tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63286059655577296272024-02-19T15:22:12.269-08:00Grumpy Bulldog FanFic CollectionSome miscellaneous fanfics, primarily Transformers ones. All copyrights go to whoever owns the property. I'm acknowledging you, please don't sue me!PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-39534515287593047412012-06-13T06:59:00.000-07:002011-10-08T18:57:46.402-07:00BackstoryGenerally speaking, I believe fan fiction to be a lower, vulgar art form. Yet sometimes I enjoy engaging in it in-between more serious projects. It's campy fun that can keep the writing muscles in shape without taxing the brain. Sure you can't legally make money off them, but who wants to write for profit all the time anyway? (OK, me too, but...)<br />
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The jewel of this collection is a series of Transformers fanfics from 1997-1998 called "The Skyfire Adventures." The Transformer toy Jetfire--based on a Robotech Veritech fighter--was my favorite Transformer of all time. In fact, I still have the one I originally received for Christmas in 1985 and in 1996 bought one still mint in the box. Anyway, as I was in college and didn't want to do anything serious and the surging popularity of the Web allowed me to connect with Transformers fans all over the world, many of whom had written their own stories, I wrote a whole novel called "Transformers: Xenophobia" and then followed it up with a series of shorter, unrelated fanfics.<br />
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It was intended to be over a dozen parts, but I only did the first seven and then wrapped it up . Those stories blend the Transformers universe of the 1980s with the new Beast Wars series of the mid-1990s. In it, our hero the Autobot Jetfire--now a Maximal called Skyfire, which was his name in the '80s TV series because of copyright issues--ends up on remote world where he finds a crashed shuttle with several Autobots in suspended animation. They then explore the galaxy on their way back home and have a variety of strange and exciting adventures--mostly strange, especially the last one.<br />
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There's also a Star Trek: Voyager fanfic and a couple others that aren't really fanfics but they fit better here than the regular short story collection.<br />
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The links are on the right side. Please enjoy all those juicy tidbits of fanfic...PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-2693093367857687352009-04-21T06:01:00.001-07:002022-08-31T12:36:07.756-07:00Unofficial Discworld Series CompanionUnofficial Discworld Series Companion<br />
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Series Written By Terry Pratchett<br />
Reviews Written By BJ Fraser<br />
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<u>Volume 1: The Color of Magic</u> (Or Colour of Magic if you prefer the UK spelling): This is the first Discworld novel, published originally in 1983. I doubt Pratchett thought he'd still be writing the series 25 years later. This first novel serves mostly as a send-up of fantasy epics like "Lord of the Rings" and such and lays out the unusual geography of the Discworld, that being a flat world carried by four elephants on the back of a huge space turtle. The novel deals with Rincewind, a dropout of the Unseen University for wizards, who knows only one magic spell and makes a living on the streets of grubby Ankh-Morpork as best he can. When he is employed by a rich tourist from the far-off Golden Empire, Rincewind thinks he'll make a quick buck. Little does the cowardly would-be wizard know that he's gotten himself entangled in a quest that will take him to (and over) the edges of the Disc.<br />
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As I said, this largely lays out the geography of the world, with lots of explanations of how the Disc and its various societies, gods, and so forth work. (This includes the "color of magic" to which the title refers; that color is octarine, an eighth primary color.) On its own it's an amusing novel, though not great. Having read future installments of the series, everything seems a bit off in this first installment. It's like watching season 20 of "The Simpsons" and then going back to watch an episode of season 1 where the voices of some characters (notably Homer) aren't quite right. Had I started with this one, I'm not sure I'd have been keen to read 30 more. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 2: The Light Fantastic:</u> This is a direct sequel to "The Color of Magic" and possibly the only direct sequel in the series, though if I'm wrong I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Anyway, Rincewind thought he was through with crazy adventures, but an even crazier adventure beckons as the great space turtle seems to be on a collision course with a star. It just might be the one spell Rincewind knows can actually help save the entire Discworld.<br />
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Like "The Color of Magic" before it, this one is good, but not great. I think Pratchett had begun the process of settling in more to creating a series instead of just one book. It's still an amusing read if you have a couple hours to spare. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 3: Equal Rites:</u> This is the first Discworld novel to expand the universe outside of Rincewind. In this case the story revolves around a witch named Granny Weatherwax, who lives in the isolated Ramtop Mountains. On general principles Granny doesn't like associating with non-witches, but finds herself becoming a mentor and guardian to a little girl named Esk, who seems destined to become a wizard. Just one problem: there's never been a female wizard before.<br />
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There was some good potential for this story in the beginning, but the end never really lived up to it. For one thing, the story focuses itself on too narrow a timeframe, so that we don't really get to see much of Esk's challenges in trying to become a witch or her relationship to Simon. That they haven't reappeared to headline any of the other 30 books probably says something about the author's detachment to them. On a positive note, though, getting away from Rincewind allowed more of the Discworld universe to evolve. None of the Discworld books are probably essential reading, but this one even less so. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 4: Mort:</u> This is the first Discworld novel that focuses on DEATH as a main character. He appears in most every novel, at least in a cameo, but this novel really fleshes out (bad pun since he hasn't got any flesh) Death's world. Death becomes fascinated with humanity and so decides to experiment with human pleasures like drinking and eating, though fortunately not that other human pleasure. Meanwhile, he recruits a young man named Mort to cover for him. When Mort falls in love with one of his victims, the consequences are dire.<br />
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Maybe it's terribly morbid, but DEATH is probably my favorite character in the series to this point. (Second is the Librarian, an orangutan who answers everything with a hearty "Ook.") I'm pretty sure this laid the groundwork for the Susan character featured in future novels in the series, though I haven't got to that point yet. Anyway, on its own I liked this novel, though not as much as the later "Reaper Man" that also focuses heavily on DEATH. Still, I'd have to say that of the first group it's the one I liked best. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 5: Sourcery:</u> After two books Rincewind returns and once more the cowardly non-magical wizard has to save the universe. This time it's not a collision with a sun about to put an end to the world, but a powerful ten-year-old sourcerer, so called because he serves as a "source" for raw magic-it's a little complicated. A magic war breaks out among the wizards that threatens to destroy the fabric of reality unless Rincewind can save the day. (So everyone is pretty screwed.)<br />
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The Discworld universe continues to evolve with this book, especially the wizards. Rincewind is probably at his best of the three he's featured in at this point and is forced with a real issue other than survival when he has to take sides against his fellow wizards. The only flaw is at the end some of the characters were left with little to do but stand around and watch the fireworks, so to speak. That's a little slack storytelling. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 6: Wyrd Sisters:</u> this time we're back to Granny Weatherwax, last featured in "Equal Rites." Granny's got a couple new friends to form a coven-of sorts-that soon finds itself embroiled in political strife involving the assassination of a king and his newborn successor. Much of the story is modeled after works of Shakespeare like "Macbeth" and "Hamlet," which would probably be more humorous to me if I'd read (or watched) much Shakespeare.<br />
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I can't say I'm overly fond of the Granny Weatherwax character yet, but I think if you like "Wicked" (the Gregory Maguire book or the musical) you'll probably enjoy Pratchett's less-than-fanciful account of witches-and it's worth noting this came along seven years before Maguire's book. As I said above, if I knew about Shakespeare I'd have liked it more, but that's my fault not the book's. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 7: Pyramids:</u> this involves a kingdom loosely based on ancient Egypt, complete with pharaohs, mummies, and of course pyramids. The pharaoh's son Pteppic is sent to the city of Ankh-Morpork, where he becomes an assassin. But on the day he graduates, his father dies and he's brought home to take over as the god-king. The new pharaoh soon finds that all the real power in the kingdom rests with the high priest, who is so old and so much a fixture that no one can remember not having him around--there's a reason for this that's probably quantum. In one case, the high priest sentences a handmaiden to death in the name of the pharaoh, who then uses his assassin skills to rescue her, thus making him an enemy of the state--himself.<br />
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Meanwhile, construction begins on a pyramid for the previous pharaoh, one larger and grander than ever. But not only is the cost for this monstrosity devastating to the kingdom, the temporal energy it gives off threatens to destroy the entire kingdom.<br />
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I can't say I enjoyed this one a whole lot. Maybe I'm not into Egyptians and temporal mechanics enough. Or maybe like "Equal Rites" there wasn't enough of the main Discworld elements in this one to really pull me in. Or maybe I just like making stupid postulations. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 8: Guards! Guards!:</u> this one is about the laughably inept City Watch, who work the graveyard shift ringing a bell, shouting "all is well," and trying to stay out of the way. This is because the Machiavellian head of the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Vetinari, has essentially legalized crime by unionizing thieves and assassins and giving them strict quotas. The head of the City Watch's night shift, Captain Sam Vimes, comes from that Bruce Willis mode of cops in that you can usually find him in a bar or in the gutter afterwards, stinking like a bar.<br />
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Things begin to change when a "dwarf" named Carrot arrives from the mountains. Carrot really isn't a dwarf, he's a human taken in by the dwarves since he was a baby and his parents were murdered. When he arrives in Ankh-Morpork he starts throwing the book (figuratively and literally) at the criminal element in the city despite Vimes and his lieutenants telling him to chill out. Meanwhile, a real crime is being perpetrated by a secret society trying to take control of the city by summoning a dragon. They get a lot more than they bargained for and now the only ones who can stop it are the City Watch with the help of the Lady Ramkin, one of her pet swamp dragons, and an orangutan librarian.<br />
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I think the good thing about this off the bat is that while the book is funny and the cops are inept, they aren't really "Keystone Cops" so much as guys who really don't have an important job and are well aware of this so they just don't care. Some of the plot is predictable but the main twist at the end I didn't really see coming. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 9: Eric</u> - This comes in at a brief 197 pages if you don't get the original illustrated edition--which I didn't. In this one Rincewind returns from exile in the Dungeon Dimensions at the end of "Sourcery." A 13-year-old demonologist named Eric has brought Rincewind back, thinking he's summoning a demon who can give him control of the universe, the most beautiful woman in the world, and eternal life. To Rincewind's surprise, he actually does this--after a fashion, but as the say: be careful what you wish for.<br />
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I read this book in about two hours, so it's a real light read. The way Pratchett melds ancient Greek and South American history to Discworld history is interesting, and his concept of Hell is funny for anyone who works in a cubicle. His Creator of the universe, though, seems borrowed in part from another Brit: Douglas Adams in the original "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."<br />
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Anyway, probably because this was supposed to be a picture book there's not a lot of depth to it. It'll amuse you for a couple hours though. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 10: Moving Pictures:</u> in this one an alchemist is conducting one of his idiotic experiments when he lo and behold SUCCEEDS at making something useful! What he invents is the Discworld equivalent of film. Before long he and his fellow alchemists head off to an abandoned place called Holy Wood and begin shooting silent movies that are made by imps quickly painting images onto the film while one of the alchemists turns a handle that "motivates" the imps to keep working.<br />
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Meanwhile, Victor is a wizard student at Unseen University who because of his uncle's will doesn't want to graduate and doesn't want to drop out either; he just wants to coast along like a less wild "Van Wilder." But when he sees a "click" as the silent films are known as, he heads off to Holy Wood along with thousands of other starstruck humans, trolls, and even dogs. Victor becomes a moving picture star along with a woman named Ginger.<br />
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Before long a former sausage salesman becomes a big-time movie producer and endeavors to put on the mother of all clicks--with a thousand elephants! But all this meddling with mysterious forces in abandoned places is bound to lead to trouble--trouble fit for a click!<br />
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All these different plot threads come together fairly well in the end as all our non-heroes battle weird Things for the fate of the Discworld. Still, it felt like I'd read most of this before with only the specifics changed. I suppose when you write as many of these as Pratchett has it's easy to fall into a formula, albeit an enjoyable formula.<br />
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I did enjoy this one slightly more than the previous one I read if only because it was fun to play "spot the reference" in terms of real movies like "Gone With the Wind," "King Kong," "Lassie," and "Casablanca" among others. The real film industry was about as primitive as the Holy Wood version early on, only without the imps and trolls. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 11: Reaper Man:</u> As the title suggests, "Reaper Man" is about Death, both with a capital and lower-case D. Two stories run throughout the book, finally intersecting at the end. The first is about Death--the Grim Reaper in popular parlance--who is being retired by his masters because Death seems to be developing a personality. With typical bureaucratic foresight, Death's masters have no replacement lined up.<br />
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The impact of this is told through the story of 130-year-old wizard Windle Poons. After living a long, dull life at Unseen University, Windle is finally ready to go into the Great Beyond. He finally passes away at his retirement party, but soon finds one hitch: no one is there to collect his spirit. With nowhere else to go, Windle returns to his body and becomes a zombie. Not the mindless, shambling, brain-eating zombies of horror movie fame. Instead, Windle finds true mastery of his body for the first time, giving him super strength and super senses and probably a super odor from decay as well.<br />
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Meanwhile, Death decides to see the world and ends up in an out of the way mountain village where he goes to work for the ancient spinster Miss Flitworth doing--what else--harvesting with a scythe. For the first time Death discovers what it means to be alive, experiencing both the triumphs and tragedies of mortality.<br />
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Back in the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork, strange events are afoot. Without a Death, many other people are having the same trouble as Windle Poon, leading to disastrous consequences. Windle makes friends with a group of the undead that include a vampire, werewolf, and Bogeyman and finds himself at the epicenter of an invasion of snow globes that are the prelude to a far more dangerous enemy.<br />
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"Reaper Man" features more of Pratchett's wit and topical humor that make for an easy and fun read even if you're not really into fantasy--like myself. Really, if this book can't make you laugh then you need a funny bone transplant. Yet while it is humorous and fun, there's also a deepness and meaning to it all, which makes it a great book to read on multiple levels. If you can laugh and learn something that's the best of both worlds, right?<br />
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The last thirty pages or so of the book I thought were really excellent. It's the kind of ending that makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Finding an ending that powerful is pretty rare for me and so makes this book well worth reading. (5 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 12: Witches Abroad:</u> Granny Weatherwax and the witches of Lancre are back, and this time hitting the road (or really the sky given they fly on broomsticks) to stop a royal wedding. The princess Ella is about to marry a Duc with clammy skin, weird eyes, and a predilection towards eating flies unless the witches can get there in time to stop the Happily Ever After. This is the kind of anti-fairy tale fairy tale in the same vein as the "Shrek" movies, though written years earlier. Besides "Cinderella" other fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood" are also referenced with hilarious results. The best part is what happens to Nanny Ogg's fiendish cat Greebo; I could imagine my cat would be nearly the same under similar circumstances. A fun romp through classic fairy tales. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 13: Small Gods:</u> This story doesn't involve any of the main characters (except for DEATH, who appears in every book) taking place in the realm of Omnia. The people there worship the Great God Om--usually depicted as a bull--with a fervor enforced by the sadistic Quisition, obviously based on the Spanish Inquisition. There's just one problem: the Great God Om is trapped in the body of a tortoise and finds himself with just one true believer: a small-witted novice monk named Brutha. This book touches on a theme presented earlier in "Pyramids" (and possibly other books) and notably later in "Hogfather" that says gods come and go based on changing beliefs. What Pratchett suggests isn't atheism; it's more like universal apathy saying whatever you choose to believe in is as good as anything. When you think no one can really prove which god(s) is God this makes a lot of sense; after all, who's to say your toaster can't be God if you really, really believe hard enough? I like too the Discworld concept that the afterlife is whatever you believe it will be, something touched on in "Eric" among others. This is a book for the open-minded on the subject, not the true believers. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 14: Lords and Ladies:</u> In my review of volumes 1-6 I posited that "Light Fantastic" was the only direct sequel in the series. This is not the case as "Lords and Ladies" picks up after "Witches Abroad" though really it continues the events of "Wyrd Sisters." Granny Weatherwax and crew have returned home and now it's time for the young witch Magrat to marry the king and become queen of Lancre. As people arrive from all over the Discworld, all heck is about to break loose when elves return to plague the land. These aren't the cute Santa's helpers or even the beautiful, noble creatures from "Lord of the Rings." No, these elves are psychotic, sadistic monsters intent on enslaving humanity. Because of this, the book has a darker tone than others in the series. It draws from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which I've never seen, so like with "Wyrd Sisters" there's probably a few references I didn't catch. I was happy, though, my second-favorite character the Librarian got significant time in this book. As well, this book and "Witches Abroad" helped evolve the witch characters, fleshing out their personalities a bit more. I wasn't sold on Granny and the others in "Equal Rites" and "Wyrd Sisters" but I've started to enjoy them with these two books. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 15: Men At Arms:</u> Affirmative action comes to the corrupt metropolis of Ankh-Morpork when the city's leader, The Patrician, inducts a troll, a dwarf, and a female werewolf into the City Watch, Night division. The Night Watch used to be a joke, but after Corporal Carrot joined the force in "Guards! Guards!" the Watch became somewhat respectable and started actually doing work.<br />
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While the Watch is gaining three new recruits, it's losing its commander in Captain Sam Vimes. Formerly a drunk used to waking up in gutters, Vimes is now living the high life and about to marry Lady Ramkin, a wealthy swamp dragon trainer. Everything seems to be going well, except behind the scenes, someone wants to restore the monarchy to the throne.<br />
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To do this, the fiend plots to create a deadly new weapon: a gonne, which uses fireworks powder to shoot a lead slug into someone--or in other words, it's the Discworld's first gun. As racial violence between dwarves, trolls, humans, and undead heats up it's up to the Night Watch to save the day.<br />
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My problem in reading this book was I was distracted by other things, so I couldn't give it my full attention. The final solution to WHO is behind everything wasn't too obvious, which is a good thing. Like "Lords and Ladies" before it, this one had a darker tone with one central character being killed. It seemed odd to me that Corporal Carrot at the start of the book seems kind of dull-witted, but by the end he's outsmarting everyone, including a master manipulator like The Patrician. The more I got thinking about it, the more I realized Carrot is like Columbo in those old '70s mysteries. Only instead of going around in a rumpled trenchcoat and smoking cigars, he wears shiny chain mail. But the result is the same, where foes and friends grossly underestimate him until they realize they've answered "one more question" too many. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 16: Soul Music:</u> I was hoping to like this more than I did. DEATH--what we would think of as the Grim Reaper--is my favorite recurring character in the series, so I was hoping to really enjoy a book focusing more on him. But I didn't, in large part because "Soul Music" is much like "Moving Pictures" only instead of parodying the early film industry it parodies the early days of rock n roll--when it was actually rock n roll and not two hundred different sub categories.<br />
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Anyway, DEATH gets depressed and takes a sudden leave of absence. The job of making sure people die goes to his sixteen-year-old "granddaughter" Susan. She is the offspring of an orphan DEATH adopted and his former apprentice Mort, who got married in the earlier book aptly titled "Mort." While in many ways Susan is a normal girl, she also has the ability to will herself invisible and see things that no one else can, like a skeletal rat with a scythe that goes SQUEAK! As you'd expect Susan is no better at being DEATH than her father was, though not quite with as disastrous results.<br />
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Meanwhile, in Ankh-Morpork a bard named Imp arrives and wants to be the most famous musician ever, but can't afford to join the Musician's Guild to play legally. He joins up with a dwarf and troll and form a band. When Imp breaks his harp, the band discovers a music shop that has always been there, by which I mean it's NEVER been there and just suddenly turned up. Imp buys a guitar that seems to take on a life of its own. Before long, he and the others are playing a new kind of music they call Music With Rocks In, presumably because instead of drums the troll beats a sack of stones.<br />
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Music With Rocks In becomes a sensation, but for Imp--who takes the name Buddy--fame comes with a high pricetag.<br />
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What I didn't like, as I mentioned earlier, was much of this seemed derivative, as a combination of "Mort," "Reaper Man," and "Moving Pictures." At least Pratchett knew he was rehashing some of the same material, so he avoids duplicating those books exactly. Still, there was a definite feeling of "been there, done that." It was still an enjoyable read, but not a great one. (2 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 17: Interesting Times:</u> the expression "May you live in interesting times" can be either a blessing or a curse. To Rincewind the wizard, it's definitely a curse. There's nothing more Rincewind would like more than to hide out somewhere safe and quiet with a large supply of potatoes. Unfortunately, Rincewind has the same kind of luck as Charlie Brown in kicking the football; whenever he thinks he's going to do it, someone pulls the football away.<br />
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This time, Rincewind is called upon by the other wizards at Unseen University to travel to the remote "Counterweight Continent" a region that has little contact with the rest of the Discworld when a hungry albatross arrives with a message requesting a "Great Wizard" be sent to the continent ASAP. Since there's no one more expendable for a dangerous mission, Rincewind is chosen to be teleported across thousands of miles, where he meets an old (literally) friend: Cohen the Barbarian. The ancient "hero" and his Silver Horde of six other old geezers are planning to mount a daring mission to steal something precious from the Empire ruling the continent.<br />
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Trying to avoid this suicide mission, Rincewind strikes out on his own, but is soon taken captive by the "Red Army", a group of teenagers who are good at plastering slogans on walls and little else. They believe Rincewind is The Great Wizard who will lead them to victory over the repressive empire.<br />
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As always happens when Rincewind is involved, his attempts to avoid trouble wind up leading him deeper into trouble and his attempts at being a coward wind up making him a hero. How this plays out was sort of predictable, but I've really come to identify with Rincewind, possessing about the same amount of "luck."<br />
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Though this isn't a sequel, there are references to the other Rincewind novels, including the reappearance of Twoflower the tourist, who first set Rincewind on the annoying path to adventure in the first two Discworld books. So there's a feeling like a class reunion in reading this that makes it fun to read. It's always good to reunite with old friends, even if they aren't real. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 18: Maskerade:</u> Last time we met them in "Lords and Ladies", the Lancre witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg were helping the third member of their coven become the queen of Lancre. Now that the coven is down to two, it's time to look for a replacement. As it happens, Nanny has a perfect replacement in mind. There's just one hitch: this person is hundreds of miles away in the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork trying to become an opera singer. No worries though as Nanny and Granny have an errand in the big city, mainly getting Nanny's fair share of royalties from the publishing of a scandalous cookbook.<br />
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Meanwhile, at the Ankh-Morpork Opera House strange things are afoot. For many years the Opera House has been haunted by a mask-wearing phantom, who generally likes to watch the first performance of any opera from a specially-reserved box. But now the Ghost has started murdering people and it's up to Granny and Nanny to put a stop to it.<br />
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Really, since most of the story focuses on murders in the city of Ankh-Morpork, I kept wondering why this wasn't a City Watch book instead of a Witches book. I suppose since much of the story is (probably) taken from "Phantom of the Opera" it's fitting for Granny and Nanny. I didn't like this as much as some of the other Witch books like "Witches Abroad" or "Lords and Ladies." For one thing the newest witch, Agnes Nitt, doesn't have much to her yet. She's very fat, has poor self-esteem, and a good voice. Not all that interesting really. As well some of the gags like the cat Greebo turning human had already been used, so there was some staleness as well. And really, the story seemed like it could have been a "Scooby-Doo" episode--Now we'll find out who you really are, Opera Ghost! (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 19: Feet of Clay:</u> Maybe you're like me and never quite understood what a golem was, or at least I didn't until I saw a Simpsons Halloween episode featuring one--which is how I learn most everything. Anyway, in Judaism there's this idea of making big people out of clay and then a rabbi marks it with a symbol and it comes to life. It will do anything you tell it to do by putting scrolls in its mouth.<br />
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In the Discworld, golems are used like a cross between industrial robots and illegal aliens. Since a golem can work continuously without food or sleep it means less people are needed. And a golem can do all sorts of hazardous jobs like working with acids or other chemicals because they're extremely tough and never complain. Then one shop owner gets more than he bargained for when he buys a golem that goes off on a killing spree.<br />
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Meanwhile, the City Watch is expanding its operations. In "Maskerade" we learned about a new undercover unit and now in "Feet of Clay" comes a CSI unit, which consists of one female dwarf who works in an old privy. This comes in handy when someone begins poisoning The Patrician, Ankh-Morpork's leader. Commander Vimes, Captain Carrot, and the rest of the Watch have to put together the pieces before it's too late.<br />
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This was a really interesting book because the plight of the golems touches on serious issues. These issues are brought up again later in the series with "Going Postal" and presumably "Making Money." It's a good reminder that while the plots of these books seem outlandish, they bring up topics that are still in the news today. What really got me though were some great references to movies like "Terminator 2" and "Robocop." As well the mystery, or really conspiracy, wasn't so easy that I could figure it out, which is always a good thing in a book like this. There were a couple of times where I thought I had it figured out and turned out to be wrong, just like Vimes and company investigating the crimes. So it's a great crime story ripped from today's headlines as they say in "Law & Order" promos. And you can't beat the thought of a dwarf in drag. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 20: Hogfather:</u> In the fictional Discworld, which is carried by four elephants atop a giant turtle floating through space, what we would consider Christmas is known as Hogwatch. The jolly, bearded fat man in the red suit we would associate with Santa Claus is known as the Hogfather and drives a team of four boars instead of eight reindeer. This year, though, something has gone amiss--mainly the Hogfather himself--and so if the Hogfather looks as if he's lost a lot of weight it's because Death is standing in for him.<br />
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The plot itself for "Hogfather" sounds like one of those cheesy Christmas specials we used to see more of on television like "The Flintstones Save Christmas" or "Ernest Saves Christmas" or even "The Santa Clause" where some ordinary klutz has to fill in for Santa and bring toys and cheer to the good little boys and girls. But things are never that simple or straightforward in the Discworld. While the Grim Reaper is filling the Hogfather's boots, his "granddaughter" Susan goes in search of the Hogfather, which ultimately involves assassins and The Tooth Fairy. Meanwhile, at Unseen University, the school for wizards, strange things are happening like gods and fairies appearing out of thin air. (It makes slightly more sense when you read the book.)<br />
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The story centers not so much on "saving Christmas, er, Hogwatch" as on the nature of belief and how it changes over time. In particular is the concept of old gods serving new purposes. If you look back through history you can compare the roles of old gods like Zeus or Odin with the Christian God (or Jesus) or Hindu gods, and so forth. No matter the society or the religion humans have always had a need for belief in something, even if it's something ridiculous like a jolly fat man and a team of flying hogs.<br />
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There's a good moral as well in the story of Death learning to be Santa, er, Hogfather in that Christmas, er, Hogwatch doesn't always mean getting everything you want. Even as children a little disappointment is necessary to help us mature into adults. (You've seen what happens to people who get everything they want growing up with the Paris Hiltons of the world.)<br />
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So really what could have in lesser hands been rendered into a cheap, sappy Christmas special has been given far more meaning by Mr. Pratchett. Not to mention the book is hilarious and a breeze to read. Some of the things near the end were a little confusing, but overall this was a great read for the holidays. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 21: Jingo:</u> When an island rises from the ocean between the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork and the desert kingdom of Klatch, it's the impetus for war. There's just one slight problem, as Ankh-Morpork hasn't fought a war in centuries, content during that time to invite its enemies to come in and stay awhile, followed by robbing them blind in their sleep. Because of this, the city's gentry take to raising private armies, which includes Commander Vimes of the City Watch. As expected, his unit is composed of Watchmen like heroic Captain Carrot the "dwarf", Angua the werewolf, and Detritus the troll. They face a race against time to prevent an all-out war.<br />
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This was an interesting book in that it takes the City Watch out of the city. There's references to the JFK assassination and it's hard not to think of the desert kingdom of Klatch as Iraq, though this book was written in about 1997. Certainly the sentiment that war is good for absolutely nothing rings true these days, especially when the leaders fighting the war are dopes. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 22: The Last Continent:</u> Everyone's favorite cowardly wizard Rincewind returns for his last full-length adventure. At the end of "Intersting Times" Rincewind ended up on the continent XXXX (so called because no one else has ever gone there and returned). With his usual luck, Rincewind is embroiled in an adventure against his wishes when this barren continent runs out of water. A helpful kangaroo helps him find his way through this strange desert continent where everyone says things like "G'day!" and "no worries" and drinks lots of beer. At the same time the orangutan Librarian of Unseen University is sick, so the school's top wizards go in search of Rincewind, as he's the only one who knows the Librarian's real name. In the process, the wizards end up stranded in time on a remote island with a god who is far from omnipotent. Somehow this all ties together.<br />
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One of the running jokes in the second half of the book is that a lot of ideas sound better after midnight and copious amounts of alcohol. This book would be best read in that state. It's not that it's not fun or interesting; it just doesn't make a lot of sense--even less sense than most Discworld books make. There are references to Australian-themed movies like "Mad Max," "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," and "Crocodile Dundee" that work best if you've seen those. I was disappointed there wasn't a "shrimp on the barby" reference. No worries! I'd recommend this one only for Discworld completists. (2 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 23: Carpe Jugulum:</u> Long before "Twilight" made vampires cool again, the witches of Lancre were battling the bloodsuckers. That proves difficult as these aren't your father's vampires; these are far more enlightened vampires (so to speak) who have learned to tolerate garlic, holy water, and even a little sunlight. When the king of Lancre invites the Magpyre clan for the christening of his daughter, the vampires decide they'll make themselves at home by taking over the kingdom and making everyone into docile sheeple.<br />
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The witches of Lancre won't stand for this, but there's just one problem: the most powerful of their coven, Granny Weatherwax, is missing and presumed sulking after her invitation to the christening gets lost. Led by the folksy Nanny Ogg, the other witches do what they can against the vampires with the help of the Wee Free Men (think Scottish Smurfs), a missionary from Omnia (think a Jehovah's Witness combined with a televangelist), and an Igor (think Dr. Frankenstein's assistant). But of course the vampires aren't going to go quietly or without some blood being shed.<br />
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Though the plot is largely the same as "Lords and Ladies" where elves terrorized Lancre, there's enough different about this so that it feels fresh. Like "Lords and Ladies" this is a little darker than previous witch adventures like "Maskerade", which I guess you should expect with vampires. For fans of "Twilight" there is a sort of romance with the sexy young vampire Vlad and Agnes, a fat young witch with a touch of schizophrenia. But really it was refreshing for me after all this "Twilight" and assorted other stuff to read something where the vampires are the bad guys.<br />
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One criticism I have is that there's a lot of stuff going on in the story and at the end it seemed like some of it didn't do a whole lot. It's like assembling a puzzle and realizing you have pieces left over. In particular the Wee Free Men angle didn't add a whole lot and while it was nice to have Magrat (formerly a witch but now the queen) back in the fold, she didn't do much either other than change diapers. When's all said and done though I think Granny Weatherwax is up to third on favorite Discworld characters list behind The Librarian and DEATH, so any book with her kicking vampire butt can't be too bad. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 24: The Fifth Elephant:</u> The Discworld is held up by four elephants on top of a giant space turtle. But long ago legend has it there was a fifth elephant. That elephant fell off the edge though and slammed into the ground, creating mountains and most notably, large reservoirs of fat. It's this fat that the city of Ankh-Morpork wants to obtain cheaply for making candles and frying things. And so the city dispatches Duke Samuel Vimes, also commander of the City Watch, to make a deal with the dwarves who mine the fat.<br />
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The last Discworld book I read "Carpe Jugulum" dealt with vampires. This book also has vampires, but more prominently features werewolves and dwarves who run the remote nation of Uberwald, where all that fat can be found. As always happens when Vimes is involved, people are murdered and there are mysteries to be solved. In particular is the mystery of the royal dwarf throne known as the Scone of Stone--as the name implies it is a baked good that is very ancient and thus very hard. If the Scone of Stone isn't found, the entire kingdom could tear itself apart in civil war.<br />
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Meanwhile, in Ankh-Morpork the City Watch faces its biggest challenge yet when career sergeant Colon is forced to run things. A word to the wise: if someone's been a sergeant for 30 years there's probably a really good reason for that.<br />
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On a side note, this book also introduces the "clacks" the semaphore towers that allow one part of the Discworld to communicate with another in hours instead of days. This is the Discworld equivalent of cellphones and the Internet. The "clacks" technology later becomes a major issue in "Going Postal."<br />
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Though there is that mystery involved, a lot of book involves action as Vimes becomes a fugitive from the dwarves and the werewolves. Because of that the book is a very quick and exciting read. And maybe werewolves aren't as in vogue right now as vampires, but they're pretty fun too. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 25: The Truth:</u> It's important to note that in the Discworld, newspapers have never existed. The engravers guild, in order to preserve their monopoly on printing, preventing anyone from using a mechanical press. That is until a group of dwarfs arrive from the mountains yearning to make money by printing.<br />
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Along comes young William de Worde, a prodigal aristocrat whose broken from his wealthy father to make it on his own. When William visits the printing shop, he finds himself plunged into the new world of journalism. Together with a proper young lady named Sacharissa, they set out to create the Disc's first newspaper called the Times.<br />
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As luck would have it, just as they're starting out, a huge story breaks. The metropolis of Ankh-Morpork's leader, The Patrician, is accused of stabbing his clerk with a knife and then trying to flee the city with embezzled funds. The City Watch is baffled by the case, but William soon finds a "man" on the inside, the mysterious Deep Bone. Aided by Sacharissa, the dwarfs, and a vampire photographer (on the wagon, meaning he only drinks animal blood) who turns to dust if he uses flash photography, William is determined to get to the bottom of things. But the truth isn't always so easy to set free, especially when hired goons are trying to kill you.<br />
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This was a good addition to the series, but it could have been better. When I first read the description, I thought for sure there'd be some Citizen Kane references in there. I was expecting William to be one of those larger-than-life type characters like Charlie Kane and his real world counterpart William Randolph Hearst. That never materialized, which is disappointing. Instead William is an earnest young man in search of The Truth, which is OK too, but don't we all like more grandiose characters?<br />
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There are some good insights into what makes the news, especially in the comparison between the Times and its rival The Inquirer--which despite its name is more based on Weekly World News. As the Deep Bone indicates there are references to Watergate and also the hired goons Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip are based on the killers in Pulp Fiction, as evidenced by the line, "Do you know what they call a sausage-inna-bun in Klatch?"<br />
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On a side note, this story probably was the template for the later Going Postal, the first in the series I read. That involved the creation--resurrection really--of the post office in a similar fashion. Though the central character of that one, Moist von Lipwig, was more interesting. Conmen are just more exciting than conflicted aristocrats.<br />
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And that's all the news fit to print. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 26: Thief of Time:</u> Mostly, this felt the same as other Discworld books I'd read (ie, "Moving Pictures," "Reaper Man," and "Soul Music") where some seemingly innocuous thing created by some fringe character threatens to destroy the universe until a ragtag bunch of non-heroes band together to stop it.<br />
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In this case, Jeremy Clockson is an orphan adopted by the Clockmaker's Guild who is obsessive about making accurate clocks. A strange but beautiful woman named Lady LeJean comes into his shop one day with the challenge to make the Ultimate Clock. Jeremy takes this on with the help of his rented Igor and some inspiration from his dreams for a glass clock.<br />
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Unbeknownst to Jeremy, this has already been done before and the fallout required the mysterious History Monks to patch Time back together into something resembling a plausible reality. Sweeper Lu Tse was the one who nearly stopped the last clock and vows to stop it this time with the help of his new assistant Lobsang Ludd. Meanwhile, Death realizes the universe will end on Wednesday and is preparing for the Apocalypse by rounding up the other three Horsemen: Pestilence, Famine, and War in a style reminiscent of the "Blues Brothers." In the meantime he tasks his "granddaughter" Susan to look into what will bring an end to life as we know it.<br />
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All these different plot threads come together fairly well in the end as all our non-heroes battle the bureaucratic Auditors for the fate of the universe. Still, as I said, even though I've only read four of these it felt like I'd read most of this before with only the specifics changed. I suppose when you write as many of these as Pratchett has it's easy to fall into a formula, albeit an enjoyable formula. (3 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 27: The Last Hero:</u> this picture book in some ways is the Discworld equivalent of one of those reference movies (Date Movie, Disaster Movie, Superhero Movie, ad nauseum) in that it makes references to nearly all the major characters in the Discworld universe, except for the Witches of Lancre. The City Watch, Rincewind, the other wizards, DEATH all make appearances here.<br />
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What brings them all together is Cohen the Barbarian. The first hero stole fire from the gods, so now that Cohen is getting on in years, he decides that he'll return the fire. So along with his Silver Horde of veteran heroes, he undertakes a harrowing journey to the mountain that houses the Discworld gods. The only problem is that if he succeeds, the entire Discworld will collapse on itself and be destroyed.<br />
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To save the world the failed wizard (and professional coward) Rincewind joins up with heroic Captain Carrot of the Watch, mad genius designer Leonard da Quirm, and the Librarian of Unseen University to mount an expedition to intercept Cohen. Using a fleet of dragons and a wooden bird, they plan to sail beneath the Discworld and come out the other side to reach Cohen in time. But will they? (Well since there were more than a half-dozen books after this do you need an answer?)<br />
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Despite this being a picture book it's not exactly kid's stuff. There's a very real message here about people's relationship to gods and the struggles of getting older. Still, it's not heavy enough to bring you down. In general this is a fun little book, and it's great for fans to be able to see some of the major characters, not to mention what this entire odd little world looks like. I can't really critique the art because I can't do anything more than stick figures myself. I didn't really have any problems with it though. (4 stars)<br />
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<em>Volume 28 "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" is one of the four young adult books in the series that I will not be reading at this time.</em><br />
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<u>Volume 29: Night Watch:</u> In the 28 other Discworld books a lot of sci-fi/fantasy staples have already been lampooned: heroic quests, magic swords, wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, elves, and so forth. The one staple not yet really tackled has been time travel. "Night Watch" takes care of this glaring error in relatively entertaining style.<br />
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As his wife is involved in a long labor to give birth to their first child, Commader Sam Vimes of the City Watch is involved in cornering a cop-killing madman named Carcer. In hot pursuit of Carcer, Vimes climbs up onto the roof of the library for Unseen University (the school for wizards) during a thunderstorm. When a bolt of lightning strikes the library, Vimes and Carcer are transported back in time 30 years.<br />
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And of course it is a pivotal moment in the history of the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. The brutal Lord Winder has been heavily taxing people and rounding up any who dissent. Revolt is fermenting, all it needs is a spark.<br />
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Vimes takes on the identity of his mentor in the City Watch, John Keel, after the real Keel is killed by Carcer, who joins a secret police force known as the Unmentionables. Vimes has enough time to teach his younger self a few lessons about policing before that spark hits and the entire city erupts in violence. Now Vimes has to somehow keep the peace, keep himself (both of himselves) alive, and bring Carcer to justice. A tall order to be sure.<br />
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This book is an interesting addition to the series because it provides a little more background on some of the Ankh-Morpork characters like Vimes, Lord Vetinari, Nobby Nobbs, and even Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler the crooked merchant. I was disappointed there was really nothing included about the wizards, especially the Librarian--who was turned into an orangutan in a magical accident; I kept waiting to see if there'd be an appearance by him in human form.<br />
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My biggest complaint though is the story drags a little. Part of that is the nature of time travel stories like this. We already know there's going to be a riot because technically it's already happened. And we know in that riot there's going to be a final showdown between Vimes and Carcer, just like you knew Marty McFly would have to have it out with Biff Tannen in "Back to the Future." It's inevitable, so let's just cut to the chase.<br />
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Still, like most of these books, there's a good message underneath the action. In particular is the concept that the reason they're called "revolutions" is that they typically go in a circular fashion. Or in other words the new regime is rarely better than the old one. The main point of reference in the book is the French Revolution, only in this case no one loses their heads--literally at least. (4 stars)<br />
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<em>Volume 30 "The Wee Free Men" is one of the four young adult books in the series that I will not be reading at this time.</em><br />
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<u>Volume 31: Monstrous Regiment:</u> In the remote country of Borogravia, war is the national pasttime. The problem is that lately Borogravia has been as successful at war as the Detroit Lions are at football. Like desperate countries everywhere, though, they claim they're winning, despite the evidence to the contrary.<br />
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Because of all this war, villages are pretty much down to the elderly, children, and women. One of these women named Polly Perks decides to cut off her hair and join the army so she can find her brother Paul, who disappeared years earlier in the war with neighboring Zlobenia. She soon joins a regiment (really more of a squad) with other young people including a pyromaniac, a potential psychopathic killer, and schizophrenic, as well as a troll, a vampire, and an Igor--the latter being one of those hunchbacked assistants to mad scientists everywhere.<br />
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Though of course Borogravia is winning the war (wink, wink) there's no time to train the new recruits in warfare. But before they can get to the front, they come under attack from Zlobenian forces. Polly uses all her cunning to defeat the enemy, but from then on this monstrous regiment is on the run. Their only hope is to retake their country's stronghold and free the prisoners inside, including Polly's brother. To do so, though requires the regiment to put themselves in great danger from the enemy--and their own superior officers.<br />
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In "Jingo" Pratchett took on war from the perspective of the invader. Now in "Monstrous Regiment" it focuses mostly on the defender. The key point is that Polly and the other Borogrovians are not bad or evil. They're just doing their job and defending their country--and each other. It's the ones in charge, like the insane god Nuggan or the never-seen Duchess, who are the bad ones. That's good to remember because in any war there's a tendency to demonize the other side so that they seem like demons instead of real people. Otherwise it would be hard for a country to want to go to war and kill other humans not so different from them.<br />
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Though I'm sure this was unintentional, the conflict between Lieutenant Blouse and Sergeant Jackrum reminded me of Mailer's "The Naked and the Dead." In both the inexperienced young officer thinks he's in charge while the sergeant thinks he should be the REAL boss because of his experience and the officer should just be a figurehead. Things go much better for the lieutenant in this book though.<br />
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While Borogravia and Zlobenia sound more like the Balkans, there are references to the second Iraq war with the term "shock and awe" and the concept of embedded reporters. That allows readers to easily relate to the story, despite the presence of fantasy elements. William de Worde and Otto the vampire photographer of "The Truth" (Volume 25) make a cameo as the aforementioned embedded reporters while Sam Vimes and members of the City Watch also appear in the story.<br />
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The one knock I have on this book is one that I've had on a couple other of the Discworld ones. Sure there's a vampire, troll, and Igor in the regiment but they don't really contribute much to overall story. Actually the vampire and troll sit out most of the conclusion. Other than the vampire's jitteriness at needing coffee (to keep him from draining people's blood) that allows for a couple of Vietnam allusions predating "Tropic Thunder", he doesn't do much and the troll does less. At least the Igor serves as the medic. They could easily have not been in the book and it wouldn't have affected the story much. The example I used before was it's like having a few pieces left over after putting together a jigsaw. The pyro, schizo, and even the psycho all have their uses in the story, but the most monstrous characters seem just there to make the jacket sound more interesting. A pity.<br />
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Still, this is a good book with humor that doesn't dumb-down it's very non-humorous subject matter.<br />
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Join me now in a verse of "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'!" (4 stars)<br />
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<em>Volume 32 "A Hat Full of Sky" is one of the four young adult books in the series that I will not be reading at this time.</em><br />
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<u>Volume 33: Going Postal:</u> the book begins with Moist von Lipwig (his real name) being hung for various misdeeds committed throughout his long career as a con artist. But Moist does not die. Instead, he's offered by the local tyrant Lord Vetinari the job of running the decrepit post office system in the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. Since the alternative is death, Moist takes the job as postmaster.<br />
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He soon discovers that death might have been preferable because the post office is a complete mess. Mail has been piled up to the point that most of the building in inaccessible. All the post office workers have fled except for "junior" postman Groat (who is an old man) and his dim-witted, pin-collecting sidekick Stanley--and Mr. Tiddles the cat. Much of the post office's decline is due to the new communications system known as "the clacks" which are towers using a sort of Morse code to send messages all over the Discworld in hours. With such instant communication possible, who needs to send a letter?<br />
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After Moist's attempt to escape from this job is thwarted by his golem bodyguard Mr. Pump, Moist decides to face up to the challenge of making the post office competitive. Falling back on his years as a con artist, Moist begins to generate public excitement by introducing a new invention called stamps. And wouldn't you know it, soon people are collecting these stamps, including Stanley. Moist's efforts are aided by saboteurs who want to shut down the clacks to put the greedy bankers who bought the clacks system from its naive inventors out of business.<br />
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As the post office begins to succeed, Moist expands his operations by hiring more golem workers from the very inappropriately-named Miss Adora Belle Dearheart. In typical fashion for this kind of story, Moist falls in love with Miss Dearheart and begins to take his post office job seriously. But the greedy owners of the clacks don't like competition and will do anything to put Moist out of commission for good.<br />
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This really is a very fun read and its messages about technology and corporate greed are pretty much pulled from today's headlines. What makes the book so great to read is that there is a serious message, but the story itself is never told in such a serious way to make it a drag. So you can have a good time and a few laughs and also learn a few things. What else could you ask for from a book? Well, there are one or two things, but let's not be too picky. (4 stars)<br />
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<u>Volume 34: Thud!:</u> I feel the book's title needs an explanation. Thud is a game sort of like chess combined with Risk or Stratego that's played by trolls and dwarfs on the Discworld. The object of the game is to reenact the legendary battle of Koom Valley, in which dwarfs and trolls fought each other over a thouand years earlier. There's been bad blood (or whatever trolls have) between the two races ever since.<br />
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And thud is also the sound made when a troll club whacks a dwarf over the head. That dwarf is a rabble-rouser in the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork who has been rallying dwarfs to fight trolls on the eve of Koom Valley Day. The murder takes place deep underground in a dwarf mine, which complicates things for Sam Vimes and the City Watch, as the dwarfs are not keen on outsiders wandering around their mine.<br />
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The murder is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, though. Even as the whole city seems ready to explode, a strange dwarf sign begins cropping up all over the place. As well, a priceless painting of the battle of Koom Valley has disappeared from the city museum. Somehow Vimes has to put all these pieces together to find out who murdered the dwarf--and why. Oh, and he has to do it all by six o'clock when he must read Where's My Cow? to his infant son--with all the appropriate noises.<br />
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This installment of the series I take it was supposed to be like <u>The Da Vinci Code</u> (or a lesser extent the National Treasure movies) in that there's a murder that leads to the unraveling of an important historical mystery. While I think overall Pratchett is a much better writer, Brown's story probably moved along a little better; Thud seems to plod along until an ending that generally makes it worthwhile. It probably needed a couple of good chase scenes thrown in there to get things moving.<br />
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One problem I had in particular was I really became bored with the Angua werewolf character. This is the fifth book that features her in a significant role, but all she ever seems to do is whine about being a werewolf--that and smell stuff and threaten to rip people's throats out. By now it's like, "I GET IT! Being a werewolf sucks! Let's move past it, shall we?" But that's the problem is that none of the secondary characters are really allowed to grow much. The relationship between Angua and Captain Carrot hasn't really moved forward since the beginning. You'd think after what's probably ten years or more they'd be getting serious, or something.<br />
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Vimes is the only character who seems to be given any development. Since appearing in "Guards! Guards!" (volume 8) he's gone from a lonely drunk to a civic leader with a wife and son. That kind of growth is what allows you to like the character more, not to mention it keeps him from stagnating like the others. It's too bad some of the others (like Angua or Carrot) aren't really given this same opportunity to develop.<br />
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Anyway, it was still an entertaining book, with a good message about racial tolerance and all that. And as I said earlier, it picks up in the end to make up for some of its deficiencies in the thrill department. It really could use a better title, though if you look at all 36 series titles, none of them really seem especially clever. I suppose it's what's on the inside that counts--isn't that what they always say?<br />
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<em>Volume 35 "Wintersmith" is one of the four young adult books in the series that I will not be reading at this time.</em><br />
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<u>Volume 36: Making Money:</u> At last we come to the end, at least until October when the next volume in the Discworld series comes out. For now though, I've read all of the adult Discworld novels in the series, concluding with "Making Money" the second installment to feature conman Moist von Lipwig.<br />
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Last time we saw Moist in "Going Postal" he was charged with resurrecting the post office in the metropolis of Ankh-Morpork and in the process found himself going straight. A little time has gone by since then, with Moist still engaged to golem rights advocate Adora Belle Dearhardt and managing the post office efficiently. A little too efficiently really, as Moist has the itch for his old criminal ways that he scratches by breaking into his office at night and picking every possible lock in the place. Fortunately the city's uncontested tyrant Lord Vetinari has a solution: he wants Moist to take over the Royal Bank and shake up the system to meet modern times.<br />
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Now here is where we have to branch out into the hypothetical story on the book jacket and what actually happens.<br />
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On the book jacket it sounds like Moist is going to take over the bank and start printing paper money. Until then the city has relied on the gold standard, using a variety of coins for its money. By introducing paper money and taking Ankh-Morpork off the gold standard, he makes new enemies and runs into dangerous situations.<br />
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What actually happens is that probably a quarter of the book is spent just getting Moist into the bank and introducing all the key players like Mr. Bent, the manager who can add pages of numbers with only a glance and worships gold like a god, and the Lavish family who run the bank, especially Cosmo, who wants to make himself into Lord Vetinari. At the same time, Adora and her Golem Trust have found some ancient golems, who make things very interesting. The rest of the story involves an audit and recriminations about missing gold-and the golems. As for the paper money, it doesn't come along until the very last chapter of the book.<br />
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So like one of Moist's customers for cheap diamond rings, I feel a bit cheated here. This wasn't exactly the book I thought I was going to read. Admittedly it still is a fun read, but I kept thinking, "When are we going to get to the money? WHEN?" The actual running of the bank, the story promised on the jacket, seems like it's going to happen off the pages. No matter how good the rest of the book is, it's hard not to feel disappointed by that. Though I suppose a conman like Moist can't be any more outrageous than the Lavish family who were running the bank.<br />
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What saves this book for me, and made me really, REALLY want to give it four stars against all reason, is that I like the Moist character. Having now read the entire series, he reminds me mostly of Rincewind the cowardly wizard. Like Rincewind, Moist is that breed of noble coward who doesn't want to help anyone but seems to end up doing so anyway. Whereas Rincewind achieved this by running away from danger, Moist does it by using his very persuasive mouth. That's what makes them both fun antiheroes, unlike those brave, strapping heroes in most fantasy novels. And for personal reasons the idea of accountants traveling around like gypsies has me laughing so hard I needed an Igor to stitch me back together. So overall it's not a bad addition to the series (and provided Pratchett's health holds up long enough he's already sown the seeds for a third Moist adventure) but there have been better among these 36 volumes.<br />
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And that does it. Overall I have greatly enjoyed this series because not only are the books a lot of fun, but there's a lot of wisdom to be garnered from them as well. Even "Making Money" seems ripped from today's headlines with all the trouble in the real banking system. To do smart and funny takes a special talent and Pratchett is indeed very talented. (3 stars)<br />
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That is all.<br />
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<u>Volume 37: Unseen Academicals:</u> In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series there was an episode called "Lower Decks" that focused on a group of young people serving in minor positions on the Enterprise instead of the usual group of head honchos. That is essentially what happens in "Unseen Academicals" which focuses on the people who work in the Night Kitchen and the candle vats of Unseen University, the school for wizards in the city of Ankh-Morpork.<br />
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Ostensibly though the book is about the game of foot-the-ball or football (or soccer as we call it across the Pond). In Ankh-Morpork, the game of foot-the-ball is actually more like rugby, with a lot of tackling and fighting and very little scoring. Young Trevor Likely's father was a legend because he scored 4 goals.<br />
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Trevor works in the candle vats of Unseesn University with Nutt, a very learned goblin who talks like a shelf of self-help books. Nutt has a Mysterious Past that not even he remembers. Eventually though Trev and Nutt go up to the Night Kitchen, where they meet the plain, fat Glenda and the beautiful, ditzy Juliet.<br />
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As it happens Juliet is from the Stoops family, who are sworn enemies of Trev's family because of their foot-the-ball allegiances. Trev & Juliet doesn't play out like Romeo & Juliet because tragedy is not ever really on the menu in the Discworld. Nutt does a little Cyrano in writing a poem to help woo Juliet, which would work better if Juliet could read words of more than one syllable.<br />
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Oh yes, there is a football game in there too. The wizards of Unseen University discover that they have to play a game of football in order to keep a bequest that keeps their Night Kitchen stocked. (If there's one thing wizards really like it's their kitchen.) When some new old rules are "discovered" from a museum, a new brand of foot-the-ball is born with Nutt taking the lead as coach.<br />
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This book utilizes two recurring theme-like items in the Discworld series. One is equal rights/tolerance, which is embodied by Nutt. Goblins (or what Nutt really is) being the latest in a line that includes dwarfs, trolls, werewolves, vampires, and golems who break the racial barrier in Ankh-Morpork. The other theme-like substance is modernizing the city. The police force, post office, bank, and Unseen University itself have all been dramatically remodeled since the earliest Discworld novels. As well football joins other modern things like newspapers, movies, the Internet, and rock music to become part of the fabric of Disc society. So really while the book is entertaining (as most Discworld books are) it's not anything fans of the series haven't really seen before.<br />
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What bugged me about the previous book "Making Money" was that there was no money made in it; the actual printing of money seemed like it would be taking place off the pages. I feared that Pratchett was going to do the same here and have the football game take place off the page, but he does at least manage to get it in, even if it is a bit underwhelming. While it was nice to see Rincewind (with a cameo by The Luggage) and the Librarian again, I wish they could have been used more.<br />
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That the book doesn't focus on any of the major characters in the end means that this can be filed away as "Minor Discworld" along with one-offs like "Pyramids," "Small Gods," "The Truth," and "Monstrous Regiment." Since football (soccer) hooliganism isn't a big thing here in the States, I'm sure some of the jokes in this one went over my head; British readers would then probably enjoy this more.<br />
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Still, it's not a bad entry in the series, but not an overly important one either. You could do a lot worse. (4 stars)<br />
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<em>Volume 38: I Shall Wear Midnight is another YA book that I will not be reviewing at this time...</em><div><br /></div><div><u>Volume 39: Snuff:</u> Not the best in the Discworld series but it was probably better than the last couple of books in the series. It's a little bit overlong and it helps if you remember the last Vimes novel--<i>Thud</i>!--before you read this. (4 stars)<div><br /></div><div><u>Volume 40: Raising Steam:</u> The best thing going for this is that it involves a lot of the regular Discworld characters. Primarily it involves Moist von Lipwing, the former conman and now postmaster/bank manager, and also the City Watch. But others like the wizards, newspaper staff, and of course DEATH get cameos as well. All that's really missing are the witches of Lancre.</div><div><br /></div><div>What brings them all together is a new invention called the railroad. When a young engineer tames the power of steam, he creates the Discworld's first train. Under the guidance of Moist von Lipwig, railroad tracks are soon uniting cities all over. But there are always those who fear change. In this case it's dwarfs known as "grags" who want to oppose any modernization. Soon Moist, the City Watch, and the dwarf king are on the train ride of their lives to stop the grags.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like a long train ride, there are some lags along the way. The end lacks much of a dramatic punch as the climactic confrontation sort of fizzles. Still, it's a good addition to the Discworld series that is sure to please its many fans. (4 stars)</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Volume 41: The Shepherd's Crown is the final book & final YA book. I have currently not read it or the other YA ones at this time...</i></div>
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<strong><em>RIP Sir Terry Pratchett...</em></strong></div>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-37243769262927484642007-06-16T17:28:00.000-07:002007-06-16T17:36:18.025-07:00The Skyfire Adventures<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: Written in 1996, this is the original fanfic that began the series. It's actually a crossover with the old "Doom" series of games. Basically I decided to pit Beast Wars Transformers against the Doom baddies. This is the result.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There are a couple of continuity errors here because this was written in the first season of the show. Some of the assumptions I made about the time/place of the show and the whereabouts of the Autobot Matrix turned out to be false in future seasons. Oh well.</span><br /><br /><hr /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Skyfire Adventures:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our Darkest Hour</span></span><br /></p><h3 align="center"><i>Prologue</i> </h3> <p>Darkness faded quickly into a blinding flash of light. The light slowly focused through newborn eyes that had suddenly flickered open. Then the rest of the body began to move slowly, experimentally. Finally, the mouth opened and groaned as the body within the coffin-like object sat up. When it had sat up, it saw that it was not alone. Some kind of white and black-striped creature was standing just outside of the black object it was sitting inside. </p><p>The brain struggled to comprehend what was going on, its processors slowly gaining speed after its long slumber. Finally, it identified the creature as a tiger, a rare white tiger from the looks of it. With this discovery, memories began resurfacing, until finally the brain had pieced together what had happened. "You have awakened, that is good," the tiger said. The brain stopped, surprised. It did not remember tigers being able to talk. </p><p>"Who are you and where am I?" The mouth demanded to know, hoping that exchanging vocal transmissions with the tiger would find the answers the brain needed to make sense of the situation. </p><p>"I am Tigatron, a Maximal like yourself. Where we are, I am unsure of. Tigatron, Maximize!" The tiger suddenly transformed into a large robot. Now things made sense to the brain. "Who are you?" </p><p>"I am..." The brain searched for a response. After a few long seconds, it was able to reply, "I am Skyfire." </p><p>"Skyfire? Very interesting. You must hurry and transform to beast mode before the energon fields damage your circuitry." </p><p>"All right. Beast mode." Unsure of what would happen, Skyfire was surprised when his arms and legs folded up and wings unfurled. He briefly ran his form through his database of creatures and identified it as an eagle, a bald eagle. He perched himself on the edge of the thing he had been lying in, a stasis pod as he recalled. </p><p>"Excellent, now we must hurry to base. Beast mode," Tigatron said as he transformed back into a tiger. Then he began running away from the pod. Skyfire shrugged mentally and let out a cry as he spread his wings and took flight. Below him, he could see the abandoned stasis pod, and a nest of eagles nearby. The pod was teetering on the edge of a cliff, the nest not more than a few feet from it. That the pod had landed safely at all was surprising. He swooped down until he was only a couple of feet above Tigatron. </p><p>"What's going on? Why do we have to hurry back to base?" </p><p>"Because the universe will be destroyed if we do not!" Tigatron replied. Skyfire gulped, a chill running through his feathers. </p><p> </p><hr /> <h3 align="center"><i>Chapter One - Descent</i> </h3> <p>"The universe? How is that possible?" Skyfire questioned. </p><p>"During the Great War, a horde of evil creatures invaded Cybertron and nearly took it over. Eventually, one brave Autobot named Ambush was able to sweep the planet of this plague and destroy the teleportation device they were using for their invasion. For over a century no one had seen anything more of these creatures, until about thirty years ago." </p><p>"Then they were sighted on the colony world of Erva Prime. The colony was overrun and a beachhead was set up on this world. What the aliens hoped to do, no one is certain. A Maximal special forces operative named Outfox was able to clear the colony and destroy the intelligence that was coordinating the aliens on the colony. Again they disappeared." </p><p>"Only hours ago they invaded our base. A horde of half-robotic, half-organic beings descended upon my comrades. It was a slaughter. I was out on a scouting patrol in the northern sector and received a panicked transmission from Rhinox, the ship's chief engineer. He was barely functioning, but with his last strength he told me that these aliens had appeared inside the base and blasted anyone trying to resist them with torrents of plasma weapons and missiles. Then they grabbed our leader, Optimus Primal, and disappeared into some kind of dimensional portal. Rhinox was able to keep the portal open, which is why we must hurry to the base, before the portal closes once more. I was on my way back when your stasis pod crashed on the nearby cliff. Now that there are two of us, we stand a better chance of succeeding," Tigatron explained. </p><p>"Succeeding at what?" </p><p>"At retrieving Optimus Primal from wherever he was taken." </p><p>"Why?" </p><p>"Few know it, but Optimus Primal possesses the most powerful object in the universe: the Autobot Matrix of Leadership." </p><p>"The Matrix?" Skyfire echoed in awe. "But I thought the Matrix was lost during the Great War?" </p><p>"That story was circulated during the war to fool Decepticon intelligence. After the war ended, and the Autobots disbanded, the Matrix was passed to Optimus, the most senior Maximal for safe-keeping. Now that he is captured, the Matrix is in the hands of the aliens." </p><p>"How do you know so much about this? I was an Autobot and I never heard any of this." </p><p>"I knew none of it. However, Rhinox was a close friend to Optimus. His final words were: 'The Matrix still exists. Optimus has it.' The rest I deduced from simple logic," Tigatron responded as the Maximal base came in sight. It looked perfectly normal from what Skyfire could see; there were no blast marks or missile holes along the hull. "Sentinel, stand down." The defensive shield collapsed around the base and the two Maximals got onto the boarding platform that lowered. It retracted, and instantly the pair was plunged into darkness. </p><p>Tigatron activated the emergency lights, and Skyfire could see a picture from his own worst nightmares. The blasted bodies of the Maximal defenders were strewn about the command center in pieces. Skyfire transformed and picked up the head of one of them. Its eyes were black and half of its orange face was blown off. Skyfire dropped the head in horror. "This is terrible," he stammered. </p><p>"Yes. I knew all of them. Sadly, we cannot grieve for them now. We must hurry to the portal," Tigatron motioned to a faint, blue, glowing circle near the restoration chamber. He ran over to it and stuck his hand into it, then pulled it back out quickly. "Good, it is still operational. Come, Skyfire, we must go to wherever they have taken Optimus." With that, Tigatron jumped through the portal. Skyfire took one last look at the base. He saw the only intact body, that of Rhinox, lying on the floor near a console. He shook his head in sadness and then jumped into the portal. </p><p>*** </p><p>Blue mist was spinning all around Skyfire, and he thought that he was going to die. He couldn't see Tigatron and wondered where he was. A flash of white blinded him suddenly, and then he hit something solid. He groaned in pain and then shook his head to clear it. He saw Tigatron lying nearby, also recovering from the rough landing. Skyfire pulled out his laser rifle and swept the area with it. Seeing none of the aliens, he lowered it and helped Tigatron to his feet. "Where are we?" </p><p>"I have no idea," Tigatron replied. The ground they were standing on was rough, brownish rock, and a forest of dead, black trees surrounded them. </p><p>"I'll go up and see what I can see. Beast mode," Skyfire suggested and flew swiftly above the trees. He looked about him and could see mountains in the distance, shrouded by smoke. Hot streams of lava were coming off of them, and the sky around him was bright red. It's like some kind of nightmare world, he thought to himself. </p><p>"Skyfire, I'm under attack! You'd better get down here quickly!" Tigatron called and Skyfire began swooping back down to where his comrade was. He could see brown creatures assailing Tigatron from all sides, hurling fireballs. Tigatron was returning fire, but Skyfire knew he would soon be overwhelmed. </p><p>"Skyfire, Maximize!" Skyfire snapped up his laser cannon and began firing. It wasn't hard to hit the creatures; there were so many of them. He landed next to Tigatron and continued firing into masses of the alien creatures. One of the fireballs hit him and singed off a patch of feathers, but did no further damage. After what seemed like hours of slaughter, the ranks of the creatures thinned, and finally they retreated. "Their weapons weren't too effective." </p><p>"No, these must be to wear us down before the larger ones come in for the kill." </p><p>"Do you know where Optimus would be?" </p><p>"No idea. What did you see?" </p><p>"Miles of dead trees, but there is a lot of volcanic activity a few miles from here. Seems like the best place to look." </p><p>"Yes. Let's just hope that we can make it there." </p><p>"We have to, the universe is counting on it."<br /></p><h3 align="center">Chapter Two - The Devil's Temple </h3> <p>Tigatron ran through the strange forest, dodging fireballs as he did so. Another wave of the brown creatures, combined with weird, pig-like, pink things was hot on his trail. Skyfire circled above him in robot mode, firing his weapon now and then to try and stop the enemy. "This isn't working!" Skyfire called out. </p><p>"Just leave me and find Optimus," Tigatron responded. </p><p>"No way. I need your help, there's no way I can do it alone." </p><p>"You may not have a choice. My legs can't take much more of this." </p><p>"Then I'll just have to end this chase." With that, Skyfire landed near Tigatron and leveled his gun. Instead of aiming at the aliens, he blasted a couple of trees, which collapsed and formed a barrier between the Maximals and the creatures. "Keep moving, I'll take care of them." Tigatron seemed to want to argue the point, but he shook his head and continued running. The tiger faded out of sight, leaving Skyfire by himself. He put his rifle away and looked for some branches. He grabbed two of them and began to rub them together furiously. He could hear the aliens gnawing and clawing at the fallen trees. "Just one more second..." </p><p>A spark leapt out and hit the downed trees. Slowly, they began to burn. Skyfire smiled and then set the branches down. Then he opened up his arm casing and disconnected a line that contained servo fluids. Liquid began dripping out and he put his finger over part of the opening, causing it to spray onto the trees. The fire intensified tenfold and a howl rose as the aliens began to burn. Skyfire continued to spray the fluid onto other nearby trees . After several of these were saturated, he reconnected the line, noticing that his left arm was moving slower. I'll need to put some more fluid in when I get back, he through wryly and transformed. He took a branch between his claws and stuck it into the fire, careful not to light himself on fire in the process. The branch began to burn and he climbed higher into the air before dropping the torch into the trees. There was a whoosing of air, and then a wall of flame ignited and swept the aliens, who were charging through the flaming trees. Then Skyfire headed to find Tigatron. He found the tiger at the edge of the forest, jumping from rock-to-rock across vast lava floes. He reached a narrow bridge that seemed to lead to some kind of passage. As he began to cross, a large alien appeared on the other side. Its upper half was pink and its lower was brown. It roared ferociously and a green ball of flame shot from its hand. </p><p>Tigatron transformed and ducked, the fireball just missing him. Skyfire could see that the bridge was too narrow to allow Tigatron to maneuver, he had to stop the creature, fast. He went to robot mode and pulled out his laser rifle. He had to aim carefully; a stray shot could collapse the entire bridge. He put his rifle away and landed right in front of the creature. It blindly took a swing at him, but Skyfire ducked and came up with his right fist nailing the alien in the face. It took the hit squarely, without budging a millimeter. Skyfire took a step back in surprise, then with grim determination he kicked it in the midsection. The alien didn't budge. It seemed to almost smile playfully at the Maximal, then its arm began to move to throw a fireball. Skyfire was quicker in grabbing his rifle and shooting the thing's arm off. The bloody appendage fell into the lava and evaporated. The alien roared in pain, but a shot from Tigatron to its midsection caused it to fall over into the lava. The Maximals ran across the bridge and found not a passage, but a cavern on the other side. They went into it and were immersed in darkness, save for the faint glow of a distant torch. </p><p>Skyfire bent down and touched the floor and could feel that it was made of stone bricks. "Whatever this place is, it isn't natural," he whispered. </p><p>"I have a feeling that this entire world isn't natural," Tigatron replied. Skyfire couldn't help but agree. The red sky, the dead forest, the lava floes, and now some kind of artificial structure cut into the side of a volcano, it seemed bizarre to say the least. The two robots turned their sensors to maximum and moved forward, towards where the light was. Skyfire couldn't help but get the creeps as he neared the torch, this place was too weird. They reached the torch and Skyfire grabbed it. He waved it around him and saw a panel with a switch on it. He hit the switch, and dim lights lit up the cavern. Skyfire felt his hands shake and the torch fell from his grasp. </p><p>*** </p><p>The cavern was made up entirely of large green bricks, and seemed to be several stories in height. In the middle of the floor was some kind of strange symbol: it was a triangle with an eye in the center. Skyfire, being a scientist by trade, scanned his cultural database for a match for the symbol and was surprised to find numerous matches. All of them had a common denominator: the symbol was one of evil. However, the most horrifying thing was that the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with the bodies of dead Transformers in various states of destruction, all chained to the wall. </p><p>Skyfire recognized the bodies of some of his old Autobot comrades, others of Decepticon enemies, still others that were Maximals, and some Predacons. He gazed at one in particular that was suspended many feet in the air. No bodies were around it, as if it were some kind of special prize. It was the body of one of the most famous Autobot leaders: Rodimus Prime. "No!" Skyfire wailed. They couldn't have destroyed Rodimus; he had been alive before Skyfire had boarded the Axalon. "It's not possible! Rodimus is still alive, on Cybertron!" </p><p>"Then maybe they've already taken over Cybertron," Tigatron put forth grimly. Skyfire shook his head in disbelief. </p><p>"They couldn't have. This body has to be a fake." </p><p>"Even so, we need to find Optimus Primal and the Matrix." </p><p>"You're right." Skyfire turned away, still shaken. Just then something slammed into his chest and knocked him over. He heard Tigatron firing and struggled to his feet. As he did, he heard the sound of something grinding, followed by a terrifying hissing. That was when part of the walls around the two Maximals began to move. Nearly fifty red, scaly spheres emerged. They all had one large eye, and below that, an enormous jaw. From these gigantic mouths came balls of plasma. Skyfire rolled and dodged them. He began firing blindly at anything that moved, and saw Tigatron doing the same. There was nowhere to run, no doors or stairs. The red creatures hovered in the air, raining plasma balls down upon their hapless victims. </p><p>To his horror, Skyfire watched several of these balls strike Tigatron. One hit him in the chest, sending him flying just as another hit his left arm and blew it off. Once he was lying still, the aliens peppered him until he was scrap, his screams echoing throughout the cavern. There was a final scream as a ball hit him squarely in the head. </p><p>"No! Murderers!" Skyfire screamed. In a blind rage, he went to beast mode and soared into the air. He zigged and zagged his way past incoming plasma balls until he was above the creatures. They didn't seem to be able to fly too high, so he transformed and pulled out his rifle. Then he began blasting the walls. Debris from the dead robots and chunks of stone rained down on the aliens. Helpless, most were killed as shrapnel pierced their scaly hides. Skyfire trained his gun towards the floor and kept firing. He held his finger on the trigger until all of the creatures were destroyed. Only then did he cease firing and lower himself to the blood-stained floor. He kicked aside wreckage and dead bodies until he came across Tigatron. His friend and comrade lay there, unmoving, his body torn and leaking fluids. There was no way that he could be repaired. Sadly, Skyfire looked for a way out of the building. Then he spotted a door that had risen into place with the walls. He opened it, preparing for the worst and determined to make the aliens pay for Tigatron's death. </p><p>All he saw was an empty corridor. It was lined with the dead bodies of every Transformer leader, save for Rodimus Prime and Optimus Primal. The corridor was dark, and there was another door at the end of it. Skyfire ran quickly to the door and yanked it open. He saw a room twice as large as the cavern. The walls were lined with balconies, all of which contained aliens. It seemed as if thousands of them were in the room. A single bright light shone down in the middle of the room. There was another of the evil symbols, and an altar. Lying on the altar was what he had been looking for: Optimus Primal. </p><p> </p><hr /> <h3 align="center"><i>Chapter Three - The Sacrifice</i> </h3> <p>None of the aliens had noticed Skyfire in the doorway, and he wondered how he could rescue Optimus without getting vaporized by all of the creatures. He looked around the room once more and raised his weapon. He aimed carefully and then fired a shot. The blast hit the light above the altar squarely, causing the room to be cast into darkness. Then Skyfire ran towards the altar. Fireballs, plasma balls, and other things whizzed all around him, but they were inaccurately aimed and missed. Skyfire could hear roars of all sorts around him, and knew that the aliens were hitting themselves. He reached the altar and touched Optimus. He was still alive and functioning. </p><p>"Can you fly?" He asked the Maximal leader. </p><p>"Who...are you?" Primal asked shakily. </p><p>"A friend. Can you?" </p><p>"I'll try." Optimus sat up and Skyfire helped him to stand on the altar. With a flash, his Primal Jets activated. "Let's go." </p><p>Skyfire transformed and the two climbed into the air. Skyfire had no idea where they would go, but Optimus seemed to have an idea. He crashed through a panel of dark glass and rays of light shone down as a hole to the open air was formed. The aliens could see them now and intensified their fire, but it was too late. The two Transformers disappeared through the opening and into the sky. </p><p>*** </p><p>In the light, Skyfire could see that Optimus was barely functioning. His right arm was blown off and his chest was ripped open, exposed circuits crackling with energy. It was apparent that the aliens had forcefully taken the Matrix from the Maximal leader. "So where is the Matrix?" Skyfire asked worriedly. </p><p>"It's on the top of the mountain, in an alien fortress. At least that's where they took it from me. Then they took me to the temple for some kind of sacrifice. If you hadn't saved me, I'd be dead by now," Primal responded tiredly. </p><p>"Just doing my job. Why do they want the Matrix so badly?" </p><p>"Because it's the only thing in the universe powerful enough to stop them. From what I've seen and heard, these aliens use teleporting devices to invade worlds, swarming them and enslaving the population. They're preparing for a massive assault on thousands of worlds. With the Matrix in their possession, nothing can stop them." </p><p>"But the Matrix can't destroy them all, can it?" Skyfire had not been present the past two times when the Autobot Matrix had been used, the first at the battle over Cybertron where the evil Unicron was destroyed, and the second when Optimus Prime had used the Matrix to stop a hate plague from overrunning the galaxy, but he knew that even its power would not be enough to wipe out all of the aliens. </p><p>"No, the Matrix doesn't have the power to erase a civilization, and to use it for such would taint it into an object of evil. However, it can destroy the teleporter network the aliens use for their invasions. Then they will be isolated and the universe will be safe from their evil. I'm afraid, though, that you will have to open the Matrix. I can't do it in my present condition." </p><p>"I can't open the Matrix! The Matrix is possessed by the greatest leaders is Cybertronian history! I'm only a warrior and scientist, not a leader." </p><p>"It doesn't matter. As long as your heart and intentions are not evil, then you can open the Matrix in our darkest hour. You'll be one of a few to do so. It is one of the greatest achievements any Transformer can ever accomplish. I only pray that you can make it." </p><p>"With your help, I know I can." </p><p>"I'm not sure what help I will be. They destroyed my weapons systems, except for this," Primal pulled out a sword and clutched it in his remaining hand. They burst through a layer of clouds and saw a fortress looming not on the mountain's top, but rather, above it. </p><p>"By the inferno, I've never seen anything like this!" Skyfire burst out. "Wait here, I'll take a look around." Optimus nodded and Skyfire beat his wings until he was caught in an air current, then he glided towards the fortress. The entire place seemed to made from shining black obsidian, making it seem even more intimidating. The fortress was large and square with enormous towers at each corner, and a spindly tower in the center. Skyfire knew that these were guard posts, looking for intruders like himself. He would have to be even more careful. He soared down towards the fortress, wondering where the aliens would put the Matrix. </p><p>As he pondered this, a blue light blinded him and he closed his eyes, crying out in pain. In his mind's eye, he could see the Matrix. It seemed to be beckoning to him. He reached out to touch it, but couldn't. Then it began to speak to him in a low, vaguely familiar voice. "Jetfire?" It questioned. </p><p>"Yes, that was my Autobot name, but that was a long time ago," Skyfire replied. </p><p>"No matter. Autobot you were, and so you will always be. You must find me, all is at stake." </p><p>"How? The aliens could have hidden the Matrix anywhere." </p><p>"Follow your heart. Let your feelings guide you, and you will know where I am." At that moment, the voice registered with Skyfire. </p><p>"Optimus, Optimus Prime!" He remembered his former leader well, no Autobot could forget the great Optimus Prime. </p><p>"Yes, Jetfire," the voice from the Matrix faded, as did the blue light. Skyfire opened his eyes and narrowly avoided running into the fortress's outer wall. He gained altitude and studied the fortress from afar. He tried to block out his natural scientist's instincts, and tried to listen to his heart. The center tower, it has to be, a small voice told him. He was sure of it; the Matrix was in the center tower. </p><p>"Optimus, I know where the Matrix is. We'll have to land in the center of the base and make our way up the middle tower until we find it." </p><p>"I understand. I'll be at your position in moments." Skyfire circled anxiously, using a few black clouds to hide himself from any prying eyes. Optimus appeared next to him less than a minute later. </p><p>"We'll need a plan to get inside. I'm sure it's too heavily guarded to just waltz into the tower." </p><p>"We'll create a diversion and try to sneak inside. Then we'll have to fight our way up." </p><p>"I'm game. I'll create the diversion, you get to the tower. I'll meet you as soon as I can. Skyfire, Maximize!" Optimus nodded and headed for the fortress, coming down below it and sneaking up to a wall. Meanwhile, Skyfire was heading for a guard post on the opposite side from where Optimus was. He landed near the base of it and took a deep breath. Then sections of his chest armor moved aside and revealed hidden missile launchers. Plasma cannons also appeared under his arms. He clutched his rifle and hoped that he still had the energon after this assault to make it up the tower. Rocket boosters moved into place on his back and he took off into the red sky. He hovered in front of the guard post, startling the aliens inside. They were enormous, brown creatures with missile launchers on one arm. They roared at him and a buzzer sounded. Skyfire smiled to himself and then opened fire. Under the withering rain of missiles and plasma cannons the tower toppled. Skyfire continued firing, sweeping the area. More of the large aliens poured from buildings inside the fortress. There was no return fire, the onslaught from the Maximal was too great to permit any form of retaliation. However, there were far more aliens than Skyfire's weapons could handle. </p><p>"Energon drain. Power levels, critical. Transform to beast mode immediately or stasis lock is imminent," a computerized voice warned Skyfire. He shook his head; his Ultra Combat mode took far too much out of his circuits. He only hoped that Primal had made it to the tower. </p><p>"Time for the big finish," Skyfire remarked and fired a pair of blue-colored missiles. Then he took off, his rocket boosters flaring an angry red color. A dark optical visor slid over Skyfire's eyes as the missiles exploded, sending a flash of light as bright as a star going nova throughout the fortress. When it died down, Skyfire was landing at the foot of the tower. Optimus was already inside and climbing a flight of stone stairs. "Deactivate Ultra Combat mode," Skyfire ordered and the missile launchers, plasma cannons, and rocket boosters disappeared. He pulled out his laser cannon and followed Optimus. </p><p>"Did they see you come here?" Optimus asked. </p><p>"No way. Those blinder missiles should keep them looking for us for a while now." </p><p>"Let's hope so." They climbed in silence, but then they heard a noise that sounded like very heavy feet stomping. A missile crashed into the wall near Optimus and Skyfire began to fire blindly. A moment later, one of the large, brown aliens appeared. </p><p>"Take cover! I'll blast him!" </p><p>"Where am I supposed to go?" Optimus asked as he charged the alien, sword swinging over his head. Skyfire shrugged and fired just over his comrade's shoulder. The hulking alien blocked the entire stairway, thus it was easy to shoot past Optimus and still make a hit. While Skyfire kept firing, Optimus leapt into the air, his sword slicing down at the alien's missile-launcher arm. The sword sliced through the flesh just above the launcher and it clattered to the steps. The alien howled in pain, but Optimus silenced it as his sword sliced through its neck and took its head off. The corpse fell forward and Skyfire barely got out of the way as it tumbled down the stairs. </p><p>They kept going, slashing and blasting two more of the demons before reaching the top of the stairs. The stairs led up into the middle of a room, but the Maximals stayed just below the floor. Skyfire carefully peaked over the stairs and saw an empty room around him, the Matrix glowing serenely only about five feet away. It was too easy, it had to be a trap. He fired once into the air, and the walls began to slid upwards. It was a trap just like the one in the temple, only Skyfire wasn't about to fall for it twice. He lowered himself, hearing many whirring sounds. </p><p>"I'll pop up blasting, you grab the Matrix," Skyfire whispered to Optimus. The Maximal leader nodded gravely, knowing full well what was at stake if they failed to beat whatever was up there. "Ultra Combat mode." The boosters, missiles, and plasma cannons reappeared, and Skyfire hoped that he had the energon for this final assault. He took in a deep breath and steeled himself for battle. He motioned for Primal to stand back and lit his boosters. He roared into the room and saw at least fifteen spider-like aliens in it. The aliens had robot spider legs and a mass that looked like brain tissue mounted above it. These aliens are fascinating, he thought to himself. Of the aliens, most were a small size, while a few were a larger variety, but then there was one that was enormous. </p><p>"You have finally come to meet your doom. This will be the last time your kind ruins our plans for ultimate conquest," the massive spider said. </p><p>"You're right, because this is the last time the universe will see the likes of you," Skyfire tossed back and opened fire. The barrage of missiles and plasma bursts took out all of the smaller aliens, but a few of the larger ones remained. Skyfire continued firing, but felt himself weakening. His boosters shut off and he fell to the floor in a heap. </p><p>"Energy level below critical point. Stasis lock in five megacycles." Instantly, Skyfire converted back to normal robot form, barely able to raise himself onto one knee. He clutched his laser cannon and saw the remaining aliens bearing down on him. The muzzles of guns mounted just below the organic tissue began to glow green. </p><p>"No!" Skyfire called out weakly. "Beast mode." He transformed just as the aliens fired. He shot into the air and the shots intended to strike him down missed. </p><p>"It will avail you not, Transformer. We will bring you down eventually. Then your people will be annihilated," the lead alien gloated. </p><p>"You know, you talk too much," Optimus Primal said as his sword blade came down upon the glass chamber covering the lead alien's organic tissue. The glass shattered and the sword sliced into the brain tissue. The alien howled in pain, green blood oozing from where Optimus's sword had cleaved it in two. The spider-like creature's legs collapsed and it toppled to the floor. Then Optimus threw down his sword and grabbed the Matrix. "Catch!" He called out and threw it into the air. </p><p>The aliens began shooting at the flying Matrix, but Skyfire weaved between the blasts and snapped up the Matrix in his claws. He shot back up in the air until he was as high as he could go. He hovered for a moment, then called out, "Skyfire, Maximize!" He transformed and held the Matrix in his hands. The aliens continued to shoot at him, but he took the Matrix in one hand and pulled out his laser cannon. Feeling more power than he ever had before, Skyfire began firing and systematically killed each and every one of the spider-like aliens. Then he put his gun away and took the handles of the Matrix in both hands. "Light our darkest hour," he murmured and pulled the handles. The Matrix pulled apart into two halves, a blue light getting brighter and brighter until it was blinding. The light swept through the room and kept going. A circle of blue light fanned out into infinity. There were distant explosions as the aliens's teleporter network was destroyed. </p><p>Throughout the universe, in thousands of locations, a wave of blue light eradicated teleporters, shutting them down forever. Hordes of aliens were left stranded on remote, isolated worlds, unable to go anywhere. The alien invasion force could no longer launch. In the alien temple, the Transformer bodies disappeared and the body of Tigatron sprang to life once more. The Maximal scout sat up and looked around, unsure of why he was alive again. At the Maximal base, Rhinox struggled to his feet and looked around at his comrades, all of whom were back to normal. </p><p>"They did it," he said in awe. "They did it!" </p><p>The blue light finally died down and the halves of the Matrix came back together. Skyfire landed and saw that Optimus had been repaired completely. He handed him the Matrix. "Here, this belongs to you," Skyfire said. </p><p>"Thank-you," Optimus replied. He smiled at Skyfire and then inserted the Matrix into his chest. As it closed, a missile struck him in the back. Optimus hit the floor, and to his horror, Skyfire could see hundreds of aliens charging up the stairs. However, at the end of the room, a blue portal had opened. </p><p>"Take the Matrix and go, I'll hold them off!" Skyfire shouted, going to Ultra Combat mode. His systems were once again fully charged, and he began firing down the stairs. </p><p>"No, I can't leave you here, you'll die!" Optimus replied and added his missile launchers to the fray. </p><p>"You've got to get the Matrix back safely, or all will be lost!" </p><p>Optimus nodded slowly. Skyfire was right, and he knew it. "It's been an honor serving with you, Skyfire," Optimus said sadly. Then fired a pair of missiles and leapt through the portal, which was already beginning to close. Skyfire got down on one knee and continued to fire down the steps. He couldn't let the aliens get to the portal, or else they could get the Matrix back. A missile struck him in the chest and bowled him over. He shook it off and continued to fire. More missiles and plasma balls hit, until Skyfire was lying on his back on the floor. His laser cannon lay inches away, and he struggled to get to it, but his arm wouldn't move. Then in a flash of light, the portal closed. The aliens charging up the stairs to finish off Skyfire were blinded. </p><p>All of the fighting stopped and an eerie silence prevailed, save for the distant cry of an eagle... </p><p> </p><hr /> <h3 align="center"><i>Epilogue</i> </h3> <p>A blue portal opened and Optimus Primal came crashing into the Maximal base. He struggled to his feet and looked around him. He smiled with joy when he saw all of the other Maximals standing nearby, fully operational. Tigatron helped Optimus to his feet and looked at him worriedly. "Skyfire?" He asked, dreading the answer. </p><p>"He...he didn't make it. The aliens charged our position in force, he must not have made it to the portal before it closed," Optimus answered, sadness in his voice. </p><p>"Then let's go back and rescue him!" Cheetor blurted out. </p><p>"Yeah. He's our friend, we owe him big," Rattrap agreed. </p><p>"It is dishonorable to leave a comrade behind," Dinobot added. </p><p>"We can't, as much as we want to," Rhinox announced, grief in his voice. "There's no way we can recreate the teleporter portals the aliens use. And with their teleporter network destroyed, there's no way he could get to us. I'm sorry." </p><p>"He was a brave warrior and a friend, both as an Autobot and as a Maximal. He saved us all; he gave his life so the universe could be free of the aliens's evil. I'm...I'm going to miss him," Optimus lamented. He left the others and walked down a lonely corridor. He stopped at a window and looked out at the blue sky. Tigatron joined him and put a hand on Optimus's shoulder. They had known Skyfire the longest, and would miss him the most. </p><p>"Wherever you are, friend, I hope you have plenty of open sky to fly in," Tigatron said and walked away, his head hanging. Optimus watched as black clouds moved into the sky. He turned away as it began to rain. </p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-44077972406213057912007-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:002007-06-13T10:26:02.549-07:00The Divine War, Part II<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: This is the second and what turned out to be final part of "The Divine War" series written in early 2002. After this I started getting involved in literary fiction, so this marks the end of an era really.</span><br /><br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">The Divine War</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Part II:<span style=""> </span>Warrior</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">O I know they make war because they want peace; they hate so that they may live; and they destroy the present to make the world safe for the future. When have they not done and said they did it for that?<br /></span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: Arial;">-- Elizabeth Smart (1913–1986)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u><span style="line-height: 200%;">Prologue<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">My Beloved Taa:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">It has been six months since you left me.<span style=""> </span>I think of you and all the time we spent together every day.<span style=""> </span>Each time I look where Tehuzaa should be in the sky, I wonder what you are doing at the moment.<span style=""> </span>Are you thinking of me?<span style=""> </span>Are you longing for me the same as I do for you?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>In my nightmares I can see you in your Spidlaa coming towards me.<span style=""> </span>You keep coming and even though I don’t want to, my hand goes to the trigger.<span style=""> </span>Just as I see you mouth, “I love you”, I squeeze the trigger, a burst of pellets shattering your beautiful face.<span style=""> </span>I wake up, realizing it is only a dream, yet I can’t help wondering if I will someday be forced into the position of having to kill you.<span style=""> </span>I fear it more than losing my own life.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t yearn for your presence to help strengthen me.<span style=""> </span>You always made me feel like the luckiest man in the universe, like I could throw down all sixteen gods without breaking a sweat.<span style=""> </span>Since you left me, I can’t help but feel lost, like a piece of me is missing.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>Over these last six months, I have watched our two worlds edge closer each day to a full-blown war.<span style=""> </span>I know the time is drawing near when I will be forced to kill Tehuzaar and I wonder if I will be able to do it without your strength to steady me.<span style=""> </span>As much as I worry about you, I also worry about what will happen to me when I enter my first real dogfight.<span style=""> </span>Will I run from battle, or make a mistake that kills my comrades, or become a bloodthirsty monster?<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>I just hope my nightmares do not come true.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>Love Always,<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i><span style=""> </span>Kee<o:p></o:p></i></p> <h1>Chapter One</h1> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee floated into the Inrii’s ready room, positioning himself next to Bii in the back row.<span style=""> </span>Over the last six months, the squadron had taken on Lingaar pilots to replace the Tehuzaar defectors, though Kee still had trouble remembering the names of the new pilots.<span style=""> </span>The new member of he and Bii’s flight, Duu Roncaa, grabbed the hook next to Kee and asked, “Any idea what’s going to happen?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Like all of the new pilots, Duu had just completed flight training and yearned for a fight.<span style=""> </span>Kee wondered if their enthusiasm would fade after their first real battle, if they even survived.<span style=""> </span>Bii shrugged in response to the younger pilot’s question.<span style=""> </span>“Nobody’s been saying anything lately.<span style=""> </span>I think Command is worried about moles leaking our plans to the Tehuzaar.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I suppose we’ll find out in just a second,” Kee added.<span style=""> </span>The lights dimmed as Squadron Commander Rinwaa floated into the room.<span style=""> </span>The projector came to life, displaying an image of Yortaa, the fourth planet in the system.<span style=""> </span>The giant gray-white planet hung in the air, spinning lazily around its three thin rings.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Rinwaa waited for the room to quiet down before speaking.<span style=""> </span>“This, as you know, is Yortaa, which up until forty years ago was just a barren rock.<span style=""> </span>Since then it has become the leading supplier of raw minerals to Lingaa and Tehuzaa.<span style=""> </span>Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is the focal point of the war.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Rinwaa had to wait until another round of excited whispers died out.<span style=""> </span>“Yortaa has thus far remained neutral in the conflict, but our intelligence indicates an increasing Tehuzaar presence on the colony.<span style=""> </span>More important is what has been observed going on in orbit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The projector changed images, a close-up view of Yortaa’s rings rotating in the air.<span style=""> </span>The rings were made of what looked like rocks of varying sizes, whether they were made from stone or some other material, Kee could not be sure.<span style=""> </span>He noticed the innermost and outermost rings were more densely packed than the one in the middle and wondered if a scientific explanation for it existed.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa continued, “Tehuzaar freighters have been seen dropping off cargo in the ring system.<span style=""> </span>From what our intelligence analysts have seen, they believe the Tehuzaar are building defenses in the rings to interdict our commercial shipping with Yortaa.<span style=""> </span>Depending on what weapons they are constructing, they may also be able to strike any of our fleets bound for Tehuzaa.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Rinwaa looked around the room, and in the dim light of the projector, Kee could see his commander’s pained expression.<span style=""> </span>“Yortaa is a key strategic target for both sides, whoever controls it will have a stranglehold on mineral resources and shipping routes through the system.<span style=""> </span>Having said that, I can tell you our orders are to seek and destroy any Tehuzaar weapons in the rings.<span style=""> </span>The 23rd will be joining us, while the 21st flies cover and the 15th stays back to baby-sit the Inrii.<span style=""> </span>This is not an easy mission.<span style=""> </span>It will be tight flying, which is why I’ve scheduled simulator time for all of you over the next two days.<span style=""> </span>We launch at 0600 in three days.<span style=""> </span>That is all.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The meeting broke up, the pilots talking amongst themselves about the upcoming mission.<span style=""> </span>Kee kept silent, feeling a mix of emotions.<span style=""> </span>On one hand, it felt good to have an actual combat mission after months of being idle, but at the same time he worried about losing friends or his own life.<span style=""> </span>Duu, as expected, chattered nonstop about the prospect of combat all the way to the room he and Kee shared.<span style=""> </span>Bii had come up with the idea of mixing the veteran pilots with the new recruits, a policy now being enforced throughout the task force.<span style=""> </span>Living with Duu reminded Kee of the stories Taa would tell him about sharing a room with Luu Mercaa, a notorious talker.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Duu floated around the room, his whole body seeming to radiate nervous energy.<span style=""> </span>“I can’t wait to pay those Tehuzaar cowards back for ambushing the Inrii at Tehuzaa.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee shook his head, his eyes darting to the wooden box lying at the bottom of his storage bag.<span style=""> </span>“That isn’t exactly what happened,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yeah, maybe, but they’re going to learn now what they’re in for.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee knew he could do little to curb the younger pilot’s enthusiasm, so he grunted and floated up to his sleeping sack.<span style=""> </span>He thought of writing another letter to Taa, even though he knew no mail was being sent to Tehuzaa, deciding instead to write his parents.<span style=""> </span>He’d always been given anything he wanted by his parents, yet he did not feel a strong emotional bond with them.<span style=""> </span>Staring at the blank screen of his minicomp, he found it difficult to tell them what he felt.<span style=""> </span>In the end, he decided denial to be the best approach.<span style=""> </span>He wrote of everything from the food to the books he’d read, making no mention of the potentially fatal mission.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He put his minicomp on the shelf overhead, reaching for his book.<span style=""> </span>Although it may be dangerous if his superiors found out, Kee cracked open the copy of the Tehuu Testament given to him by Taa on his birthday last year.<span style=""> </span>There were quite a few similarities between the Tehuzaar and Lingaar religions, though he found the relationship between the Tehuzaar and their God to be much different from the Lingaar and their gods.<span style=""> </span>To Lingaar there was almost a mercenary relationship with the gods, offering prayers and the occasional sacrifice at a shrine in exchange for good fortune.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar, Kee began to understand, saw God as a father who loved and cared for them.<span style=""> </span>While Lingaar would shift allegiances to whatever god they felt would help them, the Tehuzaar remained ever faithful to their one deity.<span style=""> </span>Kee admired the Tehuzaar’s devotion to their God.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps in better times I could have converted, he thought.<span style=""> </span>He snapped the book shut, deciding to get some rest before the simulator session in the morning.<span style=""> </span>As much as he admired the Tehuzaar, tomorrow he would be trained to kill them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee had seen Yortaa many times before on his way to Tehuzaa, but he’d never come so close to the planet before now.<span style=""> </span>He turned to his right to see Duu flying in perfect position.<span style=""> </span>He wondered if Taa waited in the rings for him.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa’s voice broke up his dark thoughts.<span style=""> </span>“All units proceed into the target area.<span style=""> </span>Stay tight and keep your eyes peeled.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee followed Bii’s sharp bank to the left, lining up for a run into the middle ring.<span style=""> </span>Duu positioned himself behind Kee’s fighter, the tight confines of the rings making it necessary to fly in single file.<span style=""> </span>The closer he came to the rings, the more they seemed like the Zeboo asteroid belt he’d flown through during flight school, chunks of ice-covered rock varying in size from tiny pebbles to kilometers across.<span style=""> </span>He worried as much about one of the smaller pieces smashing through his cockpit as a Tehuzaar missile blowing his fighter to pieces.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He twisted his Spidlaa to the right to avoid smashing into a rock as big as his plane.<span style=""> </span>He jerked his head from left to right, searching for any sign of enemy activity.<span style=""> </span>Up ahead, he could see Bii pull up sharply over another rock.<span style=""> </span>Kee followed his flight leader’s wild gyrations, all the while scanning for some trace of the Tehuzaar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After twenty minutes of frenzied maneuvering, he suddenly heard Duu shout, “I’m hit!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee looked back, watching in horror as Duu’s fighter corkscrewed into a chunk of icy debris.<span style=""> </span>The Spidlaa exploded in a tiny fireball, a rust-colored fighter zipping through the smoke and launching a pair of missiles.<span style=""> </span>Kee wasted no time in dropping a countermeasure and hauling back on his control stick.<span style=""> </span>The enemy Spidlaa followed the maneuver, firing a burst of pellets that grazed Kee’s left wing.<span style=""> </span>Much to his relief, his displays showed no damage.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He looked around for Bii while he jerked his fighter past another rock, but he did not see his flight leader anywhere.<span style=""> </span>The enemy plane followed Kee’s defensive maneuvers, another volley of pellets chewing up the left wing.<span style=""> </span>His helmet’s warning tone sounded in his ears, telling him the enemy aircraft had locked on with its missiles.<span style=""> </span>Kee dropped another countermeasure, barrelrolling to the left just as the missile flashed from under the wing of the Tehuzaar fighter.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He knew he had to find a way to take the offensive or find help; otherwise he would be done for.<span style=""> </span>The enemy pilot so far had followed his every move, it seemed unlikely Kee could coax him to collide with one of the rocks in the ring.<span style=""> </span>He jinked right around another piece of debris, the answer coming to him.<span style=""> </span>He lined up a rock straight ahead of him and armed one of his missiles.<span style=""> </span>The heat-seeking Bavroo missiles couldn’t lock onto the icy rocks, but if he fired from close enough, the missile wouldn’t have enough time to make a course adjustment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He pushed the throttle ahead, weaving right to avoid another stream of pellets.<span style=""> </span>The rock, as big as a sledge, became larger in his canopy.<span style=""> </span>He counted to three, then fired a missile and shoved the control stick forward. <span style=""> </span>He didn’t see the missile’s impact, but when he had completed his loop, he saw the Tehuzaar fighter looming large in his sights.<span style=""> </span>He let loose another Bavroo, the missile hitting the mark from pointblank range.<span style=""> </span>Kee climbed over the debris cloud from the downed plane and shattered rock.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Safe for the moment, Kee looked around to see if he could spot Bii.<span style=""> </span>All around him, blue-and-white Lingaar Spidlaas danced with rust-colored Tehuzaar fighters around the glittering ice rocks.<span style=""> </span>It was strangely beautiful. <span style=""> </span>He keyed his radio to the open frequency, ignoring the established protocol of observing radio silence during battle.<span style=""> </span>“Bii, where are you?” he asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m a little busy!” Bii grunted in reply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee looked around the battlefield again, deciding to just help out the nearest Lingaar fighter.<span style=""> </span>He swooped down past another rock, firing a burst of pellets.<span style=""> </span>The shells missed the mark, but distracted the enemy long enough so the Lingaar fighter ahead of it could loop around and fire a missile.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar Spidlaa exploded, the two Lingaar planes forming up on each other.<span style=""> </span>Fortune smiled on Kee as he heard Bii call out, “Thanks.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No problem,” Kee replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right, try to stay with me this time.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The two Lingaar Spidlaas waded back into the fight, each launching a missile at a Tehuzaar fighter.<span style=""> </span>The enemy pilot, bracketed by the Bavroos, ejected safely before his plane exploded.<span style=""> </span>Kee felt his plane’s control stick vibrate his hand, he looked back to see another Tehuzaar Spidlaa on his tail.<span style=""> </span>“Bii, I’ve got one on me!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll get him.”<span style=""> </span>Bii’s fighter shot upward in a tight loop while Kee swerved left to avoid another burst of pellets.<span style=""> </span>He heard the missile lock tone in his helmet, but he held his fighter level while he knew Bii was lining up a shot of his own.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar plane fired a missile, Kee snapping his fighter to the right in a roll almost hard enough to make him pass out from the G-forces.<span style=""> </span>The missile harmlessly struck a rock, while the Tehuzaar Spidlaa burst into flame.<span style=""> </span>Kee pulled around to form up on Bii again, looking around for another target.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All units, evacuate the target zone,” Rinwaa commanded.<span style=""> </span>“Repeat, evacuate the target zone.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Kee said.<span style=""> </span>He pulled up on his control stick, kicking in his afterburners.<span style=""> </span>Once clear of the rings, he could see streaks of light crisscrossing the space around the Inrii.<span style=""> </span>A swarm of enemy fighters buzzed around the Inrii task force, dogfighting with Lingaar planes while dodging streams of anti-aircraft pellets and heat-seeking missiles.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Listen up everyone,” Rinwaa said sharply, “we’ve got a group of Quhiis coming from the surface.<span style=""> </span>It’s up to us get them, don’t let them launch their payloads.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee checked his radar, noting the dozen attack planes coming through the atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>Doing the math in his head, he knew it would be a close race to get to the Quhiis and eliminate them before they launched their anti-ship missiles at the Inrii.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Kee checked his fuel gauge, grimacing at the number.<span style=""> </span>There would be very little fuel left after even a short engagement, he would run out if he had to do many more fancy maneuvers.<span style=""> </span>Despite the desperate fuel situation, he had to use his afterburners now to intercept the attack planes before they reached striking distance.<span style=""> </span>Bii raced along beside him, the rest of the squadron spread out in a single line.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The 19th had lost four fighters in the ring ambush, yet they fared better than the 23rd, which could field only three Spidlaas.<span style=""> </span>At least as many Tehuzaar fighters had been shot down, providing the only positive in the battle thus far.<span style=""> </span>No matter which side won, it would be a costly victory, albeit an important one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee tried not to focus on his fallen squadronmates, instead keeping an eye on his radar display.<span style=""> </span>The enemy Quhiis had yet to rise above the atmosphere, though even when they did it would take almost a minute to get them in missile range.<span style=""> </span>Kee watched the gap narrow on his instruments, resisting the urge to wipe the sweat building on his forehead.<span style=""> </span>At a moment such as this, he yearned for Taa’s ever-present calm.<span style=""> </span>He knew she would not be sweating, she would not be feeling afraid right now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He shook away thoughts of his departed fiancée, his eyes returning to the radar screen.<span style=""> </span>The last Quhii had just cleared the atmosphere, leaving only forty-five seconds at maximum to destroy them.<span style=""> </span>Kee squinted, just able to make out the glow from the attack planes’s engines.<span style=""> </span>He fiddled with the control stick, waiting for the missiles to lock on to a target.<span style=""> </span>After what seemed like an eternity, his targeting crosshairs glowed red, a tone indicating he had locked on to one of the Quhiis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee stabbed the fire button twice, watching a pair of Bavroos streak across the empty blackness.<span style=""> </span>A swarm of missiles joined his, leaving him with nothing to do, except watch the drama unfold.<span style=""> </span>He saw explosions in the distance, blips fading from his radar screen.<span style=""> </span>Even so, half of the Quhiis remained functional, closing to launch range.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee knew he would have to make his last missile count.<span style=""> </span>He could see the dun-colored attack planes in the distance, but he would not be able to get in range for a shot from his cannon before the Quhiis launched.<span style=""> </span>Though not a religious man, he said a brief prayer before he let his final Bavroo fly.<span style=""> </span>He lost track of the projectile as it mixed with another swarm from his squadron, noting four more blips wiped from his radar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Two Quhiis remained, growing larger in his canopy.<span style=""> </span>No more missiles came from Kee’s squadron, the fighters forced to charge along at full speed and hope to get within cannon range before the enemy planes launched.<span style=""> </span>Kee watched the distance wind down in his head’s up display, his finger poised over the button to fire a stream of pellets.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Quhiis seemed resigned to their fate, pressing straight ahead without any concern for the fighters bearing down on them.<span style=""> </span>A quartet of flashes almost blinded Kee, the telltale sign of missiles being launched.<span style=""> </span>Kee could only watch as the big anti-ship projectiles hurtled away from the Quhiis, towards the Inrii.<span style=""> </span>He took little satisfaction in blasting one of the attack planes to pieces with a burst of pellets while Bii took out the other.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee looked towards the big carrier and the smaller ships spread out around it.<span style=""> </span>He could still see tiny explosions marking the loss of a fighter, the flashes of a missile launching, and the streams of light coming from the task force’s anti-aircraft weapons.<span style=""> </span>He could do nothing more than check his fuel gauge, its numbers only increasing the helplessness he felt.<span style=""> </span>With only another burst or two of pellets left and just enough fuel to make it back to the Inrii, he could do nothing to help his comrades.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The 19th formed up, drifting in empty space until the Inrii gave them permission to land.<span style=""> </span>Kee listened to the open frequency, hearing pilots scream, swear, shout warnings, and thank each other.<span style=""> </span>His fists clenched of their own accord, his stomach churning with each call over the radio.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The battle ended three agonizing minutes later, the last Tehuzaar fighters retreating to bases on the surface of Yortaa.<span style=""> </span>The enemy Spidlaas flew past in sight of Kee’s idling squadron, but apparently the Tehuzaar did not have the weapons or fuel for an engagement either.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa relayed instructions to land on the escort cruiser Zerlaa to rearm and refuel.<span style=""> </span>As Kee passed by the Inrii, he could see three gaping holes in its starboard side from the anti-ship missiles launched by the Quhiis.<span style=""> </span>He cursed under his breath, knowing his squadron had failed to protect the carrier.<span style=""> </span>Kee followed Bii’s fighter to land in the cramped hangar bay of the squat, cylinder-shaped Zerlaa.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Before Kee even climbed from his cockpit, a team of mechanics had already started hooking up a fuel hose and bringing over a cart of Bavroos.<span style=""> </span>He saw Squadron Commander Rinwaa motioning for the squadron to gather around his plane.<span style=""> </span>Kee’s entire body felt like a lead weight as he hauled himself over to Rinwaa’s Spidlaa, a fatigue he could see the other pilots shared.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa’s face looked pained as he spoke.<span style=""> </span>“There isn’t much time, but I have received word that an enemy task force will be here in less than one hour.<span style=""> </span>Everyone is to shower, change, and drink a vitamin shake, then meet me back here for a quick briefing.”<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa motioned to a junior officer from the Zerlaa.<span style=""> </span>“She’ll show you where to go. <span style=""> </span>Now I know some of you are disappointed about what happened out there, but we did everything we could.<span style=""> </span>You all performed just as I expected, and I know I can count on all of you in this next battle.<span style=""> </span>Go on and get out of here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Rinwaa’s pep talk did little to lift Kee’s spirits as he followed the other pilots to the showers.<span style=""> </span>His commander could say they did everything they could, but it did not ease the weight Kee felt.<span style=""> </span>He thought of the damaged Inrii, wondering how many men and women had died because four anti-ship missiles got through to the ship.<span style=""> </span>Ultimately, no matter what Rinwaa said, Kee knew the blood was on his hands.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I don’t believe it.<span style=""> </span>How could they get a whole task force here without our knowing about it?” Bii asked as he downed the last of his vitamin shake.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“It’s not going to make a difference, we’ll wipe them out anyway.<span style=""> </span>This time they won’t be able to surprise us like in the rings,” Luu Mercaa said.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee held his tongue, gulping down his own can of tasteless goo.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t shake the dark thoughts out of his head.<span style=""> </span>He hadn’t been able to stop the last two Quhiis, and now dozens of people were dead as a result.<span style=""> </span>With a start, he realized Bii had a hand on his shoulder.<span style=""> </span>“Kee, are you coming?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Sure thing.”<span style=""> </span>Kee followed after Bii and Luu, floating down the corridor back to the hangar.<span style=""> </span>The other pilots had already assembled around Rinwaa’s fighter, with Rinwaa himself hovering over the nose of the Spidlaa.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I’m going to make this quick.<span style=""> </span>We are going to launch an attack on the enemy task force.<span style=""> </span>Each fighter will be outfitted with one Jeflii anti-ship missile and two Bavroos.<span style=""> </span>The Inrii will be sending up a squadron of Quhiis escorted by the remnants of the 21st and 23rd.<span style=""> </span>While the Quhiis are armed with anti-ship missiles, they will serve primarily as a decoy.<span style=""> </span>The enemy should concentrate its firepower on the Quhiis and their escorts, allowing us to get into launch range.<span style=""> </span>I know most of you do not have experience in attack operations, but firing a Jeflii missile is just the same as launching a Bavroo, you just have a bigger target to work with.<span style=""> </span>Launch your missile, then help bail out the decoys, understood?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Yes, sir!” the squadron replied as one.<span style=""> </span>Kee drifted to his plane, noticing the bulky Jeflii missile under the Spidlaa’s belly.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Good luck!” Bii shouted, clapping Kee on the shoulder.<span style=""> </span>Kee did not share Bii’s enthusiasm, but as he hauled himself into the cockpit of his fighter, he felt a rage burning inside of him.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar had killed Duu and so many others, now Kee would be able to pay them back.<span style=""> </span>He had been friends with Tehuzaar, even loved one, but as he launched from the Zerlaa, he only wanted to kill them.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee could see the distant bulk of the Tehuzaar task force ahead of him.<span style=""> </span>The Inrii reported three Monloo-class cruisers and two Torgaa-class frigates made up the task force, which gave the Tehuzaar a slight edge in firepower.<span style=""> </span>Kee checked the status of his Jeflii missile for the hundredth time, determined not to make a mistake when the time came.<span style=""> </span>The missile’s bulk meant the fighters could not go top speed, making for a longer wait to get revenge.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“We are engaging the enemy,” a voice came over the open frequency.<span style=""> </span>The call meant the Tehuzaar had taken the bait, focusing their planes on the decoy group.<span style=""> </span>Kee watched the numbers tick down in his head’s up display, only about a minute before he could launch his missile.<span style=""> </span>He could see flashes off to his right as the Tehuzaar and Lingaar planes tangled and wished he could join the action.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Rinwaa’s voice suddenly came over the squadron channel.<span style=""> </span>“Listen up, everyone.<span style=""> </span>Fighters are approaching from the surface.<span style=""> </span>Jettison your Jeflii if you have to, but no foolish heroics.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee could see the newcomers on his radar, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.<span style=""> </span>The fighters coming for them now had to be the same ones the 19th had allowed to escape in the last battle.<span style=""> </span>This time the tables had been turned, with the Tehuzaar fighters rushing to catch the Lingaar before they launched their anti-ship missiles.<span style=""> </span>Well, at least the universe has a sense of humor, Kee thought.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Only thirty seconds remained before he could fire his missile.<span style=""> </span>The enemy Spidlaas began to appear, warning tones sounding in Kee’s helmet.<span style=""> </span>He ignored the warnings, his vision focused on the Monloo cruiser growing larger before him.<span style=""> </span>Kee launched countermeasures to keep enemy missiles away while he kept driving towards the cruiser in his sights.<span style=""> </span>He counted down the last ten seconds, the warnings in his helmet becoming shriller.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar Bavroos closed unabated on Kee’s fighter, ignoring the countermeasures.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">His crosshairs turned red, the Jeflii locking onto the enemy cruiser.<span style=""> </span>Kee stabbed the fire button, shoving his control stick forward once the missile cleared his Spidlaa’s nose.<span style=""> </span>The fighter shot downward in a hard spiral, a pair of heat-seekers following the sudden maneuver.<span style=""> </span>He released another countermeasure, while at the same time jerking his Spidlaa hard to the right.<span style=""> </span>One of the missiles followed the decoy, the other followed Kee.<span style=""> </span>He threw his fighter into a sharp barrelroll, an explosion blossoming behind him.<span style=""> </span>The missile, having run out of fuel, exploded harmlessly.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee surveyed the area around him, finding himself alone while a fierce battle raged overhead.<span style=""> </span>He searched for Bii’s plane, but he couldn’t distinguish one Spidlaa from another in the ratrace.<span style=""> </span>In desperation, he called out, “Bii, where are you?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Four o’clock high!<span style=""> </span>I got one on my tail…I can’t shake him!” Bii shouted back, his voice sounding more panicked than Kee had ever known.<span style=""> </span>He pushed the throttle ahead, hoping he didn’t arrive too late to help his friend and wingman.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He could see a stream of pellets clip Bii’s wing, the enemy Spidlaa following each desperate maneuver Bii tried.<span style=""> </span>Kee felt his own plane buck, pellets grazing his fighter’s belly, but he focused on the Spidlaa pursuing Bii.<span style=""> </span>The two planes were too close for Kee to use one of his missiles, forcing him to rely on his cannon.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Bii’s fighter weaved back and forth, trying to keep the Tehuzaar plane from getting a clear shot, but at the same time it prevented Kee from being able to line up the enemy Spidlaa.<span style=""> </span>“Bii, I’m behind you.<span style=""> </span>Get out of the way and I’ll take this guy down,” Kee said with a calm he did not feel.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“All right, you nail this bastard.”<span style=""> </span>Bii arced his fighter up, but instead of the enemy fighter trying to pursue, it broke off to the right and down.<span style=""> </span>It became painfully clear why an instant later, when a Bavroo smashed into Bii’s cockpit at pointblank range.<span style=""> </span>Kee watched in horror as the fighter sprayed a cloud of debris, then disappeared without any trace of Bii.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee wanted to scream, but no sound would come from his throat.<span style=""> </span>Hot tears stained his cheeks, a paralysis seizing his entire body.<span style=""> </span>The renewed screech of the warning tone in his helmet shook him from his stupor.<span style=""> </span>He did not know which fighter had actually fired the shot that killed Bii, but he did spot the Spidlaa that had been pursuing his friend.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee’s eyes narrowed, he wanted nothing more than to destroy the Tehuzaar plane, to repay it for causing Bii’s death.<span style=""> </span>He was not conscious of what he did next—an impossible series of maneuvers to wind his way through the heart of the dogfight—until he found himself on the tail of his quarry.<span style=""> </span>He launched one of his Bavroos, the weapon just missing the enemy’s left wing.<span style=""> </span>He triggered a burst of pellets, the Tehuzaar fighter standing on its right wing to dodge the shots.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee became oblivious to everything around him, his universe centering on the Spidlaa weaving ahead of him.<span style=""> </span>He did not notice Yortaa growing larger before him, nor did he see the increasing gap between his plane and the rest of his squadron.<span style=""> </span>He kept on the tail of his prey, being careful not to waste the rest of his ammunition.<span style=""> </span>He waited for the perfect shot, a clean kill to avenge Bii’s memory.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Henlaa, where are you going?” Rinwaa shouted in his helmet.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee switched the radio off to maintain his concentration.<span style=""> </span>Once he reached the atmosphere, he would have no choice but to wait until he descended into Yortaa’s stratosphere to resume the fight.<span style=""> </span>He tried every maneuver he could think of to line up a shot, yet each time the enemy pilot countered him.<span style=""> </span>After a final failed burst of pellets, Kee followed his adversary into the atmosphere.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Heat built up in his cockpit, making him worry about his last Bavroo cooking off and taking him with it.<span style=""> </span>The missile held together, the Spidlaa emerging in the cooler air of the stratosphere.<span style=""> </span>Kee looked around to find his quarry, the other plane’s rust paint scheme contrasting markedly with the thick white clouds drifting close to the surface.<span style=""> </span>Kee banked hard to the right, dropping back on the enemy fighter’s tail.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Once again Kee could not manage to get a good shot.<span style=""> </span>He followed his opponent down lower, through the clouds, until he found himself surrounded by a vast range of gray-purple mountains.<span style=""> </span>The aerial game of cat-and-mouse continued, yet as each second went by the real enemy became a shortage of fuel.<span style=""> </span>By descending through the atmosphere, Kee had already known he would not be able to make it back to the Inrii, but before much longer he would have no choice about where to land his plane.<span style=""> </span>Something had to be done.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee decided on a risky course of action.<span style=""> </span>If he could not destroy the Tehuzaar Spidlaa, perhaps he could do the next best thing by forcing the enemy plane down.<span style=""> </span>He waited until the enemy fighter weaved to the right, veering his own plane in the same direction.<span style=""> </span>He fired a burst of pellets, but by then the Tehuzaar pilot had already taken advantage of Kee’s mistake.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Just as Kee predicted, the enemy Spidlaa did an inverted loop to get behind Kee and take the initiative in the battle.<span style=""> </span>Instead of trying a maneuver to counter, Kee killed his throttle, throwing on his verts to hover in the air.<span style=""> </span>He turned in his seat, watching the Tehuzaar fighter complete its loop only to find Kee’s plane directly in its path.<span style=""> </span>With a grim smile, Kee jerked the ejection handle over his head, the enclosed cockpit blasting free from the rest of the plane. </p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He couldn’t see the collision from the escape module, but he felt his cockpit shake from the explosion.<span style=""> </span>Once the rockets beneath Kee expended their fuel, a pair of verts activated to ease him to the ground.<span style=""> </span>He let his autopilot find a suitable landing spot while he searched the sky for any sign of his foe.<span style=""> </span>His fists clenched with murderous rage when he saw a rust-colored Spidlaa escape module lowering itself to the ground.<span style=""> </span>He could only watch as Bii’s killer drifted to safety.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee’s escape module touched down on a piece of level ground in the shadow of the mountains he had seen from his fighter.<span style=""> </span>His adversary’s cockpit came down a kilometer away, Kee wasting no time in bolting from his cockpit with pistol in hand.<span style=""> </span>Yortaa’s gravity was higher than either Tehuzaa or Lingaa, yet Kee ran as though he had wings.<span style=""> </span>His eyes focused on the Tehuzaar escape module ahead of him, his hands tightening around his pistol’s grip.<span style=""> </span>All he could think about was getting his hands around the neck of the enemy pilot, squeezing the last ounce of strength from the Tehuzaar wretch.<span style=""> </span>He hungered for the complete annihilation of the enemy pilot, to bring about some measure of justice for Bii.<span style=""> </span>His feet thundered across the rough Yortaan ground, every footfall increasing his lust for blood.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He watched the canopy of the Tehuzaar Spidlaa open, its pilot stumbling out with arms raised.<span style=""> </span>Kee gave no sign he understood the enemy’s signal of surrender, charging at breakneck speed with his weapon raised.<span style=""> </span>As he closed the gap, Kee saw the blood staining the Tehuzaar’s flight suit and a gash along his bare forehead.<span style=""> </span>“I surrender!” the other man shouted.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee skidded to a halt in front of the enemy pilot, his finger tightening around his pistol’s trigger.<span style=""> </span>“Down on your knees!”<span style=""> </span>With a nod, the Tehuzaar knelt down on the ground.<span style=""> </span>Kee patted him down, searching for weapons, but he did not find any.<span style=""> </span>He jammed the barrel of his weapon hard into the neck of his prisoner, his teeth grinding together.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Please, I surrender, don’t kill me.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Don’t kill you?” Kee snorted, as though it were the most outrageous thing he had ever heard.<span style=""> </span>“You killed my friend and now you want me to spare your life?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">”I’ll tell you anything you want to know, just don’t kill me,” the Tehuzaar pilot said.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I don’t care what you know, all I care about is justice for my friend!”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Then take me with you, I’ll stand trial.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee jammed the gun barrel deeper into the man’s neck.<span style=""> </span>“Where was Bii’s trial?” Kee demanded.<span style=""> </span>“He never got a trial, the only justice he received is the same you will.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“You can’t do this.<span style=""> </span>I’m unarmed!<span style=""> </span>This is murder!” </p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee pulled the trigger.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">The back of the Tehuzaar’s head exploded like a ripe melon, showering Kee with blood, bone, and brain matter.<span style=""> </span>The enemy pilot pitched forward into the dirt, his limbs twitching a few moments.<span style=""> </span>An eerie silence hung in the air, Kee standing over the body, not quite comprehending what he had done.<span style=""> </span>He watched blood pool around the man’s shattered skull, the pistol feeling cold and leaden in Kee’s hand.<span style=""> </span>He dropped the gun, running away as fast as his legs would carry him.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Black smoke rose in the distance, thick columns of it making the sky on the horizon appear like nighttime.<span style=""> </span>Kee stumbled forward towards the smoke, sweat and grime coating his entire body.<span style=""> </span>He had no idea what city lay ahead, having left his survival kit in his cockpit.<span style=""> </span>It mattered little what lay in his path, he could only think of what he had done.<span style=""> </span>The scene played again and again before his eyes in slow motion, each time a new wave of guilt stabbing his soul.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He froze in his tracks, watching a pair of Tehuzaar Quhiis pass maybe a hundred meters overhead, their bellies laden with bulbous bombs.<span style=""> </span>Scant seconds later, three Lingaar Spidlaas streaked past in pursuit of the Tehuzaar warplanes.<span style=""> </span>The Quhiis managed to drop their bombs before a swarm of Bavroos brought them down, fresh columns of smoke adding to the pall already over the city.<span style=""> </span>The Spidlaas shot up in the air, disappearing in the haze.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee remained rooted in place, only now becoming aware of the trouble he had gotten himself into.<span style=""> </span>He could try to go back to his escape module, to find his survival radio and call for help, or he could go into the city, where he might find friendly forces.<span style=""> </span>If he went back he could run into Tehuzaar patrols, if he went ahead he could get caught in a lethal crossfire.<span style=""> </span>He decided to take his chances in the city, wishing he hadn’t left his pistol behind.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He walked down a deserted highway into the city, the sounds of machine-gun fire and explosions close by.<span style=""> </span>The buildings around him, all squat structures made of polished metal and glass, bore the scars of bombs and artillery.<span style=""> </span>It became almost impossible to avoid stepping on glass or other debris.<span style=""> </span>Kee climbed over the twisted wreck of a sledge to find himself in the middle of an intersection, and a gunfight.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He threw himself to the ground, pellets whizzing just overhead.<span style=""> </span>He looked up to see a group of men in Unified Army gray body armor firing from behind a tipped-over sledge.<span style=""> </span>Kee swung himself around one hundred eighty degrees, seeing another group of men in blue armor returning fire from behind a sledge of their own.<span style=""> </span>With the body armor and helmets, Kee could not tell which were Tehuzaar and which Lingaar, so he decided to just make a run for it.<span style=""> </span>He pushed himself to his feet, sprinting across the street and ducking into the cover of a doorway.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">The sidewalk beneath his feet started to tremble, the massive black shape of a Huldaa tank coming down the road.<span style=""> </span>To his dismay, the tank bore Tehuzaar markings and had a column of infantry behind it.<span style=""> </span>The Huldaa made a ponderous left turn, its body rocking as it launched a shell from its sleek turret.<span style=""> </span>Kee heard the explosion followed by screams, terror running through his entire body.<span style=""> </span>It would not be much longer before he would be discovered, then captured or executed by the Tehuzaar.<span style=""> </span>He launched himself from the doorway, his legs pumping as fast as they could over the debris-strewn ground.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“You, stop!” someone behind him barked.<span style=""> </span>Pellets struck the road surface behind him, footsteps crunching glass in pursuit.<span style=""> </span>Kee turned a corner blindly, the footsteps sounding closer.<span style=""> </span>He felt a sharp pain in his left leg, pitching him forward onto the ground.<span style=""> </span>He struggled to his feet, noticing the blood oozing from his leg onto the pavement.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar soldiers shouted again as Kee limped forward, though he knew it wouldn’t be long before the enemy caught him.<span style=""> </span>He ducked down an alley, searching for some way to elude his pursuers.<span style=""> </span>He flattened himself against a scarred wooden door, hoping the Tehuzaar would not search the alley or somehow miss him so he could double back.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He heard heavy footsteps echoing down the alley, the enemy soldiers on alert for a trap.<span style=""> </span>Kee held his breath, his heart sounding like a drum in his ears as he waited to be discovered.<span style=""> </span>The door behind him suddenly opened, one hand hauling Kee backward by his left shoulder while another hand clamped over his mouth like a vise.<span style=""> </span>“Quiet!” a stern voice hissed.<span style=""> </span>Kee heard a creak then felt himself being pulled down a flight of stairs.<span style=""> </span>The hand around his mouth relented, allowing him to take a deep breath.<span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry, we’re safe now.<span style=""> </span>Just be quiet,” the voice said.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Who are you?” Kee asked, looking around in the dark, but he could not see anything.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Never mind that, just be quiet.”<span style=""> </span>Kee heard footsteps overhead, followed by muffled curses.<span style=""> </span>It seemed like a lifetime in the darkness before the sounds faded, the Tehuzaar soldiers moving on.<span style=""> </span>“Stay here.<span style=""> </span>I’ll make sure they’re gone.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee thought to acknowledge the command, but he felt woozy all of the sudden. <span style=""> </span>He slumped against a wall, the darkness suffocating him like a wet blanket.<span style=""> </span>He tried to get to his feet, couldn’t, and decided to take a nap while he waited for his savior to come back for him.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee woke up to find himself in bed, with his left leg bandaged and propped up on a pillow.<span style=""> </span>With a start, he realized he only had on a pair of underpants before he noticed a fresh shirt and pants on the back of a chair next to the bed.<span style=""> </span>He sat up, taking a look around the room.<span style=""> </span>The meditation cushion in the corner told him it belonged to a Tehuzaar, but the bedroom had few other distinguishing features.<span style=""> </span>A battered set of wooden drawers, a cracked mirror, and a bare metal lamp were the only other objects in the room.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He swung his legs over the bed, testing his injured leg.<span style=""> </span>Pain raced through his body as soon as the limb touched the wooden floor.<span style=""> </span>He cried out and rested his left leg back on the pillows, cursing his stupidity.<span style=""> </span>He took a deep breath then reached over to the chair, snagging the faded blue shirt on the second try.<span style=""> </span>The shirt went down to his knees, meant for someone at least two sizes bigger.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">The bedroom door opened, a tall man with the tanned skin of a Tehuzaar ducking inside.<span style=""> </span>The man had a shock of white hair with a matching well-trimmed beard, his black eyebrows the only hint to what his original hair color might have been.<span style=""> </span>A smile split the old man’s face as he looked Kee over.<span style=""> </span>“Are the accommodations to your liking?” he asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I can’t complain.<span style=""> </span>I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving my life.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Don’t thank me just yet, I still have to find a way to get you back to your people.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I don’t mean to sound selfish, but how is my leg?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I took the pellet out, cleaned the wound, and bandaged it up, you should be up and around in a few weeks.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Are you a doctor?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I was, a long time ago.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Then why are you still here?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">The man shrugged.<span style=""> </span>“Where else would I go?<span style=""> </span>Every city, town, and village is exactly like this, with Lingaar and Tehuzaar at each other’s throats.<span style=""> </span>I may as well stay where I’m comfortable.<span style=""> </span>Which brings me to the question of what are you doing here?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“My plane went down, I walked into town looking for help.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style=""> </span>“A pilot, eh?<span style=""> </span>What do you fly?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Spidlaas.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“A fighter pilot, how remarkable.<span style=""> </span>I flew Valnoos for the Tehuzaar Militia when I was about your age.<span style=""> </span>I don’t imagine you’ve even seen a Valnoo other than in books.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee shook his head.<span style=""> </span>“Just once at a museum.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Well, thanks for making me feel my age.”<span style=""> </span>The old man sat at the end of the bed, checking Kee’s bandages. <span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry about the clothes, they belonged to my son…so did this room until he died.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I’m sorry.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Don’t be, you never knew him.<span style=""> </span>He was a freighter captain, died when pirates raided his ship.”<span style=""> </span>The old man paused, his eyes clouding up.<span style=""> </span>“He’s been dead for twenty years now.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I…” Kee stopped, not knowing what to say.<span style=""> </span>“I never asked for your name.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Saa Pidlii.<span style=""> </span>It’s a pleasure to meet you…”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Kee Henlaa.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Well, Kee, I don’t see any blood on your bandages, meaning the wound has stopped bleeding.<span style=""> </span>I want you to get some rest, and if you have to use the bathroom, call for me or just go on the sheets if you can’t hold it.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Thanks, Doctor.”<span style=""> </span>Saa stood up, heading for the door.<span style=""> </span>Kee finally worked up the courage to blurt out, “Why did you rescue me?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">A shadow crossed Saa’s face.<span style=""> </span>“Because I could.”<span style=""> </span>The door closed, Kee left alone to ponder Saa’s cryptic answer.<span style=""> </span>He fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of thunder from the bombs and artillery shells hitting all around the city.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee woke to the sound of a string of explosions hitting nearby.<span style=""> </span>He tried to get out of bed, only to be shoved back down by a large tan hand.<span style=""> </span>He saw Saa sitting in the chair by the bed, looking down at him with concern.<span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong?” Kee asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“You were crying out in your sleep.<span style=""> </span>Something about a person named Taa.<span style=""> </span>I got the impression someone tried to kill her.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.<span style=""> </span>He remembered a fragment of a nightmare, the horrible image of Taa kneeling down on the ground with his pistol at her neck.<span style=""> </span>“It’s just a dream,” Kee replied.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Why don’t you tell me what happened after your plane went down?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee shook his head, feeling the cold lump of guilt in his gut.<span style=""> </span>“Because you’ll hate me.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Try me.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee looked Saa in the eye; the old man’s glare overwhelming him until he looked away.<span style=""> </span>Kee took a deep breath and leaned back in bed, his words coming slowly.<span style=""> </span>He explained about the battle in the rings, intercepting the Quhiis, and then the counterstrike against the Tehuzaar fleet.<span style=""> </span>He paused, summoning his strength before he could describe Bii’s death and the dogfight between himself and the Tehuzaar pilot.<span style=""> </span>“After our fighters went down, I went to finish what I started.<span style=""> </span>I found him by his plane, wounded by either the collision or the ejection, I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>He begged for me not to kill him, to take him captive, but I…I killed him.”<span style=""> </span>Kee stopped, breaking down into violent sobs.<span style=""> </span>He felt Saa’s arms around him, the old man holding him close.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">He looked up, expecting to see hate or fear in Saa’s eyes, but instead he saw understanding.<span style=""> </span>Saa held him out at arm’s length, whispering, “Kee, in a war, many things happen that we later regret.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Saa stood up, pacing the room before looking back down at Kee.<span style=""> </span>“I’ve never told this to anyone before, not even my wife or son.<span style=""> </span>When I was only a little older than you, a group of pirates began attacking villages and farms on Tehuzaa.<span style=""> </span>The government tasked the militia with bringing the pirates down.<span style=""> </span>After they raided a village, my squadron tracked them back to their hidden base in the wastelands.<span style=""> </span>They had constructed their lair into the side of a mountain so satellites couldn’t see them.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Despite the small size of their targets, the pirates had a substantial amount of firepower.<span style=""> </span>My squadron commander hadn’t called for support, mostly to reserve the credit for himself, but also because he thought we would be facing a handful of antiquated fighters.<span style=""> </span>Instead, we found ourselves alone against two squadrons of Valnoos.<span style=""> </span>You see, we later learned these pirates were after the militia, not the villages.<span style=""> </span>They wanted to provoke us into a fight to capture equipment or to ransom prisoners to the government.<span style=""> </span>Though we never proved it, everyone in the militia believed the Lingaar were sponsoring the pirates.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“As you can imagine, things turned quite ugly for my squadron.<span style=""> </span>I found myself in combat for the first time, caught up in a swirling mass of fighters trying to destroy each other.<span style=""> </span>I lost sight of my best friend, my wingman Yee Xolii, and fought alone until I spotted his plane with a pirate Valnoo right on his tail.<span style=""> </span>I can see the missile leaping from the pirate fighter’s wing almost as if it were yesterday.<span style=""> </span>Yee never had a chance.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style=""> </span>Saa stopped, tears welling up in his eyes.<span style=""> </span>“When Yee’s plane exploded, something inside of me snapped.<span style=""> </span>I fought like a man possessed, until the pirates began to retreat.<span style=""> </span>I went after Yee’s killer, taking down his plane with a burst of pellets to the engine.<span style=""> </span>The pilot ejected safely, I could only watch his parachute start drifting towards the ground and freedom.<span style=""> </span>I watched him, the hate in my heart growing with every second until…”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Saa seemed unable to finish the thought, his mouth moving soundlessly.<span style=""> </span>Kee asked, “You killed him?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Saa nodded.<span style=""> </span>“I circled around behind him and put a burst of pellets right into his chest.<span style=""> </span>The shells were meant for tearing open the armor of aircraft, the pirate’s body just exploded in mid-air.<span style=""> </span>When I returned to base, my mechanic found…fluids smeared all over my plane.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee stared at the old man with shock.<span style=""> </span>“How…how did you get over it?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Saa shook his head.<span style=""> </span>“I never got over it, just like you will never get over what you did.<span style=""> </span>The reason I told you my story is because of what I learned afterward.”<span style=""> </span>Saa seemed agitated, pacing around the room with his hands fluttering for a minute before he continued.<span style=""> </span>“I realized I had been trained as a soldier to follow orders, to bomb targets, to shoot down enemy planes, but never how to deal with the loss of a comrade or the guilt of killing another man.<span style=""> </span>I learned that the difference between a soldier and a warrior is learning to be a master of your emotions.<span style=""> </span>Do you understand?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Not really,” Kee answered.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Think about this way:<span style=""> </span>a soldier has a set of rules to follow, a code of conduct established by commanders and taught through training.<span style=""> </span>A warrior also has a code of conduct, taught only on the field of battle.<span style=""> </span>A warrior learns to kill when he must, to fight with honor, and to give quarter.<span style=""> </span>Every man or woman going into battle starts off as a soldier, but only a few ever become warriors.<span style=""> </span>Most people become so riddled with guilt they can never fight again, some going so far as to commit suicide.<span style=""> </span>Still others find carnage so intoxicating they become bloodthirsty maniacs.<span style=""> </span>You, Kee, stand at the fork in road, you must choose your path.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“You want me to love war, to love killing?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“No, of course not,” Saa paused.<span style=""> </span>“Why are you fighting this war, Kee?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“To restore peaceful relations between Lingaa and Tehuzaa.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“That is the reason the politicians use, the high-minded ideals they toss about to draw support for their cause.<span style=""> </span>Why are <i>you</i> fighting this war, Kee?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Kee thought about the question for a minute before answering, “To protect my home and family from the Tehuzaar.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">Saa nodded with approval.<span style=""> </span>“Yes, you fight for your family, not because you want to kill people.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“You’re saying it’s all right to kill, so long as I have a good reason,” Kee said sarcastically.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“In a perfect world, we would never be put in a position to kill another person.<span style=""> </span>However, this is not a perfect world, so we are forced to participate in wars we may not approve of.”<span style=""> </span>Saa sat down on the chair next to the bed.<span style=""> </span>“We both know this war was started by the politicians on Lingaa and Tehuzaa.<span style=""> </span>Their ridiculous tariffs, overblown rhetoric, and convoluted schemes roused the long-dormant fears of Lingaar and Tehuzaar.<span style=""> </span>You, your fiancée, even the man you shot did not ask for this war, yet it came anyway, so now you must fight.<span style=""> </span>Is this starting to make sense?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“I think so.<span style=""> </span>You’re saying that we all have to do things we don’t to do, but which me must do.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">“Yes.<span style=""> </span>You are in a position where you must kill, but it does not have to destroy you.<span style=""> </span>If you choose the path of the warrior, you will come out of this war with your spirit intact.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I will.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>A smile cracked Saa’s face.<span style=""> </span>“I know you will, Kee.<span style=""> </span>For now, get some rest.<span style=""> </span>Even warriors need sleep.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks, Saa…for everything.”<span style=""> </span>Saa nodded, leaving Kee alone to think about everything the old man had said.<span style=""> </span>For the first time, he felt calm as he drifted off into a deep sleep, the sounds of war outside seeming a million miles away.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>He awoke to find Saa shaking him by the shoulders.<span style=""> </span>“What’s going on?” Kee asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“The Tehuzaar have taken over the city.<span style=""> </span>They’re rounding up any Lingaar left, I have to get you to safety.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Where?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll take you down to the old storm shelter, they shouldn’t look down there.”<span style=""> </span>Saa held out his hand.<span style=""> </span>“Just try to stay off that leg.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee nodded, taking the proffered hand.<span style=""> </span>Pain flashed before his eyes as Saa hoisted him off the bed and into a roughly upright position.<span style=""> </span>Kee leaned against the old man, keeping his left leg off the floor, but he still felt a sharp pain with each shuffling step.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>For the first time, Kee saw more of Saa’s house than the bedroom.<span style=""> </span>They walked down a short hallway, into a shabby living room packed with old books, dead plants, and frayed furniture.<span style=""> </span>Thick brown curtains, which appeared to have been white at one time, covered two large windows, allowing only a thin shaft of light into the room.<span style=""> </span>The kitchen, connected to the living room by a small dining area, was in a similar state of disrepair.<span style=""> </span>“Nice place,” Kee teased.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“There is a war on, you know,” Saa shot back with mock-indignation.<span style=""> </span>“No, my wife always did all the cleaning, I could never be counted on to pick up after myself.<span style=""> </span>This way.”<span style=""> </span>Saa steered Kee towards a wooden spiral staircase.<span style=""> </span>Each halting step down the stairs brought on fresh waves of agony for Kee, though he managed to choke down the screams building inside of him.<span style=""> </span>When they reached the end of the stairway, Kee found himself in a huge room paneled with rich dark wood, dilapidated leather chairs resting against one wall underneath a huge whitewashed window.<span style=""> </span>An ancient desk guarded the passage to a door across the room.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“What is this place?” Kee asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“This is my old clinic.<span style=""> </span>I closed my practice about five years ago…after my wife died.”<span style=""> </span>Saa’s face looked pained as he looked around the room.<span style=""> </span>“The building was originally a department store.<span style=""> </span>After it went out of business I converted the lower floor into my clinic and the upper floor into an apartment for my family.<span style=""> </span>Come on.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>They shambled past the reception desk, through the door, and down a long hallway.<span style=""> </span>Kee saw examination rooms still stocked with medical equipment, an eerie chill running through him.<span style=""> </span>Saa stopped at the end of the hall, looking for a long time to his left.<span style=""> </span>Kee could tell by the shelves of reference books, the paper-laden desk, and degrees on the wall that Saa was looking at his old office.<span style=""> </span>He left the old man to his own thoughts, until Saa’s head suddenly snapped around as though he had been struck.<span style=""> </span>“Let’s go.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Saa guided Kee across the hall into a supply room, the metal shelves still well-stocked.<span style=""> </span>Kee recognized the door to the alley right away, knowing this is where Saa had found him and saved him from the Tehuzaar soldiers.<span style=""> </span>Saa helped Kee stand against one of the shelves, where he clutched the shelf with both hands and kept his left leg elevated while Saa lifted up a part of the floor with a loud creak.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“What is that?” Kee asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t suppose on Lingaa you have much need for storm cellars.<span style=""> </span>Here, though, the storms can get pretty fierce, so it’s best to have somewhere to hide.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The stairway to the cellar would not accommodate two people, forcing Kee to hop down the stairs on his good leg.<span style=""> </span>Saa flicked on a bare light bulb, which provided just enough light for Kee to see a wooden shelf crammed with rusting cans of food and discarded tools scattered on the floor.<span style=""> </span>Saa helped Kee onto a rickety military-issue cot sitting next to an ancient, dormant furnace.<span style=""> </span>“You just lie here and rest until I get back.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Where are you going?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“To see a friend about getting a sledge to take you out of town.<span style=""> </span>I shouldn’t be long.<span style=""> </span>If anyone should barge in to have a look around, try to hide.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Right,” Kee replied without confidence.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry, I’ll try to be quick.”<span style=""> </span>Saa turned off the light and disappeared up the stairs, the panel creaking over the cellar door, sealing Kee into the tomb.<span style=""> </span>He sat up against the wall, listening to Saa’s footsteps fade into the alley, followed by an uncomfortable silence.<span style=""> </span>Though he tried to fight it, tried to stay awake, Kee fell into a light doze.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>When he woke, he heard gruff voices shouting above him.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee couldn’t make out the words, but he could hear the angry tones followed by objects crashing to the floor above his head.<span style=""> </span>Tehuzaar soldiers had to be following up on his disappearance from the alley, ransacking Saa’s office for any trace of a Lingaar fugitive.<span style=""> </span>How much longer before they discovered the storm cellar and found him?</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>He groped in the dark for some kind of weapon to use for a feeble last stand, settling on a slimy piece of pipe.<span style=""> </span>He hefted the pipe, swinging it a few times to get used to its weight.<span style=""> </span>The footsteps and voices above him started to fade, no doubt the searchers were moving along to other parts of the office.<span style=""> </span>Maybe they won’t find the storm cellar, Kee thought.<span style=""> </span>An instant later, he heard someone tapping on the supply room floor.<span style=""> </span>Someone above him was looking for the cellar door, the taps coming ever closer to the stairway.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The pipe in his hand did little to reassure him as he thought of an armed group of soldiers coming down the stairs to flush him out.<span style=""> </span>They could shoot him well out of the pipe’s range, and even if he could hide it to use in an ambush, he would probably be able to club one trooper over the head before he took a burst of pellets in the chest.<span style=""> </span>Instead of trying to fight, he had to find somewhere to hide.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>He scrambled to remember the layout of the storm cellar when Saa had led him down, his mind sticking on the furnace standing only a meter or so away.<span style=""> </span>If he could manage to get behind the furnace, he might be able to stay out of sight, unless the Tehuzaar made a thorough search of cellar.<span style=""> </span>He heard a shout come from near the cellar door and knew he didn’t have any more time for decisions.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Using the pipe as a makeshift crutch, Kee levered to his feet.<span style=""> </span>He felt a sharp stab of pain radiating from his injured leg up to his clenched teeth.<span style=""> </span>He shuffled forward, holding his crutch out to find the back of the furnace.<span style=""> </span>The cellar door creaked open, shafts of light penetrating the darkness to reveal the narrow space between the furnace and the wall.<span style=""> </span>Kee threw himself into the gap, biting down on his lip until he could feel blood in his mouth to keep from screaming.<span style=""> </span>At least three pairs of heavy footsteps descended the stairs, followed by a long period of uncomfortable silence.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Sweat trickled into Kee’s eyes as he waited for some sign that he’d been discovered.<span style=""> </span>The footsteps began to move around the room, objects smashing against the wall to his right and left.<span style=""> </span>He clutched the pipe with both hands, the pain in his leg turning to a steady throbbing until he felt he would pass out.<span style=""> </span>The footsteps came closer, a pair of boots visible next to the cot.<span style=""> </span>It wouldn’t be long before the Tehuzaar saw the gap between the furnace and wall, probing the shadowy recess to find him cowering with only a moldy pipe for a weapon.<span style=""> </span>In a moment of pain and panic-induced hysteria, he imagined the Tehuzaar soldiers so consumed with laughter at the pitiful sight that he could get the drop on them and escape.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Another set of footsteps began down the stairway, only these seemed much lighter.<span style=""> </span>“What is going on here?” Saa demanded.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Much to his relief, Kee saw the boots by the cot move away towards the staircase.<span style=""> </span>“Are you the owner of this building?” A gruff voice asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I am, and I demand to know what you are doing.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re searching for a Lingaar fugitive, last spotted in this area.<span style=""> </span>We believe he may have taken shelter in this building.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Nonsense!<span style=""> </span>I’ve been here ever since the fighting started, I would have noticed an intruder by now.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry sir, but we didn’t see you when we began our search.<span style=""> </span>You mind telling us where you were?” the gruff voice demanded.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I was out looking for some supplies.<span style=""> </span>You know, food, water, and so forth.<span style=""> </span>I’ll be damned if I could find anything, though.<span style=""> </span>Maybe you boys could tell me where I could find some.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“There are aid stations set up outside the city, we could arrange for you to be taken there if you like,” the soldier said sarcastically.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“And leave my home?<span style=""> </span>You must be joking.<span style=""> </span>Now, if you gentlemen could get on your way, I can start cleaning up this mess you made,” Saa scolded.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The footsteps started up the stairs, a voice growling, “If we find out he was here, old man, we’ll have you put before a firing squad for treason.<span style=""> </span>Is that clear?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Perfectly, young man.<span style=""> </span>Now, off you go.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee waited long after the footsteps had retreated up the stairs before he let out the breath he’d been holding in.<span style=""> </span>He still worried about the soldiers coming back, so he waited behind the furnace for Saa to tell him to come out.<span style=""> </span>At some point he must have lost consciousness, because he found himself waking up in the bedroom once belonging to Saa’s son.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“What happened?” Kee asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I found you behind the furnace, shaking and with a pretty high fever.<span style=""> </span>You’ve been out like a light for three days now, but it looks like the fever is gone.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Have the soldiers come back?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“No, no, it’s just been you and me.”<span style=""> </span>The old man’s expression hardened, his voice turning cold.<span style=""> </span>“Kee, we have to get you out of here.<span style=""> </span>The Lingaar still hold Yurkii, if I can get you there, they should be able to arrange for your ship to pick you up.<span style=""> </span>I won’t lie to you, there are roadblocks on every entrance to the city, it won’t be easy to sneak you past.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Saa, you’ve done so much for me already, I can’t ask you to take this kind of risk.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“What risk?<span style=""> </span>I’m an old man, my wife and son are both dead, all I have left is an empty office in a ruined city.<span style=""> </span>If they shoot me for helping you, what will I miss?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee smiled in spite of the pain he felt in his heart.<span style=""> </span>“I don’t think I can ever repay you for all you’ve done for me.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s I who should repay you.<span style=""> </span>The time we spent together brought back so many feelings I thought were lost forever after my son died.”<span style=""> </span>Saa leaned down, wrapping his arms around Kee’s shoulders.<span style=""> </span>Kee could feel the old man’s tears against his cheek, mingling with his own.<span style=""> </span>“Thank-you for coming into my life.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Saa straightened, silently backing out of the room.<span style=""> </span>Kee wondered if the old man was embarrassed, but Saa returned a few minutes later with a fresh set of clothes.<span style=""> </span>“Put those on and then I’ll help you down to the sledge in the alley.<span style=""> </span>We haven’t much time to waste.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee slouched in the passenger seat of the sledge, pulling a threadbare cap low on his forehead.<span style=""> </span>He felt conspicuous riding next to a Tehuzaar, riding through the ruins of a city occupied only by enemy troops, despite Saa turning the window tint to almost opaque.<span style=""> </span>He reviewed their skimpy plan again, his mind searching for some kind of alternative.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of anything to do but try to bluff the guards to let them pass.<span style=""> </span>They would have X-ray and infrared sensors at the roadblocks to search for anyone trying to stowaway, so if Kee hid in the trunk or under the backseat of the sledge he would only cast suspicion on himself.<span style=""> </span>Seeing the roadblock ahead, he felt his stomach churn.<span style=""> </span>He looked and talked too much like a Lingaar to pass for a Tehuzaar or even a native half-breed.<span style=""> </span>Saa smiled over at him, but Kee did not feel reassured as they reached the barricade.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The roadblock looked imposing with a tank, a handful of troop transports, and at least a platoon of armed Tehuzaar soldiers arrayed around a hastily constructed gate stretching across three lanes of highway.<span style=""> </span>The sledge stopped just in front of the barricade, one of the Tehuzaar militiamen motioning for Saa to lower the window.<span style=""> </span>The soldier leaned down, asking, “Can I see your identification, gentlemen?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee reached into the left pocket of his pants, pulling out the wallet he’d found there.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t know how Saa had gotten a fake ID made, but he doubted the forgery would pass for real.<span style=""> </span>Nevertheless, he handed his identification to the guard and prayed to all sixteen Lingaar gods for protection.<span style=""> </span>The soldier scanned both IDs with a minicomp before returning them.<span style=""> </span>“Might I ask where you are going, Doctor Pidlii?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“To my wife’s sister’s house in Zarjuu.<span style=""> </span>As you might expect, we really don’t feel comfortable here anymore.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The guard did not seem convinced by Saa’s cover story.<span style=""> </span>“Where is your wife, sir?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m afraid she passed on five years ago.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Was she a Lingaar?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s none of your business, but yes she was.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The soldier nodded, his expression hardening.<span style=""> </span>“Doctor, my orders are to take custody of any persons of Lingaar descent.<span style=""> </span>I can let you pass, but your son here will have to come with me.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Now hold on, young man, where would you take my son?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t have that information, Doctor Pidlii.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Saa lowered his voice to a whisper Kee had to strain just to hear.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll tell you where they’ll take him:<span style=""> </span>to an internment camp where he will spend the rest of the war being tortured and used as slave labor, if he even survives that long!<span style=""> </span>How can you ask me to do such a thing to my only child?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Sir, if you resist I will have to arrest you both.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Then that’s what you’ll have to do!” Saa shouted.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee touched the old man on the arm.<span style=""> </span>“Dad, it’s all right.<span style=""> </span>I’ll go with them.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“No, if they take you, they have to take me too.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry, Doctor Pidlii, but I have my orders,” the guard interjected. </p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Your orders?” Saa sneered.<span style=""> </span>“You would make my son suffer because of your orders?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The guard started to look uncomfortable, Saa’s barbs getting through.<span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry, sir, but if I let him go and he joins the Lingaar side, it would be my fault.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Let me explain something to you, young man.<span style=""> </span>In medical school I was trained to help all people who need my help, not just those who are the same religion as I am.<span style=""> </span>My son—studying to become a doctor before this war broke out—has seen me work on both Lingaar and Tehuzaar patients since he was a little boy.<span style=""> </span>He knows not to discriminate.<span style=""> </span>Now, let us go so we can go to Zarjuu to help people.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>The soldier looked about to speak, but he wordlessly backed away from the sledge and motioned for the gate to be moved aside.<span style=""> </span>A pair of burly soldiers slid the gate back so the sledge could proceed down the highway, leaving the ruined city behind.<span style=""> </span>Kee leaned back in his seat, his heart thumping like a drum.<span style=""> </span>“Don’t you feel a little guilty for lying to the guard?” He asked.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Why would I?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Because when I get back to my ship I’ll have to kill more Tehuzaar.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“You don’t have to.<span style=""> </span>You and I could go somewhere to lay low until the war is over.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t, not as long as the Tehuzaar threaten my home.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I know, but it was worth a try.<span style=""> </span>You’ve come to mean quite a lot to me, Kee, I’m not sure I can bear to see you go.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee turned to look at Saa.<span style=""> </span>He pleaded, “Then come with me.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure my ship could use another doctor.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“You think they would accept a Tehuzaar physician?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Why not?<span style=""> </span>I did,” Kee replied with a nervous grin.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Saa laughed, “You didn’t have a choice.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Look, you can hide out somewhere or you can do something to help people.<span style=""> </span>Like you said, it doesn’t matter if they’re Lingaar or Tehuzaar.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Saa swerved the sledge off the highway towards Yurkii.<span style=""> </span>He seemed to be considering Kee’s words, weighing the possibilities in his mind.<span style=""> </span>He finally turned to Kee, asking, “Do you think we could convince your superiors to take me in?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee laughed, “You convinced the soldiers searching your apartment to go away and that guard to let us pass, don’t worry about my superiors.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Well then, I guess it’s settled.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent">They continued in silence for a long time, watching the sun dip below the distant gray horizon.<span style=""> </span>Despite their levity, Kee could see Saa still wrestling with the decision.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I’m being too selfish, asking him to come with me, Kee thought.<span style=""> </span>“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” he blurted out.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“No, I want to come.<span style=""> </span>I was just thinking about when my son died, all the pain I still feel.<span style=""> </span>If you’re killed, it will be like losing him all over again.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee reached over to pat the old man on the shoulder.<span style=""> </span>“Then I just won’t die.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll hold you to it.”<span style=""> </span>Kee could see the lights from the perimeter around Yurkii ahead.<span style=""> </span>He realized his prayers at the roadblock had been answered, just not in the way he had thought.<span style=""> </span>The gods hadn’t sent some divine messenger, they hadn’t sent bolts of lightning, nor had they even whispered commands into the ears of his enemies.<span style=""> </span>No, they had sent him an old Tehuzaar doctor who loved him like a son, and who he in turn loved like a father.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“When this is all over, you’ll have to come back to Lingaa with me to meet my family and Taa…if she’s still alive.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry, I’m sure she is and if your family is anything like you, I’d be delighted to meet them.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Well I guess we have a problem then.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>They laughed all the way to the checkpoint guarding the entrance to Yurkii.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;" align="center"><b><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee swam into Squadron Commander Rinwaa’s office, his leg still burning with pain even after two weeks aboard the Inrii.<span style=""> </span>He’d seen Saa about it yesterday, but the doctor said everything was coming along nicely.<span style=""> </span>He hovered in front of Rinwaa’s metal desk, which was bolted down and magnetized so nothing would float away from it.<span style=""> </span>After exchanging salutes, Rinwaa got down to business.<span style=""> </span>“Pilot Kee, your Tehuzaar friend tells me you’ll be ready for active duty in another week, is that correct?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Before I get to the reason I called you in here, I want you to know I do not approve of pilots who disobey my orders.<span style=""> </span>I trust it will not happen again?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“No, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Rinwaa nodded.<span style=""> </span>“The reason I called you in here is because even after your unfortunate incident, I am promoting you to Flight Leader.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Don’t thank me, Flight Leader Henlaa, with our recent losses I have no choice.<span style=""> </span>I expect you to take this new responsibility seriously.<span style=""> </span>Command wants us to pin the Tehuzaar here as long as possible, which could be months or even years without reinforcement.<span style=""> </span>I can’t afford to lose people foolishly, do you understand?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m assigning you two junior pilots formerly of the 23rd and having you bunk with them.<span style=""> </span>Have your personal items transferred by 0600 tomorrow.<span style=""> </span>Dismissed.”</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style=""> </span>Kee threw Rinwaa a salute then swam out of the office and back to the quarters he had once shared with Duu Roncaa.<span style=""> </span>Bii and Duu’s things were already packed up, moved to a storage locker somewhere until the ship returned to Lingaa, whenever that happened.<span style=""> </span>He floated up to his sleeping sack, grabbing his minicomp off the overhead shelf.<span style=""> </span>Thinking of Bii and Saa, he decided to write a letter to his parents, to put in words what he had never said to them.</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;">***</p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i>Dear Mom and Dad:<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>Bii Honuu was killed just over a week ago.<span style=""> </span>I never thought I would have to write those words.<span style=""> </span>All this time I knew it could happen, but I never wanted to believe it.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I’ve been too arrogant to believe Bii and I could die, that we were somehow immune to the death all around us.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>In the past week, so many things have happened that I want to tell you about.<span style=""> </span>The first, the most important, is saying I love you.<span style=""> </span>I know I’ve never said it before, and a lot of times I never acted as though I did, but I have always loved both of you.<span style=""> </span>Coming close to death on a daily basis has made me realize that I might not get another opportunity to express how I feel.<span style=""> </span>I hope you can forgive me for being such a brat, especially during my teenage rebellion phase.<span style=""> </span>I caused so much unneeded grief for both of you, it’s a wonder you didn’t disown me.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>I also wanted to tell you about the man who saved me more times than I can count this past week.<span style=""> </span>His name is Saa Pidlii and he took care of me after I was shot down during a mission.<span style=""> </span>He bound up my wounds, hid me from Tehuzaar troops, and smuggled me back to Lingaar lines at great risk to his own life.<span style=""> </span>He is also a Tehuzaar doctor.<span style=""> </span>If not for him, I would be in a Tehuzaar prison or dead right now.<span style=""> </span>I hope after this war is over you’ll be able to meet him and thank him for saving my life.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again, though I pray it will be soon.<span style=""> </span>Until that day, just know I am alive and well.<span style=""> </span>I think of the two of you, as well as Mii and Vuu, everyday, and more than anything, I want to come home to all of you.<span style=""> </span>Whenever I do see you again, you may not recognize me.<span style=""> </span>As much as I wish it were not so, the boy who left you to fight this war is gone.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure what I have changed into, but I do know the man I want to become.<span style=""> </span>You can rest assured, though, that no matter what else changes, there is always one thing that can never change.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>I am your son.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>Love,<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style=""> </span>Kee<o:p></o:p></i></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-18245771078646971212007-06-13T10:19:00.000-07:002007-06-13T10:23:15.782-07:00The Divine War, Part I<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: This was written in 2002 as part of a series that never got past the first two parts. Anyway, it was an attempt to do a space opera-type thing like the "First Contact" and "Rebirth" series but on perhaps a smaller scale. This focuses on a system at war and how this divides a pair of lovers and so forth. It's here in the fanfic section because I didn't really want it in the short story section. It's not a fanfic really.</span><br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Divine War</p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Part I:<span style=""> </span>Peacekeeper</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><i>War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature, which are as much general as particular.... War is divine in the mysterious glory that surrounds it and in the no less inexplicable attraction that draws us to it.... War is divine by the manner in which it breaks out.</i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: Arial;"><br />--Joseph De Maistre (1753–1821)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Prologue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He sat on the cold stone bench, staring down from the gallery at the assembled governors below.<span style=""> </span>There was a time when he would have been among them, sitting on the raised dais next to the council president, but it had been made clear to him a month ago that he was no longer welcome on the debate floor.<span style=""> </span>It was just as well, since most of the governors had lost interest in listening to pleas for reconciliation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A short, pudgy man with a perpetually red face stood before the desks of the sixteen governors. <span style=""> </span>He raised his arms, holding them aloft until all attention was focused on him.<span style=""> </span>“My friends, we have received copies of the latest Lingaar ploy to destroy Tehuzaar business interests.<span style=""> </span>They are raising taxes on all Tehuzaar imports by fifty percent and establishing mandatory security inspections of any Tehuzaar vessel to enter a Lingaar port.”<span style=""> </span>The announcement was met with scattered boos and hisses.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Their aim is clear:<span style=""> </span>to make the cost of doing business so high for Tehuzaar manufacturers they will never be able to penetrate Lingaar markets.<span style=""> </span>Our businesses will be smothered by taxes and regulations, forced to sell out to the Lingaar conglomerates.<span style=""> </span>Once they have gained control of our businesses, they will next try to influence this very council to pass laws in their favor.<span style=""> </span>They will quietly take over all that we have built over the last two centuries, until we are finally forced to bow before their shrines.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is not just any trade bill, this is the opening salvo of a war to deny sovereignty to the Tehuzaar people!<span style=""> </span>This is the first step on the road to damnation!<span style=""> </span>We must take action, now, to stop this beast before it swallows us whole!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In the gallery, he had seen enough.<span style=""> </span>He rose to his feet, stepping to the polished while railing, allowing all the governors to see the ceremonial green cloak of the Chief Minister.<span style=""> </span>He cleared his throat, his voice booming, “You condemn the Lingaar, Vaa Nolii, but only two months ago you spoke in favor of raising tariffs on all Lingaar imports.<span style=""> </span>Now that our Lingaar cousins have responded in kind, you accuse them of making war on us?<span style=""> </span>Remember what the <i>Tehuu</i> taught us, ‘Vengeance is the spark which sets the whole world ablaze.’<span style=""> </span>All of you would do well to remember that lesson.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Vaa Nolii smiled, “You honor us with your presence, Chief Minister, but once again your words condone a course of inaction that will only lead us to ruin.<span style=""> </span>We must stop the Lingaar before their corruption has spread too deeply.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister shook his head, “How would you stop them?<span style=""> </span>Through war?”<span style=""> </span>Before Nolii could answer, the Chief Minister continued, “Two hundred years ago Jee Jolaa led his people from Lingaar to establish a home for all who worshipped the <i>Tehuu</i>.<span style=""> </span>He did so peacefully, without a single drop of blood being shed between Lingaar and Tehuzaar.<span style=""> </span>Since then there has always been peace between the two worlds.<span style=""> </span>Any who call for war with our Lingaar cousins desecrate the memory of our founder and commit blasphemy against the peaceful teachings of the <i>Tehuu</i>!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>With a snap of his cloak, the Chief Minister strode out of the gallery, not bothering to see the reaction to his comments.<span style=""> </span>He knew Nolii did not yet have the support of all sixteen governors, but he was gaining momentum.<span style=""> </span>Each Tehuzaar job lost meant more voices crying out for action, a war if that was what it would take to put the Lingaar in their place.<span style=""> </span>He found a sledge waiting for him outside, the passenger door popping open at his approach.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>His aide was behind the steering yoke, a worried expression on the younger man’s face.<span style=""> </span>“Is something troubling you?”<span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There’s trouble at the temple, sir.<span style=""> </span>Demonstrators, thousands of them, are in the plaza.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is it a peaceful protest?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So far, but they seem far more…agitated than the last group.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister sighed, suddenly feeling far older than his sixty-seven years.<span style=""> </span>“Take me to the back entrance, I need to rest before I can speak to another angry mob.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The sledge lifted a few inches off the ground, skimming over the old paved streets of Ginluu.<span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister stared at the gleaming towers of polished glass and metal receding to older buildings made of rust-colored <i>yawee</i> stone.<span style=""> </span>The <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Old</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, as it was now called, was where the original settlers had first landed.<span style=""> </span>Many of the homes constructed almost two centuries ago were in terrible disrepair, their owners too poor to pay for repairs.<span style=""> </span>It was tragic to think so much history was simply being allowed to wither and die.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The magnificent <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Temple</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:placename st="on">Transference</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> now came into view.<span style=""> </span>The temple, like the other buildings in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Old</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, was constructed of <i>yawee</i>, with windows made of polished black <i>havee</i> stone.<span style=""> </span>The temple was meant to be a shining beacon of God’s glory, the center of a new town on a new planet.<span style=""> </span>The building was crescent-shaped, the horns of the crescents folding around a massive tree-lined plaza, which had been the site of the first Tehuzaar marketplace.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The marketplace today was filled with thousands of angry men and women peddling hot words.<span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister could see them only from a distance, but he had seen enough of similar demonstrations in the past months to know what was happening.<span style=""> </span>Much like Vaa Nolii, there would be people screaming for action against the Lingaar.<span style=""> </span>He was growing so weary of the bickering, the fighting against men like Nolii, who so readily yearned for war.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The sledge turned down an alley, the protestors fading from view.<span style=""> </span>The vehicle stopped at the little-used rear entrance to the temple.<span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister did not wait for his aide to open the door, as was customary, but simple climbed out of the sledge and heaved open the rear door to the temple.<span style=""> </span>He went through the kitchen, which was empty, all the cooks having already left for the day, and down a corridor to a wooden door similar to the rear entrance of the temple.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He closed the heavy wooden door behind him, his nose assaulted at once by the musty odor that always hung over his private rooms.<span style=""> </span>His aide compared the smell to that of decaying flesh, but to him it was a constant reminder of those who had served as Chief Minister before him.<span style=""> </span>The corridor not only bore the scents of those long-dead individuals, but also their portraits along the grimy red stone walls.<span style=""> </span>As he strode down the corridor, the presence of the familiar aromas and portraits gave him strength.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He heard the familiar creak as he opened his bedroom door, grateful for the chance to be alone with his thoughts.<span style=""> </span>He straddled his favorite meditation cushion, the purple one his mother had given him almost sixty years ago for passing the Test of Wisdom to become a member of the church.<span style=""> </span>Other cushions were more comfortable and fit his body better, but the purple cushion was familiar, like an old friend.<span style=""> </span>Even through his leggings he could feel the grooves worn into the soft fabric of the saddle-shaped cushion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>His eyes came to rest on a painting hanging on the wall in front of him.<span style=""> </span>The painting was as old as the <st1:placetype st="on">Temple</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:placename st="on">Transference</st1:PlaceName> itself, created by an unknown artist to dedicate the moment when God revealed Himself to Jee Jolaa on <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Mount</st1:PlaceType> <st1:placename st="on">Tolii</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>In the painting, a pillar of light split the gray, predawn sky, flooding over the tall silhouette of Jee Jolaa.<span style=""> </span>It was the moment of Transference, when the One and Only God, the <i>Tehuu</i>, had given His wisdom to His servants.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">That revelation was the beginning of a perilous journey for Jolaa and his followers to what was now known as Tehuzaa.<span style=""> </span>The image never failed to steady his nerves, reminding him of what he stood for, and the trials his people endured.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Over the last thirty years he thought those trials were nearing an end.<span style=""> </span>The Chief Ministers before him, to limit corruption by the Lingaar, had worked to keep Tehuzaa an agrarian society, but he knew it was a policy, which would always keep the Tehuzaar as second-class citizens to the Lingaar.<span style=""> </span>The only way his people could become equals was to encourage manufacturing, trade, and banking.<span style=""> </span>He had established entrepreneurship grants with Ministry funds, and almost immediately the program was successful.<span style=""> </span>Trade routes were established, factories built, and financial markets created.<span style=""> </span>As a result, his people became more prosperous and relations between Tehuzaar and Lingaar became friendlier.<span style=""> </span>Over time, a standard of shipping regulations were set up, a united military force was created to keep the peace, a treaty was signed so each government officially recognized the other.<span style=""> </span>For a time it seemed his dream of a system-wide society working for the greater good would be realized, but now it was all starting to fall apart.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He turned away from the painting of the moment of Transference, closing his eyes.<span style=""> </span>The events of the day came back to him once again.<span style=""> </span>How much longer before mobs like that one outside turn violent?<span style=""> </span>How much longer until the threats made by Nolii become real?<span style=""> </span>The unsettling thoughts kept him from achieving his usual harmony.<span style=""> </span>At the time he most needed to feel the presence of God, to hear His wisdom, he could not.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps we have all lost our way to God, he thought.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">A tremor in the meditation cushion caused him to open his eyes and look around in surprise.<span style=""> </span>The entire room was shaking, the painting of Jee Jolaa crashing to the floor, its ancient wooden frame cracking when it struck the stone floor.<span style=""> </span>There had never been a quake in the area, nor were any storms predicted for the night.<span style=""> </span>The room continued to shake, but now he could hear a distant rumbling like thunder.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He hurried to the door to see what was happening.<span style=""> </span>He saw a wave of hungry orange flames devouring the entrance to his private rooms and all of the portraits on the walls.<span style=""> </span>Before he could react, he was thrown a dozen meters by an invisible shockwave.<span style=""> </span>His head struck the stone hard, reaching back he could feel blood oozing from the back of his skull.<span style=""> </span>He tried to sit up, but found his body would not respond.<span style=""> </span>The air around him became hotter and hotter, until he could feel his skin blistering from the heat.<span style=""> </span>The pain mounted, becoming unbearable.<span style=""> </span>God help us all, he thought before he passed into oblivion.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Chapter One<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Mount</st1:PlaceType> <st1:placename st="on">Tolii</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>’s blue-gray surface soared into the pale blue sky, shafts of sunlight striking the brilliant white snow at the peak to complete an image more beautiful than any painting.<span style=""> </span>Kee Henlaa was moved by the view of Lingaa’s most famous mountain, but his fiancée continued her stony silence.<span style=""> </span>The irony in Kee’s mind was Taa Colee, a Tehuzaar, viewed the mountain as sacred ground.<span style=""> </span>If even this sight cannot move her, then there must be something seriously wrong.<span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong, dear?<span style=""> </span>I can’t remember the last time when this view didn’t bring tears to your eyes,” Kee tried to keep his tone light, but Taa grimaced anyway.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">She took his hand, but her expression remained tight.<span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry, but all those protests in Brenfaa, and the news of similar ones back home have me worried.<span style=""> </span>What if something happens and violence breaks out?<span style=""> </span>What if someone starts a war over these trade disputes?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I wouldn’t worry about it.<span style=""> </span>We’ve made too much progress to go back to the bad old days over a few tariffs.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He felt her squeeze his hand, could see that her mood was starting to soften.<span style=""> </span>“You’re probably right.<span style=""> </span>It's just a bunch of saber rattling.<span style=""> </span>You want to go sledding?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“You know, bodysledding is illegal on these hills,” Kee pointed out with a grin.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Why do you think I like it?”<span style=""> </span>Taa winked and led him to the closet.<span style=""> </span>She pulled out the two black jumpsuits, keeping one for herself and tossing the other to Kee.<span style=""> </span>The front of each suit reflected the light, coated with a nonstick substance which would let the two of them coast down the hills as easily as any sled.<span style=""> </span>Taa fished out two matching black helmets made of a tough plastic to protect their skulls during a collision.<span style=""> </span>Kee would have preferred his flight helmet, but it couldn’t leave the base.<span style=""> </span>He slipped on the jumpsuit over his clothes and put the helmet snugly on his skull, flipping down the tinted visor to keep snow out of his eyes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">They walked out to the lobby, careful to slip past the man working the front desk of the lodge.<span style=""> </span>The lodge prided itself on its wealthy clientele, usually allowing them to do most anything they wanted, but so many people had been killed or paralyzed from bodysledding accidents, the lodge had been forced to ban it for liability reasons.<span style=""> </span>Kee could understand and knew his parents would not approve of him taking up such a dangerous sport, especially since if he were caught his family would lose the room they rented year-round, but he also knew how much Taa enjoyed it.<span style=""> </span>After the funk she’d been in for most of their two days of leave, he would risk a fatal injury if a bodysledding run down the hill would make her happy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Once they made it out the door, walked out to the sled hill, where it became obvious they were not the only ones ignoring the ban on bodysledding.<span style=""> </span>Kee couldn’t help but notice some of the couples getting ready to launch themselves down the hill gave he and Taa a strange glance.<span style=""> </span>It was not unheard of to see a Tehuzaar-Lingaar couple, but such unions were generally between lower-income people than the lodge’s wealthy patrons.<span style=""> </span>Even without speaking, Taa’s black hair, tan skin, and tall frame stood out in sharp contrast to Kee’s stocky frame, red-blond hair, and pale skin.<span style=""> </span>Like the rest of her family, Taa had spent most of her time working in the hot sun while Kee was cooped up in classrooms.<span style=""> </span>It was a difference, which drew curious glances no matter where they went.<span style=""> </span>Kee returned the scornful glances with a hard stare hidden by his tinted visor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">If Taa noticed any change in the atmosphere around her, she gave no sign, leading Kee by the hand to the crest of the hill.<span style=""> </span>He watched her survey the slope, squatting down to determine where any rough patches in the snow may lie.<span style=""> </span>Once she was satisfied, they took a few steps back to give themselves room to build up speed for a launch.<span style=""> </span>The trick to any successful bodysled launch was to get a good running start, then to hit the ground with as little force as possible.<span style=""> </span>Most amateurs would wind up flopping into the snow, killing their momentum, but after some practice it was possible to hit the slope at the right angle to go careening down the hill.<span style=""> </span>Taa and Kee were both experienced; they sailed down the hill side-by-side, clutching hands.<span style=""> </span>Professional pairs could trade positions or perform spins, but Taa and Kee were not that experienced yet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee let out a whoop as he raced down the hill, regretting it when his mouth filled with snow.<span style=""> </span>The speed, the wind whipping against his face, the knowledge that only a jumpsuit and his clothes separated him from the snow made the experience exhilarating.<span style=""> </span>About three-quarters down the slope, he shifted his body to the left, dragging he and Taa off the track.<span style=""> </span>They shot over a snow bank, coming to a stop less than a meter from a thick tree trunk.<span style=""> </span>“What are you do…”<span style=""> </span>Taa couldn’t finish the sentence, Kee rolling over on top of her, his lips pressing against hers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I couldn’t wait another minute to do that,” Kee replied with a wink.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa slapped him hard on the shoulder, which nearly made Kee cry out in pain, but her laughter eased his suffering.<span style=""> </span>“You always were too impulsive.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He planted another kiss before replying, “Come on, that’s what you love about me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Oh really?”<span style=""> </span>She hit him point-blank with a snowball, silencing any response he might have made.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee made a big show of scraping up a huge handful of snow, packing it into a snowball the size of his head.<span style=""> </span>“Now you’re going to get it!”<span style=""> </span>He hefted the huge snowball over his head, but before he could bring it down, she hit him in the face with a glob of powder, toppling him.<span style=""> </span>They frolicked in the snow like little children until the sun started to go down, only then did they make their way back up the hill to watch the sunset.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The sled hill was empty now, allowing them to sit at the summit to watch as the sun began to dip over the horizon.<span style=""> </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Mount</st1:PlaceType> <st1:placename st="on">Tolii</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> was already plunged in darkness, but Kee could see Taa’s eyes searching for its snowy summit, the sadness returning to her face.<span style=""> </span>“Sometimes I wished it never happened,” she whispered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“What?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Sometimes I wish Jee Jolaa had never heard the word of God on <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Mount</st1:PlaceType> <st1:placename st="on">Tolii</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t have all these problems right now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Come on, don’t talk like that.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t you ever wish there were no religions?<span style=""> </span>Don’t you ever wish you and I could go somewhere without people staring?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee took her hand, “None of that stuff matters.<span style=""> </span>All that matters is how much you and I love each other.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">She smiled, giving him a quick kiss before saying, “There you go again.<span style=""> </span>I’m trying to feel sorry for myself and you have to go and make me feel better.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Just doing my job.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Hmmmm, you’re very good at it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He took her hand, helping her to her feet.<span style=""> </span>“Why don’t we go inside and I’ll show you something else I’m good at.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body close to his.<span style=""> </span>He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her body, the softness of her hair, the sweetness of her lips.<span style=""> </span>It was a moment he wished would never end, a moment he could savor forever, but after a minute he felt her pull away.<span style=""> </span>“Thank-you,” she whispered.<span style=""> </span>He was speechless as she led him back to their room, locking the door behind them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the door and shouting something.<span style=""> </span>He checked next to him to see Taa still asleep, looking like a goddess.<span style=""> </span>He made sure not to wake her as he stumbled from the bed, grabbing a robe from the back of the bathroom door.<span style=""> </span>The pounding and shouting were becoming louder and more insistent; Kee recognized the voice of the lodge manager.<span style=""> </span>He threw the door open, putting a finger to his lips to call for quiet.<span style=""> </span>“Is something wrong?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I have an urgent message for you and…your guest.”<span style=""> </span>The manager handed Kee a folded piece of paper.<span style=""> </span>He gave the manager a substantial tip before disappearing back inside his room, his heart pounding.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“What’s that?”<span style=""> </span>Taa asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“It’s a coded message from the base,” Kee answered, sitting down at the antique writing desk in the living room.<span style=""> </span>He activated his minicomp, feeling the familiar sting as the computer scanned his retina.<span style=""> </span>Once his identity was confirmed, he slid his security card into the minicomp.<span style=""> </span>The encryption chip in the card would only work on a machine with his identity.<span style=""> </span>If he tried to put his security card into a minicomp that he was not logged into, or tried to tamper with the chip in any way, the entire card would turn to slag.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee took the piece of paper from the lodge manager and held it to the screen.<span style=""> </span>The text was scanned, the characters running through the encryption chip, which translated it into actual words.<span style=""> </span>“They’ve canceled all leaves, we have to get back to the base immediately,” Kee announced, though he suspected Taa had already read the message on the screen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Something must have happened,” Kee reached over for the remote to the vidscreen, flipping to a news channel.<span style=""> </span>He heard a gasp from Taa and read the headline, “Tehuzaar landmark bombed” below an image of a smoldering stone building.<span style=""> </span>He turned the sound up so they could hear the reporter at the scene.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Last evening, Tehuzaar time, an explosive device destroyed most of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Temple</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:placename st="on">Transference</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> in Ginluu.<span style=""> </span>At the time, thousands of Tehuzaar protesting the latest trade dispute were in the plaza just outside the temple.<span style=""> </span>Hundreds were killed by the blast, many more wounded.<span style=""> </span>The Chief Minister of the Tehuzaar was in the temple at the time of the attack, but his body has yet to be located.<span style=""> </span>We will provide more details as they become available.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee looked up at Taa, could see the tears running down her cheeks.<span style=""> </span>“How could someone do such a terrible thing?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He stood up, letting her fall into his arms.<span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>I’ll pack up our stuff and get a sledge to take us to the base.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“All right,” she replied, her voice faint.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He didn’t want to leave her standing there, watching the news coverage, but at the same time, if they didn’t return to the base soon, it would be considered desertion.<span style=""> </span>He could hear her soft sobs as he rifled through the closets, throwing clothes into cases with reckless abandon.<span style=""> </span>Once he did a final check to make sure nothing was being left behind, he hauled the cases out to the living room, where Taa was still rooted in the same place.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">When she heard him, she raced into his arms.<span style=""> </span>One look at the vidscreen told him why:<span style=""> </span>the body of the Chief Minister had been found.<span style=""> </span>“He was a man of peace, he wanted to bring us together, why would anyone kill him?”<span style=""> </span>Taa whispered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I don’t know,” Kee replied, suddenly feeling like an idiot for not being able to comfort her, to be able to provide answers in a world that in an instant seemed to have gone mad.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">It took a considerable amount of cajoling and bribery to convince the sledge driver to take them to the base.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was scared about the bombing, and the possibility of another, this time on Lingaar.<span style=""> </span>The entire hundred-kilometer-trip, the withered old driver complained about risking his neck.<span style=""> </span>Kee found out the hard way that not even money could stop the man’s incessant whining.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The sledge skimmed over the rough mountain roads, onto the highway leading to the base, the driver’s yapping the only sound in the vehicle.<span style=""> </span>Taa looked out the window, her mind seeming to be a million miles away, and perhaps it was.<span style=""> </span>Kee knew what the temple meant to Taa, to Tehuzaar all through the system.<span style=""> </span>Jee Jolaa and his followers had built it after landing on Tehuzaa, it was where Jolaa himself had lived until his death.<span style=""> </span>Kee could only imagine the furor that would erupt if any of the Lingaar shrines on Lingaa were bombed.<span style=""> </span>While he was not devoutly religious, he understood the temples and shrines were symbols of pride, of respect, to the gods or God, whatever the case may be.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He looked over at his stricken fiancée, concerned if she would be able to fly when they got to the base.<span style=""> </span>It’s like she lost a family member, he thought.<span style=""> </span>He squeezed her hand, but she still refused to look at him.<span style=""> </span>In their room at the lodge she had run into his arms, but now there seemed to be a wall between them.<span style=""> </span>He decided to let it go, to allow her to come around at her own pace.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Hey, flyboy, we’re here.<span style=""> </span>I hope you’re happy,” the grizzled driver snarled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, thank-you.<span style=""> </span>Here’s for your trouble,” Kee handed the man a few more bills, hauling the luggage from the seat across from him.<span style=""> </span>Taa opened the door, walked towards the gate as though in a trance.<span style=""> </span>Kee followed a few steps behind, fishing for his identification card, hearing the driver mutter a few curses as the sledge turned and darted away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He showed his card to the guard at the gate, the woman smiling as he struggled with the cases.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll have a sledge take you to your barracks.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Thank-you,” Kee replied, hearing the woman giggling while she ducked inside the gatehouse to call for a base sledge.<span style=""> </span>While he and Taa waited, he could see a pair of Spidlaa fighters roaring off the runways.<span style=""> </span>He was surprised to see rows of light attack missiles beneath the thin blue and white delta wings of the arrowhead-shaped planes.<span style=""> </span>Someone must be spooked to scramble fighters with live ordinance, he thought.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee heard a loud screeching sound, turned to see a gunmetal gray sledge barreling towards the gate.<span style=""> </span>The bulbous vehicle nearly flipped over as it made a hard turn and came to a stop only a meter from where Kee stood.<span style=""> </span>A hairless dark brown head emerged from the driver’s side window, the man’s face splitting with a wide grin.<span style=""> </span>“I heard you two lovebirds were called back here.<span style=""> </span>So how did it go?”<span style=""> </span>Kee’s roommate, Bii Honuu, teased.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I’ll tell you later,” Kee winked at Taa, but she was in no mood to take the bait.<span style=""> </span>Kee set the cases in the back before dropping into the front seat next to Bii.<span style=""> </span>Taa was already in the back seat, staring out the window as she had during the drive back from the lodge.<span style=""> </span>As Bii sent the sledge careening towards the barracks, Kee asked, “So what’s going on around here?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Absolutely nothing until about twelve hours ago.<span style=""> </span>Then they sounded the alert siren and assembled everyone in the briefing room to explain what happened.<span style=""> </span>So far we’re just stepping up readiness drills and flying a few show-me drills,” Bii jerked the steering yoke just in time to avoid running over a flight mechanic crossing the street.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“So those two I just saw going up were going to put on a little show for the home crowd?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Bii snorted, “You know how it is when people get scared.<span style=""> </span>Maybe a few fly-bys will make them feel safer.<span style=""> </span>It’s about the only thing we can do right now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Come on, Bii, you’ve got to know more than that.<span style=""> </span>What’s the unofficial word going around?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Bii smiled, taking his eyes off the road to look around the passenger compartment.<span style=""> </span>“The word is that a task force will be sent to Tehuzaa to make sure everyone plays nice.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“So we’re on the docket to be shipped out?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The sledge came to an abrupt halt in front of the barracks, the vehicle’s occupants thrown hard against their restraints.<span style=""> </span>Bii laughed, “Hey, you didn’t hear that from me, all right?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee clapped his roommate on the shoulder, “Of course not.<span style=""> </span>Wouldn’t want people to think you’re a gossipmonger.”<span style=""> </span>He unsnapped his restraint harness and helped a dazed Taa out of the sledge before unloading the luggage.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll see you later,” he called before the sledge shot away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“For a pilot, he is a very bad driver,” Taa remarked.<span style=""> </span>Kee laughed harder than necessary, hoping his fiancée’s mood was starting to shift.<span style=""> </span>She took her bags from him, leading the way into her quarters.<span style=""> </span>Once the door was closed, she kissed him on the cheek.<span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry I haven’t been very good company.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“No, it’s all right.<span style=""> </span>What happened was terrible, you have a right to feel the way you do.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">They put the luggage down and she kissed him again, this time on the lips.<span style=""> </span>“Thanks,” she whispered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“For what?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Just being here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee tried to say something in reply, but the alert siren drowned out his words.<span style=""> </span>All he managed to get out was, “We’d better go.”<span style=""> </span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">It was just as Bii said; the entire 31st Fighter Wing was to be sent to Tehuzaa to ensure peace in the wake of the bombing.<span style=""> </span>“Attention all units, disengage booster units,” Wing Commander Phoquu commanded.<span style=""> </span>Taa, pressed hard into the seat of her Spidlaa fighter by the g-forces of the nearly straight vertical climb from the runway to the atmosphere, fought to move her right arm the necessary six centimeters to trigger the release for the boosters.<span style=""> </span>She heard a pair of thuds, the long booster rockets required to propel the fighters into the atmosphere, falling away.<span style=""> </span>The Spidlaa gained speed from the loss of so much weight; Taa lowered the throttle to make sure she kept enough distance between her fighter and Bii’s ahead of her.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">Craning her head to the left, she could see Kee on her wing, he had drifted a little too far from her, but they would tighten up formations once they exited the atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>His face was invisible behind his helmet’s visor, but he waved a gloved hand at her.<span style=""> </span>She ignored the gesture, and reminded herself to chide him again for his lack of discipline.<span style=""> </span>This was a very serious, very dangerous maneuver, no time to be careless.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Ahead of her, she could see Bii’s fighter start to buck and glow red from heat as it entered the Lingaa’s atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>She found herself fighting the same rough winds and heat only moments later, her mind no longer thinking of Kee or Bii, but only of keeping her Spidlaa from spinning out of control.<span style=""> </span>It took a full minute to break through, sweat drenching her entire body, but now the Spidlaa was in open space.<span style=""> </span>She listened closely for any sound of air leaking through the cockpit seals, but everything appeared normal.<span style=""> </span>Bii’s fighter was still ahead of her, she moved into position off his right wing, Kee forming up to the left.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Their destination, the massive carrier <i>Inrii</i>, came into view.<span style=""> </span>Only three of the three-mile long, two-mile wide starships had been built by the Unified Defense Command since its inception.<span style=""> </span>The huge ships, despite their size and prestige as flagships, were not much to look at.<span style=""> </span>The <i>Inrii</i>’s surface was almost entirely flat, except for a slight curve at the bow to aid planes taking off.<span style=""> </span>The spherical shape of the bridge bulged out against the ship’s rear port quarter like some kind of tremendous boil.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Everyone form up for landing.<span style=""> </span>Many of you have not had the opportunity to land on a carrier, just remember your training and try not to run into anyone,” Wing Commander Phoquu said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa had never flown her Spidlaa in space before, neither had Kee. <span style=""> </span>She looked over to him with concern, but he only waved, oblivious to the danger.<span style=""> </span>They both followed Bii, the squadron forming a single line.<span style=""> </span>Each of the four squadrons would switch over to vertical maneuvering jets, “verts” as they were known, set down on the <i>Inrii</i>’s deck, and taxi to the nearest elevator.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Bii’s flight circled aimlessly over the carrier, waiting for their turn.<span style=""> </span>Finally it was time for Taa’s first carrier landing.<span style=""> </span>She followed Bii’s lead, cutting to her verts, coasting down to the deck.<span style=""> </span>She throttled back just a little late, her landing hitting the deck hard, the Spidlaa bouncing like a spring before it settled on the carrier’s surface.<span style=""> </span>She missed seeing Kee land, but his fighter was next to hers, looking none the worse for wear.<span style=""> </span>Feeling embarrassed over her rough landing, she made sure to ease the Spidlaa onto the elevator without incident.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The three fighters were immersed in darkness as the elevator ground down to the storage hangar.<span style=""> </span>Taa could see the hangar was already filled with other planes, but Bii seemed to know where he was going.<span style=""> </span>He led his flight to the left, all the way to the wall, where the 19th Fighter Squadron was gathered.<span style=""> </span>Someone in a green-helmeted spacesuit used a lighted wand to guide her Spidlaa to its spot.<span style=""> </span>The fighter came close to hitting the wall, but Taa managed to park the plane without incident.<span style=""> </span>She shut down the engines and heaved a sigh of relief.<span style=""> </span>A mechanic tapped on the canopy, she popped it open, worried something was wrong with her plane.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The mechanic extended his hand, smiling from inside his helmet.<span style=""> </span>She shook the proffered hand as he said, “Welcome aboard, sir.<span style=""> </span>I’m Mechanic Caa Yinloo, I’ve been assigned to your squadron during this mission.<span style=""> </span>I’ll take good care of your baby.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Thank you, Mechanic Yinloo.<span style=""> </span>I hope she doesn’t give you any trouble,” Taa patted her fighter affectionately.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I’m sure it won’t,” Caa replied, climbing down the ladder against the side of the fighter and moving to the next in line.<span style=""> </span>Taa found Kee waiting for her at the base of the ladder, she was glad that he at least had the discretion not to try kissing her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“That was great,” he said, with his usual enthusiasm.<span style=""> </span>“A little scary, though.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I know, but at least we made it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I hate to interrupt, but we have to get to the ready room,” Bii announced.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“You know where that is, right?”<span style=""> </span>Kee teased.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Of course I do, I’m not some rookie like you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee smiled, “Well lead on, then.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">It became clear after floating through the same corridor three times that Bii did not know where he was going.<span style=""> </span>Taa could understand why, each hallway was the same gunmetal gray, only a colored stripe about halfway down the walls marking any difference.<span style=""> </span>Bii shook his head, “The directions said red to teal to brown to gold.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“This looks more like maroon to me,” Kee joked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Thanks a lot.”<span style=""> </span>Bii looked down the corridor, stopping at a computer terminal built into one side of the wall.<span style=""> </span>After a few keystrokes he heaved a sigh of relief.<span style=""> </span>“It says here that we need to take green to silver to brown, and that should lead us to gold.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“How do people find their way around in a maze like this?”<span style=""> </span>Taa asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Practice,” Kee answered to a chorus of groans.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Come on, we’re late enough as it is.”<span style=""> </span>They followed the directions from the computer, finding the ready room without further trouble.<span style=""> </span>Someone had scribbled<span style=""> </span>‘19th Fighter Squadron’ on the door to the ready room.<span style=""> </span>The room was a cramped space with handles along the walls and ceiling for pilots to anchor themselves to during a briefing, with a projection table located in the middle of the floor, so everyone could have a good view.<span style=""> </span>The only sound in the empty room came from the low hum of the projection table in stand-by mode.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Bii led his two charges through a door off to the side.<span style=""> </span>A short corridor, identical to all the others in the ship, led them to a red-and-white striped door.<span style=""> </span>A square black box next to the door had a sign overhead reading, “All personnel entering the locker room must have proper footwear.”<span style=""> </span>Bii lifted the lid of the box, pulling out three pairs of thin gray slippers.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa replaced her boots with the slippers and found herself falling flat on her face.<span style=""> </span>She picked herself off of the deck, realizing too late the slippers were magnetized on the soles.<span style=""> </span>She heard Kee snickering, reminding herself she would have to find some way to get back at him later.<span style=""> </span>For now, she contented herself with giving him a dirty look while she snatched her boots floating over her head.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“What am I ever going to do with you two?”<span style=""> </span>Bii sighed and opened the door.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The other pilots of the squadron were in the locker room, some stowing gear, others showering, and the rest changing into a fresh flight suit after the long trip from Lingaa.<span style=""> </span>Squadron Commander Nuu Rinwaa was zipping up a clean black jumpsuit, spotting Bii, he growled, “Flight Leader Honuu, your flight missed the briefing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I’m sorry sir, but we made a wrong turn,” Bii replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa could see the others in the squadron stifling laughs, could see them hiding grins behind their hands, but she tried to stand at attention and ignore the humiliation.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa asked, “Can I expect this kind of sloppiness when we are engaged in battle?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“No, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Good.”<span style=""> </span>The matter settled, Rinwaa’s tone softened.<span style=""> </span>“You didn’t miss much.<span style=""> </span>Just stow your equipment and get cleaned up.<span style=""> </span>We’ll go over lodging arrangements once everyone is finished.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">There were plenty of extra lockers available, enough so that Bii, Kee, and Taa could make sure theirs were next to each other.<span style=""> </span>Taa knew it was not just because they were friends, but that it would help them stay together should they suddenly have to don their flight gear.<span style=""> </span>The black locker Taa chose had an adjustable shelf for her helmet with hooks for her anti-gravity harness and flight suit.<span style=""> </span>She stuffed her parachute on the floor before slamming the door shut.<span style=""> </span>She keyed in a password on the locker’s keypad, hearing the click of a lock.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Ready to hit the showers?”<span style=""> </span>Kee asked with an irritating grin.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Yes,” she replied, trying to sound as cold as possible, but he didn’t seem to notice, handing her a generic black jumpsuit.<span style=""> </span>Their own clothes would arrive on a transport later; in the meantime they would have to use the standard-issue naval jumpsuits provided for them.<span style=""> </span>She could see his mischievous expression disintegrate when he saw the rows of separate shower pods.<span style=""> </span>Each silver tube was just big enough for one person, ruining any romantic notions Kee might have had.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa slipped into her shower pod, stripping off her flight suit and hanging the black jumpsuit on a hook.<span style=""> </span>Unlike terrestrial showers that relied upon water, the <i>Inrii</i>’s “dry” showers used a combination of sound pulses and suction to clean her body.<span style=""> </span>She ran a long beige wand with a pale green tip through her hair, the wand oozing a gel, which would clean her hair without needing water to rinse out.<span style=""> </span>The goop would take about three hours before it fully evaporated, in the meantime it made her scalp tingle, but she resisted the urge to scratch it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">She slipped into the jumpsuit, feeling glad to be in something not smelling like her own sweat.<span style=""> </span>She found Kee waiting for her, “You know, we aren’t joined at the hip.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I know, but I just don’t like letting you out of my sight,” he leaned forward to try sneaking a kiss, but she ducked out of the way.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“You are really hopeless, you know that?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“It’s what you love about me,” he replied with a wink.<span style=""> </span>She sighed, following him into the locker room.<span style=""> </span>As much as Kee’s lack of discipline annoyed her when they were on duty, his inexhaustible energy and optimism was something she admired.<span style=""> </span>Growing up the daughter of farmers on Tehuzaa, Taa had always been taught the virtues of hard work, attention to detail, and discipline.<span style=""> </span>Kee was a different story altogether.<span style=""> </span>The youngest of three children in a wealthy family, he had been spoiled rotten.<span style=""> </span>She had joined the Unified Defense Command to serve her people, to help bridge the gap between Lingaar and Tehuzaar.<span style=""> </span>Kee admitted to her once that the only reason he signed up for military service was to avoid working for his father.<span style=""> </span>Their differences were what made their relationship so exciting and rewarding to her.<span style=""> </span>Her only worry, though, was Kee would do something stupid during a battle and get himself killed.<span style=""> </span>Even if they weren’t joined at the hip, she couldn’t imagine life without him at her side.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">A junior bridge officer of the Inrii handed out living arrangements.<span style=""> </span>As was standard procedure, Taa was assigned to the same quarters as the squadron’s only other female pilot, to limit instances of sexual misconduct.<span style=""> </span>Kee and Bii were roommates, just like back on the base, but their room was down the hall, which would make it difficult for even chance encounters.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Luu Mercaa was Taa’s roommate back on the base, and by now had grown used to Kee making lame excuses to see his fiancée.<span style=""> </span>Taa’s relationship with Kee was the only thing Luu held her tongue about.<span style=""> </span>Before the roommates had even started unpacking, Luu was already chirping about the flight, about the ship, about nothing at all.<span style=""> </span>After two years of the constant chatter, Taa had learned to tune Luu out, busying herself instead with unpacking the footlocker, which was waiting for her in her room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa could see the only writing desk in the room was already cluttered with figurines of the sixteen principal Lingaar gods.<span style=""> </span>It always amazed Taa how the Lingaar could keep track of so many deities, could know which one to pray to for each situation.<span style=""> </span>She also wondered how so many gods could restrain from warring with each other over dominance.<span style=""> </span>She had asked Kee about it once, but not being a devout Lingaar, his only answer was the gods had too many other things to worry about to fret over popularity.<span style=""> </span>It seemed next to impossible for so many entities, controlling so many day-to-day affairs, to keep the universe functioning smoothly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">She found her <i>vorlee</i> at the bottom of her footlocker, carefully packed in its wooden box so the crystal at its center would not scratch or shatter.<span style=""> </span>The <i>vorlee</i> was two spheres, an orange crystal sphere set in a casing of blue-gray stone.<span style=""> </span>The object was fastened to a long chain so it could be hung in a window, where sunlight would refract through the crystal to form an intricate pattern of light on a wall.<span style=""> </span>The streaks of light created were symbolic of the Transference, but also served as a focal point to aid meditation.<span style=""> </span>Many Tehuzaar no longer used <i>vorlee</i>s, but Taa’s was a gift of her father after she graduated the Test of Faith.<span style=""> </span>The <i>vorlee</i> had been in the family for five generations, the stone and crystal believed to be from Mount Tolii itself.<span style=""> </span>For that reason alone, she made sure to keep the <i>vorlee</i> safe.<span style=""> </span>She gently placed the wooden box on top of her meditation cushion in a transparent mesh bag in the corner of the room, where she could keep an eye on them, but also where any visitors might see them, in order to counterbalance the presence of the Lingaar gods in the room.<span style=""> </span>She heard a snort from Luu, but she had grown accustomed to her roommate’s subtle protests.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Her unpacking finished, Taa floated up to her sleeping sack, zipping it shut.<span style=""> </span>She shifted her body several times, searching for a comfortable way to sleep in zero-G.<span style=""> </span>She settled on sleeping on her back, the back of her head resting against the sack’s padded headrest.<span style=""> </span>Her eyelids were just starting to droop, when predictably enough, the door chime sounded.<span style=""> </span>She muttered a curse, knowing it would be Kee with some story to create an opportunity to say good night to her.<span style=""> </span>Luu was already snoring in her sack, oblivious to the chime’s insistent beep, forcing Taa to unzip and float over to the door.<span style=""> </span>As expected, Kee waited in the corridor, but there was no smile on his face.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Is there something wrong?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I think you better see this,” he replied gravely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">They made their way to a wide, circular pit at the end of the purple-striped corridor.<span style=""> </span>A cube made up of vidscreens sat in the middle of the pit, with handholds spaced around the padded black walls of what Taa assumed to be a lounge.<span style=""> </span>The room was filled with pilots and mechanics of various squadrons, as well as some off-duty <i>Inrii</i> crewmembers.<span style=""> </span>The only empty space was at the very top of the room, where Taa and Kee were able to look down at a news broadcast coming from Lingaar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The news anchor reported tonelessly, “Following stalled trade negotiations and the bombing of the Tehuzaar Temple of Transference, the Tehuzaar Council of Governors voted unanimously to begin deporting Lingaar religious leaders and to create an embargo on all goods to and from Lingaar.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The view switched to the pudgy red face of new Tehuzaar Chief Minister Vaa Nolii.<span style=""> </span>“This is the first important step in getting justice for all those killed by the cowardly attack on our holy temple.<span style=""> </span>We will not rest until the Lingaar deliver us those who were responsible for the bombing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The tired-looking face of the Lingaar Dominion’s president appeared in place of the Chief Minister now.<span style=""> </span>“We will not admit wrongdoing in this matter, but we will continue to investigate the matter and negotiate with the Tehuzaar for a peaceful resolution.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The anchor’s deadpan voice returned over a stock image of Tehuzaar troops drilling.<span style=""> </span>“In a related story, Tehuzaar militia has begun maneuvers in the Yinlaa Desert.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar government refused comment about the maneuvers, but an unnamed source said the exercises were planned before the bombing.<span style=""> </span>We will report further details as they become available.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa felt her pulse racing, her entire body feeling faint.<span style=""> </span>Whether or not the military maneuvers had been planned in advance, the significance was clear:<span style=""> </span>the Tehuzaar were preparing for war.<span style=""> </span>By the time the <i>Inrii</i> task force reached the planet, it might already be too late to simply wave the flag and return everything to normal.<span style=""> </span>She squeezed Kee’s hand, grateful for the feel of his body next to hers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I can’t believe it,” she finally rasped.<span style=""> </span>“There’s no proof that Lingaar bombed the temple, how can they jump to such a conclusion?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I don’t know,” Kee replied.<span style=""> </span>“All I do know is it won’t end here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Taa squeezed his hand again, knowing he was right.<span style=""> </span>There were bound to be more rallies, more protests, more cries for action on both planets.<span style=""> </span>She knew neither government would want to back down, to lose face.<span style=""> </span>The embargo and deportations would only be the first step in a political showdown which, unless a diplomatic solution was found, could force Taa to fight a war against her own people.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The line of freighters and personal craft stretched as far as the eye could see, all the way back to the spaceports in orbit of Tehuzaar.<span style=""> </span>It was a solid wave of misery bound for Lingaar, or to some of the mining outposts in the system; anywhere the people aboard the ships could find work and a roof over their head.<span style=""> </span>From the cockpit of his Spidlaa, Kee could not help but shake his head at the latest escalation of the madness.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">In the three months since the <i>Inrii</i> left Lingaar, the bomber of the Temple of Transcendence had yet to be identified.<span style=""> </span>The Tehuzaar government insisted the Lingaar were at fault, bombing the temple in an attempt to destabilize Tehuzaa.<span style=""> </span>The Lingaar in turn accused the Tehuzaar of violating the established trade agreements by raising tariffs and bombing the temple themselves to obtain reparations from the Lingaar.<span style=""> </span>The tensions were mounting on both planets, with more and more people on each side calling for war.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The tension was not contained on the planets, though.<span style=""> </span>Fights between Lingaar and Tehuzaar were almost a daily occurrence on the <i>Inrii</i> now.<span style=""> </span>Even Taa’s roommate was becoming more outspoken in denouncing the Tehuzaar religion.<span style=""> </span>Kee looked over across the black depths of space to see Taa calmly guiding her fighter, making him think of the threatening notes he was starting to receive.<span style=""> </span>The notes, all typed on naval stationery and unsigned, demanded Kee stop seeing “the Tehuzaar whore” before she met with an accident.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">It was obvious even to a mere pilot like himself people were choosing sides now.<span style=""> </span>The Unified Defense Command was no longer unified, although neither the Tehuzaar nor Lingaar government had officially called for its dissolution.<span style=""> </span>It made Kee nervous to think of what would happen should such a break-up occur.<span style=""> </span>Each soldier, each pilot, each ship would have to choose a side.<span style=""> </span>He looked over at Taa once again and couldn’t help but wonder which side she would choose.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Attention all units,” Squadron Commander Rinwaa’s voice cut into Kee’s thoughts.<span style=""> </span>“Militia vessels approaching.<span style=""> </span>I want all flights to form up for combat, but do not engage unless fired upon.<span style=""> </span>I repeat, do not engage unless you come under fire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee could see the militia ships coming into view now.<span style=""> </span>A pair of spade-shaped <i>Torgaa</i>-class frigates led the way, followed by a saucer-shaped <i>Monloo</i>-class heavy cruiser and the massive cigar-shaped form of a <i>Jolaa</i>-class dreadnaught.<span style=""> </span>Thinking back to his training, he knew the ships carried seven squadrons of fighters all together, while only the 19th Squadron was deployed to fly cover for the <i>Inrii</i>.<span style=""> </span>If things turned ugly, Kee and his squadronmates could expect to be outnumbered very quickly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Attention Unified Defense Command task force, this is Fleet Commander Hii Wertaa of the Tehuzaar Republic Militia.<span style=""> </span>You are not cleared to enter Tehuzaar space.<span style=""> </span>Turn back immediately, or you will be treated as hostile targets.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee could not believe what he was hearing, an actual threat against Unified forces.<span style=""> </span>He looked down at his instrument panels, going over the status of his weapons.<span style=""> </span>He had a dozen Bavroo light attack missiles and three hundred rounds of armor-piercing pellets, not much to use against a dreadnaught.<span style=""> </span>He could feel his palms starting to sweat, he turned to look over at Taa, but she was looking straight ahead through her canopy.<span style=""> </span>He yearned to reach out across space and gather her up in his arms, not for her sake, but for his own.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">There was no doubt in Kee’s mind his fiancée was in complete control of her emotions at the moment.<span style=""> </span>She was more of a soldier than he could ever hope for, a cold-eyed warrior with ice in her veins while he was on the verge of wetting himself in terror.<span style=""> </span>He could see it in the way her body remained in perfect control, without shifting, slouching, or jerking like he was doing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Twelve, you’re out of position,” Bii warned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Sorry,” Kee replied, feeling like an idiot.<span style=""> </span>He lifted his visor, wiping away the gathered sweat with the back of his glove.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Tehuzaar flotilla continued to approach, growing larger and larger before him.<span style=""> </span>Kee could see the gun barrels protruding from the ships, noting they were all aimed towards the Unified task force.<span style=""> </span>Fleet Commander Hii Wertaa’s voice was harsher this time around, “Unified Defense Command ships, you are ordered to leave this restricted zone at once.<span style=""> </span>This is your final warning.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">There was silence on the open frequencies, but Kee knew Squadron Commander Rinwaa was talking over the situation with his superiors.<span style=""> </span>If the task force continued, it would risk starting a war, but if it retreated, the Tehuzaar government would claim victory and become even more belligerent.<span style=""> </span>Caught up in the middle were the twelve little Spidlaa fighters of the 19th Squadron, insignificant compared to the huge warships on either side.<span style=""> </span>But we’re the ones who will die first, Kee thought to himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee thought he saw a flash from the corner of his eye.<span style=""> </span>He turned to see a tiny puff of flame, some debris scattering, and then one of the Spidlaas was gone.<span style=""> </span>“Four’s been hit!<span style=""> </span>Four’s been hit!”<span style=""> </span>Someone cried out over the open channel.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Did anyone see the shooter?”<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa demanded, but by then Kee could see missiles flying from the other Spidlaas, the projectiles streaking towards the Tehuzaar ships.<span style=""> </span>“Hold your fire!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The missiles impacted against the hulls of the Tehuzaar vessels, but Kee knew they would do little damage.<span style=""> </span>A warning tone sounded in his helmet, dozens of missiles streaming from the Tehuzaar flotilla.<span style=""> </span>Rinwaa’s voice came over the squadron channel, “Break formation and retreat towards the <i>Inrii</i>.<span style=""> </span>All flights stay together, and remember your training.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Eleven, Twelve, just follow my lead,” Bii called out, his fighter banking hard left.<span style=""> </span>Kee followed, trying to ignore the insistent warning tone in his helmet indicating missiles were locked on.<span style=""> </span>He concentrated on following the intricate pattern Bii’s fighter was weaving through space to fool the incoming missiles.<span style=""> </span>“Twelve, drop a countermeasure.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee triggered a stud just above his thumb on the control stick.<span style=""> </span>A pear-shaped object shot from the rear of his Spidlaa, back through the space his fighter had just occupied.<span style=""> </span>Most missiles were programmed to search and destroy a particular heat signature, corresponding to the size and engine output of a fighter or ship, but the countermeasure would produce a heat signature mimicking that of a Spidlaa.<span style=""> </span>The missile, not smart enough to know the difference between real and fake aircraft, would destroy the countermeasure instead of Kee’s fighter, or at least that was how it was supposed to work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He didn’t bother to see if any missiles took the bait, he was too busy chasing Bii’s Spidlaa.<span style=""> </span>The <i>Inrii</i> was becoming larger in his canopy, close enough to where he could see fighters being shot from the deck.<span style=""> </span>Behind those, using their verts to get aloft, was a squadron of wedge-shaped Quhii attack planes.<span style=""> </span>It didn’t take much imagination to know what was happening.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“All right, Nineteenth, we’re going to cover the bombers while they get within firing range.<span style=""> </span>Form up over the <i>Inrii</i>,” Rinwaa commanded.<span style=""> </span>Kee traced Bii’s lazy circle to wind up hovering over the Quhiis lifting off from the carrier.<span style=""> </span>He looked over at Taa, and to his surprise she was looking back at him.<span style=""> </span>Her visor was up revealing a pained expression on her face.<span style=""> </span>Their eyes met, and he could sense right away something was wrong.<span style=""> </span>She turned away, lowering her visor to cover her face once more.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee turned his attention back to more pressing matters.<span style=""> </span>He could see missiles still coming from the Tehuzaar ships, but the Unified task force’s defenses were knocking them down easily.<span style=""> </span>The entire squadron was assembled and all the Quhiis in attack formation.<span style=""> </span>The 19th Squadron started forward, spread out to form a screen in front of the attack planes.<span style=""> </span>No fighters had been launched from the Tehuzaar ships yet, which meant Kee’s squadron would be used as a shield to keep missiles from hitting the Quhiis.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Fighters from other squadrons being launched were staying close to the <i>Inrii</i>, serving as reserves in case the Tehuzaar launched their own aircraft.<span style=""> </span>Kee tightened his grip on his control stick, feeling helpless and conspicuous in his cockpit.<span style=""> </span>A flash of light caught his attention as missiles from the task force streaked towards the Tehuzaar flotilla.<span style=""> </span>His wandering gaze saw the bow of one task force cruiser swinging towards the <i>Inrii</i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Before he could shout a warning, the cruiser opened fire at point-blank range.<span style=""> </span>Anti-ship missiles, electromagnetic shells, and explosive shells pounded the carrier with savage fury.<span style=""> </span>Explosions wracked the port side of the <i>Inrii</i>, the big ship shuddering from the impacts.<span style=""> </span>“All units, focus fire on the <i>Cantee</i>.<span style=""> </span>Bring it down, now!”<span style=""> </span>A voice Kee didn’t recognize shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Quhiis wheeled about, the anti-ship missiles destined for the Tehuzaar fleet were fired at the rogue cruiser instead.<span style=""> </span>Kee added his own missiles to the fray, feeling anger at the betrayal welling up inside him.<span style=""> </span>How could they attack another Unified ship?<span style=""> </span>The <i>Cantee</i> paid for its treachery, the barrage from the attack planes, fighters, and other task force ships pounding it until the ship was crippled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">One of the Quhiis exploded, Kee looked about to see if more missiles were coming from the Tehuzaar ships, but then he saw a Spidlaa swoop down on another of the attack planes, blasting it to pieces with a burst of armor-piercing pellets.<span style=""> </span>The fighter flew over the disabled Cantee, and then turned sharply, driving straight towards the Tehuzaar flotilla.<span style=""> </span>Feeling a sense of dread, Kee looked over at his right wing, but Taa was nowhere to be seen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Taa, no!”<span style=""> </span>Kee screamed over the open channel, but there was no reply.<span style=""> </span>He watched her fighter’s tiny silhouette fade from view, disappearing into the midst of the Tehuzaar ships.<span style=""> </span>The militia vessels were no longer firing or moving, but simply staying in place.<span style=""> </span>It was almost as if they were daring the Unified task force, bloodied by its own forces, to continue the fight.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“All units, return to base.<span style=""> </span>Return to base,” Rinwaa ordered.<span style=""> </span>Kee could detect the weariness in the squadron commander’s voice, a weariness he felt in his heart.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Another fourteen aircraft never returned to the <i>Inrii</i>.<span style=""> </span>A frigate of the task force was also seen heading for Tehuzaar, presumably to defect.<span style=""> </span>Every hour more of the task force’s crew would wind up missing, including one of the mechanics for Kee’s flight, Caa Yinloo.<span style=""> </span>The defectors were seen sneaking off in escape pods or aircraft while the damaged carrier started the long trek back to Lingaa for repairs.<span style=""> </span>Not counting the <i>Cantee</i>’s crew, the number of dead, wounded, or defected neared one thousand while the Tehuzaar took no damage at all.<span style=""> </span>The battle was a complete rout for the Tehuzaar, the first victory of the war belonging to them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee went through the motions of putting away his gear, all the while thinking of the last time he saw Taa.<span style=""> </span>She wanted one last look, he thought while he showered.<span style=""> </span>She wanted to see me one last time before she went away.<span style=""> </span>He pounded the wall of the shower pod in anger.<span style=""> </span>How could she?<span style=""> </span>How could she leave me behind?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He changed his clothes, following Bii to the ready room for debriefing.<span style=""> </span>A total of five fighters had been lost, two to enemy fire and three more to defections.<span style=""> </span>Reports on the battle were being sent to Unified Defense Command headquarters on Lingaa to be analyzed.<span style=""> </span>New orders would be coming in a few days, until then the squadron would be on high alert.<span style=""> </span>Combat air patrols would be stepped up to protect the damaged <i>Inrii</i> from any follow-up attacks.<span style=""> </span>Since there were no replacements for the lost pilots, the 19th would consist of two flights.<span style=""> </span>Squadron Commander Rinwaa would lead a flight of four, while his second-in-command, Bii, and Kee formed the other flight.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Kee listened to all the details, but he did not care.<span style=""> </span>The most important person in the universe to him was lost, and he had no idea when he would see her again, or if he would see her again.<span style=""> </span>In an instant, the love of his life had left him behind without even saying good-bye.<span style=""> </span>The pain gnawed at him throughout the debriefing, but only when he was alone in his quarters did he let the tears come.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">Kee managed to persuade the <i>Inrii</i>’s security personnel to allow him to clean out Taa’s quarters.<span style=""> </span>As though she sensed something was wrong, Taa’s former roommate allowed Kee to be alone while he stuffed his fiancée’s clothes into a bag.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t stop himself from breaking down into tears while he packed.<span style=""> </span>Each article of clothing he touched reminded him of her soft skin rubbing against him, and in turn reminded him of what he had lost.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">Once the clothes were all packed, he sorted through her personal effects.<span style=""> </span>He stuffed a picture of Taa with her family into one of his pockets, cherishing her warm smile in the photograph.<span style=""> </span>When he reached the <i>vorlee</i> case, he opened it and saw a piece of paper slip out to hover before his face. <span style=""> </span>Snatching the paper from the air, he unfolded it and felt his heart pound.<span style=""> </span>It was a letter addressed to him, written just before the battle.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>My Dearest Kee:<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>If you’ve found this letter, then I am either dead, or have returned to Tehuzaar to stand with my people in their hour of need.<span style=""> </span>Either way, it means that we will be apart for a long time, but rest assured we will see each other again, either now or in the afterlife.<span style=""> </span>I know you do not believe in the </i>Tehuu<i> or his teachings, but there can be no paradise for me without you, so surely we will meet again after death has taken us both.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>I wanted to tell you so many things, but I could never find the courage.<span style=""> </span>In the end, I must hope this letter reaches you, so you can know what I could never find the right words to say until now.<span style=""> </span>Let me begin by saying that I love you more than anyone in this universe.<span style=""> </span>I never wanted to do anything to hurt you, but I have a duty to my people.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>It is hard for someone from Lingaa to understand the pride of the Tehuzaar people.<span style=""> </span>My ancestors made a dangerous voyage so all Tehuzaar could be free of persecution.<span style=""> </span>They built a civilization with their own blood and sweat.<span style=""> </span>They created a haven in a barren wasteland.<span style=""> </span>We, their descendants, must honor their sacrifice by preserving their work.<span style=""> </span>Even thought I believe in unification, I must defend my family, my home.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>I hope you can understand in time it was not an easy decision for me to make.<span style=""> </span>Before I met you, there would have been no hesitation at all, but loving a Lingaar makes me uneasy about fighting a war against them.<span style=""> </span>I do not want to fight you or your people, but I must.<span style=""> </span>I must in order to protect my family, their way of life, so future generations of Tehuzaar can live free of Lingaar domination.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps someday there will be peace, perhaps unification will become reality, but not yet.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>I do not know what will happen, but you should know I will always love you.<span style=""> </span>Even thought our people may be at war, my soul will always belong to you.<span style=""> </span>No matter how horrible the war, it can never make me stop treasuring those precious moments we spent together.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>Forever Yours,<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i>Taa<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></i></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-76589921834622158102007-06-13T10:06:00.001-07:002012-04-24T19:44:28.197-07:00Destiny's End: Book 3<div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
Book Three: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
Dark Sacrifices</div>
<div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
Chapter One</div>
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"<i>The time is at hand. The hordes of evil threaten to overrun all the universe. You, the last Yta ordained by the Matrix of Wisdom, must rise and take your place in history. For, once the appointed sacrifices are made, the evil that threatens all will be banished from the universe once and for all time</i>," a distant voice said to Valkyrie as she stood dormant in the restoration chamber. The words seemed strange to her, but the voice was vaguely familiar. Where had she heard it before? There was suddenly a bright light as the door to the restoration chamber opened. Valkyrie checked her systems and looked about her in confusion. Her repairs were only 83% complete, why had the restoration chamber opened?</div>
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She checked the nearest station and saw that there had recently been a breach in the ship's hull. The restoration chamber must have opened automatically when the alert sounded, she thought. She scanned the ship for sparks and detected only Perceptor's spark near the breach. His status was determined to be wounded and unconscious. No one else was on board. Could they have all been killed? She wondered. If so, then who was the ship?</div>
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There will be time later for questions, she thought. She realized that she had no weapon, so her first stop would have to be the armory so that she could get something to fight with. Valkyrie left the bridge quickly and hurried down to the armory. She entered her password and the door opened. To her amazement, the room was nearly empty. Most of what remained were physical implements like swords. She rummaged through the armory and was only able to find one gun: a small laser pistol of the type Beachcomber used. The pistol barely fit her hand, but she knew that she could not be picky. She took stock of the other weapons and grabbed one of the swords. She tested it in her hand and found that it was easy enough in her hand. She attached the sword to her side and kept the pistol in her hand. Then she made her way towards the breach.</div>
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She stopped where Perceptor had fallen and checked him over. He had taken two shots to the chest and was in bad condition. Looking about her cautiously, Valkyrie slung Perceptor over her shoulder and trotted back towards the restoration chamber. She dumped Perceptor inside after stripping him of his rifle and leaving him with the pistol, so that if he should wake up or find himself facing his attacker, he would be at least able to put up some resistance. The door to the restoration chamber hissed shut and Valkyrie headed back to the site of the breach.</div>
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Emergency systems had already sealed the hole in the hull and Valkyrie could not ascertain any cause for the damage. She carefully looked around and then headed down the corridor. Perhaps whatever had attacked Perceptor was hiding somewhere on the ship, seeking another victim. She cautiously moved forward and kept going until she reached the end of the corridor. Here there was a door that led to the engine room and the storage room for the Matrices. Valkyrie kept her rifle at ready and flattened herself against the left side of the doorway as she slapped the button to open the door. She took a deep breath and looked around the doorway. With relief she saw that there was nothing.</div>
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She made her way along the corridor and heard the door hiss shut behind her. As she neared the room that housed the Matrices, she heard a noise. It was a low growl like that of an animal. Valkyrie froze in her tracks and looked around the darkened corridor. Suddenly she saw two points of red light in the darkness. "Who goes there?" She demanded.</div>
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"It is about time you arrived, I have been waiting. I could smell the stink of your tainted spark since I came aboard. You are descended from the race spawned by Cybertrax, yes?"</div>
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"I am," Valkyrie replied. "Before I became an Autobot, I was known as Hippolyta, a Cybertraxian leader. Now, who are you?"</div>
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"I am, in a different way, also the spawn of Cybertrax. Do you know who I am now?"</div>
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"Unicron?" Valkyrie asked incredulously.</div>
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"Very good. I have come to take what is rightfully mine, the Matrices."</div>
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"I won't let you have them," Valkyrie replied defiantly.</div>
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"Oh, I am already in possession of all but one of the Matrices on board this ship. Where is the Matrix of Harmony?"</div>
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"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!"</div>
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"Surely you must have some guess of where it may be?"</div>
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"I won't tell you anything!"</div>
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"Tell me and I will spare your life and those of your people."</div>
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"I could not betray myself or the others, even if it would spare their lives."</div>
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"I do not refer to your Autobot friends, but rather the Cybertraxians. For, as soon as I have harnessed the power of all of the Matrices, the Cybertraxians will be the first to feel my wrath. I will eradicate them all and forever eliminate their scourge from the universe."</div>
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"No!" Valkyrie cried out and fired a burst from her rifle. The light from the shot showed her the hideous creature that stood before Valkyrie. Her shot went wide of it, and Unicron's laughter filled the corridor.</div>
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"Let me make this more sporting for you," he chuckled and the lights in the corridor turned on. Valkyrie could now see Unicron in full and gasped. His height filled the corridor as he straightened and she could see him stare down at her in amusement. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat me."</div>
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"No, but I must try," Valkyrie responded. She fired off several more shots from her rifle, but they had no effect. She put the rifle away and grabbed the sword with both hands. She sprang forward and slashed the blade at Unicron's right arm, but it bounced off of the hand without even leaving a mark. Valkyrie staggered backwards, but Unicron's left arm swung and his claws drove into her midsection.</div>
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Valkyrie screamed and Unicron pulled out his claws. Valkyrie collapsed to her knees, but felt no pain. Instead, she felt more of a tingling sensation throughout her body. Her entire form began to glow with a purple light. She held her hands up to her face and to her horror saw the surface of her hand vaporize. What remained was a flesh-covered hand. She gasped in shock and could see that the same was happening to the rest of her body. There was a sudden feeling of intense pain and Valkyrie blacked out.</div>
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When she woke up, she saw that darkness obscured the edges of her vision. She brought a hand to her eyes and realized that there was nothing wrong with her, strands of hair had fallen into her eyes. Valkyrie leapt to her feet and found herself encircled by mirrors. In them she saw a young humanoid woman that could be no more than twenty-five years old. Her hand touched the hair she had felt earlier and she could see that waves of black hair swept back over her head to the base of her skull, across her ears, and along her forehead. Below this were eyes with irises of an almost clear blue, thin cheeks that were coated with small brown freckles, a small upturned nose, and wide red lips. Valkyrie's hand touched each point in disbelief. She held up her small hands and flexed each finger experimentally. She saw that her body was clothed in a short, light green jacket, dark green shirt that pressed tightly to her small breasts, black pants, and black boots. It was completely unbelievable. How could this have happened? She wondered.</div>
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Unicron's voice echoed around her, although she could not see him. "What has happened to you is a sample of the pain and terror that will visit your people. When you Cybertraxians die, your sparks become one with the Matrix of Wisdom and you are reunited with all of the others who have already died. When my wrath is visited upon the home of your people, I shall make the entire populace weak fleshling creatures. I will exterminate all of them like the foul vermin they are, and without sparks they will forever be cut off from their loved ones. As will you." Unicron laughed and Valkyrie looked around to try and see him. The mirrors rose high over her and she could not see over them. "Give me information to find the Matrix of Harmony and this fate can be avoided for you and your people."</div>
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"Never!" Valkyrie shouted and noted how high-pitched and puny her voice sounded. The mirrors disappeared and she saw Unicron staring down at her. He seemed larger than ever and she realized quickly that it was because she was much shorter than she had been. She had been as tall as Grapple or Wheeljack, but in this humanoid body she was a head or two shorter than Beachcomber. She looked around for her weapons and darted for the sword, which was closest to her. She tried to lift it, but could only get the handle as high as her knees.</div>
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Unicron swat the sword from her hands and laughed, "Perhaps now you will see reason. You cannot hope to win against me. I have already slain your comrade Scarecrow and destroyed the mind of that young girl you captured. Killing a pathetic, feeble creature like you will be no challenge, especially since I have added the powers of the other Matrices to my own."</div>
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Valkyrie looked around her, but knew that there was no weapon she could use, and even if there was, it would have no effect on Unicron. Staring up at him, fear chilled her heart and in a panic she turned and ran. She quickly opened the door and fled down the corridor as fast as her short legs would carry her. She stopped when she reached the bridge and threw herself into the chair of the helm station.</div>
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There was no weapon she could use, and even if there was, it would have no effect on Unicron. She was sweating and breathing hard. wishing that Unicron had granted her a humanoid form that was in better shape. Her muscles were weak and flabby, and between her shirt and pants there was a small bulge of fat. There was nothing she could do to stop him, not in this condition.</div>
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She stopped and chastened herself for her cowardice. It didn't matter what form she possessed, it was her soul that mattered. Whether she was composed of Cybertronian alloys or flesh and blood, it did not matter. She stood with resolve and knew that there was one thing that she could do to stop Unicron. She looked over the helm station and activated a hidden panel that would allow her to jettison the forward quarter of the ship, a feature all Autobot shuttles possessed. She looked towards the restoration chamber and hoped that Perceptor would be all right. With any luck the forward part of the ship would remain in safe orbit until he emerged.</div>
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Valkyrie punched the appropriate buttons and then dashed off of the bridge. She managed to just get by the emergency doors that would seal off the forward section of the ship. The Odyssey shook violently as the front quarter was rocketed apart from the remainder. When it was finished, Valkyrie took a deep breath and prepared to go back to where Unicron waited. She caught her reflection in a piece of glass and studied her face again. By humanoid standards it was not ugly, that at least she could be thankful for. She tucked loose strands of hair into place and straightened her back, trying to summon the courage to go back. Undoubtedly Unicron would be waiting for her. He would mock her for her cowardice and laugh at her pathetic attempts to fight back. That would be his downfall. She marched proudly down the corridor and prepared to meet her destiny.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Unicron was waiting for her in the same spot, as if he had known that she would return. "Did you forget something?" Unicron asked mockingly.</div>
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"The only thing I've forgotten is to banish you back to the realm of the underworld where you belong!" Valkyrie shot back as she hefted the sword off of the deck without any trouble, raw emotion powering her flagging muscles.</div>
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Valkyrie struck a defensive pose and stared Unicron in his burning red eyes. "Your plan for my people will fail. My people destroyed your father and took possession of the Matrices that had been hidden for so long. When you arrive they will fight you to the last, no matter what weak forms you give them. They will all die before even one should bend their knee to you in submission." She took a firmer grip on the sword and then continued. "What you have forgotten is that the soul is not contained within the spark nor the flesh. It is something that is unseen, the essence of life itself that flows through any living creature. When the host body dies, the soul is released back to the universe that gave it life. Even with the power of the Matrices, you cannot deny this from my people. In any form their souls will be released and will gather with those of the ones they love beyond the Matrices."</div>
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"It is said that the souls of my people become one with the Matrix of Wisdom. The Cybertronians have a similar belief. What you do not understand is that the souls of my people are not contained in a physical vessel. They dwell in a place beyond the Matrix, a place far above this plane of existence, to be called upon not merely by the bearer of the Matrix of Wisdom. This collective wisdom can be called upon by any being at any time for courage, love, knowledge, or inspiration. I call it forth now in order to gain the strength to defeat you and rid this universe of you for all time." </div>
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Before any reply could be made, Valkyrie sprung forward and swung the sword horizontally into Unicron's left thigh. The sword did not make a mark, but Unicron stepped backwards in surprise at the sudden assault. Valkyrie continued to swing the sword wildly and Unicron kept up his retreat, as though he was in shock from her verbal and physical attacks. Valkyrie could see that she was causing no damage, but that was not her intent.</div>
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Finally Unicron seemed to shake himself from his funk and lashed at Valkyrie with his right hand. His claws dug into the left side of her face, tearing open her cheek. Valkyrie did not even scream, she merely pressed her attack. Unicron's left hand slashed Valkyrie's midsection and blood began to spread across her shirt. Again, she did not make a sound, but focused on what needed to be done. Her hold on the sword was growing weaker as the blood continued to ooze from the wound to the midsection</div>
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The Matrix shrine was in sight, and she could see that the doors had not been pried off or damaged in any way, meaning that Unicron had somehow broken the codes. She continued her frenzied assault, driving Unicron back even further. At last her destination was close at hand. A clawed foot smashed into her left leg, shattering it. Valkyrie pitched forward, but dropped her sword and used it as a crutch to support herself. She had several feet to go, but there was no way that she could continue forward. Unicron straightened once more and laughed as Valkyrie tried to push herself onward, but could not. She staggered and then fell backwards to the deck.</div>
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"I should have expected such a feeble attack from such a feeble hero like yourself. For all of your metaphysical talk, there is none who can save you now."</div>
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Valkyrie rose to her feet, throwing the sword aside. She charged forward, but Unicron was not caught by surprise this time. He reached out quickly with his right hand, hefting Valkyrie into the air. She squirmed to try and free herself, but couldn’t. Her short legs were several feet off of the deck and she felt like a child being picked on by a bully. Unicron laughed viciously and his skull-like face contorted into a ghastly smile. “You took me by surprise, little one, I did not think you would have the fight left in you to attack me in such a manner. However, your window of opportunity has closed.” He flicked back a few stray strands of her hair with a claw and said quietly, “It would be a waste, though, to destroy such a pretty young face. Perhaps if you tell me what you know of the Matrices I will spare you and allow you to start your life over again on a humanoid world. You could be safe among your own kind, peacefully living out your days.”</div>
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Valkyrie spit in his face and shot back, “I won’t tell you anything, nor will I allow myself to live at the cost of my friends and billions of innocent beings.”</div>
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“Your death will be meaningless. You are in no position to defeat me. You are weak and with a single thought I could make you much, much weaker. Your surrender would at least allow you to keep your life.”</div>
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“I don’t care about my life. All that matters is defeating you.”</div>
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“You will not have the chance. You have foolishly thrown your life away twice, I would have thought you would have learned after the first time.” With that, Unicron swung Valkyrie around and slashed open her right cheek with one claw. Valkyrie thrashed around in pain, but she could not break Unicron’s grip. She tried to force down the pain, but could not, and her scream throughout the Odyssey’s corridors. “You poor little girl, you could have been free. I gave you a chance for a new life, and you threw it away. Now you will die like a pathetic, weak fleshling.” Valkyrie’s face was a mask of anguish, both of her cheeks cut open and pouring out blood. He watched the red liquid pool on the deck below her feet and saw her stop struggling as she was on the verge of passing out. Unicron threw her dismissively to the deck, where she lay in a heap for some time.</div>
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He considered regenerating her body so that he could watch her struggle more. He found it very entertaining to watch her foolishly keep going, trying to destroy what she could not even scratch. She is much more amusing than the girl on Pholon, he thought. That girl had been too easy to destroy, she had coerced herself to believe a pack of lies too quickly. The thrill is in the hunt, the struggle between the hunter and his inferior prey, he thought. On Pholon, that cowardly girl had given up when penned in, while this young woman had her back to the wall and fought back. She kept fighting even though her cause was hopeless. Now, though, it appeared that she was finished. As much as he wanted to bring her back for another chance, he knew that he had more important things to take care of. It is a pity to lose such a good entertainer. Still, there will be time for amusement later.</div>
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Valkyrie lay on the cold deck for what seemed like hours. She wanted to get up, she wanted to continue the fight, but she couldn’t find the strength to rise. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, she thought of the old Earth saying she had heard one of the others use, and found that it aptly described the situation. Unicron stood over her, watching her, waiting for her to die before he went to the surface to continue with his mission. He could have easily finished her off, but he wanted to watch her suffer, to writhe in pain at his feet.</div>
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Valkyrie could feel the blood soaking her clothes and her vision started to dim. I’m dying, she thought. I’m dying and I’ve failed everyone on the surface, everyone who’s counted on me. She bitterly thought back to when she had stood before Cybertrax the first time with the Matrix of Wisdom. The Matrix had refused to open and only Jetfire’s intervention had kept her from being obliterated. This time, though, Jetfire would not come to save her. She would die here on the deck of the ship she had come to know as home in a body that was unfamiliar to her with none of her friends around her.</div>
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“<i>The strength of soul is the only thing that can overcome the darkness. Let your spirit guide your actions, let its strength fill your body and power it onward</i>,” the voice she had heard in the restoration chamber told her from afar. It was only now, as she neared death, that she knew whose voice it was. It was the voice of the Cybertraxian Elders whose sparks lay beyond the Matrix. When she had died before, she had gone before them and pleaded that they allow her to live so that she could remain with Skyfire. It was this voice that she heard once again as she was on the threshhold of death. She closed her eyes tightly and forced all thoughts of pain from her mind. Her wounds didn’t matter, all that mattered was that she get the job done.</div>
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Unicron watched as slowly Valkyrie got to her feet, and when he looked into her eyes he could see beyond the Matrix. He could see the Cybertraxian Elders and hear their voices tormenting him, but more importantly he could once again smell the tainted essence of their sparks, sparks that were descended from Cybertrax, the father who had betrayed him. Unicron was frozen in place, oblivious to Valkyrie as he felt his old rage building once again. Cybertrax had betrayed him, setting Primus above him and forcing him to do menial labor while Primus was given the power of a Matrix. Cybertrax and Primus had both betrayed Unicron, and although they were both dead, their descendants continued to thwart him. </div>
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Valkyrie could see the distant look on Unicron’s face and could feel that he was somewhere else, remembering an old wound. She took the initiative and stumbled towards the door of the Matrix shrine. As she was nearly there, Unicron howled with rage like a bloodthirsty animal. He turned and shouted, “Where do you think you are going?” Valkyrie was about to reach for the door controls when she felt claws spike deep into her back. Unicron had sunk both hands into her, severing her spine in two places and doing serious damage to her internal organs. “You will not succeed, Cybertraxian scum. I will suffer the spawn of Cybertrax and Primus, who plotted to rob me of what was mine so long ago. Now is the time that I end this game and take what is mine!”</div>
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“No!” Valkyrie shouted and tore free from Unicron’s claws. Her legs buckled, but her arms reached out and she managed to slam her hand down on the keypad for the door controls. With her last ounce of strength, she pressed the enter key and there was the shrill sound of an alarm, followed by a clicking sound. Valkyrie collapsed on her back and looked up in triumph at Unicron before her last breath escaped her and her head rolled to the side. Unicron turned and suddenly the entire shrine burst into flames as the charges Wheeljack had placed fired. The powerful explosives tore through the entire ship and were fueled as the engine reactors were hit and exploded. The explosions ripped through the length of the remainder of the Odyssey and in moments all that remained were shards of wreckage. </div>
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Chapter Two</div>
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An enormous fireball lit up the sky and Skyfire looked up in shock. "What in the name of Primus was that?" He and the others were finishing the erection of their camp and working on a way to lure the enemy to their position.</div>
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"I'm not sure," Wheeljack replied. "Maybe the Odyssey encountered some enemy ships and destroyed them."</div>
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"I hope so."</div>
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"The shield system and all of the fortifications are ready," Skids reported.</div>
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"Good. Now we just have to draw the enemy here."</div>
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"That shouldn't be too hard. If the first one was intelligent, then it's probably safe to assume that these ones are as well. In which case, they aren't going to just let us rain ordinance down on them," Grapple observed.</div>
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"The problem is the radiation where they're gathering. If we launch an attack to draw them, there's a chance that the radiation could cause permanent damage," Skids added.</div>
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"It appears that we will not have to do anything," a new voice said. Shockwave emerged from the Legacy II and continued, "Sensors indicate the enemy is moving towards us. I am also detecting an aircraft of some unknown type approaching. It does not match Valkyrie's energy signature."</div>
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"Let's hope that it's on our side," Skyfire replied. "All right, then, let's get to our stations and prepare for battle. I'm not going to make a long speech. I just want you all to know that it's been an honor to serve with all of you and there is no one I would rather share my final moments with, just in case I should fall. Just remember to keep firing and don't stop until the last of the enemy is lying dead on the field." Skyfire shook each Autobot's hand and finally reached Shockwave. He stared into the Decepticon's one eye and smiled as he grasped Shockwave's hand. "You have been a great help to all of us, Shockwave. When our sparks become one with the Matrix, I hope to see you again and at last we will be able to be the comrades that we never could be in life."</div>
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Shockwave was silent and moved towards his station. The Transformers had used items from the transports, rocks, and dirt to form several barricades from which to fight behind. Beachcomber sat in the Legacy II and Grapple in the Pathfinder, the two transports angled so as to aim their weapons at where an enemy would be forced to attack from. The force field stretched along the ridgeline, so that the enemy would first have to breach it before they could overrun the encampment. It was, Skyfire knew, the perfect place from which to make a last stand.</div>
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There was something coming from over the horizon and Skyfire could see that it was the aircraft Shockwave had mentioned. The fighter was black and silver with swept-forward wings, twin engines, and a single tailfin. What is that? Skyfire wondered and motioned for everyone to remain alert.</div>
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The fighter did not attack, but instead landed just below the ridge. To everyone's surprise, the fighter transformed into a large robot. The intruder raised its arms to signal that it had no hostile intentions and stepped towards the force field. "Who are you?" Skyfire demanded.</div>
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"It is I, Scarecrow."</div>
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"You don't look like Scarecrow."</div>
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"I have undergone…modifications."</div>
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"He's right Skyfire, I remember him looking like this just before he knocked me out," Beachcomber chipped in.</div>
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"All right, we'll lower the force field." The shield was deactivated and Scarecrow stepped into the camp. Skyfire could see immediately that the Predacon warrior was badly damaged. Parts of his head, chest, and left leg were exposed and his right eye was shattered. Despite that, Skyfire could see that Scarecrow’s eyes were glowing bright red, indicating that he was not dying by any means. Skyfire scanned his comrade and could tell that the Predacon was operating on reserve power routed through his remaining circuits. "What happened to you?"</div>
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"I need to talk to you…privately. It is most urgent."</div>
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"Maybe we should let Wheeljack look at you first."</div>
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"No, this cannot wait." Skyfire stood and motioned for Scarecrow to follow him. They stepped into the Legacy II and Beachcomber quickly exited. Skyfire secured the hatches and went to the back of the transport so that they would not be seen. The Maximal and Predacon took seats opposite to each other and Scarecrow began his message without fanfare. "The Odyssey has been destroyed. When I arrived here, I saw pieces of its wreckage floating through space."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What? That's impossible!" Skyfire burst out. "What about Valkyrie and Perceptor?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I did not see them, but my sensors are inoperable, so it is possible that they escaped."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"How could this have happened?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"The Odyssey was destroyed by the dark force that has arisen from the Dark Matrix. After I left the ship with the girl, I traveled to her home planet of Pholon. Once there, Tai Lecau abducted the girl and left valuable information with her about the secrets of the Matrix, secrets she passed on to me. However, Tai Lecau is not behind this. When he took the dark powers of the Matrix of Life upon himself, it was a beacon for which evil could gather. Evil has now possessed his body, transforming it into a hideous servant of darkness, a demon from the underworld. Its mind, its spirit is that of…Unicron, and its mission is to take the power of all Matrices and corrupt them in a similar fashion. Once all of the Matrices are corrupted, Unicron will have the power to rule the universe unquestioned forever."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skyfire stared at Scarecrow in disbelief. "Unicron? Unicron is dead! The Autobot Matrix destroyed him centuries ago!"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"As I said, the Dark Matrix has summoned his spirit back, but there is much more to this tale." Scarecrow sighed and then continued. "The alien horde we face is not here to begin an invasion. Their only goal is to destroy all of us so that Unicron can take the Matrices.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“So Unicron is in charge of these things?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Unicron created the aliens millions of years ago to scour the universe for the Matrices. He was able to tap into the teleporter network that Cybertrax had constructed to bring the races who possessed the Matrices together one day. He sent swarms of aliens to scour planets in search of the Matrices, to find them and bring them back. Of course, he did not want his army to turn on him when they succeeded, so he gave them no intelligence, save for savage killing instincts. A group of mechanical spiders was created to preside over these, to keep them focused. The spiders were programmed only to find the Matrices and bring them back, they did not have the capacity to learn or change their orders. Meanwhile, Unicron continued to gather power and search for Primus to destroy him. When Unicron was destroyed, the alien horde was left to its own devices. Some continued with their mission, while some of the groups began randomly invading worlds and conquering them. Some of the spiders had somehow been reprogrammed, or groups of the aliens were commandeered by more intelligent beings. Tai Lecau discovered this army when he took the power of the Matrix of Life and knew that he could use the girl to get us here so that he could destroy us and take the Matrices.” Scarecrow stopped and looked away sadly. “She had no idea that she was being used, he twisted her mind so that she thought that everything happened like she said, like I told you. The ships we ran into were a mirage to goad us into beliveing her story, as was the brutal manner the crew of the Pholonian ship was killed. He wanted to convince us that he was evil and out to conquer the universe so that we would race here into his trap.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Tai used the Dark Matrix to transport all of the alien horde to one location and once you arrived, they would begin to teleport here and destroy you. Unicron, when he took over Tai's form, continued this plan. I tried to stop him on Pholon, but he easily defeated me. He also destroyed the mind of the Pholonian girl we recovered. She…she is living in some fantasy world invented by her mind where nothing that has happened to her is real. I believe that it is he who destroyed the Odyssey and may now be in possession of the other Matrices."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"However, when I neared the wreckage of the Odyssey, a strange thing happened to me. My mind was filled with images and a voice telling me all that I have said, and more. It told me what must be done in order to destroy this evil that has been loosed about the universe…"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Enemy incoming!" Beachcomber's voice shouted. Scarecrow looked away, his face looking haunted. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I must go,” Scarecrow said suddenly and left the transport with Skyfire right behind him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What? The aliens are almost here. You can’t abandon us now!” Skyfire replied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“He is here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Who?<br />
“Unicron. He has commanded his minions to attack in order to distract us. But much more important things are at stake now. Before I go to face Unicron for the final time, there is something that you must know.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Scarecrow, you aren’t in any shape to take him on. Let me go instead!” Skyfire protested as the alien horde approached. He wanted to help his friends in the battle ahead, but he could not let Scarecrow go to a certain death.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Listen to me!” Scarecrow shouted angrily and Skyfire could see that there could be no further discussion of who would face Unicron. Scarecrow continued quietly, “There is only one way to stop Unicron and the Dark Matrix. You must destroy the Matrix of Harmony, Skyfire. Once it has perished, the others bonded to it will also be destroyed.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Destroyed? But what about the wisdom and knowledge that the Matrices contain? I can’t destroy those!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“There is scant time to explain, but I will tell you what Tai Lecau learned and what I have learned about the Matrices. They were never meant for mortals to possess. Cybertrax thought that he could shape the universe in his own image. To achieve his harmonious universe he focused powers from realms beyond our understanding into the Matrices. Each Matrix, as you know, was created unique so that the civilizations raised around them would be dependent upon each other. When Cybertrax created the Matrices, when he set himself up as a god and harnessed powers beyond his comprehension and unleashed them upon the universe, that was when all of this was set into motion. What is happening now was preordained from the creation of the Matrices. From billions of years ago, this day was foretold, the day when darkness would threaten to overshadow all things in the universe. On this day, great heroes would rise to the challenge and confront evil, sacrificing themselves to save all from the darkness that threatened to engulf the universe. This day of final reckoning is the day when Cybertrax’s hubris is purged from our universe, when we will have to learn to survive on our own, without the divine powers of the Matrices. It is no accident that you or I or anyone else is here today. This is our destiny.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skyfire was shocked and stared at Scarecrow dumbly. Ever since he had known Scarecrow, Skyfire had never once heard him utter so many words, and never so eloquently. “What’s happened to you, Scarecrow? Why all of this philosophical talk?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“On Pholon I was given the secrets of the Matrix by Kari, the girl that you and Valkyrie found. When I arrived here, the secrets were unleashed and I felt a change come over me, as if something had possessed me. It is the spirit of the Matrices, Skyfire, pushing me forward to my destiny. I must answer the call, and so must you. Find the Matrix of Harmony and destroy it. Then the physical link between our universe and those beyond will finally be severed for all time and the evil of Unicron will be banished for all eternity.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skyfire stared at Scarecrow and then nodded. “I will, Scarecrow, I promise.” Before Scarecrow could transform and take off, Skyfire touched his shoulder. “Thank-you, Scarecrow, you have been the most noble Predacon I have ever known. I’ll look for you in that realm beyond the Matrix.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow turned and clasped Skyfire’s hand. “As will I, friend. Our destiny calls, we cannot keep it waiting any longer.” Scarecrow transformed into his jet form and took off into the air. Skyfire watched him fade over the horizon and wished Scarecrow luck. Then he turned and became Jetfire. He found Skids and searched for the right words to say.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What’s going on, Jetfire?” Skids asked, sensing that something was wrong.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I have to go, Skids. I don’t want to leave you and the others to fight this battle, but there is a more important battle that needs to be won, and I am the only one who can fight it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“You aren’t making a lot of sense, Jetfire.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I know. Look, Scarecrow told me what needs to be done to destroy the Dark Matrix for good. I can’t ask any of you to do it, because I don’t want to risk losing you. There’s a strong chance that I won’t make it and...I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve appreciated your friendship to me and to Valkyrie. You helped us both through some of our most trying times and I never really thanked you for it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“It was no...”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I know, I know, but I wanted to say it. If I don’t return, I want you to take command and get the others home to Cybertron. I can’t think of anyone better suited for the job than you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Thanks, but I’m sure it won’t be necessary.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Something tells me otherwise. Promise me that you’ll get them home.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I promise.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Jetfire shook Skids’ hand and turned away. He transformed into his jet mode and took off into the air. He didn’t know if he would see his fellow Autobots again, but he knew that somehow they would survive and make it home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow landed and transformed, standing on a cracked plain of hard, dark brown rock. It was growing dark and Scarecrow knew that he would not have to wait long to find Unicron. He will come to me to try and find out what I know, Scarecrow thought. He will not succeed. Scarecrow pulled out his sword and studied the strange blade. Whatever the material was in the blade, it had failed to harm Unicron last time. And this time he will be even more powerful, Scarecrow thought. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I do what has been asked of me, that I play my role until the end. That I die as the warrior I am.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
From the growing darkness, something seemed to melt out of the shadows. Unicron’s red eyes became visible and Scarecrow took the sword in both hands, striking an en garde pose. “I see that I was unsuccessful in killing you the last time,” Unicron began. “This time I will not be so careless.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“My life means nothing to me, Unicron. I will gladly sacrifice it so that the universe will be free of your tyranny.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I see there can be no reasoning with you. It was the same with your Cybertraxian friend. She too refused to yield and thought that she could destroy me.” Something flew from Unicron’s hand and landed at Scarecrow’s feet. To his horror he saw that it was the head of a young humanoid female, whose clear blue eyes looked up sadly at Scarecrow. The woman’s face was unrecognizable below her nose, as blood from the gouges along her cheeks obscured everything. Scarecrow knew that it was Valkyrie. Not from her face, but from her eyes. They were filled with a sadness and wisdom that he had seen in her eyes. He had not talked to her very much, but he respected the sacrifice she had made to destroy Cybertrax. “That is all that is left of her I’m afraid. She chose to throw her life away foolishly. As do you. Once I have ripped the secrets of the Matrix from you, I will destroy the rest of your friends and find the Matrix of Harmony.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow lowered one arm and fired his plasma cannons, incinerating the head so that it would not rot for centuries on Cerberus. Scarecrow resumed his grip on his sword and growled, “You have desecrated the spark of a great leader and warrior. I will make you pay for that.” Scarecrow lunged forward and swung his sword into Unicron’s left wrist. The edge of the blade seemed to glow with white light as it hacked through Unicron’s exterior and cut deep into his wrist. Scarecrow quickly pulled the sword blade out and struck again, taking the left hand off. Unicron howled in pain and swiped at Scarecrow with his right hand. Scarecrow jumped back in time to avoid being hit by the claws and with a backhanded swing took off the claws on the right hand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron flew into the air and landed a few yards back. Then in his right hand appeared a black sword. The blade was curved like a scimitar and was tinged with a purple glow. Unicron’s left hand reappeared, albeit without the claws, and he charged forward. He raised the sword over his head and swung it down at Scarecrow with all of his might. Scarecrow met the blow with his blade and a mighty clash echoed over the plain and into infinity. The two blades were locked, but Unicron used all of his strength to force both swords downward. Before Scarecrow could recover, Unicron brought his scimitar back up to take Scarecrow’s head off. The Predacon leapt back, the pommel of the Unicron’s sword striking Scarecrow in the face and sending him crashing to the ground. Unicron tried to bring his blade down on Scarecrow, but Scarecrow brought his sword up and blocked the blow and swept Unicron’s legs from under him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Both warriors quickly got to their feet and for a moment they stared at one another. They leapt at each other and again the blades clashed. For hours they fought across the plain, their swords colliding, neither warrior gaining the upper hand. Scarecrow was struck in the left leg, torso, and right arm while Unicron was slashed across both arms and his upper torso. Knowing that he had to change the momentum of the fight, Scarecrow fired a burst from his plasma cannons and charged while Unicron was distracted. He swept his sword to the left and struck Unicron in the right hand. Unicron’s blade fell to the ground, his hand partially severed. Scarecrow quickly brought his sword back and the edge of the blade sliced into Unicron’s head. One of his eyes turned dark and he screamed with rage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron stumbled backwards and Scarecrow gripped the handle of his sword with both hands. As Unicron reeled from the last attack, Scarecrow lunged forward and plunged the blade squarely into the monster’s chest. There was a flash of white light and Unicron doubled over, screaming in pain. Scarecrow stepped back and watched as Unicron’s exterior cracked open, his body collapsing into a pile of black rubble. From the rubble rose a sphere lit by purple light that formed itself into Unicron’s shape. From the body of pure energy glowed the red eyes. Unicron lifted his arms into the air and from his entire form came a wave of energy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
There was no time for Scarecrow to scream or even to move before the wave of purple energy was upon him. He felt it strike him and then instantly his body began to dematerialize. He was silent, his eyes meeting Unicron’s until he finally vaporized into nothingness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron took off into the air, his entire form glowing with rage. He could feel the Matrix of Harmony and knew that it was close. He would find it and take it, then he would have all the power of the Matrices. He had taken the secrets of the Matrices from Kari, but they would not open for him. No matter how much he tried, he could not pry them out. Now that Scarecrow was dead, he would be denied from ever knowing them, but it did not matter. He would soon have the power of the Matrices. After that there would be plenty of time for him to learn their secrets. That his physical body had been destroyed was of no concern to him. He would not need it any more. He was above the merely physical now. He was a god.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Chapter Three</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Jetfire stood on the bridge of the Odyssey and opened the restoration chamber. Perceptor emerged and Jetfire’s heart sank when he saw that Valkyrie was not in there. “What happened, Perceptor?” Jetfire demanded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“There was a breach in the hull and I went to check on it. There was a strange being there, a creature composed of a black material I could not identify. It had red eyes and large, very sharp claws. I did what I could to defend myself, but I was no match for it. I was wounded and knocked unconscious. I had seen nor heard anything until you opened the restoration chamber,” Perceptor explained.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Where’s Valkyrie?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I don’t know. Last time I knew she was in the restoration chamber. She must have emerged and found me. What happened to her I do not know.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Jetfire turned away, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Unicron had boarded the ship and rendered Perceptor unconscious. When Valkyrie had come to she had found Perceptor, placed him in the restoration chamber, and separated the front quarter from the rest of the ship. She had then detonated the other three-quarters and had probably been killed in doing so. She’s gone, he thought gloomily. She’s gone and I wasn’t even here to help her, to defend her in her time of need. He cursed himself bitterly and turned back to his friend. “Keep the ship in orbit and wait for Skids to signal you. I have to go and I probably won’t be coming back. You’ve been a good, wise friend Perceptor. I’ll miss your advice and your keen intellect.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Perceptor shook Jetfire’s hand and he looked at Jetfire sadly. “I am truly sorry about Valkyrie. I did not know her long, but she was a brave Autobot and a noble comrade. As have you been. Not since Optimus Prime himself have I seen an Autobot so courageous and so willing to put innocent lives before their own. All of Cybertron will miss you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Jetfire was shocked by Perceptor’s assertions and stammered, “Thank-you Perceptor.” He turned and slowly walked away, heading for the airlock he had entered at. He opened it and jumped out into space, sealing the airlock before transforming into his fighter mode. Valkyrie was gone and Jetfire could only take comfort in the fact that he would soon be with her beyond the Matrix. He lit his afterburners and streaked towards the center of the planetary system.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The alien horde had arrived. The fiery yellow aliens immediately began to hurl fireballs at the force field, attempting to tear it down. Skids motioned for the others to hold their fire until the enemy had massed along the slope to the ridge. “Fire!” He shouted over the comlink and as one the transports, Autobots, and Shockwave opened fire. A section of the force field opened just long enough for the barrage to fly through before sealing itself. Missiles and laser energy tore into the front lines of the aliens, dropping dozens of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The aliens began to retreat instantly, seeking cover. None was to be had and Skids ordered everyone to launch another volley. More aliens were killed and the horde wheeled back towards the force field. Sensing themselves between a rock and a hard place, the aliens began to pound the force field with everything they had. “It isn’t going to last much longer!” Wheeljack shouted, seeing that the power of the field was nearly exhausted from the massive beating it had sustained.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Everyone get ready!” Skids commanded. He knelt down behind the dirt and stone wall he had carved for himself and readied his rifle. Once the aliens were through, the battle would turn into a close-quarters brawl and then Primus only knew what would happen. The Transformers loosed a pair of barrages before the force field finally went down. The swarm of aliens had been reduced by a quarter all ready, but there were still nearly a thousand of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The aliens surged ahead as the force field collapsed and the Cybertronians opened fire. They cut down more of the horde, but the aliens formed into smaller groups and charged for the transports and fortifications. Skids and Wheeljack were the closest and nearly a hundred aliens descended upon them, hurling fireballs that smashed into the fortifications and began to wear them away. Skids fired over his fortification, firing round after round until a fireball caught him in the left shoulder. His gun flew from his hand just as another fireball smashed into his chest and sent him toppling to the ground.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Wheeljack fired his rifle and missile launcher at the aliens attacking Skids, trying to make his way to help his friend. He ran from behind his wall and across open terrain, moving wildly to avoid being hit by a fireball. One of the flaming projectiles hit his right shoulder and his missile launcher exploded, taking off his right arm and damaging that side of his face. Wheeljack kept moving towards Skids until a pair of fireballs hit his left leg at the thigh, nearly severing it. Wheeljack pitched forward and crawled towards his friend. A fireball ripped into the side of his chest and Wheeljack was finally stilled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Shockwave was near the rear, firing from his gun mode. He saw Wheeljack and Skids fall and felt a surge of something run through him. He couldn’t identify it, but watching the Autobots be cut down brought back memories of Cybertrax, when the Cybertraxians he had been with were all killed, save one. They had given their lives to defend Shockwave and Scarecrow as they reprogrammed the astrogation computers inside of Cybertrax. They had given their lives to save the universe from Cybertrax and he had been unable to help them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Now it was all happening again. This time it was his Autobot friends sacrificing themselves in order to defeat the alien horde so that its evil could not spread to other worlds and take more innocent lives. Shockwave transformed and saw Wheeljack and Skids lying in the dirt, their inert forms scarred and blackened from fireballs. Wheeljack still lay with his face in the dirt, his remaining arm reaching towards Skids. Then Shockwave turned towards the transports and could see the aliens turning towards them to destroy Beachcomber and Grapple. A small contingent was also heading towards him, but he did not care.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I will not let it happen again! I will not stand idly by and allow these Autobots to give their lives for a noble cause!” Shockwave could feel something possess him, a kind of blind fury that he had never known before. He screamed a blood-curdling war cry and leapt from behind his position of cover. He began to fire madly and charged into the midst of the alien horde, who were turning away from the transports to face this new threat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Shockwave poured energy from the cannon that was his right hand into the aliens, destroying one after another at close range. When his systems told him that he was low on energon, he transferred all power from other systems and kept firing. The aliens hit him with fireballs, but the Decepticon warrior would not fall. After he was out of energy for his weapon, he used it as a club, smashing it right and left amongst the aliens who clamored to try and take down the seemingly unstoppable warrior. He tore at the aliens with his left hand as well, ripping apart the aliens limb from limb. At one point he had torn the arm from one creature and wielded it like a club, bringing it down upon its fellows until it was nothing more than a useless heap of bloody flesh. He cast it aside and continued his relentless assault, even as he was hit again and again by fireballs, fists, and feet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
For hours the battle raged, until the light was becoming visible over the horizon. Beachcomber and Grapple did what they could to help, and slowly the tide of the battle began to turn. The maelstrom that had formed around Shockwave slowly began to subside, and yet the Decepticon was still on his feet, fighting as though inspired by a god. His armor was almost completely disintegrated except for a few fragments that clung to his blackened, skeletal frame. Many of his internal systems were completely destroyed, and yet somehow Shockwave kept fighting. He beat aside one after another alien that pressed against him. He stomped upon the fallen with his feet, ripped into the flesh beyond the fiery exteriors with his left hand, and smashed open skulls with his right arm. No quarter was given to any of the fallen, and yet the enemy still came, still tore and shot at this seemingly invincible enemy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Beachcomber and Grapple finally joined the fray when the weapons on the transports were used up. They fired their weapons until they were useless, and then used the rifles as clubs, trying desperately to penetrate to the heart of the storm to reach Shockwave and save him before he expired. Light finally touched the battlefield and still the fight continued. Shockwave’s right arm was finally torn off at the elbow and he grabbed the fallen limb with his left arm. He smashed the limb into the aliens, roaring with renewed fury. Alien fireballs battered his left leg and finally it gave way, snapping off at the knee. Shockwave pitched forward, but continued to fight from the ground. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The aliens, numbering less than twenty now, could sense victory. Half of them pushed the two Autobots back while the remainder tore into Shockwave’s fallen form. They clawed at him and launched fire into him at close range. Shockwave’s left arm was finally neutralized and the aliens roared with triumph.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The Autobots renewed their attack, struggling desperately to make it to their comrade’s side before he was finished off. They were both badly damaged, but neither took notice, all they cared about was saving the former enemy who had fought so valiantly to destroy the alien menace. They smashed through the alien line and reached Shockwave’s side. The Decepticon was nearly dead, and yet his eye continued to glow strongly with life. Only a handful of aliens remained and together Beachcomber and Grapple destroyed them one at a time, ignoring the damage they took from the aliens’ final shots. Then, as the last of the creatures fell to the dirt, silence was draped about the battlefield like a stifling curtain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Beachcomber and Grapple sank down to their knees next to Shockwave and helped him sit up. “We have...won?” Shockwave asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Yes, thanks to you,” Grapple replied sadly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Optimus himself could not have fought so well,” Beachcomber added.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I did...nothing. It was the only...logical...thing...to...do,” Shockwave responded, his voice fading as his spark prepared to transition from the realm of the living. The two Autobots gently laid Shockwave down as his spark emerged from his body, flying high into the sky. It seemed to hesitate a moment, as if it wanted to come back and cling to life, but then it continued its upward trek and vanished from sight. Shockwave’s body turned gray and cold and the two Autobots knelt over him silently for a long time. They finally stirred and went over to their fallen Autobot comrades. Wheeljack and Skids were both grievously wounded, but their sparks had gone into emergency stasis so that they would live.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Grapple looked around the battlefield, where alien corpses were piled in bloody heaps all around like a final monument to Shockwave’s heroic sacrifice. He had known the Decepticon for a long time, and never had he thought he would see the day when a Decepticon would fight so bravely for such a noble cause. “He gave his life for us...all of us,” Grapple whispered and looked up at the sky. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“He sacrificed himself so that future generations would never again be terrorized by this demon horde,” Beachcomber agreed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“When we get back to Cybertron I will build a memorial to him like that the universe has never known,” Grapple vowed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Beachcomber laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder and nodded. “I’ll help you.” Then they took the bodies of Skids and Wheeljack to the Pathfinder for transport back to the Odyssey. As they took off in the transport, the Autobots looked down at the battlefield, where those of his enemies surrounded Shockwave's corpse. “We have to come back down here, to give him a proper funeral,” Beachcomber said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Yes,” Grapple agreed. “Just try to stop me.” The Pathfinder leapt higher into the air and it was only as they neared the atmosphere that the two Autobots thought to wonder what had become of Scarecrow or Skyfire.</div>
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*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Jetfire passed the innermost planet of the system and could feel the heat from the orange, medium-sized star ahead of him. He steeled himself for what he was about to do and could only hope that he made it close enough to the star to do so. His sensors estimated only another five minutes before he reached the point of no return, when the star’s gravity would be too powerful for him to break away. After that, there could be no turning back.</div>
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Jetfire could feel something approaching, something dark and sinister. He knew that Scarecrow would not succeed in his fight against Unicron, that nothing but the destruction of the Matrix could stop Unicron once and for all. A ball of purple energy surged past Jetfire and he knew that Unicron was on his tail, trying to stop Jetfire from his mission.</div>
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“Where is the Matrix of Harmony?” Unicron demanded, his voice rumbling through Jetfire’s comlink</div>
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“It is with me, you will have to tear open my chest to find it,” Jetfire replied, urging himself to go faster. He still did not know why he had taken the Matrix of Harmony when he had gone to the Matrix shrine to consult the Matrix, he had just felt that it was something that he had to do. It was as though some unseen force had compelled him to take it. Jetfire avoided more of Unicron’s shots and thought back to what Scarecrow had told him. Fate, destiny, whatever it is, it knew that this would happen, that this battle would take place. I have lived for over four million years, and yet even before then my end was foretold, my fate already sealed. There were only two minutes until he could no longer turn back, and Jetfire knew that Unicron was preparing for a final attack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Perhaps I should kill you as I did your lover and exterminate you as a weak fleshling. Or perhaps I should annihilate you like your Predacon comrade, disintegrating you and forever ridding the universe of even the most microscopic trace of your existence.” Jetfire felt his fluids go cold as his worst fears were confirmed. Unicron had killed Valkyrie, the only one he had ever truly loved, the one whose soul was linked to him. He forced himself to press ahead, knowing that there was nothing he could do to destroy Unicron with his weapons. Valkyrie, Scarecrow, and all the others Unicron had killed would be avenged, once and for all time.</div>
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Seeing that Jetfire would not take the bait and drop back to fight, Unicron unleashed a wave of energy like he had used against Scarecrow. Jetfire quickly dove down and spun hard to the right, the wave flying over him and disappearing. Unicron followed Jetfire’s maneuver, and Jetfire could see that only thirty seconds remained. Unicron fired another wave and Jetfire deftly avoided it, continuing on course. He twirled around through space like a corkscrew as Unicron unleashed a final, hellish assault with everything he had. Jetfire was hit in the middle of the fuselage, but regained control and kept going.</div>
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“Warning: temperatures rising past tolerances,” a computerized voice told Jetfire and he shut it off. He vented all of his power to his heat shields and only hoped that he could make it. There was a beep in his cockpit and he stoically noted that he had reached the point of no return. Still he forged ahead, the heat and gravity threatening to destroy him.</div>
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He plunged ahead until he was only five miles from the surface of the star. Jetfire began to transform, his gears howling in protest. His body shimmered silver and then partially reverted to his Skyfire form. However, the liquid metal was beginning to buble, and so Skyfire’s exterior was streaked with bubbling silver metal. He reached back for his weapon, as he could see Unicron coming to swoop down on him before he fell into the star, but his rifle was melted. When his hand went forward, it had become a lump of bubbling liquid slag. “Ultra Combat mode,” he commanded, but the intense heat was taking its toll on his interior as well, fusing his circuits together in many places and melting his internal mechanisms. </div>
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“You are finished, you foul spawn of Primus!” Unicron shouted with triumph. </div>
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As Unicron spoke, Skyfire’s exterior boiled off completely, leaving his internals exposed to the star. The strong Cybertronian alloys were stressed well beyond their limits and begun to turn into slag. Seeing his victory at hand, Unicron swept down towards the helpless Maximal. Skyfire could do nothing, what remained of him was little more than the Matrix, his spark, and a lump of nearly unrecognizable slag.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“At last, the Matrices will be mine!” Unicron roared and his body of energy entered what remained of Skyfire to bond with the Matrix and take its power. Skyfire could feel Unicron growing more and more powerful and could feel darkness all around him. The last of Skyfire’s systems failed and his universe went dark.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
When next he looked around, he was standing on a dark, empty plain. He looked at his hand and realized that it was made only of pale blue energy, the energy from his spark. The plain suddenly lit up with purple light, and Skyfire could see Unicron, reaching for the Matrix of Harmony that was hovering in the air. “They are mine now, Maximal!” Unicron called.</div>
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Skyfire suddenly realized what he had to do. He charged forward and dove at Unicron, knocking monster off of his feet. Unicron grappled with Skyfire, but the Maximal would not let him up, fighting with more intensity than he ever had in his existence. Just a few more seconds, Skyfire thought. “You cannot hope to destroy me, fool. You are no match for me,” Unicron sneered and Skyfire punched him in the face and then leapt off of Unicron.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No, you are no match for me. Your powers are useless against me, now that I am dead and my spark beyond the reach of even the Matrix,” Skyfire replied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“As am I,” Valkyrie’s voice cried out and emerged from the darkness, her form once more that of the Autobot warrior she had been.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The same for me,” Scarecrow growled and he too appeared from the darkness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“For Valkyrie, Scarecrow, and all free beings in the universe, I banish you back to where you belong! Back to the fiery Pit where your spark will languish for all eternity! Never again will you terrorize innocent creatures! Never again shall any suffer your schemes and ambitions! Never again shall anyone have to sacrifice their life in order to stop you! What was foretold has now come to pass. My destiny is complete!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Before Unicron could escape, the spirits of the three Transformers stepped towards Unicron, each latching hold of him with an iron grip, even as he struggled against them with all of his strength. Fire began to rip through the darkness and Unicron screamed as it touched him and ripped his body asunder. The three heroes stepped back and watched white light explode from the Matrix of Harmony as fire consumed it. The white light rippled out from the darkness and burst from Skyfire’s remains as they tumbled into the surface of the star and evaporated.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The wave of light continued throughout the universe, to where each of the Matrices were kept. On numerous worlds, the revered, holy artifacts suddenly vanished in a burst of light and populations of billions were left to wonder what had happened and if it was a miracle or a curse. On Cybertron, the bearer of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership collapsed and could feel a pain they had never known, as if billions of voices were crying out for salvation. The disturbance passed and yet the Matrix remained where it was. Although kindred spirits to the other Matrices, the special Matrix given to Primus by Cybertrax was not linked to the Matrix of Harmony, and could not be destroyed by it. Nevertheless, the bearer of the Matrix, and all those in the future could feel a certain sadness taint the Matrix, a sadness like that of losing a friend or comrade.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The wave of energy finally dissipated, and only then was the task complete. The Matrices Cybertrax had created were gone, their powers unable to ever be tapped again by mere mortals. Their power resided back where it belonged, to distant realms that no being could comprehend until they made that final journey from life to death.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <br />
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Epilogue</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidbUKGDMei_aJIbmNYQ0moYvS7c-enwF5SXwxnRXBP9IDk_0qMgMeAjVDMWzeAb8FcCQVzCeec2keX5rXOqX1s4EoLu1x26OLrNq8ygMOgn5pQGNYBlA67gEUIeFZiYElOV3Tjh48YF2V/s1600/kari5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidbUKGDMei_aJIbmNYQ0moYvS7c-enwF5SXwxnRXBP9IDk_0qMgMeAjVDMWzeAb8FcCQVzCeec2keX5rXOqX1s4EoLu1x26OLrNq8ygMOgn5pQGNYBlA67gEUIeFZiYElOV3Tjh48YF2V/s320/kari5.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
For two weeks, young Kari Chomar had spent her days looking out the window of the orphanage, wishing that her parents would come. She had talked to no one and only sat by the window and listened to the snickering of her fellow orphans, who believed her mad. As they should, for once found by authorities, the girl had discovered that there were no records of her, and that the parents she claimed to have had never existed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
She didn’t know what to think any longer. What was real and what was fiction had all blended together. Perhaps the strange dream she had had was not a dream, but reality. Perhaps all of this was a dream and she was still standing in the rain in an alley, faced by an evil demon. What difference did it make? In either world she had no friends, no family, and no home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
As darkness fell, Kari crawled into her bed, the sheets enveloping her small body. She refused to eat, bathe, or do anything but stare out the window and had been kept alive only by food and water forced down her throat. As she did every night, Kari wept quietly in bed, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks and staining the sheets. She didn’t know if she was weeping for being trapped in this place, for her parents, or for something else she could not even describe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
As she wiped away some of the tears, she saw a faint white glow hovering at the edge of her bed. She sat up and saw a familiar form outlined by the light. She could not remember who he was, but she remembered him from her dream. He was a man whom the demon had destroyed in her dream. How could he be here now?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Kari,” the man whispered, his voice seeming to echo through eternity. “Your task is complete. Now I have come to free you once and for all.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Who are you?” Kari asked timidly. The man reached out a hand and it gently caressed Kari’s face and tousled her short hair like a summer breeze. “Tai,” she breathed, the memories suddenly coming back to her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“It is I, Kari. I come to bring you the peace you have earned. You have long suffered for the desires and ambitions of others. At last you have earned your reward.” He extended his hand to her and slowly Kari stood up. She reached out and took the hand and her own small body began to glow. The light began to grow stronger and she was lifted up off the bed. Tai took her into his arms and with one final burst, the light faded. Kari Chomar was never seen or heard from again.</div>
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*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The five Autobots stood around the body of Shockwave, their heads hung with grief. The Odyssey had landed a short distance away and preparations had begun immediately for the funeral. Skids and Wheeljack had spent hours in the restoration chamber, but Wheeljack was still missing his arm, he did not want to delay the funeral and so wore a covering over his right shoulder socket. Skids, now the commander of the Autobots, stepped forward towards where Shockwave lay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“My friends, we have assembled here to say farewell to a brave and dear comrade. Others were lost in this war...friends who will never be replaced.” Skids stopped as his voice faltered. He thought of Valkyrie, Scarecrow, and Skyfire and for several long moments could not continue. “Of all of them, none fought so bravely against so many odds. Outnumbered a thousand to one, Shockwave stood his ground and fought valiantly. It is because of him that all of us are here, that we are still alive to celebrate his memory.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“None of us will ever forget him or what he did, how he sacrificed himself so selflessly, with no thought to his own life. He gave so that others might live without fear, without evil darkening their lives. For that we are in his debt.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“None of us will ever forget this Decepticon warrior whom we fought against in the bitter civil war that lasted for over four million years. He was an enemy then, but now in the end he has become a friend we will all remember and whom future generations will never forget. He fought more courageously than ourselves were capable of and turned certain defeat into victory. His spark is now one with the Matrix, taking its place with Cybertron’s greatest heroes and defenders. We salute our comrade and hope that we can learn from his selfless sacrifice.” Skids stepped back with the others and Beachcomber pressed a button on the incinerator Shockwave’s corpse was lying on. As it began to glow and disintegrate Shockwave’s body, the Autobots turned their heads skyward and sang an ancient Autobot hymn to honor all of their fallen friends. The incinerator finished and the Autobots slowly trudged back towards the Odyssey to begin preparing for their journey home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skids sat in the Odyssey’s command chair as the ship took off. He and the others knew that with only part of the ship it would take centuries for them to return home. Still, Skids had promised Jetfire that he would get the crew home. Silence hung over the bridge as no one dared to speak. Wheeljack had returned to the restoration chamber while the others tended to their stations, taking inventory of what remained.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skids closed his eyes and suddenly from the blackness came a soft blue glow. Skids could see the shadowy forms of Skyfire and Valkyrie. They smiled at him and Skids could see Valkyrie reach out her hand and touch his shoulder. “You’ve been my best friend, Skids, but do not grieve for me. Skyfire and I are together and this time nothing can tear us apart. We will miss you, but when your spark finally travels beyond the Matrix we will be here to welcome you. I know that when you reach home you will find someone who can love you the way I would have liked to, were not my love for Skyfire so strong.” Valkyrie pulled away and Skyfire smiled once more at his friend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“When you return home, make certain that all know of your deeds and what you have accomplished here. We can never forget what can happen when ambition and pride are set above all else. Honor our memories and those of all who have fallen here. It is time that we go, but we will meet again, Skids. Until then, remember what we have said and what you have seen.” Both Valkyrie and Skyfire faded from view and Skids opened his eyes to find the others looking strangely at him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Skids, is something wrong?” Grapple asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Skids shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. What’s our status?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“You’re not going to believe this, but when we entered orbit our sensors picked up something,” Beachcomber began.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What was it?” Skids asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The rest of the Odyssey...intact,” Perceptor finished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“That’s impossible!” Skids blurted out, but when he stood he could see the other three-quarters sitting a short distance away, looking as though nothing had happened. “It’s...it’s a miracle.” He breathed and sensed that the visit from Valkyrie and Skyfire had something to do with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“We have determined that it is no illusion,” Perceptor reported.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Can we dock with it and reunite the ship?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“It’ll be tricky, but nothing we can’t handle,” Grapple replied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
A smile spread across Skids’ face as he looked around the bridge at the other Autobots. He had served with none better than these, nor, he knew, would he ever. He clapped Grapple’s shoulder and said quietly, “Let’s go home then.” Grapple nodded and slowly maneuvered the front quarter towards the remainder.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
It was only then that Skids wondered what would happen next. The Matrices were gone, Unicron defeated, and the alien horde destroyed, what still awaited them out there? Perhaps, he thought, we’ll finally have peace. One thing he did know was that with the Matrices, Cybertrax, and Unicron gone, the destiny begun billions of years ago had finally come to an end. We’ll have to make our own way now, Skids thought. No one will help us or guide us, we mortals will finally have to create our own path through the cosmos. As he sunk back into the command chair, Skids sighed contentedly. Destiny is in our own hands now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The End</span></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Thank goodness)</span></span></o:p></div>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-54029914221188904062007-06-13T10:04:00.000-07:002009-03-09T10:03:16.639-07:00Destiny's End: Book 2<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>Book Two:<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>Hellfire</u></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></b></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Chapter 1 </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire set Beachcomber on the bed and looked around the room.<span style=""> </span>The room had been sickbay for a young humanoid female that Skyfire and Valkyrie had rescued, but now the girl and the Predacon Scarecrow were missing.<span style=""> </span>What was odd was that no transports had left the hangar, so Scarecrow must have found some other way off of the ship.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He activated his comlink and called Wheeljack and Skids, who were searching Scarecrow’s quarters.<span style=""> </span>“Have you found anything?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well, you aren’t going to believe this,” Skids began.<span style=""> </span>“But he left Shockwave here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?<span style=""> </span>Did he download Shockwave’s core...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, Shockwave is lying in his quarters, looking just like when he was a Decepticon.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack hasn’t detected any trace of Scarecrow or Predacon components.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m on my way.<span style=""> </span>Search his terminal and see if he left any files.<span style=""> </span>Maybe we can establish a motive or figure out where he’s going.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire hurried from the room, leaving Beachcomber on the bed.<span style=""> </span>As he went to Scarecrow’s quarters, Skyfire called Valkyrie on the comlink.<span style=""> </span>“Valkyrie, I need you to start a search of the area, see if you can pick up his trail.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about the Odyssey?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ll stay right here until you find something.<span style=""> </span>I can’t risk the Matrices by running into a potentially dangerous situation.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right, I’m on my way.<span style=""> </span>I’ll report back when I find something.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire felt uneasy about sending Valkyrie alone, but he had little choice.<span style=""> </span>She was the fastest other than Jetfire, so it was only logical to send her out before the trail got cold.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire sighed as he hurried to Scarecrow’s quarters and remembered the final talk he had had with the Predacon.<span style=""> </span>I had no idea he would do anything like this, but I guess I should have known after he destroyed those two ships, Skyfire mused.<span style=""> </span>It didn’t make any sense, though.<span style=""> </span>The girl hadn’t even woke up yet, and there was no indication of who she was or where she was from.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire and Beachcomber reached Scarecrow’s quarters and when the doors parted, Skyfire gasped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sitting on Scarecrow’s bed, was Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>If Scarecrow was gone, how could Shockwave be here?<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow had shared a body with Shockwave since they had come across the planet where Scarecrow’s ship had crashed years ago.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow must have found some way to separate himself.<span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack, is there any way that he could have created a separate body for himself?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well, we have some spare parts around here, but I doubt that if he did make a body it would get very far.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow was a genius with computers and a brilliant warrior, but he wasn’t an engineer, so I don’t think he had the skill for such a task.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about Shockwave, maybe he helped.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Creating a working Transformer body takes a lot of skill and special parts.<span style=""> </span>That’s why we don’t just produce them on an assembly line.<span style=""> </span>Even on Cybertron it can take years to create a functional body for a spark.<span style=""> </span>If we could create bodies so easily, Megatron would have produced millions of sparkless drones to use in battle against us.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then I guess we have to assume that there is a more...supernatural cause,” Skyfire conceded quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you saying?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The Matrices.<span style=""> </span>Maybe he used one of them, or perhaps the Matrices had use for Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>In any case we have to find him and figure out what is going on.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“These computers aren’t going to be much help,” Wheeljack snorted.<span style=""> </span>“He’s got a complicated code system that I can’t even begin to figure out.<span style=""> </span>It’ll take a while to get access, if we ever can.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Keep working at it.<span style=""> </span>Hopefully Valkyrie can find him and talk some sense into him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“If he doesn’t destroy her first,” Skids replied softly.<span style=""> </span>There was a moment of silence and Skyfire wondered if he hadn’t made a bad decision in sending Valkyrie out alone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>His comlink came on and Perceptor’s voice said, “Skyfire, I have some most interesting information for you.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Go ahead, Perceptor.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think it would be better if you came down to the hangar,” Skyfire had asked Perceptor to go over the girl’s ship to see if he could find anything.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m on my way.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire left Skids and Wheeljack and hurried to the hangar where Perceptor stood near the girl’s ship.<span style=""> </span>“Did you find out where she’s from?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m afraid not, but after reviewing the language of the computer system, I have determined that we have encountered this race previously.<span style=""> </span>Or rather, myself and Wheeljack have.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Explain.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nearly two years ago, Wheeljack and I were studying a nebula when we received a distress signal.<span style=""> </span>We found a large ship with a radioactive leak from one of its fusion reactors.<span style=""> </span>What was curious was that the ship’s crew was composed entirely of children, all of whom had been slain by a creature.<span style=""> </span>At any rate, from my initial studies of this ship, I have determined that it is of the same race, which is why we were able to translate the captain of the attacking vessel.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and I gave each of you a copy of the translation algorithm after our return from our first encounter with this culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Did you find out what happened to the crew?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not conclusively.<span style=""> </span>We know that something changed the crew from adults to children, but we were not able to find out what.<span style=""> </span>It could have been some kind of temporal disturbance.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This ship, it was being manned by children, correct?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“As was this vessel that we rescued.<span style=""> </span>Is it possible that this girl could be from that ship, that she was an adult and then somehow transformed into a child and was trying to find help?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It is possible.<span style=""> </span>I will try to determine if this ship is from the one we encountered previously.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Call me if you find anything.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire headed for the bridge, where Grapple was sitting alone at the helm.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple looked up at Skyfire and said, “It’s no surprise that Predacon ran.<span style=""> </span>He destroyed those two ships without any remorse.<span style=""> </span>He’s probably using the girl to find her home and wipe them all out or make them serve him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire sat down at the communications station, eager to hear Valkyrie’s voice again.<span style=""> </span>“That doesn’t seem to be his style.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Didn’t you say that the reason he fled Cybertron was to gather energon to start a war to rule the universe?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That was a long time ago.<span style=""> </span>Besides, if he had wanted that, then why run now?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s a descendant of the Decepticons, his motivations don’t have to be logical.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire decided that it would be best not discuss the issue any further.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow was a Predacon and saw things differently from Maximals or Autobots.<span style=""> </span>What he or Grapple would brand evil, Scarecrow would see only as what had to be done.<span style=""> </span>“We’ll find out what he’s up to when we catch him.<span style=""> </span>In the meantime, I think Perceptor could use your skills in the hangar.<span style=""> </span>We’re trying to determine if the girl’s ship was related from one Perceptor and Wheeljack found adrift.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure you’d be better at structural analysis than anyone else.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and stood up.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll do what I can, but if we find that that Predacon harmed even a hair on that girl’s head, he’s going to have to answer to me.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple stormed from the bridge and Skyfire wondered about the source of his friend’s uncharacteristic outburst.<span style=""> </span>Grapple was an architect and artist, he was not prone to violence or revenge.<span style=""> </span>Still, the war had affected many lives.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and hoped that he heard from Valkyrie soon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Valkyrie was cruising through empty space at top speed.<span style=""> </span>She had picked up the ion trail of something, which didn’t mean that it was Scarecrow, but it was better than nothing.<span style=""> </span>There was no indication of what kind of vehicle was making the trail, but given the proximity of inhabitable planets, there was a very high chance that it was Scarecrow.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Valkyrie had never really gotten to know Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Whenever he was active he had always been aloof, usually brooding in his quarters.<span style=""> </span>On the occasions when he had emerged from his quarters, he had not said more than ten words to her, none of which had been polite.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had told her about Scarecrow, about his fleeing of Cybertron, manipulation of a culture through their computer system, takeover of Shockwave’s body, and his small contribution to stopping Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>Like any Decepticon or Predacon, Scarecrow was evil, but could do the right thing when it was in his best interest to do so.<span style=""> </span>She had to wonder, though, what he was after in this case.<span style=""> </span>The humanoid was only a young girl, what could she possibly have that he would want?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She followed the trail for another two hours, and then her sensors detected an object floating in space.<span style=""> </span>It was cylindrical, silver, and about as big as one of Valkyrie’s fingers.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie stopped and did a passive scan of the object, hoping that she didn’t trigger any explosives.<span style=""> </span>Her scans showed that there was nothing dangerous in the capsule, instead it was a communications device.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie transformed and carefully grabbed the silver object.<span style=""> </span>There was a button set into one end of the capsule and when Valkyrie’s finger touched the button, a message was downloaded to her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow’s voice said, “Attention Autobots, this is Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>I have taken the humanoid female after a vision from the Matrix of Harmony.<span style=""> </span>This girl’s planet is in grave danger.<span style=""> </span>A man known as Tai Lecau has taken possession of a Matrix and used its power to kill the rest of the crew of the ship that Wheeljack and Perceptor discovered some time ago.<span style=""> </span>His goal is to use the power of the Matrix to rule the universe.<span style=""> </span>He must be stopped at all costs.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am going to his homeworld to confront him and hopefully take the Matrix from him.<span style=""> </span>However, this Tai Lecau is building a massive army on a moon called Cerberus.<span style=""> </span>This army, once mobilized, could wreak havoc across countless worlds.<span style=""> </span>You must destroy it.<span style=""> </span>Navigation data for the moon is in the computer of the girl’s ship.<span style=""> </span>You must hurry, before it is too late.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know what you Autobots think of me, but this is no time to let old squabbles divide us.<span style=""> </span>The Matrices are sacred and cannot be used for any one person’s gain.<span style=""> </span>If I should not return from my battle for the Matrix, know that...you are the most honorable Autobots I have ever known.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Valkyrie was frozen in space for several long minutes, letting the message sink in.<span style=""> </span>This was far worse than anything she could have imagined.<span style=""> </span>The power of a Matrix in the wrong hands could only spell disaster.<span style=""> </span>She wondered if Scarecrow could stop a man with the power of a Matrix.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow can take care of himself, she thought and transformed, heading back for the Odyssey.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire is not going to believe this.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Primus help us all,” Skyfire muttered as Valkyrie finished playing Scarecrow’s message.<span style=""> </span>The entire crew was huddled in the Odyssey’s conference room, all of them silent and shocked.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave and Beachcomber had been revived, but neither had been able to provide much help about why Scarecrow had fled with the girl.<span style=""> </span>Now, it appeared they had the answer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do we do?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked and all heads turned to Skyfire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire sighed and looked at everyone assembled.<span style=""> </span>A Maximal, a Decepticon, and six Autobot warriors against whatever awaited them on Cerberus.<span style=""> </span>It was highly likely that none of them would survive.<span style=""> </span>Still, what choice did they have?<span style=""> </span>Their nearest allies, the Cybertraxians on Hippolyta, were over too far away and there was no way that they could get help from Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>We’re on our own against this, he thought.<span style=""> </span>“Perceptor, find the data that Scarecrow mentioned;<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Grapple, survey our defenses and see if you can find ways to boost them; Skids, Valkyrie, and Beachcomber, check over every system of the ship and make sure that we’re ready for a fight; Shockwave, start on contingency plans that we can use.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about you?”<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie asked, her tone not indicating that she thought he was lazy, merely curious about what role he would assign himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I have something else to do,” Skyfire replied and hurried from the room.<span style=""> </span>The others broke up into their assigned teams and set to work.<span style=""> </span>In just moments their world had been turned upside-down and instead of heading for home, they were preparing for a war.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire entered the password and stepped into the room that contained the Matrices.<span style=""> </span>He knelt before the Matrix of Harmony, and could feel its power call to him.<span style=""> </span>He closed his eye and there was a flash of white light.<span style=""> </span>A voice said, “After eons, the appointed time has finally come.<span style=""> </span>The Great Trial has begun.<span style=""> </span>Darkness consumes one of our own now.<span style=""> </span>Only the hero of the light and the hero with the heart of darkness can overcome the evil and restore balance to the universe.<span style=""> </span>If they fail, then darkness will consume all and evil will forever rule all things.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great Matrix, what is it that I should do?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You must seek the darkness where it hides and confront it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I will do so, Great Matrix.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Beware the darkness, its powers are strong.”<span style=""> </span>There was a flash and Skyfire was returned to reality.<span style=""> </span>He stood and gazed at the Matrices.<span style=""> </span>The crystals of each of the Matrices were glowing in a different color, and Skyfire could only wonder what special power each one possessed.<span style=""> </span>He stopped at the Matrix of Harmony and wondered what it had told Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>He thought about what he had been told and could not even imagine what the dark threat was that he and the Odyssey’s crew would face.<span style=""> </span>Whatever it is, we’ll have to be as ready as possible, Skyfire thought and wondered gloomily if there really was any way to prepare.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stepped onto the bridge and saw Skids, Valkyrie, and Beachcomber running diagnostics.<span style=""> </span>“How’s it going?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All systems are in prime condition,” Skids answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Any word from the others yet?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack and Grapple are working on upgrading our weapons and Perceptor reported that he had gotten into the ship’s computer system, but hadn’t found the data yet.<span style=""> </span>There’s no word from Shockwave.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t expect Shockwave to report in for a while.<span style=""> </span>After you all are done here, take turns in the restoration chamber.<span style=""> </span>I want everyone in peak physical condition before we leave,” Skyfire ordered and then went over to the restoration chamber.<span style=""> </span>He opened the door and stepped inside.<span style=""> </span>This may be the last time I’ll get to use this thing, he thought as his systems went off-line for maintenance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Valkyrie turned to Skids as the door to the restoration chamber closed.<span style=""> </span>“So what do you think we’re going to be met with?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know, but there are probably going to be a lot of them.<span style=""> </span>Of course, if the enemy is recruiting from home then we could face some heavily armed humanoids.<span style=""> </span>It’s possible that they could have alliances with other planets we haven’t encountered, in which case we won’t know what we’re up against until we meet it face-to-face.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s not very comforting,” Valkyrie commented.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure whatever we meet, we’ll be able to stop it.<span style=""> </span>We stopped Cybertrax, I’m sure that we can handle this,” Skids replied comfortingly and quickly realized his error in mentioning Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry for bringing that up, I know it must still be painful to think about...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“About sacrificing myself to destroy Cybertrax and then giving up my identity so that I could be with Skyfire?<span style=""> </span>It is painful, yes, but I know you didn’t intend any harm, Skids.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber watched the two Autobots and as usual was completely baffled by the close rapport between Skids and Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>Skids had been close to Valkyrie even before she had been an Autobot, when she was the Cybertraxian leader Hippolyta, but Beachcomber had never been able to figure out why they were so close.<span style=""> </span>If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that Valkyrie was cheating on Skyfire with Skids, but he knew that was impossible.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie had come back from the dead for Skyfire, so there was no doubting her love for him.<span style=""> </span>As he finished checking the emergency power systems, he heard Skids and Valkyrie laughing about some joke that he hadn’t caught.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and made a mental note to ask the others later to see if they could provide any insight on the subject.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After another two hours, Percpetor called the bridge with the navigation data he had finally pried from the captured ship’s computer.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had not emerged from the restoration chamber yet, but Skids knew that Skyfire would want to get underway as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>He input the course into the helm and got an estimated time of arrival.<span style=""> </span>It would take four days at maximum speed to reach Cerberus, plenty of time to finish preparations, Skids thought.<span style=""> </span>“Are the engines ready to go?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Wheeljack via comlink.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Ready as they’ll ever be,” Wheeljack replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then I guess it’s time to charge into battle and meet our destiny,” Skids said softly and with the push of a button the Odyssey began building up speed and heading into the unknown.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:";font-size:12;" ><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Chapter 2</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After four days of tense travel, the Odyssey neared the brown moon of Cerberus.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was at battle stations and Perceptor began to scan the moon’s surface.<span style=""> </span>“The moon appears to be primarily mountainous with an atmosphere capable of supporting humanoid life.<span style=""> </span>There is little water or vegetation on the surface, and I would estimate that temperatures average twenty degrees Celsius at peak daytime hours and zero degrees Celsius at night,” Perceptor reported.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about enemy activity?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am detecting nothing.<span style=""> </span>There appears to be no intelligent life of any kind, nor are there any weapons or machines”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe they’re gone,” Skids suggested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Possibly, or they could be hiding somewhere.<span style=""> </span>Either way, we have to make sure.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber, Skids, Valkyrie, and I will go down to the surface to investigate.<span style=""> </span>Continue defense preparations and tell Shockwave to have some contingency plans ready when I return,” Skyfire ordered.<span style=""> </span>He stood up and the three Autobots followed him to the hangar.<span style=""> </span>As he entered the hangar, Skyfire’s body shimmered with a silver liquid and then reformed as the red, white, and black form of the Autobot Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire and Valkyrie transformed and Skids and Beachcomber climbed into Jetfire for the trip down.<span style=""> </span>The two fighters shot out of the hangar and were soon plunging through the moon’s atmosphere.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire had still not picked up any trace of an enemy army as he descended through a layer of wispy gray clouds.<span style=""> </span>Could Scarecrow or the girl be lying?<span style=""> </span>He wondered.<span style=""> </span>No, Scarecrow wouldn’t lie about anything this important.<span style=""> </span>There has to be an explanation.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire and Valkyrie set down on a vast desert plain and Skids and Beachcomber piled out.<span style=""> </span>The two fighters transformed into their robot forms and Jetfire looked around the wasteland.<span style=""> </span>“Not much to look at,” he mused.<span style=""> </span>“Beachcomber, start analyzing the crust, maybe there are caverns underneath that the enemy is using to hide.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and his specialized geological sensors set to work.<span style=""> </span>The other three Autobots huddled a short distance away to decide what to do next.<span style=""> </span>“I don’t want to split up, not if there is the chance of an enemy army around somewhere,” Jetfire began.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Agreed,” Skids nodded.<span style=""> </span>“Unless Beachcomber finds anything here, I would suggest that we head south for the moon’s largest mountain range.<span style=""> </span>That’s the only logical place for an enemy to hide if they don’t want their movements detected.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“But if it’s a large army, they won’t be able to camp in the mountains, not with a large number of soldiers and supplies.<span style=""> </span>They would need a large amount of uncluttered space.<span style=""> </span>So I would think they are either hiding underground or they have some kind of technology that makes them invisible and are hiding in plain sight,” Valkyrie responded.<span style=""> </span>The latter option had not occurred to Jetfire, and it scared him to think about it.<span style=""> </span>What if there was an army all around them that could not be seen?<span style=""> </span>From the technology of their ships, though, it seemed unlikely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There’s one way to find out,” Jetfire began and sighed.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll go up and do a full-spectrum scan of this entire moon.<span style=""> </span>Skids and Valkyrie, stay with Beachcomber while I’m gone.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Be careful,” Valkyrie warned and Jetfire nodded.<span style=""> </span>Then he transformed and took off high into the air, leaving the three Autobots behind.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie looked at Skids and said quietly, “Let’s hope he doesn’t find anything.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure he won’t,” Skids replied as cheerfully as possible.<span style=""> </span>They walked back over to where Beachcomber was studying the surface.<span style=""> </span>At their approach he shook his head gloomily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing but solid rock throughout the surface.<span style=""> </span>There was some magma and volcanic activity below the crust, but no signs of an underground cave system.<span style=""> </span>If they’re on this moon, it isn’t anywhere around here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe we should move to a different location,” Valkyrie suggested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids shook his head.<span style=""> </span>“Not until Jetfire returns.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber looked at the two close friends and then chipped in, “We could turn on our beacons.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire would be able to detect those and home in on us no matter where we went.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The enemy could also home in on them,” Skids replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think it’s worth the risk,” Valkyrie countered. <span style=""> </span>“We have to find this army, if it exists, before they are completely organized.<span style=""> </span>As well, there’s no way to know what will happen to Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can help him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids sighed, seeing the reason to her argument.<span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>Turn your beacons on and then roll out.<span style=""> </span>Val, make sure you stay with us in the air.<span style=""> </span>I don’t want you ranging out too far so that you get into trouble.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Valkyrie laughed and slapped Skids on the shoulder.<span style=""> </span>“Yes, Motherbot,” she teased and took off into the air, transforming as she did so.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber sighed and transformed, following behind Skids.<span style=""> </span>He had made subtle inquiries with Wheeljack, Grapple, and Perceptor, but none of them knew about the close friendship of Skids and Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>After all of this is over, maybe I’ll have to ask, he thought.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was slow work to use the special full-spectrum sensor that he had designed.<span style=""> </span>Each ten-mile grid had to be hovered over for several minutes in order for the scanner to run a scan through all parts of the spectrum from infrared to past ultraviolet and X-ray.<span style=""> </span>So far he hadn’t found anything of note, just a lot of empty ground and rocks.<span style=""> </span>There has to be something here, Jetfire thought.<span style=""> </span>What possible reason could the girl have to lie to Scarecrow and us?<span style=""> </span>Perhaps Scarecrow had planted the data in order to distract the Odyssey.<span style=""> </span>What motivation could he have for that?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>This whole situation doesn't make sense, Jetfire thought grimly.<span style=""> </span>We've come to a world that's supposed to have an army massing for battle but doesn't based on the word of a teenage humanoid who is supposed to be an adult but isn't.<span style=""> </span>On top of that, Scarecrow disappears, Shockwave is separated from him, and the Matrix of Harmony is telling me riddles.<span style=""> </span>It was as if in a short time the universe had gone crazy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire was shook from his disturbing thoughts as the full-spectrum sensor began to beep.<span style=""> </span>It had detected something on the surface in the ultraviolet spectrum.<span style=""> </span>It was a small, square object that was no more than two yards across.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire went down lower for a closer look and could see that the object was nearly flat with no markings of any kind.<span style=""> </span>What is that?<span style=""> </span>Jetfire wondered.<span style=""> </span>Just as he was about to transform, there was a flash on the object and something slammed into Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>He was knocked end-over-end by the collision, but quickly regained his balance.<span style=""> </span>He pulled up just as there was another and then another flash on the object.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It took Jetfire a few moments to determine that what he had been hit with was a projectile, some kind of missile that had been launched from the pad.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps its a booby-trap, he thought.<span style=""> </span>Still, why hadn't anything else been shot at him since that first flash?<span style=""> </span>Jetfire scanned the area again, but only the pad showed up on his sensors.<span style=""> </span>What is that thing?<span style=""> </span>He wondered again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Just as Jetfire was about to go back down for a closer look, he detecting missiles heading for him.<span style=""> </span>They were small brown projectiles that barely had the reach to hit him.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire easily avoided them and swung around to find the source.<span style=""> </span>To his horror, he saw three large brown creatures standing near the pad, a silver missile launcher replacing each of their left arms at the elbow.<span style=""> </span>These arms were raised at Jetfire and more of the small missiles spewed from them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire pulled up and transitioned into his Skyfire form.<span style=""> </span>He transformed to robot mode and activated his Ultra Combat mode.<span style=""> </span>Missile launchers opened along his chest and he fired a salvo at the creatures.<span style=""> </span>One went down as it was torn in half from two missile impacts.<span style=""> </span>Another was hit in the right arm, mangling it.<span style=""> </span>The third was unhurt, and so the two that remained fired at Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>He avoided their shots and fired the plasma cannons under his arms.<span style=""> </span>The wounded creature was hit in the face and toppled over.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire fired a burst from his rifle, which took out the third.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He activated his comlink and reported, "I've found the enemy.<span style=""> </span>Home in on my position and get here as quick as you can.<span style=""> </span>I'll explain then."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire deactivated his comlink and examined the corpses to make certain that these were the same type of creatures that he had encountered twice before.<span style=""> </span>From their weapons and appearance they were part of the dreaded horde of aliens that had tried to steal the Autobot Matrix of Leadership several years ago.<span style=""> </span>They were the reason Skyfire had been stranded far from home and how he had come across his Autobot friends.<span style=""> </span>What are they doing here?<span style=""> </span>He wondered.<span style=""> </span>Were they part of a group stranded by the destruction of their teleporter network?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stood and took a step backwards.<span style=""> </span>As he did, part of his right foot touched the pad.<span style=""> </span>There was a flash of light and everything suddenly disappeared before Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>There was another flash, and he found himself in a vast plain surrounded by gray stone walls.<span style=""> </span>The ground was made of a hard black substance and the sky was blood red with no trace of clouds or stars.<span style=""> </span>In the distance, Skyfire could see spiky black mountains capped with molten lava and thought that this all seemed familiar.<span style=""> </span>It was similar to the landscape of the base for the alien horde he had journeyed to in order to save Optimus Primal and the Autobot Matrix.<span style=""> </span>He walked south towards the farthest wall, wondering if there was anything else in the area.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He stopped when he saw a massive metal gate that sealed off the southern wall.<span style=""> </span>The gate was completely solid and made of a black substance that Skyfire could not identify.<span style=""> </span>He stopped and heard a creaking noise.<span style=""> </span>The gate began to slowly grind open, disappearing into one of the walls.<span style=""> </span>Behind the gate was an innumerable amount of the alien horde.<span style=""> </span>They were formed up into lines, and slowly each line began to pour through the gate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It became all too clear to Skyfire now.<span style=""> </span>Cerberus itself was not being used for the invading army, rather it was the gateway between some unknown place and the moon.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire could only assume that in time ships would come to take the horde to its intended destination.<span style=""> </span>What was disturbing was that when Skyfire had opened the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, he had used its power to destroy the alien teleporter network.<span style=""> </span>Obviously this Tai Lecau had used the Dark Matrix to recreate at least part of the network in order to marshal his army.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>No one had seen Skyfire yet and he quickly ran through his options.<span style=""> </span>He could stay and fight the horde and most certainly die.<span style=""> </span>There was no cover to fight from and he was badly outnumbered, but he could still take a portion of the enemy with him.<span style=""> </span>Or he could use the teleporter to get back to Cerberus and meet with the others to try to find some solution.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire studied the teleporter that was a step away from him and wished that he could figure out how it worked so that he could destroy or disable it.<span style=""> </span>He stopped and realized that there was something that he could do to at least buy more time for he and the others.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Working quickly, Skfire removed his field dampening system and rewired it to produce a low-level force field.<span style=""> </span>He took apart one of his missiles and used the casing to hold the force field system to protect it from damage.<span style=""> </span>By the time he was finished, the first line of the horde, a line of mechanical spiders, had caught sight of him.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire set the force field up near the teleporter and activated it.<span style=""> </span>Then, as the first shots from the spiders were nearing him, Skyfire stepped onto the teleporter pad and reappeared on Cerberus.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>When he stepped off the pad, he saw Valkyrie and the others approach.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie transformed and landed in front of Skyfire, her eyes quickly taking notice of the three corpses.<span style=""> </span>Skids and Beachcomber transformed and Beachcomber gasped.<span style=""> </span>“Those are those alien things, aren’t they?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes,” Skyfire replied simply.<span style=""> </span>“These three were just the scouts for a much larger force that has gathered at some other location and is preparing to teleport itself here.<span style=""> </span>In less than a half-hour they are going to begin coming through here and massing for their invasion.<span style=""> </span>We’ve got to get back to the ship and get some kind of strategy figured out.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How many of them are there?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Too many,” Skyfire replied and converted back to his Jetfire form.<span style=""> </span>He transformed into jet mode and Skids and Beachcomber piled in.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire and Valkyrie took off and headed for the Odyssey.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire briefed everyone on what he had seen and then turned to Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>“What strategy would you propose?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Shockwave processed the information for a few moments and then spoke.<span style=""> </span>“After studying the tactical data of the enemy, it is clear that our advantage is in air power.<span style=""> </span>Our best course is to attack them at the location of the teleporter as they are still massing, before they can disperse to a staging area in more hostile terrain.<span style=""> </span>I would suggest that Skids, Beachcomber, Perceptor, and Grapple pilot the two transports and use their firepower to engage the enemy air and ground units, supported by Jetfire and Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>I will stage myself on a ridge three klicks away and provide artillery support while Wheeljack remains here to man the Odyssey in case hostile ships arrive or if we need to pilot the Odyssey to the surface for evacuation or other purposes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Other purposes such as what?”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack demanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Such as crashing the ship into the horde to eliminate them should ground operations fail,” Shockwave replied simply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Silence reigned throughout the room until Skyfire finally commented, “We’ll leave that as a last resort.<span style=""> </span>The remainder of the plan seems fine.<span style=""> </span>I’ll take down some supplies and a portable force field generator and set up a fallback position.<span style=""> </span>That way we can resupply on the ground or...make our last stand if we must.<span style=""> </span>Any questions or suggestions?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Again the room was silent, and Skyfire nodded.<span style=""> </span>The others stood up and left, leaving Skyfire alone in the room.<span style=""> </span>It wouldn’t be much longer until the aliens penetrated the small force field and began teleporting themselves to the moon’s surface.<span style=""> </span>That didn’t leave him much time to gather the extra power cells, fuel tanks, and force field generator.<span style=""> </span>He wearily got to his feet and headed down the corridors to gather the supplies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He knew that there was a good chance that he and all of his friends would be killed in this battle.<span style=""> </span>He and Shockwave had said as much in the strategy session.<span style=""> </span>They were so badly outnumbered, that not even air superiority would be likely to help.<span style=""> </span>Still, there was no other alternative.<span style=""> </span>This horde had to be stopped once and for all, before its menace was spread throughout the galaxy.<span style=""> </span>This time, Skyfire thought with determination, I will make sure that this evil is destroyed once and for all.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:";font-size:12;" ><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Chapter 3?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire set up the fallback position ten klicks due south of the teleporter site in a narrow mountain pass that would be easily defendable.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave, riding with Skids and Beachcomber in the Pathfinder was left at the ridge he had selected and transformed into his gun mode.<span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder, Legacy II, Valkyrie, and Jetfire formed up at the ridge and once all were in the air, headed for the teleporter site.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire was in the lead with Valkyrie at the rear and the two transports forming the left and right side of the diamond formation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire activated his comlink and set out the plan of attack.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll hit them from north to south, Skids will take from east to west, Grapple from the northwest to southeast, and Valkyrie from the southwest to northeast.<span style=""> </span>That should keep them from being able to concentrate their fire at just one location.<span style=""> </span>Move hard and fast and try to avoid running into each other.<span style=""> </span>Remember, some of them can get into the air a short distance, so don’t get too low.<span style=""> </span>Any questions?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“None from me.<span style=""> </span>Let’s do it,” Valkyrie said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>Everyone be careful and I’ll see you at the fort,” Jetfire signed off.<span style=""> </span>The fort was the codename for the fallback point that Jetfire had devised.<span style=""> </span>The formation broke up as each ship veered off for its first strafing run.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire set himself up to come in from the north and even from a klick out he could see the gathering horde.<span style=""> </span>Already over three thousand aliens were gathered in the plain, milling around until they received further instructions.<span style=""> </span>It was doubtful that the enemy knew that Jetfire and his companions were about to attack.<span style=""> </span>The aliens were savage warriors who seemed to care little about intelligence or data.<span style=""> </span>They were teleported to a world and didn’t stop killing until ordered to do so or until every living thing was wiped out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire slowed his speed as he approached the target and could see some of the aliens turning at his approach.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire armed his weapons and lined up a cluster of enemy warriors.<span style=""> </span>He fired a burst of green plasma that slammed into a group of mechanical spiders, which he knew were the most intelligent aliens that could act as leaders.<span style=""> </span>Bullets, missiles, and plasma balls flew past Jetfire as he streaked over the battlefield, firing continuously until he was clear.<span style=""> </span>He wheeled back towards the north just as Shockwave opened fire.<span style=""> </span>A storm of purple energy struck the plain, vaporizing a cluster of aliens.<span style=""> </span>Then came the Pathfinder.<span style=""> </span>The two transports were lightly armed and less maneuverable, but after Jetfire and Shockwave’s attacks, the aliens were in disarray.<span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder strafed the battlefield and left without damage.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave let loose another shot just before the Legacy II launched its attack.<span style=""> </span>The cycle was repeated again and again with the four aircraft hitting their targets, each run being capped off with an artillery barrage from Shockwave.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>This cycle went on for two hours, and still the alien horde kept coming.<span style=""> </span>There were, Jetfire surmised, more of them then when he had launched his first attack.<span style=""> </span>Still, they seemed not to have gotten wise to the Transformers’ tactics as each aerial attack caused significant damage.<span style=""> </span>Corpses were sprawled across the plain and aliens teleporting in often found themselves standing on their predecessor’s carcasses.<span style=""> </span>Each time one of the Autobots approached the aliens would fire wildly into the air.<span style=""> </span>None of the aliens capable of flight had appeared on the scene as yet, giving the Transformers even more of an advantage.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Another hour wore on and the horde still kept multiplying.<span style=""> </span>Over ten thousand of them were massed on the plain, hurling fire at their attackers.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave continued to rain fire down on the enemy, and it became even more effective as the aliens became more tightly packed.<span style=""> </span>Even as they multiplied, the aliens seemed unwilling to move from the plain to a more defensive position.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire was setting up for another run when catastrophe struck.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie was launching her attack when there was a flash and over a dozen red spheres appeared in the air around her as she was flying past.<span style=""> </span>The spheres had two eyes and large mouths that launched balls of energy.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie was peppered with a half dozen of these as she was caught up in the swarm of enemy fliers.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie struggled to maintain control in order to land at a safer location, but both engines were damaged and half of her left wing was destroyed.<span style=""> </span>“I’m hit!<span style=""> </span>I’m going down!”<span style=""> </span>She called, her voice not betraying the fear she felt as she transformed and slammed into the ground in the midst of the enemy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She landed in the middle of a small herd of brown aliens with spikes on their bodies.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie pulled out her rifle and shot a pair of them before they could react.<span style=""> </span>The aliens roared in unison and hurled fireballs at Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>She was hit in the chest and head and could feel herself losing consciousness, her weapon having flown from her hands and ending up somewhere amongst the enemy on the plain.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire heard Valkyrie’s call and lit his afterburners, heading for where Valkyrie had crashed.<span style=""> </span>“Shockwave, give me some cover fire!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted over the comlink.<span style=""> </span>As he neared the enemy he transitioned into his Skyfire form and swooped down towards Valkyrie in his beast mode.<span style=""> </span>A fireball singed the feathers at the end of his left wing, but Skyfire kept himself focused on Valkyrie, who was unconscious amongst a throng of the enemy, who had turned their attention from her to him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A wave of energy passed just below Skyfire’s right wing and incinerated several aliens near Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>The two transports had also heard the call and were simultaneously heading back to the battlefield.<span style=""> </span>As Skyfire swooped down to grab Valkyrie, the Legacy II passed overhead and blasted the aliens around the fallen Autobot.<span style=""> </span>The aliens turned towards the newcomers, giving Skyfire just enough time to grab Valkyrie in his talons and lift her up into the air.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire dodged fireballs and energy balls and flew north away from the battle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire scanned Valkyrie and found that she was damaged, but still functional.<span style=""> </span>She would need repairs, which meant that he had to get her back to the Odyssey.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire set her down gently just as the Pathfinder appeared over the horizon.<span style=""> </span>The transport landed next a short distance away from the scene and Skids climbed out and ran towards where Valkyrie lay.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is she all right?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked anxiously.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“She’s in bad shape, but she’ll live,” Skyfire replied gravely.<span style=""> </span>He looked down at the only being in the universe he had ever loved and knew that this was his fault.<span style=""> </span>He had approved the plan and dictated the tactics for the aerial attack.<span style=""> </span>If he had assigned her to another direction, she might not be lying unconscious on the ground.<span style=""> </span>He shook away these disturbing thoughts and said to Skids, “Take her to the Odyssey and get her into the restoration chamber.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Are you sure you don’t want to do this yourself?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked, knowing how much Jetfire loved Valkyrie.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire shook his head sadly.<span style=""> </span>“No, I’m needed here.”<span style=""> </span>Skids nodded and took Valkyrie into his arms.<span style=""> </span>As he turned to leave, Jetfire said, “Take good care of her, Skids.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids turned and smiled grimly at Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>“You know I will.”<span style=""> </span>Minutes later the Pathfinder was taking flight and Jetfire was heading back into the war zone.<span style=""> </span>There was still a battle to be won and an evil to be driven out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder was clawing for altitude and Skids took the pilot’s seat after tending to Valkyrie.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber looked over at his friend and could see the sadness on his face.<span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine,” Beachcomber began.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know,” Skids replied quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber sighed and then blurted out, “This may not be the best time to ask, but I’ve noticed that you and Valkyrie are very friendly, almost a little too friendly.<span style=""> </span>I saw how you ran out of here like your bearings were melting and went to her and I just have to wonder, are you in love with her?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids turned to his friend and slowly nodded.<span style=""> </span>“I do love her, but I know that her spark is bonded with Skyfire’s.<span style=""> </span>They have a love and understanding that transcends all barriers, so that she could never love anyone else.<span style=""> </span>Still, when we thought that Cybertrax had killed Skyfire, I was there to comfort Valkyrie and I found myself falling in love with her.<span style=""> </span>Even if she will never be mine, I will always love her and care for her, as a friend.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The transport had broken through the atmosphere of the moon and was heading for the Odyssey’s hangar.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber mulled over Skids’ answer and smiled at his friend.<span style=""> </span>“I never took you as the unrequited lover-type.<span style=""> </span>Maybe if we get back to Cybertron we can find you a female Autobot who doesn’t have a love and understanding that transcends all barriers with another ‘Bot.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids laughed and patted Beachcomber on the shoulder, “If we make it back to Cybertron, I’ll interface with the first female Autobot I see.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids took Valkyrie to the restoration chamber and found that Wheeljack was on the bridge, sitting anxiously at the sensor station.<span style=""> </span>“Any ships coming in?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing yet.<span style=""> </span>How bad is it down there?”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Bad.<span style=""> </span>We keep blasting them, but they keep coming.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure how much longer we can hold out before they’re able to get us all.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s what I thought.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire gave me his readings of that teleporter pad, but I can’t figure out any way to stop the thing.<span style=""> </span>I can’t even determine what it’s made of, let alone a way to destroy it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t want to keep you from unraveling that mystery, but I’ve figured out a way to boost the Pathfinder’s firepower, but I’ll need your engineering skill to make it work.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and got to his feet.<span style=""> </span>“Let’s get to work.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*<br /><span style=""> </span>Night was falling on the moon of Cerberus, and still the enemy horde continued to multiplied.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire came in for an attack run and estimated a half a million invaders were standing in the plain.<span style=""> </span>As each new wave arrived, they pushed their fellows back, and Jetfire had noticed more than one alien be trampled by a comrade.<span style=""> </span>He fired a stream of plasma and pulled up as the Legacy II made its attack run.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire checked his power levels and knew that he would have to retire soon to the fort to recharge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Grapple, what’s your status?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re getting short on power and fuel.<span style=""> </span>We’ve got enough for another couple runs.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>Empty what you’ve got, I’ll cover you on your way out.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave, status?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I too am running low on energon, but I will have enough to cover your escape.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Excellent.<span style=""> </span>Grapple, once you’re clear, pick up Shockwave and head for the fort, I’ll meet you there.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m on it.”<span style=""> </span>The Legacy II fired the last of its shots and narrowly avoided being hit by the substantial amount of firepower coming from the aliens.<span style=""> </span>It was getting nearly impossible to avoid the fireballs, energy balls, missiles, and other ordinance seeking a victim.<span style=""> </span>Grapple wheeled the transport to the southwest and left at full power.<span style=""> </span>As he was leaving, Jetfire dropped like a rock at the horde and fired the last from his hyperplasma cannon(?) at pointblank range.<span style=""> </span>The aliens were taken by surprise and Jetfire pulled up quickly with his afterburners lit.<span style=""> </span>He cleared the area as Shockwave fired three consecutive bursts into a pack of spiky brown creatures.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire headed west for a short distance to make sure that none of the aliens could follow him back to the base he had set up and then turned south until he set down at the camp.<span style=""> </span>He transformed and saw the Legacy II coming in for a landing.<span style=""> </span>Grapple, Perceptor, and Shockwave wearily climbed out and Jetfire activated the force field generator he had brought.<span style=""> </span>The four Transformers began resupplying, downing energon and charging their weapons.<span style=""> </span>Grapple changed the fuel cells for the transport and shook his head as he looked at Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>“I can’t believe that they just keep coming and coming.<span style=""> </span>We could bombard them for another two days and still not have any impact.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It confirmed my worst fear:<span style=""> </span>what we are facing is the entire horde that has survived.<span style=""> </span>The Dark Matrix has brought them all here so they can begin their invasion.<span style=""> </span>Unless we find some way to defeat them, they will be unstoppable.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The last time we ran into these creeps we used a biological disease to disorient them and then destroy them.<span style=""> </span>Maybe we should send the Odyssey or one of the transports to find something we could use to have the same effect,” Grapple suggested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It would take too long.<span style=""> </span>They aren’t going to leave their army exposed here forever.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“True.<span style=""> </span>There’s another alternative, though.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Which is?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The Legacy II has a hyperdrive.<span style=""> </span>We could use components of it to construct a bomb that would cause considerable damage.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A fusion bomb?<span style=""> </span>That would poison this moon for centuries!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, in case you haven’t noticed, the only things alive on this moon are us and them.<span style=""> </span>We have to stop them, even if it means destroying this place!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire turned to Perceptor, already knowing that Shockwave would be all for the plan.<span style=""> </span>“What do you think?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I agree that such a device would destroy the ecosystem of the moon.<span style=""> </span>However, I believe you are aware of the Autobot proverb, ‘When evil imperils the universe entire, it must be cleansed, no matter the cost.’”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I had no idea you were such a philosopher, Perceptor.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We Autobots strive to preserve life, but as Grapple stated, there is no innocent life here.<span style=""> </span>This is a barren moon, perhaps it once contained life, but it does so no longer.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, I believe we have to think of the higher good, stopping this threat before it spreads to worlds that are inhabited.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The force of Perceptor's argument convinced Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Decepticons had used fusion bombs on some planets to cause untold damage.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire had been assigned to ascertain the damage done by one such bomb to a planet called Dienekes III.<span style=""> </span>He had conducted an orbital survey of a planet that would not see life blossom for centuries, possibly even millennia.<span style=""> </span>Over six billion innocent lives had been lost after the Decepticons had raided the planet and took its energon.<span style=""> </span>The insane Decepticon leader Galvatron, to prove to Optimus Prime that the Decepticons still possessed military strength, had dropped the bomb.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A fusion bomb had also been used against Cybertrax, causing significant damage, but not stopping the Transformer forerunner.<span style=""> </span>Lives had been lost on that mission, which had haunted Jetfire ever since.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t want to lose his comrades in a similar fashion, nor did he want to harm innocent lives like on Dienekes III.<span style=""> </span>“Grapple and Perceptor start work on the bomb.<span style=""> </span>Make sure you outfit it so that I can drop it.<span style=""> </span>As soon as you’re done, pack up your gear and get the Legacy II back to the Odyssey with Shockwave.”<span style=""> </span>Even without the hyperdrive reactor, the transport would have enough power in its conventional engines to get into orbit and the Odyssey’s hangar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t just leave you here, Jetfire,” Grapple began quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire turned to his friend and replied, “Yes, you must.<span style=""> </span>This time, the only life I risk will be my own.”<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots nodded and then went into the transport to begin work.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You Autobots remain foolishly sentimental, even after all this time.<span style=""> </span>It will be your downfall,” Shockwave stated matter-of-factly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked angrily at the Decepticon he had fought numerous times in the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.<span style=""> </span>“If cool logic and reason reigned then the universe would be a far more peaceful place, but it would also be a cold, empty wasteland without passion, love, and joy.<span style=""> </span>If we were all like you, then there would be no discoveries, no exploration for there would be no one willing to take the risk of failure to reap the reward of benefiting the universe.”<span style=""> </span>Before Shockwave could respond, Jetfire stormed away to be alone with his thoughts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Shockwave ran success probabilities in his head, but then stopped.<span style=""> </span>He felt a strange tingle in his circuits and remembered the final battles with Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>There, for the first time in his existence, he had felt emotions as his Cybertraxian comrades were killed by Cybertrax’s internal defenses.<span style=""> </span>He had shut himself down for some time in order to reflect on what had happened and could only determine that it was a glitch in his programming caused by sharing his body with Scarecrow who was an emotional being.<span style=""> </span>Apparently, the glitch was still present even after he had been separated from Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps, he thought, there is more to it than that.<span style=""> </span>He refocused himself on his calculations and tried to force the disturbing thoughts from his mind.<span style=""> </span>He was only partially successful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was nearly dawn by the time Grapple and Perceptor had finished their work.<span style=""> </span>The fusion bomb was a crude, gray, oval-shaped object that would explode on impact when dropped.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor had devised a magnetic system that would keep the bomb attached to Jetfire until he deactivated the system.<span style=""> </span>The small amount of radioactive material in the bomb would be more than enough to destroy any living thing on the plain where the aliens were marshalling their forces.<span style=""> </span>It would also leave much of the moon highly radioactive for centuries or longer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The horizon was growing light as Jetfire transformed and Grapple and Perceptor began to rig the bomb up to his belly.<span style=""> </span>“The Pathfinder is coming into sensor range,” Shockwave reported, manning the Legacy II’s sensors to keep an eye out for enemy movement.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I wonder what took Skids so long?”<span style=""> </span>Grapple asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps there was a mechanical malfunction,” Perceptor hypothesized.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder set down next to Jetfire, and immediately the three Autobots could see what had taken so long.<span style=""> </span>Skids and Beachcomber stepped out of the craft with big grins on their faces.<span style=""> </span>“What in the name of Primus did you do?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked incredulously.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“With Wheeljack’s help I added some firepower to this thing,” Skids replied and motioned to the left side of the Pathfinder, which was visible.<span style=""> </span>All along the side, holes had been drilled, but were now covered with metal.<span style=""> </span>Skids reached inside the transport and pressed a button that released the metal screen behind the holes.<span style=""> </span>Gun barrels moved into position through each hole.<span style=""> </span>The weapons were all of different sizes from the large hyperpulse rifle(?) Skyfire used to the smaller pistol Beachcomber carried.<span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack and I hardwired all of these things into a firing system and a separate power generator.<span style=""> </span>With the modifications, we’ve just about quadrupled the firepower the Pathfinder can bring to bear against the enemy.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s...impressive,” Grapple breathed.<span style=""> </span>“Of course it has the inelegant feel of all Wheeljack’s work.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There wasn’t much time for it to be aesthetically pleasing, Grapple,” Beachcomber laughed.<span style=""> </span>“Just wait until those aliens get a load of this.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire, still in his fighter mode, ended the conversation with a loud whistle.<span style=""> </span>“I hate to break up your fun, but there isn’t going to be much time to test this.<span style=""> </span>As soon as you all clear out of here, I’ll drop the fusion bomb and hopefully that will end this.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A fusion bomb?<span style=""> </span>How did you manage to make one of those?”<span style=""> </span>Skids blurted out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack isn’t the only one who can produce weapons,” Grapple replied solemnly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about this moon?<span style=""> </span>You’re devastating it for all time!”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know, Beachcomber,” Jetfire replied, his voice catching.<span style=""> </span>“But we have to do what is in the best interests of the universe, and that means destroying this menace once and for all.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Have we turned into Decepticons now?<span style=""> </span>We’ll destroy ecosystems if it suits our best interests?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There is no ecosystem here, Beachcomber.<span style=""> </span>There is no life on this moon,” Perceptor replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There isn’t time to argue!”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire roared.<span style=""> </span>“Everyone clear out of here, now!<span style=""> </span>I don’t want to do this any more than you do, Beachcomber, but we have no other options!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber glared at Jetfire and stormed back into the Pathfinder.<span style=""> </span>Skids looked shocked, but asked gently, “Can we at least fly interference for you?<span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder could go in first and distract them so you can have an easier bombing run.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire thought about it for a moment and answered, “Very well.<span style=""> </span>Just be well clear of the area by the time I drop this thing.<span style=""> </span>I don’t want to lose any of you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I promise we will.”<span style=""> </span>Skids took the controls of the Pathfinder and Grapple and Perceptor loaded the last of the base’s supplies into the Legacy II. <span style=""> </span>The two transports lifted off into the air and Jetfire watched his friends go sadly.<span style=""> </span>He hadn’t wanted to blow up at Beachcomber, but time was of the essence.<span style=""> </span>Who knew when the aliens would begin to move out, or when they would be transported to their final destination?<span style=""> </span>Jetfire started his engines and leapt into the air.<span style=""> </span>Maneuvering with the bomb was awkward, but Jetfire could compensate for it.<span style=""> </span>He lowered himself to just fifty feet off the ground and put his afterburners to full.<span style=""> </span>He would make this run hard and fast so that nothing could interfere with the bombing run.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder arrived at the plain and Skids could see aliens for miles.<span style=""> </span>The sensors were going crazy just trying to get an exact number of lifeforms that were so densely packed into the plain.<span style=""> </span>The sensors stopped counting at two million and Skids knew that they were many more than that.<span style=""> </span>This had better work, he thought gloomily.<span style=""> </span>He put the Pathfinder at full speed, and angled it over so that its left side was pointed at the ground.<span style=""> </span>He would make one quick run and then head for space.<span style=""> </span>Nothing fancy.<span style=""> </span>Still, he knew that with so many of the enemy, escaping would be difficult.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The aliens began to turn as Skids approached and he had to maneuver quickly to avoid the first shots.<span style=""> </span>“Fire!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted to Beachcomber, who quickly pressed the trigger on the fire control mechanism.<span style=""> </span>The left side of the Pathfinder lit up in blue, green, white, and other shades of light as its various weapons opened fire.<span style=""> </span>Plasma and laser fire tore into the hapless aliens, who could not comprehend what was happening.<span style=""> </span>Skids saw some of the flying aliens approaching and triggered the Pathfinder’s forward laser cannons.<span style=""> </span>Three of the fleshy red spheres burst in the air while two more collapsed to the ground in a gory heap.<span style=""> </span>Skids felt a plasma ball hit the middle of the Pathfinder and assessed that it had caused minimal damage.<span style=""> </span>Still, he knew that it was a signal to leave.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids took the Pathfinder straight up into the air at full speed.<span style=""> </span>He triggered a sonic boom that sent some of the aliens crashing to their feet as the shock wave hit them.<span style=""> </span>The aliens fired futilely into the air, but the transport was already nearing the atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>“That worked well,” Skids said to Beachcomber.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yeah, real well,” Beachcomber replied sullenly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Still searching the skies for the transport, the aliens did not notice Jetfire skimming the ground until it was too late.<span style=""> </span>As he neared the first aliens, he pulled up to a hundred feet and maneuvered wildly back and forth to avoid enemy fire.<span style=""> </span>Then, as he neared the middle of the plain, he deactivated the magnetic system that was holding the bomb to his belly and pulled straight up into the air.<span style=""> </span>He lit his afterburners and felt a pair of fireballs hit him.<span style=""> </span>They did little more than singe his armor and he was soon well above where the bomb hit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The bomb struck the ground and the hastily made casing shattered, triggering the explosives.<span style=""> </span>A fireball expanded across the plain, the sheer intensity of it vaporizing most of the aliens.<span style=""> </span>The fireball formed a mushroom cloud in the air that rose nearly to the atmosphere from the sheer power of the blast.<span style=""> </span>The few aliens that had somehow survived the initial impact, most of whom were badly wounded, were hit seconds later with the invisible shock wave from the fusion bomb.<span style=""> </span>These lucky aliens were torn asunder by the shock wave and fell screaming to the ground.<span style=""> </span>When the clouds died down, all that remained was smoke, ashes, and silence.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;font-family:";font-size:12;" ><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Epilogue</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What have you got?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked as he walked onto the Odyssey’s bridge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It is hard to tell with all of the debris and radiation, but I presume everything is destroyed,” Perceptor replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let me know as soon as you can get a fix.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire turned to Grapple and asked, “How long until Valkyrie is repaired?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Three or four hours at least.<span style=""> </span>She suffered some severe injuries, they’ll take time to heal.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Any approaching ships on the sensors?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Let’s all hope that this grisly business is finished.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Two hours later, Skyfire was sitting anxiously in the command chair when Perceptor reported, “I’m getting a reading from the surface!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is it?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked and hurried to look over Perceptor’s shoulder.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I have cut through the interference and ascertained that there is a crater approximately five klicks in diameter.<span style=""> </span>There are no life signs on the surface, it would appear that we have destroyed the enemy utterly.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Cheers were heard throughout the bridge, but Perceptor quickly hushed them.<span style=""> </span>“I am picking something up!<span style=""> </span>Some kind of energy discharge.”<span style=""> </span>There was a moment of silence as Perceptor continued his analysis.<span style=""> </span>“I am still not detecting organic life signs, but there are multiple energy readings on the surface.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is it?”<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the enemy teleporter is somehow still functional and that what we are witnessing is a new breed of alien warrior emerging.”<span style=""> </span>The aliens appearing were vaguely humanoid in shape, but their exteriors were surrounded by yellow flame.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A new breed of warrior?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked skeptically.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Before Perceptor could reply, Skyfire said, “Yes, it is possible.<span style=""> </span>When I first encountered the aliens, there was one who could transform himself from a humanoid into something that was made completely of energy.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I remember it as well,” Grapple chipped in.<span style=""> </span>Grapple had been the one who had killed the creature whose humanoid name was Altos, just before it was going to finish Skyfire off.<span style=""> </span>“I thought it was one-of-a-kind.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps not.<span style=""> </span>Or, maybe the fusion bomb somehow mutated some of the aliens.<span style=""> </span>Either way, it’s clear that our task is not complete.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor, is there somewhere safe to fight them from?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The other side of the planet should suffer only mild radioactivity.<span style=""> </span>It should be within tolerances.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then we’ll lure them there and make our stand.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor, remain here and let us know if the weather conditions change.<span style=""> </span>And send Valkyrie down as soon as she’s recovered.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked at the others and smiled gravely.<span style=""> </span>“Come on ‘Bots, we’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Autobots and Shockwave rushed to the hangar to pile into the two transports.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire became Jetfire once more and led the transports down to the surface.<span style=""> </span>There was a large black scare on part of the surface from where the bomb had gone off and some dense clouds surrounding the area, testament to the carnage that had unfolded there.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire examined the other side of the planet and found a hilly region that would be perfect for his uses.<span style=""> </span>The enemy would have to climb the hills to attack, giving the defenders the advantage.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire just hoped that they could stop the invaders before it was too late.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor continued to run his scans of the area, examining the air and land to study the contamination of Cerberus.<span style=""> </span>The powerful fusion bomb would leave the area near the transporter deadly to organic life for quite some time, but the air currents were blowing so that the radiation would not be so dangerous where the others were heading.<span style=""> </span>The damage had been many times worse at Dienekes III, primarily because of the winds and the larger size of bomb.<span style=""> </span>That planet had been rendered an uninhabitable desert after the nuclear winter had cleared out.<span style=""> </span>The once beautiful jungle world had been reduced to smoldering ashes and burning wastelands.<span style=""> </span>These thoughts, however, gave Perceptor little comfort.<span style=""> </span>Not even thinking of the lives he and Grapple had saved by building the bomb could console him.<span style=""> </span>I have used my gift of science for dark purposes, Perceptor thought gloomily.<span style=""> </span>I should have learned from the war that such devastation is never right, even with the best intentions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He was shook from these thoughts as a security alarm sounded.<span style=""> </span>Something had breached the hull in the midsection of the ship.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor had never detected anything, and played back the sensor readings.<span style=""> </span>They showed nothing approaching, so how could there be a breach?<span style=""> </span>Perceptor took his rifle and headed for the source of the disturbance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>As he neared the site, Perceptor could hear something heavy hitting the deck.<span style=""> </span>What in the name of Primus is that?<span style=""> </span>He brought his rifle to ready and could hear the sound approaching.<span style=""> </span>Then, from behind a corner came a large black form.<span style=""> </span>Its face looked skull-like with large horns jutting from the sides and red eyes burning from deep within its sockets.<span style=""> </span>It had wings folded against its back and claws on its hands and feet.<span style=""> </span>As it stomped within view, Perceptor was frozen with terror.<span style=""> </span>The creature was like from some nightmare, a demon that could only be spawned by the Pit itself.<span style=""> </span>The skull-like head turned towards Perceptor and the creature stopped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It stared at Perceptor, who was paralyzed with fear.<span style=""> </span>Remembering his warrior training, Perceptor finally shook himself from his terror.<span style=""> </span>He ran a scan of the creature and determined that its exterior was an unknown substance that was as dense as rock and yet moved as smoothly as flesh.<span style=""> </span>He was unsure if his rifle could penetrate the exterior, but he knew that he could not just surrender the Odyssey to it.<span style=""> </span>He finally gathered his courage and demanded, “Who are you?<span style=""> </span>What do you want?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The demon-like thing laughed a deep, haughty laugh and raised the palm of its right hand.<span style=""> </span>“I am Unicron and I have come to claim my inheritance, the Matrices that were imparted to your custody.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Unicron?<span style=""> </span>Unicron is dead, he has been for some time!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing in this world nor the next can kill me.<span style=""> </span>Surrender the Matrices or I will take them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You will have to take them.”<span style=""> </span>Before Perceptor could raise his rifle, a purple bolt of energy came from Unicron’s right hand.<span style=""> </span>It struck Perceptor in the chest and he was knocked to the deck.<span style=""> </span>He tried to get to his feet, but another bolt knocked him unconscious.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The Matrices are mine,” Unicron growled.<span style=""> </span>“Nothing shall stand in my way.”<span style=""> </span>He left Perceptor’s unconscious form behind and slowly stomped towards where the Matrices were kept.<span style=""> </span>He needed no map to guide him, he could feel them calling to him.<span style=""> </span>Soon, very soon they would be his.<span style=""> </span>Then nothing in the universe would be able to stop him.<span style=""> </span></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-62558385220255253892007-06-13T10:00:00.001-07:002012-04-23T18:42:57.117-07:00Destiny's End: Prelude & Book 1<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: This is the final episode of "The Skyfire Adventures" written in 1998. This wraps up pretty much everything, especially the whole thing with the Matrices that was introduced in Episode 4. The Transformers's oldest enemy returns (again) to wreak havoc using the Matrices and Skyfire and his crew are the only ones who can stop it.<br /></span> <br />
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<b><u>The Skyfire Adventures:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Destiny's End<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><u>Prelude:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Ascension<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Cruising silently through space was a fan-shaped gray ship that was over two miles long. For nearly three years the ship had been away from home, on a mission of unprecedented importance. The first year the ship had been the home of three thousand colonists, scientists, soldiers, and crewpeople. The second year it had orbited a small planet as a colony was established to create a new home for two thousand people. As the third year was about to begin, the remainder of those still on board the ship were returning home and jubilant about what they had achieved. For one of the crew, though, there was only anxiety.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari Chomar's small quarters deep within the ship were cluttered with papers, reports, and clothes. The first two items were typical, but the third was not. Kari turned and looked in the mirror and was finally satisfied with what she saw. In just two hours the party to celebrate the completion of the colonization mission would begin and Kari had been preparing for it for the last two days. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7TmrfmfR5o35dccqgW9BEJQx38zgbZaLMw8vWZEQV6FscZBBhX-CJo8jXPXFsfw5vurtY0DGNJQEhrCmEv7hYxLw7MO-VygWGz-4fi7E2U-L8iHVPKSIFmmDrqgON_3nDMPHs5pEtFh0/s1600/kari1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7TmrfmfR5o35dccqgW9BEJQx38zgbZaLMw8vWZEQV6FscZBBhX-CJo8jXPXFsfw5vurtY0DGNJQEhrCmEv7hYxLw7MO-VygWGz-4fi7E2U-L8iHVPKSIFmmDrqgON_3nDMPHs5pEtFh0/s320/kari1.jpg" width="197" /></a> She stared at the reflection in the mirror and smiled, because tonight the hard work would pay off. She had spent hours delicately curling her long, black hair and had gotten out the antique silver pin her mother had given her to pull it back. She had spent even longer finding the right dress to wear and had finally settled on a dark green dress she had received as a gift from a friend years ago. After nearly an hour she had applied her make-up to complete the look. She looked stunning. After three years, Tai Lecau, the handsome second-in-command of the expedition, had asked her to escort him to the party. Ever since she had boarded the ship she had wanted to get close to him and make him fall in love with her. Tonight would be the night that she would finally be able to make her dreams come true.</div>
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Who am I kidding? She thought. She sighed and from off the top of a cabinet grabbed her glasses. She fixed them to the bridge of her nose and immediately her confidence shattered. There is no way a handsome, powerful man like Tai is ever going to love an ugly, low-level biochemist like me she mused. For as long as she could remember she had been forced to wear heavy, thick glasses because of a progressive eye disease that was slowly robbing her of her sight. In another two years she would be forced to graduate to bifocals and in fifteen years she would probably be blind. The glasses dominated her face and no matter how beautiful she was without them, whenever she put them on she felt ugly and out of place.</div>
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She turned from the mirror and knew that all of her work was in vain. People like him and people like me aren't supposed to get together, she thought. We're from two different worlds. She collapsed in a chair and considered not going to the party. She could tell him that she was sick or that her superior had asked her to work. She did still have to catalog her findings and finish her final report for when she returned home. No, she thought, I've put too much work into this already. She sighed and began to pace, waiting for Tai to arrive.</div>
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*</div>
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Tai Lecau was crouched in the tight confines of an airshaft. He could see his objective and only had to wait for the area to be clear. Once Kor leaves his quarters I'll finally be able to realize my dream, he thought. He continued to stare down into the small quarters of the expedition's commander and a smile came to his face. It won't be much longer now.</div>
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Kor finally limped out of his quarters to attend the party and Tai carefully pried open the airshaft. He let down a rope and carefully lowered himself to the deck. The quarters were dark, but Tai knew where to go. He could feel it calling to him, its power like a beacon in the night. He made his way to Kor's bedroom and felt the call become stronger. He knelt at the foot of the bed and knew where it was hidden. He pressed his hands to the carpet and closed his eyes. The carpet suddenly vanished and the deck below it opened to reveal a small compartment containing a golden box. There was a lock on the box, which would open only by a code that Kor alone knew, but at Tai's touch the box opened. From the box he took the object that he had been looking for.</div>
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The object was a white metal sphere with rectangular handles jutting from it. Inside the white sphere was another sphere composed entirely of a teal crystal. The crystal began to glow, lighting up the entire room with teal light. Tai smiled and took the handles of the object in both hands. He aimed the crystal squarely at his chest and closed his eyes as a beam of teal light shot from the crystal and into Tai's chest. He screamed, but tightened his grip and the beam continued to flow. Tai's body began to glow and Tai laughed as his body was filled with energy and he felt a sense of power he had never known before. The beam finally stopped and when Tai looked at the object, all that remained was an empty black metal shell. He tossed it aside as he felt its power flowing through his body. Now, he thought, it's time for a party.</div>
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*</div>
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The door chime sounded and Kari nervously checked herself in the mirror one last time before she opened the door. The door slid open and Kari saw Tai standing there, as dashing as ever. "Hello, Kari," he greeted her. "You look lovely tonight."</div>
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Kari blushed and replied shyly, "Thank-you." Tai offered her his arm and she hooked hers though his. It seemed like a dream, but she knew that it was actually happening. He led her past the doors leading to the party and down a dark corridor to where his quarters were. "Aren't we going to the party?" She asked.</div>
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Tai shook his head and smiled, "Why go to a stuffy party when we can make this night something much more special."</div>
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"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" Kari asked as they stopped outside his door.</div>
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"Of course not. I love you, Kari, and I only want to be with you. What anyone else thinks of it is immaterial. Now, let's go inside." He opened the door and led Kari inside. She was immediately stunned.</div>
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The room was lit only by candlelight and on a large, ornate table Tai had set two places. Two crystal glasses were filled with expensive, burgundy <i>Eparg</i> wine. He took Kari to her chair and she sat down. "This is lovely," she commented.</div>
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"It should be," he replied as he went to the kitchen and returned with trays of food. "Today is a day to celebrate."</div>
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"Yes, we finally completed our mission."</div>
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Tai sat down and began to serve the food. "It's more than that," he said.</div>
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"What do you mean?"</div>
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"Today we finally ended the war. With the Dulamists all safely on the colony, that will leave Pholon solely for the Prostians. The holy war that divided our planet for centuries has finally come to an end."</div>
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"That's true," Kari responded softly and took a sip of her drink. "A lot of people died because of that war, it's good that it's finally over."</div>
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Tai was silent for a few moments, thinking of those whom he had lost during the war. His wife and daughter had been killed in a Dulamist raid on his village and his parents had died when fighting destroyed their town. He smiled and looked at Kari across the table, forcing those dark thoughts from his mind. "Pholon is finally at peace, our technology is improving rapidly since we opened trade with Deilon, and I am spending dinner with one of the most wonderful women in the galaxy. I would say that things have definitely improved."</div>
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Kari smiled coyly at the complement and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "I wouldn't say I was one of the most wonderful women in the galaxy."</div>
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"Don't sell yourself short, Kari. You're beautiful, smart, and kind-hearted. Those glasses may make you different, but they don't take away anything."</div>
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"Not a lot of other people would agree with you, I'm afraid. I've been an…outcast all of my life because of these."</div>
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"Nonsense. You've been an outcast because you let those things make you think that you're ugly or out of place." Tai watched Kari take another sip of her wine and knew that soon the drug he had placed in the wine would begin to take effect.</div>
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Kari smiled and suddenly the room began to spin around her. Bright colors flashed before her eyes and her vision blurred. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Are you all right?" Tai asked with feigned concern. </div>
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"I…I don't feel so good," Kari moaned and tried to stand up. Her legs felt weak and she fell to the deck. Tai casually got out of his seat and knelt down beside her, a smile on his face. "What's…happening?" Kari asked, her throat feeling like sandpaper.</div>
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"I slipped a powerful drug into your drink. I'm sorry, but it was necessary. Just close your eyes, this won't take long."</div>
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"No," Kari protested, but she couldn't fight the drug's power and finally her eyes closed. Tai took her hand and looked her over. She was a pretty, smart, and kind woman, but the visions he had received told him that she was the one who would help him achieve glory. Tai's body began to glow with teal light and a purple mist formed around Kari. As the mist enveloped her it began to change her body structure into a form Tai had already determined. It cleared after a minute and Tai checked over his handiwork. </div>
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The Kari he had invited to dinner was gone, replaced by a child of about twelve years old. Tai took her hand and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, for I did truly have feelings for you. However, sacrifices must be made for the greater good. With the power of the Matrices I will bring an end to war, famine, disease, and all other evils. I will tear down the many gods of the universe and unite everyone under one benevolent god, a god that will not let people suffer. You will be my instrument to gain the power of the other Matrices. As for the others," Tai looked up and sighed. "They will have to perish. I know I will see you again one day, Kari, and I will make things right then." </div>
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Tai kissed Kari on the cheek and then she disappeared and materialized on a shuttle that vanished from the hangar and reappeared in space. It was then that Kari's eyes opened. She sat up and thought about how she had gotten inside the shuttle. She had been standing guard at the party and then Tai had stormed into the room. He proclaimed himself the new god and that everyone would grovel before him like frightened children. Before anyone could stop him, a purple mist came from his hands. Kari could remember seeing people writhing in pain and screaming as their bodies changed from adults to children. She wanted to help, but instead she had bolted for the nearest door and hurried to try and find help. The mist was everywhere, and as Kari reached the hangar to get on a shuttle, it finally caught up with her. She dragged herself onto the shuttle and keyed in the launch sequence even as she was transforming into a child. As the shuttle launched she went unconscious.</div>
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She stood up and looked herself over. She had become a fat little girl about twelve years old. Her stubby limbs were thick with fat and an ample belly hung over her waist. Her brown hair was extremely short and her flabby cheeks nearly hid her green eyes. I don't believe this, she thought. How could Tai have done this? It isn't possible! </div>
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She stared down at the gut clothed in a white dress covered with faded flowers that was tightly stretched against her and pulled at the rolls of fat, trying to tear them off. The flab jiggled madly, but would not come off. After a minute of exertion, Kari was exhausted and waddled over to a chair and struggled to get into it. She sighed with relief and thought about the situation.</div>
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What could she possibly do to stop Tai? She was nothing now, just a piggish child unable to move across the room without breaking out in a sweat. I can’t stop him, but there has to be someone who can. There was suddenly a flash of white light and Kari could see a large orange ship. From the ship appeared a large black and silver robot, its red eyes burning with hatred like a demon’s. Yes, she thought. I will search the universe for this ship and this spirit. It will be able to defeat Tai and take back the Matrix. With renewed determination, Kari leapt down from the chair and shuffled over to the cockpit. She input a course and hoped that she could find the dark warrior soon, before it was too late.</div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 12; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></u></b> <br />
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<b><u>Book One:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><u>Gathering of Shadows<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 12; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></u></b> <br />
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<b><u>Chapter One<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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Two years later, the refitted Autobot shuttle Odyssey was finally nearing an inhabited system. It had been months since the small crew of the ship had seen any life. They had encountered natural phenomenon and lifeless planets, but nothing that had any sort of intelligent life. Like much of the trip so far, the crew was in a state of bored waiting.</div>
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Skyfire was alone on the bridge; the rest of the crew had gone to other areas to pursue their own interests. Skyfire had gladly allowed them to go; he was feeling tired and depressed from the long journey. It helped to have his friends and Valkyrie, but he still missed his home. Unfortunately, there was still another twenty years to go. With no signs of magic wormholes or phenomenon that would take the Odyssey to Cybertron, Skyfire knew that the relentless voyage would have to continue.</div>
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Added to that was the problem of the Odyssey's cargo. On Hippolyta, the Cybertraxians had turned over custody of five Matrices to the Odyssey, because their leader knew that in the wrong hands the power of a single Matrix, let alone five, could bring disaster. Since then Skyfire had not wanted to stop the Odyssey for anything, which meant exploration had to be conducted by scans and the occasional trip in one of the Odyssey's transports. That had really taken some of the fun out of the journey, because if they were going to be far from home at least they could learn from it. Now they couldn't even do that. This sector of space had offered very little to study so far. The Cybertraxians, a handful of inhabited planets, and an irradiated ship with the entire crew murdered was all there had been to study so far. Skyfire sighed and leaned back in his chair at the helm thinking, this does beat a war with the Decepticons, though. Suddenly the sensors began to beep a warning and Skyfire routed the sensor data to the helm station.</div>
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Three ships were less than twenty klicks from the Odyssey and approaching fast. From the sensor readings, two of the ships were firing on the third. Are they tracking a fugitive, exterminating rebels, or what? He wondered. He sounded the red alert and turned the Odyssey towards the chase. None of the three ships was a match for the Autobot vessel; they were all smaller and not very well armed. The sensors obtained a better picture of the three ships and Skyfire could see that they were crude in design, looking like elongated eggshells.</div>
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Grapple, Skids, and Valkyrie were first to the bridge. Skyfire stood and commanded, "Grapple, take the helm. Skids you're at weapons control. Valkyrie and I will go out and see if we can break this fight up. His body shimmered silver for a moment and Skyfire's outer appearance was changed to that of the Autobot Jetfire, who he had been before joining the Maximals. "Let's go," he said to Valkyrie and they hurried to the hangar.</div>
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"Why are we getting involved in this, we don't even know what's going on?" Valkyrie asked.</div>
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"As Autobots it is our job to make sure that things conclude peacefully. I want to make sure that this ends without bloodshed."</div>
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"They might get angry with us for interfering."</div>
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"Let them." They reached the hangar and both transformed to their fighter modes. Jetfire roared out of the hangar first, his rocket boosters glowing blue. Valkyrie followed, her smaller engines managing to match his speed. They banked to the right and headed for the three ships. The two were still firing on the third and from Jetfire's scans the third ship would begin to break up at any moment. They were within comlink range and Jetfire sent out a message using all the languages the crew had picked up along the way, in case the ships might be familiar with one of them. "Attention all vessels, my name is Jetfire, commander of the Autobot starship Odyssey. I would ask that you all disarm your weapons and come aboard our ship to conclude your business peacefully."</div>
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He doubted they would understand the message, but was shocked when he received a reply moments later that was translated into Cybertronian. "We are intercepting an enemy ship, we have no wish to come aboard yours or any other ship. Our orders are to stop this vessel and either bring back its crew or destroy it. If you interfere, we will fire upon you."</div>
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"All right Valkyrie, let's disable the two attacking ships. Then we'll stop the third one."</div>
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"Sounds good to me. Which one do you want?"</div>
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"I'll take the left."</div>
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"Let's do it." Valkyrie broke to the right and made a long bank towards the targeted ship. It didn't seem to notice her until she was within weapons range. She strafed the left side of the ship, holing it in several key areas. Its weapons stopped firing and it hung limply in space. Valkyrie pulled up and headed for the third ship, which was still cruising along, apparently oblivious to everything.</div>
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Jetfire rolled to the left and pulled up in a tight loop. He ended up squarely on the tail of the remaining ship and fired a barrage of lasers. The vessel was stopped in its tracks as its engines broke down. It continued to fire its weapons until Jetfire flew along its side and fired again. The weapons ceased fire and Jetfire went to see how Valkyrie was doing with the third ship. She had managed to take out its engines and transformed to robot mode in order to stop the ship from drifting. "Jetfire, I'm reading one organic lifeform aboard. The ship's hull is about to give out, we'd better get it aboard the Odyssey."</div>
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"Go ahead, I'm going to talk to our friends here."</div>
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"Understood. See you back on ship." Still in robot mode, Valkyrie guided the crippled vessel towards the Odyssey, which had stopped about a klick away. Meanwhile, Jetfire transformed to robot mode and activated his comm. </div>
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"Now that this skirmish is over, please identify yourselves."</div>
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"I am Captain Kryn of the Pholonian Armed Forces. We were intercepting an escaped traitor until you interfered."</div>
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"Exactly what was this 'traitor' wanted for?"</div>
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"Treason, theft, and murder."</div>
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"Those are serious charges. We're taking this criminal aboard our ship for examination. I'll talk to this person and hear their side of the story, and, if they so desire, I will grant them asylum aboard my ship. You are welcome to come aboard and make your case if you wish."</div>
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"No. We will repair our vessels and return home. Then the full power of my world will be leveled against you. You will live to regret this day."</div>
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"As you wish, Captain. I mean your people no harm, we are only concerned with justice and peace."</div>
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"Justice? You have mocked justice by taking this traitor from us!" The connection was severed and Jetfire headed back for the Odyssey. Valkyrie had gotten the ship in the hangar and moved it over next to the transports. She, Wheeljack, and Skids were standing around the ship. </div>
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"Can you get inside?" Jetfire asked.</div>
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"Probably," Wheeljack replied. "The hull doesn't look too tough. The only thing is that we don't know what this being breathes. We could expose it to harmful elements."</div>
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"Our medical facilities aren't set up for organic beings, we might not be able to help it if it is injured," Skids added.</div>
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"We have to try, though. Try and get a reading of the air inside the ship. I'll have Beachcomber see what he can do about facilities." </div>
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*</div>
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On the bridge, Scarecrow sat at the weapons station. Grapple was at the helm and assumed that Skyfire had sent Scarecrow up to cover for Skids. In reality, Scarecrow had come to the bridge of his own accord. He stared at the two ships on the sensors and closed his eyes. Yes, these were the ships he had seen. He knew what he had to do. He targeted them both and pushed the button to fire. High-powered lasers crumpled the hulls of both ships and they burst into small fireballs before they broke apart.</div>
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Grapple turned in his seat and looked at Scarecrow, "What did you just do?" </div>
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"I eliminated a threat," Scarecrow replied icily.</div>
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"Those ships were disabled."</div>
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"Those ships were going to bring reinforcements."</div>
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"Even so, you don't just fire on disabled ships, they don't have a chance to defend themselves."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Those ships were a danger and I disposed of them."</div>
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"I know you're a Predacon, but even you can't be that cold-hearted."</div>
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"Yes, I can," Scarecrow replied and left. He went down to the hangar and saw the ship. He had seen this as well. Wheeljack and Skids were studying the vessel, but stopped as Scarecrow approached.</div>
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"Scarecrow, what are you doing here?" Skids asked.</div>
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"Stand aside," Scarecrow demanded.</div>
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"Skyfire told us to examine this ship before…" Skids began, but Scarecrow shoved him aside. He touched a part of the hull and a hatch opened. "Are you crazy, you could kill whoever is inside!"</div>
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"Trust me."</div>
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Scarecrow went inside on his hands and knees, heading for the front of the ship. He found the cockpit and saw someone slumped over the seat on the left side. He gripped the back of the seat and yanked it, prying it off its supports. He tilted it back to the floor and his fluids stopped. "It's her," he whispered.</div>
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Strapped into the seat was a humanoid female. Her skin was an extremely pale white, almost like that of a corpse. He examined her and found that she was still alive, but barely. He gently unstrapped her and dragged her out of the hatch and onto the deck of the hangar. Skyfire, Skids, and Wheeljack were standing there, looking angry. Scarecrow stood and took the female into his arms, brushing past his three comrades without a word. He headed for one of the labs that Beachcomber had turned into a rudimentary sickbay. He laid her down on a table and turned to Beachcomber, "Study her and revive her as soon as possible. When you do, alert me at once."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What about Skyfire?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow attached his three blades to his hand and stuck them to Beachcomber's neck. "You will tell me when she is revived, understand?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Yes. Why is this so important to you?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"It's personal." Scarecrow stomped away and headed back to his quarters. Once inside the dark room he lay down and deactivated himself. Now that he had found her, what was he to do? Perhaps his dreams would guide him; they had taken him this far already.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIID0RgOAPM3Jj058Z7eFHnv4kZ1HqkdilnIelny6mwDqtybc7X2X1QSMjkE4b8Vk_rtJQ1mJRGeWWrSdbPvjnG3ZEOxWi2aKCiQ__vGRcWKzcqwdkJfXls5PgpUbekIH1GYbPZaaeLDWD/s1600/kari3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIID0RgOAPM3Jj058Z7eFHnv4kZ1HqkdilnIelny6mwDqtybc7X2X1QSMjkE4b8Vk_rtJQ1mJRGeWWrSdbPvjnG3ZEOxWi2aKCiQ__vGRcWKzcqwdkJfXls5PgpUbekIH1GYbPZaaeLDWD/s320/kari3.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I don't believe it," Skyfire said, looking down at the girl Scarecrow had brought in. "She's just a kid!" The girl lying on the bed was nearly fifteen years old and looked as though she had been badly abused. She was tall and thin to the point that her bones were nearly showing and a mane of tangled brown hair hung to the waist of her torn brown jumpsuit. Her skin was deathly pale and from what Skyfire's sensors could determine, she was terribly undernourished for a growing child. There was a red mark on her high forehead, which Skyfire guessed was from something hitting her head during the battle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Looks can be deceiving," Skids commented. "But in this case I agree with you. This wasn't what I expected."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What can you do for her, Beachcomber?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I've gone through our medical database for humanoid races and performed an extensive scan. There doesn't seem to be any serious injuries, just a bump on the head and some malnutrition. I think with a few nutrients that I can synthesize she will wake up in a few days on her own."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Good. As soon as she's awake, let me know. We need to talk to her and find out why she was so far from home," Skyfire left the room and nearly ran into Grapple on his way out. "Grapple, what is it?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Skyfire, I think there's something wrong with Scarecrow…"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow was roused from his slumber by the door chime. He answered it and found Skyfire standing at the door. Skyfire stepped inside and after the door had closed he looked Scarecrow squarely in the eye and asked, "Why did you destroy those two ships?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"They were a threat to this ship. Unlike you, Maximal, I do not leave an enemy to stab me in the back later," Scarecrow hissed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I don't think that's the whole story. I've known you for some time now, Scarecrow. You're a Predacon, but you aren't cold-blooded. You wouldn't destroy two disabled vessels without a good reason."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I don't think you know me at all. I gathered a crew and launched a mission to take over the galaxy. I nearly killed you and your friends, I am not as honorable as you would like to think."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"You also helped us defeat Cybertrax…"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Cybertrax was intent on destroying everything, Maximal, Predacon, Autobot, and Decepticon. If I had not helped he would have killed us all."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Fine. Still, I don't believe that you fired on them just because they were a potential threat. I think there's something going on, something you aren't telling me."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow looked at Skyfire and wondered if he should tell the Maximal just what was going on. No, he won't believe it. Besides, I don't really know what it all means. "Perhaps I am just frustrated at being stranded so far from home. I will not fire on anything again without your permission."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"All right, but look Scarecrow, even though you are a Predacon and tried to kill me, I consider you part of the crew. If there's a problem, I want you to feel free to talk to me about it. We are all we have right now, and I don't think there's anyone who can suffer through this alone. Don't be afraid to open up." Skyfire left and Scarecrow sat on his bed, trying to sort things out. None of these fools will understand. He suddenly stood up and thought, but I know something that might be able to help me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The five Matrices recovered from Cybertrax were kept in an elaborately protected room. The doors had been reinforced and opened only by password and a complete scan of the user. The room was lined with explosives, enough to destroy the room as well as the entire ship. Any attempt at forced access would set off the explosives. For that reason, the crew did not visit the shrine very often. Scarecrow hesitated for a moment and then put his fingers to the keypad for the security controls. He typed in the password and waited while the scan was completed. The doors hissed open and Scarecrow was admitted to the dark room, lit only by the dim glow from the Matrices.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Wheeljack had designed the security measures, but Grapple had designed the room so that the shrine looked like a worthy place for such revered artifacts. Each Matrix was placed on an elaborately carved pedestal that showed scenes from Cybertronian history. The walls were lined with rich purple fabric with gold trim to give it a regal appearance. One Matrix was placed near the corner of each of the four walls, and in the center was the Matrix of Harmony, which Cybertrax had crafted to locate the other Matrices when the time came.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow knelt before the Matrix of Harmony and closed his eyes. He had never been a believer in religious symbols and relics, but the Matrices had a certain power about them that made him fall to his knees in awe. "Great Matrix," he whispered. "For some time I have received strange visions, visions which are now coming to pass. I require guidance; the knowledge to know what my task is and what I must do to achieve it. I need your help, give me the answers that I seek."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He looked up at the Matrix of Harmony and the dull glow from its white crystal center became brighter. It blinded Scarecrow and it seemed that he was drawn into the Matrix itself. He looked around him, but could see nothing; all details were washed out by white light. "The time is at hand for destiny to take its course. You have been guided to the one who will help you find the Dark One and forever rid the universe of its corruption. She will take you to where you need to go and tell you what you seek. However, the task of destroying the Dark One will be yours alone. For only one who is of the darkness can slay it."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"First, though, your burden will have to be lightened. You must face this challenge alone. Not even the Matrices can aid you in this quest. We have given you all the help we can; now it is up to you. Fail and darkness shall forever rule the universe."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The light faded and Scarecrow found himself in his quarters. How had he gotten back here? He didn't remember walking; perhaps the Matrices had sent him here. It was then that he noticed that something was different, he was different.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He got up off the bed and went to the computer terminal. He commanded it to do a complete scan and project the findings holographically. He felt scanner beams trace over his body and penetrate his interior. After a few minutes, the findings were projected in the air next to him. He took a step back and gasped.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
His body had undergone some major changes. His robot form was black and silver, with feathers on his chest and arms. His face was black with silver trim and burning red eyes that gave him a demonic appearance. His beast form was a metallic crow that was black and silver with red eyes and no feathers anywhere. He also found that he had an intermediate mode that was a sleek jet fighter with swept-forward wings and two rocket engines. A tailfin folded out from inside his body, as did a pair of rudders along his engines. Interesting, he thought. Finally, the display showed his weapons payload. The rocket engines transformed into a pair of plasma cannons that went along the sides of his arms, a missile launcher was housed inside his beast form's head, and from his leg came a black sword that was composed of some unknown material that was solid, light, and could cut through almost anything. There was something else he noticed as well. His personality was no longer stored inside the central processor, but in a spark that was inside his chest. If that was true, what had happened to Shockwave?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The answer was lying only a few feet from the door. Shockwave lay unconscious on the floor, completely intact. Scarecrow scanned his body and found that Shockwave still had his own spark and was fully functional as he had been before Scarecrow had altered his body. Scarecrow thought back to what the Matrix had told him and remembered that it had said that he must first be unburdened, that he had to do this alone. Obviously the Matrix had created a new body and a new spark for him, separating him from Shockwave. He thought of the rest of what the Matrix had told him and knew that there was no time to lose. He suspected that at any moment the humanoid female would wake up, and then his quest could begin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Beachcomber was monitoring the humanoid's condition when the door opened. Beachcomber turned to see a black and silver shape standing there, red eyes boring into him. "Scarecrow?" Beachcomber ventured.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Yes, it is I, and this won't hurt a bit." Scarecrow drew back his fist and punched Beachcomber in the face. The Autobot went down and Scarecrow made sure that he was unconscious. Then he began taking the humanoid off of the various scanners and machines Beachcomber had hooked up to her. The female was still unconscious and Scarecrow left the lab, heading for the hangar. He carefully made his way there, making sure that no one was following him or in the area. Fortunately, all of the others were busy. Scarecrow entered the hangar and opened the hangar doors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He tossed the female high into the air, transformed into his new jet mode, and caught her in his cockpit. Straps tightened around her and then Scarecrow activated his engines. A part of him wanted to wait to explain the situation to Skyfire and the others, but there was no time. The fate of the universe was at stake, and this was his mission, no one else's. He roared out of the hangar and only hoped that he could make it away before Jetfire or Valkyrie got on his trail.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Two hours later, Scarecrow was far from the Odyssey and certain that he had not been followed. It was then that the humanoid girl began to stir. She looked around her and asked, her voice strong and confident, "Where am I? Who has taken me captive?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"My name is Scarecrow, I am a robotic being from the planet Cybertron. I have the ability to change between forms, you are currently riding inside of my spacecraft form."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"The last thing I remember, two gunships were firing on me. My ship's systems shorted out and I went unconscious. Did you rescue me?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"No, one of my comrades did. However, I have taken you to complete a mission. I need to know who you are and what you were trying to do."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"My name is Kari Chomar. I was a soldier on the colonization ship Destiny, which was returning to my home planet of Pholon. A man named Tai Lecau used some strange power to turn everyone, including myself, into children. I escaped, but I'm certain that everyone else was killed. I've spent the last two years looking for you. I had a…vision of a ship and a warrior who would have the power to stop the threat Tai and his evil army present."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What threat would that be?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"He is using his powers to take over Pholon and build a force to take over the universe."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"That is a good story, little girl. Why should I believe you?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I may have the body of a girl, but my mind is that of a woman. I was twenty-three years old, but when I came to on the shuttle after escaping the Destiny I was a chubby little girl only about twelve. I typed in a course and started my search, not knowing how long it would take or how large space really is. Fortunately, the shuttles had been stocked with food to keep several people alive for a year or longer, because the mission would take us so far from home, the designers wanted the shuttle to be able to make it back home if the ship was destroyed or stranded. I rationed as best as I could, but sometimes I would get so hungry that I would eat more than I should."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The worst part was that I was having to grow up all over again, this time lost in space all by myself. It nearly drove me mad at times, because I would start to wonder if maybe this wasn’t all some kind of dream. Maybe I was safe and warm in a bed somewhere, maybe I was this little girl dreaming about having a big adventure. There were times when I’d wake up screaming and just wish that my parents would rush in and comfort me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“After about nine months, my supplies were half gone and I began to wonder if I would make it. Fortunately, puberty began to kick in. I lost my appetite and hit a growth spurt, causing me to lose all of the extra weight. It also allowed me to stretch my rations out, so that I could survive long enough. Mentally, though, things got worse as I started to have strange...feelings.” Kari stopped and Scarecrow was tempted to interrupt her. He did not care about little girls surviving puberty, he only wanted to hear about the Matrix and Tai’s forces. Still, it was obvious that the girl was shaken, so it would be best to let her ramble on until she felt safe and secure once again. Scarecrow suddenly realized that Kari was talking again, babbling something about her breasts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“That was when I realized that the dress I was wearing needed to be replaced. I looked through the ship and finally found a utility coverall that was loose, but it was better than that fat girl’s dress I had been wearing. I kept searching for you, but there was nothing. I came across a few inhabited planets, but I managed to avoid being detected. The last thing I wanted was to be captured or have word of my survival somehow reach Tai.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I started to give up hope of ever finding you. My supplies were running low and I kept having dizzy spells from not getting enough nutrition. I was only about fourteen and yet my bones felt as brittle as an old woman’s. I was also starting to have horrible nightmares every night. The common thread was that I would finally face Tai and when I tried to stop him, he would turn me into some hideous form. Once I became so fat that I couldn’t move, another time it was a newborn infant, and once I became a withered old grandma about two hundred years old. The nightmares grew worse and worse and I knew that I was going to die without ever stopping Tai.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Then six weeks ago I was captured by three gunships. They boarded my shuttle and there was nothing I could do to stop them. They destroyed the shuttle and took me aboard one of their gunships. I spent two weeks locked in a room with no one to talk to. The ship's crew would come in once in a while to give me food or to…rape me." Kari began to cry and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She pushed some stray hair back from her face and continued, "We finally reached a little moon called Cerberus, where Tai was gathering an enormous army. They brought me out to see it and to gloat, and then they would present me to their commander as a captive and slave. I knew that if they got me to the surface I was done for, so I knew I had to escape somehow."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"The problem was that my body was too weak and awkward to overpower the ship's crew. Instead, I made an advance at the ship's pilot and while he was distracted, I managed to put the ship into a sudden roll. The pilot was thrown off-balance and I sealed the door between the cockpit and rear. Then I opened the airlock in the back and sucked my captors into space. Before the other two gunships could react I was leaving the system. I avoided Tai's ships for the next four weeks, but they eventually caught up to me. That's when your…comrades saved me."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Hmm, at least part of your story checks out. Two of my ship's crew came across your ship about two years ago. There were the corpses of children everywhere, and records indicated some kind of purple mist before their bodies transformed."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What happened to the ship?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"The fusion reactor had been sabotaged so that the ship was consumed with radiation and a fierce monster had slain the crew. My comrades managed to push the ship into a star where it was destroyed."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari was silent for a few moments, thinking of those who had died. She had known many of them, had worked with them. Now they were gone, all because of Tai's madness. "You have to believe me," she pleaded and tried unsuccessfully to curb the whininess in her voice. "I know what I saw and I know what happened to me. You have to trust me!"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"You say that a vision led you to find my ship?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Yes."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I have had similar visions of you. Fate has drawn us together for a very special purpose. Together we will destroy this Tai Lecau and his plans. Now, where is this moon where he is gathering his forces?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I don't have the coordinates, they're in the navigation data of my ship."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"I will have the others look for it. They will go and find a way to destroy Tai's war machine."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"What about us?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"We must stop him and take his power from him. Where would he be?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"He's on Pholon."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
"Then that is where we will go."</div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 12; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></u></b> <br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Pholon was a brilliant blue world with white swirling clouds and lush green continents, Scarecrow noticed as he neared the planet. He had expected Tai to have some kind of force guarding the planet, but surmised that Tai was still trying to maintain the illusion of peace for his neighbors. Kari fidgeted nervously in her seat and Scarecrow could see the excitement and sadness in her young face as she looked once again upon her home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Scarecrow scanned the plant with his sensors to determine Pholon's defenses. The planet seemed to have no sensor nets or any other forms of detection for incoming spacecraft. There were primitive radars, but they were useless at detecting anything in orbit. “Why hasn’t he fortified this world? I detect very few weapons, certainly nothing dangerous,” Scarecrow commented.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“He probably doesn’t want anyone to know what’s going on. Is there any way for you to pick up where he’s hiding?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Negative.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Then we’ll have to land and track him down.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Yes, that is the only way we will be able to find him.” Scarecrow banked towards the surface and he watched Kari’s pale face turn several shades of green at the sudden movement. Scarecrow burrowed through the planet’s atmosphere, his entire exterior turning red and threatening to become slag. He was thrown about and shaken violently, but managed to stay on course. Suddenly he was through and cool winds blew across him, chilling his exterior. He was going to check on Kari, when he realized that she was no longer in the cockpit. He searched his memory banks and discovered that as he was concentrating on piloting through Pholon’s atmosphere, Kari had simply vanished. There were no material remains to suggest that she had somehow been injured by the descent, she had just disappeared. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow leveled off two miles above the surface, well above the primitive Pholonian radars. He tried to scan for Kari, but there was no way that his sensors could find her among the millions of people on the surface. “Beast mode,” he commanded and transformed into his black and silver crow form. He swooped down lower and knew that he had to find Tai on his own now. If he found Tai then he would find Kari, he was certain of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Darkness pressed all around Kari and she didn’t know where she was, or if she was even still alive. She began to whimper and cry, unable to control the childish fear gripping her. “Where am I?” She called out to the darkness and prayed for an answer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“It does not matter now, Kari,” a familiar voice responded. A dim light suddenly lit part of the room and Kari could make out Tai standing in the shadows. “I knew that you would come, and that you would bring your Predacon friend with you. Now, though, we must work quickly if we are to avert disaster.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What do you want from me?” Kari demanded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Tai suddenly appeared in front of Kari, although the darkness kept her from seeing more than an outline of him. “Now I will merge the woman you were with the girl you are, and then you will understand what has happened and what must be done.” He touched his hands to the side of her head. She resisted, but he was too strong for her. There was a surge of teal energy, and Kari collapsed to the floor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Her head spun for a minute, and when it finally cleared she looked up at Tai and asked, “Tai, how could you use me like this?” She could remember her life as it had been back on the Destiny until Tai had drugged her, as well as everything that had happened afterwards. It was confusing and left her feeling unsure about who she was. Was she the low-level scientist Tai had drugged or the soldier who had been transformed into a child and escaped the Destiny?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Kari, I am sorry about what I did to you. You must understand that what I did was to make the universe a better place. I wanted to unite all people under one god, a god who would be benevolent and kind, who would end the suffering and the pain. My family was killed because of a religious feud and I vowed that it would not happen again to anyone’s family, but to do it I needed the power of the Matrices. I needed you to convince your friend’s ship to come to your aid so that I might take the ultimate prize, the Matrix that would unite the twelve Matrices and give me the power to make my dreams a reality. I did not want to hurt you, or the Destiny’s crew, but it was necessary.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I knew sacrifices had to be made, but when I used the power of the Matrix of Life to harm others, it was tainted with a darkness. A darkness that has slowly been eating away at me, consuming me. At first I could control it, but I can do so no longer. Soon the worst evil in the universe will be unleashed to spread death and destruction to all parts of space unless we can stop it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The dark force that has been awakened, has yet to discover the secrets of the Matrices. When I took the Matrix into my being, it revealed secrets to me, secrets about the power of the Matrices that must not fall into evil hands. I have only enough power to pass these secrets to you, and you must reveal them to your friend and his people. They will then be able to defeat this menace.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I don’t understand,” Kari protested.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What is about to happen has been foretold for eons, since the creation of the Matrices. The darkness that has arisen will be stopped, but only after the sacrifices have been made. Do not fear, child, you will be safe.” Tai took Kari’s hands and they began to glow with a teal light. Kari screamed in pain and it felt like her mind was on fire. She let out a final scream and then went unconscious. When she awoke she found herself alone in the darkness. She stood and stumbled to find an exit. She ran into a damp stone wall and then carefully edged her way along it. There was moss growing along the wall in parts and Kari wondered where Tai had taken her. After seemingly an endless trek through the darkness, she saw a distant slit of light. Not concerned about the danger, she ran towards it gleefully. She emerged into a brightly-lit cavern and stopped in her tracks before she would have fallen over a cliff. Below the cliff, lava streamed in molten waves like an ocean on fire. The cavern was at least a mile across, and as Kari looked about her she could see a tunnel at the far end of the cavern. She looked for a way across and to her horror saw that the only way to get across was through the lava, using several rocks as stepping-stones.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
She stared at the surging ocean of lava and knew that it was hopeless. One false step and she would fall in, and what chance did she really have in this awkward, gangly body? Tears stung her eyes and she fell to her knees in despair. Oh Scarecrow, she thought in desperation, why couldn’t you be here to help me right now?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow was soaring high above a mountain range, after spending hours circling the planet’s largest city futilely. There had not been a trace of Kari or Tai, and he knew that if he didn’t find her soon, she was doomed. I shouldn’t have brought her, he thought gloomily. She was too young and weak to protect herself. She was just an innocent child, not a warrior. I should have left her with the others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He was flying over a mountain when there was a flash of white light. Scarecrow could see a large canyon filled with lava. Kari was trapped on a cliff with a monster, unable to escape. Help me! Her mind screamed. Instinctively, Scarecrow dove towards the mountain and flew through narrow passes and canyons without even seeing them. Finally he found an opening in the mountain. He transformed into his jet mode and streaked down the dark tunnel and hoped that he wasn’t too late.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari heard heavy footfalls coming towards her and gasped as she saw a huge form approaching. “It is too late for you, child,” a deep voice growled. “Tai was foolish for entrusting the secrets of the Matrices with you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The thing approaching appeared in the light and Kari screamed in terror. It was Tai, or more aptly, what was left of Tai. The right side of the monster was made of a hard black material that surrounded massive muscles and five long fingers with razor-sharp claws on each. The left side was still flesh, but it was bloated and dark. The head was barely recognizable as Tai’s as it had burning red eyes and rows of sharp teeth that showed when it opened its mouth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Who...who are you?” Kari asked timidly and edged away from the creature.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I am evil,” it rasped.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Is that your name?” Kari looked for a way out, but there was nothing except the rocks and lava below.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Of course not, you foolish brat.” The monster came towards her and Kari took another step backwards. “I am your nightmares, I am pain, suffering, greed, rage, and hate, I am all that is dark. I have many names throughout the many cultures of the universe. I am Unicron, the destroyer of countless worlds, nearly as old as the universe itself, and I have come to take what is mine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The Matrix isn’t yours, it belongs to Pholon!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“My father distributed several of the Matrices to puny worlds such as yours billions of years ago. I have searched eons for my birthright, my destiny. I will soon have all of the Matrices in my possession. Then nothing in the universe will be able to stop me. Surrender the secrets Tai gave to you and I will spare your pathetic life. Otherwise I will take them from you and leave your body a hollow shell to rot in this cave for all eternity.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari looked around her and knew that there was no escape. Even if she jumped to the rocks below and managed not to fall in the lava, the evil spirit claiming to be Unicron would still catch her. Then she heard a roar, followed by the high-pitched caw of a crow. Scarecrow blasted into the cavern, his engines going at full afterburner. He transformed in midair and landed on the ledge. His sword quickly came into his hand and he slashed it deep into Unicron’s left shoulder. Unicron howled in pain and Scarecrow quickly transformed back into jet mode. Kari hopped in and Scarecrow screamed away at full speed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari was sobbing as Scarecrow clawed for altitude. “What was that thing?” Scarecrow demanded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“He...he said his name was Unicron,” Kari answered shakily.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“By the Pit! Unicron was destroyed centuries ago. How could he have survived?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“It’s...it’s the Matrix. It’s been tainted to evil, now it’s drawing evil into it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What happened to you when we entered the atmosphere?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Tai brought me to that place and...gave something to me. He said it was the secrets of the Matrices. I’m not sure what you meant, but we have to find your friends and give it to them.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“You can give me the information and I can leave you here. You needn’t endanger yourself any further.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No, even if I give you the information, it will still be inside of me too. I can still give it to you, though, in case something happens to me.” She closed her eyes and set her hands against a cockpit monitor. Her hands started to glow with teal light as Tai’s had, and Scarecrow could feel a strange surge of power running through him. He could not, however, determine any information from the process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What is it that you did?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I transferred it to you, I only wish I knew what it was. I guess we won’t know until we’re supposed to.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Perhaps. Now, let’s get out of here,” Scarecrow replied as he climbed higher into the sky.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron stood at the entrance of the cavern. The Predacon and the little girl think they have won, but they have yet to face my wrath, Unicron thought. His red eyes closed and his entire body began to glow with purple light. His body enlarged and Tai’s flesh melted away, replaced by the hard black substance that already made up part of Unicron’s body. As the flesh from Tai’s back dissolved, a great pair of bat-like wings unfurled. Unicron raised his clawed arms into the air, and the sky turned black as night. Dark clouds filled the air, lightning flashed, and thunder split the air. All around Pholon, fierce winds, sheets of rain, and barrages of hail battered the planet. With a mighty roar that shook the ground beneath people’s feet, Unicron took flight. He would finish the dark warrior and the child he was protecting. Then he would take the Matrices for himself. Nothing could stop him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari jumped in her seat as a lightning bolt past within inches of the canopy. Scarecrow was trying to battle the winds to get above the storm, but they were too strong. His engines strained at full power, but before he could get above the clouds he was tossed back under them and battered by rain and hail. “Unicron’s handiwork, I’m sure,” Scarecrow grunted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“There’s no way to escape, we’re trapped!” Kari nervously ran a hand through her sweat-soaked hair, a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I need more power, is there a spaceport around here?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The Destiny was our only ship, the shipyard where it was constructed was abandoned years ago. There might be some supplies left, though.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Where is it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Sorcam <st1:place st="on">Island</st1:place>, about thirty miles to the southwest,” Kari responded, looking at a map Scarecrow had displayed in the cockpit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“We’ll land there and see if we can find something to help give me more power to cut through these winds.” Scarecrow changed course and headed out over a dark ocean with huge waves churning the water. Even before he could see it, he felt that something was being fired at him. He banked left just in time to avoid being hit by a ball of purple energy. He could see Unicron descending through the clouds, riding the winds easily on his enormous wings. Kari shrieked as she saw the hideous beast that Tai had become and felt her feelings of doom grow stronger. From Unicron’s right hand came another energy ball, which Scarecrow easily avoided. The Predacon dodged one after another of the energy balls, but knew that he could not last forever. Worse yet, there was no way to carry out his plan if Unicron followed them. He would have to lose Unicron and double-back to the island. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow dove lower to the water, so that the waves were nearly hitting him and turned straight towards Unicron. Unicron stopped and raised his arms. A column of water rose into the air and threatened to come crashing down on Scarecrow. Kari screamed, but Scarecrow faked a break to the left and cut around the column of water at full speed. The tower of water plummeted back into the ocean with a mighty splash that sent a curtain of mist spraying into the air. Scarecrow blasted through the mist and went to beast mode. He grabbed Unicron’s left wing by his talons and spun the demonic being into the water. Unicron was pounded by huge waves and disappeared below the surface. Scarecrow transformed back to jet form and streaked towards the island. He knew that Unicron would be back, so he would have to move quickly, and hope that there was something on the island that would help him escape.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /><b><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sorcam</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> was shrouded in fog, but the skeletal frames of a few tall buildings were still visible. “How long has this place been abandoned?” Scarecrow asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Only about five years or so. It was abandoned once the Destiny was launched and began space trials.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Hmm, I’m not picking up any energy sources or lifeforms.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Well, maybe they left a supply cache or something.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Perhaps,” Scarecrow replied without confidence. He began to descend and transformed to beast mode. He drifted through the fog and landed on a patch of cement cracked by vines. There were trees scattered about and vines had overgrown most of the buildings. The air was tropical, although the strong winds cut down the temperature significantly. Scarecrow let Kari out and she began to shiver through her tattered jumpsuit. Her hair was plastered to her face and body by the wind and she looked about the area in despair. “Can you show me where supplies were kept?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I’ll try.” The island looked so different because of the overgrowth of plants and decay of the buildings. It’s more than that, she thought gloomily. Everything seems so much bigger. Last time she had been on the island she had been a mature woman, now she was just a scared kid. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the time she had spent on the island and realized that most of her time had been spent in the laboratories. Still, her supervisor had sent her a few times to the depot for supplies. The depot is...that way, she thought and set off with Scarecrow in tow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
They wandered through deserted streets, and Kari finally recognized the large, rectangular shape of the supply depot. It too had fallen on hard times as Kari’s small frame easily wriggled through a hole in the door. Scarecrow pried the door off its frame and tossed it outside. Meanwhile, Kari was looking around the building that was lit only by the scant rays of light coming through the door Scarecrow had destroyed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Doesn’t look like much here,” Kari commented, her voice echoing throughout the cavernous room. There were a few empty crates and some garbage, but nothing else. Scarecrow scanned the floor, but could find no sign of a hidden supply cache. “Let’s try the maintenance bays next, there might be some spare parts or something.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Agreed.” As they turned to go, the room became suddenly dark. Scarecrow turned and could see only two red eyes burning in the darkness. His plasma cannons came into place along his arms and he pulled his sword out. Without a word he fired a barrage of plasma at the doorway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron absorbed the barrage without even a scratch and Scarecrow turned where Kari was standing. “Run!” He commanded and turned his guns towards a wall. Unlike Unicron, the wall could not take the punishment and a hole was opened large enough for Kari to dart out. Scarecrow dodged an energy ball from Unicron’s hand and then charged the doorway. He had to give Kari time to escape, even if it was only temporarily. He leapt in the air and right foot collided into Unicron’s chest, but it failed to move him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow scrambled back to his feet and brought his sword crashing down against Unicron’s left shoulder. The black blade bounced from Scarecrow’s hand and clattered to the floor. In desperation, Scarecrow smashed his fist squarely into Unicron’s face. It had no effect, but this time Unicron reacted. He grabbed hold of Scarecrow’s fist and threw him against a wall with ease. Scarecrow quickly got back up and screamed a mighty war cry. He charged at Unicron with his plasma cannons firing rapidly. Then he collided with Unicron at full speed, but still Unicron did not move. Scarecrow fell to the floor on his back and stared up at Unicron dazedly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“You fool!” Unicron hissed. “I have the power of the Matrix, your feeble weapons are no match for me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I cannot let you harm Kari, or anyone else.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I will deal with the child after I am through with you.” With that, Unicron grabbed Scarecrow by his crow’s head, turned, and hurled the Predacon warrior outside. Scarecrow landed on his chest and struggled to get to his feet. Before he could, Unicron flew through the air and landed hard on Scarecrow’s back. Scarecrow heard a mighty creaking sound and knew that another hit like that and he would be helpless. Unicron flipped Scarecrow onto his back and his horned, skull-like face, contorted into a smile. “You and your entire race will perish before me. I will finally finish what I began centuries ago.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No!” Scarecrow shouted and blasted Unicron at point-blank range with his cannons. He got to his feet and pummeled Unicron with blow after blow from his fists and cannons. Unicron stumbled backwards a step, but otherwise the assault had little effect. Scarecrow landed a final punch against Unicron’s head, and then the monster jabbed Scarecrow in the midsection with the claws of his right hand. Scarecrow screamed in pain as Unicron twisted his hand around in Scarecrow’s internals. Unicron finally brought out his hand, along with some of Scarecrow’s circuitry, and before Scarecrow could collapse to the ground, Unicron sank his left claws deep into Scarecrow’s head. He quickly pulled his hand out, and without a sound Scarecrow fell to the ground. Unicron took one last look at the fallen warrior and then took to the air. Now he would find the girl and dispose of her as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari ran in a panic through the deserted base. She had no idea where she was going, she only knew that her end was near. It was like some horrible nightmare from which she could never wake, as her legs pumped harder and harder and yet she could feel a dark presence coming closer and closer. The wind and rain beat against her body, and several times she fell on a stray piece of debris and hit the ground. She would quickly look up, see nothing, and continue to run. Finally she stopped dead in her tracks as she was about to run into a wall. She was in an alley between two ruined buildings and looked around her in desperation for somewhere to hide.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The alley was bare, except for a few pieces of steel from the buildings that had fallen because of the winds. She turned to run from the alley and to her horror, she saw Unicron filling the entrance with his demon-like form. “There is nowhere left for you to run, you foolish child!” Unicron called and slowly began to advance on Kari. “You can give me the secrets Tai imparted to you, or I can rip them from your puny body.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“What did you do to Scarecrow?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“I killed him. He was no match for my power. Neither are you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
No, Scarecrow can’t be dead! Her mind screamed. He had risked his life for her so many times before, he couldn’t have died. This had to be some kind of trick. “No, you couldn’t have killed him!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Of course I could. His mangled carcass is lying still on the ground, where it will forever rot. He was a strong, brave warrior, but none can stand against the power of the Matrix.” Unicron’s eyes bored into Kari, who took a step back and searched for some way out. There was nothing, and no weapons to use. She was completely trapped. “I grow tired of these games, girl. Give me the secrets of the Matrix or I will take them.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari planted her feet and stared back into Unicron’s red eyes. “Then you’ll have to take them.” Unicron could feel Kari’s fear and knew how to gain the knowledge Tai had entrusted to the girl. First he would have to disorient her mind so much that it would be impossible for her to put up any mental barriers to stop him from taking what he wished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
A rumbling laugh came from Unicron’s skull-like face. “Perhaps you have not taken a close look at yourself lately.” Unicron made a motion with his hands, and suddenly mirrors surrounded Kari. She felt her confidence shatter as she stared in the mirror before her. Her left hand went to her face and bushed back a tress of wet, tangled brown hair. Her wet, dirty, tattered jumpsuit hung loosely about her gangly frame, looking as though it were several sizes too large. She looked defeated and pathetic, nothing like a hero or a great warrior. She was an awkward, skinny girl, a child growing into the body of a woman. She spun around and saw her reflection in all of the mirrors. She was no warrior like Scarecrow, she had only been a biochemist, and now she was nothing but a teenage girl. I never wanted this, she thought gloomily. I never wanted to be caught up in some scheme for universal domination. She had only wanted Tai to fall in love with her aboard the Destiny. He hadn’t loved her, though, he had only gotten close to her so that he could use her as bait for a trap to gain the power of the Matrices. “Your friend was a warrior, a worthy adversary, but look at yourself. You are nothing more than a scrawny, weak child. He should not have sacrificed his life for such a pathetic creature like you.” Unicron chanted while Kari was staring at her reflection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No!” She sobbed and fell to her knees. “I’m not a child.” She put her forehead against the concrete, the wind and rain pounding against her. The mirrors vanished and as Kari lay on the ground, Unicron knew that it was time to redouble his efforts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari’s eyes opened and she found herself lying on a bed, staring up at a pink ceiling. What’s going on? She thought. She sat up and looked all around. The walls matched the ceiling and dolls and stuffed animals were cast about the room. She threw off the heavy pink comforter that was trimmed with white ruffles and jumped from the bed. She saw her reflection in a vanity that was marred by hundred of stickers and ran across the room to it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70kwegvHwvjSLJcByxPXy3x6W9Pu9e9pSJbAsjgct3nUuXQbLPnYOkmcGdxYySoR3mHuS5SdW6656EMF_-u_Uz4PgOpilXfapE3GjLm51p47FvW4748PrrV8k3P_TADU0Th-FpyNIuJ0W/s1600/kari4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70kwegvHwvjSLJcByxPXy3x6W9Pu9e9pSJbAsjgct3nUuXQbLPnYOkmcGdxYySoR3mHuS5SdW6656EMF_-u_Uz4PgOpilXfapE3GjLm51p47FvW4748PrrV8k3P_TADU0Th-FpyNIuJ0W/s320/kari4.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
A scream escaped her lips as she stared at the face before her. It was the chubby red face of a little girl about six years old. Her large green eyes were lined with tears. Her long brown hair was mussed and tangled all the way down to her waist. She was wearing a frilly white nightgown that was a size too big and ran down to the floor. This isn’t me! Kari thought. This has to be some trick of Unicron’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The door burst open and Kari turned to see two older people enter. She gasped when she saw a woman that looked like she had on the Destiny and the other looked like Tai. “Kari, what is it?” The woman asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Who...who are you?” Kari stammered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The man who looked like Tai raised an eyebrow in concern. “You know who we are, honey, we’re your parents.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The woman knelt down and ran a hand through Kari’s disheveled hair. “Kari, are you all right?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No, I’m not all right!” Kari shouted and pulled away abruptly. Tears poured down her face and she threw herself on the bed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The woman put a hand on her back and rubbed it gently. “Kari, honey, tell us what’s wrong.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“You wouldn’t understand,” Kari sniffled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Of course we will, we’re your parents,” the man responded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari slowly sat up and brushed some hair away from her face. Her “parents” sat next to her on the bed, wrapping their arms around her while she told them what had happened. They listened intently and when she was finished, the woman laughed gently. “It was just a bad dream, nothing more.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” her father chipped in and then made a big show about looking under the bed and in the closet for monsters. “See, nothing to be afraid of.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari bolted from the bed, turned towards the two adults and stomped her foot. “It wasn’t a dream!” She shouted, her voice a high-pitched whine. She stopped herself and turned to the mirror again. Her face was bright red and tears stained her cheeks. She looked just like a spoiled kid throwing a tantrum to get her way. “Maybe...maybe it was a dream,” she said quietly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The woman hugged her tightly and whispered, “Try and get some sleep, honey.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“See you in the morning,” the man said pleasantly on his way out. Kari was left staring in the mirror, wondering if everything she had seen and heard was a dream. Still, how could a dream be so real?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron chuckled to himself and knew that this was his chance. The fool was actually tricking herself into believing the lies he had planted. Now, while she was confused and her mind in chaos, was the perfect time to strike. Kari lay unconscious on the ground and Unicron knelt down next to her. His two hands closed around her head and a purple glow came from them. He probed her mind and uncovered what Tai had given to her. The purple glow ran up his arms and to his head. Unicron felt a small twinge of pain as the transfer took effect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron looked around the deserted base and laughed victoriously. He had in his grasp the secrets of the Matrices, the secrets that would allow him to gain all of the power in the universe for himself. All he need do was destroy the Predacon’s friends and take the Matrices from the Odyssey. Then his path for victory would be clear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He looked down at the girl and considered what to do with her. Her mind was still trying to decipher fact from fiction. He decided to let her be. Perhaps she would convince herself that she was a spoiled brat instead of a woman who had been used as a pawn in Tai’s game. Either way it did not matter to him. For when he next returned to Pholon, the girl and all of her people would suffer for Tai’s treachery. He put a hand to Kari’s head and there was a brief flash of purple light. “I have presented you with two lives, child. Whichever you choose, that is what you will become.” Then Unicron raised his arms and the storms died down. Light began to illuminate the base through the thin layers of white clouds and the calls of birds could be heard in the air. Then Unicron leapt into the air and headed for Cerberus and his destiny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Kari sat on her bed, brushing out her long hair. Either this is real and everything else was a dream, or this is a dream and everything else was real, she thought. I’m either this little girl or a woman turned into a teenager by a maniac who wanted to become a god. The former seemed much more plausible, but she remembered everything so clearly that it seemed impossible for it to be a dream. She brushed her hair for another minute, and then knew what had to be done.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
She put the brush down and rolled up the left sleeve of her nightgown. Then she grabbed her left arm with her right and pinched the flesh on her left arm as hard as she could. Pain shot through her and she yelped, her right hand drawing back quickly. If it were a dream, I wouldn’t have felt anything, she reasoned. Everything else was just a nightmare.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
She went back to the vanity and stared into the mirror. She could remember seeing herself in the dream and remembered what she had looked like. Her dream was already beginning to fade and she felt a surge of relief flood over her. When she had woke up, she had been so confused about who she was, but now she knew. This is who I am, she thought happily and turned away from the mirror. Someday I’ll be a big girl like in the dream, but not for a while. She closed her eyes and slowly began to get back to sleep. She would feel better in the morning, when the dream she had had was just a distant memory.</div>
<span style="font-family: "; font-size: 12; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Status: online. Systems: critical,” a computerized voice said. Scarecrow’s eyes slowly came back and he hefted himself to his feet. The damage he had taken from Unicron was severe, but internal repairs had gotten his major systems functioning within minimal standards. His left leg and arm moved stiffly from the damage he had suffered to his head, which had a huge gouge on the right side. He would need days in the restoration chamber to heal, but unfortunately he didn’t have time for that. Unicron was gone and heading to Cerberus to destroy Skyfire and the others. He would have to move quickly and hope that he could arrive in time. First, he had to find Kari and see if she was still alive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
His sensors were limited from the damage, but he could detect that there was something alive close by. He limped towards it slowly and finally reached the alley. He stopped in his tracks and stared at what he had found. “Kari?” He ventured.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
A small child was sitting on the ground, her face buried into her lap as she sobbed. Long brown hair obscured her face, but at the sound of Scarecrow’s face, she looked up, strands of hair plastered to her face by her tears. Scarecrow knew that the girl was too young to be the Kari he had known, but when he looked into her eyes, he knew that it was her. “My name is Kari,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m five and a half years old. Have you seen my mommy and daddy?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Scarecrow knelt down next to the girl and asked, “Don’t you remember me?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“No,” Kari sniffled. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Unicron did this, Scarecrow cursed. He had wiped her mind clean and transformed her into this child. “Stay here, I will get someone to help you,” Scarecrow commented gruffly. He turned away and slowly walked away. Kari went back to crying and Scarecrow only wished that he could help her. I must stop Unicron, then I can use the power of the Matrix to help Kari.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
He looked back at her and stopped. Perhaps that is not such a good idea, he thought. Why bring back such horrible memories? She has suffered enough, he thought as he transformed into his jet mode and took off. As he roared higher into the skies, he sent an anonymous message to a rescue station and alerted them that a girl was trapped on <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sorcam</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Hopefully they will rescue her and find her a decent home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
As Scarecrow was jostled and bucked from entering the atmosphere, he knew that it was better for Kari to live in innocent ignorance of all that transpired. Unless Unicron was stopped, he would soon rule the universe, and then there would be no place safe for innocent children. If I fail, then Kari and everyone else will be subject to a brutal tyranny unlike anything ever known. Scarecrow broke through the atmosphere and left Pholon behind him. For her sake, I will not fail.</div>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-4508596183688807462007-06-13T09:55:00.001-07:002007-06-13T09:58:45.440-07:00DerelictAuthor's Note: This is the seventh episode of "The Skyfire Adventures" written in 1998. The story ties up the loose ends from the Apocalypse Trilogy and moves into what was supposed to have been another extended story arc. This episode primarily focuses on Perceptor and Wheeljack, who find a derelict ship inhabited by scary monsters that try to kill them, sort of like "Alien." This is the first indication that something evil is afoot...<br /><br /> <p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="MsoTitle">The Skyfire Adventures:<span style=""> </span>Derelict</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Prologue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The planet of Hippolyta was a brown world that until a month ago had been uninhabited.<span style=""> </span>Now it was teeming with over fifteen hundred beings, the survivors of the planet Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>A large central city had been built in the course of the month and the new residents of the planet were growing used to their environment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A single orange ship was grounded a few miles from the city and was the site of a great effort.<span style=""> </span>Scores of Cybertraxians were working on the ship, preparing it for its upcoming journey.<span style=""> </span>On the bridge of the ship, the Maximal Skyfire listened to the latest reports.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack reported, “All systems are just about ready to go.<span style=""> </span>We just have to finish up some modifications on the engines.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>What about the two transports?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Zeam and his group have finished work on them and are loading them in the hangar.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All modifications to the sensors and internal systems are finished, so once you’re done we’ll be ready to get out of here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It should only be a few more hours.<span style=""> </span>Can’t say I won’t be glad to get out of<span style=""> </span>here.<span style=""> </span>I mean this place is nice, but it’s not Cybertron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>Report when you’re done.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got to meet with Tym and discuss a few things.”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and Skyfire hurried from the bridge.<span style=""> </span>Once he had left the ship he transformed into a bald eagle and flew to the large, conical building that housed the new government.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was escorted inside the building and taken to an office.<span style=""> </span>The office was bare, having been completed only days before, and behind a gray, metal desk sat Tym, the head of the new government.<span style=""> </span>He got up and extended his hand to Skyfire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Glad that you made it.<span style=""> </span>I hear your ship is about ready to go.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes it is.<span style=""> </span>We’ve been most grateful for your hospitality and help.<span style=""> </span>With the refit engines we’ll be able to cut years off of our journey.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I wish I could say that we were just trying to help, but there was a hidden agenda on our part.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at Tym for a moment, wondering what was going on.<span style=""> </span>Did Tym plan on hijacking the ship and killing Skyfire and the others?<span style=""> </span>None of the Cybertraxians had ever bore any ill-will towards the Autobots, Scarecrow, and him.<span style=""> </span>“I don’t understand,” Skyfire replied simply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Tym pushed a button on the edge of the desk and a panel in the wall to Skyfire’s left opened.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was nearly blinded by the bright lights coming from the five Matrices recovered from Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire, as Jetfire, had recovered them in a daring raid Hippolyta had concocted and turned them over to the Cybertraxians.<span style=""> </span>Tym got up and went to the Matrices, resting his hand on the white and gold Matrix of Harmony, the Matrix that could find all of the others.<span style=""> </span>“These Matrices are too powerful to be left here.<span style=""> </span>Our government is only beginning to reform, our security isn’t as tight as it could be.<span style=""> </span>If someone finds these, then they could use their power and destroy the planet and possibly the universe.<span style=""> </span>I won’t let that happen.”<span style=""> </span>He looked at Skyfire sadly.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, I need you to take these back to Cybertron, they’ll be safe there.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Tym, we won’t get back to Cybertron for about thirty more years, anything could happen to them in that time.<span style=""> </span>It’s a terrible risk to take.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t want them on this planet, I can’t take the chance.<span style=""> </span>There are Cybertraxians who would give their sparks to possess the power of just one of these, let alone five of them.<span style=""> </span>Shoot them into the nearest star for all I care, but they can’t stay here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded.<span style=""> </span>“Very well then.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and I will make a defense system for them so no one can steal them.<span style=""> </span>I give you my word that I will protect them with my life.<span style=""> </span>No harm will come to them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you.<span style=""> </span>I know I can count on you, just as Hippolyta did.<span style=""> </span>As soon as you’re done with that defense system I’ll arrange for a secret transfer.<span style=""> </span>Good journey to you and your crew, Skyfire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“And to you, Tym.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire left the office sadly, knowing what Tym was doing.<span style=""> </span>The Matrix of Wisdom had not appeared as yet, and by getting rid of the other Matrices his people would be completely on their own.<span style=""> </span>It was possible that the Matrix of Wisdom would return later, but until then the Cybertraxians would have nothing.<span style=""> </span>Their entire system of government would have to be altered since there could not be another Yta without the Matrix.<span style=""> </span>However, Skyfire knew that the Cybertraxians would find a way to survive.<span style=""> </span>They were a brave people and had endured a lot.<span style=""> </span>Somehow they would get by.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Two days later Skyfire and his crew were gathered outside of the ship.<span style=""> </span>A large group of Cybertraxians were there to send the ship off.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire stepped forward to address them.<span style=""> </span>“We are all very grateful for your hospitality and help in refitting our ship for its voyage home.<span style=""> </span>We thought before we lift off we should demonstrate how much your help means to us.”<span style=""> </span>On his signal, Grapple opened the hatch to the ship, revealing two boxy transports.<span style=""> </span>“These are our two transport ships, the Pathfinder and the Legacy II.<span style=""> </span>With your help we have outfitted these for long-range research missions that will allow us to better add to the knowledge that we will take back to Cybertron and then bring back to your people.<span style=""> </span>As soon as we reach home, I will return using trans-warp drive and share all that we have discovered with your people.<span style=""> </span>Because of your help, our engines have been upgraded and will cut over fifteen years from our journey.<span style=""> </span>The increase in sensors, shields, and weapons will also help us along the way.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There is no way that we can ever thank you enough for your help with our ship and for allowing us to fight beside you against Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>We will remember you always and once we return to Cybertron, we will make certain that our two peoples who are so related are finally united.”<span style=""> </span>Skids handed Skyfire a bottle of radium-spiked oil left over from the victory celebration a month ago.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire turned towards the ship and announced, “Without any further ado I hereby christen this vessel the Odyssey.”<span style=""> </span>He threw the bottle and it smashed against the side of the ship, a blotch of oil dripping down the orange hull.<span style=""> </span>Odyssey was the name the entire crew had agreed upon in homage to a human story about a ship and crew that also had to make a long journey home.<span style=""> </span>A cheer went up from the crowd and more intoxicants were opened.<span style=""> </span>A new party began and with a final wave the crew went inside the ship.<span style=""> </span>Grapple took the helm, Perceptor the science station, Beachcomber the sensors, Skids the weapons, and Skyfire the command chair.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack went back to the engine room to make a final check.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow simply went back to his quarters until he was needed.<span style=""> </span>Since he was not supposed to even be part of the crew he had no station.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple activated the ignition sequence and the vertical take-off engines of the ship roared to life.<span style=""> </span>The Odyssey lifted off on a bed of yellow-orange fire until it was high in the air.<span style=""> </span>The crew fought against the forces of gravity and for a few moments Skyfire was certain they were all going to be torn apart.<span style=""> </span>The ship finally made it through the atmosphere and was once again out in space.<span style=""> </span>“Activate main engines and ready the hyperdrive.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and the vertical take-off engines died out.<span style=""> </span>The three large main engines began to glow with blue-white fury and sent the Odyssey moving forward.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sensors detecting an object approaching,” Beachcomber called out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A fighter?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s what it looks like.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Open the hangar doors and let it land.”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and the hangar doors opened, magnetic systems keeping the transports and everything else inside.<span style=""> </span>A green fighter with cranked-arrow wings and twin tails streaked by the bridge, waggling its wings.<span style=""> </span>It made a sharp turn and landed inside of the hangar.<span style=""> </span>“Show off,” Skyfire said to himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A green Autobot appeared on the bridge moments later.<span style=""> </span>“You weren’t going to leave without me?”<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire turned in his chair and replied, “Of course not.<span style=""> </span>Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She nodded and took an empty seat on the bridge that allowed access to a computer terminal.<span style=""> </span>Valkyrie, the Autobot incarnation of the Cybertraxian leader Hippolyta, had been drifting in space for a month now, her only company the equipment and rations she had been given.<span style=""> </span>It may seem cruel, but Valkyrie knew that it had been necessary to make sure that no one found out who she really was.<span style=""> </span>She didn’t want any of her former people to know that she had survived, that was part of the punishment she had been given from the Elders of her race for being allowed to come back to life.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right, take us up to light speed, Grapple.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and signaled that he was ready.<span style=""> </span>“Engage,” Skyfire commanded.<span style=""> </span>The Odyssey shot forward into space, into the unknown.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter One<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A month later Wheeljack and Perceptor were sitting in the cockpit of the Pathfinder, ingesting energon rations.<span style=""> </span>They were on their way back to the Odyssey after conducting some research on a blue reflection nebula nearby.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor had wanted to go to study it and Wheeljack had volunteered to come along to make sure the transport worked as it was supposed to, since this was its first field test.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids and Beachcomber had left days before them in the Legacy II to study a planet with intelligent life.<span style=""> </span>The two scientists wanted to conduct some field work on the society of the race and were equipped for a discreet survey.<span style=""> </span>While Skyfire had granted the two sidetrips, he had ordered that the Odyssey keep moving.<span style=""> </span>The ship had maintained a leisurely pace before, but with the Matrices aboard, Skyfire wanted to get back to Cybertron as quickly as possible.<span style=""> </span>Besides, he had made a promise to the Cybertraxians, a promise he intended to keep.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing like studying a nebula,” Wheeljack commented in boredom.<span style=""> </span>“Except maybe tinkering with some alien technology.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor sniffed a bit and replied, “The study of that nebula provided a wealth of scientific data for use on Cybertron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know that, but it’s boring to just sit around and look at some space gas.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps to you, but the upgraded sensors allowed us to see things about the structure of that blue reflection nebula that we had never seen before.<span style=""> </span>I will have to write an article for the Autobot Journal of Science as soon as we return to the ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t wait to get back to Cybertron and tell everyone about our adventures. <span style=""> </span>They’ll never believe half of it.<span style=""> </span>Of course, from what Skyfire says Cybertron is a different place now that these Maximals are in charge.<span style=""> </span>I hope our buddies are still all right.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure all of our comrades are fine.<span style=""> </span>We haven’t been gone that long.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>Hey, what’s that?”<span style=""> </span>The comlink button was beeping and Wheeljack wondered if Skids or the Odyssey was calling.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He pressed the button and a deep voice rumbled something in a foreign language.<span style=""> </span>“There is nothing on the sensors,” Perceptor said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The message replayed and Wheeljack snapped his fingers.<span style=""> </span>“From that monotonous tone and the way it’s repeating, I’d have to guess that’s a distress signal of some sorts.<span style=""> </span>Let’s see if we can trace it back.”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack’s hands flew over his console and he nodded.<span style=""> </span>“I’ve got a fix on a ship.<span style=""> </span>There’s some kind of radiation interfering with the scans, but I am definitely detecting metal in large quantities.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am setting a course for whatever it is,” Perceptor said, punching the coordinates into the computer.<span style=""> </span>The Pathfinder turned and its engines went to full speed.<span style=""> </span>“I estimate it will take two hours to reach the source of the metal.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>I hope whoever sent that signal isn’t in too much trouble.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“As do I.<span style=""> </span>We will see.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Two hours later the metal Wheeljack had detected came into view.<span style=""> </span>The metal was a starship that was gray and fan-shaped.<span style=""> </span>It was a little bit larger than the Odyssey, but from what Wheeljack could determine it was dead in space.<span style=""> </span>“I’m not detecting any lifeforms,” he reported.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That radiation is still present.<span style=""> </span>I would surmise that it is coming from the ship itself.<span style=""> </span>There may still be a crew on board in need of assistance.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Right.<span style=""> </span>No weapons, shields, or propulsion active.<span style=""> </span>I think I’ve got a lock on a hangar.<span style=""> </span>Take us over and we’ll see if we can get the doors to work.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor maneuvered the transport around the back of the ship and to the other side, where there was a large, rectangular area of darker metal.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack analyzed it and couldn’t find any way to signal it to open.<span style=""> </span>They had tried already to hail the ship with no response, except for the distress call.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack armed the twin laser cannons on the ship and fired on the door.<span style=""> </span>After a few bursts a hole large enough to accommodate the transport was formed.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor set the Pathfinder down inside a large dark room that was obviously a hangar, as it contained a couple of small, fan-shaped ships.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack analyzed the ship’s interior to determine if he and Perceptor could survive outside the Pathfinder.<span style=""> </span>“That radiation seems to be coming from the rear of the ship, near the engines.<span style=""> </span>There’s no way we can survive for long back there, but levels are lower in the front, so we can look around up there for survivors.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.”<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots went to the hatch and opened it.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor had his rifle in hand and Wheeljack’s missile launcher was loaded in case there was any trouble.<span style=""> </span>They cautiously stepped out and looked around the hangar.<span style=""> </span>There were no lifeforms around and so they decided to look elsewhere.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor found a door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.<span style=""> </span>“The computer systems must be off-line.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor found a manual release to the side of the door controls and the door grated open enough for them to get it the rest of the way.<span style=""> </span>The adjoining corridor was dark and Wheeljack activated a flashlight mounted on the side of his right arm.<span style=""> </span>“I’d suggest the first thing we try to do is get to the bridge and see if we can get things working again.<span style=""> </span>There isn’t much air left in here for anything to survive.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and the pair of Autobots hurried along the corridor.<span style=""> </span>They were stopped at an elevator and pried the doors open.<span style=""> </span>There was no elevator car, only a long shaft.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor led the way and they slowly climbed up.<span style=""> </span>Two levels later they found the elevator car, barely attached and looking as though something had torn it open.<span style=""> </span>“It does not appear as though that was done by an accident,” Perceptor observed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe we’ve come too late.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor shrugged and scrambled over the car.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack grabbed the sides of the car to haul himself up when the last supports gave way.<span style=""> </span>He shouted in surprise and Perceptor reached back to grab his friend’s hand.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor’s hand barely missed and Wheeljack began to fall with the car.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack managed to get on the top of the car and looked for some way to stop his fall.<span style=""> </span>He spotted a ledge for one of the stops along the shaft below him and waited for the car to descend that far.<span style=""> </span>He jumped and his hands caught onto the ledge, the elevator car continuing its long plunge.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack managed to pull himself to his feet and then climbed back up to the shaft to catch up to Perceptor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That was close,” Wheeljack said when the two were reunited.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Too close.<span style=""> </span>The top of the shaft is not too far ahead, the bridge should be close by.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great, maybe then we can get some answers.”<span style=""> </span>The Autobots continued to climb until they reached the top of the elevator shaft.<span style=""> </span>There was a ledge similar to the one Wheeljack had been saved by, and just above it was a door.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor leapt across the shaft and his right hand caught onto the ledge.<span style=""> </span>He pulled himself up and manually opened the door.<span style=""> </span>He stepped back and Wheeljack jumped across the shaft and pulled himself up to his feet.<span style=""> </span>They looked around to see that they had made it to the bridge, or what was left of it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Primus, this place looks trashed,” Wheeljack commented.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and then both of their fluids went cold when they saw the bodies.<span style=""> </span>There were five of them total, scattered about the room at various stations.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor went to the nearest one in the center of the room and transformed to microscope mode, examining the corpse.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The body was humanoid and small, a child of about ten years from what Perceptor could determine.<span style=""> </span>Its entire left side was mangled and almostcompletely decomposed.<span style=""> </span>The right side was splattered with blood, but intact for the most part.<span style=""> </span>As Perceptor examined the corpse, Wheeljack went to the forward-most station and found the source of the distress call.<span style=""> </span>It was eminating from a console that the decomposed body of a little girl was slumped over.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack moved the girl aside, forcing down his fear and shock, and shut off the distress beacon.<span style=""> </span>“What is this, a ship run by kids?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure, but I can tell you that these children were not killed from an accident.<span style=""> </span>The damage to this body is consistent with the damage done by large predatory animals.<span style=""> </span>In other words, he was mauled by some kind of being.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps they were boarded and there was some kind of hand-to-hand fighting, although I’d have to say that the damage is a little severe for a typical fight.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Exactly.<span style=""> </span>Try and get the computer system active, it may provide some answers.<span style=""> </span>I will check out the rest of these bodies.”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor went about his grim task and Wheeljack looked for an access port for the computer system.<span style=""> </span>He moved access panels aside and finally found what he was looking for under a station across the room from the door.<span style=""> </span>He eased the body of a toddler aside, taking a moment to look at the corpse.<span style=""> </span>The girl’s body was gone from the waist down, but her gray eyes were open and seemed to be drilling to Wheeljack’s soul.<span style=""> </span>He shut the little raven-haired girl’s eyes and shook himself back to work.<span style=""> </span>He had seen a lot of death and destruction in his time, but when it came to seeing dead children it always stirred something deep within him.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>As he went to work on the computers, Wheeljack had to wonder what these kids were doing on the bridge of the ship in the first place.<span style=""> </span>Had the creators of this ship stocked it with kids for some kind of long-range exploratory mission?<span style=""> </span>Perhaps it was a colonization mission or just some kind of ark from a devastated society.<span style=""> </span>In all cases, it seemed unlikely that a two-year-old girl could maintain a system so complicated.<span style=""> </span>He turned to Perceptor and asked the question on his mind, “What if these kids aren’t supposed to be kids?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked as he studied the body slumped over the station where the distress signal had come from.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well, it should be obvious that these little kids couldn’t really run a complicated ship, and from what I see, there isn’t any kind of highly-advanced automated system.<span style=""> </span>So what if these kids were adults at one time.<span style=""> </span>Maybe through some kind of freak temporal event they were all changed into children.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s possible, but the sensors didn’t pick up any kind of temporal disturbances in the area, and there aren’t any black holes or other phenomena except for the nebula.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe this ship has been cruising for a while since it happened.<span style=""> </span>All I know is that little girl you’re studying had to have hit that distress call button, which meant she had to be familiar with the ship in some way.<span style=""> </span>Either her society trained her from the crib for this, or she was an adult until something happened to her.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I understand what you are suggesting, but there is no evidence to support it yet.<span style=""> </span>If you get the computers working maybe we can find some evidence.”<span style=""> </span>There was no anger in Perceptor’s voice and Wheeljack knew his friend was only pointing out the obvious.<span style=""> </span>He nodded and went to work on the console, hoping to find some results.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor finished studying the bodies and the conclusion was the same for all of them:<span style=""> </span>something had attacked them.<span style=""> </span>It looked like in some cases that whatever it was had actually digested part of the children, which meant that some kind of predator had attacked them.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor could not find any evidence to support Wheeljack’s theory of a temporal event, but from his findings, the children had been dead for over a month, the low temperature inside the bridge had preserved their bodies, but any signs of temporal events would have already been eradicated.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The entire situation seemed odd to Perceptor, which was an abnormal feeling.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor was a scientist, the greatest Cybertron had ever known, and used to unlocking mysteries, but this one was especially puzzling.<span style=""> </span>Why were five kids running a complicated starship?<span style=""> </span>The youngest one was only two-years-old and could barely even reach the controls if she had been standing up.<span style=""> </span>Looking around, Perceptor could see that the furniture was not designed for children, it had been scaled for adults.<span style=""> </span>So either some temporal event had happened to change the adult crew into children or else the regular crew had vanished and the kids had tried to take charge.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor leaned towards the former since at least the one child had been familiar enough with the ship’s systems to activate that distress call.<span style=""> </span>He doubted that a five-year-old of any race would know how to do that or even be able to guess.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perceptor!<span style=""> </span>I think I got it!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shouted.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor transformed and hurried over to where Wheeljack was working on getting the computers operating.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack pushed something and lights activated on the bridge terminals.<span style=""> </span>“Good, looks like the computers are working again.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack stood up and Perceptor was already analyzing one of the terminals.<span style=""> </span>The language displayed was unknown, but with enough time a translation subroutine could be made for he and Wheeljack so they could interpret what the screens were saying.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll prepare a translating subroutine so we can figure out what these computers are saying,” Perceptor said.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and fiddled with the terminal closest to him.<span style=""> </span>He hit a button and one of the screens came to life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was a map showing a green planet and various star systems nearby.<span style=""> </span>From what Wheeljack could tell, the planet was about fifteen light years away and far away from the Odyssey’s path.<span style=""> </span>The planet on the screen became larger and then zoomed in to the surface, which was covered in lush, rolling hills and plains that were all a bright green.<span style=""> </span>“It’s a map to some kind of paradise,” Wheeljack breathed.<span style=""> </span>“Maybe these kids were on some kind of colonization mission.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor only nodded, still trying to crack the alien language.<span style=""> </span>It would take a half hour to get a good grasp on the language and while he waited, Wheeljack worked on getting other systems on-line.<span style=""> </span>Forty minutes later, Perceptor was finished and Wheeljack had not made any progress at all.<span style=""> </span>“I think that the radiation has slagged most of the primary systems,” Wheeljack said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I have completed the translation program,” Perceptor replied.<span style=""> </span>He copied it and downloaded it to Wheeljack’s systems.<span style=""> </span>Now they could both understand the foreign language and examined the terminals once more.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor was at the sensor station and noticed that some sensors were still functioning.<span style=""> </span>He checked them and stopped.<span style=""> </span>“There’s movement coming from three decks below us in what appear to be crew quarters.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I guess this ship isn’t so dead after all,” Wheeljack commented dryly and the Autobots hurried to find the source.<span style=""> </span>They hoped that they would find a survivor who might be able to explain what had happened to the ship and clear up the mystery of why the bridge was run by little kids.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The source of the movement was in the quarters of one of the crew.<span style=""> </span>As Wheeljack and Perceptor arrived they found that the door was open and rushed inside.<span style=""> </span>The quarters were dark and small, containing only a single room.<span style=""> </span>What furniture there was was scattered all over as though the room had been ransacked.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack panned the flashlight around and under a fallen set of drawers he saw a body.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack raced over and hefted the drawers off of the body.<span style=""> </span>As he did, Perceptor saw the body was of a little girl of only about six-years-old.<span style=""> </span>She had bright red hair and was wearing a long white dress with flowers.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor examined the child and knew that she was dead.<span style=""> </span>Her back had been broken and her skull smashed by the drawers.<span style=""> </span>He turned her over and saw that her midsection had been slit open, her innards visible through the blood.<span style=""> </span>What was also obvious was that the death had occurred recently.<span style=""> </span>“This girl died within the last hour,” Perceptor said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“She was alive when we got here?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“From the looks of it, yes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then that means that whoever attacked the bridge crew is still on board.<span style=""> </span>We’ve got to find them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and then noticed a small computer in a pocket of the girl’s skirt.<span style=""> </span>He pulled it out and activated it.<span style=""> </span>The girl’s face was on screen, looking terrified.<span style=""> </span>“This is Inductee Karun Halle, or rather I used to be.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know what’s happened, but there was some kind of purple cloud and then my body began changing.<span style=""> </span>I looked into a mirror and saw that I had become this little girl.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There was a pause and then the girl’s face seemed to change.<span style=""> </span>Tears suddenly came to her face and she screamed, “I don’t know what’s happening to me!<span style=""> </span>I can feel things inside of me changing.<span style=""> </span>I…I think I am becoming this child.<span style=""> </span>I can feel some kind of terror growing inside of me, some kind of primal fear surfacing!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The message stopped and Perceptor noted there was another one.<span style=""> </span>He played it and saw that it was still the little girl, although she looked pale and disheveled now.<span style=""> </span>“This is my last message.<span style=""> </span>I’ve been in here for over a week.<span style=""> </span>I can’t control myself any longer.<span style=""> </span>I lapse into long periods of crying and am experiencing a strong longing for my parents.<span style=""> </span>My adult personality is rapidly being submerged and often it goes completely unconscious.<span style=""> </span>I once found myself playing with some makeshift doll and singing some old children’s song.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know what’s happened to the rest of the crew and I’m too afraid to leave my quarters.<span style=""> </span>It’s dark and creepy.<span style=""> </span>I managed to take a peak into the corridor and saw that it was completely dark with wreckage strewn about.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“My food and water are running out and this childish fear prevents me from leaving my quarters.<span style=""> </span>Thus I know that I will soon die.<span style=""> </span>I can only hope that everyone else has met a better fate than I.”<span style=""> </span>The girl began tearing up again and whined, “I want my Mommy and Daddy!”<span style=""> </span>Then the message stopped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I guess that explains part of it,” Wheeljack said.<span style=""> </span>“It doesn’t explain why it happened, or what attacked this girl.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A purple cloud would be comparable to a wormhole or a temporal vortex like Skids encountered.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, but that vortex didn’t change Skids, it just sent him into the future.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps such phenomena operate differently on biological creatures.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That may explain her body, but what about her mind?<span style=""> </span>It was obvious that her mind was becoming that of the little girl.<span style=""> </span>It was like she was schizophrenic.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I agree, but that may be a psychological side effect, not a physical one.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“At any rate, this doesn’t explain what killed her.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>We’ll have to search the ship, or at least as much as we can.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and the two Autobots stepped outside the corridor.<span style=""> </span>As they did, Perceptor heard a loud noise coming from one end of the corridor.<span style=""> </span>“What was that?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shrugged and they readied their weapons.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack panned the flashlight that way and saw nothing but an empty, wreckage-strewn corridor.<span style=""> </span>“My sensors don’t register anything, it must have just been some…”<span style=""> </span>Before Wheeljack could finish, something came crashing through the roof.<span style=""> </span>It landed on Wheeljack and massive jaws snapped at Perceptor forcing him back.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The flashlight shone on the attacker and Perceptor gasped.<span style=""> </span>It was an immense black creature with beady red eyes, bat-like wings, eight arms with claws, two legs, and a large tail.<span style=""> </span>Its mouth had rows of sharp teeth and it growled with a huge, deep sound that seemed to resonate from its entire being.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor raised his rifle, but before he could shoot the creature hefted Wheeljack up and flew back up from whence it came.<span style=""> </span>“Perceptor, help!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shouted.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor couldn’t risk a shot without hitting Wheeljack and held his fire.<span style=""> </span>He looked for a way up into what appeared to be an air shaft and dashed into the room where they had found the little girl.<span style=""> </span>He took the drawers that had fell on her and was able to use those to boost himself enough to get into the shaft.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor crawled madly down the shaft, anxiously hoping that he could catch up with the creature that had taken Wheeljack.<span style=""> </span>He thought he heard something at a junction and looked down each of the two shafts he was presented with.<span style=""> </span>He decided on the shaft to his left and continued on his way.<span style=""> </span>As he did, he noticed that radiation levels were getting steeper.<span style=""> </span>Obviously he was getting near the rear of the ship.<span style=""> </span>He stopped and then heard a muffled cry ahead of him.<span style=""> </span>He continued crawling, hoping to find Wheeljack and the creature soon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He heard a crashing sound ahead of him and saw light coming into the shaft.<span style=""> </span>He knew that the monster must have exited the shaft and looked down where it had broken through.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t see Wheeljack or the creature, but that was because there were green clouds all over the room.<span style=""> </span>Peceptor analyzed the clouds and determined they were radioactive gas from the propulsion systems.<span style=""> </span>His circuits could handle the radiation for a little while, but prolonged exposure would fry them for certain.<span style=""> </span>Still, he had no choice. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor jumped down from the shaft and landed on the deck of the ship, green clouds obscuring his view in all directions.<span style=""> </span>Suddenly the creature lunged at him, one of the giant clawed arms swiping across Perceptor’s chest.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor fired his rifle at where the arm could come from and heard a grunt.<span style=""> </span>He took a step back just as the creature came roaring through the mist.<span style=""> </span>Before Perceptor could fire it hit him with the right arms and he was sent crashing up against a wall.<span style=""> </span>His gun went spinning from his hand and Perceptor lost track of it.<span style=""> </span>He ducked as the creature struck again.<span style=""> </span>Its shot went wide and Perceptor managed to hit it in the midsection as it went by.<span style=""> </span>The creature barely flinched and Perceptor could see he had done no harm to it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The monster was coming back around to hit at Perceptor with its right arms and he jumped back and ducked.<span style=""> </span>Claws raked across his left shoulder and Perceptor screamed in pain.<span style=""> </span>Th creature came back around and kicked Perceptor in the midsection with a clawed foot and for good measure slapped him in the head with its tail.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor hit the deck and knew he was losing consciousness.<span style=""> </span>Still, he had to flee or else the radiation would kill him.<span style=""> </span>He clasped his hands together and came up swinging his arms.<span style=""> </span>He nailed the monster in the middle and it stumbled backwards a bit.<span style=""> </span>That was enough of a distraction for Perceptor to duck under it and flee into the mists.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted.<span style=""> </span>There was no answer and he wondered if the monster had already killed his friend.<span style=""> </span>He frantically looked around the room, but couldn’t find his comrade anywhere.<span style=""> </span>The creature was approaching and Perceptor found a door.<span style=""> </span>He pried it open and saw that it led into a corridor leading to the front of the ship.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor dashed down it and ducked into a set of quarters away from the radiation.<span style=""> </span>He sat up against a wall and noticed the bodies of two boys.<span style=""> </span>He shivered, still uncertain as to what had happened to the crew, but at least now he knew how they had died.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He had been unable to find his rifle in the confusion, so he had no weapon and was going up against a creature as large as him that was far heavier and stronger.<span style=""> </span>Yet somehow he had to go back and look for Wheeljack, he owed his friend at least that much.<span style=""> </span>The question was just how to do it.<span style=""> </span>He got to his feet, analyzing his wounds and determining that they were merely superficial.<span style=""> </span>He decided that the best thing to do would be to search the ship for supplies like weapons or anything he could use to beat the monster.<span style=""> </span>He left the quarters and began his search, hoping that Wheeljack could hold out for as long as it took.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">*</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack woke up in a storage locker and found himself hung against the wall with crude chains.<span style=""> </span>Maybe it’s planning to wait to eat me for later, he mused.<span style=""> </span>He hoped Perceptor had fared better and tried to activate his comlink, but the radiation was interfering with it.<span style=""> </span>He tugged on the chains but they were too strong.<span style=""> </span>He was trapped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The doors opened and the monster lumbered in on all of its appendages.<span style=""> </span>It grunted at him and then stood up.<span style=""> </span>It used its claws and severed the chains, then shoved Wheeljack outside.<span style=""> </span>It led him by the chains through the thick green clouds and Wheeljack wondered if he was going to be killed now.<span style=""> </span>The creature took him through the clouds and to another room, which was even more obscured.<span style=""> </span>The radiation was extremely high in the area, but the monster kept herding Wheeljack along until it stopped and pushed him ahead into something.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack looked around and from what he could tell, he was looking at the propulsion drive.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was old by Cybertronian standards, running on some kind of fusion reactor.<span style=""> </span>The reactor had overloaded, Wheeljack suspected because no one had maintained it for well over a month.<span style=""> </span>He wondered why the creature had led him to the engines and stopped.<span style=""> </span>It can’t be.<span style=""> </span>It doesn’t want me to fix the ship, does it?<span style=""> </span>A case of humanoid tools clattering to the deck around Wheeljack answered the question.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He picked up the tools and pretended to busy himself at working on the engines, but already he knew it was a hopeless cause.<span style=""> </span>There was no way to rebuild the reactor and sooner or later the radiation would spread to the whole of the ship, completely irradiating it.<span style=""> </span>No sensible race would come near it then.<span style=""> </span>He looked around, hoping for a way to at least vent the radiation.<span style=""> </span>He stumbled around the huge room and finally found what he was looking for, an emergency airlock.<span style=""> </span>With some work he managed to pry it open, holding on tightly as the vacuum of space sucked the radiation clouds from the ship.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There were still clouds forming near the reactor, but at least Wheeljack could see around the room.<span style=""> </span>That and the radiation levels were lower so he could survive longer.<span style=""> </span>He closed the airlock and examined the engines.<span style=""> </span>He found the problem with the reactor after a few minutes.<span style=""> </span>Maintenance systems must have gone off-line, because systems that would have vented the gas into space were not functioning, so the gas had built up pressure inside the reactor until parts of the reactor had burst from the strain.<span style=""> </span>Still, what had caused the gas in the first place?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack continued to search for answers and after a long while he finally found them.<span style=""> </span>Someone had sabotaged the engine drive.<span style=""> </span>He found residue on parts of the reactor of some kind of chemical not native to the reactor itself.<span style=""> </span>The chemical must have reacted with the materials inside the reactor to create the gas.<span style=""> </span>Over time the gas had built up and since the safety systems were off-line there was no way to stop the inevitable explosion of the reactor.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and knew that short of scratch-building a new reactor there was nothing he could do.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The monster looked over at him and Wheeljack simply shrugged.<span style=""> </span>It roared and he knew that he was in trouble now.<span style=""> </span>The creature charged and Wheeljack darted away from it.<span style=""> </span>He set off running blindly out of the engine room towards anywhere.<span style=""> </span>He hoped he could find Perceptor and that together they could overpower the thing.<span style=""> </span>If not, then they’d end up dead like the original crew.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor had finally found what he was looking for inside of a storage room near the hangar.<span style=""> </span>Inside were spacesuits and primitive projectile weapons.<span style=""> </span>The projectile weapons were similar to shotguns the humans had used early in the Great War.<span style=""> </span>It bothered Perceptor that a society could make such a fabulous ship and yet have such primitive weapons.<span style=""> </span>He shrugged and grabbed one of the spacesuits.<span style=""> </span>It was a very tight fit, but Perceptor managed to get the suit around him.<span style=""> </span>He closed the helmet and sealed it.<span style=""> </span>The suit would protect him from the radiation for at least a little while longer than otherwise.<span style=""> </span>He also took one of the rifles, which would be hard to use with the suit on, but not impossible.<span style=""> </span>Then he headed towards where the monster had been.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He stopped as he heard something pounding furiously against the deck, footsteps.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor searched for cover, his weapon ready.<span style=""> </span>He ducked into a doorway and opened the door, leaving the door open so he could ambush the monster as it approached.<span style=""> </span>The footsteps came closer and Perceptor waited until the monster was near before he leapt out of the doorway.<span style=""> </span>He fired a shot and ducked back into the doorway, steeling himself for the next attack.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perceptor!<span style=""> </span>You nearly took my head off!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor looked into the corridor and found Wheeljack lying on the deck, a hole in the wall nearby.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor helped his comrade to his feet and they went into the small room.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor shuddered at seeing two of the children lying in the room’s single bed.<span style=""> </span>One was male and the other female.<span style=""> </span>They had obviously been performing some kind of reproductive act before the ship had run into trouble.<span style=""> </span>“Where is it?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Wheeljack simply.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know, I lost it back in the engine room.<span style=""> </span>It…it wanted me to fix the engines.<span style=""> </span>I did what I could, but the drive is completely shot.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think it understood that, though, because it wasn’t too happy when I tried to explain.<span style=""> </span>What’s with the funny suit, by the way?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I found this spacesuit and deduced that it would provide some protection against the radiation in the engine room.<span style=""> </span>However, now that I have found you, we can get out of here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not quite.<span style=""> </span>We have to find a way to destroy this ship.<span style=""> </span>This thing’s going to go completely radioactive in days and it could hurt a lot of innocents along the way.<span style=""> </span>Plus there’s that monster still loose, and Primus help anyone who tries to salvage this thing.<span style=""> </span>If we get to the bridge maybe we can find some way to dispose of it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded.<span style=""> </span>“Agreed.<span style=""> </span>Let’s go.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack stopped his friend and gently took the rifle away.<span style=""> </span>“I think I’ll keep a hold of this if you don’t mind?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course, you have more of a way with weapons than I do.”<span style=""> </span>They checked the corridor and seeing nothing began hurrying towards the bridge.<span style=""> </span>They thought they heard the creature once, but couldn’t see it or find any evidence that it was close by, so they kept going.<span style=""> </span>The corridors were all still dark and with the danger the creature posed ever-present it made the trip an eerie journey.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>They finally reached the bridge and Perceptor opened the door while Wheeljack loitered around to guard in case of attack.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor went inside once the doors were open and Wheeljack carefully stepped into the room and then shut the doors.<span style=""> </span>They both heaved sighs of relief and looked around the corpse-strewn bridge.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor looked for the sensor station, but it was no use.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack waited patiently with the gun and his missile launcher ready.<span style=""> </span>Finally Perceptor snapped his fingers and turned to Wheeljack.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is there any way that we can move this ship, even without engines?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There might be emergency thrusters or something.<span style=""> </span>Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The only way to dispose of this ship close by is the nebula.<span style=""> </span>Since that nebula is a blue reflection nebula there has to be a star within that is giving off the light.<span style=""> </span>If we can pilot the ship through the nebula then we can direct it towards the star, where it will harmlessly be destroyed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s hard enough to pilot in a nebula usually, the best bet would be to rig up a remote system so we can fly it from the Pathfinder.<span style=""> </span>You take your turn at the watch and I’ll see if this crate has some emergency thrusters we can use.”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor took the gun back and waited while Wheeljack used the computer terminals to try and determine if the ship was capable of flying at all.<span style=""> </span>He shook his head after a few minutes.<span style=""> </span>“No such luck.<span style=""> </span>Not even landing thrusters, which means they must leave this in orbit and use shuttles to get back and forth.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Could we use the two shuttles in that hangar to tow the ship into the nebula?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think we might be able to rig them to push this thing, but it’s going to be hard to maneuver.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Once we near the star its gravity will pull all three closer.<span style=""> </span>All we would have to do is exert significant force then to create the final plunge.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>I can try and rig a remote system for the ship and two shuttles.”<span style=""> </span>He stepped over to the navigational controls, which is where the distress signal had been from.<span style=""> </span>He examined the system and set to work, gently setting the little girl’s body aside.<span style=""> </span>“At least then we can get out of this ghost ship and give these folks a proper send-off.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I still do not understand what happened to the crew or how that creature got here.<span style=""> </span>However, I believe that the creature was not as large or menacing when it first appeared.<span style=""> </span>I believe that was a mutation from the radiation.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That thing isn’t bright enough to have gotten here on its own from a ship.<span style=""> </span>Maybe it hitched a ride or something,” Wheeljack replied as he worked on the console.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It is possible.<span style=""> </span>We will probably never find the answers to this mystery anyway.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>I wish I could keep this ship working for a little while to see how it ticks, but we don’t have the time.”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack got to his feet and announced, “I’ve patched the navigational systems into the communications system, so all we have to do is send it the signal and it will go.<span style=""> </span>It can maneuver a little bit, but not much.<span style=""> </span>Must of the work will have to be done by our tugs, so let’s get to the hangar and rig those.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded, taking a last look around the bridge.<span style=""> </span>His eyes caught at the girl who had sent the distress call and he thought back to that horrible message that he had seen earlier.<span style=""> </span>Had that girl and the others here experienced schizophrenia as well?<span style=""> </span>He hated to think about it, hated to think about how this crew had suffered while he had been looking at some space gas.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps they could have helped the crew sooner and saved some of them.<span style=""> </span>He shook his thoughts away, knowing after eons of war that it was fruitless to ponder what-if scenarios.<span style=""> </span>He opened the doors and stopped right away, hearing a distant noise.<span style=""> </span>“I hear something,” he whispered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The noise was like the rumble of thunder and it was obvious that it was approaching them.<span style=""> </span>“The monster’s back,” Wheeljack commented.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and kept his weapon ready as Wheeljack opened the doors for the elevator shaft they had climbed up earlier.<span style=""> </span>He began his descent and Perceptor hurried to shut the bridge doors.<span style=""> </span>With any luck the creature wouldn’t find them until they were safely out of the hangar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack hurried down the shaft, making sure not to lose his footing.<span style=""> </span>He could still hear the rumbling sound of the monster’s approach and as Perceptor began climbing down the shaft there was a crashing sound.<span style=""> </span>“What was that?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s broken through the bridge doors, I think it knows we’re here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great, I guess we’ll have to climb faster.”<span style=""> </span>They increased their pace and Wheeljack nearly slipped several times, but was able to keep his feet.<span style=""> </span>He reached the corridor for the hangar and saw that the door was still open.<span style=""> </span>He leapt and his hands caught the ledge, pulling himself up and into the corridor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor was only about half way down and heard the doors to the elevator be flung open roughly.<span style=""> </span>He tried to hurry even more, but his foot slipped and he nearly fell.<span style=""> </span>He gripped the handholds tightly and recovered.<span style=""> </span>Then he continued to climb down.<span style=""> </span>It was then that he heard a massive roar and saw something flying down the shaft at high speed.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The creature’s red eyes were barely visible as it plunged towards Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>The Autobot scientist had the rifle strapped to the back of the spacesuit and there was no way he could draw it, fight, and make his way down.<span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack, help!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack looked up just as the creature neared Perceptor in the shaft.<span style=""> </span>Huge, bat-like wings unfurled and slowed its descent.<span style=""> </span>It filled nearly the entire width of the shaft and tore at Perceptor with its arms.<span style=""> </span>It shredded most of the spacesuit with ease and was following Perceptor as he climbed down.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack knew he had to do something and armed his missile.<span style=""> </span>Maybe he could draw its fire.<span style=""> </span>He leaned into the shaft, knowing that he was guaranteed a hit.<span style=""> </span>The missile struck the monster in the left wing and it managed to hover for a few moments before it began to fall, the one wing useless now and the other unable to support the creature’s full weight.<span style=""> </span>As it fell its arms reached out and grabbed a hold of Perceptor.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Autobot scientist was torn from the side of the shaft and clutched closely to the creature.<span style=""> </span>“No!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shouted and reached out to try and help his friend, but his hands were batted away by the monster’s.<span style=""> </span>He heard Perceptor screaming as he fell and Wheeljack looked away helplessly.<span style=""> </span>He turned away and slowly made his way for the hangar.<span style=""> </span>He had to finish the task he and Perceptor had begun to avenge his friend and to make sure that no more innocents died.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor was falling rapidly down the shaft and yet all he could think about was how bad the monster smelled.<span style=""> </span>Its eight arms were wrapped tightly about Perceptor almost like a cage.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor searched for some way of escape.<span style=""> </span>He quickly came up with a plan that was dangerous, but he couldn’t think of anything better, so it would have to work.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He activated the magnifying glass on his left shoulder and set it for a short, concentrated burst of X-rays, usually used to scan lifeforms he encountered.<span style=""> </span>The creature growled as it felt the X-rays against its skin and it loosened its grip to rip Perceptor apart.<span style=""> </span>In that moment Perceptor kicked free, flying down the shaft and unable to reach the edges of the shaft.<span style=""> </span>He looked down and could see the end approaching.<span style=""> </span>The rifle was still strapped to his back and it provided his only hope.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He reached back to try and activate it and create a discharge of the rifle, but his arms wouldn’t reach.<span style=""> </span>Fortune smiled on him as the monster fell past Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>It tried to grab him and haul him down with it, but couldn’t get a grip.<span style=""> </span>One of its clawed arms grasped the rifle and squeezed.<span style=""> </span>The ammunition in the rifle went off and Perceptor was violently blown forward.<span style=""> </span>The right side of the monster was torn up badly, all four of its arms being shaved off from the explosion.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor screamed as his left side was rented from the explosion, but ignored the pain as his arms reached out and he grabbed the edge of the shaft.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The monster continued its fatal plunge and with one last feral howl it impacted on the bottom of the shaft.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor scanned down and saw that it was dead.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and wearily began climbing back up the shaft.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t believe he had survived and laughed madly in glee.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">As Wheeljack reached the hangar doors he heard a shout.<span style=""> </span>He turned joyously and ran to the shaft.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor swung himself onto the deck of the corridor and Wheeljack helped him to his feet.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor laughed and joked almost hysterically, “I fear I look like I have been to the scrap heap.”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor’s left leg was nearly torn off and was barely functional.<span style=""> </span>His entire left side was mangled and the left arm hung limply at his side.<span style=""> </span>His face was torn and his left eye was shattered.<span style=""> </span>His right side looked much better, but was still badly damaged.<span style=""> </span>That Perceptor was functional at all was a miracle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What happened?”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later.<span style=""> </span>Can you help me back to the Pathfinder?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack patted Perceptor on the right shoulder and replied cheerfully, “Sure thing, buddy.<span style=""> </span>Let’s go.”<span style=""> </span>They limped to the hangar and Wheeljack helped Perceptor into the rear of the Pathfinder.<span style=""> </span>Then he went to rig the remote control systems on the two shuttles.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor was lying in one of the beds in the back of the transport and stared at the ceiling, a cracked smile coming to his face.<span style=""> </span>It felt so good to get out and have a little adventure.<span style=""> </span>He had been cooped up aboard the Odyssey so long he had forgotten what it was like to flirt with danger.<span style=""> </span>It was exhilarating, even if it was dangerous.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t want a lot of action, but from time-to-time he needed some excitement in his life.<span style=""> </span>This will be an intriguing story to tell the others when we get back, he thought happily and closed his eyes to rest.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It had taken some doing, but the two shuttles had managed to push the larger ship to the nebula in a few days.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack had monitored all three from the Pathfinder, which was flying behind at a safe distance.<span style=""> </span>He had carefully gotten Perceptor into the co-pilot’s seat so they could watch the final event. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The nebula made it hard to get signals through to the three remote-piloted ships, but enough got through to send the necessary minor course corrections.<span style=""> </span>It took nearly an hour for the ship and shuttles to execute the wide turn necessary to line it up properly with the white dwarf star inside the nebula.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor watched with fascination as the star’s gravity began to yank all three vehicles into itself.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack cut the Pathfinder’s thrust and sent the last command to all three vessels.<span style=""> </span>The two shuttles’s engines flared as they struggled to push the ship through the star’s gravity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The ship’s front was beginning to melt from the star, which was over twenty thousand degrees Celsius in temperature.<span style=""> </span>The shuttles finished their push and the engines died out.<span style=""> </span>Then all three began plunging into the center of the blue-white star.<span style=""> </span>Both Autobots watched with awe as all three were slowly consumed by the star until there was a miniscule flash on the surface of the white dwarf.<span style=""> </span>Thus all three ships were gone forever.<span style=""> </span>“May the Matrix protect that ship’s crew in the next life,” Perceptor whispered, mostly to himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Finally they will all be able to rest in peace, as will that monster.<span style=""> </span>It’s too bad we don’t even know who that race was, so we could send our condolences.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, but that does not matter really.<span style=""> </span>Their race could be many light years away.<span style=""> </span>They could have been on a long journey to their home, like us.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and replied quietly, “At least now their journey is over.”<span style=""> </span>Both Autobots tossed salutes and then Wheeljack set a course out of the nebula.<span style=""> </span>It would take them weeks to find the Odyssey and dock with it and in that time both of them would have a lot to think about.<span style=""> </span>They remembered the faces of those innocent children who had been caught up in some kind of disaster and couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack remembered what he had found in the engines, that someone had sabotaged the ship, and wondered who the real monster was:<span style=""> </span>the mindless creature that had slain the crew or the unknown monster who had sabotaged the engines to put many lives besides those of the crew in jeopardy.<span style=""> </span>Ultimately he could feel nothing but sorrow for the creature and contempt for whoever had planted the strange chemical in the fusion reactor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There are a lot of monsters out there, Perceptor,” Wheeljack commented.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and silence prevailed as the Pathfinder cruised out of the spectacular blue nebula and on its way home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>The Skyfire Adventures Continue in Episode 8:<span style=""> </span>Greenhouse Effect, Coming Soon!<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> (This episode was of course never written...)</span>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-10273130461738988102007-06-13T09:50:00.000-07:002007-06-13T09:53:29.488-07:00RanarokAuthor's Note: This is episode six of "The Skyfire Adventures" and the conclusion of "The Apocalypse Trilogy." The formatting might be worse than usual here because I had to dig the text up from an old web page. Anyway, if you know anything about Norse mythology you should already have a guess at what's going to happen. As our heroes do battle against the evil Cybertrax, another of them must make a terrible sacrifice...<br /><br /> <p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">The Skyfire Adventures: Ragnarok </p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </div><p style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Part Three of the Apocalypse Trilogy)</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Prologue</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids stood on the bridge of the Legacy and saw Cybertrax hovering over the second planet of the system. The metal monster was as big as the planet and Skids wondered how he was going to drain the energy. He watched in silent fascination as Cybertrax raised his right hand, the one that had enormous black claws instead of fingers, and sunk the claw into the surface of the planet. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What is he doing?" Tyr asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It appears as though the claws are deploying some kind of equipment to tap the energies of the planet," the sensor officer replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids watched the scene and remembered his time in the future. In hours the planet would be nothing but an iceball, just as it had been in the future he had seen. Then the future I saw still is happening, only slightly differently. And there is nothing I can do to stop it, Skids thought. He turned away and left the bridge silently. He walked down the empty corridors, occasionally passing a Cybertraxian or two. They all looked fearful and sad at the same time. I guess the word has spread quickly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He stopped at a door and opened it. He had thought it would have been locked, but it wasn’t. He stepped into a dark room and took a look around. "Hippolyta?" He called out. He got no answer and continued to look around. "I just want to talk." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know," he heard her reply sadly. He heard movement and saw that she had been curled up in a corner, staring out her window. "I guess everyone knows by now." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes," Skids replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why, why did he do it?" She asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"He loved you and knew you were in danger." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I ran into Grapple on my way here. He said that Jetfire was dead when I left. Then he suddenly sprang to life and chased after me. He came back from the dead just to save me. He came back for me…" Her voice trailed off into sobs and Skids put a hand on her shoulder. She bolted into his arms, wanting to hold on to someone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know. That shows how much he loved you. He gave his own life for yours, because he couldn’t bear to live or die knowing that you would be killed." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t know what I’m going to do without him. He was so strong and smart and brave." Hippolyta moved away from Skids and stared out at space. "He knew me better than anyone else in this universe, even though he had only known me for a short time. He made me feel the happiest I had ever been. And now he’s gone. How can I go on without him?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids gazed out at the stars and thought of his fallen comrade. How would any of them go on? He had been the rock, the anchor for everyone on the Legacy. Even though he had been dying slowly, he never let it stop him from doing what was right. And now he was dead, struck down by Cybertrax. How could any of them carry on without him? More importantly, how could they stop Cybertrax without him? "I don’t know," Skids whispered. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Chapter One</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Darkness. There was nothing else around him except the ever-present, suffocating darkness. Where am I? A lone being asked himself. Is this the Matrix? Have I finally reached the end? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The being thought of the last moments of his life. He sped towards Hippolyta, his engines racing faster than they had ever before. He could see her there, hanging in space with the Matrix of Wisdom, vainly trying to open it. All the while he knew that Cybertrax was readying to send her into oblivion; ready to send the one he loved to her doom. He neared her and transformed. He slowed and extended his arms, colliding into her with a great amount of force, but leaving her unharmed. She sped away from him and out of his life forever. He turned and saw a flood of red energy heading right for him. There was no time to escape or even scream. He felt pain wash over him and his vision went from red to black. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">That was all that he had seen since, a solid black darkness with no variation at all. He had expected a little more from the afterlife. He had expected to be reunited with his old comrades and to be able to hear the wisdom from the old Autobot leaders and Maximal Elders. Perhaps since I am both Autobot and Maximal they do not know where I should go. Maybe I am suspended in some kind of intermediate state until then. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The worst thing about the darkness was that he could not see what had happened to Hippolyta. He had knocked her away from Cybertrax’s first attack, but perhaps he had tracked her and hunted her down. Perhaps she is dead, too. Without being able to see he could not make certain, although nearly every molecule in his spark told him that she had survived, that she was still alive somewhere. It would be good to know that I did not die in vain, he thought gloomily. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Never had he expected to die in the way that he had. He had always thought that he would die fighting on a battlefield. There had been many times on Cybertron when the Decepticons were launching a raid that he had thought he was going to die. The thought of dying to save a comrade had occurred to him, but he had thought it would be someone who he had known. He would have thrown himself in front of a fusion cannon blast to save Wheeljack, Grapple, Perceptor, or any of his Autobot friends. The same held true for Optimus Primal, Rhinox, and the other Maximals on board the Axalon. He would have given his life for any of them, but Hippolyta was different. He had known her for only a few days before sacrificing himself for her. And yet, it felt as if he knew her better than anyone else in the universe. To die for love is honorable, but I never thought that it would happen to me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He had never thought that he could fall in love. He had met female Autobots and Maximals, but he had never seen them as anything except as friends. He had never had the kind of feelings he had for Hippolyta before. I would not have come back for anyone else. He had been unconscious, blackness all around him, as it was now, but before his spark terminated he had seen a flash of white light. Then came a vision of Hippolyta’s fate. He had known then that he could not let himself die, he had to save her. The next thing he knew he was on his feet and asking Grapple and Wheeljack where she was. It was so odd, he thought. It was not logical that he could come back after the damage he had suffered. His central processor was off-line, making him completely helpless. There was no way that he could have reactivated it in the seconds that it had taken for him to spring back to life. It was a miracle, he thought. Logical or not, something miraculous had happened to him, there was no way for him to deny it. It doesn’t matter now, none of this does. I am dead and she is probably still alive, and that is all that counts. I just wish there was something around me, this is getting boring. It’s like the sensory deprivation tests I heard the Decepticons had conducted to get Autobot prisoners to talk. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">His thoughts were abruptly shattered when he saw a tiny point of white light. The point of light glowed for a few moments and then went dark again. A second later there was an explosion of white light. After the white light had dimmed, he could see colors. After a minute or so he realized that there was mass around him. He could see the faint outline of metal all around him and a dazzling blue-white light that was lighting up the room. Is that from my spark? He wondered. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why?" He stopped and realized that the question was not his thought. Someone was interacting with his spark. How is that possible? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why what?" He retaliated, hoping that if he concentrated on the question, that whoever it was would hear it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why did you give your life for hers? I do not understand why you would sacrifice yourself for one insignificant being." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Insignificant?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes. She is one being in many. She is puny and weak. She failed in her attempt to destroy me, you should have left her to die." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How do you about her?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know her well. She is Hippolyta, the latest of the Ytas, possessor of the Matrix of Wisdom. She apparently does not know how to use it." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How do you know that?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I telepathically accessed the Matrix. She is a fool. She is young and weak and only received the mantle of leadership because the Cybertraxians wanted someone who would not be a tyrannical leader, like several of the past Ytas. She retains control of her people only so long as they allow her to." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Perhaps she is young and inexperienced, but she does have wisdom. She knew the risks involved in trying to destroy you with the Matrix. She knew that she would probably die, but she tried anyway. Her people respect her for that and her other deeds." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"She was a fool for thinking that she could turn the Matrix of Wisdom against me. Wisdom cannot be wielded like a weapon, a club to destroy one’s opponent. It can only be used to guide one to their goal. Hippolyta does not understand this yet." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Perhaps she will in time." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"There is no more time. Her and all others will be destroyed. The universe will be sterilized and then rebuilt. And this time I will not fail." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You will fail. Hippolyta and the others will find a way to destroy you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"No. They do not know what I am doing." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What do you mean?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"They do not understand why I drained the planet of its energy. They do not know what I am going to do next, and what I plan to do. They will not be able to stop me if they do not know." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What are you trying to do?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am gathering energy so that I can finish my work." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Even with energy, it will take millions of years for you to destroy the entire universe." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"No, I have found a way. And you will help me carry out my plan." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I would never help you!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You have no choice." The chamber lit up in purple light and Skyfire felt pain rush through him. He wanted to scream in agony but couldn’t. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Deep within the bowels of Cybertrax was movement. A purple arm set a damaged and scorched robot down and then retracted. The arm belonged to Shockwave, who looked around the area suspiciously. He has not detected us, yet, Shockwave thought. Good. Until I can repair these Cybertraxians I must stay undetected. With him in the room were three Cybertraxians that were the survivors of a doomed attempt to get inside Cybertrax and destroy his spark. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He knelt down next to Rahn, the shuttle's pilot and used a welding torch from a medical kit salvaged from the shuttle. He hoped that he could get at least one of the Cybertraxians functional, or else he would have to take on Cybertrax alone, which greatly increased the odds that he would be killed. He finished with the torch and grabbed another tool. This he used on Rahn's head to try and get his neural network functioning again. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a few minutes of work, Rahn's eyes lit up and he groaned. "What happened?" Rahn asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You were damaged after the crash. I managed to revive you," Shockwave replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Oh. How are the others?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Alive, but not functional. I will attend to them now." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Let me help," Rahn shakily got to his feet and went over to one of his comrade's side. Shockwave handed him a tool and they set to work. "What do we do after we're done?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We continue our mission." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"With just four of us?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Of course. We have been given a mission. We will continue it even as long as we are functional." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rahn looked at Shockwave quizzically, "That doesn't seem very logical." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"There are some things even more important than logic," Shockwave replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The conference room of the Legacy was dead silent as Hippolyta strode into the room, trying to look more confident than she felt at the moment. "I know the situation looks grim, but there has to be a solution," she said as she looked around the table with a steely gaze. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Without the power of the Matrix, there is no way we can defeat Cybertrax, we just don’t have the firepower!" Tyr protested. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"As we explained before, we can’t just run away and try and gather some allies. By the time we could get sufficient forces mobilized, Cybertrax will have drained this system of all energy and he’ll be too powerful for anything to stop. We have to destroy him here and now," Hippolyta responded. "Zeam, Wheeljack, have you got anything?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Zeam, the chief engineer of the Legacy, stood and looked around the room. "We think we might have something, but it’s risky." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Risk doesn’t matter at this point," Hippolyta replied dryly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grapple and Wheeljack stood next to Zeam and punched a few buttons. A holographic image of the Legacy was displayed. Wheeljack centered the image on the rear of the Legacy and a red dot indicated the engine room. Zeam narrated, "In the engine room are two fusion generators used to power the Legacy’s internal systems. As long as we use a minimal amount of power, the ship can function with just one of these generators operating. We could then take out the fusion core of the other generator and use it to create a primitive fusion bomb. One of our fighters could drop the bomb inside Cybertrax, where it should do a considerable amount of internal damage." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grapple took over the presentation and Wheeljack brought up a schematic of Cybertrax. "The ideal point to drop the bomb would be right through his left eye. The eye was shattered by Jetfire when he escaped from Cybertrax after trying to talk with him. So the opening is already there, we just need to deliver the ordinance. The bomb would then travel a short ways down his optic sensor lines, until a timer would set off explosives connected to the fusion core. The bomb would explode and cause a lot of damage to his neural pathways. The radiation would also fry a large number of his circuits and blind some of his sensors." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta looked at the three engineers and asked the tough question on everyone’s mind. "We all know Cybertrax is heavily defended. How do you propose to deliver the weapon?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Since we all know that diversionary tactics have not worked so far, we thought we’d try something else. Our plan is to outfit all of the remaining fighters with countermeasures to mask all energy signatures. Cybertrax will think that this is a diversion for another attack, but instead we’ll have one of the fighters head in and drop the bomb," Zeam responded. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"No way a fighter is going to get that close," Skids said skeptically. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We will outfit one of the fighters with rocket boosters for extra speed. All it has to do is to fly in at full speed, slow down for a second or two to release the bomb, and then light its afterburners again," Wheeljack replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So what does the Legacy do while this is going on?" Hippolyta asked, liking the sound of the plan so far. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It will make attack runs on Cybertrax once the countermeasures are deployed. That way we’ll have some extra protection for the fighter when Cybertrax thinks the Legacy is the real attack," Grapple answered. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How long until the fusion bomb can be made?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It’s mostly together already, but another twelve hours and the plan will be ready," Zeam responded. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Great. Where will Cybertrax be in twelve hours?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tyr checked some information from the bridge and frowned. "He will be twenty million miles from the red giant star." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So we don’t get another shot at this plan. All right, let’s do it. Take whoever and whatever you need, and see if you can shave a couple of hours off that time." The engineers nodded and everyone else left the conference room, seeing that the meeting was over. Hippolyta stared at the image of Cybertrax, her fists clenched. She would do whatever it took to destroy him, to make him pay for destroying Skyfire. She would fight until her last circuit was slagged to rid his menace from the galaxy. Maybe then she could finally start to grieve for her lost love. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave and Rahn stood up, and helped their comrades to their feet. It had taken a while, but the three Cybertraxians were all functioning once more. Shockwave divvied out the weapons he had taken before the crash and knew that there was not much firepower there. Still, they would find a way to make it count. Shockwave looked at his assembled team and knew that he should say something to them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We go now to destroy Cybertrax for the glory and honor of our people! We shall give our lives if we must and death to anything that stands in our way!" He half-shouted, modifying something from one of Megatron’s speeches long ago. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The three Cybertraxians looked confused and Rahn whispered to Shockwave, "I don’t know very much about making speeches, but something a little more cheerful would be better. Let me try." He looked at his two comrades and smiled. "This isn’t going to be easy, but we have to get the job done. Our friends and family are counting on us, as is everyone in the universe. We can’t let them down, because if we do, a lot of innocent people will die. And I know we will win, because our cause is right and our sparks are untainted by evil. We will prevail and rid the universe of this foul being forever!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The two Cybertraxians cheered quietly and the group moved out cautiously for Cybertrax’s spark. Rahn was in the lead, followed by his comrades, with Shockwave bringing up the rear. Shockwave had yet to understand how emotions worked. Speeches are illogical, he thought. Then he remembered what he had told Rahn earlier, "There are some things even more important than logic." He looked around him and kept his gun arm ready for trouble as he began to think that he liked some of these Cybertraxians better than Decepticons, even Megatron. Perhaps they can come with me to Cybertron and join the Decepticon cause, he thought. It would be nice to have some friends for a change. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">They arrived at a junction in Cybertrax’s internals, one corridor splitting off to the left and the other going straight ahead. Rahn looked back at Shockwave and asked, "Which way?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Higher energy readings are coming from the left. Therefore, it is logical that the spark is in that direction." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Sounds good to me," Rahn replied and the team headed that way. Shockwave’s sensors were superior to the Cybertraxians and he made sure to keep them alert, but in passive mode. The short burst of active scanning he had just use had hopefully not been enough to trip Cybertrax’s internal sensors, but it was possible that it could have. So he made sure to stay vigilant as they continued towards the spark. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yta, all is ready," Zeam reported. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Excellent, Zeam. Is the fighter ready to deliver the bomb?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes. Senta has been modified for delivery." Senta was the leader of the remaining fighters and a veteran pilot. She had more experience than the other pilots combined. If only Jetfire were here, she thought. He would have made a much better candidate. As good as Senta was, Jetfire had been faster and more experienced. Still, there was no use in mulling on that now. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She turned to her bridge crew and commanded, "Order all fighters to launch as soon as the bomb is readied for delivery. Then move the Legacy into attack position and arm all weapons on my command." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, Yta," came the collective reply and Hippolyta hoped that the plan went off as it was supposed to, because Cybertrax would be in close enough to the star to drain its energy in two hours. If they failed, then the star would be drained and Cybertrax would be unstoppable. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Senta was at the lead of the six remaining Cybertraxian fighters. She was a little slower with the bomb and extra boosters adding weight, but knew that would soon change once she lit the boosters and dropped the bomb. "Arm all countermeasures and stand by until we are within range," she ordered coolly. She remembered the last time they had launched an attack on Cybertrax; six of her pilots had been killed and Jetfire had been grieviously injured. Now it was time for revenge and Senta knew that she could not fail. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The fighters streaked in nearer to Cybertrax and Senta’s sensors told her that they were close enough now to launch countermeasures. "Launch countermeasures," she commanded. From her nose launched two long, gray pods, each carrying an assortment of jamming equipment. Once the pods had closed the gap a little more they opened up like an umbrella and began emitting pulses to blind Cybertrax’s sensors. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Countermeasures away," her pilots replied, each in turn. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Legacy, this is Senta. Countermeasures away. You may commence your attack run." She banked to the left and readied her boosters. "Clear the area. Cybertrax is sure to start firing in a few more seconds." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We’re on our way out," one pilot replied and four more acknowledged. One fighter hadn’t replied yet. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Where’s Thorsos?" Senta asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t see…ahhh!" One pilot’s reply was interrupted by a scream and Senta saw a fireball off to her right. Green plasma fire flew past her and she knew that they were under attack. But by whom? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Legacy, we are under attack! All fighters find and engage the target, I’m going in for my run," Senta kicked in her boosters and shot towards Cybertrax’s head. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta sat rigidly in her command chair as the guns of the Legacy opened fire. So far everything was going as planned. The thing worrying her, though, was that Cybertrax had not retaliated yet. What was he up to? "Yta, Senta reports that her unit is under attack!" The communications officer shouted. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What? By whom?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t know, there isn’t anything coming from Cybertrax," the sensor officer responded. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Search the area and find out what it is, Paquil," Hippolyta said to the sensor officer. He nodded and she sat back down. "Continue with the mission as planned." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Senta could feel something on her tail as she spiraled down the rightmost horn of Cybertrax on her way down. She weaved to the left just as a burst of plasma shot past her and impacted against the horn. By the Matrix, what is on my tail? She rolled to the right and another burst flew past. She lined up her run by swinging to the right and powering down her boosters. As she did, something large and black flew past, afterburners glowing blue fire as they streaked past. "Enemy fighter spotted," Senta reported. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"A fighter?" The communications officer of the Legacy asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, Queall, you fool, an enemy fighter just flew past me at incredible speed!" Senta shouted. She knew that the fighter would be back, so she cut in her boosters at full once more. It was dangerous to make the run like this, but she had no choice. She was in the shadow of Cybertrax’s nose and counted off only ten seconds until release. She got down to three seconds when something slammed into her, hard. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She lost control and narrowly pulled out of a skid before she would have smashed into Cybertrax’s nose. She righted herself and noticed that one of the boosters was damaged, as was her right wing. Slag it, she swore. She was hit just before her tails and knew that the enemy fighter had her locked on. She armed the bomb and initiated the release sequence. She screamed in frustration when nothing happened. She was hit in the other wing and began to lose control. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She armed the bomb and shouted over the open commnet, "To the inferno with you, Cybertrax!" Then she impacted at the base of the left eye and exploded in a tiny fireball. Moments later came an enormous, albeit shortlived, fireball as the bomb detonated. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The bomb was supposed to have exploded inside Cybertrax’s head where it would have wreaked havoc on his internal systems. Instead, it exploded on the surface of the eye, taking out a significant part of the left half of his face, but doing little else. Even so, Cybertrax put a hand to his face in pain. His body was wracked by a massive spasm from the concussion of the bomb and his own movements. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Get us out of here!" Hippolyta ordered, not quite sure what had happened. "Order all fighers to pull back." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What about the enemy fighter?" Queall asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"If it’s still alive, I want it captured. It could be some kind of new secret weapon created by Cybertrax." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Captured, we can’t even see the thing!" The new flight leader, Henze, shouted. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We’ll give you what help we can," Hippolyta said gently. She understood their concern, but whatever that fighter was, it had taken down three of her command very quickly. If they could turn it to their side it could be a powerful ally. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How can we find him, the countermeasures will wash out his energy signature," Queall protested. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can reconfigure the sensors to emit a wide-beam X-ray pulse that should be able to pick him up," Paquil responded. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta smiled and said, "Do it." Paquil nodded and his hands played quickly over the console. After a minute he looked at Hippolyta and nodded. Then he touched a button and waited. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Henze was getting worried. He and his two wingmen were huddled in close to the Legacy, trying to catch a glimpse of that mysterious fighter. It had taken Senta out, so that meant it had to be something very powerful indeed. "Sir, do you think we’ll find him before he finds us?" Jaike, the fighter to his right, asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t know. Transform and stay alert." The three fighters transformed to robot mode, cradling their rifles. Henze hated being out here with that enemy craft around. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it did he was sure he and his comrades were going to be destroyed. He scanned the area visually, none of his sensors being able to detect anything with the countermeasures still in place. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What was even more puzzling to Henze was why Cybertrax himself had never entered the fight. The mammoth robot had destroyed six of Henze’s comrades before in an impressive display of firepower. Why was he holding back now? Henze could see Cybertrax still meandering towards the red giant star, his back turned, which concealed the damage done by the fusion bomb. That ought to slow him down at least, Heze thought. "Henze, we’ve got a fix on the fighter. He’s heading for Cybertrax at about the waist level. Intercept and capture. We’ll follow you and provide any necessary cover fire," Queall ordered, sounding a little unsure of the plan. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So we’ve been ordered up as the bait, huh? We’re moving out. Good-bye Queall," Henze angrily switched off his commlink and transformed to fighter mode. "All right, here’s what we do. Fly in towards it at full afterburner. Once we’re on top of him, go to robot mode and try to grab him. Maybe we can wrestle him in." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The three fighters heading towards Cybertrax once more, their afterburners glowing almost white. For the first time, Henze was able to really see the enemy fighter. It was twice as big as he was and much sleeker. It had a sharp, angular nose with four laser cannons on it. It had twin canted tails and long, swept wings. Canards jutted from the top of the air intakes and were swept back at the same angle as the wings. The entire thing was black with a red stripe running down each wing. Henze felt his fluids going cold just looking at it. Still, he had a job to do. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He was almost on top of the fighter and it still did not seem to notice. Henze counted the last few seconds down and then transformed. His arms reached out and he managed to grab the left wing. Jaike grabbed the other wing and the other pilot, Moiwa, shot between the tails and grabbed the nose. The fighter only now seemed to notice them and tried to buck them off. Henze held on with all his might, reaching back with one arm to grab his rifle. He managed to keep a hold with one arm and haphhazardly aimed the rifle with the other, blasting at the fighter’s engines. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One of his shots hit and the left engine was destroyed. This sent the fighter spinning to the right, making it even harder to hang on to. Henze kept firing, hoping to hit something that would stop the wild ride. He hit the right tail and just missed Jaike’s leg, but finally a shot nailed the right engine. The fighter was stopped dead in space and Henze wondered what to do now. He saw the Legacy approaching quickly, eager to pick them up before Cybertrax could interfere. They maneuvered the fighter inside the hangar and quickly the Legacy shot away from Cybertrax. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m going to the hangar. Make sure to have a team of warriors there to back me up," Hippolyta said to Queall as she hurried from the bridge. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids, Wheeljack, and Grapple entered the hangar and watched the three brave fighter pilots climb off of the fighter. Everyone trained their weapons on it, just in case it tried anything. The three Autobots watched as the fighter transformed into a large black robot and gasped once its transformation was complete. "By the Matrix, could it be?" Skids asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It’s…it’s impossible," Grapple breathed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The robot looked around the hangar and raised its arms in surrender. "I am Shadowfire. You may have captured me, but I will destroy you all and your puny ship for the glory of Cybertrax!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta entered and saw Shadowfire ringed by her troops and the Autobots. Right away she could see what was going on and she nearly fainted. How was this possible? Before she reached Shadowfire, Skids grabbed her arm. "I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not Jetfire. I think…I think Cybertrax has recycled his body to use against us." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolya tried to escape Skids’s grip, but it was too tight. She looked at him and whispered, "He will pay for this." Skids let her go and she turned to the commander of her troops. "Escort him to the conference room." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She transformed into her hovercar mode and tore out of the hangar at high speed. Skids watched her go, feeling her sadness and anger. It was bad enough that Cybertrax had destroyed Jetfire, but now he was using Jetfire’s body as a weapon. This being is pure evil, Skids thought. It has to be stopped, no matter the cost. He followed after Hippolyta, the two Autobot engineers behind him. Hippolyta was right, Cybertrax would pay. </p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Chapter Two</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Tell me how you were created," Hippolyta demanded. Shadowfire was sitting in a corner of the conference room, armed guards all around him. Hippolyta stood a few feet from him, staring into his eye. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I was created from the captured spark of the Autobot Jetfire. His physical materials had already been captured and reprocessed," Shadowfire replied nonchalantly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"From his spark?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, he modified the spark. None of this will do you any good. Cybertrax will destroy you, if I don’t do it first." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why did he create you?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"To destroy you and your ship while he carries out his plan." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What plan is that?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m not going to tell you that. If you are still functional you will soon know." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tyr leaped to his feet, his weapon drawn. "You traitor, tell us what you know!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Go ahead, destroy me. You will still never succeed. Cybertrax is too powerful for your puny weapons. He even survived your little fusion bomb blast. Your comrade was foolish to waste her life in such a pointless display." The cool way that Shadowfire said the last sentence made Hippolyta want to grab her weapon and blow his head off. Still, nothing would be gained from it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She pulled Wheeljack aside and asked, "Can you reprogram him?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Not a chance. Cybertrax modified his spark. I could reprogram him any way I want, but I’ll never be able to change him. The technology doesn’t exist and I don’t know how to make it," Wheeljack replied sadly. He turned and looked at Shadowfire. He remembered Megatron having reprogrammed several Autobots during the war, but that was just brainwashing. That kind of damage could be repaired, but modifying Jetfire’s spark was akin to tampering with his very soul and essence itself. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Everyone, clear the room, now!" Hippolyta barked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yta, shouldn’t we leave at least one guard…" Tyr began. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Shut up! I can handle him. Post the guards outside the door." Tyr nodded and everyone left the room so that she was alone with Shadowfire. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You are a fool to think you can beat Cybertrax," Shadowfire hissed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Shadowfire, I once knew and loved you as Jetfire and Skyfire. Do you have any memories of those times?" She stared into his eye, trying to read his reaction. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Those memories were erased," he replied. "The one you loved is dead, as all will be who oppose Cybertrax." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta took a step back and Shadowfire knew he had her where he wanted her. He stood up slowly and stepped towards her. His rifle had been taken away and his missiles disarmed, but he could still rip this weak female apart. Hippolyta drew her pistol and leveled it at Shadowfire. "Not another step." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Fine, if that’s how you want it," Shadowfire shrugged. "It is a pity that Jetfire is dead. Just when you two were getting along so well." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Stop it!" Hippolyta whispered, her voice not feeling strong enough to scream for the guards. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shadowfire laughed maniacally and charged forward. Hippolyta took a shot at him, but it impacted harmlessly on his left hip. He knocked the pistol away and grabbed her by the neck, preventing her from calling for the guards. He squeezed and Hippolyta knew she was going to die. She flailed her legs and caught the inside of Shadowfire’s right leg. He grunted in pain, but his grip held. He threw her onto the deck and looked down at her. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She tried to scream, but her voice circuits were damaged. She looked up, dazed, and saw Shadowfire standing over her, an evil glint in his eye. He reached down and ripped her right arm from its socket. He hefted it and smashed her in the face with it. He laughed and brought it back around, hitting her in the head. Hippolyta’s right eye was shattered and that side of her face was mangled. As Shadowfire knelt down to finish her she used her legs to hurl him over her head and into a wall. She got to her feet and stumbled towards the door. Shadowfire intercepted her and grabbed her by her remaining arm. He spun her around and headbutted her in the face. She stumbled back and he grabbed her waist. He hefted her over his head and slammed her down onto the conference table. Parts of Hippolyta’s back shattered from the blow and she knew that it was hopeless. Shadowfire was too strong, too powerful. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shadowfire grabbed her pistol and aimed it at her head. Hippolyta knew that she was done for and waited for the fatal shot. As his finger tightened around the trigger she saw with her remaining eye that his hand was beginning to shake. He jerked the hand away and put both hands to his head. "I can’t kill you! Why?" He moaned to himself. He went down to his knees and dropped the pistol. His body shook violently and he finally looked back at Hippolyta. "Hippolyta…no." He whispered. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Jetfire?" She asked in a creaky whisper. She pushed herself off of the table and knelt down in front of him. She looked into his eye again and could see it, the spark of goodness that had somehow remained inside of him. She moved her hand to his chest and said, "Interface." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shadowfire nodded and opened his chest. A cable extended from his chest and Hippolyta opened her chest to reveal an interface port. She touched the cable and guided it into the port. There was a surge of blue light and they were both wracked with pain. Then the light turned a warm, friendly white and Hippolyta felt pleasure course through her circuits. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">They remained like this for several minutes, but finally the light faded and reality returned. Hippolyta stared at Shadowfire and saw his form turn to a liquid silver. Then it swirled and reformed into the red, white, and black form of Jetfire. He removed the cable and sealed his chest once more. He helped her to her feet and said, "I’m back, thanks to you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta nodded and gave a cracked smile, oil leaking from the corner of her mouth. Interfacing with his spark had brought him back. The love and memories they had shared had been enough to rid Jetfire’s spark of evil when their souls came together. They both knew that it could easily have worked the other way around, but their love was too strong for that. Jetfire scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the door. He opened them and the guards turned around, their faces turning to masks of horror. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yta! What happened?" One of the guards asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"She was injured, but she was able to save my life. I’ve got to get her to a repair bay immediately," Jetfire replied. He hurried away to the repair bay, hating to think that in a way he had done this to her. He had been ready to kill the one he loved, but he had been able to fight against the evil impulses and stop himself before it was too late. I don’t want to lose you, he thought. "I love you," he whispered to her. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Me…too," she responded. She wrapped her arm around his neck in a symbol of affection. He reached sickbay and soon a team of specialists were working on Hippolyta. Jetfire’s Autobot comrades had heard Hippolyta was injured and come by to give the medics a hand. They stopped in amazement when they saw Jetfire. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Jetfire, is that really you?" Skids asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It’s me," Jetfire replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How?" Grapple inquired in astonishment. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It’s a long story. And we don’t have much time. I know what Cybertrax is up to, and if we don’t hurry there won’t be any way to stop him," Jetfire announced ominously. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire stood at the head of the conference room, looking around the room. Hippolyta was still being repaired and Jetfire hoped that she recovered soon. "During the time that Cybertrax had corrupted my spark, I was able to learn his plan and how he intends to carry it out. Unless we are able to stop him, the entire universe as we know it will be destroyed." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How did Cybertrax tell you his plan?" Tyr asked, not wanting to fall into a trap. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Our minds were linked so that he could control me. That link has since been severed." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Before Tyr could protest, Wheeljack broke in, "We’ve already checked him out, there’s no traces of Cybertrax’s control in him." Tyr seemed satisfied and so Jetfire continued. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Cybertrax is not after energon, he is after plasma. The red giant star has enough for him to complete his mission, which is to use the temporal vortex in the system to catapault himself to a time just after the creation of the universe. That way he can control things and make them as he wants them." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The vortex, how did he find out about it?" Skids demanded. His run-in with the vortex had sent him a few days into the future after the transport he had been piloting developed a plasma leak. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m sure his sensors could pick it up." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The vortex sent me into the future, how does he plan to use it to take him into the past?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m not exactly sure, but I think he’s planning to process the gas so that he can create an inverse reaction." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So what do we do about it?" Tyr asked. "There’s no way we can destroy him." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grapple nodded. "The only thing that could destroy Cybertrax are a supernova or a black hole. And we don’t have either of those." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There was silence for a few moments as everyone thought about that. Suddenly Skids leapt to his feet. "Wait, I’ve got it!" He ran to the front of the room and began feverishly punching data into the holoprojector controls. After a minute or so he smiled and straightened. He activated the holoprojector and columns of calculations were shown. "The star in this system is a red giant star. That means that in billions of years the star will collapse into a black hole. If we can send Cybertrax forward into the future by about fifteen to twenty billion years, he will be caught up in the black hole’s gravity and destroyed." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Fifteen to twenty billion years?" Tyr repeated in disbelief. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The amount of plasma we would need would be enormous," Wheeljack breathed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Before we worry about that, there’s something more important: we can’t let Cybertrax destroy the star. If he does, then that black hole in the future won’t exist," Skids said. "We have to get him to change course." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Everyone was silent once more, trying to come up with a solution, finally Jetfire said, "I think I have a way. Just after the fusion bomb detonated, Cybertrax told me to report back because he had detected intruders inside his body. He didn’t have the energy to deal with them, so he wanted me to. That could mean that at least part of Shockwave’s team is alive. If so, we can have them go to Cybertrax’s astrogation systems and sabotage them to steer him to the vortex." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"That’s going to take some time," Grapple reminded Jetfire. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know. We’ll have to stall him in the meantime. Tyr and I will figure that out. Wheeljack, Grapple, Zeam, and Skids I want you to work on Skids’s plan." Everyone nodded and began filing out of the room. Now Jetfire just had to find a way to stall Cybertrax. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Shockwave or any Cybertraxian unit, please respond!" Queall’s voice called out on the comlink. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave stopped in his tracks and tried to acknowledge the signal, but couldn’t. Rahn and the others tried with similar results. "It’s no use," Rahn said. "They can’t hear us." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"If you can hear me and can’t respond, I have new mission orders for you. We need you to get to the astrogation systems in the center of the chest and steer him towards the temporal vortex Skids reported. We don’t have much time, so please hurry." Queall repeated the message several times, but by then Shockwave and the others were already running for the center chest area. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave knew that time was limited, so they would have to throw caution to the wind and rely on speed alone. He didn’t know exactly where the astrogation system was, but he was certain he could find it. "Which of you is the fastest?" He called back. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am, sir," one of the Cybertraxians said. He transformed into a hovercar and shot past Shockwave. His comrade did the same, leaving Rahn and Shockwave alone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You’re going to let them run off like that?" Rahn asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t think we have a choice. In the meantime, we should create a distraction to occupy Cybertrax." Shockwave transformed into gun mode and began firing indiscriminately. Rahn followed suit and soon the area around them was in ruins. They continued their swath of destruction, doubting they were doing a lot of real damage, but hoping to at least draw Cybertrax’s attention. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What was bothering Shockwave was that Cybertrax had yet to make any attempt to stop them. Perhaps he does not consider us a threat, Shockwave thought as he fired again, vaporizing part of a wall. He continued his rampage, watching closely to see if Cybertrax would react. There was still nothing and Shockwave hoped that the trend would continue. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire stepped into the Legacy’s repair bay and saw Hippolyta lying on the bed. Her arm had been reattached, but she was still dented and scratched. He felt a mixture of anger and sadness run through him as he looked at her. He had done that to her. Even though he had been possessed by Cybertrax’s programming, it had still been his fault. His hands had tore into her and thrown her around. She looked weakly at him, her face still a mess. Her one good eye turned and she smiled. "As you can see, I still look like I’ve been scrapped," her voice was back to normal now, her vocal circuits having been the first things to be repaired. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He knelt down and laughed. "I love you no matter how scrapped you look. I think we can stop Cybertrax, we just need to buy some time and keep him from destroying the red giant star." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta grabbed his hand and squeezed it as she thought. There had to be some way to stop Cybertrax. If only she had been able to unleash the power of the Matrix…She gave Jetfire’s hand a colossal squeeze as it came to her. He winced in pain and she asked, "Do you know where the Matrices are inside of Cybertrax?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He thought about it, trying to remember the bond he had briefly shared with Cybertrax. "I think they’re near the central processor in his head. Why?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Cybertrax is going to want to take the Matrices with him, or at the very least he will want to keep them from us. If we can capture them we can use them as bait to draw him from the star. Could you retrieve them?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m not sure. He would be gunning for me, I might not be able to get in close enough. Still, I’ll try." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Good. Launch right away. I’ll keep him distracted." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"How do you plan to do that?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’ll tell you later. Just go." Jetfire nodded and kissed her before he left. Hippolyta stood up, her entire body still weak from her ordeal. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yta, you can’t leave yet, you aren’t repaired!" Vau, the head medical technician, shouted. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I have to go." Hippolyta began limping away. There was a creaking and groaning sound as she slowly transformed into her vehicle mode. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can order you to stay here!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The fate of the universe is at stake, Vau. I have to go. Don’t try to stop me." After a long moment, Vau nodded and Hippolyta sped off, smoke trailing in her wake. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She arrived on the bridge and Tyr looked worriedly at her. "Yta, shouldn’t you still be in the repair bay?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’ll be all right, Tyr." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"But…" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I said I’ll be all right!" She growled at Tyr and he decided it was best not to press the issue. "Prepare to send a visual transmission on all frequencies. I want to make sure that Cybertrax hears me." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What do you have in mind?" Tyr asked, concernedly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You’ll see." Hippolyta looked over at Queall, who signaled that the message was ready to record. She stepped over to the communications station and motioned to begin recording. "Attention Cybertrax, this is Hippolyta, Yta of the Cybertraxian people." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As she began her message, Jetfire shot out of the Legacy’s hangar, heading for Cybertrax. He had his afterburners kicked in as high as they would go and hoped that Hippolyta’s plan, whatever it was, would work. She continued, her voice sounding more forceful than Jetfire had ever known, "Your attempt to destroy us has been thwarted. Your agent of evil, Shadowfire, has been captured and reprogrammed. We have defeated you once and we will do so again." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now Jetfire could see what she was trying to do. She was trying to antagonize Cybertrax so that he wouldn’t notice Jetfire’s approach. Primus I love you, Hippolyta, Jetfire thought to himself. To Hippolyta’s surprise, Cybertrax actually answered her message. "Hippolyta, you are a fool to think that you can ever stop me. You may have defeated Shadowfire, but you will still not be able to stop my plans. Once carried out, you and your puny band will be destroyed utterly." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t think so," Hippolyta shot back, trying to sound as haughty as she could. She opened her chest and revealed the Matrix of Wisdom. She pulled it out and made sure that Cybertrax could see it. "I am the possessor of the Matrix of Wisdom, which you gave to my people long ago. With its wisdom and power we will find a way to defeat you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Foolish girl, that Matrix failed you once, it cannot help you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Perhaps the time was not right then. I am confident that when we need its help the most, it will come through. For wisdom will always destroy evil; knowledge will always overpower villainy. Surrender now and we will spare you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire streaked through the massive opening in Cybertrax’s face. Now, where are the Matrices? He knew he couldn’t activate his scanners without giving himself away. He would have to try and remember where they were. It was then that his cockpit displays began to go crazy. Information began spewing onto the data screens. By the…Matrices! He thought as he scanned the data. The information he was receiving was navigation data to where the Matrices were being held. Is this a trick? He knew that Cybertrax could be feeding him the information to lure him into a trap. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The data stopped and Jetfire headed for where it indicated. He banked sharply to the left just in time to avoid running into the massive central processor of Cybertrax. He would love to destroy it, but there was still a mission to perform. Besides, the Matrices were far more important. Preserving their power and knowledge would benefit generations to come. He followed the navigation data and came to a dead end. He stopped and transformed, drawing his rifle. If the information was correct, the Matrices were through the wall. He fired a steady stream of plasma into the wall and it finally gave way. Immediately he could see the intense glow of the Matrices. One which was diamond-shaped and lit with a silver glow rose into the air and floated into his hands. Before he could even wonder what it was, there was a flash of brilliant silver. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He could see many different planets across the galaxy all at once. There were different cultures on each one, all of them developing in a unique way. He could even see where the Matrix of Leadership on Cybertron was and Hippolyta on the Legacy. The Matrix of Harmony, he thought. He remembered Cybertrax telling him that there was one special Matrix which was capable of finding all of the others. Once all of the Matrices were seeded and the cultures were developed, the Matrix would bring them all together. That had been Cybertrax’s plan until Unicron had interfered. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He was returned back to reality and loaded the Matrices inside of him. There were four total, all different shapes and colors, indicating different powers. Then Jetfire transformed and headed out of Cybertrax. "We will defeat you, Cybertrax, there is no doubt in my mind about it," Hippolyta said to Cybertrax. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You have no idea what you are doing. I am trying to unite the galaxy in peace and harmony. You are interfering with my mission." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I cannot allow you to destroy the entire universe in order to save it. Even with all of the chaos and discord, the various cultures and peoples must be allowed to live. They have that right and I will fight to the end to make sure that it is protected." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"That is not your job, young one." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It is. In order to be the leader of the Cybertraxians I must care about them and make sure that their rights are preserved. So I must care for all living things. Surely you, the creator of my people, must know that." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cybertrax was about to respond, but before he could, Jetfire launched two missiles into his central processor. The missiles seemed to fly with a will of their own and struck the spherical processor dead-on. There was a large explosion and Jetfire whooped for joy as he flew through the flames and headed for the exit. "Yta, we’ve lost the connection with Cybertrax," Queall reported. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What happened?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t know." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta nervously stared at the blank displays, wondering what had happened. Perhaps Cybertrax had detected Jetfire and was dealing with him. Please, don’t let him destroy Jetfire, not now, not after all we’ve been through, she pleaded silently. Jetfire screamed through the opening in Cybertrax’s face and shouted over the comlink, "<st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mission</st1:place></st1:City> accomplished!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There were cheers all around the bridge and Hippolyta smiled. Jetfire had done it, he had recovered the Matrices! Now if the rest of the plan would just work. The displays lit up again and Cybertrax’s voice shouted, "You will pay for this! I will destroy you and take back the Matrices!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Is Jetfire aboard?" Hippolyta asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"He’s just coming into the hangar." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Get us out of here. I think we’ve made our point." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, sir." The hangar doors closed and the Legacy turned, its engines coming to life. It shot away from Cybertrax at full speed just as a massive barrage of red light flew past where it had been moments before. Cybertrax cursed his luck; he would destroy the insolent pests, especially the one called Hippolyta. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Before he even thought about turning around, he was already doing so. What is happening? He ran a systems check that revealed that someone had tampered with his astrogation systems and plotted a new course. It had been fed into his secondary processor, which was complying with the new orders. I will have to deal with the intruders, Cybertrax thought. He was running low of power, but he had more than enough to deal with the invaders and their friends. The Matrices will be mine once more, and then I will recreate the universe in my image. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave entered the cavernous astrogation section and looked around. The two Cybertraxians who had gone ahead were standing at a screen, one of many in the room. There was a keyboard that had pulled out from a wall which the Cybertraxians had used to program in the new course. Shockwave wondered why Cybertrax would have a keyboard in his astrogation hold, but decided that it was impossible to determine an answer. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We’ve programmed in the new course," one of the Cybertraxians reported. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Excellent," Shockwave replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rahn ran into the room and shouted, "We’ve got to get out of here!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why?" Shockwave demanded. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Cybertrax knows we’re here." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What kind of defenses has he prepared?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m not sure, but I can hear weapons charging. We’d better hurry." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave looked at the monitors and then back at Rahn. "If Cybertrax knows we’re here, then he might try to change course. I have to lock the system out from him. Cover me, and don’t be afraid." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Of what?" Rahn asked, but stopped when he saw Shockwave’s body turn to liquid silver. Seconds later it reformed into a black and gray robot. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Scarecrow turned to the terminal and his hands began typing rapidly into the terminal. Shockwave was intelligent, but Scarecrow was superior at computers, having lived inside one for many years. The three Cybertraxians had gathered at the door, waiting for whatever Cybertrax was planning to do. Scarecrow’s hands flew over the keyboard, trying to lock the astrogation controls out before Cybertrax could change them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rahn stared out into the darkness, hearing the sound of weapons powering. The sound stopped and then there was silence. He raised his weapon and waited. There was a flash of blue light and a shot nailed one of Cybertraxians in the chest. He fell and Rahn fired a shot towards where he thought the weapon was. He dragged his comrade back behind the entrance and let loose another shot, as did the other Cybertraxian. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Scarecrow continued typing commands into the computer and knew it would still take a couple of minutes before he would be finished. "Are you done yet?" Rahn called out. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"No! Continue to provide cover fire!" Scarecrow shouted. He wanted to tell Rahn what a coward he was for wanting to run away, but he still needed the Cybertraxian. His fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard and he noticed that Cybertrax’s computer system was relatively simple, making it easy to get around security protocols. It made sense that at his creation Cybertrax wouldn’t have worried about some small creature hacking into his systems. But, as his Predacon trainers had always told him, "Never assume anything." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rahn fired another shot as a blue bolt impacted against the frame of the entrance. Two more of the bolts struck the other Cybertraxian in the left knee and head, sending him crashing to the ground. Rahn looked back at Scarecrow and saw that he wasn’t done yet. Rahn knelt down next to his fallen comrade and took his weapon. Then he lunged outside and fired with both weapons, hoping that he would hit some of Cybertrax’s internal guns. He stopped a minute later when both guns ran out of ammunition. He dropped the guns, having no ammo for either one and ran back towards the entrance. He ducked behind it and then watched as the place he had been standing was vaporized as five guns fired at once. "You’d better hurry!" Rahn shouted. He grabbed the gun from the first Cybertraxian to fall and noted that it didn’t have much charge left. He fired a shot and pulled himself behind the entrance. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A bolt shattered the monitor over Scarecrow’s head, but he didn’t even notice. He was completely immersed in his work, manipulating the data that would lock Cybertrax out of one of his own systems. It was a daunting task, but Scarecrow had found it only slightly difficult. Another monitor shattered and he hit one last key with a flourish. "Done!" He shouted. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Let’s get out of here, then!" Rahn replied. Scarecrow nodded and sidestepped a blast. His body shimmered and changed to liquid metal before reforming as Shockwave. Shockwave transformed into gun form and fired a shot through the entrance. He stuck his gun barrel through the entrance and tilted it, firing in an arc that created a devastating swath of destruction. Shockwave was satisfied and transformed back to robot mode. Rahn indicated his comrades and asked, "How are we going to transport them?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave knelt down next to each one and scanned them. "They are dead, we will leave them here." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We can’t do that!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We cannot transport them, and it is illogical to carry around corpses when speed is required." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You uncaring monster!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am not uncaring, but I am being rational. Now, we must go." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"And how do you plan to escape from Cybertrax? We don’t have a ship of any kind." Shockwave sighed and reverted back to Scarecrow, who transformed into a giant crow. He picked Rahn up in his talons and flew through the entrance, heading back the way that they had come. Looking up at Scarecrow, Rahn groaned, "I’m really starting to get confused. So who are you, anyway?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am Scarecrow, a Predacon. I was injured from a crash and downloaded my core consciousness into the ship’s computer, where it resided for several years, until I was able to possess Shockwave’s body. Using a special material my body is able to transition between the two forms." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So you’re Shockwave and Scarecrow?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We are separate entities. While one is active, the other is not. Currently Shockwave is unaware of what is going on." Scarecrow explained as he barely cleared a support. A blue energy bolt whizzed past and Scarecrow knew that Cybertrax had found them once more. "We are too vulnerable like this. Can you transform?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Sure," Rahn replied. Scarecrow let him go and he transformed in midair, changing into a flatbed hovertruck. Scarecrow landed on the bed and Rahn took off. Rahn couldn’t move very fast, but he was agile enough to avoid Cybertrax’s shots. Even so, Scarecrow transformed and pulled out his rifle, firing wildly at anything that even resembled a weapon. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">They reached where they had entered Cybertrax from, narrowly avoiding Cybertrax’s defenses. "It is a good thing he is low on power, or we would certainly be slag by now," Scarecrow observed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yeah, great, now how do we get out of here?" There was still the hole that the shuttle had made on its impact, but Scarecrow knew that once they were out in space they would be easy prey. His beast form could survive in space for a short period of time, but his maneuverability and speed would be too low. There had to be another way. He examined the area and smiled. "Rahn, do you have any explosive charges?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"None." Scarecrow rubbed his chin in thought. Finally he changed back to Shockwave and transformed into gun form. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Climb on." Rahn climbed on the top of Shockwave, who spun around so his barrel was facing into Cybertrax. "Now hold on tightly." Rahn wrapped his arms around Shockwave’s barrel and wondered what was going to happen. Shockwave floated back a little and then fired. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The shot struck circuitry inside of Cybertrax, which exploded. The concussion of the explosion flung Shockwave and Rahn into space at high speed. Shockwave was able to use his thrusters to maintain control and knew that while they were not nearly far enough away from Cybertrax, they had taken him by surprise. Before Cybertrax could track them, Shockwave fired again, the force of the shot propelling he and Rahn through the vacuum of space. Rahn held on for dear life and screamed for all he was worth, although no one could hear him. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave continued to fire blast after blast until they were far enough away from Cybertrax’s weapons. Then he stopped to recharge his gun. "Fire your hand weapon, it will at least keep us moving." Rahn nodded and pulled out his rifle. The force was much less, but even so they continued to slowly move towards the vortex, where the Legacy surely was. Shockwave just hoped that the Legacy found them before Cybertrax caught up to them. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yta, I am detecting two sparks in the area. One appears to be Rahn and the other is Shockwave," Paquil reported. Hippolyta looked at the readings and could see that the two forms were slowly heading their way. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Have Jetfire intercept them and help them back here." Paquil nodded and Hippolyta left the bridge, heading for the engine room to check on the progress the engineers and Skids had made. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The engine room of the Legacy was large, the walls were lined with terminals, and the middle of the room was dominated by the massive hyperdrive system and the two fusion generators stemming from it. One of the generators was black while the other was lit with a soft, white glow. Zeam’s office was adjacent to the engine room and much smaller. He, Grapple, Wheeljack, and Skids were crammed into the room, working on their calculations. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta knocked on the door and Wheeljack let her in. "Yta, this is a surprise," Zeam greeted. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I just wanted to see how you were coming. Cybertrax is heading this way, all we need to do now is to spring the trap," she replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The others looked glumly around the room and Skids decided to make the grim pronouncement, since it was his plan. "From our calculations, there is only one way we can possibly produce enough plasma to create the vortex we need." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He stopped and Hippolyta prompted him to continue. "We can eject a small amount, all we have, into the vortex, but it won’t be enough. However, we think that by opening the Matrix, we can replicate the amount we need." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"That’s absurd! Can’t you just replicate what you need without the Matrix?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wheeljack shook his head, "We don’t have the technology to do that. The power of the Matrix is all we have." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Great. So just get a container of plasma and I’ll open the Matrix." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It’s not that simple," Skids protested. "The amount we need wouldn’t even fit on the Legacy. It took a substantial amount to send me days into the future, fifteen to twenty billion years will require a container the size of large planet. The…the only way is to take the container and open the Matrix inside of the vortex." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta looked around the room, knowing the implications. She would have to open the Matrix inside of the vortex, which would mean that she would be transported with Cybertrax into the future. "I understand. Prepare the canister. I’ll get a flight pack and head out immediately. Take the ship out of the system as soon as Jetfire and the others are aboard, but don’t tell him about this until you have to. I’ll prepare a message for him before I leave. Understood?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wheeljack, Grapple, and Zeam nodded, but Skids lunged forward and hugged Hippolyta, much to the amazement of everyone else present. "You’ve been a good friend, Hippolyta. Wheeljack, Grapple, Beachcomber, Perceptor, and even Shockwave will take care of Jetfire. We all know how much you love him, and I promise that no harm shall come to him as long as I still function." Skids stepped back and finished by saying, "Not since Optimus Prime have I served under a leader so selfless and courageous. Your planet will miss you, as will all of us who have known you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta didn’t quite know what to say. She hadn’t expected Skids to react so emotionally. She remembered just after Jetfire had died when Skids had come to her quarters to try and comfort her. He had been a good friend to her, even though she had known him long. She had not had any close friends because of her position and she was gratified to have found one at last. Now, much like the love of her life, she was about to lose Skids as well. Still, she was the only one who could make the sacrifice; the only one who could open the Matrix. Once again she had no choice. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Her good eye began to leak fluid and she returned Skids’s hug. "You’ve been a great friend, Skids, I will miss you. I know that you will take care of Jetfire. Just make sure that he doesn’t grieve too long for me. He has waited so long to find love, I don’t want him to have to wait that long again." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I understand." Skids saluted her and she returned it. Then she left the room and Grapple patted Skids’s shoulder. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"That was really nice." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I meant everything I said. When I look at her I can see how much she loves Jetfire, how much she wants to stay. Yet she is willing to go out there and sacrifice her own life to save all of us. She is a true leader, just like Optimus was." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grapple smiled and replied quietly, "You’re right. Now, let’s get to work." Skids wiped away a tear and turned back to work. There would be time to grieve later, for now, there was work to be done. Work that would sacrifice one of his friends and destroy the heart of another. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Chapter Three </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Legacy was outside of the Cybertraxian system, its sensors monitoring the vortex. Hippolyta was waiting at the center of the vortex, clutching the canister of plasma and waiting for Cybertrax to arrive. She knew that he was close, and that with his arrival would come her own death. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"She did what?" Jetfire demanded, standing in the middle of a corridor after having landed only a few minutes ago. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"She took a canister of plasma and flew out to the center of the vortex. She’s going to use the Matrix to replicate the amount of plasma needed," Skids explained. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"But she’ll die!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids nodded. "She knows. She told me to give this to you." Skids handed Jetfire a disk. It contained a message Hippolyta had recorded for him before she had left. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"No!" Jetfire shouted and smashed his fist against a wall. "I have to go back for her." He was about to turn for the hangar, but Skids grabbed his shoulder. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You can’t go. She knows what she’s doing." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can’t let her die!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids whirled Jetfire around to face him, which was quite a feat since Jetfire was taller and heavier. "I know you love her, I know you would do anything for her, but she has to do this. There is no other way." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"If you know that, then let me go to her." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can’t," Skids replied and pulled out his weapon. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire stepped back in shock. "You would shoot me to keep me from her? You…you Decepticon!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids closed the distance between them and stared straight up at Jetfire. "Do you think I want to do this? Do you think I want her to die? Do you think I want to watch you suffer from a broken heart? She is a close friend, and I don’t want her to die, but she is the only one that can do this. You have to understand that, as she does. Just play the message and pray to Primus that she succeeds and Cybertrax is destroyed." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire stared at his friend and was about to say something else, but decided not to. As much as he loved Hippolyta, he knew that Skids was right. He held the disk up and slowly walked away to his quarters. Skids watched him go and fell to his knees, his weapon clattering away. He held his hands to his head and sobbed uncontrollably, fluid covering his face and dripping down onto his chest. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave stepped into the corridor and stopped upon seeing Skids. Foolish Autobots and their sentamentality, he cursed. Then he remembered the two Cybertraxians that had died in the astrogation room. He had hidden it from Rahn, but he had felt a great loss when he had found them dead. They were his comrades, he had formed a bond of sorts with them. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He placed his hand on Skids’s shoulder and said slowly, "I am…sorry." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids looked up in surprise. If it had been an Autobot, such words would be of no comfort. The fact that Shockwave, a Decepticon who usually betrayed no emotions at all, had said them made him feel a little better. "Thank-you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave nodded and left slowly, not knowing what else he should do or say. He didn’t even know what Skids was grieving about, but he assumed it had something to do with the loss of a friend. Shockwave had seen many of his Decepticon fellows killed in action, but never had he felt any sort of grief for them. It is only now that I know what it is like to lose a friend, he thought. Grief was a strange emotion, a most unpleasant feeling. Shockwave stopped and his body turned to liquid silver, then reformed into Scarecrow. Scarecrow looked around and wondered what had happened. Something told him that for the first time Shockwave had transitioned not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Scarecrow headed for his quarters to contemplate this and the strange feeling deep inside of him. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire inserted the disk into the holoprojector of his quarters. An image of Hippolyta came up and sadness washed over him. "Jetfire, I regret to have to tell you like this, but it’s for the best. I know you, and I know that you don’t want me to go, but I have to. I was afraid that if I told you in person you would keep me here or that you would follow me. I doubted you would force me to stay, but I knew you would try to follow me, and it would destroy me if I knew that I had gotten you killed once more trying to save me." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m sure you can understand why I am doing this: no one else can open the Matrix. I am the only one who has a chance to defeat Cybertrax, so I have to try. I didn’t make this choice lightly, because I love you so much, but in the end I can’t risk the fate of the entire universe for our love. I have learned that being a leader means putting the needs of everyone else before those of yourself. I know you understand that, as you’ve had to face that with your crew and those under your command during the Cybertronian civil war, but it will still not be easy for you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I love you, Jetfire, and as long as my spark functions I will love you. I will wait for you inside of the Matrix. I just hope that then we can finally be together. Don’t grieve too long for me, find another to share your love with. Make yourself happy, Jetfire, don’t waste your life feeling sorrow for me. Good-bye, Jetfire. May the Matrix protect you." The message ended and Jetfire sat in shock. After several long moments it finally sunk in and he stood up weakly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He went over to the window and stared out at the stars. Hippolyta was out there, ready to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt so helpless and angry and slammed his fist into the wall next to the window. He fell to his knees let the sadness consume him, fluids leaking out of his visor. "Hippolyta, no," he whispered to himself over and over again. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Cybertrax had arrived. Hippolyta saw him and wondered if he could see her as well. "Why have you brought me here?" Cybertrax demanded over the comlink, answering her question. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"To destroy you," Hippolyta replied with more confidence than she felt. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You alone cannot possibly defeat me." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can, and I will." She opened her chest and took out the Matrix of Wisdom. She looked at it for one long moment and knew that she had no choice now, she was committed. "Behold!" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She gripped the handles of the Matrix and pulled. Cybertrax watched in horror as this time the Matrix parted. White light surrounded the canister and it opened, the plasma particles scattering into the vortex. The white light became more intense as the plasma was replicated. Hippolyta felt the forces of the vortex tearing at her, but somehow she was able to maintain her hold on the Matrix. Cybertrax screamed as the white light grew in size until it had enveloped him. The vortex tore at Hippolyta, growing in intensity until it nearly ripped her apart. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The white light turned purple as the vortex opened. Hippolyta screamed as she and Cybertrax were propelled through it. The voyage seemed to last forever, pain washing through Hippolyta with each passing moment. She maintained her grip on the Matrix, which had closed itself. The voyage suddenly ended in a blinding flash of white light that knocked Hippolyta out. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta awoke and found herself no longer in space, but in an empty black void. She looked around, but saw nothing. Then faces began to appear from nowhere. She recognized them as those of former Ytas, her peers. "At last Hippolyta, you have come," a voice boomed. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Where am I?" She asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You are with us, inside of the Matrix." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The Matrix would have been destroyed with me." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You do not understand. The physical Matrix was destroyed, but the spirit of it can never die." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Why am I here?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You are a Yta, this is where you go once you have died. Your wisdom will be added to the Matrix for use by future generations." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Then I am dead?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What of Cybertrax and my people?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Watch for yourself." Hippolyta could suddenly see space once more, although it looked much the same as the void. Cybertrax dominated her view and she knew she had failed. Then she watched as he began to move slowly backwards, towards where the star had been. He gained speed and his body began to break apart as the intense gravity of the black hole formed from the star tore at him. Even though there was no sound, she could hear his scream in her mind as his head was torn from his body and his chest laid open. His spark flew into space and was literally crushed by the forces of the black hole. In seconds nothing remained of Cybertrax’s body, not even the tiniest fragment. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Then he is defeated and the universe is safe." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, thanks to you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I opened the Matrix, I did nothing special." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You did. It was not us who unleashed the power of the Matrix, it was you. Once you realized how to use its power, it was you who destroyed Cybertrax." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"You mean none of you unleashed its power?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Of course not." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hippolyta thought about it for a moment and then it came to her. "Once I understood that the power of the Matrix was wisdom and could not simply be used on its own, I could use it. Once I finally realized that true wisdom cannot be wielded as a weapon, but can only be used for knowledge, then I could unleash its power. It makes sense now." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Yes. Now come, join us, merge your mind with ours. Add your wisdom to the Matrix." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She was about to open her mind up and do as the Ytas said, but something stopped her. "No, I can’t do it." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What? Why not?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I can’t leave Jetfire behind, I love him. I sacrificed my body for my people, but my spark belongs to him. I have to go back." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Go back? You would throw away this opportunity to be with this…this Autobot? Perhaps you are not as wise as we thought." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am wise enough to know that I cannot bear to be without him. He did the same for me, he gave his life for mine because he could not live or die without me. That is how I feel about him as well. Whether I live or die, I cannot survive without him. I need him, I love him. I know it is within your power to send me back. You must do so, because I cannot join you." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There was a long pause and then the Ytas responded, "There will be a penalty." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Whatever it is, I will face it." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So be it." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Legacy was approaching the vortex, searching for any signs of Hippolyta or Cybertrax. As far as they knew, both were gone, although there was no way to tell whether they had been destroyed or not. Jetfire stood on the bridge, looking out sadly at space. He knew that she was dead, but he still felt he had to be here when the area was swept. He had to know for certain that she was gone. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I’m picking up a strange reading from the vortex," Paquil announced. Jetfire hurried over to his station and looked at his displays. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There were energy readings coming from the vortex, but they were not indicative of residual energy from the vortex opening. What could it be? Jetfire wondered to himself. The readings got stronger and stronger until there was a flash of purple light. "The vortex is opening," Jetfire said. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Look!" Skids pointed and Jetfire ran to one of the windows. He could see something shoot out of the vortex at high speed. As it came closer he realized that it was a jet fighter of some sort. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The fighter was green with a long, sleek nose, cranked delta wings which looked like an arrowhead, a single tailfin, and two powerful engines. It streaked past the bridge of the Legacy and angled for the hangar. Jetfire and Skids headed for the hangar, breaking into a run once the bridge doors opened. Jetfire opened the door to the hangar and watched the fighter land. It touched down for a perfect landing and for a few moments there was silence. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then the fighter transformed. Legs and arms unfolded from the fuselage and undercarriage, the nose folded down and the wings swept back and folded away into the back. What shocked both Jetfire and Skids the most was that it was wearing an Autobot symbol. Jetfire strode forward and extended his hand. "I am Jetfire, who are you?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Here’s a hint," a female voice said. The stranger stepped forward and kissed Jetfire on his faceplate. She wrapped her arms around him and Jetfire found himself returning the kiss. After what felt like an eternity they let go of each other. "Do you know who I am now?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"It…it can’t be. What happened?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I was destroyed once I traveled through the vortex. My spark became joined with the Matrix of Wisdom and I met with the past Ytas. I was about to join them, to become one with the Matrix when something stopped me: you. I couldn’t leave you behind, so I pleaded with them to let me come back. They did so at a price." She turned and her voice became sad. "I am no longer Cybertraxian, I am an Autobot, as Cybertronian as you are. Nor am I Hippolyta anymore." She stopped and grabbed his hand. "Call me Valkyrie." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire looked into her eyes and no matter what she said, he could see that she was still the same as when she had met him. Her body and name may be different, but inside her spark was still the same. "I’m not sure what to say." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time for talk. Once we get to the new colony where your ship is, I want to come with you. There is no reason for me to stay any longer. The Cybertraxians are not my people, you are my people now." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What about the Matrix? Who will lead now?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The Matrix will find its way to the colony, I am certain of it. A new Yta will be chosen and the Cybertraxians will survive, as they did long before I was created. Just…just be happy for us Jetfire. We will be together, forever. Nothing can stop that now." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"But you gave up so much for me! You sacrificed your place in history, your name, and your heritage for me. I can’t help but feel guilty." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Don’t be. I love you, Jetfire. I don’t care about history or my heritage as long as I have you. You are all I need." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He took her hand and nodded. Then he led her over to where Skids was standing. "This is the newest member of our crew, Valkyrie." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids looked her over and smiled. "I can’t help but feel we’ve met somewhere before." He hugged her and whispered, "Welcome back." The Legacy left the vortex behind and began its journey to rendezvous with the Cybertraxian civilians. As it did so there was a flash of purple light and then the vortex winked out of existence forever. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Epilogue </p> <p class="MsoNormal">They were calling the planet Hippolyta after their fallen leader, that is what Jetfire had been told on his way down to the colony. He transformed and shook hands and hugged two comrades he had thought he would never see again. "It’s good to see you again," Beachcomber said. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We were unsure that you would make it safely," Perceptor chimed in. "I am glad to see we were mistaken." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"So am I," Jetfire replied. A shuttle landed and Wheeljack, Grapple, Skids, and Scarecrow stepped out. The Autobots greeted Perceptor and Beachcomber while Scarecrow kept his distance. Jetfire walked over to the Predacon and asked, "What’s wrong?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I am not sure, but something is troubling me. It has been since Shockwave changed over after we made it back from Cybertrax. I cannot place it, but it is there, nagging at me." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire thought about it and replied, "It might have something to do with Shockwave. Perhaps you should check with Wheeljack and see if there’s some way we can get you two together to talk." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Scarecrow smiled ever so slightly. "Thank-you. I am glad that you will be able to find happiness now." Scarecrow walked away and Jetfire was left to wonder how he had known that Hippolyta was still alive. For a Predacon, he isn’t so bad sometimes, Jetfire thought. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jetfire and his comrades sat in the front row of a makeshift arena as the victory celebration began. Fireworks lit up the evening sky and the three remaining fighters made colorful patterns with smoke and lasers. Henze was in the lead of the fighters and glad that he had survived. He thought of all of his comrades who had been killed during the battles with Cybertrax and smiled internally when he looked down at the happy crowds below. That is what Senta and all of the others had fought for, the freedom to exist peacefully. He banked away from the crowds and transformed in mid-air with his comrades. They landed and joined the celebration. Energon and oil were flowing freely and Jetfire could tell that some of the Cybertraxians were already getting drunk from radium-spiked oil. Once the fireworks and aerial demonstration were done, the arena was opened up for dancing. The crowd of Cybertraxians broke up, most going onto the dance floor. Jetfire remained where he was, content to watch the festivities. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He saw Wheeljack, Grapple, and Zeam standing near the refreshments table, having a heated discussion about something or other. Jetfire knew it was probably on some engineering or technological topic. He normally would have gone over to see for himself and possibly engage in the conversation, but he didn’t feel up to it at the moment. Someone slapped him on the back and he saw that it was Tyr, a likely candidate to be the next Yta. Tyr already seemed a little tipsy and Jetfire could smell the radium-spiked oil on him. "Come on, Jetfire, let yourself cut loose a little. We beat Cybertrax! It’s a time for celebration." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know. I’m just finding it hard with her gone," Jetfire replied. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Oh, I understand. Take as much time as you need to grieve over her, she was very special." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I know. Thanks." Tyr nodded and walked away. Jetfire watched him join Paquil, Queall, and the rest of the Legacy bridge crew, who cheered and engaged in a toast. He knew that the Cybertraxians deserved this celebration. They had fought long and hard for peace and it looked like they might finally have it. If only Hippolyta hadn’t bought that peace with her life, Jetfire thought. He knew he had been partially truthful when talking to Tyr and that he had to lead the Cybertraxians on. He sighed and stood up, looking at the distant hills. Sitting at the top of one of the hills was a lone figure. Jetfire made his way out of the party and, wanting to make a subtle exit, his form mutated into that of Skyfire. He transformed into his beast form, a bald eagle, and flew up towards the hill. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He found Valkyrie sitting on the hill, watching the party sadly. He transformed and sat down next to her. "Thinking over your decision?" Skyfire asked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">She looked at him, fluid in her eyes. "A little. They were my people, I just wish I could be with them now, in their moment of triumph. I still don’t regret my decision, though." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"I don’t either," he whispered and kissed her. "I love you, whether you are an Autobot or a Cybertraxian." </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What if I had come back as a Decepticon?" She asked playfully. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Then I’d reprogram you." They laughed and kissed once more. Down below, Skids watched them contentedly. After all Jetfire and Hippolyta had been through, it was nice to see their happy ending. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"And they lived happily ever after," he murmured. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Beachcomber smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. "Do you think we’ll ever find someone like that?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skids laughed and indicated the party with his glass of energon. "Let’s find out." He and Beachcomber turned away from watching Skyfire and Valkyrie and back to the party. Night fell and the sounds of joy and celebration continued. On top of a lonely hill a pair of lovers who had finally found each other continued to kiss. Long after the festivities had ended the couple would still be on that lonely hill, sharing their love. After a long, hard fight love had finally triumphed over evil. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">THE END</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" align="center">The Skyfire Adventures Continue in Episode 7: Derelict, Coming Soon!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-40517673514002065472007-06-13T09:47:00.000-07:002007-06-13T09:50:32.596-07:00Legacy<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: This is the fifth episode of "The Skyfire Adventures" and continues "The Apocalypse Trilogy." Our heroes ally themselves with the similar Cybertraxians as the evil of Cybertrax is unleashed upon the universe. To stop it, Skyfire has to make the ultimate sacrifice...</span><br /><br /> <p style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="MsoTitle">The Skyfire Adventures:<span style=""> </span>Legacy</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>Part 2 of the Apocalypse Trilogy<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Prologue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The planet of Cybertrax was inhabited for centuries by a race of sentient robots that were similar in appearance and abilities to the Transformers of Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>These Cybertraxians fought a bitter civil war that destroyed many of their technological achievements and killed a large portion of its citizenry.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Across space and time, the Maximal Skyfire and his crew of four Autobots and one Decepticon/Predacon arrived at Cybertrax after detecting the sparks of the Cybertraxians.<span style=""> </span>The Cybertraxian leader, Hippolyta, was eager to welcome the Cybertronians to her world to share their discoveries and history.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Meanwhile, the Autobot Skids, a member of Skyfire’s crew, was returning from a scientific mission in another system.<span style=""> </span>As he reached the Cybertraxian system, one of his transport’s engines began to leak plasma.<span style=""> </span>The plasma leak, coupled with a concentration of cromoton particles, created a temporal vortex that sent Skids a short time into the future.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>This future turned out to be very bleak, as Skids found that most of his comrades were dead.<span style=""> </span>As well, the system’s red giant star had been snuffed out and one of its planets had been drained of all geothermal energy.<span style=""> </span>Upon finding his surviving comrades, Skids was able to find out what had happened.<span style=""> </span>Armed with that knowledge he endeavored to go back into the past and save the Cybertraxians and his friends from the fate that awaited them.<span style=""> </span>With the help of Perceptor and Wheeljack, Skids was able to recreate the vortex and send himself back to the past.<span style=""> </span>Nearly adrift in space, Skids overloaded his communications system in order to send out one short message:<span style=""> </span>‘Evacuate Cybertrax, Skids’.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>On Cybertrax, Grapple and Beachcomber discovered the dark secret that Cybertrax had long hidden.<span style=""> </span>The planet was unnatural in origin and was now beginning to tear itself apart through a series of intense shocks coming from its core.<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots warned Hippolyta and Skyfire and, combined with Skids’s message, the evidence swayed the two leaders to begin to evacuate the planet as quickly as possible using the Autobot shuttle and two escape ships constructed by a Cybertraxian faction long ago.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids’s transport reached Cybertrax and saw the shuttle waiting for him.<span style=""> </span>He landed and climbed out of the transport and saw Wheeljack waiting for him.<span style=""> </span>“Looks like you did a number on my transport,” Wheeljack commented dryly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry,” Skids replied, not really paying attention.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle began to move away from Cybertrax as Skids ran up to the bridge.<span style=""> </span>The doors parted and he looked out the viewscreens.<span style=""> </span>There were two large gray ships flying next to the shuttle and Skids saw a strange robot on the bridge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s that ship, and who is this?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am Hippolyta, leader of the Cybertraxians.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s beginning,” Beachcomber said solemnly.<span style=""> </span>Everyone turned to the viewscreens and Grapple brought the ship to a stop.<span style=""> </span>The surface of the planet, which had already begun cracking in most places, was now completely coming apart.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had expected an explosion or some other kind of cataclysmic event, but what he saw instead was even more shocking.<span style=""> </span>The planet was coming apart, but it was not falling apart; it was changing shape!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The surface rearranged itself to form a chest and arms and legs unfolded from it.<span style=""> </span>Finally, the head appeared from the exact location of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>In fact, the three spires of the palace formed the horns on its head.<span style=""> </span>The planet had reformed into a robotic shape that had an angular chest that was faceted like a cut jewel, and sleek, round arms and legs.<span style=""> </span>One hand looked like a much larger version of a humanoid hand, while the other was an enormous, black hand that had claws instead of fingers.<span style=""> </span>The head had horns, but they did not look demonic in any way.<span style=""> </span>Rather, the huge robot had soft blue eyes that seemed thoughtful and wise.<span style=""> </span>It had no mouth, but rather a faceplate like Optimus Prime.<span style=""> </span>In all, it didn’t seem like Unicron, who had transformed from a planet-like mode to a robot form to try to devour Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>From what Skyfire could see, the beast was at least twice the size of Unicron, if not larger. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Skids stared in awe at the creature and remembered what he had seen in the future.<span style=""> </span>This, this was the monster.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t destroy Cybertrax; he is Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>While the creature did not look evil, Skids knew that it was.<span style=""> </span>He had seen what it had done to the second planet of the system and the red giant star, and it had been responsible for the deaths of his friends in the future. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is that?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked the question on everyone’s minds.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Our doom,” Skids replied darkly.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter One<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at the enormous being standing where Cybertrax had once been, unable to move or speak.<span style=""> </span>Finally, he managed to tear himself away and look over at Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>For the first time, even Perceptor seemed rattled.<span style=""> </span>“Report!”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire barked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It appears as though Grapple and Beachcomber were right.<span style=""> </span>The planet is unnatural.<span style=""> </span>In fact, it was the dormant body of this creature.<span style=""> </span>I am reading a large energy signature coming from it, meaning that it is active.<span style=""> </span>As well, the sensors detect spark activity inside of the being,” Perceptor regained his calm as he spoke.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Can we contact it?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shifted his gaze to Beachcomber.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure, but I’ll try.<span style=""> </span>What do you want to say?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire approached Beachcomber’s station and typed the commands to record a message.<span style=""> </span>“Greetings, I am the Maximal Skyfire from the planet Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>My comrades and I wish you no harm; we merely want to talk to you.<span style=""> </span>Please respond to this message so that we can open a dialogue.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber hit a few keys and the message began to send on all known frequencies.<span style=""> </span>As it did, Skyfire looked over at Hippolyta.<span style=""> </span>“I think you should get your people out of here, in case things get ugly.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I will send the civilian ship, but you will need the military vessel here,” Hippolyta replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>As soon as possible, my comrades and I will transfer to your military ship.<span style=""> </span>That way the shuttle can escort the civilian ship and keep those bodies safe.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta nodded and turned back to the viewscreen to gaze at the being that had once been her planet.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire could sense her anger and pain and wished he could comfort her, but there would be time for that later.<span style=""> </span>Right now he had other things to attend to.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Anything yet?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Beachcomber.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Nothing.<span style=""> </span>The message is repeating on all frequencies.<span style=""> </span>Maybe it just needs some time to respond.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and looked at Hippolyta again.<span style=""> </span>“Let’s begin that transfer operation.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber and Perceptor, stay with the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>The rest of us will move over to the military ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber and Perceptor looked at Skyfire, their expressions angry.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire knew they didn’t want to have to leave their comrades behind, but there were no other options.<span style=""> </span>They were more expendable than the others were and he needed someone capable of flying the shuttle at the controls.<span style=""> </span>He would need Grapple and Wheeljack for their engineering skills and Skids had encountered the creature in the future, so his knowledge would be useful.<span style=""> </span>Of course he would never trust Scarecrow or Shockwave with the shuttle, so that left Perceptor and Beachcomber.<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots turned back to their stations and Skyfire saw the others hurrying off the bridge.<span style=""> </span>He and Hippolyta were the last to leave, and just as Skyfire reached the door he felt a little dizzy.<span style=""> </span>He grabbed the edge of the door for balance and felt Hippolyta touch his back.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Are you all right?”<span style=""> </span>She asked with concern.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll be fine.<span style=""> </span>Just a little glitch,” Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>The dizzy spell passed and he got to his feet.<span style=""> </span>He left the bridge and hurried to the hangar where the transport was kept.<span style=""> </span>As he did, his superstructure mutated into the Autobot Jetfire, his brown eagle feathers reforming into the sleek red, white, and black finish of the Autobot warrior.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The transport was already full and Wheeljack was at the controls.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire transformed and Hippolyta climbed inside.<span style=""> </span>The transport’s engines revved up, although they were not running as high as they should have been.<span style=""> </span>Both engines were drained of plasma, making them run much slower.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire ignited his rocket boosters and streaked out of the hangar.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, do you think this thing is going to be friendly?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know,” Jetfire replied, not knowing what else to say.<span style=""> </span>The rest of the short trip to the military ship was silent.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire landed inside the ship and let Hippolyta out before transforming.<span style=""> </span>The transport arrived a couple of minutes later and the Autobots, along with a couple of Hippolyta’s advisors, climbed out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll lead you to the bridge,” Hippolyta said and walked towards the elevator.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire and the others fell in behind her, piling uncomfortably into the elevator.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta punched a few buttons and the elevator began to climb towards the bridge.<span style=""> </span>After several long seconds it reached the top and everyone got out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wow,” Wheeljack gasped as he looked around.<span style=""> </span>The bridge of the military ship was packed with computer terminals; most of them manned by Cybertraxians.<span style=""> </span>The terminals were arranged in a semicircle and each terminal was raised and recessed into the wall to provide ample walking space.<span style=""> </span>There was also a short flight of stairs leading up to another level of computers.<span style=""> </span>In the midst of everything was a command chair and a large holographic projector.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta went over to the projector and activated it.<span style=""> </span>The projector displayed an image of the being that had once been Cybertrax and the three small ships around it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The civilian ship is beginning to move away.<span style=""> </span>We are receiving a signal from your ship,” Hippolyta said to Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire nodded and saw Beachcomber’s face appear moments later.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m still not getting any response.<span style=""> </span>I’ve sent the message to your ship so they can keep trying.<span style=""> </span>We’ll get back in touch with you guys as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>Good luck, and may the Matrix protect you,” Beachcomber said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Same to you,” Jetfire said and saluted his comrades.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber returned the salute and the projection disappeared.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle turned and streaked away after the civilian ship.<span style=""> </span>Soon, only the military vessel was left around what had been Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>“Since we’ve got time, why don’t you tell me about your ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta nodded and brought up the ship’s specifications.<span style=""> </span>“This vessel was called a Yta-class ship by its designers, named the Legacy.<span style=""> </span>It carries a crew of 120 and has room for up to 1000 troops.<span style=""> </span>Right now we have about 750 warriors on board, plus whatever armor and artillery we could squeeze in.<span style=""> </span>There is one hangar that can hold as many as forty-eight fighters, or four squadrons.<span style=""> </span>Right now we only have twelve fighters, all of which are ready to launch at any moment.<span style=""> </span>The ship itself is well armed with six anti-ship missile tubes, twenty heavy laser cannons, three particle beam guns, and eight light lasers that are designed to target incoming projectiles.<span style=""> </span>Our top speed is four times the speed of light, a little slower than the Remembrance, the civilian ship, but that’s still pretty good.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is a fine ship indeed.<span style=""> </span>The problem is that we’ll need about a hundred more like it to destroy something that big if we have to,” Jetfire replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Hippolyta said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire nodded and turned to his comrades.<span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack and Grapple, orient yourselves with this ship’s systems.<span style=""> </span>Skids, I want you to explain everything that you saw in the future.”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Grapple turned away to explore the ship and Skids stepped forward.<span style=""> </span>He quietly began to explain everything that had happened, to the astonishment of both commanders.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After nearly an hour, Skids finished his tale.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta leaned back in her chair, and Jetfire felt his fluids going cold.<span style=""> </span>He had been shocked to learn about his own future death and hoped that he could avoid it happening again.<span style=""> </span>“Of course, since we were able to evacuate Cybertrax, the timeline has changed.<span style=""> </span>So what I remember probably will not happen again,” Skids said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe not, but some of it might.<span style=""> </span>Especially if that thing turns out to be hostile,” Hippolyta replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids was about to say something, but someone interrupted, “Yta, we are receiving a message from the being!”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta bolted from her chair and hurried over to the communications station.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What did it say?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It wishes to speak with the Maximal Skyfire,” the Cybertraxian officer replied.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire mutated his body back to Skyfire and Hippolyta motioned for the officer to record a reply to the message.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is Skyfire, what do you wish to speak…”<span style=""> </span>Before Skyfire could get any further, there was a flash of green light and he found himself no longer on the Legacy.<span style=""> </span>All around him were dark gray walls, and hanging in front of him was an enormous gray sphere pulsing with energy.<span style=""> </span>“Where am I?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire demanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You are in my central processor.<span style=""> </span>I deemed this would make communication easier,” a deep voice rumbled.<span style=""> </span>The voice seemed to come from nowhere particular, which was disorienting.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>So what do you wish to speak about?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I want to know why you are here, and what has happened in the universe in the last billion years.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at the sphere for a moment, wondering where to begin.<span style=""> </span>“I am here because my ship was on a scientific mission in this area.<span style=""> </span>My crew and I came across the planet that you once were and decided to investigate it.<span style=""> </span>We were in the midst of this process when you destroyed Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You do not understand,” the voice interrupted.<span style=""> </span>“I am Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and continued, “As for what has been happening in the last billion years, I can not really speak about that.<span style=""> </span>I have lived for over four million years, but even so, I don’t know the history of the universe for the last billion years.<span style=""> </span>Suffice it to say that star systems have been forming and reforming and cultures have been rising and falling.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It is as I thought,” Cybertrax said.<span style=""> </span>“Complete chaos.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Chaos?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, chaos.<span style=""> </span>Before I went off-line, there was order in the universe.<span style=""> </span>There were no random mutations, everything was contained and controlled.<span style=""> </span>The universe was moving towards one goal:<span style=""> </span>harmony.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“When my spark came on-line, the universe was very young.<span style=""> </span>Life was just beginning to form.<span style=""> </span>I was alone in this universe, there was no other sentient life.<span style=""> </span>Seeing all of these worlds teeming with developing life, I saw my purpose: <span style=""> </span>to steer the evolution of life so that the universe would live in perfect harmony.<span style=""> </span>I would make sure that the universe did not fall back into the chaos from whence it came.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“From my spark I fashioned ten Matrices.<span style=""> </span>Each one would be endowed with a special gift.<span style=""> </span>The ten races that would receive these would all develop in one particular area.<span style=""> </span>Science, engineering, religion, leadership, and creation were the five I was able to seed on various planets in different parts of the universe.<span style=""> </span>The goal of my plan was that since each race would have one special skill, they would all need each other to survive.<span style=""> </span>They would all become dependant on each other.<span style=""> </span>So that they could find each other, I created a Matrix of Harmony, which would guide whatever race had it to the other Matrices.<span style=""> </span>I was about to seed this Matrix and the others, but something told me to stop in my quest.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Cybertrax paused, which allowed Skyfire to interrupt his story.<span style=""> </span>“What I don’t understand about your plan is how you could seed Matrices all over the universe and that if you seeded the Matrices across the universes, how were the separate races ever supposed to contact each other?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I knew that the distances between the races would be vast, so I designed a way around this.<span style=""> </span>By using the Matrix of Engineering, I was able to create a secret teleporter network across the universe.<span style=""> </span>The distribution of the teleporter gateways was targeted at all planets capable of bearing life, so I knew that no matter where I seeded a Matrix, there would be a gateway.<span style=""> </span>The gateways could only be found and opened with a Matrix so that they could not be misused.<span style=""> </span>I seeded the first five Matrices this way.<span style=""> </span>Once all of the races had reached a highly-evolved state, the Matrix of Harmony would activate the gateways and teleport all of the races to one location where they could live in peace.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at the sphere for a few moments, letting everything Cybertrax had told him sink in.<span style=""> </span>The teleporter network, could that be the same one the aliens Jalen’s people called demons used?<span style=""> </span>Could they somehow have found a way to operate the gateways to use them for their own plans?<span style=""> </span>Skyfire knew that the demons themselves weren’t smart enough for that, but perhaps they had some help somewhere.<span style=""> </span>If so, then that would help to explain some things about where the demons came from.<span style=""> </span>Most importantly, though, was that if the teleporter network was the one used by the aliens, then the Autobot Matrix of Leadership had destroyed it and there was no way that Cybertrax’s plan could ever bear fruit.<span style=""> </span>Before Skyfire could interrupt again to tell him this, Cybertrax continued his tale.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Creating the Matrices had weakened my spark.<span style=""> </span>I needed to rest for a while.<span style=""> </span>However, I did not want my work to go unfinished.<span style=""> </span>So with almost all of my remaining strength, I created two sons to continue my mission.<span style=""> </span>The first one I called Primus.<span style=""> </span>He would seed the remaining Matrices and spread life to other worlds, so that even more races could unite in perfect harmony.<span style=""> </span>The other son I named Unicron.<span style=""> </span>He would go with Primus and form the planets from elementary materials.<span style=""> </span>He contained enormous processing machines that could rip apart materials and break them down, then rebuild them in new forms.<span style=""> </span>To aid them in their quest, I created one last Matrix, the Matrix of Creation and Leadership.<span style=""> </span>This dual Matrix would provide Primus with the power and guidance he would need to finish my mission.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They struck out on their mission and I stayed where I was to rest my spark.<span style=""> </span>They were to be my legacy, to complete what I had started.<span style=""> </span>They would make the universe thrive with life that would live in perfect harmony.<span style=""> </span>There would be no war, famine, disease, or destruction.<span style=""> </span>The universe would be peaceful and calm.<span style=""> </span>From all of the chaos of its birth, the universe would form a union of races who would help each other and live together as one.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“However, my vision would not be fulfilled.<span style=""> </span>While I was resting, Primus and Unicron began their journey.<span style=""> </span>However, Unicron felt that I had treated him unfairly.<span style=""> </span>He thought that because I had given the special Matrix to Primus, I favored Primus over him.<span style=""> </span>He became jealous of his brother and angry with me.<span style=""> </span>He fought Primus and damaged him, then came back for me.<span style=""> </span>I was bigger than Unicron, but I was too weak to put up a fight.<span style=""> </span>He tore into my body, ripping away at whatever he could in a blind fury.<span style=""> </span>I thought that I was doomed, until Primus returned.<span style=""> </span>He was wounded, but in better condition than I.<span style=""> </span>He grabbed Unicron and smashed him with his fists.<span style=""> </span>Then he hefted his brother and hurled him through space.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>‘“Father, I must go and stop him.<span style=""> </span>The universe that you created will not be safe with him around,”’ Primus said to me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Go, my son.<span style=""> </span>Stop your brother and fulfill your destiny.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“He left and I was left alone once more.<span style=""> </span>However, I knew that I could not stay in my present form, because if Unicron returned, he would finish me off.<span style=""> </span>I had to prepare some kind of defense against him, so I transformed my body into the shape of a planet.<span style=""> </span>Before he left, Primus returned the remaining Matrices to me, except for the special one I had given him.<span style=""> </span>He knew the risks involved in fighting Unicron and didn’t want his brother to be able to get his hands on the Matrices.<span style=""> </span>So he entrusted them to me until he could return.<span style=""> </span>I used the Matrix of Wisdom to create thousands of small sparks.<span style=""> </span>Using debris from my battle with Unicron, I processed bodies for these sparks.<span style=""> </span>They would be a race of transforming machines like myself.<span style=""> </span>If Unicron returned, he would be greeted by a horde of warriors.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I gave the Matrix of Wisdom to the leader of these new people, so that it would guide them.<span style=""> </span>Then my spark went off-line to regenerate.<span style=""> </span>It took over a billion years, but my spark has finally regenerated.<span style=""> </span>I am ready to continue my mission.<span style=""> </span>What happened with Primus, how much was he able to accomplish on his own?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“From my planet’s legends, Primus fought Unicron in a terrible battle.<span style=""> </span>They were both very gravely wounded and retreated to regenerate their sparks, like you did.<span style=""> </span>Unicron transformed into a killer planet, which would cruise the galaxy and eat all in his path.<span style=""> </span>I assume that was how he planned to regenerate.<span style=""> </span>As for Primus, he transformed into the planet of Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>He did like you did, and created my people to protect him from Unicron.<span style=""> </span>He gave my leaders the special Matrix, which came to be known as the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and a prophecy that one of us would rise up and use the power of the Matrix to destroy Unicron,” Skyfire explained.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“In 2005, Unicron finally located Cybertron and tried to destroy it.<span style=""> </span>A heroic Autobot named Hot Rod was able to open the Matrix and unleash its power.<span style=""> </span>Unicron was destroyed and for a while his head served as a moon for my planet, until it was finally moved from orbit and destroyed.<span style=""> </span>As for Primus, either he is dead or his spark is still regenerating deep inside of Cybertron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">There was a long pause, and for a few moments Skyfire thought that the strange conversation was over.<span style=""> </span>However, the voice finally returned.<span style=""> </span>“Both of my sons are dead and the universe has fallen into utter chaos.<span style=""> </span>My mission has failed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How do you know if Primus is dead?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can feel it.”<span style=""> </span>There was another long pause before Cybertrax continued.<span style=""> </span>“I can now tell you what my intentions are.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are they?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire prodded.<span style=""> </span>He waited for an answer, but instead there was a red glow coming from the sphere.<span style=""> </span>A few seconds later, a red beam lanced into Skyfire’s midsection.<span style=""> </span>He was thrown backward several yards, smashing into a wall.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The universe must be destroyed,” Cybertrax said quickly, mostly to himself.<span style=""> </span>“I must destroy it and start over again.<span style=""> </span>I will take back the Matrices and begin from scratch.<span style=""> </span>Only then can my plan succeed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re mad!<span style=""> </span>You can’t destroy the entire universe!”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It will take many, many years, but I will succeed.<span style=""> </span>I have to, or else all will be lost.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“But you will destroy all life in the universe.<span style=""> </span>Life that you and Primus created.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then so be it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire got to his feet and stared up at the sphere.<span style=""> </span>“Don’t you understand, no one being can control the growth of the universe.<span style=""> </span>It has to be allowed to grow and mature on its own.<span style=""> </span>That which you call chaos is what makes everything different.<span style=""> </span>This chaos allows different races to flourish at different times and to slowly weave a tapestry of life.<span style=""> </span>Even without Matrices we all need each other to survive.<span style=""> </span>Every race has different ideas, beliefs, customs, and technologies that give it a better understanding of some areas than other races.<span style=""> </span>That creates the harmony that you seek.<span style=""> </span>There may be war and destruction, but by attempting to destroy the universe you will only add to these problems,” Skyfire pleaded, hoping that he could reason with Cybertrax.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No!”<span style=""> </span>Cybertrax bellowed and another beam struck Skyfire in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>He fell and could see that Cybertrax was charging for another attack.<span style=""> </span>He mutated his body into Jetfire, noticing that the process was much more sluggish this time.<span style=""> </span>After the mutation was complete, he transformed into jet mode and hit his rocket boosters.<span style=""> </span>He raced away from the giant sphere, looking for a way out.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He turned a corner and narrowly ducked under a bundle of circuits.<span style=""> </span>Up ahead he could see his way out.<span style=""> </span>The icy blue wall ahead would lead to his freedom or his death.<span style=""> </span>He would have to get up enough speed to smash through Cybertrax’s eye, or else he would be crushed.<span style=""> </span>He revved his engines as far as they could go and streaked towards the eye.<span style=""> </span>The gap narrowed and Jetfire hoped he had enough velocity.<span style=""> </span>His nose collided with the eye at blistering speed and went through it, followed by the rest of him.<span style=""> </span>Pain washed through him and he screamed in agony as shrapnel tore into him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He fought against the pain as he raced back towards the Legacy.<span style=""> </span>He had to tell the others about Cybertrax’s scheme and find some way to stop it.<span style=""> </span>The hangar to the Legacy opened and he slowed down as he approached.<span style=""> </span>“Legacy, this is Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>As soon as I’m aboard, get us moving out of here as quickly as possible, I’ll explain later.”<span style=""> </span>He came to a near stop and coasted into the hangar.<span style=""> </span>Immediately, the hangar doors closed and the ship began moving.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He transformed and saw a door open at the far end of the hangar.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta and the rest of the Autobots hurried towards him.<span style=""> </span>He saw Hippolyta’s face grimace as she saw the damage he had taken.<span style=""> </span>“So I take it this guy isn’t friendly,” she joked uneasily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>Come on, let’s go somewhere quiet and I’ll explain it to you.<span style=""> </span>And hopefully we can find some way to stop Cybertrax.”</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The briefing room of the Legacy consisted of a long, rectangular table with chairs spaced all around it and a holographic display at the head of the table.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire stood at the head of the table, ready to tell the others his findings.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta, her staff, his Autobot comrades, and Scarecrow were all present for the meeting.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What we are dealing with is a monster bent on destroying everything in the universe.<span style=""> </span>Cybertrax is an unstable being who believes that the only way to create this perfect universe is to destroy the current one.<span style=""> </span>Obviously we have to stop him before he can do this,” Jetfire began.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why does Cybertrax think he can create this universal paradise?”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack asked.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire recounted what Cybertrax had told him and there were shocked gasps all around the table.<span style=""> </span>Even Scarecrow seemed to be deeply affected by the story.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Cybertrax must be destroyed!”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Calm down, Scarecrow,” Jetfire urged the Predacon.<span style=""> </span>“And while you’re at it, I need you to mutate into Shockwave.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow jumped to his feet, his fists clenched.<span style=""> </span>“No!<span style=""> </span>If I do that, you will never reactivate me!<span style=""> </span>I will be left dormant inside of Shockwave’s body until he is destroyed!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire could understand Scarecrow’s protests.<span style=""> </span>When Jetfire transitioned between himself and Skyfire, it was perfectly flawless, all of his memories were retained.<span style=""> </span>That was because they shared the same spark and were essentially the same Cybertronian.<span style=""> </span>With Scarecrow, it was completely different.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow had downloaded his core consciousness into Shockwave, but he was not a part of Shockwave’s spark.<span style=""> </span>When Scarecrow mutated, he would cease to exist until Shockwave mutated back.<span style=""> </span>In essence, Jetfire was asking him to kill himself.<span style=""> </span>Ordinarily, Jetfire’s programming would not have allowed him to ask that, but right now he needed Shockwave’s superior strategic capabilities.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire pulled his hyperpulse plasma rifle out and leveled it at Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>“Do it or I will destroy you,” Jetfire growled.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow stared at Jetfire in disbelief, and seconds later his body turned to liquid silver.<span style=""> </span>It reformed into the purple form of the Decepticon Shockwave.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you want of me, Jetfire?”<span style=""> </span>Shockwave asked in his usual cool, uncaring voice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I need you to assess a situation and devise a strategy.<span style=""> </span>Of all of us, you have the best strategic planning processors,” Jetfire replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Where’s Prowl when you need him,” Grapple said quietly.<span style=""> </span>The Autobot Prowl was the best known strategist in the known universe, because of his advanced logic circuits and strategic planning processors.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire would have felt a little better if Prowl were in the room, because it would give them that much more of a chance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I will see what I can do,” Shockwave responded, seeming not to notice Grapple’s barb.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire explained the situation in detail, noticing that Shockwave never showed any response to any of it.<span style=""> </span>Once Jetfire was done, he sat down and waited.<span style=""> </span>Everyone looked anxiously at Shockwave, hoping that he could find a way out of this mess.<span style=""> </span> It took five minutes before Shockwave spoke again.<span style=""> </span>“I have analyzed the data and come up with a plan that might resolve the crisis.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The main advantage and disadvantage for a creature like Cybertrax is his sheer size.<span style=""> </span>It is an advantage in that he can easily destroy worlds and stars.<span style=""> </span>However, he is not suited to fighting a smaller foe, like us.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, the logical conclusion would be to infiltrate Cybertrax’s superstructure and wage a campaign to destroy him from within.<span style=""> </span>At the same time, it would be wise to attack from without to keep him distracted so that the inside team could go undetected and carry out their mission.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The key targets to hit will be the central processing unit and spark of Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>If these are destroyed, then he will die.<span style=""> </span>Logic would dictate sending in at least two teams, one for each target.<span style=""> </span>As well, the teams will want to recover those Matrices he spoke of.<span style=""> </span>If their power could be unleashed against Cybertrax, he could be destroyed more quickly,” Shockwave finished and for a moment there was silence.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A good plan,” Jetfire replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I agree,” Hippolyta chipped in.<span style=""> </span>“Take as many of my warriors as you need.<span style=""> </span>We can use the Legacy to keep him busy out here while they try and destroy him from the inside.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Shockwave, you will lead one of the teams.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta, I’m sure one of your warriors can lead the other,” Jetfire said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>I’ll lead the fighter attack, which leaves you to command the Legacy,” Jetfire said to Hippolyta.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s a good thing, since I can’t fly,” she replied.<span style=""> </span>“It should take a couple of hours to get the teams organized and ready.<span style=""> </span>In the meantime, we can find out what Cybertrax is doing, and you can get repaired.<span style=""> </span>That’s it then, everyone is dismissed.”<span style=""> </span>The room cleared except for Hippolyta and the Autobots and Jetfire tried to mutate his form into Skyfire to heal his injuries.<span style=""> </span>He waited for the usual brief feeling of disorientation, but nothing happened.<span style=""> </span>“Unable to comply, system damaged,” a computerized voice told Jetfire in its annoyingly pleasant tone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I can’t mutate!”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire blurted out.<span style=""> </span>Grapple and Wheeljack looked at each other, pain on their faces.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, we’ve got to talk,” Grapple said.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked at the two engineers and nodded.<span style=""> </span>He followed them out into the corridor, leaving Hippolyta alone in the room.<span style=""> </span>She sat down and stared out at space, in shock after the incident.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta felt her fluids going cold at Jetfire’s outburst.<span style=""> </span>Something was wrong with him.<span style=""> </span>The worst part of it was that there was nothing she could do about it.<span style=""> </span>She wasn’t an engineer, so she had no idea what was wrong with Jetfire or how to fix it.<span style=""> </span>She wished that she could, because she hated to see the one she loved in pain.<span style=""> </span>A hand touched her shoulder and she saw Ril Tyr standing over her.<span style=""> </span>“Yta, we must begin preparations for the attack,” he reminded her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course,” she replied absent-mindedly.<span style=""> </span>She would have to find out what was wrong with Jetfire later and see if there was anything that she could do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * * * * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire and the two Autobot engineers had moved into a storage room to talk in private.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire sat on a crate, feeling shaky at not being able to mutate.<span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong with me?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“When we made those modifications to your body after Scarecrow nearly killed you, we knew there was the possibility that something could go wrong.<span style=""> </span>The technologies were untested, so there was a good chance of some side-effects,” Wheeljack began.<span style=""> </span>“However, this is worse than we thought.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is it?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, your spark is becoming unstable.<span style=""> </span>That’s the only explanation for why you can’t mutate your form,” Grapple explained.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Your spark functions as a sort of dual spark since those modifications,” Wheeljack replied.<span style=""> </span>“We loaded an algorithm into your central processor that would extract the information from your spark to allow you to change between forms.<span style=""> </span>That algorithm is what manipulates your mind and body so you can mutate between Jetfire and Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>Apparently the algorithm is breaking down.<span style=""> </span>We’d have to do some tests, but I’m sure it would tell us that the algorithm isn’t working any more.<span style=""> </span>In fact, it probably stopped functioning properly a while back.<span style=""> </span>That would mean that your central processor was trying to get the information directly from your spark, causing the instability.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s only going to get worse,” Grapple told Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>“I don’t want to say this, but you’re going to die.<span style=""> </span>Once the spark becomes too unstable, it will collapse and destroy itself completely.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So there’s nothing you can do?<span style=""> </span>Can’t you just reload the algorithm into my processor?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, that wouldn’t work at this stage, and it wouldn’t have done a lot good earlier either.<span style=""> </span>Reprogramming the algorithm would have just been a stopgap measure.<span style=""> </span>It might have bought you some time, but in the end the same result would have happened,” Wheeljack answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Can you at least repair me in this form?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can patch you up, but with an unstable spark, using a restoration chamber might kill you.<span style=""> </span>So, no, we can’t completely repair you,” Grapple responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just do what you can so I can get out there and fight Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, you have to realize that you’re going to be a lot more vulnerable.<span style=""> </span>We can only patch you up so much.<span style=""> </span>If you take too much damage then there won’t be anything we can do,” Grapple protested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t care.<span style=""> </span>If Cybertrax succeeds, then we’ll all be dead soon.<span style=""> </span>I can’t let that happen.<span style=""> </span>I have to fight against him with every last ounce of strength I have left.<span style=""> </span>If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well do it battling the greatest evil the universe has ever known,” Jetfire replied angrily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack looked sadly at Jetfire and suggested, “If you make it through this battle, I might be able to rig a stasis field for your spark.<span style=""> </span>We could keep it in stasis so that Grapple and I could work on a solution.<span style=""> </span>Just promise me that you’ll make it back safely.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I promise.<span style=""> </span>Now let’s go to work.”<span style=""> </span>The engineers nodded and the three Autobots headed up for the bridge.<span style=""> </span>When they got there, Hippolyta immediately intercepted them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Our sensors show that Cybertrax is moving away from us and towards the inner planets of the system,” she said quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why would he do that?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He needs the energy,” Skids replied, joining the conversation.<span style=""> </span>“In the future that I saw, one of the first things Cybertrax did was to destroy the planet’s star.<span style=""> </span>He also drained all the geothermal energy from the second planet of the system.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why the second planet?”<span style=""> </span>Grapple wondered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The second planet is highly volcanic, thus it has higher levels of geothermal energy,” Hippolyta answered.<span style=""> </span>“Then that’s where he’s going.<span style=""> </span>We can intercept him on his way and launch our attack.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sounds like a plan,” Jetfire said.<span style=""> </span>“How long until we get there?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“One hour.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>That should be enough time to get me patched up.<span style=""> </span>Let’s go guys,” Jetfire left the bridge with Wheeljack and Grapple in tow.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta watched him go, staring at the door for a few long moments after it closed.<span style=""> </span>Then she turned away to give orders to the ship’s helmsman.<span style=""> </span>After that, she sat in the command chair and stared out at the stars.<span style=""> </span>Very soon, the first battle under her command would launch.<span style=""> </span>She had never been in combat before, so she didn’t know how well she would hold up.<span style=""> </span>She saw how calm Jetfire was, even though he was wounded, and hoped she could be like that.<span style=""> </span>Then again, he had millions of years of practice, she thought grimly.<span style=""> </span>She could see Cybertrax as a large gray mass set against space and knew that time would tell if she was truly fit to be a Yta.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Shockwave sat in the cargo compartment of a small, oval-shaped Cybertraxian shuttle, waiting for it to launch.<span style=""> </span>In the compartment with him were ten Cybertraxian warriors, each one wearing a nervous expression and carrying a large weapon.<span style=""> </span>Even so, Shockwave knew that the firepower amassed in the shuttle would not be enough to destroy anything the size of Cybertrax.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Fortunately, if his plan worked, there would be no need to completely destroy Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>Eliminating his spark and central processor would suffice.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave looked back around at the team of Cybertraxian warriors and internally snorted in disgust.<span style=""> </span>If this were a Decepticon operation, he knew that his fellow warriors would not look so nervous.<span style=""> </span>These Cybertraxians are weak fools.<span style=""> </span>Their planet would have been easy to conquest.<span style=""> </span>If I had located it sooner, I might have been able to tell Megatron of it.<span style=""> </span>Then that planet and all of its power would belong to the Decepticon cause.<span style=""> </span>It still can be, a small voice in his head told him.<span style=""> </span>He could capture Cybertrax and the Matrices and use them to destroy the Autobots and their Cybertraxian friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>No, that course of action is not logical.<span style=""> </span>I am the only Decepticon here, I could not maintain something as large as Cybertrax for the years until I could reach Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>Nor to I have the skills to survive on my own, Shockwave told himself.<span style=""> </span>Ever since regaining consciousness after his body was possessed by Scarecrow, he found illogical thoughts creeping into his mind.<span style=""> </span>It was as though the Predacon’s personality was hovering just at the edge of his psyche, trying to manipulate him.<span style=""> </span>He wished he could remove Scarecrow’s programming, but he could not, and the Autobot fools would not because of their moral standards.<span style=""> </span>So he would have to suffer with it until they reached Cybertron, where he would finally rid himself of Scarecrow once and for all.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He snapped back to reality and heard Jetfire’s voice over the comlink in the cockpit.<span style=""> </span>“We’re launching.<span style=""> </span>Stay behind us until you reach Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>We’ll keep him off of you.<span style=""> </span>Got it?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Understood,” the pilot replied.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave shifted in his seat as the shuttle took off.<span style=""> </span>There was nothing he could do until they were inside of Cybertrax, so he tried to occupy his mind by calculating the expected casualty predictions for the mission.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire swooped in towards Cybertrax, all twelve Cybertraxian Kastra fighters behind him.<span style=""> </span>He could barely detect the shuttle on his sensors, and hoped that Cybertrax could not detect it either.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack, Grapple, and a group of<span style=""> </span>Cybertraxian engineers had done what they could to make the shuttle stealthy by masking the infrared signature of its engines and its radar profile.<span style=""> </span>It was still detectable, but Jetfire hoped that Cybertrax would be too busy to run a high-intensity sweep of the area, and with all of the fighters flying around, it would be hard to detect the shuttle’s ion trail.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“OK, guys, this is it.<span style=""> </span>Remember, go in fast and stay close to him.<span style=""> </span>We don’t know what kind of weapons he has, but if we stay low and fast we’ll be hard for him to hit,” Jetfire said to the Kastras.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Hopefully,” one of the pilots grumbled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s do it,” another one chimed in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Legacy, this is Jetfire, we are engaging the target.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Roger, Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Good luck,” the voice of the communications officer on the Legacy said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire deactivated his comlink and could see that he was near Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>The fighters were approaching from the right side, not wanting to risk a direct frontal attack.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire armed his weapons and waited.<span style=""> </span>After a few seconds he opened fire, missiles and laser blasts streaking towards Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>He quickly pulled up and continued to rake Cybertrax with fire from his laser cannons as he moved along Cybertrax’s ride side, towards his front.<span style=""> </span>He knew that his shots were not doing anything, but they weren’t supposed to.<span style=""> </span>All he had to do was buy the shuttle time to get inside and begin its mission.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re having null effect on the bad guy,” a Kastra pilot said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>Just keep at it, Meir,” Jetfire replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I will.<span style=""> </span>I’d just like to do some damage.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Plenty of time for that later,” Jetfire responded as he launched another barrage of missiles right into Cybertrax’s chest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta paced the bridge of the Legacy, Skids following her in her anxious movements.<span style=""> </span>“How much longer until the shuttle is clear?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Five minutes,” the sensor officer answered.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta nodded and turned away, trying not to let the pain on her face show.<span style=""> </span>While Cybertrax had not returned fire yet, she couldn’t help but feel that something bad was going to happen to Jetfire out there.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How do you think Cybertrax is going to respond?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta asked Skids.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>He’ll probably try to attack them in some way.<span style=""> </span>He has no choice.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire and your fighters aren’t doing much damage yet, but if they keep at it long enough, they could start to do something.<span style=""> </span>He’ll eventually have to react to their threat.<span style=""> </span>From what I know and from what Jetfire said, he’s not interested in us, though.<span style=""> </span>He’s got bigger things on his mind.<span style=""> </span>So maybe he’ll ignore them altogether,” Skids answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Have they told you what’s wrong with Jetfire yet?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, I haven’t had a chance to talk with Wheeljack or Grapple about it yet.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s dying, I can feel it.<span style=""> </span>He doesn’t want to talk to me about it, though.<span style=""> </span>He’s afraid of hurting me,” Hippolyta turned away from Skids and stared out a viewport.<span style=""> </span>Skids laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure he’ll be all right.<span style=""> </span>He’s survived millions of years and millions of Decepticon schemes.<span style=""> </span>He won’t die now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe.<span style=""> </span>Or maybe we’ll all die,” Hippolyta retorted, gesturing at Cybertrax with her right hand.<span style=""> </span>Skids took his hand off of her, not knowing what he could say.<span style=""> </span>From what he had seen in the future, everyone had died.<span style=""> </span>That future had been rendered null by evacuating Cybertrax, but the end result was still a possibility.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yta, we are receiving a message from Cybertrax!”<span style=""> </span>The communications officer shouted.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Hippolyta ran over to the station and heard a deep voice rumble, “You fools!<span style=""> </span>Your puny weapons are useless against me.<span style=""> </span>Nevertheless, I will destroy you.<span style=""> </span>You cannot stand in the way of my mission.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Tell Jetfire that he can expect some trouble,” Hippolyta ordered the communications officer.<span style=""> </span>She commanded the rest of the bridge crew, “Move us into attack position and focus all weapons on an entry point for the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>If Cybertrax is going to fight back, we’ve got to get the shuttle inside quickly.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Legacy began to move towards Cybertrax, looking like a tiny mouse charging at an enormous elephant.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta sat in her chair and Skids took an empty seat in a corner.<span style=""> </span>They both knew there was little they could do now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Meir lined up on Jetfire’s right wing and they readied a pass at Cybertrax’s right side, just above his waist.<span style=""> </span>Suddenly, panels began opening all over Cybertrax’s body.<span style=""> </span>What in the name of Primus is going on?<span style=""> </span>Jetfire wondered.<span style=""> </span>The answer came quickly as bolts of red laser fire began spitting from the holes.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire pulled up, taking a couple of minor hits on his right side.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Meir wasn’t so lucky.<span style=""> </span>The Cybertraxian fighter was hit in the right wing and in the middle.<span style=""> </span>He lost control and was holed a half dozen more times by laser fire before his engines burned out.<span style=""> </span>He hung limply in space and Jetfire knew that he was dead.<span style=""> </span>There was no time to grieve, though, as Jetfire had to twist and jerk violently to avoid a similar fate.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire heard screams from some of the pilots and saw at least two fighters smash into Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>He knew that it was suicide for them to stay out here any longer under such a bombardment, but they still had to get the shuttle inside.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">An idea came to Jetfire and he ordered, “Everyone clear out of here.<span style=""> </span>I’m going to take out one of those gun turrets.<span style=""> </span>Rahn, bring the shuttle in to my position, you should be able to land there once I take out the turret.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Understood,” Rahn, the shuttle’s pilot, replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Kastra pilots began to pull away from Cybertrax, maneuvering wildly to avoid being hit by the intense fire the monster was putting up.<span style=""> </span>One of the fighters was hit the tail as it was trying to escape.<span style=""> </span>The pilot transformed, but was hit in the head by another blast.<span style=""> </span>The rest of the Kastras managed to make it away safely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Jetfire charged straight at a turret, jinking horizontally to avoid the fire coming from it.<span style=""> </span>He felt a shot nail his left wing and nearly lost control, but he managed to keep on his course.<span style=""> </span>As he neared the turret, he saw green shots hit above him.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, we’ll try and keep Cybertrax off of you.<span style=""> </span>Just get that shuttle inside,” Hippolyta’s voice said.<span style=""> </span>He saw on his sensors that the Legacy was moving in at full speed, blasting away at Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>The shots were not overly effective, but they did take out a couple of turrets.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">As he neared the turret, Jetfire transformed and pulled out his rifle.<span style=""> </span>He fired a stream of green plasma straight into the turret.<span style=""> </span>It exploded in a quick plume of flame, but not before getting one last shot off.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire was hit squarely in the chest and thrown backwards, screaming in pain.<span style=""> </span>“All clear,” he bit out.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle flew past him and towards the hole he had opened.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire transformed and streaked towards the Legacy, which was still pouring fire at Cybertrax, while attempting to dodge the laser fire coming from the creature.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The shuttle weaved its way towards the opening Jetfire had opened.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave held his hand against a restraint in order to keep his seat.<span style=""> </span>A lot of the Cybertraxians's equipment had already fallen from their hands and was rolling around the compartment.<span style=""> </span>“I think my filters are going to reverse themselves,” one soldier grumbled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“The wild gyrations of this craft can have no effect on your fluid filters,” Shockwave replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The soldier looked perplexed for a moment and responded, “I was joking.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Jokes are illogical.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“So is trying to destroy a monster like this with just ten troops.”<span style=""> </span>Shockwave nodded and decided that it would be best to leave the matter alone.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle bucked and he looked towards the cockpit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The shuttle was hit twice by laser blasts, once in left wing and the second time in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>Rahn looked at his co-pilot and tried to stabilize the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Suddenly his entire world was lit up in red light.<span style=""> </span>When he looked around again, his co-pilot was nowhere to be found and the controls were smoking.<span style=""> </span>The windscreen was shattered and Rahn saw that there was no way he could control the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He could see that they were going to impact against Cybertrax in a few seconds and knew he had to try and do something.<span style=""> </span>He slapped the button to open the rear hatch and opened the door to the passenger compartment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“The controls are slagged, we’ve got to get out of here!”<span style=""> </span>Rahn shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Grab as much equipment as you can and jump clear of the shuttle,” Shockwave ordered.<span style=""> </span>He got to his feet and snagged a rifle as he hurried to the rear hatch.<span style=""> </span>He jumped from the hatch and activated his jets.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle impacted against Cybertrax in a ball of flame.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave was pelted with shrapnel and pain lanced through his body as a chunk of metal tore into his back.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">He turned and looked at where the shuttle had been.<span style=""> </span>The bodies of the soldiers were floating limply in space.<span style=""> </span>His sensors could detect that at least four sparks were still on-line.<span style=""> </span>He maneuvered to the first body, that of the pilot.<span style=""> </span>He pulled the body towards the hole and set it inside of Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>Soon he had all four Cybertraxians gathered inside as well as what equipment he could muster.<span style=""> </span>Then he knelt down next to the bodies to do what he could to heal them.<span style=""> </span>There was still a mission to carry out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Yta, we cannot contact the shuttle or any of its occupants.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Slag!<span style=""> </span>Are all of the fighters recovered?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, Yta.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Excellent.<span style=""> </span>Move us to a safe distance and call a meeting for all senior officers and our allies.<span style=""> </span>We have to make a new plan.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta hurried off of the bridge to go find Jetfire and make sure for herself that he had survived.<span style=""> </span>What will we do now?<span style=""> </span>She wondered and hoped that someone could think of a new plan.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta, her senior staff, and the Autobots gathered silently in the conference room.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta stood at the front of the room and snuck a quick look at Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>He had a hole in his chest and looked weak.<span style=""> </span>She had tried to talk to him about it, but he had ignored her.<span style=""> </span>“There’s too much to do,” he had said.<span style=""> </span>She looked around the room and saw that everyone looked grave.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The shuttle is destroyed and our strike team is presumed dead.<span style=""> </span>Cybertrax is moving towards the second planet, where he will undoubtedly drain it of its energy to make himself even more powerful.<span style=""> </span>We need to come up with a new plan to destroy him, and fast,” Hippolyta announced grimly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe we should just launch an all-out assault,” Tyr replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, that would be futile.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then maybe we should try and find some allies to help us.<span style=""> </span>If we can gather some more firepower…”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire broke the Cybertraxian speaker off, “No, Cybertrax will not be weak for long.<span style=""> </span>If we give him a chance to power up, he will be unstoppable.”<span style=""> </span>He shakily got to his feet and stumbled to the front of the room.<span style=""> </span>“No, we are alone in this.<span style=""> </span>We have to find a way to stop him, now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We don’t have enough firepower on this ship to destroy him,” Tyr protested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack, is there some way we could poison the energy that he takes?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>I’d have to do some research on the subject,” Wheeljack answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about overloading the ship’s main reactor?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Unless we were in his belly, we wouldn’t hardly dent him,” the ship’s main engineer, a Cybertraxian named Zeam, replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s face it, we don’t have the firepower to do it,” Tyr threw his hands up in the air in frustration.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t give up, we have to find a way!”<span style=""> </span>Skids rose to his feet and swept the room with an angry gaze.<span style=""> </span>“Cybertrax will destroy everything in his path.<span style=""> </span>We are all that is standing in his way.<span style=""> </span>We have to do whatever we can to stop him, even if it means sacrificing us all.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta looked at Skids and then around the room.<span style=""> </span>“I think I have a way,” she announced.<span style=""> </span>She opened her chest plate and moved aside a cover.<span style=""> </span>There was a bright white glow. <span style=""> </span>She pulled something from her chest and the white glow ceased.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked at her hand and was shocked to see that she was holding something that looked like the Autobot Matrix of Leadership that he had opened over a year ago.<span style=""> </span>The differences were that the object was hexagonal, not round, the crystal was a whitish color, and the outside casing was a dark green with white handles.<span style=""> </span>Still, Jetfire could feel the same sense of power radiating from it.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Tyr rose from his seat, his face looking horror-stricken.<span style=""> </span>“Hippolyta, no!<span style=""> </span>You can’t use the Matrix of Wisdom to destroy this thing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps the Matrix has the power to destroy Cybertrax,” Hippolyta replied.<span style=""> </span>“We must try, it is our only hope.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Tyr nodded slowly and resumed his seat.<span style=""> </span>He knew like everyone else did that Hippolyta was right.<span style=""> </span>The Matrix was the only thing that could possibly have the power to destroy Cybertrax and stop his evil plan.<span style=""> </span>“What is your plan to use it?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I cannot use it here, so we will have to stop him.<span style=""> </span>Then I will leave the ship and try to open it when I near him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s suicide!”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire burst out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta turned to him slowly, her face looking old and sad.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, you have done much for my people.<span style=""> </span>You have given everything you have, I can do no less.<span style=""> </span>If this is what it takes, then that is what I will do.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire wanted to protest, but looking at her and thinking of her words made him remember Optimus Prime.<span style=""> </span>It sounded exactly like something that he would say, and her face showed that she was not making this choice lightly.<span style=""> </span>She knew that she could die, but she had to try this if there was even the slightest hope that it could save her people and the universe.<span style=""> </span>She truly was a great leader.<span style=""> </span>Despite all the feelings of anger and sadness running through him, he replied, “I understand.<span style=""> </span>You have to do this.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta looked him in the eye for a few moments, knowing that those words were difficult for him to say.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire met her gaze and started to feel strange.<span style=""> </span>He heard Hippolyta say something to him, but he couldn’t understand it.<span style=""> </span>It was as though everything was in slow motion.<span style=""> </span>The room began to spin and his vision blurred.<span style=""> </span>He wanted to scream, but couldn’t.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire, are you all right?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta asked.<span style=""> </span>He watched her mouth move very, very slowly and heard her rumble something at him.<span style=""> </span>His vision started to get black around the edges and he tried to grip the edge of the table to support himself better.<span style=""> </span>His hand slipped and he pitched forward.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta knelt down and was able to catch him as he fell.<span style=""> </span>She turned him over and saw that his eye had gone from red to black.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire!”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple and Wheeljack burst from their seats and ran over to Hippolyta and Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>“That wound must have quickened the destabilization,” Wheeljack surmised.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is there anything you can do for him?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Grapple and I will do what we can.<span style=""> </span>Zeam, is there some kind of engineering lab around here?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, I’ll take you there.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple and Wheeljack both transformed, Grapple using his crane to lift Jetfire carefully onto Wheeljack’s roof.<span style=""> </span>The weight of Jetfire nearly collapsed his roof, but Wheeljack was able to handle it.<span style=""> </span>He moved forward slowly, with Zeam leading them towards the engineering lab.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta remained on the floor, her hands clutching at air.<span style=""> </span>She wiped fluids from her eyes and stood up slowly.<span style=""> </span>She had set the Matrix on the conference table and grabbed it.<span style=""> </span>“Tyr, do we have a booster pack in storage?”<span style=""> </span>She asked quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, Yta.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Have a crew get one ready for when I reach the hangar.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Tyr looked around the table in surprise.<span style=""> </span>“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I still have a mission to carry out.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Should I have the Kastras readied to escort you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>I will carry out this next phase of the mission alone.<span style=""> </span>Bring us in as close to Cybertrax as you can, and then I will launch.<span style=""> </span>Then pull back immediately.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Are you sure that is wise?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“If I fail, I do not want the rest of you destroyed.<span style=""> </span>I cannot risk your lives on this gamble.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Tyr looked at her sadly and slowly nodded his head.<span style=""> </span>“I understand, Yta.<span style=""> </span>I will carry out your orders.”<span style=""> </span>Tyr left the table and Hippolyta left slowly after him, shuffling along like an old woman.<span style=""> </span>Skids could feel fluids coming to his eyes, knowing the kind of weight she was feeling on her shoulders.<span style=""> </span>He knew that she loved Jetfire, and now he was probably going to die in defense of her people.<span style=""> </span>On top of that, Cybertrax was ready to devastate a planet, draining it dry, and she was the only one who had any chance of stopping it.<span style=""> </span>If she failed, then there was little chance that anything else could stop Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>Skids got up and was glad that he did not have to bear the burdens of command.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It took a half-hour for the Legacy to catch up with Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>The orange planet that was the unnamed second planet in the system was just coming into view.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta knew that if she failed, then nothing could stop Cybertrax from draining the life from the planet.<span style=""> </span>She gazed out a viewport near the hangar and turned away slowly.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She didn’t know how Jetfire was doing, and she didn’t want to disturb Wheeljack, Grapple, and her engineers while they worked on him.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps it is my own cowardice that keeps me away, she thought.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I don’t want to see him lying there, unmoving and looking dead.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I love him too much to see him in pain.<span style=""> </span>She knew that was the truth, but tried to convince herself that it was because she knew better than to interrupt the engineers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yta, we are within launching distance,” Tyr said over the comlink.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>I’ll be launching shortly.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“May the Matrix protect you and bring you back safely,” Tyr responded sadly, breaking the connection.<span style=""> </span>He sat in the command chair on the bridge, looking despondent.<span style=""> </span>Skids stood next to him, wishing that there was something he could do.<span style=""> </span>He had been a warrior, but even so, there was little he could do in a situation like this.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta opened the doors to the hangar and went inside.<span style=""> </span>As she did, every technician and pilot came to attention.<span style=""> </span>She held her gaze level, taking them all in slowly, trying to look as majestic and proud as she could.<span style=""> </span>She reached a team of technicians who held out a large, white booster pack, which looked like a small fish with two tiny engines under its tail.<span style=""> </span>She turned her back to them and they magnetically sealed the booster pack to her.<span style=""> </span>Once it was in place, she turned once more and thanked the technicians.<span style=""> </span>She saw that everyone was still at attention and as she neared the hatch to launch, they all saluted her.<span style=""> </span>She slowly returned the salute, holding it longer than usual.<span style=""> </span>She knew that it was probably the last time she would ever get a chance to be with her troops.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She wanted to say good-bye, to make some kind of speech to address the moment.<span style=""> </span>However, no words would come to her mind.<span style=""> </span>Nothing could express in words all the emotions running through her:<span style=""> </span>sadness over Jetfire, desperation in the face of her mission, and pride at the professionalism and discipline of her soldiers.<span style=""> </span>It was all too confusing.<span style=""> </span>Instead of trying to get out some speech, she activated the booster pack and silently sped towards Cybertrax.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire knew he was dying.<span style=""> </span>He could feel the oppressive blackness all around him and knew that very soon it would smother his last thoughts and his spark forever.<span style=""> </span>However, he did not feel any fear about his own death.<span style=""> </span>All he could think of was Hippolyta.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He wished that they had had more time together, time to cultivate the love that had sprung up between them.<span style=""> </span>They had both known on Cybertrax that a relationship could go nowhere, because Hippolyta had to stay to lead her people and Jetfire had to stay with comrades to make sure they made it to Cybertron safely.<span style=""> </span>Still, he longed to hold her in his arms once more.<span style=""> </span>He thought of the time they had shared and the few moments of passion they had managed to squeeze in.<span style=""> </span>The memories felt so sweet and yet so painful, because he knew that soon it would all be over.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>As he was about to die, there was a flash of white light.<span style=""> </span>He suddenly saw himself in space, Cybertrax looming before him.<span style=""> </span>He turned slightly to his right and saw Hippolyta streaking towards the monster.<span style=""> </span>She stopped a short distance away and opened her chest, removing the Matrix of Wisdom.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire could feel the anger and surprise going through Cybertrax as he viewed one of the last of the twelve Matrices he had created.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta grasped the handles with her hands and pulled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Nothing happened.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire could see her struggle with the Matrix, desperately trying to open it.<span style=""> </span>Then he saw Cybertrax open his weapons ports and open fire.<span style=""> </span>Red light tore into Hippolyta, obliterating her before his eyes.<span style=""> </span>No!<span style=""> </span>His mind screamed.<span style=""> </span>She can’t die!<span style=""> </span>I won’t let it happen, he swore to himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple turned to Wheeljack and shook his head sadly.<span style=""> </span>They had tried everything they could think of, but nothing could bring their friend back.<span style=""> </span>His spark was too unstable to be revived or repaired.<span style=""> </span>The damage inflicted by Cybertrax had sealed the deal.<span style=""> </span>There was nothing they could do for Jetfire, but wait for their friend to finally die.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Suddenly, Jetfire’s eye lit up a bright red.<span style=""> </span>Grapple shielded his eyes, the light was so bright.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire got to his feet and looked at his friends.<span style=""> </span>“Where’s Hippolyta?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“She’s going to use the Matrix to try and stop Cybertrax,” Wheeljack replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No!”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire turned and ran.<span style=""> </span>He knew that Hippolyta was in terrible danger.<span style=""> </span>What he had seen was a vision of what was about to happen to her.<span style=""> </span>He had to stop it before she was killed.<span style=""> </span>He had to stop it before the only one he ever loved was gone for good.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He ran towards the hangar at full speed, knocking over several Cybertraxians in the process.<span style=""> </span>His damaged legs moved him faster than he had ever run before.<span style=""> </span>He opened the doors to the hangar and dashed across it.<span style=""> </span>He pushed Cybertraxians out of his way and leapt into the air.<span style=""> </span>He transformed and lit his rocket boosters, blasting out of the hangar at near the speed of sound.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He tore through space and saw that Hippolyta had already reached Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>She opened her chest plate and took out the Matrix.<span style=""> </span>She held it in her hands and pulled at it.<span style=""> </span>For an instant Jetfire hoped that the grisly vision he had seen was wrong, but moments later he saw that it was not.<span style=""> </span>Nothing happened as she tugged and pulled at the Matrix.<span style=""> </span>The ports on Cybertrax opened and Jetfire knew that she was going to die.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta pulled desperately at the Matrix, trying to get it to open, but it wouldn’t budge a nanometer for her.<span style=""> </span>She looked up in horror and saw that Cybertrax was preparing to send her to oblivion.<span style=""> </span>Then this is my end, she thought.<span style=""> </span>I have failed myself and my people.<span style=""> </span>She readied herself for her death when she saw something coming straight for her from the corner of her eye.<span style=""> </span>It was red and white and moving faster than she thought possible for something that was obviously not a starship.<span style=""> </span>As the gun ports on Cybertrax lit up with red light, Hippolyta felt hands reach out and push her away just as Cybertrax fired.<span style=""> </span>Her savior took the full brunt of the blast and the intense light blinded Hippolyta.<span style=""> </span>Her vision cleared up moments later and she saw nothing but debris all around her.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She recognized the debris floating nearby and knew who had saved her life.<span style=""> </span>“Jetfire!”<span style=""> </span>She screamed into the empty void of space, willing him to come back to life.<span style=""> </span>She broke down into sobs, fluids coating her optics.<span style=""> </span>She expected Cybertrax to finish the job, but instead he turned and silently continued towards the second planet.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta watched the monster move away slowly and allowed herself to hang limply in space, mourning the loss of the only one she had ever loved.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids stood on the bridge of the Legacy and saw Cybertrax hovering over the second planet of the system.<span style=""> </span>The metal monster was as big as the planet and Skids wondered how he was going to drain the energy.<span style=""> </span>He watched in silent fascination as Cybertrax raised his right hand, the one that had enormous black claws instead of fingers, and sunk the claw into the surface of the planet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is he doing?”<span style=""> </span>Tyr asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It appears as though the claws are deploying some kind of equipment to tap the energies of the planet,” the sensor officer replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids watched the scene and remembered his time in the future.<span style=""> </span>In hours the planet would be nothing but an iceball, just as it had been in the future he had seen.<span style=""> </span>Then the future I saw still is happening, only slightly differently.<span style=""> </span>And there is nothing I can do to stop it, Skids thought.<span style=""> </span>He turned away and left the bridge silently.<span style=""> </span>He walked down the empty corridors, occasionally passing a Cybertraxian or two. <span style=""> </span>They all looked fearful and sad at the same time.<span style=""> </span>I guess the word has spread quickly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He stopped at a door and opened it.<span style=""> </span>He had thought it would have been locked, but it wasn’t.<span style=""> </span>He stepped into a dark room and took a look around.<span style=""> </span>“Hippolyta?”<span style=""> </span>He called out.<span style=""> </span>He got no answer and continued to look around.<span style=""> </span>“I just want to talk.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know,” he heard her reply sadly.<span style=""> </span>He heard movement and saw that she had been curled up in a corner, staring out her window.<span style=""> </span>“I guess everyone knows by now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes,” Skids replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why, why did he do it?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He loved you and knew you were in danger.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I ran into Grapple on my way here.<span style=""> </span>He said that Jetfire was dead when I left.<span style=""> </span>Then he suddenly sprang to life and chased after me.<span style=""> </span>He came back from the dead just to save me.<span style=""> </span>He came back for me…”<span style=""> </span>Her voice trailed off into sobs and Skids put a hand on her shoulder.<span style=""> </span>She bolted into his arms, wanting to hold on to someone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>That shows how much he loved you.<span style=""> </span>He gave his own life for yours, because he couldn’t bear to live or die knowing that you would be killed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.<span style=""> </span>He was so strong and smart and brave.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta moved away from Skids and stared out at space.<span style=""> </span>“He knew me better than anyone else in this universe, even though he had only known me for a short time.<span style=""> </span>He made me feel the happiest I had ever been.<span style=""> </span>And now he’s gone.<span style=""> </span>How can I go on without him?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids gazed out at the stars and thought of his fallen comrade.<span style=""> </span>How would any of them go on?<span style=""> </span>He had been the rock, the anchor for everyone on the Legacy.<span style=""> </span>Even though he had been dying slowly, he never let it stop him from doing what was right.<span style=""> </span>And now he was dead, struck down by Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>How could any of them carry on without him?<span style=""> </span>More importantly, how could they stop Cybertrax without him?<span style=""> </span>“I don’t know,” Skids whispered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>To Be Concluded in Ragnarok, Part Three of the Apocalypse Trilogy!<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-7485144489216227202007-06-13T09:45:00.001-07:002007-06-13T09:47:19.380-07:00VortexAuthor's Note: This is the fourth episode of "The Skyfire Adventures" written in winter of 1998. This begins "The Apocalypse Trilogy" in which our heroes encounter a planet populated with beings very similar to themselves. At the same time, Autobot Skids is transported by a strange vortex into a grim future...<br /><br /> <p class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Skyfire Adventures:<span style=""> </span>Vortex</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>Part 1 of the Apocalypse Trilogy<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter One<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Autobot Skids looked around the controls of the small transport in boredom.<span style=""> </span>He could spot the larger Autobot shuttle with his sensors and would be glad to reunite with his friends after spending over one Earth month by himself on a primitive planet.<span style=""> </span>He had been studying the planet’s culture and had spent most of his time lurking in swamps, jungles, forests, mountains, and anywhere else he could conceal himself from the natives.<span style=""> </span>It had been grueling, especially since the transport did not have a restoration chamber and only a minimal energon supply.<span style=""> </span>In exchange for all his hard work, however, he had brought back a wealth of information which would be of great help to anthropologists on Cybertron once they returned in about forty-eight Earth years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The transport bucked and warning lights flashed suddenly.<span style=""> </span>Skids looked around him and saw that one of the transport’s plasma conduits in the starboard engine had blown and was leaking plasma into space.<span style=""> </span>He tried to shut it down, but the safety mechanism was off-line.<span style=""> </span>He checked and saw that he was within communications range of the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>“Skids to shuttle, do you hear me?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>On board the shuttle, Beachcomber and Grapple looked at Perceptor intently.<span style=""> </span>“Are you sure?”<span style=""> </span>Grapple asked breathlessly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am certain,” Perceptor replied, his voice excited.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then we should go there at once,” Beachcomber said.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber looked at his station and saw a light blinking.<span style=""> </span>He pushed a button and Skids’s face came onto the screen.<span style=""> </span>“Skids!<span style=""> </span>I thought you were up to your fenders in muck, studying some culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I was,” Skids responded.<span style=""> </span>“I’m on my way back now.<span style=""> </span>I’ve run into a little trouble, though.<span style=""> </span>The starboard engine on the transport is leaking some plasma and I can’t shut the leak down.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s not dangerous, is it?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, it shouldn’t be.”<span style=""> </span>Skids stopped and examined Beachcomber’s face.<span style=""> </span>“Is something wrong?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perceptor’s found something in this system that is…unbelievable.<span style=""> </span>The last planet in this system has signs of…”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber’s voice trailed off and Skids looked at him anxiously.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Signs of what?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Transformer sparks.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids felt his fluids cool.<span style=""> </span>“How many?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perceptor’s not sure.<span style=""> </span>He only detected them on the long-range sensors.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see, so what do you want me to do?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber looked at the others and they turned towards the middle of the bridge, where Skyfire sitting in the command chair limply.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire!<span style=""> </span>We need your help!”<span style=""> </span>Grapple snapped.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire heard Grapple’s voice distantly and stirred.<span style=""> </span>“What’s going on?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.<span style=""> </span>He had been having a lot of concentration problems of late.<span style=""> </span>It was probably a minor glitch, but he would have to see Wheeljack about it some time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perceptor’s detected signs of sparks on a planet in this system, and Skids is returning, but the transport has a plasma leak in one engine,” Grapple filled him in, calming down a little.<span style=""> </span>He had noticed that Skyfire kept drifting off for no reason at all.<span style=""> </span>It was starting to get on his logic circuits.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is the transport in any danger?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked at Grapple, the only engineer present.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It shouldn’t be.<span style=""> </span>It will slow him down, though.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>All right, give Skids the coordinates of the planet and tell him to meet us there.<span style=""> </span>Then get us to that planet as fast as you can.<span style=""> </span>If Perceptor’s right, this discovery could be of great importance,” Skyfire ordered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So we just leave Skids out there?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I understand your concern, but we can’t lose the time to go back for him.<span style=""> </span>He’ll be fine out there.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and contacted Skids and explained the situation.<span style=""> </span>Skids didn’t look surprised at all.<span style=""> </span>“This could be a very important discovery, I don’t want to keep you from it.<span style=""> </span>I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can.”<span style=""> </span>He broke the connection and checked his instruments.<span style=""> </span>The plasma leak would eventually burn itself out, but even then he would have lost a lot of power in the starboard engine.<span style=""> </span>From the computer’s calculations, it would take him fifteen hours to reach the planet Beachcomber had indicated.<span style=""> </span>Well, he thought, I’ve been away from the ship for a month, fifteen more hours won’t hurt.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple took the helm again and the shuttle shot towards the planet at maximum speed.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked around and felt his mind drifting again.<span style=""> </span>He shook himself, trying to focus on the mission at hand.<span style=""> </span>“How long until we arrive?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Four hours,” Perceptor replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Make sure to keep our sensors pointed in that direction at all times.<span style=""> </span>Let me know what you find out as we close.”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and Skyfire leaned back in his chair.<span style=""> </span>This time he let his mind drift, thoughts flying through his mind randomly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple looked over at Skyfire and started to worry again.<span style=""> </span>Something was wrong with Skyfire, he knew it.<span style=""> </span>He would have to have Wheeljack examine Skyfire, because Wheeljack knew more about internal systems.<span style=""> </span>However, Grapple had his suspicions about what was causing the problem.<span style=""> </span>If he was right, then there was no way that they could save Skyfire, short of something very drastic and very dangerous.<span style=""> </span>Grapple just hoped that he was wrong.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * * </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Three hours later, Perceptor stared at the first close-up pictures of the planet in his microscope mode.<span style=""> </span>He transformed and looked over at Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, I have important news!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire roused himself and asked, “What is it?”</p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="border: medium none ;"><span style=""> </span>“I have examined the sensor pictures of the planet.<span style=""> </span>The planet closely resembles Cybertron in appearance.<span style=""> </span>I have also detected more sparks.<span style=""> </span>The total so far is up to 1778, and I suspect that there are many more.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Do we know whether or not they are Transformers like us, yet?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am not certain.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Keep monitoring the planet, then.<span style=""> </span>Are there any signs of sensors or anything detecting our presence?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not that I am aware of yet,” Perceptor answered.<span style=""> </span>“Although I could be mistaken.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s hope not.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids leaned back in his chair, watching the shuttle leave him behind with the transport’s sensors.<span style=""> </span>He knew their mission was important, he only wished they could have picked him up first.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and yearned for a nice, hot energon drink to soothe him.<span style=""> </span>He turned to grab an energon ration when the transport began to buck.<span style=""> </span>Skids looked around and saw a purple glow around him.<span style=""> </span>Outside the cockpit, a violet cloud of gas was forming.<span style=""> </span>It was moving more and more rapidly in a circular manner like a tornado on Earth.<span style=""> </span>The cloud filled the cockpit of the transport and Skids screamed as it washed over him.<span style=""> </span>He blacked out, his last thoughts of his friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He woke up what seemed like an eternity later and found himself still in the transport.<span style=""> </span>“What happened?”<span style=""> </span>He asked aloud.<span style=""> </span>He checked the sensors and was horrified to find that not only had the shuttle disappeared, but the red giant star in the system had vanished as well.<span style=""> </span>How could an entire star disappear?<span style=""> </span>He shut the transport’s engines down and decided that he should stay where he was until he could figure out what was going on.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He got out of his seat and went to the back of the transport, where there was a small science station that he could use.<span style=""> </span>He ran a few sensor sweeps, using the station’s equipment to analyze the sweeps for any known spatial phenomena.<span style=""> </span>His readings came up with nothing, but he knew that something had to have happened to he and the transport.<span style=""> </span>He thought about what had happened, but was interrupted when a klaxon went off.<span style=""> </span>“Proximity alert,” the transport’s computer warned Skids.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids dashed back to the cockpit and saw that there was some kind of debris flying past the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He looked at it and saw that it was metallic, not asteroids or anything natural.<span style=""> </span>Something blue flew past him and Skids gaped.<span style=""> </span>“By the Matrix, no!”<span style=""> </span>He pressed himself to the transport’s screen and watched Beachcomber’s head drift past.<span style=""> </span>More pieces of his comrade flew past and Skids uneasily sat down in his seat.<span style=""> </span>What’s going on here?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He followed the direction Beachcomber’s wreckage had come from, hoping to find some kind of clue.<span style=""> </span>More debris flew past the transport, and Skids wondered if he was ever going to find anything.<span style=""> </span>He stopped the transport as an idea came to him.<span style=""> </span>It would take some time, though, for the transport’s sensors to finish the task.<span style=""> </span>Once they did, he would hopefully be able to find a clue about what was going on.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stood at the hatch of the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Grapple and Beachcomber stood with him.<span style=""> </span>“We are twenty minutes from the planet.<span style=""> </span>Our scans have revealed approximately 2145 sparks on the surface.<span style=""> </span>They appear to have advanced technology, comparable to our own,” Perceptor informed them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks, Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>We’ll report back to you as soon as we can,” Skyfire said and then his form turned liquid and shimmered silver.<span style=""> </span>A blink of an eye later, it reformed into a red and white robot, the Autobot Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>As he did so, a large gray and black shape approached the trio.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“You requested my presence?”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow, a Predacon that had joined the others months ago, asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Scarecrow?<span style=""> </span>Jetfire, why would you ask him to come, he’s a Predacon!”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -4.5pt; line-height: 200%;">blurted out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -4.5pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I want to make sure we have some extra firepower if we need it.<span style=""> </span>Besides, I don’t want to leave Scarecrow alone on the ship with just Wheeljack and Perceptor on board,” Jetfire replied.<span style=""> </span>He transformed into a large jet and opened his cargo compartment.<span style=""> </span>Grapple, Beachcomber, and Scarecrow climbed inside and Jetfire revved up his rocket boosters.<span style=""> </span>He roared out of the shuttle and towards the planet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It took a lot of concentration on Jetfire’s part to keep himself on task.<span style=""> </span>His mind wanted to drift, but he knew that he couldn’t let it right now.<span style=""> </span>Soon a large, gray planet came into view.<span style=""> </span>“It looks just like…Cybertron,” Beachcomber breathed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Only bigger,” Grapple chipped in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right, let’s go and have a look,” Jetfire said and dove in at the planet.<span style=""> </span>There was not much of an atmosphere, and the flight in was easy.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire dove through a layer of thin, dark clouds and then he saw a gray, metallic surface spread below him.<span style=""> </span>The buildings looked like those of Cybertron, and for a moment Jetfire forgot where he was.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He headed for the area with the largest concentration of sparks, hoping that would be where he could find some answers to the questions running through his mind.<span style=""> </span>How could sparks have gotten so far from Cybertron?<span style=""> </span>Were they some kind of renegade faction of Autobots or Decepticons that had fled from the Great War or were they something else entirely?<span style=""> </span>“Any signs of weapons aimed at us?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Perceptor over the comlink.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Negative.<span style=""> </span>There are no signs that they have detected your approach.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well, they’re about to,” Jetfire broke the connection as a large city came into view.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s beautiful,” Grapple whispered as he stared out Jetfire’s canopy at the city spread out before them.<span style=""> </span>“It looks like some of the cities I designed for Cybertron before the Great War.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Bah!<span style=""> </span>You foolish Autobots with your reminiscing make me wish I had remained without a body.<span style=""> </span>Unless we are here to conquer this worthless planet there is no reason for us to be here,” Scarecrow growled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s too bad we had to reactivate him during that run-in with space pirates from Yula Five,” Beachcomber grumbled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“If it were not for me, you would all have been turned to slag,” Scarecrow retorted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe, but it was Wheeljack who risked his life to reactivate you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Enough!”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire rebuked Beachcomber and Scarecrow, rocking himself a little to get their attention.<span style=""> </span>“Scarecrow, get out there and survey the area.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire opened the cargo hatch and Scarecrow launched himself into the air.<span style=""> </span>He transformed into a huge crow and broke away from Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber and Grapple turned back to the cockpit and gazed at the beautiful city.<span style=""> </span>“Anything yet, Scarecrow?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked over the comlink.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Affirmative.<span style=""> </span>There are large crowds gathering on the streets below.<span style=""> </span>They appear to have taken notice of our arrival,” Scarecrow reported.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Any weapons?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not that I can see.<span style=""> </span>I will go down for a closer look.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Belay that, Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>We don’t want to appear hostile.<span style=""> </span>If you swoop down on them, they may get the wrong impression.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow snarled to himself and replied, “Very well.<span style=""> </span>What do you suggest?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Transform and follow me down,” Jetfire commanded over the comlink.<span style=""> </span>To his passengers he said, “Jump out the hatch, I’ll transform and help you down.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The cargo hatch opened and the two Autobots jumped out into the air.<span style=""> </span>They plunged through the sky, screaming as they did so.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire transformed and zoomed down towards them.<span style=""> </span>He caught Beachcomber by the back with one hand and snagged Grapple’s crane with the other.<span style=""> </span>The three Autobots slowly descended until they reached the ground.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow landed next to them, a scowl on his face.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire relinquished his grip on Grapple and Beachcomber and looked around him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A crowd stood all around the Transformers, staring at them like they were some kind of gods.<span style=""> </span>The crowd was made up all of robots that looked vaguely Cybertronian, but were sleeker like pre-war designs.<span style=""> </span>They ranged in heights and widths, some were smaller than Beachcomber while others stood nearly as tall as Jetfire and Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked around him and then his body’s exterior turned to liquid metal and reformed as Skyfire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Greetings, I am Skyfire, a Maximal from the planet Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>These are my comrades Scarecrow, Grapple, and Beachcomber.<span style=""> </span>We wish you no harm; we are merely curious about your culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The crowd parted and a dark green, oval-shaped vehicle approached.<span style=""> </span>It looked like an Earth car, only a lot more aerodynamic.<span style=""> </span>The vehicle neared Skyfire and the others and then it transformed into a robot that stood to Skyfire’s shoulders.<span style=""> </span>It looked sleek and graceful, like some of the Autobots Skyfire had known on Cybertron before the war.<span style=""> </span>“Greetings, Skyfire, I am Hippolyta.<span style=""> </span>I welcome you to Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at Hippolyta for a few moments, deep in thought.<span style=""> </span>Cybertrax?<span style=""> </span>It sounded a lot like Cybertron, perhaps they were related in some way.<span style=""> </span>“Are you the leader of this city?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, I lead all Cybertraxians.<span style=""> </span>This is the capital city of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Intrence</st1:place></st1:City>.<span style=""> </span>I believe it would be better if we continued this discussion inside the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<span style=""> </span>I will take you there.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta motioned to two Cybertraxians, who transformed into boxy cargo vehicles.<span style=""> </span>“These two will transport you there.”<span style=""> </span>She transformed and Skyfire looked around at his companions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow scowled deeper, not trusting this new race, but Skyfire knew they all had to trust the Cybertraxians, at least until they got some answers.<span style=""> </span>“All right, let’s go.”<span style=""> </span>He transformed and hopped inside one of the vehicles.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow transformed and followed suit while Beachcomber and Grapple managed to fit themselves into the other vehicle.<span style=""> </span>The convoy took off, the crowds moving aside so they could get through.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire only hoped that he would finally get some answers to the questions troubling him.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The transport neared the second planet of the system and right away Skids could tell something was wrong.<span style=""> </span>The sensors detected a faint spark on the surface, but it did not appear to be moving.<span style=""> </span>He commanded the transport to go to the ground of the icy world and the transport was immersed in a blinding white light.<span style=""> </span>Must be a storm, Skids thought as the transport was buffeted by strong winds.<span style=""> </span>He managed to put the craft down and opened the hatch.<span style=""> </span>Immediately snow flew into his optics and began coating his body and the wind nearly knocked him back into the transport.<span style=""> </span>He closed the hatch and activated his infrared sensors.<span style=""> </span>The white fell away and he could see a body lying nearby.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids struggled against the wind until he came to the body.<span style=""> </span>He knelt down and picked it up.<span style=""> </span>He could tell it was badly damaged.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t make out who it was because of the storm, and knew he would have to save that until he was safely in the transport.<span style=""> </span>He hefted the body over his shoulder and staggered back through the snow towards the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He opened the hatch and set the body down as carefully as he could, the intense winds making it difficult.<span style=""> </span>He sealed the hatch and stumbled to the far wall of the transport.<span style=""> </span>He switched his optics back to normal and looked down at the body he had recovered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“By the Matrix,” he whispered.<span style=""> </span>Lying on the deck was himself.<span style=""> </span>He was badly damaged and missing his right arm.<span style=""> </span>He knelt down next to himself and noticed that the other Skids was off-line.<span style=""> </span>He opened a panel in the other Skids’s head and tried to activate him.<span style=""> </span>After a few moments, the other Skids’s eyes flashed open.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Where I am?”<span style=""> </span>The other Skids asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You are on the second planet of this system,” Skids responded.<span style=""> </span>“I picked up your spark and rescued you from a blizzard.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I remember now.<span style=""> </span>For a moment I could feel my spark becoming one with the Matrix.<span style=""> </span>I was ready to crossover when you saved me.<span style=""> </span>But…how did you get here?” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure.<span style=""> </span>I was heading for the shuttle when my transport started to rock.<span style=""> </span>There was this purple glow and the next thing I knew I saw Beachcomber flying past.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You must have been transported forward in time.”<span style=""> </span>There was a flicker in the other Skids’s eyes.<span style=""> </span>“I’m not going to last much longer, I can feel my spark fading.<span style=""> </span>You must find a way back to the past and warn Skyfire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of what?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There is a great evil afoot that will destroy all once it is awakened.<span style=""> </span>Evacuate the Cybertraxian planet.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise…thousands will die.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is this evil?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The other Skids’s eyes flickered once more, then again and again.<span style=""> </span>“It’s…worse…than…Uni…cron.”<span style=""> </span>The other Skids’s eyes flickered a few more times and then died.<span style=""> </span>His head lolled to the right and the transport was silent once more.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids looked at his future counterpart in shock.<span style=""> </span>Something worse than Unicron?<span style=""> </span>What could it be?<span style=""> </span>He had to find out.<span style=""> </span>The only way to do that was to investigate the rest of the system and see if anyone was still alive.<span style=""> </span>If someone had survived, then they could explain what had happened so that he could correct the past.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise, there was no telling what would happen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids opened the hatch and numbly picked up the other Skids.<span style=""> </span>He set his counterpart in the snow and saluted him.<span style=""> </span>As he shut the hatch, a horrifying realization came to him.<span style=""> </span>This planet is so cold and icy, but it’s the second planet in the system.<span style=""> </span>There is no way that could happen naturally, especially in a red giant star system.<span style=""> </span>He remembered that the star was gone, but the planet could not have undergone such changes so quickly.<span style=""> </span>He darted over to the sensor station and ordered the computer to perform a full geothermic sweep of the area.<span style=""> </span>He waited anxiously for a few moments and frowned when the answer came up as he had expected.<span style=""> </span>There was no geothermic activity as far as the sensors could detect.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There was no molten activity in the mantle, and no heat coming from anywhere near the core.<span style=""> </span>Something had drawn out all the heat, all of the energy from the planet.<span style=""> </span>But for what purpose?<span style=""> </span>Skids took the controls and was determined to find out the answer.<span style=""> </span>The transport took flight and was soon out of the planet’s orbit and heading for where the star had been.<span style=""> </span>Skids was already picking up spark signatures, at least two.<span style=""> </span>These were a lot stronger than the one from the other Skids.<span style=""> </span>With any luck, he could find the answers he needed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> was quite a sight, Grapple thought to himself as it came into view.<span style=""> </span>It was at least twenty stories high and nearly a square mile in width and length.<span style=""> </span>Impressive, he thought.<span style=""> </span>The building was a rounded square with three spires that arched from the building and rose high into the air.<span style=""> </span>As they closed with the building, Grapple could see that the sides of the building were lined with carved statues.<span style=""> </span>“Who are those statues of?”<span style=""> </span>He asked their driver.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Those are Cybertraxian heroes and Ytas,” the driver replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Ytas?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Our leaders.<span style=""> </span>You should have noticed our current leader is named Hippolyta.<span style=""> </span>Her original name was Hippola.<span style=""> </span>The suffix was added once she had assumed leadership.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Interesting.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple turned to Beachcomber with a pained expression on his face.<span style=""> </span>“I wish Skids were here.<span style=""> </span>He’d love to study this culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>I hope he gets here soon.<span style=""> </span>In the meantime, we should collect as much data as possible so we can give it to him when he arrives,” Beachcomber responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and asked the driver, “How does a Yta assume leadership?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Once a Yta has died, their spark is interred in the Palace.<span style=""> </span>A new Yta is chosen by the Ruling Council after a series of demanding physical and mental challenges,” the driver responded blandly, tiring of their questions.<span style=""> </span>“Perhaps you should reserve your questions for Hippolyta.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>I’m just trying to find out as much about your people as possible,” Grapple said, trying not to sound put out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am curious about your race, though.<span style=""> </span>Where is Cybertron?”<span style=""> </span>The driver asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s thousands of light years from here, nearly on the other side of the galaxy,” Grapple answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How is it that you came upon our planet?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Beachcomber, myself, and three others were on a shuttle that was exploring an area of space past a planet called Earth.<span style=""> </span>A Decepticon ship attacked us.<span style=""> </span>We were able to destroy the ship, but one Decepticon managed to board our ship undetected.<span style=""> </span>He took Beachcomber hostage and threatened to kill him.<span style=""> </span>I sent a secret signal to our engineer to tell him what had happened.<span style=""> </span>He made a sudden course correction that sent the Decepticon reeling.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber was freed, but suddenly there was a violent shaking and a flash of blue light.<span style=""> </span>Everyone went unconscious and didn’t wake up until over fifty years later when Skyfire found us and reactivated us.<span style=""> </span>I still don’t know what happened, but Perceptor, our lead scientist, theorizes that we stumbled across a wormhole that sent us across the galaxy.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The driver laughed heartily, “You tell great stories.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure you could entertain the Ruling Council for hours with such tales.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That wasn’t a story, it really happened.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure it did, at least in your mind.<span style=""> </span>Come on, wormholes, blue light?<span style=""> </span>You must have hit some spiked energy a little too hard.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber shrugged and Grapple thought it best to leave it alone.<span style=""> </span>“I guess they haven’t advanced that much in astronomy and physics,” Beachcomber whispered.<span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded, smiling to himself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“More vital information for Skids to play with.”<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots laughed as the vehicle sped through the gates of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta and the other vehicles stopped and Skyfire and Scarecrow hopped out.<span style=""> </span>All three transformed at once and Hippolyta looked at Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>“This is the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, the seat of our government and my home.<span style=""> </span>I will take you inside to somewhere where we can talk in private.<span style=""> </span>My advisors have been notified and ordered to give your crew a tour of the palace and anywhere else they would like to go.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded, knowing that Hippolyta did not want him to have his friends around to stage some kind of coup.<span style=""> </span>“That sounds good.<span style=""> </span>Lead the way,” Skyfire replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow grabbed his arm and growled, “This is dangerous, we should not split up.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am aware of that.<span style=""> </span>But we don’t have any choice.<span style=""> </span>Just stay with Grapple and Beachcomber and don’t start any trouble.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire followed Hippolyta inside, leaving the other three Transformers behind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The inside of the palace was as ornate as the outside.<span style=""> </span>The walls were made of a gray stone with figures and scenes carved into them.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta led him down a winding corridor, past an enormous chamber that was lined with stone benches.<span style=""> </span>“That is the Ruling Council’s chamber.<span style=""> </span>They meet there to govern Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded as Hippolyta led him to a room a few doors down the corridor from the chamber.<span style=""> </span>She punched a code into the door and motioned for Skyfire to step inside.<span style=""> </span>“What room is this?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is my private office.<span style=""> </span>We can speak freely in here.”<span style=""> </span>There were two chairs in the office, both of them were made of dull gray metal.<span style=""> </span>One was positioned behind a large stone desk, the other in front of it.<span style=""> </span>The room was odd in that it was paneled with wood.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had not seen any wood anywhere else in the palace.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta motioned for him to sit down in the chair in front of the desk.<span style=""> </span>She sat in the other chair and spread her palms on the desktop.<span style=""> </span>“Your arrival raises a number of important questions.<span style=""> </span>First, your ability to change shape and your appearance are much like our own.<span style=""> </span>It is possible that our races are connected.<span style=""> </span>If so, then that brings up a number of troubling philosophical questions.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire noticed the change in Hippolyta’s tone and word usage.<span style=""> </span>It was a lot less rigid and formal.<span style=""> </span>This private office is her sanctuary, where she can be honest and open.<span style=""> </span>Then I must do the same.<span style=""> </span>“I have noticed the similarities.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps we are distant descendants of one another.<span style=""> </span>There was a great war on Cybertron and many of our people fled.<span style=""> </span>It is possible that a group made it this far and established a colony.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps, but the history of Cybertrax is very long.<span style=""> </span>However, we do not know of our heritage, how we came to be.<span style=""> </span>It is a riddle that has plagued leaders, politicians, philosophers, and clergy for some time.<span style=""> </span>No one knows where my race came from, thus it seems we are drifting along without a real purpose, without a destiny to fulfill.<span style=""> </span>However, if what you say is correct, then we would finally have some answers.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can have my crew run some tests on our ship and here to determine if my theory holds true.<span style=""> </span>If it doesn’t, then maybe we can find out the true reason.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I would be most grateful, Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>What can I do to repay you for your offer?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’d like to see more of your planet.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t been home in a while and this world reminds me a lot of Cybertron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Very well, I will arrange transport for us…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stopped her and touched her hand.<span style=""> </span>“I have a better idea,” he interrupted.<span style=""> </span>His superstructure melted and changed into that of Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>“Have you ever seen your planet speeding beneath you at five times the speed of sound?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta stared at him for a moment and shook her head.<span style=""> </span>“I’m afraid not.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Today’s your lucky day,” Jetfire announced and stood up.<span style=""> </span>He left the office with Hippolyta following him.<span style=""> </span>Once they were outside he transformed into his jet mode and opened his canopy.<span style=""> </span>“Climb in.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta smiled and warily got inside the sleek superjet.<span style=""> </span>The canopy closed and Jetfire fired up his rocket boosters.<span style=""> </span>He shot into the air, gravity pasting Hippolyta back in her seat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you doing?”<span style=""> </span>She screamed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just getting up to speed,” Jetfire replied.<span style=""> </span>He soared high over the city of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Intrence</st1:place></st1:City> and had to admit that Cybertrax was a beautiful world, as beautiful as Cybertron had once been.<span style=""> </span>They had soon left the capital city behind.<span style=""> </span>While the surface of the planet was mostly metallic, there were spots of forests in some areas.<span style=""> </span>A mixture of organic and mechanical, just like Skyfire, Jetfire mused.<span style=""> </span>“Why is there vegetation in some areas?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No one knows.<span style=""> </span>Our scientists have theorized that there are cracks in the metallic crust that allow deposits from below to grow plant life.<span style=""> </span>In other words, the surface may be metallic, but the rest of the planet might not be.<span style=""> </span>They assume that is where the stone for the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Imperial</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Palace</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> came from.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Interesting.<span style=""> </span>I’ll have to have Beachcomber analyze the crust.<span style=""> </span>He’s a geologist, so he should be able to come up with something.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A geologist?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Someone who studies the structure of planets.<span style=""> </span>Everyone in our crew, except Scarecrow and Shockwave, are specialists in some field.<span style=""> </span>Grapple is an architect, Wheeljack is a mechanical engineer, Perceptor is a scientist who is an expert in almost every branch of science, but is best in biology and physics, and Skids is a theoretician who specializes in anthropology, the study of cultures.<span style=""> </span>Skids was off on a mission when we found you, so he isn’t here.<span style=""> </span>However, I’m sure the others will be able to help you.”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire continued to look at the planet, and for a moment he became dizzy and confused. <span style=""> </span>He started to dive rapidly, pinning Hippolyta in her seat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jetfire!<span style=""> </span>What are you doing?”<span style=""> </span>She screamed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire snapped out of it and recovered from the dive.<span style=""> </span>“Just making sure you’re awake,” he joked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That is not funny.<span style=""> </span>You could have injured both of us.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know, I’m sorry.<span style=""> </span>I used to do stunts like that on Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>I must be feeling a little homesick.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s all right.<span style=""> </span>Besides, I thought it was fun.<span style=""> </span>Being the head of the Cybertraxian government, I don’t get to have a lot of fun.<span style=""> </span>Our planet is on the verge of disaster.<span style=""> </span>Energy resources are drying up and several ground tremors have caused major damage.<span style=""> </span>The people’s spirits are low, and the Ruling Council has tried to lay a lot of the blame on me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“A lot of this is because some of the older Cybertraxians remember days before the civil war that tore my planet apart.<span style=""> </span>No one really knows what started the war or when it really started, but it lasted for millions of years.<span style=""> </span>We used to have advanced technology that let us fly and explore space like you do.<span style=""> </span>But the years of constant warfare destroyed most of that technology and the means to recover it.<span style=""> </span>Since then we have been trying to recover, but it is difficult.<span style=""> </span>The older Cybertraxians want the peace and prosperity of before the war back and blame me for not being able to give it to them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire felt sadness wash through him and was unable to speak for several moments.<span style=""> </span>“My planet fought a long civil war as well.<span style=""> </span>We finally beat the Decepticons and ended the war, but by then the prosperity that prevailed during the Golden Age was lost.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t around during the Golden Age, but my friend Kup was.<span style=""> </span>He used to tell me how great it was back then, how no one had any need for weapons and how everyone was friendly with everyone else.<span style=""> </span>There were many times, especially after a lost battle, that I wanted those times back.<span style=""> </span>That was why I decided to join the Maximals.<span style=""> </span>They had the resources to begin restoring Cybertron on a more massive scale.<span style=""> </span>It hurt to leave my Autobot friends behind, but I knew that I had to help create a new Golden Age, so future generations would be able to live in peace and harmony.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta sat in her seat quietly for a few moments, taking in what Jetfire had said.<span style=""> </span>She had never met anyone like him.<span style=""> </span>She had never known anyone who could relate so well to her.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire understood the problems her world had faced like no one she had known.<span style=""> </span>She felt a bond with him, a connection from their common experiences.<span style=""> </span>Or was it something more than that?<span style=""> </span>“So you can understand the problems Cybertrax has faced.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, and I know that they are not your fault.<span style=""> </span>You can’t bring back the Golden Age of Cybertrax, no one Cybertraxian can.<span style=""> </span>Only by the entire society working for that common goal can Cybertrax recover what it has lost.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Try telling the politicians that.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“So politics is a universal thing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, I suppose so,” Hippolyta said glumly.<span style=""> </span>“My whole life has been devoted to politics.<span style=""> </span>I was the youngest Yta ever, groomed from my beginnings to take over.<span style=""> </span>I was trained every day until I was given the position.<span style=""> </span>I did not have time for recreation at all.<span style=""> </span>My creators wanted me to be the perfect example of a Cybertraxian:<span style=""> </span>strong, wise, and fair.<span style=""> </span>Now people think that I have let them down.<span style=""> </span>However, leadership was thrust upon me, I never really wanted it.<span style=""> </span>Was it the same for you, Jetfire?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>I had to take command of various missions during the war with the Decepticons.<span style=""> </span>I was a scientist, an explorer.<span style=""> </span>I only became a warrior and a leader after I saw that my home was in danger of being overrun with evil.<span style=""> </span>I did not want to be a leader, but I had to become one.<span style=""> </span>Fortunately I had a great mentor.<span style=""> </span>My leader, Optimus Prime, was one of the wisest Autobots to ever live.<span style=""> </span>Through him I learned to become a warrior and a leader.<span style=""> </span>I learned how to be courageous and just.<span style=""> </span>Was there anyone like that in your life?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>I did not know any of the previous Ytas, except in a few encounters.<span style=""> </span>My creators taught me from ancient wisdom, but not through actual practice.”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire could hear the sadness in her voice and thought of his mentor for a few moments.<span style=""> </span>Optimus Prime, Orion Pax, was thrust into leadership in order to lead the Autobots against the Decepticons.<span style=""> </span>Optimus didn’t know what he was doing, he did what he thought was right.<span style=""> </span>And of course young Hot Rod had been forced to mature and become a leader when he opened the Matrix to destroy Unicron and became Rodimus Prime.<span style=""> </span>Rodimus had complained numerous times that he did not want to lead and that he was not ready to handle it.<span style=""> </span>But he had eventually gotten over his fears and taken on the mantle of leadership.<span style=""> </span>“Hippolyta, one of the things I have learned about leadership is that you must always follow what your heart says is right.<span style=""> </span>Trust in yourself, believe in your abilities, and you will not fail.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta was silent, but then replied.<span style=""> </span>“I understand.<span style=""> </span>If I don’t let myself get discouraged by the Ruling Council’s complaints and follow my own path, then I can get my people through these troubled times.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That sounds about right.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Now Jetfire…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s get back to having fun, this kind of talk is depressing.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t been this high up before.<span style=""> </span>In fact, I haven’t been in the air at all.<span style=""> </span>So I guess this is the first time I’ll have truly seen my world, the same as you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You haven’t ever flown?<span style=""> </span>Flying is the most free any being can get.<span style=""> </span>It’s time to let your soul fly free,” Jetfire banked sharply and performed a serious of loops and rolls that had Hippolyta laughing and screaming all at once.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire set down on a high metal plateau that was in a secluded area.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta climbed out of the cockpit and Jetfire transformed.<span style=""> </span>He sat down at the edge of the plateau, his legs hanging in the air.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta sat next to him and looked down.<span style=""> </span>The drop was not very long, but it was steep.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked out over the area, seeing blank, metal landscape as far as the eye could see.<span style=""> </span>“This place is beautiful,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>I’ve never been here, but I’ve heard that this region is very pretty.<span style=""> </span>I guess now I finally get to find out,” Hippolyta replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Mind if I ask you something a little personal?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked quietly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Go ahead.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s it like to live in a cage your whole life?<span style=""> </span>To never be free to explore or have any experiences outside of the political arena?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I…I hated it at first, but I slowly got used to it.<span style=""> </span>I got used to people saying that I couldn’t associate with others because of political interests, or that I couldn’t go out with what few friends I had because of training, or that I couldn’t take a trip to this area alone because it was too dangerous for a Yta.<span style=""> </span>I hated it and I still do, but I have gotten used to it.<span style=""> </span>I know that living in a cage is what I was meant to do, it is my destiny.<span style=""> </span>I have come to accept it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I never could,” Jetfire turned to look at her sadly.<span style=""> </span>“From the very start I was programmed to be a scientist first.<span style=""> </span>I became a warrior when I had to, but science was always in my heart.<span style=""> </span>What I loved most was going out into unexplored areas and researching things that no one had ever seen.<span style=""> </span>During the war this was used by my commanders to gather intelligence information and to research new weapon systems.<span style=""> </span>For millions of years I was trapped in a cage, unable to do what I most loved as the war dragged on.<span style=""> </span>My mind belonged to the military, but my soul always belonged out here, in the unknown.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Now here I am, free from my cage in unexplored region, talking with a female Cybertraxian who is very much like myself.<span style=""> </span>After all of that time, I finally am free to do as I please, yet I am not completely able to.<span style=""> </span>I still have a responsibility to my friends, to make sure they get to Cybertron safely.<span style=""> </span>So I guess a part of me is still in a cage, but at least it is one of my own design.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta looked into Jetfire’s visor and asked, “Jetfire, why are you telling me all this?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure.<span style=""> </span>I…I think it’s because you can understand me.<span style=""> </span>If I offered to take you away from here, to take you to my home on Cybertron, would you go?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>These are my people, I have a duty to them.<span style=""> </span>I couldn’t just leave them to go exploring the galaxy with some stranger.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Exactly, so you too are still in a cage of your own design.<span style=""> </span>We are a lot alike, and for that reason I can share things with you that I can share with no one else.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Mind if I share something with you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course not.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I want to go with you, I really do.<span style=""> </span>If you did offer to take me with you on your ship, it would be hard for me to refuse.<span style=""> </span>You are the first being I’ve ever felt close enough to to be able to really talk to.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Hippolyta, I think…I think I’m falling in love with you.<span style=""> </span>This has never happened to me before, so I’m not really sure, but…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta put a finger to Jetfire’s faceplate and smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Just go with what your heart feels, Jetfire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire wrapped his arms around Hippolyta and pulled her close.<span style=""> </span>He had seen humans do this in movies hundreds of times.<span style=""> </span>He thought of one of the last movies he had seen on Earth.<span style=""> </span>It was a really long love story set on a sinking ship called “Titanic”.<span style=""> </span>Like the humans on that vessel, he felt that his ship was sinking just as he had found the best thing to ever happen to him.<span style=""> </span>He knew Hippolyta wouldn’t come with him to Cybertron, and he couldn’t stay with her on Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Wheeljack, Perceptor, or Grapple to take charge in his stead; it was that he had a responsibility to them, to make sure they got back home safely. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Her lips touched his faceplate and he felt a surge run through his circuits to his spark.<span style=""> </span>In his millions of years of life he had never been with a female.<span style=""> </span>His life had been dedicated to the Autobot cause and science, never to pursuing females.<span style=""> </span>Finally, after all this time, he had one and yet he had to let her go.<span style=""> </span>Life isn’t fair, he cursed.<span style=""> </span>Even Optimus Prime had someone to love; someone who was able to be there for him every so often.<span style=""> </span>Why can’t I have that?<span style=""> </span>Am I destined to die alone on some distant planet in service of my only true love? </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta’s hands caressed his chest and he was about to do the same with her, but stopped himself.<span style=""> </span>He pulled away and stood up.<span style=""> </span>“No, I can’t do this,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is it, Jetfire?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t interface with you.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I would never interface with someone I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I understand, Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>We both know that this would just be a one night stand.<span style=""> </span>A few days later you would leave in your ship and I would remain here and we both would try to go on with our lives.<span style=""> </span>The problem is that we would have given a little part of ourselves to each other.<span style=""> </span>We would share a bond, but we would probably never see each other again.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m glad you understand.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She took a few steps forward and touched his arm.<span style=""> </span>“Just because we aren’t going to interface doesn’t mean we have to be miserable for the rest of the time you’re here.<span style=""> </span>It would be better for both of us if we make the rest of our time together count.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire nodded and transformed.<span style=""> </span>“Hop in, there’s still a lot more planet to view, and a few maneuvers I haven’t performed yet.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can hardly wait.”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta climbed in and was thrown back in her seat as Jetfire lit his rocket boosters and roared away from the plateau.<span style=""> </span>She cried out in joy as she saw her planet spread out below her in the fading reddish-brown light.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">After a few hours they returned to the palace and went back to Hippolyta’s office.<span style=""> </span>She was stone-faced on the way there, but started laughing again once they were inside.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>She hugged Jetfire and smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Thank-you for the best day of my life.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It was my honor to show the esteemed Yta her planet,” Jetfire replied.<span style=""> </span>He leaned forward and was about to kiss her, but before he could, the ground began to shake.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Grapple was in one of the palace’s spires and looked up to see only darkness above him.<span style=""> </span>It occurred to him that he was about one hundred feet below the surface.<span style=""> </span>Yet, there still was not any kind of foundation to the structure.<span style=""> </span>“Fascinating, isn’t it?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Beachcomber.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The geologist nodded happily.<span style=""> </span>“This is the first real planet I’ve studied in a while.<span style=""> </span>From the readings I’m getting, it looks like the crust of this world is at least partially organic, but it doesn’t seem to contain any sort volcanic energy like a normal planet.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Which means what?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“This planet isn’t normal, and perhaps…it might not be natural.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“A planet like Cybertron, but Cybertron was created from the body of Primus.<span style=""> </span>The only other being capable of becoming a planet was Unicron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Maybe some ancient race constructed this planet long ago.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Maybe.<span style=""> </span>There’s another weird thing, though.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“What?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“This structure doesn’t have a foundation of any sort.<span style=""> </span>There’s no logical reason that this should be standing.<span style=""> </span>It’s almost like it was a part of the planet itself.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Interesting.<span style=""> </span>What do you think, Scarecrow?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“I think this is a waste of time.<span style=""> </span>We should be studying their weapon systems and military, not their architecture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Learning about their architecture tells us many things about them culturally.<span style=""> </span>The statues carved into the walls show us how they honor their leaders and heroes.<span style=""> </span>And these spires show how advanced their architecture, and thus their engineering ability, is,” Grapple replied testily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Predacons do not study architecture or culture,” Scarecrow hissed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Exactly what do Predacons do?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“We conquer and rule planets.<span style=""> </span>We are warriors.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“And we Autobots are scientists and explorers.<span style=""> </span>Why don’t you have one of the Cybertraxians show you to a military base?”<span style=""> </span>Grapple responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“A good idea.<span style=""> </span>The first you’ve had since I’ve come aboard.”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow turned and Grapple was about to lunge forward, but Beachcomber stopped him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t worry about him, he’s just a jerk.<span style=""> </span>Let’s get back to work.”<span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and turned his headlights up to maximum brightness as he looked down the spire.<span style=""> </span>The spire cascaded downwards with a circular opening in the middle of the room that led further down.<span style=""> </span>As far as Grapple could see, there was no end to it.<span style=""> </span>That is weird, he thought.<span style=""> </span>He descended another level to continue his studies, wondering if he was investigating some kind of bottomless pit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow stepped onto the tarmac of a Cybertraxian military base and smiled.<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta’s advisors had been uncomfortable with the thought of Scarecrow exploring their military facilities, but they had finally given in to his wishes.<span style=""> </span>He looked around the base and saw a hangar nearby.<span style=""> </span>He opened the door and saw that the walls were lined with recharge units.<span style=""> </span>There were three arrowhead-shaped jets inside the hangar, all attached to one of the recharge units.<span style=""> </span>“These are three of our Kastra fighters.<span style=""> </span>We don’t have much in the way of aircraft, in fact, these are part of our only squadron,” the advisor that had been assigned to follow Scarecrow explained.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>Do these aircraft transform, or are they fixed?”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They transform.<span style=""> </span>However, they usually don’t until their watch is over.”<span style=""> </span>The advisor motioned to two black and orange robots walking past the hangar.<span style=""> </span>“These are two of them off-duty.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow turned on his heel and walked away.<span style=""> </span>He went past two more hangars and saw some squarish buildings ahead.<span style=""> </span>He stopped at one and peeked inside.<span style=""> </span>Again he saw walls lined with recharge units, most of which were taken up by robots with various paint schemes.<span style=""> </span>“A barracks, I assume.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>This base has a total of ten barracks, each accommodating ten troops.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So you have a total of 110 combat personnel on this base?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, plus we have about fifteen more Cybertraxians who control the sensors and base defenses.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How many bases of this type do you have on your world?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is the largest base, but we have about sixteen smaller outposts scattered around.<span style=""> </span>Our total number of military personnel is about 700.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A puny number,” Scarecrow snorted.<span style=""> </span>He turned to the advisor and smiled, “Congratulations, your world is ripe for conquest.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>They started to walk for the command center, with Scarecrow explaining as they did so.<span style=""> </span>“For a planet of this size, you would need twice that many warriors to properly defend it against a medium-sized force.<span style=""> </span>A Predacon invasion force would make short work of your military and then enslave your civilian population.<span style=""> </span>Your entire world would be subdued in weeks, if not sooner.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Perhaps you could defeat our military quickly, but there are no true civilians on Cybertrax, not anymore.<span style=""> </span>Since the beginning of the civil war, every Cybertraxian has carried a weapon of some sort.<span style=""> </span>Plus, almost everyone is trained in how to make boobytraps and fortifications.<span style=""> </span>Your Predacon invasion force would not subdue us as easily as you think,” the advisor replied, his voice starting to sound angry.<span style=""> </span>His face softened and he asked more nicely, “What recommendations would you make to improve our situation?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>They stopped and Scarecrow smiled.<span style=""> </span>He always loved giving an inferior foe advice.<span style=""> </span>It showed how superior Predacons were at warfare.<span style=""> </span>“First, you need more aircraft, and at least a sensor network in orbit around the planet.<span style=""> </span>My shuttle came in undetected by your forces, an invasion fleet could do the same.<span style=""> </span>Secondly, you need more troops and full bases so that you are not so thinly spread around.<span style=""> </span>Also, make sure your civilians maintain a high level of combat training.”<span style=""> </span>He stopped, his smile fading a bit.<span style=""> </span>“After that, you might be able to survive a Predacon invasion fleet for a little while.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The advisor nodded and they went inside the command center.<span style=""> </span>There were computer terminals scattered about the room, with robots manning each one.<span style=""> </span>A Cybertraxian about Scarecrow’s height who was colored dark blue with gold trim stood up and came over to Scarecrow and the advisor.<span style=""> </span>“Ril Tyr, I had no idea you would be here today,” the Cybertraxian stammered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“At ease, General.<span style=""> </span>The Yta has ordered me to show Scarecrow around one of our bases.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow is from a distant planet called Cybertron and is trying to study our culture.<span style=""> </span>He has some interesting suggestions that could improve our chances of surviving an invasion.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>I’d like to hear your suggestions.<span style=""> </span>My staff has been formulating plans for some time on how to overcome our difficulties.<span style=""> </span>Let’s go back to my office and you can explain them to me,” the general motioned for a door on the other side of the room.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow went inside the spartan office and took a seat across the desk from the general.<span style=""> </span>Tyr sat down next to Scarecrow, wondering how the general would take the Predacon’s suggestions.<span style=""> </span>As Scarecrow opened his mouth to speak, the entire room began to shake.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple stopped in the spire to take a short break.<span style=""> </span>His servos were beginning to grind a little from all of the climbing.<span style=""> </span>Have to spend a little time in the R chamber when I get back, he thought to himself.<span style=""> </span>He chuckled to himself a bit as he thought about what his old friend Hoist would say if he were here.<span style=""> </span>“You have to take better care of yourself, Grapple.<span style=""> </span>You’d think you architects would know a little more about caring for delicate structures,” he knew Hoist would have joked.<span style=""> </span>Hoist was just one of his friends that he missed, and being on a planet so much Cybertron made it feel even worse. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple sighed and decided that he had rested enough.<span style=""> </span>He was about to descend further, but he heard Beachcomber shout, “No, don’t!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why not?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just find something and hold on real tight.”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber was already looking for something to hang onto and Grapple shined his light around until he found a handhold in the spire.<span style=""> </span>He gripped it tightly and was about to ask Beachcomber what was going on when the spire began to shake violently.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids reached the site where the star had been and saw two of his comrades, Wheeljack and Perceptor, lying in space.<span style=""> </span>Both were mangled badly, but Skids was detecting activity in their sparks.<span style=""> </span>He aimed the transport at them and slid next to them, adjusting his speed and course so he could stay with them.<span style=""> </span>He put the transport on automatic pilot and opened the hatch.<span style=""> </span>He swam out into space and grabbed his comrades.<span style=""> </span>He carefully shoved them back through the hatch and then got back in himself.<span style=""> </span>He closed the hatch and knelt down next to Wheeljack.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He did as he had done to the other Skids and was grateful when Wheeljack’s eyes lit up.<span style=""> </span>“Skids!<span style=""> </span>You were dead!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>I am from the past.<span style=""> </span>My transport somehow ended up here.<span style=""> </span>I have to find out what happened here and stop it from happening in the past,” Skids answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>What happened is…by the Inferno, look out!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack pointed to the cockpit and Skid could see something fly past.<span style=""> </span>It was a white and red jet that looked like Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>Skids quickly took the controls and was about to contact his friend when the sensors began beeping wildly.<span style=""> </span>Skids went over to them and saw that something with an enormous energy signature was approaching.<span style=""> </span>“Skids, get us out of here, now!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What?<span style=""> </span>Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That is the reason this star system was destroyed.<span style=""> </span>A monster worse than Unicron destroyed Cybertrax and then began draining the energy from every planet in the system.<span style=""> </span>We tried to stop him, but he was too powerful.<span style=""> </span>He drained the energy from the star, leaving it a burnt-out cinder floating in space.<span style=""> </span>Then he devoured the cinder and was going to move on when Jetfire, Perceptor, and I arrived in the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He went through it like it like it was nothing at all.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor and I managed to escape the wreckage and Jetfire went after him.<span style=""> </span>Apparently things haven’t gone so well.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids looked over at where Jetfire had gone and could see that he had transformed.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire was badly damaged, to the point where most of his superstructure was gone.<span style=""> </span>His left arm was destroyed and his face was mangled nearly beyond recognition.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire raised his right arm and fired a few shots from his rifle.<span style=""> </span>Skids could see that the shots were weak, meaning that Jetfire was running low of power.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire took a look at the transport and shouted over the comlink, “Skids, are you still alive?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire’s voice was garbled from damage, but it was still intelligible.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not exactly.<span style=""> </span>My transport was caught up in some kind of temporal phenomenon that threw me into the future,” Skids replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>Then you have to get back to the past and stop all this from happening.<span style=""> </span>Stop the destruction of Cybertrax, that should go a long way to changing the future.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How can I do that?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Is anyone with you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I recovered Wheeljack and Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>They’re both still functioning.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Have them help you.<span style=""> </span>Just clear the area.<span style=""> </span>My sensors are damaged, but I am detecting that the monster is coming this way.<span style=""> </span>You can’t let it destroy the transport or all will be lost.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m going to make a run for its central processor.<span style=""> </span>If I make it then I should be able to destroy it if I can get up enough speed.<span style=""> </span>If not, then it will give him a really big headache that should at least distract him for a little while.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids was about to say something, but Jetfire broke the connection.<span style=""> </span>Skids revved the transport’s engines to full speed, noticing that it was still moving sluggishly from the plasma leak.<span style=""> </span>As he did, he saw Jetfire throw him a weak salute.<span style=""> </span>Then he transformed and fired his rocket boosters.<span style=""> </span>Skids watched Jetfire streak towards an enormous dark gray object.<span style=""> </span>Skids could not even see the entire thing, it was too huge.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire disappeared from sight and moments later his spark disappeared from the transport’s sensors.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids’s jaw dropped open in shock.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire was dead.<span style=""> </span>No, it can’t be.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire had been one of his oldest friends and his commander during this journey.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t be dead.<span style=""> </span>Skids stared into space for a moment and saw that the enormous object was approaching.<span style=""> </span>I have to stop this, he thought as the transport continued to move away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Skids, you have to go back in time and stop this from happening again.<span style=""> </span>You have to evacuate Cybertrax.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Cybertrax, what is Cybertrax?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That planet we checked out before you arrived.<span style=""> </span>You have to have it evacuated before it is destroyed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Because Scarecrow, Grapple, and all the Cybertraxians died when it was destroyed!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“But I don’t even know how I got here, how can I get back?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know, but I know who might,” Wheeljack dragged himself over to where Perceptor lay and reactivated him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Wheeljack, you are alive?<span style=""> </span>Where am I?”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked groggily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re in the transport with Skids.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Skids is dead.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>This Skids was transported a few days into the future.<span style=""> </span>If we can get him back, he might be able to stop things.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, of course.<span style=""> </span>How did you get here, Skids?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure.<span style=""> </span>I was flying the transport towards Cybertrax, when it started to shake and there was a purplish light.<span style=""> </span>I went up to the cockpit and saw Beachcomber flying past.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>We must return to that site immediately.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps there is some kind of wormhole there that drew you here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right,” Skids replied and set a course for his position before finding Beachcomber.<span style=""> </span>As it left, Skids was able to get a picture of the huge object that Jetfire had crashed into.<span style=""> </span>If that gets loose, everything in the universe will die, Skids thought grimly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It took two hours for them to reach the location, but they had finally made it.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Perceptor were both still operational, although they were weakening.<span style=""> </span>Their sparks are failing, just like mine did, Skids thought, remembering the other Skids that he had been helpless to save.<span style=""> </span>Of course, if I make it back, I can save them all.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor swept the area with the sensors and grimaced.<span style=""> </span>“I do not detect any kind of temporal anomalies.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids pounded his console in frustration.<span style=""> </span>“No!<span style=""> </span>This was the spot, something has to be here!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry Skids, but there is nothing.<span style=""> </span>If we can’t change history, then we must warn other systems of this threat.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps a coalition of societies can destroy that creature.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It will take forever to reach another system.<span style=""> </span>The starboard engine had a plasma leak.<span style=""> </span>It will slow us down…”<span style=""> </span>Skids’s voice trailed off as he remembered that the transport has been leaking plasma the last time it was here.<span style=""> </span>By now, all the plasma in that engine was gone, so it wasn’t leaking anything.<span style=""> </span>“Perceptor, could plasma have reacted with something unseen at this location to cause whatever brought me here?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor rubbed his chin in thought and finally nodded.<span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>The leaked plasma could have reacted with cromoton particles in this area to create a temporal vortex that would have sucked the transport in and brought you here.<span style=""> </span>If there was a high enough concentration of cromoton particles in the area.”<span style=""> </span>Perceptor did another sensor sweep, this time searching for the particles.<span style=""> </span>“It appears as though there is enough in this area for such an event to have occurred.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>Then I’ve got to put a plasma leak in the right engine.<span style=""> </span>That should recreate the vortex.<span style=""> </span>If I can get a similar concentration of particles, then I should go back to nearly where I was,” Skids planned quickly.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s going to be tricky,” Wheeljack said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know.<span style=""> </span>But if I let the conduit leak for about as long as before, then I should pretty much have the mixture right.”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded his agreement and Skids piloted the transport a safe distance away from vortex.<span style=""> </span>He opened the hatch and stepped out into space.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Perceptor followed behind.<span style=""> </span>“Shouldn’t you two stay in the transport?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Skids, we cannot go with you.<span style=""> </span>We do not belong there, and we do not want to live with all of these terrible memories.<span style=""> </span>You must go alone,” Perceptor said slowly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s right.<span style=""> </span>We’re going to die anyway, it might as well be in our own time.<span style=""> </span>Just promise me that you’ll save those Cybertraxians.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids looked at his friends, not wanting to leave them to die, but knowing that he had no choice.<span style=""> </span>As much as he hated to admit it, they were right.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t take them with him, they would be out of place.<span style=""> </span>Besides, they would have to live with the memories of watching all of their comrades and a world full of civilians die.<span style=""> </span>All Autobots had horrible memories from the war with the Decepticons, but there was no need to add to them.<span style=""> </span>He only wished he could wipe his memories away.<span style=""> </span>He thought of himself lying in the blizzard, Beachcomber’s remains floating by, and Jetfire saluting the transport before kamikazing into the monster.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got to stop all of that from happening again.<span style=""> </span>“I promise,” Skids said to Wheeljack.<span style=""> </span>Skids opened the access panel for the starboard engine and found the plasma conduit.<span style=""> </span>He measured the size of the break and then went to the port engine and recreated it.<span style=""> </span>He closed the access panel and went back inside the ship.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He tossed his friends a salute and headed out for the vortex.<span style=""> </span>It was many torturous moments before he reached the area.<span style=""> </span>He crossed his fingers as the transport made it to the exact spot.<span style=""> </span>He could see a flash of purple as the vortex formed.<span style=""> </span>Skids watched in fascination as a violet cloud grew until it had surrounded the transport.<span style=""> </span>The transport began shaking violently and Skids thought for a few moments that it would shake apart.<span style=""> </span>Then there was a flash of purple light and Skids found himself in calm space once more.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He ran a sensor sweep and saw that everything was normal.<span style=""> </span>The red giant star was still there and Cybertrax was on the edge of his sensors.<span style=""> </span>He put the engines past their safe limit and headed for where the shuttle was.<span style=""> </span>Good, there’s still time, he thought.<span style=""> </span>He knew he couldn’t actually reach the planet, but he could get a signal to the others.<span style=""> </span>He drained power from the sensors and other systems and dumped it into the communications system.<span style=""> </span>He knew the added power would overload the system, but he could get a short message out.<span style=""> </span>He punched a few keys and began his message.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center">* * *</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Hippolyta’s office shook violently, sending everything crashing down to the floor.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire caught Hippolyta as she fell and shielded her with his body as debris fell all around them.<span style=""> </span>The room continued to shake and Jetfire wondered when it would stop.<span style=""> </span>Finally, after several long minutes, it did stop.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire stood up and helped Hippolyta to her feet.<span style=""> </span>He looked around and saw that a good portion of the ceiling had given way and anything not bolted down was on the floor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you,” Hippolyta said as she brushed herself off.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Has this happened before?”<span style=""> </span>Jetfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There have been a few tremors, but nothing serious.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire looked at her for a few moments and then his body changed back to that of Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>“Something must be wrong with this area.<span style=""> </span>We’ll have to find out what it is…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, we just received a message from Skids!”<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack’s voice came over the comlink, shattering Skyfire’s thoughts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What does it say?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s the weird part.<span style=""> </span>It only says, ‘Evacuate Cybertrax, Skids’.<span style=""> </span>Why do you suppose he wants us to evacuate?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got to check some things out here.<span style=""> </span>Try and locate Skids and see if you can contact him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right, I’ll try.”<span style=""> </span>The connection broke and Skyfire turned to Hippolyta. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“One of my crew says we should evacuate the planet.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Do you have the capability to evacuate?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>We have a plan.<span style=""> </span>I’ll start the preparations.<span style=""> </span>It will take some time, though,” Hippolyta responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We aren’t going to have time,” Beachcomber called out from behind them.<span style=""> </span>He and Grapple stood in the doorway, looking grim.<span style=""> </span>His body was dented and dusty, as was Grapple’s.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire demanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I monitored that quake.<span style=""> </span>We were down in one of the spires when it happened, so I was pretty close to it.<span style=""> </span>What we found out is that this planet is doomed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Doomed?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta sat down in the rubble shakily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“On a normal planet, a quake is caused from plates grinding up against each other.<span style=""> </span>On Cybertrax, though, there are no plates.<span style=""> </span>So this is not a normal quake.<span style=""> </span>Instead, the quakes are radiating from around the core of the planet.<span style=""> </span>There is some instability near the core of the planet that is sending shockwaves up to the surface.<span style=""> </span>From what I’ve determined, these shockwaves are only going to get worse until they destroy the surface.<span style=""> </span>We have to evacuate the planet soon.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How long?”<span style=""> </span>Hippolyta asked hoarsely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The next shock is going to hit in about two hours.<span style=""> </span>We have about twelve hours before the surface completely gets ripped apart.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How is that possible?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire wondered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This planet isn’t natural,” Grapple answered.<span style=""> </span>“From what I’ve seen of the spires, those are sunk into the planet, like they were part of it.<span style=""> </span>Since the structure of this planet is not normal, it is logical to conclude that Cybertrax is not a natural world.<span style=""> </span>So it is possible that the planet has become unstable and will destroy itself.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We have to evacuate immediately,” Hippolyta got to her feet and raced from the room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s get to work,” Skyfire said, following after Hippolyta.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Three hours later, two gray ships rose up to the surface.<span style=""> </span>“What are those?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked Hippolyta, who was standing next to him near the Imperial Palace.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Escape ships.<span style=""> </span>They were built during the height of the war when one side feared it would be destroyed.<span style=""> </span>They had planned to use the ships to evacuate their people and find another planet to locate to and prepare defenses against their enemies.<span style=""> </span>However, things started to turn around and the plan was scrapped.<span style=""> </span>After the war, the ships were located and the current Yta decided to keep them in working condition if there was a disaster or if another war erupted,” Hippolyta answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How many people are you going to be able to evacuate?”<span style=""> </span>Grapple asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All of them.<span style=""> </span>One ship was designed as a military escort ship, so it will carry most of our military personnel and weaponry.<span style=""> </span>The other will carry the sparks of all the civilians, which will be held in stasis until the ship finds a suitable place to recolonize.<span style=""> </span>There was not room enough for their bodies, so those will have to be left behind.<span style=""> </span>However, we were able to load some construction equipment on the ship, so new ones can be reproduced.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Grapple, contact Wheeljack and have him bring the shuttle to this location.<span style=""> </span>Then I want you and the others to load as many bodies as you can into the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Put them in any open space, even in my quarters if you have to,” Skyfire ordered.<span style=""> </span>Grapple nodded and hurried away to carry out the order.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, you don’t have to do that,” Hippolyta said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes I do.<span style=""> </span>It will be hard for your people to relocate, you’ll need all the able bodies you can get.<span style=""> </span>As well, I am a Maximal, and Maximals are sworn to uphold the lives of the innocent above all else.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you Skyfire, you are truly the most wonderful individual I have ever known.”<span style=""> </span>She kissed Skyfire’s faceplate and his fluids raced.<span style=""> </span>His body mutated into Jetfire’s and he wrapped his arms around her.<span style=""> </span>He returned the kiss and they held it for what seemed like an eternity.<span style=""> </span>They finally pulled away and Jetfire asked, “What about me?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You two are the same, aren’t you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, but I didn’t want to be left out,” Jetfire whispered jokingly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You Autobots are so soft, it makes my gears grind!”<span style=""> </span>He heard Scarecrow curse from behind him.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire turned to say something, but Hippolyta moved forward and punched Scarecrow in the face.<span style=""> </span>He reeled backwards and she kicked him in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>Then she laced her hands together and smashed Scarecrow in the back, sending him crashing to the ground.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Was that soft enough for you?”<span style=""> </span>She hissed.<span style=""> </span>“As long as you are on Cybertrax, you will speak respectfully in my presence.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow got up slowly and nodded.<span style=""> </span>“Very well, but I will not be on Cybertrax much longer.<span style=""> </span>After that, I suggest you watch your back.”<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow stomped away and Jetfire stared at Hippolyta for a few moments in awe.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You must have had good trainers,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The best,” she replied as the Autobot shuttle began to descend.<span style=""> </span>“We’d better go and help them get those bodies on board.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire nodded and mutated back into Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>Then he followed Hippolyta towards where Grapple and the others were.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire thought of the moment of passion Jetfire had shared with Hippolyta and wished that love hadn’t come on such a grave day.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Epilogue</u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skids’s transport reached Cybertrax and saw the shuttle waiting for him.<span style=""> </span>He landed and climbed out of the transport and saw Wheeljack waiting for him.<span style=""> </span>“Looks like you did a number on my transport,” Wheeljack commented dryly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry,” Skids replied, not really paying attention.<span style=""> </span>The shuttle began to move away from Cybertrax as Skids ran up to the bridge.<span style=""> </span>The doors parted and he looked out the viewscreens.<span style=""> </span>There were two large gray ships flying next to the shuttle and Skids saw a strange robot on the bridge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s that ship, and who is this?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am Hippolyta, leader of the Cybertraxians.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s beginning,” Beachcomber said solemnly.<span style=""> </span>Everyone turned to the viewscreens and Grapple brought the ship to a stop.<span style=""> </span>The surface of the planet, which had already begun cracking in most places, was now completely coming apart.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had expected an explosion or some other kind of cataclysmic event, but what he saw instead was even more shocking.<span style=""> </span>The planet was coming apart, but it was not falling apart; it was changing shape!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The surface rearranged itself to form a chest and arms and legs unfolded from it.<span style=""> </span>Finally, the head appeared from the exact location of the Imperial Palace.<span style=""> </span>In fact, the three spires of the palace formed the horns on its head.<span style=""> </span>The planet had reformed into a robotic shape that had an angular chest that was faceted like a cut jewel,and sleek, round arms and legs.<span style=""> </span>One hand looked like a much larger version of a humanoid hand, while the other was an enormous, black hand that had claws instead of fingers.<span style=""> </span>The head had horns, but they did not look demonic in any way.<span style=""> </span>Rather, the huge robot had soft blue eyes that seemed thoughtful and wise.<span style=""> </span>It had no mouth, but rather a faceplate like Optimus Prime.<span style=""> </span>In all, it didn’t seem like Unicron, who had transformed from a planet-like mode to a robot form to try to devour Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>From what Skyfire could see, the beast was at least twice the size of Unicron, if not larger. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Skids stared in awe at the creature and remembered what he had seen in the future.<span style=""> </span>This, this was the monster.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t destroy Cybertrax, he is Cybertrax.<span style=""> </span>While the creature did not look evil, Skids knew that it was.<span style=""> </span>He had seen what it had done to the second planet of the system and the red giant star, and it had been responsible for the deaths of his friends in the future. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is that?”<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked the question on everyone’s minds.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Our doom,” Skids replied darkly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><u>To Be Continued in:<span style=""> </span>Legacy, Part 2 of the Apocalypse Trilogy!<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-68771645168412222142007-06-13T09:42:00.000-07:002007-06-13T09:44:39.778-07:00Mutations<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: This is the third episode of "The Skyfire Adventures" wherein our intrepid explorers come across a crashed spacecraft, a vicious Predacon, and a substance with an amazing power...</span><br /><br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Skyfire Adventures:<span style=""> </span>Mutations</span><!--[if supportFields]><span style="'font-family:"><span style="'mso-element:field-begin'"></span>PRIVATE </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style="'font-family:"><span style="'mso-element:field-end'"></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style=""> </span>Chapter One</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The Autobot shuttle cruised through the depths of space, empty blackness around it on all sides.<span style=""> </span>The Maximal Skyfire stood at a viewport and sighed.<span style=""> </span>The reason for his condition was that he was extremely bored.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The shuttle had left the humanoid planet where it had been resting for decades over a year ago.<span style=""> </span>Since then there had been nothing except an occasional dead planet.<span style=""> </span>There was little to keep Skyfire interested.<span style=""> </span>He heard footsteps behind him and saw Beachcomber standing behind him.<span style=""> </span>"Hey, Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>Wasn't expecting you here," the geologist greeted.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Just watching the scenery," Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>"You?" <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"The same."<span style=""> </span>There was a moment of silence as the two Transformers stared out at the void.<span style=""> </span>"This is getting so routine."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I know.<span style=""> </span>Being in unexplored space, I had hoped to discover something interesting.<span style=""> </span>Not even a nebula to study."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"And all the planets we've encountered have been dead rocks with absolutely nothing interesting geologically.<span style=""> </span>It's like this entire area is empty."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded, but before he could reply, he heard Perceptor's voice come over his comlink.<span style=""> </span>"Skyfire, I have a finding which may be of interest."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What is it?<span style=""> </span>It's not another ice ball is it?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked tiredly.<span style=""> </span>While he didn't need rest, the boredom was wearing on his circuits.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No.<span style=""> </span>The sensors are reading a planet that is inhabited." <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm picking up technology near Cybertronian levels," Skids chipped in.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm on my way up," Skyfire turned to Beachcomber and told him of the finding.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"All right, something interesting," the Autobot enthused.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Let's just hope it's not too interesting," Skyfire commented as they went up to the bridge of the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor and Skids were at the science stations, analyzing the readings.<span style=""> </span>"So what's this place look like?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids brought up a picture of the planet.<span style=""> </span>It was a hazy brown color with strands of white clouds.<span style=""> </span>It resembled the planet Mars in the human space system, Skyfire thought.<span style=""> </span>Grapple and Wheeljack came onto the bridge and went over to see what everyone was staring at.<span style=""> </span>"So there's something alive in this sector after all," Wheeljack said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and asked Perceptor, "How long until we can get there?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Barring any navigational difficulties we should reach the planet in three hours."<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Excellent," Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>"Wheeljack, prepare a probe and send it out as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>I want to get some data on this place before we get there."<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and left.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire sat down at his station, the command chair in the center of the bridge, and thought about how great it would be to finally be able to study something.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire was a scientist foremost and he hated having nothing interesting around him to study.<span style=""> </span>Of course, as the elected commander of the ship he knew that encountering planets with life could present a tactical hazard.<span style=""> </span>The probe would indicate whether or not there would be any danger to the explorers.<span style=""> </span>He forced himself to wait calmly until that time.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">His comlink activated and Wheeljack reported, "I've launched the probe.<span style=""> </span>It should be there in just a minute or two."<span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded to himself and quickly accessed his cultural database to remember exactly how long a minute was.<span style=""> </span>Maximals used different measurements than the Autobots, largely because most Autobots had been exposed to humans for so long.<span style=""> </span>I've been a Maximal too long, he thought glumly.<span style=""> </span>He stood up and went back to where Perceptor and Skids were waiting for the sensor data.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"It looks good," Skids announced.<span style=""> </span>"While this planet has high technological levels, they don't seem to have any spacecraft.<span style=""> </span>The ship won't be in any danger."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Good.<span style=""> </span>What about their sensor networks?<span style=""> </span>We don't want to attract too much undue attention if we can help it," Skyfire responded.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Their computers are highly advanced, but they do not have any satellites in orbit or any sensors that appear capable of penetrating above the atmosphere," Perceptor answered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Good.<span style=""> </span>Grapple, put us in orbit," Skyfire ordered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm on it," the architect replied.<span style=""> </span>He took the helm and guided the shuttle towards the planet.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire continued to study the probe's readings.<span style=""> </span>It seemed odd that a planet with high technology could be so ignorant about space.<span style=""> </span>He watched as the probe went into orbit around the planet and used its sensors to map the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The planet was mostly arid and dotted with many large cities.<span style=""> </span>There was very little water except towards the poles.<span style=""> </span>The probe intensified its scans and more details could be seen.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire could see beings moving about busily, but couldn't make out any details of them.<span style=""> </span>Grapple came up behind him and whistled quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Their architecture is very advanced," he said.<span style=""> </span>"That building there looks almost like the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Primus</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Plaza</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> I designed about a hundred years ago."<span style=""> </span>Grapple pointed to a tall building that had long, graceful curves and seemed almost swan‑like.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Maybe you should sue them for copyright violations," Beachcomber joked.<span style=""> </span>The Autobots laughed, but it took Skyfire a few moments to catch on.<span style=""> </span>I really have been a Maximal too long, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Any idea of what kind of weapons they have?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Not from the probe's readings," Skids replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Perceptor, have the probe try to access any computer systems they have.<span style=""> </span>See if we can get some data," Skyfire commanded.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and ordered the probe to search for computer networks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"This planet has a large central computer network," Perceptor reported.<span style=""> </span>"The probe has established a link with it."<span style=""> </span>Data began pouring onto the screens of Perceptor's station.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The link stopped suddenly and Beachcomber asked, "What happened?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"It appears that the connection has been severed.<span style=""> </span>I can no longer reach the probe either.<span style=""> </span>Sensors indicate that it was destroyed, although they cannot ascertain any cause," Perceptor explained.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"So what did we get?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire inquired.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor ran through the data the probe had accumulated and answered, "The probe apparently accessed a military computer.<span style=""> </span>From the data that we received, their military is composed of less than one thousand soldiers.<span style=""> </span>Weapons specifications were being sent when the probe was destroyed."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor displayed a partial display of a weapon the planet used and Skyfire was shocked.<span style=""> </span>The image was of a roughly humanoid figure.<span style=""> </span>What was shocking was that it looked like the torso and head of a Transformer.<span style=""> </span>That can't be, Skyfire thought.<span style=""> </span>"Any ideas on what that is?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked everyone assembled.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"From its design, it appears almost like a Transformer from long ago.<span style=""> </span>The sleeker, less boxy body is indicative of pre‑war designs," Grapple analyzed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"The body doesn't appear to have any characteristics of being able to turn into a vehicle.<span style=""> </span>My guess is that it's not a Transformer," Skids replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What's that symbol on the bottom, where the image is cut off?"<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked, pointing to a yellow marking on the lower torso of the thing.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked at it and he could right away feel that something was wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Magnify that area and have the computer clean it up and extrapolate for the missing parts of that symbol," Skyfire ordered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and it was over a minute before the computer was finished.<span style=""> </span>When it was, Skyfire felt his fluids run cold.<span style=""> </span>The computer, based on the existing part of the logo, constructed something that looked much like a Predacon symbol.<span style=""> </span>What would a Pred symbol be doing on something so far away?<span style=""> </span>Skyfire wondered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">He activated his comlink and called Wheeljack.<span style=""> </span>"Is that transport working?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I checked it over a few weeks ago, it checked out fine," Wheeljack replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Good.<span style=""> </span>Get it ready.<span style=""> </span>As soon as we reach orbit, we'll be deploying it."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"All right. I'll do a systems check again."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'll be down there in about two hours," Skyfire broke the connection and looked at the others.<span style=""> </span>"When we get there, Skids and Grapple will follow me down to the planet.<span style=""> </span>I want to see what's going on."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids piped up, "But we could interfere with their culture.<span style=""> </span>It could be extremely hazardous to them."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"From what I've seen, that logo could be a Predacon logo.<span style=""> </span>In which case, this race has already contacted someone from Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>We have to find out.<span style=""> </span>While we're down there, Beachcomber and Perceptor, I want you to try and get into their computers again and find out whatever you can."<span style=""> </span>Skyfire turned and left.<span style=""> </span>He went to his quarters on board the ship and went over to a computer terminal.<span style=""> </span>He typed in notes about the situation in what the humans called a "captain's log".<span style=""> </span>Skyfire wasn't a captain, but he did want to maintain a journal of the ship's journey so that when they got back to Cybertron, others could use the information.<span style=""> </span>It also gave him something to do to occupy his mind for a little while before the mission.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>One of the most troubling things to Skyfire at the moment, besides the possible Predacon symbol on the image the probe had obtained, was his relationship to the others on the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was feeling more and more apart from the others because there were things that he knew because he was a Maximal, and there were things that he had forgotten because he was no longer an Autobot.<span style=""> </span>At one time he had understood some of the human jokes and phrases that had been woven into Autobot culture over the years, but years of being a Maximal had caused him to lose touch with that.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was beginning to fear that he would soon lose touch with the crew.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He was their leader, he couldn't allow himself to lose touch with those under his command.<span style=""> </span>But he could no more become an Autobot again than he could make the others become Maximals.<span style=""> </span>A lot had changed since he had been the Autobot Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>He was older, wiser, and more confident than before.<span style=""> </span>To those outside Cybertronian culture, it seemed as if the only differences between Autobots and Maximals were their symbols and their transformations.<span style=""> </span>However, there was more to it than that.<span style=""> </span>They were two different systems; two different societies.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire had been one of a few Autobots who had made the difficult transition from one culture to the other, but in the end it had been worth it.<span style=""> </span>He liked being a Maximal and he didn't want to go back to what he was.<span style=""> </span>At the same time, though, he hated the growing distance between he and the others.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We're there, Skyfire," Grapple's voice came over the comlink and stirred Skyfire from his thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"All right, I'm on my way."<span style=""> </span>Skyfire stood up and hurried to the launch bay.<span style=""> </span>The gray transport, which looked like a mini‑version of the shuttle, was ready for him when he arrived.<span style=""> </span>He barely managed to fit his bulk through the hatch and took the controls of the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Grapple was in the co‑pilot's seat and Skids was sitting in a seat in the rear of transport.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack opened the launch bay and Skyfire put the transport's throttles to full.<span style=""> </span>It shot away from the shuttle and headed down towards the planet.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>It was an easy trip through the atmosphere, and then Skyfire could see reddish plains below him.<span style=""> </span>He used the transport's sensors to scan the area and located a major metropolitan area nearby.<span style=""> </span>He landed the transport a few miles away at the base of a mesa.<span style=""> </span>The shadows from the mesa obscured the transport, hopefully enough so that it could not be spotted.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire went to the hatch and looked back at the others.<span style=""> </span>"Stay here," he ordered.<span style=""> </span>"I'll scout around and see if I can figure out what's going on.<span style=""> </span>I'll call if I need back‑up."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Be careful," Skids replied.<span style=""> </span>"We don't know much about this culture, so it could be dangerous."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire opened the hatch and nodded.<span style=""> </span>"I'll be careful.<span style=""> </span>Beast mode."<span style=""> </span>Gears whirred as Skyfire's robotic form transformed into a bald eagle.<span style=""> </span>He flapped his wings and soared into the air.<span style=""> </span>He didn't know if this planet had eagles, but it would blend in better than a minivan or a construction vehicle.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>It didn't take long for him to reach the city.<span style=""> </span>He could see many tall buildings overlooking streets with aliens bustling about on foot or in small vehicles.<span style=""> </span>The vehicles and the buildings didn't seem right.<span style=""> </span>They seemed to look too much like something from Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>He perched himself on the top of a building as he thought about how best to approach the situation.<span style=""> </span>He decided that there was little else he could do except to fly around and look for leads.<span style=""> </span>He took off and flew lower to the ground, scanning for any clues.<span style=""> </span>He only hoped that Beachcomber and Perceptor had better luck tapping into the planet's computer network.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber had finally gotten into the planet's computer network and was beginning to download data again.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor was using the sensors to map the planet to search for anything suspicious.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber watched the data roll past, too fast for him to read.<span style=""> </span>There didn't seem to be anything of use so far.<span style=""> </span>He thought he saw something and reached out to stop the computer.<span style=""> </span>As he touched the key, a shock ran through his body.<span style=""> </span>It felt like his entire body was on fire and he screamed in agony.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor looked over at his friend and asked, "What's wrong Beachcomber?"<span style=""> </span>He stood up and went over to him to try and help him.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber roughly shoved Perceptor aside and stumbled towards the door.<span style=""> </span>"Beachcomber, come back here!<span style=""> </span>Let me examine you to try and determine the source of your discomfort."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber whirled about suddenly, his pistol in hand.<span style=""> </span>"Shut up!"<span style=""> </span>He shouted.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What are you..."<span style=""> </span>Perceptor began to ask, but was hit in the chest from Beachcomber's weapon.<span style=""> </span>The scientist fell to the deck and Beachcomber sprinted off of the bridge.<span style=""> </span>He ran down the empty corridors until he reached a cargo bay.<span style=""> </span>The bay was nearly empty, except for the far wall.<span style=""> </span>Along this wall was a series of drawers, each one a stasis chamber that could be used to keep a robot immobile.<span style=""> </span>He went to the drawer on the bottom of the first row and punched a red button.<span style=""> </span>There was a sound of metal‑on‑metal as the stasis chamber cycled.<span style=""> </span>The drawer slid out and Beachcomber tapped a few more buttons to make the Transformer inside the drawer partially active.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The massive, purple robot stood and began to march dumbly from the room.<span style=""> </span>It was moving on remote control and stomped down the corridors to a hatch.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack emerged from the engine room and saw the robot about to open the hatch.<span style=""> </span>"Stop!"<span style=""> </span>He shouted and fired the rocket launcher on his shoulder.<span style=""> </span>The robot batted the rocket away and fired its weapon back.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack was hit in the shoulder and went down.<span style=""> </span>Then the robot opened the hatch and stupidly stepped out into space.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber followed him, although he wasn't altogether sure why.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>They floated in space for several minutes until a crude vessel appeared from the planet below.<span style=""> </span>It was a long rocket that was patched together from several different pieces.<span style=""> </span>It was barely spaceworthy, but the two robots didn't care.<span style=""> </span>They were ordered to take the vessel back to the surface, so they maneuvered to catch up with the rocket and stepped into the open hatch.<span style=""> </span>They sat down and restraints fastened around them and the hatch closed.<span style=""> </span>Then the rocket arced back towards the planet and roughly reentered the planet's atmosphere.<span style=""> </span>It landed in a remote location, where a single, silver building stood.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The building was short, angular, and looked more like a piece of a Cybertronian spaceship<span style=""> </span>than anything else.<span style=""> </span>The robot and Beachcomber emerged from the rocket and numbly walked into the building.<span style=""> </span>Inside the small structure were computer terminals of all kinds.<span style=""> </span>In the center of the room, though, was a large, tubular chamber.<span style=""> </span>The robot stood inside the chamber table and deactivated itself.<span style=""> </span>A terminal activated and a voice told Beachcomber, "Do exactly what I say."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and then followed the instructions the terminal gruffly told him.<span style=""> </span>He took a laser scalpel and began to tear away the robot on the table's exoskeleton.<span style=""> </span>When he was finished, all that was left was a robotic skeleton.<span style=""> </span>"Now open his head up and access his memory core.<span style=""> </span>Plug this chip into the module and seal it."<span style=""> </span>A chip appeared from the terminal and Beachcomber took it.<span style=""> </span>He opened the robot's head and inserted it as he had been ordered.<span style=""> </span>He sealed the area up and waited.<span style=""> </span>"Now take this canister and pour it over his body."<span style=""> </span>The canister popped out of the terminal and Beachcomber grabbed it.<span style=""> </span>He opened it and began to pour it over the robot's body.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>A gooey, silver liquid ran onto the robot until it had collected into a puddle.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber took a step back in surprise when the liquid began to move.<span style=""> </span>It covered the entire body of the robot and hardened.<span style=""> </span>Then it took on colors.<span style=""> </span>The robot now looked completely different in shape.<span style=""> </span>"Plug this into his head."<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber took a cord from the terminal and connected it to a spot in the robot's head.<span style=""> </span>There was a burst of light and then the robot's eyes glowed red.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber shook his head, whatever had been controlling him was suddenly gone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He found himself staring at a large black and gray robot.<span style=""> </span>The robot stepped out of the chamber and smiled evilly as it pulled a large rifle out from a holster in its back.<span style=""> </span>"I am Scarecrow, and you are about to be slag," the robot sneered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style=""> </span>Chapter Two</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber raised his weapon and fired.<span style=""> </span>The shot nailed Scarecrow in the chest, but he merely laughed.<span style=""> </span>"Fool!"<span style=""> </span>He shouted.<span style=""> </span>"Your puny weapon cannot destroy me!"<span style=""> </span>He fired his own weapon and Beachcomber flew across the room.<span style=""> </span>There was a gaping hole in his chest and he struggled to stay conscious.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow kneeled down and stared at the Autobot for a few moments, letting Beachcomber languish in pain.<span style=""> </span>Then he reached back and pulled a something that looked like the tail feathers of a bird.<span style=""> </span>He locked the device against the side of his free hand and instantly two silver blades were unsheathed.<span style=""> </span>He waved the twin swords in front of Beachcomber and then slashed the geologist across the chest.<span style=""> </span>He moved his hand back and plunged the blades into Beachcomber.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber screamed in pain and then mercifully went unconscious.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow smiled and stood up.<span style=""> </span>He opened the building's door and said, "Now it is time to rid myself of the rest of these fools."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Maximal energy signature detected nearby," a computerized voice told Scarecrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Excellent.<span style=""> </span>Beast mode."<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow took to the air and headed for the energy signature his sensors had detected.<span style=""> </span>He would start with the Maximal and then finish the remaining Autobots.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire glided through the air and swooped down into an alley of the city.<span style=""> </span>He watched the aliens pass by and knew they were not Predacons.<span style=""> </span>They had tan, leathery skin stretched over their bodies.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire's biological database told him that they closely resembled a highly evolved toad.<span style=""> </span>He didn't see any Predacon symbols on any of them and wondered if he had been seeing things.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and took to the air again.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He flew high above the city and decided that the best thing to do would be to look somewhere else.<span style=""> </span>Something told him that he had been right about what he had saw, he just had to keep looking.<span style=""> </span>He left the city behind and was over open plains once more.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Predacon energy signature detected," a computerized voice warned him.<span style=""> </span>He looked around and saw nothing around him except clouds.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Must be a glitch, he thought to himself.<span style=""> </span>He looked back to the ground and suddenly felt something tear into his back.<span style=""> </span>He cried out in pain and saw a large, black bird fly past him.<span style=""> </span>Where did that come from?<span style=""> </span>He thought.<span style=""> </span>More important, why had it attacked him?<span style=""> </span>The bird, which Skyfire's biological database classified as a crow, turned around and moved to attack him once more.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shot away from him and banked towards the ground.<span style=""> </span>The crow flew past and hovered in the air.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Enough of this foolishness.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow, Terrorize!"<span style=""> </span>The crow instantly changed into a large robot and Skyfire gaped.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow?<span style=""> </span>He had not heard that name in decades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow had been a Predacon who had left Cybertron with some of his cohorts to try and conquer the universe.<span style=""> </span>Maximal forces had tracked his ship to Earth, where he had assumed his beast form and gotten his name.<span style=""> </span>The Maximal forces had driven Scarecrow and his troops back into space, where they had engaged their trans‑warp drive and disappeared.<span style=""> </span>Nothing had been heard from him since, so it was presumed that he was dead.<span style=""> </span>Obviously he had ended up on this planet, alive and well.<span style=""> </span>If so, where were the rest of his forces?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow fired at Skyfire, who managed to avoid the shots.<span style=""> </span>He circled back around and said, "Skyfire, Maximize!"<span style=""> </span>He transformed into his robot mode and pulled out his rifle.<span style=""> </span>He fired at Scarecrow, but the Predacon nimbly moved aside.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow attached his sword blades and stabbed Skyfire in the chest as he moved past.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire tore himself away and plunged towards the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He landed in a heap on the ground and didn't move for a few seconds.<span style=""> </span>He shakily got his feet, fluids dripping from his wounds.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow landed in front of him, standing as tall as the Maximal.<span style=""> </span>"Ultra Combat mode," Skyfire said and instantly parts of his chest opened and revealed racks of missiles, laser cannons moved into place below his arms, and rocket boosters appeared from his back.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He fired his missiles at Scarecrow, and the Predacon stumbled backwards from the onslaught.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire fired his rifle and laser cannons, knowing that he couldn't get close to Scarecrow or else he would be sliced to ribbons.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow fell onto one knee.<span style=""> </span>He fired his gun and hit Skyfire in the chest, sending the Maximal to the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Internal damage.<span style=""> </span>Systems critical, return to beast mode," a computerized voice told Skyfire.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No!"<span style=""> </span>He shouted and rose to his feet just as Scarecrow plowed into him.<span style=""> </span>Both Transformers tumbled to the ground and Skyfire could feel his rifle fly from his hand.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow pinned his arms down and poised his blades to strike.<span style=""> </span>As he brought his arm down, Skyfire was able to raise his right arm and smashed Scarecrow across the head.<span style=""> </span>The Predacon fell off and Skyfire got to his feet.<span style=""> </span>Before he could blast Scarecrow, something strange began to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow's entire body shimmered and his form seemed to melt away.<span style=""> </span>In a flash his body had changed and become the purple form of the Decepticon Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave had been found on the shuttle, but Skyfire had placed him in stasis so he could not cause any harm to the Autobots.<span style=""> </span>He didn't know how Shockwave had gotten free, or how he had been able to turn into Scarecrow, but he knew he had to stop him.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Shockwave fired with his gun arm and Skyfire ducked to avoid the shot.<span style=""> </span>He returned fire with his cannons and Shockwave was hit in the leg.<span style=""> </span>He went down and transformed into a huge gun.<span style=""> </span>Before Skyfire could do anything, Shockwave fired and hit him in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire fell forward and hit the ground.<span style=""> </span>He tried to move, but couldn't.<span style=""> </span>He could hear Shockwave moving away, but could do nothing to stop him.<span style=""> </span>"Beast mode," he whispered and transformed.<span style=""> </span>Then he blacked out, knowing that the others were doomed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"He's been gone too long," Skids said.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm sure he's fine," Grapple replied as both sat inside the transport.<span style=""> </span>"Reconnaissance work takes a while.<span style=""> </span>Be patient."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I just have a bad feeling that something has happened to him."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple was about to reply, but suddenly Perceptor's voice came over the comlink.<span style=""> </span>"You've got to help...Skyfire and Beachcomber.<span style=""> </span>I tried to raise them...but couldn't."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"You sound hurt, Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>What's going on?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked worriedly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I don't know.<span style=""> </span>Hurry...I'll give you...the coordinates."<span style=""> </span>The navigation computer came to life as Perceptor sent both locations to them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"You fly the transport to Beachcomber, I'll go on the ground to find Skyfire," Skids said and opened the hatch.<span style=""> </span>He transformed and streaked away as fast as he could go.<span style=""> </span>Grapple took the controls of the transport and prepared it for flight.<span style=""> </span>It moved away in the opposite direction, and it wasn't long before Grapple saw a small building alone in the desert.<span style=""> </span>Functional design, but not very artistic, Grapple assessed the building as he landed.<span style=""> </span>He hurried out of the hatch and into the building.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>It was completely dark, so he shined his headlights around.<span style=""> </span>He saw something blue reflect in the light and hurried over to it.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber was sitting up against a wall, his chest nearly laid open.<span style=""> </span>Grapple reached up to his friend's head and Beachcomber's eyes lit up.<span style=""> </span>"What's going on?"<span style=""> </span>He asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Perceptor told us you were here.<span style=""> </span>Looks like you ran into some trouble," Grapple replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I don't know what happened.<span style=""> </span>I was downloading data and then there was this intense pain.<span style=""> </span>When I came to I was in this place and this enormous robot was standing over me.<span style=""> </span>He said his name was Scarecrow, but I don't know anyone by that name."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We'll find out later.<span style=""> </span>Right now, we have to get you back to the ship to get repaired."<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and Grapple helped him to his feet.<span style=""> </span>Then they slowly left the building and Grapple helped his friend into the transport.<span style=""> </span>He deactivated Beachcomber and the transport took to the air to rendezvous with Skids.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire slowly came to and heard the sound of squealing brakes.<span style=""> </span>He looked up and saw a blue minivan stopping near him.<span style=""> </span>The minivan transformed and Skyfire looked up at Skids.<span style=""> </span>Skids knelt down and looked Skyfire over.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was leaking fluids rapidly and many of his feathers were singed off, exposing circuitry.<span style=""> </span>"What happened?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Scarecrow...Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>Others...in danger," Skyfire replied slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"All right, we'll help the others just as soon as Grapple arrives with the transport."<span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded weakly and closed his eyes once more.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>When he reopened them, he saw a yellow construction vehicle sitting nearby.<span style=""> </span>He felt himself rise in the air and slowly realized that Grapple was using his crane to move Skyfire to the transport.<span style=""> </span>Skids helped guide Skyfire through the hatch and then moved him next to Beachcomber, who was also badly damaged.<span style=""> </span>Then the transport rose into the air and headed for the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire only hoped that the others could find some way to stop Scarecrow and Shockwave before it was too late.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack heard a clanging sound coming from an airlock and ran to investigate.<span style=""> </span>He was horrified to see that something was banging away at the hatch.<span style=""> </span>There was an explosion and the hatch blew open. <span style=""> </span>Wheeljack was thrown against the wall and looked up to see Shockwave storming through the hole he had made.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave stopped and his body shimmered with a silver light and his exoskeleton seemed to turn to liquid.<span style=""> </span>Then Shockwave became a black and gray robot.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack stared at the robot in dismay and picked himself up.<span style=""> </span>"Hold it right there," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The robot laughed and slashed Wheeljack across the chest with his sword blades.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack was thrown backwards a few feet and rolled over onto his rear.<span style=""> </span>He fired a missile at the robot, but it had no effect.<span style=""> </span>He stood and ran.<span style=""> </span>A shot hit the wall to his left, but he kept going.<span style=""> </span>He ran to the bridge and found Perceptor lying on the deck, unconscious.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack turned him over and saw a hole in his chest.<span style=""> </span>He reactivated his friend and helped him sit up.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"There's an intruder alert by the engine room," Wheeljack said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Is it...is it Beachcomber?"<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No.<span style=""> </span>It was Shockwave and then he...he changed into some other robot.<span style=""> </span>We have to stop him."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I contacted Grapple on the surface.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire appears damaged.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps the same individual is responsible."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"If he beat up Skyfire, then there's no way we can stop him."<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack stopped and idly rubbed his jaw, a gesture he had picked up from being around humans.<span style=""> </span>"I got it!<span style=""> </span>In my lab I was tinkering with a hyperpulse plasma rifle.<span style=""> </span>If I could get it, we might be able to fight back."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What is a hyperpulse plasma rifle?"<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"It's a gun that shoots plasma at an extremely fast rate," Wheeljack answered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm sorry, I'm unfamiliar with weapon design."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"So am I," Wheeljack joked and looked around for some way to get to his lab.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>There was a beep from the sensor station and Perceptor stumbled over to it.<span style=""> </span>"The transport is returning."<span style=""> </span>He contacted it and asked, "What is your condition?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Skyfire and Beachcomber are hurt bad.<span style=""> </span>We need to get them to the restoration chamber at once," Grapple replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">"I've got bad news for you guys:<span style=""> </span>Shockwave is aboard," Wheeljack told the transport.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Can we dock?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I doubt it.<span style=""> </span>I'm not sure where he is right now, but I'm sure he's up to no good."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"There has to be a way to get them aboard!"<span style=""> </span>Skids blurted out.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"There is..."<span style=""> </span>A weak voice interrupted.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire hopped up to the front of the cockpit.<span style=""> </span>"I'll distract Shockwave, and the transport can dock."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids and Grapple stared at Skyfire in disbelief.<span style=""> </span>"Skyfire, there's no way you can fight Shockwave in your condition," Grapple said as calmly as he could.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm not going up against Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>I'm going up against a Predacon named Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>I can buy enough time to evacuate the ship."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Evacuate?<span style=""> </span>That would leave this Predacon in command of it!"<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shouted in disbelief.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Wheeljack, while I distract him, sabotage the engines.<span style=""> </span>Make sure he can't go anywhere."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I've got a better idea," Wheeljack began.<span style=""> </span>"I was telling Perceptor that I have an experimental weapon in my lab that might be able to slow him down.<span style=""> </span>If I can get it, we might be able to use it to at least cover our escape."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire thought for a few moments about what Wheeljack had said.<span style=""> </span>"I'll distract Scarecrow while Grapple shuts the engines down.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack, get that weapon.<span style=""> </span>Skids, go in and help Perceptor out.<span style=""> </span>Everyone got it?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked around the shuttle and saw his comrades nod in agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Just be careful, Skyfire," Wheeljack warned.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire hopped up to his feet and the hatch of the shuttle opened.<span style=""> </span>He flew the hatch and into the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He looked around and headed for the bridge.<span style=""> </span>His sensors told him that Scarecrow was nearby.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He transformed and slowly crept up on his nemesis.<span style=""> </span>He had his rifle in his hand and gloomily noticed that its charge was low.<span style=""> </span>He would have to make his shots count.<span style=""> </span>He could see the black and gray form of Scarecrow in the corridor that led to the bridge and knew that he had to stop the Predacon from reaching his friends.<span style=""> </span>He aimed his weapon and fired.<span style=""> </span>The shot hit Scarecrow squarely in the back and some feathers flew.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow turned and scowled as he saw Skyfire standing in the corridor.<span style=""> </span>"I thought I had finished with you," he growled.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Not quite," Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>He ducked just as Scarecrow fired his gun.<span style=""> </span>Then Skyfire took off running, heading down the winding corridors of the ship.<span style=""> </span>He made sure to stay away from the transport and the engine room.<span style=""> </span>He activated his comlink and asked Grapple, "Are you there yet?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm in the engine room," Grapple replied.<span style=""> </span>"I'm working on shutting the engines down."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire was going to reply, but a shot hit him in the back and he fell forward.<span style=""> </span>He rolled and saw Scarecrow approaching him.<span style=""> </span>"Ultra Combat mode."<span style=""> </span>He activated his rocket boosters and tore down the corridor at full speed.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow transformed into Shockwave once more and went to gun mode.<span style=""> </span>He fired a shot that flew past Skyfire and hit the ceiling.<span style=""> </span>The ceiling gave way and rubble pounded Skyfire and knocked him to the deck.<span style=""> </span>He skidded along the deck until he deactivated his rocket boosters and slowly came to a stop.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Damage critical.<span style=""> </span>Return to beast mode or spark will terminate," a computerized voice told Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow was back in his robot mode and stomping towards Skyfire, eager to finish him off.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire knew there was little he could do to fight back in his current state.<span style=""> </span>He had lost his rifle somewhere along the way and his other weapons were too depleted.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Beast mode," he ordered and took to the air.<span style=""> </span>His wings were weak and he flew sluggishly.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow tracked him like a hunter to a duck and fired a single shot.<span style=""> </span>The shot tore into Skyfire's left wing and he fell limply to the deck.<span style=""> </span>He was beginning to go unconscious and heard heavy footsteps coming for him.<span style=""> </span>A hand closed around him and held him high in the air.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"You fool.<span style=""> </span>You are no match for me.<span style=""> </span>Now I will crush you with my bare hands."<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow began to squeeze and Skyfire knew he was finished.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids transformed and leapt out of the transport, tires squealing.<span style=""> </span>He tore down the corridors and reached the bridge doors.<span style=""> </span>He transformed back to robot mode and opened the doors.<span style=""> </span>He saw Perceptor on the bridge, looking dazed.<span style=""> </span>"We've got to get out of here," Skids said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I know," Perceptor replied.<span style=""> </span>Skids transformed and opened his side door.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor jumped towards the open door, transforming into his microscope mode as he did.<span style=""> </span>He flew inside and bounced off a wall and landed on the padded interior.<span style=""> </span>Skids shut the door and took off for the transport.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">"How are you doing, Grapple?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'm almost done," Grapple replied.<span style=""> </span>"I'm shutting the engines down and blocking the starter systems with a code that Shockwave or whoever he is will never break."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Need any help?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No, I'll be all right.<span style=""> </span>Just get Perceptor back to the transport.<span style=""> </span>I'll join you shortly and see what I can do for him."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids broke the connection and reached the transport.<span style=""> </span>He drove inside and opened the side door.<span style=""> </span>Perceptor slowly moved out the door and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He lay down next to Beachcomber, staring up at the ceiling.<span style=""> </span>Skids took the pilot seat and waited.<span style=""> </span>He knew that their escape would have to be quick, so he had the engines on stand‑by.<span style=""> </span>He just hoped that Skyfire and the others made it back.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire felt the life draining out of him as Scarecrow slowly squeezed him to death.<span style=""> </span>He squawked feebly and his eyes closed.<span style=""> </span>He waited for the end and suddenly heard a low humming that was followed by a pounding noise.<span style=""> </span>The next thing he knew he was flying through the air.<span style=""> </span>He hung there for a few seconds and hit the deck.<span style=""> </span>He opened his eyes and realized that he was free.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack stood behind Scarecrow, a large gray weapon in his hand.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack could see that the hyperpulse plasma rifle had worked, but it had only stunned Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>The Predacon was already stirring and Wheeljack knew that he had to hurry up and get out of the area.<span style=""> </span>He transformed and revved his racecar's engine.<span style=""> </span>He let his brakes go and flew over Scarecrow and landed near Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>He opened the passenger door and Skyfire weakly hopped in.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack shut the door and took off, shots hitting the corridor around him.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Thanks," Skyfire said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Not a problem, Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>I've been wanting to test that thing out, that creep just gave me a chance to do it,"<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack replied.<span style=""> </span>He tore along the corridors and towards the transport, Scarecrow far behind.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The ship rumbled for a moment and the lights dimmed.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack turned his headlights on and saw that they were near the engine room.<span style=""> </span>A yellow construction crane turned out of the room and pulled behind the racecar.<span style=""> </span>"The engines are down and I cut main power," Grapple said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Great.<span style=""> </span>Ol' Shockwave or whoever he is will be dark and adrift," Wheeljack joked.<span style=""> </span>They reached the transport and Skyfire climbed out of Wheeljack.<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots transformed and Wheeljack carried Skyfire to the back with the others.<span style=""> </span>The hatch of the transport sealed and it sped away from the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire watched the shuttle retreat from view and knew that somehow they had to find a way to beat Scarecrow and retake the ship.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style=""> </span>Chapter Three</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The transport landed at the small building where Beachcomber had brought Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>The Autobots carried their wounded comrades inside and Grapple and Wheeljack worked to try and repair their damage while Skids examined the computers in the room.<span style=""> </span>After a few minutes he turned to the engineers and asked, "How are they?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We should be able to patch Beachcomber and Perceptor up pretty easily.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire..."<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack's voice trailed off sadly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids understood and turned back to the computer.<span style=""> </span>He fiddled with the wires and was surprised when it came to life. <span style=""> </span>Data flashed across the screen as the system rebooted.<span style=""> </span>After a few minutes, the screen separated into several mini‑screens, each labeled as a different sector.<span style=""> </span>"Wheeljack, Grapple, take a look at this," Skids called out.<span style=""> </span>The two engineers hurried over and gasped as they saw the terminal screen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Well, I'll be a Garmalian squid," Wheeljack said.<span style=""> </span>"This machine controls all the computers on the entire planet."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"How?<span style=""> </span>Why?"<span style=""> </span>Grapple stammered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I don't know, but I'd better find out," Skids replied.<span style=""> </span>"It might help us save Skyfire."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What do you mean?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I mean that I have to talk to the people of this planet and find out why a Cybertronian is in charge of their computer network."<span style=""> </span>Skids transformed and raced out the door, heading for the nearest city.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Grapple went back over to their comrades and Wheeljack closed Perceptor's chest up.<span style=""> </span>The scientist's eyes lit up and he got to his feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What's going on?"<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We had to abandon the ship, remember?"<span style=""> </span>Grapple asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Oh, yes.<span style=""> </span>Sorry.<span style=""> </span>Where is Skids?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"He went to go investigate something," Wheeljack answered.<span style=""> </span>"Maybe now that you're activated you can help us with Skyfire."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor nodded and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He examined Skyfire's injuries and went back to robot mode.<span style=""> </span>"His condition is very serious, but there is little even I can do for him.<span style=""> </span>The technology that makes up his construction is beyond Autobot technology.<span style=""> </span>We need to get him back to the restoration chamber."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We can't.<span style=""> </span>That Scarecrow guy is in control of the ship.<span style=""> </span>We would have to hold the bridge for hours against him."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Then there is no hope for his recovery."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The two engineers looked glumly at the scientist and nodded.<span style=""> </span>They looked down at their friend and then went to work on repairing Beachcomber.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids tore into the city and transformed.<span style=""> </span>The inhabitants of the city screamed and ran away from him in terror.<span style=""> </span>Skids knew they would react like that and wished he could have been more subtle, but time was of the essence.<span style=""> </span>He grabbed one of the aliens and hefted it into the air.<span style=""> </span>The toad‑looking alien garbled some unintelligible sounds and then shouted, "Let me go!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"How do you know my language?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"The Great Provider taught it to us many years ago," the alien replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"The who?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"The Great Provider.<span style=""> </span>He was one like you.<span style=""> </span>He came here some time ago and taught us many things.<span style=""> </span>He spoke to us of this planet called Cybertron and that someday he would leave us and go back there."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Things are beginning to make sense, Skids thought.<span style=""> </span>"How did the Great Provider communicate with you?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Through those," the alien gestured to computer screens that were located all around the city.<span style=""> </span>Skids nodded, more pieces of the puzzle falling into place."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>"Thank‑you," Skids told the alien.<span style=""> </span>He put the creature down and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He headed back for the others, knowing what he had to do.<span style=""> </span>"I got some good news, guys."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What is it?"<span style=""> </span>Perceptor asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I know a lot of what's going on with this planet.<span style=""> </span>Start accessing their database and look up something called the Great Provider.<span style=""> </span>That may be the key to what's going on, and maybe it will give us some clues on how to help Skyfire."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I will try and locate the information you requested.<span style=""> </span>I will inform you if I find anything."<span style=""> </span>Perceptor broke the connection and accessed the records of the planet.<span style=""> </span>He searched for the data Skids had suggested.<span style=""> </span>Hundreds of records came up and Perceptor glanced through the titles.<span style=""> </span>He started with one on the origins of the Great Provider.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor heard Skids enter and motioned for him to come over to the terminal.<span style=""> </span>Skids read the file and was shocked.<span style=""> </span>"So a ship crashed here years ago and this Scarecrow guy, the Great Provider was the only survivor," Skids stated.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Yes, except that his body did not survive the crash for long.<span style=""> </span>So he downloaded his consciousness into the planet's computer network and took it over.<span style=""> </span>In exchange for control over the planet, he gave them advances in technology."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"So that's why the probe was destroyed when it accessed their network, he didn't want us to discover his secret."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"And why Beachcomber attacked me and released Shockwave."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"So how does any of this help us?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"It doesn't, but it tells us what's going on.<span style=""> </span>That may be useful later."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"All right!"<span style=""> </span>Grapple shouted and the scientists looked over at him.<span style=""> </span>Grapple helped Beachcomber to his feet and smiled.<span style=""> </span>"We finally got Beachcomber back together."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Excellent.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber, we need your assistance," Perceptor said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"With what?"<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"How did that Scarecrow fellow make it so he could be himself and Shockwave?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber rubbed his head for a few moments and replied, "I don't really know.<span style=""> </span>I remember taking off Shockwave's exoskeleton and then pouring this liquid metal onto him."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Liquid metal?"<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Yes, it was this weird, silver substance."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"That's it!"<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack blurted out.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What is?"<span style=""> </span>Skids asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"How that guy can be Scarecrow and Shockwave.<span style=""> </span>He's using that liquid metal to alter his exoskeleton.<span style=""> </span>Everything underneath is the same, but his outside becomes different.<span style=""> </span>Ingenious."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Great.<span style=""> </span>How does that help us?"<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Think about it, if we can find some of this stuff, we might be able to rebuild Skyfire."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"But Skyfire doesn't have two forms."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Yes," Grapple smiled as he understood what Wheeljack was proposing, "he does."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked around the dark dreamscape and suddenly saw a blue light.<span style=""> </span>It was a spark!<span style=""> </span>He could see the face of the greatest Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, in it.<span style=""> </span>"Optimus," Skyfire breathed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Yes, Skyfire, it is I," Prime's voice rumbled.<span style=""> </span>"You do not know why I am here, do you?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No," Skyfire stammered, feeling in awe.<span style=""> </span>He had not seen Optimus Prime in many years, not since he had become a Maximal.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I have come to remind you of who you were.<span style=""> </span>Once you were the Autobot Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>You served under my command and helped me win many battles against the Decepticons.<span style=""> </span>Now you have adorned yourself with Maximal flesh and changed your name.<span style=""> </span>You have turned your back on your heritage."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No, it wasn't like that," Skyfire protested.<span style=""> </span>"The Autobots were almost nothing after the Great War.<span style=""> </span>There were so many scientific opportunities with the Maximals that I couldn't pass it up."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I understand, but you have regretted being who you were.<span style=""> </span>You have felt ashamed of being an Autobot."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Never!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Don't lie to yourself, Skyfire!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No!"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shrieked in horror.<span style=""> </span>He reached out and smashed the spark with his hand.<span style=""> </span>"No!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He sank to his knees and then saw the spark begin to reform.<span style=""> </span>It turned itself into two smaller sparks. <span style=""> </span>In one he could see himself as Jetfire, the Autobot, and in the other himself as Skyfire, the Maximal.<span style=""> </span>"Choose," Optimus's voice called to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I won't," Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>"I am a Maximal and an Autobot.<span style=""> </span>I have never been ashamed of who I was, or who I am now.<span style=""> </span>I am Skyfire now, but I am still like Jetfire in many ways.<span style=""> </span>I have never forgotten who I was, but I have also accepted who I am now.<span style=""> </span>I am both, and I always will be."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>There was silence, and then Optimus Prime appeared before Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>"Then, Skyfire, you truly have become wiser," he said.<span style=""> </span>He grasped Skyfire's hand and a light shone in his eyes.<span style=""> </span>"Never forget what you have learned here today."<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Optimus disappeared and Skyfire was left in the darkness for only a few seconds.<span style=""> </span>His eyes flashed open and he saw Wheeljack and Perceptor hovering over him.<span style=""> </span>"You're awake," Wheeljack observed.<span style=""> </span>"Good."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What's going on?"<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked weakly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We've figured out how to repair you, but we need you to transform.<span style=""> </span>Can you do it?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I'll try.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire, Maximize."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Unable to comply.<span style=""> </span>Systems damage critical.<span style=""> </span>Remain in beast mode," a computerized voice told Skyfire.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I can't do it."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"You have to," Perceptor responded.<span style=""> </span>"We cannot perform the procedure if you do not."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and commanded, "Systems override.<span style=""> </span>Authorization:<span style=""> </span>Skyfire."<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Override acknowledged."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Skyfire, Maximize."<span style=""> </span>Slowly, and painfully, Skyfire began to transform.<span style=""> </span>Sparks flew as his damaged gears and joints moved.<span style=""> </span>He screamed in pain, but continued to unfold from his beast mode.<span style=""> </span>When it seemed he could take no more, it was all over.<span style=""> </span>He collapsed to the ground and stared up at his comrades.<span style=""> </span>"There."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Good.<span style=""> </span>Now we're going to work on you.<span style=""> </span>Deactivate yourself while we work," Wheeljack replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and ordered, "Repair mode."<span style=""> </span>His eyes went dark and he lay limp.<span style=""> </span>Grapple transformed and used his crane to hoist Skyfire into the air.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack and Perceptor guided him into the tube where Beachcomber had reported Shockwave had been disassembled in.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"While we tear him apart, Skids and Beachcomber, you find some of this liquid metal stuff," Wheeljack ordered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids nodded and turned to the terminal, searching for any records of the substance.<span style=""> </span>"Let me try," Beachcomber suggested and Skids let him use the computer.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber began searching through the planet's geological records and stopped.<span style=""> </span>"Looks like this race uses that stuff for just about anything.<span style=""> </span>Getting some should be pretty easy.<span style=""> </span>There's a mine not too far away.<span style=""> </span>Let's go."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The two Transformers headed for the transport and took off.<span style=""> </span>They flew to a large pit where many of the aliens were working.<span style=""> </span>There were silver tubes sunk into the ground, presumably carrying the liquid metal.<span style=""> </span>The aliens stared up in surprise as the transport flew over and landed.<span style=""> </span>Skids and Beachcomber stepped out and the aliens scattered at their approach.<span style=""> </span>"Let's get it," Skids said.<span style=""> </span>"We mean you no harm, we just need a supply of your material to help a friend of ours."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>One of the aliens stepped up to Skids and pounded his leg with a tool.<span style=""> </span>"Leave here, you brute.<span style=""> </span>This is our mine and our supply of Acqualevine."<span style=""> </span>Skids turned to Beachcomber, who merely shrugged.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"They can't stop us.<span style=""> </span>Let's just get what we need and leave."<span style=""> </span>As Beachcomber finished the sentence, something hit Skids in the chest and he fell to the ground.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber turned and saw three black, robotic beings standing nearby, each with a Predacon symbol emblazoned on its lower torso.<span style=""> </span>He raised his pistol and returned fire.<span style=""> </span>Those must have been what we saw earlier, he thought.<span style=""> </span>His shot caused one of the robots to fall to the ground, but the other two remained.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Don't be foolish," one of the robots called.<span style=""> </span>"Your puny weapon is no matched for the firepower of our Mechanoids."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We'll see about that," Beachcomber heard Skids say.<span style=""> </span>Skids was on his knees and fired, knocking another of the Mechanoids to the ground.<span style=""> </span>"Draw the last one's fire so we don't hit any innocent creatures."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber nodded and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He took off in the opposite direction of the mine.<span style=""> </span>The third Mechanoid stomped off after him.<span style=""> </span>The other two had recovered and Skids transformed and charged them.<span style=""> </span>He avoided their shots and transformed when he was a short distance from them.<span style=""> </span>He punched one in the chest and wheeled around and nailed the other one in the head, knocking it off.<span style=""> </span>Satisfied that the two Mechanoids were going to be of no further trouble, Skids went to help Beachcomber.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Beachcomber weaved back and forth, seeing the giant Mechanoid in his rear view mirror.<span style=""> </span>Shots flew past him and kicked dirt up all around him.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber looked around him and was sure that he was far enough away so that no bystanders would be hurt.<span style=""> </span>He turned towards the Mechanoid and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He was about half the size of the alien machine and ducked under its attempt to punch him.<span style=""> </span>He came back up with its own fist and hit it in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>A blow hit him in the side and he fell to the ground.<span style=""> </span>He could hear a weapon powering up and knew his end was near.<span style=""> </span>There was a shot and then a crash as the Mechanoid fell to the ground.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skids helped Beachcomber to his feet and they headed back for the mine.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber examined the mine and had Skids lift one of the pipes.<span style=""> </span>Beachcomber took out a container he had brought with him from the building where the others were and filled it with Acqualevine.<span style=""> </span>He capped it and safely put it in a compartment inside of him.<span style=""> </span>Skids put the pipe back and they headed back for the transport.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I feel like a Decepticon," Beachcomber joked.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"If we were Decepticons, we would have taken every drop of that stuff, not just what we needed."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"So you're saying that as long as we're not greedy, it's all right?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Yes," Skids replied as they entered the transport and he took the controls.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Good," Beachcomber said as they rose into the air.<span style=""> </span>"I'll remember that the next time we're dividing energon rations."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>When Skids and Beachcomber entered they were surprised to see Skyfire standing in the tube, his exoskeleton completely disassembled.<span style=""> </span>Metal and flesh lay all over the floor and the two Transformers were careful not to step in anything.<span style=""> </span>"Here it is," Beachcomber began and took out the container.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Thank the Matrix!"<span style=""> </span>Grapple breathed and took the container.<span style=""> </span>He handed it to Wheeljack and smiled.<span style=""> </span>"Here goes nothing."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Let's hope not," Wheeljack mumbled as he opened the container.<span style=""> </span>He poured the substance on Skyfire and everyone watched as it slowly began to move.<span style=""> </span>It covered Skyfire's entire body and took shape.<span style=""> </span>It hardened and Skyfire looked as though he had never been damaged.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack opened a panel on the back of Skyfire's head and looked over at Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>"You have that algorithm finished?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Perceptor typed a few keys and nodded.<span style=""> </span>"It is completed."<span style=""> </span>He plugged a cord into Skyfire's head and went back to the terminal, hitting a few more buttons.<span style=""> </span>Over a minute later Skyfire's eyes opened.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What's going on?"<span style=""> </span>He asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We fixed you," Wheeljack answered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"I feel...different."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We've made a few modifications..." Grapple began to explain, but Beachcomber cut him off.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Scarecrow's coming!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Guess you get to field test your modifications sooner than expected," Skids said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded and turned to Wheeljack and Perceptor.<span style=""> </span>"Just briefly tell me about these modifications."<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded and began to explain as quickly as he could.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Scarecrow leapt out of the hatch of the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>He transformed into Shockwave's gun mode and headed through the atmosphere of the planet.<span style=""> </span>It was a rough trip, but he made it through without injury.<span style=""> </span>Then he transformed back into his bird mode.<span style=""> </span>He swooped through the sky, heading for where he knew the Autobots were.<span style=""> </span>He would get access to the ship's systems back, and then he would crush them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He used his long‑range sensors and could detect the Autobots below.<span style=""> </span>Excellent, he thought, they are all in one place.<span style=""> </span>They would be much easier to destroy like that.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow's sensors buzzed and he wondered what was going on.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Something tore into his back suddenly and he looked up in surprise and saw a brown and white object streak by.<span style=""> </span>He turned and tried to catch up to it.<span style=""> </span>There was a silvery shimmer and then the bird turned into a white aircraft.<span style=""> </span>Jet engines spat flames that singed Scarecrow's feathers.<span style=""> </span>The plane came around in a turn and fired on Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Lasers hit him the wings and the plane darted past him.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow began to fall towards the ground in an uncontrolled plunge.<span style=""> </span>He landed in a heap and transformed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>He looked up and the jet lined up for a strafing run.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow transformed into Shockwave's gun mode and lined the plane up in his sights.<span style=""> </span>He fired, but the fighter nimbly avoided the shot.<span style=""> </span>It flew over Shockwave, and hands suddenly appeared from its bottom and knocked him to the ground.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave went back to Scarecrow's robot mode and saw the fighter streak high into the air.<span style=""> </span>It flipped around and headed straight for the ground.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow gasped in surprise as the jet transformed and landed on its feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The robot that stood before Scarecrow looked like the Maximal that he had trashed earlier, only it was white, red, and black and had no feathers.<span style=""> </span>There was also a large Autobot symbol emblazoned on its nosecone.<span style=""> </span>"Who are you?"<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow demanded as he drew his sword blades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>The Autobot raised his weapon and fired it.<span style=""> </span>A stream of green smashed into Scarecrow's chest and sent him to the ground.<span style=""> </span>He heard heavy feet running across the ground and the Autobot reached down and hoisted him to his feet.<span style=""> </span>He hung above the ground and stared into the fiery red eye of his attacker.<span style=""> </span>"I am Jetfire," the Autobot hissed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire threw Scarecrow and leveled his weapon.<span style=""> </span>He fired and a continuous stream of plasma hammered Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow screamed in pain and hurled his blades.<span style=""> </span>They sliced into Jetfire's gun arm and his rifle fell to the ground.<span style=""> </span>He held the arm and was hit in the face as Scarecrow charged and nailed him with a right cross.<span style=""> </span>"Die!"<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow screamed.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire staggered and Scarecrow hit him again.<span style=""> </span>Jetfire punched Scarecrow in the midsection and brought his left leg up.<span style=""> </span>He kicked the Predacon in the side and Scarecrow tumbled to the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Jetfire's body seemed to turn to liquid for an instant, and then it reformed as Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>"Ultra Combat mode," Skyfire commanded.<span style=""> </span>He fired a stream of missiles into Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow lay dazed for a moment, and then transformed into Shockwave. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">He fired the cannon that served as his left hand and hit Skyfire in the chest.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire stumbled backwards and Shockwave fired again and again until Skyfire fell.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Shockwave transformed back to Scarecrow, who stood over Skyfire with a grin on his battered face.<span style=""> </span>"Now I will finish you, forever."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"No you won't," Skyfire replied and brought up his left arm.<span style=""> </span>He fired his laser cannons and smashed his left leg into Scarecrow.<span style=""> </span>Scarecrow took a few steps back and Skyfire stood up.<span style=""> </span>He stood in front of the bloody, mangled form of Scarecrow and drew his right arm back.<span style=""> </span>It smashed into the side of Scarecrow's head and the Predacon hit the ground.<span style=""> </span>He twitched a few times and then was still.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire stood over him for a few moments, making sure that his opponent was finished.<span style=""> </span>Then he turned and retrieved the hyperpulse plasma cannon that Wheeljack had given him in place of his laser rifle.<span style=""> </span>"You're the one who is finished, Scarecrow."<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked towards the building where the others were and saw clouds of dust forming as his comrades approached.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"You really did a number on him," Beachcomber observed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"What do we do now?"<span style=""> </span>Grapple asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Let's get out of here," Skyfire replied.<span style=""> </span>Parts of his chest were laid bare and his feathers were stained with blood, and he felt terribly tired.<span style=""> </span>He sank to his knees and transformed into Jetfire.<span style=""> </span>He then turned into his jet fighter mode and shot into the air, his rocket boosters blazing.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Grapple hoisted Scarecrow's beaten carcass into the air and laid it on Skids's roof.<span style=""> </span>They loaded it into the transport and took off after their friend.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style=""> </span>Epilogue</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared out into space as the shuttle left the planet behind.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack came up beside him and said, "We got Scarecrow aboard and into the restoration chamber.<span style=""> </span>What do you want us to do with him after he's repaired?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Install the same algorithm you programmed into me, so that we can get Shockwave activated.<span style=""> </span>Then...leave him active."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Are you nuts?<span style=""> </span>We can't leave a Decepticon active aboard this ship!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We can't leave him in stasis the whole time either.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave and Scarecrow may prove to be useful in their own way.<span style=""> </span>Besides, they aren't going to do anything.<span style=""> </span>I know Shockwave, he will understand that it won't be logical to destroy us all so far from Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>There's no way he could run everything by himself."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"Scarecrow's not that logical, though."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"We have to at least give them a chance, Wheeljack.<span style=""> </span>That is what we heroes do," Skyfire replied wryly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Wheeljack nodded.<span style=""> </span>"I understand, but I still don't like it."<span style=""> </span>He patted Skyfire on the shoulder and joked, "You're getting more like Optimus Prime everyday.<span style=""> </span>Pretty soon we're going to have to start calling you Skyfirimus Prime or something like that."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire smiled and responded, "Let's just keep it Skyfire for now."<span style=""> </span>He transformed into Jetfire and then added, "Now let's go do some reminiscing.<span style=""> </span>Remember that time on Earth you, Bumblebee, and I were fighting some Decepticons in that glue factory…"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><span style=""> </span>"And Bumblebee fell into that vat of glue.<span style=""> </span>It took Ratchet weeks to get all of that out!"<span style=""> </span>The two Autobots laughed heartily and turned from the stars, their laughter continuing to echo down the corridors as they headed for the bridge to join their comrades.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Look for Part Four:<span style=""> </span>The Skyfire Adventures:<span style=""> </span>Vortex (Part One of the Apocalypse Trilogy) Coming Soon!</span></i></b><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-39986746839782387102007-06-13T09:38:00.000-07:002007-06-13T09:41:25.131-07:00The Storm<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-style: italic;"> Author's Note: This is the second episode of the Skyfire Adventures, written in 1997. In this episode the heroic Autobot Jetfire (now the Maximal Skyfire) lands on a planet torn by war, where he locates a crashed ship with some of his old comrades on board.</span><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><u>The Skyfire Adventures:<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><u>The Storm<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter One - The Coming<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Across a blue sky, an object hurtled towards the ground at near the speed of sound.<span style=""> </span>It crashed into the ground in a patch of tall weeds near a small pond.<span style=""> </span>Tiny waves lapped at it, and a curious crustaceon came up to it.<span style=""> </span>The object was smoking and blackened in spots, but otherwise intact.<span style=""> </span>A weak cry came from it, and the crustaceon skittered away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The sound of a humming motor overshadowed the cry, followed by something heavy crashing through the grass.<span style=""> </span>Two humanoids stopped at the pond and looked at the object curiously.<span style=""> </span>“Whatever this is, it isn’t natural,” one of the humanoids remarked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then what is it?<span style=""> </span>It isn’t like anything the demons have tried to use on us before,” the other replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Must be a new one.<span style=""> </span>One that disguises itself as a harmless creature and spies on us.<span style=""> </span>We should destroy it now and be done with it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, we can’t do that, it’s too valuable.<span style=""> </span>If this is a new one, then we’ve got to study it, maybe find something we can use.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I suppose you’re right.<span style=""> </span>I’ll call for a lifter to take this thing back to base.<span style=""> </span>You guard it.”<span style=""> </span>One of the humanoids walked away while the other trained a weapon on the object.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The object was a bald eagle that had lost many of its feathers and appeared to have a broken wing.<span style=""> </span>It was covered in blood and strange fluids that mixed together into a brownish color.<span style=""> </span>However faint, it was still alive and breathing.<span style=""> </span>The humanoid guarding the object knelt down to it and felt it.<span style=""> </span>It looked perfectly lifelike, and would have passed as an eagle, if not for the metal and circuitry that was exposed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A large, boxy hovership arrived at the scene.<span style=""> </span>A claw came out of its bottom and a hatch opened up to receive the cargo.<span style=""> </span>Slowly, the eagle was scooped up from the sandy beach of the pond and placed into the lifter.<span style=""> </span>Then it whoosed away and off into the distance.<span style=""> </span>The two humanoids roared off in their vechicle, and once again the pond was quiet and peaceful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The lifter landed in a grass clearing that was surrounded by large tents.<span style=""> </span>A hatch opened on the side of the vehicle and the eagle was unloaded on a hovering cart.<span style=""> </span>A trio of humanoids guided the cart towards one of the tents.<span style=""> </span>As they did so, a group of other humanoids rushed up.<span style=""> </span>“What is this thing?”<span style=""> </span>A female humanoid asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re not sure.<span style=""> </span>Naf and Haron found it a mile or so from the border.<span style=""> </span>It looks like some new kind of demon,” one of the lifter’s pilots responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Doesn’t look like a demon.