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[Ambush]

It occurs to me ... If Drift does survive, he's likely to be blind (look at him clutching his optics with his hand in the background of the next-to-last page). Which gives a macabre twist to his having been aboard a ship called the "Lost Light."

[Cattleprod]

I'd say he could just get new eyes (Ironfist mentioned trading an optic for Impactor's skysled, but he still had two eyes), but the 'blind samurai' is just too cliche for Drift to pass up.
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[ultramagnus1]

[Ambush]

I keep mulling over possible reasons why the Delphi medics and long-term patients are immune (I'm REALLY impatient for the next issue). My current theory is that it's a situation analogous to cowpox making humans immune to smallpox. Some time ago, a mild illness (call it "botpox") went through Delphi, infecting everyone, patients and medics alike. Maybe botpox's symptoms were so minor that nobody really noticed -- some overheating, maybe a few days of paint flaking, or just a little extra tiredness. But it conferred immunity to the subsequent, much worse red rust infection.

Of course, if I'm right, this is not good news for the new arrivals -- Pipes (who is probably a goner), Drift, and Ratchet. Maybe immunity could be transferred by a transfusion of cydraulic fluid or something. Fort Max could be a good donor, once he's through mopping the floor with the two nameless Decepticons.

[DanielW]

I suspect you're right there with the Pox idea.
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Ohh 'Eck!

[Sprite]

Or maybe... (and this is where "silly little details like that" matter) the illness is somehow transferred through badges. And First Aid's obsession with badges has led him to replace all the badges of the patients he treats with new ones, keeping the old ones as trophies. And the new ones somehow protect the patients from the Red Rust in ways that the older ones don't.

Dunno why the medics would be immune though. Unless First Aid somehow got theirs too. And Ambulon of course doesn't have one...
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[DanielW]

I was going to say it might gestate in the spark casing making Cons immune due to their cmpromised spark casings but then I remembered Drift 's got it.
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Ohh 'Eck!

[Sprite]

...who stabbed himself in the spark not too long ago and might have needed extensive operation?

(although I do still suspect the spark casing thing might have been why Decepticons were particularly susceptible to D-Void's influence...)
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[General Tekno]

[Kirjava]

[Cattleprod]

Wow. I read that bit about the Decepticons using a piece of their spark casings to make their badges as a neat little detail that wouldn't be relevant to the story, but that's a brilliant explanation for Deceptigod. Megatron wasn't affected because he had a brand new body with an intact spark casing.
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[xtro guyver]

[Ambush]

[Sprite]

I just realised how much badges are a theme in the book:

- It starts with First Aid talking about his obsession with badges

- Then we notice how Ambulon doesn't have one

- And the Genericons have different-shaped and -coloured badges (which might make them immune to the plague?)

- Then Rodimus mentioned how Decepticon badges are created from their spark casings

- A point which is brought up again by Ratchet only two pages later

- Then during Tailgate's "history test" he is given two badges

- And he crumples the Decepticon one.

...I think that's about it. But that's a lot, isn't it?
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[ultramagnus1]