Transformers: Spotlight #5 - "Ultra Magnus"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Art - Robby Musso / Letters - Neil Uyetake / Colors - Kieran Oats

Story

On the planet Zull, enforcement officer Ultra Magnus blasts into the fortifiied citadel of Karzai Lorcha to arrest Swindle for illegally selling critical weaponry. Quickly fighting through a phalanx of armed guards, Magnus dodges Swindle's attack with a megaweapon and arrests the wayward Decepticon. With a final warning to Locha against harboring other criminals, Ultra Magnus takes his prisoner away.

As Ultra Magnus is flying Swindle to the Decepticon Command hub for a tribunal and court martial, Swindle tries to broker a deal: his release for information on the whereabouts of Scorponok, a flagrant violator of Cybertronian accords on technology-sharing and non-interference. Magnus wrestles with his conscience over the issue, struggling to balance his desire to capture Scorponok against his strict adherence to the law.

Eventually, Swindle is released on a remote outpost, and Ultra Magnus follows Scorponok's trail to the planet Nebulos. There, he soon arrives outside the Zarak Consortium building, and strongly suspects Scorponok has close ties with Chairman Mo Zarak. Parking himself outside in vehicle mode, Ultra Magnus uses a holomatter drone to enter the building for a visit. Using stolen IDs and the drone's image-shifting capabilities, he soon reaches the lowest level, where a group of scientists are experimenting with grafting Nebulans with Cybertronian transforming technology.

Unfortunately, the drone is spotted shortly afterwards and painfully destroyed. Quickly recovering, Ultra Magnus crashes through the front gates, then gets intercepted by three giant armored robots emerging from an underground platform. Magnus easily destroys them, then goes underground in search of Scorponok.

The Decepticon ambushes him from behind, and the two fight in earnest. They battle through the facility, smashing numerous equipment and research labs, until Scorponok manages to get the advantage on Magnus. But as Scorponok prepares to deliver the fatal blast, Mo Zarak rushes in to warn him against destroying their efforts, and gets killed instead! The shocked and angry Scorponok quickly escapes through a wormhole generator, leaving Ultra Magnus to renew his vow to capture the renegade.

Twenty-nine cycles later, Ultra Magnus captures Swindle again, thanks to a nano-tag he had planted earlier. But as Magnus hauls him away, Swindle offers to make another deal...