Amid great fields of alien crops, a single, large wild flower grew from the Nebulon soil. It was beautiful, with yellow, fern-like leaves sprouting from a thick bulb and blossoms with a rainbow’s array of colors. A single Nebulon butterfly flew up to it, hovering with its radiant wings as its eight skinny legs reached down to embrace the flower.

In the span of a nano-click, both butterfly and flower were incinerated in a ball of fire. What remained of the wild flower curled downwards and turned black as dozens of native Nebulons ran fearing for their lives. Like a storm of meteors falling, balls of energy descended from a high mountaintop onto the Nebulons’ luscious fields that they’d tended to for so long.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Galvatron laughed as he fired again and again at the Nebulons below, "Flee from Galvatron, you organic insects!"

Optimus Minor helped the Nebulons escape Galvatron’s wrath, guiding them away from the exposed fields. "Quickly friends! We’ll protect you!"

Minor’s help proved too feeble though. Several transformers rushed to counter Galvatron’s sudden appearance and attack, but all were shot straight through their chest plates, all instantly terminated. From his lofty height, no living being could stop Galvatron.

One lucky transformer fled, transforming into a robotic lizard and diving into a stream. Galvatron’s blast narrowly missed him. Underwater, he swam downstream, towards the city. Once a safe distance away, he leaped out onto dry land once more.

Scarcely a minute later, a mechanized chimpanzee swung in from the trees, landing near the stream. It transformed, becoming Optimus Minor. "Aquarius," he said to the lizard-like transformer, "All the Nebulons are out of the fields – only minor injuries."

"I wish I could say the same for our kind, Minor," Aquarius replied. He transformed, his lizard head folding into his chest and his robotic arms replacing those of his lizard forelimbs. "Heavy losses on our side…even against one Decepticon twenty of us are no match."

Optimus Minor frowned, not liking the sound of it. "Where there’s one…I wouldn’t doubt there are many more." Minor told Aquarius. He glanced toward the near-by city, knowing that there was a single chance there. Looking toward his companion, Optimus Minor ordered, "Aquarius, go to the central city and summon Omega Supreme."

Aquarius’ eyes bulged. "That old guardian? He’s too old! Half his systems date back to before Autobots existed!"

Minor sighed, and acknowledged, "I know, Aquarius, but he’s our only chance against any Decepticon threat. And if he fails…."

The newt-transformer lowered his head slightly. "That means…we’ll have to contact Cybertron for help." Aquarius said.

On the jagged mountainside, Galvatron watched as the last transformers and Nebulons fled out of range. His madness driving him, Galvatron shouted out to them, "Cowards! Face me!"

Just as he was about to leap into the air, a force from within stopped the insane Decepticon. "There is no need to waste our time, Galvatron. Return to Scorpinok…for now." Omegracon’s voice spoke to him.

Galvatron growled bitterly. "No! I want to destroy them first! I…."

He was cut off by a flash of red energy, his spark feeling as if a great fist was clenched around it. "As I said, Galvatron, there is no need to waste our time. I…would prefer not to damage your internal circuitry if possible…."

"All right!" Galvatron shouted. Omegracon released Galvatron, returning his free will to him. The Decepticon climbed back into the smashed-up remains of Scorpinok, making his way into the darkened interior. "What is it you want, Unicron spawn? There is nothing of use in this junk pile!"

Omegracon spoke from within Galvatron’s very mind. "Patience…Decepticon. First, I must reactivate those among your own minions that can be salvaged. One Decepticon," Omegracon reminded, "Is not an army unto himself…."

"Very well." Galvatron glanced at one of the Decepticon headmasters, lying on the floor. Kicking the twisted monster, Galvatron muttered, "Useless junk! None of these will be reactivated…none of these headmasters!"

As Galvatron turned in a different direction, Omegracon continued to speak with him. "They will not be necessary. I already know which to reincarnate first, Galvatron. Behold…."

Right before Galvatron were some of his most powerful, and useful, servants. There were the Constructicons, all six of them, along with Scourge and Cyclonus. Their green and bluish shells were dented and dust-covered, indicating their vast age.

"Why these, and not all my forces?" Galvatron asked Omegracon.

"These Decepticons…will be the most useful in locating a certain object I seek, one who’s energy…I can already detect." Omegracon explained. "Now…" Galvatron’s chest opened, exposing the glowing cylinder in which Omegracon’s power resided. Its reddish light shined on the eight Decepticons, causing their exoskeletons to glow the same color. "To restore these beings, and infuse them with power."

In the span of just a few seconds, Omegracon’s light undid the damage three whole centuries had done to the Decepticons. Their metal hides once again glistened, their internal power cores humming to life once more as their sparks began to pulsate.

Scourge was the first to get up, grabbing his blocky head and moaning. "W-What happened?"

Walking by uncaringly, Galvatron replied, "Too much has happened, Scourge, which is why we must be quick to act."

"G-Galvatron?" Cyclonus muttered, unable to believe seeing his lord again, "You live!"

Glancing at his open chest, with Omegracon’s light radiating out, Cyclonus’ leader said, "Yes…but at a price. Now, we must seek out something hidden on this world. Something that will repower our forces and give us the deciding edge…."

The Constructicons looked at one another, and then to Galvatron. Scrapper, their leader, tentatively asked, "W-What would that be, Galvatron?"

Galvatron stopped dead in his tracks at that exact moment. Slowly, he turned a red eye to Scrapper and the others. With a deep, creepy tone, he answered, "Vector…Delta."

On the planet Cybertron, Optimus Primal hung in his private corridors upside down, his clawed feet grasping a large pipe. He sighed in his beast mode as he stared at a golden bust of Cheetarus Prime, which seemed to stare back at him as he held it with the stubby thumbs of his wings.

"A bit drab in this place, isn’t it?"

Primal gasped at the sound of Coyotek’s voice. The gold bust fell from his grasp, his wings too stiff to hold onto it for long. Optimus Primal watched in horror as it tumbled downwards, almost certain to shatter like glass.

Instead, it landed right in the hands of the young coyote transformer. He looked over the shiny representation of Cheetarus and went, "Hmm…not bad. Got his good side." Glancing up at Optimus Primal, Coyotek said, "You still miss him, don’t you?"

Primal let go of his roosting pipe and hovered just above Coyotek’s head, his wings flapping lightly. Cocking his head and looking closely at his fellow Maximal, Primal began to ask, "How did you…."

"Find you down here?" RedStreak’s voice echoed. A fox-bot, accompanied by a rat and three walking plants, walked through the open archway leading into Optimus Primal’s secret hideaway. All of them transformed to robot mode and stood beside Coyotek, who had already switched forms before.

RedStreak chuckled a little, and then tapped his shorter, but still clearly canine, nose. "I may technically be half-human, but ‘tek’s and my beast modes have excellent smell."

"Not to mention yours truly," Rattrap added, folding his arms in front of his chest.

From behind the rodent, RazorLeaf commented, "If you’d been leading us, we’d have run into a limburger warehouse instead!"

Rattrap glanced back at the plant-bot, shrugging his shoulders. "Eh…only for a snack." Rattrap then motioned with his arm as if to slap the Maximal, but stopped half-a-foot away from his face.

Gold Blade approached Optimus Primal, asking with open arms, "What are you doing down here in Iacon? Everyone else on Cybertron’s looking for you!"

"Yeah…Iacon isn’t exactly a tourist attraction," Rattrap stated, flicking away the slime clinging to a rusted wall, "Ya know, given the lightning, smell, and uh…rust build-up."

Optimus Primal sighed, glancing at the bust in Coyotek’s hands and then his friends. "I needed some time to commune with the Matrix…ponder what the prophecy’s meaning was…."

"Well no offense, Primal," RazorLeaf crudely butted in, "But there’s some work planet-side and people need you to…."

In the halls of Iacon, a beeping sound echoed. Optimus Primal’s sensitive ears managed to pick it up, but just barely. He turned towards the entrance, gazing out into the jumble of archaic equipment and scrap metal. "Did you hear that?" he asked the Maximals.

Coyotek, RedStreak, and Rattrap looked at each other, and then Coyotek replied, "No. What is it?"

Flapping his wings harder, Primal replied, "There’s a message beacon out there! Someone’s calling us!" Before anyone could question him, Optimus flew out through the archway without so much as a millicycle of hesitation.

"Hey! Wait up boss-monkey…I mean…boss-bat!" Rattrap shouted.

The six Maximals chased after Optimus Primal as the bat-Maximal maneuvered easily through half-hazard halls and tight cracks in the walls, zeroing in on a beacon only he managed to perceive. RedStreak and Coyotek led the way, their swifter beast modes just barely able to keep up with their seemingly crazy leader.

"Do you think Optimus has gone crazy?" RedStreak asked Coyotek as they rounded a corner.

"Dunno," Coyotek huffed, "But he’s flying like a real bat out of…."

With a heavy metal clang, Coyotek ran straight into a steel pipe head-on. The dazed bot collapsed, falling backwards as a blurry image of RedStreak hung over his eyes.

"Man Coyotek! Are you all right?" RedStreak asked.

The coyote shook his head, then got back on his paws. "Yeah…uh…fine!" he said, tripping on his own feet, "Let’s get going!"

They whole lot of Maximals traveled through a great maze of halls, tunnels, and open streets until they finally came to a great domed building. Primal stopped right at a huge door, the message beacon beeping louder than ever.

Once the others caught up with him, Optimus transformed and pointed towards the doors, declaring, "It’s coming from in there!"

Resuming his robotic mode once again, RedStreak said, "Yeah. I hear it clear as day! An…alarm of some kind!"

Rattrap held out his hands, directing everyone’s attention towards the giant doorway. "But isn’t it obvious that we can’t just break into an armored, Autobot facility like this! I mean…how are we gonna move the doors?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" a deep voice spoke from behind them. Everyone turned around, caught by complete surprise. A shimmering glint of light appeared as Megatron himself decloaked. "We have to blast our way in!"

"Megatron?" Optimus Primal muttered, "What are you doing here?"

His large robotic form lumbering as he walked, Megatron replied, "Does it matter? All the matters is that you require my assistance." Glancing at the staring Maximals, the Predacon cleared his voice and politely said, "Now…if you don’t mind…."

The dark-plated transformer changed, his bulky body retracting his arms and head as wheels and weapons deployed. Now an assault vehicle, Megatron pointed the large cannon attached to his canopy toward the heavy doors. It powered up, and within seconds it unleashed a huge fireball that blew the doors clear off their hinges.

Megatron transformed yet again, this time assuming the form of a large gray-blue wolf. A pair of lights popped out of his shoulders, then lit up. With dark red-violet eyes and a disturbing grin, he pointed a paw towards the door and said, "This way in…my…friends."

Optimus Primal reluctantly walked in, followed closely by Megatron and then by the other Maximals. Megatron’s search lights helped guide them through the dark halls, leading them to a central control room where the beacon’s echo was at its loudest. Through a partially open doorway, they went inside, finding a huge monitor flickering with snow and a square button flashing red.

Accessing her memory banks on Autobot configurations, Gold Blade surmised, "This must be…some kind of launch control. Possibly even the one used when the Ark itself was launched!

"Yes," Optimus agreed, looking over the chamber, "And from the looks of it…these controls are part of a…communications system." Primal walked over to the glowing button, with all eyes watching him. Tentatively, he reached down and pressed it, not sure what to expect.

The screen came online, the image of a Maximal-like transformer appearing before them. The transformer’s voice boomed loudly over the speakers, "NEBULOS TO CYBERTRON! NEBULOS TO CYBERTRON! DO YOU READ US?"

"What on earth?" RedStreak muttered in surprise.

Primal reached out to another set of controls, replying, "This is Cybertron! W-Who are you?"

The strange transformer repeated himself over and over again, as if he hadn’t heard Primal’s voice at all. "NEBULOS TO CYBERTRON! THIS IS AQUARIUS, UNDER THE COMMAND OF OPTIMUS MINOR! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK AND REQUIRE ASSISTANCE! REPEAT…."

"What is going on?" Megatron asked, "Can’t you respond?"

Pressing various controls and switches, Primal replied, "I can’t! This console is in disrepair. The transwarp receiver is operating, but the transmitter isn’t functioning."

"So we can only hear this dude, but can’t reply." RazorLeaf stated.

"Exactly," Primal firmly replied, still working with the controls.

Rattrap then raised an interesting point. "But if this guy’s a transformer, how come only this ancient equipment is receiving his transmission and not our com-links?"

Gold Blade then realized it. "Of course! He’s using an Autobot communications frequency, not a Maximal one!"

"What? Are you serious?" Rattrap asked, "The old Autobot codes were put out of commission two hundred years ago!"

"But that was during the great upgrade, Rattrap," Optimus Primal pointed out, "Nearly three hundred years Autobots colonized Nebulos…long before the upgrade to Maximal technology occurred."

"So you’re saying," Coyotek said, still puzzled by all this, "That whoever’s sending this message isn’t Maxiamal…but some sort-of…Autobot instead?"

"Possibly," Megatron stated, staring at the monitor, "Or using their outdated technology if nothing else…."

The transformer calling itself Aquarius continued, still calling out to Cybertron. "NEBULOS TO CYBERTRON! I REPEAT…WE ARE UNDER ATTACK BY DECEPTICONS!"

"WHAT?" Rattrap blurted out, "DECEPTICONS?!"

Megatron’s eyes widened a little, but then they narrowed as he stared at the screen a while longer. "Hmmm…."

"WE’VE ALREADY SENT OUT OUR GUARDIAN, OMEGA SUPREME, TO COUNTER THE ATTACK, BUT WE NEED ASSISTANCE IMMEDIATELY! CYBERTRON…PLEASE RESPOND! THIS IS NEBULOS…." After that, the message turned to static, and Aquarius’ face vanished from view.

Primal desperately tried to rewire circuits, but all in vain. Just minutes after the transmission ended, sparks flew out of the console along with smoke puffing through its seams. Seconds after that, the monitor screen itself cracked and blew out.

"NO!" Optimus Primal shouted, slamming his fist into the console. Huffing and puffing angrily, Primal said aloud, "We’ve…got to…help them! They need out help!"

Botanica gazed at Optimus Primal for a minute, then asked with her soft voice, "You mean…we should journey…to Nebulos itself?"

Primal turned around, and with a stressed smile, he answered, "Yes. To Nebulos itself."

Coyotek’s eyes widened. "But that planet’s on the other side of the galaxy! How could we ever reach it in time?"

Glancing at Megatron, Optimus Primal muttered, "I think I have an idea who we can rent a ship from…."

Megatron gave a low growl in his beast mode, not liking the idea already.

Barely more than an hour later, Megatron found himself strapped into his command chair aboard the DarkStar. Directly before him sat Optimus Primal and Coyotek, both manning the helm of his ship. To Megatron’s left were Botanica and Gold Blade, watching over sensors and navigation. To his right, at propulsion and engineering, were RedStreak and Scaleblade. Megatron growled to himself and shook his head, unable to believe he was doing this. Typing in a few commands into his armchair, he said to Primal, "Ugh…I can’t believe I’m allowing this."

Rattrap suddenly popped up next to the Predacon, hanging from his tail in beast mode. "Hey, it’s not like the first time we’ve flown together!" Turning an eye to Optimus, Rattrap reported, "The fuel cells are fully charge, and all systems are prepped and ready Optimus!"

"Good. All right people," Optimus Primal said aloud, "Prepare for blast-off! T-minus ten, nine, eight…."

Glancing at his sister, RedStreak asked, "So…how have you been?"

Scaleblade shrugged as she fastened the belt over her lap. "Could be worse. Um…bro…if I were you, I’d strap yourself in about now." Scaleblade pointed to his seat belt.

The DarkStar blasted off with a wave of smoke emanating from the launch silo. Everyone inside was pushed back into his or her seat as the ship lifted off vertically like a rocket. In mere seconds, the mighty ship cleared the launch towers and flew into the upper reaches of Cybertron’s atmosphere.

Botanica checked the stats on her console, then reported to Primal, "We’re now leaving Cybertronian space."

"Right on schedule." Optimus Primal commented. Turning to Scaleblade and RedStreak, he ordered, "Ready the transwarp drive!"

"Roger, Optimus!" RedStreak replied.

Clicking a few buttons, Scaleblade made the necessary preparations. "Engines prepped! Transwarp drive…engaged!"

The DarkStar seemed to pause in space for a moment as it powered up its engines. The exhausts of its engines glowed bright white for a moment, and then, in a swift burst, they pushed the DarkStar off. The Cybertronian ship vanished into a subspace wormhole, a bright flash exploding behind it.

On Nebulos, a gray-red giant stepped out, its feet causing the ground to quake beneath it. It walked between the majestic towers of Nebulos’ Sapphire City, careful not to so much as chip one of the buildings. Soon it was standing outside the city, gazing out towards the distant mountains and burning flames.

A voice from below it called to the giant. "Guardian! You must stop the Decepticons from invading the city! They’ll destroy us all if you can’t stop them!" Optimus Minor said to him.

The giant robot nodded, the expression on its orange face acknowledging the smaller transformer. "Omega…Supreme…understand," the giant spoke, "Omega…Supreme…protect…Sapphire City!" Without uttering another word, Omega Supreme moved out, relentlessly heading toward the Decepticons.

Galvatron observed this through his enhanced optics. "So…they send out their giant ally to stop me, eh?" he said. Clenching his fist, Galvatron growled, "Well I have a giant of my own too! Constructicons!"

The six green-colored Decepticons immediately stood to attention, awaiting their leader’s command.

"Merge into Devastator and destroy Omega Supreme!" Galvatron yelled to them.

Without hesitating, the Constructicons transformed, first becoming construction vehicles, and then leaping into the air. While still in their vehicular forms, they joined together to create a monstrous body. Fists deployed from the arms, and then a large black head with a long, horizontal eye. The Decepticon giant, Devastator, looked down at his master and chuckled evilly.

"It will be a pleasure!" Devastator laughed.

Devastator moved off, crushing trees and plowing a great rift through the Nebulon forests as he moved to engage the guardian robot. "Now, while he distracts the giant, we shall…."

"Attack?" Scourge eagerly exclaimed.

Galvatron slammed his fist into Scourge’s head, denting the cylindrical engine mounted on top. "No you idiot! We’re going to find Vector Delta first!" Galvatron then pointed his blaster downwards and blew a wide hole in the ground. When the smoke cleared, he said, "It’s somewhere beneath the Nebulons’ city…so we must dig!"

Cyclonus and Scourge looked at one another, not sure what to make of things. They then aimed their weapons down to Galvatron’s hole and proceeded to deepen it. "I hope what we seek is well worth the effort." Cyclonus muttered.

"Oh it will be," Galvatron said, smiling menacingly, "It will be."

The DarkStar approached the planet Nebulos at remarkable speeds. Just a scant distance from planet itself, the ship dropped out of transwarp space.

"Transwarp drive disengaged, Primal!" Scaleblade reported.

Optimus Primal looked to Coyotek at his side, asking, "Are we where we should be?"

Coyotek activated the main viewing screen, displaying a broad view of Nebulos and its misty atmosphere. "Confirmed, Optimus. We’re just a few clicks from Nebulos’ outer atmosphere and on a direct course with it."

Gazing toward the eerie planet, Optimus Primal ordered, "Take us in, Coyotek."

Coyotek eased the controls down, causing the DarkStar to descend. Within minutes the ship began to quake and moan. The thick atmosphere dragged against the ship’s hull, turning it white-hot within seconds.

Still descending toward the surface, Botanica noticed something odd on her sensors. "Optimus! I’m detecting massive bursts of energy almost directly below us!"

Megatron clicked on the control built into his command chair, checking Botanica’s readings. "She’s correct, Primal! And they’re not naturally; they’re generated by weapons fire."

"Weapons fire?" Optimus Primal muttered, "What could be big enough to generate energy signatures on this scale?"

The clouds began to part, revealing before them the Nebulon surface for the first time. A massive transformer nearly a hundred feet tall appeared with a menacing grimace on his face.

Rattrap’s eyes bugged out. "Does that answer your question, Optimus?" he said to his leader.

Megatron saw an even graver problem. "Quickly! Hard to port before we crash into that thing!" he blared.

Coyotek grabbed the controls and pulled as hard as possible. The DarkStar twisted about, turning just slightly to the left. The tail end of the ship grazed the giant’s shoulder, cutting a piece of its armor. The monstrous entity grabbed its green shoulder and roared loudly.

"That was close!" Coyotek sighed.

Gold Blade watched the monitor, and saw the giant move towards them. It reached behind its back, pulling out what must have been the galaxy’s largest energy cannon. "Holy slag!" she shouted, "We’re not out of the fire just yet Coyotek!"

The Decepticon giant growled angrily, pointing the end of its gun in the direction of the fleeing DarkStar. "Devastator says…your end is near!" The giant then fired his weapon, unleashing a huge bolt of energy. As all the Maximals aboard the ship watched in terror, Devastator’s blast flew at them with rapid speed. Then, in a fiery explosion, it ripped straight through the middle of the DarkStar.

In the distance, Omega Supreme watched as the poor ship fell, crashing into a forest little over a mile away. He then glanced at Devastator, who seemed amused by this blatant act of violence. The guardian robot growled to himself, then ran straight at the Decepticon giant.

"Ha ha ha!" Devastator laughed heartily, "No one can beat the Devastator!"

Without warning, Omega Supreme charged Devastator from behind. With his clawed arm, he punched the Decepticon directly in the back, his sheer strength knocking him down. As Devastator moaned and slowly got to his feet, Omega Supreme said, his tremendous voice echoing, "Omega…Supreme…stop you! Omega…Supreme…not allow you to harm any more!"

Devastator growled bitterly as he turned to look upon his opponent. "Devastator shall destroy you, Autobot guardian!" Putting his two fists together, he slammed Omega Supreme with a swift, double-handed slam. The guardian robot was knocked backwards, causing him to stumble. Devastator, seeing a moment of weakness, reached for his titanic energy rifle.

All too quickly, Omega Supreme saw Devastator’s devious move, and countered. With the cannon forming his left arm, he fired at Devastator. His blast blew a crater directly in front of Devastator, throwing his weapon further away.

Omega Supreme boldly shouted, "Omega…not allow you…to destroy…Sapphire City…like you destroyed…Crystal…City!"

Devastator laughed, then got to his feet. "Ha! Devastator shall destroy you…THEN destroy Sapphire City!" His eyes narrowing as he grinned evilly, the Decepticon added, "Just…like…Crystal City!"

The guardian robot hollered and charged at Devastator enraged. This time however, Devastator was ready. He moved slightly to the left, letting Omega Supreme run right into a huge row of trees. With a mighty groan, Omega tripped, falling facedown amid busted tree trunks and branches. Smiling, Devastator came up from behind and grabbed him.

Before Omega Supreme realized it, he was hoisted above Devastator and then thrown. Thinking quickly, the guardian transformed, the ends of his arms enlarging to swallow up the rest of his body. Now a pointed, gray rocket, Omega Supreme fired his thrusters and flew into the air. The guardian double-backed, ramming Devastator directly in the stomach. Though knocked down, Devastator refused to give up, grabbing the rocket by its sides.

"You can’t defeat the Devastator so easily!" he boasted.

As Devastator attempted to rip his hull to pieces, Omega Supreme bellowed, still in his rocket form, "Omega…Supreme…will defeat you!" His engines fired at full thrust, forcing him onward. By sheer force, Omega Supreme dragged Devastator into a hill, the two crashing forcefully into its side.

A relatively short-distance away, the DarkStar was a wreck with its wings torn apart and its engine intakes clogged with burning branches. The central control chamber of the craft was slashed open, revealing the equally battered interior. Several bodies lay scattered about, unconscious and apparently offline.

From the great gash in the roof, a pair of transformers jumped down. They landed on a catwalk overlooking the entire chamber. Their blue and green eyes glowed vibrantly in the twilight as they stared at the unconscious Maximals strewn about the chamber. Cautiously, the pair approached Optimus Primal, their weapons in hand. One knelt down and poked him with the end of his energy blaster.

Optimus Primal groaned, then slowly opened his eyes. As he gradually regained consciousness, he heard voices over his head.

"What is it?" "I dunno…clearly a transformer…but none like any I’ve seen. At least he’s not a Decepticon, that much I can tell."

"What?" Optimus suddenly blurted out.

"Agh!" The transformers, apparently startled by Primal’s awakening, aimed their weapons square at his head, bellowing, "FREEZE!"

Primal laid there, trapped in his beast mode while the strangers nervously held their blasters. Staring at the strange robots above him, he asked, "Are you…Maximals?"

"We’ll be asking the questions here," one of the two stated firmly with weapon in hand, "Now you tell us…what are you and why are you on Nebulos?"

Coyotek shook his head and got up on his four weak legs. Immediately he overheard the alien transformers’ conversation, and turned to see them leaning over Optimus with weapons pointed at him. The Maximal narrowed his eyes and growled.

One of the transformers near Optimus Primal paused, and then turned in Coyotek’s direction. "Huh?" it muttered.

With a roaring howl, Coyotek leaped onto the transformer, knocking him onto his back. In the fleeting moments that followed, the other alien transformer turned and pointed his blaster towards Coyotek. When it did that, Optimus Primal acted, transforming to robot mode and then swiftly kicking his would-be captor.

In the fight, several blasts were fired, awakening the other Maximals. Weakly, Rattrap mumbled, "What’s goin’ on?"

Botanica blinked her eyes twice, then saw Optimus Primal and Coyotek fighting hand-to-hand with two others. "Optimus and Coyotek need help!" she simply exclaimed. A pair of her roots lashed out. In less than a second, both wrapped around the transformer fighting Optimus. One tendril hoisted him into the air around the waist, the second latched onto the arm holding the blaster, squeezing tightly.

"Agh!" the transformer yelped. He let go of his blaster, letting it fall to the floor. The energy weapon slid across the walkway, stopping near the second alien transformer, who was still tackled by Coyotek. He glanced at the canine growling at him, and then at the blaster. He stretched out his arm, reaching for it.

Suddenly, a flash of green flew by. With a sharp snap, the blaster was sliced in two by a sharp, leaf-shaped blade. Just a short distance away, RazorLeaf held in his hand a second of his green blades, ready to throw if necessary. "Sorry bub!" he shouted to the pinned transformer.

Optimus Primal got up and held up his hand. "Enough!" he shouted aloud. The Maximals stopped fighting. Coyotek growled, still atop one of the strangers. Primal said to him sternly, "Coyotek…" Reluctantly, he got off. Next, Primal nodded at Botanica, who released her grip on the other stranger. The two transformers stood there, unarmed and not sure what to make of things.

Realizing they were extremely startled, Optimus Primal approached the transformers and spoke to them. "I’m sorry this got off on the wrong foot. I am Optimus Primal, and we are…."

"Traitors!" one of the alien transformers yelled, "Don’t try to deceive us, Decepticons!"

Optimus Primal stood with a surprised look, not sure what to make of things. "Decepticons?" he repeated, "What do you mean?"

The other stared at Primal for a moment, then turned to his counterpart. "Aquarius, stand down! They are not our enemies…and if they were, they would of destroyed us while they had the opportunity!" He then turned back to Optimus Primal, and smiled a little. "It is good to see Cybertron received our message, uh…Optimus Primal. There is a crisis on this world, and we need all the help we can get, though," pausing, he glanced at Primal, as well as the other Maximals, "We were expecting…more powerfully-built reinforcements. Surely Autobot command could have sent…."

"Autobot Command?" Rattrap gawked, nearly laughing, "Sorry ‘bot, but that place was shut down stellar cycles ago! The Maximals are in charge nowadays…."

The transformer stared for a moment, clearly baffled. "Maximals?"

"It’s a long story," Gold Blade briefly stated, "But suffice to say, we’re on your side."

Optimus Primal got the new transformers attention once again, asking, "But why did you send out a distress call in the first place? And why did you mention the Decepticons?"

"Yeah," Rattrap butted in for a nano-click, "Those burnt-out plugs went out centuries ago!"

The transformer frowned. "They haven’t…not here at least. We thought they were long-gone too, but then…Galvatron reappeared."

"Galvatron?!" Optimus Primal blurted out, "He lives?!" All the Maximals stood there, frozen in amazement and confusion. Scaleblade and RedStreak glanced at one another, not sure what to make of it either. It was then that Optimus Primal made his command. "Maximals…we’re moving out…now!"

"Yeah! We’re ready!" RazorLeaf grinned confidently. He then turned to look behind him, saying, "Hey Megs! Time to wake up and kick some…." At the heart of the command chamber, Megatron’s command chair wobbled freely, empty.

Botanica saw this, and asked, "Where’s Megatron?"

"There was…another here?" one of the alien transformers asked.

"Yes…but where did he go?" Primal asked himself.

Coyotek glanced at his leader, a nagging though lingering in his mind. "Do you think…since he’s a Predacon and all…that he might of left to join with…."

Optimus Primal knew what Coyotek was thinking, but tried not to think about it. "Let’s just hope that you’re wrong."

Several cycles and several kilometers later, the Maximals and the Nebulon transformers arrived at a field of charred trees and shrubs. "This," Optimus Minor explained, "Is where Galvatron and his forces first attacked."

RedStreak glanced at the blackened scenery and said, "Whoa. Looks like they didn’t leave much left!"

Optimus Primal shook his head. "No…there isn’t anything of use here. They must be after something else."

"Like what?" RazorLeaf asked.

A beeping sound abruptly started. Everyone turned to Rattrap, who appeared to be the source of the sound. Flipping down his visor, he muttered, "What the?" He rotated his body around, seeking out something. "I’m picking up an…energy signature! Several I think!"

Optimus Minor jumped to Rattrap’s side. "From where?" he eagerly asked.

"Hold on, I think I can track it." Rattrap said. The cybernetic rodent rolled off, his fellow transformers following closely behind. Just a couple yards from the burnt field, they came to a hole large enough to swallow a truck. With visor still activated, he pointed down into it. "There are at least three energy signatures…probably your Decepticons, down in that hole; but…I think there’s something else there too."

"Like what?" Coyotek asked.

Rattrap groaned exhaustedly, then switched his visor off. "I can’t say. We’re too far to track it!"

Before another word could be said, a loud, crashing noise echoed in the distance. "What?" Optimus Primal said, caught off guard. The Nebulon suns were eclipsed, and looking up, they saw the silhouette of a giant robot tumbling down. "LOOK OUT!"

The Maximals, as well as Optimus Minor and Aquarius, scattered. The giant crashed down right on top of the hole, his body covering it up completely. As it groaned, Optimus Primal looked around, finding almost everyone.

"Hey!" Aquarius spoke up, "Three of your friends are lost!"

"Three? Which ones?" Primal asked.

Another shadow was cast over the Maximals. Above, a green giant hung over them. "I think we’ve got bigger problems now, Primal!" Optimus Minor shouted, "Run!" The hand of the second giant swooped down, trying to grab the Maximals below. Primal, Rattrap, and Aquarius ducked into the woods. Botanica spiraled into the ground, and Optimus Minor swung himself into the trees. Only Gold Blade and RazorLeaf were left.

RazorLeaf ducked, but Gold Blade was caught between the fingers of the Decepticon giant. As she screamed, her brother looked up and shouted "Gold Blade!"

Optimus Primal could only watch from cover as one of his troops was caught in the fist of an enormous transformer. "Gold Blade!" he said, "No!"

The arm of a monkey grabbed Primal. "It’s no good! We can’t fight that thing, Optimus Primal!"

"But we can’t let it kill Gold Blade!" he exclaimed.

Holding Primal more firmly, Minor brought up something else. "However…there may be a way we can save your friends…and my world as well!"

Below ground, Coyotek, RedStreak, and Scaleblade were trapped. All three had fallen deep into the tunnel amid the chaos, cut off from their comrades.

"Slag! We’re stuck!" Coyotek grumbled.

RedStreak looked around, unable to see anything in the darkness. "It’s dark as a midnight! I can’t see squat!"

"Here! Pull my finger!" Scaleblade said, chuckling a bit.

RedStreak moaned, unable to believe his sister. "You’re kidding me, right? Ugh…."

With a gentle tug, the tip of Scaleblade’s index finger lit up like a miniature flashlight. "Well at least now we can see. Scales…find us a way out!" Coyotek ordered.

"Whatever you say, sweets!" Scaleblade cheerily replied.

As Scaleblade walked down the tunnel, RedStreak turned to Coyotek with a raised eyebrow. "Sweets?" he asked.

Hesitating, then swallowing the lump in his throat, Coyotek replied, "Uh…just a…pet name she gave me."

RedStreak just shook his head, then transformed to beast mode and followed after Scaleblade. Soon enough, the three Maximals made their way down, not sure where this tunnel would take them. Surprisingly, they came to a metal wall buried underground. It was a conglomeration of steel plates with a large puncture in the middle.

"Dang." Scaleblade said, directing her light towards the jagged edge of the hole, "Somebody didn’t just rip this apart…they melted it down!"

"Whoever they are, they must have quite a bit of firepower," RedStreak remarked.

Like a phantom, laughter echoed from behind the metal wall. The three Maximals shuddered, then gazed into the hole. Coyotek said, "Come on!" and ran off. Scaleblade and RedStreak quickly followed behind, Scaleblade’s light wobbling all over the place. After traveling down a metal-plated corridor, a bright green light glowed from the very end.

"Ha ha! Success!" a fiendish voice snickered.

RedStreak froze in his tracks, the sensitive ears of his beast mode overhearing something. "Shhh!" he hushed Coyotek and Scaleblade, "I think I hear somethan…."

While his two buddies waited just behind him, RedStreak carefully crept past the corner to see what lay just beyond. A brilliant green light nearly blinded him. Once his eyes adjusted, RedStreak saw a great floating sphere that glowed like an emerald star, its light reflected and magnified by the silvery walls of the surrounding chamber. Then, standing right next to the glowing sphere, were two tall transformers, purple-colored with polished steel for armor, marked by the Decepticon symbol.

