28.Oct.06

BEAST WARS REKINDLED

By: Spectre the Hechidnat

Chapter Seven: New Player

In a distant corner of the universe, in the nebulous cloud known as the Nexus, a gathering was taking place. Silver aliens with glowing eyes of every color, skull-like faces, and long white braids floated around, their numbers indeterminable. Though they seemed small compared to many other species, they gave off an aura of power that commanded awe and, in many cases, fear.

Finally, once they were all assembled, one spoke. "Cybertronian activity has been detected. Location, the site formerly designated Nexus Earth."

"Impossible. That Nexus was closed millennia ago, and Cybertronian activity cleansed until the sleepers aboard the Ark awakened in the proper course of history."

"Dormant Transformers left behind by the Maximals have been reactivated and are becoming embroiled in another war. This time, the planet's inhabitants have joined them. This cannot be tolerated. If we are to correct the imbalance, we must send a new Emissary."

There was a stir among the aliens at this time. "The last Emissary we sent was created by two of our brethren, Vok like ourselves. They were both destroyed, though they took one of the interlopers with them. What makes you so sure another mission will succeed?"

"These Cybertronians are not as powerful as their predecessors; they will be more easily defeated. Also, to make sure that there is less danger to us, only one Vok will be sent."

The Vok looked around at each other, then nodded. With that, one of them began the long journey through time and space that would take them to the planet Mobius, on which the Beast Wars raged anew.


The Chaotix and the Freedom Fighters walked through Knothole towards the lab, curious as to why they had been summoned by Rotor and Tails. Behind the group of Mobians, Knucklehead and Twinbrush walked hand in hand, the two Maximals completely happy in each other's presence. Looking back at them, the Mobians couldn't help but smile.

As they entered the lab, Bunnie caught sight of a familiar figure and groaned. "Not you!"

Rouge the Bat looked at the surprised Mobians smugly, her eyes traveling over them. Rouge's gaze lingered momentarily on the two Maximals, before coming to rest on Knuckles. Smiling, she slid up to him, purring. "Hi, handsome."

Her seductive act was brought to a halt by Knuckles' glare. "If I've told you once, bat-girl, I've told you a million times. I'm not interested in you, and even if I were, I'm taken!"

Julie-Su smiled at her boyfriend's loyalty. "It's nice to know I don't have to worry about that anymore."

The others laughed at Rouge's indignation. Mighty, noticing that Vector was staring at the Bat, slapped him across the face. Rubbing his cheek, the Crocodile growled, "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot," the armadillo replied.

Once everyone became composed, they went to business. "So what brings you to Knothole, Rouge?" Sally asked.

"Your two oversized friends there."

"What could you possibly want with us?" Twinbrush asked.

"It's not you in particular, it's the whole bunch of you. Stories about you 'Transformers' have spread around, and some people are spooked. Fortunately, my superiors are convinced that the Maximals working with the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix are on our side."

"You came all the way here to tell us that?" Sonic enquired.

"Actually, Sonic, she came to deliver some interesting information," Rotor answered.

"The agency Rouge works for has located another intact stasis pod, and they sent Rouge to deliver its coordinates to us," Tails continued.

"And she's still here because…?" Espio asked.

"I vould not trust dis one. She iz no good," Antoine commented.

Rouge pulled a mock hurt look. "I'm shocked! You don't trust me?"

"About as far as Charmy can throw a Mechanaut," Ray replied.

"And let me tell ya, that ain't far," Charmy piped up.

Knucklehead, not liking how his friends were antagonizing the Bat, interceded. "My friends, I'm sure she just wants to come with us and make sure that the stasis pod is recovered. Correct?" He asked, looking at Rouge. Thankful for his intervention, she nodded. At her nod he announced, "Well then, let's go get it!"


Some hours later, the Freedom Fighters, Chaotix, and Maximals landed a short distance from a small canyon. Disembarking from their transports, they moved in and descended to the floor of the canyon. They looked around, and Knucklehead detected the pod. Moving in that direction, he came across a large rock, and lifted it to find the buried object.

Knucklehead's eyes narrowed. This had been way too easy. Unless...

With a roar, the powerful Echidna Maximal heaved the rock and hurled it at the canyon wall. The sound of metal being crushed blared out, and a battered Mechanaut appeared behind the rock. The group of pod seekers turned to get into a back-to-back circle as Mechanauts and Dark Legionnaires de-cloaked. Last to appear were Dimitri, Kommisar, Moritori Rex, Xenin, and Deathstreak.

Dimitri smiled down at the surrounded group. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Having a good time?"

Knuckles' response was a glare that made him shudder. Kommisar, seeing her ancestor's discomfort, purred. "Oh Knuckles, you are so cute when you're mad."

Julie-Su's response was a rude hand gesture that made Kommisar go red with anger. Moritori, seeking to maintain a cool front, continued. "Come now, fools, even you can see that you are outnumbered and outmatched!"

The group's response was to get into fighting stances. Xenin, unperturbed, signaled to his troops. "Attack!"

