Lessons Learned

The Age of Wrath

Hello all, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I've been busy cranking away for both this story and Beast Wars Prime. Now, I took some creative liberties with this, namely using a Prime from IDW as opposed to the one in the actual Covenant of Primus. To say nothing of using the titans. Anyway, it's time to read up on The Age of Wrath.

Arcee looked at her class. She knew this next lesson wasn't a proud part of Cybertrons' history, but it still needed to be told. "Before we begin, does anyone have any questions about what we covered so far?" She asked the collected students.

A couple days ago the Maximals had been testing a converter that Ratchet had developed to convert complex liquids into energon. While the experiment had been a success, the kids and the Wreckers had been set upon by the original Predacon, the 2.0 Predacons and the Mayhem attack squadron. They won, but it was a close thing. Arcee decided to help take their minds off the battle by scheduling their next lesson.

"I just want to know the truth you hinted at about the cataclysm." Alllison reiterated. She had been curious about it after the last lesson. Something about how it happened seemed far too coordinated for her liking.

Arcee gave her a sad smile. "To know that." She began. "You have to know about a race of beings known as the Quintessons."

She activated the hologram projector and in front of the class appeared a being that looked like a Naga. A hunched body was held up by a serpentine tail and had two thin arms that branched into four lower arms and hands. The thing that drew their attention though was the head. It kept spinning and switching between five distinct faces.

Miko squinted at the figure. "As frag ugly as they are, why do they seem familiar?" She asked.

Taking a breath, Arcee began her lesson. "I'll explain in a moment. Once the worst of the cataclysms' effects had passed, the remaining Cybertronians came out of stasis and began the arduous process of recultivating their world. A great number of feuding tribes formed and began fighting over territory and resources." She explained.

"So, Beast Wars two only without the beasts?" Vince asked. He was fascinated by the early war. Despite not liking Earth history, he found Cybertrons' history to be riveting.

"Not quite." Arcee replied, looking at him. "Those battles never reached the Beast Wars level of violence. Though with what came after, some may wish it did."

Turning back to the rest of the class, Arcee continued. "Before the fighting could escalate into a full-blown war, the Quintessons emerged from space. They claimed that their goal was to bring Cybertron into the greater galactic community."

Arcee turned to Miko. "The reason they may look familiar to you is the fact that Alpha Trion mentioned in the Covenant of Primus that he recognized them as the work of Quintus Prime and his Emberstone."

"Emberstone?" She questioned. "What does it evolve certain beings when they touch it?" She joked. The similarity to Pokémon evolution stones was uncanny to her.

"Yes actually, albeit it can do it without touching a lifeform." Arcee answered, causing the Maximals' jaws to drop.

"To prove their word and good intent, they 'gifted' the Cybertronians with the wonderous ability to transform." Arcee continued. "Apparently, the Quintessons knew about the dormant T-cogs in our bodies and how to activate them." She looked at Raf. "Like I said last lesson, the Primes decision to hide that capability came back to bite everyone in the aft." The young Maximal nodded in agreement.

"Despite the warnings from Alpha Trion, the Cybertronians bowed down to their new, 'benevolent' saviors." Arcee rubbed her optics. "The Quintessons took over almost overnight, claiming to be readying Cybertron for galactic integration. Society went through a complete transformation and globalization. Under their guidance we built infrastructure, mastered spaceflight, learned astrophysics, and created a new government and court of law based on functions and industries. This was also when the title of 'Prime' became a political one." She explained.