Transformers: Beginning and End

[Enigma]

I'm sure there were two. Starscream using Megs in gun form attacked one and the rest attacked the other.

[Imperial Overlord]

SideNote on Starscream. When does Starscream ever just "say" something? He mocks, he snarks, he retorts snidely. He slyly insults, he rants, he screams. "Said" just doesn't work with his personality

Yes, it does. He does plenty of insulting, ranting, and etcetera but said works just fine for much of his speach.

OK.. next question: How many Guardian Robots were there?

Did you actually read the installment? There's clearly two.

[LadyTevar]

OK.. next question: How many Guardian Robots were there?

Did you actually read the installment? There's clearly two.

That's funny... because if you read the passages I quoted, Megs knocks one over, Deathstrike knocks one over... and then you write that a Guardian topples over again.

That's 3 times a Guardian topples, without anything saying one of the two gets back up. So did you fix that part, or are you not seeing it?

[Imperial Overlord]

That's 3 times a Guardian topples, without anything saying one of the two gets back up. So did you fix that part, or are you not seeing it?

The story refers to two Guardians multiple times.

"A dozen Decepticons, a gun turret suspended from the roof, and a two Guardian Robots. I see Megatron's ruse was totally convincing."

"Guardians can be defeated. Do you want the one on the left or the one on the right?" asked Deathstrike.

"I'll take left," said Starscream. "Get your menagerie ready for battle Soundwave. This is going to be rough."

"For them," said Sixshot. He raised both of his blaster rifles. "Astrotrain, stand by to open your side doors."

"When I do, everyone bails, because I'll be transforming. No way that I'm staying a big target," said the triple changer.

Astrotrain coasted into the docking bay. Two massive Guardian Robots stood at the far end.

The number of Guardian's is established to be two not once, not twice, but three times in the quoted passage.


I admit I should have been clearer about Deathstrike's getting back up again as it is implied but not directly stated.

[LadyTevar]

That's what I wanted to know, did one get back up.

[Imperial Overlord]

The blast door exploded inward with a roar, sending the Decepticons on the other side sprawling. Sixshot leapt through the breach, a rifle blazing in each hand. Two Decepticons fell smoking before they even knew what hit them. A line of violet light slashed through the air, slicing open two downed robots. Sixshot's guns fired again and were then silent.

Megatron walked through the smoke, Deathstrike at his side. Heat distortions danced around the flyer's laser as the cannon cooled. "Bah," said Starscream, following in Megatron's wake. "Garrison scrubs against the Decepticon elite. These aren't worthy of our time Megatron."

Ravage leapt out and "sniffed" around the bodies of the fallen. He snarled and tore at one, ripping out servos and severing the power train. Megatron's orders were that survivors would be allowed to account for their actions to their leader, but none of the fallen were to be left in shape to fight.

"Megatron," said Soundwave, trailing behind Starscream.

"What is it Soundwave?" asked Megatron as he turned back to address Soundwave in a nonchalant manner.

"Communications traffic indicates reinforcement have been deployed from the surface. The space elevator is rising."

Megatron laughed. "Not exactly Cybertron's best and brightest eh Soundwave?" The Decepticon leader turned and fired his fusion cannon into the wall. He then aimed at the far wall of the now exposed corridor. The fusion cannon blast blew debris into space. The air howled around them as it rushed out the vent. Megatron strode forward. "Starscream, time for some precision shooting."

"With pleasure oh mighty leader," replied Starscream. Megatron transformed into pistol form and landed in Starscream's hand. In this form the majority of Megatron's system resources were given over to two functions: generating the fusion beam and targeting. Starscream leaned out out hole of the space station and into the void. To the side and trailing beneath him was the shaft of the space elevator.

"Don't target the struts," said Megatron, "just the elevator."

"Of course glorious leader," replied Starscream. "I could have never figured that out without your sage advice." He leveled the targeting scope to his optic and let the targeting array feed into his own systems. He pointed Megatron down into the darkness near the base of the planetoid. His arm slid a tenth of a centimeter as he corrected his aim. "Good-bye fools." He pulled the trigger.

A beam of violet light flashed through the void. Down below six Decepticon heavy cavalry models were riding the elevator up. "They've got to have blown processors," said Mangle as he double checked his rifle. "Attacking here?"

