Every civilization goes through eras of birth and destruction. And ours was no exception. What began as war for equal rights evolved into a calamity that ravaged Cybertron, our homeworld.
In the centuries of war, many of our greatest relics were lost or destroyed. One of these was the Great Cube, a device capable of converting virtually anything into raw Energon. However, the ancients believed that no one bot should wield that much power. And so, they jettisoned the cube into the vastness of space, never to be seen again.
The year is 3935 VS. The Decepticon Uprising has left Cybertron as a barely hospitable husk. Several of our comrades have taken off in Ark ships with the hope of finding new worlds to call home. However, I was not among those passengers.
Twenty solar cycles before the first Ark launch, our astronomers managed to pinpoint the location of the Great Cube; The third planet of the far-off Sol System. I had heard tales of the Cube from my time as a data clerk. If the legends are true, then it may the salvation Cybertron needs.
We have no knowledge of what lies in the Sol System. What dangerous lifeforms reside there. But this is a risk we need to take. To that effect, I have assembled a team of strongest Autobot warriors with the task of travelling to the Sol System and bringing the Great Cube back to Cybertron.
We will retrieve the Cube. Or die trying.
"Welp, we're dead." A green & black robot said in deadpan, running through the corridors as the ship was rattled by another explosion. This robot had a silver faceplate with blue optics, a pair of goggles on his green forehead, and a green & black kibble duster hanging from his waist.
"You've said that five times in the last ten kliks." His female companion stated. She was bulkier than her companion, standing at least four feet taller than him. Like her comrade, she had a silver faceplate with blue optics. Her color scheme was primarily blue & white with pints of black and yellow (specifically the fin above her optics).
"Only 'cause it's true! Here I thought this was just gonna be a simple artifact fetchin' quest, and instead we got the slaggin' Nemesis raining fire on us!"
"You keep whining and I'm gonna shove a grenade down your intake port!" The second male robot proclaimed. Like his female companion, he also had a bulky frame, although his primary color was red and black. His face was also far different from his allies, with red armor covering his mouthpiece and a blue visor over his optics. But the most noticeable part of him was the massive cannon sticking out of his chest.
"Do it and you're dead." A tiny dark orange robot with a silver mouthplate said to his larger foe, glaring behind his blue visor.
Yes, these were robots of various colors, sizes, and designs. But one thing they had in common was the red face insignia on their bodies (the green ones was on his back, the blue female had hers on her chest plate, the red ones was above his chest cannon, and small one had it on his left shoulder).
"Ease it, Pinpointer." The green one said to his comrade. "Warpath can't help himself. Then again, what can you expect from a 'bot that has a cannon sticking out him?"
"Enough!" The blue female said. "We could run into Decepticons at any moment."
And indeed, the green robot turned the corner and saw a horde of purple and silver identical looking robots with silver faceplates and orange visors. He barely managed to leap back around before they opened fire with a barrage of lasers.
"Point taken." He said to his female companion. "We got at least twenty Vehicons closing in!"
The blue and white robot nodded before her right hand transformed into a dark blue single-barreled rifle. "Warpath, do your thing!"
"Finally!" The red robot cheered, turning around the corner and quickly transforming into a hover tank. "KABLAM!"
And with that onamonapia, Warpath blasted at least five of enemies to slag and giving his teammates a chance to get into the fray.
"Crosshairs!" Pinpointer shouted before leaping towards his green companion, transforming into a high-powered sniper rifle as he did.
"Time to lay to some heat!" Crosshairs proclaimed before sliding his goggles over his optics and arming his partner/rifle. With three pulls of the trigger, three maser shots went through the chests of three Vehicons, taking them offline. But as his enemies fell, he noticed more enemy troops coming down the hallway. "Oh scrap! Strongarm, we got more 'cons incoming!"
The aforementioned robot simply activated a device on her left wrist, creating a blue energy shield on her arm that blocked some oncoming fire before returning with her own.
"Strongarm to Bridge; we've intercepted invading Vehicon troopers in sector 8-B!"
"Acknowledged Strongarm." A male voice replied on the other side of the transmission. "Whirl and Roadbuster are dealing with heavy fire in 30-G. And Ironhide's dealing with the troops on 13-O."
"Aren't the turncoat twins supposed be taking care of boarding tunnels?!" Crosshairs shouted as the three of them counted to fire upon their foes. "And what the Pit is Prime doing in all of this?!"
"Hey, you try shooting something down while simultaneously fighting enemy flyers and evading auto-cannons! See if you do any better, slaghead!" Another male voice yelled out over the comms.
"What my brother means is that it's going to take us a bit longer to shoot down the tunnels." A much calmer male voice followed. "Just please hold on until we do."
"Acknowledged, Jetfire." A calm authoritative voice replied. "And to answer your second question, Crosshairs, Ratchet and I are attempting to repair Omega's warp engines. They were severely damaged when the Nemesis fired its initial attack. Blaster, as soon as we finish repairs, I want you to initiate a spacebridge jump immediately. Jetfire, Jetstorm, make sure you're back on the ship as soon as you destroy the boarding tunnels. Everyone else, make the ship isn't destroyed before we can jump."
"You got it, Big Bot! WHABAM!" Warpath shouted before blasting away from Vehicons with his cannon.
"He makes it sound so easy." Crosshairs commented as he and Strongarm continued their battle with the Vehicons.
Outside, the spaceways were riddled with laser fire as the curved orange Omega was under attack by the jagged silver and purple warship known as the Nemesis, the former raining fire on the latter while three long purple boarding tunnels connected the two ships. As this was going on, a blue and white jet was being chased by two purple & silver jets, rolling out of the way of rapid-fire lasers as it did.
"I got two flyers on my tail! I can't shake 'em!' Jetstorm stated, beginning to fly downwards, hoping to lose his pursuers.
"Circle around point Gamma, bro. I'll take 'em by surprise!" Jetfire responded via comm. Jetstorm did just as his brother instructed, flying underneath the Omega. As soon as he led them into the open, an orange and white jet came down from above and fired a barrage of missiles, blowing them to pieces. Jetfire then reconvened with his brother, flying side by side.
"And this is why we don't fly in half-cocked." The orange jet stated.
"Save the lecture for when we're not getting the slag blasted out of us!" Jetstorm retorted as the brothers swung around the Omega's topside and saw that Nemesis had launched another squadron of Vehicon flyers. "Gotta, I'm getting really sick of this."
"Link Up?" Jetfire asked.
"Link Up." Jetstorm replied. The two jets shifted until their undercarriages were facing each other, short streams of lightning beginning to connect them. The two connected and blasted off, their combined power making them fly three times faster than their foes. With a single run and a barrage of lasers and missiles, the combined jet managed to blast apart the siege tunnels and even took out a few Vehicons with them.
"Boarding tunnels destroyed!" The two said in unison. "Redocking with Omega!"
A hangar hatch opened underneath the Omega and the combined jet quickly flew in. As soon as the did, the brothers detached from each other and transformed into their robot modes. Jetfire's robotic form having two yellow optics and a silver mouth plate while Jetstorm had a blue visor over his optics. Both of them had the same red face insignias.
"Ratchet to all points; Optimus and I have just finished repairs. How you're feeling, Omega?"
"SYSTEMS: OPTIMAL. WARP ENGINES: READY." A booming voice echoed over the transmission waves.
"Good to hear, old friend." Optimus replied. "Autobots, take out the remaining Vehicons and prepare for spacebridge jump!"
"Roger!" Everyone replied. One the bridge, the Autobot Blaster was feeding the coordinates into the Warp computer. Like many of his comrades, he had blue optics and a silver mouth plate. His body was primary red with silver legs and scanner resting above his optics and a square yellow chest compartment.
"All right, guys. Prepare to launch in one cycle!" The communications officer stated as he finished typing in the final calculations. "55, 54, 53…"
"Wreck 'N' Rule!" Two Autobots shouted, destroying Vehicons as they stood back-to-back. One was a hulking bot of brown, orange, and dark green with a green visor who blasting enemies to pieces with his many weapons. By comparison, his partner was a thin light-blue robot with a cone-shaped head, a single yellow optic, no mouth plate, and was slicing any Vehicon foolish enough to get close to him with two super-heated blades in his stick-like claws.
"...37, 36, 35…"
In another part of the ship, a black hover truck was weaving through waves of Vehicons, blasting them with his two side cannons.
"...14, 13, 12…"
Back with Strongarm, Crosshairs, Pinpointer, and Warpath, they had finished up the Vehicons on their end and were bracing themselves for the jump.
"...3, 2, 1!" Blaster finished, pushing the jump switch forward.
"SPACEBRIDGE: ACTIVATE."
A beam of green energy blasted out of Omega's aft side and into the space in front of the ship. In seconds, a massive green swirling portal manifested in front of them and the orange ship blasted ahead. As soon as it completely entered the portal, it closed up, leaving the Nemesis alone in space.
"DAMN IT ALL!" The acting captain of the Nemesis shouted, smashing the arms of his command chair as he did. He was a massive behemoth of a robot. His primary color was dark purple with bits of dark green and a single red optic over his hinged mouth. "Soundwave, where are they headed?"
"Calculating." Another robot replied, although his voice was heavily filtered. His body was dark blue with a silver square chest (which had the same purple Decepticon insignia as his captain did), a red visor, silver faceplate, and a circular missile pod on his right shoulder. "Probable Autobot destination determined: Sol System."
"What? Why would Prime be heading for that backwater system?" The large 'con wondered out loud. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to speculate. Plot a course after them!"
"Statement: Approximate travel time is 4, 093, 74…"
"I didn't ask how long it would take! I ordered you to go after them!" The captain shouted before standing up, looking at the bridge crew of Vehicons. "Is that understood?!"
"Yes, General Lugnut!" The Vehicons replied with a wave of salutes.
"Affirmative." Soundwave replied before plotting the course into the Nemesis' navigation systems.
"For the glory of Lord Megatron, we will capture Optimus Prime! No matter how long it takes!" Lugnut proclaimed, his optic glowing with rage.
Meanwhile, the Omega manifested above its designation, a small blue planet surrounded mostly by vast oceans. However, there was a major problem. The damage Omega had sustained from the battle had destroyed its gyroscopic stabilizers. The added heat from orbital re-entry wasn't helping matters. Or as Crosshairs put it best...
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"Everyone, get to the stasis pods!" Optimus shouted. And as the Autobots raced to safety, barely making it, Omega crashed onto the planet, falling into its vast ocean, until it reached the very bottom, trapping it in pressures no organic life could ever hope to reach. But what the Autobots did not know is that this would be the last time they would be active for a long time. That they had unintentionally brought their war to this world. And to those who would inhabit it centuries from now.
Author's Note: While I have been a casual fan of the Transformers franchise ever since I was a child, it was only recently that I really got into the series (to the point that I added Lost Light to my monthly comic pull list). And now more than ever, I understand how idiotic the Michael Bay movies were in comparison and just on their own. And with the fifth (and apparently the worst) movie out, I decided to throw my hat into the ring. So let's hope for the best!
For now, let's take a look at our Autobot cast!
1). Optimus Prime - Leader of the Autobots. Before the Decepticon Uprising, he was a desk clerk named Orion Pax. Despite his protests on being drafted into the Autobots, Orion proved to be a skilled warrior, managing to survive two encounters with Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. After the death of Zeta Prime, Orion was chosen by the Matrix of Leadership, transforming into Optimus Prime.
Despite his position as Autobot commander, Optimus has his own moral code; He won't kill his foes if he can capture them, disarm them, or convince them to join his side (this being how he recruited Crosshairs to join the Autobots). He believes that freedom is the right of all sentient life, and will die to defend that belief.
Author's Note: You can't have a Transformers story without Optimus Prime...unless you're the Lost Light crew or the Wreckers. And I just noticed this similarity between Optimus Prime and Wonder Woman of all people. Both are willing to kill, but only there is absolutely no other solution. They both believe in the best of humanity (or roboanity in Prime's case), despite being surrounded by the darkness and complexity of war.
So ya, this is an Optimus that's willing to kill, but he won't be screaming "Give me your face!" or "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
2). Ironhide - Second-in-Command of the Autobots. Ironhide is one of Cybertron's greatest veterans with a punch first, ask questions later attitude. But despite that, he holds the same love of life that his commander Optimus does, which also attracted his conjunx endura, Chromia. Now on Earth, he must deal with the more volatile Autobots such as Whirl and Warpath while still kicking Decepticon metal on the battlefield.
Author's Note: One of the first five Autobots in the Bay movies and one my favorite Autobots of all time, there's just something pure and awesome about Ironhide in any incarnation...expect Energon. And while he does have a hair-trigger attitude, he does know when to reel it back a bit.
3). Ratchet - An old friend of Zeta Prime and possibly the oldest Autobot stationed on Earth. He serves as the doctor onboard the Omega. He's usually in a bad mood, not helped by patients like Warpath. But when it's time to battle, his skill with a heat blade is almost as precise as his skill with a scalpel.
Author's Note: I don't know why, but I've always loved the old curmudgeon doctor character. And most modern depictions of Ratchet exemplify this. And shame on you Age of Extinction! You killed off someone who could actually talk so your precious mute kid-appeal character could live.
4). Crosshairs - Fact: If Crosshairs has a gun in his hands, a Decepticon is going offline. Another fact: Crosshairs is an asshole. During the war, Crosshairs made a killing by selling weapons to both sides of the war. However, when a deal with the Combaticons went south, the surly bot was saved by Optimus and Ironhide. As such, those two are the only Autobots Crosshairs remotely respects alongside his Targetmaster partner Pinpointer.
Author's Note: If there's one thing I'll give Bayformers kudos for, its Crosshairs. Not only does he have a unique design and fun asshole personality, but he's voiced by John DiMaggio. And yet, we never once hear him tell someone to bite his shiny metal ass. Aside from being the malcontent whose usually to call someone out on their bullshit (even Optimus), he's also their ace marksman. A...Targetmaster if you will.
5). Strongarm - One of the younger members of Optimus' crew, Strongarm is an optimist who believes their mission will be the salvation of Cybertron. Before joining the Omega crew, she worked as a peacekeeping officer working amongst the civilian population. Her prowess in battle was shown when the Decepticon Barricade attempted to abduct cybertronians for Shockwave's experiments. But as a by-the-books officer, she often clashes with other members of the team such as the Dinobots, Whirl, Warpath, and especially Crosshairs.
Author's Note: With the infamous fanservice moments of Bayformers, what better way to make-up to the female fans then by having one of the most badass fembots of the series front and center. She also serves as the rookie of the Autobots in place of Bumblebee.
6-7). Safeguard (Jetfire and Jetstorm) - A pair of spark twins who were part of an exploration group called the Seekers. However, while the elder Seekers decided to join the Decepticon uprising, the Jet twins turned against them and joined the Autobots.
Despite their names, Jetfire is actually the calm and rational twin while Jetstorm is the hot-headed risk taker. And thanks to their twin sparks, they are among the few Transformers capable of power-linking to form the aerial ace, Safeguard.
Author's Note: This is what Skids and Mudflap from Revenge of the Fallen should have been...that and not be racist stereotypes. Jetfire has always been a personal favorite of mine, so this version is kind of a hybrid between his G1 defector self and his Animated self. Also, as a GaoGaiGar fan, I'm a sucker for the Symmetrical Docking-like transformation.
And incase anyone is wondering, their Earth alt-modes are going to be a pair of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
8-10). Blaster (and his deployers, Steeljaw & Ramhorn) - The Autobot communications officer and lover of music, Blaster would've been happy just listening to his collection for the rest of his life. But as Cybertron was plunging into war, he decided to aid the Autobot cause to bring peace back to his world. Out of all the Autobots on the Omega, Blaster is one of the more even-tempered bots. As such, he's pretty much the one people go too when they need to get something off their chest.
Blaster is also a Deployer, a rare breed of Transformer able to store Mini-cons within himself. His partners are the even-tempered Steeljaw and the violent Ramhorn.
Author's Note: Out of all of the Transformers, Blaster is probably the one I'd love to hang out with. He's a cool bot with a love of rock music, and music makes a large part of me loving a TV Show, Game, Movie, or Anime. Throughout this hypothetical series, he would have a rivalry with Soundwave, trying to re-establish contact with the Autobots in space, and trying to keep his friend's spirits up with whatever music he downloads from Earth's internet.
11). Warpath - An Autobot that shoots first and asks questions...never because he's blown his opponent to bits. Then again, what can you expect from a bot that has a cannon permanently sticking out of his chest? The excitable and hot-headed Warpath has no tolerance for anyone who's unwilling to fight, which often puts him in conflict with the pessimistic Crosshairs, his no-nonsense Targetmaster partner Pinpointer, and the by-the-books Strongarm, even though they function well as a combat unit. However, he does get along well with Whirl and Roadbuster, often joking that the six of them are a new incarnation of the Wreckers.
Author's Note: Here's a legitimate question: why did Michael Bay never put Warpath in a movie when everything about him pretty much makes him Bay's dream Transformer? He's violent, loves to blow stuff up, and his alt-mode is a freakin' tank (which combines Bay's military obsession with his explosion obsession). Also, he's one of personal favorites. I mean how can you not like a guy that shouts his own sound effects?
12). Roadbuster - A former member of the Wreckers who joined the Omega crew alongside his partner Whirl, Roadbuster is an Autobot who carries to most weapons into battle, to the point where even his alt-mode is armed to the teeth. However, centuries of doing nothing but fighting have left Roadbuster wondering if he has any purpose after the war is over. As such, he often spends his free time making sure all the weapons are properly maintained, secluding himself from the other Autobots aside from Whirl.
Author's Note: The Wreckers are my favorite sub-group of Autobots, and what better Wrecker to have than one who's a member in every continuity they appear in, even the live-action movies. Roadbuster is a character that I find intriguing since he faces a problem many veterans face; when you've done nothing but fighting for what seems like forever, how do you move on from that? That's a question that Roadbuster knows he's gonna have to confront one day, and one that terrifies him. But until then, he's gonna tear-up some Decepticon butt and be an utter badass while doing it.
13). Whirl - Egotistical, attention-hungry, insane, a lover of the fine arts, and phenomenally gifted with a blade. These are all things that describe Whirl. While his partner Roadbuster opts to blow the hell out of his foes, Whirl prefers sword combat, as it is a more sophisticated and artistic style of fighting according to him. But underneath all that egomania is someone truly loyal to the Autobot cause, and someone who wishes that he could make watches like he used to before the war.
Author's Note: My favorite member of the Lost Light crew had to make it one in my own version of the Autobots! This Whirl combines traits from his G1, IDW, and Aligned versions to create this living paradox of insanity and sophistication. And like I mentioned with the Jet twins, the Autobots could use all the air support they can get.
14). Pinpointer - As the war on Cybertron raged on, several Mini-Cons found themselves embroiled in the war effort. While most of them were relegated to engineering positions, some forged themselves into powerful weapons and binary bonding with larger companions. These are the Targetmasters, and Pinpointer is one of the best. An efficient Autobot of few words, his partnership with the rude and arrogant Crosshairs confuse many, not knowing that Pinpointer actually respects his partner for not being afraid to speak his mind.
Author's Note: The Targetmasters are by far the best of the 'Master' Transformers since they actually have a decent roll in battle. And since his partner is already on my list, it was pretty much a no brainer to have this guy join the team. However, this version of Pinpointer would have a different alt-mode then his G1 counterpart; instead of turning into a grenade launcher, Pinpointer turns into a high-powered sniper rifle. And personally, I think that fits his name better.
15). Omega Supreme - The last of the Guardians, Omega Supreme is the most powerful Autobot in existence and their last resort. His alt-mode is the Autobot flagship simply called the Omega. As the last Guardian, Omega Supreme is absolutely loyal to the Autobot cause, even to the point of self-sacrifice. After their crash-landing on Earth, Omega's T-Cog was destroyed, leaving him unable to transform. But despite this setback, Omega still does all he can to make sure the Autobots have a place to call home within him, using tiny drones known as Teletrans to help with the upkeep of his inner workings.
Author's Note: I've saved the best and biggest for last! When I first saw Omega Supreme in War for Cybertron, my jaw dropped! The idea that the Autobots had this big and loyal behemoth on their side was just amazing, and I loved how he served a dual purpose in Animated as their ship. But unlike Animated, this Omega would not be asleep, just unable to transform until the Autobots create a replacement T-Cog. Plus, Omega would be a major asset against foes like Unicorn and the Quintessons.
And there you have it, my version of the Autobots! Or at least my version of Team Prime, with others to join them in the future. But either way, I believe that this line-up of Autobots represents the Transformers in all of their incarnations and captures their spirit.
Please remember to read, favorite, and review! See ya next time!