SEVEN: FORGE THE FUTURE
“I don’t care where you send us to, Foldspace! Just get us the frag out of here!”
If Foldspace responded, Spacewarp did not hear him over the cacophony of noise surrounding her. Trypticon had not landed gracefully when he impacted Combatron’s surface, which set off an earthquake that would have knocked her off her feet had she not already taken off in her space shuttle mode. With her Mini-Con companions—including the three survivors they had found—safely aboard her, she had taken off towards the sky just as Trypticon began unleashing all of his weaponry. She did not think he had noticed her, but that didn’t mean she was safe anywhere near him as he fired plasma bombs from his mouth and photon beams from a pair of shoulder launchers… and that was all in addition to various guns and rockets he had scattered throughout his chassis.
If Combatron was already in a desolate state, then there was no way it was going to survive the Titan’s rampage.
Dust and ash from the ensuing apocalypse rained down all around her as she struggled to navigate her way through the planet’s sky and out of the atmosphere. With the Transwarp Blaster Mini-Cons linked up to her systems, she would be able to teleport herself to anywhere in the galaxy based on Foldspace’s coordinates. She could only pray that the old Mini-Con in his senility wouldn’t direct her straight into a black hole or any of the sort.
As she pushed through the rising columns of ash and smoke to break through the stratosphere, she could have sworn she saw a flash of purple light somewhere in the distance. Before she could even think about deducing what it was, she heard Foldspace’s voice finally come through.
“Destination set! Go and make your jump!”
With no time to double check Foldspace’s coordinates, Spacewarp called on the power granted to her from the powerlinked Interstellar Marauders. All around her, the hellish landscape of Combatron vanished as time and space warped around her before flinging her and her companions into the unknown.
* * *
Starscream paced back and forth nervously, his optics flicking furtively to the visuals of Combatron’s destruction. Under any other circumstances, he would have been pleased by this demonstration of the Titan’s power and could only imagine how useful it would be in destroying Earth. But as a prisoner of Trypticon, the Seeker could find no joy in witnessing such a sight; if anything, he could only feel a growing sense of dread as he thought about what Trypticon might do to him should he grow bored of his presence.
Krok at least seemed content with their predicament, all because of some mushy call he had with that Mini-Con medic. Starscream couldn’t even look at him now without feeling a deep sense of revulsion and a temptation to just shoot him with his null ray. It wasn’t like anyone was going to miss him….
Starscream turned his gaze to Krok, sitting despondently against the wall. He considered the benefits and drawbacks of killing the lowly ranked foot soldier. While he had proved himself capable of being able to communicate with Titans, what good was that going to do really? They had already learned where Trypticon had been and gotten him back online, for all the good that had done, and he clearly was not going to listen to either one of them to stop. Really, if one thought about it, Krok had served his purpose. At his point, he was nothing more than deadweight.
And Starscream had no use for deadweight.
Krok still was not looking at him. If he was quick, then he wouldn’t even see his death coming…
Just as Starscream was about to lift his arms, there was a flash of purple light and four mechanoids—two of them much larger than him—materialized between him and his target. Startled, Starscream backed up against the other wall and just as he registered the identities of those in front of him, Lugnut lunged forward and pinned him in place with one arm.
“Traitor!” the large purple Decepticon bellowed, reeling back his other arm. “You shall pay for your treasonous actions!”
“Gah! Let go of me, you fool!” Struggling against Lugnut’s grip, Starscream’s eyes turned to Megatron and he offered a weak smile. “My liege! Thank goodness you’re here! Here I was trying to get Trypticon to aid you in the battle on Ejoornus when he started acting up and—”
“Spare me,” Megatron growled. “The only reason I won’t kill you yet is because I will need to know just how deep the little conspiracy you’ve engineered goes.”
Starscream blinked, his surprise at least partly genuine. “Conspiracy…?”
“I take it Astrotrain wasn’t acting on your active orders then?”
