Transformers Regenerated: Tales from the Convoy Corps - Lio Convoy

 THE FIRST RESISTOR: LIO CONVOY'S TALE

Eukaris, Cycle 8814

It was a new day on Eukaris, and Razorbeast was hardly ready to face it.

Resting comfortably in his porcineacon form, he watched as the sun slowly rose from behind the horizon and cast its golden rays of light across Talon Valley. In the distance, he could hear beasts letting out various cries as their way to rouse others from their slumber. Another day met yet another twenty-four hours of laborious struggle. It had been this way for the last century and it did not look like it would be changing anytime soon. To this day, he had no idea what exactly it was he and his fellow Eukarians were working for, as their new Predacon rulers had never been exactly clear in that. Whenever anyone started asking questions, it turned out to be the last thing they did.

Razorbeast wondered what would happen if he didn’t show up for work today. Would someone be sent to find him and drag him to work? Would the Predacons send their thugs to hunt him down and either capture or kill him? Or would anyone even notice his absence? The Fur Walkers were one of the largest tribes on the planet; what difference would one less member make?

Today was not the first time Razorbeast had considered taking that risk. In fact, it wasn’t even the seventh or thirteenth time. Each day since the Predacons took over the planet, he had entertained the idea of standing up and speaking out… and each and every time, he had dismissed it, telling himself that there would be another time. Maybe one day, someone would be the first to make a stand… but today, it would not be him.

Resigning himself to his fate, Razorbeast got up from his resting spot and headed off to join his fellow Fur Walkers at the work site. For the past several years—it might have even been decades at this point—they had been working on digging up something that was supposedly beneath the planet’s surface. Stars knew what that something was, since the Predacons had never bothered to tell them, but in that time they had made hardly any progress, other than uncover a small patch of metal. At this rate, they would probably all run out of energon before they had uncovered whatever it was they were digging up. A part of Razorbeast wondered if that was the idea….

Up ahead, he could see the other Fur Walkers had already got to work. Bone Crusher was handing out tools and supplies for the others to use, although some—such as Diablo—were trying to use the claws of their beast modes to get the job done instead. As Razorbeast approached the site, Bone Crusher spotted him and acknowledged him with a curt nod.

“’Bout time you showed up,” the larger Eukarian grunted as he handed Razorbeast his tools. “Part of me was worried you were gonna try somethin’ stupid today.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Razorbeast said. “Well, actually, I would, but there’s a difference between dreaming and doing.”

“For some, there is.” With that, Bone Crusher sauntered off to work on his own project. Small talk was often discouraged by the Predacons during work hours, and Bone Crusher wasn’t exactly the type who would try and get on their bad side.

Razorbeast walked over to where Diablo was working. From the pained expression on the younger Fur Walker’s face, he could tell that the whole “bare claws” thing wasn’t working out for him. Razorbeast extended a spare tool to him but Diablo shook his way.

“Thanks, but I’ve got this.”

“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” Razorbeast remarked.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just need to…” Diablo winced as his claws struck a metal patch. “…Take my time is all.”

Razorbeast sighed as he laid the spare tool next to his comrade. “I’ll just leave this here for you when you break a nail or something.”

Leaving Diablo to his work, Razorbeast looked for his own spot to dig and readied his shovel. As he raised it, ready to stab the ground with it, he looked over and saw that one of the Fur Walkers—an elder by the name of Backstop—was not working. Instead, he simply sat there with his hands folded over his lap, head dipped with the lights of his optical sensors dimmed.

“Backstop?” Razorbeast said uneasily. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“No,” Backstop calmly replied. “There is no need to.”

“But the Predacons—”

“The Predacons do not control us, Razorbeast. Only we have full control of our minds and bodies.”

The elder Eukarian’s words seemed to reverberate all around the camp site as many workers stopped to look over at Backstop. Bone Crusher in particular frowned as he regarded the other Fur Walker with a concerned look.

“Backstop, what are you doing? You know what the punishment is for not working.”

“I am well aware,” Backstop said. “But the Predacons cannot punish us all for not working. They need us.”

“But you’ve seen what they’ve done to others, haven’t you?” said Armordillo. “They’ll kill us!”

“They cannot kill all of us,” Backstop said firmly. “It is only through fear that they control us. If we stand against that fear, then they can no longer control us.”

“Where is this coming from, Backstop?” Bone Crusher asked. “Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

A sage smile crossed the elder’s crimson faceplate. “Let’s just say that I’ve been… enlightened.”

*  *  *

“Come on, move faster! Why do you think Chela gave you flippers?”

Cybershark groaned as he nearly collapsed onto the seafloor with the large metal object he had been carrying. His fellow Wave Walkers swam past him, not paying him any heed… save for one. An orange squid, whom Cybershark knew as Claw Jaw, dropped whatever he was carrying as he swam back to check on his fellow Wave Walker, transforming to his robot mode.

“You good, Cyber’?” Claw Jaw asked.

“No,” Cybershark grunted. “I’ve been at this all day and it’s causing strain on my joints. I don’t know how much longer I can keep going.”

“Well, you’ve got to, ‘cos you know Manta isn’t going to tolerate us slacking off.”

“She doesn’t tolerate anything.”

As if summoned by name, Manta herself came swimming up to the pair, causing the water around her to bubble as she quickly converted to robot mode.

“Hey! You two had better get back to work or I’m reporting you to the Predacons!”

“Cybershark is getting worn out, Manta,” Claw Jaw snapped. “You’ve been pushing him all day.”

“If he cannot handle the stress, then he is of no use,” Manta said icily. “Leave him behind and get back to work. I’ll handle him.”

“No.” Claw Jaw stepped between Manta and Cybershark, splaying his arms out. “I know what you’re going to do to him and I won’t allow it. It’s not right!”

“You don’t get to decide that, scrub,” Manta growled. “Now stand aside or I will have you both executed!”

“Claw Jaw,” Cybershark said quietly. “Do as she says.”

“But—” Claw Jaw started to say.

“Now.”

Not waiting for him to move, Manta grabbed Claw Jaw by the shoulder and shoved him aside. At that moment, Cybershark got to his feet, pointed his arm-mounted tail at her, and fired. A harpoon shot out and skewered Manta right through the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell back. This got the attention of the other Wave Walkers, who immediately stopped what they were doing and looked back to see what the commotion was.

As Cybershark helped him to his feet, Claw Jaw looked bewilderedly at the fallen Manta. “What… what did you just…?”

“Sorry for dragging you into that,” Cybershark said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to actually check up on me. Appreciate it though.”

“Cybershark, what the hell did you just do?”

“What you just did for me.” Cybershark smiled at his smaller companion. “It’s called standing up for what is right.” 

*  *  *

“Sonar! What in Onyx’s name is going on?!”

Perched upside down from the branch of a high tree, the gray and red bat feigned a yawn. “No need to shout, Lord Divebomb. I can hear you just find.”

The large Predacon eagle flapped his wings ferociously as he hovered in front of Sonar. “You and your Cloud Walkers were supposed to have delivered materials to your assigned work site by now! Why have they not yet done so?”

“Because I told them to take the day off,” Sonar casually replied.

“You what?!”

“Again with the yelling.” Sonar waved one of her winged arms. “I have sensitive hearing, so keep your voice modulator at a respectable level.”

Divebomb’s optics flashed angrily. “You dare give orders to me?”

“You do it to us all the time, so what’s the big deal?”

“We Predacons are your masters! You answer to us and will do as we say!”

“By whose authority?”

“By ours!”

“Ah.” Sonar’s bat ears twitched. “So it is by your authority that we must do things according to… your authority. Isn’t that a bit of circular logic?”

“I don’t have time for this,” Divebomb growled. “You are coming with me to answer for your transgressions.”

“No. I don’t think I will.”

Suddenly, bursting from the surrounding trees came a flock of Cloud Walkers, who quickly began to surround Divebomb. Several of them lashed out at the Predacon with their talons and pecked at him with their beaks. While Divebomb shielded himself with his wings to block their attacks, his back was still left unexposed and the falcon Sky Warp managed to deliver a piercing blow from behind. Squawking in pain, Divebomb spread out his wings and spun himself around, knocking back some of his attackers with the force of his wings.

“You will pay for this!” The Predacon screeched. “You will all pay for your treachery!”

While some of the Cloud Walkers prepared to attack him again, Sonar motioned for them to stay back, allowing Divebomb to take off into the sky. As he flew off in the direction of the Predacons’ fortress, Sky Warp transformed to her robot mode and landed on a branch next to the one Sonar was perched under.

“You know, that felt good and all… but we are so dead.”

“Are you kidding?” Sonar smiled. “I’ve never felt more alive.”

*  *  *

“Traitors! You will all pay for your—”

Guiledart was cut off as T-Wrecks struck him with his large red tail, sending the yellow-plated Scale Walker flying and crashing into two others. As the large tyrannosaurus turned to storm away, a purple and red pteranodon flew at him, clawing at him with its talons. Growling, T-Wrecks swung his large body around and snapped at Lazorbeak with his massive jaws, only for the pteranodon to fly out of reach. This proved to be a distraction as Hard Head came charging at him in his helmeted dinosaur form and rammed himself into T-Wrecks’ leg. The blow was powerful enough to knock the tyrannosaurus off his footing and he staggered back as he transformed to keep his balance. Looking up, he saw that he was now surrounded by his once-fellow Scale Walkers, all poised to strike at him if he made a move.

“I thought you were smarter than this, ‘Wrecks,” Guiledart muttered as he came up to stand at the front of the group, helped up by Killer Punch and Saberback. “You more than anyone should recognize that the Predacons are our true rulers and not to be questioned.”

“The Predacons don’t rule through might,” T-Wrecks retorted. “They rule through fear, which is far more weaker than pure strength.”

“Was it not them who overthrew Magmatron?” Lazorbeak asked snidely. “Please, someone refresh my memory on that one.”

“They overwhelmed Magmatron in numbers, not pure strength alone. If Razorclaw truly wanted to be recognized as Beast King, then he should have fought Magmatron one-on-one in combat.” T-Wrecks fixed Guiledart with a cold glare. “I’m surprised you aren’t standing here with me, Guiledart. You were Magmatron’s most trusted lieutenant.”

Guiledart stiffened, his face stone cold. “My loyalty to Eukaris, as represented by the Beast King. Today, that Beast King is Razorclaw, and if you insist on standing against him and the Predacons, then—”

He was cut off once again as a loud screech pierced the air. Everyone looked up as a large gray and red pteranodon burst out of the trees, followed shortly by several other Scale Walkers. Taken off guard, Guiledart and the others had little time to react as these reinforcements charged into them, with a dark brown triceratops ramming herself into Guiledart, knocking down Killer Punch and Saberback in the process, while a green pachycephalosaurus collided into Hard Head. After taking down Lazorbeak, the gray and red pteranodon transformed to robot mode and rushed over to T-Wrecks’ side.

“Sorry for the delay,” said Terranotron. “Got held up by Thrashclaw and her goons.”

“Better late than never.” T-Wrecks converted back into his beast mode. “Let’s go now while they’re down.”

Triceradon, Dinotron, and the others fell back in line as they followed T-Wrecks into the dark forest, leaving behind the Scale Walkers they had once considered brothers, not knowing that they had just made history.

*  *  *

“Members of the four Walker tribes are rising up all across Eukaris,” Headstrong reported as Razorclaw paced back and forth in the throne room of the five Predacon Lords. “No word yet from the Crawlers or the other minor tribes. The leaders of the Wave Walkers and Scale Walkers have reasserted their loyalty, but Sonar of the Cloud Walkers directly ordered her people to attack Divebomb. No word yet from the Fur Walkers’ leader.”

“I say we round them up and start executing them all,” growled Tantrum. “I’m sure once we kill ten or fifteen, the rest will fall in line.”

“Or it will make them want to rebel even more,” Divebomb pointed out. “Clearly the tactic of fear isn’t working out.”

“Then what other option do we have?” asked Rampage. “Do we beat them into submission? Because I don’t have a problem with that, if so….”

“As powerful as we are, we are only five,” Razorclaw said. “The more Eukarians that rise up, the better the chance they have at outnumbering us. We need to rally those who have not yet betrayed us and unify them into one army. A Predacon army.”

“The Scale Walkers should be easy enough to recruit,” said Divebomb. “Most of them are already loyal to us. Same with most of the Wave Walkers. The other two tribes will be trickier; even before now, they’ve always had a… rebellious streak.”

“Eh, it’s still two tribes against two,” said Headstrong. “I like those odds; even more so if we bring in the Crawlers.”

“Indeed,” Razorclaw agreed. “Now, the question that remains is… why? Why now, after a hundred years, have these Eukarians started to stand against our rule?”

Rampage shifted uneasily on his feet. “I might have an answer to that….”

The other Predacons directed their attention to him. “Well?” Tantrum huffed impatiently. “Out with it then!”

“A few days ago, before all of this kicked off, I heard some rumblings among the Fur Walkers about someone wandering across Eukaris, visiting each tribe. From what I understand, he is not from any of the Walker tribes and very well may not even be from Eukaris.”

“He’s Cybertronian, then?” asked Divebomb.

“More than likely,” Rampage answered. “Apparently, he goes by the name ‘Lio Convoy.’”

Razorclaw took in a sharp inhale. “Convoy,” he echoed, his voice a low rumble. “That sounds like an Autobot name.”

“How can the Autobots be here?” Tantrum exclaimed. “I thought Magmatron cut off all contact from Cybertron. They should have no idea of what has transpired!”

“Unless this one is a straggler who came on his own accord,” Divebomb suggested. “Perhaps he came here expecting to find haven only to find… well, something not to his liking. And now he is trying to change that.”

Razorclaw chuckled. “Oh, he can try. But he is going to need more than just riot-inciting rhetoric. Perhaps it is time for us to take a page from Magmatron’s book and rule through might rather than fear.” The light of the Predacon leader’s visor flashed as it filled with malicious glee. “Let him recruit all the rebels he wants. It won’t be enough.”

*  *  *

“Look! Over there, coming over the horizon!”

Razorbeast looked in the direction Diablo was pointing in and saw a figure walking towards the Fur Walkers’ work site, silhouetted by the sun. He felt the piston in his body tighten up. He and the rest of his group had decided to follow Backstop’s example and refused to continue working, although their supervisor had not yet come by to check up on them. Was this them making their (admittedly overdramatic) arrival? Had the Predacons already been alerted and they had sent one of their executioners to start making some examples out of them?

He raised a hand to shield his optics to get a better look at the newcomer’s features. At the very least, they did not resemble any of the five Predacons lords; while they seemed to have a lion alternate form same as Razorclaw, the stranger wore white and red armor plating rather than black and gold. Additionally, they wore a blue helmet over their head, with a silver faceplate covering their mouth. Blue optics shone from their shadowed face; optics that exuded a sense of confidence that Razorbeast had never seen in anyone living on Eukaris before.

“Who the hell is that?” asked B’Boom as he and the others started to gather behind Razorbeast and Diablo.

Backstop chuckled. “That, my friends, is our key to freedom.”

“What are you talking about?” Bone Crusher questioned him. “Do you know this ‘bot? Who even are they?”

“Why don’t we let him explain?”

Coming to a stop before the gathered audience of Fur Walkers, the stranger raised an arm in greeting. “Hello, my friends. My name is Leo Prime. I come to you in peace… and to free you from the shackles of the Predacons.” 

“Prime?” Bone Crusher repeated incredulously. “As in, like, Onyx Prime?”

“It is a title I assume not to assert authority, but to inspire greatness,” Leo Prime said. “Onyx Prime created this world to free our people from the oppression of Cybertron, and now I have come to free you from the oppression you face on your own world. For too long have you suffered under the Predacons tyranny. But now, it is time for their rule to come to an end.”

Razorbeast glanced at the others, wondering what they were thinking. Backstop looked as if he had already been prepared for this moment, looking on with approval as the stranger spoke. Most of the others, such as Bone Crusher, B’Boom, and Diablo, seem entranced by his words, as if they were words that they had long been waiting for someone to say but had not dared to think them themselves. Still others such as Tigatron and Wolfang were hard to get a read on, although that was pretty much typical when it came to those two specifically.

“As we speak,” Leo Prime went on, “the other tribes are rising up against the Predacons rule. Cloud Walkers, Wave Walkers, even some of the Scale Walkers have set down their tools and decided that enough is enough. You should do the same. We must all send the message to Razorclaw and his cronies that we will no longer stand for the torment they have subjected us to. If they rule through fear, then we must show them that we are not scared. If they rule through might, then we must show them that we are not weak.”

Somewhere in the crowd, someone let out a cheer. It startled Razorbeast, who had been lost in the words he was hearing. It was quickly joined by another cheer from Diablo, then one from Armordillo. Even the quiet and reserved Fangwolf was nodding in agreement.

“It is time for us to maximize our efforts in creating a better world for us to live in. The time for kings and tyrants has ended; from here on out, there is only the maximal, the greatest of all outcomes.” Leo Prime raised a fist to the air. “Freedom!”

“FREEDOM!” The gathered Fur Walkers threw their fists into the air as well, and Razorbeast was surprised at himself for joining in. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; as if all the strain that the century’s worth of toil the Predacons had forced onto him had all been wiped away. 

Today was indeed a new day. And now, he was ready to face it.

Transformers Regenerated: Tales from the Convoy Corps - Fire Convoy

 Been a while, hasn't it? Managed to crank out one more story before the end of the year.

DRIFTING INTO FIRE: FIRE CONVOY'S TALE

Cycle 9801

It was not everyday one found a coffin floating in space.

The Iron Hope had been passing through the Viron system when they picked up the distress signal. As there were no inhabitable planets in the system, it hadn’t seemed likely that the signal was coming from any of the seven nearby planets. That was when X-Brawn had spotted an object on the ship’s radar, and a magnification of the visual scanners gave them the image of a Cybertronian-sized capsule, marked with the Autobot insignia, floating in the endless void of space. Fire Convoy gave the word and they had pulled in the capsule with the tractor beam and brought it onto the ship.

Once it was on-board, the ship’s medical officer Wrench had been called in to scan the capsule for life signs as well as any extraterrestrial pathogens that it may have picked up. The results came back negative—on both counts.

“Are you saying it’s empty?” Fire Convoy asked, standing with the rest of the command crew in front of the capsule as Wrench finished giving a report of his scans.

“I’m saying that there aren’t any life signs,” Wrench said. “It could be empty, or there could be a dead body inside. No way to know for sure unless we open it.”

“That’s not grim at all,” muttered Mach Alert.

“Well, you heard the doc,” X-Brawn said, already walking over to the capsule. “Let’s open it up and see what goodies are inside.”

Fire Convoy held herself back from groaning. Between the two of them, X-Brawn was much more adventurous and outgoing than his brother Mach Alert, who was much more of a stickler for rules. Still, neither of them were as bad as their youngest brother, who had left Fire Convoy’s team to join Optimus Prime’s crew aboard the Ark. Unfortunately, Prime and his crew had not been heard from in nearly a century, and their brother’s absence had put X-Brawn and Mach Alert in a poor mood; X-Brawn in particular having developed a morose sense of humor that apparently extended to referring to potential corpses as “goodies.”

As the silver and green Autobot worked at unlocking the capsule, Fire Convoy started to say, “Wait, X-Brawn. We should—”

But it was too late. X-Brawn had already unlocked the capsule’s hatch and lifted it up… and springing out of the coffin was a very-much alive Autobot in blue and white armor plating. He scrambled out of the capsule and fell to the deck, screaming the entire time.

“Oh, thank Primus! I don’t know how much longer I could have—”

“SIDE BURN?!” Mach Alert exclaimed, rushing over to join X-Brawn and their spark-brother. “What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on the Ark!”

“I was,” Side Burn said, allowing his brothers to help him onto his feet.

“Then why are you floating out in space in a fragging coffin?!”

“It’s not a coffin, it’s an escape pod.”

“No, it’s definitely a coffin,” said Wrench, patting the capsule. “These are pretty standard issue for most Autobot ships.”

“All right, fine, it’s a coffin,” Side Burn said. “But I used it as an escape pod because I didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention by using the actual pods.”

“What are you talking about?” Fire Convoy asked, stepping up to the young Autobot warrior. “Are you saying you abandoned the Ark? Does Prime know you’re missing?”

“Prime himself is missing,” Side Burn replied. “He was captured by a bounty hunter on Junkion and taken to Mortilus knows where. Jazz is in command now and he’s continuing the search for the AllSpark rather than looking for Prime. I couldn’t stand sitting idly by while our leader is in danger, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“And you thought you could accomplish that by putting yourself in a capsule incapable of movement and floating aimlessly through space?”

“I was broadcasting a distress signal the whole time. I didn’t think it would take me this long to be found!”

“How come Wrench didn’t pick up your spark signature when he scanned it then?”

“I found a way to mask my signature to prevent me being found by any Decepticons or non-Autobots wandering through the sector,” Side Burn explained. “I was pretty much relying solely on the distress signal, which I encrypted so it could only be picked up by Autobot sensors.”

Fire Convoy narrowed her optics. “I trust you realize just how stupid and risky your entire ‘plan’ was?”

Side Burn smiled sheepishly. “I mean, it worked, didn’t it? Granted, it took, uh… what cycle is it, currently?”

“9801.”

“9801. So it’s been… a hundred years. Exactly a hundred years since I threw myself out into space. But hey, it worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

“Do you realize the number of things that could have happened to Optimus Prime in the intervening time? Maybe Jazz and the others have already found him. Or maybe he’s been killed.”

“But you don’t know that, right?” Side Burn asked. “You didn’t know anything about what I just said. But now you do. So now we can search for Prime ourselves, and maybe Jazz and the others too while we’re at it.”

Fire Convoy shook her head as she turned around. “No.”

“No?” Side Burn repeated. He glanced incredulous at Mach Alert and X-Brawn, to see if they shared his incredulity, but was met with blank expressions. “What do you mean no? This is Optimus Prime we’re talking about! We can’t just leave him!”

“Do you really think no one’s tried to search for him and his crew in last hundred years?” Fire Convoy asked over her shoulder. “Many have tried and all have failed. We would be wasting time and resources—some of which we don’t have much left—if we tried something that has already been attempted time and again. Besides, we have other priorities at the moment.”

“Oh, yeah?” Side Burn fired back. “Like what?”

“Like tracking down a Decepticon warlord and bringing him to justice.”

Side Burn stared at his commander confusedly for a moment before bringing a hand to his faceplate as realization set in. “Don’t tell me; this is about Gigatron again, isn’t it?”

“Do you even need to ask?” X-Brawn said as Fire Convoy continued to walk away. “It’s always about Gigatron. Always has been.” 

Elsewhere

“The arid sand bears / No compare to the beauty / That is the great sea.”

Sky-Byte sighed loudly as he stared out into the vast desert that surrounded the Decepticons’ fortress. He had no idea what the name of the planet they were on was called, nor did he cared; it did not come even close to holding a candle to the marvelous world that had been Aquatron. His alternate mode here was practically useless; what good was turning into a shark if there was not a single body of water to swim in?

He knew he only had himself to blame for being here in the first place. After the madness that had went down on Aquatron a hundred years ago, he had realized that he could not escape the war and the chaos it brought. That, along with fear that the D.J.D. would one day track him down for abandoning his post, led him back to Gigatron and begging for a place in his army once more. Gigatron, to his surprise, did not enact any sort of punishment and returned him to the command position he once held. Then again, this was most likely not out of generosity but a result of Gigatron being engrossed in his current objective: to find this fabled “Stone Army” that was supposedly on this very planet.

A hundred years had passed and none of Gigatron’s efforts had gone to fruition. He had even go so far as to recruit non-beast Transformers—something he had never done in all the years Sky-Byte had known him—in order to widen the search and still… nothing. Sky-Byte could see the futility in this quest but he dared not voice such doubts aloud, lest he cause Gigatron to turn him in for his transgressions.

Just as he was about to turn around and head back into the fortress, Sky-Byte heard the roar of an engine and looked up to see a two vehicles flying in the dusty skies above, approaching the fortress. In the lead was a sleek blue and white fighter jet while behind trailed a medium-sized transport craft. As the two vehicles made their descent towards the ground, several feet from where Sky-Byte stood, the jet changed shape. Arms extended out from the sides while its fuselage split up into legs, the cockpit folding back to reveal a head with fin-like attachments on either side. While the transport continued to set down, the stranger walked up to Sky-Byte and he was able to make out a Decepticon insignia on the newcomer’s chest.

“Well met, fellow Decepticon,” the stranger said. “My name is Hellbat. I come here on behalf of Deathsaurus’ forces.”

“Deathsaurus, you say?” Sky-Byte said. “Well, er, it is nice to meet you, Hellbat. I am Sky-Byte, second-in-command to Gigatron.”

“Yes, I know who you are.” Hellbat titled his head, his red optics narrowing slightly. “I must say, I’m surprised to find you here. Didn’t you leave the Decepticons following the Battle of Varas Centralus?”

“Um, no?” Sky-Byte chuckled uneasily. “You must have me confused with someone else. I’m the most loyal Decepticon you could find!”

“Uh-huh,” Hellbat said, clearly not convinced. “No matter; I’m not with the D.J.D., so it’s none of my concern. I would like to have a personal audience with your commander, however.”

Sky-Byte unconsciously tapped his fingers together but stopped himself. “Is that right? Well, unfortunately, Lord Gigatron is rather preoccupied at the moment and he really doesn’t like to be bothered—”

“Is he already having his troops call him ‘Lord Gigatron?’” Hellbat asked. “I know it’s been a century since Megatron went missing, but I would think that—”

“Oh, that’s just a formality!” Sky-Byte said hastily. “It’s a term of respect from where he grew up on ancient Cybertron. Not an indication of rank in the Decepticon hierarchy. Definitely not.”

Hellbat rolled his optics. “Whatever. I understand that Gigatron does not like to be bothered… but I know what it is he seeks. I mean, why else would he be operating on this dustball of a planet?”

He gestured to the transport behind him and, as if on cue, its front loading ramp lowered. Stepping down from the ship were two Decepticon grunts carrying spears, with each spear having an energy rope tied around it. And tethered to those ropes was a Transformer in damaged white and black armor plating, glaring at everyone around them with baleful optical sensors.

“I might not know where the fabled Stone Army is,” Hellbat said. “But Deadlock here does. And I am willing to offer him to ‘Lord’ Gigatron… in exchange for a favor on his part.”

Gritting his fanged white dental plating nervously, Sky-Byte slowly nodded. “I’ll, uh, see what I can do for you.”

The Iron Hope

“Any luck so far?”

“My answer is the same now as it was when you asked me that four deca-cycles ago,” said Wedge. “Which is ‘no,’ in case you need a memory refresh.”

Were it anyone else, Fire Convoy would have reprimanded the younger Autobot for addressing her in such a manner. But if one wanted to get technical, he was the one in command on this ship rather than her. The Iron Hope had been assigned to Wedge after its previous commander was killed during the Cataclysm. While the other members of Wedge’s unit were technically more experienced and qualified for the position than him, Wedge had proved his potential for leadership during the later years of the war and, as the was had been cold for the last hundred years, Ultra Magnus had decided now was as good an opportunity as any for Wedge to prove his worth as a ship commander.

This dynamic changed when the Iron Hope picked up Fire Convoy some time ago. While her rank gave her authority over Wedge in the Autobot command structure, the Iron Hope was still his ship. While he had agreed to help Fire Convoy in her search for Gigatron and share temporary joint command on the ship, he made it clear to her that he would not be giving up the command chair any time soon (even if its size fit her large yellow and red frame better than it did his small orange body). The chain of command had been shaken up even further when they picked up Railspike and his crew after finding the Tsunami’s wreckage in the Dremden system. According to the Railbot leader, the Tsunami had gotten into conflict with a Decepticon warship that had then departed in the direction of the Viron system. While Fire Convoy had no idea if this warship belonged to Gigatron’s forces or not, she figured any Decepticon lead was a good lead and ordered the Iron Hope to take pursuit. Thankfully, Wedge had not argued with this order, although she could tell he felt somewhat intimidated by now having to share command with not just one but two Autobots far more experienced than himself.

From the ship’s controls, Wedge’s fellow Build Team member Hightower said, “We’ve nearly reached the outskirts of the system. We’ve already passed the last charted planet and didn’t pick up any signs of Decepticons. I’d say this system’s been a bust.”

“What’s the nearest charted system?” Fire Convoy asked.

“The 528B system,” said Heavy Load. “No inhabitable planets—hell, it’s mostly comprised of desolate rocks that can barely pass off as that.”

“Set a course for there then. No system is too desolate or remote for the ‘Cons to operate in.”

Wedge sighed as he turned in his seat. “Convoy, with all due respect, we do not have the resources to scour every last star system in the galaxy. The ‘Cons could have jumped to lightspeed by now. They could be anywhere.”

“Railspike said that both ships lost a lot of fuel in the battle,” Fire Convoy said. “They couldn’t have gotten that far, and they wouldn’t have enough power to make a jump.”

“Well, at this rate, we’re going to waste power just looking for them. Look, I understand how much you want to find Gigatron—”

Fire Convoy glared at Wedge. “You don’t understand anything about us.”

“…But there is a time and place for an operation such as this. Perhaps we should consult with High Command before—”

“No. High Command has done me no favors in regards to this and they’re not going to start doing so now. If anything, Ultra Magnus will probably try and shut me down before anything else.”

“Maybe that should tell you something,” Wedge muttered.

“Look, if you don’t want to help me in this, then I will happily take matters into my own hands.”

Wedge eyed her warily. “And what do you mean by that? Are you just gonna abandon ship and fly through space on your own? Or are you planning on taking control of my own—”

“Wait!” Grim-Lock, the eldest member of the Build Team, called out from his work station. “Heavy Load, what system did you say was closest?”

“Uh, 528B. Why? There’s nothing there.”

“No, but the next system over might! The Saxumis system is rumored to be the location of the Stone Army.”

“I’m sorry, the what army?” Wedge asked.

“Stone Army,” Grim-Lock replied. “It’s, uh, pretty straightforward. Anyway, if the ‘Cons are in this sector, then they could be searching for the Stone Army—if they’re real.”

Wedge frowned. “I’m not sure if—”

“It’s as good a lead as any,” Fire Convoy said. “Set a course for the Saxumis system, then.”

The others did not do anything yet, waiting for Wedge to give the final word. With a mere glance at him, Fire Convoy could tell that he was ready to protest or object in some way. After a few seconds however, Wedge merely sighed and gave the go-ahead to make the jump to lightspeed.

“Let’s hope your hunch pays off this time,” he said in an aside as the stars began to stretch before the Iron Hope.

Fire Convoy did not indulge his remark with a response and merely stared out the viewport as the ship entered hyperspace.

Saxumis

“So… Deadlock, isn’t it?”

“That’s not my name anymore,” retorted the black and white Transformer that had been brought before Gigatron.

“No matter,” the warlord snarled in return. “I know who you are, nonetheless. You were one of Turmoil’s troops, were you not?”

The bot formerly known as Deadlock said nothing, avoiding Gigatron’s gaze.

“Your silence speaks volumes,” Gigatron continued. “I already know the truth, in any case. Turmoil once answered directly to me, early on in the war, and he was the one who informed me of this planet’s existence after the two of you discovered it. Megatron may have not had use for a Stone Army, but I am not Megatron. I am better.”

He knelt down and grabbed Deadlock by the fins on his helmet, forcing him to look up and gaze into his blazing red optics.

“So tell me, Deadlock—or whatever you call yourself now… where is the Stone Army?”

“I don’t—” Deadlock started to say.

“Don’t lie to me!” Gigatron snapped, tightening his grip. “I know it was you who found the Stone Army all those years ago! You know where it is, and you will tell me how to find it!”

“That was nearly a thousand years ago,” Deadlock muttered, wincing as Gigatron continued to tighten his hold on him. “They were in a temple that was right where your fortress now stands, but we destroyed it in our attempt to get off world. They’ve surely relocated by now, and they could be light-years away by now.”

“Lies,” Gigatron whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “You’re lying. You must be lying. They’re still here; I can sense it. You will tell me where they are, or I will summon the D.J.D. to finish you off once and for all!”

“Ahem.”

Gigatron snapped his head up to look at Hellbat, who was standing nearby with the rest of his party as well as some of the warlord’s own troops.

“I hate to interrupt this productive conversation,” Hellbat said dryly, “but my commander is expecting me to report to him soon. Do we have a deal or not?”

“Deathsaurus will get his ‘alliance’ when I have the Stone Army under my control,” Gigatron snarled.

Hellbat sighed. “In that case, we might as well leave now, since I don’t see this going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Er, my liege?” A Decepticon in blue armor plating and with the wings of a bat-like creature poked his head into the room. “I hate to bother you, but—”

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO INTERRUPT ME!” Gigatron bellowed. “This had better be worth my time, Dark Scream, or else—”

“It’s the Autobots,” Dark Scream managed to squeak out over the sound of his master’s voice. “They’re here.”

This gave the warlord pause and the centerpoints of Gigatron’s optical sensors dilated. “What?”

“A ship just appeared in our skies and it’s a visual match for the Iron Hope. Or, at least, that’s what Gas Skunk tells me. I mean, I’m no expert on Autobot ships since they all look the same to me but he says everything with such certainty that I have no reason to—”

Ignoring Dark Scream’s prattling, Gigatron threw Deadlock to the ground before storming over to Hellbat. “Were you followed here?” he asked in a low, dark whisper.

“I….” Hellbat hesitated, exchanging nervous glances with the rest of his party. “Well, we did have a run in with an Autobot vessel on the way here, but we destroyed them. Right, Grit?”

One of Hellbat’s Decepticon grunts blinked at him. “Why are you asking me?”

“Because you were there! We destroyed that Autobot ship, didn’t we?”

“I mean, I wasn’t on the bridge so—”

“Enough!” Gigatron raised a hand to silence them. “You will have an opportunity to amend your mistakes because you and your goons will be joining my forces in repelling these Autobots.”

Hellbat shook his head. “B-but Deathsaurus—”

“Deathsaurus will be receiving your remains if you do not do as I say,” Gigatron snapped. “Do I make myself clear?”

Not waiting for a response, Gigatron planted both of his hands onto the ground as he flipped his body around and changed shape, his wings extending to their full width as his legs converted into a pair of dragon heads.

“Now then… Decepticons, let battle be joined!” 

The Iron Hope

Fire Convoy watched as, one by one, the Autobots under her command dropped from the lowered ramp of the ship to battle the Decepticons that were already gathering below. Side Burn and his brothers were the first to go, then Hotfire and his Spy Changers, then the Railbots. In the span of mere minutes, chaos was breaking out and it became nearly impossible to distinguish Autobot from Decepticon amid the curtain of laser fire and clouds of sand and dust that each explosion kicked up.

“I hope this is worth it for you.”

Fire Convoy turned around, expecting to see Wedge standing behind her, and was ready to fire a retort… only to see that it was not Wedge who had spoken.

“You,” she said quietly.

“Me,” responded God Magnus.

The image of her brother looked real enough to touch, but she knew that was not possible. It couldn’t be. But no matter how much she tried to tell herself that, she could not stop her hand from lifting up to grab his. She managed to stop herself in time and instead folded her arms to keep them in place.

“She’s down there,” Fire Convoy said, looking back at the battlefield that was playing out down below. “I know she is.”

“You sound so certain.”

“If Gigatron wanted to kill her, or any of the others, then he would have. He’s not the type to take prisoners. No, he captured them for a reason. He must have.”

“You’re probably right,” God Magnus admitted. “But even so, it’s been… how long, exactly?”

Fire Convoy sighed. “I’ve stopped keeping count. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, anyhow. The time for her—for them—to have been brought home is long overdue.”

“Fair enough. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. I always do.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Fire Convoy turned around to see that the specter of God Magnus had vanished and in his place was a perplexed-looking Wedge, joined by his fellow Build Team members.

“No one,” she sighed. “I was just talking to myself. It helps me focus.”

“Odd way of focusing,” Wedge muttered. “But, hey, I’m no Rung. Do you plan on joining the battle?”

“Yes. I was just about to put on my battle suit.”

“Good. Hope to see you there.” 

With a signal to his comrades, Wedge charged towards the open ramp and jumped down. Grim-Lock, Hightower, and Heavy Load were close behind him, their weapons deployed as they jumped off the Iron Hope with a battle cry. Fire Convoy watched them descend before turning away and heading to her waiting battle suit. As she put on the pieces one by one, she caught a glimpse of her brother’s ghostly image again, but this time she did not look directly at him.

“You’re putting a lot of lives on the line for just one person.”

“I’m not saving just one,” Fire Convoy retorted. “I’m saving six.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Once her battle helmet was secured in place, Fire Convoy stepped towards the ramp and launched herself forward.

Saxumis

“Can someone fill me in the details already? Why exactly are we here to begin with?”

X-Brawn ducked to avoid enemy fire and joined Side Burn behind the large stone they were using as cover. “What is there to explain? We’re fighting Decepticons because that’s what we’ve been doing for the past thousand years.”

“Come on, X, I’m not stupid,” Side Burn said. “There’s something more to it than that. There has to be.”

“What gives you that impression?”

A black and purple jet shot overhead. X-Brawn pointed his gun at it and fired, eliciting a pained scream from the struck Decepticon as they plummeted to the ground below.

“This planet is a desert wasteland that is in a region of space that bears no strategic importance,” Side Burn said. “Sure, they are Decepticons here, but you would have to go out of your way to find them. It’s not like we’re striking someplace like Chaar or Karn or anything like that. There’s something more to it, isn’t there?”

X-Brawn remained silent for a moment, focusing his attention on the Decepticons that were still firing at them. From the side came a white car that skidded to a halt as it reached the two Autobot brothers before converting into the robot form of Mach Alert, who proceeded to join his brothers behind cover.

“Looks like Gigatron’s gotten some help from Deathsaurus’ gang,” Mach Alert said. “Just had a run in with Hellbat and some Decepticon grunts.”

“Any sign of Gigatron himself?” X-Brawn asked.

“No, but I saw and heard plenty of his lieutenant. God, I hate those poems of his….”

“He must be hunkered in that fortress of his,” suggested Side Burn. “Bet he knows just how badly Fire Convoy wants to get at him.”

Mach Alert glanced at X-Brawn. “Does he know…?”

“No. I haven’t told him a fragging thing.”

“A-ha!” Side Burn pointed at his elder brothers. “See? Now I know there’s something you guys aren’t telling me. So, tell me: what’s the real reason for us being here?”

X-Brawn looked to Mach Alert, who simply gave a begrudging shrug in return. Sighing, the eldest brother said, “After you and Prime’s crew left, the Decepticons retreated back into their territory. While the main faction under High Command has been mostly quiet for the past century, warlords like Gigatron and Deathsaurus have still been causing trouble. Not long after you left, Gigatron captured a team of Autobots led by Fire Convoy’s sister. Since then she’s been scouring the galaxy for any sign of Gigatron and his forces, narrowly missing him more than once. This is the first time in nearly a hundred years that she’s finally gotten him in her sights.”

“So that’s it, then?” Side Burn asked. “All of this is to save one Autobot?”

“Pretty much. I mean, she’ll tell you that it’s about saving the rest of the team as well. But we all know the truth. They’re just a bonus in her optics.”

Blaster fire pelted the boulder the three brothers were hiding behind and Side Burn poked out to fire at the Decepticons that were shooting at them, taking down at least one of them. At that moment, a large shadow fell over the Decepticons and they began frantically shooting above them. As Fire Convoy landed on the ground, she swung the long metal ladder attached to her battle suit and used it to bash away three Decepticons at the same time. The remaining ones immediately began to retreat, converting to their alternate modes as they scurried away. Fire Convoy paid them no heed as she pressed on, firing her guns at any other Decepticon that stood in her path towards Gigatron’s fortress.

As the three Autobot brothers stepped out from behind their cover, Side Burn muttered, “I hope this is all worth it for her.”

“So do I,” said X-Brawn. “’Cos I don’t wanna see what happens when it isn’t….” 

*  *  *

“Lord Gigatron! The Autobots are breaching our defenses! Fire Convoy is—”

“Cease your prattling and get back out there!” Gigatron grabbed Slapper by his large shoulder pad and hurled him to the other side of the throne room. Without another word, the crimson Decepticon transformed to his amphibian alternate mode and hopped away. Growling to himself, Gigatron returned his attention to the restrained Deadlock, who had his optics closed as the rest of the fortress shuddered around them.

“This is your last chance,” the warlord said darkly. “Tell me where the Stone Army is, and how to awaken them, and this battle will be ended swiftly. You will be rewarded.”

“I don’t want to be rewarded,” Deadlock retorted.

“Then you will die,” Gigatron said. “If not here, then when the D.J.D. are called in to execute you for your transgressions. You are signing your own death wish by refusing to help me.”

“You think I don’t know that? Why do you think I’m keeping silent?”

“Surely you know what Tarn and his band of sadists are capable of,” Gigatron said. “Do you truly wish to suffer a prolonged death at their hands? Does denying me victory mean so much to you?”

Deadlock said nothing, keeping his optical sensors switched off. Snarling to him, Gigatron whirled away from him and raised a hand to his communicator.

“Cerberus, recall our forces and redirect them to fortifying our front line. Make sure that the Autobots do not make their way into the fortress. Do I make myself clear?”

Static roared in Gigatron’s audio receptors in response. At that moment, he heard a wail and turned around just in time to see Slapper and Dark Scream be thrown back into the throne room. Gas Skunk came running after them, shooting behind him, only to be shot down as well. It was then that Gigatron saw what his soldiers had been running from and gritted his teeth at the large figure now standing in the entrance to his throne room.

“Fire Convoy.”

“Gigatron,” the large and heavily-armored Autobot commander replied. “Tell me where she is and this battle can end.”

“Even if I knew what you were talking about, it is much too late for that now.” 

Transforming into his twin-headed dragon mode, Gigatron charged towards Fire Convoy, flames emitting from both maws. Fire Convoy raised her arms to block the flames before throwing an arm out to punch the dragon as it closed in on her. Staggering back, Gigatron changed shape again—this time into a bat-like creature—and released a sonic scream. Fire Convoy cried out as the sound assaulted her audio sensors, causing her to drop to her knees. Converting back to his robot mode, Gigatron drew a double-edged blade and struck his opponent in the head with it, knocking her to the ground.

As Gigatron raised his blade to deliver the finishing blow, Fire Convoy grabbed his leg and pulled him down, using all of her strength to throw him to the other side of the room and crash him into his own throne. Not waiting for the disoriented warlord to gather his bearings, Fire Convoy charged towards him, grabbed him from behind, and smashed him into the throne again.

“WHERE IS SHE?!” she roared into Gigatron’s audio receptor.

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,” Gigatron growled.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about! Nearly a hundred years ago, you captured six Autobots. One of them was my sister. Where are they and what have you done to them?”

“Oh.” Gigatron cracked a smile. “Them. You are wasting your time if that’s what you’re after.”

Fire Convoy narrowed her optics as she grabbed Gigatron by the head. “What are you talking about?”

“They’re not here. They never were. I did what I wanted with them a long time ago.”

Fire Convoy let out an enraged scream as she used both hands to lift Gigatron up and throw him to the ground. The Decepticon warlord merely cackled as his Autobot foe stormed over to him.

“I wanted to replicate what Megatron did with his own brother,” Gigatron continued as he pulled himself up. “Not just replicate, but to improve upon. He thought he could bring his brother to heel by simply creating a virus that would control him. But if you really want to control someone, to bend them to your will, then you need to break them first.

“That’s what I did with your sister and her troops. I didn’t just brainwash them into Decepticons; I remade them into Decepticons. As we speak, they are out there conquering worlds in the name of the Decepticon Empire, killing Autobots they once called their brothers.”

Fire Convoy screamed in anger again as she threw her fist at Gigatron’s face. He withstood the punch, and the one after that, and the third one that followed. He was still grinning even as his faceplate became more dented with each strike.

“If you want to be reunited with her that badly, then I will gladly do the same to you,” Gigatron chuckled. “You already have the ferocity of a Decepticon.”

“I will never be one of you,” Fire Convoy growled. “I would sooner die.”

“That can easily be arranged.” Gigatron deployed his double-edged blade again and split the weapon into separate swords. “Now then, are there any more punches you want to get in before I end you once and for all?”

Fire Convoy said nothing as she readied herself into a fighting stance. As Gigatron did the same, he glanced over to where Deadlock was… and froze when he saw that the former Decepticon was no longer there.

“What the—”

Distracted as he was, he did not see Fire Convoy as she charged towards him and threw her body into his. As they fell to the ground, Gigatron frantically transformed to his dragon mode and tried to fly away, only for a bot to drop from the ceiling above and land on top of him.

“Impossible!” Gigatron cried as Deadlock clung onto his head. “How did you get out of your restraints?!”

“Processor-over-matter,” Deadlock replied. “An old Cyber-Ninja trick.”

“A Cyber-Ninja?! Of all the….” With a roar, Gigatron thrashed one of his two dragon heads to throw Deadlock off. The ex-Decepticon performed a backflip off of the warlord and drew a pair of swords as he dropped down onto the dragon’s back, plunging them through Gigatron’s wings. As the warlord howled in fury, Fire Convoy grabbed him by the hind legs and pulled him up before hurling him across the room. He crashed into a wall and fell to the ground. This time, he did not bring himself back up.

Fists clenched, Fire Convoy started to walk over to where the warlord lay only for Deadlock to grab her by the arm.

“Don’t,” he said. “It’s over.”

“It’s not over until I find them,” Fire Convoy muttered.

“Well, you’re not going to find them here. And if you kill him, then you never will.”

Fire Convoy stared at where the unconscious Gigatron laid, her fists still clenched. As Deadlock’s words drifted through her processor, she closed her optics and released a heavy sigh to cool her heating systems.

“You’re right.” She reached behind her back and produced a pair of stasis cuffs, before walking over to Gigatron and placing them over his wrists. She then lifted him up and slung him over her shoulder.

“Let’s go out there and help the others clean the rest up,” she said as she headed out the throne room. “Knowing these Decepticons, they’re morale is going to plummet once they see the state their leader is in….”

*  *  *

“A horrid defeat / Leaves morale low and scarce, yet / Hope can—”

“Oh my god, shut up already,” Mach Alert groused as he led Sky-Byte onto the transport where the other captured Decepticons were waiting. “Save it for your ‘Con buddies and spare me the pain.”

“Hey, we don’t want to hear him either!” griped Gas Skunk. “Can’t you put him on a different transport?”

“I don’t do favors for Decepticons.” Mach Alert shoved Sky-Byte into the ship before pressing the control panel to raise the ramp. “Get comfortable. It’s a long way to Garrus-16.”

The ramp closed and drowned out the continued whines and pleas of the Decepticons within. As the transport started to take off, Mach Alert dusted off his hands and walked over to where Fire Convoy and the others were standing outside the remains of Gigatron’s fortress.

“That’s the last of them on their way to the Iron Hope,” he said. “Still no sign of Hellbat and his goons, I take it?”

“They made like a turbofox as soon as Fire Convoy blasted her way through the outer walls,” said X-Brawn. “They’re probably begging Deathsaurus for forgiveness as we speak.”

“They got off lucky,” said the ex-Decepticon Deadlock, who had helped Fire Convoy defeat Gigatron. “From what I hear, Deathsaurus treats his bots with a bit more respect than most of the warlords.”

Mach Alert glanced at him. “You plan on seeking him out to hide from the D.J.D.?”

Deadlock shook his head. “I want nothing to do with the Decepticons. Not after the things I’ve seen them do.”

Mach Alert glanced at Fire Convoy, who was staring at the ruins of the fortress and not paying their conversation any heed. “Well,” he said quietly, “it’s not for me to say, but you could have a place in our ranks. Fire Convoy tends to be more open to ex-Cons joining our ranks than most Autobot commanders. If you ask her, she might perform the rite of the Autobrand for you. If that’s what you want, of course.”

“I’ll have to give it some thought. Besides, I think she has more pressing matters on her mind right now.”

“No kidding,” muttered Side Burn. “So, are the legends true? Does the Stone Army exist and Gigatron find them?”

“They did exist,” Deadlock said. “They left this planet a long time ago, after I discovered them. I have no idea if they’re still out there, but I doubt they’re still here. Gigatron was wasting his time on this planet.”

“Huh,” said X-Brawn. “Guess they have that in common….”

They all fell silent as Fire Convoy turned around. Her solemn optics fell on Deadlock, who instinctively stood to attention.

“You are welcome to join us in our trip to Garrus-16,” she said to him. “Where you go from there is up to you, whether it is with the Autobots or on your own.”

Deadlock bowed his head. “Thank you, commander. Your offer is a generous one.”

“Don’t mention it.” A hint of levity gleamed in Fire Convoy’s optic. “And no need for such formality. I already get enough of that from Mach Alert.”

Side Burn laughed as Mach Alert huffed in annoyance. “Wow,” the younger Autobot said. “You’ve already got her cracking jokes. Even I can’t do that on my best days! You’ll get along with us fine, Deadlock.”

“Please.” The former Decepticon smiled. “Call me Drift.”

TO BE CONTINUED IN “FALLING IN THE BLACK”

Transformers Regenerated: Tales from the Convoy Corps - Nitro Convoy

 THE ROAD TO HELL: NITRO CONVOY'S TALE

Velocitron, Cycle 9514

On Velocitron, the word “stop” was a foreign one. The best way to get a Velocitronian’s attention and get them to slow down was to get ahead of them and prove yourself to be a faster racer. Naturally, only other Velocitronians were capable of doing this, leaving those not local to the planet having to find some other means to get their attention or to simply just give up.

At least, that was how things normally went. Cybertronians would just give up and not even try to catch up with the Velocitronians. That was how it had always been ever since the colony world joined the Autobot Commonwealth and opened itself up to visitors.

Today was different, however. Today, the Cybertronians were not just making the effort to catch up with their Velocitronian counterparts… but they were actually succeeding.

And trying to run them over.

Clocker prayed to all of the deities he knew the name of as he sped down Velocitron’s never-ending, all-ending roads as he tried to create as much distance as he could between himself and the massive black truck that was on his tail. Such efforts were in vain however as the truck continued to close in on him, honking its horn as it let out a maniacal laugh.

“End of the road for you, ya little dipstick!” Motormaster cackled. “There’s no one around to save you this time!”

Clocker could feel his engine starting to strain from the stress of him accelerating at such high speeds; speeds that his small frame could barely handle. His glowing blue wheels were also beginning to wear out, since they were not exactly made for high-speed chases that spanned pretty much the entire planet. Especially chases that had been going on for nearly an entire day now….

“Give up yet?” Motormaster continued to taunt him. “Sooner or later, your engine will, whether you want it to or not. Then there really will be no escape for you!”

He tried not to listen to the truck. Just keep your eyes on the road, he kept telling himself. As soon as he reached Delta, he would be home—

An explosion suddenly launched him into the air, flinging him several feet across the road he had been traveling. He transformed to robot mode and tucked himself in as he hit the ground, though the impact still did quite a bit of damage to his small body. So much in fact that he was unable to move from where he had landed, all of his joints and pistons aching like hell. The truck slowed down as it reached him, its cab splitting open and unfurling to take on the form of a massive gray robot with cold red optics and a menacing grin. In his hand was a large purple sword that was practically the length of Clocker’s entire body.

“That was fun,” Motormaster said in a low voice. “But all good things must come to an end eventually. As much as I would love to chase you for a few more days, I’ve got other things to attend to.”

He raised his sword above his head, the sun gleaming off its violet finish.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make this as quick and painless as— ARGH!”

The Stunticon lurched back as a blaster bolt exploded against his chest. Clocker’s optics went wide as a gray and red shape came out of nowhere and collided into Motormaster, the force being strong enough to push the Decepticon back a few steps. The figure then bounced off of him and landed right next to Clocker, separating him from his assailant.

“When will you ‘Cons learn,” Nitro Convoy said as he drew a twin-barreled cannon, “to pick on people your own size?”

Motormaster snarled as he reoriented himself. “I should be asking you the same thing, Autobot. What makes you think you’ll fare any better against me than this minibot?”

“The fact that I have a weapon as well as experience in kicking Decepticon aft should be enough,” Nitro Convoy replied.

Motormaster chuckled darkly. “We’ll see about that,” he said as he swung his sword arm down onto Nitro. 

The lithe Autobot ducked to the side, letting the blade strike the ground, as he pointed his weapon at the Stunticon and opened fire. Motormaster growled in annoyance as he raised a large arm to shield himself from the attack. While Nitro Convoy continued to shoot at the large Decepticon, he looked over to where Clocker was laying.

“Get out of here, kid! I’ll hold him off, but it won’t be for long.”

Clocker groaned as he struggled to get up. “I… can’t. Can barely… feel my transformation cog….”

“Ah, scrap.” Raising a hand to his helm, Nitro said, “Convoy to all available units. I’ve got an injured civilian here. Can someone come and pick him up while I try to deal with—”

He let out a cry as Motormaster swung out an arm and knocked his weapon out of his hands. The Stunticon then raised his sword and brought it down onto the Autobot, delivering a slash across his chestplate.

“NO!” Clocker cried out as he watched Nitro Convoy crumple to the ground, unmoving.

As Motormaster cackled with laughter, he turned his sights back onto Clocker. A ruthless grin split across his face as he stormed towards the wounded Velocitronian, gripping his sword with both hands as he prepared to deliver the fatal blow. Left with no other option, Clocker closed his optics and prepared for the end.

“There is no need to fear death, little one,” Motormaster rumbled. “We all must die some— …eh?”

Clocker dared to open his eyes and saw Motormaster still standing over him, a look of confusion on his face. The Stunticon lowered his sword and raised a hand to his helm’s comm unit.

“Are you kidding me? I was just getting started! Do you have any idea how— …eh? Say that again? Well, why didn’t you just say so?!”

Before Clocker could speculate as to what the topic of conversation even was, Motormaster transformed back into his truck mode and peeled away, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust in his wake. No more than a few minutes had passed after the Stunticon’s departure when Clocker the sound of car engines fast approaching him and the injured Nitro Convoy.

“There they are!” a voice called out. “I see them!”

A blue blur shot passed him, transforming into a slender robot as he rushed over to where Nitro lay. He was soon joined by three other cars, who converted to robot mode as well. While one joined the blue one in attending Nitro, the other two made their way over to Clocker.

“Did you get hurt bad, pal?” asked a bot in yellow and blue, his armor plating suggesting a dragster alternate mode.

“No,” Clocker muttered. “Just had a nasty fall. Nitro Convoy is worse off than me.”

“Even so, we need to get both of you to a repair shop, asap,” said a teal and red Autobot. “Hopefully Thunderclash is nearby so he can help us carry them back to Delta.”

As the pair helped Clocker to his feet, the Velocitronian looked up to see the other two Autobots doing the same for Nitro Convoy. Thankfully, Clocker’s savior was still functioning; however, the expression on his face made him look as gaunt and empty as any lifeless body Clocker had seen.

It would be an image that would haunt him for years to come.

*  *  *

“I could have stopped him. He was right there. I could have stopped him.”

“This isn’t gonna be a new mantra of yours, is it?” grumbled the small green and white bot as he patched up Nitro Convoy. “’Cos it’s already starting to get old.”

“I can’t help it, Autolander,” Nitro replied, laying on his repair berth. “I know I’m better than this. I’ve done better! I’m one of the few to have looked a Destructon in the eye and live! And yet I get my actuator handed to me by a freaking Stunticon.”

“Motormaster is pretty much in his element here,” pointed out Getaway, standing nearby with his fellow Autobots Slapdash and Joyride. “He and his Stunticons are all about ruling the streets, and Velocitron is… well, its all streets.”

“Even so, this is my home,” Nitro Convoy said. “The Stunticons — as well as you guys — are all from Cybertron, and no offense, but you guys aren’t exactly the fastest bots in the universe. Fast for Cybertronians, maybe, but not fast enough for Velocitron. But Motormaster… he was driving at speeds that I didn’t think Cybertronians were capable of. He was practically tailing poor Clocker.”

“To be fair, Clocker isn’t exactly the fastest among Velocitronians either,” Autolander said, eying the small white and orange bot who laid on a repair slab across from Nitro.

But Nitro shook his head. “No, there’s something going on here. The speeds Motormaster was driving at were simply not possible for a Cybertronian… at least not without enhancements.”

“Enhancements, huh?” Autolander paused in his work to scratch his chin. “Y’know, I have heard some scuttlebutt about some illegal trading going on in the Underroad. My brother Brakedown overheard some folks talking about it at the fueling station he works at. It’s possible that some of those black market bots are selling some kind of tech to the Decepticons to give them an edge in their campaign.”

“The Underroad, huh?” Nitro’s optics lit up with interest. “That sounds like something worth looking into.”

Autolander gave him a disapproving look. “I wouldn’t go there, lad. Even for a bot like you, the Underroad is a dangerous place. There’s all sorts of trouble you could find yourself winding up. Why, there’s stories I could tell you from my days as a young racer myself.”

“Oh, spark, please don’t,” said Slapdash, covering his audio sensors with his hands. “Listening to Kup drone on is bad enough. Hell, you’ve even got his colors!”

“Sounds like someone I could get along well with,” Autolander said. “Anyways, even if you did go into the Underroad, I’m sure Motormaster’s given them your description by now. They would recognize you in a nanoklik.”

Nitro smirked. “Not if I get a different paint job.”

“That’s not gonna—”

“My body-type is pretty commonplace here on Velocitron, Autolander. My sister Override’s got it. There’s also that fangirl of mine — I forget her name — she even goes around wearing my colors!”

“That’s not creepy at all,” Getaway muttered.

Autolander sighed. “Well, if you’re really set on doing this, I’ll set you up with Excellion for a makeover. I still think this is dangerous.”

“Yeah, but you can’t really stop me, can you?” Nitro quipped.

“I don’t think anyone can….”

*  *  *

“This had better not be a ploy, Ransack.”

“Hey, relax!” The small red motorbike-bot held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I know better than to cross you guys. ‘Specially after I saw what you did to that one guy. I don’t think that poor sod’s ever gonna get his fuel pump realigned, eh, Crumplezone?”

“Nope,” replied the large green mech.

The pair and their benefactors stood in the shadows of the Navitas Overpass. The area which laid beneath the roads of Velocitron, seldom trodden by the natives, was collectively known as “the Underroad,” where seedy criminals and shady bots like Ransack and Crumplezone made illicit deals and trades to get their servos on illegal enhancements that would give them boosts in the races above. While none of these enhancements would ever get the bots that operated the Speedia 500, the race which determined the leader of Velocitron, it often slipped under the radar of those running smaller races, allowing the duo to compete and win and get away with their earnings.

Today, however, these very enhancements were going to be used to help the Decepticons win a war. Neither Ransack nor Crumplezone knew how exactly that was going to work, but neither of them really cared enough to question it. So long as it resulted them in getting compensated, that was all that mattered.

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy to get my hands on this,” Ransack said as he hefted the large case of energon boosters, setting it down at Motormaster’s feet. “The Dirt Boss drives a hard bargain, and I’ve already had to donate a quarter of fuel just to keep him happy.”

“Wait a minute, did you say ‘Dirt Boss?’” asked one of Motormaster’s Stunticons, a twitchy white and blue bot named Breakdown. “What’s a Constructicon doing on a planet of race cars?”

“Different Dirt Boss, moron,” muttered Dead End, a red and black Stunticon. “Velocitronians don’t need to keep track of what names are already taken on Cybertron.”

“Yeah, besides, don’t we already know, like, ten different Ransacks?” said the yellow and purple Drag Strip.

Ransack cleared his processor. “Yeah, well, his real name’s Inch-Up, anyway,” he murmured. “Anyways, that’ll be fifty thousand credits.”

“Fifty thousand?!” rumbled Motormaster, his red optics flaring. “We agreed to twenty-five!”

“That was the cost for the boosters,” Ransack said, his mouth twitching into a smirk. “The additional twenty-five is compensation for my acquisition of the boosters. I mean, I’ve gotta make a profit somehow, right? You’re not just placing the money I’ve already spent back into my account.”

“You’ll be lucky to exit this transaction with your spark chamber intact,” Motormaster growled. “Make it thirty thousand.”

“Thirty thousand? Are you kidding me?” Ransack looked up at Crumplezone. “These guys can’t be serious. Can they? No, it’s gotta be a joke. This must be what Cybertronians thinks jokes are.”

“Fifteen thousand,” Motormaster snapped, taking a large step towards Ransack which caused the small red bot to yelp in fear. “Plus you and your friend's lives. Coming from me, that’s a deal of a lifetime.”

“It really is,” cackled the gray and red Stunticon known as Wildrider. “Seriously, you should’ve seen the last guy who tried to bargain with him. I don’t think they’ve found all their parts yet.”

Shaking, Ransack looked back up at his partner. “I think fifteen thousand sounds good, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Crumplezone said meekly. Evidently his size and fanged jaw were just for looks. “Yeah, fifteen thousand is good. Great, actually.”

Motormaster grinned. “Excellent. Dead End, transfer the money to their accounts.” He then reached down for the case and picked it up, opening it to admire the contents within.

“The roads will be ours, boys,” the Stunticon leader said. “The Autobots won’t know what hit them.”

*  *  *

“Motormaster, eh?” The purple and green bot leaned against the support beam of the overpass he was standing under, eying the sleek black and blue bot standing across from him. “That’s an odd name to bring up. Why do you think I would know anything about them?”

The mysterious bot shrugged. “Sounds like someone you’d get along with. You do call yourself ‘the Dirt Boss,’ don’t you?”

The purple bot laughed. “Ah, my reputation precedes me! Most people on Velocitron just know me as Inch-Up; only my brothers and sisters here in the Underroad call me Dirt Boss.” He narrowed his optics skeptically. “Though I can’t say I’ve ever seen you around these parts before.”

“I’ve been around; you’ve probably seen me before in a different body-type. I like to… change things up now and then. Keeps people off my trail, you know?”

Dirt Boss chuckled. “You sound like my kind of bot. If you’re looking for a job, I’ve got some available positions for ya. I’m sure we’d get along fine.”

“I’ll consider it,” the stranger said. “But first, I need to know about Motormaster.”

“I don’t know him.”

The stranger showed him a handful of credit chips. “I think you do.”

Dirt Boss’ optics practically bugged out as he counted the amount in the stranger’s hands. After recomposing himself, he straightened up and took the credits from the stranger’s hand.

“You didn’t hear it from me,” he said in a low voice, “but Motormaster and his Stunticons are using energon boosters to get an upper hand in their campaign against the Autobots here. No idea how exactly they plan on using them.”

“Any idea where they are now?” the stranger asked.

“I may have heard rumors that they’re gathering near the outskirts of Delta. But they’re just that though: rumors. Make of it what you will but don’t take my word for it.”

The stranger smiled, something which unsettled Dirt Boss for some reason. “Thank you for your help. And I promise to consider your offer.”

With that, he transformed and peeled off into the night, kicking up dust in his wake.

*  *  *

“Did he say when he would be back?”

Joyride shook his head as he adjusted the scope of his blaster rifle, situated on a ledge that extended from Delta’s capitol building. “I don’t believe so.”

Getaway frowned behind his faceplate. He looked down from the ledge, watching as his fellow Autobots and their Velocitronian allies went about setting up defenses for the city of Delta. They had just received a call from Nitro Convoy, telling them that the Stunticons were planning on storming the city and were using energon boosters to increase their speed. However, while their commander had given them directions on how to prepare for the Stunticons’ arrival, he had not said when he would be returning to Delta to help them, if at all. It was Primus’ guess as to what the Convoy was even thinking.

After a moment, Getaway said, “You don’t think he’s doing anything stupid, do you?”

“Define ‘stupid,’” Joyride replied.

“I just mean… he was pretty worked up about that incident with Motormaster. Kept kicking himself over it and everything. Do you think he would try to get even with them or something?”

“Do you?”

Getaway thought for a moment. “Honestly? Yeah, I do.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s what I would do.”

From down below, a red and teal Autobot approached the ledge that Getaway and Joyride were standing on. As leader of the Axelerators unit, Rapido was next in line of command of the Velocitronian-based Autobots after Nitro Convoy. He even took precedence over Thunderclash which Getaway found strange, though he wondered if that had to do with Thunderclash being a humble bot who preferred not to embrace the hype surrounding him whereas Rapido… wasn’t so much.

“Have you two finished setting up defenses?” Rapido called up to them.

“Just about,” answered Joyride.

“Good, because Windbreaker’s just spotted the Stunticons on his macro-binoculars. They’re approaching pretty fast, so be ready to start firing at any moment.”

After making some final adjustments to his weapon, Joyride got down on his chestplate and situated his weapon on the edge of the ledge. Getaway crouched down beside him, raising his own rifle as he peered through its scope. He twisted a knob to get a better visual of what was up ahead and quickly saw exactly what Rapido had said: all five Stunticons roaring down the road that lead into Delta, moving at speeds that were unusual of typical Cybertronians.

“Battle positions, everyone!” Rapido called out. “Vroom, take the left flank! Skram, Turbofire, you take the right! Thunderclash, you and your team—”

The rest of his orders were drowned out as the Stunticons came roaring into the Velocitronian city. In the lead was Motormaster, his giant truck form barreling towards Rapido and colliding into the red and cyan Autobot commander. Skram and Turbofire quickly abandoned the orders they had been given and moved to help their leader only to be tackled from behind by a crazed Wildrider. Without awaiting for any further commands, Getaway and Joyride opened on fire on any Stunticon that entered their line of sight. A golden blur passed before Getaway’s optics and before he knew it both he and Joyride were falling from the ledge they had been perched on, crashing into the ground below.

As Getaway struggled to pull himself back up, the golden blur returned and slowed down enough for him to make out a yellow and purple Decepticon standing in front of him, a cruel grin on his faceplate.

“Bet you didn’t see that one coming,” Drag Strip cackled.

Getaway groaned as he struggled to raise his weapon at the Stunticon. Before he could properly aim it, Drag Strip was gone in a flash. Looking around, Getaway saw that his comrades were faring no better; Vroom was driving around in circles with a crimson blur that was likely Dead End; Windbreaker and Slapdash had been brought down by a hyperactive Breakdown; and Thunderclash was standing his ground against Motormaster, only to then be brought down by a large purple sword coming out of the black blur that was the Stunticon leader.

“Give it up, Autobots!” Motormaster bellowed. “The roads of Velocitron are ours! You are not fast enough to stop us!”

“They might not be,” a voice called out. “But we are!”

Out of the blue came even more colored blurs that Getaway’s processor could not slow down enough to actually process. The Stunticons’ cheers of victory quickly turned into cries of surprise as they were knocked this way and that, spinning around in circles as they were chased by these new fast-moving bots. As Breakdown ran past him, Getaway got a close enough look at the red blur chasing him to make him out to be the bot known as Excellion.

“You Stunticons may be fast,” the voice that had spoken earlier continued; only now did Getaway realize that it was none other than the voice of Nitro Convoy. “But your speed is artificial, not natural. Artificial…”

Wildrider let out a cry as he tripped on his feet and fell face-first onto the ground, allowing his pursuer Hightail to apprehend him.

“…and temporary!”

Almost at once, the Stunticons began to gradually slow to normal speeds, allowing the Velocitronian reinforcements to quickly overwhelm them. One by one, Breakdown, Dead End, Drag Strip and Wildrider were quickly dispatched, leaving Motormaster as the last one standing. Gripping his sword in both hands, the Stunticon leader scowled as the Velocitronians all came to a stop to stand before him, with a sleek black and blue bot standing front and center.

“If you want to rule the roads,” Nitro Convoy said, “then you have to play by the rules. Here on Velocitron, there are only two: Be fast, and no cheating.”

“Screw your rules!” Motormaster snarled. “I don’t need to be fast or to cheat! I can win just by crushing you all with my bare hands!”

“You can try that,” Nitro Convoy said with a smirk. “But you’d have to catch us first.”

“Yeah,” said Blurr, grinning widely. “All of us.”

Motormaster narrowed his optics as he looked from one Velocitronian to another. He then looked over to where his four Stunticons laid, with Getaway and the other Autobots now standing over them. His face then twisted into a scowl as he sheathed his sword.

“This isn’t over,” he growled. “I’ll be back, this time with reinforcements. Then you will all rue the day you trifled with the Motormaster!”

“Okay,” Nitro Convoy shrugged. “Just make it snappy. We Velocitronians tend to get impatient pretty quickly.”

“Especially when around you slow and cumbersome Cybertronians,” Excellion said, feigning a yawn.

With one last glare, Motormaster transformed into his truck mode and drove away, kicking up a cloud of fumes in his wake. The gathered Autobots and Velocitronians watched him depart from the city before directing their attention to the four captured Stunticons. Nitro Convoy walked over to them and got down onto one knee, flashing a grin.

“Bet you didn’t see that one coming.”

“Go frag yourself,” Drag Strip muttered.

*  *  *

Motormaster had not been lying. A matter of days after the Stunticons’ defeat, the Decepticons returned with reinforcements led by General Clench. They proceeded to assault the city of Delta, a disastrous battle during which the other four Stunticons were liberated and rejoined with their leader. While the Autobots were eventually able to turn the tide in their favor and drive the Decepticons off… by that point, there was little left of the city that was still worth protecting.

While the central building was still mostly intact, save for a few dents and scratches, all of the roads leading to it had collapsed in on themselves and any buildings that had been on the city perimeters had been obliterated. Across the planet, several other roads and settlements had suffered the same fate, if not worse. While such roads and buildings could be repaired, it would be a process that would take several years, even for as fast as how Velocitronians typically moved.

Nitro Convoy stood on the edge of a slope that oversaw the ruins of Delta, a grim expression on his face. Hearing the sound of footsteps from behind, he turned around to see the Autobot commander Thunderclash approaching him.

“We’re all set and ready to go,” said the white and teal Autobot. “You coming?”

Nitro Convoy shook his head. “No. I’m staying.”

Thunderclash’s optics widened in surprise. “You are? Why?”

“This is my home, Thunderclash.” Nitro Convoy gestured to the ruined city below. “This is my home and I let it get ravaged by the Decepticons. I could have prevented all of this if it wasn’t for my arrogance.”

“Come now, Nitro. You couldn’t have predicted any of this. No one could have. You can’t be too hard on yourself for something like this.”

Nitro shook his head. “In any case, it’s time for me to take a break from being a ‘valiant war hero’ or whatever it is I’ve been doing for the past seven hundred years. It’s time for me to actually makes a difference that matters not only to myself but to my people.”

Thunderclash inclined his head in acceptance. “If that is your desire, then I shall not dissuade you from your decision. I take it that this is goodbye, then?”

“Yes. At least for now.“ Nitro transformed into his race car form, revving up his engine. “Tell Optimus that it’s been an honor serving under him… but I have a city to repair.”

With that, he drove down the slope and sped his way back towards the city of Delta, never once looking back.