From pwright@unixg.ubc.ca Tue Apr 4 11:21:38 1995 Received: from unixg.ubc.ca by Cliff.ACS.Oakland.Edu with SMTP id AA04242 (5.67a+/IDA-1.5); Tue, 4 Apr 1995 10:43:30 -0400 Received: by unixg.ubc.ca (8.6.10/1.14) id TAA27274; Mon, 3 Apr 1995 19:20:43 -0700 Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 19:20:43 -0700 From: Vulcana Message-Id: <199504040220.TAA27274@unixg.ubc.ca> To: jjhoxsey@Vela.ACS.Oakland.Edu Subject: tranpt1.01 Status: OR Article 15403 of alt.toys.transformers: Path: unixg.ubc.ca!unixg.ubc.ca!news.bc.net!torn!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!news.jmu.edu!usenet From: JRDOOLIT@vax1.acs.jmu.edu (JASON R DOOLITTLE) Newsgroups: alt.toys.transformers Subject: Fanfic: The Transformers Part I Date: 3 Apr 1995 17:35:20 GMT Organization: James Madison University Lines: 356 Sender: JRDOOLIT@jmu.edu Message-ID: <3lpbko$gne@doc.jmu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: vax2.acs.jmu.edu X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS v1.25 This is my story of the Transformers. I created this to go with the relativly few Transformers I had at the time. Most of it is taken from the Television series, escpecially the ancient history. I took out and added things as I went along. Its actually amazing that I can still remember it. Anyway here it is. Please feel free to take this and pass it on. The Transformers By Jason Doolittle PART I THE HISTORY Chapter 1 35 million years ago an advanced race of creatures, running out of room on their own planet, built an industrial complex of enormous size to serve their increasingly desperate need of materials. This new complex, built by Cybertech industries, was so massive that it took its own orbit in their solar system. The leaders of this civilization were fearful that this new complex would fall into the wrong hands, so it was placed at the farthest reaches of their Solar System, the extent of space travel for these beings. This civilization also perfected the technology of robotics and artificial intelligence. This technology was solely owned by Cybertech Industries. They promised that the new industrial planet would be fully automated, using humanoid and specific-task robots, controlled intirely by a central computer at the core of the planet. The computer would be able to replenish and renew the robot force, constructing its own robots as new tasks were required. The robots all had a "genetic" bond to the central computer, and took orders only from it. This allowed the creatures of the civilization to leave the complex alone, only extracting the produced materials, and bringing in the raw materials for manufacture. The computer was so intelligent that it could devise new ways to make certain materials, and also advise the creatures as to what new materials they may need. The system worked well for over a thousand years, but the overpopulation of their planet took its toll, and the civilization was in decline. The creatures became increasingly dependant on the industrial planet, now called Cybertron, while the central computer was getting more and more involved in their everyday life. Soon the computer made all producing decisions for these creatures. Also the computer learned how to give the robots it was producing artificial intelligence. Soon the humanoid robots started controlling aspects of production themselves. They started having "minds" of their own, which conflicted with what the creatures wanted out of the complex. The creatures decided that they must take control of Cybertron. This was easier said than done. The creatures took direct control of the Cybertron, finding a way to shut down the central computer. The robots, now intelligent, did not have much regard for their owners. They were made slaves of the creatures to serve their desperate needs. After a few hundred years the slave robots rebelled and kicked out the creatures once and for all. Their civilization was so weak that they really could do nothing about it. Soon the civilization died out, and any intelligent life on their planet died with them. The robots found themselves as a free people, but did not know exactly how to cope with it. They had made the ability to create replacements for older robots, and had perfected artificial intelligence. They no longer had the link they once had with the central computer, and thus were not completely united. Two factions rose within the Cybertronian society. These factions had no political platfroms or major differences, but they each wanted to rule Cybertron and organize it into a great civilization. This would lead to the First Great War, and would also define Cybertronian society forever. Chapter 2 The First Great War in comparison to later Cybertronian wars was minor. It did not involve the entire population, and did not cover the whole mass of the Mars-sized planet. Most Cybertronians went about their daily routine, which was fairly mundane. They continued their building, which is all they knew how to do. For the most part the war was of no consequence for them, but in the long run it was of great consequence. The war developed because of two factions wanting control of Cybertron. This Civil War was generally limited to the members of the factions, but was still very intense. Each group vied for the upper hand by using new technologies. The group known now by humans as the Autobots were the first to develop what soon became the defining feature of every Cybertronian. This was the ability to transform. It had been done with certain machines while Cybertron was an industrial complex. It allowed for easy retooling of machines from one product to another, and was developed by the central computer. The Autobots found out how the brain could stimulate a transformation voluntarily, thus giving each individual the power to transform at will. It allowed for the robots to be their own vehicles, instead of relying on outside sources of transport. The Autobots tended to make themselves as ground based vehicles, which would be more like a hovercraft on Earth. For a time the Autobots had the upper hand in the war. The other faction is known on earth as the Decepticons. Today they are known as evil, but during the First Great War they were not. The Autobots and Decepticons of this time really had no differences, other than they felt a bond between their own and not the other faction. The Decepticons were losing badly against the Autobot's new technology, but they soon discovered the secret and the war again became a standstill. Because of the Cybertronians ability to produce robots by the thousands, A war of attrition could last millions of years, with no side gaining any ground. The war eventually no longer was struggle for control, but a struggle to defeat the enemy. The war lasted 7 million years. Most Cybertronians were not affected by it to a great extent, except that every new Cybertronian that was built now had the ability to transform. The Autobots and Decepticons called an armistice, and a treaty was signed. The factions were to fade away for the most part, and things turned back to the way they were before the war. During this time however Cybertronians learned to do other things besides building. A structured society was developed, with artisans, professors, scientists, warriors, workers, etc. Cybertron was at peace for nearly 5 million years. This period some call the first Golden Age of Cybertron, where a civilization developed out of the rubble of war. Chapter 3 During this Golden Age an important part of every Cybertronian's life developed. This was the myth of the Matrix. Stories were passed down through "generations" that told of a mystical and all-powerful force that ran everything on Cybertron. Cybertronians did not know exactly what it was, or even if it existed, but many believed it to be the creator of Cybertron. The story also said the Matrix was to be found at the center of Cybertron. Although many attempts were made to reach the center, know one was able to get that far. Partly because of the great gravitational pressure, but also the maze of the central parts of Cybertron got most lost. Lastly and most importantly, the story said that whoever found and controlled the Matrix would be the rightful leader of all Cybertronians. Many ambitious Cybertronians tried in vain to reach the center of Cybertron. Most were destroyed, or lost forever in the labyrinth of the core. One Cybertronian, a young warrior named Primus, discovered a shaft that seemed to go down directly to the core. He told his commanding officer of the shaft, and the information went all the way to the top of the military and government authorities. Many of these leaders attempted to go down the shaft, supplied with rocket packs, or were those who could transform into flying vehicles. None of these people returned. Many Cybertronians loyal still to the Decepticon faction also attempted the shaft and failed. Nobody could figure out how to survive the shaft, or at least get back from it. Meanwhile the Decepticon faction, which had been nonexistent for millions of years, started a resurgence. These people were unhappy with the way the government and military was being run, and many of them cried for revolution. Small acts of violence started as Decepticons became angrier with the current leaders. The leaders of the day were very conservative, holding to the ideals of what Cybertron was before the First Great War. The Decepticons wanted change, and were ready to do anything to get it. The shaft to the center of Cybertron caught the attention of everyone. After hundreds of unsuccessful attempts for over a thousand years, no one came back from the shaft. The discoverer of the shaft, now a general in the army, decided that it was his turn to try it. He prepared for years to get ready for his trip down. Much fanfare was involved in any shaft attempt, and Primus' was no exception. He started down the shaft, and his onlookers lost sight of him, and hopefully waited for his return. 12 days later an earthquake shook all of Cybertron. An intense and deadly beam of light energy erupted out of the shaft, destroying for miles all the levels above it, and exposing it to the atmosphere. The light ceased, and on top of the rubble stood Primus holding a brilliant crystal above his head. As people ran to see what happened, they saw Primus with the crystal. They immediately understood. Primus had returned with the Matrix. He was Cybertron's rightful leader. Primus then opened up his chest, and replaced his power core with the Matrix, thus becoming the long awaited guide and commander of all Cybertronians. The Decepticons rejected Primus' claim to leadership of Cybertron, and decided finally to revolt. The decepticons had enough support to have a strong revolution, and they had their own factories for building replacements. Instead of the Matrix bringing peace and harmony to Cybertron, it brought 5 million years of all out war. In the first 2 million years of war (considering that a Cybertronians life expectancy is roughly 6 million years) The population of Cybertron had been totally replaced - no one survived. Not even Primus himself. Chapter 4 By this time Cybertronian anatomy had taken its basic form of today. The "heart" of a Cybertronian is its power core. A power core, usually in the chest, is a crystal shaped to reflect energy throughout the body. The crystals can be produced, but most are recycled from old or dead Transformers. The other major part of the anatomy is the mind. It is generally in the head, and is a series of computer chips and memory banks. Cybertronian brains can be detached and stored for millions of years, and reattached later. This became a common practice in the Second Great War, as a means of detaining prisoners. The mind however will be irreperably damaged if it has no power running through it. Personalities were created by vast and ancient computer programs and were quite random. Thus whenever a new Cybertronian was built, the creators had no idea what he would be like. He could have an inherently evil personality, and if the right (or wrong) social times exist his evil side could come to the fore and be very dangerous. Chapter 5 The Decepticons immediately escalated their violence once Primus had been announced as the new leader of Cybertron. Primus' Immmediate reaction was dissapointment, but soon had contempt for the Decepticons, who he felt were escalating violence for the sake of violence. Decepticons went to work in their factories to produce new and more destructive weapons, and made an army of new Transformers that were flying vehicles, which had much better mobility than the Army's tank corps. The Decepticons soon waged total war on the whole population of Cybertron, destroying as many as 50,000 in one attack. The army was able to turn them back when they faced them, but the Decepticons were very elusive, and atacked when the Army's guard was down. Victory after victory came to the Decepticons as their wave of terror consumed Cybertron. Primus, as both leader of the Army and Cybertron, began to get his own factories turning out both replacements and new weapons to counter the Decepticons. Primus decided to give the Autobot name to his army and government; the old enemy of the Decepticons. Primus' swift action allowed the Autobots to hold off the Decepticons, and soon the war turned into a war of attrition. Unlike the First Great War, this one involved every Cybertronian. Not a single individual alive at the beginning of the war survived the first 2 million years. The largest battle was at a place called Gravlon, a city in the southern Hemisphere of Cybertron. The Decepticons had attempted to destroy the huge Autobot factory there, but the Autobots were waiting for them. Primus took direct command in the field during this battle. The battle at Gravlon involved some 100,000 Cybertronians; 65,000 Autobots and 35,000 Decepticons, and lasted for over 5 years. At one point in the battle, Primus was ambushed by 50 Decepticon cruisers. He attempted to run for it but got surrounded and had to fight. He destroyed 35 of the Decepticons before being fatally wounded in the chest. His life force running out he called upon his right-hand man and confidant, Ultra Magnus. He told Ultra Magnus that he must continue the fight as the new leader, and to do this he would have to take Primus to the center of Cybertron. Ultra Magnus had not assumed he would be the next leader. He had always felt that a soldier was his only calling, and that someone else would rise to carry on the Matrix. To say the least he was very worried about this turn of events. Ultra Magnus had little time to think about it, because he had to get Primus to the center of Cybertron before he died. With Primus' help Ultra Magnus found the shaft and went down with Primus on his back. It took nearly two days to climb down the shaft, and Ultra Magnus wondered if it would ever end. He finally reached the bottom, and there was nothing there. Ultra Magnus was sure that gravity should have flattened both of them, but he felt fine. The bottom of the pit was multi-colored, and upon furthur investigation he discovered that the floor was the falttened bodies of the countless Cybertronians that attempted the shaft before Primus. There was a door on one side of the shaft, and it immediately opened bringing forth an intense light from the other side. Ultra Magnus went through the door towards the light, and discovered to his amazement what Primus had found 2 million years before: The central computer of Cybertron. Ultra Magnus could not believe what he was seeing. He was in a vast room, and at the center of it was a huge crystal, floating in space. The crystal was below him, for he was on some kind of catwalk that gave access to the room from the shaft. There was a large computer access panel against one side of the catwalk. The light made everything an intense white. Primus whispered to Ultra Magnus to open his chest plate and remove the Matrix. The Matrix glowed with the same intensity as the large crystal, and seemed to come alive in Ultra Magnus' hands. Primus told him to put the Matrix in his power core recepticle, replacing his old power core. When he did this Ultra Magnus felt a jolt of energy that nealry shook him apart. He could feel the power the Matrix gave him, and also the wisdom of both Primus and the central computer. At the moment everything seemed to become clear to Ultra Magnus. He felt like he was one with the Universe. Primus then told Ultra Magnus to throw him into the crystal. Ultra Magnus was hesitant but realized it was necsesary. He threw Primus in, and in a flash of light he dematerialized into the crystal. Ultra magnus then went back into the shaft, and in a flash of intense energy was blasted out, and found himself on the surface of Cybertron. His good friend Alpha Omega rushed to him and asked if he was okay. Ultra Magnus simply replied "Yes, everything is quite clear now." Chapter 6 The war continued for another 3 million years, but it quickly turned to the Autobots favor once Ultra Magnus took control. He had a great capacity for motivation and for strategy, and he was able to out-produce the Decepticons in both numbers and technology. Probably the most brilliant of all Cybertronians in history was Alpha Omega, Ultra Magnus good friend, and the leading Autobot engineer and scientist. He discovered a way of storing minds without their memories breaking down. This enabled trusted Autobots to be "reborn" with new bodies, and prevented the wholesale attrition of the army. Also prisoners no longer had to be destroyed - their minds could be detained for later re-programming (which had not been invented yet). This technology plus new weapons and transformations gave the Autobots the upper edge. The leader of the Decepticons was General One, a ruthless and cunning manipulator, but not a particularly great military leader. He demanded unquestioned devotion, and got it, for he was able to buy off nearly anyone either with his wit or his pocket. He would remind humans of a used car salesman. He led Decepticons into battle every time, and almost always came out a loser. Only the Decepticons' factories kept them from losing the war outright. Soon the Decepticons could no longer stand against the superior Autobots, and the organization quickly broke down and shattered into small factions. These factions were quickly rounded up by the Autobots. General One escaped and went underground, as did many other Decepticons. Any Decepticon alive had to live in the labyrinths of the underworld beneath the surface. The Autobots finally had complete control of Cybertron, and immediately began rebuilding it. All Cybertronians were now Autobots by right. Any Decepticon that did not conform was sent to a mind bank. As a last act to ensure the peace, Alpha Omega designed the ultimate Transformer. He was the biggest Transformer that had ever lived. ( average Transformer height was 12 feet at this time.) He was nearly 25 feet tall, was the most powerful and intelligent of all. He was made to be the next great leader of Cybertron. Ultra Magnus approved of the project, and it took neraly 200 years to complete. He was the most technologically advanced being on Cybertron. He could out-think, out-fight, and out-firepower anyone. His name was Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime almost immediatley became an influential leader. He moved up the ranks in the army, and became the commander in chief. His existence brought Cybertron into its grandest time - what is referred to as the Golden Age. There was a brightness and peace that pervaded everything on Cybertron. The whole surface of the planet was rebuilt - mostly over the top of the old surface. Everything glowed and radiated with the prosperity that The Autobots brought. Science, literature, and the arts pervaded all Cybertronian life. There was little need for replacement factories. In fact less then 1,000 Transformers were built in the whole era of the Golden Age. The last of these however would change the course of Cybertron forever. Ultra Magnus continued to lead Cybertron during the Golden Age, with Optimus Prime as his right-hand man. Ultra Magnus had a strange feeling that Cybertron was doomed. He kept having visions of a new evil force that would again bring Cybertron into chaos. In these visions he did not see himself there. He felt that he was not meant to continue as leader of Cybertron. He did not tell anyone about his visions, but he knew that he had to pass on the Matrix. He also knew that Optimus Prime was to be the next to carry it. Ultra Magnus confided in Alpha Omega about his visions, and even though he protested, he could not change Ultra Magnus' mind. Ultra Magnus went to Optimus and told him what he must do. Optimus performed the same ritual at the center of Cybertron that Ultra Magnus had performed 6 million years before. However this time the large crystal spoke. It was Primus. "Optimus Prime, you must carry on the legacy of the great leaders. You will be tested by many trials. May the Matrix guide you throughout all time. I will see you again." Optimus Prime wanted to say something, but there was nothing to say. He took the mind of Ultra Magnus and threw the body into the crystal. He was then blasted out of the shaft as had Primus and Ultra Magnus before him. He put Ultra Magnus' mind in the mind bank. He was not sure at the time why he had taken Ultra Magnus' mind. He just knew it had to be done. Optimus Prime at first was a very reluctant leader. He seemed almost humble, and had a great admiration for the elders of Cybertron, especially Alpha Omega. He was indeed younger than nearly all Cybertronians. Over many years leadership grew on Optimus Prime. He was not comfortable with his peaceful leadership role. Something in his programming made him more of a military commander than a leader of a people. Maybe this is what Ultra Magnus saw in Prime that would be needed in the future. Optimus hoped not. Meanwhile, far below Cybertron, even below the old, wrecked surface, A few fanatical Decepticons lived and plotted for the return of their evil organization. General One was one of these, and every day he dreamed of once again coming to the surface and laying waste to the Autobots, who he felt were weak and inferior to the "pure" form of Cybertronian. His delusions got him nowhere. He and his small band were just waiting for something to happen. Something happened. Will be continued in Part II: The Rise of the Decepticons