Before time began…
It is written in the Covenant of Primus that, in the beginning, there were 2. Primus: the Light-Giver and Unicron: The Chaos-Bringer. It is unknown where they came from only that, from the moment of their inception, they have been at war.
Representing opposing sides of the forces of nature, the two entities battled for eons. Equal but opposite, neither side was able to hold a true victory over the other for long. Their struggle looked to be an eternal one until Primus appealed to his nature. He divested his very life essence, sacrificing himself to give rise to a pantheon of warriors who would tip the scales of power in the favor of light. From this act of selflessness, the First Thirteen Primes arose.
With his self split amongst the 13, Primus's body would transform into a world of living metal. The Thirteen named this world 'Cybertron' and it was from Cybertron that the Primes would wage a war on Evil itself.
The Primes fought with every metric of cosmic energy they could muster. Despite their efforts however, like their creator, they could not decidedly triumph over the Chaos Bringer. It was in their struggle that the truth of the conflict emerged. They could not best Unicron because Unicron was not to be bested. As Chaos incarnate, Unicron was akin to one of the fundamental forces of the Universe. As such, he could not be vanquished without also upsetting the cosmic balance. So, the Primes stopped trying to destroy him outright and instead sought to banish him from their world. But to do that, they needed a similar force of nature.
So, from the raw power of the first Dying Neutron Star, the Primes fashioned a blade capable of cleaving the very stars from the Night Sky; at its hilt they seated a portion of Primus' Very Spark into a Talisman that came to be known as The Matrix of Leadership. The name of this Legendary Blade was the Star Saber and only Prima, leader of the Thirteen, had the honor of wielding it as the first Saberknight.
With the Star Saber, Prima and the rest of the Thirteen cast the Chaos Bringer from their world and out of the realm. From Unicron's defeat, Peace arose and from that Peace, the first life sprouted from Cybertron's soil.
As lesser Kin these new 'Cybertronians' would look to the Prime's - their Demi-gods - for guidance. As Primus' firstborn children, the Primes took it upon themselves to rule and govern their younger kin. And so the Primes became rulers of Cybertron and its peoples.
The first of the second generation of Cybertronians would follow in the Prime of Light's footsteps. They, 12 in all, would call themselves the Knights of Cybertron. The Knights would build Colossal beings called Titans in honor of the Primes. It was with these Titans that the Thirteen would set out to build a grand Cybertronian empire.
Cities were erected across Cybertron's surface, worlds amidst the cosmos were colonized and settled upon. Before long, Cybertron became a vast Empire with the City-State Iacon at its heart. Thus the Cybertronians knew their first Golden Age and, at the core of that Golden Age, shined the Matrix of Leadership. However, like all things, this would not last.
Over time, the Primes would find that they did not agree on every matter. Disagreements turned to arguments. Arguments to fights. Eventually, the Primes and their followers split into sides and so Cybertron would find itself in the throes of a Great Civil War - it's first, but not it's Last.
The War was long and brutal. It saw the loss of many lives, the annexation of cities, the eventual isolation of the Empire's Colony worlds, the Great Stasis of the Titans. War raged and consumed all until the Primes were but a memory.
Without the Primes' Guidance, Cybertronian life fell into a lul. Blaming the influence of Unicron for the blow dealt to their kind, the Knights of Cybertron would seek to bring ruin to the banished Unicron for his transgressions. From beyond the confines of the verse, they would launch their crusade. So, with a fire in their Sparks, they set out into the Cosmos...they were never heard from again.
Time drudged on. Cybertron's people went without the leadership and wisdom of their Primes and chaos and disarray followed in an age of lawlessness. From this lawlessness, 5 Great and Powerful Houses arose to become pillars of Cybertronian society.
The Bornstellers, The Primal Vanguard, House Convoy, House Tyrest and The Circle of Light. Representing Economy, Order, Justice, Law and Religion, these Houses founded the cornerstones of Cybertronian society. But they quickly found that they were nothing without a ruling head. The people yearned for a voice to follow, a leader - a Prime. Their wants would not go unanswered.
A member of the Primal Vanguard would stand before Cybertron. Having recovered the Matrix of Leadership and brought it before the houses, this member of the Vanguard would proclaim himself Prima's descendant. His name was Nova Major and a council of the Great Houses would see him follow in the footsteps of his proclaimed birthright. Nova Major would be named Nova Prime and he would be the first of a new line appointed by Cybertron's People.
Over the years, the Primacy would evolve into a sacred position revered by those without power and sought after by those with it. But some believe that, like all things, this new age of Primes could not last.
Some viewed the modern Primacy as symbolic of corruption. Their disdain for the deception of the 'Primes' gave rise to a new movement. Formerly a Miner and a Gladiator, the one that called himself Megatron founded the Decepticon movement to usurp the Primacy and bring about an end to the age of Primes. Under his rule, the Decepticons would stop at nothing to destroy the Matrix and become Cybertron's new ruling force. But they would not go unopposed.
The latest in the Primacy: Optimus Prime would lead the modern day Autobots to stave off Megatron's lust for power disguised as revolution. The Autobots viewed Megatron's version of peace as a front. 'Peace through Tyranny'. His rule would come at the cost of Cybertron's precious freedoms - a cost that was far too high.
And so began the Next Great Civil War. The Autobots would wage their battles to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons and though they have fought valiantly, Decepticonism was not so easily vanquished.
War would soon consume Cybertron and the Autobots would be pushed to the Planet's farthest corners. Only a handful of bastions still remained, including the Planet's capital of Iacon-City.
Tired and weary of War as he was, Optimus Prime would continue to stand against injustice with all of his Spark. But that did not mean he was ignorant to the plights of his enemies. Their ideals were born of frustration in their leaders, frustration that was aptly placed. The Primes of the past propagated themselves as above others and yet their actions and inactions brought misery to those beneath them. All who bore the title, even the 13 were guilty of this. In learning viewing this truth in Iacon's Hall of Records, Optimus Prime could not deny his sympathy for the root of their cause. He longed for the day when Cybertron evolved beyond the desire for the 'voice of one' and instead ruled as 'one voice'. But, until The Last Prime had passed and the age of the Primes was over, he would fight on…
'Till all are one.'