Excellent chapter, Petey. It's bittersweet to finally be at the cusp of this wonderful tale, a tale that has gone on for half a decade!

 

Peteynorth as a newly registered member who has been following your story since I first found it two years ago, I have to say that your story is breath taking. Infinitely better than both the TF movies and the comics out there today. I especially love your rendition on the origins of Jetfire, Omega Supreme, and the Dinobots/Pit Lords.
I'm excited that the gripping conclusion will soon be coming, yet sad to see this saga come to a close.

 

i suppose it makes sense, funny if he tried some experiments on waspinator (would explain why he thought he was Shrapnel that one time he got zapped. still, like Muffinshock ays below me, the shell programs that tarantulas implanted are for more like the work of Bombshell rather than Shrapnel.

 

I mentioned it before, but I was figuring Bombshell would be a better fit, just cuz he's been portrayed as the gleeful mad scientist type, and his cerebro-shells were heavily-hinted to be the basis for the Predacon "shell program" in BW in Dreamwave continuity.

But I understand you're mostly going "fresh" from tech specs, so I can see why Kickback would be a good choice too.

 

How many more chapters is this going to be? I don't want to dig through the whole thread to see if it says, but y'all are saying it's going to end soon . . .

 

one.

 

yup, so many loose ends to tie up though, I can't believe it's almost all over

 

Amazing, absolutely awesome chapter Petey! Did not expect all the Predacons to die against Galvatron but the vengeance from the Insecticons and thus the passing of Shockwave's legacy to them. It's been very interesting to observe their development throughout your story and I'm sure in the last chapter we'll get even more insight into the setup of the universe that will be handed down to the Maximals and Predacons. Can't wait to see how Megatron and Prime end next chapter! Keep up the spectacular work!

 

I can't believe that the final chapter is coming up, you've done a great job with this saga Petey and I hope you will continue this storyline with another one once this is finished. In that regard, I have a few questions regarding this story and its future:

1) Will the Quintessons finally launch their long desired invasion to reconquer Cybertron?

2) How did Omega Supreme break free of Quint control, other than through sheer force of will? Did A3 help him somehow?

3) Do you plan to have Grimlock's vocal systems restored so that he can once again become the eloquent and charismatic speaker he once was?

4) Will the Pit Lords go back to their previous alternate modes of military vehicles?
Or better yet, become triple changers with robot, dino, and vehicular modes?

5) Are we going to find out what's so special about Prime's lineage?

6) Since there are so many loose ends to tie up (especially with the growing Quintesson threat and the ever present threat of the Liege Maximo), will you write a sequel story if not all of the loose ends can be tied up in this story?

 

I recall him saying that he would probably do some short storys following up on some characters after all this is over. What I'm wondering is what use Cerebros' head mode is now that Maximus has joined the matrix.

 

1) Not in this series. Perhaps if/when the populace of Cybertron is pacified and lulled into a state of idleness by their every want and need being provided by magical vegitation sent forth by the Oracle, then that would be the time for the Quints to strike. Plus, they've already waited eight million years, what's another three centuries or so? At least I think it's three centuries...

2) Mainly force of will. A3 offered guidance and appealed to Omega Supreme's sense of morality and compassion, but nothing really beyond that.

3) Not in this series. And at this point, I think he prefers the way he currently is. He enjoys being underestimated by those that think him an idiot.

4) Not in this series.

5) I don't know if lineage is the issue here, at least in the same sense as is touched on in ROTF. The only 'ancestor' in a true sense that these beings have (at least in this version) is Vector Sigma and whoever constructed their frame (including programing their basic thought processes and guidelines) - the exception being the original generation, and their conception has been lost to the ages. The Liege Maximo does make mention of Prime's 'pedigree', but that's in reference to him recognizing the handiwork of Prime's builder.

Alpha Trion recognized that a need for someone special, perhaps The Chosen One of legend, and devoted all of his resources at the time to building a special frame to hold this special spark that he somehow knew VS would provide him. For some unknown reason he brought a second storage unit, and was given two powerful sparks. It will be alluded to that he may not have been the only one to do this.

6) Quintessons aren't currently in a position to be a threat after Omega Supreme killed their leader and undoubtedly made the location of their home world known to the other Autobots (I don't think I specifically stated that he did share that info, but if I were a Quint, I'd assume he did - actually, let's just say that he did provide the location to Quintessa to the Autobot leaders and be done with it). So they'll probably lay low, regroup and wait for a good opportunity.

Liege Maximo will be touched upon, but many of the loose ends will be left loose though. Hopefully nothing major.

 

1) All right then, I guess that also means that Custodex won't be making any headway into turning Cybertron into a naive and unarmed "utopia".
Plus with the footage Chroniclax gathered on the last stand of the Cyberwolves and Maximus, am I correct to assume that the populace of Cybertron is going to be doing some major 180's in their opinions?
And IIRC, it wasn't really The Oracle that Custodex encountered, instead it was some weird Quintesson "prophet" device? Name began with a G.

2) Understood. Too bad A3 couldn't have helped out Omega Titanus in the same way.

3) You raise a good point there, Grimlock might enjoy being taken lightly by his enemies. But still, it'd be interesting to see him as a proper speaker instead of just "sounding" like a dumb brute. And IMHO, he really needs a rematch with Meggy to avenge that loss. Hehe.

4) Understood. But I'm hoping that you won't dismiss the idea of one day upgrading the Pit Lords into Triple Changers, or at the very least, give them their old alt modes back.

5) My mistake on using the word "lineage" when it was "pedigree" that you used. But thanks for clearing that up though, I was wondering what Maximo meant when he said to Rook that he saw something interesting about Prime's pedigree when Prime and Jhiaxus went at it.

Is Alpha Trion the only rebel/warrior/scientist left over from the era of Quint rule? There must be other Transformers like him out there who are capable of building powerful Prime-esque frames...
And what of his brother A7, what became of him and what role did he play in Cybertron's past enslavement?

6) I had forgotten about that, OS did kill their main leaders when he rescued Alpha Trion from Quintessa. Plus they were in for the shock of their lives when they found out that a Cybertronian Empire had existed for millions of years.
As for the Liege Maximo, now that Jhiaxus is scrap and a large chunk of his fleet has been wiped out by the Swarm, will he stay idle or decide to further his plans to take over Cybertron?

 

A7 died in the Quint invasion and rebellion that was instigated when they tried to regain cybertron. someone found a record of his final thoughts where he regretted his actions.

I don't think the liege Maximo was ever that interested in cybertron, it was only Jhiaxus who really seemed bothered to demand forces to invade the home world,the only reason I can see Maximo wanting cybertron would be access to Vector Sigma but he hasn't witnessed the swarm so doesn't know the problem with budding.

 

Simply astonishing work, Pete - can't believe it's nearly over after all this time. Having followed your tale from the start, it'll truly be the end of an era for me come the final chapter. Really looking forward to how things get tied up, and where you take things from there, but regardless, my thanks in advance for your years of hard work.

Sledgehammer's rating: twelve out of ten.  

 

The Ballad of A-Seven

The record found was written twelve and a half million years ago, shortly after the Quints first conquered the planet, and was not necessarily A-Seven's final thoughts, but a historical record, his admission of naive culpability in the fall of Cybertron, and a vow to devote himself to finding a way to free the planet from these would-be gods. Sometime after this record was created and hidden in a temple, both A-Seven and A-Three, who seemed to be the only survivors of the original generation (though there were later generations created prior to the Quint invasion), decided that open rebellion at that point would be futile, so positioned themselves to be valuable servants of powerful Quintesson leaders (in A7's case Aresias who oversaw fulfillment of most military contracts, while A3 aligned himself with Apolonicus, who handled consumer and self-protection lines for the most part). Both set out to be trusted by the Quints in order to best undermine them.

To be honest I don't remember whether I was planning them to be able to transform prior to the Quint conquest or if that was a product innovation built into the frames later on (which would explain A3's apparent lack of an alt mode), but whatever the case, at some point A-Seven strongly suggested to Aresias to not just manufacture Cybertronian military frames on a made to order basis, but to begin manufacturing and keeping 'inventory' of a specific military line (much like most consumer and industrial lines being manufactured on Cybertron, which sold at greater numbers but had a much lower profit margin than the military-based sales). Aresias agreed, and the Decepticon line was created, becoming far and away the most profitable line for the Quintessons. The Decepticons were mass-produced to the point where the original (and only non-Cybertronian) foot soldier model, the Sharkticon, had virtually all sales demand shrivel and vanish. Some of the Quintessons recognized the potential threat of so many weaponized Cybertronians, but the profits the line brought in was such that these concerns were never adequately addressed.

As the numbers of Decepticons, as well as the inventory of other lines grew, A7 and A3 began laying the groundwork for the rebellion. The rebellion began roughly eight million years ago, and initially appeared as though it would be a failure. A3 and A7 had only managed to convince a small portion of Cybertronians to take up arms against their 'gods', and had a rough time for the first couple of centuries. But after winning a few battles and demonstrating the mortality of the Quintessons, more and more Cybertronians joined them. Displays of courage and compassion for their fellow Cybertronians converted more to their cause, perhaps most significantly when a thus far un-named Decepticon air warrior who sacrificed himself to save A7 and became the first alleged case of a spark physically exiting a fallen frame and traveling to the Matrix (then believed held by A3). A7 was believed killed in the final battle, though no body was ever found. Although instrumental in freeing Cybertron, A7 never forgave himself for his role in the planet's fall.

I'll leave it at that for now.

 

Interesting Storm, how and where did you come across this piece of backstory?

And while we're on the topic of TFs from the early generations, it's a shame that A3 was the only one who appeared to have survived. Unless of course, there are other 1st generation TFs who survived and have been in hiding all this time.

 

well, as Petey's previous post shows my memory can be a little fuzzy at times   but I assume that Trion is the only original Cybertronian to survive on Cybertron at least.

(only A3 and A7 were still around when the Quintesson invasion came about but this isn't to say that other members of the first generation didn't flee into space for excitement, adventure and really wild things.)

 

Has anyone converted this into a .pdf yet. I'm just wondering because I have, for all except the last 'episode', and I can make it available to the forum once it's completed in the four seasons. . . if a Mod wants it I'll be more than happy to send them on.

If that's okay with petynorth. . .

 

I will, but currently I have it in an adobe book format, as I still have a ton of formatting work to do, as I am working to format it so it can be printed as an actual book. I'd like a physical copy to read wherever.   It is at least all proofread and spell-checked. Table of Contents, Author's notes and Tech Specs and FAQ for Appendices.

 

I have so mixed emotions about 2.0 as we near the conclusion. Part of me wants to to experience the story coming full circle, but at the same time I hate to see it end.
Petey, you have taken a cannon(s) we all knew since childhood and make it interesting and new all over again. I have really enjoyed checking 2005 for the past 5 years to see when something new would be posted to 2.0. It even made me try to write some fics. Thanks for making an 80's child like me feel that 80's childhood feeling again. You brought a 30 year old man back to when I was in single degits in a way better than Michael Bay, Spielberg, and Hollywood only wish they could.
I'm hoping the end you having in store for us is a great as the rest of the story has been.