Episode 1: Roll Out! Part 1
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Cybertron.

A gleaming jewel among the vastness of the cosmos, inhabited by incredible living machines known as Transformers. But alas, unrest soon gripped Cybertron and its people, unrest which threatened their very existence until one bot came along to restore peace and order to Cybertron.

Megatron!

Yes, your dear leader Megatron and his Decepticons united Cybertron under their banner, blessing us with a new world order each and every bot can thrive within!

So give it up for Megatron! Cybertron’s glorious Liege Maxi-!


The propaganda being broadcast to the masses was suddenly brought to a crashing halt by an Energon cube being thrown at it. The thrower, a blue and red robot with a silver faceplate obscuring his mouth, made use of the distraction it gave the authorities to spray paint the symbol of his resistance movement, the Autobots, on a nearby wall. With that done, he made use of the ability that gave the Transformers race its name to make a speedy getaway, transforming into an alien looking truck before subsequently driving off into the distance. But while this action did throw the Decepticons off of his trail, it inadvertently caught the attention of someone else in the area; a small yellow vagrant who was left awestruck at the sight of the insignia. He knew it as the one worn by those who’d give him Energon free of charge, much unlike the one worn by the Decepticons, which meant that he was likely to get a beating soon. Needless to say, the small robot was quite motivated to follow the larger one in vehicle mode, tailing the Autobot up until a Seeker descended upon him!


The Seeker was circling above like some vast, predatory bird before eventually transforming to go in for the kill; causing the smaller robot to instinctively scurry out of sight.
“Optimus Prime…..” the Seeker said ominously as his target transformed back into robot mode and subsequently pulled out an Energon Axe, “you’ve kicked quite the Insecticon nest haven’t you, o mighty Thirteenth Prime.”
The Decepticon bowed mockingly as his Autobot companion simply sighed in response, “oh, don’t go toying with me now, Starscream; we both know I’m not Megatron’s only critic here.”
Starscream shrugged coyly in reply, “that may very well be true,” he admitted, “but we’re also keenly aware of how merciless the Liege Maximo can be regarding those who abandon his perfect system…….”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way,” Optimus declared as he approached the Seeker, “it is possible to live a life free of Megatron’s control, all you need to do is make a stand.” As the Autobot finished his speech, he extended a hand for Starscream to take right before giving the Decepticon one last assurance “so please, give it a chance.”


Although it appeared to Optimus that Starscream was just about to take him up on his offer, a certain yellow observer noticed something the Prime didn’t: a dagger hidden right behind the Seeker’s back! He acted fast to save the Autobot, transforming back into robot mode and subsequently lunging at the Decepticon. Unfortunately, he wasn’t large nor heavy enough to actually tackle Starscream to the ground, only managing to make him stumble. After bucking the smaller Transformer off, the now aggravated Seeker bared the before mentioned dagger for all to see, clearly not caring about being sly anymore. Starscream then transformed the dagger into a Null Ray that he subsequently aimed at the vagrant while growling “little brat!” But before the Seeker could actually open fire, his Null Ray was cleaved by Optimus’s axe, the Prime then proceeding to deck him in the face. Starscream pulled out another dagger soon afterwards, going in for a second attempt to stab Optimus Prime before the tramp foiled him yet again. The vagrant drove through Starscream’s legs, causing the Seeker to come crashing to the ground. This left him with no way to fight back save for briefly grabbing the speeding bot before getting kicked away by Optimus.


As Optimus Prime glowered down at him, Starscream decided to cut his losses in this clearly hopeless predicament, opening fire on the Autobot as he made his escape. Optimus soon transformed his axe into a blaster so he could return fire in kind, keeping the Seeker at a distance as he transformed and flew off.
“Good work back there,” the Prime congratulated his unexpected ally, his faceplate retracted to showcase the warm and proud smile plastered on his features. In response, the tramp’s optics widened in pure excitement as he ran over to hug Optimus’s leg with an eagerness the Autobot couldn’t help but chuckle at; “woah, settle down, little buddy.” At Optimus’s prompting, the yellow bot quickly backed off, an enthusiastic grin still wide on his face even as he apologized for the apparent earlier transgression.
“Sorry, sir! This has all just been so insane but also amazing and-“ the Prime chuckled once again to prevent his excitable compatriot from rambling further.
“Well, I certainly can’t thank you enough, but you should really head back to your Mentor now, little fella; a Sparkling like you really shouldn’t be in combat like this.” The Autobot’s reasoning only served to put a damper on the tramp’s mood as he soon explained his own situation.


“I, uh, don’t really have a Mentor…..” the young Transformer awkwardly rubbed the back of his helmet soon after sharing this information; “I was actually kind of hoping you could take me in.”
Optimus thought long and hard about what he just heard, ultimately deciding to take the Sparkling up on his offer with a simple “sure.” With that, the now former vagrant went to hug Optimus Prime once again, a hug the Autobot proudly accepted. Soon afterwards, the Prime transformed into vehicle mode with his new traveling companion following suit, the pair then heading out to a secret Autobot base.
Meanwhile, as a certain Seeker flew off to lick his wounds, he decided to open communications and subsequently pass the buck onto none other than Megatron’s Liege Centuro. “Dynobot, I would like to share a lead I have acquired regarding the location of the Autobots…….” If he were in robot mode, you could see Starscream’s sinister grin for a mile as he beheld the signal originating from a tracking device he put on that little nuisance during their battle.
“Excellent work, Seeker,” the Liege Centuro growled over the comm link in response, “but I advise that you leave the Autobots to me, this is a job that requires discipline, not blind ambition.” Starscream frowned at that as Dynobot closed communications, now becoming determined to prove just how ambitious he could be……


It was a mostly uneventful drive for the two Autobots as they made their way to the secret base barring one development, “Bumblebee? Where’d you get a name like that?” Optimus inquired, clearly wondering how a Mentorless Sparkling received a name in the first place.
The smaller Transformer chuckled lightly as he responded “well, people have always called me a bumbler so I thought why not take the name for mysel-!” Bumblebee’s explanation was interrupted by a live demonstration of his eponymous trait, accidentally slipping and careening into a steep ditch. The Sparkling soon transformed back into robot mode just to show a bashful expression that just screamed ‘see what I mean?’
Optimus took this whole happening in good humor as he transformed back into robot mode himself, “well, I’ve never been one to pigeonoid-hole myself but you do you I guess.” The Prime then used the handle of his Energon Axe to pull Bumblebee out of the hole he fell in shortly before adding “pun definitely intended.”


They reached the inconspicuous base shortly afterwards with Optimus soon gaining entrance after having his Autobot symbol scanned by a hidden device connected to the door.
“Mech, it’s awfully quiet in here…..” Bumblebee pondered aloud regarding the surprisingly barren environment they found themselves in, “shouldn’t there be more Autobots around?”
The smaller robot’s question caused a somber look to spread across the features of his larger companion, “let’s just say…… we haven’t been having the best luck lately.” The bottom suddenly dropped out from under Bumblebee upon hearing that, his enthusiasm soon being replaced by absolute dread. “But not all is lost,” the Prime reassured, “yes, there aren’t many Autobots anymore but the ones we still have are some of the most courageous bots I’ve ever met.” The sheer conviction in Optimus’s voice raised Bumblebee’s spirits just as another one of the few remaining Autobots rounded a corner to seemingly confirm what he said.


She was clearly some kind of medic judging by her predominantly red and white color scheme along with a pair of plates attached to her sides that’d remind one of a lab coat. The medic wore a sullen facial expression as she stared at a data pad in her hands but Bumblebee was sure she’d cheer up upon seeing them…… before she actually looked up and let out a shrill scream instead. As the lights atop her helmet flashed, the medic panickedly asked “Optimus, what in Primus’s name are you doing with some… stranger in our base?!?!”
“Relax, Red Alert,” the Prime soothed his compatriot, “this is just our new recruit: Bumblebee.”
Optimus’s explanation didn’t do much to relieve the medic’s consternation as she soon replied “B-But Optimus, th-this is only a Sparkling-“
“And he saved my skidplate just this cycle,” Optimus interrupted before his comrade could continue, “he may not look like it, but I firmly believe this Sparkling’s got the touch of a true Autobot inside him.”
That statement won both Bumblebee’s admiration and Red Alert’s acquiescence, the latter soon sighing “do you want me to give him the Autobrand?” Once Optimus responded with a nod, the medic let out another sigh as she conceded with a monotone “come along then, Sparkling; there’s no time to waste.”


Optimus smiled warmly as he watched the two Autobots leave for the medical bay in vehicle mode, momentarily unaware of the presence of another Autobot before she decided to make herself known to him.
“Y’know Optimus, I’m well aware that you can make anything sound good but it’s still just plain bizarre to hear a Prime actually say something like skidplate.”
“Good to see you too, Elita-1” the Prime chuckled as he replied to that bit of teasing coming from a femme he was very closely familiar with. She was a mostly pink Autobot who was evidently a flier thanks to the wings on her back; probably the only trait she shared with the Seeker from earlier. “So, how’d your raid on that Seeker hangar go?” Although meant to be an idle question, that inquiry from Optimus Prime got a surprisingly bashful reaction out of his usually assertive comrade; spurring a fair bit of concern from her leader as a result.
“……. Sadly not very well, sir,” Elita-1 sighed for a moment before she finished her reply, “looks like your distraction was all for naught and I sincerely apologize for putting you in such unnecessary danger, Prime.”
Optimus then attempted to reassure his friend, saying “no worries, I’m always willing to take a blaster shot for one of my Autobots”, shortly before being met with an unexpected reaction from the Autobot he was referring to.

SLAP!

Optimus Prime soon brought a hand to his still stinging cheek as he was left utterly flabbergasted by this turn of events, “what was that for?!”
That got a chastising rant out of Elita-1, “Optimus, let’s not forget that you are a PRIME, you are a living symbol of rebellion against the Decepticons, one that the Autobots can’t afford to lose.”
Said Prime didn’t exactly understand her issue however, “but couldn’t you just hand the Matrix of Leadership over to some other bot if I ever went offline?”
Elita could only sigh as she crossed her arms in response to that question, “bots like you are hard to come by, Optimus; I know that very well…….”
Optimus Prime honestly didn’t know how to respond to Elita-1’s statement though he fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) never had to as a result of the two Autobots being distracted by a peculiar descending noise they could hear coming from outside.
It was then that Red Alert rushed in, holding what appeared to be a tracking device in one hand while dragging Bumblebee along in the other as she shouted something which confirmed their worst fears: “OUR BASE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED!!!” But alas, the medic’s warning had come far too late to prevent their base being breached by one of the most fearsome Decepticons out there.

BOOM!

“Cowardly Autobot scum…” Dynobot growled venomously soon after descending through the now burst open ceiling, “you deign to think yourselves mightier than us Decepticons and yet you refuse to fight us openly and outright.” The Liege Centuro then started to drag his sword along the ground as he approached his newfound opponents, “allow me to educate you on the true way of combat!”
And with sword raised high, Dynobot leapt at the Autobots, his attack soon getting deflected by Elita-1’s spear, “you need to get out of here, Prime.” She clearly had little patience for any objections to that statement, made evident via Optimus’s questioning of her own safety only making Elita shout “don’t worry about me, worry about the others!” This soon brought the Prime’s attention towards Red Alert and Bumblebee, the two Autobots currently huddling together out of fear. Optimus Prime would then give an affirmative nod towards Elita-1 shortly before running off, motioning for the other two to follow him as he transformed into vehicle mode. Elita smiled hopefully as she watched the three drive off though her opponent was obviously less than pleased with this development. Dynobot went to chase after them only to be stopped yet again by Elita-1 who transformed into her own vehicle mode shortly before dragging him kicking and screaming back into the open sky.


