Editing Under Cold Blue Stars

{{Comicstory|
|series=mtmte|issueno=15
|prev=Remembrance Day
|next=
|caption=
|image=MTMTE15_cvrA.jpg
|title="Under Cold Blue Stars"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[March 20]], [[2013]]
|coverdate=March 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]] 
|pencils by=[[Alex Milne]] 
|inks by=Alex Milne, [[Marc Deering]], [[Brian Shearer]] and [[Phyllis Novin]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]] with [[Josh Perez]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|assistant editor=[[Mariel Romero-Ocaranza]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}

'''Chromedome must face the consequences of his actions as Overlord runs wild on the ''Lost Light'', and not everyone survives...'''

==Synopsis==

''Mere seconds pass as [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] overcomes his brief paralysis and races to open the [[slow cell]] [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] left him in. But thirty minutes have passed outside the cell, and Chromedome steps out into a warzone!''

''Thirty minutes earlier...''

As the ''Lost Light'' is currently passing through an asteroid belt, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] has been charged with cutting a path for the ship through the space-rocks, but lets Whirl vent a little of his frustration by allowing him to blow up one of the asteroids with the ship's targeting system. The pair are then joined on the bridge by [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], who is inquiring if Blaster has made contact with [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] yet; he has not, and is unlikely to, but Pipes leaves him with a message to send to [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] on the offchance that contact is made while he is attending movie night. Puttering down the ship's corridors in vehicle mode, Pipes rounds a corridor and bumps into someone's foot, and briefly starts to apologise before looking up to see the sole of Overlord's gigantic boot coming down toward him. Stomped repeatedly by the Decepticon until his body is utterly shattered beyond repair, Pipes's [[spark]] extinguishes, but not before his is able to trigger the alarm system.

Across the ''Lost Light'', life is proceeding as normal. [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] visits [[Brainstorm]] in his lab, concerned from recent nightmares of Chromedome's that his partner and the scientist are up to something, and is accompanied by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], who accidentally subjects himself to the effects of Brainstorm's [[metafictional bomb]], which makes him think he is a fictional character; [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] tells [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] that the map within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] cannot be copied; [[Rung]] visits [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] in the brig and forgives him for his actions; and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] works on an unseen project in [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]'s workshop, until [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] rushes in to warn him that [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] is furious, having discovered that movie night is to be held in the pair's quarters. All of these domestic scenes are loudly interrupted by the sounding of the alarm, which also prompts [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], down in the medibay, to radio up to Rodimus for information. The medibay is also chosen by Overlord as his first port of call, but Ratchet is able to detect his presence and hold him off long enough for [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] to arrive and join him in squaring off against the Decepticon titan.

Rodimus and the vast majority of the rest of the crew arrive to the sight of a legless Drift and a badly beaten Ratchet, and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] is the first to charge into action, still carrying guilt over the fates of the Wreckers he left to face Overlord on [[Garrus-9]]. After a brief beating, Overlord seizes Magnus's fist with ease and begins to laugh: he has realised that Ultra Magnus has not been holding back, while he himself has. Overdlord stabs Magnus through the spark with Drift's [[Great Sword]], and is then set upon by the rest of the crew; [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] rushes to the fallen Magnus's aid, but regretfully confirms that while he made be able to slow the rate of his spark's shrinkage, he will not be able to save him.

Chromedome arrives on the scene just as Overlord seizes Rodimus and prepares to turn his finger-drills on him, asking the Autobot leader for any last words. When Rodimus replies "[['Til all are one]]", however, the result is most unexpected: Overlord goes wide-eyed, drops him, and begins panicking. As the liberated Fortress Maximus appears on the scene to take up the fight, eager for revenge against Overlord, Chromedome explains to Drift that while in Overlord's mind, he carried out a process known as "[[Trepan's Trigger]]", altering the Decepticon's memories so that the phrase was associated with all his past defeats; thus, when Rodimus ''inevitably'' said it, it would trigger Overlord's pathological fear of defeat. Hurt and confused by what he hears of the conversion, Rewind tries to talk to his partner, but greater matters take priority: Chromedome assures him they will talk later as he has Maximus force the shell-shocked Overlord back into the slow cell, intending to jettison it from the ship. But another of Drift's stolen swords sticks in the doors and prevents them from closing all the way, so Rewind bravely squeezes through the small gap between the doors and pulls it free, even as Chromedome reaches out to stop him. The doors slam shut, severing Chromedome's arm and trapping Rewind in the cell, and the ejection countdown begins. Chromedome tries to tell Rewind something, but his words go unheard through the door's glass, while Rewind, equally unheard, apologises to his partner for things not working out. As the cell falls away fro the ship, Rewind turns to see Overlord looming over him...

