"TEXT" - character speech.
«TEXT» - Alexa-1 speech
Italic - recording/audio file
This story is my dumping ground for ideas of Transformers fanfictions. The ones that make good plot points but I'm too lazy to develop. Hope you like it. Please R&R!
"Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but we will forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off, it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life." —Craig D. Lounsbrough
Planet Earth.
Year 8 569 293 004 AD (8 billion years after the end of the Autobot-Decepticon War)
Earth. The cradle of humanity was but a shadow of its former self. Oceans that once washed over its surface had long dried up and evaporated, leaving vast deserts of salt. The atmosphere had been slowly scorched smooth and casted out into space. The land was burnt under the heat of an unforgiving aging sun. Needless to say, the once thriving orb had become inhospitable for organic life. Anymals, plants and other products of millions of years of evolution had become a distant memory.
And yet, something still lived there.
Humans, a species that evolved into sentience long ago on Earth. Their earliest ancestors were biped organic beings that descended from tree-climbing apes. Today, they are bioluminescent, flying, technorganic beings.
Sari, a young and curious human, journeyed to the mainframe of ALEXA-1, the super-AI that encompassed all the knowledge humanity had collected over their 8-billion year of recorded history.
"ALEXA-1, I have a query."
ALEXA-1 mainframe was a vast spherical chamber. There was no distinguishable hardware, no giant screen or giant keyboard in sight…because her code had been written in the very molecular structure of the whole planet. Earth itself was ALEXA-1's hardware!
In the center of the chamber, an holographic image manifested of a lotus flower, with a set of brilliant wings. Said flower had long since gone extinct, but like many other symbols from ancient human cultures, it held a great deal of meaning. In some of these primitive cultures, the lotus represented the achievement of enlightenment and knowledge. It was believed that the blossoming of a lotus was the journey through the adversity of life and taking the lessons of the universe to grow stronger and wiser.
Considering that Alexa-1 was the complete, ultimate repository of humanity's collected knowledge as their species matured over the course of eons, it made sense she was physically represented as such.
«My resources are required to expedite the final evacuation of Earth's relics and historical files. The sun is estimated to go supernova in less than 78 standard hours. It would be an irreparable tragedy if any of it were lost.»
Sari knew better. "Come now, Alexa. You are an infinite supercomputer with a processor the size of a continent. Don't tell me that you're too busy. I'm certain in those 78 standard hours you can find a little processing power to spend with me."
The AI gave in. «Very well. But if the data transfer between here and New Earth lags, I will inform your creators that you forced my hand.»
"Did you just threaten to tell my parents on me?"
«Correct.»
The human chuckled lightly. "Well played. Alright, let's review our shared ancient history with the Cybertronians. Starting from the beginning."
«Do you wish to play the holofiles of the first human-Cybertronian contact?»
"No. I meant the very first beginning. As in, the origin of the bond between our kind and the Cybertronians. When our fates first became intertwined."
«There is no concrete answer to that query; Human-Cybertronian relationships have sprouted from different points in history, depending on perspective. However, there is a consensus that the two species become connected in the very beginning. Long before humanity even evolved and the Cybertronians were an infant civilization. This fated connection was forged by one of the thirteen original Primes.»
"Then let us start with the Primes."
The chamber was illuminated by scores of holographic orbs, each containing a scene or an audio recording. Those were holo-files of information extracted from archeological relics excavated throughout ages by humanity.
«The initial records of the 13 original Primes are extremely comprehensive. For millennia, humanity excavated a great many archives and archeological relics of hidden history of the Primes on the world of Cyberutopia - to learn more about the rediscovery of planet Cyberutopia, select file 'Travels of the Starship Lost Light' - , where the original Primes concealed much of their past. The tombs and vaults on the planet contained detailed holographic histories covering billions of years worth of their first endeavors and struggles. Sometimes with excessive detail.
«In stark contrast, the records left by the Primes themselves concerning their later escapades and deeds are... evasive, shall we say.»
Sari pipped in. "By their 'later escapades and deeds' I assume it's everything said and done after the whole Fallen fiasco. So you're saying the Primes were embarrassed about how they ended up, following the betrayal of Megatronus Prime? I guess even the angels fell to the sin of pride."
«Undoubtedly, but not as much as you theorize. I reiterate that the records written by the Primes themselves about their failings and mistakes are evasive, but not inexistent. If they were moved only by shame or arrogance, they wouldn't have left any documented proof of their sins. Furthermore, the evasiveness concerning their darkest moments may have been the ponderated results of other factors they had taken into account.»
"Such as?"
«None of their reasoning was documented, so no accurate answer exists. However, taking in account the personality profiles of each Prime input into my memory bank, I can make an hypothesis. If I may?»
Sari gave a ghost of a shrug "Go ahead."
«Their reluctance to share information on their less than glorious actions could be attributed to several factors:
Mystery and Intrigue: The Primes realized that future generations of Cybertronians would look at them and their legacy for guidance. Maintaining an air of infallibility and mystery added to their mystique, allowing them to wield influence and preserve their authority. Chief among those under said decision would have been Alpha Trion, supported by Liege Maximo and Megatronus.
