Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XIX, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

--Combatron--

    "'Do not judge a warrior by stature or action until--'"

    "Dude, shut up." Whirl raised a claw to silence Sandstorm as the two Wreckers stepped off of the Xantium. He raised his other hand to his audio receptor. "Do you hear that?"

    "Hear what?" Sandstorm asked.

    "It sounds like screaming. The best kind. Decepticon screaming."

    "Probably Roadbuster messing around. We should probably--"

    The Wrecker was cut off when Starscream came running past them, screaming as loud as his voice box would allow him. The two Autobots watched him with bewildered looks before looking in the direction he had came from.

    In short time, they were screaming too.

--Metroplex--

    The clamor from outside brought the meeting to an abrupt halt. Slowly rising from his seat, Optimus Prime stepped towards the window and looked through it. The first thing he noticed was Starscream running like mad, with Sandstorm and Whirl not far behind. Then he saw what it was they were running away from....

    "We seem to have a few hundred dozen Terrorcons on our turf."

    Everyone else shot straight up to their seat. "How did they know we were here?" Metalhawk demanded.

    "I'd worry about that later," Optimus said. "We must get everyone on board the ships and vacate immediately."

    "Rather difficult to do, wouldn't you say?" Megatron said. "What with the legion of undead attacking everyone."

    "Difficult, perhaps," Prime murmured. As he said that, Metroplex's outer defenses came to life and began to open fire on the Terrorcons. "But not impossible."

*  *  *

    His dental plates chattering together, Fulcrum clutched his head in utter terror as he watched his fellow Scavengers and Decepticons face off against the invading Terrorcons, the odds not looking too good for the former.

    Pull yourself together, Fulcrum, he told himself. You've faced worse than this. They're just zombies-- nothing like the D.J.D. or the attack on B'Lahr 39--

    He screamed loudly as a damaged Spinister was thrown at his feet, a gaping wound in the helicopter Decepticon's chest. He then looked up to see a large mech clad in black and gold, holding Krok and Crankcase in his mighty claws while Misfire cowered behind him.

    Dark Scorponok's cold black optics fell on Fulcrum and the K-Class Decepticon knew that he was done for. A stinger tail lowered over the Herald's head, aiming at Fulcrum as its barrels flared....

    An ear-shattering roar broke through the air and the battlefield went silent. Arising in the distance, amid the many ships that had landed on Combatron, was a giant saurian shape, its orange optics flaring with rage.

    The Terrorcons and their leader all looked upon Trypticon in shock and awe as the former ruler of the Decepticons began his rampage.

*  *  *

    Megatron felt as if his spark was about to burst through his chestplate. He could not believe what he was seeing: Trypticon-- the vessel of his predecessor and former mentor, Trannis-- attacking the Terrorcons. He found himself feeling less shocked by this sudden reemergence and more fearful of what retribution the dethroned Decepticon ruler had in store for him.

    "What in Primus' name is that thing?" he heard Dai Atlas exclaim.

    "Whatever it is, it's buying us time," Optimus Prime said, while giving Megatron a meaningful look. "Let's get everyone to the ships while the Terrorcons are distracted. Dai Atlas, I'll leave Metroplex under to you and your Circle."

    As the rest of the leaders filed out of the room, Megatron gave one last dreading look at the rampaging Trypticon before following them.

*  *  *

    In his spark, there was only rage. Pure, unadulterated rage. It was not directed at anything in particular-- not anymore, at least. Whether or not Megatron was among these undead creatures which he was crushing now did not matter to him. In the end, he knew what the outcome was going to be.

    He was going to die.

    It would not be due to his depleted energon that this would come about, though it was certainly a factor. No, he knew this because of the final act he had prepared-- the swan song he was about to perform.

    He would wait until most of the Decepticons had cleared the area; despite serving the pretender to the throne that was Megatron, they deserved his mercy for continuing to thrive without him. What he was about to do would be in honor for all those who had fallen for the Decepticon cause-- his cause.

    Until then, he would continue to buy them time. It was the least he could do after he had failed them....

*  *  *

    "Quickly! Get to the ships!"

    Strika quickly waved her Decepticon forces onto the Revenge, while Obsidian did the same at the Nemesis. Not far up ahead was the raging Trypticon; although the giant Decepticon's focus appeared to be on the Terrorcons, there was not telling whether it would soon change.

    "Wait! We have injured!"

    Strika looked to see four Decepticons rushing up to the ship, carrying a fifth in their arms. A gashing wound marked his chestplate.

    "Are there any medics on board?" one of the four asked, sounding urgent. "We're losing him fast!"

    Never before had Strika seen such sympathy between Decepticons. She had long been of the belief that compassion was for fools. But now, after all that had happened-- with all that was happening-- she was beginning to see the holes in that logic.

    "Yes," she said to them. "Hurry and get onto the ship."

    The five Scavenger quickly boarded the Revenge. Seeing that they had been the last, Strika followed them and closed the ramp behind her. It wouldn't be long before all of the ships were taking off.

*  *  *

    Dark Scorponok pushed through the disarrayed Terrorcons, disregarding their fear for Trypticon. In the sky above, the Autobot and Decepticon ships were taking off; the effort to stop them from leaving was lost. However, knowing what was awaiting them, he knew it was not a total failure.

    Moving away from all of the chaos, he reached the being who had helped bring it about. Laying crippled and weakened on the ground, Soundwave clutched the gaping wound in his chest. Due to the sheer size of it, and because no spark could be seen burning in its chamber, his fellow Decepticons had abandoned him, leaving him to his fate.

    Standing over Soundwave, Dark Scorponok looked down at him and smirked. "This is what happens when you betray the Chaos Bringer."

    Soundwave said nothing, not meeting Dark Scorponok's gaze.

    The former Decepticon bent down and picked up Soundwave's beaten form, roughly throwing him across his shoulder. "It's time to go home," he said as a fiery portal opened before them. Without another look back, the Herald stepped through.

*  *  *

    The last of the ships had left. It was just him and the legion of Terrorcons, the later still with countless numbers even after his rampage. There was only one thing left to do.

    He began to channel all of his remaining energy, including that of his spark. Once he had gathered enough, he opened his maw and unleashed it all. A massive beam of energy stretched across the battlefield, tearing through the horde of Terrorcons and reducing them to ash.

    When it was finished, Combatron was once again devoid of life. The shell of Trypticon, which had once contained the spark of Trannis, stood for a few seconds before falling to the ground, becoming yet another part of the Iron Planet's graveyard....

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XIX, Chapter One

This is it. While there is one last volume after this, it's more of an extended epilogue than anything. This, however, is the final battle; everything's been leading up to this moment.

CHAPTER ONE

--Combatron--

    "In the spark of an enemy, there will be salvation. And in the darkest hour, there will be light."

