The Energon Pub

PART 191

——“Your reign shall be far shorter than Starscream’s!” shouted Alpha Trion from his prone position on the floor. “Already you have one less moon to rule.”
——Several Decepticons converged on the bound Prime, intent on stomping him into sheet metal.
——Galvatron forbid it. “No. Stand him up. I wish to hear what he has to say.”
——Cyclonus and Scourge each grabbed an arm and hoisted Alpha Trion to his feet.
——“The knowledge that you seek you will not gain from me, murderer.”
——Galvatron acknowledged Alpha Trion with a vicious backhand that sent some of his teeth clattering across the floor.
——“Where are your brothers hiding?” he demanded.
——“If I knew, I would not tell you.”
——“No matter. Scourge can track them across the galaxy. Where is the Covenant of Primus, then? Surely you know the whereabouts of that rusted old tome?”
——“My second reply is the same as my first.”
——“Annoying old Prime—!”
——Galvatron drew back his hand to strike him again, but Unicron’s voice gave him pause.
——”DO NOT INDULGE HIM. RIP OPEN HIS BELLY. THERE YOU WILL FIND THE COVENANT.”
——Galvatron delivered a single punch to Alpha Trion’s lower torso, bending the Autobot emblem that had been forged into a cover plate. He pried it off and then plunged his hand into the Prime’s internals. Slotted horizontally between his fuel tank and T-Cog is where the tyrant’s fingers fell upon the Covenant. Galvatron snatched it out, snagging loose the accompanying Quill in a frizz of wires.
——Alpha Trion disguised his discomfort as disdain while Galvatron perused its pristine pages.
——“Are you searching for a way to destroy your master?”
——“Silence, librarian!”
——“I refuse. The Quill, in tandem with the Covenant, can be weaponized to accomplish such a feat. Sadly, you—a reforged slave held in Unicron’s thrall—lack the autonomy to utilize them.”
——“Tell me what I must do, quickly! I wish to be free of—“
——“KILL HIM NOW, GALVATRON, OR YOU YOURSELF SHALL SUFFER!”
——“Yes. I obey… my master.”
——Galvatron grasped the book with two hands, held it high, then brought it down repeatedly over the top of Alpha Trion’s head until it was a compacted, lumpy mass level with the horn jutting from his brow.
——Alpha Trion glitched uncontrollably in a cloud of smoke created by his own overloading cerebral circuits. When it became apparent that his injuries would not be enough to end him, Galvatron tore the Quill from his torso and stabbed the elder Transformer through the Spark.
——The energy unleashed lit up the entire Hall of Records. After it subsided, Alpha Trion’s body crumbled to pieces before the astonished Decepticons’ faces. Cyclonus and Scourge stepped away from the graying pile of metal so that the crowd could get a clear view of what remained of the Autobots’ greatest advisor.
——Galvatron threw the Covenant up in the air and shot it. Its foil pages floated down upon his cheering soldiers, covering them like confetti.
——“Cyclonus! Scourge! To me!” commanded Galvatron. “We leave for Quintessa immediately. Our mission isn’t over until all the Primes meet with a similar fate!”

(to be continued)

PART 192

——“Mighty Galvatron… a word please, if I may,” requested Cyclonus.
——“Make it quick, Cyclonus!” said Galvatron, as they huddled in a far corner. “I’m eager to spill the energon of another Prime. My Spark sings for it!”
——“I advise caution. The Quintessons command a substantial army. Finding and killing a Prime in such a hostile—and alien—environment will be quite difficult. Also, we must consider the source of the information—!”
——“Yes… the Silver Snake,” sneered Galvatron. “What do you suggest?”
——“Send others in our stead. Once Quintus Prime is located, we will swoop in to terminate him if our proxies cannot complete the task.”
——“Excellent advice, Cyclonus.”
——Galvatron turned quickly and found Astrotrain. “Transport the Seacons to Quintessa,” he told the Triple Changer. “If my aquatic assassins encounter Quintus Prime there, contact me if they fail to leave him face down in that world’s fetid waters.”
——“As you command, Lord Galvatron.”
——Razorclaw stepped forward to speak with the Decepticon leader as soon as he finished giving Astrotrain his assignment.
——“Galvatron. We Predacons humbly request that you allow us to take our hunt for Sky Lynx to the stars.”
——“I grant you your request, Razorclaw. Take our fastest star cruiser. Call me when you have tracked down your quarry so that I may join you. The Primes aboard that absurd Autobot are mine and mine alone.”
——“Understood, Lord Galvatron. We thank you for this generous opportunity.”
——“You can show your appreciation by not failing me. I do not wish to be disappointed with the effectiveness of your group a second time, Razorclaw.”
——“Enjoy your hunt,” bade Scourge, although his optics weren’t on the departing Predacons, they were focused on his doppelgänger pushing his way past the sentries posted at the Hall’s main entrance.
——“Sweep-3!” exclaimed Scourge, upon reuniting with his scarred huntsman. “I see that the account of your demise at the hands of a mini-bot were in error.”
——“Thank the dark god for my superior design!” praised Sweep-3.
——“This particular Sweep does seem exceptionally resilient, Scourge.” conceded Cyclonus. “I did not expect him to survive the Autobot’s cowardly attack.”
——“If only my mind was as tough as my body,” replied Sweep-3. “It seems that the trauma of the ordeal erased much of my memory bank.”
——“An inconvenience, surely, but one of little importance.” dismissed Scourge. “We hunt and kill Primes for Unicron. That is all you need know.”

(to be continued)