lithone: chapter 9

7/31/2019 Lithone: Chapter 9

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Lithone: Chapter 9... however, there is no protocol in place for reconsidering the agreement thatwe reached with the Decepticons and with yourselves. And obviously thereare pressing matters to which we must now attend. If I may say so, Rodimus

Prime should have accounted for the possibility of something like thishappening before formulating his proposal. In any event, your excursion tothe planetoid was a clear violation of the agreement, and therefore you shallvacate the Selezen system. Now, if you don't mind, I must set about securingthis system once again. Good travel to you.

The image of Tarsen disappeared from the screen. Ultra Magnus stared at theblank terminal for a moment, and then drove his st through it with a smash.

Hey, take it easy, Ultra! We gured they wouldn't go for it! Powerglidepeeked around the massive bulk of Ultra Magnus's arm, still driven throughthe hapless screen. No need to bust our equipment up!

You're right, Powerglide, the general conceded as he withdrew his arm,already calming down. I was hoping that the Lithones would see reason, andhave some compassion for Rodimus. It seems I was wrong.

The other Autobot ofcers on the bridge of the Bentefor looked on. Jazzstepped forward. Listen, man, the Lithones always do their thing by the

book. And their book says, ain't no room for renegotiation! But that's all right,'cause I ain't never seen their book before. Right, fellas? Inferno andSmokescreen nodded, each with a mischievous smile. Only Kup was stillsomber.

The real problem here isn't whether we can go save Rodimus, Kup argued,

but how to do it and not destabilize this situation any further. We don't needthe Decepticons fouling the works up more than they already have.

Kup is right, Ultra Magnus declared. We can go in with guns blazing, but itwill mean conict with the Decepticons and possibly the Lithones. I amwilling to accept that consequence, but if we have an alternative that is saferand more expedient, I would gladly take it. So, team ... any suggestions?

The room was quiet, as everyone pondered. The only one making sound wasthe Dinobot Snarl, who was lounging in the corner, picking dust out of hisplating.

Incoming message, the computer stated. A intact comm bounced to life,

with another Lithone displayed on the screen. Ultra Magnus, General UltraMagnus of the Autobot eet. Please respond.

The Autobots crowded around the screen. It was Colonel Zurell, and Kupwhispered as much to Ultra Magnus as the general responded. Yes, this isUltra Magnus. Please proceed.

Zurell looked around cautiously, then spoke. General, I will be brief. Idisagree with the protocol interpretation reached by my superiors. They areplacing the prospect of the Project's success above the safety of Lithones,Autobots, and even Decepticons here and now. I cannot neglect the safety ofRodimus Prime, and the Matrix which he bears, and retain my honor,knowing that his rescue is the key to our salvation. There are many in theLithonian Defense Force who agree with me. We are prepared to proceed atvariance with standard procedures, and assist you in your efforts to rescue


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Rodimus Prime.

Ultra Magnus beamed. I gladly accept your offer. But I appreciate how gravethis 'variance' is. Are you sure you want to disobey the orders of yoursuperiors?

Zurell's determined expression did not falter. I have no reservations. TheDecepticons have no honor, and my superiors are dishonoring themselves byallying with them. I will assist you in your noble task, and redeem them at thesame time.

Thank you, Colonel. If you can, please contact me again in 100 kilocycles,and we will formulate our plans. Bentefor out.

The Autobots exchanged glances of surprise, with Kup's being the most so.What timing, he uttered.

The crew of the Alafex was assembled on the bridge, once again. Kup stood in

the center, arms crossed, looking rather deant. Perceptor and the rest of thecrew were seated at their normal stations, listening to the new plan.

All right, here's what we're gonna do, Kup began. We've all agreed thatwe're not leaving this system without rescuing Rodimus, no matter whatcockamamie arrangement the Lithones thought they still had with us. We aregoing to rescue him. The good news is that some of the Lithones are willing tohelp us. So, to avoid any problems with the Decepticons or the rest of theLithones, we're gonna do this nice and quiet, like it should have been lasttime. So no chattering about this on open channels, or any channels if you canhelp it. That's why I didn't tell you anything until I shuttled back. Got it?

Everyone nodded.Good. Kup began pacing. Now. We're assembling a commando teamcomposed of Autobots and Lithones. The team will slip down to theplanetoid, locate Rodimus, and rescue him. Hopefully, the Decepticons andthe rest of the Lithones won't notice, because our Lithonian friends will helpcover things up. In the meantime, our eet will engage the Decepticons as adiversion. We're guessing that the Lithones won't consider defending theDecepticons as part of their agreement. That should buy us enough time toget Rodimus back and unleash the Matrix.

Awesome! Starstreak yelled. So who's on the commando team?

Colonel Zurell will lead the Lithonian contingent. As for us, it'll beSideswipe, Sunstreaker, Topspin, Twin Twist ... and us. All of us.

The Autobots silently accepted the responsibility, even Thesys. Natalie, on theother hand, was hesitant. Kup, what can I possibly do? I'm nearly useless inthis exo-suit, so I doubt I can be some sort of commando. Wouldn't it be betterfor me to stay on the Alafex and take care of things here?

