It had been such a long time since either RedStreak or Rattrap had taken a vacation. The two Maximals, long tired from constant war and battles, were taking a well-deserved nap on a beach near Cybertrox Lake. The both of them were laying down, arms crossed behind their heads as they stared up at the brilliant blue star called Earth in the skies of Cybertron.

"Ah," Rattrap gave a satisfied sigh, "Beautiful scenery, lovely weather…motor oil martini in my hand…" He paused, reaching to grab his drink and sip from it. Rattrap sipped from the glass cup, a metal nut floating in it like an olive. "This…is exactly how I hoped to spend my days."

RedStreak laughed. "Hey, this is actually nice. I’m surprised you invited me instead of Botanica; considering she’s a plant and all, she would of enjoyed this sunlight."

Rattrap shrugged. "Eh. She had stuff to do with Optimus; something about an artifact found on Earth."

Glancing back at his blue home, RedStreak said, "Hmm. I wonder what they found there…."

On the very planet RedStreak gazed at, Optimus Primal and several Maximals, including Botanica, were at work at New Cybertron. While half the Maximals toiled away at rebuilding the gold-plated structures, Primal and his group were inside a private laboratory equipped with a hanger. Coyotek, Razorleaf, and Nightscream marched in, carrying a large chunk of gray rock on their backs.

His muscles straining as he hoisted the boulder on his back, Coyotek groaned, "Ugh! Why is it that Red and the rat get to take a…ugh…vacation…while we have to move really, really big rocks around for no good reason?"

Razorleaf, steadying the boulder with his green vines, grunted from behind Coyotek. "There is a reason why they call us the working cast, no?"

"Ok," Primal said, waving his hand, "You can set it down right about…there!"

With a huge heave, all three Maximals pushed, the boulder rolling off their backs and thudding on the hanger floor. Exhausted, Coyotek plopped down, all four of his legs sprawled out as he panted in his beast mode. Razorleaf’s leaves faded and bent down, while Nightscream transformed and leaned onto a computer console.

"Why are all these rocks so important, Optimus?" the exhausted bat-bot asked.

Optimus Primal transformed, assuming his own bat form. He flew over and sat beside the largest of the odd-shaped boulders. "These aren’t just rocks," Optimus said. Pointing a wing toward a band of carved inscriptions, he elaborated, "These are what’s left of the great Temple of Primus after it crashed to Earth years ago."

"Gee," Coyotek groaned, standing up once more, "How could we forget, considering we were the ones stuck in it as it came crashing down!"

As Optimus Primal looked on, Botanica approached Nightscream from behind. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she told him, "These ruins are a great link to the past. They tell great tales of battles the Autobots fought, and quite possibly history as well."

"As interesting as that is, guys, I should return to Cybertron. After all, I am the defense commander." Nightscream stated somewhat bluntly. Primal and Botanica watched as he walked out of the hanger, headed straight for a shuttle being prepped for launch.

Optimus Primal gave a long sigh, shaking his head a little. "Even after all these years, he still doesn’t realize how history is truly important."

"Eh, don’t mind him," a voice surprised them from behind, "He’s never been the scientist or historian." Turning around, they saw none other than Gold Blade. In her arms were a load of data disks and digital pads.

"Gold Blade!" Botanica rushed to her and hugged her with all four arms.

"Hey!" Gold Blade laughed, "I’m carrying a lot of stuff here, Botanica!" By accident, she dropped one of the pads. It clattered onto the floor, landing screen-side up. Botanica noticed it, and bent down to retrieve it.

"Ah," she said the first moment she laid eyes on it, "You brought the translation files I requested."

"Both ancient and new Autobot texts." Gold Blade pointed out. With a groan, she threw the pads and disks onto a table, cluttering up the hanger even further. "Took me almost nine solar cycles to locate them in the old archives back on Cybertron."

A yellow and bushy face popped up before Botanica, looking curiously at her. "So," Coyotek asked, "Whatcha gonna do with ‘em?"

Botanica chuckled, then grabbed a strange scanner from the table. "Why, make use of it, of course," she simply replied. She shoved the pad into a slot, and then passed the scanner over the inscriptions and hieroglyphs. In seconds, the symbols appeared on another pad built into the scanner. "Now," Botanica said, typing a few commands in, "Using the translation algorithms and quantum scanner, we should be able to…."

As Botanica typed in the words, the same inscriptions she previously scanned started to glow white around the edges. Nearly at the same instant, pain struck both Botanica and Optimus Primal, their eyes glowed the same eerie color as the inscriptions. They covered their heads with their hands and cried out in pain.

"Primal!" Gold Blade shouted.

"Botanica!" Coyotek yelled, "What’s wrong?"

Millions of miles away, as RedStreak and Rattrap both relaxed on the beach, something similar happened. RedStreak suddenly jerked up, shuttering as his eyes glowed pure white. "Ack!" he gasped, feeling this immense pain from his head.

"Red!" Rattrap exclaimed, dropping his oil martini.

The strange event lasted for barely a minute, but to RedStreak it seemed like an eternity. Afterwards, he felt fine…except for a strange…premonition he was getting. He groaned a little, shaking his head to get the last bugs out. Looking up at the bright blue world hanging in the sky, RedStreak muttered to Rattrap, "We’d better get to Earth. Something’s happening there."

Elsewhere in the cosmos, a giant piece of floating wreckage drifted near the devastated planet of Char. For countless years before, it had done the same, drifting helplessly through space, its true nature long forgotten. Deep inside however, between twisted corridors and over fallen transformers, something had arrived at this place.

Before the remains of a terrible Decepticon, a strange, glowing cylinder hovered perfectly still. Inside it was stored the last remnant of the universe’s most evil entity long since vanquished. Now, this terrible evil confronted one of the most dreaded tyrants in Cybertron’s history.

A ray of orange energy radiated out of the cylinder, shining upon the Decepticon as it sat in its chair. The icon on the transformer’s chest began to glow bright violet, its eyes blood red. As the Decpeticon’s twisted spark began to beat inside it once again, a voice from the cylinder rumbled, "Arise, Galvatron. I call upon you…as Unicron did…to perform a task for me."

After over three centuries of limbo, Galvatron stirred once again. He lifted his eyes up, the madness lying within evident in his scowl. "I…I live," he muttered. The Decepticon tried to get up, but his limbs were frozen, immobile. He growled and struggled to move, but his body refused, leaving him stuck in his old command chair. "What is this?" he yelled, "I…I can’t move!" Looking to the glowing cylinder, he demanded, "Release me…now!"

Ignoring Galvatron’s demands, the cylinder spoke to him about its own wishes. "Galvatron, leader of the ancient Decepticons, I have reactivated you once again."

"Then let me go, NOW!" Galvatron demanded.

The light emanating from the cylinder turned a deep shade of red. Its voice growing slightly louder, the cylinder said, "Do not think to make demands of the progeny of your master, Galvatron! For the same power he once held over you…" Suddenly, Galvatron’s body was surrounded by an aura of red, causing him to jerk and cry out. Finishing its statement, the cylinder said, "I…also have."

His body swimming in agony, Galvatron lamented, "All right! Enough! W-What do you want with me?"

The light changed from red to orange. "Excellent," the cylinder spoke, sounding more pleased, "I have sought you ought…for one very distinct purpose."

Galvatron narrowed his eyes, the words sounding too familiar to him. "State your business...and…what you are."

"I…am Omegracon," the cylinder said to him, "Or more precisely…what remains…of him."

"You’re…a drone?" Galvatron bluntly said.

"Oh…far more than that, Galvatron," the cylinder said, "I am the key to your resurrection…the key…to avenging the destruction of both Unicron and Omegracon." The floating device came closer to Galvatron’s face, is luminescent glow becoming brighter. "This device, this probe," explained the cylinder, "Was created by Omegracon, and sent out by his minions in the event of his…termination."

Galvatron cocked his head to a side, looking at the device carefully. "You still haven’t stated what your business with me is. What purpose did your…former master set you out for?"

The cylinder hovered there, silent for a moment. "Very well," it finally spoke up, "My demands are simply this: to destroy all of Cybertron…and to wipe out the entire Maximal race."

A bit baffled, Galvatron muttered to himself, "Max-im-alls?"

"Yes, all the Maximals," the cylinder said, "They…are the descendents of your enemies, the Autobots. They, if anyone, destroyed Omegracon. In exchange for their complete destruction, I shall restore you and your troops, and grant you the power to conquer the whole universe."

"Ha!" Galvatron laughed, "Unicron himself offered me the same thing, and look what it brought me! Defeat and madness!"

The cylinder began to glow red again, Omegracon’s patience wearing thin. "Your own treachery did that to you, Galvatron. That is why you failed to destroy the Autobots long ago. But listen to me…this is your second chance to avenge your race, gain power and glory. Either accept Omegracon’s generous offer, or prepare to spend all of eternity drifting helplessly through space…among this scrap metal, and be nothing more than a speck in history. Your choice, Galvatron…but Omegracon will not make this same offer to you again…should you chose not to accept."

The Decepticon sat there, his body immobilized and his power weak. The cylinder waited before him, the enigmatic power stored within it fluxing. Once before, he made a pact with the destroyer of worlds, the ravager of star systems and the entire universe. Would he repeat that mistake again, in exchange for a chance to live again?

Galvatron gave a long and very bitter groan. "Very well. I…have no choice." Glancing at the cylinder, he also added, "Only a fool would refuse such an offer."

The cylinder’s light grew more brilliant. "Excellent. Now…" It backed off, then lowered itself towards Galvatron’s chest. "Together, Galvatron, we shall annihilate the Maximal scum…and rule the universe." The probe’s light burned open a hole into Galvatron’s chest, revealing his spark pulsating within. The cylindrical probe then approached it, entering inside of Galvatron’s body.

"What are you doing?!" Galvatron shouted. If he could, he would have ripped the probe out of his body, but he was paralyzed, defenseless. A bright ray of light shined out of his chest, illuminating the interior of Scorpinok until all its windows shined red. For a moment, Galvatron hollered in terrible pain, his spark being torn apart. He gasped, and fell from his throne. The Decepticon collapsed, the light fading.

Like an ominous wind blowing from afar, a laugh filled the corridors. Galvatron got to his knees, laughter sounding from his throat. Inside his chest, his spark and the probe merged as one, glowing a weird shade of violet. "Together," his voice and Omegracon’s spoke at once, "We…shall conquer the cosmos."

Blazing a golden yellow, a Cybertronian shuttlecraft entered the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a magnificent trail of red and orange in its wake. It descended towards New Cybertron, growing larger and larger in the eyes of watching Maximals below. During its last minute of flight, the shuttle fired maneuvering thrusters to steady itself, tiny flares spurting from the nose and wings infrequently. Finally, the craft set down, executing a perfect three-point landing.

Even before the smoke cleared, RedStreak came rushing down the ramp with Rattrap not far behind, struggling to keep up. As he entered the hanger, Coyotek, Gold Blade, and all the other younger Maximals caught sight of RedStreak and eagerly ran to greet him.

"Red!" Coyotek joyously exclaimed, "It’s great to see you again! So, how was the…" Almost rudely, RedStreak rushed past his coyote friend, ignoring him completely. "Vacation?" Coyotek finished saying, looking confused as he watched RedStreak approach Primal and Botanica.

Huffing a bit as he stood before his mentor and plant-colleague, RedStreak said, "I came…as fast as I could." Looking at both Botanica and Optimus Primal, he realized they knew the same thing as him. "You…felt it too…I take it." RedStreak said.

Primal nodded, then turned toward the hieroglyphs. "These stones," he said ominously, "Have something to tell us."

From behind them, RazorLeaf, Coyotek, Gold Blade, and Rattrap all approached, curious as to what was going on. "What are you talking about?" Rattrap asked in a whiny tone of voice.

Botanica gazed upon the large stone as well, regardless of even her beloved Rattrap’s presence. Brushing the stone with her hand, she stared closely at the carvings. With a mere brush of her fingertips, a few of the symbols began to glow. Jumping with fright, she withdrew her hand. The symbols then grew cold once again, the light fading. "By the Matrix…" Botanica muttered softly.

Aggravated to the point of insanity, Rattrap blared, "For the love of gouda, somebody speak a language I can understand!"

The plant Maximal, Botanica, turned to the others with an expression of astonishment on her face. "If I translate these writings correctly, they say: ‘Prophecy’." Botanica said.

Coyotek transformed, becoming a lean and metallic robot. "A prophecy…to what?" Coyotek asked.

Botanica stared at the stones once again, recalling how they glowed when she touched them. "I can’t say…for the moment," Botanica answered Coyotek’s query, "But there might be one way to find out. Optimus Primal, RedStreak, I have an idea."

Both RedStreak and Primal approached, both slightly puzzled. "What did you have in mind, Botanica?" Primal asked frankly.

Glancing at the hieroglyphs, she replied, "Just a hunch…but if I’m right, these stones will tell their tale if all three of us touch them together." Botanica then proceeded to place her hand directly onto the stone. Like magic, the words surrounding Botanica’s hand began to glow. Her two Maximal counterparts stepped back in surprise, but then, as if driven by instinct, they approached the light. First RedStreak outstretched his hand, placing it on top of Botanica’s. More words began to glow, their light growing more intense. Next, Optimus Primal set his atop RedStreak’s. All three Maximals would never expect what would happen next….

The boulder glowed a bright blue, light bursting out of what had once been solid rock. From beneath their hands, a great bolt of energy erupted, knocking Botanica, RedStreak, and Optimus backwards.

"Botanica!" Rattrap exclaimed. He revved his motors and raced straight to his beloved, grasping her with his arms.

"RedStreak! Optimus!" Coyotek and Gold Blade shouted at once. They too rushed to their friends, helping them back to their feet. Just as the fallen Maximals started to recover, the great stone started to shake and quake, the light radiating from it dazzling. They could only watch as its power began to manifest itself before them.

Coyotek growled, and raised up his blaster. "No! Wait!" Optimus yelled. He grabbed Coyotek’s hand and forced his weapon down. "If it wanted to destroy us," he told Coyotek, "It would of done so the instant we awakened it!"

Glancing at the stone, Coyotek asked Optimus, "But…what is that thing?"

Unable to answer the question, all Optimus Primal could say was, "I don’t know, Coyotek, but the connection RedStreak, Botanica, and myself share with the Matrix somehow activated something within the stone."

The stone grew brighter and brighter, until in one glorious instant, it gave off a burst of blue light. The Maximals averted their eyes for a few moments, and when they looked again, the inscriptions on the stone had changed completely. A few select phrases pulsated in blue and white colors, beating as steadily as a strong heart.

Awe-struck, RazorLeaf uttered, "Whoa…."

Everyone stared at the boulder as it glowed. While the others just gawked, Botanica crept up to it, an urge within her beckoning her to. Optimus Primal raised up and arm and shouted, trying to stop her, "Botanica! Don’t!" Before he could act, Botanica touched the inscriptions with her delicate fingers, and in that same instant the power that flowed through them entered her. Botanica’s whole body glowed blue-white, her eyes widening as they flashed with electricity. Primal reached out to her, but a surge of energy threw him back.

Optimus Primal fell to the floor, giving a light moan. Coyotek and Rattrap went to his side immediately, but Primal pushed both away. "I’m okay," he said to them, standing back on his feet, "It’s Botanica we need to…."

Gold Blade, still gazing upon the eerie stone, interrupted with a quiet, yet startling voice. "Primal, I think we have problems."

Botanica’s glowing body rose into the air with her arms spread wide. Like a specter, she floated effortless. Slowly, she turned about. With her wide, fluorescent eyes she looked upon her comrades, her face pale and completely emotionless.

"Botanica!" RazorLeaf cried out, "What’s happening to you?"

The suspended Maximal spoke, her mouth moving as it normally would, but her voice was utterly different…more powerful, ridged, with a computerized echo sounding out. "In brightest day, in darkest night, there shall always be a light," the possessed Botanica began, "Take heed, for soon the final days of Cybertron come indeed!"

Stepping back in complete bewilderment, RedStreak muttered, "What the heck is she saying?"

Optimus Primal thought for merely a nano-click, then realized it. Pointing to the glowing inscriptions behind Botanica, he exclaimed, "The prophecy inscribed on the stones…it’s speaking through Botanica!"

Rattrap, Gold Blade, RazorLeaf, Coyotek, and RedStreak all turned upwards to stare at Botanica in disbelief. All at once, they spoke, "What?"

"It shall come," Botanica continued, "When the breath of Unicron brings life to ancient enemies thought lost, to do battle with the children of the emerald era…."

"Emerald era?" Coyotek muttered, glancing at Gold Blade and Rattrap.

"Don’t look at me!" Rattrap blared, "I’ve heard of golden ages but not emerald ones!"

"In the darkest light, battle will come and go…reaching beyond to the farthest stars. New allies and new powers…none shall stop those ancient with darkened chambers and bitter sparks." Botanica paused, the turned her gaze downward, looking upon the Maximals below her. "But know this…a warrior with the spark of light shall arise...to battle evil with the powers of nature…."

RedStreak stared at Botanica with wide wonder. "A warrior? Spark of light? Could it be…." The human-Maximal hybrid glanced down at his glass chest, gazing upon the blue-white spark pulsating within. Softly, he muttered, "Be…me?"

As Botanica continued to speak, the stones behind her gradually dimmed, her body began to drift downward, the mystical power nearing its end. "When the war of ages at last is over, all shall be destroyed. But in the end…all shall be one…and in the image of Primus, shall all be remade once more."

With that, Botanica dropped to the floor, weak and barely conscious. "Botanica!" Optimus Primal shouted. He and all the Maximals quickly rushed to her side. In seconds, countless, helpful hands besieged Botanica. When asked if she was all right, she mumbled incoherently, "Huh? W-What?"

"Don’t you remember?" RazorLeaf said to her, "You were talking about a prophecy, a big battle between a warrior and evil, and then…."

While RazorLeaf spoke, Rattrap glanced at the boulder with the inscriptions. Shifting to beast mode, he crept up to them. They were dead, no longer glowing. He sniffed, but there was no smell. Carefully, the rodent reached out to touch the face of the rock. Much to his surprise, it was cold and completely inert.

"Mmmm…" he mumbled to himself, "Nothing."

A large crack formed between the inscriptions. Rattrap shrieked and jumped away. Larger and larger cracks began to form, the boulder splitting into jagged sections. "Look out!" Rattrap shouted, alerting his friends. The other Maximals jumped away just as the great stone crumbled into huge pieces, collapsing onto the floor.

When the dust finally settled, Optimus, Botanica, and all the others saw the remains of the once sacred writings. "By the Matrix!" Coyotek simply said, "What the heck happened?" Looking to Optimus and Botanica, he said with an incredibly confused face, "What in the galaxy is going on?"

"Yeah," Rattrap furthered Coyotek’s point, "First Botanica’s possessed by a talking wall, and then it falls apart!"

"An-And then there’s the prophecy!" Gold Blade reminded.

Optimus Primal looked down at the scattered rocks and layered dust, pondering an answer. "I can not say for certain, Maximals, but if the prophecy’s message is any indication…something…is amiss."

While the Maximals pondered over the prophecy’s meaning, elsewhere in the galaxy something was indeed amiss. On the planet Nebulos, it was the height of the harvesting season in the plains of Nanar. The native, green-skinned Nebulons worked side-by-side with transformers to pick ripened fruits and vegetables that had grown in the rich soils of their home world.

A humanoid transformer bent down to receive a full basket from a Nebulon slightly shorter than himself. He grunted, hoisting it over his shoulder. "Quite a load, it seems," the transformer smiled at his friend.

Plucking a yellow-orange vegetable from its vine, the Nebulon stared at it with pride. "Yup. This year’s harvest is the most bountiful in decades! Truly a good year, thanks to your help, Optimus Minor."

The transformer chuckled, then waved a hand before the Nebulon. "Oh no…I couldn’t take the full credit. I’m just the coordinator…my fellow ‘bots who actually got their servos dirty deserve it more, Rembar."

The Nebulon, Rembar disagreed. "Oh no. You’re not a coordinator; you’re their leader. Just like the original Optimus Prime…."

Rembar paused, glancing towards the sky above them. A huge, darkened shadow passed over the land, drawing the attention of not only Rembar and Optimus Minor, but that of every transformer and Nebulon within fifty square miles. Optimus Minor gazed upward at the massive object, not sure what to make of it.

"What…could that be?" he asked Rembar.

The Nebulon continued to watch as a giant, blocky craft plowed through the atmosphere of Nebulon. Its leading edge burned red-hot, with flames flickering away to form a blazing trail behind it. Soon it sped off, falling like a meteor towards a massive range of spiky mountains to the west. As the Nebulons and transformers watched, it crashed into the mountainside, a huge ball of fire exploding as brightly as any of the triple suns of Nebulos.

Rembar blinked his eyes as the ball of fire dimmed, revealing a sharp crater in the second-tallest mountain. "It…it crashed!" he shouted, "It slammed right into the Dark Blade mountains!" Looking up at Optimus Minor, who was still studying the smoking crater, Rembar said, "Surely nothing could have survived that!"

"I dunno…." Optimus Minor replied. A port at the top of his head opened up. Out of it, a set of binoculars deployed, attaching itself to Minor’s face. His optics, now augmented by telescopic lenses, allowed the transformer to see the crater in greater detail. What he saw was a dark, slagged piece of metal charred back sticking out of the mountainside, right at the heart of the crater.

Still observing the crater, Minor told Rembar, "Looks like something survived…but totally fragged. There are bits and pieces all over the mountain…wait a minute…."

He adjusted the binoculars slightly, allowing him to magnify a specific portion of the crater. On the side of the damaged craft, some form of airlock was beginning to open, its circular plate jerking up and down erratically.

"Hold on! There’s a hatch opening! Someone did survive!" Minor exclaimed.

The airlock swung open, slamming against the ship’s side. Slowly, something emerged. It was a transformer, a large one. It climbed out and stood atop the wreckage, its eyes gazing out across the surrounding landscape. Then, much to Minor’s horror, he saw on the transformer’s chest the dreaded emblem of the Decepticons.

"No!" he gasped.

Rembar watched as Minor’s binoculars retracted, revealing the transformer’s eyes to be wide and pale in color. Unsure of what to make of it, he asked nervously, "W-What is it? What did you see?"

Barely able to speak the words, Optimus Minor uttered, "By the sparks of our ancestors…it can not be! It…is…."

"Who?" Rembar asked a second question.

Minor spoke the name of an enemy he never thought to see in his lifetime, the name that was cursed and nearly forgotten. "Galvatron."

Standing on top of Scorpinok’s tattered remains, Galvatron oversaw a vast landscape that was green with tints of gold, yellow, and orange mixed in. At the horizon’s edge was a great city of towering skyscrapers and monuments glowing with power. The blue-purple sky was lit by three radiant suns and two crescent moons. This was a world as vibrant as either Cybertron or Earth, a world right at his feet.

"Soon," Galvatron said to himself, "Soon this will be my domain. This land, this planet, shall mark the beginning of my conquest of the galaxy!"

A second voice spoke from within his chest, the red cylinder glowing. "With the fall of Nebulos, the path to Cybertron shall be opened…and the destruction of Prime’s descendants will be ensured."

Both Galvatron and Omegracon laughed together as they aimed a great gold cannon down at the base of the mountain, where Nebulons and transformers stared up at Galvatron, unable to believe what they saw. Then, with a mere click, the shot that made the universe quiver echoed out over all of Nebulos.