|
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| Cold. Several long days had passed since he was warm...oh he had felt the distant warmth of the far away stars, but not home. Quietly the black starjet passed through a gaseous cloud of some blue gas...cutting through the vacuum. He had been searching for what felt like years, vorns, millennia, eons. Searching for his leader, his god, his master the lost Megatron. | ||||||||||||||
| He thought back to those final days on Cybertron. The encouragement he received from Lord Shockwave to locate Megatron and the autobot shuttle he had been following when he was lost. Spook silently noted the internal alarms warning him of his depleting energon supply, but as he had done for the past several days he ignored them...his supplies were gone and centering his thoughts on energon would only waste his time. He closed on a large world, he knew this was the last place he could go, he would find Megatron or he would die...it was that simple. Silently, as a black falcon he dove into the atmosphere, the heat of reentry burning around him. As though he was entering hell itself.... | ||||||||||||||
| The disciplinary drone rose its tenticled arm high before bringing down a long whip of black energy on the poor metallic being before it. The poor decrepit creature turned to beg mercy from the drone as it was hit again and again. The drone kept its same, soulless, mindless, heartless demeanor as it lashed the poor robot to death. As the slave slumped to the ground, a small chuckle emerged from behind the large onyx drone; a nauseating chuckle...full of darkness and sick pleasure. A small creature dressed in fine gray robes walk out from behind the larger drone, he smiled as he looked over the broken carcass of his once gardener. He rubbed his bearded chin chuckling with his clawed hand as he looked up at the drone and said, "Tell your Mistress we need a new one, this one seems to have broken" | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn the spice merchant made her way through the tastelessly garish marketplace. Slave�s with dead optics walked shoulder to shoulder with their new masters, their wills broken like shattered clay. She muttered silently under her breath about how her sadistic brother Kr�dar had again destroyed a completely functional slave...and how she again would have to waste her well earned money buying a new one. She came to the marketplace and looked at the slave auction shaking her head slightly, still angry about the loss of Greenpax one of her best gardener slaves. | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn stood with the others buying the slaves. Millennia ago the Quintessons had been the ones who ran the slave market but for some strange reason they no longer came to the Trikian system. She lightly tapped her clawed finger against her chin as she watched a warrior slave sold to one of the local barons....and waited patiently for the commercial good mechanisms to be placed out. After a long boring wait she finally saw what she wanted. A large blue female slave was being led to the bidding pedestal, from her appearance it was obvious that she was a domestic servant...and considering the recent unpleasant loss of Greenpax...exactly what Kr�lyn wanted. Kr�lyn bided eagerly for the young slave mechanism, by her appearance she was obviously a strong, intelligent specimen; thusly also most likely being a good choice for later breeding. She managed to purchase the slave for a mere 500 drenna, as she was leading her back to her estate she smiled up at the shooting star she saw marring the sky, "A sign of good omen, wouldn�t you say Nighteyes." The female mechanism looked up and quietly nodded, but she wondered, was it an omen for her new mistress....or for the enslaved mechanisms of this world. | ||||||||||||||
| "Argh!!!!!!" Spook shouted through the fire which encircled his form, a minor flaw in his wing manifold had caused him to lose control and go tumbling down through the atmosphere. As he fell he saw the green beauty of a thriving world beneath him...and thought that despite its beauty...he wasn�t in the mood to become one with it. He attempted to fire his reverse fire retros as he quickly headed towards the face of the planet. He continued plunging, circuitry shorting, alarms sounding, and endless cacophony of chaos echoing in his ears... | ||||||||||||||
| "The sweet dance of chaos..." said Kr�dar, smiling evilly as he steepled his fingers. He sat back and watched the battle between two of his gladiatorial slaves. The joy of this event was not in the mere melee but in the fact he had manipulated these two to become close...nearly in love and now they had to destroy one another. With mournful faces the mechanisms closed again and again for strikes, the pain obvious on them deeper than the pain inflicted by the weapons. The sadistic Trikian leaned backwards chuckling, "Kill her Redjack, kill her..." The large red gladiator turned to the sound of his name and scowled, he was about to leap at the small weakling and destroy him when he felt the presence of a blade. His superior reflexes sent his own blade at the source of his threat...she fell to the ground. Through the whole night, sadistic laughter and cries of mourning filled the estate. | ||||||||||||||
| Cries....endless crying...slowly Spook�s external visual sensors came on-line, he transformed silently and looked around. It was a swamp...or at least was before a certain flaming spyjet had crashed into it. He again heard the cries of agony and began a long walk while his flight systems underwent self repair. He looked around, felt the warmth of the strange blue sun over heard, knew that this planet was alive. He continued walking, across the green expanse, the cries grew louder... | ||||||||||||||
| "You will learn respect," shouted the Trikian machine driver! The small being screamed in pain as the energy whip hit him again and again. Two of the drivers exchanged bets on how much longer till the screaming automation would be eternally silent. It was then they noticed the dark form appearing on the horizon. The group's leader raised a clawed hand to his eyes to keep out the glare of the blue sun. "Rz�kill, Identify that insignia, which house does he belong to?" . The ident-officer ran a check of all insignias, it came up in only one place...a modified version of an old Quintesson symbol. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook scowled as he saw the slave caravan�s encampment...it was out of one of the stories his friend Mono had always told him. The black quasi-seeker narrowed his optics and walked towards the camp, preparing one of his few meager weapons, an ener-dagger. The determined quasi-seeker forced his energon deprived body to rush across the plains to the camp, screaming the battle cry of..."MEGATRON!!" The guards turned suddenly, shocked by the non-docile machine heading at them. | ||||||||||||||
| The machine driver swung his whip at the black seeker, "Down scum!" Spook dodged deftly, firing a quick laser blast at the driver as he leapt into the air. The driver took the blast in his chest and fell backwards crying in pain as he died. The Ident officer turned to run as the other drivers moved towards Spook. "Down Slave!" shouted the guards as they aimed their long untested weapons at him. The decepticon narrowed his optical sensors at the term "slave" and came crashing down at one of the drivers, crushing his body under his huge weight. Turning without sound the quasi-seeker then sent a spinning kick at another guard. A crimson blast broke into the melee catching Spook�s left wing hard, sending him tumbling. Smirking the third guardsman walked towards Spook, hefting a black rifle. "Pathetic....utterly pathetic" said the guard, smirking. Spook did his best to stand up...it was then he saw the butt of the rifle coming at him...then blackness. | ||||||||||||||
| The few remaining slavers carried the battered decepticon to the nearest noble�s estate for sale along with the other mechanisms. Kr�lyn noticed the slave caravan on her scanners, mentally she mused that had she waited a few days...she may have gotten a better deal from the caravan for a new slave. The slavers set up a new encampment on the outside of Kr�lyn�s estate. The Lady Kr�lyn and her brother headed out to examine the slaver�s wares. | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�dar noticed a few interesting commercial units, mostly ones that looked interesting to break. "Where are the military models?" asked Kr�lyn, noting that her camp now also needed one new guard due to her brother�s sadism. "We came across this one just today" said a particularly greasy driver "Killed a few men." Kr�lyn cocked an eyebrow as she looked at the purple insignia�s so common on the slave in question, the slaver noticed. "Those symbols are ancient Quintesson...adapted somewhat but they mean a warrior, not a simple fighting unit" the slaver smiled an evil little smile "Hence the more than reasonable price of 10,000." Kr�lyn looked at the slaver, tapping one of her claws against her chin, she always disliked slavers...they reminded her of her brother. "8000 is the highest you miserable bag of pus" the spice merchant said defiantly, the Trikian slaver scratched at the ridge on his temple nervously. "9000 Madame please! We lost several men this journey" pleaded the slaver, but to no avail...Kr�lyn bought the decepticon for a mere 8000. | ||||||||||||||
| He has potential Knightstar...incredible potential. Words, often he�d heard them...in dreams, in nightmares. Words from a man he did not know, but a man who knew him. Ancient memories from his life...memories he never knew. Slowly the dreams faded as they always did and the harsh reality of the world set in again. Spook rubbed his aching forehead wincing slightly, detecting a small dent on his head. "Hey...new guy�s awake..." said a gruff voice. Another voice responded "He don�t look like no warrior...just a stupid little scrawny wimp!" The room was dark, more or less dank as well. "Where am I?", Spook asked no one in particular. "Does it matter....?" answered a somewhat annoyed individual in the darkness. The individual moved his face into the light, "Our lives are over." | ||||||||||||||
| The harsh Trikian sun beat down on the workers in the field. Nighteyes looked around, narrowing her nearly black optical sensors before looking back down at her work. Tarkti was the primary export of the Kr trading family...Kr�lyn�s spice farm was one of its greatest assets. As the workers tilled the rich red spice, their mistress came to watch. Kr�lyn placed her respirator over her face to avoid breathing in the addictive spice rising from the field. Green workers....working... | ||||||||||||||
| Working a smaller new mechanism over, the leader of the slave guard further confirmed his leadership. Spook watched the display with a decepticon�s optic, used to such display...although not as unnecessarily brutal. Turning the large Red mechanism turned "My name is Redjack! I am your leader! You will listen to me...and you will not die today!" Spook listened calmly...wondering where his blade had gotten too, and looking at his arms noting the lack of arm blasters. "You are all maggots! But with luck like a maggot you too will be useful!" screamed Redjack. For the next several days, Spook and the other new guards were trained in almost all forms of weaponry. Spook preferred the sword...a thin blade. He looked over the weapon, thinking...once it was cold rock...then in fires it was tempered...now it is an instrument of fate...life and death...good and evil.... Spook�s reverie was broken severely as one of Redjack�s underlings pushed him hard out of his way, Spook immediately leapt to his feet. "Planning to do something with that blade slave?" smirked the large robot hefting his mace. Denying his new training, Spook assumed a decepticon swordfighter position taught him long ago and said, "A decepticon is no slave!" The guard was taken aback a slight bit and went forward with his mace trying to crush the skull of the little quasi-seeker. Spook quickly dodged and slashed at the giant�s side leaving a huge mar. A small crowd began to gather around the assailants, including Kr�dar and Redjack. The grey robed Trikian, Kr�dar, smirked enjoying the melee. Redjack frowned slightly, watching. The gargantuan again charged at Spook screaming! Spook leapt into the air, much to the surprise of the onlookers, and promptly kicked the larger mechanism in the face hard. Spook remained hovering as the mechanism fell backwards, its mace clattering uselessly to the side. "KILL HIM" screamed Kr�dar, "KILL HIM, I ORDER YOU SLAVE!" Spook glanced over at Kr�dar, and placing his sword down...walked away. From the nearby garden, a small gardening female saw all. | ||||||||||||||
| "I don�t like the new slave," said Kr�dar to his sister, "He�s too willful...and soft!" Kr�lyn leaned back steepling her clawed fingers saying calmly, "Willful because he wouldn�t allow you to waste one of my guard drones, Kr�dar?" Kr�dar stood up yelling, "No! I don�t like him Lyn...he�s too...free willed...that�s not a slave out there that�s a free mech!" She turned away from her brother to think. Angrily the grey robed Trikian rose and stormed out. Lyn smirked a small feral smirk, one of her canine fangs beginning to show as she plotted. | ||||||||||||||
| That night there were no remarks against Spook as he rested, no insults or comments. The drone he defeated stayed in a corner licking his wounds. Redjack watched the seeker tapping his chin slightly, thinking...plotting. Outside a female gardening unit made her rounds, her deep blue almost black optics staring at the three moons above. | ||||||||||||||
| Quietly Spook slept... | ||||||||||||||
| Dark looming clouds surrounded him, he stood alone. Among the darkness there were eyes....thousands....and hands....reaching. He looked around and saw two men, one was garbed in purple the other in red. They turned to him, their faces the autobot and decepticon symbols.... "Know the past, know the future, know your destiny" said the red face. It continued "Without knowledge and compassion, all is for naught." "Crush the oppressors, be strong, be brave" spoke the decepticon-faced one. "Strength is an asset, but remember why you need it," it continued "When he who fights for his freedom turns to conquest, he has given up freedom. Iron gloves restrict the user as much as the one he battles." They then spoke in unison "The forgotten children lay in wait for the son of a son of Cybertron." The figures then turned and walked away, Spook felt a presence behind him...a large looming figure, a cannon on his arm...he reached out to Spook and... | ||||||||||||||
| Spook was kicked awake by Redjack, "Get up you maggot!" shouted the huge red warrior. Spook shook off his restlessness and stood up, narrowing his optics against the cerulean glare of the sun filtering in through the windowslits of the barracks. Spook staggered outside for drilling and gladiatorial training. Spook was paired against a smaller blue-black mechanoid, the mechanoid drew ener-daggers and charged at the quasi-seeker. Spook managed to spin away sending his blade towards the little gladiator, his opponent quickly leapt above the swift blade and stabbed down at Spook�s arm! Spook winced as the blade cut into his arm, but deep within his mind, he knew he won. Suddenly jerking his arm upwards he launched the smaller gladiator, who was still clutching to the dagger driven into his arm. The small blue-black slave-fighter landed on his back some distance from Spook, quickly moving the black semi-seeker placed his blade to the smaller individual�s throat...claiming victory. | ||||||||||||||
| He let the small individual up and went to lean against the wall and get out of the sweltering hot sunlight. His olfactory sensors picked up the odd smell of the spice being harvested only meters away from the make shift training grounds. He noticed that most of the slave-harvesters were female while the males were forced into combat labor. He brushed a good deal of caked mud and spice off one of his decepticon sigils on his chest. Glancing up again he remembered again the days on Cybertron, how cold that planet had been to this, how...dead. This planet had color and beauty despite the dark scar of slavery, he half smiled to himself as he looked beyond the workers and towards the blue sun. Nighteyes glanced at the seeker/gladiator sunning himself, she frowned slightly seeing the purple insignia on his chest; turning back to her work, she subconsciously hid the red insignia on her arm. | ||||||||||||||
| After finishing her work she set outside of the walls, avoiding the temptation to run to freedom, she began gardening as was her job. She thought over the odd newcomer, the sigil she instinctively feared although she didn�t know why. She uprooted an old plant and planted a new one. Her hands moved through the earth lovingly, tilling, planting, feeding and watering...a quick project of life. She sighed as bitter reality again clenched at her, she heard nearing footsteps. She narrowed her optics and turned to face two gladiatorial slaves, smiling with an unpleasant pleasantness. "What the hell do you two morons want?" she inquired in her usual sweet manner. The larger one smirked, "Well we all saw you looking at us after battle practice..." "No" she promptly replied narrowing her optics. "Come on girlie...what else ya gonna do? Plant more flowers?," smirked the other one. She stood up and turned to walk further down the wall saying "Burn in Charr." The larger one moved up and gripped her arm and said "Aww come on....you�ve got nothing better to do." Nighteyes glared at the annoyance, her dark blue optics narrowed, quickly she gripped the male�s neck and threw him into the wall. The second male ran as she turned to face him, saying calmly "I said No." | ||||||||||||||
| Night crept over the estate grounds as the cloud of Tarkti slowly fell to the ground. Spook walked along the grounds on guard, silently thinking about how much he wanted to storm into the �mistress�s� house and free the others. Spook was a decepticon...decepticons were never enslaved...simply temporarily forced to work. The black quasi-seeker walked along gazing out at the living world surrounding him. Strange avian creatures circled above filling the night with a soft eerie music, through the wooded areas he saw strange animals running...eyes gleaming from the light of the three moons overhead. Cybertron was bleak, a dead world, this place was...alive. ALIVE he could never forget that word. Spook clenched his fist as he gazed out over the fence and then turned back to the camp. Spook quickly ran a self diagnostic: | ||||||||||||||
| Transformation System: 80 Percent Operational | ||||||||||||||
| Energy Weapon Systems: 0 Percent Operational | ||||||||||||||
| Long Range Radio Communication Systems: 0 Percent Operational | ||||||||||||||
| Hyperdrive systems: 0 Percent Operational | ||||||||||||||
| "Damn" he cursed silently under his breath. Looking skyward he said quietly "Marooned here...unable to contact Darkmount....not that they would come anyway." He sighed and turned to walk to the slave-guard�s barracks, his feet heavy as his mind again turned to the hells which would come with the next day, trapped in this fetid excuse for a life. For the first time in his entire existence, he was a slave. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes laid back on her bunk in the worker�s barracks, she gazed at the ceiling which was before her nearly black optics. She glanced at the others from her high ground, a few of the female harvesters were flirting with male sorters, obviously attempting to fill their useless wasted lives with something. Turning her dark optics from the sad workers who walked and slept all around her, her thoughts turned to the purple insignia and the male she had seen with it. She knew that insignia, it meant an enemy. She rubbed at the red insignia on herself, what does this mean she thought. She silently mouthed a silent word, a word which she did not know the true meaning of...."autobot.". | ||||||||||||||
| The sky was dark the next morning. Red raindrops, tainted by Tarkti, fell on the estate. The workers tilled the soil like mindless drones, automations...as their Trikian masters called them. Spook stood on silent guard, his young red optics dim from the dark realizations he had arrived at. Redjack watched across the field, rain cascading down his face as though he were a statue carved from a deep red marble, his red optics burning with a calm hatred. Redjack turned slightly so he could watch Kr�dar, who was sitting in a small umbrella chair. His optics narrowed dangerously, he felt his anger...his anguish....his hatred pound inside of him. He tightened his grip on his spear and forced himself to look away. He remembered what Kr�dar had made him do. "Someday..." the red warrior muttered "Someday." | ||||||||||||||
| Later Spook sat in the barracks watching the rain. His mind drifted to Cybertron, he remembered an old story his friend Mono had told him. Mono was a freedom fighter against some great evil called...the Quintesson, who enslaved the Cybertronian race. Mono had been dormant till he was found by the decepticons. He remembered the stories...Cybertron had been alive then, but enslaved. Enslaved till one nameless Cybertronian would not surrender....until one Cybertronian had the strength to stand and fight. That one had been a slave too, Spook clenched his fist tightly. He was a slave no longer. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes slept in the barracks, a troubled rest. Her mind wandered... | ||||||||||||||
| Autobot....Decepticon...what does it mean. Who is the...decepticon. Why has he come. Why am I here, why. Death was in the air, she had to leave, leave soon. She awoke, her optics narrow as she opened them. The others were asleep. She climbed out of her bunk quietly, moving past the others. She opened the door and ran to Freedom. She ran past the gardens of Tarkti, when she saw the fire. | ||||||||||||||
| "FOR THE GLORY!!!" Spook shouted as he blasted at the Tarkti fields. The fires raged around Spook as he fired away, a purificating fire. Redjack looked out from the barracks "What the hell!" Kr�lyn ran towards the barracks, her robes flowing in the wind. "Stop that idiot!" she shouted. Redjack nodded grimly and ran towards Spook, grabbing a simple blade. Spook turned seeing the huge red brawler charging at him, he barely had time to react as the blade hit him hard in the chest shattering his cockpit component. Spook staggered backwards, bringing his own weapon up to defend. A pair of blue-black optics watched the exchange. I can run...they�d never notice Nighteyes thought, I can�t leave him to die like that though...its...wrong. Spook swung his blade at Redjack, who dodged with the skill of an old gladiator. Redjack brought a quick foot up to Spook�s face, knocking him backwards into the flames. Spook swung his arm up forgetting his lack of energy weapons. Redjack swung his blade at Spook�s arm, Spook barely managed to dodge. Nighteyes ran to the fray, not knowing why, assuming it had to deal with the red emblem on her arm. Redjack spun around quickly, sensing the closing female. He prepared to terminate her as he had terminated his own love, when Spook tackled him from behind. Redjack let out a cry of rage and threw Spook several feet away. Spook plowed the field as his wing cut into the dirt. Redjack turned to the female and landed a quick uppercut sending Nighteyes flying. "Stupid girl...stupid!" Redjack spat out as he walked towards her. "Stupid...is one who turns his back...on a DECEPTICON WARRIOR!" shouted Spook as he leapt into the air, engaging his anti-grav systems. Redjack looked up and managed to dodge barely, Spook�s blade slicing into his arm. Spook left the blade in the crimson gladiator and shouted to the prone female "Run!" Spook and Nighteyes ran quickly through the thick forests surrounding the estate. Neither knew where they were running to, simply that they were running to their freedom. | ||||||||||||||
| When they finally stopped they were in a small clearing, by a quiet calm stream. Spook leaned against a tree as Nighteyes fell exhausted by the water. Spook looked over his wounds quietly, glancing at the female. After several heavy moments he finally said, "Why?" She smiled weakly and tapped the sigil on her arm, "Autobot," she said. She continued by saying "I can�t just...leave someone to die like that." Spook was too exhausted to be shocked...his savior was an infidel...an autobot! | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn fumed as she walked about the ashes. "Redjack!" she growled, "I send you to kill one rebellious slave and two escape!!" Redjack stood stoically as he was insulted. Kr�dar sat off to the side looking at the damage and smiling at the amount of chaos. Kr�lyn glared at Redjack "You know what happens if another one follows their footsteps Redjack! We�d have utter chaos!" Dar smiled to himself. "Yes...sweet sweet chaos." Lyn growled and stormed into her scorched estate. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook watched Nighteyes quietly as she rested. He couldn�t help wondering why this female, an autobot female no less, had helped him. He rubbed his chin and brushed some dirt off of a decepticon symbol on himself. "Why," he said quietly to himself, "Why did she help me and how....how did she get here." Ever since his activation he had believed autobots to be nothing but an enemy; he thought them dishonorable, cowardly, mindless followers. This autobot had risked her life to save him. It made no sense, it didn�t click! He silently prayed to Megatron, asking for guidance as he pondered over the autobot. | ||||||||||||||
| Autobot...I am an Autobot she thought as she slept. What is an autobot, what is decepticon. Are we simply names...or something more. A decepticon, an enemy, saved my life....why. Does he want something from me....like those other male scum? No, there is something different about him...something...innocent about him. Innocent and yet not...those purple emblems on his body. A purple face, a red face, what do they mean. She shifted slightly as she slept. I am an autobot...how do I know this! How do I know what a decepticon is! How do I know who he is! How do I know....how do I know!! | ||||||||||||||
| Hours later she awoke, she kept her optics dim as she looked at the decepticon who sat across from her. She looked around the area, to the stream, and to the distant optics of the seeker across from her. She silently wondered what he was thinking on when she heard a sound. A rustling sound, followed by a rumbling growl. She stood up nervously, Spook came out of his reverie noticing. "Whats the matter?" he inquired. She looked around and said in a voice somewhat fearful "Dreks...metal eaters..." Spook stood up and looked around....quickly checking himself. "Damn! My self repair systems haven�t repaired the damage I took earlier." Nighteyes glanced around, finally noticing the beastial form of the drek skulking through the surrounding folliage. Her realization came to late as the huge beast lept from the underbrush, she fell back with a cry. Spook responded quickly, almost instictivly, sending a quick unexpected kick at the animal�s haunches. The creatured let out a yip of pain as it was flung forward but quickly turned to face its assailant. Spook took a second to check on Nighteyes, she was damaged terribly...gash marks crisscrossed her body. Spook narrowed his optics as he looked up, the drek lept forward...and so did Spook. | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn drummed her clawed fingers as she set up the teleconferance with the rest of the Kr family. Between that moronic slave�s minor rebellion and her brother�s stupidity, her spice output had halved. In a few seconds the images of the members of the Kr matriarchal council appeared on screen. She quietly noted each figure: Kr�Meth the oldest matron; Kr�Naban a newer member; and Kr�Slya...Kr�lyn�s most hated one. Kr�Slya smiled showing her crooked canine teeth, "Ahhh hello daughter." Lyn leaned back slightly, crossing her legs. "I can explain the drop in spice production," Lyn said in her calm voice. Meth slammed down her fist, obviously shaking her desk on her end, "You fool! You think we are interested in some worthless pounds of Takti...you had an attempt at rebellion!" Lyn tilted her head and said, "No disrespect Matriarch...but it was only two not..." Meth shouted out before Lyn could finish, "Two can become so much more Lyn! Make sure it does not happen again!" With that sentiment Meth deactivated the teleconferance. Lyn swivled in her chair, tapping her chin slightly. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack loosed his anger by punting a small green gladiatorial mechanism half way across the barracks. Redjack sat down quickly muttering to himself as several repair slaves tended to his minor wounds. He tapped his finger against his chin as he thought. Little twerp...stupid waste of time and training, he thought, I should�ve known he was trouble. He looked at one of the healing drones and grabbed him by the throat pulling his face down to level with his. "What was the name of the female my charge ran away with slag-for-brains!" inquired the massive red pugilist. "N-nighteyes" stuttered the terrified sawbones. Redjack nodded and said with a kind smile, "Thank you." Redjack then crushed the medics neck. The figure slumped to the ground.... | ||||||||||||||
| With a sickening sound, the Drek finally fell. Spook fell to his knees beside it and glanced backwards for his female traveling companion. He saw her broken form and leaned down to check on her. "She looks bad," came a voice from nowhere in particular. Spook looked around quickly for the source of the voice, he saw none. As his vision blurred from energon lost in battle he saw a form walking towards him, the light behind it making it appear as though it came from another world. The figure outstreched its hand to Spook. He reached for the hand but lost consciousness before he could grasp it. | ||||||||||||||
| Telecron Alpha reports Cybertronian technology present. Faceless voices...familiar words.... Telecron, begin reactivation process. Medical level 1 alpha beta Prime, Clearance code 11 alpha 2. He recognized the voice, he recognized the terms. Telecron was the decepticon computer at darkmount, but Darkmount was light years away from here. An exile? A castaway? Spook thought in his semi-unconscious mind. Finally after a time which seemed as only a few minutes, light filtered in through reactivating optical sensors. Spook groaned slightly as he sat up. He was in a spartan medical room, around him monitors registering his own vitals flashed. He checked himself seeing he was fully repaired, then he nervously began looking for Nighteyes. The rest of the room was vacant, he was alone. He climbed off of the medical table and moved to the door, which opened for him. He looked experimentally into the hallway, it was empty. He walked down the hallway onguard, his footsteps making silent lonely sounds. He continued his search, ducking into a small room. The room was full of small monitors and datapads covered in dust. "Why are you skulking around like a thief little one," came a voice from behind. Spook wheeled around to face the figure. She smiled slightly and stepped into the light, "Hello Spook." Spook tilted his head, "Who are you? How do you know my name?" She looked at him, smiling good-naturedly. "Knightstar," she replied simply "I know your name because I�m your mother." | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�dar crossed his legs smiling evilly as he watched the display before him. Redjack had impaled a few workers and guards randomly along the walls of the estate. Dar smiled sickly as he watched the purple-blue energon languidly dripping down the slave�s bodies. He quietly sipped at his drink, taking time to morbidly slosh around the energon tinted drink. He smirked slightly as he saw Redjack walking his patrol and waved to him with a mocking friendliness. "Greetings Redjack..excellant job," smirked Kr�dar. Redjack narrowed his optics to slits and turned to face the smaller Trikian, clenching his fists. Kr�dar continued to verbally assault Redjack smirking, "Almost as good a job as you did with that little friend of yours...real shame about her. Real shame." One day thought Redjack ONE DAY!!!!!! | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn sat in her room, tapping her monitoring system quietly. She saw her idiot brother tormenting Redjack again and she saw the guards and worker drones going about their daily drudgery. "Idiot Dar...one of these days Redjack is going to snap and break his fool neck," she said to herself. She leaned back in her chair shining her nails. I should never have let the matriach appoint my moron brother as the overseerer. His methods are pathetic and wasteful Kr�lyn thought to herself. "We�ve already lost Nighteyes and that expensive warrior," she said to herself, "This frivilous waste of additional reasources is...disgusting." She shook her head, "Males are such supreme idiots..." | ||||||||||||||
| "Mother?" he rolled the word around in his vocalizer. "I have a mother? How?," he inquired. She shushed him quietly, "All your questions will be answered in time Son." "Now," she said "Your autobot friend is in need of help, if I knew my mate as well as I think I do, you�ve been programmed with repair skills?" Spook nodded slowly, a little overwhelmed. Knightstar smiled and lead her son down the hallway to a medical bay. "Whats your level of medical training, Spook?" she asked. "Uhhh Alpha 1," he responded "You talk me through it I can do it." She nodded and lead him to a lonely table on which the slashed form of the autobot Nighteyes lay. "Her damage is minor but she�s entered shock," said Knightstar as she hooked the battered autobot up to a life support system. Spook nodded and took up an assistant position. Spook followed Knightstar�s commands almost mechanically, dazed from her revelation. He slowly handed her instrument after instrument, his optics distant as his mind gripped at the few bits of new information which had been thrust upon him. After several hours they had finally completed the repairs on Nighteyes. "She�s attractive. Is she yours?" Knightstar asked in a motherly way. Spook�s optics widened and he looked incredulously at his mother, "No...no she isn�t." Knightstar smirked slightly as she saw her son squirm, "And why not?" Spook looked at her and said, "Well...she�s kinda an autobot." Knightstar shook her head looking at him. "The moment you crashed here Spook you stopped being a decepticon, she stopped being an autobot. Your only a Cybertronian now, and that is so much more." Spook tilted his head. She continued, "Spook why are you here anyway...its not to defend downed autobots from animals in the forest." Spook said calmly, "I was looking for the divine master Megatron...I crashed and..." Knightstar shook her head slightly at the name �Megatron� and then nodded as Spook continued, "And you were captured and enslaved?" Spook nodded, ashamed. She shook her head kindly and placed a gentle hand on her son�s shoulder, "We were all enslaved once...one has to be humble before he can be proud." Knightstar turned to look at her son. "How did you escape and from whom?" Spook hmmmed and scratched the back of his head, "Kr family...and I kinda burned their estate." "Burned? Oh dear..." she said as she sat back down on a chair near an ancient medical computer. Knightstar knew what that would mean...the matriarchy hated all attempts for the slave caste to throw off their shackles. All wouldbe messiahs and freedom fighters were hunted down and killed as soon as possible. She didn�t want to see that happen to her son, she couldn�t let that happen. She looked quietly at her son ,as he sat and began tapping at his arm computer, and she did something she hadn�t in a long time...she prayed. | ||||||||||||||
| "Baron Rz�cartan. This is Matriarch Kr�Meth." spoke the ancient Trikian in her vid-com. An image appeared on screen. The figure was male, his face was the typical grey color of the warrior caste. "What do you wish Matriarch Kr," inquired the Baron, "Do you need my battle forces again?" "Yes." she said. She continued "I want you to send some forces into the Litrian forests, your targets are two stag units, a male and a female." The ancient matriarch leaned back, "You�ll know the stag units by these symbols..." The purple face of the decepticons and the red face of the autobots appeared on screen. The baron nodded to the ancient matriarch as she deactivated the link, as he turned from the viddie com he smiled evilly. "Send a revolt breaker team into the Litrian forest...your target is a male stag unit...terminate with extreme prejudice" | ||||||||||||||
| The azure sun again made its appearance on the horizon of Trikian. Its light silently flowing through the forest, and reflecting off of the five soldiers who walked through it. "I�ve got mark on a battle sight" said one of the squadmembers. Another nodded "Yeah...this way...looks like our friend." The others nodded grimly as they walked along remembering the tales of the dark lady of the woods. One of the group went down on his knees examining the scene. He smiled evilly to himself "We�ve found them...and our old friend." | ||||||||||||||
| A small quiet alarm echoed through the halls of Knightstar�s home. Knightstar blanched visably despite her metallic skin and woke her son. "We have company son...grab your girlfriend and run with me." Spook half jumped up and ran to the door before stopping and glaring at his mother, "She isn�t my girlfriend." Knightstar smirked, "Whatever, lets get going!" Spook scooped up Nighteyes�s body and hefted her over his shoulder as he ran after his mother. The squad ran after the two cybertronians when they saw them exit from the other side of the compound. "Ha! We flushed our prey!" laughed one as he ran after them. Spook stopped for a second and spun around, again going on instinct, his arm blaster swung up. The lead squad member exploded as a large bolt of blue energy hit him in the chest; Spook glanced unbelieving at his armblaster before he took back to running. As he ran along side his mother, Nighteyes bounced ever so slightly on his shoulder. "What on Primus�s grey Cybertron was THAT!?" said Spook to Knightstar. Knightstar smiled slightly as she ran, "Fixing some mistakes I noticed in your design..." Spook looked at her, "What else did you �fix�?" She looked at him as they ran, laser blasts exploding around them as the remaining squadmembers followed and said "You�ll find out." Knightstar winced as a blast hit her in the shoulder, sending her tumbling across the ground. Spook lowered Nighteyes to the ground and walked towards the squad. Better to die of a thousand shots from the front...than one from behind he thought. "Scum! Turn back and I will let you live!" Spook shouted at the squad, who came to a stop and circled him. Teamleader Re�Vak smirked at the cybertronian, "Well isn�t this cute." Re�Vak urged the others in his team to attack. Spook checked his new armblasters...and turned to the onrushing soldiers. One drew an ener-dagger and swung at him, nearly catching him in the face. He reached out and grabbed the individual�s arm throwing him into another guard and sending a pulse burst at the two tumbling individuals. As the two burnt corpses fell to the ground he spun to face the others, his optics widened as a blast hit him square in the chest sending him backwards. Re�Vak shook his head and sent his two remaining soldiers at the downed mechanism, reloading his blaster. Spook stood up shaking his head and turned to look at the two onrushers. He did a quick check: His new blasters were inoperable. The one lept at him with a mace, the impact sent Spook staggering backwards. The soldier attempted a second strike before Spook sent out his metallic fist, breaking his attacker�s skull. The soldier fell back, a mewling cry of pain his last sound. The second soldier swung an ener-whip down at Spook. The black quasi-seeker allowed the crimson glowing object to wrap around his arm, causing searing pain. Grimacing away the pain, Spook spun quickly sending the soldier into a tree. Re�Vak growled and aimed at Spook saying simply, "I never miss." The sounds of the blast echoed through the forest, a dark loud sound. Re�Vak�s body slumped down, his back smoking from one of his own squad�s lasers. Two blue-black optics looked out from behind the laser�s sights. | ||||||||||||||
| "What happened!!!" shouted Baron Rz�cartan. "Well our squad was destroyed and..." replied a lesser officer. "I can see that moron!" shouted the Baron, "How!?" "We hear tell they were armed...and combat trained." The baron growled ferally and back handed the other grey faced Trikian. Cartan turned to face a display as he drank at his Tarkti wine, shaking his head. The matriach is going to have my head over this...and the fact one automation can take down a squad of mine brings no comfort either, the Baron thought. A servitor drone watched on, he had heard the tales of how wouldbe rebels were put down. These rebels were differant, they didn�t fall at the easiest attack. The drone turned and walked down the hallways to the slave quarters, remembering a long forgotten emotion...hope. | ||||||||||||||
| "Glad to see your back in the land of the functioning Autobot," said Spook to Nighteyes, "And..thanks." Nighteyes shook her head at him, "Yeah nice to see you too." Nighteyes turned to look at Knightstar, "I don�t know who you are, but where the hell are we going?" "We�re headed for void. Its a city on the edge of the Matriarchy�s control," said Spook�s mother. "I thought the Matriarchy controlled the entire planet," said the dark optic�d female. Knightstar shook her head, "Negative, only the northern Barons became Tarkti addicts. The southern Barons saw the Matriarchy�s plot and remained...clean so to speak." She ran a quick check over herself, "They don�t enslave down there...I�ve been trying to ferret whatever escapees I can there." Nighteyes looked at the older female with a little more respect as Spook continued onwards. | ||||||||||||||
| "Small revolts have broken out across most of the northern quadrant, Baron. The stories about these rogues�ve spread...its become a sort of epic to them," said an aide. Rz�Cartan swivled in his chair slightly, growling under his breath. "I want those rogues found damnit!!!" he shouted. The aide winced from his Baron�s volume and turned to scurry away. Cartan brought his hand down forcefully against his desk, shattering the marble top. That damned Matriarch will cut down our Tarkti supply for this...I�ll lose men to the withdrawl, Cartan thought angrilly, blasted female scum! He said to himself, "I could kill that withered old witch so easilly!" He shook his head angrilly as he shot purified Tarkti into his veins with a hypo. | ||||||||||||||
| The triad managed to make it to the southern border of the Matriarchy. Knightstar looked southwards, "The South...freedom in the lands of the Free Baronies and the Liberated Technocracy." Spook glanced back into the forest, silent as he had been since their battle with the anti-rebellion squad. Nighteyes glanced at him and tilted her head slightly. "Whats wrong son?" asked Knightstar. Spook shook his head, "Decepticons don�t run, I have to go back." Knightstar looked at her son and shook her head ferociously, "No! Thats suicide!" Nighteyes glanced at Knightstar and shook her head, "I�m tired of running...and it�d be selfish to leave those enslaved while we were free." Knightstar shook her head smirking, "Well why are we standing around here then. We�ve got a rebellion to run." | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn sat at a long table with the other leading members of the Kr family. Kr�Meth began the discussion, "This regards your escapees Lyn...they seem to have survived and proceeded back into our territory." Lyn nodded grimly, a small domestic slave began placing drinks in front of the matriachs. Slya took a long luxurious quaff of the drink, as did the others. Lyn looked at the drink and shook her head, preferring to stay completely sober during these meetings. Meth pointed her clawed finger at Ly, "Its your fault damnit!! Its your fault our empire will..." The ancient matriarch gripped her throat, her eyes glazed and she fell facedown against the table. Kr�lyn�s eyes widened as the other matriarchs did as well. Kr�lyn now ruled the Kr family. | ||||||||||||||
| Hours later the domestic servant had been executed screaming the word �Freedom.� Kr�lyn stormed down the hallways of her new home, towards the command center. Suddenly she felt a surge of power, she looked down at the golden robes which seemed as a second skin to her now. She sat down at a throne carved from the bones of slain Dreks. She steepled her fingers and looked over the intelligence reports, the slaves were heading towards a small slave encampment on the southern border. The area�s name was... | ||||||||||||||
| Perdition, rose up before the group. It was a grim place, the clouds of Tarki hung over the camp like a pall of organic blood. Spook dropped an optical bar down and magnified. "About fifteen warrior caste soldiers...maybe one or two overseers," said Knightstar as she looked through a more primative pair of binoculars. Spook nodded and looked at the two females, "You don�t need to come if you don�t wish." Nighteyes smirked and ran towards the encampment saying, "Don't start getting chauvenistic on us Spook." Spook shook his head and enabled his anti-grav systems, flying towards the camp quickly. Knightstar ran to the shadows and disappeared. The guards looked up at the onrushing group, not used to attacks from the outside. The overseers� mouths dropped noticing the flying mechanism. Spook shouted out an unintelligble battlecry as he flew downwards, one of the overseers broke himself from his stupor and opened fire. Spook winced and caught the blast in his chest his inertia carrying him into the side of a slave barrack. Nighteyes dove downwards, instinctually enabling an old program...she quickly morphed into the form of a sleek blue hovertruck. The truck slammed through the gates, surprising Nighteyes as much as the guards on the other side. The overseer attempted to shout out an order, silenced by a blade suddenly opening his throat. The overseer fell gurgling to the ground, clutching at his bleeding throat. The workers in the field watched the makeshift melee, one grabbed one of his work tools and charged a guard hitting him full in the back and breaking his spine. Spook picked himself up and jumped clear as Nighteye�s crashed into the wall of the barracks missing him by inches. Spook tumbled to a crouch and blasted away at several of the guards� knees. The melee progressed quickly, the three soon became twenty, and then as the other slaves opened the barracks that twenty became two hundred. By the end of the day the encampment was in ruins, the overseers dead or captured and the Tarkti fields burned. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack walked into Kr�lyn�s room. The room was massive with several titanic pillars holding up the huge roof. "You summoned me, Kr�lyn?" he said quietly. She looked at him evenly, "Yes Redjack, I have a proposition." Dar walked into the room smirking, wondering what chaos would occur. "Redjack, I want you to become the military head of the Kr family�s forces," Kr�lyn stated flatly. Redjack frowned, "Yes Mistress Kr�lyn." Dar smirked, "Oh look, the slave has gone up in the world!" Lyn glanced at Dar, "As a gift to award your new position Redjack...I give you the life of Kr�dar." Kr�dar�s eyes widened and he backed away, Redjack smiled evilly and turned to face the Trikian. Redjack smirked cruelly, "Where are your words of chaos now Kr�dar? Has fear stopped your tongue?" Dar turned to run and Redjack ran after. Cries of pain and laughter of dark retribution echoed through the night. | ||||||||||||||
| Lyn ordered Rz�Cartan into her chambers the next day. The baron tromped into her room, his grey face dour. "What do you want...Kr�lyn," he asked angrilly. Kr�lyn swivled in her chair to face him, giving the annoyed baron an even unfeeling look. "I am placing my head warrior slave, Redjack, in your place," Kr�lyn responded. Cartan brought his fist down on her desk, "What!?" Lyn shook her head looking at him, "Baron you�ve failed miserably in stopping the uprising. I cannot stand failure." The baron tilted his head at her, "You are insane woman!" Kr�lyn shook her head and said calmly, "No, I am pragmatic. Redjack, kill it." The Baron�s eyes widened he spun around grabbing for his weapon. Cartan�s sword fell limply to the ground. Cartan�s eyes remained open and dead, his shaking form impaled on Redjack�s weapon. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook sat in the remains of the overseer�s barracks, overlooking the burnt plantation. A few of the slaves had remained behind instead of instantly running to freedom as the others had. His three had become forty. The quasi-seeker rubbed his forehead thinking, I�m no leader...why am I doing this. Nighteyes stood a quiet watch near the blasted gates, Knightstar moved slowly towards her. Knightstar leaned against the broken gates and said quietly, "Something bothering you?" Nighteyes shook her head, "Just the...transforming, I never knew I could do something like that." Knightstar crossed her arms across her chest, smiling. "After some time you will get accustomed, its in our nature now," Knightstar said quietly. Nighteyes looked at the elder female, "Knightstar, you seem to know a good deal...what are Autobots and Decepticons?" The mother of Spook frowned and said, "Meaningless designations now...on Cybertron they were bitter enemies. I was a decepticon myself, but that was a long time ago." Nighteyes gazed at her with her blue-black optics, "If it was on Cybertron, how did you and him get here?" Knightstar looked down, "I was an exile myself...as for Spook I have no idea, I thought my mate would�ve given up." Knightstar frowned from an old memory. She leaned back and looked at the younger female, "How did you arrive here anyway? Autobots usually don�t exile their own." Nighteyes shook her head, "No idea, I believe I was memory wiped...I remember a ship vaguely." Knightstar nodded, "Most likely a slaver ship. The slavers used to kidnap whole villages, however due to their ship�s nearly worthless hyperdrives by the time they reached Trikian the villagers tended to have multiplied." Nighteyes nodded slowly letting it sink in. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack strode down the ancient hallways of the palace quietly. He wiped the blood of the former Baron Rz�Cartan off of his hands. He stopped to look in a mirror, examining his profile. He shook his head and walked off towards the armory. "A warrior deserves to look like a warrior, not a common street fighter," he mused to himself. He strode into the empty armory, looking around. Ancient weapons laid next to new ones, weapon attachments used by the slave-warriors hung in their own niche. He began to reach for an armblaster when he saw a long forgotten device which had fallen behind a dusty cabinent. He lifted the weapon and attached it to his arm. He broke open the cabinent with a quick punch, the dusty doors swinging open to reveal ancient armor and a helm. He slide the helmet down over his head as he donned the aged armor. He smiled to himself and gazed at himself in a mirror. He brushed dust off of the ancient weapon affixed to his arm, revealing a huge black cannon. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook looked over the camp, walking along the broken walls. He nodded mentally to himself, his mother�s suggestion to use the area as a staging ground was pure genius. His makeshift rebellion had grown, several units who had gone rogue had flocked to the banner of possible freedom. His force was an army now. Spook then thought over his words, his force. He shook the words from his head. He quietly said to himself, "Only Megatron rules." | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes glanced up at the seeker on the ridge when she turned her nearly black optics back to watching the perimeter. New additions to their ragtag band waved to her as they passed. She looked back over the forests and again at the sky. The glare of the blue sun shone on the ground, reflecting off of nearby bodies of water. If not for the situation, this planet would be beautiful, she thought. She looked back at Spook and then at the surrounding forces. "This is going to get ugly very fast," said the dark optic�d female. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack rode on one of the Kr family�s armed assault vehicles. A column of similar vehicles were spread in a wedge formation behind him. I would almost feel sorry for the kid, Redjack thought, but he should know better. He rode on through the forest, I�ve killed Kr�dar....avenged her....but still I feel empty. Why!? He frowned and brought his hand down against the turret, Foolish emotions, she tried to kill me! This entire world is at fault. "Baron Redjack, we�ve arrived at the contact point," said an aide. Redjack nodded and jumped down. "Move out and neutralize all targets," Redjack said. He then narrowed his optics, "But the leader is mine." | ||||||||||||||
| Knightstar ran towards the encampment quickly. "Get everyone out of here!" she shouted. "We got a class Alpha attack force coming this way," she continued. Spook looked over and frowned, "Thanks Mother." The black quasi-seeker then turned to face Nighteyes, "Nighteyes lead the others away and do it fast I�ll lead them away." Nighteyes looked at him and was about to say something when she decided against it and turned to run, the other members of the makeshift army took off on a huge retreat. Knightstar frowned, "You get out when you lead them away you hear?" Spook nodded and lept into the air, engaging his flight systems. Knightstar shook her head and lept into the sky, undergoing a quick transformation into a sleek black and white Tetrajet. Knightstar took off quickly along with the retreating troops as Spook flew forward at the onrushing force. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack saw the form in the distance and began walking towards it. "Anyone who lets him away dies!" he spat out. Spook saw the red form of the new Baron and hovered, shocked! Its...Megatron! he thought, No, it can�t be. Redjack noticed Spook�s lack of movement and leveled his newly found cannon at the bewildered quasi-seeker. Spook screamed in pain as the blast hit him full on sending him reeling. Redjack staggered slightly from the force of the weapon before sprinting to the fray. Spook shook his head to clear it of the blast and recent confusion, he looked down and frowned seeing a gaping hole. Spook heard footsteps and when he looked up an uppercut greeted him. Spook fell backwards landing hard, Redjack continued to loom over him. Spook rose his arm to fire his arm blasters at the one who took the form of his lord, Megatron. Redjack frowned and materilized a massive blade. He swung the weapon quickly severing Spook�s arm at the elbow. "ARGH!!!!" Spook shouted as he fell back on the ground, holding the gushing stump of his once arm. Redjack rose the weapon and sent it down at Spook. The quasi-seeker managed to roll away, pushing away the pain. Spook came to a kneel narrowing his crimson optical sensors. "Infidel," he shouted as he aimed his good arm at Redjack, "You dare take the form of the one true god!!" Redjack laughed at the young semi-seeker and stalked towards him raising his cannon. "There is no God Fool," the huge gladiator said. Spook growled and lept at him, the cannon fired. Spook�s broken body fell to the ground. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack kicked the body hard to see if his prey had been feigning death. Redjack turned back to the group satisfied. "The leader is dead," Redjack said simply, "Impale his body and leave him here for his �soldiers� to see." The soldiers nodded and took the broken charred form of Spook, the drove a thick metallic spike through his chest and lifted the spike upwards so the body was held in clear view. Redjack looked at the broken body, he tapped his cannon smiling. Redjack turned from the body and motioned to the others, "Back to base." The charred form of Spook said nothing. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes and Knightstar returned to the area searching. The two females looked over the area until they found the grotesque specticle. The dark optic�d femme turned her head away, "Sweet Primus." Knightstar frowned and sighed, "Nighteyes, take his body down and bring it back to my lab." Knightstar enabled her stealth systems and walked off into the forest. Nighteyes took the body down and frowned as she looked at him. "I never knew you much Spook," she said simply a sad tint in her voice, "but you didn�t deserve this." She sighed and lifted his broken form over her shoulder. A decepticon, an enemy and yet a friend. He�s risked his life for me, me for him. I think Knightstar was right, Autobot and Decepticon mean nothing now. We�re only Cybertronian now. she frowned and looked at Spook as she walked. Why do we never learn till the end. | ||||||||||||||
| A dim pall was cast over Knightstar�s lab. Nighteyes watched the moons above outside, not wanting to think of what was occuring below. Inside the lab Knightstar cut through the body of her son, praying silently to whatever powers that were for some hope. She heard a slight beeping and her optics widened. Her hands moved quickly as she searched for the source, her silent prayers growing more feverant. She finally came across something. She glanced heavenward and thanked someone silently. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes stood up and steeling herself walked into the lab. Knightstar glanced at Nighteyes. "Nighteyes, I think I can save him," the mother of Spook said. Nighteyes nodded quickly, "How?" she asked. "Well," spoke Knightstar, "His personality component is damaged...I have to upload him somewhere while I rebuild his body." Star looked at her, "Could I upload him to you, I won�t lie it will be dangerous." Nighteyes looked at Spook�s broken form and then at Knightstar. "Don�t say anything else Star...I might actually think this through," said the black optic�d female. Knightstar nodded slightly and laid her down on a table, she took a cable from the personality cluster in Spook�s chest and attached it to Nighteyes. Nighteyes deactivated her optics. | ||||||||||||||
| A dark place surrounded her, empty and she felt alone. Suddenly a soft light surrounded her. Knightstar began the upload sequence. Suddenly she felt more, more than she had ever known. She knew what it was to be a decepticon, their honor and why they fought and died. His mind slowly joined with hers, learning what she had endured on this world, he learned her past. He knew her loves, he knew her hates. She knew him, ever inch of his soul she knew. Her mind was his, his was hers. She sensed his darker sides, a feeling of abandonment a misplaced faith. Then slowly she merged with his mind, they knew all of each other. Old pains were washed away in the purity of their souls. They knew all of each other, they were each other. Memories, wants, loves, hopes, dreams...they all formed a dreamlike existance. Distant were the battlefields of Cybertron, distant were the harsh workyards. Finally each knew the truth of the ancient autobot mantra. It is in oneness we are ourselves, we strive forever to be with another. In the dance of one soul they continued on. Slowly the feeling faded, she felt his consciousness sliding away from hers and.... | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes winced as she reactivated. "Welcome back to the world of the functional," said Knightstar smiling. Nighteyes looked at Knightstar through narrowed optics, getting reaccustomed to the light. "How...long?" the dark optic�d female inquired. Knightstar thought for a few seconds, "Two days...I was getting worried for a while." "Spook...what about him," Nighteyes asked, "Is he alright?" Knightstar nodded, "Very alright...in a way his total obliteration was a godsend." Nighteyes looked at the older female in surprise, silently wondering about her sanity. Knightstar continued, "He was downgraded for some reason. His recent condition allowed me to set certain things right." A large form stepped into the light. The figure was black with glowing crimson red optical sensors, on his arms rested two huge laser cannons. Massive wings swung out from behind his large chest. Two massive intake struts framed his vented helmet. The unknown transformer�s legs possessed two square legjets which glew an anxious blue. He looked at Nighteyes, the light cascading across his young face. Nighteyes looked at him in mild amazement, it was Spook. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook walked from the medical bay, Nighteyes and Knightstar flanking. He looked up at the night sky and nodded to himself. "I�m heading out," he said while motioning to his body, "I need to test this." Knightstar nodded and smirked, "Save some for me, Son." Nighteyes glared at Knightstar, "He just got out of the medbay!" Spook lifted away silently as Nighteyes began chewing Knightstar out. He couldn�t help but smile thinking of her, he transformed quickly into a sleek attack fighter and shot off suddenly into the night. | ||||||||||||||
| The fire of the encampment burned around Redjack and the rest of his army. Redjack stared into the flames, letting his mind wander. The other soldiers, faces grey from Tarkti addiction, drank even more of their Tarkti-Alcohol. Redjack looked into the fire, again he felt empty. One more notch on the blade but another empty day, he thought. He looked upwards hearing a low rumbling, his optics widened and he dived out of the way in time to avoid the barrage of laser fire which ripped through the encampment! Several of the soldiers were hit hard, falling backwards into the numerous bonfires. A few soldiers lifted their weapons and fired off several shots, their drug induced stupor preventing any semblance of a good aim. Redjack growled ferally and fired a powerful blast from his cannon, the recoil pushing him back slightly. Spook rolled away from the blast of energy transforming. Redjack shook his head, "New look...same old wimp!" Spook remained flying calmly, he looked down at Redjack and leveled both arms. Twin bursts of energy blew up the ground around Redjack, the dark red gladiator looked up at the seeker. "Nice," Redjack said simply. Redjack set his feet again and fired a blast at Spook, hitting him full on. Spook fell backwards, noting he had suffered some mere blast marks on his chest. Spook engaged the system he believed to summon his ener-dagger, he suddenly discovered a huge energy broadsword in his hands. Spook flew at Redjack quickly shouting, "For the glory!!!" Redjack activated his own weapon and managed to deflect the incoming Spook. Redjack then spun and fired a laser blast at Spook. Spook noted the blast and spun to the side, firing off his arm blaster into one of the assault vehicles. With a tremendous explosion the vehicle exploded, the shrapnel hitting the few sobering soldiers and killing most of them. Redjack winced slightly as he was hit, standing his ground. He fired off several more full fusion shots at Spook. Spook dodged all but one which hit him full on, knocking his back slightly. Spook then flew directly at the red gladiator opening up with his own lasers, Redjack winced as the blasts bit into him deeply. As the red gladiator fell to one knee from the pain Spook flew and upwards. Before the black seeker disappeared into the night he shouted at Redjack, "There is a God Redjack....there is a God!" | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack growled and brought his fist down into the dirt as Spook flew off. "GET A MEDICAL UNIT ON THOSE IDIOTS AND PREPARE FOR FULL ASSAULT!" he shouted. Redjack stood up, a medical slave moved to him. Redjack turned angrilly and fired a blast at the slave obliterating it. Redjack then stormed off to his tent to allow himself his own time to repair. Redjack sat down angrilly glaring at the screen. "Tomorrow kid....tomorrow you and that pleasure drone of yours are mine," Redjack said to himself. The red gladiator leaned back in his chair, outside the sounds of the dying and wounded floated in. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook flew back to his encampment, he knew this time Redjack would make an assault. Spook smiled slightly, he knew Redjack was angry now...and that his anger would cloud his judgement. Spook landed at the compound of his own troops, he looked at Nighteyes. "Get them ready for combat," he said simply to her. She nodded and gave him a slightly long look as she walked off to the troops, Spook kept his optics on her as she walked off. Battle, I�ve never had to be in command for one of these, he thought. He continued looking in Knightstar�s direction, She�s in danger now...I couldn�t forgive myself if anything happened. Spook shook his head and began planning, relishing the days when he only had to look out for his own life. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes walked away from Spook, quietly she remembered their time together. She walked down the stone placements of the compound towards their makeshift troops. She still felt oddly close to him, she knew so much about him. I wonder if he knows that much about me, she thought to herself. She sighed and walked towards the troops to wake them, and winced slightly. Running a small internal diagnostic she discovered some rogue circuitry being created deep within her circuitry. She shook her head and decided to ask Knightstar to look at it after the next day�s battle. | ||||||||||||||
| The next day was warm, the sun gleamed down on the ground casting lengthened shadows in the morning. On one side stood Redjack and his few motorized legions, on the other Spook and his ragtag band. Spook watched Redjack and Redjack watched Spook. "This is your last time to surrender scum," shouted Redjack across the distance. Spook smirked and shook his head, his forces getting ready for anything. Redjack nodded slightly and then in the flash of an optical sensor screamed for his soldiers to attack! Spook noticed the onrushing forces and lept into the air. "For the glory!" Spook yelled as he flew into the fray. Nighteyes jumped down and assumed her vehicular form driving onward. Knightstar just shook her head at her son�s dramatics and cloaked. The rest of the force charged towards the fray with their leader. Redjack stood back from the battle, simply watching. Spook did his best to place the Trikian�s on even ground with the Cybertronians, blasting their motorized war machines out from under them. Redjack slipped away from the battlefield half way into the skirmish. The untrained Cybertronians fighting for freedom faired well against the drug addicted soldiers. After several hot bloody hours the final soldier fell. Spook looked over the field and frowned. It was covered with the dead bodies of both Cybertron and Trikian. Almost half of his force lay dead but he smiled none the less, for he and the others had won. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes laid her wounded form down on a med-table. Around her were several other wounded mechanisms, all smiling and relating tales from the battle to each other. She laid her head back on the table, wincing again from the inner pain. She waited patiently for Knightstar to finish with the others before asking her about the pain. Knightstar finally walked to the young Autobot and began a quick scan, her optics widening slightly. Nighteyes looked at her concerned, "Whats wrong?" Knightstar smiled slightly, "Nothing at all Nighteyes." Nighteyes narrowed her optics, "Then damnit tell me whats going on!" Knightstar smirked and looked at the younger female, "Your body has begun production of several new chips stemming off of your personality systems." Nighteyes nodded slowly, not quite understanding. The older female noticed the lack of understanding, "In other words Nighteyes, you and I will have something quite in common soon." Knightstar smiled, "We�ll both be mothers." | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes simply looked at her. "That..that couldn�t have happened," Nighteyes stammered out. "I mean Primus...I�ve never even been with a male, " she continued. Knightstar shook her head, "Unexpected side effect of that upload I assume." Nighteyes looked at her, "T-their Spook�s?" the black optic�d female stuttered out. Knightstar nodded slightly, "Unless you�ve been uploading other male�s personalities lately." Nighteyes shook her head briskly and retained her bewildered look. Knightstar leaned against the wall, flaring her wings behind her. "I wish I could see the look on Spook�s face," the elder female mused to herself. Nighteyes laid back on the table, "When will they be...you know." Knightstar took a glance at the medical readout, "A few hours probably." Nighteyes smirked, "I guess I�d better tell him soon." The elder female looked at the younger and smiled, "Make sure to video it for me." | ||||||||||||||
| Spook sat, watching the outside. He carefully placed some wrappings around the small lesions he�d taken during the battle. He couldn�t help but think of Nighteyes, she�d been so close to him it had left an impression on his very soul. He looked outwards when the form of Nighteyes sat down besides him. He looked over at her. "Something up Autobot?" Nighteyes nodded slightly smiling to herself. Spook looked at the female confused, cocking his head slightly to one side. Nighteyes put her arm around Spook�s shoulders and leaned into him, he stiffened visable. "Umm w-what are y-y-you d-d-doing," Spook stammered out nervously. Nighteyes looked at him smirking slightly, "Shared our minds and you don�t mind...I hug you and you get terrified." Spook ummm�d slightly and looked at her, "W-what did you want anyway?" Nighteyes smiled and whispered softly into his audial pickup, "Your a daddy." It took three whole days for Spook to regain consciousness after fainting. | ||||||||||||||
