Editing Primeless, Part 2

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified Jazz when appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?"<br>
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''


"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''"<br>
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above


'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''"<br>
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?"<br>
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."


"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again."<br>
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore."<br>
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]]. 
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight! 

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Transformers: First Strike|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]