Scene goes to the Maximal base, the two schooners land at the foot of the Maximal base, Razorjaw swoops down and transforms in mid-air, he lands between the schooners, Gasha steps out of his schooner, his new toy strapped over his shoulder, Filleen’s schooner door begins to open slowly, she impatiently steps through when there is a wide enough space.

RAZORJAW: I’ll ask Whiplash to fix that door later. (The two take stride along-side Razorjaw as they approach the elevator door, he hits the button, when the door opens Razorjaw steps back and lets Filleen and Gasha in first, then he steps in and the doors close.) Nice toy Gasha.

GASHA: Heh, biggest one I could find. (He smiles at Filleen, she gives him a half smile.)

FILLEEN: Thanks for the save Gasha. (Gasha is about to respond when the elevator stops and the door opens abruptly, the door slides open to reveal Whiplash, looking somewhat impatient, he sighs in relief.)

WHIPLASH: Status?

RAZORJAW: We salvaged two schooners, one AV, and a couple dozen weapons or reloads. (Whiplash looks at the ground.)

WHIPLASH: Anything on-

RAZORJAW: No. (Whiplash passes of the emotion.)

WHIPLASH: Good job, Dinobot wants everybody outside, he’ll be announcing it soon, we think we have something that may work.

Scene goes to a small closed off room, Dinobot is sitting alone with Springblaster at a table, she is nervously tapping her finger on the table.

SPRINGBLASTER: Where is he now?

DINOBOT: He left Springblaster. (She looks away.)

SPRINGBLASTER: What’d you say? (Dinobot considers carefully what to say, then speaks.)

DINOBOT: I asked him to consider his future with Tarantulus, he decided he wasn’t ready. (Springblaster’s eyes glint hurt for a moment, she closes them, and leaves the room, the door slides shut behind her. Dinobot slams his fist down on the table.) Optimus, how did you manage it!? (He drops his head and lets it rest on the table.)

Scene goes into the jungle, beams of light passing through the canopy, Drone is marching on his six legs through the desert, his antennae hanging to the sides of his head, no other part of his body giving any indication to emotion. There is a screeching sound overhead, Drone looks up in time to see a shadow pass instantly over the canopy, a pterodactyl, carrying a box-like object. Drone whispers to himself.

DRONE: Teraductile’s still got his explosives, he could be heading to the Maximals, he must be going there. (He turns to continue his walk, then stops, his mind flashes with pictures of Springblaster, as flames engulf her.) That won’t happen, Teraductile isn’t so rash to attack without any prior information or orders. This is stupid, I can’t go back, if I stay out any longer Tarantulus will suspect, I am sure he already does, but... I don’t know! (In frustration he rips a young tree out of the ground and tosses it to the side.) I’m going back, No! I must return to the base and... I have to return to... (He stops breathing heavily, he transforms into robot mode, he looks at his claw-hands.) I am a... I’m a Predacon, Teraductile’s mission was to destroy the Maximal base, what happens happens. (He grabs the upper arm of his left arm with his right hand, pauses a moment, grips as tight as possible and snaps the arm. He winces as sparks shoot out of the exposed circuits, he is not satisfied and grips just below the break, he closes his eyes, and in a rush of powers rips the arm off.) Nnnngh. (He groans as the arm falls to the ground. He looks up, his eyes squinting in a beam of light through the canopy, the camera goes above the canopy, there is a burst of flames from just under the canopy, Drone shoots through the leaves, splintering branches, the sudden brightness blinds him for a moment, he squints and sees Teraductile in the distance, he pauses for a moment, then, shoots higher into the sky, gaining roughly a hundred meters above the canopy, he then cuts his engines. The camera goes to an above view as he free-falls, arm and legs spread wide as he plummets. The camera switches to a view looking up at the canopy as Drone falls through the first layer of trees , he hits a large branch and is jerked into a spin, the back of his head slams another branch, flailing him forward, the branch doubles him over, he bounces and the momentum flings him off, he lands headfirst on the ground, his body doubling over, sparks shooting from his joints, there is a moment of silence as leaves and broken twigs land around him. He jerks his head up, a young fire-tiger watches from behind a tree as he pushes his dented and gnarled body off the ground, he holds his stomach, and turns to the camera, one of his eyes is cracked, his jaw is hanging loosely and uneven, his head is badly dented as well. His head moves jerkily as he looks himself over.) Tarantulus will be convinced now. (He begins to stumble toward the Predacon base.) I’m a long way away.

Scene goes to the Maximal base, Springblaster steps through the door, into the galley, everyone is there, Razorjaw, Whiplash, Gasha, and Filleen are just taking their seats at a table, Springblaster looks around, Pyereen, who is sitting by herself near the huge mural window, waves her over. Springblaster takes a seat across from Pyereen her back to the rest of the crowded galley.

PYEREEN: I hate waking up in a CR pod. (Springblaster incoherently nods. Dinobot steps up from his table.)

DINOBOT: Men! Quiet please. (He waits a moment for the speaking to be silenced.) Thank you. (He starts to pace.) We lost this battle. We lost a deplorable amount of men, as well as a great number of our ships, for this defeat I am deeply sorry, (He waves his hand around the room.) your faults as warriors was my failure as a commander. I failed to correctly access the strength and ability of our opponent, the Viruses were an added digit in the equation, the balance has slipped greatly in their favor, I will not lie to you. They have superior numbers, true, but, what are numbers? One could slay a dozen under the right conditions. We went into battle headstrong, and got our heads lopped off. There is one simple difference in that battle and the one we are about to embark... (Springblaster is listening halfheartedly, watching out the window over Pyereen’s shoulder, her stare is blank not exactly focusing on anything, outside the window the sun is beginning to approach the horizon, one of the moons just to the upper right of the sun, there is movement, her trance is broken for a second, she watches intently to see what it was. Pyereen notices the change of expression on her face.)

PYEREEN: What is it? (Springblaster doesn’t answer, she stares intently out the window, the sun accenting her beautiful features.)

SPRINGBLASTER: There it is again! There is a dark spot on the sun, and it’s growing. (Pyereen turns around, she stares into the bright sun, the camera goes to her vision as she switches to infrared, there is a bright flash of white, her censors adapt to drown out the sun.)

PYEREEN: It’s Teraductile! (By the time attention has been drawn away from Dinobot, Teraductile is close now, he transforms in midair and turns his jets on high.)

SPRINGBLASTER: What’s he doing? (Dinobot notices his audience waning, he turns and sees the object approaching the window, Teraductile is now less than fifty meters away and closing fast.)

BOOMERANG: What does that crazy galoo think he’s doin’? (Teraductile, still gripping the flashlight-bomb in one hand swivels at the last second, time freezes as his foot comes into contact with the glass, the camera pans around once, then from a view inside Teraductile slices through the glass and lands on Pyereen and Springblaster’s table, he stabilizes himself, the glass shatters down around him.)

TERADUCTILE: Hope I’m not crashing a party! (No-one says anything, they stare, amazed, in a sudden burst everyone draws their weapons, Teraductile instantly puts the box in front of him.) Hey! Whoa! This bomb is on a dead-man trigger, if it leaves contact with my active superstructure you all go boom anyway.

DINOBOT: What do you hope to achieve you fool!?

TERADUCTILE: I hadn’t really though that far ahead, ha-ha! All I know is- (Springblaster, who is sitting right in front of him springs forward, taking him in a full tackle, over Pyereen’s head and out the window.) Ah! (Everyone rushes to the ledge and looks down, Teraductile flies up past the window, Springblaster holding him tightly in a bear hug, her legs wrapped around his waist, the box pressed between them.)

SPRINGBLASTER: That bomb doesn’t go without you going too! (They spiral wildly through the air, and careen over the brim and smack down on top of the base, Teraductile is on top of her, he looks down and smiles.)

TERADUCTILE: I could get used to this kind of fighting. (He licks her cheek, she tries to get up but he is pressing down on her.) I wish I could have gotten to know you a little better first. (She head-butts him. He kisses her face.)

SPRINGBLASTER: Get off me! (She lets go of his shoulders and draws her blasters, Teraductile reacts with lightning speed, rolling to the side, he twirls his legs in the air and acquires a standing position, he kicks both guns away with one round-house. and reaches down with his free hand, grabbing her shoulder and picking her up, he whirls her around and presses the box against her back, he leans his head over her shoulder and licks her ear, he grabs her arm and whirls her around again and twists her arm behind her back, he slams the box against her back and gives it an electric charge, instantly welding it to her superstructure.)

TERADUCTILE: By the way, I put a five second delay on it, you’ll need more than five seconds if you don’t want to enihilate your base, goodbye! (He rockets into the sky, leaving her attached to the bomb, the flyers shoot out over the top of the base, Springblaster sees the edge of the base, about twenty meters away, she crouches down, then leaps, using the full strength of her legs, the camera shows her in slow motion, she has cleared fifteen meters, the camera shows a grimace of desperation as she strains every muscle in her body and crouches for the second jump, in mid-air the flyers whiz by and overhead, the world turns to slow-motion, a few of them look back slowly, by then it is too late, she is about ten meters clear of the edge of the base, her arms and legs spread out she comes into view of the galley, time freezes, there is a moment of silence as the camera goes to her face, tears are frozen in the air as the wind blows them away from her face, BOOM! The blast is enormous, the last couple fliers are thrown off and crash to the roof of the base, flames engulf the side of the base, tables, chairs and soldiers are blown across the galley by the shockwave, Panthor is knocked back against the opposite wall, his elbow slams a button panel, as the flames of the explosion reach the opening a metal window shade irises closed instantly, but not soon enough, a pillar of fire shoots through the hole and over their heads, splashing flames over the back wall. Springblaster’s world goes into silence, she can see vaguely, she is surrounded by white, she’s flying, in front of her is a dark form with accents of gold, she reaches a hand out, Drone spreads his arm out, as they come closer, Springblaster smiles, her finger is about to touch his face when his image vanishes, instead of Drone’s embrace she feels a blunt painful blow, she slams into something hard, like a wall and passes through it, then she feels an even harder surface, like being hit by a train, for a very few moments before her world turns to darkness she hears a grinding metallic groan, then everything is silent. Back inside the galley, after a few moments of silence Dinobot looks up, the room is dark, everyone is on the floor.)

DINOBOT: It detonated in the shields, the explosion was held inside. (Whiplash pushes his body up and jumps back onto his hover-pad, he does an upside down one-eighty and heads for the edge of the base, he stops, the camera moves around him, the side of the base is badly burned, some windows are blown out, and the shield is still fluctuating.)

WHIPLASH: Slag, what happened? (Teraductile is only a spot in the distance now, the flyers have stopped the chase, Boomerang’s Megatron-style flying kangaroo body hovers next to Whiplash.)

BOOMERANG: I think Springblaster had the bomb.

WASPINATER: Waspinater saw Froggy-bot, Froggy-bot had bomb stuck to her back. (Whiplash looks around.)

PYEREEN: Oh no. (The metal panels, badly dented, grind back, allowing sunlight in again, Dinobot looks through as soon as there is a hole big enough.)

DINOBOT: Was that Teraductile!? I saw a body falling! (Whiplash hovers down.)

WHIPLASH: No Dinobot, it was Springblaster. (Dinobot looks at his face.) She’s gone. (Dinobot is stunned for a moment.)

DINOBOT: Get the others back in here, we strike tonight!

Scene goes to later that night, the sun has been down for a while, the AV is pulled out of the schooner and the weapons have been piled in a huge stack in on the ground. The last elevator-full of soldiers is exiting and falling into line, as well as the Maximals and Amazons, minus Springblaster. Dinobot stands firm at the front of the group.

DINOBOT: All of you, have once done something in your life that I am sure you regret, and by helping to hinder this growing darkness you have earned your pardons, each one of you, as well as the one’s lost, will be honored, not as reformed prisoners, but as heroes. This battle, may be the final battle for some of you. (Pakandus speaks up.)

PAKANDUS: A far greater death than rotting away in a prison cell! (There are a few cheers of agreement.)

DINOBOT: Yes Pakandus, a far, greater, ending. Those of you, who survive this ordeal, shall have a chance at life again, but, with the loss of the military drop-ship, we can’t return you to the Rock to be freed and head home as well. I have thought hard on the subject, and I have decided, you will have the one of the two schooners still capable of space travel, the other schooner cannot survive the atmosphere. As for my troops and I, we will worry about our future when time comes. (He straightens up.) Enough of the future, tonight we will launch a three pronged attack. The first, will be an aerial assault by five of my best fliers, they will strike fast and first, hitting the Predacon base. By the time this attack has happened we will launch the second attack, a ground team will take the AV and seek out the Titan’s base, the third prong will be the schooners, you will not land, you will take the weapons of best range or highest explosive magnitude and pound the enemy forces, one at the Predacon base, and one lying in wait above the ground team, this schooner will monitor the ground team’s location, and pull them out if it becomes necessary. Now the groups will be divided as follows- (There is a clang on top of one of the schooners, like a weight has been dropped on it. In a second Dinobot has spun around and drawn his gun, a laser-point appears on X-seven’s chest.) What are you doing here coward?

X-SEVEN: Gus’keesta, boeta choda. (X-seven hits a button on the lap-top type computer he is holding, it translates his words.)

COMP: I wouldn't suggest that.

DINOBOT: I have no reason why not to blow you away this instant! (By now, everyone has drawn their weapons.)

X-SEVEN: Ya docha husk’yatesh, bandohar kan da’eis.

COMP: If I drop this computer, your gut-busters will go off.

BOOMERANG: The slag they will- (Vrock steps up and taps Dinobot on the shoulder.)

VROCK: He has my computer, it’s perfectly possible he could control the gut-busters. (X-seven speaks again.)

X-SEVEN: Huska ato balocha gat’da doche, Ya huska bat’n has, bondohar kan da’eis. (He taps a button on the computer, several soldiers flinch, Vrock looks at Pakandus in question, then doubles over and vomits, his eyes watering, he looks inadvertently at the puddle, in the center of it is a shiny metallic object, soldiers around him begin to gag and wretch, Pakandus quickly releases the hydros on his helmet, just in time, his acidic vomit come out in a heave, as it splatters there is a metallic glint. X-seven pushes the translate button.)

COMP: You are now free to serve me, if you try to retaliate, the gut-busters will go off.

SHELLSHOCK: What’s he doing? (Razorjaw leans forward and whispers into her ear.)

RAZORJAW: Recruiting. (The dark, ghastly creature jumps down. Gasha stares at him, wiping vomit from his face.)

X-SEVEN: Gasta’ fadeesh kut’ri, plehast doona ta.

COMP: Any men who wish to follow me, please do so.

DINOBOT: Don’t do it men! (X-seven continues to talk as the computer translates.)

X-SEVEN: Men, by following me you have a chance, to pursue your ambitions, by aiding me in getting off this rock you will be free to do as you please. You realize, Kellst was planning on letting you go, but you would never gain full freedom, you would still be monitored and contain a gut-buster, you would never be free. Who knows, Kellst may have even blown you anyway when it was over, or put you back in your cell when you report back to the Rock. (One soldier hesitantly takes a step forward, he is a rather ugly creature, black-brown skin with long black hair, the soldiers around him stare, he takes his second step, X-seven’s ugly face grins in delight. As the soldier walks by, a blue-skinned female, with short-cut red hair and a smooth face steps in behind him. As they walk by Dinobot glares in rage.)

DINOBOT: Men, if you follow this, this creature! You will waste the sacrifices of the others, and soil your freedom, you will be hunted down and killed by Kellst’s men! Choose your side wisely. What we do in life, echoes in eternity! (While Dinobot was speaking three more soldiers have sheepishly moved up to stand by X-seven, one more, a short, muscular creature, with an exo-skeletal body, pushes through the lines.)

X-SEVEN: We will take the weapons we need, and one of the schooners, we will be of no more trouble to you, for the time being. (His men select weapons and ammunition from the pile. He points a spidery finger at one of the schooners, the large door still open from unloading the AV, his men file in.) Are there any more? (The rest stand strong.) It has been a pleasure! (He backs up into the Schooner, and uses one hand to turn on the anti-gravs, he sets the computer down and stoops over, typing furiously with one hand, there is a flash of green hue.)

WHIPLASH: A shield.

X-SEVEN: One more thing before I leave, the gut-busters. (He clicks a button on the keyboard, everyone gasps, nothing happens, Pakandus’s view from inside his helmet zooms in on the gut-buster on the ground, the small lights have dimmed and gone off-line.) Blast! (The schooner veers away and speeds off over the jungle, Dinobot lets loose, as does everyone else, there is a huge explosion, followed by several others, out of the flames flies the schooner, shields glowing.)

VROCK: The shields held!

DINOBOT: I don’t believe it! Cease fire men! (They reluctantly stop firing.) We will not let this hinder us, the unloyals have been rooted out, we still have the space-capable schooner, we attack at dawn!