Decepticon Justice Division

So it's just "Or Death" then?

“	Find. Kill. Cleanse.	”
—The D.J.D. motto

The Decepticon Justice Division is a division of the Decepticon army that handles justice. And by justice, we mean "unmarked graves". Assuming there's enough left of their victims to bury.

Traitors, deserters, and any manner of transgressors to the Decepticon cause end up on "The List", and are targeted by these enforcers of Megatron's will. If the rumors are to be believed, they always find their quarry, and execute them in the messiest fashion possible to make an example of them. Several of them are living torture devices, either having horrific instruments of pain built into their bodies, or having alternate modes that become such devices. As a group, they're even able to take down the mighty Phase Sixers. So fearsome is their reputation that many Decepticons prefer suicide to waiting for the D.J.D. to find them... unfortunately, many Decepticons only find out they were on The List right as the D.J.D. arrive. Obviously, this makes them incredibly unpopular among the rank-and-file, many wondering just what level of minor infraction will get you on The List in the first damn place.

Their usual killing fields are in the proximity of the planet Messatine, and they pursue targets in their spaceship the Peaceful Tyranny.

The group's lineup has changed over the years, but its core five members always use the same five code-names: those of the first five cities to fall to the Decepticons. Should one member die, another Decepticon is eventually selected to take their place and name. Only the group's leader, Tarn, is known to have been in the group from the start.

Known members include:

• Tarn (leader)
• Helex
• Kaon
• Tesarus
• Agent 113 (previously as "Vos", now "The Pet")
• Vos (replacing Agent 113)
• Nickel

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

"The box. You opened it, we came."

Holding a reputation of being Megatron's personal assassins, slaughterhouse the Decepticon Justice Division hunted down rogue Decepticons, keeping track of them through a list and following the order to a fault. The Ties That Bind The members of the group's elite took their codenames in honor of the first five Cybertronian cities that fell to the Decepticons in the Great War. Do Not Go Gentle Though primarily concerned with killing renegade Decepticons, they looooove killing Autobots too. slaughterhouse Despite this, they had strict orders to not engage neutral Cybertronians. The Not Knowing With Megatron and Tarn sharing a flair for theatrics, the Justice Division adhered to a strict script in their operations, first projecting a show of strength before leaving their victims to sit in fear before being killed. The Sun in Flight

Despite their fearsome reputation, the internal structure of the D.J.D. was heavily bureaucratic, Tarn subjecting his men to constant performance reviews, health and safety checks and regular prayers to statues of Megatron. The Permanent Revolution

Over the course of the Great War, the Decepticon Justice Division had claimed many of Gripper's good friends, Words Hang in the Air marked Decepticon warlord Deathsaurus and his troops for their desertion, The Permanent Revolution and had bumped up Grimlock after the Dinobot leader had defected back to the Autobots. The Ties That Bind At some point, the D.J.D. set their sights on Starscream but he was removed from the List for reasons unknown. An Axe to Break the Ice The D.J.D. also hunted down the rogue leader of the Warriors Elite, Heretech, only to be held at bay for days by Heretech's storm-shield. The Sun in Flight

The late and unlamented Crosscut was often mistaken for a Justice Division man, which he used to his advantage. Crosscut's Squadron X profile

Vos AKA Agent 113 AKA Dominus Ambus AKA Matches Malone AKA Keyser Soze.

The last-but-one Vos had hooks for hands and feet. Footage of him doing his usual business with the rest of the D.J.D. was recorded and presented as evidence during Megatron's trial. Words Hang in the Air Unknown to the Decepticons, that Vos was an Autobot mole, the famous Dominus Ambus, codenamed Agent 113. The Not KnowingAt Close of Day He used his position to pass information to the Autobots; due to a justifiably extreme paranoia about being found out, he used info-slugs disguised as bullets to pass message covertly. Usually this information would be the turncoats and traitors that the Division was hunting down, whom the Autobots could protect from justice in return for information. Bullets

In order to ensure the safety of the Autobot medical facility of Delphi on the planet Messatine, deep within D.J.D. territory, the facility's chief medical officer Pharma entered into a deal with the Division's leader. In return for their leaving Delphi be, Pharma would provide Tarn with a constant supply of fresh transformation cogs from Delphi's dead, in order to feed his addiction to changing shape that caused him to constantly burn through cogs. How Ratchet Got His Hands Back

During Ambus's time, the Division had learned the mysterious Necrobot was real and the existence of his planet, Necroworld but given their policy of ignoring neutrals, they left the world and its inhabitant alone. The Not Knowing Shortly after, Agent 113 fired a warning about numerous issues, as well as the Necroworld's location, into Swerve when he was witnessing a typical D.J.D. atrocity. Unfortunately, Swerve was never aware this had been a message bullet and none of the alerted medics ever saw him. The shock rendered Swerve speechless for six months, which was quite a feat for him. Life After the Big Bang The One Where They Go to Earth

Shortly after the Surge, the D.J.D. became concerned that the Decepticon forces attacking Garrus-9 hadn't reported back. They dispatched an exploratory force to the colony and learned that any attempt to get near Garrus-9 was blown out of the sky with extreme prejudice. Ambus passed this on to the Wreckers, via firing a message at Dodger when Dogfight's group had crossed the Division's path near Messatine's Serp Mines. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 Bullets

Eventually, the D.J.D. came across a ship piloted by none other than Shockwave who was also on their list. Shockwave attempted to broker a deal with Tarn, offering his crew (consisting of virtually every Decepticon imprisoned in Garrus-9 who were on the list beneath him) in exchange for letting him live. However, the zealous Tarn had no intention of letting any of them live and attacked with his lethal voice. While Scorponok and a few others abandoned ship, salvation came in the form of Shockwave blasting out the radio and back-up arriving in the form of the Torment. Rather than face Bludgeon and Monstructor, the D.J.D. retreated. The Ties That Bind

Shortly after the Dogfight battle, the Division found out who "Vos" was. When a new Vos appeared, the Autobots assumed Agent 113 was dead The Not Knowing unaware that the Division had "domesticated" Ambus, locking him in his beast mode and lobotomizing him to render him a feral animal. Now simply called "the Pet" and dragged around on a lead by Kaon, the once-mighty intellectual was used as a feral hunting dog and a propaganda tool (the Division claimed he was a tamed sparkeater). In a bit of Lima syndrome, Kaon developed a twisted affection for his "pet". At Close of Day

Around 2009, the D.J.D. discovered a mutated form of nucleon on Messatine. They dubbed it Nuke and kept it to themselves: only Megatron was alerted, and he was playing dead at the time. The Permanent Revolution

Some time later, the D.J.D. discovered the ravaged Cybertronian colony founded by the Titan Prion and recruited its sole survivor, Nickel, into their ranks. She took up a job as their nurse. The Permanent Revolution

With the D.J.D.'s monthly quota of cogs constantly rising, Pharma was forced into drastic action, seeking to escape the deal by shutting down the facility without implicating himself. To this end, he hired Decepticon nobodies Sonic and Boom to pose as Monoformers and seek asylum at Delphi, professing to be on the run from the D.J.D. Once inside, they detonated a viral soundbomb that infected Delphi with a corrosive plague that would be blamed on D.J.D. chemical warfare. Life After the Big Bang How Ratchet Got His Hands Back

Meanwhile, the D.J.D. caught up with Black Shadow and brutally tortured him to death after he sold his services to the Autobots. Despite popular conception, Tarn declared the war wasn't over until Megatron personally said it was over. Kaon then alerted Tarn to a signal on the planet Clemency from an undetonated K-Class named Fulcrum. When they arrived, Tarn gave Fulcrum's companions fifteen minutes to give him up and watch him die or be killed themselves. Rules of Disengagement

Only Brainstorm invites genocidal murderers not to genocidally murder everyone on his ship.

The so-called Scavengers chose to fight, turning an incidentally captive Grimlock against Tarn and the others. The initial surprise wore off, though, and the Scavengers got brutalized. Tesarus ground up Flywheels in his chest compartment, while Vos made Krok "wear his face". Even a Cybernought barely helped improve their odds. The remaining hapless Decepticons only survived because Kaon detected Overlord's spark signature, and Fulcrum had seemingly died moments prior in a failed suicide-bomb attempt (he hadn't, but everyone was a little too busy to double-check). Tarn ordered the D.J.D. off to hunt for bigger fish, but not before warning the surviving Scavengers that their names had all been added to the List. Who's Afraid of the DJD?

And the fandom collectively wept. Whether it was because they had souls or because they loved watching the D.J.D. kill people has yet to be determined.

‎

Following a tip-off from the Decepticon mole Brainstorm, the D.J.D. caught up with the Lost Light (unbeknownst to anyone, one of two created by a quantum engine accident) over Ofsted XVII. Though Tarn had initially agreed to spare them in return for Overlord, after learning that known defector Drift was also on board, they slaughtered the entire crew before reaching the rogue Phase Sixer in his slow cell beneath the ship and sawing off his head. The D.J.D, however, left one member of the crew—Rewind, whom they'd sadistically forced to record their atrocities in exchange for his partner Chromedome's life (and then killed Chromedome anyway when he refused to erase all memory of Rewind from his mind). slaughterhouse The Road Not Taken The Permanent Revolution

Concurrently on Cybertron, Starscream, seeking to leave behind the Decepticons and establish himself in the fledgling post-war government, hired Onslaught and the Combaticons to protect him from the D.J.D. and other unruly bots. Applicable Skills When the Necrotitan marched on the city later that year, Megatron listed the Division as a loyal force he could call on to help them retake Cybertron from Shockwave's forces if a retreat was needed. Burning Bright Six months afterwards, at Megatron's trial, the D.J.D.'s atrocities were part of the evidence against the former Decepticon leader. Words Hang in the Air

Seventeen months after destroying the Lost Light, the Division, at Nickel's urging, returned to the shattered ship in order to steal the ship's quantum engines. This turned out to be a mistake: the D.J.D. arrived in the middle of a battle between the Galactic Council and Black Block Consortia, both of whom were also after the engines. Rather than leave Cybertronian technology in the hands of organics, the D.J.D. attacked both sides, which simply led to the two organizations teaming up against them. The Permanent Revolution

Sheesh! That's not what a Brainmaster is!

Pursuing Council forces to the surface of Ofsted XVII, Vos and Kaon were trapped on the planet when an overwhelming number of organic reinforcements forced the Peaceful Tyranny to retreat. The Permanent Revolution The two Decepticons were left badly damaged and close to death by the battle. The pair's salvation arrived when a trio of Autobots (from the surviving Lost Light duplicate) helped them, initially unaware of who they were; after learning just who Vos was, Trailcutter still did the ethical thing and helped. He was rewarded by getting trapped in his panic bubble forcefield with Kaon and butchered to death. Vos and Kaon were able to call for a teleport back to their ship, bringing with them the new postwar edition of Towards Peace. Births, Deaths, and Interventions

The rest of the D.J.D. caught up with and murdered Blip in the interim. Tesarus was feeling guilty about abandoning their two comrades, considering it "un-Decepticon"; this got him a beating from Tarn and a threat of death.

Watching Megatron renounce and denounce the Decepticon cause in Towards Peace shook Tarn's faith in the movement, and he nearly killed himself by Nuke overdose before realizing a better option. The D.J.D. leader organized a meeting with the rogue Deathsaurus, not to murder him but to ally with him. In exchange, he and all of his troops would be stricken from The List. Despite some initial friction, Deathsaurus agreed to the alliance. With the D.J.D. now bolstered by the addition of Deathsaurus's considerable forces, Tarn declared their new objective: kill the traitorous Megatron and all of his allies aboard the Lost Light. The Permanent Revolution

Meanwhile, the Lost Light medics finally found and extracted the message bullet from Swerve, The One Where They Go to Earth but it had deteriorated: the only usable data was the location of the Necrobot Censere. The Not Knowing

Upon detecting long-missing AWOLs that had been on the List on Necroworld, the D.J.D. returned to the planet and learned that the Lost Light had been there not too long ago. Formulating a plan, the D.J.D. sent a distress signal to the Autobot ship using the Necrobot's own computers in order to lure them back. Do Not Go Gentle The Division then butchered the Necrobot and ambushed Megatron, and his only loyal crew members, when they arrived. How Bright Their Frail Deeds As they'd been taught, and to Megatron's dismay, they made a display of strength before departing, promising to return at sundown: thus, they assumed, terrifying their foes (Deathsaurus thought this was dumb). While some of the Lost Light crew searched for a means of escape, Megatron tried to negotiate his surrender with Tarn. Finding no space worthy craft, Ravage offered to sneak out, followed by Ten, and steal the Peaceful Tyranny only to instead find a D.J.D. base camp. As Ten held off the Decepticons, Ravage followed the scent of a ship, one belonging to Drift and Ratchet. The Sun in Flight

The DJD's attempts to get into the Titans Return line didn't pan out so well.

When the Autobots took the Pet hostage, Kaon ordered his troops to stand down, allowing them to escape in the Autobot shuttle. Though Helex countermanded the order and opened fire, the Autobot shuttle managed to reach the citadel. Concurrently, Tarn savagely beat down Megatron only to be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Overlord before he could execute his former leader. With Megatron having escaped, Tarn reluctantly brought Overlord into the plan. Once they had reached the bridge of the Peaceful Tyranny, Kaon burst in, crying about the loss of the Pet. Disgusted by the sin of emotion, the sin he held responsible for weakening Megatron, Tarn promptly pulled out Kaon's head and spinal column, to the horror and disgust of Nickel and Overlord. Your Fierce Tears

At sunset, the Decepticons marched on the citadel only to be met by an impenetrable storm-shield. However, the shield worked in both directions, preventing the Autobots from opening fire. At Close of Day After the sacrifice of Skids allowed the Autobots to be supercharged to the level of Outliers, they deactivated the shield and met the D.J.D. in combat, their newfound strength allowing them to overpower numerous Decepticons before the upgrade died with Skids.

The DJD learn the very hard way that as an Autobot leader, Megatron does indeed now have The Touch. The Touch of Destruction.

After Tarn had ripped Ravage and the Autobots were surrounded, Megatron emerged on the battlefield, ordering Team Rodimus to retreat and calling for Tarn to face him. After a precise shot had destroyed Megatron's fusion cannon, Tarn and Overlord opened fire on him, Rage, Rage seconds after Megatron activated Trailcutter's panic bubble. As the D.J.D. pounded on the bubble, Overlord took his leave, disgusted by the sight of Megatron cowering within the field before Deathsaurus, struck by a psychic weapon, and a disillusioned Nickel followed suit.

Continuing their assault, the four members of the D.J.D. managed to enter the forcefield at which point Megatron threw off the act. Having finally mastered the ability to channel antimatter, Megatron cursed the D.J.D. for ruining his chance at redemption before declaring they would die with their birth names. As the antimatter tore them to pieces, each was named: Vos Forestock, Helex Crucible, Tesarus Scissorsaw, and finally Glitch, who died with his mask off after bargaining and false bravado had both failed to stay Megatron's hand. With their deaths and Nickel's defection to Deathsaurus' forces, the Decepticon Justice Division was no more. Do Not Go Gentle

Beast Wars: Uprising

During the Great War, the DJD operated out of the Mandala in Iacon under the supervision of Soundwave. Three centuries after the end of the war, statues of Kaon and Tesarus remained in the halls of the Mandala, immortalizing their deeds. Trigger Warnings

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

After Megatron and his Predacons betrayed the original Megatron, Tarn was brought to Earth and formed a new DJD. This iteration of the team consists of Tarn, Spinister, Dirtbag, Soundwave, and Exhaust. Enter the DJD Tarn later attempted to capture Tarantulas after he abused Cosmic Rust. Rust & Fire Lancelon was sent to fix the mess the D.J.D. fixed with God Neptune and Ruination. The Last Knight He is seen remaining with the team in future stories. Junkheap assisted and joined the team when hunting for the Forge Fire Amulet.Junk Culture He is seen remaining with the team in future stories. Soundwave and Lancelon both left the D.J.D. once Tarn pledged his allegiance to Deathsaurus, the new leader of the Decepticons. So a time-displaced Megatron wouldn't be found by any remaining loyalists, the D.J.D. were prepared to attack Soundwave's splinter cell of Decepticons on the orders of Deathsaurus, but were confronted by the Combaticons. Past Imperfect

Notes

• In an early plan for "Chaos Theory", the D.J.D. were going to attack.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Decepticon Shihōkyoku (ディセプティコン司法局), DJD, Destron Shihōkyoku (デストロン司法局)
• Swedish: Decepticons Skarprättarskvadron ("Decepticon's Executioner Squadron"), S.R.S.
• Polish: Departament Sprawiedliwości Decepticonów ("Decepticon Justice Department"), D.S.D.