Chapter 1: Beast Wars Part 1
Chapter Text
The sun was just setting on the horizon. The night was around the corner as Cybertron’s surface became covered in darkness. The street lamps around Iacon had already turned on, lighting the way for its citizens back to their homes. It was the only time the planet ever felt empty nowadays.
However, that particular day, two vehicles were speeding through the empty roads of the city - a dark blue Earth-styled truck accompanied by a black and yellow sports car. They charged past the random onlookers who couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve gotten them in such a hurry.
After a few minutes of their quick and frankly tense ride, they arrived at a tall bulky building with medical initials on the front. Before they even stopped, someone came out of it to greet them.
“Bee! Magnus! So glad to see you guys!” Smokescreen greeted as the two began transforming.
“We came as soon as we could.” Bumblebee said, stepping towards him. “Is everything alright, Smokescreen?”
“It’s, uh…” The yellow Autobot noticed a sudden shift in his friend’s expression. The welcoming warmth became strained and he appeared to be troubled. After a second, he stepped back, inviting them inside. “It’s easier to show than explain.”
The Autobot visibly shrunk when he heard the bigger footsteps approaching.
“Lead the way, then.” Ultra Magnus commanded.
The three of them walked through the endless hallways of the facility. Ultra Magnus and Bee quickly noticed the unease in the air. The medics and their young proteges were murmuring among each other. Some of them spared them a glance, but then quickly looked away.
“Is something wrong with the Well?” The atmosphere around them was getting to the yellow Autobot, so he decided to strike up a conversation.
“It’s complicated…” Smokescreen began hesitantly. “Remember how a few weeks ago Ratchet was comparing the Allspark’s readings before and after the war?”
“He reported that its density has changed.” Ultra Magnus remembered.
“Yeah, that. We wrote it off as a side effect of being revived and all. Didn’t seem like a big deal at the time… Now?…” Before the Autobots could prod any further, they finally found themselves in front of the giant doors. Smokescreen held his breath before pressing his palm against its console. The doors automatically opened and they were let in.
They found themselves in a large medical office. Someone was already waiting for them inside. Arcee, Knock Out and Bulkhead were all present. Ratchet was standing by a medical berth where a young Cybertronian was sitting. As soon as the three entered, all eyes turned to them.
“Finally!” Bulkhead cheered, unfolding his arms from his chest. “I thought we were gonna stay the whole night here!”
“What is the situation?” Ultra Magnus got straight to the point.
“See for yourself.” Arcee said, gesturing at the youngling. Ultra Magnus glanced at her and she immediately tensed. For some reason, he couldn’t see any indications of her alt-mode. She had no wheels or wings or even vents that would give away what kind of form she was given by the Allspark. All he could see was gray paintjob and unrecognizable plating lines.
“Am I in trouble?” She asked meekly, gripping her knees.
“No, you’re not.” Ratchet assured and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We just want you to show our guests what you can do. You can go back to your friends afterwards.”
“Okay…” She ex vented. After a second, she hopped off the table and stood in front of the Autobots. She was taller than Arcee, but shorter than both Bumblebee and Smokescreen. The yellow Autobot and his leader waited patiently, still not understanding what this was about.
The youngling shook her hands nervously, then stepped back. Right on cue, she began transforming. It was a quick process, just like always. The mass and plates shifted as it created a new form. Everything was going swimmingly…
Then, Ultra Magnus saw eyes.
The changing finished and the two newcomers gasped at the sight before them.
The youngling didn’t transform into a car, or a jet, or any other vehicle. Instead, she transformed into a gray razor snake. To present herself to them, she rattled her spiky tail and let out one of the gentlest hisses.
“A Predacon?!” Ultra Magnus couldn’t believe his own words. The youngling decided to transform back. “How is this possible?”
“We don’t know. There were more like her in the newest batch.” Ratchet said, walking up to her. Seeing that the medic was close, she hid behind him.
“If she’s a Predacon…” Bumblebee tried to take a closer look at her. This time, Ratchet prevented him from doing so. “Why does she look so… small?”
“Thank you! I asked the same thing!” Knock Out finally joined the conversation, putting down a datapad. “None of them are even half the size of Shockwave’s Predacon clones! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, it just feels…” He circled his hands in the air while trying to find the right words. “Anticlimactic.”
“How many have found out about them?” Ultra Magnus asked.
“Well, there’s us… You…” Smokescreen counted. “The staff, the newest batch-!”
Without any warning, a commotion was heard from the outside. At first they thought it was thunder, but then something large hit the roof like a bomb. The ceiling shook for a second, and then, the whole room went silent.
“What was that?...” Bulkhead asked. Ultra Magnus scanned his surroundings. Everyone seemed just as confused and even scared of what was happening. Everyone, except Ratchet.
“What did you do?” The Autobot leader demanded. The chief medic frowned, but kept holding the spooked Predacon in his arms.
“I figured he should know, too.” He simply replied.
“You called him?!” Knock Out cried. “Are you nuts?! He’ll tear us apart!”
“I will not lie to his face about something like that!” Ratchet shouted back.
Suddenly, the room began shaking again. It was caused by something they all managed to recognize as a roar. Outside, they could hear the personnel starting to panic. Something had to be done fast.
“All of you, stay here!” Ultra Magnus commanded. “I will handle this.”
“I’ll help.” Bumblebee offered. “Trust me. You don’t want to talk to him on your own.”
There was a flicker of something in Magnus’ eyes for just a moment. Concern? Sadness? Regret? Nevertheless, it was gone as soon as it appeared and he was back on the task.
Soon, the two Autobots were taking the elevator to the roof. While they were inside of the small capsule, they began preparing their weapons. Bumblebee quickly checked if he had his stinger ready. Ultra Magnus held the Forge of Solus Prime in his hand and his claw. It was just a safety precaution, but they were ready for any eventuality.
Finally, the ping signaled that they reached their destination. The Autobots quickly pulled away their weapons as the doors began opening.
The first thing that greeted them was a huge bronze Predacon. When Predaking finally saw them, he gave them the most intense glare of their entire lives.
MANY YEARS LATER
Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap.
“Hm…” The guard tapped his fingers against his desk while reading a datapad. Judging by his armor, he was some kind of Cybertronian stallion. There was a green insignia on his chest that resembled a feline head.
“Your name is… Optimus Primal.” He began after a second, looking up. There was someone on the other side of the electric barrier separating them. The individual was dark grey with a similar insignia on the top of his spark chamber. He looked a bit nervous. “Like that Optimus?”
“Yes, like that Optimus.” The one named Optimus chuckled. “It’s actually a really funny story-”
“Great.” The guard cut him off and scrolled down. “Born 4506th cycle in Iacon. Maximal. Assigned captain of the Axalon’s space exploration.”
“Recently promoted.” Optimus grinned. The guard scanned the rest of the datapad for a few more minutes before finally sliding it on the counter back to its owner.
“Please step to the next station for a mandatory scan.” He requested.
“Of course!” Primal said, collecting his item and leaving.
As the Maximal walked to his destination, he couldn’t help but take one last look at the building he was in. The research facility he was so well-accustomed to, even grew to love, now he had to leave it for who knew how long. He made sure to burn the image into his memory - the tower-like structure with multiple levels, including the ones he used to work at. The Maximals, his old co-workers, flying or walking around doing their jobs like it was just another day. For them, it was.
Finally, Primal reached the scanning station. He entered a small podium and stood in a marked neon red circle. Seconds later, the floor opened and a drone flew out of it.
The robot got to work right away and released a green laser from its single optic sensor. It started with Primal’s eyes, then his whole face, followed by the rest of his body. He found it hard not to twitch by accident, he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible, but he used that opportunity to exercise his patience.
Finally, the drone flew right in front of him and stopped. He knew exactly what was coming. The Maximal suddenly gave the drone a big smile and a peace sign. He managed to do it before the flash came. The machine had snapped a picture of him.
The drone paused, processing the data it had taken. Finally, a red lamp on its head blinked.
“Welcome, captain!” The machine said. Its bottom suddenly opened and something fell out of it. Primal quickly caught it and then took a closer look. It was a holographic card of sorts with the picture it just took. He checked the information to confirm that everything was alright when he suddenly noticed the board he was supposed to report to.
“50th floor?!” He said in shock. Looking up, he saw just how far away his target was. Turning his head to the side, he searched for the elevator. It was too crowded for him to take at that moment. Then, he glanced at the stairs which were unsurprisingly empty.
“Well, that’s just Prime…” He mumbled and his face scrunched in distaste. He really didn’t want to take them. Thankfully, his woe didn’t last long because an idea came to his mind.
Two Maximal scientists on just a level higher were entering the room only meant for the staff. They were deep in conversation until they stopped under a wall with jetpack stations. After a second, one of them noticed that the last one was empty. He stepped towards it and then noticed a holographic note attached to it. It read ‘I.O.U.’ with a doodle of Optimus’ smiley robot head under it.
By that time, Primal was already on the move with the jetpack installed to his back. He flew up, passing one level after another. After the 11th floor, he began having trouble with keeping balance. He yelped as he unwillingly flew to the side all of a sudden. Another Maximal was just about to pass and they froze upon seeing him coming in fast. Optimus managed to dodge them just in time.
“Sorry!” He shouted on the passing. After the 30th floor, he seemed to get a hang of it. He began flying more confidently. He passed the 45th floor. 46th floor.
The jetpack began puffing after he passed the 47th floor.
“Ah…” He murmured.
He managed to pass the 49th floor and then the fire went out. Primal transformed and threw his whole body at the barriers of the 50th floor. His alt-mode was a ro-simian, which was very handy at the moment. The Maximal managed to grab onto the barrier with both arms, preventing him from falling all the way down. A huge sigh of relief escaped him.
After a second, Optimus swung back and forth, and then pulled himself up onto the 50th floor. He skillfully rolled on the steady ground and transformed back. He finished his little acrobatic show by landing on his knee with minimum wobble to his posture.
Primal quickly noticed while looking down that he was kneeling in front of a pair of massive gray boots. Despite himself, he glanced up. Almost instantly, he was met with a startled expression of the enormous Maximal before him. Judging by the head parts on his chest, he was most likely a nosoron.
“By Inferno!” He stumbled back on his feet, immediately making space between them. “I’m so sorry!”
“No harm was done.” The gray and green Maximal gave him a charitable smile. After a second, he looked over Primal’s shoulder and glanced at the barriers. “Did you climb all the way up here?”
“Oh no, I didn’t-! It was just this one!...” Optimus stuttered, gesturing wildly at the edge and at himself. To stop himself from doing it, he crossed his arms over his chest. When that didn’t work for him either, he cleared his throat. “Busy day we’re having, don’t we?”
“Quite.” The stranger spared him further embarrassment and let him change the topic. After a second, Primal saw him pulling out something from the bag on his stomach. It was a holographic card. “The Axalon ship, I presume?”
“That’s right!” Optimus said and patted his sides. He pulled out his own and gave it to the other. The green Maximal paused to read it.
“Ah, so you’re the captain.” He said, handing it back and offering him a hand. “It’s an honor. I’m Rhinox.”
“Optimus Primal.” Primal accepted it.
“First time as a captain?” Rhinox asked.
“Is that easy to tell?” Optimus sighed.
“A little.” He shrugged. “Most of my speculation comes from experience. I’ve been on many intergalactic voyages in my time.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll have to work hard to make a lasting impression.” Primal stated.
“Don’t sweat it. It’s hardly possible to impress me nowadays.” Rhinox claimed. The two of them began heading towards the assigned board. With the formalities out of the way, the bigger Maximal patted his captain on the shoulder.
“Nervous?” He asked.
“Maybe a bit.” Optimus nodded. “Running my own ship is a huge responsibility. Not sure if I’m prepared for it.”
“No captain ever seems to be.” Rhinox stated. “It’s alright. It’s an exploration, not a space crusade. Just keep it cool and make use of that radiant personality of yours. I’m sure the crew will be as charmed as I am.”
“I will try my best!” The new captain chuckled. “But… Maybe you should avoid telling them about our little introduction.”
“My lips are security locked with seven different codes.” The green Maximal said, making a sliding motion across his mouth. He then smiled and gave his captain a wink. Nobody could blame Optimus for returning the smile as they disappeared behind the corner.
The Maximal’s Science Ministry was usually a calm place. Today, it was under attack.
Inside of the facility, fire was being exchanged between the guards and unknown perpetrators. Despite the Maximals’ advantage in numbers, their blasters weren’t as powerful as the ones of their enemies.
“We’ve got wounded!” One of the guards shouted through a comm link. “We need backup! I repeat, we need backup!”
Simultaneously, the shipyard of Vos was overtaken by explosions. The personnel were running around in panic as armed intruders were wrecking the place. The giant spider drones were crawling around, shredding everything that came too close. They were accompanied by two Predacons who kept firing at the ships.
Some of the workers hid in the guarding booth. One of the spider drones noticed them running inside and began chasing after them. It began clawing at the window which cracked from its sharpened limbs and steel fangs. The group stepped back. They raised their weapons, but were too afraid to fire.
The spider was about to break the window when suddenly it was shot from the side. It was blown away by the destructive shock which completely deactivated it. The civilians relaxed, but then heard a roar of an engine.
Looking outside, they saw a white car driving into a few spiders and crushing them. It transformed into an enormous figure, an Autobot in a battle mask. Wheeljack wasted no time and began blasting the incoming spiders with his arm cannon.
Seconds later, his entrance was followed by multiple roars, shrieks and snarls. A group of Maximals charged in and began fighting off the intruders as well. Among them were other Autobots, one of them was Arcee. She covered them as they began their offensive.
“Nightglider! Take the civilians out of here! Hubcap, clear their path!” She shouted orders at her squad.
“Yes, commander!” Nightglider and Hubcap replied, the Maximal took to the sky while the Autobot rushed into action. Arcee avoided being shot with a green laser and hid behind one of the ships.
The Maximals and Autobots appeared to have dealt with most of the spider drones very quickly. They seemed to be getting the upper hand until they heard a terrifying roar.
The air around became unnervingly still as their enemies’ shots ceased. The smoke and the fire surrounded them. Suddenly, they saw a big shape piercing it and coming straight at them from the sky.
The soldiers scattered and avoided being hit with a laser breath of the flying enemy. It was the most traditional looking Predacon they had seen in their whole lives. It was smaller than its ancestors, but the brown and blue scales, the wings for its front claws and the wide maw with multiple sets of teeth really reminded them of such. His partner in crime was flying behind him, the green injector, threatening to impale them on his giant sting.
The two scattered and the flying Predacon returned to the ground. A Maximal pneuma-lion suddenly jumped at him with a battle cry. The Predacon took them down almost instantly. Another small Autobot tried to get him from the back. He transformed, caught them, and then slammed them against the ground.
The Predacon immediately pulled out two objects, one was a segmented sword and the other - a spinning shield. He raised the latter and it deflected the bullets that Arcee shot at him from her position. The Predacon’s optics suddenly turned green and she had to evacuate before his laser eyes destroyed her along with her now former hiding spot.
“Yo, Arcee!” As if this wasn’t enough, her comm link suddenly came to life. “You’re readin’ me, killer two-wheeler?”
“I’m here, Rattrap! Where are you?” She said while firing at the enemy.
“Just above the danger zone!”
Another ship momentarily blew up, causing a huge explosion in the area. It could be seen all the way from the roof of the facility where someone was standing. A small gray and brown Maximal was observing the situation through the field glasses.
“The Preds damaged five ships and it don't look like they’re gonna run out of their toys anytime soon!” Rattrap reported.
“Do you see what they’re after?” Arcee asked. He looked back through the field glasses.
Skimming closer, the Maximal took a better picture of the Predacons’ targets. He analyzed where they were firing and how intensely. For some strange reason, one of the ships was under the least fire. It was a warship with a Predacon insignia on its side. Rattrap lowered the glasses and tapped his left antenna.
“I need to take a closer look at that big warship! Keep their optics off me!” He finished and disconnected.
“Oh boy…” He murmured, looking at the battle under his feet. After a second, he took a few steps back and lowered his body. He began running towards the edge, and as he did, he transformed. His second form was a glitch-mouse.
Rattrap hopped off the roof and turned into a ball. He fell all the way down and bounced off the ground without taking damage. He uncurled himself and immediately began running.
Arcee transformed and left her hiding spot as a motorcycle. The drones immediately started chasing her and she led them away from the Maximal’s path.
Rattrap managed to slip past any physical confrontations. He slid there, avoided being stomped there, even jumped over a couple of obstacles. He charged straight for the warship, when without any warning, a spider drone jumped out of nowhere at him. It wasn’t a problem for long because it was blasted away by an unexpected shot.
The Maximal looked to the side and saw Wheeljack standing nearby with his blaster still smoking.
“Keep up, junior! I won’t be here to save your tail forever!” The Autobot opened a private comm link and told him. Rattrap grumbled under his breath and continued running, leaving Wheeljack to deal with the situation.
Finally, he arrived at his destination. Just as he deducted, there was way less chaos around it compared to the rest of the shipyard. He began searching the place, trying to figure out what was so special about it.
For the longest time, he found nothing. Then, he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. Something small and glowy.
Rattrap scurried to the furthest part of the ship and finally made a discovery, albeit one he couldn’t explain. There were some small light bulb drones on the scene. They were skittering in a perfect row up the warship’s construction. They were getting into its plating, disappearing inside.
“I’ve got somethin’!” He wasted no time and called Arcee. “I need to hop onto that ship!”
“Be very careful, Rattrap! Who knows what’s inside!” The Autobot replied.
“When aren’t I ever?” Rattrap asked. Quickly, he jumped and grabbed onto the ship’s lower deck. He started climbing along the tiny robots and following their lead.
Optimus and Rhinox finally found the right dock. The Axalon wasn’t the biggest, but it was a considerable size for a civilian vessel. Its gray walls and circular build made it stand out from any other ship from Cybertron, making its intended purpose very clear to other space travelers.
Stepping onboard, Primal saw that the rest of the crew was already present. There were about twelve people inside, all with Maximal insignias. Some were hanging out in the back while others were chatting among themselves. After a second, Rhinox walked down the stairs and blended into the crowd.
Optimus stayed on the upper level, staring down. Nobody but Rhinox even seemed aware of his presence. He felt awkward standing like this, almost like he was alone at the top. Finally, the Maximal cleared his throat with some volume to it.
“Attention crew! This is your captain speaking!” He shouted, finally gaining everyone’s attention. The captain was caught off guard by how fast they turned to face him, but he didn’t want to be intimidated by that.
“I would like to give you all a warm welcome!” He began more confidently. “Today marks the beginning of a very special chapter of our lives! Fellow researchers, engineers, xenobiologists… This is a great opportunity to make new discoveries and go down in history of Cybertron! It’s a lot of work, and frankly, not all appreciate what we’re doing, but as your captain, I’ll make sure your time onboard this ship is spent!”
He didn’t expect much enthusiasm from his crew, but none of them reacted in any meaningful way to his words. It seemed like they were expecting more. Optimus didn’t have anything else and all the attention made him more unsure with every second.
“Y-yes!...” He said after a second. “So my first order of business is, let’s get this ship started!”
And with that, the crew scattered across the bridge. Optimus finally walked down the stairs and was immediately greeted by Rhinox.
“How was that for a speech?” Primal couldn’t help but ask, hands on his hips with fake bravado.
“Eh… Not the worst one I’ve heard.” The Maximal said, giving him a ‘so-so’ gesture. “Could use some more work.”
“I practiced it for three days…” The captain said, a little hurt.
“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” He said, then added: “You’re far from the worst motivator thus far. I was on this one expedition where the crew left their captain strained on an asteroid after just a week.”
Primal laughed at that, but then noticed that the other wasn’t laughing with him.
“... Wait, really?” He asked, suddenly worried for his life.
The tiny light bulb drones got into the ship through the crates of the vents. One by one, they were popping inside and continuing their march.
The crate unexpectedly twitched. Without any warning, Rattrap pushed it out of its place with a grunt. He quietly placed it to the side and jumped into a narrow tunnel he recognized as a vent. After a second, he resumed following the light bulbs.
It took some time and many turns for them to get anywhere. Rattrap was beginning to get sick of the maze-like tunnels surrounding him from every direction. Finally, after a few minutes, his journey had come to an end.
The bots left the vents and the Maximal followed them out. He was immediately met with pitch black darkness. The glitch-mouse transformed back to his robot form and pulled out something from his hidden pocket. It was a blowtorch. Rattrap cautiously lit it around, detecting no Maximal or Predacon activity. With that, he began his investigation.
The chamber he’d found himself in was spacious. He had to make sure not to trip on anything by accident. The sounds of muffled fighting kept it from being completely silent. Eventually, he spotted something by the nearest wall. He tip-toed his way to it and raised his blowtorch up. The slick metal rifle was reflected in the light.
“Rattrap again.” Rattrap opened his comm link, but kept his voice hushed. He moved his arm and revealed similar equipment standing in a row. “I’ve found a very colorful collection of homemade weapons.”
“What kind?” Arcee asked.
“Photon cannons, snare guns, quasar rifles, some fancy lookin’ grenades… Hope you’re taking notes. I’m giving ya a lot of ideas what to get for my next birthday.” The Maximal grinned, despite the situation.
“You sure you don’t wanna sign for the Wreckers, RT?” Wheeljack chuckled as he joined the call. “Pinky promise your aunt won’t know about it.”
“Won’t know about what, Wheeljack?” Arcee teased, making the Wrecker shut up. Rattrap felt his grin turning into a genuine smile.
Without any warning, another flash appeared in the room. The Maximal mumbled a curse and quickly put out his blowtorch. He crouched next to a crate full of grenades and waited.
A turquoise blur of energy spawned some distance away. Seconds later, a shadowy silhouette emerged from it. They were holding a light of their own. Rattrap saw them reaching back into the whirl of energy and then let out a labored groan. It didn’t take long for them to pull out a big kart after which the portal disappeared.
The figure pushed the kart towards the wall across from the hiding Maximal. Unexpectedly, something began extending from the intruder’s back and arms. The eight nubs kept growing until the spider-like limbs completely unfolded themselves. Rattrap shivered at the sight.
The figure used all of their arms to unload the kart’s contents. Big build, rectangular shape. They were most likely some capsules. After the mysterious individual finished, they paused and faced one of the objects now neatly placed by the wall. They ran a claw down its surface, cooing almost affectionately.
It was hard for them to do so, but eventually, they peeled themselves off. They turned towards the object for the last time before heading to the other side of the room. Their causal pace was in complete contrast to the mayhem that was happening outside.
Finally, they reached the end of the room. A pair of automatic doors opened, letting some light from the outside through, before the silhouette passed and there was darkness once more.
Rattrap waited for a bit before turning his light back on. He left the safety of his hiding spot behind the grenades and rushed to see what the spider had brought in. The kart was still there. The Maximal decided to climb on it and then shone his blowtorch before him. He immediately regretted that.
“Uh… ‘Bots?” Rattrap felt pressure in his own voicebox. He was standing eye-to-eye with a stasis pod. On the other side, there was a peaceful expression of its occupant. A new, still shiny face he had no delusion who it belonged to. The Maximal’s light allowed him to see only three of them, but he had a feeling the row was longer.
“I think we’ve got a little problem…”
At last, Optimus found his way to the captain chair. He felt a weird tingle the moment his back touched its surface. It was just a chair, but to him, it felt like so much more. After a second, he looked down at his crewmembers. Each one of them occupied a seat on the ship, if not at the front, then at the back. He decided to focus his attention on the winged Maximal sitting at a pilot’s seat.
“All ready, captain!” She turned around and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Then let’s punch it!” He ordered. The pilot turned the panel online and tapped on the console.
Everyone worked together to activate the launching procedure. One of them sent a command to activate the hangar’s doors. The other checked the systems and confirmed they were good to go.
The engines burst with flames, making the whole ship rumble. The Axalon finally began going up. It carefully floated out of its resting spot before flying out of the entrance. The higher they went, the smaller Iacon was becoming. It was an incredible sight to witness.
“We’re activating the transwarp technology in three!...” The crewmember on the pilot's side warned. Everyone hanged on.
“Two!...” Optimus gripped the handles of his chair.
“One!” They said and pushed the lever.
The Axalon’s surface surrounded a mist-like barrier and it began flying faster. Faster. And faster.
Finally, a portal opened and the ship disappeared into it in a blink of an eye. Just like that, their exploration began.
“Protoforms?!” Arcee shouted through the comm link. “What do they need the protoforms for?!”
“I’m just sayin’ what I’m seein’!” Rattrap replied, pacing back and forth. “They’re stuffed inside stasis pods and put on standby! What am I supposed to do, release ‘em?”
“No, they’ll be disoriented!” Arcee said. “Are you sure they have a groundbridge?”
“No, I’m just hallucinatin’! Of course I’m sure!” Rattrap’s nerves were getting to him.
“I'll let the tech team know! You need to find a way to temporarily ground the ship!-”
“-We can’t let these Predacons get on board!” Arcee said, finishing her call.
The brown and blue Predacon kept destroying everything with his laser eyes. He was so focused on the task he didn’t notice a pair of grenades that suddenly landed under his feet. They exploded, but they were more of a warning than anything. Wheeljack jumped at him, swords raised. The Predacon quickly parried his attack. The Wrecker was pushed back, but he dug one of his swords into the ground and prevented himself from sliding too far.
The Predacon’s mouth twisted into a smirk when he saw him. He braced himself, before charging at Wheeljack with a battle cry. Arcee tried to aid her friend, but there was too much going on to focus her full attention on him.
Meanwhile, the gunfight at the Maximal’s Science Ministry was raging on. The attackers were holding their ground fairly well, even with the newly arrived Maximal back-up aiding the guards.
At some point, the two smaller intruders began attracting most of their fire to themselves. It was enough for the biggest purple one to step back, lower his weapon and slip into one of the rooms unnoticed.
The intruder seemed to know exactly where to go. A turn left, the right door, it didn’t take long for him to reach his destination - the vault. He quickly walked up to the safe’s entrance and placed a silver box on top of the panel. Almost instantly, it was fried off the wall. The doors opened, but the alarm was triggered. The guards were occupied anyway.
Stepping inside, the individual turned towards a display glass behind which was standing a flat golden dish with symbols engraved on it. The flickering lights managed to reflect his orange Predacon insignia in it. As his crimson optics stared at the object, he couldn’t help a sinister smirk forming on his face.
The rest of Arcee’s squad ganged up on the injector Predacon. He tried to fly away, but they had him surrounded from all sides. One time he got too close, he was instantly swatted in the head by one of the Maximals.
The spider drones kept causing chaos when suddenly their biolights turned green. Arcee shot at one, but suddenly, it disappeared in a blue flash of energy. She gasped, looking up. One by one, the spider bots began blinking in a similar way.
“Everyone! Shoot those spiders, quickly!” Arcee ordered, trying to desperately get as many of them as she could. The Autobots and Maximals lost their focus on the injector and did what she told them. They didn’t notice that one of them slipped past and pounced on the ambushed Predacon.
“Laterrrr, Maxi and Auto lozzzerzzz!” The injector stuck out his inner mouth at them which hissed as if blowing a raspberry. Seconds later, he was gone.
Wheeljack cried, rolling onto the ground. His right shoulder was bleeding. The Predacon was about to go after him when he took notice of what was happening.
“No…” He whispered as he saw the spider drones teleporting away.
A hint of panic appeared behind his eyes. He suddenly noticed one of them glancing at him. It didn’t waste any time and began crawling his way.
Wheeljack tried to stand up, but the shadow soon loomed over him again.
“No!” The Predacon shouted, making a slash at the Wrecker. Wheeljack covered himself with his swords, preparing for an attack that never came.
The spider bot jumped on the Predacon’s back and activated the groundbridge. The Autobot felt a tingle on his body as his opponent’s blade disintegrated before his eyes. Then, came the deafening silence.
The guards at the Maximal Science Ministry managed to get the injured out of the way. They kept firing until one of them noticed something.
“Hold your fire!” He raised his arm and others listened. Their enemies had ceased shooting at them. One of the bigger guards readied their blaster as they carefully stepped out of the barricades. Slowly, they looked around the corner to see what was going on.
Their attackers were gone.
Rattrap was running through the vents. He was trying to find his way to the engine room of the warship.
“Rattrap! Rattrap, come in!” Unexpectedly, Arcee’s urgent voice came through his comm link.
“Haven’t located the target yet, Cee! I need more time!” He told her, panting.
“Abort mission! Get out of there, right now!” She shouted, catching him off guard.
“Listen to her, kid!” Wheeljack joined. To Rattrap’s horror, he was just as desperate. “The ship’s about to-!”
Suddenly, the Maximal felt a violent quake. Before he knew it, he was falling.
“Gah-hah!” He cried, bumping the walls and then crashing hard on the end of the vent.
When Rattrap’s systems rebooted themselves, he felt immense pain all over his body. Groaning, he carefully returned to his paws. The Maximal heard a concerning buzz in his audial.
“Jack-Jack?” He tried calling. Nobody picked up. “Cee?... Auntie, do you copy?!...”
Rattrap removed the comm link from his left ear and looked it over. It was completely busted.
“Oh no…” He murmured to himself. The bumps and turbulations in the vent continued, serving him as a grim reminder of where he had ended up.
“I almost had him!”
Meanwhile, all of the Predacons met on the bridge. The group consisted of six members in total. Two of them, a purple spiderformer and the injector bot, were piloting the ship.
The brown and blue Predacon argued with the purple one. Despite being slightly shorter than him, his calm demeanor made him look like a bigger person. Especially when he was met with an angry scowl of the other.
“If you had let me finish the job, I would’ve avenged the Predacons who were slain by his hand!” The Predacon declared.
“I’m afraid we couldn’t afford any holdups, dear Dinobot.” The purple Predacon said, placing a hand on the taller one’s shoulder. He quickly shook it off.
“The most important thing is that we achieved our goals. We got the Darksyde, we caused some trouble, and of course…” He pulled out and showed him the golden object from the vault. “We have this.”
“Yes… Goals achieved through trickery and deception.” Dinobot snarled, getting in the other’s personal space. “Unlike you, I do not intend to be remembered as a lowly conman!”
“Speaking to Lord Megatron like that is treason!” The gray Predacon joined, threatening the other with his pincers and two stingered tails. “I should have your head for that!”
Dinobot suddenly distracted himself from the purple Predacon and turned towards him. He stepped closer and growled in his face. The gray Predacon’s posture faltered.
“Choose your battles carefully, Scorponok.” The bigger Predacon said slowly. “You don’t want to face me in combat.”
Little did they know, a pair of red eyes appeared in the vents. Rattrap managed to find his way to the bridge. He took a look around, and tragically, the two active pilot consoles confirmed that the warship was on the move.
“Wazzzpinator for one izzz happy Mega-bot ended the mizzzion.” The injector Predacon said. He whined, rubbing his helm. “The Maximal gave Wazzzpinator a big ouchie on the head…”
“Remind me again why we’re dragging this crybaby with us?” The red one asked.
“Because, Terrorsaur…” The spiderbot purred. “He makes for a fine distraction… and an entertaining test subject at times.”
“That’zzz right!” Waspinator pointed at Terrorsaur. “Wzzpinator uzzzeful to the cauzzze! What can’t be zzzaid about Terror-bot!”
“For your information, bug! I’m your superior! And I’m going to squash you on the windshield if you say that to me again!” Terrorsaur transformed into a sonicondor. Waspinator was about to rise from his seat as well, when their leader, Megatron, stepped between them.
“Gentlemen, please!” He interrupted. “I understand we’ve all been a little tense lately, but let’s keep it civil, shall we?”
Terrorsaur and Waspinator looked between each other and then Megatron. Despite his smile and calmness, there was something else buried deep in his expression. Something that made them second guess the confrontation.
After a second, Waspinator turned back to the holographic report screen. Terrorsaur hesitated. After a second, he snarled in defeat and transformed back.
"How long until we reach our destination, Tarantulas?” Megatron asked the second pilot.
“Approximately four deca-cycles.” Tarantulas said.
“Excellent! Soon, my friends. Soon, we’re going to bring a new era to Cybertron! With the Golden Disk, finally within my grasp, we shall write the first chapter in the history of the Predacons’ new empire! The one we truly deserve!” He said, raising the stolen object high.
Rattrap wasted no time. He tapped the side of his beast-mode’s head and took a picture.
“Mega-bot!” The Maximal quickly checked the picture before he heard Waspinator. He looked back down and noticed that all Predacons turned towards the piloting console. He couldn’t see what they were seeing from his position.
“Would you look at that!” Terrorsaur sneered as they all stared at the screen. Behind them, the crate disappeared into the vent. Rattrap began hanging from it upside down by his tail.
Through the screen, the glitch-mouse saw that they were inside the unspace. Wherever they were going, they were using the transwarp technology. While they were traveling through the tunnel of light, they were receiving another signal just ahead.
Rattrap’s eyes widened.
The Axalon was peacefully flying through the unspace. Its crew was distracted by their own activities, preparing their stuff and making sure they had everything in need. Optimus was sitting in his chair, watching in amazement the scenery outside.
Suddenly, the scanners in the front of the panel started picking up something. The Maximal responsible for them quickly saw it.
“Captain!” They called. “Someone’s entered the unspace with us!”
And just like that, Primal was pulled out of his serene state. He looked out of the other window and-
”Whoah!” He rose from his chair and stepped back.
The Darksyde finally caught up with them. The two ships were flying side by side.
“Is this one of ours?” A crewmember asked as the rest became aware.
“It looks like a Predacon warship.” Another replied.
“Why are they here?” Yet another one asked. Optimus couldn’t help but keep staring, questions multiplying in his mind.
“Maximals.” Megatron said with distaste.
“They’re after us!” Scorponok panicked.
“It looks like a research ship more than anything.” Dinobot said, looking closer.
“Nevertheless, we’ve come too far to have any witnesses.” Megatron said, glancing down at Tarantulas. “They’re all yours.”
Tarantulas cackled concerningly, beginning to type.
Rattrap scanned the area. He noticed something on the side of the room right next to the main panel. It was one of these manual floating platforms the big ships were using to effectively transport crewmembers from point A to B.
The Maximal quickly remembered about the broken comm link. He pulled it out and then began messing with it even more.
Tarantulas locked their cannons on the Axalon’s sensitive spots. His taloned fingers twitched on the triggers in his hands. He was waiting for the right moment to fire. Megatron was getting impatient from the anticipation…
Rattrap’s efforts finally paid off. The comm link began shortcircuiting. The glitch-mouse swung his arm, aimed, and then threw it as far as he could.
The comm link hit a bull’s eye and landed on top of the platform’s control tower. The electric shock spread onto the device like a plague. Its lights flickered wildly and it left its post without being summoned.
The Predacons noticed it too late and it crashed on them. Terrorsaur accidentally tackled Tarantulas, making him fall on the ship’s console.
Without any warning, the Darksyde headed towards the Axalon. The two ships collided.
The Maximals fell out of their places upon the devastating impact. The alarms blared, causing them to scream in terror.
