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Richard Batson
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Chapter 1:
"So, where are you guys from?" the captain of the Neutron asked his two new recruits.
Drill Master and Diamond Fire looked at each other. They wanted to answer, so as not to arouse suspicion.
"I was found in an old chamber, I've just been reactivated. I'm not entirely sure of my history yet" Drill Master replied.
"Oh, that's okay. You're going to make a new history now. Shoot, where are my manors? I'm Captain Jetstream. What are you names?"
"My name is Cork Screw" Drill Master replied.
"I'm Diamond Fire" Diamond Fire added.
Captain Jetstream laughed heartily. "Just making sure your names match those in the database. I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew, but first I'll show you your temporary quarters."
"Temporary?" Diamond Fire asked confused.
Captain Jetstream chuckled. "Well, yeah. It'll be a while, but eventually we're going to land back at headquarters. You didn't think you'd be on this ship indefinitely did you?"
Drill Master saw that Diamond Fire was on edge. She was uncertain of how to reply, after all, she had known nothing of life aside from starship living.
Drill Master answered for Diamond Fire. "We weren't entirely sure of living arrangements or mission lengths."
"That's quite alright, you'll find out everything you need to know shortly. After you've explored your quarters, please head down to the gallery for some treats" Jetstream said with a smile. "Follow me please."
After much general chatting in the hallways with other crew members, Jetstream, Drill Master, and Diamond Fire eventually made it to their quarters.
Jetstream stood in front of a door. "Now I know you two are probably friends, and that's great. However, I put your quarters a few rooms apart so you'd get to know the rest of the crew better."
Opening the door, Jetstream motioned for Diamond Fire to enter. He then brought Drill Master six doors down and did the same. "Feel free to spend a few minutes logging on to the network or visiting with your friend. After today, the real work will begin."
After Jetstream was out of view, Drill Master walked over to Diamond Fire's quarters. Her door had not yet been shut. He was very concerned about her well being. While the initial processing on the ship was much like that of LONAC, the rest of the journey would be a new experience.
"So, how are you doing?" he asked.
Diamond Fire sat on the end of her "bed" and sighed. "I'm a little scared. All I really know about the Autobots and Decepticons I learned from LONAC, and most of them don't have a really favorable position on either faction. That, and my new quarters are smaller than they were on the Freedom."
Drill Master sat down next to her. "Hey, so are mine. Don't spend too much of your time worrying. Even though these guys don't know it, I've been around for a long time. Don't hesitate to ask me anything you want."
Diamond Fire gave a nervous laugh. "Thanks Drill Master."
Drill Master gave her an odd look.
"I mean Cork Screw." Diamond Fire was slowly becoming more confident.
Drill Master smiled. "What do you say we head down to the gallery and get us some 'treats?'"
Diamond Fire and the recently renamed Cork Screw headed down to the gallery.
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Upon entering the gallery, two guards grabbed onto Cork Screw and Diamond Fire without warning. Before they had a chance to speak, they had Autobot symbols slapped on their arms. The guards then smiled and waved them in.
The gallery was currently converted into a meeting/mess hall. Pictures of legendary Autobot leaders were posted all across the room. At one area of the rounded room was a podium. Autobots were taking their seats at various tables. As soon as everyone was seated, Captain Jetstream took the podium.
"Fellow Autobots, in just a few days we will be arriving back at headquarters. I'm very proud of our success on this past mission, but I am even more pleased to announce we have two new members in our ranks." Jetstream then motioned for Cork Screw and Diamond Fire to stand up. "Cork Screw and Diamond Fire."
The group applauded, but a few critical bots just gave cold stares. "Well, that was slightly uncomfortable" Cork Screw said leaning over towards Diamond Fire as they sat.
Diamond Fire smiled. "I never pictured you as being uncomfortable."
Chapter 2:
Cork Screw shrugged. "When you've been a Con as long as I have, you feel a little uneasy around these many Autobots."
A few days later, the neutron arrived at the Autobot base. The passengers filed out of the ship. A soldier was talking to Captain Jetstream. Diamond Fire accidentally bumped into him on her way off of the shuttle.
"How long does it take for a new bot to fit in?" Diamond Fire asked.
Jetstream's reply was surprising stern. "As long as I say it does."
Trying to lighten the mood, Diamond Fire asked another question. "Oh. Do you go into battle much?"
"We're not a free ride." Captain Jetstream then looked at Diamond Fire. He released he was been unnecessarily stern. "We don't go into battle as often as some of the other groups, that's why we get a lot of new guys like you. However, when we do go into battle, we're well prepared."
Diamond Fire just smiled.
Upon entering the base Diamond Fire looked around with amazement. She was too awestruck to speak.
Jetstream became a little confused. "Come on, this can't be more impressive than your previous post. How old did you say you were?"
"Oh, um, it's just that this base is more than I expected being way out here" Diamond Fire stammered. She didn't want to reveal her true age, not yet at least. It hadn't even been years since she was created. Too many things were new and she didn't want anyone thinking she couldn't handle something.
The captain then led them to their lodgings. "They're nothing glamorous but they're all you'll be needing."
"Déjà vu again" Cork Screw replied.
"I assure you Cork Screw, these lodgings will be as permanent as the base." The Captain had grown used to the sarcasm of new Bots.
A few hours later, the new Autobots were brought into a room and briefed on training and how to operate their battle stations.
The captain stood pacing at the front of the room. "We're so far out in no where that we virtually don't get back-up, so don't count on that. There is another Autobot ship that will be landing here shortly, but after that, we're on our own. If you screw up out there, we die, and the Cons get the base. It's as simple as that." The captain then dismissed the Bots so they could begin training exercises.
"I guess this isn't going to be a fluff assignment," Diamond Fire said looking at Cork Screw.
Cork Screw chuckled. "You'd better think of this more as a way of life rather than a simple assignment. It won't be to hard for me to adjust to the tasks, but are you sure you're up to it?"
"I guess so" Diamond Fire moped.
"Well, I'll be here to help you when I can. Just do your best and eventually you'll do as well as the others." Cork Screw didn't want her to worry, but he also didn't want her to feel too comfortable. Not everything she would encounter there would be glamorous.
Cork Screw noticed an Autobot walking away rather depressed. While comforting an Autobots is something he never imagined himself doing he was still hungry for knowledge. He had never seen battle from an Autobot's perspective. Cork Screw walked up to the Bot and asked him what was wrong.
"I'm all alone here, no one I know could help me like you're helping her. The few friends I did make I lost in battle a few years back."
Cork Screw patted the Bot on his back. "The Bot and Con war has left many of us friendless. It's okay to mourn, but during battle it's the worst thing you can do. If you fill me in on the details regarding the past few years, I'll try to do what I can for you."
The Bot smiled. "Alright, I'll meet you after training." The Bot told Cork Screw where his quarter were and then ran off.
"So what do we do now?" Diamond Fire asked.
"Just try to get to know as many Bots as possible. It'll help us fit in better." Cork Screw and Diamond Fire filed in line behind Captain Jetstream and the other new recruits. The captain took a few steps and shots were fired at his feet.
"What's going on?" Captain Jetstream shouted as he looked around.
"Where did those shots come from?" another Bot asked.
"Decepticons!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
Chapter 3:
The Bots looked up as the sirens sounded.
