Hello there, so this is my attempt at my version transformers from the perspective of a Decepticon from the beginning of the war until the end. I'm warning you now, I have no idea if I will ever finish this as I have real-life responsibilities. Also, this is my second attempt at writing fanfiction, so be warned quality is questionable.
Things to note:
Due to the length of the war between Autobots and Decepticons, there will be time skips for everyone's sanity.
This is a war and I do plan to use gore and the horrors of war as part of the story, fair warning.
I will be using OC characters for some parts of the story.
Special shout out to Uemei for their support!
Most of the cybertronian terms I am using are official, however, some are from members of the community and I just so happened to pick them up. All credit to them.
Without further ado, let's get going.
—-
…[Spark Chamber security…Optimal]...
…[Spark Fusion…47%...87%...Achieved]...
…[Pump initiation protocol…27%...69%...82%...Achieved]...
…[Fuel lines evaluations…Result:optimal]...
…[Ventilation - Temperature control….Initiated]...
…[Transformation Cog activation….Achieved]...
…[Activation of pre implanted equipment; SG-01 / SG-02 / ML-01 / DR-01 /….Achieved]...
…[Core Processor commencement…Achieved]...
…[Installment of Secondary processors; Logic / Meta / Vocal…29%...54%...98%...Achieved]...
…[Installment of language module 001; Neocybex…47%...89%...Achieved]...
…[Secondary frame / protoform integrity diagnostics…Result:optimal]...
…[Initiating start up of unit]...
—-
My optic roared to life as soreness whipped across the back of my chassis, the frigid metallic ground scraping against my face plate. Where was I? Who was I? With a grunt, I gradually and clumsily began to push myself off the uncaring ground, the pistons and cables in my arms making an audible hiss. Tilting my helm, my optic brought my arms into view. They were thick, with extensive and sturdy plating that provided excellent protection. Though if trying to lift myself was anything to go by, was limited in their capacity to flex. My servos follow this tendency, with large digits covered in interlocking plates that shifted seamlessly. I paused, hissing with discomfort. It emanated from deep within my core processor, fluctuating across my many sub-processors. So much information was being powered through all my processors and circuits, mathematics, sciences, sights, sounds, assignments of meaning to places, and things I did not understand.
"Look who is finally online", a voice called out from behind me, mockery dripping from their words. The voice was followed by the sound of two sets of pedes advancing towards me.
"Took 'em long enough. 'Hought for an astro-klick that it 'as an empty frame", a second, stinging voice replied.
I glanced at the two pairs of pedes out of the corner of my optic. I tried to look further up but my vision was blocked by a metallic hood. I glanced to either side and was met with the inner part of my shoulder plates, blocking my vision. With reluctance, I tried to look down but was yet again denied by an extended gorget plate. Annoyance flared up in my spark. Why was my sight so limited by my frame?
"Oh isn't that just fantastic? Looks like he's got a few circuits fried. Worse still his paint job is bland", the first voice bemoaned, tapping their pede against my shoulder, distraught at the lack of a response and the dull gray coloring of my plating.
"Hightower ain't going to be 'appy with this", the second one added.
Indignation bubbled in my chassis, why were they treating me like some sort of piece of machinery? Who did they think they were? With renewed vigor, I managed to push myself up. The two bots in front of me stepped back, shock on their face plates. I continued to rise to my full height, their frames grew smaller and smaller as I did so. I internally grinned, not so mighty now are they? With a final click, my internal gyrostabilizer was activated. Rolling my shoulder plates, I sighed in relief as the pressure in them slowly dissipated. I leaned my helm down at the two bots, who, considering their frames, were mechs.
"Primus be blessed, I stand corrected" The first mech, said, they're deep red coloring with white highlights and a lithe frame dwarfed by my harsh grey plating. If I had to give a rough estimate, they were probably only up to my tibulen, and my large servos could probably fit around their chassis.
"Heh, 'evermind, Hightower goin' be 'appier then a mech with circuit boosters" The other mech responded, with a grin across their face plate. Their scuffed green paint job standing out strongly against their comrade. They were a helm or two taller than their compatriot and seemed less intimidated by me.
"01010111 01101000 01101111 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101-" I was cut off by the green mech, annoyance flaring in their optics, "Stop! You ain't no sparkling, so stop babblin' like one" The green mech snapped, shaking their helm in dissatisfaction.
"Oh, go easy on him. This one is fresh out of the well. Hey, big bot, do you have a designation as of yet?" The red one asked.
"01001110 01101111-", I stopped myself when I saw the the green mech cross their arms with a pronounced frown edging the corners of their derma. I took a moment to collect myself.
"N-No, I do not BE-believe I do. Wha-where am I?" I said, my voice harsh against my audio sensors. Compared to the two mechs in front of me, my voice was sluggish and weighty, near monotone compared to those I was conversing with.
"Your in the Grani Mustering Domes for the Decepticon army in Kaon. Although, it is not much of a mustering place. If anything it's just a bunch of old warehouse complexes Megatron liberated from those Unicron spawn led by Zeta Prime" The scarlet mech explained, fury infused in their last two words.
"...Unicron spawn?" I questioned as I looked around the small dank room I was in. It was stacked with bronze-colored containers, many of which seemed to have been cracked not long ago and what goods had been in there were looted. A single light dimly lit up the room, revealing a stream of fluid that trickled out from one of the ceiling panels. From what I could figure, there were only two ways into the room if my environmental sensors were correct. There was a single doorway entrance in the front of the room and a large exit that was locked down by an interconnecting series of locks and steel bars.
" Eh, don't worry 'bout it. Some ancient bot will explain the saying to ya, even if ya not interested. All ya 'eed to know is that those Unicron spawn are the Autobots. Cruel slaggers and glitches that 'een keeping everyone under their pede, taking the energon of our labor, and leavin' us for scrap" " the green mech responded before taking a step forward and tapping their servo against my tibulen, a pensive look crossing their face plates.
"I'm guessin' you don't know what your frame is for?" He questioned. I nodded, only able to see a glimpse of my chassis and stabilizers before my gorget blocked my sight.
"Well, seeing the similarities between you and my friend here, I would assume that you mining bot of some kind. Frag knows for what, but I can assure you the Autobots would have put you to work as soon as you were online. Luckily for you, us Decepticons threw them out of this place not long ago" The ruby red interjected, leisurely walking over to one of the crates and leaning on it.
"Well, if that is the case, then you have my thanks," I said, dropping my helm in respect, before pausing. These mechs had brought me here for a reason. What did these two plan for me?
"However…I still have two questions. Why am I here specifically, and how did I come into being?" The two bots paused, a rigid and taut expression crossing their face plates. The green mech backed up cautiously as the red one slid a servo to their hip.
"You're being drafted into the Decepticon army. You get the chance that not a lot of other mechs and femmes have. To fight for your freedom. As for your from, you are probably just some spark that was harvested from the Well of All Sparks and fit into that frame. We found you in one of the warehouse's cellars. I suppose they held you in stasis given the energon shortage and all. I doubt they wanted big lumbering mechs like you around taking all the energon," the red mech explained. I stared at the red mech. He…he had the gull to try and make me fight his battle?
"You speak to me of freedom? While compelling me to take up arms against bots I do not know?" I accused, taking a step forward, and tightening my servos into fists. The red mech materialized a small black object from their side before leveling it towards me. It was a weapon no doubt, but what little information I was imparted with had nothing on the types of weaponry I could encounter. An uneasy silence filled the room as we stared at each other. Slowly, the green mech grasped his friend's weapon and lowered it.
"Big bot, 'isten, I get it don't look good, but what other 'ptions do ya have? If were Autobots, you would be already shipped off to the mines and work until your frame turned to dust all the while-" The green mech stopped, a look of sadness and regret covering their face plate.
"They ain't seein' you as a person, you a tool, a number, easily 'eplaced. No, bot will remember ya, no 'ne will care about ya. That ain't livin'. It's just sufferin' till your spark gives out" the green mech stated quietly, their optics glossing over, while the red mech looked away, humiliation and despair emanating from them. Sympathy filled my spark. How could someone be so cruel if what they said is true?
"I…am sorry. No one should suffer that injustice." I uttered, leaning down to the best of my capabilities to reach an optic level with them.
"However, I will not be fighting your war" I stated with finality, rising again. The red mech flicked their helm towards me, the moment of weakness giving way to a sly grin.
"Alright then. It's not like we could stop you. What is your great plan then?" I stopped at the red mechs question.
"I am going too…I…" My logic processors tried to find a response, but nothing came. What was my plan?
