Infiltration... The Uranium Mine



Braver, Laster and Wingwaver speed to the rescue of trapped human workers when the Decepticons take control of a uranium mine.


 * English/Malay dub name:  "Save the Mine"
 * Also known as: "Invasion of the Uranium Mine"

Detailed synopsis
Somewhere in the African savannah, the Decepticons have landed the Thunder Arrow in readiness for their next energy-stealing operation. Instructed by Deathsaurus to attack the Neo Uranium Mines and steal Beta Uranium ore, the Breastforce and Dinoforce waste no time in carrying out their objective, and lay siege to the facility, capturing close to a hundred workers in the tunnels. Suddenly, figuring out what to get his son for his birthday is the least of mine foreman Frank's worries, and he issues a distress call to the Autobots.

At the Shuttle Base, the Autobot receive Frank's distress call, and Wingwaver is especially eager to get out there and teach the Decepticons a lesson. The Brainmasters silence his enthusiasm by pointing out the danger of the hostage situation, and Laster and Braver quickly formulate a plan to build a sonic drill and burrow through the cave walls to surprise the villains from behind. Wingwaver is still up for the challenge, and volunteers to join the two Brainmaster, despite Blacker warning him that he might lose his life in the process.

A little later, on the other side of the mountainous region containing the mine, Braver and Wingwaver successfully break through the first rock wall with Laster's sonic drill. As they continue to drill their way through the mountain, Wingwaver gripes about how Blacker is constantly demeaning the Multiforce, but Laster informs Wingwaver that he simply doesn't understand Blacker's way. Soon, their progress is stymied by a wall of solid bedrock which the drill cannot penetrate, but Blacker suggests that the trio channel their own energy into the drill in an attempt to boost its power.

Meanwhile, Frank discovers that the ventilation system for the mines has been damaged in the Decepticon attack, and the trapped workers in the tunnels are running the risk of asphyxiation. He determines to aid the Autobots in getting through the bedrock by bringing them some blasting explosives, but first he has to sneak by Leozack inside a mine car. When the Decepticon gets suspicious of the trundling cart, Frank nails him on the noggin with a mallet and escapes into the tunnels. He soon comes upon the Autobots and tells them of his plan to plant blasting charges on the other side of the bedrock, to detonate at the same time as they strike it with their drill and hopefully clear the way. Wingwaver is a little resistance to the idea of putting a human in harm's way, but Frank and the Brainmasters insist that it must be done. Frank squeezes into a narrow tunnel that leads him to the other side of the bedrock, and the plan proves a success when the drill and explosives combine to reduce the bedrock to fragments. Air rushes through the tunnels, allowing the captive workers to breathe easily again, but the explosion catches the attention of Drillhorn, who sticks his head in the hole... and gets shoulder-slammed by Laster. Drillhorn dispatches his Breast Animal to double-team Laster, but Braver bursts in with the sonic drill and blasts the beast out of the air. As the other Breastforce members join the fight, Wingwaver leads the workers to safety and radios the Shuttle Base to send Galaxy Shuttle to pick them up.

The shuttle soon arrives with the other Autobots in tow, and Frank tells Star Saber that the Dinoforce are busy pillaging Beta Uranium from the storehouses. Wingwaver is still raring to go, but Star Saber tells him to stay behind. Although Wingwaver is about to protest, Blacker compliments him on a job well done, and he is surprised and happy to hear the lieutenant commander refer to him by name for the first time, instead of just calling him "kid." Star Saber and Blacker move out to take on Leozack and the Dinoforce, and Star Saber uses the V-Star to shoot Leozack out of the sky. When the V-Star's power is turned on the Dinoforce, they combine into Dinoking and entrap Star Saber in a cocoon of "Dino Power" energy. With his mighty "Blade of Wrath" attack, however, Star Saher slices his way to freedom, and rains bolts of lightning down from the heavens upon Dinoking, who is impaled and split back into his component parts.

While the defeated Decepticons flee back to the Thunder Arrow and listen to Deathsaurus rage impotently, Star Saber meets Frank's son, Sam. When the boy thanks him, Star Saber says that he should be thanking Sam, after his father's heroic efforts. Star Saber makes sure that all the Autobots understand that they only won the day by working together, both with each other and with the humans.

Stats
Written by:  Toyohiro Ando

Original airdate: 25th April 1989

Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * While speaking to Star Saber as the rescued workers board the Galaxy Shuttle, Wingwaver's face is white, instead of yellow.

Transformers references

 * We first got a little hint of the fact that Wingwaver and Blacker aren't that keen on each other back in "Sneak Attack! Dinoking".