Local wildlife raised their heads forward as two white streaks illuminated the skies of their planet. The small white ship, the Albion, took a harsh dive for the surface. The nose tip of the ship glowing with red-hot fire until it somehow managed to pull up and have the heat redirected to the bottom of the ship. What remained of the ship’s thrust power was sent to the ship’s sides to keep it leveled as it plumped from the sky. Finally, the reserves gave out and the ship fell from the sky like a rock. The Predacon ship, the Vengeance, was in blaze and had no way to slow its descent. The speed increased and increased until finally it hit the side of a mountain, nearly snapping in two from the impact.
The Albion slammed into the planet’s surface, skidding across the ground like a skipping stoned. The beaten ship whined and screeched as if it were it last breath until finally it stopped. The ship sparked and the fires were put out as it came to its stop on a small inland area above a lake.
The Albion’s bridge all lay dormant across the various panels. The first figure to move was the being in the captain’s chair, Optimus Primal. Rubbing his head and adjusting his optic sensors, Primal glanced around the room to make sure his ship was intact. Stumbling toward a control panel he moaned in pain holding his right side, covering a complex system of wires and circuits.
"Scan...planet..." Optimus moaned.
"Acknowledged." The ship’s computer responded. "Scanning…scanning..."
"Planet contains how amounts of Energon and other unknown energy sources. Continued and prolonged exposure to unaltered robot modes results in permanent shut down." A voice computerized voice explained.
"Then we must find suitable means to inhabit this planet." Megatron pressed a button on his chair activating a scanning probe. The Predacons laughed awaiting the probe to finish. "And once we have our suitable life forms, we will pay the Albion, and Optimus Primal himself, a visit. Yeeess."
"Scanning planet for suitable life forms." The Albion’s pod reported to Optimus. "Scan complete."
Optimus moaned gripping his side in pain. "Begin replication and shell downloading…" Slowly he walked to different stations dragging the unconscious crewmember to scanning pods on the bridge.
"Warning: System damage, repairs needed at once. Warning: Stasis lock imminent." Optimus’ onboard computer reported.
The Maximal commander moaned. "Don’t count me out…just yet..." Optimus got into his own pod, closing the door slowly with a trembling hand.
"Wha...what?" The young bridge crewmember blinked as his optics function returned to normal. "Hey...what...what happened?"
"Crash landing." A deep voice replied.
"...I guess any landing you can walk away from...By Primus! How did an animal get on the ship?!" He yelled as a large white mass moved pass him.
"Have you looked in a mirror, junior?" The weapons officer, now a polar bear, replied.
"What?" The younger crewmember looked into the reflective surface of a scanning pod. "Dude, I’m a cat!" He grinned bearing his fangs.
"Well, at least you ain’t a flying rat." A large, flying squirrel sighed sitting at a station’s chair.
"Man, the ship’s busted up badly." The pilot, now a rather large armadillo, said as he crawled down from the open top hatch of the bridge. "It’s a wonder we’re all still functional."
"I don’t understand?" The panther blinked. "How did this all happen?"
"We can thank Optimus." The polar bear replied. "He drug us into the scanning pods and saved all of our lives."
"Optimus?" The panther looked around. "Where is he?"
A scanning pod steamed open. "Right here." The commanding voice replied as a large bat walked out, dusting its wings off. "Much better. All of my systems seem to be in order now."
"Optimus!" The panther tackled him and looked into his face.
"Ouch." Optimus rolled from under the cat and shook his head. "Glad to see you too kid." Optimus stood, again dusting himself, and looked to his crew. "I trust you all like your beast modes."
"Not all of us." The squirrel sighed. "But it’ll do."
"Good. Now our first order of business to locate that Predacon ship." Optimus walked over to a control station, after slamming his fist against the control board, and it blinked to life.
"And another thing," The armadillo walked over to Optimus. "We’re in the middle of a small lake and we need a bridge to connect to the main land."
"Right." Optimus looked to back to his crew. "Pol-"
"I got it!" The panther stood up. "Panther MAXIMIZE!" He growled as he transformed into robot mode.
"Not without backup." Optimus looked to the squirrel.
"He is in the best of hands. Night Glider MAXIMIZE!" The squirrel leapt into the air transforming into a winged robot, wielding a sword. Placing the sword into a holster on his back, Night Glider walked over to Panther and picked him up his arms. The two then rose to the open hatch and were gone within a matter of seconds.
Back at the Predacon ship,
A lizard, Iguanus, sat on the pilot’s control station. "Ah, I wish he would hurry up."
"Bombastic fool. I bet he’s going to choose something utter ridiculous." A manta ray rested on the floor. "It doesn’t take that long to choose an alternative form."
A frog, Spittor, laughed heavily playing with the ship’s control. "Weapons should be back online a few cycles. Let those stinkin’ Maximals try and get us!"
A wasp fluttered around the room looking from window to window. "Buzz Saw ready to leave!"
"Silence." An earwig bug grabbed the wasp’s leg in his pincher. "We wait for Megatron!"
The wasp gulped. "Buzz Saw understand..."
The door to the last unopened scanning chamber was blown off as a long, green body crawled out. "Excellent." The beast grinned bearing it’s sharp teeth. "This fits me perfectly." The crocodile growled. "Vice Grip, have any of you incompetents searched the planet yet?"
"No, lord Megatron." The earwig acknowledged.
"Then we need an explorer. Get me that dumbfounded pilot." Megatron ordered.
"My lord," Vice Grip bowed. "The pilot is gone. When we awoke, a scanning chamber was used and his body was gone."
"What!?" Megatron snarled. "Find him!"
"At your command, Megatron." Vice Grip nodded.
"An excellent bridge if I do say so myself." Night Glider hovered in the air, in beast mode, above the Maximal base.
"It’s just a giant rock we found." Panther shook his head.
"But it’ll have to do!" Optimus yelled as he flew to Night Glider.
"Seems okay to me." The armadillo looked from side to side of the bridge. "Little unstable, but hey. It works."
"Okay, now that that’s done let’s search this place until we find the Predacons." Panther transformed into beast mode.
"Sounds like a plan to me." The armadillo nodded.
Optimus glanced off into the distance, scanning it at long range. "We should always watch the local wildlife...wait a second. Since when does a wasp and manta ray fly together."
"That’s unnatural." The polar bear raised his head up to Optimus.
"And when there’s something unnatural, there’s Predacons!" Panther growled.
"All right Maximals, let’s roll out." Optimus ordered and began to flap his wings.
"What about the ship?" Night Glider flew next to Optimus.
"It’ll be okay until we get back, now move it people!" The Maximal commander nodded and flew harder against the wind.
The Maximals in a group formation neared the two Predacons. Completely out of their sight, the Maximals moved hidden within a formation of rocks.
"Let’s blast them from here back to Cybertron!" Panther whispered.
"No. Let’s listen in." Optimus scowled. "We might find out about their plans."
"Dumb pilot nowhere to be found and Buzz Saw’s wings hurt." The wasp whined.
"Uh. Shut your pie hole and keep looking!" The manta ray said angrily.
Vice Grip moved upward and looked to the two aerial Predacons. "No luck in my sector."
"And considering the beast he scanned, he could be miles away from us by now." Spittor leapt on top of a rock and looked around.
"So, they have a deserter." The polar bear whispered.
"That information does little good." Optimus sighed. "There’s no telling how many Predacons were on a ship that size. This could just be a small flag team."
Iguanus hissed sniffing the air. "Something is not right."
"What?" Spittor turned his head using his whip like tongue to catch a fly.
"I can’t be my finger on it." Iguanus snarled.
"I wouldn’t except one such as yourself to catch it, no." Megatron growled as he slinked upward.
"Lord Megatron, why have you left the ship?" Vice Grip turned.
"To learn of your status in finding the pilot." Megatron snarled. "But it appears the Maximals have been right under your noses. Yes."
Buzz Saw hovered upward, looking in all direction. "Maximals? Where...?"
"Right here, bug face!" Panther jumped on top of the rock.
"Panther, no!" Optimus held his wing out.
"Ah yes, Optimus Primal and his band of merry men." Megatron growled. "Predacons! Terrorize!"
"This was inevitable...Maximals, Maximize!" Optimus flapped upward, his troops rallying to his side.
"Manta Ray, TERRORIZE!" The manta ray’s back slammed backward revealing the robot underneath.
"Panther, MAXIMIZE!" The sleek black cat shifted into his robot mode with the sound of gears changing.
"Buzz Saw, TERRORIZE!" The wasp buzzed and shifted into a freaky combination of a wasp and robot.
"Armordillo, MAXIMIZE!" The armadillo’s back snapped upward as he sprung to stand on two legs, extending his formerly forelegs holding deadly weapons.
"Iguanus, TERRORIZE!" The lizard shifted quickly into robot, extending a blaster.
"Night Glider, MAXIMIZE!" The flying squirrel leapt into the air transforming into a winged robot, wielding a sword
"Spittor, TERRORIZE!" The frog leapt forward, shifted into robot mode.
"Vice Grip, TERRORIZE!" The earwig snapped its pinchers as it become a malicious design robot.
"Polar Claw, MAXIMIZE!" The polar bear stood on its hind legs as its belly reconfigured into the form of a robot.
"Megatron, TERRORIZE!" The corcdillo bared its fangs it snapped back in a twirl, revealing the sinister Predacon leader in disguise.
"Optimus Primal, MAXIMIZE!" The bat’s head snapped down as a set of robotic arms and legs unfolded to reveal a robot with glowing red eyes and a visor like mouthpiece.
"Maximals, open fire!" Optimus ordered, his mouthpiece moving with each word.
"Show no mercy!" Megatron started blasting and with his orders each of the Predacons began to fire using their own unique weapons. "Prepare for oblivion, Maximals!"
Optimus ducked dodging a missile of Vice Grip as he flew back firing a series of bolts from his wrist mounted cannons. "Polar Claw, we need some firepow-."
"I’m on it." The bear cut him off removing pieces of a weapon from his back. "I’ll need some cover fire." He ducked behind the rock formation.
"Consider yourself covered!" Night Glider snarled, the green crystal in his chest acting as a laser blaster.
"Optimus, we’re outnumbered!" Armordillo rolled behind the rock formation, using it as a shield to duck behind between blasts.
Optimus’ eyes narrowed as he turned to find a target behind the Predacon barrage. "I see that. Maximals, get down and find cover." With his orders the Maximals ceased fire and ducked behind the rock formation.
"You should have chosen chickens for your alternative forms, Maximals!" Manta Ray laughed launching deadly bolts of electricity from his hands.
Spittor grinned shooting at the Maximals’ hiding post. "Come out and face us cowards!"
"Don’t suppose we can talk you into coming over here, could we?" Panther gave out a half-hearted chuckle.
"BITE ME!" Spittor yelled giving them the middle finger.
"Wait a second." Optimus reached behind his back pulling out a heavy laser cannon. "I recognize him..." Optimus scowled.
"What are you going to do to?" Polar Claw asked he finished assembling and positioned a mortar.
"A little bit of pay back! Prime Jets, online!" Primal ordered and his back jets roared to life. Lifting off the ground, he cocked his blaster. "Give me some cover."
"You heard the man!" Night Glider nodded, taking aim with his chest. The green crystal at the center started to glow until it let off a small discharged laser-beam. The beam sailed into, slicing Predacon missiles in half as they flew toward the Maximals.
"Shoot him out of the sky, fools!" Megatron turned his aim upward trying his blast to knock Primal from the air.
Optimus dodged each blast and extended his wrist cannon, shooting Megatron in the knee and tipped the Predacon commander over. The Predacons trained their fire on Optimus, but before they could blink he was behind their lines holding the cannon to Spittor’s head.
"Bite this." Optimus pressed the trigger of the cannon, a large white energy ball launched forward and slammed into Spittor. The shockwave of the small explosion sent his fellow Predacons in every direction and sent Spittor himself flying backward into a rock.
Sparking and malfunctioning, Spittor rubbed the side of his face. "I think I need a new catch phrase..."
"Polar Claw, take the shot!" Optimus cocked and pointed his blaster at the Predacons.
"Taken." Polar Claw pressed a button on the mortar, launching a large projectile that separated into smaller projectiles. The rain of projectiles shot over the Predacon’s firing line, shattering it with explosions. Night Glider and Armordillo rushed from behind the rock formation, sending their fists into the face of whatever Predacon got in the way.
Covering his head, Megatron rose upward extending his blaster. "Fight on Predacons! This battle will be ours!"
"Like hell!" Optimus performed a back flip over the flying projectiles, using his wings as a glider. Landing in front of Megatron he aimed his cannon for the Predacon commander’s forehead. "In the name of the Cybertronian Alliance, you are under arrest!"
Megatron laughed. "Do you have the servos to bring me in, Primal?" He swung his blaster around training it on Primal. There came a dead silence as they stared each other down.
Suddenly, Megatron began to spark and become coated in a type of energy field. "What is..." He short-circuited. "this?!"
"Warning." Megatron’s onboard computer reported. "Prolonged exposure to planet’s energy sources. Return to beast mode."
Megatron let out a defeated groan and over out the order, "Predacons, retreat and return to base! We’ll finish this later, yes." He held out his blaster-taking Panther down in one blast. Transforming into crocodile mode, Megatron quickly stomped away. Following their leader, the Predacons picked up whatever pieces and ran behind their leader each transforming into robot mode.
Polar Claw lowered his cannon transforming into beast mode. "We won."
"Let’s get back to base." Optimus scowled looking to Panther. "I’ll talk to you there."
Later, at Maximal base
"Now that was a battle." Armordillo said as he entered the bridge via the open hatch.
"An unneeded one at that." Optimus glared to Panther as he crawled down the hatch.
"Sorry boss-bat-man..." Panther lowered his head. "But they would’ve discovered us anyway!"
"That’s beside the point, Panther." Optimus pointed. "I gave orders only to listen in. Not engage in a half cocked fight with the Predacons."
"But Optimus..." Panther whined.
"No buts." Optimus sighed. "You’re being confined to quarters until I say otherwise. Now go."
Panther sighed walking towards the main corridor, passing Polar Claw and Night Glider on their way in.
"Did we leave this hatch open?" Polar Claw looked at as he walked down a corridor, having to enter from the hanger bay due to his size.
"I don’t know." Night Glider, standing up on his back, replied.
"That is odd..." Optimus looked to the hatch, shifting into beast mode with the sound of changing gears.
"I am glad that you have returned, Maximals." A voice from the darkness snarled. "So that I may get my revenge." A pair of glowing yellow eyes drew the Maximal’s attention to an open corridor of the ship.
"What the..." Polar Claw turned around.
"On not only you, but the Predacons as well!" The voice laughed as a large transmetalized hyena steps from the shadows, standing over Panther’s inert body. "Prepare to terminate!"
To Be Continued.
