Hey everyone. In Beast Wars Prime I mentioned that I was going to have Arcee teach the Maximals about the history of Cybertron and the war. A few points brought up in them are going to be plot points in the story. Problem was I couldn't get it to organically fit it into the main story. Hence, a side series. This chapter takes place about an hour or so before chapter 22 in Beast Wars Prime (Masters and Mentors). Please, enjoy.
Arcee swallowed nervously. It had been a long time since she'd taught a class. However, with the new Maximals in the group knowing nothing of the war that led to their circumstances. Not to mention the original ones only knowing the basics meant some lessons in Cybertronian history were now in order.
She'd found an empty storeroom on the ship and had repurposed it into her new classroom. She'd even managed to make desks for herself and the Maximals to sit at and even added a few human sized seats when June commented that she'd like to sit in as well. Afterwards she hit up Rewind for some reference materials and the human sized Autobot archivist was only too happy to oblige. What really surprised her was an early edition copy of the Covenant of Primus. When she asked Rewind commented that it was one of the few surviving copies that reportedly held the story of the thirteen that was the most accurate. Most others had been destroyed with the rise of the senate.
What she didn't expect however was for three of the Lost Lights' crew to join the kids for her classes. Nautica, Lightbright, and Velocity had signed up once they'd overheard Jack talking to Depthcharge about it. Having been forged on Caminus, the trio of femmes knew nothing about what led to the fall of Cybertron. Not to mention the fact that, according to them, some of the story of the thirteen and the social customs were different on the colony world as well.
"Morning everyone, and welcome to Cybertronian History 101." Arcee spoke as she eyed her assembled students. This included the six Maximals, the three Camins, and June who was seated off to the side. Depthcharge, who'd actually lived through the war on Cybertron and knew their species history, would be sitting out their lessons in favor of training. "Full disclosure, most of my source material for this lesson comes from an original copy of the covenant of Primus provided by Rewind."
She took a breath. "For our first lesson." Arcee started. "We will go back to the very beginning of the Cybertronian race. Primus, and his battle against Unicron." There was a moment of silence at the chaos bringers' name. Only a handful of beings in the room knew that Unicron was the planet right beneath their feet.
"In the beginning." Arcee began. "There were twin beings of equal and opposite power, Primus the keeper of order and light, and Unicron the bringer of chaos and destruction."
Raf raised a hand. "If they were equal and opposite, how'd they end up as enemies?" He asked.
Arcee looked at him and smiled. "To put it simply Raf, it was in their nature. Primus desired to create and foster life in the universe whereas Unicron wanted to consume all life, including his twin. Unfortunately, they were too evenly matched and this resulted in an eternal stalemate"
"To end their fight, Primus decided to remove himself from the conflict altogether." She continued. "To fight in his place, he created thirteen beings by combining various elements of both himself, and his twin. This introduced new variety and options for the fight against Unicron. Those beings are the ones we know now as the original thirteen Primes." Looking up, Arcee saw she now had everyones' undivided attention.
Arcee tapped a button on a holographic display on her desk, showing a white mech with white light emanating from him. In his left hand he held the Star Saber tough nobody knew it yet. "The first of the Primes, and most like Primus was Prima. A warrior of light and virtue."
She tapped the button again. This time a white and gold mech interlaced with what seemed to be clockwork gears appeared. This one also held a sword. "Next came Vector Prime. Vector was the keeper of space and time, able to bend it fully to his will to ensure whatever outcome he wished."
"The third Prime to be created." Arcee continued, hitting the button again. "Was Alpha Trion." This time, a purple bot with a beard and mustache appeared before them. In his hands he held a quill and a book.
"Alpha Trion was the chronicler of the thirteen. He held both the original covenant of Primus, telling past, present, and future, and the reality altering quill. And we do know that he was alive as recently as a million years ago." Arcee clicked the button again.
Next came an image of a greyish white femme with burgundy highlights. This image got a gasp from the Camins. "I take it you three know who she is?" Arcee asked.
"That's Solus Prime, the maker, and creator." Nautica exclaimed excitedly. "On Caminus she is one of the two Primes worshiped the most, along with the risen." Seeing this image for the three colonists was like seeing the shroud of Turin to humans.
Arcee, raised a brow. 'The risen?' She had a hunch who they meant, but would have to ask about that a little later. Pressing the button again, Solus was replaced by a small green mech with yellow energy coursing through him. "And following her was Micronus Prime. Often considered the conscience, and moral center of the thirteen."
Pressing the button again, Micronus was replaced by a stout bespectacled mech that for some reason looked vaguely familiar to Arcee. "Next came Alchemist Prime." She continued, shrugging of her sense of DeJa'Vu. "He was equal parts scientist and mystic, with a connection to the elements of the universe far exceeding the others."
Velocity raised her eyebrow. "Wasn't Alchemist something of a drunk?" She asked. She couldn't quite remember everything about the other eleven primes.
"That fact is inconclusive. We know he was fond of intoxicating concoctions, but I don't think we'll ever know to what degree." Arcee replied hitting the button again.
The next image was of a colossal combiner. Its' form was almost impossible to describe as it was overlayed with a number of potential subdivisions "Then came Nexus Prime. The first and greatest of the combiners." All six Maximals tensed up a little at the name.
Arcee mentally kicked herself. She'd forgotten that one of Nexus Primes' artifacts, the Enigma of Combination, had been used to turn them into these forms. "He was the most random of the thirteen and after their fall, took possession of and hid many of their artefacts." She pressed the button again to ease the unexpected tension.
A mech that seemed to be a cross between a centaur and a griffin. "After Nexus Prime, came Onyx Prime. The first Cybertronian to have a 'beast' mode." Looking closely, Arcee now saw that the Maximals attention was now focused on what could be called their forbearer. "He was as much a spiritual mech as he was a warrior, and a close friend to Solus Prime."
Another Prime came up. This one looked like golden plating held together by liquid golden metal. "This was Amalgamous Prime. His ability to change shape was so strong it surpassed even Nexus Prime, who is often nicknamed the wizard of forms. Although, for all his versatility and power, he was supposedly more of a lighthearted prankster."
The next prime was a green and white mech that seemed to be mostly arms and tendrils. "The tenth of the thirteen was Quintus Prime. He was a combination of idealist and perfectionist, and often described as one who nurtured life in all its forms." She hit the button again, bringing up the next Prime.
"Who is that supposed to be, Loki-mus Prime?" Allison asked, looking at the pale green mech with curved horns coming from his helmet. The similarities to the Marvel comics character were uncanny.
Arcee snorted. She could see where Allison was coming from. "No Allison, that is Liege Maximo, the manipulator. He was a master strategist and charmer, but ultimately it was his guile that led to the fall of the thirteen."
"Hooold up a nano." Lightbright called. "We were always taught that it was Megatronus' rage that led to their fall."
Arcee hit the button. Maximo was replaced by a black and red mech with a massive arm cannon. The thing that caught the most attention though was his face. If one looked at it just right, you could swear you were looking at the Decepticon insignia.
"Megatronus Prime, invariably known as The Fallen, is the twelfth Prime. I will explain the moniker in a bit." Arcee continued, seeing the Maximals' and Junes' questioning looks. "He existed as a natural antithesis to Prima. Where Prima was most like Primus, Megatronus was most like Unicron. However, in spite of their constant fighting, he fought Unicron alongside the others."
Arcee pressed the button one last time. However, there was no image of a Prime, just a three-dimensional question mark. "The last Prime, we have no knowledge of their true name or any picture of them. They had no special powers, but they were the mediator and source of encouragement among the primes. They are famous for uniting the Primes with their greeting of 'all are one.' "
"The risen." Lightbright whispered, drawing everyones attention to her. She blushed and looked away, embarrassed. "The thirteenth Prime is the one we call the risen on Caminus."
"And I think I know why." Arcee replied. "Just let me finish teaching about them, then we'll see if I'm right."
She cleared her throat. "After creating the thirteen and giving them their mission, Primus entered stasis. From there on the thirteen trained and planned a way to defeat Unicron. To aide them in their battle, Solus Prime created numerous weapons and artifacts. Using her forge hammer, she created the Star Saber, Chimera Stone, the Liegian Darts, and Requiem Blaster to name a few."
"In the end." Arcee continued. "Unicron was defeated and set adrift in the cosmos. Sensing that more of their kind would come to be, the Primes went about the business of building a civilization. What they couldn't know however was that Unicron had tainted each of the thirteen ever so slightly in the final battle." For time's sake she decided to omit exactly how they'd beaten him.
"As the thirteen began to develop their civilization in their unique ways, friendships and bonds were both strengthened and strained." Seeing the looks of confusion on the Maximals, Arcee continued. "The overly orderly Prima and free spirited Megatronus fought frequently, unknowingly being manipulated by Liege Maximo the entire time."
She smiled a little. "However, in contrast, Solus Prime and Megatronus grew closer. Ultimately their friendship turned into true love."
"Wait a minute." June interrupted, trying to keep up. "Weren't the Primes all siblings?" She asked.
"To an extent." Arcee conceded. "But they, like modern day Cybertronians were born out of the living metal of the planet. And the kind of love we have doesn't really have a sexual element to it." She explained. June nodded in acceptance of this.
"But getting back on subject." She continued. "The conflict that ended the age of the Primes was when Maximo, with help from Quintus and Megatronus began creating non sentient robot beasts. Prima ordered the experiments to be shut down and Maximo commissioned Solus Prime for an armor that he could use to control the experiments, offering her a small pet in exchange."
Arcee gave a sigh. "Sadly, things went downhill after that. Thirteen called for a vote on the fate of the farm after Alpha Trion found the larger beasts were being set against each other and that worse beings were being cultivated in the caverns beneath the farm. The deciding vote fell to Solus who, while disliking Prima for his treatment of Megatronus and controlling ways, voted to shut the farm down."
"After the vote." Arcee continued. "Maximo asked Megatronus to try and convince her to give them the armor with the intent of using to safely shut the farm down. Not long after there was a sound of arguing and a blow was heard coming from Solus' forge. Investigating, they found Solus and her pet dead, and Megatronus missing." Seeing Velocitys' arm raised, Arcee pointed at her.
"On Caminus we were taught that Megatronus tried asking her to change her vote and when that failed, he killed her. Now, I'm guessing that is not how it happened." She asked.
"Correct." Arcee replied. "The majority of the remaining Primes were furious and wanted to make Megatronus pay for his crime. Thirteen barely kept them from becoming a lynch mob."
Double checking her notes, Arcee continued. "They found Megatronus at the farm, waiting for them. He told them that their argument started when she accused him of letting Liege Maximo play him for a fool. He'd tried to retrieve the armor, but Solus wouldn't let him and then suggested he return the Requiem Blaster. Becoming furious, he accused her of never truly loving him and that all the other Primes hated him being so much like Unicron."
Arcee rubbed at her optics. "Unknown to either of them at the time, Solus' pet was actually being used by Maximo to spy on Solus. Said pet then attacked Megatronus who attempted to shoot it with the Requiem Blaster. Solus, not knowing of the pets' true nature swung at Megatronus with her Forge Hammer. Whether he intended to shoot her or not is unknown, but in the end, Solus was dead. Her last words were a declaration of love for Megatronus."
There was a silence in the classroom at that statement. "So Megatronus was manipulated, and Solus paid the price." Miko spoke quietly. Something in her spark stirred, a feeling of sadness for the two ancient lovers.
"Yes." Arcee conceded. "And when Megatronus finished his tale, Maximo attempted to shift the blame back onto him. He claimed that Megatronus' violent tendencies were the reason he wanted the farm created. So as to have things to test himself against."
Taking a breath, Arcee continued. "Hearing this, Megatronus was furious. He finally believed Solus' words about Maximo manipulating him and ultimately a fight broke out. The fighting caused the ground the farm stood on to give way, plunging the Primes into the caverns below. Almost immediately they were set upon by Maximos' war beasts."
With one final check of her notes, Arcee finished he lecture. "When the fighting was over, the war beasts and Liege Maximo were dead. Unfortunately, Onyx Prime was also dying. Fully realizing his foolishness, Megatronus renamed himself 'The Fallen' in his grief and vowed to leave the planet to help life in the universe in whatever way he best could."
"Journeying back to Solus' forge, they found that her body had melted a large channel into the center of the planet, what we now call the well of all sparks." Arcee continued. "The Primes used their powers to recombine elements of themselves in the well, like Primus had done to make them. Therefore, creating more variety of life on the planet. Afterwards they would retire from active life on their world, leaving its' fate to their decedents."
Arcee looked at the three Camins. "Thirteen decided to enter the well themself, to be reborn as a modern Cybertronian and truly know their needs. Onyx Prime decided to venture into the well to help shape the life that would emerge, in addition, the power of Primus would keep him alive and Micronus Prime decided to join them. Quintus Prime decided to venture into space as well, seeding life in hopes of giving their decedents allies. Prima and Alpha Trion vowed to protect and guide the new generations to come."
"And so, accompanied by Micronus, and carrying the dying Onyx, Thirteen entered the well. Their final request to Alpha Trion was to strike their name from the covenant so that they could only be found if they were truly needed. Their final words were the declaration that the age of the Primes, was over." Arcee concluded.
"Wow." June whispered in a stunned voice. "If that was how your planets' history began, I can't wait to hear what came after." This got a collective nod from the Maximals.
"And it was so different from what we were taught back on Caminus." Nautica added. "It's kind of refreshing hearing a different point of view."
Arcee looked at the clock. "And we're going to have to leave it here for today, I know you kids have lessons with Drift soon and the rest of you have duties to get back to. Let's say we pick things up again in a few days."
She watched as her students got up and left the classroom. When the door shut, she gave a sigh of relief. She wasn't as rusty a teacher as she thought she was. If anything, she was as good as she was millions of years ago.
Exiting the classroom with a smile, she transformed and headed towards Swerves'. After a successful first lesson, she could use a drink. And she was already planning the next lesson in the back of her head and looking forward to it.
A/N- I know I probably oversimplified the story of the original thirteen, but I was trying to get it as concise as possible. And for the record, the Covenant of Primus that is 'in universe' for Transformers Prime, and consequentially my stories, is not like the one you can buy in stores. As a heads up, I plan to work on this series and Beast Wars Prime simultaneously. This story should end somewhere between the end of the second arc and the beginning of the third. That said, please review.
Next Lesson- Maximals, Predacons, and the great cataclysm.