senator proteus-IDW

information about senator proteus

Proteus is a member of Cybertron's corrupt Senate before the war and a huge supporter of the Functionalist system that segregates Cybertronian society. While many senators are rich jerks, he's a step above the rest, having been known to manipulate events behind the scenes to benefit the Senate rather than the people and influence the other senators to his cause. He may break a ton of laws in the process, but what does he care? After all, the head of Sentinel security is on his payroll.

biography of senator proteus (1/3)

Proteus greeted Shockwave when he joined the Senate, but unsettled the new senator with his violent treatment of a disposable-class projector robot, causing Shockwave to openly protest against his functionalist beliefs. Proteus was unimpressed by his emotional outburst, considering it inappropriate for a senator. Seeking to gain more power and influence, Proteus created a faction within the Senate that conspired to seize the Matrix of Leadership held by Nominus Prime. Together with Sentinel, he orchestrated an assassination attempt on Nominus, crippling him in a fake "terrorist attack" that also opened an opportunity to implement the Crackdown, a time of heightened security that would place severe restrictions on Cybertron's inhabitants in order to (supposedly) root out the terrorists. When he first suggested the Crackdown during a Senate meeting, Senator Ratbat agreed with him, adding that they could use this opportunity to shut down some groups critical of the government, even if they would give up "some of the freedoms" of the general population. The speech was suddenly interrupted by Orion Pax, who burst into the chamber to offer his own views on the Senate's selfish ways. After the intruder had been gone for a while, Proteus ordered Sentinel to eliminate him, but forgot to note his name.

biography of senator proteus (2/3)

During the crackdown, he drafted the Decepticon Registration Act and said that if 10,000 Decepticons came forward with their real names, it would legalize their movement as a political party. This was dubbed "Proteus' Promise", a post hoc patronism complete with a public information film called "Proteus' Promise" and propaganda posters floating over cities featuring Proteus' beaming, trustworthy visage. Stet Quark believed that the promise would be fulfilled and show whether he or Nightbeat were right about the state of Cybertron, but Nightbeat didn't believe it would ever happen. Nightbeat was basically right, as the Decepticons were suspicious of an autocracy that wanted their real names, and rightly so as Proteus wanted to know who to send to the Institute for brainwashing. To ensure they would come forward, Proteus and his cronies had two pro-Decepticon senators assassinated and the assassins found and apprehended by respected researchers, making him appear trustworthy. Together with Sentinel, Proteus planned to use a hidden bomb to blow up Nominus Prime's corpse during his funeral, killing thousands and destroying the Prime Basilica. The entire affair would officially be called a Decepticon terrorist act, allowing him to proceed with his plan to capture and brainwash everyone who would register under the Act, but Orion Pax foiled the plot by finding and disposing of the bomb. With his plan in ruins, Proteus was unwilling to uphold his end of the bargain and broke his Promise. An Intimate Decapitation Fortunately, he was able to take his frustration out on Shockwave, who had been revealed to be providing a safe haven for outcasts, Cybertronians hunted by the Functionalists due to their special abilities. He had his fellow Senator sent to the Institute, where he was punished with empurata and Shadowplay, mutilating his body and erasing his ability to feel emotions.

biography of senator proteus (3/3)

When Senator Dai Atlas later predicted an energon shortage, Proteus dismissed him because he believed Vector Sigma was an eternal source of energon.

information about empurata

Empurata is an old tradition on Cybertron before the war. A tradition of removing the damned heads and hands of criminals and installing new faceless, fingerless replacements so everyone knows to avoid them. It was carried out mostly on cold-forged people, almost certainly out of racism, although even those who were cold-forged could be subjected to it if they made powerful enough enemies.

information about shadowplay

Shadowplay is the process by which a Cybertronian's personality is altered. Also known euphemistically as "personality adjustment" or "change management", it has been used both as a political measure and as a punishment.

information about the institute

Before the Great War, the Institute was a rumor whose existence was, to many, suspect. How could there really be a laboratory dedicated to rewriting the minds of Transformers, dabbling in the forbidden science known as shadow play? But to many, it is a name whispered in fearful tones, the kind of place where offline mechs could “disappear,” to bring their loyalty quotient back into tune with the Senate’s wishes. Rational-minded Transformers dismiss the whole idea as nothing more than a paranoid's hallucination. But those rational minds might want to reconsider...