Fun fact: The show episodes don't take place very close together, which means I had time to gather more relics.
The excavation of the data cylinder went swimmingly. All we really had to do was have Rumble pound down to it, and I dragged it out of the ground. All of its knowledge now resides on the Harbingers data banks, the tests are around 24% done, and the cylinder itself is being deep scanned on the off chance that it can hold anything other than data. A bit of preparation for the future, should plan A of throwing an activated spark extractor at Unicron not work.
I had also made a trip to Antarctica to collect the Apex armor. That itself took around an hour and a half of ice digging/melting, since the armor was so deep in the shelf that we had practically made a cave by the time we made it out with the relic. After a bit of testing, it turns out the armor works for my symbiots as well. What was funny was watching Laserbeak and Ravage stumble around as they tried to orient themselves with bipedalism. Seeing the glint in both of their optics at being able to give me a real hug was a sparkfelt moment though.
The search for the other two omega keys is relatively easy, given one was literally in one of the Giza pyramids, the other one is a task for another day, and the fourth isn't even on the planet yet. What was tricky however, was modifying a shield dampener to the right frequency to cancel out the flux of the polarity gauntlet. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the coordinates, I ran into a young couple camping right on top of the place where it was buried.
"HOLY SHIT!" The man yelled.
"Oh my God! I knew aliens were real! They're gonna take us to the mothership!" The woman screamed.
Looking around, I spotted their van, which had an area 51 sticker on its side. Lovely, alien enthusiasts.
'These humans are most likely alien conspiracy theorists. They will most likely keep this event a secret for the rest of their lives.' I said through the symbiot bond as I ejected all of them.
'
I am not surprised that some humans believe in life on other planets.' Ravage said.
"Calm yourselves humans. We are aliens, but our business is not with you, rather what is underneath your feet." Laserbeak said.
"What is under us, visitors?" The man asked.
"That is not your concern, but it does not harm your kind." Ravage said.
Rumble activated his pile drivers and started breaking up the ground, and my tentacles folded out to drill into the ground. As we dug, I turned on the modified shield dampener to make sure no one detected the magnetic flux. After a few minutes, I noticed the woman coming closer to Laserbeak.
"What are you?" She asked after a moment.
"We are living machines from another planet, also known as cybertronians. What you saw when we landed was transforming, something that any of our kind can do." Laserbeak explained.
"You mean there are more of you... cybertronians on earth?"
"Indeed, hundreds of us. You cannot tell which is which, however. We are functionally identical to human-made machines."
'
Seems like Laserbeak found a gossip friend eh boss?' Rumble said through our bond.
'May primus have mercy on us if they start talking about mechs.' I responded.
Having reached the relic, I dragged it out of the ground. The polarity gauntlet is technically a prototype mining tool, a powerful electromagnet created as a tool for hazardous meteorite mining. It would have done that by magnetizing the metals in the rock to pull the meteor to the user so that it can be mined in a safer place, and no harm comes to the mech or femme using it. It was later found that the gauntlet worked very well as a weapon, so when the war started it was sealed away in the Hall of Records to keep it out of decepticon hands.
"So how do you speak cybertronian?" The woman asked, drawing me out of my thoughts and to over where my symbiots had gathered around the fire the humans had made.
"Cybertronian is indecipherable to human vocal cords, if you were to try to speak it, people would look at you like you were insane. Here.
Sir have you found the polarity gauntlet yet? That is cybertronian." Laserbeak said.
"Wow, it'd take me years to figure out how to speak that." The man said from his grill as he made his wife and him dinner.
"Cybertronians have universal translators, however. It helped when we traded with other civilizations." Ravage said from beside him, sitting like a housecat with his tail around his legs.
"I don't think we've introduced ourselves have we. I'm Carly Witwicky and that's my husband Spike." Carly said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I am Laserbeak, the cybercat is Ravage, the one with the pile drivers is Rumble, and sir is Soundwave, our symbiot host." Laserbeak said.
'I have the gauntlet, say goodbye to your friends.' I said.
After the humans swore on their lives that they would never tell the government about us, we left, but not before Laserbeak gave a small cybertronian necklace to Carly, we packed up, transformed and left.
I was watching Starscream on the bridge berating the work crews for not working fast enough on the cameras when Knockout walked in.
"Doctor in the house." Knockout said as he walked in.
"Ah, Knockout. And how is the patient doing today?" Starscream asked.
"Same old."
"An inglorious fate, that he should remain in this vegetative state."
"On the contrary. Megatron's body may be scrap metal, but his mind is still percolating."
"Keep that to yourself." Starscream said as he turned around. "That blasted Soundwave sees and hears everything."
"The eyes and ears of the decepticons."
'Eyes and ears indeed Knockout.' I thought.
"Well, as long as their master remains in limbo, so does their cause. The decepticons deserve a strong, alert leader." Starscream said.
"One who would require a loyal second in command." Knockout commented.
"A candidate would need to earn that post, by making a strong case to said eyes and ears."
"A case for showing mercy, 'Lord Starscream'?"
"You scratch my back, I scratch yours." Starscream grinned evilly.
'
Sweet primus can that mech really ham it up.' Rumble said.
I switched to the med bay camera centered on Megatron and saw Arcee finishing the set up for the cortical psychic patch. I watched her crawl into the crawlspace where Bumblebee no doubt was.
"Ah, Soundwave, there you are. Knockout has his prognosis for our lord." Starscream said as he approached me.
I nodded to him and began walking to the med bay. We met up with Knockout at the entrance.
"Knockout, if you would be so kind as to provide your expert medical opinion to Soundwave. For the historical record of course." Starscream said as we walked in.
"Simply put, unaided, Megatron could remain in this deathless slumber forever." Knockout said.
"Our master would not have wanted to be seen this way, to stand idly by while he remains captive in his own body, is not just." Starscream said.
I walked forward slightly and pointed at the screen, where Megatron's mind was hard at work.
"Brainwave activity, not evidence of consciousness, but merely of an endless dream from which Megatron may never awake." Knockout said.
"Soundwave, we must face reality. Megatron is lost to us." Starscream said.
"The only honorable option would be to show him mercy."
"A simple throw of the switch."
"Quick, painless, compassionate."
They turned away to look at Megatron and I spied the patch and followed it over to where I saw Arcee looking at me. I saw the symbiot bond device attached to her headfin and decided to make my presence known.
'Don't worry Arcee, I saw the patch, I'll buy you some time.' I said to the device, which went to her comm.
Arcee widened her optics slightly, but nodded and dipped back down, probably to comm Ratchet.
"Soundwave," I turned back to the others. "Do I take your silence to mean you concur with Knockout's medical expertise?" Starscream asked.
I said nothing and stared at Megatron's body.
"Speak now or forever hold your peace." He said, grabbing ahold of one of the life support lines.
I took a step towards Starscream, the red tint of my visor brightening slightly.
"Uh... Starcream?" Knockout said.
Starscream looked over at Knockout who was pointing at the back of the medical berth.
'Almost out of time Arcee, get whoever is in Megatron's head out immediately!' I said through the bond.
A few moments later, Megatron's brainwave activity spiked.
"What in... Intruders!" Starscream said as a ground bridge light appeared from the crawlspace.
"Allow me!" I heard Arcee say as a Blaster bolt flew into Megatron's central support line.
We walked back over to Megatron's body, and Starscream sighed.
"It was the inevitable outcome." He said, looking up at me. I slowly turned my head down at him, and he growled. "Of course, it would be wrong to allow Megatron to perish by an autobot's hand. Knockout?"
Knockout shrugged and reattached the line. Nodding at him, I walked out of the med bay and back to the bridge.
I and my symbiots were watching on the flight deck camera on the bridge to record Starscreams plan unfolding.
'
This is the dumbest plan Starscream has ever had.' Ravage said after the troops finished building the heat ray.
'I know. Just let him have his moment.' I replied to him.
"Let the reign of lord Starscream begin." He said as the ray started melting ice.
After a few minutes, I detected a ground bridge opening near the med bay, then another few minutes later, another one opened.
'Looks like Megatron has nearly returned.' I thought.
At that moment the autobots started attacking. I watched them brawl for a few moments, then changed to the med bay cameras just in time to witness Bumblebee/Megatron slam the dark energon shard into Megatron's chest.
"
Decepticons. Your rightful lord and master has returned." His voice came over everyone's comm.
Megatron then walked away to find Starscream for ripping the shard out of his chest. I bridged myself down to where Bee and Ratchet were, startling them.
"Soundwave!" Ratchet said, activating his short blades.
"We do not have much time autobots, Megatron will no doubt return to attempt to deactivate you himself. I am bridging you to a place I know you will be safe. You may transport yourself back to your base from there." I said, retracting my visor and ejecting my two of my symbiots. "My symbiots, Ravage and Rumble will show you how."
"...You really are trying to join the bots, aren't you?" Raf asked.
"Indeed, little one. The decepticons no longer uphold the ideals that I cherish." I turned to Ratchet and gave him a data chip. "Here is another data chip detailing more energon mines and deposits that you can potentially use. This trip will not be entirely fruitless after all."
I opened a ground bridge next to them, and Bumblebee walked through first, then came back and nodded.
"It's some crashed decepticon ship." He said.
"Yeah, it is, c'mon Yellow, let's go!" Rumble said as he ran though the bridge, the others following behind.
"Thank you... Soundwave." Raf said as they left.
The ground bridge closed, and my visor slid closed over my face. A few moments later Megatron appeared around the corner with a heavily damaged Starscream being dragged behind him.
"Soundwave, there you are. Fetch Knockout, I have need of his medical services." He said.
I nodded and sent a ping to Knockout, who arrived along with Breakdown.
"Yes, my liege?" He asked.
"Have Starscream repaired and online as soon as possible. I wish to speak with him."
"Of course, my liege."
Knockout and Breakdown then got to work, attaching support lines to Starscreams chassis.
"Here you are autobots, one ground bridge remote set to delete its last coordinates after its use. Now you may go home." Ravage said.
"Thank you." Raf said.
"Do not mention it little one. I am only doing my duty as your ally."
"Why did you tell us to wait out here though?"
"Decepticon defenses that are still online unfortunately."
Ratchet looked back at the minicon with a contemplative expression as they walked through the bridge to the base. How could a decepticon ship still be online after all this time. He didn't have time to think about it too much because as soon as they got back, he got a comm.
"
Ratchet, we require a ground bridge." Optimus commed.
"Triangulating coordinates. Optimus, you are not going to believe what happened."
Mistransportation and New Faces
Megatron and I were in the med bay, waiting for Starscream to wake up. It has been 2 days since the whole incident happened, and Megatron is acting like his dark energon addicted self. Staring off into space and muttering to himself. It has creeped me out thoroughly. Just then, Starscream came online.
"Resting comfortably Starscream? Despite the extent of your injuries, my medical staff assures me you will make a rapid recovery." He said.
"Hopefully every bit as rapid as your wrath is swift." Starscream said, coughing.
"And how swiftly things change. To think but a short time ago, it was you who was standing here, while I was lying there, right after your failed attempt to terminate me. But know this, dear Starscream, our positions shall never again be reversed." He said as we began to walk away.
After a few minutes, I saw Starscream leaving through the flight deck camera, and walked to the ground bridge relay to receive him when he inevitably needs an emergency bridge. After convincing the soldier to go and rest, I waited until I got a comm.
"
This is commander Starscream, requesting emergency ground bridge to my coordinates." Starscream commed.
I immediately opened a bridge so I could silently berate him for leaving while injured. He finally came through, missing an arm, and landed on his front.
"My arm!?" He said while looking around. He noticed me after a moment and his wings lowered. At my stare he got up and walked away with a sad and fearful expression on his face. I suddenly noticed that there were three particular humans in the room with me.
"...Uh, hi?" Raf said.
"Scrap." I groaned.
I vented a sigh and moved to pick them all up, opening my symbiot hatch as I walked. Jack, already having done this before let himself and Raf be picked up, Miko having to be grabbed since she tried running away and placed them all in my symbiot hold. All my symbiots were in my quarters resting after a patrol.
"Let us out no-face!" Miko yelled, muffled by my chest.
"I would recommend that you be silent, otherwise the other decepticons will notice you." I said, starting to purr to calm them down as I walked to my quarters.
"Miko calm down, Soundwave isn't going to hurt us." Jack said. I could feel him settling into a groove in my hold, Raf doing the same a little hesitantly.
"How do you know Jack?" Miko asked.
"Because I've been in here before, remember?"
"Oh..."
They lapsed into silence after that as I continued walking to my quarters. After reaching them, I locked the door and let them out.
"Ah boss there you are... Wait why do you have the bot's humans?" Rumble asked.
"Bringing in more strays sir?" Laserbeak teased.
"How did you three arrive on the Nemesis?" Ravage asked.
"We followed Miko through the bridge and saw Starscream doing something with dark energon. The bots tried to bridge us back, but something messed up with the bridges. Last we saw of Starscream he jumped in behind us on accident." Jack explained.
"Technically, you jumped through the ground bridge that I opened, but that is not important. What is important is that we will need to find a place to hide before you are discovered." I said, "The decepticons are not fond of humans on the ship. If you are found, you will be captured and interrogated for the location of your base."
"Is there anywhere we can hide?" Jack asked. I pondered it for a while, before coming to the decision to bring the autobots into the fold.
"Nowhere on the Nemesis would really be safe, I'll have to take you three to our hidden base. You may contact the autobots from there." I said.
I gathered the humans back into my symbiot hold and opened a bridge to the Harbinger, my symbiots following behind me.
The ship turned hidden base is much better looking on the inside since I took up residence there. The laboratory now holds all the relics I have gathered so far, and as much science equipment as I could "borrow" from the Nemesis. The five protoforms in the cloning lab still await laser cores to be inserted into them, I do not want clones of myself no matter how funny it would be. Testing of the Synth-En has neared 56%, and I reckon it will be complete around the time that "Stronger, Faster" would have taken place. Unfortunately, I am not a scientist, otherwise it would have taken a lot less time to complete the formula. The exterior defenses are more robust in case of any unexpected visitors.
"Wow this place is cool!" Miko said, immediately running of with Rumble trailing behind.
"Did you restore this place by yourself?" Jack asked as he walked over to a minicon staircase that went up to a workdesk.
Raf said nothing, immediately walking over to the computer system and staring in awe.
"It may have taken us a while, but it was worth it in the end." Laserbeak said as she started preening Jack's hair.
"The hardest part was ensuring that the base would be hidden from scanning." Ravage said as he lay behind Raf, being used as a cushion for the boy as he typed on his laptop.
"Put me down laser brain!" Miko said as Rumble carried her back to the main room over his shoulder.
"Nope, you ain't getting loose, not after you almost knocked over the data cylinder." Rumble said.
After a few minutes of explaining all the modifications that I and my symbiots had made to the ship, I received a comm from my bond.
"
Soundwave, you there?" Arcee asked.
"I read you. I assume you are about to ask about your human friends?" I responded.
"
Yeah- Wait how did you know that was what I was going to ask?"
I sighed, "I am sending you coordinates, simply input them into the ground bridge and come through, everyone is welcome to join."
I turned to the humans. "Arcee just commed me, she and the other autobots are on their way. I believe we should head outside."
Walking out of the Harbinger, we are greeted by a ground bridge opening, and every autobot aside from Perceptor coming out of it, surprisingly no one had their weapons out, not even Wheeljack or Bulkhead
Retracting my visor, I greeted them.
"Greetings autobots, here are your compatriots, unharmed thanks to I and my symbiots efforts."
"Hi Bulk!" Miko waved from Rumbles shoulders, immediately losing all the tension as the autobots realized that the kids were riding my minicons, Jack on Laserbeak and Raf on Ravage.
"Soundwave, I am glad to see that the children are not harmed." Optimus said as he walked to me.
"Your gratitude is appreciated Orion." I responded, Primes optics widening slightly.
"How about a tour Soundy?" Miko chirped.
"...I suppose a tour would be a good idea. Follow me."
I started walking, Optimus falling into step on my left, Arcee on my right.
"Over the past 4 weeks, my symbiots and I have been reinforcing this crashed ship, the Harbinger, into a veritable fortress. Shielding against scans, laboratory equipment that we 'borrowed' from the Nemesis, and two very interesting things that I believe that you will like."
We walked into the lab, which had all the relics I had gathered in siting in cases.
"Are those Iacon relics!?" Ratchet asked in shock.
"Indeed. Plus, the energon harvester that I informed you of, but that is not what is interesting. What is, is what is on the consoles." I clicked a button, showing project Iacon and the synth-en formula. "A peace offering. The entire Iacon database, and a formula for synthetic energon."
Ratchets jaw almost came unhinged with how wide it was, the other autobots were in similar states of shock.
"You mean you've been sitting on all this just as a peace offering?" Bulkhead commented.
"I will admit I had considered collecting all of the relics and delivering a few cubes of synthetic to seal the deal." I said.
"...Are these clone protoforms?" Jetfire interrupted as he stood in front of them.
"Yes... they are. Why do you ask?"
"Do they take laser cores?"
"With minor modifications as I have found. Why?" I asked, walking over to him.
Jetfire reached into his subspace as a solemn expression came across his face. "You know how I was the leader of the Aerialbots? Silverbolt, Air Raid, Breakaway, and Skydive were all killed, but I kept their laser cores to remember them. Do you think that you and Ratchet can bring them back?"
"Jetfire, you know that attempting to bring back the dead only laser cores is pure folly if these protoforms don't have all the correct organs. Do they?" Ratchet asked me.
"After scanning them, they are fully capable of bringing back anybot, grounder or flier. Even combiners." Jetfire's optics widened at that.
"You mean Superion could come back too?" He asked.
"But that leaves only one protoform left." Arcee said. "Who would be the last one? I don't think any of us have any other laser cores."
Optimus looked at Ratchet at that point. "No one but you, old friend."
Ratchet looked at Optimus, his optics wide as he brought his hand up with a laser core in it and looked at it.
About 10 minutes later and an explanation to the kids about cybertronian reincarnation, the laser cores were installed in the protoforms, and everyone had gathered around.
"Would you like to do the honor doctors?" I asked Ratched and the newly arrived Perceptor.
They pulled the lever, and with a massive amount of electricity sparking around the protoforms, they eventually took the forms of G1 inspired prime versions of the aerialbots and Bluestreak and they all fell into a kneeling position before they came online.
"S-Sire?" Bluestreak said to Ratchet, who stumbled over and gathered Bluestreak in his arms, whispering cybertronian prayers of what he was seeing he hoped to be real.
The Aerialbots group hugged, Jetfire at the center of it. All of them crying golden colored tears.
"This calls for a celebration!" Bulkhead yelled.
"You got that right!" Wheeljack said.
"I have high grade in the storage room, and a music collection in the captain's quarters." I said as everyone started moving to the newcomers and talking to them.
Eventually everyone got reintroduced to the reforged, and the high grade flowed. Wheeljack and Bulkhead started sharing wrecker stories, I spotted Cliffjumper and Arcee dancing with each other and Optimus and Elita shared a dance on one of the slower songs. Bluestreak was listening to Jazz tell one of his famous sabotage stories along with Warpath. The kids were having fun, running around playing with my symbiots, being chaotic as usual. Perceptor was doing a bit of light testing of the synth-en with a cube of high grade in his hand, nodding along while Ratchet rambled about the wreckers.
Around sunset Optimus disappeared, and I left to find him. I soon found him outside sitting around a campfire he had made as he watched the sun go down, a thoughtful expression on his faceplate.
"Getting away from the party Prime?" I asked as I walked up to him, most of the others not far behind.
"I have never been one for parties." Optimus said.
"You mean your first allspark day celebration with Elita didn't happen? You can't lie to me Orion; I saw you after 7 cubes of high grade at macadams. I have never seen a mech dance like that." I quipped.
"You mean Optimus was a party animal?!" Miko chirped as everyone started sitting down to watch the sunset.
Optimus looked at me with an exasperated expression, before laughing, and it sounded like rolling thunder. With everyone settled and the sun turning red as it lowered, I decided to embarrass the Prime a bit.
"Oh definitely. I wish I still had the recording of some of the moves Orion pulled off to impress Elita. You see..."
The night was filled with the sound of laughter as the celebration went on into the night.
"Soundwave. Thank you for allowing some of our comrades to return." Optimus said to me as everyone left through the ground bridge.
"You're welcome Prime. My base is always open to you and your allies, never forget that." I responded. I handed him a data stick. "Here, perhaps with both of us working on it, the Iacon database can be fully decoded sooner rather than later."
"Till all are one, Soundwave."
"Till all are one, Orion."
After everyone left, I and my symbiots bridged back to my quarters in the Nemesis right as Megatron commed me.
"
Soundwave, come to the flight deck, we have new allies." he ordered.
Arriving on the flight deck I am greeted by a transport ship, and a set of 5 particular decepticon grounders.
"Ah Soundwave, see if you can get our intel out of the ship will ya?" Motormaster asked.
Slag, I was not prepared for the stunticons... Is that Offroad replacing Breakdow
