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CHAPTER XXI

Twelve hours earlier

It was very quiet inside the Captain's quarters as Galvatron sat at his desk, staring at the Covenant of Primus that lay in front of him. It had been an hour since he gave the order for his fleet to prepare for the attack against Omega, and he was starting to get impatient. He thought waiting in his room would be a good idea, since he would have time to examine the relic of the Primes. But instead he had just passed the time by staring at the book, having suddenly felt indecisive about it.

'Why did I pick this up? I mean, I did so for a reason and have meant to look at it in more detail, but here I am staring at it. What is wrong with me? Why don't I just open it?' he thought before shaking his head.

"A more important question is why in the pit do you think so much?" a familiar voice replied, making the Predacon's eyes narrow as he gritted his teeth in response.

"Get out!" he spat without even bothering to look as Megatron stood against the wall and looked down at him with a disgusted expression.

"Well, since you asked so nicely...I think, I will...not." he chuckled, earning a groan from Galvatron which made his grin grow a little wider.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? Even for a moment?" the Predacon Leader said in an almost pleading like tone, making the Decepticon kneel beside him.

"Why do we keep going round in circles like this? You know why I will not leave you alone, there is no need for me to repeat it."

He then reached out and grabbed Galvatron's hand, which was near the relic's cover and moved it away.

"Forget about this over decorated paper-weight and just accept the truth." he added as he dropped the Con's hand into his lap, not even receiving a reaction from his Clone, who simply kept his eyes on the relic. But Megatron just knelt there and stared at Galvatron as he waited for a response, before finally rolling his eyes and sighing as he got back to his feet.

"So this is your plan, simply try to ignore me completely? Well let me show you how well that will work." he said before slamming his fist into the Predacon's head, knocking him off his chair and onto the floor, before standing over Galvatron who got on to his hands and knees.

"You cannot simply close your eyes and wish me away, Clone, nor can you treat me like I am not even here. Because every time that you do, this will happen. I do not even care if anyone sees this...but I know you do." he spat at him with clenched fists at the ready, as the Predacon looked up with pure hate in his eyes at his hallucination while a little blood ran down his chin from the edge of his mouth. But still he said nothing, which made Megatron even angrier as he punched his Clone again.

"You don't want to learn...fine, but that doesn't mean I can't beat it into you." he raged while grabbing Galvatron by the hair on his head and raising his other fist, readying it to strike. But suddenly the room's inter-com activated and Six-Shot's voice echoed in the room.

"Lord Gavlatron, your presence is requested in the CIC."

For a long moment there was no answer as both stared daggers at each other.

"My Lord?" his lieutenant said again with a confused tone to his voice. But Megatron instead chose to ignore it and threw another punch at his Clone's face, only for Galvatron to block it this time with his arm. The Decepticon Leader's optics widened in surprise as the Predacon then pushed him away, looking at him with a stare that could melt through anything as his spark burned with silent rage.

"Lord Galvatron?" Six-Shot asked again over the inter-com.

"I am on my way, Six-Shot. Galvatron out." he replied before walking past the suddenly quiet hallucination as he left the room, being sure to pick up a cloth on his way out.

And it wasn't until the Predacon was walking down the corridor towards the elevator and wiping the blood from his face while doing so, that it dawned on him what had just happened.

'How did I stop Megatron from hitting me? How was I able to touch him?' he thought as he stopped and stood there in the middle of the corridor, completely confused by what had transpired. And it was then at that moment Galvatron heard a voice echoing faintly through the corridor, just as his spark began to burn up which made him clutch his chest.

"Galvatron!"

The Predacon recognised the voice as the one he had heard in his dream, but at this moment he was awake. He looked around as the voice echoed around him, while holding his hand to his chest due due to the pain that his spark was putting him through.

"Galvatron!"

Suddenly the Clone felt a hand touch his shoulder as everything went quiet, and the pain instantly stopped.

"Galvatron?" another voice spoke, making Galvatron spin round with his fists ready. But he found that he was face to face with a confused looking Darksteel.

"Lord Galvatron?" he asked with a puzzled tone.

"What is it, Darksteel?"

"Are you alright, Sir?" the Con asked with an honest and subservient expression.

"I am fine, please return to your duties." Galvatron replied as he tried to sound in control, earning an unsure look from the other Predacon. But then Darksteel nodded without question and carried on past him down the corridor.

'What in the pit just happened to me?' Galvatron thought as he walked over to the elevator, pressing the call button on it's control panel and waiting for it to arrive. But when he could think of no answer to the question, he turned his thoughts to another problem.

'I have to be more careful, luckily Darksteel is young and naive and also fears me. So I don't expect any trouble from him about what he just witnessed. But if that had been someone like Six-Shot, I would have had to take steps to make sure that he does not speak...wait, what am I thinking!' the Predacon Leader thought as he found these dark thoughts of killing his own men troubling.

"Now you're starting to think like me." Megatron suddenly said as he appeared behind the Clone, earning a groan from Galvatron.

"I wouldn't get used to the idea of fighting back, because it won't end well for you." the hallucination warned with a cold tone, but luckily for Galvatron the elevator arrive and opened for him. So he ignored the Decepticon Leader and entered it, the doors closing behind him and shutting the ghost out.

'This madness has to stop.' he thought as he stood there in the elevator, which took him to the CIC.

As Galvatron walked into the Nemesis's CIC, he saw that it was a buzz with activity as all the stations were manned by Terracons and a number of his Lieutenants were standing at the command station that overlooked the entire room. Standing there was Lazerback, Blight, Vertebreak and they were watching Six-shot, who was typing commands into the station's holo-interface. The Con then heard footsteps approaching them and turned to see their leader.

"Lord Galvatron, I thought you would like to know that the fleet is fully prepared and waiting for your orders at the space-bridge."

The Predacon Lord looked at the holo-screen and saw the IFFs of each of their ships, and was thankful that something had come up which could take his mind off what had happened earlier, at least for a while. So he walked past his men and joined Six-Shot at the console and typed into it's holo-interface, activating communications.

"All ships, this is Lord Galvatron. Enter the space-bridge for Omega, your targets are the Cruisers which stand guard on Omega's side of the space-bridge. Once you draw the remainder of their forces away from the station, the Nemesis will jump in close and disable its defences while also deploying troops aboard Omega via our space-bridge. Once we conquer Omega and control its resources, we Predacons will be invincible and the Autobos will fall at our feet." he said as he looked out of the CIC's canopy, viewing the inactive space-bridge and the Predacon fleet that was positioned in front of it.

"Let's begin." he added with a finality to his voice before deactivating the transmission, and looking over to the Terracon manning the helm.

"Power up our space-bridge generator and set battle stations throughout the ship." the Predacon leader ordered, earning a fearful nod from the minion who then typed on the holo-interface of his console as the lighting dimmed a little more and the battle alert siren blared through the inter-com throughout the ship. Galvatron and his lieutenants then watched as the green vortex of the space-bridge came to life and expanded, before the fleet then flew into it, leaving the Nemesis alone while it waited for it's turn.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Five minutes earlier...

It had been a slow week for the crew of the mercenary cruiser 'Vindicator', which had been on patrol duty around the Omega system. And as the Batarian captain sat in his chair and observed his crew working around him on the bridge, he could not help but wish for some a action. For since Aria T'Loak had gained command of every Merc organisation in the Terminus systems, courtesy of the Autobots and Jackson Prime some twenty five years earlier, there had not been as many battles or raids as there used to be.

The Asari had turned the once lawless region of the galaxy - a place where even the now defunct Citadel Council would not dare go...without the entire fleet of course - into a law-abiding Empire with only one law that mattered...'Don't fuck with Aria!' She had the entire Terminus systems at her bidding, which should have brought a lot of fear to those that called the area home.

But it would appear that having her lover Nyreen Kandros with her had diluted Aria's cold and merciless nature somewhat, which showed with how the Asari treated the very civilians who lived on Omega, allowing them certain freedoms and liberties that the past Aria would not have even wasted a thought on. The biggest trouble even bothering Omega now, was the border skirmishes with the Autobots. Which were generally orchestrated by Aria as a means of reminding the Federation that Omega was still there.

Of course, she wasn't going to declare war on the ones that been responsible for her current standing, but she did like to mess with Jackson Prime. It was something that Prime was only to aware of, and no one had ever been killed in the said skirmishes.
And so this was how things were now in the Terminus systems or what it was now known as the 'Omega Syndicate', a grittier and darker but still no less stable version of what had been created in the Federation.

"Captain!" a voice called out, snapping the Batarian out from his thoughts as he looked in the direction of the voice to see a Vorcha looking back from his station.

"Report." the Batarian replied.

"Sir, our sensors are picking up a power increase in the space-bridge, I think it is about to activate."

The Captain looked over to communications station, manned by another Vorcha, who was monitoring all the channels.

"Do we have any ships scheduled to arrive at this time?" he asked, earning a focused expression from the crewman who looked at his holo-interface as he used it to go through their records.

"Negative, Sir. We have no one due to arrive today...or for the rest of the week."

"Alright, alert all ships to go to battle-stations. And bring our weapons online. I want us all ready for whatever comes through." the Batarian said, the coms officer then nodded in return before speaking into his com-link, relaying his orders to the rest of the fleet.

"Sir, weapons and shields are online. And all decks report combat ready." a Human officer responded when suddenly the space-bridge activated and a giant vortex appeared and expanded before the fleet, illuminating them all in green light.

"Unscheduled space-bridge activation." the Asari manning the sensors reported as everyone watched the swirling portal a head of them.

"Stand by, only fire if fired upon." the Batarain replied through his com-link to the other ship Captains. But then suddenly a ship appeared as it exited the vortex's event horizon and entered the system, and then followed by another and another.

"Sir, the ships are registering as Autobot." the sensors officer reported, earning a confused look from the Captain.

"But the Autobots have never tried anything like this." he replied as more and more ships exited the vortex.

"Have any of the ships locked weapons?" he then asked, making the officer fumble around with his holo-interface as the irregularity of the situation effected him.

"No, Sir. There has been no...oh no!" he the said, eyes widening as he looked at the screen.

"What, what is it!" the Batarian replied with panic evident in his voice.

"I am picking up a power spike in their..." he started to say before the incoming cruisers all opened fire, filling the void with torpedoes and energy blasts that ripped through the Omega fleet. Causing untold damage to several ships while draining the shields of the rest.

"All ships, return fire! I repeat, fire at will!" the Captain shouted into his com-link as even more enemy ships exited the space-bridge and opened fire. Almost instantly, the Omega cruisers returned the weapons fire in kind but all that came of it was a blue hue glowing around all the ships as their torpedoes and cannon fire impacted harmlessly against the enemies shields.

The bridge of the Vindicator was rocked by several direct hits from the three cruisers directly ahead as the Captain turned to the Com officer.

"Get me a link with Omega right now?" he shouted as three stations exploded, sending the crew manning them flying off their chairs and onto the ground.

PRIME EFFECT 4

A moment or two earlier

All was quiet in Aria's quarters as the Asari lay on her king sized bed with only a single silk sheet covering her and Nyreen's naked bodies as they lied together in each others arms. The only sounds that could be heard was the slight hum coming from the Station's life support system, while the other was the soft and faint breathing of her Turian lover who lied her head on the Asari's chest and listened to her heart beat as they both rested.

"Well, was that good for you, Nyreen?" Aria asked with a coy tone as she looked down at her lover, who simply sighed in return as she lied there happy and content.

"It always has been between us, Aria. Why do you keep asking, when you already know the answer?"

"I like seeing your reaction, it's always so cute." Aria teased so Nyreen moved her hand down between the Asari's legs and brushed her now very sensitive sex. This made the purple woman gasp in pleasure before breathing a little heavier, which earned a chuckle from Nyreen.

"I enjoy your reactions too." she teased back.

"Now, that wasn't fair." Aria replied as she too chuckled a little.

"You're the one that brings biotics into the bedroom, you know I cannot one up you there. So I do what I can." the Turian female said back before brushing the Asari's sex again, earning a moan from Aria before she suddenly rolled the pair over so that she was no on top and in control. She smiled down at Nyreen before moving her own hand down to the Turian's sex and doing the same, making her lover shiver and moan in response.

"You know, I can do this too." she said as her lover's eyes rolled back, being unable to resist the pleasurable feelings coursing out from between her legs.

"I...know, I...want you to." she managed to say between the sweet moans she let out, while Aria continued to play with her sex.

"So what were you...!" The Asari manages to say before she suddenly gasped again, having not realised that Nyreen had slipped her hand down between her legs and was returning the feeling.

"Damn...it." the purple Woman said between the moans as both females pleasured each other for a long moment, their fingers moving faster as they both caressed each others sexes until they cried out in unison before then falling into each others arms while breathing heavily, having been overpowered by the intense feelings that washed over them as they had orgasmed.

"I thought you wanted to sleep?" Nyreen asked between breathes as she curled up next to her panting Asari, who smiled back coyly.

"I didn't start it though, you did."

"Yes, yes, I did...for once. And I think that despite the fact that you love to be in control, that you also enjoy being controlled from time to time." the Turian said back, earning a inquisitive smile from Aria who sat up slightly, resting her hand on her arm while never taking her eyes off Nyreen.

"You know me so well, Nyreen. And you are right, I have lived nearly one thousand years and in that time I can count on one hand the number of people that I can say I trust. But there is only one person who I trust implicitly with my body and heart, and I am looking at her."

Nyreen blushed a little as her heart warmed at the Asari's admission, reaching out and cupping her face with a hand.

"I love you too, Aria." she replied, earning an appreciative if uncomfortable smile from the Asari. Which made Nyreen think on her lover's words, for Aria had never said the word 'Love' to describe her feelings for the Turian, not once. But Nyreen knew that despite this, the Asari did love her deeply. Perhaps all the centuries of pain and betrayal had made Aria believe that word was false, but with how their relationship had grown over the past twenty five years. Nyreen knew without doubt what she meant to Aria, even if her lover never used the word that explained it best.

The pair then lied there on the bed, just enjoying the silence and slowly allowing sleep to take them. But it was then all shattered by the intruding sound of the inter-com activating.

"Aria, I apologise for the interruption." a voice spoke on the other end, earning an aggravated expression from the Asari as she and Nyreen sat up.

"You better have a good excuse for this, Vale, or I will flay you alive." she replied with a poisonous tone, for having her private time with her Turian partner shattered.

"We are under attack...by the Autobots. Their ships are engaging ours at the space-bridge." Vale said back, making Aria activate her holo-tool.

"Patch me into our sensors and show me the battle...now!" she said and before a moment had even passed, a holo-creation of the battle appeared over her holo-tool as red and blue coloured ships fought one another. Nyreen watched quietly as the Asari narrowed her eyes and looked at the readings that appeared over each enemy ship.

"These are not Autobot ships." she then said confidently.

"But, Aria, they all have the Autobot insignia printed on their hull." Vale replied in a disbelieving tone.

"But if you looked at their IFF readouts, you would noticed that they are completely different. These ones are...Predacon?"

Nyreen gave a confused look to her lover as the name did not ring a bell with her.

"Never heard of them." Vale responded in return.

"Doesn't matter who they are though, because they have just made the biggest mistake of their short lives. Send in our ships protecting the station and activate our defences. Nyreen and I are heading to the command center." Aria replied before shutting off the inter-com and her holo-tool.

"I should head down to the Talons and begin preparations to protect the civilian population." Nyreen then said as they both got off the bed and started to get changed.

"I knew you were going to suggest that, very well." Aria replied as she buttoned up her top, before they both then walked over to the exit.

"Well, you know me just as well as I know you." the Turian said back before giving Aria a kiss.

"Then I will see you the moment this is over then."

"Looking forward to it, very much so." Nyreen said before they both walked out of the room with the door closing behind them.

PRIME EFFECT 4

The battle at the space-bridge raged on as the vortex closed after the last of the Predacon ships exited the event horizon, firing it's weapons instantly at the Omega vessels that stood between them and the station. The sides seemed evenly matched as the defending cruisers had now adapted to the surprise attack and was now working in a more unified fashion, keeping the enemy vessels at bay with coordinated volleys of torpedoes and cannon fire.

In Omega's Command Center, which was a circular shaped hall with terminals positioned around a large holo-display that was at this moment showing the battle currently taking place outside the station. Every terminal was manned and active as a Batarian walked around and observed everyone around him, he was wearing brown combat armour and had a scar running down the right side of his face. He narrowed his four eyes as he looked up at the red and blue recreation of the battle, for he was not sure what to make of these Predacons.

'What are they waiting for, if this was a simple invasion tactic then they would attempt to rush our fleet.' he thought as he analysed the data playing out before him.

"Vale, report." Aria called as she entered the room and walked up to his side.

"Our fleet has the enemy bottled up at the space-bridge. It was not easy, having to deal with a surprise attack. But the cruisers have now caught on and are keeping the Predacon ships at bay." the Batarian replied as the Asari looked over the battle data appearing on the holo-display.

"Good, then lets finish this by sending in our ships defending the station. You did send my orders to them…yes?"

Vale looked at Aria with a curious expression.

"I did, but I also told them to wait." he said back, making the Omega leader stare back with a slightly aggravated look.

"Why haven't you sent them?"

"Because our current forces are now containing the enemy, sending in the rest seems like overkill to me. I think it would be best to keep our defence fleet where it is, because this attack just doesn't make sense to me." Vale replied in an honest and professional manner, but Aria felt herself getting angry at his lack of obedience.

"When I give a command, I expect it to be followed to the latter." she spat back, making the Batarian bite his lip as his own anger was being stirred by the Asari.

"You gave me this position because of my tactical thinking, but you won't just let yourself trust my judgement. If you call those cruisers in to the battle, you will leave the station venerable to attack." he spat back, gaining the attention of the rest of the crew working in the Command Center. For it wasn't every day that they witnessed someone banging heads with Aria, usually because they never lasted very long after it.

"Are you forgetting that thanks to MECH, 'my station' now has enough firepower to defend it self from a fleet of dreadnoughts. Plus the Space-bridge is the only way in and out of this system and it is blocked, like you said. Omega is completely safe. So I want this battle over quickly and those Predacons to know what happens to those who fuck with me…..so send in the ships now!" Aria nearly screamed in Vale's face as her own was now filled with rage as she clenched her fists, a blue like glow emanated from them. The Batarian finally broke and shook his head as he sighed and tapped his com-link in return.

"Defence fleet, this is Lt. Commander Vale. Execute Aria's orders and engage the enemy ships."

He then looked back at the Asari with a disdainful expression, hoping to the 'Pillars of Strength' that they weren't making a fatal mistake.

The cruisers that were orbiting the massive space station then broke away and moved toward the ensuing battle at the mouth of the Space-bridge, before opening fire on the Predacon ships which now had to fight a battle on two fronts.

In the Command Center, Aria smiled as she watched the battle on the holo-screen. Her Omega fleet were now outnumbering the enemy ships by nearly two to one, which were odds that she loved to play. But Vale looked less sure of the situation as he watched it unfold, unable to shake off the feeling that something was off.

'Something bad is going to happen, I don't need to be an expert to see that and yet the Asari with nearly a thousand years of experience can not.' he thought as he glanced over to the Omega leader who was all smiles, shaking his head again at what he saw. But then his fears were answered when a Salarian looked up from the holo-interface of his terminal with a confused expression.

"Sirs, I have detected an unusual anomaly less than three kilometres away from the station." he said in a worried tone, gaining the attention of both Aria and Vale.

"Show us." Vale replied, before the Asari could even voice her thoughts on it. And the Salarian then used his terminal to bring up an image of the Omega station on the main holo-display, showing the pulsing energy signature next to it.

"What is that?" Aria asked, looking over to the Salarian. But then her eyes caught the Batarian's expression as his eyes widened in response.

"It can't be…" he said before looking over to the defence station.

"I want all beam cannons on that side of the station targeting that anomaly now, and raise the station's shields." he directed, earning an annoyed look from Aria.

"What the hell are you doing?" she said back in disgust that he had given an order without running past her first, but the Batarian ignored her as he walked over and stood beside the Vorcha manning the defence station.

"Vale!" she spat as she stormed over to him, earning a sigh from the Lt Commander.

"I am doing my job, Aria, the one you gave me to do. Now let me do it before we are attacked!" he replied with as much control over his growing anger as he could muster, considering how the Asari was riding him right now.

"Then explain what that is then." Aria said back as she pointed at the anomaly.

"It's energy signature matches that of the space-bridge before a vortex is opened and it seems that…." the Batarian began to say before the Salarian cut him off.

"The energy signature is changing, we have a Space-bridge vortex opening beside the station." he said back in a panicky tone as outside, the green energy vortex opened and expanded.

"There is something coming through." the Salarian added as Vale looked down at the Vorcha sitting next to him.

"Fire the cannons the instant whatever it is comes through,…understand?" he said in a commanding tone, gaining a nod from the officer, just as another ship appeared on the holo-display next to the vortex. The Salarian then immediately pressed the firing button on his holo-interface.

The station's beam cannons suddenly charged up and fired red pulsing beams of energy directly at the large black dreadnought that exited the vortex, each beam though impacted on the new arrival's shields which flickered with a blue hue as their energies reacted to each other. But once the attack was finished, the dreadnought was still there and closing on the station.

"Our attacks had no effect, their shields absorbed the beams." the Salarian stated in a shocked tone, earning a look of utter disbelief from Aria.

"That's not possible, our cannons are derived from the same beam cannons that the Reapers had. There is no way anyone could have learned to counter them."

"Well, it seems like they have." Vale replied before the holo-interface on the Salarian's terminal began to beep loudly, gaining their attention.

"Sirs, their weapons are powering up."

"Shields to maximum!" Aria shouted before suddenly the dreadnought opened fire with it's torpedoes, sending a spread of the red glowing projectiles at the Station. Impacting against it's shields and greatly draining their power, as the shield strength monitor on the defence terminal dipped dramatically from one hundred percent all the way down to ten.

"Sir, those weapons are powerful. We can't take another attack like that." the Vorcha said in a panic as the Salarian's terminal beeped again.

"They are firing again!" he exclaimed before the entire room shook as the following spread of torpedoes broke through the shields and impacted at different spots of the station.

"What the hell!" Aria shouted as the terminals flickered on and off due to a drop of power to the Command Center.

"Shields are down, and the enemy dreadnought has taken out not only the weapon emplacements on this side of Omega, but also the power lines connected to the defence grid." another Batarian said from the engineering terminal at the other side of the holo-display.

"Then that means…." the Asari said in complete disbelief, before suddenly being cut off by Vale.

"That we are completely defenceless."

Aria then turned to the Communications terminal that was being manned by another Asari.

"Contact the fleet, and get them to attack that dreadnought."

"They can't help us, Aria." Vale said, earning the Omega Leader's attention as she turned to find him looking up at the holo-display of the battle. And she could see what he meant as their fleet was still in the middle of holding back the Predacon ships.

"Sirs, the dreadnought is moving away." the Salarian suddenly said as he brought up the image from his screen to the larger holo-display they were currently watching. It showed the dreadnought turning around and facing the battle at the space-bridge.

"What is it doing?" Aria asked before suddenly watching as it fired several spreads of torpedoes down towards the battle, which then impacted and destroyed several of the Omega cruisers. Greatly tipping the tide of the fight in the Predacons favour.

"Oh my god, they are going to overrun us now." Vale said as he felt all his fears coming true.

'Why the hell didn't that Asari bitch listen to me!' he thought before looking over to Aria who was just watching the holo-display as it showed the Dreadnought turning back round to face the station.

"Uh, Sirs. That dreadnought is targeting us again, and the other enemy ships are now disabling the rest of our cruisers." the Salarian stated, earning a confused expression from both Aria and Vale.

"What, why are they not destroying them?" she asked before the Asari at the coms terminal turned round to face them while holding a hand up to her com-link.

"We are being hailed."

Aria clenched her fist while looking down at the ground beneath her feet, dwelling on the current development.

'I am not losing this station again, I won't!' she thought before looking back at the Asari.

"Put him on screen." she said, making the officer work her terminal and suddenly the holo-display which had been showing the battle outside deactivated for a split second before then showing a Caucasian man in his mid-forties staring back, his red eyes seemingly staring right through them as a smirk appeared on his face.

"The great Aria T'Loak, I suppose." he said, making the Asari narrow her eyes as she felt her rage building up in her heart.

"And who the hell are you?" she spat back, making the unknown man's smirk grow larger as he drank in the angry display that she was showing.

"My name is Lord Galvatron of the Predacons, and I am here to discuss terms of your surrender." he spoke back in a calm manner, which was a polar opposite of the Omega Leader.

"Well, you must definitely be new around these parts. Because otherwise you would know that nobody fucks with me." she spat back, trying to get under the Predacon's skin. But Galvatron merely shrugged in response.

"I do not wish for your forces to be destroyed. As I speak, my forces are disabling your cruisers."

"And why is that?" Vale spoke up, getting the question in before Aria could spit out any more angry remarks. Which earned him an angry stare from the Asari.

"Because I want the forces of Omega to join under my flag, which I cannot guarantee if you keep fighting me." the Predacon Leader replied, earning a thoughtful look from the Batarian Commander as he dwelled on the offer. But before he could say anything else, Aria suddenly spoke up.

"Then you can forget it, because my forces will fight you to the bitter end. Because they are more afraid of me than they are of you." she said with an angry and overconfident tone, which earned her a lot of wide-eyed looks that did not go unnoticed by the Asari. But she ignored them, looking back to see Galvatron's red eyes narrow as he leaned closer to the screen.

"Then prepare to be boarded….. and if you survive what happens next, then I will kill you myself." the Predacon said back with a coldness that made Aria fearful for a split second, though she did not show it. Galvatron then looked away as he conversed with one of his men off screen.

"Prepare the Terracons…..and release Predaking!" he said before the transmission cut off, leaving everyone in the room looking around in wide-eyed fear.

"What the hell did you do?" Vale spat back at Aria who then simply grabbed him by the throat, her hand starting to glow with biotic energy as she stared at his eyes.

"I will not lose Omega again, and I am sick of your attitude towards me. So I give you a choice…" she said before looking around at the others.

"…I give you all a choice. You can either fight for me, or you will die now at my hands." she said as her whole body began to glow with a blue hue as her biotics powered up.

"What say you!" she said back with anger underlining her words before looking back at Vale.

"What say you!"

"I will fight." the Batarian managed to say despite the pressure on his neck.

"So will we all." the others all said with a fearful tone, which made the Asari smirk before she dropped the Lt. Commander to the floor and turned to the crew, not noticing the dagger like stare the Batarian was giving her behind her back.

"We will defend our home and drive them back to wherever they came from, now prepare for the ground assault. Now ready our troops." Aria commanded, earning a nod from the Asari at the communication terminal who spoke into her com-link before looking back to her.

"They are readying as I speak sir, but what did that Galvatron mean by 'Predaking'?" she asked, gaining a concerned look from the Omega Leader.

"I do not know, but we will face it just as we have faced every enemy that has taken arms against us. MECH, the Reapers, the Predacons. It does not….." she started to say before a bright green light suddenly appeared near the Command Center's entrance.

"What the…" Aria said as they all stared at the swirling green anomaly.

"A space-bridge vortex, here?" Vale said as he got back onto his feet and stepped back as he joined Aria who looked up at it and clenched her fists, which glowed with biotic energy.

"Stand fast, because no matter what comes through that vortex, we will kill it regardless."

The suddenly a giant black and orange metallic Dragon came through the vortex and landed in the room which was just barely large enough for it, making the crewmen situated there flee as it stood on all fours with it's wings folded on it's back. The beast looked around before raising it's head and roaring loudly which made the entire room shake, like it had been hit by an earthquake before looking down at Aria and Vale.

It's yellow optics narrowed as it stared at the Asari, like it recognised her somehow. The Omega leader took a defensive stance as her body began to glow with biotic energy, readying herself for a fight. The Dragon though opened it's mouth and revealed itself to be charging up some kind of blast, as a fiery light could be seen from the back of it's throat.

Aria realised what it was going to do and using her biotics, pushed Vale out of the way as Predaking unleashed a fiery blast which enveloped her instantly, leaving the Batarian to look back with in wide-eyed shock at the spot where the Asari stood which was now up in flames.

'She saved me!' he thought, but then he heard a growl and looked up to see the Beast staring down at him with it's teeth bared, readying to strike.

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  • 3 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXII

Vale was frozen to the spot, his fear overriding his survival instincts as he stood there before Predaking, the giant metallic dragon who had just ended the life of his boss. Never before had he seen such a Creature such as this, no one on Omega had. Which was why everyone in the room was cowering behind the consoles that had not been destroyed by the beast's arrival, and no one had tried to escape the room since the exit was blocked by this Predaking. This Creature who now was looking down at him with its sharp teeth bared as it readied itself to strike and then snapped its head forward, its large open mouth lunging forward at Vale who raised his arms in a meaningless effort to shield himself from his inevitable fate.

When suddenly a blue biotic blast shot out of the fire next to the Batarian, hitting the Creature's face and knocking it away as it yelped in response. Then everyone including Vale stared in wide eyes disbelief as Aria burst out of the flames and rushed towards the creature, her body from head to toe was completely covered in biotic energy as she launched herself into the air and threw a punch-like motion, that created another biotic projectile that hit Predaking's face again. Making it reel back like it had been hit by a real fist, and send it tumbling on to the floor which unblocked the exit. The Asari then landed on her feet and looked back at everyone, her expression was one of a steely cold stare.

"Everyone, out now!" she shouted, but Vale and the crewmen just looked back at her like they had seen a ghost.

"NOW!" she spat before turning around just in time to perform an uppercut motion and knocked Predaking's jaws away wit her biotics just before it reached her. The crew didn't need to be told again as they got up from the hiding spots and bolted for the door, while Vale ran up to Aria who kept her attention on the Dragon which was now getting back to its feet.

"Aria, can you take that thing?" he asked as the Asari charge biotic energy into her hands.

"No, I can only slow it down." she replied, keeping her eyes on the beast.

"Then let's get out of here, no point fighting that thing if it cant be killed."

"In a moment." Aria replied before thrusting her arms up at the ceiling above Predaking, as a biotic energy field suddenly appeared there. Even the Predacon looked up at the blue energy that was swirling over it's head. But then Aria clenched her fists, creating cracks in the ceiling as if she has dug her fingers into it. The Dragon then looked at the pair and roared, like it had figured out what was happening. But it was too late as Aria pulled her arms down suddenly, making the ceiling break apart and fall. Showering the beast in concrete and metal, until it was buried under a massive pile of rubble.

"Now we can go." the Asari said back before she and Vale ran over to the exit, just as movement could be heard beneath the mess that had just been created. And as soon as the room was entirely empty, Predaking burst through the top of the rubble and roared loudly in its aggravation.

The Command Center crewmen were waiting on a catwalk outside of the former nerve center of Omega, after running through a long corridor from the now defunct CC, which had been based inside the main structure of the station. They were looking out at the view of the rest of the station, which looked like it was growing out of the giant asteroid that it had been built into. Each part of the station's exterior that they could see looked like a stalactite in it's appearance, with some connected by walkways, while others stood unconnected. They time looking at the view came to an end the moment Aria and Vale appeared from the building, earning wide eyed stares from all of them.

"Aria Sir, we thought you were..." the Communication Asari said in disbelief, earning barely a reaction from her boss who looked out at the rest of Omega that they could see from the catwalk.

"...what? That I was dead. Did everyone forget that I am a biotic, that I could just shield myself in a barrier? Because this wasn't the first time I have done that." she replied with little interest in her voice, but before anyone else could say anything to the Omega Leader, Vale spoke up.

"So what do we do now, Aria?"

"We need to make this Galvatron pay for this attack, so I will be seeking him out. But with our fleet being overrun and under siege by these Predacons, we need help." the Asari said back before looking over to her com officer.

"I need you to get to the secondary communication relay near the bottom of this station, once there you are to make contact with Jackson Prime and request the help of his Autobots, and call in reinforcements from the rest of the Terminus systems."

"And do not worry about the Predacons picking up your com-link signals, the array is also shielding them from enemy detection." Vale added as the blue Asari looked back with a worried look.

"Okay, but I may need some help if I come up against any Predacons. My biotics are not that strong."

Aria looked at her with a knowing loon before gesturing to the Vorcha and Salarian.

"You two, take these and escort her to the com-relay." she said while equipping both her pistol and shotgun from her utility belt.

"What about you?" the Salarian said back in an unsure tone.

"I have this." she said as she held up fist and made it glow blue with biotic energy. The three nodded in return before heading off to the nearest elevator, leaving Aria and Vale alone on the catwalk.

"So where to?" the Batarian asked.

"We need to meet up with Nyreen and the Talons, they will be on the other side of the station right now at the sanctuary." the Omega Leader replied, earning a curious look from Vale.

"The sanctuary?"

"It is a large reinforced bunker that was built to keep the civilian population of Omega safe during an attack, and if things ever got worse there is also a shuttle-bay connected to it, with a number of escape shuttles." Aria said back as she activated her com-link.

"Nyreen? Nyreen, are you there?" she said, hearing static in return before a familar voice spoke back, warming the Asari's heart.

"Aria, thank god your alright. We heard reports that the Command-center was hit."

"It was, but we all got out. How are things where you are?" the Asari said back.

"The Talons have managed to evacuate half of the Civilian population to the sanctuary, having built up quite a defence there. But I am hearing reports that enemy troops are being deployed all over the station, our forces in those parts who are trying to secure the other civilians are being over run easily, it's something about these enemies being almost beast-like in nature. You should get down here and help me with the sanctuary's defence, at least until we can get the escape shuttles prepped for the civilians. Because I have a bad feeling about this." the Turian female replied with a slightly fearful tone to her voice, one that Aria noticed easily.

"You know I won't just sit back and let these Predacons take the station, Nyreen. So, I was wondering if you could send a squad of your Talons to meet me at the reactor-core of Omega." Aria said back and with the silence that followed for a quick moment, she could tell that Nyreen was thinking it over or really just worrying about her.

"Alright...I have a squad near that location, they will head there now and secure it until you arrive." the Turian replied.

"Thank you, Nyreen." the Omega Leader said back, but almost immediately questioned again by her lover.

"What is your plan then?"

"I intend to make the core overload and channel it through the station's antennas that circle it's exterior."

"You're going to turn the station itself into a weapon, what about everyone on board?" Nyreen replied, making the Asari smile in return.

'Nyreen's always thinking of others first, so cute.' she thought.

"There is no need to worry, Nyreen. The antenna's were not primarily designed for this, but they can handle the energy. And the pathways that lead to them are heavily insulated, so that none of the energy can escape and damage any part of the station or its inhabitants. I am hopping that when released, the excess energy will be enough to cripple or destroy the dreadnought that has us outmatched. Once done, we can re-channel the energy back into our defence grid and take care of the rest of the ships."

"Okay, that is a pretty good plan. My men will be waiting for you. Just double check on those insulated connections, because this place is almost ancient." Nyreen said back in a part cautious, part humorous tone.

"Will do, I'll be back before you know it." Aria replied warmly as she deactivated the com-link, which surprised Vale as he watched. For he knew that the Turian had softened Aria somewhat, but still to see it up close was still a surprise.

"Right, we need to..." the Asari began to say to him in her usual cold manner, but something caught her attention as a noise could be heard from within the part of the structure they had just left.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, sounds close by." Vale replied as they heard the noise again, which was coming from the side of the structure overlooking the rest of the station. Then the noise occurred again and then again, getting louder each time.

'It sounds almost like someone is digging...' Aria thought before her eyes widened as it dawned on her what it was.

"Hide!" the Asari shouted as both she and Vale hid behind one of the cargo containers that littered the catwalk, just as an explosion occurred on the side of the structure. Aria then peeked around the corner and could make out a massive hole in it's wall through the black smoke that billowed out of it, and she could see something moving inside.

Suddenly Predaking emerged from the smoke and stood on all fours at the edge of the hole, looking at it's surroundings with what looked like a contemplative stare before roaring. Aria though just kept her eyes on the beast until it spread its wings and launched itself into the air, flying off to another location somewhere on the station.

"Okay, follow me." the Asari said as soon as the coast was clear, with the two heading for a ladder that was connected to a nearby wall.
"Now its going to take us a few hours to reach the reactor since it is located inside the asteroid that this station is built into, and there is only one elevator along the way and that is over fifteen levels above us in the mine." she explained as she grabbed hold of the ladder before looking back at the Batarian.

"Well, we better get started then." he replied, earning a nod from the Omega Leader who began climbing up the ladder, Vale following behind as the sounds of explosions and gunfire echoed around them as the battle for Omega intensified.

PRIME EFFECT 4

"Don't fail me again, Rip-Claw. Galvatron out!" the Predacon spat before deactivating the terminal, looking back at the Omega station as it appeared on the other side of the CIC's canopy. An aggravated expression appeared on his face, for this operation was taking longer than he had anticipated.

'Yes, we now have control of the fleet based here at Omega, after my Terracons boarded and secured each ship. But that means nothing if we do not kill Omega's Leadership, for I need them out of the way so that I can gain control of the rest of their fleet spread out in the Terminus systems.' he thought while clenching his hand into a fist and squeezed it tightly.

'So why did Rip-Claw have to go and give me news like that.'

Galvatron while caught in his own thoughts, did not notice that most of the Terracons in the CIC were staring at him.

"I think you should take notice of your surroundings." Megatron suddenly said as he stood beside Galvatron who was seated in the Captain's chair, earning a grunt from the Predacon in return. But he did then see the blank stares looking back at him, and this made the clone feel uncomfortable.

"Get back to work!" he spat, making the others almost jump out of their skin, quickly refocusing on their individual tasks as he sat there and privately cursed at his continuing problem. Which at this moment was chuckling loudly to himself as he stood next to him.

"Just keep pushing back, 'Galvatron'. Your crew already looks like they are beginning to question your sanity. Shouting and cursing at shadows isn't the ideal thing to do as a Leader, that I know from personal experience. But please continue, because it is fun to see you lose control." Megatron said with glee in his voice, but this made Galvatron's spark beat a little faster as his mind was awash with certain memories. Memories that were not his own, but those that belonged to the Decepticon Leader that he had inherited.

He remembered a time when Megatron once spoke of prophecy and destiny as a dark power awakened on Earth, a power that was too great for the Cybetronian Tyrant to fully understand. He believed that he was the herald of that said dark power, a belief not shared by all among his warriors and so that brought with it distrust and a mutiny.

This mutiny failed of course , but Galvatron knew that moment in his past was what he was on about. But as he thought on this moment and the dark power that was at the heart of it, the Predacon felt his spark-beat quickening more as it got hotter. Bringing a certain amount of pain to him so he clutched his chest, though feigning feeling okay when any of the Terracons glanced over to him.

But if any of them had taken a closer look at their Leader, they would have noticed that his red eyes were slowly changing to purple as he gritted his teeth and tried to shift his focus back to the matter at hand. But even that was becoming a challenge as Megatron's voice was not the only one he could hear now, as even though the hallucination was still yapping away at his side, Galvatron could hear the mysterious voice faintly in his mind.

"...Galvatron...Galvatron."

Every time he heard the voice speak, his spark would give off a surge of energy through his body, which made him gasp and his eyes glow ever so slightly.

"Lord Galvatron, are you alright?" one of the Terracons asked as Megatron stepped in between him and the Clone.

"You're not looking so well. But then again, you're a pathetic copy of me. What am I to expect."

Galvatron gritted his teeth even harder before rising out of his chair suddenly, knocking the Decepticon Leader off his feet as he did so and looked at the Terracon who spoke just now.

"What is the current status of our mission?" he said as his eyes faded back to their original red, ignoring the hallucination that was now cursing as he climbed back to his feet.

"My..Lord, our forces now control seventy percent of the station. The Omega forces are being out fought at nearly every angle." the soldier replied with an uneasy tone, uncertain about what his master would do next.

"You said 'nearly'... what problems do we have remaining?" Galvatron asked.

" There is an area of the station that is very well defended that we have been unable to penetrate, but sensor scans show that there are a lot of heat signatures in there."

"What about Aria or that Turian of hers?" the Predacon Leader asked.

"Still no sign. There is a significant possibility that one or both are in the heavily protected area. But since it is shielded from our sensors, we can not verify it." the Terracon replied as he turned his attention to his holo-interface.

"Keep looking, we have already been at this longer than expected. I want them both found." Galvatron said back with a hint of annoyance in his voice, as his eyes were now back to their original red and his spark was beating normally again.

'What in the pit just happened to me?' he thought while sitting down in his chair, taking notice that Megatron had disappeared before looking back at the view-screen.

'And that voice, it felt more familiar this time. And it gave me strength.'

But the Predacon Lord simply shook his head as he looked ahead at the Omega station.

'I will look into this more after we have taken the station.' he thought as he returned his attention back to their operation.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Down in the recesses of Omega, at the very bottom of the station. The Asari comms officer and her two comrades walked past a pair of dead Terracons, who had bullet wounds in the center of their foreheads.

"That was nice shooting, Slarr." the Asari said to the Vorcha who hissed his appreciation back.

"Well, that was the first time I fired a gun at someone." he replied as the Salarian nervously watched their backs.

"I still cannot believe that we got past those few enemy patrols, let alone all the way down here." he said as he glanced back at the others.

"What do you mean, Asot? After you killed two of the three enemies back at the secondary junction on level three, I would have said you were a professional." the Asari said back with a slight smile.

"I didn't know I had it in me, Enosa. After all, I am not a merc." Asot said back with an almost shy expression.

"None of us are, not really. I mean, just because we grew up on Omega, that doesn't make us Mercenaries by default." Slarr Replied before the group exited the corridor to find themselves on a long balcony, one that gave them an almost perfect view of space as the backdrop showed off the star-field which surrounded the station. The group looked above them to see the rest of the station above them, revealing the three to be at the most bottom section of Omega

"Wow, great view...except for those ships of course." Asot said as he stood next to Enosa and pointed towards the Predacon ships now orbiting the station.

"Yes, it would and we can admire it later, once their gone." she replied before pointing at an armoured door just aways from them.

"There it is, the station's secondary communications array."

The other two looked and could see that the door was connected to a seperate building which had numerous antenna's and satellite dishes connected to it's underside.

"Okay, we made it. Now let's get in there and contact the Autobots." Slarr replied as Enosa walked up to the door and activated her holo-tool, making a holo-image of a lock appear over the real version of the said object that was located at the door's centre. The Asari typed into her holo-interface which made the lock and it's holo-equivilent to spin around until they were matching, which was followed by an unlocking sound.

"We're in." Enosa exclaimed as the Vorcha opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

"You two, go ahead. I will guard this entrance, in case any enemies turn up."

"Good luck." Asot said as he and the Asari entered the array.

"You too." Slarr replied before taking position next to the door and keeping his weapon aimed at the doorway they had come out off.

Once inside, Enosa and Asot found themselves surrounded by large super-computers and a single terminal which the Asari marched up to and activated, a orange and yellow holo-interface appearing in front of her.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" the Salarian asked as Enosa typed away on the holo-keyboard, while text scrolled down the screen.

"It's going to take a moment to boot up the system, and then I have to load up the Autobot frequencies before I can try and establish a connection." she replied while keeping her eyes on the data in front of her.

"You know, you have told us we have done great getting you here. But truth be told, we would never have gotten even half way, if it hadn't been for the biotic barrier you used to protect us from the squad firing at us from above in the Ba'alah district. You sure have some talent there." Asot said back with a slightly shy smile, which made the Asari blush as she looked at him and mirrored his expression.

"Your welcome, Asot. Though like yourself and Slarr, I too have not had any real combat training in my life. The best thing I could do was levitate some furniture, I have never been able to produce barriers before."

"Well, you're fast learner." the Salarian said back, earning a contemplative look from Enosa as she waited for the terminal to finish it's booting up.

"Have you ever thought about what you may have done if things had been different here on Omega?"

This caught Asot by surprise as his black eyes widened, while looking into her own blue ones.

"No…I mean, what do you mean?"

"We all know what Omega was like before the Reaper War, how it was almost completely lawless. How Aria ran it like a fortress. It only began to change afterwards when Nyreen joined Aria's side and convinced her to let the station's civilians to help run the station and have an active role in it's functionality. Without the Talon Leader's influence, I would have more or less ended up as a stripper or prostitute. Slarr would have ended up joining the Blood Pack or worse…" she answered before the Salarian cut in.

"…And I would have ended up in one of the many drug manufacturing facilities that used to run on the station."

"Exactly, we could have had very different lives to those we lead now. This is because of Nyreen, since she helped give the people of Omega the right to choose their own path and not let Omega choose it for them."

Enosa then turned back to the screen and looked at it as the boot-up finished, earning a curious look from Asot.

"We may not be soldiers, but our home with our families and friends is under attack. So here I am, fighting to defend it….. for them…..and for Nyreen, because of the lasting change she brought to Omega and to it's Leader."

"As will I and I am sure everyone else is too." the Salarian replied as he placed his hand on the Asari's shoulder in a supportive gesture, earning a smile from her as she looked back at him before pressing the red flashing button on the terminal's holo-keyboard, which brought the super-computers around them to full power.

"Right, I am sending a standard distress call to all Omega vessels and colonies in the Terminus systems." she said as she executed a command on the holo-screen.

"Great, now for the Autobots." Asot said with relief in his voice. Enosa then began typing away as she brought up a list of frequencies onto the screen, and attempted to activate them one at a time. But they remained inactive as one after another they became highlighted in a red hue, earning a frustrated expression from the Asari as the battle outside of the array could be heard.

The fighting was in the streets, inside the very homes of the people of Omega, who were either cowering as the Talons fought around them against the Predacons, or taking a stand alongside them. But time was running out as the enemy were on the final stretch of the road to victory, and this was well known by Enosa who simply shook her head and began typing on the holo-keyboard again.

"No, one of these frequencies has to work." she said as Asot watched her work away, a woman who was full of focus to her objective. Because she knew what would happen if she were to fail, and that was not an option. The Salarian meanwhile kept quiet, so to distract his friend in her task. But after a several attempts Enosa stopped and just looked down at the holo-keyboard.

"It's not working, none of them are." she said in a desperate tone.

"Perhaps the array is damaged?" Asot asked, making the Asari shake her head in response.

"No, the array is working fine. And the signal is getting through, but there just hasn't been a response. It's almost as if the Federation has been blacked out, because someone would have received our distress call otherwise."

"So what do we do?" the Salarian asked as the tone of his voice began to sound desperate, the reality of their situation beginning to dawn on him.

"I don't know…" Enosa said before the holo-screen beeped at her, earning a curious look from the Asari and Salarian.

"What is it?" Asot asked as his blue female friend looked at the screen and began to smile as a message scrolled down it.

"Yes, the other colonies got our message and are sending reinforcements." she said before turning around and pulling the surprised Salarian into a hug.

"That's great news." he replied as he found himself returning her embrace as they stood there in the array control room.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Meanwhile in the Nemesis CIC, the Terracon manning the communications terminal suddenly picked up a signal on his holo-screen, and so turned to Galvatron who was now on the catwalk over looking the room.

"Lord Galvatron, I am picking up a signal from an area at the station's lowest point. It appears to be a communication array." he stated, earning a glare from the Predacon Lord who looked down at him from the catwalk.

"Patch into their comms and please tell me that they have not called for reinforcements." he said back, making the Terracon turn his attention back to his terminal, typing away on the holo-interface before placing a finger up to his com-link as he listened.

"Yes, they have, Sir, and the reinforcements are on their way."

Galvatron gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he looked away, trying to keep his anger from flaring up.

"I want you to tell the fleet to be ready at the Space-bridge for the reinforcements arrival, and have one cruiser find and destroy this communication array. Do it now." he spat back at the Terracon, without even looking. Even the back of the Predacon Lord made the minion fearful as he got back on to his com-link, following his Leader's orders to the letter as Galvatron looked back out at the space station.

"Cruiser 'Dragon's fire', Lord Galvatron orders you to head to these coordinates and destroy the array located there. And all remaining ships are to take up defensive positions around the space-bridge and ready themselves for the Omega reinforcements that will be appearing at any time now."

As this was happening, Enosa and Asot were still in the Communication Array when the Asari's com-link activated.

"This is Aria, have you reached the array yet?" the Omega Leader asked on the other side of the transmission.

"Yes, we are here and the reinforcements are on their way." Enosa replied with a confident tone.

"Excellent, and the Autobots?"

"...There has been no response from them, Aria." the Asari replied.

"How can that be? Are they ignoring us? Because I don't see Jackson Prime doing that." the Omega Leader said back in disbelief.

"No, it's more like the signal is not being received." Enosa reported as she looked at the data on her holo-screen. Then for a long moment, Aria was quiet as if dwelling on her thoughts.

"Are the Predacons jamming us?" she then asked.

"No, they don't even know..." the young Asari said before being cut off by Slarr calling them."

"Errr... Guys, you better see this."

This made both Asot and Enosa walk back outside and saw the Vorcha pointing away from them, so they looked in that direction and saw an Autobot ship closing on their location.

"Why is that coming here." Slarr hissed, while Enosa put her hand to her com-link because Aria was still talking in her ear..

"Enosa, what is going on? Answer me!" the Omega Leader demanded.

"They have found us Aria, a cruiser has arrived a the Array." the young Asari said back in a somewhat calm manner, as if she knew what was about to happen and yet had accepted it.

"We have to get out of here." Asot said before all three noticed that the gun ports of the cruiser were open and began to glow.

"It's too late." Enosa declared as she tapped her com-link.

"Aria, we've done what we can. I just wish..." she started to say before she and her friends attention was distracted by the cruiser as it fired three torpedoes, which hurtled towards them at velocity. And suddenly everything seemed to slow down around her as the three bright red lights drew closer. Enosa found herself engrossed by them and took a deep breath which was cut short as the projectiles hit the array, causing it to explode and send debris out in all directions. The ship then began to move away, heading back to the rest of the fleet.

And as they left the wreckage of what was once the communication array, little thought was given to the three children of Omega who had just died in it's defence.

The Terracon who was manning the communication terminal in the Nemesis CIC looked at his holo-screen as a message appeared, earning a smile from him as he turned around and looked up at Galvatron who was standing over him on the catwalk.

"Lord Galvatron, I have just received word that the secondary communications array has been destroyed."

The Predacon Leader smiled back as he sighed in relief, earning a similar feeling from the minion.

"Good. Hopefully, we have stopped them in time." Galvatron replied, but then the Terracon's holo-interface beeped which made him look back at it. This earned a curious expression from the Lord as he looked down at his crewman.

"What is it?"

"Our systems are picking up several comm signals from all over the station, the secondary array must have been shielding them from us. But with it destroyed, they are now available to us." the Terracon replied.

"Well, who are they?" the Predacon Leader asked, the tone of his voice showing signs of impatience.

"One is coming from the currently contested area which houses a very large number of civilians... and it matches Nyreen Kandros." the minion replied quickly, hoping to keep his master from growing angry.

"Can you pinpoint Aria?" Galvatron then asked.

"Yes, Her signal is coming from within the asteroid that Omega is built into. It is nearing the station's reactor-core." the Terracon replied as he looked up at his master, who's expression became one of concern, as Galvatron began to picture in his mind what the desperate Asari may be up to. So he turned around and looked over to the Helm station.

"Activate the ground-bridge and open a portal in the Reactor-core area." he snapped, earning a hesitant but fast response from the Terracon manning it. And before a few seconds had passed, a bright green vortex opened up behind the Predacon who turned round and began to walk towards it.

"My Lord, allow me to have some Terracons join you?" one of the crewmen said, earning a glance from Galvatron.

"No, I will deal with Aria myself. Inform Six-Shot that he is in charge of the fleet until I return."

And with that the Lord of the Predacons walked through the vortex which closed behind him, leaving the Terracons to return to their duties.

PRIME EFFECT 4

A moment earlier…

In a dimly lit tunnel inside Omega's Mine, Aria was holding her hand to her com-link as Vale kept an eye out for any more Terracons. The Asari had just lost contact with her team down at the Communication array, and had tried to reacquire their signal.

"Still can't reach them?" the Batarian asked as he looked back down the tunnel they had come from, making the Aria shake her head in return.

"I don't think they are there anymore." she replied coldly, though Vale could swear that there was a slither of pain in her voice.

"A lot of Omega's people have lost their lives today, but we can't stop and mourn for them now. Not while these Predacons are still here." he said, earning a nod from the Asari who looked back, her facial expression one of cold anger now.

"Yes, let's get this done already. These Predacons will rue the day they attacked us, I swear it." she replied as they again moved forward with their torches lighting the way through the darkness ahead.

"How far are we from the reactor-core? Because we have been in these mines for over an hour." Vale asked, since the journey to their current location had taken a somewhat longer time than Aria had predicted at the beginning. Which had probably been down to the fact that they had fought their way through several groups of enemy soldiers in the various districts that lay between the destroyed Command Center and the Mines. But since entering the old and mainly disused Mining system, the pair had not come across a single Predacon…..which Vale found to be a relief.

"It is right ahead of us." the Asari answered as she shone her torch light ahead of them, revealing a large rusted metal door. As they both walked over to it, Aria activated her holo-tool and by typing a command into it's interface, a sudden unlocking sound echoed through the tunnel and the door opened up, revealing a small corridor with metallic walls and ceiling.

"Welcome to the heart of Omega." the Asari exclaimed as they walked through it and into a massive room with multiple open floors above them which were populated with giant machinery that were connected by various pipes, cables which flowed around the room. It all looked very industrial as in the center of it was the reactor, a massive cylinder that reached up into the room's very heights, and was glowing and crackling with blue and purple energy. And all of the pipes and cables were connected to it.

"Impressive, so what do we do now?" Vale asked as they walked onto the balcony directly in front of the station's heart, which had a number of terminals in the middle of it.

"We can re-route and begin the power discharge from these terminals." the Aria replied as they walked up to them, the Asari activated them with her holo-tool. Making a number of holo-interfaces appear showing the status or the core and a number of functions at their disposal.

"Use that right hand side terminal to change the flow of the power as I use this one to build up the charge." the Asari said as they both got to work on the task at hand, using the orange glowing inter-faces.

A few minutes past as they typed away on their respective terminals holo-keyboards before Aria pressed on final command.

"Okay, looks like we are in business." she said with a slight smile as a green light activated on her screen.

"Same here, I have switched and rerouted the power grid to allow for the discharge. Certain areas of the station will lose power and life support, but they can get by for a few minutes until we are done." Vale said, earning a concerned look from Aria.

"What about the Sanctuary? Will that area also be effected?"

"No, I have made sure that it will be fine." the Batarian replied, making the Omega Leader sigh with relief.

"Good, last thing I want is for Nyreen to tear me a new one for putting the civilian population at risk. Now, it's time to give Omega the advantage." she said back confidently as she prepared to press the initiation button.

"Omega lost the advantage a long time ago." a familiar voice spoke from behind the pair, making them spin round and see Galvatron standing before them with his own weapon aimed at them. A space bridge portal could be seen closing in the doorway behind the Predacon Leader as he smiled darkly back at them.

"You seem very confident about that." Aria replied, making the Con narrow his red eyes at her.

"My fleet surrounds Omega and my Terracons have taken control of the vast majority of the station. Surrender now and maybe I will spare your civilians any more suffering."

"I will not surrender, not to you or anyone else. For I have reinforcements that should be here any moment now." the Asari replied.

"And my ships will shoot them down the moment they exit the space-bridge. I think you should re-evaluate your position here." Galvatron countered, but Aria just smirked back.

"I also have made contact with Jackson Prime of the Autobots, and he is sending his fleet to assist us." she then lied, hoping to ignite a spark of doubt in her confident adversary. But then the Predacon Leader's smile widened as he gave her a knowing look.

"I seriously doubt that, since the Prime is my prisoner and his Autobots are in no condition to help you."

"You lie." Vale spoke up with a wide-eyed look of disbelief as he held his gun at the Predacon, gaining Galvatron's stare as he kept his weapon trained on both him and Aria.

"Believe me or not, but it is the truth. So put down your weapons and surrender, or I will kill you both." he replied with a cold intensity that had Vale pondering on his choices, but Aria clenched her hands into fists as she stared back with a similar expression.

"Never! You said you would kill me, I would really like to see you try." she said back as her fists began to glow with biotic energy.

"Very well, this should be most interesting." Galvatron replied as the three stood ready in a sort of Mexican stand-off, waiting to see who would make the first move.

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  • 2 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXIII

Galvatron kept his gun pointed at Aria and Vale, his aim was completely steady as he looked at both of them. The Batarian looked somewhat unsure of himself, and was definitely the weak link. But Aria on the other hand, though she was completely unarmed in the case of not having any sort of physical weapon. She was the far more dangerous due to her biotic ability, which the Predacon could see perfectly because of the blue hue coming off the purple Asari's fists as she stared daggers back at him.

"Raaagh!" Aria then cried out as she ran at Galvatron who immediately fired back with his rifle, but then the Asari in the blink of an eye appeared directly in front of the Predacon and punched him with her glowing fist, knocking him to the ground with what felt like a tonne of steel.

'How did she?' he began to think before suddenly finding himself levitating off the ground, suddenly surrounded by biotic energy. He saw Aria standing in front of him, her face was one of complete rage.

"You have killed so many of my people, your ass is mine." she spat before kicking him in the stomach, and again it felt like he had been hit with something far more powerful as he was flung across the ground until he rolled to a stop and collapsed on his back.

'It's her biotics, they increase the strength of her strikes.' he thought as he then rolled back on to his front and got on to his knees.

"Is this it? A Volus high on Red Sand would have given me more of a fight." Aria said back as she watched the Predacon Lord climbing back onto his feet. But as soon as he was standing back up, Galvatron was back down on his back as the Asari swatted him aside with her biotics like he was nothing more than a fly. Meanwhile Vale just stood and watched, unsure if he should get involved since Aria seemed to have the situation under control. But then Galvatron was flung pas him like a rag doll, crashing into a wall at the far side of the room before hitting the ground hard.

"Is this going as well as you had pictured?" Aria asked as she levitated the Predacon in front of her with her biotics.

"Get scrapped!" the bruised and beaten adversary spat back, earning a sly smile from the female who then uppercut him, causing a flash of blue light as she sent him flying up into the air. And then she reached up with her hand and stopped him in mid air, before clenching her hand in a fist which made the energy that Galvatron was caught in suddenly burn his being, making him cry out in pain before she then yanked her hand down like she was throwing something in front of her.

This then caused Galvatron to be sent falling to the ground with enough velocity that when he hit the floor, that the impact left a small crater where he landed. And there he lay, the Leader of the Predacons, and he looked like hell with his silver armour now without its shine and showing damage. But was nothing compared to how injured his body was as Galvatron felt as though he had just been through several rounds with Devastator, but as his blurred vision saw the purple Asari walking over to him, he then heard a voice that made him feel even worse.

"Is that it? Is that all you have left? It's just as I thought, you are nothing more than a mistake. A weak, pathetic shadow of myself. And now I get to see that mistake finally corrected...with your death."

Galvatron looked up to see Megatron standing over him, looking down with a gloating-like expression just as Aria walked into view and looked down at him, her hands pulsing with biotic energy. But then everything began to go dark as Galvatron passed out.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Suddenly the pain that the Predacon Lord had felt due to the punishment that Aria had inflicted on him was gone, making him feel confused as to how this had happened. So he opened his eyes and sat up to find himself in almost complete darkness, except for a faint purple light source that was hovering far above him like a moon in the night sky.

'Where am I?' he thought as he got to his feet and began walking in direction of the light, which slowly got larger and brighter the more closer he got to it. But as he walked the Predacon saw that apart from the purple light, there was nothing else around him but the void. A darkness that even seemed to swallow the light shining above him and then that was when he heard the voice again, the one from his dreams but somewhat fainter.

"Galvatron."

Though the mysterious voice's volume was faint, like the light source, it grew louder as the Predacon walked on. The voice sounded old, but was not lacking for power as it spoke very deeply.

"The Predacon kept walking on through the void, wondering how he even got wherever the scrap he was now.

'Last thing I remember was being beaten down by that Asari bitch.' he thought as he finally walked up to the purple light source which he was surprised to find out, was actually two. They both shone down on the Con who looked up at them with a curious expression.

'They look like a pair of optics.' he thought as he looked up at them.

"At last we meet…., Galvatron." the voice then said, no longer echoing around him but coming directly from the bright purple lights above.

"Who are you?" the Predacon asked with a curious tone to his voice.

"It is I…..Unicron."

"But that is not possible, for I read that you were destroyed. There is no possible way that you could be here." Galvatron replied with a surprised tone in his voice as he continued to stare up at the lights which narrowed at him.

"Silence! I am not here to answer your questions, but to open your eyes, since time is so very short for us at this moment." Unicron said back, earning a confused and slightly fearful expression from the Con.

"What do you mean?" Galvatron asked as he thought about what had just happened to him just prior to this.

'Does he mean my fight with Aria?'

"I have been trying to communicate with you for a while now, but something has always blocked my attempts."

"You mean the dreams, that was your voice that I could hear if only faintly." the Predacon replied.

"That is correct, for each time I tried to reach out to you. But something has held me back, I thought that it was because of my weakened condition but instead it is because of you!" the Chaos Bringer answered, taking Galvatron aback with his words.

"What do you mean 'me'?"

"You were not born into this existence Galvatron, not naturally."

"If you are referring to my genesis, then you would be correct." the Con replied, making the lights that shone down on him begin to burn and injure him.

"Arrgh!" the Predacon Leader grimaced as the lights narrowed more, making him raise his arms in a vain effort to shield himself.

"Of course I am correct, for I know you are a copy of the Decepticon Leader Megatron. That pathetic prideful fool believed himself to be my herald. But even though you have his looks and memories, I believe that you are different to him." Unicron said back as the lights then faded a little, taking the burning effect away as Galvatron dropped his hands down to his sides and looked back with a curious expression.

"You do?" he asked with a hopeful tone, as this was a question he had been repeatedly asking himself since his beginning.

"I can see into your mind and so know it to be true, but you do not think the same."

Galvatron felt himself getting agitated, and so took a step toward the lights and braced himself for whatever would come of his next few words.

"I realise you said time is short, but I need more. How do you know this? How are we even communicating if you are supposedly dead?"

The lights suddenly brightened and the Predacon gritted his teeth as he waited for the Chaos Bringer's response.

"You dare to demand answers from me?! You should know your place and who it is you are speaking too."

But Galvatron would not back down as he stood his ground and looked up into the two purple lights, which stayed exactly the same for one long moment until the Chaos Bringer sighed.

"Again you prove yourself to be different to the one you are based on, for he would be on his hands and knees grovelling to me by now. Very well."

The Predacon Leader breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed a little, staring up into the lights.

"Thank you..., Lord Unicron." he said with a respectful tone.

"After Primus sacrificed himself and destroyed my physical form, everything went dark and I lost myself to the void of nothingness. I have no idea how long my mind drifted through that vacuum, which was devoid of anything at all. Then one day, I suddenly found that I was no longer drifting aimlessly, as if something was drawing me to itself. There was a bright light and I found that I was staring at a book." Unicron reminisced, earning a curious expression from Galvatron.

"You mean the 'Covenant of Primus'."

"Yes, that was what I saw. It acted like an anchor and kept my mind from drifting away again. And I found that I was not alone as I could hear your thoughts. It didn't take long to realise what had happened after that?" the voice replied.

"Why? What did you realise?"

"Galvatron,... I exist in your very essence. In your very spark."

The Predacon's eyes widened as it dawned on him what Unicron meant, as he remembered his own awakening.

"You mean the slither of Dark Energon that Megatron had my spark bonded with when he had me created."

"Yes, that is why I know your thoughts and can communicate with you. For as long as even the smallest drop of my blood remains, then so do I. And it has been bonded with you, meaning that we are one."

The Con remained quiet as he listened to the Chaos Bringer who continued.

"It has joined us together, you and I..."

Unicron then went quiet for a moment, earning a confused look from Galvatron.

"Unicron...Unicron?"

"Our time is running short, as I said previously. There has been something blocking me from you this whole time, something that is acting like a poison in your spark." the Chaos Bringer said.

"What is it?" the Predacon asked as the two light sources began to dim and flicker on and off.

"Look to your right?"

Galvatron did as the voice instructed, looking away from the purple lights and into the void that still surrounded him. His eyes widened a little when he spotted two small red lights just aways from him, but at eye level.

"What is that?" he asked as he took a step toward them.

"You really are a fool, 'Galvatron'." a familiar voice spoke, making the Predacon's eyes widen as he recognised the being who was walking out of the shadows towards him.

"Megatron!" he spat while suddenly taking a defensive stance, earning a laugh from the Decepticon.

"Oh, don't you look precious. Now stand down and remember your place. You're my clone and a worthless, pathetic one at that." Megatron replied while he narrowed his optics, staring daggers at the unsure looking Predacon.

"Galvatron, heed my words. That is not Megatron, he died many years ago. This version of him is simply a manifestation of your fears and doubts, coupled with your hate for your creator." Unicron said, earning the clone's attention as he looked away from the hallucination.

"What?" Galvatron replied in a shocked and confused tone.

"I would not listen to 'him' if I were you. I mean, if I am really just an object of your imagination, then shouldn't he be one too." Megatron said back with a knowing smile.

The Predacon did not know what to think as he had Megatrob in front of him, and Unicron apperently all around his person. This left the Con utterly confused as he stood there, completely lost in his own thoughts.

'What do I do, who do I believe?' he thought as he felt the pressure growing on him, earning flashes of purple lightning to dance across the void around them.

"Galvatron,...that slither of Dark Energon that is bonded to your spark is very powerful, you have had moments where you have sampled that strength. But until you defeat Megatron and what he represents, you will never be free to achieve the destiny that is before you." Unicron then said, making Galvatron look around with a pleading expression.

"How can I...ugh!" he then said before a vice-like grip could be felt around his throat, making him look back to see that Megatron had him by his neck.

"Listen well, you are a Clone. You are a pathetic, degenerate waste or my time. You will never accomplish what I have, because you are merely a shadow of my very greatness." the Decepticon spat as he narrowed his red optics at the Clone, who suddenly looked back at him with an expression of pure hate.

"What have you ever truly accomplished?" he spat as he grabbed the hallucination's arm and dug his claws into it, causing energon to bleed out. This made Megatron grimace as he let go of Galvatron, who quickly took advantage by punching the Decepticon in the face, sending him on to his hands and knees.

"You never managed to completely defeat the Autobots, or even their Leader at the time...Optimus Prime." he continued to say as Megatron looked up at him.

"I defeated Zeta Prime, or did you forget in that cloned mind of yours."

"Yes, you did. But he was not a bearer of the Matrix, was he. Not like Optimus, or the one that currently resides in my brig." Galvatron spat as he threw another punch at the Decepticon, who then blocked and grabbed his arm.

"Degenerate little Scrap, You can not hope to defeat a Gladiator of Kaon." he replied with a dark grin before he then threw the Predacon to the ground and pinned him there, earning a grimace from the clone who looked back at him.

"That's what you think, Megatron..." Galvatron replied as he grabbed both of the Decepticon's arms and pulled him into a head-but, knocking him off him and allowing the clone to get back to his feet.

"...But you forget that I have those skills too!" he added before rushing at his adversary and punching him in the face, earning a grunt from Megatron who then felt his jaw and smiled.

"I guess I did...or perhaps I just don't consider you to be a worthy fight, being a failed clone and all."

"Well, I think it is time we found out." Galvatron replied as he took a fighting stance, which amused the Decepticon.

"Yes, let's end this debacle, once and for all." he said back as he mirrored his copy before they both charged at one another, each throwing a punch that connected on the others face which made them stumble back slightly. But then Galvatron went straight back in with a round-house kick, one that the Hallucination saw coming and blocked before punching his clone in the stomach, following it up with an elbow to the face. After that hit, the Predacon was back on his hands and knees with Megatron smiling down at him.

"Again you prove me right, that there is only one Megatron!"

Galvatron looked up at his creator and wiped the blood from his mouth, narrowing his red eyes.

"You know, I have spent my entire existence denying that you and I are anything alike despite our CNA."

"And so you should." the Decepticon gloated as he equipped his arm-blade and took steps towards his fallen clone, raising the melee weapon to strike.

"But the truth is...we are the same..." the Predacon added, making Megatron stop dead in his tracks with a surprised and confused expression on his face.

"What?" he spat as Galvatron smiled at him.

"...but I won't let that fact... decide my destiny!"

The Con then kicked out at his hallucination's leg, damaging his knee and forcing him to the ground, and the Predacon pounced on him and punched him in the face to daze the Decepticon. The Clone then grabbed the Decepticon's arm and snapped the arm-blade off before stabbing it into Megatron's chest.

"Arrgh!" Megatron grimaced while Galvatron got back to his feet and looked down at his creator, before chuckling to himself.

"What do you find so funny?" the Decepticon Leader spat as he looked at his clone who grabbed him the neck and lifted him onto his knees.

"Well,...I guess that it is because, despite the fact that we are the same, I still can't stand your face." Galvatron replied before punching at Megtron's face, but the Hallucination blocked that attack and smiled.

"You never lear...!" he said as he countered with a punch of his own, but the Predacon grabbed that fist mid-punch and then began to crush the hand within his own, making Megatron grimace as his clone looked down at him.

"Actually...I do. That is the main difference between us, Megatron, which is why my Predacons and I are on the verge of having the entire galaxy on their knees, you never even came close to that." the Predacon replied as he tightened his grip on the Decepticon's hand and mangled it, earning a smirk From him.

"You may think you..." Megatron began to say before Galvatron cut him off.

"You know, I am really tired of hearing your voice..." he said as his eyes began to change, followed by his body as his beast form took over.

"...It really enrages my spark." he said as Megatron watched in wide eyed fear as his clone stood before him in his beast mode, holding the Hallucination's mangled hand in his razor clawed fist, the claws digging further in and spilling more energon out of it.

"So, I think it's time for you to face oblivion." the Predacon added as he grabbed the Decepticon's head and pulled, making Megatron scream in agony right before his head was ripped right off his body, which fell to the ground in a heap as energon poured out into a large puddle. Galvatron simply stood there and looked at the head of his creator there in his hands, as it's red optics faded to nothing.

Galvatron then turned his back to the corpse and tossed the head over his shoulder casually, satisfied to finally have Megatron out of his way. Suddenly the bright purple lights reappeared over the Predacon, though now they looked like optics as Unicron's face was finally revealed to him.

"You have overcome your fears and doubts and so proven yourself worthy, Galvatron. Now, it is time for you to wake up and end this distraction that you are taking part in."

"But the Asari I was fighting..." The Predacon began to say before he was suddenly cut off by the Aeon.

"She will be no threat to you now. Not with the abilities you can now call upon from me."

"And what of this destiny of mine?" Galvatron replied with a curious tone, making Unicron's optics narrow in return.

"I can only tell you that you have a destiny, it is not for me to tell what it is."

"But..."

"If you want your answers, then read from the covenant of Primus once you are done on Omega, then we will converse further. Now go!" the Aeon's voice boomed, before everything suddenly went white around Galvatron, blinding him.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Back in the Reactor-Core, Aria stood over the unconscious body lf Galvatron and raised her hand above her head as it pulsed with biotic energy. Which then shifted into five razor sharp claws, as she stared daggers down at her enemy.

"Time to die, 'Galvatron'." she said before swiping her biotic claws down on the Con, but he suddenly raised an arm and grabbed her's by the wrist. The Asari's eyes widened as she looked down in surprise, as the Predacon opened his own which were now glowing purple instead of their usual red.

"That's 'Lord Galvatron'." he spat back before his body began to glow with a purple hue, and suddenly Aria was sent flying onto her back a few yards away. Vale watched in wide-eyed fear as Galavtron got back to his feet and stood there, looking somewhat different than before. For his armour was still mainly silver with black and purple mixed in, but the joints and points were the pieces of his armour joined were now pulsing with purple energy.

Aria got back to her feet and looked at her newly risen adversary, who was staring back at her with a knowing smile.

"What the hell just happened?" she said as she clenched her fists, making them glow with a blue hue.

"You could say that I have had an epiphany, I believe that is the term for it." Galvatron replied in an almost casual tone.

"Don't really care." the Asari replied before she performed a biotic charge, moving at almost the speed of light right at the Predacon Lord. But Galvatron smiled and simply punched in front of himself with how glowing fist, an impact was heard before Aria reappeared and fell to the ground hard just aways from him.

"That's not possible." she said as a treacle of blood ran down from her nose and mouth while looking back at the enemy Commander, who began walking over to her.

"Things have definitely changed for the better." he said before the Omega Leader held her hands before her and fired several biotic blasts, but Galvatron replied by holding his own hand in front of him which effortless dissipated them the moment the energy came in contact with him.

"That tickles..." he replied as he came to a stop and stood over the Asari, before then grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

"I think you should surrender now." the Predacon said, but as Vale continued to watch from the spot he was rooted to, Aria began to glow very brightly as her face was one of thunder.

"Never!" she spat before unleashing a biotic flare that almost blinded the Batarian as it enveloped Galvatron, filling the entire room in biotic energy like an explosion.

A moment later and it was over as residual biotic energy crackled like lightning around the room's perimeter and around the reactor, causing the lights in the room to flicker on and off for several seconds. Vale got back to his feet, having been knocked down by the force of the blast. He looked at the reactor core and shook his head.

'That was foolish of Aria, she could of made the reactor breach.' he thought while looking back to where the fight had been taking place and saw only the Asari, who was on her knees with her biotic hue fading since she had just used such a powerful attack. But there was no sign of the Predacon as Aria opened her eyes and saw the same thing.

"Did I get him? Is he dead?" she panted as Vale shrugged his shoulders, and looked around the room one more time. But then as his back was turned, he heard a grunt and spun back round to see Galvatron standing there with the Asari pinned to the floor by his foot on her throat.

'Where did he appear from?' the Batarian thought with a confused and panicky expression as he just watched, frozen to the spot by his fear.

"That was a nice move, Aria. Didn't do you much good though, did it." he said as his body continued to glow with the unknown purple energy, looking down at her with an expression of amusement.

"Are you done yet?" he asked while putting a bit more pressure on her throat with his boot, making her gasp for air.

"Go...to... hell!" she managed to say between the gasps for air, as she focused all of her remaining biotic energy and recreated her barrier. She then punched the air in front of her, as an energy projection of what looked like a fist then hit Galvatron square in the face which sent him flying away into the wall, creating a crater.

"I have had it with you." Aria spat as she got back to her feet, before holding her fists at her sides. She then narrowed her eyes and focused the energy from her barrier and into her fists which began to pulse brightly, meanwhile Galvatron got back to his feet and chuckled as he looked back at the Asari.

"Now that almost hurt, Ari..." he said, his purple eyes going wide as he saw what she was doing. But before he could do anything about it, Aria punches both fists in front of her and unleashed a massive biotic energy projectile which flew across the room and hit the Predacon head and slamming him back into the wall before the immediate area around him exploded. Aria then fell to her knees again and panted as the act left her physically exhausted, Vale meanwhile was still watching with wide eyed amazement at what he had seen his Leader do.

"I think you got him this time." the Batarian said, earning an unreadable expression from Aria, one that made him feel a little uncomfortable. So he instead looked over at the destroyed section of the room, which could not be seen fully for all the smoke that billowed from the small fire that was burning there.

'There is no way anyone could have survived that.' he thought as he began to breath easy, but just as he took a deep breath, he suddenly found it stuck in his throat when suddenly a purple blur shot out of the smoke and hit Aria so hard, that she fell instantly onto her back. The Asari felt like she had just been hit by a star-ship as the unwelcoming feelings of a concussion greeted her head, making her vision burry. But there was no mistaken the sight of Galvatron standing over her once more.

"Time to end this...now!" he said as he then knelt down and began to pummel her face with his fists, which were not only glowing purple but now looking far more beast like. In fact the Predacon also looked more like a beast-man than he had when the Con invaded their home. Vale once again felt like his heart had stopped as for the...damn, he had lost count of the times Aria had looked like winning this battle.

But now things looked hopeless since Galvatron was now looking even more dangerous and feral as he roared while continuing to pummel the Asari before picking her now rag-doll like body up and throwing it to the ground. The Batarian could only watch as fear had frozen him to the spot yet again, as he saw how bloody and beaten Aria looked as she lied on the floor.

"Now I will kill you...as I said so earlier, but you still have a part to play before then." Galvatron said to the Asari who then fell unconscious. He then turned his attention to Vale who just looked back, earning a sly grin from the Predacon Leader.

'He is terrified of me, excellent. It's just as I thought, the Asari has them all controlled through fear...so all I need to do is offer them another way.' he thought before walking over to the fearful Batarian, who then re-aimed his weapon at the Con who sighed in return while remaining completely calm.

"If you were going to use that, I assume you would have already." he said, earning a confused expression from Vale who looked back at his gun and then at Galvatron. All four of his eyes were wide and full of fear as the Predacon opened his hands and held his arms out in a disarming fashion, as the purple aura around him dissipated with his eyes returning to their blood red.

"what...are you doing?" the Batarian asked in a hesitant manner, as the Con walked ever closer to him, noticing that only his armour retained the purple glow inside it's joints.

"There is no need for that. Necause if I wanted you dead, then you would already be that." Galvatron said, gaining a head shake from Vale.

"How can I trust you..?"

"We are talking, are we not? I would think that would be a big enough of a clue to my intentions towards you." the Predacon replied, earning an unsure look from the Batarian who could not decide if he should keep his weapon drawn.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to lower the weapon...and join me." Galvatron said as he then held out his hand, making Vale look back in surprise.

"I did not come to Omega to destroy you all. In fact, I wanted to liberate you from Aria's tight grasp." the Con added as the Batarian began to slowly lower his weapon.

"I don't understand..."

"As far as I can tell, Aria has had all the mercs in the galaxy at her disposal...and yet what have you accomplished under her rule?" he asked in an honest tone which made Vale look away and dwell on his words.

'For all stability that Aria and Nyreen have brought to the Terminus systems...Galvatron has a point, things were far more interesting when we were killing and at each others throats.' he thought before looking back at the Predacon.

"Are you saying...?"

"I am asking you and your comrades to join my Predacons. And together we will take this galaxy and bring the Federation down upon itself. What say you?" Galvatron asked, earning a thought expression from the Batarian as he looked behind the Predacon at Aria who was still lying on the ground unconscious.

'I know she saved my life...but I never did like her or her methods of Leadership.' Vale thought before meeting his eyes with the Con Leader.

"What would you have me do if I was to join your army?"

"You are Aria's top Lieutenant, correct?"

"Yes." the Batarian replied with a respectful nod.

"Then you will do so again, answering to no one but myself. Serve me well and you will be rewarded, fail me...and the consequences will be dire." Galvatron said back with a tone awash with authority, earning a slight smile from Vale who reached out with his hand, grasping the Con's as the pair shook.

"Sounds fair. In that case, I am your's to command,...Lord Galavatron. And I know the others will fall in line as well."

"I know, so do you have any devices that we can use to dampen Aria's biotics with?" the Predacon Leader asked, gaining a nod from The Batarian.

"Yes, Aria does have a store of biotic clamps that she keeps, just in case any of her other Asari try something stupid. I have the coordinates."

"Please, give them to me." Galvatron asked as he activate his holo-tool, making Vale almost stand still in shock before complying.

'He said please, Aria was never that courteous with any of us.' he thought while typing into the holo-keyboard, then the Predacon activated his com-link.

"Nemesis, open a Ground-bridge from this location to these coordinates. And then after that, find the location of this Nyreen and prepare another portal. I think its time to end this."

PRIME EFFECT 4

The entrance to the Sanctuary was littered with the bodies of Terracons as they kept storming the heavily fortified area, which was protected by numerous automated gun and missile turrets, and a powerful force-field covering the large heavy door that would become the second to last line of defence as behind it, several squads of Talons made up of Turian, Asari, Vorcha and human stood ready with their weapons aimed at the door.

Each was quietly hoping that the defences would hold out that little longer, for if all before them failed then they would be last defence between the Predacons and what was left of the civilian population that inhabited the behind them. Inside Nyreen was standing alongside of one of her lieutenants as she kept an eye on the battle raging outside via her holo-tool.

