Transformers Armada: The Unicron Battles
| The name or term "Unicron Battles" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Unicron Battles (disambiguation). |
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| "The Unicron Battles" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | DK Publishing | ||||||||||||
| Imprint | DK Readers | ||||||||||||
| First published | May 3, 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Andrew Donkin | ||||||||||||
| ISBN | 0756603129 978-0756603120 | ||||||||||||
| Page count | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Price | $3.99 (US) | ||||||||||||
The Autobots and Decepticons join together to battle Unicron.
Synopsis
[edit]The joint Autobot/Decepticon fleet is not faring well in their battle against Unicron. Unicron's defenses prove too formidable, prompting Galvatron to sound a retreat much to Thrust's glee. Galvatron and Optimus reconvene to plan out a new strategy. But Unicron is not idle; the titan begins to creep towards Cybertron itself. Distressed in seeing their homeworld being threatened as such, Hot Shot and Wheeljack take off in two Discovery Pods to distract Unicron. As the two of them buzz about Unicron's gargantuan form, they catch sight of Thrust, and decide to attack Unicron's new right-hand man. Their assault is interrupted when Unicron opens fire on Cybertron with his primary weapon to begin devouring the planet.
Elsewhere, Optimus has settled on a new strategy that he hopes will prove more effective in battling Unicron. A small structural weakness had been discovered on the planet-eater's neck. Optimus hopes to take advantage of said weakness to infiltrate Unicron's body and retrieve the Mini-Con weapons that have awakened him. In anticipation for the mission, both Optimus and Galvatron assume their most powerful forms. En route, Galvatron encounters Thrust, and sends the traitor fleeing. Thrust accidentally gets himself caught between two shifting panels on Unicron's surface, leading to him being crushed to death.
Unicron continues to feed upon Cybertron, opening an avenue for Optimus and Galvatron to enter the planet-eater; both faction leaders allow themselves to be swallowed up along with the planetary debris. High Wire however has his doubts on how well Optimus's plan will work out. He informs Rad that only another Mini-Con would be capable of awakening the Mini-Cons within Unicron. The children and their Mini-Cons decided to head within Unicron as well, using the underground warp gate on Cybertron. Optimus and Galvatron stand before Unicron's heart, where they are confronted by Sideways. Sideways informs his enemies that he and Unicron are one and the same, and gloats on how he has grown strong off of the Transformers' hatred for one another. Unicron's inner defenses then manage to grab hold of the faction leaders, ensnaring them in a mass of tentacles.
Outside, a squad led by Hot Shot has finally broken through Unicron's weakpoint, and begins their own infiltration of his body. Their attacks are soon revealed to be ineffective, as Unicron is capable of instantly generating any damage dealt upon his structure.
The children's group then arrive at Unicron's core, joining Optimus and Galvatron. The Mini-Cons reiterate to Sideways that they desire peace, and are ready to fight their creator for it. Outside, the other Mini-Cons have formed a Unicron of Light to stave off Unicron's attack. This too proves fruitless, as Unicron begins to absorb the Mini-Cons' minds into himself, bringing them under his control. A mass of tentacles then springs up within his core, subjugating the children and the Mini-Cons there as well. Facing the potential destruction of their very minds at Unicron's hand, Rad calls out to the outside Mini-Cons. Miraculously, they respond to Rad, and break free of Unicron's control. In a united strike, the Mini-Cons begin to attack their oppressor, finally dealing significant damage onto him. This leads to all those held captive within Unicron's core to be released, allowing for Optimus to dispatch Sideways.
But one last fight has to take place; Galvatron informs Optimus that now that Unicron has been defeated, their alliance is at an end. Convinced that the only way to end Unicron's threat is to end the war, Optimus allows himself to be goaded into a final confrontation against him. But as the two of them clash, Unicron begins to recover, feeding once more off the conflict. The battle ends in a draw, with both warriors laying atop Unicron's surface, exhausted and brutally wounded. But their squabble has already awoken Unicron, who begins once more to consume. Galvatron is caught in the vortex, and despite Optimus's efforts to rescue him, allows himself to be swallowed up in order to end the war once and for all. With no more conflict to sustain him, Unicron flashes out of existence, leaving Optimus adrift in space.
In the aftermath, the Transformers stand united as one people, and begin to repair Cybertron. The kids are returned to Earth, and after a tearful goodbye, see their friends off back through the warp-gate to continue their search for their lost leader.
Featured characters
[edit](Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Mini-Cons | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
[edit]"Not everyone enjoys war like you, you metal moron."
- —Carlos tells Unicron how it is.
Notes
[edit]Trivia
[edit]- This book adapts the last few episodes of the Transformers: Armada cartoon, with some back story presented at the start. It's illustrated with a mix of Dreamwave Productions art and screen captures from the cartoon itself.
- Contained withing columns besides the main text are trivia tidbits, both about the world if the Transformers and our own. Trivia about the real world include:
- Energon is said to originate from beneath Cybertron's surface. One note alludes to the next franchise by divulging that the Terrorcons also desire the power of Energon. It is also revealed that Rad will grow up to help the Transformers to seek out Energon throughout the cosmos.
- The following characters appear in illustrations or side-notes, but are not explicitly referred to the main text of the story: Over-Run, Mirage, Dirt Boss, Downshift, Primus, Jetstorm, Runway, Sonar, Overload, Jolt , Cyclonus, Tidal Wave, Starscream, Demolishor, Clench, Knock Out, Wreckage, Bonecrusher and Sparkplug.
