Trapped on the ship of an alien bounty hunter, Darak and Solila must contend with all manner of threats as they search for a way to escape this latest predicament.

Synopsis

Not liking the idea of being "claimed", Solila attacks Skuxxoid with her spear, with Darak backing her up with his blasters. Skuxxoid returns fire, but Solila is able to knock him to his feet by remotely recalling her weapon. Darak comments that her staff is not the weapon of a pilot; Solila confirms that she isn't a "mere pilot." Skuxxoid tries to reason with them: he's just a guy trying to feed his family, and being turned in for a bounty is at least better than endlessly drifting through space, but the rivals escape deeper into the Rockeroid. Skuxxoid decides to let them run, opting to take a look at their makeshift ship. After all, he's not the most dangerous thing on his ship.

Solila marvels at the size of the ship, but Darak is more interested in her earlier comment. When pushed, however, Solila refuses to share, still not trusting Darak. Handroid informs the pair that they are being monitored, which concerns Darak if their captor isn't bothered by their current location. As if on cue, a door in the corridor opens, revealing a giant mechanical scorpion. Solila manages to fight the creature off and force it back into its cell. Watching her movements, Darak realizes that she isn't a pilot — she's a Zertonian warrior! A voice calls out from an adjacent cell asking the pair to free them, saying they can help them escape if they work together. Darak opens the cell, freeing a Quintesson (though Handroid comments that it has no known matches in its database). The Quintesson explains that, while he didn't board this ship as a prisoner, his kind has made many enemies over the centuries, and that he will be in their debt if they help him escape.

The Quintesson leads the pair to his ship, but Skuxxoid is already there waiting for them. Skuxxoid tells them not to trust the Quintesson, since he'll just betray them the first chance he gets. While Darak and Solila are hesitant to take his word, Skuxxoid informs the rivals that he only hurts people if he's paid. Since he wasn't able to find a single bounty for them in any system, he offers them a deal instead: trading their junk ship and its unique alloy for an old Nebulan transport. The pair accept and leave the Quintesson to Skuxxoid.

Within a few days, the rivals are about to reach the Sacred Ring. Solila asks Darak what he plans to do when they return. Darak tells her he'll go to his father, but Solila warns that someone on both sides of the war is keeping their peoples' history secret for a reason, and that they need to be cautious. Darak isn't worried. He believes when their people find out the truth, they'll want to stop fighting, using their friendship as an example. The two decide to split up when they arrive and go to their respective leaders. As they approach the Ring, Solila thanks Darak for helping her on the planetoid, believing her aggression would have led her to kill him and die alone. Darak wishes her luck, which Solila returns... right before using her spear to electrocute him!

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Agorrians	Zertonians	Others
Darak (3)	Solila (1)	Handroid (2) Skuxxoid (4) Quintesson (5)

Quotes

"Skuxxoid is a nuisance. I have many dealings with many civilizations across the cosmos. My kind have made enemies."

—The Quintesson, being very un-ominous.

"Oh, come on, how can you be so negative? I don't know about you, but I was pretty sure we'd be dead by now."
"I suppose I still find it hard to be optimistic. We call it 'caution'."

—Darak and Solila

Notes

Continuity notes

The Quintesson drops some exposition alluding to the as-yet-unseen history of the Energon Universe, specifically mentioning the Age of Wrath. Whether this is a Cybertron-centric event or more galaxy-spanning remains to be discovered.
Darak's rocky relationship with his father was first glimpsed last issue.

Transformers references

Skuxxoid grouses that he's just trying to support his wife and kids; this was a recurring motivation for the character in his appearances in the Generation 1 cartoon, featured in the episodes "Starscream's Ghost" and "Grimlock's New Brain". He also mentions his friendship with Slizardo, and uses the phrase "Cross my heart and hope to die," both also lifted from the latter episode.
While only referred to as a Quintesson, Skuxxoid's captive is specifically a Quintesson Prosecutor. Both he and his Quintesson Cruiser first appeared in The Transformers: The Movie.
The Age of Wrath that the Quintesson mentions is an element of the Aligned continuity family, itself taking its name from an eponymous comic book series published by Dreamwave Productions.
The Nebulan ship is mentioned as being "pre-Hive," referencing Lord Zarak's despotic group from the Generation 1 cartoon's fourth season arc, "The Rebirth".

Errors

On page 3, Skuxxoid says "jokes on you"; there ought to be an apostrophe in there ("joke's on you").
On page 19, Solila says: "We would not have survived if it not for you." There's either a word missing there, or one word too many; it ought to read something like "if not for you" or "if it wasn't for you."
Not necessarily an error, but traditionally, the adjective form to refer to something from the planet Nebulos is rendered "Nebulan," rather than the "Nebulon" spelling used here.

Other trivia

This issue contains a three-page preview of Transformers #1.

Covers (8)

Cover A: Solila cuts down attacking tentacles, by Lorenzo De Felici.
Cover B: Darak and Solila escape an explosion, by James Harren.
Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive): Darak and Solila, by Minemiko Mali.
Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): The dangers of the Rockeroid emerge, by Karen S. Darboe.
Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): Darak, Solila, and Skuxxoid by Taurin Clarke.
Second Printing Variant Cover: A Quintesson Prosecutor, by Jason Howard.
Third Printing Variant Cover: by Flaviano.
Fourth Printing Variant Cover: by Elizabeth Torque.

Transformers
The Energon Universe continues in Void Rivals #4

Reprints

Void Rivals Volume 1: More Than Meets The Eye (February 21, 2024) ISBN 153439818X / ISBN 978-1534398184
- Collects issues #1–6.
- Trade paperback format.