OPENING LOG: Awakening

[re_alignedmods]

WHO: Everybody!
WHERE: The Junk Pile.
WHEN: Right here, right now.
WHAT: Game opening! Our Heroes find themselves in a strange place not of their own world, however familiar (or not) it may be.

---

Consciousness is slow, and a struggle to obtain. The moments before darkness are hazy enough; a great vertigo, a twisting, and then, falling. Falling for what seemed like forever. And when you are finally aware of your surroundings, it is most decidedly not where you came from.

Instead, you are now in what appears to be a wasteland. A wasteland...of junk. Debris as far as you can see, heaped in mini-mountains that offer only so good of a view of the world around you. Perhaps in the distance, you can make out some flatter land, perhaps you can just make out what looks like a crevice - but it's difficult at best. The light here is all wrong, the two greatest sources being a white line in the alien sky that doesn't so much give off light as simply have it - and something in the south that glows like a setting sun.

You may or may not notice it at first, but you, too, have something alien - something on your arm, more likely than not. A marking that glows softly, but offers no clue as to how it got there - no pain, no sensitivity. It's simply there, as you are here.

So.

Now what?

((OOC: This is it, you guys! Have a blast! Please remember to keep everything under the first thread for now; we'll be adding the Firstforged in in a little bit...

OKAY There is now a second thread to post in! Feel free to make new threads there to react to the arrival of the Firstforged, or respond directly to the Firstforged themselves.))

Comments

[like_a_bossbot]

He was no closer to finding answers than when he'd first woken.

He wasn't about to halt his intakes, waiting for Starscream to come through; the Decepticon only ever had his own interests in mind, and wasn't the type to put much stock in teamwork. A quick scan of his own memory files had yielded next to nothing, aside from the convenient gap when his arrival would have occurred. Scanners indicated that this wasn't Earth, but outside of that...

It was about that point that he'd spotted the distant flashes.

His attention snapped back to reality in that instant, scrambling up one of the mounds of old scrap to get a better vantage point. It was difficult to tell much from a distance, but they were certainly larger than any 'bot Optimus had ever seen. His mind called back to the massive Omega Sentinels from the history vids; from what he'd read, they'd possessed personal transwarp technology, which could have explained their sudden appearance. But... their frames were all wrong.

Not only that, but these 'bots were still conscious. Perhaps he was completely off track, but... he and Starscream hadn't been. If they were still aware and functional, did that mean that they'd come here intentionally?

There was only one way to find out.

Optimus swallowed his reservations, moving to approach one of the titanic arrivals. He'd long since sheathed his weapon, hands open in a gesture of peace - not that he'd be much of a threat to them anyway.

"Excuse me?"

[maxicpolarity]

Liege had decided, after a few discussions, that perhaps today was not so much a waste as he had feared it would be. Electrum could wait, when there were so many interesting individuals to study...especially ones that could actually assist him with his own endeavors.

Having subjects and laboratory assistants all rolled into one?

That made him pleased.

As such, he was in much less of a bad mood than he could have been when one of Primas was approaching him...a fact that always made him slightly unnerved. They'd always had such strong senses of 'right' and 'wrong' and Liege's work...well. It didn't lay along those parallels.

"You look like you're lost, Refugee." He murmured ironically, one talon stroking his chin in contemplation. He was one of the smaller of his brethren, which at least made it easier to hold conversations when your disciples weren't only coming up to your knee.

[like_a_bossbot]

'Lost' was one word for it.

Optimus had never really considered himself 'small'. Of course he was dwarfed by the Decepticons, but among his fellow Autobots, he'd been on the larger end of the scale; he'd been protoformed near the end of the war, at a time just before they'd begun to favour the smaller, energy efficient models.

Standing next to Leige, however, he began to understand how the humans in Detroit must have felt.

Thusfar, the being did not seem aggressive, at least.

"My name is Optimus Prime."

The response was automatic, programmed into him by the sheer number of times he'd been called by something other than his name - not that the stranger could have known it.

"I'm the leader of a small crew of Autobots, stationed on the planet Earth," he explained. "And, I was hoping that you could answer a few questions."

[maxicpolarity]

His name was...

...his name was what?

Congratulations, Optimus, because you've managed to confound one of the Firstforged within two minutes of introducing yourself to him.

It couldn't have been.

This creature shouldn't have had the audacity to call himself a Prime, especially with such a straight face. No wonder this one belonged to Prima.

"Better not let Megatronus hear you saying that," he laughed, for lack of any other reaction he could drum up in response. "He can be touchy about who calls themselves a 'Prime.'"

This was putting him in a better mood, already. He would have to tell Megatronus later, regardless of what happened now.

Still, he listened to what the smaller bot had to say, taking notice of the ease with which he put himself forward. A self-claimed leader, venturing forth to ask questions? This was, as Alpha Trion might say, 'Textbook Prima.'

It made Liege consider how such texts ought to be re-written.

"I'll give you three questions, to begin with. If they're good questions, I'll give you more. If they aren't...I'll give you to Prima."

[like_a_bossbot]

Optimus, as it would have it, was equally confused.

The title of Prime, while nothing to turn one's nose up at, was not the highest of postings; after all, he held the name thanks to his captaincy of a maintenance crew. Perhaps had he claimed himself Magnus, he could understand some degree of incredulity... But Prime? It was possible that it had a different meaning in this world...

"I... didn't mean to offend anyone. Where I come from, Prime is a military rank."

Hold on. Megatronus? That was dangerously close to-

After the brief exchange, he wasn't sure he could narrow it down to only three questions. Prima? Megatronus? It certainly sounded as though this 'bot knew something about their current situation.

"Your assistance is appreciated," he replied, bowing his head slightly in respect. "How did we arrive here?"

It was the foremost question on his processor. Even if no other question was answered, if he found out the reason behind all this, it was a good start to reversing it.

[maxicpolarity]

He couldn't help himself.

"A military rank?" At least this time, he was trying to stifle his laughter. "Please, do not tell me that your Cybertron is not aware of its Firstforged?" The other Cybertronians he'd run across, back...before. They had known at least generally of him. "Of Primus?"

Too amused to not continue this conversation, he located the cleanest spot within the nearby pile he could find, and sat down. It did not have to be an elegant chair for him--he could seat himself like a Prime, anywhere.

"You appear to have walked here." He answered, treating the question as literally as possible. If Optimus was smart...which he imagined that he was...he'd catch on quickly enough and be more careful with his other two questions. If that happened, Liege would likely grant him more.

"I have always been here. Though the spacebridge was technically what I used to come to this exact spot."

[like_a_bossbot]

His Cybertron? It wasn't the first time that Optimus had heard of the idea of alternate Cybertrons - he'd seen one, briefly - but... did that mean that this was Cybertron as well? The explanation would make the nagging sense of familiarity fit, but that still didn't explain a whole lot.

"I... er... I have heard of the Church of Primus. But..."

Did this 'bot actually believe in Primus? It certainly sounded like it. He had no idea who the 'Firstforged' were, but he knew more than enough about the scam artist church who claimed there to be an all-powerful god.

"To be honest, I don't know much about it. It's... not something I believe in."

Even before he'd finished the statement, he had a feeling it was the wrong thing to say.

The answer to his question didn't surprise him - in fact, the only one he was exasperated with was himself. Direct questions could be taken literally, and when offered a limited number, he should have realized the game that this 'bot intended to play. He'd have to consider his next two questions carefully.

[maxicpolarity]

Church of Primus?

Could a mech really get it more wrong? Or was it simply his entire reality that was so twisted? Either way, he hoped he could be present when this 'Optimus' informed Prima that he did not believe in Primus.

"Really, now," he continued, the glittering of his optics betraying his amusement behind an otherwise serious face. "Then where, I must know, did your Cybertron come from? How do you get your sparks? Your heritage? Your artifacts? You have two more questions, by the way."

[like_a_bossbot]

Optimus respected that others had beliefs different from his own. He understood that not everyone would place their faith in the same ideas across the universes - his brief interlude in Axiom Nexus, even if he never spoke of it, had been quite enlightening in that respect.

... All he asked was that he be given that same courtesy.

With that in mind, the Firstforged's tone ruffled him more than he'd like to admit, and it took a conscious effort not to sound defensive when he replied. Was it wrong not to subscribe to the ideas of a cult? He believed in life, in the AllSpark - not in an organization that scammed credits from those who believed in their preachings.

"The AllSpark gave us life."

A relic he had shattered and dispersed, but that wasn't the point at the moment. As it was known to have brought life to their race, he'd assumed it was responsible for their planet as well.

"We have our own artifacts and history. It may not be how it is as your Cybertron, but I can't imagine that every universe would be the same."

Right. His questions. He found it hard to focus on that, while defending the very foundation of his beliefs. He needed time to think it through and eliminate any loopholes that Liege could take advantage of. Maybe... it wasn't the how that was important here.

"Why were we brought to your Cybertron? I know I'm not the only one from my universe trapped here - I wouldn't call that a coincidence."

[maxicpolarity]

"The Allspark."

Could the origins of other transformers truly be that different? Or was this 'Allspark' simply another, stranger, incarnation of Primus? It sounded powerful, either way. It sounded like something he'd want to discuss with his brethren.

"Very well. I...accept...that your breed of Cybertronian might not have come from Primus. You should, however, be aware that I, on the other hand...did." If there were many beliefs on many different worlds, then surely his would have to be acknowledged, as well.

