Megatronus has been my favorite perspective to write from! I just love him so much, he's a great character. I also really wanted Soundwave to talk in this book, even for a little bit. What do you guys think of this decision?
Megatronus walked through the poorly lit maintenance halls that had once been used to churn out tools for the mines. The arena itself had once been a factory, but it was shut down. A syndicate boss had taken interest in it and hollowed out the former factory, turning it into the arena that was used for the entertainment of others.
Gladiators trained, fought, and were repaired in these very halls. There were other fighters, such as contracted gladiators whose living was to fight, that lived in the arena. These special gladiators had privileges, of course. Their pay was better, and they didn't have to toil in the mines.
But that privilege was hard-earned. For a low caste, this status could only be achieved if one bought their freedom, which costed millions of credits for each low-caste Cybertronian. Most would never come close to earning enough to buy their way out of the brutal life they had been born into.
Megatronus had clawed his way up from that grim reality. He had refused to accept the fate thrust onto him and had fought his way to the top. He had become the Champion, the best gladiator the arena had ever seen, and he had bought his freedom with his victories. But that was never enough. He didn't want just his own freedom—he wanted to tear down the entire system that enslaved his race.
The Champion's thoughts turned toward more important matters, rather than the memories files that deserved to be corroded. His and Orion's movement, the plans they had so carefully laid out were slowly falling into place, piece by piece and soon, they would usher in a Golden Age for Cybertron. The time to act was coming.
Beside him, Soundwave walked quietly. Megatronus had first encountered the spymaster in the arena. Soundwave had been a worthy opponent, one of the few who had ever come close to defeating him. Had it not been a match to first energon drawn, Megatronus knew the outcome might have been different. It was a reminder that no matter how strong he was, there were always those who could match him.
He respected Soundwave's abilities, and more importantly, his loyalty. The spymaster had proven his worth time and time again and there was no one that he trusted more with the more… delicate operations of their revolution.
There was no denying Soundwave's usefulness. His methods were always effective and the small horde of Minicons that he commanded were helpful to see and hear everything that happened in the arena. Megatronus stole a glance at him, knowing that behind the visor lay a calculating neural net, always analyzing, always watching. And he knew that, even now, Soundwave's thoughts were on Orion.
Orion Pax. The passionate, bright archivist from Iacon. The younger mech had started meeting with him a stellar cycle ago, discussing his ideals that were in many ways, similar to his, and in that short period of time, the gladiator had watched him grow. Orion was still shy, still naïve in some ways, but his spark burned with a passion that rivaled even Megatronus' own.
Orion had been improving in his combat skills. The gladiator could see it in the way the younger mech moved during their spars. Each session, Orion became just a little bit faster, more confident. It pleased Megatronus to see this growth. It would serve the archivist well to learn how to fight for himself, to be strong enough to face what was coming.
But as much as the younger mech's skills were growing, he still had a long way to go. That fiery passion, so quick to ignite when confronted with injustice, was often tempered by his softer nature. Like he once did, Orion believed in the power of words, in diplomacy, in change without violence.
Megatronus admired that about him, even though he knew it was not enough. Change, real change, required strength. After all, their revolution would not be fought solely with words; it would be fought with might, with strength, and with the will to change Cybertron.
Megatronus's thoughts returned to the present when he heard the skittering of one of Soundwave's Minicons.
He glanced at the spymaster. "You don't have to watch him so closely," the gladiator said, he knew it wouldn't change Soundwave's processor.
It was no secret that the spymaster didn't trust Orion. The gladiator knew that whenever Orion came to visit, one of Soundwave's Minicons was never far behind. The thought might have unsettled anyone else, but Megatronus had come to expect it from Soundwave. It was how he showed his loyalty—by ensuring that no one, not even the most trusted of allies, was a threat to him.
There was a time when Soundwave had outright requested permission to tail Orion more closely. The request had been met with a firm denial from him. He had waved it off, telling Soundwave that the constant surveillance wasn't necessary. Orion wasn't a threat. The spymaster had relented, but Megatronus knew that hadn't stopped him from keeping his optics on Orion whenever possible.
The gladiator turned to look at Soundwave when he felt the spymaster's electric field extending, brushing against his own.
"Orion Pax: valuable to the movement. But also unpredictable," the spymaster said, looking up at him. "Amica Endura: trusted by Megatronus. However, trust misplaced."
The Champion slowed his pace slightly. This wasn't the first time Soundwave had expressed doubts about Orion. They had this conversation one too many times.
Megatronus felt his optics narrow.
"You think he'll betray me," he stated, frowning.
Soundwave nodded. "Orion Pax: values ideals. Conflict: inevitable."
The gladiator knew that while their goals aligned, their ways of achieving those goals differed greatly. He had no qualms about using direct, violent means to achieve their goals. It was the only way. But he refrained from revealing such thoughts to his little archivist, so that he might keep him at his side.
Even so, he always felt a sharp stab of frustration every time Soundwave brought up this topic. His neural net replayed the countless discussions, their plans and goals for Cybertron's future. Orion was idealistic yes, but he was compassionate, he was caring about others, and his spark was pure. He was passionate and brave and determined, these were qualities that made Orion, Orion. These were qualities that he liked about him. Orion Pax was one of a kind. There would never be another like him.
"Orion Pax: not to be trusted," the spymaster continued. "He is different from us. Does not see what we see. Does not believe what we believe."
"He believes in our cause, our goal," Megatronus said smoothly, keeping his plating from bristling. "He believes in a better Cybertron, just as much as we do."
…just not in methods.
"Orion Pax: does not understand," the spymaster replied. "Different visions lead to conflict. You must be prepared."
Megatronus knew that Orion was no fool. He was aware of his darker nature and tried to keep it in check for both of their sakes. He allowed it, not wanting to drive his friend way, but he hoped that his brother would be prepared to fight when words failed them. He would not compromise.
"Observe. Listen. Orion Pax: may surprise you."
The Champion grunted before going silent for a long klik. He finally spoke, "Soundwave, I want you to refrain from bringing this up again. I grow weary of discussing it."
There was no hesitation as the spymaster nodded. "Affirmative."
While Megatronus wasn't pleased with his spymaster, Soundwave was right about one thing: there was a risk in that difference. As much as he wanted to believe that Orion's ideals and his own were aligned, there had been times when they didn't see optic to optic. That could prove dangerous in the future.
Megatronus frowned at his line of thoughts and shook them off. He stopped in front of a door, keying the code and entering the room. His optics surveyed the room, noting that some things had been rearranged, such as the sloppy pile of datapads that were now neatly stacked on the desk to the side and the chairs that were neatly tucked underneath the large workspace.
The gladiator felt his dermas quirk upward into a smile, knowing that this was the work of the little librarian. He knew that Orion disliked messy spaces, though the archivist had never explicitly told him this. But his actions spoke louder than words.
Megatronus moved toward their workspace and tapped the button on the side of the desk, activating the holographic display of Kaon. Markers and highlighted areas decorated parts of the map, marking certain sectors of the rundown city for their biggest rally yet.
He and Orion had been planning this rally for over two megacycles now. This one was going to get the High Council's attention, and this would be their opportunity. They would show Cybertron that there was more to them than met the optic.
Megatronus spent the next half Breem mulling over how they would set up their rally, what places they should enforce with gladiators and how they would transmit to all of Cybertron. That was their biggest issue at the present. Every time he would send a transmission, it would be cut off before it could reach the audios of anyone outside of Kaon.
His attention was drawn to the door when it hissed lowly, opening to reveal Orion Pax who quickly walked into the room, clutching a datapad close to his chassis. His bright optics met Megatronus's, and the archivist gave a sheepish smile.
The gladiator couldn't help the smirk that played on his dermas. "Well, look who decided to show up," he teased, crossing his arms over his broad chassis. "Where have you been? I was just about to send the Elite Guard to track you down."
Orion carefully placed his datapad on the desk, trying to hide his flustered state. "I was… working on something."
"Oh?" Megatronus cocked an optical ridge, taking a few steps toward the smaller mech. "And what might this 'something' be?"
The little librarian shifted slightly. "It's a bit… experimental," he admitted, optics flicking between Megatronus and the datapad. "I didn't want to say anything until I knew it would work."
The gladiator leaned over the table, one servo bracing against the metal surface as he tilted his helm slightly. "Go on," he urged, intrigued.
"I've been thinking about how we're going to keep the transmissions for the rally up without the Functionists shutting it down. We've been planning this for megacycles, and it's too important to risk losing the signal halfway through."
Megatronus nodded slowly, focusing on the smaller mech's faceplate. Orion had a point. They had been planning this rally for over two megacycles and it was their chance to broadcast their message to all of Cybertron. Kaon would be the starting point, but the transmission would be sent across the entire planet.
At least that was the plan. They hadn't been able to figure out a way to transmit their messages in a way that the Functionists would be unable to shut down. It was the one variable they hadn't been able to control.
"I'm listening," he encouraged with a nod.
"I found that I've been able to access the backdoor systems within the Grid. Once I'm in, I should be able to upload the broadcast directly into the underlying infrastructure, bypassing the main filters. If that works, I'll make it so the transmission won't be able to be shut off without bringing the entire system down."
The gladiator raised a ridge. "And they won't do that?"
Orion shook his helm. "No. The Grid is too essential. It powers communication, the economy, even military coordination. Shutting it down would cause chaos, and the Functionists aren't prepared for that kind of backlash. They might try to isolate Kaon's network, but by the time they even think about it, the message will already be spread."
"They'll scramble," Megatronus pointed out, frowning. "Once they realize the feed's uncontrollable, they'll try to stop the transmission by other means."
"They'll try," Orion replied. "But by the time they react, the transmission should be self-sustaining. The Grid's infrastructure is designed to handle every level of communication, from personal comms to mass broadcasts that transmit to the DataNet. I believe I know where to inject the feed so it replicates on its own so that every device across Cybertron will carry your speech."
Megatronus stared at Orion for a long klik, a slow smile spreading across his faceplate. Orion's plan was… brilliant. He was impressed with how Orion's processor worked. As always, the librarian never disappointed. Had known about his friend's scheme, he would've entrusted this critical part of the plan to the smaller mech.
This was the breakthrough they needed. Now they could move their plans to make the rally happen within less than two megacycles. This was perfect. The rally would be seen by every bot on Cybertron, and there would be no way for the Functionists to stop it.
"You've done well, brother," Megatronus said, placing a servo on his friend's shoulder. "This is exactly what we needed."
Orion's dermas curled into a shy smile—the one that he adored—optics brightening ever so slightly. "Are you ready for your speech? It's one thing to speak to Kaon… it's another to speak to all of Cybertron."
Megatronus nodded. "I've been ready for vorns. Many Cybertronians are angry, restless. They need direction, and they need to know that they're not alone. My speech will be the spark that ignites the fire. We'll give them something to rally behind—something to fight for."
Orion's expression turned thoughtful. "What about security? The Council won't just sit back and let us speak. They'll send enforcers to shut it down, especially in Kaon."
Megatronus smiled sharply. "Let them try. We'll be ready. The citizens of Kaon have been waiting for a spark like this. They're tired of being used, of being ignored. All they need is for someone to show them that it's possible to rise up."
The archivist opened his intake as if to say something, then closed it. It took a few kliks for his brother to get his vocoder working. "Just… don't let the rally turn into battle, Megatronus. The Functionists want that. They want an excuse to paint us as terrorists."
"You have nothing to worry about, brother," the gladiator assured, allowing his smile to soften.
Orion nodded, opening his intake to say something but no words came out. Judging by the distant look in his optics, Megatronus knew that someone had pinged him. It irritated the gladiator when someone pulled Orion away like that—especially when they were in the middle of something important.
After a klik of silent communication, Orion blinked and returned to the present, his optics refocusing on Megatronus. He rubbed the back of his helm, an apologetic look crossing his faceplate.
"Something came up," the little librarian muttered.
Megatronus arched an optic ridge. "Something came up?" he repeated, crossing his arms. "And what, pray tell, is more important than this?"
The smaller mech smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing serious. Just something I need to take care of."
The gladiator eyed him for a klik longer, optics narrowing slightly. Orion was a terrible liar. An abysmal one. His brother shifted on his pedes, clearly uncomfortably under his scrutiny. He was tempted to demand what was happening, but Megatronus allowed it to slide. He would find out what exactly was going on, one way or another.
"Duty calls, my friend," Megatronus finally said, breaking the tense silence. He closed the gap between them and clasped Orion's shoulder gently. "Take care of yourself."
Orion looked up at him, nodding. "I will."
Megatronus didn't trust those words much, knowing that the archivist was prone to overworking himself, but didn't comment on it. "Next time, don't keep me waiting too long. I might actually have to send the Elite Guard after you," he teased, stepped back.
"I'll try not to," he replied, smiling softly.
The little librarian picked up his datapad off the desk, moving toward the door. With one last glance, Orion gave a small wave and disappeared behind the door.
Megatronus vented, turning to look at the desk that was still projecting the holomap. His optics narrowed as he stared at the arena. Before they could host a rally, there was business that had to be taken care of. Specifically, the one bot that would stand in their way.
The arena boss.