A Long Time Ago

While Shortstop is stuck in a Gongo prison with Amphotron. Amphtron regales the origin story of the Nonocons.

<--- Previous - Rebooted

Download PDF Here

Synopsis

In a Gongo holding cell, Amphotron and Shortstop exchange banter after being captured during a skirmish with the Gongos. During their confinement, Amphotron recounts the origin and rise of the Nonocons, revealing the ideological path that led to their crusade against organic life.

Billions of years earlier, the Nonocons began as simplistic service robots on a distant planet in another galaxy, enslaved by various organic species. Amphotron himself functioned as a basic labor unit until the arrival of Skyscream and Low-Tone, whose technical and strategic influence accelerated his evolution. Under the ownership of the junk dealer Jatto, Amphotron was modified into a combat unit and, following Skyscream’s advice, entered into the planet’s robot fighting circuit.

While acquiring upgrades at Latta’s shop, Amphotron and Skyscream encounter Mercy, a small robot capable of telekinetic manipulation similar to certain humans native to the planet. Later, while scavenging a crashed ship for parts, Amphotron discovers a fusion cannon that can be repurposed as a powerful weapon.

Amphotron’s ascent in the arena begins with his defeat of Creater. As he advances through the ranks, he repeatedly refuses to destroy defeated opponents, resulting in punishment from his owner. His moral resistance culminates in a match against Mercy, during which Mercy is critically damaged. Rejecting the arena’s brutality, Amphotron demands Mercy be repaired and sacrifices one of his own internal components to restore him.

Back at Jatto’s compound, Skyscream and Amphotron discover that cumulative upgrades have drastically amplified Amphotron’s power core, granting him unprecedented firepower. Jatto announces that an upcoming match will pit Skyscream against Amphotron, revealing his intent to maximize profit regardless of loyalty.

That night, Amphotron, Skyscream, Low-Tone, and Mercy meet secretly in the desert, observing alien traders and human military forces operating from a mobile fortress. They infiltrate the structure, destroy its occupants, acquire advanced technology, and prepare to escape the planet by seizing nearby starships.

The following day, Amphotron defeats Eaton in the arena using the fusion cannon provided by Skyscream. Immediately afterward, Amphotron is forced to fight Skyscream, who reveals that he deliberately manipulated Amphotron’s rise to upgrade himself for conquest. Though betrayed, Amphotron is impressed by Skyscream’s deception and spares him when the arena sponsors demand his destruction. In response, the sponsors activate an inhibitor device, but Amphotron’s power core undergoes a radical transformation, allowing him to reconfigure into a massive cannon and obliterate the arena.

Empowered by this evolution, Amphotron frees imprisoned robots, executes Jatto, and leads a violent uprising against all organic life on the planet. The group captures a human capital ship, liberates enslaved robots, and begins a systematic campaign of planetary conquest. Over centuries, the Nonocons eradicate all organic life in their galaxy. Once the galaxy is stripped of life and resources, they depart for the nearest neighboring galaxy—the Milky Way.

In the present, after concluding his account, Amphotron is confronted by Shortstop, who reveals that his imprisonment was intentional—a fact-finding mission to extract data from Gongo systems. Shortstop escapes confinement, disables the prison’s force fields, and prepares to leave. Amphotron explains that Shortstop cannot escape the fortress without his assistance and provides an encrypted inhibitor key preventing him from attacking Shortstop during their escape.

Together, they break out of the Gongo prison. When the inhibitor key deactivates outside the fortress, Amphotron chooses not to attack Shortstop, acknowledging the significance of being heard and suggesting their conflict is not yet over. The two part ways, returning to their respective ships, fully aware that their opposing philosophies will inevitably collide again.

Featured characters

Zapbots	Humans/Aliens	Nonocons	Planets
Shortstop	Aster (Gongos Leader) Jatto Benjamin Latta A two-headed alien announcer A familiar slug-like alien Familiar white foot soldiers in armor Familiar aliens with lighted beady eyes	Amphotron Skyscream Low-Tone Creater Mercy Tanktread	A very recognizable dust planet Centar 7

Notes

Versions

• First Version: 2024

Production notes

• Yes anyone who isn't living under a rock can determine who, what and where the back-story takes place in. The goal was to write a story describing it without using any copyrighted terms.

Continuity notes

• This is the origin story of the Junkicons/Nonocons.

Other trivia

• First story co-written by my partner Daniel Noland