Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers

2020-07-31T13:32:49Z

Faithfulruslan: /* Quotes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #24
|prev=Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering
|next=How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2
|image=LL24 cvrA.jpg
|title="Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers"
|caption=And so on to infinity.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[September 26]], 2018
|coverdate=September 2018
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Brendan Cahill]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''With twelve Matrices in hand, our heroes must embrace the best parts of themselves if they want to use them to stop the Functionist Council once and for all in the penultimate chapter of their adventure.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:LL24 Moon VS Cybertron.jpg|thumb|left|150px|'''CONK''']]
As the ''[[Lost Light]]'' makes straight for the Functionists' effigy of [[Primus]], darting between the giant robot's fingers, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] hesitantly raises a question: they're planning to attack [[Vector Sigma]] by simultaneously unleashing the energies of twelve [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices]] through the planet's twelve [[hot spot]]s... but aren't the connections between the hot spots and Vector Sigma severed thanks to the [[Functionist Council]] changing [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into a robot mode? [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] realizes too late that they have made a huge mistake—but fortunately, a solution to their problem arrives a moment later when the [[Warren]] opens, and [[Moonbase One#2005 IDW continuity|Luna 1]] comes flying out. At [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]]'s instruction, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] flies the moon straight into the back of "Primus's" neck, triggering an involuntary transformation back to planet mode.

[[File:LL24 Rung's Last Transformation.jpg|thumb|right|200px|So all shall stand, one shall fall.]]
Concurrently, elsewhere on the ''Lost Light,'' [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] accompany [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] to his quarters. Rung bids them to wait outside—wistfully remarking that the couple are lucky to have each other, and that they must learn to forgive themselves—then enters his room and shuts the door. Aware of the consequences of what he is about to do, Rung deletes all his patient files, and take a moment to think back on his first meeting with the departed [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] one last time. Finally, he transforms into his alternate mode, the true function of which is finally revealed as it flares to life: it is a Matrix maker. A little later, Rodimus opens the door to Rung's quarters to discover twelve Matrices... lying amidst the dust that is the remains of Rung's body, dissolved into inert [[living metal|sentio metallico]], the exertion having killed him.

Rodimus presents the Matrices to the rest of the crew, with some bad news: like the original, they are all sealed by the "[[morality lock]]" that means only those who are "pure of spirit" can open them. Even the spiritual [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] is at a bit of loss to explain exactly what that ''means,'' and the crew all start chiming in with their views on the relativity of "goodness." But there's no time for a debate; Rodimus distributes the Matrices, and each carrier is quickly flown to a hot spot on the surface of Functionist Cybertron by the [[Infinite]]s, along with some muscle to cover them. Tailgate goes to [[Rivets Field]] with [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]; [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] to [[Vespertine Blue]] with Drift, where they confess they both feel the same way about each other; [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] to [[Automica]] with [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]; [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to the [[Pious Pools]] with [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]]; [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] to [[Vauvaire]] with [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]], who joins hands with her; [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] to [[Sansaw Sanserre]] with [[Anode]] (with whom she shares a kiss and a declaration of love) and [[Wipe-Out]]; [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] to [[Warrior's Gate]] with [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]]; [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] to [[Port Residua]] with Chromedome and Rewind; [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] to [[Eugenesis]] with [[Krok (G1)|Krok]]; [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to [[Alyon]] with [[Nickel]] and [[Fulcrum]]; [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to [[Mesmerica]] with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]; and lastly, Rodimus to [[Nova Point]] with [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:LL24 Rodimus Opens Matrix.jpg|thumb|left|250px|He's got The Tooth.]]
Unfortunately, as the [[Functionary]] armies of the Functionist Council descend and chaos erupts, none of the Matrix-carriers are able to open their Matrix. Rodimus is at a loss; he ''knows'' his crew are good people, but Megatron explains that the ''crew themselves'' don't truly believe that, and urges Rodimus to tell them so over their shared comm-line. Rodimus begins a final speech, extolling the virtues of the wonderful, screwed-up family that the crew have become, and assuring them that they are ''good enough'', but it seems it may be too late. All across Functionist Cybertron, our heroes are worn down; [[Minimus Ambus]] is blasted out of the [[Magnus Armor]]... Swerve loses an arm, requiring Misfire to hold his Matrix with him... Whirl's legs are blown off... but little by little, as Rodimus's words hit home, the Matrices begin to glow in their hands and slowly start to open. Just then, however, Rodimus is hit with a blast that takes off his left hand, requiring Megatron to take over opening his Matrix—but for all the great changes Megatron has made in his life, still the Matrix will not open for him. Out of time and options, Rodimus uses his remaining hand and his ''teeth'' to pull the Matrix open, and its energies join those of the other eleven, flooding through Cybertron, straight into Vector Sigma, obliterating the Functionist Council for good. The blast of life-energy radiates back outward from Vector Sigma, striking Luna 1 and igniting the long-dormant hot spot on its surface. Rodimus looks up at the moon, and sees, written among the light of the newborn sparks, a final message from the departed Rung: "DON'T FORGET ME."

In the aftermath of the victory, our heroes regroup, and Rodimus asks Fortress Maximus how his team even knew to come to the [[Benzene Cluster]] to aid them. Max explains that they were following instructions from ''Rodimus himself''; they have actually come from the near-future, following instructions that Rodimus is going to send to them shortly that directed them to use the Warren to travel back in time using the [[Mortilus|Necrobot]]'s cloak as a map, and crash Luna 1 into Primus's neck. Rodimus is a little confused, but happy it all worked out—whereupon Tailgate asks another question. Now that it ''has'' all worked out... now that they've finished their quest, recovered the ''Lost Light'', defeated the baddies, and ''saved the universe''... is this the end?

"Nah," Swerve pipes up. "Not quite."

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (4)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus]] (5)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] (9)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (10)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] (11)
*[[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]/[[Primus]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]] (19)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (20)
*[[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] (21)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (22)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] (23)
*''[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'' (31)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (33)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (36)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (39)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (15)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (34)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (35)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (38)
*[[Nickel]] (42)
*[[Fulcrum]] (43)

|h3=[[Functionist Council|Functionists]]|c3=
*[[Five-of-Twelve]] (27)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (28)
*[[Three-of-Twelve]] (29)
*[[One-of-Twelve]] (30)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (40)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (44)
*[[Eleven-of-Twelve]] (45)
*[[Two-of-Twelve]] (46)

|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Clicker]] (16)
*[[Beak]] (17)
*[[Outrigger]] (18)
*[[Anode]] (24)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (25)
*[[Wipe-Out]] (26)
*[[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] (32)
*Multiple [[Infinite]]s (37)
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (41)
}}

==Quotes==
"Faster, '''Crankcase!''' Get us '''clear!'''" 
"If 'get us clear' is a heroic way of saying 'let's run away,' can I just say I am '''all for that?'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Brainstorm'''

"I've done good things." 
"You done bad things, too." 
"Oh, God, loads."
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Krok''' discuss the former's potential for opening the Matrix

"We're '''Autobots.''' Being good's '''what we do.''' It's what '''sets us apart.'''" 
"I don't know if it's as simple as that any more—I don't know if it ever '''was.'''"
:—'''Thunderclash''' and '''Rodimus'''

"This is your co-captain speaking—and I've got a '''question.''' Have you ever wondered how we made it this far? I mean—we're not the '''smartest''' or the '''strongest''' or the '''bravest''' or the '''best.''' We don't have the '''most firepower''' or the '''largest army''' or the '''fastest ships.''' And God knows we're not '''natural bedfellows.''' I mean '''think about it'''—an archivist, a retired mnemosurgeon, a gunsmith, an archaeologist, a waste disposal expert, a quantum mechanic, a poet, a watchmaker, a barkeep... it shouldn't work—but it does. And it works because we've got '''one thing''' in common. '''Each other.''' Think of who's listening to this message and I bet you'll think of someone you '''respect.''' Someone whose judgement you '''trust.''' Someone who makes you '''laugh.''' Someone who makes you '''happy.''' Someone who makes you feel its okay to be exactly who you are. And I '''promise'''—in fact, I '''guarantee'''—that someone listening to this is thinking about '''you''' in exactly the same way. Okay, so you've made some '''bad decisions'''. You've '''hurt''' people. You've hurt '''yourself.''' You've stumbled through life from one '''self-inflicted disaster''' to the next without anything even '''approaching''' a plan. To which I say—'''welcome aboard.''' Maybe you're not good... but you're sure as hell '''good enough.'''"
:—'''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final speech to the crew

"Even… Team… Whirl."
:—'''Whirl'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:MTMTE 40 LL 24 Tailgate Matrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|Fore…glowing?]]
*The idea that a blow to the back of the neck can trigger an involuntary transformation was introduced in [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]], when Swerve tried to do it to Rung (the ''real'' Primus, rather than the fake Primus it's used on here!).
*Rung remembers his first meeting with Skids, when the theoretician hauled him into the ceiling vents to escape the [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeater]] back in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|''More than Meets the Eye'' #3]].
*Rung's alternate mode, which has been a long-running mystery since [[Little Victories|''More than Meets the Eye'' #22]], is at last revealed: a Matrix maker. This was subtly hinted at in [[The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|''Lost Light'' #17]] when [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] was trying to solve the mystery for himself; notice how he's gazing up at the giant Matrix in the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]] right when he finally deduces it.
*Whirl calls Ultra Magnus "Chunky" again, a nickname he coined for him in [[The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|issue #18]].
*In addition to previously-established hot spots [[Rivets Field]] (first seen in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More than Meets the Eye'' #1]], first named in [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|''More than Meets the Eye'' #21]]), [[Vespertine Blue]], [[Port Residua]] (both first named in [[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|''Robots in Disguise'' #27]]) and [[Alyon]] (visited in [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|''More than Meets the Eye'' #36]]), Cybertron's other eight hot spots are established to be: the [[Pious Pools]], [[Warrior's Gate]], [[Mesmerica]] (three ancient features of Cybertron first mentioned in ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1), [[Nova Point]] (in the mines of which Megatron once worked, mentioned many times), and the never-previously-heard-of [[Automica]], [[Vauvaire]], [[Sansaw Sanserre]], and [[Eugenesis]] (see "Transformers references," below).
*In [[Our Steps Will Always Rhyme|''More than Meets the Eye'' #40]], [[Ten]] decorates Tailgate's hoverboard with an image of Tailgate opening the Matrix. When he opens his Matrix here, he's standing in the same position.
*Whirl's use of "Team Whirl" comes from Rodimus's other big speech in [[Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|''Lost Light'' #21]].
*Luna 1's hot spot has been dormant since briefly flaring to life back in [[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|''More than Meets the Eye'' #17]]. At the time, the characters presumed that the flare-up was due to Rodimus (carrying half the Matrix within him) touching the moon's surface, but many eagle-eyed readers spotted that Rung touched down at the same moment Rodimus did, and though it is not directly addressed, it seems safe to conclude it was Rung's presence, rather than Rodimus's, that caused the hot spot to light up.
*Fortress Maximus and Red Alert recovered the Necrobot's cloak and discovered that its starmap-surface showed the Benzene Cluster back in [[Sardines|issue #13]].
*Luna 1 emerging and hitting Primus is a {{w|causal loop}}; it only happened because Rodimus saw it happen, and then caused it to happen via time travel shenanigans. This isn't the first time this has happened in the series. Back in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|''More than Meets the Eye'' #38]], the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s quantum engines were upgraded in the past based on their specifications in the future.
*James Roberts confirmed on his [[Yatter|Twitter]] account<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1054298399279706112 James Roberts (@jroberts332) on Twitter, 22 October 2018]</ref> that thanks to being exposed to Brainstorm's [[Metafictional bomb|meta-bomb]] back in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|''More than Meets the Eye'' #15]], Swerve could 'see' the words "To Be Concluded" in the final panel.
*In [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the MTMTE 2012 Annual]], Drift says to Rodimus: "You're important, Rodimus. More important than even you realize. One day, ''everything'' will depend on you." This comes true here, when Rodimus opens the final Matrix to shut down the false Primus.

===Transformers references===
*The hot spot "Eugenesis" shares its name with James Roberts's unofficial 2001 ''Transformers'' novel.
*Either just a coincidence or an actual reference, Ultra Magnus was also surrounded by enemies when he tried to open the Matrix in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]]. His attempts to open it are about as successful.
*When naming qualities that his crew does not embody, Rodimus uses terms referencing, respectively, [[Tech Spec|intelligence, strength, courage, skill, firepower, rank, speed, and teamwork & cooperation]].

===Real-world references===
*"We've made a planet-sized mistake," murmurs Rodimus, which might be a reference to G.O.B.'s catchphrase from ''{{w|Arrested Development}}''.
*An [[wikia:starwars:All Terrain Scout Transport|AT-ST]] walker from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' appears amongst the models in Rung's office.

===Soundtrack===
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDfAWuZP5go The Shepherd's Boy]" from the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' {{w|Doctor Who: Series 9 (soundtrack)|series 9 OST}}.<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1037469277283135488 James Roberts on Twitter] — "Hey. I’ve not posted many songs for Crucible, but now LL23 is out and we’re heading into the final showdown I can finally share with you LL24’s song — and the unofficial theme for the story/series finale. / When the first scripts for Crucible had been sent out I shared this piece with @JLawrence_Art @JoanaLafuente @bpcahill and @IDW_David_M, to sell the mood for the story. I’d never done that before. / So here it is. Listen after you’ve read the end of LL23 and think of the Crusadercons heading into battle one last time"</ref>

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Minimus Ambus bursts out of the Magnus armor, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Rung is going to give someone ''such'' a finger-wagging, by [[Geoff Senior]] and [[Josh Burcham]]; an homage to Senior's cover for [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]] [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue #113]], which was famously the first issue James Roberts read, and to which he has made [[113 (disambiguation)|many references]] over the last seven years.
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Roche's black and white lineart from Cover A
<gallery>
File:LL24 cvrA.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrB.jpg|
File:LL24 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #25
*[[Assembly (Unicron)|''Unicron'' #5]]
*''[[Transformers vs. Visionaries]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Prequel|Bumblebee: From Cybertron with Love]]'' TPB
*''[[Transformers: Bumblebee - Win If You Dare]]'' graphic novel
*''[[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]] vs. the Six Million Dollar Man'' TPB
*''G.I. Joe: Silent Option'' #1
*''Femme Manifique''
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*IDW ''Dick Tracy'' series

===Reprints===
*'''''Transformers: Lost Light''''' Vol. 4 TPB ([[January 30]], [[2019]]) ISBN 1684054109 / ISBN 978-1684054107
:Contains ''Lost Light'' issues #19 to #25.
:Bonus material CURRENTLY UNKNOWN.

*'''''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection]] Volume 87: Crucible''''' ([[July 29]], [[2020]])
:Contains ''Lost Light'' issues #19 to #24.
:Bonus material includes the second half of ''[[Transformers: Historia]]'' (after ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''), including the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] profile, a cover gallery and an intro by [[Simon Furman]].

<gallery>
File:LLvol4 TPBcvr.jpg|'''Vol. 4''' cover by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v87.jpg|'''''The Definitive G1 Collection Volume 87: Crucible''''' cover by [[Dreamwave Productions]], [[Casey Coller]] and [[Tom B. Long]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL180823 Preview]

[[Category:Lost Light issues]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers