Transformers: United they Fall

the introduction

In the world of the Transformers, war has become all they they've known. Once an ideallyic science community, now a race for a bigger stick. Twice, they've destroyed their homeworld, to scatter amongst the planets with the galaxy, taking their war with them. Every bot sees a different purpose, to fight to survive, to fight to win, but it always comes down to fighting.

Following the Stormbringer redux and the forced removal of the Sigma node and the Allspark from its second home, the war was slowed by a new trouble. Combiner teams simply fell apart. In shock, an unnoffical truce was called by the few science community to find the greater threat. Damaged, the combiners retreated to remote planets. But remote does not stay there for long...

Chapter One
My name is Nightbeat. I'm a detective. I'd be an even better one, if I hdn't eneded up marooned on a planet of semi-statured organics who are just as fond of boasting as they are of drinking. And what's better to boast than slagging a "clanker"? I mus say though, the last mech I expected to come looking for a gumshoe, was Barricade.

Each morning, I try to make it my habit to read up on the populus. A can of oil, and there publication, and I'm fairly content in the back of the bar. Most especially if I can drink more oil than I end up wearing. Most mornings though, this is not the case. And today was going to be another one.

The door to the bar was thrown violently open by the back of one of the locals. He grabbed for a table leg, when a silver blurr leapt in and saw to it that he wouldn't see where he was swinging. Behind the little mech was his keeper. Prouly wearing the Decepticon badge of their Security Corps, and ready to swing at the next person to get any big ideas.

"There he is." The little one chirped.
"SO he is. Nightbeat, your serivces are required, I need you to come with me. Your, erm, "team" is being seen to as we speak. They will not be harmed, I assure you."

"That's good." I wasn't sure how he had dealt with Slag and Sludge. Probably with a large cannon.

aboard Barricade's ship
"Nightbeat, I suppose you are aware of the recent combiner incident?"
"Somewhat, I'm afraid that was after I signed out of the war. But that's been a bit longer than recent, has anything new occured?"
"On the contrary, nothing has occurred. And its taken this long for "cooler heads" to prevail I'm afraid."
"Cooler heads, what happened to Megatron then?"
"You Autobots... Surprisingly, nothing really. He's left the mainstage for a while, off conquesting in the deeper parts of space. But this was partially his idea getting you. There's mutual agreement, that we need to find out what has happened to eradicate a protocol from our bretheren so handily."
"May I inquire as to why it's the security doing this, not Primus' spirituals?"
"Because we need a finger to point blame. Stormbringer was Thunderclash, not Primus. What's to say this wasn't his too?"
"Fair point"
"Anyway Gumshoe, your gonna get more cooperation from a number of places in this. Jst so you know though, the shooting match has cooled, but it isn't over, and everyone has stopped to reload. Watch your back Autobot, and be weary of who your allies are, on both sides. If you have any problems under our glorious empire, take them to me. I'll deal with it."
"Thank you Barricade." And we shook hands.

As I walked out, I found myself on the contemplation of how wrong some Autobot training is. The cons are no different than we are, jusmor eruthless, and with different ideals. Here's Megatron, with someone who supports him, trying to keep in line the radicals. Barricade has a reputation not fit to the police, but he keeps his ideals in check. His are those of Megatron, and of our future as a race. But where was mine?