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TRANSFORMERS BEYOND
LEGENDARIUM
Chapter V
The Age of Evolution (Cybertronian Prehistory)
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The Age of Evolution, also known as the Great Formatting, was an era which saw the rise of early civilization on Cybertron following the fall of the Thirteen Primes.
Approx. 2 billion stellar cycles ago:
After Micronus Prime, Onyx Prime, and The Arisen chose to be absorbed by the Well of All Sparks, the spark geyser erupts with an endless array of new lifeforms that would become the second generation of Cybertronians. Before entering the Well, Onyx Prime uses his relic, the Triptych Mask, to scan various lifeforms in the known universe for patterns to base the new Cybertronians on, as the first beings to emerge from the Well of All Sparks were a storm of robotic animals known as the Mechanimals. All kinds and sizes of them cover the land, fill the air and seas, and go across Cybertron. This happens nonstop for days as A-3 tries to log the different mechanimal species that come out of the Well. These mechanimal species range from the metal-eating Scraplets to the nimble Turbofoxes and the equine Thunderhooves to the majestic Singlehorns to the elegant Deatheagles to the vicious Pnema-lions and Alloygators to the reptilian Jurassanoids to the enormous, underground-dwelling Drillers.
Three days after the Well of All Spark's activation, normal, humanoid Cybertronians similar in design to the Thirteen Primes and the Knights of Cybertron begin to appear. These second-generation Cybertronians, known as Theracons, could live long lifespans, however, unlike the first-generation Cybertronians who were true immortals who could only be killed in battle, the Theracons were more susceptible to disease and spark burnout. The first wave of newborn Theracons gather around the Well, forming the theocratic settlement of Tyger Pax in honor of the Thirteen Primes. The last remaining Protectobots, Skyraiders, Constructicons, Minicons, and Headmasters from the Age of the Primes would blend in with this new generation, acting as teachers, heroes and leaders of the tribes which form over the following eons. The first of the Theracons to arise from the Well was Maximus Prime, who was born with memories of the prosperous Age of Primes given to him by the AllSpark, so that he may serve as a successor to the Thirteen and pass on their knowledge to future generations. The Knights of Cybertron stand by Maximus Prime's side as his personal guardsmen during his reign. The Artifacts of the Primes fall into legend, though ancient myths and legends of Maximus, the Knights, and other mighty heroes defending the weak and needy with their mystical weapons give some evidence of their continued existence throughout the ages.
Afterwards, a large wave of Titans and other gigantic Cybertronians called Megamasters begin to emerge from the Well of All Sparks. These massive robots, along with the first-generation Titans, broke down many of Cybertron's endless mountain ranges and terraformed the planet's surface into what it is today. This allows the Theracon tribes to spread across the desolate Cybertronian wilderness and form their own settlements.
The first Insecticons and Arachnicons then emerge from the Well and settle throughout Cybertron's badlands and underground caverns, creating hives and small farms of their own.
On the last day of this first burst of creation, the Well of All Sparks' largest and most powerful creations of all would emerge, magnificent beastformers who are of direct lineage to Onyx Prime-the peaceful Maximals and the savage Predacons. Although they were intelligent and capable of speech, the Maximals and the Predacons adhered to primitive lifestyles; they competed with one another for food and territory in savage duels, and fed off other lifeforms indiscriminately, with some Predacons terrorizing the Theracon tribes across the planet. The most fearsome of the Predacons was an imposing robotic dragon known only as Predaking, who struck fear into the sparks of all but the most stout-hearted Cybertronians like Maximus Prime, who was one of the only few standard-formers who bested him in battle.
The second-generation Cybertronians don't realize that they have a T-Cog, leading to the misconception that only first-generation Cybertronians have the ability to transform. A-3 and Alchemist Prime initially wondered if they should tell the new Cybertronians about their transformation abilities, but they decided not to as they didn't want to meddle with the new generation and take over, to be seen as god-like idols who had the power to solve everyone's problems, and they just preferred to watch what is developing on Cybertron in slowed-down time.
Approx. 1.4 billion stellar cycles ago:
Four massive descendants of Nexus Prime emerge fully formed from the Well of All Sparks, their component protoforms already combined. The four combiners are drawn away from the surface and into the depths of the planet where they are appointed as the Guardians of Cybertron and take up eternal watch within the Ignition Chamber where the spark-core of Primus resides, entering stasis lock as stone statues.
Approx. 1 billion stellar cycles ago:
Autonomous Maximus decides to step down from his position as leader of the Knights of Cybertron, handing over the burden of leadership to the newly-formed Council of Grandmasters. Following this, he suddenly disappeared from the face of Cybertron, his exploits as the Knights' founding leader fading into the fog of myth and legend. Autonomous Maximus's name would be forever lost to history, resulting in incomplete folktales referring him as "the Ultimate Warrior," "the Soul of Cybertron," or "The Fourteenth Prime." According to what could be translated from illegible texts in the Covenant of Primus's final pages, it's believed that Autonomous Maximus decided to descend into the planet's depths as a solitary vigil, entering a long stasis until he's called upon to once again protect his people in the prophesized "Day of Final Judgement," where a chosen one would light their darkest hour.
Approx. 990 million stellar cycles ago:
Dawn of the Age of the Predacons: The Predacons, led by the Predaking, begin to expand to dominate Cybertron, feeding on the numerous other species who struggle to make an existence on the untamed world and marking out their territories in displays of aggression and brutality. Their brutal rule prevents all but the simplest signs of civilization from emerging among the nomadic tribes of Commandrons.
Approx. 954 million stellar cycles ago:
The Minicons, the descendants of Micronus Prime, band together into tribes against predatory Maximals and Predacons, forming communities within the mountain ranges and deep in the crystal forests, learning to build more and more complex tools and discovering how to mine energon from deep beneath the surface of the planet. Over the eons that follow, the various Minicon tribes led by their elders will reach out to one another across Cybertron, forming trading partnerships, alliances and eventually ruling councils. Together, they determine to bring a semblance of order to the wild planet around them.
Approx. 916 million stellar cycles ago:
The nomadic Theracons tribes, struggling to survive on a Predacon-ruled Cybertron, begin to ally themselves with some of the less aggressive Maximal packs and prides that roam the plains and crystal forests, providing them with energon and shelter in return for defense and early warnings of Predacon attacks. Over the course of the next several million years, the relationship between the two races will deepen until both work together as equals. In the more civilized times to come, the descendants of these early Maximals in the near future will become modern beastformers and otherwise thought of as part of the same Transformer race as the descendants of the Theracons.
Approx. 897 billion stellar cycles ago:
The Minicons discover their T-Cogs and how to use them to adapt themselves to a variety of forms to better aid them in their work, becoming tools and equipment. Able to transform, the Minicons are able to move about on the surface without attracting undue attention, allowing them to work on the surface for short periods free from predators. From time to time, they are glimpsed by passing Theracons or sensed by their Maximal companions, triggering legends of shape-shifting creatures among the Theracon tribes.
Approx. 870 million stellar cycles ago:
Fleeing from a pack of Predacons on the surface, a newborn Theracon fresh from the Well of All Sparks finds himself lost beneath the surface, heading deeper and deeper into the ancient caverns. Finally, almost on the verge of stasis lock, he finds himself in the Ignition Chamber within the core of Cybertron, summoned by a voice in the depths, and there discovers the slumbering spark-chamber of Primus. He is addressed by Vector Sigma, which names him the Keeper, and charges him with protecting Primus from intruders during his hibernation until the day he is awakened for the coming final battle against Unicron.
Approx. 865 million stellar cycles ago:
Dawn of the Age of Heroes: Though many more of their kind continue to live a traditional nomadic lifestyle across the planet, several Theracon tribes begin to settle in one place rather than constantly migrating in search of energon, building ring forts and fortified settlements and mining energon and metals from beneath the surface. Though this early form of Transformer civilization is limited by the domination of the Predacons over the surface, the settlers band together into larger and larger communities as the eons pass, leaving traces of their presence in fragments of tools and the foundations of their forts and settlements.
Approx. 821 million stellar cycles ago:
The legendary Kingdom of Khebex is founded by the mythologized warrior-prince who would become known as Pion Rex. Legend claims that on his path to the throne-aided by his trusted Minicon companion Sparkgrinder who was able to assume the forms of an endless variety of melee weapons-he slew the tyrant Floron of Stygiax, cowed the Beast-Lords of Ghekk, defended the settlers of the Tagan Heights from the great Predaking himself, and conquered the cannibal tribes led by Cannibaron of the Great Waste, and that from the throne of Khebex he became renowned as a maker of laws, defender of the innocent and wise philosopher-king.
Approx. 763 million stellar cycles ago:
After hundreds of thousands of ano-cycles of serving as Cybertron's ruler, Maximus Prime peacefully dies from old age in his home in Tyger Pax, surrounded by his many friends as his spark slowly burns out into nothingness. In the wake of his death, the Creation Matrix is passed down to his best friend, Grandmaster Steelbane of the Knights of Cybertron, for him to bestow to the next Prime. Steelbane would go on a long pilgrimage across Cybertron in his search for a worthy Matrix-bearer, until one day, he meets a mech named Vegnis, a humble laborer from a village in the Northern Wilds (modern-day Iacon) who fought to protect his community of fellow energon farmers from bandits and Predacons only out of the sense that it was the right thing to do. Admired by his determination and good will, the Knight Grandmaster chose him as the newest member of the Prime Lineage: Vegnis Prime.
Approx. 750 million stellar cycles ago:
The Great Cataclysm: Near the Hadean System, a passing red supergiant star goes supernova. The radiation and heat from it interferes with Cybertron's star, triggering a planet-wide bombardment of comets and asteroids that lasts for tens of thousands of years and triggers deadly solar flares that irradiate the surface of Cybertron. Vegnis Prime quickly decreed that every surviving Cybertronian would go into stasis underground until the radiation subsided and the surface was habitable again. While many humanoid Cybertronians took shelter underground in stasis lock, the Maximals and Predacons remained unshielded on the planet's surface, eventually leading to their extinction. Most of the Titans and Megamasters were killed during the extinction event, however, a few managed to go into deep stasis within Cybertron's underworld, though they remained dormant in their fortress alt-modes.
The Order of Protectors is founded by A-3 and Alchemist Prime: a hospitalizer order of volunteers who will spend the long eons of the Great Cataclysm caring for their sleeping brethren deep within the planet while waiting for the chaos on the surface to subside. Many of the Protectors will die during the long wait, victims of long-term radiation poisoning and other after-effects from the Cataclysm, but thanks to their efforts the majority of their charges will survive to return to the surface in the coming age.
Seeing this from afar, Unicron decides to put his plans into motion by sending two heralds created from his own Anti-Spark to infiltrate the Cybertronians in the Great Cataclysm's aftermath and hinder their development by fostering chaos between specific parties. The two heralds are Metra and Mesothulas, but we better know these agents of evil by their Cybertronian names: Sideways and Tarantulas.
My OC Maximus Prime and his connection with the Knights of Cybertron is heavily based on AOE/TLK Optimus Prime.
Megamasters are artificially-built, city-sized Transformers similar to the Titans who were mentioned in Beast Wars Uprising, with that series' version of Fortress Maximus being a Megamaster.
The ancient Maximals and Predacons are heavily based on the Predacons from Transformers Prime.
The Guardians of Cybertron are pretty much the combiners from Transformers Energon: Bruticus Maximus, Constructicon Maximus, Superion Maximus, and Dauntless Maximus (though all of them have different names in my universe).
The Keeper is an ancient Transformer responsible for guarding Primus for all eternity, appearing in Marvel Transformers (US) #61 "The Primal Scream". He would also briefly reappear in the Transformers vs. G.I. Joe comic book.
Pion Rex is an OC belonging to Tf-SeedsOfDeception and TF-The-Lost-Seasons.
Vegnis Prime is based on the ancient Cybertronian entity only known as "It", who briefly appeared in visions from the Matrix in the G1 Season 3 multi-parters "Five Faces of Darkness" and "The Return of Optimus Prime".