IDW - Transformers Galaxies #9

Title: Gauging the Truth,  Part 3: Moment of Truth

Written by: Sam Maggs

Art by: Beth McGuire-Smith

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Plot

The Exodus flies above a Cybertronian city, and begins it's attack on the planet. Arcee and Greenlight escape the ship so they can warn the Cybertronians and form a resistance against the invading force, whilst Gauge stays behind to try and stop the attack from the inside.

Unaware to her though, Heretech plans to use her as an integral part of his master plan, he'll have her, a Cybertronian newborn, who has been raised by the Reversionists to encourage everyone to join them, or he'll use the Exodus' engines to ignite an Energon vein on Cybertron, killing all those who remain "sacrilegious".

The Reversionists, including Gauge jump towards Cybertron, with Gauge taking on her mobile digger alternate mode, so she can "find the Energon vein" for Heretech. Gauge makes her way to a communications tower, and sends out a message to everyone, but not the one Heretech wanted, as she says that everyone should make their own choices in life, if they want to join the Reversionists they should, but they shouldn't be forced to.

Heretech, angry about this betrayal breaks his way into the communications tower and intends to kill the traitor, but Arcee and Greenlight arrive to defend their mentee. During the fight, Gauge locates some raw Energon under the tower's flooring and throws it at Heretech, who is in his giant drill mode, hitting the drillbit and causing the Energon to explode, badly injuring the Reversionist leader.

In the aftermath, the Reversionists give up their fight, and mostly disband, joining other factions, or returning to space under Accelerator's command. Gauge decides that she wants to stay with Arcee and Greenlight for a while, whilst she looks for her own life, and the trio walk off together, to begin their lives again on Cybertron. 

Characters

Reversionist

Heretech - Drill Tank Badly Injured by Gauge's Energon Explosion

Accelerator

Reversionist Congregation 

Other Cybertronian

Gauge - Mobile Digger

Arcee - Car

Greenlight - Car

Random Cybertronians

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• It's not clear when this issue is set in continuity, but since it was originally set to be released around the same time as issue 21 of the main comic, we can assume it's around about that time too here.
• When referring to Arcee and Greenlight, Gauge seems to refer to them as Autobots, we've had no indication that either are Autobots (yet) in this continuity.
• In the time since they left Cybertron, Gauge has taken on her own alternate mode, which should be a major deal to her mentors, but Arcee and Greenlight don't even mention it...
• Apparently directly under the ground in the communications tower is readily mineable Energon veins...you'd think they would have mined those considering the Energon crisis, before building a tower above it....
• Following the reveal of Heretech's lies and attack on Cybertron, the Reversionists are now no longer a political party, with most of the members joining the other factions, and some, under Accelerator, plan to return to space.

IDW - Transformers Galaxies #8

Title: Gauging the Truth, Part 2: A Truth for a Truth

Written by: Sam Maggs

Art by: Beth McGuire-Smith & Umi Miyao

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Plot

A confused Gauge wonders who Arcee and Greenlight are and they explain that she was not born a Reversionist, like she has been made to believe, but was born on Cybertron not too long ago, and shows her this using Arcee's Psychic Patch, also showing that when they reached the Reversionist ship the older bots were imprisoned for being non-believers, and mind-wiped Gauge due to her being young and easier to manipulate.

Following her exposition history lesson, Gauge believes the two Cybertronians, but says that she doesn't know how to unlock their cell, as she believes the bars are connected to the mainframe, but also says that the Reversionists are planning something bad and they need to do something about it soon.

Gauge leaves, and pretends to still be mind-wiped, she tries to get access to Heretech's quarters, where the mainframe is housed, but is barred by Accelerator. Soon however, Heretech addresses the Reversionists saying that they are nearly ready to "ascend". Knowing that she's nearly out of time to save the Cybertronians, so she breaks into Heretech's quarters and hacks into the mainframe, just as Accelerator arrives and calls for the guards.

Gauge runs for the engine room, where Arcee and Greenlight are being held, where she finds them freed now, and the trio fight off the guards, and Gauge explains that she was conflicted on who she was, and whether the Cybertronians were just using her to free them, but she realised that they never asked her to free them, but let her decide for herself (but heavily implied that they need to stop the Reversionists, and cannot do it from the cell).

Before they can head off to stop Heretech however, he makes an announcement over the ship's communicators saying they have arrived at their new world, ready for them to take for themselves. Arcee and the others look through the porthole and see the planet in question is Cybertron itself!

Characters

Reversionist

Heretech

Accelerator

RoadHauler - Crane

Reversionist Guards

Reversionist Congregation

Other Cybertronian

Gauge

Arcee - Car

Greenlight - Car

Red/Black Tailgate - Car (Memory Only)

Spaceport Guards (Memory Only)

Other Memory Cybertronians (Memory Only)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• So, Gauge just had her mind wiped, this isn't a simulation or anything, at least that's the case, unless they change their mind in issue 9.
• Arcee is shown to have a Psychic Patch on her at all times....for...some reason?
• So, if I'm remembering correctly, Greenlight said that she was told there was space on the Reversionist ship for them to fly off the planet on...yet here we learn that the Reversionists didn't want non-believers on their ship...then why did they offer a place to them?
• The Exodus apparently went in a circle away from Cybertron, just to return so they can try and "cleanse" the planet.
• Does Heretech really expect his crew of maybe a few hundred/thousand religious folk to be able to take out everyone on Cybertron, and rebuild the planet in their image? This really is a cult isn't it?

IDW - Transformers Galaxies #7

Title: Gauging the Truth, Part 1

Written by: Sam Maggs

Art by: Beth McGuire-Smith 

Colours by: Josh Burcham

Letters & Design by: Jake M. Wood

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Assistant Editor: Riley Farmer

Plot

Curate Gauge is struggling with her life as a devout member of the Reversionist religion. Not in the sense that she doesn't believe, but she's been getting some odd feelings recently, and has started seeing mysterious messages on screens everywhere.
One time, after approaching Heretech's throne to see a screen message clearer, she gets berated by Heretech and runs off to her quarters in fear, afraid of her "god".

Soon she gets an epiphany and decides to head to the engine room, a forbidden room on the ship, that the mysterious messages are leading her to.
She finds the room much darker than expected, and is chased by a shadowy figure, who she manages to knock out, and continue following her path...until she finds Arcee and Greenlight in a cell, who want to tell her the REAL truth...

Characters

Reversionist

Plenary Heretech
Curate Accelerator
Curate Gauge
Reversionist Guard
Friendly Reversionist
Other Reversionists 

Other Cybertronian

Arcee - Car
Greenlight - Car
Fantasy Cybertronians (Fantasy Only)
Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• So it shouldn't need to be said, but we're clearly missing a bit of story here following the last time we saw this ship, I'm going to guess that next issue will have a flashback or something.
• The funeral speaker from Brainstorm's funeral is named here as Accelerator, and has taken on the role as Gauge's mentor here.
• My guess with what happened with Gauge here is that either she was brainwashed with mnemosurgery or something similar, or she is trapped inside a loop-like program, like in the Mutineers Trilogy from Lost Light or the Quintesson invasion from Cyberverse
• All of the crowd scenes this issue feature the non major characters in block colouring, it's possible this this on purpose if this is indeed a simulation or similar
• Heretech and Accelerator seem a bit angrier in this issue than they did in their brief appearances in previous stories, possibly adding to the simulation theory again.