a/n: This wasn't originally planned, but I had a lot of ideas for Megatron's backstory in Dust and Decepticons, so here we are.
The Bearer of Cybertron's Future
A multitude of machines crawled on and inside the asteroid, drilling, smashing, and carving away at the massive lump of stone as it hurtled through the vacuum of space. While the rock was large enough to have its own atmosphere, it was too thin to support any organic life.
"D-16!" a voice called over the mineshaft's intercom, "Take the cart up to the crater!"
A drill tank seized boring into the wall to pull back and unfold into a bipedal robot.
Wordlessly, he grasped the handle on the hovering minecart, filled with shining ores of rare metals, and pushed it along its magnetic track.
The track led the miner to the mouth of the mineshaft, depositing him on an artificial platform that circled around the inside of the crater. This particular entryway was on the third tier from the bottom, ten entire tiers from the lip of the crater.
D-16 glanced down to the base of the crater, where ores would be packed and shipped back to Cybertron for-
Is that Prime Force 1?
D-16 took a second to recalibrate his optic sensors, and sure enough, Zeta Prime's personal ship was docked where the delivery ships would normally be loaded.
What the actual Pit?
The miner pushed the cart onto the lift, and let the mechanism carry him and his payload down to the loading zone.
The loading zone where a purple and golden Cybertronian was standing.
"Ah, it's good to see you," the Cybertronian, Zeta Prime, the leader of Cybertron, greeted.
"… What?" D-16 finally managed to force out.
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Zeta Prime asked, "I've been doing these runs to try to stay in touch with my roots. After all, I also used to transport these ores myself." He picked up one of the ores in the minecart. "It wasn't glorious work, but necessary to the future of our species."
"I suppose that is true," D-16 noted as Zeta Prime removed one of the ores from the cart, "We are forged of metal alloys."
"Miners like you extract the ores, cargo ships fly them back to Cybertron to be refined, and the purified metal is used to forge new protoforms," the leader of Cybertron remarked, before placing the ore back in the cart.
"What about the ship that normally handles this run?" D-16
"Don't worry, they're being compensated," Zeta Prime assured him, "They're still getting paid for this delivery, I'm just going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting they'd normally handle."
"Why are you doing this, anyway?" D-16 asked, "Don't you have a planet to run?"
"Between myself, the Advocate, the Guildmaster, the Lord High Protector, and the Administrator of Vector Sigma, the High Council won't break down if I step out for a few Solar Cycles," Zeta Prime waved off, "Besides, Termagax reminded me that I ought to foster a connection with the people I'm governing."
"I was under the impression you two weren't on speaking terms," D-16 remarked.
Zeta Prime laughed.
"We might not always see optic to optic, but I'd have to be an idiot to ignore her advice," he explained, "You don't get to be as old as her by letting petty grudges cloud your judgement."
"I suppose so…" D-16 muttered as the Prime stepped away to help his attendants pour the cart's contents into a cart labeled "Tyger Pax".
"You know, I don't think I ever got your name," Zeta Prime remarked as the crate was loaded onto a trailer.
"I don't have one yet," the miner answered, "My designation is D-16."
"Don't worry," Zeta Prime replied as he placed a hand on the miner's shoulder, "I'm certain you'll figure that name out soon enough." Zeta Prime folded into his alt mode and hitched himself to his trailer. "Well, D-16, it's been pleasant speaking with you, but I really must be going!" The Prime's attendants folded into vehicle mode and surrounded him, forming a convoy. "Remember, bots like you are the bearers of Cybertron's future!"
The convoy drove off towards the ramp of Prime Force 1, leaving D-16 to muse over the conversation.
BANG!
A blast of searing-hot plasma tore through the thin atmosphere from the lip of the crater, burning a hole through Zeta Prime's engine.
"SNIPER!" a voice called out as D-16 dove for the mines, the sounds of Prime Force 1's guns echoing across the face of the asteroid.
Smoke billowed from Zeta Prime's stationary form.
In spite of this, the shipment still eventually reached Cybertron, and the ores D-16 personally delivered would one day be known as "Orion Pax".
But neither Orion nor D-16 would ever learn this.
Indeed, all of Cybertron had far more pressing concerns than a quiet moment of cosmic irony.
D-16 sat in a booth off in the corner of Maccadam's Old Oil House as the video screen broadcasted the memorial service.
While Zeta Prime had lasted long enough for his attendants to get him to Prime Force 1's infirmary, he was already dead by the time they reached Cybertron.
That was what the soldiers who'd come to secure the asteroid had said before sending everyone back to Iacon, at least.
The news cycle had been focused almost entirely on either Zeta Prime's death, questions of who would inherit the Matrix, or other facilities throughout Cybertron's offworld territories being inspected to try and find who had sent the sniper.
But on the screen, Sentinel Major had stepped up to the podium.
"For most of our history, we have been at war," Sentinel Major stated, "Whether it be with the Quintessons or Nominus for our freedom, or the Sparkless for our continued existence, our history has been violent and bloodstained since almost the beginning.
"Zeta Prime had believed those cycles were behind us, and had even been planning on a peaceful retirement. He told me he was hoping to go back to the job he had held before he had received the real Matrix of Leadership and been tasked with freeing us from Nominus' tyrrany. He deserved the chance to retire. This is not the rest he wanted.
"The sniper who took his life was a Quintesson Executioner."
The crowd erupted into panicked murmurs, both at the actual event, and in the old oil house.
"Yes, they still see us as their property," Sentinel Major continued as an attendant approached with a silver box, "The Executioner, when captured and interrogated, insisted they were merely disposing of 'defective equipment' when they murdered Zeta Prime. We are now at war with Quintessa. They hope to wipe us out and restart our evolution from scratch. We cannot allow them to steal the future of our species.
"I believed I still had a few solar cycles before I'd have to say this, but I promise you that I shall lead us all to a brighter future! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings! It's time to take the fight right to the Quintessons' doorstep! They do not control our world's future!"
The attendant opened the box, revealing the Matrix of Leadership within.
"Till all are one! Rise Sentinel Prime!" the attendant announced.
The crowd at the event gave a cheer as Sentinel Prime placed the Matrix in his own chest.
"I do not know how long this war will last," the newly appointed Prime stated, "But I promise you, the brightest days are still to come!"
CLANG!
D-16 jolted at the sound of the metal cannister striking the bartop.
"Morempt empty promishesh…" a voice slurred, "That poor bootleg doeshn't rea- doeshn't realize what he'sh getten into."
D-16 groaned as he turned to the bar, where a purple Cybertronian was slouched over the bar, tank treads visible in her arms, though he couldn't see where the tank's cannon had gone.
"Looks like someone had one too many drinks," he muttered.
"Mute yer fraggin' voishbox!" the Cybertronian snapped, "Oi! Mac! I need anofer refill!"
D-16 heard a sigh from the bartender, and owner of the establishment, Maccadam, as the old bot adjusted his lenses and took the oil cannister from the drunk's hands and took to one of the larger drums behind the bar.
"Normally, I wouldn't complain about the free business, but you can't keep doing this," he stated as the cannister slowly filled with oil, "Have you considered speaking to Rung?"
"Shaddup, I'mn't gonna shpill my shircuitsh to shome-" *hic* "- shome shtranger," the drunk replied.
"And constantly chugging enough oil to drown a Titan is better?" Maccadam questioned as he placed the refilled cannister in front of the drunk.
Though D-16 couldn't see her face, he could tell the drunk was rolling her optics.
"Shaddup," she replied, before turning the cannister up and chugging down more oil. "Ack! What the pit? Is this slag unleaded?!"
"You've clearly had enough of the leaded stuff!"
"Oh, rusht in the Pit you fragging rushtbucket! I know my limitsh!"
"Given how many times you've drunken yourself into a system failure, I'd say that's up for debate," Maccadam deadpanned, "And watch yourself! I'm already far more lenient with you than I am with most of my clientele."
The drunk scoffed, but nonetheless went back to sipping her oil, paying no mind to the interviews on the video screen.
Not that D-16 was paying any more attention himself. He had already finished refueling, he had watched the part of the memorial service he was actually interested in, and at this point he was just waiting for his boss to let him know when they'd be going back to work.
I don't see why I should stick around here, the miner thought as he rose from his seat and started walking for the exit.
"Megatronoush, Liege Max… Liege Maximo… Amalgamoush, Megatronoush, Prima, Guardian, and now Zeta…" the drunk deadpanned, "More Primesh have died than have ever lived…"
"Solus Prime," D-16 interjected.
"Wuzzat?" the drunk slurred, turning her yellow optics towards the miner.
"You forgot Solus Prime when you listed off all the Primes who died," D-16 replied.
"Oh yeah… She did die…" the drunk stated, "Loveshtruck dumbash had it comin…"
"Seriously Termagax," Maccadam stated, causing D-16 to pause at the door, "Please speak with Rung! I don't want you to end up like-"
"You're Termagax?!" D-16 shouted, prompting the drunk to flinch.
"Watsh the fragging volume!" Termagax snapped back.
"Sorry," D-16 replied, "But seriously, are you?"
"So what if… What if I am Termagax?" the drunk asked as she turned to face D-16, "Wazzittoya?"
"I spoke with Zeta Prime, shortly before he was shot," D-16 explained as he approached the bar, "He still thought highly of you."
As he got closer to her, D-16 noticed that Termagax wasn't actually purple. It was all a trick of the light. Instead, most of her body was light blue, with her chest, shoulders, and lower legs covered with puce plating.
He also noticed that, for all of the tank kibble visible on her body, he couldn't find the tank's cannon anywhere.
"He did, huh?" Termagax noted, glancing over at the miner with a yellow optic, "Dunno why he thought that wuzza good-" *hic* "-good idea…"
"I was as surprised as you probably are," D-16 noted as he took a seat next to her, "I was under the impression you two hated each other."
"Untrue," Termagax remarked, "I jusht hit a dead end."
"Hmm?"
"I rebelled against Nominoush becuz he wuzzn't the 'real' Prime," Termagax replied, "I'd've put a bullet between hish opticsh even if he wuzza real deal. He wuzza… Wuzza pieshe of scrap. Hated hish shircuitsh from the shtart…" *urp* "Ugh… I'm gonna hate myself next solar cycle, I can already tell…" She sipped her unleaded oil. "Findin' the real Matrix let ush end the war quickly… Fewer dead… But inshtead of the people learning not to put alder faith in a pretty trinket, they deshided the problem wuz that the relic wuzza fake. Sho nothing'sh changed! Nominoush could happen all over again if shome bot had the right opportunity! Zeta Prime wuzza good leader, but the Matrix had nothin' to do wiffit.
"I hadta fight ta get the two, the two elected sheatsh added. I thought Prime shoulda been elected too…" she sighed, "But no! The people needa shymbol!" She scoffed. "Being shymbolsh and either going crazy or dying… All a Prime ish good for!" She groaned… "Don't be an icon, bot. It never endsh well…"
The atmosphere in the mines had permanently changed.
No matter where they were stationed, there would be soldiers posted.
The cargo ships were now heavily armed and escorted by at least one warship.
Every mine now doubled as a military installation, all out of necessity.
D-16 didn't mind the soldiers, after Zeta Prime had been assassinated before his very optics, he knew why they were necessary.
"Did you hear?" D-16 overheard as he drilled into the stone wall deep beneath the asteroid's surface, "Those five-faced bootlegs have started force-feeding their victims nucleon!"
"Isn't that the painkiller that can fry your conversion system if you overdose?" another soldier asked.
"Yeah," the first soldier replied, "My unit rescued them, but the nucleon damaged their neuronets. Even when they got replacement parts, some bits just still didn't work right. The lucky ones can still transform, but can't scan new alt modes. The unlucky ones are mode-locked. Poor things'll never transform again."
