Main Story Title: The Dying of the Light Part 1: How Bright their Frail Deeds
Written by: James Roberts
Art by: Alex Milne
Additional Inks by: Brian Shearer
Colours by: Joana LaFuente, Priscilla Tramontano,& John-Paul Bove
Side Story Title: No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases
Art by: Brendan Cahill
Colours by: Joana LaFuente
Letters by: Tom B. Long
Editor: John Barber
Publisher: Ted Adams
Main Story Plot
Optimus and Jetfire on Earth pick up a communication from the Lost Lighters, which displays the last wills and words of several crew members. Optimus is disturbed and asks Jetfire who else knows about it.
Like that, all across the galaxy Cybertronians are picking up the messages too, and all reacting to them in their natural manners, entertainment, fear, worry. When Jetfire tells Optimus that he can't get in contact with the Lost Light, Optimus is determined to save his friends, and orders for the space bridge to link up to the Lost Light, and use their quantum engines for a power source, but Jetfire bursts that bubble when he reveals that the messages were sent three weeks earlier...
Three weeks earlier, the Lost Lighters liberate the planet Miliarium from the Rust Giants, and are gathering a good reputation from the local galactic media. The crew returns to the ship, where Megatron hosts one of his classes on the Knights of Cybertron, where he discovers that the crew have encountered a strange gear symbol in the past, and as a group they determine that it must belong to one of the Knights, as a coat of arms, however during the class, Megatron falls ill and briefly attacks Minimus Ambus. He promptly leaves and heads to the Medibay.
At the Medibay, Megatron receives his "fools Energon" from Velocity, and she warns him about his usage of the substance as it may have unknown side-effects, beyond it weakening him, but Megatron claims that he's fine, and has never been happier.
velocity examines Megatron's head when she notices some dents on his helmet, and he explains that it was just a headache when he heard screaming. Suddenly she receives a message from Swerve, claiming that he and several other crew members also suffered the same weird phenomenon.
Later, all the affected crew members are gathered by Rodimus, who, along with Rung and Brainstorm explains that they were all attacked by a cerebral weapon of some sort from an unidentified location. So they're going to investigate it as a team.
Soon, the affected crew members, along with Rodimus, Velocity and Whirl for added muscle, take the Rodpod out towards the location, and use the new "teleport drive" on the ship to reach the destination instantly, but find themselves inside a large dark sphere. They use the drive again to reach the surface of the sphere, which they discover to be the Necrobot's planet.
The crew take in the sight, but not for long. Suddenly the team are attacked by several attack craft, forcing them back to the Rodpod. Rodimus discovers that the engines of the ship have been drained, despite there beiug enough to power two long distance teleports. The crew instead decides to head to the Necrobot's "fortress" where they plan to hold their ground.
The Rodpod is destroyed by the attack craft, but the crew manage to escape to the fortress, inside Nightbeat quickly finds the body of Censerre, the Necrobot dead, and stuffed with several of his flowers. Velocity can't determine whether he was killed by the gun shots or being overloaded by the energon flowers.
Ravage leaves the fortress to investigate one of the crashed attack crafts to determine who attacked them, whilst the rest of the crew work on the Necrobot's communications array. They manage to get it working and contact the Lost Light, however the call is answered by Getaway, who reveals that he was released by the crew, as they've decided to perform a mutiny on their captains, due to Megatron being a monster and not deserving redemption like High Command wants, and Getaway thinks Rodimus is a terrible commander.
Getaway explains that he and Atomizer have been trying to take down Rodimus and Megatron since they returned to Cybertron for Dark Cybertron, and have been using Getaway's Nudge Gun to ask people how they would react to a mutiny, and if they didn't like the answers, then they would have their memories wiped of the conversation.
Getaway ends the call, just as he coyly hints that they will be visited by the DJD soon. Ravage returns to the fortress, having been attacked by Tarn, and reports that there's hundreds of other Decepticons with Tarn this time.
The crew await their deaths....
Side Story Plot
Shock and Ore make their way into the empty bar of the Lost Light before it's launch and Shock is sure it's the same ship they were meant to serve on a long time ago, and even finds a tag he left under the bar's counter. The Duobots are ordered by Prowl to attach Overlord's cell onto the ship's hull, as a spectral version of Skids watches them...
A little later on, Skids opens up the bar as "Swerve's" and hosts a secret grand opening party, whilst there, Pipes and Drift sit together and Pipes tells Drift about his desire to find a lover, and Drift suggests Tailgate to him, which Pipes seems interested in, as a shocked, and invisible Tailgate watches them...
Later, following the Messatine visit, Ambulon asks First Aid to keep his embarrassing leg-alternate mode a secret, but First Aid points out that Swerve has an obsession with alternate modes, just as he throws a ball at his head, and forces him into leg mode, causing Swerve to make fun of him. Velocity and a diagnostic drone watch on from another time and place....
A little later on, Rewind has Rung set up in the bar, ready for another story-telling session that he's hoping will wake up the comatose psychiatrist, so he can ask him about the still missing Dominus Ambus. Out of his view, a grieving Chromedome is watching him tearfully, whilst Rung tells him that his time is up....
During Overlord's rampage, Perceptor rushes into the bar, which is being used as a triage station, since the Medibay is blocked, and he brings Tripodeca to Hoist for repairs, Perceptor leaves to rejoin the fight, ut is immediately grabbed by Overlord. Nearby, another Perceptor silently watches as Tripodeca dies on the bar....
Following the Legislator's attack on the ship, Swerve is trying to repair the damaged bar, but is joined by several crew members who bargain with him to keep the place open, if they all help him to fix the place, which he agrees to. Swerve then asks for them to keep an eye out for a salvageable Legislator for him to use as a bouncer, which is soon found by Jackpot. Ten watches as he is dug out of the rubble, looking happy....
Before the ship takes off following Dark Cybertron, the new crew members are taken on a tour of the ship, including the bar, where they meet their new friends, unaware that they're all being watched by the crew in secret from another time..
Perceptor brings the crew back from their trips, and explains to Minimus Ambus that Brainstorm's time cases had a side-effect, creating some holes in time that the crew can use to look back at the past in certain areas, one being in the bar. They can only observe, so their presence cannot affect the past, so this is just for interest, and to pay final tributes to their fallen friends.
Rodimus suggests to Ambus that he should use the time hole himself before it closes, but Perceptor corrects him that it's not closing, just fluctuating. Even after it is gone, it will return one day. Rodimus looks forward to that, and raises a toast to their fallen friends...
Unknown to them, Getaway is using the time hole in the future, saying farewell to the soon-to-be dead crew members himself.....
Characters
Autobot
Rodimus - Car
Megatron - Tank
Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus - Vehicle Transport/Minesweeper
Nautica - Submarine
Swerve - Van
Skids - Van
Chromedome - Car
Rewind - Data Slug
Rung
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter
Nightbeat - Car
Brainstorm - Jet
Velocity - Race Car
Tailgate - Car
Getaway - Car
Atomizer - Buggy
Mainframe
Thunderclash - Truck
Perceptor - Tank
Blaster - Acoustic Tank
Crossblades - Helicopter
Slamdance - Cassettes
Riptide - Boat
Hound - Jeep
Xaaron
Grapple - Crane
Crosscut - Van
Jackpot - Car
Bluestreak - Car
Hoist - Crane
Siren - Car
Brawn - Van
Inferno - Fire Truck
Fervor
Grotusque - Cat Monster
Highbrow - Helicopter
Optimus Prime - Truck Cab
Jetfire - Fighter Jet
Metroplex - City/Space Ship
Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Red Alert - Car
Wheeljack - Race Car
Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet
Other Lost Lighters
Original Rewind - Data Slug (Only in Time Holes)
First Aid - Ambulance (Only in Time Holes)
Ambulon - Leg (Only in Time Holes)
Ratchet - Ambulance (Only in Time Holes)
Powerglide - Jet (Only in Time Holes)
Mirage - F1 Race Car (Only in Time Holes)
Sunstreaker - Sports Car (Only in Time Holes)
Blades - Helicopter (Only in Time Holes)
Ore - Treaded Vehicle (Only in Time Holes)
Shock - Treaded Vehicle (Only in Time Holes)
Gears - Van (Only in Time Holes)
Smokescreen - Car (Only in Time Holes)
Trailcutter - Van (Only in Time Holes)
Pipes - Truck (Only in Time Holes)
Drift - Race Car (Only in Time Holes)
Sandstorm - Buggy/Helicopter (Only in Time Holes)
Toaster - Toaster (Only in Time Holes)
Tripodeca - Tripod (Only in Time Holes)
Dipstick - Car (Only in Time Holes)
Waverider - Submarine (Only in Time Holes)
Rad - Car (Only in Time Holes)
Crosshairs - Van (Only in Time Holes)
Aquafend - Buggy (Only in Time Holes)
Joyride - Buggy (Only in Time Holes)
Landmine - ATV (Only in Time Holes)
Sprocket (Only in Time Holes)
Skater (Only in Time Holes)
Flex (Only in Time Holes)
Borer (Only in Time Holes)
Doubletap (Only in Time Holes)
Prowl - Police Vehicle (Statue)
Huffer - Truck (Footage)
Boss - Car (Footage)
Firestar (Communications Screen)
Autobot High Command (Mentioned)
Dominus Ambus (Mentioned)
Hubcap - Car (Mentioned)
Quark - Electron Microscope (Mentioned)
Slapdash - F1 Race Car (Mentioned)
Decepticon
Ravage - Cassette
Misfire - Jet
Krok
Crankcase - Van
Fulcrum - Bomb
Spinister - Helicopter
Tarn - Tank
Tesarus - Grinding Device
Helex - Smelting Pod
Vos - Rifle
Kaon - Variable Volt Harness
The Pet
Deathsaurus
Blue Bacchus - Helicopter
Killbison - Tank
Drillhorn - Drill Tank
Leozack - Jet
Guyhawk - Jet
Other members of Deathsaurus' crew
Overlord - Jet and Tank (Only in Time Holes)
Kicker - Leg (Mentioned)
Swing - Arm (Mentioned)
Arm-Or - Arm (Mentioned)
Abdominus - Torso (Mentioned)
United Cybertron
Starscream - Fighter Jet
Scoop - Front End Loader
Other Cybertronian
Cyclonus - Jet
Ten
Censerre Killed by the DJD
Legislators (Only in Time Holes) Dead
Bob the Insecticon (Only in Time Holes)
Diagnostic Drone
Chief Justice Tyrest (Mentioned)
Circle of Light (Mentioned)
Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)
Scraplets (Mentioned)
Other
Rust Giants Defeated by Lost Lighters
Miliarians
Galactic Council (Mentioned)
Notes
- Presumably, the beginning section of the comic takes place about the same time as the end of Transformers #50, but Wheeljack should be on Earth, not on Cybertron. Unless he got the space bridge working properly in that time?
- Rung appears to be more afraid of his alternate mode than before, maybe something happens in the time between the main part of the story and making the message to the future again.
- Both Optimus and Megatron give the same responses when another character says no one is answering from the Lost Light.
- Riptide's disliking of tests was previously mentioned during their time travelling adventures
- The Mystery Gear symbol is bought up again here, where Nautica explains that a curator told her it was a coat of arms of some sort, much like the Autobot and Decepticon insignias are.
- The Galactic Council apparently like to experiment with cerebral weaponry, much like the Mind Bomb created by Blackrock in Transformers...hmm.....
- The Necrobot uses technology that is based on the Aequitas device from Garrus-9, so he can determine who was responsible for which death for his flower hobby...how did he get that?
- I'll be very shocked if ALL of the Lost Lighters not in the Rodpod team were willing to go through with a mutiny against Rodimus and the others, and leave them to be killed by the DJD. More than likely some of them, like Perceptor, Thunderclash and others, are just pretending and plan to betray Getaway.
- I mean seriously! If this is true then about 200 Autobots are going to be court-marshalled by Optimus or something when they eventually turn up after locating the Knights!
- If you remember, one of the effects of the Nudge Gun is to push someone into thinking something differently...maybe that's what happened to some of the crew?
- Deathsaurus' sword appears to be based on the Star Saber sword from the Prime cartoon.
- Ten found the time to collect an armful of the Necrobot's flowers...n'awwww!
- The side story acts as a celebration of the series so far, and gives us some bittersweet moments with some of the deceased characters from the series.
- Shock and Ore were supposed to be on the U-1/Unitrex-1/Lost Light when it was first launched, but it went missing, thanks to the Lost Lighters, before it's first launch, we also see the other side of the conversation that Prowl had on his communicator all the way back in issue 1
- It's revealed that Pipes was so eager to make new friends because he was looking for a lover, and he was actually interested in Tailgate thanks to a recommendation from Drift.
- Pipes confirms that the Hubcap that he knew and was good friends with is the same one who is currently starring in Sins of the Wreckers.
- Pipes comments that he could have had a big crush on Drift.....he would later be HORRIBLY MURDERED BY BEING CRUSHED!!!
- The combiner team that Ambulon was a part of is revealed to be called the "Combicons", but we don't know what the gestalt's name was yet :(
- Ambulon's leg mode is seen for the first time, and it even has a peg like the ones seen in the Combiner Wars toys, however it remains the same size as Ambulon, meaning he wasn't fitted with a mass-shifting device like the main ones appear to.
- Swerve's alt mode curiosity has been shown several times in the series, where he begged Tailgate to transform for him, and his quest to identify Rung's alternate mode before Dark Cybertron too.
- It's revealed that Rewind wanted Rung to have his brain fixed early in the series because he wanted to ask him about Dominus Ambus....did they know each other?
- Also, from Chromedome's reactions to him, it seems to be from before they found the other Rewind, meaning the time-hole was there in "Season One", but the hole was created by Brainstorm's time cases....maybe it's a timey wimey thing!?
- Tripodeca is revealed to turn into a tripod...poor fella....a BMX, like the robot he's based on (Armada High Wire) might have been better....JUST!
- Swerve's decision to reopen the bar, even after he was determined to close it before the "Remain in Light" storyline is explained here.
- Perceptor finding Quark's head funny is interesting, since it was based on his Transformers: Animated counterpart's design.
- Also, Brainstorm has his faceplate off and the briefcase attached to his arm....first off, that's where his Decepticon insignia is hidden. Silly double agent! And the briefcase should have been confiscated at the door due to the bar's rules.
- Sandstorm is shown amongst the bar patrons in the last time jump, meaning the events take place just before the ship takes off following Dark Cybertron.
- The "present" scene is set during the Holiday Special, as evident by the "Christmas lights" that are still hung up.
- The "present" also dates the Holiday Special as being set between issue 49 and 50, since Thunderclash and Tailgate are both up and about, wow that's cutting it close!
- Mirage comments that Swerve's bar is a dump, foreshadowing his decision to open his own bar.
- HOLY FUCK THIS ONE TOOK ME AGES TO DO!!!
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