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Chapter 1

Only a few Cybertrons ever even went to Cybertron anymore.

In the side of the planet was a hole, several thousand kilometers across, leading toward an empty chazm where it's pulsing core used to be. Inside of it, capture claws rested half constructed, and it's sides were opened up and being fitted with deployable weapons eight hundred kilometers long.

The process of rebuilding Cybertron into a huge weapons platform had met with uneneding delays, largely due to repeated changing over of hands. Every few hundred years the Alpha Centauri star system would be reclaimed by the Autobots, and then again by the Decepticons, and every time, Cybertron would sustain more damage. For the most part, though, this has stopped... There is now a general consensus that there is nothing here for either party to own.

Cybertron is uninhabitable, it's energy reserves completely used up. The current generation of Transformers was not born here, and they certainly have no interest in dying here for some pipe dream of a cosmic dreadnought that would usher in a new age of peace through tyranny.

It is, give or take a hundred thousand years, about 65000 millennia before the dawn of man. The current home of the Decepticons is a vast Mothership they call Hive One. It serves primarily as the laboratory and factory of a Decepticon known as Shockwave. But it also has a 30 km wide forward gantry for capturing and disassembling space junk and asteroids, four hungry particle collectors for drawing in interstellar gas and converting it into energon, enough internal space to serve as home for more than 100000 Decepticons, the most awesome weapons to be fitted on any ship in the Decepticon fleet, and multi-sensors capable of monitoring Autobot activity several star systems away. It was, in short, the Decepticons All-In-One-Basket ship, and thus was too important to be at the forefront of any engagement.

And right now, it was in Alpha Centauri, orbiting Cybertron.

As Hive One's massive overhead sensor gantry squinted at it's horizons, it spotted a fast moving object, made of metal (and not the telltale faceted polymers that would denote a Decepticon vessel... something that the Decepticons used for stealth) and carrying electronics in the distant Sol system. This was, of course, far too close for comfort. If Hive One was detected here, not only would it risk the safety of her inhabitants, but all the secret work that the Decepticons have reinvested in Cybertron's military significance could be lost.

 

I love it!! can't wait to see the next chapter.

 

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Carefully, Rumble compared the design of the ship with existing known schematics. Shockwave approached him, and looked over his shoulder.

"You found something?"

"About time you got here!" Rumble retorted angrily. "This ship is only 1 star system away. At that distance it could be here in 30 clicks. The technology is clearly Autobot but it's appearance doesn't match any records."

Shockwave narrowed his radar eye. For the first time in decades, he felt a twinge of emotion... a mix of panic, excitement, and anticipation. He beat it down. "You only searched the files containing civilian designs, Rumble," he said, his voice unusually deliberate. He tapped the console, showing the matching schematics among the official supertankers. "That ship is Government Issue. In fact, it's the closest thing the Autobots have to Hive One, only at one fifth the scale and number of fittings. I would not be surprised if a Prime, or even Ultra Magnus himself is at the helm."

"Yes!! OH, YESSS!!!" Rumble squealed. "Oh Primus! We aught to fly right in with Hive One and blow it out of the sky!!! It would be the battle to end all battles!"

Shockwave tapped the console again. "It doesn't appear to be headed our way," he said, softly. "If it changes course, then I might consider sending the mothership into the fray. However, as things stand now, we have too much invested in this ship to risk losing it. The Autobots, while easy to destroy individually, have utilized the strategy of spreading out to good effect."

"Oh, Come on!"

"An Ark Class vessel is a freighter, albeit one with heavy armaments," Shockwave said. "If we could hijack her, destroy the crew and passengers and then loot the contents it would increase our profits. What this mission needs is a pirate marauder frigate. It would be faster and more maneuverable, and the Autobot ship won't be able to track her. And a Nemesis class has the ECM firepower to penetrate her deflectors."

"Yeah... Wouldn't going in ourselves with all guns blazing be a little more... 'cut and dried'?"

"No. Question my judgement again and I'll cut and dry YOU. I do not make decisions arbitrarily, or by consensus."

 

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"...and might I say, what an honor it is to serve under the mighty Megatron. ...Why exactly do you want to command this mission yourself?"

Megatron felt uncomfortable with the flattery... even annoyed. "Listen... Uh... what's your name again?"

"Starscream!!!"

"Starscream... No offense, but, we don't have time for stupid questions. Haven't you been briefed? This is one of the most important missions you'll ever be on, we're liable to run into important Autobot officials and I can't let you screw it up. Just go sit in the captain's seat, I'll tell you what to do."

Starscream sighed. "Shockwave," he said, speaking into his arm. "The Nemesis is ready for take-off. All system's go."

Shockwave's voice came in over the intercom. "Already? Are you sure?"

"I run a tight ship, Shockwave. She rarely takes any damage under my watch, and maintenance is ongoing and constant. You're welcome to check diagnostics if you, like Megatron here, have any doubts in my competence."

Shockwave started to stammer. Keystrokes were heard over the intercom. "Uh... confirmed. You are clear to proceed."

"Shockwave, you are in command of the Hive One until I return. Starscream... ahem." Megatron switched off the intercom. "Impressive work, Starscream. I am not usually one to dole out praise, but it is not often an aerospace commander outclasses Shockwave. Initiative is not his strong trait. You might make a fine starship captain someday. Take us out."

Starscream grinned evilly. "Is that... an apology?" he sighed.

"No."

The Nemesis dropped out of a hole in the bottom of Hive One, adjusted it's massive, transparent bozon field inflectors to maximize speed, and engaged the emitter. Instantly, the vessel became a streak of ultraviolet light.

 

Okay, okay. Pwning Shockwave was clever....
Megatron wants to apologize, I know he does..


 

 

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"Starscream, we are approaching a dense asteroid field," Megatron sighed. "I recommend we drop out of warp here, and work around it."

"Blast!" Starscream growled. "This will certainly put a crimp in things. The Autobot ship is still almost an Astronomical Unit away. Far enough that we can't attack, but close enough that a decent sensor package will be able to detect us!"

"I know, I know," Megatron said, frustrated. "So much for a surprise attack."

"Oh, yeah? Watch this." Starscream gripped the controls like a vice, and leaned his face into the screen. Slowly, he pulled back on the throttle.

"Starscream... What are you doing?"

"Slowing down to a manageable FTL speed. Just sit tight and hold on to your armrests."

A ringed planet swung past The Nemesis, and little spots appeared on the gravimentric scanners. Starscream adjusted the boson inflectors for maximum manoeuvrability and prayed to Unicron that they would hold out.

Megatron's optics bugged out of his titanium plated head. "You don't have to do this to impress me!"

"Don't distract me, Megatron!" Starscream shouted above the high pitched whine of the hull. "Getting close... almost there... ...now!"

Almost faster than Megatron could see, Starscream swung the throttle all the way down. Outside, the massive, egg shaped boson emitter between the inflectors shut down, and the Nemesis grinded to a halt... about 300 feet ahead of her, a massive asteroid. Many more asteroids lay about and astern.

Starscream coolly heaved a sigh. "Soundwave. Scan our surroundings," he said. "Look for rocks with a heavy iron content."

Megatron grunted. "Impressive, Starscream. The Autobot ship is only 500 clicks away, well within range of our heavy interdiction radials." His eyes hardened. "Never, ever, ever, EVER do that again."

Starscream laughed. "Most systems have asteroids, how often have you served aboard a pirate ship? My regular crew are used to this."

"Soundwave," Megatron intoned. "Activate radials. Disable The Ark's hyperdrive."

Soundwave was a unique sort. Unlike Starscream, Soundwave was jacked into his electronic warfare cubicle aboard the Nemesis' bridge by thousands of wires. He had no keyboard, joystick, or any form of physical controls. "Done, Megatron," he said.

"Now disable weapons."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, finally, shut down their deflectors."

"All done, Megatron."

"Starscream, it is now safe to approach."

 

 .

Starscream... he is up to something, trying to impress him like that.

 

OOOOOOOO this is getting good  

 

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"Commander, our weapons just stopped firing."

"What?!" Grimlock peered out at the asteroid field in front of them. "So they have. Ratchet, check diagnostics."

"That won't be necessary, Commander," Gears stammered. "Sensors detected an incoming ECM attack 2.7 nanoclicks ago. Weapons, deflectors, and warp drive are offline."

"Pirates," Grimlock grumbled. "I expected something more deadly to be defending our target. They can only deactivate high power systems, everything else will be immune... due to our metal armour hull. Bring them up on sensors."

Gears tapped on his console. "They aren't showing up on either the magnetometric or gravimetric tactical overlay, Grimlock," Gears said. "Chances are, it's a combination of polymer stealth faceting and a close proximity to an iron asteroid."

Grimlock looked around him.

"Bumblebee," he said, to the young ensign standing near the bridge deck. "This is your chance to prove yourself. Go to the top level, and open the 360 degree windowpane. You are the only one who might be able to target them visually. Wheeljack, are those intelligent antimatter rockets ready to be deployed?"

"You bet, and they are HUGE. But remember, we only carry two of them."

"I'll only need one," Bumblebee said, as he scampered up the stairs.

"You better."

Eagerly, Bumblebee took his seat in the most exposed area aboard The Ark, and watched the 20 mile wide asteroids float by. Scanning the furthest reaches of space, he caught sight of an unusual shape approaching them fast...

Taking control of the ship's emergency jet engines, Bumblebee slowly rotated The Ark to face the Nemesis class cruiser.

The twin rockets were buried inside the Bassard intakes on either side of the hull, instead of in an independent turret. This way, Wheeljack reasoned, the pilot could aim them at an enemy without said enemy suspecting any impending counterattack... but aiming them was slow. Locking target, Bumblebee analyzed the trajectory of the Decepticon vessel, and then plotted a course through the asteroid belt that kept the rocket relatively hidden from enemy scanners... and fired. The ignition of the engines of the 4 kilometer long rocket shook the entire ship.

Within seconds, the Decepticon vessel opened fire on the rocket. Thanks to Bumblebee's quick reflexes, the rocket spun and swerved, and continued to dodge asteroids and plasma fire... but it was of no use. The rocket had only made it three quarters of the way to The Nemesis before a plasma bolt ripped through it. The explosion of the 3000 Megaton antimatter warhead sent a wave of destruction across the asteroid field powerful enough to rip a small planet in half.

"Well done, Bumblebee," Grimlock bellowed. "You showed them..."

"No, Commander, I failed," Bumblebee groaned. "The rocket was shot out of space."

"Look again, Bumblebee!" Grimlock shouted, as the surge of Bosons rattled through the Ark. "A Nemesis Class Cruiser is fast, manoeuvrable, and heavily armed, but without metal armor it's not very tough. Certainly not as tough as this tanker."

Bumblebee squinted. "Hey, Grimlock, I think your right! There's nothing left of that ship but flotsam!..."

Suddenly, a flash of bright light appeared in the middle of the hallway leading to the bridge, and out of nowhere, nine heavily armed, huge Decepticons appeared... and started firing on the crew.

 

oooh, so this is Smart, WFC grimlock we're using? i like that!

 

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Now, pretty much all Autobots are used to war.

They started out as peace loving, but there are those who have been at war for more than a millennia. Grimlock is one of those. And after surviving battle after battle, not only does it start to seem like not as much of a big deal to weather firepower all day long... it becomes addictive. The lust for battle becomes a kind of Tamagochi egg that needs constant feeding, or one becomes overwhelmed with a feeling that your skills are becoming rusty... and that's when fear sets in.

To him, the sudden appearance of this distraction from his true target is certainly a surprise, but only for a moment does it startle him. Then , he is overjoyed. The rest of the Autobots? Most of them, not so much.

Except Bumblebee. Grimlock is suddenly surprised again to see him actually leap from the ceiling gantry and almost knock over one of the Decepticons. Far from being impressed, Grimlock sees this as a huge tactical mistake... If you don't have the strength to back up your courage, you're a liability, he reasons... and sure enough, the Decepticon known as Skywarp grabs him off of his back and uses him as a shield.

Against Grimlock, however, this too is a tactical mistake. Grimlock is a warrior first and an Autobot second. Without hesitation, he aims his armour piercing rocket launcher and fires, penetrating Bumblebee and Skywarp alike.

That's when he sees him... Megatron. And that's when he realizes that this little incursion could be a little more than just a distraction.

As for the Decepticons... They are not like the Autobots at all, when in comes to war, or in any other way. Whether or not they have free will is up for debate. They are designed, built, programmed for war. They live and breathe war. If they have any other pursuits, they feed only the war machine. They feel no fear, no empathy, no desire for a greater purpose.

Here on this bridge, they are in their element. Even though the Autobots outnumber them almost two to one, there is no contest. The Autobots fall as though they are unarmed, which many of them are.

Then, suddenly, he appears from behind a corner, and starts blasting. One by one, the Decepticons are blown to pieces. Megatron turns, and sees that he, and his troops, are flanked.

Grimlock grins. "It's about time you got here, Sentinel Prime!"

 

...Grimlock...Why you gotta be so heartless?

Bring the next chapter, please!

 

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Slowly, Grimlock walks up to Megatron. "Can I have the honours," Grimlock said.

Sentinel Prime, ever the gentleman, preferred not to get slag or mech fluid all over his armor, and had no sword for close range combat. "By all means, Grimlock," he said. He lowered his weapon.

Megatron saw his opportunity. Grabbing Grimlock by the throat, he turned him around and held him in a half nelson between himself and Sentinel Prime, who raised his weapon again, too late. "Grimlock here may have been willing to fire through the little one, but I don't believe you'll do the same," he said, grunting with the strain. "This one is too useful!"

Grimlock smiled. "Not necessary, Megatron!" He grunted. "I take as good as I dish out by the way, and it wouldn't bother me one bit!" Reaching over his shoulders, Grimlock grabbed Megatron's head, and bent over, throwing Megatron flat on his back... then, with one huge motion, impaled him through his chest with the tip of his charged scepter. Megatron went into convulsions, and mech fluid started gushing out of his mouth... then he went limp.

Sentinel Prime grimaced. "Wheeljack? Ratchet? Are you still around?" he said.

Ratchet stood up from behind a computer console. "I'm here, but I'm not in the mood to start all these repairs."

"I'll tell you what will get you in the mood, Ratchet," Sentinel Prime said. "Ramp up power to long range sensors for a moment. If the Decepticons had the time to put Megatron himself in this raiding party, then the Hive One couldn't be far away."

Ratchet gasped. Tapping on the console in front of him, his worst fears were confirmed. "Great Primus, Sentinel. They're orbiting Cybertron."

"So that's what The Fallen is doing here," Grimlock said. "No doubt, he was just biding his time, waiting for the opportunity to take back his throne from Megatron. Looks like he just got his chance."

"The Fallen was rejected as leader by his own troops," Ratchet said.

"That could just be Megatron's propaganda, Ratchet," Sentinel Prime reminded him. "Regardless, he's even more of a threat than Megatron was, and if he had the entire Decepticon fleet to back him up, we'd never get him. And lets not forget, the Hive One is in Alpha Centauri, and Primus knows what they are doing to Cybertron."

"I'll do my best to get this ship's high powered systems back online, Sentinel," Ratchet stammered. "Are you sure you can take The Fallen yourself?"

Sentinel Prime sighed. "No, but only a Prime like myself would have sufficient power to take on another Prime."

"True, but The Fallen is more than just a Prime. He was the size of Grimlock here even before he got himself a Leadership Matrix."

That's when it happened. It happened without warning, but it was inevitable all the same... A meteor the size of a skyscraper slammed into The Ark's hull, tearing a hole in the bow of the ship.

 

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At this point, all shouting aboard the Ark stopped... it's hard to give orders when all the air has been blown out of the ship. Artificial gravity, guidance, and ship helm stopped functioning. Some of the main thrusters turned on, while others became unresponsive, and suddenly The Ark was spinning around in a high speed spiral.

Desperate to save the ship and it's crew, Ratchet clamped himself to some pipes, opened up the cover on the vessel's central control computer in front of him with his axe, and started hot wiring everything so he could route controls to there.

His top concern was getting the shields online again. One more blow like that from some planetoid, and The Ark could be torn in half like an energon jetcan. It took an agonizing 17 clicks, but he did it.

Ratchet's electro-pulse was starting to race. Without ventilation, Ratchet's fan couldn't pump away heat. it was only a matter of time before his circuits started to buckle and melt. To save himself and his crew, he dialed down the radiators a bit on the ship and counted on the cold of the interplanetary void to cool him down. Then he got to work on restoring ship controls... a process that was expected to take days.

Hours later, Ratchet looked out of the hole in the side of the ship. The asteroids were gone... he knew what that meant. Dread started to flood his spark. He stopped what he was doing, and watched the stars.

After a few seconds, the distant, solitary sun of the Sol System peeked into view... but the path that it took across the hole was different than before, and faster. Rathet did some basic math, which appeared to verify his worst fears, but in his dread he refused to believe it. Then he saw something suddenly appear which caused him to involuntarily scream almost audibly... a huge, blue crescent. The Ark had, somehow, inadvertently arrived at it's destination.

A large orange plume started to form outside the ship. Ratchet returned to his work, hoping to get his work done within just the next few seconds - an improbable feat indeed - but instead of soldering he only started smashing the console with his massive fists.

The impact covered the planet with ash, wiped out 80 percent of the planet's biomass, altered the climate of the entire world, and ended Ratchet's work.

 

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Chapter 2

"That's it," the darkened figure spoke in hushed tones... hushed tones that were heard for miles, in spite of the approaching shockwave of sound and energy and ashes. "Come to me."

And the Ark had done just that, as well as the fellow Prime that he had detected on board.

It concerned The Fallen not that he had been himself detected by the kinship his Matrix of Leadership shared with Sentinel Prime's. What was more concerning was that he had been followed here... to a strategic planet in a strategic system that threatened the future of his children should it be used as a staging point for an invasion.

Well, he reasoned, the planet wasn't very strategic any more. Most of this life covered world's potential energy was being used up around him in one violent flash. But regardless... This threat to the Decepticons' security had to be dealt with. They didn't believe him, but The Fallen felt a kinship with his children. They didn't believe him, because they all required energon to function, and he did not, having a series of built-in retractible high-energy gas absorbtion panels and micro energon manufacturing plants in his body... so he technically had nothing invested in the Decepticon cause. That was true. But The Fallen had a cause of his own, which the Decepticons were created to fulfill... The Fallen had been around so long now, that he had come to the conclusion that anyone who was not suicidal was too delusional to be allowed to exist. So he planned his own death, but not before watching the universe burn.

Bit by bit, The Fallen waited for the clouds to clear... then he transformed into his intergalactic jet mode, and started off in the direction of the explosion.