From: mavai@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr M J McVay)
Newsgroups: alt.toys.transformers
Subject: UK Comic Plot Synopsis (not fanfic)
Date: 22 Jan 1996 10:28:07 -0000
Organization: University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

(Includes material not in previous post.)

#############################################################################
# The following is a full account of the Transformers war as told by the    #
# Transformers comics, i.e. the familiar US comic plot plus less well       #
# documented events from the UK comic. None of the events listed here are   #
# based on fan fiction. Adapted by Martin McVay from an article by Graham   #
# Thomson in Transmasters Universe.                                         #
#############################################################################

The Dark 'God' Unicron survived the creaton of the universe and began to
destroy it world by world. The universe's sentient core created a
Light 'God' called Primus, to defend against Unicron. They fought, and,
after drawing Unicron to the astral plane because their battle in the
physical world was destroying the life he sought to protect, Primus tricked
his enemy, and both their essences became trapped inside a pair of
asteroids. Over billions of years, Unicron reshaped his prison into a
planet-devouring metal moon which could transform at will into a huge robot.
Primus reshaped his into a metal world called Cybertron. He created a
race of robots which grew in number and evolved through a form of
biomorphic reproduction. Eventually, Primus locked this ability away and
gave the first Autobot Overlord, Prima, the Creaton Matrix, which, other than
an extension of it called the Matrix Flame, was the only remaining way to
create new robot life.

The Autobots lived in peace and harmony with each other until some time
late in the rule of the third Overlord, Sentinel Prime (the second being
Prime Nova). As this last Overlord grew old and weak, the city states of
Cybertron slowly split from each other, creating separate armies. There
also began the State Games, a form of gladiatorial combat in which the
champions of each city state fought each other in the arena. The 2nd- and
3rd-largest city states, Tarn (ruled by Shockwave) and Vos (ruled by
Starscream) eventually went to war with each other when a team of saboteurs
from Vos failed in an attempt to destroy a Tarnian power plant and blame
it on the Iaconians. (They succeeded in destroying the plant, but found
that they, not Iacon, were now at war with Tarn.) Tarn and Vos destroyed
each other with proton missiles.

Seeing how the balance of power was shifting, Tarn's chief gladiator,
Megatron, while crossing a battle zone with Iacon's champion (who would
become known as Optimus Prime), the Overlord and his two bodyguards,
Ravage and Nightstalker, obtained a fusion cannon from some soldiers
that had attacked them. Nightstalker self-destructed, killing the
attackers. While Optimus was seeking a way to cross a demolished
expressway, Megatron let the decaying Overlord pass away from lack of fuel.
Sentinel Prime's last sight was Ravage walking over to Megatron's side.

Megatron united the survivors of Vos and Tarn, and directed their anger
at the largest city state, Iacon, accusing the Elders of standing by as the
two cities annihilated each other without attempting to stop it.

In the year 549 [Cybertron time - conjecture: cycles around Alpha
Centauri since Sentinel Prime gave up the Matrix for safekeeping in Iacon],
Megatron founded the Decepticon Movement. The Decepticons were
rogue Autobots, and, because they were so few in number, were ignored by the
Council of Autobot Elders in Iacon. Secretly, the Decepticons grew in number,
trading their Autobot symbols for the dreaded insignia of the Decepticons.
Megatron, helped by Soundwave and Shockwave (other founder members of the
Decepticons) persuaded many Autobots that the peace-loving rulers of
Cybertron should be vanquished, and, in their place, conquest and
destruction. Megatron's dream was to rebuild Cybertron into a massive space
cruiser with which he would conquer the Galaxy.

Megatron gave the Decepticons a new ability - to transform into vehicles
and weaponry, greatly enhancing their potential for destruction.

The initial attack destroyed millions of Autobots, and many of their city
states. Autobot counter-attacks were executed rapidly, but were useless
against the Decepticon onslaught. The great war was fought so violently that
it shook Cybertron out of its orbit and sent it plummeting through space.
Whether or not Megatron was partly responsible is still unknown, but a
prototype planetary drive was discovered beneath the city state of Kalis much
later. The council of Autobot Elders agreed that they would fare better
against the Decepticons if they fought like warriors and not politicians. An
Autobot known as Optimus Prime rose within their ranks. As a junior officer
he stopped Megatron from capturing the Underbase's store of knowledge by
launching it into space. (The Autobots had by now also given themselves the
ability to transform.)

