Age of Rust
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The Age of Rust (also known as the Rust Age) was a period of Cybertronian history recorded in the Covenant of Primus. It was marked by social and societal atrophy, as a demoralized Cybertron sought to recover from the traumatic and abrupt end of the Golden Age, while struggling with the caste system's limitations. The final days of the Age of Rust would act as a prelude to the Great War.
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Conceptual History
The Aligned continuity family's Age of Rust, as described in Transformers: The Covenant of Primus, is ultimately a combination of two very different ideas: creating a Cybertronian analogue to the infamous Black Death with cosmic rust, and establishing the backstory of Optimus Prime and Megatron before the Great War.
The concept of the Rust Plague comes from the aptly titled "Cosmic Rust" from The Transformers, which introduced the disease as a plot device for the episode. The disease, unlike its later Aligned counterpart, was quickly resolved with Perceptor's Corrostop. After its introduction, cosmic rust made brief appearances in the Season 3 premiere of Transformers Animated and in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Sometime in the late 2000s, Hasbro creatives would create the "Binder of Revelation" (BOR), a 354-page production bible that combined elements from across "generations" to create an "aligned" vision for a new universe. While the Binder briefly touched on Cosmic Rust in a "science" section, the "Age of Rust" was not included as one of the many epochs of the Transformers universe they were developed. Instead, the era between "The Golden Age" and "The Civil War" periods would be called... "The Rise of the Decepticons".
The backstory of the Autobots and Decepticons's war has seen countless depictions. "War Dawn" introduced Orion Pax and established a connection between him and Alpha Trion long before the creation of the Thirteen as a story concept. "The Route of All Evil", the last released issue of Dreamwave Productions' G1 continuity's main comic line, introduced the idea of Megatron being a gladiator, a concept that would be retooled in 2007 with the 2005 IDW continuity's mini-series The Transformers: Megatron Origin. These early takes on the backstories of the Autobot and Decepticon leaders would serve as inspiration for the Aligned continuity's backstory, which was properly introduced in the prose novel Transformers: Exodus, and expanded on with The Covenant of Primus.
Ultimately, it would seem that the "Age of Rust" was not a "BOR" invention, but rather a The Covenant of Primus invention, meant to provide a more in-depth, perhaps more realistic explaination for the Golden Age's drastic end, and why Cybertron was experiencing the social turmoil that would boil over in Exodus, leading to the Great War.
Fiction
The Covenant of Primus
Warning Signs
The first sign of trouble came from the Keepers, a group that watched over Cybertron's Energon reserves. Due to a supply shortage of Energon on Cybertron, they advocated for the end of off-world storage and exporting of Energon. The Keepers also noted that the Well of All Sparks was producing far fewer Cybertronians than during the glory days of the Golden Age: a tenth of its ordinary rate. After investigating the Keeper's reports, Cybertronians were forced to acknowledge that Energon and Sparks are finite resources. While these reports were troubling, they were not what would bring the Golden Age to a screeching halt. During the investigation into dwindling resources, a cargo ship in a colony world's star system briefly disappeared, only to suddenly reappear cycles later. A team was sent out to investigate the ship, which was not responding to any communication attempts. When a report from Technatron of the cargo ship investigation team arrived at Cybertron...
...everything changed.
The Rust Plague
A lethal disease, possibly a biological (or mechanical) weapon, had infected the entire crew of the lost cargo ship. The Rust Plague, as it would be called, was incredibly virulent and had spread quickly to the investigators and the port that the ship was docked in. All attempts at slowing down the Plague were failing due to the disease wiping out the scientists studying it. Technatron could only recommend one course of action: destroying the long list of infected worlds he had identified in an attempt to quarantine Cybertron and the rest of the colonies from its spread. After finishing Technatron's report, the Council watched as chaos broke out over the next few cycles.
A medical examiner, Backburner, sent a live camera feed to the Council, showing the horrific spread of the disease on another cargo ship. The red rust had covered every inch of the ship's interior, breaking down the bodies of its former crew. Backburner turned the camera towards the fresh corpse of his paramedic Soaring, who had been fine a mere two hours ago, before turning the camera to his own body, already infected. Backburner promised to destroy the ship, urging the Council to destroy any ships that might be infected. And then the feed cut off.
As the Council delayed action, paralyzed by the implications of the spreading pandemic on their way of life, SOS messages came from across the universe. Colony worlds pleaded for Cybertron to save them from the Rust Plague, but by rust, they fell and to rust they came. With no other choice, Sentinel Zeta Prime made the heavy decision to destroy the Space bridge network for maximum quarantine, cutting off the colonies from Cybertron and abandoning them to their fate to prevent the plague from spreading to the homeworld.
Prowl quickly left the Council's meeting, traveling to the Iacon Space Bridge port. Opening a communication line to Archon, Prowl pleaded for his friend Bluestreak to come home to Cybertron. Bluestreak informed Prowl that the Plague had reached Archon, and that he couldn't return home and risk bringing the Plague to Cybertron. Ironhide entered the room, and gently urged Prowl to initiate the self-destruction of the Space Bridge. Bluestreak tried to comfort his friend, explaining that "Law and Logic, they come first". Prowl reluctantly agreed, and the two friends said farewell, aware they might never speak to each other again. Prowl touched the instrument panel, and the Space Bridge collapsed on itself.
As the space bridge network was destroyed, the inhabitants of Neutronia fled their world. Drifting aimlessly in space, they eventually found the Transformation Cog of Amalgamous Prime in the orbit of a black hole. The T-Cog would mutate the Neutronians into the Mutacons.
Back on Cybertron, the Council listened for further signs of the Plague's spread. Months passed, and Cybertron concluded that the quarantine was successful. Thus, the Age of Rust began.
Prelude to War
In the aftermath of the Rust Plague, the global optimism of exploration, expansion, and wealth was irrevocably lost. At first, Cybertronians tried to distract themselves from their painful emotions by focusing on facts and figures. A census of Cybertron after the quarantine was one such example, revealing the remaining population to be smaller than during the Golden Age, which helped reduce the strain on Energon resources. While the early days of the Age of Rust saw attempts to begin new science programs, boredom and routine eventually became the numbing day-to-day reality of most Cybertronians. To combat this boredom, subcultures with a criminal element developed in clubs, racing, and most infamously, the gladiatorial pits of Kaon. Some resistance to blood sports appeared in the form of conservative legislation and temperance movements, but they did not stop Cybertronians from seeking out the thrills of the gladiator battles.
The caste system helped justify the rationing of Energon by assigning roles to each 'bot, helping keep up with the demands of a functional society. It did little to prevent the rise of suicide reports, which had previously been rare on Cybertron. The malaise of Cybertron intensified further when nameless bots began emerging from the Well of All Sparks en masse, just as they had during the Age of Wrath. The general consensus was that these new bots saw existence as too pointless to even bother choosing a name, or have things to look forward to. They merely went about their appointed role in life, no more or less.
Sentinel Zeta Prime managed to hold on to power during the Age of Rust, but accomplished little else. Councilor Soundwave was vocal in his anger and disgust for the Council's gun-shyness and lack of drive to reignite the people's spirits. While Elita One, Sentinel, and Halogen offered their proposals, none of them satisfied Soundwave, and so he abandoned the Council.
As one of the last Primes left on Cybertron, Alpha Trion could see that something needed to happen, to change, so that the populace could have hope again. Seeking an audience with the sentiment supercomputer Vector Sigma, Alpha Trion asked for the Matrix of Leadership, believing it could usher in a new age. Vector Sigma denied his request but provided the Badge of Vector Prime as a small token to be given to Sentinel. While the Badge did nothing to stir Sentinel to new action, it did interact with the Covenant of Primus and the Quill, the artifacts of Alpha Trion. Alpha Trion came to realize that change would take place, but not as he would expect.
Within Kaon, a rising figure began to catch the attention of Cybertronians who attended the growing industry of gladiatorial combat. A miner named D-16, he eventually claimed the title of Megatronus, before the exuberant crowds shortened his name to Megatron. Megatron was a visionary, a warrior, and a politician. He began addressing his audience of fans about the possibility of social change, even revolution. Megatron and his allies would eventually receive an audience before Sentinel and the council to address their concerns, but the council sidestepped Megatron and presented the title of Prime to one of his less extreme advisors, the archivist Orion Pax. As Pax rose to become Optimus Prime, Megatron rejected his former friend and began open warfare in the streets of Cybertron. These two leaders and their factions, the Autobots and Decepticons, began the Great War that shook the rust from Cybertron's society, for good or ill. Covenant of Primus
Aligned novels
During the era of the caste system, D-16 became a gladiator, an intellectual, and a debater with his fellow miners. He took control of Kaon and Slaughter City, and declared himself Megatronus. After hearing his preaching on the Communication Grid against the Guilds of Cybertron, the concerned Sentinel Prime sent Bumper and Fastback to investigate. Megatronus killed them, believing two lives were worthless compared to the millions doomed by the castes Sentinel created.
After a victorious battle with the Insecticons, in which the crowd redubbed him Megatron, the gladiator was contacted by the Iaconian records monitor Orion Pax, whose task was to read and index information from the Communication Grid. The two began a secret correspondence, having intense but friendly debates about free will and their beliefs. As Orion began training with Jazz to learn how to fight, Megatron's movement took on the name Decepticons. Terrorists began bombing in Megatron's name, but Orion trusted Megatron, believing that Megatron would have associated himself with them if he were truly involved.
Thanks to Starscream, Sentinel Prime would be kidnapped. Orion requested Alpha Trion arrange an audience with High Council for him and Megatron. During their hearing in the High Council Tower, they protested involvement in Sentinel's disappearance. When Halogen revealed Megatron's followers had been trying to locate the Matrix of Leadership, Orion rigorously defended their ideals, even reviving the ancient philosophical phrase "Autobots" to describe the autonomy his brethren sought. It was then Councilor Halogen declared Orion the new Prime: Optimus Prime. An outraged Megatron accused his brother of treachery and then murdered Halogen. When Optimus ordered the Elite Guard to not harm Megatron, Megatron declared Optimus had fallen into the trappings of power the High Council had foisted upon him. Those in attendance dispersed, the planet became divided into Autobots and Decepticons, and the Great War began. Transformers: Exodus
Prime cartoon
In the waning years of the Age of Rust, Megatronus was a gladiator who fought in the Kaon arena. Observing a disparity in freedom among the classes of his race, and that the ruling class was corrupt and all-powerful, Megatron turned rhetorician, trying to effect change. Meanwhile, Orion Pax was a clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records, One Shall Rise, Part 3 mentored by Alpha Trion. New Recruit His interests lay with the tales of ancient Cybertronian history, but the more he learned about the past, the more he grew concerned about the present. One Shall Rise, Part 3 Orion Pax and Megatron began corresponding with each other and joined forces to end corruption and bring equality to the masses. One Shall Rise, Part 3 Orion and Megatronus became close allies, almost like brothers. Masters & Students
Megatronus shortened his name to Megatron before he and Orion Pax appeared before the High Council. Megatron threatened the council, promising to overthrow them and instate himself as the next Prime—a declaration of hostility that shocked Orion, and moved him to an impassioned speech in favor of autonomy that successfully swayed the council where Megatron had failed. Jealous, Megatron left the council and Orion behind and assembled his followers—including perennial loyalist Soundwave and scheming second-in-command Starscream—into an army he would name "Decepticons", beginning the war for Cybertron and vowing to find the Matrix of Leadership which was denied to him by the council. One Shall Rise, Part 3
References
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