Tag: three realms

“There!” called Megumi as she pointed out something from the Observation Deck.

“Where?” asked Tarantulas.

“Right there!” insisted Megumi as she put her finger on the window where she saw something. “That was the flash of an anti-graviton beam hitting a mine!”

“Thus disabling its replication abilities,” finished Tarantulas.

“Precisely! Didn’t you see it?!” hissed Megumi.

“I’m afraid not,” sighed Tarantulas.

“Ever since you and the Brigadier were aware of it,” protested Megumi, “you’ve been pestering us to take down the mine field and now that we’re doing so, you can’t even see it?!”

“Weak optics,” explained Tarantulas.

“Pardon me?” asked Megumi.

“I have poor optical sensors,” elaborated Tarantulas. “Something that carried over from a Tarantula beast mode. Now, Waspinator, he had EXCELLENT vision, despite all the mishaps he had. I suppose he needed it more than me.”

“There’s another one!” cheered Megumi as she pointed out another flash.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” sighed Tarantulas.

“When we disable all the mines, we’ll be detonating ALL of them,” declared Megumi, “and I promise you, weak optics or not, you’ll see it. Now, I’ve got an exam to…” Just then, the alarm sounded. “NOW WHAT?!” shouted Megumi, frustrated that her study plans were stymied.

“All inhabitants on Vorton, Beyond City is under attack by Cyber-Leader Gi and her Cybermen!” announced POmega. “Repeat, Beyond City is under attack by Cyber-Leader Gi and her Cybermen!”

“…THE CYBERMEN!?” wailed Megumi. “First, my husband gets taken away by an interdimensional event! Then, my friends get on my case about potentially breaking up the F.N.S! Now, the Cybermen are attacking Beyond City! How’s a girl supposed to get any studying done with life always stressing her out!?” She headed to the Gateway Room and met with Batman, Emily, Dell, Jandro, Wilson, and Agus.

“I don’t suppose you would object to assistance?” offered Jandro.

“Can you fight?” asked Megumi.

“I’m skilled in Tal-nar-thendir,” replied Jandro.

“Orbak told me about that,” interjected Batman. “In the ancient Vampire language, it means Style of Blood, a deadly form of martial arts.”

“I’m a Komodo Dragon,” supplied Agus, “so if anyone needs a venomous bite, I’ll supply it.”

“And Quokkas DO bite if we’re threatened,” called Wilson, “so I can help as well.”

“That’s all I need to know,” declared Megumi. “POmega, Beyond City, please.”

“Beyond City, coming up!” obliged POmega. The rift then opened.

“CHARGE!” called Megumi as everyone leapt into the rift. They tumbled through it, then arrived at Beyond City. All local armed forces, the army, SWAT, the Police, everyone with a gun was leveling said instrument of destruction at the Cybermen. Cyber-Leader Gi. Megumi noticed she had gold trim on her. “I though gold was toxic to you guys!” she called. That caught Gi’s attention.

“Megumi Hishikawa,” she droned, “leader of the Vortex Riders. Student at After Academy. Resident of Beyond City. Commander of Vorton. I had expected Moon-kyung to meddle in my affairs. To answer your question, we have upgraded ourselves so that gold does not affect us.”

“Hiro promised us,” called Megumi, “that he would not attack us in any way. Leave Beyond City at once, Cyber-Leader Gi!”

“The Cybermen are no longer under Hiro’s control,” replied Cyber-Leader Gi. “I have been upgraded to Cyber-Planner. I command ALL Cybermen.”

“Lovely,” sighed Megumi. “How did you split from Shocker Rift?”

“Aid came to us in the form of Caan,” answered Cyber-Planner Gi.

“You’re playing with fire!” warned Megumi.

“I have the needs of the Cybermen to consider,” dismissed Cyber-planner Gi. “I require more. What I have brought will bring more Cybermen to the fold.” The Cybermen then turned a machine on.

“What is that?” demanded Megumi.

“Rapid Advanced Brainchild: Bio-Integration Transformation,” explained Cyber-Planner Gi. The machine opened, revealing a cavernous maw and a mechanical rabbit.

“Where?” asked Megumi.

“Right here,” replied Cyber-Planner Gi as she gestured towards the rabbit.

“What, behind the rabbit?” asked a Police Officer.

“It IS the rabbit,” answered Cyber-Planner Gi. “Rapid Advanced Brainchild: Bio-Integration Transformation, RABBIT, if you prefer.”

“…YOU MECHANICAL TWIT!” shouted the Police Officer as she holstered her gun, convincing all but the Vortex Riders and their friends to relax. “YOU GOT US ALL WORKED UP OVER A STUPID RABBIT?!”

“Officer,” Megumi advised, “I’d be careful about RABBIT! If it’s made with Cyberman technology, we might be in for an unpleasant surprise!”

“Like heck!” argued a SWAT guy. “Those guys almost made me wet my pants, I was so scared.”

“RABBIT might have something that could kill the lot of us!” urged Megumi. “I must stress caution!”

“Like we need to be scared of rabbits!” dismissed a soldier.

“It could do us in!” hissed Megumi.

“You malfunctioning tin cans!” called the SWAT guy.

“Sir, taunting them’s not a good idea!” yelped Megumi.

“What’s the rabbit gonna do? Nibble our butts?” asked the SWAT guy.

“We can’t be too careful!” continued Megumi.

“Someone go dismantle it,” called the Police Officer.

“I got it!” called her fellow Officer. “Silly little rodent! One dismantled rabbit coming right up!” He moved towards the Cybermen’s new weapon…and it struck! RABBIT’s head split down the middle and attached itself to either side of the head. RABBIT’s tummy split down the middle as well and attached itself to both shoulders. RABBIT’s rear finally split apart and attached itself to each of the poor man’s hips. All of the attached pieces then activated an electric charge that made him convulse in pain as metal spread across his body and the parts created handles on the head, a chest unit, and metallic boots! RABBIT then detached itself from the man and reassembled itself into its rabbit form. The police officer was gone and, in his place, stood a new Cyberman! “Cyber-unit 2/Z/007: online,” droned the new Cyberman.

“You were warned,” Cyber-Planner Gi called to the crowd.

“I just wet myself!” squeaked the SWAT guy.

“Rapid Advanced Brainchild: Bio-Integration Transformation,” announced Cyber-Planner Gi. “A portable Cyber-converter. You were warned and were foolish enough to not heed Megumi’s advice, even when she is the most logical person to listen to, given her experience with us.”

“OH, ZIP IT!” shouted the first Police Officer. “CHARGE!”

“COME BACK!” shouted Megumi. Too late. The crowd charged and tried to attack the Cyberman. Unfortunately, RABBIT struck first. It attached itself to a SWAT woman and converted her into a Cyberman, then moved towards a soldier and converted her, then a Police Officer and converted him, all while the rest were tiring themselves from fighting the Cybermen.

“FALL BACK!” called the first Police Officer. “WITHDRAW!” Everyone got away while the Vortex Riders and their allies covered the retreat. Cyber-Planner Gi raised her hands, a signal the Cybermen took as “Hold Fire”. They stopped shooting as RABBIT reassembled itself.

---

Once everyone got away, they all panted as they rested. “How many…did we lose?” gasped the first Police Officer.

“Gwen, Cassandra,” reported a SWAT girl.

“And Tommy, that’s five!” panted the first Police Officer.

“Three,” corrected Jandro. “In any event, we’d better not risk another frontal assault, that rabbit’s a demon-machine!”

“Maybe we could confuse the Cybermen if we fall back further?” suggested the SWAT guy.

“Shut up!” snapped the first Police Officer. She then sniffed the air. “Ugh! Go change your kilt!”

“Maybe…maybe we should taunt them!” offered the soldier. “Then, they’ll become so cross, they’ll make a mistake!”

“Like what?” asked the Police Officer. The soldier floundered in trying to give an answer.

“Besides, the Cybermen have ZERO emotions,” muttered Megumi. “Taunting them will do no good.”

“No, but new Riders will,” came a voice. Who should walk towards the crowd but…

“Sento!” called Megumi. There, in all his egotistical glory, was the theoretical physicist, Kiryu Sento, Kamen Rider Build!

“Having a bit of trouble with the Cybermen?” asked Sento.

“Three of the armed forces have been converted by the Cybermen’s new toy, RABBIT,” explained Megumi.

“I know, you already briefed me on that,” replied Sento. “Or, rather, your future-self did, the 70-year-old one.”

“…Are you…?” quizzed Megumi.

“You didn’t notice I’m older than the last time you met me?!” yelped Sento. Upon closer observation, there were a few wrinkles on his face and his hair had developed some grey in it.

“Never mind his age!” rasped Batman. “Sento, you said ‘new Riders’.”

“I did, didn’t I?” snarked Sento. He then produced three Chronicle Drivers. “Let’s see, this one’s for Jandro, this one’s for Agus, and this one’s for Wilson.”

“Sento, they’re visitors!” protested Megumi. “You can’t expect them to be Kamen Riders!”

“They’re going to be valuable to you in the future,” assured Sento.

“I can’t ask them to risk their lives like this!” insisted Megumi. “They haven’t even gotten home yet!”

“With all due respect,” interjected Jandro, “I don’t know about Dr. Atmadja or Mr. Andrews here, but I’m perfectly willing to risk MY life. I have the endurance necessary to keep up with the Cybermen.”

“I would like to see how the transformation works,” mused Agus.

“And the Kamen Rider franchise is still going strong where I’m from!” cheered Wilson. “I’ve ALWAYS wanted to be one!”

“…There’s no dissuading you, is there?” asked Megumi. All three of them shook their heads. “All right, fine, you can fight. Do you know how to work them?”

“Victor showed us how it was done,” explained Agus.

“Then let’s get started,” muttered Megumi. “Officer, let us handle the Cybermen.”

“Understood,” replied the Police Officer.

“Here we go,” declared Megumi as the Riders and their allies approached the Cybermen.

“You propose to challenge us yourselves?” guessed Cyber-Planner Gi. “A futile maneuver.”

“That’s for us to find out,” chuckled Sento as he produced a pair of Fullbottles. “Sā, jikken o hajimeyou ka?” (Now, shall we begin the experiment?) He then shook the Fullbottles and twisted the caps before inserting them into the Build Driver.

“TIME LORD!” called the belt. “TARDIS! BEST MATCH!”

“The incident two years ago, with Sougo and Dr. Insano?” guessed Megumi as everyone fastened their belts.

“Exactly,” replied Sento.

“VORTEX DRIVER!” called Megumi and Emily’s belts.

“CHRONICLE DRIVER!” announced Jandro, Dell, Wilson, and Agus’ belts. I.d tags and Armor Auto-bios came out as Sento turned the crank on his belt, making the piping appear and form his suit.

“ARE YOU READY?!” asked the Build Driver.

“HENSHIN!” everyone called. The piping then slammed onto Sento and formed Build in a new form. Megumi and Emily spun the wheels and the rest had pressed their belts’ shelves down.

“Open! Turn! Imagine!” called the Chronicle Drivers. New suits were formed. Dell became Construct. Jandro’s suit evoked old Vampire armor, Agus’ suit was designed for practical use, and Wilson’s suit had a bit more decoration.

“The Wrench of Construct!”

“The Shroud of Cloak!”

“The Venom of Tox!”

“The Tail of Lash!”

“Kamen Rider Royal!” began Megumi. “Evil will ultimately bow to me!”

“Kamen Rider Touché! En Garde, thing of evil!”

“Kamen Rider Construct! Let’s do this Texas style!”

“Kamen Rider Cloak!” called Jandro. “You will be shrouded in defeat!”

“Kamen Rider Tox!” announced Agus. “The venom of failure floods your veins!”

“Kamen Rider Lash!” proclaimed Wilson. “Two hits! I hit you, you hit the ground!”

“I’m Batman! The Dark Knight rises!”

“KODOKUNA TIME-TRAVELER! (The Lonely Time-traveler!) TIMELORDTARDIS! YEAH!” called the Build Driver. The right arm and left leg evoked Time Lord art and his left eye looked like the collar of a Time Lord’s ceremonial robes, all of them were gold. His right shoulder read TIMELORDTARDIS in Circular Gallifreyan. His remaining limbs and eye were blue and his left shoulder had a light on it. His right eye looked like the Doctor’s TARDIS.

“Kamen Rider Build,” finished Sento. He then ran his finger along the TARDIS eye. “Shōri no hōsoku wa…” he announced before he made his fingers splay out, “…kimatta!” (The law of victory is set!)

“Delete them,” Cyber-Planner Gi ordered her Cybermen. The two groups then charged at each other.

“And that’s all!” declared Haruna as she rolled up her tape measure. “Now, are you sure about eyeshadow? You haven’t had much practice.”

“One of my classmates, Lilly, is teaching me how to apply it,” explained Megumi.

“All right then,” declared Haruna. “Lilly will be an excellent teacher, I’m sure. Now, about disbanding the F.N.S…”

“Okay, I haven’t even made the announcement!” snapped Megumi. “Who told you?!”

“Scorpainia did,” answered Haruna. “Most of Vorton are wondering if you’re going to go through with it. Megumi, I must advise against it.”

“All right, I’m going to make an announcement right now!” hissed Megumi as she hit the general announcement button on her comms system. “Minna-san, it’s come to my attention that people have heard that I’m debating whether or not the F.N.S should disband. That’s all it is right now, a debate I am making with myself. I assure you, once I make my decision, you will ALL be informed. Until then, all speculation will be kept to a minimum and be made privately. That is all.” She switched off the comms and sighed.

“I beg you,” advised Haruna, “consider what you’re doing.”

“That’s what I intend to do,” replied Megumi. Haruna then left the room, leaving Megumi to debate again. She sat in her room for a minute before her door chimed. “Come in,” she bid. Emily entered. “Emily-chan, what can I do for you?” asked Megumi.

“No,” snarled Emily.

“…No what?” inquired Megumi.

“No disbanding!” elaborated Emily.

“That’s not your decision to make,” sighed Megumi.

“It is when my friends are concerned!” argued Emily.

“I assure you, I’m taking all factors into consideration,” answered Megumi.

“I somehow doubt that!” hissed Emily. The door chimed again.

“Come in,” called Megumi. Emmanuel came in, looking rather annoyed.

“I didn’t hear that over the comms!” he hissed.

“I’m afraid you did,” countered Megumi. “I feel like, after X-PO’s trial, I don’t have much choice.”

“This isn’t disbanding, this is surrendering!” snarled Emmanuel.

“Well, when you turn on someone, you pay,” sighed Megumi.

“Wait a minute, I want to make sure I heard that right!” snapped Emily. “That doesn’t sound like the Megumi Hishikawa I know! You know, the one who was so betrayed by X-PO’s using us for his own ends and didn’t exactly argue with the jury when they declared him guilty!”

“Well, I guess I underestimated how much it stung my conscience!” argued Megumi.

“Did you now?” rasped a voice, causing everyone to yelp and whirl around to see Batman removing himself from the shadows.

“Could you not?!” protested Emmanuel.

“From what I’ve observed from you,” continued Batman, “you’ve been that harsh on any wrongdoing. Hiroki making Tanisha face GLaDOS alone, Mikhail’s quest for vengeance, Hiro, they all needed to be corrected because, as a leader, you feel a responsibility to tell everyone about your values and believe them to be good. Well, on this particular value of leaving your friends, I’m sorry to report that you’re in slim company!”

“…If I do disband the F.N.S, I’ll try and visit Wayne Manor,” replied Megumi.

“How long has this whole thing even been on your mind?” asked Emmanuel.

“Since X-PO was found guilty,” answered Megumi.

“How’d Richard react?” quizzed Emily.

“I was going to tell him about it when he got home before the Convergence took him,” sighed Megumi.

“You haven’t even told your husband?!” protested Emily.

“What would YOU tell him?!” argued Megumi. “Besides, this is MY problem! What can he possibly do?!”

“Help you fight against any evil!” snapped Emmanuel. “That’s what he promised you at the altar!”

“Well, maybe I want to face this evil on my own!” argued Megumi.

“I suppose I’ll have to stick with just MY universe!” rasped Batman.

“Your world needs you,” replied Megumi. “They need a good commander like you.”

“You did well at commanding once I smoothed out your rough edges,” countered Batman. Megumi then snorted in laughter. “What’s so funny?!” hissed Batman.

“I thought YOU did well once I smoothed out YOUR rough edges,” giggled Megumi. Her door chimed again. “Come in,” she bid. Rusty then came in.

“Am I disturbing anything?’ she asked.

“Stick around, you can help me cry in my drink,” entreated Megumi.

“I thought I’d return this,” explained Rusty as she pulled out a bottle of lotion.

“Oh, there’s no need!” assured Megumi. “If you like it…”

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” praised Rusty.

“Then keep it!” replied Megumi.

“How can you be chatting about lotion at a time like this?!” protested Emily. The door chimed again.

“Do you have any plans for the future?” asked Rusty.

“Come in!” Megumi called to the door. “I haven’t figured that out yet, maybe Richard COULD help me in that regard.” Turretorg then came into the room as she was answering Rusty.

“I just came to wish you the best if you DO disband the F.N.S,” he explained.