"Yes, Omegracon was right," one of the Decepticons, said, "This device…this…Vector Delta…exists on this world!"

The other transformer, slightly more built with what resembled a nosecone atop his head, turned to his counterpart. "But…mighty Galvatron, we don’t know what this thing is, or how it came to be on Nebulos."

The first Decepticon boldly proclaimed, "That does not matter now, Cyclonus! What matters is that this device shall grant us the ability to restore and recreate all transformers into loyal Decepticons! Soon I shall have whole legions at my command…."

From behind RedStreak, Scaleblade muttered, "Turn good bots into bad bots? Never!"

RedStreak arched his head, seeing both Scaleblade and Coyotek right at his back. "Guys! Get back! They might spot us!" RedStreak tried to whisper.

Galvatron raised his head in the direction of the Maximals. "What was that?" he raised his voice.

Scaleblade gasped, "Slag! We’ve been spotted!"

The two Decepticons ran across the chamber straight for the Maximals. Cyclonus transformed, becoming a powerful space plane. He swooped over the Maximals and fired repeatedly. The three smaller transformers ducked just as Cyclonus passed.

"Quick! We’ve gotta get outa here!" RedStreak stated the obvious.

They ran for the exit, heading around the corner to reach the tunnel leading back to the surface. They ran right into a third Decepticon. The blue-plated monster, over twice their size with bat-like wings, loomed over them. "You won’t escape Scourge, you pathetic little midgets!"

Coyotek immediately grabbed his blaster and pointed it directly at Scourge. "You think thirty tons of Decepticon will stop us?" he yelled back. Coyotek fired directly at the Decepticon, but his blasts bounced right off his armor.

Scourge simply laughed. "Ha ha! Was that supposed to tickle me?"

Scaleblade spread her wings and growled. She transformed, becoming a big green-black dragon with razor-sharp teeth. "Then try a taste of this!" she told Scourge. Inhaling deeply, Scaleblade built up a fireball within her dragon belly. The resulting blast hit Scourge right in the eyes, causing him to yell in pain as his exostructure burned.

"Quick! Let’s get outta here now!" she suggested, flying for the exit. Barely a cycle later, she stopped and looked back. Neither Coyotek nor RedStreak were behind her. "Guys? RedStreak! Coyotek!" she called out.

While Scaleblade hovered there, a pair of red eyes glowed from the dark tunnel ahead of her. A booming voice echoed, "Looking for these?" Turning around instantly, Scaleblade saw Cyclonus with both of her friends in his hands.

Scourge rushed her from behind. "Gotcha!" he said, grabbing Scaleblade and squeezing her tightly. Scaleblade roared and struggled, but her wings and arms were pinned to her body. "You won’t be escaping so easily!"

The two Decepticons returned to Vector Delta’s chamber with the Maximals as their captives. Galvatron stood there and chuckled proudly to himself as he glared at the three small transformers. "Ha! These are the descendents of Prime? You are far more pathetic than I anticipated…."

"You want pathetic!" Coyotek yelled, "Look at a mirror, you archaic piece of…." Cyclonus muffed Coyotek, gripping him tighter.

Galvatron chuckled to himself. "Amusing…and to think…I was expecting something more…challenging."

As the Decepticon master talked, the Maximals noticed four panels built into the chamber walls open up. Out of them appeared four large robots, all equal in size to the Decepticons. Each one’s eyes lit up as it came to life. Silently, each stepped out and turned towards Galvatron and his lot. Coyotek wiggled and moved as much as he could, trying to point out what was coming from behind. Finally, he bit Cyclonus’ finger hard.

The Decepticon cried out in pain, dropping both Coyotek and RedStreak. "Owe!"

Before either Maximal could move an inch, Galvatron raised up his cannon and blew a crater into the floor. "Don’t even think about running," he coldly warned.

The strange robots came closer, their eyes glowing more intensely. RedStreak raised up an arm and nervously pointed toward them. "Um…Mr. Decepticon…there is something back there you should really, really see!"

Galvatron chuckled, saying, "Oh please…."

The glowing sphere of Vector Delta turned a dark shade of green. At its command, the entrance door slammed shut. Galvatron, Scourge, and Cyclonus all turned in response. Cyclonus went up and tried to pry it open, but with no luck. "It’s…it’s sealed shut!" Turning to Galvatron, it was only then that he saw the four approaching mechanoids. He pointed a finger and yelled, "Behind you!"

Just as Galvatron turned, the four robotic entities raised up their arms, strange energy weapons deploying from them. With deep, eerie voices, they uttered, "Protect…Vector…Delta. Powering…offensive systems. Protect…Vector…Delta."

While the trapped transformers shuttered at what Vector Delta’s guardians were about to do, the floating spheroid just hovered there, its green glow growing darker with each passing moment.