Tag: sonic

Scorponok recovered from the blow and growled at his hated rival. “You were just as pacifistic as Cerebros!” Fortress Maximus adopted a fighting stance.

“Galen taught us both!” he replied.

“Cute! But it won’t save you, Fortress!” Scorponok then pulled a rectangular shield with a pincer on the bottom from his back and fastened it to his left arm so the pincer was level with his claw. He then started swinging it wildly and fired from his stinger as well. The shot hit Fortress in the leg. Fortress grunted in pain but pushed it aside as he blocked a shield swing and slammed his fist into Scorponok’s chest. Scorponok gasped, then shoved Fortress backwards. “I’ve had it with you!” snarled the Predacon Metrotitan. “Always getting the fame for giving Nebulos the Headmaster technology!”

“You think I WANTED you to be overshadowed, old friend?!” argued Fortress. “I never wanted to be famous at all! At times like this, I wish I was still doing what Metrotitans are supposed to do, explore the stars!”

“My Spark bleeds for you, Fortress Maximus! Now you just BLEED!” Scorponok then slashed his shield’s pincer across Fortress’ torso, making him leak Energon. He then tore a mountain out of the ground and flung it at Fortress. Fortress fired on the mountain from the guns on his legs. He then knocked the shield off of his opponent’s arm and drew a large sword from his back in the process.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Fortress then held the sword near his head, “but this is for the good of Nebulos. The people demanded your life a long time ago. They’ve declared you and your partners too dangerous to be kept alive. I’ll try to make this as quick and painless as I can!” He slammed his fist into Scorponok’s chest again, then followed through by running the sword through his face! As Scorponok stilled, Zarak appeared on Scorponok’s shoulder from an emergency teleport beam, holding a canister in his hands.

“You may have killed Black Scar,” he called, “but Scorponok was paranoid enough to place his Spark in a safe container and secure a means of transport!” He leapt off Scorponok as the body transformed back into scorpion city-ship mode.

“Where do you think he got it from?!” called Fortress. Galen then appeared and slugged Zarak, forcing him to drop the container. Megatron scooped it up and made a call.

“Nemesis! Beam us aboard! Radio control Scorponok’s body to return to the stars! He’s got supplies to get us to Animatros! Retreat!” Scorponok’s body then took off as the Novacons and Megatron vanished in a teleport beam. As they left Nebulos’ solar system, Zarak continued beating on Zarak. He then pulled out his Ban’grazas and pierced Zarak in the chest, causing him to gasp. The swords struck two of his three hearts. He collapsed to the ground in pain. Galen then panted before collapsing. Llyra and Trema caught him before he fell completely to the ground. Fortress Maximus then looked down at the scene below him as everyone gathered around the dying Zarak.

“…Why, Father?” asked Llyra. “Why did it have to come to this?”

“You tell me!” coughed Zarak. “Why do you not continually seek power as any living being should do?! Magic always preached restraint, science doesn’t!”

“…Is that why?” hissed Llyra. “Is that why you killed Mother?!” Zarak only stared at Llyra, his silence confirming her suspicions. “…RRRGHRRGAAAAARGH! WHY DO YOU INSIST THAT PEOPLE ARE OBLIGATED TO SEEK MORE POWER?! YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT THOSE OF US WITH POWER NEED TO DOMINATE THOSE THAT DON’T?! YOU WANT TO HAVE AN ETERNAL WAR BETWEEN SCIENCE AND MAGIC?! THINK FATHER, THINK! SUPERPOWERED PEOPLE LIKE US HAVE PROVEN TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN SQUABBLERS WHO CAN’T SEE WHAT THEIR WAR IS DOING TO THOSE THAT AREN’T SO LUCKY! OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT SHOULD NEVER SEEK POWER, IT’S US! ESPECIALLY SINCE, AS YOU AND YOUR OLD DECEPTICON BUDDIES JUST DEMONSTRATED, WE’RE JUST ONE BAD DAY AWAY FROM BECOMING THE NEXT BROLGUS! YOUR REGIME IS FIGHTING TO PROVE THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE STRIPPED OF OUR POWER AND LOCKED AWAY FOR LIFE! BUT DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! ASK MOTHER!” Zarak groaned as he had no choice but to let his daughter unleash her pain verbally. “…WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS?!”

“…You,” answered Zarak. “I would have had a safe future for you.” Zarak then finally died.

“…My future’s mine to determine!” hissed Llyra as tears came down her face. Hi-Q saw the whole thing and tapped his visor. As he observed what the results were on his visor, Hi-Test came up to him.

“We better organize for the remaining non-Omnibots to leave,” he recommended. “We’ll detonate another bomb with a different mechano-toxin and-”

“We’re doing no such thing,” interjected Hi-Q. “Our anti-Transformer and anti-mage agendas need to fall.”

“…It’s for the safety of Nebulos! The simulations-”

“The simulations didn’t account for those that limit themselves already!” Hi-Test opened his mouth to protest again. “HI-TEST! …Do you think people like Llyra are so rare?! Look at the scene! Recall what Fortress Maximus said! The powerful DO have people like us in mind, at least on THIS planet!”

“We can’t change our stance now! The people will eat us alive!”

“We’re scientists! Our stances change with new variables added to the equations! You’re not gonna tell us it’s not okay to change minds with new data added, are you?!”

“It’s NOT okay! Don’t you get it?! We HAVE to stay steadfast in our beliefs and opinions!” Hi-Q shook his head.

“That’s a pretty cowardly view, if you ask me with all the data I have available to me at this time.”

“If you won’t stay true to your original stance, then I want no part of this! I QUIT!” Hi-Test stormed off, throwing down his employee card in the process.

“…Did you really mean that, Hi-Q?” asked Galen as Fortress Maximus transformed back into city-mode and ejected Cerebros in shuttle mode.”

“Dad made what I said about changing minds with each scrap of new data a big part of my upbringing,” replied Hi-Q. “Supreme Counci…” He stopped himself when he saw Llyra still standing over Zarak’s body. He sensed that there might be a bit of impropriety over making a request now.

“…Yes?” Llyra asked. Hi-Q hesitated before answering.

“…Supreme Councilor, at the next meeting of the Council of Peers, I’d like to announce the formal end of our anti-mage and anti-Transformer weapons programs.”

“…Very well, but that won’t be for a while. We must send my father’s body into the sun.” Galen and Trema goggled at her declaration.

“That’s a surefire way of sending his soul-!”

“His exile was still in effect when he died, and he broke it! We must follow through with it!”

---

Sending a body into the sun, according to Nebulan beliefs, is to send the soul of the deceased to languish with the souls of their dead and damned gods. It is reserved for the vilest of traitors and is the only punishment that has to be authorized by the whole Council of Peers. This time, they all voted yes and so Zarak’s body was sent into the sun. Once it was confirmed that the body was consumed by the sun, the whole planet observes a five-day period of contemplation so everyone can examine their souls. It is announced a week before the body is sent into the sun so all businesses can properly prepare for inactivity. People usually stock up on food, clean their places of business, don’t go to activities of leisure, all that stuff. After five days, work resumes. It was after the five-day period that Galen approached Llyra. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I need some happiness sometime soon,” muttered Llyra.

“…Well, Kari, Rev, and I are debating whether or not we should all get married sometime this week.” Llyra’s eyes popped open.

“Married?! The wedding?!” she asked as her mood brightened. Galen grinned, relieved that mentioning the wedding was the right thing.

“Kari wants to invite you to go dress shopping with her tomorrow.”

“And I accept! Did she tell you what time?!”

“Mid-morning, around the hour of Thandrak.” (10:00 for us.)

“I’ll be there! When are you boys getting your outfits?”

“The next day, same time.”

“Perfect!”

“Did Scorponok just…fire on his own allies?!” asked Optimus.

“We could all see it!” remarked Grimlock.

“Is the Decepticon Empire really as stable as Megatron bragged?” asked Tails.

“It looks like Scorponok’s beamed down all the Headmasters, including Zarak and Black Scar,” reported Jazz.

“Hold on, we’re tracking their movements?!” asked Slash. “Why aren’t their internal ship cloaks online?!” Prowl was shaking his head.

“None of this makes a lick of sense!” he muttered. “He’s got us all in the crosshairs, but Scorponok’s more focused on Nebulos!”

“A communication’s channel coming from him is still open,” remarked Sparkplug. “Perhaps we can get an answer from him.”

“Hold on,” interjected Shadow, “are you suggesting we just call Scorponok and ask him what his game is?!”

“…It’s a shot in the dark, but it’s worth taking,” declared Optimus. Sonic then appeared on Tails’ part of the screen.

“Hey, has anyone seen Amy?” he asked.

“Isn’t she on the Blue Typhoon?” asked Optimus.

“No, I thought she went over to either the Ark or the Fang.”

“Well, she ain’t on my ship,” answered Grimlock. Yoketron then came onto the Ark’s bridge.

“Everyone, I can’t find Trema, Sira, or Natalie,” he reported.

“What’s going on here?!” demanded Optimus. “Teletraan, find Amy, Sira, Natalie, and Trema!”

“Searching…and…oh, for Primus’ sake!” groaned Teletraan.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re on Nebulos! They’re meeting with Llyra and the Autobot Headmasters and are gonna face the ‘Novacons’ or whatever the Pit they call themselves now!”

“What?! Get them back!”

“Hold up…no, I don’t think we should.”

“WHAT?!” This question was repeated by everyone.

“It looks like they’re all about to prove that Hi-Q was being stupid with his bomb,” chuckled Teletraan. “He, Kari, and two other scientists are with them.”

---

The Novacons trudged through the forest with their Headmaster partners riding on their backs. Zarak looked through the trees as he sat behind Black Scar’s beast mode eyes. “He’s around here somewhere,” he muttered.

