TRANSFORMERS M.A.S.K. '88 Timeline

 How Did We Get Here?

Herein I’ll provide some historical context for this campaign as to how the Cybertronians arrived on Earth and some of the events leading up to the current campaign in 1988.

~4 Million Years Ago: The Exodus

The Decepticon Jetfire – leader of Megatron’s elite air force known as “The Seekers” – discovers Earth, a planet rich in resources easily converted into Energon. Realizing the potential of this single world to destabilize the Civil War to the favor of the Decepticons, and having seen the increasing atrocities committed by the Decepticons, Jetfire defects to the side of the Autobots.

Realizing Earth could serve as a refuge for his war-weary Autobot allies, Optimus Prime begins plans to evacuate Cybertron. Numerous colony ships are launched into space in the hopes of finding the lost Cybertronian colonies settled during the Golden Age. Meanwhile, Optimus plans to launch The Ark to settle Earth and hide from the Decepticons until he can rally his forces. Optimus Prime sends several of his trusted agents to help scout worlds in preparation for the arrival of Autobot colonists. The scout B-127 is sent to prepare Earth. However, as his shuttle is launched the Decepticons attack the launch tower, resulting in B-127’s shuttle going off-course and delaying his arrival to Earth.

While The Ark is in its final stages of construction and fueling, the Decepticons attack the capital city of Iacon. During the battle, Optimus Prime awakens the Iacon titan Metroplex, who turns the tide of the attack and forces the Decepticons to flee. This lull in battle allows the Autobots time to gather what few remaining energon supplies they can from hidden stockpiles, evading Decepticon patrols and strategic attacks by the Combaticons, the elite special forces unit of the ‘Cons. In the end, however, even the stockpiled reserves are not enough, and all seems lost as a renewed Decepticon assault approaches the Ark. In a final gesture to save the Autobots, the titan Metroplex siphons his own energon into the Ark, allowing it to lift off and escape Cybertron…

With all of the nearby Space Bridges under the command of the Decepticon army, the Ark is forced to travel to Earth using only sub-light engines. A journey of 73,000 years (Cybertron is located in the Alpha Centauri system)! During this time, most Autobots go in and out of stasis-lock to conserve energon. (During this time, there are several “random encounters” that we may delve into with flashbacks during the game.)

Eventually, the Ark has its first encounter with a pursuing Decepticon vessel: The Nemesis. The Ark is forced to flee the Nemesis each time, as the heavily-armed warship could easily destroy the Autobot transport. The final encounter with the Nemesis occurred as the Ark approached Earth itself! This resulted in a massive boarding action, where the Decepticons – commanded by Megatron himself(!) – made their way onto the Ark and started slaughtering the Autobot forces. With both ships locked onto each other with boarding cables, and the crews locked in combat, neither paid attention to the fact that they were caught in the Earth’s gravity well. As the two ships plummeted into the atmosphere, they came apart and crashed in separate locations.

The Ark crashes into the mountainside of a volcano that would eventually become known as Mount St. Hillary. The exact location for the crash site of the Nemesis is unknown. However, it is believed that the Nemesis is located somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. 

The violent collision forces every Cybertronian on the Ark – Autobot and Decepticon alike – into instant stasis-lock.

1980

March 27: Mount St. Hillary erupts!

The eruption results in awakening the Ark’s supercomputer: Teletraan-1, which begins using automated probes and cleaning robots to help clear sections of the Ark and find bodies of fallen Cybertronians to repair.

1982

June??: Special Counter-Terrorist Unit Delta is formed in the United States, consisting of the best US Army personnel, representatives from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. A few are from other special forces such as the British and Australian Army. The original team members are Breaker, Clutch, Flash, Grand Slam, Grunt, Hawk, Rock ‘n Roll, Scarlett, Short Fuze, Snake Eyes, Stalker, Steeler, and Zap. They are commanded by General Flagg who dubs the team “G.I.Joe” in honor of his friend Joseph Colton.

1983

October 11: Utilizing their new HISS Tanks, Cobra agents assault the GIJoe Headquarters. Major Bludd personally assassinates General Flagg. 

