Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One: A Choice

The war was over. The Decepticons were defeated. After millennia of fighting, peace had finally been restored to the universe. It had been an end long in coming. For years, the Decepticons had been fighting a war they refused to recognize they were losing. Out supplied, underfed and led by incompetent mechs, it had only been a matter of time before Megatron and Optimus Prime finally met in one last decisive battle. It had been a bloody battle with heavy casualties on both sides. But in the end it had been Optimus Prime who permanently extinguished Megatron's spark and ended the Great War.

In the days immediately following the final battle there had been little time for celebration. Rogue Decepticons who had managed to escape capture after Megatron's defeat had to be hunted down and caught. Many Decepticons, when they were finally cornered, did not try to resist arrest. With their leader gone, their faction in shambles and no way to leave the planet, they had submitted themselves to stasis-cuffs with an aura of near-relief; they were as tired of fighting as their Autobot counterparts.

It took months to do, but with the help of their human allies, the Autobots finally captured the last Decepticon warrior.

The Autobots had immediately transported their prisoners back to Cybertron to answer charges of war crimes committed both on Cybertron and Earth over the course of the war. A tribunal of elders representing government, military and civilian sectors oversaw it. Many of the lower ranking soldiers were found guilty and exiled from their home world, never to be allowed to return. Those who were not more often than not left as well - scattering themselves to the numerous colonies that peppered the galaxies in search of refuge and peace. Almost all of the Deception higher ranking officers were found guilt with little to no deliberation needed by the tribunal to reach a consensus. Verdicts were given and sentences were laid. It was decided by the tribunal that those Decepticon officers who were found guilty would serve as an example to any other would-be warlords or government usurpers. Public opinion demanded that they be executed.

Optimus Prime sat in on every case. He even testified in several of them himself. He felt it was his duty as figurehead and military leader of their race to see the end of the war through to the very end. He knew he was seeing justice carried out, but with every guilt verdict and death sentence the tribunal read, the Matrix-bearer couldn't help but feel that after all the fighting and killing that there had to be a better way to rectify past mistakes and heal old wounds.

******

"Optimus… this is a waste 'a time. I'm telling yeh, he's never gonna agree ta this."

Optimus didn't break stride as he and Ironhide made their way deeper into Iacon's maximum-security detention center. The detention center's hallways were stark white and empty, staffed by only the occasional Enforcer guard. As Optimus and Ironhide turned down a new hallway, a young guard passing them snapped off a quick salute an accompanying, "Sir," to each of them before disappearing around a corner.

"I have to at least try, 'hide." Optimus murmured. "Starscream is a proud mech but I feel he will listen to reason in this. One of his greatest talents has always seemed to be survival."

Ironhide scowled. "Got that right. Ah can't count the number of times ah tried ta shoot that crazy seeker out of the sky only for him ta show up the next battle looking none the worse for wear."

Optimus tried to ignore Ironhide's open hostility for the Decepticon second-in-command. "Starscream was the last Decepticon officer to be tried. He was found guilty of war crimes and we both know what the price of that verdict is: he will have his spark extinguished and his frame melted down."

"Good riddance, ah say," Ironhide grumbled.

Optimus abruptly stopped in the middle of the hall. Ironhide was forced to stop as well. He stepped closer to the shorter, stockier mech and gently took Ironhide's face between his hands, urging his sparkmate to look up and meet his optics.

For as long as Optimus could remember Ironhide had been a constant, reassuring presence by his side. He'd originally joined Optimus's circle of officers as a master weapons specialist and Prime's personal bodyguard. Within short time he had become one of Optimus's most trusted soldiers and friends. Rarely did Optimus go somewhere without him or plan an attack without Ironhide's personal input. Maybe it was Ironhide's unquestionable loyalty or his gruff confidence no matter how bad the situation got, but whenever Optimus was around him he felt confident and safe, even in the midst of battle. When they were alone together unwinding after a tough battle, Optimus felt like he could be himself and not the unfazed leader everyone else expected him to be. Ironhide helped Optimus feel like a normal mech again, like when he was nothing more than a lowly dock worker named Orion Pax.

It took centuries for Optimus to realize that his feelings for the gruff weapons specialist went beyond just those of simple friendship or camaraderie, and were something much deeper in nature.

Optimus at first had been frightened by the revelation. Ironhide was one of his most trusted officers and best friend. It would be improper to let such feelings interfere with their professional relationship; especially when they were in the middle of a war. There was also the widely held belief that Primes were above such banal things like personal love or sexual attraction. Primes were thought to be near-mythological beings just one step removed from Primus himself. Primes were suppose to be the best example of their race. If only Optimus could have told everyone he was no different than any of his men and yearned for the same companionship and love as they did.

For vorns, Optimus kept his feelings secret, content to keep Ironhide near as nothing more than a friend he could appreciate from afar. It wasn't until millennia later, a few years before the end of the war on Earth, that Optimus's restless pining was finally put to an end. It had been the evening after a particularly violent clash with the Decepticons. In the heat of battle Optimus had been downed and almost permanently taken out by Megatron's plasma cannon. It had only been the quick intervention of Ironhide that had saved Optimus from assured destruction. That night, as they usually did after all the war meetings and damage control was done, Optimus and Ironhide had retired to Optimus's quarters to share a drink of high grade before parting company for recharge.

Optimus still vividly remembered the surprising conversation he and Ironhide had had that night.

"Yeh should 'a been more careful out there today, Optimus. Megatron almost permanently took yeh out." Ironhide was already a full cube of high grade ahead of Optimus, having started drinking almost as soon as the door had been closed behind them.

Optimus frowned around the edge of his own cube; Ironhide was one of only a couple mechs he trusted enough to lower his battle mask around and expose his face to. "Facing Megatron in battle is one of the unfortunate obligations of being a Prime."

Ironhide grimaced and downed the rest of his high grade in several deep gulps. He stared, scowling, into the dregs of his empty cube. "Yeh take too many risks in battle. One of these days yeh may not be as lucky as yeh were today."

Optimus gave Ironhide an affectionate smile. "That is why I rely on you to guard my back in battle. I can always trust you to be there."

"One of these days ah may not be there in time."

Optimus grew somber. "If it is the will of Primus that I rejoin the Allspark on the battlefield then it will be as it was suppose to be."

Ironhide shook his helm. "Yer Prime. Yer too important a mech ta lose like that."

"If I were to die the Matrix of Leadership would find a new host to lead the Autobots after me. I might be Prime but I am not irreplaceable. I have seen potential for such responsibility in many of those I lead."

Ironhide angrily shook his head. "No, yer not replaceable." His optics suddenly swung up to spear Optimus with a look that made Optimus's spark clench. "Not ta me yer not."

Despite all of Optimus's denials and refusal to admit his own feelings, there they all were staring back at him from the optics of his best friend - the same yearning, desire, love and lust he felt himself.

"'hide…" Optimus murmured, too stunned to properly react.

Ironhide met his gaze undaunted and unashamed, as if the high grade had given him the courage he'd needed. "Ah don't care if ah make a fool of myself or not, but ah need yeh ta know ah don't want to ever lose yeh. Yeh mean too much ta me ta let yeh get yerself killed without a fight."

Optimus numbly forced himself to find his voice. "How long have you felt this way about me?"

Perhaps sensing the bewildered hope in Optimus's voice, Ironhide's gaze did not waver from Optimus's. If anything, the heat behind it seemed to intensify. "Long enough fer me ta know if yeh died ah wouldn't care if ah saw the end of this war or not."

For the first time since he's accepted the responsibility of Prime, Optimus let his emotions guide his actions, and leaned across the space separating him and Ironhide and captured Ironhide's mouth against his own. The weapon's specialist moved to meet him, grabbing at the plating on Optimus's shoulders and chest to pull him closer. Arms encircled each other, warm plating pressing against the other's until it was almost impossible to know where one ended and the other began.

That had been the first night Optimus and Ironhide shared a berth. Maybe it was because they could sense the end of the war drawing closer, but from that night onwards they did not make any attempt to hide their feelings anymore. At times it felt like his and Ironhide's transition from friends to lovers was moving too fast. But in the end, several weeks after Megatron's final defeat, Ironhide and Optimus solidified their love in a permanent sparkbond. It had been a long rocky road to that point but Optimus had not looked back on any of it for a moment with regret.

Looking into his sparkmate's optics now reaffirmed Optimus's belief that he needed Ironhide beside him, backing him up in what he knew deep down in his spark he needed to do.

"Please," Optimus softly pleaded. "I know how you feel about our former enemies but this is something I must do. Enough lives have already been lost. We Autobots fought for a righteous cause, but we have been guilty of doing terrible things as well in the heat of battle. We did things over the course of the war that at the time we counted as acceptable in the greater war effort. The only difference between us and the Decepticons for having to answer for them is that we were lucky enough to be on the winning side. There is another way to seek justice for crimes done in the midst of war that does not involve anymore loss of life. I am so tired of death, Ironhide. I am so tired of looking at the bodies of mechs and femmes who have gone to join the Well of Allsparks before their time. The Decepticons are defeated, their cause over. As victors we must strive to live by example the ideals we fought so hard to protect. As I have said countless times: I believe every sentient being can make a change for good, no matter what mistakes they've made in the past."

Optimus stepped closer, pulling Ironhide flush against his chassis. He leaned his helm down against his sparkmate's so that their faces were inches apart. "I have to do this, 'hide. I have to at least try to convince Starscream to save himself. I still believe redemption can be found."

Ironhide vented a disgruntled sigh of defeat, but reluctantly melted against his sparkmate's front. The synchronized pulse of their sparks hummed against the inside of their chest plates. His arms came up to loosely wind around Optimus's waist to hold him closer. "Fine," he huffed. He stared long and hard into Optimus's optics. "Ah always knew yeh were a good mech who believed his own speeches. Ah just didn't know how much yeh believed yer own speeches until after ah bonded with yeh."

Optimus allowed himself an affectionate chuckle. "What kind of Prime would I be if I didn't?"

Ironhide gave him a weak smile that didn't quite reach his optics, and gently pulled away from Optimus. "Ah just don't want yeh ta get yer hopes too high about Starscream, 's all. If he knew how much it meant ta yeh ta save his sorry aft he might opt ta be executed just ta spite yeh." Giving his sparkmate one last heavy look, Ironhide turned and resumed his trek deeper into the prison.

Optimus solemnly followed.

Within minutes, the atmosphere of the hallways changed. With one turn Optimus and Ironhide found themselves in a bustling epicenter of activity. Emerging into a large command center, the two were suddenly ensconced in a cocoon of voices that reverberated off the walls of the room that were lined with countless tele-consols showing hundreds of different security feeds of the prison. An important looking mech almost instantly found them in the confusion.

He was of average height and build with no memorable paint job to speak of: a utilitarian matte gray with blue trim. The prison's crest was emblazed on his left shoulder. A five tiered gold chevron was painted on his right. Optimus had been Prime long enough and dealt with enough high-ranking mechs over the vorns to recognize the aura of self-assured confidence and power that radiated off him as he strode towards them.

"Optimus Prime, sir. Consort Ironhide."

Ironhide scowled. A spike of irritation flashed across his and Optimus's sparkbond. Optimus sent a pulse of soothing affection back across in response. Although it wasn't a common situation, when a Prime was bonded, the Prime's sparkmate, whether mech or femme, was given the title Consort as a sign of respect to his or her position as the Matrix-bearer's chosen mate. Ironhide, however, had never taken a liking to the name. He thought it sounded too formal and even slightly degrading, as if he were a high-born femme who had bonded purely out of political gain. Everyone who knew him well took care not to use the title in front of Ironhide unless decorum strictly required them to.

Optimus stepped forward to meet the mech. "You must be Divebomb."

"Yes, sir. I'm warden of this facility. I was told of your visit just this morning by Senator Riptide. If I might be so bold to say, I am confused why you would want to speak to this particular prisoner. Starscream is a notoriously dangerous mech and has already been found guilty of war crimes. He's scheduled for deactivation within the deca-cycle."

"That is still yet to be confirmed," Optimus said. "I have spoken to the High Council and the tribunal that oversaw the Decepticon trials and have come to an agreement with them. Those sentenced to death will be given the choice of a different sentence."

"And what sentence would that be, sir?" Divebomb asked.

"Rebirth. They will be given the option to surrender themselves to Vector Sigma and have their sparks cleansed and recycled into a new body for a second chance of life instead of execution."

Divebomb stared at Optimus for a full klick of stunned silence. "That is… highly unorthodox, sir. I cannot say I've ever heard of that being made an option before now. Many would consider such a fate worse than death. Again, if I might be so bold to say, from what little personal dealings I've had with Starscream I doubt he will accept such a choice."

"But it is a choice that is his to make," Optimus said.

Divebomb opened his mouth to say something, but he was prevented from any further comment by the tread of heavy footsteps coming towards them. Optimus turned to the doorway of the command center just in time to see the footstep's massive owner enter. No less than four guards gave the mech startled sideways looks. Optimus inwardly snickered. Skyfire had a way of disarming others by the sheer size of his presence upon first encounters. It was only later after people became aware of his gentle disposition that they became more comfortable with his enormous size.

"Skyfire," he called to the scientist.

"Optimus." Skyfire quickly crossed the room and leaned over him, a desperate look clouding his facial plates. "Have you already spoken to Starscream? Am I too late to talk to him? Has he already made his decision?"

"No. I haven't talked to Starscream yet," Optimus calmly reassured him. "I promise you will get a chance to talk to Starscream before anything is officially decided."

Some of the immediate distress left Skyfire's face, but his optics still gleamed with anxiety.

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Divebomb curtly demanded.

Optimus turned back to the warden. "Skyfire was friends with Starscream vorns before the Great War broke out. During the war, they unfortunately fell on opposite sides of the battle line. I asked him to come today to help me speak to Starscream about my offer."

Optimus held Divebomb's gaze, making sure to impart the impression that Skyfire's presence was no longer a debatable topic. "May we see Starscream now?"

Divebomb's lips tightened but he stiffly nodded his head. "Yes, sir. This way please." He led the small caravan of mechs out of the command center back into the hallway. Expertly navigating the maze of identical hallways, he said, "We've placed Starscream in section 16. It has the highest level of security and is where we house all of our maximum-security prisoners. He's proven to be quite… antagonistic towards anyone he comes in contact with, so we've had to place him in solitary confinement. I've had to threaten him with a silencer collar on more than one occasion just for my guards' sake."

"That sounds about right," Ironhide grumbled at Optimus's side.

Skyfire's optics became unfocused with distant memories. "Starscream has never been one to accept submission easily. He hates not feeling like he's in control. It was a source of constant consternation when we worked together in the Science Academy's Space Exploration Department. Our colleagues never seemed able to understand his unique way of interacting with others. I suspect that was why no one except me ever requested the opportunity to work with him, despite his brilliance in the field."

Divebomb made no comment on Skyfire's fond memories, and for the rest of the journey the four mechs walked in silence.

He finally came to a stop in front of a door framed by two guards. Both of them carried high-powered plasma rifles. Optimus sensed Skyfire's distress at the sight of them. Ironhide seemed ambivalent.

"He we are." Divebomb gestured to the double reinforced door. "The prisoner has already been shackled with stasis-cuffs in preparation for your visit. You will be allowed to enter the cell, but I must demand that you maintain at least a four-pace distance from him at all times. There are security cameras at five different points around the cell. Should Starscream make any suspicious movements, extra guards will be called. I will be waiting here outside the cell along with these guards. If you need any assistance or feel you are in any kind of danger, call to us immediately. You will be allowed thirty klicks to speak to the prisoner. At the end of those thirty klicks you will immediately be asked to leave in accordance with our established security guidelines. You were all searched and had any weapons or questionable objects confiscated when you entered my prison, so I will not require you to be searched again. You are not to hand the prisoner anything at any time. If you try to hand him anything or touch him in any way, you will be immediately escorted from the cell and the visitation terminated. Are there any questions?"

"No, thank you, warden," Optimus said. "We will take it from here."

Divebomb nodded and gestured towards the nearest guard. "Open the door."

As the guard entered a code into the door's lock pad, Optimus turned to Skyfire. "I know you are anxious to see Starscream again, Skyfire, but would you be so kind as to wait outside until I call for you? I would like the opportunity to speak to Starscream from a purely diplomatic standpoint before we try to appeal to his emotional side."

Skyfire seemed distressed by the request but obediently bowed his helm. "Yes, of course. Whatever you think is best to make him agree."

"Thank you, Skyfire," Optimus said. "I promise you will get your chance to talk to him."

The door to the cell noiselessly slid aside. A large, empty room opened up before them through the doorway. Optimus moved towards it. Ironhide followed half a step behind. Optimus cast him a questioning look. Ironhide returned it undaunted.

"Yeh weren't planning on going in there and talking ta Starscream without me were yeh? 'Cause that ain't gonna happen in a million vorn."

"As you wish," Optimus conceded. Affection for the gruff mech bled across their bond unbidden like water through a sieve. "But if it's at all possible would you please let me do the talking?"

"Can't promise anything, but ah'll try my best."

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask and stepped through the doorway into the room, his sparkmate following close behind. The cell was large but completely empty except for a plank of metal welded to the far wall that served as a berth. The walls were a pure sterile white, the ceiling one massive span of lighted paneling. The only bit of color to break up the processor-numbing emptiness was perched on the edge of the cell's berth. Starscream sat with one leg thrown over the other at the ankle joint to give the impression of aloof disregard to anyone who saw him. His wrists were shackled with stasis-cuffs, his throat circled with a shock-collar. His wings hung limply down his back. Apparently his jailers had decided to take no chances with any possible escape attempts, and had had his flight gears disabled so that his wings were nothing more than useless panes of metal hanging from his back struts. Despite Starscream's obvious attempts to appear poised and suave, Optimus sensed a pervading aura of defeat around the seeker.

Starscream looked up at Optimus and Ironhide's entrance and speared them each in turn with a condescending glare. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the all-powerful Optimus Prime himself come to visit me. I take it you wanted to personally lord your victory over me before they execute me?"

Optimus felt Ironhide stiffen beside him, but sent a warning pulse across their sparkbond to remain quiet. Ironhide vented heavily, but obliged. "No, Starscream. I did not come here today to revel in the Decepticons' defeat."

"Of course not," Starscream sneered. He shifted a little in place, as if to make himself more comfortable. His dead wings scrapped against the unpadded surface of the berth. For some reason Optimus found the sight extremely disturbing. He was still used to seeing Starscream proudly framed by his wings on the battlefield, not chained and unable to make his wings respond to his commands. "The great Optimus Prime is above such things like gloating. I can assure you, though, that if our positions were reversed I wouldn't have any such qualms."

"Too bad you and the rest of the Decepticons got yer afts beat in," Ironhide growled.

Optimus sent Ironhide a sharp look out of the corner of his optic. You promised me! it accused. Ironhide reluctantly fell silent by his side again. His side of their bond continued to roil with barely checked emotions - most of them some form of irritation, anger and disgust for the shackled seeker.

Starscream's optics flashed, his mouth turned down in an ugly sneer. "Why are you here? Unless you're here to tell me the tribunal's had some kind of change of spark and I'm free to go, I'd rather spend my last few days alive alone if you and your new sparkmate are my only options for company - congratulations on that, by the way," he snidely added.

Ironhide's side of their bond flashed with irritation, but he blessedly managed to hold his glossa.

"I came today with an offer for you," Optimus said. "I have spoken to the High Council and tribunal on your and your Decepticon brethrens' behalf to mitigate your executions to a different sentence, should you agree to it."

Starscream's optics narrowed suspiciously. He nevertheless sat forward on the edge of the berth, intrigued. "And what would this mitigated sentence be, exactly?"

"Rebirth through Vector Sigma."

Starscream's optics widened into perfect circles of startled red.

"Your spark will be cleansed of past transgressions and transferred into a new protoform in one of Cybertron's hatchling facilities to-"

"NO!" Starscream shrilly cut him off. The seeker surged to his thrusters, trembling in horror. "I will NOT surrender my spark to Vector Sigma! Never!"

Both Optimus and Ironhide were startled by Starscream's reaction. "Starscream," Optimus calmly tried to reason. "Rebirth is not the same as death. It is a chance for you start over and lead a life unburdened by past mistakes."

"At the cost of losing all my memories and anything else that ever made me who I am!" Starscream spat. "I would rather have my spark ripped out and extinguished than face such a fate. I am Starscream! Second-in-command of the Decepticons! Prince of the skies! Scientific genius and inventor! I will not become some helpless sparkling again. At least in death I will remain who I've always been."

"And go to the Pit to suffer for all eternity for your crimes instead of taking on a new identity and having the chance to live life as an honorable mech, and perhaps even make up for some of your past mistakes before going on to join those before us in the Well of Allsparks," Optimus softly intoned. Starscream quieted at his serious tone, though his optics still gleamed with prideful defiance. "The Decepticons no longer exist. You are second-in-command to nothing anymore. If you do not accept my offer, everything you think makes you who you are will still be forfeit when they extinguish your spark on the end of an electric rod. Please, Starscream, listen for once to reason. I know you are proud of who you are and what you've accomplished in your life, but your life is about to end. And permanently in every sense of the word if you do not accept this second chance I am giving you. You are not the only one who's had to chose how he would pay for his crimes. Soundwave has already agreed to my offer. He surrendered his spark to Vector Sigma just the day before along with all his symbiotes who survived the war."

Starscream began to angrily pace along his side of the cell. Optimus heard the guards outside the door anxiously shift their rifles in response to the seeker's movements. "There is no guarantee I would have the same level of intelligence as I do now if I agree to this," Starscream muttered. "There isn't any guarantee I would even come back as a seeker." He abruptly stopped pacing and speared Optimus with a sudden look of horror. "I have lived my entire life as a flier. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't fly. My entire existence has always been tied to the skies."

Optimus felt something inside his spark soften at the seeker's admission. So used was he to Starscream's egotism, pride, conniving betrayals and brutality that to see him show so much fear at losing something so basic to him at flight made Optimus see a little better the kind of mech Starscream must have been once upon a time before war and ruthless ambitions warped him into the mech everyone besides Skyfire knew him as today.

"Being reborn will not be the end of everything," Optimus said. "It will be the beginning of everything else yet to come."

Starscream defiantly shook his helm, his stasis-cuffed hands clenched into fists. "I don't want to die - especially not at the hands of any of you filthy Autobots. But how can you seriously ask me to give up everything I ever was?"

Sensing he'd hit a roadblock and had reasoned with Starscream as much as he was able to himself, Optimus glanced over his shoulder to the door. "Skyfire, would you like a chance to talk to Starscream?"

Starscream froze in place as Skyfire slowly folded himself through the doorway into the cell. "Skyfire…" he murmured, stunned.

Skyfire gazed at him with sorrowful optics. "Starscream. It's been a long time."

Optimus discretely stepped out of the way closer towards the door. He motioned Ironhide to follow his example. Whatever happened next was completely between Skyfire and Starscream.

"What are you doing here?" Starscream spat. He seemed to have finally recovered from the shuttle's unexpected appearance.

"Optimus asked me to come help convince you to accept his offer. He thought you might be reluctant to accept."

Starscream's facial plates bunched together in a defensive scowl. "Fragging right I'm reluctant to accept! He wants me to agree to some half-processed deal of letting Vector Sigma take my spark and put it in another protoform."

"I know what's involved in the deal being offered to you," Skyfire said. "I know why you would have such reservations of agreeing to something like this, but I beg you to seriously consider it. I know we've had our differences since I woke up on Earth and we were forced to chose different sides, but I am here today solely in your best interest."

Starscream scowled, his lips twisting into a pained, angry grimace. "You left me. I vouched for you to Megatron and you abandoned me for the Autobots over some measly humans! I told him you were my friend and that you could be trusted, and what did you go and do? You betrayed me! Do you know how badly Megatron beat me after you switched to the Autobots?"

"Starscream," Skyfire sighed. "All of that is in the past now. We both made our decisions and nothing we do will ever change that. Now is not the time to hold onto past grudges or hurt feelings. I know you feel like I abandoned you but I've never once, not even for a moment, ever stopped caring for you for as the most important mech in my life. I still love you as my friend and lover the same way I did when we explored the universe together."

Optimus and Ironhide exchanged startled glances. This was news to both of them. Optimus had known Skyfire and Starscream had been good friends before the war and had worked together in the scientific field, but Skyfire had never said they had been more than just friends. The revelation made Optimus hope all the more than Skyfire was able to do what he had not in convincing Starscream.

Starscream's face crumbled at Skyfire's words, his optics filling with static around the edges.

"It was bad enough when I lost you in that blizzard, but to find out your were still alive thousands of years later and have you chose someone else over me was almost too much for me to bear."

"I know, and I regret what I had to do every moment since," Skyfire said. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been caught in that storm and had been around to stop you from falling under Megatron's sway. I wonder all the time how different things might have been if I had been here to stop you from ever getting involved in that war."

Starscream gave a sharp, ironic snort. "If you had been around I probably wouldn't be in this cell right now facing execution. That's pretty much for certain."

Skyfire's optics grew desperate and he took a step closer to the seeker. "Please consider Optimus's offer, Starscream. I'm begging you. I do not know if I can stand to see you meet the executioner's rod."

"But if I agree to be reborn through Vector Sigma I won't remember anything from this life. I won't remember you or anything we had together. There isn't even any guarantee I'll ever see you again when I come back in a new protoform."

Skyfire's voice suddenly became strained, as if he was struggling to hold in his emotions. "I know. And I will mourn you for the rest of my days as though you really had died. But I would rather have you be reborn and know that you live on somewhere in some new form than see you executed and know that you are gone forever."

Starscream's face completely crumbled, and Optimus knew he'd finally made his decision. "I don't want to forget loving you," he whispered in a voice so filled with longing, sorrow and despair there was no hint of a screech anywhere in it.

"I know," Skyfire murmured. "But it's the only way you'll have a second chance to prove to everyone you can be just as good a mech I know you still are deep down in your spark."

Optimus sensed something abruptly shift between the estranged lovers. Moving as if on instinct the two stepped closer to the other, their optics locked in mutual forgiveness and desire. Skyfire raised his arms out to Starscream as the smaller mech leaned forward as best as he could in his restraints to let himself be wrapped in the shuttle's comforting embrace. They were stopped, however, by the voice of one of the guards outside the cell.

"Maintain a four-pace distance from the prisoner at all times or you will be immediately escorted from the cell!"

Skyfire and Starscream both stopped and stared at each other across the short, yet insurmountably wide distance separating them. Optimus felt his spark ache at the helpless look of longing that passed between them. He could only imagine the pain he'd feel if he were never allowed to touch Ironhide again like that.

"I don't care what Vector Sigma does to me, I'm not going to let my spark forget you," Starscream announced with brash resolve.

Skyfire gave him a watery smile. "Then I will wait until the end of time for you to find me again."

Starscream sharply glanced in Optimus and Ironhide's direction. "There you go, Prime. You win. I accept your offer. Now get out of here so I can talk to Skyfire alone for awhile. We no longer require your presence."

Optimus nodded and turned to the door with Ironhide beside him. "As you wish, Starscream. I will tell the tribunal of your decision. I wish you the best of luck in whatever life Vector Sigma gives you next."

Starscream ignored him, his attention locked on the larger mech in front of him. Striding out of the cell and into the hallway to rejoin Divebomb and the guards, Optimus cast the two one last glance. The sight of the two lovers standing so close yet still so far apart stabbed the Autobot leader to the very center of his core. It saddened him to think that Skyfire and Starscream would never see each other this way again. If Primus was kind they would find each other again no matter what protoform Starscream was reborn in. It was a fool's hope, though, Optimus knew. The universe was a wide place with thousands of hatchling facilities spread out across Cybertron and it's many colonies. There was no saying even when Starscream's spark would be reborn in a new protoform. He might not find a new body for hundreds of thousands of vorns. The chances of him being reborn anytime soon, anywhere near his former lover were slim to none.

Despite these disheartening facts, deep down in his spark, Optimus couldn't shake the feeling that he would one day cross paths with the proud seeker again.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: Primus's Plan

The sun was just beginning to warm the horizon when Optimus stepped through the doorway onto the balcony of his and Ironhide's domicile. Situated on the top floor of a high-rise tower complex, the balcony offered a million-credit, panoramic view of half of Iacon. A sharp wind was blowing, pulling at the edges of Optimus's armor. Optimus crossed his arms against the chill and stepped up to the railing. Despite the earliness of the hour, he could hear the city starting to come to life below. Optimus allowed himself a moment to appreciate the calm of the new day.

Peppering the sweeping vista before him rose the skeletons of several dozen new skyscrapers and towers in varying stages of construction. Everyday Iacon's skyline seemed to regain a little bit more of its former grandeur before war had leveled half of it and turned the other half to ruins. The end of the Great War's fifty-sixth vorn anniversary was in the next five orn. The war had been over for a long time, yet cities all across Cybertron still showed scars of the civil war. Optimus often wondered how long it would be until his home world was completely restored. He often wondered if it ever would.

So much had changed since the fighting ended. No longer needed as leader of the Autobots, Optimus had mostly retired from military life in search of a quieter existence. If he had had his way he would have removed himself from public life all together. As Matrix-bearer, however, Optimus's will was no longer completely his. It was his responsibility and curse to serve those who looked to him for guidance in whatever way was demanded of him. Since he'd had no wish to become a cog in the High Council's day to day workings and refused to actively seek public office, he had decided to work for the betterment of his race as a social reforms spokesman and figurehead. If it was at all in his power, he would work to rectify civil problems before issues became so large that people felt they needed to create bloodshed in order to make others hear their complaints. That was how the Great Was had started - over energy and social inequality - and Optimus was not about to let history repeat itself again.

His sparkmate, Ironhide, had chosen a quieter way of life as well, against all expectations. Although he rarely spoke about it or let any emotions show, the war had left its mark on the gruff weapons specialist the same way it had everyone else who'd fought in it. The military had always been a part of Ironhide's identity even before the Great War broke out. But after millennia of constant fighting Ironhide had had his fill of senseless warfare and death. He now kept himself busy as a consultant for Cybertron's planetary defense force who guarded their home world against foreign threats. Since the end of the war, though, there were few enemies left to fight which made the job less than high priority. Both Ironhide and Optimus were content with the arrangement; they were tired of fighting.

As though summoned by Optimus's thoughts, Optimus heard his sparkmate step out onto the balcony behind him. Strong arms snaked around his waist to pull him backwards against Ironhide's chassis. Optimus smiled as Ironhide nuzzled the back of his neck with his nasal ridge.

"Yer up early." Ironhide's voice was still rough with sleep.

An unbidden pang of emptiness throbbed across his and Ironhide's sparkbond. Optimus somberly stared out across the brightening cityscape below them. "I woke up and couldn't fall back into recharge."

Ironhide hugged him tighter. "We don't have ta go today. Yer Prime. Yeh don't even have ta give 'em a good reason why."

Optimus chuckled ruefully. "As much as I would like to avoid any unwanted pain, I promised Senator Seelix that I would inspect the new hatchling facility in sector 12 as a public relation's opportunity. It is necessary for the people to know what efforts their government is making to repopulate our planet."

Ironhide scoffed. "Doesn't mean you have ta be the one ta tour the place and see what's going on. Any publicity-hungry government mech who wants ta get his picture on the newsfeeds could do that."

"The High Council feels it would be uplifting for the people to see their Prime there amongst our new generation."

Ironhide's side of their bond pulsed doubtfully. "Ah know how this day is going ta end, and ah don't want ta see yeh get so down in the dumps 'cause yeh can't bring any of those little sparklets home with us."

Optimus said nothing. The empty ache in his spark throbbed worse. Ever since the war ended and he and Ironhide had less responsibilities to take up their time and attention, Optimus had begun to entertain thoughts of starting a family with his bondmate. In many ways it seemed almost expected of them. Cybertron's population still remained alarmingly low despite the war being over for many years now. The government was making an active campaign of encouraging all bonded couples to produce young to help repopulate the planet. As Prime, it seemed only proper that he and Ironhide make their own contributions to the post-war generation. So many of those he'd led in the war had already begun their own families. Just a few orns ago, his and Ironhide's longtime friends, Jazz and Prowl, had welcomed a little femme into the world. A tiny porsche like her carrier with fluttering door wings like her sire, Kia, was destined to someday break sparks.

The first time Optimus saw her he'd had trouble maintaining a happy facade in front of her proud creators. For almost as long as he and Ironhide had been bonded, they had been trying for a sparkling of their own. But after vorns of trying, neither one of them had been able to conceive. Optimus didn't know if it was the Matrix preventing it, but despite all of his and Ironhide's efforts there had been no quickening of a second spark.

Optimus unconsciously pressed a hand to the front of his chassis over his spark. What he wouldn't give to be able to feel the flutter of another spark growing under his. For so long he'd felt this aching emptiness for a sparkling to call his own. At times it was physically painful to be in the presence of newsparks like Jazz and Prowl's daughter or to be around other couples with brightly colored younglings running around their pedes. He was genuinely happy for Jazz and Prowl, but there was no denying the pang of jealousy he felt for not being blessed with a child of his own. Ironhide was not as desperate for a child as him, but Optimus could feel his sparkmate's own quiet longing through their bond all the time.

There was always the option of adoption, Optimus knew. Cybertron's hatchling facilities were working at full capacity to bring as many new protoforms online as they could to repopulate their war-ravaged planet. But producing sparklings in gestation tubes with the help of Vector Sigma took almost as much time and effort as it took bonded couples to reproduce themselves. Whether because they were unable to conceive like Optimus and Ironhide or because they didn't want to carry a newspark to term themselves, the demand for sparklings was staggering. To be put on a list to claim one now would take at least forty vorns until a sparkling finally became available. Optimus could have used his position as Prime to jump to the front of the list, but Optimus could have never brought himself to steal the promise of a new life from another couple just as desperate for offspring as himself.

"Yeh don't have ta go today," Ironhide whispered behind him. His arms tightened protectively around Optimus's waist as if to physically force his sparkmate to listen to him. "Yer only gonna make yerself miserable."

Optimus shook his helm. "I have to, 'hide. It will be painful, I know, but it is my responsibility as Prime to make a public appearance. We will just have to be strong and get through the day as best we can."

Ironhide vented a tired sigh of defeat and pressed his forehead in between Optimus's back struts. "Fine. And when we come back home and yer an emotional wreck ah'll be here ta help yeh pick up the pieces."

Optimus had to wait a moment until he was sure his vocal processors wouldn't give out on him as he spoke. The corners of his visual readout momentarily fuzzed with static. "Thank you, 'hide," he tightly whispered. He turned in Ironhide's arms so he could properly look his sparkmate in the face. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you. Even if we can never have a sparkling of our own, I will be content as long as I have you in my life."

Ironhide gave a rueful smile. He leaned up to give Optimus a light kiss on the side of the cheek. "Ah really wish yeh actually believed that." Then loosening his hold on Optimus, the weapons specialist turned and went back inside, leaving Optimus to stare after him as the sun continued its upward arch into the sky behind him.

********

"-and these are the input lines that connect Vector Sigma to the gestation tubes you saw in the previous room," the hatchling facility's administrator - a petite, blue-plated femme named Seaspray - said with a sweeping gesture to the massive collection of wires, electrical relays and conduit lines behind her.

Optimus nodded indulgently. "Very impressive, Administrator Seaspray. I can see your facility is top of the line."

Seaspray gave a dazzling smile that was instantly captured on video by all of the press-mechs tailing their little entourage through the facility to record the event for newsfeeds later that night. "To date, Sector 12's hatchling facility has produced more than two thousand sparklings. As I said earlier in the tour, our facility is able to cultivate six dozen protoforms at a time. Compared to the production rates of other facilities in cities like Kaon and Praxus, we are one of Cybertron's smaller facilities, but speeding up production any more would pose risk to the protoforms because of the massive amount of manpower needed to properly oversee their growth and development. We are extremely proud here in Sector 12 of our ninety-eight percent survival rate of all gestated protoforms. Larger facilities like those I mentioned in Kaon and Praxus average only a ninety-five percent chance of all protoforms in a batch being successfully brought online as healthy sparklings. Our next batch of sparklings is scheduled to be brought online within the next half vorn."

Seaspray was in full press mode now and had the press-mechs scrambling to record her every word. Optimus tried to remain focused on the facility manager despite having already been briefed with such details before the tour. Beside him, Ironhide was making no such attempt to be attentive and was blatantly staring off to the side in search of something to hold his interest.

"Despite our best efforts to produce sparklings as quickly and as numerously as possible, Cybertronian numbers remain drastically low considering censuses taken during the later parts of the Golden Age. Even with Sector 12 and all its sister facilities around the planet working at full capacity, estimates say it will be at least another eighty-three vorn before we reach even an eighth of those Golden Age statistics."

"I have total faith that you and all those working in your facility will continue to do your best to see that those numbers will someday be reached," Optimus said.

"Thank you, Optimus Prime, sir," Seaspray smiled. She and Optimus shook hands, which was captured in a barrage of flashing lights by the press. "This officially concludes our tour. If the press would like to follow my assistant, Axel, he will show you to the exit."

Optimus felt an intense surge of relief from Ironhide's side of their bond. He sent a measure of it back in answer to his sparkmate's eagerness to leave. Despite both of their initial reservations about the day, the tour hadn't been as bad as Optimus was expecting. The protoforms currently being cultivated were still too underdeveloped to be able to be seen through the gestation tube's glass fronts. If nothing else, at least he'd been spared the sight of inactive protoforms floating in the tanks' gelatinous blue fluid and reminded that when they did come online he would not be able to claim any of them as his own.

As the press-mechs drifted away after Seaspray's assistant, the femme came back up to Optimus and Ironhide. They were the only three left in the room. "I would just like to say one more time, sir, what an honor it was to have you in my facility today."

"It was an honor to see all the good work you are doing firsthand," Optimus said.

"Thank you, sir," Seaspray beamed. She gestured to the door on the far side of the room. "May I escort you and Consort Ironhide out? There is a separate entrance you may use to avoid anymore of the press."

"That would be most appreciated," Optimus nodded. The relief that flooded across his sparkbond from Ironhide drowned out any annoyance Ironhide might have had for Seaspray's use of his accursed title.

As Seaspray led them from the conduit room, Ironhide edged closer to Optimus's side. "How yeh holdin' up?" he rumbled just low enough to avoid being overheard by their guide. A pulse of concern washed over Optimus's spark through their bond.

"Well enough," Optimus replied honestly, although his voice was laced with exhaustion. He felt emotionally drained from the ordeal of the tour. "It helped that the sparklings currently being cultivated have not yet developed visible protoforms. I will be glad when we are home again."

Ironhide's side of their bond pulsed with what Optimus recognized as protectiveness. Despite all their years together as bonded mates, it seemed Ironhide would never lose his instinctive need to act as Prime's bodyguard. "Just hold in there a little longer. We're almost home free."

Optimus sent a wave of affection rushing toward Ironhide as Seaspray led them through the twisting hallways of the hatchling facility. While they walked, the administrator kept up a stream of mindless tidbits and facts. "-and this is one of the rooms we use to care for the activated protoforms after they are removed from the gestation tubes." She motioned to one of the many rooms lining the hallway. "Newly sparked hatchlings require almost constant care for the first several orns of their life before we can download their first packet of software into their systems."

"That's very interesting," Optimus nodded, only half paying attention.

Seaspray gestured to one of the rooms to their left. "And here is one of our many recreation rooms the sparklings can play and socialize in while they wait for their foster-creators to claim them. Our facility's sparklings rarely have to wait more than a few days to be claimed, but we have the resources readily available to care for the children should one of our couples be unable to immediately pick up their sparkling."

Optimus spared the room only a cursory glance, as politeness dictated he do. He was almost ready to follow Seaspray when he happened to notice something that immediately made him stop in his tracks.

There, in the far corner of the otherwise empty playroom, a sparkling sat at a table reading a data pad. The sparkling was older looking - perhaps as old as four, maybe five vorns. The sparkling was male. His protoform was white plated with pale blue hands, pedes and pelvic plates. His face was light gray with impossibly large optics that same shade of blue as the Earth sea Optimus's human companions once told him was called the Caribbean.

But it wasn't merely the sight of a sparkling that caused Optimus's spark to sputter in his chest. It was the sparkling's make. The sparkling was none other than a seeker. Tiny wings no bigger than Optimus's thumb digit framed the mechling on either side. As Optimus stared in shocked silence the sparkling's wings fluttered as though ruffled by a breeze.

Oblivious to Optimus's presence in the doorway, the sparkling tapped at the corner of his data pad to load a new page. As he did so he happened to turn his head in a way that Optimus could see his face even better from a distance.

Once again, Optimus's engines almost stalled.

There was a commonly held belief that seekers were all produced from the same mold, and thus all looked alike expect for their paint jobs. Optimus had always known that was inaccurate. Seekers looked no more alike than any other model did amongst his kin-frames. Although it didn't have the exact same dimensions as the face Optimus remembered from countless years of war, he still recognized those facial plates and immediately knew who the sparkling was. How he knew he couldn't say for sure. But it was a certainty that originated from deep inside his spark.

"Optimus?" Ironhide's voice rattled the Matrix-bearer back to the present. Optimus shook himself out of his daze to find his sparkmate standing close beside him, worriedly staring into his face. "Yeh alright?"

For a moment Optimus couldn't find his vocal processor. "Ironhide, look," he finally managed to whisper, and gestured into the recreation room.

Ironhide followed his gaze. He stared for several astro-klicks before the scene finally seemed to register in his processor. When it did he visibly started. "Primus!" Together the two stared at the miniature seeker, stunned.

"Optimus Prime, sir? Consort Ironhide?" Seaspray called, hurrying back to them. "Is everything alright?"

"Who is that sparkling?" Optimus demanded, still staring at the white and blue seeker half-dazed with shock.

Seaspray glanced into the room. "That's one of our facility's sparklings. He's been here for the last three batches. He's the first and only seeker to ever come out of a hatchling facility outside of Vos in known history. As you know, sir, the Vosians are the only ones who program their hatchlings as fliers. We are still baffled as to what could have caused such an anomaly in our production line."

"Three batches? You mean to tell me no one has ever tried to claim him in all that time?" Optimus asked.

Seaspray shook her head. "No, sir. I fear the Great War is still too fresh in people's memories. Many still remember the seekers' role in it and the widespread destruction they caused. No one wants a seeker sparkling."

Optimus was stunned. He understood Seaspray's explanation, but for no one to try and claim a sparkling - even a seeker sparkling - as their own when waiting lists for new protoforms spanned half a dozen vorns was inconceivable.

"What is his designation?"

Seaspray cast the sparkling a quick glance as if trying to figure out why he was getting so much attention from a Prime. "Starfall. That was the name the computer generated when he was brought online and taken out of the gestation tube."

Ironhide made an indignant sputtering sound. "Star? Yeh gotta be fraggin' joking me." He cast the sparkling a dark sideways look. "Looks like Vector Sigma didn't do such a good job scrubbing his spark like it was suppose to. Primus sure has one fragged up sense of humor."

Optimus ignored him. All he could do was stare of the tiny seeker. He hadn't thought of Starscream in vorns, and suddenly here was a seeker sparkling who looked so much like the Decepticon air commander sitting right there in front of him. It couldn't all be a coincidence, could it?

"Seaspray, if it's alright I would like to talk to Starfall for a few klicks."

The administrator looked at him in surprise. "If that's what you want to do, sir, then of course," she hesitantly agreed. "Please follow me."

Optimus ignored the look Ironhide gave him as he followed Seaspray into the room. He reached out across their bond to soothe his sparkmate, but Ironhide's side was too tense with agitation for him to properly commune his feelings. Optimus decided to focus on one thing at a time, and the most important thing right now was this unwanted sparkling who reminded him of the Decepticon second-in-command he'd convinced to surrender himself to Vector Sigma.

"Starfall," Seaspray cheerfully called as she strode into playroom with Optimus half a step behind. Ironhide hung further back, his reluctance to be anywhere near the sparkling rolling off him in almost palpable waves. "I'd like you to meet someone. This is Optimus Prime and his sparkmate Ironhide."

The sparkling looked up. Optimus felt his spark clench at the way the seekerlet's optics stared at him and Ironhide as if he were sizing them up in his head. The look was frighteningly familiar.

Optimus smiled behind his mask, his optics crinkling at the corners as he did. "Hello, Starfall. May I join you?"

Starfall stared up at him for a klick with an unreadable expression, before shrugging his shoulder plates. His miniature wings fluttered and dipped with the movement. "Okay."

Optimus pulled out one of the chairs near Starfall and awkwardly settled himself on the sparkling-size seat. He knew he probably looked ridiculous. He wondered how the press-mechs that had been following them around earlier would have reacted if any of them had been there to see their Prime sitting with his knee joints bent almost to his chassis. He felt uncomfortable sitting bent in half like that but he wanted to be at least a little closer to the same optic-level as Starfall so he wasn't towering over the tiny mech. Ironhide hesitated a moment before following Optimus's example and reluctantly taking a seat of his own beside Optimus. The weapons specialist's facial plates were a stony mask. Optimus could feel his agitation for Starfall radiating through their bond. Seaspray stood a respectful distance away to give them the illusion of privacy.

"You're wasting your time," Starfall abruptly announced. Overlarge blue optics held Optimus's gaze. "There aren't any other sparklings here right now. You're going to have to wait until the next batch is ready to come online to chose one."

Optimus smiled behind his mask at the sparkling's precociousness. "How fortunate that is then, because I'm not interested in any other sparklings right now except you. I wanted to get to know you a little bit better, Starfall." He motioned to the data pad laying on the table between them. "What is that you're reading?"

Starfall eyed him for a moment as if unsure whether to be suspicious of him or not. Optimus was once again reminded of Starscream.

"An old legend," Starfall finally said. Optimus sensed something in the sparkling's demeanor change, as if he'd decided to at least momentarily trust this strange mech who'd decided to talk to him. "It's about this hero who has to find a magic sword to help save his colony."

"Ah, the legend of Tralox," Optimus nodded sagely.

Starfall's wings fluttered against his back and his optics widened in surprise. "You know it?"

Optimus smiled. "Indeed I do. It's one of my favorite stories."

"Mine too!" Starfall chirped. His wings perked and dipped animatedly. His face brightened and his optics flashed with excitement. "I like stories like Tralox, but the facility only has a couple data pads with stories like that, and I've already read them all."

Optimus was instantly charmed. The sparkling's enthusiasm was infectious. Starfall practically radiated innocence; so unlike the mech Optimus once knew.

"Tell me, Starfall," Optimus said, leaning a little closer to the sparkling, "has anyone ever offered to adopt you?"

The change in Starfall was instantaneous. In a single spark-pulse the bubbling sparkling Optimus had just been talking to became quiet and sullen. His wings drooped sadly down his back. Optimus absentmindedly wondered if all seeker sparkling were this expressive with their wings.

"No," Starfall murmured. Optimus's spark clenched at the utter dejection in his voice and the spark-wrenching way his optics dimmed. "No one wants me because I have wings. People don't like wings around here. They want sparklings with wheels. I once asked if I could go where there were other seekers but the administrators said all the other seekers live too far away."

The sudden urge to pick this sad and hurting sparkling up and hold him protectively to his chest was nearly overwhelming. "That's very sad to hear," Optimus said. "Because I, for one, happen to like your wings very much. I think they're very unique."

A little of the immediate sadness drained from Starfall's light gray face as he looked up to meet Optimus's gaze again. He shyly offered Optimus a smile. "I can't fly yet, but I can kind of hover," he proudly boasted.

Optimus felt his spark melt a little inside his chest. "You must show me sometime how high you can get. I'm sure it must be high if you were given such an impressive flier name like Starfall."

Starfall eyed Optimus for a long moment of silence, as though struggling to decide something. He finally blurted out, "You can just call me Star if you want. I don't really like to be called Starfall."

"Why's that?" Optimus asked, genuinely curious.

Starfall helplessly raised and dropped his shoulder plates. His wings fluttered behind him. "I don't know. I just don't. I just like to be called Star."

"Alright then, Star," Optimus smiled. The urge to lift this precocious little sparkling into his arms once again assailed him. How could anyone not want to claim such an outspoken and smart sparkling for their own? Had anyone even bothered talking to Starfall before they rejected him because of his frame type?

Becoming serious, the Matrix-bearer leaned forward as best he could in his undersized chair to hold Starfall's gaze with his own. "Star, how would you like to come live with me and Ironhide? We have always wanted a sparkling of our own, and we would be proud to become your caregivers."

The little seekerlet froze in his seat, staring at Optimus with his impossibly big, turquoise-blue optics. It was at that moment that Optimus felt the growing tenderness he'd felt towards Starfall since he sat down with him at the table blossom into open affection and a sudden, possessive desire to be able to call this sparkling his own. He pointedly ignored the wave of shock that snapped against his spark from Ironhide's side of their bond.

"You mean it?" Starfall squeaked. "You really want me?" The look of desperate hope on his facial plates was almost physically painful to look at.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. "I would like you to come live with us very much."

Starfall stared at Optimus as though afraid he might wake up from a dream at any moment. His wings trembled violently against his back struts. Optimus resisted the urge to reach out and run a hand down Starfall's back to calm their restless movements. "When can we leave? Do I have to wait to go with you?"

"My sparkmate and I must speak to the administrator, but I see no reason why you couldn't leave with us today." Optimus gazed fondly down at the seekerlet who he was soon going to be able to call his. "Is there anything you need to pack before we leave?"

Starfall shook his helm. "Not really. Just some data pads one of the workers brought me to read. He said I could keep them."

"Well, you'd better go get them," Optimus urged. Unable to resist anymore, he reached out and tenderly cupped the back of Starfall's helm in his hand. The sparkling was so small Optimus could have wrapped his fingers completely around his head. "We'll be waiting here for you."

Starfall hesitated only a moment - as if he were savoring the touch of a caring bot for the very first time - before spinning away from Optimus and running from the room as though afraid Optimus would change his mind if he didn't return fast enough. His thrusters almost skid out from under him on the tiled floor. Then, in a spark-pulse Starfall was lost from sight, gone to collect whatever meager possessions he called his own.

Optimus smiled behind his mask. An intense wave of euphoric calm settled over him in Starfall's wake. Finally. After vorns of disappointment and pain he would finally have a sparkling to call his own. In a way he still couldn't make himself believe it was finally going to happen.

Unfortunately, Optimus had no time to savor his victory. A barrage of emotions almost instantly pressed against his spark from his irate sparkmate.

"Optimus… what in the seven pits are yeh doing! Did yeh completely forget who that sparkling used ta be?" Ironhide was staring at him as though he thought his sparkmate had just gone insane. "What are yeh thinking? We can't adopt Starscream!"

Optimus calmly turned to his bondmate. "I haven't forgotten who Starfall used to be, 'hide."

"Then what are yeh doing saying we're gonna adopt him?"

"Ironhide," Optimus softly intoned. "Starscream, no longer exists. That mech is gone. His spark was surrendered to Vector Sigma and reborn in a new body. This sparkling - no matter what frame type he has, what he looks like, or what his name is - is no longer Starscream. Starfall is like any other sparkling now."

"Optimus, yeh can't possibly be serious…"

"'hide, think about it," Optimus pleaded. "We have not been able to conceive despite vorns of trying for a sparkling. I cannot help but feel that this is a sign from Primus. I think he means for us to adopt Starfall and raise him as our own."

Ironhide stared at him, his expression aghast.

"We can give Starfall a home," Optimus reasoned. "We can give him a good upbringing he probably didn't have before. We can make sure he grows up to be a good mech." Optimus stared hard into Ironhide's optics, desperate to make him understand. "He could be our son, 'hide." Opening his side of their bond as wide as he could, Optimus sent all his despair, joy and hope for a sparkling flooding against his mate's spark.

Ironhide looked away from him with a disgusted grunt. Running a hand over his facial plates, he vented a heavy sigh. "Primus help me," he growled. "Yeh know ah can't say no ta yeh when yeh want something this badly. Fine. We'll take him. But don't expect me ta read him recharge tales before bed or nothing, 'cause that's never gonna happen. Ah haven't forgotten who that sparkling used to be before Vector Sigma miniaturized him and gave him a new paintjob."

Optimus's spark throbbed with relief. "Thank you, 'hide," he said. His vocal processor was uncomfortably tight. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Yes ah do," Ironhide growled. He reached out with a huff and took one of Optimus's hand in his own to squeeze. "Ah know exactly how much this means ta yeh, and that's the only reason ah'm agreeing ta this."

"What did I ever do to deserve such an understanding sparkmate like you?" Optimus smiled.

Ironhide snorted. "Only Primus knows. 'Cause sometimes ah think yer good luck is my curse."

Optimus sent a massive wave of love coursing across their bond. Huffing in complete defeat, Ironhide returned the love-pulse and clasped Optimus's hand tighter.

"Prime, sir?" Seaspray's voice timidly spoke up behind them. She still stood a distance away. Her expression was one of lingering shock. "Are you and Consort Ironhide serious about this adoption?"

Optimus squeezed Ironhide's hand, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. "Yes. Bring us whatever we need to fill out to legally claim Star as our son."

Chapter Text

Chapter Three: A New Home

The lift gave a soft ding. The doors smoothly slid apart to reveal a short hallway with two doors on either side. Ironhide and Optimus stepped off with the practiced ease of having done so countless times before. The small sparkling following them hesitated and ventured off the lift with the uncertainty of one who had no idea where he was going. Starfall hurried to catch up to Optimus and fell into step beside him. His helm barely came up to Optimus's knee joint. Despite his age, Starfall was uncommonly small.

Optimus smiled down at him behind his battle mask. Ever since they had left the hatchling facility Starfall had become like his second shadow. Optimus didn't know if it was because Starfall had never been outside the facility before or if he was just eager to be close to his new foster-creators, but Starfall had not tried to venture any farther than arm's length from Optimus the entire trip back to his and Ironhide's domicile. Optimus realized with a pleasant thrill that their domicile was now Starfall's residence as well. They had signed all the forms to bring him home; Starfall was now their legal son.

Not for the first time - nor did Optimus suspect the last - Optimus's spark swelled with absolute contentment. Every time he looked at Starfall and thought about the gaping hole in his life the little sparkling had filled Optimus felt almost giddy with joy.

"Our residence is the second door on the right," Optimus said, pointing. Starfall's wings fluttered excitedly as he followed Optimus's gaze. Unable to restrain himself, Optimus reached down and rested his hand on top of Starfall's helm. He was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he finally had a son. It still didn't feel quite real.

Ironhide stepped up to the door and pressed a series of numbers into the electronic keypad. The door's locks disengaged with a heavy clack and door slid aside. Ironhide stepped through without even a backwards glance to Optimus or Starfall. Optimus frowned behind his mask. Ironhide had been extremely quiet since they left the hatchling facility. He knew Ironhide wasn't thrilled with the idea of claiming Starfall - he'd made no secret of that at any point of the adoption process. Optimus had tried several times to reach out to Ironhide across their bond to gauge his sparkmate's feelings, but Ironhide's side of the bond remained determinedly closed. Starfall seemed to sense his new foster-creator's standoffishness towards him and kept his distance from the weapons specialist. Instead, he focused all his attention onto Optimus who was more than happy to return it.

Ironhide had already motioned on the lights by the time Optimus and Starfall followed him into the apartment. Starfall froze just inside the domicile, looking around with startled turquoise-blue optics.

"All this is yours?" he squeaked. His little helm swiveled around and back to take in the entire span of the apartment's main room. Overlarge optics widened even more.

Optimus disengaged the clasps of his battle mask so the metal plates could retract into the sides of his helm. "Yes," he smiled. In the privacy of his home, in the company of his family, he could relax and let his public façade fall. Starfall, however, didn't seem to understand the importance of the gesture and continued to look around him, stunned.

The sparkling took several more hesitant steps into the apartment, obviously unsure of his new surroundings. Optimus and Ironhide had never been ostentatious in anything they did - least of all interior design - but he could imagine what their living space looked like to such a young sparkling who'd only ever known the inside of a government facility. Their main room was at least twice the size of the recreation room Optimus had first spotted Starfall sitting in. Two lounges and a plush chair formed a semi-circle around the tele-consol that took up a majority of the one wall. High-end, but simple furnishings filled the rest of the space. Being Prime did have its perks.

Starfall's optics suddenly widened. "Look at all your windows!" He darted across the living space in a blur of blue and white to the wall of glass that lined the entire far side of the room. Optimus followed at a more sedate pace. Starfall practically had his face pressed flat up against the glass by the time Optimus joined him. Optimus cast his sparkmate a quick glance to see if Ironhide was as amused by their son's antics as he was, but Ironhide wasn't watching. He was busying himself in the kitchenette, measuring out a cube of high grade.

"You can see the entire sky!" Starfall trilled. The sparkling leaned back from the glass, his optics still locked on the skyscape beyond. His voice suddenly became melancholic. "There weren't many windows at the facility. The only time I really got to see the sky was when I could talk one of the workers into taking me outside for a few klicks."

Optimus's spark clenched a little inside his chassis. "Would you like to go outside on the balcony?"

Starfall's helm snapped up to look at him. "You have a balcony too?" The question was whispered in awe.

Optimus nodded and went to one of the panes of glass. Pressing a finger against the jamb, the pane swung outward. He stepped out onto the balcony beyond. Starfall followed right behind him The sun was beginning its downward arc in the sky towards the horizon. Dusk was swiftly approaching. The cityscape Optimus had been admiring just that morning was bathed in a wash of red-tinged light as if Primus had upended a pot of molten gold over Cybertron's capitol city. Lights danced in the windows of many of the buildings in preparation for the coming evening. Directly above them, the sky was beginning to turn a rich shade of purple. Several stars had already begun to peek out against the darkening backdrop.

Starfall's reaction to the sight was instantaneous. He gasped in awed delight. His wings fluttered against his back as though yearning to take to the sky. "You get to see this everyday?" he whispered, barely able to tear his optics away from the sunset long enough to look at Optimus.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. "And now so do you." Stooping down beside Starfall, Optimus finally did what he'd been wanting to all day: he gently slipped his hands under his son's arms and lifted the miniature seeker into his arms against his chest. He was at first startled; Starfall barely seemed to weight a thing. He was so light it felt like his protoform was hollow. Optimus briefly wondered if all seekers were this light. It would certainly explain why they were able to slice so quickly through the air. He would have to do more research on his son's model later. For now, though, he was more than content to relish the weight of Starfall perched in the crook of his arm and the press of his tiny body against the side of his chassis and know that Starfall was now irrevocably his. Starfall leaned into Optimus, as though basking in the novelty of family closeness as well. Optimus could feel the gentle thrum of Starfall's spark against his armor. He possessively clutched the sparkling closer.

Together the two watched the setting sun dip ever lower in the sky until the last slip of light disappeared from the horizon and they were swallowed by the night.

"I am so glad you've come to live with us, Star," Optimus murmured after a few klicks of content silence. "You have no idea how happy you being here has made me."

Starfall relaxed against him. His wings fluttered and dipped in the breeze. "I'm glad someone finally wanted me."

The admission was endearing and spark-breaking at the same time. It physically hurt Optimus to think how long Starfall had stayed in the hatchling facility waiting for someone to take him home. With great reluctance Optimus lowered Starfall back to the ground. "Would you like to see your room?"

"I get my own room?" Starfall's optics brightened with excitement. In the darkness they flashed a beautiful sapphire blue.

"Indeed you do." Optimus motioned Starfall towards the open door they'd come through. In the deepening twilight the glow of lights from inside the apartment shined like a welcome safe haven. Optimus led Starfall back inside.

Ironhide was seated on one of the lounges in the living room watching the tele-consol. The evening news feeds were running highlights of the day. Ironhide cast Optimus and Starfall a quick look as they entered. His optics came to focus on Starfall before he resolutely turned his attention back to the tele-consol and took a sip of high grade from the cube in his hand. Optimus vented a sigh of disappointment. His sparkmate was not taking to their new situation easily. Why was he having so much trouble warming up to Starfall? He knew Ironhide still had a lot of residual bitterness for Starscream from the war. But couldn't he see this little sparkling was nothing like the mech they once fought? As he'd told Ironhide before: Starscream was gone.

He would just have to help his sparkmate realize that. First thing was first though. He still had to show their son around his new home.

"Your room is this way," Optimus said, leading Starfall across the living room towards a hallway leading off it. Starfall scrambled to keep up with the Matrix-bearer's long stride. Despite himself, Optimus couldn't help but think the little seeker's struggles were unbearably cute. He slowed his stride so Starfall could keep up with him. He tried not to think too hard about the way Starfall didn't look back at Ironhide as they left the room, as if he'd already written Ironhide off as never having any interest in him.

"Ironhide and my berthroom is here," Optimus pointed out as they made their way down the hallway. "The wash rack is here." He pointed out another doorway. "And here," he said, stepping up to the last door on the right, "is yours." He keyed open the door. Automatic sensors instantly raised the lights to bath the room in a pleasant glow. A berth stood in the far right corner of the room with a desk, chair and shelving unit on the other side. For lack of any other pressing need, Optimus and Ironhide had converted the room into a guestroom when they first moved into the apartment. As they rarely had any guests that needed a place to stay, the room was mostly unused. Looking around Optimus realized they would need to remodel it to make it more inviting for a sparkling. It was funny how fast things were happening. When he'd woken up that morning he hadn't been expecting to come home with a son.

Starfall looked around the room with his jaw plate hanging half open. "This whole room is mine?"

"Yes it is," Optimus smiled. "We will go out and buy some new furnishings for you tomorrow."

"I've never had my own room," Starfall said, slowly making a circuit around the room. He seemed overwhelmed by the fact that everything he saw was now his. "In the hatchling facility all the sparklings recharged in a big group room." His optics dimmed slightly. "None of the others ever stayed very long after they were old enough to be claimed. They all went home with their new families."

Before Optimus could try to assuage Starfall's melancholy, the sparkling suddenly gasped and his optics flared with excitement. He hurried over the shelving unit beside the desk. Optimus tried not to compare Starfall's abrupt mood change to his former self's. Starscream's mood swings had been the stuff of legends even amongst the Autobots.

"Can I put my data pads here?" Starfall excitedly chirped, staring up at the shelving unit. Several knickknacks Optimus and Ironhide had picked up over the years - many of them from Earth - were displayed on several of the higher shelves. But otherwise the shelves were empty.

"Of course. This is your room now. You may put whatever you like on them."

Starfall's face broke into a spark-melting smile. He eagerly keyed open the subspace compartment on his hip and withdrew half a dozen, obviously secondhand data pads. He carefully lined them in a row of descending height in the corner of the shelf second from the bottom. The shelf was perfectly level with Starfall's chest. Optimus's spark twinged with some emotion he couldn't properly name. It was a pitifully small collection of items Starfall had to display, especially when they were suppose to represent everything Starfall had to call his own. It didn't help that his son was so openly proud of them.

Optimus slowly moved to the berth and sat on its edge. "You enjoy reading, don't you, Star?"

The white and blue seeker turned to regard Optimus. "Yea. It was the only thing I had to do once all the other sparklings got picked up by their creators. Once they left I didn't have anyone to play with. All the workers and caretakers were too busy getting the new batch ready." Starfall glanced back at his collection of data pads with an almost wistful expression. "I heard there are people who have whole rooms of data pads. Someday I want to have a room like that. It would be nice to have new stories to read instead of the same ones over and over again."

Optimus's spark clenched into a tiny ball in the middle of his chest. "Tomorrow we'll go out and get as many new data pads as you want," he promised in a tight voice. The more he talked to Starfall, the more he wished he'd found out about his existence earlier.

"Really?" Starfall chirped, his expression filling with hope.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. Smiling down at his son, Optimus felt his spark swell a little bit more with love. "It has been an eventful day and getting late. Are you tired?"

Starfall raised and dropped his shoulder plates. His wings fluttered with the movement. "Not really."

"Would you like me to read you something before you recharge?" Optimus offered.

Starfall's face brightened. "Yea!" He turned back to his collection of data pads and selected one. He hurried over to Optimus and thrust the data pad out to him. Optimus took it with a smile. The sparkling's eagerness was endearing. The data pad was the one Starfall had been reading when Optimus spotted him in the hatchling facility.

Optimus helped pull Starfall up onto the berth with him and powered the data pad on. Leaning against the headboard of the berth so he was half reclined, Optimus made himself comfortable on the padded surface. Starfall hesitated only a few nano-klicks before tentatively laying down next to Optimus. Using Optimus's chest plate as a pillow, Starfall curled against Optimus's side. One arm was thrown across Optimus's chest and miniature gray fingers curled around the edge of Optimus's plating. It was at that exact moment that Optimus fell completely and hopelessly in love with his new son. He curled one arm around Starfall's back to hold the miniature seeker even closer to him. Starfall's wings fluttered against the underside of his arm. Optimus marveled at how perfectly Starfall seemed to fit against him with his helm perfectly nestled in the crux of his arm and shoulder plates. For so long this was what he'd longed to have - a child to call his own. Perhaps Primus really had heard his prayers and sent Starfall to him.

Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden surge of emotions, Optimus had to clear his intake line before he trusted himself enough to begin reading. Starfall listened intently to the deep rumble of his voice. His spark pulsed slow and heavy against Optimus. When Optimus finally came to end of the chapter some time later Starfall was half-asleep and dead weight against his side. He was fighting to keep his optics online. Optimus powered off the data pad and set it aside on the berthmat. Carefully, he slide out from underneath Starfall and settled the sparkling more comfortably on the berth. Starfall limply curled onto his side in the warm spot Optimus had just vacated. His wings twitched lethargically in the air.

"Time to recharge," Optimus softly whispered. He reached out and gently ran his hand down the side of Starfall's helm and back.

Starfall gave a sleepy murmur. He seemed to relax even more against the berth under Optimus's touch, if it were actually possible. Half dimmed turquoise-blue optics looked up to meet Optimus's. "Can I call you dad now?" he groggily asked. His voice was barely audible and heavily slurred.

The question took Optimus a little by surprise. His spark made a delighted hiccup in his chest. He had to fight to speak around the lump that suddenly formed in the back of his vocal processor. "Star, I would like that very much," he whispered.

As though that was all he'd needed to hear, the light in Starfall's optics dimmed completely and his body sagged into recharge. Vents whirled softly as miniature wings slowly stilled and engines smoothed into a hypnotic purr.

Optimus couldn't bring himself to move for quite some time. All he could do was stare at Starfall and silently marvel at this sparkling who had so unexpectedly come into his life. Even now, after hours of endless paperwork and legalities, it still didn't feel real. He finally had a child to call his own. He finally had what he'd always wanted.

Knowing he couldn't stay there and stare at Starfall all night (no matter how tempting the idea might have been) Optimus reluctantly forced himself to get up from the berth. There was so much he still had to do. Already Optimus was making a mental checklist of what he needed to do over the next few days now that he had a sparkling to care for. As he came to the door and disabled the light sensors, Optimus cast Starfall one last parting look before reluctantly stepping through the doorway and motioning the door close behind him.

Optimus was still riding high on euphoric contentment when he walked into the living room. Ironhide looked away from the tele-consol and gave him a flat look. He had half a cube of high grade in his hand. Optimus didn't know if it was half of his first cube or if Ironhide had gotten up to get a refill while he'd been in the other room with Starfall. Two mechs were now arguing on the tele-consol about the sudden spike in imported energon prices. "Yeh were in there a long time," Ironhide flatly noted.

"I was reading to Star before I laid him down for recharge." Optimus came over the lounge and sat down beside his sparkmate. He couldn't help the smile that split his usually covered face. "He's perfect, 'hide. I still can't get over it. He's everything we've always wanted."

Ironhide's lips flattened into a thin line. "Maybe everything you've always wanted…" he bitterly grumbled.

"'hide," Optimus wearily sighed. "Starfall is not Starscream. You would know that if you'd only talk to him for a few minutes. He is smart and so desperate to be loved. He is nothing like the mech we once knew."

Ironhide angrily shook his head. "Ah just can't get over it. That sparkling looks too much like Screamer. Even his name - Star." Ironhide spat the word out as though it left a foul taste in his mouth. "How did he even come through Vector Sigma as a seeker? None of Iacon's hatchling facilities are programmed to produce fliers. It should'a been impossible for him ta come online with wings. Ah'm telling yeh, there's too much of Starscream in that sparkling. Vector Sigma should have completely scrubbed his spark and it didn't. It makes my plating crawl ta look at him and know who he used ta be."

"'hide, you have to give Star a chance. I just spent the last few hours with him and saw nothing in him to make me think negatively about his personality."

Ironhide gave an angry huff and took a sip of high grade if only to distract himself from having to immediately answer his sparkmate.

"Please, 'hide," Optimus said, leaning closer and spearing him with his most desperate gaze. "Give Star a chance. I know you will come to love him like a son if you do."

Ironhide set his cube of high grade aside on the table in front of the lounge. "How do yeh know that sparkling's not gonna someday become the same murderous glitch he was before? Who knows how much of the old Starscream is still hiding in that sparkling? If he's already this much like Starscream, who's ta say he won't become the exact same mech he was before?"

"We won't let that happen," Optimus confidently replied. "If we give him the kind of family and home life I know Star wants himself he will not grow up to be that mech."

Ironhide shook his helm. Doubt sizzled across their bond like a live electrical current.

Optimus frowned. He leaned closer to Ironhide and tenderly took his sparkmate's face in between his hands to make the other mech look at him. He gently kissed Ironhide before looking him deep in the optics. He felt some of the tension in his sparkmate's body dissipate. "Please, 'hide. Give Star a chance. For me if nothing else."

Ironhide huffed softly. "Alright," he grumbled. "Ah'll give the dang kid a chance."

Optimus smiled warmly. "Thank you. I promise you this will get easier."

Ironhide frowned but did not try to argue. "So how're we gonna tell our friends about this? It's not like people aren't gonna notice that the Prime and his sparkmate suddenly have a seeker sparkling following 'em around everywhere."

"I was thinking of formally presenting Star as our son at the anniversary party." The Great War's fifty-sixth anniversary was in several days. It had become an annual event over the years that the Autobot veterans would gather on that day to celebrate and catch up on recent events.

Ironhide frowned. "Some bots from the old team are gonna be even less thrilled than me ta see a little seeker who looks like Starscream running around. Can yeh even imagine how Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are gonna react when they see him?"

"Bots like Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are just going to have to deal with their old grudges," Optimus replied. "I can only hope that I have gained enough of my soldiers' respect over the vorns that they will accept my decision to adopt Starfall as our son." Optimus leaned back on the lounge, sighing tiredly. "The deal offered to the Decepticons who were sentenced to death was luckily never made public. The identities of those who chose rebirth were never revealed. The general public believes all the Decepticon high-ranking officers were executed after the trials. I know many of our old comrades will have reservations about Starfall simply because he is a seeker, but that doesn't mean he needs to be burdened with the stigma others will put on him if they knew who he was in a former format. If his real identity is kept secret there is no reason the others won't eventually come to accept him for the intelligent sparkling he is."

Ironhide gave a noncommittal grunt, doubt still buzzing like a swarm of angry bees on his side of their bond. He picked up his cube of high grade and took another sip, his attention resolutely focused on the two mechs arguing on the tele-consol.

Optimus decided not to try and push the issue anymore that evening. He knew how stubborn Ironhide could be - especially when he was being asked to change his mind on something he'd already made a decision about. Looking back on the day, the fact that they had actually Starfall recharging in a room down the hall spoke of how much Ironhide was willing to sacrifice for his sparkmate's own happiness. Love for the gruff mech filled Optimus's spark.

Leaning over, Optimus gave Ironhide a light kiss on the side of his cheek. "I must go make a call, love. Do not wait up for me if you want to go to recharge early."

Ironhide grunted around the edge of his cube. The topic of discussion on the tele-consol had moved onto a new legislative bill that had just been brought before the High Council to vote on.

Optimus got up from the lounge and headed towards a second hallway that led away from the living area towards the opposite end of the apartment. A single doorway stood at the end of it. Keying open the door, Optimus stepped through into his personal office. When they'd first moved into the domicile Ironhide had insisted that Optimus take the room to be his private place to deal with any official business of military or government.

Sitting down in front of the large communications monitor, Optimus powered on the computer. He immediately put into the search function Skyfire's name and identification code. Skyfire had a permanent residence there in Iacon, but he was rarely ever to be found in the capitol city. Whether he was in some other city-state for a conference or off-world on one of his scientific expeditions, Optimus had found that it was always just easier to search Skyfire's current location before he tried contacting his last known address, since he was rarely ever there.

Optimus was one of only a few bots to keep in contact with Skyfire since the end of the war. Even after Skyfire joined the Autobots, he had remained something of an outsider amongst them. Being one of the Autobot's only fliers had contributed a little to that, but also Skyfire's natural penchant for solitude and his disposition of being a more private mech. His open dislike for violence had also contributed to him never quite becoming friends with any of the Autobot warriors. The only bots he ever seemed to form any sort of friendship with amongst the crew were Wheeljack and Perceptor. Being all scientists and inventors they had instantly gravitated towards one another. After the war ended and they all returned to Cybertron Skyfire became even more estranged from the Ark's old crew. Optimus made it a point to occasionally contact the scientist to see what he was doing, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Skyfire at an anniversary celebration.

The computer finally came back with the scientist's current contact number. Optimus contracted the sides of his mask back over his face as he hit the dial option. The comm-link screen swam with static for several moments before there was an answering beep from the other side of the line. The screen blinked black for a moment before the image of Skyfire's face suddenly filled it.

"Hello, Skyfire," Optimus said. "Sorry to contact you so late out of the blue like this."

"Optimus," Skyfire smiled, surprised but openly delighted to see the Matrix-bearer. "It's always a pleasure to hear from you no matter what time it is. How are you and Ironhide?"

"Very well, thank you. I was contacting you to see if you were planning to come to the anniversary party this vorn."

Skyfire shook his helm. "No, I'm sorry. I'm currently on one of Cybertron's moons at a scientific conference. It's scheduled to go until the end of this deca-cycle, so I won't be able to make it to the celebration."

Optimus had the distinct impression that even if Skyfire weren't busy at a conference he still wouldn't have made any plans to come. He couldn't help the sly smile that spread across his face under his mask.

"If it's not too forward of me, I might suggest that you clear your schedule for the rest of the deca-cycle and come to the celebration."

Skyfire frowned lightly. "Optimus, you know I do not like events like this. I have never felt comfortable talking about the war or reveling in what happened after it. It holds too many painful memories."

"As it does for all of us," Optimus conceded. "But there is going to be someone new there this vorn that I think you are going to want to meet. I am very pleased to say that you're the first bot to know that Ironhide and I have a son."

Skyfire's facial plates froze in surprise before blossoming into honest delight. "Optimus, congratulations!" he smiled. "I heard about Jazz and Prowl's daughter a few orns ago, but I didn't know you and Ironhide were expecting as well. When did you have your newspark?"

Optimus chuckled lightly. "Neither one of us carried; our son is adopted. But he is a very unique sparkling. He was brought online in sector 12's hatchling facility. Against all odds he came online as a flier - a little seeker to be exact. He's the first of his kind of ever come online outside of Vos. The administrator of the facility has no explanation why Vector Sigma would produce such a model type in Iacon. The name the computer gave him when he came online is Starfall."

For a long moment of silence there was absolutely no reaction from the mech on the tele-screen. But as the words seemed to slowly translate in Skyfire's processor a look of almost painful hope twisted the edges of Skyfire's face. "Are- are you serious, Optimus?" Skyfire leaned closer to the camera, his optics locked on Optimus's through the screen. "Do you think it's really-?" Skyfire seemed afraid to actually say his lost lover's name, as if doing so might somehow destroy this tiny shred of hope he'd been given.

"Yes," Optimus smiled. "It seems Starscream has returned. As far as we can tell he remembers nothing of his previous life except certain feelings about his personal identity. He prefers to be called Star."

"Starscream's back," Skyfire murmured, more to himself than Optimus, as if he were in some sort of daze. "Starscream's finally come back." He seemed to come back to himself. "I will clear my schedule immediately and be on the next transport to Cybertron."

"I'm so happy you've decided to come to the celebration after all," Optimus said. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen Skyfire this happy, but it had definitely been a long time.

Growing serious, Optimus leaned closer to the camera. His voice lost its playful tone. "Skyfire, I know you are very excited to see Starfall, but I feel I should remind you that he is not going to remember you. Ironhide and I have agreed that we are going to raise Starfall without him knowing who he used to be. I do not want my son burdened with such knowledge. His rebirth must be kept a secret. We can never let Starfall know he was once Starscream."

Skyfire instantly sobered. "Yes. Of course. I understand," he solemnly nodded. "It would be cruel to burden a sparkling with such knowledge. But…" Skyfire struggled for a moment to put his thoughts into words, "Starscream's finally back. There's at least the hope of me knowing him again." Optimus noticed the crackle of static in the corners of Skyfire's optics as if he were having trouble controlling his emotions. "When I went with you to that prison to convince Starscream to give himself to Vector Sigma I never actually thought I'd see him again. I was sure he'd be reformatted and lost to me." Skyfire gave a shaky laugh, his face breaking into a trembling smile. "But he kept his promise to find me again after all."

"I am so happy for you, Skyfire," Optimus said. "I will let you go so you can start making arrangements for your trip. I look forward to introducing Starfall to you at the celebration."

"Not as much as I am looking forward to it," Skyfire said. Optimus did not doubt him for an instant. "Goodbye, Optimus. And… thank you."

"Goodbye, Skyfire," Optimus nodded and cut off the line. Retracting his battle mask, Optimus leaned back in his chair with a content smile. He was so glad to have been able to give Skyfire this glimmer of hope. It would be centuries before Starfall was old enough to even begin thinking about others in a romantic way, but at least the possibility was now there of Skyfire and Star someday finding each other again.

To be continued

Chapter Text

Chapter Four: Anniversary Party (Part I)

Today marked the fifty-sixth vorn anniversary of the end of the Great War. In human time, the Autobots had defeated the Decepticons 4,664 years ago. The humans who had befriended the Autobots during their time on Earth and aided them in their fight were all dead and gone, but not forgotten. For many, this was a day of both remembrance and celebration. As Cybertron's capitol city, Iacon was leading the way in many of the anniversary festivities. Memorial services, speeches, parades, and celebratory parties were being held everywhere across the city, not to mention the rest of the planet. There was hardly a bot on all of Cybertron that didn't have plans to somehow commemorate the orn.

The Prime family least of all.

Ironhide, Optimus and Starfall were gathered around the table of their domicile's kitchenette unit, drinking their morning fuel. Ironhide had taken it upon himself to pour their energon cubes that morning: one for himself, half of one for Starfall and three for Optimus. Although there was sure to be energon, coolant, sweets and high grade aplenty at the anniversary party, Optimus rarely ever got to partake of the spread because of his battle mask. Even now, vorns after the end of the war, Optimus still hid his face whenever he went out in public. Ironhide didn't understand why his mate felt the need to continue wearing his mask when there were no longer any battles to wage, but there was no denying the mystique it added to his sparkmate's public façade. Before parties or events that were sure to go all orn, Optimus would make sure he drank enough fuel to last him until he could find a private place to drop his mask again, which, unfortunately, was usually their domicile. Ironhide didn't like drinking and snacking on goodies when his mate wasn't able to, but Optimus had reassured him enough times over the vorns that he didn't mind refraining while others enjoyed that Ironhide felt only slightly less guilty about it now than he did when they were still freshly bonded sparkmates.

Optimus leisurely sipped at his second cube of energon as Starfall chattered on about a sparkling program he'd become interested in on the tele-consol. Optimus listened and nodded indulgently to the little seeker's babble. A content smile pulled at the corners of his lips as Starfall talked and gestured animatedly with his hands.

Ironhide sipped at his own energon in sullen silence. It had been five orns since Starfall came to live with them. Optimus had taken to the role of creatorhood faster than Ironhide ever would have expected. He treated Starfall as if he really was their child. Since bringing him home Optimus had become completely engrossed in the little seeker. All official Prime business had been momentarily put on hold in favor of spending time with their new son. From taking Starfall out to get new furnishings for his room, to buying him a small library of new data pads to read, to spending what felt like every available waking moment with him, Optimus had held nothing back in incorporating Starfall into their family unit.

If only Ironhide shared a fraction of his sparkmate's enthusiasm.

No matter how hard Ironhide tried he couldn't bring himself to spend more than a few moments in the little seeker's presence if Optimus wasn't there to act as a buffer. To date, Ironhide doubted he'd spoken more than a handful of words to Starfall since he'd come to live with them, and only because he'd absolutely had to. Five orns later, Ironhide still found the sight of a miniature Starscream curled against his sparkmate's side as they sat on the lounge watching the tele-consol or Optimus reading to Starfall at night before recharge extremely disturbing. He didn't understand how Optimus could do it. Every time Ironhide looked at Starfall, his processor flashed with memories of the war. He still remembered Starscream standing on the other side of countless battlefields, smirking, as he opened fire on Ironhide and his comrades.

Optimus kept assuring him Starscream was gone - that his sins and worse qualities were all scrubbed away by Vector Sigma. But Ironhide wasn't convinced. He kept seeing little flashes of the Decepticon air commander in Starfall. A flash of his optics here. An amused smirk there. The slight furrowing of his optic ridges as he concentrated on a data pad. His unnerving precociousness. The manipulative way he'd seemed to worm his way into Optimus's spark. All of it reminded Ironhide too much of Starscream. No matter how cute and innocent this reincarnated Starscream seemed, a part of Ironhide kept waiting for Starfall to suddenly remember his former self and do something treacherous against him and Optimus.

Ironhide knew how paranoid such feelings made him look but there was no denying the discomfort he felt whenever he was in Starfall's presence, nor the smoldering kernel of resentment he felt towards Starfall for stealing his sparkmate's time and attention. For so long it had only been him and Optimus. And now suddenly he had to vie for his own sparkmate's attention with this miniature seeker. If he or Optimus had carried a sparkling themselves, it would have been different. That sparkling would have been theirs, through and through. Ironhide would have had time to adjust to the addition of a new member to their family unit instead of having to rearrange his entire routine overnight to accommodate the reincarnation of his most hated enemy. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Of all the sparklings in the universe why did Optimus have to chose a reformatted Starscream to fill the role of their son?

Starfall seemed to sense Ironhide's dislike for him and noticeably kept his distance from him. If Starfall needed anything, he went to Optimus. He hadn't once tried to approach Ironhide. Ironhide was glad. The less dealings he had with Starfall, the better. He tried to swallow his contempt whenever he was forced to be in the same room as Starfall and be civil towards him if only for his sparkmate's sake, but memories of Starscream always hovered there on the edge of his mind, souring him towards the little seeker.

"Dad, tell me about the bots we're gonna meet today," Starfall said. He leaned forward on the edge of his chair towards Optimus, swinging his thrusters back and forth through the air.

Ironhide scowled around the rim of his energon cube. No matter how many times he heard Starfall address his sparkmate, Ironhide still cringed at the title Optimus allowed Starfall to use. He hated it. All he wanted to do was shout that Optimus was not his father and never would be. Optimus hadn't sparked him, hadn't carried him, didn't have the same frame type as him or even share similar energy-signatures. All he had done was found him in a hatchling facility by chance and taken pity on him because he was so desperate for a sparkling to call his own. Starfall did not deserve to call Optimus father. No matter what Vector Sigma had done to him Starfall would always deep-down remain Starscream and carry with him the taint of his former life. No spark that carried so much sin deserved to call a Prime his creator.

For his sparkmate's sake, though, Ironhide kept such thoughts carefully shielded from his and Optimus's bond. He loved Optimus too much to burden him with his own feelings. Although it physically burned him inside to have Starfall there playacting as their son, Ironhide couldn't bring himself to deny his sparkmate the joy he knew Optimus derived from having a sparkling in his life.

As Ironhide expected, Optimus smiled indulgently at their foster son. "They are the best group of bots you can ever hope to meet, Star. I would trust my life with any of them."

Starfall digested that for a klick of silence. "Do you think they'll like me?" he timidly asked. Worry and self-doubt swam in overlarge, turquoise-blue optics.

Optimus smiled. "I am positive they will. Who wouldn't like a sparkling like you?"

Starfall perked under Optimus's praise. He smiled shyly as little wings fluttered against his back.

Ironhide, however, did not share his sparkmate's optimism. There were many in the old group that were going to take even less of a liking towards Starfall than Ironhide had simply on principle. No matter what strides they'd made in reconstruction after the war, many old grudges still existed towards the war-models of their race. It had been the seekers who had been some of the first to join Megatron's cause and later the ones to cause the most wide-scale destruction to their planet. Few had yet to forgive seekers for their role in the Great War.

Tipping back his cube, Ironhide finished off the last of his energon. "Should we hit the road?" he asked. "Party's suppose ta start in a few breems. With all the celebrations goin' on ta-day there's bound ta be lots of traffic."

Optimus set aside the empty remains of his second energon cube. He leisurely picked up his last one and drank a sip. "No need to hurry, 'hide," he reassured. "Today is a celebration, not a dignitary meeting. No one will fault us or stall the festivities if we are a little late."

Ironhide inwardly seethed. Before Starfall came to live with them it had always been Optimus who kept one optic permanently trained on the chronometer. As a political leader where punctuality was a reflection of oneself and one's trustworthiness, Optimus never let himself be late or diverge from the arranged schedule. He was on time to the fault. But now that he had a sparkling to entertain him Optimus had overnight, it seemed, decided to blow that steadfast trait of dependability straight out the airlock.

What was this reincarnated Starscream doing to his beloved sparkmate?

Starfall kept up a continuous stream of chatter as Optimus finished his last cube of energon. Optimus seemed completely engrossed in the little seeker's babble. Contentment leaked across his and Ironhide's sparkbond. Every so often he would ask a question or prompt Starfall in a way that the sparkling would start a whole new line of streaming consciousness. Ironhide valiantly kept his side of their sparkbond sealed off so no errant emotions could leak across their bond to Optimus. He had no idea how Optimus could stand it. Starfall did nothing but talk! If anything he seemed to actually enjoy being the little seeker's sounding board. As Matrix-bearer Ironhide knew his sparkmate had more patience in his thumb-digit than most bots had in their entire body, but this went beyond comprehension. Were all sparklings this noisy, or did he and Optimus just have the misfortune of claiming the one sparkling that could never seem to turn his vocal processor off? He still remembered Starscream and the way the Decepticon air commander would continuously screech and monologue. Was that what he had to look forward to with Starfall? Primus help them all if it was.

Finally - blessed *finally* - Optimus finished his cube of energon. "Shall we go?" he cheerily asked. As the small family got up and began to head for the door, he activated the clasps of his mask. Two plates of metal smoothly slid out from the sides of his helm and locked over his mouth.

Starfall studied Optimus for a klick of thoughtful silence. "Dad, why do you always wear a mask when we go outside?"

The family stepped out the door into the hallway. Ironhide activated the locks behind them. Together, the three stepped onto the lift. Optimus hit the button for the ground floor.

"I suppose because when one is a Prime there is so little of you that can be called private," Optimus replied as they descended. "Everything I do is open for public scrutiny. My face is one of the few things I have that the rest of the world doesn't have access to. That is why I only retract my mask around those I love and care about the most. It is something special I can save for the people I want to share it with."

Starfall frowned. "Why don't you just tell people to mind their own business and leave you alone?"

The Matrix-bearer chuckled. "I'm afraid that's not how things work, Star. I wish it were that easy, though."

"You've let me see your face," Starfall said. "Does that mean I'm one of your special people?"

"Indeed it does," Optimus agreed. Ironhide could hear the smile in his sparkmate's voice. As the lift dinged and the doors slid open, Optimus stooped down to hoist Starfall up into his arms. He settled the miniature seeker in the crook of one arm against his chest and strode out of the lift. Ironhide sullenly followed. "I chose you as my son. That makes you a very special bot to me."

Starfall smiled and melted against Optimus's side. Ironhide swallowed down the surge of disgust that rose in the back of his intake line. His sparkchamber ached with the strain of keeping his emotions held back from his and Optimus's sparkbond.

The family made their way through the immense lobby of their housing tower and out into the fresh air. Out of the corner of his optic Ironhide saw Starfall's wings flutter against in his back in the light breeze that was blowing. Ironhide and Optimus stepped out onto the transformation lot of their building - a circular area of paved, open space where residents and guests of the apartment tower could transform in and out of vehicle mode before entering or leaving the building.

Optimus looked to Starfall, his optics shining with playfulness. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Starfall chirped.

Holding Starfall close to his chest, Optimus activated his transformation sequence. His armor split apart in a whirl of mechanical parts. Paneling shifted as limbs and armor rearranged themselves into new configurations. Folding down around the sparkling clutched to his chassis, Optimus reformed into an Earth-based semi. Even vorns after they'd returned to their home planet Optimus still had yet to chose a different alt-mode. He was unusually fond of the antiquated human design. In Optimus's cab unit, Starfall was comfortably ensconced in the seat behind his father's steering wheel. Many creators whose children were too young to take on an alt-mode of their own would transport their sparkling in the cabs or cargo areas of their vehicle-modes.

Ironhide followed Optimus's example and transformed into an armored truck. Together, the two pulled out of the lot onto the road. As Ironhide had predicted, countless other citizens of Iacon clogged the thoroughfares and byways. It only got worse as they traveled closer to the center of the city. At one point it got so bad as they were exiting an overpass into the business district that Ironhide completely lost sight of Optimus. It was several klicks before he was able to locate him again in the press of swiftly moving vehicles and retake his place behind him.

Finally, they pulled off the road into the transformation lot of an impressive high-rise building. It was the Stellar Gate, Iacon's foremost temporary lodging establishment. Any high-ranking official or business-mech who visited Iacon and wanted to show off his wealth or power stayed there. Countless business deals and political agreements had been struck inside the Stellar Gate's walls. It was the most respected and highly sought after place to hold a formal function in all of Iacon, and for the last fifty-six vorns the place Optimus Prime and those who had served under him on Earth celebrated the anniversary of their victory.

Ironhide transformed into his root-form in a flurry of armored plates and limbs. Millennia of warfare and body-guarding made him instinctively scan the surrounding area for potential danger. Half a dozen bots stood around the edge of the transformation lot - talking, laughing and otherwise drinking in the relaxed atmosphere of the holiday. Most of them were off-duty Stellar Gate employees, while the others looked to be patrons of the establishment.

Optimus swung his cab door open to let Starfall out. The miniature seeker awkwardly clambered down the side of his father's cab onto the ground. He took several steps back to give Optimus room as he transformed into his bi-pedal form. When Optimus's last plate of armor snapped into place Starfall was instantly by his side again, his wing tip almost brushing the side of Optimus's leg strut he stood so close.

Ironhide felt the optics of all the mechs milling around the lot instantly swing towards them. Usually Ironhide would have written off the attention as awe of being in the Prime's presence. He and Optimus could rarely go anywhere without someone staring at them like they were celebrities. After vorns of being the Prime's sparkmate Ironhide was used to being stared at. But the longer Ironhide stood there the more he began to realize the stares weren't actually directed towards him or Optimus, but rather towards the little seeker standing next to his bondmate.

Starfall earned more than a few double-takes. Several of the off-duty Stellar Gate employees stood together in a small huddle near the hotel entrance, openly staring at Starfall. Even from a distance Ironhide could see them whisper to each other in sharp little bursts of anxious speech. One mech coming out of the Stellar Gate almost tripped over himself in his shock at the sight of the seekerlet. A sharp glare from Ironhide helped him find his pedes again to keep moving. As he shakily walked away Ironhide saw him cast several more backwards glances towards Starfall as though he were afraid the sparkling would suddenly come flying after him.

Their reactions were understandable. Starfall was probably the first seeker anyone had seen outside of Vos since the end of the war. Traditionally, war- and construction-frame types had always made up the poorest and least respected classes of Cybertron. When Megatron had begun to build his army he had done so almost completely from members of those disenfranchised groups. After the war, many of those who had not been found guilty of war crimes had left Cybertron in search of a peaceful existence amongst their own kind in new off-world colonies. No longer welcome amongst the Neutrals and Autobots who retook control of the planet, they chose to escape the bigotry and bitterness of those who'd won by leaving it all behind. Such exoduses had put major strains on reconstruction efforts in almost all of Cybertron's city-states. Those construction-models who had chosen to stay on Cybertron were well paid now for their labors, but they were still quietly shunned by the rest of the population. Whether that had actually joined and fought for the Decepticon cause did not matter. They were guilty simply for being what they were.

Before the war, those of war- and construction-frame types could have been found in any of Cybertron's major city-states. There had been no grouping of them in any particular place. Seekers, however, were a different case. They had long-ago established Vos as their own city-state almost completely populated by war-model fliers. After the war the seekers did not leave Cybertron like the rest of Megatron's shattered army, but rather withdrew into the sovereign safety of their city. To this orn, Vos remained an almost completely independent nation from the rest of Cybertron's city-states. Except for a few trade agreements Ironhide knew of between Vos and Iacon concerning the importation of several important raw materials into Vos, Vos had no dealings with any of Cybertron's other cities. Vos was an isolated mystery to the rest of Cybertron. Its citizens never ventured outside the city and Vos did not allow anyone who was not a seeker or native flier in. In the realm of inter-state political relations Vos was almost a non-entity. The last time a representative of Vos's Emirate had come to Iacon had been just before the outbreak of the Great War. Since then, seekers had become what humans called the boogeyman in the optics of the rest of Cybertron's populace.

The whispers around the Prime family only intensified when Optimus stooped down and lifted Starfall once again into his arms. Ironhide felt a surge of annoyed indignation flare from his sparkmate's side of their bond. Holding Starfall close to his chassis - proudly, possessively - Optimus strode towards the entrance. He completely ignored the bots around them as if he didn't even notice their stares. Ironhide quietly fell into step beside him. Although he did not let anything show on his face or let anything slip across his and Optimus's sparkbond, Ironhide could not deny his discomfort. He was proud to be Optimus's sparkmate, proud to love and be loved by the most powerful mech of their race. But at this moment, for the first time in his entire function, Ironhide wished he could disassociate himself from Optimus and the seeklet Optimus had chosen to be their son. For so many vorns Ironhide had fought the Decepticons - earning himself the trust and respect of his men over countless millennia of fighting filled with hardship and spilt energon. And then what did he ultimately go and do but allow the reincarnation of the Decepticon second-in-command into his home and family? It wasn't right. It wasn't proper. It disrespected the memory of all those who had fought and died in the war. Ironhide hated himself for such thoughts. He hated himself for not standing beside his sparkmate in his decision. He hated himself for hating a sparkling deep down in his spark he knew remembered nothing from his previous format. But try as he might he could not look at Starfall without seeing Starscream and feel like he was betraying who he was by taking the seeker in as his son.

The Stellar Gate's main lobby was large and opulent. Thick columns inlaid with imported Altarran crystal filled the immense space. Lounges and chairs were strategically placed in circles around the lobby. A number of guests sat chatting and laughing, as though they had decided to retreat to the lobby for a moment of respite from the main festivities. Ironhide recognized a couple of bots scattered around the room. He spotted Cliffjumper and Hound on the other side of the lobby near a set of windows. From what he could tell they seemed to be in the midst of recounting some old war story. Neither Autobot noticed the Prime family's entrance.

It was just as well, Ironhide reasoned. He was sure they and most of the other Autobots would see them soon enough face-to-face once word of his and Optimus's new son began to make its way through the gossip mill. After the reaction they had received in the transformation lot from a couple of strangers, all bets were off for how their old comrades were going to react to Starfall. He could only hope Optimus's optimism wasn't altogether misplaced.

"Where are we going?" Starfall asked. His head swiveled back and forth and backwards over Optimus's shoulder plate as though trying to take everything in at once. He seemed completely overwhelmed by the massiveness of the hotel and its grandeur.

"Right here," Optimus said, confidently striding down a hallway that branched off the lobby. A set of open door stood at the end of it. The sound of music, laughter and the cacophony of several dozen voices speaking at the same time echoed down the length of the corridor. Starfall noticeably leaned closer to Optimus as though suddenly unsure if he wanted to go closer. His wings flattened against his back struts. Optimus reached up and ran a reassuring hand down Starfall's back. "It's alright," he promised. "These are all of Ironhide's and my old friends we're going to meet."

"It sounds like there's a lot of them," Starfall murmured.

"There are," Optimus agreed. "But none of them are going to hurt you. In fact, I happen to know there's one mech here who's looking forward to meeting you very much."

"There is?" Starfall's optics widened. The idea that someone wanted to specifically meet him seemed to stun the sparkling.

Optimus nodded. The crinkle in the corner of his optics told Ironhide he was smiling behind his mask. "Yes. I have the feeling you are going to like him a lot."

They came to the end of the hallway. A crowd of bots filled the room beyond the doors. Optimus gently lowered Starfall to the ground. Starfall eagerly grabbed hold of the hand Optimus held down to him as though it were a lifeline. Ironhide felt a surge of love pulse across their bond, but it wasn't directed towards him. He fought back a wave of resentment.

"Ready?" Optimus asked.

Starfall did not answer. He gripped Optimus's hand tighter and edged closer to Optimus's leg.

"Let's just get this over with," Ironhide growled. He stepped through the doorway into the reception room. Optimus and Starfall followed.

They were instantly welcomed by half a dozen voices calling out to them. Familiar faces - accompanied by the slightly less familiar faces of their sparkmates and families - surrounded them. There were too many bots for Ironhide to immediately catalogue. Those closest to him he forced a smile towards and raised a hand to in greeting. A cheerful murmur went through the room as others became aware of the Prime and Consort's arrival. Ironhide counted exactly five point two astro-klicks before he saw the first few dubious double-takes towards the sparkling accompanying them. A second wave of murmurs rippled through the reception room. The party continued without any true disruption, but the amount of covert glances being cast towards Starfall was noticeable.

"Dad?" Starfall warily murmured. He began to edge behind Optimus's leg. "Why are they staring at me?"

"It's alright, Star," Optimus assured. He kept a tight grip on Starfall's hand. "They're all just curious about you. Shall I introduce you to some of them so you're not such a mystery anymore?"

Starfall remained quiet, but he allowed Optimus to coax him out from behind his leg.

Ironhide looked around the room. On the other side of the reception hall he spotted a group of mechs drinking cubes of high grade at a table. It was the Wreckers. He recognized Hot Rod, Kup and Springer among them.

"Ah'll be back," Ironhide said. "Ah wanna go say hello ta some of the old crew."

"'hide," Optimus intoned. "I thought we were going to introduce Star to the others as a family unit."

The last thing Ironhide wanted to do right now was pretend to one big happy family with a reincarnated murderer playacting as his son.

"Yeh go ahead and start taking the kid around. Ah'll catch up in a couple of klicks. Ah'm just gonna go say hi ta Kup and the others real quick an' then ah'll be back."

Ironhide tried to ignore the sting of disappointment that sizzled across their bond from Optimus. Resolutely turning his back on his sparkmate, Ironhide marched away through the crowd of former war comrades towards the group of Wreckers. He hated himself for leaving Optimus like that. He hated himself for not being able to swallow his bitterness and pretend to be happy for his sparkmate's sake. He hated himself for wanting to run away and not have to deal with Starfall anymore.

But he'd hate himself even more if he didn't walk away, have a drink and collect himself before he potentially said or did something he'd later regret.

********

Optimus stared after Ironhide, hurt bubbling in his spark.

"Dad, where's he going?" Starfall said.

Optimus forced himself to sound happy. "Ironhide just wants to talk to some old friends. He hasn't seen them for a long time." He was skilled in putting on masks and hiding his true emotions from others, but this was the first time he'd ever had to struggle so much to do so. He had been hoping to present Starfall to their friends with Ironhide by his side. Today was suppose to be the day they presented themselves as a family to the world - a real, complete family.

Was that really asking too much?

Now, however, was not the time to wallow in disappointment. Even if Ironhide refused to be a part of it, Optimus was determined to present Starfall to everyone as their son. He spotted Jazz and Prowl coming towards them through the crowd. In his arms, Jazz cradled a small black and white bundle against his chassis. As the couple neared, Optimus recognized the bundle as Jazz and Prowl's newspark, Kia. Her miniature door wings twitched against his back as she recharged, her face nuzzled into the side of her carrier's neck cables. Optimus grinned. Unlike the last time he had seen her, he felt no stab of jealousy or longing. He gripped Starfall's hand a little tighter. His joy knew no bounds when Starfall returned the squeeze.

"Hey there, boss bot!" Jazz called, waving one hand. "How's it hanging?"

"Hello, Jazz," Optimus chuckled. "I see you're in good spirits today."

"No reason not ta be," the Porsche smiled. "Good music, good friends and enough energon to go around; what more could a bot ask for?"

Optimus chuckled. He had a feeling Jazz had put those things in descending order of personal importance. Blaster was doing his thing at the sound table, keeping a steady pulse of energetic music - both human and Cybertronian - pumping through the room's sound system.

"Prime," Prowl respectfully nodded.

"Prowl," Optimus returned just as primly. Vorns after the war and Prowl was still proper to a fault. Such a personality suited Prowl's post-war career as head of Iacon's Enforcers.

It took only a few nano-klicks for them to notice Starfall hiding behind Optimus's leg. Both their optics widened before spearing Optimus with twin looks of incredulous shock. Being second- and third-in-command of the Autobots had made them privy to the deal made to the Decepticons who'd been sentenced to death, along with the list of names of those who had accepted.

"Jazz, Prowl, I'd like to introduce you to Ironhide and my son, Starfall. We just recently adopted him."

Even if Optimus didn't tell them Starfall was Starscream reformatted, he had no doubt the two of them could piece together certain facts and come to the same conclusion.

He waited to see what their reactions would be.

Prowl's gaze instantly became steely, his frame stiffening with recognition. His door wings flared out above his shoulders as he stared down the miniature seeker. His facial plates were an unreadable mask, but Optimus knew his second's body language well enough after so many years of war to know that Prowl was probably formulating half a dozen different battle plans in his head in case Starfall suddenly became a threat.

Jazz, however, was more accommodating. Holding Kia close to him, he knelt down on one knee in front of Starfall. "Well, hey there, mini-mech. Nice ta meet ya. High five." He held a hand palm-plate out to Starfall.

Starfall looked up at Optimus as though seeking reassurance and perhaps even guidance. "Go ahead," Optimus smiled. "Jazz won't hurt you."

Tentatively, Starfall pressed his hand against Prowl's. His entire hand was barely bigger than Jazz's palm.

"And once more down low," Jazz said, and turned his hand upwards.

Starfall slapped his hand against Jazz's this time with a little more enthusiasm. Smiling shyly he edged a little farther out from behind Optimus's leg. "You're cool," he announced, his wings perking and dipping behind him.

"I do what I can, mini-mech," Jazz grinned.

Starfall smiled. Optimus could sense the tension drain from him. Perhaps it was lucky Jazz had been the first to meet Starfall - he had a way of making others feel comfortable around him. It was obvious Starfall was already warming up to him.

"You can call me Star," Starfall offered.

"Whatever ya want, mini-mech. I aim ta please."

Starfall laughed, a happy sparkling chortle. His optics flashed bright turquoise.

Against all odds, Optimus saw Prowl relax a little as well.

Starfall took a step closer to Jazz, his optics locked on the newspark curled against his front. "Is that your sparkling?"

Jazz grinned and gently rearranged Kia in his arms so she was cradled across his chest. Her optics were shuttered in recharge, her face peacefully slack. Unlike both her creators she had yet to obtain a visor. "Yep. Her name's Kia. Had her about a deca-cycle ago." He glanced up at Optimus. "Prowl an' I were worried fer the longest time she'd be overdue and we wouldn't be able ta make it to the party."

"I'm glad she arrived in time for everyone to meet her," Optimus said.

Starfall took another step closer. He stared at Kia with a suddenly melancholic expression. "She's lucky," he murmured.

Jazz looked at Starfall, confused. "Why's that, mini-mech?"

"She got her creators right away. I had to wait for dad to find me. Every time a new batch of sparklings came online at the hatchling facility, I kept waiting for someone to chose me. But no one ever did because I have wings." Said wings hung sadly down his back.

By Jazz's spark-broken expression Optimus knew Starfall had just completely won him over. Even Prowl seemed to radiate less antagonism towards him.

"Well I think it's good no one else claimed ya first," Jazz said. "Ya got a couple of real cool cats as yer creators now."

Starfall returned to Optimus, pressing himself against the side of his leg. He smiled shyly at the Porsche in agreement. Optimus felt his spark melt in his chest. He still had yet to get used to Starfall's clingy form of affection. He doubted he ever would and hoped he never did. No matter how many times Starfall hugged him or came to him for reassurance that he was truly wanted, Optimus was always startled by the intensity of the love he felt for the little seeker.

"Have either of you seen Skyfire yet?" he asked.

Jazz stood up straight from the ground. Kia warbled softly in his arms from the movement. Both Jazz and Prowl shook their helms. "Haven't seen him all day, boss bot. Didn't know the big guy was planning ta come. Gotta admit I'm kinda surprised you're expecting him. Never seemed ta like being around the old group even when he did decide ta come."

Optimus discreetly motioned with his head towards the seekerlet clinging to his leg strut. "Skyfire finally has a reason to come this vorn."

Jazz grinned while Prowl primly nodded his helm in understanding. Not too long after Skyfire accompanied him and Ironhide to the prison to convince Starscream to give himself to Vector Sigma, he and Ironhide had had Jazz and Prowl over to their home. Talking about reconstruction efforts around the planet and recent events, Optimus had happened to mention Skyfire and Starscream's pre-war relationship to them. What Jazz and Prowl had thought about it, neither had actually said at the time. But seeing the grin on Jazz's face now told Optimus at least one of them was as excited as he was to see the two reunited.

"Hey, Optimus!" a familiar voice called out over the din of background noise.

"Bumblebee," Optimus smiled as the yellow subcompact joined the group. He was accompanied by a human woman in a mech armor suit. The suit had been designed by Spike Witwicky several millennia ago when the Great War had still been in full swing so Spike could accompany Bumblebee through space to Cybertron. Dressed in the suit, the woman was almost the same size as Bumblebee. She looked to be younger. Optimus guessed her to be in her early twenties, but then again he had never been very good at judging human ages. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, she was a great descendant of the original Witwicky family. Since the end of the war Bumblebee had become a human-Cybertronian liaison to Earth. He rarely ever returned to Cybertron now except for anniversary celebrations like today's or whenever he needed to report to the High Council the latest political events on Earth. Like a family guardian, Bumblebee attached himself to the oldest child of each consecutive generation. Optimus did a quick calculation and estimated this woman was at least the hundred-fiftieth descendant of Spike and Carly Witwicky. He had long ago given up trying to keep track of Bumblebee's charges. Human had such short life spans. Optimus often wondered how Bumblebee was able to attach himself so closely to a human only to - what felt like to a Cybertronian a blink of an optic later - lose that person to old age or sickness. He himself still fondly remembered the original group of humans he and his fellow Autobots had befriended during their stay on Earth: Sparkplug, Spike, Carly, Daniel, Chip, Raul and all their other human compatriots. To this orn he still felt a stab of loss go through his spark whenever he thought of them.

"Hello," he greeted the woman. "And what descendant of the Witwicky family do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

"Kara Tyrel," the woman smiled. Her mech suit dropped its head unit in a respectful dip in perfect synch with her movements. "It's an honor to meet you, Optimus Prime. I grew up hearing so many stories of you. I was so excited when Bumblebee invited me to come with him today to the anniversary party."

"We are honored to have you here with us," Optimus smiled behind his mask.

"So who's this little guy?" Bumblebee asked, bending at the waist to inspect the sparkling clinging to Optimus's leg. "Heard some rumors going around that you and Ironhide adopted a sparkling."

"For once the rumors are correct," Optimus said. He proudly rested a hand on the top of Starfall's helm. "This is Starfall. Ironhide and I adopted him a few orns ago."

"Such a cute baby," Kara cooed, leaning forward. "He has wings. Does he transform into some kind of plane?"

Starfall's wings hitched above his shoulders, his pale grey face the living image of indignant, wounded pride. "I'm not a baby," he sharply corrected. "I'm a sparkling. Only humans have babies."

The human woman smiled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." She manipulated her mech suit into dropping to one knee in front of Starfall. It was amusing, Optimus thought, how Starfall could make everyone bow to him within klicks of meeting him. If the old Starscream had been there to see, he would have been preening with superiority by now.

Starfall stared at Kara through the glass front of her mech suit, skeptical and scrutinizing. "Are you really a human?"

The woman chuckled. "I am."

"You're not what I'd thought you'd be," Starfall murmured. "All the stories I've read with humans in them make them sound more… squishy."

Amused snorts sounded from the group of mechs watching the exchange.

Even Kara seemed charmed by the analogy. "I swear to you I'm human. I suppose I don't look very squishy right now because of my mech suit. I wear it on Cybertron so nobody accidentally steps on me. Do you want to see how squishy I really am?"

Starfall hesitated. He seemed unsure if he wanted to actually take Kara up on her offer or not. He glanced back over his shoulder to Optimus. Optimus nodded encouragingly.

"Alright," he said, turning back to Kara.

The woman pressed a button on one of the inside panels of her mech suit. A hiss of pressurized air sounded and the front glass portion of her suit swung open. Kara agilely climbed around the controls of the cockpit and jumped to the ground in front of Starfall. Standing straight, she was only a few feet shorter than Starfall. Dressed in a plain black flight suit, she appeared even smaller than she had through the cockpit glass of her mech suit a few moments ago.

Startled, Starfall jumped backwards closer to Optimus.

"It's alright," Kara laughed. She held her arms out to her sides in the universal sign of no-threat. "If anyone should be scared right now, it's me. You might just be a sparkling, but you're still twice my size."

"You have to be careful around humans who aren't wearing any kind of mech suit, Starfall," Bumblebee cautioned. "They're very delicate."

"We're not that delicate," Kara protested. She gave Bumblebee a sharp look.

Bumblebee chuckled through his air vents. Optimus had the impression this was some kind of long-running joke between them.

"Can I touch you?" Starfall timidly asked.

Kara, at first, seemed surprised by the request. But then with a friendly smile she held out one hand to Starfall. "Sure. Just don't squeeze too hard."

Optimus watched, intrigued, as Starfall cautiously edged closer to the human female as if he were afraid she might suddenly try to bite him. He extended an arm and delicately wrapped pale blue fingers around her outstretched hand. He released her almost instantly. Starfall stepped backwards, giggling self-consciously. He held his hand close to his cockpit. "You're so soft!" he exclaimed. "You feel like you're filled with the stuff they put in berthmats."

The group of mechs observing all burst into laughter. Kara scowled, which only made Bumblebee laugh harder.

"Told you!" he crowed. "And this time it's straight from the sparkling's mouth!"

"Be quiet, Bee," she growled as she climbed back into her mech suit. "Humans are made of tougher stuff than whatever you Cybertronians put in your mattresses."

"Thank you, Kara," Optimus said when she was once again strapped into her seat and had powered her suit back on. He was still struggling to control his laughter. He had a feeling he could look forward to many more unexpected things coming out of his son's mouth in the future. "I am grateful you were here to be Star's first encounter with a human."

"No problem," Kara assured. "Starfall was my first encounter with a sparkling. So I guess that makes us kind of even."

Reaching down, Optimus rested his hand on top of Starfall's helm. Starfall, in answer, leaned into his touch, drinking in the attention. Pride filled Optimus's spark. Despite some unspoken misgivings he'd had about presenting Starfall to their friends and comrades, things were progressing much smoother than he'd anticipated.

"Come on, tough girl," Bumblebee said, motioning Kara away. "I want to introduce you to Tracks. One of his best friends on Earth was human. I'm sure he'll like you. We'll see you later, Optimus." He stooped down beside Starfall and playfully rubbed his knuckles against the top of his helm. Starfall chortled with amusement. "It was nice meeting you, Starfall. We'll have to hang out more later."

"Okay," Starfall smiled. Optimus knew Bumblebee had just earned himself another friend.

As Bumblebee and Kara drifted away into the crowd, Optimus turned to Jazz and Prowl. "We shall take our leave as well. I want to introduce Star to a couple more bots."

"Of course," Prowl nodded.

"We'll catch up to ya again later," Jazz said. "If we happen to see Skyfire before you do, we'll be sure to send him your way." The grin he gave Optimus told him the Porsche was eagerly looking forward to seeing Skyfire's reunion with Star.

"Thank you," Optimus smiled. Holding his hand down to Starfall, the two families parted ways. Optimus had spotted Wheeljack and Perceptor earlier sitting together at a table on the other side of the room. In his mind, they were next on the list of bots he wanted to introduce Starfall to. Wheeljack and Perceptor had been friends with Skyfire throughout their stay on Earth. If anyone else could be expected to easily accept Starfall amongst them, it would be them.

As Optimus led Starfall across the hall, several more bots called out greetings to Optimus. Optimus returned them all but did not stop to talk. He could feel the gaze of everyone they passed come to rest on Starfall. He knew others had been surreptitiously watching when he'd presented Starfall to Jazz and Prowl, and then Bumblebee and Kara. He was glad both meetings had gone so well. Starfall had been a charming, engaging sparkling in both encounters. Anyone watching would have been unable to find anything disagreeable to say about him.

He was not about to assume everyone from the old crew was going to welcome Starfall so easily amongst them as Jazz and Bumblebee had, though. It would be naïve to assume old grudges didn't still exist. Ironhide was case in point of that. At least no one had yet to act on their disdain for Starfall while in his presence. At least in public, no one was willing to speak out against the Prime's son. Optimus was willing to accept that for now. He was sure over time Starfall would win more bots to his side as more and more of his personality became known and he was judged less and less for his frame-type. He had to at least have faith in that.

"Hello," he said as he and Starfall came up to Wheeljack and Perceptor's table. The two scientists looked up, startled. They seemed to have been in the midst of an intense debate. Optimus noted the data pads laying on the table between them. A number of equations and diagrams filled the screens' writing program. He didn't even try to decipher what the two had been discussing. Science had never been his area of forte.

"Optimus!" Wheeljack exclaimed. His head fins flashed a brilliant shade of blue. Perceptor nodded his own greetings.

"May we join you?" Optimus asked.

"Of course," Perceptor said. He began to carefully clean up the mess of data pads, styluses and diagrams covering the table and stow them away in a subspace compartment. Optimus helped Starfall up onto one of the chairs across from Wheeljack and Perceptor and took the seat beside him for his own.

"So this is the newest addition to the Prime family?" Wheeljack said, studying Starfall. "It's the only thing people seem to be talking about since you and Ironhide got here."

"Word travels fast," Optimus said. He turned to Starfall. "Star, this is Wheeljack and Perceptor. They were scientists for the Autobots during the Great War."

"Still are!' Wheeljack proudly announced. His head fins flashed. "Just got the design for a new hover craft I invented approved by the Iaconian Patent Department yesterday."

"I like the way your helm lights up," Starfall blurted out.

Wheeljack and Perceptor both stared at him in charmed surprise.

"Well, thanks," Wheeljack said. The corners of his optics crinkled with amusement above his mouth guard. His head fins blinked and flashed as if on cue.

"Such a precocious sparkling," Perceptor noted with an intrigued tone to his voice.

Optimus chuckled. "Star has proven himself to be an extremely intelligent sparkling so far." He gazed at Starfall fondly. "He's to start school soon. Ironhide and I have enrolled him in the Iacon Academy in district 11."

Both Wheeljack and Perceptor raised their optic ridges, impressed.

"That is an extremely prestigious institution," Perceptor said. "Possibly the top institution for younger learning in all of Iacon."

"You didn't have any trouble enrolling Star? I've heard that academy is extremely competitive, even for sparkling slots," Wheeljack said.

"Star is extremely advanced for a sparkling his age," Optimus proudly replied. "He's already shown an aptitude for arithmetic and ciphering. He's also an avid reader. I spoke with the administrator of the academy and had Star tested for placement. He placed into a whole age level above what one would have expected him to."

"That's very impressive," Wheeljack said. His head fins flashed as he cast Starfall a congratulatory nod. Starfall smiled shyly, obviously not used to such positive attention.

Wheeljack leaned closer and asked Starfall a question that Optimus didn't catch. He was too busy casting a quick look around the room, trying to spot Ironhide amongst the crowd. He didn't see any sign of his sparkmate's distinctive red armor. Sighing disappointedly, Optimus began to turn back to listen in on Wheeljack and Starfall's conversation. Just then he happened to see a large mech enter the room on the other side of the room.

Optimus smiled under his battle mask. It was Skyfire. The shuttle had finally made it. As Optimus watched, Skyfire frantically scanned the crowded room of Autobots. He looked harried and panicked, as though he was afraid he was late. Optimus turned in his seat and raised a hand. It took several moments but Skyfire finally spotted him across the room. Relief flooded the shuttle's broad features. He hurriedly crossed the room, maneuvering as agilely as he could through the sea of smaller bodies. Optimus heard several bots shout out greetings to him, but Skyfire didn't seem to hear them. His gaze was locked on Optimus.

"Hello, Skyfire," Optimus said when the larger mech came within the last few paces of them. Skyfire stopped just short of the table, his expression hesitant but anxious. Optimus's grin strained against the inside of his battle mask. "It looks like you had the misfortune of being caught in even worse traffic than Ironhide and I did."

"Optimus," Skyfire nodded, distractedly. His optics scanned the table, frantic and searching. "Is- is he here? Did you bring him with you?"

Optimus leaned back in his seat, allowing Skyfire to finally see the tiny sparkling sitting on his other side. Starfall stared up at Skyfire, his turquoise optics bright with curiosity.

Skyfire froze. Staring at Starfall, his expression morphed into one of utter shock and joy. For a moment he seemed too overwhelmed to react. But then with a trembling smile, he leaned closer and said, "Hello, Star."

Chapter Text

Anniversary Party (Part II)

"Hello, Star." Skyfire's optics swam with warmth as he bent towards the tiny seeker. The corners of his smile trembled as if his facial plates were struggling to contain the full magnitude of his joy.

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask. The shuttle was practically besides himself. He doubted he'd ever seen Skyfire so overwrought with emotions. He was always so quiet and composed - the living embodiment of logical calm. It reminded Optimus that his discovery of Starfall's existence didn't effect just him, but others who had known the Decepticon second-in-command in his previous format as well. Not for the first time, Optimus sent a private prayer of thanks to Primus for choosing to go that hatchling facility after all that day. If he hadn't he never would have found Starfall and claimed him as his son, or been able to give Skyfire this opportunity to reunite with his long-lost friend.

"Star, this is Skyfire," Optimus said. "He helped the Autobots during the Great-"

"Your wings are pretty!" Starfall practically shouted. The little seeker sat frozen in his seat, staring at Skyfire as if he were looking into the face of Primus himself. His optics were so wide they took up almost half his face. The other mechs at the table all turned to Starfall, startled, with expressions of varying degrees of amusement.

Skyfire laugh-coughed, thrown off by the sparkling's bluntness. "Well, thank you," he chuckled. If Optimus had had any doubts about Skyfire taking a liking to his reincarnated friend, they were all soundly put to rest by the look the shuttle cast Starfall. Optimus recognized that look of instantaneous, helpless love.

Starfall clambered off his seat and ran around the table to Skyfire. It was almost comical the size difference between Skyfire and Starfall. Skyfire towered over everybody, but standing next to Starfall he looked like a veritable giant. Starfall's helm barely came to the top of Skyfire's thrusters. That didn't dissuade Starfall from running up to him as though he were a longtime acquaintance.

Optimus couldn't help but wonder if maybe that wasn't the case. So much of Starscream remained in Starfall. Was it possible he still somehow, in some unexplainable way, subconsciously remembered Skyfire?

"You're a flier too!" Starfall squealed in excitement. "I didn't know there was anyone else here with wings!" He swung around back towards Optimus. "Dad, he's a flier!" he shouted as if Optimus hadn't known.

"I see that, Star," Optimus smiled.

"Looks like you have the beginnings of your very own fan club, Skyfire," Wheeljack ribbed.

Skyfire didn't reply. His attention was completely focused on Starfall.

"What kind of plane do you change into?" Starfall demanded, staring up at him. "How fast can you fly? Can you go into space?" He began to circle Skyfire, inspecting every inch of his wings. "You even have a thruster pack!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched squeal.

Optimus noticed a number of other Autobots watching from a distance. The general expression he saw amongst them seemed to be curiosity and amusement. No matter what model he was, Starfall was undeniably entertaining. It was possibly the first time Optimus had ever seen Perceptor come so close to overcoming his stoicism and breaking into an actual smile.

Skyfire laughed, deep and loud. He couldn't seem to stop smiling. "One question at a time, Star," he chuckled. Carefully, he dropped to one knee. He still eclipsed the smaller flier with just his shadow. Starfall seemed unfazed by the shuttle's immense size and eagerly came up to him.

"Did you fight with my dad in the war?" Starfall asked. He stared at Skyfire as though he were some kind of living god.

Skyfire tilted his head to the side. His optics held a strange mixture of nostalgia, pride and sadness. "I aided the Autobots, but I did not take part in any actual battles. I was a neutral during the war. That means I did my best not to take sides and fight. I do not believe in violence."

"Would you like to join us, Skyfire?" Optimus said. He motioned to the empty seats at the table. "You'll be able to talk to Star more comfortably."

"Thank you," Skyfire nodded.

"Come sit next to me," Starfall insisted. He reached out and took Skyfire by the hand. He needed both hands just to grab Skyfire's fingers.

The shuttle let the sparkling drag him to his feet. Optimus had to restrain laughter at the sight. Starfall tugged Skyfire towards the chair beside the one he'd been sitting in earlier. Skyfire sat and stared at him in quiet awe as Starfall climbed back onto the seat between himself and Optimus.

"You are an extremely bright sparkling," he noted. He seemed to be still trying to wrap his processor around the fact that Starfall was actually there, in front of him, living and real.

"We were just discussing that before you arrived," Perceptor said. "Optimus was telling us how Star placed high for his age group for the Iacon Academy in district 11."

Skyfire speared Optimus with an incredulous look. "District 11? That is an extremely competitive academy. It's also one of the most expensive. Sparklings of only the highest government officials and wealthiest business-mechs go there."

Optimus smiled behind his mask. "I admit I did use my position as Prime to aid Starfall's admission process a little, but there was no way they could have denied him entrance after his placement scores came back." He proudly glanced at the sparkling sitting between them.

"I'm going to start school in a deca-cycle," Starfall supplied.

"Are you excited?" Skyfire asked.

Starfall nodded enthusiastically.

Skyfire glanced back at Optimus. "Were there any issues with Star's make?"

Optimus became serious. "I spoke to the administrator about that. He seemed surprised that a seeker was looking for admission into his academy. He did not seem particularly enthused with the idea of having to deal with the political fallout Starfall being there will no doubt cause with the creators of other students, but there is nothing he can legally do to deny Starfall entrance. I made sure to remind him of that." There were few things that made Optimus pull rank or use his political power over others. But when his family was in question he was willing to stop at nothing to protect their best interests. There was a reason he'd been chosen as Prime. If Catalyst, the academy's administrator, had tried to deny Starfall's application he would have made sure to remind him why the Matrix of Leadership had chosen him to lead armies into battle. After facing Megatron on the battlefield, Catalyst would pose no challenge to him in the arena of civilian politics.

Skyfire nodded. A hint of doubt remained in his optics, but the worst of his worries seemed - at least momentarily - assuaged. He turned back to Starfall. His expression instantly brightened. "Are you able to fly yet?"

Starfall shook his helm. "No. I can kind of hover, but that's it."

"If you're able to hover then you should be able to activate your thrusters enough to fly. You just need to be shown how to do it. If your father agrees I would be willing to teach you."

Starfall couldn't have looked more excited than if he'd been offered a barrel of energon-candy. "Really?" He whipped around in his seat to Optimus. "Dad, can he? Can he, please? I want to learn how to fly like Skyfire." His wings dipped and fluttered against his back as if already yearning to take to the air.

Looking into his son's optics, Optimus wouldn't have been able to deny Starfall even if he'd wanted to. "If Skyfire thinks you're ready, I'll allow it. But you must listen to everything he tells you to do. I do not want you to injure yourself."

"I won't get hurt," Starfall promised. "I'll do whatever Skyfire says." He turned to the shuttle. "When can we start?" He looked ready to go to the roof of the Stellar Gate that very moment.

Skyfire smiled. "Patience, Star. We'll figure out when to have your first flying lesson in due time. Some things are better left unrushed. For now, I want to know everything about you. You're the first seeker I've talked to in a very long time."

"You know other seekers?"

Skyfire's facial plates became strained with the weight of remembered loss. "I did. Before the war my best friend was a seeker. He's gone now, though."

"I'm sorry," Starfall murmured. He hung his helm. He seemed to sense Skyfire's melancholy and felt responsible for causing it.

Skyfire forced the sadness from his face. His tone once again became cheerful. "It's not your fault, Star. All that happened before you came online. What's important now is getting to know you."

Starfall perked. A tentative smile spread across his face to match Skyfire's upbeat mood. "You didn't tell me yet - what kind of plane do you turn into?"

As Optimus listened to the conversation unfold, he smiled happily to himself. His son seemed absolutely enamored with Skyfire. Once again, he was glad to have been able to give Skyfire this opportunity to see his friend again, even if Starfall didn't realize he'd known Skyfire in a previous format. Only time would tell if Starfall and Skyfire would someday renew their old friendship.

********

"Hey, Ironhide," Hot Rod called as the older mech strode over to the table he and the other Wreckers sat. Ironhide dropped into an empty seat between Kup and Springer.

Ironhide grunted his greetings to the group.

"What crawled up your tailpipe?" Springer asked, half-seriously, half-playfully. "Didn't you hear? The war's over. We won. If anyone should be happy today it's the Prime's Consort."

Some of Ironhide's old friends liked to rib him with his title because they knew he hated it. Ironhide was too miserable to rise to the bait, though. "Ah'll be happier once ah get some high grade in me," he growled. He grabbed one of the unclaimed cubes of glowing purple liquid from the middle of the table.

"Problems in paradise?" Kup asked. Even older than Ironhide, with enough war stories to keep the Dinobots entertained for joors, Kup was as gruff and no-nonsense as Ironhide himself. They'd been instant friends from the moment they were assigned to the same unit what felt like half a lifetime ago before the Great War broke out.

"I guess you could say that," Ironhide mumbled as he took a sip of high grade.

Before Kup, Hot Rod or Springer could inquire, two more mechs came up to the table. Ironhide gave Sideswipe and Sunstreaker each a flat look. The looks on their facial plates told him why they were there without even needing to ask.

Great. He knew it had only been a matter of time before some of the more outspoken mechs of the old crew confronted him about the newest addition to his and Optimus's family unit. No one would dare confront the Prime, so of course they immediately came to him instead to voice their discontent. He just hadn't been expecting them to find him quite so quickly. He'd been hoping to at least get one cube of high grade in him before he had to deal with any of this.

"Sunny. 'Sides," he grunted around the edge of his cube.

"You and Optimus adopted a seeker?" Sunstreaker hissed without any preamble. His betrayed shock was mirrored on his twin's face.

The Wreckers all perked in their seats. They'd obviously missed his and Optimus's entrance. Hot Rod - ever the subtle one - immediately turned in his seat and began scanning the crowd for Optimus and the seeker in question.

Springer turned to Ironhide. "You and Optimus adopted a sparkling?" His tone was more curious than anything else.

"Yes," Ironhide growled. "But ah'm really not in the mood ta talk about it right now."

"A seeker," Sunstreaker spat, accusation dripping off every syllable. He wasn't about to let this go. "A *seeker*, Ironhide. How could you? Don't you remember anything from the war and what those demons with wings did to our forces?"

Ironhide valiantly checked his temper. "Ah haven't forgot nothing. If yeh've got a problem with the kid, take it up with Optimus. He's the one who wanted him, not me."

Sunstreaker looked ready to go into a full rant. He was stopped by Sideswipe - the slightly less impulsive one of the pair - motioning him quiet. He pushed Sunstreaker towards one of the empty seats at the table and took the one beside him. The steely look in his optics told Ironhide Sideswipe was just as disgruntled as his brother, but was just better at keeping his emotions in check. Ironhide knew they weren't about to let the issue drop just yet.

"Where did you get a seeker sparkling from?" Kup asked. "Are you and Optimus trying to make some kind of political tie with Vos?"

Ironhide shook his head. He took another swallow of high grade to steel himself for the conversation everyone else but him seemed determined to have. "Kid came online in district 12. He's a hatchling-spark. The administrator couldn't explain how the line produced such a model. It's a complete mystery."

"That's so odd," Springer murmured.

"And yet you and Optimus decided to adopt him," Sideswipe said. His voice was full of accusation.

Ironhide growled under his intake and took another swallow of high grade. He did not want to be talking about this. All he'd wanted to do was get away from Optimus and relax with his friends for awhile before he had to go back and deal with Starfall again. "Optimus spotted him while we were touring the facility fer a public relations stunt a few orns ago."

"I remember hearing about it on the news feeds," Hot Rod said.

"Optimus saw him an' wanted him. Wouldn't let it drop. The kid had been there fer the last several batches 'cause no other sane couple wanted him. Ah think Optimus felt bad fer him, which made him only want him more. Optimus had been pining fer a sparkling fer so long ah couldn't bring myself ta say no. Yer lucky none of yehs have ta deal with Prime as a sparkmate. 'Cause he'll do anything ta get what he wants once he sets his sights on something."

"Why didn't you and Optimus just have a sparkling of your own?" Sideswipe demanded. "Honestly, after you two came out as a pair and the war ended, half the crew started placing bets on how long it would be before there was a little semi running around."

Ironhide scowled into his cube of high grade. He had no desire to talk about this. What bot wanted to admit he wasn't capable of giving his sparkmate what he wanted most? He'd never wanted to carry a sparkling himself, but after Optimus had been unable to conceive after vorns of trying he'd finally offered to carry himself if that was what needed to be done for them to have a child. But even that had been no good. He had failed his sparkmate yet again. Unable to sire, unable to carry, he was useless. It was one thing to admit that in the privacy of one's home with one's sparkmate, but to tell it to everyone - mechs he'd led into battle and he knew respected him - was almost too much.

