31.Mar.07

Chapter 3: Predacon Honor

Space rippled and folded, opening into a gaping white hole amongst the stars. From that tear in time and space emerged a Cybertronian vessel, looking like some strange bird-of-prey cast in silvery black metal. Like an owl swooping towards its prey, the intruder glided through space towards the third planet of the yellow-star solar system. After a moment, it became completely invisible, undetectable even with the finest of scanners.

Piloting the vessel, the Predacon covert agent allowed one eyebrow to arch as he neared the blue world. He had been here before; or rather, he would be here in the future. Shaking his head in astonishment, the former Decepticon gave a nod to his prey; Megatron was certainly bold. Earth had been off limits to Cybertronian ships ever since Transwarp technology had been invented. For all their talk of action, even the Tripredacus Council wouldn't dare to tamper with the fabric of history.

Activating the scanners on his vessel, the agent soon detected his target. Megatron was off by himself, separated by some distance from other Predacon Spark signatures. Knowing the renegade, he was probably searching for something to further his mad designs. Such a thing would no doubt be too powerful to entrust to his "allies."

Not caring for what Megatron was up to, the veteran remembered clearly his instructions. Before going into communications silence and entering the Transwarp vortex that had brought him here, he had received a single communication from his superiors. The Tripredacus Council had debriefed him in regards to the situation, finishing with a single set of cold instructions regarding Megatron:

Terminate with extreme prejudice.

"Golden Disk...what good are you to me now?" Megatron's questioned the artifact in his hand, the Golden Disk he had stolen from the Maximals. Once, it had been called the Voyager Golden Record, and had been part of humanity's sickening desire to form peaceful relationships with other life in the galaxy. Stellarcycles had gone into planning the theft of the dull gold circle, and now it was useful for little more than a paperweight.

Looking out across the wide expanse of prehistoric Earth, the would-be conqueror saw all his schemes crumbling. Shokaract's arrival had changed everything, ruining all his well laid plans to seize power by altering history itself. Now the namesake of Cybertron's most feared ruler was little more than the lackeys he once dominated.

Caught up in his reverie of self-pity, Megatron didn't notice the red dots on his torso plate until it was too late. White energy pulses struck him, sending him flying to smash into a boulder. Maintaining a death grip on the Golden Disk, he powered up his weapon and got back to his feet.

Flying out of nowhere came a huge power bond, dropping over the top of him to pin his arms to his sides. The Predacon struggled, but it was like trying to move a mountain with a plastic shovel. Mighty as he was, even Megatron couldn't escape the entrapping device. With a sigh, he powered down his weapon.

De-cloaking, the covert agent laughed briefly as he stared at Megatron. Optic sensors going wide, the captured Predacon recognized the former Decepticon. His body was that of a Predacon, with a panther's head and tail. Covered from head to toe in silver and black armor, he moved with a catlike grace that only added to his appearance. Red eyes met Megatron's purple ones as the two stared at each other.

"Ravage...I never expected that it would be you. So, the Tripredacus Council finally decided to try and exterminate me, did they? Well, rest assured that I am willing to be destroyed. But before you kill me, Ravage, allow me to share with you two pieces of information. First, my mission here was commissioned by my namesake and your commander, Megatron the First. You don't believe me? I’m not surprised; if you'll let me free of these bonds for a moment?"

Optics narrowed in curiosity, Ravage nodded and drew his energy pistols. Linked to his mind, the power bond shut down, ready to reactivate at a moment's notice. Grinning to himself, Megatron transformed the head of his laser weapon into a disk reader. Inserting the Golden Disk, he activated the projector system, painting an image in the air with the device.

When Megatron's projector was fully functional, an intimidating visage hung in the air before them. Power radiated from that armored head as surely as light shone from the sun. Blazing red eyes seemed to glare at everything that lived, and the voice that came from Megatron's speakers was cold and harsh. "This is Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. If you're hearing this message, it means I've failed...this time." Laughter colder than the polar ice caps echoed before the Decepticon continued. "But I know that Transwarp technology is being developed, and so I leave this message to any Decepticon descendants who may find it upon the Voyager Golden Record. Comrades, I give you this charge: use the technology to change history. Destroy Optimus Prime!"

"Before you ask, no, I did not forge this message," Megatron said as his namesake's hologram faded. "Megatron the First had every intention of winning the Great War, but like myself, he covered his bets. At the same time the Great War began on Earth, the Voyager space probe was launched, and it carried the Golden Disk. Your commander inscribed that message, planning for the possibility that he would be defeated. I discovered and decoded it, taking it upon myself to fulfill his wishes. Optimus Primal and his Maximals have interfered with my efforts, but there is worse still. Unicron has returned!"

Expectant, the former Predacon leader studied his intended assassin. Ravage hadn't spoken since appearing before him, and when he did, it was with an accent reminiscent of that used by humans native to the region they called Russia. "Let us talk."

Guiding his new ally to the Predacon base, Megatron introduced him to the other Predacons. Blackarachnia quickly cast an appreciative eye Ravage's way, sliding up to him with her customary seductive gait. "My, aren't you the handsome one. If I were four million stellar cycles older, you and I could spend some interesting time together."

"Victory is upon us! The Maximals shall not stand before this new addition to the colony!" As usual, Inferno's insanity was duly ignored by his comrades. For his part, Ravage was wondering how well the ant's shattered components would decorate a wall on his ship.

Quickstrike clapped Ravage on the back, his manner both friendly and threatening. Having dealt with more Transformers than Quickstrike could imagine existed, the covert agent knew full well what the behavior signified. Laughter almost escaped his lips at the notion that the Fuzor thought he was stronger than a former Decepticon who had fought the greatest Autobots in history and lived to tell about it. "Welcome to the team, Kitty-cat! Just make sure you use the litter box, and we'll get along fine!"

"Waspinator happy to have new comrade; maybe now Waspinator not get blown up so much," the insectoid Predacon mused hopefully. His appearance, processed by Ravage's enhanced optic sensors, was shocking. From the readings he was getting, Waspinator had been blown up and reassembled so many times that his date of activation was impossible to determine. It was like looking at a quilt with pieces that had been sewn on at random intervals, with no effort put into keeping the original patches as part of the design.

Terrorsaur, watching from the other side of the chamber, snorted. "He doesn't look so tough to me. Let's see him survive a couple of minutes with one of the Maximals."

"Don't be so quick to assess the abilities of our newest comrade before seeing them in action, Terrorsaur. I was part of the Predacon Secret Police prior to joining up with Megatron, and I know that Ravage is not to be trifled with. Wouldn't you say, my lord Shokaract?"

"Hatred burns in that one's Spark; hatred and a zealot's conviction. Predacon he may be on the outside, but inside he is as Decepticon as ever. When he looks at me, that fury inside intensifies. My guess is that he still has strong feelings regarding my previous identity's attack on Cybertron in the Earth year 2005."

Lounging atop the throne-like chair he had taken from Megatron, Shokaract made his way over to where Ravage stood. The Predacon covert agent knelt, sensing that he stood in the presence of his superior. Inside, however, Shokaract could feel vengeance burning in him like a volcano about to erupt. Empathic abilities from both his personality halves allowed him this insight, and it brought a cold smile to his mandibles.

"Shokaract welcomes you to the Beast Wars, Ravage. I believe that you and I will have an interesting relationship; yes, I think we will have some interesting conversations. For now, though, I have a task for you. You are to scout Grid Epyon for the Maximals; they disappeared following the destruction of their base."

Dinobot's keen optics stared out from his customary scowl as the former Predacon looked down at the lone figure scouting the canyon that was Grid Epyon's only real landmark. Having once been among the highest ranking warriors in his class, he had seen Ravage before. Graduates of the Predacon war academy were honored by the appearance of one of the few veterans of the Great War at the ceremony. Ravage had been at his, and he could well recognize the air of feline confidence even from this distance.

Knowing that Optimus Primal wouldn't approve, but also aware that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn why one of the finest agents in the Predacon military was here on prehistoric Earth, Dinobot leapt from the edge of the canyon. He grabbed onto a rock bridge and began pumping himself so that he was spinning around the stone archway. Launching himself from the bridge like a bouncy ball from a slingshot, he repeated the process twice more before landing several meters away from Ravage on yet another bridge.

Sword and shield drawn in the same instant that he landed on the bridge, Dinobot confronted the former Decepticon. After recovering from the surprise of having another Cybertronian land in front of him, Ravage quickly had his own weapons out and humming. Each warrior crouched in readiness, each embodying a combination of combat prowess and animalistic grace.

"Covert Agent Ravage; I never expected to see you here. So, has the Predacon Alliance finally realized the threat Megatron represents? Or have they all gone as mad as he is?"

Laughing softly, the panther-like Transformer continued to stare him down. "I thought I recognized you, Dinobot. Of any Predacon warrior, you are the last I would have expected to defect to the Maximals. You were always such a promising student; whatever possessed you?"

"Megatron betrayed me, and I soon realized that it was better to join the Maximals than collaborate with his madness any further. If you've joined forces with him, then we are now on opposing sides. A pity; I have studied the Great War, and you above all other surviving Decepticons have earned my respect. Let's see if you can keep it!"

Drill-bit sword spinning, Dinobot launched himself at Ravage. Flipping back, the former Decepticon counterattacked with a series of blasts from his pistols. Spinning rapidly, Dinobot's shield came up to block, deflecting the pulses of energy back at Ravage.

Jumping from the bridge, Ravage caught a small ledge with his left hand. Hanging in that position, he opened fire again, only for Dinobot to hit it away like a human using a baseball bat. Transforming into Beast Mode, the raptor shot towards Ravage, digging his claws into the silver armored Predacon. Crying out in pain, the covert agent let go of his small handhold. Dinobot pushed away from him, transforming and digging his sword into one of the bridges.

What relief Dinobot could take was short-lived as pulses of energy began flying past him. Landing atop another bridge, Ravage had opened fire, diverting all his power towards attacking the other warrior. Utilizing all the experience he had, Dinobot dodged the barrage and came to a landing, once again facing Ravage. All around them, fragmented bridges fell into the depths of the canyon.

Ravage surprised Dinobot by putting away his pistols, looking at the younger warrior with what looked like admiration. "Your skills are as sharp as ever, Dinobot. Were your loyalties not clearly defined, I would ask you to join me. The threat that now faces our people is bigger than the feud between Maximal and Predacon. It is true that Megatron plans to alter history; I fully support him in his endeavor. Fortunately for you, I do not support Shokaract, and I will tell you why. Spread the warning to your Maximal comrades, Dinobot: Unicron has returned, and he has become one with Protoform X!"

Optimus looked up as Dinobot walked into the makeshift headquarters the Maximals had established. All around him, the other Maximals were at work setting up what little equipment they had salvaged from the Axalon. The sight of the warrior, his normally proud shoulders slumped in weariness, quickly drew the attention of the rest of the crew. Gathering around Dinobot, they looked up at him expectantly.

"Dinobot? Where have you been? You went out on patrol megacycles ago; did you learn anything?"

"I have learned more than I wished to know, Optimus Primal. Megatron has been joined by Ravage, one of the last Decepticons who still live from the time of the Great War. They plan to alter history using information recorded on the Golden Disk, changing the past so that the future will be to their preference. But the worst part is this: Rampage isn't just Rampage anymore. Protoform X has become one with the Chaos Bringer, Primal. Unicron has been reborn...as Shokaract."

To be continued...