    Climbing up the Xantium's boarding ramp, his arms full of weapon crates, Whirl looked down at Sandstorm, who stood in the ship's shadow. "Who are you talking to?"

    "No one," his fellow Wrecker murmured. "Just reciting a passage from the Covenant of Primus."

    "Ugh, you believe in that scrap?" Whirl scoffed. "I never had you pinned as a religious type."

    "I'm not, actually," Sandstorm clarified, following the spindly Autobot up the ramp. "I was just going through Scoop's copy; he used to be a believer before... before he died."

    "And so now you're reading it out loud to yourself?"

    "Not really, I was just... I found that particular passage kind of moving. It made me think that maybe-- just maybe-- there's a silver lining in this dreary existence we're living. Maybe it's not all doom and despair. Maybe we can actually win. You know what I mean?"

    "Hmm? Sorry, I wasn't listening; you're boring when you talk." Whirl set the crates down and drew a triple-barreled gun from one of them. "You think Leadfoot would haunt me in my sleep if I used his gun?"

    Sandstorm simply sighed as he shook his head. "I think you have more to worry about than ghosts, Whirl...."

*  *  *

    It was the second day of convention and things had yet to improve.

    Leo Prime's fist fell hard onto the table, nearly splitting it in half. "It's a suicide mission!" he bellowed. "We'd have a better chance at survival if we simply surrendered ourselves to the Chaos Bringer."

    Seated at a large round table with the other members of the convocation, Optimus Prime folded his arms over his chest. "Do you actually believe that?"

    The Maximal leader glared at him before letting out a soft sigh. "No... but throwing everything and everyone at Unicron and his army is no better. We need a better strategy."

    "That's just it, though," said Megatron, sitting next to Optimus. "Strategies won't work on Unicron; he is known as the god of chaos for a reason. He will attack us when we least expect it, so then we will have to retaliate by returning the favor."

    "Spoken like a true Decepticon," said Metalhawk, ruler of Archon. "I feel that we are taking an even greater risk in trusting Megatron and the Decepticons."

    "Metalhawk, we've already had this discussion," Optimus said. "While I have not forgiven him for his past atrocities-- and most likely never will-- I am willing to trust him for this endeavor."

    "Regardless, we need to think this through," said Dai Atlas, leader of the Circle of Light. "Although I agree with Leo Prime that we cannot attack Unicron head-on, perhaps we can find a different approach."

    "What would you suggest then?" Megatron asked. "We don't have many ships left, we don't have an army large enough to match a legion of Terrorcons, and forget about finding something as large as Unicron. Either we fight to the death, or we surrender and die. And I don't know about anyone else here, but I would rather choose the least humiliating fate."

    The gathered bots were silent as the Decepticon leader's words sunk in. Breaking the silence was Dai Atlas as he revved softly.

    "We will fight then. But we need some leverage-- something to give us a fighting chance."

    "We have Metroplex, though he is too weak to fight." Optimus leaned back in his seat to think. "The Matrix of Leadership was, according to legend, what Prima used to banish Unicron to the Void. It may be able to do so again, but it would be a matter of getting to Unicron."

    "Leading us back to our primary problem," Leo Prime said. "How do we attack Unicron without being killed immediately on sight?"

    No one answered at first, until Megatron leaned forward in his seat with a cunning smirk.

    "Maybe it's time for all of you to stop thinking like Autobots... and start thinking like Decepticons."

*  *  *

    "So, where are we off to?"

    Nightbeat glanced back at Hardhead as he settled himself at the controls of his personal starship-- a recently adopted shuttle from the Lost Light's hangar. "Gorlam Prime," he replied. "That's where the others and I first encountered the Heralds of Unicron-- I even subconsciously led them there. Even if that wasn't the Ark's final destination, it may clue us in to where it ended up."

    "And you think that destination will hold the key to stopping Unicron?"

    Nightbeat shrugged. "Call it a hunch, but it's a hunch I can't ignore."

    Hardhead was silent for a moment before saying, "I can't shake the feeling that you're bringing me along for more than just extra muscle."

    Nightbeat turned in his seat to look Hardhead straight in the optic. "You'd be right. I trust you with my life, Hardhead. That said, if I ever show the slightest hint of being a sleeper agent for the Heralds-- a suspicion I've gotten ever since first arriving on Gorlam Prime-- I want you to kill me. Gun, head, done."

    The green Autobot simply stared at him with a stoic expression before shrugging nonchalantly. "Okay."

    Satisfied with this response, Nightbeat turned back in his seat and prepared the ship for take off.

*  *  *

    "Ah, just the mech I was looking for."

    Soundwave had sensed Starscream's approach long before the Seeker came to stand beside him. Standing on a small cliff edge, the Decepticon spy peeled his gaze away from the wartorn scenery of Combatron to stare at Starscream.

    "What do you want?"

    "Just a little talk." Soundwave detected the ghost of Starscream's trademark smirk on the Seeker's face. "Knock Out filled me in about your whole deal with the Heralds of Unicron, and I have to ask... is there something you're not letting us in on?"

    "What are you insinuating?"

    Starscream gestured back at the stationary form of Metroplex. "Our leaders are convening over how to take out Unicron when we have you-- a former Herald of his-- who surely knows all about the Chaos Bringer."

    Soundwave shook his head. "Wrong. I was little more than a minion compared to the rest of the Heralds. My sole purpose was to feed them-- unknowingly-- intelligence on the Decepticons. I was informed little on the entity I was serving."

    "Really? That's hard to believe." Starscream's smirk faded as he stared skeptically at the spy. "How can anyone be sure that there's something you're not telling us?"

    "Starscream, if you believe that you can successfully interrogate me, then--"

    Soundwave abruptly stopped, lurching forward as he clutched his chest. It felt as if something was expanding inside of him, where his spark was supposed to be.

    Supposed to....

    Just as the realization dawned on him, it was already too late. A portal had already burst open in his chest and a mighty black claw was emerging from it....

IN DARKEST HOUR

Part 2: The Darkest Hour

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Nine

    So much for that "later tonight" thing, huh?

CHAPTER NINE

--The Lost Light--

    "How fast can you get that hole fixed, Grapple?"

    The orange Autobot engineer rubbed his chin as he studied the "entrance" the Nemesis had made into the Lost Light, currently protected by an emergency seal. "If I can get my tools back from Atomizer, I'd say twenty minutes. If not, then maybe an hour at least."

    Elita nodded. "All right, take all the time you need. I'll tell Optimus that we'll be a bit late getting to the rendezvous after Theophany."

    As he set to work, Grapple glanced at Elita just as she was about to leave. "So, uh, is it true what I've been hearing? That we're teaming up with the Decepticons?"

    She stopped only to give him a blunt, "Yes," before continuing down the corridor.

