A/N -

This fic, along with my Sonic one, have proven surprise hits! That's really nice, I'm super happy about that. Don't have much more to say for this chapter, though. Much love, everyone!

To conserve as much energy as possible, the two comrades in arms voluntarily powered their systems down to the absolute bare minimum. Keeping just enough of their critical processes running and energon flowing through their piping so that their sparks wouldn't extinguish themselves during the journey. They only properly rebooted themselves once they entered this mysterious planet's atmosphere.

The first action Glit took was, now that they were within range for anyone to actually receive it, sending a message on a classified Decepticon frequency. Stating that they had received the prior distress call, that they were incoming, and also including approximate landing coordinates. Whereas, Shockwave went to work. Gathering as much information about the planet as he could in the short time they had before touching down.

Unlike Cybertron, which housed only a single species, this planet seemed to be absolutely teeming with life. Hundreds or thousands of individual species in any one area at any one time, ranging from microscopic to potentially even dozens of feet tall. None were as large, or as sturdy, or would live as long as Cybertronians - but the sheer variety was fascinating.

The atmosphere also seemed to be decently accommodating towards Cybertronians. Moisture in the air may cause problems with rust in the future, but that was a relatively minor problem that could be easily treated. Still, he found it just… fascinating that this planet, built for species near opposite of his own, weren't at all hostile. Perhaps Cybertronians were just exceptionally resilient?

In fact, researching the planet's makeup and looking for potential hazards sucked Shockwave into a trance. He just found it so fascinating, it was the exact opposite of everything he ever knew, and as a result it made him want to learn everything he could about it. It was quite a shame how much damage the war inevitably was going to cause this planet. Just thinking how many species could be lost made him feel some pause.

Before he knew it, the ship was touching down. They had landed in the middle of a field of corn. It was a good thing, too, since they landed in an area where nobody would see them - where humans would call 'the sticks'. The two of them began scanning all communication channels, expecting to hear squawking from Starscream or Megatron's gravelly baritone indicating that they were en route, or coordinates with which to meet them. But, they were only met with…. Silence. Not static, indicating a technical problem, just… emptiness. Scanning some old Autobot channels he'd managed to crack way back when, they were similarly completely dead. Though, a few were completely overwhelmed by some sort of music that made Shockwave feel like his audio caps had blown.

That anxiety, that fear began overtaking the two Decepticons. Were they- too late? Had the war already been lost in the time it took them to receive that message and them to arrive? Before they had any time to really grapple with the ramifications of that thought, they noticed a yellow vehicle speeding towards them. A silver grille on the front referred to it as a 'Jeep'. Said vehicle suddenly stopped, opening up its doors and letting two passengers hop out, before finally transforming.

The yellow color and vaguely familiar head gave only the slightest clue as to who it was, but… it looked so strange. That frame, it looked so bulky but kibbly… It looked like the frame a bot would take during peacetime. Even still, the both of them were on edge. Glit bristled his tail and began to slowly step back, but Shockwave felt like he might recognize the bot in front of his eye. "Swindle? Is that you?"

"Yup, that's me!" Replied Swindle, giving a big old salesman grin. For the longest time, he was an unaligned bot. He was just a humble salesman! He'd cooperate with anyone, as long as the price was right. But, the Decepticons cut him a good enough deal that he signed on for the duration of the war. Hey, every hand counts.

As part of said deal, he agreed to take part in a little… experiment, during the last few cycles of Cybertron. Swindle, along with four others, were given the ability to combine into a gestalt entity named Bruticus - what was intended to be the Decepticons' trump card. It worked, astonishingly well. Any time they needed a wrecking ball to crush the Autobots, he was a solid hand.

If the war truly was over, it made sense that Swindle might've rebuilt his frame to remove said ability. After all, the ability to combine resulted in quite a blocky and not very nimble individual. Well, anyway - the former Combatacon wasn't alone, but… he didn't exactly bring the cavalry with him. Jumping out of the seats just as he transformed were two little spybots. Small fellas who formed a close relationship with Decepticon Commander Soundwave. They could even hide away in his chest, if needed.

First was Rumble, a small, boxy, red robot with the ability to turn his arms into piledrivers. But, notably missing was the twin he was never seen without - a blue robot named Frenzy. There was also Ravage, a quadrupedal and hyper-athletic spy. He didn't really talk much. As a funny coincidence, he looked really Glit, except with a black color scheme instead of his white. The both of them had the abilities that their alternative modes were super tiny and compact, but- that resulted in their robot modes being super flimsy and kind of weak. Best made for spywork.

"Where is everyone else?" Shockwave asked. "Are they back at headquarters or something?" He said, as he dropped onto a single knee - trying to be as close to eye level with Rumble as possible. Man, Seeing that little purple Decepticon badge on his chest was such a sight for a sore eye. It was oh-so comforting to know they weren't completely extinct.

Still, Rumble momentarily braced himself as he prepared himself to spill the bad news. "I'm sorry, but… we're… all that's left." He shook his head and let out a sigh. "The Autobots won! We went into hiding, Swindle's been nice enough to let us stay with him."

"Aw, it's no trouble!" Swindle chortled. They were so small and took up so little energon that it was like having two little pets. Turning his attention back to Shockwave, "We've been playing nice with the Autobots! I cut 'em a few deals here and there just to be on the safe side, though. And, I'm sure I can help you two get adjusted. you know, see the sights!" He spoke with the cadence of a slimy vacation salesman, it was just obvious that there was some unspoken catch.

Once again, before anyone was able to get their bearings - their attention was forcibly grabbed by a loud horn blaring. Whipping their heads, to see another vehicle speeding towards them. The light pink color made it fairly obvious who it belonged to - the Autobot's Commander - Optimus Prime.

Rumble's arms transformed into piledrivers, and Ravage let out a horrid snarl. Both prepared for a final battle. This was it, they were found - and they were going to go down swinging. But Shockwave stepped in front of the both of them, and seized command for this rag-tag group… Loudly calling out "We surrender!"