“We know he’s at the center of the forest!” grunted Spasma as she held onto Apeface’s back. “Why are we at the edge?!”

“Because he might have moved,” replied Zarak.

“I don’t see why,” muttered Vorath as he sat between Mindwipe’s wings. “He’s not exactly expecting combat.”

“Quit yakking!” grunted Krunk as he and Snapdragon knocked a few trees down. “He’s got Galen with him and he’s smarter than he looks!” Weirdwolf then stopped and sniffed the air.

“What is it?” asked Monzo as he looked to his partner. “What do you smell?” Weirdwolf’s optics then went wide.

“The Autobot Headmasters!” he yelped.

“What?! Now?!” cried Grax as she and Skullcruncher looked around the area.

“From the north!” warned Weirdwolf. “And I’m getting new scents now! …It’s a quartet of Nebulans and…and the Mobian Visitors that aided in our downfall!”

“TREMA!” growled Zarak. “Prepare for battle!” Trema, Amy, Sira, Natalie, Llyra, Hi-Q, a young Nebulan man named Hi-Test, another Nebulan man named Rev, and Kari stepped out of the trees first. They were all wearing Nebulan Planetary Defense Force armor and had their guns ready.

“You were ordered to leave Nebulos on pain of death!” growled Llyra.

“That’s no way to address your old father!” replied Zarak.

“It’s the ONLY way to address disgraced traitors like you and your friends!”

“I’ve hear enough of that skak’s mouth!” snarled Grax. Spasma then slapped the back of her head.

“Watch the slurs!” she warned. “If men cannot call us that, we cannot call each other that!”

“That’s enough!” called Llyra. “By setting foot on Nebulos, you have signed your death warrants!”

“Nebulos is MINE to command!” growled Zarak.

“Sorry, Nebulos is closed to Decepticons and all related branches!” came a new voice. Five vehicles then entered the area with the Autobot Headmasters riding them. Galen leapt out from a short-range shuttle, Stylor stepped out of a super car, Arcana landed her fighter jet and stepped out of the cockpit, much to the jet’s annoyance, Duros parked his tank before stepping out of the cockpit, and Gort jumped out of his twin-rotored helicopter, leaving it to hover in the air.

“Galen!” snarled Zarak. “It’s been too long, my son-in-law!”

“Not there yet, believe it or not,” remarked Galen. “Now, I say again, get the hurg off my planet!”

“All my life, my power was limited!” retorted Zarak. “Now, thanks to Scorponok and Black Scar, I have no need for limits!” He turned to his team. “NOVACONS, TRANSFORM AND CONQUER!”

“I guess we’re doing this,” muttered Galen. He turned to Llyra and her team. “Give us some cover fire.” After they nodded, he turned to the Autobot Headmasters. “Boys and girls, it’s time to put ourselves through our paces! OMNIBOTS, TRANSFORM AND DEFEND!” Grax stuck both arms to her right, then rotated them to the left until the left arm held her fist up and the right held her fist sideways.

“Head on!” she called. Her partner then spoke.

“SKULLCRUNCHER, ANNIHILATE!” The tail split down the middle from the tip and attached to each side, then the backside folded out to reveal legs. The lower torso then rotated to face the audience. The head swung down to reveal the robot’s shoulders and robot hands came out as the front beast feet folded onto the wrists. Grax transformed into her head-mode, one with a yellow face and a red visor, and attached to the robot’s shoulders. Skullcruncher was complete as he roared to the heavens. Stylor started his team’s sequence. He held his left fist to his hip and moved his right hand forward slowly.

“Head on!” he announced.

“CHROMEDOME, CENTRALIZE!” called the car. The front of the car folded to the roof as the sides split away and sprouted hands. The rear then split and folded down while letting feet pop out. Stylor then transformed into his head mode (one with an orange face and a pair of white horns) and attached to the robot. Chromedome was complete. Vorath was next. He swung both arms to his right side, then rotated them to his left, then pulled his right hand back before putting it back to its original position while his left hand went to his hip.

“Head on!” he announced. Mindwipe readied himself and Vorath changed into a head with a visor and a Fu Manchu moustache.

“MINDWIPE, ANNIHILATE!” shrieked the bat. The tail swung towards the front as the rear of the bat swung down to make legs. The areas where the wings were attached swung 180⁰ and unfolded arms with the hands popping out. The bat head swung down to allow Vorath’s head mode to attach to the shoulders. The rear of the bat was now the front of the robot. Mindwipe was now complete as he gave a screech. Arcana began her transformation sequence as she stuck out her right pointer and middle finger, then tapped them against her fist as if they were a tuning fork, and then held the right hand near her face.

“Head on!” she called.

“BRAINSTORM, CENTRALIZE!” called her jet. The underside of the jet folded towards the rear and the assembly rotated as the wings turned to the opposite direction and their sides split away from the fuselage as it folded down to become a torso. Hands then sprouted from the wing sides and Arcana transformed to her head mode, one with a yellow face and a white helmet, and attached to the robot. Brainstorm then gave a cocky smirk as he made a finger gun and pointed it at the Novacons. Monzo stuck his right arm to the side and his left arm pointed towards the right. He then rotated his arms, so they were sticking out to the left.