Optimus was put in charge of the Autobots' Elite Flying Corps. At one time
he saved the life of an Autobot called Divebomb (later known as Swoop) who
had been trying to avenge the insult of a Decepticon that had defeated him
and taken his name (later to become a Predacon). Divebomb always resented
his commanding officer, and attempted to cover up what had actually happened.

In the year 820 [Cybertron time] General Traachon gave Optimus Prime complete
control of the Autobot army, and the sacred Creation Matrix. Alongside the
likes of Prowl, Bluestreak, Gears and Windcharger, he halted Megatron's
advance into Iacon.

The Autobots Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Inferno and Stampede
went on a mission to what would become known as the Acid Wastes. There they
faced a Decepticon tyrant called Megadeath, and his lieutenant Thunderwing,
a prototype Pretender. The mission ended in disaster. Stampede was killed,
and the neutral citizens were wiped out in a nuclear explosion. This would
haunt the Autobots who made it out for years to come.

Under Optimus Prime's leadership, the Autobots turned the tide of the war. But
the battle still raged on for a thousand years until Cybertron was threatened
from without as well as from within. Autobot scientists discovered that
Cybertron's wayward course placed it in the path of a giant asteroid belt.

To save Cybertron, Optimus Prime had the Autobots construct a vast spacecraft
known as the Ark. The most powerful and resourceful Autobots were led by
Prime into space. For weeks the Ark carved a path for Cybertron through the
asteroid belt. Finally Cybertron was safe. Unbeknown to the Autobots,
Megatron had observed their efforts and knew that when their task was
complete, the Autobots would be exhausted. Megatron and an elite squad of
Decepticons launched their own craft into space in pursuit of the Autobots.

The Decepticons' surprise attack cut a path of death and destruction through
the Ark. Rather than allow Megatron his victory, Optimus Prime set the Ark
on a suicidal crash-course towards a nearby planet. He had hoped his
sacrifice would destroy Megatron and give the Autobots back on Cybertron a
fighting chance. The Ark crash landed on a planet that millions of years later
would become known as Earth. Shockwave, the Decepticon Military Operations
Commander, had observed the Ark's planetfall and followed curiously. The
Ark's last functioning sensors recognised Shockwave as a threat and
reanimated five Autobots to combat him. These Autobots, known as Dinobots,
were modified to transform into likenesses of what the Ark had perceived as
Earth's dominant lifeforms - dinosaurs. The Dinobots, Swoop, Slag, Snarl,
Sludge and their leader, Grimlock, battled Shockwave in the still-prehistoric
Savage Land and managed to bury him under tonnes of rock. The Dinobots
themselves fell into a tar-pit and were dragged under the surface.

On Cybertron, the young War-Lord Trannis took command of the Decepticons
and recaptured all the territory lost to Optimus Prime. When he reached
Iacon, he chose not to continue the siege, and instead levelled the city.
The Elders surrendered and were subsequently executed. Only Emirate Xaaron
escaped with a hundred followers to continue the resistance movement.
Xaaron's elite commando team, the Wreckers (Impactor, Rack'n'Ruin,
Top Spin, Twin Twist, Roadbuster and Whirl) assassinated Trannis, but he
was replaced by Lord Straxus, ruler of the Decepticon capital Polyhex.

Meanwhile, another Decepticon leader, Jhiaxus, led his armies away from
Cybertron. Under the overall leadership of an evil entity known as the Liege
Maximo, Jhiaxus and other Liege Centuros like him began colonising and
Cyberforming other worlds, creating a new Cybertronian Empire where there
had previously been carbon-based life. This was not known at the time to
those who remained on Cybertron. The Empire also rediscovered biomorphic
reproduction, and spread to conquer worlds in other galaxies.

Four million years later on Earth, a freak volcanic eruption re-energised the
circuits of the Ark. Its computer, Auntie,  sent out a drone to search for
signs of life. The drone mistook Earthen vehicles for the dominant life form
and so revived both the Autobots and the Decepticons and gave them the ability
to transform into likenesses of Earthen machinery, enabling them to disguise
them selves on this strange new world.

Autobots: Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Ratchet,
Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Hound, Mirage, Trailbreaker, Bumblebee,
Cliffjumper, Huffer, Brawn, Gears, Windcharger.
Decepticons: Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker,
Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy.

The Autobots and Decepticons first fought at a drive-in cinema. Then the
Autobot Bumblebee established their first link with the humans Buster and
Sparkplug Witwicky. Megatron and his followers built a fortress from parts
of a nuclear power plant they attacked, and then kidnapped Sparkplug
Witwicky to extract his fuel-conversion process, whereby Transformers could
use Terran fuels. After a battle in England over an Autobot rescue craft
buried beneath a castle, and the Decepticons' assault on Sherman Dam,
the Autobots rescued Sparkplug. But the Decepticons had already gained the
fuel conversion formula. The Decepticon Starscream fought the Autobot
Brawn in a test of their loyalties [Red Alert appeared here - conjecture:
he was not repaired by the Ark at the same time as all the others], and then
Megatron chose to launch his attack on the Autobots based at the Ark. The
first attempt was aborted due to the intervention of Auntie, and the second
failed when Sparkplug's corrosive fuel kicked in, rendering all the
Decepticons inoperative.

After four million years of being buried under tonnes of rock, Shockwave was
awakened (albeit accidentally) by an Autobot probe. He made his presence
known first to the surviving Autobots by destroying them!

Shockwave then took control of the Decepticons, who had been deactivated by
the corrosive fuel. The ex-Decepticon commander, Megatron, awoke to see the
entire Autobot army hung up like slabs of meat in the Ark, and worse -
Shockwave in command. Only one Autobot, Ratchet, had escaped Shockwave's
tyranny. He and the human Buster Witwicky infiltrated the Ark in the hope
of rescuing the Autobots. They found Optimus Prime (minus his body), and
Buster agreed to have the Matrix transferred to his mind to stop Shockwave
from perverting it. Meanwhile, Megatron tried to gain leadership from
Shockwave, but failed miserably. Ratchet, desperate to free his Autobot
comrades, struck a deal with Megatron. He would destroy (using the Dinobots)
Shockwave in exchange for the freedom of the captive Autobots. After what
seemed like eternity, Ratchet finally found and revived the Dinobots. Ratchet
knew, however, that Megatron would not keep his side of the bargain. He
transmitted images to Megatron from Slag's memory, of the Dinobots defeating
Shockwave - four million years ago! Believing Shockwave to be dead, Megatron
met Ratchet and admitted that he never meant to honour his side of the deal.
Ratchet was prepared for that and ordered the Dinobots to attack. Megatron
was sent over the edge of a cliff and disappeared within a deep snow drift.

After defeating Megatron, Ratchet and the Dinobots made their way back to
the Ark. On the way, Grimlock encountered his first human, and couldn't
understand why humans were scared of all Transformers (not just the
Decepticons). Ratchet then had to explain about the incident at Sherman
Dam. He explained how the Decepticons tried to take the dam in order to
convert the electricity it produced into a usable fuel. Only the intervention
of Optimus Prime and the Autobots prevented this, and their actions saved
hundreds of human lives. Unfortunately, the humans were not at all grateful.
They could not distinguish the difference between Autobot and Decepticon. The
humans' prejudice and mistrust angered many of the Autobots, but there was
nothing they could do.

As the Dinobots neared Mount St. Hilary, Swoop flew on ahead against
Ratchet's advice that there may still be Decepticons at large in the Ark.
Unfortunately for Swoop, the Decepticons had reprogrammed an Autobot
Guardian unit to destroy any active Autobots. Ratchet and the remaining
Dinobots arrived to see Guardian beating up on Swoop.
Disbelief and anger flooded the circuits of the Dinobots, Grimlock, Snarl,
Slag and Sludge. They charged at Guardian who tossed Swoop aside and
proceeded to destroy them. Only Ratchet, with his knowledge of Guardian's
weaknesses, overloaded his circuits and caused him to retreat.
Tension mounted as Ratchet refused to give priority to Swoop for repairs.
Grimlock ordered his Dinobots to find and destroy Guardian. On his way to
the medical bays Ratchet was confronted by Optimus Prime - minus his head,
which had been taken by Shockwave to extract the Creation Matrix.

