A foreboding discovery.
Optimus Prime stood in front of the young Bioprimes. He held a hologram projector in his hands, showing a 3D model of exosuits.
"As you have all taken interest in learning combat, you each will be getting your own personal Exosuit." Optimus smiled at their youthful excitement.
"Of course, you can modify your own Exosuit as you see fit. But the basic features include protection from hazardous environments. It's made from the same living metal material Cybertronians are made from, allowing it to hold an arm cannon and an arm blade." Optimus chuckled lightly at the Bioprimes barely contained excitement, as the young children bounced in their seats. The Caretakers all smiled as they watched the excitement their wards had.
"Your Caretakers will help you choose which weapon you will use. I wish you luck in your training Bioprimes." Optimus said, watching as the Bioprimes all split up to go to their respective caretaker. All jumping up and down out of anticipation.
Moonbiter came directly to him. Looking up, the young Bioprime had wonder in his eyes.
"Can I choose my own weapon?" Moonbiter excitedly asked.
"Of course, little one." Was Optimus' response.
…
Drift stood by as the young Greatsword walked through the weapon rack. Instead of having his Ward pick through a series of digital modes of weapons, Drift went out and picked up a copy of each weapon he could think of. So Greatsword could really see and get a feel of the weapon he would pick.
As the Bioprime moved from weapon to weapon, Drift watched as he kept coming back to one weapon again and again. A longsword of similar creation to Drift's own blade. Simple to the naked eye, but very deadly if used correctly.
Greatsword picked up the weapon, and held it in his hands. He gripped its handle, and lifted it into the air.
"I choose this one." The young Bioprime spoke, and Drift smiled.
"Very well. Your training begins immediately."
"Left! Right! Parry!" Drift called out, watching as Greatsword struggled against the training bot he dueled.
The training bot struck against Greatswords guard, and the blade flew out of his hands. He yelled in frustration.
Drift powered off the training bot, and kneeled next to Greatsword.
"I know it seems difficult now, but every new task will. What you can do is either rise to the challenge, or be beaten to the ground every time."
"Now, would you like to continue?" Drift asked, picking up Greatsword's blade and holding it out to the Bioprime.
"…Yes. I would." Greatsword said, picking up the sword. Greatsword took his position again. The exosuit he wore moved seamlessly with his body.
"Begin." Drift spoke.
The training bot activated. It swung its dummy blade in a predictable sweep. Instead of blocking it like last time, Greatsword dodged the attack and struck its exposed body.
The hit was registered by the robot, and part of its body lit up red. It stabbed its dummy blade forward towards Greatsword.
This time, with Drift's guidance echoing in his mind, Greatsword showcased improved agility and strategy, evading attacks and striking with precision.
"Left!" Drift called out, the Bioprime blocked and slid into a swing at the training bot's neck.
"Right!" Drift called out the next attack as the training bot swung in a sideways slash. Greatsword blocked the attack and returned with a stab to the training bot's chest. The bot's body flashed red, and an audio sounded as the robot performed the dead animation.
Drift clapped. "Well done. Do you want to try again?"
"Yes. I would like to." Greatsword said readying himself as Drift activated the training bot again.
…
Greatsword and Drift now stood side by side, walking towards the ship they would be taking. Greatsword and grown into adulthood well, his long blonde hair expertly kept, and the short beard he had well trimmed. His exosuit had a similar color scheme to his caretaker, except in a darker tone to make himself more unique. His longsword was attached to a holster on his back similar to Drift.
They stayed in comfortable silence as the duo boarded the ship. They took seats next to each other in the cockpit and wordlessly prepared the shuttle for launch.
The ship took off from the ground and cleared the atmosphere, entering open space. While normal Cybertronian ships didn't contain life support, they didn't need it, certain modifications were made for Greatsword and the rest of the Bioprimes.
As the Space Bridge opened, Greatsword decided to speak up.
"So what's our objective today?"
"Search and destroy. There are some reports of Insecticon activity on a human world. Remnants from the war most likely."
Greatsword hummed in acknowledgment. A human world. Humans were an odd subject for Greatsword and the rest of the Bioprimes. For one thing, they were obviously human, or at least human adjacent. Obviously the most notable thing was their size. Even the shortest being the twins were still several heads taller than the average human. On a more internal level, their organs were more refined than the average human, and far stronger. Among those were completely unique organs that Cybertronians could not identify.
Upon asking humans within Cybertronian space, they were just as confused as the Bioprimes.
"So we need to kill them?" Greatsword asked, folding his arms.
"Yes. They're too much of a threat alive."
Drift flew them through the space bridge, and Greatsword squinted as the bright green light illuminated the ship through the windows.
In under a moment they were across the galaxy, hovering over the human world Treyach. Greatsword pulled up the file on Treyach within the screen in front of him.
A human world that was able to keep most of their technology functional through the Dark Years. And were one of the first planets that reached out for Cybertronian aid against Demons.
Drift and Greatsword flew towards the planet, passing by ancient mining rigs still operational and breaking down asteroids that floated past. The ship entered the atmosphere, and met with a thick yellow smog that covered the planet.
They passed over empty deserts of green sand. Large worms traversed side by side in massive crawlers that plunged into the ground, digging up massive troughs of dirt.
They flew over ruins of either an ancient human city or another species. Large ape-like creatures inhabited the empty buildings, and Greatsword saw the creatures watch the ship fly overhead before descending back into the shadows.
