[ INTRO LOG ]

[robotsatan]

You don't know how you got here. One minute you were walking, sleeping, maybe dead -- then you're here, your feet suddenly carrying you down an empty street. Where's here?

Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With no one in sight -- right at first, anyway -- there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.

A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.

B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.

The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, with the bits and pieces left behind and a few determined minds, it wouldn't be too hard to build a working, if rudimentary, one...

Comments

whipped out the dramatic icon for this shit

[aminerproblem]

Le Crater

Megatron didn't so much awaken as he did jolt back into consciousness, finding his helm resting on unmistakably Cybertronian soil. It was different from the metallic shavings of Croteus 12 - thicker and more compact. The energon dripping from his hands pooled at the surface rather than sinking -

Energon from a guard he'd killed. There's a cold dread that immediately falls on the Tarnian miner's frame as he rises to his feet. That's right. There was a riot, Decimus had the gall to show his mug to them after telling them they'd be disposed of - and his security forces murdered someone for speaking out.

At plunging the pick-axe into his chest, he felt no guilt. The vivid image of the Autobot guard's head caving beneath his hands brought a pang of justified pleasure rather than disgust. He felt a little sickened at his own reaction - even if it was self-defense, even if it was deserved. How far would he fall from here?

It's after he notices the pool of water and the bizarre plant life that he considers his first guess wrong. Where was he? Cybertron didn't have any natural pools of water on it, at least none as crystal clear as this. After detecting no immediate signs of danger, he goes down on one knee and scoops a handful of it, using it to rinse off the guard's energon splattered on his forearms and face. The dirt and industrial grime still stuck to his body remains untouched.

[luckyfaceplate]

The city had proved less-than helpful when it came to finding out where he was. The technology was a mix of foreign and familiar-but-outdated. An odd combo to be sure. So it's no surprise seeing Optimus venture his way back to the crater.

Only to find himself not entirely alone this time. Near the water that seemed to naturally trickle from the crater, he noticed surface ripple, eyes trailing it to the source.

Seeing a...somewhat familiar frame.


"Megatron."

He couldn't stop himself. It had become almost habit now.

[aminerproblem]

"... Orion Pax?"

This day was starting to get more and more bizarre. Megatron gets to his feet, shaking his hands free of the out of place fluid, secretly thankful he'd arrived after he'd mostly cleaned himself.

The Rodion Police Captain looks like he's changed frames, but that's far from the strangest thing about this whole situation.

[luckyfaceplate]

While the name wasn't as foreign to him as he'd like to admit (blame a few identity crises), it felt odd coming out of Megatron's mouth. With Megatron's voice.

But that was a mystery in itself. Megatron sounded younger, brighter.

His frame was different.


It was like...it was like looking into the past. Those eyes widen considerably as he walks closer, noticing the hazard tape on the Cybertronian.

"You called me Orion Pax."

[aminerproblem]

"That was your name, last I recall."

Megatron isn't entirely sure why Pax is staring at him like he'd just sprouted a second head. But then again, not much made sense in this situation right now.

[tomemyoutliers]

That certainly is a bot he recognizes, thanks to the rapidly growing political movement he inspired. Megatron had caught Shockwave's interest briefly - anyone who believed that the current system of governance was corrupt did - but he dismissed the miner as someone who belonged to his own group rather than someone willing to see a pre-existing cause and take it up as his own.

Which was something to be admired, certainly, but not what Shockwave was looking for. Either way, the Senate feared touching him and in doing so, make him a martyr - it gave Megatron a level of protection Shockwave was slowly coming to realize he hadn't had. As usual, the best revelations come too late to do anyone any good.

Picking his way through the organic foliage - after stopping to grab a few heavy hanging fruits, because this certainly didn't belong on Cybertron no matter what had happened to the planet - Shockwave calls out to him.

"It's Megatron, isn't it?"

Although he doesn't recall any of the reports ever indicating that he was likely to be covered in energon.

[aminerproblem]

Megatron looks up from the pool of water, an immediate tension entering his frame at spotting the bright, unmistakably Senatorial decor on the Cybertronian in front of him. He'd never met Shockwave in person, but his actions were noticeable as being the outlier in the behavior of most of the corrupt politicans that kept a stranglehold on the rest of the planet.

He didn't particularly agree with Shockwave's methods - it all seemed like rather weak attempts to pick at little things at a time when the whole system needed an overhaul. Still, if he'd have to get stuck with any of the "honorable" Senators from the Grand Imperium, the one that pissed off the rest wasn't such a terrible option.

