Chapter 18: Attack on the Devastator
"Autobots, we have found out where Doomsayer and his New Decepticons are located at." Ultra Magnus said to the Autobots. "It appears that they are at their warship that's even bigger than the Nemesis. They call it The Devastator and it's located at what's left of Kaon."
"So what's the plan, Ultra Magnus? Do we take the ground bridge to that warship and make scrap out of em'?" Bulkhead asked.
"We could. But we'll need someone who knows or has any Decepticon signatures if we are to gain access to that massive warship at Kaon." Ultra Magnus replied.
Knock Out stepped in front of the Autobots as he volunteers to help the winning team. "Sir if I may, perhaps I could help us gain access to The Devastator. Since I for one used to be a Decepticon before I became an Autobot, I might be able to sneak us aboard that warship." he offered.
"Alright, Knock Out. You can come along with us." Ultra Magnus agreed before he spoke to the Autobots, especially the recruit Orion Eclipse. "Autobots, we promised Optimus that we would prevent the Decepticons from ever rising again and so we must put a stop to Doomsayer's threat to start a second great war and make sure he doesn't know where to find Unicron's Anti-Spark. As for the Sword of Primus, we believe that it is similar to the Star Saber since according to legend, it can only be wielded by someone worthy of being the next Prime." Ultra Magnus said before he gave Ratchet the order to open up a portal to the Devastator.
"Ratchet, lock onto The New Decepticons' coordinates and activate the ground bridge to The Devastator." Ultra Magnus ordered. Ratchet nodded. "Yes, Ultra Magnus." The white and orange medic said before he activated the ground bridge to where Doomsayer and his minions are located at the ruins of Kaon.
"Ultra Magnus, sir? Can I come along with you and the Autobots?" Orion Eclipse asked.
"Are you sure you want to join us on our mission?" the Autobot leader asked.
"Yes! Doomsayer has threatened to destroy my home and I want to make him pay for what he and his henchmen did to enslave the humans including Anthony and his family at the Energon Mines. I will not allow that fiend to destroy the Earth itself." Orion Eclipse replied.
"Alright, but be warned; Doomsayer is far more deadly than you think. He could easily extinguish your spark before your very optics." Ultra Magnus told the young bot.
"Not unless we tear him apart for all that he did during the Great War." Hot Rod said.
"I'm coming too to keep an eye out for any of Doomsayer's traps," Bumblebee added.
"Then let's not waste any more time as we enter on our mission to defeat the Herald of Unicron. If he truly is worse than Megatron, then I fear that what we're dealing with is a mech that's far more dangerous than any Decepticon we've encountered." Ultra Magnus replied.
Ratchet opens the ground bridge and he insists on coming along with Ultra Magnus, Orion Eclipse, Hot Rod, Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Knock Out, Ironhide, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Prowl as they begin their mission to make their way into The Devastator and defeat Doomsayer and his New Decepticons before they try to succeed on their quest to revive Unicron the Chaos Bringer and destroy both Cybertron and Earth. They promised their late leader, Optimus Prime, that they would prevent the Decepticons from ever rising again to regain their military might and seek their revenge on the Autobots for winning the war. As for Orion Eclipse, he knew that he must be brave if he must do whatever it takes to protect the Earth and its humans since Orion has made that planet his home and always will be. Once Ultra Magnus agreed to let Ratchet come along with him and the Autobots, he once again says to his team what Optimus Prime would say to them.
"Autobots, transform and roll out!" Ultra Magnus said.
And as our heroes enter the portal, they arrive on the Devastator which is located at what is exactly left of Kaon as the capital of the Decepticons itself is now in ruins along with the fallen fortress of Kolkular. Knock Out helped the Autobots sneak inside the warship while using his old Decepticon signatures to allow our heroes to gain access into the dark halls without getting caught by security. Little did the Autobots know was that Doomsayer had already planned on another death trap in case his enemies would finally know where to find him and sneak inside of the ship.
The air was thick with tension as the Autobots made their way through the Devastator. They worked as hard as they could to keep discretion going. Any Decepticons in their path were taken out quickly, and quietly. They didn't infiltrate this ship just to get caught now. Not when they had the chance to capture the New Decepticons in their ship unawares. "Approach with caution, team," Magnus ordered silently. "The schematics show we're nearing the bridge."
"Good," Hot Rod said. "All this sneaking around isn't my style - not when I could be fragging Decepticons."
"Get used to it, kid," Ironhide said. "Sometimes discretion is the best way to stay alive on an infiltration mission. And the less the cons know we're here, the better. Even though I'm a scrapper, even I know when it's better to be stealthy."
"Don't you mean 'silent but deadly?" Bulkhead snickered, before Arcee gave him the stink eye while whispering, "Bulkhead, I swear to Primus-!"
"Quiet!" Ratchets said sternly as they approached a pair of doors. "We're here. Now focus, and ready yourselves. This may be our only chance to end this conflict before we have another war on our servos." The team gave a nod of confirmation as they pulled out their guns. Taking two sides to break into the bridge for their raid, the team awaited their leader's signal. "We move in on the count of three, once Knockout gets the door open. Everyone understand?"
"Half loud, but still clear, boss bot." Knockout half-quipped. He then took on a more serious demeanor and raised his hand up to the bio-scanner. "Ready when you all are." Magnus nodded, and said, "Then we move on 3. 1...2..." he gives Knockout a look of acknowledgment, and the red racer let the door scan his Decepticon signature, and the door opens. "THREE!" The team charges in with their weapons primed, and ready to shoot the first thing that moves. "Surrender, Doomsayer! You are under arrest for-" But he stopped in the middle of his rights reading when he and the others saw something troubling.
"There's...there's no one here," Orion said with a great deal of confusion.
The Autobots look around, seeing further the truth in Orion's statement as no signs of any New Decepticons were present. No sight nor sound of even a Vehicon could be found. This, of course, was troubling to the other bots. But Hot Rod took this a bit differently. "Hah! Guess they knew we were coming, and hightailed it out of here! New Decepticons, same old hot air!"
"Cool it, Hot Rod!" Bumblebee said in a strict, lowered voice. "There's something wrong with this situation. Do you think they actually knew we were here?" A few clicks later, and Bee's eyes widen as he realized, "Everyone: this is one of Doomsayer's traps!"
"Indeed it is, Scout-Warrior." A deep, conceited voice chuckled out of the darkness before Doomsayer emerged with his body glowing with the sickly colors of Dark Energon. "And yet you still came here. The Autobots have definitely lost the edge in tactical thinking. You never even considered the possibility we perfected our own cloaking technology to the level where our own signatures can be masked from all scanners, even when we're standing right next to you," He looks around. "Haven't they, men?" Suddenly, as if walking out of thin air, dozens of Vehicons surround the Autobots and prime their weapons in preparation for a fight. A throne none of the bots had seen at first, in the shadows of the back of the room, showed the Inner Circle also stepping forward, and uncloaked themselves as they prepared their weapons, as well. Magnus glared at the New Decepticon leader, and growled, "Doomsayer!"
"In the finish," he said in a mock bow before he looked over to where Knockout was standing. Smiling as he saw the uncomfortable stature of the former Decepticon. "And there's someone among you who'd be an expert on that...wouldn't you, Knockout?" The bot in question flinched when Doomsayer said his name aloud, and the others looked to him. "You know Doomsayer?" Orion asked. Knockout grimaced as he said, "It's...it's a long story I don't want to get into. And trust me: you DON'T want to know about it." Catching on to how unnerved he was, Orion gave him an understanding nod, and urged the others with a look to not pressure him about it. Doomsayer, however, only chuckled in amusement before saying, "Is that so, my dear Knockout? Was our time together really that bad? I thought I always treated you fairly," he licked his bladed teeth, "and made sure you were given the pleasurable rewards you deserved."
"SHUT UP, YOU HUNK OF A SCRAPHEAP!" Knockout shouted in rage, surprising everyone - even the New Decepticons.
"My, Knockout," Starscream spoke next. "Has your time with the Autobots mellowed you out in some way? You usually only get this angry when someone insults, damages, or simply vandalizes your finish in some way." He smiled. "Could it be you DO have some bottled history you kept even from me and Megatron? Did it involve you stabbing someone in the back like you did me - and will eventually do to your so-called team? Once a con, always a con, they say." He laughed briefly before the sound of a fusion cannon being primed went off, and he noticed Orion aiming at him.
