NedStat Counter

Magic Wars:

The Transformers

by Labarith (sandiks@mci2000.com)

Prequel

THE TRANSFORMERS HAVE CONQUERED BOTH SPACE AND TIME, BUT NOW AFTER AN ACCIDENT TRANSFORMERS HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED INTO A DIFFERENT DIMENSION, ONE WHERE THEIR ROBOTIC MODES ARE A LUXURY AND WHERE MAGIC RULES. THEY ARE MYSTICAL BEASTS FOLLOWING THE MAGICAL WAYS OF THIS NEW DIMENSION, AND MECHANICAL ROBOTS INSISTENT UPON SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION. TRULY MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, NOW THE MAGIC WARS HAVE BEEN REVEALED AND THE WORLD OF THE TRANSFORMERS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME...

Book 1: Part 1 Origins

Come here and gather around. I shall tell you the story of my beginning, the origin of myself and of the Magic Wars. It is an incredible story, yet true, I assure you. I hope you can forgive me for my past indiscretions and look at me for who I am today. I was not always the towering warrior you see now, indeed I was even not always named Lore, but once answered to another name...

Millions of years ago, in a time much simpler by comparison, I was born. I was instilled with life, as it were, and was built up from the spark of life that is my soul into a mighty transformer. I was an Autobot, a member of the transformer race devoted to everyday life and the maintenance of Cybertron. Mine was a noble position, a scientist by birth and ultimately by choice, it is science that led me into most of my troubles.

The same generation of transformers as that of my birth would give rise to many of the greatest warriors of both the Autobot and Decepticon cultures, as well as give rise to the great war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Also in this generation was my best friend and future love, a female autobot named Cycle, and my next closest friend but eventual enemy, Biowar, was a Decepticon scientist. At this time, I was known as Circuit.

I breezed through my apprenticeship, soon becoming a lead scientist in all my fields of expertise (which is not overwhelmingly impressive because I was preprogrammed with the most up to date scientific information at the time of my birth). I became the foremost Autobot scientist in the field of transportation. Soon I was assigned a team of scientists to work on my first project of significance, the space bridge. It was to be a form of transit where matter could be transported instantaneously from one bridge station to another, between planets, galaxies, etc. Biowar was assigned to my team as well, and unusual as it was to have a Decepticon on my team, even one I knew and trusted, I understood the necessity. After all, there were many possible military uses for my project, and Decepticons were the military at that time.


Book 1: Part 2 War Sacrifices

Years past, and the project came to fruition, at least in theory. I had finished my final calculations and was sure of its success, a test model just had to be constructed.

I was on my way to Cycle's home only a few miles away, when I received a signal from a high ranking Autobot. He told me to go to the nearest Autobot dwelling I could find and surround myself with friends. He muttered something about a war and not to trust anyone. The urgency in his voice was justified, as I later found out that the Great War had begun, and my knowledge could tip the scales greatly. But at that time, I was just worried about getting to Cycle's home.

The building was smoldering at the time. I transformed from my vehiclular mode, a car of sorts, and burst through her door. As I walked into the main room, which had one wall smoking with a big hole in it, I saw Cycle and a few friends of hers. She was bending over, trying to stop the energon leaking from a cut in the Autobot closest to her.

Cycle screamed out that it was a trap.

"Nice to see you Circuit," said Biowar, as two Decepticon warriors stepped to either side of me. "I would hate to have to see Cycle here in any real pain. We have come to talk to you, these Autobot rebels just got in the way before we could talk to Cycle."

He brought me into another room, I went reluctantly. He described how the Decepticon army had overthrown our previous government. He apologized, telling me he just found out about it and that a few Autobots had resisted the necessary change in governments. He convinced me that he had found a way to let us continue our work on the space bridge and promised many a future project. I was not worried about that though, telling him that Cycle needed to be safe and brought to a hospital before I wou ld decide anything. Of course he agreed, and we headed for the nearest hospital in one of the carrier jets. Cycle was yelling at me, calling me a traitor, but Biowar assured me it was just shock and that she was not in her right mind.

I still remember the horrific sight as we left the building in that ship. Although it was just a glance, I saw something which I would run through my mind over and over again. The same Autobot Cycle had been nursing stood up and pulled a firearm. One of the two Decepticon jets was shot in the chest, not badly though. Both transformed into their familiar triangular jet modes, and fired repeatedly on the building. It was the first time I had ever seen the death of a transformer. Of course I had seen lesser beings, mostly biological, die many times before.

I ended up working for the Decepticons throughout the war. The greatest Autobot heroes left during the war in search of energon and were assumed dead. Both these Autobots and the Decepticons that followed them landed on a planet named Earth and did not return for millions of years. Cycle, on the other hand, refused to see me, and even though she was treated well by the Decepticons, I sensed she blamed me for the war. Or maybe she blamed me for not being part of it.


Book 1: Part 3 Future Inventions

The war passed fairly slow. Autobot rebels were constantly a problem. It wasn't until I heard that Cycle had been liberated in an Autobot assault that I was awakened to the danger of the war. Autobots had become a lesser race, to be hunted out and destroyed. Long ago I had changed my insignia on my chest that marked me as an Autobot. Cycle had refused to take the Decepticon insignia and had been placed in a center for cooperative Autobots.

