Chapter Sixteen: The Lone Swordsman
The sound of explosions, gunfire, and the clashing of metal roared just on the other side of Steven's home. He sat behind his house, concentrating all of his focus on one thing, and one thing only. All the noise simply faded into the background, his hands wrapped around the handle of the Star Saber.
"Feel its power…" he told himself, feeling the surge of energy flowing through the blade, "...and embrace it." Just as it had aboard the ship, it glowed blue as it attuned to its wielder. "Okay, here we go. Let's do this!" He ran out from behind the house, charging into the fray.
Magnus grappled with the Predacon scorpion from before, while Elita held back its tail. Sideswipe stood back, aiming at the beast while he waited for an opportunity to strike. Steven didn't wait, charging straight at the creature and leaping into the air, driving his sword downward.
The Predacon saw him coming, disengaging from Magnus and pulling back. The Star Saber crashed into the sand, and Elita stumbled–though she still managed to keep its tail in place. "Remember, a sword is not an axe!" she told him. "You can't rely solely on its weight. You'll need to be decisive in your movements, but be careful of throwing your entire heft into one strike!"
"Got it!" replied Steven. Being used to using Prime's axe, he wasn't quite as adept at swordplay as he had thought. Fortunately, the arrival of the Predacon had given Elita the perfect opportunity to show him the ropes. He held the sword beside his head, pointing it at the scorpion. "Prepare yourself for the fury of Steven-style!"
The Predacon screeched, opening its claws to let out a flurry of machine gun-fire. Sideswipe and Steven hit the deck, while Magnus braced himself, his armor absorbing most of the shots. Eventually, it wrenched itself free from Elita's grip, burrowing into the sand. It moved under the ground, leaping up into the air as it pinned Sideswipe down.
He held its claws at bay with his swords, though its stinger was repeatedly driven into the ground near his head. "Could I get some help over here!?" he cried.
Elita began running towards him, but Steven did so as well, reaching the imperiled 'bot before she could. He raised his sword above his head, preparing to bring it down on the scorpion. It disengaged before he could hit it, the sword only catching sand. In addition, the beast whipped him with its tail, sending him careening into Elita.
"You two alright?" asked Magnus, getting them both to their feet. The Predacon burrowed beneath the ground, kicking up more sand.
"Oh yeah, just fine," said Sideswipe, still laying on the ground.
He had only been up for a mere moment, and Steven was already bounding after the scorpion's wake. "Steven, wait!" said Elita, hurrying after him.
"No time to wait!" he called back, following the Predacon's movements. "We have to stop this thing before it takes somebody out!" He waited for the creature to emerge, holding up his blade as he waited, and waited…but nothing came of it.
That is, until it burst up from the sand behind him. He swung his sword, but he swung too hard, missing the scorpion completely and allowing it to land on top of him. The Star Saber fell to the side, forcing him to hold it off with his bare hands.
Fortunately, Sideswipe came to his aid, firing on the beast with both of his guns. The Predacon disengaged from its captive, firing a volley in response before retreating back under the sand. "Dang, this thing's slippery!" he lamented, standing guard as Steven sprang back up.
"I'm not sure this is the best time for a training exercise," said Elita, having retrieved the Star Saber. "We should handle this for now, then I can show you the ropes in a much more controlled environment."
Steven took the sword, undeterred. "Nah, it's just another Predacon–I can handle it! Besides, how tricky can a sword be to use?" With that, he charged into the fray once more. "C'mon, ya big bug! I'm ready for you this time!"
Sighing, Elita prepared herself as well. She aimed her blaster all around the beach, looking for signs of the creature's emergence. Eventually, she spotted the slightest of shifts in the sand, firing just as it resurfaced.
The shots collided with its carapace, earning a hiss of annoyance from the beast. It scuttled in her direction, but she was prepared, running at it as well. She leapt up over it, ready to deliver a slicing kick with her leg-blades…only to see that Steven was in the way. He swung his sword in a one-handed strike, only for it to glance off of the Predacon's armor. Elita was forced to pivot to the side lest he take the brunt of her attack, resulting in her landing in the sand.
"Elita!" shouted Steven, his momentary distraction allowing the scorpion to bash him with its claws, sending him to the ground as well. He desperately scrambled back as it raised its stinger, preparing to drive it into him. He raised an arm in preparation for the strike…but it never came.
Quicker than any of them thought was possible, Elita had pulled herself up, before hurling herself in front of Steven. He watched, horrified, as the stinger pierced through her abdomen, sticking out the other side. Energon dripped from the wound as both of them gaped in shock.
"No!" The silence was broken as Magnus charged forward, transforming into his altmode as he sped across the sand. The armored car slammed into the beast, throwing it against the side of the Ark. Sideswipe followed up with a dual-sword strike: although aiming for its center, the scorpion moved at the last moment, meaning he only succeeded in severing its tail. Letting out a shriek, the Predacon disappeared into the sand once more.
Magnus held Elita as she fell, with Steven rushing over. "Elita! No, no, no, I'm so sorry! I-I should've listened to you, this is all my fault!"
"N-not…your…" Elita said weakly, holding up a hand to Steven's face. "I'll…be…f-f-f…" She let out a breath, before her body began to rust, crumbling to pieces. In his horror, he shifted back to human form, the Star Saber landing beside him.
In no time at all, the only thing left of Elita was her spark. Ultra Magnus picked it up somberly, brushing off some of the rust. He held onto it, staring into its light as though trying to see her in it.
After wrestling with the scorpion's still-moving severed tail for a time, Sideswipe soon hurried over to their side. "What happened? Is she–" His expression fell when he saw her spark. "Oh, no. Elita…"
"She's gonna be fine, right?" said Steven, holding back panic. "As long as her spark isn't damaged, you can fix her, right?"
Magnus lay a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be alright, Steven," he explained. "As long as a Cybertronian's spark is left intact, they will be able to regenerate a new body in time. Elita is not dead–think of it more as her being unconscious, and having to sleep off her wounds."
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Sideswipe likewise assured him. "In a few weeks to a month, she'll be good as new!"
"A month!?" exclaimed Steven, nearly tumbling over backwards. "B-but that's so long! What about all the stuff she wanted to do? How can you guys go on missions with only the two of you?"
"We've managed before in the past, and we'll manage again," Magnus said, standing up. "On the subject of our missions, I suggest we head inside. It is entirely possible that Predacon will return now that it knows we're down one." Holding Elita's spark close to his chest, he headed back to the Ark, carrying himself as though he was walking on eggshells.
Steven watched him go, stuck in place despite the potential danger. "There has to be something we can do," he murmured. "Isn't there any way to speed up her recovery?"
"Nothin' for it 'cept practice," Sideswipe replied. "When you've been reduced to a spark as many times as I have, you get better at managing. My record is half an hour!" He beamed proudly for a moment, only for his mood to fall back down. "But for someone as nearly untouchable as Elita…" After a pause, he headed to the Ark as well. "Anyway, I'll stand guard. You go ahead and see how she's doing."
But Steven was still frozen in place. He watched as Magnus, Elita in hand, disappeared through the door. In the back of his mind, a single nagging thought refused to go away: "This was your fault."
"Aaand…there." Magnus placed Elita's spark in a clear glass container just beside the Ark's computer, in which she hovered gently. "She'll be safe here until she is able to regenerate. I don't feel comfortable keeping her in the same room with the Predacons. All that dark energon…"
Steven sat in a chair nearby, his eyes focused on the spark. On one hand, he was comforted knowing that, even though it would likely take a while, Elita would be good as new eventually. But to think all of her, her memories, experiences, skills, personality–it was all confined to that flickering ball of light. It made her, and by extension, all Transformers, seem so fragile. Could any of them be reduced to a similar orb at a moment's notice?
"Alrighty, no sign of Scorponok," said Sideswipe, returning from his patrol. "I guess he…turned tail and ran!" He grinned, glancing between the two of them. "Ahem…sorry, trying to lighten the mood. How's our girl doing?"
"As good as she could be doing, what with being reduced to a spark," Magnus said. He sat down in the chair before Teletraan's main terminal, going back to scanning for threats. "Nothing to be done for it now–business as usual."
Steven was so wrapped up in thought that he didn't notice Sideswipe approach, and was startled by a metallic object clanging against the shelf he sat next to. "You dropped this," he said, having placed the Star Saber beside him. Rather than respond, Steven went back to gazing at Elita. Noticing his mood, Sideswipe sat down next to him. "Hey. This must be a lot for you, huh?"
Wordlessly, Steven nodded.
"Yeah, that's normal. I remember I used to get pretty anxious whenever this happened to her or Magnus, or, Primus forbid, even Optimus. Just goes to show ya that we aren't invincible."
"But she shouldn't have been hurt like that," Steven said softly. "If I'd…if I'd listened to what she said, none of this would've happened. I'm a terrible trainee." He slid the Star Saber away from himself. "I don't deserve this sword…"
Sideswipe scoffed. "That's what you're upset about? Kiddo, I've known Elita long enough to know that she'll get mad about any number of things, especially at me. But she'd never blame you for this. Not a chance."
"Maybe not…but I'd still blame me," Steven said sadly.
"Well then, how 'bout I help you out with your swordsmanship?" offered Sideswipe. "If you learn how to handle that thing, then we can make sure you won't make any more mistakes with grave consequences, right?"
"Sideswipe…" Magnus warned, well aware what he was signing Steven up for.
But Steven was all in. "Hey, yeah! Once I become a sword expert, I'll never make another mistake that'll get my friends hurt again!" He hopped to his feet, grabbing the Star Saber and pointing it skyward. "Where do we start, o sensei?"
"First, you must learn to properly wield your blade," said Sideswipe. "C'mon, I think we have just the thing down in storage. Don't wait up for us, Mags!" Steven behind him, he headed further into the Ark.
Magnus watched them leave. "Be careful not to get your hopes up!" he called after Steven, worried that his words wouldn't be taken to heart. "Perhaps I'm worrying over nothing." He glanced over at the contained spark. "This could be good for him. What do you think?"
Unsurprisingly, Elita said nothing.
"Good point."
"Now, let's see, he should be around here somewhere," Sideswipe muttered, digging through a particularly cluttered section of the storage room. He was almost swimming in a sea of trinkets and gadgets, occasionally diving beneath the surface.
Steven watched him from a chair he found. "'He?'" he asked.
Soon enough, Sideswipe resurfaced, bringing what Steven at first thought was another Transformer with him. "Aha! Found 'im!" As he made his way out of the clutter, it soon became apparent that it was only some sort of dummy or mannequin, from how it was limp and draped over his shoulders. "Come over here, help me set him up!"
Curious as to exactly who and what this was, Steven went over to aid him. The dummy, or whatever it was, looked like a very minimalist Cybertronian, with white armor and red highlights, and a mostly-covered face. "Uh, what exactly is this?" he asked, hoping the answer wasn't what he was afraid it was.
"You're looking at a genuine Autotrooper," Sideswipe explained. "Back during the war, the Autobots would use them to bolster their forces when they were outnumbered. 'Course, their main purpose is to be automated sparring partners, which is exactly what we need right now!" He opened a panel on the Autotrooper's back, and began fiddling with some of its mechanics. After a while, its eyes lit up, and it got to its feet.
A tinny voice emerged from its form. "Training module set. To begin at difficulty level one, please present weapon. To change current area, please input the 'follow' command."
Sideswipe nudged Steven. "Pretty impressive piece of hardware, isn't he? This guy taught me just about all I know about kickin' plate and takin' names! And now, he can teach you too! C'mon, let's get him somewhere less cluttered." He approached the Autotrooper, speaking slowly. "Follow." It beeped, its eyes blinking. Sideswipe then led the two of them into an open room deeper in the ship.
The room almost looked like an arena of sorts, what with the circular pattern on the floor. Why a ship would need an arena, Steven wasn't sure, but it was certainly useful now. Sideswipe had them stand opposite each other, before holding out his swords.
"Choose your weapon," he said.
Steven hesitated. "Um, I already brought my own." He held up the Star Saber.
