6 - Twenty Years Later and Cameron Space Marines

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TWENTY YEARS LATER

PART 1

"This is Hydrus Four calling... Emergency! We have Decepticons closing in on the Nucleon research centre. I repeat - we have Decepticons!"

"Hydrus Four, this is Cameron Space Control. We have received your distress signal and are dispatching a strike team."
___

2014. Twenty years of co-operation between the humans of Earth, Cameron and Nebulos, together with the Autobots of Cybertron, had resulted in an interstellar alliance with an impressive array of defensive technology at its disposal.

The Cameron star-glider 'Vigilant' dropped out of hypserpace and descended to the surface of Hydrus Four. Captain Amy Anderson, call sign 'Kestrel', ordered Commander Dalos, her Nebulan first officer, to stay with the ship as she climbed aboard her Robot-Buster Mk IV exo-suit. The Autobot warrior Windcharger rolled down the Vigilant's utility ramp onto the alien turf, Sergeant Harry 'Roadforce' Barnes locked in place as his Powermaster engine, effectively doubling the Autobot's potential for magnetic warfare. The ship's two Circuit-Breaker operatives, Lieutenant Danita 'Dareheart' Santella and Sub-Lieutenant Katy 'Matrix' Witwicky, donned their suits, checking that the micro-batteries in their circuits were fully charged. Last but not least out of the Vigilant was Sergeant Joe Hammer, who stepped away from the ship, pressed an electronic device strapped to his wrist and phased out of his human Pretender disguise, expanding in size to become a giant robot, the Autobot warrior they called Skyhammer.

"Want me to get the door?" offered Windcharger as they approached the Nucleon research centre.

"I've got it," said Katy Witwicky, concentrating the power of her mind to dismantle the facility's security portal and reassemble it behind them once they were inside. Dani Santella and Windcharger/Roadforce zoomed ahead to maximise the element of surprise, with Skyhammer and Captain Anderson close at their heels, alert for any sign of Decepticon aggression. Katy flew after them, held aloft by the electromagnetic field generated by her Circuit-Breaker costume.

They turned a corner into a large open space, filled with busy alien scientists, and more than a dozen Decepticons.
___

Windcharger transformed and tackled Charger to the ground, as Skyhammer punched Take-Off across the room and Dani Santella zapped Axer with a high-voltage electric burst. Katy flew around Captain Anderson's Robot-Buster (having been named after her father, the thought of it always made her smile) and immediately sensed that six of the smaller Decepticons present were not truly alive in the Creation Matrix sense, and so could be controlled by its power. With but a thought, she reduced Glitch, Lionizer, Push-Button, Sights, Top-Heavy and Tyrannitron to piles of component parts. Meanwhile, Anderson had her arm cannons powered up and targeted on Banzai-Tron and Slicer.

"Whoa, whoa!" protested Gutcruncher, hurrying forward with his hands raised in a placatory gesture. "What in Primus's name do you think you're doing?"

Anderson blinked and then looked again at the scene before her, perceiving for the first time that there were no signs of violence having taken place here other than those inflicted by her crew. And none of the Decepticons had guns.

"We picked up a distress call," she explained.

"Sorry," said the chief scientist, emerging from the computer bank behind which he had taken cover as soon as the fighting broke out. "False alarm. We mistakenly assumed that these Decepticons intended to attack our facility. I sent a follow-up message to Cameron Space Control as soon as I realised our mistake, but I suppose you had already entered hyperspace by then."

"So what are they doing here?" demanded Windcharger.

"We're here to do business, of course," tutted Gutcruncher. "We're here to buy Nucleon."

"Is that true?" Anderson asked the chief scientist, trying in vain to detect signs of duress on the part of the research centre's staff.

"Yes... Mr Cruncher appears to be exceedingly wealthy. He's offered to sponsor our work programme in return for a one-off treatment of Nucleon."

"I don't like it," said Skyhammer. "The last thing we want is them using Nucleon to bring their fallen armies back to life."

"What armies?" said Gutcruncher. "We don't preserve our damaged warriors as carefully as the Autobots do theirs. This Nucleon is strictly for personal use."

"What do you mean?"

"We're here to buy Nucleon I, not Nucleon II. We want to become Action Masters!"

"What? Why?"

"It's a choice. A trade-off. Not all Transformers feel as strongly as Grimlock did about the joys of transformation. We know that Blaster has opted to remain in his stronger, faster Action Master form rather than go back to turning into a music box, and other Autobots led by Jackpot have elected to take the old Nucleon. We wish to do the same. The slag swamps of Cybertron that we call home have become increasingly hostile in recent years, what with the influx of aliens, and we want to be able to defend ourselves. No-one will mess with us once we're Action Masters."

He finished his speech and turned back to his work.

"It's your fault they're here," Gutcruncher told the chief scientist. "I'm deducting the value of those six drones from your fee."

"What do we do, Captain?" asked Katy Witwicky.

"Nothing we can do," she shrugged. "None of these Decepticons is wanted for crimes on Earth, Nebulos, Klo or Hydrus Four."

"They're still covered by the Unicronian truce," said Skyhammer. Then, in a raised voice, to make a point: "Even though none of them actually fought Unicron!"
___

The Vigilant stayed on Hydrus Four until the Decepticons left, just to make sure. When the research centre's staff weren't looking, Katy levitated the six piles of circuits and carried them back to the ship, where she used the power of the Creation Matrix to reassemble them.

"If your old man could see you now," grinned Dani, sitting down beside her. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Dunno," said Katy.

No new Transformer life had been created since the Protectobots and Combaticons. Maybe it was time to change
that?

TO BE CONTINUED

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TWENTY YEARS LATER

PART 2

"'Matrix' to 'Dani Dareheart'. Look alive, I'm on your six."

They were both piloting Cameron star-fighters, engaged in a mock-combat training session high above the surface of Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. As usual, they kept their radios switched on in order to try to distract one another with banter. Captain Anderson and Commander Dalos were supervising a weapons upgrade to the Vigilant. Sergeant Barnes was on Mars with the other men and women of the Powermaster Corps, training alongside the Autobot warriors Punch, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Windcharger. Skyhammer was on the Cameron flagship in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, catching up with his fellow Pretenders, Crossblades, Gunrunner and Vroom.

"Witwicky, I could out-fly you in my sleep," came back the voice of Lieutenant Santella. Katy knew it was true - Santella was the better pilot, as she now demonstrated by firing her retro-thrusters so that her over-eager friend shot past her and straight into her gun sights.

We'll see about that, thought Katy Witwicky, imagining the power supply to Santella's targeting systems... and imagining those connections being broken.

Santella's computer went dead. "Not fair!" she cried. "That's cheating, Witwicky. I'm going to kill you!"

"What are you talking about?" Katy protested her innocence, swinging her fighter around to light up her opponent with virtual laser fire. "I haven't done anything."

"Very funny. You need to take these training sessions more seriously. You wouldn't be able to do that to me if I was a living Decepticon."

"Relax. The Decepticons are finished. They're not coming back."

"I'm not so sure. Which reminds me, what became of those six drones you so cleverly 'liberated' on Hydrus Four?"

"I sent them back to Cybertron, of course."

"As they were? No modifications?"

"Well, I may have made one or two minor modifications..."
___

Cybertron. The Cosmic Carnival lay on the Terbium Plains, coiled loosely like a snake, a large round open area in the middle filled with outdoor attractions. It was doing a roaring trade. Why expend fuel travelling through space under your own power, reasoned its owners, when you can hitch a ride on a metal world that is already travelling through space? Especially when that metal world is largely unpopulated and proving to be quite an attraction in its own right for space-faring races from across the Galaxy. Having Cybertron as a backdrop made more people come to the Cosmic Carnival, and having the Cosmic Carnival there made more people come to Cybertron.

The Autobot Action Masters happened to take it into their heads to visit the Cosmic Carnival at the same time as the Decepticon Action Masters. And yes, they happened to bump into one another.

To begin with, the crowds thought the fight between Rad, Rollout and Skyfall on one side, and Banzai-Tron, Charger and Take-Off on the other, was part of the show. They cheered as the powerful robots laid into one another, and gasped as their transforming companions, Glitch, Lionizer and Top-Heavy on the Autobot side, Firebeast, Razor-Sharp and Screech for the Decepticons, assumed an array of exotic configurations in an attempt to swing the battle in favour of their allies. But when they transformed into weapons and started shooting at each other, the people realised something was wrong and began to panic.

Although the battle had become more violent, the two sides remained quite evenly matched until the Elite Action Master Double Punch arrived in scorpion mode, grabbed Rollout in his pincers and snapped him cleanly in two.

The Decepticons pressed their advantage. Banzai-Tron employed his knowledge of a Cybertronic martial art called Crystalocution to attack Skyfall's metal fracture points. At the same time, Charger knocked Rad to the ground and held him there while Take-Off placed his sonic boomer laser to his head and prepared to fire.

"Stop!" shouted Gutcruncher, firing his gun into the air. They froze. The leader of the Decepticon Action Masters had a look of abject horror on his face. "You fools!" he yelled at his own men. "Are you trying to kill us? Return to base, right now!"

The Decepticons who had been fighting grudgingly obeyed his command. Gutcruncher remained behind, waiting as Skyfall stabilised Rollout.

Eventually, Jackpot, leader of the Autobot Action Masters, arrived on the scene in the interceptor shuttle component of their Armoured Convoy headquarters, which immediately took Rollout back to base for emergency repairs.

Jackpot exchanged a look with Gutcruncher, then turned to Rad and Skyfall.

"What happened?"

"The Decepticons started the fight," said Rad.

Jackpot looked again briefly at Gutcruncher, then back to his men.

"I see. Before I ask Gutcruncher here to make reparations, let's check the carnival's security cameras to see exactly how much blame should be levelled, shall we?"

"Oh," said Skyfall. "Well, I mean, there were words on both sides."

"What was the fight about?"

"Well, Take-Off said Lionizer was his drone and wanted him back. Lionizer declined."

"He was once a Decepticon drone," admitted Rad. "Before he gained his sentience."

"Who struck the first blow?"

"I... can't remember," lied Rad. "It doesn't matter."

Gutcruncher nodded to Jackpot and walked calmly away. Inside, he was breathing a huge sigh of relief. If an Autobot had died today, things would have gone very badly for him indeed. They needed to be much more careful in future.

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

ACTION MASTERS

On Cybertron's Terbium Plains in the year 2014 is a small mobile Autobot fort, formed from the Autobot Action Masters' Armoured Convoy, the Attack Copter and Attack Cruiser piloted by Over-Run and Sprocket, and the two exo-suit vehicles belonging to Circuit and Rumbler. The Armoured Convoy is commanded by the strategist Jackpot, whose transforming partner is the winged creature called Sights. Four other Autobot Action Masters have sentient partners - Mainframe (Push-Button), Rad (Lionizer), Rollout (Glitch) and Skyfall (Top-Heavy). Two Autobot Action Masters have non-sentient transforming equipment - Kick-Off (Turbo-Pack) and Powerflash (Road Rocket). The Elite Action Master known as Windmill has a Nucleon-enhanced body that can still transform. The lone wanderer of the Autobot Action Masters, Blaster, now equipped with a transforming Flight Pack, makes appearances at the fort from time to time, as does the dinosaur-like creature called Tyrannitron. The Autobot Rescue Force sometimes uses the Action Masters' Armoured Convoy as its base of operations.

The Decepticon Action Masters operate out of a hidden base in Cybertron's slag swamps. Their leader, the entrepreneur Gutcruncher, commands the space-faring Stratotronic Jet, supported by his lieutenants, the exo-suited massive assault specialist, Slicer, and the Turbo Cycle-riding bounty-hunter, Axer. The rest of the team consists of three Action Masters with semi-sentient transforming partners, Banzai-Tron (Razor-Sharp), Charger (Firebeast) and Take-Off (Screech), two Elite Action Masters, Double Punch and Turbo Master, and the semi-sentient transforming drones, Catgut, Fistfight, Gatoraider, Scorpulator and Wingthing. They had a further drone, Needler, but Gutcruncher sold it to the Action Master Insecticon Bombshell during a rendezvous between the Stratotronic Jet and Astrotrain in interstellar space in the year 1998.

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

CAMERON SPACE CONTROL

Cameron is a world inhabited by humans originally from the planet Earth. Like the humans on Nebulos, they are unclear as to exactly when and how they got there. Unlike the Nebulans, the humans on Cameron have developed advanced technology for the purposes of faster-than-light space travel. It was a team from Cameron Space Control that discovered Optimus Prime's original body on VsQs in 1989 and was attacked by a predatory alien under the influence of the Creation Matrix. All but one of that team died, the exception being Knok, who was picked up by the mercenary Doubledealer and became one of his Powermaster partners until his death during the battle of Klo.

When the Autobot-Decepticon war ended in 1991, humans on Earth became aware of their cousins on Cameron and Nebulos for the first time. Thanks to the ships of Cameron, and the Nebulans' influence with the Autobots, friendly relations were soon established between the three worlds. Each had something to offer the others. Earth had a population of over six billion, more than a thousand times as many people as either of the colony worlds. Nebulos was the most advanced in the science of cybernetic enhancement of the human body. Cameron had starships.

The humans worked with Autobot volunteers to upgrade the Cameron space fleet so that it could more effectively counter any future Decepticon threat against any of their three worlds. Remote-controlled Centurion drones, manned Robot-Buster exo-suits, Road-Jammer weapons for close-range encounters and Circuit-Breaker special forces would all play their part. Some of the Autobots supporting the new human alliance - Crossblades, Gunrunner, Skyhammer and Vroom - gained the ability to phase into their Pretender disguises so that they could walk among humans without towering over them. Others, such as Punch, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Windcharger, worked with humans in Powermaster pairings. Meanwhile, Eject and Rewind accepted postings at Cameron Space Control itself, acting as liaisons between the humans' ships and the Autobots' own diplomatic and defensive space fleet, consisting of Countdown, Sky Lynx and the Astro Squad.

Some of the humans from Earth serving in the joint space fleet have special powers. Several of them are mutants. One who is not classed as a mutant, because her genes appear fully human, is Katy, the daughter of Buster Witwicky. She has somehow inherited the power of the Creation Matrix that her father possessed when Optimus Prime was held as Shockwave's captive.

FILE ENDS

TWENTY YEARS LATER: KUP'S STORY RETOLD

(Translated from the Tyroxian.)

"Welcome, Optimus Prime and Sky Lynx. We thank you for observing our border protocols before crossing into our territory."

"Not at all, Your Majesty. We are sensitive to your people's laws and customs, and are here to convince you of our desire to build a relationship founded on mutual respect for cultural differences."

"We are gratified to hear you say so. It has not always been this way. We have long memories, and there was a time when your kind came to our space bringing nothing but naked aggression and a callous disregard for not only our laws and customs, but also the lives of our people."

"I am saddened and ashamed to hear this, Your Majesty. I would learn more of the matter, if the memory is not too painful for you."

"I was only a new-born hatchling when it occurred. One of your ships, containing two of your people, displayed a cavalier attitude to persistent hails from our border posts and crossed deep into our territory. Our flagship was sent to intercept them, caught them in a tractor beam and brought their ship on board to learn the truth of the matter. We arrested the two Cybertronians for trespass, and from what we could understand of their words, they as good as admitted to being on a mission to seek out habitable worlds ripe for conquest. Nevertheless, unlike some, we do not rush to hasty judgements, and my mother, the Queen, ordered that they be held in cells on our homeworld in a powered-down state pending further investigation."

"A wise policy, Your Majesty."

"And yet one we were given cause to regret, friend Sky Lynx. One of the trespassers chose this moment to break free from his guards, killing one and sorely injuring another. He surprised us by changing his body into a swift self-propelled chariot and returning to his ship before we could act to prevent it. The launch of his vessel damaged our flagship, but we dispatched two border patrol craft in hot pursuit."

"With orders to destroy him, this time?"

"No, Optimus Prime. Their orders were to bring him back for further questioning if at all possible. The pursuers were to fire warning shots and hail the fugitive, ordering him to surrender. But he was not to be allowed to leave our space without answering for his actions, and the border patrol craft were to destroy him if they had to, to prevent his escape and his return to our territory with a larger invasion force."

("They could've picked off the smaller craft any time. Seems they were toying with it, letting it run before they got bored and wiped it out, I didn't know who the hunters were, or why they were pursuing the smaller craft, I just knew I didn't like them!" - Kup's Story)

"What happened, Your Majesty?"

"Their invasion force was already approaching our borders. It attacked and destroyed both our border patrol craft, then headed straight for our homeworld, where they sent a small assault force down to the surface to break our remaining prisoner out of the holding cells in the Palace of Justice, killing a number of unarmed office workers in the process. The Guardian of the Palace of Justice, whose life-mate had been killed on one of the border patrol craft, attempted to prevent their escape but was no match for the lethal energy weapons wielded by the Transformers."

"What did the invasion force do next?"

"Nothing. They left. Our flagship was in no condition to pursue, and we had suffered too great a loss of life to risk further Tyroxians in this endeavour. But we were worried, and spent the following decades re-arming and re-training our former military classes and reinforcing our borders, expecting further aggression from your people at any time. But that attack never came."

"I am glad, Your Majesty. Had those Decepticons returned, I dread to think what harm might have befallen your people."

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

PRELUDE TO THE PREDATOR WAR

1. WHO IS SKYQUAKE?

September 2017.

Rumours were spreading like wildfire amongst the Transformer population of the planet Cybertron, and with those rumours came fear. The residents of smaller settlements started relocating to the suburbs of Autobot City. The weapons platforms commanded by Erector, Gusher, Overload, Pipeline, Retro and Surge pulled back to reinforce Iacon's perimeter, and Autobots began making their way in through the city gates in small groups. First came Gears, Mirage, Ramhorn and Skater. Hubcap, Outback and Tailgate arrived a week later. Springer, Whirl and the Sparkabots showed up not long after that, followed in short order by Blurr, Kup, Lubedash and Revaway (these last two being the permanent Powermaster mergings of Slapdash/Lube and Getaway/Rev, demonstrating what would have happened to Optimus Prime and HiQ had the process begun in 1990 been permitted to continue).

Jackpot's Action Masters and Rescue Force allies moved their Armoured Convoy to link up with the Micromaster Battlefield Headquarters and adjacent bases operated by Full-Barrel, Hothouse, Ironworks and Overflow, where Steeljaw and the Motorvators were now permanently stationed. For his own part, Gutcruncher led his Action Masters and transforming drones to the outer regions of Kalis, where Onslaught and Trypticon had established their much smaller Decepticon City.

Cosmos failed to establish radio contact with either the Technobots or the Throttlebots. There was no hard evidence that any harm had befallen either team, but that didn't stop theories becoming rumours and rumours becoming established facts in the imaginations of worried Autobots. Doubleheader, Longtooth and Pincher had also dropped off the radar.

The Micromaster Hot Rod Patrol were dead. That was a fact. They were as dead as a Transformer could get. Big Daddy had been dumped on Iacon's doorstep. Greaser turned up on Nebulos, just outside Koraja. Hubs was found under a railway bridge in Shanghai. Trip-Up was detected floating in orbit around Lithone. All within a matter of days of one another. On each lifeless husk was scratched a Decepticon insignia and a message, written in the dominant language of the place where it was found. Translated into English, they all said:

"Skyquake is coming. Soon."

At the same time, a prison satellite orbiting Cameron was attacked by a squad of advanced ships that appeared capable of jamming all known communication and tracking systems. Rather than destroy the satellite from space, they docked with it. The lethal boarding party gunned down the Circuit-Breaker guards and made their way to the high-security cells where the Decepticons, Frenzy and Rumble, were being held in stasis pending trial.

The relief force from Cameron Space Control found both Decepticons dead in their cells, their bodies marked with a Decepticon insignia and the message, "Skyquake is coming." The prisoners in the adjacent cells were unharmed, but had seen and heard nothing. All the security cameras had gone down for the duration.
___

"Who or what is Skyquake?" demanded Optimus Prime, looking at each Transformer in Iacon's meeting chamber in turn.

"The most popular theory on the street is he's a Decepticon who doesn't know the war is over," said Xaaron, more commonly known as Thunderclash since gaining his new body in 1991. "But it's not a name I'm familiar with, and I've been around since before the war began."

"I can assure you that there is no record of any Decepticon going by that name in either my or Trypticon's databanks," said Gutcruncher.

"The other possibility, then, is that it's someone we know, going under a new name," said Prowl. "But who? Shrapnel? Sixshot? Razorclaw?"

"It's not their style," argued Countdown. "And we've no evidence that either Sixshot or Razorclaw survived the battle with Unicron."

"We have no evidence that the Predacons were even present in that battle," said Prowl.

"Maybe Skyquake isn't a person," prompted Optimus. "Could it be an event... a prophecy of some kind?"

"It doesn't tally with any prophecy I've heard," shrugged Xaaron.

"Either way, it's a good name..." mused Gutcruncher.

"Excuse me, Optimus," said Red Alert, entering the room. "But we've got some Decepticons seeking admittance to Autobot City."

"Yours?" Prowl asked Gutcruncher.

"Who is it?" Countdown enquired.

"It's the Predacons... and Sixshot. They are seeking protection. In return for it, they say they are willing to tell you the identity and location of Skyquake."
___

June 2018.

Now I stand here, alone with my memories, a solitary figure high up on a mountain Cybertron thrust up many thousands of years ago, its own tribute to the peace that now reigned, a peace that has only faltered once in the last quarter-century, during Gutcruncher's doomed 'Old Nucleon' uprising, which amounted in the end to little more than a series of unintended skirmishes.

I wish I could just stay here, say nothing. But the lessons of the past cannot be ignored. Once before I shut my eyes, refused to accept the threat, and it almost cost us dear. Now events gather pace once more, and we must be prepared. One of our many probes has reported in from the far reaches of the Galaxy, confirming Razorclaw's account of a gathering of Decepticons, a new, more powerful breed called 'Predators', massing for attack.

Who would have thought that the six principal Predators were Decepticon Micromasters with assorted chips on their shoulders, the overlooked Battle Squad led by Direct-Hit, using stolen Motorvator technology to switch to and from their fearsome new identities? Bumblebee was right all along, the least likely can be the most dangerous.

Emirate Xaaron has volunteered to command the force that will go out into space to halt these Predators before they can threaten the peace of either Earth or Cybertron. In his current form, he is more than capable of leading troops in the field. I must go down now, tell my people that their respite is over, that many of them must once more take up arms and go to war. The future, at least for Xaaron's elite force of humans and Turbomasters, holds only conflict and mayhem!

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

PRELUDE TO THE PREDATOR WAR

2. WHERE TO, CHAPS?

In the months following the Skyquake murders, the Autobots and non-combatant Decepticons took a number of actions.

Prowl reinstated the newly arrived Mirage in his former position as Head of Autobot Intelligence. Perceptor gave up his seat on Iacon's governing council to Mirage, and led Blurr, Hot Rod, Kup and Springer off on a new interplanetary mission to forge greater ties with the Junkion homeworld. Lubedash and Revaway headed to Nebulos to reinforce the Autobot presence there, which had previously consisted only of Chromedome, Nightbeat and Siren, while Skater, Whirl and the Sparkabots were dispatched to establish a permanent embassy on the planet Lithone. In Iacon, Ramhorn hooked up with Grand Slam and Raindance, and the three of them set out together in search of the Armoured Convoy and Battlefield Headquarters now commanded jointly by Gripper and Jackpot, hoping to find their friends Blaster and Steeljaw there.

Everything is relative, and, despite their own violent histories, Razorclaw and Sixshot had been badly scared by the unbridled savage rage and thirst for the spilling of oil and blood that they had witnessed first-hand in their recent deep-space meetings with Direct-Hit's Battle Squad, now backed by the power of their deadly new 'Predator' exo-forms. They wanted no part of the proposed campaign. As the Predacons and Sixshot had taken no hostile actions since before the coming of Unicron, the Autobots agreed to grant them safe passage to Kalis in return for information on Direct-Hit/Skyquake and on condition that they promise never to go within a light-year of Klo or any human world. By this time, Grit, Knockout, Spectro, Spyglass and Viewfinder had all been captured, tried and found not guilty of war crimes on Klo, and, following a decade in detention, had been released and allowed to re-join their former comrades. Airwave, Greasepit and the Race Track Patrol had also lately resurfaced as survivors of the battle with Unicron, and, together with Gutcruncher's Action Masters, this brought the number of Decepticons under Trypticon's protection, including himself, to forty-five.

Optimus Prime and Sky Lynx were in the midst of complex and sensitive defence treaty negotiations with the Tyroxian Federation and could not leave those talks unattended for long without risking their collapse. Prime therefore entrusted the conduct of the Predator war to Emirate Xaaron and left the running of Iacon to Prowl. Xaaron was to take command of Boss, Countdown, Flash, Hurricane, Rotorstorm, Scorch and the Micromaster Astro Squad, head off into space on board Countdown's rocket, join up with fighters from Cameron Space Control and then jump across the Galaxy to launch a daring raid on the Predators' power base. On Cybertron, Prowl called a meeting with Trypticon and Gutcruncher to discuss further normalisation of relations between their respective cities, beginning with a proposal for free movement of citizens and joint exercises for their defence forces.

Gears, Hubcap, Outback and Tailgate opted to join those thirty-nine Autobots (including Time Warrior) who had chosen to reside amongst the humans on Earth. Carnivac and Chainclaw, now able to phase into the likenesses of a normal-sized wolf and bear, also decided to give life on post-war Earth a try.

It was July 2018.

Spanner dropped Carnivac and Chainclaw off in an unpopulated area of Canada, and, after exchanging nods, the wolf and bear bounded off in opposite directions and were quickly lost to sight. Spanner then returned to Cybertron for Gears and Outback.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked Gears. "My databanks say you absolutely hate Earth and everything about it!"

"That's true," said Gears. "But having tried settling down on Cybertron and visiting other worlds, I've come to the conclusion that Earth is the place I hate the least!"

"Fair enough. Where to, chaps?"

"Brawn and Hound have invited us to join them in an obscure little Earth city they've discovered called 'Africa'," moaned Gears. "Hound keeps raving about some tourist attraction he's found there called the Maasai Mara National Reserve. From the name it sounds like a financial institution of some kind. I'm sure it will be ghastly."

"You mean you didn't download the three-dimensional photographs he sent across to us?" wondered Outback in bewilderment.

"Nope. Didn't want to spoil the awful surprise."

"You're in for a surprise, all right," muttered Outback. "OK, Spanner - let's go to Earth!"

Tailgate was determined to be dropped off in America, not far from where Smokescreen was organising the latest in his series of highly successful demolition derbies. The small scout had been outraged to learn about his fellow Autobot's support for the gladiatorial slaughter of so many enslaved Earth machines, and had vowed to put a stop to the barbaric sport. Spanner made no comment, but did his job and kept his thoughts to himself.

Then it was the turn of the last of the six intrepid travellers bound for Earth. Pipes and Swerve were standing waiting when half of the giant suspension bridge that was Spanner materialised somewhere over the Norfolk Broads of England. Hubcap gave the bridge a grateful wave as he stepped down, and the three Autobots stomped off together across the flat grassland and the waterways criss-crossing it to find the nearest road.

"So what's the deal?" Hubcap asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well," said Pipes. "You've given me some useful feedback on my Museum of Human Cultural Artefacts in Iacon, and I've realised I could use your negotiation skills as I take my collection to the next level. You see, a human television channel called 'Dave' wants to commission a series of programmes called 'Cybertronian Pickers', in which I and a friend travel around various places acquiring human-made items seen as being of interest to a race of mechanical beings such as ourselves. I want you to be the other guy."

"Since I finished doing my serious metallurgical work for human defence purposes, I've been helping Pipes with the compositional analysis of the bits and pieces that he collects," said Swerve. "But I'm more of a back-room, behind-the-scenes kind of guy. I didn't pass the screen test. I also didn't pass the driving test. I still want to help, but the proposal is for you two to be the show's 'bots on the road."

"What do you say?" pleaded Pipes as they stepped over a roadside barrier, transformed and drove in the direction of London, Pipes and Hubcap quietly manoeuvring themselves one in front, one behind their erratic companion to keep him from having any contact with other traffic.

"You knew the answer before you asked the question," replied Hubcap. "I'm in."

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

PRELUDE TO THE PREDATOR WAR

3. SON OF ROBOT-BUSTER

Hey there. The name's Jacko Witwicky - best motor mechanic in Portland. Truth be told, I'm the only motor mechanic in Portland. The competition knows I can fix cars in next to no time, so there's just no point in setting up a rival business in my catchment area. I've set my fees low enough to undercut anyone else but high enough to make an easy living.

Then again, I say easy, but truth be told, I don't find it at all easy being a Witwicky. Not one bit. You see, my family's crazy.

I guess you know all about my dad - first human to make contact with a Transformer, carried the Creation Matrix for Optimus Prime, gave life to Jetfire, used the first Robot-Buster to fight Frenzy, dreamt up the Special Teams, spent time with Shockwave and Ratbat on their flying island spaceship, went to the Moon to witness one of the biggest robot battles of all time, then went up into space again during the Underbase incident and is now retained as a special consultant by more government agencies than I can count?

You may have heard about my mom too - volunteered to go on a dangerous secret undercover mission with Blaster, swam with Seacons and picked me up from school every day in Bluestreak?

Or maybe you know my uncle - binary-bonded to Fortress Maximus, also went into space, defeated Galvatron single-handedly and still sometimes wears a suit that makes people confuse him with War Machine?

And then there's my big sister - only two years older than me, but we have nothing in common. OK, we have one thing in common. While I evidently take after my late grandpa, Katy takes after my parents. Signed up with the cadet corps in high school, joined the Space Marines as soon as she turned eighteen, fast-tracked to Sub-Lieutenant in four years and now goes rocketing around the Galaxy with the Autobots in a Cameron star-glider or star-fighter or some such thing. Our parents are apparently cool with it. I guess they look to me as their best prospect for grandkids. But I'm afraid that any kids I have would turn out to be freaks just like me and Katy.

Yeah, I said freaks. OK, so I'm making an easy buck out of my little 'gift', and most guys aged twenty-four would kill to earn so much in return for doing so little, but I tell you, I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I could only find a way.

I met Optimus Prime once. You see, he'd already spoken to Katy when she was old enough to understand - asked her if she'd like to return it to him for safe-keeping. You know what she said? That she'd rather lose an arm. She also questioned his use of the term 'safe-keeping'. Seems she remembered that Prime got himself blown up and the Creation Matrix lost in space little more than a year after our dad returned it to him the first time. She thought that was rather careless of him, and figured it would be safer staying with her.

I started showing the same powers when I was two, and when I was eight or nine Optimus Prime came to me and made me the same offer. I accepted without hesitation. But he couldn't make it work! Prime tried to take the Matrix back from me like he did with my dad in 1985, but it refused to go!

They explained to me that the Creation Matrix present in me and my sister, which obviously still existed in my dad in some latent form when we were conceived and maybe still does to this day, isn't a mutation in our genes. It's a host of nano-robots living in our brain cells, which enable us to levitate, disassemble and reassemble non-sentient mechanical objects, however complex, and, I'm told, give life to new Transformers. My sister uses it to fight Earth's enemies. I use it to pay the bills. Anyway, our nanobots seem to want to stay right where they are, whether they're welcome or not.

My sister's been back to visit a couple of times. First time, she brought a really hot friend with her. Way out of my league, especially after they let us see them in their Circuit-Breaker costumes, showing off to the folks how they could fly and zap Decepticons and everything. Second time, though, Katy came on her own for a quiet family visit. When we were alone, I asked her if she would use her suit to try to fry my nanobots. I kept on at her until she agreed to try a low-power burst. It sure hurt, but glory be, my powers were gone! For a few hours. By the next morning, they were back again at full strength.

So were the dreams.

But I can't stand around here listening to you all day - I have other customers waiting! Do you want me to fix your car for you or not?

THE END

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

THE PREDATORS

Falcon, controlled by the Micromaster Fireshot - Squadron Leader
Skydive, controlled by the Micromaster Half-Track - Scientific Advisor
Skyquake, controlled by the Micromaster Direct-Hit - Commander-in-Chief
Snare, controlled by the Micromaster Vanquish - Surveillance
Stalker, controlled by the Micromaster Power Punch - Communications & Interrogation
Talon, controlled by the Micromaster Meltdown - Advance Fighter




Utilising the Micromaster combiner feature, each robot of the Decepticon Battle Squad has the ability to connect with other Micromaster combiners to form powerful, devastating vehicles of destruction. For years, the Battle Squad were the nucleus of the Decepticons' off-radar defence system, and were usually to blame whenever Autobot spacecraft suddenly disappeared from radar. When separated, they would take potshots at each other for sport. Now they answer to no Decepticon hierarchy, striking from within lethal Predator exo-forms, which are able to combine with one another in a different way. When the smaller Predator planes lock together with Skyquake or Stalker, they unlock the full potential of their astounding supersight capabilities.

FILE ENDS

[Grand Moff Muffin]

WHERE WERE YOU DURING THE PREDATOR WAR?

The year 2018.

On the second of August, the Decepticon Thrust ploughed into the side of the Grand Central Space Station, killing thirteen. At the same time, a fiery Dirge fell like a blazing meteor from the sky of the Junkion homeworld and turned some of Wreck-Gar's favourite scrap into, well, scrap. Inside the ruins of each Decepticon warrior was found one of Doubleheader's heads, and on the back of each head was scrawled the message, "Skyquake is nigh."

On the third of August, the Autobot Battle Patrol and the Combaticons were carrying out joint manoeuvres in the slag swamps of the planet Cybertron when word came in that Xaaron's fleet had engaged the enemy.

On the fourth of August, Jetfire put the Autobots' Earthen defence forces on heightened alert as rumours circulated that the enemy had been found far stronger than anticipated and that many humans and Autobots had died in the first encounters with them in deep space.

On the fifth of August, the Autobot survivalist Wheelie found the corpse of the Pretender Pincher washed up on the shore of the planet Quintesson. It had been badly chewed up by Sharkticons, but the message on it was still legible. It was the same message that the town of Gottlieb's coastguards found on the body of Longtooth when they fished it out of the ocean on Pequod:

"Skyquake is here."

On the sixth of August, Jazz and Tracks were at a party in Chicago in their car modes, Jazz dazzling the human crowds with his trademark sound and light show, when it was confirmed that the initial foray into Predator space had resulted in the shooting down of a number of Cameron starships and the complete destruction of three Autobots, Flash, Scorch and Vroom, by the awesome firepower of the aerial Predators, Skydive and Snare.

On the seventh of August, Nightbeat played a hunch and re-examined the security tapes of the area where the body of the Micromaster Greaser had been found dumped outside Koraja the previous year. He found a pattern in the on-screen static that could be indicative of advanced phasing stealth technology. He immediately sent his results on to Cameron Space Control. Meanwhile, Emirate Xaaron received an unexpected offer of assistance from an old enemy.

On the eighth of August, Gears was sunning himself on the Serengeti plains in Tanzania, a snoozing cheetah stretched out across his roof, and thinking that Earth was definitely among the places in the Galaxy that he hated the least, just as Xaaron was giving his final orders to the brave Autobot and human crews who would be scouting ahead into enemy-held territory. Xaaron briefed the pilots on where and when the allied fleet intended to gather prior to its final jump to strike at the very heart of the Predators' power base. He also told them that if they were caught, if at all possible, they should let themselves be taken alive. They understood.

On the ninth of August, Whirl patrolled the skies of Lithone's capital city, wishing that the Predators would come here, while across the Galaxy his fellow Autobot helicopters, Crossblades and Rotorstorm, found themselves under attack by Skyquake himself whilst scouting a reported Predator staging post. Locked onto them with his supersight targeting system, the Predator Leader obliterated the two Autobots with multiple missile strikes.

On the tenth of August, Jetfire delivered to the United Nations an intelligence dossier describing the tell-tale signs of the Predators' cloaking technology, as uncovered by Nightbeat's investigation on Nebulos. Identical dossiers were passed on to Trypticon, the Junkions, the governments of Femax, Klo, Lithone, Nebulos, Pequod and the Tyroxian Federation and the bodies responsible for running the Cosmic Carnival and Grand Central Space Station.

On the eleventh of August, Seaspray was cruising with a school of friendly bottlenose dolphins in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, just as Emirate Xaaron, on board Countdown's rocket, received a chilling coded message from one of his scouts:

"Dareheart to Thunderclash... am being targeted by Predator jets... too fast, can't outrun them... engines down... they've engaged docking clamps..."

On the twelfth of August, Jacko Witwicky was fixing a broken-down school bus when the five surviving members of Direct-Hit's Battle Squad - the Predators' controllers - got the information they wanted about Xaaron's battle plan from their prisoner. (The human had used her costume to fry one of their number, Meltdown, controller of the Predator called Talon, when he overconfidently insisted on being the first to board her ship.)

On the thirteenth of August, as the Galaxy held its breath, the Autobot-human fleet gathered secretly within the rings of a gas giant conveniently located for a strike against Skyquake's power base. The Predator known as both Falcon and Fireshot, cloaking shields active, observed them from a distance through his Megavisor and confirmed when they were all present, and also that no other Autobot or human ships were in the sector.

On the fourteenth of August, Optimus Prime and Sky Lynx successfully concluded their comprehensive defence treaty with the Tyroxian Federation, and headed back to Cybertron. That same day, Direct-Hit/Skyquake took the bait and launched his all-out attack on Xaaron's fleet.

The Predators' main warship, piloted by the fearsome Stalker (a.k.a. Power Punch), closed in on Countdown's rocket while Skyquake, Falcon, Skydive and Snare targeted Gunrunner, Skyhammer, the combined space shuttle form of Phaser and Blast Master, and the Cameron star-gliders 'Resolute' and 'Vigilant'.

Astrotrain came out of the shadow of the gas giant's moon directly behind the Predator warship and took up position right on top of it, matching its velocity. His cargo bay door swung open and Katy Witwicky emerged, pointing her arm at the warship's engines, which promptly disintegrated. The Insecticon Action Master, Bombshell, combined with his semi-sentient drone partner, Needler, pushed past her, followed by the Autobots Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, their fighting strength doubled by their human Powermaster partners. Astrotrain's ionic displacer cannon created a hole in the warship's force-field, allowing them to enter.

Against one Action Master and two Powermasters, Stalker was doomed.

Skyquake sensed what was happening behind him and hesitated, allowing Xaaron/Thunderclash time to emerge from Countdown's rocket on his flying missile platform and engage the Predator Leader while he was distracted.

The battle-crazed Snare (Vanquish) cared more about using his missiles to destroy the Resolute and its crew of humans together with the Autobots, Boss and Hurricane, than he did about watching his own back, and Captain Amy Anderson was able to bring the Vigilant close enough for Windcharger to entrap Snare in a magnetic field, pull him in and destroy him.

Falcon and Skydive (Fireshot and Half-Track) found themselves surrounded by Gunrunner, Skyhammer and the Astro Squad space shuttle on one side, Blitzwing and Astrotrain on the other. Ferocious fighters both, they vowed not to be taken alive.

Meanwhile, Shrapnel had emerged from Astrotrain, antennae crackling, to aid his former nemesis, Xaaron, in battle against the killer of his old friends, Dirge and Thrust.

Somewhere on Earth, Beachcomber had identified a new class of natural rock formation, and it felt to him like it might rain soon.

On the fifteenth of August, the victors of the Predator War landed in Iacon. Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Bombshell and Shrapnel received their pardons and set off together in the direction of Trypticon.

On the sixteenth of August, Optimus Prime officially stood down as Autobot Leader. He had no Creation Matrix to pass on, but he formally bestowed his surname upon his successor, Thunderclash Prime, Protector of Cybertron. Optimus then headed off into the unknown, his friend Sky Lynx his only travelling companion. Many were those who wished to accompany him, but he gently said no. They knew not if and when they would see him again.

On the seventeenth of August, the Autobot and human survivors of the Predator War returned to Cameron Space Control for shore leave and to receive their next assignment.

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: EARTH

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
- Optimus Prime

Beachcomber - Geologist - no change
Bluestreak - Jessie's car - part-time
Brawn - Safari Park Ranger
Bumblebee - Buster's car - part-time
Carnivac - Wanderer
Chainclaw - Wanderer
Defensor - Defensive Operations - no change
Gears - Safari Park Ranger
Hoist - Maintenance & Actor
Hound - Safari Park Ranger
Hubcap - Collector (Deal-Maker)
Inferno - Search & Rescue - no change
Ironhide - Search & Rescue
Jazz - Events Promoter (Music)
Jetfire - Earth Defence Commander
Off Road Patrol - Actors & Crime-Fighters
Omega Supreme - Defence Base - no change
Outback - Safari Park Ranger
Pipes - Collector (Museum Curator)
Powerglide - Search & Rescue
Race Car Patrol - Actors & Crime-Fighters
Seaspray - Search & Rescue - part-time
Skids - Anthropologist
Smokescreen - Events Promoter (Motoring)
Spanner - Space Bridge - no change
Superion - Defensive Operations
Swerve - Collector (Assessor of Finds)
Tailgate - Machine Rights Campaigner
Time Warrior - Watch
Tracks - Gentleman of Leisure
Ultra Magnus - Wanderer

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: IACON

Over three hundred non-aligned Cybertronian civilians live in Iacon under the protection of the following Autobots:

Air Patrol - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Battle Patrol - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Camshaft - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Cliffjumper - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Cloudraker - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Construction Patrol - Construction (under Grapple)
Cosmos - Intelligence & Communications (under Mirage)
Crosshairs - Technology (under Wheeljack)
Doublecross - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Downshift - Joint Assistant Director, Internal Security (with Red Alert, under Pointblank)
Erector - Construction (under Grapple)
Fastlane - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Grapple - Director, Construction
Grotusque - Director, Strategy
Groundshaker - Director, City Defence
Gusher & Pipeline - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Huffer - Construction (under Grapple)
Landfill - Construction (under Grapple)
Metro Squad - Internal Security (under Pointblank, Downshift and Red Alert)
Metroplex / Scamper / Six-Gun / Slammer - Defence Base
Mirage - Director, Intelligence & Communications
Overdrive - Assistant Director, Strategy (under Grotusque)
Overload - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Pointblank - Director, Internal Security
Powerdashers - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Prowl - City Commander (direct reports: Grapple, Grotusque, Groundshaker, Metroplex, Mirage, Pointblank, Wheeljack)
Quickmix - Technology (under Wheeljack)
Quickswitch - Assistant Director, City Defence (under Groundshaker)
Red Alert - Joint Assistant Director, Internal Security (with Downshift, under Pointblank)
Repugnus - Intelligence & Communications (under Mirage)
Rescue Patrol - Internal Security (under Pointblank, Downshift and Red Alert)
Retro & Surge - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Scoop - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Trailbreaker - Deputy Assistant Director, Strategy (under Grotusque and Overdrive)
Warpath - City Defence (under Groundshaker and Quickswitch)
Wheeljack - Director, Technology

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: KALIS

Airwave - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Astrotrain - Transport & Cameron Space Control Liaison
Axer - Bounty Hunter (affiliated to the Action Master Consortium)
Banzai-Tron - Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher and Slicer)
Blast Off - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Blitzwing - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Bombshell - Intelligence (under Kickback)
Brawl - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Brunt - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Charger - Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher and Slicer)
Constructicons - Construction & Technology (under Scrapper)
Divebomb - Perimeter Security (under Razorclaw)
Double Punch - Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher and Slicer)
Full-Tilt - Perimeter Security (under Razorclaw)
Greasepit - Director, Energy Provision
Grit & Knockout - Construction & Technology (under Scrapper)
Gutcruncher - Director, Action Master Consortium
Headstrong - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Kickback - Director, Intelligence
Onslaught - Joint Director, City Defence
Pounce - Intelligence (under Kickback)
Race Track Patrol - Perimeter Security (under Razorclaw)
Rampage - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Razorclaw - Director, Perimeter Security
Reflector - Intelligence (under Kickback)
Shrapnel - Energy Provision (under Greasepit)
Sixshot - Joint Director, City Defence
Slicer - Chief Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher)
Sports Car Patrol - Perimeter Security (under Razorclaw)
Swindle - Procurement & Autobot City Liaison
Take-Off - Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher and Slicer)
Tantrum - Energy Provision (under Greasepit)
Trypticon - City Commander (direct reports: Astrotrain, Greasepit, Kickback, Onslaught, Razorclaw, Scrapper, Sixshot, Swindle)
Turbo Master - Enforcer, Action Master Consortium (under Gutcruncher and Slicer)
Vortex - City Defence (under Onslaught and Sixshot)
Wingspan - Intelligence (under Kickback)

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: AUTOBOT MOBILE FORT (ARMOURED CONVOY & BATTLEFIELD HEADQUARTERS)

With the arrival of Thunderclash Prime, Nautilus and Scatterhsot, the command structure of this mobile outpost has been re-established on a more formal basis:

Afterburner - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Blaster - Chief of Communications
Chase - Scout - no change (under Nautilus)
Circuit - Scout (under Nautilus)
Flame - Joint Chief Strategist (with Jackpot)
Freeway - Intelligence Operative (under Nautilus)
Full-Barrel & Overflow - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Grand Slam - Communications (under Blaster)
Gripper - Base Commander (direct reports: Blaster, Flame, Jackpot, Mainframe, Nautilus, Scattershot, Skyfall)
Hothouse - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Ironworks - Communications (under Blaster)
Jackpot - Joint Chief Strategist (with Flame)
Kick-Off - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Lightspeed (Motorvator) - Scout (under Nautilus)
Lightspeed (Technobot) - Scout (under Nautilus)
Mainframe - Joint Chief Technician (with Skyfall)
Nautilus - Chief of Intelligence Operatives, Scouts & Trackers
Nosecone - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Over-Run - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Powerflash - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Rad - Technician (under Mainframe and Skyfall)
Raindance - Communications (under Blaster)
Ramhorn - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Rescue Force - Special Operations (under the direct command of Thunderclash Prime)
Rollbar - Tracker - no change (under Nautilus)
Rollout - Intelligence Operative (under Nautilus)
Rumbler - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Scattershot - Chief of Base Defence
Searchlight - Scout (under Nautilus)
Skyfall - Joint Chief Technician (with Mainframe)
Sprocket - Scout (under Nautilus)
Steeljaw - Tracker - no change (under Nautilus)
Strafe - Base Defence (under Scattershot)
Thunderclash Prime - Autobot Leader (direct reports: Countdown, Prowl, Gripper, Rescue Force)
Wideload - Transport (supporting the base defenders and technicians)
Windmill - Base Defence (under Scattershot)

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: CAMERON SPACE CONTROL

Astro Squad - Interstellar Defence - no change (under Countdown)
Countdown - Interstellar Defence Commander
Eject - Interstellar Surveillance
Gunrunner - Space Marine (Pretender)
Punch - Space Marine (Powermaster)
Rewind - Archivist - no change
Sideswipe - Space Marine (Powermaster)
Skyhammer - Space Marine (Pretender)
Sunstreaker - Space Marine (Powermaster)
Windcharger - Space Marine (Powermaster)

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

FUNCTIONS IN TIMES OF PEACE: OTHER WORLDS

Blurr - Archivist, Junkion Embassy
Chromedome - Computer Consultant, Nebulos
Fizzle - Defensive Strategist, Lithone
Guzzle - Planetary Defence, Lithone
Hot Rod - Inter-Cultural Relations, Junkion Embassy
Kup - Storyteller, Junkion Embassy
Lubedash - Stunt Driver, Nebulos
Nightbeat - Private Detective, Nebulos
Perceptor - Ambassador to the Junkions
Revaway - Ambassador to Nebulos
Siren - Cameron Space Control Liaison, Nebulos
Sizzle - Planetary Defence, Lithone
Skater - Ambassador to Lithone
Springer - Defence Consultant, Junkion Embassy
Whirl - Planetary Defence, Lithone

FILE ENDS

[Grand Moff Muffin]

LIFE AND FREEDOM

1. YELLOW CONSTRUCTICONS!

The thirteenth of August, 2018.

"Are you... all right?"

"Do I look all right?"

"No, you look terrible. Half your face is missing, and one of your legs is on that table over there."

"Are you the rescue party?"

"Sorry, no, I'm just the prisoner from the torture chamber next-door."

"You look better than I feel."

"Yeah, well, these Decepticon friends of yours may be experts at dealing death, but they don't know an awful lot about inflicting pain on humans without risking accidentally killing them in the process. They were... unimaginative."

"Wish I could say the same. It's very hard to kill a Transformer by accident, which makes torture a lot easier. Any chance of getting me down from here? I'm Hopper, by the way, Autobot messenger."

"Lieutenant Santella, Cameron Space Marines. And you're not Hopper, you're Kickback, a Decepticon spy."

"Oh, damn. Does that mean you're not going to help me?"

"Not necessarily. There isn't currently an interstellar warrant out for your arrest, only an Earth one, and I'm not police. I think we might be able to come to an understanding."

"I'm wanted on Earth? Whatever for?"

"For your part in the hijacking of Hoover Dam."

"I kicked in a control room door! I'll buy them a new one!"

"And for wanton destruction in Washington D.C., including on the lawn of the White House."

"Ah. That. I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I was under Ravage's mental control at the time, and that Optimus Prime would confirm that personally if you asked him?"

"Nice try."

"Never mind. Where are we?"

"Predator space station. But not built by them. My guess is they... appropriated it from some oxygen-breathing species native to this part of the Galaxy. Hence the pressurised section we are now in, which makes it possible for them to hold and interrogate human prisoners."

"Speaking of prisoners, why are you doing such a good impression of not being one?"

"Well, for a start - which ones are the controls to get you down from there? - I only let them torture me for a day or so before telling them what they wanted to hear. I didn't try to hold out to the point at which I'd have no strength left with which to attempt an escape. With their amateurish approach to interrogating humans - be careful, now - I think I could have lasted three days before I had to call time, either by telling them something or by activating the suicide device in my tooth. Waiting two more days - do you need a hand with that thing? - would have made my eventual breaking more convincing, but we need the Predators to be in a certain place this time tomorrow. Plus, it was getting boring."

"And you wanted them to leave you in a fit state to escape once they turned their backs."

"Yep. Though it was a risk. They could have just killed me once I'd spilled the beans. Sorry, Earth metaphor."

"I got it, pinkskin. Your species never ceases to amaze me."

"Says the guy reattaching his severed leg while carrying on a conversation. Anyway, no, they wanted to leave me alive so that they can come back and gloat after they've used the information I gave them to kill all my friends. Which might still happen - I doubt whatever Thunderclash has planned is fool-proof."

"Thunderclash?"

"Xaaron."

"Oh, right. OK, so here's the big question - now that I'm whole again, am I any better off? Can we get out of here or are we stuck?"

"Here's the deal. My star-fighter's in the hangar bay, one corridor down from here. Its engines have been completely destroyed, so we're not getting out of here that way, but the unused co-pilot's seat contains a spare Circuit-Breaker costume and a respirator. I need them both. The bay's depressurised, so you'll have to get them for me. Just bring me the whole seat."

"And then?"

"I'll tell you when you get back. It's not that I don't entirely trust you, but... I don't entirely trust you. And please do it quietly. This space station still has a skeleton crew on board."
___

"Remarkable."

"Yes. You felt whole again once your leg was reattached. Now I feel whole again."

"Yet strangely I'm still not sure whether I'm any better off than I was half an hour ago."

"I found your sub-machine gun while you were gone."

"Oh, thank you! Do I get to shoot anyone with it?"

"Yellow Constructicons."

"Yellow Constructicons?"

"Yep, six of them. Dunno who they are or where they came from. They seem to be missing a few bits, and I'm pretty sure the green ones are safely back on Cybertron."

"It makes sense that those psychotic Micromasters would have some technical wizards backing them up. I didn't think they built those Predator exo-forms without help."

"Speaking of which, my belief is that there's a pristine Predator exo-form with interstellar flight capability waiting for us just the other side of those six yellow Constructicons. 'Talon' is its name, if I remember rightly. I wasted its Micromaster owner when he boarded my star-fighter, before the others got me with their blasters."

"Nice. And you figure that with me shrunk down to grasshopper size, we can take the place of the exo-form's Micromaster core and find some way to hotwire it and get out of here?"

"Unless you have a better plan."

"I love your plan. Are the Constructicons armed?"

"Laser pistols."

"What are we waiting for?"

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Just renamed a few of the stories so that the thread is a bit more structured, tweaked the ending to the second-to-last story, added six lines to the final one, and added some more functions to the fact-file. Trying to make it look like it's all carefully planned from the start rather than the truth, which is the exact opposite. Hoping it hangs together reasonably well.

Martin

[Grand Moff Muffin]

LIFE AND FREEDOM

2. RETURN TO GRAND CENTRAL SPACE STATION

"Wake up, pinkskin."

"Hmmm? Did we get them all?"

"We got them all, but you took a hit from one of their laser pistols. The electromagnetic field generated by your suit protected you from receiving any permanent damage."

"How long have I been out?"

"Less than one of your Earth days."

"Who said I'm from Earth?"

"I assumed..."

"My mother was Nebulan. My dad was the first Earth ambassador to Koraja. I was born on a Cameron starship."

"I suppose that partly explains why you're taking so much of this in your stride."

"Yep. I only get nervous when I stay in one place too long."

"On that note, I think it's time for you to open your eyes."

"Must I? I'm trying to pretend I'm not talking to a tiny robot grasshopper sitting on my right shoulder... Oh! Where are we?"

"Thirty minutes out from Grand Central Space Station."

"I guess that little plan about hotwiring Talon actually worked, huh? Thanks for not leaving me behind."

"You're welcome."

"Why are we here?"

"Because your air supply is running low... and we need to refuel. I could have woken you up sooner, but I figured that sleeping you'd use less oxygen."

"Impressive."

"Unlike those Micromasters you met earlier, I spent over four years on Earth. I learnt quite a bit about your species. I even brought water and rations from your ship so that you don't dehydrate or run out of fuel."

"There's a permanent human presence on Grand Central now. Last time I checked, Captain Sam 'Spacehiker' Wainwright's ship was posted here. He'll get us home - or wherever you want to go."

"That sounds wonderful, but first we have to work out a way to get onto Grand Central without being blown to atoms by a dozen different space-faring races the moment they I.D. this ship as a Predator."

"Oh. No comms?"

"No comms."

"I see. You've been thinking about this problem for some time. Can I assume you didn't wake me up just to tell me I'm about to die?"

"I woke you up to tell you that you might be about to die. I can't guarantee anything. Do you trust me?"

"My life is in your hands."
___

Ships from five different planets hastily undocked from Grand Central Space Station and raced to be the one to destroy the last, apparently suicidal Predator. Kickback increased Talon's speed, confident that it would be space dust long before it got anywhere near the space station's hull.

"Activate your respirator and your suit's protective field now. And close your eyes."

The robot grasshopper began to grow in size. When it was almost too large for Talon to contain both it and Dani, the golden cockpit cover on the grasshopper's back popped open.

Kickback used his powerful legs to propel himself away from the exploding Predator, straight at the closest attack craft. He scruttled along its hull until he was in the correct position for what he had in mind, and then sprang in the direction of the space station.
___

"Captain, I need to arrange passage to Cybertron for myself and my Autobot partner. His name is Hopper."

"The next ship out is in three days, Lieutenant. In the meantime, you and your partner enjoy the station. Steer clear of the Mecannibal sector."

THE END

LIFE AND FREEDOM

3. LIFE-GIVER

On the eighteenth of August, Thunderclash Prime set off for Gripper and Jackpot's mobile fort, his only companions two humans seated in his cab. One was a Nebulan, Commander Dalos, the other, Sub-Lieutenant Katy Witwicky, both on leave from the Vigilant as Captain Anderson and her two sergeants flew it back to Cameron Space Control for post-combat repairs.

One vehicle set off alone. Nine days later - today, the twenty-seventh of August - it arrived at its destination in a massive convoy, having picked up a number of stragglers along the way. Hothouse was on look-out duty and saw first one, then two, then five, then twelve vehicles approaching. When Blaster, Gripper, Jackpot, Over-Run, Steeljaw and Windmill emerged to greet the new arrivals, they found Thunderclash accompanied by Grand Slam, Nautilus, Raindance, Ramhorn, the Technobots and the Throttlebots, all alive and well.

"Autobots, transform."

Several of the group required maintenance and refuelling in Ironworks's repair bay, and Full-Barrel and Overflow gave the two humans a grand tour of the Action Master Armoured Convoy and Micromaster Battlefield Headquarters until the Autobots were ready for a ceremony in which one of them was to play the lead role.

Katy had first given life to a machine in 2008 at the age of sixteen, in a secret facility somewhere off the coast of Japan, under the strict supervision of her father and a number of secretive government types in dark suits. It was a robot cobbled together by humans from parts of the Decepticons Skywarp and Thundercracker recovered from Scorponok's base, together with Nucleon-infused pieces of Starscream retrieved from the Ark. It had a blue face with a golden helmet, a purple torso, pink shoulders and lower legs, and green forearms and feet. It had no wings and didn't look like it could transform, though there was a purple aircraft of some kind standing nearby. Katy did her best, and her father seemed pleased with the result, though she never saw the robot again and had no idea what had become of it.

Then in 2014, on her own initiative and without seeking anyone's permission beforehand, she gave life to her first proper Transformers when she liberated the six drones, Glitch, Lionizer, Push-Button, Sights, Top-Heavy and Tyrannitron, from Gutcruncher's Decepticons on Hydrus Four. Today she was reunited with the first five of these, and they seemed genuinely pleased to see her.

The Transformers had suffered significant loss of life in the past year, as a consequence of the insane rage against peace of Direct-Hit and his Battle Squad. Humans had died too, of course, but there are seven billion of us. The Transformers are an endangered species. So ten days ago, in Iacon, Katy bestowed full sentience on Scamper, Six-Gun, Slammer and the three Autobot Powerdashers. Here today she would do the same for drones going by the names of Basher, Road Rocket and Vanguard and the four currently nameless members of the Autobot Rescue Force. Tomorrow, Sprocket will fly them to Kalis where, as a gesture of good will, she will give the gift of life to Brunt, Catgut, Firebeast, Fistfight, Full-Tilt, Gatoraider, Needler, Razor-Sharp, Scorpulator, Screech and Wingthing.

Despite the best efforts of the one who called himself Skyquake, there will be just as many Transformers alive tomorrow as there were a year ago when the killing began.

THE END

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

QUINTESSON CITY: CYBERTRON

After the Last Autobot restored Cybertron in 1991, the depopulated planet presented a much more attractive prospect for colonisation than its former war-torn form. Although it still moves through interstellar space and has no sun to call its own, it generates its own heat deep within its core and has an atmosphere at its surface not dissimilar to that of most other habitable worlds, in terms of pressure, composition and gravity.

One of the first space-faring races to stake its claim was the Quintessons, an amphibious, cybernetic hybrid species whose homeworld was slowly dying. They occupied the eastern districts of the former city-state of Tarn, bordering the Rust Sea (which was now no longer quite so rusty as it had been), and began to reshape the city in the image of their homeworld.

The Quintessons keep to themselves and are one of the least popular civilisations in the Galaxy, as it is widely believed that they were once willing servants of the planet-devourer, Unicron. They are masters of the surviving Sharkticons, many of whom had previously been seen in Unicron's service. Anyone encroaching onto their territory is tried for their crimes and then, regardless of the verdict, executed.

The Quintessons come in a range of engineered shapes and sizes. Their organic component is always ovoid with tentacles. In some cases, this component is quite small and completely hidden away inside an armoured warrior exo-form. In other cases, the tentacled ovoid form is large and exposed, with up to five mechanical faces embedded in its surface.

By the year 2018, around half of the surviving Quintesson population has been relocated to Cybertron, leaving their homeworld to serve primarily as a staging ground for their military space fleet.

FILE ENDS

[Grand Moff Muffin]

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

CAMERON SPACE MARINES: ROLL-CALL

Anderson, Amy
Rank: Captain
Call sign: Kestrel
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1984
Commanding officer of the star-glider 'Vigilant'.

Arigoz
Rank: Squadron Commander
Call sign: Silencer
Homeworld: Nebulos
Year of birth: 1967
Former Targetmaster partner of the Autobot Landfill, now founding member and commanding officer of the Cameron Space Marines. Can still transform into a noiseless, recoilless, high-powered proton rifle.

Barnes, Harry
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Roadforce
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1989
Powermaster engine, currently assigned to the Autobot Windcharger and the star-glider 'Vigilant'.

Carter, Kelly
Rank: Sub-Lieutenant
Call sign: Starsword
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1994
Circuit-Breaker operative and star-fighter pilot.

Dalos
Rank: Commander
Call sign: Watchword
Homeworld: Nebulos
Year of birth: 1982
First officer of the star-glider 'Vigilant'.

Dorn
Rank: Captain
Call sign: Sunrise
Homeworld: Cameron
Year of birth: 1977
Commanding officer of the star-glider 'Sentinel'.

Hammer, Joe
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Skyhammer
Homeworld: Cybertron
Year of birth: Unknown
Autobot Pretender, currently assigned to the star-glider 'Vigilant'.

Holk
Rank: Sub-Lieutenant
Call sign: Circuit-Smasher
Homeworld: Cameron
Year of birth: 1992
Circuit-Breaker operative and star-fighter pilot.

Jynk
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Hellforce
Homeworld: Cameron
Year of birth: 1991
Powermaster engine, currently assigned to the Autobot Punch and the star-glider 'Stalwart'.

Klun
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Stormforce
Homeworld: Cameron
Year of birth: 1980
Powermaster engine, currently assigned to the Autobot Sunstreaker and the star-glider 'Sentinel'.

Runner, Jack
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Gunrunner
Homeworld: Cybertron
Year of birth: Unknown
Autobot Pretender, currently assigned to the star-glider 'Sentinel'.

Santella, Danita
Rank: Lieutenant
Call sign: Dareheart
Homeworlds: Earth & Nebulos
Year of birth: 1994
Circuit-Breaker operative and star-fighter pilot.

Shaedira
Rank: Lieutenant
Call sign: Dasher
Homeworld: Nebulos
Year of birth: 1990
Circuit-Breaker operative and star-fighter pilot.

Silver, Allan
Rank: Commander
Call sign: Backstop
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1975
First officer of the star-glider 'Stalwart'.

Tapyrha
Rank: Sergeant
Call sign: Galeforce
Homeworld: Nebulos
Year of birth: 1989
Powermaster engine, newly assigned to the Autobot Sideswipe and the star-glider 'Spearhead'.

Wainwright, Sam
Rank: Captain
Call sign: Spacehiker
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1976
Commanding officer of the star-glider 'Stalwart'.

Watson, Susie
Rank: Commander
Call sign: Sparkle
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1985
First officer of the star-glider 'Spearhead'.

Witwicky, Katy
Rank: Sub-Lieutenant
Call sign: Matrix
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1992
Circuit-Breaker operative and star-fighter pilot. Has the power of the Creation Matrix.

Wu, Lucy
Rank: Commander
Call sign: Fractal
Homeworld: Earth
Year of birth: 1979
First officer of the star-glider 'Sentinel'. Has the mutant ability to navigate the stars by pure instinct.

Zandek
Rank: Captain
Call sign: Tempest
Homeworld: Nebulos
Year of birth: 1978
Commanding officer of the star-glider 'Spearhead'.

FILE ENDS

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

1. THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF WAR

Edwards: "I'm sorry, maybe you already answered this but... why exactly are we here?"

Z: "Son."

Jensen: "Second Lieutenant Jake Jensen. West Point. Graduate with honours. We're here because you want the best of the best of the best, sir!"

Z: "What's so funny, Edwards?"

Edwards: "Your boy, Captain America, here. 'The best of the best of the best, sir! With honours.' He's just really excited, and he has no clue why we're here. That's very funny to me... Y'all ain't laughing, though."

- Men in Black
___

On the seventeenth of August, the Autobot and human survivors of the Predator War returned to Cameron Space Control for shore leave and to receive their next assignment.

One of the numerous hangar bays in the city-sized space station was reserved for the exclusive use of the Space Marines, the best of the best of the best (with honours). Only the top one percent of recruits to the fleet were assigned to this elite combat unit.

Control had received word from Sam Wainwright on Grand Central that young Lieutenant Santella had made it back alive, and her fellow Space Marines were delighted, though many were quick to assert that they had never doubted her ability to beat the odds. However, the atmosphere in the bay was solemn when they gathered together to toast the humans and Autobots who had shed their blood and fuel, and been lost in the great showdown that was Skyquake's last stand.

The Autobot warriors, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Windcharger, in their car forms, positioned themselves in a loose circle, pointing inwards. Their human and Pretender comrades sat around, some on the cars' bonnets, some on their roofs, each of them holding something to drink.

Captain Amy Anderson of the Vigilant began:

"For the planet Cameron, Captain 'Crowbar' Rham of the Resolute, whose ship and crew held Snare long enough for the Vigilant to move in and finish him off, and Sergeant 'Speedforce' Sylc, who provided Sideswipe with the energy he needed to finally bring down Stalker."

Windcharger spoke next:

"For the planet Nebulos, Sergeant 'Blastforce' HiLon, assigned to be Powermaster partner to Boss, who went down with the Resolute without ever having a chance to show what he could do, and Sub-Lieutenant 'Haze' Mystra, who assisted Thunderclash and Shrapnel in their battle with Skyquake at a crucial point, and gave her life to ensure their victory."

Sergeant 'Stormforce' Klun, Sunstreaker's Powermaster partner from Cameron, picked up the chain:

"For the planet Cybertron, the Turbomasters Boss and Hurricane, who were lost with the Resolute, and whose wish to meet the Predators face to face in battle was never fulfilled."

Lieutenant 'Dasher' Shaedira from Nebulos concluded the tribute:

"For the planet Earth, Commander Han 'Tiger' Chang, first officer, and Sergeant Lisa 'Lightforce' O'Hara, assigned as Powermaster partner to Hurricane, who both went down with the Resolute."

The humans and Pretenders all stood and raised their glasses:

"To the best of the best of the best."

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

2. THE NOT-SO-SERIOUS BUSINESS OF HAVING ADVENTURES WITH SPACE ALIENS

Z: "K, give the kid a weapon."

K: "A series four de-atomiser."

J: "That's what I'm talkin' about."

K: "Noisy cricket."

J: "Hey, K, nah, nah. Come on, man, you... you get a series four de-atomiser and I-I get a little... little midgy cricket?"

K: "Whoa, kid!"

J: "Feel like I'm gonna break this damn thing..."

- Men in Black
___

Grand Central Space Station.

"Jynk!"

"Dani! You're not dead!"

"Not yet. You're stuck here too, then?"

"Yes, worse luck. The Stalwart will be undergoing repairs for at least another two days."

"Captain Wainwright said three. But it doesn't matter now. The battle is over, and we won!"

"I know, and Punch and I missed it. I don't think my Autobot partner minds - he's seen enough action in his life - but I sure as hell do. This was the big one. Don't you care that you weren't in it?"

"Mmmm. Well, my last four days have not been entirely uneventful. I'll have to tell you all about it when you get off-duty."

"You're on. But why did you go in to see the captain wearing that Circuit-Breaker costume? You won't find many Decepticons in his office."

"He wouldn't have been best pleased if I hadn't worn it. I've misplaced my luggage, you see. Would you be a darling and have a quiet word with your Commander Silver about the possibility of drawing down some of my back pay, so that I can go shopping here? I gather they have a well-stocked Nebulan boutique up on the thirty-ninth level."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks. But you just reminded me... have you seen a little robot grasshopper lurking around here someplace? Oh, there he is! Jynk, have you met my Autobot friend, Hopper?"

"What, the- DECEPTICON!"

"What? Where? Oh, you mean him?"

"That's Kickback!"

"Do you know, I thought it might be. But I'm pretty sure he said his name was Hopper. Anyway, don't be mean to him, we've saved each other's lives at least twice already this week."

"Well, I'm grateful to him for that. Fortunately, the other two Insecticons fought in the battle on our side, so I guess your friend here is in the clear now."

"Did you hear that, Kickback, dear? You're no longer persona non grata. We should do something to celebrate. Jynk, do you know which way it is to the Mecannibal sector?"

"You're surely not thinking of going there!"

"Perish the thought. The captain told me to steer clear of it. I just want to know which area to avoid."

"Sub-levels eleven through fourteen, delta wing."

"Good! Now, I mustn't keep you from your duties, Jynk. Come on, Kickback, let's go exploring."
___

On the fifteenth of August, the Mecannibal sector of Grand Central Space Station suffered an unexplained power loss, during which a number of Chromites who were due to be served up as the evening's main course somehow escaped from their cells and caused havoc in the kitchen before making a clean getaway.

After having nothing whatsoever to do with that, Kickback parted company with his human companion so that she could do her clothes shopping ahead of her dinner date with Sergeant Jynk.
___

He found her the next morning browsing the arms bazaar, dressed in a little red Nebulan number, her Circuit-Breaker elements stored neatly away in steel bands encircling her forearms, calves and neck. He saw she had acquired a compact blaster pistol, which she wore on her right hip.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he buzzed in her ear, and she brushed her dark hair out of the way so that he could settle on her shoulder.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, handing a Skrull stun grenade she had been examining back to its owner.

"It's amazing what you can learn as a fly on the wall," he remarked. "Apparently, the Predators hired a mercenary on Grand Central to destroy your Captain Wainwright's star-glider and prevent it from re-joining the Autobot-human fleet."

"A mercenary? Who did they hire? Axer? Death's Head? Psyko Stabkill?"

"Blackjack O'Hare and his Tenacious Two."

"I've never heard of them. Surely the contract is null and void now that the Predators are all dead?"

"'Fraid not. They paid in advance, and it seems it's become a matter of reputational honour."

"Have you informed the crew of the Stalwart?"

"I thought I'd leave that to you. I don't think they like me very much. They've been talking to that Autobot of theirs, Punch."

"Are you afraid he might besmirch your character?"

"Worse, I'm afraid he might tell the truth about me."

"Do you know each other well?"

"We were both top spies in our respective armies, though I never knew it at the time. He was too good. It wasn't until the Battle of Klo that Counterpunch revealed his true allegiance. Don't get me wrong, I bear him no grudge. Tell him that my little tip-off today is a professional courtesy from a most sincere admirer."

"OK, but if the Stalwart is destroyed you'll have lost your free ride back to Cybertron."

"Pure coincidence. Anyway, I leave the matter in your very capable hands."

And he buzzed off.

On the evening of the sixteenth of August, Blackjack O'Hare suffered a severe blow to his reputation, as word spread around the station that he and his Tenacious Two had been in a shootout with a human girl that left two dead hench-beings on the ground and one wounded Black Bunny who wouldn't be blowing up any star-gliders in the foreseeable future.
___

Kickback found her the next morning in a bar, talking seriously to two insectoid businessmen. He waited for them to leave, intending to congratulate Dani on her original and innovative solution to the Blackjack O'Hare problem, but she had a different card game on her mind today.

"There's a grand cyber-poker tournament being held here tonight," she told him.

"Sound like fun."

"No, listen. An android approached me earlier, and whispered a few words to me. She says she's an ex-Avenger who's trying to find her way back to Earth."

"Well, I believe there's room on the ship for one more."

"You don't understand. She's in the possession of the tournament organiser, and she's tonight's grand prize!"

"How unfortunate."

"I want to try to win the tournament and her freedom."

"Good luck."

"But there's one problem. I'm hopeless at cyber-poker. Will you help me?"

"Me? I've never played before."

"No," she whispered, crossly. "I want you to help me to win, by cheating!"

Kickback acted shocked at the suggestion. "What?! Danita, I'm horrified and flabbergasted! Me, a reformed character, a rehabilitating miscreant on parole, cheat?! The very idea! What's in it for me?"

"There's also a big cash prize."
___

On the eighteenth of August, the star-glider 'Stalwart' left Grand Central Space Station for Cybertron. Captain Wainwright and Commander Silver had learnt that the Cosmic Carnival was still based there, and were secretly excited at the prospect of seeing it again after thirty years, albeit this time strictly as visitors rather than as human exhibits. Their childhood experiences in space had not been all pleasant, but had nevertheless set the pattern for their adult lives. There was no way they were going to stay Earthbound after seeing what they'd seen.

They arrived early on the nineteenth, touching down a mile outside the artificial crater formed by the great snake-like starship. Kickback said his farewells and hopped off in the direction of his pre-arranged pick-up point, where Blitzwing was waiting impatiently to take him back to Kalis.

Lieutenant Danita Santella found her new Cameron star-fighter exactly where she had expected it to be, and helped Jocasta into the co-pilot's seat. She clambered aboard and blasted off, setting course for Cameron Space Control.

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

3. RETURN TO THE COSMIC CARNIVAL

"Don't you guys ever get any sleep around here?"

"The twins keep us on Centaurian time, standard thirty-seven hour day. Give it a few months. You'll get used to it... or you'll have a psychotic episode."

- Men in Black
___

"So you say you were both here thirty years ago... half a decade before Earth established contact with Cameron and Nebulos?"

Sergeant Jynk struggled to keep up with his commanding officers, Captain Sam Wainwright and Commander Allan Silver, as they strode through the alien throng, trying to catch sight of something, anything that might spark a memory from 1988. The Autobot Punch followed them at a distance, making his own observations.

"Yeah," said the captain, his eyes bright. "It's all quite straightforward, and I don't understand why some people struggle with the sequence of events. I was eleven, Allan was twelve, when we got caught up in a battle between Bruticus and Defensor."

"I found the Autobot Blaster in a drainpipe and freed him by removing his mode lock."

"Right, and then I helped Blaster defeat Bruticus by pretending to die when he pretended to shoot me."

"And then I put the mode lock on the Decepticon space shuttle, Blast Off, and off we went into space!"

"Riiight... sir. And that's how you got to the Cosmic Carnival."

"No... No, first we got scooped up by the Ark, and Grimlock made us walk the plank in space."

"But then Sky Lynx showed up and swallowed us."

"And Sky Lynx took us to the Cosmic Carnival."

"I see, sir. It all makes sense now. And how long were you here for?"

"Oh... about half a year?"

"Yes, near enough."

"Wow, you must have really loved it here."

"No, we were part of the sideshow. They kept us in... that cage there!"

"Damn, you're right. No sign of Big Top, though."

"Hmmm. Anyway, that's where we were... until Optimus Prime rescued us."

"And Sky Lynx took us back to Earth. OK?"

"OK."

Jynk was born on the planet Cameron in the year 1991, around the time Earth first became aware of his world's existence. His people had travelled the stars since long before he was born, but he had never heard such a preposterous tale. Were his commanding officers crazy, or were they just pulling his leg?

Some days Jynk reckoned he was the only sane person in the Cameron Space Marines.

THE END

[Fortmax2020]

I'd wondered what had happened to Kickback.. err, Hopper!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Aug 30, 2018 10:51:49 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

I'd wondered what had happened to Kickback.. err, Hopper!

In the universe where Unicron comes in 2005/6 rather than (or as well as) 1991, Kickback would be a Sweep by this point, and the real Hopper would have been killed off by the Quintessons attacking Autobot City in 'Space Pirates'.

Which gives me my ideas for the next two instalments...

Martin

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

4. JUNKYARD BRAWL

"All right, I'm in. 'Cause there's some next-level shit going on and I'm OK with that. But before y'all go beaming me up there's one thing you gotta remember - you chose me, so you recognised the skills, so I don't want nobody calling me 'son' or 'kid' or 'sport' or nothing like that, cool?"

"Cool, whatever you say, slick, but I need to tell you something about all your skills. As of right now, they mean precisely... dick."

- Men in Black
___

The twentieth of August, 2018.

"Here they come!"

With a mighty roar, half a dozen Junkions riding another half a dozen Junkions leapt over the crest of the refuse pile and sped down the shallow incline towards their prey, whooping and waving their battle-axes, their spiked tyres churning up vast clouds of dust.

"Let's do this!" said Sideswipe, transforming into car mode and racing straight towards the oncoming enemy. He rotated his front wheels at the last second, so that the Junkion pair who had been planning to ride up and over his sleek form crashed into his side and went flying in a shower of broken limbs and motorcycle parts. Sideswipe was now positioned perfectly to ram the next motorcycle and rider in the side, scattering them over a wide area.

He transformed, and with both arms outstretched he unseated two more riders.

"All yours, Circuit-Smasher!" he yelled as the two remaining Junkion pairs whizzed past him without incident.

Sub-Lieutenant Holk, from the planet Cameron, launched himself into the air, the circuits criss-crossing his upper body crackling with power. He threw a punch in the direction of the first rider to come his way. He didn't need to make contact - the electromagnetic field surrounding him reached out and did the job for him, striking his target like a bolt of lightning. A second punch finished the last of the Junkions.

"Time out!" called Hot Rod from the ridge, where he stood alongside the Junkion Leader, Wreck-Gar, and Captain Zandek, the Nebulan commanding officer of the newly commissioned star-glider 'Spearhead'. "So, what do you think?"

"I think Squadron Commander Silencer was right," said Zandek. "This planet is the perfect training ground for a new combat team. The Junkions genuinely don't seem to mind getting repeatedly dismembered in the cause of Galactic peace and security."

"I love it when a plan comes together," said Wreck-Gar, pointing proudly at how easily his people reassembled themselves after being smashed. Zandek was sure that some of them were swapping body parts in the process, and attaching bits of junk that had been lying on the ground to begin with, but he didn't want to draw attention to it in case they were sensitive about it.

Holk climbed the hill to where the Spearhead was parked. The circuitry that had been visible on his arms and torso had now vanished into the belt around his waist. "I'm just going to put my shirt back on," he told them.

A voice came from Sideswipe, saying, "I like you better with your shirt off, Circuit-Smasher."

"That was her, not me!" clarified Sideswipe hastily, pointing at the Powermaster engine on his chest, which popped off and transformed into his new Nebulan partner, Sergeant Tapyrha, a.k.a. 'Galeforce'. Sideswipe was getting used to his human comrades' ways by now, and had the gender pronouns down to perfection, alien concept though it was. He realised now that the original contingent of binary-bonded humans from Nebulos had been heavily biased towards the male of the species, with only Recoil and Nightstick being women, but once contact had been established with Cameron and Earth, the three cultures underwent significant change in a number of ways, and Cameron's equal opportunities stance won the day when it came to recruiting personnel to the new joint space fleet.

"That was some power boost she gave you," said Hot Rod. "Can I have a try, to see what it's like?"

"Ask her, not me," shrugged Sideswipe.

"Well, you're not a Space Marine," said Tapyrha, "but sure, why not? Are you ready for another round, boys?" she called to the Junkions, who replied with a cheery thumbs-up.

Hot Rod transformed, and the Nebulan did likewise, locking onto his bonnet. "Ouch!" he said, as reinforced wires pierced his armour, seeking to link up with his primary power system.

Holk entered the ship, and called, "You're up, Starsword," to his fellow Circuit-Breaker, Sub-Lieutenant Kelly Carter.

"Message from Cameron Space Control," Commander Watson informed them, climbing down from the upper control deck. "Seems the Squadron Commander has been looking for a Circuit-Breaker operative to undertake a dangerous solo mission to the planet Quintesson. There's apparently concern in high places that those sons of fun might seek to take advantage of the perceived weakness of the Autobot-human defence fleet following the losses we incurred during the Predator War. They have a general called Ghyrik who's been agitating for expansion."

"They're looking for one of us to volunteer?" asked Holk, somewhat nervously.

"Relax," said the first officer, seeing their worried expressions. "This is our first week on the job. No, you'll have plenty of opportunities to undertake suicide missions once we're more fully established."

"Who's going, then?"

"Normally, Dani Dareheart would be first in line for an assignment like this, but she and her android passenger have been diverted to the planet Pz-Zazz to rescue the passengers of a crashed star-liner that's fallen into the hands of a gang of ruthless mobsters. Lieutenant 'Dasher' Shaedira is going to Quintesson. The point for us is that we need to be at full fighting strength if the pen-pushers' fears come true and the Quintessons do turn out to be on the warpath."

"What's keeping you, Starsword?" called Hot Rod. "We're ready to begin."

"Coming!" she replied, activating her costume.

THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

5. WHEELIE'S EVIDENCE

The twenty-second of August, 2018.

"I've lived a long time on Quintesson,
Some twenty years if I'm not wrong.
I keep to myself, I make no trouble.
I live beneath a big pile of rubble.

"A fortnight ago things went awry,
When I found a washed-up corpse of a guy.
Or an Autobot, I should really say,
As you told me to be clear, in my own way.

"Someone had scratched something on his rear.
I could read it. It said, 'Skyquake is here.'
I left him there. I wanted no fuss.
For all I know, his name was Gus.

"And then today, a ship in the sky.
I didn't presume to wonder why.
It came down with an almighty splash,
And out swam a human whose name was 'Dash'.

"Her speech was in the Nebulan tongue.
I'd been to her world when I was young.
Thirty years ago I learnt their lingo.
Because of my wheels, they called me 'Ringo'.

"I went there because they'd said it was cool.
I left because of the poisoned fuel.
She asked for my help. I said, 'With what?'
She said, 'You look like an Autobot.'

"I said, 'Perhaps once, but not any more.'
She asked me if I was really sure.
I said, 'Yes, and now, goodbye!
'If you stay here, you will surely die!'

"The crash of her ship had caught the attention
Of Quintesson guards, too many to mention.
I realised too late, they were closing in.
We had nowhere to hide - not even a bin!

"She stayed composed and flicked a switch
On her bracelet, no less, that clever... woman.
Circuits spread from bands on her limbs and neck,
Up and down her body. I thought, 'What the heck?'

"She said, 'Goodbye, I wish you luck,'
Then flew away, and I said... 'Curses.'
For I was caught and thrown in gaol.
And that's the end of my unhappy tale."

"Has the Imperial Majestrix reached a verdict?"

"Innocent."

"With fear and sadness I am filled.
That human's gone and got me k-"

"Feed him to the Sharkticons!"

THE END

[Fortmax2020]

Marvellous. Best part yet!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

6. SPACE INVADERS

"There's always an alien battle cruiser or a Corellian death ray or an intergalactic plague that's about to wipe out life on this miserable little planet. The only way these people get on with their happy lives is they do not know about it."

- Men in Black
___

On the twenty-eighth of August, the star-glider 'Stalwart' lifted off from the Cosmic Carnival and flew across the surface of Cybertron to Kalis to pick up Commander Dalos and an exhausted but happy Sub-Lieutenant Witwicky, who had just finished bestowing sentience on eleven Decepticon drones as per her promise to Thunderclash Prime. Sprocket left them and headed back to the Armoured Convoy.

Sam, Allan, Jynk, Punch, Dalos and Katy gathered around the Stalwart's holographic briefing table to receive an urgent update from Eject at Cameron Space Control.
___

As soon as Lieutenant Shaedira had made it ashore on Quintesson, her submerged ship, which resembled a Twentieth Century Earth space shuttle, shrank in size, split in two and transformed into two Autobot Micromasters, Phaser and Blast Master. Now only seven feet tall, they began the long underwater hike to the place where they would hide until the Nebulan signalled her readiness for exfiltration. The Quintesson divers investigating the crash site would find nothing to indicate they had ever been there.

Five days later, the signal came - mission accomplished.

Their worst fears had been realised. The planet Quintesson's natural orbital decay meant that it would be uninhabitable by the middle of the century, either torn apart by gravitational forces or swallowed up by its own sun.

The Quintessons and their Sharkticon slaves, former servants of Unicron, were not on the brink of extinction. Like many other alien races, they had established a city of their own on Cybertron after it had been restored to its former glory by the Last Autobot in 1991 and after it had become apparent that the Transformers were now too few to hold more than a fraction of their planet's surface. Since that time, they had fought small wars with their neighbours, but the major races had made no attempt to dislodge them. More Quintessons and Sharkticons arrived on Cybertron in small groups each year.

But being one nation among many on a giant metal sphere hurtling through space was apparently not enough for the more militant element in the Quintesson hierarchy. They wanted an ocean world of their own, and, having assessed the defensive strengths of the various planets in the sector, they had settled upon a non-aligned world less than a light-year from Cameron itself that was already familiar to the Autobots - Pequod.

General Ghyrik was assembling his military strike force in secret on the Quintessons' dying homeworld, but Shaedira had brought back the proof, and the details of their preparations for war.
___

The Stalwart's orders were to meet up with the star-glider 'Sentinel' and Countdown's rocket, and hold position in hyperspace outside Pequod's star system. En route, Captain Wainwright was instructed to deliver Commander Dalos to Captain Anderson on the Vigilant, whose crew had a different mission. They were to join up with the newly commissioned star-glider 'Spearhead', taking off from the Junkion homeworld, and make their way to the planet Quintesson itself. Once Ghyrik's fleet had departed for Pequod, the Vigilant and Spearhead would land and, with the aid of the Autobots, Sideswipe, Skyhammer and Windcharger, their crews would storm the Quintessons' citadel and attempt to end the military action at its source.

Sub-Lieutenant Witwicky had a special mission - she would be left behind with a star-fighter from the Stalwart to recruit the aid of the Kalis Decepticons and, with their help, infiltrate Quintesson City: Cybertron. The aim, as on the Quintesson homeworld, was to capture members of the Quintessons' ruling class and force them to stand down their fleet.

Lieutenant Santella was on Pz-Zazz, a planet in the same star system as Pequod. Her orders were to head straight to the floating town of Gottlieb and help its cosmopolitan population ready their own defences.

IT NEVER ENDS

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

7. THE BEST BACKUPS

"May I ask why you felt little Tiffany deserved to die?"

"Well, she was the only one that actually seemed dangerous at the time, sir."

"How'd you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, first I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the street light, and I realised, y'know, he's just working out. I mean, how would I feel if somebody come runnin' in the gym and bust me in my ass while I'm on the treadmill? Then I saw this snarling beast guy, and I noticed he had a tissue in his hand, and I'm realising, y'know, he's not snarling, he's sneezing. Y'know, ain't no real threat there. Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinking, y'know, eight-year-old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She about to start some shit, Zed. She's about eight years old, those books are way too advanced for her. If you ask me, I'd say she's up to something. And to be honest, I'd appreciate it if you eased up off my back about it... or do I owe her an apology?"

- Men in Black
___

The twenty-ninth of August, 2018.

"Please, I need to speak with the Insecticons!"

"You're not coming in like that!" the Micromaster Airwave called down from the battlements of Decepticon City. "Leave it outside."

Katy sighed, and deactivated her Circuit-Breaker components. Once they had stowed themselves away in the bands around her ankles, forearms and neck, she unfastened them and held them up so that the sentry could clearly see what she had done. She also unstrapped her blaster pistol, and placed it together with the circuit bands in a neat little pile by the side of the road leading into the city.

As the gates swung shut behind her and she looked around for the welcoming committee, Katy Witwicky felt a shiver run down her spine and wondered for the hundredth time whether coming here had been a very bad idea.

Scorpulator scuttled out of the shadows and knocked her to the ground, pinning her down with his eight legs, his pincers clamping firmly around her wrists. "Hello, Katy," he hissed. "Thank you for giving me life. I guess you can't use your Matrix powers to control me now I'm no longer a soulless machine - can you?"

She struggled, painfully aware of the truth of his words.

The three Insecticons stepped out into the light and looked on as Scorpulator threatened her with his laser stinger.

"Foolish to come here alone, girl," said Shrapnel. "This is our territory, where we make the rules, and you've brought the Creation Matrix right to us. What made you think we would help you?"

"Because I know you," replied Katy. "You, Shrapnel - you fought Unicron alongside the original Circuit-Breaker. Together, you helped electrocute him at a crucial point in the battle."

"She was crazy," retorted Shrapnel. "And so, it seems, are you."

"And you, Bombshell - you secretly carried a copy of the Creation Matrix program in your mind for years and risked your life using it to infect Unicron's computer systems."

"You've been listening to Sideswipe," muttered the Insecticon Action Master. "I'd like to have the Matrix program back. Maybe I should just inject you with a cerebro-shell and take it from you!"

"Try it," she countered. "My Matrix nanobots will eat your shell for breakfast."

Bombshell shuffled uncomfortably, realising that was likely to be true.

"Then maybe we should have Scorpulator kill you and seek out your dear brother instead," said Kickback. "As a civilian, he might prove more co-operative."

"What's wrong with you?" protested Katy. "I heard from my partner, Danita Santella. She said you were her friend."

Kickback shrugged. "She was a means to an end... and a source of amusement. But don't get too worked up, we're only messing around. It's so difficult for Decepticons to have fun these days!"

Shrapnel gave a curt nod, and Scorpulator released her and scuttled off back to his hiding place.

"And there was me thinking I was coming here to offer you a chance for a little mischief and excitement," she grumbled, scrambling to her feet.

"I'll say to you what I said to your friend on Grand Central Space Station," said Kickback. "What's in it for us?"

"Apart from gaining bonus points with the Autobots and humans? How about whatever technology you see fit to plunder from Quintesson City?"

"I'm not going to be infiltrating anyone's city like this," said Bombshell. "I've lost my ability to transform and shrink to insect size."

"As it happens, I have a cure for that," said Katy.
___

While still on Pz-Zazz with Lieutenant Santella, the android Jocasta placed a call to an old friend on Earth, asking him to come and get her. On the understanding that he would be a good ally to have on-side in a fight, Dani agreed to contact Shaedira on the Astro Squad shuttle and have her divert to Earth to pick him up before joining them on Pequod.

Arriving in Gottlieb, Dani and Jocasta learnt that Sharkticons were already in the water, and had been menacing shipping for several days. The pleasure cruise business had completely closed down pending a resolution to the problem. They called a meeting of all the creatures in town who considered themselves handy in a scrap, and warned the belligerent throng that the Sharkticons weren't going to stay in the ocean for long, and would soon be making their way onto land to wreak havoc.

The most argumentative attendees at the assembly were a talking raccoon with rocket boots and his otter and walrus companions. [Note: This universe diverges from the mainstream Marvel and G.I. Joe universes in the mid-1990s, so don't expect characters to be where you'd normally expect them to be in the year 2018.] Nevertheless, they appeared willing enough to tangle with giant robot fish, and that was good enough for Dani.

"All right!" said Rocket on the thirtieth of August as the Autobot space shuttle touched down, disgorging its passengers, Lieutenant Shaedira and the robot X-51, a.k.a. Machine Man, before transforming into the Micromasters, Phaser and Blast Master. "Ladies, you said you wanted backups in the coming fight," the raccoon went on. "Well, we're the best backups the Transformers ever had!"

TO BE CONCLUDED

[Grand Moff Muffin]

CAMERON SPACE MARINES

8. THE BATTLE GOES ON

"Arquillian battle rules, kid - first we get an ultimatum, then a warning shot, then we have a Galactic standard week to respond."

"A Galactic standard week? How the hell long is that?"

"One hour."

- Men in Black
___

The thirty-first of August, 2018.

The newly Matrixed Decepticons did their best to act evil around her, but in reality they all felt a fierce innate loyalty towards Katy. The Combaticons had a similar residual feeling towards her father, who had played a role in their conception, and this might partially explain how he managed to remain alive for so long as a prisoner on the Decepticons' flying island. Perhaps as a result of this family connection, Onslaught agreed to lead a diversionary border raid on the periphery of Quintesson City: Cybertron while she and the Insecticons snuck inside.
___

When the Sharkticons came ashore on Gottlieb, they found themselves face-to-face with two Circuit-Breakers, two Autobot Micromasters, three talking animals with blasters, two androids, a Tyroxian, an Asgardian and some thirty other armed defenders. Battle was joined.
___

The captains and first officers of the Spearhead and the Vigilant disembarked on the planet Quintesson, piloting four Robot-Buster exo-suits. The Autobots, Sideswipe, Skyhammer and Windcharger, sped ahead of them towards the citadel, closely followed by the two newly commissioned Circuit-Breaker operatives, Kelly 'Starsword' Carter and 'Circuit-Smasher' Holk.

The Quintesson guards emerged to meet them, weapons in hand.
___

On Cybertron, the Insecticons held off the palace guards while Katy Witwicky threatened to use her Matrix powers to rearrange Lord Kledji's faces - literally.

Outside the city, Bruticus stomped and blasted his way through Quintesson defenders while the ex-drones fought smaller groups dotted around the battlefield. But they were taking heavy losses. Just days after their Matrixing, Catgut, Fistfight, Gatoraider and Wingthing were overwhelmed by sheer numbers and destroyed, one by one.
___

General Ghyrik's fleet arrived in orbit of Pequod and prepared to descend to the surface, when the Autobots and humans dropped out of hyperspace right on top of them. First came the Autobot rocket, manned by the Micromasters, Countdown, Barrage, Heave, Missile Master and Moonrock. Then came the Cameron star-gliders, Sentinel and Stalwart, a landing pod dropping from each of them, carrying the Powermasters, Punch and Sunstreaker, to the surface to assist in the defence of Gottlieb. The Sentinel also launched the Autobot Gunrunner in his hypersonic jet mode, to join in the space battle, the Nebulan Squadron Commander, Silencer, riding in his cockpit.

Ghyrik smiled when he saw how few ships were ranged against his armada, but then suddenly a message came in on the radio from Lord Kledji on Cybertron, ordering the fleet to disengage and return to Quintesson.

"Ignore that order!" yelled Ghyrik as several of his attack ships began jumping back into hyperspace. "It's a trick!" Some of his remaining ships hesitated, confused by the contradictory instructions. Kledji's signal appeared to be authentic. But a number of vessels stayed loyal to Ghyrik and closed with the enemy.
___

"Pull back!" ordered Captain Anderson as the news came through to her Robot-Buster that the Cybertron mission had succeeded where they had failed. There were no high-ranking Quintessons remaining on the homeworld - only warriors looking to kill or be killed.

She had lost her first officer - Commander Dalos's Robot-Buster had been smashed by the Quintesson guards' spiked maces, and the Nebulan along with it. Kelly Carter was also dead, shot out of the air by a guard's harpoon gun. Skyhammer was badly damaged, but Sideswipe and Windcharger had held their ground against all opposition. They had avenged their fallen comrades ten times over, and now it was time to leave this planet of death.
___

The Sentinel had been destroyed, Captain Dorn and Commander Wu were dead, but Ghyrik's remaining attack ships were in disarray. Gunrunner blasted a hole in the hull of the Quintesson flagship with his armour-piercing energy-plasma missiles and transformed to robot mode, catching Silencer as he converted into a high-powered proton rifle. Together they entered the ship, found their way to the bridge and terminated General Ghyrik with extreme prejudice.

At about the same time, the fleet received word from the surface that the Sharkticons were on the run.
___

On Cybertron, the Quintesson guards outside the city withdrew to the palace to protect (and patch up) Lord Kledji once Katy and the Insecticons had pulled out, taking with them a selection of choice technology. The four raiders gathered on the battlefield where the Combaticons were still busy mopping up stragglers.

"Thanks for your help, guys. I'm truly sorry about Catgut and the others."

"That's four new lives you owe us, Matrix," said Kickback. "And we'll be in touch when we're ready to collect. Count on it." He turned as if to leave.

"Oh, Kickback?" Katy called him back.

"What?"

A piece of armour plating from the now lifeless wreck that had once been Fistfight flew up and hit Kickback in the side of the head.

"Ow!" More pieces of dead Decepticon drone began to pelt him. "What the hell is this?!"

Kickback cowered under a rain of metal fragments, as Katy powered up her Circuit-Breaker costume. "If you ever threaten my brother again..." she said, in deadly earnest.

She blasted him with a two-handed full-power electric surge that sent him flying head over heels to land in a sorry smouldering heap a hundred metres away.

"...it's five new Decepticon lives, not four, that I'll owe your pals, assuming that they're smart enough not to get in my way when I come for you."

Bombshell made a little noise.

Shrapnel frowned.

"I don't think he heard that last part," said Bombshell.

"We'll tell him," said Shrapnel.

Katy Witwicky smiled sweetly, turned and walked past Needler and Scorpulator, back to her star-fighter.

THE END - FOR NOW

[Grand Moff Muffin]

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

CAMERON SPACE MARINES: OVERVIEW

The Cameron Space Marines are the elite special missions force of the human-Autobot alliance and part of the wider Earth-Nebulos-Cameron defensive space fleet co-ordinated by Cameron Space Control. They operate in close partnership with the Autobot Micromaster interstellar defence force, comprising Countdown and the Astro Squad.

Of the Space Marines' ten human founder members, three have survived the twelve-year period since they first started out back in the year 2006. These three are their current Squadron Commander, the Nebulan Arigoz, a.k.a. 'Silencer', former Targetmaster partner of the Autobot Landfill, and the two 'Spacehikers', Sam Wainwright and Allan Silver, who command the star-glider 'Stalwart'.

The Space Marines' purpose is to take on the most dangerous missions and the deadliest foes in order to protect the people of Earth and its colony worlds, allies and trading partners. The force varies in size, but typically consists of four or five Cameron star-gliders and up to half a dozen star-fighters, the latter piloted by Circuit-Breaker operatives. Each star-glider carries two Robot-Buster exo-suits for use by the ship's captain and first officer, and is typically also assigned at least one Autobot warrior, either a Pretender in human form with the honorary rank of sergeant or a car Autobot with a human Powermaster engine. (In the year 2018, the Earth androids Jocasta and Machine Man were added to this mix.) Each star-glider also has the capacity to accommodate up to two star-fighters and their Circuit-Breaker pilots.

The Space Marines have no uniform or dress code, and only one written rule - do what you have to do. Life-expectancy is not high, and when personnel are killed or ships are destroyed, they are quickly replaced from the Space Marines Reserve that exists within the wider allied fleet.

The sergeants assigned to act as Powermaster partners for the Autobot warriors are the toughest of the tough, but the most highly valued members of the Space Marines are undoubtedly the Circuit-Breakers, special agents who often operate on their own, without support from anyone, and have to be as quick with their wits as they are skilful and fearless. Typically, they are child prodigies who have been fast-tracked to the rank of Sub-Lieutenant or Lieutenant owing to their exceptional natural abilities, instincts and courage under fire.

In the last six years, there have been two Circuit-Breakers of particular note:

Katy Witwicky, who, in addition to possessing all the requisite skills, also wields the power of the Creation Matrix, is arguably the most powerful fighter in the entire space fleet. She was put straight into the Space Marines training programme when she enlisted in the year 2010 at the age of eighteen, was appointed to the Space Marines Reserve a year later and became a full Space Marine Sub-Lieutenant in the year 2013 at the age of twenty-one. In the five years since then, she has bestowed sentience on thirty Transformers, disabled the engines of the Predators' main warship in the midst of a pitched battle in space, and forced Lord Kledji to call off the Quintesson invasion of the planet Pequod.

But perhaps even more remarkable is the career of Katy's best friend, Danita Santella, better known as Dani Dareheart (a nickname hybridised from the names of her heroes, Dan Dare and Amelia Earhart), the first human born to a mother from the planet Nebulos (Marita) and a father from Earth (Alessandro Santella). Spending much of her childhood on and around starships, Dani developed an intuition for problem-solving and rapid decision-making, and learned to take any turn of events in her stride, however bizarre or frightening it might be to those around her. She was permitted to enlist in the Space Marines training programme a year early in 2011, was appointed to the Reserve a year later and became a full Space Marine Sub-Lieutenant in 2013, at the same time as Katy Witwicky. She was then promoted to full Lieutenant in the year 2014 at the age of twenty, for her exceptional life-saving heroics during the Cheyne demon-cult uprising in January of that year, which also cemented her position as both the best shooter and the best fighter pilot in the fleet. Through a combination of skill and luck, Dani has survived countless brushes with death during her short career, and is the poster girl for the Space Marines' recruiting and media division. No aspiring cadet can realistically hope to be like Katy Witwicky, but it is not beyond the laws of physics that they might one day be a second Dani Dareheart.

FILE ENDS

FACT-FILE INTERFACE

CAMERON SPACE MARINES: ROLL-CALL UPDATE

Following the losses sustained in battle with the Quintessons, the recruitment of the ex-Avenger androids Jocasta and Machine Man, and the commissioning of a replacement for the lost star-glider 'Sentinel', the make-up of the Cameron Space Marines is now as follows:

Squadron Commander 'Silencer' Arigoz

Star-glider 'Spearhead':
Captain 'Tempest' Zandek
Commander Susie 'Sparkle' Watson
Sub-Lieutenant 'Circuit-Smasher' Holk, a Circuit-Breaker
Sergeant 'Galeforce' Tapyrha and Autobot Sideswipe

Star-glider 'Stalwart':
Captain Sam 'Spacehiker' Wainwright
Commander Allan 'Backstop' Silver
Sub-Lieutenant 'Flashpoint' Vazon, a Circuit-Breaker (homeworld: Nebulos)
Sergeant 'Hellforce' Jynk and Autobot Punch

Star-glider 'Victory':
Captain Lauren 'Windrider' Chevalier (homeworld: Earth)
Commander Jocasta, an ex-Avenger
Sergeant 'Stormforce' Klun and Autobot Sunstreaker
Sergeant Jack Runner, a.k.a. Autobot Gunrunner

Star-glider 'Vigilant':
Captain Amy 'Kestrel' Anderson
Commander X-51, a.k.a. 'Machine Man', an ex-Avenger
Sergeant Harry 'Roadforce' Barnes and Autobot Windcharger
Sergeant Joe Hammer, a.k.a. Autobot Skyhammer

Circuit-Breaker solo operatives:
Lieutenant Danita 'Dareheart' Santella
Lieutenant 'Dasher' Shaedira
Lieutenant Katy 'Matrix' Witwicky (newly promoted)

FILE ENDS

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TITANIUM SHOTT BLASTER FOR HIRE

PART 1

In the year 1987, the bounty-hunter Death's Head appeared on Earth, having travelled back in time from 2007 in order to capture Galvatron and collect a reward offered by Rodimus Prime. He failed, and was forced to return to the year 2007. In 2008, he leapt through a time portal to escape the destruction of Unicron's head on the planet of Junk. He was cast into the timestream, where he encountered a being known as 'The Doctor', who shrunk him down to the size of a very large human before sending him on his way.

In the year 1989, this miniaturised Death's Head appeared on the roof of the Baxter Building, headquarters of the Fantastic Four. These superheroes took him for an enemy and attacked him, but after he saved the young Franklin Richards from a malfunctioning security system, Reed Richards agreed to return him to the future. In 1992, he would return from his travels in time and space as Death's Head II, and cross paths once again with the Fantastic Four, and with the X-Men.

But after the Time Wars of 1989, the Autobot called Time Warrior saw the consequences of the future that this Death's Head had come from, a future in which Unicron attacked Cybertron in the year 2006 when Optimus Prime was dead and ended up possessing Rodimus Prime through the Matrix and bringing the Autobots to the brink of extinction. He therefore set about changing the future, and engineered events so that Primus awoke and brought Unicron to Cybertron much earlier, in the year 1991, at which time he was comprehensively obliterated by a combination of Optimus Prime opening the Matrix inside him, Bombshell infecting his computer systems with the Matrix program, and Ramjet crashing into his brain with a Matrix fragment in his cockpit. Unicron was dead, and the future from which the time-traveller Death's Head hails never came to pass.
___

The original Death's Head was still thirty feet tall, and had never met Galvatron or 'The Doctor' or his time-jumping alternate future self, or used a Cybertronian time-jump device. In the 1980s he did visit Cybertron where he was attacked by Cyclonus and Scourge, though both Decepticons died on Earth before Death's Head had a chance to find out precisely what they had against him. And in 1991 Death's Head did a little job for Optimus Prime, which earned him a reference that generated a lot of subsequent business for the freelance peace-keeping agent.
___

September 2018, the robot planet of Elpasos, several hundred light-years beyond the jurisdiction of Cameron Space Control.

"What's all this about, then?"

The serving droid took a break from mopping the bar and looked up to see the weapon-laden mercenary glaring at him impatiently and gesturing in the direction of a three-dimensional poster. It said:

"WANTED: GRIMLOCK - DEAD OR ALIVE - 10,000 SHANIX REWARD"

"Grimlock, huh? Sounds tough. Wonder how tough?"

TO BE CONTINUED

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TITANIUM SHOTT BLASTER FOR HIRE

PART 2

The security team scanned the disassembled robot parts in the trolley being pushed by the human female, confirmed a total absence of any electronic activity or functional weaponry, and waved her through. She passed through three blast doors before entering the inner sanctum of the Mecannibals on Grand Central Space Station, where she was at last granted what she had been promised - a private audience with Master-Mouth.

"I hope for your sake that you're not wasting my valuable time, fleshling," said the big red spherical cybervore.

"It's as I promised," said the human, holding up a silver component for the Mecannibals' leader to scan with his multi-spectral optics. "Genuine Ultron technology. You've never tasted anything like it."

The great metal beast was almost salivating oil at the thought of the unprecedented culinary experience that was being offered to him.

"And your price...?"

"Just information, requested by another client. I understand you had another visitor recently, who came to you in secret. He was a Transformer, but you had business that took precedence over any desire to eat him, and you met with him and parted with him on relatively good terms."

"What?! What nonsense! I've never had dealings with Transformers, other than on my dinner plate. I'll sue you for defamation if I ever learn that you have spread such lies abroad." He paused, suddenly suspicious. "Who do they say visited me?"

"One who has not been seen by his own kind for over twenty Earth-years... Grimlock."

"GUARDS!" yelled Master-Mouth, reaching for the intercom, only for it to disintegrate before he could activate it.

The trolley full of robot parts spewed its contents into the air, and before Master-Mouth's astonished eyes they coalesced into two androids - one purple, the other silver.

Katy was still adjusting to the concept of 'sentient' machines that contained no Matrix energy. She had grown up with a clear distinction in her mind between 'dead' metal, which she and her brother could control using their powers, and 'living' robots such as the Autobots, Decepticons, Junkions, Lithones and Sharkticons, who had been Matrixed at some point in the past and were immune to their manipulation. Recently, however, she had been introduced to her first non-Cybertronian 'living' robots who were dead in the Matrix sense but whose artificial intelligence was nevertheless judged to be sufficiently advanced to qualify as sentient, and who would be offended at any offer on her part to use the Creation Matrix to enhance their state of being.

Jocasta and Machine Man were two such examples.

Once Katy's Matrix powers had finished assembling them, Jocasta blasted the floor at Master-Mouth's feet with her eye-beams, and Machine Man extended his arms until they were forty feet long and used them to pin Master-Mouth's claw-arms to his side.

"Let's start again from the beginning," said Katy. "When did you first come into contact with Grimlock?"

"I didn't find him," grumbled Master-Mouth. "He contacted me."
___

Elpasos, a frontier world almost entirely populated by living robots who contain no Matrix energy whatsoever.

"Tell me about this Grimlock," said Death's Head.

"I don't know anything about him," said the bartender.

Death's Head slipped him a credit chip.

"Dinobot Commander, twice leader of the Autobots, he helped Optimus Prime kill Megatron and then vanished from sight. The last confirmed report had Grimlock and three of his loyal Dinobots entering the 'Savage Land' region of the planet Earth in the Earth-year 1992, bearing their fast-disintegrating comrade, Snarl, whose Corrodia Gravis had returned and begun to accelerate as soon as the original Nucleon was flushed from his system and he ceased to be an Action Master."

"I don't know the meaning of half the words you just used, but will let that pass. I can look them up back on my ship. What's interesting is that while most of the Galaxy apparently doesn't know whether this Grimlock is alive or dead, someone obviously has reason to believe he's alive, and is prepared to pay 10,000 shanix to bring him in. Who? And why?"

"I genuinely don't know. There's a number on the notice, but you can bet it will lead to a dead end if you call it without securing the target first."

"I see."

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To find Grimlock. To kill Grimlock."

"Not without settling your account here first!"

"Apologies, this should cover it, yes?"

"Thank you, sir, I- wait! This card's blank! What are you-?"

From a dark corner of the bar, Tyrannitron watched Death's Head introduce the bartender's face to the oil-stained floor, and then leave.

He paid for his fuel, and followed at a safe distance.

TO BE CONCLUDED

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TITANIUM SHOTT BLASTER FOR HIRE

CONCLUSION

"Mission 831 – log tape continues. I have been to the Savage Land. Grimlock's not there. I did, however, find his fellow Dinobots, Slag, Sludge and Swoop, stomping around as if they owned the place. The other dinosaurs seemed accustomed to having them in their midst. As expected, they were up for a fight, but I wasn't in the mood to play, so I threatened to shoot a few real dinosaurs, and that got them into a more co-operative frame of mind. Seems they weren't just there for fun, but were watching over a particular Stegosaurus that apparently contained the mind of their former comrade, Snarl. It didn't seem very intelligent to me, though it was friendly enough towards the other Dinobots.

"They said they hadn't seen Grimlock for almost ten years. Seems he blamed himself for Snarl's condition, just as he had blamed himself for the Dinobots' former condition of being unable to transform, owing to the Nucleon that he had pumped into their systems around the time Unicron hit Cybertron. The other Dinobots didn't see it that way. It wasn't Grimlock's fault that Snarl had Corrodia Gravis in the first place, or that Starscream, the only compatible Transformer who could have provided him with a systems boost and saved his life, was now dead. If anything, the Nucleon had delayed the worst effects and prolonged his life, though they didn't appreciate that at the time. But apparently Grimlock always felt himself responsible for any misfortunes that befell his Dinobots, and after over a decade with them in the Savage Land he found the constant reminder of his perceived failure too much to bear, and saw fit to depart on board their old shuttle, alone."
___

"The first thing you have to understand," said Master-Mouth, "is that I didn't find out it was a Transformer, let alone Grimlock, until afterwards. He was in his Pretender shell the whole time, you see. You'd think I'd have learnt my lesson on that score after Cloudburst and Landmine... He came to me about a month ago, trading old Decepticon parts for certain information."

"What information?"
___

Earth. Tyrannitron waited for Death's Head to re-enter hyperspace, then descended to the planet's surface in his one-robot shuttle-pod. He had picked up every word of Death's Head's mission log, and knew what he had to do.

"Do you still have Snarl's old body?" he asked the Dinobots, once the inevitable preliminary misunderstanding, fight and reconciliation had been got out of the way. (He'd enjoyed the fight part. Best one yet in his as-yet short career.)

Yes, they had it frozen in a stasis pod, just as it was the day they transferred his mind into the dinosaur. His brain was still intact, but the Corrodia Gravis prevented its Matrix energy from being transplanted into a new robot body without that too becoming infected.

"Never mind," said Tyrannitron. "I think I know where there's a compatible Transformer who can purge the Corrodia Gravis from his systems."

Impossible, they said. Starscream was the only compatible Transformer, and he's gone.

"Not entirely gone," said Tyrannitron. "The human who gave me life, who possesses the power of the Creation Matrix, she told me that she had used her power to give life once before, to a robot built by the humans out of the bodies of Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker. They call him... Action Master Thundercracker. And he's somewhere here on Earth."
___

On Grand Central Space Station, Katy Witwicky, Jocasta and Machine Man returned to where the two Cameron star-fighters were docked, watched over by Katy's fellow Circuit-Breaker, the Nebulan 'Dasher' Shaedira. Sitting in her cockpit, Katy made a scrambled long-distance ship-to-ship call to her friend, Danita Santella, who was on solo assignment in the Murderpits of Derut Four.

"How goes it?" asked Katy.

"Making progress. I've tracked the renegade Decepticon Micromaster, Tracer, to a Murderpit specialising in smaller combatants, run by one of Zabra's sons. Tracer's in the line-up for a tournament that begins two days from now. I've found a way in. One of the other contestants in the tournament had an... accident last night just around the corner from where I've parked my star-fighter, and the organisers were desperate for someone to replace him."

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"I think you've mentioned it on occasion. Speaking of which, I saw Kickback on Cybertron last week."

"Is he still mad at me?"

"Nah, I think he has more respect for you now. I told him that if I'd been there when he said what he said, I'd have hit him twice as hard. But how goes the search for our missing Dinobot?"

"I've got a solid lead. I'm not sure whether he'll still be there, but I know where he was heading about a month ago. We're going there now. Even if we don't find Grimlock, we may find a few more clues as to the identity of the mysterious person who's put a bounty on his head."

"Sounds like it's worth a shot. Happy hunting."
___

Death's Head needed a solid lead. Heck, he'd settle for any kind of a lead. Earth had yielded nothing of value, except... was it possible that Grimlock was still using that ancient shuttle that he'd recovered from the Savage Land? He'd have had to patch it up and fit it out with a modern hyperdrive, and yet...

He punched a few keys on his cockpit computer, interfacing with the Galactic customs control network. Surely such a unique vessel would have been logged passing in and out of one spaceport or another, and, if the officials had done their job properly, it would stand out in the spaceport records, yes?

Yes.

He plotted an intercept course.

NOT THE END

[Grand Moff Muffin]

TITANIUM SHOTT BLASTER FOR HIRE: DEATH'S HEAD VS GRIMLOCK

After hitting several dead ends, each of them followed by backtracking and fresh clues, it was Death's Head who ran Grimlock to ground first, on the long-dead, burnt-out world of Furnacia, located on the very edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Grimlock was waiting for him.

A hidden anti-tank cannon fired a concentrated burst of flaming metal, ripping through the main thrusters of Death's Head's ship as it came in to land, causing it to bounce and skid across the barren landscape. Death's Head popped the cockpit canopy and launched himself into the air, somersaulting while simultaneously exchanging his hand for a missile. The instant his feet hit the ground, he launched it, destroying the weapons system that had brought his ship down in such an undignified manner.

In the moment that it took the bounty-hunter to deal with that distraction, Grimlock charged him from the side in his Tyrannosaurus mode, head down for ramming. Death's Head was knocked backwards. As he dug his feet into the sterile earth to halt his momentum, he un-holstered his plasma rifle and readied it for firing, but Grimlock grabbed it in his teeth and ripped it out of his grasp, crunching through it and then spitting it out.

Death's Head's fist hammered Grimlock in the side of the head, and he was preparing to follow it up with a second blow when he heard a sound and glanced sideways just in time to see Grimlock's remote-controlled Pretender shell fly into view, carried aloft by its jet pack and firing its atom-smashing sub-machine gun. The armour-piercing slugs stitched a pattern on the ground, heading straight for Death's Head. He dived out of its way, but caught two rounds in the leg, causing him to wince in pain. He rolled behind a rocky mound and switched his hand for his titanium shott blaster.

As Grimlock was transforming to robot mode, Death's Head fired his weapon, hitting the Pretender shell's jet pack, sending it spiralling out of control. Death's Head ejected the shott blaster and attached his axe just in time to parry Grimlock's energo sword. They exchanged punches with their free hands, while their blades remained locked together. Then Death's Head reached back, detached the spiked mace from his shield, and holding it in his hand, struck Grimlock a blow to the head that caused him to drop his sword. Death's Head wrestled Grimlock to the ground and pressed his axe blade to the Dinobot's neck, preparing to finish it.

"You win," said Grimlock. "I give up."

"What?" Death's Head thought he'd misheard, and hesitated.

"I surrender."

Was this some kind of desperate trick, to make him think he'd got the wrong robot? From all that he'd heard, Grimlock never surrendered, never gave up.

"You've earned your ten thousand shanix."

Then it hit him. "You?! You placed the bounty on your own head?"

"Uh-huh. And you've beaten me, so you're going to get paid."

"But why?"

"Because that was just a test. The main job is yet to come. Assuming you can use another hundred thousand on top of that ten."

This was all highly irregular. Death's Head was vaguely aware of a Cameron star-fighter coming in to land behind him, bearing one occupant. Katy Witwicky had been marginally slower than Death's Head in locating Grimlock, but had worked out who the mysterious client was from all the suspiciously convenient clues that he'd left behind. Death's Head had been too conscious of the money to think clearly about what he was seeing.

While Katy used her Matrix powers to repair Death's Head's ship, leg and plasma rifle and Grimlock's equipment, the Dinobot explained:

"There's a threat out there, beyond this Galaxy. The Mecannibals have seen it in their travels. Something worse than the Decepticons. Going to hit it before it thinks about hitting us. But not taking my Dinobots with me. Care about them too much. Already led them into too much pain. Need help, but hired help, not friends. Someone as tough as me. Guess you qualify."

"Guess I do."

"But your Dinobots are all right," Katy told him. "I've just heard from Tyr- from a friend, that they've found a way to cure Snarl, bring him back better than ever. They miss you."

"All the more reason for me to leave them on Earth, where they be safe. I need to fight. Only thing I'm good at. But want to fight without worrying about those around me." He gestured with his thumb at Death's Head. "Don't think I'll be worrying much about this guy."

"Payment?" said Death's Head.

"Half now, half on completion, if we survive."

"Done. Got yourself a business partner, yes?"
___

Katy returned to Earth alone. She pitied whoever stood in that pair's way. As for the Dinobots, well, she would tell them that the trail had run cold, but that all the evidence suggested that Grimlock was alive... and happy.

THE END

[Andy Turnbull]

Really enjoying these Martin. Loved the little acknowledgement that Machine Man and Rocket racoon were the best back ups.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Sept 15, 2018 13:48:48 GMT Andy Turnbull said:

Really enjoying these Martin. Loved the little acknowledgement that Machine Man and Rocket racoon were the best back ups.

Ta.

The rulebook I'm working to is that the mainstream Marvel superhero and G.I. Joe comics ran alongside the Marvel TF comic, but all bets are off from the mid-1990s onwards. This universe diverges from the G.I. Joe comic when Megatron doesn't show up (i.e. no G2) and I guess it diverges from the Marvel superheroes comics around the time of 'Age of Apocalypse'. From that point onwards, the TFs have more influence on human society, with the Earth joining an alliance with Nebulos and Cameron (the space-faring humans seen - and named - in Parts 3 and 4 of 'Matrix Quest').

In my 2018 stories, I make no reference to Marvel human characters from the 1980s who should now be in retirement, if they are still alive, but happy to throw in non-human characters such as androids, Asgardians and talking animals who may not age in the same way over 30 years.

Also, the marvel.wikia.com database has been my friend.

Martin

[Andy Turnbull]

What about the kids of certain super heroes - Franklin Richards, Power Pack, Kitty Pryde and the various New Mutants?

Andy