Chapter Text
Distress Call
“Little Scout, what are you doing here?” Megatron's deep voice rumbled behind Bumblebee as he leant against a hay bale enjoying some much earned respite from watching over the Terran’s.
Much to his relief, Scion Fornax had decided to entertain the younglings, having been nearby on an errand. For such a large bot, Scion was very gentle and sweet. Nightshade and Jawbreaker had taken especially to him, Scion’s past education as an engineer helping him get along well with the Owl Terran and their brilliant analytical mind. Jawbreaker’s keen interest in Cybertron’s culture and history was piqued by the Destron who only knew of his Cybertronian homeworld, still getting used to Earth, even 5 years after his ship had landed on the planet. An exchange of cultures, as it were.
5 years. It sure didn’t feel like 5 years, Bumblebee thought to himself as he moved to address the former Decepticon leader. 5 years of Megatron living with the Maltos and proving himself a rather hilariously good babysitter to bother the Malto Children. He was a lot more stern with then yet gentle when called for. At first Bumblebee was annoyed at how good Megatron was, until he realised that Megatron could take over while he could hang out with Breakdown. Something he hadn’t been able to do during the war. For very obvious reasons.
“I’m just minding my– oh,” Bumblebee’s optics widened as he glanced over at Megatron. The silver warframe wasn’t even looking at him and instead his focus was on Breakdown as he walked up the Malto driveway towards the dugout.
Right. Breakdown had once been Megatron’s Scout when he had been leader of the Decepticons. Just as he was Optimus Prime’s scout. It was funny how that worked out, the both of them on opposing sides yet with the same role.
“Are you here to see Bumblebee?” Megatron gestured towards him and Breakdown glanced over at him, a small smile appearing on the Stunticons face. “How is Knockout?”
“Of course I’m here to see Bumblebee,” Breakdown gruffly answered, causing Bumblebee to grin widely, before the stunticon glanced around him and turned his attention back to Megatron. “And Knockout is being… insufferable.”
Megatron gave a snort of amusement.
“Knockout is always insufferable,” The former Decepticon Leader rumbled and Breakdown shrugged. “Yet you chose to conjunx him.”
“I mean more than usual,” Breakdown shook his helm. “He constantly complains. It never ends. I need to get out of our hideaway for a bit. Have a little ‘me’ time before things get crazy with the new bitty.”
Bumblebee approached them with a smile. Truth be told, he was a little jealous about how Breakdown was so casual with his former leader. Granted that his friend no longer took orders nor did he have any obligation to interact with him anymore, Megatron treated his former Scout well and from what Breakdown had told him, Megatron had always had a more gracious attitude to his scouts and spies. He valued them because of the intel they brought him. Intel which Megatron had proven to be extensive, especially when it came to Autobot transformers. Megatron knew a disturbing amount of information about all of them. Megatron also knew about his own troops both former and current. He knew Breakdown as if he were a close friend. It was… impressive.
On his own side, Optimus didn’t even know what additives he liked in his energon let alone anything really personal about him. Pits, it felt like Optimus Prime didn’t even know he existed except when he had to call on him for something.
It made him sad. He looked up at his Amica and his former leader as they spoke. As equals. Megatron obviously respected Breakdown, bending down slightly to make himself at the same optic level. Optimus wouldn’t even return his calls.
“Knockout’s near emergence, can you blame him for complaining?” Megatron continued and Breakdown gave a deep sigh. “You more than anyone knows how he feels about his paint and ‘lustrous figure’ being ruined.”
“I wish he’d stop calling himself ‘lustrous’ in front of people. And no, I don’t suppose I can blame him,” the Stunticon conceded before stepping over to Bumblebee and clapping a servo on his shoulder warmly.. “But I would like to spend some time with my Amica before I have no time for him at all.”
“A worthy endeavour,” Megatron praised, smiling down at them. He tilted his helm, a knowing look in his optics as he regarded them. “You’re going to the racetrack, I assume?”
“Where else would we go?” Breakdown smirked and Bumblebee laughed. “Apart from finding Agent Schloder and annoying him for a couple joors.”
”Hours, Breakdown, they’re called hours on Earth,” Bumblebee nudged the Stunticon in the side. Breakdown grunted annoyed.
”Look, Wildbreak’s going to emerge any cycle now, can I not spend the day with my amica being pedantic before I have to deal with a shrieking, chirping mini Knockout?” Breakdown pleaded with his rival scout.