*  *  *

    "Man, so much action for us and we still haven't gotten to our original destination!" Swerve said cheerily as he moved about the bar, acting as if nothing had taken place earlier. "Those 'Cons just love making things more difficult for us."

    Tailgate said nothing, tightly gripping a near-empty glass of engex as he looked downcast at the counter.

    Swerve let his trademark smile fade as he served a beverage to Glyph. "You're not still down in the dumps about being sick, are you?"

    "I'm more than just sick, Swerve," Tailgate mumbled. "It's... it's not a normal illness like rust or something. It's worse than that."

    "Ah, I'm sure it won't be too bad. Nothing an ex-Primal Vanguard member like you can't handle, right?"

    Tailgate sighed softly before saying in a quiet voice, "I was never in the Primal Vanguard."

    Swerve looked at him surprised. "What? But you said--"

    "I know what I said. It was a lie. It was all a lie-- the Primal Vanguard, the Ark, Nova Prime-- I lied about all of it. Those things I've claimed to have done, I never had."

    "But why would you lie about stuff like that?" Glyph asked.

    Tailgate shrugged sheepishly. "I just... wanted to be liked. My life-- my real life-- was pretty mundane: born in Rivets Field and got put to work as a waste disposal unit. I was tasked with cleaning out the Ark's coolant tubes. Then I took a little detour and-- bam-- lost my legs and got stuck underground.

    "And that's my story. My entire story. Two weeks in just under forty words. I've never done anything of notice; I've never even shook hands with Delta Magnus or Hyperdrive or anyone famous. I'm just... I'm just a nobody."

    Glyph rested a hand on his shoulder. "You know that's not true."

    "How so?"

    "Because you are somebody. At least to me you are."

    Tailgate looked up at Glyph, his visor wide. "I... I am?"

    She giggled. "Of course you are. You're a kind and sweet person--"

    "Ugh, I'm not staying for this," Swerve muttered, leaving to serve another patron.

    "--and you can be a very good friend... even if you sometimes do hang around the wrong type of crowd." Glyph shifted closer to him, hugging him with one arm. "So don't you ever think that no one cares about you-- because I know at least two people who do."

    If Tailgate had a normal face and been organic, he would have blushed at this statement. "Thanks, Glyph. That... that really made my day."

    "Don't mention it. So what are you sick with?"

    All of Tailgate's happiness evaporated with this mere question. Without looking at Glyph, he said quietly, "Cybercrosis."

    He heard her gasp even as he added, "And I've only got three days left to live."

    "Oh, Tailgate...." She pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close to her. "It'll be okay. It'll all be okay."

    He didn't have the spark to tell her that it wouldn't.

*  *  *

    "So have we reached Theophany yet?" Elita asked as she returned to the bridge.

    "We certainly have," Ultra Magnus said. "And we've found something of interest."

    He pointed out the viewport and Elita followed his gaze to a cylindrical object floating out in space before the planet of Theophany. Elita narrowed her optics at it.

    "Is that an escape pod?"

    "We believe so. Windblade says she's picking up at least four spark signatures from it."

    "Most likely Circle of Light members. Pull it in."

    "Are you sure about that?" Red Alert asked. "I mean, it could be Decepticons--"

    "Even if they are... so what?" Elita shrugged. "We went up against the D.J.D. and survived. I doubt they can throw worse at us."

    Ultra Magnus frowned. "You may have just jinxed us with that statement."

    "We're already jinxed, Magnus," Elita said with a small smile. "That's just how life works for us."

*  *  *

    "It's Ring, right? No, wait... Rang?"

    "Rung," the small orange Autobot corrected Nightbeat, sitting in his office as he fiddled with a model spaceship. "What brings you here, Nightbeat? You said it wasn't for an appointment...."

    "I've been doing some digging around the first Ark," the detective replied, admiring the psychiatrist's collection of models. "I thought about asking Rewind, but most of his knowledge would be second-hand. You, however, have been around for... forever."

    Rung smiled. "Yes, I've lived quite the long life. What do you want to know?"

    "Did you know anyone on the Ark personally?"

    "Only Tailpipe; he visited me regularly for sessions when he started his career in the Primal Vanguard, experiencing some trauma from his missions. I saw him last three days before the Ark's takeoff."

    Nightbeat nodded. "Did he clue you in to where the Ark would be going?"

    Rung thought for a moment. "Not that I can recall. It's all common knowledge though, isn't it? They colonized Velocitron, Animatron, Gigantion...."

    "Yes, but where did they stop? I didn't see any signs of a ship when we visited Gorlam Prime."

    Rung shrugged. "It could very well be long gone by now. But why the sudden interest in it?"

    "Because I want to know what place Galvatron and the rest of the crew under Unicron's control. If we can find where the Ark ended up, we could find the source of that evil... and perhaps use it against Unicron."

    "A sound idea... but I doubt Elita would embark on such a quest with almost nothing to go off of."

    "I know," Nightbeat said. "Which is why I'll be leaving the Lost Light when we return to Combatron."

    Rung nearly dropped his model ship at this. "What?"

    "It wasn't an easy decision; I hate abandoning adventures before they're finished. But it's something I want-- have to do."

    The psychiatrist adjusted his spectacles. "I see. Well then, I'm certainly not going to stop you; personal quests, I find, are effective cures to psychological issues. Will you be going alone?"

    "No. I'll try to get Hardhead to come along with me. I'm sure I'll be risking my neck, wherever I end up heading, so I'll need him to save it."

    "If what you're expecting to find turns out to be real... I wholeheartedly agree."

*  *  *

    Elita watched as the escape pod was pulled into one of the Lost Light's hangar bays. Standing with her were Ultra Magnus and Windblade, and waiting in the corridor just outside was Red Alert with a group of heavy hitters, ready in case the escapees turned out to be hostile.

    She immediately knew that would not be the case when a large, winged mech in blue, white, and yellow emerged from the pod.

    "Dai Atlas," she said. "What were doing out in space?"

    "Waiting to get picked up," grunted an orange mech, appearing behind Dai Atlas along with two others. All four of them were covered in scars and seemed a bit battle-worn.

    "But why?" Ultra Magnus asked. "Why were you in an escape pod?"

    Dai Atlas sighed heavily. "The darkest hour has come upon us."

    "So we've noticed," Windblade said. "What happened to you? Where's the rest of the Circle of Light?"

    "Dead," grunted an old blue and orange bot. "We were invaded by a legion of undead, pouring out of a fiery portal. We were slaughtered."

    "And... you're all that's left?" Elita asked.

    Dai Atlas nodded solemnly. "Where once we were thousands, we are now four. Never have I seen our race-- or even a portion of it-- be pushed so close to extinction."

    Elita's mouth fell agape as she registered all of this. She looked to Ultra Magnus, who shared her look of dawning horror.

    "Oh no," was all she could muster.

*  *  *

    Galvatron smiled as he looked upon his army.