The platform was out of control. The Predacons ran away from its chaotic trajectory, trying to avoid being hit. Everyone, except Megatron and Dinobot. The warrior was watching it carefully, then, he used his laser eyes when it was just above his head. He hit it, making it fall onto the ground but also slicing the vents in the process.
The cut tunnel titled downwards. Unexpectedly, something small and screaming tumbled out of it. Before Dinobot’s brain processed what was about to happen, it was too late and Rattrap hit him like a cannon ball. The mighty Predacon stumbled back, letting out a startled noise, before the gravity took him and he slipped.
Tarantulas tried to take control of the ship, but it was too late. The Axalon as well as the Darksyde were too close to the edge. The warship pushed the other out of the unspace and the darkness of deep space greeted them.
Rattrap felt his head spinning after the fall. He didn’t have time to recover because after a second a bunch of heavy footsteps approached him. He didn’t really want to look up, but he did anyway. Immediately, he noticed the Predacons’ furious scowls. He suddenly became very self-conscious about his Maximal insignia.
“... Wait a minute, this ain’t the church...” The glitch-mouse tried, looking around and performatively scratching his head. “My bad, guys! Friend’s gettin’ hitched and the lovestruck goof gave me the wrong address! Whatever he’d do without his best man, am I right?-”
The illusion of humor faded when he heard growling underneath him. Glancing down, he was met with Dinobot’s burning hot eyes glaring daggers at him.
Simultaneously, the Axalon was in complete disarray. The alarms blared and the crew lacked directions on how to act in that situation.
“Nobody panic!” Optimus’ stern tone was a facade and a pretty bad one at that. He needed to make up for it by acting. “Make some space between us and then open communication! This could’ve as well been an accident!”
The Maximals weren’t sure about that order, but there was too much going on to give it a better thought. They did as they were told.
After a second, the Axalon flew to the side, getting away and making a circle around the Darksyde. They distanced themselves, but kept close enough range to get in contact with.
Back on the warship, the Predacons began chasing Rattrap around. The Maximal managed to escape their ambush and kept avoiding everything they threw at him - claws, hands, projectiles. In a moment of clarity, he noticed a red lightbulb on the control panel. Someone was trying to reach them.
Tarantulas finally seemed to stabilize the ship. Before he noticed the incoming transition, he let out a pained shout as Rattrap jumped on his head. He immediately smashed the button with his tail and grabbed the mic.
“Help me!” He screamed.
The Maximals got startled by the sudden desperate plea.
“I’m on board the warship and these maniacs are trying to kill me! There are stolen protoforms with me! I repeat, there are stolen protoforms with me!”
“... Rattrap?!” It took Rhinox a second to recognize the voice, but once he did, his mouth went agape.
“You know him?” Optimus asked.
“Yes, he’s a Maximal soldier serving under the Autobots.” He said, turning to him. “What in the stars is he doing on a Predacon warship?”
“By the looks of things, he’s not there voluntarily.” The captain said. “And did he say there were stolen protoforms involved?”
“What do we do?” One of the researchers asked.
“We should call Cybertron!” Someone else said.
“What about Rattrap?” Rhinox said, beyond concerned. “He said he’s in danger!”
“There goes my space crusade…” Primal murmured to himself. With a deep breath that helped him calm his nerves, he became much more determined. He chose to follow his gut.
“Activate the Sentinel program! There are Maximals in need and we’re not going to abandon them!” He ordered to the dismay of his comrades.
“Can anyone read me?!” Rattrap continued shouting. Without any warning, Tarantulas pushed him off himself. The Predacon used one of his limbs to pierce through the panel, destroying the communication line. He cackled, leaning dangerously close to the fallen Maximal.
“Nobody’s coming to your rescue, you juicy little- Ack!” Without any warning, he was grabbed by his head from the back. Dinobot raised him all the way up, making the snarling spiderformer kick his legs and try to free himself.
“The rodent’s mine!” The Predacon growled, throwing Tarantulas across the room. Without any warning, he swiped at Rattrap but the Maximal dodged and scurried away.
The glitch-mouse headed for the exit, but then Terrorsaur and Scorponok stood in his way. Rattrap suddenly stopped and ducked. They didn’t realize their mistake until Dinobot accidentally pounced on them.
With the road freed, the Maximal jumped over them and immediately booked it through the doors.
Dinobot growled, transformed, and followed him out.
Megatron soon regained his balance. Seconds later, the ship shook again.
“Oh, what now?!” He snarled.
Waspinator looked at the holographic screen. The Axalon had activated its own cannons and began shooting at them.
“The Maximalzzz are attacking uzzz!” The green Predacon reported.
“Ha! What fools!” Terrorsaur laughed. “What do they think they’re gonna do?!”
“Instead of waiting to find out, get back to your post and help to take them down!” Megatron ordered. Terrorsaur yelped and did just that. After a second, he turned towards Scorponok.
“Go after Dinobot and silence that spy!” He shouted. Scorponok saluted and rushed out of the bridge.
“Now...” Megatron clenched his fists and walked over to the controlling panel, looking at the enemy ship. “Let them be the first to witness our might. Yes.”
The Axelon was not giving up. After a few minutes, they saw the towers on the enemy warship coming to life.
“Brace yourselves!” Optimus warned. Without any warning, a hailstorm of lasers and missiles rained at them. The Axalon managed to avoid some, but its back section took damage. The whole ship quaked, making the researchers’ time harder.
“Activate the shields!” Primal ordered, realizing that he should’ve done it sooner. The shields were raised, but the prior damage stayed. The onslaught continued.
“The south section of Axalon’s down!” A crew member reported. “We have to be careful from now on!”
Rattrap was running as fast as his feet allowed him. He decided to head towards the only place he knew. The Maximal took a sharp turn and then found himself in front of two gigantic doors. They automatically opened and he skittered inside. This time, the hangar was lit up.
There they were, the protoforms. He counted about twelve full stasis pods. Before he figured out what to do with them, he could already hear the Predacons catching up.
Seeing no other option, he transformed back. The Maximal’s arms opened and he began searching their insides hurriedly. After a second, he pulled out a bunch of tiny silver orbs.
Dinobot didn’t bother waiting for the automatic doors and instead pushed them open with his own claws. Scorponok immediately barged in after him with a blaster in his hand.
“Hey, ugly! Think fast!” Without second guessing, the Maximal chucked the orbs at the two. They began beeping in the air.
Dinobot stepped in front of Scorponok and opened his maw.
“Wait, no!” Before the pincered Predacon could stop him, the warrior shot them mid-air with a powerful laser breath.
Without any warning, Dinobot was splashed with some thick oily substance that was released by the explosion he’d caused. It splattered all over his snout, including his eyes.
The Predacon roared in surprise, trying to shake it off. Opening back his optics, he saw only a bunch of blurs. More specifically, the gray and brown blur before him.
Dinobot snarled and his maw lit up again. He fired another blast of energy directly at Rattrap. The Maximal cried and jumped out of the way. He started running around the hangar as the Predacon was shooting where he felt his opponent was. Every time he missed, a new hole appeared on the wall.
“Stop it, you idiot! You’ll destroy the ship!” Scorponok warned. Like a bolt from the blue, one of the laser discharges hit under hit feet and exploded. He was sent flying back, screaming. The pincered Predacon hit his head against the outside corridor and went limp almost immediately.
“Ha!” Rattrap exclaimed, continuing to run away from the frantic attacks. “Nice own goal, chopperface! Does it come naturally to be so bad?!”
Dinobot held his next attack, letting out a low growl.
“Come on, try again! I wanna see you shootin’ yourself in the tail next! Or what, did evolution kick in and make ya too much of a chicken by now?!” The spy kept mocking gleefully.
The Predacon finally pinpointed his location via his voice. Abruptly, he spinned around and breathed the most powerful beam yet. However, he was still lacking in precision.
Rattrap squeaked, stopping before he ran into the attack. The time seemed to slow as he remembered one crucial thing. The Maximal’s face overcame fear as he saw the laser coming for the arsenal of weapons, including the grenades.
Megatron and the other Predacons were still fighting on the bridge. Suddenly, they heard a very loud commotion followed by a huge quake. They had to hold onto the nearest objects to avoid collapsing.
“What just happened?!” Terrorsaur shrieked.
The Axalon crew saw a huge explosion at the east portion of the Darksyde.
The hangar was met with suffocating and pulling lack of gravity instantly. A gigantic hole formed in place of the wall that used to stand there. One by one, the stasis pods began falling out of it. Rattrap quickly grabbed onto a loose cable sticking out of the ship and held on for dear life. He couldn’t see where Dinobot had ended up but he was sure he was still there.
The Axalon was about to attack again when they saw the drifting pods.
“Look out!” Optimus alerted and the pilot yanked the wheel. They went up, right in the range of the warship’s cannon. They were immediately shot with a powerful charge of energy. Their defences shattered.
“System failure!"
“Engine’s functionality is down to 60%!”
“The shields are down for good! I can’t turn them back on!”
“We’re not gonna make it!”
A choir of terrified Maximals sounded across the bridge. The Axalon continued taking damage. Not a single moment went on where there wasn’t a new alarm going off or the ship being thrashed around. It was a difficult decision, but Optimus felt like he had to make it.
“Everyone, listen closely!” He said, pointing at the blue planet behind the window. “Get to the emergency stasis pods and evacuate! Your target is that planet! We’ll come get you!”
They didn’t have to be persuaded for long. The explorers got up from their seats and ran from the bridge. Outside of Optimus, only Rhinox and the pilot remained.
“You should get in the pod, too!” He told her.
“Not a chance!” She replied. “A pilot goes down with her ship!”
“Doesn’t the saying usually concern captains?”
“You can stay too if you want!” She grinned. Primal was too stunned to speak. Instead, he faced Rhinox.
“I need to make sure Rattrap’s okay!” The other Maximal stated.
“The three of us, then!...” Optimus nodded hesitantly. “In that case, all power to the thrusters!”
The pilot rolled her shoulders, gripping the controls tightly.
“Nooo!” Tarantulas shouted in distress. The Darksyde’s bridge had a perfect view of the stasis pods drifting away towards the planet’s atmosphere. “My protoforms! My beautiful canvas!”
“You can collect them later! Get back to work!” Megatron spat.
The last stasis pods had left the Axalon and headed for the blue planet. The vessel immediately seemed lighter as it soon picked up the pace. All of the power was concentrated the thrusters.
When the Darksyde sent out other missiles, the ship barrow rolled, avoiding them. Rhinox and Optimus tried very hard not to fall off their seats.
“What kind of academy teaches to fly like that?!” The captain asked.
“The Maximal Flight Academy!” The pilot said. “And a few arcade simulators!”
“Aerialbot Aces IV?” He guessed.
“Oh, I’m gonna like you if we get out of this alive!” She said, making him laugh.
“The pleasure is all mine, pilot!” He stated.
“You can call me Airazor! Now, hold on!” She told him. The pilot moved the ship away, made it do a flip, and then returned fire to the Darksyde’s tower. She managed to take out three guns at once.
“There! I see him!” Rhinox pointed after a second. Rattrap was still hanging onto the cable, dangerously close to the hole.
“Fly us closer, Airazor!” Optimus requested. “I have a very dumb idea!”
Rattrap barely kept holding on. He made one poor attempt at pulling himself up, but that was it. The Maximal suddenly heard an incoming ship and looked behind himself. The Axalon flew by, preparing to come back.
Glancing to the side, Rattrap suddenly noticed something. One of the pods got stuck in the wall. It was hanging on the edge, swaying, but not enough to be fully pulled into the abyss. The spy decided that instead of going up, he’d choose down and try to free it.
Unfortunately, his earlier suspicions were correct. Dinobot was in the far corner, digging his claws deep into the floor. When he saw Rattrap going down on the cable, his rage returned to him. As the last attempt at getting back at him, he charged one last laser breath. Due to his lack of focus, it was a small one, but it did its job.
The cable was suddenly cut. The Maximal immediately started getting sucked in, but before he fell out, he desperately grabbed onto the pod. It was the final push it needed to free itself and leave the ship.
As the Axalon was diving back, its hatch opened. Optimus was standing on it, a rope tied around his waist. The Maximal captain ducked and braced himself. The ship was under heavy fire, but it was too late to turn back.
Close…
Closer….
Suddenly, the Axalon changed its trajectory and flew up. Optimus jumped out, immediately activating his jets. The force yanked him right towards the pod and Rattrap who was still hanging onto it. The captain grabbed onto the other side of the capsule, and before the smaller Maximal reacted, they were being dragged back.
Inside of the ship, Rhinox was holding onto the rope. As soon as he saw that Primal had his friend, he started pulling back.
The Maximal spy screamed at the top of his vocalizer as they were thrashed in every direction like ragdolls in a wind. The turbulent ride finally came to an end when Rhinox managed to return them all the way in. Immediately, the hatch closed and they were back on the bridge.
“Rattrap!” Rhinox cheered, relieved.
“Rhinox?!” Rattrap shouted, shocked. Their reunion didn’t last long, because suddenly, the lights went off.
Airazor tried to use the wheel but all of her screens went black.
“We’ve lost power!” She reported. “We’re being pulled in by the planet’s atmosphere!”
Without their power, the ship couldn’t move. The Axalon was stuck mid-maneuver she had been trying to make. However, the worst part of it all was entirely different.
The Darksyde was in their way.
Megatron and his crew saw the Axalon spinning out of control and heading dangerously close to them. The Predacon captain watched it with dread.
“Move the ship! Move it, now!” He ordered. Waspinator and Tarantulas tried to, but they were too late.
Airazor ran to the back as the front of the ship hit the Darksyde. Everyone crashed on the floor and walls due to the impact.
“We’re going down!” She shouted. Primal and Rhinox tried to shield the pod.
The Predacons abandoned their seats, trying to find some hiding spot. Megatron was kneeling, still as a rock. He was holding the disk close to his chest protectively. All of them almost went deaf and blind due to the flashing lights and noises all around them.
The planet’s peaceful dawn was interrupted by two burning dots falling from the sky. One of them headed south, and the other, west. When they both hit the ground, the impacts could be heard on the entire continent.
Chapter 2: Beast Wars Part 2
Chapter Text
The dust after both crashes seemed to have settled rather quickly. The ships fell, made huge commotion and then became nothing more than an unpleasant memory. The planet collectively moved on, returning to its normal state. The worst appeared to be over….
The steaming Axalon had landed between a mountain and a cliff. All the way down, there was a lake at its bottom. Thankfully, the ship didn’t seem like it would tilt and go down anytime soon.
The Darksyde wasn’t as lucky in comparison. It crashed right in the middle of an isolated land, making a huge crater in it. The ground had visible volcanic traits to it, all the way down to exposed magma appearing at random places at a time. It was unclear whether the potential activity was still a threat.
Neither ship came out looking like a victor. Both were damaged, if not outright destroyed. Nothing was happening during those couple of hours. Then, a sliver of hope appeared.
The Sentinel program was back online again. It started scanning the place.
“W-WARNING!” It glitched after a second. “DANGEROUS LEVELS OF RAW ENERGON DETECTED! EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE WILL LEAD TO PERMANENT DAMAGE!"
The Darksyde’s computer activated soon after. It did the same and after a few minutes came up with a report.
“RAW ENERGON DETECTED! CHANCES OF ENERGON BUILD-UP: HIGH! CREW UNABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT PROTECTION!”
“BEAST-MODES IN NEED OF REAJUSTMENT! SCANNING FOR COMPATIBLE OPTIONS…”
Both the Darksyde and the Axalon released their surveillance drones. The two of them left their respective ships and began searching the world.
They were flying for a long time, roaming every corner of the strange new land. Eventually, however, they had to draw a conclusion.
“NO MECHANICAL ALTERNATIVES IN SIGHT!” The Sentinel said.
“NO MECHANICAL ALTERNATIVES IN SIGHT!” The Darksyde said. “READJUSTING PROGRAM...”
“READJUSTING PROGRAM...”
The drones rewrote their own programming. It took some time, but after they were done, both their biolights turned green. Then, they carried on with their search.
This time, instead of focusing on finding alt-modes based on steel or metal, they switched to the closest available material. The planet appeared to be organic-based, with its vast colorful landscapes, plants and fauna.
The Sentinel was the first to find something. Its drone found its way into a small jungle of sorts. Carefully, it floated between the large trees and found something sitting on one of the branches. It was an ape of some kind. The animal was eating leaves without a care in the world, not even reacting when it saw the machine approaching it. The drone wasted no time and scanned it.
The Darksyde was scanning the land as it flew. By that method, it managed to reach various insects like wasps, a spider, and at some point even a scorpion.
Furthermore, it was equipped with systems so precise it managed to reach into the ground itself. There, it found the bones of long lost species buried underneath.
The Sentinel found its way to a savannah. There, it scanned a collection of various creatures: a rhino in the middle of a mud bath, a cheetah which was chasing an antelope, it even managed to capture a rat leaving its hiding hole.
The drone was about to move on, when suddenly something struck it from the sky. The machine shook, but swiftly regained its balance. Whatever had attacked it left shallow claw marks on its top. It turned its scanner around and noticed a big bird retreating after its assault was done. It wasted no time and captured it as well.
Finally, both drones returned to their homes. They entered through the hatches which opened once they got close and disappeared inside.
“READJUSTMENT COMPLETE!”
“READJUSTMENT COMPLETE!”
Optimus Primal’s eyes flickered back to life. He blinked a few times, letting out a pained groan. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out the fact that he was laying on the floor. Slowly, he grabbed onto the nearest object he could reach and then lifted himself up with its help.
“Is everyone okay?” He called out, hoping anyone would respond to him. The Maximal captain’s vision became clearer after a few seconds.
