Forever Is a Long Time Coming

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Chapter 5: Concussion

Quick Author's note. This chapter will have a decent bit of lore explained, so do consider yourself warned.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

634 Primic cycles (Centuries) since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

Looking up from the terminal, I see one of the staff members approach me. The Decepticon scientist was definitely smaller than me. A common occurrence now that I'm no longer in an active position concerning the war. Being in an auxiliary position does that, honestly... Back in the day, the initial Decepticon scientists were among the lower castes and more often than not, cold constructions like myself.

These days? I was actually quite surprised with how many younglings are joining up. Obviously, It's strongly based on where they were when being forged. Younglings forged in Autobot worlds would join them and Younglings forged on Decepticon worlds would be Decepticons. Some actually made the effort to read up on the ideology either side represents and decide to join the civilian efforts instead.

Seeing them join was still a wonderful thing to see. The Bot approaching me was called Catalycon. He was part of the engineer Corps, and was currently mentoring under me. Though, he should be done for today. Most of our tasks have been completed and the Dark Energon Quotas were fulfilled.

As he came closer to me, I was reminded of how he only came up to my waist. The sheer difference in our sizes was something else… It made sense though. After my arm had been torn off during the fight with Sentinel Prime, I went through some rather extensive upgrades.

The first stage was repairing the arm and improving upon the armour. This was achieved in a few days really, but it was shoddy work. It was only after Shockwave joined us that I made some drastic progress.

I was unsure whether or not I could trust him. Like many other Cybertronians, I wasn't sure which version I was interacting with. Unlike with other characters, he was a bit of a higher priority. Because to my recollection, a version of him had been responsible for almost every bad event or circumstance in his reality via time travel and dimensional warping. And on top of that, he wasn't even properly loyal to the Decepticon cause.

It's for this reason that I wanted to handle the first dealings with him. I personally offered to repair his hands in exchange for his loyalty.… And so far, it seems to have paid off. He definitely fits into a cold calculating scientist trope, but he wasn't an overly ambitious one. He wanted to further his exploits, but they were scientific in nature only. This was something that definitely convinced me of his character. (The fact that his Alt form was capable of flight and his overall design reminded me of his War for Cybertron appearance certainly helped as well.)

After confirming these things, I asked him for his assistance on my own body. Getting certain materials and metals for the upgrade had to be discussed with Megatron first, but he was rather open to allowing it…

We have a certain deficiency for precious metals, using up the more valuable ones for the war effort and all that. Though, Shockwave and myself weren't drawing upon military stockpiles for this project…at least not at first.

You see, something neat about infinity stones was… Well, the infinity part. The infinity stones essentially held infinite energy. And Cybertronian's had the wonderful technology of both energy to mass conversion and direct fusion.

So using the stone's unlimited energy supply to create mass was something very possible. And yet…when using it to create an alloy of both Ununtrium and Oscillinium…We barely got any of it.

We had the tesseract work on it for a month and we only got about a tonne of the material…Just enough to improve sections of my chest piece and head, but not for the rest of my body…It is for this reason that I figured out that there was some issue with the math. Matter conversion follows the principles of Einstein's law of relativity. E equals MC squared and all that.

The issue here is that we weren't getting enough mass for the energy we were putting in. I'm fully aware that it takes more energy to make mass compared to the opposite, but that was expected…But this? This was different.

The process was disgustingly inefficient and I had no idea why…It applied for the reverse as well. Converting mass into energy was something done in the past when stuck in emergencies, to giant Energon and what not. But rather than gaining the enormous amounts expected, the returns were miniscule instead.

And this bothered me to no end. Something was fundamentally wrong with both the math and the method. It saddened me as well. These branches of technology could absolutely invalidate any issues with energy or resources, but we simply didn't have it in a usable state.

So I had to be satisfied with the standard Ununtrium alloys for the rest of my improvements. And it's not like I was allowed to use the Tessaract indefinitely. It was a vital war asset, and using it for scientific endeavours with no clear military application wasn't the right way to handle things. I personally admitted that.

Still, what we gained was still quite the boon…and the Ununtrium was no joke either. The metal was made via a complex combination of standard metals and resins. Easy to mess up and destroy the materials, but if done right, one could get one of the strongest metals around. Some groups of Decepticons had Ununtrium grafted to their endoskeletons permanently, something that was both permanent, but also incredibly painful. Most who underwent the procedure died from shock.

So I obviously didn't undergo the procedure myself. It also reminded me of a certain Canadian experiment in the Marvel Universe…Which also made me think that both Ununtrium and Oscillinium seemed incredibly familiar. Once I read up on their properties, I understood why.

Ununtrium is an extremely rigid steel-based alloy where the dense struscure of its molecules makes it virtually indestructible.

Oscillinium is a natural but rare element capable of absorbing incredible amounts of kinetic energy…

To think that both Adamantium and Vibranium would show up this quickly. I will admit though, the thought that both my skull and bits of my chest were now coated in Proto-Adamantium, the same material that Captain America's Shield was made from? It sure felt good.

The new armour and gear was bulky and strong, but still usable and with some degree of flexibility. Sure, it made running very energy draining, but that mode of movement was hardly necessary anymore. I still had my Alt Mode in the form of a hover Tank, now with the main difference being the new weapon array from my prosthetic limb now in place of the turret.

Towards the end of it, I was properly happy. That is…Until my fellow Decepticon scientist approached me with a new offer. Shockwave was… I was basically a scholar with a different mindset and some imagination. Shockwave was actually just a genius.

The fact that he has fundamentally understood the functionality of the T-cog and is able to modify it?...If he had developed this tech before the war, there is a good chance it never would have happened.

I underwent extensive surgery for it to be achieved, but with time and effort. I became the first member of the second generation of Triple Changers. I now possessed an aerial mode, not unlike a Jet Bomber of sorts. It was no good for dogfighting due to the slow turning speed, but I had some modified Energon battle pistols that would act as turrets which would be controlled by Prorex. All in all, it was a form capable of Ground Bombardment and some self defence. Not the best, but the main point of this was transportation, not combat.

For that, I have my tank form and the new array of weapons. My arm had bulked up massively, I was able to add components allowing me to access a large subspace to store weapons and tools within. The arm was one hell of a multi-tool and I had connected it to my back via an extra matter belt for various purposes. Sure, it's bulky, but it allowed me to directly fuel or load any devices in my arm without any manual work.

The default weapon was still based on my original design for a dual-path Blaster. The ammo belt could load the regular ammo as well as the rarer Destronium rounds which I have stocked up for emergencies…All in all, I was one hell of a "tank" in both a literal and figurative a manner of speaking.

So, it was clear that I cut an imposing figure and it seems that Catalycon was appropriately intimidated. I turn to him fully and stare at him with my lone purple optic. "Catalycon…You have finished your assignments for today, yes? What can I do for you?"

The younger Cybertronian freezes in his approach before hastily pulling up his arm to a salute, "Ah…Yes Ma'am! I… I…" The younger bot began to stutter.

I would have sighed in exhaustion if I still had a mouth. The youngling was rather bright, but he was also…a fanboy. And being assigned to the fearsome "Terrorvolt's" division basically blew his circuits. He had been working here for a week and seemed to be able to contain himself adequately when it came to the job…

But now it seems a bit different.

"Ma'am… I mean High General Terrorvolt... I wanted to ask-"

"I'm all for upholding military discipline, but my official title is not exactly being used these days. Ma'am will be sufficient." I interrupt him as I move away from my work terminal to properly face him.

I can see how he grows more nervous due to my attention being focused on him, but it doesn't stop him from at least asking his request, "Ma'am… I've heard a lot of things about the early war and about you… But I wanted to ask if you could spare some time for some questions I have?"

Pausing for a second, i decide that we may as well take this somewhere more comfortable.

"So that is what this is about" I promptly answer before locking the console down and heading out of the chamber we were in. I gesture for him to follow as I head towards the break/common room.

An Energon supply station as well as an Oil Dispenser was installed here, and I happily partook whenever I had the chance. I pour the two of us a drink before I sit down on a nearby chair and say, "so what exactly are you interested in? I've got a few stories, most of which have probably been exaggerated these days, or are just simply lied about to avoid bad PR."

The young cybertronian's eyes twinkle with fascination as the says, "Well that's exactly why I want to ask you! You were there, you have a first-hand account of how things happened… And well. By the pit, where to begin…" He started muttering to himself, probably unsure what to ask first.

I raise a hand gesture for him to finally take a seat as I tell him, "Let's just do it chronologically. Work our way to the present from whichever question dates back the most."

He slowly nods as he gathers his thoughts, "I guess my first question would be… The Tyrest Negotiations and how the accords were formed."

The question was… Quite unexpected, but something I had no issue in answering. Soundwave created a certain ruling in the later stages of the war declaring any state secrets would be declassified after 500 years, unless they were still relevant to an ongoing operation.

One of those was what truly happened at the Tyrest Negotiations. The official record is still, somewhat filled with propaganda even if it paints me in a bad light.

"Now that takes me back… Those negotiations could have prevented the entire war, but certain things just… Had to fail…" I let out a silent sigh before muttering, "I might as well tell the whole story."

Luna 1, Hecate, Ministry of Justice

127 Stellar cycles since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

It must be a special kind of karma for me to be back here like this, under these conditions. The moon where I was constructed, the place my fate was once decided would once again play a pivotal moment in my life. And the reason for my return was nothing to scoff at.

With Kaon as our main base of operations, we were rushing through the surrounding territories and had already taken an eighth of the planet's surface. It wasn't proper fighting as the Autobots were incredibly disorganized and surrendered rather easily.

A few weeks into the conquest, we received urgent transmissions from the temporary autobot government calling for a ceasefire. Even though I was a bit unsure of the whole situation, we didn't really have a choice but to accept. The main factor causing this was the fact that the new Autobot leader, Zeta Prime was in the process of issuing reforms and changes which were… Exactly what we were fighting for.

Functionalist laws and regulations were being repealed. Various restrictions and work legislation were modified… All to the benefit the class of people we were fighting for. And this is where things got complicated.

While I was suspicious of the sudden development, just as Megatron was, we both saw the issue if we continue fighting now and resumed hostilities. If we continued, It would be seen as nothing but a power grab by the Decepticons. We would be seen as militants merely using our supposed cause to bring about our own government.

That isn't what we were about.

So we agreed to the ceasefire, and it was suggested that we meet under truce on Cybertron's moon in order to negotiate for peace. Chief Justice Tyrest would be overseeing the negotiations in order to assure no foul play. He wasn't exactly a neutral party though. He is and was a lawmaker of Cybertron's government. I find it hard to believe he wouldn't be biased in the proceedings.

Security would be handled by both factions and everyone was allowed to keep a weapon. There wouldn't even be an explosives search. This is due to the fact that we weren't using emissaries or stand-ins. The leaders of both factions would be showing up, so blowing up the other wasn't really the right choice here.

Zeta Prime and Orion Pax along with a few others were attending on the Autobot side. For the Decepticon delegation, it would be Megatron, myself and Soundwave….Or at least, Soundwave was supposed to come as well. He notified us last second that he wouldn't come along due to investigating something "Vital", so we let him be.

We weren't completely unguarded of course. I had made the first upgrades to my armour and my Dual Path Blaster was functional. We had some of the strongest Gladiators along with us. And if that proved too much for us to handle, we had some back up available as well.

Starscream was on standby with a seeker squadron hovering just a few kilometres above orbit and ready to take action in case of an emergency or foul play. Still didn't trust him, but at this point it felt more like paranoia than genuine concern. Doesn't mean I didn't have Soundwave spy on him for me whenever possible.

Security was handled for the time being. Politics were still an open issue however..

First thing on the agenda there was the return of Sentinel Prime's remains…Whatever was left of him at least. We kinda left him in that crater to rust and to make an example…So when someone scraped him up, rust had already set in. It didn't paint a good picture.

And that wasn't all. Even before the hearings began, we were already confronted with another issue when we were contacted by Orion Pax beforehand for certain… Deals to be upheld.

He wanted the Tesseract back.

Shockwave wasn't part of the Decepticons yet, so we couldn't count on him returning it afterwards. If we gave it up, we can't count on it being returned…And I couldn't have that. Megatron was willing to do it, but I know the alternative is worse. Giving the cube back would not guarantee a good resolution today. But keeping it would destroy those chances entirely..

The thing is just. I didnt want it to escalate into war if it didn't have to. It would end up just as in Canon. Cybertron completely ravaged by war, no side truly winning no matter what. Eventually, the race would face extinction through Total War policies and the following attrition….

I didn't want that. I never wanted that and have been trying from the beginning to prevent that. It's why I didn't want us to waste time on Protests, riots or beginning with small acts of terrorism. … I didn't want a revolution which could be beaten down! I wanted a coup d'état which happened before anyone realized what was going on.

We destroyed Cybertron's Government and its military leadership in a single god-damned day!…But it wasn't enough!

The Autobots rallied and fucking Zeta Prime showed up out of nowhere to take control of the situation. We needed to be really fucking careful now, but we NEEDED to be prepared for the worst outcome.

All out war.

And handing over the Tesseract would ruin our chances… So I went behind Megatron's back.

I made a fake. The cube itself was just a casing after all…a mere container for the infinity stone within. So I destroyed it, and created the densest battery I could create to house the infinity stone's energy which I then implanted in a crystalline structure which was…easier to create than expected. The right chemicals, the right use of pressure and heat…and it was done.

A tesseract that appeared identical to the original and gave off the same readings. One would only realise the deception once the energy within was used up. The real one was placed in a metal container, which I hid in a vault under Kaon. Only I knew where it was, and how to reach it.

One may be wondering why I didn't tell Megatron of this. This deception would undoubtably tarnish the trust between us after all…Well, it was so we could blame it all on me. Should the negotiations work out, or a unsteady peace formed as a result, the Fake Tesseract would endanger that, if it was an action by the Decepticon leadership.

But like this? This way, I could become the sole bot to blame for it and can be punished independently. Not like my PR was any good. It was known that I was second in command by now and a key strategist of the movement. The fact that I am an Empurata victim made blaming me for all the collateral damage from the bombings in Iacon a simple task.

I didn't care for them. The people of Iacon were basically the one percent of the planet. The capital city was the jewel of Cybertron. Filled with people that literally found entertainment in the suffering of the lower classes. Where did people think most of the online traffic of the Arena's went to. (We made sure to scrub our broadcasts of any speeches and what not. Didn't want the wrong people to know what we were up to in the early days)

But enough of all that. As mentioned, I was a suitable boogey-woman and scapegoat at the moment.

Obviously, I could have told Megatron of this deception… But I'm aware he would also dislike this course of action. He trusted Orion Pax to a degree…Or…He trusted in his straightforwardness and honour at least. Pax would keep his word, but he wasn't exactly in charge.

It was Zeta Prime…and he was a wild card. Reading up on what we could, he seemed to be a retired clerk of Iacon's Hall of records. How he got the connections to consolidate power like this was beyond me… I don't think we can trust him sadly.

But, making peace with him is something we need to try.

Our delegation drove from the spaceport and arrived in the Hall of Justice rather quickly.
We were guided inside where the Autobot delegation was already present. We quickly seated ourselves in the designated half of the chamber. Chief Tyrest soon took his own seat and 2 scribes arrived that would record the proceedings.

It was strange to be in such a formal environment for such an event. Zeta Prime was my center of attention. He had battle scars of some kind, but nothing extensive, and nothing fresh. Former Military then as well? Black ops or something maybe?

My thoughts come to a halt as Tyrest rises from his podium to gesture towards those attending, "Today's proceedings are…Probably among the most important events to ever occur in these halls. Gathered today are the Cybertronians which may very well shape the future of our world for generations to come."

He gestures towards the Autobot side, "In today's attendance, negotiation on the Cybertronian nation's behalf. Acting Prime in chief, Zeta Prime and Autobot Lord Commander, Orion Pax." He then gesture towards us in turn, "Representing the Decepticon movement, Megatron and Terrorvolt."

We need to get some formal titles now that I think of it. Not having a proper naming structure and hierachy will make our job much more difficult in the future…it's actually a wonder how it barely made any complications so far….

Anyway…I halt my thoughts as Tyrest pulls up a holographic display before saying, "I was informed beforehand that an outstanding agreement between Orion Pax and Megatron needed to be upheld…I believe this shall be addressed first."

Megatron visibly frowns in response and questions Orion, "Pax…I assumed we would resolve this matter privately…As it was one made between two friends, and not as the leaders of two opposing military factions."

Just as Orion was about to answer, he is cut off by Zeta prime, "You made this a bigger issue when you decided to use the Tesseract in your bombing spree across Cybertron. This issue cannot be handled privately some convenient time. If these negotiations are meant to lead to anything, then this issue has to be resolved now!"

I could practically sense Megatron's anger boiling underneath his armour, and was wondering what kind of consequences his possible outburst might cause. I would obviously back him up, but I can't pretend I would be happy with that.

But to my relief, he calmed himself down before sending me a private communiqué

"You were adamant against returning the Tesseract… And I will not deny its strategic value. In case of proper war, do you believe we could win without it?" He asked me via the transmission.

I was a bit startled at the sudden change of mind, but I can understand if he is having second thoughts. Because it became quite clear that this would not be a negotiation with Orion, but rather with Zeta prime.…

I give a nod before saying, "We have taken all we could gain from the Tesseract… There is no true loss to us In honouring your agreements… And our equipment will still remain functional."

"You are certain?" He quickly asked and I give them a solid nod in return.

After this, he finally turns back towards the Autobots. "Well, while we would have preferred doing this under more friendly circumstances, I am not a mech who goes back on his word."

I access my subspace and retrieve the new case holding the "Tesseract". I headed towards Megatron who after taking it, leaves his seat to approach the Autobot. Orion quickly approaches him and turns before whispering towards the other Mech, "Thank you for not making this a bigger issue than it had to be, Megatron."

I was able to hear the conversation due to Prorex currently power linked with my body once more. I wanted to be prepared for any ambushes or traps, so it's only logical that I would take him along.

But back to the two Cybertronians in question, "Of course Pax… I'd rather not sully any chances of peace, and even if he is a bit abrasive I will give both you and Zeta a chance to make things right." He says as he slowly turns around

"I am honoured by your faith in me," replies Orion as he also heads back towards his seat.

This is technically my first time meeting Orion or… Optimus as he would one day be called. Seeing him be on such friendly terms with Megatron was downright staggering.

"With the question of the Tesseract now dealt with, I hope that everyone attending is willing to see this interaction as proof that the opposing side is in fact willing to negotiated with…Now, I believe it is time for negotiations to officially begin…." Tyrest tells us before the holographic displays expand across the entire chamber.

This was going to be a lot of work.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

Back in the present

Terrorvolt

"The negotiations went on for about…2 Solar cycles before both parties eventually gave up honestly…I'm pretty sure you know of the results." I tell the young Decepticon as I get to the end of my story.

The young bot clams up before quickly listing, "Ahh…The Tyrest accords were established, which basically serve as Wartime law signed by both factions… I think they mainly concern themselves with involvement of Alien species though…because I'm pretty sure the Glass Gas Cannon or the CYBR Corrupter series of weapons wouldn't have been allowed by them."

I give the youngling a nod before retorting, "You do have a point. Do keep in mind that those weapons didn't exist back then… If I had known what I know now ...Hell, if I had known of some of the inventions that the war would bring forth, i myself would have probably made an effort to add to the accords.…

The young mech nods before adding, "Weren't Amendments made for some extreme cases eventually? I think Tyrest added parts of the Autobot code which Megatron accepted?"

I wave my hand in a matter to show it was only partially the case, "Some laws for treatment of surrendered combatants and forces really…Anything else was shot down instantly. And for prisoners of war and captured enemies that went down fighting? That was another story…for both sides really. One perhaps more than the other." I answer with a more neutral tone.

Catalycon noticed my shift in tone and I guess he couldn't quell his curiosity. "... I'm unsure if I'm out of line by asking…but are you by chance referring to that incident concerning you and the captured Autobot Flame?"

Just hearing the name sent strange emotions through my being… Personally, I loved every moment of making the bastard scream. I broke open every secret torture method in existence and mutilated the bastard. And I didn't regret it one bit.

It was both revenge and Justice to me, but it wasn't something I dedicated myself to. None of that stereotype of regretting revenge because one had nothing left anymore or some bullshit.

No, no. Flame was barely in my mind during those days. When I saw him on the prisoner manifest, I simply decided not to let an opportunity for personal closure be wasted. I will admit though, I do regret in how I handled it somewhat. Having Autobots be afraid of me is one thing, but having our own members scared while the Autobots made monstrous rumours?...It was annoying at times. But just some bad PR didn't make me regret ripping is optics from his skull…

Megatron himself was…a bit angry, but mainly curious what could get me to go out of my way to torture someone like that. Upon learning the truth, Megatron saw no issues in my actions as it mirrored his own motivations concerning the Autobot Whirl.

Whirl tried to murder Megatron in his cell when he was still working as a Miner and being arrested due to idiotic reasons. We later found out that he was under orders from the Senate during the time actually. Was quite interesting to hear…

I really shouldn't keep Catalycon waiting though. He's practically trembling right now.

"Flame was the one who did the Empurata procedure on me. I will not apoloize for returning the favour."

The younger bot froze up before whispering a small "Oh" to himself.

Looking at his face, i couldnt help but feel somewhat bad.

I give him a pat on the shoulder before pouring myself another drink, "Enough of that, I don't think I even answered the full question…"

I take a sip of the refined oil with an artificial intake added to my head before saying, "Now, where was I…The breakdown of negotiations, yes? And what caused it all?"

The youngling nods in return and I continue the story from there.

"Things were breaking up due to…stubbornness really.

Zeta Prime wasn't a bleeding heart for the Decepticon cause, but he saw the significance of the Decepticon movement. So him enacting reforms for the sake of the lower casts and the cold forged was not out of genuine kindness, but because he knew it was a path back to piece. If he actually cared, he would've offered us more than that...His actual offer reflected that."

Catalycon piped up to quickly add, "He wanted immediate dissolution and disarmament of the Decepticons right? No way was that going to happen!"

I myself couldn't help but chuckle in return, "Haha… You would be surprised how close it actually came to happening."

"What?..." he quickly stammers out.

"We were going to take the deal. Mainly because he offered us a seat of the table…A new governmental coalition of Zeta Prime and Megatron with both sharing the rightful power of an active prime...It was not the optimal path, but it was a peaceful one. As rightful sovereign with a seat at the table, making decisions and making them matter. It was the right path and we wanted to take it…

But it was obviously a pipe dream."

"What happened?...Was this concerning Zeta's past?"

I nod once more, "That…as well as his plans for the future."

Pausing to gather my thoughts, I take another drink before continuing, "He was going to uphold the deal, but he was going to make sure that we had as little actual power as possible. Soundwave had received more information concerning Zeta's actions and basically informed us of a few key issues.

Zeta was already creating a new Senate to replace the old and was deliberately separating the governmental powers between various branches of government. The Prime wouldn't be able to push through any policies without the Senate's approval. And the use of Emergency powers to overrule them was only possible if both agreed on the issue. There was also the possibilities concerning of Megatron being deposed via vote of no confidence…

Zeta was also rebuilding the "Institute". The bastards were responsible for all the clandestine operations and wetwork before the war. You know, the ones who mutilated Shockwave, brainwashed a bunch of citizens via Shadowplay and Mnenosurgery…and he was already remaking them."

Pausing once more to make sure the younger bot understood all my talking points, I quickly continue, "Megatron had no real patience for subterfuge, so he immediately confronted Zeta on some of these issues. While caught off-guard, the Prime made no indication of thinking up a new system of government and even defended it, claiming a separation of powers was necessary to avoid tyranny…"

Letting out a small sigh, I continue, "Can't say he wasn't wrong, but what he wanted was just going to end in corruption. And that would lead back to an oligarchy…Back to where it all started…And that is when Soundwave delivered us the fruit of his research. Before the negotiations, he has been informed of a lead concerning Zeta Prime's identity. His search pruived fruitful and he decided to contact us during the meeting to inform us of quite a revelation."

Catalycon nodded, Indicating to me that he knew exactly what I was referring to. He voices his thoughts on the matter as well, "It was that Zeta Prime…He was the fake Prime that the Quintessons had placed to rule over Cybertron along with his followers. He was a dirty collaborator that created the Senate in the first place after the Age of Wrath was over. He ruined the victory when we gained our independence over the Quintessons!." The young Decepticon definitely had some acid in his voice there.

Inwardly, I recoiled from his comment with a bit of annoyance, but I understood his view nevertheless. I did want to set him right though. "That is…a rather biased opinion on the matter in all honesty. Zeta also led the charge against the Quintessons when it was revealed that our T-cogs were a natural element of our species rather than a gift from them. Zeta was never malevolent…but he is…No, spineless isn't the right word." I raise my lone hand to my optic as I consider the former Prime's character before continuing.

"He simply chose the path of the least effort and resistance. When he learned that all of Cybertron was about to turn against the Quintessons, he switched sides. When it was all said and done, he didn't abolish the caste system of our former occupiers, he repurposed it. He continuously chose the easiest and quickest solutions for any and all issues before completely shirking his responsibility…That is my interpretation of him at least…And it was the one I had back then too.

Zeta was responsible for the state of things, and his solution was to simply turn things back to how they were with minimal changes. Just one majority vote of the senate would bring Functionisim back with a raging force…It wasn't what we wanted.

Orion Pax and Optimus argued for Zeta's idea. He even acknowledged its flaws, but he believed that by working together that we could eventually grow content…

But we were done with putting our faith in the powers that be. Promising us change via long term goals rather than immediate action…" I pause once more as I remember specific events in further detail.

"You know, I would be lying if I said there was no chance for that to work out… But we weren't having it any more. Our trust had been broken by the government too often and they weren't willing to properly allow us to invoke the change we wanted. The Civil War was not going to be stopped until Decepticon flags hung from every city of Cybertron."

Catalycon looked on with confusion before saying, "Wait a second…I'm aware that the negotiations didn't go far, but the civil war began almost an entire stellar cycle (year) later! I…I…I don't understand Ma'am?"

I nodded in agreement, because this was actually not something that most Cybertronians knew about. "The civil war was inevitable, but for the time being, we entered a ceasefire. Most people forgot this, but the Quintesson Empire was still around and they were attacking some of the colony worlds… Until all external threats from Cybertron are vanquished, we agreed not to begin hostilities that could be exploited by races such as them.

That was our internal decision, but it is not the one we gave the Autobots. To them, we simply stated that we wish to hold proper negotiations at a later date once Cybertron's situation wasn't so dire. The Autobots didn't like the agreement, but they didn't throw it out.

As all the Autobots had their forces scattered about and were desperately trying to re-establish military order, as well as combating the Quintessons, we were arming up. We didn't completely leave it up to them actually. I… Some of our spies on the colonies shared their knowledge of the new slave race the Quintessons were using, and using their combat data as well as some… Fruitful research, were able to create countermeasures against the "Klyntar" Forces and forwarded the information to the Autobot forces.

It definitely decreased their suspicion of us, even if we were preparing for a full-scale war across Cybertron.

We found weaknesses in logistics and communications, we improved our weaponry and technology, recruited more and more like-minded individuals and so much more. And by the time the Quintessons were finally beaten back, we struck, and we struck hard."

Calatycon's expression visibly grew into a smile as he continued the story, "Yes! It was amazing! The Decepticon army launched Assaults on various fronts, with a focus on high mobility seekers and High Fire Power Cybertronians in order to stun and overrun the enemy before they could properly form a defence.

And you also used the Tesseract in order to supply troops and bust up enemy bases before they could even blink! And you had the Autobots on the run before Dark Energon even came into play!"

I let out another sigh when he said that. The War for Cybetron was…one hell of a headache. Sure, we had the upper hand at first. We took about a third of the planet before things slowed down. You see, as much as we had things going in our favour, we were still outnumbered and with certain exceptions, outmatched.

The Autobots started using stranger, more unique and esoteric weaponry that really dragged our plans through scrap. According to Shockwave, they were cracking open the vaults of Iacon, which held the secrets of Ancient Cybertron and the age of the primes..Which included some of their weaponry as well.

That is the issue with war sometimes. Conflict breeds innovation and development like nothing else. The fear of defeat and desolation motivated more than anything, and it really showed in the Autobots…. And the Autobots went down a dark path at times.

As if he was having the same train of thought, Catalycon uttered, "You know, I hate how pretentious the Autobots were. I saw recordings of their old speeches and what they supposedly stood for. They really showed their true colours when they used things like the Red Rust or Gideon's glue. How the hell can you pretend you are the good guys when using things like that?"

I shock my head and would have made quite the judgmental face had I been able to, "Do not confuse desperation with malevolence, Catalycon. It's a battle of total destruction and they are on the losing side. So they will sacrifice their morals before they sacrifice their lives."

Catalycon stared with a bit of a shocked expression. He just sat like that for a few more seconds before eventually asking, "Ma'am…I don't want to speak out of line here, but are you defending the Autobots? You yourself have killed countless of them and your work and orders have killed even more. They don't deserve any con-"

"I'd rather not hear anything arrogant leave your voice box right now, Catalycon," I interrupt him with a low voice, prompting him to promptly shut up.

As he stares at me with a frightful expression, I clarify, "It is arrogance to vilify the Autobots as some monstrous Mechs who are nothing more than spawn of the pit. Because that would be to pretend we wouldn't do the exact same in their position." As the words sink in, I can see his optics widen in a bit of shock.

Before he could ask further, I continue, "Just think about what we are doing already. Dark Energon packs used as last ditch fail safes for when one is fatally injured and treatment is impossible. A means to fight with one's all in order to die for the Decepticon cause. Imagine to what extent we would use it in case we had started losing? Maybe we would have begun turning our fallen into mindless undead, ripping them from the afterspark so they could die for us once more.

Maybe we could have infected the planet itself with the substance in order to gain the upper hand against the Autobot Infrastructure. All these ideas weren't just possible, they were drafted for emergencies."

The younger bot was clearly shaken and I can tell that I may have….been too honest. Letting out a sigh, I get up from my seat, heading over to pat him on the shoulder, "You wanted honesty young one…War is bleak and terrible. It brings the worst out of us. Even the best of us can fall…."

The young bot raises his dejected form, "Yeah but…. I didn't think that it would be so…" His words fizzle out and I can't help but feel a bit bad about it.

"Perhaps….we should change the subject. Such bleak things aren't the best to end a conversation on…You wanted to ask me more?" I ask him.

He visibly lights up a little more, his enthusiasm quickly returning. "Ah…yeah, I don't know the details, and a lot of people seem to give it different titles… But I guess I'm asking about the betrayal? By Skorponok?"

Now that takes me back, "Ah…his little "Coup"...The war had progressed quite a bit back then. Zeta Prime was already dead and Orion now went by Optimus…And I'm not sure if it was the surge of now being powered up by the Matrix of Leadership or the fact that he had Metroplex backing him up…But he beat Megatron, and he beat him to an inch of his life at that. The others were able to retrieve him before he ended up nonfunctional…

And that is when Scorponok kicked him out of the ship." I paused as I let the anger of that memory came back. "I wasn't there for that mission. I was dealing with my own operations with a team of Soundwave, Starscream and a handful of troops."

The Decepticon with me tilted his head in response, "You know… I never quite understood that. A lot of Seekers were involved with Megatron's troop. Wouldn't it have been better to have Starscream along to help direct them?"

The bot didn't expect my response to come in the form of a small chuckle,"Heh… It's Ironic actually… I had Starscream with me so I could keep an eye on him…because of all our men, I thought he would be the first to betray us."

Catalycon clearly didn't expect that. Starscream had proven himself since then…and in hindsight, my mistrust of him was a bit misguided.

"But on Scorponok…I think I'll just tell you the whole story."

Kaon, Decepticon high command, Hanger

718 Stellar cycles since Declaration Day

Terrovolt

"Soundwave, have you heard anything of Astrotrain's report? It hasn't come through to me yet." I question my fellow Decepticon and grow even more concerned when he shakes his head.

"Astrotrain cut all communications and left through a space bridge before returning about 20 minutes later in the space above Kaon. Once we have his onboard records, we will know more of what has happened." Soundwave tells me.

We could already see the Decepticon shuttle approaching the Hanger. Blast marks and scorched paint were visible. A Hull breach could be seen just behind one of his wings…

I look over to the hanger crew and call out to them, "Astrotrain is coming in with a decent bit of damage! Patch him up as soon as he touches down and starts unloading. Notify the medics that we may also have a lot of injured on board!"

They nod in understanding before scurrying away to prepare to do as asked.

By the time Astrotrain landed, they were ready to start repairs. Soundwave, myself and Starscream were standing in front of the loading as it lowered down, I could already tell something was wrong.

We were confronted with Scorponok with a smug grin on his face.

I took a step forward but before I could say anything, Skorponok began to loudly yell out, "Megatron is no more! Our leader has fallen from the brutalities of the Battlefield! I am Skorponok! As the strongest Decepticon, I pledge myself to lead the Decepticons to the final victory we all seek!" He says with a cheer.

All other deceptions were still a bit shocked at the news he brought. Most were unsure on what was about to happen and begun staring towards us.

My fellow Decepticon leaders weren't doing any better, but I was steadily growing angrier by the second.

"Skorponok….WHERE IS HIS BODY!" I question with a heavy tone, my voice almost breaking up into static.

The larger Decepticon stares at me with a bit of annoyance as he descends from the ramp, "Astrotrain didn't have enough energy to transport such a heavy load, so we had to lose some "Dead weight" so to say. "

Ah…So we're pulling this bullshit.

"Astrotrain…or anyone else aboard right now…Do you agree with his story?"

The other Decepticons on the shuttle silently stared. The only change came when their faces visibly flinched as Skorponok turned around to look at them.

…If he thinks he can just pressure them into shutting up, then he has another thing coming.

Everyone tenses up as my weapons array powers up and I aim it at the transport ship.

"Last fucking chance to tell me the truth, or every one of you is going to die for treason right now!'" Soundwave and Starscream were shocked at the sudden action, but they didn't question me. Heck, they actually took my side.

Sensing via my bond with Prorex how the two other Decepticons stand at my side, ready for a fight..it was good.

The tension only increased when Skorponok began laughing. Laughing to his heart's content as if there was nothing wrong here. "Hahaha! You are a fool, Terrorvolt! Maybe head back to the lab before you dip a servo back into the battlefield! This isn't a Gladiator match where some fancy gun just solves everything. The last time you joined the battlefield, Sentinel Prime tore you apart. Ever since then, you have been sneaking around like some filthy scraplet. Now, stand down before your new leader!"

I was honestly shocked at how brazen this bastard was. It wouldn't mean I would back down from him. "...And what possibly made you think you could just succeed Megatron rather than any of the three of us." I retort while pointing to Starscream and Soundwave.

"Simple! The truth of it is that Megatron was weak where I was strong. The strong are those that survive. There to crush the weak under their heel! I will make the Decepticons embrace their power over the weak and we shall re-order Cybertron as a whole! I will lead because I AM THE STRONGEST THERE IS!"

Scorponok's words were….all I had to hear.

I step forward, the only real emotion shown had to be interpretation from my flickering optic and shaking body. There was no question to the others that i was just boiling with anger.

I consider right then and there to just blast him. Use the Tesseract Battery as a fuel source and rip apart the space of his body. It's a small alteration to my gear, done in a second. He would be dead…But that would just end him…

If I did that…then he wouldn't suffer

"Prove it then you worthless hunk of scrap. You and me, nothing else." I challenge the larger Decepticon.

Scorponok grins as his arms summon forth weaponry from his subspace. A massive blade and shield. In all honesty, I did have my doubts. Scorponok was the size of Grimlock, someone who towered over most Cybertronians. I was above average in Height, strength and durability, but against someone like Scorponok? That was very different…

Even so. There is no honour on the battlefield. I'm here to make him suffer, not fight fair.

Prorex whirred in anticipation of the fight and I could feel our sparks beating in anticipation.

Kaon, Decepticon high command, Hanger

718 Stellar cycles since Declaration Day

Soundwave

The Decepticon intelligence officer stared with a hint of worry as his oldest friend among the Decepticons charged her weapon arm. Scorponok was…no good as a leader, but he was without a doubt among the Decepticon's strongest fighters. Durability, strength, speed…and especially savagery? He excelled in those categories…And she certainly knows this too.

So leaving Terrovolt to handle this alone did not bode well with him. But leave it to her to make this more complicated than it had to be. They could have simply continued the interrogation and executed him…But she cared more about the image. If he interrupted now, any Cons who actually believe in Scorponok's nonsense might hold that in contempt. He also still had to find out who among Astrotrain's crew was an actual traitor or simply intimidated into submission…Easy for him due to his abilities. It was all but clear to him that Scorponok tried to kill Megatron or even succeded and threw him overboard…but he still needed the location so they can organize a rescue party. They had to confirm his fate.

That would have to wait until his friend finished her duel with Skorponok…Soundwave trusted her, but for someone defined by their intelligent mind, she really did make some bad decisions at times. Deciding to confront Scorponok in the exact way that he wanted was not the right way to handle this…But she was angry. Soundwave could tell that with ease.

He trusted her combat prowess to some degree. She trained with the men and especially Megatron fairly often. And ever since her…defeat during the siege on Sentinel Prime, she has undergone various modification…But how those will pan out against someone like Scorponok?
He couldn't tell.

So he stood back as the two Decepticons charged towards each other.

Terrorvolt charged her weapons array and a fast barrage of molten metal being slung out by her Path Blasters pummelled into Scorponok's shield. The armament received a decent bit of damage but protected its user without falter.

The larger mech raised his blade to strike as Terrorvolt shifted her weapon arm again. Soundwave was surprised to see a weapon shaped like a flamethrower to form. Even more so when it began spewing cold Phosphex, also known as Glass Gas.

A concentrated beam of the freezing Gas hit Scorponok's blade as he swung towards Terrorvolt. The substance did it's damage and as the strike landed on Terrorvolt's shoulder, the blade shattered.

Such a minimal victory can't be taken for granted though. Scorponok was still in melee range, and promptly used his shield to knock her Gun arm to the side as he gripped what remained of his sword in order to slam it directly into her skull.

She pulled back to avoid the blow but couldn't dodge the sudden kick that quickly followed behind, which slammed directly into her chest. She goes flying back as Scorponok discards his broken blade before taking the Shield in both hands.

With a swing in his step, he throws the shield in a circular motion which Terrorvolt narrowly blocks with her weapon array. It visibly bends and shatters from the impact, but she didn't get a chance to recover. Scorponok had jumped into the air with the intention to slam into the smaller Femme.

She transforms into her Alt Form and her Tank Treads rip her away, having her narrowly miss Scorponok's blow. With her back peddling away, Scorponok cannot help but laugh, "All that Talk, but you only use tricks and run away when they do nothing! Do you think Icannot rip you in two with my bare hands!"

Terrorvolt simply stops in her tracks… Her engine revving louder and louder. Scorponok's grin spreads as his provocation obviously works, and steadies himself as the Turret of the Tank form begins swivelling around. The gun fires with a loud boom.

….But rather than hitting the larger Decepticon, it misses and tears towards the Hanger bay's ceiling, hitting the Fire Extinguishing system. The contraption ruptures and starts flooding the floor below. It was a viscous liquid meant to extinguish flames by depriving it of oxygen while also temporarily repairing any Hull damage caused by the fire due to it turning solid when heated.

Scorponok was confused at the sudden destruction and wrote it off as her missing him. With a smile he turns, "Your aim couldn't hit a-" But his words freeze due to the smaller femme slamming into his torso at full speed. She was still in her Tank form, which made pushing him easier than expected.

The pair go flying down the landing pad and land on the maintenance platform below, which was now flooded with the still leaking Extinguisher liquid. Terrorvolt transforms back into her main form and slowly gets up from the ground. Scorponok was having troubles getting up at first due to the viscous fluid hampering his movement, but it didn't bother him too much in the end.

To his surprise and to that of all watching, Terrovolt was slowly wading towards him. It made sense. Her right arm seemed a bit broken and probably couldn't be used for any ranged weaponry right now, however her arms were still armoured up and wouldn't break in close quarters.

"You think you will fare any better without your toys? HAH!" Scorponok chuckled as he charged towards the smaller Femme. His right hook is parried to the side by her gun arm and with the same momentum, she backhands his face with her left.

Scorponok recoils back from the impact and Terrorvolt uses her right to punch him square in the chest. He recoils from the impact, but recovers much faster than expected and put up his fists in a boxer stance when her second blow lands.

Seeing her punch is ineffective, she targets the lower half of his torso with the gun arm charged with electricity. It's something she had made for both limbs actually. They could be electrified to cause pain and stun an enemy.

The attack breaks Scorponoks block and she uses the chance to strike him in the face. His visor cracks just the tiniest bit, but it signifies the fact that he was taking damage. Her advantage ends there though. She had gotten greedy and went for another punch towards his face, something he was prepared for and retaliated with a full left hook into her own head. Parts of her armour break off and coolant could be seen flying from the injury.

Scorponok follows up the attack by joining his hands together and swiping upwards, knocking her skull back from the impact and knocking her whole body to the ground.

She quickly got back out and stepped back a bit in order to gain a bit more distance between them.

"You're weak, little femme. Spent too much time in a lab rather than a battlefield! You're slow." He stated with a grin on his face.

Terrovolt wiped away some of the coolant leaking from her head before answering, "True….But we're all slow when we are thigh deep in this kind of gunk."

Scorponok's next attack came in the form of a tackle, which is avoided with a quick sidestep. A swipe of his left arm turning the other way is also narrowly avoided. Before Terrorvolt could get in her own attack, the larger mech attacked by slamming his elbow backwards, which she quickly had to block.

Holding up her arms in a boxer's stance, just as he had done seconds before, she blocks the next two jabs before suddenly extending her arms and slamming them into the sides of Scorponok's head with crackling electricity.

He recoils with pain and stumbles backwards as he holds his head. He was clearly dazed.

"You really aren't too bright." Terrorvolt comments as she rushes towards him and with a sudden act of flexibility, strikes him in his head with a roundhouse kick, before swiftly following it up with another jab to his abdomen. Another cheeky jab to Scorponok's temple lands before he begins growling at the smaller femme.

Ripping his right leg out of the liquid pooling around him, he attempts a kick at her which is quickly blocked off. He tries a jab with his left arm but her height allows her to dodge under it, leaving her able to quickly strike his sides. The punch was solid, and cracked his armour.

Scorponok is stunned by the pain once more and can't defend as she repeats the attack before sidestepping again to strike his head. With his rage only growing from every punch that lands on his body, he strikes out with increased vigor and parries her next attack before kicking her hard enough to send her tumbling away.

Quickly wading towards her, he gets two solid punches in before getting a good defense going again. Scorponok does get a good hit across the side of her head and her optic cracks half.

A grunt of pain from her sees the smile on the larger Decepticon's face return as he rushes forward to swipe at her now injured head once more. Now thoroughly on the defensive, Terrovolt continues to step backwards as she dodges and blocks the attacks.

Her arm suddenly lights up with a strange glow before a white light blinds everyone in its radius for a fraction of a second. It was her discharging the last remaining charge in her gun arm, creating a makeshift flashbang…without the bang in this case…No more tasing until she underwent repairs.

However, it gave enough time for her to reform her left hand's fingers and equip the more Melee suited claws. They weren't too protruding, so she could still make a fist. Using the sharp edge, she swipes at Scorponok's head, but seemed to narrowly miss him.

"Ha! What was that?" He mocked the femme for supposedly ruining her chance to strike a proper blow.

For the first time in the fight though, her tone sounded a bit happier as well, "Just the right kind of cut above the optics….The kind that leaks."

Just as her words finished, did Scorponok sense the blue liquid drip onto his visor, obscuring at least half of his vision.

The second he takes to quickly wipe away the coolant is just enough for her to rush in and land a solid blow to his head once more, causing it to crack from all the punishment it had already undergone.

Knowing himself to be at a bit of a disadvantage, Scorponok rushes away from his combatant and grabs onto a nearby storage container filled with repair gear. He promptly hurls it at Terrorvolt who is knocked to the ground as she tried to block the attack.

She gets back on her feet in a second and is able to narrowly dodge as Scorponok launches himself into the air in order to use his whole mass to slam into her. His footing upon landing was better than expected though and as if to mock his opponent, he uses a roundhouse kick to slam her away. The armour on her chest bends at odd angles and cracks at the seams.

She skids through the liquid from the impact and as she rights herself, she once again has to block another right hook from the larger Decepticon.

It is at this point that Starscream steps forward and aims his blasters towards the larger Decepticon. "We have to do something soundwave. Realistically, Scorponok has a chance of taking us all down at the same time. We can't leave her to die."

Soundwave quickly grabs onto the other con's arm mounted weapon and pulls it back to the ground."While plan is…suboptimal….Faith in Terrovolt…. Unquestionable."

Starscream grumbles in annoyance as he rips his arm away from the other Decepticon leader, "Fine then…we give this a bit more time…if she doesn't make it, it's on you."

The combat continued on as before. Terrovolt was slowly succumbing to her wounds, while Scorponok suffered from his pain and the lessened sight of his existing injury.

But, she was trying something else again. After parrying another blow and shoving him to the side. Terrovolt joined her arms together into one combined strike into the larger Bot's neck, sending another bout of pain through his system.

She abuses the opportunity to enact a similar attack just above his right shoulder. He swings around and attempts an uppercut which actually hits her gun arm, but does not hinder her as she strikes underneath his right shoulder plate. An audible crunch is heard and she follows up with another jab to the same spot before using her gun arm to swing it into Scorponok's face.

Another attack from him, a parry and block from her, before she flattens out her palm and pierces his shoulder in a quick jab before pulling back again.

"That a tickle?" He grunts, trying to mock her just as before. But the exhaustion in his voice was clear now. He was tiring and the pain was getting worse. And this new injury carved at his chances of winning once more.

"That was an array of nerve cells in your secondary servo array. Might not have hurt much…But you won't be moving that arm for a while."

As if to check her bluff, Scorponok inspects his right arm and realizes that it is hanging limply from his upper body. His face contorts in rage as he charges at her before unleashing a drop Kick which knocks the femme off her balance.

He punches her with a wide hook and uses the same arm to backhand her as he resets his stance from the swing. He grabs onto her head and slams it against his knee, shattering the Visor even more. Her raw optic was now visible and exposed. He follows it up with another punch before shoulder checking her.

She lands with her back onto the ground, splashing the Fire retardant fluid around them. Most were now worried that this was the end of the fight. Starscream was readying his weapons once more and Soundwave wasnt that far behind.

Scorponok walks up and grabs hold of her chest armour with his lone hand. He quickly hoists her up so he could look at her, "Eye to Eye". Her Optic was flickering in and out, indicating her fading consciousness.

"You're finished, Pretende-" His words are interrupted by her slamming her head into his nose, causing him to stumble back. The metal broke from the impact.

"You don't get it, you animal." She states with a bit of venom in her voice as she rushes forward with renewed vigor. He attempts an uppercut but she effortlessly blocks it before slamming her Gun arm into his face, breaking his faceplate to an even further degree. Coolant and Energon was now leaking from his damaged skull.

She continues her sentence, "This isn't some pit in a hanger!" without letting up after the attack, she follows it up with two powerful hooks, breaking his face even more.

Scorponok was now barely able to move and tried to push her away. She instead hooks her arm under his shoulder and grabs onto her gun arm, which came from the other way to put Scorponok into a grab. She twists her body to slam him to the ground.

"It's an operating table!" She states with a bit of glee in her voice. Scorponok could barely move at this point yet still tried to grab her with his functional arm. She doesn't even have to avoid the attack, and simply stops the blow by grabbing the arm instead.

"And I'm the mechanic!"

She grips onto the arm with her legs pushing into his shoulder. Decepticons watching the battle can't help but cringe as they hear his servos pop loose as the joints in his arm are broken, more so at the agonised scream of pain, and his frantic flailing.

After that she repeatedly punches him in his skull, destroying the shape of his face even more with every blow. She takes it even further and does the same treatment to his right leg, destroying the joints of his endoskeleton.

Her punches continue before it was clear that Scorponok's body was now completely unresponsive. With any luck, he was dead or in stasis lock. Because he would not be treated for those wounds anytime soon.

Terrorvolt stood up from his limp body and light trembles could be seen in her stance. She was probably about to drop herself. It didnt change what she achieved.

"TO TERRORVOLT! THE SLAYER OF SCORPONOK!" Starscream yells out with glee as he drops to the maintenance level to approach the victorious Decepticon. The other Decepticons join in and cheer in unison for the victor of the battle.

Soundwave was…in all honesty, he was surprised that she accomplished it to such a spectacular degree…

It was certainly something else.

Orbit of Cybertron, Trypticon Station, Bridge

634 Primic cycles (Centuries) since Cold Construction

Terrorvolt

"That was….." Catalycon pauses as he watches the end of the fight on his Datapad. "Amazing….Why have I never seen this fight before? I mean, others have talked about it for ages, but I never expected the real thing to be so….Brutal."

I quickly answer him, "It was a more brutal time. I battled him like that to meet his savagery head on…and to prove to anyone among our ranks who thought he had a point, how thoroughly wrong he was.

That recording was also personally taken by Soundwave who never published it. Any other Cons had their recordings confiscated as well. At the time, sensitive topics were addressed and we didn't want everyone to know what kind of infighting we had. And by the time it was no longer relevant, we saw no point in publishing the battle."

Catalycon nods in return, "And Scorponok? I know he was executed, but how exactly did that happen? "

With a scoff and a chuckle, I state, "We kept him alive to face Megatron's personal judgement…which came in the form of a blast from his fusion cannon. It was a close choice of doing that or sending his broken body to Junkion. We could have had some mockery of a tribunal, but the end result would have been the same. I don't think I need to say more than that."

"No Ma'am…You've given me a lot to think about." The young Decepticon states, clearly deep within his own thoughts now.

Placing my hand on his shoulder, I tell him, "As much fun as this little journey into the past was, we don't exactly live in it. So why don't we get back to work ok?"

Catalycon gives me a quick salute before rushing back towards his terminal. I slowly do the same and have my interest piqued by a Decepticon D.V.X.-class Heavy transport ship wanting to dock for refuelling. It's codename was Empirion and their data checked out. It was however heavily damaged, it's hull was scorched and seemed to be held together by some quick and shoddy repairs at best.

The first among many more I guess. Another Major Decepticon Offensive just started. We were expecting more starcruisers to come by soon to resupply on Tesseract Power Cores. I, along with the crew of this station, spent my time primarily focusing on Dimensional science and we were more or less able to recreate the Spacebridges of old. Studying Dark Energon was really a secondary objective.

Because as mentioned, other than a performance enhancing drug during a last stand, we found no proper use of it. Zombies made of the substance were generally uncontrollable. I did also omit the fact that technically infusing the stuff directly into one's spark would allow one to exert influence over the substance. We still needed it for Trypticon though. The titan had been exposed to the substance for too long and couldn't function with it's counterpart any more.

Working with the stuff was also a pain. Just being in its proximity without even coming into contact with it weakens a Cybertronian's body. So, prolonged use and research was heavily regulated.

But back to the primary function of this place and the main issue concerning our Space Bridges. It was fuel, of course.

Sure, we could use Energon for them now, but they needed incredibly large amounts. But we could draw upon the space stone just the same with no true drawback. Why wouldn't we do that instead?... It made this place a target. Trypticon Station was basically a refuelling point for a vital resource to our war effort.

It is for this reason that we hid it..or Him, in Deep space. And I don't mean some unknown regions of the galaxy or something. Deep space as in, the great stretches of nothing between Solar systems. No Orbits, no suns, nothing to properly locate us.

The location of Trypticon made the chances of it somehow being found nearly impossible. Meaning that only Decepticon Ships with the right registration and access codes could find this place. All this security was justified…All this security was still fallible.

I'm broken out of my thoughts by the door to the lab opening up to reveal another tank class Decepticon armed to the teeth. Like me, he had undergone quite some improvements since joining the Decepticons and was know a walking fortress and arsenal.

"Dee… How can I help you today?"

A smile quickly crosses his face as he steps closer, "Ah, just the usual. Making the rounds and wanting to say hello." He reaches behind my shoulder where dark armour plating shifts to reveal Prorex. He allows himself to be pat on the head by our oldest friend before connecting to me once more.

"So where are Bludgeon and Thundercracker? Their ship docked a little while ago. I kinda need to reprimand them as they were using such old access codes. I know they don't give a scrap for any protocol, but some-"

I quickly dash by Demolisher and connect to a nearby terminal while having Prorex connect to the wireless network.

The little one had undergone his own improvements of course and was still one hell of a help in terms of general awareness, perception and even my research. And it pays off now as I send a ping to the Hanger bay and analyse the manifest concerning the ship.

The data didin't match the mass of the ship. All the data didn't overlap with the systems…And connecting to the CLUTCH drones, Iquickly realise that the Cybertronians that were unloading cargo and had entered the station were all using their Holomatter Projectors…

Fucking access codes….

Turning around, Prorex detaches from my body, already knowing what I wanted him to do. Devastator's face scrunched up in confusion before Iquickly order, "Sound the Silent Alarm. Alert Local soldiers only. The Empirion is compromised and its crew cannot be trusted. Prorex will help locating and pointing whatever they've done."

"Huh?..." He questions for a second before Prorex jumps to his shoulder and jams his arm to Devastator's neck, connecting to his neural interface and sharing the data he already has, "Ah scrap, of all the cycles for this to happen." Demolisher grumbles as he runs out of the room in order to follow my orders.

I approach Catalycon and a few of the other workers in my lab, "Keep quiet and keep vigilant. Trypticon has been infiltrated and we don't know how bad it is. I want you to head to the QRD Jump platform and flee to Cybertron."

As one of the bot's tries to interject, I quickly cut him of, "This is not up for debate. I know every one of you has undergone minimal combat training, but we aren't messing with amateurs here. You can't handle this. By the pit, I might not even be able to handle this. So before you die in vain, retreat back to Cybertron and call in reinforcements!"

That got them to shut and practically spring along the escape hatches. Trypticon's inner structure was very modular and we had various escape routes ready incase of an attack. The QRD Jump also made it easier. It's based on orbital Jump tech which simply "beams" someone to the correct destination rather than needing them to use a ship or any kind of vessel.

Catalycon hesitated for a second, but Igestured for him to leave immediately. This was not up for debate.

With that now hopefully taken care of, Ibegin taking care of more prevalent issues. First is connecting to Trypticon's system and waking the slumbering Titan in case we can't fully face the threat. For now, Ineeded to head to his spark chamber. Other than being his main vulnerability, above it we had built the Tessaract's refinement chamber in order to circulate it's energy across the entire station.

With a fast strut, I walk through the halls and consider the implications of who may be attacking us. Obviously Autobot, but who among them? Could it even be troops from one of the colonies?

After the Decepticons took over Cybertron, the Autobots retreated to the colony worlds of the old government. Most accepted their rule, while other colonies seized the Civil war as an opportunity to strike out on their own.

Either way, the war had stretched out into the stars now, and Logistics were vital. Space bridge technology and the use of the Tesseract were the cornerstone of our war effort. As mentioned. We could do without it, but the Energon costs might be too much on the long run.

I move through some of the hallways and come across various Decepticons. Some were behaving as usual, while others seemed vigilant and observing. I'm guessing Demolisher has sent the word out.

It doesn't take long until I'm in the Tesseract chamber and I'm surprised to see quite a few Decepticons already here with container cubes and unknown gear.

The Head Engineer was currently arguing with one of them, "I don't care what your orders supposedly are. There is no mention of new equipment being delivered here, so you can't continue without higher authorization!"

They simply ignore him and continue placing the cubes and connecting them to the local machinery. It was meant to look as if it was actually lab equipment or something, but a quick scan told me that the connection made was useless. It was just for show.

This continues on and on as I observe the group, and they finally begin noticing my presence. I eventually interrupt the engineer, "Some errors were made in the Data Entry. You and your subordinates ought to take it up with Catalycon. He is currently handling the situation. Head towards the QRD 'facility'."

The Engineer's eyes widen with a bit of fear. I'm rather glad picked up on the fact that Iwas referring to a Teleporter as a facility, tipping him off that something was up. He quickly gestures towards his bots and they make their way towards the exit. They dropped all their things and weren't questioning the order. My guess is he notified them via their direct communication's line.

"We will have it done immediately, Ma'am…Thank you High General for clearing things up." He gives me a salute as he walks past me.

With the engineers now in the corridor behind me, I call out one last time, "Make sure to notify Demolisher of this little hiccup as well. Don't want an error like this to slip through the cracks after all."

With my words now finished and the door closing behind me, I bring my full attention on the Cybertronians in front of me. They all had stopped what they were doing and were looking at me with tense expressions. Some had even begun flanking me.

"I have to commend you for your bravery in attempting to steal from this station. You didn't just find the place, but you also got this far. No one has ever managed that…But know that you have been discovered and reinforcements are on the way. If you surrender now, we will abide by the relevant laws and ensure your safety." I tell them in a steady and clear tone.

Infiltrators getting discovered were the jumpy kind. Sudden movements or deceit will set them off in seconds.

To my surprise, they all begin…chuckling instead. One of them stepped forward as their holo-disguises were now slowly fading from view. "Well, thank you for such a "Generous" offer…But I think we are perfectly fine continuing as we are. And you got it wrong, Terrorvolt…We aren't here to steal anything"

The bot's disguise completely fades as he holds up a detonator in his hand. The meaning becomes frighteningly clear to me, and it compounds when I see the emblem on his chest.

It was a variant of the Autobot insignia, coloured blue instead of red and with a hammer part of the design…

"We Wreckers gotta live up to our namesake after all!"

His visor slams shut for added protection as he activates the detonator.

In a near instant, a cascade of noise and tremors hit against my body as I'm sent sailing through the hull. More Explosions go off around me as I'm subjected to broken Gravity generators and exposure to space. I'm sucked out of a broken airlock, which sends me tumbling into outer space. Turning back, I see widespread damage and fires going off across the entire station. Comms were filling up with the sound of combat. This was meant to destroy the station. The only reason it remained is due to it being a titan in disguise.

This was….this situation was incredibly fucked…But it could still be salvaged.

I change into my bomber form and blast off towards the station once more.

Author's Note:

Chapter became a bit too big, so I had to split it in half. I have no idea when the next update might come around due to my Exams coming up.

I might release some scenes on their own which would obviously be shorter than the standard chapters.

Sorry that this is…incomplete. As mentioned, exams are coming up and i cant finish the rest by the time I have to study.