"It just wasn't in the cards," he mumbled in an embarrassed whisper.

The others seemed to sense the pain behind Ironhide's words and discretely let the subject drop. Some of the immediate hostility ebbed from Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's side of the table.

Huffing stubbornly, Sunstreaker leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his windshield. "I don't care how long that little seeker had been at that hatchling facility, I still wouldn't have adopted him. Primus, he looks just like Starscream! Just change his paintjob and he could pass for any of those crazy seekers in Megatron's old command trine."

Ironhide almost choked on a sip of high grade. He smoothly covered his surprise with a cough. If only Sunstreaker knew just how close to the truth he'd come with that assessment…

"What's your son's name? You haven't even said," Hot Rod said.

Ironhide shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Starfall," he growled between gritted dentals.

Hot Rod turned in his seat and stared towards something on the other side of the room. The others followed his gaze. Between the shifting crowd of Autobots, Ironhide spotted Optimus and Starfall. They were talking to Jazz, Prowl, Bumblebee and what appeared to be a human female in a mech suit. As they watched, the woman jumped from her mech suit to the ground in front of Starfall. The sparkling jumped back in surprise. There was a moment of talk between Starfall and the woman none of them could hear from the distance, before the woman held a hand out to Starfall as though to shake.

Ironhide leaned forward in his seat. Maybe this would be the moment he could finally prove Starscream still resided in Starfall's mind. During the war, Starscream had been rabidly racist against humans. In raids he would specifically go out of his way to try and kill as many humans as he could. In his previous format, if Starscream had been approached by a human with a hand held out to him in peace, he would have stepped on that person without a second thought. Ironhide wished Bumblebee's friend no harm, but if there was ever a test to see how much of Starscream remained in Starfall, this was it.

The woman remained absolutely still as Starfall cautiously approached her - as if he actually had something to fear from her instead of the other way around. Tentatively, Starfall reached out and clasped the woman around the wrist before immediately retracting his hand again, chortling innocently He said something that made all the mechs around him burst into laughter and the woman scowl.

Ironhide sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"You've got to admit," Hot Rod said as they turned back to each other, "the kid's cute."

"Very," Springer agreed.

"For a seeker you mean," Sunstreaker nastily corrected.

"No," Hot Rod said. "For any kind of sparkling. He seems like a good enough kid. Just because he's a seeker doesn't mean he's evil. Come on, Sunny. Even you can't truly believe that. No one comes online a bad spark. It's what happens to a bot and what decisions he makes through his life that make him good or bad."

Sunstreaker's optics narrowed bitterly but he did not reply.

Quietly, Ironhide digested Hot Rod's comment. Despite his personal feelings, Hot Rod had a point. It made him remember just how much the young, once hot-headed, impulsive mech had grown since the beginning of the war. In many ways Hot Rod reminded him of Optimus.

"'hide, I can't help but get the impression you're not thrilled about having a sparkling," Kup carefully spoke up.

Ironhide vented a heavy sigh. Reaching up he massaged the space of metal between his optic ridges. He was starting to get a processor-ache from all this talk. "Ah'm still getting used ta the idea. It's not really having a sparkling around that's an issue; it's what Starfall is that's making this so difficult."

Kup's lips pressed together into a thin line, but he didn't say anything. Ironhide couldn't help but feel the older mech was disappointed in him.

"So you're going to actually raise this seeker as your son?" Sideswipe said. His voice was still tight with disapproval.

"That's Optimus's plan," Ironhide grumbled. He went to take another sip of high grade but was startled to find the cube empty. He must have finished it without even realizing it. He set the cube aside with a huff. There weren't any others on the table to take its place. Why was nothing working in his favor today?

"Optimus has gone completely crazy," Sunstreaker muttered, tossing his helm angrily. "The nano-klick this news gets to Vos, you know the seekers are going to try and find some way to use this kid to get a pede back inside the High Council."

"How could the Vosians possibly use Starfall to gain political power?" Springer scoffed. "He's just a sparkling."

"He's already infiltrated the family of the most important mech of our race," Sunstreaker spat. "Who knows how they'll try to use him as an inside spy against Optimus. For all we know, they might have planted Starfall in that hatchling facility for Optimus to find."

"Your paranoia is starting to make you sound insane," Hot Rod said. His sentiment was mirrored in the faces of the other Wreckers.

"No. Think about it," Sideswipe insisted. "Starfall is for all intents and purposes the Prime's son. Who says they won't try to somehow use that to their advantage."

"If the Vosians want to be part of Cybertronian politics again, all they have to do is send a representative to the High Council," Springer said. "Vos might be an isolated city, but they are still a part of Cybertron and entitled to a voice in the Council if they want to exercise that right. There's no reason for them to make up plots of somehow using a sparkling to gain power."

"I still say Optimus is taking too much of a risk doing this," Sunstreaker grumbled. "He must be out of his processor to want a *seeker* for a sparkling."

"That's my sparkmate yer talking 'bout," Ironhide growled, instinctively rising to his sparkmate's defense. "Optimus might be a lot of things, but crazy ain't one of 'em. He just wants a sparkling. Like Hot Rod said: Starfall ain't evil. He just is what he is." He was immediately shocked by what came out of his own mouth. Deep down he knew he was transferring his old hatred for Starscream onto Starfall, but to actually speak out in Starfall's defense like that surprised him. Hot Rod must be more like Optimus than he originally gave the muscle car credit for if he could make him reconsider his stance towards Starfall like that. If Optimus ever decided to retire from his role as Prime, maybe he could pass the Matrix of Leadership on to Hot Rod. Because wouldn't that be a sight to see?

"So now you're saying you want this seeker as your son?" Sideswipe demanded.

"No. Ah mean yes. No, ah mean-" Ironhide floundered helplessly for words. His emotions and personal feelings were so conflicted he no longer knew where he stood on Starfall anymore himself. "Bah!" he spat in frustration, throwing his arms into the air. He stood from his chair. "All ah wanted was ta sit fer awhile an' talk with friends. Not be on the receiving end of a full out interrogation." He turned away from the group. "Ah need some fresh air. Ah'll see yeh mechs later." Without waiting for any kind of response, Ironhide briskly strode away towards the nearest door. It was a different doorway than the one he and Optimus had come through, but at the moment Ironhide didn't care. All he wanted was to get *away*.

The happy murmur of voices and music almost instantly faded when Ironhide stepped through the door into the corridor beyond. The hallway was blessedly empty of any other party-goers. A number of windows lined the corridors. A lounge was placed under every other one down the row. Stalking towards the nearest one, Ironhide fell onto it with a tired sigh. For a moment, he let himself just sit there and drink in the silence.

What was happening, he helplessly wondered. Just a deca-cycle ago he and Optimus had been one of the happiest bonded couples they knew. They rarely ever fought, and when they did it was usually resolved within the joor with no hard feelings between them. Except for the issue of sparklings, they were as happy as any bonded couple had the right to be. But from the moment Optimus brought Starfall home Ironhide had begun to feel like an outsider in his own home. He couldn't go anywhere without Starfall there to remind him that another had taken a place in Optimus's spark besides himself. He hated Starfall. He hated what he represented and who he used to be. He hated him for coming in between him and Optimus, but most of all he hated himself for feeling like that. He was being irrational. He was being paranoid. He was being petty and jealous. He was taking old grudges out on an innocent sparkling who had no way of remembering who he used to be. He was being a complete aft.

But try as Ironhide might he still could not reconcile himself to change. It was just too much to deal with. All he wanted was his old life with Optimus back. He wanted to reclaim the days when it had just been him and Optimus and that had been more than enough for the both of them. He no longer wanted to deal with a reincarnated son whose very presence made Ironhide grit his dentals with distain.

Leaning his head back against back of the lounge, Ironhide shuttered his optics. He missed Optimus. He hated closing off their bond to keep his true feelings secret like he'd been doing all morning. Tentatively, Ironhide opened his side of their bond. Contentment flooded across their bond from his missing sparkmate like a tsunami. Ironhide gasped at the sensation. Optimus was so *happy*. Like coming into the sunlight after a long time spent onboard a starship the warmth of Optimus's happiness rolled over Ironhide's spark in waves. At first Ironhide did nothing but sit there and drink in the essence of his sparkmate's feelings. It was so comforting, so nice to feel his sparkmate's presence once again it made Ironhide's optics momentarily fuzz with static. For an indeterminate amount of time Ironhide was content to just sit there and vicariously soak in his sparkmate's joy. But the longer he let Optimus's feelings cascade across their bond the more he became aware of a quiet melancholy hiding just there underneath Optimus's bond-pulses of joy.

It was a sad longing - a repressed desire for something the cause of his happiness could not fulfill by itself.

Ironhide instinctively reached out across their bond to sooth his sparkmate's pain. He felt Optimus's jolt of surprise at his sudden presence, but then the immediate spike of warmth as Optimus consciously reached out to him as well. The sadness from Optimus's side of the bond instantly disappeared and was replaced by desperate yearning.

Ironhide groaned in understanding. Optimus wanted Ironhide there with him and Starfall. He wanted them all to be together in one place. Ironhide had no doubt he had hurt Optimus when he'd walked away from him when they'd arrived at the party. The guilt that rose in the back of his intake line was cloying. Reluctantly, he sent a reassuring love-pulse across their bond to Optimus. Ah'm coming, it said.

The answering pulse that coursed across their bond almost made Ironhide gasp it was so intense. I'm waiting, it told him.

Ironhide pulled back and retreated to his side of their bond where Optimus's feelings were just a comforting presence in the back of his spark.

Yeh can do this, he firmly told himself. Yeh can put on a happy face and go out there fer yer sparkmate's sake. After all the slag yeh've put him through ta-day because of the kid yeh owe Optimus that much.

Heaving himself to his pedes, the weapons specialist returned to the party. The celebration was still in full swing. Looking around the room, Ironhide spotted his sparkmate off to the side, sitting at a table with Starfall, Wheeljack, Perceptor and - surprise, surprise - Skyfire. Optimus seemed to have been looking around for him as well. Their optics met across the room. Ironhide saw the warmth that filled Optimus's gaze as he stared at him. He could picture Optimus's smile beaming at him from behind Optimus's battle mask. Ironhide felt his spark sag in his chassis with helpless defeat. He could do this. He *would* do this because he knew how much it meant to his sparkmate. Ironhide let a weak smile spread across his facial plates as he wove his way through the crowd towards the table.

"I'm so glad you've finally joined us," Optimus said. The warmth in his voice made Ironhide's spark cringe with remembered guilt. He reached out and took Ironhide by the hand to pull him towards the empty seat beside him. "Did you have a nice chat with Kup and the others?"

Ironhide let his sparkmate pull him down into the chair. "Yea," he muttered. Before Optimus could release his hand, Ironhide twisted his wrist and caught Optimus's hand in his own. He twined their fingers together and squeezed his sparkmate's hand in silent apology. The corners of Optimus's optics crinkled with a smile. He returned Ironhide's squeeze. Love pulsed across their bond. "Sorry it took me so long ta get back," Ironhide murmured just loud enough for Optimus to hear.

Optimus squeezed his hand again. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

Ironhide relaxed into his seat, his and Optimus's hand still discretely clasped underneath the table.

On Optimus's other side, Skyfire and Starfall were locked in conversation. Ironhide had no idea what they were talking about but Starfall was an animated chatterbox - his wings dipping and flaring out behind him in coordination with the rise and fall of his voice - while Skyfire seemed more than content to listen. The sparkling was completely focused on Skyfire. He sat on the edge of his seat staring up at Skyfire as if he were to most interesting mech he'd ever met. Skyfire seemed to drink in the little seeker's attention. Ironhide recognized his enraptured expression. It was the same one he saw on his sparkmate's face everyday since they'd brought Starfall home.

Optimus kept up a pleasant conversation with Wheeljack and Perceptor as the two fliers talked. Skyfire and Starfall seemed lost in their own little world as if everything else around them had faded into the background. Ironhide remained mostly a silent presence by Optimus's side - only chiming in whenever social politeness dictated he must. He held his sparkmate's hand tightly in his own, but his mind was a million parsecs away. His conversation with the Wreckers and the Lambo-twins was still fresh in his processor, like a wound that dripped poison and refused to heal.

The rest of the party passed in a slow blur. Ironhide remembered little of it. Over the course of the day, countless friends and former comrades came up to him and Optimus to offer greetings and well-wishes. He and Optimus exchanges pleasantries and shared old stories with all them. Numerous glances - some friendly, some suspicious, others simply curious - were cast towards Starfall, but Optimus never wavered in proudly introducing him to everyone as his and Ironhide's son. By the time Cybertron's sun began its final downwards arc towards the jagged horizon of skyscrapers there was no one who didn't know about the newest addition to the Prime family unit. What everyone actually thought of Starfall and his make, no one was brave enough to voice to Optimus's face, but Ironhide guessed there were more than a few of the old crew who secretly shared Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's views.

It was dark outside by the time the party-goers began to drift away towards home.

Wheeljack and Perceptor had long ago taken leave of the Prime family to circulate the room. Ironhide thought he'd seen Perceptor leave a few joors before. Wheeljack was still there, sharing a cube of high grade with Mirage on the other side of the room.

Skyfire, on the other hand, hadn't strayed out of eyeshot the entire day. He had become Starfall's new best friend. The one time he got up to grab a cube of energon, Starfall had trailed after him like his miniature shadow. Optimus thought it endearing how the two of them had taken to each other while Ironhide found it mildly disturbing. In Starfall's previous format, Starfall and Skyfire had been lovers. Although their interactions were completely innocent, that fact remained a constant presence on the edge of Ironhide's thoughts.

It was only when Ironhide spotted Blur and Bluestreak - two of the Ark's most notorious partiers - beginning to head for the door that Ironhide decided he'd finally had enough for one day.

"It's startin' ta get late," he murmured to Optimus. "We should probably start thinking 'bout headin' home."

"You're right. The party seems to be winding down and Starfall needs to recharge."

Skyfire broke off his conversation with Starfall to look at Optimus. "You're leaving?" he asked. Disappointment flashed through his optics.

Starfall turned to Optimus. "Do we have to, dad? I want to keep talking to Skyfire."

The corners of Optimus's optics crinkled with a smile as he reached out and patted the top of Starfall's head. "It's getting late and you need your recharge. You're too young to stay up all night yet. You should have been in your berth more than three joors ago."

"But I don't wanna leave," Starfall whined. His optics were pleading pools of liquid blue. "I'm not tired yet and I wanna keep talking to Skyfire."

Optimus chuckled indulgently. He shot Skyfire a conspiratorial look over the top of Starfall's helm. "If Skyfire wants to he's welcome to come to our domicile and continue his visit there. There's actually some things he, your father, and I have to discuss."

The hidden meaning was clear: they still needed to discuss the ground rules of his and Starfall's future interactions.

Skyfire nodded his understanding.

Oblivious to the adults' silent exchange, Starfall turned back to Skyfire. His facial plates were a storm of excitement. "Come home with us, Skyfire! Please? Then I can show you all the new data pads dad bought me."

Skyfire smiled at him. "I'd love to."

Starfall beamed, his wings flaring out behind his shoulder struts. It was obvious Starfall had a sparkling-crush on the older flier. Ironhide might have almost found it cute if he didn't know about Skyfire and Starscream's previous relationship. Nonetheless, if he had thought Optimus would allow it, he would have let Skyfire take Starfall home with him right then and there. Unfortunately, he would have to wait until Starfall was old enough to have his final upgrade and be legally mature. Then he could wash his servos of the seeker and let Skyfire pick up where he and Starscream had left off several dozen millennia ago.

But that was still many, many vorns away…

Chapter Text

Chapter Six: Reminisces

Skyfire had never been in the Prime's domicile before but it fit his expectations of Optimus and Ironhide's style of interior decorating: simple but sturdy. If there was anything ostentatious about their penthouse dwelling it was simply the size of the place. It was so large Skyfire actually felt comfortable to move around without having to worry about accidentally bumping into something or stooping to keep his helm from hitting the ceiling. As a scientist, Skyfire wasn't concerned with wealth or the display of it. His own domicile was standard sized - meaning it was slightly small for a mech his size - and mostly filled with scientific data pads and half-finished research projects he'd taken home with him. The only thing he envied Optimus and Ironhide for was the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the entire side of the main living area. A sweeping vista of Iacon's nightscape stretched away towards the horizon in every direction. Just the sight of it made Skyfire want to go outside on the balcony and let the wind buffet his wings.

But Skyfire hadn't accepted Optimus's invitation to their apartment to appreciate the view. He had come to wring every last nano-klick of time he could out of his reunion with the reincarnated sparkling of his best friend. Said sparkling sat beside him on the lounge, showing him the newest additions to his personal collection of data pads.

Skyfire couldn't help but indulge Starfall by ooh-ing and ahh-ing appreciatively over them. The sight of Starfall's optics lighting up with delight at his reactions made the last fifty-six vorns of loneliness since he last saw Starscream almost feel worth it. It was physically painful at times how much Starfall reminded him of Starscream. Starfall's facial expressions, his intelligence, his very presence reminded Skyfire so much of his lost friend. It was only little things that reminded Skyfire that Starfall was not the same mech he'd last seen shackled in stasis-cuffs in a maximum security prison. Where Starscream had been quick-tempered and scornful, Starfall was shy and humble. Where Starscream had been dismissive and antagonistic, Starfall practically begged for someone to love him. It was all Skyfire could do not to scoop Starfall into his arms, clutch him to his cockpit and whisper how much he'd missed him and never let him go again.

He forced himself to maintain his composure. As Optimus had warned him, Starfall seemed to remember nothing from his previous format. Skyfire was sure most of Starfall's interest in him stemmed from the fact that he was the only other mech Starfall had ever met with wings. But that didn't stop Skyfire from secretly indulging in the fantasy that buried somewhere deep in Starfall's processor some subconscious memory of his and Starscream's time together still remained - untouched by Vector Sigma and waiting like some kind of implanted homing beacon to someday be reactivated and lead him back into Skyfire's arms.

Skyfire wished he could test to see how much more Starfall was like Starscream but didn't dare. He would not be the one to break Optimus's oath of secrecy, nor would he do anything to compromise Starscream's second chance at a peaceful life. Whatever he could do, he would to see to it that Starfall had the best chance he could to live his life unburdened by the same hardships and pain Starscream had, or the losses and grief that had warped him into the mech so many would have been glad to see executed after the end of the war. When he had woken up on Earth in the middle of a war he had never even known begun, he could barely recognize Starscream anymore. Vindictive, treacherous and cruel, he was no longer the mech Skyfire had left Cybertron with on a scientific mission.

To have Starscream back now as an innocent sparkling, Skyfire wondered if being reformatted through Vector Sigma hadn't been Starscream's only option for a second chance after all. Tainted by bitterness, injustice, pain and death Starscream had been too scarred both mentally and in his spark to try and go back to being the same mech he'd been before fate had separated Skyfire from him. Only through Vector Sigma could he have had a true fresh start. Despite the loneliness and grief he'd suffered over the vorns since convincing Starscream to accept Optimus's proposal, Skyfire - for the first time - felt nothing but gratitude for the Matrix-bearer and his offer for a second chance. If it hadn't been for Optimus Skyfire never would have been able to see Starscream again.

"These are very nice, Star," he said, scrolling through the newest data pad Starfall held out to him for inspection. "Have you read this one yet?"

Starfall shook his head. "No. I'm going to have dad read it to me once we're done with 'Circuit Breaker's Maze.' We should finish that one in a few nights."

Optimus sat across from them on the other lounge, watching them. The corners of his optics were crinkled at the corners from what could only be a smile behind his battle mask. "Star might be an accomplished reader, but he still enjoys being read to before recharge," he explained. He gazed at the sparkling beside Skyfire fondly. "If truth be told, I've found the habit to be very rewarding. It gives Star and me a chance to relax together after a hectic day."

"No one ever read to me when I was in the hatchling facility," Starfall said. He shuffled the stack of data pads he'd brought out to show Skyfire between his hands like a thick deck of cards. "I like the way dad reads. He does voices for different characters."

Skyfire laughed. He found the mental image of Optimus Prime - the most powerful mech of their race - doing a dramatic reading of a children's story for his son's amusement endearing. It made Optimus seem more like a normal mech and not an aloof dignitary he so often had to portray himself as in the public realm.

Behind Optimus, Ironhide was busying himself in the kitchenette unit. Skyfire suspected he was preparing himself a cube of high grade. Since he met up with Skyfire and Optimus at the party, Ironhide had been extremely quiet. Skyfire inwardly frowned. As a scientist, Skyfire was skilled at observation. Over the course of the orn he had gotten the very distinct impression that Ironhide was not pleased with the addition of Starfall to his and Optimus's family unit. He couldn't overlook the way Ironhide never seemed to look at Starfall, or the way Starfall never tried to seek Ironhide's attention like he did with everyone else. It was like the two had come to some unspoken agreement to ignore each other unless absolutely necessary.

Skyfire was at a loss for what to make of the Prime family's social dynamic. Optimus obviously loved Starfall like a son. Of that there was no question. But Ironhide… Ironhide was more of a puzzle. Skyfire didn't know what to make of his quiet hostility towards Starfall. Skyfire knew the weapons specialist had disliked Starscream during the war, but surely he knew the worst of Starscream's less desirable traits had been erased by Vector Sigma when he'd been reformatted. Surely he did not still bear Starfall any residual hatred, because that would be ridiculous. Starfall was an innocent sparkling with no way of knowing about his past. Skyfire knew Ironhide was not a cruel bot, but neither was he warm and fuzzy. Ironhide was notoriously stubborn and known to hold grudges, especially if he thought he or his loved ones were being threatened. If anything, Ironhide seemed to merely tolerate Starfall's presence out of respect for Optimus.

All in all, it was a very confusing, worrisome family setting Skyfire found Starfall entrenched.

Skyfire handed the data pad back to Starfall, which the sparkling traded for yet another. Skyfire found Starfall's presentation of his data pads charming. Starscream had always been possessive of his things but loved to show them off when given the opportunity - most notably his collection of data pads. In his former existence, those data pads had been scientific journals and military histories, not old legends and sparkling stories. But the trait was still there. Although housed in a different body, a part of Skyfire's old friend still existed.

As Skyfire obligatorily scrolled through the newest data pad, Starfall vented a tired intake of air. Flickering his optics to refocus them, the sparkling edged closer to Skyfire on the lounge and leaned against his side, letting his frame relax against the larger mech's. Skyfire stilled, startled by the sudden closeness. Tentatively, he let his arm curl around Starfall to hug him closer. He could feel the seekerlet's sparkpulse thrum against his fuselage, heavy and slow. It reminded him of nights long ago when Starscream would press himself against his side as they lay beside each other on a berth, listening to the cooling pings of their engines as they cycled down to sleep.

It was in that moment that Skyfire finally let himself believe Starscream had truly returned to him. The surge of warmth that constricted his spark at the realization was almost painful in its intensity.

"You're getting tired, aren't you, Star?" Optimus knowingly observed from the other lounge. He glanced at the chronometer on the other side of the room. "It's way past your recharge time. You're running on nothing but vapors now."

Starfall shook his helm. Despite his best attempt to refocus his optics, he drooped heavier against Skyfire's side. "I'm not tired," he lied in a slurred mumble.

"Time for recharge," Optimus insisted. He stood from the lounge and motioned Starfall to him. "Say goodnight to Skyfire. It's time to get you onto a berth."

Starfall petulantly shook his helm. "But I don't wanna." He leaned heavier into Skyfire's side. Skyfire couldn't bring himself to aide Optimus in trying to coax Starfall away. He would have been more than happy to let Starfall fall asleep right there on the lounge with him, curled against his side.

"Star," Optimus said. His tone was patient but stern. "You can see Skyfire again later. I promise. But right now it is time for recharge."

"Listen ta Optimus," Ironhide brusquely joined the conversation. He held a cube of high grade in his hand as he came up behind Optimus's lounge. "Don't make him hafta tell yeh ta go ta bed again."

Starfall immediately went quiet. He seemed to shrink back against Skyfire's side. Warily eyeing Ironhide he muttered a sullen, "Okay."

Skyfire at first didn't know how to react. He had picked up on minute hints throughout the day that Ironhide was not thrilled with Starfall's presence, but the utter lack of warmth he addressed Starfall with shocked the scientist. Ironhide sounded like he was addressing some new recruit the first day of boot camp or a stranger, not his son. The fact that Starfall didn't even try to cajole Ironhide also thrummed a chord of discomfort inside Skyfire. From what he'd seen of Starfall's personality thus far, the little sparkling did not seem to be one to immediately admit defeat when he was denied something. If anything, he seemed unconsciously adept at swaying others to his will with his innocent charms - another leftover trait of Starscream's? The fact that he didn't even try to persuade the former weapons specialist made Skyfire uneasy. Did Starfall not feel comfortable around Ironhide? Did he feel threatened? Skyfire did not believe for a nano-klick that Starfall was in any kind of physical danger from Ironhide - Ironhide would *never* harm a child, former Decepticon or not - but there were still many ways to wound a person other than with one's hands. In all likelihood Ironhide didn't even realize how sharp he sounded towards Starfall.

Skyfire did not let any feelings show on his facial plates. As much as he did not care for Ironhide's brusque attitude towards Starfall, Skyfire did not have any right to speak against his authority. Starfall was Ironhide and Optimus's child, not Skyfire's. He legally belonged to them.

Optimus, however, seemed to share some of Skyfire's distaste and narrowed his optics at Ironhide in quiet displeasure. The two held each others gaze and exchanged a look Skyfire couldn't accurately describe. Although he couldn't say for sure without being privy to the emotions being silently exchanged across their sparkbond, Skyfire had the impression they were having some kind of war of wills. Finally, Ironhide looked away from Optimus. His expression was one of defiant defeat. With a huff he stalked around the side of the lounge and dropped into the place beside the one Optimus had just vacated.

"Time for recharge, Star," Optimus once more announced. His tone was once again light and cheerful.

Starfall reluctantly pulled away from Skyfire and slid off the side of the lounge to his pedes. Skyfire immediately felt the absence of his warmth.

"When are you coming back?" Starfall asked. He stood at Skyfire's knee, staring up at him. "You're still going to teach me how to fly, right?"

Skyfire's spark melted under Starfall's turquoise gaze. "If your father agrees, I could come back sometime later this deca-cycle for your first flying lesson."

"Promise?" Starfall demanded. Although tinged with fatigue, his optics still flashed with excitement.

"Promise," Skyfire smiled.

Without warning Starfall lifted his arms to Skyfire, silently demanding a hug. Skyfire was powerless to resist. He'd been wanting to do so himself since the moment he saw this miniature version of his old friend sitting at the table with Optimus. At moments like this he still had trouble believing Starscream was really back. He kept waiting to wake up from this dream at any moment.

Carefully slipping his hands under Starfall's arms - he could have easily just scooped the tiny sparkling up in his hands and held him between his palms - and drew him against his chest. Starfall melted against his cockpit, spreading his arms out wide to embrace the giant mech as best he could. His outstretched arms didn't even fully span to either edge of Skyfire's front. For several klicks of blissful silence Skyfire clutched Starfall to him. He relished the feel of Starfall's spark pulsing against the front of his cockpit, the warmth of his vents cycling air against his neck cables.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you today," he whispered into Starfall's audio. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip around the sparkling and lowered him back to the ground. "Have a good recharge, Star."

"Bye, Skyfire. I'll see you soon."

Skyfire's vocal processor fritzed in his throat as Starfall offered him one last smile, then turned and scampered towards the hallway.

Optimus followed him out of the room. "I'll be back in a moment."

Still riding high on the events of the day and Starfall's parting hug, Skyfire sat in a happy-dazed trance. Ironhide sat across from him on the other lounge, quietly sipping his cube of high grade. Neither Skyfire or the weapons specialist made any attempt to break the silence that hung between them. Skyfire was too happy to let anything break his mood and Ironhide seemed content to remain as quiet and distant as he had all day. Skyfire didn't know how long Optimus was gone, but before too long the Matrix-bearer returned and retook his seat beside Ironhide. He gazed at Skyfire with amused, knowing optics.

"Star is completely taken with you," he said. "All he could talk about while I was getting him to sleep was you and demanding to know when you can come back to give him flying lessons."

Skyfire laughed, low and deep. "I cannot deny it: I am extremely taken with him too." Leaning back on the lounge, Skyfire vented a heavy cycle of air. With that vent of air, the last fifty-six vorns of loneliness seemed to seep from his body, leaving him feeling light and utterly at peace. Unable to stop smiling, Skyfire gave a happy chuckle of triumph. "I'm still trying to get over meeting Star. He reminds me so much of Starscream before the war."

The corners of Optimus's optics crinkled with a smile. "You would know more about Starscream's personality than anyone else. It makes me happy to hear you can still recognize parts of him."

"I can see him in Star in so many ways, and not just through his appearance," Skyfire said, struggling to put his thoughts into words. "He's so much like Starscream, but not at the same time. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Optimus nodded his head. Ironhide remained a silent observer to the conversation.

Skyfire went on. "I see it in the way Star talks, the way he moves, his expressions, what he says - it's all Starscream. But there are differences. Star's just so… *innocent*. I suppose that's mostly Vector Sigma's doing. You might not believe me, but before the war Starscream was a good mech. Antagonistic, stubborn and selfish at times; yes, I will never deny that. But he was still a *good* mech deep down." Skyfire ignored the muffled snort that came from Ironhide. "He did not have many friends - in fact, I believe I may have been his only true friend - but those bots he did consider close to him, he defended with every particle of his being. If ever I needed something or was in trouble, Starscream was right there beside me, ready to do whatever he could to help."

Skyfire fell quiet as long repressed memories swirled to the forefront of his processor. Optimus did not try to interrupt him as Skyfire struggled to relay the more painful memories of his friend. "It was after I woke up on Earth that I realized how much Starscream had changed. I don't know what happened to him in the interim between me being frozen in that storm and waking up on Earth. I suppose none of us ever will now. But whatever happened changed Starscream on a level I never thought Starscream could be changed. He had always been so resilient, so strong in personality. Yet when I saw him the only thing I really recognized of Starscream anymore was his face. The bot he had become was a stranger. It physically killed me inside to turn against him when he ordered me to attack the Autobots, but I could not go along with him anymore. He was no longer the same mech I'd fallen in love with. It was only after the war, when you asked me to go with you to that prison to convince Starscream to give himself to Vector Sigma, that I saw some flickers of that mech again in Starscream. It made me believe Starscream really could be redeemed. All he needed was a second chance - a fresh start on life."

Skyfire drew in a deep intake of air. He was starting to get overly emotional. Every time he talked about Starscream with Optimus he seemed to lose control over his emotions. He needed to regain control of himself. As painful as some of those memories of Starscream were, they were all in the past now. He had to keep reminding himself that. The painful times were gone. The horizon was finally starting to brighten. There was once again hope of regaining the mech he once loved.

He looked up at Optimus with a grateful expression. "I'm just so glad that you were the one to find him. If you hadn't, I don't know if I ever would have found out he'd returned."

"Starfall is a good sparkling," Optimus said. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that he grows up to be just as good a mech."

Skyfire mutely nodded his thanks. He didn't trust his vocal processor not to skip at that moment.

Ironhide finally seemed to decide he wanted to enter the conversation. "So, ah suppose this means yeh're gonna want ta try ta be more than just a friend or mentor ta the kid someday? Ta pick up yer old relationship with Screamer again once he's old enough?"

Skyfire frowned at the crassness of Ironhide's question. It was true Skyfire wanted to have Starfall in his life again, but the way Ironhide asked it made it sound like his intentions towards Starfall were dirty. Skyfire missed his friend and lover - so much at times his spark literally ached with loss - but he would never be so desperate as to try and take advantage of a sparkling. His interest in Starfall was as innocent as it could possibly be considering the delicacies of the situation. Whatever sexual attraction Skyfire still had for Starscream had been locked away deep in the back of his processor the moment he'd seen Starfall sitting next to Optimus at the party. Until Starfall came of age and made himself romantically available, Skyfire refused to think of Starfall in that way.

Optimus seemed to share Skyfire's distaste for the question and gave Ironhide a long, sideways glare. Ironhide, however, didn't even seem to notice it. He continued to stare at Skyfire, waiting for an answer.

Skyfire delicately cleared his intake line. He fought to keep his insulted dignity from seeping into his voice. "I admit I would like to regain Star as my friend and companion someday, but only if Star was interested in me himself."

"Star is just a child now," Optimus said. "It will be hundreds of vorns before he is old enough to even begin to look at others romantically."

"As I said: I will not pressure Starfall," Skyfire insisted. "I will let him make his own decisions. If, in the future when he is old enough, he should find someone else who captures his spark I will not try to force myself into the equation. I want to see him happy even if it is not with me. For now, I would be happy just to be a part of Star's life. I swear to you I will never do anything inappropriate towards him. Nor will I ever tell Star of his previous life. Starscream is gone. The only place he exists anymore is in the past."

Optimus nodded. "I trust you implicitly, Skyfire. You have always been a bot of sound judgment and character. I know you would never do anything to directly or indirectly harm Star. I want you to be a part of Star's life as well. Anytime you wish to see him you are welcome in our domicile. I know Star would love it."

Gratitude swelled Skyfire's spark until it felt like his spark was about to burst out of his chest. "Thank you, Optimus. For everything. You will never know how grateful I am to you for this. If it hadn't been for you Starscream never would have gotten this second chance at life, nor would I have ever been able to see him again if you hadn't found him and taken him in."

"Star has filled a void in Ironhide's and my lives as well. Before we found him we were hopeless of ever having a sparkling to call our own." Optimus's voice suddenly became strained, as if he was struggling to keep the static from his vocal processor. "It… it was like a godsend when we found him. When I first saw Star sitting there in that hatchling facility I was sure Primus had sent him to us."

Skyfire offered Optimus a watery smile of understanding. "It seems Star means something very important to both of us." He tried to overlook Ironhide's profound silence. At no point had he voiced any feelings either way at Starfall being found. Skyfire vented a tired but happy cycle of air. He glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "It is getting late and I do not want to keep you or Ironhide up any longer. Thank you again for the extended visit."

"As I said, you are always welcome here, Skyfire," Optimus said. "Are you still thinking of coming back later this deca-cycle?

"Yes. I will have to check my schedule to see when I am available, but I intend to keep my promise to Star. I will contact you sometime tomorrow with details so we can coordinate schedules. I am curious to see how quickly Star takes to the air. Starscream was such a natural flier it was a wonder he ever landed."

Optimus nodded. "I know Star is looking forward to it."

"Not as much as I am," Skyfire assured him.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven: Flying Partner

Starfall anxiously paced the length of the living area. The bank of windows were to his right, its sweeping emptiness of the sky taunting him with its closeness. The sun had just begun its downward arc towards the horizon. He could already detect the change in light - the subtle segue from brilliant yellow to a more molten gold. It would be several joors before nightfall, but the idea that the day was already starting to wind down made Starfall edgy.

Today Skyfire was finally going give him his first flying lesson. He'd been counting the orns since Skyfire called his father to let him know when he could come. He'd barely been able to fall to recharge the night before he'd been so excited. His father had had to read an extra chapter before he'd begun to feel tired. All day he'd been on edge. It must have been noticeable because his father's sparkmate had snapped at him at least twice that morning to sit down and be still or go into another room. Starfall had been glad when Ironhide finally left the domicile to go to work. It left him free to pace and watch the chronometer without fear of reprimand.

Starfall came to end of the room closest to his father's office. He did a quick about-face on his left thruster and started his circuit over. As he did so, he cast the chronometer on the wall a glance. Only two klicks had been added to the display since the last time he'd checked. Whining in distress, Starfall broke off his pacing and raced to the side of the lounge. His father sat there watching newfeeds on the tele-consol. Distressingly, he seemed completely relaxed and unconcerned with the waning joors of the day. Didn't he know they were running out of time?

"Dad! When's Skyfire gonna get here? He said he was gonna be here at thirty-six hundred joors. It's thirty-six nineteen now. He's late!"

Optimus looked away from the tele-consol. He smiled at Starfall. There was amusement in his optics that Starfall didn't share. "Something must be holding him up, Star. It's alright. He'll be here."

"Can't you call him or something? What if something happened? What if Skyfire can't come anymore?" The more reasons Starfall thought of for Skyfire not coming the more anxious he got. His wings lay folded tight against his back, vibrating with tension.

His father smiled. Leaning forward, he slid his hands under Starfall's arms and lifted him up onto the lounge next to him. He ran a hand in soothing circles against his wings. Starfall involuntarily relaxed under his father's touch. Despite his anxiousness over Skyfire's tardiness, Starfall was powerless to stay tense under such ministrations. He liked it when Optimus did this. It made him feel wanted and loved. Before his father found him in the hatchling facility no one had ever given him much more than a passing thought. Most days he'd been left by himself with nothing but a data pad to keep him company. He couldn't remember how many times he'd read his stories and wished he could be a part of them. In the stories, the heroes always had someone who wanted to be near them. Even if the hero didn't have any family or friends at the beginning, he always gained them by the end. For as long as Starfall could remember it had seemed so unfair. What did he have to do to be like those mechs? What did he have to do to make someone want him? Every time a new batch of sparkling was ready to be adopted he put himself on his best behavior in hopes of winning over some sparkling-less couple, but it had always ended the same way with him alone at the end of the day with nothing but his stories to remind him that no one wanted him.

Trying to push those thoughts from his mind, Starfall leaned into Optimus's touch, drinking in his offered comfort. It had been a dream come true when his father found him. He'd been the first bot to ever offer him a home. Ironhide didn't seem to like him that much, but that was alright. Optimus wanted him, and to a lonely sparkling who'd only ever wanted to be loved that was enough. The bots his father had introduced him to that day of the party had seemed nice enough. But it had been Skyfire who had stood out among them. He was a flier just like Starfall. He knew what it was like to have wings and understand how much he wanted to take to the air. But most of all Skyfire looked at him the same way his father did - like he actually *wanted* to be around him. Like he was someone special. It had been like a dream when Optimus found him. But to find another bot who liked him made Starfall wonder if maybe the stories he read really did have some element of reality in them, after all.

Optimus worked his hand in slow, soothing circles against his wings. "Skyfire's just running a little bit late, Star. If he doesn't get here in the next few deca-klicks I'll contact him. But until then, why don't you sit next to me? You've been so anxious you're going to be too exhausted by the time he does get here to do any flying."

"Na ugh! Once Skyfire teaches me what to do I'm gonna fly around this entire building. Twice!"

His father chuckled. His hand continued to rub circular patterns into his wings. "I look forward to seeing that. Just as long as you remember to fly back home when you're done."

Starfall leaned into his father's side and let his frame relax against Optimus's. Optimus stopped rubbing Starfall's wings in favor of hugging him closer with one arm. Starfall let his helm rest against the side of Optimus's windshield. The comforting rumble of Optimus's engine purred in his audio receptor. The drone of the mechs on the tele-consol created a hypnotic white background noise. He didn't know what the two mechs were talking about - it sounded like something grownup and boring - but he enjoyed the excuse to sit next to his father while they waited for Skyfire. Lulled into a semi-aware doze by the warmth of his father's frame and the drone of the mechs on the tele-consol, Starfall forgot to check the chronometer.

It was only when the buzz of the door alarm sounded that all of Starfall's excitement came rushing back to the surface. He immediately shot up from Optimus's side and scrambled off the lounge.

"Skyfire's here!"

Starfall's thrusters almost skid out from under him as he darted around the lounge towards the front door. The keypad was positioned high on the wall next to the doorjamb. Without slowing his run, Starfall activated his thrusters and managed to shoot far enough off the ground to reach the button. He slapped it and landed on the floor again in a graceful crouch. The door slid open to reveal Skyfire's huge body framed in the doorway.

"Skyfire!" Unable to contain his excitement, Starfall launched himself at the giant mech. He was only tall enough to reach Skyfire's leg. His arms were barely long enough to reach halfway around Skyfire's shin strut. "You're finally here!"

Starfall could feel the vibrations of Skyfire's startled laugh through his armor. "Hello, Star. I'm glad to see you too." Skyfire carefully knelt on one knee joint in front of Starfall. Starfall immediately ran into the arms Skyfire held out to him. He relished the feel of Skyfire's strong arms as they closed around him and drew him tight against Skyfire's cockpit. He could feel the pulse of Skyfire's spark through his fuselage, thrumming alongside his own.

Starfall lived for moments like this. For so long he'd had no one to offer him any kind of affection. When he'd lived in the hatchling facility the workers there had mostly ignored him. There had only been a handful of bots who had ever seemed to spare him a second glance - and not in the way that resulted in dark looks or orders for Starfall to go away and let them work in peace. Starfall fondly remembered them. There had been Fortran, a stern but matronly older femme he could always depend on to get him something if he needed it. Then Mayday, another femme, who oversaw the recreation room whenever there were new sparklings. Sometimes she would ask him to read to her while the smaller sparklings played. And lastly there had been Offroad, a younger mech who worked in Vector Sigma's conduit room. Offroad had always been Starfall's favorite. He'd always seemed so cool. Offroad would sometimes sneak energon-candies in for Starfall and had always been the one Starfall could talk into letting him go outside and see the sky. Offroad had been the one who had given him his first set of data pads. They were his younger brother's old data pads, Offroad had told him, but Starfall could have them if he wanted them. They were destined for the trash heap otherwise. Of course Starfall had wanted them. They were the first things anyone had ever given him without expecting him to give them back. They had been his very first presents.

Between Fortran, Mayday and Offroad, whenever they weren't busy preparing a new batch of sparklings or caring for the newest group of newsparks, life in the hatchling facility had been tolerable. But for as much attention as they spared him, none of them had ever offered Starfall any real physical contact. Their interactions in that department had always felt somewhat perfunctory, as if they were doing so only out of some guilty sense of obligation. It had taken Starfall a long time before he'd realized none of them were ever going to pick him up and give him a hug like he wanted them to if he were sad or lonely. The most he could ever hope for was a pat on the shoulder plate and the reassurance that everything would be alright. It had crushed him the day he finally gave up hope of ever having anything more than what Fortran, Mayday and Offroad already offered him. As the vorns passed and more and more couples passed him over for adoption, Starfall resigned himself to be happy with what kernels of affection he was able to get from those three bots. It had seemed like that was all he had to look forward to until he received his final upgrade and was old enough to strike it out on his own in the world.

That had all changed, though, the day Optimus found him. For the very first time Starfall allowed himself to hope for what he'd always wanted: a home and a bot he could run to who actually cared. Starfall would have been more than happy with just Optimus. But then his father had introduced him to Skyfire and it was like his entire world had expanded to previously unimaginable limits. Against all odds, he'd somehow managed to find *two* bots who liked him.

Far too quickly for Starfall's liking, Skyfire relaxed his hold and set Starfall back down on the ground. Starfall briefly considered begging Skyfire for another hug, but ultimately decided to wait and see if he could wrangle another one out of Skyfire before the giant mech left.

"You're late!" Starfall accused as Skyfire stood straight again. He heard his father come up behind him. Starfall glanced backwards over his shoulder plate. As expected, he saw that Optimus had contracted his mask over his face. He could still tell his father was smiling, though, by the crinkle of protomatter in the corners of his optics. Optimus and Skyfire exchanged polite nods of greeting.

"Hello, Skyfire. Star has been waiting for you since he booted up this morning," Optimus said. He reached down and rested a hand on the top of Starfall's helm. Starfall leaned backwards into the touch, grinning wildly. Now that Skyfire was here, he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. If Ironhide had been there he would have yelled at him to be still. His wings quivered against his back struts as if impatient themselves for Skyfire to teach them how to take to the air.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Skyfire said as he properly stepped through the doorway into the domicile. The door slid close behind him. "I was held up by a colleague at the research institute stopping me with a question just as I was about to leave. I tried to leave as quickly as I could without being rude."

"No need to apologize," Optimus reassured him. "Such situations have happened to me more times than I can count."

Skyfire gave Optimus a commiserating nod of understanding. He returned his attention to Starfall and offered him a warm smile. Starfall basked in the glow of it. He loved Skyfire's smiles, especially when they were directed towards him. Skyfire was big - even bigger than his father, which was saying a lot! - but he was so nice and gentle. Skyfire could squish him like he was a human if he wanted to, but Starfall felt more comfortable around him than he did around his own father's sparkmate. If Starfall could have had any wish, it would have been that Optimus and Skyfire were his creators. They liked him and actually wanted to spend time with him, unlike his father's sparkmate. Starfall didn't know why Ironhide didn't like him. He'd done everything he could to be a good sparkling. But nothing he did seemed able to make Ironhide smile, let alone look at him in a way that didn't make Starfall feel like he'd done something wrong.

With Skyfire Starfall never felt like he had to watch what he said or did. He felt like he could be himself. With Skyfire Starfall felt as though he'd found another bot truly like himself - wings and all! Not even Optimus could claim that. Starfall loved his father like no one else but he could see it in Optimus's optics whenever Starfall tried to talk to him about flying that he just didn't understand. His father listened to him and nodded in all the appropriate places, but Starfall knew he didn't actually *understand*. He didn't know what it felt like to finally be able to see the sky everyday without having to plead Offroad to sneak him outside for a few klicks. He didn't understand how beautiful it was at sunset when the sky turned a dozen different colors all at once as the sun dipped closer to the horizon. He didn't understand how much he longed to leave the ground and lose himself in the empty vastness of the blue. Only Skyfire did. Starfall had sensed it when they talked the day of the big party. He understood what it was like to want to be closer to the sky. He understood what Starfall felt whenever he looked to the heavens. He understood what it felt like to have wings and want to use them.

It was one of the many reasons Starfall wanted Skyfire to teach him. He was sure he would have been able to figure it out on his own eventually. But with Skyfire's help he be able to figure out even faster. If he learned fast enough maybe he could become Skyfire's new flying partner. He'd heard that fliers often liked to fly in groups. Seekers - his own particular model - liked to fly in groups of three. Skyfire wasn't a seeker, but a shuttle. Starfall didn't know if shuttles liked to fly in groups of twos, threes or by themselves. Surely if he learned quickly enough Skyfire would let him fly with him. Starfall didn't know why, but the idea was indescribably attractive. He could already picture it in his mind: him and Skyfire flying over the city when the sky was prettiest right before sunset. It was a sparkling's idealistic fantasy, but it gave Starfall a goal to work towards. When he was good enough he wanted Skyfire to be the bot he took his first long-distance flight with.

Oblivious to Starfall's daydreams, Skyfire reached into a subspace compartment on the inside of his right arm and withdrew an object. "I brought you something, Star. I hope you like it."

"Something for me?" A thrill of excitement went through Starfall. Except for Optimus and Offroad, no one had ever given him anything. For some reason, the thought of Skyfire giving him something made it feel even more special.

Skyfire bent and held out four strips of decorative sticker enamel between his palms. They were same shade of blue as Starfall's arms, legs and pelvic plating.

Starfall stared at them. "What are they?"

"They are wing stripes. Fliers often like to wear them. My friend once told me that no seeker worth his wings would ever think of leaving the ground without them. Not only are they decorative, but they also act as a form of identification so that anyone watching from the ground can tell who is who in the air. I myself have always favored red stripes. I thought you might like stripes of your own that coordinate with your color scheme."

All Starfall could do was stare at the colored strips in Skyfire's hands. He was too overwhelmed to do anything else. "You got me my own wing stripes?"

Skyfire nodded.

Starfall couldn't have stopped the squeal of excitement that burst from his throat line even if he'd wanted to. He snatched the stripes from Skyfire's hands with a face-splitting smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He wheeled around towards Optimus. "Dad! Can I put them on now? Please? I want to put them on before Skyfire teaches me how to fly!"

"Alright, Star, alright. Calm down," Optimus chuckled as he took the sticker strips Starfall waved at him. "You must stay still while Skyfire and I put them on for you."

It took every ounce of willpower in Starfall to do as his father directed as Optimus and Skyfire knelt on either side of him. They each took two sticker strips - one for each side of both wings - and held them up against his wings. Starfall tried to turn his head to see what they were doing.

"Don't move, Star," Skyfire cautioned as he unpeeled the back of one strip and positioned it against the front of his left wing. "We don't want to get your stripes uneven." He gently pressed it down and smoothed it out. Starfall giggled at the sensation. Optimus lined his own up to Skyfire's on Starfall's other wing and did the same.

"Now turn," Skyfire directed.

Starfall spun around, and Optimus and Skyfire did the same thing on the back of his wings.

"All done," Skyfire announced.

"How do I look?" Starfall demanded, futilely trying to look at his own wings over his shoulder. "Do they look good?"

"They look very nice, Star," Optimus said.

"You look like a real flier now," Skyfire agreed.

"Why don't you go look at yourself in the wash rack mirror?" Optimus suggested. "Then you can see for yourself."

Starfall needed no more encouragement and ran for the wash rack as fast as he could. The lights automatically came on as his skid into the room. A large mirror was bolted to the wall above the wash sink. Too small to see over the top of the sink by himself, Starfall had to pull out the step stool Optimus had gotten him to use. The sight that greeted him in the mirror made him gasp.

Skyfire had been right. He really did look like a flier now! Starfall couldn't help but think he almost looked like an adult with his wing stripes. Unable to stop admiring himself, Starfall turned and posed several different ways. A wildly happy grin smiled back at him from the mirror.

"Star?" Optimus called from down the hallway. "Let's hurry. You want Skyfire to teach you to fly before it gets dark, yes?"

"Coming, dad!"

Starfall let his optics gaze one last time at the broad blue stripes now decorating his wings. They were so pretty. Starfall couldn't get over them. And they had been given to him by Skyfire which made them extra special. Wearing them he felt like he could carry a little bit of Skyfire with him wherever he went. They made him feel closer to the giant mech. They were Skyfire's gift and they made him feel wanted and unexplainably safe. Nothing Offroad or even Optimus had ever given him made him feel the same way.

"Star?"

"Coming!"

Reluctantly tearing his optics away from his own image, Starfall ran out of the wash rack back towards the front door. Skyfire and Optimus were still there in the foyer, conversing in hushed voices. He happened to hear the very last bit of what Skyfire was saying.

"-was always so proud of them. Starscream would always replace his wing stripes as soon as one got scratched or began to peel at the edges. I am pretty sure he had enough of them stockpiled to replace them everyday for a lunar cycle if he had to."

"Who's Starscream?" Starfall asked as he ran up to them.

Optimus and Skyfire startled and exchanged guarded looks. Almost imperceptibly, Optimus nodded to Skyfire.

Skyfire delicately cleared his intake line. "Starscream was my seeker friend I once told you about."

"The one that's dead?"

Skyfire and Optimus shared another veiled look.

Skyfire reluctantly nodded his helm. "Yes. The one that's gone."

Starfall offered Skyfire a smile. "His name's like mine. Are there a lot of seekers with names with star in them?"

Both Skyfire and Optimus seemed to sag a little bit with relief, which Starfall found odd. Adults were so weird sometimes.

"I don't know," Skyfire said. "I have never been to Vos or met many other seekers. But I suspect there are."

"Can we start flying?" Starfall asked. He enjoyed talking with Skyfire - especially about seekers since he seemed to be the only one who'd ever had any real contact with any - but he was anxious to take to the air. He could already feel their limited time beginning to slip away.

"This way," Optimus said, motioning to the door. "I pulled some strings and found out the code for the maintenance door to the roof." Together, the three filed out of the domicile into the hallway. Starfall hung close to Skyfire, trailing after him. Optimus turned to the right and led them to a door at the very end of the hallway. It was strange but Starfall had never noticed it there before now. Optimus punched a short numerical code into the keypad beside the door. It clicked open. Optimus led them through and up a narrow set of stairs to another door. Skyfire had to walk slightly sideways to fit inside the stairwell. The second door did not have any keypad on it. Optimus pushed it open without resistance and suddenly the entire sky opened up above them. Starfall involuntarily gasped at the sight of it. No matter how many times he saw it he was still always taken aback by the sheer beauty of it. A dome of endless blue stretched out in every which direction above them. The sun still hung well above the highest skyscrapers lining the horizon, but the light was a noticeably more golden hue than it had been just a joor before. Although sunset was still joors away, Starfall could see the hazy outline of Cybertron's closest moon beginning to peek out against the blue.

A strong breeze suddenly whipped across the empty rooftop, pulling against the edges of Starfall's wing flaps. Starfall unconsciously leaned into the breeze. His wings flared out behind him to better soak in the sensation. If he'd been asked to describe the feeling of wind against his wings Starfall would have been at a loss of words. There was no way for him with his limited vocabulary to accurately describe such a thing. But if he had had to try he would have said it felt like freedom.

Beside him, Skyfire let his wings spread out behind him as well. He smiled as another breeze whistled across the rooftop. Starfall tried not to stare at the way Skyfire's wings swayed in the wind, magnificent and proud. A pang of jealousy-laced awe went through him. He could only hope that he one day looked as beautiful as Skyfire did at that moment leaning into the breeze. Even though he was a sparkling barely old enough to retrieve his own energon from the dispenser, Starfall could still recognize beauty when he saw it. And right now the most beautiful thing Starfall could think of was Skyfire.

"This is a perfect evening for flying," Skyfire said as he surveyed the roof. "The wind is not too strong to distract Star but present enough to give him a feel for different air currents and possibly give him an extra boost of lift."

"Why did we have to wait so long to start flying?" Starfall asked. "It's almost dark already. What if I don't learn fast enough to get off the ground tonight?"

Skyfire smiled. "We still have several joors before nightfall and I have total confidence in you finding your wings. You are already able to hover. The next step is just to teach you how to fully activate your thrusters. After that, all there is to flying is learning how to adjust yourself in the air and use the air currents to your advantage." Skyfire looked out over the closest edge of the roof at the city spread out below them. "We waited so late in the orn to start your lessons because there are so few fliers in Iacon. I did not want to cause any undue panic if anyone should see us. There was a time not too long ago when the sight of a seeker flying overhead would have meant an almost certain air raid on the city. Waiting until later in the evening means there will be less people out to see us."

"Oh," Starfall murmured. He hadn't been expecting such an explanation, but even to his young mind it made sense. Not many people seemed to like bots with wings. Almost none of the couples that visited the hatchling facility had ever wanted to come near him once they saw what model he was. They had all noticeably focused their attentions on the other sparklings - the ones with wheels instead of wings. Were wings really that bad a thing to have? Starfall had always loved the way his wings looked, even when no one else did. Just looking at Skyfire reaffirmed Starfall's belief that wings were possibly the most beautiful, useful things a bot could have.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Optimus asked. "Or should I simply take a seat and stay out of the way?"

Skyfire snickered. "Unless you have a jet pack, Optimus, you unfortunately aren't going to be able to offer much help in this department."

Optimus held his hands out from his sides in a gesture of surrender. Starfall could tell by the crinkle of protomatter at the corners of the optics that his father was smiling good-humouredly underneath his mask. "Then Star is in your capable hands now."

"You're going to stay and watch, though, right, dad?" Starfall asked. Despite Skyfire's misgivings about others seeing them Starfall was anxious for an audience.

"Of course," Optimus nodded. "I wouldn't miss seeing your first flight for anything. Just listen to Skyfire and do whatever he says and I will be waiting here for you when you land."

"Okay," Starfall grinned.

Optimus gave him one last encouraging nod. He then strode away towards the roof's outer wall. There, he sat on the edge and made himself comfortable as though preparing for a performance.

Starfall eagerly turned his attention to Skyfire.

"The first thing I want you to do, Star, is to show me how you hover."

"Okay."

Starfall activated the miniature turbines in his thrusters. Slowly, he rose off the ground until his pedes were no longer touching solid ground. Starfall held his arms out to either side of him, surfing the air for balance. It took effort to keep aloft, even if it was only a few feet. His pedes kept wanting to shoot out from under him and spill him backwards onto the rooftop. He fought against the negative resistance. In some corner of his mind he knew he probably looked as clumsy as a newspark standing on his legs for the first time, but there was no denying that he was no longer on the ground.

"That's very good, Star," Skyfire praised. "Now, while you're still hovering, I want you to turn around so that you're facing the opposite direction. Try not to let your pedes touch the ground."

Starfall struggled to do as Skyfire instructed. As soon as he tried to edge one thruster out to try and maneuver himself, his other thruster wanted to shoot out from under him in the opposite direction. It took several attempts - one of which almost ended with him pitching forward and face-planting into the rooftop - but Starfall finally did it.

"Very good," Skyfire said. "Now try it again, but this time I want you to let your wings help you. You are trying to steer too much with your thrusters. Let your wings follow the air current and help counterbalance you. They are not just there for show. Flying is a combination of lift, thrust and glide. You must use all three at the same time in order to fly."

Starfall grit his dentas together in concentration. Skyfire made it sound so simple. How was he suppose to use his wings to help? If anything, while trying to hover, they off-balanced him in such a way it made him want to tip backwards.

Doubt began to creep into Starfall. What if he couldn't do what Skyfire said? What if he could never figure out how to use his wings and all he was ever able to do was hover? Skyfire would never want him as a flying partner if he couldn't get more than a meter off the ground. What if he was the first flier in history who was unable to fly? He'd be such a failure Skyfire would never want to visit him again. Optimus would surely be disappointed in him too. He'd seemed so excited to see him learn how to fly.

Consumed by these and a thousand other thoughts, Starfall was unable to compensate fast enough to stop himself from pitching to the side when his left thruster suddenly slid out from under him. He stumbled sideways and went down hard on his backside. Starfall hollered a cry of frustration and pain.

Skyfire was instantly beside him. He knelt down on one knee and helped Starfall pull himself off the ground.

"I can't do it, Skyfire! I'm no good!" Starfall wailed. An unbidden ring of static began to fuzz the edges of his visual readout.

Skyfire was unfailingly calm. "Nonsense. That was only your first attempt. Everyone falls their first time lifting off. You're just trying to think too much. You're not letting your programming help guide you." Skyfire gently pushed Starfall around so that he was facing away from him. "What are these?" he asked, running the tip of one finger along the underside of Starfall's right wing.

"Wing flaps," Starfall sullenly muttered.

"That's right. And what do wing flaps do?"

"They move up and down to help with lift."

"Correct. Although you might not be high off the ground or have any propulsion pushing you, you can still use them. You were trying to use your entire wing to help steer instead of manipulating its different parts to help you do what you wanted. I want you to try hovering and turning around in place again. But this time I want you to relax and let your wings move the way they want to. Don't try to fight against what your programming is already telling them to do. Also, try keeping your legs stiff. It will help keep your thrusters steady under you."

Starfall hesitated. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself anymore than he already had.

"I know you can do it, Star," Skyfire reassured him. He offered Starfall a gentle smile. "You were made to do this."

"You really think so?"

Skyfire chuckled. "I am positive."

Starfall perked at Skyfire's reassurance. "Ok. I'll try again."

"Excellent." Skyfire backed away to give Starfall room.

Starfall took a moment to collect himself. He took a deep intake of air and vented it. He could do this. Skyfire said he believed he could. If Skyfire thought he could fly than he had to be able to. Skyfire wouldn't lie to him.

Activating his thrusters, Starfall lifted off the rooftop several feet. Once again his thrusters tried to shoot out from under him. This time, however, Starfall made an extra effort to keep his legs stiff as Skyfire suggested. It seemed to help. He hovered for a klick to make sure he didn't suddenly lose control. When he didn't and his thrusters remained firmly underneath him he decided to try and turn in place.

Cautiously, he edged one thruster out give him the momentum to turn. As before, he began to wobble midair. He immediately tried to compensate by using his other thruster to adjust the imbalance.

"Remember what I said, Star: relax and let your wings help you," Skyfire called.

Starfall spread his wings out behind him. They quivered in the breeze. Forcing himself to relax he let his wings move with the wind. The unsteady wobble of his hover eased. Starfall spared Skyfire a quick glance. The giant mech was smiling.

Grinning with renewed confidence, Starfall wiggled his wing flaps. He immediately understood what Skyfire had been trying to explain. With only a slight adjustment he could manipulate his wing flaps to catch the wind or angle them into the breeze for less resistance.

Why had he never realized this before?

Dropping one set of wing flaps down on his left wing Starfall smoothly corkscrewed in the air until he was facing the opposite direction. Giggling victoriously, he dropped the wing flaps on his right and spun around back towards Skyfire. Now that he knew what to do, it felt like second nature to spin through the air.

"I did it, Skyfire! I really did it! Did you see?"

"I saw it, Star. That was excellent." Skyfire walked closer, grinning broadly. Starfall drank in his praise.

"Can we fly now?" he eagerly asked. He spun around midair again with a small kick of his thruster. He relished the flow of wind on his wings and face.

Skyfire chuckled. "One thing at a time. You still need to learn to regulate your thruster power so you can control your altitude."

Starfall looked down. It was true. He was still depressingly low to the ground. He wanted to go higher, closer to the clouds. "How do I do that?"

Skyfire came closer until he stood right in front of Starfall. Hovering as high off the ground as he was, Starfall was almost eye-level with Skyfire's knee joints. The larger mech bent at the waist and reached out to Starfall. He gently took one of Starfall's hands in either of his own. He only had to use his fingers to do so. "To fully activate your thrusters you have to learn to divert more power to them. I want you to push as much power into their output as you can now, alright?"

"Okay," Starfall nodded. Focusing on his feet he pushed an extra boost of power into his pedes' turbine engines. Starfall squealed in shock when he rocketed straight up into the air. The only thing that kept him from shooting away into the heavens was Skyfire anchoring him down by his hands. He was now hovering well above Skyfire's head. "Ah! Skyfire, help! I'm too high!"

"You're doing fine, Star. I won't let you go," Skyfire chuckled. His hold on Starfall's hands remained reassuringly strong. "Ease off on your power input. Get a feel for how much energy you have to expend to drop or gain altitude."

Starfall cut the power input to his thrusters by half. He immediately plummeted several feet. Instinctively, he fired more energy into his thrusters and caught himself before he could fall past Skyfire's chest. Shakily, he got his bearings back and hovered steadily at eye level with Skyfire.

"Very good, Star," Skyfire grinned. "I think you're getting the hang of this very quickly." He still had yet to let go of Starfall's hands.

"I am?" It didn't feel like it, but Starfall was willing to take any praise Skyfire offered him.

"Indeed. Would you like to go higher?"

Starfall hesitated. He did want to go higher - as high as he could, straight up into outer space even! - but he was humble enough to know that no matter how much Skyfire praised him, his skills were still nowhere near good enough for him to fly away into the sunset like he did in his fantasies just yet.

"What if I fall? What if I don't use enough power and I hit the ground? I'll go squish like a human."

"I won't let that happen," Skyfire reassured him. He activated his thrusters and lifted off the rooftop to hover midair in front of Starfall. He still tightly clasped Starfall's hands in his own. "I will be right there beside you. If you should fall - which I don't think you will - I will be there to catch you. I promise. I will not let anything bad happen to you while you're with me."

Starfall stared into Skyfire's optics, stunned speechless by the sincerity in the giant mech's voice.

"Do you trust me?"

Starfall immediately nodded. "Yea."

Skyfire smiled. "Then let's go." Still holding Starfall's hands, he began to rise in the air. Starfall pushed more power into his thrusters to match Skyfire's ascent. Together they climbed higher into the sky. With Skyfire holding his hands Starfall felt a renewed sense of confidence. No longer did he fear plummeting to his death. As they rose Starfall could feel the change in air pressure and noticed the stronger gusts of wind against his wings. His wing seemed to instinctively know how to move in the breeze as if he'd done this a hundred times before. Maybe it was because of the knowledge that Skyfire was there to catch him if something happened or maybe it was his growing self-confidence, but Starfall kicked one leg out behind him and fired his thruster at full power. The movement caused him and Skyfire to begin to slowly rotate in the air as they rose. Starfall chortled mischievously. Kicking his other foot out he fired his thruster again and reversed their spin into the opposite direction.

"You're doing so well," Skyfire chuckled. "You're an absolute natural." He let Starfall's antics direct their course. Spiraling ever upward into the blue Skyfire glanced down. "Look, Star. See how high you are."

Starfall ceased their spinning. Looking down between his and Skyfire's bodies, Starfall was shocked to see that the rooftop they'd just been standing on had shrunk into a tiny square. He couldn't even spot his father's bright red and blue armor against the intricate maze of rooftops spread out below them. The city seemed to have dropped out from under him and Skyfire, leaving them floating alone in a vacuum of endless blue. It was the silence that startled Starfall the most up there. Except for the reassuring hum of their thrusters there was nothing else to break the silence.

Starfall gasped. He instinctively clutched Skyfire's hands tighter. "We're so far up!"

"We are," Skyfire agreed. He seemed amused by Starfall's reaction. "We're higher now than any non-flier with a jet pack would dare go. Non-fliers generally fear heights. And for good reason on their parts. If their jet pack were to suddenly run out of fuel or they made a mistake, it could cost them their life. But we fliers are different. We don't have anything to fear in the air. We were built to fly. We were made to be this high and enjoy the view. As long as you remember that you should never have to worry about falling out of the sky."

Skyfire slowly drifted away from Starfall and began to release his hold on Starfall's hands.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Starfall instinctively clutched Skyfire's hands tighter. "Don't let me drop!"

Skyfire smiled. "I already told you, Star, you have nothing to fear in the air. You do not need me. You are flying on your own now. See?" He completely let go of Starfall's hands.

Starfall gasped. His plating instinctively flattened down against his protoform. He tensed, waiting for gravity to grab hold of him and yank him back down to the rooftops. It took him half a klick to realize he wasn't falling. He remained where he was - hovering midair several hundred feet above the ground. His expression must have betrayed his shock because Skyfire laughed. The larger mech drifted closer. His wings were spread magnificently behind his back in the wind. The light shined against their polished edges.

"Like I said: you do not need me. You're a real flier now. You can do this all on your own." The smile he gave Starfall beamed with pride.

Starfall hovered for a moment of sheer speechlessness. "I'm really flying," he whispered more to himself than Skyfire. Tentatively, he pushed more power into his thrusters and corkscrewed around. He did the same in the opposite direction and spun back towards Skyfire. "I'm really flying!"

"Come," Skyfire smiled. "Let's do a few passes over the buildings." Leveling his body horizontal to the ground, Skyfire's thrusters flared and he shot away.

Starfall grinned. Pushing as much power into his turbines as he could he sped after Skyfire. Starfall easily caught up to him. He leveled himself out by Skyfire's side. The two looked at each other and shared a conspiratorial grin.

"Shall we try some banking maneuvers?" Skyfire asked.

Starfall eagerly nodded. He relished the feel of wind against his faceplates and the feel of the air cutting across the tops of his wings. But more so than anything else, Starfall relished the fact that Skyfire was flying beside.

"To bank to the left we're going to tip our bodies slightly to the left and raise out right wing tip up. Just be sure not to tip too sharply or you will bank straight into me. Ready?"

"Yea!"

"Alright. Here we go."

Skyfire tilted his body and began to veer away from Starfall to the left. Starfall tipped himself to follow Skyfire's lead. The horizon tilted in front of him and he was once again by Skyfire's side.

"Let's do the same in the other direction now."

Starfall matched Skyfire's maneuver perfectly this time and they remained right beside each other. Starfall couldn't stop the grin that split his face. He and Skyfire were flying together! They were like real flying partners! Just like he'd always wanted.

With Skyfire leading, the two traces lazy figure 8's back and forth through the sky.

"In not too many vorns you will be old enough to take on an alt-mode," Skyfire said as they banked and twirled through the air. "Do you have any idea what form you might like to take?"

"A jet!" Starfall instantly said. "I want to fly fast! Faster than anyone else! Jets are suppose to be one of the fastest flying models."

Skyfire turned his head and stared at Starfall with a look that made Starfall pause. The look was strange - like Skyfire was sad and happy all at the same time. "What?" Had he said something wrong?

"Nothing, Star. You just remind me so much of my friend." Abruptly looking away from Starfall, Skyfire scanned the tangle of buildings spread out below them. "Can you pick out your apartment building from up here?" he asked.

Starfall scanned the layout. "There!" he pointed. "That one. I recognize the signal light on top."

"Very good, Star. One of the most important skills a flier must have is the ability to read the ground below so he knows where he is. Things look very differently from the air than from the ground." Skyfire banked slightly to the right. Starfall matched his course. "My own building is that one there." He pointed to a mid-sized high-rise to the east. Starfall was startled to realize how close it was to his own domicile. He and Skyfire probably lived only a few kilometers away from each other.

Skyfire banked to the left. "We should begin to head back. It is starting to get dark." He was right. The sun was getting closer to the horizon. The moon was larger and even brighter in the sky than it had been when they first started Starfall's lesson. A band of murky blue was beginning to color the horizon opposite to the sun.

"Alright," Starfall reluctantly murmured.

Skyfire chuckled. "Do not sound so sad, Star. There will be many more times to fly later."

"Can I go flying with you again some time?"

"Of course," Skyfire smiled. "I enjoy flying with you very much. Whenever you want to go, I am but a comm-link call away."

Starfall grinned.

Skyfire returned it. "We should go back now. Your father will be waiting. I am sure he is anxious to hear all about your first flight."

As Skyfire banked towards Starfall's apartment building, Starfall made an effort to memorize that moment of time to his hard drive so he could remember it later - the absolute perfection of him and Skyfire flying side by side in perfect unison, alone in the empty vastness of the sky. It was so perfect a mental image Starfall immediately made it his new go-to happy memory. If only he could freeze this moment of time in an endless loop and fly with Skyfire for the rest of time. It would be the perfect eternity - one Starfall would sacrifice anything for in order to keep Skyfire as his flying partner. With no one else did Starfall feel so comfortable around or so drawn to. The feeling was so strong it almost made Starfall wonder if he hadn't already met Skyfire somewhere before that day of the party.

That was impossible though, Starfall reminded himself. There was no way he would have forgotten Skyfire if he'd ever met him before.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight: Brave New World

"Star?"

Starfall groaned and tried to curl deeper into the padded surface of his berth. He refused to activate his optics or move from where he lay. His wings twitched lethargically behind him.

"Come on, Star. Time to reboot." A large hand took him by the shoulder plate and gently jostled him.

Starfall groaned in protest, but obediently activated his optics. His engines purred as they spooled up inside of him. A diagnostic display appeared on his visual readout as all of his auxiliary systems were brought back online. Starfall groggily blinked the haze of static from his visual display to find Optimus standing by the side of his berth, leaning over him. His father offered him a warm smile. The hand that had been shaking him moved to his back struts and encouragingly rubbed between his wings.

"Good morning, Star. It's time to get up."

"Five more klicks," Starfall mumbled. He was sure his father was trying to help wake him up by rubbing his back, but in reality it only made Starfall want to fall back into recharge more. He let his optics dim again as he nuzzled down into the berthmat.

Optimus chuckled. "I don't think so. Time to rise. You don't want to be late for your first day at the academy, do you?"

Starfall's optics flashed back online. He gasped and sprung up from the berthmat. "School starts today!" He was now fully awake.

"That's right," Optimus smiled. "So you should get up and start getting ready. We leave in four deca-klicks. Go use the wash rack, then come to the dispenser to get your morning fuel."

Starfall scrambled up off the berth and slid down over the side. "Alright!" Racing out of his room he ran for the wash rack down the hall. The lights automatically blinked on as he skid inside. Starfall chortled to himself. The wash rack was the only room in the domicile with such slick floor tiling. If he ran fast enough and skid on his thrusters he could sometimes slide all the way across the wash rack. Today he only managed to get three-quarters of the way.

Starfall gave a quick glance around the sliding door of the shower stall. The tiling inside was already wet - the shower head still dripping water - meaning that Ironhide and Optimus had already taken their morning wash. Starfall smiled. That meant he didn't have to hurry as much. He liked to stand under the shower jet with his face turned up into the spray, optics offline, and imagine he was flying through a rainstorm. When he'd still been a ward of the hatchling facility it had been one of his favorite fantasies. It had been a way for him to escape the suffocating confines of the facility besides just through his stories. Such flights of fancy were no longer such a necessity - not since Optimus adopted him - but Starfall still sometimes liked to indulge.

Starfall motioned the water jets on and stepped inside the rack. He slid the glass door close. Other sparklings his age might have required help from a guardian to wash themselves but Starfall had been seeing to his own maintenance since he was old enough to reach the wash rack controls himself. Although he liked the idea of having Optimus there to help him if he needed it, Starfall was too proud to relinquish his independence when it was not required.

The water jets instantly doused him, enveloping him in a cocoon of misty warmth. Streams of cleanser-laced fluid ran between the edges of his plating down to his protoform. Starfall slowly turned and twisted underneath the powerful spray, letting the cleanser-solvent wash away the grime from his frame. The day before, a few hours before dusk, Optimus had accompanied him up to the roof of the apartment building to let him fly several low circles over the building. While Optimus watched from below, Starfall let himself enjoy the freedom of flight. He liked to think he was getting better with each flight he took. The only downfall to flying Starfall had discovered was the extra accumulation of dust and other airborne particles under his plating - most notably around his shoulder vents and wing flaps. If he went flying the night before, Starfall always noticed an increase of dirt in the cleaning solvent the next morning. It always made Starfall cringe to see so much grime and know that it had come off of him.

When the water finally began to run clear Starfall shut the jets off. He stood for a moment to let the majority of the fluid drip off before activating the power dryer in the shower rack ceiling. The fans roared to life and within several nano-klicks the water that had been pooled underneath his plating was blasted off his protoform onto the floor. Wiggling his wing flaps to shake the last little bit of moisture from them, Starfall left the stall. He went to the sink and pulled his step stool out from underneath. Standing on it, Starfall admired himself in the mirror. His plating shined in the overhead lights. He liked the solvent his father stocked the wash rack with; it made his armor shine a way the shower racks at the hatchling facility never had.

Starfall smiled and turned to the side to look at himself from a different angle. The wing stripes Skyfire had given him stood out boldly against the pure white panes of his wings which made Starfall smiled even wider. He wanted to look especially good today. It was his first day at the academy and he wanted to make sure he made a good impression. Optimus once told him how important first impressions were. That was what people judged you by every time they saw you again afterwards. Starfall trusted his father's wisdom. He didn't really understand what being a Prime meant or what Optimus's job really entailed, but he knew it was important and recognized how everyone they met treated his father like he was some kind of king or living god from one of his stories. If anyone knew about how to make others like him it was Optimus.

Starfall turned to look at himself straight on again. He hoped he made a good impression today. He *had* to. His father had gone to a lot of trouble getting him into a good school, and judging by the reactions of everyone Optimus had told that day of the big party the academy in district 11 was *very* special. He couldn't let his father down.

Starfall was looking forward to finally be able to go to school. When he'd come online in the hatchling facility he had received all his basic function information in a software download sometime during his first deca-cycle of life. Such information included his first sub-routines of language development, basic motor skills and internal data-processing commands. Everything else he knew he'd acquired through time, experience, what he'd picked up by reading data pads and listening to what the workers of the hatchling facility talked about when they didn't think he was there or listening. To finally have the opportunity to receive formal instruction and be taught everything he'd always wanted to learn was a dream come true.

More than anything else, though, Starfall was looking forward to being around other sparklings his age. In the hatchling facility, he'd often been around sparklings. But every time a new batch came online, he rarely ever got to spend more than a few deca-cycles with them before they were old enough for adoption. Every newsparks he played with or he decided he liked the best out of the latest batch would inevitably be chosen by some couple who wanted nothing to do with him and take that sparkling away, leaving Starfall, once again, alone. Every time a new batch of newsparks had come online Starfall would spend all his time in the recreation room with Mayday soaking up every nano-klick of time he could with them. He liked playing with newly gestated sparklings. Helplessly uncoordinated and supplied with only the most basic language skills that allowed them to chirp and warble, they were small enough to be picked up and held by Starfall and were easily entertained. Newsparks didn't care what kind of model he was or if he had wings. Newsparks only cared about how long Starfall was willing to play with them before they got tired and how much he could make them chortle with laughter. Life was simpler around other sparklings.

Or at least Starfall hoped that was still true outside the walls of the hatchling facility. He had no idea what to expect when Optimus took him to the academy. Would the other sparklings like him? Would they want to be his friends? If he could find just one who wanted to be his friend Starfall would be happy. Just the thought of having someone else his age to play and spend time with made Starfall both excited and nervous. It was all he'd ever wanted besides finding a nice family to adopt him.

Starfall critically studied his reflection in the mirror. Did he look good enough to make others want to be his friend? He wasn't sure. The wing stripes Skyfire gave him only did so much to improve his appearance. What else could he do to make sure he made a good first impression?

Looking around the wash rack Starfall spotted a canister of polish sitting on one of the higher shelves of the storage unit beside the shower stall. It was higher than another sparkling Starfall's height would have been able to reach, but no other sparklings Starfall knew of were seekers. It took only a short burst of power from his thrusters to jettison far enough off the ground to reach it.

Starfall returned to his step stool with the canister of polish. He opened it and examined the thick white paste inside. Starfall tentatively ran one fingertip across the top of it and rubbed the residue between his fingers. A strong, clean smell immediately filled his olfactory receptors. Starfall smiled. This was his father's special armor polish. Optimus had pointed it out to him sometime during Starfall's first few orns living there. It was a special mixture with fancy oil additives Optimus only used for special events when he needed to look exceptionally good.

Starfall stared at his polish-covered fingertips, suddenly unsure of himself. Should he use it? He'd never used polish before but he understood the basic idea of how to apply it. But more than that he wasn't sure what Optimus would say about it if he did. As far as he knew Ironhide didn't even use Optimus's special polish. Would his father care? He didn't want to make his father angry, but the unspoken pressure to impress his future classmates looming over Starfall's head far outweighed any fear of his father he might have had.

Starfall vented a heavy cycle of air. Hesitation wasn't going to get him anywhere.

Starfall dunked his fingers into the polish and scooped out a large glob of it. Setting the canister aside on the edge of the sink, Starfall went to work rubbing the polish into a workable paste between his hands. It took only a few klicks to smear the polish across his arms and shoulders, and a few more to get a second helping to finish covering his chest plate and leg struts. He tried to get as much of his wings as he could but was only able to reach the middle portion of them. Working the polish in as best he could everywhere he could reach Starfall finally grabbed a rag from the storage unit underneath the sink unit and began to slow process of wiping all the excess polish from his frame. It took several rags to complete the job but he finally wiped the last of it away.

Starfall took a moment to examine himself in the mirror. He offered his reflection a tentative smile. For his very first attempt applying polish he thought he'd done a pretty good job. His armor gave off a pretty shimmer in the light when he moved. On the white parts of his plating, if he looked close enough, it looked like there were little flecks of diamond dust mixed in with the polish. Starfall marveled at the effect. His father's polish really was special.

"Star?" Optimus called from down the hall. "Are you alright? Do you need any help in there?"

"No, dad. I'm all done!"

"Hurry and come get your energon then. It's almost time for us to leave."

"Coming!"

Starfall gave himself one last glance in the mirror, then turned for the door. He went down the hallway to the main area of the domicile. Optimus was sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchenette table. He was leisurely sipping at a cube of energon while simultaneously listening to the newsfeed playing on the tele-consol in the common area. A half cube of energon sat ready on the table in front of the empty chair across from him. There was no sign of Ironhide; he must have already left for the day.

Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible Starfall went to the chair Optimus had set his morning energon at.

"What was taking you so long in the wash rack?" Optimus asked as Starfall clambered up onto the chair. "Usually you're much quicker getting ready in the morn-"

Optimus abruptly fell silent. His optics ran up and down Starfall's frame, scrutinizing him.

Starfall hunched down into his seat.

"Star, did you use something different today in the wash rack? Something besides the normal shower solvent?"

Starfall cringed. He should have known better than to think his father wouldn't notice his new wax job. "No," he instinctively lied.

His father's gaze did not waver from him. "Are you sure?"

"Yea."

Optimus's optic ridges furrowed together in a serious expression. "Really? Then why do you have streaks of polish around your shoulder joints?"

Starfall followed Optimus's gaze and was mortified to see he was right. Lining the edges of most of his plating were streaks of chalky white residue - the dried remains of the polish he'd missed while wiping it off. He looked back up at Optimus to find him staring at him expectantly. Although Optimus didn't look particularly angry, his facial plates were set in a stern frown.

"Do you want to tell me the truth now, Star?"

Starfall looked down into his lap, unable to bear the weight of his father's gaze. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to look nice for my first day of academy. So I used your special polish."

"Why did you lie to me, Star?" The question wasn't accusatory or angry. If anything Optimus sounded almost… hurt.

"I don't know! I'm sorry. I just didn't want to get in trouble for using your polish."

"That is no reason to lie," Optimus said. He held Starfall's gaze steadily with his own. His lips were turned down in a sad frown. "You must never lie, Star. Lying is a very bad thing to do. Even if you do something wrong, you must always tell the truth. It might feel like the most difficult thing you ever have to do, but even if you do something wrong no one can speak ill of you if you take responsibility for your actions and tell the truth. Do you understanding what I'm saying?"

"Yes," Starfall murmured. "I'm sorry." He wanted to sink right down into the floor and disappear. He risked a hesitant glance up at Optimus. "Are you mad at me?"

Optimus shook his helm. "No. Just a little disappointed that you didn't immediately tell me the truth."

Starfall hung his head lower. Disappointed? Disappointed was even worse than angry. He'd almost have preferred to have Optimus yell at him than look at him with such disappointment in his optics. When he used Optimus's polish he'd never wanted to make Optimus think badly of him. A thin ring of static began to fuzz the edges of his visual readout.

"I'm sorry," Starfall insisted in a tight whine. "I won't ever lie again. I promise."

Optimus offered Starfall a soft smile. "I accept your apology, Star. Thank you for telling me the truth." He got up from his seat and motioned Starfall to follow him. "Come. Let's see if we can't fix those polish streaks and even you out. I see at least three spots you missed."

Starfall was still feeling too embarrassed and chastised to say anything. He quietly followed Optimus down the hallway back to the wash rack.

Optimus pulled out Starfall's step stool for him from underneath the sink. "Up you go."

Starfall sullenly mounted the stool and looked at himself in the mirror. His wings drooped at what he saw. The reflection that stared back at him was not the same one he remembered when he first looked at himself in the mirror. When he'd first wiped himself off Starfall had though he'd done a satisfactory job of applying his own polish. No longer blinded by naïve self-assurance, Starfall now saw how easy it had been for Optimus to catch him in his lie. Streaks of dried polish decorated his entire frame along with multiple patches of armor he'd missed entirely. Turning a little to the side Starfall only now realized he'd been in such a rush that he hadn't even thought of doing the back parts of his armor. That wasn't to mention the areas of his frame he'd been completely unable to reach.

In a word: he looked horrible.

Starfall looked away from his reflection, unable to bear the sight of himself anymore. It was too painful to look at. How did he ever think he looked good? How did he not see those streaks and dried smears? How did his father manage to keep a straight face and not burst into laughter when he came into the kitchenette? Starfall was so embarrassed he swore he could feel his face plates heating up. The ring of static around his visual readout thickened.

His father must have sensed his embarrassment because he came up behind Starfall and offered him a gentle smile in the reflection. "Don't be upset, Star. I'm not angry and this is nothing we can't fix. You missed a few places here and there but it's not the end of the world."

"I look horrible! How are we gonna fix this? Everybody's going to laugh at me!"

"No they're not," Optimus calmly said. He reached around Starfall and picked up the canister of polish from the side of the sink. He opened it and scooped out a small glob of it out onto his fingertips. "This is a relatively easy fix." Rubbing the polish into a thin paste, he reached underneath the sink and withdrew several rags from the storage unit there. He set them on the side of the sink for later. "Alright, arms out," he sing-songed.

Starfall did as he was instructed, his head hanging down his chest in shame.

Optimus took hold of Starfall's right arm and began to spread the polish across his plating in short, practiced strokes. "I think your problem was that you used too much polish before," he said as he worked. "That was why you weren't able to get all of it off before it dried. It's cases like this where less is actually more." Optimus finished reapplying polish to Starfall's right arm and moved on to his left.

As Optimus worked, Starfall reluctantly began to relax. His father's touch was reassuring and calm. If anyone could get him ready before they had to leave, it was him.

Optimus finished Starfall's arms and moved on to his wings. Starfall instantly melted under the feel of strong hands massaging circles up and down both sides of his wings. He was so soothed by the sensation he no longer remembered to be embarrassed.

"You completely missed the backs of your wings, Star, along with a good portion of the fronts," Optimus observed.

"I couldn't reach," Starfall murmured. "My arms aren't long enough."

Optimus nodded with a hum. "Yes. That can sometimes be a problem even for bots without wings. I myself sometimes have trouble reaching my shoulder struts."

"How do you get them then?"

"They make special sponges on the ends of long handles that make it easier to reach trouble spots. I have one in the storage closet in the hallway." Optimus finished with Starfall's wings and took another helping of polish to start on his legs. Starfall remained still, enjoying the attention. "I don't understand, though, Star, why you didn't come and ask me for help. I would not have denied you the use of polish or been angry about you asking."

"Not even your special polish?"

Optimus's lips twisted in a wry smirk. "I admit this polish is rather special and only used for special occasions, but I could have found you something else just as good, if not something easier to use. This is a special formula made by an old friend of mine named Sunstreaker. It looks beautiful, but it is extremely difficult to apply properly. Ironhide refuses to even deal with it, it's so troublesome. You might not have noticed yet but Ironhide have very little patience for superficial things like this. I usually have to force him to wax himself for formal events."

Starfall snorted. During his time in the Prime household thus far he had noticed Ironhide's general dislike for things like polish and other fancy things. Starfall would have almost enjoyed seeing the look on Ironhide's face if Optimus presented him with Sunstreaker's special polish to use.

Optimus finished with Starfall's legs and reached for one of the rags he'd set aside earlier. Starting on Starfall's arms he began to rub the residue from his frame. Starfall's plating gleamed in the wake of Optimus's ministrations.

"So why didn't you come to me for help? Surely you know by now you can come to me for anything."

"I know," Starfall murmured. "I just… don't like asking for help. When I was in the hatchling facility it was just easier to do things myself. Even if I asked, no one ever seemed to want to actually help me, so I just learned how to do things by myself."

Optimus vented a sad sigh. "You've been alone for so long you don't know how to rely on others." He caught Starfall's optics in the mirror and held his reflection's gaze. "Promise me you will come to me for anything. Please, Star? That's part of my job as your father to take care of you. You don't have to do everything on your own anymore. You have me now."

Starfall stared at Optimus's reflection, his spark clenching in his chest at the sincerity in Optimus's voice. He didn't trust himself to speak. Even now, several deca-cycles after Optimus found him, he was still at times taken aback that he finally had someone in his life who wanted to take care of him.

"Okay," Starfall said, too overwhelmed to say anything more.

Optimus smiled warmly at Starfall in the mirror, then turned his attention back to wiping off Starfall's frame. Finally, he wiped the last little bit of polish off of Starfall's pede. He stood straight and took a step back with a pleased grin. Starfall looked at himself in the mirror. He turned and twisted his body several different ways to inspect his father's handiwork. The effect was stunning. No longer were there any streaks of dried polish or uneven spots. Every inch of his plating shined as if his body was radiating a soft glow of light. The shimmery effect the polish had on the white plates of his body were even more noticeable now after Optimus's touchup. Sunstreaker's polish really was something special.

"I think that should be acceptable for your first day of academy," Optimus said. He set aside the used rags on the side of the sink. "What do you think? Did I do well?"

Starfall looked up at his father with static-fuzzed optics. Optimus had done better than well - he had saved Starfall from assured public humiliation. Unable to put the full magnitude of the gratitude he felt into words Starfall reached for Optimus. Standing on his step stool he was just tall enough to wrap his arms around his father's waist. "Thanks, dad," he murmured into Optimus's torso plating.

Optimus returned the hug, pulling Starfall tightly against his front. "You're welcome, son." He gently stroked the back of Starfall's helm with one hand. "Don't forget what I said before: you can come to me for anything. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

Starfall wordlessly nodded, unable to do anything else.

Optimus patted him between the wings and released him. He smiled down at Starfall. "Let's go get some fuel into you. We have to leave soon."

"Okay." Starfall hopped down off his step stool and pushed it back under the sink. Optimus gathered up the used rags and deposited them in the waste bin beside the door. Starfall walked close beside Optimus as father and son exited the wash rack and went back down the hall to the energon dispenser.

When he'd been a much younger sparkling still living in the hatchling facility, Fortran had once told Starfall about their race's cosmic-creator, Primus. Starfall had never quite understood what this Primus was or what he was suppose to do. He'd never seen him or noticed any of the wondrous things Fortran said he was responsible for. As far as Starfall understood it, Primus was the being those of his race prayed to when they wanted something or needed help. He'd never really believed the stories Fortran told him, but he had enjoyed them well enough as interesting tales to entertain him.

Lately, however, Starfall had begun to reevaluate his old views on Fortran's stories. When Fortran had first told him that Primus granted wishes to those who prayed to him, Starfall had immediately prayed to this invisible, supposedly all-knowing being to help him find a family to adopt him. He'd practically begged Primus to help him find a home only to be let down every time a new batch of sparklings came online. After the last batch he'd all but given up hope. Apparently Primus didn't listen to sparklings or think Starfall's wish was great enough to warrant his attention. It had only been recently that Starfall had begun to wonder if maybe Primus really hadn't heard his wish after all and sent Optimus to find him.

Sending a small prayer of thanks to Primus, Starfall risked asking one more wish: to find another sparkling his age to be just as good a friend to him as Optimus was a father. Surely if Primus answered one prayer, he would answer another.

Right?

********

Starfall goggled out the window of his father's alt-form cab as Optimus turned off the road into the transformation lot of district 11's Iaconian Academy of Advanced Primary Education. In many ways the academy reminded Starfall of the sector 12's hatchling facility: large, imposing, and extremely official looking. The main building was a mirrored tower that rose at least twenty stories above the ground. Starfall had to lean over Optimus's steering wheel and crane his neck back to see the top of it through the windshield.

"Tall, isn't it?" Optimus's disembodied voice rumbled through the cab.

"Yea," Starfall murmured. "I hope I have some classes on the top floor. I bet they have an awesome view up there."

Optimus chuckled. "I think most of the upper floors are for administrative use and not classrooms for students. In fact, I believe younger students are situated on most of the lower floors."

"Oh," Starfall murmured, disappointed. He leaned back from Optimus's windshield.

The cab unit vibrated with Optimus's amusement. "Don't fret, Star. Almost all the classrooms have windows. It was one of the things I looked for when the administrator showed me around the academy while you took your placement test the other deca-cycle."

Starfall nodded. He remembered. While his father was shown around the building by Catalyst, the school's administrator, Starfall had been given a short test. It was suppose to tell the teachers what grade level he was sorted into. It had been easy enough - some reading comprehension texts, mathematical equations and Cybertronian glyph recognition exercises. Optimus had said he'd done very well on it. His father had looked so proud when they'd gotten his test scores back. Starfall had immediately made it his goal to do his best in school just to see that look in Optimus's optics again.

Starfall looked out the side window of Optimus's cab unit. A number of other bots filled the transformation lot along with many sparklings of various ages. Starfall tried to see how many of his own age there were. He spotted several amongst the crowd. He tried to suppress the nervous knot that formed in the bottom of his fuel tank. His wings twitched against the seat back.

"Here we go," Optimus said as he pulled over to the side of the lot near the front entrance of the building. He swung his cab door open to let Starfall out. Starfall cautiously climbed down. Now that he was no longer ensconced in his father's cab unit he suddenly felt very exposed. All the other bots mingling in the transformation lot were strangers, none of them even the slightest bit familiar. He unconsciously flattened his wings against his back struts. He'd been in enough situations like this to know what happened next: the bots nearest to him would notice him and see what model he was. There would be a momentary pause, maybe even a double-take or two, and then the uncomfortable stares would start. He'd seen the same sequence play out every time a couple came to the hatchling facility to chose a sparkling. He'd seen it when Optimus had taken him out the day after adopting him to buy him new things for his room. And he'd seen it when they'd arrived at the big party the other deca-cycle. The only difference now was that there were other sparkling there Starfall's age to join in the staring.

Two mechs stood off to the side of where Optimus had pulled over. They each had an older sparkling probably a few vorns older than Starfall standing next to them. Except for a gold chevron adorning his helm, one of the younglings was almost an exact carbon-copy of his creator all the way down to his navy blue and white armor and gold detailing. Just as expected, the two mechs froze and stared at the sight of Starfall.

Starfall willed himself not cower or show that he noticed their looks or even cared. His father never let others bother him when they stared, so neither would he. He forced himself to remember how nice he looked in the mirror after Optimus touched up his wax job. There was nothing bad anyone could say about how he looked.

Optimus transformed to his root form behind Starfall. Starfall would have almost snickered at the startled looks of shock on the two mech's faces if it weren't for the fact that every other adult in the transformation lot was now staring at them. One of the only downfalls Starfall had noticed about having Optimus as a father was that the stares always increased once others noticed him. No matter where they went everyone always recognized Optimus. A murmur of confused awe rippled across the transformation lot. The murmured whispers only increased when Optimus stepped up beside Starfall and rested a hand on top of his helm. Whether to comfort him or to show possession of him, Starfall didn't know. In all honesty he didn't care. Either reason made Starfall lean up into his father's touch and edge closer to the side of his leg.

"Optimus Prime?" the mech with the identical son called. "Is that you?"

"Senator Scion?"

The navy blue and white mech hurried over to them. His son and the other mech and youngling were quick to follow. Scion and the other mech both offered Optimus obsequious bows of their helms. Starfall could feel his father stiffen beside him. Starfall didn't understand why, but Optimus never seemed comfortable when others did things like that around him.

"Senator Scion," Optimus nodded. "Senator Klaxon, it's a pleasure to see you as well."

The second senator - Klaxon - a dark green mech, smiled. "Optimus Prime, it is an honor to be able to see you in public outside of the Senate walls. Whenever we do see you it is usually to discuss some unpleasant matter of state. Please let me introduce you to my son, Gearslip," he motioned to the youngling accompanying him. "He is in his third vorn of study here."

"And this is my son, Aftershock," Scion said. He gestured to the identical sparkling beside him who stepped forward to give Optimus an exaggeratedly low bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Aftershock said. Despite Aftershock's closeness to Starfall's own age, Starfall couldn't help but think Aftershock sounded unnaturally polite for a sparkling.

Optimus gave a nod of acknowledgement to both younglings. "It is a pleasure to meet you both." He turned his attention back to Scion and Klaxon. "I did not know either of you had children enrolled here."

"We could say the same for you, Prime," Scion said. His gaze dropped to stare at Starfall. Starfall's plating instinctively flattened against his protoform. He could almost feel the weight of the senator's optics on him, critically looking him up and down. "Many in the Senate have heard rumors circulating ever since the Victory Day Anniversary that you and Consort Ironhide adopted a sparkling. Is this… seeker the child everyone is talking about?"

Starfall frowned. He didn't like the inflection Scion used. He couldn't properly explain why, but Scion made it sound like his model was something dirty. His wings fluttered stiffly behind him. Why did no one like his model type? What was so wrong with having wings or being able to fly?

Optimus's optics narrowed above the edge of his mask. The hand cupping Starfall's helm tightened. "Yes. This is my son, Starfall. Ironhide and I adopted him about a deca-cycle and a half ago. Yes, he is a seeker, but I would prefer it if you did not use his model as if it were his only identifying trait." Although Optimus's voice remained steady and calm, even Starfall heard the warning edge in it.

Scion also seemed to hear it and quickly tried to backpedal. "Forgive me, Sir. I meant no disrespect. It's just that seekers… ever since the end of the war… They're just so rare to see in any of the free city-states nowadays…"

"I know what people's general views on seekers are, but the war is over. It has been for a very long time," Optimus rumbled in a decidedly slow voice. Starfall found the effect slightly frightening. He'd never heard his father sound so serious before. "Starfall's make should not be an issue to anybody anymore. We are all one race now. I would hate to see the shame grudges and prejudices of the war-generation passed down to this new generation of younglings."

"Quite right, Prime, quite right," Senator Klaxon hastily agreed. "Senator Scion and I heard all your speeches about us being one race of Cybertronians again during the reconstruction years immediately after the war. I could not agree with you more. It is time to finally put our talk into action. Whatever model your son is, it is an honor to make the acquaintance of the Prime's son. I know he will make a fine addition to this institution's student body. Gearslip," Klaxon said, "say hello to the Prime's son."

The green and gold plated youngling dropped his head to Starfall in a practiced bow. "It is an honor to meet you, Starfall."

"Hi," Starfall murmured. In none of his day dreams did he ever imagine meeting other sparklings his age would feel so forced or awkward. He wondered if this was what it felt like for his father every time he had to deal with people who recognized him. If it was then he understood why Optimus didn't like meeting people in public now.

Scion instantly followed his colleague's example. He elbowed his son forward. "Aftershock," he prompted.

"It is an honor to meet you," Aftershock bowed.

"Hi," Starfall muttered back.

Scion smiled at Optimus. "I hope that our sons become fast friends, Prime. It would be a joy to see our children become beacon examples of the future you championed for after the war."

"I would like to see that too, Senator," Optimus politely agreed.

Starfall, however, sensed his father was only doing so out of social obligation. Although he had very limited interactions with people outside of the hatchling facility, Starfall sensed something off about the two mechs' interactions with his father. He couldn't explain why but he sensed a certain aura of tenseness from his father, as if he didn't really want to be talking with them despite his façade of politeness. The entire exchange felt overly stiff and formal, as if they were all actors playing out the scene of some drama Starfall didn't understand. As for Starfall, he had felt no connection with the two sparklings or gotten the sense that Aftershock and Gearslip would have come up to greet him if their creators had not ordered them to. If anything, the two senators seemed overly eager for their sons to befriend Starfall. Under normal circumstances Starfall would have been ecstatic. To have the promise of new sparklings his age to play with was what he'd been hoping to get out of going to school the most. But Optimus's stiffness made Starfall hesitate. It was almost as if Optimus didn't trust the two mechs but was just too nice to say so.

"It was a pleasure to see you, Senators, but if you will excuse us, Starfall and I must take our leave. We still need to speak to the academy's administrator before classes start. There is still some paperwork I need to fill out for Starfall's enrollment."

"Of course, Sir," Scion said, obsequiously nodding his head to Optimus. He spared Starfall a glance. "Welcome to the academy, Starfall. I hope to see more of you soon." His smile was unnatural broad as he stared Starfall down.

Starfall mutely nodded his helm. He couldn't think of anything to say. The senator's grin made him uncomfortable.

As Optimus steered Starfall away towards the entrance, Starfall glanced back over his shoulder plate. The two senators were staring after him and Optimus. There was a small smirk on Scion's face, his optics predatory and calculating. Starfall quickly adverted his gaze back around, trying not to squirm under the prickle of the senator's gaze on his back.

Several other adults called out to Optimus as they made their way across the transformation lot. Optimus acknowledged them all - addressing many of them as senators and the rest with other impressive titles Starfall had never heard before - but he did not stop to talk with anyone else. Starfall was glad. His encounter with the two senators had been enough for one day. Nor did he want to spend anymore time in the transformation lot than he had to. He felt exposed in the open where everyone could stare and gawk at his wings. Optimus seemed to sense Starfall's discomfort because he walked close beside him - close enough for Starfall's wingtip to just brush his leg. The feeling was comforting; it reminded Starfall that his father was there with him. The whispered murmurs of the other parents mingling in the transformation lot followed them across the lot and into the school. They only stopped when the doors slid close behind Starfall and Optimus, sealing them inside. Starfall knew better than to hope that there wouldn't be more whispers and stares directed towards him before the end of the day.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine: First Impressions

Starfall's footsteps tapped a lively, two-step beat to each of Optimus's measured strides. The hollow click of his thrusters against the polished floor of the hallway sounded somehow ominous to Starfall's audios as his and Optimus's pede-falls echoed away into the distance of the empty corridors. It reminded him of walking through the hallways of the hatchling facility late in the evening when most of the workers had left for the day. It reminded him of loneliness and the absence of any hope of someday escaping it. After his encounter with Senators Scion and Klaxon in the transformation lot, Starfall did not feel as optimistic about the day as he did earlier that morning at home. Nothing so far was turning out quite as he'd expected or hoped. Things were just so much more… *complicated* in the outside world. It was only now that Starfall realized how sheltered he'd been in the hatchling facility and then in his father's domicile. The world, he was beginning to realize, was not as nice as his stories had made him believe.

The exchange between his father and the two senators still baffled him. If Optimus didn't like them why didn't he just tell them so? And why did Scion make Starfall feel so uneasy? He'd done nothing threatening or mean to him - expect that one comment about his make which his father had stood up for him for quickly enough. There was just something about the senator that put Starfall on edge. He couldn't explain it. When he and Optimus had been walking away, the look Scion had stared after them with had made Starfall immediately think of a turbo fox. It reminded him of the first time he'd ever seen a turbo fox. It had been an illustration in one of his stories. In the picture the turbo fox had been gazing out towards the reader from behind a gnarled mess of wires - its optics glowing with cunningness and intelligence.

Starfall tried to remind himself he had no reason to let Scion or anyone else get to him. He had nothing to worry about as long as Optimus was there. His father was a Prime. No one disrespected him. When Optimus had stood up for him against Senator Scion Starfall's spark had swelled with a love so desperate and intense it felt like his spark would burst right out through his chest plate. No one had ever stood up for him like that before. If only Optimus could stay with him a little longer. As much as he would have enjoyed that Starfall knew Optimus's time with him was limited now. Starfall wasn't a newspark anymore. He was old enough to do things on his own, including going to school without having someone to hold his hand. His father couldn't accompany him to class or trail behind him the rest of his academic life. Starfall knew this and accepted it. None of the other sparklings needed their creators, so neither did he. But that didn't mean Starfall had to enjoy the situation. Ever since Optimus found him in the hatchling facility, the Matrix-bearer had become Starfall's rock and shield, his guiding light, his best friend and protector, his everything. Unconsciously, Starfall edged closer to Optimus. He wanted to savor what time he still had with Optimus before they were forced to separate company.

Optimus responded to Starfall's closeness by resting a reassuring hand on top of his helm.

Optimus and Starfall encountered surprisingly very few people in the hallways. Starfall did a quick calculation and figured there was still a good thirty klicks before classes were scheduled to start. The majority of students probably wouldn't start trickling in for another fifteen or twenty klicks. Starfall was glad. Those bots he and his father did encounter in the hallway - a few older sparklings and several adults, most likely teachers - all reacted the same way those in the transformation lot had. The sparklings mostly stared at Optimus, completely in awe of the red and blue semi. Apparently even school-age sparklings knew who the Matrix-bearer was. The adults, however, seemed more intrigued by Starfall. They all gave Optimus respectful nods and murmured greetings, but their optics always returned to the miniature seeker trailing by Optimus's side as if they were drawn to Starfall by magnets. The stares were not necessarily malicious or unfriendly, but they were scrutinizing. Starfall did his best not to squirm under their undressing gaze.

Optimus navigated the halls of the academy with exceptional ease. Starfall had accompanied Optimus through those same halls the day they went for Starfall to take his test but he remembered little about which way they'd gone. He'd still been too awestruck by the sheer size and grandeur of the institution to pay much attention to where they were going. All the hallways looked the same to Starfall - an institutionalized sterile while interspersed with doors all labeled with numerical glyphs.

"Here we are," Optimus announced as they turned a corner.

Starfall was relieved to finally recognize someplace. The academy's main office stood at the far end of the hall. Instead of solid walls, the office was separated from the hallway by a bank of plated glass. Through the glass Starfall counted at least half a dozen adults milling around behind a long counter. They seemed to be chatting amongst themselves while sipping at small cubes of heated oil.

"It would appear Catalyst has arranged a small welcome party for you, Star," Optimus cheerfully observed.

Starfall did his best not to balk and try to hide behind his father's legs. He felt the optics of all the adults swing towards them as Optimus opened the glass-plated door of the office and held it open for Starfall. Starfall reluctantly edged inside, hyperaware of all the stares directed towards him. For the second time that morning he was glad Optimus had helped even out his wax job. Despite his impeccable appearance his wings twitched self-consciously behind him under their gaze.

"Hello," Optimus greeted as he and Starfall stepped up to the counter.

The assembled group gave an enthusiastic chorus of greetings. A subdued shine of awe gleamed in all their optics as they beheld their Matrix-bearer. Behind the group of bots, from a hallway branching off the main office, appeared Catalyst. It was almost freaky, Starfall thought, how quickly he'd appeared. It was almost as if he'd been waiting around the corner of the hall for them just so he could show up at moment as if by chance. The administrator's facial plates were strained by a beaming smile. Starfall was struck by the sudden thought of how fake it looked - sugary and put-on.

I wonder if he practices smiling every morning in the mirror, he absentmindedly wondered.

"Optimus Prime, welcome, welcome," Catalyst greeted, coming around the side of the counter to meet them.

"Administrator Catalyst," Optimus nodded.

"I hope you do not mind that I called some of the academy's teachers and staff together to greet you. So many of them were eager to meet you after they heard about your son's enrollment here."

Optimus's voice carried the polished tone of politeness Starfall had noticed his father always adopted whenever he went out in public and had to interact with strangers. "Starfall and I are honored by the welcome. Do you do this for all your new students?"

The administrator's smile didn't falter. "Not in general. But then again, it is not everyday that the sparkling of a Prime attends our institution. I can't tell you how honored, not just me, but my entire staff, is by your decision to enroll Starfall here in District 11's academy. I can assure you the son of a Prime could find no better institution to attend in all of Iacon."

Optimus politely inclined his helm in agreement.

Catalyst smiled and motioned to the bots standing at attention behind the counter. "These are several of the teachers that will be overseeing the majority of Starfall's education for the first few vorns. As I mentioned to you before, our academy's student population is broken into three main age groups: sparklings, younglings and pre-upgrades. Starfall will have opportunities to interact with youth of all different ages, but for the most part he will attend classes with other sparklings his same age.

"This is Doubletime," Catalyst gestured to the bot nearest him - a tall, chrome plated mech. "He is in charge of all the younger students' mathematics courses."

Doubletime nodded to Starfall. "Hello-Starfall-I-look-forward-to-seeing-you-in-class-first-period-I-hope-you're-familiar-with-non-linear-quadratic-equasions-because-we'll-be-jumping-right-into-those-and-then-next-deca-cycle-we'll-be-moving-on-to-algebraic-functions-in-universal-base-ten-with-a-small-look-at-corellative-coefficient-functions-with-factorial-logarithms."

It took Starfall a moment to piece out just what Doubletime had said it was fired at him so rapidly. As Doubletime's named implied, he did not seem like a mech who was ever in short supply of words or the speed in which he delivered them. And he was to be his mathematics instructor?

Starfall's panic must have shown on his facial plates.

"Don't worry," Catalyst reassured. "Your test scores showed you should have no trouble at all keeping up in Doubletime's class."

Starfall wasn't so sure he shared the administrator's confidence.

Catalyst pointed to a white and blue-trimmed femme beside Doubletime. "This is Cascade. She will be your instructor for classical Cybertronian literature and glyphs."

The next in line was a younger looking silver mech. "This is Electro-cut. He'll be your computer science instructor.

"This is Backslide," Catalyst gestured to an older mech with a hard, chiseled, intellectual look to him. "He's in charge of all the history classes taught here." Backslide's stern expression reminded Starfall of Ironhide. Backslide looked like a mech who knew a lot about history and who most likely had been there to see a lot of it actually happen. Starfall took note to try to not get on this mech's bad side. He looked like he might have once been the field commander of a battalion in some long-ago war and who still liked to run his classroom like one today.

"And, finally, this is Firelight," Catalyst gestured to the last bot - a confident looking femme with black and purple plating. "She is the assistant administrator of the academy. She oversees everything that I, myself, cannot. Between the two of us, we run one of the best academies in all of Cybertron."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Firelight said to Optimus. She held her hand out to Optimus across the counter. As they shook, Optimus inclined his helm to her.

"The pleasure is all mine."

Firelight offered Starfall a crisp smile. "Welcome to District 11's academy, Starfall."

"Thank you, ma'am," Starfall replied. His father had begun teaching him the polite ways to address others, especially those older than him.

"There are several other instructors Starfall will have over his first few academic cycles here," Catalyst explained, "but they were unable to come to meet you this morning in person because of previous arrangements."

"That is perfectly alright," Optimus said. He swept his optics around to encompass the group of assembled teachers. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I am sure Starfall will learn a great deal from all of you."

Catalyst gave Optimus a charming smile. "It is almost time for class to start. We still have some paperwork to finish for Starfall's enrollment which we can finish in my private office. Firelight, would you be so kind as to accompany Starfall to his classroom?"

"Of course," the assistant administrator nodded.

Catalyst explained to Optimus, "Starfall has been assigned to classroom Alpha 4. He will stay with the same group of sparklings for most of his first few vorns here. All classes are taught in the same room with only a few exceptions. If there is ever a class that the students leave their homeroom to attend, Starfall can just follow his classmates there and back until he gets a feel for the layout of the school himself. We are already part way into the first quarter of this academic cycle, but I don't think Starfall will have any problems jumping right in and picking up where the other students are."

Firelight came around the side of the counter and offered Starfall a professional smile. "I'll show you to your classroom."

Starfall hesitated. This was it. This was where he and Optimus parted ways. He couldn't rely on his father's presence anymore after he left the office with Firelight. He'd be completely on his own then. The queasy knot in the bottom of his fuel tank tightened.

Optimus seemed to sense Starfall's nervousness and stooped down on one knee in front of him. Starfall could tell his father was smiling at him encouragingly behind his mask by the crinkle of protomatter at the corners of his optics. "Have a good day, Star. I will be here to pick you up later today after you get out of class."

"Promise?" Starfall murmured.

"Promise," Optimus nodded. He laid a reassuring hand on Starfall's shoulder before slowly standing up again.

"Shall we?" Firelight said, gesturing Starfall to her.

"Yea," Starfall nodded. "Bye, dad," he called over his shoulder as he followed Firelight to the door.

"I will see you later," Optimus smiled at him behind his mask.

"Shall we, sir?" Starfall overheard Catalyst say as he graciously swept his hand towards the hallway he'd appeared through earlier. "My office is just around the corner here. May I offer you some coolant or oil? One of the teachers just put on a fresh pot to brew."

"No thank you," Optimus replied. "I am fine."

Anything else Optimus might have said was lost to Starfall by the door of the office closing behind him and Firelight. Starfall forced himself not to look back. He reminded himself he wasn't a newspark anymore and didn't need anyone to hold his hand. He was old enough to do things on his own. He'd done so for as long as he could remember in the hatchling facility. Now was no different than then.

But then why did he want to run back to Optimus's side and not leave it again?

The halls were more crowded than before. Sparklings of all different ages moved around Firelight and Starfall like fish in a stream. Most of the older ones seemed to heading for the lifts to take them to the higher floors of the building, while the younger ones ran to classrooms on the first floor or stood in small groups along the length of the hallway, laughing and fooling around. Firelight led Starfall through the confusion as if she did it everyday - which Starfall belatedly realized she probably did.

"Genesis! No running in the halls!" Firelight yelled as a youngling streaked past her and Starfall in a blur of green. Starfall didn't know if Genesis actually heard Firelight or not before he was swallowed by the press of other bodies. Starfall walked closer behind Firelight. If he got separated from her he didn't know if he'd be able to find his way back to the office again.

Luckily, he and Firelight didn't have to go much further. Without warning they were standing in front of a door marked with the Cybertronian glyphs for Alpha 4.

"This is your classroom," Firelight explained. "I do not believe you have any classes today that require you to leave it to go to any other rooms."

"How many classes do I have today?"

"Five, I believe. I do not know which, though. Your schedule for the orn can be found on your computer terminal's main screen. If you have any problems accessing it, ask one of the other students. They will be able to show you."

Starfall mutely nodded.

"I'll introduce you to the class. There are still several minutes before your first class is to begin. You can use that time to get to know your fellow classmates." Firelight motioned the door open and stepped through. Starfall had to muster his courage to follow her inside. He tried to remind himself that there was no reason to be afraid. This was what he'd been looking forward to ever since Optimus told him he was going to be enrolled in an academy.

Firelight confidently strode to the front of the classroom with Starfall timidly trailing after her. "Attention class!" she called over the din of high-pitched voices all talking at once. "Quiet down now!" The hush that fell over the classroom was instantaneous. It was obvious Firelight was respected by the students - probably with an accompanying note of fear as well. From what little Starfall had seen of the assistant administrator thus far, she was not a femme to be trifled with. Her authority was unquestioned.

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new classmate to you. He will be joining Alpha 4's class roster. His name is Starfall. He is the son of Optimus Prime and Consort Ironhide and is new to the academy. I expect you all to treat him as you would have liked to be treated your first day of academy. Are there any questions?"

Starfall estimated there were at least fifteen sparklings in classroom Alpha 4. They sat at long rows of tables that ran from one side of the room all the way to the other. Computer terminals were mounted into the table at regular intervals. He tried not to shrink back under the class's collective gaze. Instead, he forced himself to stand straight with his wings stiffly held out to his sides behind him. He was once again glad for Optimus's assistance polishing himself that morning. He couldn't bare to imagine standing before so many others right now with polish streaks smeared across his plating.

A murmur of feathery whispers rippled through the room at Firelight's announcement - a number of sparklings inclining their heads to the sparkling beside them to exchange furtive words. Although it was difficult to hear exactly what they were saying Starfall thought he heard at least one or two mentions of "wings" being exchanged between his soon-to-be classmates.

A little femme sitting in the front row raised her hand. Although she was still many vorns away from taking on an alt-mode, Starfall was pretty sure she already had the genetic sub-routes to become a two-wheeler of some kind the same way he already had the genetic sub-routes to become a jet.

"Yes, Tripwire?" Firelight called.

"Are your creators really the Prime and Consort?" Tripwire's expression was filled with skepticism.

"Yes," Starfall nodded. His wings fluttered behind him with a surge of pride.

A new ripple of murmurs ran through the classroom.

"But you're a seeker!" a dark blue mechling yelled from somewhere near the back of the room.

"Raise your hand to speak, Downshift," Firelight corrected.

The mechling's hand shot up into the air.

"Yes, Downshift?"

"But you're a seeker!" Downshift once more declared. "How can you be their sparkling? Neither of them have wings."

Starfall shifted self-consciously in place. "I'm adopted," he murmured. His wings unconsciously folded down against his back as though to shield themselves from scrutiny.

"But I thought seekers weren't allowed outside of Vos anymore," Downshift spoke up again. "That's what my sire always said. He said after the war ended all the seekers had to go back to their city. That's why there aren't any bots with wings anymore in cities like Iacon."

"Raise your hand to speak," Firelight sternly reminded him.

"That's not true!" Starfall shot back. "I know another flier. His name's Skyfire. He's a scientist. And I'm not from Vos. I'm right here from Iacon. I came online in sector 12's hatchling facility."

"You still shouldn't be here," Downshift declared. "You should be in Vos with the other fliers. My sire said fliers aren't allowed in places like Iacon anymore."

Starfall opened his mouth to retort - to angrily yell that he had just as much right to be there as any of them - but was cut off by Firelight. "I will not tell you again, Downshift, about speaking out of turn without raising your hand." Her optics swept over the classroom. The furtive whispered all instantly quieted under her authoritative gaze. "Regardless of what some of you might have been told by your creators, there are still fliers in Iacon and other city-states, though not in any great numbers. And, Downshift, just so there isn't any confusion on the issue, Starfall has every right to be here. He is the Prime and Consort's son and will be treated with the same respect any other student in this academy is. Any more talk of Starfall not be allowed here because of what model he is will not be tolerated by me, Administrator Catalyst, or any other teacher in this institution. Am I making myself clear?"

A chorus of murmured assent answered her.

"Good," Firelight said, as though sealing an airlock on the subject. "Starfall, why don't you take that empty terminal near the window?"

Starfall nodded, still too angry and hurt by Downshift's comments to trust himself to speak. His wings vibrated against his back struts with internalized tension. The computer terminal Firelight had directed him towards was halfway down the right-hand side of the room and two seat in. A small, compact-framed mechling sat in the very end seat nearest the window. He sat with his head down and his shoulders hunched as though trying to make himself even smaller than he already was. Miniature wheels framed his shoulders. His plating was dark red with yellow details. He only spared Starfall a wary glance as he took the seat beside him. The seat to Starfall's right was empty, isolating them on the end of the row.

"You still have several minutes before class starts," Firelight addressed the class. "I suggest you take that time to study. I happen to know Instructor Doubletime is planning a quiz for you today."

A collective groan went through the class.

"Keep the talking to a minimum," Firelight warned as she turned to head for the door. "I don't want to see any of you in my office later today for disciplinary actions."

The class stayed quiet only for as long as it took the door to slide close behind her and then the room erupted into the same level of noise it had been when Starfall and Firelight first entered. Starfall tried to ignore the rounds of looks the rest of the class was surrepticiously casting him.

Tentatively, Starfall turned to the quiet sparkling beside him. Now was as good a time as any to put himself on the proverbial wing of the shuttle. "Hi. I'm Starfall. You can call me Star, though, if you like. What's your designation?"

The sparkling timidly raised his helm a few inches and looked up at Starfall from underneath the ridge of his helm. Starfall didn't know why but he thought the sparkling looked frightened, as if it was his first day at the academy as well. His optics were an unusual shade of bluish green Starfall had never seen before.

The sparkling murmured something.

Starfall blinked. "What was that?"

"I said Convoy," the sparkling said a little louder, though not by much. "That is my designation."

Starfall suddenly realized why he hadn't understood Convoy at first. Convoy's speech was heavily slurred by an accent Starfall had never heard before. It made understanding him very difficult. He had to focus all his attention on ciphering out the syllables and vowels to understand what Convoy had said. To Starfall's audios, it had sounded like Convoy said something more along the lines of "Eh syéd Con-vöy. Zat iz my de-zíg-nashun."

A twitter of laughter sounded from the row behind Starfall and Convoy. Convoy hunched down lower in his seat, his head once more tucked down against his chest plate as though trying to hide inside himself. Starfall turned in his seat to find a mechling and femme sitting beside each other. Both their shoulder plates were shaking with restrained laughter. Starfall's optics narrowed. The laughter wasn't friendly or good-natured sounding. It sounded mocking and mean.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, confused.

"Looks like Convoy's finally made a friend," the mechling sing-songed. A number of other sparklings turned to watch and join in on the laughter.

"Come on, Convoy, say something!" a faceless voice called out from the other side of the room. "Your new friend wants to hear what you've got to say."

Starfall looked around him, confused and unexplainably embarrassed as if he was really the focus of his classmate's mocking. "I don't understand…"

The sparkling Firelight had called Downshift spoke up from two rows behind Starfall. "Convoy's from a colony in the Andromeda galaxy. Him and his sire moved to Iacon about a vorn ago, but he still hasn't lost that horrible accent. It's a miracle any of the instructors can understand him."

Starfall glanced back at Convoy. Convoy was hunched so far down in his seat it was a surprise he hadn't slipped completely underneath the table yet. The aura of utter embarrassment and loneliness coming off Convoy made Starfall's spark physically ache. Although he'd never been the subject of such a display of public ridicule himself, Starfall knew how Convoy must feel - to be ostracized and mocked simply for being who he was. Pity for the red-plated mechling swelled Starfall's chest.

"It's alright," he cheerfully tried to consol. "I don't think your accent's that bad."

"Shut up," Convoy spat. Starfall had no problem hearing him that time. The blue-green optics Convoy speared him with blazed with embarrassed fury as though he personally blamed Starfall for his humiliation. The command came out sounding more like "shyat ap" in Convoy's garbled accent. "Do not talk to me anymore. I do not want to talk to you or anyone else." That said, Convoy hunched his shoulder plates tighter around the sides of his helm and sunk even further down in his seat, pointedly turning his head away from Starfall to dissuade anymore attempts at talk.

Starfall stared at Convoy stunned, at a total loss for what to say. Never had he been so harshly brushed off before - not even by the less friendly workers when he'd still lived in the hatchling facility. All he'd wanted to do was be friendly and maybe make a new friend, and all he'd managed to do was antagonize the first sparkling his own age he'd ever had an opportunity to interact with.

Embarrassed guilt rose in the back of Starfall's throat line. Heat warmed the outer plating of his cheeks. He hadn't meant to make Convoy mad at him or make him feel embarrassed. He'd only wanted to be friendly. He hadn't meant to make Convoy the butt of everyone else's joke. That wasn't what he'd intended to do when he'd sat down. Wasn't there anything he could do right?

Slouching down in his seat, his wings folded tight against his back, Starfall sullenly stared at the blank computer screen of the terminal in front of him. This just wasn't turning out to be the kind of day he'd been expecting.

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten: Stand Up

Starfall sat at the kitchenette table of his family's domicile, quietly staring into the bottom of his morning cube of energon. A good amount of energon still filled the cube but Starfall couldn't bring himself to drink it. What he had managed to drink had been tasteless and sat heavily in the bottom of his fuel tank. Starfall knew he should drink more - that he would be low on energy and hungry by the time he came back home later that evening - but no matter how much he tried he couldn't bring himself to bring the rim of the cube up to his mouth to drink. Just the thought of drinking anymore of the thick glowing liquid made him feel nauseous.

Starfall glanced at the chronometer in the main living area. It was almost time to leave. Starfall estimated he had only a few more klicks before Optimus announced it was time to go. A wave of resigned despair washed over him.

It had been exactly three deca-cycles since Starfall begun school at District 11's Academy of Advanced Primary Education. Starfall was continually amazed at how much longer it felt than the three deca-cycles it had actually been. To Starfall it felt like he had been there at least three stellar cycles now. Each day since starting school played out exactly the same way. Every morning Optimus would drive him to the academy and drop him off in the transformation lot. Starfall would walk to his home classroom - all the while trying to ignore the sudden hush of voices and pointed stares of other students as he walked through the halls before murmured whispers would fill the silence as soon as Starfall walked past. He would sit in his assigned seat next to Convoy and try to ignore the pointed silence from his foreign tablemate. Since his first day Starfall had not tried to engage Convoy in conversation again. The rest of the school day would pass in a slow blur. He would listen attentively to the instructors and do his assignments and take notes, but it was the small breaks in between classes when sparklings would turn and talk to their friends and laugh and joke about the newest episodes of their favorite tele-consol show they'd seen the night before that Starfall dreaded the most. As if by unspoken consensus, none of the other sparklings ever turned to Starfall to try and talk. Perhaps it was his proximity to Convoy - who made ever effort he could to dissuade anyone from talking to him - that made other sparklings reluctant to approach Starfall, but Starfall and Convoy sat in a very noticeable bubble of isolation. Starfall knew he should try to break that bubble and make himself more engaging to others, but he had already tried that once with Convoy and gotten burned. He did not know if he had the courage or fortitude to try again. The fear of being rejected again was too much to make Starfall believe it was really worth the effort. He had not had to endure any outright hostility or antagonizing from others like Convoy did - not even from Downshift, who Starfall had come to learn was something of the class instigator and loud-mouth - but the utter loneliness of the situation was, at times, almost too much for Starfall to bear. Starfall never felt lonelier than when he was in a crowded room of sparklings.

"What's the matter, Star?" Optimus's voice startled Starfall out of his thoughts. The Matrix-bearer sat across from him at the table, working on his last cube of morning energon. "You don't look like you're feeling very well today. Your armor looks a bit dull. I hope you haven't picked up some sort of virus at school."

On the third side of the table, between Starfall and Optimus, Ironhide looked up from his computer tablet - a web-capable version of a data pad. Starfall saw it had the morning new feeds scrolling across its screen. Ironhide quirked an optic ridge at Starfall as though wondering 'what're yeh talkin' about? The kid looks fine ta me.' Starfall ignored the look. He was used to Ironhide's general indifference towards him by now.

Starfall forced a smile onto his facial plates. "I'm okay, dad. Really. Just thinking about stuff."

Optimus eyed Starfall thoughtfully, as though not fully convinced by his reassurance. He did not try to push Starfall for more, though, which Starfall was immensely grateful for. If Optimus had bluntly asked him what was troubling him Starfall wasn't sure he would have been able to deflect the question. He'd make a promise to never lie again - to Optimus especially. But that didn't mean he was about to burden his father with his troubles. His lack of friends at school didn't seem like something a Prime would care about or be able to do much of anything about anyway. His father was a powerful mech but Starfall didn't want to see Optimus use his influence to *make* anyone talk to him. That somehow felt like cheating. That being said, it was just better not to say anything and save his father from the burden of his own worries.

"What are your plans for the orn, 'hide?" Optimus asked conversationally. It had come about by unspoken consensus that Optimus was in charge of facilitating conversation whenever all three of them were together. He'd all but given up trying to get Starfall and Ironhide to interact by themselves.

"Hrm," Ironhide grunted and set his tablet aside on the table. "No real plans ta be honest. Things 're extremely quiet right now at headquarters. Last lil' bit 'a excitement we had was when that small asteroid come close ta hittin' one of our defense satellites the other deca-cycle. I'll probably stay home ta-day an' finish writin' up some reports General Airlock's been houndin' me fer fer the last few lunar cycles." Ironhide drained the last of his cube of energon and looked back at Optimus. "Wha' bout you? Yeh got any meetings ta-day?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. After dropping Star off at the academy I have a meeting scheduled with the head of the Iaconian Union Worker's Association and a number of other local worker correlations."

Ironhide winced in sympathy. "No chance of gettin' outta it?"

"No," Optimus shook his helm. "Even if I did have an excuse, I could not in any good conscience skip this meeting. This labor strike has been going on for almost a deca-cycle now. As much as I do not care for Backtrack and his less than peaceful forms of union organizing and strikes, the IUWA's complaints are valid. The wages the city's transportation workers earn are barely above the minimum amount dictated by law - hardly a salary any kind of bot can live off of. I doubt I will get out of negotiations before nightfall."

"Ah'll wait up fer yeh," Ironhide promised. "Ah'll even have a nice cool cube 'a high-grade waiting fer yeh fer when yeh get home."

Optimus delicately cleared his intake line, as though preparing to broach an extremely delicate subject. "Because I will be facilitating talks between the union workers and city officials I might not be finished in time to pick up Star from the academy before it lets out. Do you think you could pick him up?"

Ironhide and Starfall both stiffened in their seats and cast each other wary glances. Since Starfall came to live in the Prime household he'd barely spent more than a few klicks alone with Ironhide, and did not really look forward to going out of his way to do so if he could help it. He knew Ironhide didn't like him. Not to mention is was always Optimus who dropped him off and picked him up from school. After longs days spent keeping to himself in between classes with no one to talk to, it was a relief to climb into his father's cab unit at the end of the day and know he was finally back where he was wanted and loved. He couldn't imagine Ironhide providing him with that same kind of sanctuary. He hadn't even ridden in Ironhide's cab unit yet. He doubted Ironhide relished the idea of letting him sit inside him either. The narrowed optics Ironhide cast him pretty much confirmed Starfall's suspicions.

"Ah can pick 'im up," Ironhide reluctantly grumbled.

Optimus smiled. "Thank you, 'hide. This takes a great burden off my mind."

Ironhide grunted.

Optimus gave him a knowing smirk. "I promise you won't have to talk to any of the senators or council members that have children there if you don't want to."

"Better not. Yeh know how much ah can't stand havin' ta listen ta all those grovelin' toadies tryin' ta request 'favors' when it's a publicly known fact ah have absolutely no interest in politics."

Optimus chuckled, deep and throaty. "After all these years of being sparkmates, I thought you would be used to such inconveniences by now." His tone was light and playful.

Ironhide snorted. "If ah had known then what ah know now 'bout what's involved with bein' yer sparkmate ah would've run screamin' fer the hills an' begged ol' Megatron ta throw me in the brig."

"Is being a Decepticon prisoner of war really more preferable than being my sparkmate?" Optimus smiled.

Ironhide vented a theatric sigh. "There 're times when ah really wonder…" he bemoaned, his face poker-straight.

Starfall watched the exchange with a thin smile. He always liked it when Optimus was in a playful mood. He was always so serious and polite when he was with anyone else except Starfall and Ironhide. It made Starfall sad that his father couldn't be that way all the time. It also made him sad to know that he couldn't be a part of Optimus and Ironhide's familiar teasing either. If he had tried to join the conversation he knew Ironhide's jovialness would have immediately disappeared and he would have become hostilely silent. It was always either Ironhide and Optimus or Optimus and Starfall that could have little moments like that. Never the three of them all together like a real family. It made Starfall even more sad to think that he wouldn't have really minded trying to get to know the weapons specialist a little bit more if he didn't think Ironhide would immediately brush off any attempts he might make. It would be nice, he thought, to be a part of what Optimus and Ironhide just shared and to have two fathers to be able to go to instead of just one.

Still smiling from Ironhide's antics, Optimus glanced at the chronometer. "Hurry and finish your energon, Star. We have to get going."

Grimacing with hesitation, Starfall nonetheless did as his father commanded and obediently drained the rest of his cube in three quick swallows. The energon sat heavy in the bottom of his fuel tank like an industrial-sized ingot of steel.

He and Optimus both got up to head for the door.

"Don't forget. Star gets out of school at twenty-five hundred joors, 'hide," Optimus said.

"Starfall," Ironhide's voice boomed just as they were about to reach the door.

Starfall froze in the entry way and slowly turned back to Ironhide, his wings stiffly trembling behind him. He couldn't remember Ironhide ever directly speaking to him before.

"Yes, sir?" he timidly murmured.

Ironhide's optics seemed to bore into him even from across the room. "Don't make me wait fer yeh after school. Ah don't wanna get caught havin' ta talk ta any of yer classmates' creators, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Starfall said.

"Good." And that was it. Ironhide had already turned his attention back to his computer tablet.

Starfall vented a sigh of relief. Optimus reached down and rested a hand on Starfall's shoulder plate. He offered Starfall a small smile of encouragement. Starfall tried to return it but it felt fake on his facial plates. It was only for one day, he tried to remind himself. He could do without his father driving him home for one day. His father was a busy mech and had obligations. He could ride with Ironhide for one day.