"I don't know how they could've slipped past our early warning defenses!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
"What should we do Captain?" seemed to be the common question.
"Stay in formation and follow my lead!" The captain shouted to be sure he was heard. He led the group into a small building. "Anyone have any real battle experience? I want you to follow me."
Cork Screw and a few other Bots stepped forward.
Captain Jetstream looked sternly at the Bots. "You guys better be sure about yourselves. The rest of you stay here."
"Let me guess, we're going to guard the building?" Cork Screw asked. Battle was a fairly common thing for him, something he had grown fairly comfortable with.
"Exactly" was Jetstream's reply.
A group of Decepticons flew in formation over head shooting at random objects. They were simply trying to draw Autobots out into the open.
"Shoot at the head of the formation!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
"Feh." Cork Screw let out a slight chuckle then shot at various locations in the formation. "They stopped putting the leader at the head of formations eons ago."
Captain Jetstream was a bit confused at Cork Screw, but followed his lead since it proved effective.
Slowly but surely, the Autobots not manning a battle station were drawn out into the open. Defense systems were active and a full-scale assault began.
Decepticons were landing all over the base. Cork Screw immediately fell into hand-to-hand combat with one of them.
"You Bots make me sick. We're gonna smash your puny little base!"
Cork Screw knew he outmatched the Con. "Don't count on it!" He grabbed the Con's arm and twisted it behind his back. Then he took one of his drill forks and jammed it in the Con's shoulder. The Con screamed in pain then freed himself from Cork Screw.
"You should have given me more credit!" The Con shouted back. He kicked the other drill fork from Cork Screw's hand and charged at him. Cork Screw grabbed his arm and twisted it around causing the drill fork in the Con's hand to lodge itself in the Con's gut. He pulled the weapon from his gut and hobbled off.
Cork Screw went up to finish off the Con. He was far too wounded to make an effective get-away. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, Cork Screw held back. Something inside of him wouldn't let him finish what he had started. "I just can't," he said to himself. He lowered his head in shame.
Witnessing the event, Diamond Fire ran up to Cork Screw. "What happened?"
"I... I just couldn't." Cork Screw remained silent.
The Decepticons begin their second wave of attack. It seemed as if they were gaining the upper hand.
"Why would the Decepticons try to wipe out a small base like this?" Diamond Fire asked.
"Simple" Cork Screw replied. "For them, this is just practice."
Most of the Bots were at their posts, the rest were either laying low or getting the war ships ready.
The gun fodder was becoming quite loud. Captain Jetstream shook his head. "We never expected it this bad!"
The base was taking heavy damage. Nothing was stopping the Decepticons. All the Bots were trying to do was hold out long enough for the second Autobot shuttle to arrive.
The building that the small group of Bots was in was shot to pieces.
Captain Jetstream waved to the others. "It's time to join the infantry!"
The Bots reluctantly lined up and followed the captain out of the building. Another group of Autobots was running by and the joined up with them. It was starting to get dark outside; they had to act quickly.
"The darkness in this corner of the Universe is much worse than anything you've seen on Earth" a Bot told Diamond Fire. She didn't respond; she had never been to Earth.
"Terradive, Eagle Eye, Windrazor, follow me!" Decepticon Afterburner ordered the Skyscorchers. They all swooped down and began firing on Captain Jetstream's group.
"Ha ha! They don't stand a chance!" Eagle Eye screamed.
Chapter 4:
Diamond Fire brought out her grenade cannon and fired a few blasts at the Decepticons over head, missing all of them.
"Nice shooting Autobrat!" Windrazor shouted back.
"Bah, that was just my first try." She fired again hitting Terradive and Afterburner.
"Lousy Autobot!" Afterburner transformed and landed in front of her. The other Skyscorchers followed. Afterburner grabbed her by the neck and pulled her in front of him.
"Let her go Decepticon!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
"I think I'd rather take her with me!" Afterburner shouted back.
The second Autobot shuttle flew over head firing at all the Decepticons below.
"Woo hoo!" the Autobots cried.
"The battle isn't over yet!" Cork Screw shouted.
A Decepticon ship was coming from the other direction. The ships engaged in battle as backup Autobot infantry troops were dropped to the ground. They were still too far away.
Captain Jetstream turned to Cork Screw. "There's a break in the battle lines a few hundred meters off. Cork Screw, feel like digging?"
"Sure thing!" Cork Screw said with excitement. He transformed into drill tank mode and began building a tunnel. They were trying to sneak up on the Decepticons from behind and hopefully force them into a retreat. The Bots filled in behind Cork Screw. As they did, the tunnel behind them started collapse. "After we get a little lower that'll stop."
"When we make it to the other side, we'll have to keep a distance in order to help mask our numbers" Captain Jetstream instructed.
"What if they come from behind us?" another Bot asked.
"That won't happen" Cork Screw assured him. "They wouldn't leave such a big gap in their forces for a battle this small. Any Cons in that area will be in retreat."
"How can you be so sure?" the Bot asked.
Cork Screw did not pause for a second; he kept tunneling. "This isn't my first time dealing with the Cons, besides, it's too late to turn back."
Just when it seemed that the tunnel would never be finished, Cork Screw emerged. The other Bots hurried out of the hole and lined up.
Once everyone was out of the hole, Captain Jetstream stood forth. "Decepticons, we have you surrounded!"
A small group of the Decepticons broke away and turned to face the small group of Autobots. They started running toward them firing.
"Hold your ground!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
The Autobots began returning fire. Diamond Fire set up her gun as a mortar cannon and began firing random shots.
"Make 'em count!" a Bot shouted.
"We're not going to be able to keep this up for long!"
One of the Bots pointed past the Decepticons. "Look, we won't have to!"
Autobot reinforcements had arrived.
"Troops, break to the right. Turbofire, Skram, Windbreaker, follow me!" A red Bot very similar to Diamond Fire ordered the other troops.
"Who is that?" Diamond Fire asked.
"That's who's gonna turn this battle around, his name's Rapido" Captain Jetstream answered.
Diamond Fire paused. "Rapido? I've heard about him."
It wasn't long before the Decepticons finally shouted "RETREAT!"
The Decepticons transformed and flew to their shuttles. Moments later, the sky was cleared. Captain Jetstream's group began walking towards them, but as they passed one of their damaged buildings, debris fell in the way. Diamond Fire sidestepped the mess and transformed to hover-car mode. She tried speeding up to the group that saved them, but a rather angry Bot stopped her.
"I have to meet him!" Diamond Fire pleaded.
Chapter 5:
"Meet them later, in case you haven't noticed, some of you friends just got buried" the angry Bot scowled at Diamond Fire.
"But!" Diamond Fire pleaded again.
The angry Bot pushed her back. "Shut your mouth and help the others, you'll get to meet them later."
Diamond Fire knew he was right, even though his delivery wasn't very pleasant. She would get to meet the Bots at a more appropriate time.
"Oh, you didn't think it was over did you?" said a voice, seemingly from no where.
"Who said that?" inquired the angry Bot.
From all angles Decepticons emerged from the ground. They had been hiding just long enough to take down a final group of Autobots. Diamond Fire threw out a few of her diamond grenades but they were too easily avoided. The Cons fired at her, three shots hitting her in various locations. She screamed in agony. The angry Autobot stepped forward and shot. Return fire was quickly delivered.
"Get her back to base!" Captain Jetstream shouted.
Cork Screw was forced back into battle while Diamond Fire was carried off by some other Bots.
One of the younger Bots tapped his gun. "We're running low on energy, our weapons must not have been fully charged before the battle."
"If only we had a missile platform right now, we wouldn't have to conserve our shots" Cork Screw commented to himself.
"Autobots, get behind the rubble!" Cork Screw shouted as he flew into the air. He assembled his drill bomb and threw it at the place they had just been standing. A few milliseconds later, it exploded. The Cons were sent flying. Cork Screw picked one of them up. "I think it's time you made like the rest of your friends and retreat."
The Autobots rose from behind the rubble and trained their guns on the fallen Decepticons.
They had no choice, and their leader made the final command "Decepticons, retreat."
The battle had finally ended. They had certainly gotten more than they had bargained for. The angry Bot stepped forward and shoved Cork Screw.
"You better make sure she stays in line, we don't need any more duds hanging around this base."
As soon as the bot stepped away Captain Jetstream walked up to Cork Screw. "You know, I'm usually the only one giving orders here, but you did a decent job today. Don't let Bots like that get you down, I'm sure if you have faith in your friend she'll prove herself. Right now we need to get the injured back to base."
Cork Screw smiled. "It's nothing I haven't done before, but thanks. Hopefully we'll have no more surprise attacks before we make it back."
As the other Autobots made their way back to base, Cork Screw helped to dig out Diamond Fire. "Are you okay?" was an obvious first question.
"I... I don't think so." It was apparent that Diamond Fire was in a lot of pain. She had taken on a lot of hits, and being buried under a building didn't help.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back to base and everything will be fine." Cork Screw tried his best not to show his worry. "This is the first time you got this banged up, after a few hundred more times of this it won't even bother you."
Diamond Fire wanted badly to smile. She didn't want anyone worrying about her. However, she was too damaged to move at this point. Diamond Fire fell limp in Cork Screw's arms.
Captain Jetstream hated to see any Bots in his command suffer. "I'll fly her back to base, with my clearance they'll be able to take care of her sooner." He transformed into jet fighter mode and Cork Screw placed Diamond Fire on his back. The captain took off just as soon as he let go.
"You'll be alright, they'll take good care of you." Cork Screw was now talking to himself.
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A few hours later the damage caused by the battle was just about done. Cork Screw was finally granted permission to visit Diamond Fire.
Cork Screw tried to use as comforting a tone as he could. "Diamond Fire, how are you feeling?"
Diamond Fire finally mustered the smile she was trying to show Cork Screw earlier. "I'm beginning to wonder if this is really what I want out of being an Autobot."
Chapter 6:
"Fighting for the Autobots or Decepticons is never and easy thing. It took me nearly a million years to quit. Heh, look at me now, I've gone from Decepticon to neutral to Autobot. I'm still not sure where I want to be."
Diamond Fire laughed. "I try to take a definite stand on things so others won't worry about me. I want to show them where I stand."
Cork Screw smiled. "You're still very young, you don't need to be so 'definite'."
Diamond Fire looked saddened again. "I really want to meet him, Rapido. Even though I wasn't legally created by the Autobots, I still feel as if he's my brother."
"You have a right to that. I'll see if I can find him lurking in the base somewhere and ask him to come for a visit." Cork Screw wanted to do what he could for her, for he sensed something wrong.
"Thanks Drill Master, you're a good friend" Diamond Fire replied.
Cork Screw exited the room in the medical facility and quickly halted someone that was involved in her care. "What's the situation with her? She has the face of a dying Bot."
The medic looked a little flustered. "Cork Screw is it? I suppose it's okay to talk to you about it. While she's mostly what we'd expect to find in an Autobot, but there are a few parts we couldn't identify. We tried disconnecting them but we nearly lost her before we re-connected them. There are specialists that could help us with this, but given her profile we didn't foresee something like this happening."
"How much time does she have?" Cork Screw was very worried now. He had lost thousands of friends, but each loss was just as painful as the first.
The medic shook his head "I wish we could give you a time, but quite honestly we have no clue. Even at warp speed it's gonna be a while before we get a specialist here."
"Thank you." Cork Screw walked off. He went to look for Rapido. He didn't know what else he could do for her.
Cork Screw stopped a passing Bot. "Have you seen Rapido, the Auto-"
The Bot cut him off. "Everyone knows who he is, you don't need to fill me in. He's probably in the debriefing area a few buildings down."
Cork Screw ran off without thanking him.
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The debriefing has just ended. Cork Screw looked desperately through the other Autobots to see if he could find him. He was even more thankful now for the taller body Dark Star had given him.
"Commander Rapido!"
"Yes?" Rapido asked while looking around.
"I have a favor to ask" Cork Screw said as Rapido walked over to him. "A friend of mine injured in battle would like to talk to you. She's dying, it would mean a lot if you could talk to her."
Rapido shook his head in agreement. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint a fan."
"There's one more thing you should know about her," Cork Screw added.
"What's that?"
"She's your sister."
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Rapido and Cork Screw arrived just outside of Diamond Fire's medical room.
"Just what did you mean when you said she was my sister?" Rapido had kept silent about the comment made earlier. He wasn't sure how to react.
"A friend of mine, an Autobot prankster. He stole several un-used Autobot designs. One of them was produced by an independent developer." Cork Screw saw a slight bit of anger in the young Autobot's eyes. "He was severely punished I assure you."
"So this stolen design was of her?" Rapido replied.
"That's right. Her design was a modified version of yours. What purpose this served is unknown, but it was supposed to be deleted after a few cycles." Cork Screw waiting in silence as Rapido processed the information.
"Well then, I suppose she's still a true Autobot. I'll reserve further judgement until I meet her." Rapido tried to remain optimistic.
The duo saw her lying on the recharging bed. She was filled with happiness, finally able to see who was often referred to as her brother.
Cork Screw spoke before Diamond Fire could talk to Rapido. "I told him - about you."
A look of disappointed fell on her face. "Oh. I thought you might."
Chapter 7:
Rapido now tried his hand at comforting Diamond Fire. "It's okay, what's happened, happened. I just want to know who you are, what you have done."
"I was born a neutral, I wanted to see what being an Autobot was like. Dark Star, an alien, or maybe a Cybertronian I don't know. He was my creator. I helped him avenge a world plagued with an alien force. After that, I went to LONAC. We had some encounters with The Cult -"
Rapido cut her off. "The Cult of Mordalis? It really exists?"
Diamond Fire nodded. "Sure does. They sent a sub-group of theirs after us, Spectral Death. We're not sure of their mission, but they're trouble."
"I see. Even neutrals can have their enemies." Rapido was deeply interested.
Diamond shook her head. "It's not really suppose to be that way. Until Spectral Death we were just an exploration team, sort to speak. We had our problems, but they were never re-occurring. I almost wish I never left."
"Being a Cybertronian is never easy. I wished I could leave this war millions of times, but I know they need me." Rapido took a seat.
Diamond Fire smiled. "In LONAC, we feel the only way to end the war is to offer a safe alternative. We've got former Autobots, Decepticons, and born neutrals."
Rapido tilted his head. "You're talking as if you still belong to them."
"I'm not sure where I should be" Diamond Fire replied.
"Assuming your profile is true, you're young and impulsive. It's natural to question where you belong." Rapido was still not sure how he felt about her.
The PA interrupted. "This is Captain Jetstream. I want all full operating troops to the battle conference room."
"Could this be another Decepticon attack?" Cork Screw asked.
"We can never be sure what the Decepticons have planned, but this is way too soon for another of their attacks" Rapido answered.
"This should be interesting" Cork Screw replied.
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It seemed as if they were always either fighting or in a conference room. The base was small, so it was understandable that they would take extra measures to prepare.
On their way, they passed the brig. It was small and could only hold a few prisoners.
One of the Decepticon captives recognized Cork Screw. "Hey, I know you!"
"Who is that?" Rapido asked.
"I have no clue" Cork Screw replied.
The Con laughed. "Don't you remember me Drill Master? What has it been, a hundred years?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Cork Screw grabbed Rapido. "Let's go, he's just trying to bother us."
"Are you sure you don't know him?" Rapido asked.
"My name is Cork Screw, it always has been. This isn't my first body, it's probably just a fluke." Cork Screw did his best to reassure Rapido.
"You know, your drilling capabilities did remind me of some Decepticons, and even some Autobots," Rapido commented.
Cork Screw was curious. "Oh?"
Rapido nodded. "Yeah, mostly you remind me of Nosecone. The Technobot as I'm sure you know."
"I've heard the name, but that's about it." Cork Screw Nosecone all too well. His efforts to infiltrate various Autobot strongholds were thwarted quite often by him. While he didn't fully support the Decepticon cause, Cork Screw loved his work. Next to his cleanliness, it was his only crutch.
"Maybe someday I'll introduce you," Rapido offered.
"Maybe." Cork Screw offered a smile. He was eager to change the subject. "You ever get bored?"
"Heh, I think we all do. Lately though, we haven't had much time to rest, with all the Decepticons attacks and all. Being an Autobot leader doesn't help either. Now, I find out I have an illegitimate sister."
"Don't you wish you had the option of being bored? Doesn't the war tire you?" Cork Screw asked.
Chapter 8:
An announcement came over the comm systems "All Autobots report to the conference room at once."
"We'll have to talk more later." Rapido then started a running pace.
Cork Screw watched him and sighed. "Still young, in such a hurry. Some day he'll learn that this war isn't going to be over for a long time."
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Captain Jetstream stood at the front of the room. "Attention Autobots. It seems that we have a new threat."
"More Decepticons?" Cork Screw was getting bored. He thought of all the Autobots around him as a much younger group who treated every incident as a threat.
Captain Jetstream looked to Cork Screw. "I almost wish that was it Cork Screw. If they were just Decepticons, we'd at least know something about them. This group seems to be Cybertronian, but their ship is unlike anything we've seen before. It's obviously a privately built craft. The ship is big, and could pose a possible threat. We need to arm our defenses. We're trying to establish a communications link, but it's either not working or they're refusing our signal."
"Sounds like the LSS Freedom," Cork Screw said to himself.
Captain Jetstream continued. "They most likely came from the same space station that we stopped at on the way here. We did not encounter any problems there during our stay, but we're not going to take any chances. Thankfully the repairs on the base have been finished. We should be fully restocked by the time they come in range."
"Then it has to be the Freedom. It's the only ship that fits that description. I wonder why they followed us here," Cork Screw mumbled.
An Autobot tapped Cork Screw on the shoulder. "Freedom? What are you talking about? You planning to ditch us?"
Cork Screw shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. "No no, I assure you I was planning nothing of the sort. Freedom was the name of a ship at the space station, but all it had on it were neutral Cybertronians."
"Feh, neutrals," the Autobot scoffed. "Good for nothing cowards that don't think they have a place in battle. If they don't realize we're all in this war they'll be fragged in the crossfire."
"Wouldn't you rather have the 'cowards' leave us instead of screwing up our battles?" Cork Screw understood the reasons for being neutral and respected them.
"Whatever, they're cowards either way!" the Autobot shouted.
"And they say Decepticons are stupid" Cork Screw commented to himself. It was something he imagined he'd get used to at the base.
"If there are no questions, you may head for your posts." Captain Jetstream motioned to a group of Bots. "I'd like to talk to the new arrivals."
Captain Jetstream stepped up to the new arrivals. There were a few shared grumbles. "Look, you guys just got here. You didn't have much prep time. If you want to sit this one out, I'd understand, you've already proven yourselves in battle."
A young member of the group spoke out. "None of us can rest until the base is safe, there is no sitting out."
The captain smiled. "Very well then."
Cork Screw thought to himself again. "Another young one. They all want to fight; the spirit of battle has overtaken their thoughts. The Decepticons are the same way. Everyone wants to fight so badly that this stupid war has dragged on for millions of years."
Captain Jetstream noticed something was wrong. "Something bothering you Cork Screw?"
"Just that we haven't had any real time to rest since we've gotten here." Cork Screw was half sincere.
The captain smiled. "We'll get to that part."
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A Bot stood at a communication's console. "The ship is in range, I'll attempt a comm link now."
"Very well." Captain Jetstream stood in anticipation. He looked up into the sky. The communications platform was the highest point of the base for obvious reasons, and it provided a good view.
"Unknown vessel, this is Autobot Outpost Nuved. Report you status."
There was no response.
Chapter 9:
"I repeat unkown vessel, report your status or we will have no choice but to open fire."
Still no response.
"We've got no choice, open fire!"
All guns were aimed at the shuttle, but due to Autobot standards only a few fired. The ship was rocked back and forth, but continued on its way. Several more shots were fired, this time causing considerable damage to the ship's hull.
"It's coming down, but it's coming down slow!" shouted one of the Autobots.
Captain Jetstream shook his head. He hated shooting down a shuttle so violently no matter who was in it.
With each respective shot, communication links were attempted. The Autobots decided the shuttle was empty, not even one blast of return fire.
"If there is anyone in there they've gotta be scrap by now. I saw just let the thing crash and search the wreckage" and Autobot suggested.
"I hate to agree with you on that, but it seems we have no choice. To send another ship up there to inspect it while it's still flying in that state would be too dangerous." Captain Jetstream was feeling rather foolish for shooting down an apparently empty shuttle.
The shuttle finally landed, rather, crash-landed. All became quiet, that is, all but the roar of Autobot engines as they drove towards the shuttle. Cork Screw stayed behind with Captain Jetstream.
They waited. There was no response from the shuttle in a long time. Finally, five robots appeared in the distance. They approached the shuttle area.
"Who are they?" Cork Screw asked.
"Beats the heck out of me, I've never seen them before. New recruits maybe?" The Autobot turned to Captain Jetstream for a response.
Jetstream grabbed his gun. "We better check them out."
The other Autobots followed suit. They ran up behind the five unknown Cybertronians.
"What are you doing here?" the captain shouted.
"We need a new shuttle, ours had no fuel left. Figured you guys would be most helpful with our problem." The group kept walking without turning around.
"Why didn't you respond to our hails?" Cork Screw asked.
"We got bored of 'em" responded one of the group members.
Captain Jetstream aimed his rifle. "You better identify yourself before we blast you to pieces!"
The group reluctantly turned around. None of them had any visible identification symbols.
From left to right, they Cybertronians were predominantly red, light blue, silvery gray, black, and the last one violet.
