The Monster of Kaon (Transformers Si): Chapter 54

The Forge of Solus Prime hummed with anomalous energy as I continued striking at Onslaught’s body, making his body glow with every strike.

If it were any other time, I have no doubt that Onslaught would have been nothing more than a pile of scrap thanks to how powerful and heavy the hammer was. However, since I was using the Forge for its true purpose, there was no damage done to him. Instead, it was reforging something that was taken from him and his fellow Combaticons by scavengers after they were left behind on Cybertron.

With a final clang, I felt the Forge’s energy dip momentarily before it recharged from my spark, indicating that the process was complete.

Putting the hammer onto my back, I stared down at the Combaticons, who looked at his body with a strange look.

“Well? What do you think?”

“….There is no doubt about it. I can feel my T-Cog again.”

I grinned at his words, just like his companions did.

Blastoff smashed his fists together as his grin stretched even more.

“Then, let’s do a final test! Boss!”

Onslaught did not even hesitate for a single second before he jumped into the air, his T-Cog resonating with his brothers and making all of them shift at once.

And within a second, I stood face to face with the most powerful Combiner that I ever knew while I was still on Cybertron.

Bruticus.

However, the difference between the Bruticus I knew and this version was like night and day.

The Bruticus I knew was the result of Sentinel’s experiments within the Institute. With a broken mind that did not allow for any strategies or logical thinking and a body purely made to be a slave for the Fake Prime, the Bruticus from my memories was a dangerous loose cannon, hence why I was against the Combaticons using this form of theirs, except in the most dire of circumstances.

However, this Bruticus was none of that.

The calm way he looked at himself and his surroundings, the way I could see the clarity within his optics, the careful and planned way his body moved. This was no mindless beast of violence.

This was a veteran warrior.

“This feels, different. Maximus. Different from every other time we combined. We feel, complete, to say the least. Our thoughts are no longer clouded and jumbled together, pulling us in separate directions. They are combined perfectly. One body, and One mind.”

“That is exactly what I wanted, too. I modified your T-Cogs based on my own, giving them the ability to perfectly meld your minds together and enhance your IQ so that you can reach your full potential, no matter the path you choose.“

They quickly separated from their combined form, their test complete, and simply nodded at me with gratitude.

With one of the last few tasks done, I turned towards Windblade, who was still staring at the Forge and me with a strange look. A look that was shared by Nickel.

Ever since she regained her consciousness, she has not stopped staring at me like this.

Which made sense considering that her optics could probably see the changes within me better than anyone else.

But I must admit that it has become extremely funny seeing her reaction every time I use my T-Cog or the Forge.

Letting her be with her new friends, the minicon Nickel and the Combaticons, who started discussing something in a hushed voice while forming a group between themselves, I turned towards Silverbolt, who was working on the systems of Unitex-1 and coordinating with the Titans to complete the task I asked of them.

“How are things looking?”

“We are slightly faster than the anticipated schedule. Shockwave says that the Space bridge should be operational within two days at most. Lord Metroplex and Lady Chela have also called in that they have found Lord Metrotitan and have already begun the repair process. They say that Icaonus's parts are compatible with Metrotitan just like you predicted and would not need the Cybermatter carrier you have on standby for them.”

“As for the other titans, they are also reporting in as scheduled and updating their progress.”

I nodded my head at those words and continued monitoring the situation by hacking into the few functional satellites left above Cybertron.

Ever since I decided to accept Primus’s task and began preparing for my departure towards Earth, I knew that I could not hope to face what awaits me there on my own. I also knew that I could not leave Cybertron as is, at least not without some initial infrastructure in place.

That was why I tasked the Titans with helping Silverbolt, the Vehicons, and the Insecticons with the rebuilding efforts near the city of Kaon.

Particularly, I wanted the old Ascenticon War Factory, the Energon Refineries, Medical facilities, Orbital Stations, and Long-range communication systems back online as quickly as possible.

My purpose for doing this was twofold.

One, I wanted that basic infrastructure in place for the eventuality where many of my kin would return from their exodus among the stars. I hope to have at least some basic facilities ready to receive them with open arms.

Two, I wanted my friends and followers, especially the Titans, ready for war in case the Quintessons learn about this new development and try to invade us. And even without the Quintessons, I would still need the Titans if I am to face the Chaos Bringer on Earth without putting the organic planet in peril.

After all, it is better to overestimate than underestimate, and given that I am planning on fighting the literal devil of our myths, I need all the help I can get.

“Good. Keep me updated. The moment those war factories come online, I want them pumping out Warp Cannons and Transport ships as quickly as possible. While the chances of an invasion are extremely low, they are not zero. So I would rather be prepared for it instead of being caught off guard. The same goes for the Energon refineries. I want them to manufacture my Synthetic Energon and the Oxygenated Energon variant from Aquatron the moment they are online. While the Titans and the rest of our kin can depend on the planet’s natural supply of Energon in the future, now is not such a time since Cybertron has just recovered from being a lifeless husk and will take time to replenish its natural Energon reserves.”

“Done.”

“Contact Kickback and tell him that I want his hive to man the Communication systems and keep an eye on our deep space scanners. Anything gets within the 100 light year range of Cybertron, I want its ID immediately. If it proves to be hostile, I want it gone before it reaches the 50-light-year radius. Tell Nickel to take her best medics and man the Medical facilities. Just in case.”

Silverbolt simply forwarded my commands as I continued issuing them, drawing on my vast experience as someone who has seen many a rise and fall of civilizations and their shortcomings.

“Also, how are things looking on my drone design?”

“Shockwave says that they are viable but will take time to manufacture without a molecular forge. He also says that the Orbital Forge that you created based on the Molecular Forge designs is working flawlessly and will be ready for its first test run in a few hours.”

Once again, I nodded at that report.

Back in the day, after the Quintesson War, it took us many years to rebuild everything that was lost in the war. For near-immortal beings like us who cannot die of natural causes thanks to our very nature, time is not much of a concern. That is why, despite the century and a half that took to rebuild Cybertron back then, it was no issue for us, despite having a mini civil war in between thanks to the War Titans turning traitor on us.

However, right now, I cannot afford another Century and a half for rebuilding our world, especially with the awakening of the Chaos Bringer so near in our future.

That is why I decided to put every single bit of knowledge that Shockwave and I had to use.

The first of which was the Construction Drones that I came up with.

A few Scarplets that I captured and redesigned with the help of the Forge. These Construction Drones are capable of using their internal Cybermatter reserves to fabricate anything that we desire.

Granted, their internal stores of Cybermatter are not all that great, and we require a swarm of at least a hundred Drones to fabricate even something as basic as a Terminal, but the concept works, and that is all that matters.

Given the inherent replication capability that the Scarplets have, which I left intact with the drones, it will not take long before the swarms grow to a size where they can have a significant impact on our production and fabrication capacity.

Similarly, I modified the Molecular Forge designs that we retrieved from the Teletraan terminal.

I upscaled its design to fit into an orbital station and changed its protocols, allowing it to fabricate entire starships on demand.

Aside from this, I am also working on something else, something that would allow me to do all of this and more on my own, but that is a plan for the future. When I have the time to properly experiment and iron out any kinks in the plan.

Silverbolt hesitated for a few seconds before speaking up again while I continued working.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? At least, take the Combaticons or Thunder with you.”

I smiled, but I did not look away from the screens, which showed ancient Prime language script.

“Silverbolt, I understand your worry. But this is just a scouting trip. Primus never told me the exact time when he expects his counterpart to awaken from his slumber, so we have no choice but to scout out his location before committing our full resources to stopping him. You are needed here to take care of things in the absence of Shockwave and me, as the highest-ranking member of our species after us. As for Tarn, he has already made a place for himself, and I would rather not push additional responsibility on him just yet. Thuner is also needed here to keep my projects going in my absence. That is why I am only taking Windblade with me on this mission along with Shockwave.”

It was quite vexing that Primus never told me when he expected Unicron to awaken.

Normally, my first response to such a vague scenario would be to act like a dirty camper and place all of my forces near where I expect my enemy to appear, ready to obliterate them the moment they show their face.

However, I don’t think it wise to place a Cybertronian warship in orbit of a sapient species’s home world with its main guns aimed down at said planet.

Granted, I could be wrong and life might have long since gone extinct on this version of Earth after the dinosaurs, but I cannot work with such a baseless guess, so it is better to err on the side of caution.

That is why I decided that Windblade, Shockwave, and I would be the ones to go on this scouting mission.

The plan is very simple. The moment our repaired Space Bridge comes online, Windblade and I will go through it, heading straight for Earth’s core where Unicron’s spark should be located, while Shockwave will use a scout ship to bridge above the Earth, from where he will keep an eye on things and provide us with a return Space Bridge should things go south.

While I would rather not take Windblade, or anyone else, for that matter, I will need her optics to spot any hidden traps within Unicron’s core, not to mention that I will need her backup should we end up in a fight.

Hopefully, the trap that I have forged to defeat Unicron with the help of the Forge will work, and this scouting mission will also be the last that we see of Unicron.

If I fail, however, then Earth will be doomed, and I would have the blood of another species on my hands aside from the Antillans.

Unfortunately, this is a risk I must take. Because Primus has already informed me about Orion’s last resort should Unicron awaken, and that is an outcome I cannot accept, no matter what.

I will not allow that fool to sacrifice his life to defeat the evil god, no matter what kind of risk I have to take.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Notes: Finally! We are done with Maximus's exodus. Next chapter, he goes to Earth, where his scouting mission goes completely off the rails, as expected of his luck!