"Primus…" the other soldier gasped, "I'd self-destruct if that ever happened to me."
D-16 unfolded into robot mode, picking up some of the loose ores his drilling had knocked loose.
"If you two are done," he opened, "I could use some help loading this into the cart!"
He did enjoy seeing the soldiers awkwardly stand at attention, before scrambling to load the chunks of metal and stone into the cart. The Lord High Protector, Trannis, had made it clear that they would need to extract the ores and get them back to Cybertron before the Quintessons could find their mines. That had been the only way to stay ahead of the curve, especially with Cybertron still on the defensive.
And to think, Sentinel Prime made such a big deal out of "taking the fight to them", D-16 thought as he stepped in front of the cart and folded into vehicle mode. One of the soldiers hitched the cart to D-16, before stepping ahead and folding into vehicle, aiming the turrets mounted on his roof ahead.
The other soldier took point behind the cart, folding into vehicle mode and pointing his mounted turret into the shadows behind them.
The trio made their way back to the surface, the two soldiers scanning for threats as D-16 pulled the cart full of ores. They passed under a hole in the ceiling, unaware of its existence, or the green eyes peering at them from the upper tunnel.
CLANG!
CRUNCH!
The dying soldier's final scream was cut short by a chomping sound as the soldier ahead of D-16 whirled his turret back and opened fire above D-16's head.
"Scrap! They're already here!" the soldier shouted as he unfolded into robot mode and stepped aside to let D-16 pass, firing at their assailant all the way, "Get to the surface and don't look back!"
D-16 hauled the cart behind him and past the soldier, the gunfire abruptly stopping with a crunch and a choked cry, followed by the sounds of something scratching the cavern walls and pebbles and gravel crumbling behind him.
He could hear his pursuers scuttling behind him as gunfire echoed from outside.
CRUNCH!
The cart halted behind D-16, and the miner felt something pulling him back. The Cybertronian poured everything he had into his treads, pulling with all his might as the metal buckled behind him. All the while, the cable connecting him to the cart strained more and more.
SNAP!
With the cord broken, D-16 flipped and stumbled, unfolding and rolling into robot mode to break into a spring and dive back into his vehicle mode, the cart of ores disappearing down the gullet of whatever was chasing him.
He burst from the mouth of the mineshaft and tumbled downhill. D-16 unfolded back into robot mode and dug his fingers into the wall to slow his descent as he approached the bottom of the crater.
When he felt solid ground beneath his feet, he pushed himself up, and came face to face with the beady eyes of one of the creatures. Circuits, graying metal, and pink blood dripped from its jaws as it crunched down on his supervisor's body. Its upper jaw was purple, its lower jaw was blood pink, while its body was a dull gray, while its arms, legs, dorsal fin, and flail-like tail were blue.
CRUNCH!
The creature bit down, causing the supervisor's left hand and optics to drop out of its mouth, splashing D-16 with the deceased bot's blood, before swallowing its prey.
"SHKRAAAAUGH!" the creature roared as it lunged.
D-16 rolled to the side and burst into a sprint surveying the environment.
Hundreds of the creatures were pouring into the crater as the soldiers opened fire, the built-in guns on the transport ship firing on a corkscrew-shaped vessel that appeared to be locked in battle with the warship that had escorted them to the asteroid.
"Get to the ship!" one of the soldiers shouted, "We need to fall back to-" The creature she was shooting lunged.
CRUNCH!
It snapped its jaws shut, biting off the upper half of the soldier's body as blood sprayed out from between its teeth.
At the very least, the transport ship's ramp was lowered.
D-16 dashed for the ramp as bullets whizzed past his head and impacted the creature behind him, prompting it to grunt in either pain or annoyance. The miner dove ahead and folded into his drill tank mode, allowing the soldiers to adjust their aim and shoot over him.
"SHGRAAAUGH!"
D-16 wasn't sure if that was a scream of rage or pain, but he accelerated just in case it was the former. He accelerated and drove past the soldiers and up the ramp, followed by two other miners.
"We're ready for lift-off!" one of the dozen miners already on the craft shouted.
"What about everyone else?" one of the miners who had entered after D-16 asked, "There were five hundred of us!"
"You are everyone else!" a miner who was missing her arm snapped back as D-16 unfolded into robot mode, "Those things ate everyone!"
"What about the soldiers guarding the-" D-16's words died in his voicebox as he watched the ramp close behind him, the creatures swarming and devouring the two soldiers as the ship sealed the beasts out.
"I've activated the distress beacon!" the pilot announced over the intercom, "The warship finally managed to shape the Quintesson vessel out of the way, so we should be able to-"
The entire ship shook.
"Scrap! They just destroyed the warship!" the pilot shouted, "Everyone, hold onto something, we're going to have to-"
BOOM!
In an instant, everything was thrown into silence.
D-16 floated amongst the debris both the asteroid and the transport had been reduced to, his fellow miners and the creatures that had terrorized them, both living and dead, surrounding him in the vacuum.
A green light emitted by the corkscrew vessel began to gently sweep over the debris, stopping and turning red when it covered the pilot.
In an eerily silent flash of plasma, the pilot was reduced to molten droplets.
The green light continued its sweep, passing over the gunmetal gray corpses without pause, before stopping on one of the creatures and turning red.
In another flash, the creature was reduced to molten metal.
The green light continued its sweep once more, and the one-armed miner attempted to pull a corpse in front of herself.
Even though it obscured her entirely, the light still turned red, and white-hot plasma still reduced her to molten metal.
Another miner managed to pull himself behind a large rock, only for the alien vessel to still detect and liquify him.
D-16 could only watch as the light crept closer and closer to him, smelting miner and monster alike, before it finally bathed him in its glow.
His entire world turned red as the plasma weapon charged.
A blast of energon soared right past the helpless miner and slammed right into the weapon, triggering a massive, yet silent, explosion.
This was followed shortly after by a barrage of weapons fire.
The corkscrew-shaped ship stretched and warped away, vanishing in a blink of light.
Getting pulled aboard the Cybertronian vessel, and into an atmosphere that conducted sound, was an immense relief to D-16. But the good news ended there.
Of the five hundred miners and one thousand and fifty soldiers stationed at the asteroid, only three miners returned to Cybertron.
But not even Cybertron was safe.
"Late last solar cycle, another evacuation fleet has vanished en route to Caminus," Nebula announced as D-16 stepped into his apartment's living room to find his roommate watching the news, "Even though the Quintessons have yet to launch an assault on any of our colonies, Lord High Protector Trannis has stated he has no intention of calling the troops stationed at them back to Cybertron, insisting that the situation could change at a moment's notice.
"In light of the recent orbital bombardments, Sentinel Prime has made the controversial decision to indefinitely postpone all sporting events until underground arenas can be constructed. This includes both the Velocitron 500 and the Cube League. Many cube fans have taken to the streets in protest, and Velocitron in particular has argued that canceling their sporting events when the planet hasn't been assaulted is a gross overreaction.
"In other news, the Intergalactic Sports League has barred Cybertron from the Pan Galactic Games on request of the Alpha Quintesson, arguing that mechanical life forms have an unfair advantage over organic races. Many dissenters have pointed out that the Quintessons are not entirely organic themselves. Sentinel Prime has yet to issue a response to the accusations of-"
D-16 let the news fade into background noise as he shuffled around his dingy apartment. The windows had shattered during the last orbital bombardment, and the burned-yet-still-standing husks of Polyhex's skyline was plainly visible through the holes in his wall.
Finding someone who was still hiring when Darkmount was the only building still standing and unmarred wasn't simple.
Then again, the Quintessons could change that at any moment, D-16 bitterly noted as he drained some Energon from a cube and into a cub. He stepped out onto his apartment's mercifully undamaged balcony and sipped the pink liquid within, staring out over the streets.
Most of the organic life forms that had lived in the area had fled after Zeta Prime was assassinated. They had made it home safely, but the Cybertronians whom had travelled with them did not.
They really are trying to wipe us out, D-16 bitterly noted.
His video screen emitted a loud buzz.
"This is an emergency broadcast from the Cybertronian Military! A Quintesson vessel has appeared above the southern hemisphere! If you live in Cybertron's southern hemisphere, evacuate to an orbital bombardment shelter in a calm, orderly fashion! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"
D-16 growled and stepped back into his apartment as the warning looped.
"Why do they broadcast those damned warnings to the entire planet?" he muttered as he walked towards the front door, "Only the Cybertronians in the affected hemisphere need the warnings."
"It is necessary that we are aware that a Quintesson vessel has been sighted," D-16's roommate noted, "Especially if it moves North, it is better to have the forewarning than to not."
"I understand that, Soundwave," D-16 replied, "But it doesn't mean I have to like it!" He shut off the video screen and stepped out into his apartment complex's hallway. "We've got orbital bombardment sirens for a reason," D-16 noted as he locked his door behind him, "I still need to find a new job."
D-16 trudged down the street as rain poured from above, overhearing snippets of the emergency broadcast as he walked past damaged homes and barely intact store fronts.
"Maybe I could get a job in construction," he muttered, "Or I could try working at the docks." He closed his optics. "As long as I never have to see one of those damned monsters again… I'll be fine."
He glanced at one of the many identical posters plastered on a condemned building.
Your planet needs you, it read, before everything ends up like this!
He trudged on.
"An orbital bombardment has struck Kaon! I repeat, an orbital bombardment has struck Kaon!" a video screen in a window display blared.
"Kaon again?" D-16 muttered as he began to trudge off, "That's the fourth time this Decacycle."
"A second Quintesson vessel has been sighted above Kaon! A thir- Twelve Quintesson vessels are converging on Kaon!"
D-16 paused as a crowd formed around the video screens, all optics were on the screens as everyone waited with paused ventilation.
"Kaon has fallen! I repeat! Kaon has fallen! Do not approach the city! I repeat! Do not approach Kaon!"
The broadcast finally returned to normal programming, a romantic sitcom about a seeker and a racer.
Nobody was laughing. The entire crowd had dissolved into a mix of mourning and panicked muttering.
D-16, meanwhile, made up his mind.
Soundwave tried to talk D-16 out of it, but the former miner wouldn't hear it.
Cybertron wasn't safe anymore. Hadn't been safe since Zeta Prime was shot.
Even if D-16 took on a janitorial job, the Quintessons would still come after him.
"They won't rest, until all of us are dead!" the former miner stated, "You can't change my mind Soundwave, I need to do this! I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't!"
And so, D-16 marched right into the recruitment office, spoke directly to the recruitment officer, and was accepted for the bootcamp.
As the nameless soldier took his seat in the transport that would take him to his new training grounds, he thought back to his conversation with the late Zeta Prime.
There was but one thought on his mind when the transport took off.
I am the bearer of Cybertron's future.
a/n: Okay so, elaborating on what I said before, I got writer's block halfway through working on chapter 5 of Dust and Decepticons: Falling Stars, and so decided I'd flesh out Megatron's backstory out more here. For my AGaHB readers, don't worry, this isn't gonna be like "Like Judas Thereupon Kissed", I only have 7 chapters planned here, and the gimmick behind this fic means I can't have more than those 7. But basically, the "gimmick" of this story is that every chapter is going to focus on some of "titles" Megatron has earned over the course of his life prior to the Cybertronian Civil War.
Termagax starting out described as purple before "D-16" got closer to her is a reference to an actual error I made while looking her up on TF Wiki. I legit thought she was purple because the picture I looked at had her in shadow.
Soundwave was a last minute addition, since I realized I needed an explanation for why he and Megatron are so close in the present.
Regardless, I'm glad to have gotten this done now, because it is helping me get those creative juices flowing.