Realization dawned on the Seeker and he cursed to himself. “Ah… I see. Can’t say I was expecting him to take the initiative so soon…”
“Please, master,” Lugnut said. “Let me render him into scrap so we can be rid of his nuisance!”
“I have a better idea.” The floor beneath their feet vibrated as Trypticon spoke. “How about I crush you all here and now and rid myself of six nuisances?”
Megatron shifted his baleful gaze to the Titan’s brain module. “You do realize, Trypticon, that I do not require you to be functioning to suit my needs? The Autobots clearly have no issues in traveling with Metroplex despite his spark having been extinguished for years.”
“Yes, but are they capable of using his robot mode and full potential? I think not. Nor do I believe you wish to rid yourself of such potential.”
Megatron smiled, an expression that sent a chill running through Starscream’s systems. “You think you know me so well, Titan.”
“I may no longer hear his voice or feel his presence, but Trannis’s memories and thoughts remain in my databanks. He made you into what you are now. He knew what made you tick… and thus, so do I.”
“Correction,” Megatron said. “You knew what made Optronix tick.”
“You are a fool if you think there is any difference,” Trypticon growled.
“Then you are a fool if you think it still holds true now.”
Without warning, he swiveled his fusion cannon to Trypticon’s brain module and opened fire. The entire chamber lit up from the resulting explosion as all within it were pushed back. Lugnut released his grip on Starscream and the Seeker fell to the floor. He barely managed to get far away enough from the blast that it did little more than singe the tips of his wings.
When everything settled once more, the chamber had been plunged into partial darkness, with only a few of Trypticon’s systems still online. The Titan had stopped moving and thus ceased his rampage, although without any visuals it was impossible to tell if there was anything left of Combatron.
All was still as those in the room stared in astonishment at Megatron, who remained where he stood before the shattered remains of Trypticon’s brain module. Then, the Decepticon leader slowly turned and his gaze fell down on Nickel, the Mini-Con medic whom Starscream only just now realized was there.
“How long would it take you to get him operational again?”
Nickel gaped at him for a moment before finding her voice. “Um… it would depend on how operational you need him…?”
“Just enough to utilize his transportation systems and warp us to our next destination.”
“Ah.” The Mini-Con considered for a moment. “Well, if his spark is still functional then… it shouldn’t take any more than a mega-cycle. I would just need to reroute everything that had went to his neural systems and—”
“Then get it done,” Megatron said coldly. “I will not accept a timetable that differs from what you have just given me.”
Nickel nodded slowly. “Understood, Lord Megatron.”
Skywarp picked himself up from the floor, dusting himself off. “Do you even know what our next destination is?”
“Indeed I do,” Megatron replied. “It will be where it all began for me. And, it shall be where it ends.”
Starscream sneered. “I don’t suppose you can offer something less cryptic than that?”
“Silence, traitor!” Lugnut roared as he smashed Starscream back to the floor. He then turned back to Megatron. “My liege, are you suggesting that you plan on… ending yourself? The Decepticon Empire will fall to shambles without you!”
“No, Lugnut,” the Decepticon leader answered. “I plan on remaking myself. If the Decepticon Empire is to succeed, then it needs a change in direction. A direction only I can provide. Not Trannis. Not Optronix.” His optics flared. “Not even Megatron.”
Starscream watched as the others exchanged confused looks. Skywarp rubbed his helm awkwardly. “But… you are Megatron. I mean, what else are we going to even call you?”
Megatron turned to him, and again Starscream felt a chill as he smiled. “Let’s find out together, shall we?”
* * *
Spacewarp did not recognize where she was, which was not a good sign.
As far as she could tell, she and her companions were all in one piece, which was a good sign. But it was still outweighed by the aforementioned bad sign.
Floating before them was not a planet but rather some kind of station. It was roughly the size of a moon, but it had no planet to orbit. At the epicenter of the station was a massive circle which looked as if it had once glowed with energy but had since been depleted. Ringing the orphaned satellite were six massive blades, three on either side, which gave it a vague wing shape.
The longer she stared at it, the more Spacewarp began to think it looked somewhat familiar. Not that she had seen it in person but rather in some sort of document or historical film.
Before she could ask Foldspace where in Primus’s name he had brought them, she heard Boom Tube speak within her. “Picking up spark signatures.”
Sure enough, her scanners began to detect multiple shapes emerging from the winged moon. As they closed in on her, she recognized them as Seeker-types, with many of them looking identical to each other. They instantly surrounded her before transforming to robot mode and raising their null rays at her.
“State your name and business,” one of the Seekers intoned in a dull voice.
“Whoa, easy there, boys.” Spacewarp transformed as well, bringing her Mini-Cons out with her. “We’re just trying to find somewhere safe to rest. Didn’t mean to intrude on your guys’ property.”
“State your name and business,” the Seeker repeated.
“Name’s Spacewarp and I already told you my business. Look, just let us warp somewhere else and we’ll be out of your circuit-board.”
The Seekers said nothing for a time, keeping their weapons trained on her. Then, the lavender one that had spoken to her turned his head away from her slightly, tilting it as if he was receiving something on his comm. Then, he turned his attention back to Spacewarp.
“You are a Decepticon?”
Spacewarp made a show of glancing down at the insignia on her chestplate. “Um, yeah. Is it too subtle?”
The Seeker lowered his weapons and the others followed suit. “You are an ally then, at least for now. You will accompany us to see Termagax.”
“Termagax?” Spacewarp asked, but the Seekers had already converted back to their flight modes. Seeing that they would not be fielding any further questions, she returned to her alternate mode as well and followed them to the winged moon.
They flew over the metal surface of the moon as they made their way to a spire that rose from the northern pole. A hatch in the spire slid open upon their approach and the Seekers funneled Spacewarp into the opening, giving her no room to break off and fly away. Left with no other option, she flew into the opening and followed a short, narrow hallway that eventually opened up into a wider chamber. As soon as there was a floor to stand on, she transformed to her robot mode and landed, with her Mini-Con companions landing at her feet while the Seekers touched ground behind her.
The massive chamber was filled wall to wall with monitors and technology, many of them looking worn and ancient as if they had not been used in quite some time. There were some work stations, which were occupied by more Seekers or otherwise generic-looking bots. Meanwhile, at the center of the room was a small platform that hovered a few feet above the floor; standing on the platform, facing a set of monitors that showed various parts of the moon, was a short and stocky bot with gray armor plating and a golden faceplate.
As Spacewarp and her party approached, the mysterious bot lazily turned her yellow optics to her. For a moment, it seemed as if she were sizing Spacewarp up, which made the explorer feel somewhat uneasy.
Eventually, the bot’s gaze landed on Spacewarp’s Decepticon insignia and a strange expression crossed her face. “So, you are one of Trannis’ bots, are you?”
“Trannis?” Spacewarp cocked her head in confusion. “I ain’t that old, lady. I served under Megatron.”
“Megatron.” The gray bot spoke the name as if it was familiar but not one she had heard in a long time. “How interesting. Yes, that would make sense….”
As Spacewarp continued to stare at their strange host, Foldspace tapped her quietly on the leg. “Spacewarp,” the old Mini-Con said in a hushed whisper. “Do you have any idea who that is?”
Spacewarp looked down at him. “I take it this is the Termagax they mentioned earlier?”
Foldspace gave her an incredulous look. “You really don’t know who she is, do you?”
“I mean, the name sounds kinda familiar but I couldn’t tell you anything about her with a molecular obliterator to my head.”
“I can hardly blame you,” Termagax spoke up, still facing her monitors. “If you are as young as you appear to be, then it is unlikely that my name would have cropped up in any history records. Perhaps your little friend there can enlighten you.”
Foldspace shrugged. “I mean, my memory ain’t what it used to be… but I was around during those days. During the Nominus era.”
“Nominus era?” Spacewarp exclaimed, looking from Foldspace to Termagax. “As in Nominus Prime?”
“Yep. Hell, she might even be older than that; might’ve even been there for Nova Prime. Point is, she was there for the Age of Expansion, or at least its end, and she was a major proponent for its continuation when Nominus Prime issued his edict, putting a stop to the whole thing.”
“I know about the Nominus Edict. But how come I’ve never heard about Termagax?”
“The fact that I was one of his most ardent critics might have something to do with it,” said Termagax herself. “Nominus Prime wanted to push our society into stagnation after all the progress Nova Prime had made.”
Spacewarp crossed her arms. “Yeah, progress like pushing Mini-Cons and beasts into categories and making them outsiders….”
“I admit it was not perfect, but Nominus only made it worse by either doing nothing or taking us backward. He was more focused on propping himself up as ruler of Cybertron than the needs of our race. The only ideas of mine that he accepted were those he believed he could co-opt to sustain his rule… such as the Winged Moon.” She gestured outward with her arms, motioning to the room around and by extension the moon they stood within.
“Winged Moon, eh?” Spacewarp said. “Very creative.”
“The name was never the point, but rather the function. It was capable of distilling energon from the very fabric of time and space and feeding it back to Cybertron, sustaining the planet for generations to come. It was something that Nova Prime and his scientists could ever dream of coming up with themselves.”
“What happened to it, then? ‘Cos I’m pretty sure if we had something like this there never would’ve been a Great War to begin with.”
“As with anything, it was ruined by pride and greed,” Termagax said bitterly. “Nominus wanted to use the Winged Moon to bleed planets dry, something it was never meant for. By that point, I had managed to gain a seat on his High Council, despite his efforts to keep me away, and I used all of my political power to command the Primal Vanguard to sever the tether between the moon and Cybertron. I then used a remote failsafe to cast it into the deepest reaches of space, where Nominus could never find it.
“Needless to say, Nominus didn’t take kindly to this and I was exiled from society—the only reason he didn’t execute me was because of the uproar it would have stirred. For the next several thousand years, I lived in isolation on Cybertron, watching from afar as Nominus and his successors rose and fell. When my hopes for a better future were completely extinguished, I left Cybertron and found the Winged Moon, where I have stayed ever since.”
“I see,” Spacewarp said. “Well, since you’ve been out of the game for a while, I take it you don’t know that Cybertron has been restored?”
Termagax glanced at her, a skeptical expression on her face. “Restored in what way?”
“Well, I mean… Prime—the old Prime, Optimus—used the AllSpark to restore power to Vector Sigma and get energon flowing again. Granted, it’s been a slow process and things still aren’t Golden Age material, but it’s only been three years, so—”
Termagax scoffed. “Even the so-called Golden Age was merely a facade. A picture painted by the ones who….” She then paused, as if just now processing something, and she turned away fully from her monitors. “Wait… did you say Optimus? As in Optimus Prime?”
“Uh, yeah.” Spacewarp rubbed the back of her head. “’Course, I don’t think he’s Prime anymore. Some fella called Rodimus is calling the shots on Cybertron now, although ol’ O.P. is still around to help out.”
Termagax’s optics narrowed. “Where is Optimus Prime now? Do you know?”
“Nope, sorry. Why the frag should I know? I ain’t his sparkmate.”
Termagax glared at her for a moment before turning away, returning her attention to the monitors. She waved her hand and the visuals changed. “No matter. I’m sure the current Prime will be able to tell me where he is.”
“Uh, yeah, good luck with that. By my calculations, we’re a long way from Cybertron.”
Termagax looked over her shoulder at her, a mirthless smile on her face. “Weren’t you paying attention, young one? I was able to send the Winged Moon away from Cybertron.”
All around them, several lights lit up throughout the chamber as machinery not used in millennia hummed to life.
“I can also bring it back.”
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