Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ TF War: Sorrow ❯ Divided We Fall ( Chapter 2 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Darzoni 
A snapshot of the relationship of Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron.
Anime/Manga: Transformers Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.21.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 242 | Status: Completed
A snapshot of the relationship of Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron.
Anime/Manga: Transformers Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.21.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 242 | Status: Completed
Transformers: War
Divided We Fall
By D. Park
"He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or in a dream he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough"
-Sorrow, D. J. Gilmour
[Dystopia District, Cybertron - 5/21/2476]
In the half-shadows of underground, the lieutenants gathered for a meeting. They were the commanders of what remained of the Autobot military, some militia members, some regular army. Distressingly, their appearances were eerily similar to famous Autobot generals of the past. Some said it was a fluke of genetics that gave their families natural leadership abilities, or that it was nepotism. The intellectuals of the Transformers said it was some odd quirk of Transformer physiology, as all the known factions of Transformers had some of these individuals in them. Well, perhaps the Cybertron Empire was lacking in these remarkable individuals, but then, the Cybertrons were lacking much that the Transformers were born with. Although nobody liked to admit it, everybody knew they must be relations of a very old family that had been thought as long gone as the First Great War. Whatever their descent or origin, the commanders and generals that had survived the genocide of the Decepticon's hostile takeover of Cybertron, had met to decide whether to fight or lay down.
The most recognizable of the bunch was a young squad commander whose name was Fire Convoy, and he had issues, to put it mildly. Much like a relative of his, he was impulsive, but had the potential to become a leader as great as his distant cousin. Age would only tell, Fire Convoy was only a century old. He looked around at his distant relations, all descended in one way or another from Alpha Prime and Optima. In this knowledge he found smug comfort, some would call this attitude arrogance and be correct about that.
Others of the group had been altered to incorporate various technologies that had been developed over the years. One unfortunate relation had been susceptible to the Transformation Lock Virus, and was stuck in her robot form, an 'actionmaster' so to speak. Fire Convoy felt contempt for such weaklings.
"We shouldn't be concerned with what was, only with what is." Some small robot named Thunderclash addressed the group; he aspired to be a philosopher, though the harsh realities forced upon the Autobots didn't allow for such luxuries. "We should be concerned with the disposition of the civilians, they're the ones we fought for. There's no way to fight the Decepticons, not when their forces are so many and we so few..."
"Cut our losses and go home? Is that what you're saying we should do? Dream on, Thunderclash. We need to strike the Decepticons as hard as we can, while they're complacent about their victory!" Fire Convoy sneered at the smaller robot that seemed to merely be giving a reasonable course of action given the circumstances. His squad mates would agree with him, all impetuous young Autobots who wanted nothing more than to fight for the cause.
The only Nebulan representative of the group, who had actually deigned to make an appearance, spoke through his transector's external speaker system. He was here because he piloted the awesome God Jinrai transector. "Calm down Fire Convoy! I agree that the Decepticons need to be fought, otherwise what use will be saving the civilians? But I also think it'll be very hard to fight them. I've heard rumors..."
"Idle Nebulan rumor, Strider. We Transformers have seen no evidence of a terrible demon army, and we were the ones who actually fought the war. There were some funny looking characters on the Decepticon side, but nothing that we hadn't seen before." Says the war-veteran of the bunch, Countdown. Probably the oldest of the bunch, likely some bastard child of Alpha Prime's, but he was also the most reasonable and stable of the generals. Fighting a thousand battles is one thing, winning almost all of them is quite another, both of which Countdown had done.
A bruiser of an Autobot, with his fair share of war scars, took this opportunity to confirm the terrible rumor. "I've seen them. Hell, my squad fought some. They were either demons or Sweeps, and I've never seen a Sweep fight like these guys did. Half my squad fell to a pair named Gog and Magog. We need to figure out how to beat those guys before we can take on the Decepticon regulars." He was a recent addition named Octane Prime, he utilized something called Armada technology, allowing Micromasters to function as weapons in a pinch. But that was secondary to his war experiences. Octane Prime had helped in a minor war with similar odds in 1994, against the Cybertron Empire.
Fire Convoy thought of a relative that could pose a problem. "What will we do about Black Convoy?"
"How do we know that you won't turn out like your brother and turn traitor, Fire Convoy?" Octane Prime snorted derisively. Given Fire Convoy's hair-trigger temper, they were fighting words, and the two Autobots started trading blows, with the bigger and stronger Octane starting to emerge victorious before the others pulled them apart.
Orion Pax, the aforementioned Actionmaster, spoke something that probably determined, more than any speech or philosophy of war, the fate of the future resistance. "You mechs can't make up your minds on what we should all do. We agree that something needs to be done, but disagree on the particulars. Why not split up and do things each our own ways? We all have squads under our command, and it's harder to destroy a decentralized resistance than a centralized one. We increase our odds that way."
"Fine, I don't like the idea of working under one of you anyway." Fire Convoy said, nursing a nasty dent given to him by Octane's hard fist.
Hiryu Strider bowed politely. "I'll do what I can from the Nebulan side of things. I know plenty of Autobot sympathizers are simply afraid to speak their minds. There have been disappearances lately of those who speak out against the Decepticon's treatment of the Autobot civilians. At the least, those who's families have traditionally served as binary partners will want to help out in anyway they can." The Nebulan left, closing the cockpit of God Jinrai and heading to the surface and back to the Nebulan's Hestia Lunar Colony. Many of the others left in disgust over Fire Convoy's arrogance. Who was left but Orion Pax and Thunderclash, who stood looking at the others as they vanished into the distance.
"So what's your plan, Orion?" Thunderclash said, thinking of a dozen half-baked ideas at the moment.
Orion Pax smiled enigmatically. "I will help Blaster rebuild Iacon. New Iacon will give hope to our people."
"Sounds like a real plan. So want to grab some drinks and forget this whole nightmare?"
[Whale Graveyard, Dystopia District, Cybertron- 06:47 4/1/2477]
Officially known as Starship Construction Facility #1224, the workers here called the construction facility 'The Whale Graveyard', for this was where starships were built and maintained. The massive artifices of technological might often resembled half-rotten corpses, with the bulkheads serving as bones and the electronic interior components resembling flesh. But how ironic to compare a place of construction to a place of death, since the decomposition process operated in reverse in the construction facility, flesh being grown onto bones and what is dead is given life.
It was also a prime target for the Autobot resistance cells that operated all over Cybertron. But to the Decepticons, who had an overwhelming amount of manpower and resources, they were merely irritants that could be ignored, and were only dealt with when they actually attacked. That was the case today. A group of 'radicals', as the Decepticon media portrayed the Resistance, was attacking a new project.
"Smash their faces in!" cried one Decepticon squad leader to his brutes. And ten Decepticons responded, firing particle rifles and laser pistols at the Autobots. This particular Resistance cell had become the media's darlings, attacking many different facilities over the past ten months or so. Fire Convoy had gotten the Decepticon's attention, the kind of attention that one pays to a bug underfoot. Things were going very badly in this particular battle, most of his squad was trapped by Decepticon fire in the ship's skeleton. He hoped that his fellow resistance members would find a way out of the ship before the charges on the power core imploded. He got his wish.
"Fire Convoy, we're clear. There's one minute left on the timer, let's go!" radioed the familiar voice of Mach Alert. So Fire Convoy listened, and ran as he fired his arsenal of weapons, laying down cover fire for the retreat. The group fled out into the streets and swiftly found an escape route through the underground network of tunnels that honeycombed Cybertron. Not being dumb, the personnel of the Construction facility figured that the ease with which they were able to drive the resistance cell off meant a timer of some kind. They too evacuated the facility with great haste and reckless abandon.
Less than on minute later, the implosion charges on the power core turned a large chunk of the facility into a spherical crater.
[Imperial Memorandum #351576382638-A121, 07:30 4/1/2477]
SENDTO: Governor Starscream
SENDER: Governor Jhiaxus
HEADER: The Continued Existence of the Autobot Resistance.
"The continued actions of the so-called Autobot resistance are a nuisance, and effort should be expended to control the vermin problem. As you no doubt have heard by now, one Autobot resistance groups has destroyed Starship Construction Facility #1224, and the prototype ship within it. Shockwave will be unhappy with that particular development, but it could not be helped.
"The Autobot resistance is nothing more than a collection of vermin and riff-raff, a concerted effort on the military's part would crush them as ants under our heels. They have no place in the Decepticon order of things, and you know this, Starscream. They are anachronisms that are simply blind to the truth; that the Autobots are our dogs now.
"I have concerns that the Ministry of Information is not doing an adequate job concealing the existence of the Autobot resistance. I am quite aware that some leaks will occur, but this is unacceptable! I have documents gleaned from that worm Swindle's holo-video studio that he plans to have his anchors report the implosion as a terrorist action.
"I've been speaking to the other Governors, and they too are quite unhappy with your performance in controlling the resistance. If you do not act soon, the Emperor will begin to think that you are aiding the resistance! And we both know what he will do to you if he thinks that."
[Imperial Memorandum #351576382638-B422, 08:50 4/1/2477]
SENDTO: Decepticon Governors
SENDER: Emperor Megatron
HEADER: Regarding the Autobot Resistance.
"I am displeased that you would have so little faith, Jhiaxus. But then, I should expect it; it is in your nature. I already know how to handle the Autobot resistance, and it's an elegant plan, ruthless in it's simplicity.
"To my Governors, this is the plan.
"First, the Ministry of Information will spread rumors that there is an important military project in a heavily populated residential section. Shockwave will create a dummy device to actually place in the said area. I apologize in advance to Hun-Grrr, it will be Torran District that will be the staging ground for this operation. Ransack will be in charge of the details of this operation as soon as Cyclonus briefs him. Should we catch any stray Autobots in that district, they will be held prisoner under terrorism and treason charges. I know how much you enjoy executions, Starscream.
"Second, we will let Corporal Swindle's media report the problems as terrorist actions, but only after the first part of the plan is enacted successfully. Onslaught, you need to exert more control over your underling, tell him to hold off until we give him permission. Should he fail, Soundwave, I want you to simply replace the broadcast with fabricated news. The goal of this step is to portray the Autobots as murderers and scum.
"And now for the third part, the coup de grace. We will let it be known that for every Decepticon they kill, an Autobot will be publicly executed. Even their own kind will turn against them. And without Optimus Prime to rally them, they will fall divided.
"If all goes to plan, the Autobot resistance will become true terrorists, retaliating for the Autobots we execute. Enlistment in Valhalla Academy should soar, and our military strength increased two-fold. Even the colonists will want to join the battle. And the public will not care if we destroy the Autobots."
[Torran District, 4/15/2477]
Troops and equipment were in place, the trap was waiting for the right conditions to be sprung, crushing those who were in it. Murky corners held lethal assassins and eager bullies. Perhaps Megatron should have thought twice about including Jhiaxus' crew in his army, the Cybertrons liked the taste of killing too much for most. And here some lurked with the Decepticons, making them uneasy and a bit jumpy.
And what of the resistance itself? They were always paranoid, they couldn't afford not to be. They had to be trigger-happy to keep their afts intact. After all, they were fighting a war, taking prisoners was a luxury they couldn't afford. So most of the resistance cells were of the mindset: 'Shoot first, ask questions later'.
Thus the stage was set for the first peacetime battle on Imperial Cybertron.
Ransack lacked a mouth, but it didn't stop him from feeling a smile on his face. The sweet smell of deception on the horizon, it was music to him. If he weren't in view of the troops, he would chitter with excitement to himself. "Such a delicious plan our emperor has concocted." he thought. He took a look at his internal tactical display. Everything was in place. Ransack, being the Operations Commander for Decepticon Intelligence, knew just about every black op that occurred on Cybertron. While the Space Bridge II project was a very real technology that Shockwave's platoon of technicians was working on at this very moment, it was not located in Torran as the false rumors have placed it. He laughed to himself again. The original Space Bridge had presented a very difficult obstacle for the Autobots to overcome, the remnants of the Autobot Militia wouldn't let an improvement on this technology to be realized.
A chronometer check later, Ransack found that the Autobots were right on schedule. They were moving in the sublevels below the surface towards the building that held the mock Space Bridge II prototype. And also on schedule, troops moved into place behind them, cutting off retreat. Ransack privately thanked Shockwave for the invention of penetrating radar, even as glitch-ridden as it was; otherwise this operation would be flying blind.
From his position on a low rooftop, he leveled his gaze at the building and counted down. When he reached 0, he thought maybe the Autobots were planning on stealing it for themselves. He was proved wrong when the old warehouse went up in a burst of fire, the edges of the blast consuming the residual energon in the atmosphere.
He sighed, though happy. "Five seconds off, the informant must be punished severely." he said. Then into coded transmissions. "Cut off their retreat, bring them up alive."
Below, the Dinobots fought for dear life against the large Decepticon forces. Although dressed as the stereotypical Decepticon ground-pounders, there was definitely something very different about these soldiers. They were fighting the Dinobots, and winning.
Slag, nominally in charge while Grimlock was gone, shouted above the firefight going on. "FALL BACK! SLAG SAYS!" And then gave a mighty blow to one of the Decepticon troopers, shattering the armor and knocking this particular one down and out. What was on the outside didn't matter it seems, because an insignia caught Slag's optic circuits that made the Dinobot afraid. It was the insignia of the...
"OMEGA ELITE, RUN!" Slag bellowed. Sludge and Swoop caught the scent of retreat and began to run, guns pointed and firing as they retreated. One Omega Elite was equal match for one Dinobot. Ten Omega Elite against four Dinobots, however, the Dinobots' only chance was to run.
Slag never got to run though; he was seized by two Decepticons and shot in the gyroscope, disabling his movement functions. Swoop was caught in a blast of a grenade, and disappeared down a deep shaft from the hole created, his voice echoing. An Omega Elite chuckled and figured the Pterodactyl was dead.
Sludge took out the trio of troopers that tried to bar his path, smashing them in the heads with a heavy fist. He felt blaster fire sting through his thick armor as he blindly shot back at the pursuing Decepticons, covering his optics. Then from seemingly nowhere, he felt the blow of a heavy object slice his arm off, ripping the arm away from his optics. Quickly, he swung his head and gun-arm around to face this threat. A quick slash of sharp metal came down again, and his hand and gun skittered across the floor. Sludge only saw the burning red optics of the Decepticon before he was knocked out.
Snarl panicked, he froze up. Quite uncharacteristic of the Dinobot, but then, we live in interesting times my friend. He shot at one Decepticon, emptying the rifle into the grunt. He drew his sword and began hacking at the onrush of Elites, felling more than a few... and just when it seemed that the coast was clear, he heard a feral growl. He, like Sludge, turned to see who was there. His first impression that it must surely be a Destronger, no Decepticon except Galvatron had burning red optics. He snarled. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The feline form growled the answer before mauling Snarl into submission, eliciting a scream from the Dinobot.
Snarl's last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was, "But Sixshot is dead!"
Swoop woke up at the bottom of a deep shaft. He couldn't see light of any kind, but he knew enough to tune his optics to energon sensing. A recent development that let a Transformer see by way of how much energon radiation a solid substance blocked. He looked about in a world of blues. And thus he made good his escape to New Iacon.
[Cybertron News, 4/16/2477, Live Broadcast from the Imperial Plaza]
(Visible is a large platform upon which three energy fields have been erected. Within these fields are Sludge, Snarl, and Slag, kept contained by the energy fields. At a podium stands Megatron, with Cyclonus on his right and Elita-1 on his left. Behind the trio stand a guard detail of Sweeps, ready to counter threats with violence. Immediately below the platform is a gathering of important Decepticons, watching this event with interest.)
Megatron: "My fellow Decepticons, I have here today three Autobot terrorists. They stand charged with treason against the Decepticon Empire, sabotage, destruction of Imperial property, one hundred twenty three deaths, and are responsible for thousands of injured citizens. They have been accused of these crimes by the Cybertron Board of Planetary Governors, based on eyewitness accounts and intelligence gathered by the Ministry of Information. I have ensured that all of the information used in the Board complies with the Imperial Security Act of 2477, and as Emperor, am ready to sentence these criminals. But as required by Imperial law, the Regent will read the statements the accused made in their defense."
(Megatron steps back and lets Cyclonus take the podium.)
Cyclonus checks a datapad, then speaks: "The accused wish it to be known that they feel no remorse about the loss of lives they caused or the damage to Imperial property. They state that they have great animosity towards all Decepticons. To quote: 'Autobots will kill Decepticons until there are no more!'"
(Cyclonus steps aside, and Megatron retakes the podium)
Megatron: "As you can plainly see, these three Autobots deserve no mercy, as they know none themselves. Decepticon Intelligence has received threats from others of their kind pledging vengeance against Decepticon citizens. As they have pledge vengeance against you, the citizens of our great Empire, I shall pledge vengeance for those these terrorists have killed in their causeless crusade. For every citizen they kill, an Autobot will be publicly executed here in the Imperial Plaza." (A cheer rises up from the gathered crowd; Megatron lets it go for a moment, then holds a hand up for silence. The cheer dies quickly out of respect.)
Megatron, gesturing towards the three Dinobots: "As for these three, they will be executed today by myself for their crimes against the Imperium."
Megatron approaches Slag, the nearest Dinobot: "Slag, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death." (Megatron points his cannon-arm at Slag and fires, blinding the camera momentarily. Slag writhes as his body turns gray and cracks, falling to pieces inside the containment field.)
Megatron approaches the next Dinobot, Snarl: "Snarl, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death." (A blinding light from Megatron's cannon, and Snarl dies the same way Slag did.)
Megatron approaches Sludge, the final Dinobot: "Sludge, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death."
(A repeat of the last two Dinobots.)
(Megatron approaches the podium again)
Megatron: "I will no longer let the citizens of my Empire live in fear of death in a conflict that could have stayed strictly military targets. I did not force the Autobots to attack civilians, they made that heinous decision for themselves. For you Autobots who are paying attention to this broadcast, it is the Autobot Resistance's fault for the deaths of your fellows. Their actions force our hand in this matter. In short, I will not stand for this anarchist behavior. Thank you for your time, citizens, and good night."
