The war has ended. The Cybertronian races scramble to find a place in the new order that has presented itself. 'Bots and 'Cons from the era that had just passed are left wondering what to do with themselves as the new ruling classes attempt to maintain order. Small pockets of resistance spring forth, and are quickly squashed by the new enforcers, a crew of ruthless thugs that were too infected with the need for war to be able to blend into the newly founded peace. A small group of former Decepticons realized that they would not be able to remain as ordinary citizens for long. Not wanting to face time in a Cybertronian prison, and not able to face the prospect of joining the enforcers, they came together to find a solution to their mutual problem. And so these four, remembering a little known art form from a former world occupied by their race, took to the stage to work out their aggression. They quickly became known throughout the universe as the most metal band of all time… The Slaggin' Skidplates 
Introduction - March of the Robodeth Nation Darkwind - Bass + Lead Vocals - "Metal is miserable enough."
Trying desperately to find a way to spread misery that won’t get him in legal trouble with the new Cybertronian ruling classes, Dreadwind forms the Slaggin' Skidplates and begins to write music glorifying the past deeds of their kind. Relishes performance, where he can inflict his brand of misery on crowds of other like-minded individuals. Secretly happy when performing, he’d never admit happiness on any level to anyone. Ever.
Starscream - Left Side Guitars + Backup Vocals - "Everybody knows the lead guitarist is the true band leader."
Starscream’s arrogance convinced him to join the band as "the lead guitarist," even though everyone else in the band knows guitars are a shared duty between him and Thundercracker. Often finds himself at odds with Thundercracker over lead time and basic rhythms. The two can not be around each other unsupervised for long or a fight will break out. Starscream is often overheard telling anyone who will listen that "the lead guitarist is the real band leader." Usurps Darkwind’s control of the band at every opportunity. Remains blissfully unaware that Darkwind has full ownership of all names and copyrights on the band.
Thundercracker - Right Side Guitars + Backup Vocals - "Make it louder."
Jumped at the chance to join the Slaggin' Skidplates when approached by Darkwind because he was promised, "you can make all the noise you ever wanted." Having felt stifled once peace had broken out across Cybertron, Thundercracker took to the guitar quickly once he realized how easy it was to string amplifiers together into a wall of thundering doom. Sometimes finds himself fighting with Starscream over the smallest details, yet fits well with the rest of the band.
Soundwave - Drums - "The screams of the crowd aren’t quite the battlefield."
Wishes he could be back in the midst of the war even more than the others. Soundwave craves the screams of those in severe trauma. Dishes out punishment as hard and as faithfully as he can to the crowds he now plays in front of. Is often accused by the other band members of playing his instrument like a robot, to which he calmly replies, "I am a robot." Not well liked by the others, but tolerated for his absolute precision when it comes to timing.
Ratbat - Band Manager - "Find the bottom line, I’ll have already been there - and improved it."
Manager for the Slaggin' Skidplates, Ratbat likes to believe he runs a tight ship. Unfortunately, the actual band members fight him every step of the way. Often finds himself trying to explain to the band how the actual business side of things work, and even more often finds himself in the position of trying to clean up messes created by them.
Episode 1 - Are One Cybertron News Network Headline - The Slaggin' Skidplates Destroy New Cybertron Central Arena
A small transport shuttle rested outside the remains of the New Cybertron Central Arena surrounded by emergency lights, dust, and debris. A large logo was painted on the side of this shuttle, standing in stark contrast to the soft whites and grey surrounding it.
As the band cooled off in their personal carrier after their performance, recharging themselves and allowing the heat of the stage lights to dissipate, Ratbat entered the vehicle and slowly looked to each face. He filled the passenger compartment with anger by his mere presence.
"So," he screamed, his vocal processors straining, "what have we learned tonight?"
Darkwind replied calmly as he unplugged himself from his recharging socket, his voice deep and guttural, "That if we want to play longer we move
Are One to later in the set."
"That is not the lesson I had in mind."
