Praesidia Magna

Praesidia Magna is a Camien from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Praesidia Magna was a Torchbearer and Pyra Magna's immediate predecessor as leader of the group.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

Long ago, before the Cybertronian colony of Caminus had lost the ability to travel the stars, it received a Cybertronian beacon from the distant world of Antilla. As the pilot of the subsequent expedition, Praesidia accompanied the "Matriarch of Incaendium"—the future Mistress of Flame—and Magrada to the barren world; exploring the dead, rust-stricken deserts that encompassed the world, Magrada discovered an unnatural mountain. Despite Praesidia's warnings, the Matriarch investigated, prompting the mountain to split open to reveal an enormous mechanical eyeball and the being who lived inside it: Onyx Prime. As Magrada fell, the two Camiens fled the Prime and his bestial legions. Surfeit of Primes Her experiences on this dead world would end up haunting Praesidia for the rest of her life. Ghost Stories

Returning to Caminus after a century, the two discovered that the previous Mistress of Flame had passed away; when Praesidia's friend was appointed the next holder of the title, Praesidia was elevated to Praesidia Magna and appointed the new leader of the Torchbearers, keeping the peace and defending the helpless even as Caminus's resources began to shrivel. Surfeit of Primes

Some years later, Praesidia Magna and her Torchbearers were deployed to Parvus Oppidum, a mining town that had recently been beset by bandits after their energon. As they left their ship, Praesidia was greeted by Jumpstream, whose Conjunx Endura, Dust Up, had called them in the first place. While Dust Up showed Praesidia's second in command Pyra the town's energon supply, the bandits suddenly returned and began attacking the Torchbearers. Though she did her best to rally her troops, her leadership skills had always left something to be desired and she was mortally wounded by one of the marauders. Clutching at her wound, she attempted to warn Pyra of the dark figure that had appeared behind her—Onyx Prime, who had followed the interlopers home. Despite her best efforts, she was swiftly sucked into a black hole that had opened up underneath the town and vanished.

After the events at Parvus, Pyra began to be plagued by constant, repeated dreams of Praesidia trapped on Antilla, begging her former second in command to save her before being killed by Onyx Prime, who Pyra now recognized as the same figure she'd fought against at Parvus. Seeking spiritual guidance from the Mistress, the Camien priest related a version of their doomed expedition to Antilla to the young Camien while mourning that her friend had died with such sorrow in her Spark. Pyra later took command of the team, inheriting the title of "Magna" from her predecessor.

Years later, Pyra Magna recounted the tale of Praesidia's last mission to Optimus Prime, opining that Praesidia was never cut out for command. Ghost Stories The following year, the Mistress of Flame would recount the experience on Antilla to Alpha Trion. Surfeit of Primes

Notes

• "Praesidia Magna" roughly translates from Latin to "great protector".