With that the battle was joined. Most of the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix attacked the Legion soldiers, while Sonic, Knuckles, and Julie-Su joined Twinbrush in an assault on the Mechanauts. Knucklehead, by contrast, leaped over the heads of the Legion Grand Masters and went right for Deathstreak.

For several minutes, fierce combat ensued. Then a bright flash of light rocketed down from the sky to strike the stasis pod, causing it to glow with white light that caused all fighters to freeze in astonishment. The DNA scanner module lifted out of the pod. However, a shaky computerized voice spoke out. "DNA scanner malfunction...recalibrating to compensate."

As in previous activations, a wall of light emanated from the pod to scan the surrounding Mobians. However, this time the two halves of the wall resolved into two beams: one focused on Sonic, the other on Rouge. Everyone watched in astonishment as the two were scanned. Then, with a loud explosion, the pod flew apart.

Freedom Fighters, Chaotix, Dark Legionnaires and Transformers alike were struck dumb by the appearance of the being standing the midst of the wreckage. As with the other Transformers, it appeared to be an adult Mobian, twice the height of a normal specimen. However, in this Transformer, that was only the beginning of the abnormalities.

The creature's Beast Mode was part Bat, part Hedgehog. Some error in the DNA scanner had caused the pod to scan both Rouge and Sonic. The blended DNA resulted in a creature with Hedgehog quills, Bat wings, and light blue fur. As a result, the Transformer was intriguing to behold.

As their shock lessened, the onlookers took in other details. Like Twinbrush, this Transformer was female. However, where Twinbrush's feminine attributes were slight and pretty, this creature was far different. Rouge's body type was duplicated in the female Transformer, and Deathstreak found himself looking at her longingly. The fact that, like the others, she wore no clothes, only served to heighten her attractiveness.

However, the biggest shock was the eyes. Unlike the other Transformers, whose optics had changed to look like the eyes of normal Mobians, these eyes shone a bright green. Their flat, almost angry stare caused all to shiver as her gaze passed across them, coming to rest on Knucklehead and Deathstreak. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, she spoke.

"I am Speedbat, Emissary of the Vok. I have been sent here to cleanse this world of Cybertronian presence. Surrender now, and I will make your demise quick and painless. Resist, and you will suffer." Speedbat's voice was eerie, not sounding like that of a female of any type, but more like some entity beyond the concept of genders.

Deathstreak snorted contemptuously at the attractive Speedbat. Despite the feelings she aroused in him, he found her annoying. Transforming, he pulled out one of his pistols and fired. However, before the bullet could reach her, it was destroyed by a barrier of sonic waves. As Deathstreak gaped, Speedbat opened her mouth and let loose a deafening shriek that sent everything with ears to their knees.

Dimitri, his ears protected by cybernetic implants, was the first to recover. Thinking quickly, he sent a command to his Mechanauts. Complying, the automatons reached their arms toward Speedbat. The long, coiling limbs stretched out, wrapping around her like snakes. However, before Dimitri could even begin to gloat, a surge of energy like none he had ever seen emanated from her body and flowed down into the Mechanauts, causing them to shudder and explode.

Knucklehead, realizing that he and Twinbrush were in part responsible, leapt to his love. Wordlessly, the two communicated their agreement on the situation. They ran to the canyon wall and began to climb, hoping to draw Speedbat's attention away from their friends. The Transformer, seeing them, reacted as they had hoped, focusing her attention on them. However, it was diverted as a green fireball slammed into her.

Speedbat turned to see Knuckles, his fists glowing with Chaos power, readying another attack. Scowling, she fired a lightning bolt of her mysterious energy, which he met with his attack. For a time the two forces were stalemated; then Speedbat's attack broke through and struck Knuckles. As the Guardian writhed and screamed in agony, Speedbat chided him softly. "Interference will not be tolerated. You may wield the power of Chaos, but I command the energy of the cosmos itself."

"Hey, Speedbat! Over here!"

The Emissary turned to find Knucklehead and Twinbrush on the edge of the canyon. Seeing that they had her attention, the two began running away from the battle, feeling that they had to draw her away. However, it was not until they were joined by Deathstreak that she came after them. With that, the unlikely trio ran off, drawing their assailant towards the ocean.


As soon as Speedbat was gone, Julie-Su ran up to Knuckles. She gasped as she saw him, his fur burned and smoking, his body twitching with currents of energy, his eyes closed tightly in pain. Tears coming to her eyes, she gently lifted him off the ground and cradled him in her arms. "Don't worry Knuckles, I'm here for you."

Looking around, she saw that the rest of the group was in better shape. None of them had been so brave— or foolish, depending on you point of view— as Knuckles had, none daring to attack the Vok Emissary. Elsewhere, the Dark Legion troops were picking themselves up and organizing a steady retreat, heading away from their enemies.

Sally, seeing the unconscious Guardian, immediately hurried over to help Julie-Su carry him. Sonic also came over to assist, and soon they had all returned to their transport and were flying back to Knothole. Upon arriving, they took Knuckles to the hospital before going to the lab.

"So Rotor, what's the deal with this Speedbat?" Sonic asked.