"Do you always compare others to yourself, Starscream? Or is your self-esteem just so low that you have to bring others down to make yourself feel strong? No wonder everyone sees you as a coward."
"WHAT?!" Starscream roared, before getting ready to attack. "Why, you insolent little-"
"Enough, Starscream!" Doomsayer harshly commanded, flashing a surge of Dark Energon in his hand that made Starscream quiet down. He then gave Orion a curious look, before he suddenly laughed in amusement. "I can certainly see you have your father's vigor, and ferocity with his sharp, witty tongue. Only he could be so fierce in his disposition to his inferiors, and yet witty at the same time when he wanted to be. He certainly had a way with dumb cons." Starscream quietly growled. Ignoring the air commander, Doomsayer spread his smile wide in a knowing grin as he said something that made everyone's mouth drop from shock. "You know, I knew your father very well - before you were even born... Orion Eclipse."
Orion's eyes widened as he quietly asked, "How...how do you know who I am?"
"I should think that's obvious: I was one of Megatron's lieutenants during the War For Cybertron when the mayhem began to escalate. Just before that time, he found himself a mate and had you. His ONLY true heir to the throne of the Decepticons." Starscream glared at both Doomsayer, and Orion as he now remembered Megatron's son, while his ire for Doomsayer grew from the harrowing reminder. "He was actually less malevolent than the Autobots remember in those days: but that was because he had you, and his conjunx endura by his side to keep him cemented to some semblance of sanity." Doomsayer darkly chuckled. "Until his sparkmate perished in an Autobot attack, which drove him further to his infamous state of madness."
Orion backed up a few inches holding his head, as he could feel more of his own memories coming back. Visions of Megatron, and also...a fembot of a radiant beauty, and loving aura that he was now feeling once again. Bee noticed this and asked if he was okay. Orion spoke in a hushed tone, saying, "I can't-... I can't believe it: I have a mother." he said in a hopeful tone added to his voice. Until Doomsayer ruined his moment of hopeful clarity by reminding him, "You HAD a mother, boy. But the war claimed her spark during an Autobot attack. That was the price she paid for ever falling for an ego-maniacal tyrant like Megatron...and having you."
This made Orion flinch before a dark look fell over him as he glared at the New Decepticon leader. "What...did you just say?" He darkly asked. Doomsayer chuckled in amusement at the young bots' threatening look. "Ah, yes. The hard truth that's always difficult for a child to accept: the knowledge that he was unwanted. Megatron himself said so during a meeting when he began to see how different you were from the other Decepticons. You showed compassion, concern for others, and a kindness that was unbefitting of an heir to the empire. He wanted to groom you to be his successor: to lead the Decepticons should the day come when his spark was extinguished. But you failed all of his expectations, and made him regret ever giving life to you." His eyes narrowed with his smile. "Even your own mother wanted nothing to do with the both of you as the old leader's evil grew. One night, I overheard her when she leaked information of a scheduled Decepticon raid on an Energon depot we were going to perform, saying something about how it would all be over soon. Megatron and the Decepticons seized control of the depot, but the Autobots 'somehow' found their way there and engaged us. That was when your mother saw the opportunity she had been waiting for."
Orion gasped, "You don't mean..."
"I do: she set off the Energon Depot with a fusion bomb, and then she remained in the depot to ensure she would die in the resulting explosion. When I looked into her optics, I understood what she meant by words: suicide would be her release from the madness of war." The warlord's arms then spread dramatically wide as he laughed, "and yet she only set such madness further into motion! Megatron was already teetering on the edge of his insanity: but the death of his sparkmate, and later on his own son's death in a failed evacuation during another battle finally drove him over the edge. He embraced the darkness, and fully became the tyrannical monster that destroyed Cybertron! He eventually learned of the Dark Energon aboard Trypticon station, and began using it to tip the balance of power in his favor - even using it to poison the core of Cybertron, and unwittingly fulfill Lord Unicron's will of seeing to the death of Primus! HAHAHAHAAH! What greater irony is there than that?!" He then moved in closer towards Orion until they were inches from each other. And as he stared back at the glaring Autobot, he gave a dark expression as he told Orion the one thing no child would ever want to hear of their own parents.
