Transformers: Dawn of a New Age

Community Role Playing
2307

Maximus quickly put his hands up and took a step back.
“Right, sorry. But what do you mean there never was?”

Axis would have been impressed by Ivory’s incredi transformation, and in part she still was. But that was far overshadowed by her immediate rage and frustration.

“He. Did. WHAT?”
Her body erupted into a roaring flame. Though she quickly forced herself to calm down after a moment, her flames subsiding in the process.

“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him myself. I’m terribly sorry for the disturbance.”

She quickly looked down to Ivory.
“I’m sorry, I need to go take care of something. I trust you’ll be able to handle the intruder on your own? Use whatever you deam necessary.”
@ProfSrlojohn

She transformed into her beast mode and quickly flew into the Tomb, racing past the others and down into the necropolis.

“Woah, I wonder what her deal is?”
Niko asked as the Prime shot overhead.

“I have no idea, but I have a feeling we’ll want to find out.”
Nova replied. She gently scooped up the mikesu and placed him on Gungnir’s shoulder. Then she followed Axis into the vast catacombs.

A burning bird of fire shot over the necropolis, racing to the far end. Maximus looked up as he saw Axis approach.

“Ah slag…”
He said under his breath.

Axis transformed and landed in front of her conjux. She looked up at Maximus with a furious glare.

“Hello love-”

“Don’t. Don’t even try. Why must you always resort to grave robbing the moment you get the chance?”
Axis scolded.

“Come on. I think that’s a little unfair. I’ve only done it twice.”

“And that’s twice too many! Most people would never resort to desicrating the resting place of anyone! Never mind a Prime. How can I trust you to lead missions such as this when you never think these things through?”

Honeycomb nervously buzzed forward.
“If it helps, I tried to convince him not to.”

Axis turned her burning ire to the insecticon.
“Yep. Bad time. I’m sorry.”
She quietly hovered backwards, hiding just out of sight.

“Look, I’m sorry. Really. It was a stupid idea-”

“It wasn’t just a stupid idea. It was a terribly disrespectful one. One that you tried to pass off with my blessing! I just- I can’t believe you! I can’t-”
Axis let out a heavy sigh.

“Look, we don’t have time for this. But we will talk about this later, understand?”
Axis said sternly.

“Yes dear…”
Maximus replied.

Axis turned to look at the others present.
@BlackBeltGamer98 @DuneToa
“Please tell me someone actually found something of worth?”

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2308

“I got something.” Firestrom says.

“Axis,” Firestrom shows the Prime the journal.

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2309

“Don’t worry about it kid, i’ve got it.” He told her, and began riffling through the human’s weapons, looking for that rocket launcher he saw earlier…

“Unfortunately, none, My lady. The tombs are as bare as they have always been, and I at least have yet to find anything else of note.” LD-L1, nodding his head in a show of deference to her leadership.

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2310

Axis walked over to Firestorm and looked at the journal. She quizzical tilted her head as she looked at the words.
“I don’t… is this human? I can’t read this. Why would Sentinel Prime write such a message in anything other than our native language?”
She asked to no one in particular, sounding rather irritated.

“Maybe it’s another step in hiding, well whatever it is he’s hiding?”
Honeycomb suggested.

“Sounds like as good a reason as any.”
Maximus followed as he carefully pushed Sentinel’s sarcophagus back closed.

“Well its terribly inconvenient. Where am I supposed to find someone who can read human?”

“Well I’m no linguist, but I happen to be pretty decent in human.”
Nova replied sarcastically as she approached the group. Gungnir leaned over Firestorm’s shoulder and looked at the journal.

“The Sentinel’s watch is not yet ended. Huh.”
Nova read aloud.

“Ooh. Ominous.”
Niko noted, still perched atop Gungnir’s shoulder.

“And equally vague. These old Prime guys sure hated being clear it seems.”
Nova replied.

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2311

“No, but I think I saw him near one of the access halls on my way up. He didn’t see me. You want me to make him come back here?”

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2312

“They liked to make folks think, even when speaking plainly.” Firestorm says.

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2313

“But what is it supposed to mean?”
Axis asked.

“The Sentinel’s watch is not yet over…”
Niko quietly muttered to himself.
“Oh! I think I have an idea. Set me down on the coffin.”

“If you say so.”
Nova replied. She walked over to Sentinel’s sarcophagus and gently set Niko down on top of it. The mikesu walked up the image of the old Prime, up to where his head was. Then he lied down on top of it and looked up, looking where the image of Sentinel was looking.

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2314

Defender, seeing that Aralysa has calmed down, salutes her, then stands beside the others, watching Niko stare at the ceiling.

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2315

The rocket launchers the mercenaries carried were of a model favored by many armed forces in the United Human Polities. The launcher is relatively small and lightweight, and the munitions it fires are no bigger than an index finger. The micro-rockets these mercenaries carried each contain a small but potent quantity of energon within, which produced enough explosive force upon detonation to trouble mechs and full-size cybertronains despite the size of the projectile. There is plenty of ammunition available for Ivory to take.

Salvage doesn’t want to be anywhere near the stowaway, nor does he want another fight to break out and damage the Pulsar even more. Somebody was gonna have to pay for the torn hull plating and the shattered windows, and he had a sinking feeling that he was gonna foot a percentage of that bill.

“Let’s find out who he is and what he wants,” he suggests. “And then maybe get him to a hospital or something- he looks like he just wrestled a Driller.” (@DuneToa)

Axis’s fiery entrance into the necropolis had turned just about every head in the cavern, save for the Knights, who remained stock-still at their posts. The tourists and Angelicons are now crowding around our heroes and Sentinel’s grave, intrigued to see so many notable figures gathered in one place. They murmur and whisper to each other, speculating wildly as to our heroes’ purpose here.

“It certainly doesn’t seem like much of a clue, but it’s better than anything else we’ve had to go on for the last few centuries,” the black-and-white Angelicon comments. “As I was about to say before our esteemed leader made an appearance, Sentinel Prime was never laid to rest here in the Tomb. He disappeared early into the Great War, just before the Decepticons besieged Iacon. We discovered that this casket here was empty about a century after the Reunification- some novelist from Kaon had the nerve to pry it open without consulting us, just as you did now.”

The sculpture of Sentinel Prime is staring straight up at the ceiling. Unfortunately, that ceiling is hidden in the darkness that pervades the necropolis.

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2316

Niko furrowed his brow.
“Ah man. I thought I was on to something.”

Axis looked down at the mikesu.
“I wouldn’t give up just yet young one. I like where your head it at.”
She walked up to the angelcon.
“Are there any other statues, sculptures, or depictions of Sentinel within the tomb or necropolis?”
She asked.

“O-oh- Oh no…”
Honeycomb quietly stammered. Her wings locked up and she dropped a short distance to the ground. She hid behind Maximus, as he was the closest body taller than herself. The predacon turned and looked down at her.

“Something wrong little bug?”

“I-I uh, I’m not good with crowds. They stress me out.”
The insecticon replied.

“Say no more kid. I got this.”
Maximus replied cheerfully. He slammed his fists together again and the Onyx Gauntlets dissolved into subspace. He approached the gathered crowed, and when he spoke he did so clearly and firmly. Though trying not to hard come across as hostile.

“Alright everybody, keep your distance. This is official Prime business. We need our space to work. I know it looks exciting, but I’m sure you’ll be able to read all about it in the headlines tomorrow.”

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2317

Defender asks Aralysa, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

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2318

Ivory nabbed the weapon and slung it around his chest, and then slid 6 magazines into his inner coat pockets. Now Armed, he decided to hunt down this intruder, and see why exactly he had opted to trespass.

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2319

Oreo heads back down the hallway, looking for the mysterious intruder. He wonders if Axis should be contacted.

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2320

Ivory eventually finds the intruder- a decrepit-looking cybertronian wearing a cloak- on Deck Three, near the room in which the human mercenaries are being held. Overgrowth is currently confronting him, though the intruder does not appear especially hostile at present.

Overgrowth and the intruder are still facing off on Deck Three, where Oreo saw them last. Now, however, Ivory has entered the scene, as well.

The Angelicon shakes his head.

“No,” he replies. “Only this marker here.”

(@BlackBeltGamer98) Sentinel’s journal begins to emit a persistent beeping noise. In-between intervals, a responding electronic sound comes from within the Prime’s casket.

