Nova Black 13/?

[stainless]

The Ascension of Nova Black

Part 13 of 17

Verse: G1 AU (all characters are OCs.)
Wordcount: 1,490+
Rating: M for violence, dark themes, etc.
Warnings: Some violence, but this chapter's got less of it than the next one will... *eg*
Summary: The Decepticons spring their trap, as Nova had planned. The battle finally begins.

Thanks muchly to meaisin_caoin for betaing.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17

Nova Black slid into her place beside the other Decepticons, her engines revving with excitement. Leech flew beside her, Bane looming behind and just below them, the air crackling around him as his many weapons hummed with energy.

Colossus stood just below them on the ground, Leech's medic behind him, Winder slithering nearby. Just beyond their group, Nova could see the broad shape of Quake's vehicle mode lumbering toward them.

So he did decide to show up, she thought. Good.

Most of the inhabitants of Settlement Four stood or hovered warily in front of them, wondering what all of this portended. Both groups waited, silence lengthening between them, until Grandeur finally zoomed toward them, taking his place at their head and transforming in a blur of maroon and gold.

"Bane. Why are you here now?" he asked, his optic strip flaring as he stared at the assembled Decepticons. "And in full force like this. We've paid you." His head tilted slightly. Nova would bet her next week's rations that he was looking at her.

"That doesn't matter," Bane rumbled from his place behind her. "We came for the fuel. It's ours by right no matter what, and we're taking it."

Beside Grandeur, Twitch flailed in dismay. "You can't do that! You'll take everything we have! What will you do when you've used it up? We can't gather any more for you if we're in stasis because we have none!"

I hope this works, Nova thought, her engine murmuring her disquiet. If her plan didn't work, all they'd have to show for this bold move was a bit more energon. When that ran out -- quickly, if she knew Bane and his hoarding -- they'd be right back where they started. Only without an important resource. The Settlement had always been good about paying its taxes precisely because Bane didn't hassle them much. Once they'd taken everything, that would change forever. And if it did, it would be because Nova's own plan had failed.

"Twitch is right," Grandeur answered, staring pointedly at the big flier. "We're no threat to you, or to the Empire. You may have a right to come here and intimidate us, but you don't have a reason."

"Don't have a reason? When you're harboring enemies?" Winder howled.

"He's right," Bane thundered, his array of guns glowing purple and ready, aimed at the Neutral defying him. "Nova here reports evidence of Autobot activity in the Settlement. If we have no reason to be here, why was she the one to report this, rather than any of you?"

Nova would have scowled, if she'd been in the mode that actually had a face. Bane was stalling now.

She was glad he was doing it rather than simply blasting the offending mechanisms out of his way, but it shouldn't have been necessary in the first place. What they were doing now was cruel and capricious even for Decepticons.

Which was, of course, the point.

Come on, Autobots, she thought. I know you're out here. I saw one of you myself.

"The real question is why you trust her, Decepticon." Nova immediately recognized the bright silver vehicle zooming in front of Grandeur.

Hello there, Brightbolt. I'm looking forward to kicking your aft. Whether this plan works or not.

His visor flashed a searing yellow. "She betrayed you. Then she betrayed us. I know 'Cons lie even to each other, but why listen to her now?"

Bane's guns swiveled to point at him. "Are you telling me there are no Autobots here? That no one is coming to save you?"

Come on, come on, Nova thought. She knew Bane well enough to know how quickly the Subcommander could get bored. And if this came down to taking that fuel, gorging himself on it, and then turning on her for giving him bad advice... she'd last only as long as she could outrun him.

"How would I know whether they're coming or not, Decepticon?" Brightbolt snarled, light glinting off his arms as he waved them angrily. "I'm not convinced they're even here."

They have to be coming, Nova thought, scanning for signals. They were there, in numbers. We all know you're watching us now, you slaggers. You're Autobots. You can't possibly want to call our bluff when the future of the Settlement is hanging in the balance. Not when you could play heroes.

If they did, the Decepticons would have no choice but to do the very thing she'd hoped to avoid. Raze the Settlement to the ground, kill the Neutrals in their way to get it, and steal the fuel any survivors would need to live on. Sure, they could chase them down later. But they couldn't pull a stunt like this, pretending to threaten the Neutrals, and not follow up on that too. None of them would ever live it down if they just let Grandeur and the others go now.

That wasn't what Nova wanted. She'd lived here long enough herself that she had no interest in killing her old comrades, unless and until they proved themselves in league with the enemy. Anyone else, she didn't give a damn about.

"Not coming?" she snarled, greatly daring, her weapons crackling with the energy she longed to hurl at him. She forced herself to laugh. "And here you've been defending them all this time?

"If they don't want to save you, tell me, what exactly are they up to? Got their sights on something bigger than us? Or maybe we scared them off coming here. You tell me. After all, you'd know better than I d --"

Then she heard it: a great rumbling, as though the ground itself were splitting and her enemies had poured forth from the breach.

In the grand scheme of things, there were not many. And their coming was nothing terrifying, however loud its noise. They simply drove out from their hiding places behind the fuel reservoir, their partners emerging from the nearby alleys. Still, there were far more of them than there were of Nova's team.

Her wings twitched, seeing their numbers. Autobots did that sort of thing, forming large groups to defend themselves against their enemies. Unlike the Decepticons, most Autobots hadn't been built as fighters. Strength in numbers was often their only hope against better armed foes, especially when those foes could usually fly as well.

"Oh, we were coming, all right," one of them taunted, transforming and pointing a blaster at her.

Of course you were, Nova thought, staring at the gun. By Decepticon standards, a weapon like that was an overglorified toy. You idiots can't resist trying to be heroes. That would be why you lost the war.

Bane roared a command and fired, shocks of purple energy lancing toward the enemy ranks. The Autobots dove out of the way, the purple beams catching one of them, who screeched thinly and then fell still, his blackened and smoking frame falling to the ground.

Nova wasted no time exulting in it. She had her own enemies to destroy. Her engines roared to new life as she sped toward them, leaving the others in her dust.

The energy she'd carried for so long crackled through her weapons systems once and she sent it pouring free, speeding toward the enemies below her. They scattered, and she dodged a hail of retaliatory orange laser fire.

One shot clipped her in the wing. It wasn't bad enough to do any serious damage, but she spun, knocked momentarily out of control. Roaring, she flew toward the one who'd scored the hit, determined to pay the little fool back.

Then, a brighter orange flash at the back of their line caught her attention. She cursed, recognizing them as the energy cells that she'd seen Burden carry. They glowed in long, tower-like structures. Pairs of Autobots hoisted them up, locking them into place on the ground.

So they were building weapons.

Weapons intended to bring down fliers, if her guess was right. They were clever, at least.

Damn it. After all she'd done, they'd still gotten here too late to stop the Autobots from building their weapon.

And using it, she realized, hearing the high whine of its gathering charge.

The one who'd shot her forgotten, she swerved sharply. If she didn't miss her guess, they were aiming for Bane. If they timed their shot right, he'd never be able to dodge it in time.

And as much as she hated her Subcommander, incapacitating or killing him would mean that the Decepticons would lose half their firepower.

Hoping her idea would work, she weaved toward the enemy weapon. Come on. Come on.

Get me before you get him.

A great streak of orange answered her, speeding toward her. Spinning out of its way, she found innumerable other rays of orange laser fire converging around her.

Oh slag, she thought, careening wildly out of the way. Maybe that wasn't the best plan after all...

Comments

[snowdropexplodes.myopenid.com]

Hmm. Can't help thinking of the old adage "no plan survives contact with the enemy" with this one!

Also - I'm a sucker for classic cliffhanger endings like that.

[stainless]

Heh, that's a good one.

Don't worry though, she'll get her chance to be awesome next chapter. :-)

[senmut]

OOOH. Love it!

[stainless]

XD

[lost_carcosa]

Sorry it's taken me so long to read and comment.

I really like Brightbolt in this. And the distinctions you draw betwen Decepticon and Autobot tactics, along with the reasons for those. Very cool.

Also these lines:

Damn it. After all she'd done, they'd still gotten here too late to stop the Autobots from building their weapon.

And using it, she realized, hearing the high whine of its gathering charge.

Awesome.

So, yeah, I enjoyed that a lot :D

[stainless]

Thank you!

I have very clear headcanon about the Autobot and Decepticon fighting styles that are based ultimately on their values and purpose. I find that actually helps me write. It helps to keep them distinct in ways that aren't about who are heroes and who are villains. (Though of course 'Connish villainy is also win!)

I'm thrilled that my weirdish headcanon works and is interesting to other people.