Before the Great War, The East Cybertron Trading Company was a trading company that imported Cybertonium and Energon spices. But when Megatron learned of the organization and its impact on Cybertronian society, he persuaded and recruited one of the organization's top members, Mindwarp, into joining the Decepticon rebellion. Mindwarp then destroyed the leaders, one by one, until he was the only high ranking member. After this "Iacon Massacre", Megatron gave leadership to his new assassin group to the very same Decepticon he recruited, now renamed Mindmaster.
With a few upgrades, he became one of Cybertron's best interrogators and Decepticon team leaders. Soon, the commanding officers of the ECTC, Barrelbrain, Seastalker, Wheelbarrel, Chromeclaw (who had traveled back in time to stop the tragedy that haunts his life), Blitzblast, Redstar, the Cassetticon Triplets; Shadowstriker, Enemy, and Snowblast; and Soundstrike came in the picture. Then came the Company's mobile fortress, Alpha Pessimus, and their highly prized and the equally extravagant warship Millennium (now destroyed, thanks to an ambush of an Autobot war fleet). Buzzkill, a twisted experiment, was later added to the roster.
Mindmaster, like Megatron, instills a more sadistic form of totalitarianism. So instilled, that every member either willingly or forcibly actively worships Mindmaster and Megatron with god-like reverence.
After their defeat in the Great War, the Company started to fall apart. All minor Decepticons who had joined fled, leaving the main members on their own. Unable to evaluate their situation, Mindmaster ordered an evacuation of the Company from any major star system to any uninhabited planets, in a futile attempt to escape capture. For the time being, they are being pursued all over the universe by the newly formed anti-Decepticon force, the Wrecker Elite.
When Mindmaster was killed by them, the East Cybertron Trading Company finally fell, with Barrelbrain finally deactivated, Buzzkill put down like the animal he was, Wheelbarrel, Blitzblast, Redstar, Shadowstriker, and Snowblast sent to prison, Enemy becoming a fugitive, Soundstrike becoming the Predacon Chromeclaw who is destined to travel back in time and become Mindmaster's bodyguard, Seastalker sent to work for the Cybertronian shipyards to transport, ironically enough, Cybertonium and Energon spices, and Alpha Pessimus deactivated as well and turned into a permanent reminder of the Company's gruesome acts. Their ruthless legacy, however, is still controversial in Cybertron's history.
[ Incoming message. Source unknown. ]
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
> COMM LINK: ONLINE
> SIGNAL SOURCE: MOON BASE ONE (DARK SIDE)
> ENCRYPTION: AUTOBOT CYBER-LEVEL 4
> TRANSMISSION TYPE: AUDIO-VISUAL
> STATUS: STABLE ☑
> PLAYBACK BEGINNING...
> DECRYPTION KEY: 5 ROBOT POINTS
> MESSAGE: "IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT..."
> RESPONSE: "...AND I FEEL FINE."
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