From there the day progressed as it did most every other day: Optimus dropped him off in the transformation lot, Starfall ignored the rounds of furtive whispers directed towards him from other sparklings as he walked through the hallways, he quietly sat at his computer terminal with Convoy as his silent tablemate, and listened to his instructors' lectures with dutiful attentiveness.

It was only after his third class that things began to deviate from the norm.

Today was the second orn of the school's deca-cycle, meaning Starfall's fourth scheduled lecture was Cybertronian History. Because Instructor Backslide taught all history courses for every age group in the academy, he had his own classroom on the fifth floor. All students had to come to him for lectures and today was class Alpha 4's turn.

Like all the other classes of younger sparklings had been trained to do whenever they had to migrate to another classroom, the students of Alpha 4 lined up in a single file and marched to the elevators that would take them up to Backslide's classroom.

Starfall kept quiet as he and his classmates piled into the lift and pressed in close together. As he always did, he tried to jockey for a place in the elevator closest to the back of the car where he could stand with his wings against the wall. He hated being in confined spaces, especially in ones where others could press in behind him against his wings without any room for him to move away. His wings were sensitive and the thought of unfamiliar people touching them did not appeal to Starfall. It was the only time Starfall ever found it advantageous to be one of Alpha 4's social pariahs; no one wanted to stand that close to him. Lack of physical space in the lift prevented his classmates from making it too obvious, but there was still a noticeable gap in between Starfall and the next nearest sparkling. As always when he was forced to ride the lifts, Starfall did his best to imagine he was somewhere else.

Twenty nano-klicks later, the lift dinged and the door slide open onto level five. Starfall's classmates spilled out of the car in a fluid-like wave of bodies before reforming in a line along the one side of the hallway. Instructor Backslide's classroom was at the far end of the hall. They could have just as easily walked to the room in formations of singles, twos or threes - forgoing the ordered structure of a line - but the network of security cameras lining the length of the hall's ceiling dissuaded them from doing so. On the other end of those cameras, sitting at some monitor somewhere in the administration office downstairs, Starfall knew was an academy staff person watching all the school's security feeds to make sure no one broke protocol or separated from the group. While outside of their classroom during school hours all younger sparklings had to stay with their class as a group. Younglings and other older students did not have to follow such strict rules. The fifth floor hallway was filled with them. Older younglings milled along the length of the hall in small groups of threes and fours. It was common practice, Starfall had come to learn, for older students to so in between classes. It gave them an opportunity to get up, stretch their tension cables and chat with friends before being forced back into their classrooms for another lecture. Starfall looked forward to when he could do such a thing and not have to sit quietly at his computer terminal waiting for the next instructor to arrive.

Alpha 4's class progressed in a single line down the hall towards Backslide's classroom. Since Starfall started academy, he'd traveled this circuit at least five times now. It did not take much processing power to follow the sparkling in front of him and stop when everybody else stopped, so trips between classes often gave Starfall the opportunity to let his mind wander. Starfall was in the middle of planning what he would do after he got home later that day when a sudden chorus of laughter startled him back to the present. The line of students in front of him abruptly stopped.

Farther up along his line of classmates a group of older younglings stood off to the side of the hallway. There were three of them, two of which Starfall recognized - Senators Scion and Klaxon's sons, Aftershock and Gearslip. They seemed to be talking to one of Starfall's classmates.

"Come on, say something!" Starfall heard Aftershock demand. "What's the matter? Turbo fox got your glossa?"

"I think he's shy, Aftershock," the third youngling said. "I think he needs some encouragement to speak his mind." A chorus of laughter replied from a number of other younglings milling around the hall. A small crowd of students began to form at the head of Alpha 4's line.

Starfall edged out of line to better see what was going on. Up ahead at the head of the line Aftershock, Gearslip and their friend had formed a loose circle around a member of his class. It didn't take long for Starfall to recognize Convoy's dark red paint job and hunched body language. Convoy stood in the middle of the ring of older younglings with both arms crossed over his chest plate and his head tightly tucked down between his shoulder rims, as though trying to fold in on himself for protection.

"I'm not gonna tell you again," Aftershock said. "Say something!"

"Leave me alone," Convoy pleaded in a plaintive whisper. "I just want to go to class." His heavy accent earned a peal of laughter from the crowd of watching younglings. Starfall was shocked and disgusted to see several of his own classmates twittering along with them, or turning to whisper something to the next closest sparkling which earned snickers from both of them.

"You still have a few klicks before class starts," Aftershock reassured him. "That's just enough time for us to give you a small crash course in how things are done here on the main planet. I don't know how you colonists do things in your own little parts of the universe, but here on Cybertron, when your senior tells you to do something you do it."

Convoy said nothing except huddle down tighter against himself as though trying to make himself so small that he would just disappear.

Aftershock leaned over Convoy and gave him a small, pointed shove against his shoulder plate. He towered over Convoy's smaller frame. "My father is a senator in the High Council. Yours is just some dumpy merchant-trader who made a lot of credits selling wheel cogs to dumpy little colonies in dumpy little corners of the galaxy. That makes my father more important than yours, and makes me more important that you. So the next time I tell you to do something, you do it!" To emphasize his point, Aftershock gave Convoy's shoulder another sharp poke with his finger. "Got it?"

Anything Convoy might have said in response was drowned out by the encouraging hoots and laughter from the crowd of watching younglings. As the catcalls and jeers of other students turned into shouted suggestions for what to make Convoy say next, Starfall felt something inside him snap. As though some kind of dam had ruptured inside him, a wave of righteous fury filled every circuit and fiber optic line of Starfall's body until it felt like he was about to explode from the sheer injustice of what he was seeing. And not just towards Aftershock. Towards everyone standing in the hallway passively watching and letting this happen. At no point had anyone told Aftershock to stop or leave Convoy alone. Instead, they egged him on, demanding that he humiliate Convoy even more for their own amusement. Rage so intense it felt like he was being burned from the inside out filled the back of Starfall's intake line until it finally burst from his mouth in an angry shout.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

All laughter and chatter in the hall immediately ceased as every set of optics there swung around to stare at Starfall at the back of the line. For a moment, Aftershock just stared at him, as though genuinely startled by Starfall's command. Starfall absentmindedly wondered if he'd ever had someone stand up to him before.

Aftershock's surprise didn't last very long, though.

Regaining his composure, Aftershock took a step towards Starfall, his body language threatening and dark. "Back off, seeker. This has nothing to do with you. Just go around and go to your classroom."

"No," Starfall defiantly shook his head. His wings flared out to his sides behind him, vibrating with tension. He strode up to Aftershock. In the back of his processor, Starfall realized what he was doing was not smart - that Aftershock was at least five vorns older than him, at least a head taller, and had the majority of the student population on his side. But the righteous, simmering anger he felt for this show of public humiliation made Starfall dismiss all logical thought and focus only on getting Aftershock and his group to stop. "Leave Convoy alone. He hasn't done anything to you."

Aftershock glared at Starfall, as though trying to intimidate him into backing down. Starfall refused to let him do so. Now that he was standing closer, Starfall saw that Aftershock was actually more like a head and a *half* taller than him and about twice as large in physical mass.

"Stay out of this, seeker," Aftershock warned. "My father might have told me to be nice to you because of who your father is, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand for some little flier trying to tell me what to do."

Starfall was surprised at how unafraid he felt. It was like he knew what he was doing was right. "I'm not telling you to do anything except leave Convoy alone. All he wants to do it is go to class."

"That's not his choice," Aftershock spat. "He doesn't get to do anything unless I say so."

"Says who?" Starfall demanded. "Who are you to pick on him?"

"Do you have any idea who my father is? Do you know what kind of power he has over this academy? Him and Administrator Catalyst are old friends. I could get you and anyone else I wanted expelled if I complained to them."

"Do you know who *my* father is?" Starfall shot back. "My dad's a *Prime*. And if you don't leave Convoy alone I'm going to tell him about you and see who gets expelled first."

Aftershocks's facial plates momentarily flashed with uncertainty, as though he'd never faced this kind of situation before. No doubt he'd never encountered anyone who'd ever challenged his authority before now. Like before, though, the moment did not last for long. "I'm not gonna tell you again, seeker. This is your last warning."

Starfall flared his wings behind him to make himself look bigger. "And I'm not gonna tell you again, Aftershock: I'm not leaving until you leave Convoy alone."

Aftershock's face contorted in an angry snarl. "That's it!" Moving faster than Starfall expected, Aftershock lunged at him with one hand pulled back over his shoulder in a fist. Starfall didn't have time to think and instinctively ducked. Aftershock's fist flew over his helm, missing him by mere centimeters. Starfall didn't know what inherent programming was directing his movements, but without any conscious thought he darted forward under Aftershock's extended arm and drove his fist into the underside of Aftershock's chest plate. The older sparkling jackknifed forward with a surprised howl of pain. Starfall scrambled backwards out of reach as Aftershock staggered, coughing and clutching his torso.

Every sparkling there was staring at Starfall with various expressions of awe, fear and shock.

For some reason their collective gaze made Starfall feel compelled to say something, like a general pressed to give a speech after some great victory. He glared at the back of Aftershock's helm which was bent forward almost between his knee joints. "Leave Convoy alone," he hissed one last time.

"What is going on here?!" a voice boomed from the end of the hallway. The crowd of students parted to either side of the hallway like a river of liquid methane as Instructor Backslide pushed his way through. The old mech took one glance at the scene and grabbed Starfall and Aftershock by the arms. "You mind explaining what's going on out here?" he growled.

"He hit me!" Aftershock wailed, still partially doubled over and holding his front. "The flier punched me in the chest plate!"

"He tried to hit me first!" Starfall protested.

"Enough!" Backslide roared. "You're both going to the office. Firelight or Catalyst can sort this out themselves. I'm too old for this." He began dragging the two towards the bank of lifts. "The rest of you get on to your next classes. Now!"

The crowd of shell-shocked observers instantly dispersed like a swarm of insecticons in a gale-force storm. Starfall did not try to resist as Backslide led both him and Aftershock into a lift and punched the button of the first floor. He remained quiet as the lift descended while Aftershock whimpered and sobbed on Backslide's other side, still holding his front. Starfall wanted to roll his optics. He hadn't hit Aftershock *that* hard.

The lift dinged open again and Backslide was once more dragging them through the hall. All too soon for Starfall's liking the office came into view. Backslide marched both of them straight through the glass door and up to the counter. Catalyst was talking with another teacher on the other side.

"Backslide?" Catalyst said upon seeing the history instructor's expression. "What's going on?"

"Fighting in the hallways is what's going on," Backslide replied and motioned with his chin towards Starfall and Aftershock. "Caught these two trading blows in between classes just now. I broke them up and brought them down here for you to deal with. I don't have time for this. I have a class to teach."

"I'll take over from here, Backslide," Catalyst said. "Thank you for bringing them to me." Backslide finally released his hold on Starfall and Aftershock and promptly stormed out of the office back towards the lifts.

Looking up at Catalyst's face Starfall wanted nothing more than to go after Backslide and go to class where he didn't have to face the administrator's wrath. Without a word, Catalyst motioned Starfall and Aftershock to follow him. He led them into his private office and shut the door behind them. Gesturing them towards two seats in front of his desk, he sat down on the other side. He steepled his fingers on top of the desk and gazed at Starfall and Aftershock with a stern expression. Starfall refused to shrink down into his seat under his stare. "You two mind telling me what happened to make Instructor Backslide so angry?"

"He hit me!" Aftershock loudly proclaimed. "I was just standing there talking to my friends in the hallway when this seeker comes up and punches me in the chest plate for no reason!" As though to give his story dramatic effect, he clutched his torso and gave a pained grimace.

Irritation flared inside Starfall. "That's not true! You were picking on Convoy and-"

"He punched me!" Aftershock wailed at Catalyst. "He hit me right underneath my sparkchamber. I think he might have actually broken something. I think I can hear something rattling around inside me."

"I didn't hit you that hard!" Starfall spat, utterly disgusted by Aftershock's recount of events.

"Enough," Catalyst sternly said. Starfall and Aftershock both quieted. Catalyst turned his optics onto Starfall. His gaze was steely and uncompromising. "Did you hit Aftershock?" he demanded in a low voice of authority. The tone reminded Starfall eerily of his father when he'd caught him using Sunstreaker's special polish.

Starfall hesitated. It was true he'd hit Aftershock. But he'd done so in personal defense, not out of malicious intent like Aftershock was making it sound. He'd been standing up for Convoy. Starfall's initial instinct was to lie and say that he hadn't, even though he knew he'd already admitted as much in knee-jerk reaction to Aftershock's misrepresentation of the truth. Optimus had taught him he should never lie. After the incident with the polish he'd promised his father he would never lie again. Now was the time to prove he'd meant what he'd said.

"Yes," Starfall softly murmured. "I hit him, but-"

Catalyst made a sharp slicing motion with his hand that made any explanation Starfall might have given instantly freeze in the back of his throat. "That's all I need to know." Catalyst turned to Aftershock. "Aftershock, you're dismissed. Go to the school medic for attention if you feel you need it, then return to your fourth period class. Do not let me hear about any more trouble from you for the rest of the orn."

"Yes, sir," Aftershock mumbled, still clutching his abdomen with one hand. Starfall had the sudden urge to punch him in the face for the fake grimace he used as he got up and limped for the door.

Next time I'll aim for his face instead, Starfall viciously promised himself.

As soon as Aftershock disappeared out the door Catalyst vented a long, put-out sigh. "I'm very disappointed to see you in my office like this, Starfall. Especially so early into your enrollment here. I had hoped as the son of a Prime I wouldn't have to worry about you being a disciplinary problem."

"But, sir," Starfall protested. "Aftershock tried to-"

"I don't care what Aftershock was doing. You had no right to strike another student. That is unacceptable here in District 11's academy. We frown on physical acts of violence here. I hate to do this but I'm going to have to call your foster-fathers and have one of them come pick you up. I cannot allow fighting to go unpunished in my school no matter who your caretakers are. You are going to be suspended for two orns for this, starting today. I hope this teaches you that no one is above the rules here. If you start fights you will have to suffer the consequences that follow."

Starfall stared at Catalyst, his wings stiffening behind him. "But… that's not fair! Aftershock-"

"I have already dealt with Aftershock," Catalyst sternly cut him off. "Now I will not hear anything more about this. I want you to go and wait outside in the main office while I call your foster-father to come pick you up."

For a moment Starfall couldn't bring himself to move. He was too shocked and overwhelmed by an oppressive feeling of injustice to do anything else.

"You are dismissed, Starfall," Catalyst sternly prompted.

Numbly, Starfall forced himself to his thrusters and stood. He walked as if in a daze out the door into the main part of the office. Several chairs were positioned along the glass wall. Starfall walked to the nearest one and sat down.

This isn't fair, was the thought that circled around Starfall's head as he stared at the floor between his thrusters. Dad's going to be so disappointed in me, was the very next one.

A sick feeling of dread settled in Starfall fuel tank. What was Optimus going to say when he found out what he'd done? He wasn't afraid of Optimus yelling at him or leveling his own form of discipline on him; Starfall dreaded seeing that look of quiet disappointment in his father's optics again. The sick feeling in Starfall's tank intensified. What had he done? He didn't know if he could stand facing his father. Optimus was never going to trust him again.

Starfall didn't know how long he sat there staring at his feet, wishing he could sink into the ground and disappear, but he estimated it was almost time for the fourth lecture period to end by the time he heard heavy footsteps approaching the office from down the hall. Starfall cringed into his seat. What was he going to say to Optimus? How was he going to explain why he felt - no, he *knew* -he had to do what he did? Surely his father would understand if he properly explained his side of the story. Right?

The door to the office opened and a pair of pedes stepped up beside him. Starfall felt optics glare into him. Slowly, he looked up, prepared to meet his father's disappointed blue gaze. But instead of finding Optimus standing there Starfall looked up to find none other than his father's sparkmate, Ironhide, standing over him like a looming shadow. Starfall froze, his optics widening into perfect circles of turquoise-blue.

Oh no. He'd completely forgotten. His father was stuck in an important meeting until later that evening. That was why he'd asked Ironhide to come pick him up after school that morning. How could he have forgotten?

Staring up into Ironhide's angry optics, the only thing Starfall could think of now was that this definitely was not a good thing.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eleven: Misunderstanding

Ironhide's optics were a blaze of silent fury. His face was so tightly set it looked like his facial plates were about to collapse under the strain. Starfall cringed down into his seat, his wings folding down against his back. He knew Ironhide didn't like him but this was the first time he'd ever seen the weapons specialist so openly angry with him. It was the first time Starfall had ever truly been afraid of another bot.

For an unbearable length of eternity Ironhide continued to stare at Starfall as though too angry to move or say anything. Starfall's panic began to mount. Why did it have to be *Ironhide* to pick him up? Why couldn't Catalyst have called his father? Surely Optimus would have excused himself from his meeting if Catalyst had called.

Starfall timidly looked up to meet Ironhide's fiery gaze. "I-"

"Not a word," Ironhide hissed. "Not a single word outta yeh right now."

Starfall instantly fell silent. The sick feeling in his fuel tank worsened. What was Ironhide going to do to him? He hadn't *meant* to hit Aftershock. Aftershock had started it and had actually been trying to hit *him*! Why was everyone blaming him for defending himself?

"Ah, Consort Ironhide," Catalyst's voice sounded. Ironhide broke off his death glare to address the school's administrator. Catalyst came around the side of the reception counter and offered his hand to Ironhide. Ironhide stiffly took it and shook. "I am so sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances."

"Same here," Ironhide growled. He sent Starfall a small but pointed glare. Starfall sunk lower in his chair.

"As I told you over the vid-com, fighting is a serious offense to our academy's rules and Starfall will have to be suspended for the rest of today and tomorrow. I hope that when he returns there won't be anymore incidents like today's."

"Oh, believe me, there won't." The promise was so full of wrath Starfall stiffened in his seat, his gears locking tight with fear. Ironhide turned back to Starfall. "Come on. We're going home."

Starfall hesitated. He didn't want to leave with Ironhide. He didn't want to go home where he had to be alone with the frightening mech. Starfall glanced at Catalyst. For a split nano-klick he considered begging the administrator for a second chance, to apologize and plead that he not be suspended and allowed to stay. But looking into the administrator's optics, Starfall realized that would ultimately do him no good. The wheels of academy justice had already been set in motion.

"Goodbye, Starfall. I hope when you return you will have learned your lesson about proper school behavior."

Starfall dispassionately nodded. "Yes, sir," he murmured barely above a whisper.

Ironhide was already heading for the door, his footsteps stiff and forceful. "Come on," he barked over his shoulder plate.

Starfall reluctantly followed after him, making sure to stay several paces behind him. He had to hurry to keep up with Ironhide's angry stride. Starfall was too frightened to speak as Ironhide led him through the halls back towards the front entrance of the academy. He didn't trust Ironhide's tenuous hold on his temper not to break and come down on him right there in the middle of the school. If Ironhide was going to yell at him he wanted to at least have it happen when there was no one else around to see it.

Ironhide stormed through the front door and into the transformation lot. The lot was depressingly empty. Starfall didn't see any other bots around. Without a word Ironhide transformed into vehicle mode. The front passenger-side door swung open with an angry snap. "Get in," Ironhide's disembodied voice rumbled.

Starfall didn't dare disobey or hesitate. That would only make things worse in the long run. He climbed into Ironhide's cab unit. The door slammed shut beside him. Starfall hunched down against himself, trying to make himself as small as possible. His wings lay flat against his back, trembling with tension. He didn't want to make Ironhide any angrier than he already was by touching his cab unit any more than was absolutely necessary.

The ride back to the apartment tower was tense. Not a word was spoken but Starfall could physically feel the air around him vibrating with Ironhide's displeasure. Once, while he'd still been living in the hatchling facility, he'd heard a phrase about the tension being so thick one could cut it with a laser-scalpel. At the time he hadn't understood what that meant. Now he did. It was like Ironhide's displeasure had taken on physical form. It was so strong Starfall felt like he could actually feel it closing in around him, like the fingers of an angry ghost wrapping its fingers around his throat cables. Ironhide's cab unit suddenly felt extremely small. The sick feeling in Starfall's fuel tank intensified. As Ironhide took the exit ramp of the bypass into their residential district the feeling got so bad Starfall thought he was about to purge. He fought to keep the press of half-processed energon in the back of his intake line down. He didn't dare purge in Ironhide's cab unit. There would be no surviving that if he did. He briefly considered asking Ironhide to roll down the window on his side of the cab unit but almost immediately scrapped the idea. He didn't dare break the suffocating silence. To do so would be like unleashing the dam.

Ironhide turned into the transformation lot of their apartment tower. He rolled to a stop near the front entrance. The door next to Starfall swung open. Ironhide didn't have to say anything. Starfall timidly climbed down Ironhide's cab unit. Once Starfall stepped back enough Ironhide transformed into his bi-pedal mode. His larger frame towered over Starfall, dwarfing him in its shadow. Starfall's wings flattened against his back. Ironhide refused to look at Starfall as he stormed past him towards the front door. Starfall hesitantly followed. Ironhide's stony silence persisted all the way through the lobby, into the lift and all the way up to the top floor. It was only when Ironhide unlocked the door and motioned Starfall inside ahead of him that Starfall finally dared to speak up.

As Ironhide locked the door behind them, Starfall mustered the courage to find his voice. Starfall imagined it was as hard as trying to jump off the side of a cliff when he knew his flight gears weren't working. The words spilled out of him in a panicked rush. "I didn't mean to hit Aftershock. He started it. He was picking on one of the other sparklings in my class and-"

"Ah don't wanna hear it!" Ironhide snapped.

Starfall instantly fell silent. Ironhide glared down at Starfall, his entire demeanor threatening and dark. The older mech seemed to be struggling to control his temper. Starfall thought he actually saw him shaking with the effort. The plating on Ironhide's forearms were softly rattling together his hands were so tightly clenched together. His optics literally blazed blue fury.

"Ah don't wanna hear why yeh hit someone. The only thing that matters is that yeh did! Ah should'a known this was gonna happen someday. A seeker's first instinct is ta always fight."

"But-"

"Ah'm not gonna tell yeh again: keep quiet! Ah don't wanna hear any more of yer excuses or lies."

Starfall shrank back from Ironhide, his plating flattening against his protoform. Hurt the likes of which he'd never known before swelled inside his spark. It had hurt when Catalyst refused to hear his version of the story and suspended him. It had hurt when he'd realized he was going to get in trouble for something he knew he had to do. But all that paled in comparison to the hurt he felt at Ironhide saying he'd lied. He hadn't lied. Not even when he'd wanted to to Catalyst! He'd promised Optimus he'd never lie again and here was Ironhide saying that he had. That hurt. The accusation stung Starfall to his very core. He and Ironhide might not have spent much time together or talked that much, but surely he'd lived with Ironhide long enough by now that Ironhide knew he wasn't a bad sparkling. The unfairness of it all was almost too much for Starfall to bear. What did he have to do to make Ironhide like him, or at least listen to him without judging? The injustice of it all came crashing down on Starfall all at once. An unbidden ring of static appeared around the edges of his visual display. It took every bit of self control Starfall had not to let it overwhelm him and make him break down into angry sobs.

Ironhide was oblivious to Starfall's weakening self-composure. He was too busy chewing him out. "Ah knew this was a bad idea. Ah told Optimus havin' a seeker around was nothin' but bad news. But would he listen ta me? 'Course not. All he cared 'bout was getting his precious lil' sparkling. Ah should just pack yeh up an' take yeh back ta the hatchling facility right now 'cause ah ain't livin' anymore with a sparkling that can't even go ta school without havin' ta start fights with other kids."

The mech fluid in Starfall's line froze. "You're gonna send me back?" His tenuous hold on his emotions began to fray even more. Panic surged through him. "No! Please don't! I'll be better, I promise!"

Ironhide made an angry shooing gesture with his hand. His dentas were so tightly clenched together Starfall thought they were about to break under the strain. "Just go ta yer room. Optimus can deal with yeh when he gets home. Ah never agreed ta deal with any of this when he decided ta adopt. This is his mess now."

"Please don't-"

"Go." Ironhide pointed down the hallway to Starfall's room. His voice left no room for argument.

The static ringing Starfall's vision thickened. His throat line tightened. For a moment he couldn't find the strength to move. He felt riveted in place as though someone had welded his thrusters to floor. All he could do was stare at Ironhide, stunned by the unfairness of what was happening to him.

"GO!" Ironhide angrily snapped.

Starfall turned and ran. He didn't stop until he was inside his room and had safely closed the door behind him. He stood in the middle of his room, his entire body trembling. His throat line was so tight he couldn't properly ventilate air anymore. All he could manage were short, labored gasps. Cybertronians were not designed to cry or physically expel distraught emotions from their bodies like most intelligent organic life forms were able to. Cybertronians did not have tear ducts or possess the means to produce fluid from their optics. When extremely sad, upset or in pain the most a Cybertronian could do was produce a series of tight little clicks that were the result of the internal gears and valve lines in their throat constricting. To a human it would have sounded eerily like sobbing. And it was this sound that Starfall began to make as he struggled to comprehend everything that had just happened.

Moving as if in a daze, Starfall stumbled to his berth and collapsed on it. He turned onto his side and drew his knee joints up to his cockpit. He let his wings sag flat onto the berthmat behind him. The electronic clicks in his throat intensified as he curled in around himself and buried the side of his face plates into the mat.

It wasn't fair! He'd only been trying to help Convoy. Why couldn't he ever do anything right? His father had told him to never lie - that if he told the truth he wouldn't get in trouble. And what had happened? He'd done just as Optimus told him and he'd gotten suspended for it. Ironhide was going to return him to the hatchling facility now. He'd just gone and *ruined* his only chance of ever having a family.

Starfall's distressed clicks intensified. The static tunneling his visual display was so thick he could barely see. He offlined his optics and buried his face deeper into the berthmat. This was it. It was all over. He was going to be sent back to the hatchling facility. He was never going to see Optimus again. No one was ever going to read to him before recharge again. No one was going to be there to wake him up in the mornings or be there for him to run to whenever he was sad or lonely. Ironhide was going to send him back and everything was going to go back to the way it was before he was adopted. No one at the hatchling facility had cared about him or how he felt before Optimus found him. They definitely weren't going to start caring now. It was over. All over! He might have been lucky to be adopted once, but his chances of finding another couple that wanted him were slim to none. It had taken Optimus so long to find him. How long would it be for someone else to take pity on him? More than likely, probably never.

Starfall didn't know how long he lay on the berth, sobbing into the berthmat, but he was exhausted both mentally and physically by the time his clicks finally began to taper off and he felt some semblance of control return. A hollow ache pulled at the bottom of his fuel tank but he didn't know if it was from hunger or despair. If it was truly from hunger that would mean it was nearing the end of the solar cycle. If his timing was correct then school would have let out some time ago. If he hadn't been suspended and hadn't had to come home early he would have been getting home right around now. The ache in Starfall's fuel tank turned sour as though some contaminant was curdling the lining of his fuel tank. The cloyingly thick urge to purge once again pressed at the back of Starfall's throat.

Weakly forcing himself up, Starfall sat on the edge of his berth. He let his thrusters limply hang over the side and forced himself to vent several intakes of air. His wings hung straight down his back struts. He felt shaky and weak and devoid of any hope. Letting his optics dim to half capacity, Starfall let his helm down the front of his chest. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was lay down and let himself drift into recharge. But he was afraid to do so. Recharging would only hasten the inevitability of Optimus's return and his return to the hatchling facility. Instead, Starfall just sat there and let his mind go blank. He was too exhausted to do anything else.

Time once more became a muddled concept Starfall had no way of measuring.

It was only when Starfall heard a muffled ring sound from the main part of the apartment that he was able to rouse himself out of his depressed stupor. He recognized the ring. It was the tele-video communicator. Their domicile's was located in his father's private office. Starfall had never actually seen it but he had heard the ring and seen Optimus get up to answer it more than enough times to know where it was.

A sick sort of curiosity stole over Starfall. Who was calling? Unable to corral his curiosity Starfall slid down off the berth and stole to the door. He keyed the door open and craned his head around the corner. He didn't see Ironhide anywhere. He must have gone to answer the video-com because it had stopped ringing. Carefully, Starfall edged out of his room and snuck to the end of the hallway. The main living area of the apartment was empty. Starfall strained his audios. On the far side of the domicile Starfall could hear the murmur of voices. They were coming from Optimus's private office as he'd suspected. He couldn't make out any words but he had no problem distinguishing the deep rumble of Ironhide's voice talking with someone on the line.

Who was Ironhide talking to? Whoever it was, Ironhide didn't sound pleased. A sudden thought chilled Starfall all the way down to his spark. What if he was talking to someone from the hatchling facility? Was he already making arrangements to send Starfall back?

Starfall began to panic. All his earlier thoughts and fears came flooding back to him with a vengeance. What if the hatchling facility didn't even accept returned sparkling? He'd never actually heard of such a thing happening before. All the sparklings he'd seen get adopted had left with their new families never to be seen again. What did sector 12's facility do with returned sparklings? Would he be sent back to the recreation rooms or was he too much trouble to even keep around anymore? He'd hit Aftershock. Did that mean he couldn't be trusted around other sparklings anymore? What if the facility *didn't* accept returned sparklings? What if he was classified as defective and sent to be melted down for scrap metal?

Starfall knew he was letting his imagination run away from him but the panic he felt was real enough.

He couldn't stay here. The realization was instantaneous and without question. Optimus and Ironhide didn't want him anymore and Starfall couldn't bear the thought of going back to the life he'd known inside the facility. It was too lonely there. Too depressing. Even if it had only been for a short while, he now knew what it was like to be loved and cared for by another bot. Even if Optimus didn't want him anymore that memory would always remain with him. The thought of going back to the lonely isolation of the hatchling facility was too much for Starfall to handle now. It made him feel claustrophobic and panicky. He had to get out of there. He had to go somewhere where no one would find him and send him back to the hatchling facility. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could find someone else who'd want him as their son. Someone who'd like him and not try to send him away.

But where could he go? Who did he know? Besides Optimus and Ironhide he knew of no one who'd-

Starfall froze. The answer was so obvious Starfall wanted to sob with relief. There was still a chance of not having to go back to the hatchling facility.

Regaining some measure of composure over himself as a plan began to form in his head, Starfall looked around the living area. Ironhide was inside his father's office. He couldn't see the living area from there. There was still time. If he was quiet and he hurried he might be able to get away before Ironhide noticed anything. If he was really going to do this he had to do it *now*. There was no saying when Ironhide was going to finish his call and come to take him back to the facility.

Mustering his courage, Starfall sped across the living area as fast as he could to the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the other side of the room. He pushed the glass door open and stepped out onto the balcony beyond. He didn't bother to shut the door behind him. Once he was gone it wouldn't matter if someone saw it. He'd be long gone by then.

A brisk wind was blowing outside. Nightfall was still several joors away, but the far corner of the sky was already turning a golden red as the sun began to sink to the horizon. Starfall hurried to the railing of the balcony. He had to activate his thrusters to give him enough altitude to be able to reach the top of the railing and pull himself up. Since Skyfire's flying lesson he'd been practicing and it no longer took any effort to lift off or land. Crouching there on the railing, teetering on the edge of oblivion, Starfall looked out over the cityscape spread below him. A four hundred meter drop yawned beneath him. To any grounder such a drop would have been terrifying. But to Starfall the empty chasm seemed to call to him invitingly.

Starfall spared one last glance over his shoulder back towards the apartment. He was going to miss living there. He'd liked living where there were windows he's been able to see the sky through everyday and having a room of his own with his own personal collection of data pads. But most of all he'd enjoyed being Optimus's son. It had been nice to have someone who cared about him while it had lasted.

With that sad thought Starfall turned back to the edge. He tipped himself forward. His thrusters left the railing and he was freefalling. Wind whipped past his face as the stories sped past him in a blur. He let himself fall several dozen meters before he finally activated his thrusters and spread his wings. And then he was flying. The apartment tower shrank behind him into the distance until it was lost in the maze of other skyscrapers. It took every bit of willpower he had not to look back again.

*********

Ironhide was left shaking as the sound of Starfall's footsteps disappeared down the hallway and he heard the door slide close behind the seeker. Ironhide forced himself to vent a deep intake of air and collect his thoughts. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times until he felt the worst of his anger begin to subside. As emotions ebbed and more cognitive thought returned, Ironhide released a frustrated groan.

He should have handled that better. Optimus had always said he had a bad habit of letting his temper get away from him. He supposed this was exactly the type of situation Optimus had been talking about. He shouldn't have yelled at the kid like that. He should have tried better to keep his cool. It was just that ever since he'd gotten the call from the academy's administrator telling him Starfall had been caught fighting and was going to have to be picked up early and suspended, the only thought going through Ironhide's mind had been that he was right. Just as he'd always suspected they would, Starscream's old personality traits were finally beginning to reemerge. All he'd been able to think about on the way to pick up Starfall was that Optimus should have listened to him. What some might have dismissed as a harmless playground fight to Ironhide was the first sign of aggressive personality traits. Had he really been that out of line to try and nip that propensity for violence in the bud now before Starfall got older and less controllable? His temper had only been the unfortunate byproduct of an attempt to preserve the greater good. If Starfall didn't learn that such things weren't going to be tolerated now, then when? Ironhide had been serious when he'd said he wasn't going to live with a sparkling who couldn't control himself. He wasn't going to be the foster-creator of a future violent criminal. He wasn't going to let his and Optimus's reputations be tarnished by raising a new incarnation of Starscream.

Venting heavily, Ironhide stalked to the living area's lounge and dropped onto its padded surface. Optimus could deal with Starfall whenever he got home. Ironhide felt he'd done his duty picking Starfall up and transporting him home. He'd spelled out the laws of the household very clearly he thought. If Optimus wanted to give Starfall one of his patented I'm-disappointed-in-you-but-I-believe-you-can-do-better-next-time speeches then so be it. But Ironhide was done. He didn't want to even think about Starfall for the rest of the day.

He examined the slew of data pads, half-finished reports and styluses coving the living area table. He'd been in the middle of writing his reports for General Airlock when Catalyst had called. Ironhide picked up the last report he'd been working on. It was an incident report from two deca-cycles ago. An unidentified spacecraft had entered Cybertronian orbit and refused to answer any communication hails. It had turned out to be nothing more than a ship of Quintessan traders whose onboard communications systems had been damaged by a solar flare and only wanted to land on Cybertron for repairs. It was run of the mill administration stuff, but the Planetary Defense Force was nothing if not thorough in documenting all possible alien threats against the planet.

Ironhide vented heavily. When the war had ended he'd returned to civilian life glad to finally be able to have a normal life again. Working as a consultant for the Planetary Defense Force gave him an outlet to keep a finger on the pulse of security issues and defense - his primary occupation before civil war convinced him to join the Autobots - but freed him from having to deal with all the restraints and obligations of full military life. He just hadn't been expecting civilian life to be so humdrum and boring. Writing incident reports and investigating broken communication arrays of merchant vessels wasn't what he'd been expecting when General Airlock first came to him asking if he would be interested in offering his skills and experience to the protection of their home world with the added bonus of substantial monetary compensation. It was almost enough to make Ironhide yearn for the days of excitement and adventure again. Almost. At least during the war he'd never had to fill out quite so many reports. That had always been Prowl's job.

Ironhide picked up a stylus and bent over his half-finished report. If he could just finish this one he'd consider the day well-spent and would reward himself with a nice cube of high grade. After having to deal with Starfall Ironhide felt it was the least he deserved. Joors passed but try as Ironhide might he couldn't seem to make himself concentrate. The incident with Starfall still weighed heavily on his processor. Every time he tried to write something his mind would wander back to the seeker sparkling and his valiant attempts to deny responsibility.

Ironhide snorted. It was just like Starscream to try and deny any guilt in starting a fight. It seemed Vector Sigma hadn't done anything to change that. No doubt Starfall had spouted his mouth off to some other kid and when confronted had replied with fists just like Starscream would have done.

Fed up with staring at the half-finished report, Ironhide tossed it aside. He'd finish it later. It wasn't like Airlock needed that report anytime soon. All that was going to happen to it when it was finally done was that it would be filed away in some data hub and never read again. Such was the life of minor incident reports in the PDF; once filed no one cared anymore.

Ironhide leaned back on the lounge and rubbed at the space of protomatter between his optics. Maybe he'd have that cube of high grade now. He'd done all he could given the state of mind he was in.

He was just about to get up and do so when the ring of the tele-video communicator made him pause. Ironhide sighed. Now what? Whenever the video-comm of a Prime rang it was always something important.

Heaving himself to his pedes he went into Optimus's office. He sat in the chair and flicked on the monitor. The face of an unfamiliar mech with dark red armor and light gray facial plates filled the screen. Ironhide frowned. It was probably some senator or high council member he'd never met wanting to talk to Optimus.

"Yea?"

"Consort Ironhide?"

Ironhide blinked in surprise. The mech's accent was foreign, not Iaconian by any measure. It was so heavy it took a bit of effort to understand what he was saying. "Yea, that's me. Wha' can ah do yeh fer?"

"You do not know me, sir. My name is Burnout. I am the father of Convoy, one of your son's classmates at District 11's academy."

Ironhide inwardly growled. Great. Just what he needed. An irate creator calling him about Starfall. "Let me guess. Yer kid was the one Starfall was fightin' with ta-day?"

"Quite the contrary, sir," Burnout said. "My son was the one your son was defending. I felt it my obligation to call and thank him for what he did after Convoy came home and told me what happened. Starfall is the first to ever extend any sort of friendship towards my son since we moved to the main planet. I admit I was uncomfortable with the idea of a seeker being in the same class as my son, but after today I am beginning to think he is the only good sparkling in that entire academy. We are colonists and not native Cybertronians so Convoy has found it extremely difficult to bond with any other sparklings his age. Most of the other sparklings at the academy are children of senators and powerful business mechs, not new-money merchants such as myself. As a result my son has had a difficult time making friends." Burnout delicately cleared his throat line. "If… if Starfall ever wished to spend time with Convoy outside of school I would be honored to host him at my domicile. I would not presume that the son of a merchant would be welcome in the home of a Prime-Consort, but if you and the Prime were agreeable to such a friendship being fostered I would gladly open my home to Starfall."

Ironhide stared at the screen, taken aback and confused.

Burnout seemed to take Ironhide's silence as a negative and quickly backtracked. "Please forgive my boldness. I did not mean to insult the Consort of a Prime. It was foolish of me to suggest that the son of a Prime would wish to spend time with one from the laboring class. Please do not-"

"Wha'd yeh mean Starfall was defendin' someone? Ah thought he was caught fightin'."

Burnout's optic ridges furrowed together underneath his helm. "You mean Starfall did not tell you about what happened?"

Ironhide shook his head. "No. All ah was told was that he'd started some kind of fight an' had ta be suspended."

Burnout's lips turned down in a frown. "That is not the story my son told me."

"What's his story?"

"Basically that, as usual, he was accosted by an older sparkling - the son of an important senator I am led to believe - in the hallway and was being made fun of for the general mass's amusement. Convoy is extremely conscious of his accent which makes him an easy target for other sparklings to tease. I have spoken to Administrator Catalyst numerous times about this. He keeps assuring me he will address the matter but never does. Everyday my son is forced to go to school where he is the object of everyone else's laughter. If District 11 was not so highly rated for its academics I would take him out and enroll him in a different academy."

"But what 'bout what happened ta-day?" Ironhide urged.

"This other sparkling - Aftershock, I believe Convoy said - stopped him in the halls and was making fun of him. Your son tried to intervene to make the other leave my son alone. In doing so, however, he was drawn into a physical confrontation and blamed for it."

An uneasy feeling began to pull at the bottom of Ironhide's fuel tank. "Yer tellin' me Starfall didn't start that fight?"

"Yes, sir. Convoy tells me the other sparkling tried to hit him and Starfall tried to defend himself. If it is not too bold of me, sir, I think it's a travesty that your son was blamed and suspended while nothing was done to the other who started it. When my son and I relocated to the main planet I had hoped that such blatant favoritism would not be an issue. Apparently I was wrong to hope."

Ironhide sat for a moment of quiet contemplation. "Thanks fer callin' me 'bout this. Ah'm sorry ta hear about what yer son's been goin' through. That's not right."

"Thank you for saying so, sir," Burnout said. The merchant hesitantly met Ironhide's optics through the monitor. "As I said, if Starfall ever wished to spend time with Convoy outside of school… I know that my family is not of any notable lineage and does not have any kind of influence in the government, but-"

Ironhide held a hand up to the monitor for Burnout to stop. "Ah hafta call the administrator of the academy an' get some more details about wha' happened ta-day. But once ah get this all squared away ah'll be sure ta contact yeh 'bout setting up some time fer Starfall an' Convoy ta get ta-gether."

A surprised but grateful smile appeared on Burnout's face. "Thank you, sir. I know my son will be looking forward to it."

"Ah'm sure my kid will be too."

With that, the two mechs both cut transmission.

Ironhide sat for a long moment of silence staring at the blank screen, digesting everything he'd just learned. The uneasy feeling in Ironhide's fuel tank began to morph into quiet irritation. He was starting to get the impression that he'd been lied to by Administrator Catalyst, or at least hadn't been given the full version of events. And if there was one thing Ironhide hated above all else it was having someone try to pull the proverbial wool down over his eyes.

Ironhide leaned forward and began punching in the search parameters for District 11's contact information into the tele-video computer. A contact number appeared. Ironhide selected it. There was a moment's pause for the other side to pick up before a nondescript mech appeared onscreen.

"Iacon District 11 Academy of Advanced Primary Education."

"Administrator Catalyst, please," Ironhide tightly said.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"The Prime's Consort."

The mech only then seemed to properly look at the screen to see who he was talking to. He visibly startled. "One moment, please, while I connect you."

The screen went black again as he was put on hold. Ironhide's fingers drummed a heavy rhythm against the table. With each passing klick his ire grew a little more.

Finally, there was a click from the tele-video and the screen flashed with Catalyst's face. "Consort Ironhide. How may I help you?" he smoothly answered.

"Got some questions 'bout that fight my kid was supposedly in earlier ta-day."

"I thought I explained the situation well enough when I first contacted you."

"Ah just got off the line with the creator of another of yer students," Ironhide growled. "Told me some interesting things 'bout wha' happened ta-day. They differed a bit from the information yeh gave me, though."

"How so?"

"This other creator told me his kid said he was gettin' picked on an' Starfall stepped in to help. The kid who was doing the bullying apparently didn't like Starfall gettin' involved an' tried ta hit him. He said Starfall was only defending himself when he got caught fer fighting."

"I assure you that-"

"Ah'm done with 'bein assured,'" Ironhide sharply cut him off. "Ah wanna see the video feed of the fight myself."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yer school's up ta code, isn't it? It's mandated by law that all schools have a security surveillance network set up."

"Of course my school is up to code," Catalyst hotly declared as though taking personal offense to the suggestion it wasn't. "We have security cameras installed in every hallway between classrooms, above all entrances and exists and around all outdoor public areas still on school grounds."

"Then pull up footage from the fight. Ah wanna see wha' really happened."

Catalyst stared at Ironhide through the screen for a long moment of tense silence. "Give me one moment," he finally said. The screen once more went to black. Ironhide glared at it while he waited.

Several klicks later Catalyst reappeared. "I have it, sir. The time stamp and camera number should be correct for the footage we're looking for."

"Good. Play it," Ironhide growled.

A separate window appeared in the lower right-hand corner of Ironhide's screen. Video began to run. It was an overhead view of a crowded hallway. Ironhide leaned closer. As he watched a line of younger sparklings appeared. He recognized Starfall walking towards the back of the line. A group of older younglings standing to the side of the hallway stepped into the line and surrounded one of the sparklings in Starfall's class. Ironhide recognized the sparkling's dark red armor and figured he must be Burnout's son, Convoy. He was a tiny thing, barely even half the size of the younglings surrounding him. It was impossible to tell what they were saying because there was no audio feed on the tape, but it wasn't difficult to guess what was going on by the way Convoy seemed to huddle down against himself and the way other students began to cluster around, laughing. Ironhide's anger spiked when he saw the biggest of the three younglings step forward and roughly poke the little red sparkling in the shoulder. There was a pause and then the crowd of onlookers all collectively turned as a group towards something near the end of the line. It was Starfall. He'd stepped out of line and was walking towards the older younglings. The big blue and gold trimmed youngling stepped forward to meet him. There was several klicks of intense debate between the two. Although Ironhide couldn't hear what was being said the look of embarrassed fury on the youngling pretty much said it all. It was probably the first time anyone had ever stood up to him. As Ironhide watched the youngling's posture became increasingly more threatening. He was physically trying to glare the miniature seeker into submission but it was clear Starfall wasn't going to back down. The older sparkling suddenly moved, lunging at Starfall with one arm pulled back in a fist. Starfall ducked. There was a flurry of movement Ironhide couldn't make out between the shifting crowd of bodies, but when the crowd parted enough to see again it was only Starfall still standing straight. The other was doubled over holding his chest.

Ironhide silently turned his glare back to Catalyst.

"Mind tellin' me wha' I just saw there? 'Cause it looks ta me like Starfall wasn't the instigator in that."

Catalyst uncomfortably cleared his intake line. "It would appear not."

"Yeh mean yeh didn't even look at yer own security feeds before yeh suspended him? Why do yeh even have cameras if yer not gonna use 'em?"

"I admit I may have been a bit hasty in placing all the blame on one student's head. But Starfall admitted to striking the other student and I figured that was proof enough. Even though he didn't start it, however, it still doesn't change the fact that Starfall was caught fighting. His suspension must stand. I cannot condone fighting amongst the students no matter what the circumstances. Just because he is the son a Prime doesn't make him exempt from the rules."

Ironhide darkly glared at the administrator through the screen. "Fine," he conceded with a growl. "Starfall's still on suspension 'til the orn after ta-morrow."

"I'm so glad you agree with me on-"

"Wha' about the other kid?"

"Excuse me?"

"The other kid. Wha' about him? He was the one that actually started the fight an' tried ta hit Starfall first. He should be gettin' suspended too. Just 'cause he wasn't caught then doesn't mean he should get away with it now. Not even if he is the son of a senator."

Catalyst tightly cleared his throat line. His expression was quietly poisonous. "Yes, of course, sir. You're quite right. I will contact Aftershock's father and inform him of the situation immediately. We must be fair in situations like this."

"Yea. *Fair*," Ironhide mocked. He returned the administrator's ice-cold glare. "Ah'll be talkin' ta the creator of that little sparkling again ta-morrow ta make sure that bully wasn't back pickin' on him while Starfall wasn't around ta make sure he stays in line."

Catalyst's expression tightened even more. "If that's what you feel you must do, sir, that is, of course, your right."

Ironhide didn't bother to properly end the conversation. He was too peeved to play around with niceties. He cut the transmission. He got a certain amount of satisfaction from being able to wipe Catalyst's face from the video screen with the flick of a switch. If only he could get away with doing something like that in real life.

Growling a sigh, Ironhide slouched down in his seat. Primus, what was he going to do? He'd been a complete aft. He deserved ta be slapped upside the helm for today. Starfall had just been defending one of his classmates and what had he gone and done but blamed the kid for starting a fight when all he'd been doing was trying to defend himself and another little kid. He was no better than that idiot Catalyst.

Venting heavily, Ironhide surged to his pedes. He knew what he had to do even if he didn't like it. "Starfall!" he called. He went out of the office, through the living area and down the hallway towards the seeker's room. "Starfall? I gotta talk ta yeh." He motioned the door to Starfall's room open. "I just got a call from yer friend Convoy's dad an'-"

The room was empty. Ironhide stood in the doorway for a moment of stunned silence. There was no sign of the miniature seeker anywhere. "Starfall?" He went back out into the hallway. He glanced into both his and Optimus's room and the wash rack. No sign of Starfall in either of them. He went into the living area. "Starfall? Come here. Yer not in trouble, ah swear. Ah just wanna talk ta yeh."

Still the seeker did not appear.

A pinprick of anger began to form in the back of Ironhide's processor. Here he was trying to apologize and the kid refused to come when he was called. "Starfall! Ah ain't playin'! Come on out!"

It was only then that Ironhide noticed the open door to the balcony on the other side of the room. Every trace of anger, irritation or impatience vanished. He hurried across the living area and stepped out onto the balcony. Night was swiftly settling over the city. The sky was already deepening to a bruised-color shade of purple overhead. "Star? Star!" he called into the wind that whistled across the balcony. The sound was swiftly carried away and swallowed by the growing dusk. Nothing but silence answered him.

Ironhide whipped around and sped back into the apartment, panic clawing at his spark.

The kid was gone.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twelve: Safe Haven

It was starting to get dark by the time Starfall finally saw Skyfire's apartment tower appear in the distance. The sun was nothing but a thin red strip of light on the horizon now. More than half of the building's windows were backlit from the inside, creating miniature shadowboxes of each room. Even from a distance of several hundred meters, Starfall could make out people moving in several of the windows. He eagerly pushed more power into his thruster outputs. He was almost there. It had taken him the better part of a joor to find his way across the city in the growing dusk. When Skyfire first taught him to fly he'd said it was important to learn the layout of things from an aerial perspective. Things looked different from the air than from the ground. Starfall was beginning to learn that things looked very different in the dark as well. He'd almost mistaken a different apartment tower for Skyfire's half a joor ago before realizing the signal beacon on the roof wasn't the same as the one Skyfire had pointed out to him during his flying lesson. Looking back it had been a complete stroke of luck Skyfire had done that. If he hadn't Starfall wouldn't have even known what direction to fly in when he'd left Optimus and Ironhide's domicile, let alone which building was the giant mech's.

The thought made the queasy knot in the bottom of Starfall's fuel tank tighten. What if Skyfire hadn't told him where he lived? More than likely he'd be heading back to the hatchling facility right now in the front seat of Ironhide's cab unit. If Skyfire hadn't mentioned where he lived Starfall might not have gotten a chance to see the shuttle again. He only hoped Skyfire wanted him. He couldn't go back home. Ironhide would take him back to the hatchling facility as soon as he did. He didn't have a home anymore.

The realization hit Starfall like a physical slap to the face. He'd lost his chance for a family with Optimus and Ironhide the moment his fist connected with Aftershock's chest plate. The memory of Ironhide's angry optics glaring down at him was enough to make Starfall's throat line constrict with a rush of emotions. He hadn't meant to hit Aftershock! He hadn't meant to start a fight! He'd only been trying to do what he'd thought was right. Why couldn't he ever do anything right? No wonder no one had ever wanted him. Maybe Ironhide was right - maybe seekers really were nothing but trouble. He'd done everything he could to be a good son and had ended up doing nothing more than making everyone mad at him.

An angry sob slipped past Starfall's gritted dentas. It was muffled by the whistle of wind as he sped towards Skyfire's apartment. Even after all those joors spent sobbing into the berthmat he still had enough emotions roiling around inside him to make him want to hide in a dark corner and sob himself to recharge.

Starfall could only hope Skyfire wanted him after he found out what he'd done. Ironhide said him and Optimus didn't want him anymore because he was too much trouble. What if Skyfire thought the same? If Skyfire didn't want him he didn't have anyone else he could go to - at least no one Starfall thought might give him a second chance.

The queasy feeling in his fuel tank clenched, making Starfall feel violently ill. Skyfire was his last chance. If he didn't want him Starfall didn't know where he'd go or what he'd do. He didn't want to go back to the hatchling facility. That much was for certain. He'd rather live *underground* in the sewers than go back to the hatchling facility. Maybe if he told Skyfire his side of the story before he had any time to judge he could convince Skyfire to keep him. It was his best and only plan.

But first he had to find the mech. Skyfire might have told him what building was his but he hadn't exactly told Starfall his domicile number. He could be in any one of several hundred domiciles. The apartment tower was large. It wasn't as big as Optimus and Ironhide's, but still big enough to make Starfall momentarily wonder how much of a chance he really had finding Skyfire. What if Skyfire wasn't even home? How would he know which domicile was his? How much time did he have to wait for Skyfire to come home? Would Ironhide send someone after him? Would he want to return him to the hatchling facility that badly that he'd send someone to find him and bring him back? Growing desperate, Starfall pushed an extra burst of power into his thrusters. He had to hurry. There was no saying how much time he had left. Ironhide had sounded serious when he said he was going to send Starfall back.

The apartment building sped closer. Starfall eased up on his thruster output as he came within the last hundred feet of it before gliding to a stop a couple dozen feet from the side of the building. He hovered midair several hundred meters above the ground. A brisk wind was blowing. It was now full dark The only source of light was from the streetlights below, the surrounding buildings and the glow of electric light spilling out the windows of the apartment tower's occupied domiciles. Starfall hugged himself against the gusts of wind that whipped around him. It was always winder when he was this high. Starfall didn't know why, but it was. The wind seemed to pull at the edges of his armor like icy fingers. It made him yearn to find Skyfire soon. He hadn't had any fuel since his half-cube of energon earlier that morning. If it had been any other day he would have probably already had his evening energon by now. After the events at school, his encounter with Ironhide and flying across half the city to Skyfire's apartment building, Starfall was tired, cold and hungry. He'd give just about anything for a cube of energon and a soft berth or lounge to lie down on. If he found Skyfire maybe the giant mech could give him something to fuel up with. He was so energy-depleted and emotionally-exhausted Starfall would have been happy for just a canister of coolant.

Starfall forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Before he could think about fuel or finding a place to rest he first had to find Skyfire. That was priority. Figuring there was no better way to go about it, Starfall drifted backwards from the building so he could get a better view inside more rooms at once. The bots moving around inside the domiciles were oblivious to his presence as he glided past the windows. Starfall figured that was for the best. If anyone saw him they'd probably panic. He doubted anyone would be happy to see someone - let along a seeker - hovering outside their window late at night.

As Starfall glided back and forth along the side of the building he saw numerous bots through the windows. Most sat on lounges watching the tele-consol or sipping on cubes of energon or other refreshments. Inside several domiciles Starfall saw families of varying sizes and make-ups going about their nightly routine. As he rose a level to inspect a new row of apartments Starfall saw one family in particular that made him pause outside their living area window and stare. It was a small family - two mechs and a sparkling who looked no older than a few lunar cycles. The newspark was fussing. Starfall could hear its angry chirps through the plated glass, shrill and inconsolable. Both creators were trying to calm it. The smaller of the two mechs held the screaming newspark against his chest while his sparkmate cooed and made funny faces at the sparkling over his mate's shoulder. Despite the sparkling's shrill cries and the tired rings of static circling both mechs' optics there was an aura of calm content around them. Even as their sparkling screamed and flailed miniature limbs the two looked indescribably peaceful and… happy.

The scene made the loneliness in Starfall's spark swell. A rush of intense jealously constricted his throat line. When he'd been younger he'd never had anyone to hold him like that or try to soothe his cries. He'd only ever had himself. Even now, after he'd finally found a family of his own he was still alone and unwanted. Staring at the two mechs through the window Starfall wondered why he could never be a part of something like that. He'd done everything he could to make his foster-fathers love him and he'd still been rejected in the end. What had he done to be denied so simple a wish? What had he done that Primus refused to answer his prayers for a pair of creators to love him even half as much as Starfall yearned for someone to. The unfairness of it all made the edges of Starfall's visual readout fuzz with static.

Unable to bear the sight of so much happiness and love he could never be a part of Starfall turned away from the window. He fired his thrusters and sped away from the window down the row of domiciles. His search became more frantic. Moving faster than before, Starfall darted from window to window, desperately searching for the giant shuttle.

Starfall didn't know how long he searched. After the first couple floors all the domiciles began to blur together. He saw no other families like the two mechs with the screaming newspark but the image continued to haunt him like a bad dream he couldn't escape. He'd covered the majority of the upper levels of the apartment tower when Starfall began to doubt if he'd ever find Skyfire. It had been joors now and he still hadn't seen any sign of Skyfire anywhere. Many of the windows he'd passed had been dark, the rooms inside empty. Was Skyfire maybe not home yet? Did he have to check all the windows again? What if Skyfire wasn't planning to come home for a long time? Skyfire had told him he sometimes went on long space explorations. What if he was on one of those trips now? What if he wasn't suppose to come back for a long time? What was Starfall going to do then? He couldn't go back to Optimus and Ironhide's, but he couldn't wait for Skyfire forever either.

Panic began to spread through Starfall. What if he *never* found Skyfire? What if he was wrong and this wasn't the building Skyfire pointed out to him? What then? He didn't have anywhere else to go, anyone else to turn to. Was he cursed to be alone forever?

A frightened sob escaped Starfall's mouth. The static ringing his visual readout thickened. A gust of cold wind blew past him, sneaking between his plates of armor down to his protoform. Starfall huddled down against himself, shivering. His wings were so cold they shook in the wind, making him swerve slightly from side to side as he hovered. He was so tired. Maybe he should find someplace to sit down for awhile. He could continue looking for Skyfire after he'd had some time to rest. If Starfall had been home he probably would have been getting ready to recharge right now. None of the domiciles of this building had balconies. The only place Starfall could go was the roof. Maybe he could find somewhere to hide and rest up there.

Trying to blink the static from his visual readout, Starfall tiredly pushed more power into his thrusters. This was the longest time he'd ever spent in the air and it was beginning to show its effects. Starfall doubted he'd ever felt so tired and low on energy before. He was pretty sure he was going to drop into recharge as soon as he found a place to lie down, no matter how cold it was. As he rose towards the roof he continued to scan inside the windows of the domiciles he passed. He was only three floors from the top when he almost stalled his thrusters in his rush to stop ascending.

There! There through the window of the domicile two windows down on his right he saw a giant white mech seated at a desk with his back to the window. A large set of red-striped wings hung down his back struts over the edge of his chair. Starfall almost cried out in relief. It was Skyfire! He'd finally found him.

********

Skyfire tiredly leafed through the stacks of data pads on his desk. Piles of them lined the edge of his desk, surrounding him like walls of a fortress. Several more piles of data pads and notes sat on the floor next to his feet. A colleague at the science institute had asked him for notes on a new synthetic fuel additive he'd worked on several lunar cycles before, but for the life in him he couldn't locate them anywhere in the slew of scientific work.

I really need to organize these, Skyfire thought with a sigh. He had a bad habit of bringing half-finished projects home with him from the laboratory and setting them aside where they'd get buried under the next wave of journals and notes. At least he wasn't as bad as Wheeljack. He could at least take solace in that. When he'd worked with Wheeljack in the Ark's laboratory during the war, the engineer's workspace had been a veritable storm of chaos. How Wheeljack was ever able to find anything in that heap of journals, notes, data pads, half-constructed inventions and tools still mystified Skyfire. It was a wonder the engineer was able to get anything done at all in that environment. Skyfire, on the other hand, liked to think of his own workstation as controlled disorganization. He knew where everything was.

It was just a matter of finding it first.

Shifting through a new stack of data pads, Skyfire vented a weary sigh. He really needed to look into getting a filing cabinet of some sort…

A soft tapping sound behind him made Skyfire momentarily pause. What was that? He waited a moment before turning his attention back to finding his search. It had to be somewhere in this stack. He was sure of it. He thought he'd seen a schematic of a solar-powered energy converter he'd been working on around the same time as the fuel additive. The formula for the fuel additive had to be somewhere in the same stack.

The tapping sound came again. This time louder and more insistent.

Skyfire's optic ridges furrowed together under the edge of his helm. He turned in his seat towards the window where the sound seemed to be coming from. What was that? Was the ventilation system acting up again? He'd called maintenance to take care of that well over a deca-cycle ago and they'd assured him it had been fixed. If he had to call again-

A set of impossibly large turquoise-blue optics stared back at Skyfire through the glass, beseeching and desperate. It took a moment for Skyfire's startled processor to mentally connect those turquoise optics to the pale gray face around them and then to the tiny body and set of wings hovering outside his window, several hundred meters above the ground.

"STAR!" Skyfire shot up out of his chair so fast he sent the stack of data pads balanced on the edge of his desk crashing to the floor. He didn't care. He darted for the window and fumbled for the latch. Sliding the pane of glass aside, his arms were instantly filled by the shivering, sobbing sparkling. Skyfire instinctively clutched Starfall to him, wrapping him massive arms around the tiny seeker. Starfall clung to him, his miniature arms wrapped so tightly around his neck Skyfire felt his intake line bow under the pressure.

"Skyfire!" Starfall's voice was so garbled by sobbing clicks Skyfire almost didn't understand his own name.

"Star, what are you doing here? What happened? What's wrong?" Skyfire glanced between the sparkling clinging to his chest plate and the open window. "Did you fly all the way here by yourself? It's dark outside. You could have gotten into an accident. You're too young to be flying around so late by yourself. Do Optimus and Ironhide know where you are?"

"They don't want me anymore!" Starfall wailed into the side of Skyfire's neck cables. The distraught clicks of his sobs intensified. "They're going to return me! I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident! I was just trying to help Convoy but no one will listen to me! I don't want to go back to the hatchling facility!"

"Hush, shh, shh," Skyfire soothed, gently stroking Starfall's back between his wings. Starfall's wings shook violently. His plating was freezing to Skyfire's touch. The shuttle frowned. Starfall must have been flying for joors in the dark to get so chilled. Sparklings weren't equipped with thick armor like adults to be able to withstand dramatic temperature changes - not even seeker sparklings who could fly in the sub-zero stratosphere of the planet. To let one as young as Starfall fly so high for so long without thermal protection was dangerous. If he'd become over-chilled or tired mid-flight he could have succumbed to exhaustion or exposure and experienced a systems failure. With no one there to watch him there was no saying what could have happened. An accident, a crash, a loss of power to his thrusters - the possibilities made Skyfire physically sick to his fuel tank. He hugged Starfall closer, squeezing him to his cockpit if only to reassure himself Starfall was still in one piece. "It's alright, Star. Calm down. I've got you." His hand stroked long, calming passes down Starfall's wings. "It's okay. I'm here now." Skyfire mentally cued his internal temperature gauge and increased its output by several degrees. He felt the chill in Starfall's plating slowly begin to disappear. He continued to hold Starfall to him with his miniature helm tucked underneath his chin and murmur calm reassurances into Starfall's audios. After several klicks, the sparkling's sobs finally began to taper off. Starfall lay limp against his chest, his face pressed into the side of Skyfire's neck. Skyfire could practically the exhaustion radiating off his tiny body.

Still holding Starfall close, Skyfire went to the lounge on the side of the room. His living area was more of a second laboratory for him than an actual place he relaxed or lived in. After he'd lost Starscream his scientific research was all he'd had left to focus his attention on. In the orns since Starscream surrendered his spark to Vector Sigma his work had become his life.

Brushing several data pads littering the cushions far enough to the side to sit, Skyfire eased himself backwards onto the lounge. He was careful not to jostle the sparkling in his arms too much. Seated comfortably, Skyfire gently pulled Starfall far enough away from his chest to see his face. Starfall's facial plates were a hopeless void of misery and exhaustion.

"What happened, Star?" he gently asked.

Starfall looked like he was about to break into a new round of sobs but somehow he managed to keep control over his emotions. "Dad and Ironhide are going to send me back to the hatchling facility. They don't want me anymore."

"I find that very difficult to believe. I happen to know your father loves you very much. Why would you ever think they don't want you anymore?"

"Because Ironhide told me so!" Starfall fought to keep his voice from breaking but his efforts weren't completely successful. It was taking everything the sparkling had to not break down into sobs again. His optics were ringed with white there was so much static in them. "He said he's going to return me because I'm too much trouble. He said he doesn't want to live with a sparkling who starts fights anymore. But I didn't start that fight! Aftershock did! I was just trying to help Convoy! But no one will listen to me! And now I'm suspended from school, and dad won't ever read me stories again, and I'll never be able to see the sky because the hatchling facility doesn't have any windows and-"

"Star, Star, calm down," Skyfire soothed, petting Starfall's wings. "Tell me what happened from the beginning. What fight are you talking about? Who's Aftershock?"

Haltingly, Starfall managed to run Skyfire through the events of the day, starting from Optimus's plans for his late meeting to Aftershock's attack on Convoy to Ironhide's angry threat and then Starfall's frantic flight to Skyfire's. When Starfall finally finished, it took every bit of willpower and self-control Skyfire possessed not to let his shock and disgust show on his facial plates. How could Ironhide possibly blame Starfall for what happened? Did he even bother to get Starfall's side of the story before threatening to return him? What kind of bot threatened to discard a child over a schoolyard fight they didn't even start? Did Ironhide still have that much hatred for Starscream that he'd try to mentally scar an innocent child? What kind of family had he left Starfall in? When he'd found out Optimus and Ironhide had found Starscream's reincarnation he'd been overjoyed. Surely no sparkling could ask for a better creator than a Prime. Starfall would never want for anything with such a powerful mech acting as his guardian. But now Skyfire was beginning to have doubts. It was beginning to look like Starfall was being denied the one thing he wanted and needed more than anything else: love from *both* his foster-creators.

Pulling Starfall to him, Skyfire hugged the miniature seeker against his cockpit. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Star. That's not fair. No matter what anyone else says you did the right thing standing up for your friend like that. I'm very proud of what you did."

Starfall pulled back from Skyfire and looked up at him with watery optics. "Can I come live with you, Skyfire?"

The question was unexpected and took Skyfire completely by surprise. "What?"

"Can I come live with you?" Starfall stared at him pleading. "Please? Dad and Ironhide don't want me anymore. And I don't want to go back to the hatchling facility. I promise I'll be good. I won't cause any problems. I'll do whatever you want me to. I just want to stay with someone who actually wants me."

"Oh, Star…" Skyfire was at a loss for words. His throat line constricted with a violent rush of emotions. The desperation in the seeker sparkling's optics was enough to tear Skyfire's spark in two. "I'm sorry, but you can't stay here. I have to return you to your fathers."

Starfall's optics welled with hurt. "Why?" A sob clicked in the back of Starfall's throat line. "Don't you want me? I promise I'll be good! I won't start any more fights! I don't take up that much space. I- I'll be quiet. You won't even know I'm here!"

"Star, no, no, listen to me. It's not that I don't want you. Believe me, if something were to happen to Optimus and Ironhide I would be the very first one in line to take you in. But I'm not your legal guardian. Your fathers are. If I tried to have you come live with me without your fathers giving up their rights as guardians first I could get into very big trouble with the authorities."

"But they don't want me anymore," Starfall sobbed. "Please, Skyfire? I don't want to go back there. I want to be with someone who wants me."

Skyfire stared into Starfall's optics, heartbroken and sick to his spark with want. He wanted to take Starfall in. Oh, how badly he wanted to! The thought of returning Starfall to the Prime household filled Skyfire with such disgust he felt shaky and ill. Starfall didn't know how tempted he was to say yes - to take Starfall in and raise him with all the love and attention he deserved. He would never threaten to send Starfall back like Ironhide. He would never make him feel like he was a nuisance or unwanted. He'd make sure Starfall never wanted for anything.

But as Skyfire looked around his data pad-strewn domicile he knew such a fantasy could never be. His apartment was nothing more than a glorified storage area and rest spot for him. He barely spent more than a few joors everyday there himself, and usually only to recharge if he wasn't on some long-range exploration or attending some scientific conference off-planet. While on Cybertron, he spent the majority of his time in the lab working on new formulas and research projects. He was barely ever home. His apartment was filled with nothing more than data pads and scientific projects. There was no way it was a suitable environment to raise a child. There was barely enough room for himself let alone a second bot even as small as Starfall. It would be uncomfortable and cramped. Starfall would have no room to play or grow. It wouldn't be fair to Starfall to try and raise him in such a place. Starfall deserved better. No matter what Starfall thought, Skyfire knew Optimus loved him. He had the money and resources to properly raise a child and was in a better position to give Starfall the love and attention he deserved than Skyfire did. To take Starfall in would force Skyfire to give up certain aspects of his work, which, in turn, would prevent him from financially providing for Starfall. No. For better or worse Starfall had to go back to Optimus and Ironhide.

Skyfire was unable to keep the regret out of his voice. "Star, I'm so sorry. But I can't. I'd want nothing more than to have you come live with me but it's not right. You have to go back to your fathers."

Skyfire might as well have stabbed Starfall through the sparkchamber for the spark-broken look of betrayal Starfall gave him. Distraught clicks began to build in the back of Starfall's throat line. The static in his optics thickened. "But I wanted to stay here with you…" he softly sobbed. The utter defeat in his voice cut Skyfire to his core.

"It'll be okay, Star. I promise."

An angry sob. "But Ironhide's going to yell at me for running away! Now he's definitely going to send me back!"

"No he's not," Skyfire insisted. "I'll make sure of it. I'm going to sort this out with your fathers. Don't you worry. I'm not going to let them send you anywhere."

Starfall miserably leaned into Skyfire's embrace and rested his helm against the side of Skyfire's cockpit. He seemed too exhausted and defeated to protest anymore.

Skyfire couldn't think of anything else to do but hug him closer. Guilt stung at Skyfire from all angles. If only he could keep Starfall like he wanted. No matter how much the logical side of him knew he couldn't keep Starfall it still hurt to think that Starfall thought he was rejecting him too. "It's alright, Star. I promise. I'm not going to let Ironhide send you away." Hoisting the miserable sparkling higher into his arms against his chest, Skyfire got up from the lounge. He walked to the other side of the room where an energon dispenser was installed in the wall. "Let's get you some fuel. You must be famished."

He filled half a cube with energon and returned to the lounge. Starfall very reluctantly leaned back from Skyfire to take the offered cube. The sparkling refused to look at Skyfire as he shakily raised the cube to his mouth and took several swallows. As Starfall hungrily drank Skyfire stoked the backs of his wings. Skyfire didn't know if he was doing it more for his own reassurance that Starfall was alright or to reassure Starfall that he really wasn't trying to reject him like everyone else seemed to do. "Once you're refueled I'll call your fathers to tell them where you are," Skyfire said, trying to sound upbeat. "They must be beside themselves with worry by now. I'll be surprised if they haven't already called Prowl and have every single Enforcer in the city out looking for you."

Starfall refused to look at Skyfire. He continued to silently drink his energon. The defeated way his wings hung down his back stabbed Skyfire to his core. It was like Starfall had already given up all hope and was now just waiting for the other proverbial pede to fall.

Skyfire fought back a wave of painful memories. He recognized that look of defeat. Starscream used to always get that look in his optics after a particularly bad day at the science academy. He had always been so desperate to prove to everyone how intelligent and different he was from other seekers. Seekers were generally thought to be nothing more than sentient military drones built only to destroy and wreak violence on others. Such stereotypes had always haunted Starscream. He'd spent so many orns trying to prove others' misconceptions wrong. But no matter how hard he tried no one ever seemed to want to give him the chance to prove them wrong. Only Skyfire had ever been able to see past the red, white and blue seeker's proud bluster and egotism to the insecure bot he really was deep inside. The hopeless look of defeat in Starfall's optics now reminded Skyfire so much of Starscream it physically hurt.

This couldn't go on. He didn't know what he was going to say when he took Starfall back to Optimus and Ironhide, but he knew he had to say something. No matter how much he still loved the Starscream he remembered before war warped him into a killer, he would damn himself to the Pit if he stood by and let this innocent sparkling in his lap be pushed down the same path as his old love. No matter what came of his meeting with Optimus and Ironhide he was *not* going to let Starfall be a victim of the same prejudices and misconceptions Starscream had endured in his life. This had to change now.

He was not going to let Ironhide turn Starfall into another Starscream.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirteen: Turning Point

Ironhide sat on one of the lounges in the living area. He sat hunched forward in his seat, his hands clasped together over his knee joints. He didn't know what else to do with them. His shoulders were stiff with tension. Apprehension curdled inside his sparkchamber, making him feel edgy and restless but he didn't dare move. He felt like he was in the eye of a storm. Any movement or noise on his part might just be the catalyst to break the calm and bring a landslide of guilt and blame crashing down on him. Ironhide timidly glanced in Optimus's direction.

His mate stood in the doorway of their domicile's balcony like a frozen sentinel, staring outside into the night. Above his battle mask, Optimus's optics were two pools of worry. They swept from side to side, constantly scanning the skyline. Ironhide knew what he was looking for. He was looking for any sign of Skyfire on the horizon. Ironhide leaned back on the lounge and vented a deep sigh.

When he'd discovered Starfall was missing he'd immediately called Prowl's private line at the Enforcer Headquarters. It had only been by luck that he'd managed to catch Prowl; the tactician had just been getting ready to go home. As only an administrator of Prowl's caliber could do, he'd taken all the relevant information Ironhide could give him - all of Starfall's distinguishing characteristics (as if there was more than one seeker sparkling in Iacon they needed to find), his last known whereabouts and any possible places Starfall might go - and put out a missing child alert to all on-duty Enforcers. He'd done all that in the span of three klicks. Ironhide had never been more impressed by Prowl's efficiency than then. Some emotion Ironhide couldn't even begin to guess must have shown on his face when all that was done because Prowl -cold, calculating, unfeeling Prowl - had offered him the reassurance that they'd find Starfall and that everything would be alright. It was one thing for Prowl to do his duty, but a completely different thing for Prowl to actually try to console the creator of a missing child. Prowl never did that! He did not consider such sentimental reassurances part of his job. His only concern would be to find the missing child and return it home. Maybe it was because they had such a long history together that Prowl felt the need to offer Ironhide some support. It was the only reason Ironhide could think of to explain it. He'd been a little shaken when he'd found out Starfall was missing, yes, but it wasn't like he'd called Prowl in a panic or anything. Optimus had entrusted him to watch the seeker until he got home and Ironhide had let his mate down. That was it. He was allowed to be upset about that. It wasn't like he'd actually been *worried* about the kid or anything.

Right?

After hanging up with Prowl Ironhide had then made the call he'd been dreading since discovering Starfall's disappearance: he'd contacted Optimus. He'd called his personal comm-line. It had taken several klicks before Optimus finally picked up. Ironhide expected it was because he had to politely excuse himself from negotiations and find a private place to talk. When Optimus finally did answer there'd been a noticeable note of apprehension in his voice. He and Optimus didn't use that line often, reserving it only for emergency use when they desperately needed to get in touch with each another. Ironhide hated to have to break such troubling news to his mate but he'd dutifully told him of Starfall's disappearance.

Optimus, as expected, had not taken the news very well. It had taken every reassurance and platitude Ironhide knew of to convince his mate to stay calm. He'd already contacted Prowl, he'd told Optimus, they had every Enforcer in the city looking for Starfall right now, no, he'd been told by Prowl to stay at the domicile in case Starfall came back before anyone found him, no, he didn't know why Starfall had run away, and, no, he didn't think Starfall was in any danger. More than likely he was flying back home as they spoke. Despite all of Ironhide's reassurances, Optimus's panic was unrelieved. He'd immediately left his meeting and headed home.

When Optimus finally got there he was an emotional wreck. The turmoil did not show on the Prime's masked face except for the anxious tightening of protomatter around his optics but Ironhide could feel Optimus's panic as soon as he was within range of their sparkbond. His sparkmate's feelings were like invading tentacles of worry that reached out across their bond and wrapped around Ironhide's spark, squeezing it in a vice-like grip that made Ironhide feel like he was being throttled from the inside out. Ironhide had never seen his mate so anxious before. Optimus was always calm and collected, even in the midst of battle. Yet as soon as the door had shut behind him Optimus had all but broken down. He began to pace the apartment. It was disconcerting to see the Matrix-bearer so lost and utterly helpless.

Ironhide could barely stand to look Optimus in the optics. It was all his fault. Optimus had asked him to watch Starfall and he'd gone and managed to *lose* the darn kid. What kind of creator was he if he couldn't even keep an optic on his own child? Why had Starfall run? Sure he'd been hard on the kid, but he could have been a lot tougher. All he'd done was send the kid to his room for Optimus to deal with whenever he got home and what had Starfall gone and done but flown away. Ironhide might have been angry with him at the time but it wasn't like he'd been ready to beat the kid or anything! He wasn't like Megatron who liked to use his fists to correct bad behavior. Ironhide would never resort to that even if he had thought Starfall had started that fight. Starfall must have had a melodramatic moment. That was the only explanation Ironhide could think of for why Starfall took off. Starfall might not have started that fight like Ironhide originally thought but his flight still proved Ironhide's suspicions that a streak of Starscream still remained in Starfall. Running was something Starscream would have done. Whenever confronted with difficult situations the seeker's first instinct had always been to run.

Nonetheless, Ironhide couldn't shake the guilt off himself. No matter how much of the Decepticon Air Commander still remained in Starfall it was still partially his fault Starfall had run. He should have been keeping a closer optic on the kid if for no other reason than to keep his promise to Optimus to watch the seekerlet until he got home. What kind of sparkmate was he if he couldn't do such a simple thing? What kind of creator?

An anxious huff drew Ironhide's attention back towards his sparkmate. Optimus had turned away from the balcony to come inside. His body language was tense, his optics swimming with worry. Helpless anxiety clawed at the back of Ironhide's spark across his and Optimus's bond. The worst of Optimus's panic had subsided since coming home, but the constant storm of emotions from Optimus's side of their bond was beginning to wear on Ironhide. He wasn't used to dealing with so many emotions of this magnitude - both his *and* Optimus's - all at once.

"What is taking them so long?" Optimus wondered out-loud. He began to pace along the side of the living area nearest the windows. A new wave of worry flashed across their bond to Ironhide. "Skyfire called almost a joor ago. He should have brought Star home by now. Could they have gotten into some kind of trouble on the way here? Do you think one of us should go out looking for them? Should we call Prowl and ask him to send someone?"

"Optimus, yeh gotta calm down. Skyfire said he's got the kid. Starfall couldn't be with a better bot right now. And we shouldn't bother Prowl or Jazz anymore ta-night. Not after that false alarm ah had him put out before Skyfire called."

"I just don't understand why Star tried to run away," Optimus said, still restlessly pacing up and down the side of the room. Ironhide found the sight extremely disturbing. Optimus never paced. During the war whenever he'd been upset or troubled he'd stand completely still - like a statue silently contemplating the universe. But he'd never paced. Was Optimus really that upset?

Ironhide got up from the lounge to go to him. He stepped directly into Optimus's path and stood there to make the Matrix-bearer stop. "Optimus," he softly intoned. Optimus looked at him with empty optics. The look made Ironhide's spark twinge with guilt. "Skyfire's got the kid. It's alright. He's bringin' Starfall home as we speak."

"But *why*, 'Hide? Why'd he run?" Optimus demanded, desperate to piece together the details. He looked personally hurt as though Starfall's disappearance was a reflection on his own parenting skills. "Star's so young. It's dangerous for him to go flying off on his own like that, especially so late at night."

"Ah don't know," Ironhide shook his helm. He vented a weary sigh. "Ah admit ah wasn't too thrilled when Catalyst called me, but ah didn't yell at Starfall anymore than ah'd yell at any other kid fer startin' a fight."

Optimus frowned. Ironhide could tell by the narrowed corners of his optics. "You should have gotten more details from the administrator before accepting Starfall's blame as the antagonist in that fight. Even if he was guilty, knowing all the details would have helped us know how to properly discipline him later."

Ironhide vented heavily. He'd already had this conversation with Optimus when he'd gotten home. Optimus's accusation hurt like the lash of an electro-whip. "Ah know, and like ah said before: ah'm sorry. Ah shouldn't have come down so hard on that kid like that. Ah just didn't want him ta think that fightin' was alright. Ah don't want us endin' up raisin' another Starscream, 's all."

Optimus's optics narrowed and he turned away from Ironhide with a frustrated sigh. "Star is *not* Starscream, 'Hide. When are you going to understand that? Star is a good sparkling who just wants to be loved and have a family. Everything he does is to try and make others like him. He's been alone and rejected so many times it is a miracle he isn't emotionally scarred. Why do you refuse to see him for what he is?"

Again, Optimus's words cut Ironhide like a knife. Only Optimus could make him feel like a disobedient sparkling being chastised - all the while never even raising his voice. "Ah'm sorry," Ironhide insisted. He hated admitting he was wrong, but in this case it was a necessity. He had screwed things up royally. He deserved everything Optimus was throwing at him. "Yer right. Ah shouldn't of yelled at Star like that. Ah just-"

The ring of the door cut off anything else Ironhide might have said.

"It's them." Optimus went for the door, his footsteps anxious and hurried.

Ironhide reluctantly trailed after him. He didn't know if he wanted to face the little seeker just yet.

Optimus motioned the door open to reveal Skyfire standing on the other side with Starfall held against his chest. The seeker looked absolutely tiny in the shuttle's arms, almost like a newspark. He clung to the giant mech's front with his face buried in the side of Skyfire's neck.

"Star," Optimus choked and desperately motioned for the sparkling. Skyfire gently pulled Starfall away from him and handed him into Optimus's custody. Starfall might as well have been a sack of spare parts for all the resistance he gave as Optimus drew him to his chest. For a moment Ironhide wondered if he wasn't actually recharging until he saw the sparkling's optics over Optimus's shoulder - online but incredibly dim. Starfall was limp in Optimus's arms, his wings hanging straight down his back. The only sign of life he made was to timidly clutch at Optimus's armor as the semi arranged him in his arms and squeezed him to his chassis.

"Thank Primus," Optimus groaned over Starfall's helm. "I was so worried. Why did you leave like that, Star? You had your father and I so worried. We thought something had happened to you."

"I'm sorry," Starfall mumbled into Optimus's plating. His voice was so quiet Ironhide could barely hear him.

Optimus stroked the plating between Starfall's wings as though to reassure himself he really had his sparkling back. "It's alright," Optimus hushed. "I'm just so relieved you're finally home. Are you hungry? Do you need any fuel?"

"I already fed him at my domicile," Skyfire said. He stepped inside the apartment to let the door close behind him. "It took us a little longer to get here because I wanted to let Star's system's warm up a little more before going into the air again. It's cold tonight and Star had been flying for some time before he found my domicile. It's lucky he didn't get over-chilled or have an accident in the dark."

Optimus clutched Starfall tighter. Ironhide felt choked by the rush of emotions that flooded his spark from Optimus's side of their bond. Although the Matrix-bearer didn't show it, inside he was almost shaking with relief.

"Thank you so much, Skyfire," Optimus said. He still had yet to relax his hold around the tiny sparkling clutched to his chest. If anything his grip tightened. Starfall was limp in his arms, his face sullenly tucked underneath Optimus's chin as though trying to hide. "You don't know how grateful I am for you bringing Star back to us." Gently, Optimus relaxed his hold around Starfall and urged him to lean back and meet his gaze. Starfall reluctantly did so. His optics were empty as he met Optimus's gaze. "It's very late," Optimus said. "It's far past your recharge time. Go and get ready for sleep. We'll talk about what happened in the morning after you've had time to rest."

"I'm sorry," Starfall plaintively mumbled. "I didn't mean to run away. I just wanted to see Skyfire."

"I know, it's alright," Optimus reassured him. "Don't worry, no one's mad at you." He slowly released his hold and eased Starfall to the ground. "Now go get ready for recharge. No stories tonight. It's too late for that. We'll talk more about what happened in the morning."

Starfall looked sick to his fuel tank as he stared up at Optimus. His wings hung so low on his back they almost touched the ground. "I'm really sorry," he insisted in a bitter whine. "About everything. I didn't mean to hit Aftershock at school or-"

"Star, it's alright. We'll talk in the morning," Optimus said. "Now go recharge. Your father and I have to talk to Skyfire."

Starfall turned to Skyfire, his optics pleading and frightened.

"It's alright, Star," Skyfire assured him with a warm smile. "I'll talk to them just like I promised."

Starfall reluctantly nodded and turned away. Ironhide was stuck by how sad Starfall looked. It was like he thought he was never going to see the shuttle again. As if accepting defeat, Starfall hung his helm and dejectedly trudged down the hallway to his room. It wasn't until they heard the door slide close behind him that the three mechs turned their attention back to each other.

"Thank you so much again, Skyfire," Optimus said. "We were so worried before you called that-"

He was cut off by Skyfire turning optics of blazing fury on Ironhide. "What are you doing? Are you actually *trying* to hurt Star?" he hissed between gritted dentas.

Both Ironhide and Optimus shrank back from Skyfire, startled. Ironhide was not a mech who was easily frightened, but he couldn't deny the flash of fear that coursed through at him at the look Skyfire speared him with. It was the first time he'd ever seen Skyfire actually angry. Usually the scientist was the living example of calm. The look in his optics now, however, was anything but calm. It was apocalyptic and indescribably frightening.

"Wha're yeh talkin' 'bout?"

Skyfire's optics narrowed. "I'm talking about the way you're treating Star. Have you never heard of self-fulfilling prophecies? You constantly expect the worse from Star and treat him like he's a criminal. This is exactly what happened to Starscream when we were in the academy together - people always immediately assumed the worst in him and blamed him for things he had no control over. And all because of what model he was. I am not going to let history repeat itself. Starfall is an innocent child. What you are doing to him borders on cruelty."

"Wha're yeh talkin' 'bout?" Ironhide once more demanded, anger rising in his voice. "Ah've never once raised a hand ta that sparkling."

Skyfire's optics flashed. "You might not physically touch him but you're abusing him with your words and your indifference. He came to me tonight completely convinced you are going to return him to the hatchling facility. He believes he's not wanted anymore and that you're going to send him back."

"Where would Star ever get such an idea?" Optimus said, his tone aghast.

A sick feeling of realization curdled the bottom of Ironhide's fuel tank.

"Why don't you ask your sparkmate," Skyfire said, openly glaring at Ironhide. "He was the one who told Star he was going to return him."

Optimus turned on Ironhide with a scandalized look of horror. "'Hide? Why would you say such a thing? Star is our son."

Ironhide groaned and reached up to massage the pinch of protomatter between his optics. "Ah didn't mean it. When we got back from the school ah was still angry 'bout Starfall gettin' inta that fight. Ah might've said something along the lines of takin' him back if he was gonna make a habit of startin' fights, but ah wasn't actually serious! Ah was just upset and ventin'."

"Well, Star believed you," Skyfire hissed. It was the closest Ironhide had ever come to hearing the scientist actually growl. "He came to me tonight pleading for me to take him in. He believed your threat so much that he spent *joors* flying around in the dark trying to find my domicile, just so he wouldn't have to go back to that hatchling facility. This isn't right. It isn't fair to make Star live in a home where he lives in constant fear of being discarded. I don't care what kind of old grudge you still have against Starscream, I am not going to let you destroy him like others did before." Skyfire turned to Optimus, the wrath in his optics dimming slightly. "I know you love Star as your son, Optimus, but this cannot go on. If Ironhide cannot bring himself to live peacefully with Star then I will have no choice but to go to Child Services and report what is happening here. I am sure you would be able to smooth a lot of things over with your position as Prime, but I will make it my life's goal to see to it that Star is removed from your custody if things don't change here immediately. I will use every resource I have to find Star a better home, even if I have to take him in myself. I will not let you stand by while your sparkmate steers Starfall down the same path Starscream went."

Ironhide and Optimus stared at Skyfire, stunned. A cold wave of horror washed down the length of Ironhide's back struts. He didn't know if the sensation was an echo from Optimus's side of their bond or from himself. The guilty tightening in the bottom of his fuel tank, though, he knew was completely from himself.

"Skyfire…" Optimus said, his voice shaky. He seemed at a loss for words. "If you do that then you could never regain Star as your lover."

"I don't care!" Skyfire snapped. "I would rather be Star's father and love him that way than see him become what he was before." Taking a deep intake of air, the anger abruptly drained from Skyfire's optics like water through a sieve. Skyfire suddenly looked tired and old, as though wearied by the unfairness of life. He looked up and speared Optimus and Ironhide with a desperate look of heartache. "I do not want to do anything that would take Star away from you. Optimus, you are a good father. No sparkling could ask for a better creator. But this relationship between Ironhide and Star has to change. You cannot let things go on as they have. Ironhide, you might not even realize what you're doing but you are ruining Star. All he wants is for someone to love him. That's it. He doesn't remember being Starscream. He is no longer that bot. Starfall is nothing more than a lonely sparkling who needs someone to love and protect him. He wants you to love him as a son - I know he does. He wants you to be his other creator. But you refuse to give him the chance to prove he's not Starscream. All you do is push him away and make him feel worthless in the process."

The knife of guilt in Ironhide's fuel tank twisted, making him feel queasy. Just like Optimus, Skyfire's words were like physical stabs of pain to his spark. He'd never felt like such a despicable mech in his life before now. Was that what he'd been doing to Star all this time? Did he really treat Starfall as horribly as Skyfire said?

It sickened Ironhide to his core to admit that Skyfire was right. He had.

"Ah'm sorry," he mumbled around the knot of guilt choking his intake line. He couldn't bring himself to meet the shuttle's gaze. "Yer right. Ah haven't done right by the kid. He's not Starscream. Ah see that now."

Skyfire vented a heavy sigh, his wings sagging sadly behind him. "I am scheduled to leave for an off-world conference in the next several orns. I will be gone for a deca-cycle. When I return, I hope to find Star in a happier situation than he was tonight. If not…" The shuttle hesitated, as though regretting the words that needed to be said. "If not, then I will go to the authorities. I cannot let things go on like this."

"I can assure you it won't come to that," Optimus said.

"I hope so," Skyfire murmured. He sounded neither hopeful or encouraged. Having said his piece, the shuttle offered Optimus and Ironhide both a shallow dip of his head. Then quietly turning to the door, he let himself out.

Neither Optimus or Ironhide moved for a long time in the wake of Skyfire's departure. The silence left behind was suffocating. Ironhide felt hollow inside as if someone had scooped out a portion of his soul and shattered every preconceived notion he had of the world and where he fit into it. He felt disgusted with himself. Everything Skyfire had said was true. From the moment Optimus had found Starfall in the hatchling facility he had treated the seekerling like an unwanted houseguest. Everything Starfall said or did he scrutinized and judged. No matter what contradictory facts slapped him in the face Ironhide refused to see the sparkling as anything more than a smaller version of the Decepticon Air Commander - not as a child he was meant to care for and protect. Starfall had stood up for another sparkling in the face of extreme adversity. He'd stepped into a fight at his own personal risk to come to the aid of another and Ironhide had automatically treated him like a criminal. What actions he should have praised and rewarded he'd treated like a malicious act of violence. What kind of parent did that? What kind of mech hated a child so much that he refused to even give that child a chance to defend himself? Or frightened a child so badly with the threat of abandoning him that he felt it necessary to run and seek shelter with another? Primus, he was no better than a Decepticon.

No, probably even worse…

Optimus was the first to make himself move. Slowly, he turned and trudged towards the kitchenette unit where he dropped heavily into one of the chairs. The plates of his battle mask retracted to reveal a mouth turned down in a spark-broken frown. His optics intensified his sorrowful expression by staring forlornly at the table. Ironhide timidly followed his sparkmate and sat down across from him at the table. Neither could think of anything to say for several klicks of stinging silence. Ironhide sat tense in his seat, like a prisoner awaiting execution. He kept waiting for Optimus to finally break the tension and unleash a storm of blame and reprimand on him. It was what he deserved. After how he'd treated their son he deserved nothing less.

"So what do we do now?" Optimus finally spoke. His voice was a depressed rumble. His optics listlessly stared at the tabletop as though unable to bring himself to look at Ironhide. The sick feeling in Ironhide's fuel tank tightened. "What do we do with Star? We obviously cannot go on like this… Not as a family. Not as sparkmates…"

"Ah know," Ironhide mumbled, head bowed. "Everythin' Skyfire said was right: ah haven't been fair ta the kid. He deserves better."

Optimus hung his helm, his optics dimming. "Perhaps Skyfire is right. Perhaps we should give Star to him. Everyone might be happier in the long run that way."

The cold sensation ran down the length of Ironhide's back struts again. It took him a second to realize the sensation was horrified shock. "Wha? Why? Ah said ah wasn't serious 'bout sendin' Star away. Ah was just ventin'."

Optimus emptily looked up to meet Ironhide's gaze. "'hide, you have not been happy since Star came to live with us. It is not fair to either you or him to continue this charade if you cannot learn to live with each other as a family. I had hoped you would eventually come to see the good in Star on your own, but that seems all but impossible now. Perhaps we really weren't meant to have Star as I originally thought. Maybe we really aren't meant to raise any children…"

"Optimus…" The utter loss in his sparkmate's voice was spark-wrenching. The guilt festering in his fuel tank spread up into his throat line until Ironhide felt as though it was going to burst from his mouth in a gush of noxious bile. How could Optimus even suggest giving Starfall away? He'd yearned for a sparkling for so long he might as well have said he was planning to cut off one of his own limbs. The torn anguish from Optimus's side of their bond made it no better because Ironhide knew it was because of him that Optimus was even considering giving Starfall up. It was his fault he and Starfall had not been able to come together. It was his fault the family he and Optimus had always dreamed of was unable to be because he refused to see Starfall as anyone other than Starscream. And it was *his* fault Optimus was forcing himself to give up their only chance of having a son.

"No," Ironhide said, vigorously shaking his helm. "No. We're not takin' Star back ta the hatchling facility or givin' him ta Skyfire or anyone else. He's stayin' right here with us."

"Things cannot go on the way they have, 'hide…" Optimus said.

"Ah know," Ironhide nodded. "But ah think ah'm finally ready ta be a father ta Starfall. Ah haven't been fair ta the kid. He's not Starscream - ah get that now. Ah'm ready ta try harder. Ah just need a second chance ta prove it."

Ironhide was shocked by his own sincerity. He sent his conviction and an accompanying plea of forgiveness rushing across his and Optimus bond. Optimus tentatively looked up to meet his optics. Ironhide was relieved to see that some of the anguish in Optimus's optics had faded and replaced by a glimmer of hope.

"Please?" Ironhide murmured. "Ah wanna have the kind of family we both said we wanted when we first started talkin' 'bout havin' kids. Ah'm ready ta be the kind of father Starfall deserves."

"It will not be easy," Optimus reminded him. "Not after everything that's happened."

"Ah know," Ironhide murmured. "But ah've always enjoyed a good challenge."

Against all odds Optimus offered him a thin smile. As Ironhide returned it a tendril of tentative hope snaked across both sides of their bond to the other.

********

The next morning found both sparkmates in the kitchenette unit of their domicile again. Ironhide was busy preparing everyone's morning cubes of energon while Optimus examined a read out on Ironhide's data pad at the table. He was looking at local attractions in Iacon. Since Starfall was still suspended from school he and Ironhide had decided they would use it as an excuse to go out and spend time together as a family. Optimus had been surprised when Ironhide suggested it. He suspected the weapon's specialist was trying to make up for lost time and do damage control by jumping headfirst into his newly accepted role as creator. Ironhide's show of effort gave Optimus hope that their little family would somehow pull through this together.

"I think Star might enjoy the Crystal Gardens, 'hide," he said as he scrolled down the garden's web page. "I doubt he's ever seen anything like it before. We haven't really taken him anywhere since adopting him. I think it would be good to take him out and show him what the larger world is like."

"That sounds like a plan," Ironhide said. "Kid will probably enjoy seein' all the different colors. Ah've never been there myself. Never really had much time 'r interest ta go before the war, an' after the war all the gardens were gone. Ah'm surprised they've regrown 'em so quickly." He turned from the energon dispenser and set four and half cubes of glowing purple down on the table.

"Where there's a will there is a way," Optimus sagely said. He powered off the data pad and set it aside. Getting up from the table he headed for the hallway. "I am going to go wake Star up. I'm surprised he hasn't already come out for his energon."

"Probably still tired from last night," Ironhide said. "Skyfire didn't get him back here til pretty late." His tone was guarded as though uncomfortable about talking about the previous day. Optimus felt a ghostly echo of guilt stray across their bond. He sent a pulse of reassurance back to his sparkmate. Ironhide, though, still refused to look at Optimus. Although it had been a long time in coming, the fact that Ironhide was so self-conscious about how he'd acted towards Starfall gave Optimus hope that things really were going to change.

"Let me go get him," he said.

Ironhide grunted his acknowledgement.

Optimus strode down the hallway to Starfall's room and motioned the door open. As expected, he found Starfall laying curled on his side in the middle of his berth. Optimus quietly walked up to the berth and eased himself down on the edge of the mat beside the recharging sparkling. Starfall didn't even stir. He continued to sleep, his legs pulled up to his cockpit and his arms folded tightly down over each other against his chest as though he were huddling for warmth. Curled the way he was Optimus could have easily picked him up and cradled Starfall between his palms. His wings lay almost flat on the berthmat behind him. Even in recharge Starfall radiated exhaustion. Optimus frowned. Starfall must have been awake for joors after he'd sent him to bed. No doubt he'd still been too upset to fall into recharge. Maybe he and Ironhide should have talked to him last night after all. It might have saved Starfall joors of restless tossing.

Optimus reached out and gently rubbed the patch of armor between his son's wings. "Star?" he softly called. "Star, it's time to get up."

A groggy moan sounded in the back of Starfall's throat line but otherwise he did not respond.

"Star? Come on, son. I know you're still tired but your father and I want to take you somewhere."

Turquoise optics tiredly flickered online and looked up at Optimus. Optimus smiled, still petting Starfall's wings. "Good morning, Star. Let's get up. It's almost time to go."

"Go?" Starfall groggily stared at Optimus. He was still half asleep. "Where're we going?" he slurred.

Optimus helped pull Starfall up into a sitting position on the berth. "Your father and I want to take you out today. You're still suspended from school so no class. We're going to have a family day out together instead."

Starfall seemed to suddenly come awake and stared at Optimus with wide optics. A note of distress hitched his intakes. "I'm sorry about yesterday, dad. I didn't mean to hit Aftershock or start that fight. I just-"

"Star, it's alright," Optimus quickly reassured before the sparkling could get himself worked up. His hand continued to stroke long passes down the lengths of Starfall's wings. He could feel them vibrating with tension underneath his touch. "Your father and I talked to Skyfire last night. Neither of us are mad at you. We know what really happened. That's why we want to take you out today."

An odd look Optimus couldn't name flashed through Starfall's optics. "Where are you taking me?"

Optimus offered him a smiled. "It's a surprise." He got up from the berth. "Hurry and get ready. Your father already has your morning energon ready. We want to leave soon. We'll be waiting for you in the kitchenette."

He was almost to the door when Starfall's voice timidly spoke up behind him. "Dad?" Optimus paused in the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder. Starfall was staring at him from the berth, his optics impossibly large and filled with a strangely pleading look. "I really am sorry about yesterday, dad. I promise it won't happen again."

"I know, Star," Optimus reassured him. "Everything that happened yesterday is in the past. We've all learned our lessons and now we can move forward. That's the beauty of life. We get a fresh start each new orn." Optimus cued his internal chronometer to check the time. "Let's hurry and get going. We should try to leave soon. It's a long drive ahead of us."

Giving Starfall one last smile Optimus stepped through the doorway and headed back down the hall to the kitchenette. Ironhide looked up as he entered and retook his seat at the table. He'd already started on his cube of energon as he read the morning newsfeeds.

"Well? How's the kid?"

"He seems well enough," Optimus said. "I suspect he was up much later than when I sent him to bed. He still seemed exhausted when I woke him up."

The corners of Ironhide's mouth turned down in a frown. "Maybe we should let the kid sleep some more. It's not like we're on any kind 'a schedule or anythin'."

"That's true. But Star can always sleep on the way to the Gardens."

Ironhide shrugged and went back to reading his newsfeeds as Optimus picked up his first cube of energon. Optimus was just about to start on his third when he checked his internal chronometer again. He frowned at what he saw. He looked back over his shoulder towards the hallway.

Ironhide glanced up from his data pad. "Wha? Wha' is it?"

"Where's Star? He doesn't usually take this long to get ready in the morning. I hope he didn't fall back into recharge."

"Yeh want me ta go check on him?"

"No, I'll do it."

Optimus got up and went back down the hallway. "Star?" he called as he craned his head around the doorjamb into the room. "Did you fall asleep again? What's taking so long?"

What he saw made him freeze in the doorway. Starfall knelt on the floor in front of his shelving unit. A sea of data pads was strewn around him as though he'd become the center of a miniature storm. At least half of the data pads from the shelf were pulled down and fanned out on the floor around him. As Optimus watched, Starfall pulled off another handful of data pads and began to frantically shift through the titles. Not finding what he was looking for, he discarded the data pads on the floor along with the other two dozen or more he'd already pulled down. It was only then that Optimus heard the soft click of sobs coming from Starfall.

"Star? What are you doing? What's wrong?" Optimus said, stepping into the room.

Starfall visibly jumped and spun around on his knees towards Optimus like a criminal caught in the act. His optics were fuzzed white around the edges there was so much static in them. At the sight of Optimus he visibly cringed down against himself, his sobs clicking louder. He clutched the several data pads in his hand close to his chest as though trying to prevent them from being snatched away.

"Star, what is it? What's wrong? Why are you pulling all your data pads off the shelf?" He stepped closer, careful not to step on any of the data pads covering the floor.

Starfall's optics flared white with static as his face collapsed in an expression so full of misery it took everything Optimus had not to immediately rush to the sobbing sparkling and pull him to his chest. "I- I just wanted to keep some data pads!" he wailed. A fresh round of sobs clicked in his throat. "F-for when you take me back! I took back the ones I had before, but I wanted to keep some of the new ones you bought me too. I wanted to keep them so I can read them later after you send me back!"

If someone had been standing in between Optimus and Starfall right then he would have bowled them right over in his rush to get to his son. Brushing aside the piles of data pads spread out around Starfall, Optimus knelt on the floor, scooped the miniature seeker up into his arms and squeezed him against his chest. Starfall buried his face in Optimus neck cables and broke into helpless sobs of anguish. Optimus instinctively clutched him to his chest, rocking him back and forth in his arms.

"What are you talking about, Star? Where do you think we're taking you?"

"Back to the hatchling facility! Y-you don't want me anymore and you're gonna send me back!" He was so hysterical Optimus could barely understand what he was saying.

"Wha's goin' on in here?" Ironhide's voice called behind them. Optimus glanced back over his shoulder. The weapons specialist stood in the doorway, his face cloudy with worry and confusion. He must have come running when he'd heard Starfall's cries. "Ah heard yellin.' Wha's goin' on?"

Optimus was too busy trying to calm their son to answer. He cradled Starfall to his chest, murmuring soft reassurances into his audio. "No we're not, Star. We're not taking you anywhere."

"But you said-"

"I said we were taking you out for a family day together - not to the hatchling facility. Is that what you thought I meant when I woke you up?" Optimus's fuel tank churned with understanding. He guiltily clutched Starfall closer to his chest. "No, Star, no. I didn't mean that. We're not taking you back there. You're staying right here with us."

"But I started that fight at school…"

"Defending one of your classmates from a bully," Optimus said. "You stood up for another and that took a lot of courage. I am so proud of what you did. Ironhide and I both are. Even though you got in trouble for it, you still did the right thing. That's why we wanted to take you out - to reward you for your bravery."

"No you aren't!" Starfall angrily sobbed. His wings were shaking so hard against his back Optimus was surprised Starfall hadn't strained a gear in them yet. "You're going to take me back to the hatchling facility. I know it! You're just lying to make me leave!"

"That is not true," Optimus said. He hugged Starfall tighter, almost crushing him to his frame as if to physically smother his doubts away. "I have no intention of ever letting you go, especially not over a simple fight at school. They would have to send an entire army to take you away from me." When Starfall didn't respond Optimus gently pulled him far enough away from his chest to properly look at him. Starfall refused to meet his optics. "Do you remember what I told you about lying?" Starfall miserably nodded, his optics firmly downcast. "What did I say about lying?"

"That you shouldn't…"

"That's right. And what is my job?"

"You're a Prime."

"Again, correct. Being a Prime is a very important job with many responsibilities - one of the biggest of those responsibilities being to set a good example and to tell the truth. After all this time as my son do you think a Prime would lie?"

Starfall tentatively looked up at him. The worse of his sobs had abated, although a thick ring of static still circled his optics. "…no?" he uncertainly mumbled.

Optimus offered him a warm smile. "That's right." He leaned forward and pressed the front of his helm to Starfall's. He stared deeply into his son's optics over the bridge of their nasal ridges. "I will never let you go, Star. I chose you as my son and I intend to keep you, no matter what. You are mine and no one is ever going to take you away from me."

"Really?" Starfall asked, his voice timid as though afraid to hope too much.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. His tone was steeled with conviction. He heard movement and felt Ironhide step up behind him. The weapons specialist leaned over his shoulder and reached around to awkwardly pat Starfall on the back. Optimus could feel his sparkmate's hesitation towards Starfall leak across their bond. He still felt extremely guilty about his early treatment of Starfall, which made him uncomfortable and edgy around the saprkling. Optimus tried to send him a pulse of reassurance to help ease his nervousness.

"Ah didn't mean wha' ah said yesterday, Star," Ironhide self-consciously rumbled. "Ah shouldn't 'a said what ah did. We ain't gonna send yeh back. We're keepin' yeh right here. Yer in fer the long haul with us."

Starfall's entire body seemed to sag in Optimus's arms. As though too overwhelmed to say anything, he ducked his head underneath Optimus's chin and pressed his face into the side of Optimus's neck with a sobbed click of relief. For several klicks of thoughtful silence the small family basked in mutual peace. Although a certain element of tension still hung in the air between them, it was so small Optimus was able to all but overlook it. Their family still had a long way to go, he knew, but there was now hope of getting where they were going together. Ironhide's long-awaited acceptance of Starfall had been the first step in the right direction.

Hugging Starfall tight he could feel the relieved exhaustion suddenly seeping off Starfall's body as if his moment of panic had completely drained him of energy. It seemed Ironhide's reassurance had finally put the last of Starfall's doubts to rest. With nothing left to worry him, the tension, emotional turmoil and lack of sleep he'd suffered over the last orn was finally taking its toll on the seeker. He relaxed so much in Optimus's arms Optimus thought for a moment that Starfall had unintentionally fallen into recharge.

"Star?"

"…hm?" the sparkling tiredly murmured into Optimus's neck.

"Do you want to go out like we planned or do you want to stay home today? Your father and I were planning to take you to the Crystal Gardens, but only if you feel like it. We can all spend the orn together at home if that is what you'd rather do."

Starfall leaned back from Optimus to look at him. "What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I would like to take you out and spend the day together as a family. I think you would really like the Crystal Gardens. But we'll go only if you want to."

Starfall thought for a moment. Blinking the last of the static away from his optics, he bobbed his helm. "Alright." He timidly met Optimus's optics. "Can I ride in your cab unit there?"

Optimus gave him a blindingly warm smile. "Of course you can. It will probably take a good joor or two to get there." Hugging Starfall tight Optimus rocked backwards on his heels and up onto his pedes. Starfall's arms wrapped around his neck cables to press himself closer as Optimus walked towards the door. Ironhide followed just a step behind. As the three headed back to the kitchenette to finish drinking their morning fuel Optimus was once again filled with certainty that everything was going to be alright. Their family unit still wasn't perfect. There was still a long road ahead of them before they reached the ideal version of a family Optimus envisioned, but at least now it was a possibility. Where there was love there was hope. And Optimus could not imagine going on if he did not have hope.

Chapter Text

Chapter Fourteen: A Fresh Start

Ironhide transformed in a whirlwind of shifting parts. Before his final piece of armor snapped into place his optics began scanning the edges of the transformation lot, looking for any signs of danger. The lot was almost completely deserted. Ironhide spotted only a handful of other bots in the immediate area. Most of them appeared to be creators or caretakers of some kind. They all had young sparklings with them. Ironhide didn't think any of the children were more than two-vorns old. Most of them were still young enough to need carried or led by their hands. He kept forgetting it was the middle of the deca-cycle. Most bots were at work while all children Starfall's age were in school. If Starfall hadn't been suspended and he and Optimus hadn't decided to use the day as an excuse to spend time together none of them would have been there either. It made a little of Ironhide's tenseness dissipate. With so few bots around he might actually be able to enjoy the day instead of being on constant alert for any potential threats towards his family. Even after vorns of being sparkbonded to Optimus he still felt it his duty to act as the Prime's bodyguard.

As Ironhide scanned the area Optimus pulled up beside him in vehicle mode and stopped. Finding the area secure, Ironhide turned towards his mate just in time to see the passenger side door of Optimus's cab unit swing open to reveal Starfall.

"Here we are," Optimus's disembodied voice announced.

Starfall doubtfully looked around the transformation lot. "These are the Crystal Gardens?"

"Yes."

"Where are the crystals?" Starfall asked. "I don't see any."

Optimus's laughter rumbled over the purr of his engine. "The entrance is ahead through those arches. See it, Star?"

Starfall followed Optimus's directions but still looked unconvinced.

Ironhide inwardly frowned. They'd just spent the last two joors traveling to the edge of Iacon to bring Starfall to the Crystal Gardens. Despite all of Optimus's and his reassurances, it looked like Starfall was still worried they were going to take him back to the hatchling facility. What did they have to do to prove they weren't returning him? He'd already told the kid in as many ways as he could think that he was sorry and hadn't meant what he'd said the orn before.

"Come on," Ironhide motioned to Starfall. "Give Optimus some room. He can't transform with yeh inside him, an' ah don't think they let bots inside the gardens in vehicle mode." He didn't mean to sound authoritative, but Starfall seemed to take it as a reprimand. Like a soldier snapping to at the bark of a sergeant, Starfall undid his safety belt and scrambled out of Optimus's cab unit. Ironhide frowned. He hadn't meant to make Starfall think that had been an order.

Starfall stood back several paces as Optimus transformed. He waited patiently, but as soon as Optimus was properly settled in his root form he was once again by Optimus's side. Reaching up, he slipped his hand into Optimus's. Optimus offered him a smile behind his battle mask - Ironhide could tell by the crinkle of protomatter around his mate's optics and the pulse of warmth that slipped across their bond. The bond-pulse had a noticeably tight feeling to it, however, as though Optimus was saddened by the seeker's desperate need to cling to him. It was like Starfall thought if he didn't physically hold onto Optimus he'd lose him.

Ironhide's spark constricted a little in his chest. It didn't seem right to see such a look of fear in the optics of someone so young as Starfall.

"Let's go," Optimus said. Ironhide could hear the forced cheer in his voice. Holding Starfall's hand, Optimus led them across the transformation lot to the entrance. The Crystal Gardens were housed in a building that reminded Ironhide of a terraced, glass-domed stadium. It was big enough that if they stood on the top of their apartment tower they could see its domed top on the far edge of the city. Ironhide was mech enough to admit to himself he felt dwarfed by the structure as it swallowed them.

It was only after they bought their entrance tickets, went through the turnstiles and saw the first cluster of crystals in the front atrium - an impressive blue and white formation suspended in midair - that Starfall seemed to relax and let himself finally believe this wasn't some kind of trick to take him back to the hatchling facility. Optimus led them across the front entryway past the blue and white crystals. The real crystal formations were grown in the main part of the building under the dome. They went through a hallway. On the other side, they came out on an elevated walkway that overlooked the entire garden. Crystals of every different size, shape and color filled the area underneath the dome. Terraced landings lined the edges of the gardens. Formations of crystals also covered these landings. Sunlight streamed through the glass roof. As it filtered through the different planes of crystal the light created countless moving kaleidoscopes. The air literally shimmered with color. Starfall let out a soft gasp at the sight, his optics widening. He stepped up to the railing on the walkway and stared.

Optimus chuckle and joined him at the railing. "What do you think, Star?"

Ironhide took a place at the railing on Starfall's other side.

"They're so pretty," Starfall murmured. He seemed unable to tear his optics away from the crystals. The nearest formation sent spots of yellow and pink dancing across their plating. "How do they make the floating ones stay up?"

"Methane, ah think," Ironhide said. "This entire place is filled with gas. They have special jets that run underneath the smaller crystals ta make 'em float."

Starfall seemed overwhelmed.

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask at Starfall's innocent look of wonder. Happiness pulsed across his and Ironhide's sparkbond. Ironhide couldn't help a small smile of own from pulling at his lips. The contentment coming from Optimus's side of their bond was indescribably nice, especially after all the tension the last few orns.

"Would you like to see the crystals closer?" Optimus asked.

Starfall looked up at Optimus, awestruck. "We can get closer?"

"Yes we can." He pointed to a series of pathways snaking between the different formations. "There are pathways we can walk on. If I read the website correctly, you can even touch some of the crystals."

"Ah think there're some stairs over there we can use ta go down," Ironhide pointed.

Optimus offered his hand to Starfall, which was instantly seized. Together they headed for the stairs. Ironhide trailed half a step behind them. As they descended into the gardens, Ironhide couldn't help but feel a little left out. Despite the several times he'd tried to engage Starfall, the sparkling focused his attention solely on Optimus. Unless Ironhide implicitly demanded his attention Starfall did not look to him for anything. And whenever Starfall did look at him there was a noticeable gleam of apprehension in his optics. Ironhide inwardly sighed. It was obviously going to take more than saying he was sorry and taking Starfall out for the day to repair the gap between them. The kid still saw him as an angry authority figure. A long, *long* road still lay ahead of them. But Ironhide had been serious when he'd told Optimus he was ready to change. He'd made a promise to his sparkmate and he was determined to see it through.

For half a joor, the family wandered through the grounds. The pathways twisted and folded back on each other, creating an endless maze. If someone wanted to they could walk from one end of the gardens to the other all day without ever seeing the same formation from the same place twice. The garden was that extensive. Perhaps it was the sheer size of the place or maybe it was the fact that it was the middle of the deca-cycle, but the Prime family spotted only a handful of other bots wandering the gardens. They came across other visitors so infrequently it almost felt like they had the entire place to themselves. Ironhide was glad. The less people there were, the better he could enjoy his family's company.

At some point, Starfall released Optimus's hand and began to run ahead of them down the path to each new formation. His excitement was infectious. Wherever two paths intersected a medium-sized crystal floated in the middle of it like a guidepost. Every time they came to one Starfall would run ahead and use his thrusters to jump off the ground to touch it and send it spinning around midair on its jet of methane. Each time he did that a kaleidoscope of colors would flash off the crystal onto the ground and all other surrounding surfaces. It reminded Ironhide of a contraption he'd once seen on Earth. Spike had told him the thing was called a disco ball. To this day Ironhide still didn't quite understand the purpose of it.

"Kid seems ta be havin' a good time," Ironhide remarked to Optimus as they watched Starfall speed ahead down the pathway to the next formation. They continued to walk at a more leisurely pace, unhurried and content to enjoy the peace and quiet of the gardens.

Optimus nodded. "He does. It's good to see him so happy. I think this was a very good idea, 'hide. Thank you for suggesting it."

Ironhide couldn't quite meet his sparkmate's gaze. The festering guilt that had been plaguing him all last night and that morning made a resurgence in the back of his throat line. "Ah wanted ta try an' do something ta make up fer yesterday. After all the slag that happened it seemed only right ta take Star out fer the day."

Optimus reached out and gently took Ironhide's hand, intertwining their fingers together. "That is all in the past now, 'hide. Let us learn from our mistakes and move forward. It is not too late to have a fresh start."

Ironhide squeezed his sparkmate's fingers. "Ah'm tryin,'" he murmured. "Ah really am."

Optimus returned the gesture and send a pulse of warmth flooding across their bond. "I know you are and that is why I know we will make it through this."

Ironhide tentatively looked up to meet Optimus's gaze. The smile Optimus gave him showed in his optics. The weapons specialist offered him a small smile of his own. There was still hope. It would be a long and difficult road, but there was still hope of having the family they'd always wanted.

"Dad!" Starfall's voice called from further down the path. Half a second later the sparkling appeared around a bend and ran up to the two. His intakes were slightly labored as though he'd run back to them from a distance. An excited smile was firmly planted on his facial plates, lighting his face up in a way the colored lights of the crystals never could themselves. "Dad, we're almost near the end."

"Really?" Optimus indulged.

"Yea! There's some kind of store and energon stand up ahead."

"Must be the gift shop," Ironhide grumbled. No matter how long ago the war ended it still always surprised him how quickly people were able to find new ways of somehow selling things to make a profit. Even someplace as innocent as a crystal garden seemed unable to escape the trend.

Optimus chuckled. "Must be." He turned his attention back to Starfall. "Do you want to go look?"

"Yea!" Starfall grinned. He ran to Optimus's side and latched onto his free hand. Love pulsed across Optimus and Ironhide's sparkbond. Ironhide let the feeling wash over him. With Ironhide and Starfall flanking him, Optimus led them down the path. Just as Starfall reported, around the bend, a few dozen meters ahead, the gardens ended and the pathway opened up on an open area lined with a small shop and snack stand and a number of benches spread out across the plaza.

Starfall's gaze was immediately drawn to the colorful lengths of cut crystals displayed in the shop's window. He steered Optimus and Ironhide towards it. "Look at all the crystals!" he exclaimed. "They're just like the ones in the garden, only smaller."

"They're souvenirs," Optimus explained. "Would you like one to take home?"

"I can have one?"

Optimus nodded. "Which is your favorite?"

Starfall studied the display of crystals with an intense look of concentration. Ironhide was surprised to find the expression strangely endearing. One would think Starfall was deciding the fate of the world by the serious look on his face. "I like that purple one," Starfall finally announced, pointing at a crystal no larger than Ironhide's smallest finger digit. It was one of the smallest crystals for sale.

"Are you sure you don't want one of the bigger ones, Star?" Optimus asked. "You can have any one you want."

Starfall shook his head. "No. That one has the prettiest colors. And it's small enough I can carry it in my subspace compartment."

Optimus and Ironhide exchanged a look. Ironhide was admittedly surprised by Starfall's choice. Usually sparklings tried to chose the biggest, most colorful thing available.

"Alright," Optimus said. He released Ironhide and Starfall's hands to go inside the shop. Within a klick he returned with Starfall's crystal. Starfall eagerly took it when Optimus offered it to him. He held it delicately in his hand as though afraid it might break if he didn't handle it with enough care. Ironhide knew it would take quite a bit more than Starfall accidentally dropping it to break a crystal of that type. The types of crystals they grew in the gardens were at least three times harder than Earth diamonds. Starfall could send his crystal through a trash compactor and have it come out perfectly fine on the other end.

"Thanks, dad," Starfall said with a blinding smile. He wrapped his arms around Optimus's leg in gratitude. "I'm gonna keep this in my subspace compartment forever."

The corners of Optimus's optics crinkled with a smile. "You're welcome, Star. I'm glad you like it. Let's go sit down for awhile," he suggested. He motioned to one of the benches on the other side of the plaza. "I don't know about you two but I would enjoy a short rest."

Neither Ironhide or Starfall protested. Together, the family took a seat on the edge of the plaza - Starfall taking the place on the bench between Optimus and Ironhide. The sunlight coming through the overhead dome sent a rainbow of color dancing across the ground from the crystals lining the area. Ironhide was happy to sit back and watch the show. He'd never been one for fancy things, but he was enjoying their trip to the Crystal Gardens more than he'd been expecting. Sitting in between him and Optimus, Starfall was engrossed with his souvenir crystal. He turned it back and forth in his hands, watching the way the light reflected off the tiny veins of minerals inside. Despite its size, the crystal Starfall chose was surprisingly beautiful - its colors ranging from the deepest shade of purple to a pale lavender with tiny streaks of silver in it. The kid had decent taste.

Optimus delicately cleared his throat line. "Star, your father and I want to talk to you a little more about what happened yesterday."

The change in Starfall was instantaneous. Within the blink of an optic his body language became guarded and withdrawn. His shoulders hunched around his neck as the smile on his face vanished without a trace. Starfall lowered his crystal to his lap and stared at the ground between his thrusters. His wings drooped sadly down his back. "I already said I was sorry," he sullenly murmured. "I promise I won't start anymore fights."

"I know," Optimus quickly assured him. "I believe you. But your father and I don't want to talk about the fight. We want to talk about how proud we are of what you did for your friend, Convoy. You did a very noble thing standing up for your friend like that."

"Convoy's not my friend," Starfall bitterly correctly. He sullenly stared at the crystal in his hand as though wishing he could somehow disappear inside it. "I don't have any friends. Convoy hates me. He has ever since the first day of school. I tried to make friends with him but he thought I was making fun of his accent. He told me not to talk to him anymore. And no one else wants to be friends with me because I have wings. I think they're all scared of me…"

Ironhide stared at Starfall, confused and admittedly sparkbroken. Optimus seemed to mirror his sentiments. Apparently even he hadn't realized how lonely their son was at school.

"If Convoy ain't yer friend than why'd yeh get inta that fight fer him?" Ironhide asked.

Starfall listlessly shrugged. His gaze remained firmly downcast. "I don't know. It… just seemed like something dad would do. I don't like seeing people get picked on."

Ironhide felt something inside him crack. The loneliness and despair in Starfall's voice was physically painful to hear. It reminded him of what Skyfire had said about Starscream - how he'd always been turned down and turned away no matter what he did whether good or bad. Shut down from every angle Starfall never got a chance to prove himself. It must be like having a proverbial door continually slammed in one's face. Ironhide couldn't even imagine what that must feel like.

"Ah talked ta Convoy's father over the vid-com yesterday 'bout wha' happened," Ironhide said. "He seems ta think Convoy would like ta be friends. He asked if yeh'd like ta go over an' play sometime."

Starfall glanced at Ironhide. He didn't say anything but the look in his optics said he didn't believe him.

Ironhide frowned. Starfall's hopeless outlook stung him to his core. It made him feel powerless to do anything to help, and if there was one thing Ironhide hated feeling like it was powerless.

"If you and Convoy are not close friends then that makes what you did for him even more honorable," Optimus said, draping one arm around Starfall's shoulders in a loose hug. "I am so proud to have you as my son."

Starfall, however, seemed to take little comfort from Optimus's praise. "Then why did everyone get mad at me?" he wondered. His voice was full of confusion. "If what I did was so good then why did everyone try to blame me for what happened? I was only trying to help."

Ironhide and Optimus shared a look over Starfall's head. Sparkbroken anguish swam his sparkmate's optics. The weapons specialist's own spark gave a painful twinge. How were they to explain the social implications Starfall's model had on how others treated him? How were they to properly explain in a way that a sparkling could understand the misconceptions others had towards him simply because he had wings? How were they to explain the hatred millennia of warfare had instilled in the subconscious of most of Cybertron's population? How were they to tell a sparkling barely five vorns old that what happened yesterday was probably only a taste of the discrimination he had to look forward to in the future? It didn't seem fair. Nor did Ironhide feel comfortable explaining such things when he himself had until very recently been a part of that group that was forever on the lookout for something to direct his mistrust and prejudices against seekers towards.

Optimus reached out and gently pulled Starfall to him, holding him close to his side as though trying to physically shield him from the injustices of life. "Do you remember me telling you how your father and I once fought in a war?" he asked.

"Yea," Starfall mumbled. "You won. But that was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"It was," Optimus confirmed. "Long before you ever even came online. But a lot of soldiers on the side your father and I fought against were seekers. There were very few fliers in the Autobot ranks. Almost all of them joined the Decepticons. Because of that, after the war many people had a bad impression of seekers. They think seekers are dangerous and blame them for many of the things that happened during the war. Those views are not correct, nor are they fair but that is what many people still think. That is one of the reasons there aren't any other seekers in Iacon. It's also because of those views that many will try to blame you for things that are not actually your fault. Bots that do that are not necessarily bad people, but they are misinformed and usually unwilling to let others try and change their minds."

"But…" Starfall muttered as though struggling to comprehend everything Optimus just told him. "But I wasn't there when you fought in that war. Why would people blame me for something I didn't do? That doesn't make sense. It's not fair!"

"I know," Optimus agreed. "I don't think it's fair either, but that is the truth of the matter."

Starfall looked distraught. "What can I do to make people know I'm good? I don't want to get blamed for things I didn't do."

Optimus pulled him closer. Helpless anguish coursed across his and Ironhide's bond. "Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do, Star, except be the best bot you can be and hope that others eventually recognize you for the wonderful sparkling you are. And if they don't then they are not bots worth knowing."

Starfall leaned into Optimus's side, his wings folded down against his back. The gesture made him look even smaller than he really was. Ironhide was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to go to this hurt and frightened sparkling's defense. His primary directive was to protect. It was like suddenly having the blinders ripped off his optics. He now understood what Optimus had spent so long trying to make him see. Starfall wasn't Starscream. He wasn't a duplicate of the Air Commander. He was a nothing but a lost child seeking safety from a world set against him. It physically killed Ironhide inside to see someone so young have to try and make sense of so much prejudice. It didn't seem right. It made Ironhide feel even more horrible about how he'd treated Starfall before Skyfire forced him see the light.

Normally, Ironhide was not one for unnecessary touching. Only with Optimus did he feel comfortable about physically showing his affection. But the miserable look on Starfall's face was enough to make him temporarily set aside his own discomfort. Reaching out, he awkwardly pat Starfall on the back between his wings. "It'll be alright, Star," he said. "Keep yer chin strut up. Yer stronger than anything another bot can do ta yeh."

Starfall warily stared at Ironhide as though hesitant to trust the mech enough to believe he was being sincere. Ironhide offered him a self-conscious smile. It felt like extending a proverbial peace offering.

"Optimus Prime?" a voice said.

The moment broken, Ironhide looked up to find a mech standing several paces away. His first reaction was to internally cue his weapons online. He instinctively tensed, his hand shying to the subspace compartment on his hip where he kept a blaster in case he ever had to go to his sparkmate's defense. Just because the war was over did not mean there still weren't bots who might want to see the Prime dead.

On closer inspection, however, the mech did not strike Ironhide as a potential assassin. The mech was younger looking - probably no older than Bluestreak or Bumblebee. Dark grey with blue trimmed plating, the mech stared at Optimus with a look in his optics Ironhide immediately recognized as awe. He saw it almost every time he and Optimus went out in public.

"Yes," Optimus said. "Can I help you?"

"I'm so sorry," the mech said. "I didn't mean to interrupt. My name's Hardtop. I work here in the Gardens. I heard one of the other workers say the Prime was here and I had to come see for myself. Sorry for interrupting you but I simply had to meet you. I fought for the Autobots during the war. I fought in the Battle of Silicon Hills. I was in the Fifth Battalion under your own command. I still remember that orn like it was yesterday."

Optimus glanced at Ironhide. Ironhide nodded. Whether civilian or former Autobot, Optimus never denied anyone who approached him a few moments of his time. He considered it one of his duties as Prime to greet all those who came to him -whether it be with a grievance or the simple wish to say they'd actually met the Matrix-bearer. Ironhide knew Optimus took such things seriously, but he couldn't deny there were times he wished he and Optimus could go out just once without being noticed. Not even in the Crystal Gardens were they safe from being recognized.

Such was the curse of being bonded to a Prime…

Getting up from the bench, Optimus offered his hand to the mech. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hardtop."

"It's such an honor to actually meet you, sir," Hardtop gushed, vigorously shaking Optimus's hand. Ironhide could almost see the stars in his optics. "I've wanted to shake your hand ever since I saw the way you took on three Decepticons at the same time all by yourself. You're amazing."

Optimus politely smiled behind his mask. In a very practiced maneuver he gently took Hardtop by the elbow and lead him aside several paces away from Ironhide and Starfall. While he willingly sacrificed himself to public attention he did what he could to help Ironhide stay out of the limelight. Ironhide hated unnecessary attention and preferred to keep a distance from bots who only wanted the opportunity have their picture taken with someone famous.

Starfall seemed confused by Optimus's abrupt departure. The look on his face made it look like he felt like he'd been abandoned.

"Don't worry, kid, he'll be back," Ironhide said. He leaned back on the bench with a heavy sigh. "Optimus gets a lot 'a people comin' up ta him like that whenever we go out. Yeh'll get use ta it after awhile."

"Oh," Starfall murmured, his wings drooping down his back. "Ok."

For several klicks neither moved or said anything to break the silence. Ironhide could actually feel the tension filling the space between him and Starfall. Without Optimus there to act as a buffer they'd once again reverted to their old default of silence and ill-ease. Ironhide wracked his processor for something to say. He'd never been much of a conversationalist or had to converse with someone as young as Starfall before. What did one talk about with sparklings anyway? Optimus always made it look so natural whenever he and Starfall were together. They never lacked for anything to talk about. They always seemed so comfortable around each other. Ironhide could admit to himself he felt a small pang of jealously at the thought. What could he do to make Starfall feel that easy around him and vice versa?

Scanning the area Ironhide's optics came to rest of the energon stand on the other side of the plaza. "Feel like a snack?" he asked.

Starfall shrugged, his wings rising and falling behind him. "Ok."

Ironhide stood from the bench. He stretched, letting the gears in his back snap back into place. He really was starting to get old. "Ah think they have rust sticks over there. Wha's yer favorite flavor?"

Starfall stared at Ironhide with a blank expression. "Um…"

"Yeh've gotta have a favorite flavor. Wha is it? Original? Magnesium? Tungsten? Wha?"

"I… I don't know," Starfall softly admitted. "I've never had a rust stick before."

Ironhide froze, his processor grinding to a halt in disbelief. "Wha? Never?"

Starfall shook his helm. "No. Sometimes Offroad would sneak me in energon-candies at the hatchling facility, but he never brought me anything called a rust stick. Are they good?"

Ironhide couldn't believe what he was hearing. What kind of sparkling had never had a rust stick before? They were immediate favorites of sparklings and younglings. Pit, even full grown adults loved them. During the war, whenever bots gathered during downtime to reminisce about Cybertron, rust sticks were often named as one of the things they missed the most. Even Optimus, after a particularly rough battle, once admitted to Ironhide he would have given almost anything to get his hands on a rust stick right then. Ironhide's spark constricted in his chassis. He kept forgetting Starfall had been alone until only a few lunar cycles ago. Before Optimus adopted him he'd never had anyone to buy him treats or give him small presents like data pads or a souvenir crystal. He couldn't imagine what that must be like for a sparkling. It made him suddenly wish he and Optimus had found Starfall earlier.

"Wait here," Ironhide said. He went to the energon stand and ordered three rust sticks. Subspacing one, he returned to the bench with the other two. "Here," he said, holding one out to Starfall.

The seeker hesitantly took it. Ironhide retook his seat on the bench as Starfall carefully pulled the wrapper off the treat. He eyed the dark brown stick for a moment of hesitation. "How do I eat it?"

"Just suck on it," Ironhide said.

Starfall warily did as Ironhide instructed. The reaction was instantaneous. The moment his lips closed around the treat a surprised squeal of delight sounded in the back of his throat. Ironhide couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he opened his own rust stick and bit off the end. Strong, slightly gritty sweetness flooded his mouth.

"It's good," Starfall declared. "Thank you."

Ironhide nodded, his spark aching a little at the look of utter enjoyment on Starfall's face. It didn't feel right that a sparkling as old as Starfall should find so much enjoyment in something that should be commonplace to every Cybertronian alive. The bit of rust stick in Ironhide's mouth suddenly tasted bland. How many other things had Starfall never gotten a chance to experience because he'd been alone?

It was about then that Optimus returned. Behind him Hardtop was walking away, a happy, star-struck look firmly plastered across his face.

"Rust sticks?" Optimus happily observed. He retook his seat next to Starfall on the bench. "Did you talk Ironhide into getting you one?"

"They're so good!" Starfall exclaimed. He held his half-eaten treat out to Optimus. "Want a bite?"

Optimus smiled behind his mask, the corners of his optics crinkling with amusement. "No, but thank you for the offer, Star. You enjoy it."

Starfall happily acquiesced, popping the end of the rust stick back into his mouth with a contented smile.

Ironhide was slightly surprised Starfall would offer to share when he was so obviously enjoying his snack himself. The innocent gesture once again reminded him that Starfall was not the same selfish bot he'd been in his previous format.

"Ah got yeh one fer later after we go home," Ironhide told his mate.

A pulse of gratitude coursed across his and Optimus's bond. The corners of the matrix-bearer's optics crinkled with a smile. "Thank you, 'hide." Ironhide smiled. Many would never believe it, but one of Optimus's weaknesses was sweets. If they have been home right now, away from prying optics, Optimus would have immediately grabbed his own rust stick and devoured it with the same relish as Starfall was.

As Ironhide and Starfall finished their snacks the small family watched the way the sunlight streamed through the crystals growing around the edge of the plaza. Waves of colored light danced back and forth across the plaza. Starfall scooted closer to Optimus on the bench and leaned against his side, happily sucking on his rust stick. Optimus responded by wrapping his arm around Starfall's back and hugging the little seeker close. Ironhide felt strangely left out. Over the course of the day he'd begun to understand what having Starfall as a son could be like - how rewarding it could be having a sparkling in their family dynamic. He suddenly decided he no longer wanted Starfall to see him as an enemy - and not just because of his promise to Optimus to try harder. He wanted Starfall to see him as his father the same way he did Optimus. He wanted to experience a little of what Optimus and Starfall already shared. When he and Optimus started talking about having children Ironhide had been intrigued by the idea of having a sparkling to call his own - a miniature being he could teach and raise. He'd all but given up hope of that, however, as more and more vorns passed and neither him or Optimus were able to conceive. Despite their rocky start there was still a chance of making Starfall his son. It would take a lot of work, but today had been a good start Ironhide thought. Starfall was still uncomfortable around him, which he had every right to be considering how he'd treated the kid so far. But Ironhide was determined to have the family he and Optimus had always wanted. He was ready to fight to make it a reality.

Chapter Text

Chapter Fifteen: Hope

Starfall ran into the kitchenette unit of the domicile. The protomatter between the edges of his armor was still moist from his morning wash. He was hungry and the half cube of energon set out for him on the table was an extremely inviting sight. Both Optimus and Ironhide were already at the table. His father was already starting his second cube of energon while Ironhide leisurely sipped at his own. Both looked up at his entrance. Optimus gave him a warm smile.

"Good morning, Star."

"Morning, dad," Starfall smiled as he climbed up onto his chair.

"Mornin'," Ironhide grunted.

Although Ironhide's greeting was gruff like everything else he said, it was neither angry or tense, which startled Starfall. Ever since the incident at school and he'd tried to run away to Skyfire's Ironhide had been acting extremely nice towards him. Starfall was still trying to figure out what to make of it. He was still used to Ironhide's icy silences and ill-concealed glares. His outing the orn before with Optimus and Ironhide to the Crystal Gardens had shown him a side of his father's sparkmate he'd never experienced before - one he usually only saw when Ironhide's attention was directed towards Optimus, never himself. The abrupt change made it difficult for Starfall to believe Ironhide's new demeanor wasn't really some sort of act. Being in the burly mech's presence still made Starfall feel on edge, like having a tiny piece of debris he couldn't pick out wedged between his pede plating. Before today Ironhide had never greeted him at the refueling table. Starfall could detect no hostility from Ironhide like he usually did whenever he came into the room. The orn before had let Starfall see a different side of Ironhide, but a part of him kept waiting to accidentally do or say something that would make the old angry Ironhide come back.

"Good morning, sir," he timidly mumbled at the tabletop.

"How did you recharge?" Optimus asked.

"Good." A sudden thought made him gasp. He opened the subspace compartment on his forearm open and fished out his souvenir crystal from the day before. "Dad! I put my crystal on the berthtable last night before you came to read to me. After you left and shut the lights off it glowed in the dark! It was still glowing when I fell asleep."

"How very interesting," Optimus indulged him. "The website for the Crystal Gardens did say some of their crystals were light sensitive. Your crystal must have been cut from one of those."

Ironhide nodded with a grunt. "Crystals like that - if yeh let 'em sit under a light fer a few joors - can glow all night. It's really amazin' the amount 'a solar energy even a tiny piece 'a crystal like that can store inside it."

Starfall grinned, staring at his crystal. He knew his crystal had been special when he'd chosen it. Optimus and Ironhide had tried to convince him to get a different one because the one he wanted was so small. But he'd known that little purple one was the one he was suppose to pick. Very carefully, Starfall returned the crystal to his subspace compartment. He'd been serious when he'd told Optimus he intended to keep his crystal with him wherever he went. This crystal was more special to him than all the data pads Optimus bought him combined. He'd never owned anything so delicate looking or so simplistically *beautiful* before.

As Starfall picked up his energon Optimus looked at the chronometer on the wall. He frowned and hurriedly drained the rest of his cube. Immediately, he began drinking his last one.

"What's the matter, dad?" Starfall asked.

Optimus set the empty remains of his cube aside and retracted the edges of his battle mask over his face. "I must get ready to go. The orn before, I had to leave early from a very important meeting and I postponed going back yesterday for family reasons so we could go to the Crystal Gardens. Unfortunately, I cannot miss this meeting another orn. The workers' union and the city council must resolve this strike as soon as possible. I had hoped the two would be able to resolve this dispute without me, but they made no headway in negotiations yesterday. If anything I think the two sides are ever more firmly opposed to each other than before. I doubt I will be back until very late tonight."

Ironhide grimaced. "Ah'll be waitin' up fer yeh. Comm me if yeh need anything."

Starfall stared at Optimus in confusion. "So… are we leaving for school now?"

Optimus offered him a thin smile behind his mask - Starfall could tell by the crinkled folds of protomatter at the corners of his father's optics. "No. Unfortunately, I do not have time this morning to drop you at the academy. Your father's going to drive you to school today and pick you up afterwards."

Starfall's wings stiffened behind him. He timidly looking at Ironhide. A cold feeling of dread settled in the pit of his fuel tank. No matter how nice Ironhide had been to him yesterday he still remembered how angry Ironhide had been at him the orn he got suspended. Just the thought of getting into Ironhide's cab unit again without Optimus nearby made Starfall's sensors run cold. The suffocating silence that had pressed in on him as Ironhide drove him back from the academy that day was still fresh in his processor.

Surprisingly, Ironhide didn't seem to mind this plan. "Ah'm not goin' inta headquarters ta-day. Got too many reports ta write. So ah'll be home if yeh need ta get in touch with me."

Optimus nodded and glanced at Starfall. He must have sensed Starfall's distress because he reached out and put a comforting hand on Starfall's shoulder plate. "Are you going to be alright today, Star? If you have any problems again at school you have Catalyst or one of the other instructors call me or your father immediately."

Starfall forced a weak smile onto his face. "I'll be okay, dad." Although that wasn't necessarily a lie, Starfall wasn't as convinced as he wanted his father to believe. The orn hadn't even started yet and already he wished it was evening and Optimus was back home. Besides having to be alone with Ironhide, Starfall also had to deal with going back to school. He didn't know how the other children in his class were going to act around him after what happened between him and Aftershock. No doubt all of them were going to keep an even wider distance from him than before. Optimus had said other bots were afraid of seekers because they thought they were dangerous. His confrontation with Aftershock couldn't have done anything to improve his standing in any of his classmates eyes. He didn't even want to think of how Convoy was going to act around him when he went back to class. The tight, heavy feeling in Starfall's fuel tank got worse. He suddenly was no longer hungry.

Optimus pat Starfall between his wings. "I must go." He leaned over Starfall and pulled him against his side in a quick, one-armed hug. "Stay strong, Star. I will see you when I get home."

"Bye, dad," Starfall murmured into his father's chestplate.

Optimus turned to Ironhide. "Comm me if you have any problems."

"No worries." Ironhide and Optimus both reached out and intertwined their fingers together in a lovers' hand-squeeze. The look that passed between them made Starfall smile but still self-consciously advert his eyes. He enjoyed seeing his fathers so happy around each other but the sheer strength of the love that passed between them in moments like this made him feel like he was seeing something he wasn't meant to understand for a very long time. Before being adopted he'd never really seen a bonded couple interact except for when couples came to the hatchling facility, and usually then the two mates were more focused on picking out a child than on each other.

As Optimus headed for the foyer and disappeared through the door, however, Starfall's warm feelings disappeared and were replaced once again by nervousness. The silence of the domicile literally stung his audio receptors as he timidly glanced at Ironhide. Ironhide seemed to share a bit of Starfall's discomfort now that it was just the two of them.

Ironhide uncomfortably cleared his throat line and glanced at the chronometer. "Ah've gotta get yeh ta school soon, so hurry up an' drink yer energon."

"Yes, sir."

A frown spread across Ironhide's face. "Yeh don't hafta call me that."

Starfall's wings instinctively flattened against his back. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into his energon cube.

Ironhide vented a heavy sigh. "Yeh don't hafta apologize. It's just… never mind. Finish yer fuel." Starfall couldn't help but wonder why Ironhide looked so sad.

It took a bit of effort to obey Ironhide. The stress of being alone in his father's sparkmate's presence made the energon in Starfall's fuel tank sit like a galvanized steel weight. Somehow, though, he managed to finish the rest of his cube.

Like a prisoner being lead to the execution grounds Starfall timidly followed Ironhide to the door, into the lift and down to the transformation lot of their building. Ironhide transformed and opened his passenger door for Starfall. Starfall reluctantly climbed in. Like the day Ironhide picked him up from the academy, he did everything he could to make himself as small as he could and touch as little of Ironhide's interior as possible. In mutual silence they traveled to the academy.

It was only when Ironhide pulled off the freeway and the academy tower appeared in the distance that Starfall ventured to speak. "So, dad won't be home until late?"

"Probably," Ironhide's voice rumbled through the cab unit. "Might not be til after yeh go ta bed."

"Oh." Starfall hung his head in disappointment. He liked it when Optimus put him to bed. He always seemed to recharge better when his father read to him.

The disembodied sound of Ironhide clearing his throat line sounded. "Yeh can wait up fer him with me fer awhile ta-night if yeh want. Not fer too long though. Optimus would never let me hear the end 'a it if ah let yeh stay up til the middle 'a the night."

Starfall was stunned. Ironhide had never offered to spend time with him before. In fact, up until yesterday Ironhide had always seemed to do everything he could not to be around him. A part of Starfall was suspicious of Ironhide's offer, but another stronger part of him wanted to be allowed to stay up and wait for his father.

Ironhide pulled off the road into the academy's transformation lot. A number of other bots and their children milled around the edges of the lot. Ironhide headed for the far edge of the lot away from the majority of the other creators. He opened his door for Starfall. Starfall reluctantly slid down out of Ironhide's cab unit. He didn't feel ready to go back to school yet. After the incident the orn before last, Starfall wasn't sure how the other children were going to act around him. He was already a social pariah. Would his fight with Aftershock make him even more of an outcast? Starfall couldn't imagine how his situation could get any worse, but he didn't really want the opportunity to find out. If he'd been given the choice he would have gladly stayed home from school another day.

Ironhide transformed into his root form and glanced around the transformation lot. He always seemed to do that whenever they arrived somewhere. Starfall was still trying to figure out why he did that. He was going to have to ask his father about it someday.

Starfall stared at the doors of the academy, unable to make himself move towards them. Ironhide seemed to sense his reluctance.

"Yeh want me ta go in with yeh?" he asked. "Ah was thinkin' bout going in an' havin a few more words with Catalyst. He and ah still have some things ta clear up."

Starfall shook his head. "No. I'll be alright." He still had yet to move towards the entrance. The thought of going inside and facing the stares and covert whispers of his classmates made him feel sick to his fuel tank. His wings unconsciously flattened against his back, quivering with tension.

Starfall almost jumped when Ironhide's hand gently clapped against his back. He looked up to find Ironhide staring at him with a strange look in his optics. If such a look had been on Optimus's face Starfall would have said he looked worried. But Starfall had never seen Ironhide looked worried for him. Ironhide only ever looked angry at him - and never for anything Starfall could think of to explain why Ironhide always seemed so mad at him. The weapons specialist's hand remained on his back like an encouraging weight as Starfall fought the instinctive urge to step out of Ironhide's reach. He didn't like it when other people tried to touch his wings. Optimus and Skyfire were the only exceptions to that rule. His wings were extremely sensitive and the thought of someone he didn't know or trust touching them made Starfall cringe.

"Yeh sure yeh don't want me ta walk yeh inside? It's no big deal," Ironhide assured him, his tone surprisingly sincere.

Starfall scanned the transformation lot, torn by indecision. Ironhide's offer was tempting. Optimus usually let him off near the doors - close enough that he only had to walk a few dozen feet to get to the building. Ironhide, however, had pulled over to the side of the lot farthest from the doors. The walk inside was more that triple the usual distance. A number of children and adults stood around the edge of the transformation lot talking in small groups. Starfall noticed several of them already looking in their direction, but he didn't know if their stares were directed more towards him or Ironhide. His wings folded apprehensively down against his armor. Although he didn't necessarily like the idea of extending his time with Ironhide, the thought of walking across the transformation lot alone made his fuel lines tighten and his gears lock with dread. He hated it when people stared at him. It was like he could physically feel their optics crawling across his plating and down his wings. When he was with Optimus and people did that it was different. He always felt safe when his father was around. With Optimus next to him he knew no one would ever hurt him. But Optimus wasn't there. He was gone, away at a meeting, and had left him with Ironhide as his chaperon.

Even though Starfall knew Ironhide didn't like him, the thought of transversing the lot alone with no one else to accompany him made Starfall almost desperate for Ironhide's company. He let himself make-believe that Ironhide really did want to walk him to the door, and really did care that he wasn't scared or alone and not just offering out of some sort of obligation to Optimus. He knew Ironhide wanted nothing to do with him, but it would be nice to pretend for a few klicks that he had someone else other than just Optimus and Skyfire to look after him. Even after everything that had happened between them Starfall still sometimes caught himself fantasizing what it would be like to have two mechs to call father instead of just one.

"Okay," Starfall murmured, trying not to let Ironhide see just how much the offer really meant to him.

The hand on Starfall's back gave him two more quick pats between his wings then withdrew. Starfall at first stiffened, thinking he'd done something to make Ironhide mad at him. It took him a moment to realize Ironhide wasn't mad nor was the gesture meant to be aggressive. It was, Starfall slowly realized, suppose to be encouraging.

"Come on," Ironhide said.

Starfall's reluctance to be near Ironhide eased as he fell into step beside him. Several adult glanced at them as they walked past but Ironhide neither looked at them or even seemed to acknowledge their attention. If anything, he seemed completely at ease, as if being the object of everyone else's attention was an everyday occurrence and he didn't care. As Starfall thought about it Ironhide probably was. Starfall had only gone out with Optimus in public a few times, but each time he did everyone always seemed to stop what they were doing and stare. Ironhide had been bonded to Optimus a lot longer than Starfall had been their son, so it made sense he'd learned to ignore the attention by now. Starfall only hoped he could someday master such indifference.

They were almost the to doors when a voice called out behind them.

"Consort Ironhide! A moment please!"

Ironhide and Starfall both stopped and looked behind them. Starfall's fuel tank dropped at the sight of the mech walking towards them across the transformation lot. It was senator Scion. With him, walking half a step behind his sire, was Aftershock. A confusing mixture of resentment and nervousness clawed at the back of Starfall's intake line. He didn't want to deal with Aftershock right now. He was still angry at him for picking on Convoy and getting him in trouble with Catalyst, but he was also nervous to see him in the company of his father. Was Scion going to yell at him for hitting his son? Unconsciously, he edged half a step behind Ironhide for a shield.

Ironhide grumbled something incoherent under his intake as the senator and mechling came closer. Although he tried to mask it Starfall could feel irritation radiating off him.

"Consort Ironhide," Scion said when he and Aftershock reached them. He smiled, the living example of diplomatic friendliness. "I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you or Prime before the children had to go inside for class."

"Senator Scion, right? Optimus's told me 'bout yeh."

"Nothing but good things, I hope," the senator smiled. When Ironhide did not seem amused by his attempt at levity, Scion became more serious. "I was hoping to speak to you about what happened the other orn between our sons."

"That so?" Ironhide's face was completely unreadable. Even Starfall didn't know to interpret his stonewall expression.

The senator seemed thrown off by Ironhide's gruffness as well. If it had been Optimus he were talking to, no doubt things would be progressing much more smoothly. Scion delicately cleared his throat line. "Yes, well, Administrator Catalyst called me the orn before and told me about what happened between Aftershock and Starfall. As expected, I was appalled by my son's behavior when shown the video feed and had a stern talk with him about how one should treat others. I wanted to give my own personal apologies and try to see if this incident can't be put behind us and forgotten. I would hate for a children's squabble to permanently sour our sons' relationship together." He glanced behind him towards his son. "Aftershock. Apologize to Starfall."

The smaller blue and gold mech reluctantly stepped around his father. Although his head was bowed in embarrassment the optics he looked at Starfall with burned with resentment. "I apologize for what I did the orn before," Aftershock mumbled. "I shouldn't have been making fun of a younger sparkling or tried to hit you."

There was a long pause.

"And?" Scion sternly prompted.

"And I hope that you can forgive me and that we can still be friends." The last bit was mumbled in a hurry and so quiet Starfall could barely make out what Aftershock said.

Nonetheless, he got the idea. "Thank you," he murmured. He wasn't quite sure what else he was suppose to say.

Senator Scion nodded approvingly. "It's so good to see children peacefully reconcile after a fight, don't you think, Consort?"

Ironhide shrugged. "Ah guess. Back in my day, people mostly just let kids work their issues out themselves. If there was ever a problem, a quick scuffle in the schoolyard usually always seemed ta fix it. Never needed ta get so many people worked up 'r involved before."

The one corner of Scion's mouth delicately crinkled in a frown. "I like to think that times have changed since your own sparkling days, Consort, and that we've learned to solve problems without the need for fists. Such thinking was how the Great War started. Plus, this academy is a high-level institution. Children that go here are being groomed to someday be senators, council members and government officials. It would be indecent to allow such uncultured, low-number district type actions to go on in such a place."

Ironhide did not reply except to icily stare at the other mech.

Seemingly to sense he was losing favor, Scion forced a pleasant smile on his face. "In any case, what's done is done. All transmission fluid down the drain, as they say." He reached out and rested a hand on Aftershock's shoulder plate and glanced at Starfall. "Seeing as how we've gotten that all cleared up, I wanted to run the idea of setting up a time for our sons to get together and play sometime by you. If Prime were here I would suggest a working play date. He and I would have so much official business to discuss while the children played. It would be beneficial for everyone involved, don't you think?"

Starfall and Aftershock both looked at each other and frowned. Starfall had no desire to spend time with Aftershock, especially after how he'd treated Convoy and how he'd tried to attack him. He didn't like the other mechling much and judging by the silent death-glare Aftershock sent him Aftershock didn't care for him that much either.

"Well," Ironhide shrugged, "Ah'd hafta run that idea by Optimus an' see wha' he thinks, but right now Star's pretty busy an' already's got several playdates set up. Ah'd hafta get back ta yeh 'bout gettin' the kids ta-gether whenever ah thought Star had some free time."

"I see," Scion said. Disappointment glowed in his optics. "Well, please at least pass my proposal on to Prime and see what he thinks."

"Ah'll do that," Ironhide grunted, though his tone to Starfall's audios seemed to suggest he had no actually intention to.

"Come, Aftershock," Scion motioned, and together the two moved away towards the other side of the lot.

As soon as they were out of audio-range Ironhide gave a snort of distain. "Playdate my aft. He just wants an excuse ta get Optimus alone so he can talk his audio off 'bout Council stuff."

Starfall looked up at Ironhide, confused. "If he just wants to talk to dad why's he want me and Aftershock to play together? I don't want to be friends with Aftershock and I don't think Aftershock wants to play with me either."

Ironhide vented a sigh. "Cause that's politics, kid. Scion's a crafty bot. He's always been on that look out ta get in on Optimus's good side. Optimus is one of the most powerful bots in the Council an' Scion thinks if he can get yeh an' his kid ta be friends he'll have more leverage on Optimus ta agree with him on things. It's called seekin' favors, an' one a' the reasons ah hate politics. No one ever says or does wha' he actually means."

"Oh," Starfall murmured. Ironhide's explanation left him feeling strangely overwhelmed and confused. He still didn't quite understand how him and Aftershock being friends would force his father to agree with Scion on anything.

"Don't worry," Ironhide grunted. "Ah'm not gonna let that shiny plated smooth-talker use yeh. It'll be a cold day in the Pit before ah make yeh spend any time with that lil bully a' his."

A surprised rush of gratitude spread through Starfall. "You won't?"

Ironhide shook his head. "Nope. An' ah'll make sure Optimus doesn't either."

"Thank you, sir," Starfall murmured.

Ironhide frowned. "What've ah told yeh 'bout callin' me that?"

Starfall ducked his head. "I'm sorry." He kept forgetting Ironhide didn't like being called sir. But what else was he suppose to call him?

Ironhide gave a soft sigh of disappointment. "Don't worry 'bout it. Go on now. Class's 'bout ta start. Ah'll pick yeh up after school. Remember wha' ah told yeh 'bout not makin' me wait. Ah don't wanna hafta deal with anymore senators or council-bots comin' up ta me like Scion did."

"Okay." As Starfall walked up the stairs to the door he couldn't help but give Ironhide one last glance over his shoulder. The red mech saw the look and raised his hand to him in farewell. Starfall tentatively returned it. He still didn't quite understand what had happened between Ironhide and Scion - adult talk was confusing with all its double-meanings and hidden agendas - but Starfall couldn't shake the feeling that Ironhide had been protecting him. He didn't know what to really think of it. For as long as he had been a member of the Prime family Starfall had gotten the very distinct impression that Ironhide didn't like him and wanted nothing to do with him. But then he went and protected him from Scion, making Starfall all the more unsure of where he and Ironhide actually stood with each other. Despite his surprise, Starfall was nonetheless willing to accept any form of warmth from the other mech. Ironhide was still scary, but Starfall no longer felt as uncomfortable around him as he once did.

Starfall quickly navigated the hallways of the academy to Alpha-4's homeroom. He noticed a number of the other children milling around the halls - both sparklings and older younglings - stop what they were doing and cast him looks as he hurried past. The feelings behind their gazes varied. Some looked at him warily. Others seemed to regard him appraisingly as if sizing him up in their heads while a majority of the rest seemed transfixed by the sight of him. Rumors of the fight between him and Aftershock must have spread around the school like galactic plague.

Starfall ducked his head from their gazes and hurried on, anxious to reach the relative safety of his homeroom. At least there he only had to bear the gaze of his other classmates and not the collective gaze of the entire school. His only hope now was to make it through the orn without gaining anymore unwanted attention. If he kept a low profile he might be able to disappear into the background of District 11's student population again in a few orns after the sensation of his and Aftershock's fight died down.

When Starfall finally reached the door to homeroom Alpha-4, he chanced a quick look inside before entering. At least a dozen of his classmates were already inside, talking and laughing together in pairs and other small groups. On the other side of the room sitting at the end of the row in his usual bubble of isolation was Convoy. The little red mech was reading a data pad, his shoulder plates tightly hunched around the sides of his helm as if that might offer him protection for anyone's attempt to approach him.

Starfall balked, his wings stiffening behind him. He didn't feel ready to face the other mechling. He didn't know how Convoy would react towards him. He tried to be friendly towards Convoy his first day of class and only managed in making Convoy angry at him. Was Convoy going to be even more angry at him for what happened between him and Aftershock? What if he somehow blamed Starfall for bringing more attention to him? Starfall didn't know but felt decidedly pessimistic. Every time he tried to do something he always seemed to mess it up.

Venting a deep intake, Starfall stepped over the threshold into the room. The majority of the chatter in the room almost instantly quieted as all the other sparklings in Alpha-4 turned to stare at him. Starfall ducked his helm and hurried as fast at he could across the front of the room and down the side to his seat. He could feel everyone else's gaze follow him as he slid sideways behind Convoy's seat and into his own. Refusing to look at anyone, Starfall stared resolutely at the tabletop, his head bowed almost to the counter. He didn't even dare to glance at Convoy, though he could feel the smaller sparkling's gaze of him.

Gradually, the other sparklings in the classroom turned back to each other and resumed their conversations, chatting and giggling together in hushed voices. Starfall was sure a number of them were talking about him, but at least they weren't directly staring at him anymore. He vented a cycle of air and sagged down into his seat. While he was sure he was going to be the topic of conversation for many more orns, at least no one seemed willing to cause him any direct grief about the fight. So far the attention he was getting for being suspended was no worse than any of the attention he'd had to suffer before. For that much, at least, he could be grateful.

"Starfall?" a quiet voice murmured from Starfall's left. To his audios his name sounded more like Stàr-fül.

Starfall looked up, surprised. Convoy was timidly looking at him from around his hunched shoulder plates.

"I want to thank you for what you did the other orn," Convoy murmured, barely loud enough for Starfall to hear. No doubt he didn't want any of their classmates to overhear him speaking. "No one has ever done something like that for me before. Thank you."

Starfall's optics rebooted in surprise. "You're welcome." He couldn't believe Convoy was actually talking to him. Convoy had refused to speak to him ever since his first day of classes.

Leaning closer to Starfall, Convoy went on in a hushed, urgent voice, "I am sorry you got in trouble." This was the first time Starfall had ever heard him speak more than a handful of words. It was like now that he'd begun, Convoy couldn't stop the stream of words coming out of his mouth. "It was not fair everyone blamed you. I tried to tell Instructor Backslide you did not start the fight but he would not listen to me. I told my father about what happened after school." Convoy went quiet, his optics nervously shifting away Starfall towards the countertop. "My father said if you ever want to come to my domicile to play you can," he murmured in an embarrassed rush.

Starfall's spark did a surprised flip in his chest. "Really?" He'd never been invited to play by another sparkling his age before. He didn't think Convoy wanted anything to do with him. He had been convinced Convoy didn't like him.

"Only if you want to," Convoy insisted. "It is okay if you do not." He no longer seemed able to look at Starfall. His voice had dropped several more decibels, making it even more difficult to hear him. It was like he was preparing himself for Starfall's rejection.

"I'd like that," Starfall smiled, barely able to contain his excitement.

Convoy shyly looked back up at Starfall, his blue-green optics widening in surprise. "Really?"

"Yea. I've never had anyone to play with before."

Convoy stared at Starfall for a moment before quietly admitting, "Me neither."

The two stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously breaking into timid smiles. In that instant it felt like an invisible wall had disappeared from in between them.

"What are you reading?" Starfall asked, pointing to the data pad in front of Convoy. Now that he'd gotten the other sparkling talking he didn't want Convoy to lapse back into silence. It was strange, but the more he listened to the Convoy the less noticeable his accent was.

"My father just bought it for me. It is called 'Circuit Breaker's Maze.'"

"My dad just read me that a few deca-cycles ago! Have you gotten to the part where the fire comes out of the walls yet?"

Convoy nodded. A dazed sort of smile spread across his face as if he couldn't believe what was happening. "Yes. I read that last chapter."

"My favorite part is coming up next. I think you'll really like it. Circuitbreaker has to find a way past a swarm of insecticons."

"How many different stories have you read, Starfall? I often see you reading between classes."

"Lots. My dad bought me a bunch of new data pads when he adopted me." He considered Convoy for a moment. "You don't have to call me Starfall, you know. You can call me Star if you want. It's what I like my dad and friends to call me."

A surprised but beautifully bright smile slid across Convoy's face. "Alright… Star." Over the last few klicks, Convoy's shoulder plates began to relax and drop down from around his neck. He now looked at Starfall more directly. The aura of fear had noticeably disappeared from around him.

Starfall didn't quite know what to make of the warm feeling spreading through his spark. Was this what having a friend felt like? He didn't know. He'd never had a real friend before now.

"Hey! Look who it is!" a loud voice rang through the classroom. "It's the seeker that beat up Aftershock!"

Starfall and Convoy both looked up. Coming through the doorway was their classmate Downshift. The dark blue mechling was walking down their side of the room, his optics locked on Starfall.

"Oh no," Convoy groaned, tucking his head below his shoulder rims as though trying to hide.

Starfall's wings flattened against his back. A deep frown pulled at his lips. Neither he or Convoy had reason to believe that whatever Downshift wanted was going to be good. Downshift was the notorious loudmouth of Alpha-4 and always seemed to go out of his way to try and get a rise out of others, whether that be through personal antics or antagonizing jokes. Convoy was one of Downshift's favorite targets because of his accent. Starfall had been the victim of several of Downshift's jokes because of his wings, but luckily not that many. He'd discovered early on that Downshift often got bored and eventually left him alone if he refused to react.

"What do you want, Downshift?" Starfall spat when Downshift finally got near enough. He could feel his tension cables tightening with apprehension.

The other sparkling smoothly slid into the row behind Starfall and Convoy and flopped into the seat beside Starfall's. "Just wanted to talk to one of the coolest sparklings in school right now!" he announced with a wild grin. "Dude, the whole school's talking about the seeker in Alpha-4 that beat up a youngling all by himself. I knew seekers were natural fighters. Can you teach me how to do what you did? It was so cool. You were all like, duck, dodge, bam!" Downshift mimicked a fighter evading a strike then coming in with an upper cut. "Aftershock didn't even know what hit him! He's, what, like twice you're size? And you totally downed him. You're the coolest!"

Starfall was stunned. For a moment he couldn't think of anything to say in response, especially when such praise was coming from someone like Downshift. He noticed a number of his other classmates listening in. He was once again the center of attention, but unlike when he'd entered none of the other sparklings seemed to be staring in him in a way that made him feel like they were afraid or angry at him. If anything, they looked almost… awed. It reminded him a little of the look the mech in the Crystal Gardens had in his optics when he'd come up to talk to Optimus.

"I… I don't really remember what I did," Starfall admitted. "Aftershock was going to punch me and I kinda… just moved. I don't know how I did that."

"Whatever, dude," Downshift grinned. "All I know is you're cool. Anyone who can beat up an older youngling like that is totally awesome. None of the older kids'll ever pick on anybody from Alpha-4 again. Not as long as you're around."

A sharp electronic tone sounded, signaling the five-klick warning for class. Downshift got up and began to edge out of the row behind Starfall and Convoy. "See ya later, seeker!" he grinned and clapped Starfall on the back. "You too, Convoy," he added with another friendly slap on the shoulder plates.

Starfall sat there stunned as Downshift hurried to his own seat. As if in a daze, he glanced at Convoy hoping he had some kind of explanation for what just happened. Unfortunately, the little red mechling stared back at him just as stunned.

"It would seem you are popular now," Convoy said.

Starfall snorted, unexplainably giddy all of a sudden. "I guess." They shared another look and broke into simultaneous giggles. What they were laughing about Starfall couldn't exactly say. But it felt right, and it was nice to see Convoy smiling for once.

As the rest of their classmates filtered into the room and took their seats, Starfall couldn't help but feel buoyed by a sudden feeling of hope. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad from now on.

to be continued

Chapter Text

Chapter Sixteen: Change

Ironhide drove into the transformation lot of the academy about ten klicks before classes were to suppose to let out. There had been less traffic than he been anticipating and had arrived earlier than expected. Ironhide briefly contemplated driving around the block a few times to kill time but ultimately decided against it. For as much as he didn't want to talk to any more senators or council members coming up to him hoping to somehow gain some influence with Optimus through their children, Ironhide didn't want to run the risk of Starfall getting out of school and him not being there.

The little seeker had looked nervous that morning when he'd dropped him off. So much so that Ironhide had felt uncomfortable leaving him. He didn't like seeing Starfall so anxious. Maybe it was his protective protocols finally kicking in, but for a moment that morning he'd been tempted to walk Starfall all the way into the school to his classroom just to make sure he got there safe. All day long he'd felt anxious every time he thought about Starfall and the frightened look on his facial plates as he'd walked him to the door. It was only when it was finally time to go pick Starfall up that Ironhide felt less on edge. He didn't think he'd feel completely comfortable until he got Starfall in his cab unit and safely back to their domicile. Optimus had entrusted him to pick up their son, and unlike the last time he'd done it he was going to make sure Starfall had no reason to try and run away before Optimus got home.

Pulling over on the far side of the lot, Ironhide transformed. A number of other creators and caretakers were already there, standing around and chatting in small groups along the edges of the lot. None of them seemed to notice the Consort's arrival. Ironhide was hopeful. Maybe he'd be able to pick Starfall up without being noticed.

"Consort Ironhide?"

Or maybe not.

Ironhide looked over to see a mech with dark red plating and gold trim striding towards him. Ironhide's initial reaction was to grumble and sigh with exasperation, but stopped when he recognized the mech. He'd only met the mech over the vid-com yesterday, but his accent was unmistakable as was his distinctive red armor. Ironhide's annoyance immediately disappeared.

"Burnout, right?" he said, holding his hand out to the other mech as he came up to him. "Yer kid's in the same class as Star."

"Yes, sir," Burnout smiled. He smoothly took Ironhide's hand and shook it. Ironhide was surprised. Most high-born mechs he had to deal with through Optimus's line of work weren't inclined to shaking hands. They would if presented with a hand, but they generally preferred to bow their heads as a form of greeting. In higher circles it was thought of as a more cultured gesture. Ironhide thought it was prissy. He believed one could tell a lot about another mech by how he shook hands. For Burnout, his handshake was strong and unhurried. After two quick pumps, he released Ironhide's hand and politely took half a step backwards to give Ironhide his personal space back.

"Thanks fer callin' me the other orn 'bout wha' happened. Ah don't think ah would'a found out wha' really happened if yeh hadn't told me."

"I simply wanted to do what was right and thank Starfall for coming to my son's aide," Burnout said. Ironhide had to listen carefully to understand the mech's thick accent. "As I said over the vid-com, Starfall is the first child to ever stand up for my son like that. Even though he got in trouble, I am extremely grateful for what he did. Convoy has done nothing but talk about Starfall since then. He has been looking forward to Starfall coming back to school since he was suspended. I believe today was the first orn I did not have to force Convoy to get ready for school."

Ironhide was unable to keep a sad frown from his face. "Ah'm sorry ta hear yer kid's havin' such a rough time at school. That's not right."

Burnout shrugged as though to say 'such is life,' but Ironhide could see the angry tension in the mech's shoulders. "I have spoken to Administrator Catalyst numerous times about what is happening. He keeps telling me he will see to it that something is done, but Convoy still comes home every orn saying he does not want to go back to school the next."

Ironhide snorted with disgust. "Sounds like Catalyst is 'bout as fit ta run a school as a Dinobot. After wha' happened the other orn he's on my semi-permanent slag-list."

Burnout gave Ironhide a tight smirk before quietly admitted, "He is on mine as well."

"Yeh know, if yeh think it'll help, me or my sparkmate could have a lil' talk with Catalyst 'bout what's happenin' with yer son. It might help light a fire under Catalyst's aft ta actually do something 'bout it."

A look of horror spread across Burnout's face. "Consort, I could not possibly allow you to do such a thing on my behalf, let alone bring the Prime into this! Surely you and the Prime have much more important things to worry about than my own problems. I couldn't possibly think of asking such a thing from you."

Ironhide waved Burnout's protested away. "It's no big deal. Ah'll have Optimus call Catalyst an' give him one of his angry speeches. Optimus is usually pretty calm, but he can be a real terror ta deal with if he's fightin' fer a good cause. That's how he deals with the Council orn after orn."

"Please, sir," Burnout insisted. "I am serious when I say that I am deeply honored by your offer, but I could not in good conscience accept. Your and the Prime's time is much too valuable to waste on such trivial matters. I already feel like I am intruding on you just speaking to you like this. There is no way I could ask something like that from you."

It took Ironhide a moment to realize that Burnout was being serious. He would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't surprised. Who didn't want someone as powerful as a Prime or Consort to go to battle for them? Any other politician or high-born bot in that transformation lot would have literally jumped at the chance to bring someone so powerful in on their side. Scion certainly would have. Bots like him would kill to receive such a favor. Yet here was Burnout looking positively panic-stricken at the mere suggestion of it.

"Yeh sure?" Ironhide asked. "It's no big deal, seriously."

Burnout shook his helm. "Thank you for your offer, Sir, but there is no way I could accept such kindness. I will find a way to deal with the Administrator myself."

Ironhide accepted Burnout's refusal with a nod. It was about then Ironhide decided he liked Burnout. Unlike Scion or any of the other politician-bots he had to deal with, he sensed no ulterior motives from the dark red mech. Ironhide liked to fancy himself as a good judge of character, and so far Burnout struck him as nothing more than a concerned father trying to do the best he could for his son on his own terms. He didn't want any favors or special treatment from Ironhide because he was the Prime's sparkmate.

"Alright. If that's wha' yeh wanna do. Just know my offer still stands if yeh ever change yer mind."

Burnout offered Ironhide a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you, Consort. I truly do appreciate your offer."

"Yeh can call me Ironhide. Honestly, ah hate being called Consort. Makes me feel like some sissy Tower mech."

Burnout looked at him in surprise. "But that is your title of honor as the Prime's sparkmate. I would not feel comfortable calling you by anything else."

Ironhide smirked at the other mech's politeness. "This time ah insist. Just call me Ironhide."

"Very well… Ironhide."

"See?" Ironhide smiled. "That wasn't so hard. Now tell me 'bout yerself. Where yeh from? Ah can't quite place yer accent."

Since coming up to Ironhide, Burnout had been holding himself unnaturally stiff like a new recruit reporting to his commanding officer for the first time. It was only now that he seemed to realize that Ironhide wasn't interested in formalities and let himself relax a little.

"My son and I are from a colony in the Andromeda galaxy - Pylon 8."

"Ahh," Ironhide grunted with a nod. "That's it. Ah recognize the accent now. Pylon 8 was one 'a only a few colonies in that area ta not get destroyed in the war."

"Yes, sir," Burnout nodded. "Before the war I specialized in manufacturing and shipping parts for transport shuttles. When fighting broke out, however, I reorganized my factory to produce spare weapons parts. Although I never formally declared a side, I never sold to Decepticons. I couldn't bring myself to do business with them no matter how much money they offered me."

"Weapon parts?"

"Yes. My company's parts were usually used in self-integrated weapon systems - ones that were formatted directly into a bot's armor and sub-wiring."

Ironhide chuckled. "If that's true then there's a pretty good chance ah have a couple 'a yer parts in me right now. Primus only knows the number of weapons ah had installed in me when the fightin' really started ta pick up. There was a time when both my arms were pretty much nothing more than two guns attached ta my shoulder joints. Those were the days." Ironhide allowed himself a moment of fond memories before turning back to Burnout. "Wha 'bout after the war? Once all the fightin' died down, can't imagine there was much of a demand fer weapon parts anymore."

Burnout casually shrugged. "After the war I reorganized my factory again, only this time to manufacture a new type of cog wheel that happened to find a niche market for heavy-duty construction equipment. Since so much of Cybertron was destroyed in the war, construction became a major industry, especially with so many construction-based bots either dead, fleeing to other galaxies or captured as Decepticons. Since the end of the war my company has expanded several times. Almost overnight I found myself with more credits than I could ever hope to spend. I now own eight factories and two different shipping companies."

"Wha' brought yeh ta Cybertron?"

"To be closer to the center of business. More than seventy percent of my market is concentrated on the main planet. About two vorns ago my son and I moved here when I relocated my company headquarters from Pylon 8 to Iacon."

"Wha' about a sparkmate? Ah'm assumin' yer bonded. Did he or she move here with yeh?"

A dark shadow seemed to pass over Burnout's facial plates. His optics noticeably dimmed with remembered pain. Burnout looked away from Ironhide towards the ground. "No," he softly murmured. "He didn't. Business reasons aside, the real reason I relocated to Cybertron was to try and escape painful memories. About a vorn before we moved to the main planet my sparkmate, Slingshot, came down with terminal joint rust. The medics tried to do everything they could, but by the time he was diagnosed Slingshot's illness was too far advanced to treat. His internal gears and mechanisms rusted tight and he slipped away only six lunar cycles after the medics told us what was wrong. Despite my new wealth, all the credits in the universe could not buy a cure for my sparkmate."

"Ah- ah'm sorry," Ironhide murmured, his spark constricting in his chest. To lose a sparkmate in such a horrible way was unimaginable. "Really. Ah didn't know."

Burnout weakly waved Ironhide's apology aside. He still seemed unable to look Ironhide in the optics. "It has been Convoy and me ever since. Convoy was barely two vorns old when my sparkmate died. Slingshot was his carrier. They were as close as a creator and child could be all the way up to the day Slingshot's spark finally faded out. Convoy has not seemed able to find much happiness in anything since. I thought moving to the main planet might help Convoy move on, but instead he only comes home every orn and begs me to let him stay home from school." Burnout became quiet for a moment, his optics staring at something far away only he could see. Ironhide did not feel it right to break the moment.

Finally, Burnout seemed to come back to himself. "Ever since your son stood up for mine, I have seen a shine in Convoy's optics I have not seen in a very long time. At least not since Slingshot was still alive. Forgive me if I overstep my station or assume too much, but I would be in your debt if Starfall was allowed to become friends with Convoy. My son has been so lonely since we moved to Cybertron. Starfall seems to have given him hope that things might not have to be so bad." The pleading look of desperation Burnout speared Ironhide with made the old warrior's spark clench with sympathy.

How could a mech with any conscience deny another father such a simple request? "Like ah said over the vid-com, ah ain't got no issues with Star and Convoy bein' friends. Star's a bit in the same boat as yers. He's got trouble with other people warmin' up ta him 'cause of his make. As long as yeh don't care 'bout yer kid bein' friends with a seeker, me an' Optimus don't have any problems with lettin' 'em spend time ta-gether."

A spark-breaking smile of gratitude exploded across Burnout's face. "Sir - Ironhide - I am in your debt. You do not know how much this means to me - to Convoy. If there is anything I can ever do for you or the Prime, ask it and it will be done."

"No need ta go that far 'bout it," Ironhide joked. A thought that had been weighing on his mind ever since Burnout called him the orn before last sprang to the forefront of his processor. "One thing yeh can tell me, though: how did yeh get our contact number the other orn? The Prime's private line ain't exactly in the directory database."

Burnout replied with a secretive smile. "I might only be a merchant, but I am still a business-mech who knows bots in high places. While I might not have any real political power I can still call in favors with those who do and find out certain information. How else would someone from my humble background become so rich?"

"Papa!"

Both mechs looked up to see a flood of children spilling out of the front doors of the school. Coming towards them across the transformation lot were Starfall and Convoy, running side by side. Ironhide was relieved to see none of Starfall's nervousness from earlier that morning on his facial plates anymore. If anything, the miniature seeker seemed to radiate happiness. The little red mech with him, Convoy, seemed to mirror his exuberance. A huge grin was firmly plastered across his face.

"Papa!" Convoy yelled as he rushed up to Burnout. "Can Star come over and play? Please? Please?"

Starfall went to Ironhide. "Please?" he timidly joined the chorus. His overlarge optics were wide and pleading.

Ironhide was disarmed by the look. It was like Starfall's gaze cut right through him down to his spark. He glanced at Burnout. "Ah don't care. Depends on wha' Convoy's dad says though."

A truly agonized look of regret flashed across Burnout's face. "Unfortunately, that is not possible today. Convoy and I both have previous engagements."

"What do I have to do?" Convoy whined.

Normally, Ironhide could not stand listening to arguing, especially coming in a child's high pitch voice. But somehow Convoy's heavy accent mixed with the spark-broken look on his face made Ironhide's spark involuntarily buckle with pity and endearment.

"You have syntha-key lessons today."

"But I do not want to go to music lessons today," Convoy insisted. "I told Star he could come and see my Primal Vanguard action figures."

"Perhaps tomorrow," Burnout placated. He cast Ironhide a quick glance. "If that is acceptable to Consort Ironhide, that is."

"Sounds good ta me," Ironhide shrugged.

"I can pick the children up tomorrow from school and take them to my domicile. After they are done playing, I can either drive Starfall to your domicile or you can come pick him up."

"Ah can pick Star up. Ah'll just need yer address."

"Of course. Here." Burnout sent the necessary information along with his contact number to Ironhide in a short, open-air data burst.

"Looks good. Yeh can just give me 'r Optimus a call over the vid-com whenever yeh want one of us ta come pick Star up."

"I will do that. Come, Convoy. You do not want to be late for your lesson."

Convoy sullenly looked at Starfall. "I am sorry you cannot come over today."

Starfall seemed to share his disappointment. "Me too. But that's okay. I'll see you tomorrow in school."

Convoy seemed to brighten a little and gave Starfall a shy smile. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Ironhide," Burnout nodded. "Thank you for everything. I am in your debt." He offered his hand to Ironhide, which the older mech vigorously seized.

"Not a problem. Ah'll see yeh tomorrow when ah come ta pick Star up."

"I look forward to it," Burnout smiled. The two mechs released hands and each looked to their respective offspring. "Come, Convoy."

"Bye, Star!" Convoy called as Burnout transformed and opened his front passenger door.

"Bye, Convoy! See you tomorrow!" Starfall called back.

As Burnout pulled away, Ironhide transformed into his own vehicle mode. He swung his passenger door open for Starfall. "All right, kid. Up yeh go."

Starfall obediently climbed into Ironhide's cab unit and buckled his safety belt. Ironhide pulled out of the transformation lot and onto the road. For several klicks they drove in perfect silence. Finally, Ironhide could take no more of it and vocalized the sound of him clearing his throat line. "So… Convoy an' yeh are friends now?"

He felt Starfall's wings shrug against his seat upholstery. "I guess," Starfall murmured. "We talked and had fun between classes."

"That's good," Ironhide said. Uncomfortable silence once more filled his cab unit. He was dismayed by how stiff the conversation was. He was still unsure of how to uphold his side of conversation with a sparkling and Starfall still seemed extremely guarded around him, like he was afraid Ironhide would start yelling at him at any moment. Ironhide internally vented a cycle of air. At least the kid was talking to him. He could at least consider that a step forward. He was definitely going to have to talk to Optimus about interacting with sparklings later after his sparkmate got home. He was tired of these awkward conversations with Starfall and yearned for the day he could talk to the little seeker as easily as Optimus did.

Several klicks later, Ironhide pulled into the transformation lot of their apartment tower. He let Starfall out and together they took the lift to their penthouse domicile. When Ironhide opened the door, the domicile was dark inside.

Starfall visibly wilted with disappointment. "Dad's not home yet," he sadly murmured.

"Ah didn't think he would be. Not this early. Contract negotiations can go on fer joors. Ah'll be surprised if he's home before yer bed time." Starfall's wings drooped lower down his back with a sullen, 'oh.' Ironhide frowned with sympathy. "Yeh got homework ta-night?" he asked.

Starfall nodded. "Yea."

"If yeh get yer homework done early ah'll let yeh stay up a while with me ta wait fer him. But not too late, yeh hear me? Optimus'll have my hide if ah let yeh stay up til the middle of the night."

Starfall's reaction was instantaneous. His wings perked and his head spun around on his neck towards Ironhide. His optics shined with excitement. "Really?"

"Ah said ah would. But yeh need ta get yer homework done."

"Okay!" Faster than Ironhide's optics could track, the little seeker was gone. Ironhide didn't even have time to turn around before he heard the door of Starfall's door sliding close behind him at the end of the hall.

He stood for a moment in the foyer, still trying to figure out what had just happened before finally just shaking his helm. He went into the main living area of the apartment and dropped onto one of the lounges with a sigh. He flipped on the tele-consol and turned to the afternoon's news feeds. It quickly became apparent nothing of importance had happened since he read the news earlier that morning. Ironhide sighed with boredom. He hoped Optimus got out early. It was days like this when he really felt the tedium of civilian life start to weight on him. He'd already finished writing all his reports for the Planetary Defense Force earlier that afternoon and now had nothing else to occupy himself with. For lack of anything better to do, Ironhide got up from the lounge, went to the nearby storage closet and fished out a locked strongbox. He returned to his seat. Keying open the box, he removed an aged blaster gun.

Ironhide turned the blaster over in his hands, letting his fingers find the well-worn grooves of the grip. It was his favorite weapon. Even before the Great War broke out he'd had this gun and kept it in his subspace compartment first for personal protection, then later to protect Optimus. It was only after the war ended and peace returned to Cybertron that he had let Optimus convince him he no longer needed to carry it with him at all times. He'd retired it to a drawer in his and Optimus's berthroom where it had sat for a number of vorns gathering dust. After they'd adopted Starfall, Optimus had ordered Ironhide to properly store it in a locked container where a sparkling couldn't accidentally find and play with it.

The weapons specialist skillfully disabled the blaster's power pack and began dismantling its parts for cleaning. It didn't really need cleaning, but for lack of anything better to do stripping weapons and cleaning them was as good a task to occupy himself with than anything. During the war, it had been one of his favorite things to do to relax.

Unfortunately, such a distraction could only occupy a mech like Ironhide for so long. In less than a joor, Ironhide had cleaned the blaster to a sparkling luster and returned it to its lockbox in the closet and listlessly gone back to watching old news feeds on the tele-consol. He was almost ready to go on the hunt for some other weapon to field strip and clean when he heard the sound of a door opening and then soft footfalls coming down the hallway towards the living area. He looked away from the tele-consol just as Starfall came around the corner into the room.

The seeker abruptly froze at the sight of him. "Oh. Um…" Starfall's wings stiffened behind him. Ironhide realized he must not have been expecting to find him already there.

Ironhide quirked an optic ridge at him. "Yeh need something, Star?"

"Um, no, but…" Starfall's optics unconsciously darted towards the tele-consol. A strange look of disappointment crept into his optics as he looked back at Ironhide. "I'm sorry. I… um, I'll just go back…"

"Star," Ironhide insisted. "Wha'd yeh need?"

Starfall timidly met Ironhide's gaze. "I just wanted to watch a show. Dad lets me watch the tele-consol after school sometimes if I get all my homework done. But it's okay. I'll just-"

"Did yeh get all yer homework done?"

Starfall's wings were stiff with tension, his facial plates nervous, as if he thought the question was setting him up for some kind of trick. "Well, yea. But-"

"Then here." Ironhide tossed the tele-consol remote onto the end of the lounge nearest Starfall. "Watch what yeh want."

Starfall eyed the remote for several moments before hesitantly creeping closer. He timidly climbed onto the lounge. Ironhide was disheartened by how far away the seeker sat from him as if he was afraid to get any closer to Ironhide. Starfall was still uncomfortable being around him. While Ironhide understood his reasoning and realized this was the price he had to pay for being so antagonistic towards the sparkling, a stab of hurt nonetheless went through his spark. He didn't want Starfall to see him as the enemy anymore. He wanted him to see him the same way he did Optimus - as someone he could trust and who'd take care of him.

Using the remote, Starfall changed the channel to a computer animated kid's show. Ironhide recognized it as one of the more popular children's shows at the moment. Several of the mechs he worked with at the PDF who had young children had mentioned it once or twice in passing as their son or daughter's newest obsession. Although it wasn't Ironhide's first choice of entertainment, the show was surprisingly well done. Ironhide caught himself unintentionally chuckling at several points along with Starfall at a joke or some antic of one of the characters.

When the show finally ended a quarter of a joor later, Starfall carefully slid the remote back to Ironhide across the lounge. "Thank you," he murmured, and slid down off the lounge. He began to head for the hallway back towards his room.

Ironhide stared after him for half a klick of indecision before finally finding the courage to speak. "Star?"

The sparkling paused on the edge of the room and timidly glanced back. "Yes, sir?"

Ironhide ignored the title. "Yeh wanna play a game?"

Starfall seemed confused by the question, but nevertheless stared at Ironhide with an intrigued expression. "What kind of game?"

Ironhide got up from the lounge and went to the closet he'd just stashed his blaster in. As Ironhide rooted through the miscellaneous boxes and bins, Starfall stood off to the side with an uncertain expression on his face. Ironhide finally found what he was looking for and carried the long thin box over to the lounge table. He set it down and knelt on the ground beside the table. He motioned for Starfall to do the same across from him. As Ironhide opened the box and began removing a large board with a checkered block pattern and handfuls of small metal tiles, Starfall timidly joined him at the table. Kneeling on the ground he was barely big enough to see over the edge of the table. He watched, intrigued, as Ironhide arranged the board between them and then began spreading the metal tiles facedown across the table beside it.

"What is this?" Starfall asked.

"It's called Wordplay. Yeh play by usin' these tiles-" he held one up for Starfall to inspect, which was printed with the Cybertronian glyph for 'T,' "-an' arranging 'em on the board ta make words. They all have different letters, so yeh can spell out just 'bout anything. Trick is though yeh hafta make words using a tile from some other word already on the board. Person with the most word points at the end wins. Yer suppose ta be really good with words, so yeh shouldn't have much trouble playin.'"

"Okay," Starfall nodded, his optics bright with excitement.

Ironhide pointed towards the miniature sea of tiles spread across the table. "Yeh start by pickin' out ten tiles. Every time yeh put a word on the board, yeh hafta pick enough new tiles ta keep ten pieces fer yeh ta play with next round. Got it?"

"Yea!" Starfall exclaimed and eagerly began snatching up pieces.

Ironhide found the seeker's enthusiasm endearing and followed his lead. When Jazz had given him and Optimus Wordplay as a gift a number of vorns ago, Ironhide had never expected to actually use it. Wordplay was mostly a party or family game. Since he and Optimus rarely ever entertained in their home, and it was just the two of them, the game had sat unused and mostly forgotten in the closet until now. Ironhide was glad to finally find a use for it.

As the game progressed, Ironhide found himself very impressed by Starfall. It quickly began clear that the little seeker was a quick learner and knew more words than Ironhide ever imagined a sparkling his age was capable of knowing - enough so that Ironhide found himself having to actually work to stay competitive with Starfall.

"That's not a word!" Starfall exclaimed at one point, staring accusingly at Ironhide's latest play on the board.

"Sure it is," Ironhide insisted. "'Pomf''s a word. It's the sound a blaster gun makes."

"Nuh uh! A sound's not a word. You can't spell a sound."

"Sure yeh can. It's called a ona-… onama-…. ona-something 'r other. Ah can't remember the word. But it's a word that means a word that's suppose ta sound like a noise."

Starfall gave him a flat look that said he didn't believe him.

"Fine," Ironhide grumbled, and took his tiles back. Left with no better options, the only other word he could play was 'map,' which earned him a grand total of five points.

Starfall snickered excitedly and played off that word to spell 'meridian,' earning himself sixty-nine points off two separate double-point squares.

Ironhide stared in disbelief. "How do yeh even know that word?!" Ironhide didn't know much about sparklings, but surely a vocabulary word like that belonged more to a child of pre-upgrade age.

"I read it on a data pad once," Starfall matter-of-factly told him. "I looked it up. It means the line between the north and south poles of a planet."

Ironhide could only stare at Starfall with a look of bewildered disbelief. When he'd offered to play Wordplay with Starfall he hadn't been expecting to be getting vocabulary lessons from a sparkling. Shaking his head in helpless admiration, Ironhide scanned his tiles for anything he could use to help him close the gap between his and Starfall's scores. He was surprised by how much he was enjoying being around Starfall. While interacting with him like this he'd almost completely forgotten who Starfall used to be, and even then memories of Starscream no longer made him feel sour towards the miniature seeker. It was getting more difficult for him to connect the two in his mind anymore. He was beginning to truly understand what Optimus had said about them not being the same bot. Starfall was a well-behaved, gracious sparkling whose intelligence made Ironhide feel slightly inadequate in comparison but strangely proud at the same time.

Another round of play earned Ironhide another twelve points and Starfall thirty-one. Starfall's face was split by a smile as he added his new points to his score. Ironhide couldn't help but smile a little bit himself. The kid was wiping the floor with him.

"So yeh like this game then?"

"Yea!"

"Well, ah don't. Yer too good. Ah was expectin' ta beat yeh with no problem."

Starfall giggled at the older mech's grumbles. He seemed to understand Ironhide was only joking.

"I like this game," Starfall said as he set down the tiles for a new word. "Does dad know how to play? It'd be fun to play with three."

Ironhide's spark gave a sad, uncomfortable twinge. "He does. But yeh know… yeh can call me dad too, if yeh want. Yeh don't hafta keep callin' me sir. Ah'd like it if yeh called me dad too." Ironhide forced himself to ignore the embarrassed rush of mech-fluid to his facial plates at the admission.

Starfall froze and looked at Ironhide. He stared at him as though the thought had never occurred to him before now. "Oh. Okay," he mumbled, timidly dropping his gaze back towards the board. "I can do that."

Ironhide couldn't help but feel disappointed. Starfall didn't sound convincing - like he was only agreeing in order not to hurt Ironhide's feeling. Hiding his frustration, Ironhide turned his attention back towards the board. He wasn't going to push Starfall. He wanted the sparkling to accept him as his father, but on his own accord.

Finding no good letters at his disposal, Ironhide was just about to play 'dawn' when the sound of the front door's locks disengaging sounded. Both Ironhide and Starfall looked up to see Optimus walk through the door, looking tired but satisfied.

"DAD!" Starfall shouted and sped towards the Matrix-bearer.

"Hello, Star," Optimus smiled as he disengaged the locks to his mask and hoisted the sparkling up into his arms for a hug. "How was school?"

"Good," Starfall grinned.

"Have you and your father been behaving yourselves?"

"Yea. We're playing a game. It's called Wordplay. I'm winning."

"Are you?" Optimus chuckled and looked towards Ironhide, still sitting on the floor by the lounge table. A questioning look of tentative hope shined in his optics. He came into the living area and sat on one of the lounges. Starfall eagerly joined him by climbing up onto the lounge beside him.

"Yer out early," Ironhide said. "Ah wasn't expectin' yeh home so soon."

"I wasn't either," Optimus admitted, tiredly leaning back on the lounge and hugging Starfall to his side. "But after I came back to help mediate, the city council and workers union's dispute seemed to resolve itself rather quickly. I don't know if they just needed to yell at each other for a day without me there, but they both seemed eager to end the strike as quickly as possible."

"Well, that's good if fer nothing else than not havin' ta deal with 'em anymore." Ironhide awkwardly tried to push himself off the ground back onto his pedes so he could join his sparkmate on the lounge, but in doing so accidentally knocked the edge of the table with his knee joint. Lettered tiles went skittering across the board, disarranging all of his and Starfall's words. Ironhide was secretly none too sad to see his failure as a linguist erased from evidence.

"Oh no!" Starfall cried in dismay. "Our game…"

"Yeh won, kid," Ironhide chuckled. "No doubt 'bout that. Yeh beat me."

"Can we play again?" Starfall asked.

Ironhide was slightly surprised by the question. "Not ta-day. But, yea, we can play again sometime. Maybe ta-morrow."

A brilliant smile lit up Starfall's face. "Okay!"

As Ironhide stooped to pick up the tiles and return them and the board to their box, he couldn't help but look forward to getting the chance to spend more time with Starfall soon. He was going to have to look into getting some more board games.

********

Later that night, after Starfall was asleep on his berth, Optimus and Ironhide sat together to the lounge watching that evening's news feeds on the tele-consol. Optimus was only half-listening to the news, too busy relaxing with his sparkmate by his side. He was exhausted from the day's events. He could only send a quick prayer of thanks to Primus that negotiations had not gone longer than they had. He'd been serious when he said he'd thought he been stuck at the Iaconian city hall until late into the night. It had been a long, stressful series of negotiations but he'd done his job seeing to it that both sides had come to an agreement. He'd always heard that a successful business negotiation was when both sides left feeling only slightly less dissatisfied than when they'd arrived. If that was true than it had been a successful day.

Optimus glanced at his sparkmate out of the corner of his optic. Not as successful as Ironhide's day, however, he thought. He'd almost been struck speechless when he'd come home to find his sparkmate and son not only getting along, but actively interacting with one another with no hostility or tension between them. Pride for his sparkmate swelled Optimus's spark. Ironhide really was making an effort, just like he'd promised. Although a long road still stretched before them, Optimus sensed a subtle change in Ironhide and Starfall's relationship. It made Optimus all the more hopeful that they would someday come together and be the kind of family he'd always wanted.

A sudden ring from Optimus's office made him startle out of his reverie. Ironhide and Optimus both glanced at each other knowingly.

"Let it go. It's late," Ironhide insisted.

"You know I can't do that," Optimus sighed. "The work of a Prime is never done. No matter what joor of the orn it is."

"If it's that shiny aft-plate Scion callin, tell him Star's booked solid fer the next twenty vorns fer play dates."

"I'll be sure to tell him that if that is Scion," Optimus agreed as he got up to answer the vid-com. He never actually would, but it was nice pretending with his sparkmate that he had the gumption to do so if he wished. He activated the internal mechanism of his battle mask to retract its sides over his mouth.

Leaving Ironhide on the lounge, Optimus went into his private office and shut the door. He sat in the chair and hit the accept button on the screen. A face immediately filled the vid-com's screen.

"Senator Draxil. How can I be of service to you this late?"

"All Council and Senate members are being alerted," Draxil announced without any preamble. "We just received a message from Vos. The Vosian Emirate wishes to send a representative to Iacon."

"Vos?" Optimus choked in a startled whisper. "The Vosians have had no contact with the Council since-"

"Since before the Great War broke out," Draxil nodded, his facial plates radiating anxiety. "This is the first time any Vosian has requested to come outside their walls since Vos became an isolated city-state. As you can imagine, both the Council and Senate are beside themselves. No one knows what to make of this."

"Did the message say what the Vosians wish to talk about?"

"No. But the message did specifically request that the representative be given a private audience with the Prime."

The knot of nervousness in the pit of Optimus's fuel tank tightened. "They wish to personally speak to me?"

"Yes. And while other Council-members might not come out and say it, general speculation is that word of your adopted son's model has finally reached the Emirate."

Optimus stared at the screen for a long moment of contemplative silence. Although he wasn't one to speculate what another city-state's representative to the Council's motives might be, he couldn't help but feel that Vos's sudden desire for contact somehow had to do with Starfall.

"What do you want to do?" Draxil asked. "As Prime, your word has great weight in how the Council ultimately decides to act."

Optimus met Draxil's gaze through the screen. "Send a reply to Vos. Tell them I will be honored to meet with a representative of the Vosian Emirate and that the Council extends its formal welcome to them."

Draxil nodded. "I will pass on your orders." The screen went abruptly dark as the transmission was cut on the senator's side of the line.

Optimus sat for a klick of stunned silence before reaching out and shakily cutting off his own side of the connection. He still wasn't sure what to make of the Vosians' sudden desire to come to Iacon. He still didn't know if this visit had anything to do with his son. But one thing he was sure of was that things were about to change.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seventeen: Diplomatic Relations

It was almost a lunar cycle before final details for the Vosian delegation's arrival were complete. News of Vos's sudden desire for contact had spread like wildfire through the Council and Senate, everyone stunned by Vos's request for diplomatic talks. Not since before the Great War had any seeker made an appearance on the Council floor. By morning the day after Vos sent its message, word had leaked out and it was all the news-feeds were talking about. Before midday, there wasn't a single bot on Cybertron or any of its surrounding satellites that still didn't know the Vosians were planning to venture outside of their city.

Over the lunar cycle that followed, Optimus felt like he had talked to every active senator and council-member. As Prime, it was unofficially expected that he would lead negotiations with the seekers - whatever those negotiations might be. As could be expected, many were dubious of Vos's interest in renewing inter-city relations. Memories of the Great War were still fresh in many people's minds, as were memories of the seekers' role in Megatron's quest for first global- then universal-conquest. The politicians were nervous and expressed such feelings to Optimus in no uncertain terms. What were the Vosians hoping to gain by regaining the Council? What did they want? It was now common knowledge that Optimus's adopted son was a seeker. Did whatever they want have something to do with Starfall?

While Optimus offered nothing in the way of explanation to the throngs of nervous senators (he had just as much information as they did) the thought was on his mind as well. He was sure the seekers' interest in renewing relations with Iacon was somehow connected to Starfall. But whether their interest was for good or bad, Optimus still didn't know. Over that lunar cycle of preparations, that uncertainty was a constant presence in the back of his processor and gripped at his fuel tank every time he thought of his son and what the Vosians might want from him. Would they somehow try to claim Starfall as their own? Would they try and use Starfall as a pawn in some sort of scheme?

Optimus didn't know. But what he did know was that if the Vosians tried to do anything against Starfall or try and take him away from Optimus and Ironhide, they had better be ready to go to war for him. Optimus would not idly stand by as someone tried to steal his sparkling or use his son for their own purpose.

As Optimus stood on the rooftop of the Iaconian Senate tower with a group of other high-ranking politicians waiting for the Vosian delegation to arrive, those thoughts once again crept into Optimus's head. Today was the orn the seekers were to arrive for preliminary talks. As Prime, it went without saying that he would be amongst the group of politicians that came out to greet the Vosians. At least a dozen senators and council-members waited on the roof with him. While the arrival of Vosians to Iacon was still viewed with some suspicion and doubt, there were few if any politicians who did not see this as an opportunity to gain power and advance their careers. If the Vosians were serious about rejoining Cybertron's High Council, untold benefits could be gained from political ties with the seeker delegates. Optimus was not too surprised to find himself waiting for the seeker representatives that morning with Senator Scion by his side.

"I hope the weather holds until the Vosians arrive," Scion said with a glance towards the sky. "I would hate to have to meet the Emirate's representative in the middle of a downpour."

Optimus followed his gaze upwards. All morning the sky had been overcast with ominous looking green-tinged clouds. A storm was brewing. The news-feeds that morning had said an acid rain front was moving in. It was expected to hit sometime later in the orn. Optimus wasn't one to believe in superstitions or premonitions, but the hope nonetheless crossed his mind that the coming storm wasn't a sign of how his meeting with the Vosians was fated to play out.

"I do not think we have to worry too much, Senator," he said. "I am sure the Vosians will arrive before the storm hits."

Scion glanced at Optimus. "Do you still intend to meet with the Vosian representative alone?"

"I do. That was one of the requests of their visit and I intend to honor it. I would like to know what kind of relationship they wish to rebuild with the rest of Cybertron's city-states. It has long been my dream that all those of our race someday become one again."

Scion frowned. "I believe it goes without saying that the Vosians have at least some amount of interest in your son."

"I am not naïve to think that they do not. But how much of an interest they have in Starfall still remains to be seen," Optimus tightly replied.

"That reminds me. I have not heard anything back from you or Consort Ironhide about getting our sons together for a play date. Aftershock was asking me just last night about when he could spend some time with Starfall outside of the academy."

"I will have to check with my sparkmate about that. Ironhide's taken to overseeing a lot of Star's after-school schedule and would know more about when Star is available than I do. With me being so busy with council matters lately, I have not been able to spend as much time with my family as I'd want to. There have been several times in the last few deca-cycles when I've arrived home and Star was already asleep."

Scion's disappointment was palpable. "I see. Well, please pass on my continued desire to find a mutually convenient time for our sons to get together to Consort Ironhide."

"Of course," Optimus nodded. He already knew what his sparkmate would say, though. Ironhide had made it no secret to Optimus what he thought about the blue and gold senator or his son. Starfall in recent deca-cycles had also become close friends with another sparkling his own age and spent most of his free time with him. Optimus was overjoyed that Starfall had finally found a friend. Convoy was a polite and well-behaved, if not extremely shy, sparkling. Optimus had immediately thought Convoy a good friend for Starfall when he'd come home one orn to find the two of them playing in Starfall's room. Optimus was also starting to get the impression that Ironhide had found a new friend himself in Convoy's father, Burnout. While Optimus had yet to meet Convoy's sire, the way Ironhide talked about him made him feel like he would like the mech as well.

While Ironhide was not necessarily antisocial, he rarely went out of his way to interact with other bots on a friendly basis. Perhaps it was Optimus's position as Prime that made it difficult and tiring to find other bots to be social with on an informal basis, but Ironhide and he usually were more content to spend their free time alone together at the end of the orn than with others. Except for several bots who'd been officers under Optimus during the Great War like Jazz, Prowl, Ratchet and a few others, there weren't many other bots they considered more than just friendly acquaintances. Everyone that approached them always seemed to have some ulterior motive for wanting to spend time with the Prime and Consort. Optimus assumed that was why Ironhide was always so suspicious of meeting new people. He hated the idea of him or Optimus being exploited for someone else's personal gain. Burnout, however, seemed to have earned his way past Ironhide's natural distrust of new acquaintances. Optimus was glad. He'd often felt that he and Ironhide needed to expand their personal network of friends. He looked forward to someday meeting Convoy's father.

Optimus was broken out of his thoughts by an aide running up to his side and announcing, "The Vosians just radioed. They've just crossed Iacon's outer perimeter and are heading for the tower. E.T.A.: five klicks."

"Thank you," Optimus nodded as the aide turned and scurried away back into the crowd of waiting politicians and press.

Everyone began scanning the skies. Before too long a shape appeared on the horizon and quickly materialized into a sleek transport shuttle. An audible hush fell over the crowd of dignitaries and press gathered. A flurry of camera flashes exploded as the shuttle slowed and angled itself down over the roof. Slowly, it dipped low and came to rest in an open area of space on the far side of the roof they'd cordoned off for the seekers' landing. Whoever was piloting the transport expertly landed it so the shuttle's door was perfectly lined up with the length of red cloth the Council had rolled out for their arrival. While the Vosians' visit was still held in much suspicious that didn't mean that all proper protocols for visiting dignitaries weren't going to be observed.

The shuttle doors opened and four seekers descended. Three of the four seekers were coneheads. Their paintjobs were a uniform blue and silver - obviously members of some kind of high-ranking Vosian security force. They flanked the fourth of their party, a brightly painted red, white and gold seeker whose bearings and poise seemed to ooze regal dignity. Optimus immediately knew who of the four mechs he would be dealing with. Behind the representative appeared another trine of seekers. Unlike the security detail, they sported brighter paint jobs and hung back from the main party closer to the door of the shuttle. Optimus figured they were some kind of administrative aides. He stepped forward to met the red and gold mech as the representative strode down the clothed walkway with his security detail following close behind. Cameras flashed and reporters jockeyed for better positions to take pictures.

"Optimus Prime," the Vosian delegate smiled as though greeting a lifelong friend he hadn't seen in ages. He dipped his helm and performed one of the most elaborate formal bows Optimus had ever seen. Delicately kicking one foot behind him, the mech bent forward with his arms outstretched to the sides so that his wings swooped gracefully out behind him. "My name is Cloudbreaker, representative of the Vosian Emirate. It is such an honor to finally meet you."

"It is an honor to meet you as well, Cloudbreaker," Optimus said. He held his hand out to Cloudbreaker, which the seeker eagerly accepted. Returning Optimus's handshake with one hand, Cloudbreaker elaborated the gesture by wrapping his other hand overtop their joined servos. Cloudbreaker was shorter than Optimus, his helm barely coming to Optimus's chin. Handsome and sleek he cut a fine profile next to Optimus. Behind Optimus, the press cameras flashed crazily. Optimus and Cloudbreaker remained joined by the hands to give the press the time to capture the moment.

"Welcome to Iacon. I hope your trip was not too strenuous."

"Not at all. I am just glad to arrive before this storm hit. Acid rain is not something my paintjob likes."

"I must admit, I was rather surprised to see you arrive in a shuttlecraft."

Cloudbreaker chuckled, the living embodiment of political charm. "My security detail and I could have flown here ourselves from the edge of the city, but it was ultimately decided that the people of this city might not react well to seeing seekers flying overhead so quickly after Vos just ended its isolation. We thought it prudent to arrive like any non-flying representative would to help stave off panic and popular suspicion. We do not want people thinking we are somehow trying to invade your city by flying in."

The flash of cameras seemed to be dying down. Optimus and Cloudbreaker finished their handshake and broke apart. Optimus gestured to the crowd of waiting politicians. "This way, please." Together he and Cloudbreaker moved towards the line of dignitaries. Cloudbreaker's security detail of coneheads followed a pace behind.

"May I introduce you to Senator Scion," Optimus said. "He is head of a number of different Council committees including Inter-city Trade, Colonial Relations and Intergalactic Commerce."

"A pleasure," Cloudbreaker smiled as he dipped once more into an elaborate bow.

Scion bowed his head as well. "The pleasure is mine. I hope to have the opportunity to speak with you soon. I am sure Vos and Iacon would mutually benefit from renewed trade with each other. Before the Great War, Vos was one of the richest cities on Cybertron."

"Vos still is," Cloudbreaker proudly smiled. "One of the Emirate's greatest desires is to reestablish relations with other cities. I look forward to speaking with you more on the matter soon."

Scion beamed with anticipation as he stepped aside to let the next senator approach. Proceeding in this fashion, Optimus introduced Cloudbreaker one-by-one to the crowd of delegates who had come out to greet him. The entire time cameras flashed and vid-cams rolled as reporters detailed everything for that evening's news-feeds.

Optimus finished introducing Cloudbreaker to the last senator just as the first few drops of rain began to hit the rooftop. "Shall we continue this inside?" Optimus suggested, motioning towards the door.

"That would be a good idea," Cloudbreaker agreed with a gracious smile.

"This way then." As Optimus led Cloudbreaker inside the tower, the crowd of senators, council-members and press began to break up and head for the door as well - the photo-opt complete. The wind was beginning to pick up. Within a deca-klick Optimus was certain the storm would begin in earnest. "Would you like some time to settle in and rest before we begin political talks? I can have an aide show you to your quarters. The tower has a floor of habitation suites set aside for visiting dignitaries like yourself."

"Thank you, that is very kind," Cloudbreaker smiled. "But if it's all the same to you I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you in private before more public proceedings begin. There are several things the Emirate wished me to speak to you about as soon as possible. The sooner these matters are cleared up, the faster I can begin talks with the rest of the Council."

A sour knot of dread tightened the lining of Optimus's fuel tank. While Cloudbreaker was the perfect dignitary - his smile beaming and his demeanor the epitome of politeness - Optimus read the implications between his words. Cloudbreaker had been sent there by the Vosian Emirate with a very specific purpose in mind and no negotiations of any sort were going to begin until he spoke with Optimus in private. Optimus had a sinking suspicion what Cloudbreaker's true purpose for being there included.

"Of course," Optimus nodded. He hid his misgivings behind a diplomatic mask. "I will show you to my private office."

Cloudbreaker nodded with a smile. "Thank you." He glanced backwards over his shoulder vent to the trine of guards following them. "Vaportrail?"

"Yes, sir?" the middle-most conehead said.

"Help Windsurfer and his trine bring our supplies in from the shuttle and take them to our habitation suites. Once we are unpacked, have Windsurfer prepare my talking points for my Council address tomorrow. Also see to it that the gifts we brought are distributed to all the senators and Council-members I just met."

"Yes, sir," Vaportrail nodded. The seeker guards did a smart about-face and disappeared back outside onto the rooftop.

Cloudbreaker turned back to Optimus with a handsome smile. "Shall we?"

Optimus nodded. "This way." He led Cloudbreaker to a bank of lifts and ushered him inside one. They rode down several floors and stepped off into a hallway lined with private office suites. "Senator Phalanx has seen to it that besides your habitation suite you will have a private office to work out of while you are here in Iacon. If Vos rejoins the Council as a permanent member those offices and residence will become yours or whoever else comes in your place to Iacon as Vos's representative."

"Your hospitality is beyond words. Despite the Council's quick response to the Emirate's request to meet, many in Vos were doubtful the Council would welcome any seekers back into Cybertronian politics. Many on this planet still blame us for much of the damage caused over the course of the war. We did not think we would be received as warmly as we have."

"The Great War happened a long time ago. While some wounds can never be forgotten, my greatest wish is to someday see all those of our race united again. Anything I can do to help bring all makes and models together, I will."

"That makes me so glad to hear," Cloudbreaker smiled. "While I'm sure it is the same here in Iacon as it is in Vos, those who lead political careers are often wary of accepting such passionate pledges of solidarity and reconciliation at face value. Rarely are such promises actually carried out. But I feel confident in saying that I believe you when you say you want to see all the city-states working in cooperation again. It was your own initiative that made the Emirate become hopeful that Vos would be welcomed back to the Council. Actions speak louder than words, as they say."

Optimus did not respond except to stiffly nod in acknowledgement of Cloudbreaker's words. He did not want to discuss this while they were still in the halls where any set of prying audio receptors could listen in on their conversation. "Here is my office," Optimus said as he led Cloudbreaker to a set of doors at the end of the hall. He keyed the doors open and gestured Cloudbreaker inside as the lights snapped on. The first thing one noticed when one walked inside Optimus's office was the giant set of windows that dominated two sides of the room. Despite the dark storm clouds rolling in over the city and the streaks of acid rain running down the glass, the panoramic view of Iacon the windows afforded was breathtaking. A giant desk was set in front of the windows, stacked with piles of data pads and reports. In front of the desk was a set of chairs. Optimus gestured for Cloudbreaker to sit, which the seeker delegate did with a gracious smile. Optimus walked around the desk and sat in his own chair. For a long moment of silence he stared at Cloudbreaker, studying the seeker's face and wondering how to broach the real reasons for Vos's interest in coming to Iacon. He was saved the effort by Cloudbreaker announcing it himself.

"I suppose you know why the Emirate really sent me here to Iacon," he said in an off-handed way. Cloudbreaker leaned back in his chair and crossed one pede across his knee joint, regarding Optimus coolly.

"I believe I do," Optimus just as coolly replied. The time for political charades was done.

"While Vos has not had any official relations with the Council or any other planetary politics since before the Great War, the Emirate has kept a network of informants operating across the planet to keep Vos informed of the latest going-ons of other city-states. Oh, don't look so surprised, Prime. We know you have your spies too. Several lunar cycles ago, word reached Vos from one of our informants that said that you and your sparkmate, Consort Ironhide, had adopted a young seeker as your child."

"We've made no secret of this," Optimus replied. "We adopted Starfall from a local hatching facility. While Ironhide and I did not make a formal announcement of our adoption, we did not take any measures to keep such information secret either. We openly acknowledge Starfall as our son."

Cloudbreaker leaned towards Optimus and stared into the Matrix-bearer's optics. Only now did Optimus notice the deep gold hue of Cloudbreaker's optic lens. "The Emirate took notice of your choice in offspring. When news reached Vos of your adoption, many saw it as an invitation for Vos to renew relationships with other cities."

"That was not my original intent when I adopted Starfall. Starfall was lonely and in need of a good home. My sparkmate and I were without children and wanted a sparkling to call our own. Those were the only considerations I had when I chose Starfall to be our son. We did not adopt him to make some kind of political statement."

Cloudbreaker leaned back in his seat and gazed at Optimus with suddenly scrutinizing optics. "Perhaps you did not adopt Starfall for political reasons, but many in Vos were still surprised to hear that you came across a seeker sparkling outside of Vos. Tell me, how did this happen? It is my general impression that the rest of Cybertron is not fans of those with wings. When did Iaconian hatchling facilities start programming their sparklings as seekers?"

Optimus's gut reaction was to suspect Cloudbreaker somehow knew Starfall's real identity - that he was the reincarnated spark of Starscream. Such information in the hands of a city-state as powerful as Vos could spell untold dangers. How could such information be used against the Council, Optimus or Starfall himself? Would Vos try to use that information to blackmail or manipulate Optimus to their own advantage? Optimus had been involved in politics long enough now to know that any kind of sensitive information could be used to exploit another person.

As Optimus stared into Cloudbreaker's optics, however, he slowly began to realize that what he had initially taken for suspicion on Cloudbreaker's part was genuine curiosity. Unless Cloudbreaker was an exceptionally good actor, he truly did not understand how a seeker had come online outside of Vos. If the Vosians didn't know about his son's true origin then Optimus was determined to keep it a mystery.

"As far as I know, Starfall is the only sparkling of his kind outside of Vos. The administrator of the facility expressed just as much confusion for Starfall's make when Ironhide and I discovered him. Her only explanation was what she has led me to believe was some kind of one-in-a-billion-chance error in Starfall's programming code. Short of calling it a work of Primus, no one has any explanation for how this happened."

"How odd," Cloudbreaker murmured, his optics narrowed thoughtfully. "Still - and please forgive me for pressing this topic so much, but those I represent back in Vos are desperate to understand this - how did you come to adopt your son at such an age? Our information leads us to believe he is of early school age, yet all information says that you adopted him less than four lunar cycles ago."

Optimus calmly regarded Cloudbreaker across the width of his desk. "The information you have is correct. We haven't had Starfall for long, but he started at one of Iacon's best academies a few lunar cycles ago. When my sparkmate and I discovered Starfall at the hatchling facility, he had been there for a number of batches. Despite Iacon's high demand for sparklings, Starfall's unique model made other couples… uncomfortable about adopting him."

"I see," Cloudbreaker tightly said. He regarded Optimus for a moment of thoughtful silence. "Do you happen to have a photograph of your son? I am curious to see what Starfall looks like."

Optimus hesitated, the diodes along his back struts tingling with suspicion.

"Please," Cloudbreaker insisted as though sensing Optimus's protective protocols kicking in. "I only wish to know what your son looks like. He has remained such a mystery to us despite your openness about his adoption. Those I represent see him as a possible catalyst to bring our estranged city-states back together. Surely you can understand our curiosity."

Optimus studied the Vosian representative for a moment before slowly reaching out to a digital photo frame displayed on the corner of his desk. The picture he had the frame set on was one of Starfall he'd taken the day they had gone to the Crystal Gardens. Starfall was posed in front of a large blue crystal formation. He was smiling at the camera, his turquoise optics and snowy white plating contrasting beautifully with the colors of the crystals behind him. If one looked carefully, Starfall's souvenir crystal could be seen proudly clutched in one hand. It was one of Optimus favorite pictures of Starfall.

With a lingering note of hesitation, Optimus offered Cloudbreaker the digital frame. Cloudbreaker took it and stared at the display for several klicks of thoughtful silence. As he studied Starfall's picture a noticeable frown appeared on Cloudbreaker's face and his optics narrowed with quiet displeasure.

Optimus was instantly alarmed. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Cloudbreaker stiffly said as he handed Optimus the frame back and leaned back in his seat. "I am just disappointed by this city's lack of refined taste."

"Excuse me?"

"Your son is an exceptionally handsome construct," Cloudbreaker explained. "If he had come online in Vos, he would not have remained in a hatchling facility for as long as you say he did. There would have been bidding wars on him the moment he came online. The elite of Vos would never have let him go unclaimed. He would never have been left to rust in a hatchling facility like he was some kind of piece of trash. It breaks my spark to think how many grounders were unable to recognize such aerodynamic perfection when they saw it. I have no doubt your son will one orn grow into a strikingly beautiful mech."

Optimus at first was taken aback, then saddened by Cloudbreaker's observation. "I assure you, both I and Ironhide recognize and appreciate Starfall for everything he is and everything he represents. It broke my spark when I found out how long Starfall was in that facility. If I had found out about him earlier I would have immediately taken him in. There isn't an orn that goes by that I do not wish I had found Starfall when he was still a newspark."

"I have a son as well. His name is Cloudburst," Cloudbreaker abruptly announced. "He is about the same age as Starfall. Cloudburst is not quite as handsome as yours, but still very well constructed, if that's not too bold of me to say."

Optimus found that hard to believe. Cloudbreaker was an extremely handsome mech. If his offspring had been conceived through a sparkbond and not constructed in a hatchling facility there was no way he was not a good-looking sparkling. But then again, all seekers were attractive in Optimus's opinion. Seekers were undeniably one of the most eye-catching models of their race.

Cloudbreaker leaned forward in his seat. "Forgive me if I seem forward, Prime, but I wish to propose an arranged sparkbond between our sons. Vos and Iacon would make powerful allies. What better way to bring our lines together than through a bond when they come of age? There is also the possibility that, after some time, Cloudburst and Starfall will come to truly love each other and someday choose to become trine mates as well."

Optimus sat there for a moment of stunned silence, digesting the seeker's proposal. While Cloudbreaker's proposal had been unexpected, Optimus was really not that surprised by it. He'd been suspicious when Vos first expressed interest in coming to Iacon. He'd suspected they had some kind of interest in Starfall. He just hadn't necessarily been prepared to deal with the idea of an arranged sparkbond for his son just yet - especially when Starfall was still so young. He thought he'd at least have until Starfall was a pre-upgrade before he had to deal with such proposals from politicians looking for power-alliances through their children.

Optimus feigned regret. "I am sorry, Cloudbreaker, but I am going to have to decline your offer. I am honored by your interest in my son, and I'm sure Cloudburst would make a fine match for Starfall, but my sparkmate and I agreed when we became bonded ourselves that we would never force any children of ours into a political bond for any reason. We agreed we would let them choose their own mates for love."

Cloudbreaker's disappointment was physically palpable. He did his best to hide it, but Optimus could still sense the seeker's defeat. He seemed to take it in stride, however. Cloudbreaker offered Optimus a thin smile as though to show he was being a good sport about it. "That's very admirable of you, if not slightly naïve to give up such a powerful bargaining tool," he said. "Especially for a Prime. Those in our line of work are rarely afforded the luxury of choice. Our lives are lives led by obligation and duty. Barely an orn after my son came online I was already fielding offers for him from several Vosian families who wished to connect their lines with mine. Perhaps it is different here in Iacon than it is in Vos. But those from powerful families rarely choose their own mates. They are chosen for them. That is how politics is done in Vos. Powerful spark-lines bond their children with the children of other powerful spark-lines."

"Arranged bonds are not unheard of here in Iacon or in other city-states, but they are not exactly common either," Optimus said. "Nonetheless, my sparkmate and I have already agreed we will never bond Starfall to anyone he does not choose for himself."

Cloudbreaker regarded Optimus with a look of renewed consideration. A wry smile pulled at his lips. "The Emirate warned me you were a bot of strong convictions. I just didn't completely believe those warnings until now."

Optimus quirked his head at Cloudbreaker, amused. "I hope that's a compliment," he joked.

"It is," Cloudbreaker smiled. "If you and your sparkmate ever change your minds about arranging a bond for Starfall, though, please keep my son in consideration. I still say we could establish a powerful tie between our cities through them."

"I will keep that in mind," Optimus agreed with a chuckle. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Before, when you were talking about Cloudburst and Starfall being bonded, you mentioned them also someday becoming trine mates. Is not a sparkbond more important than being trine mates?"

Cloudbreaker seemed surprised by Optimus's question. "No," he shook his helm. "Sparkbonds can be political, but trine bonds are sacred amongst my people. Trine mates have to trust and rely on each other in ways sparkbonded couples do not. You cannot just be told to fly with someone else. When you are flying at high speeds hundred of meters above the ground your trine mates are your guides and lifelines. So many things can go wrong when flying, especially when flying in tight formations. That's why one's trine mates must be like an extension of oneself. You must be able to trust them wholly. A seeker flying by himself is just a flier. But a seeker with a trine is a force to be reckoned with. Those of one's trine are often considered closer than anyone from that bot's own family - even closer than sparkmates sometimes. Trine bonds among seekers are not something that are to be taken lightly. Trine bonds go beyond anything a sparkbond represents in our culture because they can only be chosen, never dictated."

Optimus mulled Cloudbreaker's explanation over carefully. Only now did he realize how little he really knew about seekers. Seekers were so mysterious. While Optimus wished to raise Starfall to be proud of his frame-type, Optimus understood his limitations to do so. How could he teach Starfall to be proud of who he was when he knew so little about them himself? He knew some fliers - Skyfire, Silverbolt and the other Aerialbots - but none of them were seekers and wouldn't be able to offer Starfall much more advice and guidance than Optimus was. Seekers were unique in their culture and flying combinations. Only a seeker could give another seeker such insight.

"I see you were not expecting this explanation," Cloudbreaker observed.

"I admit I was not. I am only now beginning to understand how little I know about seeker culture."

"You are a Prime. Shouldn't you know about the people you say you represent in Primus's name?"

"Yes. But in my defense, except for a few encounters with seekers on the battlefield during the Great War I have not had many opportunities to get to know a lot of seekers personally. When Vos became an isolated city, you seekers became even more reclusive than before. You remain a bit of a mystery to the rest of the planet. I know very little of seekers except for stereotypes and hearsay which we both know are mostly made up or exaggerated."

"And yet you hope to raise a seeker sparkling - you who admittedly know so little about seeker culture?" Cloudbreaker observed.

Optimus felt stung. Before he could form a response, Cloudbreaker beat him to the punch.

"Forgive me. I was rude. I did not mean to imply you are incapable of raising a seeker child. I suspect you are a very capable creator. As you said, we seekers are a reclusive frame-type. So many prejudices exist against us it is safer to remain closeted amongst our own kind. You cannot be blamed for not knowing certain things about us." Cloudbreaker leaned towards Optimus across the desk. "Before I left Vos, the Emirate bid me to extend an invitation to you and your family to come and visit Vos if I thought there was hope of Vos opening up relations with the rest of Cybertron again. I do not think it too preemptive of me to think there exists such a hope. Even though you declined my offer for an arranged sparkbond, I believe our cities could still forge an alliance through Starfall. Bring Starfall to Vos. Let him have the opportunity to meet others of his frame-type and learn more about his frame-culture. Let him meet my son and the children of other members of royal line. The Emirate is interested in renewing relations with the rest of Cybertron's city-states. Vos is ready to end its isolationism. It would be my honor to host you, Consort Ironhide, and Starfall in my city and show you firsthand what Vos has to offer the rest of Cybertron."

Optimus sensed Cloudbreaker was still holding out hope of somehow crafting some sort of friendship between his son and Starfall, but the offer sounded legitimate enough. Optimus had expected such an invitation would be made for him to go to Vos before the seeker delegation even arrived. The formation of new alliances usually involved diplomatic visits between sovereignties.

"It would be my pleasure to visit Vos with my family," Optimus said. "I know Starfall will certainly enjoy meeting others of his same frame-type, especially if they are the same age as him."

Cloudbreaker gave a dazzling smile, his entire demeanor radiating victory. "Excellent. I will begin making preparations as soon as I return to Vos after my time here in Iacon. The Emirate will be overjoyed to hear you've accepted my offer. This is certainly the beginning of a new age. I am sure of it. With Vos a member of the Council again, together we can help usher in a new Golden Age."

"I hope for that with all my spark," Optimus replied. He held his hand out to Cloudbreaker across the desk which the seeker eagerly took.

"To a new Golden Age, Prime," Cloudbreaker grinned.

"To a new Golden Age," Optimus agreed.

********

That evening found Optimus walking down the hallway to his domicile from the lifts. He was tired and his back struts were sore from sitting so long. Dusk had fallen joors ago but he'd only managed to leave the Senate tower a few deca-klicks before. Cloudbreaker's arrival had dominated all Council meetings that day, which had lasted long into the evening. The Vosians wished to reestablish trade routes with other city-states as well as regain their old seat on the Council. With Cloudbreaker's arrival also came a mountain of paperwork, legal proceedings and negotiations. While Optimus was glad that Vos wished to rejoin Cybertronian politics, he couldn't help but feel he'd opened up some sort of flood gates. The amount of diplomatic work that lay ahead of him was daunting. It would be lunar-cycles before life quieted down again. Optimus was also not looking forward to having to tell Ironhide he'd accepted Cloudbreaker's offer to visit Vos. Ironhide usually accepted his duty to appear in public at diplomatic events as the Prime's sparkmate without too much complaint. But this was Vos - the city-state of the seekers. Ironhide might have come to accept Starfall's place in their family, but there was no saying how he would react to the news he was going to visit the home city of his former enemies.

Optimus vented a sigh. He could only hope his sparkmate realized how important this trip was for Vosian-Council relations. If he could establish a peaceful relationship with the Vosian Emirate on this trip then-

Optimus abruptly froze in the middle of the hallway. The door to his and Ironhide's domicile stood at the end of the hall, several paces ahead. For a moment Optimus wasn't sure if he'd heard what he thought he just did. Then it came again - a sharp shriek from inside his and Ironhide's domicile that sent a cold rush of fear running down Optimus's back struts. It was a sparkling voice and it sounded like it was frightened or in pain.

Optimus ran the last little bit of the hallway to the apartment and frantically keyed open the door. That was unmistakably Starfall's voice. But what was wrong? A thousand worries immediately filled Optimus's head. Was he hurt? Were he and Ironhide fighting? He thought they'd finally started to come together as creator and child. Ironhide and Starfall had been getting along so well these last few deca-cycles. Had something happened? Had-?

The door swooshed aside. Optimus surged inside and immediately froze in the threshold. What he saw was not the scene he'd been expecting.

Ironhide and Starfall were in the main living area of the domicile wrestling on the floor. The lounge table had been pushed to the side to give them more room. Neither seemed to notice Optimus's entrance they were so engrossed in their play. As Optimus watched in stunned silence, Starfall - shrieking with laughter - launched himself at Ironhide who caught him in a bear hug, spun him over his knee and gently pinned him to the ground underneath one leg. Starfall squealed with laughter as he struggled underneath Ironhide's knee, his arms, legs and wings helplessly squirming against the floor.

"Gottcha!" Ironhide crowed in victory. The old mech's systems were running a bit hard Optimus noticed. They must have been wrestling for some time. "Ah win."

"Nuh uh!" Starfall laughed, still tightly pinned on his back under Ironhide's leg. "I win!"

"How yeh figure that, bitlet? Ah'm the one that's got yeh down fer the count. Ah get ta choose the next show we watch."

"But we've been watching news-feeds for joors!" Starfall complained. "I'm bored! I wanna watch a sparkling show."

Ironhide sighed. "Alright, fine. Ah'll let yeh watch yer show this time, but next time yer gonna hafta beat me fer it."

Optimus delicately cleared his throat line.

Starfall glanced up and only then seemed to notice Optimus standing there. "Dad!" he cried happily. Ironhide lifted his leg to let Starfall up. The miniature seeker scrambled to his pedes and ran to Optimus, smiling from one side of his face to the other. "Dad, you're home!"

"Hello, Star," Optimus smiled as he bent to meet Starfall with open arms. He caught Starfall in a hug and scooped him into his arms. He retracted the sides of his mask as he squeezed Starfall's smaller frame against his. It was so good to be home after such a long day like today. With Starfall's arms wrapped around his neck, Optimus glanced at his sparkmate with a surprised, but amused smile. He hadn't expected to come home and find his sparkmate and son playing like that. Ironhide returned the smile with his as he awkwardly tried to get up off the floor. Optimus heard his gears protesting the movement all the way across the room.

"Welcome home," Ironhide said.

"It's good to be home," Optimus agree, hugging his son's small body to his chest. "I thought the meetings would never end."

"Did you see the other seekers today, dad?" Starfall demanded. "Were there lots of them?" Since hearing that other seekers were planning to come to Iacon, Optimus's meeting with the Vosian representative was all Starfall had been able to talk about. Every orn for the last lunar cycle the first thing Starfall always asked him when he got home was if the Vosians had finally arrived. His interest in those of his own frame-type was understandable.

"I did meet some," Optimus nodded. "There were seven of them total, but only one was an actual representative. I was able to speak with him personally for awhile. His name is Cloudbreaker."

"What was he like? Does he look like me?"

"He looks just like you, wings and all, only bigger."

"Can I meet him?" Starfall asked, his optics wide and pleading. "I want to see another seeker."

Optimus glanced at Ironhide over Starfall's head. The weapons specialist's facial places were set in a stiff expression. His optics gleamed with a look Optimus couldn't exactly name. Ironhide had been extremely touchy about the subject of seekers ever since Vos sent word that they wanted to meet.

"How about you go wash up, Star, and we'll talk about it over our evening fuel," Optimus suggested as he lowered Starfall back to the ground. "I will tell you all about Cloudbreaker and the other seekers then."

"Okay!" Starfall said and scurried away down the hallway to the wash rack.

Optimus didn't have to wait for Ironhide to begin his interrogation.

"So, wha' happened? Wha' do they want?" Suspicion radiated off every bolt and nut of the old mech.

Optimus motioned for Ironhide to follow him into the kitchenette. He did and they both sat at the table. Optimus delicately clearly his throat line. "We were right. The Vosian Emirate does have a strong interest in Star."

Ironhide growled. "Ah knew it. Ah knew the only reason them seekers wanted ta come ta Iacon was ta find out 'bout Star."

Optimus held a hand up to stall Ironhide's accusations. "While Cloudbreaker made no secret that the Emirate is interested in Star, the Vosians do genuinely seem to want to rejoin the Council and open their city to trade and inter-city relations again. They seem to have taken us adopting Star as some sort of sign that we wanted to renew relations with Vos."

Ironhide cast a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Starfall hadn't returned yet. "Do they have any idea 'bout Star's… past history?" he asked in a hushed voice. "Cause if they do that might explain 'em wantin' ta get closer ta him."

Optimus shook his head. "No. I truly got no impression from Cloudbreaker that the Vosians have any idea about Starfall's previous format. Cloudbreaker did, however, press the point that the Vosians were very suspicious about how a seeker sparkling came online in Iacon."

"Wha'd yeh tell him?"

"That Starfall's creation was a complete mystery. That nothing except an act of Primus explains how he came online as a seeker, which, in all reality, is not that far from the truth. Besides Primus's intervention or a very unlikely series of coincidences, there's no logical explanation for Starscream being reborn as a seeker in an Iaconian hatchling facility."

Ironhide seemed to accept this. A little of the tension seemed to dissipate from his shoulders. "That's fine. Just as long as they never get wind 'a the truth, Star should be safe. Ah just don't want any high an' mighty seeker takin' too much of an interest in him, 's all."

"Well," Optimus hesitated, "Cloudbreaker did happen to propose arranging a sparkbond between Star and his son to me. He seems to think the two of them would help cement Vos and Iacon together as ally cities."

"Wha?!" Ironhide hissed. The look he speared Optimus with could have smelted metal. "Ah thought we agreed we'd never force our kids inta any arranged sparkbonds. That was one of yer biggest stickin' points when we started talking 'bout havin kids! Yeh said yeh never wanted ta use any kids we had fer politics! Just 'cause Star's adopted don't mean he's exempt from that rule. Ah ain't gonna let yeh sell our son off ta some Vosians just fer some sort of alliance!"

Optimus was at first stunned by Ironhide's vehemence, before his spark swelled with warmth. This was the first time he'd ever heard Ironhide so openly declare Starfall his or make such a show of protecting him. Smiling soothingly, Optimus reached across the table and took both of Ironhide's hands into his. "I'm not going to sell Star off to the Vosians or anyone else, 'Hide," he promised. "As we agreed, no children of ours will ever been used for political gain. Star will choose who he wants as his mate himself, whoever that might be. I made sure I made this very clear to Cloudbreaker when I declined his offer."

Ironhide seemed to deflate a bit. He suddenly looked sheepish and stared at the tabletop. "Better not," he grumbled under his breath. "Star's too young ta be talking 'bout him gettin' bonded anyway…"

Optimus smiled. "Cloudbreaker did, however, invite all of us to Vos to meet the Emirate, which I did accept."

Ironhide met Optimus's optics again, his mouth plates compressed in a thin line of displeasure.

Optimus cut him off before he could say anything. "I know what qualms you might have about us making such a visit, 'Hide, but this is something that is expected of us - for me as Prime, you as my sparkmate, and Star as our son. The Vosians want to rejoin Cybertron and they see Starfall as the key to helping facilitate such an alliance. I feel Cloudbreaker's visit was the first step in reuniting all the people of our race together again. A visit of our own might just solidify peaceful relations and start a new age."

"Til all are one, right?" Ironhide grumbled, his tone unconvinced.

Optimus nodded, smiling gently. "Yes."

Ironhide sighed in defeat. "Fine. So when we gonna take this lil vacation ta Vos?"

"We're going to Vos?" a third voice asked from the hallway.

Optimus and Ironhide both looked up to find Starfall standing in the doorway. His wings were hitched about his shoulder, his optics gleaming with ill-contained excitement.

"Are we gonna go meet other seekers?"

Optimus smiled. "Yes, Star. We're all going to go to Vos and meet some seekers."

Starfall's squeal of excitement drowned out anything else Optimus might have tried to say.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eighteen: Vos

"I've just spoken with the transport pilot. He tells me we are less than a joor from the Emirate's palace. We've just received entrance codes from border enforcement and should be entering Vosian airspace in about ten klicks."

"Thank you, Senator Draxil," Optimus said as the senator retook his seat across from him. Two other mechs sat with them: another high-ranking senator named Phalanx and the Senate's newly elected ambassador to Vos, Defcon - an older council-mech with numerous ties to inter-city businesses and economic councils, and several million vorns of diplomatic experience. The transport shuttle's seats were configured in pairs of two that faced each other so passengers could comfortably hold small meetings while in transit.

Across the aisle from Optimus and the three diplomats, Ironhide and Starfall sat in their own section. Starfall knelt on the seat with his nasal ridge pressed to the glass of the window, watching the land speed by below them. His back was to Optimus which made it easy to see his wings quivering with excitement. Ironhide sat immediately across from Starfall, engrossed in a detailed security report. Optimus smiled softly behind his mask. Even though Ironhide wasn't in charge of any duties this trip except to be present as Optimus's sparkmate and watch over Starfall while Optimus was locked in diplomatic meetings, Ironhide still felt the need to know all the security details of their trip. No matter how long they'd been sparkmates Ironhide would always remain the Prime's bodyguard at heart.

It had been two lunar cycles since Cloudbreaker's trip to Iacon. Just as promised, Cloudbreaker had begun preparations for the Prime family's trip almost the same orn he returned to Vos. It had been a whirlwind of Senate meetings, preparations and security reviews ever since. Optimus was glad to finally be on the way to Vos if for no other reason than to finally have it over. While Ironhide had remained decidedly dour about the trip Starfall hadn't stopped talking about it since Optimus told them they were planning to go to the seekers' home city.

Optimus glanced at his sparkmate and son across the aisle. Over the last few lunar cycles, Ironhide and Starfall had become very close. With Optimus having to spend longer and longer joors at the High Council Tower, Ironhide had become Starfall's primary caretaker. Optimus at times was still surprised to see how quickly the old mech had taken to fatherhood once he'd decided to finally accept Starfall as their son. Even when Optimus was home early enough to see Starfall to bed he often had to compete with Ironhide to be the one to read to Starfall before sleep. Optimus looked forward to the orn he could spend more time with his family like he had before Vos decided to reopen its borders.

Looking around the crowded shuttle transport, however, Optimus doubted that would happen anytime soon. Besides him, his family and the three senators, the transport was filled with more than a dozen security officers and administrative aides. This visit to Vos was more than just a diplomatic mission. It was the possible turning point for a new age. Its importance was lost on no one. It had been all the news-feeds and political commenters had been talking about since the Senate announced Optimus's intention to visit the seeker city. The possibility of opening up business relations and trade routes with Vos was foremost on everyone's mind. Before the war Vos had been one of the richest city-states on Cybertron. It controlled a number of off-world planetoids that were rich in minerals and other resources, which had lent to its wealth and economic independence from the rest of Cybertron's city-states. Optimus was interest to see how rich Vos still was. Vos had suffered major damage during the war just like everyone else. As one of the first outsiders to visit Vos in more than six millennia, Optimus was curious to see if the city was still as grand as tales of the Golden Age said it once was.

Across the aisle, Starfall was still staring out the window. His wings swayed and quivered with excitement against his back. Optimus undid the safety belt of his seat and slid across the aisle into the empty seat next to Starfall. He'd concluded official business with the other senators a few klicks ago, so there was no reason for him not to enjoy the rest of the trip with his family. Ironhide was so engrossed in his security report he didn't even look up.

"What are you looking at, Star?" Optimus asked, craning his head over Starfall's shoulder.

"The buildings," Starfall whispered in awe.

Optimus followed his gaze through the glass. A small thrill went through him at what he saw. They must have crossed over into Vosian airspace. The architecture of the buildings outside was unlike anything Optimus had ever seen before. Towers and ethereal skyscrapers that dwarfed the High Council Tower rose into the air in winding spires, turrets and arches. Open-air walkways spanning the length of thousand-foot drops connected a number of the towers at their mid- and upper-levels. What struck Optimus most was how high off the ground everything was designed. He doubted any of the bridges and causeways that connected the buildings were built below the two-hundredth floor. Just looking at the soaring structures made Optimus feel dizzy with vertigo. Landing pads and open air crystal gardens decorated the upper levels of a majority of the towers. In the distance, Optimus saw seekers in plane-mode slicing through the air, leaving jet streams of powdery white in their wake.

"Daddy, look at the buildings," Starfall pointed, his optics the size of saucers.

"I see them, Star," Optimus numbly nodded. They hadn't even landed yet and already he was overwhelmed by the exoticness of Vos. Behind him, he heard others in the plane turn to their windows to take in the first sights of Vos. Awed silence filled the transport.

Starfall, however, didn't seem to be talking to Optimus. Tearing his gaze away from window, he looked over at Ironhide.

"Daddy, look at the buildings. You're gonna miss them," he insisted a little louder.

Optimus's engine hiccupped in surprise. Despite Starfall and Ironhide's warmed relationship, Optimus still had yet to hear Starfall call Ironhide by any sort of familiar term. Why Starfall had chosen today to finally address Ironhide as his father, Optimus didn't know. Ironhide seemed to be expecting no such term of endearment from Starfall either because he still did not look up from his data pad. Optimus figured he thought Starfall was talking to Optimus, or was just too wrapped up in his report to realize what was happening.

"Ironhide?" Optimus softly intoned. He sent a wave of excited warmth out to his sparkmate across their bond.

Ironhide grunted in acknowledgement. "Huh? What?" His optics didn't look up from the report.

"Daddy!" Reaching out, Starfall poked Ironhide in the knee joint. Ironhide looked up with a start. "Look at the buildings."

For a moment Ironhide didn't seem to understand who Starfall was talking to until a look of dawning realization lit his facial plates. A tingling sensation of shock hit Optimus from Ironhide's side of their bond. Optimus only wished he had a camera to permanently capture that look of shock on his sparkmate's face the moment he realized Starfall was talking to him.

"Wha-? Wha'd yeh say, Star?"

"I said look at the buildings, daddy." Starfall slid down off his seat to join Ironhide on his side of the seating formation. With a little help from the still punch-drunk weapons specialist, he settled himself in Ironhide's lap and pointed out the window. "Look. The towers are huge! They're, like, a million times taller than anything we have at home!"

Ironhide's security report was suddenly forgotten as he followed Starfall's gaze out the window. He didn't seem to actually see anything they passed, though. His attention seemed completely tuned onto Starfall. Elation leaked across his and Optimus's bond. Optimus smiled. His sparkmate's surprise was understandable. Ironhide had been waiting so long to hear Starfall call him father. Ironhide's entire demeanor noticeably became more attentive and possessive towards their son. Loosely wrapping one arm around the miniature seeker's waist, he grunted appreciatively at the towering buildings they passed. For a mech as battle-hardened and emotionally closeted as Ironhide, such a display was the same as anyone else picking up their child and hugging them to their chest. Warmth flooded Optimus's spark at the sight. Not for the first time, he sent a silent prayer of thanks to Primus for blessing him with his family.

A sonic boom suddenly sounded somewhere behind the shuttle, followed by the hollow roar of turbine engines. The transport rocked from side to side from turbulence before settling into a steady cruise again. Through the window, Optimus saw a jet with military insignias fall into formation beside the transport shuttle. Optimus looked across the aisle and spotted another one flying on the shuttle's other side. Something told him a third jet was flying either in front or in back of them as well.

"Security escort," Senator Draxil explained from across the aisle. "The pilot said the Vosians might send some when we got close to the palace."

"Ah," Optimus nodded.

"Seekers!" Starfall gasped. He leaned closer to the window, his optics scanning the jet up and down. "Look at all the stickers on his wings!"

"Those are military marks," Optimus explained. "He must be a high-ranking officer."

Ironhide stared out the windows at their escort over Starfall's helm. His lips were pressed together in a grim expression, his optics narrowed suspiciously. Optimus did not miss the way he seemed to hold Starfall a little tighter.

"Sure are rollin' out the welcome mat fer us, aren't they?" he noted.

"I honestly expected nothing less," Optimus said. "I am sure the Vosians feel obligated to outdo our own reception for them. Cloudbreaker stuck me as a mech who enjoys any excuse to make a show of pomp and circumstance."

"What's that mean?" Starfall asked.

"Means he likes ta try an' one-up anything anyone else does," Ironhide said. "Expect lots 'a fancy seekers an' lots of long an' borin' ceremonies."

"It will not be that bad, 'hide," Optimus insisted with a fond sigh of exasperation.

Ironhide cast him an unconvinced look.

"At least you do not have to go to any diplomatic meetings."

"Ah still gotta go ta everything else."

"You could always stay in our habitation suite and feign illness or exhaustion," Optimus playfully suggested.

Ironhide's features tightened. "An' leave yeh by yerself with no one ta watch yer back? Ah don't think so."

"I will have a security detail, 'hide. Though why you think I will be in such mortal danger I am not sure. The Vosians are looking to make peace. The last thing they want is a representative from the High Council assassinated in their city. Their own security measures will probably exceed anything we ourselves could secure here."

Ironhide grumbled something Optimus couldn't hear under his breath before saying a little louder, "Ah just like knowin' yer safe myself. Ah don't like relying on other people ta keep my sparkmate safe. That's my job."

Optimus sent a pulse of affection towards Ironhide across their bond. "I will be fine, 'Hide. And you really do not need to go to any events you do not wish to attend. I am sure Cloudbreaker would be happy to arrange some other activities to keep you entertained."

"Nah," Ironhide sighed. "Ah knew wha ah was gettin' into when ah bonded with yeh. 'Cept fer formal negotiations, ah'll stick with yeh."

"Do I have to go meetings?" Starfall spoke up. His face betrayed true apprehension.

Optimus chuckled. In this respect, their son was just like Ironhide. "No, Star. You won't have to go to any meetings with me. While I am doing official things I am sure Cloudbreaker will have things planned for you and your father to do. Cloudbreaker also has a son your age. I am sure you two will have lots of time to play together."

Starfall looked up at Ironhide, his optics gleaming with excitement. "I really hope there're lots of other sparklings for me to meet! I've never met another seeker sparkling before. What do you think we'll get to do?"

Ironhide clutched Starfall closer to him. Optimus could feel his sparkmate's possessiveness for their son leak across their bond. "Don't know, Star. Ah've never been ta Vos before. Ah don't know what kind 'a things they got ta do 'round here. But if Cloudbreaker's got a sparkling too ah'll bet he'll have some things fer yeh two ta do planned."

Optimus's sensors felt a sudden change in the air pressure. The transport's front gently tipped upwards. Their security escort kept perfect pace with them, matching their assent.

"Why we goin' higher?" Ironhide murmured, staring out the window. "We're already a couple thousand feet up."

Optimus looked out the window. "Probably because the Emirate's palace is higher than any of the other buildings. My guess is that the palace is somewhere on the top of that tower there." Looming in front of them was the biggest, most architecturally awe-inspiring tower Optimus had ever seen. Spires rose so high they seemed to disappear in the cloud cover. Buttressed archways made of Alturian crystal decorated the tower's sides. Every inch of the structure seemed to gleam like diamonds in the sunshine. How the Vosians were able to build such skyscrapers baffled Optimus. Never had he ever seen such a structure in his entire function.

Across from him, Ironhide and Starfall seemed to share his thoughts. Neither seemed able to look away from the window as the shuttle maneuvered in and around giant archways and sky bridges, climbing ever higher.

Finally, the shuttle's assent began to ease and Optimus felt it level out. Landing gears engaged and the transport gently settled itself on a landing pad at the end of a long sky bridge. Outside the window, down a long length of red cloth rolled out to the edge of the landing pad, a group of several dozen seekers stood waiting. Cloudbreaker stood out from the other seekers at the head of the group with his distinctive red, white and gold paintjob.

Ironhide eyed them through the window. "Looks like Cloudbreaker's brought everyone out ta say hi."

Optimus undid his safety belt and stood. "Come. We do not want to keep our hosts waiting."

Ironhide grumbled something under his breath but obediently followed his sparkmate's lead. "Come on, Star," he said as he helped the sparkling down off his lap. "Let's get this over with."

Starfall was almost shaking with anticipation as he trailed after Optimus down the center aisle. His wings were hitched above his shoulders, quivering with poorly concealed excitement. The other senators, aides, and security personnel hung back as the Prime family gathered together at the shuttle's hatchway. As the Matrix-bearer and leader of their race, it went without saying that Optimus and his family would be the first ones to disembark. Pressurized air hissed as the locks disengaged and the hatchway swung out. Blinding sunlight flooded the transport. Optimus had to wait a moment for his optic sensors to reset before being able to see the delegation of Vosians at the other end of the sky bridge again. On either side of shuttle door two trines of seekers stood at stiff attention along the edge of the carpeted runway as a form of honor guard. Optimus figured they must have been part of the military guard that had escorted them from the edge of the city.

Between Optimus and Ironhide, Starfall suddenly seemed unsure of himself and shied behind Optimus's legs. Optimus couldn't blame him for his sudden apprehension. Decorated with military insignias and standing at attention with no trace of emotions on their facial plates, the two trines of seekers made an intimidating sight.

"It's alright, Star," Optimus said. He smiled at Starfall behind his mask, hoping his son would see the crinkle of protomatter around his optics. "No one will harm us here."

"They're bigger than they looked like in the air," Starfall whispered behind Optimus's knees as though afraid the trines of military seekers would hear him.

"It's alright," Optimus assured him again. He held his hand down to Starfall, which the sparkling eagerly latched onto. "Come. I know you will like Cloudbreaker. He is very nice."

Starfall didn't say anything but quietly followed Optimus off the shuttle and down the carpeted walkway. Ironhide walked close beside them, his optics surreptitiously scanning their surroundings. The other senators and their guards followed several paces behind the Prime family. Optimus, himself, tried not to look around too much. While the sky bridge connecting the landing pad to the main structure was several paces wide, there were no railings. An endless dome of cloudless blue stretched above which contrasted sharply with the sudden drop on either side of them. A slight wave of vertigo overcame Optimus as he chanced a glance to the side. It looked like they were several thousand feet off the ground. Optimus wasn't even sure it was actually ground he was seeing between the buildings they were so high up. The rest of Vos looked like the miniature model of a city spread out below them. The next tallest skyscraper Optimus could see tapered into a twisted spire several hundred feet below where he and his family walked. Never in his function had Optimus ever wished for a jet pack as much as he did now. He unconsciously gripped Starfall's hand a little tighter. While such dizzying heights meant nothing to seekers whose basic design allowed them to soar through the skies, the possibility of falling to one's death was a very real threat to a non-flier such as Optimus. Although Ironhide's face betrayed nothing, Optimus could feel his sparkmate's own anxiety leaking across their bond.

It was a relief when they finally reached the other end of the sky bridge. Cloudbreaker stepped forward to meet them. The red and gold seeker's face lit with a smile as he performed one of his sweeping bows. The group of Vosian delegates behind him mirrored Cloudbreaker's welcome with similar bows and dips of their helms.

The first thing Optimus noticed about their hosts was their sheer elegance. All the seekers that had come out to greet them were colorfully decorated with fresh paint, wing stripes and polish. Optimus had polished himself that morning with Sunstreaker's special formula but he still felt extremely under-decorated. A number of Vosians wore elaborate helm caps made of precious metals and crystal. The helm caps varied in design and ornamentation but the most common feature Optimus saw were delicate spindles that protruded from the sides of the caps above the wearer's audio receptors. On the ends of these spindles dangled tiny chimes that tinkled delicately with their wearer's movements and jingled in the wind. Besides these helm caps Optimus also noticed colorful rings of metal and crystal decorating the Vosians' wrists and thruster joints. Dressed in their strange finery the seekers were living beings of exotic sophistication. Compared to them, the delegation of Iaconians appeared depressingly drab.

"Optimus Prime!" Cloudbreaker beamed. While Cloudbreaker did not wear a helm cap like some of the other seekers, his forearms were laden with thick bands of gold that jingled against each other as he moved. "What an honor it is to greet you and your family here in my city. Vos welcomes you."

"The honor is ours to be greeted so warmly," Optimus replied.

"Consort Ironhide," Cloudbreaker said, directing his smile towards the weapons specialist next. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your esteemed sparkmate has told me so much about you."

For all his previous bluster and grumbling, Ironhide diplomatically held his hand out to Cloudbreaker. "Nice ta meet yeh," he rumbled.

Cloudbreaker eagerly clasped Ironhide's hand. Optimus could feel his sparkmate's discomfort when the seeker elaborated the gesture by wrapping his other hand over their joined servos. "I hope we get time to talk more personally at some point during your stay," Cloudbreaker smiled.

Ironhide mumbled something incoherent and - as delicately as he could - reclaimed his hand from Cloudbreaker's grasp.

Cloudbreaker either did not realize how uncomfortable Ironhide was with unfamiliar bots touching him or just ignored it. He smoothly turned his attention next towards the small white and blue seeker hiding behind Optimus's legs. "And this must be Starfall." He leaned down and offered Starfall a gentle smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you. All of us here in Vos have been anxious to finally see you."

"Hi," Starfall murmured as he tentatively stepped out behind Optimus's leg.

"I believe you remember Senators Draxil, Phalanx and Defcon," Optimus said as he motioned the three senators forward. "They will be assisting me in negotiations while we are here."

"Welcome, welcome, welcome," Cloudbreaker beamed, shaking each senator's hand in turn. "It feels so long since we last saw each other in Iacon. I hope you find Vos as welcoming as I did Iacon."

"Your city is lovely," Defcon said.

Cloudbreaker smiled. "Thank you. Usually the first thing new visitors to my city do when they arrive is comment on how high everything is."

"I believe that thought crossed all our minds at least once while flying in," Senator Phalanx said. "None of us wanted to be the first one to say it though."

The group of politicians all shared a round of friendly laughter.

Cloudbreaker motioned to the group of Vosians behind him. "May I introduce several of those that will be assisting me during our talks. This is Lord Headwind, Lady Galeforce and Commander Fallout accompanied by each of their respective trines. Lord Headwind and Lady Galeforce are both members of the Emirate's royal spark-line and control large tracks of Vosian airspace. Commander Fallout is High Commander of Vos's Air Force."

Two mechs and a femme stepped forward. It was easy to tell who was who. Headwind and Galeforce both sported decorative paintjobs and rings like Cloudbreaker, while Fallout wore no ornamentation except for a number of military insignias and chevrons on his chest and wings. The dark green and white seeker carried himself with unmistakable military bearings. His entire superstructure seemed to radiate authority and discipline.

"Optimus Prime," Fallout nodded in acknowledgement.

"Commander Fallout," Optimus replied. As Headwind, Galeforce and Fallout moved to greet the other Iaconian senators, Optimus happened to look up towards the group of other seekers still waiting to be introduced. It took Optimus a moment, but then like a punch to the sparkchamber Optimus suddenly realized he recognized one of them. There, standing towards the back of the Vosian delegation was a blue and white mech with red wing stripes. A tasteful number of thin gold rings adorned his wrist joints. His armor was polished to a beautiful shine which contrasted sharply with Optimus's memories of him dirty and badly scuffed from battle. Over the course of the war Optimus had come to know a number of the Decepticon officers' names. The Great War had ended vorns ago, but if his memory circuits weren't malfunctioning the mech was none other than Thundercracker of Megatron's old command trine.

Before Optimus could question Thundercracker's presence there Cloudbreaker once again demanded his attention.

"I'd like to introduce my own family," Cloudbreaker said as he motioned a beautiful teal and gold femme forward from the rest of the group. The femme wore an elaborate gold helm cap with ornate metalwork and hundreds of tinkling gold chimes. Gold bands etched with glyphs and geometric designs were stacked on her forearms all the way from her wrists up to her elbow joints. Behind her trailed a red and gold sparkling not much older than Starfall. "This is my sparkmate Rainstorm and our son Cloudburst," Cloudbreaker said with a smile.

As Rainstorm came up beside him Cloudbreaker gently pressed a hand to the back of his sparkmate's wing. Rainstorm in reply ever so slightly leaned into her sparkmate's touch. Optimus involuntarily smiled at the subtle display of affection. It was clear the two had strong feelings for each other despite his and Cloudbreaker's previous discussion about arranged sparkbonds and the lack of choice between Vosian sparkmates.

"Hello, Lady Rainstorm" Optimus said. "It is an honor to meet you."

"As it is my honor to meet you," Rainstorm replied with a smile as smooth as one of her sparkmate's. "But, please, just call me Rainstorm. Cloudbreaker has told me much about you."

"As he did you during his time in Iacon. I am sorry you were not able to accompany him then."

Rainstorm smiled ruefully. Her helm cap tinkled musically as she tilted her head. "I was spark-broken when I could not see the famed capital of Cybertron but my trine mate, Microburst, managed to badly injure herself a deca-cycle before Cloudbreaker and I were set to leave. I did not want to leave her while she was still in the hospital. Our third trine mate could have watched her, but it did not feel right leaving her without a full trine while she was grounded with so bad a wing injury."

"How is Microburst now?" Optimus dutifully asked.

"Much better, thank you. I am sure you will get a chance to meet her at some point during your visit."

"I look forward to it," Optimus smiled behind his mask. He glanced down at the red and gold sparkling quietly waiting by his creators' sides. Optimus couldn't help but marvel at how much Cloudburst looked like a miniature version of his father, all the way down to a set of gold rings around his wrist joints. "And this must be Cloudburst. He is even handsomer than you led me to believe, Cloudbreaker."

"Thank you," Cloudbreaker proudly beamed. "Cloudburst, say hello to the Prime's son."

The miniature red and gold seeker dutifully stepped forward and offered Starfall a practiced bow. The gold bands around his wrists jingled against each other with the movement. "Greetings, Starfall. Welcome to Vos."

Starfall hesitated for a moment before awkwardly attempting to return Cloudburst's bow. It was no where as refined as Cloudburst's. "Hi," he shyly murmured.

Cloudbreaker nodded approvingly behind his son. "I hope you do not mind, Prime, but I took the opportunity and had the other representatives and their trines bring along their children so Starfall would have the opportunity to meet some others his same make and age. Children?"

From out of the group of adults emerged three other seeker sparklings - all of them around Starfall's own age. Like their creators they all sported miniature sets of rings around their wrists and thruster joints. One sparkling - a little femme - wore a fanciful silver helm cap not that different from Rainstorm's own.

Without any prompting the other three sparklings joined Cloudburst and Starfall in a small cluster. In an almost synchronized move they all dipped into practiced bows. "Greetings, Starfall!" they sang in a disjointed chorus.

Starfall seemed too overwhelmed to respond.

The little femme with the helm cap approached him first. "My name's Cirrus. But my creators call me Ciri."

"I'm Thunderclap," a dark blue and silver mechling with silver wrist rings announced.

"I'm Razorwing," said the last sparkling - a tricolor black, gold and white mechling.

"Hi," Starfall said.

"Where are your planetary rings?" Cirrus demanded. "You don't have any."

Starfall stared back at her, confused. "What are those?"

"They're these," Thunderclap said, holding up one arm and pointing at the stack of rings on his wrist. "They're like our creators', only our creators don't care when we lose them because they're not as fancy as theirs. You can trade them with other sparklings to make different combinations."

"Oh," Starfall murmured. He self-consciously glanced down at his naked wrists. "We don't have anything like that where I'm from…"

"Here," Thunderclap announced, wriggling several rings off his wrists. "You can have some of mine."

"Mine too," Razorwing and Cloudburst chorused.

"Here," Cirrus said, grabbing Starfall by the hand and slipping two silver rings over his servo. "This is how you put them on."

Within the blink of an optic lens Starfall suddenly found himself with half a dozen planetary rings on both wrists. The other sparklings all stepped back and admired their handiwork as Starfall raised and lowered his arms several times. A silly grin spread across his face at the musical sound they produced.

"Thank you," he said, staring at the multicolored rings now encircling his forearms. "They're really pretty."

"How long are you going to stay?" Cloudburst asked.

"I don't know," Starfall said, looking up at Optimus. "How long are we gonna stay in Vos, dad?"

Optimus smiled behind his mask. "About a deca-cycle, Star."

"Then you have time to play with us. Father, can Starfall play with us?" Cloudburst asked, staring at his father beseechingly. "We finally have enough people for a full game of Search and Capture."

Optimus had to quietly marvel at the ease and speed with which sparklings formed friendships. If only adults could interact like that. The world would be a much more peaceful place if they did.

Cloudbreaker looked at Optimus. "If you would like, one of the caretakers can take Starfall and the other children to the sky garden and watch them while the rest of us continue on into the palace. After a quick tour, the Emirate has requested a private meeting with you, Prime, before you settle in."

"That sounds fine," Optimus nodded. He glanced down at Starfall. "Will you be alright by yourself for awhile, Star?"

"Yea!" Starfall excitedly nodded. His initial shyness seemed to have disappeared at the prospect of playing with new friends.

"Very good," Cloudbreaker smiled. "If you and the senators would like to follow me I will show you around the palace."

As the group began to separate Ironhide sidled up beside Optimus. "Ah don't know," he whispered. "Ah feel like ah should stay back an' watch Star. Ah don't like him goin' off with strangers like this." His side of their bond was tight with anxiety.

"It's alright, 'Hide," Optimus soothed. "Star will be perfectly fine. Let him go play. He's never had the opportunity to play with other seekers his age before. Let him enjoy the moment."

Ironhide grumbled something too low for Optimus to make out, but followed Optimus as Cloudbreaker began to lead them away. The group of seekers parted to either side to let Cloudbreaker and the Iaconian delegation pass into the building. At the door, Optimus glanced over his shoulder plate one last time. Starfall was still surrounded by his new gaggle of friends, all of them chatting and laughing excitedly. It appeared the Vosian sparkling were just as excited for a new playmate as Starfall was. As the children of high-ranking officials if was unlikely they got the chance to meet many new sparklings. He smiled at the thought. This trip to Vos had been worth it if only to give Starfall a chance to meet other sparklings his same age and frame-type.

Just before being swallowed by the cavernous interior of the palace, Optimus once more caught sight of Thundercracker standing near the edge of the Vosian delegation. The former Decepticon was staring straight at Starfall with a thoughtful expression on his facial plates. His optic ridges were furrowed together as though trying to understand why Starfall looked so familiar.

A thrill of alarm went through Optimus. The chances of Thundercracker knowing Starfall was the reincarnated spark of his former trine leader were slim. Yet the possibility was still always there. He more than anyone else in Vos was likely to recognize the former Decepticon Air Commander.

But before Optimus could decide to what to do about this possible threat, the walls of the palace closed around him and his son was lost from sight.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nineteen: The Emirate

"-and this is the palace's Grand Audience Hall," Cloudbreaker announced with sweeping arms as he led the Iaconian representatives through a wide doorway into a cavernous, domed atrium. As with every other place Cloudbreaker had shown them, awe-struck silence and soft gasps answered him.

Optimus gazed around the atrium, wonder-struck. So far Vos was exceeding any and all expectations he'd had for it. The Emirate's palace was massive - far larger than it looked from outside. It was also the most ethereal structure he'd ever been inside. No matter what room Cloudbreaker led them to, there always seemed to be at least one bank of floor-to-ceiling windows, making those inside feel as though they were outside under an endless blue sky when they were still in a fully enclosed room. Other rooms opened onto sprawling balconies or open-air courtyards. Others, the entire ceiling was banks of ornate skylights. No where they went was the sky not visible or open air only a few steps away. The audience hall was no exception. Like with the rest of the palace, Optimus felt like he was more outside than he was in. The "hall" looked more like an elaborate overhanging extension of the palace than an actual room. There were no actual walls. Instead, thick pillars lined the edges of the atrium, forming giant archways. Beyond the archways lay a sprawling open-air crystal garden. The ceiling of the atrium was a giant dome of glass several hundred meters above the ground. The panes of glass were laid in delicate triangular patterns which created an elaborate mosaic effect when looked at from below. Directly beneath the dome was a smooth, circular area of open floor. Around the edges of the atrium, between the archways, rose terraced seating sections. Optimus estimated the hall could easily hold several hundred bots.

Cloudbreaker preened at the Iaconians' stunned expressions. Even Ironhide seemed properly impressed by the size and grandeur of the hall.

Optimus was the first to find his voice. "This is all very impressive, Cloudbreaker. There is no structure in Iacon that can quite stand up to the architectural elegance of Vos."

The other Iaconian representatives murmured their agreement.

Cloudbreaker beamed proudly. "Thank you. The Great Hall is one of the Emirate's favorite places in the palace. That's why your formal welcome reception will be held here later tonight. It is simply marvelous at night when the Hall is lit inside and the stars can still be seen through the dome. The royal gardens are also beautiful at night when the crystals are illuminated by the moon."

"I look forward to seeing it," Optimus nodded.