I continued to work closely with Biowar on the space bridge. It was nearly finished when we received an urgent call from Shockwave, the Decepticon commander. He informed us that the Decepticon leader, Megatron, was alive, as was the group of Autobot heroes that had left Cybertron so long ago. The space bridge was finally tested. It was used to send weapons and troops to Earth (the planet Megatron had crashed on), and to receive energon cubes, the nourishment of the transformer race that was becomin g scarcer on Cybertron.

After the space bridge had been tested, I was set up on a much tougher challenge than instantaneous transport. Together with Biowar, I was to join the team of Decepticons developing the transwarp cell, an engine capable of time travel. It was in these discussions that the possibilities of alternate dimensions came to light. I believed alternate dimensions already existed and that travel through them was possible, and that any time changes to the past would not create a new dimension echoing that future, but that our own future would be destroyed as a result.

I sacrificed all my morals and scientific curiosity by procrastinating the project, prolonging it as long as possible. I could not let the Decepticons gain the power of time travel. I began questioning my morals, and regretting my defection. I was truly an Autobot at heart. It took all my efforts and a little sabotage, but I was able to stop the development of time travel, at least until after the war was over.

After the truce between Autobots and Decepticons, my life got back to science. Most Autobots disliked me because of my defection at the beginning of the war, but I engrossed myself in my work. I had given up developing the transwarp cell, even though I knew it was possible. Later I was to find someone else had indeed invented it. I retired and left Cybertron, something I never though I'd end up doing.

Before I left, though, I was looked up by my old love, Cycle. She had become a general in the Great War and had survived to tell about it, not an easy task. I explained my actions in defection, and that my sole intent was to protect her. The last words she said to me then were harsh, and many not to be repeated. She said she never wanted to see me again, and that I should have been executed at the end of the war. It was this that made me decide to leave forever.


Book 1: Part 4 Secluded Habitat

Once I retired, I hitched a ride with a relief ship leaving for a some far off world. I told the ship's commander to let me off on a deserted planet. I ended up bringing a mobile laboratory with me, and adapting a cave to suit my purposes.

It took me hundreds of years to set up my laboratory. Sure, hundreds of years is a long time, but not as long as you might think. I set up a living computer, named Epsilon, and all sorts of mechanical devices from scanners to reformers to a medical bay. I had to be well prepared. Why live any way but in comfort?

I mined the nearby caves for precious metals and converted natural gasses and fuel oils into energon, so I had a good store of it.

As for my mind, I thought about my deeds as a Decepticon, and rather than dwell upon them, I started a new project. I formulated a way to make a transdimensional cell, capable of transporting a ship from one dimension to another. Simpler than you might think, it just touched on elements from the space bridge and transwarp cells I had been working on during my days with the decepticons.

Oh, I had changed my symbol back to that of an Autobot.

It was a good thousand years since I had set foot upon this energy-lush planet, when I had visitors. They came in a ship, relatively small, but agile. It was heavily armored and had weapons on incredible power. Nothing like transformer technology, of course, but impressive none the less. In fact when I saw that humanoids were piloting the ship, I got a little jealous. I went back home, and programmed Epsilon to scan the vessel and convert my vehicle mode to match it. I had never liked my vehicle mode before, never seeing it very distinguishing. But now, I would have a new mode, one which I could use to eliminate the threat to my world.

By the end of the day, I had converted into my ship mode and destroyed the vessel. It took me the better part of a week to catch and eliminate all the fleshling creatures that had been inhabiting the vehicle. The way some of them got so emotional about the others I thought was disgusting. Why would simple humanoids care about what happened to each other. Was not concerns such as these reserved for higher beings only?

Shortly after analyzing their ship's technology, I had a breakthrough in my transdimensional cell plans. According to my calculations, backed up with those of Epsilon, I soon decided to leave the planet. After shutting Epsilon on sleep mode, I transformed into my new space ship mode and was ready to make my way back home, to Cybertron.


Book 1: Part 5 A Lie By Any Other Name

It took me the better part of a month to get back to Cybertron, which wasn't really that long. I thought about many things, mainly what I was going to say to the Autobot-Decepticon alliance. Would I tell them who I really was and have them shun me like they had done before? No, I decided to pick a new name. I would call myself Lore. I could say I had been lost during the war and come back. I would call myself an Autobot, naturally.

Upon entering Cybertron's outer atmosphere, I was signaled to identify myself by the Maximal planetary security. I identified myself as the Autobot Lore and relayed my concocted past to the security officers.

I was soon told where to land, and once I transformed and came inside, an ambassador came out to see me. He told me of many new inventions and recent events, including the fact that transformers no longer called themselves Autobots or Decepticons. Their descendants chose the affiliations of Maximals and Predicons respectfully. He told me that many Autobots still lived, but had been rebuilt as Maximals.

Soon I was directed to a repair lab to be upgraded and to download files on historical events I had missed. First the Maximal doctors gave me a new vehicle mode, the space craft I had now was far to deadly for the new, peaceful Cybertron. I gained a car similar to my original, which reminded me of memories I had wished to forget. I was also given a personal computer system, hooked directly into my mind. It was mainly to give statistics on my well being and to direct my repair systems, although othe r functions, such as memory or weapons, could be directed through this. Among the newer features was a voice command to transform and an override command to ensure I would have total control of all my systems.

I told the Maximals about my transdimensional cell idea, and they soon had me set up in my own private lab. It was there I started working on my invention.

Weeks had gone by, and I had familiarized myself with the new cybertronian society that had emerged. Basically, it was run similarly to the old ways before the war, except that Predicons were a sub-government and answered directly to Maximal authorities. Maximals had a large army, while Predicons were kept with minimal defenses and a total dependence on the Maximals. Politics were punishing the Predicons for what their ancestors, the Decepticons, had done.

My work was coming along nicely, when I got a visit from someone I had thought I would never see again. Cycle was sent to investigate me and see that I was who I said I was. She had become a high ranking officer in the Maximal undercover police. Although she did not recognize me, she still asked me so many questions that I could see where this was going. She had done her research and found that there was no Autobot named Lore, and that I was most likely a Decepticon who had escaped punishment fo r war crimes by assuming a new identity and fleeing Cybertron. I had to come clean, and I told her everything. I told her what I did after the war, and that I just didn't want to get treated as I did after the war.

She just looked at me and stared.


Book 1: Part 6 The Catalyst

That was the end. She shut me down. My funding was cut, my laboratory was taken away. I was literally out on the streets. I managed to save only a few plans and a partial prototype transdimensional portal before they began emptying the lab. What would I do now?

The answer was not far in coming. A mysterious figure came up behind me and pulled me into the nearest alley. before I could object, I saw it was Biowar, but he had changed. He was now sporting the insect-like symbol of the Predicons. He said he had an offer I couldn't refuse.

One thing that struck me as odd about Biowar was his lack of weapons. before the great war, Decepticons had been the military and therefor came equipped with a variety of weapons. At the very least, you could expect a Decepticon to have at least two arm mounted lasers, or maybe a shoulder mounted canon. Biowar had been equipped with the standard arm mounted lasers, but seeing him with no weapons at all made me wonder if he was not even more dangerous now.

He told me that he had kept an eye on my project since I had arrived on Cybertron. He also expressed his condolences on the project's demise. Then he offered to set me up with a lab and materials to finish my work. I accepted. At this point, I thought Biowar was the best friend I would ever have.

Within a week I had been set up with the most extensive lab I had ever seen. On board the Predicon vessel Carrion, the lab had everything I needed for the transdimensional cell and equipment to install it into the ship for testing.

I soon set to work. The first thing I did was to reprogram the ship's computer to accept the transdimensional cell's operations. I named the computer Epsilon 2 because I used programming to my original computer.

The ship was fully manned with an all Predicon crew, except for myself. Biowar and a couple of other scientists were to help me finish and set up my device, which I wasn't to happy about. Biowar explained that his government needed his supervision and that his scientists were the best there was.

The first scientist was an expert on dimensional tears and space-time disruptions. His name was Charbroil and he was the most hot headed transformer I had ever met. Always ready to break out into a fist fight with anyone disagreeing with him. If he were a Decepticon in the old days, he would have fired his weapons every five minutes.

Trapswatch was an assistant on the project. I felt sorry for this misfortunate Predicon. He had been one of the earlier of the experimental biological transformation transformers. He had flesh molded with his body, allowing him to look like a fleshlin g while in transformed mode. This biological engineering was perfected in the years I was away from Cybertron. The process was now perfected, but to look at this creature was a little unnerving. His mind was as warped as his body, it was incredibly hard to get him to pay attention, yet alone do something useful.

A month later we were all out in space, and I had completed the transdimensional cell. I told the ship's captain that he could start the machine. As I planned, a portal opened in front of the ship. It was perfectly stable, no gravity forcing us into it, no disturbances. We sent a probe through and continued to get readings once it passed through to the other dimension. A success!

It was just about then when it happened. I left the bridge to go to the lab to study the phenomena more accurately, when to my utter amazement the ship began to lurch. I ran to the engine room having called them with no response. A bomb had been set off, damaging or killing all the Predicons in the room. Then I saw her. Cycle came out from behind a bulkhead.

"I knew I was right about you all along. You were working with these Predicon terrorists," she said.

I had no time to respond. She threw a grenade at me and ran. I managed to avoid the blast, with only minor damage. She ran to the stasis pod chamber, and as I followed I was joined by most of the ship's crew. I could not catch her, so I turned around, transformed, and drove for the lab so I could monitor what was going on.

The bomb had destroyed the transdimensional cell and destabilized the portal. A huge gravity well was pulling us in. Biowar, Charbroil, and Trapswatch all came running in at that point. We tried to get to the bridge, but then all went dark as the power failed.

End of Book 1

Book 2: Part 1 Awakenings

"::DAMAGE CONTROL SYSTEMS ACTIVATED"

"::UNKNOWN ENERGY BUILDUP- ADAPT BEAST MODES TO COMPENSATE"

"::SCANNING SURROUNDING AREA FOR COMPATIBLE LIFE FORMS- FOUND- FOUND- FOUND- FOUND"



"Computer, status report." I said

"::SHIP HAS CRASHED ON AN UNKNOWN PLANET- A MYSTICAL ENERGY IS SURROUNDING THIS PLANET, BLOCKING NORMAL FUNCTIONS- BEAST MODE WILL COMPENSATE"

"Epsilon, list beast modes for me and the other transformers. And locate the others as well." I said

"::LORE: MIST DRAGON- BIOWAR: EBON DRAGON- CHARBROIL: FIRE DRAKE- TRAPSWATCH: NETTING IMP- LORE IS THE ONLY UNIT CURRENTLY ON THE SHIP- OTHER UNITS' LOCATIONS UNKNOWN"

"Epsilon, what is the your source on beast mode information? And what happened to the rest of the Carrion's crew? And what happened to my voice?" I asked with panic.

"::BEAST MODE INFORMATION FROM HUMAN MYTHOLOGY- THE MAJORITY OF THE CARRION'S CREW, AS WELL AS THE MAXIMAL STOWAWAY FLED THE SHIP ON STASIS PODS- THE PODS HAVE LANDED ON THIS STRANGE PLANET, MOST LIKELY ACQUIRING BEAST MODES AND RELEASING THEIR PASSENGER. YOUR VOICE IS A RESULT OF YOUR NEW BEAST MODE."

I continued to question Epsilon, who told me about the "magic lock" that would interfere with transformer systems if we stayed out of our beast modes for to long. Next I asked what happened to Biowar and the others. They had left the ship, in pursuit of energon. Then I asked Epsilon 2 what information it had on the ship before my coming abroad. Like Cycle had said and I had feared, the Predicons were terrorists, wishing to go back to the conquering ways of their ancestors; the Decepticons.

I was determined to stop Biowar from getting the magical energies of this strange dimension. With them, he could return to Cybertron powerful enough to raise an army and start the Great War all over again. Epsilon uncovered proof in his data banks that Biowar was the leader of the group, and that they had been manipulating me all along.


Book 2: Part 2 Dark Forces
I told Epsilon 2 to put up its shields and defend itself from the Predicons if they should try to get in. I left the ship, transforming into the mystical blue mist dragon, and spread my wings out to fly. It was even better than my space ship mode I had earlier.

I felt attuned to the magical forces of this dimension. They seemed to be feeding me in my beast mode, rather than in robot mode when they damage my circuits. As I left the ship, I became aware of a disturbance in the mystic force of the planet. I began to follow it, even though it felt wrong somehow.

I soon came upon a clearing where I noticed three dragon-like creatures flying about, torturing some native humanoids. I asked Epsilon to identify the humanoids over my communication's link, and he said they fit the definition of Elves. Now despite my dislike for fleshlings, I couldn't help but descend and try to protect them.

"Lore, Maximize!" I said as I voice-activated my transformation.

Once in robot mode I got in a protective stance in front of the Elves, who were possibly more afraid of me than they were of their aggressors.

"Aquarius, Terrorize!" said the largest dragon, "Don't You Remember me, your old friend Biowar, but you can call me Aquarius in honor of my new form. Now move aside so I can destroy these bothersome elves. "

"Never, you Predicon terrorist. I will not let you harm these humanoids! Quite the opposite, I am going to destroy you for what you have done," I shouted.

"Charbroil, Terrorize!" said the dragon-like beast to Aquarius's right as a fireball came from his mouth.

"Trapswatch Terrorize" said the Imp that had to be Trapswatch. "Now your going to die Heh-Heh." I could hardly understand the garbled speech of the imp.

I was out gunned. Aquarius had a pair of lasers on his arms, as well as laser eyes. Charbroil had his fire drake's head for a hand and was lobbing fireballs in my direction. Trapswatch had a hand held missile launcher that he fired in no particular direction, hitting trees, elves, and me. I had to get out of there.

"This way," Shouted an elf, "We must flee this place. My tribe has been destroyed, but you who tried to save us, you have to be saved."

I transformed into my dragon mode and flung the elf onto my long neck. Then I headed for the sky, only to find that the Predicons were following me. The elf told me to fly west, into a group of clouds. A feeble escape attempt I thought, but as I flew through the clouds, the elf whispered something into the wind. Soon the very clouds we were flying through had taken the shape of a giant man and grasped at the oncoming Predicons. The imp was thrown back immediately, but then took to chewing on the leg of the clouds, though it did no good. Charbroil was blown back into Aquarius and both crashed into the pit of giant man-eating plants below. I knew this would not hold him for long though. The clouds dissipated into nothingness as we got out of sight.


Book 2: Part 3 Durin's Tale

I took the elf back to the ship, where I soon learned his name. Called Durin, he was an elvish hunter, skilled in many ways of this world.

He explained to me that this is just one plane in a multiverse of dimensions. He said magic was an everyday part of life here, and that all creatures here were magical to some extent. Although he was young, he explained that he could live for centuries due to magic.

As he told me about the varieties of magic, how he had "talked" to the cloud spirit that saved our lives; I began to have a growing admiration for him. I now know what Prime had felt when he landed on Earth so long ago.

When I told him I had come from a different dimension, he told me that I must be a planeswalker, a wizard who can travel throughout the different worlds of multiverse. I asked him if there were any such wizards he knew of, and he said he had heard of one, a black mage called Morgass, the Necromancer.

I asked if Durin would help me find my love, Cycle, and then help us get out of here and back home with the help of the necromancer. He pledged his allegiance to me, and I felt like I had found a friend.


Book 2: Part 4 The Search

The next day; I had Epsilon 2 extrapolate the courses of the stasis pods that left the ship before we crashed. The computer calculated three probable positions for stasis pod landing sights.

I set out that morning, with Durin, to find these pods. I don't know where Aquarius and the others were at that time, so we kept our eyes open.

Deep inside a swamp was the first pod. Durin was very wary of the swamp, it was cursed he said. As a precaution, I stayed in dragon mode, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Things were stirring under the water of the swamp, what I didn't know.

When we came to the pod, it was empty. I called around to see if there was anyone near. Big mistake. Durin went pale on me as he witnessed the unholy rise of a skeletal legion from the swamp. When I turned around, I was shocked at the sight I saw.

"What in the world!?" I gasped.

" They are drudge skeletons, we must flee this place now!" Durin exclaimed, drawing his bow and arrows.

I tried to take off, but something bit my tail.

"Aarrgh!"

A giant skeletal crocodile had bitten me and was holding me down. I began batting away the undead skeletons that were coming for me. Durin fired his arrows, holding some of them off.

I laid Durin in the nearest tree, and transformed.

"Lore Maximize!" I shouted.

I began crushing the skeletons and finally broke open the jaws on the crocodile, tossing him away. Then I heard a most disheartening sound.

"Bonechill, Terrorize!" shouted the crocodile. The monster then proceeded to transform, its bony arms becoming its legs, its head becoming its right hand, and its tail folding out to become two pulse cannons on its left arm. It's face was the only thing remotely transformer about it.

I, however, had long since grabbed Durin and transformed and taken flight.

"Jets-on! You will die, Maximal!" he shouted as his crocodile head/hand opened up unnaturally wide to reveal four jets that began to propel the robot upward in a wild, unpredictable course of flight. Then the Predicon began firing at me, hitting me with more accuracy as he closed in. I couldn't out fly him, it seemed.

Durin took his last arrow and aimed it at Bonechill. He fired and it hit the Predicon in the right eye. Unfortunately for him, he had no hands to pull it out, just his jet/head and his dual pulse-cannons. This didn't stop him though.

Volley after volley of laser fire hit me and even when magic lock set in, Bonechill pressed on, even with his circuits failing. This had to stop. I dropped Durin, and transformed.

I grabbed onto Bonechill's shoulder's, digging my fingers into his bone.

"Die, you Maximal scum!" he shouted "I will crush your bones and keep your head for a snack."

I pulled with all my might, ripping loose his right arm. Letting this fall, I let go of him and let him fall as well.

"Beast mode!" I shouted as I went into a dive. I managed to grab Durin a good hundred feet before he hit the ground. I leveled off my flight and we headed for the next pod, even as I heard the end to Bonechill's extremely long fall.

As I approached the second stasis pod sight, I saw several small humanoids, Durin called them goblins, picking at three stasis pods spread out around the base of a mountain.

Upon my landing, the goblins scattered. All but one goblin ran away, most into the nearby caves. When I transformed, the left over goblin came up to me and asked if I was one of the others, gesturing to the stasis pods. I said yes, and he brought Durin and I into the caves.


Book 2: Part 5 Goblins and Goblinites

As I followed the goblin hero into the caves, I didn't realize the stupidity of the action. The power of flight was lost to me, I was trapped underground with any number of goblins ready to ambush me. Also, I didn't know if any of the three pods held Cycle, or if they housed three Predicon terrorists.

We made our way into a hollow cavern, light by a few small holes in the surface. Every once in a while, a goblin child would fall through these holes on the surface to their doom. I could hardly stand the stench emanating from the cavern.

At the end of the cavern was three giant goblins that turned out to be the Goblinites, three Predicon goblins.

The goblin king was on a throne on a high ledge in the cave. He said "Kill them!" and sat back in his chair.

"Goblinites, Terrorize!" shouted the large goblins. They rushed towards us, as did the masses of goblins hiding in the caves. While Durin fought them as best he could, we were separated as I battled the Predicon goblins and the goblin hordes. I stepped on several dozen goblins, beat the first goblinite into submission, and decapitated the second.

The third goblinite began throwing boulders, some of which hit me, most of which scraped of the goblins on my back. The small creatures started to gnaw on my feat and bite my legs.

"Beast mode" I said, flapping my wings and dislodging the goblins climbing on them. Then all fell silent.

Durin had the goblin king at his feet, his knife around the king's neck. The goblin's concern was not for their king, already dead with his throat dripping blood, but they acknowledged their new king.

As we left, Durin left the goblinites in charge. He explained that the only way to become a goblin king was to kill the current king, which he had done, and therefore the goblins had to bow down to him.


Book 2: Part 6 Multiple Parts

The third sight we traveled to was a lush, tropical valley. It was inhabited by several strange species, Durin pointed out griffins, sprites, and flying lizards. I transformed into my robot mode while Durin took to the trees. I picked up distress beacons from two stasis pods.

The first of the stasis pods I came upon was damaged by jagged rocks. As I pried open the pod, several large ants crawled out. More scurried out holes in the bottom of the pod. I assumed the insects had chewed their way into the pod. Durin jumped down from the trees and pointed out that the holes were chewed outward, not inward, and that the ants were to large to be regular carrion ants.

Six large ants then formed a line in back of me. The largest said "Carrion Terrorize!" Two of the ants became the legs of the robot, the largest ant became the body and folded out a head, and two more ants became arms. The last ant became a large cann on that was pointed at my face.

"What's wrong Lore, you don't remember the Carrion's captain? Just call me Carrion now. I will kill you and the Maximal saboteur you smuggled aboard. Die Maximal!" proclaimed the ant gestalt.

"Sphinx, Terrorize!" said one of the griffins, now descending and transforming. She launched two missiles that caught the Carrion by surprise. He was unconscious for the moment, but he wouldn't be for long. I grabbed the heroine and my trusty elf and flew back to the ship as fast as I could.

"Why did you save me?" I asked the Predicon woman.

"I never liked the captain and I couldn't let him scrap a cutey such as you," she said, "Besides, I was getting a little lonely."

I then introduced Durin and Epsilon 2. I told her about my goals of finding Cycle and then the planeswalker so we could return to Cybertron.

I was reluctant to trust a Predicon, but she had saved my life. Looking back, I doubt she was to happy to help me find my lost love, or returning to Cybertron to face terrorist charges.


Book 2: Part 7 Plot Twists

It was the middle of the night when a barrage of weapon's fire woke me. I ran to the lab to find Sphinx already there, working with Epsilon 2. Durin joined us in a moment.

"What's going on?" asked the elf.

"::PREDICON ASSAULT- SHIELDS AT 62% AND SHIPS WEAPONS OF LINE"

"Give up Lore. This is Aquarius and we have the planeswalker, and he is working with us. We also have your friend, Cycle in her stasis pod."

"Computer, identify the assailants"

"::UNITS AQUARIUS, CHARBROIL, TRAPSWATCH, AND BONECHILL, ALONG WITH MANY MAGICAL CREATURES"

The wizard had summoned a variety of demons, vampires, and dragons who were all attacking the ship. In addition Bonechill was leading the skeletons form the swamp.

"Epsilon, send out a general distress signal to anyone who can hear us."

"What do you expect, that your girlfriend will wake up and save us? I wouldn't hold my breath," Sphinx said sarcastically.

We waited in the ship, loading up with armaments from the secret hold in the ship that Sphinx showed me. We set up several lasers for Durin to control with Epsilon 2.

By the time the shields had failed, the Predicons had reverted to beast modes to prevent magic lock. Sphinx and I jumped out, guns blazing. It was apparent that someone did hear our distress signal because Carrion appeared and combinded, forming his gruesome robot mode. Again Sphinx surprised him, but not before I took a blast in the chest. She blasted him with a few missiles, but only one hit. I tossed a grenade that lodged in his central ant. The resulting explosion tore Carrion to pieces. The last I saw of him was the five smaller ants scurrying away in separate directions and a smoldering pile of ant pieces.

That small victory aside, the other Predicons blasted us to smoldering wrecks, between the dragons and imps and other magical creatures, and Aquarius, I had no chance. Sphinx fought Charbroil and Trapswatch. Bonechill took out the remaining ship defenses and invaded the ship.

Almost destroyed, Sphinx and I regrouped and unloaded all our ammo into the oncoming Predicon surge. Just then, my bet came through, and a flurry of goblins assaulted the Predicons and the other magical creatures. In the forthcoming goblin massacre, the goblinites drug me and Sphinx into the ship and into the CR repair chambers. The last thing I saw before I went unconscious was a new goblinite, much larger and more deadly then the others. I just stared at him as he left.


Book 2: Part 8 Aftermath

When I awoke from the CR chamber I ran to the control room. Sphinx was already there, but Durin was nowhere to be seen.

"The goblins drove away the Predicons and the wizard, but they took heavy losses. The three goblinites are in the CR chambers right now," Sphinx informed me.

When asked where Durin was, she shrugged. I then went outside to look for the elvish king of the goblins, but he was nowhere to be found.

Then I found tracks. Durin had gone this way, and was followed by a goblinite, but a heavy set one, the new one I had seen before my repairs. Frantically I transformed and followed the tracks to their inevitable conclusion.

There Durin was, limp, red with blood and dead. Standing over him was the large Goblinite sword drawn and red with blood. I was furious, and flung myself at the Predicon goblin.

"What's wrong, Lore? He was just a fleshling? What does his death matter. I got what I wanted, and I will support you in your vendetta against Aquarius." said the goblinite.

I lunged at him and ripped the murderer to pieces. I destroyed the goblinite beyond restoration, beyond any reanimation. He was dead. He deserved to be dead. He had killed my only true friend in this dimension.

But his views were the same as mine had once been.

End of Book 2

Book 3: Part 1 Vengeance

I was in a blood rage. I knew it was my fault that Durin had died. If I had never invented my transdimensional cell, none of this would ever happen. I went back to the base and rounded up the troops. I refused to take the goblins along, enough of them had died for me. I gathered my unlikely allies, Sphinx and the goblinites.

We worked frantically to fix the ship and gave Epsilon full control of the ship's functions. The Predicon ship was ready to fly by noon the next day. Using my magical tracking ability that had lead me to the Predicons that first time, I searched for a disturbance in the magical fields of the planet.

A voice came over the radio: "Lore, do you read me? This is Pearlwing, A.K.A. Cycle. Aquarius has released me as a peace offering. He says to leave this dimension and leave them here."

The viewers picked up the picture of what Epsilon identified as a pearl dragon. Epsilon opened out pressure doors, letting her in.

Once in the ship she transformed into her magnificent self, almost exactly as I remembered it. I asked Sphinx to leave us alone, and the four Predicons that had been following me, left. I found out later that that was when she fled the ship.

Pearlwing told me that she would serve me. I told her I didn't want her servitude, but her friendship and understanding for what I had done in the past. She forgave me easily, too easily. I turned around quickly to monitor our course, and when I turned back, Pearlwing had a cannon pointed at my head.

"So, you weren't happy with the way things were. You had to change them. Adapt an alias, begin a terrorist movement. I was convinced you had been duped into it, until Aquarius told me about your secret plans." yelled Pearlwing, " to think I once loved you!?"

"Pearlwing, I did nothing of the sort. Aquarius is the terrorist leader. I was tricked." I pleaded, but my words meant nothing to her.

Pearlwing pulled the trigger, I ducked. Epsilon was hit, we were going down. She fled the ship in dragon mode, and I have never seen her again. I later heard word that she had began working with Morgass, the wizard, but that wasn't for a long time.


Book 3: Part 2 Downward Spiral

The ship was about to crash. Epsilon 2 had been deactivated. The ship had no onboard computer. I ran to the bridge of the ship. In a frantic rush, I plugged myself into the ship. Because of my background as a spaceship; I thought I could control the ship easily. Wrong. After nearly missing the tree line, I recovered only to brush a mountain. fortunately this was a warship, and I was ready for war. I scanned the area, and found the location of the Predicons.

With a single barrage of missiles, I vaporized the side of the castle that they were hidden in. Unfortunately, that is when I lost control of the ship. We crashed into the other side of the castle, knocking down what little supports it had. Upon getting out, the door slammed on Trapswatch.

"Trapswatch hurt- Help Trapswatch" moaned the imp. I then took a pulse cannon from the hold and ended that suffering.

Bonechill and Charbroil came out of a door in the rubble and transformed into their robot modes and began to fire. With no cover, the goblinites were soon destroyed. I transformed and took flight. The Predicons blew a hole in the ship where the secret weapons bay had been and the resulting explosion was just what I needed.

I flew towards the startled Predicons and landed on Bonechill's head. The force broke some bones in his body, and then I tore of his head.

"Perish Maximal. You will die die..." were the last words of the crocodile as I crushed his head. Upon Bonechill's death, the skeleton legions that had followed him fell to pieces.

Charbroil was not discouraged, though.

"Beast mode!" shouted my fiery adversary, "You will fry Maximal." As he transformed I closed in on him. Within minutes he was defeated and destroyed by me and my superior size.

Then I transformed and headed for the doorway in the rubble. I traveled down a narrow stairway till I came on a large room. There was Morgass and Aquarius, torturing Sphinx whom they had chained to the wall.

"Let her go Aquarius!" I shouted.

"You don't want her, you fool. She betrayed you from the start. It was she who sent me the location of Cycle's stasis pod and her who told me how to find the wizard." said Aquarius.

"Is this true?" I asked her.

"Yes, it is true. I didn't need your old girlfriend coming in and messing us up and I didn't need to be sent back to Cybertron for trial," she said.

"If you want her back so badly, her she is!" shouted Morgass as he burned the chains off her with his glare. "She's yours Lore. Enjoy her!"

Sphinx then transformed into griffin mode and flew out the stairs behind me. I turned back to see Morgass and Aquarius disappearing in a puff of smoke.


Book 3: Part 3 Old Friends

I searched the entire castle ruins for them, but they were nowhere to be found. Then I returned to the ship and tried to repair the damage Pearlwing had done to the computer. The damage was extensive, but the program was totally gone. After a while I discovered a pair of wires leading to an unknown part of the ship.

When I found where the wires lead to, I was amazed. They were hooked up to a blank body, presumably a back up for Aquarius of another high Predicon. Epsilon had transferred his entire program to the body, but the pod was not connected to the DNA scanners because they had been disassembled in order to get the ship flying. In order to awaken my friend, I would need sample DNA from a real beast.

I went in search for an appropriate beast mode, eventually fighting and killing a giant snake-like creature.

"::AAAH, A CRAW WURM- A VERY NICE SELECTION- VERY GOOD INDEED"

The pod then opened to reveal the monster that came out.

"::EPSILON MAXIMIZE?" said the beast. The wurm then transformed, it's head becoming it's left hand, it's tail becoming a shoulder cannon, and legs and a right arm folding out from the wurm's long body.

"Welcome back to the land of the functional." I said.

"::IT'S NICE TO BE BACK" said Epsilon.


Book 3: Part 4 The Showdown

With Epsilon's help, I quickly tracked down Aquarius and Morgass to a nearby cave.

After dispensing with the caves guards, a pair of idle-minded demons, we entered the dark cave, only to be transported to a field not far away. As we looked around, Morgass and Aquarius appeared.

"Well Lore, it's come down to this. You and your computer outnumbered and alone in this dimension," said Aquarius.

"Outnumbered, I think you ought to check your calculations Aquarius." I said.

"Morgass please check my calculations."

"My pleasure" said the Necromancer, as he chanted a few spells and made a few old foes appear. Trapswatch, Carrion, Bonechill, Charbroil, the Goblinite King, and the three goblinites all rose from a layer of smoke. These were not illusions, Morgass actually brought them back to life.

Next the wizard cast a spell on Epsilon. He fell to the ground, his flesh rotting, his circuit's failing. With in an instant he was dust.

"NO!" I shouted.

I was all alone, face to face with all these Predicons. I began to chant a spell Durin had taught me a while back, one for power. Then they were upon me.

The battle began with Bonechill lighting up his rockets and Trapswatch transforming into his imp mode. Both took flight as the Goblinite king urged the goblinites to transform and attack. Carrion scattered into his six ants and proceeded to attack by land. Charbroil did what he was best at and started shooting flames. Aquarius just stood back and watched. I quickly transformed, letting out a breath of fire which singed Trapswatch in mid flight. As the imp fell, I batted away the swarm of giant carrion ants, crushing one in my jaws. I knocked away the first goblinite into Trapswatch, which crushed him. The other two I picked up and used as shields from Bonechill who was directly above me and Charbroil a little to the right. Then as the goblin's master drew his sword, I threw one goblinite at him and one at Charbroil. The goblin king's sword accidentally decapitated the goblin in a feeble attempt to deflect the Predicon.

I purposely stepped on two more ants, then flew up to Bonechill, Biting his chest and then forcing him into a destructive dive. Putting all of my weight on him, I directed him into the pile that was Charbroil and the last goblinite. The resulting pile of blood and metal was not pretty.

Finally, I fried the last of Carrion and then faced off against the goblinite king. He got the first strike, though, and punctured my belly. I transformed, making him loose grip of his sword, however painful it was to me. I then ripped of his limbs in a furious blood rage.

"Bravo Lore. You managed to kill them all. But now you have to face me, Aquarius. "


Book 3: Part 5 The End

"You think you can face me Lore? You were never a match for me. You are never were anything to be bothered with," said Aquarius "Beast mode!". he transformed into his horrid ebon dragon mode, dark black with green eyes, breathing green and yellow flames.

"Aquarius, this is the end. You will not live to see tomorrow." I boasted, not too sure I was being truthful. I grabbed the blood stained sword from my back and transformed back into my beast mode, grabbing the goblin sword in my hand.

Aquarius lunged for me, but I thrust the sword into his chest, breathing fire into the open wound. He tried to burn me in his mystic flames, but they just end up singeing my wings and tail. We were locked in a terrible grip, one biting the other, but I was a much smaller dragon. I only saw one chance.

"Lore maximize!" I shouted. As I automatically transformed, my claws stayed fast, gripping the sword, dragging it up the chest of the black dragon. I felt it when I hit his head, buried in the chest of the dragon. The resulting scream of the dragon, dying from it's fatal wounds, was more than I could stand. I emerged minutes later, covered with blood, only some of which belonged to Aquarius.

Morgass was horrified, he quickly summoned a few more creatures, but none could stop me from getting to him.

I walked up to the sorcerer and grabbed him. "I saw what you did. What you can do. I want you to bring back Epsilon and to bring back Durin!"

"Will you let me go if I do?" asked the necromancer, getting a wicked smile on his face.

I agreed, compromising my values to have my friends back. He then brought Epsilon and Durin back to life, then he disappeared.

"Durin, what do you say to us heading home?" I asked my friend.

"But what about you friend, Cycle?" asked the elf.

"Right now, I just want to go home and relax for a little while," I said.

Epsilon and Durin agreed and soon we were on our way back to the ship.

The End



Characters List:
  • Lore
  • Pearlwing
  • Sphinx
  • ::Epsilon 2
  • Aquarius
  • Charbroil
  • Trapswatch
  • Bonechill
  • The Goblinites
  • The Goblinite King
  • Carrion
  • Durin, the elf
  • Morgass, the Necromancer

    To Download a zip of the MSWord 6.0 version of this story (which uses special fonts & a picture) click here.

    Return to Safari Fanfic Page 2

    Return to alt.toys.transformers Fanfic page on Grex