The Great Attractor: A Transformers/Mass Effect crossover

Chapter 2: The Businessmech

The inside of the cockpit looked like a normal ship interior with lots of instrumentation and controls for navigation, life support systems, weapons control, etcetera — just what one would expect from a Decepticon craft. But it wasn't quite what he had expected either. There weren't any chairs; there were only couches that could be flipped out into beds at need. And where they should have been armrests on each side, large monitor screens now filled those spaces instead.

Soundwave looked over at Bumblebee who nodded back before replying:

"It seemed like it would be more productive than trying to hide our alliance..." He turned towards Orion Pax as he spoke but kept glancing around nervously. It wasn't just because of all the Autobots gathered here; it was also due to their presence being so public. The Decepticon Communications Officer had shuttled himself ahead before the arrival of Gale Prime's Decepticon troops, under the guise that he was exercising his usual surveillance.

"I spoke with Gale herself last night", Orion told them without expressing on ounce of emotion. "She was having a fight with Shockwave over something but otherwise she seemed very happy to speak to me and vice versa. Unfortunately, she has made her decision, and the Decepticon fleet will storm Earth within the upcoming cycles. The humans are making things worse for themselves by not obliging with my instructions. This I fear may hamper our ability to protect them against the Decepticons."

Soundwave was giving him a prolonged mental scan just by looking at him.

"Empress Gale Prime and Shockwave fought to the death", the Communications Officer revealed, which provoked the confused and terrified expression of the bots around him. "Shockwave: Dead", he confirmed after a while.

"And when did this happen?" Orion inquired with strange indifference.

Soundwave measured the Autobot leader with his trademark inexpressive gaze behind his visor. "After your call. Shockwave overheard your conversation and did not like what Gale said. He thought she was going to call off the invasion on Earth."

"And you saw and heard everything, didn't you?" Arcee demanded to know.

"Yes", the cunning eavesdropper admitted. The Autobots were watching him barely able to believe what they'd just been told.

"How did she kill him? What exactly did she do to him?" Orion suddenly demanded to everyone's surprise. Why would Orion suddenly care about Shockwave's fate? It was rumored that they had been very close prior to Shockwave's Empurata and Shadowplay punishment for being the Senate's maverick, but that was a long time ago when the scientist had been an altogether different person...

Or was he? Soundwave stared at the colossus of an Autobot.

"This you don't want to know."

"I insist", Orion said with a tone that was very atypical for him but more familiar with someone else whom Soundwave had known very well during his existence, and this single detail had Soundwave make secondary mind scans on Orion just to be sure what he was reading from Orion's EM field.

No, it couldn't be possible, he then told himself. Soundwave looked at the Autobots staring at him and then back at Orion.

"Gale forced herself on Shockwave before she severed the cord connecting his processor and his spark", he revealed laconically. This information caused general disgust among the Autobots. Even Arcee, who was known for her occasional bouts of brutality on the battlefield, looked like she was about to dry heave.