"So as you can see, Orion Eclipse: your family had no love for you. Your parents never cared for you. To one, you were a tool - to the other, you were a curse. To the Autobots who secretly know who you are, you were nothing but an accident." He then leaned to Orion's audio receptor on the right side long enough to say, "The truth you've been longing to seek for yourself? It's that your existence has no purpose, and you should have died at birth, let alone during the failed evacuation."
All of the Autobots, and surprisingly even Starscream, looked at Doomsayer with such hate-filled disgust. But the only thing Orion Eclipse felt right now was rage. He grit his teeth glared his full anger into the Decepticon warlord...and with his fusion cannon charged, he delivered his strongest right hook that sent Doomsayer reeling into his throne with explosive force as he fired his gun at the same time his fist made contact with Doom's face. "How dare you?!" Orion hissed, as his servos squeezed tight enough to turn white. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME, YOU EVIL BASTARD?!?"
Shaking his head, Doomsayer checked himself over to see if there was any lasting damage. To his mild surprise, his lower lip was leaking the purple Energon flowing through his veins. And instead of anger, he showed a chuckling amusement. "Quite the right hook, Orion. You really are your father's son. And, of course, the terrible truth of a dysfunctional family most certainly hurts the core of the spark, doesn't it?." He said, standing back up as if nothing had happened, as he then decided to turn his cruel slander towards the Autobots. "Just as I'm sure it deeply hurt you Autobots, having to watch your beloved Optimus Prime abandon you all the day he gave up his existence to revive The Well of Allsparks, and return the Matrix to Primus. He always cared more for his duty than he did for the well-being of his own friends, didn't he? And it hurts because there might have actually BEEN a way to save him without him giving up his life...but unlike Megatron, who chose to live despite betraying his own cause, he was too weak to continue on."
His cruel smile returned once more. "The burden of leading all of you, of leading an entire world, and guiding it to an era of peace was not a burden he was strong enough to carry...or at least, that's what he thought. He was just tired of responsibility and wanted to end it permanently, just as Orion Eclipse's mother wanted to escape her own family. He saw an opportunity to be relieved of his burden, and he took it, leaving all of you behind. Now tell me what hurts the most: that you were unable to persuade him to find another way?" His eyes shined bright purple as he growled, "Or that deep down, you know he was never the great, and strong leader you thought he was. For he abandoned you all to escape from his own responsibilities as a Prime - because he was weak, naïve, foolish, delusional...and COWARDLY!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" roared Ratchet as he drew his blades, and tried to use them to amputate. But Doomsayer was faster, and a bolt of Dark Energon sent him reeling back. Bulkhead and Ironhide caught him, and now ALL of the Autobots were angry at the leader of the New Decepticons. "You crossed the last line, Doomsayer." Ultra Magnus said threateningly as he cocked his gun with the others doing the same. "Now I think we've accepted that deadly force is needed to bring you, and your regime to justice."
"HAHAHAHAHAH! Justice? Law and Order?" Doomsayer mockingly said. "Fool. The only absolute is Chaos. And soon, it is the might of The Chaos Bringer that will bring true peace to this universe. But you will not live long enough to see it." Aims his Plasma Cannon, and shouts, "New Decepticons - ATTACK!!!"
And with a single shot, the battle began. The Autobots fought against the New Decepticons as the carnage took place at the main bridge of the Devastator. While Team Prime fought against the Inner Circle, Orion Eclipse charged for his enemy while carrying the shield that Ironhide gave him after he graduated from his Autobot training. Orion and Doomsayer brawled at each other, and Bumblebee wanted to help his friend who despite being the long-lost son of Megatron, Orion Eclipse is the beacon of hope for the Autobots according to what Optimus Prime had said when that magic sword had been found. However, Starscream gets in the yellow Autobot's way, and Knock Out drew out his buzzsaw to get the Air Commander of the New Decepticons out of the way.
