Endings are only Beginnings
Long ago, in the stretches of space far beyond the Milky Way, spanning across countless galaxies, a terrible war rampaged through the cosmos and obliterated all within their path: Primus, the lightbringer and bearer of life, versus his mortal enemy and brother Unicron, the immortal darkness and engine of destruction. These two primal forces of literal good and evil clashed time and again in a never-ending stalemate for the ultimate prize of defining the universe's future. Primus admired all life and wished to see it grow, whereas Unicron had grown bored and simply wished to erase it all and start again.
In time, Primus grew old, whilst Unicron kept his youth by feeding on the fear and agony of his victims, and before long he had gained an upper hand on his upright brother. But, when all had seemed lost and Primus was in his darkest hour, a light emerged. Springing forth from Primus' his chest, Prima, the first prime, leapt towards Unicron, and he buried his sword, the Starsaber, into wicked behemoth's chest. Unicron bled as he had never before, aghast at what Primus had created. But this was not all. Joining their brother came eleven others, each with their own powers and abilities. Unicron, who for countless millennia, was now faced with twelve new faces, and it was more than he was capable of besting. With all twelve combining their powers, Unicron was vanquished, and his ashes were scattered across the cosmos and unto oblivion.
But victory was not without cost. Primus, mortally wounded and feeling his age, knew that his time had come, and one by one he gave his spawn their names. But as his body began to break away, he named a thirteen, and from his chest came the brightest light of them all. His elders gathered round him, surrounding him with warmth and love as their creator had offered them in their final moments. Primus' essence scattered over he planet, and for the first time in their lives the thirteen were alone. However, only briefly.
In the days that followed, Primus' energies, once dispersed, assumed new forms and shapes similar to the thirteen. In time, a small civilization had been created, all fresh and curious of the larger universe around them. It was then that Prima made a declaration.
"We are the first!" He boomed with authority. "From Primus' very spark were we forged to protect and guard him from Unicron's wrath. Though they are neither of his mind or spark, these of Primus' body. As their Primes, we shall lead, guide, and protect these young souls. Let this be our Prime Directive!"
And so it was that the thirteen primes formed their council, and from one planet to another they sought out a home to make. It was a hard life to be sure, the new creations like children whilst the primes themselves no older. Nevertheless, they threw themselves into the task to teach this new generation how to care for and protect themselves. Prima and his close brother Megatronus taught them the values of self defense and the way of the warrior, Prima favoring strategies and defensive maneuvers whilst Megatronus chose force and power absolute. Nexus Prime taught the importance of community and working together with one another. A nation united is strong, as he would say. From Alpha Trion, his time conscious twin Vector Prime, his scientific minded brother Quintis Prime came the virtues of knowledge, wisdom, and education. From the first came the importance of literature and philosophy, whereas the second taught the passing of time and the importance of keeping history and planning of the future, whilst the third stressed the validity of science and the improvement of the here and now. Micronus Prime imparted the importance of courage regardless of size, leading his own band known as the Mini-cons. Nexus Prime taught his kin the value of nature and the understanding of all living things, from the tiniest critter to the mightiest colossus. Solus Prime and Alchemist Prime taught the art of creation, but not so much of life, but rather to make tools of artistry and smithery as well as the mixing of certain elements to make something new and useful. Liege Maximo, shrewd and dignified, was charged with constructing the laws by which they all would live, ensuring fairness as well as swift punishment. Finally, for the thirteenth, whose name was Orion Pax, who was more of a student than a teacher. He studied under all of his elders, though he found particular form of kinship with his brother Amalgamous Prime. Unlike his elders, but much like Orion himself, Amalgamous had yet to properly learn his powers and what his gift was. Orion was in similar straights, and through this shared deficiency a true friendship was forged between the two. They would often get into hijinks together, much to the irritation of their forebears, but the two were always together and searching for adventure, pushing one another to improve and grow. It was through this brotherly bond that the very nature of the this species' destiny would be defined. While out at play, Orion had fallen into a deep pit that would have doomed him to a fatal crash. Amalgamous, feeling nothing but the instinct to act and save his brother, did just that and more.
He transformed.
It was Amalgamous' gift to change shape, courtesy of a unique organ within his own body that Alchemist labeled as the Cog of Instantaneous Transformation, later shorted to merely T-Cog. Together with Solus Prime, more T-Cogs were constructed, and soon all were gifted with the power of change, and Amalgamous was the chief instructor in its art. However, what would ultimately change their race would also be its greatest downfall.
At first, it was simply petty thefts, little things that required little thought but still stirred the feelings of the victimized. Then came the swath of murders, the perpetrator always escaping without a sight courtesy of their alternate form.
Did they fly?
Did they drive?
Did they burrow underground with a means to hide their escape?
No one knew the answer, and as time went on fear and suspicion grew. Infighting and finger pointing grew to prevalence, and sadly even the primes were not immune to this. Word of a traitor sympathetic to Unicron had begun to rise in their midst, and each of the primes looked upon one another with skepticism and bile. Only Orion seemed to escape this never ending cycle of distrust, and he eagerly sought to reunite his brethren and ferret out the true criminal before irrevocable damage was caused.
Alas, it would be for nought. On that grisly day, Solus Prime, a beloved sister and master of the forge, was found dead in her own foundry, and towering over her was her presumed killer, Liege Maximo. The master of law insisted on his innocence, pointing out that her wounds could only have been inflicted by the weapon of Megatronus Prime, and his lethal Requiem Blaster. This created a terrible divide, as well as a schism between Prima and Megatronus. Already, the two sworn brothers of war had been feeling the tension as their differing ideals clashed, and now Prima had every right to act upon his feelings. A line was drawn and sides were picked, and before anyone had a choice in the matter a war had begun. All of the creation of Primus had turned against one another, resulting in the slaughter of thousands, and Orion Pax stood alone as the only neutral. Relentlessly, he worked between the enemy camps, desperate to speak sense to his kin, and yet it would be he that found the most incriminating evidence against Megatronus' side. In the exact spot where Primus had laid himself to rest, a deep well snaked down into the core of the planet, and in this well resided the energies necessary to breath new life. This Well of All Sparks was the birthplace of the next generation, and Megatronus had plans for it. It would be he and he alone that led this new batch into the future, a stronger people that would improve where the previous had failed. This was the step too far over the line, and once more war broke out.
Orion, desperate and terrified, could only think of one thing to do. After rallying his sworn brother Amalgamous and their teacher Alpha Trion, the three stood vanguard over the well, unwilling to let either side to touch it until a more mutually beneficial arrangement could be made. Multiple attempts for peace were made, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. With every passing day, more and more of their people were slaughtered until a civilization of thousands barley stood over a hundred. A harsh reality, but one Alpha Trion accepted, and he revealed his final gambit. Prior to her demise, it appeared that Solus had discovered her brother's plot, likely resulting in her death. To this end, she created her final masterpiece: an urn what could hold the entirety of the Well's energies. A living matrix, of sorts.
But as the trio made their play, Megatronus made his run. His warriors, known as the Decepticons, had infiltrated the enemy camp, and one by one his brothers fell, leaving a clear shot to the Well of All Sparks. Amalgamous bravely stood at the entrance as guard whilst Orion and Alpha Trion worked swiftly to place the new to be born sparks into the matrix. By the time the deed was complete, Megatronus had broken the line, and in turn broke Orion's heart as he dragged the battered and trashed body of Amalgamous in one hand, and his disembodied T-Cog in the other. Enraged, Orion swore vengeance for his bond brother's demise, attacking Megatronus without thought. He was easily deflected as Megatronus marched on Alpha Trion. The younger scholar faced his elder warrior without a hint of fear, and so to his grave he went. With the matrix in hand, Megatronus' victory was all but assured, until the little vessel did something special. All of a sudden, it became light, and it shot off up the will and into the endless vacuum of space, vanishing from view. Alpha Trion had imparted one last spark into the vessel, his own, and in turn took off with it to parts unknown, leaving behind one final prophecy upon the wall of the cave.
"Only the worthy of Primus may be permitted to lead."
Megatronus bellowed with rage, unobserving of Orion Pax as he fled with Amalgamous' T-Cog, the only thing he could carry of his bond brother. Little did Orion know that his bond brother had counted on this, and the great plan he and Alpha Trion had in store. It was only a matter of time, now. Something they could trust unto Vector Prime.