Hardened Shell -- The Streets of Cybertron

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Date Posted: 17:11:13 03/09/03 Sun
Author: Shaper
Subject: Hardened Shell
In reply to: T3-Zero 's message, ""..I hate bugs."" on 10:17:08 02/23/03 Sun

Shaper nudged an innert swarm drone shell with his foot. T3-Zero and the nearby Transformers continued to stave off the tide of insectile devourers.

A violet metalflesh ran down the swaddled sword Unity. Such an extreme sitution justified extreme measures, thought Shaper...

...as he unwrapped the sword from it's chainfoil wrapping and held it up in the twilight. The blade appeared to change color from moment to moment, like an oil drop in a pool of water.

Fulcrumm and Maudlin sprinted towards Shaper, soon joined by other Transformers forming a defensive ring. The growing mob of Transformers moved towards Nav-Ops, the Cybertron strategic command center.

Within days Cybertron's defense strategy consilidated into a unified effort. Many Transformers sacrificed themselves by using portable energon furnaces to draw a majority of the swarm drones to one of Cybertron's moons... which was shortly detonated, sending it plowing into one of the Hives.

The planetary defense forces concentrated their efforts on one of the remain hives, exploiting an entrance created by a wayward fighter crash. Several pinhead-sized blackhole generators were placed throughout the floating fortress.

Within seventeen minutes the Hive was torn apart by multiple gravity wells, though a quadrant of Cybertron's orbit would be permanently subject to unpredictable gravitational fields.

The remaining Swarm forces withdrew its armada and retreated, perhaps deeming the native energy sources of Cybertron insufficient to justify further losses within the current scenario.

-=+=-

Shaper sat at the head of the Cybertronian Council Chamber. Councillors and representatives watched the retreat of the Swarm on massive holo-monitors spread across the walls of the chamber.

Already the Cybertronian armadas that had defeated the remaining Swarm forces were returning to Cybertron in preparation for the next Great Work.

-=+=-

"By the Guiding Light of the Primus our duty is clear," said Shaper. His words were simulcasted across Cybertron and to all it's colonies. In the Lunar States, Starbase Rugby, T'Orros, and other colonies Shaper's hooded face appeared on screens and holographs.

"Chaos must not prevail. For too long we have overlooked those whom would destroy and enslave the innocent. Those whom would direct armies against the peace loving, and wield weapons of terror..."

-=+=-

The Tenth Great Crusade was drawing to an end. The last of the Mince-MonkeyII replicants had been eradicated and all accomplices had been captured for interorgation to root out any further replicant-controlled sleeper cells.

Shaper strode around the edge of the vast refurbished Council Chambers. The Great Table had long since been removed to accomodate the Court of Order. Several technorganic banners had been especially grown to celebrate the victories of previous crusades. His tattered blue shroud had since been replaced by a robe of golden weaves and Unity was now sheathed in a sumptuous jewelled belt.

A diagnostic drone swooped down from the rafters to deliver a report. Shaper glanced up at one of the vast banners whilst the effete robot delivered a summary of recent tactical developments. The banner towering over the two depicted scenes from the Seventh Great Crusade - Fawndoo the Defiler sucumbing to his dark past and raising an army of almost-invincible warriors fuelled by grafted mutant sparks.

-=+=-

"... expect for some unconfirmed sightings of Shardlings infesting the Rugby Hulk," finished the chief military aide, facing away from Shaper and looking at a tactical holo.

"And yet disorder still persists in the universe. Cultists are on the increase, crime is rampant. We must enforce justice on those unable to police themselves. We must..." The respendant Transformer realised that he could not see the faces of the others in the Council Chamber. "We must..."

Shaper trailed off again as purple, sharp-spined robot turned to look up the steps to the dais and asked in gutteral, serpentine tones:

"Has the Magistrate reached a verdict?"

The chief military aide turned towards Shaper and stared with expressionless, blank optics. Other Transformers shambled closer to the dais with equally empty optics. Across Cybertron... across the universe emotionless empty optics gazed across civlisations 'rescued' from chaos and lawlessness.

"Guilty... or inocent?"

-=+=-

"I said, are we going to move or not?"

Shaper blinked.

"Yes. We should seek shelter and uni- ah, co-ordinate our efforts." He noticed two Transformers hurrying across a lower highway bridge. "Perhaps they might lead us to a gathering of resistance."

The blue robed Transformer dropped down to the lower level street and began shadowing Betacron and Quickstream.

"So take my hand and cross this land
And break this hardned shell in,
Hardened shell in,
Hardened shell inside..."
- 'Silver', Machine Head

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Replies:

"I'm OLD!" -- Maudlin, 19:56:46 03/11/03 Tue
- No Time to be Gentle. -- Fulcrumm, 20:05:02 03/11/03 Tue
  - Pounding away... -- T3-Zero, 21:08:42 03/29/03 Sat