Chapter 323: Convincing Sentinel Prime! Exploring Cybertron!
Optimus Prime quickly dismantled the wreckage of the Ark's outer hull and led Bumblebee and the other Hunter Mech members inside the ship.
The first thing they saw was the corpse of a Transformer. Ironhide felt a brief surge of joy, mistaking it for the remains of Sentinel Prime.
But Optimus ignored the body entirely—he had recognized at a glance that it wasn't his teacher. It was just a regular crew member.
"Search carefully. Watch your step," Optimus reminded the team. Then he took out an energy cell and placed it into the main control slot in the command room to restore power to the ship.
Previously, Decepticon forces had removed the Ark's energy cells, leaving the ship powerless and accelerating its decay. But once power was restored, lights flickered on inside the cabin, and the floor next to the main cockpit split open, revealing the captain's quarters beneath.
A moment later, a dormant Transformer slowly rose into view—alongside five glowing Energon pillars.
Optimus glanced at the pillars. Upon confirming that there were indeed five, just as Megacorp had reported, his expression darkened.
This all but confirmed it—Sentinel Prime had intended to use a space bridge to pull Cybertron into the solar system and rebuild their homeworld.
Setting aside his swirling thoughts, Optimus stepped forward and gently carried the inactive Sentinel Prime out of the ship.
"Teacher… it's time to come home."
Sentinel Prime still held tremendous influence back on Cybertron—not just as a formidable warrior, but also as one of the few scientists who still possessed knowledge of the planet's core technologies.
Unfortunately, he had strayed down the wrong path, putting his reputation and legacy in jeopardy. But it wasn't too late—not many Autobots knew the full story, and there was still time to salvage things.
Having found Sentinel Prime, Optimus planned to bring him to Megacorp's main base at the Myriad realm Headquarters. Only there could he be securely contained and monitored to prevent further catastrophe.
Once they exited the ship, Optimus took the Matrix of Leadership that Megacorp had lent him and gently inserted it into Sentinel Prime's spark chamber.
The Matrix, originally the core of Primus, was a sacred relic to Cybertronians. It had fallen into Megacorp's hands as a war trophy from Megatronus. The Autobots were only borrowing it temporarily; once Sentinel was revived, the artifact would be returned.
At the frontline headquarters, V watched through a holographic screen as Optimus inserted the Matrix into Sentinel Prime's chest. Turning to David, he asked:
"We need to be prepared for Sentinel's reawakening—what's the status of the defense grid on the moon?"
After all, the Matrix wasn't just a symbol of leadership; for Cybertronians, it was as significant as the AllSpark itself. It had once been Megatronus's personal artifact.
To prevent Sentinel from escaping, V had ordered David to set up a defense perimeter in advance.
"All ready, sir," David confirmed.
At that moment, the Vanguard Legion—was stationed in low lunar orbit. If Sentinel tried anything, they'd intercept him instantly.
V gave a silent nod and returned his attention to the screen.
The moment the Matrix connected with Sentinel Prime's spark, it unleashed a brilliant burst of energy. That immense power surged into his core and quickly spread throughout his dormant body.
His limbs began to twitch as the Matrix accelerated his reactivation, rapidly reviving the body that had long since gone rigid.
Moments later—Sentinel Prime opened his eyes!
At the very instant of waking, he instinctively grabbed the nearest figure by the throat and tackled them to the ground. Drawing the blade from his back, he prepared to strike—until his visual systems calibrated and he recognized the face.
"You… Optimus Prime!"
Sentinel froze, dropping his weapon and rising off his student. His initial reaction was one of surprise and even joy.
Optimus had always been his prized pupil. While they had disagreed over rebuilding Cybertron, in all other respects, Optimus had been obedient and loyal.
Of course, Sentinel didn't know that it had been Optimus himself who had sabotaged the Ark's engines.
As the others watched Sentinel lunge at Optimus, the Autobots and Hunter Mechs immediately tensed. If not for V's sharp command, the situation would've escalated instantly.
[Hold fire! Stay calm!]
Only after Sentinel let go of Optimus did the others lower their weapons slightly.
V now turned his scrutiny to Sentinel Prime through the holographic display.
Sentinel had the classic villain look—rugged, imposing, more like a warrior than a scientist. It was hard to believe this was once Cybertron's top researcher.
Standing up, Optimus looked at his former mentor, his emotions a complicated tangle.
"Sentinel… you're safe now. No one here wants to hurt you."
Though Optimus knew full well the schemes Sentinel had cooked up, he wasn't about to confront him now. Better to let him regain his composure—then settle things later, back at base.
Sentinel nodded slowly. Seeing familiar faces like Bumblebee and Ironhide among so many unfamiliar forms helped calm his nerves.
Before the Ark crashed, he had suspected the Decepticons of attacking him—hoping to steal the AllSpark. It now seemed clear that Megatron had never intended to cooperate. He had only tricked Sentinel into moving ahead so the Decepticons could follow and seize the AllSpark.
"Damn Decepticons…" Sentinel cursed silently.