“How do you know Wildbreak’s not going to turn out to be a mini Breakdown?” Bumblebee teased and Breakdown laughed.
“Sire’s instincts,” Breakdown shrugged. “I don’t know, as long as he doesn’t have my paranoia, he’ll be fine.”
”You’re not as paranoid as you used to be,” Megatron pointed out and Breakdown gave his former leader a pointed look.
”No thanks to you, Megsy,” Breakdown scowled and Megatron looked away in shame. “I don’t really have a reason to be anymore now that I’m not constantly fearing for my spark.”
“I am trying to be better,” Megatron admitted shamefully and Breakdown acknowledged him with a nod.
”Yeah I know,” Breakdown smirked at him. “I’m never going to stop giving you scrap over everything you’ve done.”
At that Megatron smiled, “Good. I expect you to, to keep me accountable. I do not ever want to be that person again.”
“That’s respectable, but you won’t convince everyone,” Breakdown warned and Megatron looked thoughtful and reflective for a moment before nodding slowly.
“I know, I’m struggling to convince myself, to be completely honest,” Megatron relented.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Knockout believes in you,” Breakdown offered. “I’m starting to come around myself. Hey, you know it’s actually nice to talk to you and not feel like I’m about to be flattened into a cube.”
Megatron stared at him blankly before giving a hearty laugh, Bumblebee watching their interaction, jealously flickering in his spark. Why couldn’t Prime talk to him like this? Why could he be friends with his Prime?
”No, no, that was Shockwave’s favourite way to dispose of people,” Megatron waved a servo dismissively. “I was never so crass or abstract. My methods were more direct and to the point.”
”Frag Shockwave,” Breakdown muttered with a shudder. “What a complete afthole.”
Megatron hummed in agreement before turning to look back at Bumblebee and gesturing towards him. “You should head off, I need to catch up with Ion Storm and Soundwave to see how they’re going on my little project.”
“Little Project,” Bumblebee scoffed. Megatron’s current project was certainly not ‘little’. Megatron and a ragtag group of Decepticons and Autobots that had pitched in to help, seeing potential in his vision. Bumblebee still didn’t know how to feel about it.
”It will benefit both Autobots and Decepticons,” Megatron pointed out. “Optimus was the one who suggested it.”
“Yeah I know,” Bumblebee sighed before looking at Breakdown. “Shall we go?”
“I mean, every klik lost is another klik of my sparkling-free existence gone!” Breakdown exclaimed dramatically and Bumblebee laughed.
“Yeah okay, let me just tell Scion what’s happening and then we can head–”
He was interrupted as his intercom suddenly began to loudly ping, the caller revealing himself to be Optimus Prime himself.
“Really? Now? Why do you have to call me now!?” Bumblebee snarled, Breakdown and Megatron gave each other a glance.
This was possibly one of the last chances he was going to have to spend time with his best friend before the Stunticon’s bitlet emerged.
Bumblebee considered not answering and instead ignoring Optimus but that would result in a talking to, possibly disciplinary action. He might even be taken away from the Malto’s and he more than anything did not want that.
“Yes?” Bumblebee asked, lacking any kind of enthusiasm.
“Bumbleebee I need you to go to the North Ridge and scout it out,” Optimus Prime boomed from his comm. ”Swindle and his gang have been sighted in the area.”
Bumblebee stood frozen for a moment, his mouth agape in complete and utter surprise.
Why now? Why did it have to be now?!
His mouth open and shut wordlessly as he struggled to find his voice.
”I— I— I’m in the middle of something!” Bumblebee snapped, angrier than he meant down his comms. “Can’t it wait? Or can’t you send someone else!?”
“Bumblebee you are my scout,” Optimus Prime chided him, his voice stern and in Bumblebee’s mind, rather condescending. “I need you to scout.”
“Optimus,” Megatron stepped forward, raising his voice so the Prime could hear him through Bumblebee’s comm. “Bumblebee is tied up with personal matters, I will go and scout in his stead.”
“No Megatron, Soundwave needs you there for the launch of your—“
“Optimus, Soundwave is more than capable of commanding the Decepticons by himself,” Megatron growled out. “He has more than enough support if things go astray. He does not need me there to hover. I will go and find out what Swindle is doing.”
“Megatron, while I value your input and council, old friend, I would prefer that you not so blatantly question me when I give orders to my troops,” Optimus Prime scolded Megatron.
Megatron growled, a low deep growl in his chassis, fury burning in his optics. Megatron clenched his servo and looked ready to start yelling down the line but Bumblebee sighed and put his servo up to stop the former warlord.
He didn’t want to be blamed for placing a wedge between Megatron and Optimus Prime. He would scout out whatever Prime wanted and then quickly be back to hang out with Breakdown.
”It’s fine, I’ll go and scout it out,” Bumblebee relented bitterly.
Breakdown looked devastated. ”But Bumblebee!”
“It’s fine, I’ll be back in no time,” Bumblebee scowled down at his arm, deeply annoyed. It wasn’t the first time Optimus had done this and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“But Wildbreak could emerge at any time!” Breakdown pleaded with Bumblebee. “This could be our last chance to—“
”I know but—“ Bumblebee looked away ashamed. “I don’t want to get blamed for— ah it doesn’t matter! I’ll be back as soon as I can.
“Bumblebee!” Breakdown shouted, desperately reaching for his amica as Bumblebee transformed and tore off down the driveway before drifting onto the road in a cloud of dust.
The Stunticon stared after the yellow and black super car, hurt and longer in his optics.
‘He should be used to Optimus disrespecting his boundaries by now,’ Bumblebee thought to himself, feeling hostile and embittered by the person he was supposed to trust.
Of course it had to be the Quintessons. No tentacle nor hide of them had been seen since they had been driven to ground near the beginning of the Transformers civil war. The brief peace after Sentinel had been exposed and destroyed had been dedicated to hurting down and killing the vile creatures that had dared enslave them and take the autonomy of a new generation.
Impactor sighed and looked away from the viewport and to his co-captain, the former Decepticon Air Commander and Megatron’s appointed Leader of Kaon, Blackout, who was glaring at the huge Quintesson warship before them.
It was strange, they were a strange band aboard this ship and he knew that the tension was at an all time high. Autobots and Decepticons tiptoed around each other, trying not to rile the opposing faction up while at the same time keeping their loyalties proudly on their pauldron. Opposing factions all with the express purpose of finding the Matrix of Leadership and restoring their dying world after the loss of the Allspark and the destruction of the Spacebridge to Earth.
Blackout was an attentive and wily leader, a bit passive for a Decepticon however no less calculating or dangerous. He was surprisingly open to suggestions and comments, even from his Autobot counterparts. It was a good match up to his own more aggressive and boisterous leadership style which had come to shape the infamous Wreckers into what they currently were. Perhaps that was the reason why Ultra Magnus had chosen him to co-lead the mission with Blackout. It wouldn’t surprise him. Magnus was meticulous to the absolute nth degree.
”This is a Judge Ship,” Blackout growled his voice a deep rumble, commanding and full of menace. “We are in a precarious position. Our ship is not built for combat, let alone such a tough adversary.”
Impactor nodded in acknowledgement, taking Blackout’s hint that they should not go charging recklessly into this fight. Pits, his reputation was that bad huh?
From the far side of the command bridge, the huge hulking figure of the Decepticon Logistics Officer, Clobber leaned over one of the consoles that was far too small for her.
”We have limited armaments, we could take down a command ship but a Judge’s ship is going to be tricky,” Clobber suggested and Impactor sighed in frustration.
“So we’re fragged. And so close to Earth too!” the former Wrecker leader stated bluntly but Prowl shook his helm as he stood next to his conjunx, Jazz sitting at the communications console diligently scanning and processing the signals from their unexpected visitors.
“Not necessarily," Prowl slowly considered, a servo stroking his chin. “We have to be strategic and not waste our ammo.”
”The Autobot is right,” Shadowstriker purred in a strange lilting voice that creeped Impactor out. “A few well placed strategic missiles could stun this ship and buy us time to get to Earth.”
He did not like Shadowstriker. Once one of Megatron’s most lethal special operations units, the femme was a fearsome and formidable assassin and always had a plan in the background. Thankfully, Bumblebee of all people had made her a far less significant threat than she originally had been.
He probably should warn Optimus Prime to make sure to keep Shadowstriker well away from the Autobot scout if they made it to Earth. If they made it to Earth, Impactor quickly dismissed that thought. They would get to Earth, they had too.
“It’s noticed us!” Came the panicked shout of Jazz as he stared out at the viewport, the Quintesson ship turning its nose towards theirs.
“What’s this now, a few metal insects floating in space in a tin rust bucket?” The deep booming, yet lilting voice of the First Judge echoed through the comms.