"This concludes the tour of the palace," Cloudbreaker announced to the entire group. "I will have servants show you to each of your personal habitation suites so that you may have time to settle in and rest before tonight's festivities. They will collect you later to help lead you back to the Great Hall for tonight's formal reception." He waved several servants that had been standing near the doorway of the palace. Three seekers stepped up to Cloudbreaker, all of them painted a uniform silver. None of them, Optimus noticed, wore any rings on their wrists like the Vosians that had greeted them on the landing pad. "Please show Senators Draxil, Phalanx and Defcon to their habitation suites."

"Yes, sir," they chorused with shallow bows.

"Rest well," Cloudbreaker said to the senators. "Vosian reception parties often go late into the night. I would blame myself if you were too exhausted from your trip to properly enjoy our hospitality this evening."

"I look forward to tonight," Defcon said. "Vos has exceeded all expectations thus far. I can only imagine what you have in store for us next."

Cloudbreaker rewarded the senator with a dazzling smile. "I can only take that as a compliment. Thank you."

"Until tonight," Senator Phalanx said.

"Til tonight," Senator Draxil bowed.

As the senators were led away by their escorts, Cloudbreaker turned back to Optimus and Ironhide. "Shall we go meet the Emirate now? I promise the Emirate will not keep you too long. As with the senators, we want you to have time to rest before tonight's reception."

"Of course," Optimus said. "Please lead the way." Truthfully, Optimus was rather tired from their journey to Vos and then their tour through the palace. He would have gladly followed the senators to his rooms to rest before being formally introduced to the Emirate. His tiredness, however, was dampened by Optimus's overwhelming curiosity to finally meet the mysterious, all-powerful ruler of Vos. No one - not even Iacon's Intelligence Department - knew the Emirate's real designation or what he looked like. The Emirate might as well have been a fictitious character in a book for all Optimus knew about him.

As Cloudbreaker led them back inside the palace, he fell back from his lead position to walk beside Optimus and Ironhide rather than in front of them. Optimus sensed that now it was just the three of them Cloudbreaker felt he could interact with them a little less formally. He felt Ironhide relax a little bit as well. The old weapons specialist had never really been one to enjoy formalized interactions. They encountered no one else as Cloudbreaker led them through the twisting corridors of the palace. With brilliant sunlight streaming through the hallway's many windows and skylights, Optimus found the walk rather peaceful.

"The Emirate was so excited when you agreed to visit Vos," Cloudbreaker said conversationally as they walked. "Over the last few vorns there have been many from the royal spark-line who have expressed hopes of someday reopening our borders with the rest of Cybertron. We just never knew if our return would be welcomed by the rest of the planet until we heard word of Starfall's adoption."

"I cannot speak for every bot on this planet about their feelings towards seekers, but Ironhide and I could not have asked for a better son. All those who meet Star love him."

"And that is why we here in Vos are so excited to welcome you and your family to our city. Starfall has been our model's only representative to the outside world since the end of the Great War. Being the son of the Prime puts him in an even greater position to help improve our people's reputation with the rest of the planet. His adoption is seen as something like a godsend here in Vos."

"Ah don't like Star bein' talked 'bout like he's some kind 'a political tool," Ironhide sourly growled from Optimus's side. "He's just a kid. He ain't got nothin' ta do with politics." Optimus felt Ironhide's side of their bond flash protectively.

"Of course, of course, you're completely right," Cloudbreaker quickly agreed. "Starfall is still just a child." The red and gold mech hesitated a moment as though weighing the impact of his words before pointedly adding, "But the importance of his position still cannot be denied. The Emirate considers Starfall an asset to Vos. He is without question Vos's greatest chance of reestablishing relations with the rest of the planet."

The three mechs lapsed into thoughtful silence. Cloudbreaker did not try and fill the void with anymore lighthearted conversation. It was only when a set of elegantly crafted doors, flanked on either side by conehead guards with identical blue paintjobs, appeared at the end of the hallway that Cloudbreaker once again became his congenial self.

"This is the throne room," he said as he swept ahead of Optimus and Ironhide. "If you do not mind, please wait here in the hallway while I announce you to the Emirate. I will return in a moment."

"Of course," Optimus politely agreed.

One of the coneheads stepped forward and opened the door for Cloudbreaker with a formal bow. Optimus caught a glimpse of a third conehead standing guard just on the other side of the doorway. He should have known - seekers always operated in threes.

As soon as the door closed behind Cloudbreaker, Ironhide was leaning towards him. "Optimus, ah don't like this," he whispered, glaring distrustfully at the conehead guards. "The Vosians obviously want ta try an' use Star. We should just grab Star an' get outta here."

"We will do no such thing. We have been invited here as guests to work out an arrangement to welcome Vos back into Cybertronian relations. We knew the Vosians were interested in Star before we even came here. I know you are concerned about Star's wellbeing but nothing bad is going to happen to him here. If we allowed it, the Vosians would probably try and arrange a bond between Star and the Emirate's youngest heir."

This assessment only earned Optimus an even darker glare from his sparkmate. "Ah ain't bondin' Star off ta any Vosian, prince or not."

"Good," Optimus nodded. "Then we are in agreement and can enjoy the rest of our time here without suspecting our hosts of trying to orchestrate some insidious plot involving our son."

"Now yer just makin' fun a me," Ironhide grumbled, his tone hurt.

Optimus sent a teasing pulse of affection out to the older mech. "Sometimes you make it too easy for me, love. Your basic protocol is to protect what is yours. And while that is your greatest strength, it is also your greatest weakness. You suspect everyone of treachery against those you love even when they pose no actual threat. You must learn to trust more. The Vosians mean Starfall no harm, and you and I are in agreement when it comes to the issue of arranged sparkbonds. I will not allow anyone to use Star for politics."

Ironhide vented a heavy sigh. "Fine. Yer right. Ah'm gettin' suspicious over nothin. It's just…" The old mech speared Optimus with a look that was laced with fear. "It's just that ah don't want anyone takin' Star away from us when we only just got 'im. He's ours. Ah'm not gonna let anyone else have 'im while ah'm still around."

Optimus's spark ached with understanding. Before he could assuage his sparkmate's secret fears though, the doors to the throne room were thrown open and Cloudbreaker reappeared. The trine of coneheads bowed as the red and gold seeker swept towards them and grandly motioned them ahead of him. Optimus happened to catch Ironhide's gaze. He smiled behind his mask, hoping Ironhide would sense his thoughts. Here we go, he wished to say. Now was the time they finally got to meet the fabled ruler of Vos.

"Emirate, it is my humblest honor to formally introduce Optimus Prime and his sparkmate, Consort Ironhide, to you," Cloudbreaker announced as he ushered the two inside. Like all the rooms of the palace, the throne room was wide and airy. A soaring ceiling honeycombed with skylights of colored glass arched above them while giant floor-to-ceiling windows lined both lengths of the room. At the far end of the chamber, a solitary figure sat on an ornate throne of finely crafted gold. The throne was centered on a raised dais, flanked on either side by a number of attendants and important-looking seekers. It was only as Cloudbreaker led them closer that Optimus realized the mysterious ruler of Vos was nothing like his expectations. Across their bond, Optimus felt Ironhide's own jolt of surprise.

"So," the figure said when Optimus and Ironhide finally came to a stop in front of the throne, "this is the famed Matrix-Bearer and Defeater of Megatron. You're not as tall as I was expecting."

Optimus and Ironhide could only stare at the petite purple and black female seated on the throne. She was ancient. Optimus guessed her to be at least five millennia older than Alpha Trion, and he was the oldest bot Optimus knew. Despite her obvious age, the elderly femme held herself with an almost unworldly aura of regality. Thin rings of silver adorned her wrists and thruster joints, but otherwise she wore no other ornamentation. Deep gold optics shrewdly eyed him and Ironhide up and down. Directly behind her, flanking either side of her throne, stood two conehead guards painted pure black. The only points of color they displayed were the fire-red lens of their optics. Together, the intimidating femme and her ferocious-looking guards made an imposing sight.

"Y-your Eminence," Optimus bowed. He was still too dazed with shock to be embarrassed by the slight stammer in his voice. For some reason, he'd been expecting the ruler of Vos to be a mech - and one at least a quarter of the Emirate's age to boot.

"Oh, please," the Emirate huffed, waving his greeting aside as though shooing away a bug. The bands of metal on her wrist jangled loudly with the movement. "You can dispense with the stuffy formalities. I had been hoping you wouldn't be like the other officials that usually come to kowtow to me. My name is Slipstream. Or did your intelligence agents not know that before you came here?"

"Greetings, Lady Slipstream," Optimus tried again, completely disarmed by the femme's brusque demeanor. Optimus felt Ironhide's own uncertainty towards the femme leak across their bond. "It is an honor to be invited into your city like this. Vos is far grander than I ever imagined."

"I trust my son properly greeted you when you landed?" Slipstream demanded, glancing in Cloudbreaker's direction.

Optimus and Ironhide shared a startled look. They had known Cloudbreaker was a mech of important standing within Vosian society, but neither of them had known he was the Emirate's own creation. All his previous interactions with Optimus suddenly took on whole new meanings, especially his offer to arrange a bond between his son and Starfall. It looked like he'd been right about the Vosians trying to arrange a bond between Starfall and a Vosian prince.

"Cloudbreaker has been the perfect host," Optimus readily extolled. "He has made me and my family feel nowhere but at home thus far."

Slipstream eyed Optimus with a wry smirk as though she knew he hadn't known Cloudbreaker's true connection with her until now. Quiet embarrassment burned Optimus to his core. What other intelligence did they not know about the Vosians? So far the Vosians seemed to know everything about them, but they nothing about the seekers. Just how tight was Vosian security?

The Emirate suddenly stood from her throne and strode to the edge of the dais. Standing on the edge she was almost eye-level with Optimus. The two black-plated guards moved silently to follow. They retook their original positions half a step behind her on either side. Optimus felt Ironhide reflexively tense beside him.

Slipstream leaned forward and openly trailed her optics up and down Optimus's frame. Optimus had to fight with himself not to squirm under the old femme's scrutinizing gaze. It felt like she was staring straight down into his spark. Not since he had taken on the title of Prime had Optimus felt so much like a new recruit reporting to his commanding officer. He felt only some respite when Slipstream slid her gaze over to Ironhide and did the same inspection on him. The aura of power coming off the female seeker was intimidating. Even Ironhide seemed taken back by it.

"It's good to see that rumors are correct for once," the Emirate finally announced after several moments of eternity. "I'm glad to see the Matrix has finally chosen someone who seems to have his head properly screwed on."

Optimus didn't know whether to be humbled or insulted.

"Thank you..?"

Slipstream sharply glanced down at the group of seekers congregated around her throne. "All of you, out!" she barked. "I don't need you all crowding up my throne room while I'm trying to have a private conversation with the Prime. Out, out, out! That means you too, Cloudbreaker."

The entourage of attendants all scrambled to obey. Almost instantly they were gone.

Cloudbreaker hesitantly slunk to the edge of the dais, his wings folded down against the length of his back. "Mother," he nervously intoned, "I had promised the Prime and Consort Ironhide that you would not keep them long. They are tired from their journey and still need time to rest before tonight's reception. Surely any such talks can wait until later after the Prime and the Consort have had time to-"

"They will make time now," Slipstream sharply cut her son off. She turned molten optics back onto Optimus. Optimus fought not to cringe under her intense gaze. "There are some things that must be cleared up before I dismiss the Prime."

Cloudbreaker looked ready to protest but was cut off by another sharp glance from the purple and black femme. Anything he was about to say immediately died in his vocal processor. "Yes, mother," he murmured.

"Go wait outside. I will send the Prime and his sparkmate back out to you when I'm done talking with them."

"Yes, mother."

Turning away, Cloudbreaker cast Optimus a quick glance. Optimus sensed the Vosian prince was trying to silently apologize. Cloudbreaker's footsteps echoed down the length of the room, and then he was gone. The sound of the door closing behind him reminded Optimus of the gavel of a judge coming down on a table, sealing him and Ironhide to their fate.

Except for the Emirate's two sentinels, it was now just the three of them.

Turning back to her throne, the older femme settled herself back in her seat. Optimus forced his back a little straighter if for no other reason that to try and recollect himself for whatever was to come. Slipstream rested her elbow joints on the arms of the chair and gazed coolly down at them.

"Let us dispense with formalities and get straight to the point," she briskly announced. "My spies have informed me that you and your sparkmate recently adopted a little seeker. Tell me - truthfully - how did a seeker come online outside of Vos?"

"Starfall's creation was a miraculous fluke," Optimus said. "There was an error in his programming code that gave him the modeling specs of a seeker. Everyone we spoke to at the hatchling facility were baffled as to what could have caused the error."

The Emirate harrumphed loudly, clearly unimpressed by Optimus's explanation. "Do you really think I'm going to believe that story you sold to my son? Please do not insult my intelligence. I did not take over the mantle of Emirate when my sparkmate died by being a fool. I may not be schooled in bio-mechanical processes, but my understanding is that errors in programming codes do not randomly assign bots new makes. Code errors produce malformed limbs, defective internal wiring or missing parts - not perfectly formed wings." Her optics bored into Optimus as though trying to pick through his inner thoughts with her mind. "Now that you've given the obligatory story, shall we move on by me saying I know who your son really is? I know Starfall is the reincarnated spark of Starscream."

Optimus froze, his gears locking tight with panic. Fear coursed through him, but he didn't know it is was originating more from his or Ironhide's side of their bond. Ironhide stood unusually stiff beside him. The Emirate's declaration was said with so much conviction Optimus didn't know if he should even try to deny the truth or not.

"I- I am not quite sure what you're talking about," he replied as smoothly as he could. "Starscream was executed after the war. How he would have any connection to our son is-"

The Emirate gave an explosive sigh of disappointment. "I warned you, Prime: do not insult my intelligence. It hurts my feelings when you try to play me for a fool. I have my spies. I know about the deal you made with the Decepticon officers after those shams you called public trials. I know Starscream agreed to surrender his spark to Vector Sigma. It does not take a genius to connect Starscream to your son when he is the only seeker to ever come online outside of Vos."

Optimus and Ironhide shared a look, fear bubbling across their bond.

Sighing dramatically, Slipstream stood and descended the dais. She slowly walked around Optimus and forced herself in between Optimus and Ironhide. Standing on the same level with them Optimus only now realized how small the Emirate really was. The top of her helm barely came up to his shoulder joint. Winding her arms through each of their elbows, Slipstream motioned with her chin to the nearest bank of windows. "Come. Walk with me. Help an old femme to the window."

Optimus and Ironhide were helpless to resist the order. Almost in a daze, they allowed the petite femme to steer them towards the windows. Slipstream's two bodyguards silently trailed behind them.

"Look," Slipstream ordered when they reached the window.

Optimus followed her gaze. Several floors below, a crystal garden stretched out from the edge of the palace on what appeared to be an elaborate series of terraced balconies. A number of colorfully decorated seekers stood in small groups or sat on benches throughout the garden. Optimus immediately knew what Slipstream wanted him to see, though. Darting back and forth through the air over the beds of crystal formations were several sparklings playing what appeared to be some form of aerial tag. Optimus instantly spotted Starfall's snowy white and blue frame amongst them. Even from a distance Optimus could see that Starfall was practically radiating happiness. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his son so relaxed and so comfortably in his element. A new pang of worry constricted Optimus spark. What point was the Emirate trying to make by showing him Starfall? Was this all building up to some kind of threat? Optimus caught Ironhide's optic over the Emirate's head and shared an anxious look with him.

"Did you know that Starscream was one of my distant relatives?" Slipstream abruptly asked. "A great-nephew to be exact. I considered him one of the few bots in our spark-line with a full processor on his shoulder struts. I was rather proud of him when he went off to study science in Iacon. I'm probably one of only a few bots in existence old enough to remember him as a child. Everyone else in my family that would remember him was killed over the course of the civil war. I was disappointed when I heard what ultimately became of him. He'd always had so much potential. But then he went and threw it all away by joining Megatron's military. After the war, I contemplated trying to use my political power to bring Starscream back home. But his crimes were too great for even me to try and save him. He had to accept his punishment."

Slipstream glanced up at Optimus, holding his gaze steadily with her own. "I know of the offer you gave to the Decepticon prisoners after the end of the war." She glanced back outside towards the crystal garden. Starfall was agilely zipping around the formations, staying always just out of reach of whoever was trying to catch him. His laughter drifted up to the window through the glass. "Your son looks *so* much like my great-nephew," Slipstream softly murmured. "Starfall reminds me so much of Starscream when he was a child I feel like I'm looking back through time to an age almost completely forgotten."

Optimus suddenly knew any more denial on his or Ironhide's part would be futile. It was apparent the old femme knew far more than they could have anticipated. Ironhide seemed to share his thoughts and sent a panicked pulse across their sparkbond.

"Lady Slipstream, I cannot in good conscience come out and confirm or deny your suspicions, but if you think you know this much, surely you understand how much danger such accusations could pose Starfall should they become public. The implications of Starscream being reborn, let alone adopted by a Prime, are quite scandalous. If anyone outside the select group of high-ranking mechs that already know about it, I don't know what kind of repercussions it could have for-"

Slipstream sharply looked up at him. "You seem to misinterpret my interest in your son, Prime. I have no reason to want to make Starfall a target for others' leftover hatred for my great-nephew. I have an interest in keeping your son's secret safe. Although I haven't met him yet I already feel like Starfall is one of my own brood. And if there is one thing you should know about extended seeker spark-lines is that mech-fluid is more often than not thicker than water. If you and your sparkmate swear to continue to look after Starfall and raise him properly as your son, I will reopen Vos to political relations with the rest of Cybertron. I am tired of keeping my people isolated for their own good. The Great War has been over for many vorns now. I want to see the city-states of our planet cooperate again like they did during the Golden Age. I am probably part of the last generation that properly remembers that time."

"It is one of my greatest wishes to see the dawn of a new Golden Age as well," Optimus said, his initial anxiety towards Slipstream lessening.

"That is good to hear," the Emirate said, rewarding Optimus with a wry smile. She looked back out the window towards the group of sparkling playing in the garden. "You know, talking with you about a new Golden Age makes me wonder if my great-nephew wasn't reborn through Vector Sigma exactly for this purpose. Primus only knows I've seen enough over my lifetime to wonder if divine intervention doesn't actually exist."

Optimus worriedly glanced over his shoulder towards the two guards standing silently behind them. "How many other bots know of Starfall's true identity here in Vos?"

Slipstream followed his gaze and snorted dismissively. "Only those present in this room. I trust my guards with my secrets implicitly. Sechs and Acht will tell no one of what we discuss here. The third member of their trine was killed vorns ago during the Great War. They took a vow to never replace him with another trine mate or speak again in reverence to their loss. They had their vocal processors deactivated to cement that pledge. Sechs and Acht have been my personal guards ever since. They will take any secrets I have with them to their graves."

"What of the spy that informed you of the deal I made with the Decepticon officers."

Slipstream waved her hand in the air dismissively. The silver rings on her wrist rattled loudly. "I immediately had his memory wiped of the information as soon as I was able to confirm his story through another source. Do not worry, Prime. As I've said, your son's secret is safe with me."

An intense wave of relief coursed across his and Ironhide's sparkbond from Ironhide. Optimus sent a pulse of similar relief back.

"I was rather disappointed when you did not accept Cloudbreaker's proposal to arrange a sparkbond between his son and Starfall, but then again I never really thought you would agree to such a thing in the first place," the Emirate said with a sideways glance to Optimus. "Here in Vos, while the role of Emirate is mostly handed down between those of one's spark-line, direct lineage does not automatically grant one the guarantee to rule. Cloudbreaker has been working for my position for many vorns now, but I refuse to publicly name him as my successor just to make sure he stays on his toes. I want to make sure he works hard for the privilege to rule. I know he was hoping that if he could arrange a sparkbond between his son and yours that I would be forced to name him as the next Emirate. That's not going to happen, though. At least not anytime soon. I still have many more vorns in me, and I do not intend to give up the title of Emirate until I am no longer able to fulfill my duties to my people. Only then will I announce Cloudbreaker as my successor."

Despite the ancient femme's bossiness, Optimus couldn't help but admire her feistiness. He did not think it too preemptive to admit he was starting to warm up to the Emirate. "I get the feeling Cloudbreaker will be waiting many vorns before that happens," he smiled behind his mask.

The Emirate replied with a smirk of her own. "I see you and I already understand each other on many levels." Slipstream abruptly extracted her arms from around Optimus and Ironhide's elbows and began walking back towards her throne. Her guards instantly moved to take point behind her. "I am sure Cloudbreaker mentioned the welcome reception we have planned for you and the other Iaconian representatives tonight?" she called back over her shoulder vent.

"Yes, he did," Optimus nodded.

"Good. I expect you and your sparkmate to properly present Starfall to me then."

"Of course," Optimus said. "He will be there with us."

Slipstream nodded and carefully settled her old frame onto the padded cushion of her throne. Sechs and Acht once more took their place behind her on either side of her chair. "Very good. Until then."

It took Optimus a moment to realize the Emirate had just dismissed them. Sharing a startled look with Ironhide the two diplomatically bowed their heads to the Vosian ruler. "Until tonight," Optimus said, then turned for the door where Cloudbreaker was waiting outside for them.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty: The Royal Gardens

Optimus and Ironhide walked out of the throne room in punch-drunk silence. It was only after one of the conehead guards opened the door for them and wordlessly closed it behind them that Optimus and Ironhide seemed able to shake themselves out of their daze. Optimus glanced at his sparkmate, searching the weapons-specialist's face for his reaction. Ironhide met Optimus's gaze and returned the look. The same thought shined in both their optics: the Vosian Emirate was arguably the most intimidating bot either of them had ever met before - mech or femme. Even after escaping the old femme's powerful presence, Optimus still felt jittery and on-edge. He likened the feeling to a child who'd just received a stern lecture from one of his creators.

No one - not even Megatron - had ever left him with such a feeling. With Megatron, Optimus had always known where they stood with each other. For millennia they had been equals on the battlefield - warriors matched in strength, determination and fighting experience. With Slipstream, Optimus felt like a new recruit trying to pass himself off as a general in front of the empress. Despite the Matrix of Power - the source of their race's wisdom and strength - firmly nestled against his spark, Optimus had felt like a child in the Vosian Emirate's presence. Although Ironhide said nothing, Optimus could feel his sparkmate's own reaction to their meeting with Slipstream thrum across their bond. The petite purple and back seeker had rattled the old warrior. Like Optimus he hadn't been prepared to meet Slipstream. Optimus tried to remember if Ironhide had said anything over the course of their audience and realized he hadn't. The old femme had startled him too much with her knowledge of Starfall's true identity to offer anything to the conversation - if their meeting with Slipstream could have even been called that. It had felt more like a formal interrogation in some ways.

"I see the Emirate has had her usual effect on people," Cloudbreaker's voice startled Optimus out of his thoughts. The red, white, and gold seeker stepped towards them from where he'd been waiting next to one of the hall's many windows. "I feel I must apologize. My mother can be quite… intimidating at times. I hope she did not cause you or Consort Ironhide any undue discomfort."

Optimus thought that was a bit of an understatement. He expertly kept such feelings to himself, though. "Lady Slipstream is unlike any other bot I've met before," he diplomatically said. "She has a strength that not even Megatron possessed."

"That femme's scarier than a Dinobot with a sore tooth," Ironhide grumbled.

Optimus sent his sparkmate a sharp glare out of the corner of his optic. They were in Vos to make peace, not insult the city-state's leader.

Cloudbreaker, however, seemed to find the weapons specialist's observation amusing. He cast Ironhide a wry smirk. "That is one way to put it." As though suddenly remembering himself, Cloudbreaker cast the closed doors of the throne room a frightened glance. Optimus found himself also glancing at the doors with a thrill of apprehension. Could Slipstream hear them talking in the hallway from her throne? The throne room was long with high ceilings and echoing acoustics. It was unlikely anyone could hear anything from such a distance, but Optimus did not want to test that theory. He did not think the Emirate would take anyone poking fun at her lightly.

Nervously clearing his intake line, Cloudbreaker motioned Optimus and Ironhide down the hallway with a sweeping gesture. "Please, follow me. I'm sure you would like to collect Starfall before I show you to your habitation suite. While I was waiting I happened to see Starfall and the other children playing in the gardens. I will take you to him."

"Thank you," Optimus nodded. After speaking with the Emirate, the need to see his son and physically reassure himself that Starfall was safe was nearly overwhelming. Slipstream had assured him and Ironhide that she meant their son no harm and, in fact, saw Starfall as a member of her extended spark-line. The fact that she knew Starfall's true identity, however, made Optimus extremely uncomfortable. Starscream's rebirth was supposed to have been a secret, yet the ruler of one of Cybertron's most powerful city-states had discovered it. For supposedly being an isolated city-state, Vos knew far more about what was happening outside its borders than Optimus would have expected. Everything that had happened since they had landed seemed to confirm Optimus's growing suspicions that the Vosians knew far more about them than they did about the Vosians. The realization was unpleasant and troubling. The Emirate's identity, Slipstream's knowledge of Starscream's rebirth, even her own family connection to the Decepticon Air Commander had taken Optimus completely by surprise. Not for the first time, Optimus wondered what else their intelligence did not know about the Vosians.

As Cloudbreaker led him and Ironhide back through the palace's twisting network of hallways and atriums, Optimus glanced at the handsome red and gold seeker. "Cloudbreaker, why didn't you tell us you were related to the Emirate? When you came to Iacon the High Council would have seen to it that extra considerations were made for you as a visiting prince."

Cloudbreaker shot Optimus a look that seemed to be an attempt at a careless smirk. It was forced, though, and came across more like a pained grimace. "I was appointed the official representative of Vos to the High Council by the Emirate and represented myself as such when I visited your city. While I might be the Emirate's creation, I am not her named heir," Cloudbreaker carefully explained. While he tried to hide it, Optimus could hear the festering hurt in the seeker's voice. "It is true that I am a prince, but not in any meaningful way. Perhaps it is different in other city-states, but here in Vos direct linage does not automatically mean I am guaranteed the right to assume the title of Emirate when my mother abdicates or passes away. Until my mother names me her successor the only true claim to power I have is through my appointment as a representative to the High Council. It would be inappropriate of me to purport myself as being someone more important than I really am."

Optimus was taken aback. Even though Slipstream had explained the Vosian rights of succession to him, he was surprised by Cloudbreaker's humbleness concerning his position in the Vosian hierarchy. Surely Cloudbreaker had to know his mother intended to someday name him her heir. So far Optimus had met no one else in Vos that seemed to have a stronger claim to the throne or held more power than Cloudbreaker did within the royal spark-line. The Vosian Air Commander, Fallout, had struck Optimus as a possible rival. But then again, from what little Optimus had seen of the stoic commander from their brief meeting on the landing pad, Fallout did not strike Optimus as the type of mech who would try to assume such an aristocratic position of power. Fallout carried himself as a warrior, not a diplomat. Such a mech would probably see the title of Emirate as a burden - plagued by too much political intrigue, too many internal power struggles, and altogether more trouble than it was actually worth. In this way Fallout reminded Optimus of Ironhide.

No, Optimus thought, Cloudbreaker did not have any competition in being named the Emirate's successor. Slipstream had all but said she planned to name him her heir Why Cloudbreaker seemed so unsure of his claim to the throne Optimus didn't know. Perhaps it was Slipstream's continued silence on the issue; she had said she wanted to make him work for the position. A part of Optimus wanted to reassure Cloudbreaker that Slipstream had said she planned to name him the next Emirate. Slipstream had not sworn Optimus to any kind of secrecy concerning her plans, but Optimus didn't really feel comfortable discussing Vosian politics with the city's uncrowned prince. Vosian culture still confused Optimus. Its politics were similar in many ways to that to Iacon's but in other ways were very different. Optimus had learned over the vorns that sometimes it was just better not to get involved in private family matters.

Taking the opportunity to change the subject, Cloudbreaker turned Optimus and Ironhide's attention to the architectural details of the palace. He pointed out a beautiful multicolored window at the end of the hallway. The window, Cloudbreaker informed them, had been a gift from the emperor and empress of the planet Altarra. The Altarrans imported minerals the Vosians mined from a number of planetoids the Emirate's royal spark-line owned. The window was made of thousands of hand-cut pieces of Altarran crystal. The crystals spanned the entire length of the color spectrum from the deepest blues, to the lightest shades of purple, to hues of yellow so vibrant they seemed to radiate their own inner light. If Cybertronians needed to draw air to survive Optimus would have been left breathless. He suspected the window was worth more than what most mechs earned in ten vorns. While the design was mostly abstract, swirls of different colors were woven throughout the piece. Optimus couldn't help but imagine he saw an exploding star in the swirling patterns of multicolored crystals. The style reminded him of a 19th century Earth artist Sunstreaker had taken a liking to while the Autobots were stationed there. Optimus couldn't remember the artist's name - it had been a long time since he'd last visited Earth - but he did remember the name of his favorite piece the artist had painted and what the window's design reminded him of now: Starry Night.

"Very beautiful," Optimus whispered.

"Eh. Nice," Ironhide grunted with a shrug.

Cloudbreaker grinned proudly at Optimus's awe-struck expression and led them down another hall. Brilliant sunlight streamed inside the palace through a set of open doors halfway down the hall. Through the doorway Optimus could see blue sky.

"Here we are," Cloudbreaker announced. "The royal gardens."

Optimus's visual sensors had to readjust to the brightness as he and Ironhide followed Cloudbreaker outside. When his optics finally reset Optimus marveled at the beauty around him. The royal crystal gardens were massive. They sloped away from the side of the palace in a series of terraced landings. Beds of carefully cultivated crystals shined in the sunlight like internally lit prisms. Flecks of colored light danced across the walkways between the crystal beds. Optimus had thought the Iaconian Crystal Garden had been beautiful when he'd gone there with his family several lunar cycles ago, but the Emirate's private gardens made those crystals look like an amateur's attempt at crystal-growing.

"This way, please," Cloudbreaker smiled. Motioning the Matrix-Bearer and Consort after him, he expertly led the way into the maze of intersecting walkways. Optimus and Ironhide followed.

As they wound their way through the beds of crystals, Optimus suddenly heard the muffled echo of laughter somewhere in the distance. It was children's laughter. It sounded like it had come from one of the garden's lower terraces. His pace unconsciously quickened. After his talk with the Emirate he was anxious to see Starfall. He could feel his sparkmate's own eagerness to see their son leak across their bond. Cloudbreaker led them down an ornate flight of stairs. Rounding a bend, Optimus finally spotted his son.

Starfall was playing with the four sparklings he had met on the landing pad. They darted back and forth through the air, spinning and laughing merrily. Whatever game they were playing appeared to be some kind of aerial form of tag. As they drew closer, Optimus watched Starfall barrel-roll in the air and reach out for one of the other Vosian sparklings. The other sparkling - a dark blue and silver mechling - tried to dart out of reach but was not fast enough to avoid Starfall's hand which tapped him on the side of the thruster. Chortling victoriously, Starfall spun and shot away over the crystals beds, leaving the other sparkling behind as the new 'it.'

Optimus was surprised to find a number of adults - many of them officials who had greeted the Iaconians on the landing pad - sitting on benches or standing in small groups at different points across the terrace. He counted at least twelve adult seekers milling around that section of the garden. Several servants circulated among them, passing out cubes of colorful energon drinks on silver trays. Optimus recognized Cloudbreaker's sparkmate, Rainstorm, Lord Headwind and Lady Galeforce among those present. While the Vosians laughed and talked amongst themselves, enjoying the sunlight and cool breeze of the gardens, Optimus did not miss the way part of their attention seemed to always remain partially trained on the group of sparklings playing tag above them. Optimus at first wondered why so many high-ranking officials would be interested in overseeing a sparkling game, but then realized their focus seemed to be centered more on Starfall than any of the other sparklings. Suspicion clenched his spark, but then almost immediately disappeared again. Optimus silently chastised himself. Ironhide's mistrust of seekers was starting to make him paranoid. He shouldn't be surprised of the Vosians' interest in Starfall. As the son of the Prime and the Vosians' only representative to the rest of Cybertron, Starfall was seen as Vos's key to reestablishing relations with the rest of the planet. All that taken into account, the seekers' interest in Starfall seemed only natural.

As Cloudbreaker, Optimus and Ironhide strode across the terrace the different groups of adults glanced towards them and offered respectful dips of their helms. Cloudbreaker returned the gesture to many of those they passed. Optimus did the same to those he recognized from the landing pad.

"Dad!" a voice called out from somewhere above them. "Daddy!" A streak of white and blue flashed through the air and suddenly Starfall was in front of them. He landed and ran towards them. A huge smile split his face in half.

Ironhide bent down to meet him with outstretched arms. Starfall ran to him without hesitation. The weapons specialist pulled Starfall to him and tightly squeezed their son to his chest in a stoic, one-arm embrace. Optimus felt relief spill across their bond from his sparkmate. Anxiety he hadn't even realized Ironhide had been leaking across their bond suddenly disappeared.

With visible reluctance, Ironhide released Starfall again. "Havin' fun, Star?" he asked.

"Yea!" Starfall beamed, practically bubbling happiness. Optimus couldn't remember ever seeing Starfall so excited before. Given that this was the first time Starfall had ever been able to play with other seekers his age, his excitement was understandable. Behind Starfall, the other four sparkling landed and stood together in a small cluster. They eyed Optimus and Ironhide with uncertain expressions of fascination as though they wanted to approach but hung back because of their high-born training and an underlying fear of the unfamiliar. Optimus realized this was probably the first time any of them had ever really seen a non-seeker before.

"We're playing Search and Capture," Starfall excitedly reported. "Only seekers can play it 'cause you have to be able to fly to play."

"How interesting," Optimus smiled behind his mask. He was glad to see his son so happy.

"Look," Starfall grinned, raising one arm up for Optimus's inspection. Gold and silver rings with a number of different geometric designs slid along the length of his forearm plate. "Cloudburst and Thunderclap gave me more planetary rings. They said I can keep 'em. I think I'm gonna give some to Convoy when we go home. I promised him I'd bring him something back from Vos. Do you think he'll like them?"

"I'm sure he will," Optimus nodded. "These rings are very unique to Vos. They will make a wonderful gift."

Starfall's optics darted between his fathers, eyeing their wrists. "You and daddy don't have any rings yet." He wrestled several rings off over his hand. "Here," he insisted. "You need some planetary rings too." Starfall's sparkling rings were too small to ever hope of fitting over Optimus's servo, but they were just big enough for Starfall to slid down onto several of his fingers. Optimus fought back a chuckle as Starfall went to Ironhide and did the same to him next. When Starfall was done, Ironhide stared down at his decorated finger digits with furrowed optic ridges as though unsure of how he felt about his new adornments.

"There," Starfall smiled. "Now you have planetary rings too."

A ripple of delicate laughter sounded across the garden from the groups of seekers watching them. Ironhide frowned but Optimus smiled good-humouredly behind his mask. The Vosians' laughter was not mocking or mean, but friendly and amused. He could imagine the kind of picture he made: the leader of their race wearing the children's version of the local fashion on his finger digits. He could see why such a sight would be funny.

"Lord Prime," Rainstorm playfully called across the garden from where she sat with several other Vosian royals. "If you wish, I can get a set of real planetary rings made for you and Consort Ironhide."

"Yes," Cloudbreaker nodded in agreement. "Sparkling rings are fine for children but if you are interested in adopting a little Vosian fashion, I can have a set of planetary rings that actually fit made for you and Consort Ironhide by this evening. Polished Tarnian silver for you, Prime. Your paint job would clash too much with gold. A standard band width would look best on you, I think. A few understated etchings on the bands would give you a touch of elegance. At least a dozen rings for each servo to show off your social status. For Consort Ironhide, obsidian ore. The black would bring out the darker hues of his paint job. Wide band width. No etchings. No more than five or six rings per servo. Consort Ironhide is a warrior; it would not do to try and dress him as a courtier. What do you think?"

Optimus stared at the Vosian prince for a moment of overwhelmed silence. He had begun to get the feeling that Vosian planetary rings were seen as more than just fashionable accessories among the gentry of Vos, but Cloudbreaker's intricate assessment startled him. He hadn't realized so much consideration had to be put into one's decorations. Color, material, design, width, even the number of rings worn all carried certain nuances. Perhaps it was alright for sparklings to exchange rings with one another, but Optimus had the feeling that such a practice was not done amongst adults. One's planetary rings were a reflection of oneself - personal and un-exchangeable. To learn how to properly wear the Vosians' unique piece of finery probably took vorns of practice. It was very probable that it was a fashion that could only be truly mastered by growing up in Vosian culture. Optimus had to trust Cloudbreaker's suggestions for what would look good on him. Neither he or Ironhide had ever been particularly interested in fashion - such concerns were not an integral part of politics in Iacon. Here in Vos, however, how one presented oneself through one's adornments seemed extremely important. He would have to trust Cloudbreaker's judgment. He had no frame of reference to base any personal preferences he might have towards planetary rings or any idea what style might look best on him.

"Ah don't know," Ironhide murmured, openly uncomfortable with the idea of being decorated in anything fancier than a coat of wax. "Ah've never really been one fer jewelry…"

"We would be honored," Optimus quickly interjected. He shot his sparkmate a look. Just go with it, it said. He had no idea if declining Cloudbreaker's offer would be taken as some sort of insult. For the sake of politics it was just better to accept. After all, there was nothing that said that he or Ironhide had to actually wear the Vosians' fancy bands of metal.

"Excellent!" Cloudbreaker beamed, his optic flashing with excitement. Optimus suddenly realized the Vosian prince's enthusiasm was probably born out of a true personal interest in fashion. Most likely Cloudbreaker was excited to have new subjects to use his skills on. "I will send an order out immediately. You should have them in time to wear to tonight's reception. It humbles me that you and Consort Ironhide are so interested in Vosian fashion. Before you arrived I feared some of you Iaconians might see some of our customs as strange."

Ironhide sent Optimus a flat glare out of the corner of his optic. Maybe they *would* have to wear their host's gifts after all… If that was how it was going to be, then so be it. For diplomacy's sake they would wear whatever Cloudbreaker presented them with and smile graciously. Such were the trials of being a diplomat.

"How do you fly without any wings?" a small voice suddenly piped up. "Do you use a jetpack or something?"

Optimus glanced at the group of seeker sparklings clustered behind Starfall. The question had been asked by the blue and silver mechling - Thunderclap was it? The sparkling in question stared at Optimus and Ironhide with bright red optics, his optic ridges furrowed together as those confused by their sheer existence.

"'Clap," the little femme of the group, Cirrus, hissed. "Starfall already *told* you, they can't fly. They're ground-pounders."

"Children, that is not a polite term," Cloudbreaker sternly admonished. "We never call those who are incapable of flight that, *especially* esteemed guests who just so happen to be the Prime and Consort."

"It's alright, Cloudbreaker," Optimus chuckled. "They're just children. They don't know any better." He turned his attention back to Starfall's new gaggle of friends. "The young lady is right, Thunderclap, neither Consort Ironhide or I can fly. Primus did not gift us with wings as he did you."

"What do you transform into?" the black, gold and white mechling, Razorwing, asked.

"*Can* you transform?" Cloudburst chimed in.

"Cloudburst!" Cloudbreaker scolded, his expression scandalized. "That is an inappropriate question. Of course the Prime and Consort can transform! One should never ask another bot about his transformation abilities. It's rude."

Optimus ignored the prince, smiling behind his mask. "Would you like to see?" he asked the children.

The group of seeker sparklings all nodded, eagerly edging closer. Their initial fear of the non-flying outsiders seemed to have vanished. Optimus cast Ironhide a playful look then transformed in a whirlwind of shifting parts into a Earth-form semi. Ironhide followed his lead and reformed into his Cybertronian alt-form. The group of sparklings all squealed in delight.

"Look how big their wheels are!" the little femme, Cirrus, pointed. "And they have four instead of three!"

"Those who travel on the ground have to have large wheels," Optimus's disembodied voice rumbled through his cab unit. "Seeker landing wheels are too small to travel on the ground long distances."

"Gotta have big tires ta drive fast," Ironhide agreed as he shifted back into his root form. Optimus did the same. The sparklings all stared at them in silent awe like they were the newest sideshow attractions of the Galactic Circus.

"Alright, children, that's enough," Cloudbreaker intervened. "The Prime and Consort don't need to be bothered with anymore questions. They need to take Starfall so they can rest before tonight's reception."

A chorus of disappointed groans rippled through the group of sparklings.

"Dad, can I stay and play a little longer?" Starfall asked. He stared up at Optimus, his optics pleading pools of turquoise. "Please? We haven't finished our game yet."

"We're gonna be up late ta-night fer the party, Star," Ironhide said. "Yeh sure yer not gonna be too tired from playin' an' fall asleep?"

"Yea."

Optimus and Ironhide shared a considerate look. Starfall was obviously having fun with his new friends. It would be cruel to pull him away from them so soon.

"If you wish to let Starfall play with the other children a bit longer I can have one of the servants bring him to your quarters in a few joors," Cloudbreaker offered. "He would still have time to rest but would also have some more time to spend with the others."

Starfall stared up at Optimus, silently pleading. Optimus inwardly sagged in defeat. How was he suppose to say no when his son was looking at him so desperately?

"That sounds fine, Cloudbreaker," he nodded. He glanced at Starfall. "We will see you later then, Star. Have fun with your friends."

"Thanks, dad!" Starfall beamed. "I will!"

Within the blink of an optic, the group of sparklings were once again in the air and zipping away over the crystal beds like a swarm of over-energized insecticons.

"Kids," Ironhide grumbled, staring after their son and his new playmates. "Wish ah still had even half the energy they do."

"Indeed," Cloudbreaker chuckled in agreement. "Are you ready to be shown to your habitation suite now?"

Optimus nodded, tiredly. "Yes. We've had a very eventful orn so far and there's still tonight's reception to look forward to."

Cloudbreaker smiled. "That is why I want to see to it that you and the Consort have plenty of time to recover from your journey. I must go and personally see to a few more last minute arrangements for tonight's reception, but I will have a servant show you to your rooms."

"I can take them."

Optimus startled. He, Ironhide and Cloudbreaker all turned towards the unexpected voice. There, standing only several paces away was a dark blue mech with red wing stripes. How he'd managed to sneak up on them in the middle of a crystal garden was a mystery. Optimus stared at the mech, the diodes along his spinal strut tingling uncomfortably. He recognized the mech. It was Thundercracker of Starscream's old Command Trine.

"Sub-commander Thundercracker," Cloudbreaker greeted, smiling pleasantly. "I did not notice you here in the gardens before."

"I came out a few klicks ago looking for Lord Headwind."

"He is sitting with Lady Rainstorm and Lady Galeforce."

"Yes. I already found them and delivered my message. I was about to leave when I overheard your intention to find someone to take Prime and Consort to their habitation suite." Thundercracker slid his optics from Cloudbreaker over to Optimus. He held the Prime's gaze with blood-red optics, unflinching and calm. The former Decepticon's face was an unreadable steel mask. "I would be honored to show them the way to their rooms."

"Forgive me," Cloudbreaker said as though suddenly remembering his duties. "Optimus Prime, Consort Ironhide, may I formally introduce to you Sub-commander Thundercracker of the Vosian Air Force. He is trinemates with Commander Fallout. I fear I did not have the opportunity to formally introduce him on the landing pad when you arrived."

"Thundercracker, yes, we've… met before," Optimus murmured. Across their bond, Optimus felt Ironhide's suspicion flare like a miniature supernova. The old weapons specialist's face hardened with recognition.

"You might have forgotten, Lord Cloudbreaker, but I was stationed on Earth during the Great War under Megatron's command," Thundercracker explained at Cloudbreaker's confused expression. "I traded shots with the Prime and Consort on more than one occasion." He stepped closer to them, his optics locked on Optimus. "Those were dark times when mechs tried to kill each other because of the sigil one wore on his chest. Fortunately, the Great War ended many vorns ago and there is peace again on our planet. I hope we can put our past differences aside and move forward. I assure you that I am no longer a Decepticon. I am simply a citizen of Vos now. I no longer hold you or any other former Autobot any ill will or animosity." Slowly, Thundercracker extended one hand out to Optimus in a handshake. "For the sake of Vos's peaceful return to the rest of Cybertron I wish for us to put aside our old grievances and come together as fellow Cybertronians."

Optimus sensed more than actually saw Ironhide tense beside him. He held Thundercracker's gaze for a long moment of silence before reaching out and gripping the blue and white seeker's hand. "I am honored to finally meet you as a friend and not as an enemy on the battlefield, Thundercracker."

"The honor is mine." Thundercracker dipped his head politely to Optimus. Perhaps sensing he would not have as much success with Ironhide, he did not offer his hand to the weapons specialist but merely bowed his head to him as a peace offering.

"Are you sure you do not mind showing the Prime and Consort to their quarters, Thundercracker?" Cloudbreaker asked. "Such a task is far below your rank. You must be very busy right now. Please, let me call a servant to do it."

Thundercracker shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Lord Cloudbreaker. I am here and I have completed my intended task. It is not below my station to accompany the Prime and Consort to their rooms. As I said, it would be an honor." Thundercracker looked at Optimus and held his gaze steadily with his own. "I am sure we can trade old war stories with each other as we walk." Optimus suddenly sensed that there was more to Thundercracker's eagerness to lead them to their quarters than out of some desire to put the past behind them. Thoughts of Starfall immediately filled Optimus's mind.

Not for the first time since landing, a shiver of unease coursed down the length of Optimus's back strut.

"If you do not mind, then thank you," Cloudbreaker said. "I must go and see to several things. Prime, Consort, I will see to it that a servant brings your son to you after he is done playing and that another comes to get you and lead you to the reception hall later."

"Thank you, Cloudbreaker, for everything," Optimus said.

Ironhide grunted his agreement.

"Until tonight then." The prince glanced at Thundercracker and offered him a nod of the head. "Thank you again, Sub-commander."

Thundercracker nodded stiffly. With that Cloudbreaker strode away down a pathway that led towards the stairs that would take him back to the upper terraces of the garden.

"Please," Thundercracker gestured with a sweeping arc of his arm. "The private wing of the palace is this way."

The two sparkmates shared a look. Mistrust sizzled back and forth across their sparkbond, and not all of it originating just from Ironhide's side. Helpless to do anything else, Optimus tried to swallow his misgivings, if only for diplomacy's sake.

Falling into step behind Thundercracker, Optimus and Ironhide followed the former Decepticon towards the palace.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-One: Thundercracker

Optimus and Ironhide followed Thundercracker along the pathways between the beds of carefully cultivated crystals back towards the palace. The doorway he took them to was a different one than the one Cloudbreaker had used to taken them into the gardens. Like the official side of the palace, the residential wing retained all of the characteristics Optimus had come to associate with Vosian architecture. Countless windows and skylights peppered the hallway and ceilings, creating an open, airy feeling. As Thundercracker led them down a series of hallways Optimus counted at least two open-air atriums with giant domed skylights.

They encountered only one other bot in the hallways - a palace servant. At the sight of them the silver-painted mech stepped to the side of the corridor and dipped into a practiced bow, his wings swinging gracefully out behind him. "Sub-commander Thundercracker," the mech respectfully murmured.

Thundercracker only tilted his head in acknowledgement as they swept past. Always one to acknowledge another bot no matter what his or her job or social rank was, Optimus politely inclined his head as well. The servant saw his nod of acknowledgement and dipped even lower into his bow. As soon as they were past, the servant righted himself and scurried away down another hallway.

As Thundercracker led them onward, Optimus considered the small exchange that had just taken place. It was obvious that Thundercracker was a bot of high standing in the Vosian hierarchy. Cloudbreaker had said he was trinemates with Commander Fallout of the Air Force. Such a position certainly commanded respect. Optimus wondered if Thundercracker was a frequent visitor to the palace or if perhaps he even had his own residency there.

Optimus quietly studied the back of Thundercracker's helm. It was strange seeing the former Decepticon in peace-time Vos like this. He still remembered Thundercracker during the Great War flying in formation with Starscream and their third trinemate. What had been the third one's name? Optimus could still perfectly visualize him in his mind: purple and black with a mischievous grin that could rival either of the Lamborgini Twin's. The mech had been able to teleport. That particular ability had wrought untold grief on the Autobots over the course of the war. Skywarp! Yes. That had been his name. Optimus wondered if Skywarp was maybe Thundercracker and Fallout's third trinemate. From what little Optimus understood about Vosian trine culture, that made sense. After losing Starscream, Fallout would have made a perfect replacement for the Command Trine's fallen leader. Optimus was sure that after the Great War countless seekers had been left with incomplete trines. Reforming trines and replacing fallen members with the survivors of other trines had probably been a common practice in the vorns immediately after the war.

Optimus continued to study Thundercracker. He still remembered Thundercracker from the battlefield - his arm-mounted null rays humming with promised death, his armor scuffed and his body leaking energon from numerous shrapnel wounds or worse. Thundercracker no longer looked like the same warrior Optimus remembered. The blue seeker's armor shined beautifully with polish. The thin bands of etched silver on his wrist-joints jingled delicately against each other as he moved. His wings were adorned with fresh red wing stripes. Protoform-integrated null rays were still mounted on the sides of his upper arms, but they looked more like polished ornamentations now than actual weapons. If Optimus hadn't known better he could have mistaken Thundercracker for a royal courtier rather than a battle-seasoned warrior who had served directly under Megatron.

As though sensing Optimus's optics on him, Thundercracker glanced backwards over his shoulder vent. "I suppose it must be strange to meet a former enemy in a place like this." He made a vague, all-encompassing gesture to the palace around them. "When I approached you in the gardens I wasn't sure if you'd recognize me or not. I don't look the same way I did during the war." The planetary rings on his wrists tinkled against each other as though in emphasis.

Optimus was slightly unnerved that Thundercracker seemed to know exactly what he'd just been thinking. He hid his surprise behind his diplomatic training. "I actually recognized you on the landing pad when we first arrived."

"I see," Thundercracker cryptically said.

"So, sub-commander of the air force, huh?" Ironhide grunted. "Yeh seem ta be doin' pretty well fer yerself, wha' with yeh bein' a former Decepticon 'n all. Yeh pretty much have the same position yeh had durin' the war, don'tcha?"

Thundercracker's pace abruptly slowed as though he'd just been delivered a physical blow to the sparkchamber. Optimus and Ironhide had to quickly adjust their speed to avoid running into him. For several moments Thundercracker did not say anything.

Optimus shot his sparkmate a sharp look out of the corner of his optic. He truly loved the gruff old mech, but sometimes he wondered if Ironhide ever thought about what he was going to say before he said it.

Thundercracker uncomfortably cleared his throat line. "You should probably remember, Consort Ironhide, that during the war the entire population of Vos was pledged to Megatron. There is hardly a seeker in Vos that didn't carry the Decepticon symbol at some point on his fuselage. And as for my position as sub-commander… I can see why you'd think I have a nice position in society. I do have a nice position, but it came at an extremely high cost."

A faraway look came into Thundercracker's optics as though he were looking at something in the distance only he could see. "After Megatron's defeat, I managed to escape to Cybertron by spacebridge before any of you Autobots could capture me. I was considered a war hero when I returned to Vos. The Emirate herself rewarded me with several medals for my service on Earth. For awhile my plan was to retire from the military and try to find some peace in civilian life. During reconstruction, though, Fallout approached me with an offer to join his trine. The Emirate had just named him the new commander of the Air Force but his trine was missing a third. Since I had served in Starscream's Command Trine, I had all the qualifications Fallout was looking for. Alone, with no other work, I accepted his proposal and joined his trine. I have been sub-commander of Vos ever since."

"I know what happened to Starscream after the war," Optimus carefully said, "but what happened to your third trinemate, Skywarp? Didn't he survive the war?"

Thundercracker glanced at Optimus. Although his face remained a stoic mask, Optimus could see pain still shining like an open wound behind his optic lens. "No. Skywarp was badly injured during the final battle between you and Megatron on Earth. Starscream was captured in the chaos immediately afterward but Skywarp and I somehow managed to escape. Unfortunately, Skywarp's injuries were too extensive for me to field repair by myself and he died several hours after the battle. I buried him somewhere in the Rocky Mountains so no Autobots could find him and desecrate his body. It was the last thing I could do for my trinemate before I found a spacebridge that could take me back to Cybertron."

Thundercracker paused and looked away, as though unable to hold Optimus's gaze any longer for fear of betraying too many emotions. "I've often thought about going back to Earth to try and find Skywarp's grave," he softly admitted. "To bring him back to Cybertron and give him a proper Vosian funeral. But the Emirate's laws restrict me and all other seekers from leaving the city. Vos's isolation after the war protected those of us who'd served in Megatron's army from Autobots who wanted to arrest us for war crimes. But the same isolation that's protected us for so many vorns has also kept us prisoners in our own city. Perhaps now that the Emirate is considering ending Vos's isolation I can finally go back to Earth and bring Skywarp home."

Optimus's spark constricted in his chassis at the quiet, lingering despair in the blue seeker's voice. "I am truly sorry for your loss, Thundercracker. Please forgive me for bringing up bad memories. That was not my intention."

Thundercracker made a sharp, dismissive gesture with his hand. The bands of metal on his wrist clattered loudly against each other. "What's done is done. The past can't be changed. We all made our choices and must live with them now."

Optimus wracked his processor for something to say, something to ease the festering pain of another bot's loss. Unfortunately, he did not have time to formulate the words.

"Here is your habitation suite," Thundercracker abruptly announced. He led Optimus and Ironhide over to a set of ornate gold doors at the end of the hallway. He opened the door for them and gestured them inside. "This is the Grand Residence. It is reserved only for the highest-ranking dignitaries than visit Vos. The servants should have had time by now to bring your luggage from the transport ship here. I am sure you will find it waiting inside for you."

Optimus stepped inside and gazed around the room in awe-struck silence. He felt Ironhide's own startled reaction across their sparkbond. To have called the Grand Residence anything other than grand would have been a travesty. Like the rest of the palace, their new quarters were richly decorated. A massive berth took up one whole side of the room. At each corner of the berth was a pillar of carved crystal that rose several meters above the berthmat to support a metal canopy. From this canopy hung lengths of transparent red cloth that could be drawn and shuttered around the berth. Optimus guessed at least five grown adults could have shared the berth and still had plenty of room between them. Windows that spread from floor to ceiling spanned the side of the room directly across from the door. Brilliant sunlight streamed inside the room. Optimus spotted a spacious balcony beyond underneath open blue sky. Off to the side, across from the berth, from what Optimus could tell was the room's wash rack. A number of other things filled the room - table, chairs, a computer station - but Optimus was too overwhelmed by the sheer size and richness of their quarters to take in the smaller details of it just yet.

"Nice," Ironhide nodded in approval.

Behind them, Thundercracker delicately cleared his throat line. As Optimus turned back towards the blue and white seeker, Thundercracker stepped inside the room and softly shut the door behind him, sealing them inside. Beside him, Optimus felt Ironhide tense.

"Was there something you wished to speak to us privately about, Thundercracker?" Optimus asked knowingly.

The Vosian nodded. He held Optimus's gaze steadily with his own. "There is. Maybe you've already guessed it, but that was my son, Thunderclap, your son was playing with in the gardens."

"I did," Optimus nodded. "They seem to be getting along well."

"Do you know why there were so many high-ranking Vosian officials watching the children play?" Thundercracker asked.

Optimus shook his head. The question had crossed his mind, but he hadn't thought about it too much at the time. Something in the way Thundercracker asked about it made him wonder if he should have.

"They were watching to see how Starfall interacts with the other children," Thundercracker explained. "I'm sure Cloudbreaker or someone else from the Emirate's line has approached you by now about arranging a sparkbond for Starfall with someone from the royal spark-line when he comes of age?"

"Cloudbreaker did," Optimus acknowledged. "But as I told him and anyone else who asks: Ironhide and I will never arrange a bond for Starfall that Starfall does not choose for himself. When he is old enough he will be free to choose his own sparkmate for love, not politics."

If Thundercracker was impressed by Optimus's decision he did not outwardly show it. "How much do you know about Vosian trine bonds?" he instead asked.

Optimus's optic ridges furrowed together. A sour feeling of unease began to curdle the bottom of his fuel tank.

"What're yeh gettin' at?" Ironhide growled, his side of their bond flashing suspiciously.

Thundercracker remained the living embodiment of calm in the face of the old weapons specialist's distrust. "I am merely pointing out that while you refused Lord Cloudbreaker's offer of a sparkbond, I believe he might still be trying to foster another sort of bond between Starfall and prince Cloudburst, or at least one of the other children. They are all creations of high-ranking officials. Trines can be formed at any age among seekers. Close friendships between seeker children often develop into adulthood trine bonds. The officials you saw watching the children were looking to see if there were any hints of a potential trine bond. If they see any you can be sure that whoever Starfall is starting to become close to will be encouraged to become good friends with him."

"Why are you telling us this?" Optimus asked. "Are you concerned about Starfall? I assure you that Ironhide and I will not let anyone use our son for their own agenda. We will do whatever we have to do to protect him."

Thundercracker's optics narrowed slightly at the corners. "I am pointing this out to you because I do not want you to be ignorant of certain aspects of my people's culture that could have repercussions for others besides your son. *Especially* when that other someone could be my son. I saw the way your son and mine were playing. They show the potential of becoming future trinemates."

"How can you tell such a thing?" Optimus demanded. "They are just children playing a game of tag."

"It is in the way they fly together," Thundercracker tightly explained. "Starfall is a born alpha flyer. He is destined to lead whatever trine forms around him. Any trained flyer can see that. The way Thunderclap seemed to instinctively fall into formation beside Starfall while they flew proves they have similar flight skills which makes them potential trinemates."

"Is this a concern for you?" Optimus asked, his voice serious. "Are you opposed to Starfall becoming friends with your son?"

Thundercracker did not immediately answer. He stared at Optimus for a tense moment of silence as though debating how to answer. Finally, he said, "I would not be so hesitant to accept the possibility of them becoming friends, and possibly even trinemates someday, if it wasn't for the way your son flies."

"Wha's wrong with the way Star flies?" Ironhide defensively snarled. "He was taught by a flier. Skyfire said Star's a natural."

Thundercracker narrowed his optics at the two, his facial plates tightening around the edges. "Your son flies *exactly* the same way Starscream used to," he darkly announced. "I also think it's very suspicious how much your son looks like Starscream. They could be close relatives their specs are so similar. I flew with Starscream for vorns. He was my trine leader - the only other bot closer to me than Skywarp. It's hard not to recognize someone like that, no matter what body he's in."

Optimus and Ironhide both physically startled at Thundercracker's accusation. Thundercracker stared at them, his optics boring into them as though trying to drill the truth out of their minds.

"Don't try to deny what I already know," Thundercracker warned. "No one else might see it, but I know my old trine leader when I see him. Your son is Starscream. The way he was flying in the gardens confirms it. Anyone who flew with the same bot every orn for vorns would immediately recognize who he is."

A sinking feeling of panic spread through Optimus's spark and out across his and Ironhide's bond. This was now the second bot who had deduced Starfall's true identity since they'd arrived in Vos. First the Emirate and now Thundercracker. How safe was Starfall's real identity? Everyone who had ever had close contact with the Decepticon Air Commander seemed to instantly recognize him. What did this mean for Starfall's safety?

Optimus decided that feigning ignorance wasn't going to work.

"How do you know about Star's real identity?" he rumbled in a low voice.

Thundercracker crossed his arms across his cockpit, his stance defiant. "After I came back to Cybertron I immediately tried to find out what happened to Starscream after that last battle on Earth. He may have been delusional glitch who'd managed to get captured by Autobots, but he was still my trine leader. I heard about the trials the High Council held for all the Decepticon commanders. I saw the news feeds when it was announced that Starscream had been found guilty and sentenced to death. For the longest time I mourned him the same way I did Skywarp. I thought I was the only one of our trine left. That was around the time I accepted Fallout's offer to become trinemates. The pain of being alone and knowing both my trinemates were gone was too much for me to refuse.

"Then, not long after I joined Fallout's trine, the Emirate requested me for a top-secret solo mission. She wanted me to go meet one of her informants from Iacon on the edge of Rust Sea where no one would see us. My mission was to retrieve a data pad of secret information from the informant then erase his memory banks of the last few orns. As the former trinemate of Starscream I was naturally curious to find out what kind of information was so secret that the Emirate would want her top Iaconian spy's memory wiped. Such diligence was what had kept me and my trinemates alive through most of the war. Imagine my surprise when I read the data pad and found out that not only had Starscream not been executed, but that you visited him in prison and convinced him to surrender his spark to Vector Sigma to be reformatted into a new body. When rumors of a young seeker sparkling being adopted by the Prime began to reach Vos, it didn't take too much effort to put two and two together to figure out who your son really was."

Silence as empty as the vacuum of space filled the room. It felt as though time had suddenly stopped. None of them moved. They seemed locked in place, frozen. Waiting for someone to be the first one to break the tension. Thundercracker stared at Optimus and Ironhide through narrowed optics, his facial plates set in a hard expression.

"What do you plan to do with this information?" Optimus asked, his voice gravelly calm. "If you're planning to somehow use this knowledge to harm Starfall, I promise you you will not succeed. The Emirate knows about Starfall's true identity and has assured me she means to keep it a secret. She considers Starfall a part of her protectorate. If I were to go to her and tell her one of her commanders discovered this information by reading top secret documents not meant for him, what do you think she'd do? Slipstream does not strike me as the kind of bot that would ignore such a blatant act of treason against her authority. You would be lucky if all she did was strip you of your rank and title and kick you out of the military."

"Ferget about goin' ta the Emirate," Ironhide growled, cracking his knuckle joints against the palm of his other hand. His optics were locked on Thundercracker. "Yeh try an' do anythin' against Star ah'll make sure yeh never even leave this room."

Thundercracker responded with a disgusted sneer. "Why would I ever try and harm Starfall?" he spat, his tone insulted. "He is - *was* - my trine leader. Such a bond doesn't fade even after death - or in this case rebirth. I flew with Starscream for vorns. The war might have changed him towards the end, but when I first met Starscream he was a good leader and friend. He looked out for Skywarp and me. Even after he became ruthless and power hungry he still protected us in his own way. He took the fall for Skywarp's pranks and got himself beaten by Megatron more times than I can count."

Optimus and Ironhide shared a confused look. Ironhide's fists hesitantly dropped back down to his sides.

"Then… you do not plan to tell others about Starfall's true identity?" Optimus asked.

"Of course not," Thundercracker scowled, once again insulted. "He was Trine. That means it is my sworn duty to do what I can to protect him, no matter what body his spark is in. I *owe* him. During that last battle on Earth, Starscream was captured by the Autobots because he was trying to create a diversion so I could get Skywarp out of there. If he hadn't done that it's more than likely Skywarp and I would have been captured too. Skywarp probably still would have died from his wounds. I don't think even your medic with all his skills could have saved him. And since I was Starscream's trinemate I would have been put on trial along with him after the war and been sentenced to death. If it hadn't been for Starscream I would be dead right now or running around in a new sparkling body like him. Like I said: I owe him."

"Is that it then? You still consider Starfall your trinemate and want him back as a wingmate someday to repay him for what he did for you?" Optimus asked.

"No," Thundercracker solemnly shook his head. "Starscream as I knew him is gone. Skywarp is dead. I am part of a new trine. Fallout and Stormglide are my Trine now. I've moved on with my life. I've tried to put the war behind me as much as I can. I have a sparkmate now. A son. A family. Whatever I do for Starfall now or in the future is done in memory to the bond I once shared with Starscream and the debt I owe him. Nothing more."

Optimus felt his processor begin to ache. The deeper he delved into Vosian culture the more confusing it became. The concept of trines and trine bonds were still a foreign thing to him. Except for gestalts, no other race of Cybertronians had anything like the Vosians' social structure of threes. Just when he was beginning to feel like he might be starting to understand the seeker's complex social system of duties and responsibilities between trinemates, he was always reminded by something that he was nothing but an ignorant outsider trying to learn the rules of the game while everyone else was already ten moves ahead.

"Alright," Optimus weakly agreed. "But if you still consider Starfall your responsibility in some abstract way, why are you opposed to Starfall becoming friends with Thunderclap? They seemed to be getting along well when I saw them playing together in the garden. Is it because of the trine bond you once had with Starscream that you don't want them to spend time together?"

Thundercracker's discomfort was visible. Whether a conscious act or not, the blue and white seeker's wings flattened against his back. His optics uncomfortably shifted away from Optimus to stare at the far wall. "It's… it's not that I distrust this new version of Starscream. He seems like a good enough child. It's just that… As I said, I flew with Starscream for many vorns. I knew him better than some Vosians know their own sparkmates. I will always remember him as my leader and, yes, even as my friend. But like I said, the war changed him, especially towards the end. Even before we crashed on Earth he'd started to become mean and violent. Starscream had always had something of a temper, but after waking up on Earth it was like something inside him would snap for no reason and he would become this different mech that didn't care who he hurt, even if that someone was himself. Maybe it was because of how much Megatron beat him. Maybe it was because of how little anyone ever listened to him. Or maybe it was because of that shuttle we found in the Arctic that left him to join the Autobots. Whatever it was, the Starscream you knew for the last half of the war was not the same Starscream I pledged myself as trinemate to. If there is a chance my son could become trinemates with your son, how can I be sure Starfall won't someday become the same mech Starscream was? I don't want my son to have to go through the same thing I did as my trinemate slowly headed down a path of self-hate and destruction. I will not allow that to happen. No matter what debts I still owe Starscream, I will not have Thunderclap go through that. There is nothing worse in this world than seeing your trinemate hurting and not be able to do anything about it."

Optimus could not find any words to speak for several moments of stunned silence. So that was it. Thundercracker was afraid Starfall was doomed to become the same bot Starscream had been towards the end of his first life. Such fears were understandable. Until not that recently, Ironhide had held very similar reservations towards Starfall himself.

"I assure you, Thundercracker, that Ironhide and I will not let Star become the same mech Starscream was. When I offered Starscream the choice of being reborn through Vector Sigma instead of execution, I did so because I have believe that all sparks are inherently good at their core. When Starscream surrendered himself to Vector Sigma it healed whatever wounds had turned Starscream into the mech we all knew. Starfall is an innocent sparkling now. He is without any of his previous format's sins. Vector Sigma has returned Starscream's spark to its original state before he became so bitter and mean. I swear to you, Ironhide and I will do everything we can to give Starfall a good second chance at life. I will not let him become that mech again."

Thundercracker studied Optimus's face for a long moment of silence as though trying to decipher any hint of deception on it. Finally, as though accepting Optimus's promise, Thundercracker bobbed his helm in a defeated nod of acceptance. "Very well. I trust you to keep your word and make sure Starfall doesn't turn out the same way Starscream did." He met Optimus's gaze again and offered him the tiniest hint of a smirk. "I can only imagine what Starscream would say if he could see how Vector Sigma reformatted him. Despite his resemblance to his former self, Starfall is an exceptionally cute sparkling. Starscream would be absolutely livid if he could see himself now."

Sensing they had reached some kind of unspoken truce, Optimus held his hand out to Thundercracker. Thundercracker seemed surprised by the gesture, but after a nano-klick of hesitation accepted Optimus's hand and shook it.

"I do hope that Thunderclap and Starfall become good friends, Thundercracker," Optimus said in his most sincere voice. "Starfall enjoys being around other sparklings the same model as himself. I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is for a seeker sparkling like Star to find another flier his age to play with in Iacon."

"Near impossible, I imagine," Thundercracker said. The two broke their handshake and stepped apart. There was a moment's hesitation, but then Ironhide also stepped forward and stiffly offered his hand to Thundercracker. The blue and white seeker bowed his head to Ironhide as they shook.

"I must admit," Thundercracker hesitantly said as they broke apart, "it is extremely unsettling to see you two interact with Starscr- I mean, Starfall the way you do. He looks so much like my former trine leader… If I didn't know better one would think he really was your son by the way you treat him."

"Star *is* our son," Ironhide was quick to point out. "It don't matter who he was in his past life, he's our kid now. We found him an' adopted him. He's *ours*. Ain't nothin' nobody says is gonna change that."

Thundercracker studied the old mech with a thoughtful look on his facial plates. "Maybe Starscream really does have a chance to do something better with his life this time around…" he murmured just loud enough for both of them to hear. Offering them each a small smile, the Vosian Wing Commander bowed his helm to them. "I must get back to my duties. I suggest you take Lord Cloudbreaker's advice and get some rest before tonight's reception. It will go very late into the night."

"Will you be there?" Optimus asked.

Thundercracker nodded. "Yes. Commander Fallout requested that Stormglide and I go with him as a trine. My sparkmate and son will also be accompanying me. If you wish, I will be sure to seek you out during the party to introduce you to them."

"I would like that very much," Optimus smiled behind his mask. Despite the tense conversation they'd just had, Optimus felt a kinship forming between himself and the former Decepticon. They both knew the secret of Starfall's true identity, and that bonded them together in a way a lot of other things could not.

"Until then," Thundercracker politely inclined his head. Then, smartly spinning around on one thruster, Thundercracker walked towards the door and quietly let himself out.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Two : A New Age

"Here you are," the servant announced. "The Grand Audience Hall."

Just as Cloudbreaker had promised, he'd sent a servant to collect the Prime family and lead them to the reception hall at the appropriate time. Although Ironhide had initially chafed at the idea of having to be shown around like a sparkling, he was glad that they'd had a guide to help navigate them through the Vosian palace. The palace was bigger than what it looked like from outside, and even though Cloudbreaker had given him and Optimus a tour of it earlier that day Ironhide doubted he would have been able to find the audience hall by himself.

A giant set of gilded doors stood at the end of the hallway. Ironhide recognized them from Cloudbreaker's tour. The doors of the audience hall were thrown open against the sides of the hallway. A trine of conehead guards stood stiffly at attention on each side of them. Through the doorway Ironhide spotted several dozen bots laughing and talking together in small groups. All of them, from what Ironhide could tell from a distance, were Vosian dignitaries. Their muffled voices mingled with the soft notes of music that drifted out of the audience hall into the corridor. The music was different from anything Ironhide had ever heard before. It was ethereal and floating. The light notes and sweeping chords instantly conjured up images of flight.

"Dad!" Starfall whispered from between Ironhide and Optimus. "Look at all the seekers! There's even more of them than when we landed."

"Yes, there are," Optimus agreed. Ironhide could hear the smile in his sparkmate's voice. Starfall's excitement was amusing. Only a sparkling would be so eager to go to a formal reception. Over the vorns, Ironhide had come to quietly dread them.

"The Emirate has invited all the important seekers of the city to meet us," Optimus explained. "This is our formal welcome, so there are going to be a lot more bots here tonight than before."

"That means yeh gotta be on yer best behavior, Star," Ironhide chimed in. "We're gonna be meetin' a lot'a really important mechs that we wanna impress."

"I'll be good," Starfall smiled up at him. "Promise!"

Ironhide didn't doubt that. Starfall was always well-behaved. Almost everyone who met him was instantly charmed by him and his innocent manners. Ironhide just hoped the Emirate liked the reincarnated sparkling of her great-nephew as much as she seemed to in his previous incarnation. Slipstream struck him as an extremely difficult bot to please.

The silver-painted servant led the family to the end of the hallway. At the threshold, he stepped to the side of the corridor and sank into a low bow. His wings swept out behind him in an elegant arc. "Another servant will announce you to the Emirate and Lord Cloudbreaker when you enter," he said, still bent at the waist. "Is there anything else you require of me before I take my leave?"

"No. That will be all, thank you," Optimus said.

The servant bowed his head in acknowledgement, then wordlessly righted himself and departed back down the hall.

Optimus glanced at Ironhide. "Shall we?"

Ironhide shrugged, grunting noncommittedly.

As Optimus stepped forward to lead the family into the hall, Starfall sidled closer to Ironhide and slipped his hand into Ironhide's. Ironhide startled at the sudden contact and glanced down at their joined hands. Starfall stared up at him with a shy smile. Squeezing his son's hand possessively in his own, the old war mech returned Starfall's smile. Together, the two of them followed Optimus into the audience hall.

Just like the first time he'd seen it on Cloudbreaker's tour, Ironhide was overwhelmed by the size and elegance of the Grand Audience hall. Although the sun had set more than a joor ago, the hall was washed in warm, golden light. Scone-shaped lights lined the edges of the hall in addition to numerous chandeliers hanging suspended from the ceiling. Beyond the arched sides of the hall, the palace crystal gardens shined in the moonlight. The hall's ceiling – a gigantic glass dome suspended several hundred feet above the ground – deflected the light from below to showcase the nighttime sky above. Through the mosaic-laid glass, a sea of stars stretched overhead like tiny diamonds strewn across an ink-black canvas.

Ironhide estimated at least three hundred bots were already inside the hall. He could see none of their fellow Iaconians delegates among the crowd. Important looking Vosians surrounded them on all sides. Seekers stood together in trines and in larger groups, chatting and sipping on colorful energon drinks. Ironhide self-consciously squirmed underneath his plating. He and Optimus had detailed and polished themselves before they'd left for the reception, but Ironhide still felt under decorated compared to their hyper-fashion-conscious hosts. He'd never felt comfortable dressing up for fancy functions before he became the Prime's Consort and every less so after. During the war it had never bothered him if he had more scratches than paint on his body. The Vosians, however, seemed more concerned about appearances than Sunstreaker. The seekers were decorated in every imaginable way. Everyone present was polished to a gleaming shine. Helm caps laden with tinkling chimes and planetary rings of every imaginable precious metal decorated the wrists and thruster joints of the guests.

Ironhide mulishly flicked his hand that wasn't holding onto Starfall's. The thick bands of obsidian ore Optimus had helped squeeze down over his servos earlier in their room clattered against each other. Ironhide couldn't help but feel they were mocking him. He'd been hoping Cloudbreaker's offer to get him and Optimus their own sets of planetary rings would turn out to be just an empty diplomatic offer. But just as Cloudbreaker promised, several joors before the servant had come to show them the way to the audience hall a different servant had appeared carrying two small boxes containing their gifts from the royal household, fresh from the craftsmech. Upon receiving them, Optimus had decreed that not wearing them to the reception was out of the question despite all of Ironhide's efforts to make his sparkmate relent. He'd already polished and made himself as pretty as a senator. Did he really have to squeeze fancy bands of metal down onto his wrists too?

For diplomacy's sake, Optimus had tartly informed him, he did.

Despite his distaste for the bands of metal now rattling around his wrist joints, Ironhide was surprised to admit he rather liked the way Optimus looked in his. The bands of silver brought out the white of his sparkmate's paintjob and somehow made Optimus look even more regal than he usually did. Starfall hadn't needed any encouragement in adopting the local fashion. He had laden his arms with the planetary rings his new friends had given him so much so that he now jingled every time he moved. Ironhide suspected Starfall was going out of his way to swing his arms more than he usually did when he walked just so the metal bands would make more noise.

The family barely got two paces inside the hall before they were spotted.

"Lord Prime?" a silky voice called as a bright blue and silver seeker with dark red optics slid up to them. "Greetings."

"Greetings," Optimus replied. "To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"My name is Windsurfer, sir. Perhaps you remember me from Lord Cloudbreaker's visit to Iacon?"

"Ah, yes. I remember you. We were not formally introduced then. You are Cloudbreaker's counselor, am I correct?"

"Yes," Windsurfer said with a bob of his helm. He rewarded Optimus's keen memory with a smile. Ironhide couldn't help but feel it looked overly sweet. "My trine and I manage the Prince's affairs both here in Vos and when he travels and counsel him in different matters. You are the first of the Iaconian delegates to arrive. Please. Allow me to announce you to the Emirate and Lord Cloudbreaker. They are expecting you."

"Thank you," Optimus said as the blue and silver seeker motioned them to follow him deeper inside the hall.

As they walked, the crowd seemed to part for them. A number of guests dipped their heads or bent at the waist in a shallow bow to show their respect as they passed. Starfall's grip on Ironhide's hand tightened at the sudden attention. Ironhide squeezed Starfall's hand back reassuringly. He kept a stoic expression on his facial plates as his family followed after their self-appointed guide.

Breaking through the crowd on the other side of the hall, Ironhide spotted a raised dais set up between two of the hall's arches. On the dais, seated on an ornate gold chair, was the Emirate. The elderly purple and black femme sat straight and proud, her wings framing her petite frame. Flanking either side of the throne, just like when Ironhide and Optimus first met her, were Slipstream's ever-present guards. The jet-black coneheads stood at stiff attention, their blood-red optics suspiciously eyeing anyone who came near their mistress. Ironhide fought not to cringe under their unnervingly silent gaze as he and Optimus were led to the edge of the dais. Only as Windsurfer performed a sweeping bow to the Emirate did Ironhide notice Cloudbreaker and his family standing off to the side of the dais with a group of other important looking seekers. Ironhide suspected they were probably members of the extended royal household. A hush fell over that section of the hall as Windsurfer spoke.

"Lady Emirate, Lord Cloudbreaker, may I present to you Optimus Prime, accompanied by his sparkmate, Consort Ironhide, and their son, Starfall, of Iacon."

"Greetings, Lady Slipstream," Optimus said, bowing his head to the elderly femme. "My family and I are honored by your invitation to attend such a lavish reception."

"As if I would have let you and those other senators you brought go back to Iacon without sampling a taste of Vosian hospitality," Slipstream dismissively sniffed. "Let no one say we Vosians don't know how to treat our guests." Shifting in her seat, the old femme appraisingly looked Optimus and Ironhide up and down. Ironhide fought not to squirm underneath her intense gaze. "I see you got Cloudbreaker's gifts. I'm surprised to see you actually wearing them. I bet my son you wouldn't even try them on. Planetary rings are such a gaudy fashion we have here if you ask my honest opinion."

Ironhide and Optimus shared an uncomfortable look. Let no one say the Emirate was anything but blunt.

Slipstream's gaze slowly slid from Optimus and Ironhide down to the seeker sparkling clinging to Ironhide's hand. "I see you've brought your son with you." She leaned forward in her seat, her optics narrowed with scrutiny. "Come here, child. Let me see you." The thin bands of silver on Slipstream's wrists jingled ominously against each other as she beckoned him near.

Starfall cast Ironhide a panicked look. His grip on Ironhide's hand tightened. "Daddy…" he murmured in a frightened whine. His optics quietly begged Ironhide to protect him. No doubt he found the old femme's sharpness intimidating.

"It's alright, Star," Ironhide whispered. With great reluctance he pried Starfall's fingers from his hand. It killed him inside to force his son on while he stood back and watched. "Slipstream ain't gonna hurt yeh. Remember wha' ah told yeh 'bout wantin' ta make a good impression? Now don't be shy. Go on an' say hi."

For a moment of frozen fear, Starfall didn't move. Then, with great reluctance, he mounted the edge of the dais. His wings lay flat against the length of his back, quivering with apprehension as he approached the throne. He fearfully eyed the two coneheads stationed on either side of Slipstream. Slipstream rewarded Starfall with a thin smile when he finally came to a stop in front of her, still a good pace away. Her optics ran up and down him appraisingly.

"Such a sweet sparkling," she murmured. She flicked her hand at him, motioning him closer. "Come closer, child. My optics are old. I can't see as well as I once did."

Starfall hesitated another moment before obediently stepping up to the old femme's knees. Slipstream smiled and reached out to gently cup Starfall's face in her hand. Tipping Starfall's head back she turned his face side to side, studying every angle of his facial plates. From the edge of the dais, Ironhide could only watch in quiet suspense. Would Slipstream approve of Starfall? Would she still consider him her great-nephew after she was done inspecting him?

Finally, after what felt like ages to the old war mech, Slipstream released Starfall's chin plate with an approving nod and let him step back. "Such fine modeling specs. You will one day grow into a very handsome mech, I think. It is a shame your fathers refused my son's offer of a sparkbond. I would have been glad to make you an official member of my sparkline." Sitting back in her throne, Slipstream imperiously waved Starfall away. The bands on her wrist jangled noisily. "Go on. Go back to your fathers now."

Needing no other encouragement, Starfall scurried away off the dais. He rushed to Ironhide and slipped his hand back into his, pressing his body into the side of Ironhide's leg for good measure. Ironhide quietly scowled at Slipstream. He did not approve of Slipstream's continual need to reaffirm her power over others through intimidation, especially when it was directed towards his son.

"You have a beautiful son, Prime," Slipstream announced. "I hope to see more of Starfall in Vos in the future. He is, after all, the catalyst that convinced me to reopen Vos to the rest of the planet. Until then, please enjoy my house's hospitality. Tonight's festivities are all in your honor."

"Thank you," Optimus bowed.

It took Ironhide a moment to realize that they'd just been dismissed from the Emirate's presence. With a subtle nod of his head, Optimus motioned Ironhide towards the far side of the dais where Cloudbreaker and his family stood waiting to greet them. Starfall's hand remained tightly latched onto Ironhide's as they moved away from the Emirate.

"Prime! Consort Ironhide!" Cloudbreaker warmly greeted. "Welcome. I am so glad you decided to wear my gifts."

"You both look wonderful," his sparkmate, Rainstorm, agreed. The tiny gold chimes on her helm cap tinkled softly against each other as she smiled. "Planetary rings suit you. One could almost mistake you for Vosian natives now."

Ironhide highly doubted that, but kept his thoughts to himself. As Optimus kept reminding him, they had to be diplomatic.

"Thank you," Optimus replied for the both of them. "Any and all praise must be directed towards your sparkmate, however. Without his guidance Ironhide and I would have been lost as to what was acceptable to wear."

Rainstorm smiled knowingly. "Cloudbreaker does consider himself somewhat of an amateur fashion expert."

"Did yeh an' Slipstream really have a bet goin' 'bout if we were gonna wear the rings 'r not ta-night?" Ironhide asked.

The red and gold prince smirked. "My mother initiated the bet and I took it. What kind of Prime and Consort would miss the opportunity to wear such finery to a formal event?"

Ironhide decided not to tell Cloudbreaker how close he'd come to losing. If it hadn't been for Optimus' insistence, Ironhide wouldn't have even bothered with a coat of wax, let alone fancy bands of metal he had to endure jangling over his wrists all night.

"Star," Cloudbreaker's son, Cloudburst, greeted from between his creators.

"Hey," Starfall beamed. To Ironhide's disappointment, Starfall's grip lessened and slipped out of Ironhide's hand. The two sparklings rushed to each other and bent their heads together in instantaneous, animated chatter as if they hadn't seen each other only several joors before. Ironhide couldn't help the flash of irritation towards the younger Vosian prince for stealing his son away. He would have been perfectly content to keep Starfall near him all night.

"Would you like some refreshments?" Cloudbreaker asked. Before either Optimus or Ironhide could reply, he snapped his fingers and a servant appeared by his side as if he'd teleported there with a tray of bright blue energon drinks. "Please. Help yourself."

"No thank you," Optimus said. He motioned towards the plates of metal covering his mouth. "I must uphold my mystique. Especially in the presence of foreign dignitaries."

Cloudbreaker and Rainstorm smirked.

"Drat," Rainstorm sighed dramatically in mock disappointment. "And here I had been hoping to catch you off guard and finally get to see the Prime's face. You should know there is a lot of speculation here in Vos as to what you look like underneath that mask."

"There are those who speculate about the very same thing in Iacon," Optimus joked with a deep chuckle.

Cloudbreaker glanced at Ironhide. "How about you, Consort? Surely you won't decline our hospitality too?"

Ironhide eyed the tray of drinks. Each was poured into its own individual cube which was only about a fourth the size of a normal energon cube. Across his and Optimus's bond, he felt his sparkmate silently urging him to accept. No doubt Optimus was worried their hosts would be insulted if Ironhide didn't take one after Optimus refused. Luckily for Optimus's diplomacy Ironhide had never been one to pass up a free drink.

"Ah guess ah can try one," Ironhide shrugged. He plucked a cube of glowing liquid off the tray.

"I should probably warn you those drinks are strong," Rainstorm whispered to Ironhide. The chimes on her helm cap tinkled delicately against each other over the background music as she bent her head towards him. "That particular drink is known as Blue Afterburn."

"Ah can hold meh high grade," Ironhide assured her. He raised the cube to his lips and took a deep swallow. The first thing Ironhide tasted was a rush of sweetness. It flooded his oral cavity and coated his glossa. He was just about to ask if the drink really was high grade when the drink decided to show him why it was called afterburn. In the wake of the initial rush of sweetness his mouth exploded with a heatless burn. He choked at the sensation, thumping his chest with one hand as the liquid burned a trail of fire down his intake line to his fuel tank.

The two Vosian royals were unable to completely mask their snorts of amusement at the indignant look of shock that must have shown on Ironhide's face.

"I'm sorry," Rainstorm struggled to say past repressed giggles. "But I did try to warn you."

"It was good," Ironhide coughed, trying to mask the strangled sound of his voice. "Just… wasn't expectin' that." As though to prove to them he wasn't a mech that was going to be defeated by a colorful party drink, Ironhide took a second, more tentative sip. This time, the resulting burn did not surprise him and Ironhide found he rather enjoyed the slow burning sensation that warmed his insides.

"My lord," a silky voice said from Cloudbreaker's side. It was the prince's counselor, Windsurfer. When he had arrived Ironhide couldn't say. "The other Iaconian delegates have arrived."

"Excellent," Cloudbreaker nodded. "I will introduce them to the Emirate." He tuned back to Optimus and Ironhide. "Please excuse me. Until I return, please enjoy the festivities."

"Thank you," Optimus said.

"Father," Cloudburst tentatively spoke up. "Can I stay with Starfall? There aren't any other sparklings for me to talk to and these parties are always so boring."

The Vosian prince frowned. "You should come greet the other Iaconians, Cloudburst. It is only polite of you to do so as a member of the royal sparkline."

A crestfallen look of disappointment flashed across both Cloudburst and Starfall's faces.

"It's alright, Cloudbreaker," Optimus intervened. "I'm sure the senators won't mind Cloudburst not being there. Starfall and Cloudburst can keep each other entertained while we adults socialize."

Cloudbreaker eyed the two sparklings with a contemplative look. He finally nodded. "Very well. Cloudburst, I am entrusting you to be the Prime and Consort's escort while your mother and I are greeting our other guests. Behave and listen to them."

"Yes, father," the miniature red and gold sparkling nodded gravely.

"We'll watch over him," Optimus assured Cloudbreaker with an audible smile.

Cloudbreaker nodded, and with that he and Rainstorm moved away into the crowd. As soon as the two older Vosians were out of sight, Cloudburst and Starfall turned back to each other with victorious squeals of delight. Ironhide and Optimus shared a humored look. At least Starfall seemed to be having a good time.

As their race's leading family in a foreign capital it was unlikely they would remain alone to circulate the Great Hall. Almost as soon as Cloudbreaker and Rainstorm left, a steady stream of high-ranking Vosians swarmed Optimus and Ironhide. Ironhide politely nodded and shook hands with everyone who came up to introduce themselves, but he gave up trying to remember bots' names after the third or fourth seeker introduced himself. It was Optimus's job to keep track of names and ranks, not his. While Optimus exchanged sugary greetings with the Vosians, Ironhide distracted himself by keeping half an optic on Starfall and his new playmate. The two seemed to be getting along well. Despite Ironhide's initial mistrust towards Cloudbreaker trying to manufacture a friendship between Starfall and Cloudburst, he was glad to see Starfall happy. Even if he still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of making peace with a city of former Decepticons, Ironhide had to admit it was good for Starfall to be able to be around other bots of his same model.

Caught up in his thoughts, Ironhide was startled when a deep voice suddenly spoke right beside him.

"Consort Ironhide?"

Looking around, Ironhide was surprised to find Starscream's former trinemate, Thundercracker, standing there.

"Thundercracker," Optimus greeted with a smile in his voice. "It's good to see you again."

"Prime," Thundercracker primly nodded. Optimus reached out and shook Thundercracker's hand. After a half second pause of hesitation, Ironhide offered his own hand to the seeker, which was promptly accepted and returned. "How are you liking the party so far?"

"Very well," Optimus affirmed. "Everybody has been nothing but welcoming. I'm glad to see you here. I was beginning to wonder if we were going to see you tonight."

Thundercracker gave him a thin smile. "The night is still young, Prime. You shouldn't have worried. I made a promise to seek you out and introduce you to my family. I would have found you at some point before the end of the night." Thundercracker glanced backwards over his shoulder vent. Only then did Ironhide notice the other seeker standing half a step behind Thundercracker along with the small blue and silver sparkling from the gardens earlier that day. The mech's paintjob was bright silver with blue wing stripes and edging. His optics, like most of the other Vosians', was a dark Decepticon red. "This is my sparkmate, Quicksilver, and our son, Thunderclap," Thundercracker said, motioning them forward.

"Greetings," Quicksilver smiled. "Welcome to Vos. I hope you are finding our city to your liking." The mech spoke in a slow, cultured manner. Ironhide didn't see any insignias or weapons that marked him as a military mech like Thundercracker.

Ambivalent to the adults, Thunderclap rushed to Starfall and Cloudburst. The three sparklings huddled together, talking and laughing with an instantaneous energy only young children ever seemed capable of.

"Thank you," Optimus replied. "Vos is a wonderful city. We hope to see more of it before we leave." Ever the diplomat, Optimus reached out to shake Quicksilver's hand. The other mech accepted the Prime's hand.

"Thundercracker told me he once fought you in the Great War," Quicksilver said conversationally as he offered his hand to Ironhide next. Ironhide had to juggle the cube of Blue Afterburn he was still holding to his other hand to return the gesture. The mech's grip was strong and self-assured.

"We fought each other more than a few times," Ironhide grunted. "There were lots 'a battles on Earth."

"I am so glad the Great War is over and the Emirate is seeking peace with the rest of the planet now," Quicksilver said. "I never had the opportunity to travel before the war. If Vos is reopened I would like to go abroad and see Iacon and the other great cities of Cybertron."

"We would be happy to host you if you and Thundercracker ever decided to visit Iacon," Optimus said.

"Wha' do yeh do fer a livin?" Ironhide asked. "Yeh don't look like a military mech."

"That's because I'm not," Quicksilver said. "I am one of the Emirate's administrative counselors. My trine works directly under Lady Slipstream. We make sure that the Emirate's policies are implemented to her satisfaction. That was actually how I met Thundercracker."

"After Fallout became commander of the Air Force, there was massive reorganization within the Vosian military," Thundercracker explained. "Quicksilver was sent by the Emirate to make sure several changed she wanted made were done."

"It was my job to tell an army of war-hardened mech how they were supposed to change their day-to-day doings," Quicksilver remembered with a grimace. "It was not a fun experience. I'm sure you can imagine how an administrative aide, even one as high-ranking as myself, from the Emirate's council would have been received by the upper crust of the air force."

Ironhide and Optimus both grimaced with sympathy. In the early days of the war they had both had had to deal with mechs from the Senate and High Council who wanted the army to do what they wanted. Situations where politics tried to interfere with military operations often led to violent clashes of ideology and power struggles. It seemed even in Vos where the Emirate ruled all aspects of government, the military still did not like political entities interfering in their business.

"Luckily," Quicksilver went on, "Commander Fallout did not want to deal directly with me and assigned one of his trinemates to act as his go-between. That trinemate was Thundercracker. Over the course of my assignment to the air force, Thundercracker and I spent a lot of time together. After my job was done Thundercracker asked if I would be willing to continue seeing him outside of an official capacity." A soft smile spread across the silver seeker's face as he leaned closer to his sparkmate. Their wings delicately brushed against each other. "We have been together ever since."

"So your partnership is a love-bond then? Not arranged?" Optimus asked. Ironhide could hear the smile in his sparkmate's voice. Although Optimus would never come out and admit it, Ironhide knew Optimus was a romantic deep at spark and enjoyed hearing happy love stories.

Quicksilver and Thundercracker both nodded. Quicksilver leaned towards Optimus and whispered in a conspiratorial sotto voice, "I consider myself extremely lucky. I got to Thundercracker before anyone else could try and court him. Such a handsome mech like him wouldn't have remained single for long after everyone started coming home after the war."

"The Prime doesn't want to hear this, Quicksilver," Thundercracker hissed. He shifted uncomfortably in place. Ironhide snickered at the other mech's discomfort. No doubt Thundercracker was embarrassed to be spoken of so fondly in front of others by his sparkmate. A mech of military standing like Thundercracker had a reputation to uphold, after all.

"On the contrary," Optimus said. "I am finding this conversation very interesting." Ironhide could hear the grin hiding behind his sparkmate's face mask.

Quicksilver chuckled, smiling teasingly at his sparkmate. "See, Thundercracker. You don't have to be so serious all the time. Even the Prime has a sense of humor." He leaned closer to his sparkmate so that their wings touched. "Have some fun. The war is over. We are all friends now. Let's celebrate that."

Thundercracker grumbled something too low for Ironhide to hear. Quicksilver chuckled and slipped his arm through Thundercracker's around his elbow. Although his face remained a stoic mask, Thundercracker's stiff posture relaxed under his sparkmate's touch. Ironhide was struck by the sight. Even after everything he'd seen in Vos and all the Vosians he had talked to he was still taken aback by sights like this. He was still used to thinking of seekers as Decepticons – ruthless killers whose only goal was the subjugation of the rest of the universe. It shook him to be reminded that Vosians were just like every other Cybertronian, capable of being loving sparkmates and fathers. To see Thundercracker sharing a quiet moment with his sparkmate reminded Ironhide that the war was over and some of his old views of seekers had to be reevaluated.

The lights hanging from the ceiling suddenly dimmed, throwing the hall into semi-darkness. The three sparklings huddled between them squealed in mock fright before dissolving into a chorus of excited giggles. An excited murmur went through the crowd. The Vosians congregated in the center of the hall began to drift to the sides, clearing the circular area of space underneath the hall's domed ceiling. Many of the higher-ranking looking seekers moved towards the raised sections of seats that lined the edges of the hall.

"What's going on?" Optimus asked, glancing at Thundercracker and Quicksilver.

"Come," Quicksilver said, motioning Optimus and Ironhide to follow him. "The Emirate's arranged a special performance in honor of your visit."

"Performance?" Ironhide said. "Wha' kind 'a performance?"

"Have you ever heard of Vosian wind dancers?" Thundercracker asked as Quicksilver led the way across the floor towards a section of terraced seats next to the Emirate's throne. Starfall, Cloudburst and Thunderclap trailed after the adults, giggling excitedly amongst themselves.

"No," Ironhide grunted. "What're they?"

"Wind dancing is Vos's native dance style," Quicksilver explained. "Here," he pointed up to the second highest tier of seats. "That should do well. To fully enjoy a wind dancing performance, it is important to get a seat where you can see the floor as well as the dancers." As they climbed the stairs that ran along the side of the seats, Ironhide noticed several high-ranking seekers among the groups of trines that had already claimed seats in that particular section. He recognized them from his and Optimus's whirlwind stream of introductions after Cloudbreaker and Rainstorm left them. Optimus nodded his helm in acknowledgement to the Vosian nobles as they made their ascent. In the next seating section over, Ironhide caught a quick glance of Senators Draxil, Phalanx and Defcon sitting amongst the trines of seekers. Cloudbreaker and Rainstorm sat with them, conversing happily.

"Please," Quicksilver gestured, motioning Optimus and Ironhide ahead of him towards the metal bench that ran across the width of the terrace and served as their seats. Optimus and Ironhide sat. Quicksilver claimed the spot on Optimus's other side while Thundercracker sat beside Ironhide, the two seekers sandwiching Optimus and Ironhide between them.

"Children," Quicksilver called, "why don't you three sit on the bench below us? That way you can all sit together, but we can keep an optic on you."

"Come on," Thunderclap said, grabbing Starfall's hand and pulling him forward. Starfall let Thunderclap tug him towards the bench below the adults. Cloudburst followed and the three of them clustered together so close that their wings touched and overlapped each other.

Ironhide studied them contemplatively from behind. It was obvious Starfall was becoming close friends with the other two. He was sure Cloudbreaker and the Emirate would be pleased. Without any coaxing Starfall had become friends with a Vosian price and the son of one the air force's high commanders and one of the Emirate's top advisors. Ironhide wasn't sure how he felt about that. As Thundercracker had explained, the Vosians were looking for any way they could to create political ties with Iacon through Starfall. With an arranged sparkbond out of the question would the Vosians turn their attention to trying to manipulate Starfall into becoming trinemates with Cloudburst and Thunderclap? Thundercracker had said trines could form at any age. He'd also said Starfall and Thunderclap showed potential for future trinemates.

Ironhide's fuel tank clenched uncomfortably at the thought. He had nothing against Starfall making friends with other seeker children, but the future ramifications of him becoming close to the children of such high-ranking Vosians smacked too much of political manipulation for Ironhide to feel completely comfortable with. He meant to protect his son from becoming a pawn in their planet's politics for as long as he could. The idea of locking Starfall away in his room until he received his final upgrade was still an option as far as Ironhide was concerned.

By now the center of the hall had cleared of bots. All those in attendance stood or sat along the sides of the hall. Below them on her raised dais, the Emirate lifted her hand and gave an imperious wave. The room instantly quieted. The lights of the hall brightened slightly and three trines of seekers appeared from one of the doorways that connected to the palace. They rushed the center of the room and took places in a large circle. They stood standing outwards to the audience, their backs to each other. Each trine of dancers was painted in a similar color scheme. One trine sported bright yellow paint jobs, the other blue, and the third dark green. They stood in staggered order around the circle so that no two seekers with the same paint job stood next to each other. Each dancer wore thick stacks of planetary rings around their wrists and fancy helm caps with dangling chimes. Lengths of chains were draped around each of their waists. As if the dancers' outlandish ornamentations weren't enough Ironhide couldn't help but notice the strange apparatuses strapped around the bottoms of their thrusters.

"What're those fer?" Ironhide whispered to Thundercracker, nodding with his chin towards the dancers' feet. "They look like they have parkin' boots."

"Those are what make wind dancing so unique," Thundercracker replied. "Those 'boots' as you call them, are basically removable hover devices. They levitate the wearer slightly off the ground so that when the dancer moves he does not take steps so much as glides above the ground on a thin layer of air. It gives the essence of flight without requiring the wearer to actually leave the ground."

"It takes vorns for dancers to learn how to properly balance and move in them, let alone with any sense of grace," Quicksilver chimed in from Optimus's other side. "I once tried my hand at wind dancing when I was younger. I barely took a step before I fell flat on my face."

Thundercracker went on. "Those propulsion boots have pressure-activated paint canisters attached to them. As the dancer moves, he, in essence, slides his feet across the ground along a thin layer of air. That pressurized air activates the paint canisters' sensors and leaves a line of paint in the dancer's wake. Anywhere the dancer presses his foot to the ground paint is left. All the dancers move in choreographed patterns which create designs on the floor. Each dance creates a different design. Some designs, depending on how many trines of dancers there are or how long the dance is, can be quite elaborate."

"Sometimes each trine of dancers - or if there is only one trine each member of that trine - will use a different color of paint, which changes the design even more," Quicksilver added.

Ironhide and Optimus digested this for a moment, trying to picture such a thing in their minds.

"That is so interesting," Optimus said. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

"Doesn't dancin' with paint make a big mess?" Ironhide wondered out loud. "How doesn't it get smeared everywhere? Wha 'bout afterwards? Ah'd hate ta be the servant that has ta clean all that up."

Quicksilver chuckled. "It is not like that, Consort. Wind dancers use special paint. The paint is specially formulated to instantly dry on contact with the ground. It is also designed to fade away. Come morning the design the dancers make will completely disappear."

Ironhide opened his mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by the opening chords of music. The entire Audience Hall fell silent, everyone's gaze focused on the nine seekers in the middle of the room. The music was ethereal and slow, its beat hypnotic. Ironhide had never heard anything quite like it before. The dancers began to move in perfect union to the music. Their dance steps took them sideways in a circular pattern, their movements sweeping and almost fluid in nature. Just as Thundercracker and Quicksilver had said, streaks of vibrant red paint were left in the wake of wherever a dancer slid his foot across the ground. Ironhide had never taken much interest in dance or any other performing arts and had little to compare what he was seeing to. Yet a likeness came to mind he couldn't shake. During his years on Earth he'd managed to absorb some of the local culture. Although wind dancing was a performing style unlike anything else, Ironhide couldn't help but liken the dance movements to a combination of ballet and ice skating.

As the music swelled, each trine of dancers broke into different dance movements – each dancer still perfectly synched with his other trinemates but performing different steps to the other two trines within the greater choreography of the dance. The three trines glided fluidly back and forth, in and out of each other, always in a circular pattern. Spins and long, arching sweeps of their arms and legs contributed to overall effect. The dancers moved with a hypnotic, unworldly grace. Their bodies swayed to the music, like leafs drifting on a gentle thermal draft. Their dexterity was impressive. They twisted and rolled their limbs to the music in ways Ironhide had never thought Cybertronians were capable of. As he watched in stunned awe, the blue trine of dancers arced backwards, rolling their upper bodies from right to left in time to a long swell of music before gracefully righting themselves again and spinning towards the center of the dance troupe. Ironhide couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. There was something distinctly erotic about the way the wind dancers moved. It was subdued but undeniably present. He doubted anyone as young as Starfall, Thunderclap or Cloudburst would pick up on it, but the way the dancers bent and arched their bodies to the music, the way the lengths of chain draped around their waists swayed with their movements, and the slow, graceful way they glided in circles around the floor was quietly seductive.

Beneath the dancers, the lines of red paint were coalescing into one large design. The yellow, blue and green trines continued to dance in and out of each other, around and around the floor in a circle. At times the dancers seemed ready to crash into each but they always seemed to gracefully spin away from each at the last moment. Finally, the music began to slow. The dancers' movements became collectively synchronized again. As the music drifted away into one last long, lingering note the three trines were once again staggered in order of color in a giant circle. On the floor between them was complex geometric design of red paint. The lines intersected and crossed each other in such a way that it was impossible to tell it had been made with countless, separate streaks. Although Ironhide did not consider himself a cultured bot, he knew a work of art when he saw one.

A roar of approval rose from the Audience Hall as the music faded into nothing and the trines of dancers bent in graceful bows to the audience.

Ironhide and Optimus were too stunned to do anything else but join in with the rest of the crowd and clap. The applause continued as Slipstream stood from her throne and walked to the edge of her dais. Her black-plated guards followed half a step behind her. With a little wave she motioned the dancers to her. They approached and dipped into elaborate bows before her. Ironhide couldn't hear what the Emirate said to them over the applause of the hall, but both Slipstream and the dancers looked pleased. The dancers bowed lower to her before righting themselves and swiftly exiting towards the door they'd appeared through. The applause of the crowd continued for some time after they disappeared back inside the palace.

Ironhide continued to stare after them, still trying to make out what he'd just seen, even after everyone else in the hall picked up the conversations they'd been having before the performance began.

"Well?" Quicksilver asked after a suitable amount of time had passed. His optics gleamed with anticipation. "What did you think of wind dancing?"

Optimus was the first to speak. "That was… beautiful. I have never seen anything like it before."

Ironhide glanced at his sparkmate. "Ah think we should get a few trines of them wind dancers ta perform at whatever fancy reception the Council has next. It'll definitely make things more interestin'."

Quicksilver grinned. "I'm sure if you tell the Emirate how much you enjoyed the performance, she would be happy to send a troupe of wind dancers to Iacon to perform at whatever function you have planned next. It would be the chance for a cultural exchange between our cities."

Ironhide inwardly snickered. He'd love to see the expressions on the senators' and high councilors' faces if they were to see such a strange dance performed. No doubt most of them would be dumbstruck. Political opposition for reestablishing relations with Vos would disappear overnight.

"How do them dancers not run into each other?" Ironhide asked, glancing at Thundercracker. "They don't even look at each other while they dance. Yeh'd think they had optics in the back 'a their heads er something."

The blue mech snorted derisively. "Seekers do not need to look to see where their trinemates are. They instinctively *know* where they are and what they're doing. Wind dancers also move to extremely precise steps. Everything is highly choreographed. If the dancers are doing everything correctly, there is no reason for them to need to see where the others dancers are."

"Daddy!" Starfall called, spinning around on the bench below theirs to look up at Ironhide. "I wanna learn how to wind dance! Cloudburst said sparklings can take lessons."

"My creators make me go to wind dancing lessons every deca-cycle," Cloudburst said.

"We'll hafta see, Star," Ironhide said. "Wind dancin' looks hard an' we're not gonna be in Vos very long. Yer not gonna have much time ta learn much."

"I'm sure I can arrange for Starfall to take a few sparkling lessons before you leave," Quicksilver offered. "At least give him a chance to try it. Lots of children of high-ranking Vosians take lessons. Wind dancing is considered part of cultured learning here. Thunderclap just started taking lessons a few lunar cycles ago himself."

"I still can't hover right," the little blue and silver sparkling grumbled from Starfall's side.

"We'll ask about it tomorrow, Star," Optimus said placating.

A muffled series of pops suddenly sounded from outside the hall. Flashes of colored light illuminated the glass dome.

"Fireworks?" Ironhide grunted. The children all squealed with excitement.

"Come," Quicksilver said, standing up from the bench. "Let's go outside to see them." Most of other partygoers were heading for the archways that led to the crystal gardens.

Optimus and Ironhide followed after Quicksilver as he led them back down the seating and towards the nearest archway. Seekers were spread across the gardens outside, their heads tilted up towards the night sky. Plumes of color exploded and sizzled overhead. The crystals glowed in the moonlight. Their sides caught the light of the fireworks and flashed with the different colors.

Quicksilver led Ironhide and Optimus into the crystal garden to a less crowded area. As they took their places to watch the show, Starfall sidled up next to Ironhide and leaned against the front of his legs, his optics wide with awe as lights exploded overhead.

"Daddy, look at the fireworks. They're so pretty."

"They are, aren't they?" Ironhide agreed over the pop and fizzle of fireworks. Without any conscious thought Ironhide reached down and rested one hand on top of his son's helm. He usually liked to leave the optimist thinking to his sparkmate, but in that instant Ironhide couldn't help but believe those fireworks really did signal the beginning of a new Golden Age.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Three: Perfection Shattered

The sound of the alarm startled Optimus out of deep recharge. He blindly clawed through the darkness and slapped the alarm back into silence. He collapsed back onto the berth with a tired groan. The only thing to indicate Ironhide had heard anything was a muffled grunt. The weapons specialist shifted on the berth before going still again with one arm thrown across Optimus's chest. Optimus couldn't muster the willpower to shake his sparkmate's arm off and rise just yet. He lay on his back staring up through the darkness at the ceiling. Although only operating at half capacity, the light from Optimus's optics was enough to illuminate the edges of their berthroom's furniture in a dim blue glow. The deep purr of Ironhide's engine was hypnotic. Like a siren's call, it urged Optimus to let himself drift offline and rejoin his sparkmate in recharge.

Optimus wished he could. He would have liked nothing more than to sleep more, but he had to get up. The High Council was set to convene later that day and he was scheduled to give a speech. He had to get to the Tower early to prepare. It had been three lunar cycles now since he and his family had returned from Vos. Since their historic visit, relations between Vos and the rest of Cybertron's city-states had settled into a tentative, cooperative peace. Cloudbreaker had reclaimed Vos's seat on the High Council, and another Vosian representative was set to join the Senate within the next deca-cycle. Vosian credits were already beginning to flood into Iacon's economy from several trade agreements Optimus and Senators Draxil, Phalanx, and Defcon had brokered during their visit. The reopening of Vos had left many business-mechs across the planet scrambling to make connections with the Vosians. Although the chances of a common citizen meeting a seeker on the streets of Iacon or any of Cybertron's other major city-states were still slim, Vosians were becoming more of a common sight in business and political settings.

Not everyone was happy with these latest developments though. There was a minority of the population that was avidly opposed to the Vosians leaving their city. Some of them had proven to be quite outspoken, especially in the news and through privately published media. Vos had become the topic of many evening newsfeed debates. Optimus and Ironhide had listened to several of them on the teleconsol, if only to keep abreast on what others were saying on the matter. Each time one came on, Optimus would delicately suggest that Starfall leave the living area and go play in his room. He didn't want his son to hear the bigoted hatred being spewed about his frame-type by prejudiced mechs on the teleconsol.

Much of the opposition's vehemence seemed to focus on the misguided worry that if the Vosians were allowed to rejoin global politics that Cybertron would run the risk of being dragged into a second Great War. Even though the Vosians hadn't been directly involved in the outbreak of the Great War seekers were still being blamed for it thousands of years later. Listening to such nonsense was almost enough to convince Optimus to personally go on one of the political debate shows and give his own opinion on the matter. He refrained from doing so, however. There were enough politicians and powerful business-mechs already defending the reopening of Vos. For Optimus to get involved would only add fire to an already raging debate. Besides, many would consider his views biased. As the adopted father of a seeker sparkling, he would only make himself and his family a bigger target for the opposition.

Luckily, his speech later that day for the Council had nothing to do with Vos. At least Optimus could find some kind of reprieve from the topic.

Venting a heavy cycle of air, Optimus gathered his willpower and sat up. Ironhide grunted in his sleep and blearily blinked his optics online.

"Wha time is it?" he mumbled.

"It's still early," Optimus said as he stood up from the berth. "You don't have to get up yet."

"Star up yet?"

"No. I'll wake him after I use the wash rack."

"Alright." Ironhide's voice was still garbled with sleep but Optimus knew he wouldn't fall asleep again. His sparkmate didn't have to get up for at least another joor to go to the Planetary Defense Force's headquarters but Ironhide usually liked to get up with him and Starfall to spend time with them before they had to go to the Council Tower and school.

Leaning over the side of the berth, Optimus gave his sparkmate a quick kiss on the side of the cheek plate. They had drifted into recharge the night before wrapped in each other's arms, exhausted and sated after an intense round of lovemaking. The memory of it made Optimus even more reluctant to leave the warmth of his sparkmate's side just yet.

Ironhide grinned up at Optimus through the dim light of their optics. He was more awake now than he'd been a minute ago. Both he and Optimus had fallen asleep with his chest plates open. Reaching up, Ironhide trailed the tip of one finger along the edge of his sparkmate's inner chest cavity, right below the Matrix. He sent a strong pulse of energy across their sparkbond. It was suggestive and playful.

"Yeh lookin' fer a repeat performance 'a last night?"

Optimus fought not to succumb to the husky timber of his sparkmate's voice. He wasn't completely successful and shivered under the other mech's touch. "I would like nothing better, love, but I have to get ready. There's a busy day ahead of both of us."

Optimus felt Ironhide's disappointment across their bond before it lightened with mischievousness. "Later ta-night?"

"Tonight," Optimus confirmed with a smile.

Standing straight, Optimus closed his chest plates and slipped out of the room to the wash rack. When he emerged some time later – washed and shining with polish - he heard Ironhide moving around in the main part of the domicile. It sounded like he was preparing their morning cubes of energon. Going to the end of the hall, Optimus motioned the door to Starfall's room open. It was dark inside. The little body on the berth was motionless. Optimus padded near and carefully sat on the edge of Starfall's bed. Starfall didn't move. His wings rose and fell to the rhythm of the whirl of his vents. Optimus studied his son's sleeping face in the dim half-light, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

For some time now, life in the Prime family had been perfect - or at least as close to perfect as Life could actually be. Optimus could barely remember how things were like before Starfall had come to live with them. The days prior to Ironhide accepting Starfall as their son felt like nothing but distant memories anymore. The old weapons specialist was so protective of their son now one would think he had sparked the little seeker himself. Not long before they'd gone to Vos, Skyfire had come to visit one evening. The scientist had seemed pleased by the change he saw between Starfall and Ironhide. Not since the night Starfall ran away had Skyfire mentioned his threat of going to the authorities again. He seemed as eager as Optimus and Ironhide to pretend that incident had never happened. Since then, Skyfire had returned to his previous role of welcomed family friend, not watchful social worker.

"Star?" Optimus softly called. He reached down and gently rubbed the back of his knuckles against Starfall's cheek. "Star? It's time to get up."

Starfall groaned and shifted on the berth, but refused to online his optics.

Optimus chuckled. "Come on, Star. I know you want to sleep in but it's time to get up." He moved his touch to his son's wings and began rubbing them encouragingly.

Another groan. This one slightly more awake. "Ugh… Five more klicks, dad."

"Not today, Star. I'm driving you to school and we have to leave soon. Time to get up."

Starfall grumbled something into the berth mat – a sound that was strikingly similar to one of Ironhide's – before groggily blinking his optics online. He gazed up at Optimus, his turquoise blue optic lens still glazed with sleep. "But I don't wanna."

Optimus fought not to laugh at the pitiful dejection in Starfall's voice. "Time to get up," he insisted. "You have school. You should be excited. Convoy's supposed to come over after school."

Starfall seemed to wake up a little bit more. He rolled onto his back and stared at Optimus. "Can Convoy and I watch the teleconsol when we get home? We wanna watch our show."

"If you both finish your homework beforehand," Optimus agreed.

Starfall sat up, his optics still fuzzed with sleep. His wings hung tiredly down his back. He no longer seemed in danger of falling asleep again though. "Come on," Optimus said, cheerfully leading the way to the door. "Your father is getting your fuel ready."

Starfall dragged himself off his berth and followed Optimus down the hall to the kitchenette. Ironhide was inside, filling an energon cube from the dispenser. Several full ones already sat on the table.

"Morning, daddy!" Starfall called as he hoisted himself up onto one of the chairs.

"Mornin', bitlet." Ironhide set a half-full cube of glowing purple liquid in front of Starfall. "Yeh recharge well?"

"Yeah," Starfall smiled.

Ironhide returned the smile and turned back to the dispenser. As he did so, he rested a fleeting hand on top of Starfall's helm as though to reaffirm his possession of their son. Optimus hid his grin behind the cube of energon he raised to his mouth at his sparkmate's wordless display. Despite his public persona as a tough-as-nails war mech, Optimus knew Ironhide could be surprisingly tender when he wanted to. His interactions with Starfall in the privacy of their domicile proved it.

"Are you still able to pick Star up from school today?" Optimus asked over the rim of his energon cube. "I doubt I will be done with the Council matters until late."

"Yea. No problem. Ah'm due at headquarters ta-day, but ah'll be done before Star gets outta school."

"Don't forget Convoy's coming over after school," Starfall interjected.

"Ah haven't fer-gotten. Just make sure yeh two are waitin' at the usual place on the edge of the lot. Ah don't wanna hafta ta talk Scion if ah can avoid it. Last time ah saw him, he was still askin' bout settin' up a play date for Star an' his kid."

"Scion is being surprisingly persistent on the matter," Optimus agreed. "Perhaps it might be easier to just entertain his request and be done with it."

"Wha? An' give in? Ugh uh. Ah ain't buckling under ta some shiny-plated senator. Plus, who's ta say cavin' in won't just make him more persistent 'bout settin' up a second one?"

"That is true…" Optimus sighed.

Breakfast conversation lapsed into more enjoyable topics. When Optimus finally finished his last cube of energon, he looked up at the chronometer on the wall. "Come on, Star. Time to get going."

"Okay," Starfall said, pushing away his empty energon cube. He began to slide down off the chair when his optics suddenly lit. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Before either Optimus or Ironhide could ask, Starfall raced out of the room. They heard the door to his room open at the end of the hallway, and then close again. A klick later, he reappeared in the doorway, pushing a number of gold planetary rings down over his servos onto his wrist joints. "Alright," he announced, grinning widely. "I'm ready!" The stacks of rings on his wrist joints chimed together musically.

Optimus had to smile. Since returning from Vos, Starfall made a point of never leaving their domicile without at least three rings on each hand. The planetary rings his friends had given him during their stay had become some of his most treasured possessions. As planned, Starfall had given Convoy a small stack of rings as a gift when they returned to Iacon. Ever since, every time Optimus saw the little red and yellow sparkling, Convoy would be wearing Starfall's gifts. It was Optimus's understanding from what Starfall told him and what he'd seen in the transformation lot whenever he dropped Starfall off or picked him up, that planetary rings were becoming somewhat of a budding fad in Starfall's school. He'd seen a number of other sparklings and younglings wearing colorful makeshift metal bands on their wrists. A number of senators and council members with school-aged children that went to district 11's Academy had also approached him asking where they could get planetary rings like Starfall's for their children.

Optimus couldn't help but marvel at the development. Vos's borders had been open for only a few lunar-cycles and already little bits of their culture were starting to creep into everyday life. He wondered how long it would be until Vosian fashions spread outside the walls of Starfall's academy and into mainstream culture. He saw it as a positive sign for the future. If children could come to accept and even wish to mimic someone with a frame-type so different from their own that had to mean there was still hope of the adults of their race doing so as well. Opposition for seekers reintegrating with other cities remained strong, but if children could learn to appreciate one another then so could everyone else.

"Ready?" Optimus asked, standing from the table. He activated the plates of his battle mask to slide shut over his mouth.

Starfall nodded. "Yep. Bye, daddy!" he called over his shoulder vent to Ironhide as he followed Optimus to the door. "See you later!"

"You an' Convoy be ready when ah come ta pick yeh up. No waitin', remember?"

"Ugh huh!"

Optimus smiled behind his facemask and sent Ironhide a strong spark pulse of affection across their bond. "I will see you later this evening."

Ironhide grunted his reply, affection leaking across their bond. With that, Optimus let the door of their domicile slide close behind him.

OOOOOOOO

Starfall wanted to cheer with joy when the final bell of the day sounded. It had been a long orn and Starfall was looking forward to going home and spending time with Convoy. As their history instructor, Backslide, powered down the classroom's projector and gathered up his lecture notes, the other sparklings of Alpha-4 erupted into excited movement and talk. A flood of sparklings rushed for the door, their subspace compartments full of that evening's homework assignments. Eagerly shoving his own data pads into his subspace unit, Starfall turned to Convoy. The little red sparkling had just finished packing up his own things. He seemed just as eager as Starfall to be free of school.

"Ready?" Starfall asked.

"Yes," Convoy nodded. Together, they slid down the row of seats and into the aisle.

"Bye, Professor!" they chorused as they ran past Backslide for the door.

"Good evening, boys," Backslide called after them.

The hallways were packed with other sparklings and younglings all heading for the exit. Taking Convoy's hand, Starfall expertly navigated them through the press of bodies. As in almost everything else they did Convoy let Starfall take control, happy to let him lead. Starfall weaved them in and out of the crowd. Several goodbyes were shouted to them from other sparklings of Alpha-4 as they sped past. Starfall tried to shout back his own goodbyes as best he could over the din of other voices.

School had become more enjoyable over the last few lunar cycles, both for him and Convoy. No longer did Starfall like an outsider amongst his fellow classmates. Since the incident with Aftershock Starfall had gained a certain amount of respect among his classmates and a number of other children in the academy. Starfall didn't know what actually made someone popular, but over the last few lunar cycles he'd noticed a large number of other children, both in his class and others, going out of their way to talk to him between classes or in the hall. And not in a fake way like when Scion had tried to make Aftershock become friends with him. These encounters felt genuinely friendly. After returning from Vos, he'd been surprised by the number of other children that had come up to him wanting to know where he'd gotten his and Convoy's planetary rings. Over the last lunar cycle or so he'd noticed a fair number of other kids in the academy showing up to school with colorful bands of metal around their wrists. Starfall could tell they weren't real Vosian planetary rings, but they were close enough of an imitation to pass. Everyday he spotted someone new wearing a set of rings. It would have been a lie if Starfall said he didn't feel a little bit proud at being the one to make planetary rings cool in District 11.

He and Convoy finally reached the doors of the school. Squeezing through the bottleneck of other sparklings clogging the doorways they broke free into open air. Adults filled the transformation lot outside, waiting to pick up their children.

"Come on," Starfall urged, pulling Convoy towards the far edge of the transformation lot. "My dad's probably already here."

"Did your father say if we could watch our show when we get to your place?" Convoy asked as they jogged across the lot.

"If we get our homework done first."

Convoy thought for a moment. "We only have to read a chapter for history and do five problems for math."

"If we read history on the way to my domicile we should be able to get our math problems done in less than a joor," Starfall said. "Then we'll have the rest of the orn to play."

Convoy smiled, nodding excitedly. "Yes."

They were almost to the edge of the transformation lot now. The crowd of adults was thinner closer to the street. Starfall slowed to a stop. He looked around, confused. Ironhide was nowhere to be seen. That was strange. Ironhide had specifically told him that morning he'd be there to pick him and Convoy up as soon as they got out of school. He had never been late before.

"Where is he?" Convoy said, putting voice to Starfall's own thoughts.

Starfall could only shrug. "I don't know. He must be stuck in traffic. He'll probably be here any klick. Let's wait over there for him."

"Okay."

The two walked to the edge of the transformation lot and sat on the curb.

"What did you get on Professor Doubletime's test?" Convoy asked as they made themselves comfortable.

"I missed two questions," Starfall grumbled. "I know what I did wrong now though. How about you?"

"I missed five," Convoy sighed despairingly. "I still do not know what I did wrong."

"Do you have your test with you?"

Convoy nodded. He fished a sheet of transparent plastic from his subspace compartment and handed it to Starfall. Red marks in Doubletime's handwriting littered the front of it. Starfall involuntarily grimaced. Convoy saw the look and hung his head.

"I am horrible at math, Star," Convoy groaned. "And Doubletime said he is going to give another test next deca-cycle. What am I going to do?"

Starfall's optics scanned Convoy's test. "It's not that bad, Convoy. Really. You just missed a step. Here, see?" He pointed to the first question on the test. "You didn't divide through. It's a simple mistake. But not dividing through changes everything you did afterwards."

Convoy took the sheet of plastic back from Starfall and scanned the questions. "Oh," he murmured in an embarrassed whisper.

"I can help you more when we get to my place," Starfall offered.

Convoy speared Starfall with a pleading, hopeful look. "You will?"

"Yea, sure," Starfall smiled. "It shouldn't take more than a few klicks."

"Thank you, Star."

As Convoy returned his test to his subspace compartment, a bot in vehicle-mode drove up. It slowed then stopped in front of them. The back window rolled down. A sparkling's head popped through it.

"Bye, Star! See ya later, Convoy!" It was Downshift, another sparkling from their class. Despite their rocky first encounter, Downshift had stopped picking on Starfall since the incident with Aftershock. If anything, Downshift seemed to idolize Starfall a bit now for taking on an older youngling the way he had. Perhaps it was because he was friends with Starfall, but Downshift had also given up tormenting Convoy about his accent. Starfall doubted he and Downshift would ever be close friends, but he no longer saw Downshift as an enemy.

"Bye, Downshift," Starfall called back with a little wave.

"Are you children waiting for your creators?" the disembodied voice of Downshift's creator asked from the front portion of his cab unit.

"My dad's picking us up. He's late though."

"Do you want us to wait for him with you?" Downshift's creator asked.

"Dad, do you know Star's dads are the Prime and Consort?" Downshift loudly interjected.

"I am well aware of who Starfall's fathers are, Downshift."

"We'll be okay," Starfall smiled. "My dad should be here any klick."

"If you're sure…" Downshift's creator murmured doubtfully.

"We'll be okay," Starfall assured him.

"Come on, dad!" Downshift urged from the backseat. "You said you were going to take me to the movies. We're going to miss it."

His creator still hesitated. "Alright… You kids take care."

Starfall nodded.

"See you two tomorrow!" Downshift called as he disappeared back inside his creator.

Starfall and Convoy both raised their hands to him as they pulled away and disappeared down the road.

By now, the transformation was almost empty. Only a few groups of adults and children remained. They stood together in small groups talking. Starfall anxiously looked around the transformation lot. There was still no sign of his father anywhere. Where was he? He wanted to go home so he and Convoy had enough time to do their homework before their show. Had his father possibly forgotten he was supposed to pick them up? Ironhide had never forgotten to pick him up before.

"Wait here," Starfall said as he stood up from the curb. "I'm gonna go see if I can see my dad coming."

"Alright."

Starfall jogged to the edge of the transformation lot where it connected with the road. He looked up and down the street. Bots in vehicle-mode zipped past in both directions but he didn't see his father's distinctive red paintjob or armored frame anywhere in the flow of traffic. Starfall sighed. He didn't know if he should wait longer or go inside to have someone in the office try and contact his father. Ironhide had told him to be waiting in the transformation lot for him. Would he get angry if Starfall went inside and wasn't there when he arrived?

Before Starfall could decide what he wanted to do he suddenly felt a presence step up behind him. He turned to find a mech standing there. Where he had come from Starfall didn't know. He hadn't noticed him anywhere on the sidewalk a moment ago. The mech was large and heavily built. His paintjob was dark blue with lots of scratch marks. Dirt and mud caked the edges of his plating. It didn't look like he'd used a wash-rack or polished himself in ages.

"Um, hi," Starfall nervously greeted.

The strange bot didn't say anything. He only continued to stare at him. Angry blue optics silently bore into him. Starfall shifted nervously under the mech's glare. He did not feel comfortable in this mech's presence. Maybe it was the mech's silence or the frightening way he stared at him, but something deep inside Starfall was screaming at him to get away.

Folding his wings down against the length of his back, Starfall turned to go back into the transformation lot. He decided he would grab Convoy and go back inside the school to wait for Ironhide. If his father got upset, then fine. All Starfall wanted to do was get away from this strange mech.

Before Starfall could take more than a few steps he felt a vice-like grip clamp down around his upper arm and pull him back. He gave a startled cry of surprise as he was whipped backwards and spun back towards the mech. Optics of quiet, burning fury glared down at him.

"Where do you think you're going, seeker?" the mech hissed.

Starfall squirmed in the mech's grip. Fear exploded through him, gripping his spark almost as tightly as the mech's hand around his arm.

"Help!" he somehow managed to scream in his panic. "Convoy!"

Somewhere in the transformation lot, Starfall thought he heard the murmur of alarmed voices.

"Shut up!" the mech growled. He began to pull Starfall towards the street.

"Ow! No! Help!"

"Shut up!"

Starfall tried to dig his thrusters into the concrete but the mech was too strong. In a fluid motion, the mech transformed. As his plating shifted apart and began to reform into a heavy-built vehicle Starfall was yanked off his pedes into the mech's interior. He hit the inside paneling of his captor's backseat door with a crunch. Starfall had no time to get his bearings before the door slammed shut behind him. A heavy clunck thumped through the inside of the mech's cab unit. It was the sound of the mech's door locks engaging.

"No! Let me out! Help!" Starfall cried, banging his fists against his captor's windows.

With a squeal of tires, the mech rocketed off the sideway into traffic. Starfall was thrown against the side of the mech's cab unit by the force. Angry horns beeped all around them. The mech accelerated, weaving in and out of other bots as he disappeared into the press of traffic.

to be continued

Chapter Text

Hope everyone's ready. This is a super long chapter. Big thanks to everyone who left a comment last chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rescue

A silver-colored bot was cruising along in the right-hand lane, going at least five kilometers an hour slower than everyone else on the road. Ironhide angrily swung into the fast lane and zipped around him. He cut back in front of the slow-moving bot and accelerated. A horn angrily blared somewhere behind him but he ignored it. Anyone who didn't feel like keeping up with the flow of traffic had no right to be out on the road as far as Ironhide was concerned. *Especially* when there were other bots – like him – that had places to go.

He was at least twenty klicks late picking Starfall and Convoy up from school. General Airlock had stopped him to discuss a recent report he'd submitted just as Ironhide had been getting ready to leave the Planetary Defense Force's headquarters. Despite his best efforts to delicately excuse himself, Airlock was adamant about clearing up a some minor discrepancy in the report. By the time Ironhide finally got out of the PDF he should have already been at Starfall's school.

Ironhide maneuvered around another patch of slower-moving vehicles and veered off the freeway onto the District 11 off-ramp. His wheels made a small squeal against the pavement as he hung a sharp right at the base of the off-ramp and merged into oncoming traffic. The tower of District 11's academy rose in the distance and seemed to grow taller the closer he got. He barely slowed as he turned off the road into the academy's transformation lot.

The first thing Ironhide noticed as he slowed to scan the area was that neither Starfall or Convoy were in their usual spot near the edge of the lot. In fact, he saw no sign of them anywhere.

The second thing Ironhide noticed was the group of bots congregated around the main entrance of the school. At least ten adults stood at the bottom of the stairs. Sparklings and younglings of different ages were clustered around the center of their group. Something about the way they all stood so close together instantly made the diodes along Ironhide's back tingle. Something was wrong. He could sense it in that air. This was not a usual group of creators standing around chatting after picking their kids up from school.

Several of the adults anxiously looked over at the sound of Ironhide driving into the lot. Even from a distance of a fifty meters, Ironhide could see the spark of recognition in their optics. With a disgruntled sigh, Ironhide transformed to his root mode and began walking towards them.

"Consort Ironhide!" one of the adults called out. Ironhide thought he remembered him as some well-to-do business-mech he'd met at some party a couple of vorns before. He held the hand of a sparkling probably a vorn or two younger than Starfall. "Consort Ironhide! Thank Primus you're here. We were beginning to think something had happened to you too."

Before Ironhide could ask what the mech was talking about, a femme stepped towards him, anxiously motioning to the school behind her. "You have to hurry. The administrator's looking for you. Something happened to your son. Enforcers are coming and Catalyst asked us to stay here to give a statement. You need to go inside and talk to him."

It took a moment for the femme's words to register in his process. When they finally did Ironhide felt as though a giant invisible hand had just dealt him a vicious uppercut to the fuel tank. His spark seized with panic. "Somethin' happened ta Star? Wha? Wha happened? Tell me!"

"Some mech took him," another creator said. "Your son and his friend were waiting near the edge of the transformation lot when this strange mech came up to Starfall and grabbed him. Before any of us knew what was happening he transformed and sped off with Starfall inside his cab unit."

"He was already gone by the time we got to the street," said another.

Ironhide couldn't even think as he blindly pushed his way through the group of bots towards the school, panic coursing through his fuel lines like corrosive acid. He bounded up the steps two at a time. He'd only been in the academy once before when he'd picked Starfall up after his fight with Aftershock. He barreled through the empty hallways. Finally, he spotted the main office up ahead. The front of the office was walled in floor-to-ceiling panes of glass. Inside, Ironhide counted at least six bots crowding the reception area in front of the counter. They all looked like teachers.

There was a subdued atmosphere of panic in the office when he barreled through the door several nano-klicks later. At least two bots were on tele-video communicators speaking in frantic tones on the other side of the reception desk. The group of teachers clustered inside the office all looked up at him with startled expressions. Ironhide could only imagine what he looked like to them – an old war mech half-crazed with panic bursting into the office.

"They just told me someone took Star!" he blurted to the crowd. "Where is he? Wha happened?"

A bot separated himself from the rest of the teachers. Ironhide immediately recognized the academy's administrator, Catalyst, from the video-comm conversation he'd had with him when Starfall got suspended.

"Consort Ironhide," Catalyst said, speaking in a quick but calm tone. Ironhide recognized it from the war. Many of his fellow officers would use the same voice whenever they were in the midst of a tense situation. Over the vorns he'd come to call it the "crisis tone." For some reason that made Ironhide only want to panic more. "My staff was just trying to reach you on the vid-comm."

"Ah got caught up getting outta work. Was late gettin' here. Wha happened with Star? The bots in the lot all said someone kidnapped him."

Catalyst nodded gravely. "I am afraid that's correct, sir. One of my staff members is trying to pull up video footage of what happened on the school's surveillance system now. Unfortunately, none of the school's cameras are pointed directly at that corner of the transformation lot. So finding a clear shot of the mech who took Starfall is proving difficult. We've already called the Enforcers. They should be here any klick."

"I am sorry!" a little voice piped up from behind the wall of teachers crowding the office. They parted to the sides to reveal a little red and yellow trimmed sparkling sitting on one of the chairs lining the far wall. It was Convoy. His optics were fuzzed white with static and his shoulder rims shook violently with distress. The teachers seemed to have been trying to calm him when Ironhide arrived. "I am so sorry! I could not help! He took Star!" Convoy was so hysterical his accent was thicker than normal, making understanding him even harder.

"It wasn't your fault, Convoy," one of the teachers hushed. "You couldn't have done anything to stop him."

Convoy choked on his own sobs. "But Star yelled for me and I could not do anything to help him!"

Somewhere outside the school the warble of approaching police sirens could be heard. They grew louder with every passing second.

Ironhide hurried to Starfall's friend and bent on one knee in front of him. "It wasn't yer fault wha happened, Convoy," he said as calmly as he could despite the panic clawing at the back of his sparkchamber. "Ah ain't blamin' yeh, an' neither is anyone else. But ah need ta know wha happened so we can get Star back, okay? Do yeh remember who took Star? Wha did he look like?"

Convoy cycled several gasps of air to try and calm himself. "H-he was big."

"How big?"

"Bigger than you, but not as big as Star's other dad."

Ironhide nodded encouragingly. "Good. Good. Anything else yeh remember 'bout him? Like, do yeh remember wha color paintjob he had?"

Convoy thought for a moment. "I think he was blue… or maybe green. I do not really remember. But he changed into a four-wheeler. I remember that."

Ironhide frowned. Such a vague description could be used to describe half of Iacon's population. They were going to have to get better intel if they were going to find the kidnapper's trail while it was still warm. In the back of Ironhide's mind he couldn't shake the mental image of a digital clock slowly ticking down to zero.

Convoy seemed to sense Ironhide's disappointment and hung his head. "I am sorry," he sobbed into his chest plate. "I wish I could help more."

Despite his mounting panic, Ironhide forced a thin smile of reassurance onto his facial plates. He gave Convoy a quick pat on the side of his arm. He'd come to like his son's friend. He was a good kid. He didn't need to be blaming himself for something he had no control over. "Don't worry 'bout it, Convoy. We'll get Star back, don'tchu worry." He stood and turned back to Catalyst, his face once again a stony mask of purpose. "Get me a vid-com line ta the outside. Ah need ta call the Enforcers' headquarters."

"We've already contacted the authorities. I can hear them outside right now-"

"Catalyst, don't make me hafta ask twice," Ironide growled. "Don't make me wanna start lookin' fer ways ta blame this on you and yer school's shoddy security protocols."

Catalyst's optics widened at the threat. "I can assure you that my school is in no way responsible for what happened here today-"

"If yeh wanna keep it that way then get me a line ta the Enforcers' headquarters. Patch it through straight ta Commander Prowl. He's an old friend." Ironhide's voice was nothing more than a low rumble of warning. His patience was starting to wear thin. His son was missing no one was doing anything useful to help him find him.

With a brisk nod, Catalyst turned to the nearest secretary at a vid-comm station. "Get us a line to Enforcers' Headquarters. Now."

"Yes, sir," the mech mumbled.

Half a klick later, Ironhide was seated in the secretary's chair in front of the vid-comm. The screen was black with a white message box with the word 'connecting' blinking in the middle. The other side rang several times before Prowl's face finally appeared onscreen.

"Ironhide?" he blinked in surprise. "What can I-?"

"No time fer talk, Prowl. Star's been kidnapped. Ah need yer best team of Enforcers here at his school *now*."

"Are you sure this isn't another false alarm like when he ran away to Skyfire's?"

"No!" Ironhide practically shouted at the screen. He struggled to retain some control over his emotions but it was getting harder to do. He wanted his son back and he wanted him back *now*. Some deranged mech had taken Starfall and nobody else seemed as agitated about it as he was. "Star's friend saw a mech grab him, along with a dozen parents in the transformation lot. This is real, Prowl. Star's been taken."

Prowl's facial plates hardened at the panic in Ironhide's tone. "Jazz and I will be there immediately. Call Optimus. Get him there too. We'll set up a mobile command center at the school."

oooooooo

The mech slid to a screeching halt. Starfall was thrown into the back of the front seat by the force. He crumbled to floor of the mech's interior. His wings bent painfully against his back in the confined space. Before Starfall could try and right himself, the mech began to transform. He unceremoniously tumbled out of the mech mid-transformation and hit the ground with a choked off cry. His throat line was raw was screaming and his hands hurt from hitting against the insides of his captor's windows. No one else on the road had seemed to notice him through the window during the whirlwind drive to wherever they were now.

The mech grabbed Starfall by his upper arm and began dragging him towards a building.

"Help!" Starfall screamed as loud of as he could. "Someone, please!"

"Shut up," the mech hissed as he dragged Starfall behind him.

Starfall tried to pull away from him but he might as well have been trying to free his arm from a vice. The mech's fingers dug into armor as though he was actually trying to close his fist *through* Starfall's arm.

"Ow! You're hurting me! Let me go! HELP!"

Unfortunately, Starfall saw no one else on the street. He didn't know where they were; the area didn't look like anyplace Starfall had been before. The entire street looked abandoned. His captor had traveled for more than twenty klicks, taking roads Starfall had never seen before through parts of the city Starfall had never even known existed. The buildings that lined the street were all in various stages of deterioration. Rust and dirt covered the walls of many of them. Most of them looked like old domicile towers. Almost all of the windows on the lower floors were broken. Trash and broken glass littered the sidewalk.

"Help! Anyone! Please!"

"I'm not telling you again, seeker! Shut your mouth!" With a vicious yank, the mech pulled Starfall to him and clamped his free hand over Starfall's mouth. Squeezing Starfall to him, he lifted Starfall off his pedes and forcefully wrestled him towards the door of the nearest buildings. Starfall kicked and flailed in his captor's grasp but the mech was too strong.

The mech staggered into the building, cursing all the way under his breath. Expertly navigating the dark, trash-filled hallways he dragged Starfall to a door and kicked it open. A set of stairs led down into blackness. Keeping a firm grip on the struggling sparkling, the mech somehow managed to activate a switch on the side of the wall with his elbow. A light bulb flared to life at the top of the stairs. More lights came on below. Starfall could do nothing more than squirm in the mech's grasp as he was carried down the stairs. His frightened sobs were muffled against the hand clamped down over his mouth.

An empty basement opened at the bottom of the stairs. Despite several naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, the basement was still extremely dark. Shadows seemed to seep from the walls like black ooze. Several doors lined the basement. The mech wrestled Starfall towards one of them. A new set of lights came on inside, revealing a small room. It was just as dirty and dark as the rest of the basement and building. Starfall estimated the room to be about the same size of his berthroom at home. The thought made a pang of longing for home stab his spark. What he wouldn't give to be home right now with his fathers…

Tossing Starfall to the ground, the mech kicked the door close behind them. The clunk of a deadbolt sounded, sealing them inside. Starfall stumbled, but somehow managed not to fall. He scrambled away from the mech to the far side of the room. Mech fluid and panic pounded in his audios as he turned back to face his captor.

"Please let me go home," Starfall sobbed. His entire body was shaking. His wings trembled against his back. His arm hurt from where the mech had grabbed him. Several planetary rings on that hand were bent out of shape. Starfall was pretty sure his arm was slightly dented in the shape of the mech's fingers. "Take me back to school. Please? My daddy's waiting for me."

The mech took a slow, measured step towards him. He said nothing, but his optics burned with silent fury. Starfall didn't understand it. What had he done to make this mech look at him like that? Before today, he'd never even seen the mech.

"Please take me back. My daddy's waiting for me. He'll be upset if I'm not there when he gets there. He doesn't like waiting. Please let me go. I-"

Before Starfall even understood what was happening, the mech's hand swung out and viciously backhanded him across the face. Starfall was thrown into the wall by the force. He crumbled to the floor at the base of the wall with a choked off cry. His visual readout momentarily fuzzed black with static before recalibrating. Starfall sat against the wall, dazed from both shock and pain. The entire right side of his face stung. Starfall was stunned. No one had ever hit him before. The realization of what just happened made his body run cold.

"I'm not going to tell you again, seeker: Shut. Up," the mech growled in a voice so full of venom, Starfall wouldn't have been able to find any words to speak even if he'd wanted to. He cowered against the cold brick wall, so frightened his mind froze. His entire body began to shake. Fear unlike anything he'd felt before tore into him like physical talons of cold.

The mech towered over him. His shadow was thrown against the wall by the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It eclipsed Starfall's huddled, trembling form in darkness.

"You disgusting little seeker," the mech spat at him. "It's your fault seekers are trying to come back. Trying to come back into *our* cities!" There was nothing to prepare Starfall for the foot that lashed out at him and caught him in the stomach plating.

Starfall jackknifed forward. Pain exploded across his midsection. It was so intense his visual readout once again fuzzed black. Starfall's fuel tank seized. For a split second he thought he was going to purge. Clutching his middle, Starfall scrambled backwards across the floor against the wall, desperate to get away from the raving mech. Frightened sobs clicked uncontrollably in the back of his throat. Why was this mech doing this? What did he *do*? No one had ever hit him before, let alone kick him! Starfall huddled in the farthest corner of the room, pulling his legs to him for protection.

The mech was coming towards him again, his body language menacing. Starfall cowered against himself, sobbing.

"You seekers start a war, kill countless bots and nearly destroy our world!" the mech bellowed at Starfall's trembling form. "And then! Just when Cybertron is starting to recover from the destruction *you* caused, you want to come back to do the same thing again! I won't let it happen! I won't let you seekers kill anymore good mechs. Not like you did Dropkick!"

Starfall didn't understand what the mech was saying. Nothing he said made any sense to him. All Starfall understood was that his captor was frothing with anger and that all that fury was being directed at him.

The mech reached down and grabbed Starfall by the wrist. Several of Starfall's planetary rings were crushed against his wrist under the mech's grip. Starfall cried out as he was viciously pulled forward out of the corner to his captor's feet. Starfall was sobbing so hard he could barely form words.

"Please let me go home! *Please!* I want my daddies! I wanna go home!"

The mech didn't even seem to hear him anymore. Growling between gritted dentas, he yanked Stafall up by the arm, almost lifting him off the floor. Starfall screamed. His arm wasn't designed to bend that way.

"I'm not going to let you seekers hurt anyone else," the mech growled over Starfall's hurt whimpers. "I'm not going to let anyone else's brother get killed by a bunch of seekers." His tone carried the promise of more pain. His optics shined with mindless hate. Starfall shivered under the mech's gaze.

Kicking his legs, Starfall tried to squirm out of the mech's hold but only managed to make the actuators in his shoulder joints flare worse with pain. Sobbing helplessly, Starfall went limp. The mech was too strong. He wished he was home right now with his fathers. If either of them were there they'd make the bad mech stop and take him somewhere safe. He would have given anything for one of them to suddenly appear and save him.

oooooooo

Optimus didn't know what to do with himself. After countless vorns of war he was used to being in the middle of frantic situations. He was used to receiving bad news and having to make split-second choices in response. All his experience should have prepared him for this very moment – to be able to keep a clear head and think. Yet the situation was very different he found when the crisis at hand involved his own son. As the parent of a kidnapped child, he found his processor suddenly unable to process any information. It was like his mind had stopped working the moment Ironhide contacted him and told him what happened. He'd sped to Starfall's academy from the Council Tower in a daze, panic clawing him apart from the inside out.

Who would have taken Starfall? What did they want? These and countless other questions made Optimus almost sick with worry. As Prime, Optimus had the authority and experience to demand to be directly involved in the investigation. No one would have faulted him for such a thing. For the moment, though, he had decided he was going to let the authorities do their job. Optimus had enough presence of mind to recognize he was too emotionally compromised right now to be of much assistance. He would only get in the way and distract the Enforcers. For his son's sake, he had to refrain from trying to help. Starfall had been missing for a little of a joor now. Time was of the essence. If they were going to figure out where Starfall was they had to move fast. If Optimus tried to help he would probably only cause delays.

District 11's main office was swarming with Enforcers. Some were taking statements from teachers and parents from the transformation lot. Others were reviewing the school's security surveillance for any image of Starfall's kidnapper. So far they hadn't been able to isolate a clear image of him. Statements from creators and Convoy were vague at best. As of right now all they could agree upon was that it was a mech of average height, heavily built - possibly a military model of some kind – with a dark paintjob. Any other details were conflicting and vague.

Jazz and Prowl were there. They had both rushed to the academy as soon as Ironhide had called them. Jazz was currently hunched over one of the school's computer terminals with a data specialist reviewing surveillance footage. Prowl was speaking into his communicator in a sharp, authoritative voice. He was in full battle mode, which Optimus took some relief in. Optimus had always been able to count on Prowl when things got bad during the war. Even when all other hope seemed lost Prowl had always seemed to come through with a last minute strategy that would save the day. If anyone could find Starfall, it was him. It sounded like Prowl was trying to coordinate a team of Enforcers to sweep the surrounding area for clues.

Standing beside Optimus in the middle of all this chaos was Ironhide. The older mech had said little since Optimus arrived at the school. Optimus could feel Ironhide's emotions across their sparkbond. Besides the same panic and fear Optimus felt Ironhide's side of the bond was a roiling storm of guilt. From what little Ironhide had said when he'd got there, Ironhide had been held up at the Planetary Defense Force and been ten or fifteen klicks late getting to Starfall's school. Despite Optimus's best attempts to calm his sparkmate and assure him Starfall's kidnapping was in no way his fault Ironhide didn't seem to want to listen. The older mech was so anxious it was a fight for him to keep still. If he had let himself Ironhide would have probably been pacing a rut into the floor. Optimus understood his sparkmate's feelings. Everything inside Optimus was practically screaming at him to snap out of his shocked stupor and do something. His son was missing. Every line of code in his body was screaming at him that he had to find Starfall.

"Fine," Prowl said into his communicator and abruptly cut the line. He turned to Optimus and Ironhide. "I'm having my men check traffic cameras at all the major intersections within a two kilometer radius of the school. If the kidnapper took any main streets, we'll catch him on CCTV footage. Once we get a good look at him I'll send out a new APB. All Enforcers in the city have been alerted to keep an optic out for any mech fitting the kidnapper's current description."

"Thank you," Optimus said. His voice sounded numb even to his own audios. It felt like he was caught in some kind of nightmare he couldn't wake up from. What he was feeling was ten times worse than when Starfall had run away to Skyfire's.

"Did any of yer officers get a better description of the mech yet?" Ironhide asked.

Prowl shook his head. "No. But I have my best mechs on this case. We *will* find Starfall. I promise."

"I just don't understand…" Optimus murmured. "What kind of kidnapper would take a child in broad daylight from in front of a school on a busy road with at least ten witnesses looking on?"

"Not a smart one," Prowl said. "At this point I'm inclined to say this wasn't the work of an organized team. From what I've gathered from witness testimonies, this struck me as a very spur of the moment type kidnapping. Possibly the kidnapper saw an opening and decided to take it, regardless of the tactical risks. If that's correct, then that leads me to believe the kidnapper is reckless and probably driven by emotions."

"Do yeh think this was some kinda political kidnappin'?" Ironhide said. His voice was tense, as though he was struggling to keep his temper in check. "There's been a lot a' nasty talk about seekers on the evening newsfeeds lately. Do yeh think whoever did this might be part 'a one a those groups that are tryin' ta keep Vos from openin' its borders again?"

Prowl could only shake his head. "At this point anything is possible."

"Prowl! *Prowl*!" Jazz suddenly shouted. "I think we got a shot of 'im!"

Prowl, Optimus and Ironhide hurried across the room to the computer terminal Jazz and the Enforcer data specialist were working at.

"Look," Jazz said, pointing to the screen. "It's from a camera mounted on east wall of the school's transformation lot. Ya can just make out Starfall and the mech in the upper left-hand corner."

Optimus's spark clenched inside his chest at the footage. The mech had Starfall by the arm and was roughly dragging him towards the street. He could make out Starfall trying to pull against the mech's hold with all of his weight. The mech transformed, and with a sharp yank pulled Starfall inside the back portion of his cab unit. Beside him he thought he heard Ironhide growl deep in the back of his throat.

Prowl leaned closer, squinting. The corners of his face were dark. "That's them. Can you zoom in?" he asked the computer tech.

"Yes, sir," the mech said. He paused the footage on a frame in which the kidnapper was turned straight towards the camera. Zooming in on the upper left quadrant of the screen, the computer tech enlarged the image. As the pixels reformed, the kidnapper's face sharpened into a clear image.

"Do you recognize him?" Prowl asked Optimus and Ironhide. Both of them shook their heads. Optimus had never seen the mech before in his life. A rush of cold ran down the length of his back. Although it was difficult to tell much of another bot from such a picture, Optimus saw nothing but hate in the mech's optics.

"Run him through the facial recognition database," Jazz told the tech.

The tech nodded. Pulling a portable computer from a subspace compartment he hooked it to school's terminal. Within a klick, the two systems were synched. "Transferring image to the Enforcer network and running facial recognition software now," the tech announced.

As Optimus looked on with bated breath, the computer system plotted flashing green dots on the mech's uploaded image, assessing the contours of his facial plates. Images of mechs' faces began to flash in the upper right corner of the screen as the computer searched the database.

"Wha' do we do if this mech ain't in the system?" Ironhide asked.

"Then we continue our investigation," Prowl said. "If nothing else we have a clear image of the mech to release to the press. He's not going to get far."

"My guess is this guy has ta be on someone's watch list," Jazz interjected. "He just looks like bad news. He also looks like a military mech, or at least a heavy-duty model of some kind. The military keeps tight records on all its soldiers. Same for most manual labor industries. He's gotta be-"

"Found him!" the computer tech announced. "Name is Crosshairs. Former mili-"

Jazz unceremoniously pulled the data tech away from the terminal and took his place in front of the computer. He immediately began reading off the information the computer had found. A formal head-on shot of the mech against a white background was displayed in the upper right corner of the screen above a lengthy bio.

"Name Crosshairs. Former military. Autobot," Jazz quickly read, scanning down the screen. "Was discharged from the army several vorns before the end of the war. He was a guard at a Decepticon POW camp on Garrus-12. Was given a dishonorable discharge after several incidents involving the mysterious deaths of several Decepticon prisoners – all of them seekers. There's a note here by a former CO that Crosshairs displayed a violent hatred for Decepticons – most notably seekers. There was never enough evidence to directly link Crosshairs to the prisoners' deaths or convict him of anything, but it enough to get him kicked him out of the military. Database says he's had a number of jobs since the end of the war – mostly hard labor. He's described as being unstable and volatile. Since the end of the war he's been arrested and had a number of other brushes with the law – lots of drunk and disorderly reports. He seems ta be having a hard time adjusting back ta civilian life…"

He turned back around to Optimus, Ironhide and Prowl, a stricken look of worry on his facial plates. Optimus was sure he had the same look on his face underneath his mask. This was not a mech he would have ever willingly let Starfall be around. They had to find his son soon before this mech did something bad to him.

"I am putting out an updated APB right now," Prowl announced, raising his hand to the side of his helm to activate his comm-link.

"Wha's this guys last known address?" Ironhide growled.

Jazz checked the computer. "Varlan Heights. District 2. Coordinates TE12-005-0245-FV. That's an extremely seedy part of the city. And wasn't Varlan Heights one of those housing complexes the Council decided to level to build newer buildings? All of Varlan Height's residents were relocated."

"I believe so," Optimus nodded. "Do you think that is where this mech might have taken Star?"

"It's possible," Jazz shrugged.

"Jazz, I want you and a team of two other Enforcers to go there and investigate," Prowl announced in a voice of unquestionable authority. "Even if Crosshairs isn't there we might be able to get some clues as to his current whereabouts."

"Will do," Jazz nodded, rising from his seat.

"Ah'm comin' with yeh." Ironhide said.

"You sure, Ironhide?" Jazz frowned. "We don't know if Star's actually there."

"This is the best lead we've got so far," Ironhide growled back at him. "Ah'm goin' with yeh. Ah ain't gonna just stand around here while other bots go out lookin' fer *my* son."

"I will remain here with Prowl," Optimus said. "Crosshairs might be a member of one of those groups lobbying for Vos to withdrawal back inside its borders. He or someone else might call with ransom demands."

Ironhide nodded. "If Star's out there ah'll bring him back."

"Take care," Optimus said as Ironhide and Jazz rushed for the door. He had to believe his sparkmate would do as he promised.

oooooooo

Starfall screamed as a new wave of pain sliced through his body. The sound echoed against the wet, cold walls of the room his captor had locked him inside. His entire body hurt, his wings worst of all. His captor seemed to focus on them most of all. No matter how much Starfall tried to scramble away or turn his wings away from his captor's grasp he constantly grabbed at them, tearing at their delicate panels and wiring. At some point the mech had pulled out an electro-knife from one of his subspace compartments. Starfall no longer had the strength to try and turn his head over his shoulders to see his wings but they felt like nothing but two appendages of pain hanging from his back anymore. Beyond the pain Starfall could feel was a sticky wetness coating his back.

The mech had been hurting him for what felt like forever. Starfall had lost all sense of time awhile ago. He'd given up trying to understand why the mech was doing this to him. Sometimes the mech would stop hitting him to yell at him with mindless rage as though Starfall was to blame for something terrible that had happened to him. Starfall had given up some time ago trying to understand what the mech was talking about. All he understood was that all of this had something to do with the mech's brother.

"Filthy seeker!" the mech swore. "Spawn of Unicron! You all deserve to die!" He lashed his foot at Starfall, kicking the trembling sparkling into the corner of the room.

Starfall huddled against himself on the dirty floor, trying to make himself as small of a target as he could. Sobs clicked in the back of his throat. He no longer had the strength to sit up or try to fend off the mech's attacks. All he could do was lay on his side and make himself as small as a target as he could. His insides felt loose, like something was broken inside him. He rattled now whenever the mech kicked or hit him. He tried to lift himself up to crawl farther away but his body no longer wanted to respond to him. He sobbed harder in frustration, fear, and pain.

The mech stood panting over him, his optics glassy as though he were in some kind of rage induced trance. The electro-knife in his hand was stained purple with Starfall's own mech fluid. It covered the blade and his kidnapper's hand all the way up to his wrist.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home right now. He wished he was with his fathers. Why hadn't he waited with Convoy inside the transformation lot for Ironhide? His father was probably wondering where he was. Would Ironhide come looking for him when he found out he wasn't waiting for him at school?

Starfall desperately hoped so. He didn't care if Ironhide yelled at him for making him wait. All he wanted was to go home where it was safe. He was so tired. If the mech would just stop hitting him for one klick Starfall was sure he'd fall asleep right there on the ground. There was a strong pressure behind his optics lens, urging him to let his visual readout cycle down and go blank.

"Murderers… All of you," the mech growled, staring at Starfall's cowering form. "You seekers kill Dropkick then expect us to let you come back into civilized society like the Great War never happened."

"Please…" Starfall weakly cried into the floor. "I just wanna go home. Please…"

"Shut UP!" the mech screamed, kicking at Starfall. Starfall screamed as he curled into a ball. A fresh wave of pain rolled through his body. Sobbing into the dirty floor, Starfall tried to crawl away from the mech.

"Get back here, seeker. I'm not done with you yet."

Starfall screamed, raising his arms to try to protect himself. Before the mech could touch him, though, there was a distance thump from somewhere above their heads. Starfall cowered against himself, trembling, as the mech looked up at the ceiling. As he listened, the distinctive sound of footsteps sounded overhead.

"What the-?" The mech cursed under his breath.

In his pained daze, an almost unbearable pang of hope stabbed Starfall's spark. It sounded like someone was coming down the stairs. Was someone coming for him? Maybe someone had finally heard his screams. He tried to find his voice to call out for help, but could not seem to muster the energy to do so. He was just so tired. Everything hurt and the mech had finally stopped hitting him. Maybe he could finally have a minute to rest. His visual readout was getting fuzzy around the edges.

"No. No! No! No! Not now!" The mech began to move towards the door. Before he could unbolt the deadbolt the door burst inwards from the outside. The sound startled Starfall. Whimpering, he curled into the corner as one figure rushed towards him. It might have been delirium but for a split moment Starfall thought he heard someone calling his name.

oooooooo

Jazz, Ironhide and two Enforcers screeched to a halt in front of a rundown series of domicile buildings. Varlan Heights was even a worse place than Jazz had been expecting. The entire section of that sector of the city looked like it hadn't seen any sort of community development since before the Great War. Rust and dirt covered everything. Broken glass and trash filled the streets. The entire area looked like something out of an apocalyptic movie. After turning off the highway, Jazz hadn't seen any sign of another living bot anywhere on the streets. Varlan Heights for all intents and purposes looked to be completely abandoned.

The four transformed to their root-modes in a whirlwind of shifting parts. The two Enforcers instantly pulled weapons and scanned the surrounding buildings for movement. Jazz did so as well. Ironhide didn't appear to be carrying a weapon, but the look on his face as he scanned the area said he was ready to inflict massive damage, unarmed or not.

"Is this it?" he asked in a low growl.

Jazz checked the address of the nearest building against the address displayed on his visor's visual display. "Yea. That building there's Crosshairs last registered address."

Ironhide headed for it. He didn't wait for Jazz or that other two Enforcers to follow him before he viciously kicked in the front door of the building.

"Hey! Ironhide, wait!" Jazz called as the old weapons specialist stormed inside. He caught up to Ironhide in the front foyer. "Hey, mech, I know you're anxious to find Star, but we gotta keep a level head. Ya hear me? Star might not even be here."

"Ah hafta find him, Jazz," Ironhide growled, looking down a hallway that branched off the foyer.

"I understand that, but going in blasters on full power isn't going to find him any faster. I need ya ta let me and my fellow officers do our job. Ya might be an old friend and the Prime's Consort, but you're still a civilian."

Ironhide cycled a deep breath of air. "Fine. But ah swear when we find that mech, if he's hurt one bolt on Star's head ah'm gonna tear him apart with meh own two hands."

Jazz nodded. "Nightbeat, Daredevil, spread out and check the first floor. Remember, we're looking for a potentially armed and dangerous suspect. He might have a small child with him, so no weapons unless absolutely necessary. Maintain constant radio contact."

Just as the small group was about to spread out through the building there came a sound from somewhere deep inside the building. It sounded like it had come from somewhere below them. Jazz felt the diodes at the base of his helm crawl. He could have been wrong but he thought he'd just heard the muffled sound of a sparkling screaming. A sinking feeling of dread clenched his fuel tank.

"Come on," Jazz motioned, charging deeper into the building. "Daredevil, radio for backup. We might have found our suspect."

Quickly navigating the dark hallways Jazz spotted a doorway that was halfway open. A light was on at the top of a set of stairs that led downwards. Another muffled cry drifted up the stairs from below. Louder now, Jazz was sure it was the sound of a sparkling screaming. He pulled his weapon as he scouted around the doorway down the stairs. He didn't see anyone below.

"Ironhide, you're not armed. Stay behind us. You're not ta move in until we have the suspect in custody. Got it?" He didn't wait for a response before he started down the steps, blaster raised. The stairs opened into a dank, open basement. Jazz immediately pinpointed the closed door on the far side of the room. He heard what sounded like a mech cursing loudly on the other side.

"Nightbeat, Daredevil, to me." Slinking towards the door, Jazz flattened himself against the wall on the door's left. Daredevil took position on the other side. At the wave of his hand, Nightbeat rushed the door and kicked it near its handle. The door's lock broke under Nightbeat's weight and crunched inwards. Nightbeat and Daredevil streamed inside the room. Jazz followed directly behind them. By the time he stormed through the door, the two already had Crosshairs subdued on the floor. His men were nothing if not efficient. Daredevil wrestled a pair of stasis cuffs on the ranting mech's wrists.

As the two Enforcers dealt with their suspect, Jazz did a quick sweep of the room with his optics. What he saw immediately made him freeze in the doorway, his mech fluid running cold. Optics widened in horror behind his visor.

oooooooo

Ironhide watched from the other side of the basement as the Enforcers rushed inside the room and tackled their suspect to ground. Crosshairs continued to scream and rant as the officers kept him pinned and slapped a pair of stasis cuffs on his wrists.

Deeming it safe to approach, Ironhide rushed the room. "Is Star in there?" he yelled at Jazz's back. The black and white Porsche stood in the doorway with his back to Ironhide. "Jazz, is Star in there?!"

"Ironhide, I-" Jazz tried to say, but Ironhide was already pushing his way past him. He paused on the other side of the door to get his bearings. The room was small. Dank, cold, and wet. It took a moment for Ironhide to take in, but when the details finally began to emerge Ironhide felt his spark sputter in his chest.

The entire far side of the room was splattered with mech fluid. The glowing purple liquid shined darkly in the dim light of the single light bulb that hung from the ceiling. Splatter marks decorated the bottom half of at least two of the walls. A smeared pool of mech fluid stained the ground. In the center of this pool lay a tiny, huddled form.

"Star?" Ironhide could barely process what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that shaking bundle of purple-smeared plating was his son. "Star!" Rushing towards the shivering sparkling, Ironhide dropped to his knees. He tried to ignore the smeared mech fluid that seeped between the edges of his armor and soaked the protomatter of his knee joints. It was too horrific for him to think about right now. "Star? Star, answer me!"

"You have to let me finish!" Crosshairs screamed from the other side of the room. He was still trying to struggle in the two Enforcers' grip. "You can't let the seekers come back! We have to destroy them while we still can! Before they kill us!"

"Get him out of here!" Jazz yelled over the mech's fevered rants. "Get him *out*!"

The Enforcers sprang to action. Hoisting the still screaming mech to his feet they wrestled him towards the door. Crosshair's voice could be heard all the way up the stairs and across the floor as he was forced outside.

Ironhide was too focused on his son to pay attention to anything else. "Star? Kiddo, come on, answer me." Starfall's entire back was a shredded mess. The armor of his wings hung in tattered strips from his framework. Out of the corner of his optic Ironhide noticed a fluid-covered electro-knife laying on the ground several feet away. Mech fluid covered Starfall's entire body. He barely looked conscious. Ironhide wanted nothing more than to pick his son up and hold him, but he was afraid to touch him. He couldn't see anywhere that Starfall's body didn't somehow look injured. Cuts, dents, and scraps covered his entire frame.

"…daddy?" a weak voice gurgled.

"It's alright, Star. Daddy's here," Ironhide said, his processor still reeling with horror.

"I wanna go home," Starfall murmured. His voice was barely louder than a whisper. It seemed to take all of Starfall's strength just to speak. "Can we go home?"

"Yea, yea, sure we can," Ironhide numbly agreed. "Ah'm gonna take yeh home. But we hafta get yeh ta a hospital first. Yer hurt."

Starfall gave a muffled sob of pain. "…my wings hurt."

"Ah know, Star. Hold on. Ah'm gonna get yeh outta here."

Slipped his hands underneath Starfall's knees and back Ironhide lifted him off the ground as gently as he could. Starfall gave a shrill scream of pain. His body stiffened in Ironhide's arms. Sobbing, Starfall curled against Ironhide's chest, shivering violently.

For a moment Ironhide couldn't move. Cradling Starfall to him, Ironhide surveyed the damage. Starfall felt even more delicate than he usually did. As Ironhide shifted him into a more comfortable position in his arms, he thought he heard something shift inside Starfall's battered frame. Starfall weakly sobbed into his windshield. His head and legs hung limp over Ironhide's elbows. His wings were so torn they felt like they were about to tear off at any moment. The light behind Starfall's optics was dim as though he were barely holding onto consciousness. Ironhide struggled to his feet. He tried to be gentle but every movement seemed to make his son stiffen and whimper with pain. He turned to find Jazz staring at them with a shell-shocked look of horror.

"We hafta get Star ta a hospital."

This seemed to rattle Jazz out of his daze. "I'll call for a medical transport."

Ironhide shook his head. "No. Ah'll take him myself. It'll be quicker." He began to move for the door. His stride was panicked. Jazz followed close behind.

"I'll call ahead to have medics waiting for us," Jazz said as they hurried up the stairs to the first floor. "Ratchet's chief of staff at Iacon General. Iacon General's only about ten klicks away from here with a police escort."

Ironhide distractedly nodded. His entire focus was on the semi-conscious sparkling in his arms. He had to fight not to break into a full run, but he didn't want to unnecessary jostle Starfall anymore. He was already in so much pain.

"Call Optimus an' have him meet us at the hospital," Ironhide yelled over his shoulder as he navigated the building's hallways back to the front. "Tell him we found Star."

When Ironhide burst outside half a klick later he was met by a chorus of shouts and a blinding barrage of camera flashes. Several reporters were gathered on the sidewalk in front of the building behind a hastily constructed police cordon. Ironhide counted at least five different news channels. News of Starfall's abduction must have leaked to the press. At least half a squadron of Enforcers were now on the scene securing the perimeter. Off to the side idled a police transport. Through its heavy sides Ironhide heard snatches of angry, seeker-filled rants.

"Consort! Consort! Any comment?" the group of press-mech yelled as they jockeyed for attention. Camera flashes half blinded Ironhide. He tried to shield Starfall as best as he could from their hungry gaze as he pushed through them with the help of Jazz and a few other Enforcers to an open area of pavement. Holding his son's mangled body close, Ironhide transformed down around him. He managed to arrange Starfall on his back seat before his final piece of armor snapped into place. Starfall curled against the back of his seat, whimpering into the upholstery. Ironhide almost wished Starfall would fall unconscious just so he wouldn't be in as much pain.

Jazz transformed alongside him. "Nightbeat! Daredevil! To me!" his disembodied voice called over the reporters' cries for comments from the sidewalk. "Police escort formation!"

As the two other Enforcers transformed and took position behind Ironhide, Jazz pulled in front of him. Sirens came on and drowned out the calls of the reporters. With a squeal of tires, they sped away down the street.

The drive to the hospital was a complete blur to Ironhide. He didn't remember what streets Jazz took his down or what byways they took. All Ironhide could focus on was the murmured sobs of pain coming from his backseat. He kept up a steady stream of assurances to Starfall as he drove that everything was going to be alright, that Starfall was safe now. Whether they did any good Ironhide didn't know. All Starfall did was weakly sob into the seat in response.

Finally, Iacon General Hospital appeared in the distance. Peeling into the hospital's emergency driveway Ironhide saw Ratchet standing by the doors with a team of four other medics. An empty gurney accompanied them.

Ironhide didn't even come to a full stop before he threw his back door over. His police escort squealed to a stop around him. Ratchet and another medic reached inside and carefully pulled Starfall from his cab unit. The little seeker gave a shrill cry of agony as they transferred him to the gurney. Instantly, they began wheeling him towards the door. Ironhide and Jazz both transformed and hurried after them inside the hospital.

"Patient is a male sparkling, roughly five vorns old," Ratchet called out as Starfall was sped through the sterile white hallways. "Is suffering from massive external damage to both exo-armor and protoform. Dangerous loss of mech fluid possible."

"RPM is 65 over 120," one of the other medics yelled as she removed a diagnostic reader from Starfall's side.

"Daddy?" Starfall weakly called out. His optics were barely functioning at half capacity. He sounded frightened.

"Ah'm right here, Star," Ironhide called over Ratchet and the other medics' voices.

Ratchet spared Ironhide a quick glance over his shoulder. "Is Starfall allergic to any synthetic materials or additives?"

"Wha-? Uh, no. Not that ah know of."

"Good." Ratchet turned back to his team of doctors. "Redcross, get ten pints of mech fluid, stat. Take Starfall to ER room 4."

A large set of swinging doors appeared at the end of the hall. The team of medics wheeled Starfall through them. Ironhide was about to follow after them through but was stopped by Ratchet.

"Ironhide, I know you're worried about Starfall but I need room to work. Let me do my job. Go wait in the waiting room. I'll come out and get you as soon as I get Starfall stable."

Without waiting for a response, Ratchet disappeared through the door. Ironhide was left to helplessly stare after him. Standing in the middle of the hallway Ironhide felt numb after everything that just happened. It still didn't feel real. He couldn't stop staring at the doors Ratchet had disappeared through. Somewhere on the other side his son was being worked on by a team of medics and he wasn't allowed to go back and be with him. Ironhide's arms felt strangely empty now without Starfall there to fill them.

Somewhere through his daze, Ironhide felt someone step up beside him. He startled back to himself to find Jazz standing close beside him.

"Hey. Come on, mech. Let's get you cleaned up before Optimus gets here. He doesn't need ta see you like this."

"Huh? Why?"

Ironhide followed Jazz's gaze down to his chest. What he saw made his fuel lines run cold. His arms and the entire front of his chest were covered in thick smears of mech fluid. Ironhide was too horrified to immediately move at the realization that all of it was his son's.

"Come on," Jazz gently insisted. "Let's find a wash rack for you."

Ironhide numbly let Jazz lead him back down the hallway they'd just come.

oooooooo

Optimus and Prowl burst into the waiting room of Iacon General. It had been roughly twenty klicks since Jazz commed Prowl to tell them they'd found Starfall. Unfortunately, it seemed Starfall had been hurt and had to be taken to the hospital. It had taken every ouch of self-control Optimus had to remain calm as he'd followed Prowl to the hospital with several other Enforcers as a police escort.

Ironhide and Jazz looked up as they came into the room. Optimus immediately went to his sparkmate. Ironhide's side of their bond was closed off but Optimus could still feel tension wrecking havoc on his sparkmate's soul.

"'Hide, how is he? Is Star alright?"

"Ratchet has him," Ironhide numbly said. The old war mech seemed to be in a daze, as if he didn't really know where he was or what he was doing there. "He took Star back 'bout fifteen klicks ago. We've been waitin' in here fer the last five klicks or so." Ironhide paused, looking down at the ground. Stray emotions leaked across their bond. Guilt was the strongest emotion Optimus felt, but directly layering that was a sense of lingering, repressed horror. "Optimus, it's bad… The mech that had Star was torturin' him. By the time we got there Star was pretty torn up. Just his wings…"

Optimus's fuel tank clenched. He struggled to keep calm. Everything inside him was screaming at him to find his son and hold him. "How did this happen?" he numbly asked no one in particular. "There were no signs that Starfall was in any danger of being attacked." He turned to Jazz and Prowl. "Was this mech part of one of those Vosian isolation groups?"

Jazz shook his head. "He didn't strike me as having ties with any kind of group. He looked like he was working completely by himself. From what I can tell, this was just a good ol' fashioned hate crime.

"We have the mech in custody in any case," Prowl interjected. "Once Jazz and I know Starfall's condition we'll go and personally interrogate him."

Ironhide's fists clenched by his side. A new emotion leaked across his and Optimus's bond. It was anger. Red hot boiling anger. "Ah'm gonna kill that mech," he growled between his teeth. "Ah'm gonna tear him apart bolt by bolt fer wha' he's done ta Star."

Optimus put a calming hand on his sparkmate's shoulder plate, but he would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't thinking something similar himself.

The door to the waiting room suddenly swung open. The four mechs looked over to see Ratchet standing in the doorway. Optimus and Ironhide immediately rushed him. The old mech looked drained and extremely tired.

"How's Star?" Ironhide demanded.

"Can we see him?" Optimus chorused.

Ratchet didn't seem able to meet their optics. He stared at a point on the ground somewhere between Optimus and Ironhide's feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a pain voice. "We did everything we could…"

Ironhide and Optimus both froze at his tone.

"Wha' are yeh sayin'?" Ironhide spat. A tendril of pure fear leaked across his bond to Optimus.

Ratchet finally looked up to meet their optics. "I'm so sorry. Starfall was badly injured when he got here. He was internally leaking fluids from at least five different places. We couldn't patch all the leaks in time. He... he slipped away from us. I'm so sorry."

For a long moment of silence no one moved or said anything. Optimus felt frozen in place as if Ratchet had just stolen his ability to think or move. As the old medic's words sunk in a cold chill of dawning horror seized Optimus's spark. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have heard what he just did. There was no way his son could be gone. It just wasn't possible.

Beside him, Ironhide violently shook his head. "No. No… that can't be right. Ah was just holdin' him." He stepped forward and angrily stared into Ratchet's face. "Ah was just holdin' him! He can't be gone!"

Ratchet dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to bear the sight of so much anger and pain in Ironhide's optics. "I'm so sorry…"

Optimus suddenly felt sick. His fuel tank churned. For a split second he thought his knee joints were going to give out from under him.

"Where is he?" Ironhide somehow managed to choke past the knot in his throat line. "Ah wanna see Star. Ah hafta see him."

Ratchet delicately shook his head. "It would be better if you and Optimus waited a little bit. It would give us time to clean him up before you saw him."

"Goddammit, Ratchet!" Ironhide snarled, his optics fuzzing white around the edges. "Take me ta my son! Ah wanna see him. Now!"

Ratchet held his hands up to Ironhide as though in surrender. "Alright." He motioned to the door behind him. "He's this way."

Optimus was still too numb with shock to do anything more than silently follow behind Ratchet and Ironhide. He moved as if in a daze, as if someone had taken control of his body and was piloting him from a remote location. Everything was a blur around him. All he could focus on was a point between his sparkmate's shoulder plates. He didn't know if Jazz or Prowl followed them. He was too busy trying to wake up from this hellish nightmare.

Leading them through a series of identical white hallways, Ratchet finally stopped in front of one room. Despite being part of the ER, that little corner of the ward was extremely quiet and still. He saw no other medics or nurses in the immediate vicinity. "He's inside," Ratchet quietly murmured. "I will wait out here to give you a few minutes of privacy. Call me if you need anything."

Ironhide hurried inside the room. Optimus followed him more slowly. He didn't know if he was ready to see this yet. It all still felt so surreal, like he was playing out a scene in some bad television show.

As Optimus went inside an anguished cry of despair came from deeper inside the room. The Matrix-bearer's spark clenched at the sound. In all their time together both as sparkmates and comrades-in-arms, Optimus had never heard Ironhide sound like that. A curtain had been pulled halfway across the room. On the other side of it Optimus found Ironhide leaning over an exam table. A small body lay on top it. Ironhide was staring at it, his optics oozing pain as though someone had just ripped his spark out of his chest.

"No…" he was softly moaning over their son. "No, no, why?"

With great hesitation, Optimus joined his sparkmate on the other side of the table. What he saw made Optimus choke back a cry of despair.

Starfall lay on his back in a web of tubes and wires. He was still hooked to no less than three different machines. Half dried mech fluid covered his entire body. If he wasn't looking closely enough Optimus might have almost said that Starfall was merely recharging. But Optimus knew better. Starfall's optics were completely devoid of light. Even when recharging Cybertronians usually retained some small glow of light in their optics. Starfall's were black. Between the patches of purple mech fluid smeared across his frame his armor was already turning a heather shade of gray.

Reaching out, Optimus shakily brushed his knuckles against the side of Starfall's cheek as though to wake him up like he'd done just that morning. Starfall's cheek was slightly dented and cold to the touch. Optimus felt something inside him break.

Across their bond Optimus felt a near crippling wave of despair from Ironhide. He could actually feel his sparkmate's spark breaking from heartache. Bowing his head over Starfall's battered frame, Ironhide's shoulders began to shake. Before Optimus could understand what was happening he heard a muffled sob escape the distraught weapons specialist's mouth. Optimus didn't know whether to be shocked or join in his sparkmate's grief. Never, *never*, in all their long years together had Optimus ever seen Ironhide cry before.

Optimus was too overwhelmed to know what to do. His son was gone. Taken. Stolen from him. He felt something deep inside him shatter. It was only when it was gone that Optimus suddenly realized how much hope he'd had for the future – both for Starfall, himself, and their family. It had been going so well. Just that morning he'd been thinking about how blessed he was. But now… now his son was gone. And all his hopes and dreams of the future were crushed.

Across the table Ironhide's clicks of despair had grown stronger, as if he'd given up all attempts to hide his grief or no longer cared if anyone saw his pain.

Optimus wanted to join in Ironhide's despair, to let his anguish find some kind of outlet. He felt like he was about to explode from despair the feeling inside him were roiling around so violently. He forced himself to hold it in. Because if he started crying he doubted he would ever be able to stop again.

Chapter Text

Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful response last chapter. I assure you the story is no where near complete. I plan to respond to comments from last chapter but I wanted to get the new chapter up before I go to work. Enjoy!

In case you need a soundtrack for this and the last chapter give Ruelle's "Slip Away" a try. It's perfectly suited for this arc and will hurt your heart...

Chapter Twenty-Five: Reactions

For it being an early evening in the middle of the deca-cycle, Sideswipe was pleased by the number of bots in his bar. At least two dozen patrons sat at the counter or filled the tables, sipping colorful energon drinks. It looked like he was going to make a nice little profit that night.

After the war, Sideswipe had retired from the army and decided to open a bar. It had taken a bit of legal wrangling, but he'd managed to buy the rights to use the name "Macadem's." The bar had been an almost overnight success. His brother, Sunstreaker, had invested some money into the bar as well, but he mostly kept himself busy running his own custom paintjob shop. Sunstreaker catered to some of the richest and most fashion-conscious bots in Iacon. A number of his clients were senators, businessmechs, and even one well-known movie star. All in all, both of them had found success in their post-war lives.

As Sideswipe set aside an empty energon cube he'd been drying, said brother walked into the bar and took a seat across the counter from where Sideswipe was working. Sunstreaker often visited Macadem's for a quick drink after he closed his studio for the day.

"Hey, bro."

"'Sides," Sunstreaker blandly replied.

"Bad day?"

"*Long* day."

Sideswipe snickered. "What happened?"

"I just spent more than four joors with possibly the worst pain-in-the-aft customers I've ever had. This mech comes in – without an appointment! – and demands the full treatment – wash, buff, wax, shine, new paintjob, interior and exterior detailing, the works! Apparently he's getting bonded and the ceremony is tomorrow. Needed to look good, *now*. Luckily, I didn't have any other appointments, so I take him back, give him the works, but as soon as his new paint dries, he decides he doesn't like that shade of blue anymore and wants a different shade. So I have to start all over. This happens a total of *three times* before he finally decides on the color he likes – which happens to be the exact same shade of blue I first painted him with! I swear to Primus, 'Sides, I was *this* close to deactivating him right then and there."

Sideswipe picked up another wet energon cube from the wash rack. "You charged him extra I hope?"

"You bet your tailpipe I did!" Sunstreaker growled. "Charged him for all the extra paint I wasted too. I carry only the best products, and it's expensive! Do you know how much a gallon of Altihexan paint costs nowadays?"

"Lots?"

"Lots," Sunstreaker confirmed.

"Here," Sideswipe said, tossing aside his rag and setting a freshly dried energon cube in front of Sunstreaker. "Sounds like you need something strong tonight." Grabbing a bottle from the top shelf behind him, Sideswipe poured a finger of dark red fluid into the cube.

"Damn right I do," Sunstreaker grumbled as he took the cube and downed it in one swallow.

Sideswipe couldn't help but snicker. For someone as picky and downright obnoxious at times about his own paintjob, Sunstreaker could be easily annoyed when he had to deal with the same attitude from one of his customers. It was kind of ironic if you thought about it…

"Hey!" a mech suddenly called from the other end of the counter. "Can you turn the teleconsol up? Something's going on in the news."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker glanced at the teleconsol that was mounted on the wall behind them. The evening news feed was going. Sideswipe had put it on for lack of any races or other sporting events that night. A mech was urgently talking to the audience behind the news desk on screen. Sideswipe could barely hear him over the background noise of the bar. A red bulletin with the glyphs 'breaking news' was scrolling across the screen underneath him. As they watched, the screen flashed to a picture of a sparkling. It looked like a school roster picture.

"Hey, isn't that Prime and Ironhide's son?" Sunstreaker startled. "That little seeker? What was his name?"

"Starfall," Sideswipe said. He hurried to the teleconsol and turned the volume up.

"- authorities were scrambled to the kidnapper's last known address in Varlan Heights. Varlan Heights was one of five residential areas recently selected by the High Council for demolition and rebuilding in accordance with the Council's new "Rebuild Iacon" campaign. All residents of the area had been relocated to other housing units last deca-cycle. A search was conducted on one of the buildings. Our reporter and camera crew arrived on the scene just in time to witness this:"

The image on the screen changed to camera footage. It was an outside shot of a derelict building. A line of Enforcers were spread across the front of the building, creating a makeshift barricade to the jostling crowd of reporters. As Sideswipe watched a mech suddenly appeared in the doorway of the building and rushed down the stairs. It took him a moment to realize the mech was Ironhide. Jazz followed close behind him. Ironhide was holding something. It was only as Ironhide came closer to the crowd of press-mechs to force his way through to the street that Sideswipe realized what Ironhide was holding. A blade of horror went through Sideswipe and twisted.

Ironhide was cradling a small body to his chest. Starfall was barely recognizable. If Sideswipe hadn't seen Starfall's school picture before the footage he doubted he would have connected the Prime and Consort's son to the battered body cradled against Ironhide's chest. Ironhide's entire front was smeared with mech fluid. Although the camera-mech was filming from several paces away the panic in Ironhide's optics was clearly visible. Starfall's legs limply hung over Ironhide's arms, his head lulled against the old weapons specialist's chest. The little seeker's back was mangled. What were left of his wings hung off his framework in jagged strips of metal. It looked like someone had taken a knife to him.

"Primus…" Sunstreaker whispered behind Sideswipe.

As Ironhide transformed down around Starfall and sped away with Jazz and two other Enforcers as his escort, the screen changed back to the anchor-mech at the news desk.

"The Prime and Consort's son was immediately taken to Iacon General Hospital. His condition is still unknown. No one from the Prime family or the Enforcers has released any statement yet about this tragedy. Despite numerous attempts by this station to gain more information, the Enforcers refuse to release the identity of the kidnapper just yet. Stay tuned to KVX-5 for more updates as they occur."

As the newsfeed broke for commercials, Sideswipe looked at his brother. The same shell-shocked look of disbelief was plastered across the gold twin's facial plates.

OOOOOOOO

Burnout could only stare at the tele-consol in horror as the anchor-mech solemnly reported the latest news of Starfall's kidnapping and torture. He covered his mouth with one hand and looked away from the screen as the footage of Ironhide carrying Starfall from the rundown building was once again played. He'd been relentlessly scanning the newsfeed channels since he'd brought Convoy home from school several joors ago. He'd seen this same footage at least three dozen times now. It was all the newsfeeds were talking about. The story was so sensational Burnout was certain all of Cybertron and half of its colonies had heard about Starfall's kidnapping by now. He couldn't bare to watch Ironhide carry the mangled body of his son to the street anymore. The image was already permanently seared into his memory banks. Convoy had been so upset about his friend's kidnapping Burnout had sent him to his room to rest. He'd promised he'd wake him as soon as there was any news on Starfall.

Burnout knew he should go tell his son the news – to be the one Convoy heard it from. But try as Burnout might he could not make himself get off the lounge. The news was still too shocking – too unbelievable. Burnout's fuel tank churned just at thought of telling his son.

"- just moments ago, a representative of Iacon General's public relations department held a press conference and announced that despite its medics' best efforts the Prime and Consort's son, Starfall, passed away while receiving emergency treatment for injuries he sustained at the hands of the kidnapper who abducted him from his school grounds earlier this orn. He was only five vorns old. Enforcers have officially labeled this attack a hate crime. The suspect, Crosshairs – now identified as a former Autobot – is currently in police custody. Commander Prowl of Iacon's Enforcers stated that Crosshairs is being charged with first degree murder. Neither the Prime or Consort Ironhide have been able to be reached for comment. As many of our viewers will remember, it was the Prime's son - Iacon's only known native-born seeker - that initiated the Vosian Emirate to send a representative to Iacon to negotiate Vos reopening its borders and retaking its place on the High Council and Senate…"

The anchor-mech droned on but Burnout heard nothing more of what he said. He was still trying to comprehend everything he'd just heard. Starfall – his son's best friend – was dead. How was that even possible? The little seeker had always been so full of life. And so very, very young…

What kind of mech would kidnap and torture a child – let alone the child of the Prime? It was inconceivable. Why hadn't anyone been watching Starfall? Burnout couldn't even imagine what Starfall's fathers were going through. He had seen the footage of Ironhide carrying Starfall out of the building a hundred times now. Every time he saw it all he could focus on was the utter panic and fear in the Consort's optics. He couldn't imagine what he himself would have done if it had been Convoy that had been kidnapped. Just the thought of being told his son had died in such a brutal way made Burnout's spark ache with sympathy for Ironhide and the Prime. The two were undoubtedly devastated. Although Ironhide had always struck Burnout as an emotionally reserved bot, one would have had to been blind not to see how much the Consort doted on the little seeker.

"Papa?" a small voice startled Burnout out of his thoughts.

He looked to the side of the living room to see Convoy standing in the doorway. He snatched the remote from the side of the lounge and snapped the tele-consol off as fast as he could. Convoy did not need the image of his best friend hanging so limp and damaged in his father's arms that he already looked dead haunting his dreams.

Convoy looked exhausted, as though he'd spent the last several joors quietly sobbing into his berth. "Papa? Have they found Star yet?"

Burnout's fuel tank churned. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want have to be the one to tell Convoy. It was so unfair. Hadn't Convoy already suffered enough? He'd already had to watch his carrier slowly waste away from a devastating disease. Why did he also have to have the first real friend he'd ever had be so brutal snatched away from him? He was still so young and had already suffered so much loss. Convoy already blamed himself for Starfall's abduction. What would this news do to him?

Burnout got up from the lounge and went to his son. He knelt on the floor in front of Convoy and sorrowfully met his optics. "Yes. Starfall's father found him. But the mech who took Star hurt him. They took Star to the hospital but he was too badly injured for them to help him… He- he's gone. Star's gone, Convoy."

The words didn't seem to immediately register in the little sparkling's processor. "Gone?"

"Yes. Starfall died."

A broken sob clicked in the back of Convoy's throat line. The edges of his optics slowly filled with static. "No… No! Star can't be gone," Convoy angrily shook his head. "Not like Papa! He can't be gone like Papa!"

Burnout grabbed Convoy and pulled him to his chest as though holding him might somehow smother away his pain. The little sparkling's cries were gut-wrenching.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Convoy," Burnout helplessly murmured against his son's helm. Convoy buried his face into his father's windshield and wailed in despair. His entire body shook with the intensity of his grief. Burnout could only hold him closer.

Not since Convoy's carrier died had Burnout heard his son grieve so loudly or so hard.

OOOOOOOO

Skyfire felt weak in the knee-joints as he listened to the latest breaking news. The scientific data pad he'd been holding numbly slipped through his fingers and clattered to the floor by his pedes. For a long moment of eternity he couldn't move. It was like time had stopped around him, sealing him inside a vacuum bubble of horror. All he could do was stand in the middle of his living room and stare at the tele-consol. He'd just returned home from a long orn of work and absentmindedly turned on the tele-consol for background noise while he hunted through the piles of data pads on his desk for some notes he needed. He'd only been half listening when he'd heard the first report of Starfall's abduction and rescue.

He wanted to believe it was all somehow a mistake. He didn't want to believe the anchor-mech on-screen was telling the truth. There had to be some kind of mistake. There had to be.

"Starfall was taken to Iacon General Hospital where he died shortly after arrival. The brutal kidnapping and torture of the Prime's son has already sparked a firestorm of controversy. Not since the end of the Great War has such a case of violence been seen in Iacon or any of the other great city-states of Cybertron - especially towards a child. The tragedy of Starfall's death has already sparked anger among minority-model groups in Iacon and other major cities. Reports indicate that the Prime's son was targeted because of his model. Leaders of these minority groups are calling this a blatant hate crime and demanding that extreme actions be taken against the kidnapper who remains in police custody. Several high-ranking senators – most notably Senator Scion of Iacon - have already released statements to the press stating that they intend to seek new planetary legislation that would make any violent act committed against another because of his or her model automatically punishable by one hundred-vorns imprisonment in an off-world detention center. The maximum sentence for convicted hate crimes is currently only twenty vorns. Because this attack was committed against such a young child who ultimately died from his injuries, it is likely that this case will be tried in Iacon's High Court. The fact that the victim of this crime was also the adopted son of the Prime leads many to suspect that the maximum punishment for first degree murder – which is death – will be sought. The Prime family remains unavailable for comment at this time. The date and time of Starfall's funeral still have yet to be determined."

Skyfire's fuel tank churned. No. This couldn't be happening. This had to be wrong. Skyfire spun away from the tele-consol and rushed for his vid-comm station. He frantically punched in the code for Optimus and Ironhide's personal line. He'd memorized it from all the times he'd called to set up times for flying lessons with Starfall. His hands were shaking so badly he mistyped the number twice. When he finally managed to hit enter all he got was a black screen and the slow, heavy drone of a busy signal. He cut the line and tried again. The same thing happened.

Skyfire numbly powered off the vid-comm station and sat back in his chair. He wanted to believe that he couldn't get a hold of Optimus because he was too busy calling the news stations and correcting their false reports. Starfall couldn't be dead. It just wasn't possible. He was probably home right now resting in his room.

Yet… as Skyfire glanced at the tele-consol and saw the same footage of Ironhide carrying Starfall's battered form out of a dilapidated building for the third time since turning on the newsfeeds, he knew he could no longer deny the truth.

Starfall was gone.

The newsfeeds had been covering Starfall's abduction for what sounded like the last several joors – at least since that afternoon. It was now late evening. If Starfall really was still alive Optimus would have already held a press conference and dispelled the rumors. If something important was happening Optimus was always there to comment on the situation and give his wisdom. It was just one of his many duties as their race's leader. And Optimus was nothing if not committed to his responsibilities as Prime. The only reason Optimus would ever refuse to appear in public would be if there was some kind of personal emergency.

Or tragedy…

Skyfire's fuel tank sank. Deep down he knew he could no longer deny what he knew. Hanging his helm down his chest, Skyfire was unable to stifle the sobbing click of despair that sounded in the back of his intake line. As the clicking rose harder in his chest, the edges of his visual display began to fuzz with static. His spark suddenly felt too large for his spark-casing, as if it were about to explode out of his cockpit. His processor whirled with thoughts – each one excruciatingly more painful than the last.

Starfall had been so young. So innocent. Starfall had been Starscream's second chance at a peaceful life – a chance to redeem his soul and perhaps find some measure of happiness he never could have if he hadn't accepted Prime's offer of rebirth. Skyfire had spent the last fifty-seven vorns hopelessly waiting for some sign that Starscream had returned. For so long he'd believed he would never see his lover again. And then Optimus had called him to tell him that he'd found Starscream's reincarnated spark in the form of a little seeker living in a hatchling facility. When he'd heard that Skyfire had been sure that Primus had finally heard his prayers and orchestrated events to finally give Starscream back to him. Even if they were never meant to be lovers or even close friends again, Skyfire would have been content with the knowledge that Starscream lived on - that he had a second chance to have a happy life.

But now that chance was gone – brutally stolen before Starfall ever even got the chance to realize his potential. It wasn't fair. It didn't make sense for Primus to bring him back only to savagely take him away again. It wasn't fair! What kind of god allowed such evil to befall someone so young?

Agony tore at Skyfire's spark as though a million invisible hands were reaching into his soul and tearing him apart from the inside. Never had he felt such grief before. Knowing Starfall was gone was even more painful than when he'd turned against Starscream to join the Autobots. Not even saying goodbye to Starscream that last time in the prison had hurt as much as this because Skyfire knew there was no chance of him ever seeing Starscream or Starfall again. Starfall was dead. There was no Vector Sigma to restore his spark to another body.

This time Star was truly gone. There would be no more second chances. He'd lost his love yet again.

Unable to fight it anymore, Skyfire succumbed to grief. It pulled him under like an undertow. He let the agony drag him into the inky black depths of loss. He no longer cared what happened to him. If he ever managed to last to the point where his grief no longer stabbed at his core like a plasma-blade, Skyfire knew his spark would only be left an empty husk. He wouldn't have any more emotions to feel after this. A bot could only endure so much pain and loss before he was brought to his breaking point. A spark could only suffer so much agony before it could no longer heal and was left irreparably broken. He'd lost Starscream twice now. It was Starfall who'd lost his life, but it was Skyfire who felt like he'd lost his reason to try and find happiness anymore in the cruel meaninglessness of life.

OOOOOOOO

"I want a full report of what is happening, Cloudbreaker," Slipstream snarled at the vid-comm screen of her private office. "*Now*. All I have are confusing news reports and slap-shot attempts at intelligence reports from spies not worth half the credits I'm paying them."

Her son was onscreen, transmitting from Cybertron's capital halfway across the planet. As Vos's newly appointed representative to the High Council, Cloudbreaker had gone to Iacon to assume his position several orns ago. Cloudbreaker was to spend a portion of his time living in Iacon now. Rainstorm and Cloudburst were to follow as soon as he had a permanent residence set up for them. They were originally supposed to remain in Vos and visit Cloudbreaker through frequent visits. Cloudbreaker had not been pleased with that original arrangement. Despite his and Rainstorm's bond being arranged, the two were uncommonly fond of each other and did not like to be separated for long periods of time. Slipstream had had to use a combination of stick and energon treat to convince Cloudbreaker to accept the post. Being a representative to the High Council would be an opportunity for him to make outside contacts with other high-ranking Cybertronians before he became Emirate, she'd told him. Cloudbreaker had still been hesitant, however, and Slipstream had had to agree to allow Cloudbreaker's family to accompany him to Iacon before he finally accepted.

Everything still worked out in the end. Perhaps even for the better this way. The plan was to give Cloudbreaker an excuse to bring Cloudburst to Iacon to give him and the Prime's son more opportunities to solidify a friendship that would one day result in a trinebond. Slipstream had already given orders to Commander Fallout of the Air Force to find some reason to send Thundercracker and his family to Iacon for an extended period. Starfall, Cloudburst, and Thunderclap had shown great potential together as a fledgling trine. It didn't make sense to let the next step of their friendship be left up to chance. Slipstream wanted to forge a tangible tie with Iacon that went beyond the scope of open borders and renewed political relations. She wanted a connection through Starfall that would ensure her city's position in the hierarchy of Cybertronian politics.

But now there were rumors coming in that threatened the possibility of that happening.

The Vosian prince looked drained and extremely tired. The protomatter around his optics was tinged gray as if he were running low on energy and recharge. Slipstream did a quick calculation and realized it was the middle of the night in Iacon. It was probably actually closer to dawn. If even a fraction of the reports she'd received were true, it was doubtful Cloudbreaker would find any rest within the foreseeable future.

"All I know is what the newsfeeds are saying, mother," he said. "All the information I have indicates that the newsfeeds are correct: Starfall is dead. A mech kidnapped him from his school and was torturing him when Enforcers and the Consort finally found him. I've tried numerous times but have not been able to reach the Prime or Consort. They… they seem to have gone into mourning."

Slipstream leaned back in her chair, staring at the vid-comm screen with an expressionless face. She had been hoping the reports were false. Over the vorns she had gotten used to receiving bad news. But that still did not completely desensitize one from the initial shock of such devastating news.

"I am already being asked by other council members and senators how Vos plans to react to this," Cloudbreaker continued. "Starfall's death puts Vos into a very tricky situation. The mech who kidnapped him targeted him because he was a seeker. Even though Starfall is technically Iaconian many consider him, at least partially, a Vosian. Starfall's death was at the least an indirect attack on our people. If we decide to react negatively to this everything we've done so far to reopen Vos will be forfeit. All inter-city relations will go back to the way they were before Starfall's adoption."

"I know what will happen, Cloudbreaker. I am not stupid," Slipstream spat.

Cloudbreaker vented a heavy cycle of air and tiredly scrubbed at the protomatter underneath his optics. Slipstream had never seen her son look quite so weary as now. If he truly wanted to become Emirate someday, then Cloudbreaker had better get use to long and sleepless nights since this was only a taste of what he had to look forward to.

"What do you want me to tell the Council?" he asked. "They want an official response. Several senators actually expressed worry that Vos might see this as a declaration of war and retaliate militarily."

"What nonsense," Slipstream scoffed. "Vos is not about to go to war because one seeker was attacked in a foreign city. Even if he was the son of the Prime, Starfall is still only one bot. No one bot's life is worth enough to dictate the start of a war that would cost countless others theirs. Vos has only just begun to recover from the Great War. I do not plan to make my people go to war for such a foolish reason."

"What is Vos's official stance then concerning this?"

Slipstream vented a heavy cycle of air. She suddenly felt even older than she was. "Hold a press conference tomorrow. Announce that Vos is appalled by this attack on the Prime's son, especially since it was motivated by Starfall's model. Pledge that we will give whatever assistance we can to help ease the Prime and Consort's pain in their time of loss. But be sure to make it clear that Vos will not be deterred from reestablishing relations with the rest of Cybertron's city-states. Starfall's death is a tragedy, but we seekers will not be turned away because of one act of hate against our kind."

"Yes, mother. I will contact the local news stations and arrange a press conference as soon as we are done talking," Cloudbreaker solemnly acknowledge. He hesitated a moment before meeting Slipstream's optics through the screen. "Mother… please do not tell Cloudburst about what happened yet. He and Starfall were beginning to become close. I plan to call Rainstorm later when she's awake. I would like to tell her and Cloudburst the news myself."

"They are your family. You can tell them whatever you want," Slipstream snorted.

Cloudbreaker stiffly nodded. "I must go make arrangements. I will contact you again as soon as I have more information."

Slipstream waved her hand dismissively at the vid-comm screen. The thin bands of silver on her wrist joint jangled loudly against each other. With the flick of her wrist she cut the transmission. Cloudbreaker's image abruptly disappeared from the screen.

Slipstream leaned back in her chair. A small cube of energon sat on the edge of the desk beside the controls of the vid-comm station. She'd barely had time to refuel as the first few reports of Starfall's kidnapping began to filter in. The incident had consumed her schedule for the last few joors. Slipstream picked up the cube of glowing liquid and lifted it to her mouth. Just as it was about to touch her lips though she realized she couldn't bear the thought of anything inside her fuel tank right now. Everything was ruined. Everything she'd worked so hard to create was suddenly gone. Starfall – the reincarnated spark of her great-nephew – was dead.

A cloying rush of anger suddenly welled up in the back of her intake line. With an unforeseen burst of energy that shocked even her, Slipstream hurled the energon cube against the far wall of her study. It struck the wall with a satisfying crack and shattered into a hundred little pieces. Trails of glowing purple liquid ran down the wall to the floor. Fighting to control her suddenly raging emotions, Slipstream pushed away from the desk and staggered to her thrusters. She stood there, desperately gripping the back of her chair with one hand as though doing so might somehow anchor her down amidst the whirlwind of thoughts spinning around inside her processor.

Starfall was supposed to have been the one that brought them all together again. When she got the first intelligence report saying that the Prime had adopted a little seeker sparkling from a Iaconian hatchling facility, she had instantly known who he was. She had had such hopes that her great-nephew would finally heal the lingering wounds the Great War had caused. He was supposed to have been the catalyst that returned Vos to the rest of Cybertron and brought about a new Golden Age. All the pieces had been there. Starfall had been perfectly placed to help fix the damage Starscream had had a part in causing over the course of the Great War.

But now he was *gone*. And all because of the actions of one bigoted, hateful mech. He'd ruined it for all of them.

Movement in the corner of Slipstream's visual display brought her out of her thoughts.

"Leave it, Acht," she wearily snapped. The black-painted conehead was moving towards the shattered remains of her energon cube to clean up the mess. He stopped and offered her a brisk nod of acknowledgement. He walked back towards her and took his position just behind her left shoulder. There was more movement from the side of the room, and within the blink of an optic Acht's trinemate Sechs took position on her other side. The two coneheads stood in perfect silence, her ever-present guards. Even when she recharged, Sechs and Acht were never farther than a room away from her. In the midst of the Great War she had taken them on as her personal bodyguards. In all that time she'd never heard either of them utter a single word, yet she understood their little gestures and movements better than she did others with fully operating vocal processors. Over the vorns she'd come to rely on them as her personal pillars of emotional support. Only Sechs and Acht were allowed to see at her like this. She trusted them in ways she didn't anyone else. In front of everyone else – even her own son – she was expected to be the unbending Emirate of Vos. Yet in the privacy of her private study with only bodyguards there to see she could grieve like any other bot.

"He's gone," she angrily spat. She didn't turn her helm to look at her bodyguards. She didn't have to. She knew they heard every words she said. Although they didn't move or do anything to indicate they'd heard her she knew they were intently listening. "He's *gone*. Just like that. I had had such hopes for that little sparkling. Primus brought Starscream back as such a sweet child… He would have been successful in whatever he chose to do with his life. But just like the rest of my family, he's gone now too."

Slipstream still vividly remembered the first time she had met Starscream. It had happened long before she'd had Cloudbreaker or taken over the role of Emirate. She'd still only been the Emirate's Grand Consort - a femme in the prime of her function. Starscream had barely been older than a few vorns. She'd first met her great-nephew the day he came to live with her and her sparkmate in the Palace. His creators had been killed the deca-cycle before in a freak accident, leaving him without anyone else to care for him. As his only living relative – albeit an extremely distant one – Slipstream had been given custody of him. Her sparkmate, Cloudcover, had not been happy about it. He'd spent several orns trying to convince her to just send Starscream to an orphanage. The child was not a member of the royal line, he insisted. He did not belong with them in the palace. It was only the orn before Starscream was scheduled to arrive that Slipstream finally snapped at Cloudcover that talk of them taking in her nephew's child was no longer up for discussion. Starscream was coming to live with them, and that was that.

Cloudcover never mentioned sending Starscream away again after that, but he never once tried to get to know Starscream in all the vorns Starscream lived with them. Although Cloudcover never did anything outwardly hostile towards Starscream, the level of disinterest he showed him was palpable. Children are perceptive. Slipstream knew Starscream had picked up on her sparkmate's feelings at an early age and as a result never tried to become closer to the older mech. Slipstream had tried to do the best she could for Starscream to give him the time and attention he so desperately needed after his creators died, but she had had her own duties to attend to and had little time to spare for him.

Starscream had been so hurt and lonely when he came to live with them. It still stung Slipstream in her spark to remember the confused look of emptiness in his optics the first time she saw him. Her nephew, Starchaser, should have never had children. Starchaser – Starscream's carrier - had always been a vain and self-absorbed bot, even in his youth. Reckless and hot-headed, Starchaser had gotten bonded to a handsome young speed-flier just as reckless and hot-headed as himself at an early age against his creator's wishes. As a result, his creators had disowned him. Within a vorn of getting bonded, Starchaser was carrying a sparkling. The stupid fool.

From what Slipstream had managed to gather in the orns following Starchaser and his sparkmate's death, the two had been the opposite of exemplary creators. Always dumping their infant son off on whatever friends were free at the time, they would go out and do whatever it was young, irresponsible creators did when they did not want to stay home and take care of their creation. It had been while they were out on one of their nightly excursions that they were caught in a freak electrical storm and crashed. Starscream had been left at the domicile of a vague acquaintance of the couple at the time.

Although Slipstream had never told Starscream, he had always been her favorite relative. When Cloudcover died and Slipstream assumed the mantle of Emirate, Starscream had been the only one to ever stand up to her or question her decisions. Some may have thought Starscream crazy or overstepping his position, but Slipstream had always appreciated her great-nephew's courage to stand up to her. It had silently torn her spark apart when she'd heard what happened to him after the war – of what the little sparkling she'd helped raise had been found guilty of doing. She had wanted so badly to use her power to barter Starscream's release and bring him back home to Vos. But some crimes could not be so easily forgiven, even those committed in the midst of war. No matter how much it killed her inside, Slipstream had had to let Starscream accept his punishment.

She'd been so hopeful he would have a better life this second time around. Prime had instantly struck her as a model creator. Patient, kind, and loving he was the complete opposite of Starscream's original creators. Even Optimus's surly sparkmate, Ironhide, was openly protective of the little seeker. Between the two of them, Starfall would have been raised with all the love and attention Starscream never had.

But that promise of a good second life was gone, snuffed out like a little flame before it ever got the chance to catch.

Slipstream didn't know how long she stood there contemplating the past and everything else she had lost. It was only when Sechs silently stepped closer to her side and offered a hand to her that she seemed to shake herself back to the present. Holding one hand out to her, Sechs motioned with his other hand to the door. It was a silent suggestion that Slipstream go to her quarters to recharge.

Too wearied by the crushing weight of memories and loss to argue, Slipstream slipped her hand into her guard's and let him gently lead her towards the door. Acht followed half a step behind.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Decision

Awareness returned to Starfall instantly. Like being jolted awake out of a deep recharge, he came back to himself with a startled gasp.

The first thing Starfall noticed as he looked around was the white light. This light was different from the lights the medics had shined into his optics in the emergency room before everything had faded to black. This light had a soft, golden hue to it. Although it overwhelmed Starfall's optics, it was warm and felt strangely reassuring. An endless dome of empty white nothingness spread out around Starfall towards what appeared to be the horizon a hundred-thousand miles away in all directions. The vastness of it all made Starfall felt extremely small. A silence so complete that Starfall wondered if his audios hadn't actually been deactivated enveloped him in a soundless vacuum.

The next thing Starfall noticed about the strange place he'd woken in was the weightlessness. He felt like he was floating. He could detect no air currents or any sign of an anti-gravity device. Where was he? None of this made any sense. The last thing he remembered was the medics taking him into a small room with lots of scary looking machines. Was he still in the hospital? If he was then where was his father? He remembered Ironhide being right beside the gurney as they wheeled him through the halls of the hospital. Where had he gone? He wouldn't have left him to wake up by himself in such a strange place, would he?

Starfall desperately squirmed, hoping to get some sense of which way was up, down, left, or right. If he could just figure out how to stand he knew he would be able to get his bearings and figure out where he was. He had to find his father so he could go home. He didn't want to float in this endless white void anymore.

As if something had heard his unspoken wish, Starfall felt the pull of gravity and he suddenly felt as though he was standing upright. Starfall could see no actual ground underneath his pedes – just an empty void of gold-tinged light yawned underneath him – but the sensation of standing on solid ground was very real.

Frightened by these inexplicable things, Starfall hesitantly called into the white void, "H- hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?"

What are you doing back in my realm so soon?, a booming voice answered him. The Voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at one. The very air seemed to reverberate with sound, shaking Starfall at a subatomic level. The Voice sounded neither angry or threatening. Although its presence was awe-inspiring, Starfall was not frightened. If anything, the Voice reassured Starfall. It proved he was not alone in this empty place. Was it not but a short time ago you stood before me begging me to send you back in a form your loved one would recognize? The Voice almost sounded intrigued to discover Starfall's presence there.

Starfall looked around. He could see no one else in the empty white void that surrounded him. "Who are you?" he called. His voice sounded extremely small even to his own audios in comparison to the invisible voice that shook the air. "Where am I?"

You should know. You have been here before. Do you not remember the last time you stood in my presence?

Starfall paused. Like a dam breaking somewhere in the back of his mind, memories flooded his brain. Somewhere deep inside him, Starfall felt something shift. He looked down at himself and was startled to find himself staring at a body that was not his own. No longer did he have a small sparkling's body painted white and light blue. Instead, his body was now that of an adult, his armor painted brilliant shades of red, white, and blue. Images flashed past his mind's eye – images of war, battles, spilt mech fluid and death. His mind flashed with memories of past encounters he had completely forgotten about until now with Skyfire, Optimus, Ironhide, and countless other bots. He remembered long nights spent studying in the science academy's library, flight training, a deadly snowstorm on a distant alien planet, and a jail cell. He remembered distant worlds, the vast emptiness of space, and the reflection of light shining like prisms through the crystals of the Vosian palace's gardens.

"I remember," Starscream whispered with a startled gasp. "I remember everything."

Of course you do, the Voice agreed. Memories can never truly be forgotten. They are imprinted on your spark forever.

"I remember," Starscream murmured, overwhelmed by the revelation of his memories. "They made me forget. They made me surrender my spark to Vector Sigma and forget."

No one made you forget anything. You agreed to Optimus's offer of your own free will. You chose to be reborn through Vector Sigma. No one forced you to return to atone for your sins.

Starscream scowled. He defiantly crossed his arms across his cockpit. "I agreed to Prime's offer so I could see Skyfire again. That's the only reason I let them turn me into a sparkling."

Is it?,the Voice knowingly rumbled. You hide your shame behind a mask of aloof indifference, but deep in your spark you are mortified at the things you did in your previous life. You accepted the Prime's offer not just out of a desire to reunite with your lover, but also out of a need to make amends and find some sense of redemption.

Starscream was disarmed by the truth with which the Voice spoke. He opened his mouth to refute such claims, but found he could not find the words to actually do so. In the presence of such all-knowing power, such denials were useless.

Starscream's crossed arms suddenly felt like a protective shield against the Voice's omnipotence. He unconsciously hugged himself tighter. "Maybe a little…" he softly admitted under his breath. "But it was mostly for Skyfire! I wanted to see him again. I didn't want to leave him yet. Not after he came to see me in jail and told me he still loved me."

You thought he had completely abandoned you after he left you to join the Autobots, the Voice said. You were certain he no longer loved you and that no one else ever would. That was why you fought the rest of the war blinded by such reckless hate. You were hurt and angry. You blamed the rest of the world for your pain and no longer cared if you lived or died.

Starscream miserably nodded, too ashamed to speak. The memory of Skyfire's betrayal and the days following it were still physical stabs of pain to his spark. It had hurt when he'd lost Skyfire to that storm. In the vorns following Skyfire's supposed death he'd often felt like he would literally deactivate from loneliness and guilt. There had been days when it had been a victory he even got up off his berth. After several thousand years he began to recover enough to be able to go more than half an orn without thinking of Skyfire. Then war had broken out. The near-constant fighting had given Starscream a way to distract himself from memories of his lost lover, although Skyfire was never completely far away from his thoughts, especially late at night when he would lay on his berth and stare at the ceiling, missing the giant mech. Then, several millennia later, to find out Skyfire was still alive after all that time and have him turn his back on him and walk away had hurt Starscream more deeply than any physical wound ever could have.

He never stopped loving you, the Voice softly boomed, as though hearing Starscream's thoughts. He still loved you with every fiber of his being although he could not bear to physically stand beside you anymore. He proved as much when he went with Optimus and Ironhide to see you in prison and convince you to take the option the Prime was offering you.

"He was why I decided to go back – so we could have a second shot at being together," Starscream sorrowfully admitted. "I blamed him for so long for leaving me, but in the end I know it was my fault we couldn't be together after he woke up on Earth. I wanted to see him again. I wanted him be able to look at me without that look in his optics like he thought I was a monster."

Do you wish to go back?

Starscream was startled by the question. "How? If I'm here than I've either died or surrendered my spark to Vector Sigma again, which I know I haven't."

I am the Giver of Life. The Bringer of Light. There is much I can do. You are currently in Limbo – caught between the realms of life and death. I am keeping you here so that you can make another choice - a choice even more important than the one Prime originally came to you with. You can either choose to return and fulfill the role I sent you back to complete, or you can choose to pass into the Well of Allsparks to join those that have crossed though the light before you.

Starscream hesitated. "How am I even here? My spark is immortal. I shouldn't even be here. I can't die."

I fixed that defect in your spark when you first entered my realm after giving yourself to Vector Sigma. Your spark is no longer immortal as it was in your previous existence. It is now like any other Cybertronian's.

"And yet you say you can bring me back to life?" Starscream skeptically sneered.

As I said: I am the Giver of Life. The Bringer of Light. The Destroyer of Darkness. I can restore you to life if I will it. But to do so, you must first choose. I will not force you to return if you would rather stay and take your place in the Well of Allsparks.

Starscream felt something inside him shift. When he looked down he once again found himself in the body of a sparkling.

"I do wanna go back," Starfall insisted in a tiny, frightened voice. "I miss my dads. But… I'm scared. I don't wanna be the same bot I was before. I don't like him. I don't wanna hurt other people." He now knew what awful things he was capable of doing. And that more than anything else made him hesitate.

You will not follow the same road you did if you do not wish to, the Voice gently insisted. The Voice's deep rumble washed over Starfall like the roll of a slow ocean wave. I have restored your spark to its original state. It will stay as pure as you choose to keep it. Fate is not written. Destiny is decided by the actions you choose to make. You learned many hard lessons in your previous format and will use those lessons to your advantage in the future if you choose to return. You have in your power the ability to accomplish many great things. I sent you back through Vector Sigma with a purpose. You are the key to healing the final rift that exists between the different races of my children. You are the key to our planet's peace. Why do you tarry? So many people await your return. The one called Skyfire mourns you, as do your fathers. All of them are desperately praying for you to be restored to them.

Starfall felt something in the back of his mind shift and he was once again the Decepticon second-in-command. Starscream gave a derisive snort. "Optimus and Ironhide are even bigger soft-sparked fools than I originally thought they were. They adopted me knowing full well who I really was. They must both be insane."

You mock them for their affection, yet you love them with the exact same intensity, the Voice knowingly pointed out.

The sneer on Starscream's face slowly dropped away. As much as he wanted to deny it, the Voice was right. Just the thought of the two mechs – his former enemies - made his spark ache with yearnings for home.

Is love really a thing worthy of such scorn? In your previous format your deepest desire was to know the love of a real family.

"I spent the first portion of my old life alone because my creators were too busy doing their own thing to even spare me a second thought!" Starscream spat. Even now, after countless millennia, the memory of his creators still made resentment rise in the back of his throat line like molten lava. "Neither of them wanted me. I was nothing but a burden to them. All they ever did was leave me with other people so they could go out and do their own things. Even when I was sent to my aunt's everyone was always too busy for me. Slipstream always had more important things she had to do than spend time with me. I was basically raised by tutors and hired caretakers."

Even now there is still so much lingering hurt and resentment in you that you cannot see how much others cared for you, the Voice sadly rumbled. Slipstream did not neglect you out of disinterest. Since discovering your rebirth you rarely stray far from her thoughts. She wishes to somehow make up for some the pain and loneliness you suffered when you were her charge.

"Little good that does me now," Starscream bitterly snapped, gesturing to the empty white void around him.

Your creators wait for you in the Well, the Voice unexpectedly announced. You could see them if you wanted before you make your decision. They dearly wish to see you. The last time you came here they begged for the opportunity to speak with you but you refused. Long have they waited for the opportunity to try and make amends with their only offspring.

Starscream sneered. "Well, they're going to have to wait a lot longer. I still don't want to see them. At least with Optimus and Ironhide they didn't try to push me off onto anyone who was free to babysit. My creators never cared about me when they were alive, what right do they have to pretend to care about me now?"

Do you choose to forfeit the promise of the Well of Allsparks and return to life then? Your loved ones all wait for you. There is so much waiting for you to do. As I said: you are the key to our planet's last stage of healing. You, and you alone, have the power to bring Vos back into the fold and heal the wounds left by thousands of millennia of warfare and hatred.

Starscream sighed, all the anger and resentment for the perceived wrongs done to him in his past life abruptly draining from his soul like water through a sieve. "I am tired," he whispered. "I don't want to play political games anymore. I had enough of that in my past life to last me a hundred more. All I want to do now is rest."

There is no shame in wanting peace. I would not judge you if you wished to stay here in the light. It is your right. You have done penance and sacrificed much to re-earn your entrance into the Well of Allsparks. But remember that life doesn't have to be as painful or as lonely as you once thought it did. It is possible to find love and acceptance from more than just one bot. The one called Skyfire still loves you as much as he did when you first fell in love with each other – but he is not the only one. Many others care for you as well. Your absence will be sorely missed among those you've left behind.

"I want to see Skyfire again…" Starscream longingly murmured. "He's the only one I ever would have sacrificed my spark to Vector Sigma for, but… he deserves someone so much better than me. I'm not good enough for him. I've done so many awful things. I could be reborn a thousand more times and still not be good enough for him."

Do you truly doubt my ability to repair the hurt to your spark, or do you only tarry in making a decision because you are afraid of facing the uncertainty of Life again?

"I am not afraid!" Starscream screeched. How dare the Voice imply that he was afraid! "I once led armadas of seekers into battle! I am afraid of nothing!"

Then why do you hesitate? I can sense that you are not ready to let go of your ties to the living just yet.

Starscream could not find the words to answer. His feelings were torn and ran and opposite directions. It was true he wanted to go back. It was true he was not ready to relinquish his ties with those he'd left behind. There was still so much he wanted to say to Skyfire - still so much he had to apologize for. He still had hope he might be reunited with Skyfire and rekindle the love they'd once shared before a freak snowstorm had torn Skyfire away from him. The other, younger, more innocent part of him also missed Optimus and Ironhide. He wanted to go home and be with his fathers. He did not want to give up everything Life still had to offer him.

But he was so tired. He had not forgotten the injustices and loneliness that also came with Life. Even in this white, weightless place Starscream still remembered the burning cut of loneliness that came from not feeling wanted. He still remembered the crushing helplessness of being hated for no other reason than having a different frame type than everyone else. Like a ghostly echo, Starscream's wings suddenly ached with remembered pain from his most recent mortal existence. He had not forgotten what pain bots were capable of inflicting on one another because of hate. He would not miss such indignities and pain. He was tired of hurting. He could feel the Well of Allsparks calling out to him. It sang to his weary spark like a homing beacon guiding him home. It promised him safety and peace – a final end to his suffering. All he had to do was refuse the Voice's offer to return and he knew he would never have to hurt again.

And yet, Starscream still hesitated. No matter how hard he tried he could not forget the reason he had decided to accept Optimus's second shot at life in the first place. Skyfire still lived. The Voice said he still loved him. How could he choose to stay in the light when doing so would leave Skyfire behind, hurting and alone?

I know the reasons why you hesitate, the Voice gently rumbled. I understand your conflict. But I am afraid you cannot delay any longer. You must choose quickly. I am powerful but even I have limits. The window of time for which I can restore you to life is quickly drawing to a close. You can either stay with me in Well of Allsparks or you can return to Life and be with your loved ones. Choose now.

Starscream growled with panicked indecision. He wanted to go back, but going back meant he would have to face all the pain and loneliness of the world again. He was tired of hurting. In his previous life he had lived in almost constant pain, both physically and emotionally. Whether from Megatron's fists or from the aching emptiness left in the wake of Skyfire's betrayal, Starscream could barely remember a time he hadn't wished he could somehow find a way to make all the hurting just go away. His most recent incarnation had been slightly better than his first. There had been bright spots in it that had made up for the days spent alone and unwanted in the hatchling facility.

He still remembered the first time he'd seen Skyfire as Starfall at the Autobot's anniversary party. Skyfire had recognized him despite his new body. He had smiled down at him and – Primus, it still made Starscream's spark ache to remember – had looked at with such love in his optics Starscream now understood that Skyfire had kept the promise he'd made to him the last time they'd seen each other in prison that he would wait for him to be reborn. Although there hadn't been any way for him to know it at the time without his old memories, Starscream knew the Voice had not lied when it said Skyfire still loved and wanted him. The giant mech hadn't abandoned him.

The Voice had also not lied when it had said he was loved by others besides just Skyfire. Despite everything he'd done in his past life, Optimus and Ironhide had taken him in and loved him as their son. It had taken some time for Ironhide to warm up to him, but there was no denying the gruff old mech's devotion to him now. Memories of his last few hours of life were hazy and disjointed, but Starscream still remembered the look in Ironhide's optics when he'd found him in that basement, covered in mech fluid and half beaten to death. He had felt safe in Ironhide's arms when the weapons specialist had carefully picked him up and rushed him to the hospital. Although Fate had been ultimately proven the old war mech wrong, he had truly believed Ironhide's frantic rambling at that time that everything was going to be okay. He'd come to trust and rely on his adopted father in ways he'd never been able to trust anyone else in his past life. With Ironhide and Optimus he was actually able to say what it was like to see love on another bot's face and have that love directed at him. He did not want to give that up yet.

"Send me back!" Starscream shouted into the empty white void with sudden certainty, his voice breaking with emotion. "I choose to go back! I don't want to leave them yet!"

Very well.

"Will I remember being here?"

No. Like before, you will not remember this place when you return, but memories can never truly be erased from one's spark.

Starscream felt the shift far in the back of his mind again and he was once again Starfall. White light rose up around him, blinding him with its brilliance. He suddenly felt extremely tired, his body unbearably heavy. He felt like he was falling backwards into weightless nothingness.

Farewell, the Voice softly rumbled from somewhere beyond the wall of light.

The last thought Starfall had before the light completely consumed him was how pleased the booming voice sounded.

OOOOOOOO

Night had long since fallen over the city of Iacon. Most of the city's population was recharging. Even Iacon General Hospital, which was usually a hub of activity, was unusual quiet. The halls of the great medical institution were empty except for the occasional medic that had had the misfortune of being assigned the late shift.

Octane was just such a bot. As one of the newest medics to the IGH staff he had the pleasure of overseeing graveyard-shift rounds. All the patients seemed to be resting comfortably. It looked like it was going to be a quiet night. That didn't mean there weren't things that needed done before the morning shift came in, however. Part of Octane's job was to review patient charts and see that any new information from earlier in the day was correctly updated to the hospital's main database.

Unfortunately, there were several inconstancies on a chart that had forced Octane to take a trip down to the hospital's morgue. A mech had come into the ER earlier that day with severe injuries sustained during a construction site accident. Apparently, the rigging on a bundle of steel beams that were being lifted for a new skyscraper had broke. The poor mech had been standing directly underneath them when they fell. He had survived long enough for a medical transport to get him to the ER, but had died shortly afterwards. While there was no doubt why the mech had died, his charts listed him in one place as a construction model and in another place a standard four-wheel based model. Although such inconsistencies were unlikely to result in any problems, it was still Octane's job to correct the information so there wouldn't be any chance of the hospital being sued for medical malpractice or negligence later by the mech's family. In order to correctly input the mech's frame-type, Octane found himself in the hospital morgue in the middle of the night.

The morgue was a series of large white-tiled rooms located deep in the bowels of the hospital. Utter silence stung Octane's audio receptors between the echoing thud thud thud of his pedes on the floor. Octane fought the urge to hum something under his intakes just to break the unnerving silence of the place. Although he'd never admit it to any of his colleagues, he hated coming down to the morgue. He wasn't unnerved so much by the sight of dead bodies - he was a medic in a major hospital, he saw dead bodies on almost a daily basis. No. What unnerved him was the morgue's utter stillness and silence. It was like the place had been sucked dry of any and all signs of life.

As Octane turned into the largest room of the morgue, motion-activated lights flickered on. Several empty examination/autopsy tables stood in the middle of the room. Along the one side of the room five gurneys were lined up. Each gurney was draped with a gray tarp which shrouded the distinct outline of a body. These were the bodies of all those who had died in the hospital within the last twelve joors. Come morning, when the head mortician returned to work, he would begin autopsies on those who had died from unnatural or suspicious causes. After that, the dead would be released to their families for internment or incineration. Those who didn't have any family or anyone else who wanted to claim their bodies would be left to be recycled at the state's expense.

Checking the identification placards that hung from the ends of the gurneys, Octane found the patient he was looking for. He folded back the tarp from the mech's upper body. A massive gash just about the size Octane would have estimated a steel beam to be bisected the mech's torso. Octane could actually see the shredded remains of the mech's sparkchamber through the hole. Surveying the damage it amazed Octane the mech had actually survived as long as he had to get to the hospital.

"Standard model," Octane murmured to himself as he replaced the tarp over the mech's body. "Makes sense. A construction model would have known better than to stand directly underneath a rigging of steel beams."

Sighing with disgust at the unnecessary loss of life, Octane was about to turn and leave when he happened to notice the last gurney at the end of the row. The shape underneath the tarp was noticeably smaller than the other four beside it. Octane's spark gave a sympathetic spasm. He knew who was laid there. Everyone in the hospital was talking about what had happened to the Prime and Consort's son. Although Octane remained suspicious of the Vosians wanting to leave their city, it had saddened him to hear what had happened to such a young child. No child, no matter what make he was, deserved such a brutal end.

Octane hesitated a moment before slowly edging to the shrouded sparkling. He had never seen a seeker up close before. He had been young during the war and taken shelter with his family on a distant world as a refugee to escape the worst of the fighting. As such, he had only ever heard stories of the winged bots of Vos.

Gently folding back the tarp Octane was immediately taken aback by just how young the little seeker was. He barely looked to be the five vorns the news feeds kept insisting he was. The sparkling had been washed so that there was no more mech fluid on him – his injuries ready to be examined by the medical examiner come morning. Painful looking dents and scrapes covered the sparkling's body. Although the worst of the damage was hidden underneath the sparkling, Octane could see some of the shredded remains of his wings spread across the gurney beneath his shoulders. The sparkling's armor was a dull slate gray, his optics devoid of any light. Pity stabbed Octane's spark. This was so wrong. This should have never happened.

Octane reverently replaced the tarp over the dead sparkling and turned away with every intent of leaving. Just as he reached the doorway of the room, however, there came a flash of brilliant light behind him. It flared pure white, casting a dark silhouette of his body against the wall in front of him before disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. Octane swung back around. The morgue was as empty as it had been when he first entered. What was that? Had he just imagined that flash of light?

Growing uneasy, Octane turned back to the door. He wanted to get back to the main part of the hospital where there were other bots. He no longer wanted to be anywhere near the morgue.

Just then, there came the soft, barely audible sound of shifting material on the other side of the room. Octane froze in place.

"Hello?" he hesitantly called. His voice echoed against the cold white tiles of the morgue. "Hello? Anyone there?"

There came the sound of more movement. Octane finally pin-pointed its origin. The sound was coming from the row of dead bodies on the other side of the room. As he stared at them for some other sign that he wasn't going insane he noticed the tarp covering the smallest body at the end of the row move. The tarp crackled as it shifted. A low moan drifted out from beneath it.

Hurrying towards the gurney, Octane ripped the tarp back from the Prime's son to find two optics of dim turquoise blearily staring up at him. The seeker sparkling weakly squirmed against the surface of the gurney and gave another whimpered moan. The moan trailed off into a half-conscious sob of pain. Although still tinged heavily with gray, the sparkling's armor was no longer a lifeless gray.

"Primus," Octane breathed in numb shock. Moving on pure instinct that had been drilled into him from vorns of medical training, Octane pressed a hand to the top of the sparkling's chest. He could feel the slow but steady pulse of a spark underneath the sparkling's cockpit.

"You're still alive," Octane whispered, shock making his own spark slip a pulse. The sparkling gave no reply except to give a plaintive moan low in the back of his intake line. As Octane watched, his optics dimmed as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Turning from the unexplainably living sparkling, Octane hurried to the communications consol on the other side of the room. Punching in an emergency code, another face appeared on the other side of the line almost instantly.

"ER," the femme announced.

"I need a team of medics down in the morgue immediately," Octane hurriedly ordered. "The Prime's son is still alive."

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Unexpected News

Ironhide shakily lifted the cube of high grade to his mouth and took a long swallow. The high grade washed over his glossa and down his intake line to his fuel tank where it sat like a lead ingot. Ironhide's head felt fuzzy from it, his visual display blurry around the edges. He hadn't recharged at all since he and Optimus returned home from the hospital. It was now early morning. Sunlight warmed the eastern horizon, but it felt lukewarm and gray. Ironhide barely remembered coming home. He had left the hospital in a complete daze. If it hadn't been for Jazz and Prowl to escort them home Ironhide doubted he would have been able to find his own way back. Grief seemed to have robbed him of all ability to think or function.

Ironhide was ungracefully sprawled across the lounge in the main living area of their domicile sipping high grade. He's started drinking almost as soon as he'd walked through the door. It was all he wanted to do until the high grade finally calmed the demons in his head or he drunk himself into sweet unconsciousness. So far Ironhide had managed to find no escape from his grief.

It was all his fault. Starfall was dead. If he'd just left work a few klicks earlier he would have been there to stop that crazed mech from grabbing Starfall. If he'd taken that other exit on the freeway instead of his usual one he might have missed more traffic and been there in time to prevent the mech from getting away from the school. If he had gotten Starfall to the hospital just a few klicks sooner would Ratchet have been able to save him?

The what-ifs and could-have-beens made Ironhide literally sick to his spark. He took another swallow of high grade to try and temper the pain. It barely seemed to have any effect.

Ironhide hadn't seen Optimus since they'd returned home. Optimus had disappeared into Starfall's room joors ago. As far as Ironhide knew that was where he still was. What he was doing in there Ironhide didn't know, nor did he want to investigate to find out. The thought of going into his son's empty room where all his possessions still stood as though Starfall was to return at any minute made Ironhide's spark spasm with unbearable pain.

Like Ironhide, Optimus seemed to have been in a grief-stricken daze the entire way back to their domicile. Nor had he spoken a word to him since Ratchet showed them Starfall's body. Ironhide knew he should go and find his sparkmate to try and console him but he couldn't bring himself to get up off the lounge. Ironhide couldn't bear the thought of facing Optimus yet. Although he knew Optimus would never say anything about what happened he dreaded the silent looks of recriminations and blame in his sparkmate's optics that were sure to come for his failure to protect their son.

Ironhide took another draft of high grade. He knew he should try and recharge. His processor was sluggish from exhaustion, his spark heavy with grief. His entire body screamed for rest but Ironhide knew even if he did try to sleep he would only lay there on the berth and stare at the ceiling thinking about Starfall and how he'd failed him. How was he supposed to sleep when his life was already a waking nightmare? What were Optimus and he supposed to do now? Starfall was gone. Their family was shattered. How was someone supposed to just pick up the pieces and move on after such a loss? *Could* anyone actually move on after the death of a child? Ironhide had experienced loss before. He had lost countless friends, family, and comrades over the millennia. Everyone from his own sparkline was dead. But Starfall's death felt inherently different. Besides the initial tidewave of anger, grief and despair there was also an unbearable sense of guilt, failure, and an unspeakable gapping emptiness in his spark that Ironhide knew could never be filled again. The broken edges of his spark stabbed at his core with every memory of his son like razor-sharp pieces of glass. It felt like he had lost a portion of himself with Starfall's death.

Ironhide desperate gulped down more burning liquid, hoping it would drive away his pain. An unbidden sob slipped past the knot constricting his intake line. He took another swallow to drown the sound. Why wasn't the high grade working? He'd already drunk at least four cubes over the course of the night, yet his pain still felt as intense as it had been when Ratchet delicately led him and Optimus away from Starfall so other medics could take his body away.

The sudden chime of the front door pierced through the drunken haze of Ironhide's thoughts. Blearily, the old war mech looked at the door. As he did a second, more insistent buzz sounded.

"Go 'way," he slurred. His hand drunkenly shook as he lifted his cube of high grade to his mouth for yet another dose.

A third buzz echoed through the domicile. Ironhide pointedly ignored it. He didn't care who was at the door. The night before the comm-line had rung non-stop with bots calling in reaction to Starfall's death. Reporters, friends, old war buddies, and countless senators were among the callers. Neither Ironhide or Optimus had answered any of the calls, opting instead to let the messages be recorded on the automated system. Optimus hadn't left Starfall's room since returning home, and Ironhide didn't feel emotionally stable enough to field the endless line of bots calling to express empty condolences or reporters wanting to get some asinine comment from the Prime or Consort for that evening's newsfeeds – as if they really had to confirm for the public that he and Optimus were devastated by their son's death. It had only been very late after midnight that the calls finally started to tapper off into blessed silence. With the start of a new day it seemed they were to be besieged again not only with tele-com calls but bots banging at the door as well.

One last insistent buzz sounded before the door unexpectedly slid aside. Ironhide unsteadily looked up to find Jazz and Prowl standing in the doorway.

oooooooo

"Go 'way," Ironhide's empty voice muttered from deep inside the domicile. "Don't wanna talk."

Jazz felt Prowl's own jolt of surprise across their bond at their friend's disheveled state. Jazz had been expecting Ironhide and Optimus to be in mourning, but the palpable aura of grief he and Prowl found Ironhide stewing in in the darkness of his living area was shocking. The old war mech was slouched against the back of the living area's lounge, his body language slack with all-consuming grief. Thick rings of static fuzzed the edges of Ironhide's optics. The protomatter around his optics was discolored a light shade of gray – the usual indication of extreme exhaustion or emotional distress. As Jazz stepped inside the domicile Ironhide lifted a half-empty cube of what appeared to be high grade and took a deep swallow. The older mech's movements were jerky and uncoordinated. Jazz suspected he had at least three cubes of high grade in him, if not more.

Jazz cast his sparkmate a distraught look. Prowl returned it with a frown. Ironhide was spiraling into deep depression. Although such a thing was only to be expected in the wake of a child's death, such unchecked emotions were dangerous when the one experiencing them was bonded. Optimus surely was taking Starfall's death no better then Ironhide. If Jazz knew anything he was probably taking it even worse. Although Optimus had never come out and talked to either him or Prowl about it, he knew the Prime had desperately yearned for a child ever since the end of the war. He and Ironhide were no doubt feeding off of each other's grief through their sparkbond. If nothing was done to intervene it was possible for the two to get locked in a vicious cycle of heartbreak they could never break out of.

That was one of the reasons he and Prowl had stopped at the Prime's domicile before continuing on to Enforcer's HQ. Optimus and Ironhide were close friends. They should not be left to face their grief alone. Looking at Ironhide now Jazz mentally kicked himself for not insisting that he and Prowl stayed longer the night before to make sure they were alright. It was lucky Prime had given him and Prowl the passcode to their domicile in case they ever needed to enter when they weren't there. If they hadn't had it Ironhide more than likely would have just ignored their knocks and continued to drink himself into oblivion.

Concern coursed across Jazz and Prowl's sparkbond. This couldn't be allowed to continue. They had to distract the two from the worst of their grief before it became physically harmful to one or both of them.

"I'll go find Optimus," Jazz whispered.

Prowl nodded. Turing determined optics towards the despondent figure on the lunge, Prowl's doorwings stiffened. He looked like he was about to go into battle which, Jazz realized with a sinking feeling, in a way he was. Ironhide had always been a hard-headed mech. It was going to take a lot to break him out of his funk and convince him Starfall's death wasn't his fault.

Focusing on his own mission, Jazz padded down the hallway that led deeper into the domicile. Optimus hadn't been in the living area with Ironhide and Jazz felt certain he wasn't in his personal office. He was probably in the berthroom. At least, that's where Jazz would be if it was him who just lost a child. He would want to lay down and never get up again. He couldn't imagine what he would do if Kia ever died – especially in such a brutal way as Starfall had. After escorting Optimus and Ironhide back to their domicile the night before, he and Prowl had returned to their own home to relieve Kia's babysitter. Jazz had spent several joors just holding his daughter and cherishing the feel of her spark pulsing next to his. He had seen brutality and unspeakable violence during the Great War. In some ways he had become desensitized to it. But this – this malicious targeting of a child simply because of his frame-type – made Jazz physically sick to his spark. What kind of world were they living in where a child was killed because of such prejudiced hate? It made him never want to let Kia out of his sight again. If the Prime's own child wasn't safe, then whose was?

"Optimus?" Jazz gently called at the doorway of Optimus and Ironhide's berthroom. He was surprised to find no one inside. He glanced towards the doorway of the only other room Optimus could be in. His spark sank. "Optimus?" he called as he slipped inside Starfall's room.

The room was dark. The only illumination came from the hallway. Optimus forlornly sat on the edge of Starfall's berth, his head and shoulder sagging in a posture of hopeless despair. As Jazz slowly came closer he noticed that Optimus had the sides of his face mask retracted. A data pad was held in one hand. Jazz thought Optimus was holding something else in his other hand, but he couldn't really tell for sure. He didn't have time to try and figure out what it was because when he came within the last few feet of Optimus he saw Optimus's optics which almost made his footsteps falter.

Optimus stared down at the data pad in his hand with the emptiest optics Jazz had ever seen. It was like every shred of happiness or hope had been sucked out of the Prime. Jazz was slightly frightened. Never had he seen Optimus look so grief-stricken or lost before – not even during the bleakest days of the war. Even when things had been at their worst, Optimus had always maintained a certain aura of majestic confidence and poise. Right now he looked like a mech who'd just lost the will to continue living.

Jazz carefully sat the edge of the berth beside Optimus. "Hey," he softly greeted as he placed a consoling hand on Optimus's knee joint.

Optimus came out of his trance with a small start. He looked at Jazz as if he hadn't even realized the saboteur was there until now. "Jazz? What are you doing here?" His voice was nothing but a hollow croak.

Jazz's spark ached with sympathy. "Prowl an' I stopped by ta make sure you an' Ironhide were okay. D'ya two need anything? Is there anything we can do ta help?"

Optimus's optics dimmed with heartache as he looked back down at the data pad. "No. There's nothing you or Prowl can do."

"What are you looking at?" Jazz asked, motioning with his chin towards the data pad.

It took Optimus a moment to find his voice. "It's one of Starfall's stories," he emptily murmured. "When we adopted him the only things he had to call his own were a couple of secondhand data pads one of the hatchling facility's workers had given him. Even after I bought him new ones he still liked to go back and read his old stories. This was the first one I ever read to him before recharge."

Optimus lifted his other hand and opened it to reveal a small purple crystal. It looked like something one would buy in a store. "I bought this for Star the day Ironhide and I took him to the Crystal Gardens. It was our first time out together as a family. He loved it. He kept it with him all the time in his subspace compartment. Ratchet-" Optimus's voice caught for a moment. "Ratchet returned it to me last night before we left the hospital."

Jazz felt his spark break with sympathy. For several moments he could find no words. "Optimus… I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. Star was a good kid. He really was. It wasn't fair what happened to him."

"He was the son Ironhide and I had always wanted. We had tried for so long for a sparkling of our own, but neither of us was ever able to conceive. Star was Primus's answer to our prayers."

"I know you're hurting right now but you can't blame yourself or Ironhide for what happened. No one could have known Star was in danger."

"I don't blame Ironhide," Optimus murmured, his optics emptily staring at the crystal in his hand. "I don't blame anyone except the mech that took my son away from me. I want to forgive him, or at least understand his motives. It's one of my main directives as Prime. But… I can't. I just can't. It goes against everything I stand for as Prime, but all I want to do is to go up to that mech and make him feel the same pain I'm feeling."

Jazz's concern deepened. Although such feelings were justified coming from a parent who'd just lost a child, such thoughts did not sound like the reactions of the Optimus Jazz knew. Those sounded more like the thoughts of Ironhide. It looked like his and Prowl's concerns were justified. Optimus and Ironhide were feeding off each other's emotions. This couldn't be allowed to continue or one or both of them were liable to make themselves sick with grief.

"You can't think like that, Optimus," Jazz gently insisted. "This isn't you. Star wouldn't have wanted you to think like this."

Optimus opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a muffled tele-com ring that echoed down the length of the hallway. It sounded like it was coming from Optimus's office. It rang for several moments then went silent. Within nano-clicks it began to ring again. A loud voice suddenly rose up over the sound.

Jazz frowned. That was Ironhide's voice. Although he couldn't make out any words, he thought Ironhide sounded angry. He felt Prowl's side of their bond flare with concern.

Optimus blinked. He seemed to shake himself out of his depressed stupor a little at the sound of his sparkmate's voice.

"Come on," Jazz said. "Let's go see what's wrong."

oooooooo

Prowl scrutinized Ironhide as he walked into the living area. Ironhide was obviously drunk. His slouched posture and the pinched rings of gray around his optics said as much. Prowl did a quick calculation and figured there were at least 42 different ways this conversation could go – only five of which ended without raised voices or flared tempers. Ironhide was grieving the loss of a child and although he didn't show it right now, he was soon going to be looking for someone to take his grief and anger out on. Given the odds, Prowl decided the best way to approach Ironhide was to be as direct as possible. Might as well get straight to the point.

"I see you've been drinking," Prowl said as he sat on the lounge cattycorner to Ironhide.

"Wha's it to yeh?" Ironhide mumbled. He spared Prowl a drunken, halfhearted glare out of the corner of his optic. Instead of intimidating Prowl it only made his worry deepen.

Prowl leaned closer to Ironhide to convey the sincerity of his concern. "I understand that the loss of a child is unimaginable, but you're not doing yourself or anyone else any good sitting in a dark room trying to drink away what happened. Especially Optimus. He's hurting right now just as much as you. He needs you to be strong to help him through this, just like you need him."

Ironhide tried to give a bitter scoff but it sounded more like a choked off sob. "How can ah be strong fer Optimus when it's my fault Star's gone? Ah can't even bear the thought of facin' him right now. It was my job ta pick Star up, ta keep him safe. That's wha' fathers are supposed ta do. But ah failed. Yeh can't tell me some small part of Optimus ain't gonna blame me fer what happened. It was my fault."

"I know for a fact Optimus would never blame you for something like this," Prowl said, his voice stern with conviction. "You're in pain and looking for some way to explain what happened. You might feel some sense of responsibility, but this wasn't your fault."

Ironhide shakily took another swallow of high grade. Empty optics blearily stared at the dark tele-consol mounted on the opposite wall. Silence reigned for several minutes. Prowl thought maybe Ironhide was trying to ignore him to make him go away. He was just about to speak up when Ironhide surprised him and unexpectedly began to talk.

"Yeh know wha' the worst thing about this entire mess is?" Ironhide shakily took another sip of high grade as the static lining the edges of his optics fuzzed thicker. "Ah was just startin' ta really like the kid. When Optimus first brought Star home all ah could see was Starscream. Fer the longest time ah hated him. But then… then ah started ta see that Star really wasn't Starscream. He was a good kid. He was smart and funny. All he ever wanted ta do was make other people happy. The happiest day of meh life was the first time Star ever called me daddy. It made me feel like ah'd actually done something good with my life ta earn that name."

Prowl winced at the unexpected stab of heartache that assaulted him at Ironhide's confession. He had known Optimus and Ironhide had cared for Starfall as their own son, but to actually have Ironhide come out and say how much Starfall had meant to him made his friend's loss that much more painful to bear witness to. Ironhide hadn't just started to like Starfall. He had loved him to the very core of his being. Prowl realized he had to do something to help Ironhide, even if he had to be tough doing it.

In a single move too fast for Ironhide to stop in his drunken state, Prowl leaned forward and snatched the cube of high grade out of Ironhide's hand. He carefully set it on the table far out of Ironhide's reach.

"Hey!"

"No," Prowl forcefully said. "You have to snap out of this. I know you're hurting and that you miss Starfall but you can't keep blaming yourself."

"Why can't ah?" Ironhide drunkenly snapped. "My kid's dead because 'a me. Ah was supposed ta go pick him up, but ah was late. If ah'd been there in time ah would'a been there ta stop that mech from grabbin' him. Ah wasn't there ta protect my son. Ah wasn't even fast enough ta get him ta the hospital in time fer Ratchet ta save him."

Prowl was slightly taken aback. He'd seen Ironhide through rough times before – in the wake of devastating battles, at the funerals of fallen comrades, and on days when the war seemed all but a lost cause - but never had he ever seen him express so many raw emotions before. In a way, he felt like he was seeing a completely new side to Ironhide he'd never known existed before now. Ironhide rarely ever expressed his feelings or talked about emotions. To see him like this now reminded Prowl just how badly he must be hurting inside.

"Ironhide," Prowl sighed, awkwardly resting a hand on the older mech's knee, "I'm so sorry for your loss. For both you and Optimus. No matter what you think, none of this was your fault. And blaming yourself for Starfall's death isn't going to bring him back."

A strangled sound clicked in the back of Ironhide's throat. He hung his head and off-lined his optics as though to collect himself. Prowl kept his hand on Ironhide's knee if only to give the other mech an anchor to keep himself grounded to as he tried to rein his emotions back under control.

"Do you believe in Primus?" Ironhide unexpectedly croaked.

Prowl blinked at the question. This line of conversation hadn't been part of his initial calculations. "Yes. He is our race's god." In all honesty, Prowl was doubtful of the existence of an all-knowing being that supposedly guided the fate of their race, but he didn't feel that was something Ironhide needed to hear right now.

"Do you think Primus is merciful?"

"Yes. What are you getting at?"

For a moment it looked like Ironhide was too distraught to find the words he needed to express himself. "It's just that… ever since Optimus an' ah got back from the hospital all ah've been wonderin' is if Star's okay. Did Vector Sigma really clean Starscream's spark enough before he was reborn? Ah keep tryin' ta remember everything Optimus once said 'bout Vector Sigma – 'bout how it restored Starscream's spark ta how it was before he joined Megatron. But no matter wha' ah do ah can't stop wonderin' if my son's in the Pit right now sufferin'."

Prowl's fuel tank curdled with understanding. What a terrible thought for a parent to be saddled with. To not only have to mourn the death of one's child but also wonder if that child was suffering eternal torment for sins he'd committed in a previous life was an unbearable thought. Starfall must have worked himself even deeper into Ironhide's spark than he'd originally thought for Ironhide to be agonizing over such things.

"Ironhide… I am no theologian. I've never taken much interest in religion or the metaphysical. I've always prided myself in focusing on the logical. But there is no way I can believe that Starfall is in the Pit right now. I cannot believe that a god that is supposed to be merciful and kind would ever send such a young and innocent spark to the Pit no matter what things he did in a past life. Starfall was a good spark. He was nothing like the mech we used to know."

"Ah wanna believe yeh. Ah keep tryin' ta tell myself the same things. But how can ah know fer sure? How can ah know my son's spark is safe? That he's not hurtin' right now because 'a what Starscream did?"

"I am sorry, but I don't have answers for those kinds of questions," Prowl regretfully said. Unbearable helplessness washed over him. What was he supposed to say to Ironhide? No platitude or empty assurance would ever be able to quiet such fears. Unless someone discovered a way to speak directly to Primus and be able to hear his answers, there was no way they would ever truly know Starfall's fate.

A silence heavy with the weight of unanswerable questioned settled over them. As Prowl racked his processor for something to say, a sudden tele-com ring startled him. It was coming from Optimus's office. He glanced at Ironhide, but the other mech made absolutely no move to get up. In fact, Ironhide barely even turned his head to acknowledge the sound.

"Do you want me to answer that for you?"

"No," Ironhide wearily shook his head. "It's probably just some senator or ol' war buddy callin' ta say they're sorry about wha' happened ta Star. People were callin' all last night. D'yeh know even Kup called? Ah heard his voice through the door when the message log kicked on. It was just a continual string a' calls an' ah couldn't stand ta actually pick up an' talk ta anyone. A part 'a me just wants ta pull the line out of the wall. It's not like any 'a their condolences can actually bring Star back…"

The rings of the tele-com abruptly ended as Prowl heard the message log kick on. Whoever was calling, however, didn't want to leave a message. The log's recorded message directing the caller to leave their name and contact info abruptly stopped only several seconds after beginning. Almost immediately the tele-com became to ring again.

"Goddamit!" Ironhide unexpected roared. Prowl flinched back from the angry mech. "Why can't they just leave us alone?!"

"Ironhide-"

"Unless they can bring my kid back, ah don't wanna hear anymore people say how sorry they are 'bout wha' happened!"

"Ironhide, calm down," Prowl sternly admonished. This reaction was what he had been hoping to prevent.

From the office, the message log once again kicked on and was immediately cut off by the person on the other side hanging up.

"What's going on in here?" a third voice suddenly said from the doorway to the room. Prowl looked up to find Optimus and Jazz standing there. His immediate thought was that Optimus looked just as bad, if not worse, than Ironhide did. Pale circles of gray ringed tired blue optics which made the Prime's already haggard looking face look even more empty and lost. Despite this, concern filled Optimus's optics as he studied his distraught sparkmate.

From Optimus's office, the tele-com began to ring a third time.

"That's it!" Ironhide roared over the insistent rings. He pushed himself off the lounge to his pedes and began to drunkenly stumble for the office. "Ah'm disconnectin' it! If one more person calls ta say how sorry they are 'bout Star ah swear ah'm gonna go insane!"

"'Hide," Optimus worriedly called as the other mech stormed inside the office.

Prowl frowned as he got up to follow. He had calculated a scenario similar to this happening. He had to calm Ironhide down before he accidentally hurt himself or someone else. There were several different ways this could go considering how belligerent and unsteady Ironhide was from high grade right now. None of them were good.

"Ironhide!" he called as he, Jazz, and Optimus hurried after him into the office. Ironhide was already sitting in the chair in front of the tele-com, blindly pulling at wires and cables, by the time they streamed inside.

"Ironhide, stop!" Prowl ordered.

"'Hide, please stop this," Optimus chorused, his voice strained with stress. "This isn't helping."

The old war mech, however, seemed oblivious to them. "Ah don't wanna talk ta anymore people," he growled as he drunkenly tore at the tele-com's control panel.

In his rage, Ironhide must have accidentally hit the receive key on the consol because a face unexpectedly appeared on the screen.

"Where the hell have you been?!" a familiar voice snarled over the line. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for the last five klicks!"

All the mechs in the room froze. Even Ironhide paused in his rampage against the tele-com machine in surprise at seeing Ratchet's face suddenly appear on the screen.

"Ratchet?" Ironhide croaked. "Wha' are yeh-?"

"You and Optimus need to get to the hospital. *Now*," Ratchet ordered. His voice was tight with some emotion Prowl couldn't immediately identify.

Ironhide stared at the screen, his optic ridges furrowing together in drunken confusion. "Wha? Why?"

"Starfall's still alive. You and Optimus need to get here as soon as you can."

For several moments of stunned silence, there was no immediate reaction from anyone in the room. Finally, Optimus managed to find his voice.

"H-how?" He sounded too afraid to hope.

"A medic discovered him in the morgue a few joors ago. I just got out of emergency surgery to finish fixing Starfall's internal damage. I don't know how to explain it but he's still alive. He's under heavy anesthetic right now, but you should be here for when he wakes up."

There were several more spark-pulses of stunned silence before Optimus shakily said, "Ironhide and I will be right there."

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Reunion

With a visibly shaking hand, Ironhide cut the vid-com line with Ratchet off. He unsteadily pushed away from the table to stand. Optimus didn't know if his sparkmate's shakiness was because of the all of the high-grade he'd been drinking or Ratchet's unexpected news.

"We gotta get ta the hospital," Ironhide said, already starting to push his way past Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl towards the door.

"Hold on," Prowl said, grabbing Ironhide by the elbow. "You're in no condition to be on the road right now."

"Ah gotta go see my kid." Ironhide tried to wrestle his elbow back from the black and white Enforcer, but Prowl wasn't that easily shaken off. Ironhide speared him with a warning glare. "Prowl. Let. Me. Go. *Now.*"

Prowl was still undeterred. "Ironhide, I know you're anxious to go see Star, but you're drunk and a danger to everyone else on the road if you go rushing off like an Insecticon on energex. Jazz and I will escort you and Optimus to the hospital. I'm not going to try and keep you here until you sober up. There's a 96.7% probability you would try to rip my arm off at the shoulder joint and go anyway if I did. But I'm not going to let you put other innocent motorists at risk because you're in a rush."

Optimus stepped closer to Ironhide and placed a calming hand on his sparkmate's shoulder. "'Hide. Let Prowl and Jazz take us. We'll get there quickly enough. You don't want to get into an accident. That would only delay us seeing Star more." Across their sparkbond Optimus sent his own anxiety and lingering shock towards Ironhide to show him he was just as desperate to see their son as him. Those emotions were tempered, however, by concern for his sparkmate's wellbeing.

Ironhide visibly sagged under Optimus's touch. "Fine," he reluctantly growled. Prowl released his grip on Ironhide's elbow and took a small step away. "But let's get goin'. We're wastin' time just standin' around here talkin'. Ah wanna be there before Star wakes up."

"Let's go then," Jazz said.

The drive to the hospital was a complete blur to Optimus. If it wasn't for Prowl and Jazz acting as their police escort, Optimus doubted he would have been able to navigate the busy byways and streets of Iacon by himself. His mind was still trying to comprehend the full magnitude of Ratchet's news. Starfall was still alive. Optimus was almost afraid to believe it was actually true. He'd just spent the night believing his son was dead. Ratchet's news was nothing short of a miracle. He had seen Starfall's body before the medics had taken him away. He had seen the lifeless gray hue of his son's armor and the dark hollows of his optics. How Starfall was still alive Optimus couldn't even begin to explain, but he wasn't about to question it. If Starfall truly was still alive he would gladly take such a miracle at face value and just silently thank Primus for returning him to them.

Although it was early morning, there was a fair amount of other bots on the road. Jazz and Prowl's lights and sirens were enough to clear a path for them through the worst of traffic. Optimus was glad for their presence. He doubted Ironhide would have been able to safely navigate such obstacles by himself. Across their bond, Optimus could sense his sparkmate was still under the influence of several cubes of high grade. He could also sense, though, that Ratchet's news had given Ironhide a focused sense of clarity. Although Ironhide had still been a little shaky on his pedes before transforming and peeling out of the transformation lot after Jazz and Prowl, Ironhide seemed unusually focused. Like a mech on a life-or-death mission, Ironhide was just as desperate to get to the hospital and see their son as Optimus was.

Finally, Iacon General came into view. With squealing tires, the four mechs turned into the emergency drive and skid to a halt. Ratchet was standing by the doors, waiting for them.

"Where's Star?!" Ironhide shouted before they'd even finished transforming to their root form.

Ratchet eyed Ironhide up and down for a moment as though medically diagnosing the fatigue and lingering effects of high grade on him. He didn't say anything about it though. "This way," Ratchet said, immediately ushering them towards the doors. He seemed to know that he and Ironhide were in no mood to exchange pleasantries. They wanted to see their son as soon as possible. Jazz and Prowl silently trailed after them.

As Ratchet navigated them through the busy hallways of the hospital he offered them a quick recap of events. "I got an emergency call early this morning saying another medic found Starfall alive down in the morgue. How that happened, I can't even begin to explain. His sparkchamber was empty when I pronounced him last night in the ER. Except for an act of Primus, there's no other explanation for how he's still alive."

Optimus numbly nodded, too overwhelmed to offer a response. All he could focus on were the rooms lining the hallways, hoping each one they passed would finally be the one his son rested inside. The deeper they ventured into the hospital, the more anxious Optimus became. Ironhide was doing no better holding his fraying emotions together on his side of their bond.

Ratchet continued his rundown. "Starfall was still suffering from several internal injuries I didn't get to repair yesterday. It took me several joors of emergency surgery to fix them all. I didn't have someone send you a message earlier because I didn't want to alert you two to what was happening in case Starfall slipped away from us again. …I didn't feel that was something you had to know about if we lost him again. Luckily, he's stable now. Foregoing any unforeseen complications there's no reason to worry about him relapsing."

Optimus had to fight to collect his thoughts. After the emotional rollercoaster he'd just survived, his emotions still felt extremely fragile. "Thank you for personally calling us," he somehow managed to choke out. It was the only thing he felt strong enough expressing at the moment.

A quick elevator ride later, the five mechs emerged into a wing of the hospital that was obviously patient rooms.

"Starfall's in here," Ratchet directed, leading them to the second door on the left.

Optimus could barely stop himself from pushing past Ratchet as he led them inside. A single medical berth stood against one side of the room. A small figure cocooned in a web of tubes and wires lay on the padded surface. Optimus and Ironhide converged on both sides of the berth.

Starfall had been laid on his side. At first glance he looked just like he did the day before when Ratchet took Optimus and Ironhide to see Starfall one last time. Optimus's spark momentarily lurched at the memory. He has to reassure himself this wasn't the same as then. Although Starfall's plating was still tinged gray, it was no longer a lifeless gunmetal hue. Dim spots of light shined in the back of Starfall's optics. The monitors flanking Starfall's berth kept track of the rhythmic beeping of his vitals.

Gently, Optimus snaked one hand through the web of wires hooked to his son's body and pressed his palm to the front of Starfall's chest. The urge to touch and physically feel his son was still alive was nearly overwhelming. The reassuring pulse of a spark answered his touch. It was followed by another. Then another. And yet another, reassuring Optimus again and again that what he felt was not a figment of his imagination.

A violent rush of emotions almost overwhelmed Optimus's defenses. An unintentional near-sob of relief was muffled against the inside of his battle mask. "He's still alive," he tightly whispered as he looked up to meet Ironhide's gaze over their son. He silently sent a quick prayer of thanks to Primus for this miracle.

The old war mech seemed just as overwhelmed as Optimus and could only mutely nod. His optics were fuzzed white around the edges with emotion. Unlike Optimus, Ironhide did not have a mask to hide his emotions behind. Optimus suspected if Ironhide had tried to speak, his vocal processor would have malfunctioned from strain.

As the immediate joy of finding his son still alive began to recede Optimus took closer stock of his son's condition. Although Ratchet had said he'd repaired the last of Starfall's internal damage, the cosmetic damage to the little seeker was still difficult to behold. Fresh weld marks and painful looking dents littered Starfall's frame. They were likely going to be tender for the next deca-cycle or more. Starfall's paintjob was so scratched he would need a full round of bodywork before he looked like himself again. But that was not the worst of the damage. As Optimus did a visual assessment of his son's injuries it was impossible for him to ignore the bandaged area of Starfall's back where his wings used to be. The mangled remains of the little seeker's back was patched with bio-metallic mesh bandages.

Ironhide followed Optimus's gaze and also came to rest on Starfall's back. His facial plates betrayed horrified revulsion. "Primus… His wings."

"There was too much damage to Starfall's wings to try and salvage them," Ratchet explained from the edge of the room. Prowl and Jazz discreetly hovered out of the way near the door. "The mech that kidnapped him obviously focused the worst of his assault on them. I did what I could to clear out the debris, but considering the extent of his other injuries he's going to need to recover more before any reconstructive work is done. He's going to need at least several surgeries to regain any kind of flight capabilities."

Optimus numbly nodded. It was terrible to think of what still lay ahead of Starfall before he was fully recovered. But at least there was now the chance of recovery. Barely a joor ago Optimus had given up all hope of ever having his son back in any kind of capacity.

"At least he's still alive," Ironhide quietly rumbled from the other side of Starfall's berth, putting voice to Optimus's own thoughts. "Fer right now, that's the only thing that matters."

"Yes," Optimus softly agreed. "It is."

From between them a small groan sounded deep in the back of Starfall's intake line. Dim turquoise light brightened Starfall's optic lens, but only to half capacity.

"Star?" Optimus gently called as he leaned closer to his battered son. "Star, can you hear me?"

Another pained moan – this one a little louder – answered him. "Dad?" Starfall weakly croaked. He lethargically flickered dim optics up at Optimus as though struggling to focus on his face.

Optimus couldn't quite keep the tremble out of his voice as he tightly replied, "Yes, son. It's me."

"W-where's daddy?"

"Ah'm right here, Star," Ironhide replied. Optimus could hear the watery strain of emotions in his sparkmate's own voice. The old war mech gently rested a hand on Starfall's hip joint where there were no bandages or weld marks.

Slowly gaining more and more awareness, Starfall released a soft, keening whimper. "My back hurts," he slurred. "Where 'm I? I wanna go home."

"It's alright, Star," Optimus calmly reassured. He removed his hand from Starfall's chest to gently stroke the side of his son's dented facial plates. "You're in the hospital. You remember Ratchet from the anniversary party, right? He's a medic. He's taking care of you right now."

Optimus's reassurances, however, seemed to do little to calm the frightened seeker. "I can't feel my wings," Starfall plaintively cried. He groggily tried to roll forward onto his front, but released a startled sob of pain at the movement. "Dad, my back hurts. It hurts a lot."

Optimus desperately tried to sooth his son. "Shh, shh… Don't move, Star. You're going to hurt yourself."

"I don't wanna lay on my side," Starfall pleadingly whimpered into the berth mat. "It hurts."

"I'm sorry," Ratchet said, coming up beside Optimus to check Starfall. "But Starfall's injuries make it impossible for him to lay on his back, and I need access to the medical ports on his chest."

"What 'bout the pain?" Ironhide demanded. "He's hurtin' bad. Ain't there something yeh can give him?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "I'm sorry, but I can't give Starfall any more pain killers either. I already have him on the highest dosage I'm able to administer to a sparkling his size. I'm also reluctant to dampen his pain receptors because of the long-term damage doing that could have on his systems. His systems aren't fully developed yet and tampering with his sensor-net could do permanent damage."

Optimus tenderly stroked Starfall's helm. "I am sorry, Star, but you're going to have to stay like this."

Starfall's distress began to mount. The more he emerged from the effects of his surgery's anesthetic, the more disoriented he seemed to become. His intakes became panicked little hitches. "Why'm I here? Why's my back hurt?"

"Don't you remember what happened?" Optimus gently asked. Out of the corner of his optic he saw Prowl silently slip closer to the foot of Starfall's bed. No doubt he wanted to get Starfall's own statement for the record.

Starfall stared up at him, his optics swimming with confused fear. "No?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Optimus prompted.

Starfall hesitated, visibly replaying events backwards in his head. "I was at school. Convoy was going to come over to play. We were waiting for daddy but… but… I don't remember anything else."

"Trauma-induced short-term amnesia," Ratchet murmured behind Optimus. "Not that uncommon in situations like this."

"It's probably for the best," Jazz said. "Kid doesn't need ta remember what that mech did ta him."

Prowl released a disappointed sigh. "While I don't necessarily disagree with you on that, having a first-hand statement from Starfall against Crosshairs would have assured us an immediate conviction. That's not to say we don't already have enough evidence against him to shut him away for the rest of his function."

"What happened?" Starfall plaintively sobbed from the berth. The adults' cryptic words seemed to only be making him more upset. "Why 'm here? Why can't I feel my wings?"

Optimus leaned closer over the edge of the berth until he was almost face to face with his frightened son. "A very bad mech grabbed you while you were waiting with Convoy at school. Something happened to him that made him not like seekers. Unfortunately, he decided to take that anger out on you. Your father found you, but by the time he did the bad mech had hurt you very badly. That's why you're in the hospital now."

A frightened sob escaped the sparkling's mouth. "I don't remember that! I don't remember anything. I wanna go home! I don't wanna stay here anymore."

"We can't take yeh home yet," Ironhide gently said. "Not til yer a lil better." He had yet to remove his hand from Starfall's side, as though he was afraid of losing the physical connection with his son.

Becoming even more distressed, Starfall's intakes hitched into frightened, pained sobs. Protectively drawing his arms and legs closer to his torso, Starfall seemed to shrink down into the web of tubes and wires attached to him. The movement, however, pulled on the damaged tension cables in his back which only made him sob harder in pain.

Optimus couldn't stand to see his child in so much pain. Before he could question the soundness of his actions, he gently slipped his hands under his son's shoulders and hip joint and carefully lifted him off the berth up into his arms. Starfall's battered body barely seemed to weigh a thing.

"Optimus, wait. You can't-" Ratchet tried to intervene. Optimus ignored him. He might not be a trained medic, but he knew what his son needed. And right now that was physical comfort.

Starfall whimpered at the abrupt shift of position but huddled against Optimus's chest as he arranged him more comfortably in his arms, greedily dinking in the protection and comfort of his father's presence. Tucking his helm underneath Optimus's chin, Starfall clutched at Optimus's front. It made him look like a tiny newspark in Optimus's arms. Held upright against Optimus's chest, Starfall seemed to finally find a more comfortable position. His frame seemed to melt against his father's front as he relaxed.

With one arm tucked under Starfall's bottom, Optimus tenderly cupped the back of his son's helm to his neck with his free hand. "It's alright, Star," he softly whispered into his son's audio receptor. "It's alright. I've got you."

Optimus felt Starfall release a small sigh of relief. Tiny finger digits clutched at the edges of Optimus's windshield. "My back doesn't hurt as much like this," Starfall tiredly murmured against his neck cables.

"Good," Optimus whispered. A fresh rush of emotions pushed at the back of his intake line, making it difficult to speak. Barely a joor ago he had been certain he would never be able to hold his son like this again. "Then I'll hold you like this until your back doesn't hurt anymore."

With a disgruntled huff, Ratchet came up beside Optimus to check on the tubes and wires attached to Starfall. "Well, I can still get to his medical ports like this, so if he's more comfortable like this than on the berth I'll allow it. Just be careful not to detach any of the lines. I want to keep a close optic on his vitals."

"I will be careful," Optimus distractedly nodded. His attention was focused on the hurt sparkling in his arms.

"Here," Ratchet said, dragging a chair over from the far corner of the room to the side of Starfall's berth. "Sit. If you're going to hold him, might as well be comfortable doing it."

"Thank you," Optimus gratefully nodded. Very carefully, so as not to jostle his injured son too much, he lowered himself onto the padded surface. Ratchet spent a moment rearranging the lines trailing off Starfall's frame before finally stepping back. Although he could not see Starfall's face, Optimus could feel a noticeable release of tension in the sparkling's body. Judging by Starfall's slowing intakes he was already drifting off into exhausted unconsciousness. Optimus was grateful. At least in recharge Starfall didn't have to be in pain. As Starfall slowly went limp in his arms, Ironhide came around the side of the berth to stand beside Optimus. The old war mech seemed unable to tear his optics away from his son's face.

"How long's he gonna hafta stay here?" Ironhide asked over his shoulder.

Ratchet released a tired sigh. "Hard to say. The damage he suffered was extensive. Like I said before, I fixed all the internal damage to his frame but he's going to need several more rounds of surgery to fix the external damage – most notably his wings. As a medic, I have a working knowledge of all frame types, but I'm not an expert on seekers. They're not my specialty. If repairs aren't done properly Starfall could have scars for the rest of his life, or even permanently lose his ability to fly."

A horrified thrill coursed through Optimus. Starfall never able to fly again? Such a fate would devastate him. He had heard tales of seekers during the war whose wings had been permanently damaged in battle and had chosen death rather than be grounded for the rest of their lives. Optimus looked up at Ironhide. A gleam of dread shined in the older mech's optics. Apparently Ironhide had heard the same tales as Optimus.

"I'm also worried about the lack of effect the pain meds are having on Starfall," Ratchet went on. "He's on the highest dose I can give him but he's still in tremendous pain. Those pain meds should have him completely knocked out, not awake and speaking in full sentences. Maybe it has something to do with his frame type, but I can't risk giving him any more than I already have. Too much could kill him."

Ironhide released an angry growl. "Ah'm gonna kill that mech that did this ta Star."

While Optimus did not necessarily disagree with his sparkmate's anger, his concern at the moment was more focused on repairing the damage to his son's body, not seeking revenge. Optimus digested Ratchet's words for a long moment of silence. The hand cupping the back of his son's head unconsciously hugged Starfall closer. "Would you be opposed to bringing in an outside expert, Ratchet?"

"No," Ratchet shook his head. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Not yet. But I can contact Cloudbreaker, the Vosian representative to the senate. His mother is the Emirate of Vos. I am sure if we make an appeal they would send a medic to come help Starfall."

"Yeh think they'd do that fer us?" Ironhide said.

"I am sure of it. Slipstream has already said she considers Star a part of her protectorate. They would not let Star suffer or possibly lose his ability to fly. They will help us."

Ironhide considered this for a moment before finally giving a quick nod as though suddenly making a decision. "Ah'll go call him now."

"You will contact Cloudbreaker?"

"Yea. Yeh finally got Star comfortable enough ta recharge. Yeh stay with him. Ah'll go back ta the apartment an' grab a few things too. Once ah get back ah don't plan on leavin' the hospital again 'til Star does."

Optimus nodded. He understood Ironhide's feelings all too well. If Ironhide hadn't been willing to leave Optimus doubted he would have been able to tear himself away from Starfall's berthside long enough to do what was necessary. Now that he had their son back he was extremely reluctant to even think about letting him out of his sight so soon.

"I can have someone set up a vid-com here in the room if that would make things easier for you to contact others," Ratchet offered. "If both are you are going to stay while Starfall's recovering, you're going to be here for at least two deca-cycles - maybe longer."

"That's appreciated, Ratchet," Optimus gratefully nodded. "But I do not have any of my official contact numbers with me. They are all stored on the hard drive of my computer back home. Ironhide will still have to go get them before I can contact anyone." Motioning Ironhide closer to him, Optimus softly whispered, "After you contact Cloudbreaker be sure to call Skyfire. I'm sure he would greatly benefit from a call telling him the good news."

Ironhide nodded.

"I can escort Ironhide back ta your domicile ta get what ya need," Jazz offered. "Ya don't seem so unsteady anymore, but it's good ta make sure just in case."

Prowl took a step forward. "I am going to return to Enforcers headquarters to begin arranging a police guard. Once word that Starfall's still alive begins to circulate the press is going to be banging down the doors trying to the story. We'll cordon off this end of the hallway to make sure no unofficial personnel get in. The charges to Crosshairs also have to be changed since Starfall is no longer officially dead." Prowl glanced at Ratchet. "Until I get a team of Enforcers here, I'm going to ask you to have two guards from hospital security stand watch at Starfall's door."

Ratchet nodded. "I'll do that." He glanced at Optimus and Ironhide. "I've passed all my other current cases off to other medics. Starfall's my only patient now. He has my full attention."

Optimus gratefully nodded to all of them. "Thank you. All of you. I cannot thank all of you enough."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Jazz smiled. "Just worry 'bout taking care of Star now. We'll do the rest."

"Ah'll be back soon," Ironhide said, leaning down towards his sparkmate. "Take care 'a Star fer me til ah get back."

"I will."

Ironhide paused just long enough to rest a quick hand on the back of Starfall's head before turning and striding out of the room with Prowl and Jazz.

"I have to go make arrangements with security and talk to someone about setting up a vid-com here in the room for you," Ratchet said. "I will be back in few klicks."

"Take your time," Optimus said, gently stroking the back of Starfall's helm. "We are not going anywhere."

Nodding, Ratchet quietly slipped from the room.

As the rhythmic beeping of the monitors attached to Starfall returned to fill the silence, Optimus carefully leaned back in his chair. Starfall was dead weight against his chest. His face was gently pressed against the hollow of Optimus's throat. Optimus could feel the feather-light whisper of his intakes against his neck cables. Optimus relished the sensation. The emotions the feel of Starfall's spark pulsing against his chest in time to his was almost too much for Optimus to contain. The back of his intake line tightened with a violent rush of emotions.

Optimus leaned his head against the back of the chair. "Thank you," he softly murmured to the ceiling. "Thank you so much for returning him to me."

Whether Primus actually heard his prayers of thanks or not, Optimus didn't care. All that mattered right now was that his son was still alive and there in his arms. Until Starfall was well Optimus had no intention of letting him go any time soon.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Jail Visit

"Ya sure you're good now?" Jazz asked.

Ironhide nodded. "Yea. Ah can make it from here."

The two of them stood in the transformation lot of Optimus and Ironhide's apartment tower.

"Ya think you're gonna need an escort back ta the hospital?"

Ironhide shook his head. "No. Ah gotta make several calls before ah go back. It's gonna take at least a joor. Ah should be fine ta drive then by myself."

"Cool. I'm gonna head over ta Headquarters then. Prowl's probably gonna need some help. Contact us immediately if you or Optimus need anything. We'll probably stop by the hospital again later tonight ta check on ya guys and give ya an update."

"Alright," Ironhide nodded. He timidly met Jazz's optics. "Hey… ah just wanna say thanks. Yeh guys didn't need ta stop by this morning. We were both in a pretty dark place when yeh showed up. Ah know it may not have seemed like it at the time, but ah appreciate yeh two lookin out fer Optimus 'n me…"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Jazz smiled. "That's what friends do." He clapped Ironhide on the side of the arm encouragingly. "I'm just glad Star's back." Waving his hand towards the apartment tower, he said, "Go make your calls. Optimus'll be waiting for ya." Then, with a parting smile, Jazz transformed and sped out of the transformation lot.

Ironhide watched as Jazz turned onto the road and disappeared towards the highway. Cycling a deep intake of air Ironhide headed into the apartment tower. It was still early. There was no one else in the transformation lot or in the lobby. Ironhide was glad. He didn't feel like running into any other bots right now. All he wanted to do was make his calls, get the list of contact numbers off of Optimus's computer, pick up a few other things from their domicile, then go back to the hospital to be with his sparkmate and son.

The back of Ironhide's intake line constricted at the thought of Starfall. A part of him still couldn't believe that morning's turn of events. He'd been so sure he'd lost his son to the claws of death. The night before had been only a hellish glimpse of what life would have been like if Starfall hadn't been returned to them. Ironhide really didn't understand how Starfall was still alive – he had seen his son's body the night before. There had been no doubt at the time that Starfall had died. All that mattered to Ironhide now was that Starfall was back. Although his systems were still running a little sluggish from all the high-grade he'd drunk in the dark hours after Starfall's death, Ironhide felt surprisingly sober. It was like seeing Starfall alive had given him a rush of energy and purpose. He had been serious when he'd told Ratchet he had no intention of leaving the hospital again. Until Starfall was well enough to come home, Ironhide intended to stay by his son's berthside for as long as it took for the little seeker to recover.

With that mission in mind, Ironhide took the lift to the top floor and let himself into the dark apartment. He immediately went to Optimus's office. The sight that greeted him reminded him how deeply he'd slipped after losing Starfall: cables and wires hung down the front of the vid-com consol from where he'd torn them from their sockets in his grief. Ironhide's faceplates flushed with a rush of embarrassed shame, but it was short lived. He had been grieving the death of his son. While he might not have dealt with his grief in the best way, there were few bots that could have faulted him for reacting the way he did. In any case, it was all a moot point. Starfall was alive and waiting for him back at the hospital. He wanted to return to his family as quickly as he could.

Returning all the dislodged cables to their proper sockets, Ironhide repaired the damage he'd inflicted on the vid-com. It took him only a few klicks to find and download all of Optimus's contacts from the hard drive. He didn't know which contacts Optimus actually wanted, so he copied all of them onto a jump drive which he then safely stored in his subspace compartment.

That done, Ironhide searched the contact list. He quickly found the number he wanted. Clicking Cloudbreaker's name, the vid-com's screen went black as the line connected to the Vosian prince's office in the High Council tower. It rang only twice before the screen was filled with a blue and silver seeker's face.

"Lord Cloudbreaker's Office," the seeker greeted.

Ironhide recognized him from his and Optimus's trip to Vos. "Windsurfer, right?"

Windsurfer stared into the vid-com for a moment of silence before a look of startled recognition finally went across his face. "Consort Ironhide," he stammered. Almost immediately his facial plates flooded with pity. "Please let me be the first to extend my condolences to you and the Prime. I am so sorry about what happened to your son."

Even though Ironhide knew Starfall was safe in the hospital with Optimus watching over him, his spark still gave a painful lurch at the reminder of just how close he'd come to losing him. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Can ah talk ta Cloudbreaker? There's somethin' ah gotta talk ta him about."

"Of course, sir," Windsurfer obediently nodded. "Please wait one moment. He is in a meeting with another council member right now, but I was given strict orders to get him if you or the Prime returned his call." The screen went black and a message box with the glyphs 'holding' written inside began to lazily flash.

Ironhide barely had to wait. Almost immediately the other side of the line picked up again. Cloudbreaker's face appeared on the screen. The Vosian prince looked extremely tired, as if he hadn't recharged all night. The protomatter around his optics looked gray and pinched with exhaustion. It looked like the usually handsome mech had aged several centuries overnight. Ironhide only then realized what kind of political fallout the Vosians were dealing with in the aftermath of Starfall's supposed death.

"Consort Ironhide," Cloudbreaker sorrowfully greeted. Honest sympathy weighed his voice. "Please accept the Emirate's and my most spark-felt condolences in your time of loss. I cannot even begin to imagine-"

"Star ain't dead," Ironhide hastily cut Cloudbreaker off before the prince could go any farther.

The red and gold seeker stared at Ironhide through the vid-com. His optic ridges furrowed together in an expression of utter confusion. "But… the newsfeeds have been reporting all night that Starfall died at the hands of his kidnapper."

"There was a mistake. Ah just came from the hospital. Optimus is there with him now," Ironhide patiently explained. "He's beat up pretty bad, but… he's still alive." The old war mech fought to keep his voice from breaking but didn't completely succeed.

"That is wonderful news!" Cloudbreaker exclaimed, with a startled little laugh. The joyful relief he displayed was genuine. "Although it is terrible that Starfall is injured, I am relieved to hear the news reports were not correct. The Emirate was extremely upset when I contacted her about what happened. If there is anything I or the Emirate can do-"

"There is."

Cloudbreaker went quiet and stared at Ironhide through the vid-comm expectantly.

"Star's hurt really bad," Ironhide explained as calmly as he could. The memory of all those fresh weld marks and dents littering his son's body still made his spark pulse fast. "The mech that grabbed him focused on his wings the worst. We have the best medic in Iacon workin' on him, but he's not an expert on seekers. He said Star could lose his ability to fly if his wings aren't repaired right."

Ironhide had never allowed himself to ever beg for anything in his life – he had always considered it a disgraceful thing to do. Yet he found it surprisingly easy to meet Cloudbreaker's optics through the screen and beseechingly plead: "We need a Vosian medic. It's Star's only chance 'a gettin' his wings back. He's in constant pain and nothin' Ratchet does seems ta help him. His back hurts so bad he can't even stand layin' down on a berth. Will yeh help us? Optimus and ah will give whatever yeh want. We just need ta get in contact with someone who actually knows about seeker models."

"Of course we will help," Cloudbreaker readily announced. His optics gleamed with purpose, as though Ironhide's request had finally given him the opening he'd been waiting for to be of use. "I will contact my mother immediately. Give us a few joors to make arrangements, but I promise you the best medic in Vos will be in route to Iacon within the orn. Where is Starfall being cared for?"

"Iacon General."

"Our medic will be there by tomorrow morning. What is the best way to contact you after I make arrangements?"

"Optimus asked fer a vid-com ta be put in Star's room so he can contact people, but ah don't know if that's actually happened yet. Ah'm bringin' him all his contact numbers so he can start makin' calls. Once ah get ta the hospital though, ah'm not plannin' on leavin' again til Star gets discharged. Same fer Optimus. Yer best bet it ta wait fer Optimus ta call you."

"Have him contact me here at my office as soon as you get back to the hospital. I should have details about our medic coming to Iacon by then. I will have Windsurfer clear my schedule for the rest of the orn so that I will not be distracted. Is there anything else I can do to help? All of Vos's resources are at your disposal."

Ironhide was taken aback by how eager Cloudbreaker was to help. Apparently Optimus hadn't overestimated Starfall's importance to Vos's royal family.

"No. We just need the medic fer now."

Cloudbreaker held Ironhide's gaze through the vid-com. "If you think of anything else I can do to help in this ordeal do not hesitate to contact me."

"Ah will," Ironhide agreed. Holding Cloudbreaker's gaze, Ironhide was overwhelmed by a sudden rush of gratitude. Although many could argue Cloudbreaker was only being helpful to curry favors with Optimus, Ironhide did not believe there were any real ulterior motives behind Cloudbreaker's kindness. The Vosian prince had proved himself to be a honorable statesmech and father. Despite Ironhide's long history of distrust towards seekers, he trusted and respected Cloudbreaker. Even if Cloudbreaker was only helping Starfall for political gain, Ironhide would never be able to repay him for what he was promising to do. Without Cloudbreaker or the Emirate's help Starfall would never regain the use of his wings.

"Cloudbreaker… thank you. Optimus an' ah owe yeh."

"You owe me nothing. Cloudburst has become close friends with Starfall. I have hopes that they will someday become trinemates. That makes Starfall an extension of my own spark-line. There is nothing I wouldn't do for Starfall that I wouldn't do for my own son."

Ironhide gratefully nodded. "Thanks." He could find no other words to properly convey the full magnitude of his gratitude. "Ah'll have Optimus call yeh as soon as soon ah get back ta the hospital."

"Until then," Cloudbreaker nodded. The screen went black as he cut off his side of the connection.

A great burden seemed to suddenly lift off Ironhide's shoulders. He was still worried about Starfall, but at least now there were arrangements in the works to deal with his injuries. With Cloudbreaker's help, Starfall stood a chance of making a full recovery.

Cycling a deep intake of air, Ironhide searched the contact numbers for his next call. He quickly found Skyfire's number. If not for Optimus reminding him, Ironhide would have completely forgotten about contacting the scientist. Skyfire had just as many emotional ties to Starfall as he and Optimus did. By now he surely must have heard about Starfall's kidnapping. No doubt the giant mech was taking the news hard. Ironhide couldn't see Skyfire taking it any better than he or Optimus had. As one of only a handful of bots who knew Starfall's true identity and who had once been Starscream's lover and best friend, it seemed only appropriate he should be one of the first to be informed that Starfall still lived. Skyfire was a close friend of the Prime family. He deserved to be told the good news – not left to mourn Starfall's death alone until news of his resurrection finally leaked to the press. Unlike Optimus and himself, Skyfire didn't have anyone like Jazz or Prowl to come see him through such a dark time of loss. Except for Ironhide, Optimus, Jazz, Prowl, and Slipstream, no one else even knew of Starfall's connection to Starscream, or realized how Skyfire would be affected by Starfall's death. What a horrible thing, Ironhide thought with a frown. To grieve the loss of a loved one – for a second time no less! – and have no one else know or be in a position to offer any kind of comfort. Ironhide could only guess how lonely and dark such a situation must be. At least when he thought he'd lost Starfall he'd had Optimus. Skyfire had no one…

The vid-com rang several time with no answer. An automated message log kicked on. Ironhide cut the line and stubbornly dialed again. He was not going to let Skyfire ignore him. Not even a couple joors ago Ironhide had been in the same position as Skyfire was in. He knew how important it was to still have reason to hope.

Finally, on the fourth redial Skyfire answered.

"Yes?" he wearily croaked into the camera.

Ironhide couldn't help the jolt of shock that snapped through him at Skyfire's appearance. The scientist looked – in a single word – horrible. Abject misery lined every corner of his face. The giant mech's usually broad shoulders sagged as though a physical weight was pushing them down. His wings drooped down the length of his back. But the worst were his optics. It was like every ounce of life had been drained from Skyfire's soul. It was like the giant mech had been replaced by a soulless drone who still moved and functioned like a living mech but was devoid of that essentially spark of life that hoped or was capable of feeling happiness. Ironhide briefly wondered if he had looked like that when Jazz and Prowl found him that morning.

"Skyfire, it's Ironhide."

Skyfire flickered his optics, as if only then deciding to shake himself out of his daze and focus on his caller's face. "Ironhide?" Skyfire's face crumbled with a fresh rush of misery. The edges of his optics fuzzed with static. "I heard about what happened." The giant mech's voice broke as he spoke, as though he was only barely managing to hold his emotions together. His loss came across the vid-com connection like a physical presence. "I already know Star's gone," he sorrowfully announced as if in anticipation of Ironhide. "I heard about it last night on the newsfeed."

"Skyfire, listen ta me. Star ain't gone. He's still alive. Ah just came from the hospital. Optimus is there with him now. He's pretty beat up but he's still alive."

Not unlike Cloudbreaker, Skyfire stared at Ironhide for a pregnant length of silence with a look of incredulous disbelief. "Still alive? But all the newsfeeds said Star died."

"Optimus an' ah thought he did too. Ah don't know what happened but Ratchet called us this morning ta tell us he was still alive. Some medic found him in the morgue. Ratchet had ta do emergency surgery ta finishing repairin' him before he called us but he got 'im stable enough ta put in a room. Optimus's watchin' over him now."

Skyfire barely seemed able to comprehend what Ironhide was saying. "Star's not dead?"

"No."

"He's alright?"

"He's hurt, but he's still alive."

A sob of relief clicked in the back of Skyfire's throat line. "Thank Primus," he croaked past the knot in this throat line. Static-filled optics met Ironhide's through the vid-com screen. It hurt Ironhide to be witness to Skyfire's relief because it reminded him too much of his own reaction when he'd first heard his son was still alive. "It's a miracle. Primus must have heard my prayers."

"Ours too," Ironhide agreed in an extremely tight voice. His display of emotions didn't bother him as much as it would have if he had been talking with anyone else. If there was anyone else besides Optimus who could understand how happy he was to have Starfall back, it was Skyfire.

"Is it possible for me to see him?" Skyfire pleadingly asked. "I know I am not a family member, but I cannot say how much it would mean to me if I could see Star. I just want to see how he is."

Ironhide vented a tired breath of air. "That's probably not a good idea. Star's in really rough shape right now. The mech that grabbed him beat him up really bad. Ratchet patched him up but he's still covered with weld marks and dents. Ratchet says he's gonna probably hafta stay in the hospital fer the next couple deca-cycles. The worst is his back. The mech that took 'im hates seekers. When ah rescued him the mech was using an electro-knife on his wings. Ratchet wasn't able ta salvage them. Star doesn't have any wings right now. His back's all bandaged up. Worst thing is, nothing Ratchet gives him seems ta be doin' anything fer the pain. Optimus is holdin' him. Seems ta help a lil. When ah left Optimus just managed ta get him ta recharge. Ah don't know how long he's gonna stay like that though."

"Primus…" Skyfire breathed, horrified. The worst of his anguish seemed to have passed, only to be replaced by revulsion and worry. "What is Ratchet doing to repair them?"

Ironhide shook his helm. "Ratchet's not an expert on seekers. Optimus just had me call Cloudbreaker, Vos's new representative ta the High Council, fer help. The Emirate's gonna send a seeker medic ta Iacon ta work on Star. Medic should be here by ta-morrow. But til then, Star gonna hafta soldier through the worst 'a it. Ah'm hopin' someone holdin' him will help him sleep til then. Poor kid's hurtin' really bad."

"If there is anything I can do to help either you, Star, or Optimus, please do not hesitate to ask."

Ironhide nodded. "As soon as Star's well enough fer visitors yeh'll be the first one ta know."

"Thank you," Skyfire murmured. "I… I am just so happy you called. I tried contacting you last night but no one picked up. For so long I feared the worst. All the newsfeeds were saying that Star was gone and there was no one else I could think of to call to talk about what happened."

"We thought the worst too," Ironhide confessed in a tight voice. "Jazz and Prowl stopped by ta see us before Ratchet called. Neither 'a us were doin' very well. We thought we'd lost Star."

"I was so certain I had lost him again…" Skyfire murmured. "It was hard when I lost Starscream, but believing Star was gone was the worst pain I've ever felt."

Ironhide could only mutely nod in understanding. "Listen, ah gotta go. Ah still need ta grab some things here from home before ah head back ta the hospital. Optimus is waitin' fer me. Ah wanna try an' get back before too many people find out about Star. Ah wanna avoid any reporters if ah can."

"Of course. I understand. Go," Skyfire urged. "Thank you for calling me. I truly appreciate it. Remember: if you need anything call me." Skyfire was no longer the lost and broken mech that had picked up the connection five klicks ago. Although still shaken, Ironhide's call seemed to have given him the reason he'd needed to pull himself together. Ironhide knew he would be alright now.

"We will. We're settin' up a vid-com there in case we need ta call anyone. We'll give yeh a call if there're any changes with Star."

"Thank you," Skyfire nodded. "Go. Star and Optimus need you. Take care of him until that medic arrives."

Ironhide nodded and cut off the connection. Leaning back in his chair Ironhide released a sigh that seemed to come from the very center of his being. He suddenly felt exhausted. Between the events of yesterday and that morning, his emotions had been stretched to their breaking point. Looking back on it Ironhide marveled how he had survived. Until only a few joors ago he felt like he had been locked in a hellish nightmare he thought he would never be able to escape. Although he knew Starfall was now safe, a long recovery still lay ahead. He only hoped he had the strength to see himself through it. Optimus and Star were going to need him more now than ever before. For them he had to remain strong.

Gathering his will power, Ironhide pushed himself out of the chair. He couldn't sit around wallowing like some sissy noble all day. His family needed him. With calm, collected focus, Ironhide swept through the domicile gathering things he thought he, Optimus, and Starfall would need for an extended stay in the hospital. From Starfall's room he picked out several data pads he was pretty sure his son hadn't read yet. Although he didn't think Starfall would be in any shape to read them himself, he or Optimus might be able to read them aloud to help distract Starfall from the worst of his pain. From the washrack he grabbed several canisters of polish and other detailing equipment. At some point Optimus was going to have to make an appearance in front of the press. When he did it would be good if he looked like a Prime and not like a haggard, worried father. Several other small personal things he grabbed from his and Optimus's room. All these he added to the jump drive already stowed away inside his subspace compartment.

His mission done, Ironhide left and locked the domicile behind him. He only briefly wondered when he would be back again. All he could hope for was that when he did it would be with his son.

It was still relatively early when Ironhide emerged from the domicile tower into the transformation lot. He saw only two or three other bots near the street. Transforming quickly before he could be noticed or approached, Ironhide pulled out and sped away down the street. He turned onto the highway that would lead him to the center of the city. Traffic was starting to pick up. Carefully weaving in and out of other bots clogging the road in vehicle-mode, Ironhide once again caught himself reflecting back on the day's events.

It had been a complete miracle what happened. Ironhide had never considered himself particularly religious but nothing he did could shake the feeling that there had been some kind of divine intervention in Starfall being returned to them. Nothing else could explain Starfall's resurrection. He had seen his son's body the night before. He had seen the ugly gray coloring of his armor and the lightless voids of his optics as he lay there on the emergency room table. His sparkchamber had been cold. Everything that had made his son unique and special was gone, leaving only an empty shell behind. How he could be brought back from such a state without some kind of mystical intervention went beyond Ironhide's comprehension of the universe.

It had been nearly overwhelming when he'd seen Starfall that morning. His son had looked so small and fragile laying on that berth – almost like a broken toy. If Optimus hadn't scooped him up when he'd started sobbing Ironhide probably would have done so himself. It had taken everything inside him not to grab his son and squeeze him to his chest when he'd first seen him laying there. Only the tubes and wires hooked to his tiny body and the painful looking weld marks and dents had stopped him. There had barely been anywhere on Starfall's body he hadn't somehow looked injured. The only place he'd felt safe enough touching without fear of causing Starfall any more pain had been a small section of armor on his hip plate. And his wings… Primus, his wings… How could anyone do something like that to a child?

A nearly uncontrollable surge of anger pulsed through Ironhide's spark. It took every ounce of control he had to continue driving straight.

That mech… Crosshairs. He had done all that to his son. He had gone out of his way to track Starfall down at his school and grab him off the street. He had brutally beaten and disfigured a helpless child simply because of what model he was. What kind of evil was festering inside a mech's spark to be able to commit such a crime? If it wasn't for a miracle of Primus, Starfall would still be dead.

An off ramp was coming up in the distance. That particular ramp would slingshot him to the western part of the city. Numerous business were located in that sector, along with Enforcer Headquarters.

Ironhide swerved into the right-hand lane at the last second. Several angry horns blared behind them. He ignored them. He was already speeding away down the ramp.

OOOOOO

Jazz sat at his desk in Enforcer Headquarters' main bullpen. It was a large room filled with more than three dozen desks and workstations. Several other Enforcers bustled about the room going about their morning duties. Jazz was filling out a report on Starfall's kidnapping. He hadn't gotten a chance to write one the orn before after he and Prowl escorted Optimus and Ironhide home from the hospital. After they left the two grieving parents to themselves they had gone straight home. Even Prowl hadn't felt like doing anything official in the wake of Starfall's death.

That morning they'd been delayed even more by going with Optimus and Ironhide to the hospital, so there had been a sizeable backlog of work waiting for them when they'd finally gotten to Headquarters. Prowl had immediately disappeared into his office at the far end of the room. Jazz could see him sitting behind his desk through the open doorway. Prowl was talking with someone on the vid-com. He didn't look happy. His side of their sparkbond was also noticeably tense with frustration. Jazz didn't envy his sparkmate's position as Enforcer's captain at all. In the wake of Starfall's resurrection, Prowl had a veritable mountain of work ahead of him for how he planned to deal with Starfall's kidnapper, Crosshairs. Starfall's supposed murder was still top headlines in all of the newsfeeds. A muted tele-consol set up in the far corner of the bullpen was recapping highlights of the ordeal. It looked like word still hadn't leaked out about Starfall's return.

Once word the Prime's son was no longer dead began to circulate among the press Prowl was going to be swamped with reporters and elected officials calling and demanding to know what the Enforcer Department was going to do with Crosshairs. The mech was the new public enemy number one. Extra security was going to have to be set up for him whenever he was transferred to prison. Although the tele-consol was muted in the corner, Jazz had seen the interviews on the newsfeeds before he and Prowl had gone to check on Optimus and Ironhide. Starfall's kidnapping seemed to have ignited a powder keg of controversy among the planet's population. Minority models were screaming about discrimination and model-targeting and demanding that extreme judicial actions be taken against Crosshairs. Execution was only one of the punishments being talked about. Numerous creators of sparklings the same age as Starfall were being interviewed by reporters saying they no longer felt safe letting their children go to school. If the Prime's own son wasn't safe on supposedly secure school grounds then whose was? School administrators in other districts were meting out criticism left and right for the security protocols of District 11's academy. On the other side of things, the more extreme groups that had been protesting Vos rejoining the High Council were glorifying Crosshair's actions as though he was some kind of hero to their cause. And to add to the whole social firestorm, the politicians were all angling to try and take advantage of the tragedy in any way they could.

It was enough to make Jazz sick.

Crosshairs was currently locked in one of headquarters' interrogation rooms down the hallway in full stasis cuff restraints. He had yet to request any kind of legal counsel despite numerous suggestions that he do so. From what Jazz had heard from some of the other Enforcers that had brought him in the orn before, the mech seemed proud what he'd done. So far he'd done nothing to try and deny his guilt. Jazz hadn't gone in to interrogate Crosshairs yet. He was waiting for Prowl to finish up his paperwork to come play good cop to Jazz's bad. The former saboteur had no intention of being nice when he finally went in there to get Crosshairs' statement. Crosshairs had kidnapped, beaten, and nearly killed a defenseless young sparkling. Prowl would likely keep his cool through the interrogation – he was good at keeping his emotions in check like that, especially when he was working. But Jazz couldn't guarantee the same for himself. Every time he thought about Starfall laying on that hospital berth, hooked to machines and in so much pain he couldn't even bear to lay on his side, Jazz could only think of Kia and what he would do if someone ever did that to his daughter.

A blur of red movement suddenly caught Jazz's attention out of the corner of his optic. He looked up to see Ironhide striding into the bullpen. He was heading right for Jazz's desk. Ironhide looked like a mech on a mission. His body language was stiff and screamed danger. The intense look in Ironhide's optics made Jazz unconsciously tense in his seat.

"Ironhide, what're ya doing here? Why aren't ya at the hospital with-?"

"Where is he?" Ironhide growled between clenched dentas. His optics were nothing but thin slits of icy blue. Jazz didn't meed to ask who he was asking about.

"Interrogation room 3. Prowl 'n I haven't had a chance ta question Crosshairs yet. We were just about ta- Hey! Wait!"

Ironhide was already striding away down the hall, his hands clenched into fists.

"Aw, slag. PROWL!" Jazz yelled as he leapt up from his desk and hurried after Ironhide. He sent an alarmed pulse of urgency across his and Prowl's sparkbond. "Gonna need some help over here! NOW!"

Ironhide stormed around a bend in the hallway and disappeared from Jazz's sight. Interrogation room 3 stood at the end of that corridor. The sound of a door slamming open against the wall reverberated through the air. Jazz turned the corner just in time to make out the outline of the interrogation room's door standing open. The harsh florescent lights made a perfect rectangle of white at the end of the darker hallway. As he raced closer the dark silhouette of a mech – Crosshairs – sailed across the doorway from left to right and violently slammed into the wall beside the door. He crumbled into a limp pile of metal plating on the floor. Jazz was almost to the doorway when Ironhide reappeared and stepped in front of the prostrate form.

"So yeh like beatin' up on little sparklings, huh?" he roared, lifting Crosshairs off the ground by the front of his chest plate and burying his knuckles into the side of Crosshairs' face. "How's about beatin' up on someone yer own size?"

Crosshairs weakly tried to shield himself with his hands, but they were shackled with stasis cuffs and offered little protection against Ironhide's angry assault. "H-help-!"

"Ironhide, stop!"

"Yeh think it's fun hurtin' lil kids?" Ironhide spat in Crosshair's face. Jazz didn't know if Ironhide was ignoring him or if he was just too consumed with rage to hear anyone else. All his attention seemed focused on the prisoner. "Well, guess wha', slagger, yeh picked the wrong kid ta mess with."

"What is going on in here?!" Prowl's voice sounded from the doorway. He pushed his way past Jazz into the interrogation room and pulled Ironhide away from Crosshairs by the shoulder. "What are you doing, Ironhide?"

Jazz hurried in half a step behind. He knelt down beside Crosshairs. A thin trail of mech fluid ran from the prisoner's nose, but otherwise he seemed uninjured.

"Damn mech almost killed my kid!" Ironhide snarled at Prowl. He violently ripped his arm out of Prowl's grip and rounded on the black and white Enforcer almost as if he intended to attack Prowl next.

"So you decide to attack a restrained prisoner?" Prowl demanded. "Are you still drunk or just out of your mind?"

"Star's layin' in a hospital right now cause 'a that mech," Ironhide spat, stabbing his index finger in Crosshairs' direction. "He's hurt so bad he can't even stand ta lay on a berth an' yer not even the least bit upset over that?"

"Of course I'm upset about Star being hurt," Prowl sternly countered, "but that doesn't give you the right to invade my interrogation room and attack a prisoner."

Crosshairs coughed where he sat on the floor between Prowl and Ironhide. With the back of one cuffed hand he wiped away the trail of mech fluid from his face. He defiantly looked up to meet Ironhide's gaze. "That seeker had to go. He's a danger to our entire society. The Prime doesn't see it. The politicians don't see it. He's a menace. It's because of that little devil with wings the rest of the them want to reopen their city. They want to try and infiltrate the High Council again just like they did before the Great War. If we don't stop them now they'll start a second Great War and kill thousands of us. Seekers killed my brother during the war. I couldn't let them do that to anyone else's brother. No one wants to listen to the bots that are trying to warn everybody about letting seekers out of their city again, but I heard what they were trying to say. I just did what the rest of them were too scared to do. I had to be the one to actually *do* something about what was happening. I'm just disappointed I didn't get a chance to finish the job."

"I strongly suggest ya shut your mouth before ya say something that'll get ya inta even worse trouble," Jazz counseled.

"Star didn't kill yer brother," Ironhide snarled down at him, his optics glaring murder. "He's just a lil kid. An *innocent* lil kid."

Crosshairs coolly returned his gaze. "He'll grow up someday. And when he does, other seekers will use him to destroy us. No seeker is innocent. They're all killers at spark. It's their prime directive. All they're capable of is destruction and death."

"Enough conspiracy theories," Prowl angrily cut in before Crosshairs could grandstand anymore of his warped beliefs. "Jazz, get the prisoner up. Ironhide, I want to see you walking out this door and out of this building within in the next five nano-klicks."

"That mech hurt my kid," Ironhide growled, as if that was some kind of argument to Prowl's orders. He still looked like he wanted to pounce on Crosshairs and finish the job he'd started.

"Don't make me arrest you," Prowl warned. "Optimus and Star need you at the hospital with them, not locked away in a cell because you were too angry to think about what you were doing." Prowl leaned closer, holding Ironhide's gaze. "Think of Star. He needs you right now. You remember what it felt like when you thought Star was gone? Go back to the hospital and be thankful for what you've been given back. Right now Star is your only concern. Jazz and I will take care of things here. Let the law work for you."

Ironhide looked ready to argue for a long breath of tense silence. Then, with an angry sigh of defeat, the old war mech turned and quietly walked out of the interrogation room.

OOOOOO

Prowl listened to Ironhide's footsteps recede down the hallway for a full ten-count before he let himself believe the other mech had truly listened to reason and wasn't going to charge back in and attack Crosshairs. Prowl silently chastised himself. He should have known Ironhide wouldn't let things stand as they were. Ironhide was too bullheaded and protective a father to let his son's attacker get away without some kind of physical retribution. He should have calculated such a scenario happening and had guards posted outside the interrogation room for Crosshairs' protection. It was just lucky for Crosshairs that Starfall wasn't dead. If Prowl hadn't had Starfall to use as a bargaining tool to talk Ironhide into quietly walking away, Crosshairs would probably have been a heap of dented metal and splatters of mech fluid on the wall right now. If Starfall had been dead not even an entire squadron of Enforcers would have been able to pull Ironhide off of Crosshairs.

As Jazz pulled Crosshairs up off the ground by the elbow, led him to the interrogation table, and none too gently shoved him down into the chair, Prowl studied the restrained mech. The entire social and political makeup of the city was in uproar right now because of him. Prowl had had to abruptly hang up on the Senate's majority leader in his haste to charge after Jazz and Ironhide to prevent any casualties from happening in his interrogation room. Everything from hereon out had to be done strictly by the book to avoid any incidents that could be used to cast doubt on Crosshairs' guilt. The last thing Prowl wanted was for his case against Crosshairs to somehow be weakened because of some judicial oversight or misconduct. He wanted to put this mech away for a very long time for what he'd done to his closest friends' son.

Calmly striding to the interrogation table, Prowl took a seat directly across from the prisoner. Jazz took a place on the side of the room - leaning against the wall and crossing his arms across his chest, all the while silently glaring at the prisoner from behind his visor. Jazz usually liked to stand during interrogations. It gave him an intimidating presence even when Prowl did most of the talking. It was a technique they had developed together over the years.

"Well, now that we're all awake, do you feel like giving a statement about what happened yesterday?" Prowl asked. He took a recording device out of his subspace compartment and put it on the table between them.

"Why didn't you arrest him?" Crosshairs demanded, gesturing with his chin in the direction Ironhide had disappeared. "He attacked me."

"I didn't see anything," Jazz coolly shrugged from the side of the room. "Ironhide just happened ta wander in here by accident."

"Ironhide was told he wasn't supposed to be here and immediately shown out. No harm was done," Prowl agreed. "Now," he said, turning on the recording device with a flick of his thumb. A little red light on the side of the device began to blink. "Shall we talk about yesterday?"

"What do you want to know?" Crosshairs sneered. "I have nothing to hide. I'm proud of what I did. That little seeker had to die."

"You are aware that you are entitled to legal representation and that anything you say in front of myself and Enforcer Jazz can and will be used against you in a legal trial?"

"I'm aware of my rights. And I still don't want a counselor. I don't need to try and justify my actions."

"Are you saying you wish to make a formal confession and forego a trial?"

"I'll make whatever kind of statement you want me to, but I'm not going to confess to being guilty for something any sane bot would know I had to do. I want my day in court. The rest of the world needs to know what kind of danger we're in because of that little spawn of Unicron. The Prime is putting us all in danger by keeping that little seeker around. If others aren't educated soon about what's going on seekers are going to overrun us and lead us into a second Great War."

Prowl considered the mech sitting across from him with a thoughtful frown. He couldn't prevent Crosshairs from demanding a fair trial, but he wanted to avoid such a thing from happening if at all possible. A trial would cost the people thousands upon thousands of credits, not to mention give the firestorm of controversy already surrounding Starfall's kidnapping only more time to grow. The issue was big enough to threaten the stability of their society if it was allowed to snowball out of control. Although there was no chance in the seven pits Crosshairs would ever be acquitted given the evidence against him, no one needed a public spectacle that could drag on for lunar-cycles, if not orns. Constant media coverage was already whipping the public into a rabid frenzy. If Crosshairs' case went to trial it was also possible Starfall would be subpoenaed to testify. Although there was already enough evidence against Crosshairs from Jazz and other Enforcers' statements and the video feed of Crosshairs grabbing Starfall from his school, Starfall's amnesia could potentially cast doubt on Crosshairs' guilt. Any half-trained defense counselor could use that to build a case of reasonable doubt. Prowl also didn't want to have to put an already traumatized sparkling through even more emotional stress by dragging him in front of a packed courtroom and forcing him to answer questions. No one Starfall's age needed that kind of stress.

No… in order to avoid that he had to make Crosshairs realize going to trial was not in his best interest. There were several ways he could convince him of that. Perhaps he should start with the most obvious.

"If you want to go have your day in court, there is nothing I can do to stop you," Prowl calmly informed him. "But consider this: any trial you have will probably be several lunar-cycles from now. By then the press will have had time to whip the public into a rabid mob. People don't like hearing stories about sparklings almost getting beaten to death – seeker model or not. That's not to mention organized groups of minority models. They're already screaming for your head on a spike."

"War models don't scare me," Crosshairs spat, puffing himself up indignantly.

"They should," Prowl cautioned. "They might be a minority, but your attack on an under-aged member of their kind has swayed a lot of standard models' opinions in their favor. Not to mention the biggest thing of all: you attacked the son of the most powerful bot on this planet. Optimus Prime is a peace-loving mech, but even he has limits. Especially when it comes to his own child. This is the same Prime, I remind you, that single-handedly defeated Megatron in battle. Do you really think he's going to allow his son's attacker to get away with attempted murder? Not to mention the Prime's Consort… You remember him, right? He was the one that just stormed in here a few klicks ago to have a private conversation with you. If you go to trial you're going to see both of them again. After what you did to their son, do you really think anyone is going to stop them if they wanted to even the score a little bit on their son's behalf? Hell, the majority of people would probably even cheer them on…"

The first visible signs of fear shined in Crosshairs' optics. "I'd have to see the Consort again if I went to trail?"

"He was there when my Enforcers broke down the door and found you beating a defenseless sparkling. You really think he won't testify against you for what you did to his son?"

Crosshairs growled in the back of his throat line and slouched down into his chair. Prowl recognized signs of uncertainty and growing indecision when he saw it. Best to help nudge it along.

"Do you want to make a confession, plead guilty, and throw yourself at the mercy of the court? It would save you from having to appear in open court."

Crosshairs didn't answer for a long moment of angry silence. "Fine," he finally growled. "What do I have to do?"

"Just start talking into the recorder," Prowl said, gesturing to the recording device on the table. "Tell me why you decided to attack the Prime's son. Start from the beginning and leave nothing out."

As Crosshairs began to talk, Prowl shared a spark pulse of triumph with his sparkmate. Out of the corner of his optic, Prowl saw the tiniest hint of a smirk snake across Jazz's face.

OOOOOO

Two Enforcers were stationed outside Starfall's room when Ironhide returned to the hospital. They both politely nodded to him as he passed. Ironhide spared them only a quick nod of acknowledgement. After leaving Enforcer Headquarters all Ironhide wanted to do was be with his family. The sooner the better.

Quietly keying the door open Ironhide slipped inside. A privacy curtain had been pulled across the front half of the room. The lights had been dimmed almost to complete darkness. Only the soft glow of a single bank of lights on the other side of the curtain offered any real source of illumination.

"Ratchet?" Optimus's voice softly called from the other side of the curtain. "Is that you?"

"It's me."

"'Hide," Optimus murmured in relief. The soft snick of Optimus's battle mask retracting sounded.

As Ironhide came around the side of the curtail he found Optimus in the same place he's left him beside Starfall's berth. A vid-com consol on a rolling stand stood pushed against the far wall. Starfall was still protectively held in Optimus's arms against his chest. His face was buried in the side of Optimus's neck cables, making Ironhide unable to see the little seeker's face. The machines hooked to him beeped a hypnotic rhythm. Coming up beside his sparkmate, Ironhide gently cupped the back of Starfall's head with his hand. The need to actually touch his son was nearly overwhelming. As he leaned away he noticed spots of purple fluid beginning to seep through the bio-metallic mesh covering Starfall's back where his wings used to be. Ironhide tried to push down the press of anger that rose in the back of his throat at the sight of those wet spots of purple. They made him wish Prowl and Jazz hadn't been able to pull him off of Crosshairs.

Ironhide noticed the strange little look Optimus was giving him out of the corner of his optic. No doubt he had felt the tension and some stray traces of emotion leaking across their sparkbond. If Optimus suspected anything about Ironhide's little side trip to Enforcer Headquarters he didn't seem willing to ask about it. Optimus looked emotionally drained and too tired to worry about anything else but his son right now.

"How's Star doin'?" Ironhide asked.

"He woke up again for a little bit not long after you left," Optimus softly whispered over Starfall's head. "It took me almost half a joor to get him back to sleep he was in so much pain." Optimus's optics were unbearably tired as he looked up at Ironhide as if it had been himself who'd had to endure so much pain. "Ratchet gave him another dose of pain medication when he brought us the vid-com, but it only seemed to make Star groggy instead of actually doing anything to make him more comfortable."

"Ah'm sorry it took me so long ta get back."

"Did you call Cloudbreaker?"

"Yea. He said he'll help us. Said he's gonna send the best medic Vos has. He said he should be here by ta-morrow morning. He wants yeh ta call him as soon as yeh get the vid-com up an' runnin' ta finish makin' arrangements."

"Good," Optimus sighed, relieved. "I will contact him in a joor or two."

"Ah also called Skyfire like yeh said."

"How is he?"

"About as good as we were doin' this mornin'," Ironhide sighed.

"I can understand why," Optimus murmured.

"He asked if he could stop by and see Star soon. Ah told him we'd arrange a time fer him ta come by once Star's a lil better and ready fer visitors."

Optimus nodded. He unconsciously hugged the sparkling in his arms tighter, cupping the back of his helm with his hand like one would a newspark.

Seeing his sparkmate holding their son like that made Ironhide suddenly desperate to hold Starfall himself.

"Can ah hold 'him fer a bit?" Ironhide asked. "Yeh've been holdin' him fer several joors now. Yeh gotta be tired."

"It's alright," Optimus shook his head. "I'm fine. Star seems to be comfortable for now."

"Optimus."

Optimus looked up at the soft intonation of his name. Ironhide didn't know what emotions were showing on his face, but Optimus seemed to hear the desperate need in his voice to hold their son.

"Alright," he softly agreed.

Very slowly Optimus stood from the chair. As he carefully transferred his precious cargo into Ironhide's arms Starfall gave a soft whimper in his sleep.

"Shh, it's alright, Star. Daddy's got yeh," Ironhide murmured as he took Optimus's place in the chair. He had to be careful not to get tangled in the numerous tubes and wires trailing off his son's body. Leaning back in the chair, Ironhide arranged Starfall in his arms. The injured sparkling was dead weight against his chest. Ironhide felt a little hitch in Starfall's ventilation cycle as he made them both comfortable.

"Daddy?" a groggy voice murmured into the side of Ironhide's throat cables. Tiny fingers curled around the edges of Ironhide's chest plates.

"It's me, Star. Daddy's here." Ironhide had to fight to speak around the lump in the back of his throat.

Ironhide felt Starfall relax against his front and almost immediately go limp again.

Cupping the back of his son's head Ironhide had to blink away the fuzz of static suddenly ringing his visual readout.

"Let me go call Cloudbreaker," Optimus softly said. He smiled at Ironhide with a knowing look and moved away to the vid-com on the other side of the room.

Ironhide could only hug his son closer. For the first time since getting Ratchet's call everything suddenly seemed real. For so long having Starfall back had seemed like a fantasy he was deluding himself with to prevent himself from having to feel the pain of losing his son. Starfall was really back. Primus had returned his son to them. They had a second chance together as a family. Everything was going to be alright now.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty: A Second Opinion

Starfall was dead weight in Optimus's arms. His battered frame limply rested against the front of his father's chest. His helm was nestled tightly underneath Optimus's chin. Soft, slow puffs of air vented against Optimus's throat cables every half klick, reassuring Optimus again and again that his son was recharging comfortably – at least for the moment.

It was early morning the orn after Ratchet called them to tell them of Starfall's return. The night had been long and stressful. Despite all the painkillers Ratchet gave him, nothing seemed able to prevent Starfall from waking up every few joors in severe pain. Optimus and Ironhide had spent the majority of the day and night passing Starfall back and forth between them in order to give the other a chance to hold their son. Both were reluctant to relinquish possession of their son, let alone let him out of their sight. Holding him upright seemed to be the only thing that did anything to help ease the pain of his shredded back. Ratchet's painkillers only seemed to make Starfall groggy, forcing Optimus and Ironhide to try and calm Starfall as best they could until Starfall finally – mercifully - drift into fitful recharge. And even then, the somniferous qualities of Ratchet's anesthetics barely lasted more than a few joors before Starfall would wake up again whimpering in a drugged daze.

Cradling his son's battered frame to his windshield in the quiet of Starfall's hospital room, Optimus felt a spark-deep exhaustion he hadn't felt since the darkest days of the Great War. It was weariness that did not stem from physical fatigue or low energy, but rather intense helplessness. Every whimper Starfall made when he reemerged from the foggy embrace of Ratchet's painkillers was like physical stabs to Optimus's spark. Optimus could see the same helplessness in Ironhide's optics every time keening, half-conscious moans began to build in the back of their son's throat line. Short of having one's child die, Optimus could think of no worse hell for a parent to suffer than to see his child in pain and be impotent to do anything to stop it. If it were possible, he would have taken all his son's pain onto himself if only it would give Starfall a few joors of painless rest. The only thing Optimus could do in the face of such agonizing helplessness was gently hug his son closer and whisper that everything was going to be alright.

The bandages wrapped across Starfall's back were spotted with circles of wet purple. Ratchet was going to have to change them soon. The thought made Optimus's fuel tank churn. The evening before, Ratchet had had to change Starfall's dressings. Ironhide had held Starfall as Ratchet gently peeled the layers of oozing bio-metallic mesh from Starfall's back to replace them with new ones. Optimus had seen his fair share of gore and wounds over the course of the Great War, but even the horrors of war hadn't been enough to prepare him for the sight of his son's mutilated back. Two jagged holes of knotted weld marks were all that remained of Starfall's wings. Ratchet had had to remove what little remained of them the day before. Seeing such horrific wounds made Optimus wonder if even a Vosian medic would be able to restore his son's ability to fly.

"Yeh, okay?" Ironhide's voice brought Optimus out of his thoughts. His sparkmate sat next to him in a second chair Ratchet had dragged into Starfall's room the night before. The older mech looked just as exhausted as Optimus felt. Circles of light grey protomatter ringed his optics. Neither of them had gotten much recharge the night before between them alternatively holding Starfall and anxiously trying to soothe his cries whenever he began to wake. Not to mention the hospital's visitor chairs. No matter how padded they were, they weren't very comfortable after sitting in them for several joors. Optimus's back and shoulder struts ached horribly.

"Yeh want me ta hold Star fer awhile?" Ironhide offered.

"No. I'm fine," Optimus shook his head. He carefully shifted Starfall so that Starfall's weight rested more on his other arm. The little seeker murmured in his sleep but did not stir anymore. Optimus vented a tired sigh of relief.

Ironhide leaned towards his sparkmate. He anxiously studied their son's face. Seemingly satisfied that Starfall wasn't about to wake, he leaned back in his chair with an exhausted sigh. Weary silence once more fell over the room like a wet blanket.

Optimus's optics drifted towards the small tele-consol mounted in the corner of the room. It was currently tuned to Iacon's main newsfeed channel. The sound had been muted so it wouldn't disturb Starfall. Closed captions ran along the bottom of the screen so Optimus and Ironhide could read what was being said. News of Starfall's abduction was top story for all the newsfeed channels. In fact, it seemed to be the only story people were talking about, especially after Iacon General Hospital made the public announcement of Starfall's resuscitation.

In less than two orns, the entire social makeup of their culture seemed to have been turned on end. Crosshairs' kidnapping and torture of a child of minority modeling-specs seemed to have struck a cord in the population of not just Iacon. Organized minority groups were holding mass protests in the streets of several other city-states, claiming racial discrimination and demanding judicial retaliation against Crosshairs for targeting a child because of his frame-type. Minority models were not the only ones outraged by Starfall's attack. Since just that morning, Optimus had counted five different news segments with reporters interviewing creators of school-age children. The common theme among them was parents' fear for their children's safety. District 11's academy was one of the best schools in Iacon. If District 11's academy couldn't protect its students from kidnappers and psychopaths, what were the chances of lower district schools being able to?

Watching it all on the tele-consol, Optimus was almost glad he was sequestered in Starfall's hospital room. He had no desire to have to deal with the political hailstorm that was besieging their society. Optimus knew he was going to have to make a public appearance at some point – probably sometime later that orn or the next – but for right now his only concern was Starfall. Other senators and representatives of the High Council seemed to be dealing with the problem just fine by themselves. If Optimus didn't know better, he might have almost said that senators like Scion were actually enjoying the political chaos. Many of them probably saw it as an opportunity for them to show off their political prowess and win more constituents to their side before the next election. Scion had already seen a bump in his popularity numbers with his proposed legislation for harsher sentences for bots convicted of hate crimes.

A soft beep from the vid-com consol sounded.

With an internal command, Optimus contracted the sides of his battle mask over his mouth, then motioned with his chin for Ironhide to answer the call. Only several people had their hospital contact number. Ratchet's face filled the screen as Ironhide hit the button. He looked like he was calling from his private office somewhere else in the hospital. Optimus was slightly surprised. Ratchet wasn't scheduled to check in on Starfall for at least another joor.

"Optimus. Ironhide," Ratchet greeted in a hushed voice. His optics went to the sparkling in Optimus's arms, visually assessing him. "How's Starfall?"

"He's fine for the moment," Optimus whispered back. "Is something the matter?"

"No. I'm actually calling with good news. I was just informed by the hospital's medical dispatcher that that Vosian medic we're waiting on is ten klicks from Iacon's border. Her name's Lightningstrike. They've already given her and her escort team the coordinates for the hospital and told her to land on the roof's helipad. No need for her to have to deal with all the reporters out front. She should be arriving here in about thirty klicks."

"That is wonderful news," Optimus sighed, relief washing over him. He unconsciously hugged Starfall closer. Starfall murmured in his sleep and nuzzled his face deeper into the side of his father's neck cables before going still again.

Ratchet leaned closer to the screen. "Almost immediately after I was told the Vosian medic was on her way, I got another call patched through to my office. Vos's new representative to the High Council… Cloudjumper? Cloudskipper?"

"Cloudbreaker," Ironhide interjected.

"That's it. Cloudbreaker. I got a call patched through to my office from Cloudbreaker requesting that he be allowed to land on the hospital's helipad to be there when his medic arrives. Since he's not a relative or medical personnel, I was just going to deny him but he was very insistent. Starfall's in no shape for visitors right now, but Cloudbreaker was almost begging me to let him into the hospital to see you and Star. Said the Vosian Emirate's demanding that he give her a firsthand report on Starfall's condition. As Chief of Staff I can refuse him entry if you don't want visitors yet. But he is the official representative and direct heir of a powerful monarch who just went out of her way to arrange a medic to be sent to Iacon for Starfall's sake. It's a tricky political situation. As Starfall's creator and the Prime, I though this was more of a decision for you to make than me."

Optimus and Ironhide shared a look.

"Ah ain't got no problems with Cloudbreaker comin' by, a least fer a couple klicks," Ironhide shrugged. "Ah'm not a fan of people tryin' ta angle in on what happened ta Star, but we owe him and Slipstream fer bringin' this medic in fer us."

Optimus nodded in agreement. "We do. We also went to them for help, not the other way around. It would be improper not to grant Cloudbreaker this small request after everything he's done for Star." He glanced back at Ratchet on the vid-com. "Tell Cloudbreaker we would be honored to see him when his medic arrives."

Ratchet nodded, although he didn't look pleased with the thought of an interloper in his patient's room. "I don't care if this mech is a prince or not, he's got ten klicks in Starfall's room. That's it. Depending on what this Vosian medic says, we may start specialized repairs on Starfall as soon as tomorrow. I don't need non-relative visitors getting in the way when I'm trying to work on a patient - *especially* a politician."

"Believe me," Ironhide grumbled, "If we didn't owe Cloudbreaker ah'd be sayin' the exact same thing."

"Do either of you want to go up to the helipad with me to meet Lightningstrike?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus shook his helm. "As much as I feel it would be my duty to go and meet Lightningstrike and Cloudbreaker, I do not want to leave Starfall for that long. He is resting comfortably for the moment and I don't want to risk waking him up. The last time he woke it took Ironhide and me almost a joor to get him to sleep again."

Ironhide studied his sparkmate and son for a moment of silence before glancing at the vid-com with a reluctant sigh. "Ah'll go."

"You will?" Optimus's optic ridges raised in surprised arcs.

"Yea," Ironhide grumbled. "Ah don't wanna leave Star either, but it's like yeh said: we owe Cloudbreaker. It's only right one of us should go say hi when him an' this medic get here. Since yeh've got Star, ah'll go."

Optimus gave his sparkmate a tired but grateful smile behind his battle mask. "Thank you, 'Hide."

Ironhide got up from his chair with a small groan. Optimus heard several gears in his sparkmate's back painfully snap back into place. The hospital's visitor chairs were not designed for long-term comfort. Stepping closer, Ironhide leaned over and put one hand on the back of Starfall's helm. Since Starfall's resurrection, Ironhide seemed obsessed with constantly needing to touch their son to reassure himself Starfall was really back. "Ah'll be back soon. Keep an eye on Star fer me til then."

"I will," Optimus nodded. He sent a pulse of reassuring love across their bond to his sparkmate. Ironhide returned it. Despite their exhaustion and worry, it was reassuring to know the other was there to offer his own support and strength in their trying time.

"Where d'yeh want me ta meet yeh, Ratchet?" Ironhide asked as he straightened and turned back towards the vid-com.

"You know where my office is?"

"Yea."

"Meet me by the elevators in the hallway. We'll go up to the heli-pad from there."

"Got-cha."

Ratchet's face blipped off the screen.

With one last parting nod, Ironhide strode towards the door. Optimus caught a brief glimpse of the two Enforcers stationed in the hallway before the door slid close behind Ironhide. Left alone in the silence of Starfall's hospital room, Optimus leaned back in his chair, trying to make himself comfortable. Starfall whimpered in Optimus's arms at the movement. The Matrix-bearer immediately stilled.

"Shh, Star. It's alright. Shh… Go back to sleep," Optimus murmured, gently stroking the back of his son's helm.

He felt Starfall slowly go limp against his chest again, the puffs of his ventilation systems evening out. Optimus continued to run his fingertips against the sides of Starfall's helm even when he was sure Starfall wasn't about to wake up anymore. The slow, repetitive motion was calming. Even though his back struts hurt from sitting in one place for so long, he could distract himself by calming his son. No matter what kind of discomfort he was experiencing, it was nothing compared to the pain his son was forced to endure whenever he woke. For Starfall, Optimus would endure whatever discomfort he had to if it meant delaying Starfall from having to suffer anymore than he already had.

Cradling Starfall close, Optimus sent a silent plea to Primus that the Vosian medic would be able to do something for his son.

********

Ratchet beat Ironhide to the elevators by only a few nano-klicks. He had only just reached the lifts when the Prime's Consort came around the corner at the end of the hall.

"Right on time," Ratchet greeted.

Ironhide only tiredly grunted in reply. He seemed distracted, like his mind was still back with his sparkmate and son.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Motioning Ironhide in ahead of him, Ratchet stepped into the car a step behind. As they both turned around to face outwards again, the doors slid shut. Ratchet punched the topmost button for the roof. As he felt the gentle, but noticeable tug of the lift begin its ascent, Ratchet took the moment to study his companion out of the corner of his optic. Ironhide stood tall and solid beside him – the living embodiment of a former warrior and the current Prime's Consort – but Ratchet detected an overwhelming aura of weariness around the stoic mech.

To the untrained eye, Ironhide might have appeared to be dealing with the stress of his son's death and unexpected resurrection well. But to Ratchet who had seen more than his fair share of pain and suffering over the millennia, he could read the signs of stress-fatigue on the other mech as clearly as if he were reading a data pad. Ratchet had known Ironhide since the earliest days of the war. He recognized those rings of pale protomatter around Ironhide's optics and the slight but noticeable way the old warrior's shoulder plates sagged. He knew those signs. Ironhide was exhausted - both mentally and physically.

For everything Ironhide had endured over the last day and a half Ratchet was actually surprised he was holding up as well as he was. The death of a child was never easy on anyone, not even when that child was miraculously returned from the brink of death. Ratchet still didn't understand how Starfall was alive. He had pronounced the little seeker dead himself. He had examined his cold and empty spark chamber. It had ranked as one of the top three hardest things he'd ever have to do to go and tell two of his best friends that he'd been unable to save their son. He had seen the devastation in Optimus and Ironhide's optics when he'd told them. Never in his entire career had he felt like such a failure as a medic before. Optimus had seemed to shrink away into himself like a fading star when Ratchet had told him his son was gone. Ironhide, on the other hand, had railed loudly and angrily, cursing and making threats and demands to the heavens as only a grieving father could. Ratchet had seen both reactions many times when he'd had to give surviving family members the bad news that their loved ones had slipped away. It never got any easier no many how many times he did it. But giving such devastating news to two of his closest friends had possibly been the hardest thing he's ever had to do.

Since receiving that early morning call from the hospital about Starfall's resurrection Ratchet's attention had mostly been focused on his patient. Between emergency surgery to fix the internal damage he hadn't gotten a chance to tend to before the little seeker had flat lined and fruitlessly struggling to find the right concoction of painkillers to make Starfall comfortable, Ratchet had given very little thought to Optimus and Ironhide's own wellbeing until now. He could tell Ironhide was tired but was being too stubborn to let anyone else know.

"Did you get any recharge last night?" Ratchet asked as the elevator smoothly sped towards the roof.

Ironhide shook his head. "No. Whenever Optimus was holdin' Star ah spent most 'a the time watchin' them. Didn't want ta fall asleep in case Optimus needed me ta take Star fer awhile. Optimus is tired an' runnin' on a low tank even if he won't admit it. Ah hafta be there in case he needs me ta do anythin' or watch Star fer a bit."

Ratchet found it slightly amusing that Ironhide was accusing his sparkmate of being guilty of the same stubbornness he was. "We have an entire hospital's worth of trained staff here to help you and Optimus," Ratchet said. "You don't have to watch Starfall all by yourselves. If you want a few joors to go home and rest I or even one of the nurses could-"

"No. Ah ain't leavin' the hospital an' ah know Optimus ain't either. Until Star's well enough ta come home we're both stayin' here."

Ratchet huffed in exasperation. He should have known Ironhide wouldn't want to listen to reason. He'd seen it countless times before: a child, sparkmate, lover, or friend was being hospitalized and the parent, sparkmate, lover, or friend didn't want to leave or get any rest themselves – as if staying there and wearing themselves ragged from stress and lack of recharge was somehow going to help the other recover faster. Still, he really hadn't expected anything else from Ironhide. The old mech was protective of his loved ones. After having almost lost his child it was actually a surprise he had left Optimus and Starfall long enough to accompany Ratchet to the roof.

"It's your decision what you and Optimus want to do, but the offer still stands. I'm going to arrange that a rollaway berth be brought to Starfall's room so you and Optimus can still get some proper rest. I know from personal experience hospital chairs are not comfortable."

Ironhide snorted. "Yeh can say that again…"

The elevator gave a soft ding and the doors slid apart. An empty rooftop spread out in front of them. The only thing to break up the gray vastness was a giant white circle painted on the rooftop to demarcate where medi-vac transports should land. A strong breeze blew across the empty space. A gray overcast sky hung overhead like a grimy blanket. Rain looked imminent.

"The Vosians should be here in a few klicks," Ratchet said, surveying the sky. He hoped the weather held out long enough for the Vosian medic and her escorts to arrive. He was curious to meet his foreign consultant. He'd never met a seeker-medic before. He knew, logically, that they had to exist given seekers' military-based frame types. Still, despite millennia of battles involving Vosians, Ratchet had never seen a Vosian medic.

The low hum of turbine engines suddenly sounded in the distance. It steadily grew in volume as it sped towards the rooftop. Ratchet and Ironhide turned towards it.

"Consort Ironhide!" a voice called out over the wind as a red and gold fighter jet appeared above the edge of the rooftop. The jet's engines cut off, and a quick transformation sequence later, a handsome seeker landed gracefully on the roof. Ratchet recognized the mech from their conversation over the vid-com. "It's so good to see you," Cloudbreaker said, striding towards Ironhide and gripping the Consort's hand in both his own. Ratchet was surprised when Ironhide didn't instinctively try to wrestle his hand back from the overenthusiastic seeker. Ironhide was not a touchy-feely mech even among his friends. He must be even more tired than Ratchet thought.

"Cloudbreaker," Ironhide nodded.

"How is young Starfall?" Cloudbreaker asked. "I assume Optimus is with him now."

Ironhide nodded. "Optimus is watchin' him. He finally got Star ta go back ta sleep about a joor ago. Poor kid had a rough night."

The edges of Cloudbreaker's face hardened. "It's appalling what happened to Starfall. The violence he suffered at the hands of that mech is beyond comprehension. What are the authorities planning to do with Crosshairs?"

"The Enforcers have him locked up. Prowl is head of the Enforcers an' a close personal friend of me an' Optimus. Him an' Jazz stopped by last night ta give us an update. Apparently, they got Crosshairs ta give a full confession. He's agreed ta plead guilty ta kidnappin', attempted murder, an' assault on a minor. It'll be another couple deca-cycles before he's sentenced, but Prowl said he'll probably get at least hundred orns in prison. Maybe more dependin' on how public opinion influences the judge's decision."

"That hardly equals what he actually deserves," Cloudbreaker sniffed scornfully. "If that mech had committed such crimes against a child in Vos, his sentence would undoubtedly include execution."

"If it was up ta me, he'd be beggin' fer them ta execute him by the time ah got done with him," Ironhide darkly growled.

Cloudbreaker nodded grimly in agreement. "In any case, I hope our medic will be able to aid in Starfall's recovery. Lightningstrike is the Emirate's personal medic and head of Vos's main hospital. She is universally considered to be the most skilled medic our city has to offer."

"I hope so," Ratchet spoke up. "I consider myself to be a good medic, but Starfall's injuries go beyond my knowledge of seeker frames."

Cloudbreaker turned to Ratchet. With only a smile to give any sort of warning, the Vosian prince gripped Ratchet's hand in both of his own before Ratchet could even flinch in reaction. "For one without much knowledge of seeker anatomy, you have done admirable work on Starfall. Who else but a mech with your skills could bring a child back from the edge of death? I must commend you."

Ratchet chose not to point out that Starfall had slipped much farther than just the edge of death. He also hadn't had anything to do with Starfall's resurrection. He still didn't know how it was physically possible Starfall was still there with them. The child had been dead. His sparkchamber had been empty. Not even the most skilled medic in the universe could reverse that kind of diagnosis. Short of calling it a miracle, Starfall's resurrection had been a freak medical anomaly – not because of anything Ratchet had done.

"In any case," Cloudbreaker went on, growing serious, "Lightningstrike is here strictly as your consultant. She is not taking over your case in any way. I do not want you to feel that Vos is trying to encroach on your authority as Starfall's head medic."

"I don't care about the politics of what's happened or who gets credit for working on Starfall. I just want Starfall to be repaired to full working order."

"Spoken like a true medic," Cloudbreaker smiled.

The sound of approaching turbine engines began to hum in the distance, growing steadily closer.

"Ah, that sounds like Lightningstrike now," Cloudbreaker grinned. "The Emirate dispatched her almost as soon as I finished passing on the Prime's request for medical assistance to her. She was given a full military escort to ensure she reached Iacon as quickly as possible."

As the three looked up, four jets appeared over the side of the building. Their engines powered down and they rapidly descended to the rooftop. Twenty feet above the landing pad they transformed, landing on their feet in robot form. A tall black and silver seeker femme was the first to straighten from her landing. A trine of conehead guards stood at attention in a line behind her. The medic looked older. Ratchet estimated she was probably not that much younger or older than himself. It was not really her appearance that made him think that, but rather the way she held herself. Her optics gleamed with a shrewd look of understanding, like she had seen and experienced much over the course of her life. As a Vosian medic, Ratchet imagined she had seen a lot over the course of the Great War. He doubted there was little left in the world that would make this femme flinch.

"Lord Cloudbreaker," she greeted. She offered the prince a quick, offhanded nod.

"Lightningstrike," Cloudbreaker replied. "You made excellent time to Iacon."

The female medic's optics slid from the prince over to Ironhide and Ratchet. She immediately zeroed in on Ratchet. Without a word she strode up to him, her presence commanding. "I assume you're the medic overseeing the Prime's son's care?"

"I am. My name is Ratchet."

"Ratchet, I am Lightningstrike. I'm sure Lord Cloudbreaker has filled you in on my credentials, so we can skip over all of that. What is Starfall's current condition?"

Ratchet had to blink at Lightningstrike's clinical brusqueness. The Vosian medic was nothing if not straight to the point.

"How about I fill you in on the way down?" Ratchet said, gesturing to the elevator behind them.

Lightningstrike nodded. "Lead the way."

Cloudbreaker and Ironhide silently followed as they all squeezed into the elevator car.

"I was told that Starfall's wings were heavily damaged in his attack," Lightningstrike said as Ratchet hit the button that would take them to the patient floor.

"Heavily damaged is a very understated way to describe the injuries Starfall sustained," Ratchet darkly sniffed. He reached into his subspace compartment and withdrew a data pad. It was a copy of Starfall's medical chart. He handed it to Lightningstrike. "Starfall has no wings to speak of right now. They were too damaged for me to try and salvage. I had to remove a fair bit of internal gears from his back as well. The protomatter around the bases of his wings had begun to necrotize from electric burns. The mech that grabbed him was using an electro-blade."

As Lightningstrike scanned Starfall's chart the only thing to betray her personal feelings was the tightening of the protomatter at the corners of her lips. "Just from what I see on his charts, Starfall is going to need to have his entire flight system replaced in order to restore any flight capabilities."

"Do yeh think yeh can fix him?" Ironhide asked, his voice tense.

Lightningstrike glanced up from the data pad. "I cannot say for sure until I examine him myself. His injuries are extensive. But I have repaired seekers in far worse shape than this before and restored full flight capabilities to them – usually with minimal scarring, as well. The fact that Starfall is so young gives me hope. Young sparklings are usually able to recover from traumatic injuries like this much quicker than adults."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Ratchet led the small group to Starfall's room at the end of the hall. The Enforcers stationed at the door only quietly nodded to Ironhide and Ratchet as Ratchet opened the door and led Lightningstrike inside. Optimus still sat where Ratchet had left him the night before with Starfall protectively cradled upright against his chest. The little seeker didn't stir as Optimus looked up. The bandages taped to his back were spotted with purple dots. Ratchet frowned. Starfall's bandages were going to need replacing soon. Not only was he not looking forward to causing the little seeker pain, but he was growing concerned at the rate Starfall's wounds were seeping. They should have stopped bleeding so heavily joors ago.

"Optimus," Cloudbreaker solemnly greeted. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you, but I realize these are rather stressful circumstances."

The Matrix-bearer nodded distractedly at the prince. His attention was locked on the female seeker at Ratchet's side.

"Lady Lightningstrike," he nodded, sitting up straighter in his chair. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Forgive me for not meeting you on the roof."

"No apologizes are necessary. Please do not try and get up," Lightningstrike said, coming around the side of the berth. She leaned forward, carefully sliding her hands between Starfall and Optimus's chest. "Here. Let me take him. I must put him on the berth to examine him."

It was with obvious reluctance that Optimus allowed Lightningstrike to lift Starfall out of his arms. Although his battle mask was firmly in place, Ratchet could see the quiet anxiety swimming in Optimus's optics.

Lightningstrike carefully lifted Starfall away from Optimus onto the berth. Wires and tubes trailed over the side of her arms onto the floor to half a dozen different machines. "At least you were holding him correctly. The proper form to hold a sleeping seeker sparkling is cockpit to cockpit. Ground-based models tend to hold their children side to side in their arms."

"Starfall was more comfortable resting upright. He said his back did not hurt as much that way," Optimus explained. His optics tracked Lightningstrike's movements like a hawk. Optimus stiffly stood from his chair to follow Lightningstrike to Starfall's berthside. The sound of gears snapping back into place ran down the length of his back. Ratchet involuntarily winced. He was going to have to get a roll-away berth for Optimus and Ironhide as soon as possible.

"That doesn't surprise me," Lightningstrike murmured. She carefully lowered the injured sparkling onto the padded surface of the berth. Ratchet was somewhat startled when he realized she was laying Starfall facedown on the mat. Almost immediately, a pained whimper sounded in the back of Starfall's throat and he began squirming on the berthpad.

"Shh, shh, little one. It's alright," Lightningstrike hushed in a surprisingly gentle voice as she rearranged the numerous lines running off of Starfall's body so they wouldn't tangle.

"D-dad? Daddy?" Starfall groggily whimpered. He sounded more asleep than awake, as if he were only partially aware of what was going on around him.

"It's alright, Star. I'm still here," Optimus said from behind Lightningstrike.

"Should he be on his front like that?" Ratchet worriedly voiced from the other side of the berth as he watched Lightningstrike arrange Starfall on the berth. "His IC** lines will get pinched with him laying on top of them like that."

"They're not going to stay like that for long," Lightningstrike replied. She slipped one hand underneath Starfall's cockpit and began disconnecting a number of the wires attached to his medical port.

Ratchet instinctively darted forward. "You can't do that! I need to keep a close eye on his vitals."

"Calm down," Lightningstrike sternly chided. She didn't even look up at him as she continued disconnecting Starfall's medical lines. "I'm just moving them to his side port. I need him on his front so I can examine his back."

"Side port?"

"Yes. Seekers have a secondary medical port underneath their arm joint for situations just like this," Lightningstrike explained. "Seekers with wing injuries should never be laid on their side or back. It pulls on the tension cables in our back that connect to our wing gears."

Ratchet leaned closer over the bed to better see what Lightningstrike was doing. "I honestly did not know seekers had a secondary medical port…"

"It's right here," Lightningstrike said, gently lifting Starfall's arm and thumbing aside the access panel hiding underneath his arm. Starfall murmured uncomfortably as she reattached the lines to his side. Nuzzling his face into the pad Starfall let out a keening cry of pain. Lightningstrike frowned. "He should not be in this much pain even with this amount of damage. How many units of neuro-inhibiting serum do you have him on?"

"Fifty-five."

"Fifty-five?!" Lightningstrike looked up at Ratchet, appalled. "He should be on at least one hundred. No wonder he's in so much pain."

It was now Ratchet's turn to stare in appalled shock. "One hundred? One hundred units will kill a sparkling of Starfall's size."

"Not a seeker sparkling," Lightningstrike snapped, turning to the machines by Starfall's berth. Her fingers were a flurry of motion as she modified the anesthetic output. "It's an issue of different metabolisms. Seekers generally need larger doses of medication, especially anesthetics, for them to be effective. You might as well have been giving Starfall no painkillers at all for the amount you were giving him."

The effect on Starfall was almost immediate. As Ratchet watched Starfall's entire body began to relax, the tension melting from his frame like snow under a hot sun. His optics flickered tiredly. With a murmured sigh of relief Starfall relaxed against the berthmat and faded offline. Ratchet looked at the monitors tracking his patient's vitals. Starfall's spark-pulse was strong and steady. His internal engine's RPM was smoothing out to a normal rhythm. There was nothing to indicate Starfall was in any sort of distress. He finally seemed to be resting comfortably.

Lightningstrike turned her attention to Starfall's back. With quick, deft movements she loosened the tape holding the edges of Starfall's bandages down. She carefully lifted away the bio-metallic mesh. Her only reaction to the knotted mess of gore underneath was the tightening of the protomatter around her optics and mouth. Cloudbreaker, standing beside Ironhide on the side of the room, was unable to stifle his gasp of revulsion. He discreetly turned his attention to the far wall.

Ratchet took the fluid soaked bandages from Lightningstrike. Leaning over her patient, Lightningstrike converted one of her fingers into a flashlight. She shined the beam into the deep holes of Starfall's back. She surveyed the damage from a multitude of different angles for several minutes before finally giving her diagnosis. "Starfall will definitely need reconstructive repairs – both internal and external. What remains of his flight gears are completely disabled. He will never fly again if they are not replaced."

"Can you fix him?" Optimus asked. His voice betrayed his desperate need for hope.

"I believe so," Lightningstrike said. She leaned back from Starfall and transformed her finger back into a normal digit. She glanced across the berth to Ratchet. "Besides a new set of flight gears, Starfall will also need a new set of wings. I can order both from Vos. It should take no more than an orn for them to be delivered here. The Emirate was very insistent that anything I needed to help in Starfall's repairs would be immediately obtained. She also decreed that I was to remain in Iacon until Starfall was fully recovered. Once we have the parts we should be able to do everything in one surgery."

"That is a lot of work for just one surgery," Ratchet noted. "Are you sure we can do that much at once?"

"I am confident," Lightningstrike nodded. "This will not be my first reconstructive wing surgery. I've also heard rumors of your medical skills. Between the two of us, I believe Starfall can be restored to working order before the end of this deca-cycle."

Ratchet had to admit that despite the daunting amount of work that lay ahead of them he trusted Lightningstrike's assessment. The female medic had proven herself to be a capable medic thus far. Given her credentials and the Vosian Emirate's trust in her, he felt no reason to doubt her. Ratchet also had to admit he found Lightningstrike's no nonsense attitude and stern confidence refreshing.

"Would you like to come to my office to discuss Starfall's case more?" Ratchet offered. "I have quite a few questions concerning seeker anatomy you might be able to shed some light on. We can also discuss arrangements for your stay here in Iacon. The hospital has several vacant offices you can use, as well as several temporary living suites you could stay in while you're here. Assuming you don't mind recharging in the hospital, that is."

Cloudbreaker took that opportunity to interrupt. "My office has already seen to securing temporary living quarters for Lightningstrike at the Stellar Gate hotel."

"If you don't mind," Lightningstrike said, addressing Ratchet, "I'd actually prefer staying here in the hospital. I do not like to be far from my patients in cases like this. I'm quite used to recharging in hospitals. Back home I recharge more often at work than I ever do in my own domicile."

Ratchet had to smile. Lightningstrike's story was very similar to his own. Depending on what kind of cases he had, he sometimes spent orns at the hospital before going home. He wasn't the only medic that showed such dedication to his patients, but there weren't that many others like that at Iacon General Hospital either. His esteem for Lightningstrike swelled. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy working with Lightningstrike.

**Intra-circulatory

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: Hospital Visitor

Starfall was dreaming. It was not a typical dream where other people interacted with one's subconscious self in a hallucinogenic story-like representation of reality. Starfall had no sense of self in his dream. There was no sense of purpose for him being there, no ultimate goal for him to complete before he woke. Instead, his dream consisted of sensations and colors. There was soft light all around. He had no sensation of a body. He imagined the sensation of bobbing, like his subconscious had become a buoy on an ocean of the celestial ether of the universe. He felt no pain or worry. There was no desire or fear. There was only light and warmth and the gentle bobbing of nothingness.

Awareness began to return as the slow dimming of the ethereal subconscious light. The gentle bobbing sensation faded and was replaced with the slow returning sense of his corporeal body's weight laying face down on a padded surface. The warm light of his dream faded to nothingness, leaving Starfall in momentary darkness before the presence of light returned to his groping senses. This light was not the same as the light in his dream, however. This light was colder, harsher. As Starfall groggily flickered his optics online the last vestiges of his dream left him, leaving him with only a vague, indescribable sensory memory of water and light.

Starfall lay where he was for a moment of quiet uncertainty. His body felt heavy and weak, like all his limbs had been filled with lead. His right cheek plate was pressed to a padded surface. Slow, rhythmic beeping registered in his audios somewhere off to his side. For a split second Starfall thought it was his father's alarm clock, urging him to get off the berth and ready for school. The tone was off, though. The beeping didn't sound urgent. It was too quiet and slow to be an alarm. Instead, the muffled beeps made Starfall feel only more tired than he already felt.

Starfall didn't know where he was. It was not his berth at home. His own berth was squishier and didn't smell like antiseptics. It took effort for Starfall to muster the will to move. He felt strange. As he weakly forced his limbs to respond to the electrical signals of his processor, Starfall moaned at the wave of pain that rolled over his body. His entire body hurt. It felt like he'd been hit by something, but everywhere. His arms, legs, sides, chest, and head hurt. His joints ached as if he hadn't moved for a very long time. But the worst throb of pain radiated across his back with an achy fierceness that seemed to stab through his frame all the way down to his sparkchamber.

"Ughhh," he groaned into the berthmat. He squirmed uncomfortably, which only made the pain in his back hurt more. He gasped, startled by the sharpness of the pain that answered his attempt to move.

There was movement by the side of his berth. "Star?"

"Daddy?"

Starfall felt the immediate presence of his father beside him. It was strong and reassuring. Blinking his optics, Starfall craned his head off the berth enough to see Ironhide leaning over the side of the berth. His father looked tired. The protomatter around his optics was a sickly gray color.

"Don't move, Star," Ironhide hushed. He placed a hand on Starfall's shoulder joint.

"You're alright, Star," another voice said as Optimus appeared beside Ironhide and leaned down towards Starfall. "Your father and I are here."

Despite his father's warning, Starfall strained his neck cables to look around the room. He wasn't in his berthroom. "Where 'm I?" he murmured, confused and slightly scared. He was so tired. It seemed to take all his strength just to try and get his bearings. He felt drugged and so incredibly weak.

"You're in the hospital," Optimus explained. His face looked as haggard as Ironhide's Starfall realized with a surge of concern. "Don't you remember waking up before?"

Starfall reluctantly sunk back down onto the berthmat. It was too much for him to stay that way. He felt completely drained from just trying to lift his head. He was so tired. It felt like something was weighing on his processor, making it impossible to completely wake up. Groggily, Starfall thought back. He vaguely remembered waking up in this room before and being told he was in the hospital. He remembered waking up numerous other times after that – always hurting and crying in pain in one of his fathers' arms as they tried to soothe him back to sleep. All his memories were blurry and disjointed, like a never-ending nightmare he only now had been able to wake from.

"A mech grabbed you from school and hurt you," Ironhide said. His hand still rested on Starfall's shoulder, like a protective shield. Starfall took comfort in his father's touch.

"I kinda remember…" Starfall murmured uncertainly. He tentatively tried to move again, which only made him wince in pain. He went still again to make it stop.

Both his fathers leaned closer, concern swimming their optics.

"Does your back hurt?" Optimus asked.

"Yea. Whenever I try to move," Starfall murmured.

His fathers shared an anxious look.

"We should call Ratchet and Lightningstrike," Ironhide said. "Tell 'em Star needs more pain killers. Lightningstrike said she might need ta up Star's meds."

Optimus nodded in agreement. He disappeared from Starfall's berthside, but Starfall could still hear him moving around on the far side of the room. He lifted his head just enough to see Optimus punching a series of numbers into a portable vid-comm system.

"Just relax, Star," Ironhide urged. "We'll get Ratchet or Lightningstrike ta make yeh feel more comfortable." The hand on his shoulder moved to gentle stroke the back of his helm.

Starfall couldn't help but melt under his father's touch. As Starfall tiredly soaked in his father's attention he heard Optimus speaking to someone over the vid-comm in a hushed voice. He was too tired to try and make out what he was saying. Venting a tired puff of air, Starfall tried to do as Ironhide said and relax. When he didn't move his back didn't hurt that much, but the dull ache was just enough to make it difficult to completely relax. Starfall tentatively tried to move his wings. Maybe it was whatever the medics had given him for pain but he couldn't feel them. A sharp sting deep inside him was the only thing to answer his processor's command to move. Starfall's ventilation system hitched in surprise.

"What's the matter?" Ironhide asked.

"My wings. I can't feel them." Starfall ignored the stabs of pain as he drew his arms underneath him to push himself off the berthmat.

"Star, no. Don't do that," Ironhide said, gently trying to push him back down. "Yer gonna hurt yerself. Yer gonna pull yer bandages loose."

"I can't feel my wings," Starfall stubbornly whimpered. "I don't like it." He craned his neck around, desperately trying to see behind him. His shoulder vents prevented him from seeing anything. As he moved he became aware of the disturbing absence of weight hanging from his shoulder struts.

There were hurried footsteps before Optimus appeared once again by his berthside.

"Dad, I can't feel my wings," Starfall whimpered, becoming frightened now. He couldn't feel anything on his back. He couldn't even feel the familiar pull of the internal gears of his wing wells. There was nothing there. Panic began to blossom in Starfall's spark. "Why can't I feel my wings?"

Optimus leaned down over the edge of the berth and placed a hand on the back of Starfall's head. Starfall went still under his father's touch and desperately stared up at him for answers.

Optimus vented a pained sigh before meeting Starfall's optics. "You can't feel your wings right now, son, because you don't have any. They were badly damaged. Ratchet had to remove them."

"What?" Starfall's voice was nothing more than a stunned squeak. He stared at his father. For a moment he thought maybe he'd just misheard Optimus, or that his father was playing some kind of joke on him. But Starfall knew Optimus would never joke around about something like this. He knew how much his wings meant to him. Optimus's solemn expression confirmed Starfall's growing fears. Even though he was laying down Starfall suddenly felt as though he was falling, like he'd been dropped from a tremendous height and there was nothing underneath to catch him.

"My wings are gone?"

Optimus nodded.

The sick feeling in Starfall's fuel tank worsened. Starfall's throat line began to tighten and before he could even try to stop it an anguished sob bubbled out of his mouth. Another sob followed that, followed immediately by another. Starfall buried his face in the berthmat as helpless sobs began to quake his battered body. He offlined his optics, desperately hoping that when he activated them again he would find this had just been a horrible dream.

"Star, hey, com'on, it's okay," Ironhide's voice said close beside his audio. His father's hand returned to his shoulder, trying to offer comfort. "Ratchet's gonna get yeh a new set 'a wings. We even got a Vosian medic ta help. She's the best there is. She said she's gonna fix yeh up real quick."

"That's right," Optimus joined in. "This is not permanent. They said you will have a new set of wings by the end of this deca-cycle."

But Starfall could find no comfort in his fathers' words. All he could think about was the disturbing lack of weight on his back - about how something that was so essentially him was now suddenly gone. Somehow knowing there was no appendage there made the aching of his back even worse. Starfall's anguish only grew in intensity. He felt as if his world was slowly fracturing around him, splintering into a thousand miniature pieces no amount of platitudes could ever hope to put together again.

"Shh, Star, it's alright," Optimus hushed, gently stroking the back of his helm.

"What's going on?" a third voice suddenly said from the far end of the room. Starfall refused to lift his head to see who it was. He was too consumed with grief to do anything more than mourn his loss.

"Ratchet,' Optimus said. "Star just found out about his wings and is upset."

Starfall heard movement over the sound of his sobs and lifted his face off the berthmat to find two new bots standing next to his berth. He recognized the older mech from the anniversary party and vaguely from several times he remembered waking up in a pain-filled haze of delirium. The other made Starfall's ventilation system momentarily hitch in surprise.

"Hello, Starfall. My name is Lightningstrike. I'm one of your medics."

Through the static clouding his visual readout Starfall stared at the black and silver femme leaning over the side of the berth.

"You're a seeker," Starfall observed, his voice watery and weak.

The femme offered him the tiniest smile. "I am. I'm from Vos and will be assisting Ratchet while you're in the hospital. How are you feeling?"

The tightness in Starfall's fuel line returned. An unbidden sob slipped past his lips. "My wings are gone."

"I know," Lightningstrike sympathetically nodded. "But Ratchet and I are working to fix that. A new set of wings is being shipped here from Vos right now. The Emirate wants to help you get better. Once they get here Ratchet and I will attach them."

"But they're not *my* wings," Starfall angrily sobbed. He buried his face back in the berthmat, choking down his despair.

"These wings will be even better," Ratchet said. "Lightningstrike said they're going to be top of the line, specially made for you."

"I don't want other wings! I want *my* wings!" Why couldn't they understand? His wings had been the one thing he'd been the most proud of. He had come online with them and were a part of his identity. Who was he if he didn't have his wings? Starfall didn't think he'd be so upset if he had lost an arm or leg. Wings were more special than either of those. At least if he didn't have an arm or leg he could still fly. Without his wings he would never get off the ground on his own power again. He was grounded. How could he ever go flying again if he didn't have wings? What about Skyfire? He'd never be able to go flying again with Skyfire if he didn't have wings. His wings had been even more special because Skyfire had given him his first set of wing stripes. Even if Ratchet and Lightningstrike got him new wings he'd never be able to get Skyfire's wing stripes back. Those wing stripes represented the first time Starfall had ever had someone recognize his frametype as a good thing – something to be proud of! And now they were just gone.

Somehow that, more than anything else, made Starfall incapable of listening to anything else the adults were trying to tell him. Their optimism and reassurances felt like a cruel affront to the precious things he'd lost.

"But-"

"No, Ratchet," the female seeker sharply hushed. "Let Starfall be. He's upset and for good reason. Wings are an extremely personally piece of anatomy for a seeker to lose. He's not the first patient I've had who's had a hard time being told he's lost his wings." Lightningstrike's voice became more gentle as she turned her attention back to Starfall. "Your new wings should arrive by the end of the orn. If everything is on schedule we should have you in surgery by tomorrow morning to attach them. Until then, do you want me to give you some more neural serum to help you recharge? Or is there something else we can do for you?"

Starfall's answer was immediate. He was slightly startled by how quickly he made up his mind. "I wanna see Skyfire!" Starfall's voice was partially muffled into the berthmat and heavily laced with sobs but it still rung like cannon fire through the room.

"Skyfire?" Lightningstrike murmured.

"Skyfire is a close family friend," Optimus explained to the confused medic. "He's a flier and was actually the one to teach Starfall how to fly."

"I wanna see him!" Starfall angrily sobbed into the berthmat. "I wanna talk to Skyfire!" Right now Skyfire was the only bot Starfall wanted to see. He loved his fathers and didn't want them to leave, but he wanted to see Skyfire more. His fathers didn't have wings and couldn't understand what it was like to lose them. They only knew the ground. They didn't know what it was like to soar thousands of feet above the ground and feel the vastness of the sky. He knew they were worried about him and were upset about his wings but they still didn't really *understand*. Even Lightningstrike, another seeker, was a stranger. Starfall wanted someone he knew and who could understand how devastating this was to him. That person was Skyfire.

"We can get'cha Skyfire," Ironhide hastily agreed. "He was askin' about yeh before when ah called him. Ah bet he'll come right over when ah tell him yeh wanna talk ta him."

"Until then, I'm going to increase the dosage of Starfall's meds a bit," Lightningstrike said, consulting the array of machines positioned around Starfall's hospital berth. "This is putting too much stress on Starfall's systems. If we want to get him into surgery tomorrow morning, he needs to rest and let his systems self-repair a little more. The more he recharges before surgery the better."

Lightningstrike pushed several buttons on the console of one of the machines. A wave of intense exhaustion smacked Starfall like a physical slap to the face. His optics suddenly no longer had the power to remain online. His limbs felt welded to the berth. His head was too heavy to lift off the mat.

"It's alright, Star," Optimus's voice drifted to him from what sounded like the other end of a long tunnel. Starfall felt the sensation of fingers on the side of his face, gently stroking his cheek plates. "We'll call Skyfire and ask him to come visit."

Starfall wanted to reply but couldn't find the energy to. He was too tired. Everything was getting darker and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his visual systems working. Starfall didn't resist Lightningstrike's medicine's insistent siren call to sleep. He felt too empty and his body hurt too much to try and fight the encroaching darkness.

00000000

Skyfire transformed and landed on the roof of Iacon General Hospital in an awkward crouch. He'd descended too fast for any kind of grace. He'd left his apartment in a hurried rush. The flight there had been a complete blur. After receiving Optimus's call explaining Starfall's request Skyfire's only thought had been to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. He'd had to make a quick stop at a store before continuing on the hospital but Skyfire thought he'd still made good time. He had promised Optimus he would come as quickly as he could. Skyfire was pretty sure the storekeeper had thought he was insane for how he'd barged in, grabbed what he'd needed, paid, and left in a frenzied whirlwind.

Hurriedly righting himself Skyfire scanned the rooftop.

"Skyfire."

There, on the far side of the rooftop Ironhide stood next to an outside elevator bay with one hand raised in greeting.

"Ironhide," Skyfire breathlessly greeted as he strode towards him. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."

Ironhide hastily waved away his apology. "Thanks fer comin' on such short notice. Yeh actually got here a lot quicker than ah was expectin." Skyfire was slightly taken aback by the haggard aura of exhaustion surrounding the other mech but chose not to comment on it. Ironhide had suffered enough stress over the last two orns and didn't need Skyfire pointing out how he looked.

"When Optimus called me and told me the situation I came as quickly as I could. When you contacted me yesterday, though, I didn't think you wanted Star to have any visitors yet."

Ironhide gave a tired sigh. "Star asked ta see yeh. He finally woke up enough ta get an actual sense of what happened ta him this morning an' didn't take it well. Optimus an' ah tried ta tell him he was gonna get a new set 'a wings but he didn't seem ta even listen. Optimus thinks he just needs ta talk to another flier right now."

Skyfire nodded sadly in understanding. "Having one's wings taken away is more devastating than a non-flier could possibly imagine. It would be like losing your legs and your ability to transform all at once."

"That's why we called yeh. Yer the only one that can help Star. That Vosian medic came in. She's really good, but she's not really the warm an' fuzzy type. Reminds me a lot of Ratchet, actually… She's a seeker but Star doesn't know her. He needs someone he knows right now."

"I will do whatever I can to help," Skyfire readily promised.

"Come on," Ironhide said, motioning to the elevator. "Optimus is waitin' with Star in the room." As Skyfire carefully folded himself into the elevator behind Ironhide, Ironhide gave him a sympathetic look. Skyfire had to stoop at the waist to fit with his chin tucked almost to his chest plate. The tips of his wings brushed against both sides of the car. "Sorry. But it was best fer yeh ta meet me on the roof. There's a permanent crowd of reporters camped out in front 'a the hospital now. When Prowl and Jazz stopped by the other orn they almost got mobbed by 'em. Security already caught two reporters tryin' ta sneak into the patient wing 'a the hospital. They're like a pack of turbo-foxes fightin' over a dead petro-rabbit."

"That is distressing to hear," Skyfire murmured, disgusted. How could people be so desperate for a story that they would try and invade the recovery room of a badly injured sparkling? "I assume Prowl and Jazz or Ratchet have arranged for guards?"

"Yea. Got two of 'em stationed outside 'a Star's room, round the clock."

The elevator dinged and its doors slid open. Ironhide lead Skyfire down a series of identical looking hallways.

"How have you and Optimus been holding up?" Skyfire asked as they walked.

Ironhide heaved a tired sigh. "We're managin'…"

He did not elaborate and Skyfire did not feel right trying to press the question. He wondered, though, how much – if any – recharge the two had gotten since Starfall's return. He couldn't imagine it was much.

They turned a bend at the end of a hallway and Skyfire spotted two armed mechs standing guard on either side of a closed door. Ironhide briefly paused in front of them when they drew near.

"This is Skyfire," Ironhide said, gabbing his thumb at Skyfire over his shoulder. "He's a family friend. He's got both the Prime's an' my permission ta be here. He's gonna be visitin' here a lot so spread the word ta the other guards. He's not ta ever be stopped."

"Yes, sir," both guard obediently nodded.

Skyfire offered a polite smile to both of them as he followed Ironhide past the two guards into Starfall's room. The room was dimly lit. The only illumination was from a single bank of florescent lights at the head of the hospital berth positioned against the far wall and a tele-consol that was playing news on mute in the corner. Optimus sat in a chair close to the side of the berth. His battle mask was contracted over his mouth, but Skyfire could still see the exhaustion clouding the Prime's optics. Thick rings of pale gray protomatter ringed his optics.

"Skyfire," Optimus greeted. His voice was tired. He stood to meet Skyfire. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Of course," Skyfire said. He gripped the hand Optimus offered him in greeting. Closer now, Optimus looked even more tired than he had at a distance. "I would never refuse Star a visit. How is he?"

Optimus glanced over his shoulder towards the berth. Starfall lay face down on the berth. His body was like a tiny island in the sea of the berth's white padded surface. Bandages covered his back. "Not well," Optimus murmured. All the exhaustion of his features seeped into his voice. "He woke up this morning enough to finally be cognitive of his surroundings and found out that his wings are gone. He did not take the news well. He immediately demanded to talk to you. Ironhide and I tried to talk to him, but… he's so upset… I think he just needs to talk to another flier right now…"

Skyfire's spark nearly broke at the helplessness in Optimus's voice.

"I will do what I can," he promised the exhausted Matrix-bearer. He gestured with his chin towards Starfall's berth. "May I?"

Optimus and Ironhide both nodded encouragingly.

With a forced, reassuring smile, Skyfire quietly stole to the side of Starfall's berth. He sat in the chair Optimus had just vacated. Although padded, it was extremely uncomfortable. Were these the chairs the hospital gave visitors? They were horrible.

Focusing on the sleeping sparkling in the berth, Skyfire leaned forward. "Star? Star, can you hear me?" He reached over the railing on the side of the berth and gently ran the back of his fingers along the curve of Starfall's cheek plate. "Star? Wake up. It's Skyfire."

A murmured groan answered him. Turquoise optics groggily flickered online and stared up at him.

"Hello, Star," Skyfire smiled. He tried to control his emotions. For over a orn he'd believed he'd lost Starscream a second time. Seeing Starfall's optics light at the sound of his voice was nothing short of a miracle in his opinion.

"Skyfire?" Starfall mumbled. His voice was garbled and heavily drugged. Skyfire leaned closer to understand him.

"Yes. It's me, Star. How are you?"

Starfall sleepily squirmed on the berth. Skyfire rested one hand on the tiny seeker's shoulder joint where there didn't appear to be any injuries to help focus Starfall's attention on him. Painful looking dents and scratches covered Starfall's entire body from his shoulders all the way down to his pedes. A nest of wires and tubes trailed off his body to a multitude of machines positioned around the berth. The sight made Skyfire's fuel tank turn. He knew Starfall had been seriously damaged, but somehow seeing Crosshairs' handiwork for himself made the reality of what happened even more appalling. Skyfire tried not to focus on the bandaged flatness of Starfall's back where his wings used to be.

"'m tired…" Starfall murmured. He squirmed more and released a soft moan.

"Don't move too much. You're going to aggravate your wounds."

Starfall seemed to wake up a little more. He flickered his optics into sharper focus. As he stared up at Skyfire his face slowly crumbled in agonized misery. "My wings are gone, Skyfire." A heartbroken sob clicked in the back of his throat. "I can't fly anymore."

"I know, Star, but it's going to be okay. Your fathers told me that you are going to get a new pair of wings very soon."

"But they're not gonna be *mine*," Starfall angrily sobbed, his face half-buried in the berthmat. "Mine had wing stripes. Mine were special."

Skyfire leaned down over the side of the berth so that his face was closer to Starfall's own. He held the upset sparkling's gaze with his own. "I know how you feel. I once badly hurt my wings too. The medics had to replace almost everything except for some of the outer plating. I couldn't fly for almost a full lunar cycle. But once I was released I made those new wings my own."

Starfall lay for a moment of quiet contemplation. "But… what if they can't fix my wings? What if I can't ever fly again? I'll next be able to go flying with you again."

Skyfire gave Starfall a small smile. "I have no doubt in my mind that Ratchet will get you back into the air. He is the best medic I know. He also has a Vosian medic helping him. If they can't make you flight worthy again no one can."

"But what if they *can't*?" Starfall insisted. His voice cracked with emotion. He buried his face deeper into the berthmat and softly murmured, almost to himself, "If I can't fly you're never gonna wanna see me again…"

Skyfire felt his spark break at the helpless fear in Starfall's voice. He moved his hand to the back of Starfall's head, urging him to look up from the mat and meet his optics. "That will not happen, Star. They *will* make you fly again. And even if they couldn't I wouldn't want to stop seeing you."

"You wouldn't?"

"No," Skyfire smiled. "I enjoy your company. I promise that as soon as you are well enough to go flying we will go together. I even brought you something for when you're better." He opened a subspace compartment in his forearm and carefully withdrew four long strips of light blue colored enamel.

"Wing stripes?" Starfall said, excitedly pushing himself off the berth to better see. He gasped slightly at the movement, but he seemed too enraptured by Skyfire's gift to properly register the pain.

Skyfire nodded. "I was waiting to give you a new set as a creation day present, but since you will be getting a new set of wings before then, I figured it wouldn't hurt giving you these a little early."

Starfall gingerly reached out and trailed one finger across the shiny enamel surface. "Thank you," he murmured. He looked overwhelmed. A small ring of static circled the edges of his optics. His bottom lip quivered slightly with emotion.

Skyfire set the wing stripes aside on a small end table positioned next to Starfall's berth. He reached into his subspace compartment again. "I brought you something else too." He retracted a data pad from its depths. "I know you like to read. I just hope you don't already have this story. I thought it sounded interesting." Honestly, Skyfire hadn't investigated it that much. It had just been the first title to catch Skyfire's eye when he'd stormed into the data pad shop for a get-well present before speeding on to the hospital. He held the data pad out for Starfall to read the front.

"No. I don't have it," Starfall said. "Thank you."

Skyfire smiled, relieved.

"How long are you gonna stay?" Starfall asked.

Skyfire glanced over at Optimus and Ironhide. Optimus had settled himself in the room's other visitor chair. Ironhide stood just behind Optimus, like a sentry protectively watching over his sparkmate and son.

"You are welcome to stay for as long as you want," Optimus said.

"I can stay and watch Star if you two want to go get some fuel or a few joors of recharge. No offense to either of you, but you both look like you need some."

Ironhide leaned over the back of Optimus's chair. "Yeh should get some recharge, Optimus. And some fuel. Yer runnin' on fumes right now." Skyfire could hear the concern in Ironhide's voice.

"So should you," Optimus countered. "You have gotten as many joors of sleep as I have since we got here."

"I can watch Star," Skyfire insisted. "He will be safe with me."

The two hesitated, obviously reluctant to leave their son even for awhile. They shared a silent, searching look with each other. For a moment Skyfire was sure they were going to decline his offer. But then – perhaps recognizing that they needed to tend to their own needs before they could properly care for their son and that Skyfire was the only suitable replacement for themselves at Starfall's berthside – Optimus gave a tiny nod of acquiescence.

Optimus painfully got to his feet and came around to the other side of Starfall's berth. He leaned over and rested a hand on the back of his son's helm. "We will be back in a while. Skyfire will stay with you until we get back."

"Okay," Starfall tiredly murmured.

Optimus glanced over at Skyfire. "Are you sure you're alright watching over Star for awhile?"

"Of course," Skyfire nodded. "Go. Get some fuel and recharge. I'll watch him. I won't leave until you come back."

"Thank you," Optimus gratefully bowed his head. "Ratchet offered us a room near his office to recharge in whenever we finally decided to get some rest. It has actual berths in it instead of just a rollaway. If you need us just contact Ratchet. His number is saved on the vid-com. He should be stopping by to check on Star in a joor or two with Lightningstrike."

"Take care of 'im til we get back," Ironhide sternly ordered.

Skyfire offered him a small smile. "I will."

As Optimus and Ironhide headed for the door, Skyfire returned his attention back to Starfall. "Would you like me to read a few chapters from your new data pad?"

Starfall nodded against the berthmat. "Yea…" His optics were fuzzy around the edges, his voice garbled. Skyfire wondered how long he would actually stay awake once he started reading. Whatever painkillers Ratchet had Starfall on would probably knock him out in a few minutes. The sparkling was hanging onto consciousness by only a thread as it was. Still, Skyfire wanted to do something to help Starfall relax.

Resting his elbow joints on the edge of Starfall's berthmat, Skyfire activated Starfall's new data pad. Starfall stared up at him as Skyfire began reading, his optics slowly fading from light to dark and back again as he struggled to stay awake. Skyfire read, his voice a low relaxing rumble over the soft beeping of the machines around Starfall's bed. Several paragraphs onto the fifth page, Skyfire glanced up to check on the young seeker. As expected, Starfall was no longer online. His vents cycled air in and out in a relaxed rhythm. Skyfire could detect no sign of discomfort in the injured flier's body. He seemed to be resting comfortably.

Turning the data pad off, Skyfire leaned back in his chair and studied the gentle rise and fall of Starfall's back to the rhythm of his ventilation systems. The bandaged section of Starfall's back was still difficult for Skyfire to look at, but at least there was hope of Starfall being made flight-worthy again. There was actually a lot of hope now that Starfall was no longer dead. He had not lied to Starfall when he'd said he believed in Ratchet and his Vosian assistant's ability to repair him. They would make him able to fly again. Right now it was just a matter of patience.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Three: Recovery

The elevator made a soft ding and the doors slid open. One of the assisting medics lunged forward to stand in the doorway so the doors wouldn't close again.

"Thanks," Ratchet murmured. A mobile medical berth took up the majority of elevator car. Ratchet stood at the head, Lightningstrike just to his right. Three other medics accompanied them. Ratchet pushed the gurney into motion. Lightningstrike and the other medics helped guide it off the elevator. Starfall didn't even stir as he was wheeled into the hallway. He was still heavily sedated from surgery. He probably wouldn't begin to wake for another twenty to thirty klicks. Just enough time for Ratchet and Lightningstrike to get him back to his room and fathers.

Ratchet was sure Optimus and Ironhide were starting to get restless. They'd taken Starfall into surgery early that morning to attach his new wings that had arrived from Vos the night before. It was now late afternoon. It had taken nearly ten joors of intensely delicate neurosurgery, but it had been successful. Starfall had two wings again. The sparkling lay on his front with two miniature wings sprouting from his back. Fresh weld marks ringed the base of each one. The new wings were a naked, dull gray color. It would take several weeks for Starfall's body to fully integrate his new wings with his protoform and his color nanites to spread to the new appendages.

Ratchet glanced at Lightningstrike. The Vosian medic looked just as exhausted as he felt, but she still walked with a self-satisfied spring in her step. It was a look of a medic after a successful surgery. He knew the feeling. Ratchet was just glad he'd had Lightningstrike to assist him. The neural pathways and vast network of sensor relays that connected seeker wings to the rest of their body was more extensive than even he'd been expecting. They'd only managed to finish as quickly as they did by Ratchet and Lightningstrike working on separate wings at the same time. A team of four other medics working in two rotating shifts certainly had helped as well. If Lightningstrike hadn't been there Ratchet would likely still be in the operating room.

At the end of the hallway Starfall's room came into view. Even though the Prime's son had been in surgery for the majority of the day, two guards still stood at their posts on either side of the door. After two reporters snuck past reception the other day looking for Starfall, Prowl has insisted that Ratchet keep tight security on Starfall's room at all times. Ratchet, of course, had agreed. The two reporters were just lucky he hadn't been there when they'd been caught. Both of them would have needed medical attention of their own after he'd been through with them.

"Easy now," Lightningstrike said as she, Ratchet, and the three other medics angled Starfall's gurney to go through the doorway. "*Easy.* I don't want him jostled."

The three assistants all visibly cowered, their guiding hands becoming even more gentle and cautious. Ratchet had to admit he had a lot of respect for Lightningstrike. Not only was she a highly skilled medic with specialized knowledge and experience he could never hope to match, he liked the way she had no qualms about taking charge of a room and establishing herself as someone to be respected and obeyed.

As the team of medics wheeled Starfall into the room Optimus and Ironhide stood to greet them. The two fathers immediately swept across the room to their son's berthside, their hands instinctively reaching out to touch him and stroke the side of his facial plates. Ratchet noted how they both hesitated to touch Starfall anywhere near his back. Despite his new wings, weld marks and painful looking dents still covered his body. His injuries would be tender for many orns to come. Starfall was oblivious to their ministrations. He continued to sleep in drug-induced recharge.

"How did it go?" Optimus asked, his optics locked on his sleeping son.

"It was a success," Lightningstrike replied. "All neural relays were connected without issue. Starfall shouldn't try to fly for at least a few lunar cycles, but he should regain full range of motion to his wings within the next deca-cycle or two once the initial tenderness of his transplant is gone."

Optimus and Ironhide vented heavy sighs of relief.

"He's going to be groggy coming out of anesthesia," Ratchet said as he motioned Optimus and Ironhide away from Starfall's side. With Lightningstrike's help he maneuvered the gurney up alongside Starfall's hospital berth. With a practiced snap of his wrist he lowered the gurney's side rails. Lightningstrike positioned herself on the far side of the berth. The assisting medics all took points around Starfall's gurney and berth. Starfall had been laid on a thin white tarp after surgery. It was this that Ratchet, Lightningstrike, and their assistants took hold of.

"On three," Ratchet announced. "One… Two… Three."

Together, they smoothly lifted the sedated sparkling and slid him across onto the berth.

"Thank you," Ratchet nodded to the assisting medics. "You can go now. Lightningstrike and I will finish getting the patient settled."

With nods of acknowledgement, the other medics silently slipped out of the room. One of them wheeled the now empty gurney out with him. Working in seamless unison, Ratchet and Lightningstrike arranged Starfall's limp body on the berth and reattached the tubes and wires to the machines surrounding his berth.

"Vitals look good," Lightningstrike noted as she examined the readouts.

Ratchet glanced at the sparkpulse monitor. "How much neural serum should we put him on while he's coming out of anesthesia?"

Lightningstrike fiddled with the buttons on one of the machines. "At least one hundred twenty units. We'll probably be able to lower him back to one hundred by this evening."

"Should we expect him to be in much pain?" Optimus asked. He and Ironhide had joined the two by Starfall's berthside. An unspoken fear shined in the back of the Prime's optics. Ratchet had to sympathize. After days of seeing his son in unspeakable pain, he was genuinely afraid to have to relive such a hellish nightmare.

Ratchet shook his head. "He's going to be very tender, but he's not going to be hurting like he was before. We'll make sure Starfall's comfortable."

Ironhide sidled up beside Ratchet and studied his son's back. "Now that he's got his wings, how long yeh think he's gonna hafta stay in the hospital?"

Ratchet glanced across the berth to Lightningstrike. She would have a much better estimate about wing injury recovery than him.

Lightningstrike considered the question. Dark red optics studied her patient's newly reconstructed wings. "At least another deca-cycle. Probably closer to two if we're being realistic. Given the severity of his injuries and the amount of delicate neural work Ratchet and I did, I want to make sure his wings integrate correctly and there are not any unforeseen complications."

"What are the chances of him having such complications?" Optimus asked.

"Low," Lightningstrike assured. "Despite this being Ratchet's first wing attachment, his work was exceptional. I am confident Starfall will feel well enough to sit up and walk around on his own within a few orns."

Ratchet was slightly taken aback by the flush of warmth he felt at Lightningstrike's acknowledgement for his work. He had been a medic for enough millennia and was so sure of his own abilities that others' praise for it rarely even registered anymore. But somehow having Lightningstrike acknowledge it made Ratchet feel a rush of pride he hadn't felt for a very long time.

Ratchet glanced between Optimus and Ironhide. "Starfall's probably not going to feel like it tonight, but once he's not feeling too groggy it would be good for him to drink some energon. Even low grade would be good. He's been on an IC drip for several days now. His fuel tank it probably bone dry. He'll gain strength quicker if he ingested some energon instead of it being filtered through his system."

"We'll try giving him something when he's awake," Optimus promised.

Ratchet leaned back from the berth with an air of finality. "Starfall probably won't start to wake up for another half joor or so. Lightningstrike and I will come back and check on him then to make sure he's doing alright."

"Thank you for all your hard work," Optimus said, gratefully looking between the two medics. "You both must be so tired. Star was in surgery for so long."

Lightningstrike gave the Prime a tired but knowing smile. "I assure you, both of us are quite used to it."

"We'll let Starfall wake up on his own. We'll be back in a while," Ratchet said, turning to the door. "If you need anything or if Starfall is any kind of discomfort when he starts to wakes, comm me. I'll be in my office."

The Prime and Consort nodded, and with that Ratchet and Lightningstrike took their leave.

As they stepped past the guards into the hallway, Ratchet turned to his foreign counterpart. "Would you like to join me in my office for something to drink? I don't know about you but I definitely need something."

Lightningstrike replied with a coy smile. "Depends. What kind of drink are you offering?"

"I have regular energon. But if you'd like something a little stronger, I'm sure I could find something to fit your taste."

"Do you have double distilled engex, by chance?"

Ratchet smirked. The lady had fine tastes. He was beginning to like Lightningstrike even more. "I have that."

"Lead the way then."

A short walk and elevator ride later brought Ratchet and Lightningstrike to Ratchet's office. Ratchet motioned the female seeker in ahead of him as he turned the lights on. Lightningstrike gracefully eased herself into the chair in front of Ratchet's desk with a tired groan as Ratchet busied himself at his private energon dispenser. He filled two small cubes with Lightningstrike's requested drink. As he'd alluded to Lightningstrike, he had an impressive private stock of energon drinks to choose from whenever the mood struck him. He usually didn't imbibe his stronger stock unless he was off the clock. But considering that Starfall's surgery had been long and trying, he decided he deserved a small treat. His back struts and shoulders ached from leaning over the little seeker's body all day. A mild pressure headache was beginning to coalesce behind his optics from connecting all of Starfall's thread-thin wing sensor relays. Starfall also wasn't going to wake for awhile. He and Lightningstrike had just enough time to enjoy a small drink before they went back to check on their patient's recovery.

"Thank you," Lightningstrike said as Ratchet handed her a small cube of glowing blue liquid.

Ratchet moved behind his desk and sank into the padded cushions of his chair with a sigh. The relief to his back struts and shoulders was instantaneous. Ratchet absentmindedly wondered how many more vorns he had before he was no longer able to do marathon-length surgeries like the one he'd done today. Maybe it was time to start seriously thinking about getting some upgrades to his older internal parts. Primus knew he'd been putting off an upgrade for the last several centuries.

"This is good," Lightningstrike hummed appreciatively over the rim of her cube. "Very smooth." With a sigh the black and silver seeker spread her wings out over the arms of the chair and slouched a little deeper into her seat. Taking another sip of her drink she kicked one thruster over her other. Ratchet was taken aback by how graceful and poised Lightningstrike was still able to look even slouched down in a chair with one drink in her hand and her face shadowed with fatigue. Even after joors in surgery, she still somehow managed to maintain an air of elegance around her.

Damn seekers and their almost unworldly grace…

"I know you haven't had any opportunities to see much outside of the hospital, but how are you finding Iacon so far?" Ratchet asked conversationally as he took a sip of his drink.

Lightningstrike offered him a dry smile. "I rarely see anything outside of the walls of a hospital even back in Vos. Even on my days off, I always seem to get called back in for some emergency or other." Taking another sip of her drink, Lightningstrike met Ratchet's optics, her demeanor becoming more serious. "Joking aside, my trip here had been much less painful than I was expecting."

Ratchet quirked an optic ridge at her. "How so?"

"Ever since the end of the Great War seekers have not exactly been welcome outside of Vos. If it wasn't for the Prime's son, I doubt the Emirate would have ever sent Lord Cloudbreaker to try and reestablish relations with other city-states and rejoin the High Council. When the Emirate ordered me to come to Iacon, I was expecting to be met with some hostility."

"From me or others of the hospital staff?"

"Both," Lightningstrike shrugged. "But I suppose you more than anyone. You have a reputation even in Vos as being an extremely skilled medic. Your work during the war was legendary, even among your enemies. As one who had been Chief Medical Officer on the Prime's command ship, I suppose I thought you wouldn't take kindly to an outsider – not to mention a former Decepticon – coming into your hospital and taking charge of your patient."

Ratchet could only stare at Lightningstrike for a moment of shocked silence. His spark contracted with a rush of hurt.

"I pride myself in not letting politics get in the way of my work," he tightly replied. "I wasn't going to be able to repair Starfall by myself. When Optimus asked me if I was open to bringing in an outside specialist I had a feeling it would be a seeker. I try not to look at frame-types. Being prejudiced was one of the reasons we spent four million years fighting a war. All I cared about when you arrived was if you were a good medic, and you have exceeded all my hope and expectations. I'm very glad you came to Iacon."

Lightningstrike studied Ratchet for a long moment of silence, her optics seeming to pierce straight through his body as though searching for any sign of deception. Finally, she broke her gaze and gave Ratchet a small smile. "Thank you, Ratchet. That is very nice to hear. I take extra pride in what you said because you don't strike me as a mech who gives out compliments often."

Ratchet took a small sip of his drink. "I don't."

Fighting down a small smile, Lightningstrike shifted in her seat and recrossed her legs the opposite way. It suddenly felt like a wall they hadn't even realized was between them disappeared. Feeling more comfortable with his foreign consultant, Ratchet no longer felt like he was speaking to a fellow medic, but more like a new friend. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs out underneath his desk. "Tell me, where did you serve during the war? In all the time we were shooting at each other I can't say I ever saw a Vosian medic picking up the pieces. Before meeting you, I wasn't even sure Vos had any medics."

Lightningstrike gave a dry snort, her lips quirking with an ironic smirk. "Of course there are seeker medics. It was just that before the war most medics trained and worked inside of Vos. There really wasn't much need for medics trained to deal with wing injuries when there weren't that many bots with wings to speak of outside of Vos. Then when Enforcers began to crack down on minority models, those who were outside of Vos returned. It was dangerous for fliers to be in other cities once Megatron started to build his army of followers.'

"By that time, I was head of Vos's main hospital and personal medic to the Emirate. She resisted declaring Vos a Decepticon city-state for the longest time. But as the Decepticons became stronger and stronger and the rest of the planet became more and more turned against minority models and those with military builds she realized Vos wouldn't be welcome among Megatron's resisters, nor would Megatron stand for Vos to remain a neutral city-state. It was a situation of choosing the lesser of two evils that had the greater chance of her people gaining a higher status in Cybertronian society. The Emirate's great nephew being one of Megatron's top officers also certainly must have helped sway her decision...'

"Once Slipstream declared Vos loyal to the Decepticons, the entire city became part of the war machine. Every Vosian citizen became a de facto Deception combatant. Fliers who were part of Vos's Air Defense Force came under the command of Megatron along with all of Vos's available resources – medics included. The hospitals' top staffs were conscripted to the army. Some resisted. But those who did were never heard from again… I and several colleagues were sent to a Decepticon outpost on Delphi XI. I spent the majority of the war there patching up bullet wounds and laser burns. I almost got court marshaled several thousand vorns before the official end of the war for giving medical attention to a squad of rookie Autobot recruits fresh out of basic training. They'd been sent to scout our outpost on Delphi, but managed to get into a firefight with sentries and captured. Several of them were critically wounded during the fight before they were brought in.'

"The commander of Delphi XI's outpost was a stupid brute of a mech named Detach. He embodied all the negative stereotypes of a Decepticon: violent and ruthless with an intense hatred for anyone with an Autobot brand. He would have let those injured mechs die in a cell if I hadn't disobeyed orders and patched them up. By that point of the war I was so sick and tired of death and needless suffering I didn't care what side anyone fought for. They were all just bleeding injured bodies to me that needed fixed. Detach tried to court marshal and execute me for aiding and abetting enemy combatants in a war zone. Called me a traitor to the Decepticon cause – like that actually meant anything to me. It was just lucky one of the other medics I worked with had the foresight to report what happened to one of the Vosian Air Force commanders in the area, who passed it up the chain of command. Word reached the Emirate and – from what rumors say – she patched a line in directly to Shockwave himself and threatened to retake direct command of her citizens and declare Vos neutral if I was put on trial or harmed in any way. Within an orn, Detach was reassigned to another post and I spent the rest of the war on Delphi XI until word finally reached us that the Prime had defeated Megatron in battle and the Great War was officially over."

Ratchet mulled Lightningstrike's story over for a long moment of silence.

"Even though you were part of the war, it sounds like you were lucky. You managed to stay away from the worst of the fighting. Delphi XI was only ever a secondary battlefront."

"I still saw my fair share of carnage and death."

Lightningstrike and Ratchet's optics met and a look of unspoken understanding passed between them. Both of them had seen horrors few others could ever come close to understanding. Even if they were only medics they still had seen the long-reaching consequences of war and its violence.

"At least you almost got court marshaled for something worthwhile," Ratchet said, taking a deep swig of his drink. "I got in trouble several times myself for repairing enemy combatants."

"I suppose," Lightningstrike listlessly shrugged. "Those Autobots I saved were later used in a prisoner exchange. They made it safely back to their own side, but I'm sure they were sent back out to the frontlines the very next day. I sometimes wonder if I actually saved them or if I just delayed them from dying from a shot to the sparkchamber by a few days. And not just enemy combatants, either. I had that thought a lot of times over the course of the war for those I patched up on my side too."

Ratchet quietly nodded his head. "I had that same thought myself countless times… It's hard to say if what we did during the war ever really did any good in the long run."

"At least it's finally over," Lightningstrike said, draining the last of her drink with a snap of her wrist. "Nowadays, the worst cases I usually see are accidents – no more battle wounds. And for that I'm happy."

"Unless you count injuries inflicted from left over prejudices from the war…" Ratchet solemnly pointed out, thinking of the sparkling laying in his berth one floor below them. "Even after all this time there's still so much festering hatred and resentment for what happened during the war. If people would only realize their prejudice was part of the original problem. After what happened to Starfall I wonder if anything's really changed since Megatron started his revolution."

"It's terrible what happened to the Prime's son, but I like to think that some things have changed. There will probably always be leftover hatred for my people and other minorities, but the reaction of people around the planet – a lot of them ground-based majority models – towards what happened to the Prime's son makes me think things will be better this time around."

Ratchet tilted his head at Lightningstrike. "You didn't initially strike me as such an optimist."

Lightningstrike smiled. "After everything I've seen and lived through I'm kind of surprised myself for thinking so, but it's true. I truly want to believe that someday after all this is over I'll be able to come back to Iacon and be able to walk the streets or fly over the city without anyone thinking it strange to see a seeker outside of Vos."

Ratchet held Lightningstrike's optics with his own. "I'd like you to be able to do that someday too."

Casting Ratchet a small smile, Lightningstrike set her cube on the edge of Ratchet's desk. "Starfall is probably starting to wake up. Shall we go check on him?"

Ratchet glanced at the chronometer on the far wall. "Yes," he agreed and drained what little remained of his drink. He set his empty cube beside Lightningstrike's and stood.

As they headed for the door, Ratchet self-consciously cleared his throat line. "Despite the heavy subject matter, this was enjoyable. Before you leave Iacon would you like to go with me sometime to a bar and get a proper drink? I could even show you some of Iacon's more popular sights. I'd hate for you to go back to Vos and not be able to say you saw *something* besides the hospital."

Lightningstrike glanced at him, the glint of something unreadable sparkling in the back of her optic. "I'd like that."

OOOOOOOO

The next morning

"Everything looks good," Ratchet said, straightening from over his patient. Starfall lay on his front on the berth, his wings exposed to Ratchet and Lightningstrike's clinical gaze. "The welds look like they're integrating well with Starfall's frame and his vitals all seem to be improving. How did he sleep last night?"

"Very well," Optimus replied from the side of the room. Ironhide stood close beside him. "He didn't wake again after you and Lightningstrike came to check on him."

Ratchet nodded and hummed thoughtfully under his breath. He turned his attention back to his patient. Ironhide watched the two medics move around his son, searching from any sign of discomfort from Starfall. Ratchet and Lightningstrike were well into their morning examination and except for greeting their calls to wake enough for them to talk to him with a reluctant groan, Starfall remained passive to their ministrations. He seemed to be in no sort of pain or discomfort. Ironhide expected him to fall back into recharge the moment Ratchet and Lightningstrike let him be again. Whatever they had him on, it saved Starfall from feeling any major discomfort, but it also left him extremely tired and groggy whenever he did wake up. Ironhide wasn't sure how he felt about it. He was glad Starfall wasn't in pain. But at the same time, he didn't like seeing his son so drugged and unsure of his surroundings that Ironhide wondered if the little seeker really knew where he was.

Lightningstrike held a small palm-size machine in her hand. In her other she held a thin rod that attached to the box-shaped machine by a spiral cord. She brushed this rod slightly over the top of Starfall's new wings. As she moved it along the length of his wings, they twitched and rose as though they were being shocked by small electrical charges. The only thing stopping Ironhide from darting forward and demanding that the female seeker stop was that Starfall seemed completely unaffected by the device, like he didn't even feel what she was doing. He just continued to lay there in a groggy half-awake state and let Ratchet and Lightningstrike do what they wanted without protest.

Lightningstrike finally leaned back and returned the device to a sub-space compartment on her forearm. "Starfall's new sensor relays are all responding. He will still need some physical therapy before he can fly, but as of now his wings seem to have synched correctly with his systems."

"That is excellent to hear," Optimus sighed. His shoulders seemed to sag, as though finally releasing a breath of pent up energy he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding in until now.

Ironhide nodded in agreement and sent a comforting pulse of reassurance across their bond to his sparkmate.

"Should Star be this groggy?" Ironhide asked, his optics straying to his son's form. He still looked extremely small and vulnerable even with his new wings. It was a fight now to not go to his son's side and pick up him. Ironhide's protective protocols made him want to hold his son so nothing could ever hurt him again.

Lightningstrike came around the side of the berth to stand beside Ratchet. "We want to make sure he remains comfortable. Especially after such invasive surgery. We can probably start to scale down his pain meds more in a few orns, but for now it's better if he remains like this. His wings are integrating with his systems, but the connections are still new. If he starts to move around too much he could tear his welds and damage the new sensor relays. Keeping him like this helps ensure he doesn't accidentally move to much and hurt himself."

It made sense to Ironhide, but it still made him uneasy to see his son so drugged.

"Can I see 'em?" a garbled voice drifted from the berth. Everyone turned to see Starfall groggily staring up at them. His voice was thick with sleep. "My wings, I mean… Can I see 'em?"

Optimus came to Starfall's side. "Not yet, Star. We don't have a mirror and you shouldn't try to move around too much. You could hurt yourself."

"Oh… okay," was Starfall's half-conscious reply. He heavily flickered his optics. He seemed on the verge of sleep again. He couldn't seem to stay awake for more than twenty minutes at a time.

"Don't worry, Star," Ironhide soothed, joining his sparkmate at their son's berthside. "They look good. Give 'em a fresh coat 'a paint an' yeh'll never know they're new."

Starfall sleepily smiled against the berthmat.

Ratchet turned to Optimus. "Did you try getting Starfall to drink any energon?"

Optimus and Ironhide both shook their heads. Fuel had been the last thing on their minds the night before. They had both been more worried about making sure their son wasn't in any pain. Although Starfall hadn't woken at any point during the night, Optimus and Ironhide had taken turns staying awake by Starfall's side in case he did. The memory of the last few orns was still too fresh in their memories to do otherwise.

"He should try and get something in his fuel tank," Lightningstrike cautioned. "The longer he goes with a dry tank the more uncomfortable it's going to be when he finally tries to refuel."

"I don't want anything…" Starfall sleepily murmured from the berth.

"Come on, Star. Just a few sips," Ironhide coaxed. He leaned down over the side of the berth to gently cup the back of Starfall's helm. "You'll feel better after you get some fuel into you."

"No," Starfall stubbornly mumbled. "Don't want any…"

"You have to get something in you," Optimus insisted.

Starfall rolled the front of his helm heavily back and forth against the berthmat. He refused to online his optics to look at them. "Don't want any… My tank hurts just thinking about energon."

"How 'bout something else?" Ironhide suggested.

Starfall blinked dim turquoise optics online and stared up at him. "Like what?"

