The following is a character extract for a Prequel series to Beast Wars that I've been imagining on the side. The series loosely connects with Beast Wars by explaining how a few of the technologies that are taken for granted (Nanites, CR Chambers, Protoforms etc) came about in addition to detailing the struggles of a small group of First generation maximals.
I've tried to avoid specific incidences with this particular character as much as possible to conceal the bulk of the plot and story. I'm not entirely certain if I've written a convincing character and as you might imagine I've put a bit of love into this character.
One final note, I'm aiming for a Noble Frankenstein angle with Oberon. When I read Frankenstein I couldnt help but sympathise with Dr. Frankensteins monster.
Err, anyway, yes, time to cease my babbling
Oberon is neither Maximal nor Predacon. He is a creation of Callisto, built from a maximal protoform and combined with the DNA of a long buried creature. Half Flesh, half Machine, he is told to have inherited the best of both worlds.
Upon his creation, Callisto decided to terminate Oberon simply because he could not be affected by her virus and thus not controlled. Oberon managed to escape, but was for all purposes a blank. His first memory was of betrayal and violence and by his own mother no less. He finds trust difficult.
Despite his dark origins, Oberon is a miracle of both science and nature. He does not require energon to function, though it does augment his systems to Cybertronian standards. When not subsisting off energon, he must eat and sleep as a natural organism must, and when living on energon, he is a tireless and unceasing warrior.
The flesh he possesses is perfectly married to the metallic frame of his protoform origins, veins and capillaries will melt into fluid tubes, an organic heart pumps a vile slush of blood and mech fluid, and his skin folds and melts about the exposed metallic parts of his body. He is to all cybertronians not accustomed to his appearance, a horrific sight and an abomination. More so when they discover he possesses no spark.
Despite his outward appearance, however, he is an innocent whom has only known of pain, hatred and betrayal. He often wonders about what he is, who he is, and why his mother has betrayed him. He will occasionally have “Flash backs” to a life not his own, of a strange creature of flesh. The memories often disturb him, but give him an insight to what he might be.
How he is able to survive whilst not integrated into the nano networks is frankly a mystery.
It later came to light that Oberon could not transform in the traditional sense of the word. Indeed, he was the first “Bioformer”, able to set and reset his own DNA to adopt the traits of the animal that he most required. Small scale mutations are generally easier for him to produce then major mutations. If for instance, he desires the need to cling to a wall, he can unconsciously send a message to his cells to reset and adopt the tactics that many creatures use to cling to surfaces despite gravity and can do so almost instantaneously. If he requires a major mutation however, such as wings with which to fly, he may require several days of mutation for the correct morphology.
Unfortunately, Oberon lost this ability soon after his creation as Callisto sought to destroy her creation. She created a device to permanently set the DNA into a form that she herself termed “the most wretched and disgusting form known”. The DNA that Oberon found himself stuck with was later identified to have belonged to the species identified as “Humans”.
Upon his birth, Oberon possessed no logic circuits whatsoever. Although capable of making decisions for himself, he is unable, at first to distinguish good and evil. This leads to him taking conflicting actions. For instance, he might severely damage someone and leave them dying, only to come back at the last minute to save their life.
A careful note, Oberon is not a techno-organic life form. Techno-organic life is a biotechnical fusion on the cellular level. Nor is he anything like the transformers from the Beast Wars era, who used genetic templates to emulate the local life forms using convincing synthetic materials.
Oberon can be likened to tearing out the essential parts from a protoform and sticking in the necessary organic components to replace them (altering the DNA to make it work, of course). The fusion of flesh and machine present in Oberon is crude and makeshift in comparison with later techno-organics.
In addition, the stability of the fusion of flesh and machine is highly dependant on his state of mind. With no purpose to exist, Oberon will slowly die. Initially his purpose was mere survival and revenge. When he despaired, however, he began to die, a process of his living tissue rejecting the mechanical components and killing itself in the process. He was however rescued from this fate by Ariah, who gave him a reason to live… love.