“HEAD ON!” he called as he pulled an imaginary rip cord on his left arm with his right. He transformed into a head with a red visor and a red face. Weirdwolf howled as he prepared to transform.

“WEIRDWOLF, ANNIHILATE!” The tail detached from the rump as it went up to allow the rear paws to fold into the legs. The legs then folded up and straightened to make robot legs. The front paws folded back to reveal humanoid arms as the wolf head folded back to allow Monzo to attach to his shoulders. Weirdwolf howled like a wolf when he was complete. Duros then moved his right hand near his shoulder, then moved it down to his left hip in a diagonal manner while his left hand ran parallel to reach his right shoulder.

“Head on!” he declared.

“HARDHEAD, CENTRALIZE!” The rear of Duros’ tank then tilted down and split with hands sprouting from the tread assemblies as the front of the tank split and unfolded into legs, making the cockpit the torso with the gun barrel resting on the right shoulder. Duros transformed into the robot’s head, a yellow face with a gray-brown helmet, and set himself between the shoulders. Hardhead then whipped out a gun and leveled it at the Novacons. Spasma was next as she placed her right elbow on her left wrist and moved the arm configuration across her chest, then she placed her wrists together with one hand on top of the other and pushed outwards.

“Head on!” she roared as she rotated her hands. She jumped up and turned into a head as Apeface roared and pounded his chest.

“APEFACE, ANNIHILATE!” he shouted. His gorilla arms swung backwards, and the forearms and hands folded upwards. The sides of the gorilla’s chest swung up and extended to become legs. The turbines he was wearing extended to reveal arms and the gorilla legs swung up to become shoulders. Spasma’s head-mode connected to the shoulders, completing Apeface’s robot mode as he pounded his chest, roaring. Gort was next as he rotated his arms so his left hand was above his right shoulder and his right hand was pointing down, resting below the left hand near his hip.

“Head on!” he called.

“HIGHBROW, CENTRALIZE!” called the helicopter. The front of the vehicle split and unfolded into legs and feet while the rotor assemblies rotated backwards and unfolded to become arms. The rear of the helicopter then folded to the underside (now the back of the robot) and Gort transformed into his head mode (one with a white face and a dark-brown helmet) and plugged into the space between the shoulders. Highbrow then twirled a gun in each hand before leveling it at the Novacons. Zarak put his left fist to his hip and thrust his right hand across his front in a diagonal fashion and slowly rotated it to his right side.

“HEAD…” he bellowed. He then pulled his right hand into a fist and put it to his hip and thrust his left arm across his front. “…ON!” Zarak then leapt into the air and transformed to his head mode

“BLACK SCAR, ANNIHILATE!” called Black Scar. The spider then changed in a fashion similar to Blackarachnia, but the mouth parts and pedipalps formed pincer-style claws. Zarak then attached to his torso. The visor flashed red and Black Scar snarled. Galen held his left hand to his left hip as his right hand was held past his left shoulder.

“Head on!” he called as he moved his right hand past his right shoulder.

“CEREBROS, CENTRALIZE!” called the shuttle. The transformation was like a Headmaster partner’s, just in reverse. Galen transformed into his head mode (standard Transformer silver face with a domed, purple-gray head) and connected to his partner. Cerebros then adopted a hand-to-hand combat stance.

“Covering fire now!” called Llyra. She and her team opened fire on the Novacons.

“NOVACONS!” bellowed Black Scar. “NO PRISONERS!”

“OMNIBOTS, DEFEND THE FOREST!” called Cerebros to his team. The fight then began!

The Council of Peers had met the next day, ready to discuss the situation above their heads. “Fellow Peers,” began Llyra, “it’s clear that having multiple warships above our heads that are ready to do battle with one another is causing a lot of frayed nerves to the populace.”

“Frayed nerves is putting it mildly, Supreme Councilor,” argued a man. He was promptly shushed by his colleague.

“However, I am in talks with both Autobots and Decepticons,” continued Llyra. “I have made it quite clear that we will have no fighting within our solar system, whether it be on the surface of a planet or out in the space surrounding said planets.”

“They’re programmed for war!” rebuffed the man that commented on her opening statement.

“Councilor, they’re beings that think, feel, and go beyond their ‘programming’ like you and I.”

“With all due respect, no, they aren’t. Why else would there be Headmasters except to control them directly?”

“If they were machines of that low a level, organic life would have stopped their war before it got worse. But, their brains are as adaptive as ours, so mind control is out of the question.”

“Then what can we do?! Surrender?!”

“We did that with the Decepticons, and we didn’t exactly prosper then, did we? No, there’s a way for us to enforce limits. I have spoken with other members of society ranging from the poorest farmers to the ones living in luxury and they have offered radical solutions that will benefit us. Solution 1: areas where weapons are not allowed, be they natural-born or artificial. So, no Ban’grazas, no blasters, no wands, no-” a woman then burst into the Council Chambers.

“Supreme Councilor! Trouble! In space!” she called.

“What’s so important that you must burst in here?!” demanded Llyra’s nay-sayer.

“Ma’am, you said in space earlier,” interjected Llyra. “What’s going on up there?”

“It’s the Decepticon Headmasters! They’re within our solar system! Scorponok himself is here!” The Council then started talking amongst themselves, worry crossing their brows.

“You’re sure it’s Scorponok?” asked Llyra’s nay-sayer.

“Scorpion-shaped vessel, purple, black, and green color scheme, Decepticon and Predacon symbols on the topside, massive amount of guns, it’s Scorponok, no doubt!”

“Have our planetary defenses ready! We won’t let the Decepticon Headmasters land on our soil!” Every Councilor scrambled to their battle stations.

---

“Scorponok’s approaching,” reported Ravage.

“Excellent. Hail him,” said Megatron. Ravage keyed in a command, then arched an eyebrow.

“No response.” Megatron raised his own eyebrow.

“Try again. Use all frequencies.” Ravage did so.

“…Still nothing.”

“Prepare a channel on an open frequency.”

“Channel open.”

---

Slash’s optics flickered before she reported her findings. “Captain, the fleet’s receiving an open channel.”

“On screen,” ordered Grimlock. “Maybe this will explain Scorponok’s presence.” Megatron’s face appeared.

“Scorponok, this is Megatron aboard the Nemesis. I appreciate that you wish to crush our enemies, but there is no current need at the present time. The situation is delicate and sending in troops now would only disrupt our operations. You are to join our fleet and await my command.” There was a brief pause until Slash reported something.

“Scorponok’s maneuvering himself above the Folassian Forest!” she warned. “He’s preparing a teleport beam!”

---

“What?!” roared Megatron once Ravage reported the same findings. “Scorponok, what do you think you’re doing?! I said join the fleet!”

“Lord Megatron!” called Thundercracker aboard the Decimator. “Scorponok’s training his weapons on us!”

“All ships, raise shields!” ordered Megatron.

“All shields raised!” reported Ravage. Scorponok then fired on the Nemesis and the shots went through the shields! The ship rocked as it took damage. Shockwave made course corrections to keep the ship steady.

“Lord Megatron, Scorponok’s hailing us!” called Ravage.

“Ignore!” replied Megatron. “Coordinate damage control!”

“The call’s forcing its way through! I can’t ignore!”

“All ships, do not tamper with the Novacons’ mission!” boomed a voice. “I care not about factions! This is your only warning!”

“Warning?!” demanded Megatron.

“We who were once merely labeled as the Decepticon Headmasters now have a new name, the Novacons! Our mission assumes priority! Anyone who dares interfere, regardless of faction, will be neutralized!” Megatron gritted his dental plates.

“Scorponok, I’ve put up with one usurper too many in my lifetime! I will not suffer another, especially not one who dares to address me in threatening tones!” At that point, Zarak appeared on the screen.

“You have little say in the matter, you failure!” he growled. “You cost me everything! You cost me my job, my family, my home, my planet, all of it! I had to reside with beasts, a whole faction of them actually ACTING like beasts while the other half was undergoing a civil war against the Tripredacus Council!”

“What?! I gave no order to go against the Council! Predacons and you ‘Novacons’ are extensions of my will! And my will is-”

“Your will is nothing, False Lord!” interrupted Scorponok’s voice. “Nebulos will take over as the center of the Decepticon Empire with my Emissary, his binary-bond partner, and I at the top of the heap!”

“I am Megatron, Lord and Master of the Decepticon Empire! I command you to cease your attack run!”

“You don’t have the power to command a Metrotitan of my caliber!” Scorponok then fired on the Nemesis again, this time with an electric cannon! The ship conducted the electricity all throughout itself and into the crew. The treatment stopped after a minute and all ship systems rebooted itself. Once Tactical got power, Ravage checked his readings.

“Lord Megatron, Black Scar and the Novacons are at the edge of the Folassian Forest,” he reported.

“Clench, with me! Shockwave, you have the conn!”

“Where are we going?!” asked Clench as he followed Megatron off the bridge.

“To voice my complaints to Scorponok personally!” They made their way to the launch bay and Megatron transformed. “Clench, POWERLINX!” Clench transformed and attached himself to Megatron’s front, deploying his guns. New guns then deployed from the underside of Megatron’s tip as he activated his fusion cannons. He was held in place by a sling-field, an energy field that throws a bot out of the launch bay like a slingshot. “This mutiny ends NOW!” At that, Megatron was launched out of the bay and switched on his thrusters. He then made his way to Scorponok, ready to tear the Metrotitan a new one.

