Explanations and author opinions:
I want to make a few explanations before the next chapter. This fanfic is probably going to be an epic story. (This is simply another word for very long.) It will include a few concepts and situations from the 1986 Movie and other stories.
The unicronian Decepticons are playing a great role here, so I will give a few explanations for my take of them too. First at all, I go by the theory that Skywarp and not Bombshell became Cyclonus and Thundercracker Scourge. My list of reasons for believing that is long. The most important reasons are.
The Sweeps, who were reformed from Insecticons, obviously have the ability to multiplied themselves. Cyclonus don´t seems to be able to do that. The number of the Sweeps on the other hand has at least tripled during Session 3. It makes simply no sense that the Insecticons who became Sweeps should have kept that ability and Bombshell not.
I don´t even think the reformed Insecticons were the real ones. The Insecticons still appear during and after the movie. They were shown on Chaar stealing energon cubes (actually actively doing something). A possible voice appearance in "Fight or Flee".
The seekers had one appearance that could have been a mistake.
The Insecticons on the other hand had at least a half dozen appearances all in all. They were never even written out of the story. Skywarp and Thundercracker had by all rights vanished after the movie, the Insecticons were still around.
The universe bio´s of Cyclonus and Scourge replaced Skywarp and Thundercracker. Literally "replacing" them. The Insecticons again were not even removed.
A Jet makes more sense as new Air Commander than a Insecticon. And it makes sense for Starscream´s old wingmates to become his successors.
The only thing that suggest Bombshell might be Cyclonus in the first place, is a scene that, everybody can see, is erroneous
Okay, there are always people who tell us we should "go by that we have seen on the screen." That Bombshell has to be Cyclonus because that is "what we have seen." That is the most stupid argument I have ever heard and I have heard many stupid arguments.
Pay a bit of attention to the scene. What we have seen is that two Cyclonus have been created an one vanished right afterwards without explanation. Look at the background. First 3 sweeps were created, including Scourge. In the next scene it are suddenly 5 and another one later suddenly 4. So if we go what we have seen, two Cyclonus were created and one of them vanished right afterwards. Three sweeps were created, who suddenly became five and then four. And I should now take that scene seriously for a second? On top of that the Insecticons constantly reappeared after the reformation scene, so by "what we have seen" Bombshell cannot be Cyclonus because he is still around.
Personality parallels between Skywarp-Cyclonus, Thundercracker-Scourge. And I mean the bit of personality that they have actually shown in the cartoon, not the tech specs that the cartoon wasn´t even following in the first place.
I always hear people claiming. "Skywarp is not smart enough to be Cyclonus, it is standing in his tech spec´s."
Others say "Thundercracker is completely different from Scourge (where?), he had far to many sympathies for the humans and doubts about the Decepticons."
Okay and when exactly, had the cartoon ever included any of this? When exactly had Skywarp shown a lack of intelligence in comparison to the other Decepticons? Yes, he made a few mistakes. However Starscream or Megatron had messed up every second time they appeared. (remember for example Megatron´s "intelligent" plan in "changing gears" that nearly blew the sun system, Decepticons included, up or all the chances he had to kill the Autobots). If at all Skywarp came over as ten times smarter then them. What we can tell is that:
He was loyal to Megatron, reactivating him without any trying to get any reward, defending Megatron´s plans against Starscream, even starting a fight over this (Ultimate doom).
He made sarcastic comments and sometimes made fun of others. Yes, exactly like Cyclonus several times. Remember how he made fun of the paradronian, who was stuck in a wall or how he told a Quintesson that he trusts him as far as he can throw Trypticon. And of course the time where he send Scourge to get Galvatron out of the plasma and only said, "better you then me".
He was doing his job and otherwise let others made the decisions and that is all we can tell about it. We don´t know why he was like that. And again, how is that different from Cyclonus who couldn´t wait to get Galvatron back, who did everything to cure him instead of trying to take over himself and never asked to be second in the first place?
And Thundercracker, when had he actually shown sympathies for humans or Autobots in the cartoon? In "fire on the mountain" he had no problems to let the Autobots destroy one of Megatron´s weapons. But only to blame Starscream for it as revenge for setting him up earlier. He comes more over as a mentally insecure opportunist. In other scenes he appears to be arrogant. All that is a exact description of Scourge.
All my arguments here however only work in the background of session 3 of g1. In another continuity Cyclonus could have easily been someone else. But I think the guy we have seen in session 3 had definitely been Skywarp.
There are of course others, who think the reformed Decepticons have lost their memories, got new personalities or might have been dead and gotten new live by Unicron.
Yes, being dead and new live by Unicron. Giving new live only means for Transformers giving new personalities (and sparks) to the bodies.
Why exactly should Unicron reform anybody in the first place then? If he could give live he could simply create his own army. He was able to create a entire star-ship and gave Starscream a new body out of thin air. He can easily create bodies of his own as he had proved, so why should he need the Decepticons. And why should he limit himself to giving Galvatron five new warriors, made from five old one´s? Why not 500? Why had he not created new robots to help him then he was a head, flying in space?
The answer is more than simple. Because he can not. At no point in the movie, the cartoon or the marvel comic was it even suggested that Unicron was able to create life.
And where was any sign that the Unicronians might have lost their memories on their past lives? I hear always comments like. "None of the reformated Decepticons except Galvatron ever showed any link to their past lives or any sign of remembering it."
Such statements are not even factual right. They remembered actually several things. The Sweeps for example remembered Starscream´s voice, despite that they have never met him. Scourge repeated Unicron´s comment that "they belong to him", right before their reformation.
And how exactly should both, Cyclonus and Scourge, know that Paradron looked like Cybertron during the golden age (in "fight or flee"). That was 9 Million ages prior. Do you think they had nothing better to do then watch historical movies on chaar?
By the way, the only ones of they reformated who were around during that time were Thundercracker and Skywarp (They claimed so in war dawn). So this could be another Skywarp is Cyclonus argument.
It is right that they never talked about their past lives, but when were they ever confronted with it like Galvatron and besides who ever did? Have Optimus ever talked about his time as Orion Pax besides the single time the Airialbots had directly asked him? Had Alpha Trion ever mentioned that he was once called A3 and leading a revolution? And had anybody in g1, who got a new body ever lost his memories, has Galvatron, Optimus, Elita, Goldbug? No.
The standard in the g1 cartoon is actually that Transformers, who had been recreated into another form keep their memories, not the other way around. Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps had gone through exactly the same process as Galvatron, we have no reason to believe that the outcome was any different. They have never shown a lack of memories or knowledge. There are no visible differences between them and Galvatron and I see no reason to make some up.
In this story I have included some ideas of my own, for example the programs to rewrite their personalities or Skywarp´s and Thundercracker´s back-story. But this are named as my theories and not claimed to be canon fact.
According to Galvatron. He had been insane through a great part of session 3. But not the whole session and not to the degree some fans claim. Actually more than half of his post movie appearances, he seemed more or less rational. (Return of Optimus Prime, Ultimate weapon, Fight or flee and others.) His madness seemed to decrease after "webworld" and after "burden" (episode 93) he seemed completely back to normal.
So saying that Galvatron was insane in session 3 is a simplification. Good about all that ideas I am open to discussion. If someone has a comment about my opinions, you can post it.
Chapter 3
Ultra Magnus woke up. Metal, he realized that he was lying on something metallic. He looked around. It wasn´t clear where exactly he was but it was definitely on Cybertron. The area around him was empty and torn up in some parts. This seemed to be somewhere in the outlands.
Magnus was on his way to find someone. But he was careful when he was walking around. He had the feeling that something was not right. His radio was receiving some traffic that seemed to come from Decepticons. So it was possible that hostiles were in the area.
Had the Decepticons broken the truce? Did it even play a role whereever he was. Theoretically, he thought, this thing could have send him everywhere. In the past, in the future, in another dimension, he had seen all this before. After about an half hour, he sensed that someone was approaching.
He saw a Transformer for showing a short moment, who was then going back into hiding. He realized that several robots were taking cover in a ruin direct before him. And probably aiming their guns at him. He decided he had nothing to loose. If it were enemies, he would have to fight his way out. But then, he had to it anyway no matter if he was calling out to them or not. So he decided to talk to them.
"Hello. I am no threat to you. Can you tell me who you are and where I am." Now he could only hope that he wouldn´t get blaster shoots as answer.
"Magnus. Is that you?" was what he got instead. He recognized the voice. It was Roadbuster, a warrior who served under him for a long time and a old friend.
"Yes," Ultra Magnus answered. "Don´t shoot. I am coming out." He showed himself, but held his arms up. He had no idea who the others were and he decided to be careful. Now he could only hope that this wasn´t some sort of trick. They came out. Roadbuster was the first, followed by the rest. Magnus now recognised them, Inferno, Twin Twist and Topspin. Autobots.
"Ultra Magnus Sir. We thought you were on earth," Inferno told him.
"That is a long story," Magnus answered him. "It might seem strange but can tell me the current date?" he asked them. "I don´t know how exactly I came here and how long I have been inactive." They looked at him and then understood. If he had been in stasis than he couldn´t even be sure what year it was. Especially if his instruments had been damaged.
"It is the year 9.000.024 after the beginning of the war," Roadbuster replied.
Magnus registered what that meant.
"You are a part of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron right?" He asked.
"Yes," they confirmed. He was in the year 2005. Obviously before Unicron´s attack on the planet. As Cybertron was still ruled by the Decepticons. He was in the past.
xxxxxxx
Earth, in the year 1986
Hotrod had now been driving on a road for some time. He was definitely on earth. On his driver´s seat was something, he slowly wished he had never seen. Hotrod had found the small pyramid, they one they had found lying in the grass, around hundred meters away from him. This thing was it obviously that send him here. Was Magnus also here?
He thought Ultra Magnus had been pulled into that strange sphere as well, but he wasn´t sure.
But if he was, where was Magnus now? And where was he himself anyway? After nearly a hour of driving Hotrod was finally coming to a town. What he saw there really disturbed him. The technology in this town, especially the cars, were looking more than antiquated. He didn´t saw any modern technology. The entire town looked like something from 20 years ago. Am I in the past? He thought to himself.
Then he heard the sound of jet turbines. A silver F15 came diving down from the sky, Starscream. Hotrod saw the Decepticon taking aim at him and firing. He evaded the first shots without problems and fired back. It was a bad situation. They were to close to the town. Civilians got into danger because of their fight.
There was supposed to be a truce. Earth should have been peaceful. Otherwise he would have been more careful as he approached the town. But if he was really in the past, this hadn´t even happened yet. Not that Starscream had ever been following the rules in the first place. Hotrod wasn´t even sure if the former Decepticon Second in Command was still around in his time. If he was, he anyway a rogue and not a part of the Decepticon army.
Right now however this Decepticon was firing on him. He had to fight back. Fighting Starscream wasn´t a real problem. Despite his young age was Hotrod one of the best ground fighters the Autobots had, even without the Matrix. Starscream was the best air warrior of his generation but he could match him. After avoiding a few shots himself, Hotrod was able to land a hit on the Decepticon jet´s side.
Starscream had to admit that Autobot was good. Originally he had simply been on a flight by himself. He hadn´t thought he would run into a lone Autobot and clearly not one he had never seen before. But as he had seen this one, he had gone for the chance to take him out. He had thought that he would get some easy prey and bring the dead Autobot as a trophy to the Decepticon base. A proof of his victory and a reminder to the other Decepticons not to underestimate him.
Instead he was the one who was getting shot.
"Not bad Autobot," he shouted, "but I will win. You forget, I have a clear advantage over you." With this, he was firing one of his missiles. It flew right into the town and hitting a super market. The building completely exploded.
Damn, Hotrod thought. He is attacking the city to get me. Starscream was firing another missile. Hotrod took aim to shoot the projectile down. He knew exactly where this would lead to, how it would end. But he had no choice. He knew Starscream would shoot him as soon as he turned his back to him but if he didn´t stop the missile many humans would die.
Several, who knows how many, had already been killed by Starscream´s first shot. Hotrod pulled the trigger and fired. The missile exploded before it reached the city. In the same moment Starscream´s lasers hit him in the back.
As Hotrod was lying in the ground the Decepticon transformed. He stood over the Autobot and aimed his null rays at him.
Starscream smirked. "I win. Goodbye Autobot." He fired.
xxxxxxx
The year 2005, somewhere in space
"How it pains me to do this," the Air Commander of the Decepticons said to his wounded leader.
"Wait. I still function," Megatron replied weakly. Starscream smirked.
"Wanna bet?" With that words Starscream let Megatron fall into the void.
xxx
Skywarp didn´t have a good day. He and four others, including his friend Thundercracker, were floating alongside Megatron in space.
They were on their way back from the battle in Autobot city, where he was wounded, as Starscream and Astrotrain came up with that story that they didn´t have enough fuel to made it safely back to Cybertron.
Hey, was this just another take-over attempt?
If Skywarp had ever questioned one of Megatron´s ideas then it was to keep Starscream around. This wasn´t the first time the Air Commander tried something like that, by far not. It wasn´t even the first time he and Thundercracker were caught in the crossfire.
He remembered Starscream´s idiotic attempt to blow up the planet Earth, with them standing on it.
And other times like that.
After they had been floating for some time Skywarp started suppressing the urge to scream out to Megatron and everybody else: "I have told you!"
It had no sense now anyway. Besides, why had you not killed Starscream himself? Shot him in the back, like he tried to shoot Megatron many times. He had more than enough chances.
Skywarp admired Megatron. He was his leader and his role model. He was the one who had lifted him up once, when he was completely down.
Megatron had been the one who gave his life a meaning.
And now he would die with him. Not in battle like he had thought, but somewhere in space by running out of energy.
Unless a wonder happened, like a few times before. A part of him was hoping for the "luck" of crashing on some planet like they once did on Earth.
Megatron had decided to keep Starscream around and Skywarp didn´t questioned him, partly out of loyalty, partly of convenience.
Just living your live, making fun of Soundwave´s cassettes and letting others lead is a easy way to live, he thought to himself. Out here he had much time to think.
Great, and now he was getting philosophical.
He had to admit at some level he had respected Starscream, another reason why he had never tried to get rid of him by himself. The Second in Command was the best air-fighter he had ever met, even better then Thundercracker and himself, a genius in the sky.
And that for someone who had been a scientist before the war.
Admiring someone who had tried to murder you multiple times, look where it got him. He didn´t doubt for a second that Starscream was behind this.
In his half conscious mind Skywarp thought to see something, a planet.
Great, here comes my wonder, something in him thought.
They were suddenly dragged to the thing he saw before them. His still working sensors registered some sort of force field. This was real, he realized.
The thing was addressing Megatron. It introduced itself as the Decepticon leader had asked.
"I am Unicron." That was it´s name, he thought.
"…have summoned you for a purpose." Skywarp was able to understand the most of the conversation. Optimus Prime was dead but Ultra Magnus was now Autobot leader and carried the Matrix. "Destroy the Matrix," was Unicron´s command, "because it is the thing, the only thing that can stand in my way."
Was Unicron the controller of the object before him or was he really the entire planet? Skywarp wondered.
They were Decepticons, they didn´t follow orders from some creature that has just shown up, no matter how powerful. Of course Megatron didn´t forget that. He asked Unicron what he whould have from doing this task. A new body the being answered and new troops. Us? Skywarp thought.
"You belong to me now," Unicron said.
"I belong to nobody." That was Megatron´s reply to it.
After that, a beam of red light from the planet before them hit him. Skywarp tried to see what happened but even the slightest move was difficult.
It looked like it was tearing on Megatron´s outer structure and in the same time threatening to drag him back into space. In the end the Decepticon leader saw no way but to give in.
"No. I accept your terms. I accept." Accepting? What kind of choice was that?
"Excellent," was Unicrons only answer.
Skywarp saw how the beam surrounding Megatron changed. It became a green color that somehow seemed to shine trough his body. The outer layers of Megatron´s metal skin seemed to be torn off by the beam. Some sort of energy field was forming around him now, somehow like a construction plan.
Then his internal mechanisms somehow became first liquid, than energy, reduced to the protoform and beyond that, then reformed in a new shape, reconstructed on a molecular level. It was unbelievable
Then the process was finished, the robot known as Megatron was gone. In his place stood a purple Transformer from similar stature, with a orange gun on his right forearm and a helmet in form of a three piked crown.
"Behold Galvatron," Unicron said.
This was his new, old leader, Skywarp recognized.
In the next moment he saw how the beam switched to scourge and the Insecticons.
New troops, of course. They were turned into identical looking, winged and bearded Decepticons.
"Scourge the tracker and his huntsmen, the sweeps."
Next came Skywarp himself. He could feel his body starting to disintegrate, how his outer armor simply ceased to exist, how his interior became liquid.
Then his senses exploded. It was as if his spark was disconnected from his body and knowing what happened with him right now, this was actually possible.
He saw pictures, memories, parts of his life. His youth, the war, the near past.
xxx
He saw himself and Thundercracker living in the outlands of the old Cybertron. They were scavenging the corps of a dead empty for energon.
xxx
He saw them both standing before Megatron, when they first joined him before the war, over 9.000.000 years ago.
"Skywarp and Thundercracker. Welcome to the Decepticons," he told them.
xxx
He saw himself during the war.
He saw himself fighting in jet-form in Autobot-city. Skywarp avoided shots by the city-guns and the warriors in the ground. One Autobot, Huffer, he recognized him, was taking aim on him from the ground.
But He teleported away. He reappeared on the ground, right next to his opponent, transformed and shot him twice on short distance through the spark-chamber. The robot was instantly dead.
Skywarp transformed back and lifted of but in that moment Ultra Magnus appeared. The Autobot second shot him three times. Then he he lost control and crashed.
xxx
He saw himself, for a short moment connected with another mind. He saw a planet much like Cybertron, only smaller, inhabited by robots, doomed.
He saw how the planet was ripped to pieces and swallowed. He saw glimpses of other worlds that ended in the same way, creatures who were reformed, just like them, who became pawns.
xxx
That was the past.
Then he awakened. He saw through new eyes that were not his old ones and he heard Unicron´s voice.
"Cyclonus the Warrior." His new name was spoken.
He checked his systems and was stunned. He had strength and firepower similar to Megatron´s and a speed in jet-form that surpassed even Starscream´s.
And he looked at the others. Warriors, slaves. If their leader, the one they had sworn loyalty, was Unicron´s personal property, what were then them? Gun-fodder, pawns.
"I will rip open Ultra Magnus and any other Autobot until the Matrix is been destroyed." Galvatron declared. Then he gave the order,
"To Cybertron."
"Destroy the Matrix." That was the last they heard from Unicron.
xxxxxxx
Starscream´s moment had finally come. He was leader of the Decepticons.
Astrotrain was about to place a crown on his head. He was at his destination.
After all this years he was now taking Megatron´s place.
All the power, all the glory would now finally be his.
All that for a simple reason. He had killed Megatron. He had taken what he wanted, like his predecessor had always told him.
In a ironic sense he was still following his example.
Of cause Megatron would have never just thrown his former leader into space. He would have given him a shot in the spark, a end with dignity and a safe way to make sure he was dead.
But that would have been an too obvious take-over attempt.
In this way Starscream didn´t have his life energon on his hands and he has still won. Why? because he is willing to go further then Megatron himself ever did.
Starscream was the one who followed Megatron´s philosophy to it´s ultimate end.
Had he been here, would be be proud of his success? Or would he be angry of his, in his eyes, dishonorable acts? That was something Starscream had been asking himself silently a short time back.
The truth was however it didn´t matter.
Because now everything was his. He was now the one deciding what was right and wrong.
Astrotrain had finally placed the crown on his had and he started his victory speech.
"Fellow Decepticons, as your new leader I will…". But he was interrupted.
In that moment a large, purple space-jet was descending from the sky and out came a purple Decepticon who was completely unknown to him.
The jet itself transformed into a second robot who took the place right beside the first one.
"Who disturbs my coronation?" Starscream asked, at the same time incredulous, shocked and annoyed.
"Coronation Starscream? This is bad comedy," the robot commented.
Suddenly he thought he knew who it was, but that was impossible.
"Megatron. Is that you?" Was all he managed to ask.
"Here´s a hint." That was all the answer he ever got.
Galvatron transformed into a artillery gun and fired a single shot. That was enough to burn Starscream from the inside out.
The Decepticon Air Commander was turned to ashes in a matter of moments.
Then Galvatron took control of the situation and of the troops. He crashed the crown and asked for any other challengers. None came.
They all hailed him as the leader of the Decepticons instead.
From inside Cyclonus quite exterior Skywarp thought: Goodbye screamer, sometimes it was nearly actually nice to have known you.
xxxxxxx
Earth, in the year 1986
Hotrod woke up.
"Hello Autobot. Welcome back to the living," he heard a mocking voice.
Starscream, he remembered how the Decepticon had shot him while he was saving that town. He realized that he was wearing handcuffs.
"Where I am?" Hotrod asked. He didn´t know if the seeker would tell him anything useful but he could still ask.
"Oh. You don´t even know where you are," Starscream said with false sweetness. "I shouldn´t be surprised. You don´t seems to be from here after all. But at least you have brought something so interesting to me." He was holding the small pyramid in his hand, the time machine if Hotrod was right.
"This thing is radiating many interesting forms of energy. Originally I was planning to simply kill you but I decided to let you live a little bit longer so I can ask you if you can tell me something about this little object. You are very lucky Autobot."
xxx
In the sky above them two other F15 were coming closer to their position.
"Megatron, we have finally found Starscream," Skywarp informed his leader, "and it looks as if he took a Autobot prisoner."
"Very good. I am closing up to you," Megatron told him.
xxx
"You like to hear yourself talk right?" Hotrod asked Starscream. The Decepticon kicked him in the side.
"Okay Autobot. I am sure I can put it to good use if you tell me something or not, but I would like it if you talk."
"Starscream," they heard a voice from behind them, "again going off on your own agenda?"
"Megatron." The Air Commander turned around. "You see I have just found this Autobot and captured him, along with this very interesting device and were…".
"Going to hand it over to me, right?" Megatron said to him. Starscream stared for a moment.
"Yes mighty Megatron," he finally replied.