| The Matriarchy was an ancient organization, once in command of the entire Trikian system. Over time the Matriarchy lost its control of a larger portion of its homeworld. The free polar republic, southern baronies and liberated technocracy had sprung up to contest its supreme control. Matron Kr�lyn sat at her place on the council�s board. The Re, Lil, Rr and Rk family matron surrounded her. Lil�Zebana, the long uncontested leader of the Matriarchy sat at the head of the table, she looked over at Kr�lyn. Zebana disliked the Kr, they were a relativly new house and this new leader seemed to disagree with most of the ancient ways. Lyn had begun no selema to assure a female heir, and her chief Baron was a machine! Lyn leaned back in her chair, "The Kr family is claiming control of the matriarchy." The others looked at her, gaping at her sheer audacity. Zebana stood up angrilly, "I detest this travesty!!!!" Lyn looked over at her calmly, "I believe my Baron disagrees with you Matriarch." Zebana narrowed her crimson eyes, "And I care why?!" Lyn looked at her nails and spoke calmly, "He�s behind you." Zebana looked behind and caught the full brunt of Redjack�s cannon burst, her burnt corpse landing on the table like a bizare centerpiece. "So...anymore against?" Lyn said looking at the others. They all stammered out their approval to Lyn. "Good," Lyn said, "Redjack make sure they don�t change their minds..." Within the course of several minutes, Kr�lyn ruled the entire Matriarchy. | ||||||||||||||
| The new Kr dynasty quickly established itself. Lyn had placed the small rebellion on a backburner, more interested in preventing a civil war. She managed to diffuse the situation relativly easilly. Her current crisis was having to establish a selema for herself, she was never one for physical pleasures but the Kr family required an heiress. She tapped her chin and looked at the screen in front of her. "Take a Lil as a mate...ease the transition," she said calmly to herself. She smiled slightly at her cleverness, tapping at the console and reviewing possible mates. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook�s eyes blinked slightly as he came on-line, rubbing his forhead from the shock he had received three days ago. He looked around the lab, keeping his optics half dim so he could examine without anyone noticing him being awake. Nighteyes was laying on a med-table, resting quietly. Spook rose quietly and walked over to her, resting his hand gently on her shoulder as he looked down at her. He smiled to himself and gazed at her, seeing her less an autobot and more a portion of his own soul. He heard a quiet discussion in the other room and went to explore quietly. He looked into the room, it was another medical room. Knightstar was speaking with several other cybertronians: two female, four male. Spook assumed he could make an appearance and did his best to move into the room unnoticed. A bright optic�d neo-seeker waved at him smiling, she looked at the others and said, "Hey, Dad�s here!" Spook�s optics widened slightly as the group looked at him, Knightstar smirked at him enjoying his discomfort. Spook nodded, forcing himself not to be nervous, "Hello..." Knightstar nudged the quiet white and blue neo-seeker next to her, "Introduce yourself." The neo-seeker cleared his vocalizer quietly and looked at Spook as he stuttered, "H-hello D-Dad, I�m C-c-cleric." Spook nodded and looked at the others, a black and red neo-seeker stood up quickly. "My name is Zealot, destroyer of the infidel," spoke the standing Neo-seeker. Spook�s optics widened slightly, as another of his progeny colored silver rose. "My name is Seraph, and like the angels on high I too seek glory," he said. Spook nodded and looked over at the smiling cheerful one who�d greeted him. She smiled noticing his glance, "Heya Dad...name�s Mystic." The second female smiled warmly at her father, "My name�s Cavalier...Knightstar said that named fitted me." Spook nodded, still overwhelmed when he glanced to the last male, who stood in the background. The last individual rose his head, his golden armor glinting and said, "Greetings Father, I am Paladin. I pray that I will be worthy of that name." Spook nodded and sat down on a table looking at the others, smiling to himself. Mystic looked around smiling, cheerful. Paladin leaned against the wall of the chamber. Seraph moved himself to a stratgetic position where all of the light was on him. Seraph smiled egotistically and looked around the chamber. Cleric continued staying as far out of sight as he could, visably nervous. Cavalier smiled broadly and leaned back on her chair, placing her feet up on a medtable, almost knocking Zealot off. Zealot glared at Cavalier, "Blasted Sibling...watch thineself lest thee send the messenger of the mighty Megatron to the floor!" Cavalier just....laughed. Paladin smirked slightly from his position in the background. Seraph frowned visable as the attention was taken away from him. Spook simply watched his children, smiling from pride. Mystic looked around grinning, "So whats first on the schedule?" Spook looked at his daughter, "We need to make our army grow, although with all of you we have an advantage." Seraph smiled proudly, the light reflecting off of his silver armor as he said, "I�m here, what else do we need?" Cavalier looked at her brother and smirked, "A damn lot more than you." Cleric tapped at a small datapad, engrossed in it. Mystic nudged her brother somewhat visably to jostle him back into the real world and away from his datapad. Spook shook his head slightly and smiled at the group. "Go relax or something, it feels like a damn wake with you all standing here," Spook said. The group nodded and headed out, Knightstar smiled at her son proudly before leaving as well. Spook watched the group leave and walked into the sleeping area to watch Nighteyes. | ||||||||||||||
| "Data stream reports possible rebellion within Matriarchy lands," said a synthesized voice in the darkness. Frin�Degal swivled slightly in his chair looking down at the courier. He responded calmly with his own synthesized voice, "Noted, probability of success?" "Nearing Eighty Three percent," the courier replied calmly. Degal nodded and he looked at the screen as several mechanical tendrals lowered from the ceiling and connected to his skull. The courier turned soundlessly and strode out of the room as his commander transmitted the information. Within several seconds the knowledge of Degal transmitted across the entire liberated technocracy. Degal calmly touched one of the thousands of buttons on his console, opening a channel to the technocracy�s frontier. A young looking figure appeared on screen, his onboard computer implant shining slightly from a recent cleaning. "Wrent, I want you to lead a scouting team into the Matriarchy lands," the technocrat spoke through the link. The young figure nodded on the other side. "Locate cybertronian with these quintesson markings and aid him as best you can," Degal spoke as he displayed the decepticon symbol, "I want a report every sixteen cycles." Wrent nodded, "It will be done." Degal nodded and deactivated the link, "May the will of the Divine Purpose be with you." | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack was again on the field, this time he was the commander of a massive force of the Matriarchy�s military, consisting of twelve assault vehicles and several thousand troops. He stood on the lead attack vehicle as it thundered over the landscape, flanked by a wedge of similar vehicles. He put a pair of binoculars to his optical sensors as he looked out over the landscape. He nodded grimly, "Commander lead six vehicles to attack the rebel encampment. Terminate all present." The column commander nodded and drove his vehicles towards Perdition. Redjack ordered his own vehicle and the reserve troops to stop as he observed the results of the attack. | ||||||||||||||
| The assault vehicles hit hard, damaging several of the guards as they ran for cover. The commander smiled brutally as he opened fire on what he believed to be the medical and living areas. His smile soon faded as he looked upwards and saw a golden form blocking out the sun. He dove clear seconds before the massive energy blade of Paladin slashed down into his vehicle leaving a huge gash. The driver of the vehicle managed to scream before Paladin reached down and pulled him out forcefully, throwing the hapless Trikian into the ground. Zealot was a little less friendly, he dove at one of the vehicles ramming into the thing as he lifted it onto his shoulders. "FOR THE GLORY!!!!" he shouted at the top of his vocalizer as he flung the vehicle several yards. The commander of the lead vehicle gaped and let out a muffled cry as he was crushed under the huge vehicle. Zealot arghed loudly as one of the assault vehicles emptied its cannon into him, he slumped down to his knees grimacing. The gunner prepared to finish him off when a sudden burst of ultra-intense light flash-incinerated him and his vehicle. Seraph lowered down from the sky, smirking as the wind blew the ashes away. Redjack shook his head from his position away from the fray and shouted, "Attack!!!" The forces rushed forward with Redjack�s vehicle in the lead. Soon the small fray erupted into a battle royale. Redjack ran through the battle quickly, making swift work of the few of Spook�s soldiers who were brave or stupid enough to attack him. Spook himself was busy attacking most of the assault vehicles as Knightstar and Cleric tended to the few wounded they managed to drag off of the field. Mystic stood in a small circle as Cavalier defended her. "Keep them off me for another few minutes Sis," Mystic shouted to her sister Cavalier. Cavalier responded, "Doing my best," as she sliced into a Trikian and sent a kick at another. Mystic deactivated her optics and forced out the sound of the battle. My mind is my weapon, greater then any sword. My mind can shape worlds or break them. My mind is all Mystic thought as she focused herself. Slowly the sounds of battle stopped outside of her, and she opened her optics. Cavalier stood looking dumbfounded as the troops which seconds before had had them trapped were now surrendering. Redjack continued cutting his way through Spook�s soldiers, getting nearer to the newly rebuilt seeker. Nighteyes leveled a pistol at Redjack as she attempted to defend Spook, who was busy battling a Trikian. Redjack growled and blasted Nighteyes pointblank sending the dark eye�d femme forcefully into a wall. Spook turned suddenly shouting, "Nighteyes!!" | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack growled and leveled his cannon at Spook, "Now little one...you die!" Spook dodged the blast, which struck the Trikian Spook was fighting, incinerating him. Spook rolled to a kneel and fired off a blast at Redjack who moved deftly out of the way, diving at Spook. He collided forcefully with Spook and both went tumbling as the battle raged around them. The neo-seeker came out on top and slammed Redjack�s face into the dirt. "What did you do to Nighteyes," he shouted! Redjack reached up and grabbed Spook�s chin throwing him off of him, "Hopefully I killed the slut!" Spook landed, skidding painfully on his face, after regaining his bearings he turned around to face Redjack. He narrowed his optics, "She is no slut!" Redjack smirked having discovered a weakness and strode forward, "Yes she was." Spook growled and lept at Redjack shouting an unintelligible cry. Redjack swung his cannon up and fired a blast, which slammed into Spook. Spook however continued on despite his left wing being obliterated by the blast. He slammed into Redjack knocking him to the ground. The cannon skittered away. Redjack growled and stabbed at the insane Spook, impaling him on his energy sword. Spook screamed in anger and brought his fist down at Redjack�s chest, cracking into it. Redjack winced and punched Spook away. Redjack then examined himself and growled grabbing his cannon. He affixed the weapon to his arm and ran as Spook waited for the world to stop spinning. Redjack lept onto one of the few remaining assault vehicles and ordered a retreat. The battered neo-seeker lept to his feet and fired several shots as a parting to the fleeing Redjack before moving quickly to Nighteyes�s blasted form. | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes was laying in a heap, energon flowing freely from the massive blast crater which marred her chest. Spook frowned and leaned down by her, proping her head up slightly. The tattered remnants of Redjack�s force began a retreat, sans those who had surrendered to Mystic. Spook looked down into her optics, "You...are going to be ok." Nighteyes shook her head, wincing as her neck sparked painfully. Spook looked into her optics sternly, "That wasn�t a question Nighteyes." She smiled weakly looking up at him with her one remaining, flickering optical sensor, "If I didn�t know better Spook.....I�d say you wanted me to....stay around." Spook nodded and kept his optics on her, "I...don�t want to lose you Nighteyes." She laid her head to one side slightly, "You never will Spook...I�m a part...of you...now." Spook forced her to look at him, "No heroic goodbyes Nighteyes, this may sound selfish but damnit your staying here with me!" Nighteyes winced and clutched her chest, "Can�t...do that Spook..." The neo-seeker frowned and held her blasted body closer to his, "You can do anything if you put your mind on it...I know that much about you...now hold on!" Nighteyes shook her head weakly, "Can�t.." Spook looked in her optics, "Yes...you can." He held her tightly in his arms as Cleric and Knightstar rushed to them. | ||||||||||||||
| Seraph sat in his blasted chambers, thinking to himself. War...the ultimate expression of existance. A dark chaos...where my light will truelly shine. Seraph smiled as he looked around his chambers and strode to a relfective surface. He looked into it smiling and said, "Greetings Seraph, great bringer of light...and ruler of Trikian." He continued smiling as he looked at his own face, "Greatest of the children of Spook, superior to his father!" He slammed his hand hard into the mirror laughing. "One day my light shall shine over all of Trikian," he smiled proudly, "And more! The universe will be mine!" | ||||||||||||||
| Mystic sat in her dark chambers, meditating quietly. Her sister Cavalier laid back on her bunk, propping her head up slightly. "Interesting battle today Mys," Cavalier said as she glanced over at her sister, "but what in the name of holy Primus did you do!" Mystic merely smiled as she opened her optics slightly, "Simple, I focused my mind." "The mind is a powerful weapon," she continued, "I simply thought the fight out of those soldiers." Cavalier smirked and shook her head spinning her sword behind her in a showy manner, "I always prefer the direct approach to those powers of yours sis." Paladin leaned quietly in the doorway, watching his siblings and looking down the battered hallway. | ||||||||||||||
| Later that evening Mystic rose from her quarters, and following her sixth sense moved towards the medical bay which doubled as a lab for Cleric and Knightstar. She placed her audial against the wall and listened. There was a quiet arguement inside, she could hear Seraph, Knightstar, Cleric and her dad. She peered quietly through a crack in the door just in time to see Seraph bringing his hand down against a medical table. "This is a war Father," yelled Seraph, "There is no honor in war! Only chaos and entropy!" Spook shook his head firmly, "I�m not going to defeat the Matriarchy just to replace it!" Seraph growled, "Father! When we have won, then you can bring out the morality!" The silver son of Spook narrowed his optics, "You sound like an autobot whining about morality!" Spook stood impassive, mentally noting how the insult would�ve once gotten to him. He now recognized being called �autobot� was no more insulting then �decepticon�. Seraph growled, "Give me the Touch of Corruption! I will end this war in minutes!" Knightstar shook her head, "Spook said no, and even my mate in his maddest conditions refused to use it." Seraph pointed at Knightstar, "I found the plans! I built it! It is mine!" Cleric shook his head, "N-no its ins-sane!" Seraph narrowed his optical sensors at them, "You�re all cowards! You refuse to accept chaos and use it to forge a new order!" Seraph looked at them all yelling, "You refuse me my destiny!!!" Spook stood up and glared into his son�s optics, "Go to your room and cool off." Seraph growled and turned, storming out, he pushed Mystic out of his way and stormed down the hallway. Mystic landed on her rear, grumbling slightly. She looked as her brother moved to his quarters and then looked the others, smiling embarrassedly. "Erm, hello," she said. Spook smiled slightly at his daughter, "Eavesdropping were we?" Mystic smiled coyly, "Would you believe I used my sixth sense and I just got here?" Knightstar smirked before she laughed. Cleric placed the touch of corruption away. The touch was a dark glovelike device, it radiated entropy and was black as the darkest heart of hate. Cleric winced as his hands began to burn at the device�s vile touch, and placed it in a suspensor field. Spook looked at the device, "I want it destroyed, first thing tommorrow...in the meantime, everyone get some rest.� They nodded and headed off, Mystic gave the device one long look...frowning. | ||||||||||||||
| A technocracy stealth skimmer slowly closed on Perdition. Wrent swivled slightly in his command chair and spoke in his synthesized voice, "Radar report?" One his troops looked at the screen and began the proper mental calaculations with the aid of his personal computer uplink. Wrent leaned back in his chair and watched the screen. Chances are this is another Matriarchy trap, he thought, it still has to be checked out though...its not good to have unknowns. He frowned and looked at his bionic arm, engaging a small weapon charge system. The radar monitor looked up and spoke in his whisperingly quiet over-synthesized voice, "Objective contains massive Trikian life forms in area referred to as oubilette, probably captives." Wrent nodded, "Continue." The radar monitor nodded, "Most of the Cybertronian lifeforms are at rest in a room, one is moving..." | ||||||||||||||
| Seraph made his way through the dark corridors, muttering to himself. "How dare he try to tell me what I can and cannot do," he said to himself entering the medlab. He kicked aside a small chair, "My father is an idiot!! Too weak!" His optics fell on the Touch of Corruption and he smiled. "Evil carves the way for good...corruption for beauty," he smirked as he reached for the device. His hand wrapped around it and he felt it burn...he smiled. He placed the device over his right hand and activated it. "My father wants order...a stupid moronic beneficent order," Seraph said, "But I know how things must be!" Seraph screamed in pain and gripped his arm, lines of corruption running out, sending disgusting lines of tarnish across his silver body. He grimaced and gained control laughing insanely, "Yes!!!! A beneficient order is stupid!" He smiled evilly, his optics burning dark as he said, "No joy without pain, not love without hate....no order..." He brought his fist down at the medical table nearby shattering it, "WITHOUT MAYHEM!!!!!!!" | ||||||||||||||
| Mystic ran into the room, following a mental warning which had shocked her out of her rest, her optics fell on her brother when she came in through the door. "Sweet Primus! What have you done Seraph," she said, shocked, as she backed away. Mayhem looked at her, smiling insanely, "The name is Mayhem now, sister" He stalked towards her, his hand destroying the air molecules it touched, glowing a sickening black. Mystic backed away and sent a quick mental plea to someone, "Get back!" Mayhem smirked, "I wish only to show you the glory of corruption Mystic." Mystic yelled out, terrified, "Get back!!!!" Distant running footsteps were heard coming down the hallway. Mayhem laughed seeing her fear and shouted as he lunged at her, "TOUCH OF CORRUPTION!!!" The vile instrument came to life as he pressed his hand against her, dark lines of corruption streamed across her form as she screamed in agony. The door opened suddenly and Spook, flanked by Cavalier ran in. Spook�s optics widened and he shouted, "NO!" Cavalier lept at Mayhem grabbing his elbow and slamming him against the ground as Mystic mewled in pain, her very body dissolving around her. Spook kneeled by his daughter as Mayhem and Cavalier struggled. Mystic looked at her father, her body dissolving quickly, "I...love you...Dad." Spook could merely stand by, ineffectual as his daughter�s body dissolved to nothing but dust in a few seconds. Mayhem sent a quick left cross at Cavalier, knocking her into a computer before taking off quickly. Mayhem kicked his father out of the way as he ran into the hallway and towards the exit. Cavalier growled and ran after, leaping over her sister�s ashes and her sobbing father. Mayhem dove through the entrance of the compound, taking to the air quickly. Cavalier followed and began firing shots at the fleeing Mayhem, "SERAPH YOU BASTARD!!!!" A small stealth skimmer craft quickly dove for the ground to avoid being spotted as the two battled. Mayhem smiled evilly and dove down under the trees, Cavalier followed growling! Mayhem flew along, whistling with a smile as he sent out a radio transmission. Mayhem flew over an open plain, Cavalier followed! When Cavalier was directly in the middle of the field, two collumns of Redjack�s assault vehicles popped up. Cavalier barely had time to gasp before numerous blasts brought her to the ground hard. Mayhem landed near the lead vehicle smirking as he walked towards Redjack. Redjack snarled and lifted his cannon to destroy the neo-seeker. Mayhem waved his hand dismissivly, "Redjack...Redjack.... Redjack I want to join you, consider my sister a gift." Redjack narrowed his optics, and agreed. | ||||||||||||||
| Cavalier�s awoke to find herself strapped to a pole and being paraded through the streets of a major Trikian city. She winced as a glass bottle shattered against her head. She heard shouts of �Rebel!� and �Trollop!� being focused on her. She looked at the surrounding populace and growled, angrilly noting her lack of armaments. These sheep want an example, she thought narrowing her optics, I�ll give her one...I�ll show them what a free Cybertronian is! She looked up, adopting a proud visage as the refuse bounced off of her. She wouldn�t let them break her, she would stand firm! She looked beyond the hateful faces, and jeers, she smiled at what she saw. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook rubbed his forehead as he sat in his quarters, trying to make sense of all of what had happened. Paladin stood on watch outside with a dour Zealot. Knightstar and Cleric were busy in the medical bay. His troops were busy training. He was alone. He frowned and activated his arm comp, displaying an image of Mystic, Seraph and Cavalier from his memory banks. Nighteyes stood in the doorway and looked at him frowning. "We had the service for Mystic this morning Spook," she said looking at him. Spook nodded distantly, gazing at the trio displayed on his armcomputer. Nighteyes walked over to him and put her arms around him holding him tight as he merely remained limp. "They�re...gone Nighteyes," he said, looking off into space. "No Spook...our daughter is still around somewhere," she said in a comforting tone. Spook forced his face to harden, "I�m fine now Nighteyes...l-lets get back to work." Nighteyes shook her head, "No Spook, your not fine, you need time to mourn." He deactivated his optics and held her tightly, frowning shakilly. She rubbed his back softly, "Males...I swear you�d all lose your minds if we females weren�t around to make you let your emotions out." | ||||||||||||||
| Wrent sat in the stealth vehicle, watching images of the recent events. "Nav, set course for Kar�karant," he said calmly in his synthesized voice. Kar�karant was the Matriarchy capital, the place where he assumed they would most likely drag their captive off to. The Nav-officer nodded, not doubting his commander�s orders for more than a second. The weapon�s officer was less trusting then the nav-officer, however. "Karant," he growled, "Thats suicide Wrent." Wrent shook his head, "Neg, we rescue the captured female and we get into good graces with the rebel leader." The weapon�s officer sat down, still questioning the logic. Wrent seemed to notice his soldier�s discomfort, "There is more in intellect then logic." He continued, "Without emotion a logical being is nothing more than a computer, I am more than a computer." He looked at the weapon�s officer as the skimmer lifted off slightly, "And so is that female." | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn touched the access panel on her desk smiling as she initiated a vid-conference with the other noble families�s matriarchs. The new leaders of the Re, Lil, Rr and Rk families appeared on separate screens. She waited for the static of the initial connection to fade as she smiled, musing over how she had so easilly cleaned house when she assumed command of the entire matriarchy; without doubt new incompetant leaders had take the place of the old intelligent and now dead matriarchs. Several faces began to appear on the screens. The Rk screen still showed static, Lyn shook her head muttering. A young, almost adolescent looking individual appeared on the Lil screen brushing back a mane of black hair from her face. The Re family screen and the Rr family screen showed young but still resonably aged individuals. The Lil matriarch spoke up, "My name is Lil�Kina, Matriarch Kr." Kina continued, "The Lil family has agreed to your request and we will be sending Lil�Der to be your mate and join our two great families." Lyn nodded slightly, "Send a file on him as soon as possible." She looked at the Rk screen as a...male face appeared!? The other three matriarchs were about to speak up about it when the male began to speak. "My name is Baron Rk�Dregal. As of this moment all lands of the Rk family are aligning with the free baronies," the male said as he glared at the screen. "I must thank you for killing my mother Lyn," he said, "It finally gave those in my barony the backbone to leave your alliance and abolish the Cybertronian slavery." The Rk baron smiled slightly through the channel, "And don�t think of attacking me, or I�ll inform the northern baronies how to cure their Tarkti addiction." Lyn growled and narrowed her optics but before she could speak, the Rk channel shut off. | ||||||||||||||
| Knightstar rushed quickly into Spook�s room. "Spook get your rear quarters in gear," she said hurriedly, "We�ve got about ten fracking legions moving in on us!" Spook damned loudly and lept off of his recharging bed, he followed his mother as they ran down the corridors. Spook stopped to rap on the door of Nighteyes�s quarters and yelled, "On your feet Night, we�ve got company!" Spook rushed out the entrance as Nighteyes came to her door, groggily. Spook came outside and Knightstar stood to his left looking at the oncoming group. "Who are they Mom," Spook asked. Knightstar dropped a visor down over her optics and zoomed in on them, "Rk...levies I can assume, Baronies usually don�t field Cybertronians." The legion got within close range of the compound and Spook smiled, "Maybe...but they can release them." "Today Mother," Spook said, "We stop taking it...and start giving it!" | ||||||||||||||
| Kr�lyn sat alone in her chambers. She tapped the console quietly as she smirked noticing a new addition to the slave ranks. Before the icy matriarch could formulate a plan however, the doors of her chambers were thrown open by a silver Cybertronian with green streaks of tarnish running through him. She looked evenly at him, "Ah yes...the turncoat." "What is it you want Mayhem," she continued. The fallen neo-seeker looked at her, smiling insanely. "I need a few slaves, medical supplies and some time," the deranged Mayhem spoke. Lyn steepled her fingers looking at him, "Why?" "Simple Lyn," he said with an unpleasant smile, "Daddy has his kids, each of which can defeat at least a hundred of your petty little troops." Lyn narrowed her eyes, "I�m aware from Redjack�s reports." "Well Matriarch...what if I were to create our own little group of killing machines," he said with a grim smile. Lyn looked at him flatly, "I�m listening." | ||||||||||||||
| It took a few days to round up the needed individuals. Mayhem took a perverse pleasure in modifying their bodies and warping their personality components via a setting of the vile Touch of Corruption. With a sickening mockery of fatherhood he called them his children. Before him they stood now: Heretic, Mephit, Gigas, Incubus and Ghoul. Heretic was a killer, a beserker, his greatest pleasure was in the defilement of a person�s greatest beliefs. Heretic loved to watch one die inside as he saw his beliefs torn from him. Mephit was quick, able to reach speeds far surpassing that of many aircraft in his robotic mode. Mephit could also call on the elements as weaponry. Gigas was a powerhouse, almost an automaton powered by a mindless unfocused hatred. Incubus represented lust, a lust for power or pleasure. He was capable of preying on the weak portions of an individual�s mind. Possessed of a minor telepathic ability, Incubus was able to slink into a person�s very mind and learn his secret forbidden wants. Ghoul was quiet and a master of weaponry. Despite his massive combat knowledge however, Ghoul preferred ripping his opponents apart with his bare hands so he could taste their blood or energon on his hands. Mayhem smiled evilly at his new family, his time would come soon. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook�s legions were on the move. Twelve days out of Perdition the army encountered a small group of slavers, their ranks swelled as the newly freed individuals joined them. They hit a second more fortified base and took few losses. They set their hopeful optics towards Karant, which was still months off. Knightstar stood in her makeshift lab with Cleric, working on the wounded they had recieved in the battles. Paladin and Zealot were on guard around the perimeter with several other of the new troops. Nighteyes was walking along through the encampment alone, thinking. She frowned and looked back at the command tent. He�s so...distant now, she thought, we�ve been so close in the past but still he acts like I�m not around. She frowned, she needed someone herself. She rubbed her arms, feeling the cold of a Trikian winter coming on slowly. "Why don�t you come over here Miss, we have a fire," a soft male voice beckoned to her. She walked in reluctantly and nodded her thanks as she warmed herself by the flames feeling her hydraulics nearing some semblance of being liquid again. She nodded her thanks and looked at the individual, his features were sharp and detailed. He was obvious one of the newer designer warrior mechs, she found him almost strangely attractive, like something out of one of her dreams. He smiled at her, "Hello, your the one they call Nighteyes aren�t you?" His voice was something she couldn�t stand, it was almost too perfect, she found herself becoming lost in his optics. She nodded as she caught herself, "Y-yes I�m Nighteyes." The male smiled, "Nice to meet you, I�d never thought you�d be...this attractive." Nighteyes smiled shakilly; Spook had never spoken to her like this, he�d always been there for her but had never spoken to her in such a way. The male smiled slightly and Nighteyes felt herself drawn to him, she stepped closer feeling a sensation of want. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt a heady euphoric feeling, unable...unwilling to fight. He leaned in to kiss her softly, she welcomed it clutching tightly to him. Feelings flooded through her however, feelings of betrayal, betraying him. She remembered what he had done for her on the battlefield, how he had saved her from the Drek. She knew him, possibly better then he knew himself and here she was with another...a stranger! She pushed him away suddenly, forcefully breaking the kiss, "No!" She shook her head, "No. I already have someone important." The male smirked and flared out his huge wings behind him, "Too bad Nighteyes....Incubus knows how to please very well." Nighteyes narrowed her optics and turned walking out, "Thats nice whoever you are." Mayhem smirked as he slid from the shadows to block the door, "His name is Incubus mother....and mine as you know is Mayhem." | ||||||||||||||
| Nighteyes narrowed her nearly black optics, "Hello Son." Mayhem smirked evilly at her, "Seems our guards aren�t too terrribly alert Mother." She kept her optics trained on her murderous son, "What is it you want exactly...Mayhem?" Mayhem smirked, "Why simple mother. You dead!" Nighteyes kept her calm tone as she mentally kept track of Incubus as he skulked around behind, "I�d say you have a long wait Seraph." Mayhem growled, "That is Mayhem!!!" She waited, half knowing what would come next. Mayhem growled and lunged forward with the crackling hand of the Touch, Nighteyes quickly sidestepped and grabbed him by the elbow, flinging him into Incubus as he tried to grab her. Nighteyes ran outside and yelled for assistance loudly as Mayhem picked himself up growling. He punched aside Incubus forcefully and leveled his arm blaster at his mothers back. He smiled evilly, "Time is a reaver..." | ||||||||||||||
| "And you are my prey WORM," Zealot said as he came crashing down from the roof. Mayhem cursed loudly and dove clear seconds before his brother came crashing down hard where he was. Mayhem snarled, "Gigas! Heretic! Ghoul! Mephit! ATTACK!!!" The four lept out of the dark places in the room...Heretic rushed at Zealot and tackled him to the group forcefully. Mephit smiled a bootlicker�s smile at Mayhem, "What do you wish of me Lord Mayhem?" A powerful laserblast ripped the side off of the tent, Cleric stood with a smoking arm-cannon, optics narrowed dangerously at Mayhem. Mayhem grabbed Mephit and threw him in front of the blast that followed as he lept into the air. Gigas slowly moved towards the distracted Cleric, swinging a massive uppercut at him. The attacked connected and Cleric flew back several long painful yards. A few brave soliders decided to join in the fray, unfortunately they were destroyed as Ghoul decloaked and tore them apart with his bare claws, lapping up their spilling energon. Ghoul�s feast was ended by the unpleasantness of Paladin�s laserblade slicing through his back. The unholy creation spun around growling, "Fool...now you too will join the harvest of..." Paladin made sure to uppercut the ghastly individual before he could finish his rantings. Mayhem took the advantage of his namesake and fired several pulse blasts at his golden brother knocking him back hard. "Presumptious fool," Mayhem yelled, "I am Chaos nothing can defeat Chaos!" A powerful force cannon ripped through Mayhem�s left wing, taking it clear off and leaving a stump which bled purple energon in a dripping stream down the corrupted form of the fallen Neo-seeker. "Another name change...Son," Spook inquired sarcastically, spitting out the word �Son.� Mayhem narrowed his optics and manipulated a switch on the Touch, he pointed his finger at Spook and fired a burst of pure anti-matter. The burst destroyed the air as it passed through it, finally impacting with Spook�s shoulder fiercely...the sudden burst of pure energy causing it to explode in a flash of color, filiments of the armor flashing off in all directions like a form of morbid fireworks. Spook gritted his teeth and flew at Mayhem. Below Heretic and Zealot were busy grappling, each unable to reach for his weapons due to his proximity to his opponent. Heretic smirked as he managed to land a poweful punch to Zealot�s face, sending him staggering back several steps. Zealot merely smirked as the energon slid down in glowing streaks from his nasal unit, an insane smile full of fire and passion. The Neo-Seeker rose his arm cannons and smiled, "May your soul find eternal torment in the fires of HELL!!!!" Heretic tried to dive clear as the incideary bursts from the crazed Neo-seeker hit him, dark fire spreading over his body suddenly. Heretic rolled as his form was allighted by Zealot�s napalm, screeching in an ungodly tone. Cleric slowly lifted his battered form, his cockpit section was nearly destroyed by the gargantuan�s attack. He narrowed his optics and glared at his huge opponent defiantly. Gigas lumbered towards Cleric, his huge dark form causing the ground to shake under his Titanlike weight. Cleric stood his ground against the giant and lined up a shot at his knee. Cleric mentally pulled the trigger on his armblaster sending off a burst of azure fire at the joint of the gargantua, Gigas howled in pain as the blast connected and he fell down to one knee clutching the other in pain. Above the melee Mayhem grappled still with his father, each exchanging fierce blows. Spook drew his long unused ener-dagger and plunged it into his son�s chest, Mayhem growled in pain and fired a pulse burst point blank into Spook�s torso. The blast hit hard and blew a hole clean through Spook, his displaced inner components fell through the air like stars falling from heaven. Spook narrowed his optics and felt the dark inner wants of hate; before him flew the one who had killed his daughter, the one who had tried to kill Nighteyes, and yet still his son! Spook rushed at Mayhem but the younger Neo-Seeker was too quick for his father and dodged quickly to the right. Mayhem kicked Spook in the chest as he flew by! Mephit picked his smoking form up muttering to himself. He noticed Cleric�s involvement with Gigas and chose him as his target. He smirked vilely and streched his arms out four ports opened and from them pour four types of elemental death! Molten Iron, Pure Fire, Acid, and a directed burst of caustic gas all headed at the unknowing Neo-Seeker. Cleric cried out as the blasts impacted with his back. He fell to a knee grimacing in pain and Mephit moved towards him, laughing a shaky nervous laugh. The small impish robot raised his ports to fire on the downed Cleric again when he was grabbed by invisable hands and punted into the ground! Knightstar decloaked and nodded finally at the unconscious Mephit, she almost missed the sliced form of Ghoul as he jumped at her back. She spun on her heel and grabbed her attacker by the neck, with the skill of a martial ballerina she spun and threw Ghoul at Gigas�s damaged form. The titan groaned as Ghoul impacted with his shoulder, he lifted himself shakilly on his unsure knee joint. Mayhem sent a fierce volley of punches at Spook�s form, shattering his cockpit compartment and making the broken glass spring out like a supernova. Spook growled and swung his arm blasters up and fired a salvo of ionic energy into his son, Mayhem danced in pain as the blasts hit him sending him several feet back in the air. The fallen son punched his arm component and yelled down to his damaged troops, "Fall back!!!" Spook growled and charged at Mayhem as he turned to run, only to gain a burst of laserfire through his already cratered chest. Incubus smirked and lifted up into the air as Spook�s damaged form went towards the group in a weakly controlled fall. Incubus smirked evilly and blew a mocking kiss towards Nighteyes as he lifted off the ground and transformed into a quick attack plane...shooting off towards Karant. Mayhem waited for his troops to retract before he himself retreated. Mephit and Heretic ran until they were clear to take to the air. Gigas transformed into a massive battletank and rolled through the camp as small arms blasts hit him ineffectually. Nighteyes growled and fired laser blasts at the long gone Incubus, more for her own gratification then an actual result. Ghoul picked himself up and launched into the air, he assumed the form of a swept-wing fighter with engines glowing a bright green. As the final one of his soldiers shot off, Mayhem turned to face the encampment. "With my touch," he said, "I give the gift of death!" He gathered a ball of energy on the end of the touch and fired it downwards into the camp, the chaos of the anti-matter reaction allowing him to easilly escape. | ||||||||||||||
| The skimmer touched down several miles outside of Kar�Karant. Wrent took his weapon�s officer and proceeded towards the city leaving his companions to guard the skimmer. Wrent and the other soldier knew from transmissions that Lyn�s mate-choosing of the token Lil would be soon, and it would be on that day that Cavalier would be the most open for an escape attempt. Soon the day came around, admist the fanfare and general debauchery of the celebration the two technocracy soldiers, dressed in grey robes, made their ways towards the location of the Matriarch�s estate. Lil�Der was dressed in high military garb and was standing next to Kr�lyn, he was already marked as being one of her mates. Over an announcement system, an almost too happy sounding female voice boomed. "Today, as celebration of this joyful union. One of the traitorous slaves will be executed," the announcement continued. Cavalier was lead down a catwalk like construction to a block. Her face was pushed down onto the block as her executioner began sharpening his weapon. So this is the end, she thought to herself, executed in this farce of a celebration...its over now. Then as she felt the icy black clouds of desperation coming on, she heard the music. The music of a thouand free voices singing, an unknown song, one had yet to occur. The music was so beautiful, it had to occur. She couldn�t let it end here. The drums finished their rolling and the executioner brought his blade down. At the last second Cavalier moved backwards and flung her arm out forward just enough to make the blade slice her restraints. The shocked executioner looked at her in disbelief, she punched him hard and grabbed his weapon. Kr�lyn growled, "Kill her!" Several of the numerous guards took aim on the lone Neo-seeker. Wrent saw this as his time to move, he nodded to his compainion and fired off a bolt of energy from his bionic arm. The crowd dispersed quickly as the laserfire began to be exchanged. Der drew his blade and stood protectively in front of Kr�lyn. Cavalier saw the incredible numbers and deciding it was better to die in glory then attempting to escape began rushing up a massive staircase, the acme of which was occupied by Kr�lyn. Kr�lyn noticed the charging cybertronian and sent her guards and her new mate at it while she scrambled quickly in the opposite direction. Wrent saw the Matriarch�s movements and ran after quickly. Within moments he caught up to her and fired a blast at her feet. "Surrender or die Kr," he said narrowing his eyes at her. She arghed as she was sent face down into the ground by the blast, she narrowed her eyes dangerously at Wrent. Cavalier cut through the guards and downed the Lil with no effort at all. Wrent moved towards Kr�lyn, "Do you surrender the Matriarchy Kr�lyn." Kr�lyn looked up at him, "Stupid arrogant male..." Her speech was silenced as Wrent kicked her hard in the face sending her onto her back. He walked to her and placed his boot on her chest, leaning down on her as he aimed his smoking palm at her head. "I surrender," she said weakly. Wrent nodded and moved his foot off of her as though she was Drek droppings, he turned his back and smiled to Cavalier. Kr�lyn took notice of this and drew a small thin blade from a secret wrist sheath. Kr�lyn rushed towards the unknowing Technocracy soldier! Cavalier shouted a warning to her unknown benefactor! Wrent screamed in pain as the blade plunged into his back, he spun around and fired a full force blast into the Matriarch, flash-incinerating her. He fell to one knee and pulled the dagger from his back. "Victory," was all he managed to say before he lost consciousness. The dusty remains of Kr�lyn blew away in the wind like dust.. | ||||||||||||||
| Dust, clouds of it surrounded the assault collumns. Redjack�s forces continued shadowing Spook�s troop movement. He had learned about Kr�lyn�s demise and of the nearing collapse of the Matriarchy but he didn�t care. All he cared about now was killing Spook and the rebels. Mayhem�s incursionary force failed, he knew it would. Mayhem and his pathetic excuse for troops were repairing themselves in one of the mobile medical stations. He knew the end was nearing, for himself, for them, for Spook, for Trikian itself. Redjack knew all these things and he didn�t care. The whole world would feel his pain, the whole world! His troops would die he knew it, he would die too, but so would Spook and his rebels. "Yes," he spoke to himself, "We�ll all die." | ||||||||||||||
| "Well isn�t that a cheery thought Redjack," it was Mayhem�s voice. The corrupted neo-seeker flew to Redjack�s vehicle and landed on the platform on which the red gladiator turned general was standing. "Shut up Mayhem," he said, not bothering to look at the corrupted form which stood before him. "Now now Redjack," Mayhem said, "Think of the opportunities Kr�lyn�s death gives us." Redjack continued ignoring Mayhem. "Redjack, we�re going to catch up to my father and when we do he�s dead," Mayhem spoke again, attempting to break into Redjack�s little world. "My technological skill has given us an incredible ace in the hole," he continued smirking proudly. "With the de-stablized power vacuum I�ll rule this planet Redjack and I�ll make you my general...you will be allowed to kill whomever you want," Mayhem smirked. "Mayhem...shut up or I�ll kill you where you stand," Redjack growled out. Mayhem smirked, "Save that for my father." | ||||||||||||||
| The battle did not come quickly for the last vestages of the Matriarchy. Redjack�s great army was proceeding on to Lilcarna, the home of the recently restored Lil royal family. Mayhem took this time to rest, he laid his head down on the recharge bed and entered a rare rest cycle. Dark dreams of conquest filled his sleeping mind. On a field, a battlefield littered with corpses he stood. Above him dark lightning struck in all directions. He smiled and walked along the field, it was then he felt the precense. He turned and saw a hooded figure in black reaching for him. He immediately ran from the unknown figure who flew after him leisurely and yet never far behind. He continued running and came to a halt as he reached a dead end he spun around and found the hooded figure right in his face. The figure spoke words which echoed in Mayhem�s mind but made no sound! The words were clear, a last chance for salvation, but he saw the alure of the battlefield and heard a stronger booming voice. The voice shouted to him in a tempting, booming tone "I am the Chaos Bringer, I will bring you power!" Mayhem looked at the hooded figure and turned away again forsaking the chance for redemption. | ||||||||||||||
| Lil�Kina sat in her makeshift throne room at Lilcarna. She frowned at the display as several tacticians ran around behind her. She nervously pushed back her black hair from her face, she was terrified. She was barely thirteen, just entering her maturity and already she was thrust into this position of leadership. Redjack, some unknown slave baron placed in command by the murderess Kr�lyn was marching towards her with the remnants of the once great Matriarchy army. Small revolts had taken down most of the other house�s capitals and she was sure the main rebels were headed for Lilcarna. The technocracy had also gotten its fingers into the whole mess, she was so terrified. She rubbed her forehead nervously, she�d be the last matriarch she knew it. Will they kill me ,she thought, they will kill me....I...I don�t want to die! She looked around nervously, nibbling on her fingernails. | ||||||||||||||
| The army had been held up when the anti-matter had destroyed most of the tents. Spook frowned as he walked through their camp thinking. His thoughts had turned more and more away from Megatron and the quest, and more towards the plight of these on this world. He thought back a long whiles, to the camp, to when he was uploaded into Nighteyes. For those brief moments he had known what it was to be an Autobot and had seen so clearly what mistakes they and the decepticons had made. "Only a Cybertronian and so much more," he said to himself. How stupid they had been, seperating over such petty ideas as how to defend their homes, and in the end they had destroyed what they once wanted to protect. Decepticon had treated all as lesser beings, attempting like cowards to control that which they feared. Autobots had been fools, so naive and endangering the very planet with their half-witted trust. Both sides however were possessed of great assets. The Autobots were kind and compassionate, almost motherly and defending in a silent way. The Autobots protected the weak despite what the costs would be to themselves. The Decepticons were honorable, or at least once were. They were true warriors, willing to fight to the end to defend their beliefs and defend their world. He thought for several long seconds, and he saw the connection and why it was so perverse that the war had raged. The autobots represented the female side of Cybertronian nature while the Decepticon represented the male. Decepticon agression was needed but it had to be tempered by Autobot compassion. "This time," he said to himself, "It will go right." | ||||||||||||||
| Dark optics gazed over the landscape. Several fires were burning around the encampment while Nighteyes sat alone in the darkness. She thought back to the temptation she had recieved from Incubus, and wondered silently about herself and the father of her children. She wondered if he remembered how close they had been; she wondered if he knew her mind as well as she thought she knew his. Spook watched the female quietly from a distance, his crimson optics fixed on her as he thought. I�ve never been too comfortable around females, he thought quietly to himself, but she�s...different...closer...I feel safer with her. He walked towards her quietly, moving silently, nervously through the shadows. She felt his optics on her and turned slowly to face him. Her dark optics locked with his and they exchanged in their silence truths greater than any words could convey. Spook broke the heavy deep silence, "Nighteyes...I..." She smiled at him as she moved close to him wrapping her arms around his frame, "I know." They held on to each other tightly, pushing back the darkness. | ||||||||||||||
| Lilcarna was dark and silent. A grim silence: an expecting silence. Lil�Kina sat in her throne room nervously chewing on her fingernails. Mayhem stood before a massive scanning screen observing the deployment of the few meager remaining Matriarchy troops. Redjack, whose massive red frame was casting a grim shadow over Kina�s chair, narrowed his optics at Mayhem. There is no way we�ll survive this, Redjack thought as he patted his massive cannon, but my death will be costly...I still have my vengenace to wreck. Will I die...this weapon seems alive, more of myself than I ever knew, he thought as he gazed at the weapon, a forgotten part of my self, a brother. Mayhem turned from his scrutiny of the screen with a flourish, smiling evilly at the new matriarch. Kina tried to back away in her throne as she saw the massive corrupted form of Mayhem walking towards her. "I had an agreement with Kr�lyn Miss," he said with a vile smile which sounded as though it came from the depths of an ancient crypt. "W-what about it," Kina stammered as she nearly crawled up the throne. Mayhem smiled, enjoying the corrupt scent of her fear, "Well we�d best work out our own agreement." Kina stammered as Mayhem pressed his fetid visage right against her face. "Your about to deal with the devil little girl," he said as he looked right into her terrified eyes. "You�ll need him as a lawyer for when we discuss our terms!" | ||||||||||||||
| Zealot marched along the insides of the rebellion camp, glancing at the distant city and thinking. My father....he�s has turned away from the true beliefs....he now tarries with an Autobot female and has grown soft, he thought. The neo-seeker rubbed his forehead, he is my father though...and for all his softness he still would die to free these people...isn�t freedom what the divine master Megatron intended in the end? Zealot leaned back against a support, "I must return to the old world....to replace my father." He looked back at the mass of ex-slaves who had become troops, "First I will fullfill my obligation to him and these though." Zealot turned and walked towards the center of camp. | ||||||||||||||
