Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Beast Wars: Hidden Repaints ❯ 2: Onyx Sky ( Chapter 2 )

BEAST WARS: HIDDEN REPAINTS

Chapter 2: Onyx Sky

A TMUK PRODUCTION by Charles "RocketBoy" Reilly

EARTH'S: 35, 000 FEET UP: 2, 000, 000 BC

First there is calm. Stars are spread out across the sky like pollen. Their light shines down on the ancient Earth, giving peace to the creatures below.

And then, a new light appears.

Transwarp light.

WARNING! ENGINE FAILURE; SHIP IS ON COLLISION COURSE WITH LAND MASS! SECONDARY PUMPS FAILURE-

" SHUT UP! "
ACKNOWLEDGED.

Onyx Primal cursed. He cursed the Tripredacus Council for trying to kill him. He cursed Death's Head for getting him into this situation. He cursed the people who made this ship so WEAK. But mostly, he cursed himself for being stupid enough to activate Transwarp Drive without being out of the planet's orbit.

The ship door was jammed shut. Snarling, he pulled out his gun and blew the thing away.

He was rapidly heading towards a small mountain and would die. So he did the only sensible thing; he jumped out.

The ship's slipstream blasted him backwards 90 metres.

OK, maybe that wasn't the smartest idea… BEAST MODE!

He watched his ship head towards the mountain and explode.

He was trapped on an unknown planet and in an unknown time. He only had enough fuel for a few more months. He had no idea if there were any hostile lifeforms here. And now his cloaking device had his energy signature stuck as Maximal. In short, he was a dead Pred walking.

EARTH: THE AXALON: 2, 000, 000 BC

Rhinox peered at the computer and groaned. " A stasis pod has come down in Sector Cryway! The protoform appears to have… abandoned it, and is flying around right now. "
Optimus came over, his face drawn with concern. " Megatron will have picked this up by now… Do we have any patrols near there? "
" Tigatron and Airazor are 20 cycles away, but Packrat is closer. "
Optimus groaned. " Not my first choice to welcome our guest… Send him anyway; we can't let the Predacons take down this new Maximal! " He walked out of the room, calling, " I'm going myself; I'll reach there in about 10 cycles, if I'm lucky. "
" Good luck, Optimus. "

EARTH: SECTOR CRYWAY: 2, 000, 000 BC

Packrat scurried out of the woods and over to the mountain. He was mumbling under his breath; " Why me? Not my problem, it's not like they treat me much like a team member ANYWAY, this will takes AGES to climb… MAXIMIZE! "
He continued climbing, now in robot mode.

Above him, Onyx watched in interest.

A Maximal, he thought. Here? One of the exploration crews, perhaps? Hmmm… He could be a potential ally, but I'd better wait to make sure. And if he isn't, I still have my sniper laser.

On the other side of the mountain, a small group of Predacons were heading for the same target as Packrat. They were Blackarachnia, Vice Grip and Fractyl.

" Don't see why I have to do this, " muttered Fractyl. " I'm a GEOCHEMIST, not a warrior… "
" Well, you did drive away a group of Maximals during the whole Furmanite incident, " said Vice Grip. " Megatron was impressed! "
" Er, yeah… " Fractyl still hadn't told the others that that had been a staged fight.

" Shut up and keep moving, " said Blackarachnia. " There's a stasis pod and I want it! "
" For the Predacons, of course, " said Vice Grip helpfully.

" Yes… Sure… "

Packrat, ever grumbling, found the smashed and flaming remains of the ship. And started rummaging through the wreckage for valuable stuff.

So he didn't notice the Predacons until their weapons were locked on him.

" Ah… "
" There's two choices, Maximal, " said Blackarachnia. " You tell us where the protoform is or I pump you full of cybervenom. "
" This is pathetic… "
" Shut UP, Fractyl! "
Up above, Onyx stared down with keen interest. He recognised Fractyl as one of the True Path members who hijacked a battleship and shot down the Axalon & Aurora. This meant there were Maximals on the planet, and they had a ship and armies of protoforms! Not his first choice of allies, but they were a better choice to ally himself with. He'd have to save the rodent first, of course, so he'd find the base.

