Episode 01

TFWire presents War Stories, a fanfiction podcast.

I am your host, Megatron, also known as Steve.

What the War Stories podcast is basically is

a fanfic storytelling podcast. It's released

bi -weekly. There is one piece per show normally.

On occasion there may be two, depending on the

length. Basically, the war stories will be similar

to that of back in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, sitting

in front of a radio listening to your favorite

TV shows, as Matrix Prime has said in a previous

post. Well, we can get ready with the story today.

The author is G .C. Rust of the AllSpark. The

story is called The Anatomy of Betrayal. megatron

will lead the decepticons into the dustbin of

history i let my words carry to the corpse i

still hold in my hand before i finally let go

of it letting it pile unceremoniously to the

floor for an instant a fleeting microsecond i'm

frozen in terror i stare at the fluids already

pooling in my palm and digest the horror i've

crossed the line from here on i will be nothing

more than a traitor to my own even if only myself

will know of it my fingers close in around the

fluids in my palm it's over no one else saw i

can choose to back out at any time now but that's

not why i came here if i ran now then the murder

i just committed would be meaningless i have

blood on my hands the least i can do is to make

that mean something I walk to the window, numbly.

My legs are steady. They should be shaking. There

should at least be shaking. Every processor in

my head is screaming at me, condemning my actions

as well as myself, and yet my body functions

normally. I let my gaze sweep over the ruins.

It was a beautiful city. I can admit that here,

in the presence of the dead. That true crime

was what our battle did to it. but its death

is a fitting funeral pyre for the combat going

on across the avenue. Optimus is down. I didn't

expect that. A quick survey of the area reveals

the cause. A lone pistol. Megatron must have

picked it up during the confusion. This will

make things all the more difficult, but it's

nothing that cannot be overcome. My body moves

on its own accord again, it seems. I make my

way over the crumpled corpse and its two brothers.

And while I calmly walk over the Decepticons

I just murdered, my wind wanders back to that

terrible moment a few moments ago. Optimus and

Megatron on his knees, begging for mercy. This

was the chance I had waited for since time immortal.

Megatron's constant state of warfare would lead

to the destruction of the Decepticon race, be

it through internal conflict or finally meeting

an opponent we could not defeat. Our homeworld

was dying. Almost broken, but the Autobots were

broken, driven off the very surface of Cybertron.

An annoyance, maybe, but there was finally a

chance to repair, rearm, and upgrade for the

next conquest. But there would be none of those

things with Megatron at the helm. Instead, he

takes a sledgehammer to a gnat, with obvious

results. Eventually, you'll hit the gnat, but

not before all but breaking the hammer. and the

Decepticons had been broken in the fight for

this city. There needed to be a chance to rest,

to heal. If that meant offering the Autobots

a peace accord, then that was that. The Autobots

should have been beneath the notice of the Decepticons

anyway. Then I noticed Reflector in the building,

preparing to snipe Optimus in the back of the

head. That could not be allowed. If Megatron

lived, then this prestige only grew. And the

death of the Decepticon race was all but assured.

So I had flown up to the window. I'd startled

Reflector. I'd dropped two of his three bodies

in my initial attack. The third had attempted

to flee, but I'd cut him down at the knees before

slamming him against the wall and murdered him

by crushing both his neck and shooting him in

the chest point blank. I still can hear his last

breath even as I move towards the hatch. He asked

me why. I exit the building, flying up and arcing

around even as I do so. It must appear as though

I'm coming up on the scene from another part

of the city. Appearances must be maintained,

after all. I touch down a little ways from Megatron,

and I walk deliberately towards him. This, at

least, is no act. While I hate the madman, years

of service have still forced me to walk up and

check. Surprisingly, he's still functional, though

for how much longer remains to be seen. he looks

at me with broken defeated optics and for another

instant i'm frozen into indecision but reflector's

lifeblood still pools in my clutched palm as

a gentle reminder of all that i have done and

all that i still may be called to do don't leave

me megatron manages to rasp still looking at

me with those defeated optics sound wave I kneel

down. I place a comforting hand on Megatron's

back, and thus intermingle the last of Reflector's

life fluids with Megatron's own. As you command,

Megatron. I scoop him up as I hear Starscream

barking orders for the retreat. He will have

to be dealt with as well, in time. He would make

a useful figurehead. Not that I intend to make

it an easy transition for him. Still, losing

gracefully and offering my services couldn't

hurt my own standing. I nod to Rumble to bring

Megatron's fusion cannon. He and his brethren

have no idea, of course. Megatron's earlier command

to jam communications allowed me to separate

myself from them for this critical juncture.

They will be told in time. Reflector's comment

comes back to me as I brave Autobot Fire to get

into Astrotrain's ever -expansive cargo hold.

Starscream at least has the decency to wait for

all to board before he himself does. That's a

mark for him. As I cross the threshold into safety,

I set Megatron down, and the gratitude in his

face charms me. Truly, I've played my part well

over the years. He still believes I am loyal.

Perhaps a whisper in the audio receiver of someone

to get rid of the wounded. Obviously, they would

only slow down or escape. Yes, that might work.