"Sir, our defences have managed to hold the enemy at bay long enough for us to get the evacuation vessels ready for launch. We can begin to ship the civilians off Omega at a moment's notice." the Turian Lieutenant reported, earning a nod from his Commander.

"Very good, Talus, but we won't initiate that plan until I have heard back from Aria about the status of her own."

"Yes, Sir." the soldier said back in return as he looked away with an unsure expression, which did not go unnoticed by the female.

"What is it Talus?"

"It's...it's just that it's been several hours since Aria started for the reactor-core, and we both know that she would have made it by now. So why haven't we heard anything?" the Turian male replied with a slither of fear to his voice, earning calm and focused look from Nyreen.

"Aria will make it, I bet she just has been held up."

Talus nodded in return as the Talon Leader looked him up and down, noticing the weariness on his face.

"How old are you?" she asked, earning a surprised look from him.

"Twenty-three, Sir."

"Believe me when I say, that Aria is not the type to let anything get in the way of what she wants. Twenty five years ago, before you were even born, Omega was under the control of MECH and was being used as their main staging grounds during the Reaper war. Aria and myself, together with help from the Autobots, defeated MECH and reclaimed this station. But that would not have been possible without her leading the way, because she is the most stubborn and reckless person I have ever met. Aria always finds a way to beat the odds,….especially when those odds seem unbeatable." Nyreen replied with a slight smile.

"Yes, Sir." Talus said back in a more calmer tone as he took a breath, but before anything else could be said. The Talon Leader's holo-tool beeped frantically as it's screen showed several flashing red icons on it, earning both Turians attention.

"We have just lost gun turrets three through eight, how is that possible?" the female said, as Talus activated his own holo-tool.

"Sir, we have a big problem." he said while showing her his holo-screen, earning a wide eyed stare from Nyreen. For the screen showed camera footage from outside the entrance to the Sanctuary, showing the Terracons firing back from behind cover on their side of the bridge. But on the bridge itself was a large orange and black metallic beast, which was firing fire from it's open jaws and destroying the turrets one after another, before the fire enveloped the camera and cut the feed.

"Activate the next camera across the bridge." Nyreen said as Talus began typing on his holo-interface before another video screen appeared, one that showed the area from behind the enemy line. The footage showed the beast breathing fire down upon the energy field that was protecting the door, slowly draining it of it's power.

"What the hell is that thing?" the Talon Leader asked.

"No idea. All we know is that it has been spotted at numerous locations around the station, destroying all of our forces that it has come across. And yet we can not even hurt it." the Lieutenant stated as Nyreen watched the Beast and the Terracons firing upon the depleting force field.

"There is no way the force field will last long under that bombardment…" she began to say before stopping as both Turians noticed that the enemy force suddenly stopped firing.

"What the…?" Talus said in shock before the green vortex of a space-bridge portal opened up on the bridge as the beast walked backwards, making some room for whatever was about to arrive.

"You said it…." the female Turian replied before three figures could be seen exiting the portal, one of them falling to the floor when pushed by the one behind them, and Nyreen's eyes widened as she recognised the one on the floor as a purple Asari.

"Wait, that's…." Talus said with a sense of dread in his voice while the female just kept her eyes fixated on the screen, when suddenly hers and the rest of the Talon's com-links activated.

"This is Lord Galvatron. I know you are in there, Nyreen Kandros, and I also know that you and all your Talons can hear me." the man in silver armour said as he stood over Aria, and though the camera could not show the exact state the Asari was in, Nyreen could tell by the way her body language was that her lover was severally injured.

"You know that you are only delaying the inevitable by continuing to fight back, as I am sure you are well aware that my forces now have control of the entire station….except for this Sanctuary that you are valiantly defending, but it is now over." Galvatron said as he looked up to where the security cameras had been.

"And if you think you can flee this station in one or any of the escape vessels that you have docked behind that door, you should know that I have several cruisers waiting, which will destroy any ship that leaves Omega. So I will give you a choice, you can either surrender now and save the lives of everyone behind these doors or you can fight and let them all die."

Nyreen simply looked at the screen, but Talus could tell that she was deep in thought at the options that were held out before her.

"Oh…and if you choose to fight, the first life you will forfeit is that of your Leader…..and lover, Aria T'Loak." the Predacon Leader added as he then equipped his arm-blade and pointed it down at his Asari prisoner.

"Commander, what should we do?" Talus asked as he suddenly saw his usually calm and collected Commander, but now wide eyed and fearful as she found herself conflicted with what had to be done.

"Sir.." the Turian said, earning the Talon Leader's attention as she looked at him.

"Can we really trust him?"

"I do not know, Talus, but I made a promise….. to protect the civilian population of Omega. There is no way we can win this battle which will end with all of us killed, but if we surrender then at least our people will survive to prevail later."

The younger Turian nodded in return, knowing full well that Nyreen was correct while she tapped her com-link.

"All Talon forces, this is Nyreen. Stand down. I repeat, stand down."

PRIME EFFECT 4

Gavlatron waited patiently as he stood there on the bridge which was connected to Sanctuary, behind him was Vale who looked a little nervous and at the Con's feet was Aria, on her knees and bound with a biotic clamp attached to her neck. Situated behind the three persons were the rest of the Terracon force, as well as Predaking who had folded it's wings onto it's back and looked around as if waiting for something to happen, growling lowly as it did so.

"I am not sure if Nyreen will listen to you, my Lord." Vale said with a nervous tone to his voice, but Galvatron simply smiled as he looked over his shoulder at him.

"You better hope that she does, Vale, for that would mean your information was false and that you have already failed me." the Predacon replied coldly, making the Batarian feel a chill down his spine at his new boss's words.

But suddenly the force field that was protecting Sanctuary's entrance deactivated and the large metallic door began to open as the machinery behind it could be heard, earning the Predacon and his force's attention.

"Stand ready, but do not fire unless I say so." Galvatron stated as he looked ahead and saw the silhouette of a person walking out of the dimly lit tunnel as the door finished raising off the floor. Aria's eyes widened as she recognised the person to be Nyreen, who calmly walked out with her hands open for all to see.

The Con felt a slight smile grow on his face as he watched the Talon Commander who stopped several metres in front of him, her face suddenly changing to one of quiet distress the moment her eyes fell upon the beaten Asari at the Predacon's feet.

"Aria, I am sorry. But this was a fight that we can not win, and I can not sacrifice you or the people of Omega." Nyreen said with a sorrowful tone, earning an equal reaction from the Asari who merely nodded back abet while grimacing slightly as her body ached all over. Nyreen then looked at Galvatron who stood there with a confident expression who seemed to be enjoying this very moment.

"So I hereby surrender to you, Galvatron, in the hope of ending any further bloodshed."

The Predacon Lord gave the Turian a thoughtful look before nodding back in return.

"You made the right decision, Nyreen…" Galvatron began to say as Nyreen gave a sigh of relief.

"..but…" he added, making both the Talon Leader and Aria suddenly look at him, their eyes widening slowly.

"…I can't allow both of Omega's Leaders to stay alive, or else I risk weakening my resolve. And that is something I will not do." the Con Leader continued, making the Turian equip her fire-arm and aim it at Galvatron.

"Kill her." he said in a calm manner, as Aria suddenly felt time slow down as she looked back at her lover, out in the open and exposed as all the Terracons behind the Predacon aimed their weapons at her. Nyreen looked back at the Asari, their eyes meeting as they simply stared at each other right before the enemies opened fire and riddled the Turian female with bullet holes, spilling her blood all over the floor as Aria screamed, her pain and grief all out in the open for everyone present to see and here, while she watched her lover's body fall to the ground in a bloody heap. The Omega Leader could see Nyreen's lifeless eyes staring back, as silence fell around the Asari as her attention and focus was solely on the Turian.

"Predaking, use your Dragon-breath to destroy the Sanctuary's tunnel." Galvatron commanded, making the dragon leap over him and Aria and land just behind Nyreen's lifeless body. The beast then opened it's mouth as the bright light of it's fire-breath illuminated the dimly lit tunnel, exposing the remaining Talons who were still inside. Predaking then unleashed the fire which enveloped the entire area and incinerated everyone inside, before the damage caused made the tunnel collapse in on it's self and seal the civilians inside.

"That will be a fitting tomb for those that tried to escape our wrath." Galvatron said, while Vale remained quiet. His expression one of fearful shock at what he had just witnessed, but the Predacon Lord ignored this and instead looked down at Aria who was still looking at her lover's corpse while sobbing quietly.

"You will not have to grieve for long, Aria, since I will unite you with your dearly departed…." he said with dark smile, gaining the Asari's attention while her grief turned to quiet rage as she stared daggers at him.

"…but you will live long enough to witness the fall of everything you have built here..." he added while narrowing his red eyes at her.

"..and that, Aria, is a promise."

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  • 2 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXIV

On board the Nemesis, that was currently orbiting the Omega station. Jack and Arcee were sitting up against the wall of their cell, the Femme was checking over the bandages of the stump which was all that was left of her spark-mate's arm.

"Well, it appears that the medi-gel has done it's job, since your arm has not been bleeding now for a few days." she said while looking at the limb, earning a slight smile from Jack.

"All those times being patched up by Ratchet finally paid off then." he said affectionately earning a smile from Arcee, but he knew full well that she was just trying to keep her mind occupied as there was very little else for that in the cell. The pair had been prisoners of the Predacons for a number of days now and apart from the daily offering of food and water, no one has even come to visit, not even Galvatron himself. So this left them with little to do but think about recent events...especially one of them.

Then as if on command, Arcee's expression changed to one of sadness, and Jack knew what it was exactly as his mirrored hers.

"...I still cannot believe Orion is dead... our own son. I keep telling myself that it's a lie, but..." Arcee replied while her Bottom lip began to shake as she started to sob, which made the Prime pull her into an embrace with his remaining arm, holding her close as she cried into his shoulder.

"I don't want to believe it either, Arcee." Jack replied as he looked up at the ceiling, his mind becoming over run with thoughts.

'It cannot be true, it simply can't. Not after what I have seen.' he thought while turning his attention to the Matrix of Leadership that hung around his neck in it's crystal form.

For a long moment, the couple stayed in the embrace, trying to comfort each other over a loss that they could only hope was not true. But the lack of any evidence to the contrary did not help. In fact, since they had been captured, the pair had not heard or been told anything from their captors. So not only could they not confirm the status of their son, but also what has become of their friends or the Federation at this point.

Arcee then pulled away slightly so that she could look at Jack, looking into those blue eyes of his which always made her feel better in the past. But just as she was about to speak, the energy field of the cell next to them deactivated.

"What the..." the Femme said as she and Jack looked over to it, but then the door opened and two Terracons walked in while carrying a body between them. Neither the Prime or his Spark-mate could see who it was from their position, but the Terracons then dropped the body in the cell next to them and walked out before reactivating the force field and leaving the Brig. Both Jack and Arcee got to their feet and looked through energy field that kept them trapped but also separate, the pair's eyes widened as they recognised the purple Asari.

"Aria?" Jack exclaimed, earning a painful grunt from the Omega Leader as she tried to get up onto her knees, but could only roll onto her back and face them. Both Prime and Femme looked on in shock at the injuries they could see on their one time ally.

"What the in the hell happened to you?" Jack asked, making the Asari turn her head in their direction which surprised them, as they could see she had been crying ...which was not something you would think Aria could do, considering her reputation over the last several centuries.

"What happened?" Arcee asked as the Asari wiped the tears off her cheeks and tried to compose herself, not wanting to look weak in front of anyone...not enemies or allies.

"The Predacons have seized Omega and...killed Nyreen." she replied, her anger showing on her face with that last part.

"I am so sorry, Aria." Jack replied, gaining a supporting nod from the Femme too as they looked back at the Omega Leader.

"...so it's true, they caught the two of you too." she replied with coldness to her voice, not wanting them to pity her. Arcee and the Prime could see this and acted accordingly.

"Yes, the Predacons attacked Earth and destroyed a good deal of New Iacon." Jack replied.

"These Predacons do seem ambitious, attacking the two largest empires in the galaxy and capturing their Leaders." the Asari said.

"They also killed my sister, her spark-mate and...our Son, Orion." Arcee added with a saddened expression, earning a surprised look from Aria who could see that the three of them were all on the same page.

"You have my condolences." she said back, earning appreciative nods from the couple in return before the they sat down and held each other, as the room went quiet for a long moment. All three of the prisoners just looked ahead, Jack and Arcee staying at the wall in front of them through the force field. And Aria stared up at the ceiling, but then her eyes began to wonder before she finally managed to sit up and look at the couple.

"How did things go so shit so fast?" the Asari then asked in a generally confused tone, breaking the silence. But all the Prime and Femme could do was stare back, since they had been asking themselves that very same question...and they were yet to find the answer.

Meanwhile Galvatron stood in what was left of Omega's command center, which looked very much like a bomb had hit it, which seemed to be a running theme for any location that Predaking was unleashed upon. The Predacon Leader then walked over to Lazerback, who was overseeing three Terracons that were trying to access the station's mainframe through what was left of the room's computers.

"And how fares our intel gathering operation?" he asked, earning his lieutenant's attention, as he turned to face his Lord.

"Lord Galvatron, we have managed to download thirty-eight percent of the mainframe so far, Shockblast is overseeing the data transfer from his lab on Cybertron." the other Predacon replied, gaining a nod from Galvatron.

"Good. What about Omega's supplies?"

Lazerback then activated his holo-tool, before gesturing his Leader to watch as data scrolled down his holo-screen.

"We have cleared out Omega's armoury and fuel refinery, and their are teams currently preparing to extract the spare parts our fleet might need from the station's system."

Galvatron then noticed an unsure expression on Lazerback's face.

"What is it, Commander?"

"Forgive my bluntness, Lord Galvatron. But wouldn't it make more sense for us to use Omega as another Predacon outpost?" the lieutenant asked as the Predacon lord looked back at him with an unreadable expression.

"No, it would not Lazerback. For Omega is a high profile location, unlike Cybertron which has become just another dead world in the eyes of the Federation. So we will take what, we need from this station and then destroy it, as it will send a message to the rest of the galaxy, of what happens to those who oppose us."

"And what of the civilians we have trapped in the sanctuary?" Lazerback said in return.

"They are of no consequence to us, leave them where they are." Galvatron replied in a cold tone, but the other Predacon simply looked back.

"Is there a problem?" the Con Leader said back as he narrowed his red eyes.

"No, my Lord. No problem, I simply wishes to clarify things." Lazerback responded, earning a nod in return.

"Good, carry on." Galvatron replied before turning and walking away to the other side of the command center, leaving Lazerback to return to his duties as he turned his attention to the Terracons next to him, watching as they continued to download files from Omega's computers.

PRIME EFFECT 4

On the other side of the galaxy, in orbit around the blue planet of Earth. The Normandy was docked with one of the few remaining space-dock platforms that survived the Predacons brutal attack days earlier, and was in the final stage of its repair and re-fit. On board the ship, the atmosphere was almost frantic as the crew worked around the clock to make sure their ship was ready for action.

In the cargo/shuttle-bay, Grunt and Smokescreen were overseeing the last of the supplies being brought aboard, while Shen and Nightracer were making final calibrations on the up-graded weapons array. Red-Alert was busy bringing her new medi-bay online, while on the bridge Rodimus and Jetstorm were looking at the plans of their newly upgraded vessel via the holo-interface of the pilot's in the cockpit.

"These upgrades should give us more of an edge over any Autobot ship that the Predacons have under their control." the Commander said as he looked over the holo-image.

"What if we com across the Nemesis again?" Jetstorm asked.

"Well, our shields have been strengthened by fifty percent. And we now have ablative hull armour covering virtually the entire ship, so on the occasion that our shields do fail, we can still stay in a fire fight for far longer than usual. And the shield generator was also upgraded and will now recharge the shields even quicker than before, something like an entire thirty seconds faster." Rodimus explained as he pointed to those particular features on the holo-image.

"Alright, that is impressive. And I see our weapons array has been tinkered with, making them ten percent more powerful. But what has my attention is the fact that the engines and thrusters have been upgraded, giving the Normandy more speed and manoeuvrability." the pilot replied as he gestured to the engines.

"I thought you would, since now the ship should handle even more like a fighter. Thats as long as it's pilot can handle it." the Commander said back with a grin, earning shocked look from Jetstorm.

"Commander, you wound me..." he said back while feigning injury, before smiling back.

"... I am more than prepared for it. In fact, I welcome it."

Rodimus was about to reply when his com-link beeped, so he tapped it and looked out of the Cockpit's glass canopy towards one of the repair drones that flew past.

"Rodimus here,...really, that is excellent news. I will ensure we are ready for the launch, thank you Admiral."

Jetstorm looked up at the Autobot from his seat with a curious expression, while Rodimus deactivated his com-link.

"What's the word, Commander?"

"All repairs and the re-fit are finished. We can leave for the Omicron Colony inside the following hour." the Commander replied as he looked back at Jetstorm.

"Finally, I have been sitting here twiddling my thumbs for that last couple of days. Its about time we got back out there." the younger Bot replied, gaining a nod from Rodimus.

"Very true, especially when you consider that with the communications blackout still effecting the entire Federation, we have no idea what is happening right now with the rest of the galaxy, or what the Predacons are currently up to."

"Well, I will run one final diagnostic on all systems here then, just to be sure." Jetstorm said back before typing on his holo-interface.

"And I will get the other departments to do the same." the Autobot Commander replied, before the pilot stopped and turned to face him.

"By the way, Commander, where's Orion right now?"

"He is in his quarters looking at all the data and Intel our forces managed to get on the Predacons during their assault on Earth." Rodimus said back before turning round and heading back towards the galaxy-map in the aft section of the CIC, leaving Jetstorm to sigh as he looked down to the floor.

"Poor Orion..." he said in a faint voice before turning back to his terminal, as he thought of what had his friend had found out only a few days earlier.

Meanwhile in Orion's quarters, the blue haired Bot was sitting at his computer terminal with Liara.

The pair were looking at separate holo-screens as they went through the intelligence reports that had been gathered about the Predacons during their attack on New Iacon, which wasn't much really. Liara was looking through the intel that had been made of the Predacons and their Terracon troops, which had been made from eye witness reports from civilian and Autobot survivors. But the Asari found herself glancing over to her friend, who had been quiet since they had started over an hour ago.

Now she found this to be troubling her because Orion had never been this quiet in her company before now, especially after Smokescreen had told him exactly what had happened when he had last seen the younger Bot's parents. So as Liara glanced over, she found that the Autobot was just looking at one piece pf intel...the profile on Galvatron. The look Orion had in his eyes was something which made the Asari worry more, as the Darby had a very cold and intense expression on his face.

His eyes were fixated on all aspects of the Predacon Leader's profile, that though had no real information. But what really got his attention was the Con's image that had been created from eye-witness accounts and was as accurate as it could possibly be.

"Orion, are you alright?" Liara asked with a caring tone in her voice, but the Bot did not reply as he kept staring at the screen.

"Orion?"

The young Darby was deep in thought as he found himself fixated on the picture and was staring at Galvatron's red eyes like he was looking at the real deal. He could hear Liara's voice but it was faint compared to the images that flooded his mind, because all he could think about since speaking with Smokescreen was what happened between this Predacon and his parents.

He could see it all in his thoughts, his Father and Smokescreen trying to save his Mother, and then Galvatron slicing off the Prime's arm and beating on him. This made Orion's spark burn with anger, and anger which he could barely manage to keep under wraps. But before all he had was a name, but now he had a face to which he could focus his anger upon.

'I swear I am going to make him pay for what he has done to my family.' he thought as he clenched his hand into a tight fist on the table, but then suddenly his attention was quickly ripped away from the screen when he felt a soft warm hand being places upon his own in a caring fashion.

"Orion?" Liara said in a worried tone, as the Bot looked over to see her face which mirrored the way her voice sounded. His eyes widened as he instantly felt his spark begin to calm down and he sighed in return.

"I am sorry, Liara. I guess, I got lost in my own thoughts." he replied as he turned his chair towards hers and so removed the temptation that was the Predacon's image from view.

"I was looking through the Intel, but I just got stuck on that particular entry." he added in a regretful tone, making the Asari shake her head gently in return.

"You don't have to apologise Orion, You have every right to be angry..." she started to say before the inter-com activated.

"Dr. T'Soni, we have a transmission from Matriarch Benezia for you, do you want it routed to your quarters?" a female crewmen asked, earning an annoyed sigh from the Asari, which did not go unnoticed by Orion who found his earlier anger fading as curiosity took its place.

"That won't be necessary, Liara can take it here." he said back, gaining a surprised expression from his friend.

"Very well, I am routing it to your terminal, Orion." the crewmen replied before the inter-com deactivated, leaving both Bot and Asari alone again.

"So, I knew this was coming." she sighed, as Orion stood up.

"Want the room to yourself?" he asked, making Liara shake her head in response.

"You can stay, just keep out of view of the screen so my mother won't know you are there."

The Bot nodded before sitting down on his bed, out of view. The Asari then typed on the keyboard of the holo-interface, which made the Intel reports disappear and replace them with the image of an older looking Asari who looked very similar to Liara. Orion could just see her from his position and you could definitely tell that the pair were related, though at this moment the other Asari had a face like thunder as she looked back at her daughter.

"Mother, it's good to see you." Liara said with a smile, but Orion knew her well enough to tell that she was feigning it and that Benezia wasn't fooled either.

"I would like to say the same, Liara. But unfortunately, I have received some troubling news..." she replied with a tone so cold, that Orion suddenly felt that the temperature in his room had dropped several degrees.

"...that you are not returning to Thessia, but in fact have joined the Autobots, all to go on some suicidal mission that does not have anything to do with you." she added.

"You are wrong, Mother. I owe the Autobots that saved my life and so will help help them any way I can, especially since I have experience with the very ones that attacked Earth only a few days ago...or haven't you heard." Liara said back with a tone tinged with anger, though she was obviously trying to hide it.

"I do not care for the problems of the Autobots, and I will not have my Daughter mixed up in their agenda." Benezia replied, making her Daughter narrow her eyes back at her.

"The Asari are a part of the Federation and the Autobots, Mother. So, their problems are our problems too. We cannot turn our backs on them. I for one, will not."

"Are we really going to have this conversation again Liara, if it had been up to me then our species would never have joined the Federation." the Matriarch said back with definite scorn in her voice, which made Orion curious as he watched Mother and Daughter argue in front of him with only one that knew of his presence.

'Why does she hate Autobots?' he thought.

"Well, none of that matters Mother, because I am staying where i am needed...which is here on board the Normandy. You can't tell me what to do any more, I am not one hundred and twenty-five."

"Yes, you are still but a child..." her Mother said back instantly, making Liara's eyes widen as her anger really did start to come to the surface.

"Well for a child, I have done more than most Asari my age, who are just swinging their hips for the pleasure of sexist pigs."

It was now time for Benezia to stare in wide-eyed amazement at her Daughter's outburst, but she wasn't the only one as Orion's expression mirrored her Mother's.

'What the?' he thought as he noticed the Matriarch's facial expression soften somewhat in response to Liara.

"Liara, you have done many things, more than I did myself at your age. But you will always be my child and I do not want you to end up..." she said before the her daughter cut her off, trying to calm her.

"You need not worry, Mother. My friends here will make sure I make it back safely." she said while ever so slightly glancing over to Orion. Benezia though did not look impressed as she shook her head in response.

"Liara, I do not understand how you can put your trust in such people. But if you are to continue with them, then I will not be able to protect you from what will come of it, I am sorry." she said back. Liara though looked down at the holo-keyboard in front of her and sighed.

"Well, I am sorry too, Mother." she then replied before looking back at Benezia who too mirrored her Daughter's expression.

"Then all I can say is good luck, I pray you won't need it."

"Thank you. Until I see you again, Mother." Liara replied before the Matriarch's image disappeared from the screen, replacing it with the Intel reports that were on there before.

The Asari then looked over to Orion, who shook his head and sighed.

"I am sorry, Liara. Here I thought, that the relationship I had with my Parents was dysfunctional."

"You have nothing to apologise for, Orion, and I guess every family has its problems." Liara replied, while Orion looked at her with a curious expression.

"Why does your Mother dislike us? I mean the Autobots."

The Asari gave him a worried look, knowing very well that question was coming after what he had overheard.

"Well, I guess that my Mother has always had a disliking towards both Cybertronians and Humans, the Cybertronians for their eons long civil war and for bringing Humans into the Galactic community well before their time. She felt that their very presence could have a destabilising effect on the galaxy. Because something similar had happened with the Vorcha, though not on the level that Benezia feared would happen with Humans." she replied before taking a sip from the glass of water that was sitting on the desk next to her.

"But what really made her hate the Autobots/Human Alliance was when the Reapers invaded the galaxy, or more to the point when they invaded Thessia. I mean I know that Earth was the first world to be attacked and that the population had to endure under the Reapers for the whole war. But when Thessia became a target for the Reapers, it was hit just as hard. It was like the Reapers were making up for the time they spent on Earth. And even though the Asari were the oldest species in the galaxy during the current cycle, we were not very combat efficient compared to either the Autobots or Humans. Even our advanced biotics were no match for the Reapers, so many were slaughtered or harvested by the Reapers and yet the Alliance kept their attention mainly on Earth, and my Mother was livid about that."

Orion just kept quiet as he listened to Liara, who took a breath before continuing.

"What I am about to tell you is something that was not made public to the galactic community, but the Asari were severally weakened by the events of the Reaper war. The population of Thessia exceeded five billion, but now it is around two point five billion. Since we are a proud race, the Matriarch Council managed to keep this information from being found out by the rest of the galaxy, because we did not want to look weak. But when the Alliance made the suggestion to disband the Citadel Council and create the Federation, Benezia strongly dismissed it. Saying that we could only rely on ourselves and that the Autobots and Humans would never put other worlds above their own. The other Matriarchs overruled her though, and so the Asari took their place with everyone else."

"I had no idea things were so bad for the Asari." Orion replied, earning a sad expression from Liara.

"I know, but I have learnt from my experiences working with you and the Autobots that cooperation is the right way going forward for my people, but my Mother is opinionated and stubborn. I wish there was something I could do to make her see different, to see things the way I do."

The Asari then looked to the ground and sighed as she let her feelings show, so Orion got up off the bed and knelt down in front of her before placing his hand on her knee supportively, which made the her look back at him.

"Thank you for listening, Orion. You're the only person I feel I could talk to about this." she said back with an appreciative smile, making him smile warmly back at her.

"How could I not, after everything you have done for me recently. Had it not been for your words and our melding of minds, I would not have found out what my Dad really thought about me. Because of that, Liara, I promise that if you ever need me then I will be there for you, no matter what." the Bot said back as he looked into her blue eyes with his own, making her smile grow wider.

"I know you will, Orion. Because of our meld, which I have to admit was my first attempt at such a thing…" she started to say, only to be cut off by the blue haired man.

"…it was a first for me too, you know..."

".. well, I feel like I know you better than anyone." she said back, making the Bot almost blush in return which she found to be very cute.

"I know what you mean." he replied as they looked into each others eyes and without even realising it, slowly leaned closer to each other. But just as their lips were about to connect as they felt each other's breath on the others skin, the ship's inter-com activated.

"All hands, this is Commander Rodimus. We will be departing for Omicron in five minutes, so report to your stations."

This snapped the pair out of it as they leaned back, though both Bot and Asari looked disappointed in return.

"Great timing." Orion said, earning a nod from Liara.

"Indeed. Well, let's get to the CIC." she said back as they both got to their feet.

"Ladies first." the young Darby replied, gaining a coy smile from the Asari before the pair then left his room, plunging it into darkness as the door closed behind them.

PRIME EFFECT 4

The CIC was a buzz with activity as the crew prepared for the launch, Rodimus was standing on the raised platform with the galaxy map in front of him which gave a good view of the rest of the crew as they worked. The elevator doors then opened and Orion and Liara entered the area, gaining the Commander's attention as he turned to face them.

"Orion, I want you to head down to the shuttle-bay and choose pick your team." he said, gaining a nod from the Bot.

"Yes, Sir."

"Once we are close enough to the planet, you and your team will disembark on one of the two shuttles we have and land on Omicron. I will relay the rest of your orders once you are away. Good luck." Rodimus said back before turning back to the galaxy map.

"Right away." Orion replied and then looked over to Liara.

"Let's go. You're on my team, Liara." he added with a smile.

"Right behind you." she said back, mirroring his expression as the pair then re-entered the elevator, the doors closing as Rodimus tapped his com-link.

"All systems are a go. Jetstorm, take us out."

Meanwhile, in the cockpit. The pilot was working on the holo-interface in front of him, quickly tapping various buttons like a fast typing temp.

"Yes, Sir. Disengaging docking clamps and firing thrusters."

The Normandy then began to pull away from the space dock, who's grav-lock arms folded away in response to the Autobot ship which turned around to face the open space ahead.

"We have cleared the space-dock, firing sub-light engines….and we are on our way." Jetstorm added as the Normandy was then thrust forward, leaving the space-dock and Earth behind as it began to move through the solar system.

"Jet-Storm, fire up the space-bridge generator and plotca course to Omicron. And I want the 'cloak' activated the second we are through." Rodimus then said, earning a salute from his pilot who typed away on the holo-keyboard.

"Space-bridge spinning up and coordinates locked, activating space-bridge in four, three, two, one..." the pilot replied before a green glowing portal opened up in front of the Normandy, with the Autobot ship flying into it a moment later, leaving the Sol system behind.

Meanwhile, at that exact second on the other side of the galaxy. A portal opened and the Normandy exited it at speed before a shimmer crossed it's hull which made it fade away until the Autobot ship completely disappeared.

"We are in the Omicron system, Sir, and the cloak is operating under normal parameters." Jetstorm stated as the Commander joined him in the cockpit, standing behind his chair and looking out at the stars via the glass canopy in front of them.

"Run a sensor scan, I want to know what's out here."

"Running it now." Jetstorm replied as he looked at the smaller holo-screen that appeared to his right, noticing several red blips appearing around the target planet.

"Sir, I have an number of ships orbiting the Colony. Their silhouettes identify as Autobot, but their IFF reads Predacon."

"So, the Predacons are the ones responsible for shutting down the network. But then how did they find out about it, there is only a select group of higher-ups who even knew what Omicron's true purpose was." the Commander said, earning a curious look from his pilot.

"Well, looks like the secret is out, want me to take us closer?"

"No, we will launch the shuttle from where we are." Rodimus replied before tapping his com-link.

"Rodimus to Orion, come in..."

Meanwhile, down in the shuttle-bay. Orion, Liara, Shen and Nightracer were sitting in one of the two shuttles, they were all wearing their respective armour as the blue haired Bot began pre flight.

"Rodimus to Orion, come in." the Commander's voice said over the now active inter-com, which made Orion tap his own com-link.

"Orion here, Sir."

"What's your sit-rep?"

"My team and I are ready to leave on your word, Sir." the Bot said as the engines began to hum as all ship's systems glowed green.

"We're as ready as we will ever be"

"In that case, your mission objectives are to determine what condition the colony is in and rescue any Autobot or civilian you find. But your primary objective is to regain control of the communications network or if that is not possible...destroy it."

Everyone on the shuttle looked at each other with concerned expression.

"Very well, we will contact you in four hours. Shuttle one out." Orion then said before turning off the transmission, he then turned his attention to his holo-interface and pressed a number of buttons in sequence that suddenly sealed the shuttle's hatch.

"Shuttle-bay decompressing and powering engines." the Bot then stated as Liara watched him, a small smile appeared on her face at how professional he looked as he worked, which did not go unnoticed by Nightracer who was sitting beside Shen.

"Here we go." Orion then said as he used the thrusters to lift the shuttle off of the floor. Then the bay door opened, which released the last gas of oxygen as it folded out like a ramp, less than a second later the shuttle shot out into open space, leaving the Normandy behind as it flew towards the planet.

"Stealth mode engaged, no sign that we have been detected." the Bot stated, gaining a curious look from Shen.

"Wait, the shuttle has a stealth mode?"

"Yes, but only the kind that hides our engine emissions from sensor scans. The enemy could still see us if they looked out of a window. The Normandy though has had an upgraded stealth device installed, it is called a 'cloaking device' and it works by projecting a force field around the ship which selectively bends light around around it and makes it invisible to anyone looking from the outside. " Orion replied, gaining a nod from Shen.

"I see, sounds impressive."

"Well, it only works as long as we don't get too close to another ship. The device was built using calculations by the Autobot Mirage who had built a smaller verison for use by people, but he had always wanted to make one that could work on a ship."

"I see." the Turian said back as Orion looked over to the Asari sitting beside him.

"Liara, could you run a scan of the planet? We need to see if we can pick up any Autobot beacons."

"Of course." she replied with a smile before turning her attention to the holo-interface before her, typing in commands before a map appeared, showing a single Autobot symbol.

"I have one, it is a distance away from the colony, in what looks like an abandoned facility or at least that's what the map says."

"Okay, then I will land use two miles away on the side that is furthest from the colony. Since that is obviously where the Predacons are currently, I just hope whoever it is can tell us what the hell happened here." Orion replied, earning a nod from the others as he then made the shuttle descend into the planet's atmosphere.

PRIME EFFECT 4

It was quiet in the abandoned barracks as Ser-Ket lied on the bed. She was using a survival blanket from her backpack to cover herself with, not that she felt cold. Far from it since her spark felt warm as she remembered the events of the previous night, when Ser-Ket and Quickstrike spent the night together. For the Femme had not experienced anything like it in her life, the physical intimacy was almost overwhelming to her. But not as much as the emotional connection she had made with the Autobot, and she had come to realise as she lay there on the bed that she did not ever want to lose it or him.

But suddenly the Femme was brought out of her thoughts as Quickstrike walked back into the room, but stopped short of the bed as his eyes fell upon her lying there.

"Yes?" Ser-Ket asked coyly while the Autobot looked at her before sighing, blushing as he smiled back at her.

"Sorry." he said back in an almost shy-like way, earning a smile that could melt his spark from the Femme.

"Don't be." She replied, enjoying the sight of him looking her up and down and then going all shy about it.

"Now come here." she added, gesturing to him to get closer with her finger. And the Bot complied with a smile as he walked up to the side of the bed and sat beside her, before leaning in close as she did the same until their lips met in a tender and loving kiss that lasted a long moment. Then they pulled back enough to look into each others eyes.

"By the Allspark, your eyes are beautiful." Quickstrike said, making it the Femme's turn to blush.

"Thank you, so are yours." she replied before looking toward the doorway he had come from.

"So, did you find anything?"

"No, I could of sworn that was a ship I heard in the distance. But there hasn't been anything since so I guess it was false alarm, but I think we should probably make a move anyway. Before some Predacon patrol decides to check this place out." the Bot replied, gaining a nod from Ser-Ket in return.

"Yeah, but where do we go now. The escape shuttle that is now nothing more than a burnt wreck was the last means of escape from this planet, but now we are stranded." she said back before looking down at the blanket covering her, which made Quickstrike cup her face with his hand and gently lift it back up level with his eyes.

"At least we're together." he said in return, words which warmed the Femme's spark as she smiled back at him and stroked his hand with her own.

"Yes, we are."

"Besides, something will come up. We just have to make sure we are ready for when it happens, and that means staying one step ahead of the Predacons." Quickstrike replied before pulling away and standing up.

"So let's get moving." he said as he looked down at her lovingly, earning a nod from Ser-Ket.

"Let me just get dressed then." she replied as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, the blanket falling to the ground and revealing her completely naked body to the Bot, who smiled before turning away.

"Why are you looking away?" the Femme then asked in a confused tone as she started to dress herself in her armour, earning a wide-eyed expression from Quickstrike who looked like he had just been caught stealing.

"Well…, you're getting…" he started to stammer, making the Femme chuckle before looking back with her alluring eyes.

"I like it when you look at me like that." she said back in a coy tone, which relaxed the Bot as he turned back round and smiled.

"Okay then." he replied, but then almost suddenly, the Predacon turned her back to him, making the Autobot's mouth almost hit the floor in surprise.

"But you said…" he started to say back before the Femme smiled and cut him off.

"I need your help getting my armour back on." she said back with a mischievous smirk before looking down at the armour lying on the floor between them.

"Oh…okay." Quickstrike replied as he bent down and picked up the piece of armour.

"Where do you want it?" he asked coyly.

A few minutes later, the Femme like her lover was back in her armour and ready to leave as she had just finished packing her survival back pack. Quickstrike was keeping watch by the doorway, hoping that no trouble would find them.

"So where do we go now?" Ser-Ket asked as she picked up the bag and slung it over her back, gaining the Bot's attention as he walked back up to her.

"We just head further away from the city for the time being I guess." he replied before the Femme's face suddenly became tense.

"Ser-Ket?"

The Predacon then raised her head slightly and sniffed the air, earning a curious but worried look from the Bot.

"Ser-Ket, what is it?"

"There are others approaching our location, I can smell them." she replied with a hint of disgust in her voice for the ability she had just shown Quickstrike, but he did not bat an eye at it.

"How close?" he asked as they looked at each other.

"Close enough." a familiar voice suddenly said, making the pair look around to see a blue haired man standing in the doorway, his rifle pointing at them. But almost immediately, both Quickstrike and this new guy's eyes widened as they looked at each other.

"Quickstrike."

"Orion."

A moment which seemed to last too long past between them before both Bots smiled as they walked over to each other.

"Hey." they exclaimed in unison as they pulled each other into a brotherly hug, then pulled away as Orion looked out of the door,

"Guys, in here. It's Quickstrike." he exclaimed happily, a similar expression adjourned the face of his cousin.

"It's been a while." her said, earning a nod from his cousin as both Shen and Nightracer walked in and smiled the moment their eyes fell upon the Autobot.

"Hey, Guys." he said.

"Are you a sight for sore eyes, Pal." Shen said as both he and the Femme greeted him. Meanwhile Ser-Ket looked on in a state of confused amazement at what was transpiring before her, but Orion noticed the Femme.

"Quickstrike, who's this?" he asked, gaining his cousin's attention as he looked back and smiled at her.

"This is Ser-Ket, she saved my life." he said with a thankful and loving tone, earning a nod from her as Orion smiled back while he looked her up and down. But his smile faded when his eyes fell upon a familiar looking insignia, which made him instinctively re-equip his weapon and aim it at her.

"She's a Predacon!" he exclaimed with an angry tone, earning shocked looks from Shen and Nightracer while gaining looks of horror from Quickstrike and Ser-Ket, as the happy reunion suddenly became sour as the newly arrived Autobots all turned their weapons on the Predacon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXV

"Orion, what are you doing?" Quickstrike asked in a confused and slightly panicked tone as everyone else had their weapons aimed directly at Ser-Ket, who stood there in complete shock at what was transpiring.

"Lower the weapon." the Bot continued, making his cousin shake his head in return.

"No, I will not." he said back in a cold and angry tone, as Quickstrike sidestepped between both Femme and Bot, covering her from the weapon and earning a confused look from Orion.

"What are you doing?"

"I am not going to let you hurt her." the blonde haired Bot replied.

"But she is a Predacon! If you haven't noticed, they have made it their goal to kill every Autobot they can find and defeat the Federation." Orion said back as his anger over-ruled his confusion, while Shen and Nightracer remained quiet. The pair were both confused by the entire event.

"Oh, believe me, Orion, I know what the Predacons are capable of." Quickstrike replied as he remembered his ordeal, but the younger Darby wasn't convinced.

"Do you? Do you even know what they did to New Iacon?"

This made both Quickstrike and Ser-Ket's eyes widen as hey heard this, which the others all took notice too.

"You don't, do you?" Shen said in return.

"What happened? I mean all we know is that the Predacons attacked the colony to gain control of the communication network, but..." the blonde Bot said back, which then made Orion look unsure as he remembered his cousin's parents.

"The Predacons pretty much levelled over half of the city, murdering thousands of people. They took my parents prisoner and also... your..." he began to say, earning a look of growing despair on Quickstrike's face as he started to put two and two together.

"My parents...they're okay, right?"

Orion looked at him with a mirrored expression, one that was shared by Shen and Nightracer.

"I am sorry, Quickstrike. I am so sorry."

