#pre war

The rays of the sun of Cybertron felt warm, a harsh, blinding wash of stellar radiation that hit the crystalline spires of Iacon and scattered into a billion fracturing rainbows, for most of the High Caste, it was a beautiful reminder of their golden supremacy. Except for you. To you it just felt like a glorified alarm clock meant to blind you with how bright it was. You woke up, you didn't know Sleep Inertia would be a thing here.. "Ugh... my head.." you muttered, pressing a servo to your helm. Just as you sat up, a pink window materialized right at your face.

[ DAILY QUEST: THE GRIND NEVER STOPS! ›ᴗ‹ ]

[ OBJECTIVE: Report to Proteus' Office ]

[ TASK: Cover up the embezzlement traces in the Kaon Supply Ledger. ]

[ REWARD: 10,000 Shanix, + 5% ORION PAX AFFECTION ]

[ PENALTY FOR FAILURE: Empurata (Hands and head removed! Yikes! ¨̯ ]

You stared at the penalty text. "Yikes?" you whispered, horrified. "You put 'Yikes' next to state-sanctioned mutilation?" You said, baffled. Why would you get + 5% affection with Orion for covering up Embezzlement!? He's a Prime reincarnate!

[ I try to keep the mood light! Dealing with functionalist dystopias can be so dreary! (o^▽^o) ]

You swiped the window away with a growl and huff, You needed fuel.. Is that what they called food? As you swung your legs over the berth, the events of last night came rushing back, the smell of ozone, the heat of Megatronus’s gaze, the terrified squeak of your voice as you tried to sound tough speaking to him. Then Starscream.. And then-.. Oh right! The message. You mentally swiped through some screens that appeared in front of your eyes, it took a while to do as it confused you a lot. It would be a while before you'd get used to this.. There it was, sitting in the encrypted cache.

SENDER: ANONYMOUS

MESSAGE: "As much as possible, do not return to the Pits. The next time, I will not hold the door."

It was ominous and very much threatening, you knew exactly who it was from, yet you couldn't prove why he'd send a message like this.

[ He’s playing hard to get! He wants to be the only one who protects you! So romantic! ⸝⸝› ‹⸝⸝ ]

Romantic where?? This wasn't even a thinly veiled threat, hell it wasn't even hidden at all. Your tiny servant bot, whom you really needed to name, scuttled in. They seemed terrified, holding a buffer and a cube of Energon that looked significantly cheaper than the one Starscream had stolen. Maybe you always used that for special occasions and that Seeker simply decided to drink it.. Petty. "M-Master?" the bot squeaked. "Your early cycle.. E-energon?" You looked at the trembling thing, in your past life, you were the person who bought donuts and coffee for the bosses. You couldn't just stand here and let this little guy vibrate into a stress fracture, it made you feel like your past experiences were nothing, and it definitely wasn't to you.

[ SPEECH LOCK ENABLED]

OPTION A: "Make me shine, drone. And be quick about it."

OPTION B: "Leave it. I will tend to myself."

OPTION C: "If you miss a spot, I will have you smelted."

You sighed internally, Option B was the only humane choice, but it was suspiciously humble for a High Caste. "Leave it." you commanded, your voice cool and detached.. Poor thing! It gnawed at your heart to speak to someone who had similar experiences to you, like this! "I will tend to myself this morning. Your trembling is... distracting. Go recharge." The bot looked like they had been granted a pardon from the Primes to the point they bowed three times and reversed out of the room so fast it tripped over its own pedes, it was most likely a minibot considering it's smaller size. You stared at the air for a moment before sighing, "Time to commit a white-collar crime, covering up crimes by your Higher-ups, what a typical corrupt politician thing to do." You muttered sarcastically beneath your vents, shaking your helm as you simply prepared yourself.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

As you walked the pristine hallways, your pedes clicking rhythmically on the floor, you felt the weight of the [Cloak of Obscurity] in your inventory, it was there, currently unused. You were dressed in your official capacity now. Sleek armor,badge of office gleaming on your chest. You looked every inch the Senatorial/High Council(/Secretary in just deeper terms) Aide, you felt like a Fraud. "Aide [Y/N]," a deep, grating voice echoed from the doorway ahead. You froze, standing there was Proteus. In the lore, Proteus was a Functionalist hardline, he believed that if you turned into a toaster, your only purpose in life was to toast bread. If you turned into a tank, you fought, if you turned into a jet, you flew. Deviation was chaos, and chaos was bad. Though you were surprised to see him here, especially since he wasn't exactly explicitly mentioned in the Prime continuity, only in the IDW one. With a faceplate that looked like it had been molded into a permanent scowl, he looked at you. You bowed your head slightly, just enough to show respect, not enough to look submissive. [Charisma: 20/50] was doing the heavy lifting here. "You are late." Proteus noted, turning his back to you and walking into his office. "I pay you for your processing speed, not your leisurely strolling." You didn't know what to say, think.. Think of anything! "I was running diagnostics on the encrypted channels, sir." you lied effortlessly. "Ensuring no... leaks... had occurred from the Gala last night." Proteus paused, he turned, eyeing you. "And?"

"Secure." you replied. "Though the chatter about the Gladiator is increasing." You said, which was true! They talked about Megatronus' in the Gala, a lot.. Or maybe because that was the only conversation you participated in, the one that included him. "Hmph. Megatronus," Proteus spat the name like a piece of bad fuel. "A glitch in the system. But that is not why I summoned you." He tapped a massive glass desk, a holographic projection of a datapad appeared. "The Hall of Records in Praxus." Proteus said. "There is a clerk there, an archivist. Orion Pax." Your spark raced as you tried to keep your face still at the mention of Orion. "He has been... digging." Proteus continued, his optics narrowing. "Asking questions about the Kaon Energon allotments, he claims the numbers do not add up, that the mines are producing more than they are being paid for." Technically they are, way more than they are being paid for. "And are they?" you asked, risking a dangerous question. Oh gosh, you shouldn't have asked that. What if you got arrested for Treason? Proteus slammed his fist on the desk. "The mines produce what we tell them to produce! And they are paid what we deem sufficient! If this clerk finds the discrepancy, he might trace the... reallocation of funds to my private sector defense projects." Oh, so that was what he was worried about. Cleaning his traces when he couldn't even bother hiding them properly, it ticked me off, much less in this situation where he's clearly embezzled some of the payments. "I understand.." you said tilting your helm "You want me to silence him?" No way!!

"No!" Proteus hissed, "He is a protégé of Alpha Trion! If he disappears, the old Prime will sniff around my accounts. No... I want you to go there and audit him, confuse him with bureaucracy, bury him in paperwork. Make him believe the error is in his own calculations, not our ledgers." Proteus smiled, a nasty, jagged expression that made you internally wince. "You are an Aide, you know how to make numbers disappear. Go. Fix it." You stayed quiet for a few moments before replying, "Yes sir." It was simple, but dear god, you didn't wanna really lie to Orion, it made you feel a bit guilty with how he looked at you.

[ Do you feel bad yet? ･֊･ ]

That smile at the end of the message felt oddly eerie, you didn't like it, not one bit. You were still wary of this system, after all, who would even have the ability to transmigrate you into another world? Much less this one. "Yes," you whispered to yourself as you exited the office. "Yes, I feel very bad."

— — — — — — — — — — — —

The Hall of Records was beautiful in a way the Senate wasn't. The Senate was cold and imposing, the Hall of Records was warm, bathed in the soft amber glow of data-streams. Millions of crystalline drives lined the massive, cavernous walls, stretching up into the darkness of the vaulted ceiling. It smelled of old data and static charge, It smelled like history?.. You were unsure but it felt like the best way to describe it! You navigated the maze of shelves, your clearance codes opening the restricted sections, you found him in Section 12-Alpha, the Pre-Colonial History wing. Orion Pax was sitting at a small, cluttered workstation, surrounded by stacks of physical datapads, a rarity in this digital age, he looked tired. His blue optics were dim, scanning a stream of code on his monitor, he looked smaller here, hunched over his work, the broad red shoulders of his frame tense with frustration. It made you stare at him for a moment, in an awkward robotic way, he was, really, handsome..? You were unsure if it was the way he talked, looked, but he did seem like someone you'd want to romance.

You approached quietly, "Archivist Pax." you said softly. He jumped, knocking over a stack of datapads, scrambling to catch them before they hit the floor. "I.. Yes!.. I am here!" Orion stammered, spinning around in his chair. When he saw you, his optics widened, cycling a rapid focus. "Oh. It's... you. From the Gala." He stood up, straightening his stacks of data as he looked at you warily. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a Senatorial Aide visiting the dusty corners of the Archives?" He said, attempting to downplay his own importance, or the Archives. But it wasn't like Deception was his thing, that was more of Megatron's..thing.

[ SPEECH LOCK ENABLED ]

OPTION A: "Senator Proteus sent me to tell you that you're bad at math."

OPTION B: "I'm here to help you, Orion. Trust me."

OPTION C: "The Council has ordered an audit of your recent queries. I am here to oversee it."

"The Council has ordered an audit of your recent queries regarding the Kaon supply chains." you said, stepping into the light of his workspace. You clasped your hands behind your back, projecting authority. Damn, you weren't aware you could be this intimidating, you thought with the Charisma: 20/50 gleaming by the side of your optics. "Senator Proteus is concerned that your data might be... corrupted." At your words Orion’s expression hardened, it was subtle, but you saw the flash of steel in those gentle blue eyes. The Prime was in there, somewhere. "My data is not corrupted." Orion said firmly. "The numbers are clear. Three thousand cubes of raw energon were extracted from Sector 4, yet only two thousand were logged in the payment manifest. Where did the other thousand go?" He asked, eyeing you as you were thinking on what to say, then he got a bit closer. "Did they disappear into the Senate's discretionary fund?" Orion asked, his tone questioning yet bordering on accusatory. "That energon belongs to the miners, it is their livelihood." You looked at the monitor, he was right, of course he was. That was why you were here, for this stupid daily quest you had to do. You walked around the desk, standing next to him, you were slightly taller than him in this frame, sleek and towering, you leaned over his shoulder, optics meeting his. "You are assuming-" you purred your voice low "that the extraction rate is constant. Did you account for the slag runoff? The refinement loss? The transportation tax?" Where were you getting this information? Honestly, curse being transmigrated into pre-war Transformers Prime Cybertron. The System let the lies flow, it came naturally to you. "And here," you lied, pulling a bureaucratic loophole out of thin air "Sub-clause 44 of the Mining Rights Act states that any surplus energon containing high volatile isotopes is subject to quarantine seizure for safety inspection."

Orion blinked. He looked at the clause, then he looked at you, a bit confused. "That... that is an obscure regulation from right after the removal of the Quintessons," he argued, but he sounded uncertain, "It hasn't been enforced in vorns."

"It is enforced when the Council deems it necessary for public safety." you countered quickly. "You are looking for a conspiracy, Archivist Pax, I am showing you bureaucracy, which is more likely?" You said, this tugged at your heart, you felt guilty for lying to him like this. But it was what you had to do. Orion stared at you, he was processing it. You could see the wheels turning in his optics, he wanted to believe there was a grand, evil plan because that could be fought. But bureaucracy? Incompetence? Greed masked as safety? That was much harder to fight. His frame slumped slightly in his chair as he then spoke "So... it's legal? Taking food from their mouths is legal because of a safety clause?" The defeat in his voice made you feel an ache in your chest as you glanced away. "It.. is legal." you murmured quietly before you leaned closer, your voice dropping to a whisper that wouldn't be picked up by the room's audio sensors "But that doesn't make it right, Archivist Pax." He then looked up, startled from your words "Why do you say this?" He asked, "Don't you work for them?"

His words caused you to glance away hesitantly, it took a while before you could find an answer, something to say to the mech infront of you. "I work for order." You said, hesitant. "And a starving population is disorderly. If you want to help them, Archivist Pax, don't look for missing cubes. Look for the clause that allows them to be taken. Change the law, not the ledger." It was good advice! It was also exactly what he needed to hear to stop him from getting assassinated by Proteus tomorrow, much to your relief. Orion stared at you for a long moment, the suspicion in his optics melting away, as it was replaced by a profound, intense curiosity.

[ ORION PAX AFFECTION METER UPDATE: + 6% CURRENT AFFECTION METER: 15% ]

"Change the law.." Orion repeated softly. "You sound like..." He stopped himself for a brief moment. "Like who?" You asked, raising an optic ridge. "Like someone I met recently." Orion said, a small smile touching his faceplate. "Though he speaks a bit more.. differently." Megatronus, he was talking about Megatronus. Before you could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor. "Archivist Pax!" A sharp voice barked from afar, causing both of you to turn around. Standing and marching over was a massive, blue-and-white security bot with a suppression rod on his hip, he wasn't High Caste, but he had the authority of the badge. An Enforcer? "We detected unauthorized access of classified files." the Enforcer growled, stepping into the room, the mech looked at Orion with disdain. "Step away from the terminal, clerk. You are coming with us for questioning." Wait- If that happened, Alpha Trion would get involved! Who sent them in?! This System is gonna be the death of me. Speaking of which, it has been.. Oddly quiet. But no time to think about that now! This wasn't part of the plan, Proteus said audit, not arrest! If Orion got arrested, he'd be put in the system, Shadowplay, Reformatting.. Optimus Prime would never exist! And that was a bigger problem.

[ DEATH FLAG DETECTED: ORION PAX ]

You didn't think, not bothering to check your stats as you quickly stepped between the Enforcer and Orion. "Officer!" you said, your voice ringing out with the crystal-clear arrogance of the Aristocracy. The Enforcer paused, looking at you, at your expensive finish, your Senatorial badge, the sheer money radiating off your frame. "Step aside, citizen.." the Enforcer grunted, though he hesitated. "Citizen?" you let out a cold, incredulous laugh, oh, you sounded devious. It made you internally cringe as you forced the laugh. "I am Aide [Y/N] of the High Council, acting directly under the authority of Proteus, I am conducting an internal audit of this terminal." You took a step forward, invading the Enforcer's personal space. You were physically weaker , but socially? You were a titan. "If you arrest this Archivist.." you hissed, "you interrupt my audit. You delay my report to him. And do you know what Proteus does to Enforcers who waste his time?" You tapped a servo against the Enforcer's chest plate threateningly. The Enforcer flinched, he looked at Orion, then at you. He did the math.. Arresting a clerk was easy, annoying a Councilor's Aide was career suicide basically. "I... was not informed of an audit." the Enforcer muttered, stepping back. "That is because you are security." you said. "You are not paid to be informed, you are paid to stand guard. Go stand guard somewhere else."

The Enforcer stiffened, a small glare pointed at you but he holstered his weapon. "As you command... Aide." He turned and marched away, his heavy footsteps fading into the distance. You let out a sigh of relief, one you didn't know you were holding. Silence returned to Section 12-Alpha as you then turned to Orion, he was staring at you with wide optics, his intake was slightly open from surprise as he kept his gaze on you.

[ ORION PAX AFFECTION METER UPDATE: +10% CURRENT AFFECTION METER: 25 % ]

[ FRIENDSHIP UNLOCKED! ]

Orion studied you, for the first time, he wasn't looking at your badge or your expensive armor. He was seeing something else, and it made him feel oddly close with you. "Thank you, for saving me." He said, giving you a small smile which made you stare back at him. This was truly different from how he acted as Optimus Prime, he was kind, although he still was as Optimus, Orion was.. You didn't know how to describe it. You snapped out of your trance as you sputtered, "I saved myself!" you corrected, trying to regain your composure and not try to take credit for 'saving' Orion because it wasn't like you did. "It would look bad on my performance review if you got arrested in a library."" Orion laughed at your words. A genuine, full-bellied laugh. He then stepped forward and did something unexpected, he took your hand in his. Fuck, you forgot this was some sort of dating simulator, of course these moments were bound to happen. "Thank you, [Y/N]." he said earnestly once more as you felt your face heating up, he had that charm to him, you despised being easily flustered like this. It was stupid, all you did was save him, and even lied to him?.. Why would you- A ding caught your attention, freezing up as you saw the familliar pink window once more.

[ ORION PAX AFFECTION METER UPDATE: +5% CURRENT AFFECTION METER: 30 % ]

30%? Already? You glanced back at the mech smiling at you before you pulled your hand away. "Don't get used to it, there won't be another time. And, stop digging, the truth is a dangerous thing to hold alone, and.. Don't trust me so easily, be careful." You told him as you turned, giving him one last glance as you walked away.

[ DAILY QUEST COMPLETED! ]

[ REWARD: 10,000 Shanix, + 5% ORION PAX AFFECTION ]

So now Orion was at a staggering lead of 35%. It surprised you, it definitely did. Transforming into your alt mode, you raced off. Making it back to your own Habsuite as you filed the report on the way there, which was a weird minigame. As you made it back, you stood there, you didn't feel tired much at all yet. Thankfully so. You sat there, deep in your thoughts as you thought about everything that happened. You knew you'd get eternal purgatory if you failed, but what if you Succeeded?

PING!

The sound wasn't in the room, it was in your head. A direct, encrypted frequency patch.

NEW MESSAGE RECEIVED

SENDER: ANONYMOUS

You froze, the last message had been a warning. This one felt heavier. You focused your optics, opening the file.

"The Archivist lives, the Enforcer has been... reassigned. Your influence is noted. Do not think this buys you loyalty. It buys you time."

Attached to the message was a grainy image. It was a surveillance capture of you and Orion in the Hall of Records, specifically the moment he grabbed your Servos.

"It buys me time?" you repeated, your voice trembling. "Time for what? To get executed by the Senate or dismantled by the Revolution?! This is crazy! No, no this is some fucked up crap! What am I doing here anyway?! To play some sick.. Game?" You heaved, you missed your old life, it wasn't much but it was so much better than stressing about whether you were gonna live or not simply because of some crazy and insane System. You groaned, face-planting onto your berth. "I just wanted to pay rent and eat noodles. Why am I playing 4D chess with giant robots?!" You sighed, almost closing your optics.

— — — — — — — — —

The next morning, you didn't wake up to a threat of mutilation. You woke up to a polite chime.

[ INCOMING COMM: ORION PAX ]

You jolted upright, nearly knocking over your bedside energon dispenser. You scrambled to answer, checking your vocalizer settings. [NOBLESSE OBLIGE] was active, thank Primus. "Aide [Y/N]." you answered, your voice smooth and professional although a bit.. Glitchy? From having just woken up. "Good morning." Orion’s voice came through, warm and slightly static-filled. "I... I hope I am not disturbing you, I found your frequency in the public directory." This surprised you, a little bit. "You went looking for me?" You asked, softening the tone manually, the System seemed to care less and less on what you spoke when your affection with Orion got higher. "I... Yes. I wanted to ask.." He hesitated, you could practically hear his cooling fans spinning up. "You mentioned 'changing the law' yesterday. Because of it, I have been up all cycle reviewing the Constitutional Charters of the Golden Age. I found... discrepancies, and I was wondering if you would be willing to discuss them? In person?"

[ SYSTEM ALERT: ROMANCE EVENT TRIGGERED! ⸝⸝ʚ̴̶̷̆ˬʚ̴̶̷̆⸝⸝❤︎ ]

[ ACCEPT? (Y) (N) ]

A/N: And!! That's a wrap! I'll continue to post and update this fanfic on Ao3! I will still answer requests and asks related to this! With that on hand,

REQUESTS/ASK BOX is open!

Im curious and excited for your thoughts and concepts and ideas! And here is the link to the Ao3 fic! I'll edit previous parts here in tumblr to apply features I just found out you could do just now 🥀.. (I FORGOT THE TAG)