CITY: Crystal City
[City Suburbs]
Crystal City, considered the most beautiful city on Cybertron, was built to house the planet's greatest and most brilliant minds for technological development, being the nursery of Cybertronian science.
Although it is one of the largest cities in Cybertron, like any large city, it has its problems, and one of the most common is the criminal smuggling of technology or adulterated Energon.
Although Energon is the lifeblood of all Cybertronians, and is wasted in enormous quantities every year, this does not mean that its quality is 100% pure for the entire population. Cybertron is a huge planet, and much of the completely pure Energon only passes through Cybertron's core, which keeps the planet alive and allows the conditions to generate life each year. However, if it is found outside the core, its purity is significantly lower, leading to the creation of a monopoly and the smuggling of high quality Energon. This is one of the factors that created the caste system on Cybertron, furthering the unequal oppression between rich and poor that spread after the Age of the Primes.
As smuggling increased in Crystal City and other major cities, the Royal Guard had to deploy large numbers of Autobots to maintain control and protect the population from gangs and mobsters exporting Energon elsewhere.
Of course, this opened the door for some Autobots to participate in organized schemes to profit from the illegal trade and enjoy these transitions, increasing social inequality and deep resentment among the populace toward the Royal Guard.
As much as there are members of the Royal Guard who were legitimately trying to protect the population from this corruption, who faced and gave their lives for the good of peace, there was a strange place where things were a little different, where the rules of good and evil did not apply, a completely neutral territory where illegal trading, fighting, or threats were severely reprimanded. This area of the Neutral Zone was actually a simple bar located in a dirty alley where it was protected by several criminals from different factions when their bosses were inside the establishment, known only as Th'Bar, a simple name for such an unusual place.
Alpha Trion, wearing a large, thick hood that covered his entire body, revealing only part of his face, walked down this alleyway so well known to criminals and Autobots alike. His 12-meter height intimidated the criminals, causing some to step aside to let him pass, while others, more bold and proud, were prepared in case a fight was necessary.
Alpha Trion looked at some of the criminals and his mere presence made them retreat cowardly, making them feel as if their sparks could easily be ripped away with a simple thought from him. He entered the bar and saw how cozy the place was, with several people drinking Energon in their drinks or eating small Energon cubes as if they were snacks.
The atmosphere in the bar was one of anticipation and excitement, many were shouting with excitement as they watched the battle between Megatronus and Invictus Maximus live on a holographic screen, each betting on a winner. The only employee in the place was a woman who was 8 meters tall, her armor was quite worn and scarred all over, but she still retained a certain wild beauty that caught the attention of the other men. She carried a long plasma rifle at her waist that could easily blow the head off a Royal Guard Autobot.
Alpha Trion walked over to the bench and sat down without making a sound, ignoring the suspicious glances caused by his height. His eyes flicked to the holographic screen for a moment as he watched the self-proclaimed Megatronus engage in a fencing match with Invictus Maximus, managing to rip off one of the champion's four arms in an extraordinary bluff.
"That boy... he fights like Megatronus Prime." Alpha Trion whispered, barely audible as his own thought, as he waited for the only employee of the establishment to attend to him. He was impressed by the skills of the so-called Megatronus, seeing that there was a natural talent in the art of combat. "He's as amazing as he is..."
The attendant suddenly appeared in front of Alpha Trion, grabbed some cups from the shelf, then looked at him, wondering which Energon concentrate he wanted. "Here we have Energon of 5%, 10 and 20% purity, which one will you like..." She fell silent when she saw who the hooded man was, instinctively grabbing her plasma rifle with her left hand while keeping a fixed and serious look on her face. "Prime...."
"It's been a long time, Second Commander of the Knights of Cybertron, Pulver." Alpha Trion whispered, just enough for her to hear, making her even more tense.
Without any hesitation or natural reflex for her, she drew her weapon and literally put it in Alpha Trion's face, making her weapon ring slightly with the sound of plasma being charged to be fired. "Everybody out of my bar now!" She ordered, making everyone tense up, including the crime bosses.
"But... We're watching the best part of the fight!" Said a random criminal.
"If you want, I'll make you find out who the loser of the fight is. If I send you to the Allspark!" Pulver threatened, and she used her aura to get everyone but the Prime to leave her bar.
"It seems you're still in shape after millions of years." Alpha Trion commented, feeling no threat with the gun inches from his face.
"Over 100 million years to be exact, Alpha Trion... Now tell me why a damn Prime is here in my bar!" Pulver threatened, ready to kill the last remaining Prime on Cybertron. "Don't think I'm afraid of you! You've always been the weakest of your brothers."
