Desert Flight

	{{#if: "Dang-it, his card-art's too dynamic! In the cartoon, we'd have hit him by now!" \|; "Dang-it, his card-art's too dynamic! In the cartoon, we'd have hit him by now!"}}}}
	"Desert Flight" {{#if: \| {{#if: \|; (')}} {{#if:\|; ""}}}}
Publisher	Ballantine Books}}
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Imprint	Find Your Fate Junior}}
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First published	1986}}
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Writer	Jim Razzi}}
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Illustrator	William Schmidt (interior pencils and cover painting)}}
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ist}}{{#if: \| by}}	}}
and Elements }}by	}}
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ISBN	ISBN 9780345330727; ISBN 0-345-33072-2}}
TPB ISBN	ISBN }}
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Page count	73}}
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{{#if: Desert flight.jpg | {{#if: Ballantine Books | {{#if: | {{#if: Find Your Fate Junior | {{#if: | {{#if: 1986 | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Jim Razzi | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: William Schmidt (interior pencils and cover painting) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: ISBN 9780345330727
ISBN 0-345-33072-2 | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: 73 | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: |

{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

Cosmos is sent to investigate an explosion that seems to indicate Decepticon activity. He discovers a secret Decepticon base where they are developing a weapon they once tested on Cybertron, the anti-gravity gun. The Autobots engage in a hellish attack in order to destroy the weapon before it can be used to send all life on Earth flying off into space.

Synopsis

(PAGE_1) Optimus is leading a squadron of Autobot scouts on a fuel-finding mission when they hear a tremendous explosion in the distance. (PAGE_2) Optimus recognizes the sound of Dirge’s concussion missiles and notes that the Decepticons have been leaving clues to their presence in this area for weeks. Beachcomber warns his leader that if the Decepticons want the Autobots to know of their presence, the Autobots are likely being set up for a trap. (PAGE_30) Smokescreen, Windcharger and Tracks screech to a halt to join in on the conversation, but above them Powerglide has a more bothersome time in stopping suddenly and stalls out. (PAGE_10) Windcharger steps in before Powerglide crashes, and helps him regain altitude with his magnetic powers. Safely above head once more, Powerglide inquires whether Optimus wants him to investigate the explosion.(PAGE_65) Optimus answers that he’d rather have Powerglide stay with fuel-finding mission, and radios Cosmos to look into the explosion instead. Cosmos is happy to leave his lonely outpost in orbit, and once he arrives in the desert area he was instructed to search, he soon spots a Decepticon outpost.

Should Cosmos radio Optimus with this information immediately? (>>PAGE_12>>)

Should Cosmos take a closer look by himself? (>>PAGE_41>>)

(<<From_PAGE_65<<) Cosmos radios Optimus about his findings. (>>PAGE_12>>) Upon learning that the Decepticon base is relatively near his convoy, Optimus orders his team to head towards it, to the delight of both Tracks and Windcharger. (PAGE_60) On route towards their destination, Optimus spots a small human town, and the Autobots are forced to slow down lest they endanger the humans by speeding. Hound complains about the road’s dilapidated condition. However, the Autobots soon find themselves driving smoother even though the road is still in sordid condition. Trailbreaker is the first to notice that this is the case because the Autobots have begun to float in mid-air! (PAGE_28) It soon becomes apparent that all of the town’s residents are also floating, along with anything not fastened to the ground. Optimus surmises that the Decepticons have used an anti-gravity beam on the surrounding area. He recalls the weapon being used in the past on Cybertron, but being discontinued due to the risk it posed towards the planet’s orbit. He fears such a fate might befall the Earth if the gravity beam is not soon disabled, but also has immediate concerns for the floating humans who are beginning to panic.

Should Optimus prioritize helping the townsfolk? (>>PAGE_34>>)

Should Optimus attempt to reach the Decepticons’ base immediately to dismantle the gravity weapon? (>>PAGE_6>>)

(<<From_PAGE_28<<) Optimus decides to come to the humans’ aid first. (>>PAGE_34>>) He and the rest of the Autobots transform and grab hold as many humans as they can, but find that they have nowhere to put them. In addition, the task becomes increasingly more difficult as the area’s gravity continues to weaken. Then, the Autobots hear the noise of jet engines approaching. (PAGE_32) The noise signals the approach of a group of airborne Decepticons: Thrust, Buzzsaw, Ramjet, Dirge and many others. (PAGE_71) Unaffected by the gravity beam, the Decepticons easily dispatch of all the Autobots. After their victory, the Decepticons turn off the gravity beam and enslave the town, forcing its inhabitants to drill for fuel.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_28<<) Optimus decides to attempt reaching the Decepticons’ base before helping the townspeople. (>>PAGE_6>>) The ambient gravity is so low that the Autobots are able to take great leaps in their robot forms and clear the area quickly. Bumblebee and Beachcomber both enjoy the near-weightlessness they both experience, though Cosmos is irked when the later crashes into him. Soon enough, they are beyond the beam’s influence and gravity returns to normal for the Autobots. (PAGE_58) Powerglide has flown ahead of the rest of the party, and soon has the Decepticon base in sight. But before he can communicate his findings, he is nearly downed by on of Thrust’s concussion missiles. Powerglide catches his opponent off-guard with a display of aerial acrobatics and gains the upper hand. (PAGE_11) Meanwile, the ground bound Autobots encounter Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, Dirge, Ramjet and Thundercracker. Optimus immediately targets the greater threat, Dirge. But Dirge has his sights set on Optimus, and expects Ramjet to cover him. (PAGE_23) Unexpectedly, Powerglide circles back, having just dealt with Thrust, and fires a thermal beam towards Ramjet. With his backup downed, Dirge breaks off his attack, and is quickly followed by the rest of his squadron. The Autobots are about to give chase when they hear a small boy singing their praises. Seeing the young human at their feet, Optimus questions him as to why he is in this dangerous place. (PAGE_4) The boy, Buddy, explains he stowed away on Optimus while the Autobots were traversing the town. As the Autobots do no have the time to return Buddy to town, Optimus reluctantly allows him to tag along, on the condition that Buddy promises he will stay out of the way. As the Autobots near the Decepticon base, a deep voice booms across the desert, warning the Autobots to come no closer lest they want to doom the people of Earth. (PAGE_59) The threat is Megatron’s, using a Magna-mike to speak from the Decepticon base. He explains that the gravity beam the Decepticons have developed on Earth is much more potent than the one they had created on Cybertron, and they may send the entire human population floating off into space if they so choose. But Megatron will halt his attack if Optimus surrenders himself to the Decepticons. (PAGE_39) Megatron explains that the Decepticons will dismantle the Autobot leader and use his parts to further the Decepticon agenda. The Autobots ponder over the ultimatum, but Buddy claims to have an idea out of the predicament. He insists that Optimus must surrender himself for his idea to work.

The kid’s lost it. Don’t listen to him. (>>PAGE_33>>)

Hear the kid out. He might have something figured out. (>>PAGE_8>>)

(<<From_PAGE_39<<) The Autobots ignore Buddy. (>>PAGE_33>>) Windcharger smugly tells the boy to let the big bots do the thinking, and Powerglide suggests the Autobots all rush the Decepticon base together. The other Autobots agree. But as the Autobots near the base, they encounter an impenetrable force field, and Megatron begins firing the gravity beam in every direction! (PAGE_19) The gravity beam soon affects everyone on Earth. Including you! Everything not fastened down to the ground floats off into space, signalling…

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_39<<) The Autobots listen to Buddy’s idea. (>>PAGE_8>>) Optimus considers the plan risky, but agrees to it nonetheless. Cosmos is ordered to relay a message to Megatron: he explains the Autobots need a day to think over Megatron’s terms. Megatron agrees to allow the Autobots the time to make their decision, certain that Optimus would not allow such an enormous tragedy to befall the humans. The following morning, Optimus stands alone in his tractor-trailer mode before the Decepticon base. (PAGE_68) The Decepticons, excited over their apparent victory, immediately haul Optimus within their base, and begin to celebrate. Soon intoxicated by all the fuel they recklessly consume, the Decepticons are caught unprepared when several Autobots being pouring out of Optimus’s trailer! (PAGE_9) However, Megatron had the forethought to stay clearheaded during the celebrations, and sounds the alarm, calling other sober Decepticons to join the fight. But Autobot reinforcements led by Cosmos and Powerglide are also on their way. They only await for Windcharger to complete his part in the Autobots’ plan, and disable the Decepticons’s forcefield. En-route, he is confronted by a deadly Decepticon Drone, who demands a password. (PAGE_67) Failing to provide the password will mean his certain doom, but Windcharger remembers two different codes he has overheard the Decepticons say in the past. Which one is the correct password? Windcharger will need to rely on blind luck: [Flip a coin]

[If the coin comes up head] Windcharger guesses the password is: "DEATH TO OPTIMUS PRIME!" (>>PAGE_17>>)

[If the coin comes up tails] Windcharger guesses the password is: "MEGATRON IS SUPREME!" (>>PAGE_26>>)

(<<From_PAGE_67<<) Windcharger guesses the password is "DEATH TO OPTIMUS PRIME!" (>>PAGE_17>>) which the drone accepts as the correct code! Windcharger then proceeds to disable the forcefield. With the Decepticons’ defences down, Powerglide rescues Optimus Prime from being shot in the back by Megatron. Megatron’s blast misses its mark and reveals the anti-gravity gun, manned by Hook. (PAGE_14) As the Autobots charge to destroy the weapon, the all-but-forgotten Buddy sneaks nearby, and witnesses Powerglide defeating Ravage and Frenzy. But at the same instant, Optimus is hit by the gravity beam and begins to float upwards! (PAGE_70) With all the robots distracted by the sight of Optimus drifting away, Buddy is able to run up to the gravity weapon’s control panel. Just as he spots a lever marked "HORIZONTAL CONTROL." But Megatron notices the human, and dashes forwards to halt the boy’s tampering.

Should Buddy pull the lever? (>>PAGE_16>>)

Should Buddy run before Megatron gets to him? (>>PAGE_20>>)

(<<From_PAGE_70<<) Buddy pulls the lever... (>>PAGE_16>>) causing the gravity gun to spin and hit Megatron squarely in the chest, just as an oblivious Hook turns the machine to full power! The Decepticon leader lets out a scream of rage as he is torn to pieces by the beam! (PAGE_72) Buddy yanks down on a lever on the gravity beam’s panel, lowering Optimus and the disassembled Megatron back to the ground. With the Decepticon leader destroyed, the Autobots easily defeat the rest of the Decepticons and destroy the anti-gravity gun.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_70<<) Buddy runs as Megatron approaches... (>>PAGE_20>>) quickly scampering between the Decepticon’s legs! He ends up near Tracks and Beachcomber, the two of them busy battling Decepticons. Just as Hook swings the gravity beam around and unleashes it towards the two Autobots, Laserbeak fires his laser cannons towards the pair. The two energy beams collide on-route towards the Autobots, creating a strange floating rift. Stumbling from the injuries he has accumulated during the battle, Beachcomber falls into the inky void of the rift and disappears! (PAGE_64) As this is happening, Cosmos darts up to rescue Optimus from floating off into space. Optimus then leaps from Cosmos’s grasp, and lands atop the anti-gravity gun, commandeering it. The tide of battle is shifting in favour of the Autobots. Recognizing this, Buddy suggest that he and Tracks go after Beachcomber while the rest of the Autobots keep fighting.

Should Buddy and Tracks follow Beachcomber into the mysterious blackness? (>>PAGE_50>>)

Should they stay and continue helping the Autobots with the battle instead? (>>PAGE_51>>)

(<<From_PAGE_64<<) Buddy and Tracks follow Beachcomber into the dark rift... (>>PAGE_50>>) and notice immediately that everything around them begins to move at an accelerated pace. Tracks concludes that they have entered a rip in space-time, and that there is no telling where they will end up! (PAGE_3) They are finally ejected from the rift, only to find themselves back at the Decepticons’ base. But a lot of time has passed; all of the Autobots are destroyed, save Optimus and Beachcomber who are Megatron’s prisoners. Having been flung three hours into the future, Tracks and Buddy could’t help the Autobots win the battle, and now have no choice but to surrender to Megatron.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_64<<) Tracks tells Buddy that they’ll have to help Beachcomber later... (>>PAGE_51>>) and helps Optimus man the anti-gravity gun. Optimus informs Tracks that he is going to force the weapon to self-destruct by overloading its circuits. Just as Optimus begins to overload procedure, Tracks starts to run, as per Optimus’s instructions, to avoid the enormous blast that will result from the weapon’s destruction. Buddy realizes he isn’t as fast as the Autobots, but wants to wait for Optimus before running away as well.

Should Buddy wait for Optimus before running? (>>PAGE_54>>)

Should Buddy try and get away while he still has the chance? (>>PAGE_42>>)

(<<From_PAGE_51<<) Buddy waits for Optimus before running... (>>PAGE_54>>) and just as the Autobot leader finishes the procedure to overload the weapon, Dirge swoops down and drops a missile near Optimus. One of Optimus’s legs is damaged by the blast, so he instructs Buddy to press a red button on his disabled limb. The damaged section of Optimus’s leg separates itself, and Optimus quickly goes to work repairing it. (PAGE_57) Once his leg is repaired, Optimus grabs Buddy and runs away from the anti-gravity gun. The pair make it clear of the blast radius, which swallows up most of the Decepticons’ base as well as a few of their troops. Though a close call for the Autobots, the Decepticons now have one less weapon with which to threaten the Earth.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_51<<) Buddy runs while he has the chance... (>>PAGE_42>>) but is snatched up by Laserbeak. Seeing this transpire, Optimus aims the gravity gun towards Laserbeak, hoping to cause the Decepticon to drop Buddy. But Laserbeak holds on tight, until he has floated up a significant distance. Opening his beak to scream out in terror as he realizes he might float up helplessly forever, Laserbeak finally drops Buddy… (PAGE_56) only for the boy to be caught by Cosmos! First checking to see if Buddy is okay, Cosmos then allows Buddy to pilot his vehicle mode (just like "Luke Skywalker!") When they return to the ground, they spot the Autobots standing victorious over their enemies. Although it’s been quite an adventure, Buddy is glad it’s finally…

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_67<<) Windcharger guesses the password is "MEGATRON IS SUPREME!" (>>PAGE_26>>) but the phrase is rejected! Emitting a powerful beam, the drone kills Windcharger where he stands! The Autobots troops standing at the ready outside are helpless as Optimus Prime, Beachcomber, Trailbreaker, and Wheeljack, are destroyed by the Decepticons.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_65<<) Cosmos investigates the Decepticon outpost by himself... (>>PAGE_41>>) but is quickly attacked and captured by Buzzsaw and Dirge! Buzzsaw is eager to rip the small Autobot to shreds… (PAGE_44) but Dirge reminds him that Megatron has ordered that any captured Autobot must be brought back to their base alive. Soon, Cosmos is before Megatron himself, inside the Decepticon outpost. (PAGE_48) Megatron explains that he will turn Cosmos over to Hook, who will create a replica of Cosmos. The Autobot doppelgänger will house a proton bomb that will be used to take out the rest of the Autobots. Hours later, Hook has created the duplicate in his engineering lab, and dumps Cosmos to rust in an underground cell. (PAGE_46) As soon as Cosmos is alone, he uses a built-in high-powered particle beam to escape his prison. Making his way through the base, he soon finds himself before a flight of stairs and door with a identification card slot. Which route should the Autobot take?

The stairs. (>>PAGE_45>>)

The door. (>>PAGE_35>>)

(<<From_PAGE_46<<) Cosmos decides to take the stairway... (>>PAGE_45>>) which lead to an outside exit! Though Cosmos’s long-range communications system has been damaged by Dirge, his short-range communications system is still functional, allowing him to overhear Megatron issuing the order to dispatch the fake Cosmos towards the nearby Autobot convoy. (PAGE_61) Though Cosmos is desperate to halt Megatron’s ruse, his others systems have also sustained damage from being handled by the Decepticons, so even transforming is taking him longer than usual. (PAGE_38) Cosmos nonetheless manages to attain a high altitude in his spaceship mode and soon spots his duplicate nearing the other Autobots. He races downwards to warn his allies. (PAGE_53) The Autobots soon spot the two identical flying saucers flying towards them, and Optimus concludes that something is amiss. Both the original Cosmos and the duplicate yell at the Autobot leader that they are the true article. In order to prove he is the genuine Cosmos, the Autobot spaceship radios to Optimus a code his duplicate could not possibly know: "TH EONEON THELE FTIS THEFA KE!TU RNTOP A GE25." Can you decode the message?

Yes! (>>Do what the message says!>>)

No... (>>PAGE_5>>)

(<<From_PAGE_53<<) Optimus decodes Cosmos’s message... (>>PAGE_25>>) and blasts the duplicate Cosmos out of the sky, before he is near enough to injure anyone with his explosive payload. Cosmos then informs the rest of the Autobots about the Decepticons’ base. Optimus leads the Autobots to investigate the Decepticons’ operation. (PAGE_62) Soon in the desert, the Autobots are met by Thrust, Buzzsaw, and a small squad of Decepticons who begin the attack. (PAGE_49) Optimus is unable to see an opening for a counter-attack, and realizes that his troops are at a disadvantage. Smokescreen suggests that the Autobots gather in a circle while he utilizes his exhaust fumes to create a cloud of cover for themselves.

Use Smokescreen”s idea? (>>PAGE_27>>)

Try to come up with a different plan? (>>PAGE_24>>)

(<<From_PAGE_49<<) Optimus agrees to try Smokescreen’s plan... (>>PAGE_27>>) and soon, the Autobots are hidden from sight behind a thick black cloud. All of them save for Smokescreen that is, on which Thrust prepares to open fire... (PAGE_18) Only to be shot down himself by Optimus Prime, emerging from the black smoke. Dirge begins to loudly rev his engines, instilling a demoralizing fear into the Autobots, causing Beachcomber and Tracks to lose the will to fight. Optimus realizes he must take out Dirge next or else risk to lose the fight to this strange brand of psychological warfare. Cosmos is above Dirge, but would only get one shot to take out his target before losing the element of surprise. Should Optimus attempt to take out Dirge himself, despite the Decepticon being slightly out of his range?

Should Optimus radio Cosmos and have him attack Dirge? (>>PAGE_52>>)

Should Optimus attack Dirge himself? (>>PAGE_66>>)

(<<From_PAGE_18<<) Optimus orders Cosmos to attack Dirge. (>>PAGE_52>>) Cosmos hits his mark, and takes out both of Dirge’s engines, sending the Decepticon earthwards. The rest of the Decepticons soon turn tail and retreat back to their base. As they approach the Decepticon facility, the Autobots notice they are bouncing higher with each step they take. Optimus concludes they are being affected by a gravity gun, recalling the Decepticons having previously developed the technology on Cybertron. (>>PAGE_36>>)

(<<From_PAGE_52_OR_PAGE_31<<) (PAGE_36) The Decepticon base soon in sight, the Autobot spot Hook resting near the gravity weapon. Optimus orders his troops to rush him, but Hook takes notice, and leaps to the gravity gun’s controls. (PAGE_22) Before Hook is able to follow through with his course of action, Optimus is upon him, and takes him out with a right hook to the jaw. Megatron and the Decepticons emerge from the base, ready for combat. But Optimus, familiar with the gravity gun’s workings from back on Cybertron, aims the weapon towards the Decepticons and reverses the settings. The increase in gravity caused by the gravity gun causes the Decepticons to slump to the ground, before slowly sinking alongside their base bellow the desert sands. The Autobots are victorious!

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_18<<) Optimus attacks Dirge himself... (>>PAGE_66>>) but misses his mark. The rest of the Autobots become immobilized in fear, and soon Optimus must contend with the whole Decepticon squadron by himself. Optimus is critically wounded, but is able to fire a last shot before he goes down. The shot hits Dirge square on, ending the Decepticon’s life as he crashes to the ground. The other Autobots, inspired by Optimus Prime’s triumph over Dirge, fight with renewed fervour, and are able to achieve victory against the Decepticons.

THE END

(<<From_PAGE_49<<) Optimus rejects Smokescreen’s plan. (>>PAGE_24>>) Instead, he orders the Autobots to drive as quickly as they can in zig-zag patterns to throw off the Decepticons’ aim. Optimus soon spots a mesa that could serve as cover for the Autobots, and orders his Autobots towards it. But Smokescreen is hit by Decepticon fire, and flips over helplessly onto his side. Beachcomber yells at the others to keep on going while he goes to help Smokescreen. (PAGE_13) Both Laserbeak and Buzzsaw have also spotted the disabled Smokescreen, and dive for the kill. Realizing he needs to buy Smokescreen time, Beachcomber successfully taunts the two Decepticons into following him instead. (PAGE_40) Beachcomber proves himself too quick to be hit by Laserbeak’s or Buzzsaw’s lasers, but the two of them are nonetheless close behind. Hitting upon an idea, Beachcomber heads for a high dune and plunges into the dip. Once at the dune’s bottom, he quickly zooms back up the slope to the top of the dune. (PAGE_31) Beachcomber’s plan works, as the two flyers are unable to nose up in time and end with their heads stuck in the dune’s sand. Returning to Smokescreen’s aid, Beachcomber and his friend are soon driving once again towards the mesa. But before they reach their destination, they come to the realization that they have begun floating! Smokescreen deduces that the Decepticons have an anti-gravity gun nearby, recalling a similar weapon back on Cybertron that nearly lifted his home off-planet. The two Autobots transform, rationalizing that in their heavier robot modes they will be more capable to fight the anti-gravity’s effects. Once they have rejoined the rest of the Autobots, gravity returns at full force. Optimus concludes that the Decepticons have turned off their weapon, and ponders on what they are planning. (>>PAGE_36>>)

(<<From_PAGE_53<<) Cosmos’s message proves itself to be indecipherable. (>>PAGE_5>>) Taking a chance, Optimus shoots down the REAL Cosmos by mistake! The fake Cosmos is able to approach the Autobots, and self-destruct, vaporizing the Autobots!

THE END

Unless you wish to go back in time and do things differently? (>>PAGE_25>>)

(<<From_PAGE_46<<) Cosmos decides to open the door... (>>PAGE_35>>) but is blown apart by a booby-trap! Lying in pieces, Cosmos is unable to stop Megatron’s evil plan from coming to fruition.

THE END

Featured characters

{{#if:* Optimus Prime

Beachcomber
Smokescreen
Windcharger
Tracks
Powerglide
Cosmos
Hound
Trailbreaker
Bumblebee
Wheeljack|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Optimus Prime
Beachcomber
Smokescreen
Windcharger
Tracks
Powerglide
Cosmos
Hound
Trailbreaker
Bumblebee
Wheeljack }}{{#if:* Dirge
Thrust
Buzzsaw
Ramjet
Laserbeak
Thundercracker
Megatron
Hook
Ravage
Frenzy
Decepticon Drone
Replica Cosmos
Soundwave (only featured in illustrations)|

Autobots }}{{#if:* Dirge Thrust Buzzsaw Ramjet Laserbeak Thundercracker Megatron Hook Ravage Frenzy Decepticon Drone Replica Cosmos Soundwave (only featured in illustrations)\|	Decepticons }}{{#if:* Buddy You\|	Humans }}{{#if:\|	Others }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}
Dirge Thrust Buzzsaw Ramjet Laserbeak Thundercracker Megatron Hook Ravage Frenzy Decepticon Drone Replica Cosmos Soundwave (only featured in illustrations) }}{{#if:* Buddy You\|	Buddy You }}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}

Notes

Dirge seems to be the Decepticons' air-commander here. Not only does his signature fear-inducing engine noise get a lot of play, but Optimus immediately identifies the sound of a distant explosion as unique to Dirge's concussion missiles, due in part to its sheer loudness.
Smokescreen calls Powerglide by the nickname "P.G.". We'll just assume it's an abbreviation and not his rating.
This story also features the Anti-gravity base and Magna-mike.
Beachcomber to Smokescreen on counteracting their floating: "Transform, -- We're heavier in robot form, and that will help us fight the weightlessness better." WHAT? As many questions as this poses about the laws of physics in this micro-continuity-nexus, the most nagging one arises from Smokescreen and Beachcomber having alt-modes that don't require explicit size-changing: does EVERY Transformer here just randomly shift mass in and out of subspace when they transform?
Cosmos is able to catch Buddy in the soft chair of his cockpit, saving him from a fall in midair. That means he must have the ability to pop open the whole top of his saucer mode, the disk which forms the top of his torso and contains his head. Said cockpit has controls that allow Buddy to pilot him, which is awesome, but odd considering his alt-mode isn't an Earth vehicle.
This book was available individually, or as part of a six-book box set with the other five "pre-Movie era" books in the series.

External links

Review on Demian's Gamebook Web Page

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Desert Flight

Contents

Synopsis

Featured characters

Notes

External links