“Well, that’s chaotic,” muttered Rusty.

“Pardon?” asked Turretorg.

“Chaotic is a polite way of saying it,” Megumi replied to Rusty, leaving Turretorg at sea.

“Turretorg, if YOU were Megumi,” interjected Emily, “would you be seeking help from your spouse?”

“I just came to wish you good fortune,” Turretorg told Megumi.

“Thank you, Commander Turretorg,” replied Megumi.

“Seek help about what?” Turretorg then asked Emily.

“Never mind!” snapped Emily. “If Megumi doesn’t care, why should we?”

“Does your mother about all this?” asked Turretorg.

“Did you get any advice?” quizzed Rusty.

“I DO care! Yes, she does! Yes, I did!” Megumi answered Emily, Turretorg, and Rusty. “Look, I really need to think about this!”

“You said she doesn’t care; you mean about disbanding?” asked Turretorg. The door chimed again.

“By all means, come on in!” groaned Megumi.

“She did well leading us; I say we should stick together!” snarled Emmanuel.

“And I say, she could use a little support from her friends!” continued Emily.

“Yes, of course,” replied Turretorg, “but if she’s decided…”

“Er, excuse me?” called the person that entered. It was Hongo.

“Hongo-san, come in!” bid Megumi.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” stammered Hongo, “I, er…”

“Don’t worry, Hongo,” assured Turretorg, “it’s all been said.”

“I have a lot more to say, thank you, Turretorg!” snarled Emily.

“Look, I could come back,” offered Hongo.

“Emily, Emmanuel, Batman, leave her alone!” snapped Rusty. “This is Megumi’s decision! …Unless you want me to talk to everyone?”

“I knew what I was doing! I knew the risks!” argued Megumi.

“That’s not what she asked,” rasped Batman.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” called Hongo, “but I would like to say, if we DO split up, it’s been a pleasure working with you.” The door chimed again.

“Come in!” groaned Megumi.

“Will someone please explain this conversation to me?!” called Turretorg.

“A PARTY!” cheered Mickey Mouse’s voice. “I always wondered what would happen if you decided to disband us!”

“It’s not a party!” snarled Emmanuel.

“Voila!” called Mickey as he produced a small bottle.

“What’s that?” asked Rusty.

“A bottle of my favorite wine,” guessed Megumi. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Mickey.”

“Kind of small,” snarked Batman.

“I was thinking it would be a smaller gathering,” replied Mickey. “Just a chat amongst friends, crying on each other’s shoulders, and then a fond farewell. You’d be surprised how people like something like that.”

“Is this a joke?!” protested Megumi. “Did you guys plan this?!”

“Nobody could have planned this!” argued Turretorg. The door chimed once more.

“By all means!” snapped Megumi. “We’re open for business! Come on in! Join the…” her voice trailed off as a woman in an After Academy’s Woman’s outfit with green petticoats came in. “Lilly!” gasped Megumi.

“Er, am I interrupting?” asked the new arrival, Lilly. “It’s just that…” she produced a small bottle of eyeshadow, “you asked me to teach you how to…”

“Yes, yes, I did!” assured Megumi. “Lilly, please, have a seat! And the rest of you, OUT!” She shoved everyone else out of the room and then shut the door.

“…If this is a bad time…” gulped Lilly.

“It isn’t, I promise,” urged Megumi. “Now, how does one apply eyeshadow?”

---

“Would someone explain to me what just happened?!” Turretorg called to Emily as they made their way to the medical ward.

“A fine friend YOU are!” snapped Emily. “After she freed you from Vortech’s control! You shouldn’t be allowing her to disband us!”

“Look, that’s HER decision and it sounds like she hasn’t even made it yet!” argued Turretorg. “Real friends support others, no matter the decision!” He then stormed off.

“…Question MY friendship with her, will you?!” snarled Emily.

“Things seem to be crumbling around you!” cackled a certain Predacon’s voice.

“Bite me, Spider!” snapped Emily.

“Anger ill suits a lovely rose,” replied Tarantulas.

“You only see the bloom, not the thorns that come with it,” dismissed Emily. “Look, are you here for a check-up or are you here to waste a doctor’s time?”

“I heard a rumor that someone is trying to mine the area surrounding Vorton,” explained Tarantulas. “Now, it looks like Megumi needs some time alone, so…”

“GO TELL HER, YOU EIGHT-LEGGED, INTELLECTUAL DWARF!” shouted Emily as she dashed off towards the command center, leaving Tarantulas to stand there and stare in disbelief.

“………YOU HAVE A LOT OF NERVE CALLING A GENIUS LIKE ME STUPID YOU OVERSIZED, MAMMALIAN…!” His speech then devolved to angry spluttering.

“Sometimes, geniuses can be stupid,” chuckled a voice. Tarantulas whirled around to see Jandro folding his arms and laughing to himself.

“Out of my way, Sissy Boy!” snapped Tarantulas as he shoved Jandro aside to Megumi’s room.

“Yes, thank you SO much for reminding me why my clan was exterminated in the first place!” snarled the Vampire.

---

“And, there we go!” cheered Lilly as Megumi successfully put on eyeshadow. “You’ve done well, my student.” The door then chimed.

“Now what?!” sighed Megumi. “Come in!” Tarantulas then walked in. “Tarantulas, what can I do for you?”

“I’ve heard a rumor that someone is laying down self-replicating mines around Vorton,” explained Tarantulas.

“Mines?!” gulped Lilly.

“Nothing that would affect Gateway travel, I assure you,” interjected Megumi. “It’s just a measure to prevent us from using our ships or getting reinforcements from Tarlax. We have a way for bringing the mines down all at once before they have a chance to replicate. I believe Dell’s going to begin testing it right away.

---

“A mine-field around Vorton?” asked Verdutha as Rojenthi reported her observations. “Who’d do something so vile?”

“Caan, if you can believe it,” answered Rojenthi. “He’s still going on and on about Vortech having survived the collapse of the Rift Loop.”

“Not even a demi-god like Vortech can survive the collapse of a Rift Loop!” argued Verdutha.

“Caan is not one who listens,” reminded Rojenthi.

“All because he can see into the future?” guessed Verdutha. Rojenthi nodded. “I swear,” grumbled Verdutha, “a person gets that kind of power and suddenly they think they know everything!”

“Never mind about him,” soothed Rojenthi. “What about the preliminary round you presided over?”

“Emperor Mechanoterror is a worthy participant,” replied Verdutha, her mood brightening.

“What about his opponent?” asked Rojenthi. “The artist…something Dalek? Seriously, why is a human using a Dalek as his online name?”

“In any event, he’s not participating,” sighed Verdutha. “Pity, I rather liked his graphic novel. Oh well, he’s decided to train for next time.”

“Oh dear,” sighed Rojenthi. “I can only imagine his disappointment. Still, good to know he’s one of those that will try again.”

“And your preliminary round?” asked Verdutha.

“Neither Slam Dunk nor Sprayer are acceptable,” replied Rojenthi.

“That’s unfortunate,” sighed Verdutha. “I was hoping we’d have another Transformer involved.” Just then, Rosadera, Azuliterii, and Moradelia appeared.

“Buncho is making a return!” reported Moradelia.

“We also have Kaiser and Mr. Flufferkins participating,” continued Azuliterii.

“And Southern Belle is returning!” cheered Rosadera.

“Splendid!” praised Verdutha. “Two returning crowd favorites! The fans will love this!”

When he recovered, Knuckles and his group were informed of the situation. When he had heard about what Knock-out and Ratbat did, Knuckles roared in frustration and smashed a table. “Easy!” yelped Henry.

“None of us are happy with this development,” assured Arsha. “Rest assured, those that died will be avenged!”

“Considering that children had died,” growled Knuckles, “I hope we avenge them quickly!” Just then, a guard came in.

“My Empress!” he panted. “Megatron wishes to speak to you!”

“What for?” asked Rellmeer.

“He said he has an explanation for why Knock-out and Ratbat acted the way they did!” reported the guard.

“…I’ll have to feign ignorance to gauge his intentions,” declared Rellmeer.

“You’re not seriously meeting with him?!” protested Ultra Magnus.

“I want to know what kind of liar he is,” explained Rellmeer.

“Why?” asked Arsha.

“I want to see how bad I can spin him into a tizzy if I say ‘no’ to whatever proposal he makes,” elaborated Rellmeer. She turned to her guard. “Can his robot mode fit into the main palace doors?”

“No, he’s too tall,” replied the guard.

“Then have his…‘holo-form’ meet me in the throne room,” ordered Rellmeer. “Tell him I will grant his request for an audience with me. Guide him into the palace’s foyer. Once you’ve done that, take the group to Trelnak and Son’s woodshop and investigate how they can use the situation there to their advantage. Felfar will take Megatron the rest of the way.”

“Yes. My Empress,” obliged the guard.

“How do you want me to act, Mistress?” asked Felfar. “Show my respect and look a little fearful or act as if I’m brainwashed?”

“I want Megatron to be under the impression that my magnificence doesn’t require brainwashing for me to be shown the respect that is due to me,” replied Rellmeer.

“Fearful display of respect, it is,” declared Felfar.

---

Megatron’s holo-form was directed to the foyer as the guard looked a little nervous. “Come now,” purred Megatron, “you’re not afraid of a stranger, are you?” The guard said nothing as Felfar came into the foyer, holding her hands in a respectful, but feared manner.

“Her Immortal Excellency, The All-mighty Empress Rellmeer, will grant you the honor of an audience with Her Magnificence,” she gulped. “Please follow me and be sure to display the proper respect that is due to her.”

“Oh, absolutely,” answered Megatron. “I’d be a fool to disrespect her in her own home, much less her grand kingdom. Please, lead on.” The guard left as Felfar led Megatron to the throne room. The massive doors opened as the throne, in all its woodland splendor, stood tall and imposing over the guards lining the walkway to it. Felfar and Megatron made their way to an acceptable distance to Rellmeer’s presence as she laid herself lazily across the throne.

“Oh Empress Rellmeer Almaydia!” called Felfar. “Wise and Powerful of all the Realms! Vast and Terrible to those that will not show you any respect! Poor Felfar presents Megatron, a foreigner who…!”

“I have eyes, thank you,” replied Rellmeer. She then looked around the room. “Leave us.”

“But, Empress…!” protested a guard. She idly flicked her hand and the guard vanished.

“Anyone else?” she asked. Everyone then left Megatron and Rellmeer alone. “I thought not,” chuckled Rellmeer. “Forgive my late guard’s impudence. They always underestimate me. I was told that you wished to explain the deaths of two of my people at the hands of your men?”

“You were told correctly, Wise Rellmeer,” assured Megatron.

“Two questions come to my mind with what happened,” muttered Rellmeer as she examined her nails. “Why DID your men kill them? Why do you take them?”

“I can promise you, the two questions answer one another,” explained Megatron. “We took them BECAUSE they killed two of your people. We have reason to believe that a terrorist by the name of Caan has poisoned their minds and made them see enemies instead of innocent people. Now, my people and I are trying to catch Caan, but we cannot do this without the help of your superior forces.”

“…Flattery will get you flattened,” warned Rellmeer.

“I’m simply stating facts,” replied Megatron. “Help us catch him and those that died will be avenged!”

“…I shall have to think it over,” murmured Rellmeer as he clapped her hands twice, the signal for her harem to appear. Felfar knelt at the throne while another harem girl, a purple-skinned Sprite, held out a tray of food while an Elf fanned her. A green-skinned Pixie held a large jug of wine and a cup for Rellmeer. A large tank of water rose as four Mermaids swam up from the bottom and started dancing. “You will have your decision in three days,” declared Rellmeer as she snapped her fingers to make the throne room’s doors open.

“I’m sure you will decide what’s best,” praised Megatron as he bowed and was led away. The doors shut and the Mermaids continued dancing for a while until Rellmeer waved her hand slightly. Everyone then dropped the act and shuddered.

“By the Ones!” shivered the Sprite with the tray of food as a table appeared from the floor so she could set the food down. The Pixie then produced more cups for everyone so they could all have something to drink to calm their nerves.

“I only just arrived,” mumbled one of the Mermaids, “and I STILL felt like I spent an eternity with that slime ball!”

“I think he’s a scrap-pile,” mused another Mermaid.

“So, do we know what’s true and what’s not?” asked Felfar as she and the Sprite sat on the throne, sandwiching Rellmeer in the middle.

“There IS a guy out there named Caan,” answered Rellmeer as she pulled her communications earpiece out of her ear. “However, Megatron failed to mention that both him and his allies, as well as our visitors and their allies, are hunting him. Knock-out and Ratbat have been known to cause mayhem on a whim and HATE organic life with a passion. Arsha also mentioned that Megatron appeared on the hull of the Endeavor along with a human and a certain Sprite Cyborg Scientist that’s cheated death before.”

“Not Cytanek!” wailed the Sprite.

“Yes, Ms. Selemer, your third cousin’s brother’s wife’s step-niece’s great aunt twice removed, Dr. Borg,” confirmed Rellmeer.

“So Megatron’s a charming liar,” mused the third Mermaid, “but a liar nonetheless.” Just then, the guard that was “vaporized” returned to the throne room, the poor Pixie looking greener than usual.

“Hasty teleportation spell upset the stomach?” guessed Rellmeer.

“Yes, My Lady,” groaned the guard, “but that’s beside the point. Arsha and her group are safely at the woodshop.”

“Thank you, Dreksar,” bid Rellmeer. “Er, do you need anything for your stomach?”

“Honestly, I need to rest at home a bit,” replied the guard, Dreksar. “I kind of lost my lunch after the spell took me to my destination. I should be all right tomorrow.”

“Then you take the rest of the day off,” declared Rellmeer. “Get well soon and make sure you eat something.”

“I will, My Lady, thank you,” answered Dreksar. He then headed off to his home.

---

“Couldn’t we have just pressed the attack?!” protested Hiro once Megatron had completed his audience with Rellmeer. “We all know she’s not the terrifying dictator she made herself out to be!”

“She IS very powerful,” replied Megatron. “Best to play the long game with her.”

“That’s all we do now!” roared Hiro. Dr. Borg was still trying to listen to a report. “I say we strike now, raze the Fae Republic to the ground, and put an end to our enemies!”

“A wise farmer doesn’t exterminate the entire herd,” advised Megatron. “We only kill those that are major threats!”

“This whole thing is YOUR fault!” snapped Hiro. “There’s a good chance that Arsha will warn Rellmeer of our presence!”

“By the time she does, it will be too late!” growled Megatron. “Only through talk can we divide our allies and ensure that Megumi doesn’t get any more!”

“Bah!” dismissed Hiro.

“I suppose mindless destruction IS easier,” mused Megatron, “for those who are too scared of their enemies.” Hiro heard that and whirled around face Megatron.

“QUESTION MY COURAGE TO MY FACE, IF YOU HAVE THE BALL BEARINGS TO DO SO, YOU WALKING CORPSE!” challenged Hiro.

“KEEP YOUR COAT ON, YOU PALE-YELLOW, ALMOND-EYED, INBRED, FURLESS MONKEY!” countered Megatron. Hiro then took out his phone, slid the back open to insert his i.d. tag, closed it, typed in a code, pressed the bottom button, then thrust the phone’s screen out in front of him.

“HENSHIN!” he shouted before setting the phone into his belt buckle. His suit formed and he became Kamen Rider Rogue (No, not the one from Kamen Rider Build). “Incompetent metal vulture!” roared Rogue. “You only flap your beak because you insist on boasting about our power instead of acting with it! Let’s see if your talons are half as hard as your tongue!”

“I’m ensuring order for the future!” shouted Megatron. “Peace is necessary after our conflict!”

“Someone’s spoiling for a fight!” laughed Starscream as he came in.

“You’re reckless!” Megatron accused Rogue. “You would lead us into war early!”

“I welcome war!” snarled Rogue.

“Because you’re too thick-headed to use whatever passes for your brain!” shouted Megatron.

“Enough!” called Dr. Borg. “I just got word from one of our spies. Rellmeer was seen talking to Arsha, Hiroki, and Ultra Magnus and mentioned all of our names. From what the spy had gleaned from the Endeavor’s systems, she knew about our plans long before we even thought to try and lie to her. Hiro’s right in this instance; we need results, not talk.”

“Wait a cycle!” protested Megatron.

“That’s all we did since we met!” snarled Dr. Borg.

“Why are you siding with him?!” continued Megatron. “We’re not ripe for combat!”

“Not ripe?!” argued Dr. Borg. “Depths, we’re rotting for want of it! Since you were so stupid as to start a fight, Hiro’s ideas must be put into effect.”

“What?!” roared Megatron. “I didn’t start the fight! All I did was point out a…!”

“Exactly!” interrupted Dr. Borg. “You talk too much! Talk, talk, talk! We rot while you chatter!”

“Dr. Borg, my way can still work, despite this setback!” continued Megatron. “We just need a little more time to…!”

“More time, more words, more nothing!” argued Dr. Borg.

“Madam, I don’t like being interrupted!” snarled Megatron.

“We’ve tried your way, it failed!” finished Dr. Borg. “Hiro, I shall send my engineers and artificers to accelerate the construction of the fleet in Mordor.”