The Autobot/Mobian fleet cruised through warp space on schedule. No incidents occurred so far. On the Fang, Sludge looked on his console. “We’re approaching the Nebulan Solar System,” he reported.

“The other ships are reporting the same results,” called Slash as she looked on her tactical monitor. “Optimus is advising us to slow down.”

“Helm, slow us down to inter-solar system speeds,” ordered Grimlock.

“Taking us out of warp,” replied Slag. The whole fleet slowed down and entered the system.

---

“Prowl, inform Nebulan Space Patrol,” Optimus directed, “that we’re here to stop off and refuel.”

“Understood,” replied Prowl. He sent off the message. Trema was bouncing up and down excitedly.

“Nebulos, jewel of the galaxy, how I’ve missed you!” she giggled.

“Homesick?” asked Sira.

“Maybe a bit.”

“Many of us are gonna be the same way when we make it to Cybertron,” chuckled Prowl. A few seconds later, he received a reply to his message that made him arch an eyebrow. “…Okay, that’s oddly specific.”

“What is?” asked Optimus.

“Sir, the Nebulan Space Patrol said that our ships have a limit of a mile above the outermost atmosphere. Only organic life-forms are permitted, but not mechanical.”

“What?!” yelped Trema. “Optimus, last time I checked, we were still members of the Autobot Alliance!”

“What’s going on down there?” muttered Optimus.

“They mentioned that Llyra can explain the whole situation,” reported Prowl.

“Optimus, Decepticon fleet’s already there!” called Stormfront.

“Have they armed weapons?”

“…No, Sir, they haven’t.”

“Stranger and stranger,” muttered the young Prime. “Put us in a position opposite the Decepticons.”

“Aye, Sir.”

“Prowl, inform the fleet of what we found and advise them to follow our example.”

“Already did, Sir,” replied Prowl. “They’re taking our advice.”

“Good to hear.”

---

“I thought you said that Nebulos joined us,” Sonic remarked to Amy.

“They did!” replied the pink hedgehog girl. “I don’t know why the Autobots can’t go down!”

“Well, it looks like we can’t go down,” muttered Strongarm.

“Tails,” called Cosmo, “we’re getting a call on an open channel from the planet.”

“Take it,” replied Tails. The captains of all ships appeared on the screen, even the ones under the Decepticon flag. After a few seconds, Llyra showed up.

“Greetings, Captains,” she welcomed. “I apologize for this rather awkward situation-”

“But your planet’s atmosphere now has traxaline gas in it?” finished Megatron.

“…Shockwave found it?” grunted Llyra. Megatron nodded with a wicked grin.

“Traxaline gas?” asked Optimus. “That’s a mechano-toxin! How did it get into the atmosphere?!”

“That’s thanks to Hi-Q’s Industrial Research Complex,” answered Llyra. “They detonated a bomb full of the stuff in an attempt to defend us from you guys should you ever go rogue.”

“That’s absurd!” growled Grimlock. “Autobots would never dare take matters into our own hands!”

“The Unicron Games beg to differ, according to those of my fellow Peers that gave Hi-Q the go-ahead to detonate that bomb.”

“Supreme Councilor Llyra, I assure you; you have nothing to fear from us!” urged Optimus.

“I don’t personally fear you, but I must speak for my planet. Besides, some of us can’t justify the collateral damage that occurs during your battles; thus, they don’t even bother to tell the difference between Autobot and Decepticon.”

“I must admit, I’m a little wounded,” remarked Megatron as a mock-hurt expression crossed his face. It then vanished. “Oh well, I have allies that can survive your atmosphere.”

“You are all welcome to refuel, but no battles in our solar system!” directed Llyra. “I won’t give the fearful a reason to act on hate.”

“…Very well,” sighed Optimus. While the call was going on, Trema let Prowl know of her plans and used Locus to get to the surface.

---

A pudgy Nebulan man with only a small line of hair on the back of his head got out of his shower the next morning. This was Hi-Q, the head of the Industrial Research Complex. He went to his closet and put on his undergarments, then put a visor over his eyes to help him see. He then went along his closet…to see that there was something missing. His eyes widened as he noticed a shadow next to his own. He whirled around to see Trema holding his high-collared robes in her hand. She then offered him the robes. “Finish with your dressing,” she grunted. “You and I need to talk. I was on the Autobot ship yesterday when everyone heard about the traxaline bomb your organization detonated over a year ago. I was then informed of more of your activities from Galen.”

“Am I supposed to be surprised?” scoffed Hi-Q as he took the robes out of Trema’s hand. “My activities were hardly a secret. You know, I WOULD say that you honor my house with your presence, but, given that you entered without my knowledge or consent, that statement would be a lie.”

“Fine, let’s BOTH tell the truth! I’m sure the people would be interested to know of the reasons behind your actions as much as they are mine! Poisoning the atmosphere against the Transformers, developing anti-mage weapons, acting on the word of only a few choice Peers!”

“What do you want, Trema?!” Hi-Q was losing patience for the game.

“I want to know what you think you’re doing!”

“Did Supreme Councilor Llyra ever tell you that, in order for her to be fully accepted by the Council of Peers, she had to give up the name of her magic teacher? A Ms. Telomak Tundal? One of the most notorious magic users in Nebulos’ history? We started to wonder what would happen if Llyra or people like her ever followed in Ms. Tundal’s footsteps and went rogue. Another Councilor then reminded us of how the Decepticon Headmasters and their partners nearly suffocated us with their constant politicking and bullying of those lower than them. A few interns under my employ then got the idea that the Autobot Headmasters might fall down the same path, so they ran several thousand computer simulations of both parties, sometimes combining them into one. Once I saw the results, I made them full employees with all benefits and privileges. If superpowered people like you or the Headmasters or the Autobots ever went rogue, what do you think would be the result?” Trema scoffed.

“Llyra’s always practiced restraint because of her power. She’s doing a good job teaching it to the upper class. Besides, Autobots don’t even like conquest. They prefer to help local governments instead of taking them over at the slightest failure. Your point is moot.”

“Humor me, won’t you? In every single scenario, superpowered Nebulans and Extraterrestrials beat us regular citizens…HORRIBLY. But that was before I detonated that bomb in our atmosphere. We’re protected against normal Transformers. We’re still working on the technology needed to defend ourselves against Headmasters and mages.” Trema then growled.

“Whatever you think you’re doing,” she warned, “if the Industrial Research Complex presents a threat to Nebulos, me and my friends and family will take you all down!”

“If WE present a threat?! You and your allies and enemies are sitting pretty on spaceships just outside our planet’s atmosphere with wands and guns pointing down to the surface! On other planets, that spelled an overthrow of their governments and the assassination of those planets’ leaders! WE’RE the good guys, protecting our planet and people from a very real threat! You!” Trema then noticed something in his eyes. Her expression softened just slightly out of pity before she used Locus to leave. Hi-Q then pulled out a communicator and called someone. “…It’s Hi-Q, verification 4-9-1-7-2-Tanswak. …Have the war room ready in 20 minutes. Get all division heads ready for the meeting an hour early. …That’s an order, Hi-Test!” He hung up

Nebulos, homeworld of a warrior race of large, green-skinned, and white-haired humanoids, an ancient world with an ancient civilization that has managed to reach post-scarcity. That isn’t to say that it is without problems. Right now, late in the night, a Nebulan woman, Llyra, was working in her office with her future father-in-law, Stylor, and a friend of hers, a woman named Kari. As they worked, her fiancé, Galen, and a woman, Marita, stormed into the room. “Give me one good reason not to use Cerebros to take them out!” he snarled to Llyra. Llyra simply arched her eyebrow.

“…If you didn’t know the answer, you wouldn’t have thought to ask,” she replied.

“Don’t play that game with me, Llyra! I’m serious!”

“We don’t have hard evidence that Hi-Q’s Industrial Research Complex has committed any crimes.”

“Oh, come on! Detonating a mechano-toxin bomb in our planet’s atmosphere to poison the Transformers the instant they touch down, regardless of faction?! Leaving us to be unaffected?! How else should people read that?! We’ve benefitted from Transformer technology before, and we’re prospering more as Autobot allies than Decepticons! You and I both know Hi-Q’s organization is dirty!”

“Then maybe,” interjected Kari, “you lot should put more energy into proving it and less into acting like a bunch of over-powered stormtroopers.”

“I don’t recall asking you for your opinion, Kari!” snarled Galen.

“No? How about when you guys and the Council recruited me as a mole within Hi-Q’s inner circle, against my will, I might add, and also gave me the job of keeping you guys from taking rash actions against Hi-Q?! You had me take up my dual mantle to keep both parties honest, according to Llyra’s disgraced predecessor!”

“Do I look like Zarak to you?!”

“At the moment,” remarked Stylor, “you kinda do.”

“Your father’s right, sweetie,” supplied Llyra, “you ARE adopting my father’s scowl.” Galen glared at Llyra before continuing.

“We can’t let the Complex get away with this!”

“No one’s saying we should, but we need to keep a cool head!”

“Do you know what they did to Gort and his Binary-bond Partner?!” called Marita. “They took Highbrow apart and put him back together in an operation that almost cost him his Spark! Not only that, but they also put Gort through multiple brain scans, PAINFUL brain scans! Besides, they aren’t too keen with us mages!”

“Look, kid,” interjected Kari, “take it from someone who works under him; Hi-Q’s a piece of garbage and Hi-Test and Rev are the worst of his flunkies, but this ISN’T the way to stop them!”

“We must also consider the possibility,” continued Llyra, “that the Industrial Research Complex has every right to be afraid of mages and Transformers-”

“WHAT?!” shouted Marita as her hair became hair-shaped fire and her fists were surrounded by fire.

“-and there is strong evidence that they have legitimate connections to the Council.”

“Maybe to some rogue faction of our colleagues!” argued Galen. “The whole Council wouldn’t get involved in anything like this!”

