#72 - "...All This and Civil War 2"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Penciler - Andrew Wildman / Inker - Stephen Baskerville / Lettering - Rick Parker / Colors - Nel Yomtov

Story

In New Jersey, Shockwave and Starscream's Decepticon rebels study the crater where the undergound Decepticon base was. Despite's Shockwave's warnings, Starscream begins digging for survivors and prisoners -- and is caught by a very angry Scorponok. Underground, Optimus Prime and the Autobots gather their senses while Soundwave dispatches Decepticons to the surface. Kup asks if they should help; Optimus says they must first tend to their own, then try to contain the fight.

Up above, Scorponok tosses Starscream aside and charges through the rebel forces. He engages Shockwave, and the two are knocked into the Hudson River. Meanwhile, the battle has not gone unnoticed by the humans, and the situation quickly climbs the chain of command.

In the tunnels of Cybertron, Emirate Xaaron is quickly caught by Galvatron. Xaaron is spared; Galvatron wants him to help think of a way to defeat Unicron, and to do it before Unicron notices his absence from Cybertron's surface. When Xaaron mentions the prophecy that Unicron can be destroyed if the Transformers are united, Galvatron decides to bring them all to Cybertron -- but only Primus has the power to do that.

On the planet Hydrus Four, Grimlock and the newly-revived Dinobots prepare to bring a large shipment of Nucleon back to the Ark, in order to revive the other Autobots. Grimlock's left knee stiffens for a moment; though he tells Slag that it is nothing, he doesn't convince himself.

Crossing the river, Scorponok and Shockwave surface at Battery Park, oblivious to the humans endangered by their fighting. In Washington D.C., President Bush rejects a military response and calls for G.B. Blackrock instead. Climbing out of the Jersey base, the Autobots split up -- While Optimus Prime and Nightbeat go to restrain the warring Decepticon leaders, Kup and the others try to keep the battle contained.

Shockwave and Scorponok battle through New York City. Scorponok eventually batters Shockwave down, but Optimus Prime and Nightbeat intervene between the two. Scorponok threatens to end the Autobot-Decepticon alliance, but Optimus remains firm, not wanting to endanger any more humans in their fighting. Before Scorponok can tear his way past Optimus, he is interrupted by a lightning bolt from Circuit Breaker -- and the rest of the Neo-Knights.

Notes and Comments

• The Neo-Knights were informally created in issue #68, but are not named until this issue.