Transformers: Cold Steel

Prologue

The Autobot, struggling to walk, read the damage report sent from her internal system as it flashed across her optics. With injuries across her body, a massive loss of energon and her self-repair systems not knowing where to start, she knew she was in bad shape. But it didn't matter. The Autobot's only thought was to finish off the Decepticons who moments ago almost ended her life.

With rage carrying her better than the energon she had left, each step the Autobot took sent pain through her legs but it was nothing compared to the pain within her spark. From her leg compartment, she removed a high-powered battle pistol as she got closer to the Decepticon who was dragging his damaged body across the coarse ground, trying to escape.

Raising a foot, the Autobot drove her heel into the Decepticon's back, flattening his body against the ground. Unable to move, the Decepticon was at the Autobot's mercy as she pressed the barrel of the pistol against his back.

With energon dripping from the smile on his face, the Decepticon almost laughed. "This is not the way Autobots do things," he taunted. "What of your code? Your honour? Would you have me believe your superiors would approve of your actions?"

"You have only yourself to blame," the Autobot said, fighting the urge to squeeze the trigger for just a few more moments. "This is no mission. I am not here as an Autobot. I am here because you murdered my friend!"

Transformers: Cold Steel

Chapter 1

Autobot Headquarters,
Two solar cycles later…

Though he knew it was an exaggeration, Ultra Magnus, commander of all Autobot forces on Cybertron, felt he had over a thousand things he needed to attend to other than this hearing. But as it turned out it was a security issue that couldn't be ignored. And when disciplinary actions were included, it was a priority that had to be addressed sooner than later.

Traversing the control center of Autobot headquarters, buried more than a mile beneath the surface, Ultra Magnus was saluted as he walked through the maze of command stations. There, he accepted each data pad given to him, each containing mission reports and updates, before continuing on his way.

The control center functioned by following a rigged set of rules, just the way Magnus liked it. However, on the ever-changing battlefield of this war, fought for millions of years, Magnus recognized the need for adaptation. Though stubborn since the first day of his life cycle, he learned to listen to the input of his subordinate officers. Their insight had always proven to be valuable, serving him well in the long run. Which is why he ordered a number of them away from their duties to attend the hearing. Though all his officers were busy maintaining their assigned duties, protocol dictated that time had to be made to attend such proceedings.

Leaving the command center, Magnus found himself alone as he made his way down a corridor, with the exception of running into guards on patrol and centuries stationed at key positions along the way. While it wasn't complete solitude, it allowed Magnus to ponder what was ahead of him.

Arriving at the council chamber, the guards on either side of the entrance nodded to their commander as the doors slid open. Magnus felt the tension pushing against him as entered the council chamber, like the wind flowing over the battlefield before the conflict.

"All rise," said the hearing's acting moderator. "First commander of the Autobot forces, Ultra Magnus."

Everyone in attendance stood as Magnus took his seat at the head of an octagon-shaped table. Around the table stood over twenty individuals. Magnus knew all the officers in attendance. Many of them had served directly under Magnus, all of them experienced, professional and dependable. They greeted the Autobot commander in true military fashion and remained standing until Magnus was sitting down.

The moderator activated a holo-projector, set up in the center of the table, used to display visual information required for meetings and debriefings. A hologram appeared just above with data pertaining to the classification of the hearing.

"Let the record show," began the moderator. "This disciplinary hearing will be recorded by Autobot archivist, Rewind and designated file number 987234.894. The offensive in question takes the form of desertion of duty by action of abandonment of the accused's assigned post. On cyber date 6272.76, the accused had been assigned to take position as a lookout in sector 23.G, exactly 3.4 mega miles away from the command center. When the accused missed their scheduled check-in and failed to answer all encrypted transmissions sent out to her, a two-bot unit was sent to investigate. They found the accused's post abandoned with no evidence suggesting a forced removal of the accused by enemy forces. Upon further investigation, the unit discovered the accused returning to base, heavily damaged. The accused claimed to have fallen victim to a random attack by two individuals not allied with the Decepticons, believed to be thugs in search of energon. One of the Autobots of the unit returned with the accused while the other took position at the abandoned post. The accused received medical care and was then later questioned about their whereabouts. When the question period had concluded, the accused was immediately suspended from active duty until further notice and restricted to the confines of their quarters. An inquiry into her actions began which led to this hearing."

Magnus had been debriefed of the situation and the charges brought against the accused Autobot in question. The moderator's recount was more of a formality for the records and to ensure all in attendance understood the nature of the case. Sitting across from Magnus, facing him directly and waiting for him to speak, the accused Autobot didn't seem in the least bothered about the charges against them.

"You are one of the last individuals I would ever expect to see here, Chromia," remarked Magnus. "As one of the most professional soldiers the Autobot army has ever produced, it's a shock to see you in this predicament. And for the dereliction of duty in safeguarding the location of Autobot headquarters. Never in a million years would I expect such gross negligence from one such as you."

Magnus picked up a data pad. "When questioned about the reason why you deserted your post, you claimed to have spotted some suspicious activity you believed to be hostile. You attempted to radio base however your communicator wasn't functioning properly. Nothing but static?"

Chromia's optics scanned in the room. She saw everyone looking at her, forming their own opinions, wondering what she had to say for herself. "When I tried to call it in, I found my communicator wasn't working. I decided to investigate to see if they were Decepticon spies and could come up with some solid evidence."

"Solid evidence," repeated Magnus. "In which none was ever found. The two subjects you encountered and fought with were never located or any signs of the struggle you described."

"They were tougher than I anticipated, as I said when questioned. But I gave as good as I got."

"Speaking of evidence, your medical report couldn't confirm your claim that your communicator, or more precisely your built-in comlink, was indeed experiencing technical difficulties. As you described it, it had been smashed during the fight with the two subjects."

"Things got messy," Chromia said in all seriousness.

"Protocol dictates that during surveillance on the outskirts of headquarters, one must maintain a steady watch on the area. They are to remain in position until relieved of duty. In the situation where a threat is in close proximity to the base, in the absence of direct communication with one's superiors, those on guard duty are to return back to base and report."

Magnus leaned forward with both elbows on the tables and his fists locked together., "You left your post to identify the two subjects. In doing so you risked giving away the location of this compound and the lives of every Autobot stationed here. Hundreds of Decepticon patrols have ventured over this location before today and hundreds more will come and go so long as we maintain a vigilance on remaining unnoticed. You should have allowed what was assumed to be a Decepticon patrol to continue on its way, not leaving your post and engaging them."

"The point was they didn't seem like your average Decepticon patrol," said Chromia. "It looked more like a Decepticon scouting party searching intensely for something. I took the initiative to gather more Intel to see if they posed a threat to the security of this base. Now I think they were just scavengers, desperately looking for energon."

"The only threat to the security of this base was you by way of your actions," countered Magnus. "This is the sort of thing I would expect from a hot shot looking to make a name for themselves but not you. Not with your record."

Magnus looked at the data pad with Chromia's military file on the screen. He didn't need to as he had her dossier memorized. The list of accomplishments was impressive, especially those which involved teamwork, considering Chromia's profile states she preferred working alone. It seemed that over her career, Chromia learned to become an excellent team player and never let any of her comrades down.

"I believe your actions have been influenced by recent events," said Magnus. "Rewind, Bring up the file we have on the Decepticons known as Grindstalker."

Within a couple of astro-seconds, Rewind had the Decepticon's file open for all to view on the table's holo-projector. Alongside the readout of all the information compiled by Autobot intelligence, a blue, 3-dimensional rendering of the Decepticon floated above the table.

"Grindstalker," began Rewind. "Leader of one of Shockwave's death squads. When not engaged in battle, Grindstalker and his squad are usually hunting down Autobots hidden among those who sympathize with our cause. Grindstalker joined the Decepticons shortly after the gladiator pits were shut down, inspired by Megatron's exploits. Once he was no longer able to fight as a gladiator, Grindstalker took it upon himself to clash with other Decepticons, to prove his might and superiority. Grindstalker won every single fight he started and went on to gain notoriety among the Decepticon ranks and eventually caught the attention of Megatron. From there, Grindstalker was used as an enforcer for various Decepticon commanders, sometimes taking on the role of second in command. He was the one who kept his squad in line and was first to dirty his hands when the time arrived. This went on until Megatron disappeared, along with his sub-commanders, Soundwave and Starscream. Shockwave, now in control of Cybertron and all Decepticon military operations, began to reassign many of the higher-ups to new positions to maintain order on Cybertron. Grindstalker soon found himself promoted and in command of his own squad.

"Since then he had terrorized Autobots and locals alike. He has been at the front of many campaigns and though not a powerhouse like Shockwave, at least not yet, he is a frightful excellent combatant. We know very little about his personality except he craves the power of authoritativeness. He demands the respect of those who serve under him and uses violence to achieve his goals. He is extremely organized and it's the opinion of this report that he's intelligent enough to take charge of more than just a squad of soldiers. He could very well take a position of leadership within the Decepticon hierarchy and run any Decepticon-controlled city-state."

Before Chromia picked up where Rewind left off, Magnus swore he saw Chromia's face shift slightly for a moment before returning to its stoic expression. "My team and I came across Grindstalker during a reconnaissance mission in a small town called Defaxus, located in the city-state of Vos. My team's mission was to identify the Decepticons who were terrorizing the locals of various towns across the region. Autobot command wanted to know what their motivation was. During our investigation, my team and I received information about Grindstalker and his ambitions. The rumor was he wanted more than just a city-state. He was gathering resources to take down Shockwave. If the stories are true, he wanted to be the next one in charge of Cybertron."

As she finished, Chromia had a feeling she knew what the next question was going to be.

"What else can you tell us about Grindstalker?" asked Magnus, "Is he still alive?"