    Swarming all around Cybertron were hundreds of thousands of Terrorcons-- reanimated corpses of Cybertronians who had fell during both wars. Autobots, Decepticons, and neutral alike were united as a single legion of undead. They were what would ensure the defeat of whatever came at them and bring about their victory.

    The board was all set. Now, it was time for the pieces to move.

TO BE CONTINUED

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Eight

I originally had an extra scene written at the end of this chapter, but it caused a confusion in the passage of time between this and the next chapter. Since this chapter is shorter as a result, I might post the last chapter (plus the epilogue) later tonight.

CHAPTER EIGHT

--The Steelhaven--

    "Any progress, Blaster?"

    "Yes, actually." The red and yellow Autobot turned in his seat as Optimus stepped back onto the bridge with Kup and the others. "I just finished communicating with Hubcap. Apparently they had some sort of... altercation on the Lost Light."

    "What kind of altercation?" Optimus asked.

    "Well, they got boarded by the D.J.D., who were looking for Drift. They were able to drive them off, luckily without any casualties, but they had some unexpected help...."

    "From whom?"

    Blaster frowned as he moved away from the comm station, gesturing Prime over. "I think it would be best if you heard for yourself."

    Optic ridges raised, Optimus moved over to Blaster's station just as the comm officer brought back up the connection to the Lost Light. The visage appearing on the viewscreen almost made Optimus want to punch the monitor.

    "Hello, Prime."

--The Lost Light--

    "I don't like it one slaggin' bit," Skids muttered, standing in the corridor just outside the bridge with Nightbeat and Getaway. "Am I the only one who thinks it's all a ploy?"

    "I don't know," Nightbeat said. "He could be tricking us into helping him retake Cybertron... or he could be genuine about offering a truce."

    "If it's the former, I'll bomp him to death," Getaway said.

    Skids gave him an odd look. "I thought 'bomping' was your way of showing appreciation."

    "And annoyance. It all depends on how hard the bomp is."

    Skids shook his head. "You are a very strange 'bot, you know that?"

    Getaway responded with a nudge to the chin. "Bomp."

*  *  *

    "And... voila!" Flatline stepped away from Crosscut, having repaired the Autobot's faceplate. "Good as new! Try not to get it scratched up again; your face is now a masterpiece, having been touched by my graceful hands."

    Crosscut sat up and touched his face, visibly surprised at how well it had been fixed up. "Wow. It... it really is as good as new. Um... thanks."

    "Don't mention it," Flatline gruffly replied. "Really. Don't mention it to anyone not here in this room. If you do, I won't hesitate at undoing my work."

    "Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't dream of spreading the word."

    Turning to First Aid, Nautica said, "How's Tailgate doing?"

    "Well, he's all patched up," the medic said, dusting off his hands. "However, I noticed something.... bad while fixing him up."

    "Bad?" Sitting up, Tailgate's visor filled with panic. "What kind of bad are we talking here? Kind of bad? Really bad?"

    "Pretty bad. Your innermost energon is curdled and your transformation cog is... not in a good shape. Both are early signs of Cybercrosis."

    "And... what's that?"

    "It's a disease that plagues a lot of Cybertronians that are several of thousands years old. It can lead to paralysis, blindness, deafness, partial muteness, possible memory loss, and eventually... death."

    "Death?!" Tailgate's hand fell over his chest. "You mean I'm going to die?! Isn't there some sort of cure?"

    "I'm afraid not," First Aid said sadly. "Many 'bots have searched for one-- most famously Dominus Ambus. But even he failed to find a cure."

    The small Autobots was starting to shake, cradling his head in his hands. "So... how much time do I have left?"

    "Given your current condition, I'd say three days."

    "Three days?!" At this, Tailgate jumped off of his repair slab and ran out of the medibay, crying audibly as he went down the corridor.

    After a long, solemn silence, Flatline said quietly, "I've had Genericons handle news like that better."

    "Not helping," First Aid snapped. "At all."

*  *  *

    "So do we have a truce, Prime?"

    On Hubcap's veiwscreen, Optimus Prime folded his arms across his chest. "Let me only ask this: did you save my fellow Autobots out of the pure goodness of your spark, or just because you wanted something to persuade me to a truce?"

    Megatron hesitated slightly before answering. "Both. Yes, I wanted to use it as a bargaining chip, but I also didn't want to see Autobots needlessly die at the hands of Decepticons who had disobeyed my orders, especially when we need all the strength we can get to take on Unicron."

    "How touching." Optimus continued to eye the Decepticon leader carefully before sighing. "Very well. We have a truce."

    "We do?" The query came from Elita, Ultra Magnus, and the others as well as Megatron.

    "Yes. I have given more thought to the conversation we had earlier and have since decided that an alliance between our factions would be the wisest choice of action."

    "Is that so?" Megatron smirked. "It's good to know that the Matrix of Leadership still gives you infinite wisdom, Prime."

    "Indeed. I'll see you at the rendezvous point at Combatron. Now get off my sparkmate's ship."

    "Your sparkmate?" Megatron looked over his shoulder  to see Elita-One behind him, glaring daggers. "Ah. Yes, that would be a wise decision."

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

--Archon--

    "Optimus Prime."

    "Metalhawk."

    A tense silence descended upon the Tribunal Chamber which the five Autobots had been brought to. Seated upon a high, golden throne, with the two other Tribunal members at his side, Metalhawk looked down upon their visitors in a haughty manner.

    "Please do enlighten me," the gold and blue mech said in a snide tone. "Why have you decided now to visit Archon after a thousand years of ignoring us?"

    "You know why," Optimus said.

    "Do I?"

    "Don't act dumb, 'Hawk," Kup snapped. "You all saw the stars go out. You all know the legends. Unicron is back in town."

    "Don't you dare speak his name!" one of the councilors said sharply. "It only invokes chaos and ruin--"

    "Chaos and ruin are already here," Arcee said. "No sense in sending them another invitation."

    Metalhawk scowled. "Your Autobots seem to have lost their manners, Prime."

    "Metalhawk, please. You must see the bigger picture: Unicron has returned and will soon consume Cybertron-- and I'm sure he won't stop there."

    The ruler of Archon smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "It's funny; Zeta Prime turned us away, and yet here you come to beg for our assistance now that certain death looms over you."

    Optimus sighed. "Zeta Prime made many mistakes, and I have spent much of my time as Prime to correct them. Which is what I'm doing here."

    He took a step forward, craning his head up at the highly-seated tribunal.

    "Please, Metalhawk. Forget about the past... for the sake of the future."

    The Archon ruler frowned as he exchanged meaningful looks with the other councilors. Finally, he let out a reluctant sigh.

    "Hipotank," he said to the teal mech that had escorted the Autobots. "Rally your militia. The time has come for us to take arms."