The crowd remains where they are, utterly engrossed, but they heed Maximus’s words and they don’t come any closer. Among the throng are the grey-and-purple bot who looks remarkably like LD-L1, Jethro Darby (the human man whom Firestorm had shared a drink with two nights ago), and a human woman wearing a dark suit and what appear to be sunglasses. She’s hiding behind the leg of a Knight of Cybertron, and typing something into a tablet propped against her forearm.

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2321

Defender looks at the crowd.
“Quite a lot of people,” he remarks.

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2322

Stopgap scoffed, if he had access to even a fraction of his divinity this…This Peasant would have been vaporized before she even had the instance to mutter another word. “I understand your confusion mortal. Unfortunately, my godhood has been temporarily stripped away as a… Punishment for interfering in mortal affairs.” He stopped to give her another moment to take this information in, “Which leads directly into why I am here. My punishment involves…” he forced down his disgust, “I assist you in your, well whatever it is you and your fellow mortals are doing.”

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Ivory, still in his human mode, primed his weapon and confronted the two. “There a problem here you two? Perhaps you got lost?” he pointed the second question at Stopgap, the threat not subtle.

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2324

Oreo walks in as well. He looks at the strange figure before him, and unprimes his gun.

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2325

Firestorm tries to find the source of the beeping from the sarcophagus.

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2326

“The Tomb is one of the New Imperium’s more popular tourist attractions,” the black-and-white Angelicon tells defender. “Even in- does anyone else here that beeping noise?”

As Firestorm comes closer to the sarcophagus, the back-and-forth electronic cacophony suddenly stops. Rays of blue, green, and white light shoot out from the journal, dancing around each other and catching on the ornate carvings on the casket. A hologram of Sentinel Prime appears in our heroes’ midst, and begins to speak.

“I-… hello,” the hologram says. Sentinel’s voice is aged and wise, though it bears a sadness to its tone as well. He begins to walk in circles around the sarcophagus, running a hand over the space where its lid would have been, had Maximus not removed it earlier.

“Your listening to-to this undoubtedly means that you have redisc-c-co-overed the Tomb of the Primes, and unearthed my secret-et,” he continues, faint static crackling in the background as the audio froze and stuttered in some places. He smiles faintly, before adding: "one of many, you may be soon to learn.

“The Matrix of Leadership has been hidden here, among the graves of its past bearers, since my re-re-re-recording of this message, for however much time has passed- has passed- passed from then to now. Quite literally lost to history, I suppose. Its light has grown dim, the voices of the P-Primes before me growing distant. I can scarcely call upon its power now; without it, I fear I cannot quell the burgeoning conflict in the outer colonies.”

Sentinel stops pacing, looking out into the darkness around our heroes and the onlookers. Several people have begun to record the hologram on their various devices.

“I have allowed its roots to grow too deep,” the hologram sighs, his expression solemn. "Blinded by ignor-nor-nora- ignorance, I allowed this gladiator to poison the minds of his ‘Decepticons’ and sow hatred within their sparks. Civil war is inevitable now, and all I can do is realize now what I could have done- what I should have done- to stop it sooner.

“As the Matrix closes itself to me, it has yet to name my successor. I know in my spark that there will not be one- not for some time, perhaps not ever. Whatever entity that exists behind the collective knowledge and memory of the Primal lineage has lost its faith in our people, now, because of my failure and Megatron’s warmongering. It sees no-one- no-one- worthy of it alive today…”

Sentinel looks back toward the recorder. He takes a slow, deep breath before continuing:

"Still, I fear that there will be those who will try and force the Matrix to give them its power. I have carried it within me for millennia, and even I cannot predict the magnitude of devastation that the Decepticons- or even one of my Autobots- could unleash upon their enemies should they somehow manage to extract and tame even a fraction of the energy within its core. And then there are the secrets of my predecessors… secrets which would lead them to even greater power.

“That is why I have hidden it here, and erased all knowledge of the Tomb’s location from the record and the minds of our people- how I was able to do this, I will not say here. But perhaps, if our kind has redeemed itself in the eyes of Primus in your time, listener- if there is one among you worthy of the Matrix once more, they may find me within the talisman.”

Overgrowth holds up a hand to Ivory, wordlessly cautioning him against any further displays of hostility. Though she doubts Stopgap’s claims of divinity, she’s still concerned that he may be dangerous.

“That answers one question, but not the other,” the Knight says to Stopgap. “Tell me your name.”

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