads across his face as he ducks back into cover. Narrowly avoiding a bolt blast from the enemy. A bolt blast that could vaporize him.

The enemy's weapons were powerful and were themselves tough. But they had just proven that their enemy could bleed. And as the old saying goes. If it could bleed, it could die.

Conner looks up at the Autobot named Bumblebee. "Thanks for the tip," he said. "I'll have it relayed to the rest of our forces," he got a nod from the giant robot as he fired his arm cannons at the Decepticon soldiers. Conner then turned his attention to Jack, about to tell him to relay the news to the rest of their forces.

He smiled when he saw that his boyfriend had already been a step ahead of him. "Confirmed," he said. "Focus fire on the enemy's chest plates. Our weapons alone are ineffective but can damage the enemy. Focused fire will burn through the enemy armor," Jack nodded. "Will do, sir. Jack Witwicky out," he then looked over at Conner and nodded. "I've relayed the news to the rest of our forces."

Conner nodded. "Good, that should give our people a fighting chance," then he took a moment to get a good look at his boyfriend. The young man was breathing heavily, and he was holding his pistol nervously. It was obvious to Conner that Jack was out of his element. Conner hated the fact that Jack was here, in the middle of a firefight with the enemy.

Of all the times these Decepticons could have attacked, they attacked when his boyfriend visited him. There was always some small part of him that didn't like that his boyfriend was also in the military with him. Whenever Jack went out of a sortie, Conner felt like his heart could stop at any moment. The feeling only grew worse after his time on the front against the League.

Conner had to remind himself that was the risk they both took when signing up and that Jack was a good pilot. Possibly one of the best in the UNS Fighter Corp. in the sky or out in the depths of space, Jack was in his element. If a battle occurred there, he could get out alive.

But here, the young man was out of his element. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this," Conner told Jack.

Jack looked at him, confused for a second. Then understanding spread across his face. "Don't worry," he said, reaching a hand out to Conner's. "We'll get out of this. Both of us," he tightens his grip around Conner's hand.

Conner smiled. "Yea, we will," he said. He would make sure they both got out of this fight alive. Failing that, he would do his damnest to ensure Jack got out alive. Their hands slipped away as they turned their attention back to the fighting. "Jack, stay behind cover. Your pistol isn't going to do us much good," he said.

"Yes, sir." Jack said.

Conner ignored the feeling of relief and scooped out the battle to see how it was progressing. It was clear that the Decepticons had not thought the UNS forces would be much of a threat and had ignored them. It was a mistake that could cost them here.

Already another con had been gunned down by UNS weapons. The Autobots had not been idle either as they pressed an attack on the enemy. The Decepticons were on the back paddle, but Conner could see they were still in the fight.

This was a strike team and a well-trained one. Conner knew that their object was a swift and precise attack on the Autobot ship, likely in the hopes of seizing the vessel. They might have done just that with the element of surprise on their side.

But that was lost seconds after the battle started. But the Decepticons were still focused on their object. Slowly but surely, he saw the Decepticon soldiers inch their way toward the exits of the hanger. If they got to the rest of the ship, it was possible they could do some serious damage or even destroy the ship somehow.

Conner shuddered to think what an explosion a ship of this size could produce. No, they had to stop the enemy here and now. For that, they would need a plan. Conner did not know what compelled him to do so, but he looked over at the Autobot across from his position. The one named Hotrod.

He saw a smile on the bot's face. Somehow Conner knew the guy had a plan.


VX-107 steadily made his way to the hanger's exit along with what remained of his squad. What should have been a quick blitz into the heart of the Autobot ship had turned into a running battle with half of his team down.

The element of surprise they had been relying on had been stripped away from them the moment the battle began. This was due to one of the bots spotting them before they could attack. His internal records told him the bot was the one named Bumblebee. A natural-born Cybertronian that had been causing the Decepticon cause trouble for years now, along with his brother Hotrod.

Both were together in the hangar and fighting at each other's side. It would have been a pleasure for VX-107 to scrap them both. Or better yet, present them to Lord Megatron alongside their leader Optimus Prime.

Even with the element of surprise lost to them, he and his team were still an elite strike team. They had been in worse situations before and still managed to complete their mission. They would take the Autobot ship.

Then another complication factored in. The Humans. He had ignored the little flesh bags believing their weapons weak and useless in the fight. He gave them some respect for fighting them, but they were a non-factor in this battle.

That had been a mistake. He had written of their weapons as weak, leaving little more than stings on his armor. Then one of his mechs fell from out of nowhere, and then another was scarped. It had taken VX-107 a nano-cycle to comprehend what had happened and another to accept it.

