The Monster of Kaon (Transformers Si): Chapter 7

"Elita, we have a problem."

I suppressed a groan and looked up from my terminal, already bracing myself for yet more work.

"Nova, this better be important-"

"Thunder has returned with Ravage and Laserbeak. He says it's important that he speak with Maximus."

"…Fine."

Novastar just looked at me with pity which made my irritation grow. I dearly loved Novastar and the rest of the Femmes in the group like my own siblings, but sometimes, it feels like I drew the short end of the stick all those Meta-Cycles (Years) ago when we abandoned the Security Forces and Joined the Ascenticons.

Moonracer was assigned to the scout units thanks to her exceptional sharpshooting skills, Greenlight was put under Shockwave to make use of her abilities as someone who was once a member of the Science Caste. Lancer and Novastar were put in with the Base defense forces since they were both aspiring Elite Guards.

But somehow, despite having extensive combat abilities and being an experienced Security Officer, I was put under Soundwave's unit as part of the Ascenticon Overwatch. I would have called Maximus a hypocrite for putting me in the position of a mere communications officer just because I was part of the lower castes in Iacon when I was still Ariel and not Elita-1, but I only realized the truth when I started learning under Soundwave.

The Overwatch is not just any communications hub, it is the main information center for the entirety of the Ascenticon movement, every fraction of data, all of its secrets and encrypted communications, go through us. As a result, Overwatch requires bots that are competent at multitasking and are capable of working under the greatest pressure. This was the reason why Maximus placed me here.

However, it was not all bad since it was thanks to my position in Overwatch that I met Orion and found dear friends like Soundwave, Breakdown, and many more.

Walking with Novastar through the base and past the deployment hangers.

"Um? Nova? We walked past the hangers."

"I know, Thunder and the others are not at the hangers, they are in the med-bay."

I felt a sudden feeling of foreboding as I picked up the pace and walked past Nova who increased her own speed to match my own.

Within minutes, I walked into the med-bay and found a scene that made me realize the reason why Thunder was so insistent on talking to Maximus.

The three minicons were lying on recharge slabs with Energon infusers running all over their bodies, powering their self-repair nanites. Each one of them has various degrees of damage.

Laserbeak had one of her wings torn off and Thunder had his tail submerged in a coolant bath, showing that he had used his Railgun alt-mode too much and caused his transformed tail/barrel to overheat beyond its limits.

But the one with the most serious of injuries was Ravage, with one of his legs torn off and his back-mounted cannons shredded to bits.

I walked towards Thunder, the minicon that chose to bond himself with Maximus and one of his closest confidants.

"What happened??"

"Elita! We don't have time! Contact Maximus and the others-"

"Thunder, Maximus is with Orion and Megatronus at the Senate building in Iacon. They were supposed to talk with the Council to reach a peaceful resolution, remember?"

"It was a trap, Elita. Maximus suspected as much and had us observe the situation from outside the building. Everything looked like it was working out fine, although, the council rejecting Megatronus's argument and listening to Orion's, frankly naïve, ideals was a twist that we did not see coming, we still did not think much of it. It was only when the council sent Orion to retrieve the Matrix that we learned their real plan."

"What plan?"

"They are going to frame Maximus and Megatronus for the murder of Orion, no, Optimus Prime."

"A new Prime? While Sentinel is still alive? You are not making sense-"

"BY PRIMUS! HURRY UP ELITA!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME-"

BOOOOOOM

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[Warning: Multiple System Failures Detected]

[Locomotion: Online]

[Energon reserves: 62%]

[Warning: Energon leakage confirmed]

[T-Cog: Online]

[Weapon Systems: Partial damage detected]

[Sensory System: Partial damage detected]

"….ta"

[Warning: Unauthorized Spark Chamber access detected]

"….LITA!"

[Countermeasures Overridden: Medical Code N-237 Activated]

[Spark Chamber closed. Manual Stasis Override engaged]

"ARIEL!!"

I woke up with a start, coming face to face with a worried Novastar, but for some reason, only one of my optics was working.

"Ugh! What happened?"

"….We need to get out of here."

"Huh? What do you mean? Go where?"

"Come on! Lancer is helping Greenlight lead the survivors to the evacuation point, and Moonracer is already at the hangers, we are the last ones-"

"Nova!"

At my shout, Novastar ducked under a blaster shot that sailed right through where her head was just a second ago.

Through experience forged through countless operations, my arm shifted into a Path Blaster and fired at the source of the blaster shot, only for my shot to veer off to the side due to the fact that only one of my optics was working.

In that rush of combat, things started to come together.

The talk with Thunder, the sudden explosion, the sudden attack caused by a group of traitors within our ranks.

The sight of Lockdown leading a group of Beast Formers to take away the bodies of some of our downed comrades.

My anger reached a new level as I saw the smug face of the Glitch that was responsible for shooting me in the face and putting me in stasis.

"..Before I tear apart your spark, tell me why. Airachnid."

"Oh dear, is little Ariel angry that we betrayed your precious group-"

The former Insecticon jumped to the side, avoiding the blaster fire from Nova and me as we slowly started to move backward.

"We trusted you! Maximus saved you from the Institute's experiments! We gave you a home! And this is how you repay us??"

"…Enough talk, little Ascenticon, time to die-"

"Airachnid fall back-"

"Silence, Lockdown. Our deal has already been concluded. You no longer have the right to command me-GAH!!"

The Arachnoid fell to the ground in pain as the round of a Nucleon Charge Rifle pierced through her abdomen. But Airachnid showed her combat capability and shot the source of the attack, revealing Moonracer who jumped form her cover and arrived near her companions.

"Moon?? What are you doing here? You were supposed to help the other escape-"

"I already did that, you are the last ones left. That is why we came to help."

"We??"

A distinct roar answered my question as Lancer made liberal use of her Scrapmaker on Airachnid who started to change form.

"On no, you don't!"

The sudden shout from Greenlight who just arrived on the battlefield caught me by surprise as the green femme used a Thermo Rocket Cannon to shoot the arachnoid out of the sky.

"Hope I am not too late for the party??"

"You idiots! You were supposed to evacuate with the others-"

"And leave you and Elita to be offlined? Like that would ever happen."

"We are a team, remember??"

I smiled at my team, remembering all the time we spent together engaging in a similar banter. But my focus shifted once again as I saw the rubble shift, revealing a heavily injured Airachnid rising out of the ruins with a Scatter Blaster aimed right at Novastar whose back was turned to her.

It felt like time stopped moving as my processors overclocked, allowing me to see with excruciating detail as the gun started to fire its rounds, the sadistic and twisted smile on Airachnid's faceplate depicting her assurance at gaining a kill.

"Are you going to let her die?"

A voice rang out in my audio receptors, but my systems failed to locate the origin of the voice.

"Are you going to allow that Insecticon to offline one of your family?"

"Never! I will never allow it."

"Then, heed the call, and rise as my Shield, as is your destiny."

I felt a foreign code rush through my processor, activating functions in my body that I never knew even existed.

I felt the code being transmitted through my systems to the rest of my team, and for some reason, I could feel their systems as if they were my own, and I could tell that they felt the same thing as I.

I, we, felt our T-Cogs suddenly expand and change, draining our reserves of nanites in our body that are usually used for self-repair systems.

And then, everything fell into place in our minds.

My body shifted, my T-Cog working in tandem with that of the others, turning my body into the Torso, I felt Moonracer and Novastar turn into the arms while Greenlight and Lancer turned into the Pedes of our new form.

"W-What???"

"You are done, Airachnid. For you have enraged me, Orthia, the Shield of Solus, and you will now pay the price."

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"-we have yet to receive any confirmation on just what exactly is being discussed in the council building at the moment. But we have confirmation that the Ascenticon movement leader and his second-in-command are-"

BOOOOOM

The young femme that was reporting the situation became one of the victims of the explosion as she was blown in pieces along with all the surrounding bots, all the while the floating camera drone captured the visceral image even while it tumbled on the ground.

The terminal switched to a different data stream.

"-There are confirmed reports of mysterious bombing incidents across Cybertron. Most of the targets seem to be the major cities that house important people in the Council or the ruling bots of the higher casts-"

The terminal switched the stream again.

"-We have unverified reports claiming that a group of bots calling themselves 'Decepticons' are claiming responsibility for the attack-"

Click

"-Our sensors picked up a massive explosion from somewhere deep in the Rust Sea-"

The terminal turned off as the operator sighed in despair and Self-loathing.

"If only, I had acted sooner, maybe this tragedy could have been averted. Nevertheless, with this, the path to the future has been set."

The bot which had a body that looked like it belonged in ancient times, walked towards the stasis pod that lay at the fat side of his chamber.

"When I first heard of you and your actions, I believed you to be an anomaly, not because of the movement you started or any other action that you carried out, but simply because my powers simply failed to determine your future."

The bot walked to the pod and placed his hand on its closed cover while activating the ejection systems on the pod.

"I thought you were an agent of the Chaos Bringer, placed on Cybertron to cause strife and to awaken your master through unknown means. But as I continued observing you throughout the countless Meta-Cycles, I realized, that you were no agent of the Chaos Bringer, but perhaps the opposite. Your desire to defy the Council led by that fake Prime and his followers, was not born out of selfishness, but from a genuine desire to help your loved ones."

"I had genuinely hoped that you would lead us down a better path. But alas, the actions of the Council have already pushed us down a path leading to our ruin. That is why, I must do everything I can to protect our future."

The bot looked at the pod as it started to launch with sadness and guilt.

"…I am truly sorry, Maximus. I hope you can find it in your spark to forgive this useless Prime for his actions, for having ripped you away from your friends and family, knowing that you would not recognize what they would become in the future when you wake up."

The last of the thirteen Primes, Alpha Trion, received no reply as he watched the stasis pod escape the gravitational pull of Cybertron and shoot into deep space, guided by the powers of the supercomputer, Vector Sigma.

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Orthia:

Elita-1: Torso and head.
Moonracer: Right arm.
Novastar: Left arm.
Greenlight: Left leg.
Lancer: Right leg.



Thunder the minicon:



Railgun form: