Crystal City

Brief History
Crystal City is and always has been the resident hotbed for scientific thought and discovery, and it is where the spacebridge technology was originally conceived and invented. Crystal City was mostly spared during the War due to the treasure troves of knowledge neither side wanted to destroy, though the 'bots who created that knowledge were not so lucky, being forced to pick a side or become a victim of the two clashing factions. Many who refused wound up gunned down by crossfire or being taken out by one side to prevent the other side from acquiring them as an asset. However, that doesn't mean every Crystalline was a pinnacle of neutrality – some sources suggest that Megatron's formula for Cybonic Plague was developed with the aid of a Crystal City scientist, though their name has been lost or, perhaps, erased.

Culture
Being caught in the crossfire in the past, it is no surprise that in the modern era that Crystallines very much prefer not to pick sides or pick fights with each other. Civil, even heated debate is fine, but actual violence is highly frowned on and can result in arrest or, if the offense is serious enough, outright exile from the city. Remain a dedicated scientist who seeks knowledge (and preferably betterment through discovery) and Crystal City is a true haven for science-types of every field.

So to have a former and still technically active Decepticon in charge of their city might seem a little strange at first. Shockwave wasn't exactly famous for being impartial, since he had taken a side and he was violent. But with the Decepticon as a war faction officially disbanded, and Megatron gone, War refugees, Autobots included, made the calculated risk and put him in charge, as a being as logical as he was would understand that a discontent populace was not logical. That gamble seems to have paid off well.