(End live feed)
[End Transmission]
'Sorrow' (c)1987, 2001 by Pink Floyd Music Publishing Inc. Transformers and all related characters (c) 1985, 1992, 1996, 2002 by Takara. Written June 7, 2002
Divided We Fall
By D. Park
"He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or in a dream he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough"
-Sorrow, D. J. Gilmour
[Dystopia District, Cybertron - 5/21/2476]
In the half-shadows of underground, the lieutenants gathered for a meeting. They were the commanders of what remained of the Autobot military, some militia members, some regular army. Distressingly, their appearances were eerily similar to famous Autobot generals of the past. Some said it was a fluke of genetics that gave their families natural leadership abilities, or that it was nepotism. The intellectuals of the Transformers said it was some odd quirk of Transformer physiology, as all the known factions of Transformers had some of these individuals in them. Well, perhaps the Cybertron Empire was lacking in these remarkable individuals, but then, the Cybertrons were lacking much that the Transformers were born with. Although nobody liked to admit it, everybody knew they must be relations of a very old family that had been thought as long gone as the First Great War. Whatever their descent or origin, the commanders and generals that had survived the genocide of the Decepticon's hostile takeover of Cybertron, had met to decide whether to fight or lay down.
The most recognizable of the bunch was a young squad commander whose name was Fire Convoy, and he had issues, to put it mildly. Much like a relative of his, he was impulsive, but had the potential to become a leader as great as his distant cousin. Age would only tell, Fire Convoy was only a century old. He looked around at his distant relations, all descended in one way or another from Alpha Prime and Optima. In this knowledge he found smug comfort, some would call this attitude arrogance and be correct about that.
Others of the group had been altered to incorporate various technologies that had been developed over the years. One unfortunate relation had been susceptible to the Transformation Lock Virus, and was stuck in her robot form, an 'actionmaster' so to speak. Fire Convoy felt contempt for such weaklings.
"We shouldn't be concerned with what was, only with what is." Some small robot named Thunderclash addressed the group; he aspired to be a philosopher, though the harsh realities forced upon the Autobots didn't allow for such luxuries. "We should be concerned with the disposition of the civilians, they're the ones we fought for. There's no way to fight the Decepticons, not when their forces are so many and we so few..."
"Cut our losses and go home? Is that what you're saying we should do? Dream on, Thunderclash. We need to strike the Decepticons as hard as we can, while they're complacent about their victory!" Fire Convoy sneered at the smaller robot that seemed to merely be giving a reasonable course of action given the circumstances. His squad mates would agree with him, all impetuous young Autobots who wanted nothing more than to fight for the cause.
The only Nebulan representative of the group, who had actually deigned to make an appearance, spoke through his transector's external speaker system. He was here because he piloted the awesome God Jinrai transector. "Calm down Fire Convoy! I agree that the Decepticons need to be fought, otherwise what use will be saving the civilians? But I also think it'll be very hard to fight them. I've heard rumors..."
"Idle Nebulan rumor, Strider. We Transformers have seen no evidence of a terrible demon army, and we were the ones who actually fought the war. There were some funny looking characters on the Decepticon side, but nothing that we hadn't seen before." Says the war-veteran of the bunch, Countdown. Probably the oldest of the bunch, likely some bastard child of Alpha Prime's, but he was also the most reasonable and stable of the generals. Fighting a thousand battles is one thing, winning almost all of them is quite another, both of which Countdown had done.
A bruiser of an Autobot, with his fair share of war scars, took this opportunity to confirm the terrible rumor. "I've seen them. Hell, my squad fought some. They were either demons or Sweeps, and I've never seen a Sweep fight like these guys did. Half my squad fell to a pair named Gog and Magog. We need to figure out how to beat those guys before we can take on the Decepticon regulars." He was a recent addition named Octane Prime, he utilized something called Armada technology, allowing Micromasters to function as weapons in a pinch. But that was secondary to his war experiences. Octane Prime had helped in a minor war with similar odds in 1994, against the Cybertron Empire.
Fire Convoy thought of a relative that could pose a problem. "What will we do about Black Convoy?"
"How do we know that you won't turn out like your brother and turn traitor, Fire Convoy?" Octane Prime snorted derisively. Given Fire Convoy's hair-trigger temper, they were fighting words, and the two Autobots started trading blows, with the bigger and stronger Octane starting to emerge victorious before the others pulled them apart.
Orion Pax, the aforementioned Actionmaster, spoke something that probably determined, more than any speech or philosophy of war, the fate of the future resistance. "You mechs can't make up your minds on what we should all do. We agree that something needs to be done, but disagree on the particulars. Why not split up and do things each our own ways? We all have squads under our command, and it's harder to destroy a decentralized resistance than a centralized one. We increase our odds that way."
"Fine, I don't like the idea of working under one of you anyway." Fire Convoy said, nursing a nasty dent given to him by Octane's hard fist.
Hiryu Strider bowed politely. "I'll do what I can from the Nebulan side of things. I know plenty of Autobot sympathizers are simply afraid to speak their minds. There have been disappearances lately of those who speak out against the Decepticon's treatment of the Autobot civilians. At the least, those who's families have traditionally served as binary partners will want to help out in anyway they can." The Nebulan left, closing the cockpit of God Jinrai and heading to the surface and back to the Nebulan's Hestia Lunar Colony. Many of the others left in disgust over Fire Convoy's arrogance. Who was left but Orion Pax and Thunderclash, who stood looking at the others as they vanished into the distance.
"So what's your plan, Orion?" Thunderclash said, thinking of a dozen half-baked ideas at the moment.
Orion Pax smiled enigmatically. "I will help Blaster rebuild Iacon. New Iacon will give hope to our people."
"Sounds like a real plan. So want to grab some drinks and forget this whole nightmare?"
[Whale Graveyard, Dystopia District, Cybertron- 06:47 4/1/2477]
Officially known as Starship Construction Facility #1224, the workers here called the construction facility 'The Whale Graveyard', for this was where starships were built and maintained. The massive artifices of technological might often resembled half-rotten corpses, with the bulkheads serving as bones and the electronic interior components resembling flesh. But how ironic to compare a place of construction to a place of death, since the decomposition process operated in reverse in the construction facility, flesh being grown onto bones and what is dead is given life.
It was also a prime target for the Autobot resistance cells that operated all over Cybertron. But to the Decepticons, who had an overwhelming amount of manpower and resources, they were merely irritants that could be ignored, and were only dealt with when they actually attacked. That was the case today. A group of 'radicals', as the Decepticon media portrayed the Resistance, was attacking a new project.
"Smash their faces in!" cried one Decepticon squad leader to his brutes. And ten Decepticons responded, firing particle rifles and laser pistols at the Autobots. This particular Resistance cell had become the media's darlings, attacking many different facilities over the past ten months or so. Fire Convoy had gotten the Decepticon's attention, the kind of attention that one pays to a bug underfoot. Things were going very badly in this particular battle, most of his squad was trapped by Decepticon fire in the ship's skeleton. He hoped that his fellow resistance members would find a way out of the ship before the charges on the power core imploded. He got his wish.
"Fire Convoy, we're clear. There's one minute left on the timer, let's go!" radioed the familiar voice of Mach Alert. So Fire Convoy listened, and ran as he fired his arsenal of weapons, laying down cover fire for the retreat. The group fled out into the streets and swiftly found an escape route through the underground network of tunnels that honeycombed Cybertron. Not being dumb, the personnel of the Construction facility figured that the ease with which they were able to drive the resistance cell off meant a timer of some kind. They too evacuated the facility with great haste and reckless abandon.
Less than on minute later, the implosion charges on the power core turned a large chunk of the facility into a spherical crater.
[Imperial Memorandum #351576382638-A121, 07:30 4/1/2477]
SENDTO: Governor Starscream
SENDER: Governor Jhiaxus
HEADER: The Continued Existence of the Autobot Resistance.
"The continued actions of the so-called Autobot resistance are a nuisance, and effort should be expended to control the vermin problem. As you no doubt have heard by now, one Autobot resistance groups has destroyed Starship Construction Facility #1224, and the prototype ship within it. Shockwave will be unhappy with that particular development, but it could not be helped.
"The Autobot resistance is nothing more than a collection of vermin and riff-raff, a concerted effort on the military's part would crush them as ants under our heels. They have no place in the Decepticon order of things, and you know this, Starscream. They are anachronisms that are simply blind to the truth; that the Autobots are our dogs now.
"I have concerns that the Ministry of Information is not doing an adequate job concealing the existence of the Autobot resistance. I am quite aware that some leaks will occur, but this is unacceptable! I have documents gleaned from that worm Swindle's holo-video studio that he plans to have his anchors report the implosion as a terrorist action.
"I've been speaking to the other Governors, and they too are quite unhappy with your performance in controlling the resistance. If you do not act soon, the Emperor will begin to think that you are aiding the resistance! And we both know what he will do to you if he thinks that."
[Imperial Memorandum #351576382638-B422, 08:50 4/1/2477]
SENDTO: Decepticon Governors
SENDER: Emperor Megatron
HEADER: Regarding the Autobot Resistance.
"I am displeased that you would have so little faith, Jhiaxus. But then, I should expect it; it is in your nature. I already know how to handle the Autobot resistance, and it's an elegant plan, ruthless in it's simplicity.