" Onyx Primal… Maximize. " He doubted the Maximals would be happy to see Predacons at the moment.

Oblivious to all this, Packrat continued to back into the mountain.

" I-I don't know! " he wailed. " The protoform broke free before I got here! HONEST! "
" He's telling the truth, " said Vice Grip. " I can tell, ma'am. "
Blackarachnia put her hands on her hips and studied the quivering thief. Finally, she smiled.

" Yep. This means the Maximals have more members than us. " She whipped out her crossbow again. " Let's even that a bit, shall we? "
BOOOM

Toxic death failed to infect Packrat. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and saw pieces of Blackarachnia littering the ground.

" Arial sniper! " roared Vice Grip. " 'Del, let's bring him down! "
" Er, yes… "
Onyx flew around, trying to avoid their fire. A few shots grazed him, but nothing major. He landed down in front of the beetle, grabbed him and tossed him over his shoulder.

Fractyl gulped and began firing on the assassin. He laughed and leapt, kicking the gun out of the geochemist's hands and then dealt a Severe Chop to Fractyl's neck.

The head came off.

" Oh, no… "
This had took in place in 10 nanoclicks. Packrat was overawed.

Then Vice Grip got back up.

" Fractyl wasn't a fighter, you cowardly REPAINT! You won't find ME such an easy target! "
Onyx laughed. " You have no idea who you're up against, bug. "
" My name's Vice Grip, " he said calmly, " and I can command electricity, LIKE SO. "

He fired a long-range blast that Onyx hadn't been expecting. He grunted in surprise and fell down, temporarily paralysed.

Vice Grip's pincers clacked menacingly and he moved in…

TSEEEW!
The concentrated sonic blast blew his knees off.

He fell screaming down the mountainside. After several bounces, he was able to transform and dig into the rock.

Packrat grinned and put his sonic disruptor weapon away.
" You alright, bat-guy? "
Onyx rose to his feet. " Yes. It was a minor setback. "

" That was incredible! How'd you do that to Fractyl?! "
" Metallikato training. I always felt it was unfairly forbidden… "
" I'll say! " He held out his hand. " I'm Packrat; you are… "
" Onyx Primal. Maximal reconnaissance agent, out to find the Aurora and Axalon. My ship was attacked by the True Path on the way though; I'm stranded here. "
" No sweat, buddy! " said Packrat cheerfully. " The monkey'll be here in a few cycles and ya can help us slag Preds! "

" Hmmm… indeed. "

EARTH: THE DARKSIDE: 2, 000, 000 BC

Megatron calmly looked down at the pieces of Blackarachnia, as they floated in the CR vats like so much vegetables in soup, and said, " You were beaten that easily? "
" He appeared to have training. "
Megatron growled. " You FAILED, Blackarachnia. " He kicked her head across the vat. " I'd advise you NOT to do it again. "
From his vantage on the ceiling, Tarantulus, in his insidious beast mode, sniggered to himself.

" Megatron doesn't know who Onyx Primal is. Ngh ha! I suppose I should tell him of what he's capable of, but why ruin such good sport? " The spider thought for a minute. " If he has joined the Maximals, I could blackmail him… Why bother?! With him there, he'll do more damage just being his usual annoying self! "
Megatron looked up angrily. " What ARE you talking about, arachnid? "
" Nothing, Megatron… " Tarantulus dropped down and transformed. " I'm just considering how this newcomer affects my- OUR plans… "

EARTH: THE AXALON: 2, 000, 000 BC

Cheetor walked into the command room-

" YOU MEAN YOU LOST ALL THE PROTOFORMS?! "

- and tried to walk out again.

" You useless MEATBOT! " fumed Onyx. " With them in orbit, you've given the Predacons an advantage! "
" We were in a crisis situation, " said Optimus coolly. " If we hadn't done that, they'd have all been killed in the crash. And several of the Protoforms have been saved and are with us right now. Tigatron, Airazor and Packrat. "
" While the enemy has Vice Grip, Blackarachnia and INFERNO! They have a psychotic loose cannon on their side; do you have any idea of how dangerous something like that IS?! "
" Yes. " His voice grew to a whisper. " I do. "

Onyx was about to speak on this, but Rhinox grabbed his shoulders, turned him round and shook his head. The assassin relented.

Cheetor edged over to Tigatron; the patrol groups had been called in. " Hey, Big Cat; what's going on? "

" Our newcomer is rather unhappy with Primal's leadership, " he said. " I loathe to admit it, but he does have some good points. "

" Of course he does! " said Packrat. " Look, I saw the guy fight; he's a pro! Megatron should just go put his big fat reptile head in the sand before it's too late! "
" And with that idiotic comment, " hissed Dinobot, " you prove you are ignorant of Megatron and the threat he poses. "

Oblivious to all this, the two Primal's continued arguing.

" I'm sorry if you feel this way, but I was appointed leader for this mission- "
" An EXPLORATION mission, monkey! You are unsuited for a combat role! " He jabbed a finger in Optimus' face. " A real commander would have achieved Predacon KILLS by now instead of letting them join your little tea party! "

There was a dangerous silence.

Dinobot stood up, transformed to beast mode and left the room, growling as he went. Rattrap winced.

" Hoo-boy! Chopperface must be really peeved if he's leaving! I was expecting blood-and-guts time meself… "
" Do NOT make such slurs against my crew AGAIN, " said Optimus angrily. " Do you understand that? "
" You presume to order me? " Onyx sniggered. " I'm outta here. Unless patrol is against your moral principles. "
He strutted out, with Packrat running after him. Optimus waited until he was gone and then smashed his fist into the wall so hard it left a dent.

" ARGH! I know I wanted extra members to even up the numbers, but I was hoping for someone a little less aggravating! "
" He seemed quite capable and skilled to me, " said Airazor. " He could prove a useful ally. "
" Not if he can't follow commands, " said Rhinox. " I've been in combat situations myself; you don't follow commands, you can wind up dead. Even Cheetor learnt that. "
Tigatron whispered to Cheetor, " I think Onyx is challenging Optimus for leadership. "
" What?! "
" Keep your voice down. I am more in tune with my beast mode; I recognise the signs. The alpha male is being challenged by a younger male, and they WILL fight. And I think Onyx will win. "
" No way! Bigbot will slag 'im! "
" I don't think so. If we can believe Packrat, he took down 5 heavily armed Predacons in a few nanoclicks. If we believe the truth, it was TWO Predacons single handed, and in about 20 nanoclicks. And that is still pretty impressive, considering how he did it. Airazor and Rattrap are the only others among us with sniper capabilities. "

Cheetor thought about this. It seemed alien to him; the idea that Optimus could have a superior. He didn't believe it. Onyx just seemed like a prat. But Tigatron had never been wrong before…

Onyx transformed to bat mode and flew off. Below him, Packrat ran after him.

" Heh… Like some sorta puppy… HEY RAT! "
" Yeah? "
" What do you think of Optimus? " he asked casually.

" Compared to you, he's a slag-sucking moron! YOU could lead us much better, man! "

He smiled. " How true, " he said. " I have the skill and drive to do what Optimus can't. Stick with me, Packrat, and you'll go far. "
" YES SIR! "

Dinobot stalked the landscape, hissing under his breath. As he walked, animals fought to get out of his path.

I should have fought. I should have put him in his place… No. His words wound like Rattrap's have never yet. It would've come to a battle, and that would have reflected badly on Optimus. And I would NEVER give that blood-draining fool the satisfaction of seeing Optimus like that.

Dinobot sniggered. Onyx did seem to want leadership. But the raptor knew he'd be crap at it. Leadership required skills that Onyx didn't have. Dinobot had fought in the Battle of Predapolis, when Maximal terrorists had viewed a Predacon school as an easy target.

He smiled at the memory. That had been his trial by fire and it had opened his eyes to the way of the warrior, and what it meant to be a leader. He doubted Onyx had had his great test yet. But Dinobot would be there to watch him fail it.

TO BE CONTINUED