| abstract
| - Millions of years ago, Magnaron was the biggest intersection on Cybertron, which gave it serious strategic value, and because of that, nowhere else on Cybertron has seen so much fighting. Over the years, Magnaron was transformed from an intersection into a blast crater, a lake of toxic waste, a deep abyss from one of Unicron's pincers, and a lake full of Quintessa's water, a memento of the Quintessons' attempt to retake Cybertron. This, its latest incarnation, is the result of the structural stresses of the recent move to the Alpha Centauri system. The abyss, the lake, are no more, sealed by the compression of the crust. Instead, a huge but shallow depression marks the location of some of the fiercest conflicts on Cybertron. The ruins of Magnaron lay quiet and eerily still for miles around, nary a turbomouse stirring in this cursed wasteland. Or at least, it was, before the arrival of a massive trailer truck, smashing its way through the terrain! "Before we get our campaign truly underway, I need to get a look at Cybertron itself, and how it has fared in my... absence. Thus far, what I see..." He pauses, considering his words very carefully. "It troubles me." Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR follows Optimus and nods internally, "To my knowledge, a lot has chnaged in the years since you last remember it sir. Since it has been at least 25 years," he says as he drives with Optimus as he scans the area. "My scans are not picking any Decepticons up at thi time, but they could be hidden or close by," he adds. "So then I kicked the guy in the butt and ordered him to get me another energon cube," Excise is saying. "Being a ranking Decepticon is pretty great!" He and Shadow are speeding over the Decepticon held territories to the east of Magnaron on a routine patrol. He is in his Cybertronian jet mode, and Shadow is probably going as a helicopter. As they approach the magic line that signals the difference between Decepticon territory and no-mechs-land, Excise cuts the jibber jabber smalltalk and gets down to business. "Alright, we're crossing the border in five... four... three... two... one. Keep your optics peeled, Shadow." Bell 430 Helicopter is indeed going as a helicopter. It's the only mode he can in which he can really do some tracking. He just listens idly as Excise talks, only speaking up himself a few times, but he finds himself agreeing about being a ranking Decepticon. "My optics are always peeled," he replies, scanning the surrounding area. His scanners easily detect the two Autobots before he sees them. "Ah...Excise, if I'm not mistaken, Optimus Prime is the vacinity..." Curse that Prime, not staying dead! Freightliner FL86 replies, "I understand, Deadeye. We should be careful, then." The massive Autobot truck continues to drive through the wasteland, but then, off to the side, he sees the Ruined Crystal Forest. The Autobot leader begins to slow as he takes in the bizarre sight. "What *is* that place? Something terrible must have happened there. Do you know what it was, Deadeye?" Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR scans as he sees the forest, "I do not know," he states. "I have only been active a few months," he adds as he drives on. His sensors go off and he scans, "I am picking up two targets," he says to him. "Looks like a Cybertronian jet and a Bell 430" and he scans the area. "Decepticons sir." In the shallow valley of Magnaron, a strange thing juts out of the land -- imagine a large-scale landscape made entirely of broken glass. Thick, jagged crystals, broken shards remaining from the heart of Galvatron's giant Vector Zeta powered transformation, jut out of the ground, leaning against each other and forming a labyrinthine forest of sorts. The crystals are clear, refracting light like prisms, giving the place a beautiful but unsettling effect. "Aw, nuts and bolts," Excise mutters. He's all business now. Flying recon over Magnaron is dangerous. Autobot snipers just love to rack up the kill count by picking off Seekers. Plenty of places for them to hide. Upon hearing that Optimus Prime himself is here, he considers. "Nghg... alright, well lets not be suicidal by attacking him dead-on." He can see the red and grey truck from here. "Looks like he brought a buddy with him, too. Don't recognize who, though. Shall we observe?" Excise peels back, maintaining his distance far outside weapons range. The Autobots will likely be able to see the Cons if they're looking for trouble. And indeed, Deadeye does! Fairway has arrived. "Yes, let's observe. And in the meantime, I'd like to get a hologram of Prime." Because Shadow has an EVIL PLAN. See? He can be evil if he wants to! He keeps his scanners alert for signs of any more Autobots, while keeping most of his attention on Prime and Deadeye. He stays close to Excise. Rampage has arrived. Freightliner FL86 makes a sound like, "Ah--" once Deadeye mentions Decepticons approaching. However, the crystal forest intrigues him, so he redirects himself straight towards it. "I understand, Fairway. Keep an eye on the Decepticons and let me know if they make any hostile moves. I... feel the need to investigate this anomaly." And so the truck bears down on the evil forest, heedless of any potential threat. Maybe Prime just doesn't take them seriously? Fairway nods. "Indeed, friend. They would be foolish to do so - but that hasn't stopped their kind before." Fairway scans the area. He views all Decepticons as potential threats, and so keeps a keen optic on them, his weapon in hand. Cybertronian Jet continues to circle back and forth, watching as Optimus barrels down into the valley. "Huh... wonder what he's doing. Optimus must have a reason..." he pulls back even further as Optimus gets closer, thus maintaining the distance between both sides. "How far can you pull off your holographic trick?" he asks. Getting a holo-Optimus would be pretty useful. Bell 430 Helicopter considers this. "A good distance away. I don't need to be very close to scan a target. But, unfortunately, I do need to be in robot mode, so..." Without another word, he transforms and lands on his feet. The black helicopter shifts into the form of Shadow. Magnaron's a great place to go turbobunny hunting. Mecha-Tiger is half-patrolling, half-hunting. And while hunting, he's also half-hunting for Autobots. He notices...Optimus Prime? What is this? He growls and crouches down in the depression he's skulking through, observing. Peering down into the valley below. Freightliner FL86 transforms into robot mode as he nears the edge of the forest. "Hm. Fascinating," he mutters to himself as he steps within the forest's boundaries, his heavy feet crunching through the countryside. He stoops over one shard, in particular, and runs a finger along its edge. "And neither of you know how this happened? Hm, perhaps I am not the only one who is... not well informed." The 18-wheeler majestically transforms into a massive robot. Fairway monitors the energon signautres in the area. He frowns and grumbles to himself. "This place has seen much death," he says, "Perhaps the greatest force to impact it Unicron himself." He turns to Prime. "Many strange things have been happening of late, Prime. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. I can analyze these crystals' composition. I'm sure all these things are related - I can feel it in my databank." Cybertronian Jet transforms to join Shadow, landing on the ground. Both Decepticons are out of sight of the Bots and would have to do some hiking to run into each other. "This is nuts, Shadow. Are you sure a hologram is worth this?" he hisses in a hushed tone as if Optimus might be able to hear them despite the long distances between the two. "The Bots must know we're in the area, y'know." More than meets the eye! Excise transforms into his powerful robot mode. "Very worth it," Shadow answers. "I know it's dangerous, but I'm willing to take the risk for my plans." He contemplates a moment as he watches the Autobots from a distance, then he takes to the air a few feet above the ground and heads for a closer hiding place, where he can begin scanning Optimus. If he's spotted...well, he'll deal with that later. But he has to admit that Excise is right, and that no doubt the Autobots are aware of their presence. Optimus Prime places both hands on either side of a particularly large crystal, and wrenches it out of the ground with virtually no effort. Then, he holds it up to the light, watching how it refracts through the crystal's surface. "Hmmm." He peers behind his shoulder for a moment at the Decepticons, then returns his attention to the crystal. "Who and what is Unicron, and how did he possess the power to do this?" Deadeye slows as he stays in his vehicle mode as he watches as he says nothing but keeps an eye on those who are here and he is near Optimus. Deadeye slows as he stays in his vehicle mode as he watches as he says nothing but keeps an eye on those who are here and he is near Optimus and stays quiet for the time being. Plus in this mode, he cna use his EMP if he needs to. Excise looks like he's about to whine, but he manages to roll a natural 20 on his courage check and so sucks it up. "Alright, but we're going to have to do this quietly and sneakily. Magnaron's good for sneaking, but I'd wager quatloos to energon that Optimus and his cronies are going to be on the lookout for us. We sneak in, we get what we need, and we sneak the slag right back out." Excise draws out two orange swords. A long katana and a short wakizashi. He's ready for some ninja'ing. Fairway hmms. "Unicron. The Chaos-Bringer, Prime. The destroyer of planets Hot Rod defeated with the power of the Matrix when he became Rodimus Prime." He rubs his chin. Optimus was dead then . . . it makes sense that he hasn't heard. But Fairway thought there'd have been some mention of Primus's old enemy among the spirits in the Matrix. " There are signs of the damage he did all over Cybertron." He looks around him. Are the Decepticons closing in? "I don't like this, Prime. This place is getting crowded." The Tiger moves to where Excise and Shadow are. He utters a low growl of disgust. "What're they poking their olfactory protrusions into?" he wonders. Shadow watches the Autobots from his hiding place. Just a bit closer and he can reach his goal. He moves nearer, staying hidden as best he can, and then, when he's just the right distance away, he begins to scan Optimus. He puts himself in peril as he does so, as he's likely within weapon range. Optimus Prime shakes his head. "I have heard of an... ancient enemy of our creator, yes. But I had always thought it was a legend." Continuing to examine the crystal, Optimus merely nods as Fairway warns him of the Decepticon activity. "Don't worry, Fairway, we can handle them. In fact, they might be able to answer this riddle for me." He stares down at Fairway. "Can you pinpoint their locations for me?" Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR adds, "Unircon, appered in Cybertronian space in the year 2005. He was a transformer the size of Cybertron" he adds. "He ate the two moons of Cybertron and was aiming at eating Cybertron. However, as Fairway says, Hot Rod with the Matrix of Leadership was able to destroy Unicron and became the new leader. However I was not active at the time of the events, Kup was there and can tell you more on what occured," he states. "A few of the fetures on Cybertron are due to Unicron, The Finger Canyons is one place, while I believe Magnaron was modified more due to the attack from Unicron. Moreover, the others that followed, The reborn Megatron, Avatair and I beleve a fewothers," he adds. "HOwever, that is all I can access within the AUtobot databanks." Excise jolts as Rampage suddenly sneaks up to them (I think). "Jeez, Rampage. A little warning next time?" he asks. Excise shrugs, "I don't know, but if Optimus Prime is suddenly interested in this place then it can't be for good reasons." He follows behind Shadow, doing a respectable job of keeping quiet as they use the terrain to their advantage. They stay out of line of sight when they can, popping up only to get a heading on where the Autobots are. Fairway says, "There's a good bit of interference going on. These crystals may well be to blame. But one Decepticon is within firing range, and I believe," he looks into his visor, "there are two to the south. I'd say their attention is definitely on us." Shadow finishes scanning. "Now we can get out of here," he whispers to Excise. Oh, hey, there's Rampage! He blinks. "Where did you come from?" Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR powers up and gets a weapons lock as he powers up his weapons, "I hav emy weapons locked onto the Decepticons," he says to Fairway and Prime. Optimus Prime stares at Deadeye almost incredulously. "A being the size of a planet? And this being did all of *this?*" He stares off into space, considering the possibilities. "Amazing--but it must have been terrifying to go through. And you say Hot Rod used the... Matrix of Leadership to destroy Unicron. Hm. It seems that he had some potential after all..." His optics narrow a bit. "Alright, then, Fairway, let's go ask those Decepticons a few questions." Then, he spins around, and tosses the huge chunk of crystal in his hands, where it lands just short of the Decepticons! "DECEPTICONS! I know you're out there! Explain to me what this place is! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PLANET!? Answer me!" As he speaks, Optimus takes purposeful steps towards them, those murderously powerful hands clenching into fists! Fairway is just a bit surprised by Prime's action. He responds by holding his weapon at the ready and assuming a firing stance. He looks in the directions of the Decepticon energon signatures and moves to stand at Deadeye's side, fully prepared to start shooting. "We're even," he says. Then he thinks again. "Except that we've got Optimus Prime!" Excise nods gratefully to Shadow. "Good. Lets ba-" he gets cut off when Optimus Prime suddenly roars at them. "Cheese it, it's Prime!" he shouts, breaking cover and starting to run away. He splits off from the other Decepticons, figuring that Killimus Prime over there can't chase them /all/ down. The Tiger purrs at Shadow. "Just over there," he says, pointing upwards and to the west. He growls at Optimus Prime's challenge. "WE DIDN'T DO NUFFIN!" he retorts back. Deadeye sits as he repsponds, "Your here," he says simply to Rampage. Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR sits as he responds, "Your here," he says simply to Rampage. Shadow starts! He glances quickly toward Prime, then takes off in the opposite direction that Excise went. Fairway says, "Two of them are retreating. That must mean they have whatever they came for, or I have no doubt that they'd press the attack." Optimus Prime mutters, "Understood, Fairway," then continues to march towards the Decepticons, as if possessed to determine the answer, regardless of who he gets it from. "STOP!" he booms. Fortunately, one of the Decepticons isn't smart enough to run away, so Optimus continues to stomp towards him! "YOU! Predacon! What do you know of this place? Answer me!" The Tiger's a little slow on the retreat uptake, but when he sees that his comrades taking off, he chooses to do the same. "Nuh-uh, I'm not facing down this guy without Predaking!" he says. Taking a slightly different trajectory, hopefully finding a tunnel he can duck into and run the rest of the way back to base. Excise continues sprinting madly. He appreciates that Rampage is willing to give up his life for their fleeting tactical advantage. He doesn't even glance over his shoulder, but he's sure that Rampage is probably dead by now. Shadow, on the other hand, *does* glance over his shoulder, and is pleased to see Rampage fleeing as well. He'd rather not see a comrade deactivated. Fairway is glad that the encounter didn't end in a firefight, but isn't reassured at all by the Decepticons' retreat. "Whatever they wanted here," he says, still aiming his rifle. "I'm afraid we've delivered into directly into their hands." He looks up at Optimus with an expression of cautious eagerness on his faceplate. "Shall we persue them, Prime?" Optimus Prime halts as the Decepticons begin to retreat, optics twitching. "Hnnnnrrhhhhh. Decepticons. No matter where I go, they are invariably cowards and weaklings." He considers something. "And idiots." Optimus turns towards Fairway as he asks his question, and seems to give the other Autobot a nasty glare--but it's gone in less than a second. "...No, no we should not. I doubt we'll catch them, and if we do, there would be little to gain by the destruction of such insignificant Decepticon warriors." He sighs. "Also, I... apologize if I seemed angry, just now. It is very... disheartening to see the things that have befallen the world I have worked so hard for."
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