    "Are you sure this is a wise choice, Metalhawk?" one of the councilors asked.

    "Not entirely, Traachon," Metalhawk replied. "But I am not one to take risks, and the Chaos Bringer poses a far greater one than any other."

    "So you are with us?" Prime asked.

    The gold and blue mech nodded curtly. "I will admit that I've only heard of your leadership skills; this will be a chance for me to see them in use."

    "Then I will be seeing you again at Combatron."

    As the Autobots began to take their leave, escorted once again by Hipotank, Kup leaned in to whisper to Optimus. "That went better than expected. Think it's too good to be true?"

    "At this point, Kup, I'll accept anything."

--The Lost Light--

    "Spark, what does it take to-- ah." Ambulon hit the medibay's overhead light fixture hard, promptly turning back on and casting a bright ray on the gruesomely-mutilated visage of Crosscut. The doctor instantly winced at the sight. "Okay, someone turn it off."

    "Come on, Ambulon, you've seen worse," First Aid said, already set to work on Tailgate. "How did this happen, anyway? I don't know any D.J.D. member with razor-sharp claws."

    "They've got a pet turbofox now," Nautica said. "An undead one, of sorts."

    "How did the D.J.D. even find us?" Ambulon wondered aloud. "Are they just good trackers or--"

    "Speaking of the D.J.D.," Brainstorm said, "someone should keep an eye on the door. Now would not be a good time for a Decepticon to walk in."

    "Even one who's willing to lend a servo?"

    All of the Autobots save for the injured brought out their weapons and aimed them at the black and red Decepticon standing in the doorway. The mech held up his hands defensively.

    "Oh. Is this a bad time? Maybe I'll check back when everyone's dead."

    "Flatline," Ambulon said through gritted teeth. "How the Pit did you get on board? Or are the D.J.D.'s doctor now?"

    Flatline cackled. "I'm afraid not. As for how I got on board... let's just say we made a dramatic entrance."

    "'We?'" Nautica said. "You mean there's more of you?"

    "Yes, but they're not here to hurt us." Appearing behind Flatline was Drift, who had spoken, along with Nightbeat, Swerve, Skids, and several other Autobots-- as well as a few Decepticons. 

    "As much as you may find it hard to believe," Drift said, "they're here to help us."

    "And we should trust them... why, exactly?" Strongarm asked, gripping her axe.

    "Consider this," Flatline said. "If we wanted any of you dead, we would not be having this conversation."

    The Autobots considered the Decepticon's words for a moment. Then, with great reluctance, Nautica sighed. "Fine. Make yourself useful. But if you try anything--"

    "I know, I know: my face, your wall." Flatline scoffed. "And you call us savages."

    "I have to ask though," Nightbeat said. "Why are you here? And who's commanding you?"

    The medic chuckled. "It's funny you ask that. The answer for one helps answer the other...."

*  *  *

    It was as if Mortilus himself had stepped onto the bridge.

    The bridge being as dark as it was, Elita could not tell if the fallen forms of Red Alert and Hubcap were stirring. Windblade she could tell was still online, but the gashing wound near her chest indicated that she would not be returning to the fight anytime soon. Elita herself was gravelly wounded, having taken severe damage to the legs.

    It was down to Ultra Magnus to save their metal hides.

    Elita found it all somewhat fitting as the two law enforces clashed, as if she was watching a battle of wills. Such thoughts were soon evaporated as Tarn fired his fusion cannon pointblank into Ultra Magnus' chest, sending the revered Autobot sprawling into a computer station.

    "You really should be dead," Tarn said darkly as he approached Magnus. "All of the things you've been through-- Simanzi, Clemency, Hell's Point-- and yet you're still kicking. There must be more to you than meets the eye."

    "Maybe I'm just that good," Magnus grunted, quickly recovering.

    "Oh, no. I do believe there's more to it than that; I have seen members of the Warriors Elite succumb to things less worse than a Fast-Folding Sun."

    "And I've seen plenty of Decepticons succumb to me." With a battle cry, Ultra Magnus lunged towards Tarn and delivered a swift and hard punch to his midsection. Tarn lurched from the attack before returning it with an upward kick to Magnus' groin. The Autobot flinched from the move but kept on exchanging blows with the Decepticon enforcer.

    This brawl soon came to an end when Tarn swung his arm and struck Magnus with a powerful backhand, enough to send him down to the floor. As Magnus struggled to get up, Tarn struck him again before leaning in closely to his audio receptor.

    "To be honest with you, you've always been a top priority on my list. After hearing so many tales about you-- about how you won the Battle of Talrus almost single-handedly, about how you survived the Siege of Massunstrad-- I, quite frankly, started to fear you. I was almost afraid you would be able to bring victory for the Autobots.

    "And now, fighting you here, I find all of this almost... almost anti-climatic, really. I was expecting a lot more from you, but so far, I've been nothing but disappointed."

    "That makes two of us."

    Tarn's optics widened as a bolt of energy hit him in the back. Moving away from Ultra Magnus, he spun around to see a large figure standing in the doorway to the bridge; covered in silver, black, and red armor plating, armed with a massive fusion cannon, the figure was unmistakeable.

    "...Megatron?"

    "You ignored my orders." The Decepticon leader raised his arm, aiming the fusion cannon straight at Tarn's face. "Never ignore my orders."

    He fired the weapon and the D.J.D. leader was sent sprawling across the bridge, landing right at the very front. Tarn then simply laid there and watched as Megatron slowly approached him.

    "How did... you follow us here?"

    "Did you really think I was ever comfortable with letting Decepticons as powerful as you five roam free?" Megatron snarled. "I have had trackers built into every member of the Decepticon Justice Division since conception, along with a number of failsafes. Don't ever think I'm not a step ahead of everyone."

    Tarn gazed at him in shock. "But... why? Why have you stopped us from executing these Autobots-- something you've long advocated?"

    "Because I am not longer an advocate of such action. The war ended long before I realized it, and today, I declare it being officially over. Now, stand down or suffer the consequences."

    Tarn's optics blazed as he stared at his leader in utter disbelief. When he spoke, it was rife with feelings of betrayal. 

    "Everything you've stood for... and now you're abandoning it?"

    "I see it more as looking at it differently... and acting in a different, better way."

    For a while, the Decepticon fanatic was silent, registering and mulling over all that he had heard his idol say. Then, he spoke again, this time his voice a deadly whisper.

    "I don't know who you are... but you are not the Megatron I've long looked up to. Whatever happened to him, he's dead and you're nothing but an imposter. I will obey your order one last time, but know this, my liege: when next we strike, you won't be able to stop us... because as far as I'm concerned, you have already earned yourself a spot on the List."

    With that, Tarn returned to his feet and wordlessly left the Lost Light's bridge, deliberately brushing past Megatron. Once he was gone, the Decepticon acknowledged the fact that all optics were now on him with a mere nod.

    "I do believe this is the part where I explain myself."

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

--Archon--

    Having passed through orbital security, the Steelhaven made its way towards the central spaceport city of Archon. The city very much reminded Optimus of Cybertron in its architecture, with spiraled buildings and towering skyscrapers. However, its more organic landscape-- with plants sprouting on the outskirts-- separated it from the completely metal Cybertron.

    "It's like if Earth and Cybertron suddenly got smashed together," Bumblebee commented, observing the planet from the viewport.

    Once the ship had touched down, Optimus rose from his command chair. "All right-- Kup, Arcee, Jetfire, Sideswipe, you'll accompany me to the city. Prowl, I'm leaving things to you until I return... or in case I don't."

    Prowl nodded. "Understood, Prime."

    In short time, the team of five were heading down to the main entry ramp, which lowered as soon as they reached it. Waiting for them outside were at least a dozen security bots, their weapons trained on them.

    "Stop right there," ordered the lead officer, a teal and purple mech with gold accents. "Put your servos where I can see them."

    The Autobots complied, thought none too happy about it. "We come in peace, officer," Optimus said.

    "Oh, sure. I believe ya." The mech beckoned to two other officers. "Greenlight, Lancer, get the inhibitor claws and stasis cuffs ready."

    "You're arresting us?" Sideswipe exclaimed. "We haven't even done anything!"

    "Call it preemptive action," the teal bot said gruffly. "Metalhawk doesn't take visitors well, especially if they're Autobots or Decepticons. Please, just come quietly and peacefully and I'll allow you to speak with him."

    "As you wish," Optimus said.

    As the security bots affixed the Autobots with restraints, Kup threw a glance at Prime. "You know, this reminds me of the Mission to Centauri One. Me and my squad got arrested by the natives out of very strict security measures."

    "How did it turn out?"

    "Well, it turned out they ate metal there--"

    "Say no more."

--Lost Light--

    Tailgate screamed as the mutilated turbofox ruthlessly attacked him, clawing and tearing his armor plating without pause or mercy. Strongarm immediately came to his rescue, waving her axe at it. This only served to divert the creature's attention to her and it catapulted at her face.

    "Get off me, you slaggin'--!" Discarding her axe, she replaced it with a gun and shot it repeatedly at the turbofox. This got the creature to dislodge from her, only to then set its sights on Crosscut.

    Reaching behind his back, the former politician produced a shovel and held it in front of him in a defensive stance. The turbofox stared at the Autobot oddly for his strange choice in weaponry before pouncing at him. Crosscut swung his shovel at it, hitting the creature and sending it sprawling to the floor.

    "My shovel, your face," the Autobot playwright proudly declared.

    Suddenly, a spindly figure dropped down from the ceiling, landing right in front of Crosscut. Before any of the Autobots could react, the Decepticon lunged forward and forced a mask onto Crosscut's face.

    "Wear... miiine," the mech hissed as it pressed a button on the mask, causing dozens of spikes to jut out from the inside and inject into Crosscut's face.

    As the playwright let out a muffled scream, Nautica hurled her wrench at the Decepticon. The spindly bot dodged the attack and prepared to pounce at her. Brainstorm quickly whipped out a blaster and fired at the 'Con, though the shot did little more than knock him out cold.

    As she removed the face-mask from Crosscut's face, shuddering at the gruesome damage it had done, Nautica said, "We should get him and Tailgate down to the medibay-- find First Aid or Ambulon."

    "What about the other D.J.D. bots?" Strongarm asked. "What if they track us down?"

    Nautica shrugged. "Then we all die. But these two won't if I can help it."

*  *  *

    "Rewind!" He did not care if the Decepticons heard him. Only one person stood out in his mind as he ran down the corridor. "REWIND!"

    Hearing the sound of blaster fire, Chromedome turned the corner and skidded to a halt. Facing him was the back of a massive blue and violet Decepticon, who was caught in a gunfight with Skids, Nightbeat, and Getaway. Catching a glimpse of the 'Cons exposed neck sparked an idea in the mnemosurgeon's head. Quietly stepping forward, he extended his needle-like fingers....

    "Chromedome?"

    The red and tan Autobot spun around to see Rewind and Glyph standing behind him. The instant elation he felt from seeing his partner alive and well made him forget about the task he had been about to perform.

    "Rewind!" Chromedome rushed over to the archivist only for him to back away.

    "Chromedome... your hand...."

    Realizing that he still had his needle fingers extended, Chromedome stopped in his tracks to retract them before looking back down at Rewind. "Rewind... it's not what it looks like."

    "What have I told you about injecting?" Rewind said angrily, pointing at the mnemosurgeon. "How many times have I told you to not do it?"

    "Rewind, please--"

    "It'll kill you, you know. You're only hurting yourself when you do it... as well as hurting me."

    "This really isn't the time--"

    "It really isn't."

    All three Autobots turned to see a crimson mech slowly approaching them, blaster marks staining his armor plating. Electricity sparked in his palms as he regarded the three coldly with dead black optics.

    "It's really time for you to die."

    As Kaon unleashed his electric powers, Chromedome ran forward and splayed himself in front of Rewind and Glyph, receiving the brunt of the attack. Rewind cried out as Chromedome crumpled to the floor, his armor scorched and circuits sizzling. As the archivist rushed to his partner, Kaon continued to approach menacingly.

    "Do not fret, little one. You will be joining him soon."

    Then, the Decepticon abruptly stopped, lurching forward. He stood there for a moment before smirking as he turned around. Standing behind him, crossbow raised, was Atomizer, accompanied by Drift, Swerve, Star Saber, and other Autobots.

    "Was that supposed to harm me?" Kaon asked.

    "No," Atomizer replied. "That was just to get your attention."

    On cue, Swerve raised his blaster and fired, felling the Decepticon with a wide beam of energy. Noticing this, Helex turned away from his fight with Skids and charged towards the Autobots. Swerve fired his blaster again, but his shots either missed or bounced right off the large Decepticon.

    "Aw, you missed!" the My First Blaster said in a patronizing tone. "Keep practicing!"

    As Helex swung his mighty arms to bash the small Autobot, Star Saber came forward and deflected the attack with his sword. This maneuver did little more than scratch Helex's armor plating and shatter Star Saber's blade.

    "Oh. Slag," the warrior muttered as the Decepticon raised his arms again....

    Suddenly, the Lost Light shuddered. Helex paused, turning his attention to the wall... then, in the blink of an eye, he was sent flying into the opposite one as an explosion burst from it.

    Star Saber and the others shielded themselves from the attack before looking out the opening it had made. Outside was the very last thing they had been expecting to see, as well as the very last thing they wanted to see.

    Floating side by side with the Lost Light, a docking tube extending from its side, was the dark jewel of the Decepticon fleet: the Nemesis.

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--Cybertron--

    "I'm surely not the only one to have noticed this, but I do believe we have lost some of our labor force."

    Galvatron scowled as he sat atop his makeshift throne, surrounded by the other Heralds in the ruins of Iacon. "You are indeed correct, Scourge. It would appear Megatron has found a way with words rather than actions."

    Scourge smiled sadistically. "Would you like me to--?"

    "No," Galvatron cut him off. "There's no use in exerting any energy in hunting them down, especially with the Reunification short at hand."

    "But if they unite with the Autobots, we will be outnumbered," Jhiaxus said, wringing his servos. "We may not stand a chance."

    Straxus snorted loudly. "Are you suddenly forgetting that we serve the Chaos Bringer? He'll be able to destroy any opposition with the mere flick of a wrist."

    "If it were that easy, wouldn't he have done so already?" Grindcore pointed out. "Unicron chose us to carry out his will and defend it. And we shall do just that."

    "Enlighten us, then," Cyclonus said sardonically. "How do you suppose we go about doing that?"

    Grindcore folded his arms over his chest, a sinister gleam in his visor. "We bring out our dead."

--The Steelhaven, in Archon's system--

    "Uh, we've got a problem."

    Optimus Prime closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't tell me: Archon isn't there anymore or we've arrived in the wrong system."

    "No, no, don't worry," Blaster said. "It's just that... I've lost contact with the Lost Light."

    Optimus nearly shot out of his chair, his optics wide with concern. "Is something interfering?"

    "More like the line's completely dead. I don't know if it's on their end or ours."

    "Just keep an eye on things and give me further updates," Optimus said with a solemn sigh. "Jetfire, land us down."

--The Lost Light--

    "This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not--"

    "I hate to break it to you, Tailgate, but it's happening." Her head-mounted light illuminated, Nautica carefully went down a corridor with Tailgate and Strongarm behind her. "Just keep calm and try not to jitter too much. The D.J.D. feed off of fear."

    Despite this, Tailgate only began to shiver even more profusely. The three of them reached a corner and cautiously turned it. Immediately, Nautica detected two figures with her light and she readier her wrench, only for one of them to raise their hands.

    "Relax, Nautica, it's me!" Brainstorm said. "Me and Crosscut. And you'd better not use that wrench on me. I placed a failsafe on it when you were working on it in case you were to do so."

    "You did what?!" Nautica exclaimed.

    "Not so loud!" he hissed. "Do you want the D.J.D. to find us?"

    "They're going to eventually," Strongarm said gruffly. "The question is: what are we gonna do when they do?"

    "Hit them with a shovel." All eyes turned to Crosscut, the silver and red mech accompanying Brainstorm. He shrugged in response. "Sorry, old joke. You've seen My Shovel, Your Face, haven't you?" 

    "Forget it," Nautica said. "Let's get a move on and find the D.J.D. before they find us."

    "You guys go ahead and do that," Tailgate said, opening a nearby door. "I'll just hide in this storage closet until--"

    The small mech was cut off as a mutilated turbofox leaped out of the closet and lunged at him, hunger glowing in its savage optics....

*  *  *

    Nightbeat heard the screams from outside his hab suite. Rushing out, he found blaster fire lighting up the end of the corridor, Skids being one of its sources as he shot at something beyond the corner. Before Nightbeat could go to aid the theoretician, he was jumped on from behind by Getaway, who then shot back at something.

    "Apologies for the surprise tackle," Getaway muttered as he got off of the detective. "How good are you in a gunfight?"

    Nightbeat said nothing as he brought out his gun and shot at their unseen assailant. No retaliation came.

    "Who are we up against?" he then asked Getaway.

    "That one there was Kaon, I think. The electric chair bot." Getaway motioned towards Skids' position. "He's dealing with Helex, AKA Ol' Brain-in-Mouth."

    "Some help would sure be nice!" Skids called at them, narrowly dodging a few shots from Helex. "I would appreciate it a lot more than pointless exposition!"

    Getaway nodded as he cocked his gun. "All right. Let's see if we can set a record for the most minutes survived against the D.J.D."

*  *  *

    "This is a bad dream, right? This is all a very, very bad dream. Pretty soon we're all gonna wake up and laugh at how incredibly bad that dream--"

    "Riptide, shut up!" Swerve snapped, hiding behind the counter with the Hydrobot, at the same time cringing from the shredding sounds outside the door. "I know that sounds strange coming from me, but we've gotta keep calm."

    "How the slag does one keep calm with the D.J.D. at their doorstep?!" Riptide cried.

    "Take it easy. I've got a plan."

    The Hydrobot gave him an incredulous look. "You?! A plan?! Since when do you have plans?!"

    Before Swerve could answer, the door to the bar was torn open and a large, hulking Decepticon stormed in, a shredding mechanism spinning in his chest cavity.

    "Come out and play, Deadlock," Tesarus said with a sadistic grin. "It's time to die."

    Emerging from the shadows, Drift descended from the ceiling and plunged his blade into Tesarus' back. The Decepticon enforcer flinched from the attack but easily pulled him off with the waldos in his shoulders and held the ex-Decepticon by the legs.

    "Wow. For a last-ditch effort, that was just sad." Tesarus grinned more broadly and savagely as he moved Drift towards his spinning shredder. "Now then... let's go for a spin."

    Before the large Decepticon could finish off Drift, Swerve emerged from behind the counter with a large gun in hand. It had an orange cap on its barrel, red, blue, and green strobe lights decorating its top, and the words "My First Blaster" embolden on its side.

    Aiming the gun straight at Tesarus' head, Swerve boldly declared, "GET THE SCRAP OUT OF MY BAR!" 

    He pulled the trigger and a large beam of energy shot out, briefly illuminating the bar with a green light. When the gun finished firing, Drift fell out of the clutches of a charred-headed Tesarus. The My First Blaster then started lighting up as it let out a musical tune.

    "Hooray! You scored a direct hit!"

    "Yes, congratulations," Tesarus growled. "You have just made me angrier."

    "Then this should cheer you up."

    Coming up behind the Decepticon enforcer, Star Saber thrust his sword straight into Tesarus' back. The brutish mech screamed as Star Saber then pulled the blade out and stabbed him through the mouth, causing the lights of his X-shaped visor to go out and for the Decepticon to collapse onto the floor.

    "Gruesome," Riptide commented when the clash was over. "But fitting."

    Swerve simply scoffed. "'This should cheer you up?' What kind of a one-liner is that?"

    "Never mind that," Drift said, brushing himself off. "We should track down the other D.J.D. members and stop them from slaughtering everyone else... if they haven't already."

    "We?" Swerve asked, suddenly elated. "Hey, yeah! We should be a trio or something! 'Swerve and his Amazing Sword-wielding Friends!' Wouldn't that be fun?"

    "Extremely," Drift said dryly as he strode out of the bar, with Star Saber, Atomizer, and other patrons following.

    Swerve watched them leave before looking at Riptide. "I think it would be."

*  *  *

    "Any luck in getting anything back up?" Elita asked Hubcap.

    "None," came the reply. "Communications, engines, defenses, cameras... they're all shut down."

    "I hear footsteps," Red Alert said quietly, his audio receptor pressed against the door to the bridge. "Heavy footsteps. Someone's coming."

    "Weapons ready," Ultra Magnus, readying his gun. "If any of us die from this, let me just say it's been an honor serving with you."

    "Likewise," Elita murmured, loading up her own weapon. "Red Alert, open the door."

    Standing off to the side, Red Alert punched the control panel and the door opened to reveal Tarn. Red optics glowed behind his Decepticon insignia mask as the leader of the D.J.D aimed his fusion cannon.

    "Hello, Autobots... and good riddance."

-

    Author's note: Tesarus isn't dead, just so you know; only incapacitated.

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XVIII, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

--The Lost Light, hab suite 208--

    Nightbeat had barely knocked once when the door to Chromedome's room instantly slid open and the detective was quickly pulled inside by the mnemosurgeon, who then quickly closed the door shut behind him.

    "You didn't see Rewind on your way here, did you?" Chromedome asked as he hurried over to a computer in the corner of the room.

    "No," Nightbeat said, baffled by how the other Autobot was acting. "Where is Rewind, anyway?"

    "Studying planets with Glyph. I don't know when he'll be back, so I have to make this quick."

    "Make what quick?"

    Chromedome returned from the computer and returned with a data slug. "You know that Rewind and I are... close, right?"

    The detective slowly nodded. "Yes, I do. What, you guys aren't speaking to each other or something?"

    "No. At least, not...." Chromedome sighed. "Look, just take this. Please."

    Nightbeat took the data slug and scrutinized it closely. "What's on it?"

    "Something that... Rewind will have to know, eventually. If anything happens to me... say, if I die... I want you to give it to him."

    Nightbeat stared at the chip for a moment before looking at Chromedome and giving him an affirmative nod. "All right. But why are you entrusting me with this?"

    "Because you're the only one I can trust with this type of information."

    "Right. I, um, guess I'll see you later."

    With that, Nightbeat left the hab suite, not to look back at the brooding mnemosurgeon.

--Swerve's--

    "So... why did you leave the Circle of Light?"

    Sitting in a corner at Swerve's bar, Sta Saber had been completely silent ever since boarding the ship-- not to mention completely ignored. As such, he was rather surprised to have someone addressing him now... thought less so when he saw it was a fellow "social outcast."

    Looking away from Drift, Star Saber simply muttered, "None of your business."

    Drift pulled out a chair opposite of him and seated himself, folding his arms over the table. "You can tell me. I was once a member of the Circle as well."

    "Doesn't matter," Star Saber gruffly replied. "It's still none of your business."

    Drift sighed. "If it's any comfort to you, I didn't exactly part on good terms with them. My relationship with Dai Atlas was shaky, and others like Ginrai hardly trusted me at all. Axe and Wing Dagger were my only true friends within the Circle."

    Star Saber was silent for a while before quietly saying, "That was the same for me as well. Dai Atlas and I... never exactly saw optic-to-optic. That was part of the reason why I left."

    "What was the other part?"

    Before Star Saber could respond, the Lost Light suddenly lurched to a stop and the bar plunged into darkness.

    "What the heck!" Swerve exclaimed. "I thought I just had those lights fixed!"

    The bartender immediately went quiet when he and everyone else heard footsteps clanging on the roof of the ship....

--The bridge--

    "What's going on?" Elita spoke into the darkness. "Is something wrong with the engines again?"

    "I couldn't tell you," Windblade replied. "All systems are down; I can't even get the emergency systems to work."

    "Communications are still online," said Hubcap, the Lost Light's new communications officer. "We're being hailed."

    At that moment, a grave voice crackled through the comm system, eerily echoing all around the bridge.

    "Attention Autobot vessel: This is the Decepticon Justice Division. It has come to our knowledge that someone among your crew is a Decepticon deserter. If he does not turn himself in-- or if you do not do so instead-- in five minutes, we will personally handle him ourselves... as well as kill everyone else on board. We eagerly await your response."

    The entire crew fell silent once the connection had ended. After a few minutes, Ultra Magnus broke the silence by saying, "Do we have any defenses?"

    "Not many effective ones," Elita said bitterly. "All we can rely on are our own weapons when the D.J.D. board us."

    "What?" Windblade said. "You mean we're not going to turn in Drift?"

    Elita turned her head towards Windblade. "Why would we turn in Drift?"

    "Isn't it obvious? He's the deserter the D.J.D. is after. If we don't turn him in, they'll slaughter us."

    "And just why would we give up one of our own like that?" Elita asked, disapproval clear in her voice.

    "He's not one of us," Windblade objected. "He's killed many of our own, he's never officially received the Rite of the Autobrand--"

    "True as those things may be, it is against the Autobot Code to turn in a fellow Autobot-- officially branded or not-- to the enemy," Ultra Magnus said. "If the D.J.D. want an answer from us, they're going to get the abbreviated version."

    "What's that supposed to mean?" Red Alert asked.

    "Er, I was making a reference to us fighting them, which takes less words than talking, thus--" Magnus quickly stopped himself, realizing that his explanation was not going anywhere. "So... how much time do we have left?"

    "Two minutes," Hubcap said. "And just to let everyone know, I have no idea how to fight in the dark."

    Elita thought on these words for a moment. "Perhaps we don't necessarily have to fight them."

    "Are you saying we should turn in Drift?" Magnus asked skeptically.

    "No, of course not. I'm saying we should play by their game. If the 'Cons are such big fans of using deception, we'll see just how much they like it."

--The Peaceful Tyranny--

    "Five minutes are up." Tarn let out a soft sigh, looking down in mock mournfulness at the Lost Light down below. "I will always admire Autobots for their bravery, however reckless and stupid it may be."

    Charging up his double-barreled fusion cannon, the D.J.D. leader stepped onto the Peaceful Tyranny's ramp and fired his weapon at the Autobot vessel, tearing open a large hole into its roof. The five Decepticon enforcers jumped through the opening before the emergency seal could close them off.

    As the D.J.D. stood in the darkness of the ship, Helex said, "Should I bring the lights back on?"

    "No, no," Tarn said. "It's more fun and challenging this way."

    "Tarn, I'm picking up a transmission," Kaon reported. "It's from Lord Megatron."

    "It will have to wait. I'm sure our glorious leader will understand if we take our time finishing a mission." Charging his fusion cannon again, Tarn peered gleefully into the darkness. "Let the games begins."