Especially considering it was much more of a 'truth' than a belief. He knew his father, well. Or...reasonably well. Not as well as Prima, and perhaps not on as nice of terms, given how often Liege had rued his initial lack of purview...but well enough.

"I'll accept your clarification," he smirked, "but unfortunately I do not have the answer as to why. My brothers and sister and I are familiar with foreigners appearing on our world, and we know how you came to be here, but not why." His smirk widened. "Only Primus knows that."

"Nevertheless, as I am unable to give you an answer, I will award you an additional question."

[like_a_bossbot]

The verbal acceptance seemed to be enough to satisfy Optimus. What more could he ask, really? If Primus was the accepted source of life in this world, it was really no different than the AllSpark being that source in his - both were true, and they were both entitled to their beliefs.

"Thank you," he said, before quickly adding, "... for being understanding."

Was this Primus different from the one he'd had shoved in his faceplates back on his Cybertron? He could admit that he didn't know much of the religion itself, so much as he knew of its reputation. Something about a planet-sized 'bot... not enough to have an idea what this Primus was like.

Either way, he couldn't quite tell of the comment about the deity was a jab or not. It did make him wonder - was it possible to actually communicate with such an entity? The AllSpark, while not overtly sentient, still had some sense of life to it. He couldn't believe that it was a completely inanimate object, and that it hadn't intended some of what happened to it...

Well, likely not the... being taken by Megatron and subsequently shattered part, but...

Would it be possible to ask Primus if he knew? Somehow, he didn't think so.

At least he had managed to earn back one of his questions. Two didn't seem nearly enough; but if this 'bot didn't know why they were there, that did eliminate quite a few from the list.

"You mentioned something called the 'Firstforged'? Who are they? The name makes it sound like they are the first to be sparked, but... that's not a lot to go on."

[maxicpolarity]

Had he truly just been thanked?

Well, it was about time that someone showed some gratitude. Considering the fact that he and his brethren did not have to answer any questions or take anyone in, most Refugees still seemed hostile at first. He could have tried to look at it from their point of view, but that would have involved sympathizing with them, and...

No.

They were here. They were pawns.

And he could be gracious, but only because it pleased him to do so.

"You are welcome," he said, offering a smile that had more tooth than a welcoming smile should. "Though technically that is two questions, right there."

He'd heard both question marks, he was sure of it.

"Yes, I did mention something called the Firstforged, and they are my brethren. Since you seem to be lacking in the history of our Cybertron from other universes...ah...to be straight with you, you are in it."

He gestured around.

"My brethren and I are the first mechs formed by Primus, and we were given care of this land to tend to long before the Lambda started dumping garbage onto it." The phrasing isn't entirely clear as to whether or not he considers Optimus part of this garbage. "Prima is our leader, and that is his mark you bear. I am Liege."

Now, should be nice?

"I could give you one more question, provided that you allow me to be present when you introduce yourself to Prima."

[like_a_bossbot]

"That wasn't-"

His opened his mouth to argue further before he realized his mistake. He had phrased it as a question, even though he hadn't meant to - and now, he was mentally kicking himself for it.

It took a conscious effort to stop himself from asking for clarification, as it could very well count as another question against his allotted amount - which he had apparently spent anyway. They were a part of... Cybertronian history? So this was the past? If these were the Firstforged, that could make sense.

The jab about garbage didn't go unnoticed, and he had to clamp down his vocal processor to keep himself from pointing it out. Liege wasn't a 'bot he needed to aggravate - this was technically his turf, and Optimus was the one intruding, albiet unwillingly. He couldn't blame him for being a bit out of sorts.

Hopefully he was a bit more amiable under better circumstances.

"I think that's a fair request," he replied finally, running a hand over the glyph.

He had an inkling this had to do with their earlier talk about Primus, but didn't push it further. With any hope, the other Firstforged might answer his questions a little more freely than Liege had - particularly if Optimus was wearing his mark. Whatever that meant.

"I know the Lambda is what brought us here, but... how does it work usually?" he said, struggling to find the right words.

[maxicpolarity]

Liege really shouldn't have been taking this much delight in confounding Optimus. He knew he shouldn't, but he really couldn't help himself. It was especially enthralling to watch him get angry, and then temper it...and then get angry again. He was obviously used to self-control...

...which was, as everything, so very like a bot his brother would possess.

Still.

He knew he should at least feel remorse about tormenting a Refugee, even if he wasn't actually feeling that, at all.

He could, at the least, answer Optimus's question.

"As far as I have been able to tell through my readings, there are bizarre, multi-dimensional energy signatures and phase shifts which occur in the light spectra. Sometimes Refugees like you come through. Sometimes it is monsters. Sometimes it is...this." He points to the garbage again. "Thus far, nothing has been able to go back through, though that is a travesty which I intend to reconcile soon. Until that time...you are stuck here."

He purred.

"Would you like another question, or should I take you to Prima now?"