Robot Trek III
A strange robotic device threatens the Universe and the Zapbots rush to encounter it before it reaches Gearatron.
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Synopsis
Anthony has an interview with a news reporter to discuss all the details for the Zapbots. He is slowly coming to the realization the Universe was not what he thought it would be.
Flashback to several weeks before...
In a log update Anthony provides an update to bring everyone up to speed with recent events.
Vebox reports to Fortress Misslemax a strange unknown object has attacked two outposts. Scan joins the crew as they set out providing an overview of the strange cloud heading towards Gearatron. During the discussion Starbase 69 calls and indicates they are under attack from the strange cloud. After Starbase 69 is destroyed the Zapbots realize time may be short and provide Master Anthony his birthday party early as they are unsure of what may happen.
Anthony spends time with his Minibots in his quarters seeking advice. He is unsure if he should do a news interview or not.
In Bop's bar Speedy, Rup, Hot-Shot are joined by Timetravel for discussion. Speedy and Hot Shot once again pry Bop and Rup for their past. As Fortress Misslemax drops out of warp they see out of the windows a Nonocons ship approaching and everyone races to their stations.
After the typical angry discussion between Shortstop and Amphotron; both starships' weapons are rendered useless and the ships themselves are slowly being pulled into the cloud. A giant blue ball of energy is heading for Fortress Misslemax, however Scan and Boaty are able to decode the ancient frequency and transmit a friendly message in the nick of time. It is then that they discover the device is Ancient Zapbots in origin.
Shortstop, Botimus, Boaty, Flier and the Super Changers head out from Misslemax to investigate the cloud. After they discover the core of the Ancient Device they are attacked by Amphotron and his crew. Unfortunately a Nonocon sneaks up on the crew and steals the ancient device. Amphotron and his crew flee with the device in their ship as the Zapbots give chase. The Zapbots attack the Nonocons ship as they return fire. The Nonocons and the Zapbots both figure out that the Ancient Device is used to regenerate a planet and was a backup plan to regenerate Gearatron if a new holder of the Matrix was never found.
The Nonocons circle around and hit Misslemax hard using the Ancient Device as a new power weapon. However they exhausted all their energy in one blast. The Zapbots return fire and proceed to disable the Nonocons enough to get them to retreat. Soar's brother Spacedust is severally wounded and dies on the operating table.
The Zapbots feverish work to bring Fortress Misslemax back online for battle. The Zapbots catch up to the Nonocon ship while we find out that Support and Lazer-Ray snuck onto the Nonocon ship during the last battle to recover the device. The Super Changers escape with the device but are stopped by the firepower of the ship. The Ancient Device is once again stolen by the Nonocons with a tractor beam. Shortstop transforms Fortress Misslemax into robot mode and attacks the Nonocons' ship permanently disabling it. As he returns Fortress Misslemax to spaceship mode they prepare to board the Nonocons ship and retake the device.
As a last resort to destroy the Zapbots, Amphotron deploys the final command of the Ancient Zapbot device setting it to begin the countdown. Fortress Misslemax detects the buildup and is unable to warp still attempts to escape before the device explodes. Amphotron grabs his crew and throws them through a Universal Transporter, escaping the damaged Nonocon ship before the explosion. Flier goes down to help the engine room, and secretly Boaty goes down as well.
Boaty attempts to go into the radiation chamber to fix the problem but Flier prohibits him. Boaty subdues Flier and prepares to go into the chamber. He establishes a mental link with him just before he goes. Once he enters the chamber Boaty proceeds to repair the warp unit under much pain and stress. In the last few seconds, the mains come back online and the ship warps out of the danger in the nick of time.
In the presence of the explosion from the device, a new planet is formed appropriately named New Gearatron. Anthony finds out Boaty is near death and rushes to the engine room. After Boaty confirms the ship is safe, he goes offline. The Zapbots have a funeral for their departed friend and bury the coffin on New Gearatron.
In Bop's bar the crew has a tribute to Boaty, On Anthony's Birthday, Anthony and Mike Quartz let go of their inhibitions with their relationship.
Switching back to the news reporter in present day, she is stunned by the confession and politely leaves the interview as it did not go the way she was intending. Back on Fortress Misslemax Anthony leaves a personal log indicating life must go on.
In the Epilogue we see Amphotron and his crew arrives at their planet base where they are met by Secretish, Shock and Tri-Star.
To Be Continued...
Featured characters
| Zapbots | Humans | Nonocons | Planets |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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Quotes
"Do not grieve Master, it’s your birthday…."
- Boaty to Shortstop as he is dying.
Notes
Versions
- First Version: 1990?
- Second Version: 2020 - this was the first of the covid rewrites.
- Third Version: 2021
Production notes
- As you can tell this story borrows a lot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. These movies were a huge inspiration for me even still to this day. I took this rewrite in the direction of 'what would happen if the situation happened to the Zapbots?'
- Don't think any new characters appear here. Everyone has pretty much been established and I tried to focus on the core characters.
- Third pass to provide extra details and upgrades that happened in 2021.
Continuity notes
Real-life references
Continuity and plotting errors
Other trivia
- Dr. Howard is a reference to my Therapist of many years Dr. Howard Fradkin helped me immensely through my adult years.