Drift expertly piloted them down to the surface. Landing, Greatsword activated the helmet to his exosuit. Moving to the back of the ship, they both exited through the off ramp.
They walked for a long time across the barren yellow planet.
"Where are the humans?" Greatsword asked.
"Underground most likely. Or above in those mining rigs. The atmosphere here is far too toxic for a human to breathe." Drift explained, looking at his wrist.
The two scaled a large mountain. Once atop, Greatsword scanned the surrounding area, looking for the Insecticons.
"I read the file on Insecticons. Barley sentient weapons created by Decepticons for the war. But with the war over, what purpose do they have now? War is the only thing they knew." Greatsword said, and Drift remained quiet.
"I understand your pity. But I have seen what the Insecticons are capable of, how quickly they can tear apart a Cybertronian. They don't deserve any pity."
Drift and Greatsword remained silent. The two looked in opposite directions for the Insecticons.
"There, I see them. 10 kilometers west." Greatsword spoke, and Drift acknowledged.
"Let's get after them."
…
The Insecticons swarmed together, their leader taking the form of a massive beetle, leading the pack as they surged forward.
Drift and Greatsword hurdled off the cliff's edge, descending upon the trailing Insecticons. Each warrior targeted a separate bug, swiftly dispatching them with brutal precision, blades plunging into their skulls.
The frenzied Insecticons reacted to the death cries of their kin, swiftly turning and clawing over each other in a rapid onslaught towards the pair.
Drift shifted forms, evading the first charging Insecticon, allowing it to soar past and meet Greatsword's awaiting blade. Reverting back, Drift impaled his sword upward, piercing through another Insecticon's head.
Greatsword swiftly dealt with the Insecticon sent his way by Drift, his blade slicing through its flesh. With a swift motion, his sword deeply slashed into the next Insecticon's jaw. Utilizing the falling bug's momentum, Greatsword transformed his gauntlet into an energy cannon, unleashing a volley of firepower into the chaotic swarm.
"Something's wrong." Drift said, flipping over a charging Insecticon and slashing it across its neck. "Insecticons are not usually this feral. They should have transformed out of their alt mode by now."
Greatsword grunted, shooting an Insecticon as he ran up its back then stabbing it in the head. "Then what could be causing this?!"
"The leader." Drift said, as the larger Insecticon pushed through.
With a primal, unsettling roar that defied mechanical origins, the creature drove its horn deep into the earth, hurtling toward the duo. Its horn swept upward, unleashing a colossal wave of dirt, sending Drift and Greatsword hurtling through the air.
Drift landed nimbly, but Greatsword stumbled and tumbled upon hitting the ground. The Bioprime struggled to regain his footing as the massive Insecticon opened its gaping maw, spewing forth a torrent of viridescent flames.
"Move!" Drift's urgent cry pierced the chaos. Transforming swiftly, he left an arm, seizing Greatsword and driving him clear of the lethal blaze.
"We need to take it down, starting with the legs," Drift commanded, completing his transformation as Greatsword rose to his feet.
Perched atop Drift's transformed body, Greatsword unsheathed his longsword, preparing for the impending assault. Drift maneuvered through the swarm of smaller Insecticons, deftly evading the behemoth's green fire attack.
Racing beneath the towering Insecticon, Drift provided an opening for Greatsword, who swung his blade, cleaving through the creature's limb. With a bellow of agony, the creature staggered as Drift surged forward, offering another target.
The Insecticon crashed to the ground, prompting Drift's reversion from his alt form. "Now! Aim for its eyes!" Drift's directive echoed as both warriors charged toward the fallen beast.
Their blades plunged into the Insecticon's eyes, eliciting a gush of viscous green fluid. The creature let out one final defiant roar before collapsing, defeated.
Drift and Greatsword stood on the massive beast, until it began to shake. Jumping off, they witnessed as its back ruptured, unleashing a green glowing beast of giant proportions. It screeched as it faded into wisps of energy, disappearing completely.
Each of the Insecticons followed afterwards, rupturing and releasing a being that dissipated quickly after breaking free. Drift recognized them all too well.
Demons.
"Those weren't what I thought they were, right?" Greatsword asked, walking up to Drift.
Drift shook his head, calling their ship to them.
"We need to tell Optimus about this."
…
Vashtorr the Arkifane strode through his domain. Past the hulking machines that carried large amounts of scrap metal, past the cages that held feral Daemons waiting to become one with machines.
Through tunnels where his servants worked tirelessly to forge a single piece of a much larger machine. Each stopped working for only a moment to bow in his presence as he continued to walk.
He arrived in a room that held a device that seemed out of place of the other chaos machines. Much more alien than the rest.
He reached forward with his elongated finger, and turned the machine on. A report of the test subjects for the Solver virus was showed, the subjects were recently deceased. Reading through the report gathered on the infected Insecticons, Vashtorr scoffed.
"Bah, far too weak. This strain damaged the hosts too much for them to cause any proper damage. I will have to make sure it more seamlessly integrates with the next strain." Vashtorr noted, turning the machine off and walking away once more.
He walked towards a door, it slid open automatically. Inside were several broken-down Cybertronians attached to operating tables, still barely functional, but alive enough for Vashtorr's experiments.
He picked up a tool and walked towards the first table, the door closing behind him.