BEAST WARS TRANSFORMERS "Fallen Comrades"

Orbiting above the atmosphere of the planet are the Maximal statis pods, launched in orbit of the planet by the Axalon before crash landing on the planet's surface (Beast Wars part 1). Now, losing altitude, one of the stasis pods begins to enter the planet's atmosphere. In the Maximal base, their ship's computer has detected the stasis pod coming down and it locates where the pod will land. Meanwhile, at the Predacon base, the Preds also detect the falling stasis pod. Their computer locates it, but cannot make an exact location of the eventual crash site of the pod due to energon interference. Megatron asks it to make a best estimate, and as soon as the estimated grid and ground sector is given, he orders Waspinator and Terrorsaur to head for the Maximal base to make sure the Maximals do not get to the pod.

Meanwhile, in a northern polar region, the stasis pod crashes into the snow. The pod's systems are damaged though and the pod opens prematurely, before it can run a DNA scan for any compatible lifeforms to help the protoform Maximal inside adapt to the energon deposits. The protoform reaches out of the pod, it's hand shaking as if it's in severe pain. Then it begins crackling with energy as an energon surge takes over it's body, as the pod's hatch closes back, and nearby, a white bengal tiger looks on curiously...

Back at the Axalon, the computer confirms the pod has landed and gives the location of it's crash site, about 100 klicks (minutes) away from the base, in the nothern polar region. Primal is eager to recover the pod, but Dinobot warns him of Predacon interference. Dinobot volunteers to go out and look for any Predacons, but, anxious to get to the pod before the Preds do, Optimus doesn't have time. What seems like over-abundant caution, Primal shoves Dinobot into the hatch tube and the two are lowered outside onto the ground. The coast seems clear. But just as Optimus activates his rockets and prepars to fly out towards the pod, he is hit hard on his rockets and chest by weapons fire from Terrorsaur and Waspinator as he slams into the ground, almost permanently disabled, but severely damaged. Dinobot defends Primal's damaged body, firing back at the two Predacons, inadvertedly causing a boulder to break lose and fall on top of Waspinator. Terrorsaur blasts away the boulder and picks up the damaged Waspinator. Cheetor comes out of the ship, transforms and begins firing alongside Dinobot and the two Predacons eventually retreat. Cheetor walks over to the damaged Optimus Primal, concerned about his friend and leader. Optimus is still functional, but needs repairs immediately. Dinobot picks up Optimus, and the three go back into the Axalon, putting Primal in the repair chamber. Back at the Predacon base, Megatron is disappointed that the two flyers didn't permanently disable Primal. "But we nearly blew him to scrap!" justifies Terrorsaur. "There's no way he'll be flying anywhere!" Megatron acknowledges this, but he orders them to secure the pod themselves now that they can beat the Maximals to the pod with Primal out of the way. Megatron then orders Tarantulas and Scorponok to accompany him to the Axalon and attack, assuming since Optimus were undergoing repairs, at least one Maximal would stay behind with him as the rest would go out to retreive the stasis pod.

At Maximal base, Cheetor, Rhinox, and Rattrap run to the northern sector to get to the pod before the Predacons do. Terrorsaur and Waspinator attack them near a ravine, with a narrow, iced-over land brige is the only way to cross and get to the pod as the fastest route. During the battle, the Pred flyers destroy the land bridge and take off towards to pod. Rattrap calls to the Maximal base, where Dinobot is gaurding Optimus, to report their situation and Dinobot tells him "no excuses" - so they have to take the long way around the ravine.

Dinobot ponders for a moment. He calls up Optimus' core consciousness on a holographic display on the situation table while he undergoes repairs. Dinobot tells him the other Maximals' current situation. They know they need to somehow contact the probe with the Maximal protoform inside so it can begin a DNA scan for the vunlverable Maximal before the Predacons reach it. However, Optimus also knows that they cant contact the pod directly because of too much energon interference. They need to use line-of-sight transmission, and Optimus asks Dinobot if he knows of anything they can use to bounce the transmission off of to reach the pod. Dinobot thinks for a moment and seems to have an answer......

Outside, Dinobot sets up a transmission dish on top of the Axalon, when Megatron approaches from below. He feigns peace and reminds him that he is in charge of the Maximal base, with Optimus temporarley offline. He offers a second-in-command position to Dinobot if he surrenders the base to the Predacons. However, Dinobot promptly laughs at Megatron's proposal and gives him a nice optic-blast to the chest. Enraged, Megatron orders Scorponok and Tarantulas, who appear also on top of the ship, to "vaporize him." In the crossfire, Dinobot is wounded and blasted to the ground. He rolls onto the hatch lift and activates the Axalon's defense grid. Behind Tarantulas and Scorponok, a two defense grid blaster guns come online and aim at the two Preds. They turn around and are literally frozen in fear, staring down the two barrels, until Tarantulas decides to try and make a move for it, and which point, at a split second, both cannons aim a and blow him far into the distance, leaving Scorponok standing by himself, literally shaking in fear, and the cannons then aim and blow him away as well (the guns are motion-sensored). The frustrated Megatron abandons the assault and decides to get the pod himself.

Dinobot, gripping his side from the inflicted damage, comes back inside the ship and tells Primal's consciousness that the transmission dish is ready. Primal activates the radio signal which goes for and bounces off of the nearest of the two moons of the planet, after which the signal reflects off the moon and hits the pod some distance away. It activates a DNA scanning device and presumably scans a bengal tiger (who has been fascinated with this pod since it crashed).

Soon afterwards, Waspinator and Terrorsaur arrive at the pod first and begin to pry it open. Meanwhile, Primal is done with his repairs and blasts off for the pod, while putting Dinobot into the repair chamber for his own repairs. The other three Maximals, Rhinox, Cheetor, and Rattrap, finally arrive at the pod, transforming and aiming their weapons at Terrorsaur and Waspinator, but are soon forced to surrender when Megatron arrives and threatens to destroy two bengal tigers who are watching from nearby if they dont surrender the pod. They hesitate for a moment, but eventually put down their weapons. "You win you rotten piece of slag" hisses Rattrap. "Cultivated as always, even in defeat" Megatron says with a haughty smirk. "Now watch as I reprogrom the Maximal protoform inside into a Predacon..." he says as he approaches the pod. After some laser-scalping, Waspinator finally pops it open. Terrorsaur lets out out a scream in disbelief - the pod is empty!

"Where is the Maximal protoform?!?!" Megatron roars. "Right here" says a calm voice from behind him. "Tigatron, Maximixe!" says one of the bengal tigers. He springs into robot mode and fires a high-pitched blast at Megatron - knocking all the Predacons to their feet. The other Maximals join in the onslaught and Primal, who sees the battle from a distance in the air, joins in, shooting off twin rockets. Megatron is forced to retreat, and Tigatron fires a forearm activated missle at the Preds which hits them over the horizon. A contented Tigatron transforms to beast mode and looks up at Primal who lands in front of him.

Primal greets the new Maximal, "Tigatron? We thought you didn't make it." "Almost didn't," says Tigatron, explaining how the crash and early exposure to the energon fields nearly corrupted his logic circuits. "I didn't know who I was, or what side I was on,...until I saw you risking your life to save me and my kind." A short conversation takes place, and Primal invites him back to the Axalon. Tigatron declines, stating that he feels more tiger than Maximal and that his memory circuits were damaged in the crash. Tigatron decides to stay in the polar region with his kind (the other bengal tiger). However, he informs them that they can count on his allegience whenever needed. The Maximals leave, content that they have an extra member to their side. Tigatron looks up to the sky, saying to himself "Let the trails lead where they may, I will follow" as the Northern Lights appear, shimmering in the sky above.

Coming soon, BEAST WARS TRANSFORMERS "Double Jeapordy"

If you missed my previous BEAST WARS postings, just click on Show All Stories By This Author, and it'll be on my postings list.