Dux non Intruitus
Out of all of the rules and regulations upheld by the officious Transcendent Technomorphs of the multiversal hub Axiom Nexus, none are more important than "Dux non Intruitus". This decree forbids all Offworlder faction leaders from entering the city, thereby ensuring that, without figureheads to rally around, no age-old conflicts are reignited. This ensures a steady peace for all inhabitants of Axiom Nexus.
In theory.
Fiction
[edit]TransTech
[edit]Starscream wrote the original Dux non Intruitus. According to the investigative journalist Rook, the decree meant that any incoming Optimus Primes, Rodimuses, Ultra Magnuses, Megatrons, Shockwaves, Starscreams, or any other faction leaders would be instantly caught by Axiom Nexus' universal recovery net and returned to their universe of origin. Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/08 Though he claimed not to be an expert in the legalities, Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/15 Vector Prime at least knew that faction leader refugees from destroyed or unreachable universes could be sent to other destinations such as Primax 514.29 Gamma. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/23 According to Cheetor, Dux non Intruitus was more of a manual process of expelling these authority figures if they sought sanctuary in Axiom Nexus. Somebody suspected of being in violation of the law would be taken to have their identity confirmed in front of a special committee at the TransTechs' intelligence directorate. Cybertron's Most Wanted Vector Prime knew these boundary cases were subjective, and dependant on the individual's personal development, giving as an example a different Cheetor who grew from a cocky kid to a capable leader. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/11/02
After a BUTT-related incident, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Sari Sumdac materialised in Axiom Nexus. Optimus and Sari were placed under military arrest for reasons of planetary security; Optimus for being a leader, and Sari because of her Key, an item of cosmic significance that violated the TransTech's no MacGuffin policy. After a chance meeting at a drive-thru, Bumblebee and his new friend "Joe" decided they had to rescue Optimus and Sari, and not just because "Joe" was secretly the evil Predacon Megatron with world-destroying plans for Sari's MacGuffin. Flareup helped them infiltrate the TransTech Decepticons' Military Intelligence laboratory by claiming they were two Dux non Intruitus violations: "Beeimus Prime" and "Joe Convoy". Bee in the City Later, an overwrought and melodramatic plan for revenge required "Joe" be arrested, so he called in to Andromeda's Around Cybertron newsfeed to announce his real name and attract police attention. Bee in the City 2: Electric Bugaloo
The dynamics of the multiverse were altered after a particularly important universe was destroyed by an evil Ultra Magnus Invasion, exacerbated by the defeat of the hyper-dimensional being Hytherion by the highly evolved Alternity. Alternation As a response, TransTech Optimus Prime made amendments to Dux non Intruitus to allow himself to create a secret taskforce of alternate universe Primes–the Convoy. Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/08 The existence of the Convoy became public after two of its members went into the Offworlder Zone to recruit Depth Charge for a mission. Invasion: Epilogue The resultant backlash from the more non-interventionist TransTechs and the distrustful Decepticons was somewhat quelled when the Convoy was encouraged to stay out of the Offworlder Zones–where they could unintentionally inspire Autobot or Maximal soldiers into action–and remain in Axiom Nexus proper or Cloud World for the majority of their missions. Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/08
When another Megatron found himself in Axiom Nexus, he somehow avoided detection by the TransTech, and proceeded to acquire a counterfeit identification bolt. He took on the appellation "C-81" to avoid becoming a suspect of a Dux non Intruitus violation, operating covertly in the criminal underworld. C-81 and his crew were caught by the Offworlder Zone Security Administration while stealing the final component to complete an interuniversal travel gate. They were taken to a maximum security prison, where C-81 caught the attention of the Convoy's General Optimus Prime, who suspected him of being a Megatron. When C-81's prison break coincided with an invasion of Cybertron by Waruders, the General saw C-81 broker a peaceful resolution with the Waruder commander Beet-Chit, which would allow them to pass through his travel gate and feed on an uninhabited Cybertron somewhere in the multiverse. In the aftermath, the General allowed C-81 to go free, as he realised that even Megatrons had the capacity to change–though he reported to his infallible TransTech higher-ups that his suspicions were wrong, and that C-81 had slipped away during the commotion. Cybertron's Most Wanted
When Vector Prime went missing, Axiom Nexus News needed a fill-in for his regular Q&A feature, Ask Vector Prime; one of the replacements was Renegade GoBot leader Cy-Kill. Cy-Kill spent much of his time as host openly plotting against the TransTechs and Guardians, recruiting new troops for the cause, and generally causing a nuisance. Renegade Rhetoric ANN's Editor became aware that Cy-Kill was "some kind of obscure faction leader", but kept him on air and neglected to contact the authorities because his ratings were good. Axiom Nexus News Editor, 2015/10/21 Cy-Kill's base of operations was eventually raided by the OZSA, who'd found him by watching him on ANN, and they attempted to arrest him for violation of Dux non Intruitus (among other things), but he and the Renegades escaped. Renegade Rhetoric, 2015/10/21
Notes
[edit]- Supposed to mean "No Entrance to Leaders", "Dux non Intruitus" is an erroneous rendering of Dux non Introitus and not functional Latin. The phrase may have been modeled on the Neo-Latin expression [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}persona non grata|{{#if:||persona non grata}}]], where grata is an adjective to persona and therefore has to be in the same case, but dux and introitus are separate nouns and cannot both be in the nominative as they seem to be here. Also, dux is singular. Dux in the plural dative ducibus would reflect the intended "to leaders". Non introitus itself is an acceptable way to say "no entrance" in Neo-Latin, though not in Classical Latin.
- The "no Primes, no Megatrons (etc.)" rule first appeared in "Bee in the City" in 2008. It would be seven years before it gained the name Dux non Intruitus on Rook's Facebook page.
- Stories set in Axiom Nexus lie on a sliding scale of how metafictional they are. The "no MacGuffins" part of the rule is only mentioned in the especially fourth-wall-breaky "Bee in the City" script readings, so your mileage may vary as to whether it applies in the more po-faced stories.
- David Willis once considered pitching a TransTech prose story where Firecracker fell afoul of Dux non Intruitus owing to his resemblance to an Optimus Prime.