Ten
From Transformers Wiki
- Ten is a Legislator from the 2005 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Originally created by Chief Justice Tyrest as enforcers of his own personal brand of justice, the Legislators were defeated by the crew of the Lost Light on Luna 1. Afterwards, the Autobot Swerve salvaged one of the deactivated drones with a "bruised brain" and hacked it to work as a doorman, enforcing the three laws of his bar—no guns, no swords, and no briefcases. Whether because of the pre-existing damage or Swerve's ham-handedness, the Legislator was left with the ability to say just one word: Ten, so Swerve painted the number 9 on his back because it was funny.
Despite his origins and oft-fearsome appearance, Ten is a gentle soul who prefers creating and the company of more linguistically advanced robots to any rough stuff. He wants to be liked and he wants to help. Unfortunately, his speech difficulties mean many people have ignored him or assume he's stupid.
Fiction
2005 IDW continuity
- First appearance: More than Meets the Eye #29
At Swerve's request to find a suitably-intact Legislator for use as a bouncer, Jackpot discovered Ten's inactive form buried under the ruins of Swerve's own bar. No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases
Roughly six months after the Lost Light's second departure from Cybertron, Tailgate had fully recovered from his cybercrosis and been promoted to a full Autobot. Heading to Swerve's to celebrate, he and Cyclonus found their way blocked by Ten, who refused to allow Cyclonus to enter until he had relinquished his Great Sword. Words Hang in the Air He returned the sword when Cyclonus left. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide
Despite the "no briefcases" rule still being in effect, Brainstorm managed to get past Ten with briefcase still in hand. The Road Not Taken Ten was shortly afterwards seen lying inactive beside the entrance to Swerve's, suggesting either that Ten was affected by Brainstorm's "electro-sensitive poison" (in turn implying that ex-Legislators need a drink too, sometimes), or that Brainstorm disabled him before entering the bar. The Custom-Made Now
Though Swerve ridiculed Ten mercilessly–especially after failing the Ambus Test–Ten was in fact quite intelligent and creative. He had also developed a fondness for fellow lawman Ultra Magnus, and, seeking to swap gifts, took one of Magnus's personal datapads in exchange for a tiny figurine of Minimus Ambus.
Ratchet was first alerted to the Legislator's artistic side when Ten built a new hoverboard for Tailgate, capped off with a decal of the little 'bot holding the Matrix of Leadership. After meeting Ten in his makeshift "quarters" beyond a ventilation shaft, Ratchet discovered the Legislator had created a large mural of the ship's crew and a broad assortment of miniatures of the same (poignantly, Swerve was not among them). Ratchet also realized Ten's attachment to Ultra Magnus, and before his departure from the Lost Light, encouraged Magnus to befriend his fan. Perhaps out of gratitude, Ten gifted Ratchet with the replica he'd made of Drift before he set out to find the genuine article. Our Steps Will Always Rhyme
Back on the job at Swerve's, the Autobots began to relax more around Ten. Grotusque was seen painting Ten's chestplate with pretty, pretty flowers. The Lopsided Triangle A time fissure in Swerve's allowed people to briefly look back at departed crew members. Ten chose to look back at the time Jackpot and Swerve had found him. No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases
Getaway had been planning a mutiny and Swerve was one of the Autobots he knew would stand in the way; a psychic message was sent to lure those 'bots to the Necrobot's planet and was distorted into causing them torment. How Bright Their Frail Deeds Swerve heard him and Ten arguing about the Ambus Test, with the Legislator accusing him of being a bad boss and not treating him as a real person. Guilty, Swerve decided to be nice to him The Sun in Flight but unfortunately decided to start by taking Ten with him to the Necrobot's planet, thinking it'd be a nice jolly. The Decepticons duly put them under siege. Ten thought fast and took some of the Necrobot's flowers into the fort with him How Bright Their Frail Deeds, working out the residual spark energy in them could be used to create a forcefield. Unfortunately he couldn't get anyone to listen to his plan.
After listening to the two arguments about whether to flee the planet to survive or stay to protect slumbering organics, Ten was part of the unanimous decision to stay. After leaving a drawing for the others spelling out his plan, he then followed Ravage on his recon mission, intending to help. Ravage decided he could help... as a decoy, tricking him into revealing himself to the Decepticon hordes and allowing Ravage to sneak in unnoticed during the commotion. Just as the Autobots realised what Ten had been trying to say, he was being ripped apart and only the sudden arrival of Ratchet and Drift saved him. The Sun in Flight
The badly mangled Ten mostly sat out of the ensuing battle, but managed to get in one good swing, intercepting The Pet as it leaped at Ratchet. He was evacuated along with Drift and Ratchet when the duo's shuttle arrived, piloted by, ironically, Ravage (who didn't seem guilty at all). Your Fierce Tears He was fully patched up twenty minutes before sundown, able to hand over a newly made fusion cannon for Megatron to use during the siege. But time was soon up and, after Rodimus thanked Ten and everyone for travelling with him, the crew charged the Decepticon guns At Close of Day powered up thanks to Skids. When the crew's new power wore off and they were surrounded, Megatron arrived and held off the Decepticons to allow the crew to retreat to the fortress. There, Ten looked on in sadness as Nautica cradled Skids, who had lost his life giving the crew the strength needed to fight back. Rage, Rage After the fighting was over, he stood by as the Disappeared were welcomed back to the world. Do Not Go Gentle
Ten was present when Braintorm unveiled his teleportation "den" for returning them to Cybertron. Some Other Cybertron
Realizing that not all the Disappeared awakened at once, Swerve, Ten, and Whirl went downstairs to investigate the pods more thoroughly. A bored Whirl accidentally reactivated his own nemesis, Killmaster. They scattered as Killmaster burst from his pod and immediately began attacking them. The hulking Decepticon blasted Ten with his wand, leaving only a pair of smoldering footprints where once the Legislator stood. Swerve was furious but was soon zapped as well. A World Misplaced After Killmaster's defeat, Brainstorm figured out how to restore Ten and Swerve from the Decepticon's "pocket prison". Modes of Production Extrapolating the science to their larger predicament, Brainstorm was able to return Necroworld and everyone on it back to their own universe. This Machine Kills Fascists
Ten used his strength to help reconfigure the forcibly mass displaced corpse of Skip into spaceship mode and left the planet with Team Rodimus to track down the Lost Light. After Megatron
Aboard Skip, Ten participated in the prank war between Swerve and Anode. When things started getting weird and Skip started shrinking, everyone was shocked when Ten speaks clearly, telling everyone that the fate of the universe depended on doing exactly as he said! Sardines Unbeknownst to everyone, Ten was being used by the Omega Guardians to lure the crew to Mederi so that they could enact their grand plan. The Unremembering Through Ten, the Omega Guardians instructed the crew to take a shortcut to Mederi, which presented itself as the Afterspark.
After being released from the Omega Guardians' control, Ten was found by Rodimus. Unaware of what had happened to him prior, Ten was granted his greatest wish of speaking with his own voice, which was possible thanks to Mederi's utopia-granting program. After expressing his gratitude for everything the crew of the Lost Light had done for him, the euphoric Ten "ascended" to the Matrix—as part of Mederi's euthanasia program. Metastasis
Ten's self-made figurine, as well as the figurines of other notable deceased crew members, were left alongside Rung's model Lost Light during the crew's final goodbyes to the ship. How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2
Notes
- When Ten dies, he's revealed to have an actual spark, seemingly at odds with his fellow Legislators. Tyrest did mention that Legislators were built from the remains of deceased Circle of Light members, so perhaps Ten inherited a spark from one of them.