<span style=""> </span>That’s what we were afraid of:<span style=""> </span>they’re trying to infiltrate us by mimicking native creatures.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just what we need.<span style=""> </span>So now what do we do?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Figure out what this thing is, and what it knows.<span style=""> </span>It’s strange, though, that it was damaged.<span style=""> </span>Ask around and see if anyone shot this thing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Right,” the pilot hurried away as the eagle was brought into the tent.<span style=""> </span>There was nothing under the tent, but a piece of ground moved and revealed a hidden shaft that led underground.<span style=""> </span>The cart, and those around it, boarded a platform and descended down the shaft into a huge military complex that contained thousands of humanoids and weapons.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>On the cart, the eagle’s eyes opened slightly.<span style=""> </span>It had no idea where it was, or where it was going.<span style=""> </span>The last thing it remembered was seeing a red sky fading into a blue one, and volcanic mountains turning into snow-capped ones.<span style=""> </span>However, the eagle did know that it had to get away from wherever it was as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>It was a long way away from any friends and had to look for some way back.<span style=""> </span>The only problem was that it was too weak to move.<span style=""> </span>It tried to flap its wings, but nothing happened; nor could it find the strength to stand up.<span style=""> </span>Until it healed, it was at the mercy of the creatures around it.<span style=""> </span>With that gloomy thought, the eagle blacked out and knew nothing more.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It awoke again to find itself on some kind of table, a bright light blinding it.<span style=""> </span>Strange creatures were standing all around it with instruments, poking and prodding it.<span style=""> </span>The eagle vaguely remembered something about that, a word coming to its mind:<span style=""> </span>science.<span style=""> </span>Yes, that word was very familiar to it.<span style=""> </span>A haze seemed to lift, and it knew what was going on:<span style=""> </span>these creatures were experimenting on it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Stop!”<span style=""> </span>It cried out weakly.<span style=""> </span>The creatures all seemed to jump back in surprise while the eagle sat up.<span style=""> </span>It flapped its wings, but nothing happened.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Internal repairs not complete.<span style=""> </span>Remain in beast mode,” a computerized voice told the eagle.<span style=""> </span>Then it remembered that it wasn’t just an eagle, it was more than that.<span style=""> </span>The humanoids around the table took a step back, and most drew their weapons and pointed them at the eagle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The female humanoid motioned for the others to lower their weapons.<span style=""> </span>“We can’t destroy it, not until we know what it was sent here to do,” she said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t just leave it alone, Jalen.<span style=""> </span>We have to destroy it now!”<span style=""> </span>A man protested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I said to leave it be.<span style=""> </span>Everyone evacuate the room.<span style=""> </span>I’ll talk to it and if I get into trouble, then you can kill it,” the female ordered and the others left the room.<span style=""> </span>She looked at the eagle and extended her arms so that her palms showed.<span style=""> </span>“I mean you no harm.<span style=""> </span>We just what to know who you are, and who you work for.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The eagle tilted its head curiously, thinking about who it was.<span style=""> </span>It slowly began to remember how it had gotten into the laboratory.<span style=""> </span>“I am Skyfire, a Maximal from the distant planet of Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>Who are you, and where am I?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am Jalen, commander of the Dexos military forces for this region.<span style=""> </span>Were you programmed by the demons to spy on us?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Of course not.<span style=""> </span>I came here from a far away planet in order to rescue comrades that these ‘demons’ had taken.<span style=""> </span>I stayed behind while they got to safety, but by then it was too late for me to return.<span style=""> </span>I was barely able to flee from the enemy when I crashed in your area,” Skyfire answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>What is a ‘Maximal’?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t really demonstrate now, but two great races of robots live on my planet:<span style=""> </span>Maximals and Predacons.<span style=""> </span>Maximals uphold the virtues of honesty, kindness, and preservation of all life set by our Autobot ancestors.<span style=""> </span>Predacons, although peaceful until late, follow the virtues of deception, treachery, and destruction from their Decepticon predecessors.<span style=""> </span>Maximals are also the keepers of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which my comrades and I were able to rescue from the demons and use to destroy their teleporter network.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Their teleporter network?<span style=""> </span>Hmmm...that explains a few things,” Jalen’s voice trailed off and Skyfire looked at her strangely.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“When can I leave here?<span style=""> </span>I must try and return home, and there is a long journey ahead of me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t let you leave yet.<span style=""> </span>How do I know that you aren’t programmed to lie to me?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t prove it to you, yet.<span style=""> </span>I was badly damaged by the demons, and it will take time for my beast form to repair, so I am stuck in this form for now.<span style=""> </span>When I can transform, I will show you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How convenient.<span style=""> </span>How long will that take?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A few hours at least.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So I’m supposed to let you have access to my base for that long?<span style=""> </span>I can’t risk it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I understand your concerns.<span style=""> </span>Let me go and I will not return.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t do that either.<span style=""> </span>You’re going to stay right here until you can prove to me that you aren’t one of them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Very well, then.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire sat on the table, waiting for his robot form to repair itself.<span style=""> </span>He closed his eyes and went to sleep, hoping to pass the time until he could transform.<span style=""> </span>Jalen sighed and left the room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is he one of them?”<span style=""> </span>Her second-in-command, Altos, demanded as she closed the door to the laboratory.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>He says he’s a Maximal from the planet Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>He won’t be able to prove he’s not one of them until he can ‘transform’, whatever the hell that means,” she answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s just destroy him now, before he can report to the demons.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He can’t do anything as long as he’s in there.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re in a fight for survival here; he’s too much of a risk to keep here!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s staying, and that’s an order.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You believe him, don’t you?<span style=""> </span>He’s one of them!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe.<span style=""> </span>Or he might be a hero responsible for destroying the demon’s teleporter network.<span style=""> </span>He said that something called the Autobot Matrix of Leadership that destroyed the demons’s teleporter network.<span style=""> </span>Remember at Tomir when the demons tried to invade?<span style=""> </span>They reported a strange blue light that hit just as the demons were beginning to teleport in.<span style=""> </span>After it had passed, the demons were gone.<span style=""> </span>So until I know more, I’m going to keep him here under guard.<span style=""> </span>Your men should be able to keep a big bird secure for a couple of hours.”<span style=""> </span>Altos stopped and clenched his fists.<span style=""> </span>Then he turned and went to find his security troops to deploy them around the lab.<span style=""> </span>If Jalen is going to keep that thing, then I’m going to at least make sure it doesn’t see more of the base than it has to, he thought.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Some hours later, Skyfire awoke.<span style=""> </span>A guard was standing nearby and raised its weapon as his eyes opened and feathers shifted.<span style=""> </span>“Internal repairs complete,” a computerized voice told him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Bring your leader back in here, I must speak to her,” Skyfire told the guard, who nodded and left the room.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire sat up and stretched his wings out.<span style=""> </span>Although some of his feathers were still singed off, he was fully operational once more.<span style=""> </span>Jalen came into the lab and Skyfire looked over at her.<span style=""> </span>“Now you will see that I am not a demon, because no demon can do this.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire, Maximize!”<span style=""> </span>There was a whirring of gears and the eagle unfolded into an enormous robot.<span style=""> </span>Jalen took a step back and the guard raised its rifle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you?”<span style=""> </span>Jalen asked in astonishment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am what I said I am.<span style=""> </span>I am the Maximal Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>On my planet we transform from a vehicle mode to a robot mode for strategic purposes, as well as to get around more easily.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes, we must mimic the forms of animals in order to disguise ourselves.<span style=""> </span>As far as I know, no demon can do that.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The door to the lab burst open suddenly.<span style=""> </span>“Commander, the demons are on the move!<span style=""> </span>Thousands of them!”<span style=""> </span>A messanger shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You betrayed us!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No I didn’t.<span style=""> </span>I will help you.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire pulled out his laser cannon and stomped past the two humanoids.<span style=""> </span>He flew up to the surface and disappeared into the sky.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Two:<span style=""> </span>The Fury<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire flew high up in the sky, his sensors on maximum sensitivity.<span style=""> </span>He was cruising the red skies of alien territory.<span style=""> </span>He could see thousands of the demons, as the humanoids called them, moving towards the humanoid territory.<span style=""> </span>There were ones of all shapes and sizes, from small brown spiny ones to the massive ones with missile launchers on their arms.<span style=""> </span>It was an army far larger than the one he, Optimus Primal, and Tigatron had encountered previously, and this time he was all alone.<span style=""> </span>Except for the humanoids, he thought.<span style=""> </span>Still, he didn’t know what kind of technology they had or how powerful their weapons were.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He began to swoop down lower, knowing that it was time to begin the fight.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, Maximize!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted and transformed into robot mode.<span style=""> </span>“Ultra Combat mode.”<span style=""> </span>He added and hidden weapons and rocket boosters appeared.<span style=""> </span>He armed the missile launchers in his chest and targeted the largest of the demons.<span style=""> </span>He fired the missiles and activated his rocket boosters, streaking down towards the surface.<span style=""> </span>He grabbed his laser rifle and landed in the midst of the enemy, pumping off round after round without mercy into the demon horde.<span style=""> </span>He could see that his missiles had destroyed a good portion of the larger demons, and he hoped that would help the humanoids when the demons reached their position.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>As he continued to fire, the demons began turning towards him.<span style=""> </span>A green ball of plasma slammed into him, but he held his ground.<span style=""> </span>A large pink alien with horns slashed at him, but he stepped back in time to avoid its claws and blasted it with his rifle.<span style=""> </span>More and more of the demons tried to take a swing at him, and a few of their claws sliced into the simulated flesh around his robot form.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire knew that it was time to retreat or else be destroyed.<span style=""> </span>He took off, fire from his engines burning some of the demons around him.<span style=""> </span>He dodged the fire and plasma balls thrown at him and then transformed.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He had whittled down the odds a little, but there were far too many of the aliens for a single Maximal to take on all by himself.<span style=""> </span>He would have to hope that the humanoids had the firepower to drive the demons back, or at least halt their advance.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire thought about the humanoids and about the humans he had encountered as an Autobot on Earth.<span style=""> </span>They were much the same in appearance and attitude.<span style=""> </span>He had found the humans on Earth to be brave and honorable fighters, and hoped that these humanoids were the same.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He came over their territory again, and noticed a much smaller horde of humanoids working on setting up trenches and other fortifications near the pond where Skyfire had crashed only hours before.<span style=""> </span>He landed behind their lines and transformed.<span style=""> </span>He saw Jalen directing the troops and went over to her.<span style=""> </span>“I did what I could, but there are still a lot of them heading this way.<span style=""> </span>Can you hold them here?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen looked at him and shook her head sadly, “There’s not a chance.<span style=""> </span>Most of our firepower is thousands of miles away on the southern front.<span style=""> </span>There hasn’t been much activity around here lately, so we moved it south to protect that area.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got some lifters going to the front to try and get some heavy weapons, but it’ll be two days at least before they’re back.<span style=""> </span>Until then, we’re on our own.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire looked around and saw that there were only a handful of larger artillery cannons.<span style=""> </span>The rest of the firepower the humanoids had were the few hundred troops on the line with their small laser rifles.<span style=""> </span>With the massive demon horde on its way, he knew that it was going to be a slaughter.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“If you can’t hold them, then why are you here?<span style=""> </span>A last stand is a useless gesture,” Skyfire protested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t hold them, but we can slow them down.<span style=""> </span>A fighting retreat is the best strategy we can use at the moment.<span style=""> </span>Try and slowly wear them down until reinforcements arrive.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see, however, you’re only going to wear yourselves down.<span style=""> </span>They don’t get tired, they’re relentless.<span style=""> </span>The best thing you can do is to try and hide and wait for reinforcements.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks for the suggestion, but we can’t just let these things run loose on the planet.<span style=""> </span>You’ve seen what happens to the territory they control.<span style=""> </span>Before the demons came, that land was productive and lush, now it’s a wasteland.<span style=""> </span>They destroy everything in their path, including the environment.<span style=""> </span>I won’t add more land to that wasteland if I can help it.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire could see that he wasn’t going to accomplish anything, so he gave up on the argument.<span style=""> </span>One thing he had always hated in humanoids was their stubborness and gross deviations from logic.<span style=""> </span>His friend Prowl had always said, “These humans are completely baffling.<span style=""> </span>They see the most logical course of action and they seem to purposely do the exact opposite.<span style=""> </span>They are impossible beings.”<span style=""> </span>Right now, Skyfire had to agree with him.<span style=""> </span>He checked the charge in his rifle and then went up to the line.<span style=""> </span>It took some work for him to get down enough for the fortifications to do some good, but he was finally able to do it.<span style=""> </span>The only thing worrying him now was that he wouldn’t have the energon for the running fight the humans intended in his Ultra Combat mode.<span style=""> </span>He would have to fight in his normal mode then.<span style=""> </span>He looked at the line of humanoids in their dull gray body armor and helmets and knew that if those plasma balls could crack his armor, they would easily tear through the humanoids’s.<span style=""> </span>He readied himself and hoped that it didn’t come to that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It took the aliens over two hours to come within sight of the human line.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire, with sensors superior to anything the humanoids possessed, saw them first.<span style=""> </span>“Here they come!”<span style=""> </span>He shouted down the line.<span style=""> </span>He heard something brush the dirt nearby and turned his head to see that Jalen had taken up a position next to him.<span style=""> </span>She held a rifle in her hands and aimed it towards where the demons were.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m going to make sure you don’t betray us.<span style=""> </span>If you do, I’ll kill you,” Jalen hissed.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire doubted that her weapon could destroy him, but he didn’t bother to bring up the point.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I won’t betray you.<span style=""> </span>I told you that I am not one of them.<span style=""> </span>I want them destroyed just as much as you do.”<span style=""> </span>He stuck his rifle over the fortification and fired a few rounds.<span style=""> </span>He saw a few small explosions, but he doubted that he had done much.<span style=""> </span>The humanoids’s weapons were smaller and didn’t have the range, so they held their fire.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire waited and could see the first of the demons were breaking into a run.<span style=""> </span>The small pink ones were in the lead, the larger pink ones and brown spiny ones behind them to provide fire support.<span style=""> </span>Then in the back were what remained of the larger demons, ready to mix it up with the defenders once they were engaged.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire could see the problem there.<span style=""> </span>Once the humanoids began fighting, the larger demons would storm their positions.<span style=""> </span>What was worse was that when the humanoids tried to run, the demons would use the opportunity to pound them with fireballs, plasma balls, missiles, and any other long-range weapons.<span style=""> </span>In short, it was going to be a slaughter.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You have to get out of here, it’s a trap!”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t just run.<span style=""> </span>We haven’t even fought them yet!”<span style=""> </span>Jalen protested.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“See how they’re positioned?<span style=""> </span>They’ll pulverize you with their long-range weapons if you try to run.<span style=""> </span>If you move now, you can still retreat without enormous casualties.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen looked down the line of troops and nodded slowly.<span style=""> </span>“I’ll evacuate most of my men, but I have to leave a squad behind to cover the withdrawal.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No need.<span style=""> </span>I’ll hold them off.<span style=""> </span>Just get your people out of here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We can’t leave you by yourself, you’ll be killed!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No I won’t.<span style=""> </span>Please, trust me.<span style=""> </span>Now go.”<span style=""> </span>He commanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you,” she whispered and then began moving down the line to order the retreat.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire knew that it wouldn’t be long until the aliens would be in range.<span style=""> </span>He stood up and fired off a few more shots from his rifle.<span style=""> </span>Then he scrambled over to where Jalen was issuing orders to the last of her troops.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Do you have any explosive devices?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure, we have some grenades and stuff.<span style=""> </span>Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know how to distract them.<span style=""> </span>Just put some in a pile and then get out of here real fast.”<span style=""> </span>Jalen nodded and had some of her troops pile up about fifty grenades.<span style=""> </span>Then she climbed into a hovertruck and left at top speed.<span style=""> </span>“Beast mode.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire transformed and picked up several of the grenades in his talons.<span style=""> </span>He took off and flew towards the demons.<span style=""> </span>As he neared their front line he dropped a pair of the grenades.<span style=""> </span>He continued over the line and dropped more.<span style=""> </span>Some of the demons turned upwards and hurled fireballs at him.<span style=""> </span>He deftly avoided them and finished dropping the grendades.<span style=""> </span>Then he glided back and took more.<span style=""> </span>He swooped back down on the demons and dropped more grenades.<span style=""> </span>A plasma ball singed a few of his tail feathers and as he headed back for the last of the grenades he could see that they were closing on the fortifications the humanoids had set up.<span style=""> </span>They were still not out of range yet; he had to buy them more time.<span style=""> </span>He scooped up the last grenades and dropped them all along the fortified line.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>None of the grenades were armed yet, but that was about to change.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire turned back towards the demons.<span style=""> </span>They were expecting him this time, but they weren’t expecting what he was about to do.<span style=""> </span>He sent out a signal and instantly all the grenades were armed.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, Maximize!<span style=""> </span>Ultra Combat mode.”<span style=""> </span>He transformed and then rocketed out of the area, leaving a few missiles in his wake.<span style=""> </span>He landed a few miles away and could see explosions ripping along the demon line.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good work, Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>We’re all clear,” Jalen told him over the radio.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He was about to reply, but suddenly felt weak and fell to his knees.<span style=""> </span>“Energon level critical.<span style=""> </span>Transform to beast mode and recharge immediately or stasis lock is imminent,” a computerized voice said.<span style=""> </span>He was going to comply, but something slammed him in the back.<span style=""> </span>He fell forward and rolled to his side just as a large clawed hand smashed down to where he had been.<span style=""> </span>He got to his feet and saw that one of the large brown demons with a missile launcher on its hand was the one attacking him.<span style=""> </span>It must be out of missiles or damaged, he thought, quickly stepping aside as the demon swung at him with its useless launcher.<span style=""> </span>There was nothing he could really do against the big alien:<span style=""> </span>he was low on energon, out of missiles, and his rifle was out of charge.<span style=""> </span>The demon landed a blow to his ride side, sending him back to the ground. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He could try and transform to beast mode, but he had to get clear to take off.<span style=""> </span>He knew that he had to fight it.<span style=""> </span>As the demon came for him he lashed out with his right leg and kicked one of its beefy hocks.<span style=""> </span>As it recoiled in pain he pushed himself up with his left hand and got to his feet.<span style=""> </span>He quickly landed a blow to the thing’s head with his right fist and another with his left.<span style=""> </span>Then he kicked it in the midsection with his right foot.<span style=""> </span>The demond toppled over and went unconscious.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire didn’t want to leave it alive and looked for some way to kill the beast.<span style=""> </span>He spotted a tree and ripped it out of the ground.<span style=""> </span>He hefted it over his head and brought it down on the demon’s head.<span style=""> </span>After several times the head cracked open and Skyfire knew that it was dead.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Now he had to get it to the humanoid’s base.<span style=""> </span>If he could study it he might be able to find something he could use against the demons.<span style=""> </span>“Beast mode.”<span style=""> </span>He transformed and tried grabbing it in his claws.<span style=""> </span>It was too heavy and he knew the only way was to transform and use his boosters.<span style=""> </span>He reluctantly transformed into Ultra Combat mode and picked the demon up in his arms.<span style=""> </span>Then he shot into the air and flew towards the humanoid base.<span style=""> </span>“Stasis lock in two cycles,” the computerized voice told him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire could feel himself getting weak, but the humanoid base was nearby.<span style=""> </span>With a cycle to go he landed and a piece of the ground opened up to reveal an elevator.<span style=""> </span>He dragged the demon onto the elevator and collapsed on top of it.<span style=""> </span>The elevator ground downwards and Skyfire saw Jalen rush over to him.<span style=""> </span>“What happened?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I...I brought...a sample.<span style=""> </span>Begin...autopsy,” Skyfire answered weakly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“An autopsy?<span style=""> </span>Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Study it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Fine.<span style=""> </span>I’ll have some people get it to the lab and then I’ll open it up.<span style=""> </span>Now what about you?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Need...energon.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We don’t have any energon.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Subsitute...a...power source.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong with him,” Altos demanded with a sneer on his face.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s out of power.<span style=""> </span>Have a crew bring a lifter recharge unit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I still don’t trust him.<span style=""> </span>We should leave him here before he does more damage.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How much more proof of his loyalty do you need?<span style=""> </span>He destroyed a good portion of the demon attack force by himself.<span style=""> </span>He bought us time to retreat.<span style=""> </span>He’s done nothing but sacrifice himself for us.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“But...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“But nothing!<span style=""> </span>That’s an order.”<span style=""> </span>Altos growled under his breath and walked away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Beast...mode,” Skyfire said quietly and transformed into his eagle mode.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen stroked the feathers on his head and said quietly, “We’ll help you, I promise.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re getting too attached to that damned thing,” Altos snarled as he returned with a pair of technicians.<span style=""> </span>The technicians had brought a hovercart loaded with a recharge unit for the humanoid lifters.<span style=""> </span>They unhooked a cord and Skyfire opened and access port on his breast.<span style=""> </span>The hose was a tight fit, but it stayed on.<span style=""> </span>The technicians charged the unit and power began flowing into Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>He stiffened and twitched in pain from the transfer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong?”<span style=""> </span>Jalen asked him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Filters...having trouble...handling power.<span style=""> </span>I’ll...be...fine.”<span style=""> </span>His filters had converted some of the power into energon and he could feel himself getting stronger.<span style=""> </span>After three minutes he motioned for them to stop.<span style=""> </span>“That’s all I need for a little while.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He tried to transform, but the computerized voice said, “Circuitry damage.<span style=""> </span>Remain in beast mode until repairs complete.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>A messenger arrived at that moment and told Jalen, “We’ve got the demon in the lab.<span style=""> </span>Guards are posted outside just in case it’s still alive.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire and I will begin the autopsy.<span style=""> </span>Altos,<span style=""> </span>call our scouts and see what the demons are up to.”<span style=""> </span>Altos nodded and left.<span style=""> </span>Jalen strode towards the lab, Skyfire flying slowly over her.<span style=""> </span>Then went into the lab and guards sealed the doors behind them.<span style=""> </span>“Why don’t you do that thing you do?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t transform.<span style=""> </span>That power you gave me was a little unstable.<span style=""> </span>I have to remain in this mode until the circuitry it damaged is repaired.<span style=""> </span>You go ahead and cut into it.<span style=""> </span>I’ll watch from here.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was perched up on a shelf where he could see the monitors set up around the demon’s body.<span style=""> </span>Jalen nodded and picked up a scalpel.<span style=""> </span>She carefully cut into it and inserted an instrument that shot a probe into the demon.<span style=""> </span>The probe moved through the creature’s blood stream, mapping its systems.<span style=""> </span>“Everything looks pretty normal.<span style=""> </span>No missing organs.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Except for its brain, which we could have been able to examine if you hadn’t smashed the thing’s skull.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry, there was no other way.<span style=""> </span>What are you doing now?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire watched as Jalen typed some commands into a keyboard on a computer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m telling the probe to do a cell count.<span style=""> </span>It will give us a better idea of what this thing is made of.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire nodded in understanding and watched as the drawing the computer had made of the demon from the probe’s data began to fill out in more detail.<span style=""> </span>After a few minutes the probe finished and the results were displayed on the monitor.<span style=""> </span>“Looks pretty normal.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>Wait, I think I see something.<span style=""> </span>Don’t you think its white blood cell count is pretty low?”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re right.<span style=""> </span>It must not have much of an immune system.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Exactly.<span style=""> </span>So if we could infect these things with a disease, not one that is lethal to your people, we could destroy them all.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A disease would take too long to spread and be effective.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No it wouldn’t.<span style=""> </span>Anything over a cold will paralyze these things in short order, because their systems will be too weak to produce enough antibodies to effectively fight the disease.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You may be right.<span style=""> </span>I think I have just the thing.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There was a disease called hiffonitis that used to be lethal.<span style=""> </span>It caused intense fever, joint aches, nausea, and eventually death.<span style=""> </span>We developed a vaccine for it about two decades ago.<span style=""> </span>Best of all, the disease can be spread airborne.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Excellent.<span style=""> </span>All you have to do is to vaccinate your people and develop large quantities of the disease that can be spread by the air.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What about you?<span style=""> </span>You don’t sound like you want to stay.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can’t fight.<span style=""> </span>I’m too weak.<span style=""> </span>I have to try and find a better power source so I can get the power to get into space.<span style=""> </span>Maybe I can find a ship somewhere and make my way home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’ll always have a home here, Skyfire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thank-you, but I can’t stay here.<span style=""> </span>Cybertron is my home, and it always has been.<span style=""> </span>Even when I was on Earth or exploring other parts of space, it was always the place that I would call home.<span style=""> </span>I have to go back.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“In that case, I think I have something that can help you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll show you,” Jalen said and led Skyfire out of the lab.<span style=""> </span>They went through a long, winding corridor that led underground.<span style=""> </span>The walls were built of stone, and Skyfire knew the area had to have been constructed long ago.<span style=""> </span>They stopped at a large door and Jalen punched in a code.<span style=""> </span>The door groaned open and they went into a dark cavern.<span style=""> </span>Jalen hit a button and dim lights turned on.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared in awe at the massive orange object before him.<span style=""> </span>It was a starship!<span style=""> </span>And not just any starship, it was an Autobot ship.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three - The Return<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Where did you find this?”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire demanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You recognize this thing?”<span style=""> </span>Jalen asked in surprise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s an Autobot ship.<span style=""> </span>It is from Cybertron.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It crashed here fifty years ago.<span style=""> </span>No one touched it, because they didn’t know what it was and it has some kind of defensive mechanisms that activate weapons if anyone gets near it.<span style=""> </span>So we left it sealed in here until someone could figure out how to deactivate the defenses.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can.<span style=""> </span>Just stand back.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I thought you were a Maximal.<span style=""> </span>This is an Autobot ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I was an Autobot long ago.”<span style=""> </span>Jalen nodded and then stepped back to the door.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire moved forward until he was at the edge of what he knew the perimeter for the ship was.<span style=""> </span>“Deactivate defense grid.<span style=""> </span>Access code VLK1479.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Code acknowledged.<span style=""> </span>Defense grid deactivated.”<span style=""> </span>A computerized voice told Skyfire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s all clear,” he told Jalen.<span style=""> </span>Then he went to the ship’s side hatch and opened it.<span style=""> </span>He flew into the dark ship and wondered how much power the ship still had.<span style=""> </span>He amplified his sensors to nightvision mode and looked around. <span style=""> </span>He spotted the ship’s engineering station and moved towards it.<span style=""> </span>He wished he could transform, but was able to use his talons to activate the engineering station’s computer.<span style=""> </span>It told him that the ship had taken a lot of damage, but was still able to fly and was still mostly powered.<span style=""> </span>He pecked a button with his beak and lights came on in the ship.<span style=""> </span>He looked around and gasped in surprise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sprawled on the deck were 5 of his former Autobot comrades.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack, Grapple, Skids, Perceptor, and Beachcomber were in various positions.<span style=""> </span>His fluids nearly froze when he also saw the Decepticon Shockwave lying near Beachcomber’s body.<span style=""> </span>“Do you know them?”<span style=""> </span>Jalen asked him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, I knew them.<span style=""> </span>They were an exploratory crew.<span style=""> </span>I was supposed to go with them, but there was some Decepticon activity and I was sent to help deal with it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good thing, huh?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>Now I can reactivate them.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire checked the engineering station and was glad to see that the ship had been a newer model that had a restoration chamber instead of an old-fashioned repair bay.<span style=""> </span>The restoration chamber was an older model than ones used on Maximal ships, but it worked nearly the same.<span style=""> </span>A few pecks and the chamber became operational.<span style=""> </span>“I must complete repairs and recharge.<span style=""> </span>Then I can help my friends.<span style=""> </span>In the meantime, you can work on getting that disease ready and vaccines distributed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Right.<span style=""> </span>I hope your friends are all right,” Jalen said as she left.<span style=""> </span>So do I, Skyfire thought gloomily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen was in the lab cloning vaccines and getting them ready to distribute when she heard the door open.<span style=""> </span>She thought it was Skyfire, but was surprised when it was Altos.<span style=""> </span>“What is it?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I finished contacting our units.<span style=""> </span>They’re all ready to go.<span style=""> </span>Five minutes after you’ve spread the hiffonitis we’ll move in.<span style=""> </span>We should catch them weak and unable to fight.<span style=""> </span>Where is the robot?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I showed Skyfire the artifact.<span style=""> </span>It turns out that it was a ship from his home planet.<span style=""> </span>He’s using some of the equipment to repair himself and his friends.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Are you insane?<span style=""> </span>You let that monster recharge and repair others like him?<span style=""> </span>They’ll destroy us for sure!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No they won’t.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire just wants to get home, he doesn’t want to take over Dexos.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You trust him far too much.<span style=""> </span>I will report what you have done to the Council of Leaders and they will revoke your command.<span style=""> </span>Then I will make sure that the robot and his friends are destroyed.”<span style=""> </span>Altos moved to the door, but Jalen stood in his way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“He’s done nothing but help us.<span style=""> </span>I won’t let you hurt him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You don’t have a choice,” Altos lunged at her, but Jalen ducked and his punched slammed into the door.<span style=""> </span>Jalen slammed her left fist into his midsection, sending him reeling backwards.<span style=""> </span>She kicked him in the face with her left foot and he was sent sprawling to the deck.<span style=""> </span>He lay there panting for a few moments, and then heaved himself to his feet.<span style=""> </span>He charged at Jalen and his left fist hit her in the face.<span style=""> </span>She stumbled backwards and he came back at her, but this time she ducked under the blow.<span style=""> </span>She grabbed his back and slammed him into the door and then pushed him to the deck.<span style=""> </span>The door opened and the guards stationed outside the lab came in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is something wrong?”<span style=""> </span>One guard asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Take him away,” Jalen commanded and wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.<span style=""> </span>The guards nodded and got Altos to his feet.<span style=""> </span>They marched him from the lab and towards a holding cell.<span style=""> </span>Jalen turned back to work, hoping that her faith in Skyfire was justified.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The restoration chamber opened up and Skyfire emerged from it in his robot mode.<span style=""> </span>He looked around him and wondered who he should help first.<span style=""> </span>The chamber could only hold two at a time, so he would have to put his comrades into it in cycles.<span style=""> </span>He decided that Wheeljack and Grapple would be needed first for their engineering skills.<span style=""> </span>That way they could work on the ship while the others were being repaired.<span style=""> </span>He looked down at Shockwave and wondered what to do with his old nemesis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He knew that he should just destroy him while he had the chance.<span style=""> </span>Shockwave was a Decepticon and would be nothing but trouble if he was reactivated.<span style=""> </span>Still, Skyfire was a Maximal and had vowed to uphold Maximal virtues.<span style=""> </span>Killing an enemy that could not fight back was dishonorable.<span style=""> </span>He decided to just leave the Decepticon deactivated until they got back to Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>Then he could be reactivated and taken back to his comrades.<span style=""> </span>That settled, he grabbed Wheeljack and Grapple and dragged them into the restoration chamber.<span style=""> </span>Then he activated it and left the ship.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He found Jalen in the lab and checked on her progress.<span style=""> </span>“I’m finished with the vaccines.<span style=""> </span>They’re en route to our troops.<span style=""> </span>Now I just have to replicate enough of the hiffonitis to be effective against the demons,” she replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>What exactly is your plan of attack?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I plan on having a lifter drop the disease in and then after a few minutes my troops will move in and hit them while they’re weak.<span style=""> </span>I was figuring on having you escort the lifter and help with the mop-up operation once the hiffonitis has been delivered.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That seems like a sound plan.<span style=""> </span>When do we launch?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“In about two hours...”<span style=""> </span>The doors to the lab opened and a messenger ran in, ashen-faced.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Commander, our units are under attack by the demons!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What?<span style=""> </span>How is that possible?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>Our unit commanders report that the demons are storming their positions, charging them with an intense fury.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen whirled towards Skyfire, tears in her eyes.<span style=""> </span>“You told them!<span style=""> </span>You traitor, I trusted you!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, I did not tell them anything.<span style=""> </span>They must have found out some other way.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why should I believe you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I have not betrayed you so far.<span style=""> </span>Why would I start?<span style=""> </span>Also, I had access to my ship.<span style=""> </span>If I wanted to, I could have used it to destroy this entire facility.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jalen pondered what Skyfire had said and then nodded slowly.<span style=""> </span>“You’re right.<span style=""> </span>You could have killed us all long ago and you didn’t.<span style=""> </span>I’m sorry.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The question remains:<span style=""> </span>how did they find your troops?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>We’ll find out later.<span style=""> </span>Right now, though, we’ve got to help them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, I agree.<span style=""> </span>However, I believe we should stick to the original plan.<span style=""> </span>All that has really changed now is the site of the battle.<span style=""> </span>Finish with your work and send that lifter out.<span style=""> </span>We might be able to push the demons back so that we can get them all at once.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Right.<span style=""> </span>Where will you be?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll go and help.<span style=""> </span>What about the transports you sent to deliver the vaccines?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’re sitting ducks.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No they aren’t.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire quickly left the lab and went up the elevator to the surface.<span style=""> </span>He transformed into Ultra Combat mode and streaked towards the mountains, where the battle was taking place.<span style=""> </span>He only hoped he was in time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Lieutenant Naf looked down at the demons rushing towards his platoon’s position and knew that he and his troops were done for.<span style=""> </span>They were running low on ammunition after fending off wave after wave of brown spiny demons called imps and the small pink ones.<span style=""> </span>Now the large ones with missile launchers on their arms, called cyberdemons, were storming up the hill at the weakened platoon.<span style=""> </span>Naf fired his rifle at the trio of cyberdemons coming towards him and the trooper next to him hurled a grenade.<span style=""> </span>The grenade sent one cyberdemon rolling down the hill, but the other two kept coming.<span style=""> </span>They opened fire with their missile launchers, and rock rained onto the two soldiers as the missiles hit just over their position.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Naf pushed some rock aside and saw the cyberdemons were nearly on top of him.<span style=""> </span>He wanted to run, but he was pinned down by the fallen debris.<span style=""> </span>As one cyberdemon was about to send a missile crashing into his body, something tore into it and it toppled over.<span style=""> </span>Naf looked around for his savior and saw a shape flying past him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sillhouetted against the sun like an avenging angel, Skyfire blasted the demons with his weapons.<span style=""> </span>Fiery tongues mowed down the demons’s front line charging up the mountain and sent them careening into the others below.<span style=""> </span>Naf shouted a cry of joy as he watched the spectacle.<span style=""> </span>The Maximal grimly finished his task and transformed to beast mode, perching himself on a rock near Naf.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s just their first wave.<span style=""> </span>More will be coming soon.<span style=""> </span>In the meantime, three transports are coming in loaded with hiffonitis vaccines.<span style=""> </span>Make sure everyone is innoculated,” Skyfire said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A lifter carrying a load of that disease is going to spread it over the area to try and weaken, if not kill, the demons.<span style=""> </span>Unless you want to die, make sure to inject yourself with the vaccine.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I got it.”<span style=""> </span>The transports rose towards the mountains and landed on a more level area and delivered their cargo.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire made sure he flew over the mountains, using his sensors to make sure all the humanoid troops were cared for.<span style=""> </span>He could not, however, determine where the main demon force was hiding.<span style=""> </span>He knew that the first strike had been a probe to find out the positions and strength of the humanoids.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was a standard military maneuver, but the demons did not use military maneuvers.<span style=""> </span>That meant that someone had to be directing their efforts.<span style=""> </span>When he had rescued the Matrix, the demons had been led by a mechanical spider, but Optimus Primal had taken care of him.<span style=""> </span>There had to be someone else in charge now, but who or what it was he couldn’t even guess at.<span style=""> </span>He perched on the limb of a scraggly tree on the mountain and stared out at the valley below.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It had once been lush, but the fighting had turned it into a wasteland.<span style=""> </span>The mountains themselves were devoid of life, save for a few goats and other creatures.<span style=""> </span>The view was nice and he knew that Beachcomber would really appreciate it.<span style=""> </span>Thinking of his friends he began to feel lonely.<span style=""> </span>Since Optimus and Tigatron had left he had not been able to talk to any of his own kind.<span style=""> </span>He had only talked to humanoids, and of them, only Jalen had stood by him.<span style=""> </span>Even when others, like Altos, were telling her that he was a traitor she remained convinced that he was for their cause.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire stopped, his circuits running cold as realization hit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Altos was the one directing the demons!<span style=""> </span>That’s why he had been so opposed to his prescence, because he knew that he could help Jalen stop the demons.<span style=""> </span>He would also know where the humanoid troops were and would have knowledge of the tactics the demons were using.<span style=""> </span>Worse yet, he knew about the hiffonitis.<span style=""> </span>The hiffonitis that was still in the humanoid base...</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire transformed to Ultra Combat mode and rushed over to where the humanoid troops were.<span style=""> </span>“You must return to base immediately!<span style=""> </span>The demons are going to destroy it!”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shouted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How do you know that?”<span style=""> </span>Naf asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Just trust me.<span style=""> </span>They used this attack to cover up their real intentions:<span style=""> </span>to wipe out your command center and destroy the lifter carrying the hiffonitis before it could be used.<span style=""> </span>We must hurry to stop them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Right.<span style=""> </span>Everyone, we’ve got to get out of here!”<span style=""> </span>Naf shouted.<span style=""> </span>The troops began to jump into the transports and filled them past capacity.<span style=""> </span>They formed up and lifted off.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Roll out!”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire shouted as he streaked towards base.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What the hell does that mean?”<span style=""> </span>Naf asked someone next to him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Who knows?<span style=""> </span>Must be a robot thing,” the soldier next to him said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Commander, our sensors are down!”<span style=""> </span>An officer shouted and Jalen ran over to see what he was talking about.<span style=""> </span>All the sensors were off-line, leaving them completely blind.<span style=""> </span>That could only mean one thing:<span style=""> </span>the demons were nearby.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ve got to evacuate at once.<span style=""> </span>Is that lifter ready yet?”<span style=""> </span>Jalen asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, sir.<span style=""> </span>They’re still loading the hiffonitis cannisters.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>Order all troops up to the surface.<span style=""> </span>We’ve got to buy some time to get that lifter ready.”<span style=""> </span>The officer nodded and a messenger handed a report to Jalen.<span style=""> </span>Two guards were found dead in the brig and Altos had escaped.<span style=""> </span>The weird part was that an enormous hole had been blown open in his door.<span style=""> </span>“Have a squad search for Altos.<span style=""> </span>I do not want him to escape.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was then that a message came over the radio.<span style=""> </span>“Jalen, this is Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>The demons are heading your way.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I figured that when our sensors went down.<span style=""> </span>I’m having our troops engage them to buy some time while that lifter is prepared.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The rest of your soldiers are en route.<span style=""> </span>There’s something else you should know.<span style=""> </span>Altos is...”<span style=""> </span>The transmission broke off as something sped through the room and smashed into the radio.<span style=""> </span>Shrapnel flew through the room, killing all in its path.<span style=""> </span>Jalen was thrown to the ground and when she looked up she saw Altos standing over her, a smile on his face.<span style=""> </span>She tried to move, but her right leg was trapped.<span style=""> </span>A brief look around told her that no one else was alive.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you doing?”<span style=""> </span>She demanded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m ending this right now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Your robot pal was about to tell you that I’m the head of the demons.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s absurd!<span style=""> </span>How could you...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He motioned for her to be silent and then said, “He’s right.<span style=""> </span>I am.<span style=""> </span>A few years ago a patrol I was in was captured.<span style=""> </span>The demons devoured the rest of my patrol and took me to their base as a sacrifice.<span style=""> </span>However, their leader had other ideas.<span style=""> </span>He decided that I should be made into one of them and then returned as a spy.<span style=""> </span>After the robot and some of his friends killed our leader, the other demons were unable to do anything.<span style=""> </span>They were mindless drones with no one to guide them until I tapped into their neural network.<span style=""> </span>Since I still had my human brain I was easily able to manipulate the others to do my bidding.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So now you’re going to destroy our base before we can wipe you out with the hiffonitis.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Exactly.<span style=""> </span>And then after we’re done, I’ll go to the Council of Leaders as the only survivor of the attack.<span style=""> </span>I think you know what will happen next.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’ll destroy us from the inside out.<span style=""> </span>You bastard!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe.<span style=""> </span>Now then, we must get to the hangar.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure I’ve given that birdbrain friend of yours enough time to get here.”<span style=""> </span>Altos hefted her to her feet and slung her over his shoulder.<span style=""> </span>He quickly sprinted to the hangar through the abandoned corridors.<span style=""> </span>The lifter was still in the hangar as the last cannisters were transferred.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Altos left Jalen against a support of the hangar and turned towards the lifter.<span style=""> </span>As she watched in horror, Altos’s body began to glow with a yellow light.<span style=""> </span>His flesh seemed to melt away until his entire form was covered in yellow fire.<span style=""> </span>He tucked his arms inward and the lifter crews gaped at him as he gathered up the energy to hurl a fireball at them.<span style=""> </span>He fired, but before the fireball could hit the lifter, a brown and white object appeared and took the shot.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire was hit in the chest and fell heavily to the deck.<span style=""> </span>He rose to his feet, a large black hole in his chest.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Give it up Altos, you cannot win,” Skyfire said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Really?”<span style=""> </span>Altos hissed back in a deep, echoing voice that seemed to come from his entire body.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No.<span style=""> </span>Surrender now and we can avoid more bloodshed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Bloodshed?<span style=""> </span>Like if I, say, killed Jalen?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Do not harm her, Altos or you will pay.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I won’t harm her, if you destroy that lifter and then deactivate your weapons.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire stared at Altos’s fiery body and then looked at Jalen.<span style=""> </span>He knew that if he did not do what Altos said she would die.<span style=""> </span>But if he did do it, then many more would die.<span style=""> </span>“Skyfire, don’t do it!”<span style=""> </span>Jalen shouted.<span style=""> </span>He looked at her again, knowing that she was right.<span style=""> </span>The lives of thousands, even millions of people was more important. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I won’t do it,” Skyfire said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then you will die!”<span style=""> </span>Altos shouted and hurled a fireball at Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>It hit him squarely in the chest and sent him reeling.<span style=""> </span>Another fireball tore his right arm off at the elbow, sending his rifle crashing to the deck.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire fired back with the cannon under his left arm, but Altos ducked and the shot smashed into the back wall of the hangar.<span style=""> </span>Altos returned fire and a fireball nailed Skyfire in the left knee, causing him to lose his balance and fall.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Left leg servos destroyed.<span style=""> </span>Critical system damage.<span style=""> </span>Spark will terminate in four cycles,” a computerized voice told Skyfire as he lay on the deck.<span style=""> </span>He knew that he was finished and saw Altos standing over him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Now I will destroy you, and then I will deal with the lifter.”<span style=""> </span>Altos tucked his arms inward to shoot a fireball, but suddenly pitched forward as three shots tore into his back.<span style=""> </span>The fire around him extinguished, leaving only a broken and blackened lump of flesh.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire managed to sit up and saw Grapple standing near Jalen, a smoking rifle in his hands.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks...Grapple,” Skyfire said wearily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We thought you could use a hand.<span style=""> </span>Turned out we were right,” Grapple replied.<span style=""> </span>Wheeljack appeared next to him and they hurried over to their friend’s side.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What happened?<span style=""> </span>You look like you tried to take on Megatron all by yourself,” Wheeljack commented.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I feel like I did.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well,” Grapple began as he examined Skyfire’s wounds.<span style=""> </span>“I think we can fix you enough to get you to the restoration chamber.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ll have to take you off-line though,” Wheeljack finished.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The lifter...the demons,” Skyfire could feel himself fading, but the demons still had to be stopped.<span style=""> </span>Even with their leader gone they were dangerous.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry,” Jalen told him.<span style=""> </span>“We’ll take care of them.<span style=""> </span>You just let them repair you.”<span style=""> </span>She hopped into the lifter and its crew emerged from their hiding places and climbed aboard.<span style=""> </span>Soon it was streaking through a tunnel to the surface and heading for the battle above as the demons and human soldiers slugged it out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After it had gone, Skyfire sighed, satisfied that the demons would be defeated.<span style=""> </span>“Repair mode,” he said tiredly and blacked out in the arms of his comrades.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Epilogue - The Calm<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire awoke two days later and emerged from the restoration chamber.<span style=""> </span>He was greeted by the five Autobot explorers and Jalen.<span style=""> </span>“What happened?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Once we sprayed the hiffonitis, the demons were weakened and easy to clean up.<span style=""> </span>We’ve sent word to our units all over the planet and they’re going to replicate the disease and vaccines and use it.<span style=""> </span>We have them on the run, thanks to you,” Jalen smiled at him and Skyfire was glad.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“The ship is fully operational and we are ready to depart,” Perceptor told him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We were just waiting for you to come to,” Skids said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks guys,” Skyfire told them, feeling a surge of happiness run through his circuits.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, thank-you.<span style=""> </span>If it weren’t for you, we’d still be off-line,” Wheeljack replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“And we’d still be fighting the demons with a spy in our midst,” Jalen added.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re all welcome.<span style=""> </span>I suppose it’s time to leave now.<span style=""> </span>Could I have a moment alone with Jalen?”<span style=""> </span>The Autobots nodded and Skyfire was left alone with the humanoid.<span style=""> </span>“I guess this is good-bye.<span style=""> </span>It has been an honor fighting with you against this menace.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’ve been invaluable to me, Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>I really hate to lose you.<span style=""> </span>But you have to get back home.<span style=""> </span>I’ll miss you.”<span style=""> </span>She stopped and then said, “Bend over.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Get down on the deck.”<span style=""> </span>Skyfire complied and with some doing, Jalen kissed him on the mouth.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks for everything you’ve done for us.<span style=""> </span>No one on Dexos will ever forget you.<span style=""> </span>And when you get home, be sure to tell your people about us.<span style=""> </span>We’ll be happy to welcome any Maximals who want to visit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I will, I promise.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>That being settled, I’ll leave you so you can take off.<span style=""> </span>Good luck on your journey, Skyfire.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“And to you.<span style=""> </span>I will not forget you, Jalen.”<span style=""> </span>She nodded and then slowly left the ship, a tear in her eye.<span style=""> </span>Skyfire watched as she disappeared through the door leading to the cavern and then signalled the others it was all clear.<span style=""> </span>They took their stations and Skyfire took the helm.<span style=""> </span>He revved the engines up and then launched the ship through an opening Grapple and Wheeljack had created.<span style=""> </span>The ship rose higher and higher into the air and Jalen watched it leave from the surface.<span style=""> </span>Soon it was just a faint light in the night sky and then it disappeared for good.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>On the ship, Beachcomber turned to Skyfire.<span style=""> </span>“We’ve got two questions for you.<span style=""> </span>Why did she call you Skyfire and what is a Maximal?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Skyfire laughed as he put the ship on a course for Cybertron.<span style=""> </span>“It’s a long story.<span style=""> </span>And since we’ve got about fifty years before we reach Cybertron, I’ll tell it to you.<span style=""> </span>See, after the Great War, there became two groups, the Maximals and the Predacons...” </p> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Skyfire Adventures continue in Mutations...<br /></span></span>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328605965557729627.post-51668970127972594702007-06-13T07:28:00.000-07:002009-03-09T10:06:41.105-07:00Voyager: Departure<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: I don't remember much about this, except it focuses on a made-up character who somehow returns to Earth before the </o:p><o:p>USS Voyager</o:p><o:p style="font-style: italic;"> and plots to destroy them.</o:p><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i style="">Voyager</i>:<span style=""> </span>Departure</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Author’s Note:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">While the Stardates read 52xxx, the story itself only takes into account events only until the end of the Third Season (“Scorpion Part 1”).</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Prologue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Starfleet Headquarters</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>, Earth</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Stardate 58560.4</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then you are telling us, Ensign Uller, that you are the only survivor of the U.S.S. <i style="">Voyager</i> that disappeared nearly eleven years ago?”<span style=""> </span>Admiral Chris Horton fixed his icy blue gaze on the thirty-three year old man in the seat in the center of the room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir.<span style=""> </span>I was the only one able to escape before the ship was destroyed in the attack.<span style=""> </span>I got into a shuttle and was picked up later by a Barbalian cruiser.<span style=""> </span>In exchange for some information and Federation technology I was given one of their courier ships to return home in.<span style=""> </span>The trans-warp capability of the ship knocked considerable time off my journey.<span style=""> </span>However, I was able to reach the Alpha Quadrant only after discovering a wormhole.<span style=""> </span>I found myself stuck behind enemy lines, until a task force arrived to help me escape.<span style=""> </span>I was escorted here for debriefing,” Ensign Brad Uller replied, matching Horton’s gaze.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Do you have any proof to back this extraordinary tale?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I only have the logs I made after I escaped <i style="">Voyager</i>’s destruction.<span style=""> </span>Everything else was destroyed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So you have nothing to corroborate this?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Only the word of a Federation officer, which was enough when I left the Alpha Quadrant fourteen years ago.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Very well, then.<span style=""> </span>You’ve given us a considerable amount of information to chew on.<span style=""> </span>We will resume this debriefing at 0900 hours tomorrow,” Horton announced and everyone stood to leave.<span style=""> </span>Uller walked back to his room, wondering if the Federation officers really believed him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Later that night, Horton was sitting in his office, staring at the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city> skyline in the early morning darkness.<span style=""> </span>He was surprised when his door opened and turned to see who dared to invade his privacy at so early in the morning.<span style=""> </span>“This had better be good,” he said harshly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Oh, it is,” a cold voice called from the shadows.<span style=""> </span>The end of a phaser appeared in the light, but shadows were still cast over the visitor’s features.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Horton didn’t need to see the visitor to know who it was.<span style=""> </span>“Don’t be stupid Brad, you’ll never get away with this.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It will work as well as assigning me to <i style="">Voyager</i> was eleven years ago.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You needed to be taught a lesson.<span style=""> </span>You were too hungry for power, you had to learn that life takes a lot of hard work.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I was destined for command!<span style=""> </span>I should have been assigned here or on a Galaxy-class ship, not some pathetic little scout ship in the middle of nowhere.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I knew that on Voyager you would learn the values of work and cooperation.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So you thought putting me on that little fleabag ship would discipline me?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes.<span style=""> </span>I thought it would help you understand how things really work, maybe toughen you up a little.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Oh, it did that all right.<span style=""> </span>It gave me a lot of time to think about how to pay you back.<span style=""> </span>And now I know exactly how I will do it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re crazy, Brad.<span style=""> </span>Intelligence will perform a thorough investigation and find out what you did.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’ll find exactly what I want them to find.<span style=""> </span>They’ll find this phaser, a few molecular remnants, and a suicide note with your name on it.<span style=""> </span>Poor Admiral Horton just couldn’t take the strain of the losing war against the Klingons and the Dominion.<span style=""> </span>What a pity.”<span style=""> </span>Uller stepped forward and sat on the edge of Horton’s desk.<span style=""> </span>He motioned for Horton to stand up and then sat in his chair.<span style=""> </span>Then he signaled for Horton to sit in the chair across from the desk.<span style=""> </span>“Now then, there is some unfinished business to take care off first.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What do you mean?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m going to tell you the real story of what happened on <i style="">Voyager</i> and how I got here.<span style=""> </span>That way you can go to your grave knowing just how disciplined I was.”<span style=""> </span>Uller leaned back in his chair, keeping the phaser leveled at Horton’s chest.<span style=""> </span>Then he began telling his story.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style="">Chapter</b> <b style="">One</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">U.S.S. <i style="">Voyager</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Delta Quadrant</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Stardate 52341.8</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller took a last look at the green planet below and saw the chances of him getting home slipping away with the planet as the <i style="">Voyager</i> went to warp.<span style=""> </span>He turned to the companion at his table in the mess hall, Ensign Jan Schmidt.<span style=""> </span>“So what happened this time?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“From what I heard, the away team went to the surface to trade the goods for the warp drive upgrade, but the captain ordered them beamed back up when she found out that the people we were talking with were going to use those goods to destroy their enemies in their civil war,” Schmidt replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Oh, and we wouldn’t want to interfere in their little civil war, would we?”<span style=""> </span>Uller bit out sarcastically.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong, Brad?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m getting tired is all.<span style=""> </span>I’m tired of every chance we have to get home quicker vaporizing because of some silly complication.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There’s nothing we can do about it.<span style=""> </span>We have to follow Federation principles...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Federation principles be damned!”<span style=""> </span>Uller hissed quietly so no one else would hear him.<span style=""> </span>“We should be doing anything it takes to get home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You sound like one of the Maquis, not a Federation officer.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’re starting to rub off on me.<span style=""> </span>Besides, they’re right.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So what are you going to do about it, take over the ship?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt laughed, but Uller’s face remained impassive.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Exactly,” he replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What?<span style=""> </span>You can’t be serious!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why not?<span style=""> </span>It’s time for someone else to be put in charge, someone who will do what it takes to get us home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“And that would be you, right?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, if you’ll follow me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s not that easy, Brad...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I know that.<span style=""> </span>If we can get just a few of us, though, we can take over and sway others to our side.<span style=""> </span>I know there are other people who are tired of this.<span style=""> </span>They just need someone to give them the courage to take a stand.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Schmidt leaned back in her chair and then replied, “All right, I’ll help you. <span style=""> </span>What do we need to do?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller smiled and answered, “Talk to Jake in security.<span style=""> </span>If we can get him and a couple others on our side we’ll be able to do it.<span style=""> </span>I’ll run this past Diane in engineering.<span style=""> </span>Just don’t tell anyone else, all right?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure thing,”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt took off and Uller sat in his chair, sipping a drink.<span style=""> </span>He knew that Ensign Jake Mathous in security had a crush for Schmidt.<span style=""> </span>He would help if he thought it would win her heart.<span style=""> </span>As for Ensign Diane Combwater in engineering, Uller knew that she would be all too willing to help.<span style=""> </span>Lieutenant Torres had restricted her duties because she had made a mistake that had nearly gotten an away team killed.<span style=""> </span>Ever since, Combwater had been seeking to get back at the engineer.<span style=""> </span>Now was her chance.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller found Combwater in the engine room and motioned for her to meet him in the corridor outside.<span style=""> </span>She nodded and asked, “What’s going on, Brad?<span style=""> </span>I don’t have a lot of time to talk.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is important,” Uller replied.<span style=""> </span>“How would you like to be in charge of the entire engineering department?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’d love to, but there’s no way Torres will just step down and let me take over.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes there is:<span style=""> </span>we forcibly replace her.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A mutiny?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s right.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got Jan on board already, and Jake should be soon.<span style=""> </span>We need you to make it work, though.<span style=""> </span>In exchange for your help I’ll make you chief engineer when I take over.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Combwater smiled and replied, “Sure.<span style=""> </span>Count me in.<span style=""> </span>That’ll teach Torres for punishing me for her mistakes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Her mistakes?”<span style=""> </span>Uller asked with an eyebrow raised.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yeah.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t supposed to check those power conduits for the transporters, she was.<span style=""> </span>She should have spotted that faulty conduit and replaced it before it overloaded.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Don’t worry, she’ll pay for what she did.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“When do we get started?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A couple of days at least.<span style=""> </span>I have to make the plan and get what we need.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>Good luck, Brad.<span style=""> </span>Just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it,” Combwater said and went back into the engine room.<span style=""> </span>Uller smiled and went to his quarters.<span style=""> </span>His shift wasn’t for a few more hours, so he had some time to plan his take-over of the ship.<span style=""> </span>With the personnel he had supporting him he should be able to quickly take over all the key areas of the ship.<span style=""> </span>That wouldn’t mean anything if he couldn’t keep them that way.<span style=""> </span>He punched up a crew roster and thought about who else he could sway to help him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There had to be a lot of other people getting disgruntled after five years of traveling far from home.<span style=""> </span>All he had to do was to get them to see that he could deliver what Janeway couldn’t:<span style=""> </span>he could get them home.<span style=""> </span>If they believed that then he would be successful.<span style=""> </span>If not, then he would spent the rest of the trip in the brig.<span style=""> </span>That was the chance he would have to take, though.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Two Days Later</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It had taken a lot of doing, but Uller had been able to round up fifteen people to help him and get them on the holodeck.<span style=""> </span>He watched them practice the mutiny and smiled as the simulation ended for the third time that day.<span style=""> </span>“Great job.<span style=""> </span>Even in the worst case scenario we can pull it out,” he said and they gathered around him.<span style=""> </span>“We can do anything if we just stick together and work as a team.<span style=""> </span>We can even get home, if we make that our first and only priority.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There were muffled cheers from everyone and Combwater asked, “When do we do it, Brad?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Jake:<span style=""> </span>status on weapons?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can get phasers and phaser rifles for everyone.<span style=""> </span>Jonesie created an override that will give us access to the armory,” Mathous pointed to Ensign Karen Jones, a computer specialist.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great job, Karen.<span style=""> </span>So now that we can get weapons, all we have to do is coordinate things.<span style=""> </span>From the duty roster, the best chance is in three days.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got Harry Kim’s shift, so I’ll be on the bridge.<span style=""> </span>Diane will be in engineering and Jake will be on duty so we can take the weapons and take over the bridge and engineering.<span style=""> </span>The rest of you can help us secure the ship.<span style=""> </span>Jan, you’ll be in charge of pacifying sickbay.<span style=""> </span>Since you’re a science officer, just say you came in to have the Doctor analyze something.<span style=""> </span>Walt and Dennis, you’ll help me take care of the bridge.<span style=""> </span>After we’re done, Denise will take the helm.<span style=""> </span>Everyone got it?”<span style=""> </span>Everyone nodded and Uller smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>Then we’ll begin in three days at 1500 hours.<span style=""> </span>Diane and Jan, make sure to get your phasers from Jake the day before.<span style=""> </span>Be sure to hide them so no one sees them.<span style=""> </span>The rest of you go to the armory at 1455 and Jake will distribute them.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The group broke up and Uller was left alone in the holodeck.<span style=""> </span>Everything was in place, all he had to do was execute the plan.<span style=""> </span>Then he would be in charge of the ship.<span style=""> </span>He hadn’t really thought about what he would do to Janeway and the others once he took over, but he would think about that once he was in command.<span style=""> </span>He left the holodeck and went to the mess hall.<span style=""> </span>As he ate he looked around him and wondered if anyone even suspected a mutiny were in the works.<span style=""> </span>He doubted it.<span style=""> </span>He had made sure that no one had told anyone who wasn’t involved.<span style=""> </span>He didn’t want to take any chance that Tuvok found out what was going on and stopped him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>His heart nearly stopped when the doors opened and he saw Janeway, Kim, and Parris enter the mess hall.<span style=""> </span>Kim saw him and came over.<span style=""> </span>“Thanks a lot for covering my shift for me, Brad,” Kim said, referring to the day Uller had planned his mutiny.<span style=""> </span>Uller was usually the third shift operations officer, but he had agreed to cover for Kim on that day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure thing, Harry.<span style=""> </span>I’m always happy to help out a fellow officer,” Uller replied as cheerfully as he could, secretly savoring the moment when he would be able to stick a phaser in Kim’s face and vaporize him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ve got to go, but thanks again.<span style=""> </span>You busy later?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Ensign Schmidt and I had some plans.<span style=""> </span>Sorry,” Uller lied, dreading to spend another moment near Kim.<span style=""> </span>He noticed Parris motioning Kim to hurry up.<span style=""> </span>“You’d better be going.”<span style=""> </span>Kim nodded and walked away.<span style=""> </span>He joined the others at the table and Uller watched them for a few moments.<span style=""> </span>They were talking animatedly about something.<span style=""> </span>From their faces he knew that they had no idea that he planned to make <i style="">Voyager</i> his in three short days.<span style=""> </span>They don’t even know who I am, he thought.<span style=""> </span>But soon, they will never be able to forget me.<span style=""> </span>He took a bite of his food and kept down a triumphant smile.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">U.S.S. <i style="">Voyager</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Delta Quadrant</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Stardate 52346.3</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">1459 Hours</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stepped onto <i style="">Voyager</i>’s bridge unnoticed by everyone.<span style=""> </span>He quickly strode from the turbolift to the ops station.<span style=""> </span>He looked the station over, checking to make sure that no one was watching him.<span style=""> </span>He quickly slipped his hand to his side and pulled out a black pad he had stuffed into a slit he had cut in his uniform.<span style=""> </span>He lowered the pad below the station and unwrapped a phaser he had hidden in it.<span style=""> </span>He magnetically attached the phaser to the bottom of his station so that no one, unless they were standing directly behind him, could see it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He checked the time and saw that it was 1459, just one minute until the mutiny began.<span style=""> </span>He hid a smile and looked around the bridge.<span style=""> </span>Janeway and Chakotay were sitting in their seats below him and in the center of the bridge, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> was at the helm in the front, Tuvok was at the tactical station, and other people were at various stations.<span style=""> </span>The chronometer showed 1500 hours, time to begin.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>It was only a handful of seconds later that Tuvok said, “Captain, there are reports of shots fired in engineering and sickbay...”<span style=""> </span>That was as far as he got, because at that moment Uller scooped up his phaser and shot Tuvok square in the chest.<span style=""> </span>The Vulcan dropped to the deck, unconscious.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Ensign, what the hell are you doing?”<span style=""> </span>Janeway shouted. <span style=""> </span>Chakotay turned towards Uller and lunged at him.<span style=""> </span>Uller didn’t have time to get a shot off, so he used it to smash the first officer in the side of his head and send him hurtling back to the deck.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The turbolift opened and two ensigns in security officers appeared.<span style=""> </span>“About time.<span style=""> </span>Stop him,” Janeway told them.<span style=""> </span>The two ensigns smiled and leveled their phasers at her instead.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good timing, Walt, Dennis.<span style=""> </span>Now, everyone gather together at the helm or we vaporize Captain Janeway,” Uller called out.<span style=""> </span>Those that were still left stared at Uller in disbelief.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Are you joking?”<span style=""> </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m afraid not, Tom,” Uller replied.<span style=""> </span>“So leave your hands where I can see them and don’t try anything heroic.”<span style=""> </span>At that, everyone knew Uller was serious and shuffled to the helm station.<span style=""> </span>He smiled and then leapt over the rail and landed on the deck.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway stared at him coldly and asked, “What’s this about, Ensign?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stared back at her, not letting himself be intimidated by her.<span style=""> </span>“Ensign?<span style=""> </span>It’s such a pity that you don’t even know who I am.<span style=""> </span>See, that is the reason for this.<span style=""> </span>There are a lot of us who are tired of your bumbling, your incompetence in getting us home.<span style=""> </span>We put up with it as long as we could, but we’ve had enough.<span style=""> </span>We’re tired of being forgotten, of sacrificing again and again to defend Federation principles and the damned Prime Directive.<span style=""> </span>We’re the lower decks, the trash that you never think about when you make the really big decisions.<span style=""> </span>We’re the people who make this ship run, working tirelessly to keep it functioning.<span style=""> </span>We’re the people who aren’t at the senior staff meetings.<span style=""> </span>We’re the ones whose fate you arbitrarily decide again and again.<span style=""> </span>But no more!<span style=""> </span>We are taking control of this ship, and we are going to take the first opportunity to get home that presents itself.<span style=""> </span>We will still defend Federation principles, but not at the cost of languishing in this quadrant any longer than we have to.<span style=""> </span>We aren’t turning our back on the Federation, instead we are upholding its virtues:<span style=""> </span>freedom, individuality, resourcefulness, honor.<span style=""> </span>We are taking control merely so that we can get home, back to the ones we love.<span style=""> </span>We’re tired and lonely, and now we’re doing something about it.”<span style=""> </span>Uller finished his impassioned speech and actually saw smiles on a couple of crewmembers at the helm station.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That was a nice speech, Ensign, but what makes you think anyone will follow you and your little band of rebels?”<span style=""> </span>Janeway hissed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t think people will follow me, I know.<span style=""> </span>I know there are a lot of people who wanted to change things, but didn’t want to feel as though they were betraying Starfleet.<span style=""> </span>Well, they need worry no longer.<span style=""> </span>I’ve done the hard work for them.<span style=""> </span>If they join me, they aren’t betraying anything, they’re only doing what they’ve known is right.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway opened her mouth to speak, but someone from behind her said, “Ensign, you’re right.<span style=""> </span>I want to follow you,” a lieutenant in a science uniform spoke up.<span style=""> </span>Uller saw other heads nod in agreement and smiled.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Still think no one will follow me?”<span style=""> </span>He asked Janeway, keeping the smugness out of his voice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway glared at him angrily.<span style=""> </span>“You will pay for this,” she responded.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think not.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So what happens to those of us who aren’t joining your merry band?”<span style=""> </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> asked sarcastically.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller smiled and his eyes bore straight into Janeway.<span style=""> </span>“Well, you could stay on the ship with us.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure that Neelix could always use some help in the kitchen...”<span style=""> </span>He stopped as Janeway lost some of her self-control and slapped him across the jaw.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is my ship,” Janeway replied as Uller rubbed his jaw.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It was.<span style=""> </span>However, I am not a monster.<span style=""> </span>I will give you a new ship.<span style=""> </span>I’ll give you and your followers one of the shuttles.<span style=""> </span>You can use it to find help or settle down on some other planet.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You...”<span style=""> </span>Janeway began, but Uller cut her off.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Now then, before I have you taken to the brig for the rest of your stay on Voyager, give me the command codes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Never.<span style=""> </span>I’ll destroy this ship first.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller motioned to Walt and Dennis, who turned their phasers on <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>“I hate to do this, but if you don’t give me the codes I’ll have <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> disintegrated.<span style=""> </span>I will feel bad about it, but if that’s what it will take to show you I’m serious…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway looked at Tom and then nodded.<span style=""> </span>“All right, I’ll give you the codes.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Once the command codes were transferred to Uller he commanded Walt and Dennis, “Take anyone away who’s following her.”<span style=""> </span>They nodded and hauled Janeway, Paris and a couple others towards the turbolift.<span style=""> </span>As they did, the doors opened and a young woman exited the turbolift.<span style=""> </span>“Take the helm, Denise and continue our course for the Alpha Quadrant at warp nine.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The woman nodded and took <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city>’s station.<span style=""> </span>Meanwhile, Uller tapped his comm badge to check on the other mutineers.<span style=""> </span>“Diane, can you hear me?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure thing, Brad.<span style=""> </span>I’ve taken control of engineering.<span style=""> </span>It’s surprising how pointing a phaser at a plasma conduit gets people to capitulate,” Combwater replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Is Torres still alive?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Alive but unconscious.<span style=""> </span>Sorry, Brad, I couldn’t resist hitting her.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Fine, just don’t kill her.<span style=""> </span>Out.”<span style=""> </span>He tapped it again to call Schmidt.<span style=""> </span>“How’re things on your end, Jan?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got control of sickbay and the Doctor’s portable emitter as you requested.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Tell the Doctor that if he tries anything we’ll destroy the emitter and reinitiate his program.<span style=""> </span>That should keep him in line.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’ll tell him.<span style=""> </span>How are things on the bridge?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m in control.<span style=""> </span>Janeway and company are on their way to the brig.<span style=""> </span>We’ve also got the engine room.<span style=""> </span>Good work, Jan.”<span style=""> </span>He called the rest of his followers and was glad to hear that they had control of every major area of the ship.<span style=""> </span><i style="">Voyager</i> was now under his complete control.<span style=""> </span>He sat down in the captain’s chair and smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Take your stations, everyone.”<span style=""> </span>Then he leaned back in the chair and knew that finally he had achieved his destiny.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Chapter Three<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">U.S.S. <i style="">Voyager</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Delta Quadrant</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Stardate 52346.8</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">2200 Hours</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stepped into sickbay with a bundle in his hands and a new uniform on his body.<span style=""> </span>He saw Schmidt sitting on a biobed, keeping her phaser somewhat pointed at the Doctor as he treated a patient injured in the mutiny.<span style=""> </span>“What’s that?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s a new uniform for you, Commander,” Uller replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you talking about?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re the new first officer of <i style="">Voyager</i>.<span style=""> </span>Thus, you are henceforth promoted to commander.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>I also see that you manufactured yourself a new uniform as well.<span style=""> </span>So can I go change into this, Captain?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure, go ahead.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think the Doctor will try anything.”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt nodded and left.<span style=""> </span>Uller took her place on the biobed, keeping his phaser in its holster.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The Doctor turned to him and looked over his new uniform, his eyes stopping on the four pins on his collar.<span style=""> </span>“So you fancy yourself the captain of this ship, Ensign Uller?”<span style=""> </span>He asked icily.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I am the captain of this ship now, Doctor.<span style=""> </span>Janeway is in the brig and the crew has accepted me as their leader.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I doubt they had much of a choice.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t make anyone do anything against their will unless I have no other choice.”<span style=""> </span>He stopped and took a deep breath and then continued.<span style=""> </span>“I didn’t want to have to mutiny, but I couldn’t take it any longer.<span style=""> </span>Janeway wasn’t getting the job of getting us home done.<span style=""> </span>Someone had to take over, someone who would make getting home their first priority.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Someone like you?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Someone like me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see,” the Doctor answered, his voice still cold.<span style=""> </span>“So you had no other choice but to hold be at gunpoint and take my portable emitter?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Look, once Janeway and the others are gone I’ll give you the emitter back.<span style=""> </span>I just have to make sure you don’t try and do anything to interfere.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“There are a wide variety of ways I could still ‘interfere’, Captain,” the Doctor spit out the last word as though it were poison.<span style=""> </span>“Pray you do not find yourself in need of my care.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m sure that Commander Schmidt already told you what would happen if you do not cooperate.<span style=""> </span>I will have your program reinitialized and your portable emitter destroyed.”<span style=""> </span>Uller stopped and got off the biobed, pacing around sickbay for a moment.<span style=""> </span>“But I don’t want to do that.<span style=""> </span>I’m hoping that you’ll come to trust me as you did Captain Janeway.<span style=""> </span>It may take some getting used to, but I’m sure that you can.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m certain that I can cooperate with you, however, the real question is:<span style=""> </span>will I ever trust you?<span style=""> </span>I don’t think that will ever happen.”<span style=""> </span>The Doctor finished with his patient and then turned himself off.<span style=""> </span>Uller shrugged and met Schmidt just outside sickbay.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Shouldn’t we keep an eye on him?”<span style=""> </span>She asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not right now.<span style=""> </span>I’ll have to have Diane rig a camera up in there some time so that we can watch him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why don’t we just reinitialize him now?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It would look bad.<span style=""> </span>Like it or not he’s one of the crew.<span style=""> </span>Reinitializing him would be like killing him.<span style=""> </span>It would upset some of the crew that is on our side.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So have we got all of Janeway’s followers?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think so, yes.<span style=""> </span>They’re all in Cargo Bay Two until we can do something else with them.<span style=""> </span>The senior staff is in the brig with Walt and Dennis guarding them.<span style=""> </span>I made sure to have them confiscate every comm badge, hair clip, and any other accessories to make sure that they can’t find a way to escape.<span style=""> </span>The only followers not in the brig or in the cargo bay are the Doctor and Neelix, but we have them contained.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why did you keep Neelix around?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We still need a cook.<span style=""> </span>I told that weasel that if he tries anything I’ll have him and all the senior staff executed.<span style=""> </span>It’s not very nice, but it should be effective.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Great, so we’ve got everything in hand.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I hope so.<span style=""> </span>I’m having all the new senior officers assemble so we can get organized.”<span style=""> </span>They reached the conference room and went inside.<span style=""> </span>In the room were Combwater, Mathous, Denise, and Karen Jones.<span style=""> </span>Everyone sat down and Uller began the meeting.<span style=""> </span>“Welcome everyone.<span style=""> </span>Now that we’re in control, we’ve got to figure out our plan of attack.<span style=""> </span>First, Jake, is everything secure?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The new head of security nodded and said, “We’ve scanned every Jefferies tube and crawlway on the ship.<span style=""> </span>There are no hidden explosives or other devices.<span style=""> </span>We have also counted all heads to make sure everyone is accounted for.<span style=""> </span>This ship is completely secure.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Excellent.<span style=""> </span>Now then, Karen, have our scans located any planets of interest?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Jones, the new operations officer, replied, “There is a class-M planet a few light-years off-course that looks promising.<span style=""> </span>Our scans weren’t able to tell us much, but it appears to be an advanced race.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>We’ll have to send a shuttle to check it out.<span style=""> </span>Are you ready for a little away mission, Commander?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure, why not?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Take Denise and have Jake assign a security officer to accompany you to this planet.<span style=""> </span>We’ll remain on course at warp one until you report back.<span style=""> </span>What I want you to look for is any technology that might help us on our journey.<span style=""> </span>If you find anything, we’ll come and try to secure it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Secure it how?”<span style=""> </span>Mathous asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“However we can,” Uller replied.<span style=""> </span>The others looked at him in surprise, but said nothing.<span style=""> </span>“Now then, are all propulsion systems working properly?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Combwater answered, “For now, yes.<span style=""> </span>They should continue to hold up unless you want us to hold maximum warp for a while.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No need for that yet.<span style=""> </span>However, I don’t want to be stuck cruising home at warp six, understood?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I understand, Brad.<span style=""> </span>I’ll keep us a warp nine even if I have to get out and push.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Uller responded.<span style=""> </span>“I think that takes care of anything.<span style=""> </span>Denise, drop us out of warp and then get to the shuttle bay and prep a shuttle to take on that away mission.<span style=""> </span>Then we’ll continue on our way.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There was a moment and everyone began to get up and leave.<span style=""> </span>Uller called after them, “You’re doing a hell of a job, by the way.”<span style=""> </span>He saw a few smiles and leaned back in his chair.<span style=""> </span>He hoped that the planet Jones had spoken of did contain something useful.<span style=""> </span>If they found something to get everyone home faster, then the crew would be even more loyal to him.<span style=""> </span>That would also make getting rid of Janeway and her lapdogs a lot easier.<span style=""> </span>He stood up and went to the bridge, sinking down into the command chair.<span style=""> </span>It was now his chair and he was starting to get comfortable in it.<span style=""> </span>The ship dropped out of warp and then Denise left the bridge.<span style=""> </span>Uller stood up and took the helm, deciding that it would be good for morale for the crew to see their new captain pitching in.<span style=""> </span>Besides, the helm wasn’t a very complex system.<span style=""> </span>He knew how to work it, so there was no need to call up a relief crewperson.<span style=""> </span>He checked all the systems and waited for the shuttle to leave.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>After five minutes of waiting he heard Schmidt’s voice say, “We’re on our way, Captain.<span style=""> </span>See you later, Schmidt out.”<span style=""> </span>Uller smiled and then put the ship back to warp one.<span style=""> </span>If everything worked out, the crew would become his very soon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Captain’s Log, Stardate 52350.2</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Janeway and her supporters are safely locked away and I am now fully in command of <i style="">Voyager</i>.<span style=""> </span>As my first act as captain I have dispatched an away team to investigate a planet that may contain technology that could help us on our way home.<span style=""> </span>I am anxiously awaiting their return and hope that it will help us on our way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Captain’s Personal Log, Stardate 52350.2</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">I am in command of <i style="">Voyager</i> now and have been assured that Janeway and the fools that support her are unable to escape from their confines.<span style=""> </span>I’ve sent Jan on an away mission to investigate a planet that could be ripe with technology that could help us.<span style=""> </span>The senior staff seemed a little apprehensive when I told them we’d secure any technology however we could, but I hope that I will have their loyalty if we should have to pry any technological goodies from that planet.<span style=""> </span>If not, then I’ll have to find a way to neutralize that threat.<span style=""> </span>As for Janeway and the others, I have yet to decide what I’ll do with them.<span style=""> </span>Shooting them out a torpedo tube would be preferable, but I could never do that.<span style=""> </span>The crew would mutiny in an instant.<span style=""> </span>I will have to give it more thought, but I want them gone as soon as I can.<span style=""> </span>I know they’ll try to escape at some point, it would be best not to give them a chance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stopped recording and leaned back in his chair in his quarters.<span style=""> </span>He gulped down the drink he had gotten from the Mess Hall, brown juice from some planet, and closed his eyes.<span style=""> </span>It felt so good to finally be in command.<span style=""> </span>To no longer be one of the many faceless ensigns.<span style=""> </span>He was the captain, he was the leader of the ship.<span style=""> </span>He knew that things weren’t going to be easy, but at least now he would be the one making the decisions.<span style=""> </span>He would be the one to get <i style="">Voyager</i> home.<span style=""> </span>His comm badge beeped and he slapped it, his eyes still closed.<span style=""> </span>“Yes?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sir, the shuttle is coming within sensor range,” Jones’s replacement said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Full stop.<span style=""> </span>Hail them when they are in communications range.<span style=""> </span>I’ll be right up,” Uller was already on his feet and racing for the bridge.<span style=""> </span>He knew that if the shuttle was moving at full speed it wouldn’t take them very long to get within communications range.<span style=""> </span>He stepped onto the bridge and looked over at Mathous.<span style=""> </span>“Are we in range yet?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’re just coming into range, I’m hailing them now.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ve found something, Brad.<span style=""> </span>The race on that planet is very advanced, but also very secretive.<span style=""> </span>We were only able to get a few scans before they shooed us away.<span style=""> </span>What do you want us to do?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Land and we’ll discuss your findings further.<span style=""> </span>Meet me in my ready room when you come aboard,” Uller replied.<span style=""> </span>Then he headed for his ready room.<span style=""> </span>He had stripped the room of any of Janeway’s things, making it look rather barren.<span style=""> </span>He sat down and waited.<span style=""> </span>Schmidt came in and sat down.<span style=""> </span>“So what did you find?” </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Weapons, propulsion systems, and ships far superior to our own.<span style=""> </span>Jones accessed their computers while we were scanning.<span style=""> </span>She didn’t get much, but she found a few tidbits.<span style=""> </span>Of primary interest to us is their propulsion technology.<span style=""> </span>They don’t have trans-warp, but with their technology we could be able to hold warp 9.9 continuously.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Interesting.<span style=""> </span>That would help us greatly.<span style=""> </span>What about their weapons?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’re better than our phasers.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Now we need a plan to procure this technology.”<span style=""> </span>Uller leaned back and thought for a few moments.<span style=""> </span>“How did they react to your presence?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“After we showed up they asked us who we were and what we wanted.<span style=""> </span>I explained that and they told us to leave at once.<span style=""> </span>I stalled them for another minute or so, but then they brought some warships to bear on us and we had to leave.<span style=""> </span>They didn’t follow us when we hit warp; they must have been content with scaring us.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Get me the sensor logs from the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>I think I have an idea.”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt nodded and left.<span style=""> </span>Uller was beginning to get another idea as well, one that would get rid of Janeway and her toadies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The door’s to Uller’s ready room hissed open and Schmidt came back.<span style=""> </span>She handed him a padd that contained the sensor logs from the shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Uller leaned back in his chair as he looked them over and then set them down to look at Schmidt.<span style=""> </span>“I think I have an idea,” he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What is it?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We attack one of their ships and tow it away to safety.<span style=""> </span>Then we can take it apart and get what we need from it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sounds risky, but it might work.<span style=""> </span>You know they’ll follow us, though.<span style=""> </span>We won’t be able to fight back if we’re towing that ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re right.<span style=""> </span>What we can do is beam over an engineering team to figure out how the thing works while we’re running.<span style=""> </span>If they can activate the warp drive then we can hit maximum warp and fight back if they choose to pursue.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That should work.<span style=""> </span>Do you think we’ll be able to figure out how to work their ships?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe not.<span style=""> </span>But if anyone’s alive, point a phaser at them and make them tell you.<span style=""> </span>I’ll put you in charge of boarding the ship, Commander, to make sure that it gets done.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Thanks for your faith in me.<span style=""> </span>When do we launch?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ll tell the others and then go in about three hours.<span style=""> </span>If you could, could you get the others in here, I’ve got to discuss something with someone else.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Sure thing,” Schmidt nodded and left to get the senior staff together.<span style=""> </span>Uller tapped his comm badge and called the engine room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How can I help you, Captain?”<span style=""> </span>Combwater asked lightly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How soon can you strip a shuttle of its weapons?”<span style=""> </span>Uller asked without preamble.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I could probably have it done in three or four hours.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>I need you to strip one of the shuttle’s weapons off and disable its transporters.<span style=""> </span>I don’t care which one you choose to use.<span style=""> </span>Oh, and be sure to take all Federation symbols off of it as well.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“All right.<span style=""> </span>I’ll get on it right away.<span style=""> </span>You got some special purpose in mind?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller smiled to himself and forced down a laugh.<span style=""> </span>“A very special purpose.<span style=""> </span>Uller out.”<span style=""> </span>He let out a low laugh and stifled it as the senior staff, minus Combwater, trickled into the room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller explained his plan and Mathous frowned.<span style=""> </span>“I’m not sure we’ll be able to damage one of their ships enough to disable it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“How effective will our weapons be against them?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Our phasers won’t do very much damage, but our torpedoes should be able to do something.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“That’s what I wanted to hear.<span style=""> </span>Karen, can we determine where their engine room is?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I can make a rough guess, but nothing concrete.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Take your best shot.<span style=""> </span>Jake, when we get there I want you to fire a spread of torpedoes where Karen tells you to.<span style=""> </span>Got it?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ll leave in three hours.<span style=""> </span>That should be enough time for Karen to determine where the best place to hit them is.<span style=""> </span>Dismissed.”<span style=""> </span>Everyone filed out, leaving Uller alone once more.<span style=""> </span>He knew that by the time the mission was set to go, the shuttle would be modified and ready for his use.<span style=""> </span>He smiled and could hardly wait.<span style=""> </span>He stood up and went to the replicator.<span style=""> </span>“Coffee, black.”<span style=""> </span>A steaming cup of coffee appeared and Uller took it.<span style=""> </span>One of his first priorities would be to find a way to get more replicator rations.<span style=""> </span>He hated Neelix’s food and his drinks were even worse.<span style=""> </span>He sighed and sat down, looking over the sensor logs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The alien ships were powerful, he might want to make the ship operational and keep it along as an escort.<span style=""> </span>It wouldn’t hurt to have some extra firepower if they needed it along the way.<span style=""> </span>Besides, they could steal technology more efficiently that way.<span style=""> </span>He just hoped that Jones could find the weak spot in the ship so they could disable it.<span style=""> </span>If not, then things could get ugly real quick.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stood in the shuttle bay three hours later, a smile on his face as he patted Combwater on the back.<span style=""> </span>“It’s perfect,” he said.<span style=""> </span>He stared at the shuttle, all of its markings hastily painted over and knew that it was what he had wanted.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s it for?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt asked.<span style=""> </span>Uller had asked her to come along to see what he had in mind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“This is Janeway and her sympathizers new home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A shuttle?<span style=""> </span>How are you going to fit everyone in there?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’re only getting rid of her and her senior staff.<span style=""> </span>Once they’re gone, the others will reciprocate.<span style=""> </span>They’ll have to.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, but isn’t this a little inhumane?<span style=""> </span>We’re just abandoning them to the wilds of space.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It’s better than keeping them incarcerated the entire way home.<span style=""> </span>Besides, they’ve got all they need to survive in there.<span style=""> </span>They’ve got a replicator, a portable shelter, some other supplies.<span style=""> </span>They can settle down on some uninhabited world, or they can barter the shuttle’s technology for a new ship if they want to continue to home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see,” Schmidt replied coldly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Trust me, they’ll be fine.<span style=""> </span>And we’ll be able to carry on without the threat of any incidents.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Schmidt was going to say something, but Combwater cut her off.<span style=""> </span>“I’m glad we’re getting rid of them.<span style=""> </span>It will be a hell of a lot easier for the crew to recognize us as the new leaders with them gone.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Schmidt seemed thoughtful for a moment and smiled, “You’re right.<span style=""> </span>We’ll get their full loyalty this way.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Now that things are settled, we have a mission.<span style=""> </span>Uller to bridge.<span style=""> </span>Get us underway for that planet at warp nine.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Aye sir,” Denise replied curtly.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“It shouldn’t take us long to get there.<span style=""> </span>Now let’s just hope that things work out how we planned.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Captain’s Log, Stardate 52350.9</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">We are about to engage an advanced species in order to liberate some valuable technology from them.<span style=""> </span>While it may sound like piracy, we are merely doing what we have to do in order to survive.<span style=""> </span>We are willing to do whatever it takes in order to get home to the ones we love.<span style=""> </span>I hope that we are successful in this, our first mission under my command.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Captain’s Personal Log, Stardate 52350.9</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">We’re about to attack an alien race and hopefully capture one of their ships in order to take the valuable technology it contains.<span style=""> </span>It’s blatant piracy, but that’s just what the crew needs.<span style=""> </span>They need to do something bold and daring to lift their spirits and give them hope that maybe they’ll get home someday.<span style=""> </span>Besides, it will begin the process of getting out some of the gung-ho Starfleet attitude out of them.<span style=""> </span>I pray we’re successful, otherwise the worms will probably go crawling back to Janeway.<span style=""> </span>Of course, after we’re finished with this mission, Janeway will be left on her own and be out of my life forever.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">***</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We’ve reached the planet,” Denise said and Uller smiled and turned to Jones.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Well, what’ve you got?”<span style=""> </span>He asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think I’ve found where to hit them.<span style=""> </span>I’m feeding the information to Jake’s station,” Jones replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Excellent.<span style=""> </span>What’s their status, Jake?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What I think is an alien cruiser is coming towards us.<span style=""> </span>We’re being hailed,” Mathous replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“On screen.”<span style=""> </span>A black, insectoid face appeared on the screen.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you doing here?”<span style=""> </span>The alien growled, its voice seeming to echo into infinity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I’m Captain Bradford Uller of the United Federation of Planets starship <i style="">Voyager</i>.<span style=""> </span>We are here on a mission of peace.<span style=""> </span>We only wish to learn about your culture.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You are not authorized for this area.<span style=""> </span>Leave at once.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Please, we’re only here to explore...”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Leave!”<span style=""> </span>The alien howled and broke the connection.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not very friendly, are they?”<span style=""> </span>Uller commented dryly.<span style=""> </span>“Are you ready, Jake?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir,” Mathous replied enthusiastically.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller smiled tightly and ordered, “Fire!”<span style=""> </span>Three torpedoes shot out and impacted across the midsection of the alien ship.<span style=""> </span>“Status?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Mathous’s fingers danced across his board and he looked up happily at Uller, “They appear to be disabled, sir.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Denise, bring us around and stand-by with the tractor beam.”<span style=""> </span>Uller sat down, happy with the turn of events.<span style=""> </span>Just then, <i style="">Voyager</i> was hit as it began to turn.<span style=""> </span>The power flicked off for a moment and then came back on.<span style=""> </span>“What the hell was that?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“A smaller alien ship is approaching,” Mathous reported.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why didn’t we see them?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t know.<span style=""> </span>What do we do?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Fire phasers first and see if that does anything.<span style=""> </span>If not, launch a spread of torpedoes.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair and Mathous called out, “Looks like the phasers did the job.<span style=""> </span>The smaller ship looks to be adrift.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Good.<span style=""> </span>Are we in position?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Yes, sir,” Denise answered.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Engage tractor beam and get us out of here, Warp 5.”<span style=""> </span><i style="">Voyager</i> began moving quickly and Uller turned to Mathous.<span style=""> </span>“Anyone in pursuit?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I don’t see anyone...wait.<span style=""> </span>I’m reading fifteen...fifteen Borg ships in pursuit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What are you talking about?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“No, that’s twenty Kazon ships.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Kazon?”<span style=""> </span>Uller stopped and bolted to his feet.<span style=""> </span>“Jan, call the brig and see what’s going on.<span style=""> </span>Jake, follow me.”<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“What’s happening?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt asked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I think the prisoners have escaped.”<span style=""> </span>Uller hurried off the bridge with Mathous in tow.<span style=""> </span>They hurried to the brig and Uller had Mathous cover him with his phaser while he opened the door.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The door hissed open and Uller carefully stepped inside.<span style=""> </span>The room was dark, not a good sign.<span style=""> </span>“Be careful,” he whispered to Mathous.<span style=""> </span>Mathous didn’t reply and when Uller turned he saw why:<span style=""> </span>Mathous was lying on the deck, unconscious.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The lights came on and Uller saw Tuvok standing over Mathous with Mathous’s phaser in his hand.<span style=""> </span>He turned around and saw the other prisoners staring at him.<span style=""> </span>Janeway smiled and stepped forward.<span style=""> </span>“It’s time to give my ship back,” she hissed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Not a chance,” Uller replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You are being highly illogical, Ensign.<span style=""> </span>Give Captain Janeway the ship back or we will be forced to use violence,” Tuvok said and Uller saw that Paris and Chakotay were also armed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Never!”<span style=""> </span>Uller howled.<span style=""> </span>He had worked too hard to get command of the ship, he wasn’t about to give it back.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“We don’t want to hurt you, Brad.<span style=""> </span>Just make it easy on yourself and surrender,” Kim said gently.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Shut up, Harry!”<span style=""> </span>Uller barked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Looks like you’ve made your mind up,” <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> remarked.<span style=""> </span>“Now which setting is stun and which is kill?<span style=""> </span>I’ve been locked up in here so long I’ve forgotten.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller’s eyes widened, but he fought to keep himself under control.<span style=""> </span>“How did you escape?”<span style=""> </span>He asked calmly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“When the power went out Tuvok and Chakotay were able to get out and neutralize your guards,” Janeway answered.<span style=""> </span>“Then they lowered the force field and B’Elanna and Harry sabotaged the sensors to draw you down here.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I see.<span style=""> </span>And what do you hope to gain?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I was hoping you’d see fit to surrender the ship.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I won’t do it.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Then I guess we’ll have to kill you then,” Janeway said lightly.<span style=""> </span>“Then we’ll go up to the bridge and have a chat with your first officer.<span style=""> </span>Or maybe we’ll kill her too.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re bluffing.<span style=""> </span>You’re too Starfleet to do that.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway looked him in the eye and smiled.<span style=""> </span>“Maybe I am bluffing.<span style=""> </span>Or maybe I’m so enraged after losing my ship and being cooped up in my own brig that I’m willing to do anything to get <i style="">Voyager</i> back.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Uller stared at her for a moment and said nothing.<span style=""> </span>He saw Chakotay and Paris smile as they leveled their phasers at him.<span style=""> </span>He knew that he had to give in to their demands.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise they’d shoot him and then go and threaten Jan and go down the line until they succeeded.<span style=""> </span>He couldn’t let them hurt his crew.<span style=""> </span>He was the captain, he was responsible for their lives.<span style=""> </span>“All right,” he conceded.<span style=""> </span>He transferred the command codes back to Janeway.<span style=""> </span>“Just don’t punish any of the others.<span style=""> </span>It was all my fault.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Janeway nodded at him, her smile faded.<span style=""> </span>“None of your followers will be punished, so long as they accept my authority.<span style=""> </span>However, you will placed in the brig until we decide what to do with you.<span style=""> </span>You’ve thrown away a great career, Ensign.<span style=""> </span>You had some potential in you, but now you’ve wasted it.”<span style=""> </span>She motioned for Tuvok to grab Uller, but Uller spun around and kicked Tuvok in the midsection.<span style=""> </span>He punched the Vulcan in the face and ducked down as <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> and Chakotay fired at him.<span style=""> </span>He scooped up Tuvok’s phaser and blindly fired at Paris and Chakotay.<span style=""> </span>Then he turned and ran from the room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He darted to the shuttle bay, knowing that he had to escape.<span style=""> </span>As soon as Janeway and the others caught him they would throw him in the brig, probably forever.<span style=""> </span>He wasn’t going to let that happen.<span style=""> </span>He tapped him comm badge as he ran and called the bridge.<span style=""> </span>“Jan, I need you to open the shuttle bay doors,” he said quickly, hearing footsteps behind him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Why?”<span style=""> </span>Schmidt sounded perplexed, but Uller knew he didn’t have time to explain everything.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They’ve taken the ship back.<span style=""> </span>If they catch me, I don’t know what they’ll do to me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You?<span style=""> </span>What about us?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Janeway promised she won’t punish any of you.<span style=""> </span>I’ve taken full responsibility, so don’t worry about it.<span style=""> </span>I need to get out of here, though.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There was silence a moment and Uller prayed Schmidt didn’t refuse.<span style=""> </span>“All right, Brad, we’re opening the doors.<span style=""> </span>Good luck...and good-bye.<span style=""> </span>Schmidt out.”<span style=""> </span>Uller reached the shuttle bay just as the ship lurched.<span style=""> </span>He kept his feet and saw that the doors were opened as promised.<span style=""> </span>He could hear the footsteps close by and ran to the nearest shuttle.<span style=""> </span>Ironically, it was the shuttle that he had prepared for Janeway and crew.<span style=""> </span>He climbed inside and started the engines as quickly as possible.<span style=""> </span>Then the shuttle leapt forward and out of the shuttle bay.<span style=""> </span>Uller took one last look at <i style="">Voyager</i> and couldn’t help but feel a little sad for everything that he had lost.<span style=""> </span>Damn you, Janeway, he thought angrily.<span style=""> </span>You’ll pay for this.<span style=""> </span>Even if it took the rest of his life, Uller knew that he would make her pay for taking <i style="">Voyager</i> from him.</p> <span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 200%;" align="center"><b style=""><u>Epilogue<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Starfleet Headquarters</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>, Earth</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Stardate 58561.2</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You took responsibility for something?<span style=""> </span>I didn’t think you had it in you,” Horton commented, his eyes fixed on the phaser trained on him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I always knew it was there.<span style=""> </span>Pity you didn’t see it earlier, or maybe you would have given me a better assignment,” Uller replied.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“So what happened after that?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“After that was pretty much like I said.<span style=""> </span>I flew along for a couple years until I encountered the Barbalians.<span style=""> </span>I showed them some Federation technology and they let me come aboard.<span style=""> </span>I managed to get them to tell me how to fly their ships, and then stole one of their courier ships.<span style=""> </span>After a few more years I found the wormhole and, well, you know the rest.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“I knew no one would ever give you a ship willingly.<span style=""> </span>You know that even if you kill me, once <i style="">Voyager</i> finds the wormhole and comes back you’ll be done for.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Oh, I think not.<span style=""> </span>See, that courier ship was loaded with explosives, some of which are still inside of it and being examined by engineering crews.<span style=""> </span>The rest are at the entrance of that wormhole, ready to explode the moment <i style="">Voyager</i> gets near.<span style=""> </span>If I’m lucky the explosives will take them with it, if they even get that far.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You monster!<span style=""> </span>How could you do that to your own shipmates?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“They aren’t my shipmates anymore.<span style=""> </span>Janeway’s doomed them to a long voyage; I’m only trying to end their suffering.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“You’re insane!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>“Maybe.<span style=""> </span>Being in space away from home for almost ten years does that to a man,” Uller stopped and leaned forward in the chair.<span style=""> </span>“Well, story time is over now.<span style=""> </span>It’s time for you to depart, Chris.” <span style=""> </span>Uller fired the phaser and Horton’s scream was cut off as he vaporized.<span style=""> </span>Uller turned in his chair and stared out at the pre-dawn sky.<span style=""> </span>The stars were still twinkling and he thought of Jan, Jake, and the others.<span style=""> </span>They were doomed to live out the rest of their lives far from home.<span style=""> </span>If he had remained in charge then maybe they all would be home by now.<span style=""> </span>Instead, that fool Janeway was in command.<span style=""> </span>He thought of the explosives he had placed at the wormhole and smiled.<span style=""> </span>He only wished that he could be there to see the look on Janeway’s face when her ticket home was vaporized before her eyes.<span style=""> </span>Yes, it would be a sight to behold.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>He shook himself from his thoughts and stood up.<span style=""> </span>He had a lot yet to do.<span style=""> </span>He had to make sure that Horton’s “suicide” looked perfect. <span style=""> </span>Then he would finish his debriefing and take whatever assignment he was given.<span style=""> </span>He knew that with the Barbalian technology the Federation would have a much better chance of defeating its enemies.<span style=""> </span>Then Brad Uller would be known in history as the man who had saved the Federation while Kathryn Janeway would only be footnote, a bumbling fool who lost her ship in the depths of space.<span style=""> </span>The future looked bright indeed.</p>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0