"GAAAH!!! You'll pay for that, Knock Out! Or should I say, TRAITOR!!!" Starscream bellowed in rage and the seeker tried to slash the red Ex-Decepticon medic through the chest with his claws, but Hot Rod was there to protect Knock Out as he shoots Starscream in the face, nearly blinding him. As for Orion Eclipse, he continued to use violence against Doomsayer while the evil Decepticon warlord taunted his enemy to try to outwit Orion in a fistfight.
"You are no match for me, boy! You'll die just like the rest of those who have died trying to extinguish my spark!" Doomsayer said as he tried to claw Orion in the face only for him to dodge his attack. "No! I will never give up! I will not stop until the universe is safe from monsters like you!" Orion Eclipse declared. Doomsayer only laughed at his adversary. "HAHAHAHA!!! Monster? You'll have to do better than making speeches as Optimus would!" Doomsayer taunted.
"You shut up about Optimus Prime, Doomsayer! He was a good leader and the final Prime of this era. You have no right to insult him!" Orion Eclipse shouted.
"Oh, I have plenty of rights to do whatever I want! And there shall be a dawning of a new era for when Unicron returns. An era of chaos!" Doomsayer said. "I doubt that it will happen eventually." Orion rebuked him as he continued to fight with the Herald of Unicron. "Ah, but you have so much to learn yet, my young friend! For I have more experience in combat than you'll ever have." Doomsayer replied before punching Orion Eclipse hard on the chest, causing him to grunt and groan in pain as he fell onto his knees. "For I am much stronger and superior to you and your so-called friends! For I am the rightful servant of Unicron that will succeed where your father had failed! You will grovel before me—ME! Doomsayer the Prince of Anarchy and Absolute Chaos!!!" Doomsayer kicked Orion Eclipse in the face before showing him a flash of Dark Energon in his hand servos as he was about to use his evil powers to torture him, but then Knock Out intervened to defend Orion before Doomsayer would try to bring him more damage.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Knock Out shouted as he attacked Doomsayer with his buzzsaw. The medic gave the evildoer his death glare and he gave Orion Eclipse enough time to get up and regain his strength. Knock Out looked to Orion and told him, "Go help the others! I'll deal with this monstrosity!" But the young bot wouldn't leave the Ex-Decepticon to die at the servos of Doomsayer. "No, Knock Out! I won't let him kill you!" Orion Eclipse said.
"Ah, yes; the passion and the willingness to help others! Just like his own mother before him." Doomsayer commented on Orion Eclipse's bravery before looking at Knock Out. "And you most certainly have a knack for getting in the way of others, dear doctor. No matter, I will terminate what's left of Megatron's family so that I can..." Doomsayer's monologue was cut off by Orion Eclipse when he hit him hard in the chest with his powerful shield.
"SHUT THE FRAG UP!!!" Orion Eclipse shouted angrily while being tired of hearing Doomsayer's monologuing. Orion Eclipse and Knock Out beat the scrap out of Doomsayer, but then he zaps them with his Dark Energon before the warlord heard the Air Commander, Starscream coming with the Dark Star Saber. "Lord Doomsayer! Here, use the Dark Star Saber!" The seeker said to Doomsayer. "Give it to me!" Doomsayer ordered. Starscream tosses the evil sword to his master and the Herald of Unicron catches the purple sword before he channels the Dark Energon from within him into the Dark Star Saber itself. The Autobots and New Decepticons stopped fighting each other to witness Doomsayer now glowing in an evil purple aura, which made Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Knock Out, Prowl, Hot Rod, Ironhide, and Orion Eclipse afraid of what the mad cult leader is gonna do with Megatron's creation that he fashioned from the Blood of Unicron with the Forge of Solus Prime.
"Is...is that...?" Hot Rod asked anxiously. Ironhide replied, "Yes. It's the Dark Star Saber!" Ratchet couldn't believe his optics. "No...It can't be! Megatron lost that sword years ago when Bumblebee destroyed him!" he explained. Doomsayer laughed maniacally as he wields the power of the evil sword Megatron had lost all those years ago. "You are correct!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Ohh, that false prophet, Megatron DID lose his creation! But thankfully, my Air Commander, Starscream, and his partner, Skywarp, were able to get it back from the Earth's ocean on their last mission." Doomsayer told the Autobots. Ultra Magnus glared at the evil New Decepticon warlord, "You won't be able to use the Dark Star Saber, Doomsayer! Since Megatron made it with the Forge of Solus Prime after he desecrated the tomb of one of the Thirteen Original Primes, that sword can only be used by a Prime, and YOU are not a Prime!" The Autobot leader told Doomsayer.
"On the contrary, The Dark Star saber doesn't require a Prime to activate its powers. I may not be a Prime, but my army and I will be the first of Unicron's disciples to be superior to that of Primus' loyal servants." Doomsayer replied before he scowled at Ultra Magnus and his team, "Besides, we all know that the lineage of the Primes is over and there will be no one else to earn that rank! After all, the Matrix of Leadership and Optimus Prime are already gone, and The Sword of Primus is useless for it will never find any of you foolish Autobots worthy enough to become the next Prime or even the new line of Primes of this new era which shall become known as...The Era of Unicron!" Doomsayer ended his monologue before he unleashes a shockwave from the Dark Star Saber, hitting and pushing the Autobots backward, hurting them.
"Autobots! FALL BACK!!!" Ultra Magnus called out to his team. "We're in a tight spot!"
But Orion wouldn't leave without a fight. He wanted to take the Dark Star Saber from Doomsayer and ram it through his chest in hopes that it would kill him, but Bumblebee stopped him. "Bee! Let me go!" Orion Eclipse yelled. "No, Orion! We have to go! He's too powerful!" Bumblebee remarked. But the young mech refused to listen as he was fueled by hatred as Orion Eclipse ran up to Doomsayer to amputate. Using his wits and his Cybernetic Energy Shield, the one that Ironhide gave Orion as a graduation gift when he became an Autobot and denounced the Decepticons, Eclipse deflected the purple electricity from The Dark Star Saber, then he chops Doomsayer's hand servo off to make him drop the evil weapon and then, he ran the shield directly into the warlord's chest, stabbing him. Doomsayer gasped in pain as the purple liquid began to spill from his chest and Orion Eclipse was about to proceed in wounding the villain when Starscream intervened. The Air Commanded grabbed the lost son of Megatron and hurled him across the room with his Cybernetic Energy Shield before Doomsayer fell onto his back and he looked badly wounded.
"MASTER!!! NOO!!!" Starscream yelled. He growled at Orion Eclipse. Ironhide grabbed Orion by the arm to keep him away from the enemy as Ultra Magnus called for a ground bridge to get him and the Autobots out of the Devastator. "GET THEM!!!" Starscream barked to the New Decepticons and the Inner Circle fired their weapons at the Autobots as they ran into the ground bridge with Knock Out being the last one to enter the portal as he flips off Starscream and Doomsayer before he transformed into his alternate vehicle mode and zoomed into the ground bridge. As the portal closed, Starscream called the medic, Astrocharge to check in on their leader as the rest of the New Decepticons looked at the wounded Doomsayer with concern.
"Master! Master, can you hear me!?" Starscream asked Doomsayer. "By the Allspark, you're wounded!" he exclaimed. Doomsayer didn't respond and he looked lifeless and dead, much to Starscream's horror. "Oh, no! New Decepticons! Lord Doomsayer is dying!!" he yelled.
But then, Doomsayer began to chuckle before he went into a fit of laughter as the open wound in his chest began to heal and repair itself when the warlord's spark chamber glowed its sickly colors of Dark Energon. "Hahahaha...Hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHA!!! No, no, no, Starscream! I'm not dying, you fool! I've been through much worse than this!" Doomsayer laughed while coughing up purple liquid. "My lord, the Autobots have gotten away again!" Astrocharge told his master. "They'll be back," Doomsayer promised as the Dark Energon continued to restore his body before he got up as if nothing happened to him as he couldn't feel any pain. "And when they do, we WON'T let them escape again." Doomsayer said before he thought about Orion Eclipse and he spoke as if he were speaking to him. "You may have won the battle, son of Megatron, but our war is far from over! We will meet again and I promise you that our next encounter will be far less easy than last time! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"