1 – Homeward Bound

Nothing is certain … but some things are …
Not matter how much they denied it, on both sides, they needed the war. They needed it to survive …
But there were some who resisted becoming one with the lust of battle, and stayed true to themselves despite all they said and did. The Autobot and the Decepticon, who ended the war …

As Thundercracker looked over the lake on Earth, he once again pondered his role. He did this often, but Skywarp was usually there to remind him of the Decepticon cause. Now, however, he was alone. Alone … but not for long.
Someone landed near him, and the blue jet looked over to find Skyfire. He instantly raised his weapons, and Skyfire, now having noticed the Decepticon at first, did also in the blink of an eye.
They stood, poised, their weapons raised in front of them. For a moment they were frozen in place, staring at one another in a stale mate.
But then Skyfire dropped his weapon. Thundercracker stared, and then watched as Skyfire heaved a sigh, and stared at him.
“Nice greeting these days isn’t it?” He said bitterly. “Shoving guns in each other’s faces. Real nice way to say hello, isn’t it?”
He laughed without humour.
“But I suppose you don’t care about that do you?” He said with a smile, still not holding any emotion. “You’re just a Decepticon. You’re not supposed to feel anything.”
“Now wait a min-“ He stopped. For some reason he felt that Skyfire had more to say.
“Yet I know different.” He said quietly.
The blue seeker stared. How could this mech know how he felt?! And yet … he did remember something. This one did not wish to be in the war …
Just like him.
“Heh.” Skyfire muttered. “I wake up beyond my time and I find this … this pollution of nature.”
“No one said you had to fight, you know.” TC said, annoyed at having such company.
“Oh yeah,” Skyfire said sarcastically, giving him a half-hearted glare. “And I just sit on my aft waiting for you to all blow yourselves up. Nice one Thundercracker, but no thanks. I’d prefer to fight than sit back and watch … even if I know it’s wrong.”
Jees, this guy’s really torn up! TC found himself thinking, and then … Just like me.
He shook his head to clear such thoughts. He could not dwell on them. But Skyfire had got him thinking.
“I know what you really desire.” The other jet said. Thundercracker looked up. “I know that deep down, you want this all to end.”
It took a while for the blue seeker to reply. “I do.”

It was not long before Thundercracker and Skyfire had started to influence the others. For Skyfire, he did not need to do all that much, for Optimus was with him. He was all for peace. But Megatron was a different story…
The reason they were on Earth was to gather Energon to send home to re-activate Cybertron, but how could they do that if they signed a peace treaty?
And it was when, after months of trying and persuading, Optimus and Megatron met in a meeting. It was not pleasant at the start, but it got underway. Skyfire said that they could mine the outer planets of Earth, which held plenty of resources. The other planets around another star near Cybertron would have plenty of energy as well, and be good enough to orbit around. It was a blue star, and had plentiful light around it, but no planets for a long way off. It would be perfect.
The leaders discussed this. After a long time, it was decided. A ceasefire was declared to help get ready to return home.
The guns dropped. The other members of the teams got the news, and were shocked. For some, the war was all they lived for. The clatter of guns was heard all around; it seemed to echo though the land, as though something carried it.
“It’s really gone …” Skywarp looked over the desert near the Ark, and back over to Thundercracker. “The war … the war is over…”

The Autobots were in celebration. Optimus was in near tears.
“I have awaited this day, nearly all my life!” He told the crowd. “For many millennia!”

And the Decepticon headquarters it was a different story. All was still, as they were either packing or thinking. In Megatron’s case, he was sitting on his recharge bed, thinking.
The one thing I lived for is gone, and all because of two brave transformers … willing to put aside their differences to really make this work. I know I should be happy, but all I can feel is nothing in my spark …Why is that?
What am I missing in my life?

He looked up as Starscream backed into his room, carrying a datapad and baggage of sorts. He then looked down again with a sigh that went unnoticed.
“Here you go!” The seeker said, dumping the bag at his leader’s feet. He fiddled with the datapad and then read it aloud.
“Shockwave just called. He said we are very lucky to have found this star. But he found that it was not just one, but two in it! The other star is a white dwarf, already gone ‘nova. He said he was going to make a few alterations to Cybertron’s new orbit, but all in all it shouldn’t make too much of a different. The suns of this system should keep Cybertron well energized from now on … until it goes nova.” He chuckled.
Megatron continued to stare at his feet. The seeker grew a tad concerned.
“Uh, Megatron?” He said cautiously. He had no idea what was going on with Megatron lately, and didn’t feel that his leader needed to be tested so soon after the ceasefire.
Still, Megatron sat there, seeming a million miles away.
The seeker approached him and waved his hand rapidly in front of his leader’s optics. Still, he didn’t respond.
“Hey, Megs?” He knew he hated the nickname Starscream had affectionately adopted him, and he thought it was sure to get his attention. But it did not.
This time Starscream was really worried. He sat down beside his leader and gently grasped his shoulder, shaking him a little.
“Megatron!” He said loudly.
His leader finally snapped out of it. He looked up at Starscream as though he had just realized he was there and blinked in surprise. Then, as if realizing that he had been off in his own world, he put his head in his hand and closed his optics again.
“M … Megatron?” Starscream tried tensely, being careful not to rile his moody leader. “Are you alright?”
He opened one of his crimson optics and stared at him for a moment, and then he sighed.
“Not really, Starscream.” He said, “But I think I’ll be fine once I get back to Cybertron.”
Starscream gave him a smirk, “You’ll have to pack if you want to come back, you know.”
Megatron gave him a shove, but he was grinning.

And soon enough, they were all ready. Packed and loaded, they left Earth and returned home to blazing light. It was their new sun, which they just called ‘Sun’ as a little affectionate sign to their wayward home. And they began to rebuild their world …
The energy they had mined from the outer planets of the Solar System and that of their new sun, they managed to get everything up and running again. Shockwave analysed the sun and saw that it wouldn’t go nova for a long time, so he was comfortable in knowing it.
He often spoke to Starscream in the few days of their return, for Megatron was nowhere to be found and Soundwave was assumed to be with him.
“It seems now everyone’s changed,” He noticed, “For the greater good.”
“Yes it seems that way.” The seeker replied with a nod. “But …”
He told Shockwave in a low voice that some of the Decepticons and Autobots could not cope with the change, so a place was built where the old warriors could live in peace.

And now, it brings us to the present day, five years after they had returned, and the grand cities had been rebuilt by everyone. Cybertron was at its golden age again.