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It was a cold day in the advanced metropolis called Abel City. Citizens-Reploid and Human alike-were either evacuating, or hiding in their homes. The leader of the Maverick Hunters, Sigma, had just begun an open rebellion , with nearly a dozen hunters defecting alongside him-not to mention untold infected or stolen mechaniloids. Chaos, violence, fear-it was filling every street, seeping into the foundation of the city-eating away at the idea that Reploids and Humans could co-exist. Doctor Cain, their inventor, feared that the most.
All that is to say…that chaos was the reason nobody was watching the sky. Which is why the two alien space vessels crashing into the area were so disruptive.
Eyewitnesses reported that one vessel-orange in coloration and rounded in construction-had slammed into the remains of the Energy Mines, where Armored Armadillo had been sighted. The other, purple and more angular in its design, crashed directly into the oceanic region Launch Octopus had been deployed. After the initial chaos in the streets, the Maverick Hunter X had approached the orange vessel after he confirmed Armored Armadillo had retreated. He had no idea that, at the same time, Vile was investigating the purple one.
There, they both met the first aliens on earth since the days of Robot Masters.
There…They met the Autobots and the Decepticons.
Rapidly, things escalated. The cruel warlord Megatron and his forces clashed with the Mavericks at first, but they came to understand each other when Sigma arrived and got the measure of his counterpart. Meanwhile, X and a smaller bot named Bumblebee first encountered each other…before he was led to their leader. Optimus Prime.
Alliances were made. Information was shared. A very old war and a very new one joined together.
And soon enough, the Earth’s fate would be deeply altered.
THE NIGHT AFTER THE UPRISING AND THE ARRIVAL
ABEL CITY
MAVERICK HUNTER HEADQUARTERS
Optimus Prime had watched his world die…and had tried to escape the war that killed it. But escape was never an option for war . Not against a foe like Megatron. And for their flight from home to take them across the universe…to another world, where two sides of cybernetic organisms had just come into conflict? It was like Primus was mocking him for his cowardice…or his failure to uphold the legacy of the artifact that lay within his chest. What sort of leader would bring their war to another world…?
As all this swirled through his mind, he stood outside of the headquarters of their new allies-the Maverick Hunters. At that moment, he knew Wheeljack and Ratchet were hard at work developing compatible upgrades for their allies-as Bumblebee and Steeljaw’s reconnaissance had discovered the Decepticons were also engaging in. But the battleplans had been drawn, Jazz was showing a few reploids his favourite music…and Optimus was without a purpose for the moment.
So he stood, staring at a new sky, eyes tracing over a new set of stars. Feeling a new atmosphere on his chassis. This world…was a beautiful one.
Optimus Prime feared that he’d brought doom to it, just as the war had done to Cybertron. But as he did, Optimus heard the smaller doors for the hangar they were using for a makeshift lab open…
“Excuse me, Commander Prime, sir?”
The voice belonged to X, their cerulean ally. Optimus could tell he was young, inexperienced, but that he had the potential for great things…In many ways, he reminded him of Hot Rod, who had insisted he and a few others remained with Elita-1 when Optimus was planning the exodus.
The Autobot crouched, offering his hand to his smaller ally-who trusted him enough to hop up into it. At that, he stood again, staring down. He felt…an immense responsibility, in that moment.
“You don’t need to call me that-Prime is already a title. It’s a bit like putting a scraplet on a turbofox. Just call me Optimus, X.”
“A scrap…? Oh. Like Doctor Cain told me-Like putting a Hat on a Hat.”
“...Sure, I guess. What did you need?”
X stared out across the grounds, then glanced back at the hangar. “It’s…I’m just…Zero and Doctor Cain were speaking to Jazz about your world. And…I need to ask-Do you know your creators personally?”
Optimus was a bit shocked, trying to figure out how to talk around having the Matrix of Leadership in his chest while also being somewhat Agnostic. “That’s…a rather personal question, X. Religion is-”
“No, that’s-” The blue reploid seemed embarrassed, shaking his head. “Not religion, I meant the ones that built your species originally. I wanted to know if…if what Sigma is trying to do happened on your world.”
“X…Cybertron never had Organic Life. We emerged naturally, evolved into our current forms…over the course of millennia. The only answer to “the creators of the Cybertronian race” is a religious one.”
The shock he saw cross the young bot’s face was obvious. “Naturally…evolving…? That’s-”
“Believe me, I felt the same way when I learned about Organics myself. But just because our origins are different doesn’t mean our value is. Freedom is the right of all Sentient beings-and that includes the humans and the reploids.” Optimus looked back to the stars. “While Megatron-the one that’s joined Sigma…believes that Freedom is something that only belongs to the strong. ”
When Optimus looked back to X, he watched as the shock, the confusion, the apprehension…hardened into determination.
“Freedom…I think Freedom is the reason I was made, Optimus. Something about that idea-those words…they resonate. I haven’t seen much combat, but…I plan to give it my all tomorrow.”
Optimus felt his mouthplate tilt up a bit, chuckling. “I’d hope so-but don’t think “your all” means you’ve got to put yourself in danger without reason, X. There’s a very fine line that separates being a hero…and being a memory.”
X clenched his fist, nodding firmly. “Yes, sir!”
Optimus held his other hand up, forming it into a fist. “I told you already, X-Just call me Optimus.”
After a moment’s hesitation, X cracked a smile and bumped his own fist into Optimus’s.
“ Attabot. ”
INSIDE THE HANGAR
As the Reploids and Autobots bustled about, preparing…as Jazz and Blaster hooked up Teletraan 1 to the local computer systems so as to provide them all with new Alternate Modes…as Wheeljack and Ratchet worked with Doctor Cain to design compatible armors for X and Zero…as Rewind played footage to brief another squad on the tactics and IDs of various Decepticons…
Zero watched it all from a catwalk, leaned forwards on the railing. Sigma had been the best of them…he’d been willing to do anything for the people. So why was he betraying them all like this…? And why did Zero feel, somewhere in his core, that he had to do something to fix it?
Thoughts twisted their way through his mind. Hazy memories of confinement…of a mission…of a voice…
Of W-
“Hey, is that thing your blaster?”
Zero’s head snapped up, twisting to see-
Bumblebee, the plucky scout from the Autobots. Zero traced his gaze to the hilt that hung at his hip.
“No. It’s a beamsaber. I’m like X, in that I’ve got an integrated Buster that I can convert my arm into for ranged combat-but I prefer melee.” He held his arm up, demonstrating as his hand slid inside and the emitter gems emerged.
Bumblebee’s eyes widened, and he leaned in to inspect it. “Woah…your own limbs turn into weapons? That’s pretty crazy. I’d never want to have that-I’m a bit too attached to my fingers!”
Zero converted his hand back, laughing under his breath at that-as much breath as a reploid had , anyway. “If you don’t have integrated weaponry, I don’t see how someone your size could’ve been a good soldier when you’re so much smaller than your comrades. At least…compared to the ones that don’t live in the sound system’s chest.”
Bumblebee flopped a hand in Zero’s direction dismissively, leaning on the wall opposite the catwalk’s railing as he pulled out a simple looking-but appropriately Autobot Sized-pistol.
“Hey, I may be young, but I stay armed. This might not pack the punch of an Ion Blaster, but it does the job-especially if you go for the eyes first.”
“If your foes are as dangerous as you’ve been telling us, that might be the sort of advice we need to fight them. But…why are you up here?”
Bumblebee tilted his head, before shrugging. “Why…? Iunno. You looked lonely, kinda angry. Thought I’d try and keep you company.”
“Shouldn’t you be preparing to fight?”
“
Shouldn’t you?
We’re both slacking off while the big brains do the big brain stuff and the technicians set everything up. I think Jetfire’s scouting out where scorm beagle was-”
“Storm Eagle.”
“Whatever his name is! Point is, we’re both clearly bored.”
Zero stared at the yellow bot, finding it impossible to re-discover the dark train of thought he’d been on, as this…confounding car-robot had utterly derailed it. “I wasn’t bored.”
“I mean, hey, I get moody if I get bored-”
“
I was not “bored”.
I was considering things.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?” The yellow robot leaned forwards, feigning curiosity.
“Personal issues.”
“So you were sitting around with nothing to do, and started thinking about stuff that makes you sad.”
Zero narrowed his eyes, annoyance mixing in with his pride. “Is there a point or…?”
“Eh, not really. But I do wanna make the battle a bit more fun.”
“
What?
”
Bumblebee leaned forwards, spinning his pistol on his finger. “Wanna bet who’s going to take more Mav-cepticons down?”
Zero couldn’t keep himself from squinting in further confusion.
Bumblebee could…clearly see that. “I mixed Maverick and Decepticon.”
“I realized , it was just a baffling choice. Besides, that’s not going to be much of a challenge-I’m an A-Ranked Maverick Hunter, and you’re a scout.”
“ Pff . I’m a scout that’s been fighting for longer than you’ve existed, pal!”
Zero stepped away from the railing, lifting an eyebrow. “And you think a dinky little blaster and, what, pluck and gusto is gonna let you net more takedowns than me?”
“Pluck, Gusto, and plenty of experience. What, you scared of a little competition?” Bumblebee leaned forwards, holding his hand out.
Zero glanced at it, and a smile cracked onto his lips without his consent. “...Heh. Alright then, yellowbelly, You’re on. Just don’t get disappointed when I smoke your fender out there.” He gripped the hand and shook it firmly, prompting a wink and a thumbs up from the other bot.
“Whatever you say, ponytail.”
MIDNIGHT
OUTSIDE THE NEWLY FORGED MAVRICON BATTLE FORTRESS
The two sides had made their upgrades. They’d prepared their weapons and strategies.
Above, The Seekers danced through the clouds.
Below, Mavericks stood alongside Insecticons and Cassettecons…Vile admired his newly minted, shoulder mounted fusion cannon . Soundwave inspected the upgrades made to Storm Eagle’s wings and weaponry-based on his own Laserbeak, who had been injured in the crash. Ravage stalked between the rows of warriors, animalistic senses sharpened by data from Sting Chameleon
Every Maverick stood, marked with the glowing purple insignia of their new allies-a method of distinguishing ally from enemy on battlefields bereft of uniforms.
And in the center…Sigma stood on the palm of the wicked Lord Megatron, brandishing his Energon Scythe with glee.
“ MAVERICKS! ” cried the former defender of both Reploid and Man.
“ DECEPTICONS! ” bellowed the warrior who believed Peace only came through Tyranny.
Across the way, stood their opponents. Jetfire soared above, ready to engage.
Below him, stood Jazz, Bumblebee, and Rewind-weapons tuned with the specialized focus crystals the reploids utilized. Doctor Cain stood, guarded by Steeljaw the lion, determined to see this through-to see for himself the battles his creations fought. Zero flexed his arms, still getting used to the advanced cybertronian armor-especially the boxy additions on his shoulders. But the energon powersource they’d given his beamsaber made it thrum with a new force that he could certainly appreciate. He exchanged a glance with Bumblebee, and the two smirked confidently.
And at their core were two beings, two noble warriors that wished only for peace. One wearing the armor built for him by his new allies…and one holding onto the hope that he’d made the right choices, not the easy ones.
“Maverick Hunters…!” cried the final work of a gentle man.
“Autobots…” rumbled the last of a lineage that fought for peace.
“ATTACK!!”
“ ROLL OUT!!”
And while this is where a new battle begins…it’s where this story ends.
Happy birthday, Luci.