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Post by Hoist on Oct 10, 2003 7:57:35 GMT -5
All information here has been compiled by the Renegade: Perceptor.
[glow=blue,2,300]Chapter One: Apocalypse and Genesis
Billions of years ago, in the infancy of the Universe, the cosmos trembled under the might of the Chaos Bringer, Unicron. The very essence of evil and destruction, Unicron sought to eradicate what he saw as the “stain” of life proliferating across the Universe. Nothing could oppose the deific power level of Unicron. Nothing except Primus, the embodiment of good and purity.
Marshalling all his strength, Primus battled Unicron. Their conflict raged over millions of light years, shaking the cosmos itself. Stars went nova, planets were destroyed, and in the process of fighting Unicron, Primus was unwittingly laying waste to the very life he was sworn to protect. This was his weakness. Unicron managed to overpower his nemesis. In an attempt to stop the Chaos Bringer, Primus engaged his foe in a battle on the Astral Plane. He failed there too.
Primus’ last action was to flee the Astral for the material universe. Blinded by rage and closing in for the kill, Unicron followed him and fell into Primus’ trap. Instead of reassuming their energy forms, Primus led them both to materialise within planet-sized rocks. Over the millennia, trapped within them, the two combatants drifted apart. Trapped, but aware, both retained their consciousness, and both planned for the day they would meet again.
Unicron slowly reshaped his prison into a colossal planet devourer. After more millennia of shaping, he was able to transform into a second form, switching from planet to robot at will. Unicron had become the first Transformer. During this time, Primus had not been idle. He had reshaped his prison into a world suitable for habitation. Aware of his enemy’s actions through the psychic bond they shared, Primus populated his form with metallic life forms, designed to imitate Unicron’s own metamorphic abilities. Primus’ body became known as Cybertron, a Saturn sized world, in what would later be known as the Alpha Centauri star system.
Realising that his children would not be powerful enough to prevail against the Destroyer of Worlds by themselves, Primus instilled his very essence and consciousness into a physical vessel, known as the Creation Matrix, or Matrix of Leadership as it was later named. This vessel was the embodiment of creation, capable of spontaneously infusing new life into inert matter, the total antithesis of Unicron’s unholy power. It was also capable of destroying Primus’ immortal enemy.
Through aeons of peace, the Matrix was handed downfrom leader to leader of the Cybertronian people. Primus gave way to Prima, who handed the mantle to Prime Nova and thence to Sentinel Prime.Guided by the High Council of Autobots, the Matrix bearer led the children of Primus into a Golden Age of peace and prosperity.
Next: The Serpent in Paradise [/glow]
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Post by Hoist on Oct 10, 2003 7:59:53 GMT -5
[glow=blue,2,300]Chapter 2: Paradise Lost
For millennia the world of Cybertron enjoyed a Golden Age of peace, prosperity and scientific advancement. Despite this, a small but growing number of Autobots began to question the basis of their society. The rule of the High Council in Iacon and the Matrix Bearer had brought undeniable benefits but some felt stifled by the constraints imposed upon their race. If Cybertron could advance so far in peace, what could it achieve through the engines of war? Why should Cybertron not become a world feared and respected throughout the galaxy?
Initially small in number, these malcontents began to band together eventually forming a planet wide network. As an act of defiance, the members of this group cast off the name Autobot and adopted that of Decepticon, realising that the only way to effect their goal of promoting growth through conflict was to bide their time, to deceive the High Council as to their aims and agenda.
After years of stockpiling weapons, laying plans, and altering their own transformed modes into powerful instruments of destruction, the Decepticons attacked. Billions died as weapons of mass destruction obliterated chunks of the planet. Hurt, but unbowed by the initial offensives, the Autobot High Council ponderously swung its own resources against the Decepticon threat. Then, in the early stages of the conflict, Sentinel Prime, the Bearer of the Creation Matrix, fell in battle, reputedly at the hands of the Decepticons most ruthless and bloodthirsty leader: Megatron.
