Tarn (polity)

Tarn is one of Cybertron's many city-states. It borders Vos and Iacon. Tarn is the largest city-state after Iacon and, in a military sense, its superior.

Fiction

Generation 1

Marvel UK Comics continuity

• Locations
  • A power plant
  • Border fortresses

Before the advent of the Great War, Tarn was ruled by a military dictator named Shockwave. Under his rule, Tarn became one of the top forces in the conflict over Cybertron's dwindling energy sources and consequently developed a hostile relation with other city-states like it, such as Vos and Iacon. Still, Tarn agreed to a plan of the Overlord of that era to hold gladiatorial matches to settle disputes peacefully and bring the city-states together. It didn't work; Tarn and Iacon only became worse enemies.

Tarn's champion gladiator was Megatron, who was locked in a small rivalry with Iacon's champion, Optimus Prime. It was Optimus Prime's interference that prevented Megatron, encouraged by the spectators from his city, from taking the State Games and intercity relations to a new low with murder on his opponent during a match. Unfortunately, that same night, the soldier-gladiators of Vos broke into Tarn's power plant, which had been staffed minimally ever since the State Games had commenced, with the intent to blow it up. The full plan was to plant evidence of Iacon's involvement, which would bring the two city-states to war and leave a power vacuum for Vos to fill up. That latter part was thwarted by the unexpected arrival of the plant's second engineer, who was murdered by the saboteurs, but not before he had managed to contact security.

Despite the warning, Tarn failed to prevent the power plant from being blown up, but knowing who was to blame, it did declare war on Vos. The hostilities forced many of the inhabitants of the two city-states to flee to Iacon and other nearby cities. While Iacon provided for the refugees, its council refused to put its own troops at risk by interference in the conflict, going so far as to suggest that maybe it was in Iacon's interest to see the two city-states gone.

The outbreak of the war had prevented the elderly Overlord from returning home from the State Games, which goal became more urgent with each new day of conflict. Optimus Prime and Megatron agreed to escort the Overlord and his two bodyguards, Ravage and Nightstalker, to Iacon. Inconveniently, the only route left led straight through the central combat zone in Tarn. Due to the Overlord's age and encounters with Tarn's shock troops, the journey progressed slowly until it came to a halt before the final yet broken expressway. Optimus Prime made the leap over its gap to get reinforcements from Iacon while the others would protect the Overlord. Shock troops soon found and opened attack on the group. Nightstalker was killed trying to protect the Overlord, and Megatron and Ravage decided to abandon the Overlord to die, making their own way to Iacon.

Tarn and Vos eventually destroyed each other when they launched a photon missile each at the same time. Megatron recruited many of the survivors into his new Decepticon army by laying the blame on Iacon, which could have stopped the war. State Games

IDW Generation 1 comics

Megatron hailed from Tarn. Chaos Theory Part 1 As he recruited his Decepticon army from the gladiatorial games, he mentioned some of the home cities of the combatants, starting with Tarn. Megatron Origin #3

Live-action film series

Tarn exists and is surrounded by the area housing the Stella Galleries, the Tagon Heights, the Neutral Territories, Vos, the area where the Launch Pad is located, and the one where the Praetorus Wharf is located. Risk

Aligned continuity family

Shockwave hailed from the city of Tarn. Transformers Vault Tarn and Vos were city-states with a history of rivalry. During the Golden Age, some attempts at pacifying the states were made by making Tarn the location of the annual State Games. During the civil war, Tarn surrendered to the Decepticons with minimal resistance, offering to root out Autobot sympathizers. Seeking to create a model Decepticon city, Megatron appointed Shockwave governor. He requested the Vos Air Commander missile-strike Tarn, using this as an opportunity to quell dissent by blaming the attack on the Iaconian Autobots. Transformers: Exodus

Merchandise

• RISK TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON Battle Edition (2007)

Tarn is one of the blue zones on the board.