The Monster of Kaon (Transformers Si): Chapter 42

The dark hallways of the ancient structure had lighting that was placed sparingly, just enough to illuminate the floor but not enough to give an airy feeling.

Which made sense to me. If the stories were true, this place was not meant to be frequented by bots all that much.

Legends say that Vector Sigma was either created by Solus Prime or by Primus to help the original Thirteen in their endeavors.

At some level, it is similar to the Teletraan system and probably functions in the same way, based on what I learned from Orion all those millennia ago.

That is the reason why I was so desperate to locate this sentient supercomputer.

Without Teletraan-1, it will take a ridiculously long time to rebuild our world. And even then, the majority of our collective knowledge, culture, and technology would be lost to us forever.

Something that I find to be unacceptable.

Fortunately, from what I remember, there is a chance that Vector Sigma might have copied all the data from Teletraan-1 during the many years that Alpha Trion called this place home. A theory that is given more weight based on the tendencies of Alpha Trion to act like a kleptomaniac and take anything that he finds to be interesting and store them as ‘Relics’ within his home.

Soon, after walking for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, we came upon an empty room with a huge, closed-off pit.

“Huh, it's not what I imagined.”

I simply nodded my head at Windblade’s words because I felt the same.

For any bot born on Cybertron, Vector Sigma is the seat of power for a true Prime. And as befitting of such a position, we always imagined it to be this grand archive of unfathomable knowledge and achievements.

However, looking at it now, I cannot help but feel disappointed.

“So, what now?”

“…Frankly? I don’t know.”

“Wait, what!?”

I felt the urge to chuckle at the shocked look she gave me.

With a smile, I started walking around, allowing my power to search through the surroundings for anything that would stand out.

“While you might find it shocking, I am not some all-knowing bot, Windblade. My knowledge is just as fallible as anyone else's, and just like any other bot, there will always be things that I do not know.”

“….Could have fooled me. I mean, it feels like you always have an answer for anything that I can think of.”

“That is because of my age, sparkling. As someone who has lived for billions of cycles, it is expected that I would come across a lot of things and experiences throughout my life. Not to mention that I have experienced more than your average bot thanks to various circumstances.”

The dubious look that she gave me at those words made me chuckle once again.

However, before I could tease her, my power picked up a spot on the ground that had a lot of data running through it.

With cautious steps, I reached for the indent on the ground that was shaped like and elongated rhombus.

However, there was no reaction to what I did. I even tried to use my outlier power to try and force a reaction out of it, but to no avail.

“As expected. It needs the presence of a Prime, or the key to its supercomputer, to activate.”

“Again? Just how paranoid were the Primes that almost all of the important artifacts on Cybertron require their presence to activate?”

I just gave a shrug at her words.

She wasn’t wrong. Most of the truly important technologies or artifacts our people really are locked behind Prime privileges, which might have played a part in why the Primes and their lineage are so revered in our culture.

That being said, I am not here to reminisce about our history. I am here to access Vector Sigma, and I will be damned if I don’t try everything I can to get it.

Remembering what Metroplex said when he learned of my objective, I reached within me and used the code of the Primes while also channeling the anomalous energy of the T-Cog within me.

Once again reaching for the indent, I placed my palm on it and channeled the energy while using the code of the Primes to try and access it.

Thankfully, this last gambit worked as a neon blue light erupted from the pit, followed by a holographic representation of Vector Sigma appearing in front of our optics.

But then, suddenly, the hologram flickered out and a familiar figure appeared in its place.

I could not help but growl in rage as the aged faceplate of Alpha Trion appeared in front of us.

“Fucking Primes!”

“Greetings, Optimus. If you are seeing this, then it means that my vision was right, at least partially.”

The wry smile that appeared on his face made me frown heavily.

Just what the hell was this bot playing at?

“Maximus? Is that-?”

“Yes. That is Alpha Trion. The last of the Thirteen.”

And the bastard that caused everything to go wrong.

In the many thousands of years I’ve had to myself ever since this damned bot exiled me, I tried to think of many different scenarios, but no matter what, it always led back to a single conclusion.

Alpha Trion was the one who destroyed all of my life’s work. It was his hasty decision that cost me everything. He is to blame for the Autobot-Decepticon war.

In other words, he is the root cause of the destruction of Cybertron.

“I know that you do not want to have anything to do with me, especially after what happened with Maximus. But, heed my words, young Prime. I have foreseen the return of the Chaos Bringer, and you play a pivotal role in his defeat.”

Dread pooled within my spark at those words.

I know better than anyone that Unicron is not some myth told to Sparklings.

In days long past, when Shockwave and I roamed the galaxy for our projects, we had established a base on Earth. And in doing so, we found out that the core of that planet was none other than Unicron himself.

Thankfully, the ancient evil god was dormant and did not even register our presence when we travelled his depths.

But now, if this bastard is right, then things have become much more complicated than imagined-

“That is why I have sent all the relics that I have collected to the planet called Earth, where I foresee your presence. I have also sent all the data that Vector Sigma had about our species, including the Teletraan backup, inside Data Cylinders so that you can rebuild Cybertron.”

“Primus Damnit!”

I could not help but roar out in anger at those words.

This bastard always makes things worse with his actions.

That data was the very reason why I came to Vector Sigma in the first place, and now this bastard sent it off to Earth!? Are you fucking kidding me!?

“….Um, Maximus? What is that?”

The unsure voice of my companion brought me out of my rage, making me look towards where she pointed.

The moment I stared at the pedestal rising from the ground and Alpha Trion’s grand gesture, I felt completely dumbfounded at what I saw.

“…Impossible. Cheal said that it was on Earth. Why is it here!? Damn it! Alpha Trion! What the hell did you do!?”

Of course, as expected, there was no reply since this was a prerecorded message.

“As you can see, I left behind a little gift for you. If my plan succeeds and you find him underneath the ocean where his stasis pod is supposed to be, you will need this to reforge him back to his full strength.”

“No matter what I feel about his existence, there is no doubt that you will need his strength to fight the Chaos Bringer.”

“To that end, I present to you”

“The Forge of Solus Prime/The Forge of Solus Prime”

I hated how we said the same thing at the same time.

This complicates things.