Setting:Transformers

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Optimus Prime and his Autobots on the left, and Megatron and his Decepticons on the right.

Since the time past written memory, the technological race known as the Transformers have always been a driving force in the galaxy. While not necessarily as ancient as the Eldar or Necrons, the Transformers have existed long before humanity had begun to even crack rocks together to create fire. At the cusp of the 41st Millennium, however, they are scattered across the galaxy; fragmented and more divided than they have ever been. The lines between their original factions, Autobot and Decepticon, have been blurred and are probably nonexistent to some. The chief reason most Transformers fight is simply for survival. Ever since their Great War some 50,000 years ago, the entire race as a whole have scrounged across the galaxy in search of more of their lifeblood and energy source: Energon. It can be found either in its pure, natural form within a planet’s crust or refined from any type of energy, be it electricity or fossil fuels.

Transformers, like the Necrons, are living machinery composed of an almost “living metal.” However, unlike the Necrodermis of the Necrons, the biology of the Transformers is much more akin to that of normal organic beings. From their core structure of cybernucleic acid (CNA), to their robotic-skeletal structure, and even their mechanical parts similar to that of biological organs, the Transformers are like a strange, larger than life mimic of most sentient races. Despite that, the ability that serves as their namesake makes them far more different than any other race that has ever existed. All Transformers have an innate ability to to copy and transform into an alternative, typically vehicular, mode. Because of this they're often called “robots in disguise” due to their ability to mimic literally any kind of vehicle they set their optics on. Anything from an Ork Trukk to an Imperial Baneblade is within the realm of possibly as long as the size is appropriate to the Transformer. They are not limited to vehicular modes as mentioned before, however. Some are known to have alternative quadruped forms, usually an animal of some sort. Others can turn into lethal weapon platforms, signal arrays, and according to legend, entire cities. Imperial xenologists are unsure how a Transformer’s body adjusts when it acquires a new form.

Relations with the other races of the Milky Way galaxy are hesitant and strained at best. Overall the Transformers are on the defensive, only enacting a major campaign when they're very existence is threatened, like an oncoming Tyranid invasion or stealing energon from a forge world. Autobots are the only ones who may sometimes fight based on an ideology, typically derived from the ancient words of the great Optimus Prime himself. Decepticons may conquer in order to subjugate and enslave the local population, or wage war just for the sake of fighting similar to the barbaric Orks. Of course, age old rivalries may transcend quarrels with other species. Autobot and Decepticon are known to clash to this very day, mimicking their civil war all those centuries ago. Despite that, there have been a few occasions where the two band together against a greater threat, such as Transformers under the command of Ultra Magnus and Soundwave holding back the Ork WAAAGH! McSmasher on Sampson II. After the battle, despite simmering hatred between the two factions, both commanders withdrew their troops without haste.

Factions

Autobot insignia.

• Autobots: Eons ago, it was said that the Autobots were heralds of peace; bringing justice to all sentient races and defending the inhabitants of the galaxy from the Decepticons. While that may be true, that has fallen lower on their list of priorities. They fight a constant war of attrition with the galaxy, where simply staying alive is an achievement in of itself. After the disappearance of Optimus Prime during the Horus Heresy, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus founded the Covenant of Primus; a coalition of the various Autobot subgroups and factions, similar to that of the Dark Angels and their various successor chapters. While having their own tactics and leaders, member groups of the Covenant are in constant contact with one another and often heed the call to aid another faction. Despite the name, they all proudly wear the Autobot insignia of old, in memory of Optimus Prime, wherever he might be.
  • Wreckers: Led by Ultra Magnus, the Wreckers are the most proactive group of the Covenant of Primus. They are always on the front lines, harassing or outright obliterating enemy scouting teams and armies. Currently they are in a hasty but mutually beneficial agreement with the Imperial Inquisition in sabotaging supply lines to Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade.

Decepticon insignia.

• Decepticons: Few things have changed about the Decepticons over the millennia, even after the disappearance of Megatron. They believe the Great War with the Autobots continues to this day, and any ordinary Decepticon would attack an Autobot on sight. After Megatron vanished the Decepticons fell into civil war, known to them as the Fracture. Unlike the Autobots who typically seek peace, the Decepticons see the other races of the galaxy as nothing more than target practice. If they can't outright annihilate their enemy they will try to manipulate or enslave them. The Decepticons overall split into three separate factions:
  • Starscream: Megatron’s former conniving lieutenant, his initial attempt to seize power led to the Fracture in the first place. The only Decepticon who advocates ending the Great War entirely arguing that the Cybertronians have allowed themselves to become too weak and scattered in this hostile galaxy. Though smallest of the major Decepticon factions, he is the most ready to ally with the Autobots and has even made tentative attempts at brokering peace. Starscream is determined to exploit any potential source of strength the galaxy offers, and whereas the other Decepticons ignore or despise organics, he recognizes their potential usefulness. To this end, as well as raiding, he makes heavy use of Pretenders, transformers imbued with the unique ability to disguise themselves as organics and walk amongst them, in order to infiltrate and subvert organic societies. Mostly this takes the form of Pretenders attaching themselves to positions of power in order to fund fuel and physical resources to Starscream's forces, but the ever-ambitious Decepticon warlord is more than willing to make use of cults and attempt to subvert organic societies to a near-religious reverence of Transformers, that he may use them. This has led to Starscream's forces controlling a small, but slowly increasing, number of colonies where humans and/or other aliens work for the service of Decepticon masters. All of this would be acceptable to the other Decepticons, but Starscream has gone beyond that; when the warlord recognizes an organic's potential, he takes them and places them under the cyber-conversion process, transforming them into near-Cybertronian mechanical entities that are partnered with other Decepticons, creating Targetmasters, Powermasters, and the rarest of all; Headmasters.
  • Soundwave: Megatron's former right-hand mech and unflinchingly loyal to his master. He still believes Megatron lives and is determined to find him, leading a small but hardcore faction of loyalists. Their goal is to find Megatron and lead him back to his rightful place. Constantly picks fights with Autobot groups, as their dedication is to winning the Autobot/Decepticon war. Loosely allied with Shockwave's faction, but looks down on him for his abandoning of the Great War; their relationship is based on Shockwave's need for Soundwave's fighting skills (his own hyper-logical processor often proving disadvantageous in the madness endemic to the 41st Millenium) and Soundwave's need for Shockwave's resources and strongholds. Soundwave is the most zealously anti-organic of the Decepticons, often unleashing his forces against organic targets for no reason but their destruction. Why this is remains unknown; he may simply enjoy using such rampages to keep his troops sated, but others have proposed alternative reasons - a grudge against all organics for interference when Megatron ruled the Decepticons, or that their presence pains this biomechanical pseudo-telepath.
  • Shockwave: Former chief strategist of Megatron, Shockwave is driven by logic. He has turned the Decepticons to the cause of surviving and rebuilding their power base, earning the loyalty of the vast majority of Decepticons. He holds an unsteady peace with Soundwave; he needs Soundwave's fighting skills, but he considers prosecuting the war at this current state of affairs to be illogical.

Cyberform insignia.

• Cyberforms: Orginally a splinter group of Decepticons during the early stages of the Great War, they have evolved into their own fully competent faction. What differs them from the other Transformer groups is their discover of a new form of reproduction: bio-morphic reproduction, or "budding." The process is asexual, where a "bloodline" is formed via copying of the parent Transformer. The main downside to this is each generation is increasingly less sentient and emotional, making Cyberform society as a whole more logical and detached from other Transformers. They view themselves as the peak of all life, and have taken on a harsh expansionary policy similar to the Tau. Even though they abhore being associated with their Decepticon brethren they take the former's beliefs to the extreme; exterminating a planet's population and cyberforming it before colonization. They are at odds with quite literally every race in the galaxy and are considered the foremost threat among all Transformers.

Notable Planets and Colonies

Cybertron: The birthplace of Transformers and the original catalyst for the Great War, Cybertron is believed to have been lost since the Fall of the Eldar. Many believe it is currently within the Eye of Terror and none know of its current state or the condition of Primus within its core. However; lost transmissions and recordings have recently been discovered that Cybertron had been active as recently as M39. Given the fickle nature of the Warp it is possible that only several hundred years have passed for them instead of several millennia. If any of the Chaos Space Marine warbands are aware of Cybertron's continued existence they refuse to say.

New Kaon : Named after the Decepticon city-state of ancient Cybertron, New Kaon is a fortress world so armed to the teeth the planet itself can be considered a weapon. Once a feudal world during the Horus Heresy, it is now covered in many miles of steel and metal and is home to thousands of Cybertronians, and some say there are three gun batterys for every one individual. After the Fracture it is now maintained by delegates nominated by Soundwave, Shockwave, and Starscream themselves in a type of council. One might call it an "organized chaos" of sorts, but the fortress world has withstood everything from an Ork WAAAGH to an attempted Exterminatus by a radical Inquisitor with ease. The most famous feature of the planet is the gladiatorial area, where the Decepticons showcase glorious battles with themselves and captured prisoners. Everything from Canifexes to Necron Flayers have been let loose on those bloodied metal floors.

Relationship with Organics

Imperium (General): In general, the Imperial/Transformer relationship is very similar to that of the Imperium and the Craftworld Eldar, with a little Imperium/Tau relationships thrown in for spice. The two races will collaborate on occasion, especially given that the Autobots claim to remember helping humanity in ages long past. However, Imperial doctrines of xenophobia, combined with Decepticon depredations and the occasional need for Autobots to interfere to try and prevent the Imperium from doing something too stupid (especially when it comes to messing around with things the Autobots are guarding for a reason), keep the two races well at arm's length. In general, an icy distrust that occasionally flares up into small conflicts is the norm.

• Adeptus Mechanicus: The Transformers and the Tech-Priests of the Imperium are bitter enemies. The Adeptus Mechanicus loudly proclaims the Transformers to be Abominable Intelligences and seeks to destroy them on religious grounds, but even as they do so, many Tech-Priests, especially those of a more radical bent, eagerly seek to plunder the secrets of Cybertronic technology and bio-mechanics. Decepticons generally squash Tech-Priests and Skitarii on principle, though a surprising number of Hereteks have found their way into Starscream's forces, some even being promoted to the level of Headmaster. Autobots try to be more patient, in theory, but often end up brutally killing the Mechanicus in self-defense.
• Inquisition: The primary interaction between the Transformers and the Inquisition comes with the Ordo Xenos, though of course firebrands of the Ordo Malleus are eager to justify Transformers as "mechanical daemons" as well. The Ordo Xenos is locked in a constant cold war with Transformers, constantly trying to understand their enemies. Many come to display intense paranoia as they learn more about the capabilities of their foes. Starscream's use of Pretenders to steal precious resources, subvert human civilizations and found Decepti-cults has made him a particular enemy of the Ordo Hereticus as well.
• Space Marines: As the Imperium's elite warriors, it should be unsurprising that the Adeptus Astartes and the Transformers have battled frequently, and with far less success than the Imperium likes to admit. Though bitter enemies, as with all outsiders of the Imperium, some Chapters have developed the begrudging respect for Transformers that one may come to feel for a particularly skilled and dangerous foe. Autobots are known to sometimes profess a similar respect, even lamenting on how the Space Marines have fallen from the days of the Heresy; they might have been enemies all along, but when one's enemy has visibly declined over the centuries, and you've lived through it, that becomes mortifying. Decepticons usually don't show similar respect, except for the more honorable members of their ranks, but do delight in taunting the Astartes on how their prowess and technology has crumbled since the Heresy.
• Adeptus Soritas: The Ordos Militant have a particular hatred for the Transformers, as much because their Cybertronian enemies often dismiss them as inferior compared to the Adeptus Astartes as because of their fanatical faith in the Imperium's xenophobic credo of manifest destiny. A number of sisters of the Ordo Dialogous are dedicated to studying the language of Transformers, and are often found in the entourages of the Ordo Xenos; some allow this to become an obsessive drive, to the extent that there have even been rare occasions where they have willingly worked with the Adeptus Mechanicus to mutual benefit.
• Rogue Traders:It is not unheard of that some Rogue Traders harbor a Transformer or two on their ship, ranging from mercenary work to simply refuge aboard their vessel. It usually ranges from trader to trader how they interact, as no dynasty openly associates with Cybertronians. Despite that, there have been many famous trader out in the frontier of space that are known to often work with Autobot and Decepticon alike.

Chaos: The Warp is something that terrifies all Transformers. While not as suceptable as humans, Cybertronians are still capable of being corrupted and falling to Chaos. If this were to happen, their link to Primus will be severed, meaning that their spark will travel to the Warp instead of becoming one with the Allspark after they die. The possibility of not joining the Allspark is nightmarish to even the most deviant of Transformers, but the offerings of the Dark Gods are sometimes so tantalizing it makes it hard to resist. When fallen to Chaos, Transformers are so thoroughly corrupted through spark and mind that it is impossible to reverse them to their old selves. For the most part they avoid anything Warp related since most Chaos forces are extremely dangerous to engage.

• Chaos Space Marines: The Traitor Astartes are some of the most dangerous enemies the Transformers have ever faced. Not only can they not see reason, their strength and firepower can rival most Cybertronian weaponry. And even then, they're still buffed with gifts from the blasphemous gods. Even though they generally stay away from them, there is only one group that most Transformers have a "kill on sight" policy towards: the Iron Warriors. Whenever the iron skull of the sons of Perturabo is seen, most Cybertronians are reminded of the horrific memories of the Horus Heresy, when the IVth Legion enmasse experimented on Transformers to turn them into daemon engines. The hatred for the is shared by every Transformer, and it is not unheard of for Autobot and Decepticon alike to rendezvous and join forces when an Iron Warriors warband is spotted.
• Daemons: The fear of daemons come from the fact that not only are they terrifying, but they are also a paradox of everything that is. Besides the worship of Primus, Cybertronian society is for the most part based on reason and science. So to see a literal embodiment of emotion and fear tearing at their sparks is far more terrifying than any Ork or Tyranid. Not only that, but anything from the rusty blade of a Plagebearer to the psychic hailstorm of a Lord of Change can rip most Cybertronians asunder. And that doesn't include the possibly of daemonic possession, turning their body into a mere host for an unworldly entity. If a daemonic summoning occurs on a world, they will work to immediately vacate the planet if there is any possibly to escape.
• Lost and the Damned: Besides heavy artillery and the occasional daemons, renegades aren't terribly dangerous to Cybertronians. Most are incompetent, violent warbands that fall into disarray when their leader is killed. Decepticons, however, aren't above hiring them to do their dirty work. Some have even pledged their devotion to them, usually called "Decepti-cults." On the flip side, individual Transformers might join some of these renegade groups, exchanging their services for energon and protection.

Orks: Living to fight as they do, Orks particularly enjoy the chance to fight Transformers, who are "big, stompy and shooty - right proppa scrappin'!" Big Meks in particular enjoy the prospect of stripping down Transformer wrecks to rebuild them into machines for the Ork Waaagh! Needless to say, the Transformers do not appreciate the attention and make it their duty to exterminate Orks wherever they can. Orks are one of the few occasions where even Autobots will unleash their most powerful anti-biological weapons, capable of breaking the cycle of Ork reproduction. Some of the most common sightings of Autobots in Imperial territory have come when one or more emerged from hiding/dormancy to annihilate an invading Ork Waaagh! or to purge its adopted world of Feral Ork tribes.

Eldar: Though Eldar arrogance prevents them from ever truly allying with any race, if there is one species they can admit to holding some respect for, it is the Transformers. Both races have no home world(s) to return to, they're race is dying and scattered, and both have extreme longevity and ancient wisdom. Because of this, Transformers and the Eldar have formed a strange but peaceful kinship that few races can claim to have. Though their relationship with the Decepticons is more strained, it is not unheard of for a Craftworld to allow a Cybertronian refuge if they seek help. Autobots and Eldar have one of the few relationships that can be considered relatively close, in the 41st Millennium.

• Exodites: More so than their Craftworld Kin, Exodites can admit to respecting the Transformers, most specifically the Autobots. Although they generally keep them at bay, this is because the Cybertronian ability to assume the form of labor-saving machines is against the codes their lives are built on. Transformers who assume the shape of beasts or weapons have been known to live alongside Exodites, and when under attack by superior forces, even war-machine-formed Autobots are welcome; Exodites are many things, but they are not stupid.
• Harlequins: As a race on generally good terms with the Eldar, as much as that is possible between Eldar arrogance and the realities of the 41st Millennium, Transformers are amongst the very few individuals who can be said to have met Harlequins on peaceful terms. There are even accounts of Autobots, or more rarely Decepticons, who have seen the Harlequins perform.

Dark Eldar: If Autobots and Craftworld or Exodite Eldar can be said to be on good terms, that cannot be said to be the case for their dealings with the Dark Eldar. Even the Decepticons don't like the Dark Eldar. These vampiric degenerates disgust the Transformers, especially since there are elders who can remember the time before the Fall and see how the Dark Eldar have learned nothing. Meanwhile, the existence of the Transformers offends the Dark Eldar to the depths of their shriveled, bleeding souls; by their very existence, Cybertronians put a lie to the Dark Eldar's claims to be the only race that really matters, diminishing the glory of their heritage. They eagerly seek the destruction of all Transformers, striving to draw them into their labs to be tormented; the soul-stuff of a Transformer is unimaginably potent, compared to that of a human or an ork.

Tyranids: Although one might think that their artificial nature makes Transformers inedible to Tyranids, to do so is to underestimate their drive for raw material. They absorb minerals as readily as protein and calcium, but even beyond that, Transformers are organisms in their own right, with their own alien genetic materials to assimilate. The Transformers respond to the Tyranids with the same ferocity they show against the Orks, deploying their most powerful weapons and striving to burn them from the stars. The Decepticons and Autobots readily find common cause, as both races see the Tyranids as needing to be exterminated. Just they prospect of an entire Hive Fleet assimilating Cybertronian biology is terrifying enough for the Imperial Inquisition to cooperate with the defense of a Transformer world.

Tau Empire: Cybertronian/Tau interactions are... well, they're better than Cybertronian/Imperium interactions. But that's a bit like saying a broken toe is better than an amputated foot. Many Autobots have a great deal of hope for the Tau, but interactions with them are still often stifling, awkward and prone to backfiring. The Tau have a tendency to assume an ironically Eldar-like arrogance in such meetings, seemingly being incapable as a whole of thinking of the Cybertronians as being any different to the drones they already use for mundane and dangerous tasks. Individual Tau can be an exception, especially amongst the Fire Caste, who have learned very pointedly that no drone could hope to match the processing complexity of a Cybertronian warrior and found them to be honorable and worthy allies, but as a whole, the Tau have a strong tendency to put their foot in their mouths by either dismissively assuming the Cybertronians are inferiors due to their cybernetic nature, or by proselytizing to the extent that even the Autobots - who already hold a belief roughly similar to the Greater Good - are annoyed by it. The Decepticons in particular tend to find the Tau warriors respectable, but the race as a whole irritating.

Necrons: Transformers and Necrons have a uninque relationship, being alike yet different in so many ways. They're both races of living machines with highly advanced technology and many seek to rebuild their once great ancient empires. Yet Necrons are soulless while Transformers have souls in the form of sparks, and Necrons are almost always zealously seeking the extermination of other races or driven by insanity and their own selfish goals. Autobots will sometimes have shaky alliances with Necron Lords in exchange for fuel and protection. Decepticons, however, are not above either taking Tomb Worlds for themselves or ally themselves with more extreme and omnicidal Dynasties, most notably the Maynarkh Dynasty. On another note, there have been terrifying but unconfirmed sightings of Cybertronians who have fallen victim to the dreaded Necron flayer virus. The truthfulness of these claims is unclear, but the simple premise of Flayed Transformers is terrifying enough for both Autobot and Decepticon alike to take extreme precautions when dealing with Flayed Ones.

Specialist Transformers

Multi-formers: Although all Cybertronians can transform, shifting between more than two forms at once is a specialised skill, and one held in much esteem by the majority who cannot. Most multi-formers are only capable of shifting between three different forms, though often diametrically different. The process requires a considerable amount of mental flexibility to master, and there are stereotypes portraying multi-formers as dangerous and/or unstable as a side effect. Even if the skill is developed, actually achieving it requires extensive physical modifications to the chassis, allowing a Cybertronian to actually shift between its various forms. Multi-formers are about equal between the Autobot/Decepticon divide; the Autobots are generally more mentally stable and disciplined, making it easier for them to successfully attain this status, whilst Decepticons are more likely to care about the combat boost over the risk to the Cybertronian's mental health.

Combiners/Gestalts: Akin to multi-formers, combiners and gestalts are unique transformers on both a mental and a physical basis. On a practical level, both variants are the same; transformers who can physically merge together in order to assume a single, more powerful form. The difference is in the numbers; combiners consist of only two individuals, whilst gestalts consist of three or more. Beyond that, the actual mechanics for the merging varies widely from partnership to partnership; a merging transformer may come together to form a unique vehicle mode, a beast mode, or, more iconically, a gargantuan humanoid mode. As a general rule, combiners tend to be more stable than gestalts, and many combiners are in fact transformer mutants who can divide their sparks between two chassis as once. Gestalts, however, are always based on multiple individual transformers, and this resultant combination of minds often goes wrong. Many gestalts in their merged form are insane, as personality conflicts are magnified and exaggerated, leading in the worst cases to transformers literally at war with themselves. Others are too sane, with their mental similarities intermeshing and strengthening each other until they become equally deranged. Stereotypically, combiners are more common amongst the Autobots, who tend to be better at getting along in such a fashion, whilst the Decepticon prize of lethality over sanity means they are more willing to risk gestalts becoming dangers to their own side as well. In truth, both types of merger can be found on both sides of the alignment divide.

Pretenders: Although any Cybertronian can assume any kind of form, when it comes to organic based alternate forms - beast forms - the results are less than convincing. Even the best of such disguises are clearly mechanical, cybernetic monstrosities that can't hope to walk amongst organics. The pretenders, however, have achieved a whole new level of realism. Using rarer advanced mechanisms for transformation, these Cybertronians can alter their size and mass as well as their bodies, allowing them to walk amongst organics undetected. Though one may think that the Autobots make greater use of this technology, in truth, they have almost as little need for it as most Decepticons do; the Imperium is a nightmarish horror that the Autobots want nothing to do with, whilst amongst Tau or Eldar, their true form is better for mingling. Only one faction makes extensive use of this art as a group; Starscream's Brigade. These elite Decepticon agents infiltrate, manipulate and subvert human civilisation to further their own goals, and are one of the greatest nightmares that the Inquisition has faced. For as realistic as the shell may look, that is all that it is; many Imperial Assassins have fatally underestimated their targets and been torn apart when their victim proved more than meets the eye.

Masters: Another breed of Cybertronian associated mostly with the exploitative Decepticons allied to Starscream in these dark days, transformer masters form unique partnerships with organics. Cybernetically converted into pseudo-cybertronians, these "partners" are mentally and physically linked to a Cybertronian warrior, enhancing both in specific and deadly ways. This level of trust is almost unheard of in the 41st millennium; most "partners" are recruited from Decepti-cults, or, more likely, were literally bred for the role, on lost human or xenos worlds that have fallen under the sway of Cybertronian influence or been completely conquered by transformers for generations.

• Targetmasters: The most common of the master types, the partners for these Cybertronians assume the form of powerful weapons. With the partner's own independent mind and senses, they have unparalleled accuracy and drastically heightened response time - at least, such is the theory. Stereotypically, targetmasters tend to be either elite snipers, delivering death with nanometer precision, or walking artillery batteries, sweeping the enemy aside under a torrential deluge of firepower.
• Powermasters: Rarer than targetmasters, powermasters are Cybertronians whose partners transform into their engines. Such transformers are typically incapable of independently transforming, requiring the interlink of their partner to catalyze the shift between forms, but they gain considerable advantages; their partners are capable of fighting alongside of them in either form, ensuring they always have an ally literally to hand. Furthermore, when interlinked, a powermaster's partner supercharges the Cybertronian's physical structure. Such a transformer has increased speed and strength, their reflexes are heightened drastically and even their self-repair systems operate more smoothly. Powermasters are often adrenaline junkies and speed demons, with a propensity to nervous twitches.
• Headmasters: Rarest of all, even amongst Starscream's Brigade, a headmaster is the ultimate Cybertronian-organic interface. Physically transforming into the cranial processing unit of their transformer partner, a headmaster is a fusion of two minds, offering increased perspective, knowledge, skills, processing power and abilities. When they interlink, the two can think faster and clearer than ever... assuming their personalities are compatible; the risk of lethal madness is another factor keeping these transformers rare. What makes them especially valuable, particularly to Starscream, is that headmasters are the only transformers who can use psychic powers. The organic mind within grants them a connection to the warp, whilst the Cybertronic mind enhances the organic's ability to protect itself from daemonic predators and channel warp energy. Though active skill is traditional psionic powers is uncommon, headmasters tend to be experts at countering psychic powers and master daemon-slayers, channeling warp energies in ways even the Eldar are hard-pressed to match to rend daemons asunder.

Famous Transformers

Primus

The creator God of the Transformer race and the living core of their home world Cybertron. He has existed since time immemorial, providing the spark of life for all Transformers and guiding them through their darkest times. His only weakness is that his Spark is ground into this reality, and his wellbeing is connected to the health of Cybertrron. At the moment many are unsure of his current condition, as Cybertron itself is currently lost the Eye of Terror. Many abundant theories among Transformers and xeno alike. Cybertronians believe he possibly ascended from his physical planet body and now resides within the Warp. Ordo Mallus of the Imperial Inquisition assume Primus is now tainted by the spiraling Warp energy, while the Eldar theorize that Primus was forcefully dragged into the Warp and may have been devoured like the majority of their pantheon during the Fall.

Unicron

He goes by many names. The Lord of Chaos, the Chaos Bringer, the Planet Eater, among many others spoken hesitantly over the centuries. His goal is singular; to destroy anything and everything within known existence, the Warp included. While he is the polar opposite of his twin brother Primus, he assumes the form of a living planet just like him. He gains substance by devouring worlds, stars, and anything in between. His current whereabouts are unknown, but there has not been a reported sighting of him since the tail-end of the Great War when he was supposedly defeated. However, it is thought that the opening of the Eye somehow reawakened Unicron, the turbulent energies attracting him like a moth to a flame. Some believe he has the capability to transcend his physical planet form and travel to different dimensions or even different universes at will. It is possible he can never truly be defeated, simply escaping to another plane of existence.

Many Transformers and even organic beings who seek power might end up in Unicron's corrupting hand. Like the Dark Gods, Unicron gathers followers and boons them with unnatural gifts so they can fulfill his blasphemous dreams. Many are stripped of their free will in the process but some, like Galvatron, follow him willingly out of their own twisted desires. Many believe he his gathering his own army of darkness, waiting for the opportune moment to reveal himself and consume the Galaxy. Still, in the end his followers will simply be devoured along with everything else, and he will move to another galaxy or even another dimension to consume again.

Optimus Prime

The great leader of the Autobots, the face of freedom and the bringer of hope. For untold eons he led the battle between Autobot and Decepticon, until he mysteriously vanished during a final, fatal confrontation with Megatron. To this day, the Autobots mourn his loss, seeing him as the best of a noble breed, the likes of which may not be seen again.

Originally coming online with the designation Orion Pax,the Prime who came to be known as Optimus was originally a humble factory worker, a transporter who used the guise of a Cybertronic cargo freighter to convey vital goods and materials where they were needed. A friendly and gregarious youth, the mech was content with his humble life, though he felt a great admiration for the rabble-rouser Megatron, who was preaching against the inequalities of the current system. That admiration faded when Megatron himself led an assault on the factory where Orion worked, killing Orion's friends and mortally injuring the confused mech when he pleaded with his hero-figure to stop. Found clinging to life by the enigmatic scientist Alpha Trion, he was rebuilt in a more powerful form, which he used to inspire other Autobots to take up arms to defend thesmelves against Megatron's revealed tyranny and brutality.

Always a humble soul, Optimus Prime looked forward to the possibility that the war would end and he could go back to a simpler time. As a result, in contrast to some Autobots, he always retained a fairly close semblance to his original alternate form; originally a Cybertronian cargo hauler as Orion Pax, the alternate form of Optimus Prime is based on that template, but heavily armored and given attached energy blasters for self defense. This form suited Optimus fine, for he preferred the more honorable approach of using his true mech body to do battle with his enemies, rather than crushing them under the tracks of his vehicle body. To concede to war's grim necessity, he made use of several specialised trailers, which he could access from and dismiss to a subspace pocket when he required them. These allowed the Prime to double as a mobile artillery battery or an armored personal carrier, among other roles, when the need was great.

Preaching that freedom was the right of all sentient beings, Optimus strove to engage in diplomatic relationships with other races where possible. He is said to have had a particular soft spot for humans... what he would think of the modern Imperium is a touchy subject amongst Autobots.

Megatron

The most feared and dreaded Decepticon warlord to ever arise, the disappearance of the Slagmaker was less of a relief than many had hoped. After all, who could really dare to trust that the mech responsible for the greatest civil war until the Horus Heresy - indeed, Cybertronians would argue that their civil war was worse, since the Horus Heresy barely lasted a century whilst theirs has raged for millions of years - had just crawled off into the darkness and died? Even in the Imperium, those poor souls cursed with the responsibility of awareness of Megatron's deeds and history find it harder to sleep at night when they contemplate the possibility that he might still be out there...

Megatron's past is an enigma, even to his own followers, but it was known that he had originally worked as a miner before abandoning that career to find a more lucrative one as a professional gladiator. In the oil-stained, fluid-spattered arenas of Kaon, the formerly obscure figure climbed to stardom on a pile of broken bodies and crushed wills, the powerful frame and inexhaustible stamina that had once torn Energon crystals and valuable ores from living earth now finding a gorier function. But Megatron was no mere dumb brute, alas for the galaxy, for if he had been, he may have found peace there. But beneath his brutish shell lay the processor of a charismatic and intelligent soul, who educated himself as best he could, and used his reputation as a gladiator to force a way into the political arena for himself.

To this day, it's argued in dark corners whether Megatron really was sincere when he began his preaching against social inequality amongst Cybertonians, only to be corrupted into a tyrant, or if it was a fraud all along. What is known is that it was not long before Megatron grew tired of peaceful protests and began demanding change - by force. He and his followers became violent rebels, committing terrorist actions that soon sparked a full-scale war, forever dividing their people into warring factions.

Megatron's alternate form was a thing of terror to all who saw it, an armored and heavily armed flying vessel, of a design archaic even when he chose it, capable of soaring through the stars and delivering death wherever he chose. He bore a massive energy blaster, one so unstable that few others could have hoped to carry it and survive its energy fluctuations, but Megatron wielded it with ease. Worlds burned and died at his command, entire species were rendered extinct at his whim. He was a monster, and amongst the Decepticons who have faced the Space Marines, it is said that even Primarchs were leery of doing battle with their dark lord.

Rodimus Prime

On that dark day when Optimus Prime perished, only one soul was able to confirm the Hope-Bringer's death. The mech called Hot Rod was infamous amongst the Autobots at the time; charismatic, fearless, and a deadly warrior, but also immature, foolhardy and lighthearted. He had great potential as a warrior and a leader, but most considered him to squander it, as he refused to, in his own words, "let this war drag (him) down". All that changed when he returned to the Autobots, bearing the sacred symbol of their cause; the Matrix of Leadership, collective repository of the wisdom of all Primes, last born by Optimus himself. Contrary to the dark rumors some still whisper today, Hot Rod made no attempt to claim leadership for himself; indeed, the idea visibly horrified, even sickened him. The first thing he did was present the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, asserting that the scarred and grizzled veteran was the only possible candidate to take Optimus' place. Only when the Matrix refused to open and share its power with Ultra Magnus was Hot Rod forced to confess that Optimus had not only given him the Matrix to bear from that fateful battlefield, but asserted that he was to take Optimus's place.

To the disbelief of all, Hot Rod took up the Matrix and was transformed, becoming Rodimus Prime. Knowing in his spark of sparks that he was not the unequivocal leader that his predecessor was, Rodimus formally allied himself with Ultra Magnus, and the two have been staunch allies ever since; though Rodimus has matured greatly since taking up the Matrix, his hotblooded and passionate nature nicely contrasts the cool and logical nature of the grizzled old veteran. Still, this was not enough to prevent the Autobots from splintering, thus necessitating the founding of the Council of Primes.

Formerly an alien speedster, Rodimus Prime's new alternate form is a sleek yet deadly skimmer with a disproportionately vast amount of firepower and a surprising level of armor. Quick in both body and mind, Rodimus is capable of feats even Eldar jetbikes have been hardpressed to match, and has several confirmed Titan kills to his name.

Ultra Magnus

Grim, thoughtful and methodical, only a fool mistakes Ultra Magnus for being slow-witted. One of the largest Autobot leaders, he wields the mighty Magnus Hammer, an electricity-manipulating xenotech device that is far beyond the capabilities of the Imperium's thunder hammers. Transforming into a slow-moving but nigh-invulnerable mobile battery, he has crushed entire armies of organics singlehandedly, and few command the respect he does. Humble by nature, his alliance with Rodimus Prime benefits them both, and despite their seemingly irreconcilable differences, the two are, in fact, staunch friends and will gladly risk their lives for each other.

Grimlock

Of all the senior Autobots, Grimlock was the only one that refused to join the Covenant of Primus. After the establishment of the Covenant, Grimlock when out on his own, obsessively searching for his team of Dinobots who had disappeared in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. If there are any sightings of his teammates in a given system, one can be sure that Grimlock will be the first there, cutting bloody paths through whoever gets in his way. The most famous occurrence was on the moon of a dead world, where Grimlock dueled a Bloodthirster in order to find his comrade Slag. When Grimlock discovered he wasn't there, he proceeded to butcher every daemon on the moon, from the smallest Bloodletter to the lead Bloodthister. Rodimus Prime and other members of the Covenant worry that the Blood God is somehow manipulating Grimlock into falling to Chaos, but whether he has succeeded in doing so has yet to be seen. Over time he has developed a small retinue of Autobots who gather around the powerful Dinobot for protection and to help him in his quest of searching for his brethren.

Galvatron

Unicron's servants are a rarity, but one being amongst their ranks claims the title of his "Herald". The massively powerful and violently insane Galvatron has a startling amount of charisma to him, at times being as charming as Starscream, but such moments of clarity are but a thin veil over a being who can be considered deranged even by Unicron's standards.

What makes Galvatron even more terrifying is that he claims a connection to Megatron. Indeed, although he also seems to see Megatron as somehow disconnected from him, he actually claims to be the Slagmaker, reforged to serve the true lord of all Transformers. Though this is naturally greeted with skepticism, and violent opposition by some of Megatron's more devoted followers, it is true that Galvatron often makes surprisingly accurate references to events that Megatron partook in before his disappearance. Even chiming in with details few, if any, other than the Slagmaker himself should have known!

Some have wondered if Galvatron might be some sort of failed reconstruction effort, or perhaps a clone. One outlandish theory suggests that Galvatron is, in reality, a version of Megatron from a different timeline, dragged here to this reality to assist in Unicron's quest of devouring this dimension.

Soundwave

Unflinching in his loyalty, Soundwave stood comfortably as Megatron's communications officer throughout most of the Great War. While Shockwave and Starscream earned their ranks through cold-blooded ruthlessness and suave persuasion, respectively, Soundwave crawled his way to the top with his zealous attitude to the Decepticon cause and his unwavering faithfulness to their leader Megatron. His stoic and monotone persona was a harsh juxtaposition to his tactics, sometimes resorting to blackmail or even undercutting allies to suit his needs. After the Horus Heresy and the disappearance of Megatron, something akin to sadness came over the forlorn Decepticon. He wouldn't speak for years after and it was noted that his tactics became far more aggressive, borderline suicidal. Now in the 41st millenium, Soundwave vehemently believes that his master is still out there in the darkness of space. Currently he and his warband of Decepticons are based on the annexed worlds of the Necron Akhera Dynasty, taking full advantage of the confiscated technology and resources.

Espionage and tactical warfare are his forte. While Starscream is known for his use of Powermasters and Pretenders, Soundwave is not above using the latter as spies to discover and undermine his enemy. He himself can be see out in the field disguised as various pieces of technology, from lampposts to communication arrays. His miniature army of Recordicons have become something of a legend to those who have seen it; a small array of Transformers whom Soundwave can deploy directly from his chest and can fill a variety of combat or tactical roles.

Shockwave

Before the Great War between Autobot and Decepticon erupted, Cybertron's Golden Age had come to an end and been replaced by a Gilt Age, with the gloss of the old order covering a growing rot from within, as corruption and selfishness claimed the rule. One charismatic, if somewhat vainglorious, senator spoke against this trend, and was a mentor-figure and friend to both Optimus Prime and to Megatron. But rivals in the political arena grew tired of his moral crusading, and they united against him. Getting him captured under false charges, they sentenced him to the most terrible punishments of those days; Empurata and Shadowplay. The former; physical mutilation, restructuring a Cybertronian's body into a clumsier, more utilitarian form, stripping away their face and leaving them devoid of anything but their voice to communicate with. The latter; mental mutilation, forcibly inverting a Cybertronian's personality with extensive reprogramming. From their efforts was born the mech who became known as Shockwave; coldly logical, ruthlessly pragmatic and viciously driven to have power.

He allied himself with Megatron, but always as an equal, in his own mind. When Megatron was lost, Shockwave stepped in to fill the void, and in due fairness, he is in many ways a more practical and efficient leader than Megatron was. But his cold-booted logical approach is, in many ways, just as terrifying as the Slagmaker's passionate one. Shockwave's minions tread warily around him, knowing that to become expendable is as good as death. Shockwave will do anything that he considers appropriate or likely to acquire what he desires. And he is no mindless drone, either; although he will sacrifice lives as readily as the most stereotypical of the Imperial Guard's commanders, he will never do so unless it will ensure victory. Indeed, one of the few beings capable of eliciting something in him close to rage is Commander Kubrik Chenkov; the fact a commander can actually get away with a tactic so... mindless as drowning his enemies in wave after wave of his own men, actually profiting from such wasteful expenditure of his soldier's lives, goes completely contrary to everything his millions of years of tactical study and practical leadership dictates should be acceptable. For similar reasons, he's deeply opposed to the Orks and the Tyranids, and he is the Deception Commander most likely to "come to the rescue" of Imperial units facing against such threats. On the purely logical creed that Orks and Tyranids are enemies that must be obliterated, and other races are comparatively minor nuisances who can be ignored until then.

Though officially allied with Soundwave, it is not so clearcut. Shockwave is out for his own power, first and foremost, and whilst his mental damage makes it impossible for him to wield his former charisma, he can understand and, in his way, appreciate the tactical value of Starscream's diplomatic skills. Thusly, although formally united with Soundwave, it is far from unknown for Shockwave to covertly make deals with Starscream, or use the Brigade's greater skill at manipulating and subverting organics to his advantage. Likewise, sabotaging Soundwave's efforts to find Megatron is not beyond Shockwave, for he long ago formed the realization that Megatron's efficiency as a leader was growing... sub-par.

Shockwave rarely takes to the battle himself, but is a devastating force, assuming the form of a mobile weapon capable of slaughtering whatever he aims himself at.

Starscream

Formerly the Air Commander of the United Decepticon Army, Starscream began his existence as a scientist, a xenobiologist and prospector whose simple joy in life was traveling the cosmos and exploring strange new worlds. When he was drafted into Megatron's army, he found a new calling in life; death and destruction, delivered from high above or at supersonic speeds. Initially a loyal warrior grateful for his prestigious position, Starscream soon soured on his master when he came to realise that Megatron had little use for independent thought or tactical input from anyone other than himself. Soon, Megatron went from rebuking Starscream for his "arrogance" to brutally insulting and physically assaulting him - of course, when Megatron's own schemes failed, the blame for that likewise found its way to Starscream's feet as well. No wonder, then, that Starscream sought to usurp and overthrow his master.

Some wonder, then, if this may not be the root cause of Starscream's willingness to "cooperate" with organics - if he doesn't see something of himself in the small and frail creatures. Few bring it up where he can hear them.

Though he can be arrogant and vainglorious, Starscream is a skilled strategist and possess a tongue that could sweet-talk an Adeptus Sorita. His band of followers, known as Starscream's Brigade, may be small compared to some Decepticon forces, but is loyal and well-motivated, and his plans have caused countless problems for the Imperium. What truly frustrates the Imperium is that, even though Starscream may be the weakest of the Cybertronian leaders, he is also literally unkillable.

All Cybertronians possess a "soul-flame", a strange power gifted to them by their Spark. This can be as mundane as preternatural strength, durability or agility, even by Cybertronian standards, or it can be something more exotic, as is the case with Starscream: he is immortal. Though his body can be blasted apart, any damage he sustains will repair, and even if the destruction is total, his spark can abandon its shell and recreate it somewhere else. Indeed, slaying Starscream only makes him more dangerous, as his spark can possess other technological items and bend them to his will; it is rumored that sustained possession of a singular "host-machine" will actually cause it to kindle to life as a new Cybertronian. This tale is unconfirmed, but the rumors of Starscream subverting an entire forgeworld in this fashion, reducing it to a grand broodnest for his own followers, remain unchallenged. It is not as if the Imperium hasn't tried, but it has always failed. Indeed, Starscream seems to have taken to regarding the killing of Officio Assassinorum agents as a hobby, displaying tokens of each defeat with the pride of a devout collector.

Starscream's alternate form remains unchanged over millions of years; exemplifying his personal preference for high-speed, high-mobility assaults, Starscream's vehicle form is a Cybertronic jet fighter, capable of operating in space and in atmosphere with equal ease. Not satisfied with that, Starscream has taken the unheard-of step of upgrading himself into one of the minority of Pretenders. Favoring the guise of a nobleman or a rogue trader, few realise the true deadliness that lies behind his typically foppish and narcissistic demeanor until it is too late.

Transformers Timeline

M30:

• 444.M30 The Great Loss: Optimus Prime and Megatron are formally lost as the result of a titanic battle over an ancient Cybertronian archives, rumored to contain valuable resource maps and lost weapon plans. The archives are destroyed, as are all of the Cybertronians who do battle there. Amongst the Autobots, only one survivor is known; Hot Rod, who returns traumatized and bearing the Matrix of Leadership.

M31:

• 003.M31 Darkness Rises: A daemon world, a world of ashes and fire in the realm of Khorne, disappears. All that's left in its place is rubble and spiraling Warp energy. It becomes the first in the next several millennia to disappear in and around the Eye of Terror.
• 016.M31 Fall of the House of Constantine: The planet Pyroran, once an prosperous feudal world home to the Imperial Knight House Constantine, fell in 7 days and 7 nights during the Horus Heresy to a constant onslaught of the Decepticon war machine. During the last week of the battle the noble houses and the remaining Knights were pushed back to a walled citadel where they held a valiant line against continuous energon and ion bombardment. On the 7th day the wall finally fell and the combiner Bruticus led a frenzied charge into the citadel. While most of the Knights and nobles fell back to the center, one Knight Gallant by the name of Palaeologus decided to stay and fend off the charge long enough for the remaining nobles to set up a defensive position. Palaeologus engaged Bruticus in single combat, but was widdled down and eventually struck down. House Constantine fell later that night, and Pryoran was soon cyberformed into New Kaon, with the citadel now a gladiatorial arena.

M32

• 842.M32 The Shattering of the Forge of Contempt: An Iron Warriors-held space fortress is assaulted by Autobot warriors under the command of Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime, who painstakingly slaughter the Chaos Marines whilst trying to spare their slaves. Though they offer these survivors the freedom to return to the Imperium, most choose instead to swear themselves to the Autobots, perhaps driven by awe of the Autobots, perhaps grimly aware that the Imperium would have no welcome for them.

M33

• 950.M33 The Massacre of Metabelus III: An Imperial Shrine World is wiped out to the last by a Transformer invasion. In reality, they had disturbed an ancient Cybertronian weapon and unleashed the deadly Hate Plague, a pseudo-psionic contamination that drove the colony to self-destruct; the Transformers who attacked did so to keep the surviving "rage zombies" from potentially infecting the rest of the system with their madness.

M35

• 397.M35 The Defense of Powrie: A Dark Eldar raid on a presumably defenseless Imperial world goes horrifically astray for the fear-eating marauders when it turns out that a small tribe of Cybertronian deserters has come to call the world home. With their advanced technology and skills, they launch their own counterattack, tearing apart the Dark Eldar and stopping their invasion cold. Though the Archon in charge escapes back to Commorragh with his life, his status is lost and he quickly becomes food for his rivals in the wake of so humiliating a defeat.

M37

• 632.M37 The Cargis VII Siege: Imperial Fists and Aurora Chapter Space Marines arrive along with the 34th Betic Centaurs and 55th Alphic Hydras to aid in the siege of the planet Cargis VII whose heretical Planetary Governor declared independence from the Imperium. The situation becomes dire due to the fact that the governor not only was found aided by the Iron Warriors, but also used an uncovered Cybertronian artefact that generated a forcefield around the capital. The shield proved indestructible and none of the Imperials could penetrate it. However a group of Autobots led by the ferocious Grimlock arrived to Cargis VII when they found out Iron Warriors were on the surface. Despite being powerful, with their numbers the Cybertronians would be overpowered by the defenses. An uneasy alliance is made between Grimlock and the Imperials and the Dinobot orders some of his band to assume the forms of the Land Raiders of the Space Marines. Although disgusted to ride inside the Transformers, the Imperials pass easily through the forcefield. Both factions massacre the governor and the Iron Warriors, the Imperials reclaim the planet, while Grimlock disappears with his Autobots along with the forcefield artefact before anyone notices.

M38

• 335.M38 The Tainting of the Righteous Indignation: Transformer raiders assault an Imperial battle cruiser, the Righteous Indignation, broadcasting some alien signal. To the horror of the survivors, the Righteous Indignation goes renegade, killing its crew and attacking its former allies before fleeing with the raiders into deep space. When the vessel later returned, it demonstrated the same shapeshifting ability as the other Abominable Intelligences; the Mechanicus officially states that the vessel was enslaved and mutilated into one of the twisted entities, but the Inquisition has its suspicions that it may have been a transformer in stasis the whole time.

M39

• 700.M39 The Shattering of Paradron: An attempt by the Imperium to reclaim the lost world of Paradron for humanity runs into conflict when one band of heathens refuse to accept the Emperor's Light. Sworn to the defense of the City of Light, they wield foul techno-sorceries to try and stymie the Imperial assault. When defeat is inevitable, all of the surviving heathens flee to their "holy city-god"... which transforms into a massive starship of alien nature and departs from the planet, fighting its way through the unprepared defense fleet in orbit and warping away. Paradron promptly explodes, annihilating the loyalists still on the surface and crippling the fleet.

M40

• 450.M40 WAAAGH! Oilguzzla: An ambitious Big Mek leads a Waaagh! against a transformer colony-world, seeking to harvest the natives as the raw materials to build Morkanauts and Gargants. The colony survives only by unleashing ancient archeo-tech weapons from the Great War.
• 781.M40 The Cyber-Plague of Toxus II: The Adeptus Mechanicus retrieve objects from an ancient Cybertronian tomb and, fighting past their guardians, brings them to the Forge World of Toxus II for study. One item turns out to be a bio-weapons canister containing a sample of the hyper-corrosive ferrovirus known as Cosmic Rust; it leaks and rapidly infects the entire Forge World, destroying it utterly.

M41

• 740.M41 The Metal that Eats: Driven mad by the omnicidal whispers of their dark master, a cannibalistic warband of Unicron-worshippers sweeps out of the stars and lays waste to multiple worlds as part of a rampage of destruction for destruction's sake. Their path of bloodlust only comes to a halt when they encounter a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Cybertronian fought Tyranid as the two sides tore each other asunder, causing metal and flesh to fly through the air and rain down like hail. Eventually the Unicronites were devoured by the Swarm, thrashing and screaming in rage the entire time.
• 890.M41 The Tornetron Heresy: The Imperial World of Tornetron is wracked by heresy when a new subversive group, the Spark of Divinity, rises from amongst the underhive and spreads through the foundaries. Ordo Hereticus agents and Callidus Assassins learn all-too-late that the heresy is being promoted and led by Decepticon Pretenders allied to Starscream; their effort to subvert the world into providing resources to Starscream's forces thwarted, they instead lead the surviving heretics to flee their homeworld, being absorbed into Starscream's forces as Targetmasters, Powermasters and even Headmasters.
• 910.M41 Annexation of the Akhera Dynasty: After a skirmish that left his forces badly mangled, Soundwave and his retinue of Decepticons fell back to a seemingly uninhabited world as a warband of Word Bearers gave chase. When the Word Bearers made planetfall and seemingly cornered the Decepticons, Scarabs scurried from the earth below and began to maul at the Chaos Space Marines and their vehicles, and it came as a surprise to both sides that they had reawakened a Necron Tomb World. Even stranger, however, was that the Scarabs only focused on the Word Bearers and none of the Decepticons. Soon enough, Necron Warriors rose from the ground and began laying down a barrage of gauss, not paying mind to and even aiding the Decepticons in their plight. After the Chaos Space Marines made their hasty retreat, a fabulously adorned Necron surrounded by a pack of Lychguard and a few Cypteks approached Soundwave. He introduced himself as Erikahn; Phaeron of the minuscule but powerful Akhera Dynasty. As the Phaeron spoke Soundwave quickly decerned that the Necron was delusional and insane, mistaking him and his Decepticons as their Necron brethren. Seeing a unique opportunity, Soundwave annexed Erikahn and his nine Tomb Worlds under him into his ranks. Now those worlds serve as Sounwave's main base of operations and serve as a Decepticon colony.
• 999.M41 The Foul Flame of Tulzscha: The fringe world of Tulzscha, already the sight of attention from the Imperium due to whispers of growing independence movements, comes under attack by Hive Fleet Eviscerix, a Tyrannic Splinter Fleet. As the Imperial defenders are pushed to the brink of extermination, Starscream's Brigade makes a daring strike in unprecedented numbers. Monstrous gestalts like Piranhacon and Predaking tear apart bio-titans, and the Powermaster Combiner known as Dreadwind leads Seeker squadrons to the death of the hive-ships, but it is the dreaded Sunstorm who truly turns the tide in favor of the Decepticons. Manipulated by his "father's" silver tongue into directing his attention to the dying world and coaxed into the depths of narcissistic fury, the hypercharged Cybertronian mutate ploughs heedlessly into the thickest frays. Like a corrupt and incandescent angel of destruction, his electromagnetic fusion aura incinerates the lesser bio-soldiers where they stand, burning gaunt-strains to ashes before they can hope to close within arm's reach of him, their bio-bullets disintegrated almost as soon as they leave their weapon-morphs. Singing to himself with slaughterlust, Sunstorm whips himself ever-deeper into his rapturous fury, blazing so brightly that even his fellow Decepticons cannot come within a mile of him before their own armored chassis start to melt like wax, the very bedrock boiling to magma beneath his feet. Unable to adapt fast enough to destroy the insatiable Decepticon warrior, the Tyranids are obliterated, the surviving humans bowing in homage to these mechanical gods. Thus another world is drawn to serve Starscream.

See Also

• Codex: Transformers - The official attempt to make a 40k codex to use with this fluff.