IDW - Autocracy

Plot

Orion Pax leads a team of his Autobot security force on a raid on an arms deal being made by Swindle in Nyon. The Autobots take on the Decepticon and the terrorists, and cause a lot of collateral damage in the process. Orion is about to kill Swindle when an explosion occurs from behind him, and the bomber (Hot Rod) runs off. The Autobots leave with their prisoner before the locals get angry and turn on them further. Laserbeak watches and records all of this from a hiding place.

At the Citadel in Iacon, Zeta Prime is showing off his new invention, created from plans by Jhiaxus, the Vamparc Ribbon, which is a weapon he plans to use against the Decepticons. The problem however is that it's very energy inefficient, and would require them to use the civilians as energy sources. The Senate are appalled by this, even more so when he tests a prototype using Swindle as a power-source. Starscream, under cover as an observer reveals that Soundwave is in the audience,a nd he escapes. Orion Pax is ordered to chase him before he can reveal the sensitive information he's recorded.

Orion and his team head out and chase Soundwave, who keeps releasing his Minions to fight off the Autobots. Soundwave makes it to the edge of Kaon (Decepticon territory), but Orion catches him and attacks him, but before he can finish him off the Decepticons appear around him and take him and his team prisoner.

Megatron meets with Orion in person at the Jump Joint (a bar) in Kaon where he tells Orion about how corrupt Zeta Prime is really, and how he is just a freedom fighter against the corrupt Autobots. Orion decides not to believe him, trusting the Prime, and frees himself and his team, ordering them to attack the Decepticons. The Autobots escape with the help of the newly arrived Sky Lynx, who transports them away from Decepticon territory. Back at Iacon, Zeta Prime chews out Orion and his team for failing to capture Soundwave, and instead sends them out to bring in one of the identified Nyon terrorists, Hot Rod.

The Autobots arrive in Nyon, and find out that the terrorists are staying inside the ruins of the Acroplex there where they find Hot Rod and start chasing him. Inside the Autobots walk through the Halls of Order, with the statues of the Knights of Cybertron inside it, where it is said the Matrix is held. Laserbeak follows Orion and spies on him for Megatron. Further inside the Acroplex the team finds some of the terrorist cell in a room filled with Energon tanks. Hot Rod shows Orion the truth, that Zeta has been draining the energy from the people of Nyon for his weapons, and Orion realizes that Megatron was right. Orion steps outside to figure out what to do now, when he sees several Omega Destructors, under Zeta's orders destroying Nyon.

Zeta leads the Destructors and continues to drain energy from the civilians. Orion decides to turn against Zeta and attack the Destructors. The Autobots start to leave after failing in their attack, since Hot Rod and his friends have escaped and Hot Rod detonates the phase chargers he set across the city, and blows up the entire city. Optimus attacks Zeta, but the Prime is able to easily overpower the disgraced officer

Orion Pax is rescued by Megatron and his Decepticons, and he manages to force several civilians to fall near Zeta, which causes his Vamparc Ribbon Cannon to overlord with too much energy. Zeta flies off in disgrace, and the Decepticons take Orion and his team back to Kolkular for repairs. Orion admits he was wrong about Zeta Prime and the two of them join forces

Back in Iacon, the Senate are berating Zeta for his recklessness in Nyon and how he just strengthened Megatron's position. Suddenly the Decepticons and Orion's team attack the Citadel on mass, with Astrotrain airdropping Orion and Megatron onto the roof of the building. The two of them team up against Zeta Prime, and during the battle Zeta manages to tear off Orion's arm. Elsewhere, the teams are attacking the Destructors, and Ultra Magnus and several other Autobots join the fight, realizing that Zeta's gone too far. On the roof again, Megatron rescues Orion again, and this time uses his Fusion Cannon to kill Zeta Prime. Outside, all the Destructors have been killed. With the Prime dead, Megatron turns against Orion and blasts him through the chest, sending him plummeting down a hole in the ground.

Megatron takes control of Cybertron with Zeta's death, and the Autobots have gone into hiding with the Decepticons having turned against them. Orion Pax wakes up in the depths of the planet, broken and almost dead, but he is drawn to something in the depths, the Matrix, he touches it and feels the pain of every Cybertronian. The Decepticons find Hot Rod and the hiding Autobots and are taken into custody. Hot Rod is told Megatron wants to see him personally. In the Undergrid, the Matrix repairs Orion Pax and reformats him as Optimus Prime, the new leader of the Autobots, and a true Matrix Bearer, unlike Zeta Prime, who was elected.

In the now Decepticon controlled Citadel in Iacon, Hot Rod is taken to see Megatron who offers him a place in his army, after seeing his actions in Nyon. Megatron orders for the other Autobots to be executed and scrapped for spare parts. Optimus Prime is drawn to Nyon, where he senses something underground, near the Acroplex. In the Citadel, Hot Rod makes his way to the Detention Cells and frees the Autobots, giving his answer to Megatron's proposal. The Decepticons try to stop the Autobots from escaping, but they evade them. The Autobots head to the ruins of Nyon to hide out, where they find Optimus Prime, who shows them the Matrix and reveals himself as the new, true Prime, and then awakens the sleeping giant of Metroplex, from under the Acroplex ruins

In the ruins of Nyon, Metroplex greets the Prime as if he was an old friend, which confuses Optimus a little. Metroplex agrees to join Optimus' army once he is called for, as he wishes to tend to the survivors of Nyon's destruction first. In Triax, Blaster is transmitting his pirate radio broadcast (Nexis) when the Decepticons try to stop him from spreading the truth about Megatron and his goals, when Optimus and his team save him. Optimus asks him to help him spread the truth to a larger audience. They head to the Iaconian Newsfeed Service HQ, where Blaster hacks into it, and allows Optimus to address the planet at large and rallies everyone to join the Autobots against Megatron, and to march against him. The Autobots engage the Decepticons in the first true battle of the war.

The Autobots fight the Decepticons on mass, with reinforcements from across the planet. Megatron unleashes a giant version of the Vamparc Ribbon and uses it against the army of Autobots. The tide of the battle turns against the Decepticons however when Metroplex flies in, immune to the Ribbon's effects. Metroplex destroys the Citadel building and the cannon, sending Megatron plummeting to the ground. Optimus and Megatron fight it out with Optimus winning. Megatron is rescued by Soundwave and Astrotrain and returned to Kaon, and the Autobots win the first battle.

In the aftermath, Metroplex takes the place of the Citadel as the new capitol building in his city-mode, and Optimus begins the rebuilding process with the Autobots. Optimus thanks Hot Rod for showing him the truth in Nyon, and suggests that maybe Hot Rod will be the next Matrix Bearer after Optimus.

Characters

Autobot

Orion Pax/Optimus Prime - Truck

Zeta Prime Killed by Megatron

Metroplex - City/Space Ship

Blaster - Recording Device

Bumblebee - Speeder

Prowl - Speeder

Hound - Jeep Speeder

Ironhide - Van

Hot Rod - Car

Ultra Magnus

Sky Lynx

Springer

Kup

Ratchet

Jetfire

Wheeljack

Omega Destructors Killed by Autobots and Decepticons

Silverbolt - Jet

Air Raid - Jet

Fireflight - Jet

Skydive - Jet

Slingshot - Jet

Barrel Roll - Jet

7th Aerialbot - Jet

Alpha Trion

Blurr - Race Car

Windcharger

Huffer

Brawn

Trailbreaker

Broadside

Grimlock

Slag

Snarl

Sludge

Swoop - Jet

Autobot Army

Sentinel Prime (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron

Shockwave - Ray Gun

Soundwave - Recording Device

Laserbeak - Cassette

Buzzsaw - Cassette

Ravage - Cassette

Rumble - Cassette

Frenzy - Cassette

Ratbat - Cassette

Starscream - Jet

Skywarp - Jet

Thundercracker - Jet

Ramjet - Jet

Dirge - Jet

Thrust - Jet

Astrotrain - Transport Jet

Blitzwing

Swindle - Off Road Vehicle Experimented on by Zeta Prime

Runamuck

Runabout

Roadblock

Heavy Load

Lugnut

Hailstorm

Breakdown

Wildrider

Long Haul

Scrapper

Hook

Scavenger

Mixmaster

Bonecrusher

Spyglass

Spectro

Viewfinder

Skullgrin

Brawl - Tank

Onslaught - Tank

Decepticon Army

Other

Cybertronian Civilians

Senators

Old Government (Mentioned) Destroyed by Decepticons

Jhiaxus (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned/Statues)

Notes

• This is set after Megatron Origin and Chaos Theory
• Silverbolt seems to be in his Universe toy mold again (like in Chaos)
• Silverbolt seems to recognise, and is shocked by Ratbat's appearance, this is a reference to his former state as a Senator in Megatron Origin
• It seems that no one knows that Starscream was arrested as a Decepticon, or that he helped kill the former Senate
• Kolkular makes it's first (very Dreamwave looking) appearance in IDW in this story
• Orion Pax and Megatron forming an alliance against the corrupt people in control of Cybertron is very  similar to their early role in Exodus.
• Orion Pax's conversion to Optimus Prime via the Matrix is visually very similar to Megatron becoming Galvatron from the G1 Transformers Movie
• Megatron's main troops seems to contain several mostly unseen Decepticons from recent toylines, like the Movie-lines and Universe.
• Blaster has quit being a Broadcast Journalist since Chaos Theory and now runs a pirate radio station
• Alpha Trion is shown wearing his face mask when he's shown in a cameo in this story, this is odd since his mask was used to keep him safe on the dangerous Cybertron whilst he was stabilizing the atmosphere
• It seems that Blurr is still racing in underground races, since the tracks were closed down due to the terrorist activities of the Decepticons.
• There's a 7th Aerialbot shown in the aerial battles, it's unclear who it is, but he'll probably make a proper appearance one day
• Metroplex literally tears the Citadel in half.....YIKES!!!
• The entire sequence around Megatron, Optimus and Hot Rod near the end is also taken from the G1 Movie, including Megatron being rescued by Soundwave and escaping in Astrotrain
• The People of Nyon have become Chroniclers
• Prowl promises to get rid of a storehouse of illegal and dangerous weapons found after Zeta Prime's death...wonder if that actually happened? 
• Hot Rod does indeed bear the Matrix for a while and changes his name to Rodimus Prime briefly (now called Rodimus full-time). He also incidentally currently possesses half of the Matrix's inner crystal in the current timeline.