"Well, according to the sensor readings I picked up during the battle, this is how it happened: An alien of some sort entered the stasis pod and took control of the protoform inside. The surge of energy it provided activated the pod and its DNA scanner. As a result of a malfunction, it scanned DNA from both Sonic and Rouge. That led to Speedbat possessing sonic abilities, a combination of Sonic's speed and Rouge's sonar. The alien itself provided the cosmic energy that Speedbat wields."

"So how do we stop it?" Rouge asked.

"Simple: we extract the alien," Tails replied.


At Dark Legion HQ, Dimitri was egging his scientists on to create a new device. As Xenin watched his leader, he couldn't help but wonder if the Grand Master had gone insane all over again over this Transformer business. Finally, he decided to speak.

"My lord, what is it you are having built?"

Dimitri looked at him like he was an idiot. "Simple, Xenin. I am building a device that will allow me to put Speedbat back into stasis so I can reprogram her into a Predacon. I'm not about to allow her to join the Maximals."

Xenin nodded, silently wishing that the Legion had not gotten involved in this millennia-old war.


As Knucklehead, Twinbrush, and Deathstreak raced away from Speedbat, they moved at an equal speed to allow for communication. "Why are you helping us?" Twinbrush asked the Hedgehog Predacon.

"Because I can't beat that thing alone, you twit. Do I need to draw you a picture? That thing is more powerful than any one of us. Only by working together can we win."

Angered by the hurt look on Twinbrush's face, Knucklehead replied curtly. "Even we cannot defeat it. We can only delay it long enough for our comrades to think of a way to subdue Speedbat."

Before Deathstreak could reply, they arrived at the beach. Free of the trees she had been forced to fly through, Speedbat attacked with dizzying speed, sending Knucklehead flying down the beach. Twinbrush transformed and attacked with her buzz saw, but Speedbat unleashed a sonic blast. Deathstreak flew at her in a Spin Dash, but a bolt of cosmic energy soon deflected the Predacon.

Finally, the three lay exhausted, unable to fight any longer. Snorting contemptuously, Speedbat grabbed Twinbrush by the throat and lifted her into the air. "Before I destroy you, I will see why you resist."

With that, several Vok tentacles reached out from Speedbat's body. Twinbrush howled in agony as they easily penetrated her form. Speedbat ignored her, reaching for her Spark. When she touched it, the emotions within it left her stunned. Overwhelmed by the onslaught of feeling, she released Twinbrush.

Suddenly, two beams of light came out of nowhere to strike Speedbat. One came from a Dark Legion hovercraft, the other from a weapon held by Rotor. Speedbat convulsed as the energies mingled within her. Finally, she fell offline as the Vok was pulled into Rotor's device. Before anyone could react, Deathstreak grabbed her and leaped into the hovercraft, which flew off.


Later, the Freedom Fighters, Chaotix, and Maximals stood around a jar containing their Vok captive. The alien had offered no resistance or threats, simply asking them all to come to it so it could speak to them. In addition, they were gathered around the hospital bed of a still unconscious Knuckles, again at the Vok's request.

Tentatively, the Vok spoke. "I realize that I have caused you pain and fear, and for that I apologize. You see, my mission here was to destroy the Cybertronian presence. I did not realize that only the corrupted part of that presence was dangerous."

"Why did you want to destroy us?" Knucklehead enquired.

In response, the Vok told them the story of Vok involvement of the Beast Wars. The Vok had sent devices to prehistoric Earth to test the Maximals and Predacons, studying them and learning their capabilities. After determining that they were a threat to the time stream and the "project" on Earth, the Vok had attempted to eliminate them. However, their Planetbuster weapon had been destroyed, and the resulting quantum surge had upgraded many of the Transformers, grounding all the orbiting stasis pods.

Later, the Vok had captured two Maximals. They had studied them, and later fused them into Tigerhawk, the first Emissary. His mission had been to destroy the interlopers, but he had failed. However, his efforts had brought about a kind of resolution, as all the Transformers left shortly afterward.

When the Vok finished his tale, he explained that his intentions of destruction had vanished when he had seen the innards of Twinbrush's Spark. There he had seen kindness, virtue, and most importantly, love. As a result, the Vok was determined to make up for his mistakes and make sure that his brethren would not again harm Transformers on Mobius.

Twinbrush, understanding the Vok's guilt, agreed to its plea to be released. Freed, it looked around apologetically. Then it sent a bolt of energy into Knuckles' immobile frame. With that, it flew upwards and passed through the ceiling.

Julie-Su looked at Knuckles anxiously. Then, in astonishment, she watched as his wounds healed even faster than his enhanced immune system could normally cure them. Everyone gasped as Knuckles stirred, his eyes opening slightly. He looked around at everyone, and then smiled. The whole group let out a cheer.


Some time later, the Vok arrived at the Nexus. It made its report, then waited. The others milled about uncertainly. Finally, one spoke. "You're certain that the Mobius situation is in good hands?"

The former Emissary thought back to the defenders of Mobius. The Freedom Fighters, determined to liberate their homeland from a vile enemy. The Chaotix, working to protect their world from evil. And finally the Maximals, kind Knucklehead and gentle Twinbrush, who had revealed to him the true nature of Transformers. "Yes, my brethren, I am."

To be continued...

Click here for part 8