“An excellent idea,” praised Rogue.

“No, a logical one,” countered Dr. Borg. “We need to build up our military might instead of skulking around a politician’s home. We must bring this crisis to a swift end!”

“Of course,” replied Rogue.

“YOU CARBON-BASED IDIOTS!” roared Megatron as he fired his fusion cannon at Rogue’s back. Rogue recovered and charged at Megatron, converting his guns into shōtō mode, and swung them at Megatron. Megatron activated his concealed blade, usually resting between the fusion cannon’s underside and his arm, and leapt at Rogue with the fury of a starving tiger!

“STOP, YOU IMBECILES!” shouted Dr. Borg as she stopped their respective swings.

“MOVE ASIDE OR BE CUT DOWN!” demanded Megatron.

“Not until you idiots hear me out!” replied Dr. Borg. “Look, the terms of the truce state that we would not attack one another until both of our military might is built up, yes?”

“So what?!” snarled Rogue.

“Megumi never mentioned our respective ALLIES’ military might,” explained Dr. Borg. “From what Soundwave had observed within Megatron’s home, the visitors that reside with the Autobots are allies, but they haven’t exactly built up THEIR military might. It’s the same with Arsha’s group. They can build up their own military, but we won’t let them build up their allies. Hardly a breach of truce, yes?”

“…I suppose not,” grumbled Megatron as he deactivated his blade.

“And we’re still preparing for war,” muttered Rogue as he cancelled his transformation and turned back into Hiro.

“So, let’s use this time to build up our allies,” suggested Dr. Borg. “We still have an edge over them.”

“…I…apologize for my racially charged comments,” muttered Megatron.

“Likewise,” grumbled Hiro.

---

Arsha and her group, including her remaining senior staff, had arrived at the woodshop, and brought out equipment to take some readings. Knuckles looked around and absentmindedly knocked some wood down.

“Take it easy, Knucklehead!” hissed Sonic. Just then, the wood flew back into its original position. “Okay, THAT’S weird!” gulped Sonic. Elmar and Orthena took a reading.

“You know what’s weirder?” asked Orthena. “No mana detected.”

“Perhaps,” mused Elmar, “but it would make an ideal phenomenon to study.”

“Perhaps, after this adventure,” offered Death, “you and your world’s scientists can collaborate with After Academy’s.”

“Like you said, AFTER this adventure,” interjected Arsha. “What needs doing now?”

“All right, here’s what I’ve researched,” began Death. She then detailed a long, drawn-out explanation that I shall not bore the reader with.

There were no Temporal Stops in the Under-realm, so the Endeavor and the High Sky set a course for the Over-realm’s Drelda Forest. They were shrunk down and guided into the Capital Tree’s shipyards. All of the new visitors were a little stunned at the shrinking spells used to make them fit in the Tree. “Ah, it’s so good to be at my natural height!” sighed Rellmeer. “I’ve already told my people about our visitors, both organic and mechanical.”

“Then let’s meet the Fae,” declared Death. The respective landing ramps lowered for Arsha, Lardeth, and the Autobots. They were greeted with applause as they exited the ships.

“My people!” called Rellmeer. “Our knowledge of other worlds, other Realms, has expanded, thanks to the efforts of our combined protectors, the organization of Realmfleet! Our little stories about talking animals, robots that change shape, armored beings from another world, they have proven true in some manner. What we have erroneously called Change-a-trons are actually called Transformers! Permit me to present four of the Autobots, the true name of the Justitrons!” The group parted to reveal the four Autobots.

“ULTRA MAGNUS, TRANSFORM!” began Ultra Magnus as he changed to Robot Mode.

“STRONGARM, TRANSFORM!” announced Strongarm as she transformed.

“SWOOP, TRANSFORM!” called Swoop as he followed suit.

“SLASH, TRANSFORM!” roared Slash as she finished off the transformations.

“Greetings, members of the Fae Republic,” called Ultra Magnus. “I am Ultra Magnus, second in command of the Autobot Militia. From what I’ve seen in your world’s sci-fi, what I’m about to say is rather cliché, but we DO come in peace. At least, me and my comrades do. Unfortunately, there ARE those from our respective worlds that would do you harm. I have EVERY intention of stopping them and have the means to do so while keeping everyone safe and ensuring everyone’s trust, as do we all.”

“You see?” asked Rellmeer. “They’re friends.”

“Can they explain what happened in White Cap Ring?!” demanded a Fairy farmer.

“…I’m afraid I have not received news about White Cap Ring,” answered Rellmeer.

“Two of their number, a red robot and a smaller bat-like robot,” explained a Sprite senator, “killed two people before they fled!”

“They sound like two notorious Decepticons, Knock-out and Ratbat, our enemies,” replied Ultra Magnus. “What happened?”

---

What happened was simple, Knock-out was in robot mode and grumbling at all the nature surrounding him. “Trees, mud, rocks, water, they can all just go straight to the Pit!” he complained. “Stupid ground being so uneven! Why can’t someone pave over this slag and build a decent shopping strip?! Maybe with a nice body shop! Or a luxurious car wash! ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE CIVILIZATION! NATURE CAN JUST BURN! The instant I find him, I’m going to ask Megatron for a fleet just so we can civilize this planet!”

“A waste of precious Energon,” came a thickly accented voice with the w’s replaced with v’s.

“Let me guess by the fuel economist’s talk alone!” sighed Knock-out. Ratbat then swooped in. “While I’m glad to see another Decepticon in these parts, can’t you just live a little?!” complained Knock-out.

“The only way to live at all is to conserve our Energon reserves,” argued Ratbat. “Until we find a decent power source, we must remain low.”

“Come on!” whined Knock-out. “We need to get some culture going on this planet!”

“Not until we find an adequate fuel source!” hissed Ratbat.

“I’m the CMO here,” snarled Knock-out, “and I say we start some mayhem to scratch that itch for…!” He tripped over a crystal as large as his foot. “NOW WHAT?!” he roared.

“Fascinating,” mused Ratbat as he sniffed it. “There is energy inside the crystal; energy that can be refined into Energon cubes.” He pulled out a device and broke off a crystal fragment. He then inserted the fragment into the device and it started producing glowing pink cubes.

“Okay, that’s a little fast,” remarked Knock-out as he temporarily forgot his appearance.

“Er, Knock-out, help me stop this thing!” yelped Ratbat as the Energon cubes came out at a faster rate and piled around him.

“Just turn it off!” shouted Knock-out.

“I can’t! It’s gonna blow!” yowled Ratbat. Knock-out then took the device and threw it into the air before it exploded.

“…Well!” gasped Knock-out. “…That happened!”

“Hey!” called a voice. Knock-out and Ratbat turned and realized they were surrounded by peasants of all Fae subspecies.

“…I think that new Energon is messing with my optical sensors,” gulped Ratbat.

“I’m afraid it isn’t,” replied Knock-out, “I’m seeing fairies too.”

“And Sprites and Pixies!” snapped a Fairy man as he thrust his pitchfork at Knock-out.

“HEY! WATCH THE PAINT!” roared Knock-out. He backhanded the Fairy and sent him flying into a giant White Cap mushroom. There were other mushrooms in a ring surrounding a central public forum and various farming plots surrounding each mushroom.

“BANTHIR!” cried a Sprite woman.

“GET THEM!” shouted a Pixie man. The Fae then threw pitchforks, hammers, stones, sticks, whatever they could get their hands on.

“Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!” declared Ratbat as he drank the new Energon. A charge of energy then flooded his circuits and he managed to direct it to his palms, creating a concussive blast that blew back a good portion of the crowd. When he realized what he did, he stared, then grinned. “Knock-out, why don’t you try some?” suggested Ratbat.

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” chuckled Knock-out as he sipped another Energon cube. He experienced the same charge. “WHOO!” he cheered. “And Energon efficiency just went up, up, up! Let’s see how it works!” He leveled his hand at one of the mushrooms and fired a blast of energy at it, setting it on fire!

“I’m still at 99% efficiency,” called Ratbat.

“As am I,” confirmed Knock-out. “I’d recommend a little…‘stress relief’.”

“Only a fool argues with his doctor,” replied Ratbat. They both then set fire to various mushrooms and farming plots, putting the Fae into a panic. The two Decepticons continued knocking Fae down from both the air and the ground while the Fae continued throwing things at them.

---

“I lost my daughter during the raid,” finished the farmer as tears streamed from his eyes, “AND my grandson!”

“…This ends now!” hissed Ultra Magnus as he turned to the other Autobots.

“What are you doing?” asked Rellmeer.

“Organizing a hunt for them, that’s what!” answered Ultra Magnus. “The Decepticons are vicious and, evidently, child murderers! We’re going to stop them even if it kills us! Strongarm, begin patrolling the…!”

“Hold on a minute!” interjected Rellmeer.

“Empress, they’ve killed two children!” argued Ultra Magnus.

“A soul avenged in anger will never know rest,” countered Rellmeer. “It’s an immensely popular Fae proverb. Killing children is a vile crime, but if we charge at them now with no sense of strategy, they’ll get away and we’ll be doomed to hunt them forever. We must be smart about this and make them come to us.”

“How do you propose to do that?” asked Slash.

“With a little bit of mana crystal, that’s how,” answered Rellmeer.

---

Knock-out and Ratbat managed to repair the portable Energon refinery and headed off to the source of an energy reading. It led to an old mine, long abandoned after the mana crystals that rested there were extracted. They felt the need to chance it and so proceeded into the mine with Ratbat resting inside Knock-out’s vehicle mode. “Pedes off the dash!” hissed Knock-out as his Mobian Holo-form, a Cat, took the controls. Ratbat pretended not to listen and leaned back in his seat. “I said get your filthy pedes off my dash! I just had myself detailed!” snarled Knock-out. Ratbat didn’t move. Knock-out rolled his eyes, then blasted the radio, causing Ratbat to screech in shock and look around while getting his feet off the dash. Ratbat then calmed down and glared at Knock-out.

“Why Breakdown chose someone like you as his Conjunx Endura is beyond me,” he hissed.

“Despite his neurotic tendencies, he is a maestro behind a rotary buffer,” replied Knock-out. “Besides, love’s hardly logical.”

“He could have, at least, picked someone that ISN’T one of THOSE Decepticons!” grumbled Ratbat.

“That’s not a gay-bashing comment I’m hearing, is it?” snarled Knock-out.

“Considering my own preferences, no,” replied Ratbat. Knock-out hit the brakes. His eyes then went wide as he stared at Ratbat. “…What?!” hissed Ratbat.

“You’re gay like me?!” squeaked Knock-out. “I just…I mean I never…you look like a bot who appreciates a Femme’s frame more than a Mech’s!”

“Primus, no!” gagged Ratbat. “I just see them as friends, nothing more!”

“…Bonded to anyone I know?” asked Knock-out.

“Afterburn,” replied Ratbat.

“Wasn’t he declared KIA?” continued Knock-out.

“At least he understood which alt-mode to pick!” snarled Ratbat. “Unlike you and Breakdown! That’s what I meant by you being one of THOSE Decepticons!”

“Mind elaborating?!” hissed Knock-out.

“I never understood why you lot pick ground-based alt-modes when you can have flight!” explained Ratbat.

“Oh, you have ZERO room to talk!” shouted Knock-out. “Your current alt-mode is a Mobian motorcycle!”

“At least I can still fly!” snapped Ratbat. “You can now fly in your current alt-mode, yet I’ve never seen you go into the air once! You even picked a Ford 2015 Mustang as your alt-mode during the Earth Campaign! Why?!”

“I liked the way I looked in steel-belted radials!” replied Knock-out.

“Look!” called a voice. “Decepticons!” Knock-out and Ratbat then poked their heads out the windows to see 3 male Mobians and a red Autobot with a large set of microscope lens on his left shoulder. The Mobians were a red Echidna, a purple Chameleon, and a dark-furred Snub Nosed Monkey. Ratbat left Knock-out’s vehicle mode, allowing the Decepticon Medic to transform with a smirk on his face.

“One lonely Autobot wimp and three little animals,” he chuckled. “Hardly seems fair for me to crush you all.”

“I’ll take the red peacock!” declared the Microscope robot, Perceptor, as he activated a scope in front of his right eye. “You three take care of the knock-off vampire!”

“Got it!” confirmed the Echidna, Knuckles. The Chameleon, Espio, then vanished only to appear behind Ratbat and slam a knife into his back. Ratbat screeched in pain and swung his arm wildly only for Knuckles to punch him in the snout. The monkey had taken cover as Perceptor fired off shots from a sniper rifle and made Knock-out dance. Knuckles looked back at the monkey. “Henry! Any time now!” he shouted.

“What do you expect me to do?!” protested the monkey, Dr. Henry Zhou. “I’m a doctor, not a fighter!” Knuckles was then slashed at by Ratbat!

“Over there!” called a voice. Hiro, Dr. Borg, and Megatron ran up to the fight and grabbed Knock-out and Ratbat as a rift opened for them. They entered the rift and it closed, leaving the Mobians and Autobot very confused.

“…The Pit was that?” asked Perceptor.

“The noises came from over there!” called another voice. Who should round the corner but Sonic as he led everyone to the four in the mine. “Hey, Knucklehead!” laughed Sonic. “Lose a fight?”

“Knock it off, Sonic!” protested Knuckles as he massaged his arm, covering the wound Ratbat gave him.

“Hey, that looks bad,” remarked Sonic.

“We had a scuffle with Ratbat and Knock-out,” explained Espio.

“Where are they?!” demanded Rellmeer.

“Megatron took them,” replied Espio.

“Was he accompanied by a blue-skinned woman with wings and prosthetic limbs?” asked Arsha.

“Or a human with a fancy belt?” asked Hiroki.

“Both, actually, why?” quizzed Knuckles. Hiroki growled.

“They’re familiar to us,” he answered.

“Look, why don’t we all reconvene at the palace?” suggested Lardeth. “We can exchange stories there.”

“Good idea,” replied Perceptor. He then turned to Ultra Magnus. “Perceptor, reporting for duty,” he announced.

“Good to see you again, Warrant Officer,” returned Ultra Magnus. “Let’s get going.”

“Hold up! Knuckles is injured!” protested Henry. “We need an IV!”

“I have one for people your size!” called a Fairy man in a nurse’s clothes.

“IV?” asked Knuckles. “This is just a cut. Barely a boo-boo and…WHOA!” The needle was pretty long.

“A perfect length,” praised Henry. “Thank you…er…”

“Nurse Telter,” introduced the Fairy man.

“Thank you, Nurse Telter,” finished Henry.

“Doc, ain’t that overkill?!” protested Knuckles.

“This is standard procedure, so shut up and sit still,” dismissed Henry. “This is NOT the time for belonephobia.”

“You know, I’d prefer NO IV’s,” gulped Knuckles as he covered his wound. “Seriously, Doc, get that thing away from me!”

“Sir, do NOT test me right now!” snarled Henry. “Move your hand!” His own prosthetic hand moved towards Knuckles’ hand to get it away,.

“Forget it! No IV’s!” barked Knuckles as he tried to shove Henry away.

“You’re the patient here! Now sit down and take the IV!” shouted Henry as he tried to set up the IV.

“You’re crazy! I’m not letting you stick me with that!” argued Knuckles.

“Stop acting like a damn kid, you moronic monotreme!” snapped Henry. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way!”

“Well, it’s gonna have to be the hard way, you tree-climber,” snarled Knuckles, “because you’re not poking me with that thing!” Henry sighed, then punched Knuckles in the face with his cybernetic hand, knocking him out. Knuckles then had a neck-brace attached to him and was laid out on a backboard while the IV was inserted into him and he was carted off.

The Endeavor and the High Sky were back in the air and had finally completed a search for a Temporal Stop within the Mid-realm. Sadly, there were no results. They had returned to the Under-realm to search for one there and had begun on the Central Continent and planned to sweep the entire continent, then move west to the Western Continent and search there, then move to the Northern Continent, then the Eastern Continent, and finishing on the Southern Continent. The ships were still searching the Central Continent’s eastern shores as Arsha sat in her ready room, looking out the window and holding herself to try and get some solace that she would see all of her lovers. Her thoughts were interrupted by her door chime. “Yes?” she called.

“It’s Lardeth,” came the reply.

“Come in,” directed Arsha. Lardeth entered the room and moved towards Arsha.

“I’m afraid our ships have turned up nothing on these shores,” sighed Lardeth. “We should check the rest of the…” He was interrupted as Arsha whirled around and immediately hugged him tight. He was a little startled at first, then realized why she hugged him and so enveloped her in his clouds and hugged back. “We’ll get them home,” he promised. “I won’t rest until I know we’re all safe.”

“I just miss them so much,” whimpered Arsha. “Is that so wrong?”

“Not in the slightest,” replied Lardeth in a soothing soft tone. “There is nothing wrong with any of that.”

“Malak to Arsha,” came Malak’s voice over the comms.

“Go ahead,” answered Arsha.

“Rellmeer and Felfar are currently in Crelima City, asking to see you and Lardeth as well as our visitors,” explained Malak. “They say they have people of interest for them.”

“Status of our search here?” quizzed Arsha.

“The Central Continent has no Temporal Stops,” reported Malak. Arsha sighed.

“All right, get us to the Western Continent and start with Crelima City,” she ordered.

“I’ll tell my ship to do the same,” chimed in Lardeth as he pulled back only to place his hands on her shoulders. They said nothing as they looked into one another’s eyes. No words were needed. Both knew how worried the other was for their missing friends. Soon, Lardeth’s clouds released Arsha as he left the room. After three hours, Arsha had directed Hiroki, Sonic, Death, Amy, and Lacey to accompany her and Lardeth. They were transported to the Desert Oasis city of Crelima City once they were over it and started looking for Rellmeer and Felfar. “Felfar is a full Zephyr,” explained Lardeth, “and is usually at Rellmeer’s heels. Rellmeer’s an orange-skinned Fairy, so it should be easy to spot them.”

“This looks pretty big,” mused Hiroki as he looked over the city. “How can we find her with so many…er, what ARE the people with snake tails called again?”

“Nagas,” replied Death. “And Fae should be easy to spot.”

“Hello!” called a woman’s voice. Everyone turned to see an orange-skinned woman in a revealing dress with a Zephyr woman behind her on a cloud leash. The orange woman had wings and a pair of antennae.

“There they are!” announced Arsha. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Empress Rellmeer Almaydia of the Fae Republic and the head of her Girl-Power Harem, Felfar Malmaf.”

“I suppose you wish to know our names,” offered Hiroki. “I am…”

“Hiroki Hishikawa,” interrupted Rellmeer as her gaze went cold. “I read the reports from Realmfleet. Let’s see, we have Sonic, Amy, Death, and Lacey. Some of the newscasters have said you were upstarts. You were labeled as the ones who were unnecessarily involved in the fight above Largandra.” You could cut the tension with a knife as everyone stared hard at one another. Soon, Rellmeer smiled. “A pleasure to meet you all. If you didn’t intervene, a lot of people in Largandra would be hurt or worse. The real aggressors, Soundwave, Buzzsaw, and Davros, would have caused an unholy amount of damage. Any enemy of evil…” she then held her hand out, “…is a friend of mine!” Hiroki accepted the hand and shook it.

“A pleasure to meet you, My Lady,” he greeted. They released their hands. “I heard from Arsha that you rarely leave your native Realm, much less your people’s capital.”

“Only in times of crisis will I leave the Capital Tree of the Drelda Forest,” replied Rellmeer. “Considering what three new visitors have told me, such a time is coming.”

“Three new visitors?” asked Sonic.

“One wears the warmest of colors and has eyes of a fire’s hot center,” riddled Rellmeer, “one is clothed in the grass’s hues, and one is as graceful as a feline.” The visitors thought for a while until Hiroki realized who she was talking about.

“Tanisha, Alesandro, and Sheela?!” he yelped.

“The same,” confirmed Rellmeer. “Felfar found them last night outside the Capital Tree. They were in a bad way, so we treated them and they explained that they received their injuries while fighting a, er, “Hell Ambassador”, I believe they called their opponent.

“Ambassador Hell!” snarled Hiroki. “Of course, he’d be here!”

“He vanished long before we helped our three visitors,” answered Felfar. “We don’t know where he is.”

“We’ll discuss apprehending him later,” declared Rellmeer. “Right now, our new visitors need to reunite with their friends so I can give them all the information they need to find a way home.”

“You can help us?” asked Amy.

“I’ll tell you everything I know when we’re all gathered,” assured Rellmeer. “Right now, we must go to the Great Lake Bar.”

“Don’t tell Nazay,” Arsha advised, “but Crelima City has the best Naga cuisine of all the Realms.”

“Follow me!” directed Rellmeer. She took Felfar’s cloudy boa and held it like a leash, causing Felfar to giggle a little, and led everyone to a long open bar. They all took their seats and Rellmeer scanned the area before spotting Tanisha, Alesandro, and Sheela. She waved them over and they were reunited with Hiroki’s group. They all then sat down and placed their orders. As they waited, Felfar just rested her head on Rellmeer’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around her. Rellmeer rested her arm on Felfar’s shoulder while her other hand still held the cloudy boa.

“My Lady,” began Death, “you mentioned you had information about how to get us all home?”

“Yes, I did,” chuckled Rellmeer. “Tanisha, sweetie, could you begin? They already know about your fight with the Ambassador.”

“After Ambassador Hell fled,” explained Tanisha, “we all passed out, waking up in a hospital inside the Capital Tree. Apparently, the Fae are masters of size alteration. They shrank us down to their natural height so they could heal us. After we had recovered, Rellmeer came to us with a desire for answers. We told her about the Convergence. She didn’t believe us at first.”

“I think my exact words were ‘Trying to bluff a Fae with sci-fi talk is a risky endeavor’,” recalled Rellmeer. “That was until I saw the news of what happened in Largandra’s airspace.”

“When she did,” continued Tanisha, “she came to us with an apology and offered to assist us in any way she could. I was skeptic, saying ‘Unless you know where to find a Temporal Stop, I don’t think you can’. So far, we’ve yet to find one.”

“I was the one that explained what a Temporal Stop was,” continued Sheela.

“About Ms. Tanisha’s statement,” interjected Rellmeer, “I may need to correct that. You know, the one about having yet to find one?”

“…You found one?!” yelped everyone, aside from Sonic who was still a little uncomfortable with Amy hanging off his arm.

“Where?! When?! How?!” asked Arsha with hope plastering a smile on her face.

“It was within a woodshop in the northern district of the Capital Tree,” explained Rellmeer. “A soldier under my direct command found it and showed me proof of its existing outside of time roughly a day ago.”

“That still begs the question how did the soldier know it was a Temporal Stop?” remarked Alesandro.

“I have brought his proof with me,” replied Rellmeer. “Observe.” She took out a small piece of dusty wood. She then brushed the dust off and, after a few seconds, it returned to its original position. “See?” asked Rellmeer.

“See what?” asked Lardeth, his own grin starting to fade.

“How the dust returned,” explained Rellmeer.

“Yes, yes!” cheered Death. “Only if the object was in a Temporal Stop could it return to its original state!”

“Don’t be so sure,” sighed Arsha as her grin faded, feeling like Rellmeer’s finally losing it. “There are numerous spells to preserve an object’s state.”

“This is no spell!” insisted Rellmeer. “There’s no mana trace to say that it is!”

“Did your scientists figure it out?” asked Arsha.

“No, I KNOW there’s no mana!” urged Rellmeer.

“How?! Not even the Fae can detect mana traces without spells or equipment!” snapped Lardeth.

“I’ll tell you everything on the way back,” assured Rellmeer. “Right now, I need you to confirm my feeling that there is no mana trace!”

“Very well, we’ll have our wizards and artificers look this over when we return to the ships,” declared Lardeth.

“Why not now?” asked Sonic, eager to go home.

“Because, right now,” explained Arsha, “our orders are coming.” A trio of Nagas slithered their way to the group with plates of food ready for them. They had received their meals and dug in.

---

After the meal, everyone made their way back to the ships and informed the others of the new development. Arsha and Lardeth both contacted Rokalla to tell him that, while Rellmeer’s findings were being confirmed, they would continue their search of the Under-realm and then make their way to the Over-realm and start their search on the Northern Continent. Rokalla then wished them luck and thank them for informing him about the change of plans before ending the call. Lardeth returned to the High Sky while Arsha moved to her ready room, this time looking out the window in hope that Rellmeer was right. As she looked, her door chimed. “Come in,” she directed. Death then entered the room.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked.

“Not at all,” assured Arsha. “What can I do for you?”

“I spoke with your wizards and artificers,” replied Death. “They’ve confirmed that there’s no mana involved in Rellmeer’s proof.”

“Then the question becomes, how do we take advantage of it?” asked Arsha.

“It’s been done before,” answered Death. “I just hope Megumi and her missing people have also come up with the same idea.”

“If they’re your students, then they most likely did,” guessed Arsha. Just then, a small flash of light appeared on her desk before fading into a piece of paper with her name on it written in black and gold. “What in the…?” muttered Arsha. Death looked at the paper before her face lit up.

“Oh, if that’s what I think it is…!” whispered Death. Arsha then opened the paper to read the contents. She noticed trim around the contents of the paper colored in red, blue, purple, pink, and green. Five roses broke up the contents in a circle. Going clockwise, the roses were pink, blue, green, purple, and red. A circle rested in the center of the roses, divided into five and each segment colored the same as the roses.

“‘Arsha Royana,’” she read aloud. “‘You are cordially invited to participate in the 590,492nd Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale, graciously hosted by the Chizaran Princesses. Declare (with no doubts in your mind) your acceptance and details will be made clear. Congratulations and, should you accept, welcome!’ …What in the depths?”

“Congratulations!” cheered Death.

“Er, for what?” asked Arsha.

“It’s an honor to be invited to the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale!” replied Death. “It’s a tournament spanning across multiple universes!”

“Okay, so this isn’t a prank?” quizzed Arsha incredulously as she set the invitation down. “This is some sort of no-rules free-for-all?”

“Nope, not a prank,” confirmed Death. “However, there ARE rules to this thing. First rule is the preliminary round. While you ARE invited, the hosts of this whole thing, the Chizarans, have to make sure they made no mistakes and will pit you against another invited champion to test your abilities. Neither victory nor defeat will matter, they just want to know how well you can compete.”

“So, I could win, but the hosts may decide they made a mistake and deny me the chance to compete in favor of the guy I beat?” inquired Arsha.

“It’s happened before,” replied Death. “Sometimes both will be denied the chance or both may be declared participants.”

“What about my duties here?” asked Arsha.

“I’d ask the hosts themselves,” advised Death. “Just hold your invitation and ask your questions.” Arsha then picked up her invitation and looked to the sky.

“Gracious Hosts of this tournament, what impact will this have on my duties here?” she called. Just then, five flashes of pink, purple, green, blue, and red light appeared before fading to reveal the five Chizaran Princesses.

“No need for all that,” chuckled Rosadera. “Just call us by our names.”

“I am Rojenthi, the Red Princess of Chizara, and the war-time leader,” began Rojenthi.

“I am Azuliterii, the Blue Princess of Chizara, and the technological leader,” continued Azuliterii.

“I am Rosadera, the Pink Princess of Chizara, and the peace-time leader,” introduced Rosadera.

“I am Verdutha, the Green Princess of Chizara, and the environmental leader,” called Verdutha.

“And I am Moradelia, the Purple Princess of Chizara, and the history leader,” finished Moradelia. “To answer your question, if you do become a participant, we will alter time in your home universe so you may continue your bout with no interruptions or worries.”

“We understand that mortals like you are busy creatures and we do not wish to interfere with your lives in a negative way,” assured Verdutha.

“Mortals?” repeated Arsha.

“We had long achieved godhood and were subsequently struck with boredom,” explained Azuliterii.

“If you have any further questions, speak now,” directed Rosadera.

“How long do I have to decide?” quizzed Arsha.

“You have until you meet two others that were invited to participate,” replied Rojenthi. “Their names are Optimus Prime and Megumi Hishikawa.”

“It looks like you’re on the right path to meeting them as well as reconnecting with your loved ones,” mused Rosadera. “Any further questions?”

“I think I’m good,” replied Arsha.

“Just a minute,” Death chimed in, “I need to know. What’s First Place prize?”

“We have yet to decide,” explained Rosadera. “You will know once Arsha meets Optimus and Megumi.” The five then vanished, leaving Arsha to ponder.

“I believe congratulations are in order!” cheered Death.

“I haven’t decided yet,” replied Arsha, “but it DOES sound nice.” She got a slight grin on her face as she thought things over.

Downtown Station Square was, regretfully, a mess. That tends to happen when the Joker and Sauron are involved. The new arrivals were trying to keep the property damage to a minimum. They were Richard’s classmates, Brenden Patterson and Liam McIntyre, and Liam’s Head of House, Pestilence. They were in their respective Rider forms of Herald Y, Highland, and…well…Pestilence. Highland had activated his shield’s gatling gun and fired on Sauron who blocked the shots with a magic shield. The Joker sprayed acid from his boutonniere and almost hit Pestilence, but she dodged the attack and fired from her own weapon. Herald Y converted his knife into gun mode and fired. The Joker deflected it with a baseball bat. Herald Y got out of the way as Highland shield-bashed him right into Sauron. “Watch it!” roared Sauron.

“You watch it!” squawked the Joker.

“OOGA BOOGA!” screamed a voice, scaring the Joker and causing him to leap onto Sauron’s head.

“GET OFF OF ME, YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A COURT JESTER!” demanded Sauron.

“Prime, PLEASE tell me you caught that!” laughed the voice. The owner of the voice revealed himself from behind a trash can. It was Kamen Rider Guard. Optimus’ holo-form joined him from the alleyway and was howling with laughter.

“Just posted the video to Mobochat!” he hooted. “It went viral!”

“HEY, DON’T YOU KNOW IT’S RUDE TO POST SOMEONE’S FEAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA!” shouted the Joker as he got off of Sauron.

“Yeah, right!” argued Guard. “Like you haven’t during one of your heists!”

“I’m the Clown Prince of Crime,” remarked the Joker, “I’d rather keep as low of a profile as I can. …Which isn’t saying much for me!” He then gave off his signature laugh and made a balloon sword. He swung it at Pestilence who dodged it. The balloon sword hit the pavement of the street and caused it to crack as if a massive hammer struck it. “Impact rubber!” explained the Joker. “Courtesy of Shocker Rift! Amplifies the damage of my swing when it detects the slightest bit of force, yet still light as a feather! Perfect for breaking ribs!” He swung the balloon sword sideways, making Pestilence roll out of the way and shattering a street lamp on impact. The Joker laughed all the while as Highland charged at him with his shield out in front. The Joker heard Highland’s shout as he charged and swung the balloon sword at him. Highland blocked the attack and felt some force go up his arm from the impact. Nothing was broken, thankfully, just hurt. “Hm, that should have cracked the shield,” mused the Joker. “Still, the noise you made as pain traveled up your arm was rather funny!” He laughed again. Meanwhile, Guard was assisting Herald Y with Sauron. His mace was still magically enhanced as it threatened to shatter Richard’s weapon. Their respective weapons locked with each other.

“Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu,

Ombi kuzd-durbagu gundum-ishi,” rasped Sauron.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, ‘Nine for mortal men doomed to die’, I’ve heard all that before!” interrupted Guard. “Yet dying is called the Gift of Men for a reason!”

“I hardly see death as a gift!” argued Sauron.

“Yet we explore more of the world while immortals just sit and do nothing!” hissed Guard. “We become stronger than the immortals!”

“No one is stronger than me!” roared Sauron.

“Then what did Isildur do?” countered Guard. “Oh yes, he reduced you to nothing more than a flaming eye atop Barad-dur!” Sauron howled in frustration and anger and swung his mace upwards, knocking Guard backwards. The impact from the mace caused the suit to crack in its energy distribution nodes from undersuit to armor, making energy spark all over Guard’s body, so the automatic suit cancellation functions in his belt did as advertised and reverted Guard back into Richard and returned his i.d. tag to the pockets hidden in his belt while he gasped in pain. Sauron loomed over Richard menacingly.

“Prepare to join Isildur in death!” boomed the Dark Lord of Mordor as he raised his mace.

“ENOUGH!” shouted a voice. “CAPTO!” Sauron’s mace was grabbed by unseen hands and his downwards swing was interrupted by the invisible hands tugging on it. The mace was then yanked out of his hands and tossed away. He turned to see runic circles made of light around Optimus’ hands.

“…A machine?! Using magic?!” protested Sauron.

“Yep,” replied Optimus. Sauron roared before casting his own magic to alter his size. Right now, he would tower over Optimus’ robot mode. “Okay, so you don’t need to use your voice in casting magic,” mused Optimus. “I suppose I would be worried if I fought you in my normal robot mode.”

“…You too?” groaned Richard.

“Pardon?” asked Optimus as he looked around Sauron.

“Some versions of you have a super mode,” explained Richard.

“Well, this one does too,” confirmed Optimus. “Optimus Prime: SUPER MODE!” His trailer appeared and split into four long units with an empty box in the center. The nosecone of Optimus’ vehicle mode split and moved to the sides of the car while the rear extended. The cockpit area then rotated and revealed his head as the long units extended and revealed joints, hands, and feet while Optimus flew into the box and connected to the new limbs. Armor folded down to cover the interior robot and a larger version of his helmet wrapped around his head. The limbs then moved as Optimus wanted as he punched his new hand. He was now as tall as Sauron was currently. “Let’s do this!” challenged Optimus.

“You will fall just like Men!” snarled Sauron as he retrieved his mace and enlarged it so he could wield it once again. Optimus combined his axes and got into a defensive stance, daring Sauron to make the first move. Sauron charged at Optimus, raising his mace up high, exposing his chest to Optimus’ axe swing. Sauron shrieked in pain as he clutched his chest. Optimus readied himself for another swing, but was tripped up by the Dark Lord of Mordor. He landed hard on his back as Sauron recovered and raised his mace. Just then, he was shot from behind! Everyone turned to see Hiro grabbing the Joker by the ear and pulling him over to an open dimensional rift. Megatron, in his own super mode and the one who most likely shot Sauron as his fusion cannon was still smoking, grabbed Sauron’s head and threw him into the rift. He then turned to Optimus, leveled his fusion cannon at him…then opened his hand. Optimus arched an eyebrow.

“I assure you, brother, my hand is no trap,” chuckled Megatron. Optimus then grabbed Megatron’s hand and was pulled upwards.

“I suppose I would be safe in assuming that was a one-time save?” guessed Optimus.

“Most safe,” confirmed Megatron. “When next we meet, both of our armies will have been built up and only then will we try to kill one another. See you then.” He followed Hiro through the rift and it closed behind them.

“…Better start detailing repair crews,” muttered Optimus.

---

When everyone was returned to the Autobot base, Optimus was introduced to Brenden, Pestilence, and Liam. The reason Ironhide didn’t participate in the fight was because he was injured and unconscious. Sauron’s magic had dealt severe blows to Ironhide’s internal mechanics, so he was laid up in the Repair Bay for some time. Ratchet had assured everyone that Ironhide was going to make it and be cleared for duty soon. Richard was starting to get a little bored and looked out the window. He heard someone politely clear their throat and turned to see Swalmu fanning himself. “Nervous, I take it?” asked Swalmu.

“Bored, actually,” replied Richard. “I’m not used to periods of inactivity. We have the mines set up and cloaked, we’ve got more people helping us, Pestilence told us about finding a Temporal Stop, I honestly have nothing.”

“Our host has graciously invited us to join him for a game or two,” offered Swalmu. “As someone who enjoys a good game, I see no need to object.”

“I suppose we can see how Cybertronians play,” mused Richard. “Let’s check it out.”

---

The game was in the Entertainment Room and it was there Richard discovered that there were video games in Swalmu’s home. It was a trivia game and it was clear enough Optimus, Richard, and Swalmu were at a disadvantage, being foreigners to Mobius. This was a Mobius-based trivia game, not one from Cybertron, Richard’s home, or any of the Realms. Swalmu was in the lead at the moment and Richard was trailing dead last. The question came up and the three were wracking their brains. They pressed a different button on their controllers and the results were revealed. Swalmu got it right and pumped his fist. “Got it!” he cheered.

“I don’t know any of this scrap,” muttered Optimus. Richard pressed another button too fast and lost some in-game money.

“Wha…?!” he protested. He then kept pressing the button and losing money.

“Dude, what the frack?!” laughed Optimus as Richard went into negative numbers. “You just lost all your money!”

“IF I CAN’T BE THE BEST,” declared Richard, “I SURE AS HELL CAN BE THE WORST!”

“Richard, chill out a minute!” giggled Swalmu. Richard then laughed at himself.

“I’m sorry,” he finally answered, “I got frustrated!” Just then, a piercing squeal attacked their ears! Pestilence then came running in and hugged Optimus’ head, still squealing.

“OMYGOSHYOU’VEBEENINVITEDTOTHEVERSEVS.VERSERUMBLEROYALETHISISSOAMAZINGICAN’TEVEN…!” she shouted happily.

“Pestilence, whoa! Slow down!” called Richard. Pestilence then let go of Optimus and jumped down.

“Richard, did you tell him how honored he should be in fighting in the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale?!” asked Pestilence, a fat grin on her face.

“I don’t know, how honored should he be?” quizzed Richard. The grin slowly faded.

“…Haven’t you ever HEARD of the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale?! The 3V2R?!” she yelped.

“Can’t say as I have,” answered Richard.

“…AREN’T YOU THE SPORTS GUY?!” wailed Pestilence.

“It’s rare for me to do sports commentary,” replied Richard. “What is it?”

“…There’s something a little YEESH about a guy that’s never heard of the 3V2R!” winced Pestilence. “All right, quick summary, the first race to appear in the multiverse was the Chizaran race, built like humans with all the varying skin-tones. Over time, they achieved godhood and, after exploring the limits of their power, were struck down with boredom and ennui. So, in response, five of the main Chizaran princesses invented a tournament to keep everyone entertained: the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale, or the 3V2R. Because they saved their race from boredom, they went from princesses to Princesses.”

“Lowercase p to capital p,” observed Richard. “So, who’s their Queen or King?”

“They don’t have one,” replied Pestilence. “It’s the capital p princesses that rule the Chizaran race.”

“So, I have to fight in a gladiatorial match for them?” asked Optimus.

“Maybe,” answered Pestilence. “That’s the beauty of it; to keep it interesting, each match is different. You’re randomly assigned an opponent and one of you has to decide what the actual battle’s going to be.”

“Really?” remarked Optimus. “To me, it sounds like it could be a thumb-war.”

“Maybe,” conceded Pestilence. “It’s happened. When War participated in one, her final match before claiming victory was an arm-wrestling match. Just 10 whole minutes, back and forth! There ARE rules to it, though. While one of them chooses the match, both of them have to agree on the general idea of how the fight’s gonna play out. There’s gotta be a reasonable chance one of them could win.”

“How’s that determined?” chimed in Swalmu, his interest held more by the conversation than the game.

“That’s something the Chizarans figure out,” explained Pestilence. “Best thing about being a god, you learn rather quickly if someone’s got a snowball’s chance in Hell at winning.”

“What happens if the contest results in someone getting killed?” asked Swalmu.

“The Chizarans don’t allow that,” replied Pestilence. “You get stabbed in the heart; they’ll fix you right up!”

“That explains the red lady’s comment of all battles being non-lethal,” muttered Optimus.

“I take it you’ve asked questions while holding your invitation?” asked Pestilence.

“I did,” replied Optimus. “I’m spacing on their names now.”

“Just use Spanish colors to help,” explained Pestilence. “Rosadera’s pink, Azuliterii’s blue, Verdutha’s green, Rojenthi’s red, and Moradelia’s purple. Tell me, what’s First Place Prize?”

“Moradelia told me that they haven’t decided the First Place Prize yet,” answered Optimus. “It sounds cool, but I need to know what the prize is before I decide. Apparently, my deadline is until I meet Richard’s wife and a Ms. Arsha Royana.”

“Arsha?!” yelped Swalmu. “A tip, when you meet her, don’t call Arsha ‘Ms. Royana’, call her ‘Your Highness’.”

“She’s royalty?” asked Optimus.

“Hanako’s daughter, princess of the entire Mid-realm, and Captain of a skyship named the Endeavor,” explained Swalmu. “If she’s invited and we need to meet with her, then we need to locate a Temporal Stop NOW!”

“I’ll ask Ratchet how he’s doing, given the information we could be given,” declared Optimus as he stood up.

“I’ll tell those of my home about this development,” replied Swalmu as he got up.

“I’ll tell my people to be on the lookout for any trickery from our enemies,” resolved Richard as he hit quit and shut down the gaming console.

---

“Well, Optimus shows promise,” chuckled Azuliterii as Rojenthi brushed her long tresses.

“He still hasn’t decided yet, much like Megumi,” countered Moradelia as she perused a history book.

“I have faith he will,” assured Azuliterii.

“All done,” declared Rojenthi. Azuliterii got up and offered her a hand. Rojenthi accepted and they started dancing slowly.

“Have we got any definitive answers?” asked Moradelia.

“That Emperor Dalek was a mistake,” remarked Rojenthi, “so he’s not participating. His opponent, Bolt Boy, on the other hand, he’s on the roster.”

“What about Ms. Furella and Supremo?” asked Azuliterii.

“Their preliminary round is still on,” replied Rojenthi. Rosadera then came into the room.

“Ms. Furella and Supremo are both worthy enough to participate,” she declared.

“Perfect!” cheered Moradelia.

“And Linkara?” asked Rojenthi. Verdutha then came in via a green flash of light.

“Linkara has declined,” she sighed. “He’s still participating in the Temlins’ Contest of Champions.”

“What?!” yelped Rojenthi as she and Azuliterii stopped dancing. “Why’s he participating in THAT tournament?! That’s a knock-off of ours!”

“There’s no point in arguing, his decision has been made,” sighed Rosadera. “We’ll have to try others.” The other four grumbled.

---

“When?!” whined Metaltron. “When do we strike?!”

“Now,” purred Caan.

“Finally!” cheered Metaltron. “Our first step is our Dalek brethren, correct?”

“Correct,” confirmed Caan. “We must give them the secret of returning, safely, to their old casings. Hiro may keep the Daleks he created.”

“What do I need to do?” asked Metaltron.

“I will go to the good Doctor and the Mouse,” declared Caan. “You will go to our ancestral homeworld and introduce data relating to our brethren’s freedom. Make sure you’re not seen.”

“I obey!” obliged Metaltron as a rift opened for her. She departed as Caan changed the coordinates for his first destination.

The visitors HAD heard about those two people. When Optimus relayed Skyfall’s report to everyone, Richard slammed his hand onto the table. “Hiro!” he snarled. “I always knew he was power-hungry! Adding Megatron and a scientific genius proved it!”

“When did they set up shop with the Decepticons?” asked Hanako.

“The earliest sighting was yesterday,” replied Optimus.

“Megatron must be desperate if he’s siding with someone who’s supposed to be part of a terrorist group,” remarked Prowl.

“Apparently, one of the stipulations,” continued Skyfall, “was that Hiro would recognize the sovereignty of Megatron and Dr. Borg’s respective borders until it was declared they would join Hiro. I wouldn’t exactly call that siding with anyone.”

“More like testing them out,” remarked Ratchet.

“That leaves them an inroad for this planet,” reported Prowl. “Robotropolis has been reported abandoned. They may use that as a way to infiltrate us when we’re off planet.”

“We MUST stymy their efforts!” declared Swalmu as he fanned himself.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” replied Optimus. “G.U.N has agreed Robotropolis is too risky to leave alone. We’re going to close off that route.”

“How?” asked Ironhide.

“We’re going to mine it,” answered Optimus.

“I don’t know much about this world,” interjected Hanako, “but, where I’m from, there are two meanings to mining something. One is to deter enemies, the other is to gather valuable minerals.”

“Same with us,” replied Flora softly.

“And here,” answered Optimus. “We’re going for the former option.”

“That’s going to make Megatron mad,” remarked Prowl.

“And cause him to make a mistake,” supplied Optimus.

“I just hope he makes one that gives us the edge,” muttered Richard.

---

It was all hands on deck as the Autobots and their allies mined the now abandoned Robotropolis. They made sure the Space Bridge gateway was located and mined first. They move outwards from there. Prowl approached Richard, Hanako, and Optimus with a message. “Gentlemen, I believe we’ve provoked a response. They’re demanding to speak with us. Specifically, Megatron wants to talk to Mr. Saunders.”

“Me?” asked Richard. “Why me?”

“He mentioned that you would know a Ms. Megumi Hishikawa,” replied Prowl. Richard became more tense.

“My wife,” he whispered, fearing for her life.

“What will you do?” asked Optimus.

“Do you bots mind watching over my meeting with him?” requested Richard. “I’d feel a little more comfortable knowing Autobots have my back.”

“A healthy concern,” agreed Optimus. “I’ll cover you and so will Prowl.”

“When and where does Megatron want to see me?” asked Richard.

“In an hour, at Emerald Coast,” answered Prowl.

---

Richard looked like he was alone, but Optimus and Prowl had hidden themselves behind large rocks that formed a natural divider between the tourists and the residents of the beach. He stood there, looking around for any telltale signs of the Decepticon Leader approaching him. Just then, a Space Bridge portal opened. It was more intense than the Autobots’ Ground Bridge. A grey tank then hovered out of the portal as it closed. The pilot, a grey hedgehog in a suit with a tube on his right arm, came out. This was Megatron’s holo-form. “Nice to see you again,” remarked Richard.

“Why don’t we drop the pleasantries?” barked Megatron. “I’ll make this brief. You overlooked cameras within Robotropolis. Once he was returned to us, Soundwave gave me all of his information on the mines you’re helping the Autobots set up.”

“I figured you would know soon enough,” muttered Richard.

“The way I see it, you have two choices,” growled Megatron. “Either you remove the mines or we take Robotropolis and remove them ourselves!”

“I appreciate your being blunt,” replied Richard. “Now, let me be blunt with you: the mines stay. I will not permit any of your alliance to use Robotropolis to gain the upper hand on us!”

“YOU will not PERMIT?!” roared Megatron.

“Your audio receivers are working correctly,” confirmed Richard.

“…I can see how that might be your first impulse,” Megatron continued softly. “However, I’ve met Megumi, as I’ve mentioned in my message to you. She is a reasonable woman and must have married a reasonable man. I like to consider myself a reasonable mech, so surely we can reach some mutually acceptable compromise?”

“I didn’t think the Decepticons believed in compromise,” muttered Richard. A pained look crossed Megatron’s features.

“I can’t tell you how deeply it wounds me to hear you mouth Autobot propaganda,” he sighed. “All my alliance wants is to secure our own power and peacefully coexist with you and your allies. Besides, Megumi has made a truce with us that was mutually acceptable as it resulted in Starscream returning to us.”

“So answer me this,” snarled Richard, “why would you side with Hiro?!”

“…He feels a little…undermanned,” replied Megatron. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased to call him an ally, but, as you can vividly tell me, he lost a lot of men three years ago.”

“Vivid would be an understatement,” remarked Richard as he recalled the incident with the Apocalypse Riders’ Sources.

“As such, he feels a little…nervous,” continued Megatron.

“Like you said, it’s been three years,” reminded Richard. “Surely, he’s built up his armies by now. He must have more than enough manpower.”

“You may think that and I may think that,” answered Megatron, “but Hiro…”

“Yes, I know,” interrupted Richard. “He’s nervous.”

“You see my dilemma,” observed Megatron.

“I’m beginning to,” muttered Richard.

“What if,” offered Megatron, “you limit your mines to the periphery of Robotropolis, keeping their locations secret from us, and we use Robotropolis as a storage barn for construction units, civilian aid, medical supplies, all various tools to get economies back on their feet?” Richard arched an eyebrow at that. “I suppose you haven’t heard, but there are worlds in Hiro’s empire that have starving children. It’s Spark-breaking.”

“I had no idea things were so bad for Hiro’s subjects,” sympathized Richard.

“He’s a very proud man,” replied Megatron, “he doesn’t want to admit to anyone how dire the situation is. As someone who’s fought in a war before my current one with Optimus and witnessed the horrible aftermath, I can see it all too well. So, are we agreed? You limit the mines to Robotropolis’ periphery and we limit our use of it to storing supplies relating to medical and economic assistance.”

“It sounds reasonable,” mused Richard. “I’ll have to discuss it with Optimus and the rest of our allies first, of course.”

“Optimus has a tendency to do whatever his soldiers and allies recommend,” assured Megatron. “For my part, I will personally speak with Hiro and secure our part of the bargain.”

“What about Hiro?” asked Richard. “Or Dr. Eggman, if he exists in this world.”

“He does,” answered Megatron. “As to both his and Hiro’s reactions, I’m willing to bet they’ll be furious at first. But, our relationship is a fine, working, stable one. I’m sure I can help them to see the wisdom of this arrangement.”

“…Then I will leave it in your capable hands,” replied Richard.

“I predict you will be satisfied with the outcome,” purred Megatron. He then activated a communicator. “Soundwave, I require a way home.”

“Got it, Lord Dude!” cheered Soundwave.

“What did I say about calling me that?!” snapped Megatron. The comms switched off as the Space Bridge opened. Megatron’s holo-form began climbing into his vehicle mode before he looked back. “Mr. Saunders, I was right about you. Megumi DID marry a reasonable man. This is a momentous day for both of us. You and I have just taken the first step towards turning a mere truce between my alliance and yours into an ever-lasting peace.” He sped off through the Space Bridge Vortex before it closed. After a few seconds, Richard motioned for Optimus and Prowl to break cover.

“I’m not so sure I can agree to that,” remarked Prowl. “Our mines are set for the ground. They’ll take advantage of the air.”

“Prowl, what are the rules about a periphery?” asked Optimus.

“There must be a clearly established boundary both for the ground and in the air,” answered Prowl.

“And did Megatron say to place our mines on the actual periphery line or the total periphery?” asked Richard. Prowl soon realized the logic.

“He’ll see any air mines,” he remarked.

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” assured Optimus. “Before he was taken, Perceptor told me how he had perfected mines of all types with a cloaking device and could self-replicate. He gave credit to Rom.”

“Thank you, Deep Space Nine,” chuckled Richard.

“Then we should inform the rest of the change of plans,” declared Prowl.

“Assemble everyone so we can discuss this,” ordered Optimus.

“Yes, Sir,” obliged Prowl.

---

“Why couldn’t you have just shot him?!” shouted Hiro when Megatron returned.

“I would rather not have Megumi fly at us in a rage,” replied Megatron calmly.

“Did you mention that they should limit their mines only to ground mines?” asked Dr. Borg.

“I felt as it that would only make our adversaries consider breaking the current peace,” remarked Megatron, “so, no.” Dr. Borg rolled her eyes. “Besides, we have other priorities. Namely, what that ‘Transmetal’ spider did.”

“You’re right, Tarantulas has abandoned us,” replied Hiro. “I’m ordering our ships to find him.”

“No, divert them to Skaro,” countered Megatron.

“Why?!” snapped Hiro.

“We need them to fortify our position there,” explained Megatron. “Tarantulas absconded with valuable data and given the time we’ve wasted; he’s probably telling Megumi about our plans.”

“Aren’t the Daleks sufficient enough to protect Skaro?!” argued Hiro.

“This is Megatron’s base,” advised Dr. Borg. “Perhaps we shouldn’t question his strategies.”

“A wise decision,” agreed Megatron. Hiro glared before transmitting the necessary orders.

“I wonder what would prompt such a response from Tarantulas?” mused Dr. Borg.

“He’s not exactly on anyone’s side, not even his fellow Predacons,” replied Hiro.

“And you kept him?” scoffed Megatron.

“We both know everyone needs to be kept on our toes,” countered Hiro.

“At the risk of a security exposure?” quizzed Dr. Borg.

“We have enough grunts to punish him,” answered Hiro. “At least, we SHOULD!”

“If you have something to say, say it,” invited Megatron.

“…Do you have any idea about the current strategy we’re employing?!” snarled Hiro. “We’ve not made a single attack against our allies!”

“I assure you, the current siege defense strategy,” replied Megatron, “has not been adopted lightly. We will attack our adversaries soon.” Hiro rolled his eyes and poured himself some alcohol.

“Wouldn’t human alcoholics consider this a little too early?” snarked Dr. Borg.

“I need something to warm my bones,” griped Hiro. “It’s freezing here!”

“I DID ask Dr. Eggman if this was too cold for him,” interjected Megatron. “He said ‘no’.”

“Besides, it’s just right for a Fae,” supplied Dr. Borg.

“I don’t see why I should suffer!” hissed Hiro. “Besides, I haven’t seen Dr. Eggman for days!”

“Feel free to dress warmly,” offered Megatron. Just then, a Combatman entered with a data-stick in his arms. It was meant to fit in a Cybertronian’s hand. “Ah, the maps!” cheered Megatron. “Splendid, you have done well! I’ll see to it that Hiro at least considers you for promotion.”

“I aim to please,” replied the Combatman as he saluted, then left. Megatron inserted the data-stick into a table and it projected a map of the multiverse.

“Let’s see, there’s our fallback position,” he muttered as he pointed to an area on the map, “there we are, and there are the three sub-dimensions that make up Dr. Borg’s home.”

“And right there,” chuckled Hiro as he pointed to another area, “is our prize: Vorton!” He then raised his glass. “To the conquerors of the multiverse!” he toasted before he sipped his drink.

“Aren’t you being a tad premature?” asked Dr. Borg.

“Not in the slightest,” chuckled Hiro. “Not when we have 2,800 Dalek ships on standby.”

“Those ships won’t be used for some time,” reminded Dr. Borg.

“Besides, a lot can happen in the time you’re quenching your throat,” continued Megatron. “Perhaps if you didn’t talk more than I do, your throat wouldn’t be so dry.”

“I DO like to talk,” conceded Hiro. “It can be a failing at times.”

“Especially when you’re not fully studying the enemy and their borders,” muttered Megatron as he and Dr. Borg returned their gazes to the map. A groan escaped Hiro’s mouth.

“Tell me, Megatron,” he sighed, “have you ever been diagnosed as anhedonic?”

“I CAN experience joy, thank you,” growled Megatron. “I’m just cautious right now, hence why I’m studying our adversaries’ territory.”

“We didn’t defeat our enemies by being cautious,” sighed Hiro.

“We didn’t defeat them YET!” snarled Dr. Borg. “Even if we did, holding on to a prize as vast as our enemy’s area of influence isn’t going to be easy! It’s going to require numerous ships, massive occupational armies, and constant vigilance!”

“I look forward to it!” chuckled Hiro.

“I’m sure you looked forward to controlling Earth,” remarked Megatron, “back in your universe of birth. We all know how Hongo stymied Shocker’s efforts.”

“Must you?” grumbled Hiro.

---

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Richard asked Optimus.

“I got an invite recently,” replied Optimus. “Did you ever hear about the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale?”

“…No, can’t say as I have,” answered Richard.

“Apparently it’s a fighting tournament,” recalled Optimus. “I’m supposed to be fighting against other champions, your wife included.”

“Did you accept?” asked Richard.

“Not yet,” answered Optimus. “The Chizarans, the people hosting this whole thing, need my decision when I meet Megumi and someone called Arsha Royana.”

“…Maybe one of the Horsemen knows about it,” mused Richard. Just then, a call came through. It was Ironhide.

“Prime, we’ve got a new situation!” he called. “We’ve got more Kamen Riders fighting the Joker and Sauron in the Downtown area!” Optimus sighed.

“On my way,” he replied. “Richard, mind helping out again?”

“Don’t mind at all,” replied Richard as he fastened his belt.

“Vortex Driver!” called the belt as he drew his i.d. tag.

“Henshin!” he announced as he inserted the tag and spun the wheel, forming his suit and becoming Kamen Rider Guard. “Let’s roll out!”

“Hey, that’s MY line!” shouted Optimus.

Optimus was looking over the notes Prowl had taken over the course of his visitors’ explanations. Ratchet had confirmed that they were mentally stable and Prowl confirmed that they were telling the truth, but Optimus remained a tad skeptic about Vorton. His thoughts were interrupted by his office’s door chime. “Come in,” he bid. The door opened to reveal Richard. “Mr. Saunders, what can I do for you?” asked Optimus.

“I’ve just finished my tour of the base,” replied Richard. “Holo-suites, starships, transporters, warp drive, this almost feels like Star Trek.”

“The similarities ARE staggering,” chuckled Optimus. “I suppose I’m an unofficial member of Starfleet.” He then got a faraway look. “Although, then again, Starfleet would be on my aft for breaking the Prime Directive. Mobius isn’t considered advanced enough sufficiently. It only recently discovered warp travel with our help and is still divided.”

“I usually have a problem with that bit of thinking when it comes to the Prime Directive,” interjected Richard. “How is any civilization to determine if another is advanced enough for First Contact. Forgive me if I sound combative in saying this, but I feel that line of thinking is arrogant.”

“What if that civilization is still divided?” asked Optimus. “What if said civilization still believes in gods?”

“The Bajorans worshipped gods,” argued Richard, “and they were a warp-capable species. They’ve had interstellar flight since Earth’s 16^th century. They’re Federation allies, as well. Besides, don’t you carry an item of religious significance?”

“Touché,” remarked Optimus, conceding Richard’s point.

“Still, there were reasons the Prime Directive was instituted,” continued Richard. “To instantly transform (if you’ll pardon the word choice) a society with technology is disastrous. How did Picard put it?”

“‘The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy…and a very correct one,’” quoted Optimus. “‘History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.’”

“…I’m stunned you could quote him so easily,” gulped Richard.

“Next Generation is my favorite Star Trek series,” explained Optimus.

“I prefer Deep Space 9,” mused Richard.

“What about your thoughts on Voyager?” asked Optimus.

“Not my favorite series,” replied Richard. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing races outside the Alpha Quadrant, but some of the episode plots seemed contrived, even for Star Trek.”

“I don’t know, I thought it was good enough to be my second favorite Star Trek series,” mused Optimus. Just then, his desk chirped. He pressed the comms button. “Yes?” he asked.

“I just heard laser fire,” reported Prowl. “It’s from a lady using red slime and some sort of Elf. They’re attacking a human, a Mermaid, a Drider, and another Elf.”

“I wonder if our mythic friends would know how to deal with them,” mused Richard.

“Only one way to find out,” declared Optimus. “Ratchet, punch in Prowl’s coordinates for the Ground Bridge. Have Queen Hanako meet us before we leave. Richard, want to come along?”

“Let me just get Sheela and Lukas,” replied Richard. They both headed out of the office as Richard called up Sheela and Lukas. They were informed of the situation and met him and Optimus, along with Bashoon, Melandra, and Hanako, in the Command Center.

“Unfortunately,” began Hanako, “the lady in red slime and the Elf accompanying her are familiar to us. The lady is Reb Rojam, Fleet Admiral of the Scarlet Stream Pirates. The Elf is her husband, Calzax Melgem the Sea Elf. Melgem was part of a plot to lure my daughter and her crew to Reb’s stronghold so she could ransom the ship and crew off to Realmfleet.”

“An unsavory lady, I see,” remarked Richard.

“Cliffjumper, Ratchet, you’re with me,” ordered Optimus.

“Bashoon, Melandra, you’re going with him, as am I,” directed Hanako, since she was the one in charge.

“Your Majesty, I must protest,” objected Optimus.

“Your objection is noted, I’m still going with you,” insisted Hanako. Optimus sighed.

“Very well,” he answered. Optimus, Cliffjumper, Ratchet, Hanako, Bashoon, Melandra, Richard, Lukas, and Sheela then waited for the Ground Bridge to open.

“Coordinates set,” reported Teletraan 1.

“Activate,” ordered Optimus. The Ground Bridge vortex then opened. “Transform and roll out!” called Optimus. Richard squeed a little as Optimus, Cliffjumper, and Ratchet changed shape and accepted their passengers. They sped through the Ground Bridge and arrived in a mountain basin. Prowl gave his exact location over a secure channel and the Autobots moved in that direction. Prowl was in vehicle mode, his holo-form observing the fight. The Autobots’ holo-forms and their new allies joined him. Richard was confused.

“Why don’t you guys spook the attackers with your robot modes?” he asked.

“I’d advise a brief transformation if we’re going to do that,” warned Cliffjumper as he handed Optimus a scanner with its readings displayed. Optimus’ eyeridges shot up.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty high local Energon density count,” he remarked.

“I take it there’s too much Energon in this area?” guessed Richard.

“On this planet,” elaborated Ratchet.

“And prolonged exposure to the Energon’s radiation while in your robot modes,” continued Richard, “will cause you to short out?”

“Yep,” confirmed Optimus. “We may need Energon for power, but this is too much of a good thing.”

“Not to distract you from your health,” interjected Hanako, “but we DO have people from my universe to save.”

“Warning shots,” ordered Optimus. The Autobots pulled out their weapons and fired over the aggressors’ heads. The Sea Elf, Melgem, saw where the shots came from and pointed at that spot once Reb’s attention was grabbed.

“My DEAR friends,” she called, “this matter does not concern you! I am dealing with those who would keep me from my BELOVED prize!”

“Stand down, ma’am,” directed Richard. “We’re only after the people you’re attacking.”

“Realmfleet has decided to interfere again!” argued Melgem. “We will not stand down!”

“We’re not this…Realmfleet you think we are,” countered Prowl, “just concerned people wanting to keep things from escalating.”

“I’m afraid escalation is, REGRETFULLY, the only option here,” declared Reb as she leveled her flintlock at the group. Optimus sighed, as did Richard.

“All right, we escalate!” called Hanako as she moved from her cover and summoned several orbs of light, one from each tail and one in her palm.

“Ah, Queen Hanako Royana,” chuckled Reb, slightly nervous. “Your GRACIOUS Majesty, as I have said, this DREADFUL matter does not…”

“Henshin!” called Richard as he changed into Kamen Rider Guard.

“…Okay, that’s a TINY bit worrying,” mused Reb. “However, I am sure you are MOST…” she then heard Optimus change into robot mode. Ratchet, Cliffjumper, and Prowl followed suit.

“Henshin!” called Lukas and Sheela as they became Kamen Riders Kämpfer and Claw. Bashoon and Melandra then drew their wands. Reb and Melgem’s expressions turned to those of concern. Reb then dropped her wand and had her slime make a pair of appendages come up in a surrendering fashion. Melgem dropped his wand and followed suit.

“Uhm, parlay?” gulped Reb.

---

After the whole situation was explained, Reb and Melgem were sharing a cell within G.U.N HQ. The people she and Melgem were attacking were identified as Shalvey, the Mermaid Communications officer for the Endeavor, Thengo, the Drider Counselor, Foresna, a human and one of Gorfanth’s spouses, and a Mid-realm Stone Elf named Twaldar Endri. Reb used her slime to envelop Melgem so she could sit on his lap and allow him to hug her core body. Normally, she would be more at ease. Today, however, was not going to allow that. She always felt eyes on her, but when she looked up, her guard, Bashoon, was reading a book. Reb growled, then stood up. “Ensign Bashoon, a word,” she demanded. Bashoon looked up from her book. “What, PRAY tell, are you doing?” asked Reb.

“Reading a book,” replied Bashoon as her gaze returned to the book.

“You and I both know that’s a VILE lie!” hissed Reb. “Whenever I’m not looking at you, I always feel your PIERCING gaze. Tell me, did you volunteer to watch me because of that DREADFUL business at my stronghold about a year ago?” Bashoon slammed her book shut and stood up, giving Reb her full attention.

“You tricked the full crew compliment of an Dauntless-class skyship,” she snarled, “drugged us, imprisoned us with intent to ransom us, then tried to kill us when we tried to escape!”

“Then we learned that it was a HEINOUS Splitter Plot,” argued Reb, “and put aside our differences to stop them!”

“Five crewmembers died as a result!” retorted Bashoon. “If you hadn’t tricked us, they would be returning to their families! So, you can either put up with me staring at you or another member of the crew! Either way, we’re not letting you out of our sight again!” She then opened her book again, this time, not even hiding the fact she was glaring at them over the edge.

“How long are we in here for?” asked Melgem.

“I’d say at least three days, give or take an hour,” replied Bashoon.

“In that case,” declared Melgem as he took out a pack of cards, “we better do something to occupy our time. Care for a game of poker?”

“I’m not playing cards,” muttered Bashoon.

“I can teach you,” urged Reb. “It’s SHOCKINGLY simple in its complexity.”

“Let me put it in clearer terms,” growled Bashoon, “I don’t WANT to play cards at this point in time. Even if I did, I don’t want to play with YOU!”

“Afraid you’ll lose?” quizzed Melgem.

“A true Goblin never fears failure, especially from a mere game,” scoffed Bashoon. “I’d just rather read and keep an eye on you for now.”

“…You know, I always thought that a Goblin’s INHERENT dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that you ALL believe it to be culturally immoral to go into OTHER fields besides business,” remarked Reb. “You always attach profit to EVERY single thing under the sun. You feel a need to attach a price to ALL aspects of life, thus limiting whatever GLORIOUS gifts you have. But, you’re not a businesswoman, are you?”

“I don’t exactly have that aptitude, no,” replied Bashoon, deciding to indulge Reb in that respect, “I prefer keeping the peace just for the sake of keeping the peace.”

“My point is,” continued Reb, “you CHOSE to do something outside of business! You were the one who decided to join Realmfleet and was lucky enough to have the LOVING support of parents who held to traditional Goblin beliefs! They encouraged you to find your OWN path! Life is yours for the taking, you just need to GRAB it! But, have you done that since you joined Realmfleet? No, because, Goblin or not, you would still be the same, a MISERABLE, self-loathing misanthrope! That’s who YOU are, and that’s what you’ll ALWAYS be.”

“…Just for that, I’m REALLY not playing cards with you,” grumbled Bashoon.

“Fine, then we will sit in UTTER silence for three days,” remarked Reb. Bashoon returned to her book at that.

“…What are you reading?” asked Melgem.

“Nothing that would interest you,” replied Bashoon.

“Don’t be so sure,” chuckled Reb as a slimy tendril grabbed the book and brought it into the cell.

“Reb, give that back!” barked Bashoon.

“What will you do, arrest me?” snarked Reb. “Now, this looks like a DELIGHTFUL play here. Let’s see, Melgem, why don’t you read this Hamlet character and I’ll read Queen Gertrude?”

“Let’s see,” mused Melgem as he looked at the scene. “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! I took thee for thy better: take thy fortune; thou find’st to be too busy is some danger. Leave wringing of your hands: peace! Sit you down, and let me wring your heart; for so I shall, if it be made of penetrable stuff, if damned custom have not brass’d it so that it is proof and bulwark against sense.”

“What have I done that thou darest wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me?” answered Reb.

“Such an act that blurs the grace and blush of modesty, calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose from the fair forehead of an innocent love and sets a blister there, makes marriage-vows s false as dicers’ oaths: oh, such a deed as from the body of contraction plucks the very soul, and sweet religion makes a rhapsody of words: heaven’s face doth glow: yea, this solidity and compound mass, with tristful visage, as against the doom, is thought-sick at the act!” read Melgem.

“Ay me, what act that roars so loud and thunders in the index?!” replied Reb in a fearful tone.

“Okay, thank you!” snapped Bashoon as she snatched the book through the bars and returned to her seat.

“I was wrong,” chuckled Reb, “there ARE layers of mystery and GLORIOUS intrigue about you!”

“You know, if that kind of thing is up your ally,” mused Melgem, “I could be persuaded to sell you my copy of The Son’s Torment.”

“It’s a well-known fact,” growled Bashoon, “that most remarriages result in the child feeling like the parent that married again has betrayed their original partner in some way, shape, or form! Often, it can result in blood! I’m reading this to gain access to a criminal mind!”

“There’s no blood in The Son’s Torment,” replied Reb, “but it’s still a most WONDERFUL play!”

“Give it up, you two,” hissed Bashoon. “You can annoy me, outrage me, insult me, whatever you wish. In the end, I’m still comforted by the fact that you’re beaten! When all is said and done, I’ll be laughing as you two are declared guilty and sent to a penal colony!”

“That trial HASN’T happened yet!” snarled Reb, annoyed by the fact that Bashoon was acting so smug with her. “It’s still a LONG way off! A lot can happen in three days!” A slimy tendril then snaked its way towards the bars. Just as it was about to go between them, a forcefield activated and sent a shock through it. The tendril retreated and Reb released a yelp of pain as the slime was part of her body. Both she and Melgem looked at the tendril as it regenerated, then glared at the smirking Goblin Ensign.

---

Optimus sat in his office, catching up on paperwork and grumbling about it all the while. “Forms, requests, reports,” he muttered, “I swear it never ends! Maybe this is why I was so hesitant to accept the Matrix in the first place. I knew there was going to be an excessive amount of paperwork!” He finally finished the day’s work and leaned back in his chair, sighing in relief. “Thank Primus!” he whispered. As he was about to take a quick stasis nap right then and there, a golden flash appeared on his desk. He noticed that the resulting light faded and formed a folded piece of paper that could fit in a Transformers’ hand. Part of it had his name on it, so he unfolded it and looked at the contents. His name was in fancy font and colored gold with black lines and he noticed trim around the contents of the paper colored in red, blue, purple, pink, and green. Five roses broke up the contents in a circle. Going clock wise, the roses were pink, blue, green, purple, and red. A circle rested in the center of the roses, divided into five and each segment colored the same as the roses. Optimus blinked as he read the paper aloud. “‘Optimus Prime. You are cordially invited to participate in the 590,492nd Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale, graciously hosted by the Chizaran Princesses. Declare (with no doubts in your mind) your acceptance and details will be made clear. Congratulations and, should you accept, welcome!’” His optics flickered, another blink. “…Okay, assuming this isn’t some prank, I would like some details about this and…” he was interrupted by five lights flashing. They then formed the Chizaran Princesses. Verdutha spoke.

“The Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale is a tournament,” she explained. “Within every reality is one best suited to defend those realities.”

“So, I’m not the only one?” asked Optimus.

“No,” replied Azuliterii.

“What does it mean, aside from the fact that we’re invited to a tournament?” quizzed Optimus.

“It means that we want to see how well you would fare against other opponents,” answered Rosadera. “You are under no obligation to join, but if you do, you will have the opportunity to test your abilities against other powerful individuals and make an attempt at a great prize.”

“As of now, First Place prize is undecided,” continued Moradelia. “To ensure you all fight well, we will not reveal the Second or Third Place prizes.”

“All battles are non-lethal,” supplied Rojenthi, “and participation is voluntary. Should you be victorious, you will be awarded this great prize. Defeat brings only as much dishonor as you allow yourself. If you have any questions, speak now.”

“How long do I have to decide?” asked Optimus.

“You have until you unite with Megumi Hishikawa and Arsha Royana,” replied Rosadera. “We will see you again, Optimus Prime.”

“Wait, who are you?!” called Optimus.

“I am Rojenthi, the Red Princess of Chizara, and the war-time leader,” began Rojenthi.

“I am Azuliterii, the Blue Princess of Chizara, and the technological leader,” continued Azuliterii.

“I am Rosadera, the Pink Princess of Chizara, and the peace-time leader,” introduced Rosadera.

“I am Verdutha, the Green Princess of Chizara, and the environmental leader,” called Verdutha.

“And I am Moradelia, the Purple Princess of Chizara, and the history leader,” finished Moradelia. The Five Chizaran Princesses vanished in lights of their respective colors. Optimus was alone in his office once again. He was about to call Prowl when Teletraan 1 appeared on his screen.

“Optimus, a Lieutenant Skyfall has arrived,” he reported.

“Skyfall? What’s she doing here?” asked Optimus.

“Autobot Intelligence told her to personally give you their report,” replied Teletraan.

“Have her come to my office,” ordered Optimus. After a minute, a female Autobot with jet parts entered the office.

“Lieutenant Skyfall, with an intelligence report,” she introduced herself.

“What news, Lieutenant?” asked Optimus.

“Sir, Autobot Intelligence intercepted Decepticon transmissions directed to a Mr. Hiro Adachi and a Dr. C. Y. Borg. They have mentioned the eventual conquest of this world.”

“…Come with me, Lieutenant,” directed Optimus as he stood up. “I think we may have some people who can identify these people.”

Megumi had come out of the shower and changed into a bathrobe. She was still doing some soul-searching about disbanding the F.N.S. She sat at her desk and ran her hands over her face, trying to get her thoughts together. Right now, her first priority was getting her friends back and getting everyone home. She sighed, as she had been doing during her shower. She just stared off into space, not really paying attention to anything…until she saw a folded piece of paper with her name written in fancy font and colored gold with black lines. She opened it and noticed trim around the contents of the paper colored in red, blue, purple, pink, and green. Five roses broke up the contents in a circle. Going clock wise, the roses were pink, blue, green, purple, and red. A circle rested in the center of the roses, divided into five and each segment colored the same as the roses. Megumi read the paper aloud to herself. “‘Megumi Hishikawa. You are cordially invited to participate in the 590,492^nd Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale, graciously hosted by the Chizaran Princesses. Declare (with no doubts in your mind) your acceptance and details will be made clear. Congratulations and, should you accept, welcome!’” Confusion crossed her features, causing her to blink. She then pressed a button on her desk. “Scorpainia, could you get War here? I need to talk to both of you about something.”

---

An hour later, Megumi heard a knock on her door. “Come in,” she bid. War and Scorpainia then stepped in.

“Megumi, I am a very busy Anthropomorphic Personification,” grunted War. “I’m trying to gauge how strong Jandro is for a Vampire. What can be so important that…?” she trailed off. Scorpainia looked at the object causing her to trail off.

“I got a letter recently,” replied Megumi as she turned the paper to show its contents to the two. “Have you two heard about…”

“THE VERSE VS. VERSE RUMBLE ROYALE!!” cheered War and Scorpainia.

“…This is real?” asked Megumi.

“Of course, it’s real!” confirmed War. “I’m surprised you didn’t get the invitation sooner! What are they on, 500,000?”

“590,492, according to the invitation,” corrected Megumi. Scorpainia whistled in astonishment.

“The first race in the multiverse really IS outside of all versions of space-time,” she remarked.

“Could one of you fill in the gaps?” asked Megumi. “I have no earthly idea what any of this means.”

“You don’t?!” yelped Scorpainia. “That surprises me even more!”

“True, not every reality watches it,” mused War, “but with Richard liking a good sports game on tv, I would think…”

“WHAT IS ALL THIS?!” snapped Megumi.

“Why not ask the hostesses of this whole thing?” offered War. “Simply hold your invitation and ask for the history of this event.” Megumi rolled her eyes, but complied.

“I want the history of the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale!” she called. She then yelped in surprise as five lights, going from red, to blue, to pink, to green, and to purple, appeared, then shaped themselves into the Five Women. All five curtsied before introducing themselves.

“I am Rojenthi, the Red Princess of Chizara, and the war-time leader,” began the woman in red.

“I am Azuliterii, the Blue Princess of Chizara, and the technological leader,” continued the woman in blue.

“I am Rosadera, the Pink Princess of Chizara, and the peace-time leader,” introduced the woman in pink.

“I am Verdutha, the Green Princess of Chizara, and the environmental leader,” called the woman in green.

“And I am Moradelia, the Purple Princess of Chizara, and the history leader,” finished the woman in purple.

“Moradelia shall explain the history of this great event and I will supply the rules behind this,” explained Rojenthi.

“When the first universe was born, we, the Chizarans, were born with it,” lectured Moradelia. “Over time, we discovered the secret to godhood. We obtained and still hold everything, powers of a god, immortality, mastery of space and time, worshippers, everything. Unfortunately, we inherited the curse of the gods. We cannot die, nor can we receive injury of any kind. Because we do not have the same gift of mortality as you do, we became bored. That is when Rojenthi discovered that there are other realities that can merge with each other, so she came up with a way for us to admit ignorance in one respect: the interactions of other universes and their representative species. We then developed a tournament and named it the Verse Vs. Verse Rumble Royale.”

“We invite fighters from many different realities,” continued Rojenthi, “and have them fight over a magnificent prize while broadcasting the whole event to any reality that can see it.”

“So, wait, it’s a sporting event?” asked Megumi.

“Yes,” confirmed Rojenthi. “We have interviews, bets on the fighters, speculations, everything one associates with a sporting event.”

“Er, quick question,” interjected War. “Why are you using your lofty voices?” The five Princesses then noticed War and Scorpainia. Rojenthi made a big, fat smile and charged towards War, tackling her into a hug.

“OH MY GOD, MEGUMI’S FRIENDS WITH TWO PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS!” cheered Rojenthi.

“War and Scorpainia,” chuckled Rosadera. “A pleasure to see you again.”

“You know these ladies?” asked Megumi.

“We used to be contestants in the Verse Vs. Verse…the 3V2R, if you want to save time,” explained War once Rojenthi released her. “I won the 309,001^st and Scorpainia won… I forget, which one did you win?”

“The 327,000^th,” revealed Scorpainia.

“Why would you want to participate?” quizzed Megumi.

“Because the prizes are too much to pass up on!” replied War.

“What ARE the prizes?” asked Megumi.

“We’re still hammering out what First place will be,” interjected Rojenthi. “Second and Third, we’ve settled that millennia ago. But, we want our fighters to fight at their best, so we keep them a secret, but not First place. We’ll tell you when you’ve made your decision, I promise you.”

“How long do I have to decide?” quizzed Megumi.

“You have until you meet with Arsha Royana and Optimus Prime, the other two competitors,” replied Rosadera. “We shall meet again.” The Chizaran Princesses then departed in the same flashes of light.

“Congratulations!” praised Scorpainia. “This will be a supreme victory!”

“I haven’t decided yet,” countered Megumi.

“I would advise you to decide soon,” remarked War. “This is a great honor.”

“…I suppose,” sighed Megumi.

---

Megumi toured Vorton by herself. She wanted to be alone for a while. After walking around, she sat at the observation lounge and stared at the stars. She sighed again, as she had been doing for a while now. She faintly registered heels against the floor, dismissing it until she saw something in the window’s reflection. It looked like a rose with pearls floating in the air. She whirled around to see that it was Jandro’s hairpiece. “I apologize if my lack of reflection disturbed you,” offered Jandro. “May I?” he indicated that he wanted to sit. Megumi nodded and he sat down. He then observed something. “…Emmanuel removed the shock factor of seeing a man dressing as a woman,” he guessed.

“He removed a good chunk of it,” replied Megumi. “Living at After Academy for five years took care of the rest. I’ve yet to see any Vampire students.”

“Tell me, have you heard of Vampires that sparkle in the daylight?” asked Jandro, looking a little concerned.

“There’s an entire franchise around the concept,” answered Megumi. Jandro shuddered.

“In my world, we don’t do that!” he finally got out. “However, neither do we fry in sunlight. That’s long been cured and is usually reserved as a death sentence.”

“I see,” mumbled Megumi.

“…You look like you have a lot on your mind,” observed Jandro.

“I’m considering disbanding my group,” explained Megumi. “Tell me, have you ever thought about a group breakup?

“…I’m not sure the ‘breakup’ I’m thinking of should even be considered that,” sighed Jandro.

“I think I remember Malnar giving me cryptic remarks that you can argue against breaking up the F.N.S and leaving Vorton alone,” mused Megumi.

“Probably referencing my status as the last of a Great Vampire Clan,” replied Jandro.

“…Last of a Great Vampire Clan?” repeated Megumi.

“During the First Age of Unity,” began Jandro, “my clan, the Grelnak clan, had allowed people like me to come out. All sorts of rights now celebrated in my world’s modern age and it was my clan that started it all…at the cost of everyone.”

“…You’re the only member of the Grelnak clan alive?” realized Megumi.

“And I have no way to return home, not since I left my clan’s lands,” sighed Jandro. “With no sense of community, you never feel like you belong. I tell you now, disbanding your group will rob every one of their sense of community and Vorton will feel like a strange place instead of home.”

“But there’s nothing new going on,” argued Megumi. “What use is there for us to stay?” Just then, a klaxon blared. “Now what?!” snarled Megumi. She then got up. “Excuse me,” she bid as she headed to the Gateway Room. Rusty explained the situation.

“Sensors detected a small craft and have deemed it to be of Shocker Rift design,” she reported. “The weapons started firing automatically. The pilot’s trying to contact us.”

“Someone we know?” asked Megumi.

“A Transformer of Beast Wars,” answered Rusty. “The Predacon, Tarantulas.”

“He’s with Shocker Rift?” muttered Megumi. “On screen.” Tarantulas’ Transmetal body was sitting in a pilot’s chair, rocked by weapons fire.

“Megumi, I must protest this treatment!” he spluttered. “It’s making me feel unwelcome! Besides, don’t you need more information on how to locate your allies or about Shocker Rift’s current internal instability?!”

“…Cease fire,” ordered Megumi. “I want to hear him out.” Rusty arched an eyebrow.

“…I obey,” she muttered before shutting off the weapons. Tarantulas mopped his metallic brow.

“That’s better,” he sighed.

“You mentioned an instability within Shocker Rift,” recalled Megumi.

“Indeed,” confirmed Tarantulas. “The Daleks are becoming more and more angry at being enslaved to life-forms they consider inferior and Emperor Davros is looking into solutions to escape Shocker Rift. We all know that, when they do escape, the Daleks will start their bloodiest campaign and will most likely tear the multiverse asunder!”

“Does this mean you’ve turned your back on Shocker Rift?” asked Megumi.

“It means,” elaborated Tarantulas, “that, as my universe would be under fire as well, I need to find the ones best suited to repair any damage!”

“In other words, you figured that staying with Shocker Rift will only cause you more harm than good,” replied Megumi, “and decided to get out while the getting’s good.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” muttered Tarantulas. Megumi considered, then decided.

“Clear him for Airlock 3,” she commanded.

“This IS Tarantulas!” protested Rusty. “You know, the one who made Shelob into a Predacon?!”

“Exactly, but we need whatever information we can get,” replied Megumi. “Let him onboard.” Rusty sighed before assigning Tarantulas a flight path. “Rusty, do you mind getting Batman to authenticate whatever data Tarantulas brings and could you have Emily help you scan his processor for the truth?” asked Megumi.

“…Delighted,” answered Rusty with a grin.

---

“Not that I don’t appreciate the concern for my well-being,” hissed Tarantulas as Emily and Rusty set up equipment, “but I MUST speak to Megumi. Besides, I’m not sure as I feel comfortable with being in the same room with someone that threatened to shove raw Energon into my Spark five years ago.”

“This will only take a moment,” dismissed Emily.

“What is the meaning of this, Ms. Saunders?” asked Tarantulas.

“Mental screening,” answered Emily in a terse manner, “and it’s Mrs. Williams to you! Or Dr. Williams if you prefer.”

“I assure you; I’m not lying about what’s going on in Shocker Rift!” spluttered Tarantulas.

“Then you don’t object to me checking as you clearly have nothing to hide,” snarked Emily.

“I find this whole thing offensive!” snarled Tarantulas.

“And I find YOU offensive!” growled Emily. “Now, will you just willingly allow me access to your processor or do I have to have the Brigadier hold you down while I force my way in?!” Tarantulas and Emily glared at one another before the gem on his forehead opened to allow her access.

---

“She may refuse,” mused Moradelia.

“She may,” conceded Rosadera.

“I don’t think she will,” argued Rojenthi.

“Oh?” quizzed Azuliterii.

“She is simply in a rut,” explained Rojenthi. “She loves trying something different and seeing something new. This tournament will reignite her passion for exploring other possibilities.”

“She feels as if she’s explored everything,” realized Verdutha. “She’s becoming as bored as we were.”

“Well, this will change her mind,” declared Rosadera.

---

“Three…years!” hissed a blonde woman. “…Three years! Three years, I’ve been stuck in my former prison! Three years, I haven’t exterminated anyone! Three years of absolutely nothing and I’m still in my old cage!”

“It’s all part of bringing Vortech down for good, Metaltron,” remarked her compatriot, a humanoid cyclops with tentacles for hair.

“I thought he’d do something by now!” griped the woman, the former last of the Daleks stuck looking like Rose Tyler, Metaltron. “Instead, we’ve been playing the waiting game for too long!” Just then, the console beeped. “Please, Caan, tell me that’s something!”

“Just an ally reporting nothing,” replied the last of the Cult of Skaro, Caan. Metaltron roared and threw a table across the room. “Yes, acting childish will get results faster,” sighed Caan.

“I’m going topside!” roared Metaltron.

“Stay where you are!” barked Caan. “Keep a lid on your killing instinct!”

“I’ve done nothing since this all started!” argued Metaltron. “Every cell in this twisted frame is still screaming ‘exterminate, annihilate, destroy’! I must obey that impulse!”

