A new protoform, prepared to receive Starscream's spark, arrives. Darkwave tells Stahldrache to aim his ship's cannon at the vessel with the stasis pod. If Starscream steps out of line, his new body will be destroyed.
Darkwave and Tripredicus face down, and the combat is tense. Tripredicus takes hand-to-hand blows in stride, and finally, gets a lobster claw around Darkwave's face, and tears off his facemask. The other Predacons, who did not realize there was a mouth beneath the mask, see that Darkwave's bat-fanged jaw is as hideous as Tripredicus'. Amused, Tripredicus activates their ultimate move… a wish from their dark father that their spark be transferred into Darkwave's body. When Darkwave, now Tripredicus, defeats the spawn and tosses him into space, Tripredicus' troops immediately surrender. The Predacons use that as their first clue that something is amiss, and Stahldrache also notices that Darkwave has not put his mask back on.
Starscream, also understanding what has happened to Darkwave, jumps ship, and Stahldrache destroys his body, then fires on Tripredicus' command ship, which now has Darkwave's body and Tripredicus' spark inside. Starscream dives for Tripredicus' body, occupying it to keep it concious, and make Unicron's defeat still feasible.
Just then, the Maximals arrive. They join the combat with Tripredicus' fleet, but are confused as to what has actually happened until the Predacons, clued in on Tripredicus' ploy, explain. Elita One steers her ship to recover the Tripredicus body, and the Maximals work to revive Darkwave inside, while the Predacons board Tripredicus' ship. Armageddon holds Darkwave's body back, and Stahldrache destroys the Tripredicus spark, while Predaking cleans up the still-loyal Tripredicon troops. While Otternaut and Waspinator attempt to repair Tripredicus, Elita's ship is hit, hard, and the Maximals must race to escape. They lose an unoccupied Tripredicus shell, Seaclamp's, leaving Darkwave in Cicadacon's body, and Starscream in Ramhorn's. Darkwave's old body is returned to the ship, and he helps to repair himself before his spark is transferred. Armageddon herds Starscream into the box prepared for him, and the Tripredicus bodies are destroyed for good.
Both fleets at last arrive at Unicron's head, and use the easy entrances provided by empty holes that were once the god's eyes. All is quiet as they exit their ships, and, then, the god speaks. He warns them that they cannot defeat him, and uses his power to push them away, against the wall, slowly crushing their bodies. Transmetal II powers have no effect on the giant spark before the heroes, but Stormcrow begins to charge up his spark force blast. When Armageddon gets the idea to aid his blast rather than attempt one of his own, the spirit of camaraderie effects everyone collected, Maximal, Predacon, Autobot, and even Decepticon, as the veangeful Starscream, imprisoned, is the last to add his powerful energy to the attack. A giant wave of light, Stormcrow its conduit, shatters the spark casing of the dark god. With one horrible scream, Unicron is no more.
As the head falls apart around the heroes, some Predacons rush to take suveniors from the inside of the dead god. Medusa calls them all fools, and kneels down next to her dying husband. As he had assumed, the rush of energy through his body was far too much for him to take. As he fades into the Matrix, he tells Medusa to take good care of his daughter.
En route to Cybertron, Starscream is still angry. He claims that his actions saved Darkwave's life, but the body the Predacon promised has not been provided. Darkwave, naturally, has a remedy. He leads Starscream to Kitfox, his original "bait," and activates the instant-kill on the Maximal, leaving the body an empty vessel for the immortal to possess.
The triumphant troops return to Cybertron, where they are made heroes. Many return to their everyday lives, though more well-known. Thundercat re-enlists, giving up his former life as a wealthy recluse to continue to defend Cybertron. Starfire trains to become an interstellar scout. Medusa gives her young spark to the attendants at the Matrix. She does not speak to the young Maximal, her offspring, but makes sure she protoforms as a crow, in honor of her departed father.
In Predacon territory, Stahldrache, joined up with Hardhead and Sellsword, sets up a ship called "The Untouchable Trio" in order to explore, destroy, and conquer. When a still-lonesome Destine works her way into Predacon territory, Stahldrache amends the title: "Untouchable Trio, Plus One..." thus, also, does Unicron's legacy live on.
Darkwave, still dissatissfied with his victory and the means he used to achieve it, retires to his tower, taking visits only from Nightbird and, finally, Shockwave himself. Shockwave at last confesses that, though the Decepticon grip on the planet is now absolute, he still wonders about the surviving Autobots... and the possible return of Prime.
To learn more about the fate of the Secrets of Cybertron universe, check out: