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Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 18: Masters of Nebulos)

TMC 18-1

Nebulos, homeworld of a warrior race of large, green-skinned, and white-haired humanoids, an ancient world with an ancient civilization that has managed to reach post-scarcity. That isn’t to say that it is without problems. Right now, late in the night, a Nebulan woman, Llyra, was working in her office with her future father-in-law, Stylor, and a friend of hers, a woman named Kari. As they worked, her fiancé, Galen, and a woman, Marita, stormed into the room. “Give me one good reason not to use Cerebros to take them out!” he snarled to Llyra. Llyra simply arched her eyebrow.

“…If you didn’t know the answer, you wouldn’t have thought to ask,” she replied.

“Don’t play that game with me, Llyra! I’m serious!”

“We don’t have hard evidence that Hi-Q’s Industrial Research Complex has committed any crimes.”

“Oh, come on! Detonating a mechano-toxin bomb in our planet’s atmosphere to poison the Transformers the instant they touch down, regardless of faction?! Leaving us to be unaffected?! How else should people read that?! We’ve benefitted from Transformer technology before, and we’re prospering more as Autobot allies than Decepticons! You and I both know Hi-Q’s organization is dirty!”

“Then maybe,” interjected Kari, “you lot should put more energy into proving it and less into acting like a bunch of over-powered stormtroopers.”

“I don’t recall asking you for your opinion, Kari!” snarled Galen.

“No? How about when you guys and the Council recruited me as a mole within Hi-Q’s inner circle, against my will, I might add, and also gave me the job of keeping you guys from taking rash actions against Hi-Q?! You had me take up my dual mantle to keep both parties honest, according to Llyra’s disgraced predecessor!”

“Do I look like Zarak to you?!”

“At the moment,” remarked Stylor, “you kinda do.”

“Your father’s right, sweetie,” supplied Llyra, “you ARE adopting my father’s scowl.” Galen glared at Llyra before continuing.

“We can’t let the Complex get away with this!”

“No one’s saying we should, but we need to keep a cool head!”

“Do you know what they did to Gort and his Binary-bond Partner?!” called Marita. “They took Highbrow apart and put him back together in an operation that almost cost him his Spark! Not only that, but they also put Gort through multiple brain scans, PAINFUL brain scans! Besides, they aren’t too keen with us mages!”

“Look, kid,” interjected Kari, “take it from someone who works under him; Hi-Q’s a piece of garbage and Hi-Test and Rev are the worst of his flunkies, but this ISN’T the way to stop them!”

“We must also consider the possibility,” continued Llyra, “that the Industrial Research Complex has every right to be afraid of mages and Transformers-”

“WHAT?!” shouted Marita as her hair became hair-shaped fire and her fists were surrounded by fire.

“-and there is strong evidence that they have legitimate connections to the Council.”

“Maybe to some rogue faction of our colleagues!” argued Galen. “The whole Council wouldn’t get involved in anything like this!”

“Hey!” called Kari. “I’m the only one in this room without superpowers of any kind, be they technological or magical, and let me tell you; you guys SCARE me! What if you superpowered guys decide to go out there and take care of whoever you think is guilty?! Who could stop you, me?!”

“So you WANT the government to have a bunch of anti-Transformer and anti-mage weapons just to keep us in check?!” asked Marita as her fire snuffed itself out.

“Since there’s a mage here who’s in a place of power,” Kari gestured to Llyra, “who has urged the implementation of limits on people with power, then yeah, I do!” Her “yeah” echoed within everyone’s heads. She sighed before continuing. “Look, I’m an Inner-ringer. You guys in the government need to do for averages citizens like what we can’t do for ourselves. We sure can’t protect ourselves from the likes of superpowered people.”

“Look, we’re not talking about the government!” interjected Galen. “We’re talking about a shadow cabinet that’s taken it upon themselves to eliminate us! They came after us; we have to hit them back HARD!”

“One of your mother’s sayings leaps to mind, boy,” remarked Stylor. “You know, the one about an eye for an eye leaving everyone in the universe blind?” Galen was about to interject when an alarm rang through the office. Llyra pressed a button on her desk.

“What’s going on?!” she asked.

“Supreme Councilor!” replied the person on the other end. “A quartet of ships has entered our solar system! One of them is the Decepticon Flagship, the Nemesis!”

“Raise defenses, but do NOT fire unless we’re fired upon!” After ending the call, she got up and turned to her future husband and his dad. “You two better get to your partners.” She then took Marita and Kari with her as Galen and Stylor headed off to meet with their binary-bond partners.


“You’re absolutely sure about the atmospheric readings?” Megatron asked Shockwave as they met in his ready room.

“There’s no doubt about it,” replied the Decepticon scientist as she presented her findings. “There’s a large mechano-toxin density in the atmosphere. Organics are unaffected.

“Scrap!” Megatron thumped his chair’s armrest in annoyance. “The only organics we have are Morgane and Eggman! We can’t afford to send troops down there!” They left the ready room and returned to the bridge. “Ravage, open a channel to the fleet,” he ordered.

“At once, my Lord,” replied Ravage as he keyed in a command. Soon, Eggman, Morgane, and Thundercracker appeared on the screen.

“Everyone, I have bad news,” began Megatron. “The Nebulans have made the atmosphere of their world toxic to mechanical life-forms. Only organics are able to thrive in it.”

“So send us down!” urged Eggman.

“Out of the question.”

“Why’s that, Lord Megatron?” asked Thundercracker.

“Their size makes it hard to get supplies in any reasonable time. They’ll be discovered within an hour.”

“Then what are we to do?” asked Morgane. “Are there agents on the planet?”

“Most likely not, not after the last time I visited Nebulos.” Megatron then recalled something. “…I’m a fool! There ARE agents, just on Animatros!” He turned to Ravage. “Contact Animatros. Get them to send Scorponok and his fellow Headmasters here to assist us.” The Decepticons and Eggman stared at Megatron in horror.

“Scorponok?!” yelped Thundercracker. “You’re MORE than a fool, your resurrection must have caused a neural cluster to blow a massive fuse!”

“On the contrary,” replied Megatron, “bringing them here will give us the means to carry out our plans.”

“Could someone explain what is meant by ‘Headmaster’?” asked Morgane. “I don’t believe I’m familiar with that type of Transformer.”

“Headmasters,” explained Eggman, “are Transformers that are larger than the ones we know with a cyborg partner that turns into the head when they go to robot mode.”

“The technology,” continued Megatron, “was reverse-engineered from two Metrotitans, Transformers with a city alt-mode and a smaller emissary body that they can control…or are partners with.”

“So the emissaries of these particular ‘Metrotitans’ turned into the robot’s heads?” asked Morgane.

“Correct. However, two emissaries, Cerebros and Black Scar, gained a Nebulan partner that transform into their heads. The Metrotitans have two partners now.”

“And it’s Scorponok’s partners I’m afraid of!” argued Thundercracker. “Okay, yes, the Headmasters should have enough of an organic element to safely process the mechano-toxin, but Scorponok’s mannerisms make him too deadly a force to keep on Nebulos.”

“Oh, I’m not suggesting that Scorponok himself assume robot mode on the planet’s surface, I’m merely suggesting that he send the smaller Headmasters and their partners to run interference.”

“Even so, Scorponok and the Headmasters are forbidden from leaving their current sanctuary!” argued Ravage. “The Tripredacus Council’s impounded them on Animatros!” At this point, Megatron lost patience.

“Not at this time! The Predacons and their ruling body are members of the Decepticon Empire, meaning I can override their decision in times of war! Now, bring Scorponok and the Headmasters here! If Ram Horn has a problem, refer him to me! Are we clear?”

“…Crystal, Lord Megatron.” Ravage then carried out his orders.

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