Vernoverse

[Verno]

Well, with my University education coming to an end, I've found familar thoughts floating back into my head and an urge to flesh out the story that has been haunting me since 2006 in some form or another.

Vernoverse, as it's been coined, is my attempt to make sense of the Transformers world, from the end of G1 and the Great War, through the 300-odd years of peace after the signing of the Pax Cybertronia, through Beast Wars and culminating in the evolution of the Transformers race into a TransTech future.

I borrow from many sources, both canonical and non, I leave stuff in, throw stuff out, and try to make a story work with a bit of my own imagination and creativity.

I'll try to give backstory and explanations as to 'why' stuff happens. People are free and very welcome to comment and give advice as to how better to slot the story into existing TF lore, as my knowledge of the Transformers story (beside Beast Wars) comes mostly from reading the TF Wiki, which is unhelpful at times.

So, without further ado, here's a bit to get the ball rolling.

G1 Megatron: is suffering desertion in the ranks. Loyalty to a leader was never a strong trait for Decepticons, and great numbers are moving allegiance to now fly Razorclaw's Predacon Banner. Only old 'Cons, the likes of Soundwave and Shockwave, remained by Megatron's side.

The involvement of the Cybertronian Empire in recent events, and the rumours of the development of a stable form of Transwarp Technology by the Autobots/Maximals force Megatron's hand.

Earth was destroyed by the Predacons, an act that both announced their separation from the Decepticons, and gained them much admiration amongst Decepticon ranks tired of Megatron's failings, thus began the shift of troop numbers from 'Con to Pred.

However, a raw Energon crystal had been discovered on Earth a few years earlier, which gave rise to a belief that Earth had once had a natural supply of raw Energon, perhaps enough to power an army to victory over any foe - If only one could go back and harness it.

Megatron stole an Earth relic, (all artefacts of Earth origin were now kept securely, as sorry reminders to the Autobots of their failure to protect the human race) a Golden Disk (that was launched aboard a probe some years before the Transformers awakening in the Ark on Earth) and recorded on it a message in the hope that in the future a Decepticon descendant may find it and see through his desires. Included in the encrypted data-tracks on the Disk were Earth's coordinates, as well as access codes to the Ark's defence program - Teletran One.

Megatron died in the joint assault on the Cybertronian Empire's Hub, but died with the knowledge that one day history may be re-written. The Decepticon faction, now under the leadership of Shockwave, became defunct, and faded into history with the signing of the Pax Cybertronia.

[Verno]

Optimus Prime: was in Stasis Lock during the battle against the Cybertronian Empire at The Hub, after his defeat of Galvatron. He lamented the loss of Earth, a planet accidentally brought into their conflict. He would recover before the final battle against the Predacon Armada, but took more of an advisory and tactical role than frontline combat duties.

The battle was would be won, but Optimus could not see it as a victory, but more a sad taste of warfare for the next generation of Cybertron’s sons and daughters. He handed control of the Autobot/Maximal forces to a Council of Elders, old friends and allies that had returned from the Matrix to lead the new faction. The war had been eons long, and its true cost was incalculable.

Prime had been chosen to lead the Autobots to victory over Megatron, and the peace most thought impossible - but here they were. His work was done and it was time for him to rejoin the All Spark and stand proud beside the Primes that had come before. The Matrix guided his hand in choosing, not an Autobot, but a Maximal, to pass the Matrix on to. Maxim, a powerful warrior, (and in time a great leader) became Maximus Prime.

Optimus sought rest for his Spark, and voyaged in mind and body, through J’nwan, to the heart of Primus, leaving his descendants in good hands, and greeting old friends and foes with his own, in peace.

[Verno]

Maxim: was one of the new breed of Autobots - a Maximal. Though smaller than his Autobot brethren because of his technologically advanced proto-matter body, his skill and power on the battlefield were formidable and matched him with larger ‘Bots on the frontline. He was a soldier of few words, preferring to work independently, and did so successfully, earning him the title “The One ‘Bot Army”.

He saw the end of the War, with Razorclaw’s defeat, and the signing of the Pax Cybertronia. His brothers and sisters, these new Maximals, were to be assimilated back into the Autobot ranks, but the decision was made to retire the Autobot name and insignia, originally of Quintesson origin and symbols of slavery. Maximal was adopted as the new faction title.

Optimus Prime, after handing control of the forces to the Maximal High Council of Ironhide, Silverbolt and Prowl, sought out Maxim, and passed on to him the Matrix of Leadership, transforming him into Maximus Prime. A leader for the Maximals, but one that wouldn’t have to lead alone.

[Verno]

G1 Razorclaw: could no longer stand idly by and serve another inept leader. Megatron, Galvatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, Starscream, Scorponok… All had had their time at the helm but none had succeeded in destroying the Autobots and winning the War; they seemed more interested in doing each other in. And dissent was not limited to he and his fellow Predacons. Whispers in the ranks, rumours and ripples. Galvatron’s insane ambitions were turning many off, so Razorclaw had to act. It began as merely a splinter group to quietly gauge numbers of support, but the response was overwhelming. Quiet plans began to be formulated. A target was chosen. The Predacons, as a separate fighting force, disconnected from the Decepticons, would soon announce their arrival.

The Autobots stationed on Earth were no match for the Predacon Armada which smashed into the planet, decimated its forces, and then detonated powerful explosives crammed into the Earth’s crust. Billions dead in a single day, and the Predacon faction had arrived! Razorclaw simply smiled when he saw Earth’s debris spattered through the solar system. This was just the beginning.

The Autobots, now fighting the War on two fronts, responded to the new Predacon threat with a new force of their own - the Maximals. Smaller, yet still formidable warriors, whose bodies were created from the new Proto-Matter technology that had been developed (its origins in the Mini-Bot technology). Autobot scientists were making leaps and bounds with the development of new technologies, and it was proving decisive on the battlefield. The Decepticons stagnated in their refusal to develop new Energon-efficient technologies; Galvatron believing their sheer size over their smaller foe would deliver results. Razorclaw would not be so naïve.

But the Predacons were so far behind in the development. So they did what they did best - smash and grab. A supposed secret Autobot research facility was attacked, and a leading Autobot scientist was kidnapped. Csirac, who had led the Autobot research into TransWarp technology, was taken to a Predacon installation to be ‘questioned’ about his work. The Autobots/Maximals had unsuccessfully tested an early TransWarp engine design, at the cost of many lives, including that of Csirac’s partner. The failure, and her passing, haunted Csirac.

The War continued to rage on the surface. New Predacon Generals proved themselves in battle. Four rose quickly through the ranks. Magmatron - a powerful but young and brash Predacon, and three brothers - Cinder, Seethe and Rampant, whose origins were a blur of myth and hype, but their skills were without question. Magmatron never saw eye to eye with the brothers.

In the final battle for Cybertron, long after the Decepticons had withdrawn from the War, with Shockwave signing an armistice as Leader after Megatron’s death, and with the countdown to a test flight of an Autobot TransWarp ship happening above, Razorclaw was killed on the frontline of combat. The battle had looked to be going exactly as Razorclaw had envisioned, but Magmatron was stretchered out, mortally wounded, and the Autobot ranks were bolstered by the miraculous, darkest-hour-lighting return of four mighty warriors - Ironhide, Silverbolt, Prowl… and Grimlock! This turned the tide. Razorclaw fell, his optics skyward but dark, as the Xelor made the 1st successful test of a TransWarp engine.

With Razorclaw dead and Magmatron possibly too, the Tripredacus Brotherhood took command of the Predacon forces and ordered an immediate ceasefire. The Autobots/Maximals now had at their disposal a weapon of the greatest power, a weapon that could vanquish an enemy before it even existed - the control of Time.

Razorclaw’s Predacons had their rights signed away by the now Tripredacus Council, self-appointed heads of the fledgling Predacon Government. With the Decepticons defunct, and the Autobot name retired, Cyberton’s future would be played out between Maximals and Predacons.

[Hursticon]

I'm liking this man, great 'Spotlight' type perspectives of a greater story and conflict; More, more!

[LordCyrusOmega]

Very nice verno. I did have one question but by the time I finished reading I'd forgotten it.

I remember. I know this is your own take on things and I like what you've done. However didn't the Maximals come to be due to down grading their size to conserve Energon? With this in mind Megatron could steal the Golden Disk in order to collect as much Energon from pre-historic Earth in order to upgrade there size and become bigger and more deadly then the Maximals.

[Verno]

Very nice verno. I did have one question but by the time I finished reading I'd forgotten it.

I remember. I know this is your own take on things and I like what you've done. However didn't the Maximals come to be due to down grading their size to conserve Energon? With this in mind Megatron could steal the Golden Disk in order to collect as much Energon from pre-historic Earth in order to upgrade there size and become bigger and more deadly then the Maximals.

Yeah, the Maximals were basically Mini-Bots I believe, produced with the new Protomatter technology. But in my mind, that gave no explanation for the change in faction name. Wouldn't smaller Autobots still be Autobots? I had to reationalise the name change, so I invisioned the Maximals' creation as a direct result of, and opposition to, the Predacons.

I assume you're refering to BW Megatron stealing the disk?

That's possible, but I figured as long as the smaller Maximal 'bots still held their own on the battlefield against bigger opponents, then size matters not.

[Verno]

Megalith: was a genius - intelligent, creative, persuasive and cunning. But he was one thing above all others: a Predacon. He saw the capitulation by his Decepticon forefathers, and pandering to the Maximals by his current leaders, as a personal insult. He believed that their race had only one true place - in control of Cybertron and of a great empire. If those in authority refused to act, he saw it as his obligation as a proud Predacon to do so, and seat himself at the throne of command.

Opportunities were sparse for Predacons on this new Cybertron. One that did present itself however, was within the Maximal Command Security Force, whose job is was to protect Cybertron’s interest both on and off world from dangers originating from both on and off world.

As a condition of the Pax Cybertronia, the Predacons were not permitted to have a standing army. As such, any Predacon with identified potential was allowed to apply for the Maximal Military Academy. They could graduate and serve, but only ever ascend so far in the ranks of the Security Force before hitting the glass ceiling no Predacon could break through.

Fully aware of the limited scope of progression, Megalith enlisted nonetheless, studied and graduated with outstanding marks in all fields, but specialised in data analysis. He was headhunted by and subsequently joined the Maximal Security Force, an action that gained him no respect amongst Predacons, but Maximal and Predacon leaders hoped he would be an inspiration for other gifted Predacons to put their talents to good use.

He served without incident, but after years of seeing less experienced Maximals pass him into positions of higher standing, he could no longer put himself through it. Or that’s what he told the Maximals upon his resignation anyway. In truth, he’d spent the years in service learning Maximal processes of intelligence gathering and had found ways of accessing classified information, much higher than his security clearance allowed. He’d accessed information the Predacons would have done anything to see, but he’d done it all without raising a single eyebrow. He’d always been held in a suspicious gaze by some Maximals in the Force, but they couldn’t make anything stick to him.

Megalith had never abandoned his desire of leading the Predacons to domination over their enemy. Years of research and analysis had shaped many plans for the revitalisation of their second class race, but his departure was for one reason only.

However, before he could act on any plans, he was contacted by a representative of the Tripredacus Council, who wished to meet with him. They offered him a position within a Predacon organisation that simply didn’t exist. In all his years of stealing Maximal intelligence, never did he hear a whisper about the outfit. Whatever this organisation was, the Maximals had no idea it even existed.

Work on stealth capabilities, advanced weapons research, recruitment and training of soldiers - all of which pointed to a Predacon uprising in the near future. No wonder all this was done on distant off world Outposts, far from Maximal sensors. But the one thing that interested Megalith the most, and where he requested to be assigned, was the TransWarp research department. He had never been able to crack the Maximal intel on their TransWarp technology, and this, above all else that was illegal under the Pax Cybertronia, was the big one. The Maximals garnering the ability to traverse time and change the outcome of the future was that which prompted the Predacon surrender at the end of the Great War, but if the Predacons also had this capability, then they were back on a level playing field.

Megalith paused his own designs for the moment and threw himself into his work. The TransWarp cells were highly unstable, and research was slow going but progress was being made.

Then one day, it worked.

Stellar cycles of research and testing yielded a successfully tested and stable TransWarp cell. The day of uprising would be soon.

But it never came. The Tripredacus Council refused to act. The weapon to retake power of the universe was in their hand but they refused to wield it. Megalith was astounded at the sheer refusal to move. His own plans suddenly came roaring back into motion.

Taking absence from his work, he returned to Cybertron and sought out a crew - skilled, willing, but ultimately controllable to his own ends, and expendable. He found a loyal second in command, two pilots, a deranged engineer, and, from the dirty underworld of the Gladiatorial Arenas run by Cryotek, some muscle. All of them were ready to throw off the shackles of Maximal oppression, but needed a bit of convincing that it was possible. One small data track would change all their minds.

From the Hall of Cybertronian Antiquities, they stole a relic of Earth origin, an object that had been surrounded with myth for centuries. A Golden Disk. And on this disk, a message.

As their stolen ship, fitted with TransWarp cells, broke orbit, and pursued by incoming Maximal ships, the squawking red robot at the helm turned and said “You better be right about this, Megalith”, which was greeted with the reply “My dear Terrasaur, you will address me as Megatron…”

[Hursticon]

This is good stuff man, more I say, more!
One thing though, should Terrorsaur be known as Terrorsaur at this point?, or do you think it'd be more fitting if he had a number rather than a name or just a different name in general?

[Verno]

This is good stuff man, more I say, more!
One thing though, should Terrorsaur be known as Terrorsaur at this point?, or do you think it'd be more fitting if he had a number rather than a name or just a different name in general?

Cheers Hursty. Don't worry, I'm purging more of it each day to try and make sense of it all myself.

Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with pre-BW names.

Megalith - Megatron
Dynobot - Dinobot
Taranachus - Tarantulas

I've even changed the Tripredacus Council names because I don't like them having Beasty names.

Cinder - Cicadacon
Rampant - Ram Horn
Seethe - Sea Clamp

I'd like the names to somehow reflect or foreshadow their names in Beast Wars. How I can make Optimus Primal Optimus Primal without making 'Optimus' a rank like Captain will be a tough one.

Why do you think a number for Terrorsaur? Don't Transformers have names?