Quick note from the author: I would like to thank my friends and co-creators of this series; shinmusashi44 and TGping from the TFMaster forums. Withouttheir help and expert drawing abilities; this would not have been possible.

'Myth Wars': Episode 53: "Beast Wars Rekindled: Part 1: Back to Earth":

(Author's notes on bottom)

"OOOH! We're finally goin' back to Cybertron!" Rattrap throws his arms up in the air in celebration, "I can hear the dames whistling for me already!"

Optimus Primal, clad in his recently acquired 4-mode optimal form, strolls up to the front of the escape pod where Rhinox is intensely concentrated on piloting the shaky ship.

"Well, Rhinox, have you spotted them yet?" he asks. Rhinox turns to him and shakes his head, "Not yet...you know it is possible that they all made planet fall..." Optimus rubs his chin, "Possible; but unlikely."

He stares out into the vast blankness of space, and smiles. "I know somewhere out there our comrades are waiting for us..." He suddenly turns to Rattrap who's conveniently reclined in an onboard chair, "...and then we'll be on our way home."

"Aw, fer bootin' up cold! Ya mean after all that we've been through on that dirt ball back there; we still ain't goin' back to Cybertron?" Rattrap rises from the over sized chair designed for Autobots and walks up to the giant gorilla leader. Optimus merely peers down at him in disapproval, but knows how badly Rattrap misses Cybertron; and therefore says nothing.

"Well I for one want to rescue my fellow bots!" A voice echoes through the ship as Cheetor appears from a hallway and into the main room.

All eyes turn to him, even Rhinox for a brief moment. As Rhinox turns back around, Optimus nods at Cheetor in approval. "I can't go back to Cybertron with my crew still orbiting Earth..." Primal begins, "...no matter how long it takes, we will rescue them all!"

Rattrap raises an eyebrow upon hearing this, and sighs, "I guess the dames can wait just a tad longer...heh."

He sees Rhinox nod as he pilots the ship to the left with the gigantic controls. "I just wish I were bigger..." Rhinox states as he steers the ship with great difficulty towards a blip on his screen.

"Optimus Primal...Maximize!" the giant gorilla bellows and transforms into his massive robot mode. He casually strides over to an empty chair and has a seat. He laughs a little as he reclines, "I don't know what you're complaining about Rattrap; these chairs fit me just fine." Rattrap gives a quick sarcastic laugh in response, "That's because you've got a big fat gorilla as..."

"EVERYONE! LOOK!" Rattrap gets cut off as Rhinox points out the windshield; "Do you see it?" Primal rises and walks up to the controls and leans on them as he peers out the window. "Is that...?" he asks as Cheetor and Rattrap join him at his side.

Outside, they see a dark shape floating about 1000 yards ahead of them. Even with hardly any light; they could all tell what it was: a stasis pod.

"Told ya!" Cheetor mocks Rattrap, and Rattrap dismisses him with his hands, "Eh, spoil my fun why don't cha?"

Just then they hear footsteps behind them and turn to see Blackarachnia and Silverbolt walk into the room together. "Where have you two been?" Primal asks them, crossing his arms. "Don't ask..." Silverbolt quickly kills the conversation as he and Blackarachnia take seats.

"Oh...so the two love boy-ids decided to get romantic, mm?" Rattrap questions as he waves his fingers at them. "I said 'don't ASK!' " Silverbolt states again, and growls at Rattrap. "Easy Bowser, he didn't mean anything by it..." Blackarachnia coos, and rubs Silverbolt's chin with her finger, "...besides, you know it's true." Silverbolt 'rolls' his optics and sighs, "Yes dear."

"If you three are done arguing..." Rhinox begins as he points at the stasis pod again, "...we've got to retrieve that thing." "I think you mean those things..." Primal states, drawing Rhinox's gaze back out the window.

"Wow, that must be all of them..." Cheetor's mouth hangs open as they all stare as more and more stasis pods come into view, each becoming more lit against the blackness of space as it comes closer to the ship. "At least all the ones that didn't make planet fall…" He turns to Optimus quickly, "…It looks like you were right." Optimus silently nods.

"But that still leaves the problem of who's going to get them?" Rhinox announces. Everyone exchanges glances at each, everyone except Primal.

"I'll go." He boldly states as he walks towards the back of the ship, past the cabins located near the midsection. "WHAT! You can't go out there..." Rhinox begins. "Huh, better him than me..." Rattrap adds.

Optimus turns back to them as he stands at the rear hatch. "I have to go Rhinox...I must. I'm the only one with flight capabilities; at least in space; and therefore it has to be me. Besides, if Megatron tries anything; I'm the only one strong enough to stop him and clamp him back to the hull." Primal states with a sudden smile, "But don't worry, I'll be fine."

They nod at him in agreement, all except Rhinox who shakes his head in regret. Primal takes notice of this, but hides his fears and opens the airlock door.

As the door closes behind him, he watches as the others stare at him until they can be seen no more from the door. It slams shut, and Primal sighs. "Here goes nothing..." He takes a deep breath (for no real reason at all), and holds it.

With a leaking sound, the pressure from the airlock is dropped and the outside doors open. Primal steps out into space, and floats around for a moment before grabbing his bearings and transforms into his jet mode. He rockets out around the side of the ship and patches a channel through to Rhinox.

"Rhinox, can you hear me?" He asks. "Loud and clear...good to hear I might add." Rhinox smiles as he sees Primal float past the side window. "Sometime you worry to much..." Primal laughs and rockets towards the first stasis pod.

"Rhinox, can you maneuver the ship so the rear faces me? I need to load these into the airlock." Primal asks as he latches himself on top of the stasis pod. "Sure Optimus; just give me a nano-click." Rhinox replies as he activates the thrusters and begins to rotate the ship around slowly.

Just then Primal hears a voice. "Just what do you think you're doing Primal?" the voice roars, and Primal looks at the top of the shuttle. "That's none of your business Megatron." he states as he pulls the stasis pod towards the airlock entrance.

Megatron shifts around a little as he tries to break free from his bonds, but settles back after a few seconds, "You're a fool Primal. You actually think your Maximals want me back on Cybertron? Or even you for that matter?" "That's my call..." Optimus stops just outside the entrance, "...and I say they'll be glad to get you back. I bet they have a specially made cell just for you..." Primal transforms into robot mode, and presses the button to unlock the door. Megatron laughs, "Flattery will get you nowhere Optimus, yessss...enjoy this moment while you can."

Optimus sneers upon hearing this, but maintains focus and puts the first pod into the ship. He uses his foot rockets and takes off towards the next pod. "Come on Primal; I know you can hear me...don't you think it gets lonely out here..." Megatron begins with suave in his voice, "...Take me inside and lock me up in there." "No chance Megatron...I like you just where you are!" Primal squints and makes a face at Megatron as he grabs the next pod.

Grunting and groaning, he pulls the rather heavy pod towards the door. As it finally moves in the direction he wants, Primal lets up and lets it float towards the door, only floating along with it to stop it at the entrance.

Megatron moves his head to look at Primal, but can't see him due to his position and the considerable height he is above Primal's position. "At least tell me what you're doing..." Megatron almost sounds like he's pleading, but keeps that certain level of proudness and smirks at his own words; hoping to extract information out of Optimus. Primal looks up at Megatron for only a brief moment, "Don't you ever shut up?"

Several minutes pass, and soon Primal finishes loading in the last pod inside the ship. "Great! That's the last pod!" Primal announces and dusts off his hands as a sign that he's done. "Oh, so that's what it is..." Megatron begins. "You were quiet for a few clicks there; what happened?" Primal laughs as he stands at the entrance to the door. Megatron ignores him, "...those were my protoforms!" "I'd love to stay and chat Megatron, but Cybertron, and your prison cell, await!" Primal proclaims and slams the door shut behind him.

"We shall see Primal...you haven't won yet!" Megatron announces to the vast blackness of space, staring at it as he lays spread-eagle on the hull.

Inside, Primal enters the main room again after the airlock pressurizes, and everyone smiles at him. "Good to see ya Big Bot!" Cheetor gives Optimus the thumbs up. "And to see our comrades again." Rhinox adds, pointing at the stacks of stasis pods behind Optimus.

"So, we're finally going to Cybertron then!" Rattrap asks impatiently. Optimus gives a deep belly laugh, "Yes, Rattrap, we're finally going home."

Everyone starts dancing and rejoicing; and Rhinox watches them celebrate and smiles. He turns around and sits back at the controls, "O.K. everyone, strap yourselves in; I'm taking this bird back to Cybertron!" Rhinox proclaims as he presses a few buttons and pulls a few levers. "You got it big guy!" Rattrap gives him the thumbs up and jumps into his chair. The others follow suit, and everyone buckles in for the trip home.

"Commencing engine thrust...activating hyper-drive..." Rhinox states as he presses a button. Suddenly a giant explosion from the rear rocks the whole ship, and everyone looks around in panic.

"What was that?" Cheetor yells, grabbing the arms of the chair in fear. "Sounds like we lost our engines!" Primal announces as he begins to unbuckle himself. "The ship's diagnostics have been knocked offline…" Rhinox shouts as he whips around in the control chair.

"I'll be right back." Optimus shouts and rises from the chair. "No Optimus! I'll check it out." Rhinox states and holds up his hand to signal Optimus to stop. Primal looks at him, and sits back down. He straps himself back in and nods at Rhinox, "Check it out, but hurry."

Rhinox stomps towards the back of the ship when the ship begins to move under his feet, causing him to fall. "RHINOX!" Cheetor calls out as turns in his seat to see Rhinox lying unconscious on the ground. "We're all gonna DIE!" Rattrap yells, covering his optics in fear. "SHUT UP RATTRAP!" Optimus yells as he unstraps himself and rushes towards Rhinox.

Just then, then ship begins to spin out of control, throwing Optimus across the cabin and slamming him into the pilot's chair. He slumps down onto the ground, and lies there for a moment before the momentum of the ship's spinning lifts him off of the ground and throws him against the other wall. Cheetor ducks as Rhinox flies over him and smashes into the rear of the ship.

But just as the spinning started, it stops as the ship's windshield begins to heat up, and glows bright red with fire. "NO!" Rattrap screams as he looks in horror upon the sight before his optics, "We're going back down!" "Stay close dear..." Silverbolt heroically states as he pulls Blackarachnia close to him as they sit next to each other, strapped in.

Outside, Megatron's body begins to burn as he reenters the atmosphere attached to the ship. "ARRRGGGHHH!" He bellows in pain as he struggles to break free of both the ship and the heat.

Suddenly, his right arm snaps free of his bonds, and he reaches over and breaks the bond on his other arm. "I...must...break...freeeee!" He proclaims as he grinds his teeth from the intense pain. He manages to break the final bonds that hold him, and as he does, he flies off the ship like a bullet and floats away high above the ship...

Meanwhile, back inside, Optimus Primal and Rhinox's bodies are pinned by the centripetal forces against the rear wall of the shuttle. Everyone screams as they watch the ground get closer and closer...

But on Earth, others watch them return as well...

"What?" Waspinator asks as he watches the ship plummets towards Earth, "Max-zimals come back?" The early anthropoids jump about in confusion and wonder as they watch along with Waspinator.

Not far away, in some bushes, a pair of eyes watch Waspinator, and the Autobot shuttle hurdling uncontrollably towards Earth with happiness. "Hmm, so my prey returns..." the spider-esque voice cackles, "...How lovely!" and his evil laugh fills the air...

Author's Notes:

What will happen next? Read on to find out...