City: Kaon
Orion had no plans to return to Kaon any time soon, let alone imagine D-16 returning to the city where he had been his prisoner for so long.
He noticed that the city was a bit different, he had never seen so many flying bots together in one place, there were practically hundreds of thousands gathered, some of them wearing a symbol on their shoulders or chest, a mark as if it was a faction. Orion looked at some buildings and saw a large banner with the same symbol, along with words simulating a war cry: Rise of the Decepticons.
He did not deny that he felt a certain intimidation, as a result of yesterday, remembering the words written on the image of Megatronus Prime, but he preferred to ignore those feelings for now. He followed the largest stream of bots that were gathering, where he saw the startling sight of a huge statue of his brother, displayed like a great gladiator or as if he were a legend in his own right.
"Wow... D doesn't waste any time." Orion whispered as he saw many imposing bots gathered around the statue. He approached looking for D-16, but did not see him, but fortunately recognized the figure of Soundwave, who was heading toward an imposing building that dwarfed the statue in size.
Orion ran for a few seconds until he reached Soundwave, who turned when he saw him coming. "Hi Soundwave... sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to D. Do you know where I can find him?"
Soundwave looked at Orion Pax as if scanning him from head to toe, he simply pointed his finger in the direction of the building he was heading towards, a simple action that answered Orion's question.
Soundwave began to walk calmly toward Megatron's location, but he was somewhat surprised to find Orion following him at his own pace. He was fully aware that Orion was one of the few bots Megatron respected, mainly because of his intelligence. However, he did not see Orion as a good influence on Megatron, he is very pacifist and optimistic, even though he was gifted with intelligence and wisdom, he does not use this gift in the right way.
Orion, not wanting to seem strange, obviously tried to strike up a conversation with Soundwave. "So... how was your day?" He asked, but as he imagined, Soundwave seemed to ignore him as if it were a self-imposed mission. "I noticed there are a lot of flying bots here in town, is there going to be an air show?" Orion insisted on his question again to break the silent mood of Soundwave, who was not changing with his words. "You really are a man of many words." He whispered in defeat, unaware that Soundwave heard him.
Soundwave watched Orion out of the corner of his eye, but thanks to the shape he had chosen for his face, it was impossible to notice the subtle movement, but the last comment made him a little irritated, and he clenched his fists in reflex to control himself, refusing to comment. This would not cause him to break his vow of eternal silence.
Both bots walked into the building, where several robust bots were talking to each other, all of them with wings on their backs, quite obvious that they were capable of using the air vehicle mode.
Orion was only normal height, so he was noticeably shorter than these bots, which were 8 meters tall, some even 9 meters. He noticed that some of them were looking at him, confused that he was accompanying Soundwave, who was openly Megatron's right-hand man, which confused them into thinking that he might have some important position in the newly formed Decepticon faction.
Many bots dodged the duo as they made their way to the room where Megatron was, some even avoiding looking directly at Soundwave, especially the more experienced ones, sensing a subtle and dangerous aura around him, as if his slender body was a bluff of what he was truly capable of.
***
Megatron's eyes never left the table, which displayed a complex hologram over a warehouse of giant aircraft that had been retired because they were too old, but could still be used. He was accompanied by Skyquake and Dreadwing, who were discussing the subject, but it was clear that Dreadwing, unlike his twin brother, was the most interested. Megatron knew that with these aircraft, he could prepare a preemptive plan to attack the High Guard when the time came, and without the Autobots on the political chessboard, he had every chance of achieving his goal if war broke out.
When the automatic door opened, Megatron's red eyes turned blue with surprising speed upon seeing Orion Pax accompanied by Soundwave, causing his intimidating aura to disappear. Seeing his brother broke his concentration, as he had not revealed his intentions in case the government dared to deny his words. "Ohh… Orion, it's been a few days, have you buried your head in your books again?" He asked casually, he was so busy he barely had time to talk to Orion, hiding his contingency plans from him.
Skyquake looked at Orion suspiciously, not knowing his relationship with Megatron, but since his master had spoken so casually, it meant he was a long-time friend. Dreadwing, on the other hand, had his arms crossed and felt no threat from Orion, so he simply closed his eyes to focus on his personal meditation, having no interest in interrupting the conversation that would follow.
"Sorry, I had some business to take care of." Orion apologized, his blue eyes taking in the almost completely dark room, illuminated only by the hologram on the table. "I can see you are quite busy, what is this? Some kind of map?"
"A map showing the location of ancient aircrafts." Megatron didn't mind revealing what the map showed, knowing Orion's curious nature.
Skyquake couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, becoming increasingly curious about Orion's identity, and couldn't help but theorize that he was a bot with some political influence or status that agreed with Megatron's ideals. Since Orion just seems like someone extremely harmless, being a warrior was impossible, so it was either someone very rich or something more complex than his mind could comprehend.
"Old aircraft? Are you planning to open a flight school?" Orion asked sincerely, remembering the various flying robots around the building.
"Much better than that, what do you think?" Megatron used his fingers to slide a picture to Orion, showing the aircraft he was interested in.
"These look like the old models of military aircraft from Age of Primes. I thought those models were extinct." Orion was surprised that his friend planned to use such a large vehicle and wondered if it was a marketing strategy for an air show.
Megatron realized that Orion had not yet realized the function for which he intended to use these aircraft, so he decided to test the strategic mind he possessed in a little game, a skill his friend possessed but did not reveal due to the naivety and pacifism cultivated in the library. "Orion, if you were to use these airships to save a city held by the Quintessons, how would you do it?"
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise at the question. It was the first time D had asked him to formulate an attack strategy, reminding him of their chess games where they both had different preferences, he being more defensive and D more offensive. "It depends on the city you are talking about, but if we are talking about a city like Kaon, the priority would be to use distraction points in zones that would allow organized ambushes to disrupt the formation of enemy squadrons, allowing a small part of the main fleet to attack at the same time with air power to distract the main enemy defenses, and then allow soldiers on the ground to slowly advance to strategic points such as ammunition depots or power sources to sabotage them. When the enemy's ammunition and energy begin to dwindle, the Air Fleet responsible for distraction will notice that the enemy's resistance and speed are decreasing, and can alert the Main Fleet to launch a devastating attack without facing resistance such as defense towers or anti-aircraft weapons. In other words, in my opinion, a distraction and sabotage plan involving few soldiers so that the main fleets can advance to the objective is the most viable solution."
Megatron smiled, trying to hold back a sarcastic laugh. "You're forgetting, my friend, the Quintessons are known for being unpredictable, perhaps they could have already prepared for a surprise attack and countered with their own air power."
"Yes, but in urban battles, the primary factor that leverages an advantage in battle is knowing the city itself, knowing every nook and cranny, to dribble and break the balance of the forces stationed there. If you can capture the Quintesson leaders who command a city, it is easy to delay or prevent the enemy's air attack, and thus prepare defenses for when the enemy tries to regain the lost territory." Orion explained, which was logical to him since he had read military archives in IACON while studying that historical period. "The main advantage Cybertron has is air superiority, the Quintessons cannot fight this without suffering gigantic casualties, but of course this type of attack is highly destructive."
Skyquake, Dreadwing, and even Soundwave were surprised by Orion's quick thinking. Especially Soundwave, who didn't think a librarian could understand strategies that had reason to prioritize the instability of an enemy army.
Soundwave now better understood Orion's potential and why Megatron wanted him at his side. He had the wisdom and knowledge necessary to lead troops, but it was a hidden potential due to the pacifist nature he practiced as a way of life, something that would be very useful if Orion had more experience, so as not to remain only in the field of theory.
Megatron put his hands behind his back and walked to another door, looking over his shoulder at his brother. "Orion, let's talk in private."