Vernoverse

[Hursticon]

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.

I think it's quite a sound approach in renaming characters in a reflective sense, it seems more fitting/natural.
Primal would definitely be a hard one, you could use: Simia Pax, Latin term for ape and a reference to G1 Prime's former name?, it could also reflect the Pax Cybertronia.

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

Hmm, I was thinking back to the early Cybertron days of the Autobots and Decepticons and how that rather than names they had numbers assigned to them based on the tasks that they were charged with - I thought this could extend to the pre-Beast Wars era but then that would negate everything that both Prime and Megatron were fighting for...
It's probably easier to just ignore the suggestion.

[Verno]

I think it's quite a sound approach in renaming characters in a reflective sense, it seems more fitting/natural.
Primal would definitely be a hard one, you could use: Simia Pax, Latin term for ape and a reference to G1 Prime's former name?, it could also reflect the Pax Cybertronia.

Hmm, I was thinking back to the early Cybertron days of the Autobots and Decepticons and how that rather than names they had numbers assigned to them based on the tasks that they were charged with - I thought this could extend to the pre-Beast Wars era but then that would negate everything that both Prime and Megatron were fighting for...
It's probably easier to just ignore the suggestion.

The problem with Optimus Primal is that both Megatron and Depth Charge refer to him as Primal, as if they had both had dealings with him before and his name, pre-BW, was Primal.

The problem with making 'Optimus' a rank like Captain is what to do with Optimus Minor. Captain Minor, I don't think so.

Then there is the fact he had 'Black Jack' written on his toys' box, which I imagine could be used like a callsign: Starbuck, Maverick etc, which would be fitting with Primal in some kind of Airforce prior to taking command of the Axalon.

Problems...

[Verno]

Magmatron: was born to fight. One of the new breed of Predacons, happily taking up arms in a battle that began long before his spark entered the world. He harboured a hunger for combat, a desire admired by ranking Predacon officers, Razorclaw included. But he was not just a robot that ran flailing, blindly, into battle. He had a mind for warfare, for strategy, traits that soon found full use as he took command of his own regiment. He dealt the Autobots and Maximals some telling blows, and soon was leading the entirety of the Predacon forces on Cybertron, with Razorclaw gathering his armada for one final assault to take Cybertron for the Predacons.

Things were progressing well on that final day - the Predacon Armada was larger than any had expected, bolstered by extra combatants still wanting to fight (from the now defunct Decepticons). But things turned, swiftly. Word was received that Razorclaw had been killed, or at least wounded; if so, the leadership of the Predacon Army was now at Magmatron’s command. But before it could be acted upon, Magmatron himself was heavily wounded by what was thought to be Maximal fire. He was carried, drifting in and out of an enraged consciousness, to a Predacon facility. It was a secret bunker, whose residents were working on TransWarp technology, among them, Csirac, an Autobot, who was head of the Autobot research into TransWarp technology, but was kidnapped to help the Predacons with their ‘enquiries’.

Csirac advised that because of the damage sustained, Magmatron’s spark would have to be moved into a new body. The mistrust of the Autobot’s opinion was evident, but they had little choice. The problem, however, was the access to a new body. The facility had bodies, but they were only works in progress, and designed for more than one spark - a new type of combiner that would hopefully not affect the intelligence of the merged consciousnesses, a problem with previous gestalts. The spark was inserted nonetheless, but the body remained lifeless. Several Predacons blamed Csirac, shooting him, and wounding him mortally.

Sometime later, the optics of the lifeless form flickered, and from the rubble of what was the Predacon research facility, emerged Magmatron, in a new, enormous, combining form. His spark, torn into three, but somehow sustained, pulsed with a new power and desire for war, but the world he’d awoken in was vastly different to the one he’d known.

[Verno]

Primal: was a Maximal, constructed from new Protomatter technology, and fitted with flight capabilities, he was enlisted into the Maximal Airforce, whose recruits, because of their smaller size, piloted fighters against their larger Decepticon foe. After the Decepticon withdrawal from the war, it was fighter versus fighter with Predacons piloting their own brand of small fighters. Given limited training, and a crash course in the controls of the Maximal ships, the young pilots were sent into the battle. Through several acts of utter madness, all of which successful, during his short training, Primal earned the call sign ‘Black Jack’, as risk seemed to be part of his arsenal.

His Wing, of which he soon became commander, garnered great respect as their successes amassed. Friends were lost, and Primal took such knocks hard, harder than most, but it drove him on to fight harder, to make sure their sacrifice was not in vain.

His Wing was selected to lead the defence of the Xelor, as it attempted to test in-flight TransWarp engines in, what was to be, the last stages of the Great War. The previous attempt had cost all crew their lives, as the Lexor failed spectacularly. Primal’s fighter was damaged in the battle, and turned in into the path of missiles headed for the Xelor. The ship headed the missiles off, and saved the crew, but at the cost of his own life.

Or so his fellow Maximals thought.

Blowing open the cockpit at the last moment, Primal leapt into space and headed into the path of a Predacon fighter, crashing into it, ejecting its current pilot, and taking control of the enemy fighter reengaged in the battle. His return was greeted with great cheer.

Fighting off waves of Predacon fighters, Primal’s Wing gave the Xelor a chance to test, and test successfully, achieving TransWarp travel.

Below, on Cybetron, the battle turned in the Autobots/Maximals favour, with the death of Razorclaw, and the new Predacon leaders, the Tripredacus Brotherhood, witnessing the TransWarp test, immediately called a ceasefire, and subsequent surrender. The Great War was over.

Primal’s selfless actions and great leadership in the battle, coupled with his miraculous return from apparent death, earned him the new call sign of ‘Optimus’, which he didn’t care for at first, as he didn’t consider himself worthy, but in time came to adapt it to his name.

In the peace, Optimus Primal lectured at the new Maximal Military Academy, even though he was of limited experience himself, but the skills he did possess were priceless to the new recruits. When the opportunity to Captain an exploration ship arose, Optimus surprised many by applying for the position, as he was seeking a change of pace. With his record of success, and with the secret mission of the Axalon, the Maximal High Council intervened in the selection process and made sure he was selected as Captain. Though it was his first time commanding a crew and ship of this nature, the High Council believed the mission would run smoothly and without incident. It didn’t quite turn out as expected.

[Verno]

Terminator: was a Predacon, a flier, and a silent, cold-blooded killer - cunning and with skills unsurpassed by any, except perhaps Starscream himself. Many saw similarities between the two, but Terminator had no appetite for leadership, just killing on the wing. He piloted a Predacon fighter with incredible touch, and struck fear into the sparks of the Maximals he faced.

Terminator was part of the assault on the Xelor in the penultimate stages of the Great War, but his demise was in shameful circumstances.

He enjoyed tailing his missiles into their targets, and was following two he’d fired at the Xelor, when a Maximal ship intersected them, denying him the kill. To make matters worse, the Maximal pilot had leapt from the ship and into his path, crashing into the cockpit with sword blazing, slashing it open and wounding Terminator, before casting him out into space, and commandeering his ship. He drifted helplessly in space for many cycles, before being drawn back in by Cybertron’s gravity.

The shock and damage of the event scarred Terminator deeply, leaving him a shadow of his former self. The silent, cold-blooded killer was gone, replaced by a bumbling fool, whose skills were nothing on what they once were. To try and prove himself, he volunteered his talents to a young Predacon called Megalith, who was in the market for a pilot for a little job that promised great reward and the return of his reverence. He would receive nothing but more pain.

[Hursticon]

[Verno]

Glad you approve mate. Ravage will be along shortly.

[Verno]

Ravage: was a Decepticon. He had always known one thing with certainly - Megatron would be victorious in the Great War. But the attack on the Hub had changed all that. The deaths of Megatron and Soundwave had shaken his beliefs to the core. The only thing he had left was his faction, the Decepticons, but that was soon to be taken away from him too. With the leadership of the Decepticons returning to Shockwave, who declared the withdrawal of their remaining forces from the war, and subsequent ceasing of the faction, Ravage found himself with nothing.

Ravage now had only one goal - survival, through whatever means. An unlikely opportunity presented itself. The Autobot/Maximal leadership secretly approached Ravage, to turn his skills against the Predacons - to turn spy. He agreed, after some persuasion and promise of freedom after the War, and began to collect what information he could.

He entered the Predacon ranks, as many ex-Decepticons had (in order to continue fighting) and was greeted warmly, as befitted his reputation. The Predacon leadership was secure under Razorclaw, who took a liking to Ravage as an old comrade, but the Generals who served under Razorclaw all vied for his favour and respect, none more so than Magmatron and the Tripredacus Brotherhood.

Seethe, of the Brotherhood, contacted Ravage for a secret meeting. It seemed the Brothers were more than just talk. They were planning to off Magmatron to cement their place under Razorclaw, and they were hoping that Ravage could assist them, with the promise of power and place in return. Ravage agreed, and was told they’d be in contact closer to the time.

Ravage reported back to the Autobots about the power struggle between the Generals, but left out the part about the upcoming assassination. Ravage was playing both sides until he knew which outcome would serve his interests the most. The Autobots wanted to exploit the mistrust between the Predacon Generals, and asked Ravage to make an attempt on Razorclaw’s spark if he could, as Ravage now had Razorclaw’s trust. Ravage agreed, and would attempt it when the opportunity arose.

The final battle for Cybertron began, and the Tripredacus Brotherhood told Ravage it was now time, and as Razorclaw was surrounded by lieutenants and an impossible target, he began to stalk Magmatron.

Little did Ravage know that the Tripredacus Brotherhood’s target was higher than second in command - they had other plans in motion to kill Razorclaw, and take command of the entire Predacon Army.

The battle raged, with Ravage in hiding, stalking Magmatron’s movements. He was a leader of great courage, always side by side with his troops on the frontline, not scheming far from the action like the Brotherhood. It reminded him of Megatron, and his respect for Magmatron grew and he began to rethink what he had been asked to do.

But before he could decide either way, Magmatron was cut down by enemy fire. Ravage retreated. He came out of stealth-mode, and his communicators came back online and buzzed with talk, but it was not of Magmatron’s death, but of Razorclaw’s. The Brotherhood had assumed command of the Predacons and had ordered a temporary withdrawal and rearming to regroup forces. Ravage returned to their ranks, and waited.

In the dark sky above, the Xelor completed a successful TransWarp test. The Brotherhood ordered an immediate ceasefire. It signalled the end of the War.

In the trials after the War, the Maximals believed that Ravage was responcible for the death of Razorclaw. Because of his assistance in ending the War, he was granted amnesty and freed.

He returned to the, now, Tripredacus Council, who believed him to have killed Magmatron, and he was rewarded with a new Protomatter body, and he stayed with the Council, to serve them in secret objectives.

Though he was now in a new Predacon body, and had seemingly served the Autobots, Maximals and Predacons, Ravage believed he was still, at his core, a Decepticon.

[Verno]

Colony Omicron: began its life as a secret Autobot-run Energon mine, excavating the raw form of Energon crystals found to occur naturally on the floor of the planet’s oceans. The Autobots developed specially armoured underwater forms for their workers, not just because of the extreme environment in which they had to work (some distance underwater), but because the raw Energon emitted a deadly radiation, overexposure to which proved deadly to a Transformer, causing a Spark to be extinguished. The work was hard, but it was in the interests of powering an Autobot victory.

After the War, the mine continued as a Maximal commercial operation, as power was required in the effort of rebuilding the ravaged Cybertron. Because of the oceanic nature of the planet (being so different to Cybertron), the idea was put forward to build a Maximal off-world colony on the surface. The proposal met much concern from those higher up, citing security concerns for the remote outpost. It was decided that Imperial Peace Marshals would be posted to the Colony, to police and protect its inhabitants, and this quelled the concerns and the Colony was constructed.

The Colony flourished. Miners came to the surface to enjoy their time off, and spent much of their earnings, bringing good fortune to the merchant colonists, and the Colony in general, as it expanded with the influx of money.

But the Colony had a terrible secret. During the dark stages towards the end of the Great War, a team of Autobot and Maximal scientists made the planet their home, in order to research an incredible phenomenon.

The Energon miners, due to their prolonged exposure to the radiation, and even with the best efforts to negate it, succumbed to disturbing side effects from their work. The progression into madness as their processors were corrupted was common place. The thickened exo-structure thought to protect them wasn’t working. But this is not what brought the scientists. Some miners’ Sparks began to show a tolerance to the radiation - the Spark would develop something of a skin, a hard layer that protected the Spark from being extinguished by the exposure, and in some more extreme cases, the Spark began to feed on the radiation, empowering the miner and increasing their strength and abilities to repair themselves.

The scientists postulated that, under the right conditions, a Spark might be able to tolerate all forms of damage, in essence recreating the immortal Spark of the Decepticon Starscream. In such a time, the possibility of immortal soldiers was one that even the ethic-driven Autobots and Maximals could not go past, in the hope they may turn the tide and end the multi-millennia-long War.

Events would unfold at a rapid rate towards the end of the conflict. The Maximals weren’t stupid enough to believe the Predacons would remain peaceful forever, so the research continued, in direct, albeit highly secret, violation of the Pax Cybertronia, with the intent that if the Predacons ever did start the War again, the Maximals would have a weapon to fight it with and quash it quickly.

So beneath the thriving colony of Omicron, under the eye of the Imperial Peace Marshals, within earshot of the drilling rigs, and with the possibility of being the catalyst of throwing their faction back into War, a secret Maximal research facility quietly continued its study and experiments into the realms of the immortal.

But they were not quiet for long.

[Verno]

Depth Charge: was an Autobot. After the Great War, Depth Charge, like most of his Autobot brethren, underwent the Great Upgrade, into a new Proto-matter body, and was rebranded under the new faction name of Maximal, after the Autobot name was retired.

His dedication to procedure and sense of justice were lovingly mocked by those serving under his command, but he was still greatly respected, as he’d proven himself on countless occasions during the course of the War. He inspired those around him to do better and was a soldier of unwavering loyalty, with a drive towards Peace.

After the signing of the Pax Cybertronia, Depth Charge took up a place with the newly created Imperial Peace Marshals, created to act as a police force and with the unenviable, some said impossible, job of calming tensions between Maximal and Predacon on the street. His admirable service was rewarded with the posting to the idyllic Maximal Colony of Omicron, to head the Marshal presence. However, there was more to his selection than first thought.

The Colony was also home to a research facility, whose activities were outside those agreed upon in the Pax Cybertronia. The story was that the Peace Marshals were to protect the populace from any miners getting too rowdy in their time off from the arduous work beneath the water. But in reality, they were making sure no information slipped out of the Colony about the other activities, which could plunge Cybertron back into War. The research itself wasn’t seen as dangerous, but the guarding against leaks and spies was paramount - and there was only one Maximal with the right background and demeanour for the job.