The Monster of Kaon (Transformers Si): Chapter 14

Windblade glared at the brain module that belonged to the Titan Emissary while keeping her blaster set at an angle. This would allow her to kill the Titan instantly should he try anything funny again.

Normally, her economy model blaster would not have the firepower to penetrate the thick Cybermatter shell around the brain module. She suspected not even a proper Cybertronian with their heavy caliber weapons would be able to penetrate the shell either, except for those with ridiculously powerful weapons, such as Maximus.

However, she knew that she could easily kill the Titan thanks to the tiny weaknesses she could see dotting the Titan's brain module, and the rest of his entire body.

Weaknesses that she was only able to see thanks to something that she gained at the expense of her closest companion aside from Chromia.

Her optics, which once shone with blue light just like the rest of the Camian bots, now shone with a bright green light as she continued to glare at the Titan's brain while the said Titan tried to de-escalate the situation.

"You know, any other bot in your place would have been elated to receive the acknowledgment of a Prime, especially when they receive their legacy in such a way."

"Not at the expense of someone I care about. I would rather not receive anything if it means I would lose Maximus."

"Don't be dramatic. His Spark is still intact. The only thing that is changing is his body."

"And what about his mind? You violated his privacy in a way that is unthinkable for a normal bot. If you had done something like this on Caminus, we would have done everything in our power to offline you."

"Is that a threat? Youngling?"

Windblade's temper flared. Responding to her emotion, her blaster powered on and instantly discharged a shot, directly penetrating a weakness in the Brain module and causing irreparable damage to the Titan by destroying his control over all of his propulsion systems, except for the ones that kept him in orbit around the Star.

"GAAAAAH!! HOW DARE YOU-"

"Careful now. The next shot will directly impact your personality matrix, passing through your main processor."

The incensed Titan could not do anything but silently retract the hundreds of Turret systems that had sprung up within the room in response to his pain.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Youngling. Don't think that just because you received Alchemist Prime's blessing and his Lenses in the form of your new optics you can get away with threatening a Titan."

"Just like you played a dangerous game by accessing Maximus's deepest and darkest memories without his consent. I am a Cityspeaker, Titan. For us, memories and emotions of a bot are a highly sacred thing, for you to violate these beliefs in such a way has already made you exempt from our laws. It means that I no longer have to treat you like a revered Titan, but a threat. Someone that I can do whatever I want with. You might think that I don't have the power to carry out my threat, and you would be right. But, don't forget who Maximus is. If word got out about what you did to him, you will face the full might of Caminus and Eukaris, along with our Titans, especially Lady Chela since she was the one that sent him on this quest and the one that guaranteed his safety."

The Titan fell silent.

He did not fear a combined attack from two worlds of Bots. Even if he was weakened due to a combination of factors along with the recent loss of locomotion thanks to this young Femme, he was still a second-generation Titan. A Cybertronian that was born from Primus himself after the first three Titans. Born for the purpose of war and to spread Cybertronian life across the universe.

However, what he did fear was facing Chela, one of the first three Titans, the most powerful Titans to have ever been born aside from a certain other Titan that was built specifically for War and nothing else.

At this moment, he started regretting his actions and his impulsiveness that was born from spending eons alone around a remote star on the outer fringes of the Galaxy.

And yet, there is no use regretting what has already happened. The only thing he can do now is stay silent and hope that things don't become even worse.

Especially since the bot known as Maximus looked like he was on the verge of losing himself if the way his form kept shifting from one to another.

Sometimes, it would turn into a puddle of Cybermatter, another time, it would change into a form so alien that even the ancient Titan had trouble comprehending it. But his body would never stay in one form for more than a few seconds before changing into something new again.

A result of being acknowledged by an Artifact of the Primes, just like his companion.

But, unlike Windblade who only felt a temporary pain thanks to having her optics completely replaced by that of Alchemist Prime's Lenses, Maximus was chosen by an artifact that was the most troublesome one that Emissary housed within him.

The Transformation Cog. The T-Cog, belonging to Amalgamous Prime. Something that Emissary had once found orbiting a black hole somewhere in the void beyond the galaxy.

It was the reason why his form never stayed the same. The T-Cog was trying to change Maximus's form into the most optimum one possible for his spark, but his obscenely powerful and utterly alien coding and software defenses were fighting against its control while his very spark was resisting the will within the T-cog, resulting in the current scene.

Frankly, the Titan could not even imagine the kind of pain that Maximus is experiencing right now, once again making him feel slightly guilty.

However, if Vector Prime ever allowed him to go back in time, he would still do the same thing without any doubt.

It might make him seem like a cruel and uncaring Titan, but he has no choice.

This was a promise he made to himself after Prima was killed at the hands of someone he called a brother.

He knew, that even a Prime was not infallible to greed and darkness, so he would never risk it when it came to dangerous and powerful objects such as the Artifacts of the Primes.

He would never allow an artifact of a Prime to fall into the hands of those unworthy of it, even if the artifact in question resonated with their spark

Time passed as one Femme and one Titan silently watched over the constantly changing body on the floor, unaware that the bot in question was blissfully ignorant of his body's current state and was engrossed in a spat with someone who was already dead.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

[You are quite the strange one, Armorbite. Or, should I call you Maximus?]

"Doesn't matter what you call me."

I just stared ahead, at countless fragments of memories spanning millions of years of my existence. Surprisingly, even my memories as a Human were present in those fragments, although, they were positively tiny compared to the vast collection of memories that I had as a Cybertronian.

[Maximus, then. You seem very calm for someone who just went through quite the ordeal.]

"What difference does it make? It's not like I can stop you or that Titan from doing whatever you want simply because you are stronger than me."

The bitterness in my voice must have been very obvious since the voice in the void turned silent for a moment before returning again, this time filled with a hint of sorrow and regret.

[I am truly sorry for what Emissary did to you. Maximus. I know, that no matter what I say and no matter how I explain his reasons, it would not make up for what he did to you. I only hope that you can find it in your spark to forgive him. No matter his faults, he was still a dear friend of ours.]

"As expected of a Prime. The moment something goes wrong or those under you abuse their power, you are very quick to clean up after them and silence anyone else that protests. I guess it was a good thing that Liege Maximo and Megatronus Prime brought an end to your bots. I shudder to imagine what Cybertron would have looked like under your rule."

Amalgamous Prime. The Prime that was responsible for all the Cybertronians having a T-Cog in the first place, remained silent at my accusation before replying in a neutral tone, indicating that he was starting to let his emotions control him, just like wanted.

[…I can understand your hatred for the Primes. But, please know the truth before you accuse us of anything.]

"What truth do I not know? You have already violated my mind and seen all my memories, just like that bastard of a Titan. You know that I was there personally to see all the stupid decisions that your lineage made and made life a living hell for all of Cybertron-"

[They were not Primes! They were Fake!]

For the first time since I woke up, trapped within my thoughts after Emissary's attack on my mind, I felt shocked as I drew several theories based on that single statement. Theories that gave me an ominous feeling, especially as some of my human memories came to the forefront.

"…Go on. Don't stop now. Give me the details."

[The lineage of the Primes that you are familiar with, were all fakes, starting from Nova Prime. Alpha Trion created the fake matrix that Nova Prime and all the subsequent Primes used to claim their right to rule. I do not know why he did it, but I can say for certain that it was a foolish move on my brother's part]

"Among many other foolish moves, yes."

Once again, regret tinged his voice.

[I know. His actions, while justified from his point of view, are extremely stupid when viewed with hindsight. It does not take much for one to see the benefits that would have come from letting you continue on your path on Cybertron instead of removing you from the equation altogether. Even if you are an anomaly the likes of which we have never seen. Onyx would have loved to take a closer look at your spark that someone originated from an organic being before your rebirth from the Well of Sparks.]

"Great. Another Prime that wants to dissect me for my nature. You know, you are not making a good case for me to put aside my hatred for your kind."

[It was never my intention to have you forgive the actions of those who wronged you, for I know that it is simply impossible, especially when that hatred originates from deep within your Spark]

"Really? And how would you know that?"

[The same way you already knew my identity the moment I started talking]

….What? What is he talking about-

Wait a minute, how did I know who he was without him introducing himself? And why the hell am I so calm while talking to one of the thirteen original Primes??

I felt nauseous, something that I have never felt ever since I became a Cybertronian, as the void filled with my memories trembled slightly.

[I see that you are finally starting to realize your situation. Let me make it easier for you as a gesture of goodwill. You, or rather, your consciousness, is right now at the deepest part of your Spark. An automatic safety measure to ensure that you do not go mad with pain due to what's happening to your body. In this place, you cannot lie about anything, just like I cannot lie about anything either given the fact that I am just a residual consciousness within my T-Cog. It is also because of this that we are connected in such a way that you know me just as intimately as you would know yourself]

I felt a chill go up my spine, another thing that I had not felt since I became a Cybertronian.

"What is happening to my body? Please tell me it is not destroyed again. I seriously cannot handle an economy model body right now since that is the only body that the Mistress and the Council would willingly forge for me. I simply cannot handle a downgrade like that, especially since I have already gotten used to the sheer power of my artificial bodies."

[Haha! No. Your body is not destroyed, technically speaking. It is in the process of transforming, to accommodate and create the most optimal form to accommodate your Spark. A result of my T-Cog acknowledging you and merging with you.]

"…I'm sorry, did you just say that your T-Cog, The T-Cog, the original one upon which all the T-cogs in the universe are modeled after, 'acknowledged' me and is changing my body?? Why??"

[I would not know. Ever since I ejected it from my body before my demise, it gained a rudimentary sentience of its own after coming in contact with Quintus Prime's Ember Stone, which makes sense considering the fact that the majority of the artifacts that we used were born directly from Primus, making their operation an enigma for even their wielders.]

"…You are a really unreliable Prime, aren't you?"

[Hey! I am not that bad. And you don't know how lucky you are. If my T-Cog was late in acknowledging you by even a single second, your spark would have resonated with Maximo's Darts, allowing his residual consciousness to gain direct access to your Spark.]

…Yeah, that does not sound good.

"Why would it do that?"

[Because, just like Emissary said, your spark is filled with darkness the likes of which rivals Liege Maximo. Something that you should not take lightly since Liege Maximo's darkness originated from his corruption by Unicron, a being of pure darkness and chaos as you know. However, Emissary was right in saying that darkness is not the only thing that dominates your Spark. It is for this reason, this perfect balance between darkness and light within you Spark, that my T-Cog chose to acknowledge you.]

"Didn't you say you don't know why the T-cog chose me? Did you lie to me? Because you seem pretty knowledgeable on why it chose me."

[…I'll admit, everything I just said is a conjecture on my part. But, I am very confident in this conjecture.]

The image that I always had in my heart of the original Primes being lofty, powerful, and wise beings was shattered completely by this point.

I can't believe Cybertronians, and the rest of our kind across the galaxy and beyond, believe in fools like these as gods.

I guess that saying, to never meet your idols, holds true even in this universe.

"..As expected of a Prime, how unreliable."

[What the-]

"Anyways. You still did not tell me about what it means to have your T-cog integrated into me."

[..What a rude youngling. If it was a few million cycles ago, you would have received all of the T-cog's abilities. The ability to change your form into anything you desire, both organic and inorganic. However, the T-cog has deteriorated significantly after spending who knows how many cycles orbiting a Black Hole, slowly having some of its components and anomalous energy sucked into the damned thing. Right now, the only thing it can do after complete integration is to give you the ability to streamline your bipedal form according to your wish, making it so that you won't have any tells of what your Alt-mode would be. Alongside that, you can also change your body into that of any other bot that you want, turning you into a so-called Shifter as you younglings call them.]

"…isn't that very underwhelming for an Artifact of a Prime?"

[You are really ungrateful, aren't you? you know what? I think you are in need of a little bit of punishment. Your firewalls are stopping the successful integration of the T-cog, I was originally going to take my time to bypass them myself and spare you the pain you would experience when you awaken as an apology for what Emissary did, but since you are such an ungrateful bot, you can do it yourself. Don't worry, I have manipulated the T-cog into changing your pain receptors to their most minimal setting, but, you will still experience quite the sting.]

"Hey-"

Before I could continue my words, I felt pain the likes of which I have never felt in my entire life. But, I still remember Amalgamous's words.

Quickly, I accessed my internal systems and disabled all but the most important Firewalls around my core systems. Instantly, foreign code flooded my very being before forming new firewalls and protective systems using an arcane form of programming that I failed to understand the principles of.

If I were to guess, I would say this is the original source code upon which the systems of the original Primes operated.

And it is magnificent.

Within seconds, my internal systems became so alien to me that I had to rely on my Outlier powers to control some of their functions unlike before when I knew them like the back of my hand.

This is dangerous. I'll need to decipher and understand this system as quickly as possible and reinstall all the contingencies I had in place. I cannot allow something so foreign to exist within me, not without any control over it.

My thoughts did not last long as I finally regained the senses of my body, allowing me to open my optics again after what felt like an eternity.

And immediately, I noticed the sheer difference between my old optics and my new one.

It was impossible to put it into words. It was like what a person who had severe eye degradation would feel like when he got the perfect prescription glasses or contacts. The sheer clarity with which I now saw the world is truly overwhelming.

However, I didn't get to marvel at my new sight for much longer as I felt a tiny form suddenly envelop my lower half.

Huh? Did Windblade always have green optics?

"Maximus! Thank Solus you are fine! I thought-"

"Calm down, kid. I am fine."

"About time. I am glad you pulled through."

…Let's see if what Amalgamous said about having an optimal body is true.

I used old systems that I thought lost long ago, to which my body responded instantly.

Parts of my back shifted to produce a long hilt. Pulling on the familiar, yet new, hilt, I found my old weapon in its full glory.

The hum of air being sliced by the Energon blade that lined the massive sword caused Windblade to become tense as I pointed it toward the Brain Module of the Titan.

"…Let me make this very clear. I consider you a threat to everything that I hold dear. The only reason I am not destroying your brain module, right here right now, is because Amalgamous Prime tried to justify your actions for you, an act that told me how much he cared for you. but, make no mistake, I will inform Lady Chela about your act and allow her to decide your fate. If I were you, I would prepare myself to face her wrath, since we both know what kind of a Titan she is."

"…For what it's worth-"

"Your words are not worth anything, Emissary. You have lost all respect with me. Now, give me the Cyber Caliber and we will be on our way"

The Titan stayed silent.

For a few seconds, I thought the bastard was going to ignore my words and got ready to duke it out with him. With a simple thought, my right arm transformed into my Laser Cannon while I wielded my sword in my left hand.

But, my preparations proved to be pointless as a section of the floor shifter before a pedestal containing a jumbled mess of a sword as large as I am tall appeared, sealed within a transparent but metallic container.

"Wait! I still have-"

I did not hear what the stupid Titan had to say, and neither did Windblade who had an uncharacteristic sneer on her face as her green optics glowed with an anomalous energy reading.

Seriously, what happened while I was trapped within my spark?

We transformed into our Alt-Modes and returned to our ship before setting out to Eukaris.

This farse of a quest has gone on long enough, it's about time I get my payment from Chela and additional Hazard pay for what I had to face within that lunatic of a Titan.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maximus New Form:

Maximus Sword: