Countdown to Annihilation

"Countdown to Annihilation"
Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric episode
"Countdown to Annihilation" title
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 4
Written by	Jim Sorenson
Original air date	October 30th, 1986/December 31th, 2015
Episode chronology
← Previous "Double Cross" Next → "Graduation Day"

Countdown to Annihilation is a fictional story in the Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric series episode 4. Written in 2015, it retroactively took place in an unaired second season of the Challenge of the GoBots animated series.

Synopsis

Part 4 of the 5 part "Robo Rebels" saga.

Source Text

The following was posted on Facebook on December 31, 2015

Cy-Kill: We revived some 24 hours later, only to find that all of us, Renegade and Guardian alike, were being held on GoBotron's prison moon. I cursed Leader-1 for being foolish enough to trust the Master Renegade's lackey, and he snapped right back that I had made a deal with the Master Renegade himself. Touché.

From Bladez's mecha-mansion, with Tail Pipe hanging on a wall behind him, the Master Renegade broadcast a gloating screed to the planet. All Guardians and Renegades were locked up in the prison moon, leaving himself and his two Monster GoBot minions in total control of GoBotron. And worse, now that he had mastery of the planet, he set the population to work finishing his greatest invention ever, the Gravity Collapsar Ray. It was intended to be his triumph, a vast machine he had buried under Gobotron thousands of years ago. Using Gobotron's unique geometry, it could cause any planet, moon, asteroid, even star to collapse on itself. He intended to test it, on the prison moon, before using it to demand Earth's complete and unconditional surrender.

All hope seemed lost, but the Robo Rebels and their instructor were still free. Hearing his plan, they knew they had little choice but to free the prisoners before work on the Ray could be completed. They hated leaving Tail Pipe to his fate, but thought that the Master Renegade would keep him alive as long as he wanted a live audience. They attacked the Guardian Science Academy, guarded by Bugsie, and procured an Astro-Beam before escaping. They used it to transport to the moon.

The Master Renegade had anticipated a break-out attempt, and had left Quick-Step units patrolling every inch of the moon. The Robo Rebels split up; Major Mo and Super Couper stealthily made their way to the control room, to knock out the Quick-Steps at their weakest point. Bent Wing and Raizor fought their way to the cell blocks, hoping to release the prisoners for reinforcements and divert as much attention from their fellows as possible. They managed to find Leader-1 and myself, but the Quick-Steps were well programmed, and had gathered in sufficient strength to repel any break-out attempt. Just as I was cursing the ineffectiveness of this pathetic rescue attempt, the Quick-Steps all powered down; Major Mo and Super Couper had succeeded in their mission.

The Robo Rebels immediately freed Leader-1. Raizor wanted to leave me behind to my fate, but I implored mercy. "You wouldn't leave a fellow GoBot to die, would you, Leader-1? Besides, you'll need my help." He, reluctantly, agreed, and ordered the Robo Rebels to free me and my Renegades as well.

But the danger was not over yet. The Master Renegade's insufferable face had filled every screen on the moon, announcing that he was ready to test his new weapon. We had only minutes to get to our shattered fleets in the prison's docking bay. Leader-1 ordered the Robo Rebels to reverse the Astro-Beam, "just in case," and they reluctantly agreed. The arrived back on GoBotron just as the Master Renegade completed his countdown. "Three... two... one... FIRE!" The prison moon imploded in a spectacular display of lights and fury.

Kamil Leletko: I didn't watch the GoBots cartoon, so I've got two questions: 1. Did Master Renegade and The Last Engineer adopt robot bodies? 2. Why do you hate Master Renegade, oh Great and Powerful Cy-Kill? 3. What was your name before becoming a cyborg? You weren't a cycle and you didn't kill stuff and/or people.

Cy-Kill: They adopted cybernetic enhancements, but did not undergo the complete GoBot process. 2: I will tolerate no rivals for command of the Renegades, especially not from a senile old relic.

3: Didn't I?

Cast

Guardians	Renegades
Leader-1	Cy-Kill
Tail Pipe	Master Renegade
Major Mo	Bladez
Super Couper	Bugsie
Bent Wing	Quick Step units
Raizor

Notes

• This story features the first appearance of the Quick Step Power Marchers. They are depicted as a programmable drone unit used by the Master Renegade, and mistakenly parsed "Quick-Step".
• Jim Sorenson credited Chris McFeely for co-writing the five-part Robo Rebels saga.
• On December 21st, 2015 the Ask Vector Prime Facebook page posted a fictional list of the unaired episodes of Challenge of the GoBots season 2, which listed "Double Cross" as season 2 episode 4, which was supposed to air October 30th, 1986.