The Origins of Evil, Part Four: Hitting the Big Time

Miles Mayhem leads Baron Ironblood to his next recruit, Shazraella of Microspace.

Synopsis

Stranded on Earth following her recent falling out with her former consort, the tyrant Baron Karza, Shazraella, the empress of Microspace, needs information. Using her diminutive size to infiltrate an Onyx corporation data center, she climbs inside a computer and enerchanges with the machine to access the internet and learn more about the world she finds herself on... but her investigations are rudely interrupted by Miles Mayhem, who uses his "Python" mask to burn through the computer's casing. Mayhem introduces himself as a former associate of Karza's, from whom he heard about Shazraella's intelligence and abilities, but she has little interest in what he or his companion Baron Ironblood have to say. Ironblood manages to catch her interest, however, when he recalls how Baron Karza enerchanged with a Cybertronian body and nearly conquered Earth, and explains that his team is planning to go to Cybertron itself. Enticed by the possibility of acquiring a Cybertronian form of her own, Shazraella inquires how the spoils of their quest will be divided, and accepts the Baron's offer when he tells her she can have the whole planet once he's done with it.

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashback.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Lady Shazraella, I presume? Tsk. Hiding out inside a computer... seems everyone is starting a podcast these days."

—Miles Mayhem

"Do all humans dress in such a silly manner?"
"My dear! Conquest may be our objective... but the costumes set us above the rabble."

—Shazraella and Mayhem

Notes

This four-page story is the fourth in a series of back-up strips published in the First Strike mini-series.

Continuity notes

• Shazraella appears here following the end of Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #5, in which she turned on the titular Baron during his attempt to conquer Earth, only to be defeated through the efforts of the Micronauts and left stranded on the planet. The issue ended with her finding herself in San Francisco; presumably, then, that's where this story takes place.
• Consequently, this story must occur at some point after Revolutionaries #2, as the Micronauts had yet to go through the events of Wrath of Karza in that issue.
• The Onyx corporation is owned by former Robots in Disguise supporting cast member/current Revolutionaries headliner Garrison Blackrock, and first appeared in The Transformers #35.
• Mayhem refers to his past association with Karza, as seen in the Revolution crossover.
• The "one Cybertronian body" that Ironblood observes Karza nearly took over the Earth using was that of Micronus Prime, as detailed in the Wrath of Karza mini-series.