This was inspired by Cannonball (from the oftcc mag). These guys come from no Universe but my own, based soley on the toys, but I just wrote these up for fun. Will there be some short stories? Well, could be....

Anyway, here ya go!

Ship name: Meteor Raider
(e)Mirage: The fearless captain of the Raider, this former Decepticon general fled the empire to pursue his own life of high-piracy. Preying on Junkion trading ships, Quintessons cargo shipments, and Autobot supply lines, his crew has become on of the most feared forces in the Quadrant. Mirage runs his ship with peak efficiency, and his trademarked good humor. Always ready with a witty quip and good-natured banter, those who encounter him would hardly believe he is also one of the most bloodthirsty, dangerous warriors in the system. He excels at swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, however he is ill-equipped for long-distance combat, other then a pair of long-range missiles with questionable accuracy.


(e)Slugslinger: Slugslinger has served time in both the Autobot and Decepticon armies, and was kicked out long ago for his unpredictable behavior. This behavior comes from permanent hard-drive damage acquired in a smelting accident in his Autobot days. The accident left him scarred and disfigured, and dangerously unstable. The Autobots abandoned him, for he now gave in to entirely unpredictable violent outbursts, that often ended with several dead comrades. The Decepticons saw opportunity in this, but even they were unable to deal with his psychotic moments. But Mirage found opportunity. He had Slugslinger rebuilt from the ground up, and with several Quintesson enhancements, was able to control the release of Slugslingers insanity, and has thus turned him into a most dangerous weapon. Slugslinger is not unaware of his dark side, but since the Autobots first abandoned all those years ago, he's learned to embrace it, even in his more rational moments.


(u)Snowcat: If Slugslingers psychotic, Snowcat is just plain nuts. A former Quintesson slave, Snowcat always ached to get out of slavery and turn his torment back on his captors. When Mirage found him during a raid, he was more then eager to join the pirates crew. The thrill of battle excited Snowcat- a bit too much even. Snowcat relishes the high in the midst of combat, throwing himself eagerly and energetically into any fight that presents itself. Mirage is proud of his eagerness, but is just slightly worried that Snowcat will lose himself in a battle, and never returned.
(e)Sharkticon: Sharticon was, as his name implies, a sharkticon in a previous life. A Quintesson experiment rebuilt him, and put him into a new body, and gave him a new, thinking mind. What the Quintesson didn't expect is that Sharkticon would rebel, using his newfound intelligence to kill his master and escape. Eventually, he found his way into Mirages crew, where he quickly rose through the ranks and became Mirage's trusty Second-in-Command. Intelligent and quick thinking, Sharkticon always keeps his cool in the midst of battle. He has an appreciation for the arts, especially delighting in ones that feature pain and death in it's 'splendrous glory', as he often refers to it.


(c)Cannonball: An Autobot field medic a long time ago, Cannonball abandoned his comrades in the heat of battle, and fled. Ashamed and alone, he grew bitter and resentful, managing to convince himself that it was his friends who abandoned him, not the other way around. He channeled his bitterness into violence, and finally picked a fight with the wrong crew- Mirage and his men. Mirage spared his life though, recognizing the potential usefulness a medic could have to his crew, and instead offered him a job aboard his ship. Cannonball accepted, and has fully embraced a pirates life- even going so far to tattoo Mirages pirate emblem on his back. Mirage values him greatly, even if Cannonball has become a little sloppy in his medical treatments.


(e)Doomlock: Doomlock was found wandering an abandoned dessert world, alone and feral. Mirage took pity on the creature, and decided to take it in as a pet. He's unsure of Doomlocks origin, though the word 'Terrorcon' keeps getting bantered about by more superstitious members of his crew. Mirage really doesn't care- Doomlock is one of his most loyal and fiercest troops. However, he doesn't provide good conversation, as his entire vocabulary is grunt, growls, roars, and the occasional phrase 'Doomlock Kill.'


(g1)Arc: Arc is a 5-faced Quintesson who fled his home-world, a fugitive for daring to question the judges authority. He sought out Mirages group, looking for a safe haven, and Mirage was happy to take him in, in return for his technical prowess. Arc is responsible for rebuilding Slugslinger, as well as for many of the Raiders unique technical enhancements. However, except for Mirage, he is unliked by the rest of the crew- especially Snowcat and Sharkticon. He keeps himself either locked in his own quarters or at Mirages side for his own safety, for while smart, he is no warrior.


(u)Repugnus: A former Autobot with a sadistic streak, Repugnus joined Mirages crew because no-one else would take him. The Decepticons fear him, and the Autobots loath his tactics. With no one else to turn to, Repugnus struck out on his own. On his way, he picked up the wandering Overbite (and acquired his new Beast mode from him), and the two became an bounty-hunting team. Mirage heard of their exploits, and actively sought them out for his crew. Repugnus accepted, on the condition that Mirage let him use whatever methods he wanted in combat. Mirage was only too happy to oblige.


(u)Overbite: Overbite hails from Beast Planet. A warrior from the start, he challenged the leader of the planet, Primal, to a duel- and lost horribly. Humiliated but still alive, he fled the planet, staking out on his own for hundreds of years. He's done it all- he's been a spy for the Autobots, a warrior for the Decepticons, a Quintesson guard (and prisoner, more then once), an explorer, a gladiator and more recently, a Bounty Hunter with Repugnus. Joining the Pirate crew is just one more job to him. He's now an old, grizzled bot with a thousand stories, and he loves relating them every chance he gets.


(c)Thunderblast: Like Snowcat, Thunderblast was also a Quintesson slave- one of a breed especially made for, ahem, certain markets. Humiliated by her mere existence, she lived a life tormented by more then one master who purchased her- then found her lacking and sold her yet again. She dreamed of a hero who would rescue her- and she found one in Mirage. Mirage took pity on her, bought her (at no small expense) and released her immediately. What he didn't count on was that Thunderblast would take that as a sign of true love, and pledge herself to him. Now Thunderblast spends her time trying to become the best, smartest, fiercest (and prettiest!) pirate she can be, so that she can win Mirages heart the way he won hers. So far, it isn't working out too well, but she keeps optimistic about it.


(a)The Space Pirate Minicon Team: Refugees from the Minicon section of Giant Planet, the Space Pirate Minicon Team held their own as pirates on their home-world. Caught and sentenced to exile, Oceanglide, Stormcloud, and Waterlog hoped to become the fiercest pirate team on the space-ways. Unfortunately, they didn't realize that being a Minicon would be a tremendous disadvantage in a universe full of much, much larger beings. Desperate, Captain Oceanglide deemed it necessary to team up with another pirate band- and Mirage provided that outlet. Realizing the potential the Minicon power-link process had, Mirage was more then happy to accept the team. Oceanglide still feels his crew is his alone and that this is only a temporary alliance, but Mirage knows that he will never leave.

Oceanglide is too prideful to admit how much of a coward he really is among larger robots. While in the Minicon sections of Giant Planet featured Transformers their size or smaller, when he first encountered an actual Gigantian, he nearly fainted. When he learned the entire universe was full of beings much larger then he was, he became completly paranoid. While he would never admit it and does his best to act like a tough, fierce, pirate captain, he has an unending fear of being trod on. He exerts his ego and prowess at all times in an attempt to compensate for this. But he doesn't want to admit that his fear is what keeps him and his men attached to Mirage's crew.

Stormcloud, like Oceanglide, dislikes the larger Transformers. But unlike Oceanglide, its not fear, so much as jealousy. Stormcloud curses every moment that he could not be as big as even Cannonball, who is short for a Transformer. A lot of his time is spent trying to think how he could get big- more then once he has approached Rey asking for a size upgrade, while Rey, of course, refused. This makes Stormcloud angry and bitter, and more then likely to lash out verbally at his larger comrades. He is loyal only to Oceanglide, and won't take orders from any large Transformer, out of jealousy.

Waterlog is a quiet dreamer, staring lazily at the stars. While he is intelligent, he often comes across as dumb because he is always distracted- his thoughts are always elsewhere. Waterlog is a childhood friend of Oceanglide, but while he dislikes the act of piracy, he loves the opportunity it presents him to go new places. So he remained by Oceanglides side- in fact, he feels the exile from Giant Planet was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He enjoys being a member of Mirage's pirates fully, especially enjoying the long stories Mirage and the other members of his crew have to tell.