Starscream laughed quietly in the corner and then shouted out in his high-pitched whine, "I know! The lesson is that we're too awesome!"
Ratbat huffed loudly and perched himself on the seat to the left of the entrance of the passenger area. "Let me just ask a few questions here."
Darkwind nodded as he replied, "fair enough."
"How many times have you tried to play
Are One live somewhere?"
"Nine," Darkwind replied enthusiastically, almost smiling at the memories.
"Right. And how many arenas have you completely destroyed?"
Darkwind rubbed his chin for a moment in thought before answering. "I think it was eleven. But I'm pretty sure two of those were because of Soundwave's stupid slaggin' drum solos."
Soundwave's sing-song response was swift, "Drum solo - superior. Bass solo - inferior."
"Anybody ever tell you you talk like a giant moron?" Thundercracker's loud bassy voice boomed through the small area.
Soundwave responded carefully, "Thundercracker - ignorant. Concise does not equate to moron."
Ratbat interrupted loudly, "Focus! The Slaggin' Skidplates good name is being. . ."
"Wait!" Darkwind cut him off. "When did we have a good name?"
"This is not a joke, Darkwind!" Ratbat’s rage was barely contained at this point. Darkwind, shockingly, remained silent as the much smaller Ratbat stared at him, daring him to respond. "Good. Now, according to my calculations, this tour has cost us, so far, about four times more than we've taken in. Mostly because you insist on playing that song. And every time you play it, the venue you’re in falls down around your auditory units."
Thundercracker's deep voice boomed out in laughter, "Yeah. That rules."
"No, it doesn't!" Ratbat’s patience was at an end. "Look, as your manager I'm going to have to insist that
Are One be taken off the set-list. It is not going to be played any longer. Understood?"
Starscream was the first to pick his jaw up off the floor and respond, his ego prompting him to action, "you do not give the orders here you little robotic flying rodent! As the true band leader, I, Starscream, say we play it! It's a crowd pleaser."
Dreadwind tossed a handful of his picks at Stascream’s face as he yelled, "you ain't leadin' nothing, robo-douche." More camly, he added, "however, I have to agree. 'Bots and 'Cons alike dig it. Tappin' the old views, it gets 'em jumpin'."
"So you’re going to insist on continuing to play it?" Ratbat shook his head slowly as he considered the costs piling up around them.
Thundercracker boomed out, "damn right! It’s the closest thing I get these days to my old battlefield booms. We're gonna do it!"
Ratbat whispered under his breath, "Primus be damned, this is not happening." He looked to the ceiling for a moment, trying to find a solution. Suddenly, he jumped with a start and said, "You could turn down a little for it!"
The room instantly erupted into gales of laughter.
Ratbat sat stunned for a moment, then smiled in spite of himself. "Yeah, I thought you guys would like that one."
Thundercracker suggested, "maybe we could help the arenas out? Make sure they’re properly reinforced and such?"
Ratbat shook his head, "that'd cost more than the straight rebuilds we're having to do right now. No good."
Dreadwind snapped his fingers with a loud clink, "contract it out!"
"What?" Ratbat asked.
"Just make every arena sign a contract that says we’re not responsible for damages to the venue. Done!"
"That may have worked before you tore down eleven of them. There can't be a building manager in the galaxy that'd sign that agreement at this point. Next suggestion."
Starscream shouted, "tell people to stop hindering our art! Do your job you worthless scrap-pile!"
Ratbat turned to Starscream and yelled back as his wings unfurled and fluttering dangerously, "my job is making sure you idiots make a living. So far it's been an uphill battle. Now unless you have a real idea, I suggest you shut up, you whiny tin can, or so help me…."
Soundwave piped up from the corner, "proposition - we play outside."
Ratbat jumped towards Soundwave instinctively and screamed, "That's…!" He calmed somewhat, tipped his head to the side in thought, and then said more carefully, "actually, that's not bad. I'll do some checking. There has to be an empty space somewhere that someone would let us use."
