Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 153 Title: Planetary Support War

Ultra Magnus and the Thunder Rescue Team arrived at Crystal City and guided the vector to the outer passage to meet them.

BICk0 hesitated to comment further. Given her condition upon waking and the constant monitoring alerts from the medical tower, the Chief Judge should have been waiting in the review chamber, not personally going to the outer corridor to meet a newly arrived team.

However, she didn't try to dissuade him, knowing that Yin Vector could sometimes be as stubborn as a mule.

The Thunder Rescue Team emerged from the tunnel, and Jack was the first to stop.

He saw her, and the optical lens lit up clearly.

"Okay," he said, "You're really awake!"

The vector looked at him and said, "You seem to be confirming whether I've come back from the dead."

"Pretty much." Jack laughed. "Well done."

Then he came up and hugged her, quite forcefully, but quickly restrained himself, afraid that in his excitement he might carry the Chief Justice, who had just woken up, back to the medical tower for repairs.

The vector was startled by his embrace and raised its hand to pat his back armor.

Only when she stepped back did she truly see him clearly.

Millions of years have left their mark on him. His shoulder armor has been repaired, an old wound on his chest is hidden under the outer armor, and there are shallow marks on the side of his face near his mouth.

He was more rugged and sharper than I remembered, but his smile still had a roguish charm.

I stared at the vector for a few seconds.

Jack raised an eyebrow: "What, am I too handsome for you?"

The vector immediately blurted out, "It's been almost four million years, how come he's still such a young man with such a perky ass?"

The machines fell silent, just as they were about to correct the chief judge's explosive statement, and even the vector itself was about to retract its words, when Jack immediately became smug: "Talent."

"...Even your thick skin?"

"I've practiced this."

Rumble, lying nearby, whispered his opinion: "So confident."

Confused: "You have no right to judge others."

The mechanical dog looked up at the jack but didn't offer any opinion, seemingly reserving its opinion on whether the jack was up to standard.

Tongtianxiao stood a little further back.

He didn't rush to speak, but stood very straight, his shoulder armor tucked in even more precisely than a standard military posture.

After looking at him for a while, the vector extended its hand.

Tong Tianxiao's gaze fell on her hand, lingered for a brief moment, and then he grasped it.

His movements were so normal that there was almost no fault with them, if only his knuckles hadn't clenched her palm for an extra half second.

"It's still there," she said.

Tongtianxiao answered softly, "It's still there."

He paused for a moment: "You too."

These words didn't sound like something he would say in front of so many people. After he finished speaking, he stood up straight again and resumed his stern and reliable demeanor.

Yin Xiang looked at him, actually wanting to say something, after all, she had seen the records left by the other party during his visit, but now was not the time.

The jack was unusually quiet for two seconds, then finally couldn't hold back.

"So," he said, "when we get here, the first thing we should do is catch up, or beat someone up?"

Yin Xiang loosened his grip on Tianxiao's hand: "Let's have a meeting first."

The smile on the jack's face faded: "I'd rather memorize the standard operating procedures."

"Get used to it," Vector said. "I just woke up and I like to torment all machines."

Crystal Lamp laughed out loud: "Very honest."

AZ casually added, "That's also a form of leadership."

Vector: "Shut up."

Behind the Thunder Rescue Team, someone couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Soon, they returned to the main courtroom of the judicial center.

The rest of the sixth day was consumed by new intelligence, old battle reports, and several impromptu meetings.

Ultra Magnus brought back fragments of long-distance communications intercepted along the way, and the Thunder Rescue Team submitted several speculations related to the range of the Nemesis's activities.

BICk0 compiled the data, Crystal Prism retrieved relevant records from Crystal City, and AZ also provided several important pieces of information, prompting Vector to almost ask him where he got them from.

Yin Vector sat at the main review table, read the document, closed it, and then moved on to the next one, repeating this process over and over again.

Rumble was lively at first, but then got sleepy and collapsed onto Misty, falling asleep nestled together. The mechanical dog lay quietly at her feet, its tail occasionally brushing the ground gently.

Looking at the pile of documents, the jack's expression grew increasingly pained: "Who should I beat up?"

Without even looking up, he said, "Do you think I don't want to?"

"Then why not just go directly?"

"Because I don't want to travel all that way only to find that I haven't even figured out which face I should punch."

Jack thought for a moment: "Doesn't the Five-Faced Monster have five faces?"

Yin Xiang finally looked up at him, his expression somewhere between speechless and amused.

Jack raised his hand: "Okay, I'll be quiet."

The light outside Crystal City turned cold again, and the seventh day since the Ark arrived in Aquitron arrived.

When the synchronized records were transmitted back, the review office initially thought it was just another piece of troublesome news.

A single Ark satellite transmitted data over a long distance, carrying transmission noise and latency.

BICk0 saw the marker first.

"New sync record," she said. "High priority."

The vector looked up to listen, and the document machine in the judicial center looked over. Crystal Prism stepped forward to confirm the message.

Ultra Magnus and the Thunder Rescue Team also looked at the light screen.

Record playback.

The first thing to appear was the courtroom. A high, cold space, with a five-faced judge looking down, his several faces slowly rotating. The curator stood below the judge's bench, his voice gentle yet chilling.

Optimus Prime stood in the center, and the translated verdict came from the trial record.

"Aquitron will hold a public trial for Optimus Prime's crimes."

"Optimus Prime shall not leave this planet until the trial concludes."

The examination room fell silent instantly.

Jack's expression was grim, and the Thunder Rescue Team's machines tensed up simultaneously.

Tongtianxiao stood still, his optical lens fixed on the screen.

The records also contain accusations listed by the Quintessons, involving the Matrix of Leadership, the AllSpark, the controversy over the origin of Cybertronian civilization, and Optimus Prime's representation.

Watch the vector playback until the end, then replay it.

When the Quintesson judge told Optimus Prime "guilty," Ultra Magnus's fingers clenched suddenly, then quickly returned to normal.

I noticed the vector and kept it in mind.

She stared at the screen, rewound the recording, and replayed a few segments.

Before the restraint field was activated, the Quintessons, claiming to be the creators, issued a procedural statement. The Curator summoned the other Autobots, and the Quintessons confirmed their right to judge.

The vector hesitated for a long time before uttering the last word: "Stop."

BICk0 immediately freezes the screen.

"Now, here comes the third question."

Yin Xiang gently stroked his chin, frowning as he said, "A couple of days ago, we were discussing whether they were creators."

She pointed to the image of the five-faced monsters on the screen: "They claim to be involved in the origin, so we examine the statements, identities, and chains of evidence."

She then clicked on another section of the index related to the controversy surrounding Primash: "They are trying to integrate themselves into the Primash faith, so we are separating the concept of faith from the external entity."

Finally, she pushed the trial records to the center: "But now, they're not just saying who they are."

The vector looked at the guilty verdict: "They have begun to exercise their power."

She said, word by word:

"They did not submit identity verification to Cybertron."

"Or submit evidence of origin to the judicial authorities."

"Furthermore, it did not undergo cross-examination or obtain recognition from Cybertron's existing legal system."

"They haven't even proven that they have jurisdiction over Optimus Prime."

She raised her hand and poked the head of the five-faced, monstrous judge high above in the image:

"But he had already taken his seat on the judge's bench, restrained the Cybertronian leader, listed his crimes, tried him, and declared him guilty."

The examination room was so quiet that there wasn't even the sound of turning the pages of a document. Most of the officers' eyes flashed with a hint of realization.

The vector expression was cold: "This is an invasion of external legal rights."

She hesitated for a moment, then changed to a more direct and easier-to-understand wording:

"To put it more bluntly, this is hijacking."

Now, many machines were finally able to piece together the scattered discomfort they had felt earlier.

Why did the Quintesson's report make them feel something was wrong? Why did the phrase "perhaps the Creator" seem dangerous?

It turns out that what they wanted to discuss from beginning to end was to decide the position of Cybertron.

Crystal Prism also became more cautious: "To acknowledge their judgment is to acknowledge that their legal authority is superior to Cybertron's."

"Yes," said the vector.

BICk0 quickly clarified: "If we acknowledge their status as creators, it will in turn support their claims to judicial power."

AZ concluded in a deep voice: "A closed loop."

"Trap." (A vector symbol)

Jack looked at the screen, his expression calm, a roguish grin on his face: "So, now we can beat him up?"

This time, the vector didn't refute: "Get ready to beat them up."

The jack laughed, a brief and dangerous laugh.

Ultra Magnus finally spoke, his tone very restrained: "Optimus Prime is still under their control."

"The Ark's status is unknown, and the Nemesis is also near Aquitron. Direct intervention could trigger reactions from the Quintessons, Aquitron's defense system, and the remaining Decepticon forces simultaneously."

Yin Vector looked at him, sensing the tension in his voice. Tong Tianxiao met her gaze, but his knuckles remained clenched in his palm.

"So you can't just rush around," he said.

Jack frowned: "Don't rush things without a plan."

"You looked like you really wanted to just now."

"I've always wanted to."

There was a soft cough from behind, as if someone was unsure whether to laugh.

Yin Vector raised her hand to cover her face. Why is her support team always so lively?

She looked at BICk0: "List the action objectives."

BICk0 opened the new screen and held a data pen in his hand.

The vector said, "First, confirm the current status of Optimus Prime, Ark, Nemesis, and the remaining crew."

"Second, it cuts off the Quintessons' dissemination of the origin narrative to Cybertron."

"Third, secure a stable entry point into Aquitron."

Fourth, prepare to intervene in the courtroom.

She paused, then gave a smile that was almost sinister:

Fifth, if the Quintessons refuse to halt the illegal trial proceedings—

The jack looked up at her smile and rumbled as it rubbed its arms.

"Then we will raise reasonable objections."

Crystal Prism asked, "Crystal City can provide relay channels and temporary command space. Do you need city-level broadcast permissions?"

"Not yet," said Vector. "If we reveal it too early, Cybertron will be thrown into chaos first."

BICk0 nodded: "Internal sealing, high-priority action file of the judicial center."

AZ then spoke up: "The problem with getting to Aquitron isn't just the coordinates; the Quintessons have probably already blocked some of the regular warp paths."

The vector looked at him: "Do you know another way?"

AZ simply pushed an index in front of her.

"There's a third space bridge proposal on Shockwave's side."

Jack's brow twitched: "You mean the stuff that madman left behind?"

AZ looked at him and said, "Judging from the results, being crazy was actually quite useful."

Ultra Magnus asked, "Can Shockwave be contacted?"

BICk0 is already checking: "The old line exists, but it's unstable. The most recent activity record... uh."

Her expression was complicated: "Near the signal of the missing steel cable team."

There was a collective gasp in the examination room; they were clearly well aware of the Steel Cable Squad's style.

The jack slowly turned its head: "Oh."

Rumble: "That doesn't sound good."

The mechanical dog flicked its tail, as if in agreement.

AZ even looks somewhat subtly pleasant.

Vector looked at the coordinates and scratched her head. She had read the wartime records of the Steel Cable Squad. Even if that squad adhered to Autobot discipline, they were still considered violent.

And the report from the sealed system, transmitted by the shockwave, indicated the destruction of the first and second space bridges. The report, from its title to its conclusion, was filled with logic, calm and standard, as if it had just been poured out of a laboratory.

However, upon closer inspection, one could still detect a very faint hint of grievance between the lines.

To this, all she can say is: What are you complaining about? When you arbitrarily modified someone else's vehicle mode, weren't you quite logical about it?

"We'd better contact Shockwave right away, before he gets torn to shreds."

BICk0 nodded, Jack finally couldn't help but laugh, and Ultra Magnus also relaxed a little.

"Notify all units that are eligible for relocation."

The vector finally gave the order: "Prepare for planetary support operations."

The jack leaned closer: "Is the official name really that formal?"

He looked at him intently and asked, "What do you want to call me?"

Jack: "Operation Beat the Five-Faced Monster!"

Boom! ...

Confusion: "Please, both of you, be quiet."

After two seconds, the vector chuckled softly: "That's how it can be called internally."

He then continued without changing his expression, "The official records state 'planetary support war'."