"To my Governors, this is the plan.
"First, the Ministry of Information will spread rumors that there is an important military project in a heavily populated residential section. Shockwave will create a dummy device to actually place in the said area. I apologize in advance to Hun-Grrr, it will be Torran District that will be the staging ground for this operation. Ransack will be in charge of the details of this operation as soon as Cyclonus briefs him. Should we catch any stray Autobots in that district, they will be held prisoner under terrorism and treason charges. I know how much you enjoy executions, Starscream.
"Second, we will let Corporal Swindle's media report the problems as terrorist actions, but only after the first part of the plan is enacted successfully. Onslaught, you need to exert more control over your underling, tell him to hold off until we give him permission. Should he fail, Soundwave, I want you to simply replace the broadcast with fabricated news. The goal of this step is to portray the Autobots as murderers and scum.
"And now for the third part, the coup de grace. We will let it be known that for every Decepticon they kill, an Autobot will be publicly executed. Even their own kind will turn against them. And without Optimus Prime to rally them, they will fall divided.
"If all goes to plan, the Autobot resistance will become true terrorists, retaliating for the Autobots we execute. Enlistment in Valhalla Academy should soar, and our military strength increased two-fold. Even the colonists will want to join the battle. And the public will not care if we destroy the Autobots."
[Torran District, 4/15/2477]
Troops and equipment were in place, the trap was waiting for the right conditions to be sprung, crushing those who were in it. Murky corners held lethal assassins and eager bullies. Perhaps Megatron should have thought twice about including Jhiaxus' crew in his army, the Cybertrons liked the taste of killing too much for most. And here some lurked with the Decepticons, making them uneasy and a bit jumpy.
And what of the resistance itself? They were always paranoid, they couldn't afford not to be. They had to be trigger-happy to keep their afts intact. After all, they were fighting a war, taking prisoners was a luxury they couldn't afford. So most of the resistance cells were of the mindset: 'Shoot first, ask questions later'.
Thus the stage was set for the first peacetime battle on Imperial Cybertron.
Ransack lacked a mouth, but it didn't stop him from feeling a smile on his face. The sweet smell of deception on the horizon, it was music to him. If he weren't in view of the troops, he would chitter with excitement to himself. "Such a delicious plan our emperor has concocted." he thought. He took a look at his internal tactical display. Everything was in place. Ransack, being the Operations Commander for Decepticon Intelligence, knew just about every black op that occurred on Cybertron. While the Space Bridge II project was a very real technology that Shockwave's platoon of technicians was working on at this very moment, it was not located in Torran as the false rumors have placed it. He laughed to himself again. The original Space Bridge had presented a very difficult obstacle for the Autobots to overcome, the remnants of the Autobot Militia wouldn't let an improvement on this technology to be realized.
A chronometer check later, Ransack found that the Autobots were right on schedule. They were moving in the sublevels below the surface towards the building that held the mock Space Bridge II prototype. And also on schedule, troops moved into place behind them, cutting off retreat. Ransack privately thanked Shockwave for the invention of penetrating radar, even as glitch-ridden as it was; otherwise this operation would be flying blind.
From his position on a low rooftop, he leveled his gaze at the building and counted down. When he reached 0, he thought maybe the Autobots were planning on stealing it for themselves. He was proved wrong when the old warehouse went up in a burst of fire, the edges of the blast consuming the residual energon in the atmosphere.
He sighed, though happy. "Five seconds off, the informant must be punished severely." he said. Then into coded transmissions. "Cut off their retreat, bring them up alive."
Below, the Dinobots fought for dear life against the large Decepticon forces. Although dressed as the stereotypical Decepticon ground-pounders, there was definitely something very different about these soldiers. They were fighting the Dinobots, and winning.
Slag, nominally in charge while Grimlock was gone, shouted above the firefight going on. "FALL BACK! SLAG SAYS!" And then gave a mighty blow to one of the Decepticon troopers, shattering the armor and knocking this particular one down and out. What was on the outside didn't matter it seems, because an insignia caught Slag's optic circuits that made the Dinobot afraid. It was the insignia of the...
"OMEGA ELITE, RUN!" Slag bellowed. Sludge and Swoop caught the scent of retreat and began to run, guns pointed and firing as they retreated. One Omega Elite was equal match for one Dinobot. Ten Omega Elite against four Dinobots, however, the Dinobots' only chance was to run.
Slag never got to run though; he was seized by two Decepticons and shot in the gyroscope, disabling his movement functions. Swoop was caught in a blast of a grenade, and disappeared down a deep shaft from the hole created, his voice echoing. An Omega Elite chuckled and figured the Pterodactyl was dead.