Several days later... Cybertron News Network Headline - The Slaggin’ Skidplates Destroy Over Half of Old Iacon
The band is once again sitting in their personal transport after the show, recharging, relaxing, enjoying the afterglow of their first full set on the tour. Ratbat enters and slams the door shut behind himself, glaring around the room in a way that makes it apparent he’s not happy.
Darkwind said quietly, "I thought that went well."
Ratbat’s response was calm, almost too controlled, "you thought that went well?"
"Yeah. We finally got to play
Are One all the way through, and even managed to finish our set without anything going wrong."
"Nothing went wrong?"
Thundercracker boomed from his corner, "yeah. That was an awesome show. Crowd loved every second of it."
Ratbat stretched as tall as he could, flashing his wings and screaming, “you didn't happen to notice the large cloud of dust behind the crowd?"
Starscream whined, "what the pit was that? It really messed with our lighting! The audience could barely see me during my solo!"
Ratbat hung his head, shaking it slowly side-to-side, "that? Oh, that was just the city collapsing around itself."
"Terrorists?" Soundwave asked, hopeful that he would be close enough to a battle that he could fling himself into it.
"No. Not terrorists."
Darkwind asked the question, "then what?"
Ratbat took a moment to gather his wits. "It's simple really. With nothing to stop the sound around you, the waves travelled to the nearest objects upright. Essentially, that open field you were playing in? It acted as a giant funnel to pump all that noise right into Old Iacon. The big hits took out the first wave of buildings. Everything that followed was just a huge chain reaction. Basically, you destroyed most of Cybertron's greatest treasures."
Darkwind said calmly, "that's… so metal."
"No," Ratbat shouted back. "That's stupid. You will be paying that back for millennia."
Ratbat turned to leave then, but stopped at the door. He turned slowly back to the room, "
Are One is permanently banned from ever being played live again. And if you do it, anywhere, I'll be sure the order is given to cut power before the intro is finished. Understood?"
Stascream whined, "you wouldn't!"
Ratbat stated simply, "I would," and turned to leave.
As the door shut behind him, Starscream whimpered softly, "This can't be happening. Usurped by a flying metal rat."
Thundercracker smashed his fist through the stand beside his chair. His voice boomed loudly in the small passenger compartment, "he can't do this to us!"
Darkwind stated calmly, "I'm afraid he just did."
Soundwave's voice echoed quietly in sing-song, "band managers - Unicron's spawn."
Thundercracker, his voice unusually soft, added, "yeah, and not in the good way."
Are One BROKEN
IT'S HARD
IN BATTLES
WE ARE SCARRED
ALLOY
MEETING STEEL
FLUIDS
CONGEAL
THE END
LOOMS NEAR
YOU FEEL
THE FEAR
NOW
SHUT DOWN
IN THE END
WE'LL ALL BE FOUND
AS ONE
TAKEN DOWN TO LIE
TO FIND SWEET DEATH WILL I
FIND A WAY TO CRAWL
BECAUSE I KNOW "'TIL ALL
ARE ONE"
MELTED
WHERE WE STAND
TO THE PIT
OUR BODIES DAMNED
WHY
WHAT DO WE CARE
OUR ESSENCE PURE
GOES ON AWARE
TAKEN
RIGHT DOWN
YOUR END
YOU'VE FOUND
TO BE MORE
THAN IT SEEMS
AND NOW
WE'LL LIVE THE DREAM
AS ONE
TAKEN DOWN TO LIE
TO FIND SWEET DEATH WILL I
FIND A WAY TO CRAWL
BECAUSE I KNOW "'TIL ALL
ARE ONE"
TAKEN DOWN TO LIE
TO FIND SWEET DEATH WILL I
FIND A WAY TO CRAWL
BECAUSE I KNOW "'TIL ALL
ARE ONE"
'TIL ALL
ARE ONE
'TIL ALL
IS DONE
'TIL ALL
ARE ONE
'TIL ALL
IS DONE Next time...Botricide 