These words suddenly collapsed the blonde Bot's world as grief took over, making him fall to his knees and shake as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Both of them?" he asked in an almost pleading like tone as he looked up at his cousin, who shook his head in return gently.

"Your Mother's alive, though she is in a coma. But your Father ...he was killed during the initial attack."

Quickstrike did not know where to look as he felt like the whole world had faded to darkness around him, making the Bot feel all alone as he realised what had just happened. Ser-Ket saw this and felt her spark ache at what had just befallen her lover, she wanted to reach out and wrap her arms around him. To show him that he wasn't alone, but she dared not move with the way Orion kept his gun trained on her.

He kept switching his attention between her and his cousin, for she knew exactly what his intentions were. But the same could not be said of his companions, who shared in her lover's grief but looked unsure when it came to her and her loyalties.

But the Femme pushed all doubts aside as she kept her attention squarely on Quickstrike as he suddenly got back to his feet, but kept his back to her as he looked at Orion.

"My Dad..., will my Mum ever wake up?" he asked, his voice still straining with the grief he was feeling at this moment.

"Yes, her Doctor told me she would be fine and that she will wake up." the Bot replied, earning what looked like a sigh from Quickstrike as if some of the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Do you know how my Dad...?" he then said, but was unable to finish the sentence.

"No, I am afraid not. But your 'friend' here might know." Orion replied, staring daggers at Ser-Ket. Quickstrike looked back at her and she could tell in his expression that he was conflicted, but he shook his head in return.

"No, Ser-Ket could not have known. She has been with me this whole time. If she had known anything about that, then she would have told me." the Bot replied, earning a confused and angry look from Orion as Ser-Ket remained on edge.

"I didn't know Earth had been attacked." she said back with a tinge of fear in her voice.

"Bullshit, she is lying. You can see it all over her face." the young Darby snapped, as his cousin looked back at his lover and recognising the fear in her eyes. It would be easy for one who's anger was clouding their senses to see it as guilt, but Quickstrike had come to know the Predacon female over a short span of time. Hell, she had turned her back on her entire race to save him and they had fought together side by side to survive. And he has come to care deeply for her, so he wasn't about to turn on her now.

"No, I believe her, Orion. I wouldn't expect you to understand, but we have been through a lot together and she saved my life. And we..."

Everyone, Orion included then looked upon the pair with a mirrored dumbfounded expression as they heard that last part.

"You have what?" Orion spat back as he continued to let his hate dictate his actions. To answer this question, Quickstrike took a step back so that he was still standing between his cousin and Ser-Ket, but was still almost side by side as he took her hand in his own. This made the others eyes widen in shock as they saw this display from the pair, which to Orion looked completely wrong.

"You and her!..." he spat back while Shen and Nightracer remained quiet, unsure of what to do.

"...You're sleeping with the enemy."

"Orion..." Quickstrike tried to say back, but his cousin then cut him off.

"No, you're simply too loved up to see the truth. That she is just manipulating you for her own ends, whatever they may be. But I still want to know where my parents are and I will find out from her, one way of another." Orion spat as he took a step forward, still training his weapon on the Bot. But suddenly Quickstrike rushed forward and grabbed the weapon, disarming Orion before forcing him to the ground with a CQC move. Everybody watched in wide-eyed disbelief as he stood over his cousin and dropped the weapon on the floor behind him.

"I am not going to let you or anyone else hurt Ser-Ket." he said with a defiant tone as he looked down at the young Darby.

"I am really sorry, Orion, but at least there is a chance for you to be reunited with 'both' of your parents." he added with a touch of sadness and remorse at what he had to say. But Orion simply glared at him in return, as he clenched his fists.

"You pick a Predacon over your own family? How dare you!" he exclaimed as he threw himself at his cousin with his fists ready to strike, earning a shocked expression from Quickstrike who took a defensive stance but as they both readied themselves for a fight, suddenly a biotic field appeared between them and then pushed each other away.

"That's enough!" came an angry voice, making everyone look to the doorway to see an Asari who had her hand outstretched and glowing with a blue hue.

"Liara!" both Shen and Nightracer said in unison while Orion steadied himself and looked over at the blue Woman.

"By the goddess! What is going on here?" she asked in a disbelieving tone as she looked around the room, recognising Quickstrike from her meld with Orion, but not the female.

"Quickstrike has turned on us with this Predacon wretch." Orion spat as he equipped his pistol and readied it, earning a scowl from Quickstrike as he prepared himself for another attack.

"I don't want to fight you, Orion."

"Back off, both of you." Liara said back as she walked between both Bots.

"Liara, where were you?" Nightracer asked in return, gaining the Asari's attention as she turned to face the Femme.

"I was scouting one of the other buildings, when I heard a lot of shouting and then raced over here to find this." she replied while gesturing to the two Bots.

"Liara, we can't trust this Predacon. We will never complete or mission if she is allowed to live." Orion said, his tone still laced with anger, earning a regretful look from Quickstrike that Liara noticed while looking back at them and that was when an idea hit her.

"I know how to find out where her loyalties lie." the Asari said before looking over to the Predacon.

"What's your name?" she asked in a calm and un-judging way.

"Ser-Ket." the Femme replied while Liara took a step closer to her, earning an unsure expression from Quickstrike who stayed between them.

"I am not going to hurt her, Quickstrike. I am just going to meld our minds. And I will know if Ser-Ket can be trusted."

"No offence, but I don't know yo, Lady. And..." he began to say back before he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over at Ser-Ket.

"It's okay, Quickstrike. I'll do this if it was they need to accept me and us."

The blonde Bot felt his defence soften as he looked into her eyes, before simply nodding and standing aside, allowing Liara to walk up to the Predacon.

"It's alright, Quickstrike. You can trust Liara." Shen said, earning a nod from Nightracer, though Orion remained quiet as he merely observed what was happening in front of him.

"I want you to stay calm, close your eyes and lean your head towards mine." Liara then said, gaining a nod from Ser-Ket who then did just that. The Asari then took a deep breath and looked directly at the Femme before closing her eyes.

"Embrace eternity." she said before opening her eyes again to reveal them to be pure black while everything around the pair melted away, with the memories of both women flowing over them.

The link only lasted a few moments before Liara then turned away, closing her eyes as she did so. Ser-Ket opened hers and looked at the Asari in surprise as her eyes went back to normal.

"She is telling the truth." Liara said, earning a look for vindication from Quickstrike while Orion's expression was still one of uncertainty.

"She is no friend to the other Predacons, and wants to help us in any way she can." the Asari continued while Shen and Nightracer both looked relieved, but then she looked back to Ser-Ket who still looked surprised.

"What is it?"

"While you were looking at my memories and thoughts, I could see yours." the Femme replied, earning a nod from Liara.

"Yes, the joining of minds is a two way conduit."

"But I saw that you knew both Shockblast and Six-Shot..." Ser-Ket replied. Now it was the Asari's turn to look surprised as the Predacon continued.
"...and you were also in a relationship with one of them before you encountered Galvatron."

"That's right, we didn't know who he was before releasing him." Liara said back while everyone else just watched the pair.

"Galvatron told us that he and your friends were Predacons like us but he lied to us, I am so sorry." Ser-Ket said back with a knowing look, earning a nod from the Asari.

"Thank you, but I have come to terms with what happened then, abet with some help."

"I know..." the Femme replied as she glanced over to Orion who was still staring daggers at her, though the tone had softened a little.

"Indeed, as I also know how much Quickstrike means to you." Liara said back with a knowing smile as both Shen and Nightracer walked over to the blonde Autobot, happy relief written over their faces.

"Well, I am glad we have got all this straightened out, so we can get on with the mission." the Femme said, earning a nod from the Turian.

"Exactly. It's a good job Liara got here when she did and used her 'Vulcan Mind Meld'."

This earned a curious look from Nightracer and an eye roll from Quickstrike.

"Shen, you really should stop watching Star Trek. I think it is messing with your perception of reality." he replied with a chuckle, making his friend stare at him.

"We'll see who has the last laugh when we finally come across some Klingons. But either way, I feel our chances of succeeding in this mission have gone up, what with a Predacon aiding us that is."

"That's former-Predacon..." the blonde Bot replied, earning a smile from Ser-Ket, who looked back with Liara.

"..., perhaps we may even be able to convince the other Predacons to turn away from Galvatron, considering what has been discovered during your melding." he added as the women joined them, though Ser-Ket shook her head with a regretful expression in return.

"Unfortunately the others will not listen to us, and they certainly won't take the word of one who betrayed them."

"None of this matters if we can't work as a team..." Nightracer said as she glanced back to Orion who suddenly felt like an outsider, as Quickstrike took notice of this and stepped toward his unsure cousin.

"Orion, I have never given you reason to distrust me in the past right? So if I say that you can trust Ser-Ket, then that should be enough...right?"

The Autobot-Spectre looked deep in thought for a second before looking over to Liara.

"Ser-Ket can be trusted Orion, believe us...believe me." she said back, earning a reluctant nod from the Darby.

"Okay, Liara, if you say so." he replied though deep down he knew he couldn't trust this Ser-Ket, simply for the fact that she was a Predacon. And he sensed that Liara knew this of him as well, since they melded back on Earth. But if saying so meant that the others were less confrontational with him, then so be it.

"Tell me, Ser-Ket. What is the situation with the colony's civilians?" Orion then asked, turning his attention to the Predacon.

"There were some casualties during the main assault to capture the colony, but most of the population are under house arrest so they won't get in the way. The Predacons main objective was the Tower, which holds the Autobots Communications Network Hub." Ser-Ket replied, gaining a knowing look from Nightracer.

"That explains the comms blackout that's effected the entire Autobot fleet, and how their attack on Earth was executed so efficiently." the Femme said back before Orion activated his holo-tool, revealing a holo-image of the tower and complex.

"Right, so we need to regain control of the Hub, we can call in our forces to liberate the rest of the colony." Orion added, earning nods from the rest of his team as they looked at the image.

"This is the security layout for the complex, as it was when it had been built by the Autobots. So my question Ser-Ket is...what has the Predacons changed since they took control?" he asked, though while he tried to hide it, for Quickstrike's sake. But there was still a trace of an untrusting tone to his voice, but while this was ever so noticeable. No one decided to pick up on it, as Ser-Ket looked at the image closely.

"My brethren did not make any changes to any particular areas of the complex, not to my knowledge but we should be prepared for any...just in case."

"So how are we going to go about this? I mean, you say 'gain control' of the Hub. But with the fact that there are only a few if us, I don't think this is possible." Shen asked with an unsure expression, which earned a knowing look from Orion.

"Shen, when I said 'gain control', I meant of the system...not the complex. We just need to take control away from the Predacons, and back to the Autobots."

"So we switch the system back over to the good guys, and then destroy the Tower." Nightracer said back, earning a nod from the younger Darby.

"Exactly."

"Okay, now that's a plan I can get behind." the Turian replied, gaining knowing smiles from everyone around him.

"Oh, can you now? Well, that's good to know." Nightracer said back before turning her attention to Quickstrike who was standing next to Ser-Ket, holding her hand supportively.

"So how do we switch the system control back to Autobot, and then destroy the tower?"

Before the blonde Bot could reply, Liara had looked at the holo-image and was now connecting her holo-tool to Orion's wirelessly, so that she could study it further.

"The main control room is where the Hub is generally accessed." she said as she zoomed the image to reveal the room to everyone.

"But that room is not a viable target since it will be heavily defended." Ser-Ket stated in return, gaining a smile from the Asari who then zoomed into another area of the complex at the edge of the city.

"That is true, but there is a secondary access terminal in the sub-communications room in the eastern look-out complex. Which by my reckoning should not be as well defended."

"That is correct..." the Predacon replied with an unsure expression as she looked back at Liara, who knew why.

"Liara, Liara T'Soni." she said back with a smile while holding out her hand to Ser-Ket, who then took it in her own and shook it.

"Thank you...,Liara, and as you have pointed out. The area would be defended by only a handful of Terracons at most since most Predacon activity is at the heart of the colony, so there should be no problem to get access to it. In fact while there, it would also be a good opportunity to download any Intel from the Predacons database, I would be able to do that for you." the Femme added, earning a smile from Quickstrike and the others, though Orion refrained from doing so.

"Okay... now to destroy the Tower and complex, I believe that overloading it's geo-thermal reactor would be the most sufficent way of accomplishing this."he said while highlighting the reactor on the complex's holo-image, which earned a nod from his cousin.

"Yeah, that should do it. And it would only destroy the complex, leaving the city around it completely unharmed, since it was designed that way to begin with. And we can do that from accessing it via the tertiary reactor-obersvation port which is in the same complex, on the lowest sub-level. There are five ROP which are located along the perimeter of Omicron City and they all connect directly with the main reactor at the center of the colony." the Bot said as Orion changed the image to reveal the underside of the colony and the geo-thermal reactor.

"But if we take out one, shouldn't the others be able to keep the reactor stable?" Nightracer asked.

"Yes, normally that would be the case. But we can ensure that doesn't happen by making the system run a diagnostic subroutine which would fool the system when the overload arises, so it would not be able to subdue it." Quickstrike replied, earning content looks from everyone before Shen spoke up.

"Right so I guess it would be time to pick the teams." the Turian said, with Orion nodding in return as he expanded the holo-image to show the area around the complex.

"Right, Under the cover of darkness, we will proceed from this area and it will also act as our rendezvous." he said as a small building upon a hill on the eastern approach to the city was highlighted.

"Shen you will be holding this area for us, as it is a perfect sniping position that gives you an excellent view of the complex that we will be hitting, and the building that is there is listed as abandoned so we can use that for cover if we find ourselves under fire."

The Bot then typed some instructions into his holo-tool as two arrows, one red and one green then appeared on the map and moved towards their two objectives.

"Nightracer, you will be in command of Bravo team which will consist of yourself, Liara and...Ser-Ket. You will be heading for the terminal." Orion added, earning nods from The female members of the team.

"Alpha team will consist of myself and Quickstrike. Our objective will be the geo-thermal reactor. We will sabotage it and plant explosives to ensure that no one can regain control of the system. Once done, we will rendezvous with Shen and make our way back to the shuttle." Orion finished before deactivating the holo-image.

"Any questions?"

Everyone shook there head before Ser-Ket and Quickstrike looked at each other, earning a uncomfortable feeling in Orion's spark as he tried to ignore it.

"Alright, we will head off once I have relayed our mission to Rodimus."

PRIME EFFECT 4

On the bridge of the Achilles, Rip-Claw sat in the Captain's chair and looked out of the large canopy ahead of her at the view, which was that of the Tower. Which was what had given the Predacons such an advantage over the Autobots at this time. Now it had only been several hours since her Sister had been reported killed by the Predacon Beast called Skystalker, which had been confirmed by Ser-Ket's tracking beacon shutting down, and that would only have happened once her life-signs had been terminated. The Predacon knew this because she had secretly taken a scan of her own body and had found the very same beacon nestled near her spark, in fact it was connected to it.

So if she had tried to remove or deactivate it, then that would kill her as well. This had been troubling the Predacon since hearing about the devices from Lord Galvatron himself, but why did he commission such things. Did he not trust his brothers and Sisters, or was it an idea from Shockblast who seemed very closed off and distant to both herself and the rest of the Predacons. But as these thoughts played out in Rip-Claw's mind, one such thought that did not however was of her Sister. Which one would think would, but Ser-Ket was dead to the Femme.

For she had betrayed her brethren and chosen to side herself with their enemies, which was something that the Predacon could not understand or forgive. But the Femme's thoughts were interrupted by a Terracon who was Manning a terminal near her.
"Commander Rip-Claw, I thought you would like to know that the motion sensors we have planted on the eastern side of the city have picked up movement." he said, gaining a thoughtful expression from the Predacon.

"It may be nothing more than some of the planet's indigenous life-forms, but dispatch some stalkers to the area to check it out, just to be on the safe side." she said, gaining a nod from the soldier, who then turned back to his terminal and carried out her orders.

Several minutes later, on the grassy plains that made up the approach to the eastern side of the city and the complex there in. The Autobot teams moved stealthily towards the outer wall of the complex, their very movements hidden under the cover of darkness that had blanketed the sky in the very early hours of the morning. They had left Shen up on the hill, who was now watching their every move through the scope of his sniper-rifle.

Not much had been said between any of them as they walked along with their weapons ready, just on the off chance of an attack by the enemy, though according to Ser-Ket should not have been even aware of their presence. But Orion was still not sure of the Predacon, despite her having the backing of the rest of the team and his cousin, for the young Man simply did not trust her to not lead them into a trap. As they moved suddenly a whisper like sound was heard in the air before his and the others com-links activated.

"Guys, Shen here. I just took out a Terracon that was bearing down on your position." the Turian warned, making the group stop and look around with tight grips on their weapons.

"I only just spotted one before killing it, though it moved with a very different posture than your standard soldier, and I bet there is more than one." Shen continued, earning a wide-eyed expression from Ser-Ket.

"Stalkers!" she exclaimed in a quiet yet alert tone, making Quickstrike shake his head in response.

"Shit, not those things again." he said as his cousin looked over to them curiously.

"What are Stal..." he started to say before he was suddenly tackled to the ground, but before anyone else could do anything, they too came under attack as the Stalkers attacked the group, earning whisper-like gunfire from them as they fired their silenced weapons. Quickstrike immediately turned to his right and fired at a pair of red-lit optics which were flying through the air at him, pummelling the silhouette of a figure with a couple hundred rounds, and making it fall to the ground.

"Not this time." he said back, earning a smile from Ser-Ket who had switched to her holo-blades and thrust them up into the air, just before impaling the blackened form of a Stalker that was midway through pouncing at her.

'He is a fast learner.' she thought as Liara stopped another in mid-air with her biotics before slamming it into the ground, gaining a bone crushing sound as it hit the ground. Quickstrike meanwhile has turned his attention to Nightracer who had Managed to dodge her Stalker's initial attack by rolling out of the way. She then joined the Bot by firing simultaneously into the enemy, ripping it apart with bullets.

Ser-Ket though looked behind her to see Orion wrestling with his Stalker, which was snapping it's jaws at his face with drool dripping down upon the Bot. Without a second thought, the Femme moved over to him and with one swipe of her holo-blade, sliced off the demented Terracon's head which made the body go limp so the Autobot could simply throw it off him.

"What the hell are those things?" Nightracer asked as she looked down at the corpse of the one that attacked her, covered in blood-like liquid. But the Predacon ignored her to offer her hand to Orion who looked up at her with a surprised expression.

"Are you alright?" she asked as the young Darby looked back at her, and then her hand before finally grasping it, allowing the Femme to help him to his feet.

"I am...,thank you." he answered with an unsure tone, gaining an honest slight smile from Ser-Ket as she nodded back. This made both Quickstrike and Liara smile as they saw what looked like the first signs of the Bot's acceptance of Ser-Ket's allegiance to their cause.

"These are modified Terracons renamed Stalkers." she then said, turning her attention to the rest of the group as they looked to her for an explanation.

"We Predacons have the ability to tap into our beast-like nature, which changes our forms somewhat while also granting us increased strength, speed and ferocity."

"Think of it as the Predacons way of hulking out." Quickstrike added, earning a sigh from Shen over the shared com-link.

"Really have to stop reading comics, Quickstrike."

"But these Stalkers have been modified to stay in their beast mode indefinitely, making them simply mindless beasts, completely focused on hunting down their prey and ripping it apart." Ser-Ket continued, choosing to ignore the Turian's remark.

"Well, hopefully we managed to take them down before our presence was recorded." Liara said with an uncertain tone, gaining a nod from the Predacon.

"I think we did, it looks like the Stalkers were as surprised to see us, as we with them. They usually have a better approach that that."

"Thanks for the advance warning, Shen." Quickstrike then said to the Turian with a chuckle.

"So that Sniper rifle isn't just for show then." he added, making the young Vakarian sigh in return.

"You know, I could shoot some of those blonde locks off your head if you need further proof of my skill with this thing."

"Okay, Guys. That's enough." Orion then said with a commanding tone, gaining everyone's attention.

"We are close to the point where our teams split up, so keep the chatter to a minimum. And Shen, keep an eye on our six. Now lets move." he added before the team all nodded, and then carried on towards the city.

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  • 3 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXVI

The group just made it to their split-up location as the first of the morning light could be seen in the east, which had begun to make the night sky retreat over to the west. Orion looked at the time on his holo-tool, which stated four fifty AM local time.

'Sunrise is in another hour, so we have plenty of time to infiltrate the complex before we lose the cover of dark completely.' he thought while turning his attention to the others.

"Okay, this is where Alpha and Bravo part ways. We all know our targets and what's expected of us all."

"So I will see you when this is done." Ser-Ket said as she turned her attention to Quickstrike, who smiled back at her.

"I'll be back before you know it, just be sure to watch your back because once your former comrades realise your not dead, they will be gunning for you even more." he said back as he placed a hand on her shoulder affectionately, to which she placed her own over it.

"I will and the same goes for you." she replied before kissing his cheek, which made the blonde Bot blush in return. Meanwhile Liara stood in front of Orion and gave him a concerned look.

"Liara, what's wrong?" he asked in return.

"I see you didn't bring it with you." the Asari said back, earning a knowing look from the Bot who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah...we were in a rush to prepare for the mission, and I guess I just left it behind in my quarters." he replied with a slightly sheepish tone.

"Orion, if you had the Star-Saber with you, then I don't believe you would have let that Stalker get as close as it did." Liara said with a slight shake of her head.

"And the fact that no one other than myself knows that you brought it on board. Why have you not told anyone...especially Rodimus?" she added, which made Orion turn them both away from the others who were still talking amongst themselves.

"Because I am still getting used to the idea that I can even use it, and I don't want to go round giving anyone false hope. Since that is what will happen when everyone starts seeing me in action with the legendary Star-Saber."

Liara looked the young Darby in the eyes and nodded reluctantly in return, for she knew he spoke the truth.

"Well, I know how skilled you are as a Spectre, Orion, but after seeing you in action with the Star-Saber, I guess I would just feel that much better knowing that you had it with you." she replied, earning a smile from the Bot.

"Hey, I have managed all these years without it before now. This won't be any different, trust me." he said back with a smile before turning back to the others.

"Okay, Quickstrike, let's go." The XO said to his cousin, who nodded back before pulling out of a hug with Ser-Ket. He then stood beside Orion while the Predacon joined Liara and Nightracer who looked back at the pair of Bots.

"We'll see you at the rendezvous, good luck." The Femme said back earning a nod from the cousins.

"You too." the young Darby replied before the two groups split up and headed off in different directions though both still heading toward the complex.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Back on the Achilles bridge, Rip-Claw was browsing through the numerous reports that had been sent to her from all sectors of the colony and it was starting to grind down what little patience she had. She knew as Commander of not only the Achilles but now of an entire colony, that everything came to her doorstep now.

Even things that she did not care for or want to know about, like status of the civilians or the colony's weather patterns. Now usually she should have directed all this nonsense to Ser-Ket and washed her hands free of it, but since the traitorous Femme had now switched sides, that meant that she had no choice but to take it. The Predacon could not even delegate it to any of the Terracons, since they would have no idea how to deal with it. And so here she was, reading one boring report after another, her spark slowly burning with anger at each and ever line of words on the holo-screen directly in front of her.

The Femme sighed as her eyes drifted away from the influx of pointless information as she looked around the room, hoping to find something which she could fix her attention too. And as if some great unknown power had heard her silent prayer, Rip-Claw's eyes fell upon a Terracon that looked uneasy while sitting at it's station. In fact the Femme recognised this particular soldier as the one that had mentioned the breach in the sensors an hour or so ago.

"Soldier, what is the matter?" she asked in a commanding tone that almost made the Terracon jump out of his seat as he turned to face her.

"Commander...Rip-Claw...sir!" he said with a nervous salute, which the Femme ignored as she looked back at him, quietly thankful for the distraction.

"Soldier, I said what is the matter?"

"..Sir,...the group of Stalkers, the ones you had me investigate the sensor breach earlier. I have yet to hear back from them." the Terracon replied, earning a curious expression from the Femme.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I have yet to receive any data from the Stalkers and they should have reached the area well before now." he replied hesitantly. Rip-Claw got up and walked over to his station and looked at his terminal.

"Show me the communication screen for that particular group of Stalkers." She then said as she stood behind the Terracon, who nervously typed on his holo-interface until another screen appeared, making the Femme focus as she looked at it.

"Well, you are right. They haven't sent you any..." Rip-Claw began to say before her eyes spotted something.

"What is that?" she asked while pointing over to an active small data window in the bottom right-hand corner of the holo-screen.

"That is the failed comms section, where corrupted messages are stored before deletion. We never take any notice of them, since we receive so many corrupted messages from the Stalkers on a daily basis." the Terracon replied, making the Predacon point at the last message.

"Activate that one." she said back.

"But, Sir, it is corrupted. There is nothing we can..." he began to reply, only for the Femme to cut him off.

"Do it anyway. Indulge me."

The soldier reluctantly nodded and began the message which filled the screen, but the image was highly distorted with the only sound they could hear was static.

"See if you can clean it up." Rip-Claw ordered, gaining a nod from the Terracon who activated a cleansing program which began to defrag the message. And slowly the visual started to become clear, earning a wide-eyed look from the Femme.

"It's not a message but a single frame image, something the Stalker had seen. Keep at it." she stated, while the Soldier continued to work with the program which continued to go through every single bit of the message and clear it up, until the photo was completely repaired and visible before the pair. Rip-Claw just blinked as her eyes widened even more at the single frame on the screen before her.

"That's impossible..." she said in a shocked tone as the image showed her sister Ser-Ket readying herself for combat against the Stalker, whose visual data the pair were now viewing.

"She is dead, Ser-Ket is dead. Skystalker killed her and that Autobot scum." the Femme stated before activating her holo-tool and connected it to the colony's internal sensors, searching for the beacon that Galvatron had given her the frequency for. But nothing appeared, which left the Femme even more confused. The Terracn meanwhile had noticed something else about the image and zoomed in on an area just behind the supposedly dead Predacon, which showed what looked like another female that neither of them had seen before.

"Who is that?" the soldier asked, making Rip-Claw shake her head in response.

"I have no idea, but I can tell what it is." she replied as she pointed at the red emblem that could be seen on the figure's armour.

"Autobot!"

PRIME EFFECT 4

The blade cut right threw the flesh, spilling blood-like fluid down the Terracon's chest before Ser-Ket removed her holo-blade from the now dead enemy's throat and dropped the body to the floor. She then turned around to see both Liara and Nightracer disposing of their respective Terracons as the Asari merely flickered her hand to the right, sending the Con smashing into the corridor's wall. Nightracer meanwhile had kicked the back of one of her target's legs, causing him to fall to his knees before she aimed her gun at is head and pulled the trigger, spilling more fluid upon the wall next to her.

"There are no more Terracons in the immediate vircinity." Ser-Ket said after taking a sniff of the air.

"You can tell that by just sniffing the air?" Nightracer asked curiously.

"Yes, all Predacons have this ability, though we have to concentrate when doing so, or else we smell nothing."

"It is very impressive." Liara added, earning a head-shake from the Predacon.

"It's not as impressive as your biotics, believe me. I would rather have that over this." Ser-Ket replied with a smile as she gestured to her nose.

"So which way now?" the Asari asked, looking over to Nightracer who was consulting the map on her holo-tool.

"We have to keep heading down this corridor until we reach a cross section, then take the right turn and continue for a hundred yards until we reach this T-junction. Then we take the left turn and move four hundred yards, and then we reach the target." the Femme said back as she showed them the holo-image, earning a nod from her team mates.

"Well we better keep moving, especially if we want to capitalise on the lack of security that this plac..." Ser-Ket began to say before sirens blared out along with a voice on the inter-com.

"Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert. Autobots have breaches the complex, all Terracons to combat, I repeat all Terracons to combat!"

"Well, that didn't last long." Liara replied, earning defiant looks from both Nightracer and Ser-Ket.

"Let's move." the former replied as the two other women followed down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Orion and Quickstrike exited an elevator into a massive tunnel that made it look like they were in a mine, due to the rocky walls and support arch-ways that kept the area stable. Their infiltration had gone off without a hitch since they had yet to come across any patrols, but the pair knew that their luck couldn't last forever.

"We are now on the lowest level of the colony, the geo-thermal reactor is ten miles in that direction." the blonde Bot said while pointing behind them.

"Not that I am against a good trek, but is our target much closer?" the Spectre replied with a curious tone, gaining a nod from his cousin.

"Yeah, it's a couple hundred metres in the opposite direction." he said back with a smile, while Orion readied his weapon.

"Come on, we..." he started to say before suddenly their ears were bombarded with the same siren and intruder alert that was now being heard around the entire colony.

"Looks like we will have to fight our way to the room." Quickstrike states as he points over to the Terracon patrol that appears from a connecting tunnel ahead of them.

"Good." was all Orion said in return before opening fire on the enemy troops, causing them to take cover behind the nearby arch-way and fire back. Both Bots mirrored their foes as they shielded themselves with the arch-way nearest them, making both cousins smirk at each other from across the width of the corridor while bullets either flew past or ricocheted off the metal support beams.

"You actually preferred a straight fight to sneaking in, didn't you?" Quickstrike shouted to his cousin over the gunfire, as the young Darby took out two of the Terracons, one with a clean head shot as he peeked out from his cover and the other with two shots in his chest. The Bot then looked over to his blonde friend, who was firing back at the soldiers.

"I wouldn't usually say this, but...yes I do." Orion replied honestly, before noticing another Terracon stepping out of cover to fire upon them, and so killing him first with several bullets to his chest.

"I am really sorry, Orion, for your parents." Quickstrike said back, gaining a glance from the other Bot.

"Mom and Dad are out there, they can still be saved." the Darby said back in a hopeful tone, earning a knowing look from the blonde Bot as he dropped two more Terracons with head shots.

"Yes...they are, and I know that we can save them...as long as we keep clear heads.

The last of the Predacon soldiers dived out of cover before spray his bullets at both Bots in a vain last effort to kill them, but Orion simply shot three bullets at him which impacted twice in his chest and the other in his head, sending him to the ground to join the remainder of his dead comrades. The blue haired Bot then got to his feet and looked at his cousin with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked with an uncertain tone.

"How you were towards Ser-Ket earlier, that was the sort of behaviour you would expect to see from a lynch mob. You were letting your anger towards the Predacons cloud your better judgement and that will end up getting the rest of us killed, the mission comes first." Quickstrike replied with a calm expression and honest tone, earning a wide eyed look from the young Darby.

"You're kidding right? After what they have taken from us both. Your the last person I would expect to say that."

"Perhaps, but I haven't lost perspective. And there is no way I can ever blame Ser-Ket for what happened to my parents, for one I know that she was not responsible or even present to the events that killed my Father and put my Mother in a coma . That responsibility rests solely on the Predacons in general and helping to defeat them is all I feel I need to get by, you know what I am saying don't you Orion?"

The blue haired Bot nodded in return as he looked down at the ground for a moment and thought on Quickstrike's words, met his cousin's eyes.

"My parents would be ashamed if they found out that I went full-on revenge against anyone, especially my Mom who had told me all about how wanting to avenge fallen friends had nearly cost the lives of herself and others many times in the past."

"Exactly because I also know that Stalker earlier would never have got the jump on you, not if you were completely focused on the mission. Now let's get moving because I swore I heard more enemies approaching from the way we came in." Quickstrike replied, gaining another nod from Orion before both Bots carried on down the tunnel towards their target.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Rip-Claw felt like she was climbing the walls as the Femme sat in the Captain's chair on the Achilles bridge and watched the Terracons frantically working around her, trying to get on top of the Autobot infiltration that was currently in motion somewhere in the colony.

"Report! Someone tell me they know where the Autobots are?" she spat, gaining scared and worried looks from the soldiers. None of them would say a word, for fear that the wrong one could cost them their lives.

"Come on! We don't have all day!" the Femme continued, earning an uncertain expression from the soldier as he typed on his holo-interface and brought up several com-links and camera feeds.

"Sir.., here are the Terracon comma chatter from across the entire colony." the soldier stated, earning a focused stare from the Femme as she looked at all the data feeds.

"They are in this one, the Eastern complex which is not far from the area where we lost contact with the Stalkers." Rip-Claw said aloud while pointing at the one window showing a straight line, not unlike a flat line on a heart-beat monitor.

"Sir?" the Terracon replied with a questionable tone.

"Have a group of Terracons meet me in that area of the complex now." the Predacon ordered as she got up out of her seat and started for the door, earning a nod from the soldier as he turned back round and worked his terminal. But as the Femme reached the exit, another Terracon gained her attention.

"Commander Rip-Claw, a patrol has reported in from one of the underground tunnels right below that area of the complex. They have found several dead troops and suspect that more Autobots are there."

"Have another squad of Terracons head down there, and send in Skystalker. Those tunnels are large enough for him to flush out the enemy." Rip-Claw replied before exiting the room and heading toward the shuttle-bay, leaving the Terracons to return to their duties.

Meanwhile, Nightracer, Liara and Ser-Ket took cover in a doorway, as the Autobot Femme took a peek and saw three Terracons walking into an open door just away from them.

"Okay, our computer access is through that door...which just had three Terracons walk through." she stated as she looked back at her companions.

"And who knows how many more are in there." Liara replied, gaining a knowing look from the Predacon.

"Well I have an idea that might give us an advantage."

This made both the Asari and the other Femme look at her curiously as she gave them a smirk.

Inside the room, several Terracons were scattered around the room which was filled with large servers and terminals. A few of them were manned while the other soldiers merely stood guard with rifles in hand, ready for any trouble to come their way. They were so focused on their duty that when the door to the room opened, they immediately aimed the weapons at whoever would be standing in the now open doorway. But everyone suddenly stopped and looked wide-eyed at the person who entered the room and stood before them, shock took over as they lowered their weapons, it was if they had seen a ghost.

"C..Commander...Ser-Ket!" one of the Terracons stammered as the Femme looked back at them with her weapon holstered, seemingly defenceless but they knew better.

"...You are dead!" another Con said with shock evident in her voice, gaining a stare from the Predacon.

"And yet here I am." she said back, as two of the several Terracons re-aimed their weapons at her.

"Commander Rip-Claw had branded you a traitor to our cause, so dead or not...I am afraid we have to take you to her."

"Well, that certainly is not going to happen...Now!" the Femme exclaimed before both Liara and Nightracer burst into the room and began taking down the Terracons, with either gunfire or biotic blasts. The Asari even lifted one off the ground and threw him into some of the other Terracons that were gathered on one side of the room. Once they were done, the three women were the only ones standing as all the enemy soldiers were lying dead on the floor.

"Well, that was too easy." Liara said with an unconvinced tone, earning a shoulder shrug from Nightracer.

"I am not going to complain about it."

"The Terracons are a subgroup of us Predacons and while they are sentient and think for themselves...to a point, they are easily distracted and surprised." Ser-Ket explained.

"Not to mention that I think we have killed a few of these guys already." Nightracer said back while looking down at one of the corpses.

"The footage and reports that Orion and I studied, about what happened at New Iacon showed that many of the Terracons engaged in that battle were identical to each other. They are probably clones of merely a handful of the original Terracons, and then were multiplied hundreds...possibly thousands of times. To created the army that Galvatron required." Liara replied, earning a nod from Ser-Ket.

"The footage and reports that Orion and I studied, about what happened at New Iacon showed that many of the Terracons engaged in that battle were identical to each other. They are probably clones of merely a handful of the original Terracons, and then were multiplied hundreds...possibly thousands of times to create the army that Galvatron required." Liara replied, earning a nod from Ser-Ket.

"That sounds about right."

"Wouldn't you know about that already? I mean, you were one of his lieutenants." Nightracer asked in a slightly disbelieving tone as she looked at the Femme.

"No, I wouldn't because out of all us Predacons, only Six-Shot and Shockblast have been known to converse with Galvatron privately. I have only seen him with the others all together or in the presence of the Terracons, but the brothers have definitely seen him behind closed doors. If Galvatron shared any information with his lieutenants, then it was those two."

The Asari gave the Femme a supportive look as she observed the pair of Cybertronains.

"I would have to agree with Ser-Ket, since I saw what Galvatron was like around both Shockblast and his brother." Liara said back as she remembered her time on Cybertron.

"But maybe we can discuss this after we have completed our mission." she added, gaining a nod from Nightracer and Ser-Ket. The former then looked back at the Predacon with a regretful expression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't what I said to sound distrustful."

"I know and I didn't take it that way." Ser-Ket replied before moving over to the nearest terminal and typing on it's holo-interface.

"Anyway, Liara's right. So, let's get on with this." she added whilst a number of data feeds appeared on her holo-screen, gaining a nod from both Liara and Nightracer. The former stood beside her while the Femme stood in the doorway and kept a look out.

"How long do you think this will take?" she asked back while not taking her eyes from the corridor that was just beyond the doorway.

"I am already inside the system, seems one of the Terracons here did not log out before we arrived." the Predacon Femme replied.

"Well, that is a stroke of luck for us, isn't it." Liara said back while watching Ser-Ket activate and link her holo-tool to the terminal.

"It certainly is. I am currently downloading all the Intel I can from the Predacon database, while also gaining access to the Comms Network. I should be able to deactivate whatever changes were made silence the Autobots."

"Okay then, we won't trouble you any more then." Nightracer replied, earning a nod from Liara who stepped away from the Predacon, allowing her to work without distraction. And for the next several minutes, the team did not speak as Ser-Ket kept her focus completely on her task whilst Nightracer remained on guard, until Liara noticed a grin appear on the Predacon Femme's face.

"Done! I have managed to switch control of the Comms Network back to Autobot control."

This earned relieved and grateful looks of glee from both Nightracer and Liara from there respective locations near the Femme, the latter joining the Femme's side as she deactivated her holo-tool.

"That's great news." she exclaimed in return.

"I also downloaded Predacon fleet movements and Intel about the laboratories on Cybertron that are under enemy control and there exact locations." Ser-Ket added, gaining a nod from Nightracer before her face became serious as she aimed her weapon down the corridor before her.

"That's great, because we have a group of Terracons baring down on our position right..." she began to say before she suddenly felt a fist hit her directly in the face with such speed and strength, that it sent her flying through the air until she hit one of the servers and fell onto the floor unconscious.

"Nightracer!" Liara called out as both she and Ser-Ket looked on in shock at their friend who was on her front as a heavily armoured and very built person entered the room, it was someone that Ser-Ket knew only too well.

"Rip-Claw..." she stated,

Both females looked on in surprise as the Predacon Commander stood there in her Beast mode, her eyes narrowed as they stared back at the traitor.

"So you are alive, though surely you would be smarter than returning here. But then again you are hanging around with the Autobots so to the pit if I would know, since you have become nothing more than a stranger in my eyes."

"I will not act as if I care for what you think of me, Rip-Claw. And I will no longer play a part to what the Predacons have planned. Such slaughter and destruction, it sickens me right down to my spark." Ser-Ket replied as she stepped away from the terminal and clenched her fists, knowing how this was going to turn out. She looked over to Liara as three Terracons entered the room behind Rip-Claw.

"Are you going to further disappoint me and surrender considering that we outnumber you, or are you going to fight and prove that there is still some Predacon in you?" the Commander asked as she stared daggers at the Femme while baring her sharp teeth. Liara looked down at the unconscious Nightracer before glancing over to Ser-Ket, who merely nodded back to her. And in that instant the Asari knew what her new friend wanted, and she clenched her fists until a blue glow appeared around them. The Terracons noticed this and aimed their weapons at her, unsure looks on their faces as Liara stared back.

"Commander Rip-Claw, what about her?" the soldier on her right asked, but this did not even get a reaction from the Predacon as she kept her eyes firmly on her Sister who activated her holo-blades.

"Deal with her. Ser-Ket is mine." she growled before launching herself through the air and tackling the former Predacon to the ground, leaving the Terracons where they were standing before they too opened fire on the Asari. But Liara instinctively erected a biotic shield directly in front of her, which the bullets harmlessly deflected off before she threw a biotic punch through the air, sending one of the soldiers on to his ass. She then launched herself into a biotic charge, moving as a blue blur as she smashed into another soldier before turning to the last one who activated his holo-dagger and swiped it at Liara's face.