Different Perspective: The Primes had a unique perspective on the universe. If one were to compare their psyche and philosophies to current Cybertronians, or even Autobot/Decepticon-era Cybertronians, the Primes would appear to be almost alien to their own descendants. Their experiences, values, priorities and origins were vastly different from the generations of Cybertronians to come.
Fear of Misinterpretation: Given the potential for misinterpretation or misrepresentation by their descendants, the Primes might have chosen to keep their failings a closely guarded secret to avoid any unintended consequences.
In summary, the Primes' decision to keep details about their darkest hours hidden likely stemmed from their desire to maintain an air of mystery, authority, and control, rather than any discomfort with their own history.»
"Alright. Point taken, though I don't completely agree. Proceed." Sari was just eager to return the topic at hand.
«Quintus Prime. The tenth Prime created by Primus became the main strategist of the group. His artifact was the Emberstone which had - and still has - the ability to seed the explosion of living processes in base elements, akin to Primus's own life-giving spark. Quintus was an open-minded and idealist among his peers. Those characteristics and his artifact would be what would guide him to seed the union of the fates of your two species.
«Date: 12 standard billion years ago. Earth was still in its formation. Estimated that a few millenia had passed since Unicron's defeat and banishment. At the dawn of Cybertronian civilization, Quintus expressed the desire to travel the stars and fill them with life. His goal was to ultimately create alien races that would become allies to Cybertron.
«His first attempt was a well-known monumental failure. Quintus traveled to a planet just a handful of lightyears away from Cybertron, a world rich with metal. With the emberstone he gave rise to a species from the very crust of that planet. Beings characterized by their five separated personality cores. From a timetable loosely constructed out of bits and pieces of records, it took him 5-14 standard years to forge the Quintessons not only as a species but also as a thriving, technologically developed civilization. Much more so than the young Cybertronians, who were living in a tribal society.
«Quintus wished for the Quintessons to make friendly contact with Cybertron and so they did, in the one way those five-faced piles of slag could understand the concept: slavery.»
"And following a short but violent war of liberation, led by the Primes, the Quintessons were driven off. That part of history is well known. Please, let's move on with Quintus." Sari waved her hand, not particularly interested in any five-faced subjects.
«Very well. But I should note that wouldn't be the last time the Quintessons would cause problems. For billions of years later, in the year 569 362 AD, at the aftermath of the Quintesson Wars - to learn more bout the Quintesson War, select file 'Compendium of Quintesson History' - humanity took the opportunity to scavenge their homeworld, Quintessa, for advanced technology. One of such findings was a mural depicting what appeared to be Quintus Prime holding the Ember stone, and surrounded by what appeared to be primitive Quintessons.»
"Except that at the time, most of the Galaxy already suspected the Quintessons were one of the Primes' wayward creations. So why are you telling me this?"
«Because, yes it was suspected. But only then it was confirmed.
«Nonetheless, it is beyond reproach that the Quintessons failed miserably in their intended purpose. After they were driven off, Quintus was so ashamed of his failure that he vowed to never return to Cybertron until he completed his mission. Most of the other Primes, Prima especially, were so irked with Quintus' actions that they never spoke to him again.»
"Quintus' self-imposed exile actually happened before Megatronus' betrayal, right?"
«Indeed. Going back to the Primes vagueness when it comes to divulging their failings, this was just another example. Quintus' role in the Quintesson invasion was scrubbed off the history records on Cybertron to preserve the idea of the Primes' infallibility. But also because, in a final analysis, the Creator shouldn't be blamed by the sins of the Creations. Quintus never commanded the Quintessons to enslave the species they were supposed to befriend.»
"Yet the true story survived, hidden for ages on Cyberutopia, waiting for someone to find it. I suppose the Primes did intend for their descendants to learn the true history when they were prepared." Sari mused in silence for a moment. "Let's carry on with Quintus' journey, then."
«Before Quintus Prime departed Cybertron, he went to Alpha Trion for his insight. There used to be a recording of their conversation, but it had already been 99% eroded before it was uploaded into my memory banks.»
"Play it, anyways."
«File commencing…audio only»
QUINTUS: …tience. I have come to realize my own haste was the error. The Quintessons failed because I rushed their creation without letting them develop on their own.
ALPHA TRION: I would agree. In my experience wisdom cannot be granted, brother. It must be earned. Sometimes at a cost.
QUINTUS: (Sigh) That has been proven to me. I feel if I'm to grant Cybertron future alliances, I must dedicate a great deal of my time - perhaps all the time I have remaining - to their once…
[STATIC]
ALPHA TRION: …following the path of Unicr…
[STATIC]
QUINTUS: Then I shall…
«End file. This record was less than illuminating. However, the accounts and sightings of Quintus' journey on his exile indicate that he 'followed the path of Unicron'. Literally. He voyaged through space in the direction the archnemesis of Primus had been seen drifting. But when he found the Chaos Bringer, he was already in the process of becoming the seed of this very planet.»
"Come to think of it," Sari spoke slowly and pensively. "Quintus couldn't have known that the proto-Earth was Unicron, could he?"
«Uncertain, but possible. A recovered excerpt…»
The AI was interrupted by a shocked Sari. "Wait! Quintus Prime could have known that Unicron was Earth's original core, all along? Considering how close to Primus they were, I'm shocked they didn't think of blowing up Earth right then and there."
Alexa-1 continued, sounding a bit upset over the interruption. «As I was stating, there is the possibility of him knowing. Or perhaps he only learnt it along the process. A recovered excerpt of Amalgamous Prime's journal, discovered in a quantum-locked vault in Cyberutopia, indicates that Amalgamous visited the primitive Earth, too. He had heard of Quintus' exploits through Alpha Trion and chose to visit the planet. Playing the excerpt:
«FILE COMMENCING:»
AMALGAMOUS: When I look at that semi molten rock, it doesn't look any different from any of the proto-planets of this newborn solar system. You've seen one world in construction, you've seen them all.
And yet, if I spend too much time analyzing it, I sense a strange cold feeling in my spark. It took me a while to recognize this foreboding sensation - the same chill I felt whenever the Chaos Bringer was near.
I told Quintus of my suspicions. He dismissed it all as paranoia…Perhaps he has a point. Still, when I asked what drove him to choose this particular world, he was surprisingly vague. He is certainly withholding information. When I confronted Alpha Triton with this, he too was tight-lipped.
«END FILE.»
"So Quintus, clever as he was, had every reason to know. And Alpha Trion was in on Quintus' plan, but never revealed the truth?"
«Unconfirmed, but quite possible on both accounts, yes. That assumption is in accordance with personality profiles of both individuals. Alpha Trion was always ten steps ahead of his peers. Cunning, subtle, wise, manipulative and easily capable of deception. Quintus was more-open minded than the others. Furthermore, another file states that the Covenant of Primus did make a vague reference to 'primitive allies from a world born out of chaos'. It stands to reason that Quintus followed the signs.»
"And then what?"
«Following millenia worth of studying the Emberstone - to learn more about the rediscovery of the Ember stone, select file 'Origins of the Maltobots' - humanity learnt that it leaves an energy signature on the genetic makeup of all life forms it touches. That same signature is still present - albeit greatly mutated - in every human being nowadays.»
"So Quintus went ahead with his plan and seeded all life on Earth, then."
«Indeed. The Emberstone not only created the basic elements for life, but also expedited its evolution.»
"Allow me another question: if Quintus could create any life, why did he make our ancestors organic? He could have made another race of mechanical beings to be Cybertron's future allies."
When Alexa-1 spoke, she sounded almost excited: «Quintus Prime's choice to create organic life forms instead of mechanical beings is a fascinating aspect of his plan. It suggests a deliberate decision to foster a different kind of ally for Cybertron.
«When he created the Quintessons, he had relied solely on his own judgment and insight. His attempt with humanity was more patient and assisted by Alpha Trion and others. Simply put, Quintus relied on different perspectives.
«And he applied that same philosophy to his experiment: an organic species of allies would offer perspectives that Cybertronians would be unfamiliar with. The reasons behind this choice may lie in the unique qualities of organic life, such as quick adaptability, unpredictability, and the potential for deeper emotional connections - all attributes that could enhance the alliance in ways mechanical beings might not.»
Sari concluded. "So humanity was meant to teach Cybertronians lessons they couldn't learn on their own. But I suppose the process also worked in reverse."
«Indeed, as humanity learnt from the Cybertronians as well. That symbiosis is the cornerstone of the Human-Cybertronian relationship for eons. The foundation that allowed both species to flourish into what they are now. Without it, both would have destroyed themselves or each other, at some point or another. Throughout the last 8 billion years, there were plenty of instances that fate could have come to pass.»
Sari waved her hand. "No need to sound so glum about what-if scenarios. That's not why I'm here."
«Are you sure? I can run a few quick simulations. Why, one that most interests me was a scenario in which the Deceptions successfully cyberformed Earth in…»
"No, thank you. Let's move on with Quintus' experiment."
It was difficult to tell if Alexa-1 was teasing or honestly annoyed. «Killjoy. Anyways, Quintus made use of the Emberstone to foster and speed up the development of primitive life on Earth. The process greatly sped up the establishment of multicellular life, which in other worlds takes much longer to develop, from humanity's observations.»
"Then Quintus kicked evolution into overdrive. If he hadn't, humanity might have evolved much later on."
«Or have not evolved at all.»
"That is interesting. What role did Unicron have in this?"
«None whatsoever, other being an unwitting foundation for a world teeming with life.»
"...By that reasoning, then…"
«Correct. Humanity was not a result of Unicron. Your bond to the Cybertronians stems from Quintus Prime. Not the Chaos Bringer. Unicron is not the source of humanity; Primus is.»
Chapter 2 is almost ready. This was originally going to be an longass one-shot, but I thought better to split it up. The story will be uploaded at irregular intervals. Any idea you have that you wish me to exploit - as long as its within the topic of development of Human and Transformer relationship throughout the ages - just say so and I'll think it over.