“Hey!” called Kari. “I’m the only one in this room without superpowers of any kind, be they technological or magical, and let me tell you; you guys SCARE me! What if you superpowered guys decide to go out there and take care of whoever you think is guilty?! Who could stop you, me?!”

“So you WANT the government to have a bunch of anti-Transformer and anti-mage weapons just to keep us in check?!” asked Marita as her fire snuffed itself out.

“Since there’s a mage here who’s in a place of power,” Kari gestured to Llyra, “who has urged the implementation of limits on people with power, then yeah, I do!” Her “yeah” echoed within everyone’s heads. She sighed before continuing. “Look, I’m an Inner-ringer. You guys in the government need to do for averages citizens like what we can’t do for ourselves. We sure can’t protect ourselves from the likes of superpowered people.”

“Look, we’re not talking about the government!” interjected Galen. “We’re talking about a shadow cabinet that’s taken it upon themselves to eliminate us! They came after us; we have to hit them back HARD!”

“One of your mother’s sayings leaps to mind, boy,” remarked Stylor. “You know, the one about an eye for an eye leaving everyone in the universe blind?” Galen was about to interject when an alarm rang through the office. Llyra pressed a button on her desk.

“What’s going on?!” she asked.

“Supreme Councilor!” replied the person on the other end. “A quartet of ships has entered our solar system! One of them is the Decepticon Flagship, the Nemesis!”

“Raise defenses, but do NOT fire unless we’re fired upon!” After ending the call, she got up and turned to her future husband and his dad. “You two better get to your partners.” She then took Marita and Kari with her as Galen and Stylor headed off to meet with their binary-bond partners.

---

“You’re absolutely sure about the atmospheric readings?” Megatron asked Shockwave as they met in his ready room.

“There’s no doubt about it,” replied the Decepticon scientist as she presented her findings. “There’s a large mechano-toxin density in the atmosphere. Organics are unaffected.

“Scrap!” Megatron thumped his chair’s armrest in annoyance. “The only organics we have are Morgane and Eggman! We can’t afford to send troops down there!” They left the ready room and returned to the bridge. “Ravage, open a channel to the fleet,” he ordered.

“At once, my Lord,” replied Ravage as he keyed in a command. Soon, Eggman, Morgane, and Thundercracker appeared on the screen.

“Everyone, I have bad news,” began Megatron. “The Nebulans have made the atmosphere of their world toxic to mechanical life-forms. Only organics are able to thrive in it.”

“So send us down!” urged Eggman.

“Out of the question.”

“Why’s that, Lord Megatron?” asked Thundercracker.

“Their size makes it hard to get supplies in any reasonable time. They’ll be discovered within an hour.”

“Then what are we to do?” asked Morgane. “Are there agents on the planet?”

“Most likely not, not after the last time I visited Nebulos.” Megatron then recalled something. “…I’m a fool! There ARE agents, just on Animatros!” He turned to Ravage. “Contact Animatros. Get them to send Scorponok and his fellow Headmasters here to assist us.” The Decepticons and Eggman stared at Megatron in horror.

“Scorponok?!” yelped Thundercracker. “You’re MORE than a fool, your resurrection must have caused a neural cluster to blow a massive fuse!”

“On the contrary,” replied Megatron, “bringing them here will give us the means to carry out our plans.”

“Could someone explain what is meant by ‘Headmaster’?” asked Morgane. “I don’t believe I’m familiar with that type of Transformer.”

“Headmasters,” explained Eggman, “are Transformers that are larger than the ones we know with a cyborg partner that turns into the head when they go to robot mode.”

“The technology,” continued Megatron, “was reverse-engineered from two Metrotitans, Transformers with a city alt-mode and a smaller emissary body that they can control…or are partners with.”

“So the emissaries of these particular ‘Metrotitans’ turned into the robot’s heads?” asked Morgane.

“Correct. However, two emissaries, Cerebros and Black Scar, gained a Nebulan partner that transform into their heads. The Metrotitans have two partners now.”

“And it’s Scorponok’s partners I’m afraid of!” argued Thundercracker. “Okay, yes, the Headmasters should have enough of an organic element to safely process the mechano-toxin, but Scorponok’s mannerisms make him too deadly a force to keep on Nebulos.”

“Oh, I’m not suggesting that Scorponok himself assume robot mode on the planet’s surface, I’m merely suggesting that he send the smaller Headmasters and their partners to run interference.”

“Even so, Scorponok and the Headmasters are forbidden from leaving their current sanctuary!” argued Ravage. “The Tripredacus Council’s impounded them on Animatros!” At this point, Megatron lost patience.

“Not at this time! The Predacons and their ruling body are members of the Decepticon Empire, meaning I can override their decision in times of war! Now, bring Scorponok and the Headmasters here! If Ram Horn has a problem, refer him to me! Are we clear?”

“…Crystal, Lord Megatron.” Ravage then carried out his orders.