"We never left you, sir," Ironhide said aloud. His words were polite—but the cannon on his arm was still fully charged, aimed, and glowing, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.
Sentinel noticed, paused briefly on Ironhide's weapon, then turned back to Optimus.
"What happened… to the war?"
Just awakened, Sentinel had no idea how long he'd been out. He only trusted Optimus and was desperate to know what had become of their world.
"We fought… and both sides lost. Cybertron is gone. It's no longer habitable," Optimus replied solemnly, as if reliving a bitter memory.
After Sentinel left, the Autobots—already at a disadvantage—lost morale. Eventually, both sides resorted to deploying catastrophic weapons. These attacks hastened the collapse of Cybertron, transforming it into a lifeless husk.
Most Cybertronians scattered across the galaxy, and the core members of both Autobots and Decepticons eventually arrived on Earth.
"We found refuge in the solar system. We've allied with the humans here."
As he explained, Optimus carefully observed Sentinel's facial expressions, scanning for emotional cues.
He knew that from the beginning, Sentinel's goal had never been just to retrieve the AllSpark—but to find a new world suitable for rebuilding Cybertron.
And Earth… was perfect.
Whether for energy harvesting or starting construction on a new home, this planet was ideal.
As expected, when Sentinel heard about the Autobot-human alliance, his face briefly twisted—from anger and regret to a flash of awkwardness.
But he quickly masked his reaction. Now was not the time. He still needed more information.
"Optimus, where are the Energon pillars from the Ark? Did you recover them?"
Snapping back to the present, Sentinel turned toward the Ark's wreckage, suddenly remembering his precious cargo.
Those pillars were the power source for activating the space bridge—without them, he couldn't bring Cybertron here. His only choice would be to build a new Cybertron on Earth.
"We found them. But there are only five left," Optimus said honestly.
"Only five?! That's impossible! There should've been hundreds!" Sentinel exclaimed in disbelief, his anger rising.
There was no way five pillars could power a space bridge.
Optimus remained silent.
In truth, there had been hundreds. But most had been stolen by Decepticons and smuggled to Earth to use as battlefield energy sources. And after the Decepticons surrendered to Megacorp, those pillars ended up in corporate hands.
Only five remained on the wrecked Ark.
---
"Where are the rest of the Energon pillars?!"
Sentinel suddenly raised his voice, speaking with grave seriousness: "We absolutely cannot let the Decepticons get their hands on those Energon pillars. If they do, we're finished."
The Energon pillars were sentinel's only assets—his one and only bargaining chip in negotiations with the Decepticons.
Without them, even with his space bridge technology, he had no means to perform interstellar jumps.
"They're on Earth. And also, it was the humans who helped us find you."
Optimus Prime fell silent for two seconds before answering his teacher's question.
He was subtly hinting that the current situation was under human control—even the Autobots themselves could no longer escape humanity's influence.
"Humans?!"
Sentinel froze for a moment, then turned to look at the surrounding Hunter Mech units. Only then did he finally grasp what was happening.
These lookalike "Transformers" weren't authentic Cybertronian originals at all—they were human-made imitations!
No wonder something had felt off just now.
"How could you hand over Cybertronian technology to the humans?! And you even let them build these hideous monstrosities!"
Sentinel roared with fury, publicly berating Optimus Prime.
If his own actions could be seen as a deviation in strategy, then what Optimus had done amounted to outright betrayal of their civilization—an offense far more serious than simply going against tradition!
Before Optimus could offer a rebuttal, the leader of the Hunter Mech squad, William Cage, stepped forward and said:
"These mechs were independently developed by us humans. They have nothing to do with your Cybertronian civilization."
"Furthermore, the Energon pillars you want are in our possession. If you want them back, then you'd better cooperate with us."
Cage's words instantly calmed sentinel. He no longer had time to fret about the issue of technological infringement—his only concern now was retrieving his Energon pillars as soon as possible.
"I'm telling you, those things are extremely dangerous. You must return them to me. If there's a leak—or if the Decepticons get them—human civilization will be wiped out!"
Sentinel tried to intimidate Cage, hoping to make him realize the gravity of the situation. But Cage remained unfazed, even displaying a hint of condescending amusement.
It was as if he found the whole thing laughable.
The nearby Hunter Mech soldiers began to close in, clearly prepared to detain Sentinel at a moment's notice.
"What, you don't believe me?!"
Sentinel pressed again, but his tone had clearly lost some of its force.
Having only just awakened, he was still disoriented by the current situation. These humans weren't afraid of the Transformers at all—could human technology have already surpassed that of Cybertron?
At that moment, Optimus Prime took the terminal device from Bumblebee and placed it in front of Sentinel, speaking in a low voice:
"Sentinel , I know you're confused and trying to understand everything. Connect to this device, and you'll immediately understand the position we're in."
The terminal server had been specially prepared by the Megacorp for Sentinel, to help him quickly grasp the current developments—saving them the trouble of a lengthy explanation.
At first, Sentinel was a bit wary of the device, but after glancing at Optimus Prime, he chose to trust his former protégé. He pulled a few data cables from his arm and plugged into the terminal.
Instantly, a torrent of information surged into Sentinel's data processor.
Within moments, he understood the broad outlines of the truth.
Of course, certain classified information was still being withheld—he was only seeing what the Megacorp wanted him to see.
Sentinel turned to look at the Hunter(jaeger)Mech units again. So these ugly knockoffs had all been manufactured by Megacorp as inferior imitations.
But more shocking than their presence was the fact that Megacorp was a super-civilization from another universe.
At that moment, Sentinel felt the urge to flee—anything to avoid being manipulated. But his body, freshly awakened from stasis, was riddled with rusted components.
Even if he had all the energy he needed, he couldn't escape the solar system in his current state. What he needed now was serious repair and maintenance.
And for that, he needed help from the humans.
"I need rest."
Sentinel shook his head, as if trying to dislodge some of the overwhelming information flooding in. He turned to Cage and said:
"Since the Energon pillars are in your hands, you can keep them for now. I'll retrieve them later."
At this point, even Optimus Prime hadn't fully figured out what to do next. He needed time to think it through.
Optimus nodded and said, "Come with us. In your current condition, you do need repairs."
Though that's what Optimus said, he was well aware that what awaited Sentinel next would be interrogation and coercion—Megacorp was going to make him submit, one way or another.
But Sentinel was completely unaware of this. As he followed Optimus back to Earth, he was still trying to figure out how to retrieve the Energon pillars and activate the space bridge to bring Cybertron here.
…
Three hours later, at the Earth frontline base, Sentinel—freshly repaired—didn't even have time to contact the Decepticons before he was detained, slated for trial by the Megacorp.
The interrogation team included not only Commander V, but also Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and other core Autobots.
As the questioning went deeper, the leadership module was removed from Sentinel, leaving his failing core struggling to support his massive frame.
When exhaustion and mental pressure hit him all at once, his mental defenses began to crumble.
But once Sentinel understood the full consequences of his actions—the dangers they posed to both the Autobots and Cybertron—he finally realized the extent of the chaos he'd caused.
In fact, had Sentinel continued down his previous path, his well-intentioned plans would've resulted in even greater catastrophe.
According to the original timeline, Sentinel would have used the space bridge to forcibly bring Cybertron—located 4.5 light-years away in the Alpha Centauri system—into the solar system.
But due to interference from other Autobots, the plan went awry, and Cybertron was destroyed in the resulting wormhole collapse.
Cybertron was the origin of all Transformers and the resting place of Primus. Though reduced to a wasteland by civil war, its value—especially Primus's remains—was beyond estimation for the Megacorp.
Li Ang 's next goal was to secure Cybertron and claim the slumbering Primus.
Given that, there was no way Li Ang would allow Sentinel to recklessly activate the space bridge and yank Cybertron into the system.
These so-called "filial sons" had managed to fight each other so hard, they obliterated their own ancestral remains—a move that was shockingly dumb, even by galactic standards.
If Primus's corpse were truly devoured by a wormhole, not even Megacorp could retrieve it.
After all, their tech wasn't advanced enough to fully comprehend wormholes, black holes, or higher dimensions. At best, they could use matter decompressors to mine resources from black holes.
So after securing alliances with the Autobots and Decepticons, Megacorp's next step was to help the Transformers properly "visit" their ancestral home—Cybertron—and see if there was still value to be salvaged from Primus's body.
However, this recovery mission couldn't proceed without Sentinel.
As of now, Megacorp had obtained Cybertron's coordinates from the Decepticons.
And since Cybertron was only a few light-years away, Megacorp's faster-than-light warships could reach it in no time.
But navigating Cybertron itself would require someone intimately familiar with its inner workings.
Sentinel was the perfect candidate.
As a former high-ranking figure on Cybertron—and the Autobots' former leader—he knew the planet far better than Optimus and the younger generation.
And truthfully, Sentinel wasn't entirely a villain. He had simply been trying to save Cybertron in his own way.
Unfortunately, the harder he tried, the more he lost his way—until he ended up on the opposite side of the Autobots.
But someone like him, once you laid out the truth and gave him the right conditions, would ultimately make the right choice.
"Sentinel, on behalf of the Megacorp, I'm offering you a chance to start over. Join us. Help lead us to Cybertron."
After revealing the full truth and explaining the current situation, V laid out the offer clearly.
Of course, even if Sentinel agreed to join Megacorp, he wouldn't be allowed to appear in public. He'd have to stay hidden until the unification of the Transformers universe was complete.
So the expedition to Cybertron would be carried out under the strictest secrecy, to minimize any complications.
"No need to say more. I'm in."
Sentinel was no fool. Once everything had been laid bare, he realized that cooperating with Megacorp was the only logical path forward.
With the little leverage and resources he had, even if he forcibly dragged Cybertron into the solar system—what then?
Rebuilding Cybertron and harvesting Earth's energy would require countless Transformers working together. He couldn't do it alone.
But if he sided with Megacorp, there was still hope for Cybertron's revival.
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