I settle and allow my partners to return to their

stationary forms and brood. The loss of Optimus

will galvanize the remaining Autobot forces,

and the death of Megatron and his obvious successor

will throw the Decepticons into chaos, if only

momentarily. What should have been a glorious

new age of prosperity for the Decepticon people

has become something else entirely. There's a

good chance that we may even lose Cybertron.

Depending on who is chosen to lead the Autobots

in Primestead, at least Megatron will be out

of the equation. And that, Reflector, is the

true reason for my betrayal. There must always

be Decepticon people, and because of my actions,

there always will be. Come what may, from this

point on, at least the madness that has gripped

the Decepticons has ended, and that still doesn't

make me feel anything less than a traitor. And

that was the first story by GC Rust of AllSpark,

and for the second, I shall play that next. And

this title of this story is called The Anatomy

of Command. Parts should be in Cargo Bay 14 by

the end of the week. The engineers also wanted

to take a look at the superstructure in grid

5 -alpha -7 to make sure there's not some stress

cracking. Also, research has requested an extra

20 % draw of the power grid for a good two standard

Terran weeks so they can... Ultra Magnus held

up a hand and Perceptor paused and glanced up

from his memo pad to cock an eyebrow ridge. Thank

you, Perceptor, but I think that'll be all for

now. Ultra Magnus said in his confident baritone.

You can leave the memo pad on my desk, and I'll

look over the rest and approve what I need to.

Right now, I think I need to take a little breather.

Of course, Commander, Perceptor nodded, setting

the pad down on the desk made out of orange metal.

As Ultra Magnus tipped his massive chair back

in a resting posture, the Autobot scientist cocked

his head to his side and politely asked, Will

that be all, sir? Yes, Perceptor. Thank you.

Perceptor nodded and exited Ultra Magnus' office.

As the hitch hissed closed, Ultra Magnus let

his chair snap back and he let out a sigh of

tension. Leaning forward on his desk, he pinched

the bridge of his nasal bump and shut off his

optics for a moment. It was a gesture he'd copied

from humans. And while it lacked any sort of

physical benefits, the release of tension and...

Something so minute helped his mental state far

more than he would have allowed himself to believe,

not even more than six standard tear months before.

Magnus winked as he stood, his servals whining

in protest for a moment as the controls fought

off the lockups of joints in need of a good oiling.

Positive his legs weren't going to go out on

him, Magnus walked around his desk. shooting

the memo pad a slight look of contempt, and walked

over to his floor -to -ceiling window on the

main tower of Autobot City. City, being a relative

term, given the half -completed skeletons of

buildings and temporary recharging stations for

the technicians and workers both human and Cybertronian

responsible in construction. On most days, the

sight of that frenzied but organized work gave

Ultra Magnus some sense of pride, but today?

ultra magnus let his optics settle on the far

eastern corner of the city and the green grass

beyond clicking up the magnification on his optics

he brought into focus the gathering of humans

just beyond the city limits brandishing signs

and shouting obscenities to any worker in earshot

there were more of them today ultra magnus grimly

observed he hadn't realized there was a section

of the human population so against supporting

the autobots in their ongoing civil war But even

that was secondary to the sobering indication

that a vast majority of humans couldn't tell

and didn't really care who was an Autobot or

Decepticon. All they knew, all that mattered,

was that Cybertronians had no business on Earth

and should get off their planet. Ultra Magnus

could somewhat understand their reasoning. Primus

knew the Decepticons loved causing as much chaos

as possible. but the open hostility to the autobots

and the construction of autobot city in general

had come as a shock to even the autobots who

might have been on earth for some time so for

ultra magnus handpicked by optimus prime to be

city leader and a new immigrant to earth it was

even more jarring magnus was jerked out of his

thoughts by a sudden flash of light near the

western gate his gaze immediately shifting magnus

gaped in horror The western gate was ablaze,

the remains of a cargo truck evident around the

blaze. A car bomb. As Magnus watched, the old

warhorse cup was all but whipping the younger

Autobots blur and hot rod into action and water

hoses to put out the fire, while first aid and

the rest of the protected bots raced into the

blaze to look for the driver of the truck and

the Autobot sentry on guard. This represented

a dangerous escalation in hostilities to the

Autobots. and Ultra Magnus tried to grapple with

the concept of such a tactic. When motioned from

the other side of his field of view, drew his

optics back to the group of protesters. The protesters

had obviously been waiting for the bomb, because

they were already swarming that section of the

city's construction. Two human workers were dragged

under the tidal wave of bodies, and Ultra Magnus

could make out instruments in the protesters'

hands, pipes, bricks, anything else they could

use as a weapon. And that wasn't all. Chromia

barely missing a well -tossed Molotov cocktail.

Ultra Magnus sensed the chaos seeping into his

command area, and for one instant was uncertain

of the action he could take. But then his optics

locked on the ground. There were two Transformers

also watched the carnage. One was green in color,

the other white and pink. Springer had his sword

drawn and was walking, stalking towards the violent

protesters. RC seemed to be doing her best to

stop Springer before he did anything rash. Memo

pad forgotten, Ultra Magnus rushed towards the

tower lift as he did. He keyed his communicator.

Blaster here, a familiar voice said over the

comm. Blaster, this is Ultra Magnus. I want every

security camera and recording device trained

on the western and eastern perimeter ASAP. We

need to get all the evidence we can, so make

sure you can back up the readings. Understood,

boss man. Should I send out a distress signal

to the local authorities? Ultra Magnus entered

the lift, hit the ground floor button, and waited

for the car to begin moving before he replied.

Negative. Contact the state government. Inform

them of the situation. Local police won't be

able to contain and neutralize that mob. We'll

need the National Guard. And what about our side?

Blaster asked. and edge creeping into his voice

almost like a sick hunger ultra magnus was shocked

to hear it but after what just happened he couldn't

blame the generally cheerful autobot that's already

about to blow up in our faces i'm heading out

to try and prevent an incident but get a signal

to streetwise i may need to detain a few autobots

gotcha ultra magnus Springer paid R .C.'s pleas

absolutely no mind. He'd just witnessed two good

men, men with families to support, get beaten

and almost killed just for standing in the way

of that organic filth. Springer had never much

cared for the organics of this planet, but he

had to admit the majority of them weren't bad.

He'd even become friends with some of them. But

this was just too much. From the moment those

so -called protesters had shown up, Springer

had always known they'd be trouble. And now they

were trying to rip apart what was going to be

his new home? All because they didn't want the

Autobots on Earth? What did they think the Decepticons

would do if the Autobots didn't have a localized

presence on Earth? Just ignore it? Springer brought

his sword up. Even at this range, he'd cut down

more than half the rabble. It would likely be

enough to send the vermin scurrying back into

their holes, and frankly, nobody'd miss him.

Springer never brought his sword down. A powerful

arm grabbed his arm. just as he was about to

swing and struggle as he could he couldn't break

free of it and just what do you think you're

doing springer ultra magnus demanded almost desperately

what do you think will happen if you kill them

the rest will leave that's what ultra magnus

shook springer that won't help anyone all it

will do is prove their point no lasting harm

has been done so far mirage got shook up but

otherwise he's okay and the truck was remote

controlled And those two workers are... are not

senseless, but still alive. Ultra Magnus pleaded.

Look at them, Springer. They're causing a ruckus,

but generally not damaging anything. If they

wanted to, they could have torn down this entire

sector. But they aren't. And the reason they

aren't is because they want us to press first.

I... Springer stared at the sea of organic madness

in front of him, and couldn't see what Ultra

Magnus apparently saw. Are you sure? he asked

dubiously. Positive, the city commander nodded.

Springer lowered his sword arm. All right, so

they're just being annoying, but that still doesn't

solve the problem of how we stop them from being

so damn annoying. Eventually, they'll make one

of our people snap. Streetwise and Blades are

running interception for possible incidents,

but I agree, we need to do something. Ultra Magnus'

lips twitched in what was almost a grin, and

the look in his optics was conspiratorial as

he brought up his comm. Blaster! Yo, boss man!

I need a feedback discharge in my location. Set

it for 20 terran seconds and patch me into the

network. Oh, and don't forget our little bonus.

Gotcha! Blaster practically grinned through the

comm. Suddenly, every speaker operational in

Autobot City let loose a howl of feedback. Autobots

grimaced, but generally turned down their audio

game. Humans, on the other hand, had no such

option. The protesters stopped their mad rush

to clutch their ears in agony as the sound cut

into their very bones. Now hear this! Ultra Magnus'

voice boomed from the speakers. You people are

trespassing on sovereign Cybertronian soil, and

as such can be constructed as an act of war against

the people of Cybertron and the Autobots in general.

I, however, am feeling mighty generous today,

and I give you the opportunity to clear out of

here. In roughly twenty Earth minutes, troops

from this state's National Guard will be arriving

to arrest anyone illegally on Cybertronian soil.

For your sake, I suggest you be somewhere else.

Ultra Magnus' comm chirped, and he suppressed

another smile. That chirp meant the bonus was

active, and Blaster had just temporarily shut

down the recorders. A rogue spike in the power

grid. Assuringly, but not unexpected, given a

brand new fusion plant handling an untested load.

So sad. And let me make something perfectly clear

to each and every one of you, Ultra Magnus' voice

had generally taken. All the gentleness of tempered

steel. If I see any one of your faces in and

around my city again, I will personally toss

that person into lower orbit. Ultra Magnus looked

out at the group of dumbfounded faces. See if

I don't. And that concludes the story there.

And I hope you enjoyed the two stories from GC

Rust. And... If you would like your story to

be read on the show, please post it in the War

Stories forum on the TFWire forums. After doing

that, all you have to do is give us permission

to use it in a future podcast. And this is Steve

saying good night and good reading. The preceding

story was not endorsed by Hasbro and is meant

for entertainment purposes only. All fanfiction

stories are copyrighted to their respective authors,

and all fanfiction stories used within this podcast

are used with permission from the author. This

has been a TFWire .com production.