Circle of Light

The Circle of Light are a faction of smug hippies.

"From the day we arrive on the planet and, blinking, step into the sun..."

The Circle of Light is one of the independent factions of Cybertronians that formed in the wake of the Great War between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Though they forbid war in any form, they do train and spar with each other using bladed weapons. In addition to ordinary swords, each warrior carries a Great Sword which is powered by its bearer's very spark.

Known members are:

• King Atlas (leader)
• Drift (former)
• Wing (deceased)

History

2005 IDW continuity

"There's more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done..."

During the Great War, the Transformer civilization was split in half on their homeworld of Cybertron as many chose to either side with the Autobots or the Decepticons. Those that did not choose a side had little hope of surviving as carnage engulfed the world in a conflict the likes of which had never been previously seen. It was during this time that the members that made up the Circle of Light gathered in order to contemplate the future. They considered themselves to be the guardians of Cybertron's ancient culture. They preached against the creation of factions and its members believed that the Great War was the result of overwhelming corruption in their nation which led to the civil war. Many that came to the Circle of Light were scholars and scientists though there were some who were simply fleeing for their lives as they did not want to take part in an ideological battle. Drift #2

As the war escalated, many Transformers who had neither sided with the Autobots nor the Decepticons chose to abandon Cybertron in an event known as the Exodus. The Circle of Light supported this move and were among the first to leave, though many other neutrals considered them religious zealots and didn't trust them any more than they did the Autobots or Decepticons. Massacre Heading off into space to find a place to live in peace, the Circle of Light managed to settle but as the war expanded to other worlds and systems, they decided that they needed to find a new hiding spot. Ultimately, they found one on the distant world Theophany where they hid their civilization underground and away from prying eyes.

"There's far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found..."

Thus, they rescued thousands in an attempt at preserving what they believed was the true Cybertronian way of life. Underground, they built a new Crystal City, a great city where they lived a utopian lifestyle with no sickness, poverty or a government that left its citizens lost within the cracks of society. To ensure their survival, a set of laws were formed where the Circle did not involve themselves in the affairs of outsiders or even allowed foreigners to enter the city. This was part of a single minded objective of their own survival and the preservation of the lifestyle they had managed to forge in hiding. Drift #2

One of the members of the Circle of Light called Wing managed to save the life of the Decepticon warrior Deadlock who he brought to the underground city. There, the Circle's leader was displeased by Wing's actions as he believed the Decepticon could potentially be a corruptive presence for their society or worse, bring more of his kind to their settlement. This led to the burden of responsibility of watching over Deadlock being placed on Wing in order to ensure that their society did not collapse due to his actions. Drift #2

"But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky keeps great and small on the endless round!"

Unfortunately, their society was quickly threatened when the Decepticon Lockdown and a band of alien slavers tracked Drift to the planet. Noticing that Drift had recently been rebuilt, they were instantly suspicious of what company Drift had been keeping on this planet, and they demanded Drift's benefactors be traded for his freedom. Drift returned to the Circle of Light and told them of his dilemma, but swore that he would not betray his new home. Despite this, the Circle's leader was reasonably outraged, and swore off battle even in the face of his civilization's extinction. But the rest of the Circle of Light pledged their allegiance to Drift's plan. Since Lockdown and the slavers did not know the Circle of Light's true number, a decoy spaceship was constructed to make it appear that a few stragglers had recently crash-landed on the planet, protecting the location of Crystal City. Drift, who was rebuilt completely to match his newfound peers, joined Wing and a handful of sworded warriors who were willing to face Lockdown and the slavers to protect their way of life. Drift #3

Sure enough, the two groups met in ferocious battle, and the casualties were quickly mounting up on both sides. Tragically, Wing met his death at the hand of the slaver, Braid, an event which shook both Drift and the Circle leader to their cores. While Drift attempted revenge (badly), the Circle leader reconsidered his previous stance on war. Refusing to let any more of his friends die on his behalf, he rose Crystal City to the surface of the planet and unleashed the rest of its inhabitants on their intruders. Lockdown and the slavers were rapidly overwhelmed, and the survivors fled.

It's the Circle of Light!

Drift was offered to join them, but he refused, reminding the Circle leader of his promise to the late Wing to return the slaves they'd freed. Still, the Circle leader passed Wing's Great Sword on to Drift. The Circle leader had changed his perspective on the Circle of Light, and realized that their civilization was best shared rather than hidden, and he promised a new age of evangelism. Drift #4

Notes

• "The Circle of Light" was a repeating theme within Hasbro's Visionaries cartoon.
• On the MUX, the Circle of Light was not started by Dai Atlas, who remains an Autobot. Instead, we're using King Atlas.