The Dark Heart of Sandokan
| This article is about the Fanclub-exclusive story. For the titular MacGuffin, see Dark Heart of Sandokan. |
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| "The Black Sea of Sandokan" "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Transformers Collectors' Club | ||||||||||||
| First published | February 19, 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Writer | Benson Yee | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | Jake Isenberg | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Jake Isenberg | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Thomas Deer | ||||||||||||
| Page count | 29pp | ||||||||||||
Pirates? Sure.
Synopsis
On the bridge of Kalis' Lament, scientist Brushguard reports that a probe has returned. First officer Skywarp is eager to see the probe's findings. Recordings of the Autobot ship Star Arrow play across the screen. The ship, carrying a Force Chip, has crashed on a planet. Runamuck identifies the world as Sandokan.
Just then, Captain Cannonball enters the bridge, proclaiming Sandokan to be a cursed place. Buzzsaw questions this, only to find himself on the receiving end of Cannonball's claw.
Cannonball tosses the repentant Buzzsaw aside and tells the tale of a great warrior race of Sandokan, locked in civil war. One side created a weapon known as the Dark Heart which devastated life on the planet.
Perhaps believing in the legends of the haunted planet, and at least not wishing to repeat the fate of the Star Arrow, Cannonball orders Runamuck to contact Astrotrain. The captain plans to send the cunning bounty hunter to face any dangers on Sandokan, while the crew of Kalis’ Lament gets away with the Force Chip.
Once Astrotrain has been raised, Cannonball recalls the time he saved the bounty hunter from fatal reentry on Taros Four. After Cannonball threatens to spread word of the event, Astrotrain reluctantly accepts. Cannonball sends Astrotrain to collect the Chip from Sandokan, stating that he is too busy to do it himself.
Inside Astrotrain's headquarters, his Mini-Con comrades, Star Catcher, Astro-Hook, Astro-Line and Astro-Sinker, are loathe to trust Cannonball. Astrotrain agrees. Once they procure the Force Chip, they will disappear before Cannonball can claim it.
Meanwhile, Override awakens in the wreck of the Star Arrow. Swerve and Blurr get to their feet. Excellion is busy digging out Longrack, whose leg has been shorn off. After confirming the safe status of the Force Chip, Override and her crew assess the damage. Swerve finds a functioning distress beacon, but Override prefers only to activate it once they reach a secure area. She slips the Force Chip into her chest compartment and leads the able-bodied Autobots away from the wreckage, leaving Longrack behind with her spare blaster.
The air is hot and the surrounding buildings and infrastructure are decaying. Override recognizes the signs of war. She senses danger just before the group is attacked by a monster composed of scrap. The Autobots flee back to the Star Arrow to fetch Longrack. The metal creature follows, calling itself Synthos, the personification of hate and the bearer of the Dark Heart. Synthos uses the wrecked landscape to its advantage, absorbing metal and hunks of building and hurling them at the Autobots.
Longrack, ever the scientist, suggests they move to an area free of such debris. Override takes him onto her vehicle mode and the crew drives into a flora-covered canyon. Finding a cave, the Autobots regroup and plan.
Far above Sandokan, Astrotrain and the on-board crew of Mini-Cons ponder the destructive ingenuity of the former natives. Although Astrotrain was cloaked, the orange heat from entering the atmosphere allows him to be targeted by Synthos. Astrotrain speeds towards the ground and the Mini-Cons prepare to jump out and attack the synthetic monster.
Astrotrain arrives on the scene in time to intercept a blast from Synthos aimed at the Mini-Cons. A wounded but still able Astrotrain suggests their next move involve good ol' fashioned Decepticon trechery.
After effecting repairs, Astrotrain and his crew fly back to the battle site and summon Synthos. Although Synthos is filled with anger and hate, Astrotrain is able to bargain with it. He lies, telling the creature that there is a cloaked army above Sandokan, but if Synthos will tell of the Autobots' location, Astrotrain will share the secret of the Force Chip with the monster. Believing that the Decepticons are too great a force to confront, and hungry for the Autobot's power, Synthos agrees.
A short time later, Override muses how simple life 'used' to be as she battles Astrotrain. Blurr has been taken out early in the battle, and Excellion watches over him and Longrack in the cave. Swerve and Override attack. Override summons her Cyber Key and charges Astro-Hook. Swerve takes out Astro-Sinker. Override transforms, leaping into the air and blasts Astro-Line.
But Astrotrain has taken possession of Swerve, holding his gun to the unconscious Autobot's head. Override fires a low-powered blast at her comrade to awaken him. Astrotrain, shocked, drops Swerve.
Override notices that the defeated Mini-Cons have vanished and orders Swerve to look after the Force Chip back in the cave. She, meanwhile, battles Astrotrain until the victorious Mini-Cons arrive from the cave with the Force Chip. The Decepticons flee, and Autobots follow.
Astrotrain and his crew approach Synthos' location again. The power of the Dark Heart is too great a prize to pass up, and Astrotrain demands it from Synthos in exchange for the knowledge of the Force Chip. Synthos resurrects several Sandokan war robots to attack the deceitful Decepticon. The robots gain the upper hand until the Mini-Cons Powerlink with Astrotrain. Additionally, he uses the stolen Force Chip to boost his power to unimaginable levels. Easily defeating Synthos' robots, Astrotrain attacks the monster itself. He tears away at Synthos' body, reaching for the Dark Heart.
But Override and her troupe have arrived. With Astrotrain distracted for a moment, Synthos attacks. The monster defeats Astrotrain and moves for the dropped Force Chip, but Excellion reaches it first.
A shuttle from Kalis’ Lament appears in the sky, Cannonball slung below it, firing away. Brushguard tosses a vine bomb from Centaris Seven at Synthos, and is pleased that it works. Cannonball orders Buzzsaw and Runamuck to gather Astrotrain.
Outside the battle, the Autobots plan to save Synthos and steal the Decepticon pirates' ship. The team speeds into the battle and, with the Decepticons occupied with Synthos, they climb aboard the Kalis’ Lament's shuttle.
Cannonball laughs at Synthos' defeat, but before he can take the Dark Heart, he and the other Decepticons succumb to the shuttle's tractor beam.
The shuttle drops off the Decepticons on the other side of the continent, and the Autobots set off towards Cybertron. Override hopes that Synthos has time to recover before Kalis’ Lament arrives to pick up Cannonball and the others.
Later, back on his ship, Cannonball scolds Astrotrain for failing. Astrotrain is undaunted, however, so Cannonball banishes him and his Mini-Cons from the Kalis’ Lament. Elsewhere on the ship, Brushguard is busy working on a project for his captain: examining the newly-captured Dark Heart.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Aliens |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
- A brief mention is made of Skyblast, who made Override's energon blades.
- While mulling over rescuing the living weapon Synthos, Override recalls Optimus Prime's words, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." This hearkens back to Generation 1 Optimus's Tech Spec quote, and those of several following Optimus Primes as well.
- After the story ends, there's a plug for the Club-exclusive Astrotrain toy.
- The story was originally titled "The Black Sea of Sandokan", which is reflected in the prologue published in Transformers Collectors Magazine #13. A correction was published the next issue.
External links
- Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive fiction (must be a logged-in member to access)