November 8: Hawk is promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of GIJoe. The team is given a new classified HQ: “The Pit,” located in the Nevada Desert.

1984

January 10: General Hawk recruits Duke to serve as the new field commander for GIJoe.

September 17: The shuttle-pod of B-127 crash-lands in a G.I.Joe training camp in California. Believing the robot to be a hostile target, the Joe forces attack. B-127 attempts to escape by assuming the form of an MB Jeep, but is ambushed by the Decepticon Seeker Blitzwing. When B-127 refuses to reveal the whereabouts of Optimus Prime or the Ark, Blitzwing tears out his voice box and damages his memory core, but B-127 cripples Blitzwing with one of his own missiles, forcing the Decepticon to flee. About to go into stasis-lock, B-127 scans a nearby 1967 Volkswagon Beetle before collapsing from his injuries.

September 18: While assessing damage caused by the eruption of Mount St. Hillary for construction crews to repair, William “Sparkplug” Witwicky and his son Stephen “Spike” Witwicky discover the Ark and the recovering Autobots within. Meeting Optimus Prime, they are told of the war on Cybertron and the threat of the Decepticons. Realizing the threat to Earth, the Witwickys agree to keep the Autobots a secret and serve as their human allies against the Decepticons. (Thanks to Sparkplug, repair crews and road crews were steered away from the location of the Ark as his survey deemed the region as “too dangerous and hazardous for construction.” Thus, most people don’t have access to the region where the Ark is located, allowing the Autobots to remain hidden from the general public.)

??: General Miles Manheim begins Project: Spectrum, funding Matthew and Andrew Trakker in the development of utilizing Cybertronian technology (found from the battle site between B-127 and Blitzwing) to adapt Earth vehicles into transforming war machines. Following the perfection of the technology and the creation of the specialized helmets to control such technology, Miles attempts to steal the project; revealing himself as a Cobra agent. Miles Manheim murders Andy Trakker and steals half the control helmets. He returns to Cobra and organizes VENOM, the special technologies division for the terrorist organization. Miles assumes the code name “Mayhem”. 

December 3: Teenager Charlene “Charlie” Wilson finds a yellow VW Beetle in a scrapyard belonging to her Uncle Hank; the brother of her recently-deceased father. Hank gives her the Beetle as a birthday gift. When trying to start it, Charlie unknowingly activates a homing signal that is detected by the Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick, who are on one of Saturn’s moons. The two Decepticons head to Earth.

December ??: Arriving on Earth, Shatter and Dropkick assume Earth vehicle forms and encounter G.I.Joe. Pretending to be “peacekeepers,” they persuade the agency to help capture B-127.

December ??: Shatter and Dropkick are taken to a GIJoe facility in the Mojave Desert, where they modify the facility’s communication satellites to scan for Cybertronian signals.

While Charlie attempts to fix her VW Beetle, it transforms into B-127, whom she befriends and names Bumblebee. She then unknowingly unlocks a message from Optimus Prime urging Bumblebee to defend Earth, which restores some of his memories.

While joy-riding, Bumblebee and Charlie are captured by GIJoe. Charlie is returned home. Sneaking out of her home, Charlie follows GIJoe to their facility where Bumblebee is being held. Shatter and Dropkick torture Bumblebee; activating the message from Optimus Prime, learning that the Autobots are planning to come to Earth (unaware they are already here). Shatter and Dropkick make plans to communicate with Decepticon Command back on Cybertron, and bring them to Earth. Facility Commander Powell overhears the Decepticons’ plans and alerts Colonel Jack Burns before he is killed. The Decepticons begin attacking all GIJoe personnel on the base.

Under the cover of the attack, Charlie sneaks into the Joe facility and escapes with Bumblebee and evades the military. Charlie and Bumblebee pursue the Decepticons, who are using a radio tower at a nearby harbor to contact Cybertron. Burns attacks the Decepticons, but his helicopter is shot down. Bumblebee binds Dropkick in a chain, ripping him apart. Charlie deactivates the beacon, only to be pursued by Shatter. Bumblebee destroys a dam wall, triggering a flood that crushes Shatter. 

December ??: Bumblebee returns Charlie home to San Francisco and says goodbye. Charlie reunites with her family.

December 21: Bumblebee reunites with the Autobots at Mount St. Hillary.

1985

September ??: Having studied the Cybertronian technology left during the battle between Blitzwing and 

Bumblebee, the GIJoe division creates a new specialized strike force code named M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand). Matt Trakker is placed in command of the team.

October 6: The rock and roll sensation Jem and the Holograms debut; defeating the Misfits in a Battle of the Bands competition sponsored by Starlight Productions.

October 15: After recovering the Autobot Cosmos from his stasis-chamber, he is placed in orbit to serve as the Autobot’s private communication satellite. Optimus Prime sends a broadcast into space, inviting Autobots to join them on Earth.

November 6: The guardian Omega Supreme arrives on Earth, following Prime’s broadcast.

December 29: Jerrica Benton assumes control of Starlight Productions.

1986

April ??: Ultra Magnus is awoken from his status-pod, alongside Arcee, Blurr, and Kup.

July 18: The film “Starbright,” starring Jem and the Holograms, is released, becoming a box office sensation.

August 8: The protoform “Rodimus” becomes the first Cybertronian born on Earth.

September 15: Sergeant Slaughter is enlisted by GIJoe to train the team in new offensive tactics.

September 18: Using the DNA from various tyrants and warlords of history, Doctor Mindbender creates the super-soldier Serpentor. Filled with the arrogance of his progenitors and great physical prowess, Serpentor insinuates himself as the “Emperor” of Cobra.

October 11: The Autobot special forces unit known as “The Wreckers” arrive on Earth, following Optimus Prime’s broadcast. (Roster consists of Broadside, Bulkhead, Rack’n’Ruin, Roadbuster, Sandstorm, Springer [the leader], Twin-Twist, Topspin, and Whirl)

October 18: Believing they have discovered the Decepticon’s hidden headquarters, the Wreckers mount an assault. The attack ends disastrously, and team leader Springer is captured, while Sandstorm and Whirl are destroyed. The remaining Wreckers would also be slain were it not for the timely intervention of Ultra Magnus. Optimus Prime places the Wreckers under the command of Magnus, hoping his calm leadership will cool their otherwise hot-headedness.

December: Cobra unleashes a new HISS Tank armed with advanced laser cannons. Soon afterwards, Cobra begins utilizing laser rifles and other advanced weaponry.

1987

January: Following his full formation from protoform to Autobot, Rodmus assumes the form of an Earth sports car and dons the moniker “Hot Rod.” He is placed under the care of Kup to serve as mentor.

March 15: Jem and the Holograms release their second album “Glitter and Gold.”

March 30: At the 59th Academy Awards, Jem is nominated for Best Actress for her role in “Starbright” but loses to Marlee Matlin for her role in “Children of a Lesser God.”

April ??: US Army Mobile Infantryman Coax is sent undercover into the ranks of Cobra to discover the origins of their new advanced laser weaponry.

September ??: Inspired by her interaction with the Cybertronians, Charlie Wilson begins attending MIT.

October ??: Blaster intercepts Decepticon communications to one of Shockwave’s hidden laboratories. Sending a strike team, the Autobots recover Springer, who had been altered by Shockwave as the first experimental “triple changer”. (Here they also discover the Autobot PC “Angel” who is the only known Mini-Con triple changer!)

(Around this time, the other Autobot PCs – Ace, Gear Wagon, and Siren – are recovered from their stasis-pods and awoken.)

November 11: Coax discovers that Cobra is receiving their new advanced weaponry from a species of alien shape-shifting robots known as Decepticons! While a trade-off between Cobra and the ‘Cons occurs (where Cobra is providing the ‘Cons with barrels of crude oil acquired from Extensive Enterprises), the area is attacked by another faction of robots: the Autobots. Coax radios GIJoe for aid and succeeds in downing several Decepticon Seekers on his own before backup arrives. Following the battle’s conclusion, Coax is “arrested” with the other Cobra agents and brought in for debriefing.

1988

March: [[Campaign begins]]

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