Sludge took out the trio of troopers that tried to bar his path, smashing them in the heads with a heavy fist. He felt blaster fire sting through his thick armor as he blindly shot back at the pursuing Decepticons, covering his optics. Then from seemingly nowhere, he felt the blow of a heavy object slice his arm off, ripping the arm away from his optics. Quickly, he swung his head and gun-arm around to face this threat. A quick slash of sharp metal came down again, and his hand and gun skittered across the floor. Sludge only saw the burning red optics of the Decepticon before he was knocked out.
Snarl panicked, he froze up. Quite uncharacteristic of the Dinobot, but then, we live in interesting times my friend. He shot at one Decepticon, emptying the rifle into the grunt. He drew his sword and began hacking at the onrush of Elites, felling more than a few... and just when it seemed that the coast was clear, he heard a feral growl. He, like Sludge, turned to see who was there. His first impression that it must surely be a Destronger, no Decepticon except Galvatron had burning red optics. He snarled. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The feline form growled the answer before mauling Snarl into submission, eliciting a scream from the Dinobot.
Snarl's last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was, "But Sixshot is dead!"
Swoop woke up at the bottom of a deep shaft. He couldn't see light of any kind, but he knew enough to tune his optics to energon sensing. A recent development that let a Transformer see by way of how much energon radiation a solid substance blocked. He looked about in a world of blues. And thus he made good his escape to New Iacon.
[Cybertron News, 4/16/2477, Live Broadcast from the Imperial Plaza]
(Visible is a large platform upon which three energy fields have been erected. Within these fields are Sludge, Snarl, and Slag, kept contained by the energy fields. At a podium stands Megatron, with Cyclonus on his right and Elita-1 on his left. Behind the trio stand a guard detail of Sweeps, ready to counter threats with violence. Immediately below the platform is a gathering of important Decepticons, watching this event with interest.)
Megatron: "My fellow Decepticons, I have here today three Autobot terrorists. They stand charged with treason against the Decepticon Empire, sabotage, destruction of Imperial property, one hundred twenty three deaths, and are responsible for thousands of injured citizens. They have been accused of these crimes by the Cybertron Board of Planetary Governors, based on eyewitness accounts and intelligence gathered by the Ministry of Information. I have ensured that all of the information used in the Board complies with the Imperial Security Act of 2477, and as Emperor, am ready to sentence these criminals. But as required by Imperial law, the Regent will read the statements the accused made in their defense."
(Megatron steps back and lets Cyclonus take the podium.)
Cyclonus checks a datapad, then speaks: "The accused wish it to be known that they feel no remorse about the loss of lives they caused or the damage to Imperial property. They state that they have great animosity towards all Decepticons. To quote: 'Autobots will kill Decepticons until there are no more!'"
(Cyclonus steps aside, and Megatron retakes the podium)
Megatron: "As you can plainly see, these three Autobots deserve no mercy, as they know none themselves. Decepticon Intelligence has received threats from others of their kind pledging vengeance against Decepticon citizens. As they have pledge vengeance against you, the citizens of our great Empire, I shall pledge vengeance for those these terrorists have killed in their causeless crusade. For every citizen they kill, an Autobot will be publicly executed here in the Imperial Plaza." (A cheer rises up from the gathered crowd; Megatron lets it go for a moment, then holds a hand up for silence. The cheer dies quickly out of respect.)
Megatron, gesturing towards the three Dinobots: "As for these three, they will be executed today by myself for their crimes against the Imperium."
Megatron approaches Slag, the nearest Dinobot: "Slag, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death." (Megatron points his cannon-arm at Slag and fires, blinding the camera momentarily. Slag writhes as his body turns gray and cracks, falling to pieces inside the containment field.)
Megatron approaches the next Dinobot, Snarl: "Snarl, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death." (A blinding light from Megatron's cannon, and Snarl dies the same way Slag did.)
Megatron approaches Sludge, the final Dinobot: "Sludge, for your crimes against the Empire, I hereby sentence you to death."
(A repeat of the last two Dinobots.)
(Megatron approaches the podium again)
Megatron: "I will no longer let the citizens of my Empire live in fear of death in a conflict that could have stayed strictly military targets. I did not force the Autobots to attack civilians, they made that heinous decision for themselves. For you Autobots who are paying attention to this broadcast, it is the Autobot Resistance's fault for the deaths of your fellows. Their actions force our hand in this matter. In short, I will not stand for this anarchist behavior. Thank you for your time, citizens, and good night."
(End live feed)
[End Transmission]
'Sorrow' (c)1987, 2001 by Pink Floyd Music Publishing Inc. Transformers and all related characters (c) 1985, 1992, 1996, 2002 by Takara. Written June 7, 2002