His soldiers had been felled by the humans. Their weapons were weak. A single shot could barely leave a stinging scorch mark. But when several focused their fire on the same spot, say the chest plate above the spark chamber, it was enough to burn through their armor.

Three of his soldiers had been scarped by focused fire from the more numerous humans in a matter of moments. They had managed to force his strike team on the back paddle, a rare occurrence for his team and only ever at the hands of some of the most elite Autobot fire teams.

The Autobots, as lackluster as they were at warfare, press the attack on his team. Half of his team was gone now, and the odds of success on their mission were diminishing fast. Still, VX-107 and the remains of his team focused on the objective. No matter the losses, they would succeed in their mission given to them by lord Megatron.

Just a few more steps, and they would be out into the rest of the Autobot vessel. From there, they would go to the reactor room and seize the Ark. Almost there.

That was when he heard the roar of two engines. VX-107 turned his optics to the sound. He saw two Autobots charging at their position in alternate forms. The brothers.

Quickly VX-107 and a couple of others aimed their shots at the approaching Autobots and fired. Their shots went wide as the bots zipped across the hanger. The Decepticon soldiers kept firing at the two bots, hoping to put an end to them. In their alternate forms, the Autobots zipped across the hanger, avoiding their shots, and dipping in and out of cover behind the crates that litter the area.

The Vehicons had become so focused on the bots that they forgot to keep an eye on the rest of the battle. That is until VX-107 felt a searing pain in his back. He turned around, taking several of the human plasma bolts to his chest. Before they could burn into his spark chamber, he dived into cover behind some nearby crates. Others were not so fortunate. Three more of his team had been scraped by the combined firepower of the Autobots and the humans.

VX-107 took aim at one of the human squads and fired. If he had the facial features, he would have smiled at seeing half of the human squad vaporized by the energon bolt.

That smile would not have lasted long as the twin roars of engines got closer. He turned around and saw one of the bots nearly on him, a red and orange meche. VX-107 fired at the bot.

But the bot transformed and jumped onto some crates avoiding his shots. VX-107 continued to fire at the bot as he climbed up the stake of crates. Behind him, he heard some commotion behind him and knew that the other bot had reached their position.

No matter if VX-107 could scrap the bot in front of him, the rest of the team could handle his brother. The bot named Hotrod leaped off the crates and flew at him. VX-107 fired twice. Both shots missed, and the bot was on top of him. With no time to react, the Vehicon was shot in the chest.

Searing pain shot through VX-107 as his spark chamber was breached. The last thing he saw was the bot transforming his cannon into a blade and plunging it down.


Hotrod pulled his blade out from the lifeless con. He didn't take the time to gloat over the con and instead moved on to the next con. Then the next and next. Between him, his brother, and the rest of their forces, what remained of the Decepticon strike team was made short work of.

The last Decepticon soldier slowly backed away towards one of the hangar bay doors as Hotrod and Bumblebee flanked him. The door slid open, and the con had a blast hole burned through his back a moment later.

The Decepticon soldier fell over, revealing that an autoboot soldier had felled him. The Ark's hanger bay had been secured. Shouts of victory echoed across the bay as the autobots and humans celebrated their victory.

He felt Bumblebee place a hand on his shoulder and give him a nod. He saw the humans Jack and Conner walking up towards him. "That was some plan, Hotrod," Conner said with a smile.

Hotrod smiled down at the little human. "I told you it would work," he said. "The cons never knew what hit them."

Conner crossed his arms. "But it was risky," he said. "One wrong move and both of you would have been killed."

Hotrod frowned. "Come on, it worked, didn't it?"

Bumblebee spoke up before Conner could say anything else. "He's trying not to criticize you, Hotrod," he said. "Only pointing out how risky it was. He was just worried."

Hotrod crossed his arms and looked away. "Yea, well, sometimes in war, you have to take risks," he huffed. Then a serious expression crossed his face. "Well, what are we standing around for? We got more cons outside the ship to deal with," he transformed his arms into cannons and ran off. Several others followed close behind him, of both species.

Jack looked at Bee nervously. "I think I'll stay here," he said. "Not going to be much of help with this little thing," he held out his pistol. Plus, he wasn't a Marine like Conner. He was a pilot.

Conner nodded, relieved by Jack's statement. "Then let's go," he and Bee sped away towards the battle outside the ship.


Makeshift fired his blaster, killing another of the Autobot scum. Then took cover behind one of the human buildings. In a word, he was furious.

He was down to two Vehicon soldiers and lost contact with the secondary team. There was one conclusion to be drawn from that.