“I said no!” roared Caan. “We cannot expose ourselves by killing anyone! That will attract the Doctor’s attention and I’m not willing to risk it! Besides, she’s busy with a reconnaissance Dalek at this point in time!”

“Then what can we do?!” wailed Metaltron.

“We wait until our allies are exposed,” replied Caan. “That will happen soon.” Metaltron roared again before storming off to Van Statten’s old office.

Megumi headed to the Gateway Room with a big, fat smile on her face. “Hail the Dominus,” she ordered Rusty.

“Megumi?” quizzed Rusty.

“Your colleagues are geniuses,” replied Megumi. “The Dominus, please.”

“Hailing frequencies open,” reported Rusty. Hiro, Megatron, and Dr. Borg then appeared on screen.

“Ah, Megumi,” he greeted. “I trust you have an answer?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” replied Megumi.

“I know that grin, I’ve made such a grin myself,” remarked Megatron. “You have some sort of advantage over us.”

“No, no, merely a grin of knowing the playing field is now level,” assured Megumi. Hiro then looked worried. “I offer my guess to your plans and an explanation to how I leveled it. I’m willing to bet that, when you said “our” friends, you meant yours. After I told my friends what you proposed, they got to thinking how they can turn it to our advantage. Lo and behold, they did. Brigadier, make your Cyber-mite’s presence known to them.”

“What?!” yelped Hiro. Just then, a Combatman yelped in surprise as a metallic, worm-like machine crawled across his console. It then projected Shocker Rift’s map of the multiverse.

“It doesn’t match up perfectly with ours,” continued Megumi, “but, considering we have Vorton on both, we can use that as a reference point. Now, in exchange, we’re willing to surrender a Mr. Starscream into your custody, then we both agree not to attack each other until BOTH sides have our military capabilities at full strength. Agreed?”

“…I must compliment you, Madame,” remarked Megatron. “One day, you must tell me how Cyberman technology got past Soundwave!”

“That’s not important right now,” replied Megumi.

“I think it is!” snarled Hiro. “If you think we’re going to agree to this…!”

“Then you would be right,” interrupted Megatron. “Tell me, what did my First Lieutenant of military matters tell you?”

“He just went on and on about how we’re going to be slaves to the Decepticon Empire,” replied Megumi, “how he’s going to turn us into ashes, all that stuff. Nothing of tactical value. Check with him if you wish.”

“I may do just that,” answered Megatron.

“I don’t see a reason to agree to her terms!” argued Hiro.

“They have an Autobot amongst them,” explained Megatron. “While he may act the stereotypical, music obsessed, Michael Jackson fanboy, black man, Jazz is good at extracting information from people. Starscream knows a fair bit of Decepticon Intelligence. I’m not going to run that risk. We’re just going to have to agree to her terms to get Starscream back.”

“…Dr. Borg? Opinions?” asked Hiro.

“We need to accept,” replied Dr. Borg.

“You too?!” protested Hiro.

“We cannot risk losing the soldiers we have,” insisted Dr. Borg. “I know you believe us to be more powerful, but power is nothing without numbers.”

“…Fine, we accept your terms!” sighed Hiro. “Neither side will attack the other until BOTH of our military might is built up. We will retrieve Starscream in an hour.”

“You can retrieve him at these coordinates,” offered Megumi as she keyed in a command to beam the coordinates to the Dominus. “See you in an hour.” Hiro snarled before ending the call and having the Dominus leave Vorton’s universe. Megumi then turned to Rusty. “Get me the After Academy Detention Center,” she directed. “I want to talk to War.”

“Detention Center receiving,” reported Rusty. The person on screen wasn’t War, but a female student in Death’s house with white hair and a black headband.

“Megumi, I hate to sound rude, but I AM busy,” urged the girl. “Please make it brief.”

“Sophie?” asked Megumi. “I was trying to reach War.”

“She’s currently talking to new arrivals,” replied the girl, Sophie Moore. “They are three new Autobots, a human, a Transformer-sized chlorophyll-based life-form, and a few Mobians.”

“Transformer-sized chlorophyll-based life-form?” repeated Megumi. She then turned to a computer console. “Computer, locate Jazz. I want to know if he’s familiar with a Transformer-sized chlorophyll-based life-form.”

“Jazz is on the Promenade with Team Dark,” reported the computer.

“Thank you,” bid Megumi as she headed to the transport pad. “Promenade,” she commanded. She was transported there and found the four a few steps around the Promenade. “Jazz!” she called. The four had stopped their conversation and looked to her.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“I just had an interesting conversation with the detention center,” explained Megumi. “Are there Transformer-sized chlorophyll-based life-forms in your universe?”

“Yep, the Seedrians,” confirmed Jazz. “We thought they went extinct, but a Seedrian ambassador, Cosmo, proved us wrong.” Megumi then moved towards a small screen.

“Computer, get me War,” she commanded. The call then came to War’s communicator, audio only.

“Might I ask what you’re doing, calling me at such a time?” came the familiar gruff voice of War.

“I want to discuss something with you,” replied Megumi. “Specifically, two things. First, I think the new arrivals would want to talk to Jazz and Team Dark.”

“Are they with you?” asked War.

“We’re right here,” rasped Shadow.

“…Fine,” sighed War, “Switching to visual.” War’s scarred face appeared before she moved backwards to reveal the new arrivals. Their faces lit up when they saw Jazz.

“Sir!” cheered a small, yellow bot with horns.

“Jazzy!” called a female bot in purple and black.

“Shadow,” grunted a hulking bot with half of a T-Rex head and neck on each shoulder.

“My beloved friends!” greeted a woman with a rose affixed to her hair.

“Good to see you again!” called a green woman with a rose on each side of her head, the Transformer-sized chlorophyll-based life-form.

“Halo!” (Hello!) greeted a male Mobian Komodo Dragon in Indonesian.

“G’day!” answered a male Mobian Quokka.

“Cool! New friends to play with!” giggled a male Mobian Bee in a flight helmet.

“All right! Now we’re talking!” cheered Jazz. “Everyone, I want you to meet Master Sergeant Bumblebee, my fellow First Lieutenant, Blackarachnia, the Dyno-bot commander, Command Sergeant Major Grimlock, Sira Mayworth, the Grand High Witch of Mobius, Ambassador Cosmo of Greengate, Sergeant Agus Atmadja the Komodo Dragon, Corporal Wilson Andrews the Quokka, and Charmy Bee!”

“So the spider-bot spoke truly,” remarked War. “She IS an Autobot.”

“Was it my optics that made you doubt me?” asked Blackarachnia as she pointed to her crimson optics.

“You must admit, you’re wearing the colors of the enemy,” grunted Grimlock, “especially that peacock being held here.”

“I presume you’re talking about Starscream?” asked Megumi. Everyone on the screen turned to her. “I apologize, I asked a question without introducing myself. My name is Megumi Hishikawa, leader of the Vortex Alliance and Queen of the Feudal Nerd Society.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” returned Sira. “In any event, yes, we WERE talking about Starscream.”

“This girl Rider-kicked him good!” lauded Jazz.

“Rider-kicked?” repeated Wilson.

“Not another Kamen Rider,” grumbled Grimlock.

“We’ll not be releasing Starscream any time soon,” boasted War.

“Unfortunately, that is exactly what we must do,” countered Megumi.

“…I beg your pardon?” asked War.

“Hiro, Megatron, and Dr. Borg visited Vorton and offered a truce,” explained Megumi. “I changed the terms a little. We’ve taken their map to pinpoint our new arrivals’ home universes. In exchange, we’re handing Starscream back to them.”

“…You’re agreeing to a truce with HIRO?!” argued War.

“Megatron’s going to ignore the terms of this truce too!” supplied Blackarachnia.

“Dr. Borg is also a member of the Fae!” continued War. “They’re the best at finding loopholes!”

“I think I’ve closed them off when I laid out my counter-terms,” assured Megumi.

“What were your EXACT words?” asked War.

“That, in exchange for getting their map, we would release Starscream back to them,” replied Megumi. “In addition, neither side will attack each other until we’ve reached our full military might. That would include ships and soldiers.” War released a breath.

“I think you just covered our butts,” she sighed in relief. “If you just said ‘army’, she would convince Hiro to attack when their navy’s built up and neglect the army. In any event, I strongly advise against giving up Starscream! He’s Megatron’s First Lieutenant!”

“And is usually willing to spill it with the right amount of pressure, whatever version he is,” supplied Megumi. “This one’s more resilient than the rest of them. Besides, he’s as confused about this as we are. He’s not useful to us.”

“…Very well, we’ll release him,” grumbled War.

---

An hour passed. A universe was chosen. The Virginia and the Dominus landed opposite of each other at a desert landscape. Those allies that were in War’s custody had rejoined Jazz and Team Dark and were filled in on what caused them to be where they are now. With everyone on the same page, they met with their allies and glared at their respective enemies. Grimlock had a hand on a currently terrified Starscream. Starscream then spotted Megatron across the imaginary border. “Er, any chance I can stay here?” he gulped.

“Unfortunately for us, no,” grumbled Grimlock. “You’re going back after we got a map to our home universes from them.” Starscream gulped again.

“Let Starscream come to us!” called Hiro. Grimlock shoved Starscream towards the other side. He got the message and started walking. The walk took about two minutes until Starscream was at Megatron’s side, albeit looking terrified.

“What have you told them?” inquired Megatron in a threatening tone.

“They know nothing!” gulped Starscream.

“You don’t mind a cortical psychic patch to check that, do you?” quizzed Megatron, clearly enjoying his First Lieutenant’s fear.

“Not at all, My Lord,” replied Starscream. Soundwave then stuck him on the back of the neck with a cord and attached the other end to the back of his own neck. Starscream cried out in pain for a few seconds before Soundwave terminated the procedure.

“They know nothing,” confirmed Soundwave.

“We shall leave, now!” called Hiro to Megumi. “Good luck building up your allies! I’ll see you soon!” Hiro and his group then entered their saucer and left the universe. Megumi released a breath.

“You know, in some twisted way,” mused Sira, “I rather enjoyed seeing Starscream squirm.”

“Well, that concludes that part of the bargain,” mused Megumi. “Now, we must return.” They boarded the Virginia. Megumi found her way to the bridge.

“Megumi on the bridge!” called Emily as she stood up from the Captain’s chair. Tonje was at the upper weapons station, Amelia took the upper science station, Liam had the upper Engineering station, Mikhail had the upper comms station, Irina took the lower weapons station, Sheela took the lower science station, R9 handled the lower Engineering station, Hongo was on the lower comms station, and Tanisha was the pilot.

“At ease,” bid Megumi as she settled into the Captain’s seat while Emily took the First Officer’s seat. “Tanisha, take us out. One quarter speed, then punch it to seven once we enter the rift. Let’s get back to Vorton.” The Virginia was taken up and left the planet as it opened a rift. It made its way back home to Vorton. As they were making their approach, Mikhail and Hongo got something.

“Megumi,” called Mikhail, “we’re getting a call from Vorton.”

“Apparently, the Hammer of Tarlax is there, carrying Scorpainia,” continued Hongo. “She wants to discuss something with you.”

“Tell her I’ll meet her at the airlock,” replied Megumi.

“We’re assigned Flight path 2 to Airlock 6,” reported Mikhail.

“Amelia, make the necessary course corrections,” directed Megumi.

“Aye, Ma’am,” confirmed Amelia. The Virginia made its way to Airlock 6 and docked with it. Everyone stepped off and met with a scorpion-like humanoid. With human arms as well as scorpion claws and a scorpion tail with stinger. Megumi was embraced by the scorpion-like humanoid and patted on the back roughly.

“It is good to see you again, my friend!” cheered the scorpion-like humanoid as she pulled back.

“A pleasure to see you too, Scorpainia,” returned Megumi. The scorpion-like humanoid, Scorpainia, the Tarlaxian Queen Empress, laughed a deep, belly laugh. “I suppose you need an explanation for why I was away.”

“No need, R9 told me everything,” replied Scorpainia. “He described Hiro as looking a bit angry at having to agree to his enemy’s counter-terms. A very smart choice, in my opinion, given the chaotic nature of the Convergence. My reason for coming here is two-fold. First, I’ve found a few denizens of the Emboramiis’ universe. I’ve already met them, lovely people. Malnar had identified them as members of her future spouse’s senior staff and has named them thus: Laverda the Centaur, Dalengor the Shadow Dragon, Marshii the Mermaid, Falnii the Zephyr, and Jandro the Vampire. We’ve taken more readings on them and are running them against the maps. My second purpose is simple, I want to establish a permanent Tarlaxian presence on Vorton. Hiro’s most likely going to attack Vorton once the truce ends.”

“I see no problem with a permanent Tarlaxian presence,” mused Megumi. “We should discuss this after I meet with Malnar’s compatriots.”

“They’re getting a tour of the Promenade,” explained Scorpainia. “Come! I will take you to them!” They took the transporter pads to the Promenade and met with Elphaba and the group. The Centaur had tan skin on his human half. The Shadow Dragon was in her humanoid form. The Mermaid had a medical cross on her tube top and had robot legs around her tail. A woman with dark grey skin wore clouds like a dress, presumably what Scorpainia called a Zephyr. The Vampire was a man with long, flowing, black hair, and wore a black dress. Elphaba caught sight of Megumi.

“Everyone, this is Megumi Hishikawa, my boss here,” she introduced.

“A pleasure to meet you,” greeted the Centaur. “I am Commander Laverda Lancelor of the Endeavor.”

“Lieutenant Commander Dalengor Mardem, at your service,” greeted the Shadow Dragon.

“I’m Doctor Marshii Borontho, Lieutenant Junior Grade and CMO of the Endeavor,” introduced the Mermaid.

“I…I’m Ambassador Falnii Loftanaf,” stammered the grey woman.

“And I am Jandro Dormu of the Grelnak Vampire Clan,” finished the Vampire.

“Welcome to Vorton,” greeted Megumi. “I promise you; we WILL find your respective universes and bring you home. Please excuse me.” She then headed off to a café and ordered something. She sat at a table and waited for her order.

“Someone looks distracted,” mused a voice. Scorpainia had arrived with Jazz’s holo-form and Malnar. “Do you mind?” asked Scorpainia as she indicated a seat.

“Go ahead,” replied Megumi. The three took their seats and gave Megumi their attention.

“Did you get a chance to meet new people from home?” asked Malnar. “Some of them are part of my future wife’s Senior Staff. Well, one of my future wives. Falnii’s another one. Then we’ve got our future hubbys too. Three boys and three girls, all from different social classes, coming together to unite the Realms!”

“A peasant becomes royalty,” chuckled Scorpainia. “You know, I came from poor stock. Megumi, I don’t know if I told you about my…Megumi?” Megumi was staring at a spot on the table, concerning Scorpainia. “Megumi, are you okay?” asked Scorpainia.

“Scorpainia, do you remember when you saved my world from Shocker Rift after the Vortech Wars?” asked Megumi.

“How could I forget?” chuckled Scorpainia. “It was touch and go for a minute there. I almost got my head whacked off by Saruman.”

“We were then declared too dangerous by our respective countries,” remarked Megumi.

“A danger you were founded on, since different is dangerous in your world,” mused Scorpainia.

“Mobius is still going through that,” sighed Jazz.

“As are the Realms,” interjected Malnar.

“…Perhaps it’s because we need to get along somehow, since we never learned how to have civil debates,” muttered Megumi. “After this crisis, the Feudal Nerd Society will be disbanded.”

“Disbanded?!” yelped Scorpainia.

“I’ve made up my mind!” insisted Megumi. “It’s for the best!”

“Look, I get that you miss your old hangout,” soothed Scorpainia, “but you’ve built a new one.”

“It’s not the same!” snapped Megumi. “I made a mistake in having us stay on-campus! We’ve lost our old home because of it! Before the Vortech Wars, we just hung out. Those were the good years. The Castle Nerd Skull I knew is long gone and now, it’s time to move on.”

“And do what?” asked Jazz. “I’m all for going with the flow, but the old Praxian desire for a plan does shape me.”

“…I’m not sure what’s next,” admitted Megumi. “I thought I would be going into my mother’s business, but that’s impossible, given my lack of fashion aptitude. I’m more of a historian. …I suppose I COULD go into archeology. The Mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku always fascinated me.”

“And is this the one in your home universe?” asked Malnar. Megumi nodded.

“Your universe is pretty remote,” remarked Scorpainia. “And what about Richard? How’s he going to survive in Japan? From what he told me; his understanding of your language is subpar.”

“…I hadn’t considered that,” realized Megumi. “One thing IS clear, though; the sooner we find a career and disband, the better. Hiro won’t be so eager to target us.”

“I disagree,” replied Malnar. “If Hiro is as unsavory as people say he is, then he’s going to leap at the opportunity to pick you off one by one.”

“…I don’t know,” sighed Megumi, “maybe all the fun’s gone. I feel like every possibility’s been explored with us.”

“I’m sure there’s something that you haven’t tried,” assured Scorpainia. Megumi went back to staring off into space, even as everyone’s meals arrived.