"I really can't argue with that logic... I'd like a drink." Alpha Trion said casually, lowering her cloak to reveal her face, not wanting her to feel threatened. "Even if I were at full combat capacity as I was a long time ago, you have done nothing out of the ordinary since your return to Cybertron, you have maintained your neutrality far beyond what I expected, so I have no reason to judge you now, I can conclude that you have dedicated yourself to leaving the past behind and living in anonymity."
Pulver lowered her weapon and placed it on her hip, trigger cocked, she took a bronze-colored metal cup and filled it with Energon, taking one at random, still in shock that a Prime was in her bar. "Just by looking at you, I can already tell that you are extremely weakened, probably at half your power or even less."
"I only have a tenth of my original strength, but logically we are equal in strength at the moment." Alpha Trion blurted out, taking the cup Pulver handed him and drinking a little to get a taste. "I like the decor of this place, it looks a lot like the bar at the Knights of Cybertron headquarters."
"Don't you dare say the names of my brothers in arms." Pulver threatened, crossing her arms, still irritated and suspicious. "What do you want, Alpha Trion?"
"I'm here because I need your help..." Alpha Trion blurted out with a big sigh.
"Why don't you ask the High Guard for help? They can do everything for you." Pulver scoffed, with a sarcasm she didn't even try to hide. "Aren't they the great protectors who are willing to give their lives for the greater good?"
"I don't need a soldier, I need a knight. There's so much corruption, it's hard to know who to trust." Alpha Trion replied, looking a little worried.
"I will not work for or take orders from Primes, ever again." Pulver threatened, clenching her fists as if to punch Alpha Trion in the face.
"I ask this favor not as a Prime, Pulver, but as a Cybertronian." Alpha Trion noticed the subtle surprise in Pulver's body language and decided to continue. "I am here because I need you to swear again, and for the last time, the oath you swore so long ago, not to fulfill the wish of an old man like me, but for Cybertron and its future."
Pulver's body tensed for a moment, clenching her fists as an old frustration gnawed at her insides, as she felt her body instinctively wanting to answer the call of a mission worthy of a knight, something she hated herself for feeling like this, perhaps out of some appreciation for the nostalgic past she was a part of.
"I can't do that, not after all that's happened..." Pulver said, lowering her head, a bit of melancholy in her voice. "I cannot comply with this request."
"Of all the faithful and righteous knights, you were the most enthusiastic about saving Cybertron... I made mistakes in the past, my brothers made mistakes." Alpha Trion admitted, closing his eyes and remembering the past. "But we cannot let the past define us, we must learn from it to improve our future. If we fail now, there will be no going back like other times, this is the last chance we have and time is running out."
"Who do I have to kill to stop this?" Pulver asked, not with the intention of helping, but out of curiosity.
"No matter what we do, it can't change the outcome of things, but we can position the pieces to give us an advantage in saving our world in the long run." Alpha Trion picked up an object and placed it on the table, the object began to transform and increase in mass, revealing its true form, causing Pulver to take a step back as she recognized the relic.
"Star Saber..." Pulver whispered. "What do you want me to do after all?"
"I want you to take the Star Saber and other relics with you to a planet far from here, a primitive, biological planet that has no importance for now, but will be crucial for the survival of our race." Alpha Trion explained, not wanting to give details about the future as he is still investigating how events will unfold. "A safety measure to keep him alive when the war reaches its apocalyptic climax."
"Protect him? Who are you talking about?" Pulver asked, beginning to convince herself that Alpha Trion was telling the truth.
"The survival of the Allspark will be in your hands if you do this." Alpha Trion said seriously, with a more imposing voice than he used to have. Seeing how Pulver quickly tensed, her suspicious look changed to that of a veteran warrior.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Pulver asked, wanting to confirm her doubt while analyzing Alpha Trion for any sign of lying.
"I don't have time to take the relics to another galaxy, and my disappearance will be noted by the High Council, so someone like you who is off the record will have no problem leaving the planet." Alpha Trion admitted, hoping that Pulver would help him. "The relics of the Primes are something I can only entrust to you for this task, the other relics stayed with me to avoid suspicion.
Pulver sighed, leaning her body against the counter and looking seriously at Alpha Trion, making her indignation clear. "You Primes know how to be convincing... all right, I'll help you, just because it's a mission to protect the Allspark. I still hate you and your other brothers."
"That is perfectly understandable, Knight of Cybertron." Alpha Trion said, paying her respects to Pulver, a woman who physically represented the catastrophes of the great wars of the Age of Primes period.