| “ | Find. Kill. Cleanse | „ |
| ~ DJD motto. |
The Decepticon Justice Division, or DJD for short, is a sadistic special ops unit that works within the ranks of the Decepticon army. Their goal is to dispatch any one who has failed, gone against, or betrayed Megatron.
Any Decepticon that has done this ends up on "The List", and are pursued by the DJD in their ship, called the Peaceful Tyranny. Once they have found them, they punish them. With extreme prejudice. Several of the members of the unit
have instruments of torture built into their frames, or even turn into one.
The DJD is comprised of:
Fiction[]
IDW Generation 1 Continuity[]
Holding a reputation of being Megatron's personal assassins, slaughterhouse the Decepticon Justice Division hunted down rogue Decepticons, keeping track of them through a list and following the order to a fault. The Ties That Bind The members of the group's elite took their codenames in honor of the first five Cybertronian cities that fell to the Decepticons in the Great War. Do Not Go Gentle Though primarily concerned with killing renegade Decepticons, they looooove killing Autobots too. slaughterhouse Despite this, they had strict orders to not engage neutral Cybertronians. The Not Knowing With Megatron and Tarn sharing a flair for theatrics, the Justice Division adhered to a strict script in their operations, first projecting a show of strength before leaving their victims to sit in fear before being killed. The Sun in Flight
Despite their fearsome reputation, the internal structure of the D.J.D. was heavily bureaucratic, Tarn subjecting his men to constant performance reviews, health and safety checks and regular prayers to statues of Megatron. The Permanent Revolution
Over the course of the Great War, the Decepticon Justice Division had claimed many of Gripper's good friends, Words Hang in the Air marked Decepticon warlord Deathsaurus and his troops for their desertion, The Permanent Revolution and had bumped up Grimlock after the Dinobot leader had defected back to the Autobots. The Ties That Bind At some point, the D.J.D. set their sights on Starscream but he was removed from the List for reasons unknown. An Axe to Break the Ice The D.J.D. also hunted down the rogue leader of the Warriors Elite, Heretech, only to be held at bay for days by Heretech's storm-shield. The Sun in Flight
The late and unlamented Crosscut was often mistaken for a Justice Division man, which he used to his advantage. Crosscut's Squadron X profile The last-but-one Vos had hooks for hands and feet. Footage of him doing his usual business with the rest of the D.J.D. was recorded and presented as evidence during Megatron's trial. Words Hang in the Air Unknown to the Decepticons, that Vos was an Autobotmole, the famous Dominus Ambus, codenamed Agent 113. The Not KnowingAt Close of DayHe used his position to pass information to the Autobots; due to a justifiably extreme paranoia about being found out, he used info-slugs disguised as bullets to pass message covertly. Usually this information would be the turncoats and traitors that the Division was hunting down, whom the Autobots could protect from justice in return for information. Bullets
In order to ensure the safety of the Autobot medical facility of Delphi on the planet Messatine, deep within D.J.D. territory, the facility's chief medical officer Pharma entered into a deal with the Division's leader. In return for their leaving Delphi be, Pharma would provide Tarn with a constant supply of fresh transformation cogs from Delphi's dead, in order to feed his addiction to changing shape that caused him to constantly burn through cogs. How Ratchet Got His Hands Back
During Ambus's time, the Division had learned the mysterious Necrobot was real and the existence of his planet, Necroworld but given their policy of ignoring neutrals, they left the world and its inhabitant alone. The Not Knowing Shortly after, Agent 113 fired a warning about numerous issues, as well as the Necroworld's location, into Swerve when he was witnessing a typical D.J.D. atrocity. Unfortunately, Swerve was never aware this had been a message bullet and none of the alerted medics ever saw him. The shock rendered Swerve speechless for six months, which was quite a feat for him. Life After the Big Bang The One Where They Go to Earth
Shortly after the Surge, the D.J.D. became concerned that the Decepticon forces attacking Garrus-9 hadn't reported back. They dispatched an exploratory force to the colony and learned that any attempt to get near Garrus-9 was blown out of the sky with extreme prejudice. Ambus passed this on to the Wreckers, via firing a message at Dodger when Dogfight's group had crossed the Division's path near Messatine's Serp Mines. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 Bullets
Eventually, the D.J.D. came across a ship piloted by none other than Shockwave who was also on their list. Shockwave attempted to broker a deal with Tarn, offering his crew (consisting of virtually every Decepticon imprisoned in Garrus-9 who were on the list beneath him) in exchange for letting him live. However, the zealous Tarn had no intention of letting any of them live and attacked with his lethal voice. While Scorponok and a few others abandoned ship, salvation came in the form of Shockwave blasting out the radio and back-up arriving in the form of the Torment. Rather than face Bludgeon and Monstructor, the D.J.D. retreated. The Ties That Bind
Shortly after the Dogfight battle, the Division found out who "Vos" was. When a new Vos appeared, the Autobots assumed Agent 113 was dead The Not Knowing unaware that the Division had "domesticated" Ambus, locking him in his beast mode and lobotomizing him to render him a feral animal. Now simply called "the Pet" and dragged around on a lead by Kaon, the once-mighty intellectual was used as a feral hunting dog and a propaganda tool (the Division claimed he was a tamed sparkeater). In a bit of Lima syndrome, Kaon developed a twisted affection for his "pet". At Close of Day
Around 2009, the D.J.D. discovered a mutated form of nucleon on Messatine. They dubbed it Nuke and kept it to themselves: only Megatron was alerted, and he was playing dead at the time. The Permanent Revolution
Some time later, the D.J.D. discovered the ravaged Cybertronian colony founded by the Titan Prion and recruited its sole survivor, Nickel, into their ranks. She took up a job as their nurse. The Permanent Revolution
With the D.J.D.'s monthly quota of cogs constantly rising, Pharma was forced into drastic action, seeking to escape the deal by shutting down the facility without implicating himself. To this end, he hired Decepticon nobodies Sonic and Boom to pose as Monoformers and seek asylum at Delphi, professing to be on the run from the D.J.D. Once inside, they detonated a viral soundbomb that infected Delphi with a corrosive plague that would be blamed on D.J.D. chemical warfare. Life After the Big BangHow Ratchet Got His Hands Back
Meanwhile, the D.J.D. caught up with Black Shadow and brutally tortured him to death after he sold his services to the Autobots. Despite popular conception, Tarn declared the war wasn't over until Megatron personally said it was over. Kaon then alerted Tarn to a signal on the planet Clemency from an undetonated K-Class named Fulcrum. When they arrived, Tarn gave Fulcrum's companions fifteen minutes to give him up and watch him die or be killed themselves. Rules of Disengagement
The so-called Scavengers chose to fight, turning an incidentally captive Grimlock against Tarn and the others. The initial surprise wore off, though, and the Scavengers got brutalized. Tesarus ground up Flywheels in his chest compartment, while Vos made Krok "wear his face". Even a Cybernought barely helped improve their odds. The remaining hapless Decepticons only survived because Kaon detected Overlord's spark signature, and Fulcrum had seemingly died moments prior in a failed suicide-bomb attempt (he hadn't, but everyone was a little too busy to double-check). Tarn ordered the D.J.D. off to hunt for bigger fish, but not before warning the surviving Scavengers that their names had all been added to the List. Who's Afraid of the DJD? And the fandom collectively wept. Whether it was because they had souls or because they loved watching the D.J.D. kill people has yet to be determined.
Following a tip-off from the Decepticon mole Brainstorm, the D.J.D. caught up with the Lost Light (unbeknownst to anyone, one of two created by a quantum engine accident) over Ofsted XVII. Though Tarn had initially agreed to spare them in return for Overlord, after learning that known defector Drift was also on board, they slaughtered the entire crew before reaching the rogue Phase Sixer in his slow cell beneath the ship and sawing off his head. The D.J.D, however, left one member of the crew—Rewind, whom they'd sadistically forced to record their atrocities in exchange for his partner Chromedome's life (and then killed Chromedome anyway when he refused to erase all memory of Rewind from his mind). slaughterhouse The Road Not Taken The Permanent Revolution
Concurrently on Cybertron, Starscream, seeking to leave behind the Decepticons and establish himself in the fledgling post-war government, hired Onslaught and the Combaticons to protect him from the D.J.D. and other unruly bots. Applicable SkillsWhen the Necrotitan marched on the city later that year, Megatron listed the Division as a loyal force he could call on to help them retake Cybertron from Shockwave's forces if a retreat was needed. Burning Bright Six months afterwards, at Megatron's trial, the D.J.D.'s atrocities were part of the evidence against the former Decepticon leader. Words Hang in the Air
Seventeen months after destroying the Lost Light, the Division, at Nickel's urging, returned to the shattered ship in order to steal the ship's quantum engines. This turned out to be a mistake: the D.J.D. arrived in the middle of a battle between the Galactic Council and Black Block Consortia, both of whom were also after the engines. Rather than leave Cybertronian technology in the hands of organics, the D.J.D. attacked both sides, which simply led to the two organizations teaming up against them. The Permanent Revolution
Pursuing Council forces to the surface of Ofsted XVII, Vos and Kaon were trapped on the planet when an overwhelming number of organic reinforcements forced the Peaceful Tyranny to retreat. The Permanent Revolution The two Decepticons were left badly damaged and close to death by the battle. The pair's salvation arrived when a trio of Autobots (from the surviving Lost Light duplicate) helped them, initially unaware of who they were; after learning just who Vos was, Trailcutter still did the ethical thing and helped. He was rewarded by getting trapped in his panic bubble forcefield with Kaon and butchered to death. Vos and Kaon were able to call for a teleport back to their ship, bringing with them the new postwar edition of Towards Peace. Births, Deaths, and Interventions
The rest of the D.J.D. caught up with and murdered Blip in the interim. Tesarus was feeling guilty about abandoning their two comrades, considering it "un-Decepticon"; this got him a beating from Tarn and a threat of death.
Watching Megatron renounce and denounce the Decepticon cause in Towards Peace shook Tarn's faith in the movement, and he nearly killed himself by Nuke overdose before realizing a better option. The D.J.D. leader organized a meeting with the rogue Deathsaurus, not to murder him but to ally with him. In exchange, he and all of his troops would be stricken from The List. Despite some initial friction, Deathsaurus agreed to the alliance. With the D.J.D. now bolstered by the addition of Deathsaurus's considerable forces, Tarn declared their new objective: kill the traitorous Megatron and all of his allies aboard the Lost Light. The Permanent Revolution
Meanwhile, the Lost Light medics finally found and extracted the message bullet from Swerve, The One Where They Go to Earth but it had deteriorated: the only usable data was the location of the Necrobot Censere. The Not Knowing
Upon detecting long-missing AWOLs that had been on the List on Necroworld, the D.J.D. returned to the planet and learned that the Lost Light had been there not too long ago. Formulating a plan, the D.J.D. sent a distress signal to the Autobot ship using the Necrobot's own computers in order to lure them back. Do Not Go Gentle The Division then butchered the Necrobot and ambushed Megatron, and his only loyal crew members, when they arrived. How Bright Their Frail Deeds As they'd been taught, and to Megatron's dismay, they made a display of strength before departing, promising to return at sundown: thus, they assumed, terrifying their foes (Deathsaurus thought this was dumb). While some of the Lost Light crew searched for a means of escape, Megatron tried to negotiate his surrender with Tarn. Finding no space worthy craft, Ravage offered to sneak out, followed by Ten, and steal the Peaceful Tyranny only to instead find a D.J.D. base camp. As Ten held off the Decepticons, Ravage followed the scent of a ship, one belonging to Drift and Ratchet. The Sun in Flight The DJD's attempts to get into the Titans Return line didn't pan out so well.
When the Autobots took the Pet hostage, Kaon ordered his troops to stand down, allowing them to escape in the Autobot shuttle. Though Helex countermanded the order and opened fire, the Autobot shuttle managed to reach the citadel. Concurrently, Tarn savagely beat down Megatron only to be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Overlord before he could execute his former leader. With Megatron having escaped, Tarn reluctantly brought Overlord into the plan. Once they had reached the bridge of the Peaceful Tyranny, Kaon burst in, crying about the loss of the Pet. Disgusted by the sin of emotion, the sin he held responsible for weakening Megatron, Tarn promptly pulled out Kaon's head and spinal column, to the horror and disgust of Nickel and Overlord. Your Fierce Tears
At sunset, the Decepticons marched on the citadel only to be met by an impenetrable storm-shield. However, the shield worked in both directions, preventing the Autobots from opening fire. At Close of Day After the sacrifice of Skids allowed the Autobots to be supercharged to the level of Outliers, they deactivated the shield and met the D.J.D. in combat, their newfound strength allowing them to overpower numerous Decepticons before the upgrade died with Skids. The DJD learn the very hard way that as an Autobot leader, Megatron does indeed now have The Touch. The Touch of Destruction.
After Tarn had ripped Ravage and the Autobots were surrounded, Megatron emerged on the battlefield, ordering Team Rodimus to retreat and calling for Tarn to face him. After a precise shot had destroyed Megatron's fusion cannon, Tarn and Overlord opened fire on him, Rage, Rage seconds after Megatron activated Trailcutter's panic bubble. As the D.J.D. pounded on the bubble, Overlord took his leave, disgusted by the sight of Megatron cowering within the field before Deathsaurus, struck by a psychic weapon, and a disillusioned Nickel followed suit.
Continuing their assault, the four members of the D.J.D. managed to enter the forcefield at which point Megatron threw off the act. Having finally mastered the ability to channel antimatter, Megatron cursed the D.J.D. for ruining his chance at redemption before declaring they would die with their birth names. As the antimatter tore them to pieces, each was named: Vos Forestock, Helex Crucible, TesarusScissorsaw, and finally Glitch, who died with his mask off after bargaining and false bravado had both failed to stay Megatron's hand. With their deaths and Nickel's defection to Deathsaurus' forces, the Decepticon Justice Division was no more. Do Not Go Gentle
Beast Wars: Uprising[]
During the Great War, the DJD operated out of the Mandala in Iacon under the supervision of Soundwave. Three centuries after the end of the war, statues of Kaon and Tesarus remained in the halls of the Mandala, immortalizing their deeds. Trigger Warnings
Notes[]
- The planet Messatine is on the edge of their territory.
- Each of the member of the DJD are named after a different Decepticon city-state. James Roberts, author of More than Meets the Eye, described that when a member of the team dies, their replacement takes the name.