Kup looked at her with a sly grin. Well, Natalie, that might work out. Yousee, we're taking the Alafex down to the planet.

Starstreak snickered a little as Natalie's face dropped. Kup continued. Weneed to use a ship that is small but tough. After all the retrotting we've done

to it, the Alafex is the best choice. The rest of the eet ships are too large, andthe shuttles we have available are too small and fragile, in case we have to


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blast our way down there. Sorry, kid, but you're part of the crew, so you'recoming along.

Natalie looked around, and saw the same expression on every face: quiet,almost serene determination. Even Bika. Even Thesys. A sense of wonderwashed over her. She had always thought that the Autobots were motivated,

at their core, by self-interest, even to the extent of dominating Decepticons, orhumans even. Yet here they were, all ready to risk their lives to save theirleader and the Lithones. Because it was right to do, no matter what othersthought.

She gathered her resolve. There was nothing she could do to change thesituation now, and it looked like the right thing for her to do was to help. Allright, Kup. I'm in.

The rest of the crew smiled. Thank you, Ms. Witwicky, Perceptor saidearnestly. It means a lot to us.

Natalie was still amazed, but responded as gracefully as she could. Ofcourse, Captain.

In short order, the crew was busy preparing for the mission. The Lithoniancommandoes were due to arrive at the Alafex soon; the Autobot contingentwas already assembled. Thesys noted how relaxed everyone was.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were working on their various Decepticon-fragging techniques. Sideswipe was practicing a horizontal slash of his energy

blade, using his brother as a frame of reference. Sunstreaker was givingdirection. Remember to use a full swing from side to side. Not only does itkeep them from sidestepping the attack, but more importantly, that way youcan make sure that you clip both wings.

The other set of brothers, Topspin and Twin Twist, were reclining in one of thelounges on board, discussing matters in low voices. While the Lamborghinitwins had an air of nesse and speed about them, these two looked like pure-

bred powerhouses, tough and stocky.

Thesys was happy that such seasoned veterans would be along for themission, although he wished Ultra Magnus were among them as well.

Most of Thesys's work could be performed from his assigned science station.He was reconguring the ship's sensor arrays for countermeasures and stealthtechniques, to improve their chances of getting to the planetoid undetectedand unmolested. It also helped him avoid thinking directly about actually

being down there, facing Primus-knows-what on their way to rescue RodimusPrime.

The strange thing about this commando mission was that he himself, thescientist, was the most important member of the team. His sensors were theonly means they had of reliably tracking the sub-gamma electromagneticsignals that would lead them to the core components of Unicron. This time,though, the Alafex itself could help to track the signal on approach, anddeposit them close to the strongest, true origin of it, so they would not be ledinto another trap.

Natalie clambered up. She was spending all of her time now in the suit, to getas good with it as she could. Hey, Thesys. ... How's it going there? Her voice


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camaraderie.

As for Kup, he had fully resumed his former role as Autobot security chief.He spent most of the time conferring with the Lithones and the Autobotwarriors, devising tactics. He also had spent a few breem scanning sensor logsfrom the Alafex and the Bazgaron, trying to nd some clue as to how the

Decepticons had discovered their last ill-fated trip to the planet. If he hadfound out anything, he had kept it to himself.

Soon they were ready. The crew of the Alafex was at their stations, whilePerceptor was nalizing plans with Ultra Magnus.

... therefore, General, I have calculated that this trajectory, although not best-case in terms of stealth, exhibits a favorable trade-off in terms of the speed ofour arrival at the planetoid.

On the comm screen, Ultra Magnus would have looked glassy-eyed if his

optics were not already surfaced that way. I'll defer to your judgement onthat detail, Perceptor. Just make sure you get there at the right time. Any otherlast-minute concerns?

None, sir. I believe all of our plans are now in perfect alignment. We arepoised as advantageously as possible to carry out this mission. We will bedeparting in

A simultaneous ash of green and calamitous boom struck the Alafex. Theentire crew managed to brace themselves as the sound faded into tinnyechoes. The green light faded as well but did not disappear completely. Whenthe main viewer nally readjusted its polarizing lters, the planetoid wascentered in it, but now a bold green beam projected from it.

A deep voice began to speak on all channels. Behold. Unicron is reborn.Witness my resurrection, and your doom. Soon I shall destroy you, consumeyou ... add you to myself. Depart this system if you will, but know that thereis no nal escape from me.

Perceptor tapped furiously on his controls, and soon reticles and guides weredrawn along the green beam on his viewer. The viewport zoomed in on the

beam, then followed it through telemetric projections across interplanetaryspace until it reached its other end, which enveloped Unicron's former leg in aharsh glow. The leg drew closer in the viewport, which readjusted bycontinually sliding its vantage point backwards. Velocity measurements

ashed across the top of the screen.Slag, the captain muttered. He activated his comm. General, that is atractor beam. Unicron is drawing his leg back to him!

Ultra Magnus was a couple of steps ahead. Change of plans, Perceptor! We'removing the eet to the planetoid, including the Alafex. Let's go!

Lithone: Chapter 9 2006, 2011 Bill Havanki

Transformers and related terms are trademarks of Hasbro Inc. andTakara Ltd.


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lithone: chapter 9

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