| The explosion hit hard. Three skimmers flew along side Cavalier as they attacked one of the eastern slave camps, a camp which had been hardened with the recent uprisings. Since the death of Kr�lyn the Technocracy had entered the war full on, their meager forces were managing to make major progress on the undefended eastern frontier of the Matriarchy. Wrent ran across the battlefield, his bandages tied to his worn uniform, the bursts from the almost obsolete Matriarchy disruptors bursting around him. He set his feet and swung up his own side arm he hit the activation button, the weapon came to life with a hum. Cavalier danced recklessly through the anti-aircraft fire of the encampment, raining plasma down on the walls. "Is that the best you twerps can do?" she smirked. Two of the anti-aircraft shots nailed her full on, she fell downwards dazed and impacted with the ground. She rubbed her head, somewhat humbled, and said "Guess not." Wrent�s gauss completed its charging and he fired several high velocity slugs into two of the onrushing assault vehicles. The vehicles jerked as though they were alive before exploding. Several of the hired mercenaries of the camp ran towards the lone technocracy soldier! Wrent spun on his heels and squeezed the trigger on his gauss pistol. With a swish sound, followed shortly by a thunderous boom of sonic disruption, the projectiles ripped through the two warriors. One screamed as the shell tore through his elbow, the velocity ripping through the ligaments and causing it to detach. The other one caught a shell in the face, he fell backwards without so much as a cry of pain as the projectile carved its path through his skull. Wrent nodded with a morbid finality as he watched the soldier fall, as a disrupter burst caught him in his bionic arm and it exploded with a sudden darkly beautiful shower of sparks. Wrent growled fiercely and leapt at the mercenary, the startled sellsword barely had time to scream before Wrent�s incisors tore his throat out. The ak-ak fire from the compound caught one of the skimmers in its tail and sent it screaming like a downed cryo-hawk into the walls of the makeshift fortress. Cavalier picked herself up with a groan and ran towards the breech, not allowing the deaths of the pilots of the skimmer to be a worthless passing. Two guards sprung to defend the breech but were cut down as Cavalier materialized an energy spear. She continued onward, followed by the wounded Wrent and several other Technocracy soldiers. The fighting grew hot and fierce, many fell. Cavalier took severe damage to her anti-gravity system and Wrent lost his bionic arm, but in the end they smiled. Victory often erases pain. | ||||||||||||||
| Wrent flopped in a chair, exhausted. Cavalier walked over towards him and smiled slightly. "Well that was fun," she said with a grin. Wrent frowned, "I would have hoped you would not have taken such pleasure in killing other sent�s." Cavalier frowned, "You always cast a dark pall on things Wrent." The technocrat looked his metallic companion in her optics, the blue light dimly visible from within his own pupils. "I merely try and make you think Cavalier," he said as he rubbed his temples, "thinking is a rare thing these days." Cavalier smirked at her dour companion, "Wren you need to lighten up!" He glanced at her and then back at the landscape, "We won�t be able to reinforce your father, he�s on his own." Cavalier frowned and nodded, "There has to be something we can do." Wrent nodded, "We can pray." | ||||||||||||||
| The light was dim that day. Across the plains near the now capital of Lincarna shadows ruled the dim, tired world. Mayhem and his dark children stood with a few legions of the battered Matriarchy soldiers. Across from Mayhem stood Spook as his equally battered group of rebels. It was a time of reckoning, it was the end. Paladin�s golden form glinted slightly in the quasi-darkness of twilight, his optical sensors tired and determined. Zealot narrowed his angry red optics, clutching his energy blade tight in his hands. Cleric stood with Knightstar, the twilight gleaming off of his body. Mayhem smiled unpleasantly at Spook from across the battlefield, "Greetings father." Spook did not answer his once-son�s greeting. Redjack moved up from behind the Matriarchy ranks and narrowed his optics at Spook and his group. "Spook is mine Mayhem," the red gladiator said as he hefted his massive fusion cannon. Mayhem smirked, "Very well Redjack, doubt there will be much left however." "Left after what?" Redjack asked. Spook narrowed his optics, smelling the scent of danger in the air. Mayhem grinned maliciously, "After Thanatron!" | ||||||||||||||
| Knightstar�s optics widened in terror as her mind reached a grim realization. Her mate had often told her of a plan of his, a system which would allow several mechanisms to join to form one huge engine of destruction. The dark plan came to fruition before her optics. Gigas leapt into the air growling out an unintelligble command. Ghoul and Heretic lept at the giant and transformed into what appeared to be huge, powerful arms. Incubus began a transformation into a giant leg. Mephit began his transformation into the other leg, his once small body warping to become another of the tree-like legs of the gargantuan. Gigas let out a roar as a skull like head enveloped his. The new head�s yellow optics burned evilly within their sockets. Mayhem smiled, "Say hello to my newest creation. Thanatron....the bringer of death!" Zealot growled, his optics narrowing, "I�m going to tear your toy apart and then shove it up your waste disposal infidel!" Mayhem smirked at his brother, "As articulate as ever I see." Knightstar narrowed her optics, "Paladin...Zealot...aim for the joints on that...thing." Paladin nodded and launched off, his brother followed suit. Mayhem smiled and flew towards the battlefield, Redjack ran after. The gestalt lumbered towards the opposing side. The Matriarchy troops stood and did....nothing. | ||||||||||||||
| Redjack shook his head at the lumbering gargantuan and ran towards his own target, Spook. Spook narrowed his optics and flew towards his foe. Mayhem smirked and held back, crossing his arms as he lifted up in the air. Redjack saw Spook flying towards him and he set his feet, he rose the mighty black cannon and let loose with a hellfire of plasma bursts. Spook cursed loudly as the blasts hit him, knocking him backwards and blowing off a good portion of his armor. Redjack smirked victoriously and charged at Spook, hoping to catch him off balance. Spook blinked and managed to raise his arm in time to prevent Redjack�s newly appearing energy-axe from slicing into his vented helmet. Spook snarled at the red gladiator and fired a plasma burst at his belly; Redjack grimaced as he was thrown backwards and Spook cursed loudly as he was caught in the splash damage of his own weapon. Redjack rose his cannon and fired a blast at Spook, the fusion burst hit Spook full on and sent him flying...his chest burning as he growled in pain. Redjack took chase after the now airborne Spook, planning to finish him when he fell. | ||||||||||||||
| Zealot screamed a battlecry flying at the massive, lumbering gargantuan. The massive creature found itself engulfed in the flames of Zealot�s napalm. The creature growled in a primal rage and reached out to grab the nuisance with its still flaming hand. Zealot acked as he felt the burning fingers of the gestalt crushing his body. Quickly putting away any fear the insane Zealot bit down at that hand, intent on dying still with the taste of his enemy�s energon in his mouth. Paladin, having a good deal more intelligence then his more passionate brother, fired an ion cannon blast at the giant�s left knee joint. Nighteyes took her son�s lead and blasted at the leg which had once been Incubus with a vengeful relish. | ||||||||||||||
| The gargant tumbled, groaning loudly. As it slammed into the ground it broke into its separate components. Heretic snarled as he rolled to a crouch, only to be kneed hard in the face by an enraged Zealot. Ghoul spun in the air, pulling twin daggers from subspace as he landed near Paladin. Paladin swung his blade up in a gesture and said, "Surrender and I will be merciful." Ghoul smirked, "I will enjoy drinking your fluids, fool!" The massive form of Gigas fell to the ground with a thud as he rubbed his forehead groaning. Cleric walked towards the massive creature and powered his energon mace. Gigas snarled unintelligbly at the little man and attempted to bring a huge fist down on him. Cleric dodged the giant�s attack and began to harry his head with blows. Incubus cursed as he fell, he looked up and saw Nighteyes glaring at him. Incubus smiled charmingly, "Hello Beautiful, now will you please help me up?" Nighteyes looked at him, becoming lost in his sheer perfection before shaking her head to clear it and glaring at him. "I�ll help you up Incubus," she growled as she ran towards him. Incubus�s optical sensors widened as Nighteyes�s foot impacted forcefully with his face, sending him flying in a painful arch. Incubus whimpered as he landed and turned to look at Nighteyes, "Lover, you don�t want to hurt me now do you?" Nighteyes�s optics drooped and she mouthed quietly, "No." Incubus smiled and walked over towards her. Knightstar saw what was occuring and ran towards the two before she felt a painful biting sensation on her leg. She looked down to see Mephit hungrilly chomping on her leg and she said, "Get the hell off worm!" Incubus and Nighteyes embraced tightly and he closed in to kiss her. Knightstar tripped as Mephit grabbed both of her legs and tripped her, she promptly placed her armblaster against his shoulder and fired an energy blast clean through the annoying little toad. "I�ve always wanted you this close to me," said Nighteyes as she gazed distantly into Incubus�s glowing red optics. Knightstar picked herself up and began to run towards the pair, Mephit lifted his blasted carcass off of the ground and fired a lava bolt into Knightstar�s leg. The mother of Spook collapsed grimacing before firing a plasma burst into Mephit which would take him out of her diodes for the time being. Incubus gasped in a horrified surprise and staggered backwards, one of Spook�s old energy daggers imbedded deeply in his chest. Nighteyes nodded to Incubus, "I wanted you that close to me so I could pay you back for what you did to me, scum!" Incubus looked at the dagger and his own energon running out over its hilt, "H-How!? No female can resist my charms...its impossible!" Nighteyes smirked and jump-kicked the confused Incubus, knocking him unconscious, "You need to shave your ego down a little." Knightstar limped to Nighteyes and grinned at her. Paladin and Ghoul flew into the air, clashing like titans as they flew by each other. Many energy bolts were fired and each did grievous wounds to the other. In a similar situation Zealot and Heretic were attacking each other on the ground. Zealot lept backwards, transforming into the sleek form of an intersteller attack jet, he then pushed his engines to the fullest and flew past Heretic, his sharp wings sheering off Heretic�s left arm. Heretic howled loudly and gripped at his stump. Paladin spun around in the air, dancing around one of Ghoul�s daggers and firing a pulse blast into the sick creatures frame. Ghoul arghed and fell down, landing near Heretic. Ghoul glanced at Heretic and hissed, "Screw Mayhem, if we don�t get out of here we�re dead!" Heretic nodded and looked at his stump, "I concur!" Heretic flew past the shots of Zealot and grabbed the downed body of Mephit and Incubus. Ghoul lifted into the air and flew off. Gigas saw his companions retreating, he swatted Cleric away like an insect and lifted into the sky. Mayhem growled as the others flew into the sky and turned towards the group. His optics narrowed as they fell on....Nighteyes. | ||||||||||||||
| Spook slammed into the ground and skidded, growling as he slowly came to a stop. His shook his head to clear it and managed to roll clear seconds before a plasma burst reduced his previous location to a smoking crater. Spook fired a pulse barrage into the red gladiator. Redjack spit out a stream of curses as the blasts connected with his chest causing him to stagger backwards. Spook created a blade of energy and took a position of a trained warrior as he circled the titanic Redjack. Redjack�s optics were cold and dark, full of hatred and a sense of emptiness. Spook stared deeply into Redjack�s optical sensors and in a deep part of himself he felt pity for his opponent: In a differant world he could be just as he. Grimly they clashed, mighty blows were exchanged. Redjack caught the wouldbe liberator off guard and kicked him in the dentals sending him backwards, he then walked towards him and lifted his energy blade high in the sky. Spook quickly called on one of his ancient nearly forgotten weapons, his energy dagger, and flung it at Redjack. The energy dagger sunk into Redjack�s chest, with a confused gasp the gladiator staggered backwards as he watched his energon run out over his hands. Redjack fell to his knees, he glanced up a final time. His once lover stood before him, she took his hand and gently lifted him up and lead him from the battlefield. Together Redjack and his lover walked on and in her embrace all of his pain and emptiness was taken away. Spook picked himself up and said a final prayer for his fallen opponent, before taking the cannon from Redjack�s corpse. | ||||||||||||||
| Mayhem flew at Nighteyes with his fist outstreched. The dark optic�d female cursed as her dark son�s fist impacted with her face. Nighteyes flung her fist up and her son grabbed it and flew upwards before her children could react. She struggled as Mayhem pulled her through the clouds and finally into the grim void of space. With a sick smile he let his mother go, planning on watching her fall backwards into the void. From below, Spook flew up and released ionic cannon bursts from the underside of his starfighter alternate mode. Mayhem released his mother with a silent gasp and turned with burning optics towards his father. Spook transformed, the displaced cannon of the fallen Redjack floating off aimlessly. Mayhem snarled and dove at his father, grabbing him by the throat! Mayhem smiled vilely at the sight of his hands clenched around Spook�s throat, already sensing the burning touch of the Touch of Corruption going to work. Spook growled as Mayhem tried to squeeze the life out of him. Nighteyes refused to stand by and watch another loved one be taken from her by her own son. She reached out and grabbed the mighty cannon which floated aimlessly by her. Spook�s optics dimmed as the energon nessesary for his existance began. "Thus this ends father," Mayhem said with an insane grin, "And a new beginning shall come!" Nighteyes placed the massive cannon on her arm and felt the relays growing between her and it, a sense of power which she had never experienced before. Mayhem smiled evilly as his he saw the lines of corruption running over Spook�s face, "Feel it father....feel the burning, rank smell of chaos!" "Mayhem," Nighteyes said calmly, "First you killed my son, Seraph..." Mayhem turned to look at her, "What?!" The determined female continued, still slowly falling into the atmosphere of Trikian, "You killed my daughter as well. You will not take another from me!" A abrupt sword of light was cast out towards the dark son of Nighteyes. Mayhem threw his hand in front of his face to guard from the blast but his actions proved useless as the mighty burst of energy hit him full on, heavilly damaging the dread Touch of Corruption. Like a wicked, tortured animal the Touch turned on its master. Mayhem screamed in agony as his own weapon began to eat away at him. Nighteyes turned her face away so she would not have to watch her once-son fly off into the deepness of space screaming in agony. "This is not the end," Mayhem screamed through a decomposing vocalizer, "This is not the end!!!!" Nighteyes shook her head making a promise that she would never forget this day as Spook transformed and brought her back down to the cradle of the world of Trikian. | ||||||||||||||
| Several days passed, all of the wounds which could be healed in such a short time were, but deeper pains still remained. The Cybertronians had taken up a position in the city of Lil�Kina and the Technocracy soldiers under Wrent had arrived finally. Spook sat with a still disturbed Nighteyes in what was once the quarters of the Matriarch Lil�Kina. Spook couldn�t help but respect Kina, all of this time she had been working only for the benefit of her people, Kina had ordered the soldiers to not aid Mayhem unless they had no other choice. Because of her aid, Wrent had allowed Kina to retain a large non-slaveusing plantation on the outskirts of the Tr barony. The Technocracy itself had slunk back into his strange enigmatic borders leading Spook and Nighteyes as the new leaders of the fallen Matriarchy. Zealot, true to his vow, left the planet and headed towards Cybertron to follow his beliefs. The world had begun to rebuild. Spook and Nighteyes had finally begun to find some sort of solace in each others arms. Knightstar slunk back into her forests, to bide her time. The blue sun of Trikian rose over the plains casting light across the tired world. It was a beginning. | ||||||||||||||
| Mayhem�s body floated through the darkness of the void, towards a massive shape in the distance. He looked up with decaying optics and smiled. As he floated towards a massive hand he laughed victoriously. Not all beginnings are noble... | ||||||||||||||