PROLOGUE
--Combatron--
Thousands of years ago, Combatron was a proud and mighty colony world, fortified with armaments that surpassed even today's technology. Once known as the "Stronghold of Cybertron", it was once ruled by some of the greatest warriors to have ever lived.
Now it was nothing.
Even before the Atlas War had torn it asunder, Combatron was only a shell of its former self by the time Nova Prime departed for the stars, leading subsequent Primes to neglect it and deny what few inhabitants remained the resources they needed.
Now, it was little more than a dead world. A desolate husk. A constant reminder of failure.
Anger raged within the Fallen as he stood in the shadow of Trypticon, the Titan with whom he had first settled Combatron with so many millennia ago. Of course, it wasn't quite the same Titan; the Decepticons had done countless re-engineering to it that it was no longer recognizable as the same being. But right now, it was all he had.
Well, maybe not all....
"Ah, punctual as ever."
The Fallen looked up at the sound of Onyx's voice. In the dusty sky above, a large shape was emerging from the rust-colored clouds. The massive Titan had a cobbled-together, misshapen appearance, not at all as sleek as some of its brethren.
Vigilem. Nearby, the Fallen could hear the Maximus Titans rumble with disquiet.
"Calm yourselves, my friends," Onyx Prime said to them. "It is time to put past transgressions behind us. Vigilem and his master are our allies now."
"Are they?" the Fallen grunted. "How can we know we can trust him?"
"You did once, Megatronus," said Quintus Prime, hovering in place beside her brothers. "As I recall, it was what led to--"
"Enough," the Fallen growled. "Forget I said anything."
Before the three Primes, a large green figure descended from Vigilem. Liege Maximo's hulking form caused the ground to shake as he touched down. Exposed pistons released steam as he straightened up and began marching towards them.
"Time has clearly not been kind to him," Onyx remarked. "He used to be quite the looker back then, did he not?"
The Fallen simply grunted as Liege Maximo approached them. While nowhere near as large as Onyx's new gestalt form, the ancient Prime stood taller than the Fallen and certainly dwarfed Quintus in her current state.
A red light glowed within Maximo's maw as he opened it to speak. "It's been too long, Megatronus. How has life been treating you?"
The Fallen observed his brother's worn down form. "Better than you, it would seem."
He assumed that the grating, steam-exhausting sound Maximo made was supposed to be a laugh. "Ah, still sharp as ever, I see! Perhaps you're right." Maximo shifted his attention to Onyx. "Is this everyone then? I notice Nexus is absent..."
"He is presently preoccupied," Onyx said. "And Primus knows where Amalgamous is these days. We'll have to start without them."
"We have the Enigma of Combination though," Quintus said. "Luckily, your own Amulet of Deception kept those Covenant fools off the trail of the genuine article long enough for us to recover it."
Liege Maximo chuckled. "I'm certainly proud of that little trinket. Of course, I couldn't have made it without Solus' help."
The Fallen growled lowly as he glared at Maximo. Onyx spoke to quickly diffuse the tension. "Speaking of which, have all our artifacts been accounted for?"
"Megatronus has his little gun," Quintus said wryly. "I lost my Emberstone after I departed Cybertron. The Triptych Mask is also lost, I believe."
"And what of the others' relics?" Liege Maximo asked. "Prima's Star Saber, Solus' Forge... should we locate those before anyone else does?"
"And just who are you afraid will use them against us? Not those lowtechs, I hope."
"In any case, the Star Saber should be in Nexus' custody," Onyx said. "The Forge of Solus may still be out there but is useless if one does not know how to wield it. Trion and Alchemist's artifacts would be useless to use, and Micronus'...."
"The Chimera Stone," the Fallen murmured. "I've heard it was recovered by the Circle of Light."
"You mean Prima's little band is still around?" Quintus scoffed. "Somehow I'm not surprised. They've always been stubborn, resilient fools."
"And where is this Circle of Light?" Liege Maximo asked. "Still on Theophany?"
"No, they abandoned that world during the Unicron conflict," the Fallen replied. "I believe... a former operative of mine told me that they were stranded on Junkion. Their vessel, the Titan Metroplex, was rendered inoperative by a Decepticon using the Requiem Blaster."
"You mean a lowtech was able to use your toy?" Quintus flashed him a wicked grin. "Oh, how pathetic."
The Fallen gave her a glare before turning to Onyx. "As far as I know, they could still be stranded there, although it has been a few months. They may still have the Chimera Stone."
"Then it would be prudent to send someone to recover it from them," Onyx said. "Do you still have any operatives in your employ?"
The Fallen said nothing.
Smirking, Quintus spoke up instead. "I can send my herald to retrieve it. I'm sure those cobbled-together savaged will be no match for her."
Onyx nodded. "Very well, but make haste. We cannot afford to delay our conquest much longer."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they won't pose too much of a challenge...."
PRIMACY
Part 1: The Dreamer's Disease
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