The looks he returns isn't exactly welcoming, but he doesn't seem particularly disturbed by Shockwave's appearance. In fact, he seems quite tolerable of it as he continues to rinse the energon off his hands,"Yes."

[tomemyoutliers]

As if he expected anything but a positive answer. That's Shockwave, always assuming - although perhaps he shouldn't be so keen on it after the fate he's narrowly escaped. But he knows Megatron, has briefly skimmed his writing when he was approached by the two Decepticons within the Senate to join their cause. Not that Shockwave wasn't flattered, but-- again, differences.

"I thought as much. We have a common friend - Orion Pax?"

Shockwave doesn't have much experience in being covered in energon despite his work with it, and he winces as he gets a better glance at the miner. Well. That's-- hm. Unsettling.

"Yours or?" He's actually not certain which answer he wants to hear at this point, but he figures it needs asking by someone.

[aminerproblem]

Although he was known on Cybertron for his words, his most noticeable trait to his supervisors in the mines was often his stubborn silence. And after Shockwave dropped the question, that's exactly what he got.

The implication hung heavy in the air as the last of the energon was cleaned from his fingers. It wasn't bleeding from anywhere on him.

Despite Shockwave's attempt to bridge them together through a common acquaintance, he was still at a loss for words. How would he accurately explain to a Senator, even a well meaning one, that he'd crushed a Guard's head in between his hands after an accumulation of lifelong injustice, pent-up rage and a brief sense of mortal danger?

What words could properly describe a pure maelstrom of emotion?

[deceptionshark]

Megatron was on the lookout for individuals who interested him somewhat. Why he chose this one was anyone's guess, because the young Cybertronian certainly didn't look like much. Perhaps Megatron just wanted to do his own version of "slumming it". Considering his own origins though, he really didn't have any right to judge anyone going by their sad, sorry appearances alone.

There's a very dramatic thud from behind the other Megatron as Megatron lands with all the authority he could possibly muster.

"You might want to consider toss your whole body in there. You are quite filthy."

[aminerproblem]

Wow Megatron RUDE.

The attempt at intimidation is noted as the reverberations from the landing jostle the ground and the water. As he turns around, there's no doubt there's an air of arrogant dignity about this other individual, but being at the crueler end of Senatorial power meant it wasn't so easy to shake him.

"Careful. Some of it might get onto you if you get too close."

[deceptionshark]

A challenge? Very well! Megatron was extremely fond of challenges.

"I've suffered worse than a few smudges of mud."

He casually strolled closer, looking upon this young stranger with interest. He couldn't explain why, but there was something incredibly familiar about him. Strange.

"Might I ask your name, stranger? I feel like we've met before."

[aminerproblem]

The other Cybertronian also gets a look over as he approaches, intrigued by some visual similarities, but not nearly as conversational.

It's the Decepticon sigil on the chest that seems to catch his attention, though with a notably unfazed expression.

"Megatron of Tarn."

[warcorrespondent]

Oh, now, this pain dampener chip was definitely, horrifically miscalibrated because there's no way he's seriously seeing this. Teaches Aftermath to spend money on unreliable, unlicensed medics.

That was Megatron. Megatron. But looking like he'd come fresh off the cover of the first news article Aftermath had seen him in.

"... Lord Megatron?" he ventures at last, staring at the apparition on the opposite side of the pond. The mangled knee and glitching pain dampener were temporarily forgotten.

[aminerproblem]

Megatron looks up from the water, a little puzzled at the sudden title being attached to his name. It wasn't the strangest thing about the situation, but it was an uncomfortable little detail.

The other Cybertronian is unrecognizable to him, but he did notice the labored walk. He rises to his feet to meet them.

"Do you need help?"

[warcorrespondent]

"This is the strangest dream I've had in a while." Megatron was asking him if he needed help. Megatron? Was this some kind of strange reconsolation thing his brain module was cooking up? Making him talk with with a young Megatron when their ideals had still aligned? Could've at least saved it for when he was properly dying instead of just hopped up on a bad pain dampener.

Realizing his lack of answer was somewhat rude after a moment, Aftermath hastily replies, "Ah, no, no I'm fine."

Just, you know, a hole blown through the knee and enough damaged and missing armor to make transformation impossible.

"... Maybe a little help."

[aminerproblem]

Megatron offers a shoulder for him to use as support.

The miner may have started to accept that hurting the enemy may be the only way to make progress, but that sentiment didn't extend to all Cybertronians. He was doing this for them.

"I'll be relieved if all this can be explained as a simple dream."

[milkruns]

June had ventured out of the city after a little exploration, feeling more or less confident that she'd be all right on her own -- after all, it's not as though she really trusts Megatron to look after her, even if he is an Autobot. She doesn't really know what's up with that yet.

She's glad she did, though -- because it turns out that outside the city there's even more of the water and the strange brittle plants she'd found growing in the cracks of the forum. A lot more of it, too -- there's a spring that to June looks pretty large...and a giant robot washing his hands in it. June's face immediately falls. She's not really keen on drinking contaminated water, and it's probably a limited resource on this planet.

"Hey -- wait!" The wisdom of running up to the Cybertronian waving her arms in an attempt to get him to stop is debatable, but what is June supposed to do, throw a rock to get his attention? "Don't -- look, some of us have to drink that water!"

[aminerproblem]

Megatron looks behind him for the source of the voice, a little surprised to find nothing at eye level. He could've sworn -

Ah. There it was, a few dozen feet lower.

He stops after getting a good look at June, curious at this little thing that emerged from a landscape that should really be inhospitable to organic life. Sure, he'd been shuffled around on a few planets by the Senate, but he'd never seen much of aliens - too much time in the mines.

The hands pull out of the water, dripping with a mix of energon, water and industrial grime.
"Interesting..."

[milkruns]

"Don't just stand there gawking, you're going to -- Megatron?"

June will later admit that her voice may have jumped into a nervous screech right there, but seriously, how many Megatrons can she expect to run into on this planet?? June's eyes are wide and she backs away a few meager steps, unsure if this one's going to be any more likely than the others she met to try and kill her. The track record has been surprisingly good so far, but she's not really willing to push her luck.

[aminerproblem]

Okay, that was enough to get him to pay some actual attention to this thing. He stands up, stepping away from the water pool to get a closer look at her.

"How do you know my name?"

[501st]

On other worlds, clones had learned that where there was water, there was life, and usually civilization. And while the Energon pools hadn't exactly lended themselves as nicely to hydration (touching it had scorched part of his wrist armor], the same tactic applied to the water.

His blasters are kept in his hands as he walks, pacing ever so carefully in case he was in unwelcome territory. After all, this planet didn't show up on any of his maps back on their cruiser.

But then again, neither had Kamino when Obi-Wan had first visited. He stops though, as the water ripples next to him. After checking to see if it was merely his footsteps, his helm travels over...and up...and up to see a giant--

"Clanker..."

It's a hushed whisper as he freezes on the spot, worried that if he moves ever so slightly he'll catch its attention. From the looks of it, Megatron seemed preoccupied with cleaning off his armor, and Rex hoped that a jump across the little stream wouldn't distract him too much.

[aminerproblem]

Rex was right in one sense, Megatron was quite lost in his thoughts as he energon came clean off his hands. Typically things of the trooper's size didn't generally pose any threat, so his whispers and movement go largely unnoticed.

It's only until he finishes and rises to his feet does he get a full view of the entire water hole. A little movement does seem to catch his attention, but closer to how one might pause to look at a lizard that just skittered across the sidewalk.

[501st]

It isn't until Rex slides along the surface of the rock facing Megatron that he speaks again, EMP grenade held tightly in his fist with a blaster in the other.

Noticing that Megatron is looking directly at him. It's almost as if that armor tenses up, his feet twisting into the ground to get a better grip on it. Just in case he needs to run.

"Never seen one as big as you, before."

In a way, he's kind of impressed. Grevious is stepping up his game.

warlord sitting alone at water source 'primus just look at him' decepticons are saying

[planate]

While Pipes sees the figure crouching over the water as vaguely familiar, pre-war Cybertron was far too long ago for him to accurately identify it as Megatron. He assumes it's just another confused mech like himself. War's over, anyway, he shouldn't judge someone based on their large and slightly terrifying frame. Regardless, he approaches with caution - it would be foolish to assume there's no danger until he's actually spoken to the bot. Pipes stays a few feet away and holds his hands up so when the miner turns to look he'll see the minibot has no violent intentions. Hopefully.

He calls out gingerly, "Ah... are you okay? If you need any medical attention I know basic first aid."

Though what he could do for a mech of that size with that much energon around, Pipes doesn't know. Keep him company, at least.