IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #18

Title: Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus

Written by: James Roberts

Pencils by: Alex Milne

Inks by: Brian Shearer

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editorial Assistant: Toni Korde

Editor: John Barber

Plot

Swerve is attacked by a Legislator in his bar, but manages to set off the bar's new weapon's system to weaken him, then finishes him off with his new blaster weapon. Meanwhile, the rest of the ship is under similar attacks, with everyone fighting off the Legislators, with Skids being hit the hardest for some reason in the Oil Reservoir.

On Luna-1, Pharma has taken Ratchet prisoner whilst Lockdown and his team hunt down the Autobots across the moon in the air. The Autobots fly away, but find themselves in a graveyard of Metrotitans and decide to use them to hide in and use them against the Decepticons. They manage to evade them for a short while, but are soon all captured (except Cyclonus and Whirl). 

The Autobots are taken away, and pass an inert Ultra Magnus who seems to ignore them, and then come face to face with Chief Justice Tyrest, the commander of the Legislators, who tells them they're  under arrest for crimes against Creation. Brainstorm and Perceptor notice that there's a prototype space bridge in the room too, and wonder why. Rodimus starts swearing at Tyrest, and before long they're all in a cell with Minimus Ambus (Dominus Ambus' spark brother).

The group talk to Ambus and Rung offers him his Autobot badge as he claims to have misplaced his own. Tailgate starts to panic as he's wasting his last few days in prison. Elsewhere in the facility Pharma wakes up Ratchet and shows off that his new hands have the ability to turn into anything, then asks him to play a game with him, and shows him a box for him to guess what's inside! (Horray FUN!)

Back on the Lost Light, Swerve runs through the ship, passing Deftwing's corpse and approaches the Oil Reservoir where he finds Skids just leaving it, exhausted, but victorious, until Stars Saber teleports in and skewers him, then knocks out Swerve as well.

On Luna-1, Ratchet maintains that he doesn't want to play the game, but Pharma continues anyway, opens it and reveals Ratchet's alternate mode inside, revealing that Ratchet is in fact just a head attacked to his spark right now!!

Inside the jail cell Rung is giving out energon sticks and explains to Tailgate that Chief Justice Tyrest is the same Chief Engineer Tyrest that was around during the time of Nova Prime, and that he became Chief Justice after making some treaties between the Autobots and Decepticons. Rodimus adds that Tyrest went off the grid after the Aequitas trials on Garrus-9 were suspended, on his own orders.

Rung offers Ambus some of the energon sticks, but drops them and makes a mess, annoying Ambus, leading Rung to confirm his theory, as all of Ambus' traits are similar to someone elses, leading him to force Ambus to reveal the truth, that somehow, he is in fact Ultra Magnus! (DUN DUN DUH!!)

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Chromedome - Car

Rung - Maintenance Buggy

Perceptor

Brainstorm - Jet

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Swerve - Small Van Head Conked by Star Saber

Skids - Van Skewered by Star Saber

Minimus Ambus

Ratchet - Ambulance Head and Spark detached from Body by Pharma

Pharma - Jet

Star Saber

Fortress Maximus - Tank

Blaster Injured by Legislators

First Aid - Ambulance

Ambulon - Leg

Hound - Jeep

Gears

Huffer

Inferno

Smokescreen

Hoist - Crane

Dipstick - Car Injured by Legislators

Trailbreaker - Van

Deftwing Killed by Legislators

Ultra Magnus Body Inactive

Optimus Prime (Mentioned)

Dominus Ambus (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Lockdown

Chop Shop

Venom

Ransack

Barrage

"Hardshell" - Insect

Vehicons - Cars and Jets

Megatron (Flashback)

Shockwave (Flashback)

Other

Tailgate - Car Dying

Cyclonus - Jet

Chief Justice Tyrest

Legislators

Medi-Drone Crushed by Legislators

Metrotitan Graveyard Dead

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Dai Atlas (Mentioned)

Nova Prime (Mentioned)

Notes

• Swerve's bar has a sign that bans swords, guns and of course...briefcases (guess Brainstorm's unmentionable thing scares Swerve a bit after all!)
• Brainstorm made Swerve a "My First Blaster" so he can be a better shot, most likely due to his incidents with Rung's head and his own face in the past.
• Fort Max still has some serious skills here! He tears off one Legislator's head whilst blasting another with his leg arms, all whilst tending to Blaster and sending out a message to the crew!!!
• OH NO!! Did they just kill the medical drone!!??!!
• Lockdown's crew is now joined by the car and jet Vehicons and Hardshell-Insecticons from the Prime series
• I get the feeling that all those holes on Tyrest, including on his forehead, as well as him repeating some of his words, like he was being listened to by someone...Quintessons maybe? (Especially with the "crimes against creation" thing too, which was their whole thing back in the 80's cartoon)
• Deftwing gets still by a head injury off screen here...much like what happened to his fellow Lightformer Ironfist in Last Stand of the Wreckers (through Ironfist got more screen time first of course)
• Star Saber has what seems to be an ancient sword with him...maybe he has something to do with the Circle of Light?
• The sparks have calmed down again since Rodimus left the surface of the planet, meaning that he must be a catalyst of some sort for it.