Terminus (issue)
| This article is about the BotCon comic issue. For the planet from Transformers Animated, see Terminus (planet). |
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 The Covenant comes from a time before good CGI. | |||||||||||||
| "Terminus" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | 3H Enterprises | ||||||||||||
| First published | July 28, 2000 (BotCon 2000) | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | July 28-30, 2000 | ||||||||||||
| Story | Simon Furman (with Glen Hallit) | ||||||||||||
| Script | Simon Furman | ||||||||||||
| Pencils | Geoff Senior | ||||||||||||
| Inks | Geoff Senior | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Andrew Wildman | ||||||||||||
| Lettering | Richard Starkings and Comicraft | ||||||||||||
Shokaract returns to Earth's past to secure his future.
Synopsis
Point Omega has begun. Shokaract, newly arrived on prehistoric Earth to defend the Dark Essence's past and future, battles Optimus Primal's Maximals. The task is easy for the demigod, who plows through the helpless Transformers. Travel through overspace has taxed him, so he seeks to feed upon the sparks of his prey. He takes notice of Windrazor's anachronistic presence, but ultimately dismisses it. Megatron stands unnoticed in the background, realizing the reason for Shokaract's presence and hatches a gamble for power. Equally unnoticed is Apelinq, who has obtained what he came to the era for, but cannot decide to leave behind the clearly chaotic battle in front of him.
Apelinq's musing suddenly end when a portal opens overhead and the Covenant emerges. With Leonicus leading, the Covenant immediately set out to attack Shokaract. The spawn of Unicron, however, strikes back harshly, killing several of the Covenant. Leonicus realizes that Shokaract's "dark cloak" cannot be breached and the remaining Covenant retreats back into a defensive position. Apelinq, convinced of the need to fight, joins the battle, calling out "Wreck and rule!" In the pit of the Dark Essence, Megatron journeys deep into the local disruption in the fabric of reality, finding the rift through which Unicron's Dark Essence arrived on prehistoric Earth from his destruction in 2005. To inform Shokaract of his leverage, Megatron attacks the rift. Shokaract feels it, and summons his Heralds, Antagony and Cataclysm, restored from their poor fates, to do battle for him. They are eventually defeated.
Sandstorm arrives, informing Windrazor that his journey to J'nwan was for naught. Nevertheless, thanks to the timestorm caused by Point Omega, Beast Warriors such as Polar Claw and Torca from other timelines arrive to the battlefield. Shokaract confronts Megatron, who attempts to apply his leverage on the demigod. It doesn't work, as Shokaract has used his Dark Essence to anchor the past's Dark Essence to this time. Their one-sided negotiation is interrupted when the alternate universe Beast Warriors attack the villain. They are of little consequence, as Shokaract uses his Matrix of Conquest to wipe away the opposition. Things turn worse when Sandstorm reveals himself as Scorpius, one of the Covenant... and Shokaract's Herald! But his spark proves pure when he reveals his Heraldship as a cover to get past Shokaract's dark cloak, attacking his "master" and forcing him to lose his impregnable defense. Shokaract returns the favor by utterly destroying his betrayer.
With this opportunity, the Maximals all fire upon Shokaract. While he is distracted, the Covenant unite in spirit and enter the Matrix of Conquest as an avatar of Primus. But before they can sever the bond of the two Dark Essences, they must battle the manifestation of Unicron within the Matrix. Shokaract is kept off balance by the Maximals on the physical plane, who are soon joined by the inhabitants of J'nwan—the Autobots and Decepticons of legend. The Covenant-Primus destroys the figure of Unicron and severs the bond between the Dark Essences. The Covenant have finally fulfilled their purpose. With no anchor, the Dark Essence of the past is whisked away into the timestream, back to 2005. History is forever changed and Shokaract never comes to be.
On Earth in the far future, a lone Hunter runs for his life and hides in a cave. He feels like he hears a voice luring him deeper inside the cave, only to find... nothing.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots/Maximals | Decepticons/Predacons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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