The first thing that he noticed was the rubble laying everywhere. The cables came loose and fell onto the ground. The electricity spitting from them was sure to be a serious health hazard if he was not careful enough. Glancing around, he saw the rest of the damages. Most of the seats were out of place, the glass and metal were pierced through the steel constructions, and a big hairy gorilla was staring directly at him-
“Whoah!” He stumbled back in alarm. The thing that he was holding onto turned out to be the flipped table they used for strategizing. He could see his own reflection in it.
Primal looked down at his hands. Instead of his usual metal digits, he saw big fingers covered in hair and soft organic tissue.
“Sentinel?” He asked, clenching his fists a few times. “W-what is this?”
“THE PLANET HAD NO MECHANICAL ALTERNATIVES TO THE CREW’S ORIGINAL BEAST-MODES.” The computer replied. “THE NEW PROGRAM WILL GUARANTEE YOUR PROTECTION ON THE PLANET’S CONTAMINATED SURFACE.”
“Contaminated?... What-?”
Suddenly, the rubble moved and someone underneath it made a loud groan. To Optimus’ shock, it was a big rhino. The animal immediately began coughing.
“Rhinox?...” The captain guessed. The rhino instantly calmed down.
“Captain?” He replied, facing the gorilla.
“What happened to us?” They both turned toward the voice and saw a prairie falcon getting up from the ground. The first thing she did was examine her wings.
“Sentinel said something about protection. The planet appears to have some toxic radiation.” Optimus said. “Apparently, this was the closest match it could find.”
“I feel so…” Airazor transformed back. Her beast-mode wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Instead of her metal feathers and claws, they were replaced by the soft exterior of a falcon, including the feathery crown on top of her head. “Light.”
“Organic and mechanical mixed together. I don’t think we’ve ever recorded anything like it.” Rhinox mused, transforming as well. Primal followed his lead. Just like Airazor, their metal parts were gone and changed to fit their current alt-modes. They couldn’t help but admire the changes.
“Yeah…” Optimus agreed. “If the datalogs survived, we should definitely write that down.”
They couldn’t stay and ponder about their new forms for long, because abruptly, the ship’s speakers screamed with a high pitched sound that made all of them cover their audials.
“SE-CU-RITY BREACH! SECURITY B-REacH!” The Sentinel warned. The alarmed Axalon crew bolted towards the piloting console. As if things weren’t confusing before, there was a giant rat messing with the opened panel and the inner circuitry.
“Come on, come on!...” He murmured to himself, yanking a particular red cable as hard as he could. “Work with me here! I can’t be stuck on some weird organic planet!...”
“Hey!” Airazor immediately reacted. “What do you think you’re doing to my ship?!”
“Oh, sweet! You’re not scrap!” The rat acknowledged them, then continued to mess with the panel. “Just in time, ‘cause I could really use an extra pair of limbs!”
“Are you alright?!” Rhinox kneeled. Without any warning, he picked up the rat, making him squeak, and began to inspect him. “Anything broken? Any inner damages?”
“Sheesh, Rhinox, I’ll live! You’re gonna make me blush!” To the Maximals’ surprise, Rattrap pushed him away. The rodent fell back onto the ground. “Same slag, different day. Just more spectacular this time.”
“Oh, we could tell.” Optimus joined. “What were you doing on that Predacon warship?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, monkey boy?” Rattrap grinned. That response completely caught the captain off guard.
“Rattrap…” Rhinox softened his gaze at the spy.
“What?” The small Maximal replied. “It’s classified info! I can’t just run around spillin’ beans to random people-!”
“Tell us what almost got us killed or else!” Airazor interrupted, transforming back. She spread her wings in intimidation and forced Rattrap to back off.
“Okay! Okay! Okay!” Rattrap transformed back as his back hit the pilot seat. He held his arm outstretched, preventing her from getting closer. After a second, he gave in.
“No need to get your feathers all ruffled up…” He mumbled, before starting to explain. “A group of Predacons attacked the shipyard in Vos. They made a cozy nest inside of that warship without us knowin’. Me and my team were sent to stop them. As you can see, it didn’t go too well.”
“Why are they doing this?” Airazor demanded.
“Do I look like a mindreader?!” The small Maximal dropped his arms in defeat. “They kept goin’ on and on about some ‘new Predacon empire’ or whatever. All I know is that they need this.”
He tapped the side of his head which momentarily projected a holographic screen. He showed them the picture he had taken in the vent of the Predacon captain and the golden object he was holding.
“Oh no…” Rhinox murmured, gaining everyone’s attention.
“What is it?” Optimus asked. Meanwhile, Airazor transformed in the back.
“Most call it the Golden Disk.” He began. “Years after the Great War and the restoration of Cybertron, the Maximals found it laying under Vector Sigma. Nobody really knows what it contains, but evidence suggests it might’ve come from the Supercomputer itself. If that’s the case, people like them shouldn’t be in its possession.”
“Tell me ‘bout it!” Rattrap said, leaning back, crossing one leg over the other and pillowing his head. “Preds. Ya think they can’t get any lower and then you find kidnapped protoforms in their basement!”
The Maximals were about to respond to that statement when they all remembered something crucial.
“The protoform!” They all gasped in horror.
Just like that, they were up and feverishly searching the place. Even Rattrap joined them. The Maximals moved the rubble, checking every corner for the missing stasis pod.
Grunting, Primal lifted a boulder which was blocking the hallway. Then, he finally saw a piece of large white construction somewhere in the mess.
“I’ve found it!” He called for others. They came as fast as they could and helped him move the rest of the rubble out of the way. After a few minutes, they mostly freed the way and uncovered the stasis pod. It was facing the floor.
Optimus quickly flipped it on the other side. He came to a horrific realization that its glass was shattered and a burnt smell was coming from the inside. There was no protoform in sight.
“Nonono!” Optimus was on the verge of a spark attack. “Where’s the-?!”
“Shh!” Rhinox suddenly shushed him. He was facing the corridor’s corner. Everyone decided to follow his direction.
They didn’t notice until now that there was a figure curled in the shadow of the ship. A pair of green eyes peered at them carefully. Sometimes they saw a tip of a black tail flick in and out of the darkness.
Optimus left the pod alone, glancing at the shape in awe. However, when he wanted to take a step closer, the creature immediately hissed and forced him to stop.
“It’s alright…” He said, slowly going on one knee and presenting his empty hands to them. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
Nobody dared to make a move. The green eyes wandered around each one of them, before inevitably returning to the captain. It took a few minutes, but finally, a head started slowly peeking from the shadow. First, a small snout with long whiskers and a button nose. Then, a yellow feline head with black spots all over. In some time, they saw a cheetah making its way to them.
They focused on Optimus. One paw after another, they stalked towards him while purring. Once they were in front of him, they looked down at his inviting hands. Primal stiffened when they began sniffing them.
“I’m the captain of this vessel.” He began softly. “You may call me Optimus Primal.”
“... Optimus...” The cheetah repeated after a second, as if testing their - his own voice. Seeing him sit down, the Maximal took his hands away.
“And they are my crew.” He said, gesturing at everyone behind them. They took it as a cue to come closer.
“I’m Rhinox.” The green Maximal said as he and Airazor kneeled as well.
“Airazor.” She added.
“Rhinox… Airazor…” The youngling repeated, glancing at them respectively.
“Welcome to the world, young one.” Optimus greeted. “We’re so pleased to meet you.”
The youngling saw all of them smiling. They could almost feel a thought bubbling inside of his mind. Unexpectedly, the cheetah twisted his own snout upwards at them, returning the gesture. Rattrap suddenly stepped closer.
“Well, ain’t that just the prettiest picture… Alright, kid, back to the pod you go!” The ratformer said, grabbing the cheetah’s tail and trying to pull him.
“What?!”
“No!”
“Rattrap!”
The Axalon crew instantly protested, standing back up.
“You can’t do that!” Rhinox shouted.
“I can and I will!” Rattrap said, struggling to move the cat towards the pod. “This ain’t an environment for a protoform! Besides, nobody’s paying me for babysittin’ duty!”
“Of course! Everything has to revolve around you, doesn’t it?” Airazor sneered.
“Your words, not mine!” Rattrap retorted. Suddenly, the tail slipped out of his grasp and whacked him in the face, making him cry out.
“Everybody calm down!” Optimus took charge at last. “We’ve got more pressing matters at the moment. We can start with that and then we’ll think what to do with the little one. Does that sound reasonable?”
The cheetah perked up his ears, purring curiously. Rhinox and Airazor exchanged a glance and then complied. Rattrap didn’t seem to like it, but he didn’t voice any further protests. The captain figured it was a good sign. After a second, he sighed.
“Come on.” Optimus said, turning back towards the thrashed bridge. “There’s a mess that needs to be cleaned up.”
The Darksyde lived up to its name. No matter where the Predacons looked, there was nothing but pitch black darkness. The remains of the lights flickered every now and then, occasionally spewing electric discharges. The only thing that remained somewhat lit was the warship’s bridge.
“The zzzhip izzz buzzzted.” Waspinator reported. Without any warning, the panel short-circuited. It made him squeal and fly into the light. Only then did he notice his new alt-mode, a wasp. He cooed curiously, spinning around and looking himself over.
“Oooh! And Wazzzpinator izzz zzztripey now!” He said, giggling childishly. Terrorsaur looked around and quickly found a reflective surface. He himself took the form of a red pterodactyl.
“Focus!” Megatron’s voice rumbled from the shadows. The heavy footsteps shook the bridge like an earthquake. Both Waspinator and Terrorsaur were shocked to see the arrival of their leader. The Predacon captain took the form of a giant t-rex with purple skin and dark green stripes all over his back. “Tarantulas. Did we arrive at the right planet or not?”
“Our scanners have a hard time telling.” Tarantulas’s response came from the above. Another shape emerged from the darkness, this time from the ceiling. A gigantic purple tarantula came down on a string of web before gently landing on the panel. He activated it and began checking the systems.
”I fixed as much as I could, but it appears the damage is severe. We’ve lost the original coordinates, not to mention half our arsenal... On the bright side, though, our groundbridge is still operational!” He said, rubbing his front legs together.
“Bright side?!” The Predacons battled their own annoyance when Dinobot made his presence known. He stepped onto the bridge, presenting them his new beast-mode. He was another dinosaur, something resembling a velociraptor. This time around, however, he was shorter than Megatron. “This is a complete disaster!”
The crew felt another tantrum coming and instinctively stepped back. All of them, except for Megatron. He stood in place, unswayed. It caused Dinobot to take him as a target. The brown Predacon stomped towards him, growling dangerously.
“All you had to do was lead us to Earth! Just four deca-cycles! And you couldn’t even manage that!” He spat in his face. Megatron just continued staring down at him, almost bored. “You are by far the most incompetent leader I have laid my eyes upon!”
“Is that so?” The captain asked. Judging by his tone, he was holding back.
“You promised me glory! I put my spark, my already strained reputation on the line for your cause! And you failed!” He made a hard stomp right in front of him, bending the metal underneath. There was an unspoken moment of tension between them, before the velociraptor spun around.
“When you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” Dinobot said, then finally stepped back. “I am relieving you of the captain duty, Megatron! I shall be your new leader!”
“You?!” Megatron couldn’t stop himself from laughing. It was a loud, mocking sound that traveled through the entire ship. Tarantulas, Terrorsaur and Waspinator hesitantly followed his example. Dinobot grimaced.
“You are a special one indeed, Dinobot!” The t-rex said, his amused expression fading. It was his turn to approach the other. “What makes you think anyone here would want to follow you?”
“Unlike you, I do not make promises I cannot keep.” Dinobot wasn’t used to looking up at people, but even then, his proud attitude didn’t falter for a second. “We can settle this traditionally if you so desire.”
“And waste precious energy we already have so little of? I have to decline.” Megatron caught him off guard by walking past him. “You don’t have to prove anything. I am a big advocate of the sentiment that actions speak louder than words...”
The t-rex suddenly stopped, then turned around and shot him a glare.
“And according to the witnesses, your actions have greatly contributed to our downfall.” He finished.
For the first time, Dinobot didn’t retort. He saw something moving behind Megatron. After a second, a large scorpion emerged from his leader’s side. He could tell it was Scorponok by the way he was staring at him full of judgement. The Predacon lost his focus on him when the captain moved again.
“We were patient with you thus far. You are a formidable warrior, yes, but brute strength is the only thing you can offer. What we need is someone… far less hazardous, so to speak.” As Megatron spoke, he discreetly glanced over at Tarantulas. The spider understood the silent order. He turned towards the console and began typing.
Dinobot felt himself surrounded. None of the Predacons stepped in to help him. In fact, their aura towards him turned hostile. He kept snarling, not allowing any of them to come closer. If they didn’t know any better, they’d think he was scared.
“I’m afraid this is a goodbye, my dear self-destructive friend. There’s nothing you can do for us and nothing we can do for you. All I can offer is a few words of advice. One ‘incompetent’ leader to another…” The Predacon leader stated. He observed the way Dinobot’s body began to shake, anger returning to him at full force. He couldn’t help but give him a knowing smirk.
“Don’t go looking for a fight you cannot win.” He finally said.
Dinobot roared. Without any warning, he pounced, ready to tear Megatron to shreds. The captain didn’t even flinch.
Tarantulas finally sent a command via the console. The groundbridge unexpectedly spawned right in front of Megatron. Dinobot fell inside and then the portal faded into nothingness. The board fell awfully silent after that.
“Well done, Tarantulas!” The captain cheered after a second. “Where did you send him?”
“The lava pit.” Tarantulas cackled. “If he doesn’t die from the Energon build-up, he'll overheat.”
“Such undesired yet fitting demise.” Megatron mused. After a second, he finally faced his crew.
“Fear not, my Predacons! We may not be on the right planet, but this world has as much if not more to offer! Besides…” The Predacon suddenly raised the Golden Disk, gently tapping his claws against its surface. “Everything we need is right. Here.”
“Wheeeeere’s Rinox?” Rhinox cooed, covering his whole face with his hands. He was sitting cross legged on the floor with the cheetah protoform. Every time he hid his face, the cat began purring and staring at him intensely.
“There he is!” He suddenly revealed himself, making the cheetah jump and let out a loud meow. His tail was wagging, so the Maximal knew he liked the game.
“Wheeere’s Rhinox?” He repeated the process. This time, the protoform kept his posture low.
While Rhinox was entertaining their youngest member, the rest of the Axalon was back on the bridge. Rattrap returned to messing with the controlling panel, much to Airazor’s annoyance.
“Well, there’s bad news and slightly less bad news.” He said after a second, dusting himself off. “It’ll take a miracle to get this ship off the ground again. The communication’s back online though!”
The Maximal was back on his feet. He moved a few switches on top of the console and then the speakers spat white noise. He let out a deep sigh.
“And nobody’s pickin’ up...” He stated.
“What about emergency signals from the deployed escape pods?” Optimus asked. “We evacuated the crew just before the crash. Surely some of them must’ve gotten out by now.”
“If we got somethin’, we’d know.” Rattrap said, checking the cables again. “Ya really don’t have to look at my hands while I’m workin’. I’m on your side.”
“I’m just making sure you don’t mess anything up.” Airazor said with a glare.
“There he- Ah!” Meanwhile, in the background, Rhinox revealed himself again. Without any warning, the cheetah bounced and tackled him to the ground. He began swiping at and biting him mercilessly, not giving him a chance to get up. The Maximal laughed, putting some futile resistance as he was being playfully mauled.
“Hey… What if we set up a satellite system?” Airazor offered after a moment of consideration.
“Great idea!” Optimus exclaimed, looking over his shoulder. “We should have some in the storage!”
“Apapapap!” Rattrap raised his head in alarm. “Nobody’s leavin’ till I make contact with Cybertron! The last thing I need is you nerds wanderin’ off.”
“Wander…?” Optimus couldn’t help but once again stare at him in awe. “We’re explorers. That’s literally our job description!"
“No, banana-breath. Right now, you’re castaways.” The spy argued. “And it’s my job to make sure nothin’ bad’s gonna happen to ya.”
“You say that like we didn’t risk our lives to save you just a few hours ago.” Airazor snapped.
“And that makes you special or somethin’? I almost got my tail bitten off just to make sure this hunk’a’junk stayed intact!” Rattrap grabbed and forcefully shoved his alt-mode’s tail to her face as if to prove a point. She grimaced in revulsion.
“Take that thing away from me, you disgusting little-!”
“Ooookay, that’s it! My crew’s split apart enough for my liking as it is.” Primal saw that things were getting heated and separated the two. They kept glaring at each other for just a second more. Then, the captain addressed the spy.
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing while others could be in danger. I think we should at least scout the area and see what we’re working with. It seems like a better choice than waiting around and hoping to be rescued.” He said diplomatically.
“Didn’t ya hear what your computer said?” Rattrap was having none of that. “There’s enough raw Energon outside to make ya burst like an oil balloon! And if those Preda-goons survived, I guarantee they’ll be out there too! I’m one spy, you’re one crazy data pusher, and in case you’ve forgotten…” He paused and made a swiping gesture with his whole arm.
“We’ve got a slaggin’ protoform in our company!”
“Cheetor!” A cheerful voice suddenly joined their conversation. The three arguing Maximals turned to Rhinox who was still on the ground and hugging the cheetah to his chest.
“You can call me Cheetor!” The youngling repeated, catching them off guard.
“Amazing how quick the development process can take, doesn’t it?” Rhinox chuckled. After a second, Cheetor finally jumped off him, granting him mercy.
“Did I hear we’re going outside?” He asked innocently as his tail swung from side to side. Optimus couldn’t help but brighten up immediately.
“Yes, we-”
“Absolutely not!” His mood soured even faster when Rattrap shouted. That got Cheetor to drop his smile.
“That’s it! For your own good and my sanity, I’m activating the emergency lockdown!” He warned, trying to get back to the panel. The small Maximal did it. Optimus was finally fed up.
“Sentinel,” He called quickly. “turn off the control panel!”
Before Rattrap did as much as lay a hand on it, the console lost its glow. When he tried to type something, nothing happened.
“Oh dear, the ship just stopped working!” Primal let out a theatrical gasp, much to Rattrap’s dumbfoundness. “Looks like we have to go outside and see what happened!”
“H-hey! Wait a second!” The small Maximal tried to protest.
“Could any of you lend your captain a hand?” Optimus asked, addressing everyone else.
“Your wish is my command.” Airazor took the hint and bowed jokingly. Cheeetor’s face lit up again. They all began heading towards the exit.
“No! Don’t you dare, ya hear?! Rhinox!” Rattrap ran after them.
“Sorry, Rattrap. I’m on the job today.” Rhinox spread his arms to his sides.
The hatch of the ship opened and Maximals stepped out in their beast-modes. Cheetor was bouncing excitedly.
“Ah, fresh ozone layer.” Primal said, taking a deep breath. After a second, he turned around and faced Rattrap. “See, Rattrap? There’s nothing to worry about-”
“Freedom!” Cheetor suddenly cheered. Without any warning, he jumped off the platform and started running.
“Cheetor, wait!” The Maximals shouted after him, but he was already out of their hearing range. All they could do was gape at him fading into the distance. The Axalon crew had not expected that an organic could move so fast…
Clap…
Clap…
Clap…
Primal didn’t even have to turn around to know that the slow clapping was coming from Rattrap. He refused to look him in the eye, avoiding his lethal squint.
The feeling of wind on his fur.
The ground, fleeting under his paws. Once soft as grass, then rough as gravel.
The landscapes, appearing and disappearing in a blink of an eye. Constantly changing.
Even though Cheetor wasn’t online for long, for the first time, he finally felt that he lived.
It didn’t matter where he headed, the cheetah kept running. He felt like if he kept it up, the world wouldn’t run out of the ground for him. The sheer thought of going like this forever made him laugh in delight.
At some point he tried to jump over a big puddle of water but didn’t quite make it and his back legs splashed water all over himself. The tingling, wet feeling it left was something he’d never experienced before.
The complications finally appeared when the youngling started feeling tired. His breath turned into panting and he slowed down. Cheetor was disappointed at first, but then noticed something else.
The terrain around him became much more clearer than during his fast run. The little details like the slightly yellowish grass and the scarcity of trees were all the more noticeable.
Then, his scenery began changing again. In the distance, he saw the complete opposite of his previous running ground. He spotted trees, many of them. Curious, Cheetor made a sharp turn and headed for the area.
After a few minutes, the youngling arrived at his destination. He was walking at that point, exhausted, but satisfied. The cheetah found himself in a jungle. It was breathtaking to him. Wherever he looked, something was catching his eye. Turning left, he saw giant vines. Turning right, lush green plants and flowers he had no idea existed.
Cheetor walked until he found a water stream. He had to stop, because he suddenly felt a strange sensation inside of him.
He didn’t know what he did, but it felt like pressing a switch. The youngling triggered a transformation and shouted in surprise. In one second, he was on four feet, in another, he was standing on two. Cheetor had to catch his balance quickly before he tripped. Thankfully, he managed to accomplish that.
Eyes wide and mouth agape, Cheetor stared down at himself. A pair of yellow hands greeted him in place of his spotted paws. The nearby stream suddenly looked very appealing. The youngling slowly walked over, kneeled before it and saw his reflection.
“Whoah…” He gasped in amazement, touching his head. Yellow helm. Blue freckled face. Bright yellow eyes. When he smiled, he saw canines poking through. He felt embarrassed that he got startled by them.
The rest of his new robot body was similar - yellow and blue paint, parts of his cheetah beast mode and metal skin. However, there was something else. Right there on his chest, he saw a green Maximal insignia. He couldn’t help but focus on it. The youngling tried to scratch it off, but it was fixed in place.
“Hey, guys? Do you know what that’s for?” Cheetor called and turned around. To his unpleasant surprise, he found himself completely alone.
“Guys?...”
The sky was clear, with little to no clouds to spare. It was a perfect day for a flight.
Airazor was soaring through the air on her new wings. Underneath, she saw the savannah-like land. There were many kinds of animals freely walking around, elephants, antilopes, and even big cats. Unfortunately, there was no sign of any cheetahs nearby, especially the one they were looking for.
“Do you see him?” Optimus’ voice reached her after a few minutes. It was coming from all the way down.
Primal, along with the rest of the Maximals, were sticking to the ground. While Airazor was circling them in the air, they were walking forward and searching from their position.
“No, still nothing!” Their flier shouted back. After a second, her attention returned back to the sky. The breeze hit her like a plane propeller and she couldn’t help but smile. “A real shame you don’t get to experience this! It feels so good to have wind on my feathers!”
“Glad at least someone’s happy…” Primal huffed. He scratched himself behind his gorilla ear. “The fur needs some getting used to, but looks like Sentinel was right. Do any of you feel any side effects of the raw Energon radiation?”
“I feel good.” Rhinox, who was walking behind him, said. He was less focused on the task and more so on the new environment. “Very good, in fact. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been to an organic world.”
After a second, something caught his attention. He stopped for a moment and lowered his head to a flower blooming on his way. He gave it a good sniff and the sweet scent instantly hit his nose. Rhinox made an appreciative sound before continuing to follow his captain.
Rattrap was walking on the back of the group. He also noticed the flower and stopped to inspect it…
He grabbed it and then picked it from the ground with one strong pull. Using its green stem, he started picking the gap between his teeth like a toothpick, continuing the rest of the walk on his hinge legs.
“So, uh… Your name’s Optimus.” Rattrap asked as he rejoined the group. When Rhinox saw the flower in his paws, he gasped. “Like that Optimus?”
“Yes, Rattrap, like that Optimus.” Primal couldn’t help but sigh. He suddenly heard a snort from the smaller Maximal. “What?”
“Oh nothin’, ‘fearless leader’. I just think it’s funny.” The rat admitted. “Ya ain’t gonna believe what the other guy’s called!”
“I see something!” Airazor suddenly called. The group came to a halt, except for Rattrap who bumped into Rhinox.
“Hey-!” He cried as he dropped the plant by accident.
“Did you find Cheetor?” Optimus asked.
“I don’t know, but something's definitely happening! Follow me!” She said and flew ahead. The Maximals wasted no time. Rattrap jumped on Rhinox and they started running after the falcon.
After a few minutes, Airazor led them towards the rocky mountains. No sooner than they entered the area and glanced around, they spotted movement ahead. The group sneaked behind a big rock they found on their way and peeked out to see what was happening.
They were met with an unusual sight, to say the least. A red pterodactyl, a gray scorpion and a green wasp were crawling around and knocking over the rocks. They were holding tools which were typical for Cybertronian miners. The Maximals noticed that they were carrying chunks they had mined beforehand and loading them onto a kart.
The red pterodactyl unloaded some and they saw a couple of bright blue shards landing inside. They immediately knew they were Energon crystals.
“Something tells me they’re not from around here either.” Primal whispered.
“I knew it.” Rattrap whispered back, then joined his hands and faced them. “Everyone liked the fieldtrip? Good. We need to skedaddle while we still can!”
“What about the Energon they’re mining?” Optimus asked. “Won’t that be a problem later?”
“The real problem will be when they spot us.” The rat said and was ready to turn away.
“Maybe we can reason with them.” Rhinox pondered, which made Rattrap groan. “I’m serious! I’ve known Predacons my whole life. Most of them are level-headed and understanding individuals.”
“Rhinox!...” The small Maximal was really trying to keep his voice down. “Love ya, buddy, but they are gonna shoot us before we get to talk!”
“Tragically, I have to agree with Rattrap.” Primal admitted. “They’ve already proven themselves to be hostile. We need a plan.”
Their little discussion abruptly ended when a couple of rocks fell on them. They looked up and their eyes went wide.
“Hello.” Tarantulas sung, sitting on top of their rock. Without any warning, he jumped.
The Maximals cried out and got out of the way. The purple spider landed on the ground where they had been standing just a moment ago, cackling like a maniac.
Their tactical retreat resulted in them revealing themselves. The Predacons were quick to abandon their mining equipment and surround them. Terrorsaur was blocking their east, Waspinator their west, Scorponok the north and Tarantulas everything else. To make matters worse, the ground underneath them began shaking.
“Ah, looks like our mysterious stunt pilots have survived as well!” Shortly after, Megatron emerged from between tall rocks. He joined Terrorsaur’s side and fully presented himself to their prisoners.
“I assume you’re the leader?” Optimus asked.
“How very perceptive of you!” Megatron grinned, glancing at each one of them.
“I admit, you have piqued my interest.” The Predacon continued. “It’s not every day that a group of simple researchers took down an entire warship. Have you accomplished that, or the absent members of your crew? I would like to know who to personally applaud.”
“We didn’t plan on it. We just acted on what the situation needed from us at the time.” Primal said, then narrowed his eyes. “You did kidnap all those protoforms…”
“So we did.” Megatron hummed. “And now, neither of us have them.”
“Should I dispose of them, Lord Megatron?” The scorpion asked.
“Not yet, Scorponok. We still have a few questions for them.” His captain replied. “I’m sure you have quite the story to tell! Why don’t we go back to our ship so you can tell us in excruciating detail?”
“Wait!” Rhinox interrupted. He stepped forward, which alerted the Predacons surrounding them. “We don’t have to do this.”
Rattrap grabbed onto his head anxiously as his friend spoke.
“Look at us, both stranded and without a way home.” The rhino continued. “Predacons and Maximals. If we work together, we can-”
“Silence!” Megatron interrupted him loudly, making the three cringe.
“You dare to speak about unity, filthy Maximal traitor? As if your people didn’t abandon us all those years ago to join the accursed Autobots?” The Predacon’s words became venomous. “I’ll make sure your end will be slow and painful. Yes. As soon as we finish with the Energon rations.”
“You mean those rations?!” Airazor shouted out of nowhere. Suddenly, she swooped from the sky, grabbed the Energon kart with her claws and then flew back up with her prey.
“Our Energon!” Waspinator shouted in distress. Primal used the fact that all eyes were on Airazor and shoulder-charged Megatron towards the nearby pit they had dug out. The t-rex shouted, falling all the way down.
“My lord!” Scorponok immediately ran to his leader’s rescue. Primal and Rhinox also took down the rest, clearing their path for a few seconds.
“Go! Go! Go!” Optimus ordered. Rattrap gripped Rhinox’s back and the three Maximals started dashing away from them.
Scorponok tried to help Megatron stand up, but he growled at his offer.
“Predacons!” As soon as he returned to his feet by himself, he yelled at his subordinates: “After them!”
The rest also recovered and threw themselves into a chase.
Airazor tried to find a more comfortable way of holding the trail full of Energon, but it was too heavy. Suddenly, she heard the most terrifying shriek of her life right behind her. Turning her head around, she noticed that Terrorsaur and Waspinator were on her tail.
Terrorsaur shot at her like a rocket. She managed to avoid him and his sharp beak, but he threw her off balance. This made her vulnerable to Waspinator's attack that came from the opposite side. She cried as he bumped her, making her spin. Some of the Energon pieces threatened to fall out of the kart.
Optimus and the rest were stampeding through the mountain area. Megatron, Scorponok and Tarantulas were beginning to catch up.
“Scatter!” Primal told the others. Rattrap held on while Rhinox made a turn to the right and split paths with Optimus. The two ran in the opposite directions, forcing the Predacons to choose. Megatron focused on the gorilla and the rest went after the rhino.
Primal grew to regret his path of choice pretty quickly. He entered difficult terrain full of bumps and large rocks spread all around. He had to be careful not to trip or hit his head as he kept running.
Megatron wasn’t as careful. He kept demolishing everything in his way - stomping the rocks, smashing an inconvenient boulder with his head, he was practically unstoppable. At some point he got dangerously close and tried to snap his jaws at Primal. He managed to escape it by jumping on the rocky wall.
Optimus’ rushing mind suddenly understood something. His new alt-mode allowed him to climb. Wasting no time, he pulled himself up and in seconds was standing on the rock. The Predacon didn’t let that stop him. He swung and broke the boulder with his tail. Before he fell, the gorilla jumped on another tall rock.
“What’s the matter, ‘Lord Megatron’?” He asked, catching his breath. “Can’t jump?”
“Feeling cocky, are we?” In response, Megatron transformed back. His t-rex head moved all the way to his arm and he used it to shoot at Primal. The Maximal shouted in surprise, jumping on another rock nearby. His previous spot was disintegrated.
Rattrap tried very hard not to fall off Rhinox’s back. His friend was charging at full speed through the mountain road as Tarantulas and Scorponok were closing in.
“Turn left!” The rat instructed and Rhinox obeyed, avoiding a bump.
“Turn right!” He said again after a second and the rhino did. The small Maximal looked out again, and this time, the entire area was blocked by large boulders.
“Dead end!” Rattrap alerted, pointing forward. Rhinox could hear the two Predacons behind him and instead just squinted. Much to his passenger’s dismay, he sped up.
“Rhinox! Rhinox, I’m tellin’ you there’s a dead end!” The ratformer shouted in panic. “Ya hear me, hornhead?!”
“No matter what happens, don’t let go!” Rhinox warned him and then braced himself. Shortly after, he finally came into contact with the rock wall. Instead of crashing on it, however, the material gave way to the Maximal’s horn. The path was cleared instantly, making the rocks fall all around, and they continued their get away. Unfortunately, so did their pursuers.
The assault on Airazor continued. She was being attacked from all sides, to the point where she lost her direction. Terrorsaur went first, then Waspinator followed. Then, they switched, with Waspinator striking first and Terrorsaur second. In order to escape them, she decided to be more proactive.
In the corner of her eye, she saw Waspinator coming at her again. Airazor let him go all the way towards her, but when he was supposed to reach her, she suddenly flew up. Instead of her, the Predacon collided his head with the mining kart’s surface, making a loud ‘thunk!’ sound.
Waspinator let out a disoriented whine. He went limp and suddenly started falling all the way down.
Airazor didn’t have time to celebrate for long. After a second, she heard Terrorsaur’s shriek somewhere nearby. She braced herself but it did her little good when he jumped out of the clouds at her. Straight away, he grabbed onto the other side of the kart, pulling her towards himself in the process.
The Maximal got over her quick shock and tightened her grip on the kart. Neither of them were letting go so they began wrestling with each other for it.
Back on the ground, Optimus was jumping from rock to rock, trying to escape Megatron’s blaster. They had greatly leveled the area by going like that for a while. The Predacon was unyielding in trying to shoot him down. Primal wasn’t making the task easy for him because his following moves were unpredictable and very much randomized.
Optimus jumped once more and then he finally ran out of boulders to climb on. Instead, he rolled off his current one, hearing one last explosion after him, and then returned on the ground, immediately starting to run. Megatron aimed and charged at him again. Without any warning, his whole body spasmed with electricity. The Predacon let out a pained groan and then transformed back.
Primal was looking behind him and observing how his opponent was shaking off the unexpected charge. When he saw that Megatron was far behind, he turned back forward. Then, he noticed that the two pathways joined again and seconds after he saw Rhinox and Rattrap. They were heading straight at him.
Optimus quickly began slowing, which resulted in him sliding on the rock.
“Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes!” Rattrap cried and the rhino began slowing down.
The Maximals avoided the collision at the last second. Both Primal and Rhinox managed to stop inches away from each other, panting heavily.
Unfortunately, Scorponok and Tarantulas arrived shortly after. Megatron caught up soon after. They were back at square one.
“Your resistance is futile.” The Predacon captain said. “And now, you will be coming with us.”
Back in the sky, Airazor and Terrorsaur continued to struggle for the Energon. Once she got the upper hand, making his grip on the kart more loose. Another time, the wind blew in the wrong direction and gave the pteroformer the advantage over her.
“I will personally pluck your feathers one by one if you don’t let go!” He warned, pulling his end towards himself.
“Not a chance, crooked beak! I stole it fair and square!” She retorted, pulling her end towards herself. Spinning in the air, both of their wings began beating faster as their competition became more intense.
Suddenly, the kart bumped in the air and fell out of Terrorsaur’s grasp. He tried to catch it again, but its handle slipped out of his claws. The vehicle tilted downwards, letting the gravity do its thing and letting its contents fall. Both Airazor and Terrorsaur stopped their fight, watching as if paralyzed as the Energon chunks began tumbling down.
Optimus, Rhinox and Rattrap all huddled together as the Predacons began approaching them. Rhinox and Primal looked ready to fight, but Rattrap jumped off his friend’s back and hid under his stomach. Megatron let out a low rumbling growl as if he was preparing to pounce.
Primal knew he had to do something. It seemed that Primus, wherever he was right now, still had him in his good graces. After a second, something flickered in his eye. Looking up, he distracted the Predacons and experienced another unusual sight.
The glimmering blue droplets were falling from the sky like rain. The raw Energon bits were closing in fast and were heading straight at them.
At this point, the Predacons saw them too. With them laser-focused on the sky, Primal had a chance to act.
“I have an idea, but you’re gonna hate it. Especially you, Rattrap.” He informed his comrades. Unexpectedly, he transformed.
“Me? What are you-?” Rattrap trailed off and made a horrified expression when Primal pulled out his blaster and aimed it at the sky. “Wait, no! No!”
The Maximal captain fired a single shot. It flew in the middle of the glimmering swarm and hit one of the chunks. That immediately caused a chain reaction. Firstly, the first chunk exploded. The blast devoured everything in its proximity, setting off another raw Energon bits ablaze. They went out one by one like firecrackers, leaving nothing but a thick dark cloud after the discharge.
The Predacons and Maximals stared at the fireworks. Suddenly, the cloud began growing bigger. They quickly understood it was not the mass that was changing, but rather the distance. Megatron, Scorponok and Tarantulas started running away from it, but only the spider hid in time. The smoke hit them with all its might, coating them and everything else in the area.
Airazor and Terrorsaur witnessed the whole thing going down from their position.
“Here, you can have this!” She said after a second and without any warning swung the empty kart at him. The Predacon squealed in surprise when she threw it, making it do a flip in the air, and then trap him inside of it. While he was trying to get it off him, she swooped down and headed for the cloud. In mere seconds, she dived inside in order to join the other Maximals.
After a few minutes, the smoke finally began settling. Tarantulas left his protective den. He could still see the Energon dust floating around.
Megatron and Scorponok coughed even as it cleared. They blinked rapidly, trying to restart their vision, and then noticed that The Maximals were gone.
Without any warning, Terrorsaur dropped from the sky inside of the empty kart nearby. He moaned groggily, slipping out of it on the ground.
“Search the area! They couldn’t have gotten far!” Megatron ordered without a second thought. The Predacons tried to collect themselves and then scattered. Glancing to the side, the captain spotted Tarantulas still staring at the den he had crawled into.
“I said search the area!” He repeated, louder. That got the spider to finally pay attention.
“At once, captain! At once…” Little did Megatron know, Tarantulas was holding something in his front legs. He set it on top of the den, making its front light flicker to life. It was one of his lightbulb drones.
As soon as he set it down, it transformed away its back and revealed a pair of wings. He let it fly away. In a few seconds, he could no longer see it. In a few minutes, it was out of the mountains.
Cheetor needed some time to adjust to his new form. Walking on two legs was different than on his four paws. He had to learn pretty quickly how to balance his bodyweight on top of them. Thankfully, the more he walked through the jungle, the better he was getting at it.
The youngling had found a fallen log just above a river running through the area. To test himself, he decided to walk on it. Step after careful step, arms raised to the side, he was progressing further on it.
When he finally crossed on the other side and was about to jump off, he felt sharp pain all over his body.
Shouting, Cheetor fell off the log and landed his side on the ground. His whole body was spasming and he didn’t know what was happening. In an act of desperation, he transformed back into a cheetah. Surprisingly, it helped. Blinking, he realized everything went back to normal.
The cheetah slowly sat up, shock and confusion still present on his face. After a second, he glanced down at his paws.
“Was that what they were talking about?” He asked himself. “The raw Energon build-up? No wonder they wanted to avoid it.”
Cheetor returned on his feet momentarily.
Snap!
The youngling froze when he heard a sudden sound of breaking branches. Seconds passed and it was followed by the rustle of the bushes. It was concerningly close to his position.
“H-hello?” He called. Nobody responded back. Cheetor frowned and bared his teeth. “If you’re here to try something, I’ll take you down! You don’t know who you’re messing with!”
Still no answer. The young Maximal carefully moved forward, trying to find the source of the sound. The jungle was still. Not a song from a bird, not a splash of the water. The silence made him unnerved. Perhaps it was the reason he didn’t notice a massive shadow behind him right away.
Finally, Cheetor whipped back and hissed in alarm. Then… he smiled.
“Oh, hey! You’re like me!” He said. The relief in his voice was unmistakable. The young Maximal dropped his defensiveness and faced the shadow.
“Listen, I… I think I got a little lost. I was with my friends and we were supposed to go outside, but then I started running and I think they couldn’t keep up.” He started explaining quickly. “I don’t know if I can call them my friends yet, but they’re all so nice! Well, not all, but… you know, most of them…”
Even after his company made their presence known to him, they still wouldn’t give him an answer. Instead, they left the bushes and began approaching the cheetah. The youngling sensed that something was wrong which immediately put out his smile again.
“I’m, uh… I’m Cheetor, by the way!…” He attempted, slightly backing off. “Do you have a name?...”
Something about them looking at him like this made him experience another new thing. Something he didn’t like to feel at all.
It made him feel scared.
A couple of loud laughters echoed through the area. The Maximals had left the mountains and went around, finding a new path. Everyone except for Rhinox was covered in Energon dust.
Optimus, who was walking right next to him, had his whole hair fluffied out and sparkling. So were Rattrap’s fur and Airazor’s feathers. The two other Maximals were traveling on the rhino’s back, she on the front and he in the middle. While the three of them were having fun, the ratformer was aggressively cleaning himself with his little paws, trying to remove the sparkling dust.
“You should’ve seen his stupid face when he collided with that kart! Whabam!” Airazor laughed, spreading her glimmering wings which almost knocked over Rattrap. He shot her a glare before moving further to the other side and turning his back on them.
“And you should’ve seen the size of the wall I smashed!” Rhinox grinned. Suddenly, he shook his head and made her chuckle. “I could take down that mountain any day!”
“That’s exactly why I signed up for this exploration!” Airazor exclaimed, gesturing with her wings. “New people, different worlds, and adventures at every corner!”
“I admit, I was terrified for a second.” Optimus said, calming down from his fit. “But we pulled it off! There is no force in the universe that’s going to stop my crew!”
Rattrap, who was listening in, stopped grooming himself for a second to roll his eyes.
“So, boss.” Airazor shook herself, returning to normal. “What’s our next step?”
“First of all, we need to find Cheetor.” Optimus said, patting the dust off his hair as well. “Then, we’ll focus on locating and retrieving the escape pods. I’d rather not have to face five Predacons in smaller ranks again.”
Rattrap had managed to remove most of the dust. The last sentence the gorilla said made his ears perk up.
“I’m worried about the lack of communication from their end.” Rhinox thought out loud. “At least one of them should've been awakened by now. Maybe the raw Energon is blocking their signal?-”
“Sorry, what’d you say?” The ratformer suddenly interrupted, stepping on top of Rhinox’s head and pushing Airazor out of the way. “Did you say five?”
“Uh… Yes?” Optimus replied, slightly confused. “I said five Predacons.”
“No, no, no. Last time I checked, there were six of ‘em.” Rattrap stated. The group halted.
“What?” Airazor asked.
“I’m tellin’ you, there was one more! Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t wanna meet him again. He’s a real piece of work, but…”
Optimus exchanged looks with Rhinox.
“I counted only five.” The rhinoformer said.
“In that case, where’s the last one?” Optimus asked.
Without any warning, they heard a loud roar just ahead. Rattrap recognized it immediately. He jumped off Rhinox and hid behind him. The other Maximals turned forward to see what was happening.
There was a velociraptor blocking their way. After seeing that the attention was on it, it started growling at them. They had no idea what it was doing there, but after a second, they came to a horrifying realization.
There was another, smaller silhouette curled up behind the velociraptor - a cheetah. When he noticed the Maximals staring at him wide-eyed, he couldn’t help but let out a meek chirp.
In turn, no Maximals dared to make a step further. They were completely locked on Cheetor and whoever had abducted him.
Chapter Text
The Maximals couldn’t tell how much time had passed since they got themselves into that situation. They felt like they were standing in place forever, unable to tear their eyes away from the velociraptor and poor Cheetor. One wrong word or even a twitch could lead to a catastrophe.
The dinosaur kept a close watch on them as well. He made sure to have a good look at each one of the Maximals, at least the ones who were visible. Eventually, he decided to stop and move on with whatever he was planning…
Unexpectedly, he turned his head back at his hostage. He didn’t say a word, but Cheetor seemed to understand him perfectly. The young Maximal considered, glancing between him and the rest a few times before doing anything. Finally, he made a few experimental steps forward. He remained in eye contact with the dinosaur the entire time…
Seeing that the velociraptor wasn’t reacting to him moving, Cheetor managed to step from behind him. He made some distance with him, in case it was a trap, and then immediately started running. The Maximals wasted no time and huddled around him.
“Are you alright?” Rhinox asked, scanning him.
“Yeah… I’m okay…” Cheetor said. Outside of being a little frightened, he was perfectly fine. After a second, Optimus turned back to the velociraptor.
“I demand an audience with your captain!” The dinosaur finally said. Primal blinked, unsure of what to do. When he sought guidance in Rhinox, the rhino seemed just as confused. The gorilla decided to stop stalling and face the problem head on.
Leaving the safety of his crew, Optimus came out to meet the mysterious individual.
“That would be me.” He said, stopping in front of the velociraptor but still keeping his distance. “I’m Optimus Primal. And you are?”
“My name is Dinobot.” The dinosaur introduced himself. Suddenly, he moved. Primal tensed when he started walking circles around him. The Maximals reacted, ready to step in at any second. Optimus raised his hand, silently telling them to hold on.
“Whatever it is that you want from us, I’m sure we can work out some kind of agreement.” Primal said, following him with his eyes. “No need to get violent.”
“You misunderstand my intention, Optimus Primal.” Dinobot said. “I have come to this planet as a Predacon. Your enemy. However, I have been betrayed by Megatron and his incompetent lackeys upon our arrival.”
He finally stopped, finding himself back in front of Optimus. The gorilla decided to let him continue.
“Attacking the Darksyde was beyond foolish. All odds were against you, and yet, you faced the danger with the courage of true warriors. In the end, you survived. Your Maximals have great potential. Perhaps someone could bring it out… Someone who knows your opponent personally.”
“You… Wait.” Optimus thought he’d overheard. “You want to join us?”
“I have much to offer.” Dinobot claimed. “Strategy, sensitive information, a profile of each of the Predacons and their capabilities…”
“That’s… a lot.” Primal eyed him suspiciously. “And what do you want in return?”
“Nothing!...” The Predacon purred, stretching his arms to the sides. “There is no price for my servitude.”
“In that case, we welcome any friendly faces we can get.” The captain said, offering him a polite smile.
“I’m afraid you misunderstand again.” The sudden tone change in Dinobot’s voice made that smile falter. Then, the Predacon straightened up and shouted:
“Optimus Primal! I hereby challenge you for the leadership of the Maximals!”
Primal was taken off guard.
The Maximals were also taken off guard. All of a sudden, a boisterous laugh came out from somewhere among them. After a second, Rattrap revealed himself by falling over from behind Rhinox and starting to roll on the ground.
“Ah, man-! I can’t-!” He said between wheezes. He realized what he did only after a second. His amusement momentarily vanished.
“... You?!” Dinobot snarled upon noticing him.
“Eep!” Rattrap squeaked and hid behind Cheetor this time. Optimus decided to step between the Predacon and his crew, blocking his view of the ratformer.
“Let’s keep it between us for now.” He requested. “Why would you want to be a Maximal captain?”
“... Megatron promised me glory.” Surprisingly, Dinobot seemed to listen and let go for the time being. “The one reserved only for the most exceptional leaders. I do not care what measures I have to take to achieve it. I assure you that with my knowledge and skills, the Maximals shall crush any opponents in our way!”
“This isn’t the way we do things!” Primal said, raising his arms in defence. “Please. Let’s think before making any rash decisions!”
“It’s too late for that.” Dinobot purred, taking a step forward. “I challenged you. You cannot refuse.”
“What’s he talking about?” Cheetor asked.
“A duel. The Predacons consider it a tradition.” Rhinox said. “When someone challenges a person in a position of power, they fight to see who’s better suited for it. The winner gets to earn or keep it. If the challenged refuses to fight, they are forever bound in shame.”
“Didn’t they stop doing them because too often they ended in…?” Airazor trailed off worriedly.
“Yes…” Rhinox said grimly. “The loser’s demise.”
“What?!” Cheetor cried.
“Draw your weapon and face me!” Dinobot shouted at Primal. “I will make it quick and painless!”
Optimus paused. After a second, he exhaled loudly.
“Alright…” He said at last, giving the other a confident expression. “But just so you know, I don’t intend to lose.”
“Good.” The Predacon smirked, tail swinging from side to side.
The two opponents stood across from each other. The second the duel was decided, something in the very air had changed. The world around them slowed down and the only important thing in it became the person they had in front of each other. As soon as their t-cogs sent commands to their bodies, switching into robot modes, the clock started ticking.
Despite the situation at hand, Optimus Primal kept his cool. He reached for his back and pulled out a pair of large blades typically used for cutting obstacles during expeditions. He remained still as a stone as he faced his rival.
Dinobot, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic in a way. He wasted no time and pulled out his weapons - a large skeleton-sword and a spinning shield.
The Maximals impatiently waited for the battle to begin. Even Rattrap peeked out from behind Cheetor and observed what was happening.
Finally, Dinobot couldn’t keep himself contained any longer. With a battle cry, he pounced at Optimus and the duel began.
The sword clashed against swords. Then again. Dinobot kept striking while Primal deflected his every swing. Upwards. Downwards. He defended himself quite well. Finally, he found an opening and hit the Predacon’s forehead with a dull side of one of his blades. His opponent didn’t react much and then headbutted him in retaliation.
Primal groaned, feeling his head spin for a bit. Without any warning, Dinobot knocked him over with his shoulder. Even on the ground, Optimus crossed his knives and blocked his opponent’s attack who jumped on top of him. After a second, his optics turned green.
“Laser eyes! He has laser eyes!” Rattrap suddenly warned from a distance.
Thanks to the quick reaction, Primal moved his head out of the way just in time and avoided two laser beams that Dinobot shot at him. He burned a hole in the ground instead. The Maximal captain pulled his knees to his stomach and then kicked Dinobot’s chest with all his might. The impact pushed him away, allowing him to roll out of the way and return on his feet.
“Once I win, I will hold a victory feast! The vermin shall be the main course!” Dinobot growled at their audience. Rattrap gulped.
Optimus was the one who attacked first this time. Roaring, he charged at his opponent at full speed. The ferocity with which he struck back seemed to catch Dinobot off guard because his first defensive clashes were more sloppy compared to others. However, he regained his rhythm momentarily.
The next time the Predacon’s eyes turned green, Primal was ready. He withdrew all of a sudden and then high kicked his opponent’s chin, forcing him to look up. The laser beams were shot into the sky by an accident.
“Come on, captain! You have a chance!” Airazor cheered competitively. After a second, she began chanting: “Op-tim-us! Op-tim-us!-”
Cheetor glanced at her. He had no idea what she was doing, but he wanted a part of it. He joined in, beating his front paws against the dirt in rhythm and getting progressively more into the duel.
“Op-ti-mus! Op-ti-mus!-” The two voices eventually reached Primal and Dinobot. Surprisingly, both of them turned their heads towards them mid-attack. Optimus couldn’t help the grin from appearing on his face. Dinobot seemed just the opposite. He grit his teeth so hard they almost broke. The Predacon shouted as his attacks became faster and harder. Primal had to step up to his level fast.
While their battle was raging on, unbest known to any of them, other spectators appeared on the small mountain nearby.
“There, I see them!” Scorponok said, pointing forward with his claw. Soon, the other Predacons joined him.
“He’ll overheat, huh?” Terrorsaur side-eyed Tarantulas.
“I suppose his new beast-mode is stronger than I gave it credit for.” The spider shrugged.
“Oooh! Wazzzpinator lovezzz a good duel!” Waspinator rubbed his legs together in excitement. “Wazzzpinator betzzz hizzz money on the fuzzzy one!”
“I hope both of them drop dead.” Terrorsaur deadpanned. Tarantulas nodded with a concerningly dreamy hum.
“What a fine idea you got there, Terrorsaur! Let us put a twist into this outdated ritual.” Megatron mused and then scanned their surroundings.
They might have not been in the mountains anymore, but the current terrain still remained influenced by them. There was this one particularly large rock standing above the place where the duel was taking place.
Wasting no time, Megatron transformed. He started launching as many missiles as his arsenal allowed him at his new target. The rest of the Predacons followed his suit when they realized what he was doing.
“Aww…” Waspinator hung his head. He took the longest to comply, but soon he was transforming and contributing to the impending destruction.
While Airazor and Cheetor kept cheering for their captain, Rattrap and Rhinox were more on the edge. Both of them looked anxious at the whole ordeal, dreading the inevitable finale when one of the rivals would fall.
Suddenly, they were distracted by something on the ground. A couple of shadows were flying just above their heads. Taking their eyes to the sky, they both inhaled sharply.
“Look out!” Rhinxo shouted.
However, by the time they got everyone’s attention, it was far too late. The missiles took a direct hit at the rock, causing a gigantic explosion to erupt.
The Maximals felt the ground under them shaking. Primal and Dinobot were forced to stop mid-duel as they felt it, too. It was getting stronger.
The debris crumbled and tumbled down the peak all the way through the rest of the mountain. Very soon, it turned into a huge avalanche.
“Take cover!” Optimus ordered. The Maximal didn’t have to be asked for long. They all ran to find some kind of hiding spot.
The rocks came crashing down, destroying everything on their path. Cheetor and Rattrap hid inside a nearby cave and avoided being squashed. Rhinox managed to break some of them with his horn, but he eventually was overpowered and forced to retreat.
Airazor tried to fly away. Unfortunately, before she flew a proper distance, she was hit by one of the falling rocks. She cried out, falling back on the ground.
Through all of the chaos, Optimus managed to spot his pilot. She was laying, covering herself with her wing as the rocks kept assaulting her. Looking around, the captain saw that Rattrap and Cheetor’s cave was nearby.
“Rattrap! Go get Airazor!” He shouted. Optimus wasn’t one hundred percent sure if the ratformer had heard him, but by the way he backed off, he assumed he communicated to him to count him out. Primal groaned.
Airazor tried to crawl towards some safe zone, but all she could see was stones and gravel. Her wing hurt like it was about to fall off at any second. Still, she wasn’t giving up. In her state, she couldn’t see that three large boulders were heading right at her. Before they reached her and finished the job, they were suddenly crushed to dust by a surprise explosion.
Primal ran over to her, blaster in hand, and grabbed her with his free hand. Then, he threw her high towards the cave. Cheetor and Rattrap saw her, and this time, the two caught her and pulled her inside.
In consequence, Optimus was left on his own. He blasted a few more boulders on the way. Suddenly, he was hit by a large rock and fell to the ground. Before he had a chance to stand up, his foot was crushed between two boulders, causing him to scream in pain. To make matters worse, his whole body began short circuiting.
As he was returning to his beast mode, the avalanche was gaining in intensity. He was unable to stop what was coming next.
Before the boulders terminated Optimus, Dinobot stood in their way. He shielded him with his own body as the rocks fell on the two of them.
Finally, the avalanche came to an end. The path became nothing more than a rock grave. Nothing in its proximity was moving at all. The Predacons waited just to make sure of that.
“Yes.” Megatron finally said, pleased. The rest of them cheered, shooting their weapons to the sky in triumph. Then, their leader ordered: “Scorponok, take Waspinator and Tarantulas!-”
Abruptly, Tarantulas’s spider eyes flickered with red light, startling him.
“Search the place and bring any survivors to me!”
“Megatron!” The spider unexpectedly called. “If I may, I think I’ve found something that will be of greater interest to you.”
Megatron was displeased about the rude interruption, but nonetheless, Tarantulas had his attention.
After a while, something under the rocks twitched. Without any warning, Rhinox burst from under them with a labored groan. Others treated it as a cue. Cheetor, Rattrap and Airazor pushed as many rocks out of the cave’s entrance as possible and exited it. Once they were out, the falcon looked over one of her wings and noticed a concerning dent with the lack of organic tissue on its back.
“Optimus?” Was the cheetah’s first concern after returning to the surface. He spun his head around, but he couldn’t see his captain. “Optimus?!”
Somewhere nearby, a couple of boulders were thrown into the air. The commotion was accompanied by at this point familiar growl. The Maximals knew where they were heading next.
Optimus coughed, trying to get the dirt, sand and small pebbles out of his system. He wasn’t ungrateful by any means, but he was astounded that he managed to stay in one piece. Then, he sensed a presence above him and looked up.
Dinobot was still by his side - panting, barely holding his weapons, but keeping his posture straight. Without any warning, he shouted as he was electrocuted. The Predacon had little to no options than to switch to his other form.
“Why’d you save me?” Optimus couldn’t help but ask as he was transforming. “The duel would’ve been over. You’d win.”
“I’d win nothing!” Dinobot snarled, at last facing him in his velociraptor form. “The only way I would've earned my leader title would be through the path of honor. Not opportunity."
The Maximal took in his words. His shock faded and was replaced by something a little less clear.
“Optimus!” There was no time for somber thinking because Cheetor ran up to him with that impressive speed of his. He almost tackled the gorilla, making him chuckle. “You’re okay!”
Soon, others joined as well.
“Is everyone alright?” Optimus asked, letting the youngling go.
“More or less…” Airazor said, showing him her injured wing.
“Nothing I can’t fix.” Rhinox stated.
“What even happened?” Cheetor asked. “The mountain just fell apart!”
“Predacons happened.” Rattrap hissed. All the heat in his voice was reserved for Dinobot. The Predacon was glaring back, just as intensely. “I’m tellin’ ya, it was all a setup! He distracted us so his pals could bury us six feet under!”
“You think Megatron’d sacrifice his own crew to get us?” Rhinox questioned.
“‘Course he would! I bet they’re still here and waitin’ for the right moment to scrap us!” The rat said with full confidence.
“I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, little mouse.” The Predacon said condescendingly. “If the Predacons were still here, they would’ve finished all of us by now. It seems they have found a better use of their time.”
“Oh, I’ll show ya a little mouse, you oversized slag-spewin’ dino nugget!” Rattrap stood on his hinge legs, wiped his nose and then raised his fists. All it did was amuse Dinobot.
Suddenly, Primal’s hand landed on Rattrap’s shoulder, making him stop.
“That’s enough, Rattrap!” He told him sternly.
“Stay outta this, monkey wrench! This business is between me and him!” The spy snapped.
“Not anymore.” Optimus stated, pushing him back. Rattrap was too stunned to react at first. It gave the Maximal time to approach Dinobot himself.
“Did you mean what you said? About helping us?” He asked.
“What does it matter now?” Dinobot snarled. “I’m not going to be the Maximal leader.”
“No, but it’s like you said. Megatron is definitely planning something and we’re going to find out what. We could use someone who knows him personally.” Unexpectedly, Optimus smiled.
“Besides, you seem reasonable in your own way. For a Predacon, you even have qualities I would commend. If you want, you could still join us.”
“What?!” Rattrap’s jaw landed on the floor. Dinobot seemed just as shocked.
“Is… that really a good idea, captain?” Airazor questioned.
“See?! Even beaks here thinks it’s a bad idea!” Rattrap said, pointing at Airazor rudely. She immediately frowned at him for that. “There’s no way I’m lettin’ you-!”
“Letting me?” Optimus suddenly interrupted him. “Who says I need your permission to add someone to my crew?”
“That ain’t a crewmember!” The rat protested. “That’s a criminal! A Predacon! He can’t be trusted!”
“Really? Just a second ago, he risked his own life to save mine. He didn’t have to, but he helped out without me having to ask…” Optimus finished, almost bitterly: “Unlike some people.”
“... Oh…” Rattrap scowled. “Oh, so I don’t wanna get pancaked just ‘cause you said so and suddenly I’m the bad guy?!”
“If we are ever going to make it out of here, we need to work together! You don’t seem to get it yet!” Primal retorted, and to Rattrap’s anger, turned back to Dinobot. “I hope at least you do.”
“My initial goals are the same as before the duel.” The Predacon snarled. “I am in desperate need of allies. Your Maximals will do.”
“Oh, for bootin’ up cold!” Rattrap shouted at Optimus, then turned to the rest of the Maximals. “Don’t you get a say in this?! You’re seriously okay with rollin’ out a red carpet for chopperface to your ship?!”
The Maximals looked back at him - Rhinox apologetically, Airazor peeved and Cheetor avoided eye-contact with him all together.
“... He was being weird about it, but he did help me get back to you.” The youngling finally said. The spy felt utterly hopeless.
“Looks like it’s decided, then! All Maximals, let’s get out of this stoneyard!” Optimus ordered. His crew, and now Dinobot, followed his lead.
Rattrap was still rooted in place, head hung and dumbly staring at the ground. After a second, a strained nervous laugh came out of him.
“We’re all gonna die...”
The Predacons found their way to a ravine. The contrast between green plants and gray stones made the search for whatever they were looking for more difficult. Tarantulas was on the lead this time. Wherever he went, they followed, scanning their surroundings.
Waspinator was buzzing in circles around the group, inspecting the trees. He stopped, looking down at the tall grass and after a second picked up something.
“Izzz thizzz what we’re looking for?” He asked, presenting a fallen log to his comrades.
“How dumb are you? Do you really think we can use that as a weapon?!” Terrorsaur snarled at him. Swiftly, a piece of log flew at him and hit him in the head, making him shout.
“Workzzz juzzzt fine for Wazzzpinator!” Waspinator shrugged, then burst into laughter.
“Why you little-?!” The red pterodactyl shook. Without any warning, he shrieked and pounced on Waspinator. The two started battling each other on the ground. Megatron and Scorponok paid them no attention and continued walking.
“You know, Tarantulas…” The Predacon leader spoke after a second. “I may not be an expert per say, but perhaps we would go through far less trouble if you just told us what you have discovered. If this finding of yours proves to be underwhelming, we have left the battlefield for nothing.”
“Oh, I assure you, it will be worth it.” Tarantulas claimed, glancing at the scanner in his front leg. “The thing is, I’m not sure what it is myself. It’s not Energon. In fact, it’s not of Cybertronian origin at all.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s almost non-existent, yet visible. And seems strong enough to power our ship for years to come! So many possibilities just around the corner!… Pick up the pace!” Tarantulas suddenly bounced back at the Predacons and shouted. He managed to startle them with the sheer commanding tone in his voice.
Megatron’s glare immediately made him calm down. Even Waspinator and Terrorsaur broke their fight, with Terrorsaur stuck halfway pushing the other’s head into a stinging nettle as they stared at the whole thing.
“Forgive me…” Tarantulas said to his leader after a second, bowing his head. “I did not mean to overstep.”
“I do hope so.” The Predacon t-rex warned, walking past him. “Remember which one of us is the leader and never use that tone with me again.”
The spider didn’t say another word. He looked back at the scanner, continuing to lead and seemingly ignoring what had just transpired. The Predacons exchanged glances.
Waspinator used the fact that Terrorsaur was distracted and pushed himself off him. As fast as he could, he followed Megatron’s lead. The red pterodactyl growled, but then he and Scorponok rejoined the rest.
Sniff. Sniff.
Dinobot kept his snout low, sniffing the ground before him. After a second, he paused and straightened up. Rotating his head, he tried to catch the right scent…
“This way!” He finally told the Maximals behind him and began walking forward. Optimus and the rest of his group followed him. Airazor was nestled on top of Rhinox, the injured wing settled in a comfortable position.
“That’s how we found you.” Cheetor said. “He sniffed my head and knew exactly where to go.”
“Oh, yeah. Cause that’s a normal thing to do.” Rattrap commented. “Ya really know how to pick ‘em.”
“Maybe if someone didn’t leave me to die, my wing would’ve been fine and we wouldn’t need a tracker.” Airazor said, moving her wing a bit as if to present it to the ratformer.
“Maybe if someone was a little more careful in the first place!...” Rattrap snapped back, shaking his head. “Aw man… We’re walkin’ straight into a trap, aren’t we? I mean, seriously, are we really gonna believe that a Predacon wants to be a Maximal?”
“Why not?” Optimus shrugged. “At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice.”
“Oh, gimmie a break!” The small Maximal said. “I bet he’s just here to get back in Megatron’s good graces by wipin’ us out from the inside! Predacons don’t change! They already think they’re better than anyone else!”
“Okay, I’ve had enough of this.” Cheetor chimed in. “What’s with this whole Maximal-Predacon discourse? Is this why we all have these strange badges?”
An uncomfortable silence swooped over them.
“Right!...” Rattrap cried, slapping himself in the face. “Spots here was born this mornin’!”
“We have history.” Rhinox began explaining. “At some point, all Maximals were known as Predacons.”
Cheetor blinked at him dumbly.
“Maybe I should explain that one.” Optimus offered. “Predacons as a race existed long before our current time. They were fearsome warriors and the first to rule over Cybertron, our home planet. We don’t know that much about them since the majority of their existence has been wiped clean by the tragedy known as the Great Cataclysm...”
“They were deemed extinct until the Great War between two older factions - Autobots and Decepticons. The Decepticon scientist named Shockwave discovered a way to create clones of the ancient Predacons. He turned them into living weapons… They were raised in laboratories to fight, kill and die for the Decepticon cause.”
“That sounds… awful.” Cheetor commented.
“It was.” Optimus confirmed. “The Decepticons are not kindly looked upon in our society. Especially after the… I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“We are what they call the New Generation. The first of us, although not exactly born in the same way, is Predaking. Former creation of the Decepticons, now ruler of Eukaris, the Predacon kingdom.”
“They say he’s the most powerful being on the planet.” Airazor whispered. “There are rumors that he once broke an ancient weapon known for being indestructible.”
“Not only that, but he can see glimpses of his past life. Most of what we know of the ancient Predacons is thanks to him.” Rhinox added.
“Whoah…” Cheetor murmured back.
“Yeah, yeah, the guy’s great and all…” Rattrap inserted himself. “Let’s not forget the part where he absolutely blew it at the whole rulin’ thing!”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it that, but…” Primal finally took over again.
“Predaking used to have a very strict isolation policy. No Predacon could leave the kingdom and no outsider could get in. Not everyone was happy about it. One day, a group of his subjects publicly confronted Predaking. Their words touched the sparks of many Predacons in Eukaris. They presented their vision of peaceful Cybertron achieved through unity and mutual integrity of all its inhabitants.”
“And they were silenced for it!” Rattrap interrupted again.
“Perhaps we should organize a historical reenactment.” Dinobot unexpectedly said.
“I’m in.” Airazor joined.
“Hey! Who said you could eavesdrop, lizard lips?!” Rattrap retorted. Optimus continued once they were done.
“The group was banished from the kingdom. However, as they were heading for the gates, more Predacons joined their side. Eukaris might’ve even lost half of its population that day. The exiled Predacons arrived in Iacon where they struck a partnership with the Autobots who in turn helped them establish their territories.”
“With time, a new faction was on the rise. The former Predacons distanced themselves from Predaking’s teachings, but didn’t assimilate to the Autobots’ rules either. They began establishing their own laws and moral codes. Very soon, the original group formed a council and called themselves the Maximals. They were known as such ever since. It’s who we are…”
“So…” Cheetor said, continuing walking forward. “Maximals and Predacons are basically the same?”
“We may be of the same kind,” Dinobot said. “but we couldn’t be any more different.”
“Yeah. For example, we’re not as evil.” Rattrap said. “Or dumb, or ugly-”
“Rattrap!” Rhinox shouted in exasperation.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that offensive?” The rat asked, fluttering his nonexistent eyelashes at his friend. “Y’know what’s also a bit offensive? Tryin’ to wipe us outta the star map for bein’ Maximals!”
His shout was directly addressed at Dinobot. The former Predacon growled in response.
“Maximals and Predacons can never go back to what they had. There are tensions and strong feelings on both sides, but we try to keep our relationship positive.” Rhinox finished, then sighed. “Until today, I would’ve told you we were succeeding…”
“This is why we have to stop Megatron.” Optimus said. “Whatever he’s planning to do with the Golden Disk, it’s clear he wants to make that alliance even more difficult. The Maximals were formed to prevent another war, so it’s our duty to at least try.”
“... Duty, huh?” Cheetor nodded. For the rest of their walk, he was silently considering all the information he was given.
Finally, the Maximals reached the ravine as well. Dinobot led them deep into the land, where sun didn’t reach the ground at times due to the large trees growing everywhere. Eventually, however, the forest parted and the group halted.
There were no Predacons in sight, but they did find… something. They had a hard time describing it. It looked like a giant stone, but its surface seemed off compared to the rest of the planet’s resources. It had an oval shape and perfectly polished edges. What was most bizarre about it was the fact that it had some kind of engravings on it.
“That’s… unusual.” Rhinox said. Optimus decided to step closer. The images were like nothing he’d ever seen. The closest shapes he could make out were various triangles, but the rest was pretty much undepictable.
The gorilla wasn’t sure whatever it was in particular that prompted him to act, but after a second, his hand landed on the rock. The first thing he noted was that it was emitting some kind of strange energy. The captain had enough when he felt it being transmitted to his body and stepped away. The tingling disappeared the second the contact was broken.
“Fascinating…” He mused, glancing at his palm.
“Can I try it, too?” Cheetor asked curiously.
“Sure, why don’t you give it a good lick while you’re at it? See if it tastes more like a rock or a radioactive super poison.” Rattrap said sarcastically, then turned to Rhinox. “Is it really so hard to afford survival instinct nowadays?”
Airazor waddled closer, inspecting the rock herself. She decided to look behind it and then made a discovery. There was another stone some distance away. It was in much rougher shape than the first one. It was only half its size and its surface looked cracked. All around it was laying dazzling gravel.
“I know a crash landing when I see one.” She said, facing others. “I think one of the pods could be nearby!”
That certainly lifted the group’s spirits up. All except for Dinobot, who looked uneasy for some reason. Optimus seemed to be the only one to notice, or at least care.
“Everything alright?” He asked him.
“Not in the slightest.” Was the response he got. “For all his sickening spewing of words, the vermin was right about one thing-”
Suddenly, a collection of charging blasters and cocking guns erupted all around them. The Maximals froze.
“We have fallen into a trap.” Dinobot finished.
After a second, the Predacons stepped out of their hiding places in robot modes. They had their weapons raised at them. Megatron stepped forward, showing off that he was holding something large. It was a stasis pod.
“I had a feeling we couldn’t get rid of you so easily.” The Predacon leader said. “I gave you a way out, but you crawl right back to us. And with quite the lovely addition to your ranks!”
Dinobot growled at him dangerously.
“This is between us, Megatron!” Optimus said. “There’s no need to involve anyone else!”
Without any warning, Megatron took a better hold of the pod and grabbed it with his two hands. The t-rex head began biting into it, making its surface crack in a few places. The worst of it all was the sound of breaking glass. It was coming from Megatron’s side, because he had its front turned to himself for some reason. That detail wasn’t lost on Dinobot.
The Maximals gasped, not daring to move. The Predacon leader stopped after a second, laughing.
“I strongly disagree!” He said with an infuriating grin. “Now…You will give us your weapons and surrender. Try anything and your little friend will never wake up ever again. It would be a real shame, wouldn’t it?”
The group had little choice on the matter but to scowl at the Predacons. Optimus had so many things to say to Megatron, but the pod in his captivity took priority at the moment. Going through every scenario in his head, every idea he tried to force out of his brain, everything was failing him. There was one thing left to do…
The captain was very hesitant to do so, but after a second, he began transforming. Dinobot wrinkled his snout at him for that. The Maximals looked like they were about to protest as well, but they understood the necessity perfectly. Seconds later, they followed his suit.
They began dropping their blasters, blades and everything they found on themselves. Rattrap in particular had a lot to give - two blasters, some kind of knives, and a bunch of tiny balls in various shapes and colors. He had a hard time parting with any of his arsenal, but the insistent gaze of Rhinox helped him out with that.
By the end, Dinobot was all that was left. He was still in his beast mode.
“I’m afraid this means you too, Dinobot.” Megatron said. “Nothing personal, of course. It’s just what happens when you join the losing team.”
Dinobot was staring at him intensely. One of his eyes wandered to peek at Optimus, who practically begged him to comply. The former Predacon bared his teeth at both him and Megatron, but eventually, he transformed as well.
First, he kneeled and put down his shield, slowly and carefully. When it was a turn for his sword, he seemed to pick up even more sluggish pace.
“Hurry up, traitor!” Scorponok barked at him. Dinobot paid him no mind and instead discreetly focused on the pod in Megatron’s hold.
His hand was almost touching the dirt…
Suddenly, the warrior snarled.
All it took was one swing of his arm and his sword was flying. The Maximals weren’t even able to comprehend what was happening until it was far too late. The blade pierced the pod and almost went through Megatron's eye. The shocked Predacon leader had to drop the device when the weapon began drilling towards him. A painful crunch could be heard from the inside as its lights went out upon impact.
“No!” Primal shouted.
“I told you!” Rattrap spat. “I told you he was-!”
“The stasis pod is empty! Destroy your enemies!” Dinobot immediately warned and his eyes turned green. He began shooting at the Predacons, forcing them to retreat.
Without thinking much, the Maximals collected their weapons before scattering around the ravine. Dinobot charged at Megatron, not letting him make use of his weapons. The new Maximal tried to slash him with his claws, but he blocked. Then, Megatron pushed him and made him fall. Dinobot supported himself with the pod on the ground and released his sword before coming at him again.
Airazor hid behind the strange rock and quickly loaded her blaster. The falconformer looked out and began shooting at Terrorsaur who flew in the air. He quickly took notice of her and opened fire as well. She pressed her back to the rock as she pulled back. It was surprising to her how it managed to handle being shot at. She could feel something strange happening to her, but she figured it was the same for Optimus. Ignoring the sensation, she kept fighting.
Cheetor was with Rattrap against Tarantulas and Waspinator. While Rattrap was firing from behind a pile of normal rocks, Cheetor on the back was searching himself. He suddenly pulled out something.
“Hey, Rattrap? Is this going to be useful?” He asked. Rattrap turned around and saw him holding a slender gun made out of what he could best describe as his own organic guts. A gut-gun.
“Where’d you get that?!” The Maximal asked back, bewildered.
“I don’t know, I just had it!” Cheetor said, looking at it troubled. “How do I use it?”
Rattrap grumbled, then used his free hand to grab the younger Maximal’s wrist.
“Just keep pullin’ that funny switch on the bottom and I’ll do the rest!” He said. Cheetor did as he was instructed and Rattrap started stirring his aim. The double fire forced the two Predacons to change positions, all while still blasting at them.
Scorponok cornered Rhinox. His two pincers and tail were heating up, ready to attack. The Maximal had no choice but to pull out what looked like two handles with flat dishes on top.
“This is your last warning!” The rhinoformer claimed. This only caused the Predacon to laugh.
“Oh, please!” He said. “Do you think I’m scared of a wimp like you?”
As a response, Rhinox pressed two buttons on top of the handles. They began transforming away, extending, splitting apart, and wrapping around the Maximal’s shoulders. Momentarily, two machine guns appeared in his hands along with very much full magazines.
Scorponok let out a startled whine. Rhinox suddenly fired at him, aiming under his feet. The Predacon danced around the flying shells, then tried to get away from the Maximal. Rhinox began chasing him around the ravine, still emptying his ammo on him.
Optimus joined Dinobot and Megatron’s fight momentarily. Their swords, instead of against each other, were fighting together. The Predacon leader still tried to crush both of them, if it weren’t with his t-rex head, it was with his own tail sword.
Optimus slashed. Megatron counterattacked. Dinobot hit him from the other side. Megatron grabbed Optimus with his jaws and threw him at Dinobot.
The two quickly collected themselves. As they were standing back up, they exchanged a glance. Some kind of understanding was formed between them.
When Megatron tried to blast them, Dinobot released his own laser eyes and blocked his beam, causing an explosion. With that distraction, the warrior roared. He jumped out of the cloud of smoke in his dinosaur form. He bit Megatron’s free arm, but he quickly pushed him away.
Dinobot stepped back and for some reason braced himself. Without any warning, Primal jumped out of the cloud after him. He landed on Dinobot who ducked and then boosted him towards their enemy. With a battle cry, Optimus punched Megatron square in the face.
The Predacon leader groaned, opening himself to more attacks. Optimus and Dinobot teamed up and kept beating him down, slashing and kicking.
Terrorsaur was circling Airazor’s position, trying to force her to leave the rock. Despite its sturdiness, it began to dent and crack as well. She got tired of being a prey very soon. As the Maximal was thinking of her next step, her injured wing came into view.
She wished she had an explanation for that, but there was none. She lost the focus on her opponent and glanced behind herself. The energy from the stone was running through her wing. To her shock, the organic tissue was slowly rebuilding itself.
“What?...” Airazor couldn’t help but murmur. Suddenly, an explosion happened right next to her and she was finally forced to leave. Terrorsaur laughed when he saw her run.
The wing finally came back to normal. The falconformer was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and decided to make the best of it. When Terrorsaur fired at her again she jumped out of the way and landed on a boulder, then bounced off the stone wall, and finally, spread her wings and took to the sky. The chances were finally evened and she fired back with everything she got.
Rattrap and Cheetor (but mostly Rattrap) seemed to corner Tarantulas and Waspinator. All of their hiding spots were blasted and the only available option were the trees. They weren’t all that great as a shield against lasers.
After a second, Cheetor spotted something in the distance that made him get distracted. Megatron trapped Dinobot and Optimus under him. He threatened to bite off the captain’s face with his t-rex head while he was desperately holding it back. The warrior wasn’t in a better position at all. The Predacon leader was slowly overpowering him, forcing his sword lower and lower while Dinobot was blocking it with his own.
The youngling couldn’t help but feel another negative emotion that made him frown. This time, instead of paralyzing him, it gave him motivation to do something.
Suddenly, he freed his hand from Rattrap, catching him off guard, and fired two shots at Megatron. They hit him in the back, making him growl in pain. Seeing him distracted, both Dinobot and Optimus grabbed onto him. With their combined efforts, they pushed him off themselves.
Cheetor was about to throw his hands into the air to celebrate when Rattrap pushed him down to hide behind the rock. Tarantulas and Waspinator’s fire increased to the point they couldn’t peek out anymore.
“Ya cloud-headed dolt!-” The smaller Maximal barked at the other. “Finish your own battles before startin’ another!”
“I was just trying to help!” The youngling retorted.
“Help yourself first!” Rattrap said and kept pushing the youngling’s head to the ground.
Tarantulas and Waspinator kept blasting while laughing maniacally. Their amusement quickly vanished when Scorponok ran behind them, screaming. His armor was punctured by a number of dents and bullet holes. When the two Predacons saw what he was running from, they gasped and joined him. Rhinox came by and continued his onslaught.
Rattrap saw them leaving in a hurry. So did Cheetor. The young Maximal tried to get up, but the ratformer wouldn’t let him. Instead, he flipped his blaster’s rifle and unexpectedly exchanged it for a different, more narrow one. After a second, he aimed from the bottom of the rock and shot out a couple of small, brown pebbles that landed right under the escaping Predacons’ feet.
As soon as they came into contact with them, a small explosion went off for each pebble they had stepped on, making them yell in surprise.
“Jackpot!” Rattrap grinned, finally releasing Cheetor and jumping out of his hiding spot. The cheetahformer tried to catch up.
One by one, the Predacons finally started falling.
Airazor gained an upper hand against Terrorsaur, hitting one of his jet wings and forcing him back on the ground.
Rhinox, Rattrap and Cheetor surrounded Scorponok, Waspinator and Tarantulas from three sides. Smoke was still coming out of them.
Even Megatron soon laid defeated. Without any warning, two blades were pushed toward his throat.
“Stay down!” Optimus told him. Megatron’s eyes moved around the place, seeing that the rest of his forces were also unable to continue fighting. Tarantulas was the only one looking back at him. The Predacon leader saw him giving him a bow of his head.
Despite the defeat, Megatron didn’t look bothered at all. He faced the two again.
“You are still so full of surprises. Yes.” He said, smiling at them concerningly. “I suppose this is where it all ends. My ambitions lay in ruin, destroyed by a former comrade in arms and the Maximals. Irony is a painful thing, isn’t it?”
“You want to talk so badly, answer our questions. What are you planning to do with the Golden Disk?” Primal demanded. That seemed to catch Megatron off guard.
“So you know.” He replied simply.
“We do.” The Maximal confirmed. “Listen to reason, Megatron. Things don’t have to end this way. The Great War led to the death of Cybertron. We’re supposed to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors!”
“You may be happy with having to settle for peace, but we are not!” Megatron said, leaning towards him from his sitting position.
“Predacons used to be the dominant species before their extinction. We can rule over Cybertron once again! Predaking may deny it all he wants, but deep down, he also wishes for it to be true.” He said, then his gaze strangely softened.
“Please… His passiveness is keeping all of us down. Unlike him, I have the means to create a better future for both Predacons and Maximals.” He claimed.
“And what if it leads to another extinction? This time from our own hands?” As Optimus continued to speak, Dinobot was raising a brow at him. “We wouldn’t be the only Maximals to stand in your way. Most Predacons won’t follow you either.”
“What’s a couple more sacrifices for the ultimate salvation? Besides…” Megatron trailed off. “In this life, only the strongest will prevail.”
“So that’s your vision for a better Cybertron? Beast wars?!” The captain accused.
“Beast wars, hm?...” His smile suddenly turned dark. “I quite like the name.”
“Enough of this!” Dinobot snarled. “Let him join our fallen brethren in the Allspark!”
“I told you before, Dinobot! This isn’t how we do things!” Optimus said, then focused back on Megatron. “Your vision of Cybertron is unacceptable. You are a danger to everyone around you and you will be coming with us.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option. But don’t despair, I assure you this is far from our last squabble.” Megatron purred.
“... Is it just me, or… Do you hear something?” Cheetor asked suddenly. The Maximals stopped and listened. They heard… buzzing?
Airazor, still in the air, tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. Finally, she did and instantly froze.
A swarm of metallic bugs was charging at her. The falconformer braced herself, aiming her blaster. She took a shot, however, that didn’t do much. The swarm flew past her, taking her off course.
The little machines completely buried the Maximals. Crying out, they tried to swat them away, but they were too fast and too many of them.
Some of the insects left their formations and landed on the Predacons. In seconds, Scorponok, Terrorsaur and Tarantulas were gone in a flash.
The hopeless Maximals were finally left alone as the swarm began disappearing one by one as well. When they left Optimus’ vision, he noticed that Megatron was no longer on the ground before him.
“Until we meet again, Optimus Primal!” The captain turned around and saw Megatron back on his feet standing some distance away. One of the metal insects flew in front of him and he caught it mid-air. It struggled in his grip, and as it did, the Predacon gave Primal one last sinister smirk.
“From the bottom of my spark, I wish you the best of luck in those ‘beast wars’ of yours!” And with that, he disappeared in a flash.
“Slag…” Optimus said, panting.
Rhinox wasted no time. As soon as the battle was over, he ran up and kneeled in front of the destroyed pod. Placing his hand on top of it, he began inspecting it.
After a second, he let out a relieved sigh and hung his head.
“Thank Onyx… Dinobot was speaking the truth, there’s nobody in there!” He told others.
“How did you know?” Optimus asked, facing Dinobot.
“A couple of factors led me to my realization. For one, my beast mode picked up a faint scent even before Megatron broke the pod.” The former Predacon growled, crossing his arms. “He insults my intelligence! As if he thought I was beneath such tactics myself!”
“... That’s…” Optimus cleared his throat. “Good job. We’ll… work on that other part.”
“So if there’s nobody inside…” Cheetor began, changing the subject.
“I’m guessing the pod was damaged during the landing and whoever was inside must’ve gotten out by now.” Rhinox deducted. “Thankfully, those models have scanners of their own. They’re still alive and with a new beast mode, just… Still lost.”
Suddenly, they heard the beatings of feathers near them. Airazor landed on the ground, folding her wings back.
“Sorry, no Predacons in sight. They groundbridged somewhere far away.” She apologized, catching her breath. She paused when she noticed that everyone was staring at her in shock.
“What?... Oh, that?” Airazor asked, unfolding her formerly injured wing back. “Don’t look at me, I’m just as confused! I touched the engraved rock by accident and it just stitched itself together like nothing happened!”
“Something very bizarre is happening on this planet.” Optimus said, his next word came out somewhat sadly. “Let’s not push our luck anymore today. We’ll retreat back to the Axalon and… Uh…”
The captain paused when he saw Airazor picking up the broken pieces of the strange rock from the ground.
“Airazor?” Primal called. “Maybe you shouldn’t…”
“Why not? It healed me, so it can’t be all that bad!” She said, standing back up. She was holding about eight pieces in her hands. “And who knows? They might come in handy next time we face Megatron!”
Optimus was a bit taken aback by her declaration.
“You mean…?” He dared to ask.
“We’re in this together.” Airazor gave him an assuring smile. Rhinox nodded to that.
“You still have a long way to go, but…” Dinobot said, placing a hand on the Maximal’s shoulder. “I see a warrior in you. I will bring it out, even if I have to beat it out of you!”
Optimus chuckled nervously at that declaration. Then, he glanced at Cheetor. He was still holding his gut-gun.
“It’s our duty.” He told his captain confidently.
“You’re all crazy!” Rattrap sneered, away from the gathering. He spun his finger among them. "Do you have the slightest idea what you just did?! You're not an army, he’s not a commander, and most importantly, not my commander! Ya didn’t wanna listen to the professional, fine! Just don’t expect me to risk my furry hide when things’ll get too much for you to handle!”
He switched back to his beast mode and began walking away, not waiting for them at all. His bitter response did more than shatter the building of morale they were doing so well up to that point.
It seemed like that painfully long and eventful day was about to end. The planet turned orange from the sun setting on the horizon.
The Maximals took the short route back to the Axalon. This time, Optimus was on the back. Airazor was on Cheetor’s back, holding the rocks while the youngling was walking along Dinobot and Rattrap and chatting. After a few minutes, Primal saw Rhinox slowing down. It didn’t take long for him to match his pace.
“You’re feeling alright, captain?” He asked.
“Prime.” Primal forced a smile, but it didn’t stick. He sighed. “Who am I kidding? This exploration is a complete disaster! We’re stuck, most of my crew is missing and now we’re fighting for the future of Cybertron. This isn’t how I imagined things would go at all.”
“I don’t think anyone would’ve predicted any of this.” Rhinox said. “There’s nothing you could’ve done better.”
“I could’ve at least made everyone stick together…” Optimus murmured.
“We’ll find them. They’re still out there, I just know it. And then we’ll get the protoforms and return home.” The rhino promised. When Optimus didn’t reply, Rhinox turned to face forward. “You know… Things weren’t all bad. There’s one thing you did better than any captain I’ve met for a very long time.”
“And that is?”
“You’ve impressed me.” The older Maximal shot him a grin. Optimus had to pause to register that response.
Then, he started cracking up and laughed as he remembered the conversation they had before any of the chaos unfolded. Rhinox was very pleased with himself. The captain calmed down after a second.
“Thank you for being in this with me, Rhinox.” He said, returning the smile. “I don’t think I would’ve made it without you by my side.”
“Sure you would!” The older Maximal said. “But thanks. Don’t worry, your crew will come around. The beginning is always the worst and then things get easier.”
Suddenly, they heard a commotion before them.
“Ya big featherless turkey! You stomped on my tail!” Rattrap accused Dinobot, holding his tail in his little paws.
“I did no such thing!” Dinobot denied. “But it would not be hard to do so considering how slowly you skitter!”
“Not as slow as you, you lizard brain!”
“I dare you to call me that again, garbage eater!”
“Or what? You’re gonna crush me with your big dino-butt?!”
“No… I will bite off your disgusting little head like the pest you are!”
“Oh, I’d love to see you try!”
Optimus and Rhinox couldn’t help but stare at the scene. The rhinoformer was gawking, while Optimus just looked tired.
“How long until things get easier again?” He asked Rhinox after a second.
“It, uh… It usually depends.” The other replied, not peeling his eyes away. “Days, a week, a month… A couple months in extreme cases…”
“Well, that’s just Prime…” Optimus sighed heavily.
“Why don’t ya go challenge a sloth next?! I’m sure they’ll be a better match for ya!”
“Ooh, that is rich coming from a rodent who avoids fighting as much as bathing!”
“At least I take care of my teeth properly! I swear, I can see chunks between your baby choppers from down here!”
“Would you like to double check?! Because I’m about to require a disgusting little assistant!”
Dinobot and Rattrap continued yelling at each other. Cheetor and Airazor were close by, but they didn’t know if it was worth getting involved. The two seemed mostly interested in verbally assaulting each other, but they never knew.
The Maximals hoped they would resolve this on their own eventually, but after the night finally came and they were still at it, that hope was lost.
Notes:
If you like being pushed into the stinging nettle and very angry rats, please consider leaving Kudos and Comments under my work!
SSTT7734 on Chapter 3 Mon 22 Sep 2025 08:37PM UTC
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