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TheRussian icebreaker NSYamal is on its way toMcMurdo Station inAntarctica carrying passengers who are visiting their families forChristmas. While the crew bickers, the ship is suddenly attacked byMegatron, who announces the ship is now part of the Decepticon navy.

InAutobot Outpost Omega One,Bulkhead is valiantly attempting to decorate a Christmas tree whileArcee mocks him.Ratchet announces thatAgent Fowler is arriving, and the man himself—currently suffering from a nasty case of wind—appears through the door to report the Decepticons have captured a nuclear-powered ship. Bulkhead offers Fowler aCybertron-sized mince pie. To Arcee's dismay,Optimus Prime takes Ratchet andBumblebee through theGroundBridge, leaving her and Bulkhead to look after the kids. Raf suggests they pass the time by playing "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and having Arcee and Bulkhead try to find something they have in common.

The other Autobots arrive on theYamal to find the entire crew is out cold. Ratchet wonders aloud what could have done this, but his answer comes moments later when Starscream zaps him with astatic lance. Optimus and Bumblebee immediately spring into action! Starscream takes a swipe at 'Bee, who responds by kicking him in the head.

Back at base, Bulkhead and Arcee are finding no common ground, andMiko suggests they focus on what they like about Winter.

As Optimus and Megatron fight, Megatron details his plan to use the static lance to meltdown the ship's nuclear reactors and flush out the underwaterenergon supplies. Of course, by now Bumblebee has gotten hold of thelance, and throws it to Optimus. Megatron attempts to take the weapon back, only for Optimus to hit him with it, sending him flying.

So the NSYamal safely reaches McMurdo, leaving the bemused crew to wonder how the ship got there while they were all unconscious. The Autobots GroundBridge back to base. Ratchet, barely recovered from his jolt, announces he'll be fine so long as he says away from ice for a while. As they step into the base, Ratchet slips over on ice—the base has been turned into an impromptu skating rink, as Arcee and Bulkhead have discovered they have a mutual love of ice skating.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Bulkhead (5) Arcee (7) Bumblebee (10) Ratchet (11) Optimus Prime (13)	Megatron (3) Starscream (4)	Pavel (1) Kirill (2) Jack Darby (6) Miko Nakadai (8) Raf Esquivel (9) William Fowler (12)

Quotes

"Sheesh! An advanced alien species with enough fire power to level an entire state and you can't even place a fairy on a tree. Bulkhead, you are an embarrassment to our species!"

—Arcee

"Do Ilook like a baby-sitting bot?! I'm programmed for butt-kicking not butt-wiping, and I'm talking about Bulkhead here!"

—Arcee is so mean.

"I am going to tear that lance from your hands, Prime!"
"I wouldn't rush to any conclusions if I were you!"

—Megatron andOptimus Prime

Notes

Errors

Pavel's coffee is "lukwarm".
Jack asks "What did you have nin mind, Raf?"
Bulkhead and Arcee's inability to get along here doesn't really mesh with the show proper, where they're close friends and common partners in battle.

Trivia

Fowler is married!On the show, he would later claim to be divorced. Hm...

Kre-O Transformers

Megatron claims a distant planet, and battersStarscream when he asks if Megatron is willing to share. While Megatron is still preening, Starscream suggests they should run. Megatron scoffs at this idea, and is subsequently stomped on by the much largerOptimus Prime.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons
Optimus Prime (3)	Megatron (1) Starscream (2)

Quotes

"Starscream, bad guys don't share, they conquer and destroy!"

—Megatron

Notes

You may wonder why this strip is branded with aCartoon Network logo. That's because it was constructed using theKre-O Transformers Comic Creator onCartoon Network's UK site. Its grasp of punctuation is wanting.

Articles and features

Use Raf's codebreaker to crack the Cybertronian codes in this comic!
Bulkhead Profile
Photo Mash Up — unscramble a picture of Megatron.
Episode Guide: Volume 1:Darkness Rising, Part 3
Competitions! WinNerf products,Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas on DVD, or a model skeleton.
Pullout posters: Optimus Prime and Optimus Prime with Bumblebee.
Starscream's stumpers:
Mega-Mouth:Megatron andArcee answer your letters.
Raf's Codebreaker — Jack's lost inNew York!
Miko's Christmas wordsearch
Prime Puzzle
Merry Megatron Mask (remember to check with an adult when using scissors!)

Free Gift!

Disc Blaster!

Mega-Mouth

"Tis the season, Megapants! Feeling festive?"
"Never. But you are correct; 'tis indeed the season... for DESTRUCTION!!!"

—Arcee andMegatron

Errors

Bulkhead inherits Miko's name difficulties: One of the bubbles on Bulkhead's profile starts "Bulkead has destroyed theSafe..." and in the episode guide, his name appears to be spelled "Builkead".
Though the description of Miko's Christmas Wordsearch starts out "Mika is very excited about Christmas."