"They've got Guardians up there," said Teardown. "Maybe they got hit real hard. We should be ready for a fight."

"Who coul-." Mangle's words were cut off by the elevator's explosion. Wounded Decepticons tumbled through the planetoid's thin atmosphere and towards the surface below. Four of them managed to right themselves in time and slow their falls. The other two slammed into the surface. "Oh scrap," said Mangle.

Teardown floated nearby. None of them were fast flyers, one of the reasons they had taken the elevator car. "Maybe we should sit this one out."

"Maybe."

Megatron flew up out of Starscream's hand and transformed. "So much for them." He strode through the station until he reached the next armoured door.

"That is the command center Megatron."

"Patch me into their communications Soundwave."

"As you command Megatron," Soundwave replied in his customary monotone.

On the other side of the door three Casseticons had their guns trained on the door while a Vehicon and an Overseer stood behind them. "Slaves of Straxus, this is Megatron, rightful leader of the Decepticons. Surrrender yourselves and your databases to me and I will be merciful. Defy me and you will suffer the fate of all traitors. You have one hundred astroseconds to comply."

"What are we gunna do boss?" asked one of the Casseticons.

"We will resist," said the Vehicon. His carbine was pointed at the door and the doors on his shoulder mounted missile launcher where open. "We have reinforcements coming from the planet and if they try to come through that door we'll hit them with enough firepower to blow them to microfragments. We just need to hold out."

"It's Megatron," said another Casseticon. "We're all going to die."

"Silence!" roared the Vehicon. "Stand your ground!"

"Rollback," said the Overseer.

"Yes Blackout?" he replied.

Blackout's energy cannon arm swung over to point at the Vehicon. There was a flash and a blast of violet light smashed the Vehicon to the floor. Blackout's shoulder mounted autocannon chattered, sending explosive shells into the hole blasted in the Vehicon's chassis.

"Anyone else want to fight to the death?" The Casseticons shook their heads. "Lord Megatron, we surrender."

[LadyTevar]

Is it bad that I hear Frank Welken's voice when reading these posts?

[Imperial Overlord]

Fringe of the Orion Arm, Now

Unicron coasted passed the barren rocks that were the planets that orbited the star. The blazing stellar furnace filled the space in front of the ancient and terrible death machine, warming Unicron's cold and lifeless surface. The merciless artificial planet passed an invisible line, a line that was the product of calculations performed days earlier. A nightmarish set of mandibles flexed. A great metal maw began to yawn open.

Monstrous metal teeth slowly flexed open, revealing an aperture large enough to swallow a moon. The mandibles flared to full extension, golden lightning gathering at their tips. A light appeared in the infinite darkness of the Unicron's gaping maw. A torrent of cataclysmic energy poured forth.

The mandibles directed and focused the energy stream as it flooded toward the star. At lightspeed it took more than a minute for the beam to cross the void and strike the photosphere. The surface of the star seethed and boiled in a five thousand kilometer radius around the impact point. For several more minutes nothing more seemed to happen. Unicron continued to direct the beam into the star.

Prominences and flares began to violently erupt near the impact zone and spread over the star's surface. The solar wind heightened to a gale that would scourge the life from any nearby world. Within a few more minutes the whole photosphere bubbled like pot set out to boil. Power began to flood back through Unicron's beam. He drank deeply.

Pieces of the photosphere were blown off into space. Unicron continued to drink. The Corona flared to twice its normal size and then tore itself apart. Unicron continued to drink. The remainder of the photosphere was blown apart in an explosion that would sterilize all the planets of the inner system. Unicron's outer surface grew hot as he bathed in the energies of the star's death. The remainder of the star contracted upon itself in a process that took three days. Unicron continued to rape energy from the star. Finally the contraction ended. The star exploded.

His energy banks full, Unicron drifted through the the expanding wave front of radiation that heralded the star's annihilation. Stellar debris buffeted him and scarred his surface, but none of the damage was consequential. He tore apart a seared and scorched planet for the raw materials to begin repairs and then vanished into hyperspace.

[LadyTevar]

*cued up theme from "Jaws"*

you know he needs something menacing in the background.