At the new Decepticon base, Shockwave continued to interrogate Prime.
Unbeknown to Shockwave, Prime had transferred the Matrix to the human
Buster Witwicky. Shockwave only managed to create six new Decepticon life
forms. Meanwhile, at the Ark, Ratchet had revived Wheeljack and Prowl and
was working on Jazz. Much to their horror, they discovered that Guardian
had been turned into a walking bomb. A walking bomb that Grimlock had
found and had at his mercy. The Autobots had no way of warning Grimlock
as the communications were down. It was up to Wheeljack to radio-control
Optimus Prime to stop Grimlock. It worked, but Grimlock lost his hand in the
process.

Guardian yet again made his escape, and a fail-safe program that was
designed by Soundwave was activated. A timer of 100 seconds was set before
a high-density thermo nuclear bomb would detonate. The program also told
Guardian to find the largest concentration of Autobots in which to explode.
The tension between Grimlock and Ratchet increased as Ratchet began to
repair Swoop. At that moment Guardian burst into the medical bay, where
the largest concentration of Autobots was. Once again the Dinobots attacked.
In the end it was up to Swoop (the only airborne Autobot at this stage) to
pick up Guardian and take him as far away from the Ark as possible. Guardian
exploded and Swoop was believed to have been destroyed. A ceremony was
performed by the Autobots at the point he was last sighted. The Dinobots
departed and headed North to pursue their own destiny. Ratchet was given the
chance, by Swoop's sacrifice, to repair all but one (namely Sunstreaker) of
the Autobots.

Josie Beller, an employee of G.B. Blackrock, had become paralysed at the
hands of Shockwave many months ago. Thanks to her knowledge of
computers and electronics, she had made a full recovery. The technology she
used was in the form of micro-circuitry connected to her nervous system through
metal tape on her skin. As well as stimulating her neurons to allow her to
move, she had made several improvements to herself. She could control any
kind of machinery. By using electromagnetic fields she could levitate herself.
Most deadly of all, she could channel concentrated electricity through her
hands to destroy. Her sole reason for this upgrade, unknown to the Autobots
at the time, was to claim revenge on all Transformers. From then on, she
became known as Circuit Breaker.

Ratchet, too, had been busy. He had successfully revived and tested most of
the Autobots. Now under the leadership of Prowl, Jazz and Wheeljack were
sent to negotiate with G.B. Blackrock to obtain fuel. He agreed. The Autobots
would protect him and he would fulfil their fuel requirements.
At the unveiling of Blackrock's new super-weapon (which Circuit Breaker
sabotaged), the Decepticons Frenzy and Starscream showed up. Jazz and
Wheeljack tried to defeat them, but, because of Circuit Breaker's hatred for
all robots, they failed. Circuit Breaker vowed that she would not rest until
every Transformer had been destroyed.

Using the last vestiges of the Matrix from Prime's mind, Shockwave created
the Constructicons, Long Haul, Bonecrusher, Hook, Scrapper, Scavenger and
Mixmaster. Their first task was to build a Transdimensional Radiowave
Receiver/Transmitter in the hope of reaching the Transformers' homeworld,
Cybertron.

The arrival of a group of the Autobots, led by Prowl, allowed the
Constructicons to reveal their unique ability - to combine. The six
Constructicons merged to become a giant Decepticon, Devastator. Although slow
and plodding, Devastator managed to hold off the Autobots. During the battle,
Soundwave managed to send a message to Cybertron, before the Autobots, along
with the help from a human ally, Bomber Bill, destroyed the transmitter.

The human Buster Witwicky discovered that by using the power of the Creation
Matrix he could control and animate anything mechanical. With a single thought
he could levitate metal objects. He had decided not to tell his father about
this power, as he knew it would upset him.
At the Decepticon base, Shockwave was becoming more and more frustrated that
Optimus Prime could not give life to his latest creation - Jetfire. Shockwave
knew that the Matrix couldn't simply have 'run out', and so came to the
(logical) conclusion that Prime had hidden it.
Shockwave began to probe the Decepticon Rumble's memory banks to aid his
search. He found that a human had snuck past Rumble whilst he was on guard
duty. Laserbeak instantly recognised it as Buster. To Prime's dismay,
Shockwave sent his Decepticons to search for Buster. Fortunately, the Autobots,
under the command of Prowl, had heard everything using an eavesdropping device
that G.B. Blackrock had helped them to design. Bumblebee and Bluestreak were
deployed to find and protect Buster.
Both the Autobots and Decepticons found Buster at the same time. Although
technically dead, Jetfire was programmed by Shockwave and sent to retrieve
him. Within minutes, Jetfire attacked and rendered the two Autobots helpless
to defend Buster.
In the end it was Buster who saved them. Once he realised his power, he used
it to disassemble Jetfire and control him. Unfortunately for the Autobots,
Shockwave had devised a secondary plan concerning Prime's head.
He had created a second head - which he controlled. This new head of Optimus
was reunited with his body. The Autobots' blind faith in their leader proved
nearly fatal. Shockwave ordered his puppet to attack the Autobots. It was
again up to Buster, who could control the 'dead' Jetfire, to save the
Autobots.
The whole episode ended with a battle between Prime and the furious
Shockwave. Shockwave was subdued in the fight and launched into a lake by
Prime. After the Matrix was transferred back to Prime, he vowed never to
involve humans in their struggle again.

Until now, the Autobots had never heard of Christmas. It was Buster who
introduced it to them, and Optimus Prime thought it would be good to enter into
the festivities. Much to the confusion and anger of some Autobots, the Ark (and
Prime) was decorated by Buster with help from the Autobots.
Jazz was curious about Christmas, so he gave Buster some help delivering his
presents.
Meanwhile, the human known as Circuit Breaker was having difficulty fitting in
with fellow humans. Her powers gave the other humans the excuse to call her a
freak. Her anger clouded her judgement and she mistook an accident that Jazz
and Buster were involved in for a 'robot attack'.
She attacked Jazz, who was attending to the unconscious Buster. It was only
when Buster recovered and the church bells told her it was Christmas Day that
she stopped. It was then that Jazz realised how special Christmas is to humans.

Since Optimus Prime's 'return' to the Autobots as their commander, he had been
increasingly plagued by self-doubt. His own depression and the Autobots'
increased tension had led to much doubt about Prime's ability to command.
Prowl, along with several like-minded Autobots, had been pressuring Prime into
using the Matrix to create dedicated warriors. This action, opposed mainly by
Jazz and the more pacifist members of the Autobots, had been monitored by the
Decepticon spy Ravage. At Soundwave's command (both Shockwave and Megatron
were absent at this point), Ravage let himself be captured by Mirage and Hound,
so as to escape again and spy further. By chance, the Autobot Bumblebee noticed
Ravage's escape. With his concern for Optimus Prime impairing his judgement,
Bumblebee went after Ravage alone. He finally tracked down Ravage but fell
foul of a Decepticon trap. Soundwave had hoped to capture more Autobots, but
decided that Bumblebee was bait enough to lure Optimus Prime out on his own and
destroy him. Bumblebee's left arm was delivered by Laserbeak to the Ark, where
Optimus Prime took up the Decepticons' request. After successfully combating
Rumble, Thundercracker and Skywarp, Prime came up against Starscream, the
self-described 'Leader-Killer'. Starscream was easily beaten once Prime had
overcome his doubt. Optimus then stormed the Decepticon base, stunned
Soundwave and Laserbeak and rescued Bumblebee.
Later, at the main meeting chamber in the Ark, the Autobots once more
discussed using the Matrix. This time there was no doubt in Optimus Prime's
mind. His words were final:
"It is compassion for the beings that roam this planet that puts us above the
Decepticons. For their sakes, for the sake of that which makes us more than
those we fight... I shall not pervert the Matrix. There will be no dedicated
Autobot warriors. That is my decision."

Continued in Issue #11 of Transmasters Universe.