Transformers: The Covenant of Primus

Transformers: The Covenant of Primus

Author	Justina Robson
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	47North
Publication date	December 10, 2013
Publication place	United States
Pages	176

Transformers: The Covenant of Primus is a companion novel to the so-called Aligned continuity of the Transformers franchise, which includes the Transformers: Prime animated series. The term Covenant of Primus also describes an artifact featured in several branches of the Transformers franchise, beginning with Beast Wars: Transformers, as well as an organization that was featured in storyline for the Botcon fan convention.

Synopsis

The book is written from the perspective of the character Alpha Trion, and details the in-universe history of the planet Cybertron and its inhabitants, beginning with the Thirteen Primes.

In the Series

The Artifact

In several Transformers series, the Covenant of Primus is an actual relic in the Transformers universe. This concept was first introduced in Beast Wars, where the Covenant is regarded as a sacred text by the Transformers. Several passages of it are quoted in the series finale Nemesis, and several are known to be modified Bible verses.

The Organization

From 1998 to 2000 the annual Transformers fan convention Botcon had exclusive storyline that included a group of characters known as the Covenant of Primus. This group consisted of Twelve pre-Cybertronian Transformers based on the Zodiac and created by Primus as a last resort defense against the return of his nemesis, Unicron. Of their membership, only the following were named:

• Leonicus-the group's leader
• Aquator
• Libras
• Scorpius-a member of the Covenant who disappeared in order to infiltrate the ranks of Shokaract, the villain who served as Unicron's new host (represented by the Sandstorm Beast Wars figure)
• Capricun
• Piscor
• Ariex

The Covenant were created by Primus as part of an experiment that involved halting his universe-threatening battles with Unicron, and they were accelerated to the most advanced stage of Cybertronian life. Having succeeded in creating them, Primus tricked Unicron with a ruse that left them both trapped within planetoids, which they later reshaped into Cybertron and a mobile, planet-devouring vessel. The Covenant waited millennia for Unicron's return, and nearly engaged him during the events of The Transformers: The Movie until Rodimus Prime destroyed his body. Eventually, they traveled back in time to confront Shokaract on Earth during the time of the Beast Wars, where Unicron's displaced life force had landed after the destruction of his body. After losing several of their number, they realized that the key to defeating Unicron was to utilize their lifeforce, which was produced by Primus himself. Together with an army of Transformers of all factions from across time and space, they succeeded in defeating Shokaract, allowing Unicron's lifeforce to be drawn back into the time vortex from which it had emerged.