Termagax

Termagax is an Ascenticon from the 2019 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Gax Cybertronia.

Termagax used to be a major player in Cybertronian society. An accomplished bot-of-all-trades, the scientist, philosopher, teacher, engineer, and historian took a keen interest in the development of Cybertron, and its newest members, encouraging her students to forge their own future, regardless of fear.

However, that brilliant mind has its flaws. While driven and passionate, she is often blunt or just outright rude with those around her, has little or no ability to handle dissenting opinions, however mild, and severe difficulty understanding the minds of others. From her point of view, she is surrounded by people who simply cannot see how right she is about everything. This has resulted in her becoming a bitter, anti-social recluse, quite content to ignore and be ignored by the outside world, unconcerned as to the civilization she once tried to shape, and the monsters she has helped create.

{{#if:Scrapper quoting Termagax"Constructicons Rising, Part 4"|
“ Sometimes the price of progress is shattering the present. ”
{{#if:Scrapper quoting Termagax|

—Scrapper quoting Termagax{{#if:"Constructicons Rising, Part 4"|, "Constructicons Rising, Part 4"}}

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Fiction

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2019 IDW continuity

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First appearance: Transformers #1 (mentioned), Transformers #8 (full appearance)

Termagax was among those who witnessed the rampage of the monstrous first combiner. Constructicons Rising, Part 3 A deep thinker and a believer in the right to self-determination, her early writings emphasized the importance of freedom and the right to control one's own destiny: by ignoring the traditions of the past, she opined, a 'bot could pave the way for a free and open future for the next generation. The World In Your Eyes Part One She was good friends with Wheeljack, although her unconventional ideas sometimes clashed with his traditional approach. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay During the Age of Expansion, Termagax took in at least one newly-forged Cybertronian; her convictions had a profound effect on the young Transformer Megatron, who came to embrace and champion the values of idealism and self-determination that she held dear. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

After the end of the War of the Threefold Spark, Termagax and Wheeljack helped supervise the rebuilding of Iacon, which had been ravaged by the conflict. Whereas some 'bots saw only devastation, Termagax saw an opportunity to do more than just rebuild what had stood before.' To this end, she recruited six visionary young builders, and allowed these "Constructicons" to take the lead on reshaping the city into something better—although these unorthodox ideas rattled the more conservative Wheeljack. Indeed, when the six builders discovered the Enigma of Combination beneath Rivets Field, Termagax saw this as an opportunity to push them to the next level, and gave them the opportunity to become a combiner, pooling their strengths and talents to become the ultimate builder. Constructicons Rising, Part 1 Mastering their combined form was a difficult process, but with Termagax's coaching the team soon mastered their new form and put it to good use, despite Wheeljack's own concerns. Constructicons Rising, Part 3 However, the ascension of Nominus Prime to the Senate and the ratification of the Nominus Edict quickly pushed Termagax into the political battleground to argue the Constructicons' case to the Senate after Wheeljack raised his concerns to the leader of Cybertron. Though Nominus allowed them to rebuild Iacon, he made it clear that, once their job was done, they were to leave the planet to work on the colonial refineries, a position that Termagax reluctantly agreed with. Before the team left for the planet Mayalx, she met them at Iacon's spaceport and cautioned them to be wary of those 'bots who Nominus Prime had previously exiled. Constructicons Rising, Part 3

Deprived of her promising students, Termagax made it her duty to become one of Nominus Prime's most ardent critics, decrying the increasing stultification of Cybertronian society under the Nominus Edict while pushing for a return to the days of Cybertronian conquest and colonization. The Change In Your Nature Part Three Despite considerable opposition from the Autobot-controlled Senate, Termagax was able to source the resources and manpower required to construct the Winged Moon, a re-engineered planetoid that distilled energon from the fabric of space-time, and the Tether that connected it to Cybertron. The grandiose project did not make her popular with the Autobots, however, and some three hundred kilocycles before the Great War she informed Wheeljack that the Senate had requested she not embark on any large-scale engineering projects. During one shift with Wheeljack, Termagax informed him that she had a new plan—she would run for political office, in the hopes that she could reform the system from the inside and repeal the Nominus Edict. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay When the Winged Moon came online, Termagax, who had already begun laying the groundwork for her campaign, sent Megatron in her place to take in the sight of her masterpiece. Orion Pax: Free Fall

Termagax founded the Ascenticon party, a group that adhered to her writings and idolized her as the first of their number. The World In Your Eyes Part One Megatron was an early recruit to the cause, and the party's populist message of reform allowed it to gain mainstream appeal; The Change In Your Nature Part Three Despite some early political success, however, Termagax grew frustrated at the intransigence of the Senate and their reluctance to accept her ideas; her anger obfuscated her cause and further radicalised her supporters. Thirty kilocycles before the Great War, she abandoned the Ascenticon cause and left society altogether, believing that her species had become too encumbered by rules and law. In her last conversation with Wheeljack, she told him that she trusted her protege Megatron to keep the Ascenticon flame alive; if he was truly her friend, she told him, then he would help build up Megatron into the kind of leader he needed to be. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay

Termagax took up residence in a mobile tower, dubbed "House", far from civilization, busying herself with a bohemian lifestyle and many projects. Starscream was known to pop by every few kilocycles to see if the visionary would return to society, and she forced him away on one occasion by detonating a shock drone beside his head. The World In Your Eyes Part Four The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two Sea of Rust I Unknown to society at large, Termagax took the Enigma of Combination with her, which Nominus and his successor agreed to, on the proviso she kept the artifact hidden. Termagax only intended to do so until she "won" her debate with them, believing the artifact and its power of change belonged to all Cybertronians, and that if mistakes had been made during the Expansion, Cybertron could potentially do better next time. Sea of Rust II

In time, Megatron would come to believe that Termagax had lacked conviction in her own ideas and a willingness to see them through; as the ex-miner grew more and more involved in the Ascenticon movement, he rationalized that only he had the strength to impose his will on Cybertron. The Change In Your Nature Part Three Thanks to Megatron's provocation tactics, the peaceful movement grew increasingly radicalized and violent. The World In Your Eyes Part One

At Brainstorm's funeral, Orion wondered how Termagax would view the recent surge in violent acts and if she might be open to giving a public statement denouncing the violence only for Megatron to remind him of the visionary's seclusion. The World In Your Eyes Part Four

After Rubble's death, Megatron went to visit Termagax to make an appraisal of her state and whether or not she would be coming out of seclusion anytime soon. Barely looking up from her work, Termagax saw her pupil out, dryly noting she'd been right in saying that the government would never change. Once he'd left, Megatron contacted Soundwave and informed him that Termagax could be expected not to interfere with their upcoming plans. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two When the Tether fell, Termagax felt that she had to interfere, ordering her house to manufacture a spectrosynth drone in her image to be her avatar in the outside world. Awakenings

When Wheeljack learnt of The Rise's attack on the Winged Moon, he exasperatedly asked Enemy if they had fallen so low that their spiritual founder's legacy now meant nothing to them. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay Following the Ascenticons'—now known as the Decepticons—takeover of the Senate, Termagax confronted them in the old gladiatorial arena, denouncing their use of violence to get their way and their perversion of her legacy. When Megatron arrived, Termagax finally realized the truth about her pupil and denounced him as an egomaniac who only thought of himself, an act that caused him to shoot her dead, only for Ratbat to discover "Termagax" had been a remotely-operated drone. Still safe at her home, the real Termagax ordered it to manufacture another spectrosynth and to relocate, knowing that the Decepticons would be coming for her now. Awakenings

Several cycles later, on the edge of the Sea of Rust, Termagax ran into Landmine and Geomotus. Greeting them warmly, she noted her presence meant there was soon to be unfriendly company, and invited them inside House. Her prediction came true when a trio of Decepticon Seekers made visual contact with House. Once they were dealt with, a swarm of Insecticon clones arrived, Termagax turning House's artillery on them as she realized that they had come for the Enigma of Combination. She pondered the larger meaning of the Artifacts of the Primes and if their powers were truly meant for individuals like Megatron, as House's considerable firepower ran low. Apologizing to Landmine and Geomotus for involving them, she prepared to deploy the full force of spectrosynth drones as a last resort, only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of Sky Lynx. Sea of Rust I Termagax was intrigued to see the leader of Sky Lynx's troops was Pyra Magna, and once the Insecticons had been driven off reluctantly allowed her in, even as she suspected the Great General had come to persuade her to take a side. However, the general was just serving as an envoy for Optimus Prime. When the new Prime arrived, Termagax made clear that she had no desire to join either faction, Optimus retorting that she was too important a figure to claim neutrality. When the Decepticon army arrived, Termagax explained to Optimus why she had kept the Enigma secret while deploying all of her spectrosynth drones. Sea of Rust II Though the spectrosynths aided the Autobots in battle, the chaos of it was enough for Termagax to decide that no one should have the Enigma, preparing to launch it beyond everyone's reach before the infamous Skywarp returned from beyond and teleported into House, claiming the Enigma. The artifact eventually fell to the Decepticons before the Sea of Rust expanded, swallowing the relic. As both sides retreated, Termagax began repairing House, telling Wheeljack that she was sure the Enigma had survived and could theoretically be retrieved by the invulnerable Nova Storm, but that the expanding Sea was the greater danger. Enigmatic

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.

Termagax piloted House to aid in the evacuation of noncombatants from Crystal City to Darkmount in the face of a massive Decepticon assault. A Dust of Crystals On the way, House encountered more Insecticlones, and witnessing one carry off a rust worm as she bickered with Wheeljack gave Termagax a spark of inspiration on how to deal with both problems at once. By the time she and House reached Darkmount, it was already under attack from another swarm of Insecticlones. Driving them off, Termagax outlined her plan to Hound, which required Glyph's linguistic skills, a fully functioning Insecticlone and a strike team willing to risk unpleasant death by finding the Insecticon home base. The Landscape of Fear Once a data-bomb was injected into a live clone, a receiver planted on the living hub for the hive, Bombshell, would ensure the new instructions were carried to all clones. Termagax coldly rejected Perceptor's attempts at negative input, and Highbrow and Wheeljack agreed they simply didn't have time to consider other options. Radical Time

The data-bomb was completed in time, but isolating a single living clone long enough for the upload proved taxing, as another swarm bore down upon Darkmount. Termagax regretfully sacrificed her House, ordering it to detonate and take out the first wave of Insecticons in order to buy time. The data packet was successful and the Insecticons were repurposed to destroy the rust worms. End of Time Termagax and the other engineers got the last Ark working, and soon they evacuated Cybertron, leaving it to the Decepticons while rendezvousing with the Winged Moon. Fate of Cybertron

Games

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Transformers Roleplaying Game

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Termagax was a renowned Cybertronian scholar with an extensive knowledge of Cybertronian history and biology. Long ago, she mentored the original six Constructicons; as war broke out between the Autobots and Decepticons, she witnessed many momentous events, including the increasingly destructive combiner arms race between the two factions. In the present day, Termagax was once called upon to give a lecture regarding combiner biology, technology, and psychology at Autobot City. The Enigma of Combination

Notes

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  • "Termagax" may be a play on "[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}termagant|{{#if:||termagant}}]]", an English stage theatre term usually meaning either 'harsh-tempered argumentative woman' or 'pagan god'.
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