Devastated by this loss, the High Council set about the task of choosing a new Prime. One named Optimus was chosen to wield the Matrix. Despite initial doubts about his ability Optimus Prime displayed a grasp of tactics and strategy that soon convinced the rank and file that here, at last, was a true leader of their cause. Optimus was still hamstrung, however, by the High Council’s refusal to hand over operational control of the Autobot armies. High Councillors such as Tomaandi and Traachon resisted this perceived attack on their power base.
In secret, Optimus Prime, and a corps of other high-ranking Autobots such as Emirate Xaaron set about circumventing the Council’s orders. They could only delay the inevitable however. When Megatron massed his forces for a full assault on Iacon itself, the fall of the city seemed inevitable. Facing oblivion, the High Council finally gave way to reason and let Optimus off the leash. Fighting back the Decepticon forces, the city was saved and the war became a grinding battle of attrition that lasted for over a thousand years.
Unnoticed by both sides in the battle, the cataclysmic energies unleashed in the war altered Cybertron’s orbital path. Flung out of the Alpha Centauri star system it traversed interstellar space, passing through a small, unremarkable star system that would later become known as Sol. Autobot scientists belatedly realised the possible perils to their world and began to probe the cosmos for threats in Cybertron’s path. It was not long before they found one: an asteroid belt that would devastate Cybertron as it passed through the debris field. Volunteering to lead an expedition into space, Optimus and a handpicked group of Autobots boarded a gargantuan star ship, dubbed “The Ark”. Flying into the asteroid belt, they set about the laborious task of clearing a path for their world.
As the Herculean task was completed, Megatron and a band of his elite warriors attacked the Ark. Overpowering the tired and energy depleted Autobots, the Decepticons soon gained the upper hand. Then, in act of noble self sacrifice, Optimus did the one thing a Decepticon would not: he chose to rid Cybertron of Megatron and his murderous henchmen by crashing the Ark into the uninhabited third planet of the Sol system. Plunging into the side of an extinct volcano, the impact rendered Autobots and Decepticons non-functional. The Ark itself was badly damaged and its systems likewise went off line. There it lay for nearly 4 million years.
Next: Resurrection[/glow]
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Post by Hoist on Oct 10, 2003 8:15:35 GMT -5
[glow=blue,2,300]Chapter 3: Epilogue and Rebirth
Before the all of the Ark’s systems went off line, they detected a threat on this barren planet: a Cybertronian life form. Unbeknownst to the Autobots, the Decepticons Military Operations Chief – Shockwave - had remained aboard their spaceship. Observing the plunge of the Ark he set about following it. Due to a magnetic field flux, Shockwave landed half a world away in Antarctica. There, in a secluded, volcano ringed valley populated with the last of the dinosaurs, he set about trying to locate his colleagues and enemies.
Realising the terrible threat Shockwave posed, the Ark repaired five Autobots, modified them to transform into the dinosaur creatures to ensure a proper disguise and sent them to Antarctica. After an epic battle, Shockwave crushed the five warriors – later to be known as the Dinobots – and cast them into a tar pit. One final act of defiance on the part of Snarl collapsed the ground under Shockwave and buried him under tonnes of rock, rendering him non functional as well. Contact with the Dinobots lost, the Ark's remaining systems went off line and all was silent.
Four million years later a volcanic eruption triggered a reserve power source and the Ark was restored to functionality. Despatching drones to observe the world around it, the ship found a multitude of mechanical life forms. Planes, cars, tape decks and hundreds of other machines registered as the dominant life forms on the planet. The carbon-based units around these machines were written off as an irrelevance. The Ark's CPU set about restoring the fallen combatants within it, granting them the forms found by its probes. However, due to damage from the crash it was unable to distinguish Autobot defender from Decepticon marauder. All were restored.
Disorientated, low on fuel, and few in numbers, Megatron elected to withdraw in order to take stock of the situation rather than press the attack. It wasn’t long however before both sides chose to scout the nearby area. The Autobots, exploring a nearby settlement, soon came under attack from a Decepticon raiding party. In the course of the battle Prowl realised that the machines of the planet were not in fact alive. It was the carbon forms that were alive instead. Retreating so that Optimus could bring his wisdom to bear the Autobots left one of their number behind: Bumblebee. Damaged in the attack he had been unable to transform out of his vehicle mode. Found by Buster Witwicky, the son of a local car mechanic, Bumblebee allowed himself to be driven to Busters home where the human’s father, “Sparkplug” Witwicky managed to repair Bumblebee.
Things progressed quickly from this point. Whilst the Decepticons ravaged the industrial plants of Oregon to build a new fortress, the Autobots befriended the Witwickys. In an effort to solve the critical fuel shortage, Sparkplug volunteered his services in adapting petroleum into suitable fuel. Before the Autobots could implement this plan, the Decepticons kidnapped Sparkplug, forced him to give them the fuel conversion formula, and launched a final assault on the depleted ranks of the Autobots. On the verge of victory they were laid low at the last minute. Sparkplugs fuel formula had one twist to it – a corrosive element that burned through the fuel lines of the Decepticons. Surveying his fallen enemies, Optimus and the Autobots believed that they had prevailed.
It was not to be however. Prior to the battle, Optimus had sent a probe to Antarctica to find the fallen Dinobots, hoping their power would turn the tide in the Autobots favour. What the probe awoke however was not Grimlock’s team, it was Shockwave. Appearing at the battle’s close, Shockwave single-handedly blasted the few standing Autobots into non-functionality. The Decepticons had prevailed. Or had they?
Next: Dissent in the Ranks[/glow]
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Post by Hoist on Oct 10, 2003 8:16:43 GMT -5
[glow=blue,2,300]Chapter 4: The More things Change,......
Following his crushing defeat of the Autobots, Shockwave swiftly moved to restore his fallen Decepticon brethren. Repairing the damage caused by Sparkplug’s corrosive fuel, the Decepticon ranks were soon at full strength. The Autobots (all except Ratchet who had been aiding Sparkplug after a heart attack) were strung up from the roof of the Ark to be used as spare parts. In a brutal coup, Shockwave informed the still injured Megatron that the only logical course was for Shockwave to assume leadership of the Decepticons given Megatron’s crushing failure. This “bedside chat” was backed up with force when, later, Megatron attacked Shockwave whilst still below optimum strength. The outcome: Megatron got his ass handed to him by Shockwave.
Driven to conquer the Earth and use its resources for the greater glory of the Decepticons, Shockwave launched a multitude of plans. Securing through force an advanced oil rig and robotic assembly plant from the industrial tycoon G B Blackrock, Shockwave solved the Decepticon’s fuel supply issue and started creating bodies for a new generation of Decepticon soldiers. His hypothesis was that Optimus Prime had been granted the Creation Matrix and intended to siphon that energy to empower his new troops. Shockwave was unaware that the Matrix was more than a program and was actually a physical vessel. Hence, he made a grave error in decapitating Optimus and keeping his cranial unit functional to extract what he thought was the Matrix.
Ratchet meanwhile had returned to the Ark. Encountering Megatron, now reduced to guard duty, the medic was gravely outmatched. In desperation, he proposed a deal. He would find the Dinobots and have them bring down Shockwave, thereby restoring Megatron to the Decepticon leadership in exchange for the Decepticons vacating the Ark and its fallen occupants. Journeying to the Savage Land in Antarctica, Ratchet was able to find and restore the Dinobots. Contacting Megatron, he sent the fallen leader footage from the Dinobots memory banks of their battle with Shockwave 4 million years prior and passed it off as evidence that they had destroyed Shockwave in the here and now. Meeting with Megatron, the Autobot fully expected betrayal. He got it. Swatting the Dinobots aside easily, Megatron stood victorious. Until Ratchet knocked the cliff out from under him, sending him careening to the ground thousands of feet below. Transforming to his gun mode, Megatron hoped its smaller mass would better survive the fall. Megatron fell and vanished from view. [/glow]
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