The Cybertronian standing in middle stepped forward and introduced the others. "Hirog, Guardor, Kabajip, Konggra, and I am Jupiter."
"Well, you're not getting a shuttle just yet, we still need to run a security check" Captain Jetstream told them, still aiming his rifle at them.
"We don't have time for this, we've got an appointment. Besides, Zrakkor doesn't agree with you," warned Jupiter.
"Oh, and just who is he?" Captain Jetstream asked.
Jupiter turned to his group. "Huntercons, merge!"
Jupiter and two other Huntercons jumped into the air. Hirog and Guardor transformed into legs. Jupiter transformed into a torso and landed on top of them. Bolts of energy pulled Kabajip and Konggra to the sides of the torso to form arms. Finally, Zrakkor's head emerged, showing the surrounding Bots who he was.
"Oh my, we're gonna need a little help with this one" Cork Screw replied. He thought about Dark Force. If only Razer could be here now.
"All Autobots to the shuttle bay!" Captain Jetstream yelled over the comm.
Autobots began rushing to the area. Zrakkor swept most of them aside effortlessly and walked towards one of the shuttles. He disconnected his left arm, allowing it to transform back into Konggra. She ran to a ship and started its engines. Zrakkor continued to keep the Autobots occupied.
"Pathetic Autobots!" Zrakkor shouted.
The ship was now activated, but Zrakkor was still angry. Konggra quickly re-attached herself. Just for fun it seemed, Zrakkor stomped on the ground sending Bots everywhere. He stomped on a few of the Bots themselves, severely damaging them.
Chapter 10:
Diamond Fire came racing into battle with Rapido.
"I'm sorry, I tried to stop her!" Rapido shouted to Cork Screw.
"If she can help, you're forgiven!" Cork Screw replied. He wanted to stop the threat as quickly as possible, the base had just recovered from the last attack.
Diamond Fire transformed to robot mode and fired diamond shrapnel and Zrakkor.
"Stupid femme bot!" Zrakkor shouted. He fired back at her with his cannon. The shot missed.
The other Autobots continued their relentless fire. Zrakkor was stumbling back now. Diamond Fire ran behind Zrakkor and aimed her cannon at his head.
"Hey big and stupid!" she shouted trying to get Zrakkor's attention. When it didn't work, she fired a dud grenade at his head. He turned his head to look at her, but she fired shrapnel directly at his face. Zrakkor was unprepared to be bested by such a puny looking Autobot. He screamed in agony as his face was torn to shreds.
Zrakkor had no choice but to disengaged. Jupiter immediately set off a smoke screen and the Huntercons rushed into the shuttle. The Autobots did their best to shoot down the shuttle, but their weapons were not enough to breach the hull of their own ship.
------------
Hours later, after everyone was accounted for, Diamond Fire pulled Cork Screw and Rapido aside.
"I'm so happy!" Diamond Fire shouted. "The base was saved, and I helped didn't I?"
Cork Screw and Rapido chuckled. "You sure did" Cork Screw told her.
"We're proud to have you on board" Rapido added.
Diamond Fire suddenly looked sad. "There's just one problem. As fun as this was, I've realized something."
"What's that?" Rapido asked.
"I don't think this is the place for me." Diamond Fire's statement seemed to come out of the blue.
Rapido quickly regained his composure. "But...."
"I'm honored I finally got to meet my brother, even more honored that you accepted me. That thing that attacked us, it obviously wasn't Bot or Con. Who knows how many others are out there like that," Diamond Fire was speaking rather quickly to avoid hurting anyone. It was the last thing she wanted to do.
"What are you trying to say?" Rapido pleaded to know.
Diamond Fire looked into Rapido's eyes. "I want to go back to LONAC. They don't have much in the way of an army, who knows if something like this could happen to them. Believe me, I've given this more thought than you might think."
Cork Screw was sure it had happened to LONAC before, but he agreed with her otherwise.
Rapido's confused look soon turned into a smile. "We Cybertronians live a long time. If this is what you need to do, go do it. You can always return and fight by my side."
Diamond Fire hugged Rapido. "Thank you, it means a lot to me."
Diamond Fire suddenly got a grim look on her face. She winced with pain and fell to the ground.
------------
When she came too, Cork Screw was carrying her. They were alone in the night, too far from the base to see it.
"What happened? How long have I been out?" Diamond Fire asked.
"Hours, I was afraid you were gone. I told the others about re-joining LONAC. We can finalize the deal when we're on board the LSS Freedom" Cork Screw whispered to Diamond Fire.
"What about my damage?" Diamond Fire whispered back.
Cork Screw stopped running. "Your damage, it's finally taking its toll. The Autobots couldn't fix you, but I know who can. He sent me a message, told me to come in secret. I just told the others that we had a friend coming to pick us up."
"What about you? Are you sure you want to come back with me?" Diamond Fire was becoming worried.
Cork Screw smiled. "At this point, I think I miss LONAC more than you."
Everything that happened after Zrakkor's attack was moving so fast. Who was Cork Screw talking about? Why was he being so quiet? Suddenly, a light appeared in the sky directly above them. Slowly, they were lifted into the air and lost consciousness.
Chapter 11:
"Yet another eventful day in LONAC." Scamp was walking about the ship with no specific destination. He still missed the fast paced battles he had as a Decepticon. The only reason he left was because he was left for dead. It was not the first time either, but if Dark Star had not saved him, it would have been the last. Scamp was starting to question if dying would have been a better outcome.
With nothing better to do, Scamp headed to the bar. He could at least drown his boredom in a drink. Before he made it to the bar, he bumped into Waitstate.
"Going to the bar, bartender?" Scamp asked. He wanted to be more sarcastic, but his spiritually energy had run low.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got some business to attend to." Waitstate could have told him more, but he knew Scamp wouldn't care unless he was involved.
"Righty oh," Scamp said with a wave. He continued to the bar.
Scamp thought that he could amuse himself with the other LONAC members in the bar, but at this time it was surprisingly empty. He reluctantly took a seat at an empty table and put his feet up. Scamp did nothing but sigh. After a few moments in silence,
Scamp had over heard at their last stop that the LSS Freedom's wasn't too far from an old Decepticon base. It was probably just an outpost by now, but he decided to contact Waitstate anyway.
"[comm] Waitstate, mind if I bother you for a second?"
Waitstate grudgingly accepted the comm. "[comm] What is it?"
"[comm] Sorry to be a bother, but I'm terribly bored. Mind if I have some leave?"
Waitstate was a little confused as to the abruptness of Scamp's request. "[comm] You want me to give you some leave time just like that?"
"[comm] We don't seem to be doing much around here, and I'd only want to pick up a few things." Scamp had been working on an idea to escape boredom for a while.
"[comm] Well, we're not really that close to anything but the trading station we just left. I imagine there will be enough leave time for all of us when we get to our destination." At this point, Waitstate just wanted Scamp to leave him alone.
"[comm] I wouldn't ask if it wasn't absolutely necessary." Scamp then left the bar to prepare for his trip.
------------
The LSS Freedom soon came to a drift. Scamp didn't have much to bring outside of the standard energon and weapons.
Waitstate arrived at his quarters just as he opened the door. "You have six days. I'd give you more, but we've been there twice."
Scamp was a little disappointed. "Three days? Are you sure about that? It'll take me most of that time just for a round trip."
Waitstate was growing impatient. "Be glad I gave you that much."
