The Energon Pub

NAME: Vindicator
ALLEGIANCE: Decepticon
FUNCTION: Siege Warrior
ALT. MODE [Earth]: "Super heavy" Seige Tank
ALT. MODE [Cybertron]: Cybertronian Siege Tank
WEAPONS: Energon ‘Thunder’ Hammer (Megaton Pattern), 2x Arm Mounted Vulcan Shredder Bolters, Twin Shoulder Mounted Plasma Mortar Cannon

HEIGHT: 35ft

QUOTE: “Destruction by War is Necessary”

STRENGTH: 8
INTELLIGENCE: 5
DEXTERITY: 5
SPEED: 4
ENDURANCE: 8
COURAGE: 7
FIREPOWER: 9
ACCURACY: 7
MELEE: 6
TECH SKILL: 5
CHARISMA: 6
RANK: 5

PROFILE: [The following is a 3rd party account of the arrival of Vindicator by Cybertron Newscaster Lightstream – incarcerated for crimes of treason through a developed extremist view – subsequently terminated]
Vindicator was once a mining mechanoid, toiling deep below the surface of Cybertron to extract the hidden seams of Energon that the population required on a day to day occurrence. It was the very same mine that he worked alongside a young Cybertronian by the name of Megatron, and the very same mine that was the last to be shutdown and fully automated by the Autobot council. Like many of the other miners, Vindicator was angered when his very livelihood was taken away from him, and soon he found himself amidst a riot as Autobot Enforcers descended on the rioting miners with lethal force.

In the midst of the throng of angry and redundant miners who, by now, had nothing to lose, Vindicator was the only stationary mech amongst the other brawling Cybertronian’s as he stood head and shoulders over the majority of the other rioters. He watched absently as a few enforcers were taken down, mining tools stained bright purple and black with energon and other coolant fluids, until the security forces turned in his direction. He watched one of his only friends fall at his feet, his cranial unit staved in by an energon baton.

It spurned Vindicator to take the first life of many as his large fist smashed into the enforcer’s face, before both hands enveloped the soldier’s cranial unit, squeezing until there were the tell tale signs of a crushed cranium in his hands. A maddening scream had filled the assembly area as Vindicator snapped and went on a rampage.

Picking up two large energon mining hammers, the large Cybertronian swung left and right with the mining equipment, smashing enforcers and brawlers alike as he cut a lethal swathe through the ensemble of angry and brawling Cybertronian Enforcers and Miners alike. Moments passed to what seemed like Vorns until there was a loud bang. The bang caused the riot to stop, and at the same time, Vindicator stopped.

I can still remember the giant mechanoid falling, pole-axed by the Enforcer shock poles. It took about seven of them to bring down the enraged miner, and as many of them to move him onto a grav-lift to take him to the detention centre. It was interesting to say the least as it was twice as hard trying to get to actually talk to the giant Cybertronian as he was heavily guarded.

In subsequent periods, after his release, Vindicator was rumoured to be showing up in some underground fighting pits, each time he would either mangle his opponent to the point of grievous injury, or completely maul the unfortunate to the point of being off-lined. The tale of the giant would come and go and would then resurface when there was a big tournament held – and the final appearance was at a sinister underground tournament and one that was the key to the most brutal chapter in the history of our race.

This writer can only surmise that the Cybertronian called Vindicator, now Decepticon, is a force to be reckoned with as he is used repeatedly in siege warfare and also where the fighting is the thickest, seen wading through the battlefield, swinging with precision with his large energon hammers or either remaining still, cutting down opponents with his large arm mounted shredder cannons.

Hopefully he is not around long, for I fear that this soldier – an asset in any hands – is destruction personified. A monster of the battlefield and only the Autobot Hierarchy are to blame for his transformation from pacifist miner to battle-hardened, brutal killer. I can only hope that the end will come soon, for I do not wish to face him in battle, and I feel regret for those who have, and for those who will soon.

ABILITIES:
Robot Flight Mode: Allows Vindicator to attain a flight speed of 150mph
Vulcan Shredder Bolters: The Vulcan Shredder Bolter’s are a series of five barrelled cannons that were originally designed as high powered mining tools. The weapon itself fires multiple rounds of hardened, explosive tipped cybertonium. The weapons were originally called Penta-Cannons, but earned the more brutal name for the amount of carnage that the weapons caused.
Shoulder Mounted Plasma Mortar Cannon: A large shoulder mounted cannon that fire mortar sized plasma missiles that are designed to decimate buildings and emplacements. The weapon itself is large and when used, lets the enemy know that the user means business.
Megaton Pattern Energon ‘Thunder’ Hammer: This monstrous two-handed weapon glows with a hint of red energon against the black metal of its construction, giving it a cold and sinister feel. The energon builds up inside the head of the hammer until the head starts to crackle with barely contained energy. Upon impact, the weapon discharges the stored energy from its conductor cell into whatever it hits, filling the air with a thunderous bang.

WEAKNESSES:
Cumbersome: Vindicator, for all his controlled strikes and fluid movement, is a heavily armoured Decepticon, and as such is not very nimble when it comes to fast paced combat. This gives his opponents the edge in combat as they are more likely to move faster than he, and is more likely to be slow to defend and counter strike.

Move or Shoot: Vindicator is a siege machine, and his choice of weaponry reflects this. Vindicator can fire one of his Shredder cannons whist lumbering forwards, but when using both weapons at once, Vindicator cannot move. Whilst this turns him into a gun platform – it also allows the enemy to utilise more long range specialty weapons such as snipers or use close quarters fighting.

This handicap also extends to the large plasma mortar that takes over both shoulders to fire. The weapon demands that its user is stationary when firing the powerful weapon, as the shells must be loaded slowly with the automatic loader that is mounted on Vindicators back.

Vindicator cannot use any other weapons when he fires the Plasma Mortar, as all available power/targeting systems have to support the siege cannon’s vicious recoil.

Standing Tall: Conveyed more of strength than a weakness, but when using the Plasma Mortar, Vindicator’s armour plating extends and opens. This alters the width and height in some cases as parts of the siege Decepticon dig deep into the surface of where he is standing to ensure that he doesn’t fall over through the recoil of the shot. The other reason for his armour opening is to vent the heat from his systems. This exposes the more fragile internal systems and a well placed shot could cripple and place Vindicator into stasis lock or worse.