Meanwhile, Ser-Ket found herself pinned to the floor by her Sister who at this very moment was more powerful, considering she was using her Beast mode. If the Femme was going to win this, she knew that she would need to change too. But that was something Ser-Ket did not want to do, so instead she looked up at Rip-Claw who drooled a little as she lowered her head closer and bared her teeth. That was all the former Predacon needed as she then head butted her Sister who yelped in response as she pulled back, that freed the Femme's arms and she followed up by swiping her holo-blades across Rip-Claw's chest which cut deep enough through to reach the skin beneath.

This earned another howl of pain from the Predacon who got up off Ser-Ket, who followed suit and then attacked again with another swipe of her blades. Her adversary though managed to deflect the strikes with the armour of her gauntlets before reacting with an attack of her own with her sharp claws, Rip-Claw managed to get a hit on Ser-Ket across her face, which left a deep cut on her left cheek as she stumbled back a few steps. The Predacon Commander then smiled deviously before showing her blood covered claws and took a lick from one of their tips, showing pleasure in the act of making her enemy bleed.

"Is that all you can do, Rip-Claw? Just make a little scratch?" Ser-Ket asked with a sarcastic tone, which made the other Femme's blood boil as she gritted her teeth.

"I will bath in your blood, you traitorous wretch!" she roared as she lunged at her former Sister, who dodged the attack and sliced her holo-blade at her adversary's side, spilling blood out and earning another cry from her as she covered the wound with her arm and backed off slightly.

"Come on, Rip-Claw. Where is that killer instinct you claim is always on the burn in your spark? Or do you only have that when facing enemies that clearly can't beat you?" Ser-Ket said, making her Sister's eyes narrow even more as she looked back with pure hatred.

'That's it, keep pissing her of until she can't think straight and just goes berserk, then Rip-Claw is simply another wild animal who can be out-thought and defeated.' the former Predacon thought before she went into another attack and brought both her holo-blades down upon Rip-Claw, who this time stopped the attack instantly by blocking both blades with her right gauntlet which earned a look of surprise from Ser-Ket.

"Not so animalistic as you thought, huh?" she spat back, leaving Ser-Ket completely gob smacked.

'She was playing me?' she thought before Rip-Claw with her free hand punched the Femme so hard in the chest, that it felt like a sledge hammer had hit her as it sent her flying into one of the serves behind her. As she hit the ground Ser-Ket's back and chest both ached, earning a grunt from her as she saw her Sister walking over to her slowly.

As this happened, Liara had just disarmed the Terracon of his knife and punched him in the face with another biotic attack, one that knocked him unconscious. She then saw Rip-Claw standing over Ser-Ket and was about to move to assist when suddenly the Asari stopped and raised her glowing hand in the air, which immediately made the other two Terracons, who had recovered and were attacking her from behind.

This made them stop and float in the air as blue energy covered their bodies, and then Liara snapped her fingers and made both men slam into each other, taking themselves out as they fell to the ground unconscious. Liara then returned her attention to Ser-Ket and saw Rip-Claw preparing to give the killing blow and so reached her hand out at one of the servers and concentrated, which made the object glow with energy before it was ripped off it's hinges and made to float in the air. As this was happening, the Predacon Commander knelt down beside her traitorous Sister and held her sharp claws up, ready to strike.

"I have looked forward to this, Sister. So very much. I will be sure to send your Autobot friends to join you in the Allspark….. Farewell." she said with a finality to her voice before bringing the claws down upon Ser-Ket, when suddenly she stopped just short as someone interrupted her.

"Rip-Claw." a voice shouted, making the Femme turn round just in time to see a server hit he square in the face, knocking the Predacon to the floor hard. Liara stood there and maintained control of the broken server with her biotics, Ser-Ket could only lie there and watch as Rip-Claw tried to get back to her feet but was stopped in her tracks as the server was slammed down upon her, knocking the Femme unconscious.

"Are you alright?" Liara then asked as she released the server, which fell to the ground with a loud bang and rushed over to Ser-Ket's side.

"I will be, thank you, Liara." the former Predacon replied, earning a smile from the Asari as she helped her to her feet.

"You're welcome." she replied before turning her attention to Nightracer who was just coming too, heading over to the Autobot and leaving Ser-Ket by herself, who then felt a strange but familiar sensation in her chest.

'It can't be.' she thought as the feeling was from something she had thought gone as a look of worry appeared on her face, as both Liara and Nightracer looked over to her and noticed this.

"What's wrong?" Nightracer asked, making the former Predacon shake her head in return.

"Nothing, I am alright." she lied as she tried to push her fears aside and focus on the task at hand.

"We should get moving back to the rendezvous." she added while walking over to join her friends, Liara meanwhile looked over at Rip-Claw who as still unconscious.

"What about her?"

"Leave her. We don't have time to waste." Ser-Ket replied, gaining a nod of agreement from Nightracer.

"Ser-Ket's right, let's go." the Autobot said in return, as the trio rushed out of the room and back into the corridor. Nightracer then tapped her com-link as they ran back the way they came.

"Bravo to Alpha, do you read? We have achieved the mission objectives and are returning to the rendezvous point."

"We read you loud and clear, Nightracer. Good job." Orion replied into his com-link as both he and Quickstrike shot down two more Terracons who stood in their path, as the pair continued down the large tunnel.

"We are almost at our target, see you at the rendezvous." he added before ending the call, just as Quickstrike pointed at a doorway just ahead of them.

"There it is." he stated as the pair approached the door with weapons ready, taking positions on both sides of the doors.

"So how many Terracons do you think are in there?" Orion asked, as his cousin reloaded his rifle in preparation.

"Considering it usually takes around four Engineers to man a sub-station like this, I would say there would have to be the same number of Terracons in there."

"Well, only one way to find out." Orion replied as he pressed the door activation panel and opened the door, then his cousin went in first and immediately took note that there were exactly four enemy soldiers in the room, just like he said there would be. They all had their backs turned to the pair who managed to enter quietly enough, Quickstrike moved over to the closest of the group first and grabbed him via the throat to strangle him.

Orion kept his rifle trained on the other three, but the struggling Terracon managed to kick the terminal as he fought back which alerted the others. They turned round and looked at the Autobots in surprise as they began to equip their weapons, but Orion fired a shot directly into the spark of one of them, making him fall to the ground in a heap. And followed through and shot the second in the head, earning a splat of blood-like liquid on the wall behind him as he fell to the ground.

But the third managed to get his weapon ready and began aiming it at Quickstrike who was still strangling the first Terracon, but before Orion could do anything his cousin kept hold of his target with one arm, while equipping his hand-gun with the other and then shot the third Terracon in the face in one quick smooth action. Then as that corpse fell to the ground, he re-holstered his gun and then killed the Terracon in his hands by snapping his neck.

"Why didn't you do that to start with?" Orion asked as the blonde Bot dropped the body to the ground and looked around the room.

"Didn't think of that one at first." he replied, earning a surprised expression from his cousin.

"What?...I'm only Cybertronian. Come on, you use that terminal while I man this one." he added as he gestured to the blood splattered terminal next to the blue haired Bot, as he began typing on the holo-interface of the one next to him.

"Orion, you activate the diagnostic while I begin to overload the reactor." Quickstrike said, gaining a nod from his cousin who typed on the holo-pad in front of him. The pair then spent several minutes looking on the system until Orion smiled as a data window appeared on his terminal's holo-screen.

"I have found the diagnostic, Quickstrike, and I'm running it now." Orion replied, earning a smile from the blonde Autobot.

"That's good timing, because I have found the program that controls the reactor and it sub-stations. I am overloading one of them as we speak, hopefully the diagnostic you activated should keep the power build-up hidden until it's too late."

As Quickstrike typed in the last command, his holo-screen flashed red with a warning and a timer that began counting down.

'Warning, if final key entry is given, the reactor will overload in five minutes. Warning, reactor will overload in five minutes.'

The Bot then activated his holo-tool and typed on it's interface until another timer appeared on it's screen, this one said ten minutes which confused Orion a little as he looked at his cousin.

"Why the extra time?"

"It will only take five minutes for the reactor to begin an overload, but it will take a further five minutes for the overload to destroy the reactor, so.." the Bot explained before turning back to the terminal and pressing the key on it's interface, which began the countdown.

"Alright, time to haul ass." Quickstrike stated before both he and Orion ran out of the room and back into the corridor.

"It's this way to the exit, that should take us back to the surface." The blonde Bot added as the pair ran down the tunnel, with Orion tapping his com-link as they did so.

"This is Alpha team, objective complete. I repeat, objective complete. On way to rendezvous point."

The Bot then ended the transmission and readied his weapon, as both Bots spotted three more Terracons approaching ahead of them.

PRIME EFFECT 4

"On way to rendezvous point."

That was what Nightracer heard from her com-link as she, Liara and Ser-Ket ran through the grass field on the way back to the rendezvous. They had exited the complex just a few minutes ago and luckily had not come across any more Terracons, hence the good time they were making.

"Alpha team is on their way out." she said back to Liara and Ser-Ket, gaining looks of relief from the pair.

"That's just what I wanted to hear." the Asari replied with a smile, with the Predacon Femme nodding in agreement.

"Same here."

"Well, we should see them back at the rendezvous..." Nightracer said, before the sound of grass being crunched underfoot caught her's and the others attention. The trio stopped and raised their weapons in the direction the sound was heard.

"You think it's more Stalkers?" Liara asked, earning a shrug of the shoulders from Ser-Ket.

"I'm not sure, but..."

But before she could finish her sentence, Shen suddenly appeared from under the long grass with his sniper rifle aimed at them.

"Freeze!" he exclaimed, surprising the women before they realised who it was.

"Shen? What the hell! Stop pointing that gun at us." Nightracer spat back, gaining an embarrassed expression from the Turian before he lowered the sniper rifle.

"Sorry, I thought you might have been more Terracons."

"What do you mean? And why are you not at the rendezvous?" the Autobot Femme replied with a confused look, one that was shared by both Liara and Ser-Ket.

"I'm sorry, but the rendezvous is lost. There are Predacon troops all over the site. I first noticed them scouting out the areas nearby, sort of like searching the perimeter around the city. Then when they got to close, that's why I decided to move. Didn't think it would be good for them to find me, plus I was outnumbered so I made my way down here knowing that I would probably run into you guys." Shen said back.

"So why did you think we were Terracons?" Ser-Ket asked in return, still wanting that particular detail to be explained.

"I have been evading these enemies ever since you guys headed off for the complex, so I have been a bit on edge." the Turian replied.

"Okay, well I better let Bravo team know that we have a change of plan." Nightracer said before tapping her com-link.

"Alpha, this is Bravo. Do you read?"

Meanwhile, Orion and Quickstrike had just fought through the third team of Terracons as they made their way through the tunnel system, when the XO's com-link went off.

"Alpha, this is Bravo. Do you read?" the Femme's voice came though, gaining a nod from Orion as he saw the last Terracon fall to the ground with smoke emanating from bullet holes in his chest.

"Read you loud and clear, Bravo, What's the sit-rep?"

"We are clear of the complex, but our rendezvous has been lost. So we should regroup at current coordinates?" the Femme replied.

"Why? What's happened to the rendezvous?"

"The Predacon patrols nearly found Shen as he awaited our return, he is with us now. But their patrols are apparently watching the perimeter around the city, so I think we should regroup here." Nightracer said back.

"Alright, well we are nearly out of here..." the Bot replied before turning to Quickstrike.

"How long until the reactor goes?"

This made the blonde Bot look at the timer on his holo-tool which just crossed the three and a half-minute mark, which was met by a tremor shook the entire area.

"Well, since my timer is down to nearly two minutes and the tremors are now starting, I would say it's close." he said back, gaining a nod from Orion as rocks and dust began to fall from the rocky ceiling due to the quake.

"Did you guys feel that?" he said back into his com-link.

"Yes, we did. So it's started. Better hurry up and get up here." the Autobot Femme replied.

"We are on our way, ETA one minute." Orion said back as suddenly he and Quickstrike felt another tremor, though this one felt different.

"What in the Allspark was that?" the Bot asked as both looked at each other confused.

"I don't think that was the reactor, that felt too close." Quickstrike said back, before they felt another tremor followed by another.

"That feels more like foot steps." the young Darby replied as the Blonde Bot went quiet and his face looked worried.

"Oh crap." was all he said as the tremors got even closer and he pointed ahead of himself and Orion, towards the way they needed to go. His cousin looked too just in time to see a large white and blue metallic dragon turn a corner several hundred meters ahead and enter the tunnel that they were currently in, it's yellow eyes narrowing as it spotted them and growled.

"What the..."

"It's Skystalker." Quickstrike exclaimed before grabbing Orion's shoulder and yanking him back.

"Run!" he shouted just as the beast roared and began charging at them, the ground shaking with every foot fall from them Predacon.

"what's going on?" Nightracer asked frantically down the com-link.

"Our exit is blocked, by something called Skystalker." Orion shouted back while running as fast as he could.

"Nightracer?" the Femme replied before Ser-Ket's voice could be heard in the back ground.

"By the Allspark."

The pair of Bots continued to sprint through the tunnel as the beast gained on them with every stride, getting that much closer to killing them.

"Is there any other way out?" Liara could be heard asking in a panic before Nightracer spoke up on the Com-link.

"You guys have another way out right?" she said with a growing worry in her voice.

"No we don't...wait thats it!" Orion said back as an idea hit him.

"Have to end the call here, calling the Normandy." the Bot said back before ending the call.

"Wait...what?..." was all Nightracer could say before her voice fizzled out, and the Bot tapped his com-link again while breathing heavily as he forces his muscles to keep going as he and Quickstrike continued to run.

"Orion to Normandy. Come in, Normandy."

"This is Rodimus, what can..." the Commander spoke before his XO jumped in.

"We need a ground-bridge to Bravo team's location now!"

"Orion, our ground-bridge mode has not been tested yet." the Commander replied while Quickstrike looked over his shoulder to see the Predacon beast getting even closer as it roared.

"Whatever you're going to do, make it fast!" he shouted.

"There's no time like the present, Rodimus. Activate a ground-bridge portal in front of our signals."

"Roger that...get the ground-bridge operational...I don't care, just do it." Orion could hear his mentor and friend yell at the other end of the com-link as he spotted three Terracons as both he and Quickstrike ran past the them. The Cons quickly equipped their weapons, but then suddenly looked surprised at the sight of their enemies fleeing. But then the sound of a ear splitting roar from behind them made the Terracons look back, their eyes widened in horror at what they saw.

"Scrap!" one exclaimed as he tried to run before all three were then trampled on by the beast. Meanwhile Quickstrike took a glance at his holo-tool while he ran before looking over at his cousin.

"nine, eight, seven…!" he began to shout as the tremors from the reactor grew in strength, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling.

"Watch out!" Orion shouted back before looking over his shoulder to see the beast roar and then follow through by keeping it's mouth open as it began to charge its fire breath, Skystalker was now so close behind them that the young Darby could see right to the back of it's throat as the fire started to emerge.

So he bit his lip and looked back to the front, silently praying for some kind of miracle to stop the pair of them from being incinerated. And then suddenly, as if someone had heard him, a green light appeared and reflected off Orion's eyes just as the timer hit zero.

And in that instant, miles away, the geo-thermal reactor located right below the Communications Tower which was under so much pressure and strain exploded all of a sudden, sending a massive shockwave out in all directions and a fireball of superheated plasma upwards.

Bravo team fought to keep on their feet as the entire area around them was hit by an earthquake the likes of which they had not experienced.

"What the hell?" Shen exclaimed as Ser-Ket suddenly pointed towards the Tower that could be seen clearly from their location, as it was the tallest building in the entire city. The structure began to shake and crack as it was rattled with internal explosions across it's entire surface, gaining a smile from Nightracer.

"They did it." she said with relief in her voice, but she then looked back at both Liara and Ser-Ket who were watching the spectacle with worry written across their faces.

"Where are they?" the Asari asked out loud as if hoping for someone to answer her, but it was a question to which no one could. All they could do was watch as the tower began to collapse and fall like a deck of cards to the ground below, creating a massive dust cloud which glowed as the fire continued to burn brightly at the center of the city. Everyone saw the destruction, from the Terracons patrolling the streets to the civilians trapped in their homes as prisoners, looking out of their windows at the sight before them.

"Surely they got out?" Ser-Ket asked with a slight glimmer of hope, before suddenly a bright green vortex opened up just a few feet away from the group. Everyone knew what it was, but held their breath to see who would emerge from it's event horizon when in the blink of an eye, both Orion and Quickstrike dived through and hit the ground hard.

They rolled on their sides across the grass as a fireball exited the vortex right behind them and burnt out safely over the pair, earning dumbfounded looks from everyone there. Then just as it quickly as it appeared, the vortex closed and the pair of Bots slowly got to their feet and looked up at the others.

"Hey, Guys. Mind if we drop in?" Orion asked, earning a big smile from Liara who rushed over and pulled the blue haired Bot into a embrace. Ser-Ket followed suit immediately and embraced Quickstrike who gave her a kiss in return, which made Shen smile at Nightracer coyly.

"Wanna give me a hug or a kiss?"

The Femme simply shook her head and chuckled before slapping his shoulder, and then began walking over to Orion who was still in the middle of an embrace with Liara.

"I was so worried you were…" she started to say, before the Bot cut her off.

"It's alright, I did too…for a moment." he replied while hugging her back, happy to see that she too was unhurt. Similar happenings were going on between Quickstrike and Ser-Ket as they had yet to let go of each other, but then both pair's attention was caught by Nightracer, who approached them.

"So, they got the ground-bridge mode of the space-bridge generator working?" she asked, gaining nods from the cousins who finally separated from Ser-Ket and Liara.

"Yeah, just in the nick of time too." the blonde Bot replied, as Orion looked back at the Femme.

"So I take it the Communications blackout has been lifted?".

"Yes, we managed to deactivate the block that was keeping all ISF forces from communicating with each other, and now with the destruction of the Hub complete, there is no way for the Predacons to do it again." Nightracer replied, earning a smile from the young Darby.

"That's great, and did you manage to get any Intel from their database?"

"I downloaded everything I could from their systems, Orion, from fleet movements to intelligence reports. Plus, there is something very interesting I found concerning Cybertron. I would suggest you look at that first." Ser-Ket replied as she activated her holo-tool and began transferring the Intel to the Autobot Spectre's, which made the Bot give the Femme an appreciative smile in return.

"Thank you, Ser-Ket. I am glad you are on our side." he said back, earning a mirrored expression from the Femme.

"As am I, Orion."

Quickstrike joined her side and placed held her hand in his own as he smiled at her and then the others.

"Yeah, go team! But I think we should be getting out of here now…right?" he said, which made everyone but Ser-Ket nod back in agreement. The former Predacon looked back at the city, pulling her hand out from the blonde Bot's grasp, earning a surprised expression from him.

"Ser-Ket?"

"Quickstrike is right, you should go. I can already tell that the others are coming." she replied in an ominous tone, one that caught the attention of everyone.

"Why did you say 'you' and not 'we' should go, Ser-Ket?" the blond Bot asked as he stepped in front of the Femme who had turned her eyes to the ground.

"Yeah, your part of the team now, Ser-Ket. I don't think Orion is going to say no to you now." Shen added, earning angry looks from Liara and Nightracer while the blue haired Bot did not know where to look. But they were all ignored by Quickstrike as he kept his focus completely on the woman who had come to be his lover.

"Ser-Ket, talk to me. What's going on?" he asked gently, but she still kept her eyes from him.

"You should go." was all she could say.

"Not with out you, I'm not. You didn't think that I was going to leave you here did you. Getting the two of us off this planet has been all I can think about since you helped me escape that prison cell." he said as he reached down and took one of her hands in his own while with the other, he touched the Bottom of her chin and gently raised her face so that her eyes would meet his.

"..You're a part of my life now, Ser-Ket, and I…" he started to say before she pressed a finger against his lips and stopped him mid sentence.

"I know, Quickstrike. You mean exactly the same to me. Which is why this has been made even harder for myself." she replied as she looked into his eyes, those beautiful eyes that she could just lose herself in.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't go with you. I want to be with you more than anything, Quickstrike, but you have to leave me behind.

The Bot's eyes widened at those words as he looked back at her in shock and disbelief.

"No, I won't leave you behind. Why do I have too?"

"Because if you don't, then you will risk the lives of everyone of your friends standing here now." Ser-Ket replied before taking a step back from the blonde Bot and opening the chest-plate of her armour slightly. Everyone including Quickstrike looked on silence as a small light could be seen blinking on and off brightly under the skin of her chest.

"What is that?" Nightracer asked, beating the others to the question.

"It's a tracking beacon, it's giving off my position to the Predacons." Ser-Ket replied, making the others suddenly look around themselves, while Quickstrike continued to look at the Femme.

"It's how they found us back at the escape shuttle hanger, Quickstrike. I thought it had been broken during our fight with Skystalker…but…..I was wrong." she added as she closed up the chest-plate.

"That's why I cannot go with you. Because if I did, then the Predacons would know exactly where your ship is and attack it. And I can't take that risk."

Quickstrike then responded by grabbing the Femme by her arms and looking at her desperately, not wanting to let go.

"No, you don't have to do this. We can cut it out. Leave it here for them to find." he said back, but the Femme shook her head in response.

"It's too close to my spark, removing it would kill me."

"Then I am not going, I am staying here with you." the blonde Bot replied defiantly, earning shocked looks from the rest of the group.

"Quickstrike…" Nightracer said back, earning a calm and content look from the Bot as he came to terms with what he must do.

"You guys go without me, because I am not leaving Ser-Ket."

But as he turned his attention away from his love, the Femme clenched her fist and shook her head gently.

"I am so sorry, Quickstrike, but I can't let you do this." she whispered, which made the Bot look back as he caught the end of her words.

"What did you sa….." he started to say as he looked back at her, but the last thing he saw was her fist hitting him straight in the center of his face.

"Whooooaaah!" Shen exclaimed as Quickstrike fell to the ground unconscious, earning shocked looks from everyone as Orion rushed to his cousin's side.

"Why did you..?" he asked as he looked down at the Bot before looking up at Ser-Ket.

"You know why. I cannot let him risk his life for me. I care about him to much for that." she replied before looking back at the city, noticing lights moving toward their location.

"They are nearly here, you should go."

"Shen, give me a hand here." Orion said, gaining the Turian's attention who then came over and helped him pick up his unconscious cousin. He then tapped his com-link with his free hand.

"Normandy, we need a ground-bridge now." he said and a second later the green vortex opened up behind them all.

"Remember what I said, Orion. Be sure to look at the data on Cybertron first, and take care of him for me." Ser-Ket said, earning a nod from the Bot.

"I will….on both counts, and thank you." he said back before offering he Femme his free hand, who looked at it for a moment before smiling in return and accepting it.

"Alright, Everyone, let's go." Orion then said back, earning nods from Nightracer and Liara who took one last look at Ser-Ket before rushing into the vortex, disappearing in the green swirling light. Orion and Shen were about to move with the unconscious Quickstrike, but the Femme moved in close to the Bot and whispered in his ear.

"I hope you can forgive me. I love you, Quickstrike,….Goodbye."

And then suddenly, the former Predacon equipped her rifle, turned round into a kneeling position and fired several shots into a Terracon as it was charging towards them.

"Go!" she shouted back before laying down covering fire, making the enemy troops scatter while Orion and Shen carried his cousin towards the portal. Ser-Ket just kept firing at the Terracons, not allowing them a second to catch their breath. But the Femme could see that she would be overrun in a matter of seconds, and so switched to her holo-blades and began cutting down the enemy troops one after another.

Both Orion and Shen watched in amazement at Ser-Ket, who fought the enemy single-handedly as they both began to enter the event horizon of the vortex. But that was when Quickstike started to come too, and the first thing his eyes laid on was the sight of his lover fighting off the Terracon hordes.

"Ser-Ket!" he exclaimed as both his cousin and his friend fought to keep him in their grips as they pulled him into the portal.

"Don't fight us, Quickstrike." Shen pleaded with him.

"It's what she wants." Orion added with sympathy in his voice, but the last thing the blonde Bot would see, would be the Terracons surrounding Ser-Ket and tackling her to the ground before continually pummelling her, just as the portal closed around him and the others as they were surrounded by green light, but leaving his lover in the hands of the enemy as storm clouds gathered overhead.

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  • 2 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXVII

Everything happened so fast, one second Quickstrike was looking at Ser-Ket facing off against a horde of Terracons. Then in a flash of green light, he was standing what looked like a shuttle-bay.

The Bot saw the vortex close in front him before hearing footsteps approaching from behind, so he turned around to see Orion and Shen standing at either side of him.

Liara and Nightracer were also there, as was a man he did not recognise who was blonde and wore red and gold armour.

"Orion, report." he said, earning a nod from the blue haired Bot.

"Rodimus, We disabled the technology being used by the Predacons to jam all Autobot communications and then destroyed the tower to ensure that they could not do it again."

"Good job. You should know that we have already made contact with Autobot Command. They are mobilizing the fleets as we speak, so we can take back Omicron from the Predacons. That's just for starters."

"We also gained a significant amount of Intel from the enemy's database, with your permission I would like to start looking through it immediately." Liara added, earning a nod from Rodimus. So the Asari then activated her holo-tool and linked it to Orion's, transferring it to hers.

"Don't forget what Ser-Ket said. Look at the Cybertron data first." the XO said, earning a nod from her as the Commander gave them all a confused look.

"Who is Ser-Ket?"

"Ser-Ket is the one who made this mission a success,...Commander, and then paid for it." Quickstrike suddenly came out and said with a tinge of anger and pain in his voice, earning the Commander's attention as he looked back. But before he could say anything, the Bot walked out of the shuttle-bay, leaving everyone in there in a limbo like state.

"That was Orion's cousin, Sir." Shen stated as a surprised Rodimus looked to his XO for answers.

"Ser-Ket was a Predacon who switched sides and helped us with our mission. Quickstrike is correct in saying that without her help, our mission would have failed." the blue haired Bot replied.

"There's more to it than that though, right? I mean that's impression I got from him." the Commander replied, gaining a nod from the team.

"Ser-Ket rescued Quickstrike from the other Predacons, and they became close over the time they were on the run." Liara added.

"I see." Rodimus replied with a thoughtful look, while Orion took a step towards the door.

"I'll go talk to him." he said while looking back.

"Want me to help?" Liara asked as she took a step towards him, but the Bot made a 'stop' like gesture in return.

"It's alright, I've got this. You should make a start on that Intel." he replied, earning a nod from her. With that Orion left the shuttle-bay, with Rodimus heading that way too.

"I should get back to the CIC, Liara keep me apprised on your progress."

"Of course, Commander." she replied as the Elite Spectre left took his leave.

"Want a hand going through that Intel, Liara?" Nightracer asked, gaining a smile from the Asari.

"Sure." she replied as the two started for the door, with Shen in pursuit.

"I'll go see what Smokescreen and Grunt are up too?"

And with that the group all left the shuttle-bay.

Orion arrived on deck three and stepped out into the corridor, hoping he would find his cousin there since a passing crewman on the previous floor had seen someone of Quickstrike's description heading for elevator. The blue haired Bot checked the Mess, the starboard observation room and the Infirmary, saying a quick Hi to Red-Alert as he did but still did not find Quickstrike.

'Okay, there is only one place left on this deck he could go if he wanted to be alone.' he thought as he walked through the corridor to the door labelled 'Port observation lounge'.

He opened the door to reveal a dimly lit room with several chairs, two couches and a poker table at it's furthest wall. The only real light to enter the room was from the massive window that showcased the ocean of stars beyond the Normandy's hull. And it was there that Orion spotted Quickstrike, the Bot was standing there and looking out at the stars in silence, until he saw his cousin's reflection in the glass.

"If you don't mind, Orion, I would like to be alone right now." he said calmly while keeping his attention on the view in front of him, but the blue haired Bot merely entered the room with the door closing behind him, sealing out the light of the corridor and darkening the room once again.

"I am so sorry, Quickstrike. I was wrong about her, and I am sorry. I wish we could have brought her with us." the Bot replied with regretful tone in his voice.

"I still can't believe that there wasn't any other way, we didn't have to leave her back there." the blonde Autobot said back as he looked over his shoulder to Orion, who could see the Bot's eyes were slowly welling up.

"Ser-Ket saw no other way out of it, what she did...she did to protect us...to protect you. She didn't want you to die on that planet, she loved you." Orion replied, gaining a knowing look from his cousin.

"I heard her whisper it into your ear when Shen and I were carrying you." he added, making Quickstrike nod in return.

"I know, I heard it myself. While I was unconscious, I heard a mixture of sounds echoing around me. They were faint and hard to make out, until suddenly everything went quiet and then the sweetest voice I had ever heard spoke. 'I love you...goodbye'." the Bot replied as he looked back out of the window, but as he said that last sentence, Orion could see there was far more meant in those words for Quickstrike.

"You love her."

"Yes..." the blonde Autobot replied, as he nodded back.

"We only knew each other for several days, but in that time I had to come to care for her more than..." he said until he felt himself being overcome by his grief and stopped, letting silence fall in the room. But Orion joined his cousin's side and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, to let the Autobot know he was not alone as he wiped a stray tear from his cheek with his hand.

"What is it?" the blue haired Bot asked.

"I just wish I had told Ser-Ket how I felt, what if she'd..." Quickstrike began to say before Orion cut him off, not allowing his cousin to finish that sentence.

"She knew how much you felt for her, Quickstrike. She knew through your experiences with her before we arrived, and how you stood by her side during my...you know." the young Darby said with a regretful expression, the memory of how treated the former Predacon was still fresh in his mind and it certainly was not his proudest moment.

"...and finally in the way you wanted to stay behind with her, despite what that would entail. Ser-Ket knew you loved her Quickstrike."

Everything again went quiet as the blonde Bot thought on Orion's words, until he finally turned round and faced his cousin, with a look of acceptance on his face.

"Your right Cuz, thanks." he replied, gaining a nod in return from the blue haired Bot.

"So what do I do know? Go home and sit by my Mother's side until she wakes?" he then asked.

"You could do that, but...what do you want to do?" Orion asked in return.

"I...I want to keep fighting...for Ser-Ket and for my Father." Quickstrike replied as his face became serious as he looked back out at the stars.

"Then in that case, I will tell Rodimus that you'll join my team. We can honour them both by defeating the Predacons and ruining whatever plans they have."

The blonde Bot nodded in return as Orion turned back towards the door.

"Want to come with me to the CIC?"

"I will in a bit, but first I just want to be alone with my thoughts." Quickstrike replied.

"Alright, take your time." the blue haired Bot said back before he opened the door, letting the light of the corridor re-enter the room.

"Thanks, Orion." his cousin said back, earning a nod from him before he walked out. The door then closed, darkening the room again as Quickstrike looked out of the window at the stars once more.

"I love you, Ser-Ket." he said in a whisper, while another singluar tear ran down his cheek again.

Meanwhile, the rain was coming down hard on the long grass of Omicron, while a mass of Terracons stood together in a huddle. Most of then were looking towards the center of the group, almost as if something of great value was located at that location. But there were a few stragglers at the outer edges who looked back at city and the massive cloud of smoke that was billowing from the site where the communications tower used to stand.

"We have incoming." one of the troops shouted as a shuttle suddenly landed in the area, its hatch opening to reveal Rip-Claw standing at the exit.

"Commander Rip-Claw, you are hurt." the Terracon closest to the Femme observed as she stepped out from the confines of the small transport, wearing a bandage around her head.

" I am fine, my body is healing perfectly fine. I simply have a headache from some Asari who decided to hit me with a Server a few times, that's all." she answered in a sarcastic tone, earning a worried expression from the man.

"I meant no disrespect, Sir."

"Well your not the one who has to explain all of this to Lord Galvatron...are you? So please tell me we have something to cushion the blow?" she replied, gaining a sly smile and nod from the Terracon.

"We certainly do, Commander." he said back before he waved his hands, making the other Cons separate and reveal what lied at their feet at the center of the horde. The Femme's frown turned into a smile as she looked down at the site.

"Well, I say...Is she alive?"

"She has suffered multiple injuries, but yes...she is still alive." the soldier said back.

"Excellent, get her on board the Achilles and patch her up. Lord Galvatron will wish to see this traitor himself." Rip-Claw replied as she looked down at the unconscious and bloodied form of Ser-Ket, lying down in the muddy grass.

PRIME EFFECT 4

It had been a few hours since she had been captured, but Aria sat in her cell and stared with a blank expression straight ahead at the force field that was covering her one and only way out, but it wasn't escaping that she was thinking of...it was vengeance. The Asari was so fixated and caught up in her own thoughts, that she did not notice that Arcee was staring at her from the cell the Femme was sharing with her spark-mate.

"Aria, how are you holding up?"

"Absolutely fine." the former Omega leader replied coldly while keeping her attention on the wall, which was puzzling the Femme somewhat.

"I see. Well, if you need to talk.."

But before she could finish, Aria looked over and Arcee could see the anger in her eyes.

"I appreciate what you are trying to do, Arcee, but I am fine. I am simply waiting for our hosts to return." the Asari replied candidly before looking past the Femme to the Prime sitting beside her, a confused expression appearing on her face.

"What is he doing?"

This made Arcee turn her attention to Jack who was staring at his only remaining hand, he looked like he was looking at it with a very focused expression as he kept himself fixated on his appendage.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Arcee asked with a similar expression to Aria, who was looking at Jack too who was now clenching his hand into a fist and closing his eyes.

"Jack?" she asked again, finding this behaviour strange from her lover.

"Hey, Prime. What's with the constipated look over there?" Aria then asked, earning a slight smirk from him.

"Sorry, but if you both could just stay quiet for a moment." he replied while keeping his arms closed and fist tightly clenched.

"Why, what are you doing?" the Femme asked.

"Just trying something, I'm not sure if it will even work." the Prime said back which gained a look from his spark-mate, one that told him she did not buy it.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Jack."

"Okay, you know that my Prime armour..." he began to say while gesturing to the very outfit he was still wearing, earning a nod from the Femme who glanced at it and noticed how damaged it was.

"...allows me to summon a holographic re-creation of both the Star-Saber and the Skyboom Shield.

"Yes, Jack. What are you getting at?." Arcee said back with an impatient tone, one that was reciprocated by Liara with a look.

"We have both seen this, Prime."

"...yeah, and I am generally left handed. So, that is the hand that gets the Saber. But I think I can summon it to my right hand." he said with an enthusiastic tone while holding his clenched hand before him, gaining a look of surprise from the women.

"How did you figure that out?" Arcee asked.

"Back when I was temporarily allied with MECH in an effort to stop the Quintessons, we boarded one of their ships to gain Intel. Now during our escape, I used the Skyboom Shield to protect Miranda...but I summoned it to my left hand."

"So, you think that if you could do that with the shield, that it should work with the Star Saber too." the Femme asked, gaining a nod from Jack.

"Exactly, so I just need a minute to focus."

"But in your current condition..., I mean using the Star Saber has an effect on your body even when you don't charge it up. So with what you have gone through..." Arcee replied with a concerned look on her face, but Jack gave her a reassuring smile.

"Arcee, I am feeling stronger now than I did earlier. And this might be our only chance to escape, but we need to do this together." he said back, before looking over to Aria who nodded in return but the Prime could see that she had something else in mind...and that was troubling.

"Aria, I want you to know that 'we' want to see Galvatron pay for our son's...death too. But if we have any hope of escaping, then we have to put that aside until we are in a better position to do so. We can't afford to let revenge cloud our senses, so I need 'your word' that you won't try to kill Galvatron now."

The Asari narrowed her eyes at the Prime, letting him know that she wasn't happy with the terms but he wasn't about to take no for answer.

"Aria, I swear that we will help you take Galvatron down and make him pay for the crimes committed against the Federation, Omega and... 'us'. Surely we have proven ourselves enough for you to trust us?"

The Prime and the Omega Leader just looked at each other as Arcee watched, for she knew exactly how strong the pull of revenge was and what it takes to ignore it for the greater good. As did Jack, but then again...he is a Prime. They do not have the luxury of ignoring the bigger picture.

"Alright, Prime. I'll do it your way." Aria then said, earning a supportive smile from both Spark-mates before the Prime returned his attention to his hand, clenching it tightly and focusing on it alone.

"Don't know how long this wil..." he started to say before the sight of the holographic Star-Saber blade materialised, glowing with a gentle blue hue which silenced the Prime and earned wide eyed expressions from both women.

"Well, I'll be damned." Aria said, while Arcee smiled at Jack.

"It worked,. Wait,...how do you feel?" she said, as she suddenly switched from impressed to mother Hen mode.

"I feel fine." Jack replied before getting to his feet, quickly followed by the Femme and Asari.

"Be ready, who knows how many guards are stationed on the other side of that door." he added before swinging the blade at the force-field and slicing a a cut through it, which made the energy crackle as the cut expanded and then brought the entire field down in an instant. Which was followed by a siren blaring out of the inter-com while the room's illumination changed to a flashing red hue.

"Prisoners have escaped! Prisoners have escaped!" the Nemesis computer spoke calmly as Jack and Arcee left their cell.

"Arcee, open Aria's cell door." the Prime said back, earning a nod from the Femme who looked back at him And spotted two Terracons entering the room.

"Jack! Behind you!"

Darby saw this and immediately and with fluid movement, stabbed the saber into the chest of the enemy right in front of him. And before the other could raise his weapon quickly enough, the Prime removed the blade, spun around and sliced off the other's head. Both corpses fell to the ground, just as Aria's force field came down, allowing the Asari to walk out and give Jack an impressed smile.

"Not bad, one arm or two. You've still got it."

"He's my Prime." Arcee affectionately added, earning a loving smile from Jack.

"Now, could you get this thing off me?" the Asari then asked, while gesturing to the Biotic clamp around her neck.

"Hold still." Jack then said before perfectly slicing the device into two pieces that fell to the ground, earning a relieved smile from her.

"Thank you."

"Come on, I know the way off this ship." he replied as Arcee picked up one of the guns and the trip left the Brig.

Meanwhile on the Nemesis bridge, Galvatron was looking around with a curious grin as the lights continued to flash the colour red and the inter-com continued with the computer's warning.

"Interesting, that Prime is more resourceful than I thought." he said while Six-Shot and Lazerback stood at either side of him.

"My Lord, I have called for extra squads of Terracons to guard all vital systems." the former said with a slightly panicked expression.

"And I have sent out Stalker and Terracon teams to recapture the Prisoners." the latter added, but Galvatron shook his head in return.

"You worry too much, Six-Shot. The Prime won't try anything as bold as that. And you can call off your squads Lazerback, I know where they are heading..." the Predacon Lord replied, before turning round and walking past them both.

"..and I will deal with them personally." he added, earning surprised expressions as they watched him leave the room.

"Lord Galvatron…" the Terracon manning the Nemesis's sensor array said aloud, gaining the Predacon's attention as he stopped short of the door and looked over to him.

"Omega reinforcements are coming through the space bridge." he added as he brought up the information on the main holo-screen for everyone to see.

"What is the status of those ships?" Galvatron asked.

"Their weapon systems are fully powered, but it seems that they have just stopped short of our front lines. None of our ships have reported being targeted."

The Predacon Leader smiled in return as he looked up at the holo-screen.

"That is a welcoming sign, that they are indecisive of what they should do. Let us hope that they continue to do so for just long enough for me to subdue their leader once again, the next part of my plan requires her presence" he replied before he then opened the door and exited the bridge, leaving all on the bridge somewhat confused as they returned to their duties.

A several decks below, another Terracon fell to the ground in a bloody heap as Jack, Arcee and Aria ran past and down the corridor, leaving yet another squad of Predacon troops dead in their wake.

"So, this is the way to the escape pods?" the Asari asked, gaining a nod from the older Darby leading the way.

"Yes, the Nemesis was meant to be the new Autobot flagship. So I made sure to familiarise myself with it's layout and systems. The escape pods are on the deck above us, so we need to access the maintenance ducts on this floor to gain entry to deck and it is just down this corridor."

The trio ran down the corridor until they came to a T-junction, earning a look of confusion from the women.

"Which way, Jack?" Arcee asked, gaining a knowing look from her Spark-mate.

"Left…I think." he replied with a smirk, which made the Femme roll her eyes in response.

"Very funny…" she said as they turned the corner and ran straight into another group of Terracons.

"Scrap!" the blue haired Femme exclaimed as the enemies opened fire which should of riddled the group with bullets, but Aria managed to create a biotic barrier which shielded them from harm. Then Arcee opened fire with her rifle as Jack charged in and disarmed the closest Terracon by slicing his arm off, and then driving the saber into it's heart. Then suddenly three more Terracons appeared, those these ones looked more feral and beast-like.

"What the hell are they?" Arcee said in a confused tone as the animal-men rushed the group but Jack merely smiled as one launched itself at him, only for the Prime to charge the Star-Saber which glowed bright blue as he swung it, cutting the creature right down the middle and splitting it into two halves. Another one jumped at Aria, who just held out her hand and channelled her biotic energy which stopped the creature in midair. She then saw the last one pounce at the Autobot Femme as she shot it several times. so she then threw the captive beast into it, sending both of the modified Terracons into the wall.

"Thanks," Arcee replied, earning a nod from Aria.

"You're welcome."

Meanwhile, Jack had found the hatch leading to the maintenance tube and opened it, revealing a ladder inside a tightly compact tube.

"Aria, you first." he said as the women joined him, earning a curious look from the Asari.

"Why? I don't know where we should go."

"Firstly, we are just going up to the next floor. Secondly, you can create a barrier to protect us if we happen to come across another patrol as we exit this tube." the Prime replied. Aria though instead of arguing, just accepted his reasoning and nodded before climbing into the hatch and climbing the ladder.

"Ladies first." Jack then said with a smile, earning an eye roll from the Femme.

"You just want to look at my bum as we climbing the ladder."

The older Darby feigned a look of innocence at that comment.

"Who…me?" he replied, but the Femme simply cocked her head and gave him a knowing smile.

"I know you too well…" she said back before climbing into the tube.

"..Enjoy the view," she added, making the Prime's smile grow a little wider as he then followed her.

"I will." he replied as he then closed the hatch behind her and started to climb the tube's ladder with them.

On the deck in question, a patrol of Terracons moved the corridor with their weapons ready as they kept an eye out for any sign of the escapees. The group walked past a hatch which then slowly opened to reveal Aria who climbed out while holding her hand out in front of her, which glowed blue with biotic energy. She noticed the Terracons walking out of sight and then gestured to the others below her before climbing out into the corridor.

"So where now?" the Asari asked as Jack and Arcee joined her, the Femme re-equipping her weapon as her lover activated the holo Star-saber again.

"Follow this corridor until we get to another T-junction and then take a right hand turn…" he started to say before suddenly more Terracons turned the corner right behind the group and immediately aimed their weapons at them, making Arcee and Aria ready themselves for another fight. But instead of opening fire, the enemy troops simply backed away and disappeared the way they had arrived, leaving Arcee confused.

"What the!...Why didn't they fight us?" the Femme asked with a disbelieving tone that was mirrored in the looks of her companions as they stared back utterly dumbstruck.

"I don't know..." Jack started to say before being interrupted by the sound of someone clapping behind them, which made the trio turn around and see Galvatron standing behind them.

"I feel I have to congratulate you on your escape attempt, even if it has failed...because truthfully I never saw it coming." he gloated, earning a look of hatred from Aria while Jack and Arcee looked a little more cautious while noticing that no Terracons were accompanying the Predacon Leader.

"He is facing us alone." Arcee observed, gaining a nod from him.

"That is correct, for I do not need backup to deal with the three of you." he said before an evil smile appeared on his face as he clenched his hands into fists, which infuriated Aria, who's own fists began to glow with biotic energy.

"You have taken everything from me, Galvatron, so the most I can do is wipe that smile off your face." she replied before performing a biotic charge at the Predacon as Jack tried and failed to stop her.

"Aria, wait!" he shouted, but the Asari was already through to Galvatron who suddenly had a purple glow of his own and thrust his hand forward and caught the female round her throat, stopping her in his tracks.

"Have you not learned from your mistakes back on Omega, or do you need another lesson?" he said before punching her repeatedly as her companions could only watch, since the Asari was blocking their line of fire. The Enemy Leader then threw her to the ground hard, making her grimace before she tried to recover. Arcee immediately fired her weapon at the Predacon Lord, who dodged it and took cover in a nearby doorway. The Femme then moved closer, while keeping her finger on the trigger tightly so that the weapon's fire would keep Galvatron pinned behind his cover.

"Jack, get Aria!" she shouted, earning a nod from her Spark-mate who raced over to the Asari and helped her to her feet. Meanwhile as the Arcee kept firing at the doorway, a sudden flash of green light was emitted from within it that confused the Femme as she decided to move closer.

"What was that?" Aria asked while breathing heavily as she held on to the Prime's shoulder as he got her to his feet.

"I don't know, but that was foolish to just attack him on your own." he replied with a disappointed tone, gaining an angry look from her.

"He was blocking our escape route, what else were we supposed to do?" she spat back but before the Prime could answer, Arcee gained their joint attention.

"Guys, we have a problem."

They both looked over to the Femme.

"What is it?" Jack asked, gaining an gesture from the Autobot who pointed to the now empty doorway.

"He's gone."

"Then let's get moving before he comes back." Aria suggested as Jack looked between both women with an unsure look.

"He must have used an internal ground bridge." he answered just as another bright green flash appeared behind the Prime and Asari, who were suddenly sent flying into Arcee by a hit that felt like a sledge hammer. The three were knocked to the ground as Jack who was the first to recover, looked over his shoulder to see Galvatron standing in the wake of another ground-bridge portal which then closed up behind him, he had a smug expression on his face as he stared down at the Prime who got back to his feet while Arcee was still recovering and Aria was in a slump on the ground.

"What are you going to do, Prime? Attack me with the one arm you have left?" he gloated, earning a confident smile from the Darby.

"Something like that." he replied as he then swung his arm towards the Predacon leader, who's expression changed from smug to shocked as he witnessed the holo Star-Saber suddenly materialise before it hit him, sending Galvatron into the wall behind him. Jack then took the initiative and moved in to hit the Predacon while he was recovering, swinging the blade down at him. But the Enemy Leader suddenly recovered and caught Jack's arm in his hand, and then stared into the surprised Prime's eyes as his own began to glow purple.

"You will pay for that!" he spat before twisting Jack's arm, making him cry out in pain before punching the Autobot Leader in the chest. This sent him back into the wall with thud as it winded him, and Jack dropped to his knees. Meanwhile Arcee was getting back to her feet, but was sent back to the floor as Galvatron punched her in the face while walking over to Jack and Aria. He then grabbed the Asari and threw her into another wall before turning his attention to Jack who was still weak.

"You're turning out to be more trouble than you're worth…" he said while grabbing the Prime by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

"..So I think it is time to kill you." he added while preparing to make the killing blow, as his fist glowed with purple energy. Jack though who was struggling to breath under the vice-like grip of the Predacon, recognised the purple energy in his enemy's eyes and fist. Bringing back memories of someone else the Prime had defeated decades before.

"…Unicron?" he muttered under his breath as Galvatron, poised to strike was suddenly stopped.

"Galvatron, do not kill the Prime..." the voice of the Chaos Bringer echoed in his mind, earning a surprised and confused expression from the Predacon.

"...because if you do, the prophecy will never come about."

'What prophecy?' Galvatron thought.

"You have yet to read from the Covenant!" Unicron replied with an annoyed tone, earning a begrudged sigh from the Predacon.

'Very well, I will do that...after this.' he thought, knowing fully well that the Aeon would hear him. He then looked down at the large cut which the holo Star-Saber had left on his chest-plate, and then at Jack.

"It is only fair that I return the favour, Prime." he said before grabbing hold of the chest-plate of his Prime armour which he then ripped off in one quick motion, before dropping him back to the floor just as a squad of Terracons came round the corner and stopped at his side.

"Lord Galvatron, Commander Six-Shot sent us to aid you." one of them said in an enthusiastic tone.

"Take these two back to the Brig and place them in separate cells, but be sure to remove the remainder of his armour first." Galavatron replied as he gestured to Jack and Arcee before dropping the damaged Prime's chest-plate on the floor, like it was a piece of scrap metal.

"Yes, My Lord." the Terracon replied before he and the other troops walked over to the spark-mates and escorted them away.

"Aria..." Jack said back while the Asari was left at Galvatron's feet, with the Predacon looking down at her.

"Now, Aria, we have an appointment to keep." he said as she looked up and saw the tyrannical expression on his face.

On board the bridge of one of the Omega cruisers, a crew made up of Asari, Turian, Salarian and Vorcha were working at all the terminals as a Human Commander sat in the Captain's chair.

"Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the enemy." the Turian at the communications station stated.

"Put it on the main screen." the Commander replied and then just a second later, Galvatron was seen by all on the holo-screen in front of them. In fact the Predacon Lord could be seen by all Omega ships, colonies and outposts as their crews and populations stopped what hey were doing and turned their attention to the message.

"This is Galvatron, Lord of the Predacons, And I am speaking to the entire Omega Syndicate. I have a proposal I wish to share with you all. By this point you should already have heard of the attack on the Federation Capital of New Iacon on Earth by my forces, that act was to reveal our strength and intentions to the rest of the galaxy. And now here I stand on Omega itself..." the Predacon "Leader spoke as the camera zoomed out to show that he truly was on board the station, standing before the entrance to Afterlife.

"...after taking down the one that has subjugated you for all these years through fear."

As everyone watched Galvatron speak, suddenly another person was pushed out into view of the camera. Falling to their knees in front of the Predacon Lord, who looked down at the prisoner with contempt.

"Feast your eyes on the one who took away your freedom and replaced it with her own twisted ideals...Aria T'Loak." Galvatron exclaimed as he grabbed the person by the neck and lifted her off the ground so that the camera could see the Asari's face. This image created a wave of emotion to spread itself across Omega's territories, as everyone gasped in shock at the sight of the beaten and broken Aria.

"I have taken control of her forces here at Omega, they have all sworn loyalty to myself and now I am offering this chance to the rest of you. Are you not tired of living under the rule of one that will not take take you to your true potential, one that is content to sit on what she has and not try to build upon it. The Omega syndicate controls virtually half of this galaxy, yet it never occurred to Aria to expand and take control of it all. That is where I plan to take Omega, since my Predacons have left the Federation's Autobots in disarray and taken their own leader as a prisoner." Galvatron added as a screen appeared next to him showing footage of Jackson Prime and Arcee in their respective cells. This image made everyone watching talk amongst themselves, since the very sight of the Prime captured was something they could not believe they had just seen.

"Warriors of Omega, join me and my Predacons and I promise that the galaxy will be ours."

The Predacon Leader then looked down at Aria and equipped his pistol.

"To show you that my resolve is absolute, I will leave her fate to you. What should become of Aria T'Loak? Does she die or live?"

Suddenly the communications terminal onboard the Nemesis was overcome by an onslaught of messages, which stunned the Terracon as he viewed them on his holo-screen.

'Kill her.'

'She never held our interests above her own.'

'All she cared about was her station and controlling it's military that was supposed to support us, what about our colonies that she said she would stand by.'

'Let her die.'

'The only people to get a better life than us were those on that station and that was due to Aria's single-minded Turian wretch.'

All the messages had a similar tone and choice of words to them and so the Terracon transmitted the messages to Galvatron's holo-tool, and he skimmed through them and saw the answer clearly before looking down at the Asari.

"Aria T'Loak, 'your people' have spoken." he said as he pointed the gun at her head.

"Any last words?"

The former leader of Omega looked up at the Predacon and spat at him in disgust.

"I will see you again, Galvatron..." she replied as her eyes met his, showing no fear for what was about to happen.

"...because you will ultimately fail and di..." she started to say right before he pulled the trigger and shot a bullet clear through her head, splashing blood onto the floor as her body fell to the ground limp.

"I don't think so." he replied with a smirk before turning his attention back to the camera.

"Aria is dead, her reign is over. Now you are free to take a hold of the destiny she had denied you, for together we can claim this galaxy for ourselves and become our own masters." the Predacon Leader said, earning cheers and applause from the masses. From the ships that were that used to be in a standoff with the Predacon vessels, to the colonies that lied at the very edge of the Terminus systems that bordered with dark-space, everyone bought into Galvatron's words and were looking forward to an area of conquest and wealth, something that had been sorely missing under Aria's reign.

"Now I ask the ships that are with us now, join us in destroying the last remainder of that Asari...her beloved space station."

Galvatron then had a ground-bridge open up behind him, stepped through it and back on to the bridge of the Nemesis.

"Report!" he said, as he walked back to his spot over looking everyone on the catwalk.

"Our ships are taking up firing positions around the station sir, and also the Omega ones are doing the same." a Terracon replied from his post, earning a smile from the Predacon Lord as he looked out of the ship's canopy, and saw the Omega station coming into view as the Nemesis moved into position.

"Have all ships sync up with us and prepare to fire." he ordered, gaining a nod from the Comms Terracon who then got on with the task.

Meanwhile, back in the Brig. Jack and Arcee sat as close as the energy barrier between their cells would allow. Their attention was on a holo-screen which was showing the event, it was being controlled by one of two Terracons that had been tasked with guarding the two Autobots.

"So that's all it takes for Galvatron to convince them to follow him." Arcee said, while the Prime continued to watch.

"It's not hard to see why they would turn against Aria, she didn't exactly govern the alliance fairly. She was always more concerned with Omega than with the colonies and outposts of those under her 'flag'. It was a powder-keg kept from igniting by only her feared reputation, since the mercenaries, pirates and slavers would rather attack pillage and destroy. But Aria wanted them to protect her interests."

"And now that she is out of the way, everyone is free to do what they want and worse still, Galvatron is encouraging it." the Femme replied before looking directly at Jack who still had a worried expression on his face.

"What is it, Jack?"

"There was something I saw in his eyes during our fight, something I did not believe I would see again." he replied somewhat cryptically to Arcee, earning a curious look from her.

"What did you see?"

"His eyes glowed purple and for a moment I swore I felt a presence there with us..." the Prime replied while his Spark-mate just looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"..I swore it was...Unicron." he finished, as her eyes widened at that name.

"Unicron? But he is dead. You told me Primus's sacrifice destroyed him."

"I know and at that time, I believed it too. But now I can't be sure." Jack replied before they both turned their attention to the holo-screen, which now showed the Omega station nestled in the void of space.

"All ships report ready, my Lord." Six-shot stated as he stood beside the Terracon manning the Comms station, as the Predacon Leader stood at his own station and looked out at the symbol of Omega, that has stood for so many years and yet was about to be destroyed. He then tapped his com-link.

"Patch me into all ships." he said, earning a nod from that Terracon who typed into his terminal's holo-interface before gesturing to Six-shot, who looked back at his leader.

"You are on, my Lord."

"This is Galvatron, all ships...fire at will!"

And suddenly every single ship, be it former-Omega or Predacon, opened fire on the station with every weapon their ships had installed. The exterior of the station was rattled by external explosions which shook it right through to it's foundations. The civilians still trapped in what was left of Sanctuary looked around as they felt and heard the impacts of the weapons, parents pulled their children into their arms tightly and whispered sweet lies into their ears to keep them calm, despite the horrifying truth that was dawning for them.

Jack and Arcee could only watch as the station was devastated by weapons fire as hundreds of torpedoes and cannon blasts impacted the structure until it could not handle anymore. And at that moment the Bottom of the station exploded from the Bottom and the fireball travelled upwards, tearing through the station as it killed the remaining civilians and then burnt through the area where Aria's corpse lay until the entire Omega station exploded in magnificent fashion, leaving only a debris field in its wake.

Galvatron looked out of the bridge's canopy and smiled as he witnessed the destruction, revelling in what he had achieved in that moment.

"Sir, the Omega Station has been destroyed." the Terracon manning the weapons station stated, as the Predacon Leader turned to look at Six-Shot.

"Welcome everyone to our ranks, Six-Shot, and tell them that our conquest of the galaxy will begin very shortly."

"Yes, Sir, and what of the meantime?" the Con replied, while his Lord began to head for the exit.

"Begin repairs on the ships that need them, I will be in my quarters for the next hour." Galvatron said back, as he remembered something that he had been putting off.

"Yes, Sir." Six-Shot answered enthusiastically as he watched the Con leader leave the room, for felt excited for what the Predacons would do next…now that they all were going to go on the offensive against their enemy.

PRIME EFECT 4

Galvatron entered his quarters and looked over to the Covenant of Primus which was lying on his desk, exactly where he had left it. It was hard to believe that such a small object could answer the questions that had plagued him since his creation, but he snapped himself out of his thoughts and picked up the Covenant.

'This moment has been delayed long enough.' he thought as he opened it to its first page, looking at the glass page as Cybertronian letters flowed down the page like coding, making no sense whatsoever to the Predacon before he turned the page again...and then again...and then again. He could feel his spark beginning to burn with anger as his patience was threatening to desert him, since he had looked through the book's contents for nearly fifteen minutes and had only seen unreadable code on every page.

"Why is this not showing me anything?" he snapped and spoke loudly out into his room, bit the Aeon refused to answer and this only made the Predacon Lord angrier as he continued to flick through the pages. But then as he turned another page, something caught his eye and he turned it back to see that the code-like writing had begun to change and form words, and then sentences right before him. His eyes were fixed on its contents as he found he could now read it's passage.

'When the Vessel born from unnatural ways, uses 'his' blade and the spark of 'his' equal at the temple of rebirth, hidden where the Galaxy began. The Bringer of Chaos will return and everything will again be brought into darkness...forever.'

Galvatron looked down at the text, taking in the words as he re-read the passage again and again.

"You now know what you must do,...my Galvatron." Unicron suddenly spoke up in the Predacon's mind.

"I am to bring you back, but it said 'vessel'?" he said back.

"Indeed. When successful, I will be reborn as you. We will be one." the Aeon replied, earning a thoughtful expression from Galvatron.

"...be one?"

"And together we will crush our enemies and restore this galaxy to how it should be."

"Alright, so now that I have read this prophecy, that is about the two of us. I bet you can now give me some details on it, because I doubt that you know nothing of such things." Galavtron replied inquisitively.

"And you would be correct, my Galvatron. You are by far the smartest Herald of mine that I have met." Unicron replied, while the Predacon Lord looked back at the passage.

"The Prophecy mentions a spark that is your equal." the Con then said, thinking on the passage's meaning.

"It is the spark of my deceased brother...Primus, and you already possess the very last piece of it." the Chaos Bringer replied.

"You mean the Matrix that Jackson Prime carries on his person. That is why you didn't want me to kill him..." the Predacon leader said back as he looked around his quarters.

"Yes, for only one worthy can carry it. If the Prime was to be killed, the Matrix would not be going anywhere with us." Unicron replied.

"Then it is a blessing that we have one less thing to look for, but what is this blade and where do we find it and this temple of rebirth?" Galvatron then asked.

"The blade that you seek belonged to me back when I was mortal with the rest of the Aeons. It is called the 'Chaos Edge'. But do not ask where it rests, for I do not remember."

"How is that possible?" the Predacon replied with a sarcastic tone.

"You may be my Herald, but you would do well to remember who it is you are speaking too." the Chaos Bringer said back in an aggravated tone that surprised Galvatron who looked around again, because he could not be sure if he was really alone in his quarters.

"My apologies, but surely you can give me an idea about where to look? Since it is a very large galaxy out there."

"There is nothing I can do to help you, but you now control a fleet large enough to search the entire galaxy. Use it to search for any power source that does not fit with the planet it is on, that is all I can say on that matter."

"And what about this temple?"

"The temple is actually a device called the 'Infinite Combinatoric' and that it was built by Solus Prime on the behest of Primus as a failsafe which could resurrect an Aeon whose life has been ended, she built it on the planet that he identified as the first planet born when the galaxy was created." the Aeon replied, earning a curious expression from Galvatron.

"How do you know of this much?"

"From the Prime Megatronus, the one I managed to corrupt during one of my battles with the Thirteen. He was unaware of this as my influence which slowly overrode his consciousness, it was during this that I managed to learn where they would be and so chose a place far away from them where I could create my Reapers. I also learned other things, most of which could not help me before they finally defeated me. But as far as details on the device, that was all that Megatronus knew."

"I see….very well, I will use my resources to retrieve this Chaos Edge and find the Infinite Combinatoric. And with these I will fulfil the prophecy and bring you back." Galvatron exclaimed confidently.

"I know you will not fail me, Galvatron. Go and lay the foundations for the age of Chaos." Unicron replied before the Predacon felt his presence fade away, until he was alone again.

Back on the bridge, Six-Shot was overseeing the Terracons there with him as Galvatron re-entered the room.

"My Lord, the entire former Syndicate has confirmed the Alliance with us, and they are ready to bring the Autobots and their Federation to their knees." the Commander said happily as the Predacon Leader joined him.

"Never mind that, Six-Shot. I want as many ships as possible to be sent to all quadrants of the galaxy." he replied, earning a confused expression from Six-Shot.

"Uh,…Sir, you mean to attack the Autobots don't you."

"No, I want them to scan for any peculiar power signature that does not match with known records. Understand?" he said back in a serious tone, with a look that said he was not going to take no for an answer.

"…Uh, of course, my Lord." the Predacon said, though his face said different.

"What about the Autobots?" he then asked.

"What about them? They are in disarray and so pose no threat to us. Now go and complete my command." Galvatron said back before looking away towards the debris field on the other side of the canopy's glass, while Six-Shot began to walk away and back toward the other Terracons.

"Yes, Lord Galvatron."

'What in the Allspark has changed in him, Galvatron wanted war…and now he wants a scavenger hunt?' the Predacon thought before looking over his shoulder and looked back with an angry stare, but Galvatron had his thoughts elsewhere as he looked out at the void of space.

'We will prevail my Unicron, we will have Chaos.'

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  • 3 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXVIII

Rodimus stood in front of the galaxy map in the CIC, looking at the information that was being shown at key points on the display. They were ship positions and status reports from other Autobot vessels in all quadrants of the galaxy, and a number of them were coming together as a fleet and preparing to hit Omicron so that they could liberate it from the Predacons. But the Commander's attention was caught by the sound of the elevator doors opening behind him, so he turned to see Orion entering the Normandy's nerve center.

"Orion, a moment please." he asked as he gestured for the younger Bot to join him, so the blue haired Bot did just that.

"How is Quickstrike?" Rodimus asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"Well, first he found out that his Father had been killed and his Mother is in a coma, then loses the woman he loves who sacrificed herself to help us escape. He is hurting sir, but I know that he wants to be a part of this fight...for them. So I want him on my team." Orion replied, earning a nod from his superior.

"Very well, Orion, he is all yours. So I guess that means the gang is back together then." he said back with a slight smile, earning a similar expression from the younger Bot.

"Yeah, its been a long time. But, yes, it is."

"Well, I could not ask for a better team to be a part of my crew, whatever the Predacons throw at us, I know we will be able to handle it." the Commander replied.

"Thank you, Rodimus." the XO said back before noticing the galaxy map.

"So we now have full communications with the rest of the Autobots?"

"Yes, it came back the moment you regained control of the Comms Hub. And we are right now transmitting the data that Liara and Nightracer have been going through from the Predacon Intel, Dr T'Soni is certainly a very talented Asari. She is also very adept at analysing information. She has already gone through and uploaded the flight plans for the Predacon ships in this sector alone." the Commander replied while pointing at the data screen which just appeared over the bottom right corner of the galaxy map.

"She certainly is." Orion said back with an affectionate tone as he looked at the map, which did not go unnoticed by Rodimus who merely sighed and regained his XO's attention.

"I see." was all he said while the young Darby gave him a confused and slightly red-faced look.

"..uh...anyway, I think I will go and see if I can give them a hand. May I be excused?"

"Of course, though I think at this rate Liara will be done by the time you get there...have fun." Rodimus said back with a knowing smile, gaining a nod from Orion, who turned away and took a deep breath as he headed for the computer lab. But unbeknownst to him, Rodimus was looking over his shoulder at the Bot before gently shaking his head and returning his attention to the galaxy map.

"Young love.." he muttered to himself as he smiled.

As Orion entered the computer lab, he saw both Liara and Nightracer sitting at the main terminal with a large holo-screen being emitted in front of them. The Femme was watching as the Asari typed at the holo-interface, cataloging and analysing all the Intel that she could find in the data-pack that Ser-Ket had given them.

"Hey, Guys." the Bot said, making both women look over at him with a smile.

"It's going well, I have managed to detail a number of flight plans and attack details for a number of the Predacon vessels." Liara replied as the young Darby pulled up a chair beside them.

"What about the data on Cybertron? Ser-Ket was very clear about how important that was."

"I am just starting on that now, since there was no way for me to prioritise and choose what Intel I find. So all I can do is go through it in the order it is in." the Asari said back with a slightly aggravated tone.

"You are doing the best you can, Liara. Rodimus justt informed me that you have already found a lot of Intel that will help our fleets against the Predacons." he said back with a supportive smile, earning a look of gratitude from her that Orion could swear was more affectionate than he was used too...not that he would complain.

"Thank you, Orion." she replied with another smile and the two looked at each other for a moment.

"How is Quickstrike?" Nightracer asked, turning both their attention to the Femme.

"He wants to be alone right now, but I think he will be alright." Orion replied, earning a nod from both women.

"I wish I could tell him that the pain will pass…" Liara began to say, before the Autobot Femme jumped in.

"..Because you went through the same thing."

"Yes, with Shockblast. Seeing him murdered and reformatted into who he is now was an experience I would not wish on anyone, but it is a wound that will heal if you let it…given the time and help from those that care about you." the Asari replied, while looking over to Orion who knew what she meant.

"Well, he doesn't want to stay cooped up on the Normandy, he wants to be a part of our fight." the Bot said, gaining a slight smile from Liara.

"That's a good sign."

"Wait, something has just appeared on the screen." Nightracer stated, earning the others attention as she pointed at the main screen. The Asari immediately turned back to the terminal and began typing as the young Darby watched.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I had a search running for any particular words that might lead to something useful for us, it has found several entries." Liara replied as a window appeared on the screen with a number of links highlighted in green, she then clicked on one and opened it.

"Interesting, this appears to be a transmission from Shockblast to Galvatron." the Asari added before a video image of the Cybertronian turned Predacon appeared on the holo-screen.

"My Liege, since I am unable to speak to you at this moment, I will instead leave this message for you so that you can contact me at your convenience. I have discovered a secret in the tunnels that Shockwave had created around the Predacon Facility, so that he was able to easier gain the CNA of the beasts corpses. But it is in these very tunnels that I have found something that changes everything we were led to believe about our distant ancestors, I cannot divulge any more information over this channel. Shockblast out."

And with that the video ended and left the trio to look at each other, each with the same curious expression on their faces.

"What the in the All-spark does that mean?" Nightracer asked with an annoyed tone.

"I don't know, but Ser-Ket did say that something big was happening on at Cybertron. Perhaps this is part of what she meant." Orion replied.

"So we are going to Cybertron then, like I said we should earlier?" Liara asked with a knowing look that Orion knew he would have a hard time arguing with.

"Yes, I am just going to inform Rodimus of what we have found." the Bot replied as he tapped his com-link, but the inter-com activated first and gained the trio's attention as the Commander spoke.

"Orion, this is Rodimus."

"Good timing, Rodimus, we know where to go next..." the young Darby started to say back, before the Elite Spectre cut him off.

"That will have to wait, we have just picked up a transmission from Omega. You have to see it."

Suddenly their holo-screen reactivated, as the image of Galvatron standing before the entrance to After-life on Omega appeared before them.

"This is Galvatron, Lord of the Predacons, And I am speaking to all of the Omega Syndicate for I have a proposal I wish to share with you all."

The trio just sat and watched as the Predacon Leader spoke before showing footage of Orion's parents in their cells, the sight of them bloodied, beaten and devoid of any of the respect and honour that they had earned in their lives. They were made to look like victims and that was not something he was used to seeing, which made the Bot's spark ache and blood boil. But then the attention shifted from the Prime and his Spark-mate as Galvatron then executed Aria in cold blood and gained control of the Omega Syndicate. This moment caught everyone off guard as the implications of this dawned on them all, even for a long moment after the transmission ended, they were all just staring at the now blank holo-screen.

"And here I thought we took the Predacons advantage away, now we find out that they have just gained control of the only other military that rivals our own." Nightracer said in disbelief, while Liara looked at Orion. She could see the pain in his eyes at seeing the state that his parents were in, so reached out and placed her hand on his in affectionate support.

"I'm sorry you had to see them like that, Orion." she said in a gentle tone, gaining his attention as he looked back at her with his blue eyes.

"...yeah, but they are still alive. At least we know that, so there is still hope." he replied.

"Orion, that transmission was broadcast across the entire galaxy. Everyone saw it, and this has the Senate worried." Rodimus spoke via the inter-com to the trio.

"So the Predacons have the same military force as us now, so what." Nightracer said in a defiant tone, gaining surprised looks from both the blue haired Bot and Asari and even though they could not see him, the pair knew from the Commander's sudden silence that he had the same expression.

"...because we have an advantage over them now." the Femme added, having noticed their faces.

"Nightracer's right..." Orion then replied with a look that showed that he knew what she was getting on at.

"...Galvatron said during the transmission that his forces had left the Autobots in disarray, so he clearly has no idea that we have regained fleet wide communications."

"Or that we have Intel on their tactics and fleet movements." Liara replied.

"That is true, well you said that you have found something before I relayed the transmission to you?" Rodimus asked in a more hopeful tone.

"We should head for Cybertron, it appears that the Predacons have found something there that could be of great importance." Orion replied, gaining a nod from Liara.

"Not only that, but Cybertron is where it all started so it is a base of operations for them and they are manufacturing more Terracon troops there. So if it were put out of commission, that will be another advantage lost to them."

"Exactly." the blue haired Bot replied.

"Alright, I will brief Command on what our next mission is while they oversee the liberation of Omicron. Rodimus out." the Commander said back before deactivating the inter-com.

"Okay, Liara, let's go over the details of the facility on Cybertron so that we have a mission plan to present to the others before we arrive at the planet." Orion then said, earning a nod from the Asari as she turned her attention to the terminal again and began typing on it, while the other two watched.

PRIME EFFECT 4

On board the Nemesis, Galvatron was sitting in his quarters and looking at the specifications of the newest ships to join his forces from the former Omega Syndicate.

'I have to say, these vessels and their armaments are impressive.' he thought as he viewed each one. Things could not be going better for the Predacons right now, Galvatron had even managed to send off a number of ships on the mission to find the Chaos Edge, though he did not go into any real detail about what it is they are supposed to be looking for. That really annoyed Six-Shot who voiced his concerns over taking on a scavenger hunt when there are still the Autobots to contend with.

'Well, he can disprove as much as he wants as long as he continues to follow my orders.' the Predacon Lord thought as he dwelled on the fact that Six-Shot was showing his disapproval in front of the others.

'He should be more careful, to try and undermine my leadership in front of the others.'

"He is of no consequence, Galvatron. If this Six-Shot interferes with our goals, then you should eliminate him." Unicron spoke in his mind, surprising the Predacon.

'If he does try such a thing, then I will.'

Then suddenly the inter-com activated as the very person who they had just discussed, began to speak.

"Lord Galvatron, you have a transmission from Rip-Claw awaiting you."

"Very well, Six-Shot, I will take it in here." Galvatron said back before deactivating the call and turning his attention to his terminal, typing on it's holo-interface before a holo-screen appeared and showed him the Predacon Femme.

"Rip-Claw, report." he said, earning a weary expression from her in return.

"My Lord, we...have lost the Communications Hub." she said, earning a confused expression from her Leader, but then that soon changed as anger took hold and he narrowed his eyes at the Femme.

"What! How in the pit did you manage that?" he spat back.

"Ser-Ket and her pet Autobot managed to infiltrate the colony with the help of more Autobots, who sabotaged the communications network and but not before giving their forces use of their comms again." Rip-Claw replied, making Galvatron's spark burn even more.

"...but we did manage to drive the Autobots into retreat and capture Ser-Ket." she added, hoping to defuse the situation somewhat.

"I see, is there anything else I should know about the Autobots infiltration?" he asked under gritted teeth, wanting nothing more than to separate the Femme's head from her body at this moment.

"Not that I am aware of, my Lord." she replied with tinge of uncertainty in her voice.

"On the off chance that you are wrong, I will ne..." the Predacon Lord said back before being cut off by the sound of alarms going off on Rip-Claw's end.

"What in the All-spark is that?" he spat in an aggravated tone.

"Our sensors have detected an Autobot fleet jumping into the system, they must be here to liberate this colony." the Femme replied as her tone became more panicky.

"How many ships?"

"Over fifteen ships compared to our five. We are outnumbered." Rip-Claw said back.

"Evacuate our forces from Omicron, and head for these coordinates." Galvatron replied as he typed the numbers into his terminal's holo-interface.

"What about the colony?" the Commander asked back.

"The Autobots want this colony back. Then fine, they can have it. But I'll be damned if they get it back the way it is, just get yourselves out of there and bring Ser-Ket with you." the Predacon Leader snapped before deactivating the transmission and then reopening another.

"Galvatron to the 'Howling Wind', come in."

After a few seconds, a Vorcha appeared on the screen.

"My Lord Galvatron, how can we be of assistance?" he hissed.

"Your vessel is equipped with nuclear torpedoes, correct?" Galvatron replied, earning nod from the ship's captain.

"That is correct, our destroyer has a full complement. Why do you ask?"

"The Nemesis is going to open a space-bridge portal in front of your ship, I want you to arm and fire one of those torpedoes through it." the Predacon said back, earning a curious expression from the Vorcha.

"What is our target?"

"An Autobot colony. Will that be a problem?"

"Not at all, We have been hoping to use our nukes on something. Aria was always unsure what she could do with us, so our weapons have been collecting dust over the years. It will be good to finally get in on some bloodshed." the captain replied as a dark smile grew on his face, showing off his razor sharp teeth.

"Then prepare the torpedo and fire on my command." Galvatron replied, mirroring the other's expression.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Meanwhile, the Predacon evacuation was in full swing as Terracon troops retreated from the streets of Omicron City, disappearing onto the shuttles before they took off and flew up to the waiting cruisers as the Achilles waited just above them.

"How long until we have all Terracons back on board our ships?" Rip-Claw asked while sitting in the Captain's chair on the bridge.

"The last of the shuttles has just taken off now, and will dock with the Vanquish any second now." the Terracon manning the sensor array replied.

"Very good, have all ships break for high orbit and have their light-speed drives ready for immediate jump the moment we make that altitude." she replied, looking over to the minion at the Comms station, who nodded and began relaying her orders to the other ships.

As the cruisers left, the civilians left their homes and flocked into the streets, looking up and watching their former-occupiers running away as giant smiles grew on their faces while they saw the ships ascending into the early night sky. The crowd began cheering and celebrating as the enemy ships shrunk to tiny dots that then disappeared into the darkness above them.

The Autobot cruisers reached the planet just as their Predacon equivalent had reached high orbit and began firing their cannons at the enemy ships, which shields took the brunt of the assault while firing their own weapons back.

"All ships, jump!" Rip-Claw commanded as of a sudden, the engines of all ships began to brighten greatly before in the blink of an eye, the enemy ships jumped to light-speed and were gone, leaving the Autobot vessels as the only ships in orbit over the planet.

"All ships, launch shuttles. Let's get boots on the ground down there." the Commander of the fleet said over the comms before a large group of Autobot shuttles then flew away from the cruisers and descended to the planet.

The celebrations in the streets were picking up pace as fireworks were being launched all over the city, colourful explosions of nearly every colour of the spectrum could be seen illuminating the sky above the city.

"Look, the Autobots!" one of the people exclaimed as he pointed up at the shuttles which came into view as they closed in on the colony, their glowing red Autobot insignias could be clearly seen the closer their got which made the crowds cheer even louder. Finally their nightmare of being occupied by a ruthless enemy, not knowing whether they would live to see tomorrow was now over. But just as one firework exploded in a illuminating shower of green sparks, suddenly a space-bridge vortex opened up in the sky at a very high altitude. It almost looked like a bright green star to the civilians on the ground who began looking at curiously, it even had the crews of the Autobot cruisers stumped.

"Is that one of ours?" was one of the questions being asked between the fleet's captains as they wondered where it had come from.

"No idea, but it is positioned directly over the center of the colony." another ship answered, then suddenly there was disturbance in the vortex as something came through from the other side and hurtled towards the ground.

"Daddy, look! A shooting star." a young child said happily while pointing it out to his Father. But the older Man's eyes widened as he realised that it was heading their way and what it really was as it got closer.

"My god!" he exclaimed before quickly kneeling down and pulling his son in to his arms to shield him, while the same realisation quickly came to everyone else.

"What the..." the fleet Admiral could be heard saying over the Comms just as the projectile hit the ground, causing a blinding white flash that enveloped the immediate area and incinerated all there in a blink of an eye. The shuttles that were flying towards the city could see the mushroom cloud beginning to form as a shock-wave expanded in all directions, demolition everything else that had not been destroyed in the initial explosion. And before they could try anything, the shuttles suddenly failed and crashed into the ground. By the time the explosion was finished, there was very little left of Omicron City as it lay in the shadow of a massive mushroom cloud which reached up high into the sky.

On board the Normandy, Orion and Rodimus stood in the cockpit while Jetstorm opened up a space-bridge portal in front of the ship, preparing to fly the ship through.

"Commander, we are receiving a high priority message from Autobot Command." one of the crew said from her station, which was located in the tunnel like walkway which connected the cockpit to the CIC.

"Hold it until we have entered Cybertron space." Rodimus replied before turning his attention back to his pilot.

"Activate stealth mode and take us to Cybertron."

"Yes sir." Jetstorm replied as he worked the holo-controls before him, making the ship shimmer and fade to nothing as it passed through the event horizon of the portal and emerged on the other side. Orion and Rodimus looked out of the bridge's canopy to see the dead planet of Cybertron, the original home-world of the Cybertronian species directly ahead of them.

"Wow, This is the first time I have ever laid eyes on Cybertron." Orion said with a wide-eyed expression as both Bots saw the heavily battle-scarred and barren world, not noticing that Liara was approaching them from the CIC.

"Its never easy to look at, is it?" she asked, surprising them as they turned to face her.

"No, it's not.." the Commander replied.

"I have seen the planet once before, and yet it still feels like the first time." he added before looking back to the crewman manning the comm station.

"Alright, let's hear the message."

The blonde haired woman nodded and tapped a sequence into her holo-interface and brought the inter-com to life around the cockpit.

"Commander Rodimus, I know you are on a stealth mission and therefore unable to reply to this message. But I am sorry to report that we have lost Omicron City, the Predacons were retreating as soon as our fleer arrived. Though it would appear that they were not about to just let us have the colony back, as they launched a Nuclear Torpedo which then obliterated the entire city, killing every Man, Woman and Child there, including the troops we sent down to secure it. The excess radiation is being blown over towards three of the closest population centers, so we are evacuating them now, minimising the body count as much as we can. I am sorry, we did not see this coming."

The message ended there as the cockpit became very quiet, as the Bots and Asari did not know where to look.

"They couldn't keep the planet, so they made sure we paid a heavy price for getting it back." Orion then said, the building anger evident in his voice.

"There hasn't been any Nuclear weapons in use by anyone for the last fifty plus years, since the Citadel Council outlawed them. Where did Galvatron even get his hands on one?" Liara asked, still in shock from hearing the news.

"Had to be one of the former Omega mercs, Autobot Intelligence knew that the Syndicate was in possession of Nuclear weapons but Aria had enough of a stranglehold around all of the Merc Leaders, that them using one was never going to be an issue." Rodimus replied.

"But now she is gone, Galvatron appears to have given them free reign " Jetstorm added, earning a pensive look from the Commander as he looked out toward Cybertron.

"Orion, get your team ready. Let's get down there and takes these guys down another notch." he then said as he looked back at his XO with a now determined expression, earning a nod in return.

"On our way." he replied before the pair turned around and headed for the elevator at the back of the CIC.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Shockblast stood at one of the many terminals that were scattered around the current lab he was in, which also housed large glass tanks filled with a yellow liquid that gave off a glow which only gave off a small amount of illumination to the already dimly lit room. The Predacon was looking at an image on the holo-screen of his holo-tool, which had been taken from one of the probes he had sent down into the deepest part of the mine. The expression on his face was that of someone who did not know what he was looking at, for what the probe had found was something that the Con was had not been expecting.

'This set of bones looks like a Predacon, but...it isn't. This is not logical, there was only one race of Cybertronians before the Golden Age.' he thought as he changed the image to another set of bones and saw similarities to the previous one, but not the ones that the former owner...the Decepticon Shockwave had catalogued. And that wasn't the only problem that Shockblast had found, for his probe's sensors could pick up a strange anomalous reading just a couple of hundred feet lower than the deepest part of the mine.

'Why have I not heard from Lord Galvatron yet? there is no logical reason for the lack of communication.' he continued as he checked his holo-tool and saw that he had not received a communicae from the Predacon Leader.

'And why is it that I am thinking more and more like an emotionless machine, it is not logic...' he then placed his hand to his fore-head, as he felt another headache coming on again. This had now become more than a daily occurrence for him, and the only reason Shockblast could think of was because of the memory download he had from the mind of that particular deceased Decepticon. Every single day since that moment, the Con has felt less like himself and that used to scare him. Recently though he had started to feel nothing about it and that would of scared him even more. But he was suddenly pulled from the presence of his thoughts as the holo-screen's visual changed to show a timer and table of calculations.

"Terracon cloning process eighty five percent complete." the computer stated, but Shockblast merely looked at the image with barely any interest before switching back to the Cybertronian bones he had been studying previously.

"Who were you?" he said to himself with a questioning tone before finally giving up for the moment, shutting down the terminal and walking out of the room.

Meanwhile, Orion peeked around the corner of one of the a-joining corridors of the facility as the ground-bridge vortex closed behind him, Liara and Quickstrike, before gesturing to them that the coast was clear and carried on moving.

"I can't say how I feel about being back here." the Asari said with an uncertain tone as she looked up at the massive corridor they were currently in, which had been built for those Cybertronians who used to tower over most other life forms like the titans of legend. Orion looked back at her and could see it in her eyes that this though was not the reason, but because of the memories of what had happened the last time she had walked through this place which were full of horror and death.

"I'm sorry, Liara. I did say you could stay on the Normandy and advise us over the com-link." he replied in an understanding voice, which earned a appreciative smile from the Asari.

"I know and I am thankful for that, Orion, but I had to come back. It was something I just had to do."

"I understand, but if it gets too much, just say the word and I will have a ground-bridge back to the Normandy opened for you." the blue haired Bot said back.

"Where are the Terracons? Don't you find it strange that we haven't come across a single patrol yet?" Quickstrike asked.

"You would think that after we rescued Liara from both the Predacons and the Shadow Broker back on Illium, that Galvatron would have increased security here." Orion replied.

"Let's just put it down to Predacon arrogance shall we." the blonde Autobot said as the trio arrived at a doorway that Liara recognised.

"This is the door to lab where I we found and awoke Galvatron." she stated as the memories of that day began to creep up on her, but Orion noticed the look on the Asari's face and placed his hand on her shoulder supportively. This brought Liara's attention to the Bot, forcing the memories back as she looked at his face.

"You alright?" he asked, his face showing nothing but concern for her well being.

"Yes, thank you." the Asari replied, earning a nod from Orion before he turned his attention back to the door.

"Okay, Liara, stay with me. Quickstrike, head to the other side so that we can cover the width of this door."

His cousin acknowledged with a nod as he then moved to the spot indicated and readied his weapon.

"We'll open the door and remain hidden behind this cover until we've determined who is in there." Orion then said after tapping is com-link and letting Quickstrike know without shouting it across the massive width of the door. Both Bot and Asari acknowledged him before Orion activated his holo-tool, and accessed the door's control panel high on the wall above them. The door then slid open with a slight screeching noise.

'Someone forgot to oil these doors.' Quickstrike thought before he looked over to see his Cousin taking a peek into the next room.

"Clear." he then said while gesturing over to the blonde Bot before the trio then entered the lab, which was enormous.

"Seriously, where is everybody?" Quickstrike said with a hint of frustration in his voice while Liara and Orion's attention was on the large Cybertronian terminal that towered over them.

"Want me to give up you a lift to reach the keyboard?" the young Darby asked jokingly, earning a smile from the Asari as she activated her holo-tool.

"That won't be necessary." she said back while creating a link with the computer.

"Okay, I am in and...okay!"

"What is it?" Orion asked as he and Quickstrike stood either side of her and looked at the holo-screen which appeared before them.

"This terminal has been cross linked with the databases of a good number of the secret labs that were believed to be scattered all over Cybertron. I have access to nearly every project that is filed here." she replied as the screen showed images and paragraphs of coding.

"What can't you access?" Quickstrike asked back.

"There is only one file and that is called 'Gemini', I can't open it. But I can download and decrypt it later, along with all the other projects here."

"Do it." the blonde Bot replied, earning a nod from Orion in agreement as the Asari did just that.

"So what other projects are there?"

"Project Synthergon, Project Pretender, Project Iacon, some that are just numbers and...Project Predacon."

"What's Project: Predacon?" the Autobot Spectre asked, earning a nod from Liara as she opened that file which began showing images of ancient bones and lines of CNA, as well as concept images of what those beasts used to look like.

"That one looks like Skystalker." Quickstrike stated while his Cousin and the Asari recognised the other two beasts that appeared on screen.

"There are the ones that attacked Earth."

"You mean Grimwing and Predaking...Ser-Ket told me their names." the blonde Bot replied as both looked back at him.

"Well, if I am reading this right, they were cloned by Shockwave from the CNA of ancient Predacon fossils that he found here on Cybertron." Liara said, earning curious looks from the Bots.

"They are clones!" Quickstrike said back in surprise.

"Not just them, but all the Predacons...including Ser-Ket." Orion added as he pointed at the information of the others.

"Their sparks were the only part that had been cloned at that time, but then Shockblast installed them into the prototype Pretender forms that Shockwave had created during Project: Pretender. Liara can you access each Predacon's individual file?" the blue Bot added, making the Asari nod and then suddenly shake her head in return.

"I can access all but Ser-Ket's, her file is encrypted...but I have downloaded the files anyway and can decrypt them back on the Normandy."

"Okay, check the plans for this facility's power source. We can then call in Bravo team to sabotage it." Orion replied, earning a nod from Liara as she then brought up the facility's layout.

"It is one thousand metres away from us at the west side of the facility, I am sending the coordinates to the ship now." she said back as Orion tapped his com-link.

"Normandy, send Bravo team to the coordinates that Liara has just uploaded. Their target will be the reactor there." he said before noticing that both his cousin and the Asari were looking at what was once a human sized containment tank situated in the center of the lab, with pieces of shattered glass all over the floor.

"That's where it happened?" Orion asked as he knew what this was, gaining a nod from the Asari.

"Yes, that is where we woke up Galvatron. Unaware of the threat he posed." she replied with a hint of guilt in her voice, earning a sympathetic look from the blue haired Bot.

"Liara..."

Orion, I know..." the Asari said back, while Quickstrike looked over at the large opening in the wall just aways from them.

"What do you make of that?" he said, earning the others attention.

"If the Predacons are cloned from fossils of ancient Cybertronian remains, then I bet that hole leads to the mine where he retrieved the samples from." the young Darby replied.

"That means Project: Predacon should be housed in this facility too, so when we destroy this place we will also cripple their ability to clone more." Liara added, gaining a nod from the blue haired Bot.

"I guess that is the entrance to other lab then." Quickstrike said as he pointed over to an open doorway that had a yellow light glowing from it's other side.

"One way to find out, let's go." Orion replied, only for Liara to grab him by the shoulder.

"Someone's coming." she said as a set of footsteps could be heard entering the lab entrance behind them, which made the trio turn round and aim their weapons at them.

"Shockblast?" Liara then exclaimed with a wide-eyes expression, earning similar looks from the cousins. While the Predacon merely stopped where he was and pointed his weapon at them, only slightly looking like he was surprised.

"Autobots!"

PRIME EFFECT 4

Meanwhile, across the facility, a Ground-bridge vortex opened up and Nightracer, Smokescreen and Grunt exited it with weapons ready and found themselves standing before the reactor which glowed with a green hue.

"We are clear." Smokescreen stated as the portal closed and they saw that they were the only ones in the entire room, earning a disappointed sigh from the Krogan.

"Damn it, I was hoping there would be some Terracons to kill." Grunt replied.

"Well, this place looks like it is run automatically, but even I find it strange that there are no guards." the Femme said back before activating her holo-tool and bringing up plans of the reactor on it's holo-screen.

"According to these old plans, we should lay charges at these two points for maximum detonation of it's power-source."

Both the Bot and Krogan nodded after looking at the image before splitting up and heading to either side of the reactor, each holding an explosive device that looked somewhat like C-four. Grunt was the first to reach his spot, connecting his bomb to the side of one the supports of the large fuel tank on the reactor's east side.

"Done." he said, while Smokescreen did the same on the west side of the reactor.

"Done..." he began to say before a sound caught his hearing, making him look down to see an ever so small crack running down to the bottom of the fuel tank.

"Hey, Guys, is it me or does this look familiar?" he said while looking at a small dribble pf green liquid that was running down the tank's side and dripping onto the floor. Both Nightracer and Grunt joined him to look at the mystery liquid, with the Femme scanning it with her holo-tool.

"Don't touch it. It's Synthetic Energon. It's being used to power the facility."

"So I guess there can be a use for the unstable fuel." the Bot replied as he got back to his feet.

"Looks like it has been leaking for some time." Grunt added as he pointed at the puddle of Synthergon on the ground next to the tank.

"Come on, we should join up with Alpha team. Lets go." Nightracer said before the three left the tank and headed out of the room but unbeknownst to them, the Synthergon Puddle was leaking into a crack in the ground and had slowly dripped it's way down hundreds of feet below the facility. Slipping through further small cracks and crevices until a single droplet ran down the length of a stalactite in what appeared to be a cave, it then stopped at it's very tip before dropping off and falling several feet before hitting a smooth jet black metal that looked almost like armour. The drop of Synthergon then disappeared as it was absorbed into metal and everything remained quiet, until whatever the metal shape was began to shake slightly as it began to move. It gave off a groan before a pair of blue optics activated and narrowed as the 'whatever it was' woke up and growled, which echoed throughout the cave.

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  • 2 weeks later...

CHAPTER XXIX

"Shockblast…" Liara said with a sorrowful tone as memories of him came flooding back in her mind as she stood with Orion and Quickstrike, her former lover standing in front of them with his weapon aimed right at her.

"So that explains how you Autobots found this lab, the Asari that escaped 'us' before led you here. Coming back was a mistake though Asari, you will not leave here alive this time." he said back coldly, as the cousins took a step towards the Con with their own weapons pointed back at him, Orion moving slightly in front of Liara while doing so.

"Shockblast, Galvatron has brainwashed you. You are not a Predacon, you are one of us." he said in return, attempting to get through to the Con.

"Yeah, they messed with your head." Quickstrike added, earning a bored expression from Shockblast.

"I see that Asari has been spreading her words of fiction again, I grow tired of such illogical reasoning." he said as Orion narrow his eyes in return.

"Her name is Liara T'Soni, you would do well to remember that." he said back while an annoyed tone, as he felt they were talking with a wall.

"That name means nothing to me, I am a Predacon and you are my enemies." the Con replied as Liara sighed and took a step toward him.

"Shockblast, look at me…really look at me. I can't believe that Galvatron has wiped your mind of what we had. There has to be a part of you still in there?" she pleaded, leaving herself completely open to attack which made Orion feel nervous.

'She is going to get herself killed.'

"It is illogical for you to continue with these lies, Asari, as I already told you before." he said back, earning a confused expression from Liara which was noticed by the young Darby.

"He never used to speak like that." she said while stepping back towards the Bot. But Shockblast noticed this sudden change in them and smiled back, while his holo-tool activated on his free arm.

"What's he doing?" Quickstrike asked.

"Well, I grow tired of this prattle and I still have work to do..." the Predacon said back, just as a group of Terracons entered the room behind him.

"...these men will deal with you...kill them."

The Terracons immediately opened fire on the trio, with Liara forming a biotic barrier to shield them as the cousins fired back and killed two with their first shots.

"...where the hell did they come from." the blonde Bot exclaimed, while the Terracons and Shockblast took cover behind whatever they could.

"I want their corpses out of my laboratory...now!" he shouted over the weapons-fire, before firing back with his own weapon. The bullets impacted harmlessly against the blue energy field as Liara kept her focus on it, but the Autobots were still pinned to their spot in there.

"Let's shake things up a bit." Quickstrike said, earning his cousin's attention as he equipped a grenade from his utility belt.

"Get them out from behind that cover and we can take them out the old fashioned way, Liara be ready to drop the barrier on my word." the blue haired Bot replied as his cousin armed the explosive and threw it over the barrier, the small device landing behind the Terracons.

"Grenade!" one of them shouted before diving out from behind their cover as it exploded and knocked them all to the ground, while Orion unsheathed the Star-Saber and Quicksrike activated his holo-blade.

"Now!" the Autobot Spectre exclaimed as Liara brought down the barrier and the two cousins charged out at the Terracons, the blue haired Bot slicing his way through two of the enemies in quick motion as the blonde Bot decapitated another before he could get back to his feet.

"Wait! Is that the Star-Saber? How are you holding it?" Quickstrike asked while disarming another Terracon and impaling it with his holo-blade as he looked over at Orion, who just killed another with the blade.

"Long story, not really the time or place for it." he replied before re-equipping his pistol in his free hand, and shooting another Terracon in the face, who had got back to his feet.

As the two Bots were mopping up the remaining Terracons, Liara saw Shockblast getting back to his feet just aways from the others.

"Oh no, you don't." the Asari said as she punched a glowing hand forward and surrounded the Predacon in a biotic shield, blocking his escape.

"Asari, do you really think this energy field can hold me?" he asked as he turned his attention to her, standing before her with nothing but the blue energy between them, as the Asari finally realised in the way that the Predacon was staring at her that there was nothing left of the man she once loved.

"You're not going anywhere. Try anything and I will have no choice but to kill you." she replied coldly as the Con noted that the Asari's attention was split between speaking to him and maintaining the shield.

"Really? You've just given up on trying to convince me, have you?..." he replied with a curious tone.

"You're not the Shockblast I knew, I should of seen that sooner." she said back, making him smile in return.

"Very good, that is a more logical answer than what you have prattled before now. But..." Shockblast replied, noticing that the blue female was watching him very closely like she was hanging on what he was about to say.

"...what if I have been lying and do in fact remember you." He continued with an honest expression that caught Liara off guard, fracturing her focus which caused the field to fluctuate.

"What?" she gasped, but before she could comprehend what he just said, Shockblast activated his holo-tool which took the form of a gauntlet around his fist and forearm, before punching the biotic shield and making it collapse and leave the shocked Asari completely defenceless.

"How?" Liara muttered in disbelief as the Predacon grabbed her by her arm and pulled her into a hold, switching his holo-gauntlet for a holo-blade which he then held at her throat with his free hand.

"What I just told you was a lie, since it was logical to think that you might still believe that I might know you...which I don't. And so that left you concentrating less on your biotics, so I could easily break through your shield." he said into her ear as Liara tried to break free, making Shockblast tighten his grip.

"It would not be logical for you to struggle, since all it takes to end your life is a flick of my wrist..." Shockblast warned, as he held the sharp holo-blade on the skin of her throat.

"...which I will do anyway, since my Liege demands.." the Con was about to finish but was cut off by someone tackling him to the ground, which freed Liara who rolled away to be met by Quickstrike.

"You alright?" he asked, making the Asari look up to see the blonde Bot and the dead Terracons lying behind him.

"Yes, just a light cut." she replied while wiping a little blue blood from her neck, before looking back to see Orion beating on Shockblast.

"Orion..." she whispered as she watched in surprise at how brutal he was acting.

"You tried to kill her, your spark is mine!" the blue haired Bot spat as he punched the Con repeatedly in the face, letting his anger get the better of him.

'This bastard nearly killed her, he won't get another chance.' he thought as he unsheathed the Star-Saber again and held it to the Predacon's throat.

"Let's see how you like this." he said in an angered tone, but the bloodied Shockblast just stared back with an emotionless expression.

"Orion!" Quickstrike exclaimed, making the furious Darby look over at him.

"Don't kill him,...not yet." he added, earning a confused expression from his cousin.

"Why the scrap not?!" he spat back.

"Because we can get Intel from him...after that, I don't care what happens to him." Liara interrupting the blonde Autobot, as she looked into Orion's eyes.

"You can do what you want to me, because..." Shockblast managed to say while his mouth was full of blood-like fluid, making the Spectre's eyes narrow at him.

"...I will not betray Lord Galvatron." he then spat as he reactivated his hol-blade and swung it up at Orion.

"Orion!" Liara shouted, as the blue haired Darby instinctively brought the Star Saber down to block the blade at level with his stomach. The Bot and Con were in a struggle as both were pushing each other, staring with hate into their eyes. But Orion then head-butted Shockblast, which made the Con stumble backwards before stopping himself. And the blue haired Autobot then swung his blade upwards in a quick motion, and scratched up the Predacon's armour before reaching his face and cutting a line up his right cheek and threw his eye, which made him cry out in pain.

"My Eye!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Orion replied coldly before side-kicking Shockblast in the face, knocking him out and sending him to the ground hard.

"You're coming with us, whether you like it or not." he added before looking over at Arcee.

"Are you okay?" he said, earning an appreciative smile from her.

"I am alright, Orion, thanks to you." she answered, making the Bot almost blush in return.

"Quickstrike, deal with his wounds would you please. I might kill him just for the sake of it, if I do it."

"Sure." his Cousin replied as he walked past and knelt beside the unconscious Predacon, taking out some medi-gel from his utility belt.

"Shockblast has been Galvatron's lead scientist according to the records, he should give us a substantial amount of Intel." Liara said while Orion looked back at their enemy with a more unsure expression.

"I don't know,...I..." he started to say before noticing Shockblast's remaining eye open and look up at His cousin.

"Quickstrike, look out!" the Darby shouted, but the Predacon managed to grab the Bot by his chest-plate and throw him back to the ground in front of the blue haired Spectre and Asari, before looking at them with a completely emotionless face.

"Thank you for that, I can 'finally' see more clearly…." the Con said back cryptically, earning confused looks from the trio.

"…So allow me to give you some advice. Better start running." he added.

"What? There are three of us and one of you, so why should we run?" Quickstrike asked, gaining a knowing look from Shockblast.

"Because of him." he simply replied while pointing towards the lab's entrance, which made the two cousins and the Asari turn around and freeze on the spot as standing in the doorway was a massive green and silver Predacon beast.

"Oh crap." Quickstrike said as the monster looked down at them while Orion equipped a grenade off his utility belt, pressing and holding down the button on it's top as he did so.

"When I say go, run for the entrance to the mine. You got me?" the Bot said, gaining nods from his cousin and Liara.

"Grimwing, crush them." Shockblast then shouted, earning a roar from the Predacon dragon as Orion threw the grenade at the Beast's head.

"Now!" he exclaimed as the trio turned around and ran for large hole in the wall, the grenade exploded in a blinding flash of light that caught both Predacons off guard while the Autobots ran into the mine. Once the light died down, Shockblast and Grimwing looked around until their eye and optics fell upon the same hole.

"After them!" he commanded, the beast responding with a roar before charging into the mine after them.

'The mine is a dead-end, not a very logical choice Autobots.' Shockblast thought as he got back to his feet and walked over to a console, activating it with his holo-tool. He then brought up a screen which had a timer on it, setting it for fifteen minutes.

"Enable self destruct." he said aloud, earning a ping from the terminal.

"Voice recognition accepted, self destruct engaged. You have fourteen minutes and fifty-five seconds to reach minimum safe distance." the computer voice spoke, gaining a nod from the Predacon as he tapped his com-link.

"All Terrcons, this is Shockblast. Autobots have infiltrated the base and may have access to our database, I have therefore activated the joint self destruct of all 'my' laboratories to ensure they do not escape with any of the Intel stored on their joint database. You are to evacuate the bases immediately."

Once done, Shockblast then tapped his com-link again while looking back to see that Grimwing had disappeared into the mine.

"Lord Galvatron come in, I repeat Lord Galvatron come in."

PRIME EFFECT 4

Orion led the way with Liara and Quickstrike following close behind, as they made their way down the dimly lit tunnel of the mine. They could hear the beast getting closer, with it's roars echoing around them.

"You do know mines generally have only one entrance and exit, don't you?" the blonde Bot asked, which earned a knowing look from his cousin.

"Yeah, I do." he said back between breaths as they ran until the tunnel split into two slightly smaller ones.

"Take the left one." Orion said before the trio ran into that tunnel only for a few seconds later, Grimwing appeared at the same spot and looked at both openings before sniffing the air for a moment. His optics then narrowed as he looked into the left tunnel, growled and entered the tunnel.

"So what's the plan?" Liara asked as the trio kept moving through the underground tunnels, staying just ahead of the beast.

"We keep ourselves out of the Predacon's reach and hope that it has picked the wrong tunnel, then make our way back up to the lab and rejoin the others." Orion replied before a loud roar could be heard echoing down the tunnel they were in, making them stop and look back with panicked expressions as they stared into the dark tunnel.

"I don't think we will he able to sustain the distance between Grimwing and ourselves, it will have caught up long before then." Quickstrike replied, gaining a nod from Liara who then turned her attention back to what was in front of them, making her sigh with a frustrated tone.

"I don't think it will matter either way." she said as she pointed ahead of her.

"Why?" Orion said back as both cousins turned to the Femme and looked at what she was pointing at.

"You've got to be kidding." the blonde Bot exclaimed with a wide eyed expression, which Orion mirrored.

"It's a dead end!" he stated as the trio looked at the rock-face several feet in front of them with no other exit, except the way they had just came from.

"Oh scrap." Quickstrike said before a loud growl could be heard behind them, making the Autobots turn and face that direction while backing themselves into the dead end.

"What about a ground-bridge?" the blonde cousin then asked, earning an annoyed stare from Liara.

"You were at the same briefing as us, right? Rodimus did say that scans showed that areas near the center of the facility were protected by a null field that prevents any unauthorised ground-bridge vortexes from opening."

"Oh...yeah, that's right." Quickstrike replied sheepishly.

"I doubt we could even get a signal out from how far under the facility we are." Orion stated, gaining a knowing look from his cousin.

"What about the Star-Saber, if that sword can cut through a mountain...then it should make short work of a Predacon. I mean can't to just fire it's energy beam...things off at Grimwing?"

Orion unsheathed the blade and looked down at it before shaking his head.

"No, I cannot do that. Since I am not a Prime, then I can not activate every possible function of this relic." he replied with a worried tone.

"Surely it can hurt though." Quickstrike replied, gaining a nod from Liara.

"Orion, its better to try something than nothing."

"Okay, then get behind me you two." the blue haired Bot said back as he held the blade in a defensive stance, his two friends standing back just as Grimwing entered the area. The metallic dragon looked down at the three, its optics focused in on each of them before it roared, the very sound made the cavern shake and brought down some dust from the cavern's ceiling. And then Grimwing moved forward and raised it's front right claws and slashed at it's enemies, but Orion instinctively slashed the Star-Saber at the same time, the ancient blade sliced through the extended claws and made the beast cry out in pain as it backed off.

"Good hit, Orion." Quickstrike exclaimed before his joy suddenly disappeared as he, his cousin and their Asari friend looked at Grimwing, who growled lowly and narrowed it's optics at them angrily.

"I think I just pissed it off." Orion replied as the Beast pulled it's head back and opened it's mouth, a bright glow could be seen at the back of it's throat which made Quickstrike gulp as it brought back memories of another Predacon.

"Orion…" Liara then said gently as she grasped the blue haired Bot's hand, making him look over at her affectionately.

"I know, Liara…." he replied as the three stood there, knowing full on well what was about to happen. When suddenly a slight tremor shook the cavern, startling Grimwing who shut his mouth and looked around curiously.

"Did you feel that?" Quickstrike then asked as dust once again sprinkled down from the ceiling, while both Orion and Liara looked around confused.

"Yeah, I felt….." the Bot began to reply before another tremor shook the place.

"Yes, I can say we felt that." the Asari finished as the Spectre looked at the rock face behind them, all the while the Predacon beast still looked unsure.

"Well, something's spooked Grimwing. Shouldn't we try and sneak past." Quickstrike asked, earning a disbelieving expression from Liara.

"You first…" she said in a sarcastic tone, as the blonde Bot noticed that Grimwing pretty much had the tunnel behind him covered. Then another tremor occurred, and then another as Orion's eyes widened as he watched the rock face begin to crack.

"Guys, we should…now!" he shouted as the tremors happened one after another, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling as Grimwing backed off more.

"Why?" Quickstrike began to ask before Orion grabbed him and Liara and pulled them both out of the way just as the rock face broke apart as something burst through, sending rocks and dust into the air. As the trio fell to the ground face first, another roar could be heard, but this one didn't sound like the Predacon Beast who had been hunting them.

So Orion quickly recovered and looked up at what had just announced it's arrival. His eyes widened as standing before him was a metallic dragon that looked not that dissimilar from the pictures of the one called Predaking, except that is was ever so slightly smaller. It was covered in jet black armour which had blue light glowing from it's gaps and blue optics that looked directly at Grimwing.

"What, another one?" Quickstrike stated as both he and Liara looked at the beast who did not take it's eyes off the Predacon.

'Why do I get the feeling it recognises Grimwing?' Orion thought as the black Beast growled and then roared before pouncing at the green and silver dragon, tackling it to the ground as the cavern shook under the power of the impact.

"Right, let's get out of here while those two Predacons take each other out." Quickstrike said as the trio got to their feet and made a run for it, while the two beasts slashed and gnawed at each other. But then Grimwing got the upper hand by slashing the Black Dragon's neck, making it recoil in pain and shield itself with it's wings. The Predacon then looked back to see the Autobots retreating and roared at them, making Liara look back and see it charge at them.

"By the goddess, it's coming!" she shouted, as the cousins looked back. But suddenly Grimwing stopped in his tracks, as the Black beast appeared behind him with his tail in it's mouth, pulling the green and silver Dragon back to it.

"Is it just me, or is that creature helping us?" Orion asked in surprise, earning a mirrored look from his Cousin.

"More likely it just wants to chew on Grimwing here before it comes for us...let's keep moving." he said back, with the Asari taking Orion by the hand.

"Orion, come on." she pleaded, but the blue haired Bot stopped as something caught his attention about the black monster.

"Wait, I saw something..." he replied as he spotted something at the center of the beast's fore-head, it was an emblem though not one that he recognised.

"...that is no Predacon." he added before a large rock fell at his side and brought him back to reality.

"Okay, let's go!" he said as the three of them ran back through the tunnel as it began to collapse, due to the battle between the two giant beasts as they continued to bite and claw at each other.

PRIME EFFECT 4

"Well? Where is everyone?" Smokescreen said as he, Nightracer and Grunt entered the laboratory. All they found was a number of terminals, a containment tank that had been shattered and a large hole in the wall at the far side.

"I thought we would have seen them by now." the Bot added, while the Femme looked at her holo-tool.

"We were supposed to have rendezvoused with them at this location between this lab and our target but since they never showed, I reckoned we may still find them here." she said while the Krogan reloaded his shotgun.

"At least we managed to find some Terracons along the way." he said, earning a knowingly look from Smokescreen.

"Glad to see that your only worry is how many kills you got today, Grunt."

"I am sure they are fine. You forget one is the son of a Prime and the other is the son of Ironhide, and don't forget who their mothers are." the Krogan replied, while Nightracer's attention was caught by strange sounds echoing out of the large hole.

"Quiet you two, can't you hear that?"

Suddenly Orion, Liara and Quickstrike ran out of the mine and towards the group.

"I would run if I were you." the blonde Bot exclaimed as both groups met, earning confused looks from Bravo team.

"Why were you down there?" Nightracer asked, but Orion simply gave her a knowing look.

"You should listen to Quickstrike 'this time', run..." he started to say before both Grimwing and the Black Dragon smashed through the mine entrance together, shocking the Femme, Krogan and Autobot.

"By Alpha Trion's beard..." Smokescreen exclaimed, finally getting them to join him and the others as everyone ran out of the lab, while the new beast swung it's tail around and smashed it into Grimwing's face.

Meanwhile, outside on Cybertron's surface. Shockblast stood a quarter of a mile away from the base with his breather helmet, accompanied by a squad of Terracons. He then tapped his com-link.

"Lord Galvatron, we are ready for a space-bridge...yes, I have set the self destruct for silent countdown and we have five minutes left, the Autobots should have no warning..." he said before one of his troops, who was looking back through a pair of binoculars spotted something.

"Commander, look!" he said before handing them over to him, which then the Predacon looked out at the area his subordinate had pointed at.

"That is not logical." he spat as he saw the Autobots exiting the base with their breather helmets on, moving away from the base as fast as their legs could take them.

"They must not..." Shockblast began to say before suddenly the roof of the base burst open, which Grimwing's body thrown out of it and landing hard on the ground a hundred metres away. Everyone, it did not matter if it was Predacon or Autobot stopped and looked back to see the green and silver dragon getting back to it's feet before another beast appeared on the roof of the facility, where it then spread it's wings out and announced it's presence with a roar that echoed all around it.

"Fascinating.." the Predacon stated with a curious tone as he watched the black beast then jump off the building and land only a few feet from Grimwing.

"Sir, that beast is going to kill Grimwing." a Terracon said, earning a nod from his superior who tapped his com-link again.

"Lord Galvatron, Grimwing needs immediate back up...because there is another Cybertronian Beast that currently looks like it will defeat one of 'our' own...yes, please send both of them." the Predacon said as he and the Terracons watched.

As the battle between the two giant beasts erupted onto the surface of Cybetron, Orion and his team had stopped and watched in awe of the sight before them.

"Amazing, never thought seeing one of the Predacons being beat down would be such fun." Smokescreen said, gaining a nod of agreement from Grunt as Orion tapped his com-link.

"Orion to Normandy. Rodimus, come in."

"I am here, Orion. Report." the Commander spoke from the ship, which was orbiting the planet while cloaked.

"We have succeeded in rigging the Predacon base's reactor to blow and downloaded a lot of Intel from their database, but right now I need you to ground-bridge everyone back on board." the Spectre replied, earning surprised and confused looks from his team mates.

"Why? What are you doing?" Nightracer said back first, knowing full well that both Liara and Quickstrike were about to say the same thing.

"That second beast isn't a Predacon...and it helped us escape from Grimwing, back in the mine. I can't just leave it here." Orion said in return, gaining nods from Liara and his cousin.

"It is hard to believe, though Orion is right. But if you can even convince it to come with us, how are we going to get it aboard the Normandy?" Quickstrike asked.

"The cargo bay should be large enough for it." Rodimus said, after listening to Orion.

"But how do you know it isn't a Predacon?" the Commander added.

"Not only did it protect us, the creature also has a faction emblem on it that is definitely not Predacon." the blue haired Bot replied.

"It would be good for us to have our own dragon, and it is making short work of Grimwing right now." Smokescreen added into his com-link while pointing to the sight of the black beast gripping the Predacon's neck with it's jaws.

"Okay, permission granted. Opening ground-bridge now...good luck, Orion." Rodimus answered and suddenly a green vortex opened up next to the group.

"Okay, Guys, go. I'll be right behind you." the young Darby said, earning nods from everyone except Liara and Quickstrike.

"I am not leaving, Orion." the Asari answered with a defiant yet caring tone to her voice.

"What she said, Cuz." the blonde Bot added with a knowing smile, causing the XO to sigh and nod back in acknowledgement.

"Okay. The rest of you go." he said and Smokescreen, Nightracer and Grunt ran into the vortex which then disappeared, leaving Alpha team there as they looked back at the beasts fighting.

"So...what's the plan?" Quickstrike then asked but before Orion could answer, a space-bridge vortex opened up in the sky and Skystalker flew through and dive bombed at the black beast who noticed this and dropped the wounded Grimwing back to the ground. It then looked up at the blue and white dragon descending to him, opened it's mouth and fired a stream of blue fire which hit the Predacon dead on and made it crash to the ground in a heap.

"Cool." Quickstrike then commented as the beast roared like it was acknowledging the compliment, but then Predaking suddenly exited the vortex and immediately made the creature narrow it's blue optics as it stared back and growled.

"Is it me or does that look like it recognises Predaking?" Orion asked, but no one answered as they were fixated on this fight in front of them.

The black dragon then roared at the new arrival before firing another fire blast, but the large Predacon performed a barrel roll like move, dodging the blast and swooped down with it's claws bare and tackled the dragon to the ground. Predaking then slashed at it with it's claws before smashing it's head against the other, causing it to fall back on to it's back.

Orion immediately unsheathed the Star-Saber and began to run toward the fight, only for Liara to grab his arm and stop him.

"What are you doing?" she asked in an alert and worried tone, making the Bot look back at her.

"We need to help it...now!" he exclaimed, earning a confused look from his cousin.

"...How are we supposed to do that? I mean there are three Predacon beasts out there...just how do..." he started to say before the Asari cut him off and pointed at the fight with her eyes wide in shock.

"Look!"

Both cousins turned their attention back to the beasts, their expressions mirroring Liara's as right before their eyes, the black beast started to transform as it rolled off it's back. Its wings folded neatly onto it's back as it's arms and legs changed to look more like a Cybertronian's. It's long neck And head folded back and disappeared into it's back as the armour shifted and changed, as another more humanoid head with a Prime styled helmet appeared and it's optics glowed blue as the dragon finished it's transformation and was now an armoured Bot in a kneeling position.

"Wow." Quickstrike exclaimed as the newly formed Cybertronian who's armour was mainly black with blue glowing engravings on it and looked smooth and curved perfectly to the slightly larger athletic build of the Bot. He looked directly at the orange and black Predacon and gritted his teeth.

"PREDAKING!" he then roared before launching himself at the beast, who bared it's teeth and did the same. But as it snapped it's head forward and attempted to bite the black armoured Bot, he dodged it and grabbed the beast's long neck tightly before swinging the dragon around and throwing it back to the ground.

"I would say he knows Predaking." Liara added before she, Orion and his cousin then noticed that both Skystalker and Grimwing were back on their feet and moving toward the Cybertronian, who was still focused on Predaking.

"Hey, look out!" Orion then shouted as loud as his lungs would allow him too, which made the Bot look over his shoulder and see not only notice them but also the two Predacons. So he immediately turned and readied to fight them just as Predaking got back to his feet, which meant the three beasts now had him surrounded.

"So what now?" Quickstrike asked, as Orion tapped his com-link.

"Normandy, I need you to fire a few torpedoes at the Predacons."

This made both his cousin and the Asari look back at him in surprise.

"You know how close we are to the battle, don't you?" Liara replied.

"Danger close?" the blonde Bot added, while the three Predacons began circling the black armoured Bot, earning a confused look on his face.

"Alright, Orion. But you do know that reports have said that our weapons have barely slowed them down in the past." Rodimus replied via the com.

"I know, but we just need to distract the Predacons long enough for our friend to get away, also open a ground-bridge for us to the cargo-bay and make it large enough for our guest." the blue haired Bot said back.

"Very well, torpedoes away in three...two...one...fire." the Commander replied, before a second later four red projectiles appeared in the sky and hurtled towards the location of the fight. The beasts and Cybertronian's attention turned to these as they looked up and saw the projectiles coming straight at them, which made the Bot dive out of the way while the Predacons kept watching. The torpedoes then hit the ground directly in front of each beast and exploded, earning a roar from each as the rock and dust was sent up into the air, surrounding the beasts. The Bot, who managed to get out of the way then looked up and saw the three small beings again.

"Come with us! Hurry!" the blue haired one shouted as a large green vortex appeared behind them, but the Cybertronian noticed that this person was carrying an object...a blade that somehow felt familiar to him. So he nodded in return and got to his feet and began running towards the group, who in turn ran for the vortex.

Meanwhile, Predaking, Grimwing and Skystalker all managed to recover and saw their enemies retreating for the portal, so they roared at them and began pursuit.

"That's right!" Orion shouted as he saw the towering Bot heading his way, so the Spectre turned his attention back in front and saw that Liara and Quickstrike had entered the ground-bridge. He could hear and feel the Cybertronain's footsteps as they shook the ground while he caught up and ran alongside, all the while the three beasts charged up behind them.

The Bot then looked over his shoulder and saw that the Predacons had opened their mouths, and the light of their dragon-fire could be seen charging as they prepared to fire. So the Cybertronian then picked up the blue haired Spectre, which surprised the hell out of him.

"what the hell!" the Bot exclaimed as he suddenly found himself in the larger Bot's hand looking down at the ground which was flying past as the giant Bot ran towards the vortex.

"You won't fit! You have to transform!" Orion shouted and just as he did, the Cybertronian heard the sound of the Predacons unleashing their dragon-fire behind them.

"Hold on!" he replied before gently tossing the blue haired Spectre into the air and transforming back into his beast mode, and then catching the man in his mouth before he could hit the floor.

"Sweet Jesus!" Orion gasped as he found himself firmly between the Dragon's jaws, but in no danger of being bitten in half. The metallic beast then ran into the vortex which closed before the joint dragon-fire from the Predacons could reach it.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Shockblast was still watching as he stared blankly at the dragons who had stopped and began looking around, as if they were confused to how their enemies could have disappeared. But the Con merely tapped his com-link as he looked away, having lost interest.

"My Liege, the Autobots have escaped and they took the beast with them...yes, opening a ground-bridge for us would be a logical choice." he said before one opened up and allowed Predaking, Skystalker and Grimwing to enter , before closing again. Then another one, one that was more Shockblast's size. And he and his Terracons walked through the event horizon just as the facility exploded.

Meanwhile, Orion found himself looking down at his friends, who had heir weapons raised and pointed in his direction.

"Let Orion go now!" Liara said firmly as she held her pistol with one hand, while her other was a clenched fist and glowing with biotic energy.

"Yeah, put my Cousin down. He is not a chew toy!" Quickstrike added as he pointed his own weapon at the Beast, which looked back and gave off a confused whine.

"Guys, I'm okay. You can lower your weapons." the blue haired Bot replied, before looking back into the creatures blue optics and giving it a slight smile. The Dragon then lowered his head to the ground and released the Darby, who immediately turned back round to see that they were in the cargo-bay and the beast just had enough room to move around.

"Thank you, for what you did back there." he said.

"Wait, you saying this guy...beast was just carrying you in its mouth, like a lioness with its young?" his cousin said, gaining a nod from Orion.

"Exactly."

Then the cargo-bay door to their right opened, with Rodimus and Bravo team entering the large room. Which made the beast look straight at them, it's optics narrowing.

"It's alright, you're among friends." Orion quickly said, regaining the beast's attention.

"By the All-spark." Rodimus exclaimed, while the others just looked at it in amazement.

"My name is Orion Darby, what's yours?" the blue haired Bot asked, while sheathing the Star-Saber on his back. The dragon looked at him for a second before suddenly transforming right before their eyes. Once the transformation had finished, the crew of the Normandy found themselves before a Cybertronian who was on his hands and knees as he looked down at all of them, before his optics fell back on Orion.

"My name is Onyx Primal, Leader of the Maximals."

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  • 3 weeks later...

Chapter XXX

"What's a Maximal?" Smokescreen asked aloud, while everyone stood in front of the giant Cybertronian. Onyx looked at him with a confused expression.

"You have heard of a Predacon, but not a Maximal?

Rodimus activated his holo-tool and brought up images of wall paintings that showed the beasts, to which the Bot gave a curious look.

"Before Galvatron managed to resurrect the Predacon race through science, very little was known about the time other that great beasts walked the surface of Cybertron. As these images show, the writing underneath each identifies them as Predacon. But the planet suffered an extinction level event which we called 'The Great Cataclysm', which wiped out your entire species and civilisation overnight, because these pictures which were found underground in cave systems were all that we modern day Cybertronians could find." the Commander replied just as Liara activated her holo-tool for some show and tell.

"But recently, we discovered that was not the case, as it seems that remains of the Predacons were fossilised deep underground, far deeper than had been previously explored before. It was the Decepticon Shockwave who found those remains. And he cloned the Predacons, using the CNA he had extracted from them."

"Decepticon?" Onyx replied with tinge of confusion to his voice, making everyone look back at him.

"I know only of Maximals and Predacons, and have never heard of Decepticons." he added, making Orion step forward.

"Onyx, before we continue this conversation, I think it would be a good idea to update you on everything that has happened between your time and the present day." he said before looking over to Rodimus, who nodded in return and activated his holo-tool. Then suddenly a massive holo-screen appeared on the wall in front of the Maximal and began playing through historical footage and data, while Orion and his team-mates narrated their story for him.

Once done, Onyx had a very weary expression on his face while he processed it all in his mind, meanwhile everyone just stayed quiet and watched him.

"So it is true, I am the last of my kind. And the Predacons I fought…. Predaking included, are nothing more than shadows of who they used to be."

"I am sorry, Onyx. I cannot begin to imagine what you are going through right now." Orion said, while the Maximal looked back at the image of Cybertron on the large holo-screen.

"When I was knocked into stasis during the Cataclysm, which occurred during our last battle with the Predacons. The last I remember of Cybertron, was it's landscape being devastated by a rain of fire. So when I awoke again and saw the surface during my fight with Grimwing, I thought that the devastation I laid my optics on was the result of that terrible day, but now I know that this is not the case. Let me tell you, that when we Maximals fought against our Predacon Brothers and Sisters. We did so believing that it would be first and last time that a Cybertronian would ever harm another. But I guess that belief was misplaced, or maybe we were just naïve. After all 'our War' lasted merely a few of what you call... years, but this Autobot/Decepticon conflict lasted for eons. I guess there is no such thing as real peace...because no sooner did that war end, that another began with what you call the Reapers." the Maximal said with a sheepish tone while everyone listened, but Orion then took a step forward.

"It's true, peace may not last forever. But it's far from a worthless goal to pursue, in fact the conflict with the Reapers had the positive effect of uniting the entire galaxy. Just because something is hard to get, doesn't mean we should just stop trying." the blue haired Bot replied, earning a smile from all around him, even Primal looked down at him with a similar expression.

"When I look at you, Orion Darby, I cannot help but be reminded of a friend of mine. He once said something very similar to me during the war."

Before the young Darby could ask who the Bot meant, Liara beat him there with a question of her own.

"When we were on Cybertron, I could not help but notice that you looked at Orion's Star-Saber. I get the impression that you have seen it before, and that is why you came with us." the Asari said, earning a nod from Onyx.

"That is correct, I have seen this blade before. It was when I first awoke and opened my optics for the very first time, I looked up and saw the magnificent of beings standing over me. His armour was gold and silver with a very heroic quality to it, he welcomed me into the world as I took my first look upon it. I was one of the first to be awoken, third only to Sentinal Maximus and Predaking. As our race….the Predacons came into being, the Thirteen remained to watch over us for a time and make sure we were acclimatizing to Cybertron. For we were only Beasts at the time, unable to transform as we did not know how to. But that would come in time and when it did finally happen, it was Predaking who lead the way and thus became the Leader of our people. And it was then that the Thirteen vanished mysteriously, we never knew where they went or what happened to them. And as the cycles past they ended up becoming legends of ours, while we created our own civilisation."

The Primal then looked back at Orion and at the hilt of the Star-Saber which could be seen over the blue haired Bot's shoulder.

"May I ask, how you came to be in possession of the 'Blade of Prima'?"

"My father….Jackson Prime held on to it after the passing of his mentor and close friend, Optimus Prime."

"Your father is a Prime, so their lineage continues….that is very intriguing. You must be special yourself for being able to hold such a powerful and mighty blade as the Star-Saber, for it will not let just anyone hold onto it. I remember witnessing Prima having a bout with Predaking who managed to knock the blade from the Prime's hand, but when he tried to lift it off the ground with his jaws…..the blade would not budge." Onyx replied with a knowing expression, which made the young Darby feel somewhat uncomfortable with what he was being told.

"I don't know about that….but since I can wield the Star-Saber, I will use it to do what's right."

Liara looked over at Orion and smiled as he said this, while everyone else except Quickstrike looked at the XO with a surprised expression.

"When were you going to tell us that you were in possession of the Star-Saber? I mean, you do realise what that means…don't you?" Nightracer asked, beating everyone else to the question, which left Orion feeling like he was stuck under a spot light.

"I know what you are getting at, though I do not entirely believe it myself." the Bot replied but before anyone else could speak up, Rodimus stepped forward. As he saw how uncomfortable his XO was getting with the current debate.

"Okay, we are getting off topic here.." he said before looking back at the Primal.

"What happened to you, Onyx Primal, how did you end up buried beneath the ground and not joined with your brethren in the All-Spark?"

"Well, as I just said before… the Thirteen had left us and we had begun to build our own civilisation, mastering our ability to shift between our Cybertronian and beast forms. There were two forms of Predacons, these were Flyers and Walkers. Now as our civilisation grew, these two groups had a settled but not perfect relationship. But slowly that began to change, as those of us capable of flight started to have a supremacist belief in themselves. And they started to see their Walker Brothers and Sisters as being not worthy to stand amongst them, and so this cancer spread over our world and thus created a chasm, one that effected split our people in two. And at first…I was one of those that believed." Onyx said with the guilt evident in his voice as everyone listened intently.

"Looking back at how times were back then, it was so easy to look down at those unable to join us in the sky and feel superior." the Maximal added.

"And here I thought the only prejudice Cybertronians went through was with the caste system during 'The Golden Age'." Nightracer replied, gaining a nod from the Primal.

"So what changed?" Orion asked.

"Sentinal Maximus was the first to openly question this way of thinking and as he did this, his popularity among other Walkers began to rise. Predaking though would not stand for any voice other than his own being heard by the general population, so he had Sentinal imprisoned." Onyx replied.

"I'm guessing that didn't stop his followers?" Smokescreen added.

"It did not. There were mass protests in every city across the planet. Even though the Flyers outnumbered the Walkers, the turnout for each protest was an impressive sight, to say the least. But then Predaking had the idea that if the Walkers followed Sentinal as much as they made out, that if he was suddenly to be killed before all their optics, then their collective voice would be silenced and they would finally accept their place in Predacon society." the Primal continued.

"So what did he do?" Liara asked.

"Predaking placed Sentinal in the 'games' which were held in the pits of Iacon. Maximus was meant to be killed by some of our Predacon warriors such as Inferno, Windrazor, Sawtooth and Quickstrike." the Maxima said, making Smokescreen look over to the blonde Bot with a wide eyed expression.

"You're named after a Predacon?" he gasped, gaining an eye roll from the Bot.

"No, I am not, Smokescreen. Can we get back to the topic on hand." he replied, with everyone giving a nod of agreement as Grunt placed his hand on the other Bot's shoulder.

"If he speaks again, I'll kill him." the Krogan said with a joking-like tone, while Rodimus looked back at Onyx.

"I am guessing it didn't have the effect Predaking was hoping for."

"That is correct. No matter who entered the arena with Sentinal, he would come out the victor which would send his followers into a frenzy. He said that Predaking was helping his cause by letting him prove that Walkers were just as good as their Flyer Brothers and Sisters, so they should be treated equally." the Maximal added.

"So what happened next?" Orion asked.

"After this went on for a good number of cycles, Predaking had enough of the debacle and so entered the arena himself and challenged Sentinal. He wanted to prove once and for all that Flyers should be the dominant ones among our civilisation. The fight between the two was ferocious and bloody, with neither willing to give an inch to the other. Many thought that the fight would never end, as Both Predaking and Sentinal seemed to be fighting to a stand still. All of a sudden, the latter managed to get the upper hand on the Predacon and looked to be claiming the killing blow. But just as Walkers around Cybertron were about to celebrate, Sentinal had left himself open while he went for the kill, allowing Predaking to critically injure the Bot. And in the blink of an eye the tables had turned, as the Predacon leader stood over Maximus and right there and then, he executed his opponent in the most brutal way."

"Did that have the effect Predaking was after?" Rodimus asked.

"It had quite the opposite effect actually, because Sentinal had fought such a heroic and fierce display against the Predacon Leader, who had a reputation for being unbeatable, that it gave the Walkers more encouragement to fight for equality."

"What about you? Did it effect you in a similar way?" Orion said with a curious expression, gaining a head-shake from the Maximal.

"No,it didn't. I mean, I felt sympathy for the Walkers because of how my blood brother was treating them. But I didn't feel anything else...at first." he said, before looking at a bulkhead.

"..At first?" Liara then asked.

"After Sentinal's death, there were a small number of sympathetic Flyers to the plight of the Walkers. My friend Airazor was one of them, she had been a close friend of mine for as long as I can remember and was an honourable and courageous Predacon Femme. She did not get on with Predaking and was very against his methods and leadership, but he would not even touch her. Looking back at it, I guess he was just looking for a reason to snuff out her spark. And then he got one, as one day a group of Terracons began harassing two Walkers in the main square of the Capital. Airazor witnessed the skirmish and immediately got involved and defended the Walkers, which had been the first time that a Flyer ever did this. Predaking did not take this well as he had her arrested and brought to the arena and there in front of everyone, who had been expecting to see a fight...instead saw the Femme getting tortured." Onyx then said as his face became one full of regret.

"Predaking condoned public torture, he sounds more and more like Megatron every time you mention him." Smokescreen said with a disgusted tone, one that was shared by everyone else in the room.

"I got there just in time to see them tear Airazor's wings from her body, and it was then at that moment that my spark became enraged. Because not only did Predaking have my closest friend and ally tortured as a scare tactic against the masses, and had also taken away the right for the accused to fight for their freedom in the arena, but he took it upon himself to torture Airazor. So I gate-crashed the proceedings and rescued her, but not before giving my blood brother a severe beating right in front of the arena's audience." Onyx replied.

"I bet that went down a storm with the Walkers.." Quickstrike said, earning a nod from the giant Bot.

"Yes, seeing the leader of the Flyers being humiliated by one of his own sent the Walkers in the Arena into a frenzy and they began fighting with Flyers and Terracons alike. A group of Walkers assisted me with getting Airazor to a safe haven outside of the Capital and it was there that she and others including Rhinox convinced me to help them fight, since my reputation as one of the Predacons best warriors and tacticians was widely known throughout Cybertron. They felt that I would make a perfect successor to Sentinal, but at first I was not interested since my only priority was Airazor's well-being."

"But I guess she managed to twist your arm." Nightracer said with a knowing tone, gaining a nod from the Primal.

"Yes, Airazor did have a way with words and she knew me too well." he answered with an affectionate tone, one that did not go unnoticed by the others. But instead of bringing it up, they all just remained quiet and let the Maximal speak.

"So I agreed to lead the Walkers against the rest of the Predacons and we agreed to name our faction 'Maximals' in honour of Sentinal Maximus, for he was the first to stand up to Predaking and his supremacist forces. Had it not been for him, then there would never have been an uprising."

"You said the war lasted a few years?" Smokescreen then asked, before anyone else could speak.

"Yes, despite the fact we Maximals were outnumbered by our Predacon brethren, we managed to give as good a fight as we received. We had victories….and we had defeats, losing…friends… along the way." Onyx replied while looking down at the ground, the blue of his optics illuminating the metal floor. A look of regret and pain on his face while the others remained quiet, silently paying respects as he did. After a moment the Bot looked back up and was ready to speak again.

"How did the war end?" the Commander asked with a curious tone, making the Maximal's optics turn to him.

"It could have been just another battle, but on that particular solar-cycle, my spark was as enraged as it had been on the very day it all started. I was convinced that killing Predaking would be the only way to end the war, and I had the conviction to carry me through to that end."

Orion just listened as did everyone else, but he could not help but wonder what had happened to make Onyx feel that way again. The blue haired Bot felt that he may know the answer, but decided not to pursue an answer from the Primal and stayed silent.

"I fought with Predaking, it was a battle to end all battles between us. We had been friends, blood Brothers and were now hated enemies. Even as our armies fought around us, our optics were only focused on each other. But before a victor would be revealed, the entire planet began to shake as fire rain down from the sky. The entire planet's surface began to burn as it looked like the end of the world was upon us, but then the ground beneath me broke apart and I found myself falling into darkness and everything went black." the Maximal said.

"That must have been when you went into stasis-lock. But what brought you out of it?" Rodimus then asked, earning thoughtful looks from everyone before Smokescreen had a eureka expression.

"It must have been the Synthergon. You know, what we found powering the reactor." he said as he looked over to Nightracer and Grunt, hoping for some acknowledgment.

"Yes, that's right. We found a leak in one of the storage tanks that was dripping through a crack in the floor." the Femme agreed, gaining a confused look from Onyx.

"Synthergon?"

"A synthetic form of Energon, but it is unstable due to it's formula being incomplete. We should have you checked to see what your levels are, because it can have an adverse effect on Cybertronian physiology." Rodimus replied before looking at the others.

"So the rest of you should get some rest in the meantime."

"If I may, Commander. I would like to get on with studying the Intel we took from the Predacon base. It could give us a clue to their next target." Liara then said, as Orion joined her side.

"I'll help, since two pairs of eyes are better than one." he said, earning a slight smile from the Asari.

"Very well, everyone dismissed." Rodimus replied as everyone headed out of the cargo-bay, before he turned back to the Maximal.

"I will have our doctor, Red-Alert come down and take some scans."

"Of course, but I would like to keep this up and read some more." Onyx replied while pointing at the large holo-screen beside him.

"Okay, I will be in the CIC if you require anything." Rodimus said back before walking out of the room and back into the ship's corridor.

"Commander Rodimus, Jetstorm here." a voice spoke up on the inter-com.

"Status report?" the Commander replied.

"The base was completely destroyed, Sir." the pilot said back.

"Excellent.." Rodimus began to say back, but then Jetstorm cut him off.

"Yes, Sir, But at that same time, our sensors picked up similar explosions from all around Cybertron."

"But that wasn't us." the Elite Spectre replied with a confused expression.

"Perhaps they were all connected via the same power network, and they all just detonated." the pilot said back.

"Or the Predacons got jumpy and destroyed all evidence that they had been there, just on the off chance we were going to find those facilities too."

PRIME EFFECT 4

Meanwhile, on the Nemesis which was currently surrounded by a fleet of Predacon and former Omega ships, the bridge was uncharacteristically quiet. All the Terracons stationed there had they heads down and were focusing just on their own work, not even daring to look up and see what was happening around them. For they could sense that a storm was about to be rained upon them as Rip-Claw stood on the catwalk above then with Galvatron, the Predacon leader staring at the Femme wit narrowed eyes.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he asked with gritted teeth, showing that he was restraining his anger...for the moment.

"I am sorry, Lord Galvatron." the Femme replied with a apprehensive expression, but her words did not even make her superior flinch as he stared down at her.

"Is that all you have to say for losing not only the colony to the Autobots, but also our advantage over their forces." he then replied, with an anger building in the tone of his voice that set alarm bells ringing with Rip-Claw.

"My Lord, it wouldn't have been possible for the Autobots to do what they did without Ser-Ket's help. Surely you should blame her more than I."

"But it happened on your watch, Rip-Claw, and you will answer for that. In fact, had you not managed to capture your traitorous sister, then I would have had you killed right now." Galvatron spat back, which made the Femme lower her head in shame as she looked at the ground.

"Now get out of my sight, while I think what should be done with you." he then added before turning his back on her, a disgusted expression on his face.

"Give me another chance, my Lord. I will not fail you again." Rip-Claw pleaded, but the Predacon leader kept his attention to the void beyond the bridge's canopy.

"You are not helping your chances by begging, now get out!"

The Femme merely nodded shakilly before backing away slowly, until she was far enough away and then turned and rushed off the bridge, nearly banging into Six-Shot as he walked through the doorway.

"Hey, what was that?" he asked back in surprise, but Rip-Claw disappeared down the corridor before he could say anything else.

"Six-Shot.." Galvatron's voice then boomed, making the Terracons below stop what they were doing and remain very still as fesr took hold.

"...I am not in the best of moods, I suggest you leave me be." he added as his lieutenant walked up and stopped right behind him.

"I have just heard about my brother, is he alright?" the Con asked with concern in his voice.

"He is being treated in the Infirmary at this moment, but I have yet to question him on how he lost the facility, as well as 'why' he decided to detonate all the others...just because the Autobots found one..." Galvatron spat as his anger began to rise again.

"How did the Autobots even find the base, Cybertron is a dead planet." Six-Shot asked with a disbelieving tone.

"Your brother told me that Asari, the one you two failed to kill, was with the Autobots. My guess is that she lead then there." the Predacon leader replies as he looked over his shoulder at his lieutenant.

"First...Rip-Claw with Ser-Ket and now you two with that Asari, I am beginning to sense a pattern here. Are any of you capable of killing when it is utmost required of you. For I have now lost two bases to the Autobots and our main advantage over them, all in the space of a day or so."

But this then ignited Six-Shot's spark as he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at his leader, not even remotely put off by Galvatron's imposing demeanour.

"You want to talk about mistakes, then let's go over nuking an Autobot Colony...shall we."

The Predacon Lord's eyes widened in surprise at his minion's impudence.

"You dare..."

"We are supposed to be conquering the Federation and their Autobots, not exterminating them. What were you thinking?" Six-Shot continued, letting his hanger push him further as he confronted Galvatron, who looked even more aggravated.

"How dare you question me and my methods! Or do you forget who you are talking too?" the Predacon leader snapped as he towered over his lieutenant, who looked as if he still would not back down as he stared back defiantly.

"I wanted to send the Autobots a message, and it was delivered perfectly. I doubt they will move against us so quickly again, since I am just cleaning up the mess my lieutenants have caused." Galvatron said, which made Six-Shot look away with a worried expression as he did see the Predacon Lord's logic and suddenly felt that he no longer have a leg to stand on.

"Now if I were you, I would make myself scarce before I tear your spark out for insubordination!" his leader continued as he noticed the change in his minion's behaviour, so Six-Shot bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly before turning around and storming off the bridge as Galvatron watched with narrowed eyes until the Con was gone.

In the Nemesis's science lab, Shockblast was standing at one of the terminals and looking at the holo-screen being emitted by it. He was typing on the holo-interface as he watched code scrolling down the screen at speed and despite losing an eye, his remaining one was working just fine as it kept up with the information on the screen.

'Where are the files, I know they are here. It would be illogical for these people to not download them from my laboratory.' he thought before the Science Lab's door opened and Six-Shot entered, which did not even make Shockblast blink as he kept his attention on the screen.

"There you are, I thought I was going to find you in the Infirmary but you had already left." the younger Con said as he walked up to his older brother's side.

"It was not logical for me to stay there, not when I have a great many tasks to complete." Shockblast replied coldly, earning a worried expression from Six-Shot.

'Why is he talking like that?' he thought, as his Brother noticed that he was still standing there.

"Is there something I can help you with? Because if not, then I must ask you to leave."

"Yeah, you can tell me what's going on with you lately?" Six-Shot asked, which gaining a confused expression from Shockblast.

"Of what do you speak?" he asked before turning his attention back to the terminal, typing into the holo-interface as a loading bar appeared on it's screen. But his younger Brother looked back with an even more confused expression.

"This is what I am talking about, you never used to act or talk like you are now...what is going on?" he pleaded, but Shockblast ignored it and focused on his work. But after seeing his brother becoming more distant and more distant over the their time with Galvatron, coupled with how angry he was after his latest spat with their leader, Six-Shot had enough of this and grabbed Shockblast by the arm which made the Con look at him blankly.

"What in the All-spark has happened to you, I don't even recognise you anymore. I Thought it might have been the workload that Galvatron placed on your shoulders, that it might be stress but I look at you...and its like your not even there." the younger Con said with an angry and concerned tone as his brother just looked at him.

"Remove your arm...now!" Shockblast said back with a deathly cold tone, while narrowing his eye with a stare that was just as cold. Six-Shot was surprised by the threat and so let go of his Brother's arm, just looking back with a dumbfounded expression which Shockblast ignored as he walked past, heading for the door.

"This conversation is over." he added before exiting the lab, leaving Six-Shot alone.

'What in the pit is going on around here, first Galvatron promises to conquer the galaxy only to start sending our ships out for a glorified scavenger hunt, and then starts nuking Autobot targets. And meanwhile my Brother is acting less and less like himself, which is now to the point where I swear he is a stranger.' the Con thought before his attention was caught by the sound of a beeping noise, so he turned and saw that it was emanating from the now completed loading bar.

Curious about what his Brother was looking into, Six-Shot activated his holo-tool and connected it to the terminal which then made the bar and the sound it was producing to stop. Then the screen began to show large images that looked like video recordings, and the young Con found himself curious to what these were so he found himself clicking on one and making it play before him. What he saw made his eyes widen as the footage played out in front of him.

"No...I don't recall this!"

PRIME EFFECT 4

As the Normandy orbited an uninhabited planet in the Traverse, the 'nightshift' crew were all focused on their duties about the ship while the remainder were resting. But there was one person who was not, for he was unable to focus on anything but what he had recently lost. And this was very punishing for Quickstrike as he walked through the Normandy's corridors. For when he was down on Cybertron with his cousin and the others or greeting their new Maximal guest, things were too hectic for the Bot to get sidetracked by the thoughts of the love he had lost.

But now that everything had quietened down, he could not help but lose his focus and let Ser-Ket dominate his thoughts. So the blonde Autobot carried on walking, from one end of the ship to the other. He knew that he probably should be helping Liara with decrypting the Predacon Intel or anyone of his new friends with their duties or points of interest, but his spark was in pain right now and he had to let the storm of emotion take him and ride it out, until the next crisis hit and give him back some semblance of focus.

Quickstrike had pretty much walked two whole laps of the ship by the time he came to a stop at the entrance to the cargo-bay, not sure if he should enter what some crew were now calling 'Lair of the Dragon'. He wasn't sure if that name was entirely deserving for the Maximal, who on first impression seemed very civilised despite his alternate mode. But this nickname had originated from the crew who had yet to know Onyx Primal and as with anyone, when there was something you didn't understand then it was natural to fear it until you did.

But why was he currently standing outside the Maximal's living space aboard the Normandy, and at this ungodly hour. Maybe it was that during their first 'chat' with Onyx, there was a moment when Quickstrike felt that the Maximal had felt a similar pain to his own. He had certainly alluded to it during his retelling of the his life before the 'great cataclysm', even if it was in a throw-away line.

'What did he mean by that, and if has had an experience similar to me...then how did he deal with it?' the blonde Bot thought while pressing the keypad next to the door, which opened and allowed him access.

Once inside, Quickstrike noticed that the lights in there had been dimmed, making the area look a little creepy. Building that atmosphere more was the sound of breathing, which echoed throughout the room. But the Bot spotted the Maximal in his beast mode, curled up o the floor. The image it presented looked like one of those seen in fantasy stories, the ones where there was a dragon sleeping in a cave. But before Quickstrike could move any closer, the dragon's optics opened and looked directly at him, which made him feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh…sorry." he said back sheepishly, before the beast got to its feet and then transformed into the calm but physically imposing figure of Onyx Primal.

"..Quickstrike….., I sense something is troubling you?" the Maximal asked, earning a surprised look from the Autobot.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because while your team-mates are either focused on powering down or concerning themselves with other duties, you are walking around the ship by yourself." Onyx replied with an observant expression, which made the Bot suddenly feel guilty for walking in on the ancient Cybertronian.

"Look, you were resting. I will go." Quickstrike said back as he began to back towards the door but then Onyx gestured for him to stop, his blue optics staring at the Bot.

"You have lost someone….haven't you?"

The blonde Autobot felt like he was suddenly naked and without any kind of defence, as the Maximal's question had caught him off guard.

"How did you..?"

"I can see it in your eyes, you have lost someone who is close to your spark. I would know for I have...too." Onyx replied as he looked away, as the memory rushing back into his neural net.

"Was it Airazor?" Quickstrike asked sombrely with the Cybertronian nodding slowly in return, earning a similar expression from the blonde Bot.

"I am sorry."

"As am I, for the loss you have suffered. May I ask who she was?" Onyx replied as he looked back at the Bot.

"Her name was Ser-Ket, she was a Predacon who rescued me from one of their bases." Quickstrike said back as he looked at the ground, not wanting the Maximal to see the pain he felt as his own memories started to return to his thoughts.

"I see..." the big Bot replied as he remembered from the briefing that Predacons had been given pretender bodies to use.

"..What was Ser-Ket like?"

"Ser-Ket was...the most amazing woman I have ever met. She had a kind and compassionate spark, and was brave and honourable. She didn't fit in with the other Predacons, and didn't share their blood lust." Quickstrike reminisced with a slight smile as he remembered the Femme, how she would look at him, and smile. Onyx returned the smile as he looked down at the Bot.

"She sounds like she was a wonderful person and not at all like a Predacon. In fact, I would say she sounds more like a Maximal."

"I thought that both factions were the same?" Quickstrike replied with a confused look, earning a nod from Onyx.

"Indeed, but the blood lust was something that Maximals...Walkers had more control over. Since over time, they had been downgraded from equals to second class citizens and then to slaves. They had learned to be more in control of their animal instincts, proving that they were more than what their Predacon cousins thought themselves to be. For 'we' would still fall prey to our more beast-like behaviour as we believed ourselves superior, and felt that we were perfect. I too can still lose control to my more aggressive and monstrous side." the Primal said, gaining a nod from the blonde Bot.

"Ser-Ket was ashamed of that side of herself, never wanting to use it when we got into fights with other Predacons."

Onyx smiled again as he listened to Quickstrike.

"I think if both Airazor and your Ser-Ket had a chance to meet, they would have liked each other. They certainly have a lot in common."

"What happened to Airazor?" the Autobot then asked, earning a thoughtful expression from Onyx.

"As I said before, Airazor and I had been very close friends all our lives. But it was not until she was branded a traitor for helping some Walkers and then tortured, that I realised just how much she meant to me." the Maximal replied as his mind was flooded with memories of he and his Spark-mate.

"When I confessed how I felt about her, Ser-Ket revealed that she felt the same and we became spark-mates. We were together during the entirety of the war, We even had designs on what we were going to do after it. But in the final days of the conflict, it all fell apart..." he said as a regretful expression befell his face, earning a sympathetic expression from the blonde Bot.

"Why?"

"Because of Predaking!" Onyx then replied, as he found himself replaying the memory in his mind.

'The battle was bloody and brutal with energon spilling everywhere, as the forces of the Predacons and the Maximals continued to rip each other apart either in their Cybertronain or Beast modes. The entire metallic valley, which was one of the few wide open spaces on Cybertron, had every square inch filled with bloody slaughter. In the midst of the battle, a green and yellow wingless dragon charged it's way through the enemy line, sending numerous Terracons flying through the air. It roared into the air, as if to signal others around it. But suddenly found itself surrounded, as another group of Terracons ripped its way through the few Bot-formed Maximals that were standing between them and it.

The group was made up of three beasts and two Cybertronians, the former growled while the latter flashed evil grins as they readied their blades. But the yellow and green beast looked up behind them and gave off another roar, which made the enemies look back just moments before a jet black dragon flapped it's wings and swooped down, ploughing into them. The Terracons stood no chance as it picked up the two Bots and carried them into the air, leaving the beasts injured and unprepared as the yellow and green Dragon pounced on Both, quickly killing them with a throat rip from it's powerful jaws.

The black dragon then dropped it's two passengers back down into the battling masses, then flew back round and landed in the open area in front of the yellow and green beast. Both dragons looked at each for a second before transforming into two armoured Cybertronians, one was Onyx Primal, while the yellow and green beast transformed in to an Cybertronian Femme with light armour over an athletic build.

"Airazor, are you alright?" he asked with a concerned and caring expression, while she smiled back and flicked off some energon off her sharp fingers.

"Yes, thank you for the assist, Onyx. Though you know, I could have taken them." she replied, gaining a nod from the Maximal Bot."

"I know, but I could see you from overhead...I can always spot you." he said back with an affectionate tone, which would have made the Femme blush had she been able. And she would have said something back, but noticed that the Terracons were coming back.

"I guess we will have to put this moment on hold, until after we win this battle." she replied as Onyx noticed the incoming enemies, the two partners then equipped their swords and readied themselves.

"Their timing could be better." he said, earning a smirk from his spark-mate before they Both charged into the Terracons, cutting down the foes as they did so and spilled yet more energon in their path.

"So I take it since the Terracons are being pushed in the direction of my forces, that your plan was successful." the Femme asked as she sliced the head off one enemy unfortunate enough not to dodge her attack.

"Yes, my own forces have hit their northern front lines hard, pushing them further back into their own reserves." he replied while slicing then neck open of one Terracon, who in a frenzied panic stabbed his own mate in the side and killed him. But before he could bleed out, the Primal then sliced his head off as he and Airazor finished off the other two in easy fashion.

"Your idea to split up our forces and attack from different directions certainly looks to be working." the Femme said as the pair stood in the center of the bloody mess.

"Yes, this should make Predaking show his face now. I know he is here, I can smell him." Onyx replied before another wingless dragon burst out of the battle around the pair and ran up to them, this one had a three horns ranging from small to large on it's snout as it stopped before them.

"Rhinox!" the Maximal leader exclaimed as his friend transformed into a heavily built grey and green Cybertronian with red eyes.

"Primal, we are almost through their lines. Rat-Trap has sent word that a number of Predaking's lieutenants have appeared to regain control of the battle."

"Which means their leader cannot be far behind." Airazor added, earning a confident smile from Onyx.

"Right, So I want you two to hold our attack along with Jawbreaker and Nightshriek. I meanwhile will make myself known, so that if Predaking is out there then he will come to me…" the Maximal Leader said, gaining acknowledging nods from his friends.

"…and I will kill him." he added.

"With their Alpha dead, the Predacons will fall into disarray. So Airazor and I will make sure our forces maintain their focus in what should be our final battle. Good luck Primal, till all are one." Rhinox replied before transforming back into his beast form and returning to the battle. Airazor then walked right up to her spark-mate and cupped his face in her hand.

"I will be here when you are done, my Love."

"I will see you soon." he replied as he lowered his head to her own, letting them touch as he placed his hand on her chest-plate and she did the same.

"Go get him." she said back before he stepped back and nodded, then transformed back into his beast mode and flew up into the air. Airazor then did the same and rejoined the battle, fighting her way through the Terracons who were too preoccupied with her Maximal Brothers and Sisters.

Meanwhile, Onyx swooped back down into the battle, destroying one Terracon as he transformed back into his Cybertronian self, cutting down another enemy with his blade as his parts finished shifting around. He then impaled another in the face with a second blade that had ejected from the Bot's armoured gauntlet, before ripping that blade back out and spinning around and slicing open the chest of another who was attacking from behind him. As the bodies fell around the Maximal Leader, he could not help but wonder where his former blood brother was.

'Where is he? How many of his men do I have to kill?' he thought as he then defended himself from several more Terracons who charged at him. But as each one fell to his blades, falling to the ground to join their fallen comrades. A familiar roar echoed through the sky, making Onyx look up to see the silhouette of Predaking's dragon form soaring through the sky as if watching the entire battle.

The Primal then transformed back into his beast mode and roared back, hoping to gain the Predacon Leader's attention. The beast then looked directly at Onyx and growled, but instead of flying straight for him, Predaking turned his yellow optics to an area far ahead of the Maximal and then roared as if he had spotted a target more to his choosing. The massive dragon then dived down at the area making Oynx look at what his former friend was heading, straining his optics to zoom in.What his optics saw made them widen in horror as he saw Airazor fighting Scorponok and Blight, completely unaware of the danger flying down at her.

So the Maximal leader began running back, barging past fellow soldiers and enemies a like, Not caring about anything else but his Spark-mate. But before he had gotten within a hundred yards of her, Predaking landed beside the Femme who had just finished off Blight and Scorponok, the former had his head removed while the latter fell to ground with a bloody slice that went the length of his torso. Airazor turned round to see the Predacon leader transform into his heavily armoured bipedal form, a dark smile appearing on his face as he equipped his sword.

So she took on a defensive stance and readied herself to fight. Onyx though found himself slowed down by a large group of Predacon soldiers who like a dam, stopped him and caused the Bot to fight despite the fact that his love was facing their most skilled and deadly warrior. Even as he fought back against the Terracons, Onyx could not keep his attention off Airazor or Predaking as the two began fighting with the Femme defending against the much larger Con's heavy attacks. The Predacon leader swung his blade down at the Maximal who just managed to block the attack with her own sword, but did not have the strength to equal that of Predaking, so did enough to allow her to roll out of the way and gain some space between her and him.

Then the orange and black Con attacked again, which the Femme dodged before swiping her blade up through the air which caught Predaking's face, creating a slice from his cheek to his forehead in a diagonal cut. The Predacon grimaced as he pulled back, once again giving Airazor a moment to catch her breath. But just after he wiped the dripping energon from his face, the Con's yellow optics narrowed and he stared daggers at her before roaring and charging her. Onyx had just killed several Terracons in a row and finally cleared a path to the pair, but he looked up and suddenly felt his spark shatter as he witnessed Predaking breaking through Airazor's defences and stab her through the chest.

The Femme coughed up energon as she dropped her weapon which fell to the ground, with her quickly following as she collapsed to her knees. Onyx felt everything slow down around him as he screamed at the top of his voice while more Terracons moved in around him. But all he could do was watch as Predaking stood over Airazor who looked up at him and spat energon in his direction, but the Con just wiped the liquid from his chest-plate and smiled back before glancing over in Onyx's direction, seeing the look of pure horror and desperation on his face before looking back to the Femme.

The Maximal Leader's optics then fell back to Airazor's who was looking back at him just as Predaking brought his blade up and readied himself to strike. The pair just kept their optics on each other as the blade then swung down and sliced through her neck in one clean motion. The last thing Orion saw of Airazor was her head separating from her body as energon gushed out all over the place.'

That image was forever burned into the Maximal's mind as he found himself back in the Normandy's cargo-bay with Quickstrike, who was looking back at him with a sorrowful and sympathetic expression.

"I am so sorry, Onyx." the blonde Autobot said, gaining a nod from the larger Bot.

"I never even got the chance to avenge Airazor's death, as the Cataclysm happened almost directly after. But what hurts my spark the most, is never hearing her call my name or feeling the warmth of her own spark with my own." the Maximal leader replied.

"I know what you mean…" Quickstrike said back with a knowing tone.

"...I would give anything to have Ser-Ket back in my arms, nothing would be out of bounds." he added.

"But the truth is…..we can't, no matter how much we want it. All we can do is live on and carry their memory within us, despite how much it hurts." Onyx replied, earning an accepting nod from Quickstrike as the pair stood there in silence.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Six-Shot marched up the corridor, his entire being was enraged by what he had witnessed on Shockblast's terminal. The Con had watched every video that had been decrypted from what he found out was Galvatron's private database, which had raised another question in his mind.

'Why did Shockblast go out of his to break into Galvatron's terminal, what made him want to do such a thing?' he thought as he turned a corner and spotted one of Bridge's Terracons walking toward him.

"Soldier, is Lord Galvatron on the Bridge?" he asked, in a tone that hid the majority of the anger he was feeling at this point.

"No, Sir. Our Lord is currently in his quarters." the Terracon replied, gaining a silent nod from his superior as he walked past.

"I believe he said he was not to be disturbed." the soldier added, but this fell on deaf ears as Six-Shot continued onwards, leaving the minion somewhat confused as he stood there in the corridor and watched.

In his quarters, Galvatron was busy looking through the reports he had received from the Captains of ships in the Predacon fleet. But his attention was caught by the door to his room opening, making him turn to see Six-Shot standing in the doorway with his pistol equipped and pointed at the Predacon Leader. He had a look of pure hate on his face as he narrowed his eyes at Galvatron.

"Six-Shot, what is the meaning of this!" he blasted as he got up from his desk and stood before his lieutenant.

"You dare to ask questions of me? After what you did to Shockblast and myself." the Predacon spat back as he just entered the room, but not enough to make the door close behind him. Galvatron stared back in surprise, completely caught off guard by his minion's words.

"So...you know, but how?"

"That is not important. The fact that my brother and I are not actually Predacons, but are...Autobots!" Six-Shot replied.

"You should be thanking me since when we originally met, you and your brother were weak and pathetic Cybertronians. But I reformatted you into stronger, more powerful beings." Galvatron said back in a justifying-like tone as he slowly moved his hand down toward his holstered pistol, but the other Predacon noticed and gestured for him to stop.

"Don't even think about it. You know I can't believe that we nearly killed that Asari for you, she was telling the truth about what you had done to us all along. Neither of us will ever remember the lives that you stole from us, and I can think of only one way to repay you for that." he said as his trigger finger started to tighten around his weapon's trigger but before he could end the Predacon Leader's life, a gunshot sounded out from behind him which made him flinch suddenly.

"Ugh!" he grimaced as he looked up at Galvatron in with a confused expression.

"What?" he added before falling to his knees as the Predacon Lord watched in surprise, then his eyes suddenly focused on the figure of Shockblast who walked into view and entered the doorway, earning a shocked look from his injured Brother.

"Shockblast? Why?" he said as blood filled his mouth, but the other Con merely looked down at him with a blank expression before aiming the pistol at Six-Shot's head and pulling the trigger. The shot went straight through his Brother's head, spattering blood on the wall of the doorway, before the body fell to the ground the head shot and back shot clear for Galvatron to see.

"Thank you, Shockblast." the Predacon Lord said back in a relieved manner, as the other Con looked down at the corpse of his late brother.

"Shockblast?" he asked again, making his Lieutenant turn his attention to him.

"It was logical to ensure that there would be no witnesses." Shockblast replied as he stared blankly at Galvatron, who's own expression had changed to confused.

"What?" he replied as the other Con suddenly aimed his weapon at him.

"I should never have agreed to clone you from my Liege...Megatron." Shockblast said back coldly, making Galvatron's eyes widen in shock.

"Shockwave?" he muttered back, gaining a nod from the Decepticon possessed Predacon.

"That is correct, it gives me a very logical sense of pride to finally be called by my actual name." Shockwave replied while never taking his aim from the Predacon leader.

"How...How are you here?" Galvatron asked in return.

"It took me a while to formulate a logical reason, but I would say that I am here because my memories slowly overcame the mind of the one you called Shockblast. Therefore, I now exist in this form and the other is forever erased." Shockwave replied as he stepped closer to his target.

"Once I knew that I was really here and in full control of this body, I began reading the Predacon files to discover what you had been up to since your reawakening, as well as decrypting your personal database. I never did find out what was there, but it is logical to believe that Six-Shot did so and that is the reason he was here to kill you, something that I will complete now."

"Shockwave, wait. If the details of your sudden resurrection are true, then it is because of 'me' that this happened." Galvatron pleaded knowing that he had to change his tactics to deal with this Decepticon, who would have no qualms with killing him there and then.

"Explain?" the Con replied with an emotionless tone.

"It was I that convinced Shockblast to download your memories into his mind. Had I not, then you would never have come to be here now."

"That is true, but I do not think that this is enough to not terminate your spark." Shockwave said back.

"True, but you said that you have studied our files. So surely you can see that I have accomplished more in my short time as Leader of Predacons, than Megatron ever did with his Decepticons." Galvatron replied with a confident tone underlining his words, earning a curious look from the Decepticon.

"That is logical, but..?"

"But? But what? You have been given a second chance at life, Shockwave. Something that would never have occurred, if it had not been for me. So instead, I offer you a place among my Predacons, so that you can assist me with the conquering of this galaxy..." the Predacon Lord added, while Shockwave continued to stare back curiously.

"...and you will be able to continue with your scientific endeavours, no matter what they are." Galvatron then finished, a confident smile appearing on his face as he looked at the Decepticon who just stood there in a frozen pose. His gun still pointed at the Predacon Leader, though he had yet to pull the trigger.

"So will you join me or will you fire your weapon, killing me and making you a target to every Predacon on this ship? The choice is yours Shockwave, I hope you make the logical one." Galvatron added while Shockwave stood there and contemplated his answer as the door to his quarters closed behind him.

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