Escalation!

Autobots and Decepticons wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons Cybertronian Empire!

Generation 2 #8
Originally published: June, 1994

This issue contains a main story, "Escalation!", and a backup story, "Tales of Earth Part Five". However, the backup story is located in the middle of the main story. For this article, we have therefore listed the credits separately, but combined the other sections together.

Escalation!
Writer: Simon Furman Penciler: Manny Galan Inker: Jim Amash Letterbots: Starkings with O'Neil Colorbot: Sarra Mossoff Editor: Rob Tokar

Tales of Earth Part Five
Writer: Simon Furman Artist: Derek Yaniger "Letterbots": Starkings with O'Neil "Colorbot": Sarra Mossoff Editor: Tokar


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Jhiaxus, Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Jazz, Prowl, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Inferno, Sizzle, Starscream, assorted Imperial soldiers, the Dinobots, Springer, Ironhide, the Aerialbots, Skywarp, Soundwave.

Synopsis
Jhiaxus has had enough. Talking to himself (or possibly to some unseen troops) he declares that the Cybertronian Empire will sweep across the stars, killing all non-Transformer life, cyberforming all suitable worlds, obliterating all others, creating a perfect universe. When the Autobots come out to try and stop them, they too will be wiped from the heavens like a blotch of grease. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Optimus Prime (still on his repair-bed) is visited by the half-dead Megatron. They are about to have a serious talk, when Grimlock slams Megatron into a wall. Prime convinces Grimlock that Megatron is here to talk, and Prime and Megatron agree to an anti-Imperial alliance.

At that moment, Sideswipe arrives to report that a nearby world, Ethos, is being systematically destroyed by unknown attackers. Prime orders the Autobots into action, but Megatron refuses to waste resources on this peripheral threat.

The Autobots arrive on Ethos barely in time to save the last few survivors. The attackers are (of course) the Cybertronian Empire. While the battle initially goes in the Autobots' favor, the brutality of the Imperials begins to tell, and Smokescreen and Inferno are killed. The tide only turns when, unexpectedly, the Decepticons show up to save the day.

After the battle is won, Megatron tells Prime that the only reason he came was that he learned the attackers were Imperial troops. Prime says the fact that he came is sufficient for now. Soundwave then reports some bad news: Starscream is mysteriously missing. ..

Quotes
Optimus Prime: Appearances to the contrary, I don't think Megatron's here to fight! I believe he has an offer! Megatron: Ha. Hahahaha! Prime is, of course, right. Prime's always right!

Grimlock: Me show you exactly where you can stick your "alliance." Megatron: Prime, really! Doesn't he have a muzzle! Grimlock: Muzzle?! Me will Prowl: Grimlock, hey! Down boy!

Swoop: Dinobots. . . as our esteemed, if somewhat linguistically strangled leader, Grimlock, would say it time to munch metal!

Air Raid (probably): Decepticons. I don't believe it. We've been rescued by Decepticons. How. . . humiliating!