Apostasy

Apostasy was a Havocon in the Transformers: Extinction fanon.

"In fire, there is purity – the destruction of everything that holds us back."

- Apostasy

Overview
Arguably the most common belief amongst transformers is that of Primus and Unicron, the twin powers respectively representing birth and creation, and emptiness and destruction. The belief in Primus is to most Transformers a spiritual one, often crediting him with the creation of the transformer race, with the world eater Unicron representing the archetypal devil figure, the beguiler who promises power in exchange for service. As such, a religion of sorts has sprung up around these beliefs, having come to permeate almost every aspect of Cybertronian life.

Growing Hatred
However, not everyone accepts this status quo, and many movements have sprung up attempting to quash belief in what they see to be falsehood. Apostasy, formerly known as Red Shift, was part of one of these movements, preaching his atheism in the streets of Vos. However, Vos was never a city that was home to many believers to begin with, and Red Shift soon took to travelling the planet, determined to make a difference. Upon reaching Nova Cronum, the most introspective and condescending of cities, his brand of scepticism was met with hostility, and he was arrested several times for breaches of the peace and public disorder. His hatred for what the belief in the supernatural had done to the world grew and festered within him, eventually leading him to arson.

The Days of Fire
A wave of fire soon engulfed many of Nova Cronum’s temples, prisons, government offices and other buildings which Red Shift saw as signs of the oppression of Primus’ influence. However, catching the arsonist proved beyond the abilities of the authorities for quite some time, and many of Nova Cronum’s oldest buildings were razed to the ground, including the Fantoft Cathedral, an ancient and massive testament to the worship of the creator legend. Eventually, however, was the Vos-Tarn war was being waged on the other side of the planet, Red Shift was apprehended, and sentenced to death by the courts of Nova Cronum. Whilst awaiting his execution, however Starscream learnt of his situation, and having recently formed the Havocon Division, arranged with Ex Officio, the Governor of Nova Cronum, to have Red Shift expedited to Vos to serve in the regiment. Starscream knew he needed as many soldiers – especially bitter criminals – as possible, whilst Ex Officio was satisfied that Red Shift would soon perish in battle. The latter, however, was proven wrong, and Red Shift, having adopted the nom-de-guerre Apostasy, soon proved his worth on the battlefield.

The Havocons
His hatred, however, was soon projected upon his commander, the ruthlessly proficient, yet overly superstitious Misanthropy. Vowing to rise above Misanthropy through whatever means possible, Apostasy felt his dreams crushed yet vindicated when the officer left the planet after the nuclear phase of the war. Now second in command of the Havocons under Genocide, he rules what is left of Vos with an iron fist, allowing his superior to sate his primal desires without worrying about day-to-day running of the city’s ashes. He still waits for Misanthropy to return, having heard whispered rumours that his former commander has sold himself to Unicron – his belief now being that the inevitable showdown between the two will serve as a fitting test of the existence of this so-called god, for his powers will be for naught when Apostasy slays his chosen prophet.

Death
Apostasy's dreams would soon prove impossible to fulfill, however, when both Misanthropy and his close ally Dreadspawn returned to Vos in search of a powerful artefact. Apostasy and Genocide ambushed the pair close to the fabled Mausoleum of Tertius, leading to the former arsonist engaged in a firefight with exitium ' s finest. The struggle was short and brutal, leaving Dreadspawn with little choice but to put the writhing Havocon out of his misery with a swift thrust of his dagger, proving that while faith is no shield, a lack of it is just as bad.