“S-so what do we do now, Bossbot?” Bumblebee asked anxiously as he and the other two Autobots fled their now far from secret base in vehicle mode. His new leader could only sigh frustratedly in response as he struggled to figure a way out of this situation.
Ultimately, it was Red Alert who gave them a new course of action, “I-I think I might know a mech who could shelter us for the time being.”
Optimus Prime wasn’t gonna argue with that as he soon yielded to the medic, “then lead the way, Red Alert.” That was her cue to move to the front of the line so she could escort her fellow Autobots through a series of alleys and side streets to try and throw any theoretical pursuers off their trail before the three arrived at their destination. It was a decrepit yet clearly spacious military garage located on a barely used backroad, a drab and unassuming place that should make it easy for them to lie low.
The Prime approached and subsequently knocked on the door, only for a voice on the other side to grouse “whadda ya want?”
Optimus prepared to answer them before Red Alert put a hand on his shoulder, implicitly asking that she do so instead; “Till All Are One.”


Once the medic uttered that phrase, the door opened to reveal a bulky red bot with a fine dusting of metal filings coating the lower half of his face standing on the other side. “Come on in……” he sighed while simultaneously giving a hand motion that conveyed the same message. The Autobots promptly followed him inside, entering a humble abode which only had old military memorabilia to decorate it, memorabilia which clearly predated the Decepticons reign judging by their design. This apparent veteran then proceeded to ask “so what brings y’all around to ol’ Ironhide’s place?”
“W-well,” Red Alert responded with a clear nervousness about what she was gonna say next, “I was, uh, kind of hoping you’d let us hide out here until the heat dies down?”
The reason for her nervousness soon became apparent as Ironhide rubbed his face while giving an incredulous response, “Red, I’m not getting involved in your little rebellion any more than I need to.”
The medic then tried to remind Ironhide of a past vow he made in an attempt to force his hand here, “but didn’t you promise to lend me aid whenever you could?”
“No,” the veteran replied bluntly shortly before clarifying his past statement, “I promised my brother I’d keep an eye on his protege but he ain’t here now, is he?”


Red Alert couldn’t respond to that, merely shrinking back out of clear guilt while Optimus spoke up, “look Ironhide, I understand how you feel, we all miss Ratchet dearly, but do you really think he’d want us quarreling like this?” The veteran simply turned away after hearing that, mainly to hide the somber look now crossing his features, causing the Prime to sigh “alright, we’ll get going then.”
“Wait,” Ironhide stopped the other Transformers before they could leave, “I think I could….. offer you something else as consolation.” The veteran informed while rubbing the back of his neck, “there’s this old ship from the Great War I still have the access codes for; you could always….. take that out of here.”
As the Autobots contemplated Ironhide’s offer, Optimus couldn’t help but frown at it, “are we really going to abandon Cybertron?”
Red Alert merely shrugged dejectedly as she asked “what else can we do at this point?”


As much as the Prime wanted to argue that they should keep up their fight against the Decepticons, a simple glance at the Autobots new recruit made him reconsider. Bumblebee had been preoccupied this whole time by an excited perusal of Ironhide’s old Great War memorabilia, an innocuous action that nonetheless made his leader question whether he should bring a Sparkling into this conflict. Ultimately, Optimus relented and asked Ironhide for those before mentioned codes which the veteran gladly gave in response.
“Alright Bumblebee, it’s about time for us to-“ Red Alert started stating as Optimus and Ironhide did the data transfer, only to realize that the Sparkling had somehow gotten ahold of a truly ginormous cannon out of the veteran’s things, “BUMBLEBEE!!!”
The medic rushed over to snatch out of his hands, much to the dismay of Bumblebee himself, “aww, how am I gonna defend myself now, Red?”


Red Alert then quickly interfaced an old pair of modified defibrillatory Stingers into the Sparkling’s arms, “there, now you have a weapon.”
Bumblebee experimentally activated his newfound weapons only to be swiftly disappointed by the mere sparks it produced, “uhhhhh, you got anything else I could use?”
The Sparkling’s sheepish smile was only met with a stern look from the medic, “I can give it some more modifications later, now we need to get a move on.”
“Fine…..” Bumblebee conceded as he went to follow his fellow Autobots out the door, briefly turning back to tell a certain veteran “thanks for helping us, Ironhide; it’s been really nice meeting you.”
“Anytime, Sparkling,” the aforementioned veteran sighed warmly in response, not bothering to keep the somber smile from his face all the while. Ironhide soon went to watch the Autobots drive away in vehicle mode from a window, his features tinged with regret over how the most drastic option he had at his disposal was the only one he could provide for them.


Said drive would come to a literal crashing halt once something very familiar was dropped right in front of the Autobots, “Elita-1!” Optimus Prime shouted as he hurriedly transformed back into robot mode and subsequently scooped his limp companion up into his arms. Red Alert quickly followed suit, transforming back into robot mode so she could start providing treatment to Elita-1 as fast as possible; the medic soon discovered that she was only holding on by a thread. This all happened so fast that none of the Autobots stopped to consider the likely presence of the Decepticon who left Elita in such a state to begin with.
“Let it be known that your comrade fought valiantly to the end but alas, she was still no match for the might of a Decepticon,” Dynobot spoke as he placed the barrel of his rifle at the back of Optimus’s helmet, “I advise that you learn from her mistake….” The Autobots leader froze in place as he honestly didn’t know what else to do here while their medic tried to continue working on Elita-1 before Dynobot took notice of it; “oh, what are you doing?” The Liege Centuro questioned annoyedly as he transformed his rifle into a sword to point at Red Alert, being sure to also take Optimus Prime into a headlock at the same time; “let her die a warrior’s death.”


Though extremely reluctant, the fearful medic ultimately decided to back away from Elita, causing a look of despair to cross her leader’s face before he vainly tried to struggle against his captor out of sheer outrage at this. Bumblebee knew he was the only one who could fight back now and acted accordingly, leaping onto Dynobot before subsequently using those Stingers Red Alert gave him to great effect. The Liege Centuro swiftly began howling in pain, the attack stunning him enough for Optimus Prime to escape his grasp. Unfortunately, Dynobot soon recovered via grabbing hold of the Sparkling and dragging him an arms length away. This meant that Optimus couldn’t properly retaliate for fear of Bumblebee getting hurt in the process, something the Liege Centuro quickly noticed and strangely took umbrage with.
“Oh don’t act so high and mighty now,” Dynobot growled at the Prime, “if you truly cared about this Sparkling’s safety, he wouldn’t be here right now.”
Said Sparkling then tried to rebut him as he simultaneously vainly swung at the Liege Centuro, “hey watch what you say, pal; I’m a real deal Autobot!”
“No you’re not,” the unamused Decepticon replied bluntly, “you are too young and untrained for the righteous way of combat.”

“Well what about that bot then?”

Dynobot could only tilt his head at that response, failing to notice a certain veteran speeding towards him in vehicle mode until it was too late. Bumblebee was immediately dropped as the two collided, the Decepticon holding him getting sent flying from the force of Ironhide’s impact. The Sparkling was then swiftly caught by his savior as he quickly transformed back into robot mode before subsequently being handed over to his fellow Autobots. Ironhide then started firing blasts from his arm cannons to keep Dynobot away from said Autobots who he demanded “get the Pit out of here; I’ll keep this fragger busy for you!”
But a certain Prime decided that he wasn’t gonna allow that, “no, I’m tired of leaving Autobots behind; you’re coming with us.” The veteran was initially appalled by that idea but nonetheless heeded the orders of his apparent new commander, falling back to focus his shots on simply kicking up dust and debris around the flailing Liege Centuro. This gave the Autobots more time to transform and make a getaway although some of that time was eaten up by Red Alert attaching Elita-1’s body to the back of Ironhide’s vehicle mode.
Thankfully, they were still able to flee the scene in spite of that delay, leaving Dynobot behind to merely growl indignantly before ultimately letting out a sigh of defeat upon realizing he can’t continue his pursuit in this state; “well played, Autobots, well played….”


The Autobots swiftly made a beeline for the Iacon spaceport, transforming back from vehicle mode soon after entering so they could more easily sneak around in search of a particular ship that was sure to be their salvation. It was the Ark, a craft whose utilitarian but simultaneously majestic appearance immediately showed the Autobots that its name was quite fitting. And though Ironhide had some questions about how or why it was kept in such good condition after all this time, he nonetheless led his newfound comrades aboard the Ark.
Unfortunately, his suspicions would soon be proven correct as someone else on the ship readily made themselves known in response to this intrusion; “hey, what are you bots doing here!” That exclamation came from a stout teal Transformer with wide optics quickly stomping towards the Autobots while simultaneously pointing an accusatory finger at them. “Do you even realize that you’re currently interrupting the last few preparations for an expedition that’s been in the works for KILOCYCLES?!?!” Placing her hands on her hips, the stern-faced Transformer then gave the Autobots an ultimatum: “you’d better have a good reason to be here or I’m reporting you to the authorities pronto.”


Since they were caught so red handedly, Red Alert started panickedly asking Optimus what their next move should be while Bumblebee instead decided to make some kind of stand; “oh yeah?” The smallest Autobot said defiantly as he stepped forward, “well jokes on you cuz we Autobots got numbers on our side!”
As the small Autobot made a big show of presenting his compatriots, his current audience couldn’t help but roll her optics at that, “oh please, the fact I came out here alone has no bearing on your odds of-!” The teal bot swiftly cut herself off via clasping a hand over the big mouth she should’ve kept shut, an action that unfortunately came far too late to prevent a certain veteran from taking notice of this vulnerability.
Upon attempting to make a run for it, she was quickly tackled by Ironhide who then triumphantly held her up for his fellow Autobots to see; “now what was that you were saying about numbers?”
That taunt was quickly followed by the veteran’s captive smugly retorting “utterly irrelevant” as she started turning a knob on the side of her helmet in order to tune herself into a communication frequency of her choosing.

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!”

That sputtering came from Optimus Prime as he rushed over to take the teal bot out of Ironhide’s hold, soon requesting “uh, can I get a nanoklik alone with her for a moment?” The Prime then swiftly pushed said bot into another room, leaving his comrades in an awkward silence as he himself let out a sigh once on the other side of the door; “look, you’re……. Glyph, right?” Upon his now named associate cautiously affirming that fact, Optimus proceeded to explain “l-look, I’m actually quite familiar with your work studying alien cultures.” He then added “I-I actually used to be an archivist before…… y’know,” the Prime paused to draw attention to his Autobrand, “this whole gig.”
Optimus Prime quickly got a response from Glyph in the form of a simple sigh, “what point are you trying to make here?”
“It’s just that, considering how I’ve seen your work be received by the Decepticons in the past, I’m wondering if we could….. strike some kind of deal here?”
The Prime’s companion looked absolutely galled by that offer of his, incredulously asking “are you seriously suggesting I turn traitor???” She then added “a-after everything I’ve done to prove the merit of my research into the cultures of organics, you expect me to just throw it all away?!”


“Well…..” the Prime said awkwardly as he attempted to find a justification for this idea, “are you really sure the Decepticons have an actual interest in said research?” Opitimus then elaborated “I mean, they didn’t exactly give you a proper exploration vessel after all; we came here thinking it was still a decommissioned warship for Primus’s sake.”
“Nonsense, this place isn’t that rundown” Glyph scoffed in response, only to be refuted by a lighting fixture swiftly coming crashing down beside her. She subsequently sighed in defeat, “look, even if I wanted to pay the Decepticons back for their past dismissal of my work, I can’t just throw my career away.”
Optimus Prime then thoughtfully rubbed his chin before another idea came to him, simply stating “maybe you don’t have to.” The Prime soon followed that up with another elaboration, “I mean we are enemies of the state after all, you could just say we kidnapped you after we drop you off at wherever you need to go on our way out of Decepticon controlled space.”
Glyph then raised a finger as she prepared to rebut him, only to bring it back to her chin upon further contemplation; “…….. deal.” And with a handshake between the two affirming said deal, the Autobot leader quickly informed his subordinates that they could now go ahead with their escape plan.


Tasks were then divided amongst the Autobots under Optimus Prime’s orders: Ironhide would take control of the bridge, Glyph would jam comms, Red Alert would put Elita-1 into a stasis pod, and Bumblebee would keep a lookout for any cons. They all worked like a well oiled machine, each Autobot succeeding in their assigned task……….. save for one as Bumblebee failed to notice a certain Seeker spying on them from a distance. Starscream smiled devilishly to himself as he merely watched the Autobots go about their work, the Seeker having long since decided to put off informing Dynobot about their current status for his own purposes. Only when he noticed the Ark was preparing to take off did Starscream finally call his superior, “it would appear the Autobots are fleeing Cybertron, sir; real shame we couldn’t stop them.” The Liege Centuro immediately growled in response to that statement, letting a devious looking Starscream know it was time to move onto the next step of his plan. “But not to worry, Dynobot,” the Seeker soothed his superior, “they won’t be escaping us that easily; I’ll make sure of it…….”


Once the last few preparations were made and Optimus Prime subsequently congratulated them all for their endeavors, the Autobots gathered on the bridge of the Ark to ready for launch. Surprisingly, it was the one among them who didn’t call herself an Autobot that showed the most excitement here as Glyph swiftly exclaimed “eeeeee, I can’t believe this is actually happening!!!”
A much less enthusiastic Optimus only responded to that with a quiet muttering of “you can say that again…….” But in spite of his obvious doubts, Optimus Prime nonetheless confidently captained the ship taking his Autobots out into orbit.
Speaking of which, a certain one of them was positively awed at seeing Cybertron from space for the first time, all Bumblebee could do was utter a simple “wow……….” The Prime couldn’t help but agree with that sentiment even though his own admiration of the planet was made much more bittersweet by the knowledge that this could very well be the last time they ever see it.
“Eh,” Ironhide said so dismissively it almost immediately undercut the awe his fellows were currently feeling, “that view just ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”


Optimus was then drawn away from this spectacle by Red Alert nervously tapping him on the shoulder, subsequently directing his attention towards a Decepticon ship that was coming right for them! The Prime was paralyzed by the sight, his fellow Autobots soon following suit once it came to their attention as well. Said ship soon started hailing theirs and Glyph reluctantly broadcasted it on the Ark’s screen, revealing to the Autobots that it was coming from someone they hoped not to see again.
“Autobots,” Dynobot growled, “your resilience has certainly impressed me but this is the end of the line!” The Liege Centuro then issued an ultimatum: “return to Cybertron this instant so you may be judged accordingly.” As he ended communications and consequently left said Autobots to consider his offer, Dynobot then muttered to himself “honestly the notion of warriors such as these scurrying away like retrorats sounds patently ab-!” Before his current pilot took an initiative that truly shocked the Liege Centuro, “STARSCREAM, WHY IN PRIMUS’S NAME HAVE YOU FIRED AT THEIR SHIP?!?!”
“Terribly sorry, my Liege,” the Seeker lied before subsequently feigning innocence, “that must’ve been a misfire………….”


And as the Ark turned to fly out of there, Dynobot brought a hand to his face with a groan at how they’d lost their chance to reason with the Autobots. The Liege Centuro then brought his fist down as he gave Starscream his next command: “pursue them!” The Seeker would follow said command with pleasure, smugly secure in the knowledge that everything was falling right into place for him.
As for the Autobots, they obviously started panicking but were kept from falling into complete disarray thanks to the efforts of Optimus Prime. At his direction, the Ark deftly flew towards the nearest Space Bridge, maneuvering around its pursuer’s now continuous barrages all the while. Glyph hurriedly attempted to feed said Space Bridge the coordinates for her original expedition’s destination, completely missing how an entirely different set ultimately went through in her haste. That came courtesy of Starscream who not only hacked those coordinates into the Space Bridge but was also merely herding the Ark towards it as well, all for the sake of his machinations. There would be a slight hiccup however when a blast from the Decepticon ship accidentally struck the Space Bridge itself, creating a Transwarp that swiftly sucked in everything around it, including the Ark. Soon growing to envelop the Decepticon ship as well in spite of its attempts to get away before ultimately collapsing in on itself.


The Ark would then be ejected out into a solar system completely foreign to Cybertronians, sent hurtling towards a certain blue and green planet…….

 

Well this is certainly a way for me to come back here, hope everyone reading enjoys this first entry in a continuity I’ve had in the works for quite a while now