Sideswipe took the blade, replacing it with one of his own. "An advanced weapon like this needs some advanced training first." Once both combatants were armed, he pulled them in close. "Now, I want a good, clean fight. No slashes below the best, and don't cut to kill. Ready? Fight!" He darted away, and the battle began.
Steven held his sword up, ready for the Autotrooper to come at him…only for it to do something that could only be barely described as that. With all the dexterity of an action figure with kung-fu grip, it walked a few jerky steps forward, before slowly moving its sword up and down. He blocked with his own weapon, even though there was really no need to do so, the two blades lightly tapping against each other with a light *tink!* sound.
After a few moments of guarding, Steven lightly tapped the Autotrooper on the head with his own sword, causing it to stop moving. "Level one complete. Now advancing to level two." Gripping the hilt with both hands, the Autotrooper now took on a more proper stance, swinging the blade at Steven.
"Here we go, now it's picking up!" said Sideswipe, as Steven dodged the ensuing strikes. "Remember, you gotta be precise with your movements! Be a ninja, not a butcher!"
"I don't really know much about being either!" said Steven, who was mostly just mimicking moves that he'd seen in movies. It seemed to work at least marginally well, especially as the Autotrooper wasn't exactly the most aggressive opponent. It was mostly on the defensive, anticipating where Steven would aim and blocking his strikes.
Noticing how unsteady the Autotrooper's stance was, Steven got an idea. He aimed a strike at its head, which was predictably blocked. As it was unbalanced from the attack, he delivered a kick to its leg, knocking it off-balance. He then spun around to its undefended side, smacking its back with the flat of his blade.
Again, it stopped moving. "Level two complete. Now advancing to level three." The Autotrooper turned its head to look at Steven, remaining completely still otherwise. It seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move.
"Uh…okay, kinda creepy." He experimentally tried poking it with the tip of his sword. Moments before the tip made contact, the Autotrooper parried with blinding speed, nearly sending the weapon flying from Steven's hand. "Gah!" He blocked just as it went in for a follow-up swing, its strength unexpected. It was on the offensive now, targeting any weaknesses it detected in his stance to force him back.
Sideswipe let out a hiss of sympathy as he saw the fight's lead rapidly changing hands. "Don't worry, level three's a bit of a learning curve!" he called. "I had a little trouble here too–just don't let up, you'll tire him out eventually!"
The Autotrooper getting tired wasn't very likely, as opposed to Steven, who very quickly was. It was all he could do just to focus on blocking, leaving him no opportunities to pierce through its defenses. "Could I get a time-out!?" he asked.
"There are no time-outs in war!" shouted Sideswipe. "You think a Predacon would let you take five, catch your breath real quick? No! You want a moment to rest, you make your moment! Now knock this clown into next cycle!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Steven said, his back literally against the wall, defending against the Autotrooper's rain of blows. As the swords clanged together repeatedly, he found himself growing more and more frustrated at his inability to fight back. Growling, a grimace spread across his face. "That's…enough!"
Tossing the sword aside, Steven instead summoned his axe, his opponent's blade catching on that of the new weapon. With a snarl, Steven tossed the blade from the Autotrooper's hands, driving the axe against its chest. It was thrown back by the force of the attack, a large gash appearing in its armor. But Steven wasn't finished yet, sprinting over and raising his weapon to deal the coup de grace.
Just as he was ready to lop off the Autotrooper's head, a vision of a giant stinger piercing through Elita's chest appeared in his mind. He gasped, frozen in place. That image was all that he could think about, and how it had been his fault. He didn't even react when the Autotrooper got back up, tackling to the ground. He didn't react when Sideswipe ran over, sword in hand, to try and play damage control.
"Hey! That's enough!" he said sternly, swatting the automaton on the head with the blunt end of the blade. "Bad Autotrooper! Bad!" Sensing this new challenger, it then dove to the side to grab the other sword, engaging Sideswipe. "Uh…"
The Autotrooper's fury was now directed at Sideswipe, leaving Steven where he lay. Although he was a much more adept swordfighter, level three was not to be trifled with. Soon, just like Steven before him, Sideswipe had his sword knocked from his hands, forced to the ground.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Sideswipe scrambled back as the Autotrooper prepared to deal the final blow. Before it could bring down the blade, however, there was a sudden loud crash of metal-on-metal. Sputtering and sparking for a moment, the Autotrooper soon fell to the ground, inactive. It seemed to have been hit over the head with a large object–namely, Magnus' fist.
Magnus wiped his hands once the machine was out of commission. "I believe that is enough training for now." He helped Sideswipe to his feet, before doing the same with Steven. "Perhaps now would be a good time for a break.
"But I can't take a break! Not until I'm as good as Sideswipe at this!" Steven cried.
"Sideswipe was just flattened by a training android," said Magnus, glancing back at him. "I don't think he should be the litmus test of competence here…"
The bot in question crossed his arms, looking away. "Gee thanks," he grumbled.
Steven was undeterred. "We still haven't caught Scorponok yet! What if he comes back, and…and something happens to one of you!? If I'm not good enough, and I can't stop him, I…I…"
Magnus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Steven, it is our duty as comrades to care for one another. When one of our own is injured, we all feel responsible. But the true guilty party is the one who dealt them that injury. You must never blame yourself for such things."
Sideswipe nudged him. "That was one o' Prime's, wasn't it?"
He shrugged. "I may have paraphrased a little."
But despite this pep-talk, Steven still couldn't get the image of Elita out of his head. "Thanks, guys. I-I think you're right, some rest is just what I need." He slowly trudged out of the room, not even bothering to take the Star Saber with him.
A little after he had left, Magnus turned to Sideswipe with an accusatory glare. "I know you mean well, but perhaps level three was a bit much."
"I'm not taking advice from a guy who talks to sparks," grumbled Sideswipe.
Steven lay back in the chair before Teletraan's main computer. "I just feel like I should be…doing more, I guess," he lamented. "I mean, I'm Optimus' son, I hold the Matrix, I have the Star Saber…so why am I such a failure?"
"Steven, you're not a failure." Connie was on the screen, looking at him with sympathy through her phone. "You just…had an accident. It happens to the best of us. I wasn't a fencing master after my first lesson!"
"But I still should have listened to her!" he lamented, slumping down further. "If I hadn't been such a showboat, Elita would still be here!"
Connie glanced over at the spark resting on the console. "Steven…you know Elita's not dead, right? Mom says this happens to the Autobots all the time. She'll be good as new in a month or two."
"Now it's two months!?" cried Steven, almost jumping out of his seat. "Sideswipe said it'd only be one! I wasn't sure I could even last that long, but I'll never make it now!"
"Hey, hey, it'll be fine!" Connie assured him. "Like I said, this kind of thing happens all the time. If anyone is used to it, it'll be Ultra Magnus and Sideswipe. They'll be there for you. And so will I."
"I know…and thank you for that," Steven said sadly. "But Elita won't be." He looked sadly at the spark, silently wishing it would reform right then and there.
Connie began to get the feeling that they were going in circles. "Those two months, or however long it'll be, will go by before you know it. So…how are your sword lessons going?"
He looked away uncomfortably. "I'd rather not talk about that," he said. "Let's just say that Sideswipe's teaching methods leave a lot to be desired…and so do my learning abilities."
Seeing how upset he looked, Connie tried not to smile. "Well, I could…show you a few moves, if you want." He perked up at the offer. "Not in person, of course, but if you have your sword with you, I might be able to give you some tips. I'm not a teacher, of course, but… Steven?"
Steven was gone, having rushed out of the room. It wasn't long before he came dashing back in, at full Transformer size, Star Saber in hand. "So, where should we start!?"
She blinked. "Um…why don't we try a simple stance? My instructor always says that footwork is just as important as swordwork!" Steven recalled Elita saying something similar. He pointed the sword out to the side, moving his legs apart. "Good, good. Now, uh, go ahead and give me some simple swipes." He did so, slashing through the air. "Great! Remember, stance wide, body low…"
Unbothered by the rain, Steven stood on the beach just outside the Ark, eyes peeled for any threats. He gripped the Star Saber's hilt, ready to lift the blade at a moment's notice to cleave any threats that came his way. No Predacon was getting to Elita on his watch.
"I'm ready for you, scorpion," he said, eyeing the sand. "No arachnid stands a chance against Sir Steven of Beachbury!" Scorponok didn't yet respond to his challenge, but he knew it was only a matter of time.
Behind him, the door to the Ark slid open, with Magnus walking out to greet him. "Steven, an urgent mission has just come up. A group of miners in Burma dug into an old energon refinery and became trapped. It's up to us to rescue them–are you coming?"
"Huh?" he said, turning around. "B-but if I go, who'll protect Elita?"
Sideswipe appeared over Magnus' shoulder. "Kid, no Predacon has ever gotten into the Ark since ever," he said. "She'll be just fine, with or without you. Now let's hurry, I've been working on my Burmese!"
"He's right, you know," Magnus said. "Elita is safer in there than anywhere else on the planet. Even if that Predacon decides to come back, it has no way of getting inside. Right now, those miners take precedence."
Steven weighed his options. "I…I think I'll stay here anyway," he said. "You guys are better at rescue operations than I am, I'll probably just get in the way. Besides, if Scorponok does come back, he might attack the town! Someone has to stay here to protect them, right?"
For a while, Magnus was silent, weighing his options in turn. Steven and Sideswipe waited for him to reach his conclusion. "Very well. If you want to stay behind, that's your right. Sideswipe, go get the Groundbridge warmed up."
"Huh? But aren't you usually the one who–" He picked up on his meaning. "Ah. You got it, it'll be ready in a sec!" He scampered off, leaving the two alone.
Magnus sat down in the sand beside Steven. "For the record, I don't buy any of that," he said. "You are entirely capable in a rescue mission, and the town is not in any immediate danger. Your wish to stay here and protect Elita…you are trying to make it up to her, correct?"
For a moment, Steven didn't answer, but he eventually nodded. "I just…feel like it's my fault she got hurt. I want to do what I can to keep her safe, even if she doesn't need it. I owe her that much, at least."
"This sounds like a matter of pride," Magnus said. "Very well. We will leave you to it. Just be sure not to stay out in the rain for too long." He headed back inside, followed by Sideswipe.
"Good luck! Ya might need it…" Sideswipe offered. The Ark's door closed, leaving Steven alone out in the cold and wet. Sentry duty was more tolerable than it might usually have been with his newfound metal body, but it was still not entirely pleasant. And yet, he had a duty to Elita. He would have to tough it out for them to be even again.
Steven repeatedly blinked water out of his eyes, scanning the beach. His body sagged, the tip of the Star Saber digging into the drenched sand under his weight. "I should be able to guard her from inside, right?" he asked himself, getting tired. He quickly shook the thought out of his head. "No, I can't phone this in! Elita wanted me to be a master swordfighter, and this is why–to protect the people I care about!" Redoubling his efforts, he stood up straight, watching out for threats.
But even as determined as he was, Steven was still subject to fatigue. As the minutes dragged on, he found his mind began to wander, and his body began to sag. Repeatedly, he shook himself back to lucidity, though the time between each shaking grew longer and longer.
Between the rain and his exhaustion, he almost didn't notice the slight disturbance in the sand just beyond his post. "Hmm?" He looked up, wondering if he was just seeing things. But with everything that was at risk, he couldn't afford to write it off as his imagination. "Who's there?" He raised his sword to show any potential intruders he meant business. "Show yourself! I'm warning you!"
His call was met with no reply, at least not immediately. A period of silence lingered just long enough for him to return to a period of uneasy peace of mind. Only then, when he was unaware of his surroundings, did Scorponok strike.
Only just barely did Steven notice that the rain-soaked sand beneath him was beginning to shift. That, plus the tell-tale sound of whirring rotors gave him just enough of a warning to dive out of the way as the Predacon burst up from below. The monstrous scorpion screeched as its claws clamped down on nothing, whipping around to face its target.
Gripping the Star Saber tightly, Steven held the blade in a defensive position. "So we meet again–do your worst, beast!" he shouted, waiting for it to attack first. It did so, its stinger darting straight for his chest. Imagining it was a sword, he moved to parry it, but the blow was too forceful. Steven was thrown back, landing amidst the sand.
Scorponok crept closer, swinging its claws like hammers as it attempted to crush the boy. Steven backed away, scrambling to his feet before aiming a strike at the scorpion's head. Before the sword made contact, its tail came down from above, nearly knocking the Star Saber from his hands. In desperation, as it raised its tail for the killing blow, he activated his blaster and fired several rounds into its face.
This proved enough to drive it away. Screeching, the Predacon burrowed back under the sand and disappeared. As it did so, Steven noticed that it was moving much slower than it had been when it first attacked the group. The sand, made dense and clotted by the rain, was hindering its digging abilities. He made a note of that as he pressed an ear to the ground.
Far from running away, Scorponok was still moving down there, preparing for his next move. Steven tried to predict where it would emerge so that he could take it out in one fell swoop. After circling for a while, it sounded like it was returning to the surface. Making an effort not to step too loudly, Steven made his way over, raising his sword.
The preemptive strike would have been perfect, if Scorponok had actually emerged. Instead, it seemingly stopped just before bursting up. "Wha?" Confused, Steven once again lowered his guard, this time just as a flurry of gunfire shot up from the sand. Though dulled slightly by the muddy ground it had to pass through, several of the projectiles collided with Steven's armor. While not dealing any significant damage, it stung a bit, and was enough to send him falling down once again.
As soon as Steven had fallen onto his back, Scorponok emerged. He tried swinging his sword, but all it did was collide pathetically with its claw. A single swipe sent it out of his hands, coming to a stop in front of the Ark. Seeing its prey helpless, Scorponok drove its tail downwards.
Steven was only just able to roll to the side in time. Scorponok's stinger got stuck in the sand for a moment, giving him just enough time to dash over to his sword, opening the Ark's doors while he was there. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" he said urgently, as the way inside slowly appeared. The Predacon wrenched its tail free from the ground, scuttling over to him.
The moment the doors were open wide enough for him to slip through, Steven did so. Scorponok's claws followed suit as it tried to force its way inside. Steven hurried over to the control panel, re-closing the doors before the Predacon could gain access. Thankfully, he was just fast enough, and Scorponok retreated before its claws could be severed. Safe, at least for now, Steven collapsed to the floor, reverting to human form.
"This isn't going well," he lamented, hearing the scorpion crawling around just outside the door. "I can't protect Elita like this! She's gonna get eaten by a Predacon, and it'll be all my fault!" He angrily glanced at the Star Saber sitting beside him. "None of this would've happened if I was actually good as swordfighting, but all I know how to use is my axe!"
His eyes widened. "So why don't I use my axe?" He sat up. "It's so simple! This whole time I've been limiting myself 'cause I…" He had to think of just why he was limiting himself in the first place. "'Cause I want Elita to be proud of me… But I'm sure nothing'll make her prouder than saving her and the Ark from a Predacon attack!"
The Predacon in question was relentless, having climbed atop the ship in its attempts to get inside. Battering and tearing with its claws, it searched all over for a weak spot in the armor.
"Okay, if this is going to work, I'll have to approach this tactically." He looked over at his sword. "Hmm…"
Scorponok crawled all over the roof of the ship, searching for an easy access point. It would seem that one presented itself as the door once more slid open. It made its way over to the edge, watching as a lone swordsman ran out of the Ark and into the rain, ready to do battle once more. As its opponent didn't seem to know where it was, the scorpion took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
Leaping down from above onto the robot, Scorponok bashed him with its claws repeatedly. Though damaged, he was able to roll onto his back, knocking one of its claws aside with his sword. It shot its stinger down to finish the fight, but that too was parried. Growing angrier, the Predacon unleashed a barrage of gunfire at point-blank range.
The swordfighter's armor was shredded, with the force of the bullets causing him to stagger back. Before he could recover, its stinger struck one final time, piercing through his chest. Scorponok lifted its prey into the air, bringing him closer to examine him.
The Predacon was expecting energon to be leaking from the wound, but no such thing happened. Instead, the victim twitched, emitting strange garbled sounds while its limbs moved around haphazardly. This was not the same prey it had been chasing: this was nothing more than a decoy!
"Hyaah!" Before Scorponok had realized what was happening, Steven lunged forward, severing its tail with a single swing of his axe. Both the tail and the Autotrooper it had skewered fell to the ground, while its owner shrieked in rage. It tried to turn around to crush Steven in its claws, only for him to leap onto its back.
Scorponok spun around, firing wildly as Steven held on tight. He clung to the scorpion's back, waiting for it to be vulnerable. Once it realized it couldn't shake him off, it went for the next best thing: retreating back underground. It stopped moving to burrow, which was a slightly slower process due to the rain.
This was Steven's chance. "Gotcha!" Lifting his axe above his head, he brought it down, cleaving through Scorponok's armor. Twisting his weapon, he was able to create a large enough opening to fit his blaster through. "You're not going anywhere!" Shot after shot was fired into the Predacon's inner workings as it flailed. Scorponok reared up, letting out one final screech, before falling back down to the sand. There, it began to dissolve into rust.
Steven, too, fell into the sand, more out of relief than anything. "I did it!" he said breathlessly. "I guess all it took to be successful was to focus on what I'm good at." Once Scorponok had sufficiently deteriorated, he picked up its spark to bring it into storage.
The Autotrooper tried to sit up, despite the large hole in its middle. "L-l-level threeeeeee com-comp-comple-e-ete," it stuttered.
"Level complete," Steven repeated, looking proudly at the spark in his hands.
"You sure about this, dude?" asked Sideswipe. "I mean, if I'd found a long lost Autobot superweapon, I'd probably never take my hands off it. Like, ever."
The three of them stood before the Ark's supply room, with Steven holding the Star Saber. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's like you told me, after all: an advanced weapon needs advanced training." He set the blade down beside the Autotrooper, who had been patched up, complete with a bandage. "I'll be ready for this responsibility one day. Just not right now."
Magnus placed a hand on Steven's shoulder as the door closed. "I believe you're a lot more mature than you give yourself credit for," he said. "Knowing one's limits is something even some of Cybertron's greats couldn't manage." As Steven smiled at the complement, he noticed something light up on his wrist. "Oh…perhaps we should head back to the control room. Something–or someone–may be waiting for us."
"Wha…?" Though confused by this statement, Steven nevertheless headed back with the others in tow. Upon heading through the door, he noticed a telltale glow coming from just before the computer. It took him a while to realize what it was, but once he did, he happily gasped. "Elita!"
The device holding Elita's spark had opened, allowing it to ascend into the air. From the spark extended a series of lines, forming into a grid in the recognizable shape of her body. Strands of energon then extended from the spark, which coalesced along the lines and took on the consistency of metal. And then, as her color returned, Elita was lowered to the floor. "Oh. I'm back."
Steven, as expected, ran over to give her a big hug. "You are back! It's been really lonely here without you, and I have so much to tell you! I tried to learn how to be a better swordfighter, but it didn't really work out, but I did manage to defeat Scorponok all by myself, and–" His spiel came to a stop, and he released Elita and stepped back. "O-oh, and…sorry I got you stabbed."
Rather than look angry, Elita simply pulled Steven closer with a motherly smile. "Steven, none of that was your fault. These sorts of things happen all the time. Just look at Sideswipe: what's your record again, an hour?"
"Half an hour," he corrected, offering her a friendly cuff on the shoulder. "But hey, you didn't do so bad yourself. I mean, two weeks? You must've been in a hurry!"
She looked down at Steven fondly. "Well, I did have to make sure Steven was okay." She hugged him, Sideswipe hugged both of them, and Magnus wrapped his arms around all three of them.
"I do enjoy family reunions," said Magnus.
Steven nodded. "Oh, tell me about it! As close as we are, I don't think anything will ever break us apart!" The four of them were so happy, none of them noticed the small chirp coming from Teletraan, indicating a new message.