Chromedome races to the ship's bridge, and locks onto the cell with the targeting system. Intent on sparing Rewind the horror of being trapped with Overlord, he fires upon the cell in an act of mercy. As it explodes Chromedome collapses in anguish.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (2)
*[[Powerflash]] (3)
*[[Aquafend]] (4)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (5)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (6)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (7)
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (8)
*[[Dogfight]] (9)
*[[Ambulon]] (10)
*[[Boss (G1)|Boss]] (11)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (12)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (13)
*[[Rung]] (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (15)
*[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] (16)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (17)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (18)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (19)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (20)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (21)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (22)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (23)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (24)
*[[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] (25)
*[[Brainstorm]] (26)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (27)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (28)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (29)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] (35)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (36)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (38)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (39)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (40)
*[[Xaaron]] (41)
*[[Atomizer]] (42)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (43)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (44)
*[[Pointblank]] (45)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] (1)
*[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]] (30)
*[[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] (31)
*Three other prisoners (32-34)

|c4=
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (37)

}}

==Quotes==

"Dear Hubcap... Having a wonderful time. Made lots of new friends—like Blaster. Got a bit '''sick''' and a bit '''shot''', but apart from that, yeah, having a pretty wonderful time. Um. Speak soon. Bye!"<br>
"And another epic installment is added to '''The Great Correspondence.''' I hope you're keeping all this stuff for future generations."
:—'''Pipes''' and '''Whirl'''


"What makes you think I've even '''seen''' Chromedome?"<br>
"Because you're friends with him, and because... because..."<br>
"Come on, '''Rewind''', 'because...'"<br>
<small>"Because he's been saying your name in his sleep."</small><br>
"Whoa! Who's more embarrassed, you or me? Clue: <big>it's you."</big>
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Rewind'''


"Oi—ship's genius—what happens if I press this button?"<br>
"Don't press it. Did you press it? '''Swerve?''' Tell me you didn't press it."<br>
"Course I didn't press it... but what if I '''had''' pressed it?"<br>
:—'''Swerve''' and '''Brainstorm''', pre meta-bomb


"Guess what? I pressed it. Nothing happened."<br>
"I didn't see you press it..."<br>
"Yeah, it must have happened '''off-panel.'''"<br>
:—'''Swerve''' and '''Rewind''', post meta-bomb

==Notes==

*All the Autobots appearing in the issue's opening double-page spread are ones who have been seen among the ship's crew of 200-ish already, save one—[[Blades (G1)|Blades]], who, true to form, is looking a bit ''too'' excited about the possibility of a bloody good scrap.
*Also in the double-page spread, Ambulon is crashing a [[M.A.R.B.]] into Overlord's back. The arrows in Overlord's torso, meanwhile, indicate that bow-fancier [[Atomizer]] got a few good shots in.
*The subspace communicator's failure to work was noted in [[More than Meets the Eye issue 13|issue #13]]'s "[[Signal to Noise]]".
*Pipes refers to when he "got a bit sick"—with [[Red Rust]], back in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #5]]—and "a bit shot"—by Fortress Maximus in [[Interiors|issue #6]]. He's had a few other bits of bad luck in the intervening time, culminating in the ultimate in misfortune that befalls him this issue, as he is the first of the crew to die by Overlord's hand. Er, foot.
*The schematic on the screen behind Brainstorm is of a spaceship-mode Fortress Maximus. [[File:IDWMtMtE15-FortMaxOverlordThwok.jpg|thumb|I prefer to CAPSMAK, myself. Others enjoy a good DETHTRPPP. But Max is just a THWOK sorta guy.]] Note that this isn't Max's alternate mode in IDW continuity; we get our first fleeting glimpse of his vehicle form on page 17 of this issue (right).
*Two very small Perceptor-like scientific instruments were among those on Brainstorm's desk last issue; between then and now, he has clearly abandoned all pretence, as a ''huge'' Perceptor-like microscope is sitting on view in his lab.
*The Decepticons in the brig have been prisoners there since their capture in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. Their identities are hard to discern as they are all cast in blue light, but the one with the squid tentacles is assuredly [[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]], not least of all because the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]] were among those involved in that adventure.
*Ultra Magnus left the Wreckers off at Garrus-9 in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #2]], before going off to join the proceedings in the [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]]. A bad decision on many levels.
*When Swerve starts speechifying during the battle ("Death in the ranks!" etc), he is actually quoting IDW's original catalogue solicitation for this issue, under the influence of the meta-bomb.
*Overlord has finger-drills as part of his rudimentary training in [[mnemosurgery]]; he notes that he wanted to have needles, like the other practitioners of the science we have seen, such as Chromedome and [[Trepan]], for whom "Trepan's Trigger" is named.
*"'Til all are one" appeared amongst Overlord's memories a few times last issue, and most readers noticed it, since it was added into one scene we had seen before where it was not originally spoken. 
*This issue's "Meet the Cast" pages is modified to add large red X's over Ultra Magnus, Rewind and Pipes. Notably, though, Magnus is not actually seen to die on-panel.  
*''All'' the letters in this issue's letters page are from women. That's pretty awesome.

===Real-life references===

*This issue is named after the indie folk album ''[[Wikipedia: Under Cold Blue Stars|Under Cold Blue Stars]]'' by [[Wikipedia:Josh Rouse|Josh Rouse]].
*We hardly need to explain the real-life concept of the [[Wikipedia:fourth wall|fourth wall]] to you, do we? 

===Errors===

*Seems like the letters page included in this issue was originally intended to see print in issue #14, given the reply to Catherine's letter, which remarks on several features of that issue's story, and not this one's.

===Crew manifest===

*Pipes is killed and Ultra Magnus is fatally wounded by Overlord; Chromedome kills Rewind in an act of mercy.
*7 deaths, one fatal wounding and 5 new arrivals (plus 20 or so Faders) since the launch.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Overlord on the rampage and the Autobots suffering the consequences, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Cover B:''' An abstract image of Rodimus floating in space as Overlord's sumptuous lips close in around him, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover RI:''' Monochrome green bust shot of Overlord by [[Marcelo Matere]], continuing the previous month's "bust" theme for the RI covers, paralleling the RI cover to ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Plan for Everything|#15]].

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Image:MTMTE15_cvrA.jpg|
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