PROLOGUE
There was much lore and myth that surrounded the Matrix of Leadership. In some legends, it was the crystal prison of Solomus, the god of wisdom; in others, it was the contained essence of Primus himself. But in spite of what one believed, there was no denying its existence. Passed on from Prime to Prime, it had always served as a symbol of peace and hope.
Until it vanished.
It was at the end of Nova Prime's reign. The Ark took off from Cybertron, destined for parts unknown, and both the High Council and the Council of Ancients had realized it: the Matrix of Leadership was missing. Knowing that Nova had no doubt taken it, the councils thought fast and established a system in which Primes were now elected, with a false Matrix created to "inspire hope." The first Prime to carry this false Matrix was Nominus, who was then followed by Guardian and Sentinel.
Since that day, no one has found out the truth about the Matrix; not even the Primes who have carried the false one knows the true story. And even if someone did decide to set out from Cybertron to find Nova and the true Matrix, their attempts would have been futile.
For the Matrix- the real one- had never left Cybertron.
DAWN OF THE AUTOBOTS
Part 1: When Legends Fall
CHAPTER ONE
Swindle was nervous.
Despite being in the relatively safe haven of Karzai Lorcha's fortress on the planet Zull, he could not stop himself from shivering head to toe. Any minute now, the Autobot 113th Battalion would pinpoint his and the other Combaticons' location and bring the doors crashing down.
Unless, of course, he managed to finish the device he was working on in time.
"Hurry up in there, Swindle!" he heard Brawl cry from outside his workshop. "The Autobots will be here any minute!"
"You can't rush art, Brawl," Swindle snapped. "Just give me a few more minutes!"
"We don't have a few more minutes! If you don't come out of there now without that weapon, I swear I'm gonna-"
Before Brawl could finish, the ground shook violently and Swindle nearly dropped his incomplete project. Deciding that it probably wouldn't matter if he finished it or not, the Combaticon lifted up the R-infinity accelerator and carried out of his workshop.
* * *
"Should you do the honors or shall I?"
Orion Pax glanced at his comrade, Hardhead, and smirked. "I think it's Kup's turn this time."
"Ah, who the Pit cares?" the old teal Autobot snapped. "Just bring the door down."
With a cocky grin, Hardhead aimed his shoulder cannon at the entrance to Karzai Lorcha's fortress and fired. Steel was reduced to rubble and the 113th Battalion stepped through the ash. Orion then gave a curt nod to his commanding officer, Ultra Magnus, who aimed his rifle at the group of Decepticons that awaited them.
"Onslaught, you and your Combaticons have violated subsection eight of section five of the Tyrest Accord, which prohibits the sanction of Cybertronian technology to alien hands."
The blue-colored Combaticon leader placed his arms behind his back. "Really? Have we not violated the Tyrest Accord as a whole by declaring war against you?"
Ultra Magnus smirked. "Perhaps, but Chief Justice Tyrest has made the necessary revisions to the law at the behest of Zeta Prime."
"Ah, is that right?" Onslaught replied. "In that case, could your Chief Justice make the necessary revisions to accommodate this?"
At that moment, four of the Combaticons ducked for cover while a fifth of their number- Swindle- lifted up a large, red-colored, six-barreled cannon, each barrel crackling with energy. Ultra Magnus barely had time to call out a retreat as Swindle pulled the trigger. For a brief second, Orion's vision was filled with light before going dark.
* * *
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know." Blast Off's foot nudged Ultra Magnus' fallen form. It didn't budge. "He's not moving, that's for sure."
"That's never meant anything," said Vortex. "Remember that story about that Autobot Warpath? He pretended to be dead for three hours before tearing apart Violator's men."
"Well then, let's make sure he's dead!" Brawl pushed aside his two comrades and clambered onto the large Autobot's body. "We'll tear his chest apart and crush the glowing blue thing inside!"
"Over my cold, offline body."
The Combaticons turned to see one of the fallen Autobots- whom they knew as Orion Pax- on his feet, his blaster rifle trained on them.
Brawl chuckled as he jumped off of Ultra Magnus. "So the kid wants to play, is that it? Fine by me."
Positioning himself on all fours, the green Combaticon converted into an anti-aircraft gun emplacement and aimed his dual cannons at the Autobot. As he fired, Orion Pax dropped down and utilized the wheels on the back of his legs to roll towards the Combaticon. He then grabbed one of Brawl's cannons and flipped himself on top of the Decepticon. As Brawl started to fire at random in a fit of rage, Orion steered his turret to aim at the other Combaticons.
The Autobot's moment to glory soon came to an abrupt end as Blast Off flew in and slammed his fist into Orion's face, knocking him off of Brawl's form. Brawl then returned to his robot mode and stormed towards the defeated Autobot.
"Thought that was clever, did you?" the green Combaticon growled. "I'll show you clever!"
He then proceeded to tear at Orion's body; cracking the windshield on his chest, ripping off the smokestacks on his arm, tearing off the lower half of his faceplate....
"Brawl, I do believe that's enough," Onslaught said. "The Autobots have been beaten. We've won."
"Aw, no! I'm not done yet!" Brawl lifted Orion up by the shoulders and began hammering his ruined face. "In fact," he said in between blows, "I'm just getting started!"
A large white hand grabbing him by the shoulder brought an end to his rampage.
"If I were you," the still-weakened Ultra Magnus croaked, "I would retreat from Zull now and admit defeat."
Despite being clearly frightened by the Autobot commander, Onslaught managed to say, "And if we don't?" Ultra Magnus tightened his grip on Brawl's shoulder and Onslaught clearly got the hint. "Return to the ship," he ordered his fellow Combaticons. "We're done here."
As one, the five Combaticons retreated from Karzai Lorcha's fortress. The moment they were gone, Ultra Magnus collapsed to the floor and deactivated again. Not long after, Orion Pax did the same as well.
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