His mission was a failure now. All because he made the same mistake as Starscream. He had underestimated the humans and what they could contribute to the battle. The same mistake he had mocked the second-in-command of the Decepticons for had cost him the mission.

He peeked out from cover to see his suspicions about the secondary team be confirmed when several autoboot soldiers poured out from the ship's hanger. Another of his vehicons went down as a hail of human fire was directed at their spark chamber.

Leaving him only one soldier left to command. That didn't last much longer. He didn't know what had caused him to turn around. But he thanked the Allspark that he did. Several human vehicles came racing towards the base. Human vehicles that had large cannons mounted on their tops.

Instinct took over as Makeshift barrel rolled out from his cover, narrowly avoiding a large plasma bolt from one of the human attack vehicles. A good chunk of the human building was blown away by the blast. The Decepticon soldier realized that blast could have easily snuffed his spark out.

His remaining vehicon soldier was not so lucky when two large plasma bolts tore through his back and out his chest plate. The Decepticon soldier never had the chance to realize he had been killed as his lifeless body toppled over.

Now faced with the human assault vehicles on one side and the Autobots on the other, Makeshift made a snap decision. He transformed his blast cannons back into hands and stood straight up. He held his hands high up into the air, the universal sign of surrender.

Lord Megatron would not be pleased.


Ark Bridge

Optimus Prime already knew what had happened before the report reached his receptors. "Prime, the Decepticon attackers have been defeated," he heard Elita say.

Optimus didn't look away from the window, feeling a mixture of pride and sorrow. "Prisoners?" he asked.

"One," Elita answered. "The leader of the Decepticon strike team, Makeshift," came as a surprise to Optimus. Makeshift was one of the Decepticon's best soldiers and led one of their most elite strike teams. For centuries they had terrorized Autobot supply bases and vital infrastructure. Now he had been captured.

"Casualties?" he asked the question he had been dreading.

Optimus could almost see the somber expression spreading across his bondmate's face. "Not nearly as bad as they could have been," she said. "About two dozen wounded and just as many dead. We lost some good people today."

"And what of the humans?"

Silence followed. "They don't have a full listing yet," Elita answered. "But so far, they believe about thirty of their people have been killed and several dozen others wounded."

Optimus closed his optics and tried not to let the grief overwhelm him. Innocents had been killed here today. People who had nothing to do with their war, and still, the Decepticons had chosen to kill them. "Tell them they have my gratitude for their assistance today. And convey my deepest condolences for their losses."

More silence fell between the two. "They fought well today, Orion," Elita said. "We may very well have found friends out here."

Optimus thought about his mate's words and knew she was right. "Perhaps," he said silently so only she could hear him. They had come here seeking escape from their dead homeworld and found something else. He didn't know what it was but knew everything had changed. That was when he made a decision. "Elita, when everything here is settled, I want to talk to the human leaders.

He turned around, seeing his bondmate giving a strange look. "Why?" she asked.

"To tell them why the Decepticons have been chasing us."

Deep within the Ark, a massive chamber stretched across the ship. Roll upon roll of pods lined the walls. The next generation of Cybertronians awaited to be awakened.


Nemesis Bridge

Starscream did not have time to dodge Megatron's blow. "You idiot," the Decepticon leader roared.

Hitting the ground, Starscream tried to crawl away from his enraged master as he aimed his cannon at his head. "Please, Lord Megatron," Starscream begged. "This was not my fault. Makeshift was the one that failed and got captured."

Megatron's cannon charged to life. "You tasked Makeshift with taking the Ark. This is your failure. Twice now, you have failed to give me what I want," then his voice dropped to a low growl. "So, tell me, Starscream, tell me why I should keep you as my Second-In-Command?"

Knowing his life was on the line Starscream did the only thing he knew how to get out. He begged for his life. "Please, Lord Megatron," Starscream flipped around, placing his face on the floor. "I feel just as ashamed of this defeat as you do. No more so. If you will permit me. I will lead an entire battle fleet to the human home system, destroy their fleet, and take the Ark. From there, I will burn the Human homeworld as a message for those who dare to interfere in matters not their own. Only then can my shame be washed away."

After a long and terrifying silence, Megatron removed his cannon from Starscream's head. He turned away from cowering second-in-command. "I will spare your pitiful life Starscream," Megatron said. "But I will not permit you to fail me for the third time. A fleet will be taken to the human system to take the Autobot ship. But this time, I will lead the battle myself and claim what is mine."

Megatron did not care what had to be done. The Ark and what it contained would be his. The future of Cybertron would be his to command.