"I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone." Scamp wished he had more time, but a look at the base was all he really wanted. He had to make sure that he was really where he wanted to be.
------------
By this time, most of the crew members were recharging or spending time in the plaza and the bar. Scamp however was in the landing bay, powering up a LONAC shuttle's engines.
The bay doors opened as Scamp was cleared for departure.
"[comm] Remember, six days" Waitstate called before Scamp could take off.
"Don't worry, I might even be back in five!" Scamp didn't have the slightest intention on taking any less leave than he was allowed, and Waitstate knew that.
Waitstate watched Scamp take off from the security monitors he kept at the bar. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm too trusting."
------------
It wasn't very often in Scamp's life that he found himself alone. Even with Drill Master gone, he often times found himself in the company of other LONAC members. He'd never let on if he actually enjoyed a conversation, but he did enjoy a few every now-and-then.
Scamp shut off his comm unit. He didn't want anyone bothering him. This was his own private mission. He would be emerced in a Decepticon environment. It would be in secrecy. If his old feelings of duty came back to him, he would know he made a mistake in joining LONAC.
Chapter 12:
Scamp had ventured to the rear of the shuttle to recharge. It wasn't long before the shuttle's alert system started beeping. His craft was now within range of the base.
"Finally."
Scamp got up and walked over to the shuttle's window. "There it is." There was a base on a small moon circling a giant red planet.
Scamp shut off the ship's engines. It was going to have to stay drifting, bringing it any closer to the base might set off security systems.
Scamp made sure everything was secured then opened the shuttle's main door. Transforming into jet mode, Scamp flew down to the base.
"Hopefully there's enough Decepticon circuitry left in me to evade early detection." Scamp knew no one was around, but he still enjoyed the company of his own voice.
As he neared the base, it seemed increasingly more like it was very inactive. Where could everyone be? A mission maybe? Perhaps the base was abandoned.
Scamp transformed and landed near the base. He had affixed Decepticon emblems over his LONAC ones just in case.
"Hello, anyone here?" Scamp called out. It was a risk of security, but if he really had any problems he only needed to make it back to the LSS Freedom. Besides, there didn't seem to be anyone around.
Scamp walked closer to the base. It was very dark, and none of the lights were visible from the outside. This was fairly common for a base; it helped to mask what was inside. Scamp was slightly worried. It just didn't feel right. He drew his weapons.
Suddenly, Scamp heard a faint noise. What was it? The sound grew louder and more distinct. He jumped to the side as the sounds of a car zoomed past his left side. He couldn't see it, and soon enough a car zoomed past him on the right side. Scamp stood alert as the sound stopped. He looked ahead of him; all he could see were two tiny lights. Before he could tell what it was, he was knocked to the ground. Something had jumped on top of him. Scamp struggled; sharp snapped and gnarled fiercely at the sides of his head.
With all of his might Scamp used both of his legs to kick himself free of the monster. It flew back, but it was too dark to tell how far. As quickly as he could Scamp transformed into jet mode and flew away. Finally, he was safe, or was he? Soon after his seeming escape, one of his wings broke off as if he had hit something. Scamp went crashing to the ground. He transformed back into robot mode and made a mad dash for the Decepticon base. One of the doors was visibly weakened. Scamp shot it down, and propped it back up as well as he could. Using his laser weapons, he tried to seal the door.
Scamp was grabbed from behind. Just as he was pulled into another room, the creatures effortlessly broke down the door. Before he could get a good look, he was starring at the ceiling of the base safely locked away.
"You have three seconds to tell me who in the Pit are you and what are you're doing here!" A rather angry Decepticon held Scamp in a headlock.
"I'm a Decepticon, my ship broke down on me and it's hanging in orbit. I saw the base here and figured I could get some help." Scamp didn't want to do more lying than he had too.
The Decepticon paused for a moment as someone ran scanners in the background. "He seems to be telling the truth Tyrant."
"If I find out you're lying, you're going back out there with those things." Tyrant let Scamp go as he pointed to the door.
Turning around, Scamp finally got a good view of his rescuer. He wasn't quite sure what his transform was, but this grey, violet, and white Con had lots of guns. They cam out of his shoulders, his forearms, his legs, and many other places.
Scamp extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Striker." He wasn't about to give his real name. As far as the Decepticons knew, Scamp was dead; Scamp wanted them to keep believing that.
Tyrant looked at Scamp's hand and spit to the side. "We earn our respect here."
"Very well." Scamp detested such a grungy Decepticon. It was Cons such as Tyrant that developed negative stereotypes. "Any ideas as to what those were out there?"
"All I know is that those creatures have wiped out half the base, dozens of my troops." Tyrant was angry and worried. He walked away into some back room. The rest of the Cons got up and followed.
Scamp turned to another Con standing in the room. "What's going on? I get the feeling your leader left out a few details."
The Con shook his head. "Right now he's moving us further back in the base. Those creatures keep breaking through our defenses. Each time they do, we move closer and closer into the corners. As for the creatures responsible, the only Cons to get a good look at them are scrap now."
"You guys have to outnumber those things, why don't you just gang up?" Scamp was confused as to how such a large group of Decepticons could be so scared. Many of them had to be as old as he was, and nothing ever seemed to phase them.
"If the answer was that simple, we'd be off this rock by now." The Con sat down at a console as the security doors shut behind them.
Chapter 13:
"My name is Rebel by the way." Rebel wasn't nearly as worried about the situation as Tyrant, or at least he didn't show it. "I've given you all the info I can, anything else you'll have to find out with us."
"Aren't you gonna run any security checks on me?" Scamp was feeling a little too comfortable for the moment.
Tyrant shook his head. "As much as we'd like to, it would just be a waste of time right now. You couldn't possibly be a threat to security given the condition of this base anyhow."
"So those creatures took out half the base itself and trashed most of the troops?" Scamp asked.
Rebel gave Scamp a grave look and when back to scanning with the computer.
"Trying to locate them?" Scamp couldn't imagine them doing anything else at this point.
"Why don't you go sit in the corner while we try to think of a way out of here?" Rebel's patients had run out.
Scamp shrugged and went to sit in the corner.
------------
Several hours passed and seemingly no one had moved.
Scamp was nearing his wit's end. This was a far cry from what he had envisioned he would be doing when he landed. Maybe he'd just watch, or maybe he'd shoot down a few Decepticons and disappear. However, the thought of helplessly spending hours in the corner of a run down base never crossed his mind.
Eventually, loud bangs were heard at the door. The creatures had broken through another level of security.
"Are we going to do anything or are we just gonna send helpless cries to non-existant rescuers in space?" Scamp was sitting up in the corner looking at Tyrant.
"What do you suggest we do, go out there and die?" Tyrant, although unwilling to admit it, was open to new ideas.
"I say we group together and try to fix your obviously broken shuttle." Scamp reasoned that the shuttle was damaged or else the Decepticons would have left the base by now.
"Even if we could get to the shuttles, it's our sworn duty to make sure this base stays protected." Tyrant's sense of duty was typical amongst Autobots and Decepticons. Both sides held onto their positions too tightly, one of the reasons the factions had been at war for millions of years.
"Oh come now, you can't honestly want to risk your life for such a hopeless cause!" Scamp replied.
"So that's it, you're a deserter! You had no where else to run so you came here!" Tyrant shouted back.
Scamp was angry. "That's ridiculous! There's nothing wrong with fleeing a helpless situation!"
Tyrant had enough. "Throw this coward to the demons!"
Several Cons grabbed Scamp and brought him to the door. Before they could reach the door, it exploded. The pieces were enough to severely injure Cons that were too close. Scamp fell to the ground, the Cons who were carrying fell on top of him.
"Get up! We need to get up!" Scamp shouted. His cries went unheard.
All Scamp could hear were screams of panic. Cons were running all about the room firing blindly at the attackers. Scamp tried looking up, but all he could see were feet. The bodies on top of him had pinned him to the floor.
Bodies hit the floor all around him. The terrifying sounds of metal being torn and screams of death filled the room as Tyrant's troops were ripped apart. The only thing that may have been more terrifying was the roar of the so-called "demons."
Spilled mech fluid flooded the room. Scamp may have been able to lift the bodies off if not because of slippery floor. The carnage was endless, or so it seemed. Soon the cries died down and the room became silent.
"Finally" Scamp thought to himself. They had forgotten him. The demons saw his body on the floor and assumed he was one of the dead.
Scamp felt the tension leave his body. No, it wasn't tension; the bodies that buried him were being lifted off. Someone has survived!
"I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who survived" Scamp told his rescuer. It was not who he had expected. The creature roared in his face. Sharp silvery teeth surrounded his field of vision. Scrambling to get up, Scamp turned around and jumped behind a pile of trashed equipment. The monster came at him, but he was able to find a piece of metal large enough to use as a shield.
Chapter 14:
There was a slight pause, but it lasted only a moment. The monster lunged at Scamp's shield and bit it in half. He instantly remembered the shield given to him by Dark Star and pulled it out of sub space just in time to block the monster's face. This time there was a longer pause. Scamp moved his shield to the side just slightly. Now he could get a clear look at his attackers. There were at least two of them at the other side of the room tearing at garbage, and one directly in front of him.
Scamp searched his databanks for an organic that closely resembled his attackers. Several matches came up. "They seem to be raptors. Oddly constructed but raptors non the less."
The raptor seemed to be laughing at Scamp, or rather his shield. Scamp had forgotten to change the LONAC symbol on his shield to a Decepticon one. The raptor motioned to the others and they grouped around Scamp chuckling.
Scamp slowly put down his shield and looked at the raptors quizzically. The biggest raptor, probably big enough to take down Razer had he still been around, motioned to the others again. All of them transformed simultaneously into obviously Cybertronian female forms.
"You aren't monsters, you're Cybertronians!" Scamp said with astonishment.
The largest one spoke. "Oh, I assure you, we are monsters."
"What me to rip him to pieces?" the green one asked.
"No Skulker, we're going to play with this one first" added the red one that seemed to be very similar in design.
"I'm the leader here. I'll decide what we do." The large one spoke in a booming voice. "Ripper, make sure this LONAC is the only one left."
"As you command Raptara." Ripper seemed a little sarcastic, but she did as she was told. She lifted up bodies, far more carefully than she had when she was in raptor mode, yet still somewhat violent.
"I wonder if they've forgot about me" Scamp thought to himself. They were no longer looking at him. Just as he started to get up, Raptara held a gun to his head without turning hers.
"Sit."
Scamp sat back down. "You know, on second thought, I'd rather not!" Brandishing both of his pistols, he shot at odd locations kicking up debris from around the room. He dashed for door leading to the exit, but was met by Skulker. He sensed Ripper coming behind him and rolled to the side. He flew at the opposite door, unsure of where it led. Scamp knew the security code, he had hours to observe the Cons walking in and out of the room. To make sure no one followed for a while, he threw one of his hand grenades back into the room.
"We have plenty of time to catch up to him" Raptara reminded the others. "But we can't let him get back to LONAC, if he warns the others about us, it'll make things harder."
------------
Scamp ran aimlessly down a narrow hallway. This base was small; the LSS Freedom had to be ten times the size, or so he thought.
Suddenly, a noise. Scamp ducked behind a corner. Cautiously holding his weapons, he stepped back out into the hallway. He saw a tiny light at the end of the hallway and walked up to it. Inside he saw Tyrant, helplessly trying to fix a shuttle craft.
Scamp tried to open the door, but it had been welded shut. He attached his remaining explosives to the door and fired at them from a distance. Tyrant was startled to say the least. Scamp quickly picked up the door and re-sealed it.
"What are you doing in here alone? I didn't figure you for the cowardly type!" Scamp knew what he was doing; he had seen it so many times before. Tyrant hid during the battle and was now trying to make his escape.
Tyrant held onto his tools. "Look, I did the best I could and failed. It isn't the first time. My troops should have been able to handle this."
"They died out there, some of them might have lived if it wasn't for you." Scamp paused for a moment. He thought back to the asteroid field where so many Decepticons lost their lives unnecessarily. He couldn't prevent it then; he couldn't prevent what was happening now.
"They were the brave ones, I know." Tyrant was feeling guilty for what he had done.
"That shuttle isn't going to fly" Scamp told Tyrant.
Tyrant looked at the beat up shuttle. "Why do you think that? It's a little worn, but the engines should work fine after I fix them."
"You won't have time to fix them." Scamp pointed to the window on the door. Ripper and Skulker were looking into the room, now back in raptor form.
Tyrant dashed to the door with a piece of scrap metal and welded it over the window. "You have another plan I imagine."
"That I do" Scamp assured him. "First, I need to mend my wing. Then, I need to see the base designs."
Chapter 15:
"So we're going to just hang around here?" Tyrant replied angrily.
"We have to devise a careful plan, something that your troops obviously had no clue how to go about," Scamp said.
Tyrant grabbed Scamp by the neck. "How dare you insult my troops!"
"You think you did them any justice by running away? You were just as cowardly and stupid as Starscream was..." Scamp trailed off. He knew that Tyrant would have no clue what he was talking about.
Tyrant dropped Scamp. "Starscream always was a fool." He was shamed by the thought of becoming just like Starscream.
Scamp retracted his face plate. "Even now it's not too late to change."
Tyrant squinted at Scamp. "I recognize you."
"What?" Scamp did not recall ever meeting Tyrant.
"Scamp! We used to train together just after you finished basic training at the Seeker Corps!" Tyrant was excited, although he chose an awkward time to show it.
Scamps memory suddenly returned. "Ax? Is that you?"
"Yeah, seems like we both got redesigned heavily since then" Tyrant said with a smile. "Last I heard you were supposed to be dead."
"Archforce and the rest of his squad left all the wounded for dead. I was rescued at the last moment. I'm actually part of LONAC now." Scamp showed Tyrant the LONAC symbol on his shield.
"I've heard a bit about them at this point," Tyrant said as he began mending Scamp's damaged wing.
The sounds of the Raptors tearing at the door kept growing. They had only minutes to spare.
"It looks like it's now or never" Tyrant replied as he pulled over a mobile console with the base's designs displayed on it.
Scamp placed ones of his fingers on the screen. "If we could ignite the fuel cells in these areas here and here, that would provide excellent cover. As they're exploding, I can take you to my shuttle."
"Yeah, I suppose it would." Tyrant didn't seem to be paying too much attention at this point. "Did you really mean what you said about being able to change, even at this point?"
"I never would have joined LONAC had I believed otherwise" Scamp replied with a slight smile.
Tyrant pushed a few buttons on the console. "I suppose it's pointless to try and save the base now."
"Pretty much. How much time do we have?" Scamp asked.
"Only a few minutes. If we can get those things away from the door, I can send a few decoys in the wrong direction. We can get out the way you came in." Tyrant pushed a few more buttons on the console and pushed it away. He stood up and walked over to a few drones leading against the far wall and activated them.
"The fuel cells are set to explode, the drones are active, we've got our escape route and vehicle, all we need to do is figure out how to get those Raptors away from the door," Scamp announced.
"I'll take care of that," Tyrant assured Scamp. "Not matter what happens, run for the shuttle, don't look back."
"Okay. How much time do we have?" Scamp asked.
"A few seconds, I figured now was as good a time as any." Tyrant waved the drones over to the door. "Ready? One... two..."
Before Tyrant could finish the countdown, he grabbed Scamp and knocked down the door. The Raptors were hit by the door and fell down. Scamp started to run, but Tyrant grabbed his arm.
"Honestly, did you think it was going to be that easy?" Tyrant asked.
Scamp stared back. "But I thought..."
Tyrant continued. "You thought wrong. Did you honestly think that three Cybertronians, vicious or not, could have torn this base to shreds taking out an entire army without any help?"
Chapter 16:
The Raptors stood up in the background. "You mean you're responsible for all of this?" Scamp was bewildered.
Tyrant laughed. "Some of it. These wonderful creatures did the rest. Do you like them? They're on loan from the High Counsel. I was paid a hefty sum to test them outside of the Cult, they've been there a long time."
"So the base, nothing is going to happen to it?" Scamp asked.
"Oh, the base is still going, but you're going to be the only one left here." Tyrant smiled.
"The things I've said to you, the things you said you'd do, they were all meaningless!" Scamp was losing his temper.
"You really aren't as intelligent as you seem. Raptors, throw him back in the room" Tyrant ordered.
Raptara raised her hand to halt the other Raptors. "You've completed your objective Tyrant, they are now under the Cults control, and thus my control."
"Err, very well." Tyrant was not pleased, but he had no choice.
Tyrant stepped back as Ripper and Skulker grabbed Scamp's arms. They carried him back into the room with the damaged shuttle. Before Scamp could get back up, the door was jammed in place and something was pushed behind it so I could not be forced open.
Scamp looked over at the shuttlecraft. "Perhaps there is enough time now."
------------
The Raptors and Tyrant stood outside of the base in robot mode looking to the sky.
"We must locate Scamp's shuttle, without it, we've got no way off of this rock," Tyrant informed them.
"Found it!" Skulker shouted.
"What do you mean? There's nothing out there!" Tyrant shouted in anger.
Ripper shot an energy blast from the top of her staff. Moments later, there was an explosion. "You're right, there's nothing out there."
"You fools, without that shuttle we're stranded!" Tyrant no longer had control of his anger. He had put up with a lot of the raptor's foolishness, but now they had gone too far.
Raptara laughed. "You may be stranded, but we're not."
"But you took a shuttle here and crashed it!" Tyrant was near pleading with them now.
"Who told you that it wasn't working?" Skulker said with a smile.
An energy portal opened up, brilliant swirls of energy circled in front of them. Waving good-bye the Raptors stepped through it. Before it disappeared, Tyrant helplessly shouted back.
The Raptors were now gone, Tyrant was left standing with nothing but his thoughts. He had no flight mode, and his standard robot flying abilities wouldn't get him very far.
"The base! It's still rigged to blow!" Tyrant started running back towards the base. "The shuttle, what did I do with it? Oh no, not-"
Before Tyrant could finish his thought, a shuttlecraft emerged from the base. It broke through the roof, hovered for a moment, then flew off into the distance.
"Noooooo!"
The energy cells at the base became fully charged, and finally- *BOOOM!* Explosion after explosion tore the base apart. There would be nothing left of the Decepticons that gave their lives without knowing of Tyrant's deception. There would be nothing left of the base. Now, there was only a Decepticon, traitor to the cause, devoid of all dignity and honor, too far away from anyone or anything that could save him.
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Everything was silent aboard Scamp's recently acquired shuttle. He didn't know what to say about what has happened, he wasn't even sure he'd have enough energy to make it back to the LSS Freedom. All he really cared about at this point was that he was away from Raptors, and possibly the biggest monster of all, Tyrant.
It had happened again, just as it had so many times before. A foolish power-hungry general sacrificed the lives of his troops. Not only did the troops lose, but the leaders almost always ended up with nothing. No army, no power, no reward for anyone. The thoughts of what had happened long before he left the Seeker Corps were still fresh in his mind thanks to Spectral Death.
Scamp was tired; tired of the senseless fighting that cost so many lives. Not to mention he was nearly fully drained. He wanted badly to fall into a recharging cycle, but he didn't want to use up any possible reserve energy. He set the shuttle to auto pilot, stood up, and collapsed on the floor, voluntarily putting himself in stasis.
Chapter 17:
On the bridge of the LSS Freedom....
"Waitsate, we're picking up something, seems to be shuttle of unknown origin" Cirrus announced.
"Is it trying to board?" Waitstate asked.
Cirrus shook his head. "Nope, it's drifting, should we pull it aboard?"
"Affirmative, but be very cautious." It was not in Waitstate's nature to leave such things unchecked.
As soon as the shuttle was safely pulled into the docking bay, Waitstate and Admiral Lilwall rushed down.
Waitstate sent a drone into the shuttle just to be completely sure. After a few moments, it dragged out a body. It was Scamp. He was severely drained of energy.
"Get him to medbay stat!" Waitstate shouted.
Admiral Lilwall took Scamp without hesitation.
Waitstate turned to the alien shuttle craft. "I suppose this means he slagged his shuttle."
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Scamp was laying on a bed in medbay being recharged.
"The damage doesn't look too bad, but you need to recharge more than anything" Restore told Scamp.
"I think I've finally found my true calling" Scamp replied.
Restore was confused by his statement. "What do you mean?"
Scamp laughed. "I'll explain later."
After Scamp was fully recharged, he got off of the bed and proceeded out the door.
"Where are you going?" Restore shouted. "You're in no condition to be running around the ship!"
"I've gotta talk to Waitstate about something" Scamp shouted back.
"Oh sure, no one listens to me. What do I know? I'm only the medic...." Restore continued to mumble to herself.
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Scamp activated the chime to Waitstate's office.
"Enter" came Waitstate's reply.
The door shut behind Scamp. They talked for what seemed to be hours, then Scamp emerged. Both of them went to the lift. When the lift stopped, they arrived at the docking bay.
"Are you absolutely sure about this Scamp?" Waitstate asked.
"I have my doubts, but this is the only way to find out" Scamp replied.
"Very well my friend" Waitstate said with a smile as he patted Scamp on the back. "Safe journey."
The shuttle bay doors opened, and Scamp exited in his shuttle.
"What was that about?" Admiral Lilwall said as he walked to Waitstate.
"Heh, I see you were following us," Waitstate said with a slight chuckle. "Scamp informed us of a possible new security risk, seems to be more of the Cult."
"So where did he go?" Admiral Lilwall asked.
"He said he's bringing back a surprise. I'm hopping it's my shuttle" Waitstate said with a smile.
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