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Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 24: The Gathering)

TMC 24-5

While the Decepticons dealt with their own in-house problems and Drift and Nightbird patched things up between them, Optimus sat in his ready room. He was unsure of how the battle was going to be conducted. His thoughts were interrupted by a door chime. “Come in,” he called. Treadshot then entered the room. Optimus stood up. “…Dad.” He then winced at how slow he said that. Treadshot raised his hand.

“It’s all right,” he assured. “I was an absent father.”

“Not by choice, from what I recall. I never got a clear answer on what the charges were for your exile.”

“…Simply because I was found out. Majoris was just as Deceptiphobic as Dion was and regretfully, so was the Autobot Council. After the war, they were more interested in punishing their enemies. They kept my origins from Dion because he was the perfect soldier and their ideal Autobot.”

“…Did you manage to talk to him?” Treadshot winced.

“He’s…not in a receptive state. In fact, he’s not in a sober-enough state.”

“He’s over-energized?! Where?!”

“Last I saw him was at the bar in Four-Forward.”

“Come on!” Optimus and Treadshot dashed to Four-Forward and found Ultra Magnus with his face on the table and an empty bottle in his hand while three other bottles surrounded him. “Dion! Dion, we need to talk to you! …Dion, are…are you all right?”

“GOOOOONNNE!” wailed Dion as he suddenly sat up. He had clearly been crying and turned to Engex for counseling instead of Snarl. “Ish all gone! All of ish gone! Bye bye WOOHOO shee ya!”

“Dion, what happened?!”

“One minnit yer leedin a teem uf bosh to help Ahdobotsh wage der baddle to deshtroy de eefil forshesh uf de Deshepticonsh…den SHUDENLEE ya find yershelf…shuckin down Engex wif…Solush Prime and her liddle shishter!” Dion then drunkenly and sadly laughed to himself. Optimus arched an eyebrow.

“…I think you’ve had enough high grade for today,” he remarked as he managed to take the bottle out of Dion’s hand. “Let’s get you out of here, Dion.”

“DONCHU GEDDIT?!” Dion pulled Optimus right up to his face. “YU SHEE DA HAT?!” It was then Optimus noticed that Dion was wearing a Transformer-sized newspaper hat. “I AM MINIMUSH…AMBUSH!” Dion laughed like a lunatic.

“SNAP OUT OF IT, BOY!” snapped Treadshot. He separated the bots, took off the newspaper hat, and slapped Dion in the face.

“DAD!” protested Optimus. Other than Optimus’ protest, the bar was silent after the slap.

“…I-I-I…I’m sorry,” stammered Dion. “You’re right; I’m just a little depressed, that’s all.” He then stood up and headed to the door. “I-I can get through this!” He then collapsed to his knees and broke down. “OH, I’M A SHAM!” he wailed as his hands went to the floor as Optimus and Treadshot tried to get him to quiet down. “LOOK AT ME! MY WHOLE MILITARY CAREER WAS A LIE! …The…the hat looked good?! Tell me the hat looked good! The apron was a bit much!”

“What apron?!” asked Treadshot.

“It’ll be easier if Ratchet fixes him up,” declared Optimus. “Dad, help me get him to Repair Bay.”

“Yes, son.” Optimus and Treadshot then each put one of Dion’s arms around their shoulders and had to drag him to Ratchet, since he wasn’t moving his feet.

“YEARS OF ACADEMY TRAINING WASTED!” cried Dion.


Dion woke up on a repair berth as Ratchet checked over Thundercracker, of all bots. “Decepti-!” yelped Dion. As Ratchet and Thundercracker looked at Dion, he sat back down. “Ah, what’s the point?” He felt a major processor-ache.

“On the table,” directed Ratchet. There was Energon and a pair of tablets on the bedside table. Dion popped the tablets into his mouth and drank the Energon, thus swallowing the tablets. “Thundercracker wanted to talk to you about something.”

“…Sorry, I must still be over-energized,” muttered Dion. “For a minute there, I though you said Thundercracker wanted to talk to me.”

“He did. And I do,” replied Thundercracker.

“…Is this a hallucination?”

“Dion, will you just talk to him already?!” grunted Ratchet. “Even Snarl would suggest it!” He gave Thundercracker one final look-over. “And that’s a clean bill of health for you. For all the times we shot each other, I have to give you Seekers respect for how seriously you take your health.”

“An unhealthy Seeker can’t fly very well, so we kind of HAVE to take our personal health seriously,” replied Thundercracker.

“Well, that removes a lot of stress on this old medic. I’ll just leave you two be.” Ratchet headed off to another area. Dion looked at Thundercracker. An awkward silence filled the space between them.

“…Something I can do for you?” Dion finally asked.

“You could accept the position as Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord,” replied Thundercracker. “You know that Optimus made the offer to me? I had to refuse, saying that you were better for the position.”

“…No.”

“Whoa, hey, maybe those pills aren’t working yet, but-”

“No, Thundercracker. For the first time in my life, I AM thinking clearly. You Cons were right all along, I’m NOT anything. I’m…I’m just a cog. Just a small, insignificant cog in a machine that wouldn’t care if I stopped working.”

“Hold on a cycle there! The Autobots wouldn’t be talking about you if you WERE insignificant!”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, it’s true! They DO talk about you! Look, Optimus needs a bot that he knows has the experience to lead an army if he can’t, and you led armies more than he did!”

“Why would you, of all bots, pick me, a Deceptiphobe?”

“Because you’ve done some reexamination? Let me tell you, before I killed Firestar, I was a raging Autophobe, as bad as you were a Deceptiphobe. But we have a chance to change that now! Don’t misunderstand, our sins can never be fully purged, but we can make sure we do better in the future. I was already told how to atone and try to make up for Firestar’s murder as best I can, maybe being an Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord what YOU need. With Optimus as the Galaxy Convoy, he needs someone as his second-in-command on that front!”

“Why would you suggest me then?”

“Why would I suggest you?! LOOK AT YOU!” Dion’s optics flickered as he looked to Thundercracker. “You’re the Autobot War Hero, Ultra Magnus! Any kid would give their Spark to recreate your famous victories! You’re the best law-bot in all history! You kept order throughout the force! You helped Sentinel win over us! Your shoulders have missile batteries in them! You are the greatest bot around! …Besides, you never went through the hell of killing a kid. I can’t trust myself with that kind of power.” The Repair Bay went silent again. “…I don’t know, maybe I was being goofy. I just figured you would want a command position again.” Dion then looked at the data-pad on his bedside table. He picked it up and read it to himself. As he read, he thought about what Thundercracker said, then his face became one of determination.

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