“Did you send a distress call?” Blackout asked of Jazz and the Communications officer nodded.
“The Klik that Quintesson ship appeared on our radar,” Jazz confirmed. “Hopefully, if nothing else, our distress call will warn Earth.”
“Not enough time for anyone on Earth to reach us in time,” Shadowstriker pointed out.
“If they even had ships,” Prowl growled out shooting the Special Operations Officer a glare. She returned it in kind. “You’d need a spacebridge to get to us that fast.”
”What’s going on?!” The loud gruff and commanding voice of the Autobot’s Chief medical officer shouted as he burst onto the command bridge with little to no regard for the actual captains of the ship. Behind him the two neutrals, Longarm and his amica endura, Terminus and Drift, the former Decepticon assassin.
“Quintesson Judge Ship moving to intercept us,” Blackout answered before Impactor could. The old doctor glanced out at the viewport, horror clouding his expression as he stared out at the dark ship, adorned with menacing circular sails turning towards them.
It was unspoken among the crew that Ratchet was in command of this ship. Or rather, no one questioned his judgement, not even the more outspoken Prowl who had more than his fair share to say about everyone on board. Not Ratchet though, never Ratchet. No one had the rivets to do that.
There was no time to dwell on such things however as Impactor noticed a pink glow starting to emanate from the ship and the Quintesson Judge now spoke in a different voice but no less threatening.
“We’re going to squash your pestilence and retrieve what is rightfully ours!” The Judge shrieked with an accompanying taunting laugh.
”Raise shields! Buy us some time until we can find a way to fight back!” Blackout shouted to the crew, from his command post.
”All crew to the bridge now! This is not a drill! We are under attack from the Quintessons!” Impactor shouted down the comms as the heavy whine of the ship's shields charging up began to sound through the ship and the entire vessel began to tremble and shake violently.
“Have you found something?” Blackout questioned Shadowstriker as the Special Operative’s digits raced across her console desperately searching for something, anything.
“Not yet, going through their scans takes time and a lot of data on the Quintessons was lost during the war,” Shadowstriker exclaimed quickly.
”Well hurry up!” Prowl snapped at the Decepticon. “That thing is about to fire—“
No sooner had Prowl spoken, there was a blinding flash of light and the crew were sent reeling to the floors. Klaxon sirens wailed as metal shrieked and tore around them. Cables snapped and sparked as the entire ship lurged sideways, sending the crew reeling and into the walls.
“BLAST IT TO THE PITS!” Ratchet shouted as he crashed into Drift who caught him and held him up, his hold on him firm and careful as the ship shook, metal screaming and wrenching around them.
“HULL BREACH!!” Clobber shouted over the chaos. “Our primary engines are out! Sealing interior bulkheads!”
”FRAG!” Impactor yelled. “THAT ALMOST TOOKS US OUT!”
”We’re dead in the water!” Blackout shouted as he struggled to regain his post. “Our fuel tanks are hit!”
“The shields held!” Prowl’s voice called over the chaos and ringing alarms. “But barely!”
Impactor growled, slamming his fist into the floor beneath him as he strained to pull himself to his pedes. He grabbed at the railings as other crew members around him flailed and yelped, struggling to right themselves on their now wounded ship.
He pulled himself up onto the command dias with Blackout and looked over the Cybertronian Helicopter’s shoulder. The console was completely red and screaming alerts at them.
“Our shields won’t be able to take another hit from the main cannon,” Blackout hissed as he glared at the looming dark shape of the Quintesson ship slowly approaching them. “But it’ll take time for them to recharge their main cannon at least.”
“What do we do? What the scrap do we do?!” Longarm shrieked terrified, his orange optics wide in horror as they stared at the attacking ship.
”We could try and make it for earth but we don’t have enough fuel!” Prowl snapped, frustrated. “And we were so close too!”
”We’re in the comet and asteroid field that surrounds Earth’s star system,” Shadowstriker pointed out, “We could try and hide from the Judge. Our ship is small enough.”
”Not possible,” Prowl countered. “The Quintesson’s found us before they even showed up on our radar. They’d see us with very little effort, no matter our size.”
”But, you can’t just… just give up!” Longarm shouted, rounding on the two strategists. “Not when I’ve come this far! Are you all going to give up so easily?”
There was a moment of silence as the gathered crew stared at him, unsure of what to say. He was a neutral, he had no energon in the game for any faction other than himself. Truth be told, of all the crew members, no one knew of his true intent, which put him at odds with the others.