"Listen, you only have one of two options as of now. You could walk through that door and try and fight off a training camp's worth of bots, which I suggest you don't try-But, if by some Primus blessed miracle you make it, then what? You have no spark mate, no friends, no skills, and just so happen to be in the worst slag hole to ever grace the surface of Cybertron" The red mech said plainly, letting me soak in the reality of my situation before continuing.
"On the other servo, if you willingly join the Decepticons, you get a roof over your helm, energon for your tank, an actual chance to be more than a conscript in the grand scheme of things, and fight for a just cause that will be spoken about for generations. It won't be easy, it will be painful, exhausting, and nigh unbearable at times. Not to mention the dangers of being a warrior. However, the war won't last long", A larger grin appeared on his face plate.
"If the state of Cybertron is anything to go by, this war is going to be over in a vorn, or maybe two at the most. Mark my words, big bot, you're going to see workers all over this festering rock rise up and say no more! No more starving! No more abuse! No more caste system!" He roared, the sound reverberating around the small room. As the the virtuous shout died down, a silence once again enveloped the room.
"So…what do you say? Up to fight for the common bot, the oppressed, and the abused, against the few elites, tyrants, and abusers that keep us in an iron servo?" The red mech finished, extending their servo to me. I stared at the small appendage, before reaching out, and grasping it, my servo dwarfing theirs. I could not help but feel moved by his spark-laced words.
"For the Decepticons!" I thundered.
—-
"Is this necessary?" I snorted as the red mech, who introduced himself as Crossdash, while looking at the small elevator. After accepting his proposition, Crossdash rushed me out of the room and across several corridors. The few bots in the way threw themselves against the wall to dodge being crushed in my wake. Unfortunately, the corridors also seemed to be in a similar state of disrepair as the small room. That is if one was judging by the tarnished metallic walls and busted conduits that spat vapor.
"Yes, it's a tradition of sorts for us Decepticons" Crossdash responded, looking away from the elevator.
"What exactly does this so-called tradition entail?" I snarked.
"Well, it's simple. In a few kilicks, I'm going to receive a signal from my boss, after which I am going to send you up the elevator. From there, you're going to arrive in an arena, then well…you kinda just beat the slag out of the other bots there", I gaped at him in incredulity.
"Maybe my audio sensors are not functioning, but let me reiterate what you just said…I am going to fight a death match against other bots?" Crossdashes optics widened.
"N-no! You got it wrong-I mean that did happen when Megatron was fighting-But this is different! Your not there to offline the others, though it happens sometimes. Think of the entire thing more like a competition to show off your skills to squad leaders and Hightower. If they are impressed, they will let you join the cause. If not…well then that's when you have to start worrying-" Crossdash halted his explanation, his optics glowing briefly, his expression shifting to a grimace as he spoke.
"It's time. Get in the elevator", I hesitated for a moment, before squeezing myself into the enclosed space.
—-
I closed my optic and slowly breathed in and out, the slow grind of the gears hoisting me up hammering in my audio sensors. It's just a show…a show…nothing more, nothing less. But what if something went wrong, what if I offlined somebody? Would I be punished? I gritted my denta. No, everything would be fine. Just trust in what Crossdash said. Then again, he was going to force me to join the Decepticons if he could have thrust it on me.
Slowly, I opened my optic while sighing, my thoughts still roaring across my core processor. I never even got the designation of the green mech. A shame, he seemed to be a bit rough around the edges but seemed like a good mech at spark. The elevator shuddered to a halt. I looked around. Did the elevator break down? This place did seem in disarray-My helm snapped up.
The elevator was coming back to life, this time accompanied by growing tremors as it did so. It was indiscriminate at first, just sheer raw power, but then it became more exact as I strained my audio sensors. It was the sound of a crowd bellowing in jubilation.
A bright stream of light slipped into the elevator as I emerged, blinding me as I lifted my arm to block it out. The roar of the crowd grew even louder, with the sound of stomping pedes following suit. The floor underneath me shuddered as though the very planet itself was in open revolt in response to the cascade of pedes meeting the metallic ground. Slowly, my optic began to adjust to the intense light, bringing the world around me into focus.
High bronze walls stood proud and colossal, in every direction, some one hundred and fifty mechanometers away from me in a perfect square. They were adorned with a mixture of many fluids, some black, some bright pink, and some a rust-like red, like a macabre artwork painted by a long mad but brilliant painter. It was clear that these fluids once had been in a cybertronian, yet as unsettling as that was, a part of me did not want to turn the way. Forcing myself, I turned my frame, the low hum of my pistons thrumming in my audio receptors as I did so. I noticed ramps on either side of the walls to the left and right of me, though they had been poorly barricaded by stacked crates and other similar things. Looking at the top of the walls, I felt a shock run through my spinal strut at the immense amount of cybertronians looking down from the walls, their many proportions, colorings, and voices harmonizing together into one near-solid force that slammed against the very walls of the room itself, furiously trying to escape it's containment. It was…surreal. With effort I looked above them and saw the many rafters holding the massive chamber together, like a cyber spider's web, it zagged, crossed, and bent into a nearly unrecognizable mess. Large floodlights had been bolted on and crudely pointed towards the pit which I was in, illuminating the soon-to-be battleground in all of its grizzly glory.
As my optic made its way back down from observing the ceiling, I cautiously began to scan the crowd. Their color schemes and frames had long seen better days, many sporting scorch marks, rivets, cracks, and dents. Worse still, some seemed to be missing limbs altogether or sporting early signs of rust infections that bit at the corners of their pedes and servos. Despite their battered frames, they all stood tall, helms held high, facial plates and optics glowing more alive than ever. I could not help but feel humbled, with so much conviction, purpose, and pride. All this, to stop the Autobots? Could they have been this neglectful to invoke such a fury?
My musing was brought to a sudden halt by a viscous smell of something sweet but bitter at the same time that assaulted my olfactory senors. The stench of it felt as though it was seeping into every crevice of my being. A strange feeling of foreboding ran across my logic processor and cerebro circuits. I knew this smell, even if I had never encountered it before. Energon… spilled energon, belonging to another one of my kind. The cascading sound of moving machinery filled the room as other elevators haphazardly around the arena began to arrive. The floor split into two in a perfect circle as bots rose in their place. Some twenty other mechs had been lifted into the arena, all equally sharing a look of trepidation, excitement, and fear as they glanced around at one another and their surroundings. The crowd reached a fever pitch as they looked down at the assembled mechs, the cacophony of yelling and screaming forcing a few mechs to start to look as though they were in physical pain.
Then, a thunderous crack sounded across the area, its immensity and power forcing silence upon the crowd like an unstoppable force of nature drowning out all noise except its call. The quiet that followed hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity until at the very edge of the far wall in front of, the sea of mechs parted ways. Walking, no, striding forth was a large bot surrounded by a host of armed guards, each bearing a purple insignia proudly on either their chassis, helm, or shoulder plates. The insignia was sleek in its appearance yet at the same time held a sense of unrepentant power that forced one's optics to be drawn to it and its deep purple hue only highlighted it noticeability against its bearers.
It was angular and sharp, composed of four parts. The largest was a v-shaped centerpiece, with two spikes located on either top edge of it, giving a sense of power and danger. Furthermore, two acute triangles were moving toward the center of the insignia piece, reminding me of glaring optics. Located on either side of the bottom part of this segment were two triangular sections that reminded me of cheek plates. The most moving and optic-catching piece however was the crown-like fragment that jutted out from the top of the insignia, its presence giving the crest a sense of foreboding authority that seemed to bow to no bot and demanded that all take note of its presence.
The honor guard of the large bot parted silently. The bot gave a small nod, before stepping forward to the edge of the pit with an illegible expression, their weapon still billowing a wispy cloud of smoke from its barrel. He was coated in a dull yellow that had seen better vorns, with scratches and dents littering it generously, but showed no signs of true damage. Their plating was thick from what I could make out, its large size alluding to the power of the mechs pistons and cables that they so casually flaunted. Their frame itself showed no large signs of deviation from standard cybertronian makeup, possessing two stabilizers and two arms. The mech's eyes gleamed a cold red, with the crest proudly etched into their helm just above their optics. Above them stood four sharp points that jutted towards the ceiling as though they were prepared to take up arms against the roof itself.
"My fellow Decepticons, we find ourselves once again in this place where most of you stood not long ago. Battered, cut, dented, burned…broken by the system that lorded over us. Now? Now you stand tall, proud of the mechs you are. You raise arms against those who have wronged you. You have shown yourself to be strong. You have earned your place. You have proven yourself through spilled energon to our cause and soon shall receive the honor of bearing the insignia of the Decepticons. But these mechs who stand before us? They have not. They have not earned the right to join our cause. They have not shown us the strength of their conviction". The mech's deep voice rang across the room as they spoke. The cadence of his voice measured, like a constant march. Slowly, the large mech pulled back a part of his weapon with his servo. An empty shell casing slid out and hit the ground with a soft metallic melody as the casing bounced off the floor. The sound reverberated across the arena and the silent crowd. The mech's eyes slowly scanned over us in the pit, uncaring, cold, calculating.
"Yet, they are being given an opportunity like no other. To prove themselves to us, and most importantly, themselves. Like our great leader, Megatron, they shall fight one another with all the ferocity they can muster, just as he did during his time as a gladiator. The fighting shall not stop until one mech remains. Those who survive and prove themselves honorable in their actions shall be inducted into our great cause. Those who do not survive have proven that they lack the spark to survive. After all, our cause does not have room for those who are weak in both processor and frame. To those initiates below, you may begin your rite of passage once you are given the signal", the mech stated, before turning their weapon towards the roof and firing.
—-
I glanced to the left, and was met with a pair of scared optics, then looked to the right, and saw the same thing. I could feel my spark flaring up in its chamber while my pump quickened as we all looked at one another. Then, there was the slow whine of living metal as bots slowly turned their upper appendages into weapons of varying sizes and shapes. I looked down at my servos in confusion. Could I do that? Looking back up, my optic widened as I saw a bot raised their right servo towards me, it having turned into a blaster. Then, shakily with paranoia and fear in their eyes, fired at me.
Fear clawed at my spark. No! It could not end like this! I raised my arms to protect myself. Then the world turned into radiant light as I yelled, my audio receptors deafened by the sudden noise the light gave off. I staggered backward, expecting to feel excruciating pain…but none came.
…[Shield Generator-01 (SG-01) / Shield Generator-02 (SG-02): activated]...
As the words played across my optic in bright flashing white letters, I looked down at myself to the best of my abilities, hesitantly touching myself for any wounds. I felt none. Slowly, I looked back up, my audio processors ringing. The other mechs had started attacking each other, punching, kicking, stabbing, shooting. There was no skill nor grace involved, it was only slaughter at its most basic level.
Fury filled my spark, the red-hot feeling of rage burning through my core and out to every corner of my frame. He…he tried to offline me. The realization slammed into me. He tried to kill me! I roared, stomping forward, the ground shaking beneath my tread. He was going to pay for this! I was going to make him suffer for this! A strangled scream came to my left as something snapped against my left pauldron. Whirling, I saw an orange mech gazing at me in shock as they kept glancing between me and their shattered blade.
I shouted a wordless roar and took a step towards him, swinging my servo towards him with malicious intent. My servo slammed against their chassis, and with a sickening crunch gave way as my limb dug deep into their spark chamber. Sparks flew and energon spurted out as their frame was sent into the air before landing in a broken heap, seizing and twitching.
I twisted my frame, going back to searching for my original target. Another flash of light enveloped my vision, then another, and another. Hissing, I raised my right servo to try and deal with the flashing light as I looked for my assailant. A blue beam emanated from the confusing battle, hurling towards me, as I threw myself to the side to avoid the attack. I felt myself slam into someone, nearly causing me to trip as I slammed my left stabilizer down to try and keep myself balanced. For a brief moment, I felt resistance beneath my pede for an astro klick before it gave way, a shrill scream rising from below me. Ignoring the shout of pain, I pressed onwards, back-servoing a poor mech who happened to be in my way.
The thunderous sound of my pump was beating in my helm as I tried to regain sight of my cowardly quarry. Looking to the left of me, I saw a mech on top of another, slamming their servos into their helm over and over again, sending energon and fluids high into the air. The crowded roared their approval at the brutal blows. Turning my helm and upper body, I saw another pair grappling one another over a dagger, each desperately trying to grab it from the other. Then, there was a flash of blue light as one of the mech's helms simply disintegrated from the heat of the attack, sending boiling energon into the other's face plate, who dropped screaming and clutching their face plate.
Turning to look at the source of the attack, I saw the damned cyber-snake hiding at the edge of the arena, taking wild aim into the crowd of fighters. My rage grew as he scored another hit on an unlucky mech. Raising my left servo I pointed at the mech.
"Coward!" I bellowed, my voice carrying over the sounds of the fight. The mech snapped their helm over to me, their optics widening in fear at the realization of my survival. The coward turned their blaster towards me and fired as quickly as they could, most of the beams going wide or being nullified by my shield generator. I marched towards the mech as fast as I could. Realizing this, the blaster-armed bot began to flee.
I gritted my denta. If I could just reach them from here! I stretched my left arm as far as I could, hoping to grab them. It was a forlorn hope at best. Then, I felt something. A quake went through my spinal strut as I felt my left servo shift into something else. Looking down at my left servo, I realized that it had transformed into a triangular-shaped weapon.
…[Mining Laser; Activated]...
I looked at my arm, then at the fleeing mech. I motioned for it to do something. It did not respond in the way I hoped. It simply just stood in its altered form.
"Go! Release! Attack! Do something!" I barked at the offending limb.
"For all that is-" A bright, viscous, orange beam emanated from my newly formed weapon, lancing across the stabilizers of the fleeing mech. They cried and fell forward, the back connection joints of their stabilizers popping and sizzling as their armor plates melted and fused in horrific ways. A sense of glee and satisfaction nestled its way into my chassis. Revenge was mine.
Pivoting, I looked back towards the melee as the crowd cheered at my actions. Many of the fighters had fallen in crumpled heaps by now, most twitching, groaning, or weeping in pain. Only three other mechs remained, all of whom now looked at me with varying levels of horror and dread. I raised my mining laser and fired. The mechs threw themselves out of the line of fire. With a scream of primal fury and fear, the two mechs charged at me with all the strength they could muster.
The first mech slammed into my mid plate with all the strength they could muster with a sound of plate giving way under plate. Regrettably for them, I had barely felt the impact, while they now had large dents adorning their helm. That feeling of rage grew inside of me. Growling, I grabbed the stunned mech lifted them with my right servo, and began to squeeze. The poor mech cried, desperately clawing against my grasp, throwing wild desperate blows against my right arm. A series of cracks incrementally followed as the mech's helm began to give way. The crowd only grew louder in response to my actions.
"By Primus, the big mech is going to do it!"
"Offline him! Offline him!"
"Haha! We haven't had a show like this in a while!"
Something slammed against the metallic roof covering my helm. Realization and horror soon dawned on me. I had been too focused on the mech in front of me! There were still two others to worry about! A clawed servo rained down from over the lip of my hood, scraping across my face plate, dipping deep, and causing immense pain.
I screamed, dropping the mech I was crushing, who fell limply to the ground. I spun wildly, trying to shake the damned mech off me. Again, the servo came down, trying to catch my face plate, but they overshot, the attack harmlessly bouncing off my gorget. I swung my servo up, grasping the bots appendage.
"W-wait! Listen, we-we can talk about thi-" I wrenched my arm forward, flinging the bot towards the ground, plating giving way as their frame bounced off the surface, energon slowly pooling out from underneath them.
"That is two dealt with…" I muttered while looking around to find the third mech.
The third mech, the smallest of the three, sat in the corner with a look of terror beyond measure, large and slow tears of energon slipping down their face plate. I approached the mech shuddering with each fall of my pede as the crowd began to die down, their vocalizers spent. Stepping over the groaning mess of a bot who was splayed out in front of me, I stopped, looking down at the mech, my frame casting a long shadow over the mech.
"P-please, please don't! I- I just- Please! I have a family unit!" The mech sobbed, their frame shaking with each gasp of air as they covered their face plate from me. I began to reach down.
"No!" They yelled, desperately grabbing my servo as their optics peered into mine. I froze. For the first time, I saw what my face plate looked like, or the lack thereof. I had no intake, but instead, a large respirator-like device that was built into my face plat, a series of thick tubes arching out from the device and back behind my helm into the abyss of my metallic hood, the tubes expanding and contracting in regular intervals. My one callous white-colored optic peered out through a thick visor plate that had a long laceration running vertically through the section of the plate.
"..."
"..."
With a trembling step backward, I brought my servos up so I could see them. They were coated in energon, the sensation warm against my plating. Looking back at the mech, I realized that I was covered in the liquid. What had I done? It was never supposed to be like this! I never meant to take it this far! I was just protecting myself! I could feel my tank rumble and flip. A sick feeling spilled out from it as I looked back at those I had fought among the mass of wounded mechs. Did I…did I offline them?
"It is not over yet, youngling," The voice of the announcer boomed. Slowly, I looked away from the mech and my servos. Rotating, I looked at the announcer, their glossa pressed into a firm line.
"They are not a threat. Why must I continue?" I questioned, motioning over to the sobbing mech.
"Every bot knew the risk when they entered the arena. They were specifically warned about what may occur and what they must do," The announcing mech said, shaking their helm as his honor guard glowered.
"Even so, why not just let them go?"
"..."
A silence fell over the arena before someone from the crowd began to snicker, then another, and another, until the whole room was laughing at my expense. My vents hissed with embarrassment and anger at this.
"Not only inquisitive but foolish also?" The large mech said sardonically, a small grin tugging at their face plate. I clenched my servos in response. The mech's smile soon dropped as they shifted their optics away from me and towards the mech beside me as he began to speak again.
"Very well then. We are at war for the very foundations of our society, even if the Autobots refuse to realize it. That mech-no, that thing besides you, entered this training complex and begged for energon, our most precious of resources, in exchange for his service to our cause. Now look at him, begging and sniffling, like a sparkling. He is no fighter, no great warrior, no healer nor tactician," The large mech spat, their eyes glowing with contempt.
"He is a burden to us all, sapping our limited resources to continue his insignificant existence, like a parasite. He can not stay. But also can not leave. There is a chance he may reveal whatever he may discover in his brief stay here in exchange for energon and 'clemency' for his part in this rebellion. He may damn us all in the end and subject our fellow cybertronians to mellena-vorn of tyranny and abuse," The mech finished, optics scanning the crowd as he did so, their cold red hue looking for signs of dissent.
"So, I say again. It is not over yet." I slowly looked back at the laying at my pedes.
"Make a choice…" The large mech said, their words slithering into my core processor, the ultimatum branding itself onto my thoughts.
"I…" I whispered to the terrified mech before me, who latched onto my stabilizer, optics begging-no, pleading for mercy.
My spark screamed at me telling me this was wrong. They were not a threat to anybody here and simply just wanted to keep their life. Just because there was a chance he may prove to be a problem does not mean he should be damned for something he may do. If I followed through with what the others wanted, I would be committing murder.
I have already done that already haven't I? A small part of me whispered. What was one more at this point? Best to get it over with and deal with it later. Besides, in the optics of the Autobot regime, I was already a traitor for even being brought online by the Decepticons in all likelihood. Moreso, if I didn't follow through the Decepticons would simply just kill me and the mech.
It's you or him. Better to be online and with guilt than offline and forgotten. I gritted my denta at the thought.
Slowly, I raised my arms, balling my servos up into hammer-like fists.
"Forgive me…" I said softly. The mechs begging and screaming grew. I dropped my arms, a loud crunch and a mist of energon following an astro-klick latter. The crowd gave out one last cheer as I turned toward the leading mech who swept their servo out in a demand for silence.
"Good, we may make a Decepticon warrior out of you yet. Tell me, what is your designation?" The mech asked, satisfaction dripping from every word.
"I have none..." I paused, not knowing the mech's name.
"Hightower. Captain Hightower of the tenth Chapter, the first host".
"I have none, Captain Hightower," I said, amending my previous statement. Hightower gave a brief nod, a look of understanding crossing their optics.
"You are not the first to be bereft of designation when brought online. Ever since this Age of Rust started, many bots have come out of the Well of All Sparks in a similar state and were considered less than cybertronian for it. A good amount of your new brothers-in-arms have a similar tale". Hightower elaborated, a surprising amount of sympathy edged into their words. The mass of bots looked down at me, a series of sympathetic nods and grunts following their leader's words.
"Yet, you shall no longer go without a designation for you are now one of us!" Hightower exclaimed, raising their servos as the crowd stomped their pedes in approval. The large mechs eyes peered into my own, into my very spark.
"For your actions in your rite of passage, the unrelenting determination you showed in weathering those attacks and dealing with your foes in such finality like a force of Primus himself, you shall henceforth be given the designation Steelstorm!".
—-
Annnnnd done!
So, I understand that this chapter leaves a lot of questions such as what are the names of the mechs and all that, but those will all be in answered in due time.
Feed back is appreciated but please do try to keep it constructive. Thank you and have a good day.