”Look around you, fool,” Terminus growled, his voice low and stern. “The reality is that we’re ill prepared for this fight and our ship was lucky to not explode from that hit.”
Longarm glanced back at Terminus, a glare forming in his optics as he regarded the large Destron. Terminus held the glare and sneered back at him, continuing, not phased by the scientist.
”You’ve come this far? Do you even care about the rest of the crew’s lives? Or just yourself, Longarm, if that’s even your real name,” Terminus spat spitefully at the scientist. “I knew there was something off about you when you joined this mission!”
Longarm’s glare faltered for a moment before he looked away, anger and… shame in his optics. Thankfully, before the argument could escalate, Ratchet stepped between them, a scowl on the old doctor’s faceplates.
“Enough, we are wasting time here,” the old doctor chastised both neutrals. He turned to the rest of the crew, shaken but all accounted for on the bridge of their small ship. “Do we have weapons, missiles, anything?”
”We still have our weapons systems online,” Clobber piped up. “We might have a chance.”
”There’s a weak point between the front solar sail and the main bridge!” Jazz exclaimed brightly. Several carefully guided missiles could buy us even more time to get to Earth.”
”But our fuel tanks have been breached!” Shadowstriker coldly stated. “Our primary engines are down. We will not make it to Earth!”
”Let’s not concern ourselves with that right now,” Impactor quickly put in clapping a servo on his co-captain’s pauldron. One thing at a time, he thought to himself. “How about we focus on getting out of this alive? Or if not that, then making sure the Cybertronian’s on Earth have time to prepare for this threat?”
Blackout grumbled, shoving Impactor’s servo off of him before staring straight ahead at the Quintesson Judge ship
”The Wrecker is right,” Hook of all people agreed with him. “We can’t let this mission be for nothing, even if it costs us our lives.”
”See! Hook gets it!” Impactor gestured to the medic Constructicon. “So does any one have any suggestions for—“
”It’s turning away!” Jazz suddenly shouted out as he leaned closer over his console. “Frag! Why’s it doing that? What’s—“
The Quintesson Ship before them was slowly turning its bow, the charging point glow of its main cannon now directed at something off to the side of them.
”What’s going on?!” Blackout demanded. “Why is it turning away?”
A new, incessant beeping suddenly sounded through the bridge as a new alarm began to sound.
“Proximity alert! Something very large has appeared in the space right next to us!” Shadowstriker shouted before her one good optic suddenly widened in surprise. “It can’t be…”
“Appeared right next to us? As in it warped?” Longarm’s interested was peaked now.
”It’s a Cybertronian Ship!” Shadowstriked exclaimed “But it’s—“
Before she could even finish her sentence there was a sudden flash as an intense purple beam of light pierced through the endless darkness of space like a blade and struck the Quintesson Judge’s ship like a spear before dissipating with a graceful steady pulse.
The crew of the Last Hope stared at the Quintesson ship as it hung in space for a moment, smoke and shrapnel hanging in the space around the ship where the beam had pierced it.
Nobody said a word, not even Prowl who liked to be outspoken about everything, as the large imposing shadow of their saviour fell over them. A ship that had been considered lost long ago now sat before them, parts of it glistening in the pale starlight like jewels embedded into a shadow.
There was the crackle of the radio before the most unexpected voice spoke over the radio.
“Hello, Hello, Hello!” The cheery voice of none other than Hot Rod suddenly came to their audials. “This is the former Decepticon Flagship, now the Flagship of the Cybertronian Alliance Nemesis calling upon The Last Hope!”
“Hot Rod will cease!” Soundwave’s voice barked through the comms, his strange electronic voice making it very clear that he was annoyed with Hot Rod.
“I was just saying hi to make sure they didn’t freak out at seeing, you know, the Slagmaker’s Warship,” Hot Rod argued followed by a distant sigh.
“Hot Rod is being facetious," Soundwave snapped back. “Cease calling Megatron: Slagmaker!”
“Alright then, how does Soundwave’s Wife sound? Better?”
There was a loud metallic ‘clang’ heard over comms and a yelp of pain as Soundwave spoke once again.
“The Nemesis has responded to The Last Hope’s distress call,” Soundwave spoke, his voice monotone and professional. “Please respond with a list of crew members, mission statement and inventory to assist us in returning your crew to safety on Earth.”
Impactor and Blackout glanced at each other.
Well, it seemed that there was a lot to catch up on.