"Whatever yeh want. Maybe some kind of snack?"

"Like a rust stick?" Starfall asked. There was the tiniest hint of interest in his voice.

"Sure. Ah'll get yeh a rust stick if that's what'cha want. But yeh hafta promise me yeh'll actually eat it if ah get it."

"I promise."

"Alright." Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. "Where's the closest place ah can get a rust stick?"

"There are vending machines on all the patient floors. I'm sure there's at least one with rust sticks."

Ironhide glanced at Optimus. "Ah'll be back." With that mission in mind, Ironhide strode out of the room in search of his son's desired source of energy.

Unfortunately, what Ironhide expected to be a short walk down the hall and back proved to be a thirty klick endeavor of frustrating proportions. None of the vending machines on Starfall's floor had any rust sticks and neither did the floor above. There were other things inside Ironhide thought Starfall might like on a normal day, but Starfall had specifically asked for a rust stick and even if that meant braving the crowd of reporters camped outside the hospital to go to the nearest convenience store, Ironhide was going to find Starfall a rust stick.

Luckily, when Ironhide took the lift to next floor he found a machine with the desired treat. Victorious with treat in hand, Ironhide hurried back to his son's room. Ratchet and Lightningstrike had left by the time he returned. Optimus had pulled a chair up beside Starfall's berth. Although both of them had managed to get a fair amount of recharge the night before, his sparkmate's face was still shadowed with fatigue and stress. Ironhide doubted either of them were going to get a real night's recharge until they were able to take Starfall home and sleep in their own berth. Only then would this nightmare finally be over.

"Did you find one?" Optimus asked.

"Yea. Had to scour three different floors ta find one, but ah did. Got yeh one too if yeh feel like it."

Optimus gave his sparkmate a grateful smile. Although his battle mask was still in place from Ratchet and Lightningstrike's visit, Ironhide could feel it across their bond.

"Here," Ironhide said, holding out one of the packaged goodies to his sparkmate.

"Thank you," Optimus said, sub-spacing it for later.

"Star?" Ironhide gently called, leaning over the side of Starfall's berth. "Star, ah got yer treat fer yeh."

Starfall groaned in the back of his throat before two dim points of turquoise tiredly blinked on. "Daddy?"

It was still a stab to the spark every time Ironhide heard Starfall answer him. For so long he'd thought he'd lost his son forever. "Right here, Star. Come on. Yeh think yeh can sit up? Yeh need ta eat."

With Optimus and Ironhide's help, Starfall groggily rolled onto his side. He whimpered softly at the movement – his facial plates crinkling together at the seams – but he did not cry out in true pain. Ironhide was careful to avoid touching Starfall near his new wings. Lightningstrike had cautioned them the night before that they were going to be extremely tender for the next deca-cycle or two. Starfall whimpered as his fathers pulled him into a sitting position. Ironhide nodded Optimus away once Starfall was situated, but remained close beside his son with one hand holding him up at the base of his neck. He awkwardly perched himself on the edge of Starfall's berth to sit beside him. Starfall seemed to have little strength of his own to remain upright and leaned heavily into Ironhide's hand.

"Here yeh go, kiddo. Had ta go on a wild goose chase fer it."

"Thank you," Starfall mumbled. It took Starfall several tries before his fingers finally found the edges of the wrapper to tear it open. Half asleep, the little seeker sucked on the end of the rust stick. With a happy murmur, he sagged against Ironhide's side. Ironhide was overcome by a wave of possessiveness as he held his son close, always mindful of the freshly attached wings hanging from his back. Having the warmth of his son's body pressed against his side helped sooth away the stress of the last few orns.

Starfall had finished only a third of his rust stick when he suddenly held out the remains of it to Ironhide. He looked exhausted, as if the simple act of sitting there had drained him of all his strength. "I don't want anymore… I'm tired… Can I lay down again?"

"Sure, Star," Ironhide said. He took the half-eaten treat from Starfall's lax grip and handed it to Optimus. "Yeh did good. We'll save the rest so yeh can eat it later."

"Okay…" Starfall murmured. He was already drooping against Ironhide's side. Ironhide hoped Ratchet and Lightningstrike were able to lower Starfall's pain meds soon. He didn't like seeing him like this.

With Optimus's help, Ironhide lay Starfall down on his front.

"Anything else we can get fer yeh?" he asked, leaning over the rapidly fading sparkling.

Starfall's optics were barely a glow of color. "Can you or dad read me more of Skyfire's story later..? I wanna find out how it ends…"

"Of course," Optimus said. "I'll read you more when you wake up."

Ironhide didn't know if Starfall actually heard Optimus or not because he was already asleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Three: Home

Optimus flipped through a stack of data pads, his optics scanning the heading of each one. They had arrived earlier that morning from the High Council. It had been a deca-cycle and a half since Starfall's wing surgery and the days had settled into a quiet, if not boring, routine for the Prime family.

No longer plagued by crippling pain, Starfall spent the orns quietly laying on his berth either reading, watching the tele-consol, or napping. Ratchet still hadn't deemed Starfall ready for visitors, and Optimus had to agree. Starfall seemed to be gaining more strength with each passing each day, but he was still weak and recovering from his ordeal. His new wings were extremely tender and would begin to ache if he laid in one position for too long. His color nanites were slowing spreading across his body to fill in the scratches and weld marks that littered his frame, but he still had a grayish tinge to his armor. His wings were still nothing more than naked gray panes of metal. He would need a complete round of bodywork before he looked like his old self again.

Optimus glanced across the room towards his son. Starfall lay on his side watching a children's program on the tele-consol. Ironhide lounged in a chair beside his berth. They were both watching the screen. Although it wasn't Ironhide's first choice of entertainment, the older mech seemed happy watching whatever Starfall wanted. As long as he was within arm's reach of his son, Ironhide seemed at peace. Occasionally their shared chuckles at whatever was happening onscreen would break the rhythmic background chirp of the monitors attached to the little seeker.

True to their word, neither Optimus and Ironhide had returned home since their son's admission. But while Optimus would occasionally let himself be dragged away for a few joors to hold a press conference or take an emergency call from a senator, Ironhide remained immoveable from their son's side. Optimus never hated his position as Prime more than when he had to leave his sparkmate and son for those short spans of time to tend to official business. He kept telling himself that he had ignored his duties for almost two deca-cycles. With Starfall on the road to recovery though, Optimus knew he wouldn't be able to put off returning to his duties at the High Council for much longer. Once Starfall was released from Ratchet's care Optimus would have to entrust Ironhide with overseeing the rest of their son's recovery. He wasn't looking forward to that day. The thought of leaving Starfall for any extended period of time made Optimus's spark clench with a mild rush of anxiety. After everything that had happened, Optimus would be happy to never let his son out of his sight again.

Optimus halfheartedly looked through the stack of data pads one more time. A number of them were pending trade bills with Vos while the rest looked like bills concerning new legislation concerning minority models and hate-related crimes. Optimus vented a heavy sigh. He really wasn't interested in reading them right now. He quietly set the stack aside on a small table Ratchet had had moved to the room. They instantly blended in to the other stacks of data pads that were piled there.

Apparently, knowledge of Starfall's love of reading was more widespread than Optimus had ever realized. Over the last deca-cycle Starfall had received dozens of data pads as get-well gifts from friends and acquaintances. A number of teachers from Starfall's school had sent some to the hospital as well. One had even been sent from the school's administrator, Catalyst. Several old comrades from the Great War who Optimus would have once bet money still held vicious grudges towards anyone with a seeker frame had sent small get-well gifts to Starfall. The biggest collection of data pads, however, had come from Convoy's father, Burnout. It was a set of ten data pads filled with old legends and sparkling tales. A note had been attached to it from Convoy wishing Starfall a hasty recovery. Starfall had the note propped up on the table beside his berth. Looking over the stacks of data pads piled around the room Optimus realized he probably wouldn't have to buy Starfall any new stories until he graduated from the academy.

A small knock at the door startled Optimus out of his thoughts. Without anything else to warn those inside of impending visitors, Ratchet and Lightningstrike strode into the room with the confidence that only came from someone who was in charge of running a hospital.

"Good morning," Ratchet announced to the room.

This was all part of the daily routine. Ratchet and Lightningstrike checked on Starfall no less than three times an orn. Although most of Optimus's attention had been attuned to his son over the last deca-cycle, he had begun to notice little things between the two medics that made him suspect Ratchet and Lightningstrike were becoming more than just colleagues. The two probably didn't even realize it themselves yet, but Optimus could see something forming between them. During the war, Ratchet had never liked to directly work with anyone else. Maybe it was because his skills just set him so far ahead of everyone else that he didn't trust anyone else to share his patient load, or maybe it was because the older mech just liked his space, but Ratchet always operated solo. Lightningstrike was the first medic Optimus had ever known Ratchet to work so closely with for such a long period of time. He wondered if maybe it was because Lightningstrike was so close to Ratchet in personality and temperament that they got along so well.

"Good morning," Starfall politely greeted the two. Ironhide switched off the tele-consol and moved out of the way as Ratchet and Lightningstrike came up on either side of Starfall's berth. He came to stand beside Optimus's chair. Optimus sent a small pulse of affection out to his sparkmate across their bond. He didn't know how he would have gotten through the last nightmarish deca-cycle if he hadn't had Ironhide there with him. The other mech replied by resting a hand on Optimus's shoulder joint and gently squeezing. Together, they watched Lightningstrike and Ratchet begin their examination.

"How are you feeling today?" Lightningstrike asked as she helped Starfall pull himself into a sitting position. The little seeker winched at the movement.

"Okay."

"Wings still sore?" Lightningstrike asked as she began gently probing the bases of Starfall's new wings.

"Yea. But only if someone touches them hard or if I lay in one place for too long."

Lightningstrike nodded thoughtfully. "Can you move them for me?"

Starfall nodded. His facial plates scrunched into a wince as he willed his wings to shakily wag up and down for the female medic's inspection. His wings moved jerkily and without much range of motion, but the fact that Starfall was able to make his new appendages respond to his commands at all was encouraging to Optimus.

"That's good. You can stop now," Lightningstrike said. She glanced across the berth to Ratchet. "Starfall's wings appear to have fully integrated with his protoform. He'll still need physical therapy before he can fly, but considering the amount of damage he sustained barely two deca-cycles ago, he's made a remarkable recovery so far."

Ratchet scanned a data pad with Starfall's medical chart on it. "I'd have to agree. Starfall's vitals are strong and despite the remaining cosmetic damage to his frame he's recovered well so far."

"Do yeh think Star's gonna hafta stay here much longer?" Ironhide asked. Optimus felt his sparkmate's thrill of hope at the medic's words. Optimus would have been lying if he said he didn't share Ironhide's hope. The stress of staying with Starfall in the hospital was beginning to take its toll on both of them. Neither of them had gotten a full night's recharge since Starfall's kidnapping. Optimus would send a prayer of thanks to Primus when his family was finally able to go home and relax without wondering when Ratchet and Lightningstrike would be making their next round or them needing constant guards at the door to keep out nosy reporters from invading their son's recovery room.

Lightningstrike and Ratchet shared a considering look. Ratchet consulted Starfall's medical charts again. He hummed thoughtfully as he scanned his notes. "Given Starfall's improvement over the last few orns, I'd say he could safely be discharged within the next orn or two. He'd still need regular checkups to monitor the rest of his recovery, but there's really nothing I see that requires him to stay here. Any pain he might have could be managed at home with neural serum pills."

"That would be wonderful, Ratchet," Optimus said, a smile spreading underneath his battle mask. Relief flowed between Ironhide and Optimus across their bond.

Starfall also seemed excited at the prospect of going home. His wings perked above his shoulder joints. His optics flashed a brighter shade of turquoise. "Will I be able to go back to school soon too? I miss my friends."

Ratchet frowned and set Starfall's medical chart down on the edge of the berth. "I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself, Star. You're still going to need a lot of recovery time before you're ready to go back to school. You've been on a berth for the last deca-cycle. I think you're going to be surprised by how quickly you're going to get tired once you get up and try to move around. You're feeling better but you're not fully recovered yet."

"Oh…" Starfall murmured. He looked down at the berth between his legs. His face sagged with disappointment. "Okay."

Optimus's spark clenched with sympathy. Despite his rocky start when he first started at the academy, Starfall had come to enjoy school and looked forward to seeing his fellow classmates everyday. "We'll talk to the school about setting something up where you can tele-conference in to your classes from home. That way you won't fall too far behind and you can talk to your friends."

Starfall visibly perked. "Yea?"

Optimus nodded. "If you need anything brought to you from school, I'm sure Convoy would be happy to do so for you too."

A smile – probably the first true one Optimus had seen on Starfall since his son was admitted to the hospital – spread across his dented face.

"Ah guess this brings up the point of how we're gonna get Star outta here," Ironhide spoke up. He crossed his arms across his chest and leveled a serious look at Ratchet. "The front of the hospital's still crawlin' with reporters. How we supposed ta get him outta here without gettin' mobbed? Don't suppose yeh have some kinda super secret exit out the back?"

Optimus frowned. Ironhide was right. Even though he had given several press conferences now from the front lobby of the hospital announcing that Starfall was recovering, the press still wanted video feed of the Prime's son for themselves. The last thing Optimus wanted was his son's privacy invaded anymore than it had already been. The videos of Starfall being carried out in Ironhide's arms was still a common sight on the evening newsfeeds. Except now instead of breaking news those videos were being used as propaganda for the politicians and advocacy groups lobbying for new legislation that protected minority models from hate attacks.

Ratchet vented a sigh. "There are back exits you could use, but I can't guarantee the press won't catch wind that something's going on and catch up to you before you could drive away. I actually wouldn't be surprised if they have mechs standing watch at all the exits waiting for you right now."

Ironhide glanced down at Optimus. "We could call Jazz an' Prowl ta get Enforcers ta help hold back the crowd."

"That wouldn't hold them back for long," Optimus frowned. "They would only follow us to our domicile then."

"Too bad you don't fly," Lightningstrike shrugged. "Then you could just fly Starfall out of here without anyone being the wiser. As far as I know, there aren't any reporters on the roof. That was how I got past them when I first arrived."

Optimus froze in his seat, an idea instantly forming in his head. He stared at Lightningstrike, feeling almost stupid he hadn't thought of something so simplistic himself. "That's it," he said. He looked up at Ironhide, elation seeping across their bond. "I know who can help us get Star home."

oooooo

The orn had come. Optimus could hardly believe it was here. Today he and Ironhide would finally be able to take Starfall home. It reminded Optimus of the way it had felt immediately after the Great War. In the days after Megatron's defeat, Optimus had logically known that the war was over and that they didn't have to fight anymore, but he couldn't seem to make himself believe it was actually true. For months afterwards, Optimus would walk into the Ark's control room and catch himself just as he was about to demand a sit-rep on Decepticon troop movements before he remembered that there were no more Decepticons to fight. It had taken time to adjust. He suspected the same would be true for bringing Starfall home. He had been looking forward to this for so long the thought of finally being able to sleep on his own berth in the privacy of his own home almost felt too strange to actually comprehend.

The Matrix-Bearer had been distracted the entire time Ratchet handed him forms to sign to officially release Starfall from the hospital's care. His thoughts were mostly focused on successfully sneaking his son pass the mob of reporters stationed in front of the hospital. He knew their plan would work, but a small knot of anxiety still twisted the bottom of his fuel tank. It was the same kind of nervousness he got every time he was about to go into battle. After everything Starfall had gone through he didn't want anything to disrupt his son's discharge. All he wanted was to quietly get his son home where he could rest without anymore scrutiny or harassment from reporters, politicians, or news crews. Starfall didn't need to be the focus of their society's politics anymore than he had already been.

Ratchet, Lightningstrike, Prowl and Jazz were gathered in Starfall's room with Optimus. Ironhide had gone to meet the integral member of their plan. Starfall was resting on the berth, his new wings tightly bandaged in bio-metallic wraps to protect them during his journey home. They were still sensitive and easily prone to pain. Ratchet and Lightningstrike had removed the IC lines and monitor patches from Starfall's frame. Optimus had gotten so used to seeing him with them, Starfall looked almost naked without them. Jazz was leaning over the edge of the berth with his elbows propped on the side rail. The former saboteur was making small talk with Starfall. Despite the high dose of painkillers Ratchet and Lightningstrike had given him in preparation for his move, Starfall was fairly alert and responded to Jazz's questions with smiles and polite responses. He was almost as excited to go home as Optimus was.

Optimus's attention was ripped away from his son as Prowl once again demanded his attention.

"You, Ratchet, Lightningstrike and I will go to the front lobby of the hospital," the black and white mech said. His tone was so authoritative and direct Optimus felt like they were back on Earth listening to the rundown of one of Prowl's battle plans. "I've already leaked word to the media that you will be giving a short press conference to give a status update on Starfall's recovery, so most of the reporters should be there when we go down. I have Enforcers already stationed to control the crowd and give us an opening to leave after the press conference. The story is that we're escorting you to the Senate for a meeting with one of the senators. Jazz is to escort Ironhide out the back of the hospital so no one gets too suspicious about both of you leaving at the same time. Several more Enforcers are stationed there to hold back any reporters that aren't in the lobby."

Jazz caught his sparkmate's optic. "Should be able ta make a clean getaway. I had some of my mechs scout the back area of the hospital an' they haven't seen any reporters snoopin' around there."

"*Yet*," Prowl sternly qualified. "Ever since Starfall was admitted into the hospital, the media has become a pack of sparkeaters trying to get a scoop. That's why I've had so many of my officers set up a perimeter around the hospital. As soon as someone catches Ironhide trying to go out the back of the hospital with an Enforcer escort, word's going to get out that something's up and the media is going to come running. We want to try and keep attention focused on Optimus in the front as much as possible."

"Even if someone does catch me an' Jazz sneakin' out, they're not gonna find out where Star is 'til he's already long gone," a new voice announced from the door. The others looked over as Ironhide strode into the room with a determined look on his facial plates. "Ah'm sure we can shake off anyone that tries ta follow us too."

"I'd almost like a reporter ta try an' chase us," Jazz grinned. His optics flashed devilishly behind his visor. "It'd give me an excuse ta arrest one of 'em for stalking and harassment."

"Let's try to keep this operation as quiet and clean as possible," Prowl scowled disapprovingly.

"I suppose this is where I come in?" another voice spoke up. Skyfire stood just behind Ironhide in the doorway, dwarfing the former weapons specialist. Ironhide had gone to meet Skyfire on the roof and bring him down to Starfall's room. Optimus had called Skyfire the evening before to ask for his help. As the only flier they knew who Optimus and Ironhide trusted to care for Starfall in their absence and who had a preexisting familiarity with their domicile's location, Skyfire had been the only one capable of spiriting Starfall away from the hospital without anyone noticing.

"Skyfire," Optimus said, stepping towards the scientist. He gratefully clasped the larger mech's hand. "Thank you for coming. We appreciate it."

"It's the least I could do," Skyfire humbly shaking his head at Optimus's thanks. "I am more than happy to help you get Starfall safely home."

Prowl once again demanded the attention of the room, still in full command mode. "You," he pointed to Skyfire, "will transport Starfall back to Optimus and Ironhide's domicile. As a flier, you'll be able to get Starfall home faster without any reporters able to follow you."

"The roof's access door into the building is unlocked," Optimus said to Skyfire. "You just need the access code for our domicile."

"Already gave it to 'im," Ironhide said. "We're ready ta move." Optimus could feel his sparkmate's anxiousness to get their plan underway. He was as ready to go home as Optimus was – probably even more.

Prowl nodded. "Once we're sure we're clear of reporters, Jazz and I will escort each of you, respectively, to your domicile. Any questions?"

Lightningstrike thoughtfully crossed her arms and shifted her weight between her pedes. Her wings gracefully dipped behind her with her movements. "Are we going to have to do this every time Starfall needs to come to the hospital for a check up?"

"Hopefully not," Prowl said. "But until we're sure the media's not going to mob Starfall every time he goes outside, that may be a possibility."

"Until then, let's focus on the task at hand," Optimus suggested. He glanced at the chronometer on the far wall. It was five klicks until Prowl's arranged press conference. "Shall we get moving?"

There was collective agreement from everyone in the room.

"Take care, mini-mech," Jazz said, shooting Starfall an encouraging grin. He held one hand out to Starfall, palm upwards. "Feel better."

Starfall clapped Jazz's outstretched hand. "I will," he smiled back. A large dent in the side of his facial plate – one of the lasting testaments of Crosshair's attack - made his smile lopsided and crooked.

Ironhide stepped up to the side of the berth. "Listen ta Skyfire, okay? Yer dad an' ah'll be home soon."

"Okay."

Ironhide hesitated a moment before leaning over and pulling Starfall against him for a quick, desperate one-armed hug. Optimus felt a rush of emotions overwhelm him from Ironhide's side of their bond. Ironhide didn't want to leave Starfall. The feeling was tinged with the slightest hint of panic, as if the older mech couldn't shake the irrational fear that if he let their son out of sight he'd never see him again. Optimus understood his sparkmate's fear. They thought they'd lost their son for not even a day, but the effects on both Optimus and Ironhide were going to be long lasting.

Finally, Ironhide released Starfall and turned quickly for the door. The edges of his optics were suspiciously fuzzed with static. Jazz followed after him.

Skyfire stepped up to the side of Starfall's berth. "Ready to go, Star?"

"Yea!" Starfall raised both arms to Skyfire as the scientist stooped to lift him off the berth. Perched in the bend of Skyfire's elbow, Starfall leaned against the giant mech's front. His bandaged wings hung loose from his backstruts. With how much neural serum Ratchet and Lightningstrike had him on, he didn't have much feeling in his wings. Seeing the way Skyfire gently hugged the little seeker close, always mindful of his new wings, Optimus was reassured that Skyfire was the best mech to transport Starfall home. There was no one else he trusted with his son. The gentle giant would keep Starfall safe.

Out of the corner of his optic, Optimus saw Prowl meaningfully motion with his chin towards the chronometer, then the door. It was time to go.
"I will see you at home," Optimus said, fighting his own reluctance to leave.

"Bye, dad," Starfall smiled, unaware of his father's emotional turmoil. He glanced up at Skyfire. "Are we gonna fly all the way home?"

"Yes we are," Skyfire nodded. "Or rather, I will be doing the flying while you relax in my cockpit." Casting Optimus a parting nod, Skyfire turned towards the door with Starfall perched comfortably in the crook of his elbow.

"Can I look out the window?"

"Of course you can. If you'd like we can even take a more scenic route home. The weather is beautiful and I know how much you enjoy being in the air on nice days."

"Can we? I haven't seen the sky for so long!"

Optimus heard no more of Starfall and Skyfire's conversation. They had disappeared around the door and were lost to sight.

"Shall we go?" Prowl briskly asked. "The press conference is suppose to start in three klicks."

"Yes," Optimus nodded. There was no more time for stalling. Let the political circus begin.

A short elevator ride later brought Optimus, Prowl, Ratchet, and Lightningstrike to the front lobby of the hospital. As the group exited the lift, they were immediately met by a wall of flashing lights and a cacophony of voices. The lobby was a large, airy atrium. The assembled crowd of reporters took up at least a third of the room. Half a dozen Enforcers formed a barrier between Optimus and the others and the jostling pack of journalists.

Prowl gently touched Optimus's elbow and pointed towards a small podium that had been erected against the near wall. A simple blue cloth with the hospital's name in Cybertronian glyphs on it created a backdrop. The flashes of light and shouted questions followed Optimus as he strode towards the podium and took position behind it. Prowl took position two steps behind him just off his left shoulder. Ratchet and Lightningstrike stood off to his other side.

"Thank you all for coming today," Optimus said with a raised hand to the crowd. The flash of cameras continued but the chaotic din of the reporters subsided into anticipatory silence. Microphones appeared and were thrust in his direction. At this point in his Primacy, Optimus slipped almost effortlessly into his role as Matrix-bearer – taking on an imposing aura of confidence that seemed to radiate across the room. "My time with you here this morning must, unfortunately, be brief. I must return to the Senate Tower and attend to several pressing matters of State. I firstly want to thank everyone for their continued interest in my son's recovery. It has been a difficult time for both myself and my sparkmate since our son's attack almost two deca-cycles ago. Starfall is recovering comfortably and we hope to be able to have him home soon. I wish to personally thank Iacon General's Head Medic, Ratchet, and Vos's visiting Head Medic, Lightningstrike, for their skills and tireless dedication to my son's recovery. Starfall's attack has brought a number of issues to the forefront of our society – issues of minority model rights, hate crimes, and the protection of our progeny against those who wish them harm. I am working with the High Council now to address these and countless other issues. I open the floor now to any questions you might have for me."

A roar of questions and waving arms immediately answered him.

Optimus scanned the crowd of jostling reporters. He recognized one journalist from past press conferences and pointed towards the brightly painted teal and yellow femme standing towards the far right of the crowd. "Yes. You."

The din immediately died down. The singled journalist eagerly leaned forward as more camera lights flashed from the edges of the lobby. "Prime, as you've said, the attack against your son by a former Autobot has raised concerns among minority models about model-based hate crimes towards them. What actions are being taken against Crosshairs for his crimes? Also, what can other minority models expect from law enforcement for similar hate crimes perpetrated against them in the future?"

"Crosshairs has pleaded guilty to kidnapping, abuse of a minor, attempted murder, and criminal targeting of a minority model. His sentence is still to be determined by judge of the High Court, but he is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison."

Prowl took the opportunity to step up beside Optimus at the podium. Optimus willingly let Prowl lend his professional commentary to the Q&A. As Head Enforcer, this question directly concerned his professional office.

"Crosshairs is expected to receive the highest punishment allowable by the law," Prowl answered into the microphone. "He is scheduled to appear before a judge within the next deca-cycle. I personally will be testifying at his sentencing hearing. As for what other minority models can expect from law enforcement in the future: we are here to protect them. Model-based hate crimes will not be tolerated. All bots, regardless of their model, are protected under the law. I am making it a personal pledge that all bots will be protected in Iacon and all other cities. The violence the Prime's son suffered at the hands of a hate-filled mech will not go unpunished, nor will any other attack of the like."

"Thank you," Optimus whispered to Prowl as he stepped back.

"Prime!" another journalist called out. "Both the Senate and High Council are discussing new legislation that would impose stronger punishments on those convicted of hate crimes. Will you be personally championing for such legislation?"

"As the father of a child who was viciously attacked because of his model, I will always champion for legislation that is meant to protect those who face prejudice in our society. But I recognize my bias in this particular situation. Such legislation if pushed by myself might appear like a knee-jerk reaction to what happened to Starfall. Any change in legislation must be made with a clear head and done with the will of the people backing it. A number of senators and council members are working on this proposed legislation. As elected representatives of the people, it is their duty to enact new laws. Not the Prime's. While I will not be directly involved in the voting process, I will be keeping a close optic on the proceedings."

Another reporter towards the back of the room raised his hand. Optimus pointed to him.

"Sir, there are rumors that the Vosian Emirate is directly aiding in the rehabilitation of your son's injuries. Is that true?"

Optimus nodded. "That is true. Lady Slipstream offered immediate assistance when news of Starfall's injuries reached Vos. It was her and her son, Representative Cloudbreaker of the High Council, that arranged for Head Medic Lightningstrike to come to Iacon and assist Iacon General's staff in my son's repairs. My sparkmate and I are grateful beyond words for Vos's assistance in our time of need."

"Does that mean we can expect greater influence from Vos in High Council matters in the future?" another journalist called out.

"The Vosian Emirate has expressed her desire to integrate her city back into intra-world politics. The rest of Cybertron has much to gain from Vos returning to the High Council. I hope to welcome Lady Slipstream to Iacon soon."

Somewhere behind him, Prowl softly cleared his throat line. It was his sign to start wrapping things up.

"Thank you all for your time this morning, but I must leave to attend to matters at the Senate. Head Medics Ratchet and Lightningstrike will remain to answer any medical-related questions you might still have about my son's recovery. Thank you."

Prowl was instantly by Optimus's side. Taking Optimus by the elbow, the police mech expertly steered him towards the door on the other side of the room. Two other Enforcers formed a barrier between them as several journalists surged forward and shouted for one last comment from the Matrix-bearer. Optimus ignored them and allowed Prowl to lead him out into the transformation lot. If he stopped to answer any more questions he would become trapped and never be able to make a getaway. Before the doors closed behind them, Optimus heard the reporters turn their attention towards Ratchet and Lightningstrike. They seemed eager to get the medics' perspective on Starfall's recovery for that evening's news feeds.

"That went well," Prowl said as they quickly strode away from the hospital into open space. The two Enforcers that helped them escape the lobby followed after them. They were to help Prowl act as Optimus's escort home.

"It did," Optimus agreed.

Prowl transformed down into his vehicle mode. "Let's get out of here. Ratchet and Lightningstrike will only keep them distracted for so long. A few reporters might try to follow after us. While you were talking Jazz comm-ed me to say he and Ironhide had just left. It didn't look like anyone noticed them leaving."

"That is excellent news," Optimus said, transforming into his own alt-mode. With Prowl and the other two Enforcers taking position around him, they headed for the exit that would take them to the street.

ooooooo

As it happened, Optimus and Prowl caught up to Jazz and Ironhide just as they were pulling into the transformation lot of Optimus and Ironhide's apartment tower. The drive there had been uneventful and smooth. No reporters had followed either group back to their home.

"Need us ta come up with ya?" Jazz asked as they all transformed into their root forms in front of the entrance.

"Nah," Ironhide said, shaking his helm. "We're good now. Thanks fer all yer help sneakin' outta there."

"It was no problem," Prowl said. "We'll probably use this plan, or something similar, whenever Starfall needs to go back to the hospital for a check up."

"Let's worry about that when the time actually comes," Optimus suggested with a tired sigh. "For right now, I just want to relax with my family."

Jazz smiled understandingly. "I hear ya, mech. Take care. Call us if ya guys need anything."

With that, the two couples parted ways. Optimus and Ironhide were silent the entire way up to their penthouse. They were too physically and mentally exhausted to talk. At this point, after everything they had gone through together, there were no more words left to say. They just let their sparkbond yawn wide and let their exhausted elation to finally be home flow back and forth across their bond.

Reaching their domicile, Optimus keyed the door open. He and Ironhide went in. On the far side of the living area Skyfire stood looking out the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that made up that side of the room.

"Welcome home," he greeted them.

"Any problems gettin' here?" Ironhide asked.

The giant mech shook his helm. "No. Star actually fell asleep halfway here. He was so excited to finally be out of the hospital, but he didn't last long once we were in the air. He seems easily tired."

"Ratchet warned us that would probably be the case until Star built his strength up," Optimus nodded. He glanced around the otherwise empty living area. "Where is Star?"

"I put him down in his room."

Without a word, Ironhide disappeared down the hallway to Starfall's room. Optimus doubted his sparkmate would truly begin to relax until he was sure Starfall was resting comfortably for himself. Across their bond, he felt a rush of relief from Ironhide. He seemed pleased with whatever he saw. Starfall must be sleeping peacefully.

"How can we thank you for getting Star back home?" Optimus said, glancing back at Skyfire.

"It was no problem. Really," Skyfire insisted. "I'm just glad I was of some help. Star has a long recovery ahead of him. Let me know when Ratchet and Lightningstrike give Star the go ahead to begin flying again. I will take him up so you don't have to worry about him hurting himself."

"Thank you," Optimus once again said. "We are in your debt."

Skyfire shook his head. "I'll be on my way now so you and Ironhide can relax. I'm sure you're both tired and want some time alone. Call me if you need anything."

"We will," Optimus promised as he walked with Skyfire to the door. As he closed the door behind Skyfire, Optimus vented a heavy sigh. It was so good to be home. He stood there in the foyer for a moment to collect his thoughts. It still didn't feel real.

For a second Optimus wasn't sure what he wanted to do first. His initial instinct was to follow his sparkmate into Starfall's room and check on their son. But something told him if he went in he wouldn't leave again for some time. There were things that needed done before he could truly relax. He hadn't been home for almost two deca-cycles. No one at the Senate or High Council was expecting him to really return to his duties for at least another orn or two. But that didn't mean there weren't messages that might have been left on his private line from someone with urgent business. From what Ironhide had told him, their voicemail was probably close to full, if it wasn't already from people calling about Starfall. Optimus vented another sigh. The work of a Prime was never done…

Slipping into his office, Optimus took a seat at his desk in front of the vid-com. He turned it on and accessed the video messages. As expected, there were close to a hundred messages waiting to be watched. He hit play and listened to the first one. It had been left early the evening of Starfall's kidnapping by a senator expressing her condolences for Starfall's death. Optimus quickly hit 'delete' and moved on to the next. Although he knew Starfall was resting comfortably on the other side of the domicile right at that moment under his father's watchful gaze, Starfall's near-death was still a little too raw for Optimus to listen to condolence messages about it just yet. That was a dark time he had no desire to ever revisit.

He quickly scanned the first several dozen messages, deleting all the ones that had been left concerning Starfall's apparent death. Optimus did, however, make a mental note of all the people – senators, politicians, business mechs, and old war comrades - that had left messages so he could thank them for their thoughts later even though such sentiments were no longer needed. It was the only polite thing to do.

Towards the end of the list of messages Optimus played one that made him pause and watch the message all the way through. He almost didn't quite know what to make of the message when he first saw Sunstreaker's face appear on the vid-com screen.

"Hey, Optimus. Sunstreaker here. So, uh… just heard on the news feed that your son's doing alright. Glad to hear he's gonna make it. I know you and Ironhide are probably at the hospital right now and probably won't get this for awhile, but I wanted to let you know I'm sorry to hear about what happened to the kid and wanted to try and help you guys out. Starfall looked pretty beat up from what Sideswipe and I saw on the newsfeeds. I know Ratchet's not that into doing cosmetic work, so he's probably going to let Starfall go home looking like scrap. If you guys are interested, bring Starfall into my studio and I'll get him fixed up with a new paintjob. Kid's probably going to need one if even half of what they're saying on the news feed is true. … Anyway, let me know if you want to bring Starfall in. My contact number's embedded in the message. Talk to you later."

Optimus sat for a moment of stunned silence staring at the screen. Sunstreaker was the last bot he would have ever expected to get such a message from. The twins were vehemently opposed to sharing the same exhaust space with anyone of a seeker build. They'd been that way ever since the beginning of the war. He still remembered them at the anniversary party and the dark, suspicious looks they kept sending Starfall all night long. Neither had come up to say hello to Optimus or Starfall the entire evening.

For a moment, Optimus wondered if Sunstreaker didn't have some kind of ulterior motive for offering to help Starfall. Surely he wouldn't try to do anything to hurt Starfall, would he?

No, Optimus sternly told himself. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe might have never liked seekers, but neither of them were heartless. Sunstreaker had sounded sincere in wanting to help Starfall in his message. Optimus didn't believe there was anything sinister behind it.

Perhaps, Optimus thought being a rush of optimism, there was still hope for their society if someone like Sunstreaker was willing to put aside his old prejudices to help a seeker child. Maybe it was a sign they really were on the cusp of a new Golden Age.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Four: Return Debut

Sunstreaker sat at the front desk of his detailing studio. He scrolled down a data pad of figures from last lunar cycle's sale, analyzing the numbers. He was going to have order another batch of green Altihexan paint soon. A popular film star had recently changed his paint job to an emerald shade of green. As a result, Sunstreaker had seen a very noticeable increase in his clients requesting the same color.

As Sunstreaker calculated his next supply order, a shadow darkened the studio's entryway followed by a polite tap on the door's glass pane. Sunstreaker glanced up and smiled. He got up and went to the door.

"Hey, Optimus," he greeted as he unbolted the door and swung it open. The Matrix-bearer stepped inside. "You're earlier than I was expecting."

"Hello, Sunstreaker," Optimus replied. "I'm sorry if we're too early. There was less traffic on the roads than expected."

"No worries," Sunstreaker dismissed with a wave of his hand as he locked the door again behind Optimus. "I was just doing some book-keeping stuff. Nothing I'm sorry to step away from." His studio wasn't scheduled to open for another three joors but he didn't want to take any chances of someone walking in off the street while he was with Optimus and his newest client. Sunstreaker glanced down at the sparkling half hiding behind Optimus's leg.

After hearing about Starfall's recovery in the hospital, Sunstreaker had reached out to Optimus to offer his detailing services to the little seeker after he was well enough to stand a round of body work. Sunstreaker had never been a fan of fliers – *especially* seekers – but thinking about his old comrades' child suffering so much had made him decide to temporarily set aside his old grudges and do what he could to help. He knew how Ratchet usually let his patients leave his care. Ratchet was one of the best medics Cybertron had to offer, but once his patient was stable he usually didn't focus too much on the bot's appearance. Sunstreaker might not like seekers but he'd decided if giving the kid a new paint job might help Optimus and Ironhide, he'd offer his services to them.

"Star," Optimus said as he stepped aside to fully reveal the little seeker. "This is Sunstreaker. He fought with your father and I during the war. He runs this detailing studio. He's going to give you a new paint job."

"Hello," Starfall murmured, timidly looking up to meet Sunstreaker's gaze.

Sunstreaker had refused to meet Starfall when Optimus and Ironhide first presented him at the Victory Day party what felt like half a lifetime ago. He still vividly remembered the war and his many run ins with Megatron's air force – the worst being Starscream and his command trine. Those three psychopaths with wings had come close to killing him and Sideswipe more times than Sunstreaker could count to ever feel comfortable around seekers. Because of that he'd only ever observed Optimus and Ironhide's adopted son from a distance. He was somewhat startled by the intense shade of turquoise of Starfall's optics as he stared up at him now. They were a color many of his clients would literally spend half a fortune to be able to call their own.

"Hey, kid," Sunstreaker awkwardly greeted. He'd never been very good around sparklings and Starfall being a seeker still made Sunstreaker uneasy. For Optimus and Ironhide, though, he was willing to overlook the wings on Starfall's back for the joor or two it would take to repaint him.

"Well, let me have a look at you," Sunstreaker said, dropping to one knee in front of Starfall. "Ratchet always did leave a lot to be desired in the way of cosmetics when it came to his handiwork."

The miniature seeker hesitated a moment before timidly stepping out of Optimus's shadow closer to Sunstreaker. His optics dropped to stare at the ground in front of Sunstreaker as if suddenly unwilling to meet the mech's optics. His body language became guarded and hunched. His wings drooped and flattened against his back plates as though embarrassed.

"It's alright, Star," Optimus gently reassured. He glanced at Sunstreaker. "Starfall has become extremely self-conscious about his appearance since he left the hospital."

Sunstreaker could understand why. He tsked disapprovingly under his intakes at what he saw. The little seeker had more welds and splotchy patches of half-regenerated color nanites than paint. Scratches and a number of still tender looking dents littered his frame. It looked like the worst of them had been hammered out, but they were still going to need buffed out before Starfall looked normal again. The most noticeable one was a small dent on the side of Starfall's cheek that gave his face a lopsided look. The wings hanging from his back were nothing more than naked panes of grey metal. The mech that had kidnapped him had definitely done a number on the kid.

Despite himself, a throb of sympathy pulsed through Sunstreaker's chest. No one that young – not even a seeker – deserved such brutal treatment. Sunstreaker fleetingly wondered how the mech that kidnapped Starfall was still alive. Ironhide was not a mech to willingly let someone who harmed his loved ones escape without retribution.

"Can… can you fix me?" a small voice brought Sunstreaker out of his thoughts. Starfall raised his optics to timidly meet Sunstreaker's gaze. "I don't want to go back to school like this."

"Of course. I'm the best detailer in all of Iacon," Sunstreaker proudly answered.

"Can you make me look as pretty as you?"

The question took Sunstreaker by surprise. He'd always been helpless to flattery and the utter sincerity of Starfall's question made Sunstreaker's engine hiccup. With a sudden certainty that startled him, Sunstreaker no longer wanted to paint Starfall just to help his old comrades – he wanted to help Starfall for his own sake.

"Without a doubt," Sunstreaker smirked. "Like I said, I'm the best detailer in Iacon."

Starfall gave Sunstreaker a self-conscious smile. The dent in his cheek gave it a crooked tilt. Sunstreaker felt the wall between him and the little seeker crumple a little. He would do what he could to help Starfall, he decided. The kid didn't seem half as bad as he was initially expecting.

"Come on," Sunstreaker said, standing from the ground and motioning Optimus and Starfall to follow him towards his consultation desk. "Let's figure out what we're going to do with you."

Optimus helped Starfall up onto one of the chairs positioned in front of Sunstreaker's desk before taking the other one himself. Sunstreaker took his own seat across from them and reached under the table to grab a thick binder. He laid it on the table between them. Opening the binder somewhere near the middle, he pushed it towards father and son. Squares of different colors filled the pages in neat little rows of three by five. "These are color samples of all the different paints I carry. You can chose anything you like. Green is a very popular base color right now."

Starfall scanned the first page of paints, his optics wider than Sunstreaker thought physically possible for a Cybertronian.

"What do you think, Star?" Optimus asked. "Would you like a different set of colors?"

Still looking slightly overwhelmed, Starfall shook his helm. "No. I liked my old paint job."

"If you'd like something close to the shade of blue you were before," Sunstreaker interjected, turning to a page towards the middle of the binder, "these are the different shades of blue I have."

Starfall leaned over the side of the table to see the different options better. "Ooo, that one!" he chirped, pointing to a color swatch of light blue in the center of the page. "That one looks like mine." He laid his arm wrist up on the page beside the swatch. Indeed, the swatch was the same shade of blue as his forearm plate. "And then that white for the rest of me," he pointed to another swatch.

Sunstreaker spun the binder back around towards him so he could read the details underneath the swatches. "'Arctic Reflection' and 'Snow Blind' from the Thunderclash Collection. That's an expensive paint job. That color line has special flecks of reflective metal in the paint to give it an extra shine."

"Oh," Starfall murmured, embarrassedly sinking back down into his seat. "Never mind. I can pick something else."

"No, no," Sunstreaker dismissed, snapping the binder closed with a flip of his wrist. "I said you could choose anything you wanted. 'Arctic Reflection' and 'Snow Blind' it is. You have good tastes, kid." And he did. Sunstreaker was starting to get excited. That paint line was slightly more difficult to apply than other paint lines and Sunstreaker relished the idea of a challenge. When he was done Starfall was going to be a walking piece of art.

"Thank you," Starfall smiled. His wings perked up a little from against his back. Sunstreaker was surprised. He'd never realized before now that seekers could move their wings so independently from their bodies, like an extension of their facial expressions. He'd always just kind of assumed their wings jutted immobile from their shoulder struts and that was that. He wondered what else seekers were capable of that he wasn't aware of.

He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. "We'll start things off by getting Starfall in an oil bath to strip off any loose paint. Then we'll buff out any remaining dents and scratches before we start painting. What do you think?"

Optimus shrugged good-humoredly. "We'll just have to defer to your expertise in this, I think. I don't remember the last time I had a full round of body work done."

Sunstreaker tsked, openly eyeing Optimus up and down. "I know…"

Optimus chuckled behind his battle mask but did not raise to Sunstreaker's bait. The gold mech inwardly sighed. When was Optimus going to realize the importance of a top of the line paint job? He more than anyone else should take a stronger interest in appearance. He was the leader of their entire race. He was almost as bad as Ironhide. Sunstreaker took some solace in the fact that vorns ago he'd finally convinced Optimus to use his homemade polish for special occasions and dignitary functions. If he kept at him maybe in another couple hundred vorns he could convince Optimus to finally let him do a full round of detailing on him.

"This way," Sunstreaker said, motioning Starfall and Optimus to follow him. He led them deeper into the studio. His studio was basically two rooms – the front reception/waiting area and the back where Sunstreaker worked his magic. The back room was sectioned into areas that focused on different stages of the detailing process. Sunstreaker headed towards the back right corner of the room where a large, wide vat was recessed into the ground. Its sides came up almost to Sunstreaker's knee joints. Sunstreaker bent and undid a hidden latch to swing one of the side panels of the vat open. Viscous amber substance filled it. Its surface stood several feet below ground level where the three bots stood. It rippled with the vibrations of Sunstreaker opening the side panel.

Sunstreaker looked at Starfall. "In you go."

Starfall hesitated a moment before tentatively inching forward and staring into the cavernous vat.

"How deep is it?" Starfall asked.

"About four and a half meters. I need my clients to be fully submerged to let the oil do its work. For you, you'll probably only need to go less than halfway in to go completely under. There are levels built in to the side of the tank. You can sit on one of them while you soak."

"How long do I have to stay in there?"

Sunstreaker's first instinct was to be annoyed by Starfall's questions. But then he noticed the apprehensive gleam in the little seeker's turquoise optics. He only then remembered this was the kid's first time getting a round of bodywork done. Most bots didn't get worked on until they were pre-upgrade or older. Of course Starfall would be nervous of the unfamiliar. Sunstreaker decided to keep his patience.

"Ten, maybe fifteen klicks. Enough time for the oil to soften and strip you of any existing paint. That way I have a blank canvas to work with. Optimus and I will be here the entire time you're in there. Clients usually tell me it's their favorite part of bodywork. The oil feels really good, especially on joints and any sore spots."

"Yea?" Starfall said, perking up a bit. He glanced back into the vat of oil with new consideration. "My wings sometimes hurt when I sit or lay down too long. Ratchet and Lightningstrike said that's normal because of what happened to my wings, but I wish they'd heal faster so they wouldn't hurt so much. They don't hurt as much as they did when I first got out of the hospital, but they usually hurt more at night when one of my dads read to me before recharge."

Sunstreaker's spark squeezed uncomfortably at the seeker's words. It wasn't right for someone so young to have so much firsthand experience with pain.

"Well, then let's get you in there," Sunstreaker said, holding out a hand to Starfall. "Watch your step getting in. The oil makes the steps slippery. See the first one there?" He pointed out the step just below the surface of the vat.

Starfall latched onto his fingers and carefully stepped into the vat. He gave a soft squeal of delight as he sank onto the first step almost to his knee joints. "It's warm!"

Sunstreaker couldn't help but smile at Starfall's childish delight. "Got it warmed up for you right before you came. No one likes a cold oil bath." Starfall dipped lower and lower into the oil with each step. By the third one he was almost to his chin. At the same spot any of Sunstreaker's other clients would only be about knee-deep. Starfall was definitely one of the smallest bots Sunstreaker had ever worked on. Starfall released Sunstreaker's hand and turned back to them, playfully treading oil with his arms. His wings spread out behind him beneath the amber surface. The seeker was so small he could have used the soak tank as a pool. Some of Sunstreaker's other clients of larger frame types had to sit folded almost in half to fit in it.

"Not bad, huh?" Sunstreaker asked.

Starfall enthusiastically shook his head. "Ugh-uh!"

Sunstreaker closed the vat's side panel. "Go ahead and sit on one of the steps along the side. Make sure you're all the way in so the oil is over your helm. Optimus and I will be right here. I'll call you when it's time to get out."

"Okay!" Starfall chirped and ducked his head underneath the surface. Through the amber colored liquid Sunstreaker watched the little seeker settle himself on a step along the side of the tank.

Sunstreaker turned his attention back to Optimus. "Cute kid," he remarked. He was slightly surprised by the sincerity of his own observation.

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask – Sunstreaker could tell by the way the protomatter at the corners of his optics crinkled. "Ironhide and I are so glad to have him home."

"How are you and Ironhide hanging in there? Everything that happened couldn't have been easy on either of you." Starfall's kidnapping was still a hot topic for the evening newsfeeds. Sunstreaker still remembered when he and Sideswipe had heard about it. For the longest time everyone had thought the kid had died.

"It wasn't," Optimus tightly affirmed. "I think Ironhide still partially blames himself for what happened. He's barely let Star out of his sight since bringing him home from the hospital."

"Where *is* Ironhide?" Sunstreaker asked. "I'm kind of surprised he didn't come with you. I know how he likes to still play bodyguard for you."

"He had a meeting with General Airlock at the Planetary Defense Force this morning. He's planning to step down from some of his responsibilities so he can oversee more of Star's care, especially after school. He doesn't like the idea of me and him returning to our duties full time without someone to pick Star up and watch him. We briefly talked about hiring a caretaker to make sure there was always someone to watch him if both of us get caught up at work, but Ironhide ultimately refused. He doesn't want to have to trust someone else with Star's care. Star's set to return to school next deca-cycle after his last check up with Ratchet, but I think Ironhide's more anxious about it than Star is."

Sunstreaker was slightly taken aback. From his talks with Ironhide in the past – usually at Victory Day parties when everyone caught up on each other's lives from the past vorn – Sunstreaker had gotten the impression that Ironhide's role as consultant to the PDF was one of the few things that kept the old weapons specialist sane in their post-war world. Ironhide had never been a mech who liked to sit around idle. Nor had he ever really struck Sunstreaker as a mech who would willingly choose to be a sparkling's primary caregiver. He supposed it just went to show how much Ironhide had changed since the last Victory Day party.

"How's the kid doing?" Sunstreaker asked, casting a quick glance into the soak tank behind them. Starfall still sat on the step below but Sunstreaker could see him playfully swooping his arms back and forth in the oil. He was probably enjoying the feel of oil rushing across his plating. "From everything I heard on the newsfeeds, it sounded really bad there for awhile."

Optimus followed Sunstreaker's gaze into the bath and didn't immediately answer. "It was…" he finally murmured. "Star luckily doesn't remember much of anything from that orn. Ratchet calls it trauma-induced short-term amnesia. It has made it more difficult for Star to understand why he was so damaged when he woke up, though. Like I said earlier, he's been very self-conscious about his appearance since being repaired. He's anxious to go back to school and see his classmates, but at the same time he's told me as much he doesn't want anyone to see him like he is."

"That's understandable," Sunstreaker commiserated. "No one wants to go out in public half-dented with paint chipping off."

Glancing at the chronometer on the side of the room, Sunstreaker turned back to the soak tub. He unlatched the side panel and gave two gentle raps against the side of the vat. The sound reverberated through the oil. Almost immediately Starfall's helm broke the surface.

"Already?" he chirped in surprise. "It felt like I just sat down."

Sunstreaker chuckled as he motioned the sparkling to him. Starfall sounded just like some of his clients. Some of them liked the oil bath so much he had to almost drag them out of the soak tank. "Let's check you out and see how the oil worked."

Sunstreaker nodded with satisfaction as Starfall climbs the steps out of the oil and onto the grated floor near the entrance of the tank. The sparkling was naked protomatter. All his paint and color nanites had been stripped. His forearms, pedes, and pelvic plates still had a bluish tinge to indicate his protomatter's natural pigmentation. If Starfall had decided to try a different color scheme a quick coat of base paint would cover his protoform to stop his color nanites from bleeding through the new paintjob. With him choosing a paintjob similar to his frame's natural coloration his color nanites would just integrate into the paint with no discoloration.

"Looks good," Sunstreaker observed. "Let's get you dried off." He motioned Starfall to stand underneath a large industrial fan hanging from the ceiling just to the side of the soak tub. With the flick of a switch, the fan roared to life and the lingering drops of oil on Starfall's frame were blasted away through the grated flooring. Sunstreaker grabbed a soft cloth from a nearby work cart and gave the seeker a quick rub down to wipe away any remaining traces of oil. Starfall chortled as Sunstreaker worked the cloth against his side. Sunstreaker couldn't help himself but smile in response. The kid was deviously sweet.

"Now we're going to buff out those last few dents," Sunstreaker explained as he led Starfall and Optimus to the next station. "Go ahead and sit there." He motioned Starfall towards a padded stool with a second one just beside it. Starfall needed Optimus's help to crawl up onto it. Sunstreaker took the other. From the work table to Sunstreaker's right, the yellow mech picked up an electric buffing wheel. He eyed Starfall speculatively for a moment. Starfall was small, even for the average sparkling. He was going to have to use a smaller buffing head or he was never going to be able to work out those dents properly. Expertly twisting off the current buffing wheel he swapped it for one he usually reserved for finer detail work, Sunstreaker turned back to Starfall.

Starfall visibly shied back from him, his optics the size of hub caps.

"Is this going to hurt?" It was difficult not to hear the frightened tone in his voice.

"No," Sunstreaker said. "It might tickle a little bit, but it shouldn't hurt. Here, see?" With a flick of the switch, he turned the buffing wheel on and touched the spinning head to his own forearm plate. "There. See? No pain," he smiled reassuringly to the little seeker.

Starfall seemed to relax a little bit, but there was still a noticeable amount of apprehension in his body language. His wings lay almost flat against his back. "Ok…"

Sunstreaker rolled his stool closer to Starfall. With his free hand he tilted Starfall's chin back to better angle the buffing wheel against his dented cheek. "How about this. If this hurts at any point, you tell me and I'll stop immediately. Ok?"

Starfall cast Optimus a worried glance before hesitantly meeting Sunstreaker's gaze again. Turquoise lens seared into Sunstreaker's soul. "Ok," he softly agreed.

Pressing the buffing wheel to Starfall's cheek, Sunstreaker went to work. Starfall at first tensed on his stool at the feel of localized vibrations but almost immediately relaxed. Withing several minutes he was fighting to hold in giggles.

"See?" Sunstreaker said as he worked at the edges of Starfall's cheek. "Doesn't hurt at all."

"It tickles!" Starfall chortled.

"Told you," Sunstreaker said. Despite himself he returned the sparkling's smile. The seeker's giggles were infectious. This was a nice change from his usual brand of clients. Adults rarely allowed themselves to find such enjoyment in such things like being buffed out by the detailer.

A soft metallic pop reverberated through the room as the dent on Starfall's cheek finally returned to its natural contour.

"There we go," Sunstreaker crowed in victory. "First one done."

Within twenty clicks, Sunstreaker had Starfall buffed from helm to pede without a dent to show anywhere on him.

"Now the fun part," Sunstreaker announced as he positioned Starfall at the last work station. Optimus continued to hover, silent, out of the way, almost as if he wasn't even there. "Now we paint."

He turned on several heat lamps and unrolled a large drop cloth from the ceiling to make a three-sided tented enclosure within the open space of his work studio. Misty streaks of different colored paint sprays decorated the ground in that area as lasting reminders of previous clients he'd worked on.

"What do I have to do?" Starfall excitedly asked.

"What I need you to do," Sunstreaker said as he filled the canister of his air paint gun with snow white paint, "is stand very still with your arms straight out from your sides. The trick is to not move at all, because if you do you could smudge the paint. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yea!" Starfall enthusiastically agreed.

Sunstreaker smiled to himself as he finished the last calibrations of his paint gun. The kid was too cute. How did Ironhide and Optimus stand it day-in and day-out without dying of sucrose-induced stasis? It should be illegal for any sparkling to be so endearing. As much as he didn't' want to admit it he was warming up to the miniature seeker.

Sunstreaker worked quickly. In less than a joor and three paint refills later, Starfall stood before Sunstreaker and Optimus with a fresh coat of white and blue paint.

"Excellent work, Sunstreaker," Optimus commended as Starfall turned back and forth in front of one of the heat lamps as Sunstreaker had instructed him to do. "He looks just like his old self."

"What can I say?" Sunstreaker humbly replied, placing a hand over his spark. "I'm just a genius at what I do."

Optimus chuckled softly behind his battle mask. "You have no disagreements from me."

Sunstreaker looked Starfall up and down as the latest coat of paint cured under the heat lamps. He had really outdone himself this time. The seeker looked fantastic. The reflective chips in his new paint job gave off optic-catching gleams as he moved in the light. It reminded Sunstreaker of ice crystals shining in the sun. With sudden inspiration, Sunstreaker wondered if he himself should try a yellow and black combination from the Thunderclash collection.

A soft ping sounded through Sunstreaker's helm. He'd set a timer for Starfall's dry time. He switched off the heat lamps and knelt beside Starfall on one knee. He carefully dabbed his finger against Starfall's armor in several different places. He detected no hint of wet paint.

"Perfect," he nodded in satisfaction. "Well, what do you think?" He glanced at Optimus.

"Excellent. Now we just need the finishing touches."

As Sunstreaker stared at Optimus in confusion, the Matrix-bearer withdrew several strips of light blue enamel and a small stack of what looked like colorful metal rings from his subspace compartment.

Starfall gasped with excitement at the sight of them. "Sunstreaker, can you help put them on? Please?" The little seeker turned on the Lamborghini with endearingly large optics.

"Uh… sure." Sunstreaker took two of the enamel strips and looked them over curiously. They almost looked like decorative racing stripes. "What are these?"

"Wing stripes!" Starfall eagerly informed him. "Skyfire gave them to me. They're for my wings so I look like a real flier. They help tell different fliers apart from the ground."

"Ah," Sunstreaker nodded with sudden understanding. So they were the seeker version of racing stripes. Sunstreaker had no problem figuring out how to remove the protective backs to expose the stripes' adhesive side. He'd worked with racing stripes before. Just the deca-cycle before one of his professional racing clients had had him apply a new set. Between himself and Optimus, they had Starfall's new wing stripes applied within a few klicks.

Starfall eagerly turned to Optimus, both hands held out. As Sunstreaker watched, Optimus gently slipped half the stack of metal rings he'd produced earlier down over Starfall's hands. The rings jangled musically around Starfall's wrists as the sparkling lifted his hand to inspect Optimus's handiwork.

"What are those?" Sunstreaker asked as Optimus worked the other half of the rings onto Starfall's other hand.

"Planetary rings," Optimus explained. "They're a Vosian fashion that Star's taken a liking to. From what I saw there, almost everyone wears them. You can tell a lot about a bot just by looking at the color, material, and design of his or her rings. The Vosian representative to the High Council sent these as replacements for Star's old ones as a get-well gift . Star's old ones were damaged when Star was kidnapped. The Vosians also have planetary rings that fit over their thruster joints, but those are usually only worn for extremely special occasions. As an outsider, they were a little strange at first, but now I find planetary rings to be very elegant."

"Sparklings can trade them but adults can't," Starfall helpfully added. He shook both hands, smiling at the tinkling cascade of noise that was produced. "When we go back to Vos I'm going to trade with Cloudburst and Thunderclap so we have matching sets again."

"Interesting…" Sunstreaker murmured. He leaned close to get a better look. Starfall happily held one servo out for his inspection. Sunstreaker ran a finger along the underside of the stack of rings hanging from Starfall's wrist and listened to the wind chime-like sound. Despite himself – knowing full well this was seeker fashion and something he should immediately reject if for no other reason than principle – Sunstreaker liked them. There was an exotic elegance to them, just like Optimus said. He'd never seen anything quite like them before. And if these were only the sparkling version of them he wondered what real ones looked like. Maybe… maybe if he knew about Optimus's next dignitary trip to Vos beforehand he could arrange for Optimus to bring him back some. Just to try them out. From a purely professional stance, of course. After all, as one of Iacon's top detailers it was his job to stay on top of the latest fashion trends.

Sunstreaker forced himself out of his thoughts. "Want to see the whole finished package?" he asked Starfall. "I have a full length mirror over there."

"Yea!" Starfall chirped, his optics flashing excitedly. The nervousness and apprehension he'd initially met Sunstreaker with had seemed to vanish.

Sunstreaker led Starfall to the other side of the room and stood back beside Optimus as Starfall positioned himself in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror installed there. Starfall froze at what he saw, his expression unreadable. He didn't move or say anything for a long moment of silence.

Sensing something was wrong, Sunstreaker knelt on one knee beside the little seeker. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "What's the matter, kiddo? Don't you like it? Is it not what you were hoping for? We can use a different shade of blue if you don't like this one." A mild wave of panic clenched his fuel tank. Had he done something wrong with Starfall's paintjob? He thought he'd gotten the right shade Starfall said he wanted.

Starfall sharply shook his helm and with no other warning spun away from the mirror and launched himself at Sunstreaker. Miniature arms wrapped around the gold mech's neck cables. It took Sunstreaker's startled processor a moment to realize the little seeker was hugging him.

"Thank you," Starfall murmured into Sunstreaker's chassis. "It's perfect."

A nearly overwhelming rush of affection flooded Sunstreaker's spark as he tentatively patted Starfall's back between his wings. He'd never been a touchy feely mech, even towards his own brother. Generally he tried to avoid physical contact with others for fear of scratching his finish. But somehow with Starfall he didn't mind being caught in the sparkling's embrace.

"I'm glad you like it," Sunstreaker smiled as Starfall released him and stepped back. "I was worried there for a nano-klick I'd messed something up and made you upset."

Starfall shook his helm. "Ugh-uh. It's perfect. You were right: you really are the best detailer in all of Iacon."

Sunstreaker's spark clenched tight at Starfall's words. It was official: he liked this kid. Seeker model or not, he liked Starfall.

As Starfall turned back to his reflection and twisted himself several different directions to better admire his new paintjob, Optimus stepped up beside Sunstreaker. "Thank you so much for your hard work. What do I owe you?"

Sunstreaker shook his helm. He waved his hand in the air as though shooing away an insect. "Nothing. I offered to paint Starfall. It's my get-well gift to him." He paused a moment, weighing his next words carefully. "You know… if Starfall ever needs a touchup don't hesitate to bring him back. I can always make room for him in my schedule."

As if sensing Sunstreaker's crumbling prejudices, Optimus cast him a knowing glance. "I will keep that in mind. I doubt Star will want to go anywhere else after seeing your work."

Sunstreaker just nodded proudly, as if Optimus was only stating the obvious about his skills, but inside he was already looking forward to seeing the little seeker again.

00000000

Starfall sat in his father's cab unit. He stared out the window as the skyscrapers of Iacon sped by. Somewhere behind them, Starfall knew Ironhide followed. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and trepidation. Today was the day. Today was going to be his first day back at school in almost a lunar cycle. He was eagerly looking forward to seeing Convoy again. He hadn't seen his friend since he'd been kidnapped. After recovering in the hospital he'd been too self-conscious about his frame to let his fathers give the okay for Burnout to bring Convoy to visit. Just the thought of Convoy seeing his naked gray wings and ugly weld marks made him sick with embarrassment.

Starfall had little memories of that orn he'd been hurt. All he remembered was waiting with Convoy at the edge of the transformation lot for his father to pick them up. Everything after that was a blank. In the orns after getting his new wings his fathers had offered him explanations of what had happened, but they might as well have been telling him a story from one of his recharge tales for all he remembered himself. He knew his fathers were telling the truth because his fathers' friends from the Enforcers, Prowl and Jazz, as well as Skyfire himself, had told him similar things. A mech had kidnapped him from school and hurt his wings because he didn't like seekers. But for Starfall himself, he remembered nothing. His fathers kept saying it was good he didn't remember anything, but Starfall couldn't help but wish he remembered *something* from that day. It would help make everything feel more tangible. More *real*. A more solid explanation for why he'd woken up in the hospital with his back hurting. At least his fathers' friend Sunstreaker had helped him look normal again. If it hadn't been for Sunstreaker, he didn't think he would have willingly gotten in to his father's cab unit that morning to go to school.

As though hearing his thoughts, Optimus's disembodied voice rumbled over the sound of his engine. "Here we are."

Starfall looked out his father's windows to see the tower of District 11's Academy appear between the buildings. He unconsciously played with the stack of planetary rings on his left wrist. Optimus veered into the school's transformation lot. The transformation lot was a mass of bodies. Starfall couldn't remember seeing his school's transformation lot so full.

"Remember what we talked about this morning, Star," Optimus said as pulled in. "There are a lot of press-mechs here to see you. Don't think too much about them. Pretend they're not even here." As Optimus had warned, a number of unfamiliar, official looking bots lined the sides of transformation lot with cameras and lights.

Starfall nodded. "Okay…" He would have been lying if he said that morning's energon wasn't sitting like a heavy weight in the pit of his fuel tank. Ever since his kidnapping he'd seemed to become an even bigger focus for the evening's newsfeeds than even his father. It was disconcerting and slightly scary. He didn't like being the center of attention, and that was exactly what his fathers had warned him was probably going to happen that morning as they'd all drank their morning energon. There were people that cared about Starfall being well again, Optimus had explained. Why, Starfall didn't understand. Why did these 'minority model groups' his fathers kept talking about care about him?

"Don't worry," Optimus said as he pulled to a stop. "Your father and I are going to be right here beside you."

Starfall hesitantly undid his safety belt. He looked out his father's cab unit window to the crowd of press mechs waiting for them. He counted about two dozen of them. A crowd of parents and sparklings hovered around behind them.

Ironhide was already transformed into his root form when Optimus swung his cab door open to let Starfall out. A barrage of camera flashes greeted Starfall. He instinctively shied behind Ironhide's leg. The older mech stood like a solid wall between him and the wall of press mechs. Almost subconsciously, Ironhide strayed one hand behind him to touch the side of Starfall's helm, like a silent encouragement. Starfall leaned into his father's touch. It was the only thing right now keeping him from running back to the safety of Optimus's cab unit. Once again Starfall was glad for Sunstreaker's new paintjob.

Optimus transformed to his root form and came to stand beside Ironhide with Starfall half-hiding between them.

"Prime! Prime!" the press mechs howled like a pack of rabid turbo-foxes. They'd been cordoned off to either side of the transformation lot. Several security guards kept the lines to stop them from rushing the Prime family. "Prime, a word!"

Optimus only raised his hand in polite acknowledgement to them before falling into step beside Ironhide. Together they began to walk towards the academy's front door. Starfall made sure to remain firmly positioned between them. Camera flashes tracked their progress from both sides. Starfall tried to do as Optimus had instructed and ignore them, but the diodes along his back still tingled uncomfortably under the assault of unwanted attention. Despite his fathers' reassuring presence Starfall felt slightly trapped by the bright lights and unfamiliar mechs yelling at him. He wanted to get inside away from the press's hungry gaze as soon as possible.

Near the front steps of the school stood a separate group of bots. It was a delegation of Starfall's teachers and other staff members. Heading the group stood the school administrator, Catalyst.

"Optimus Prime. Consort Ironhide," Catalyst greeted as they came within the last few paces of the school. He gripped Optimus's hand in a firm embrace which the press mechs eagerly captured from several different angles for that evening's newsfeeds. Blue optics swiveled down towards the miniature seeker sparkling. "And of course, Starfall. Please let me be the first one to formally welcome you back to school. All your teachers and classmates have been looking forward to you coming back."

Starfall mutely nodded in reply. The lights of the press's cameras were too distracting for him to find his voice.

Catalyst returned his attention to Optimus and Ironhide. "You both will be pleased to hear that in the wake of what happened to Starfall the school board has decided to overhaul the academy's security protocols to better protect not just Starfall, but all the other children at this institution as well. There will now be posted guards at all entry points of the transformation lot as well as a better network of security cameras installed around the entire perimeter of the grounds."

"Glad ta hear," Ironhide grumbled. His facial plates tightened a little around the edges as he reached down to briefly rest a hand on Starfall's helm. "Don't want any more kids gettin' hurt on school property, do we?"

Catalyst flinched at Ironhide's thinly veiled criticism. Ironhide's opinion of the administrator had changed little from his initial encounter with Catalyst when Starfall had been caught fighting and temporarily suspended.

Optimus, however, was willing to be more diplomatic. "That truly eases my spark to hear, administrator Catalyst. I applaud any changes that will result in our children being safer."

Catalyst opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a high pitched cry from the far side of the transformation lot. "STAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

A streak of dark red suddenly appeared from the crowd of adults and students milling behind the line of press mechs and sped straight towards the Prime family. Starfall instantly recognized the voice and familiar red plating.

"Convoy!" Starfall ran to meet his friend, the two colliding in a mutual embrace. The impact momentarily knocked Starfall's ventilation system off line. Arms gripped him around his side and neck cables. Starfall was slightly surprised at the rush of emotions that washed over him as he clutched his best friend in just as tight an embrace. He squeezed the smaller mechling close to his cockpit. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed Convoy.

Starfall was distantly aware of the press mechs crazily snapping still photos and taking video footage of them. It was almost like they'd never seen two sparkling greeting each other after a long time apart.

"I did not know when you would return," Convoy said in his heavy accent as he finally pulled away from Starfall to meet his optics. The cameras continued to flash around them. Starfall ignored them. His attention was completely focused on his friend. "I was worried you would never come back. I missed you."

Starfall shook his helm. A warm rush of affection filled his spark. "I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm back now! I missed you too."

A blinding smile split Convoy's face. "I am glad. School has been boring without you." Keeping a tight grip on Starfall's hand, Convoy pulled him towards the doors of the academy. "We are starting a new section of math today. Come. I will show you what you missed."

Starfall spared his fathers a parting wave over his shoulder vent as he let Convoy excitedly pull him towards the door. The crowd of press mechs and watching parents were completely forgotten now. All that mattered was that Starfall was back and had his friend with him. Starfall couldn't say for sure why, but it felt like today was the start of something very good.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Five: Anniversary Part III

"Good morning, love," Optimus greeted as he strode into the kitchenette of the domicile.

"Mornin'," Ironhide replied. He looked up from his data pad and gave his sparkmate a smile.

Optimus sat at the table and picked up one of the three cubes of energon Ironhide had already set out for him. "You're up early."

Ironhide shrugged. "Eh. Just excited, ah guess. Anniversary party 'n all. First time Star'll be home ta go with us in… Primus, ah don't even remember how long. Feels like forever."

Optimus chuckled. "I understand the feeling. It's nice that Star is finally back home in Iacon, and for the foreseeable future as well."

Ironhide grunted in agreement. After graduating from Iacon's High Academy with top honors in Interstellar Relations Starfall had taken a Cybertronian Council internship that had sent him to Earth and several human colonies spread throughout that end of the galaxy. He'd been gone for over a vorn, returning to Cybertron only the orn before. Ironhide was still riding the high of having his son back home. Starfall hadn't lived in the domicile with Ironhide and Optimus since moving into the High Academy's dormitories vorns ago, but it had still been an adjustment for the weapons specialist when he'd realized his son was now halfway across the galaxy instead of the other side of the city. Ironhide had never understood when other creators talked about suffering empty nest syndrome. Now he did. It was only after Starfall returned home after a long spacebridge jump that Ironhide realized how lonely their domicile had become with only him and Optimus to fill it. He might not outwardly show it but inside he was almost giddy to finally have his son back.

"Speakin' of which, shouldn't he be up by now?" Ironhide glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "We're gonna need ta be leavin' pretty soon if we're gonna be at the party on time." Today was the 259th anniversary of the Great War. Starfall couldn't have timed his return to Cybertron any better.

"He's probably still recharging. He went out last night with Convoy. I'm not sure when he got back home. He wasn't back yet when I went to recharge."

Ironhide's lips curled into a grimace. "He shouldn't 'a been out so late..."

Optimus waved his hand dismissively in the air. "Star is a full grown adult now, Hide. He is his own bot. He doesn't need you or me watching over his every move. He's lived and studied on foreign planets. He's done more at his age than you and I did combined. Plus, Star and Convoy haven't seen each other in almost a vorn. They were probably up late catching up on each other's lives."

Ironhide huffed grumpily. "Just 'cause he's grown doesn't mean he's not my son anymore." Setting his data pad aside on the table, he stood and stretched. "I'm gonna go get him."

Optimus shrugged. He claimed Ironhide's discarded data pad and began scanning the newsfeed headlines.

Striding down the hall, Ironhide motioned the door to the last room on the right open. The room was dark. With the light spilling past him into the room Ironhide was just able to make out a figure laying facedown on the berth on the other side of the room. One arm hung limp over the side. Wings gently rose and fell in rhythm to the figure's ventilations.

Ironhide leaned against the doorframe and gave three sharp knocks against the wall. "Up an' at 'em, Star!"

The figure on the berth startled awake. Turquoise optics flared bright in the darkness. Struggling to his elbows, Starfall blearily flickered his optics into focus.

"Huh? Wha? What time is it?"

"Almost eleven hundred joors," Ironhide replied. "Yer dad an' ah are gettin' ready ta leave soon fer the party. If yeh don't wanna miss half the party yeh better start gettin' ready."

Starfall rolled up off the berth to sit on the edge. He tiredly scrubbed at his face with one hand. "Yea. Okay. I'm up. I'm coming." He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Ironhide.

Ironhide turned and headed back to the kitchenette.

Optimus glanced up at him as he retook his seat at the table. "Star up?"

"He is now."

A klick later Starfall proved Ironhide right by sleepily trudging into the kitchenette unit. "Morning," he said as he grabbed an empty cube from the cabinet and filling it with glowing purple energon from the dispenser.

"Good morning, Star," Optimus greeted.

"Thanks for waking me up, dàd," Starfall said as he took a seat at the table between Optimus and Ironhide. "I didn't get in 'til late and I guess I forgot to set an alarm."

Ironhide gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "No problem. Figured somethin' like that might've happened. Didn't want us ta hafta leave yeh behind 'cause yeh weren't up yet."

Starfall cast him a warm smile before raising the cube of energon to his lips to take a sip. Ironhide couldn't help but quietly marvel at what a handsome mech his son had grown into. It was something that had crept up on him almost without him realizing over the vorns. Ironhide supposed it was from not seeing him in person for almost a vorn. One moment Starfall was a little sparkling he still remembered hiding behind his legs at formal functions, and the next he was a snow-plated, turquoise opticed sparkbreaker. He and Optimus had had to decline countless offers over the vorns from politicians and members of powerful sparklines from around the planet offering their children to them in arranged sparkbonds. Even after Starfall had graduated from High Academy every couple lunar cycles or so another intermediary would approach him or Optimus at a formal function to broach the subject to them.

"When did you get home last night?" Optimus asked.

Starfall leaned back in his seat. His wings flared gracefully out behind him over the back of the chair. "Very late or very early depending on how you look at it," he replied with a cheeky grin. "Convoy and I went to a new rooftop bar Convoy recommended and basically talked until final call. I don't even remember what joor it was when we said goodnight to each other."

"And what is Convoy up to these days?"

"He's working with his dad in the family business. Burnout's named Convoy the acting manager of the local factory. Burnout hasn't come out and said anything directly but Convoy's pretty sure he wants him to take over more of the business at some point."

"Makes sense," Ironhide nodded. "What's Burnout up to recently? I haven't kept in touch with 'im as much ah'd 'a liked to since yeh kids graduated."

"Same old, same old pretty much," Starfall shrugged. "Though he did get rebonded a few lunar cycles ago to a femme named Lightburst. Convoy seems to really like her, which is good. He talks about her like he thinks she's the sun and moon."

"We did hear about that," Optimus nodded. "We got an invitation to the bonding ceremony, but unfortunately couldn't make it because of a Council event."

"Kinda wish we had gone ta that instead of that stuffy Council party," Ironhide grumbled. "Would'a been more fun."

Starfall sipped at his cube for several moments before resolutely setting it aside. "Convoy was telling me about his new apartment last night," he hesitantly said. "He moved out of Burnout's domicile not long after I left for my internship. It's a really nice place by the sound of it. It's in the twelfth district, not that far from the Council Tower actually. He, ah… he mentioned there's a domicile opening up soon in the same building. He said if I'm interested he and Burnout know the leasing manager and might be able to pull some strings for me to get it…"

Ironhide and Optimus both stared at Starfall in heavy silence.

Starfall returned their gazes.

Ironhide was the first to break the standoff. "Don't yeh think it's kinda soon ta be talkin' 'bout findin' a place 'a yer own? Yeh only got back ta Cybertron yesterday."

"I know, but I think I'm more than old enough to get my own place. You can't have seriously been expecting me to move back in and live with you and dad? How am I supposed to work in the Vosian Affairs Department and be taken seriously by other Council members if I'm still living with my creators?"

"Yeh can remind 'em yer the son of the Prime. Yeh can do whatever yeh want and still be taken seriously by those shiny aft-plates," Ironhide tartly replied. His opinion of the majority of Council and Senate members had improved little over the last two hundred vorns he'd been bonded to Optimus.

"What if what I want is get my own place?" Starfall calmly countered.

Ironhide's mouth screwed into a petulant scowl. As much as he didn't want to admit it he'd been expecting this before Starfall even returned to Cybertron. He'd just been hoping Starfall wouldn't be so eager to strike it out on his own so soon. Even if he was no longer one in body Starfall would always be his little sparkling in Ironhide's mind.

"Come on, dàd," Starfall reasoned, staring beseechingly into Ironhide's optics. "The place I'm looking at is the same building Convoy lives, so I'll already know one of my neighbors. And it would be less than a five klick flight to work each day and only fifteen klicks here to visit. For what I'll be making at the Council the rent is also extremely reasonable. It's not like I'm looking to move halfway around the planet."

Ironhide crossed his arms across his windshield and scowled into his empty energon cube. He hadn't been expecting to have this conversation so soon after just getting his son back.

"I'm sure it's a lovely place, Star," Optimus diplomatically interjected, "but why don't we revisit this conversation later. Maybe after today's party. While the choice is obviously up to you your father might feel better about it later after he's had some time to digest the idea."

Starfall didn't seem thrilled but the idea but leaned back in his seat in quiet acceptance of this proposal.

"Shall we get going?" Optimus asked, finishing off the last of his morning energon cubes.

Starfall got up from the table and cast a quick glance at the chronometer. "I want to hit the wash rack before I head out. I'll meet you two there."

"Yeh sure yeh won't be late?" Ironhide said.

Starfall was already heading down the hallway towards the wash rack. "You forget that I have wings and can fly," he smirked over his shoulder. "I don't have to deal with traffic. I bet I'll even beat you and dad to the party."

OOOOOOOO

As it turned out Starfall did beat Optimus and Ironhide there. He had already transformed and landed in front of the Stellar Gate's front doors by the time Optimus and Ironhide turned into the hotel's transformation lot.

He offered Ironhide a small, victorious wave as his fathers transformed to their root forms. The silver bands of metal around his wrist jangled musically as he did. Over the vorns Vosian planetary rings had become a permanent fixture of his appearance. He never left his domicile without them. They were a physical representation of his ties to Vos, both personal and official. This particular set had been a creation day present from the Emirate. They seemed appropriately fancy for his first public appearance with his fathers after a long absence.

As the three went inside, Ironhide fell into step beside Starfall and affectionately clapped a hand against his wing.

"Glad yeh made it home in time fer this," the old weapons specialist said. "Yer dad may not come out 'n say it but he missed yeh." The hand against Starfall's wing still had yet to fall away.

Starfall heard a muffled snort behind Optimus's battle mask. He cast Ironhide a fond look. Starfall had lived with Ironhide long enough to be able to decipher what the old weapons specialist really meant. He – not just Optimus – was glad he was home. If truth be told, Starfall was just as happy as Ironhide he was back. He'd missed his family and it was nice to be reminded they felt the same way.

"I bet he did," Starfall replied with a knowing smile.

Turning a corner the hotel's main reception room came into view at the end of the hallway. The throb of lively music spilled into the hallway through the open doors.

As the three stepped through the doorway a chorus of hellos and other greetings sounded from several different directions over the music. The ballroom was already packed with Autobots and their families. Starfall smiled and raised his hand in reply to those nearest. He quickly took stock and made a mental list of those around him. It was a technique Optimus had taught him vorns ago when he'd still only been a youngling. As the son of a Prime he was expected to mingle and exchange pleasantries at functions like this just like his father.

The Prime family barely got ten feet into the room before the first of his fathers' old friends came up to greet them.

"Star?! Oh my god, it's been ages! How are you?!"

Before Starfall could properly prepare himself a black and white blur rushed up and gripped him in a crushing embrace.

He laughed as he returned the hug. "I'm great, Kia. How are you?"

Kia released him and took half a step back. Her optics shined bright behind her visor. "Better now that you're here. I was worried I was going to have to spend the entire party keeping my dads company." She motioned with her chin backwards over her shoulder to the two mechs standing there.

"Keep that up an' you're gonna hurt your ol' mech's feelings," Jazz said in a play-wounded voice.

"Jazz, Prowl," Optimus greeted with a smile in his voice.

"Prime," Prowl acknowledged with a slight dip of his helm. "Ironhide."

"So the Prime's son is finally home," Jazz announced with a grin. "Nice ta have ya back."

"It's good to be back," Starfall replied. "A vorn goes by quickly when you're having fun on alien planets."

"I hear ya got yourself a nice position in the Council," Jazz said conversationally. "Something with Vosian relations?"

"The Vosian Affairs Department," Starfall explained. "I will be working as an assistant to Senator Defcon. He's the current ambassador to Vos if you remember. I applied for the position when I was still doing my internship on Earth. I was actually surprised to hear back so quickly from them after I applied."

"I doubt there are many other applicants who are better suited for such a position considering your background," Prowl pointed out. "You have been visiting Vos as a de facto representative of Iacon since you were a sparkling."

Starfall shrugged humbly. "I suppose. While I never said anything to Cloudburst I'm sure he or his father somehow found out about me applying and probably put in a word for me to Senator Defcon. I didn't even say anything to my dad about it to make sure he didn't say or do anything as Prime that could be accused as nepotism."

"I figured that's what happened," Optimus said. "Senator Defcon did come to me after he received your application, but I immediately told him any decision he made concerning a position in his department was completely up to him."

"Congratulations are in order in any case," Jazz smiled. He glanced at Optimus. "Ya can't tell me you're not a little bit excited ta be working with Star at the High Council. Although it can't really be that much of a surprise, 'specially after Star decided ta major in Interstellar Relations."

"No, I suppose not," Optimus agreed. "It will be nice to see Star in the Tower. It's inspiring to see those of the younger generation beginning to make their own mark on the world."

"Kia here's gonna be leaving her own mark on the world before too long too," Jazz proudly announced.

"I graduate next cycle and I'm planning to attend the Enforcer Academy," Kia explained. "I've already got early acceptance into next vorn's training class."

"I assure you neither Jazz or I had any direct influence in her acceptance," Prowl stoically declared.

"Of course not," Optimus nodded. He glanced at Kia. "Congratulations on your admittance to the Academy. I am sure you will make a valued addition to the force."

Kia grinned, her door wings flaring proudly above her shoulders.

There was a momentary lull of silence as the background music faded away before the energetic cords of a new song began. Kia excitedly turned to Starfall and grabbed him by the elbow. "I love this song! Come on. Come dance with me."

Before Starfall could protest too much he was being pulled away. "If you'll excuse me," he joked over his shoulder to the older mechs. "But my presence is being requested on the dance floor."

OOOOOOOO

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask as he watched Kia physically drag Starfall behind her towards the dance floor. Almost immediately they were lost behind the crowd of other bots milling around the room.

With a deep chuckle he turned his attention back to Ironhide, Prowl, and Jazz.

Jazz seemed to be reading his mind. "Kids, huh? They grow up too fast. Feels like just yesterday Kia was still a newspark in my arms at this party."

"Yeh got that right," Ironhide grumbled at Optimus's side. "Just this mornin', Star was talkin' bout finding his own place ta live."

Jazz made a commiserating grimace. "Can't say I'm lookin' forward ta the orn Kia moves out. First years of the Academy have mandatory dorming requirements."

"It's an adjustment," Ironhide grumbled. "Ah'll tell yeh that much."

"Well, the young ones seem to be entertaining themselves. Shall we do the same?" Optimus suggested, motioning towards an empty table just over to the side.

As the four settled themselves at the table he saw a familiar face enter the ballroom. He raised a hand in the air until the mech caught sight of him.

"Hello, Skyfire," Optimus greeted as the shuttle wove his way towards them through the maze of crowded tables.

"Hello," Skyfire replied, nodding in turn to him, Ironhide, Jazz, and Prowl.

"Long time no see!" Jazz exclaimed as Skyfire took one of the empty seats across from them.

"It has, hasn't it?" Skyfire smiled. "I didn't think I would be able to make this vorn's party. My colleagues and I returned to Cybertron only a couple deca-cycles ago from an extended deep space mission. It's hard to keep track of local time when so far away from civilization. I didn't even realize what time of vorn it was until someone at work pointed out the anniversary celebration was so close."

"I'm glad you were able to make it," Optimus said.

And he meant it.

Over the last hundred vorns or so Skyfire had become less and less of a familiar face to the Prime family. He was still considered a family friend but ever since Starfall received his youngling upgrade the shuttle began to keep a farther and farther distance. Optimus suspected it was because as Starfall got older it became more painful for Skyfire to be so close to his reincarnated lover. Many might have also seen it as improper for a non-family member like Skyfire to spend so much time around a child as young as Starfall as he went through his more awkward stages of growth. As the vorns progressed, he began to keep his interactions more limited to friendly encounters with the Prime family at public events such as today's anniversary party. Skyfire was more of a presence now than he was immediately after the war which Optimus attributed more to wanting annual updates on Starfall's life than a desire to interact with the Ark's old crew. Even when Starfall had been away at High Academy and then later an intergalactic internship, the shuttle would still make an appearance at the festivities.

"How is Star?" Skyfire asked conversationally as he always did when he saw Optimus and Ironhide. "Last I heard he was on Earth doing an internship of some kind."

"He was," Optimus nodded. He smiled behind his battle mask. "He's actually back home now."

"Came back just yesterday," Ironhide added. "And permanently. Got a job in the Vosian Relations Department. Apparently, talk around the Tower is that Senator Defcon's lookin' ta retire as ambassador ta Vos in the next couple vorns an' that Star's being unofficially groomed ta take over the position when he does."

"'Hide," Optimus sternly turned on his sparkmate. "I told that to you in strict confidence. None of that is official information for the public."

Ironhide shrugged, unconcerned, as a proud paternal smile spread across his facial plates.

"Really?" Skyfire smiled. "How exciting for Star. I will be sure to act surprised when it becomes official."

"Star's here now," Optimus said, glancing towards the dance floor on the other side of the ballroom. He could just make out Starfall and Kia through the crowd of shifting bodies. They appeared to be having a good time laughing and spinning around each other under Blaster's strobbing dance lights.

Skyfire followed his gaze and watched the two for a long moment of silence. "Star's grown up very handsomely," Skyfire observed as he turned back to the table of mechs. "I'm sure he will do well in the High Council."

"I'm surprised ya haven't kept in closer contact with Star over the vorns," Jazz said with a hinting glance at the shuttle. "I remember how you and him were so close when he was a sparkling."

All the mechs at that table knew of Starfall's previous incarnation and his old connection to Skyfire.

Skyfire shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He cleared his throat line delicately before replying, "I never felt it was proper to be around Star that much after he began to get older. He has his own life now. He doesn't need me around trying to relive a past he doesn't even remember."

"That might have been true then," Optimus carefully observed, "but he received his final upgrade vorns ago. He's an adult now. He can make his own informed decisions about who he interacts with. There's no reason for you to keep such a distance from him now. Why don't you go say hello to him? I'm sure he would like to tell you about his new position at the High Council himself and would love to hear about your latest mission as well."

Skyfire seemed uncomfortable and unconvinced. "It's not right to impose in his life so much," he said, almost sadly. Before anyone could say anything, he abruptly stood from the table. "I believe I am going to get something from the bar. Would anyone like anything?"

The four other mechs shook their helms. Optimus was slightly surprised when even Ironhide declined Skyfire's offer of high grade.

As Skyfire wove a path through the tables away from them, Prowl thoughtfully stared after the shuttle. "I understand Skyfire's reasoning but I can't help but feel he's making himself a martyr in this. There's no reason he can't have a friendly relationship with Starfall now."

"I agree," Optimus nodded. "But it's not our place to force him to do anything. If Skyfire wishes to continue keeping his distance that is his decision to make."

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by Bluestreak coming up to the table to say hello. Optimus returned Bluestreak's greetings but part of his attention was still tuned to Skyfire. It was a shame Skyfire refused to allow himself to get any closer to Starfall. Even if they were never destined to be lovers Skyfire's self-imposed distance struck a chord of sadness in Optimus's spark. After so many vorns of loneliness and loss surely Skyfire deserved something more than just being a distant bystander in Starfall's life. But if Skyfire didn't do anything to bridge the gap between them that was likely to be all he would remain.

OOOOOOOO

Kia laughed as Starfall spun her as the last few notes of the song faded out. Almost immediately the beat of a new song began. Starfall's systems were running a little hard as he leaned towards Kia and half-shouted into her audio over the music, "I'm going to sit this next one out! I want to go say hi to some people!"

"Okay!" Kia shouted back. "You owe me another dance, though, before the end of the night!"

Starfall gave her a blinding smile. "You got it!"

Kia returned his smile before spinning away from him back towards the middle of the dance floor. Starfall swiftly made his exit. His plan was to grab something to drink and then begin his rounds of the room. He specifically wanted to hunt down Bumblebee. After his internship on Earth there were several topics of interest he wanted to discuss with the yellow mech to get his own perspective on human culture.

Starfall, however, didn't get more than a few dozen feet from the dance floor before a chorus of shouts caught his attention.

"Star!"

"Star, over here!"

Starfall looked over to see the Wreckers at their own table eagerly waving him over to them. Smiling, Starfall heeded their call and made his way over to them. He was greeted by another round of hellos. In the vorns since he was first adopted the Wreckers had become a posse of uncle-like figures to him. He supposed part of that was due to when he'd been younger Ironhide stealing him away from Optimus's watchful gaze to go sit with the group at anniversary parties like this to listen to their exciting tales of war and adventure.

"Well, if it isn't the Prime's wayward son finally returned home," Springer greeted with a smile. "How are you, kid?"

"Good. And how about everyone here?"

"Sit down, stay awhile, and we'll tell you," Sunstreaker said. He turned to his brother. "Move," he ordered, forcefully shooed Sideswipe out of the seat beside him. Sideswipe grumbled something too low for Starfall to hear but obediently slid away into an unoccupied chair. "Come sit here," Sunstreaker ordered, patting the now vacant seat between himself and Sideswipe. "Let me see those planetary rings. They look new."

"They are," Starfall replied as he sat down and held out one hand for Sunstreaker's inspection. A tasteful stack of gold rings adorned the yellow Lamborghini's own wrists. Since the opening of Vos vorns ago planetary rings had become highly fashionable with those in other city-states. A good portion of the party's attendees that day were sporting their own sets of planetary rings. As Iacon's top detailer, Sunstreaker was always on the lookout for the newest styles. "The Emirate sent me these for my last creation day as a gift."

Sunstreaker nodded approvingly at the silver rings. "Very nice. Looks like small geometric etchings are in right now."

"I was actually hoping to talk to you, Sunstreaker," Starfall said as he reclaimed his hand from the yellow twin. "Do you think you have any openings for a quick touch up sometime this next deca-cycle? I start work at the High Council next deca-cycle and I want to make a good first impression with the senators and representatives."

"Of course!" Sunstreaker proudly announced. "Who else would you trust to work on you beside me?"

"No one," Starfall agreed. He knew how much Sunstreaker liked to have his skills acknowledged and willingly gave his praise. "That's why I waited until I got back to Cybertron to get detailed."

"Comm me whenever you want to set up an appointment. I'll make it happen."

"Thanks," Starfall beamed.

"When did you get back?" Kup took the opportunity to ask. "Last I heard you were on Earth."

"Just yesterday. Came back via spacebridge."

"How is that old spinning ball of dirt?" Hot Rod asked. "Haven't been back since the Great War ended."

"Well enough I suppose," Starfall replied. "The organization I interned with there was working with the humans to address certain issues like overpopulation, renewable energy, and environmental protection – especially on Earth's space colonies."

"Sounds like a lot of the same problems they had when we were still stationed there," Kup grumbled around the crystal cylinder in his mouth.

Starfall shrugged one shoulder plate. "I guess certain problems morph over time but are still basically the same things at the end of the day. I like to think that the work I did there did something to help though. Cybertronians and humans still have a lot to offer each other even though we've had a working relationship for the last two hundred fifty-some vorns since the Great War ended."

An unfamiliar mech sitting beside Hot Rod leaned forward across the table. He had white and black plating with red details. Symmetrical lines of red were painted around his optics and down his cheeks. "May I just say what a beautiful aura you have. It's light blue just like your plating but it flares brighter when you talk about cooperation and inter-species partnership. It's just lovely."

Starfall gave a little laugh-cough of startled confusion. "Um… thank you?"

Hot Rod released an exasperated groan. "I'm so sorry. Star, this is my sparkmate Drift. You haven't been to any anniversary parties for the last several vorns and probably never got a chance to meet him before. Drift and I got bonded about a vorn ago. Just ignore him when he says stuff like that. Drift likes to think he's spiritually in tune with the universe." Despite his dismissive tone, Hot Rod draped an affectionate arm around Drift's shoulder plates.

"Oh!" Starfall exclaimed with sudden comprehension. "My dàd mentioned you were courting somebody when we were chatting on the vid-com once. I hadn't heard that you got bonded though."

"It was a quiet ceremony," Drift explained. "Just us and several close friends."

"Well, congratulations," Starfall smiled, genuinely happy for them. He'd always liked Hot Rod and even though he'd just met Drift the two of them looked inexplicably… right together.

"You know who else needs unexpected congratulations?" Sideswipe interjected. "Ratchet. Heard through the grapevine that him and his sparkmate – that seeker medic from Vos – are expecting a little one soon."

"Lightningstrike?" Starfall gasped in surprise. "You're kidding!"

"Nope," Sideswipe affirmed with shake of his helm. "Guess he finally decided to get those upgrades he's been putting off for the last several millennia. Ha ha!"

"I *thought* his sparkmate had an extra glow to her aura the last time we saw them," Drift thoughtfully murmured. Hot Rod quietly rolled his optics.

"Well, good for him," Springer said. "I hope he and his sparkmate are excited."

"From what I heard, Ratchet was actually *smiling* when he told other people about it," Sunstreaker said. "So you just *know* he had to be over the moon about it 'cause he never used to smile."

"You never saw Ratchet smile because you were always being a pain in his aft," Sideswipe pointed out.

"As if you were never a pain in his aft either," Sunstreaker shot back. "I seem to remember him threatening to weld you to the examination table at least twice a deca-cycle when we were still on Earth."

"Where is Ratchet?" Starfall interjected. "Are he and Lightningstrike here? I want to say hello and give them my congratulations."

"Not this vorn," Springer said. "Since he and Lightningstrike got bonded they spend half their time between Iacon and Vos. From what I heard, with Lightningstrike expecting they've decided to stay in Vos until the sparkling comes online."

"Oh," Starfall murmured, disappointed. "I guess that makes sense. I'll have to send them a message instead."

As the topic of conversation shifted, Starfall took the opportunity to scan the room. He wondered if Bumblebee was there yet. As his optics catalogued those present he happened to notice on the side of the room a large white-plated mech walking towards the bar. Starfall's engine hiccupped in recognition.

It was Skyfire!

He hadn't spoken to the giant mech in vorns. Since he became a youngling seeing Skyfire had become more and more of a rare treat. For as long as Starfall could remember, he'd had a crush on Skyfire. He'd always enjoyed being in the larger mech's presence. Intelligent, patient, and caring Skyfire had always stood as a shining example of what Starfall found attractive in another bot.

"I'm so sorry, but I want to go and say hello to someone," Starfall said, hastily getting up. "It was so nice seeing all of you! I'll see you later!" he called back over his shoulder.

His optics locked on target, a sly grin of anticipation slid across his face.

Chapter Text

Short chapter this time around. But I felt this scene deserved its own separation from the rest of the story. While shorter in length it took me much longer to write than expected, mostly because I wanted to get Starfall and Skyfire's reunion after such a long time just right. I'm still not sure if I'm completely satisfied with it, to be honest…

Now that we're moving into the new story arc of Starfall/Starscream and Skyfire's budding relationship I wanted to address something that's already come up before.

Yes, there is a bit of an age difference between Starfall and Skyfire, but I imagine Transformers aging in a much different way than humans. Because they live so long (literally *billions* of years!) after a certain point I think age kind of loses its meaning in a way that we, as humans, understand it. I see Transformer ages not so much as actual years tallied on a board, but more like levels of maturity and experience. For the majority of their lives, I imagine "age" being kind of a blurry concept. That said, I've made a short list of some of the main character's "ages" to help give you a better feel for what their ages/maturity levels are translated into human years.

Starfall: about 25 years old

Skyfire: early 30's

Optimus: early 40's

Ironhide: mid/late-ish 40's

Ratchet: mid 40's

Prowl/Jazz: mid 30's

Kia: 19 or 20 years

Cloudbreaker: mid 30's

Slipstream: about 75

That being said, yes, there is an age difference between Starfall and Skyfire, but it's not as horrible as some of you might think. Starfall is a full gown adult now. He is no longer a child.

However, Skyfire is going to have to get over some old hang-ups he has towards Starfall before anything really develops between them.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Old Acquaintances

Skyfire stood in mulish silence in line at the bar. Several bots stood in front of him, none of whom he remembered well enough from the war to make an effort to say hello to. His arms were unconsciously crossed in front of his cockpit. If Skyfire had been more aware of himself he would have recognized it as a defensive gesture.

Optimus' and Jazz's observations at the table had affected him more than he wanted to admit. He doubted the other mechs realized what they were really saying when they suggested he didn't need to keep such a distance from Starfall anymore. For vorns he had remained a close friend of the Prime family – taking Starfall for flights and spending time with the little seeker whenever Starfall demanded it. But when Starfall received his youngling upgrade Skyfire no longer felt comfortable spending so much unsupervised time with the Prime's son. Even as a coltish youngling Starfall had already begun to show signs of the devastatingly handsome mech he would one day grow into.

While Skyfire would *never* take advantage of a child or even think of doing so, he did not want to give anyone the opening to even suggest the possibility of any untoward behavior. So it was with a heavy spark around the time Starfall celebrated his seventy-fifth creation day that he had decided it was time to place self-imposed restrictions on any future interactions with the Prime son's. Ever since, he had limited his meetings with Starfall to public events and rare visits to the Prime's residence – and even then only when he was sure that Optimus or Ironhide would also be there. Skyfire had no desire to become the center of a scandal, nor did he want to drag Starfall into any unnecessary drama that would haunt him for the rest of his function.

No matter what his connection to Starscream in Starfall's previous incarnation had been – no, more accurately *because* of his connection to Starfall's previous incarnation - Skyfire had decided it better for all involved to just keep his distance from the younger mech. Starfall did not need him hanging around trying to relive the past. Skyfire had made peace with himself being nothing more than a peripheral figure in Starfall's life long ago. Why Optimus and Jazz felt it was a good idea to suggest anything else Skyfire didn't understand. Why would Starfall have any interest in spending time with him after all this time? He had nothing to offer Starfall anymore the younger mech couldn't find in someone else his own age. Starfall was no longer a lonely seeker sparkling enraptured by the mere thought of someone else with wings. He was part of his own trine now and was commonly surrounded by friends and other fliers. He no longer needed Skyfire to fill that void in his life. He was his own mech now with a promising future. Whatever came next in the younger mech's life, Skyfire knew he was not meant to be part of it. It didn't make sense to try and delude himself with false hopes or force his way into Starfall's life where he was not wanted.

Optimus and Jazz might think they were helping, but all their suggestions did was make the reality of Skyfire's lonely outlook all the more painful to quietly bear.

"The drink menu can't be *that* bad to make a face like that," a playful voice said beside Skyfire. A light touch against his elbow startled the giant mech out of his thoughts.

Skyfire turned to the voice. His engine momentarily sputtered at who he saw.

Starfall stood beside him, smiling up at him. His turquoise optics shined bright with an emotion Skyfire couldn't accurately name.

"S-Star," Skyfire dumbly said, shocked by the younger mech's uncanny appearance. It was almost as if Starfall had heard his thoughts and come to investigate.

Starfall's smile widened. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be here this vorn, Skyfire. I'm so happy to see you! It feels like forever since we last talked." His hand still lightly rested on the side of Skyfire's elbow as if he'd forgotten to pull it back. Skyfire didn't know if Starfall felt anything but the gentle touch of his fingers against his plating made the diodes in Skyfire's arm tingle.

Skyfire groped for something to say. Starfall's sudden appearance seemed to have robbed him of intelligent speech. The sheer color of his optics was enough to make Skyfire's processor malfunction. No one should have the right to be so handsome. "I'm glad to see you as well. It's been a long time," he awkwardly fumbled. As soon as the words left his mouth he mentally kicked himself. What blunt things to say after only just reminding himself he shouldn't even dare to think about talking to Starfall. But it was true. As much as he knew it was better not to get close to Starfall, Skyfire couldn't deny the warmth that spread through his chest at just the sight of the younger mech. Starfall looked so much Starscream. It made his spark ache for a time long since lost.

Starfall grinned wider. He sidled closer to Skyfire and claimed his own place in line beside the larger mech. "What are you getting? I was just thinking about getting a drink when I saw you across the room. We must be running on the same wavelength right now."

"Um… I'm not really sure," Skyfire admitted. When he'd said he was going to the bar he'd mostly just wanted to get away from Optimus and Jazz. He hadn't really been thinking about getting a drink. He rarely ever drank anything stronger than energon. The menu posted above the bar boasted an extensive selection of drinks Skyfire had never even heard of.

"Next!" the bartender called as the mech in front of them moved aside with a colorful drink now triumphantly held in his hand.

Skyfire panicked slightly as he followed Starfall up to the counter.

With an easy elegance that belied his age, Starfall said, "A Tarnian Sunrise, please, with an extra dash of engex on top.

The bartender nodded and glanced at Skyfire for his order. For lack of any better idea Skyfire said, "Uh… same, please."

As the bartender turned away to make their drinks, Starfall turned his attention back to Skyfire. A smile slid across his facial plates. He leaned closer – enough so that his wing tip lightly brushed against Skyfire's side. "How have you been? Are you still working at the Science Institute?"

Skyfire nodded. "Yes. I actually just returned from an extended deep space mission not that long ago."

Starfall's optics brightened, his expression sharpening with interest. "Really? Where did you go? How long were you away for? Did you discover anything exciting?"

For a split second Skyfire flashbacked to Starfall as a child. He remembered very fondly how excited the little seeker could get when something piqued his interest and how the questions would rush from him like water from a faucet. It appeared that almost two hundred vorns hadn't changed that endearing trait.

What struck Skyfire the most, however, was not so much Starfall's questions, but rather the fact that his interest seemed so genuine. Such enthusiasm was hard to fake. Skyfire's spark did a fuzzy little flip in his chest. It made him slightly embarrassed and proud at the same time to momentarily have the attention of someone like Starfall. He was used to being the quiet observer in the back of the room. Despite his physical size, Skyfire was someone who was usually overlooked and blended into the background unless he specifically requested someone's attention. In the company of veteran Autobots the role of scientist was not the most exciting occupation.

So to have the Prime's son of all bots not only seek him out in a crowded room but also seem genuinely interested in what he did made Skyfire's spark pulse warm. It was a nice feeling he hadn't experienced in a very long time. Not since he and Starscream had worked together in the scientific field at least…

"My team and I explored a small planetoid called LV-5 in the dark zone of the Keiber system. The planetoid is so far away from the system's central star that it is suspended in near pitch darkness for 98% of its orbit. The 2% of the time when LV-5 is in its closest ellipsis to the star, it appears to only be very early dawn or late dusk. We specifically went to study the organisms that live on LV-5. They live in near complete darkness yet they survive by means of bio-photosynthesis."

"That's fascinating," Starfall murmured, enthralled. "How do the local organisms see if they live in total darkness?"

"The different creatures we catalogued had no optical organs, but rather used forms of echolocation and bio-electrical sensing organs to hunt and evade predators. It was a fascinating place. If my department's grant allows for it, my team would like to return to LV-5 within the next vorn or two to continue our observations. The possibilities of bio-photosynthesis being reproduced in a lab could lead to some interesting breakthroughs for alternative energy sources here on Cybertron."

It was at this point the bartender returned with Skyfire and Starfall's drinks. Skyfire eyed the cube of colorful liquid suspiciously. The drink appeared to be made of different distillations of high grade that were artificially colored. The different distillations produced different viscosities to allow the bartender to layer the liquid in an ascending pattern of yellow, orange, and red. Skyfire now understood why it was called a Tarnian sunrise. A flamboyant purple straw twisted into several whimsical loops topped the concoction.

"Don't judge it or me until you try it," Starfall said with an embarrassed duck of his head as he took one cube and gave it an experimental sip. He smiled at what he tasted. "I first had one of these before I left Cybertron for my internship on Earth. Convoy took me to this bar in the western quadrant that specializes in over-the-top drinks like this. You probably won't believe me but this was one of the least strange things they had there."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Skyfire chuckled as he took his own cube and followed Starfall to the side, out of the way of the line. He eyed the drink again before taking a tentative sip. His optics widened in surprise. "That's actually… really good," he admitted with a smile. "I'm glad I decided to copy you."

Starfall returned his smile. "Let's find a table and sit down," he suggested. "I want to hear more about what you found on LV-5."

Skyfire initial response was surprise. A part of him had been expecting Starfall to get his drink and make a polite exit to find more interesting company, not actively look to spend more time with Skyfire than what social niceness dictated. Skyfire's spark gave another unintentional flutter of warmth.

He knew he shouldn't, but what harm would it really do? Starfall seemed so eager to hear about his exploration. It would be rude to say no.

"Alright," he nodded.

"Over there," Starfall said, pointing to the far back corner of the ballroom. "I see a couple empty tables."

Skyfire followed Starfall as he wove a path for them through the sea of full and semi-occupied tables. As they passed, several voices called out greetings. Starfall raised his hand in answer and shouted back several salutations of his own but he didn't stop to engage in any conversations. Skyfire would have been lying if he said he wasn't secretly happy. He knew it wouldn't last for long, but he wanted to savor every nano-klick he could with Starfall before the younger mech inevitably was drawn away to someone else more interesting.

The two took seats next to each other at an empty table. The tables around them were mostly empty. Whether it was the acoustics of the room or their distance from the dance floor, the throb of Blaster's DJ-ing was nothing more than a background murmur. They wouldn't have to shout at each other to talk.

Starfall took another sip of his drink and leaned back in his chair. His wings flared gracefully out behind him. Skyfire had to force himself not to stare. Starfall really was too handsome for his own good. The unconscious grace of his movements was utterly captivating. He tried to distract himself by taking another pull of his drink. Despite it's ridiculous appearance it really was delicious.

Oblivious to Skyfire's thoughts, Starfall leaned towards him. His optics once again speared Skyfire. "What else did you find on LV-5? Tell me all the details."

Skyfire chuckled. "Lots. But nothing I think you'd actually find interesting. My team and I were only there for about six lunar cycles but we've already been able to collect enough data to make a presentation. Our exploration's team leader, Brainstorm, is going to be presenting our findings at a scientific seminar later this lunar cycle. If we're lucky we'll be able to get an extension on our grant to go back."

"Really?" Starfall said. A strange wistful look came into his optics. "I wish I could see that presentation. I'm sure it will be fascinating."

Skyfire quirked an optic ridge at him. "You're interested in science?"

"Of course!" Starfall laughed, as if the thought he wasn't was ridiculous.

"But… I thought your studies were in political science."

Starfall took another sip of his drink. "They were. Growing up as the son of a Prime tends to sway one towards the field of interstellar relations. Given my frame-type and my father's position, I guess you could say I was always natural diplomat material. I love seeing how Vos, Iacon, and other city-states interact with each other within the High Council given each city-state's own governing style within their own borders. While I was still in school, though, I was always fascinated by science. I tried to take science classes whenever my course load allowed it as electives, but it was difficult to do once I declared interstellar relations as my intended major. I try to stay up on recent breakthroughs and stories through newsfeeds and private publications."

"Really?" Skyfire murmured.

Starfall laughed at Skyfire's stunned expression. "Don't act so surprised! I suppose I could actually blame my interest in science on you. I was always fascinated by your stories when I was younger." Starfall shifted his gaze to the tabletop as though suddenly shy. "For the longest time I actually thought about going into science and becoming a deep-space explorer like you."

To say Skyfire was surprised would have been an understatement. The son of the Prime becoming a deep-space explorer? Like him? The thought was beyond flattering.

"What made you ultimately decide against it?"

Starfall gave a small shrug. "I guess an unspoken sense of duty. I know if I had decided to go into science my fathers would have both supported my decision. But…my dad is the *Prime*. I've been going to High Council functions and visiting foreign heads of state since I was a sparkling. One of my trinemates is in the royal line of succession for the Vosian Emiracy. Half of my classmates growing up were children of senators and other High Council members. Politics was just kind of expected of me, you know?"

Skyfire solemnly regarded the younger mech. "Do you regret your decision?"

Starfall was quiet for a moment, as though weighing his thoughts. He stared into the colorful depths of his drink. "No," he finally said with firm resolve, looking up to meet Skyfire's gaze again. "Like I said before, I am genuinely interested in interstellar relations. I do not regret going into political science. I... just wish there was a way I could have done both."

As if to make up for the melancholic turn of conversation, Starfall forced an apologetic smile onto his face and took a quick sip of his drink. "That's why I love hearing about what you do!" he chuckled. "You're the only bot I know besides Wheeljack and Perceptor who are interested in science." He abruptly leaned closer to Skyfire and in playful sotto voice added, "Don't tell anyone I said so, but if we're being completely honest Wheeljack and Perceptor are too focused on theoretical lab-based science for my taste. What you do is much more interesting. You visit unexplored alien worlds. You're an adventurer! How much more exciting a job can you get?"

Skyfire ducked his helm. An unbidden rush of mech fluid warmed his facial plates. "I think you have a very overinflated idea of what I do," he chuckled, slightly embarrassed to receive so much praise.

"Hardly," Starfall insisted. "You're one of the most interesting bots I know."

Startled, Skyfire met Starfall's gaze. He saw nothing but sincerity in the younger mech's turquoise optics. Another rush of emotions swept over Skyfire, some of them so complex Skyfire couldn't accurately name them all.

Surely this all must be some sort of joke. Why would someone like Starfall – someone so high and well connected in society – think him so interesting? It didn't make sense. Even if Starfall was interested in the study of science why did he seem to think Skyfire was so worthy of his attention? Skyfire felt like he was overstepping his place just by sitting at the same table as Starfall. He was the son of a Prime. What was Skyfire? Just a scientist. He wasn't rich. He did not have power or position. He was not exceptionally handsome or skilled except for his intelligence. What made him so special to earn Starfall's attention?

But… there was still no denying the gleam of earnest excitement in Starfall's optics as he held Skyfire's gaze. It mystified Skyfire as to why it might be so, but the seeker was sincere.

Swallowing back his doubts and lingering skepticism, Skyfire hesitantly cleared his throat line. "If… if you are really interested in science and want to learn all the details of what my team found on LV-5, I can get an extra ticket for the scientific conference we're presenting our findings at. I'd be honored to bring you as my guest."

Starfall's reaction was instantaneous excitement. "Are you serious?" The young seeker leaned forward, his hand darting out to touch the side of Skyfire's elbow. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course."

Starfall's facial plates broke into a blindingly beautiful smile. "I'd love to go! It's a date!"

The word made Skyfire momentarily pause. A date? No. Surely Starfall did not actually mean that how it came across.

"Oh my god, Skyfire, you don't know how excited I am!" Starfall continued, oblivious to the other mech's startled surprise. "I can't wait. Here. Here's my personal contact info." The open-air transmission hit the back of Skyfire's processor like a physical slap. "What's yours?"

"I… um… here," Skyfire stammered, startled by the suddenness this was all happening. He sent his own contact information out to Starfall in an open-air data burst.

The seeker grinned as he received it. "This will be so amazing. I haven't been to a scientific seminar since I was in the Academy. Are there any publications or research articles I should read beforehand so I'm up to speed on what's being presented?"

Skyfire was momentarily taken aback by the question. "Um… Not really. Although if you have a chance, I would recommend Professor Quark's paper on bioluminescent organisms that was published about two vorns ago. It would give you a good background on what my team and I were studying."

"Do you mean the Scientific Journal's publication 'A Study on the Xeno-Bioluminescent Properties of the Dinoflagellates of the Planet Earth'?"

"Ah… yes, actually."

"Oh, I read that when it was published. I thought it was fascinating. When I was on Earth I made a point of going to one of Earth's last two bioluminescent areas to see them myself. I was told the plankton don't shine as brightly as they did several thousand years ago though. Something about pollution and climate change changing their bio-rhythms."

"You did?" Skyfire said, stunned.

Starfall smiled. "I told you. I try to keep up on the latest scientific research through private publications. I have a subscription to the Scientific Journal. That's where I try to keep up on your publications too."

"Oh," Skyfire lamely murmured. He should have known. The more he talked to Starfall the more and more he was reminded that Starfall was the reincarnation of Starscream. Starscream used to do the exact same thing. When they had been at the Science Academy together, Starscream had followed no less than five different publication sites at any given time.

"Hey, maybe after the conference we can go somewhere and catch up more," Starfall abruptly suggested.

"Isn't that what we're doing now? Catching up?"

"Well, yes," Starfall awkwardly agreed. "But... I guess I mean it'd be nice to see you more than just go to a scientific conference together and that's it. I've barely seen you in the last hundred vorns. I miss when we used to go flying together. Remember that? One of my favorite memories is when you took me out once just before nightfall. We went flying over the eastern hills. The sunset was so beautiful that day."

"It was," Skyfire agreed. "That was sometime right before you got your youngling upgrade if I remember correctly."

"That's right," Starfall nodded, smiling. "It'd be nice to do that again sometime, don't you think?"

"I…"

Skyfire hesitated. Go flying with Starfall again? That would be nice. It would actually be more than just nice. It would be like reliving a time when Starscream was still his best friend and lover. Or the very least a time when the Prime's son was still young enough that Skyfire didn't feel like an intruder in the younger mech's life.

"That would be nice. But won't you be busy with your new job at the High Council?"

"Not busy enough not to make time for a friend," Starfall smiled.

Skyfire still hesitated. Optimus and Jazz's words once again rose in the back of his processor, like an unsettled ghost to haunt him. Maybe his offer to take Starfall to the conference was a mistake. He had to maintain a respectful distance from the younger flier. He'd already reconciled himself to being nothing more than a side figure in Starfall's life. He shouldn't do anything to draw himself closer and stir up old feelings for Starscream that had no place in either of their lives now. That wouldn't do either of them any good. Starfall might be an adult, but he was still so much younger than Skyfire. It would be improper to try and see Starfall as anything more than a friendly acquaintance he could think of fondly whenever the loneliness of Life got the better of him. But nothing more. After all, it wasn't like Starfall would ever even be remotely interested in him that way either. Starfall already reminded him so much of Starscream. How would spending even more time with him bring old memories and feelings rushing back to the surface?

"Come on, Skyfire," Starfall cajoled. "Let's make an evening of it. It'll be fun."

The more logical side of Skyfire knew it was a bad idea. But Starfall was looking at him so insistently. And Skyfire was nothing if not helpless under the younger mech's turquoise gaze.

"Alright," he finally agreed. "If that is what you'd like to do."

"Excellent," Starfall grinned. He seemed to physically radiate victory. His wings flared proudly out behind him. "Then I can grill you on any questions I have after the conference."

Despite his lingering concerns, a small smile slid across Skyfire's face. He would be lying if he said he wasn't already looking forward to the science conference later that lunar cycle.

"Enough about me," Skyfire announced. "Tell me about your internship on Earth and this new position of yours at the High Council. It's my turn to hear all the details."

Starfall chuckled, leaning back his seat. He casually kicked one pede up to rest on his other knee. "Oh Primus, where to begin?"

As Starfall began his recount, Skyfire couldn't help but feel an almost forgotten sense of contentment steal over him. He hadn't felt this way in ages, he realized in some distant corner of his mind. Not since… well, not since he and Starscream were still together. He knew it wouldn't last, but for the moment it was nice to bask in this sense of almost effortless camaraderie that came from being in the presence of another bot he could connect with.

It would hurt when Starfall inevitably decided Skyfire really wasn't as interesting as he originally thought. But for now…

For now, he would enjoy his reincarnated lover's attention while he still could.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Scientific Conference

"Here is the most up-to-date official decree concerning Vosian immigration and citizenship issued by the Emirate as you requested, Ambassador," Starfall said, extracting a data pad from the pile of documents nestled in the crook of his arm. He laid the data pad on the edge of the desk. "As well as the latest numbers from the High Council's study of inter-city migratory and mating statistics. And a roster of bonded couples currently awaiting citizenship status changes."

Two more data pads joined the first on the edge of the desk.

Draxil nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Starfall." The older mech vented a heavy sigh as he stared at them. "You know when I first took the position of Ambassador to Vos I didn't expect it to come with quite so many duties. I thought it would entail more high profile responsibilities like treaty negotiations and cultural exchange programs. Not endless meetings with legal councilors and immigration negotiations."

Starfall offered the Senator a wry but commiserating smile. "Who would have thought the opening of Vos would eventually result in so many bots looking for love in other places?"

Draxil gave a soft snort as he leaned back in his chair and picked up one of the data pads Starfall just set down for him. "Apparently eighteen according to this latest roster. That's how many couples are currently petitioning to update one of the bot's citizenship to Iaconian due to a recent sparkbonding. And this report only covers the last six lunar cycles."

"That's only how many are looking to become Iaconian citizens," Starfall pointed out. "From some sources I have on the Vosian side of things, there are almost twice as many looking to become Vosian citizens – or at least hold duel citizenships - because their sparkmate is Vosian."

Draxil vented another sigh. "I wish the Emirate would lighten some of the stipulations on non-native Vosians obtaining permanent legal status in Vos. It would make our jobs so much easier…"

"To be fair," Starfall delicately pointed out, "the stipulations on native Vosians obtaining permanent legal status in Iacon and other city-states are not that much easier. An old friend of my fathers' is bonded to a Vosian femme. Both of them have been trying to gain duel citizenship in each other's cities for vorns, but because they split their residence between Vos and Iacon on work-related visas neither has been granted citizenship on the basis of non-continuity of residence. They're currently expecting a sparkling and it's unlikely it'll automatically be granted duel citizenship once it comes online given the current wording of the law. The sparkling will probably face the same challenges as its creators to be recognized as a full citizen in both cities."

"Sounds like a lot of unnecessary red tape to me," Draxil sighed. "In any case, this is a matter for tomorrow's me." The older mech stood from behind his desk. "I think that's enough for today. You can leave whatever else I have you working on for tomorrow."

Starfall nodded as the ambassador began to tidy the piles of data pads and reports on his desk. "Don't forget you have a meeting with the Vosian trade commissioner at twelve hundred joors tomorrow. And then a meeting with the legal councilor of that mech that was caught smuggling illicit substances across Vosian borders last lunar cycle immediately after. They're petitioning our office to help them plea for extradition back to Iacon for the mech to stand trial."

Draxil scoffed dismissively. "If that mech didn't want to be held in a Vosian prison he should have thought of that before trying to move fifteen hundred kilos of powdered synthex across inter-city borders in his subspace compartment. But I guess we'll hear his legal counsel out before dismissing the petition. Vos does have extremely harsh laws concerning drug smuggling…"

With a flick of his finger, Draxil powered off his computer terminal. As Starfall turned to leave the ambassador's office and return to his own desk in the suite's foyer Draxil called after him. "I don't think I've said it yet, Starfall, but I'm extremely glad I hired you as my assistant. Things were a bit on the chaotic side of things before Senator Defcon convinced me to get an assistant. Looking back, I don't know how I managed everything myself before you came. You've been a gift from Primus."

Starfall offered the ambassador a smile. "Thank you for saying so, Sir. I don't think I've said it myself, but I enjoy this job immensely. I wouldn't want to work in any other High Council department. I consider this my dream job."

"That's good to hear," Draxil replied. "Who knows where you'll move up to from here in the next couple vorns..." Before Starfall could dwell on the ambassador's observation, Draxil changed the subject. "Any plans for tonight?"

"Actually, yes," Starfall replied as he and Draxil walked together to front portion of the office suite that acted as a reception area and Starfall's work area. "I'm meeting an old friend to go to a scientific conference. It should be extremely interesting. He and his team returned last lunar cycle from a scientific expedition to a small planetoid in the Keiber system. They're presenting their findings tonight and my friend invited me to see."

"How interesting," Draxil nodded. "I remember now Prime once mentioning you were interested in science. I hope you enjoy the conference."

"I plan to," Starfall said, setting the remaining stack of data pads in his arms onto his desk. He would deal with them tomorrow when he came back. "Have a good evening, Ambassador. I'll lock up the office."

"Thank you. You as well. Until tomorrow." With that, Draxil slipped out the door.

Starfall sat at his desk. Despite Draxil dismissing him for the day he still had several things he needed to finish before leaving for the evening. Considering everything he managed for the ambassador Starfall marveled how Draxil had managed without an assistant for as long as he had. Draxil had had secretaries over the vorns, but never a true assistant who he'd trusted with writing his press releases, compiling reports, or working directly with him in his statecraft. The older mech must have gotten tired with dealing with everything himself.

Starfall was just glad he'd been able to get the position before anyone else. He'd been serious when he'd told Draxil this was his dream job. Vos had been a second home to him ever since he was a sparkling. So to be able to help facilitate the peaceful cooperation between Iacon and Vos brought him indescribably fulfillment. His trinemates Cloudburst and Thunderclap had certainly been excited for him as well when they'd heard he'd gotten the job. "Now we will get to see each other every orn," Cloudburst had informed him when they'd found out. Cloudburst worked in his father, Prince Cloudbreaker's, office in the High Council Tower, and Thunderclap more often than not was on assignment to Iacon as a member of Vos's detachment to the Cybertronian Defensive Air Force. Working in the High Tower Starfall saw his trinemates almost every orn, at least in passing, as well as his father.

Starfall couldn't think of a better suited job for him. Since he'd started working at the Tower, he'd heard rumors from several different senators and High Council members that Draxil was looking to retire from politics sometime in the near future. Starfall hoped if he was able to prove himself and learn enough from the older mech he might be able to put his own name forward as a possible successor for Draxil as the next Ambassador to Vos.

Finishing his last email, Starfall glanced at the chronometer on the wall. Perfect. He had just enough time to leave the Tower and meet Skyfire at the Science Institute.

Starfall's spark did a happy little flutter in his chest at the thought. In the chaos of finding his own domicile, moving, and starting his new job at the High Council Starfall had had very little time to dwell on the upcoming science conference. But now that it was finally here Starfall could barely contain his excitement. He'd almost thought Skyfire had forgotten about inviting him until the deca-cycle prior when Skyfire had unexpectedly comm'ed him one evening to see if he was still interested in going. Of course he was, he'd readily told the older mech. With date, time, and meeting place now confirmed, Starfall had barely made it through the last deca-cycle without wanting to inwardly squirm with excitement every time he thought about the upcoming conference.

As he'd told Skyfire at the Anniversary Party he hadn't been to a scientific presentation since he'd graduated from High Academy. He'd always loved scientific conferences. Others he knew would have called such presentations boring, but to Starfall they were fascinating. Where else could he be in a room full of scientifically minded individuals looking to share their work and latest findings? Without going to the conference, he would otherwise have had to wait until the team published their findings. Starfall was just grateful Skyfire had offered him the invitation to attend. He owed the giant mech for this.

As Starfall shut down his work terminal and headed for the door he couldn't quite stop himself from glancing in the mirror that hung on the far wall as he passed. He hoped he hadn't overdone it that morning in the wash rack. He'd been so excited for the conference he'd decided to use some of Sunstreaker's special polish. His plating radiated a high glossy shine. He'd also put on his favorite set of planetary rings and a new set of wing stripes. The silver stacks of rings contrasted nicely with the fresh polish Starfall thought. He absentmindedly wondered if Skyfire would like it.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind Starfall shook it away. How silly. Why would Skyfire care how he looked? The shuttle was taking him to a scientific presentation, not a fashion show. Skyfire had never indicated he cared about fashion or appearances. His main concern was science and the workings of the universe. Nonetheless, Starfall couldn't quite stop himself from readjusting his planetary rings to lay a bit more attractively around his wrist joints.

Locking the door to the office suite, Starfall hurried for the bank of lifts that would take him down to street level. While the High Tower's roof had a landing pad, it was only accessible to those with high security clearance, which Starfall did not have. Open access to the Tower from above was considered a security risk, especially now that there were so many bots in Iacon who could fly. So even for bots like him that would have preferred to leave from the roof, he had go down to street level first to leave the building before taking to the sky. Starfall understood the security reasoning behind such a rule (he'd grown up with Ironhide – his family's self-appointed bodyguard – after all), but that still didn't quite stem the rush of annoyance from having to go out of his way to get to the sky.

Starfall pressed the call button for a lift. Almost immediately an empty car dinged open to his right. He stepped inside and turned to face out. For a moment he thought he had the car to himself before another bot suddenly appeared in the doorway and slipped inside just as the doors began to close.

"Perfect timing!" the mech laughed as he took a spot beside Starfall in the lift.

Starfall would have been lying if he'd said his spark didn't drop at his unexpected companion's arrival. The mech's name was Tarmac, a younger assistant hire to the High Council like himself. A standard four-wheel model, Tarmac had a nondescript grey and blue paintjob. Starfall was pretty sure he worked for one of the Council's inter-city trade boards, but wasn't entirely sure. Since starting at the High Council Starfall had crossed paths with Tarmac like this more times than what felt like normal coincidence would have allowed. Whether it be on the lifts, in the lobby, or in the Tower's energon commissary for breaks, Starfall seemed to "run into" Tarmac on almost a daily basis. The frequency of it made Starfall suspicious.

"I was almost sure I was one of the last bots in the Tower," Tarmac said conversationally as the lift began its descent. "Looks like I was wrong. Did you get stuck working late too?"

"A bit," Starfall replied.

Tarmac abruptly edged closer to Starfall, so close that the back of his arm lightly brushed against the front Starfall's right wing. "I like Senator Malware but she's always sticking me with last minute things she needs done. She has two other assistants like me working in the department but she always seems to single me out for the things. Does Ambassador Draxil do that to you?"

"Um… no," Starfall murmured. "I'm the ambassador's only assistant, so it's just me to make sure everything's done and on schedule. Sometimes that means I have to stay late to make sure everything's done."

"That's so admirable of you," Tarmac said, leaning even closer. "I think responsibility is such an attractive feature in another bot. Don't you think so?" He stared intensely into Starfall's optics as if trying to directly mine the information from Starfall's processor himself.

"Um… ugh huh," Starfall uncomfortably mumbled. He was currently fighting with himself not to instinctively step away from the other mech. This was one of the reasons he quietly dreaded being cornered by Tarmac – the other mech seemed to have no sense of personal space. Every time Starfall saw him Tarmac seemed to always end up close to him and accidentally brush against his wings.

Starfall wasn't sure if Tarmac was like this with everyone or just him, but he didn't like it. Ever since he was a child he didn't like unfamiliar bots touching his wings. Even an accidental brush against another in a crowded room was enough to make Starfall's wings unconsciously fold down against his back and leave his back struts quivering with tension. His father once hypothesized it was probably due to what happened to him as child when his wings had been so badly injured they had to be temporarily removed. Even if he didn't remember the initial trauma of his attack Starfall had never forgotten the orns spent afterwards laying in agonizing pain in the hospital.

Oblivious to Starfall's discomfort, Tarmac went on. "I consider myself an extremely responsible bot. It's one of my best qualities. It's one of the reasons I got the job in Senator Malware's office. It sucks having to stay late all the time but I think she always picks me because she knows I'll get things done right. Plus," he murmured, leaning in towards Starfall as if to whisper a secret, "I get to ride the lift down with you at the end of the orn. Not so bad of a reward, if you ask me…"

Inside Starfall was almost screaming for escape. As if in answer to his prayers, the lift bumped to a gentle stop and the doors slid open. The Tower's lobby yawned wide on the other side. Starfall quickly side-stepped around Tarmac and off the lift. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. Have a good night." He gave a hasty little wave over his shoulder as he hurried away. He didn't know what it was exactly – Tarmac's uncanny ability to find him no matter where he was in the Tower or his unnerving disregard for personal space – but Starfall always wanted to escape his presence as quickly as possible. He almost felt bad for thinking so negatively about another bot he really didn't know, but it was true. Something about Tarmac just made Starfall's armor instinctively flatten against his protomatter whenever he was near.

"Hey, Star, wait!" Tarmac called after him. He hurried to catch up with the seeker.

Starfall inwardly cringed. He let nothing show on his face, though, as he stopped and turned back towards the grey and blue mech. His father had raised him to be polite and courteous to everyone. "Yes?" he asked with a forced smile.

Tarmac fumbled for a moment. "I was just wondering… Well, I was wondering if you might like to get a drink with me sometime. We're both pretty new to the Tower and I thought we might find out we have a lot in common if we talked for a bit. I was thinking about heading over to the bar across the street. Would you like to join me? I heard somewhere once that seekers really like engex spritzers. I'd be happy to buy you one. Or whatever else you'd like! I'm not sure what else seekers might like. I'm sorry, I'm rambling… So what do you say? Drinks?"

Starfall had never been more grateful to already have plans in his function. He owed Skyfire even more for tonight than he originally thought.

"I'm so sorry but I already have plans with a friend. I'll have to take a rain check on that offer."

"Oh," Tarmac murmured, visibly wilting with disappointment. "I guess that explains the polish…" He seemed to pull himself together a bit with a renewed gleam of hope in his optics. "How about tomorrow after work then? I don't have any plans tomorrow."

"I'll have to check my schedule," Starfall demurred, slowly edging away from the other mech in the direction of the doors. "I'm so sorry but I really have to get going. My friend will be waiting for me."

"Oh, okay. No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night," Starfall said now backing away more quickly than before. After more several paces, Starfall turned and hastily strode for the doors. His wings were tightly hitched above his shoulder plates.

"Don't forget to check your schedule for tomorrow!" Tarmac called after him. "I'll see if I can pull up the drink menu online to make sure they have something you'll like. I'll show you it tomorrow."

Starfall continued to walk, pretending not to hear. It was only after Starfall made it outside, had transformed into his jet mode, and was speeding away from the Tower towards the south corner of the city that excitement for that evening began to creep back up on him. He just hoped his latest encounter with Tarmac wouldn't make him late to meet Skyfire.

OOOOOOOO

Dusk was steadily approaching. It would be full dark within the next half joor. Skyfire checked his internal chronometer for the fifth time in as many klicks. He'd told Starfall to meet him in front of the Science Institute's conference hall at twenty-eight hundred joors. Starfall still had fifteen klicks until then but Skyfire couldn't stop himself from continually checking the time.

What was wrong with him? Why was he so anxious about Starfall arriving in time? It wasn't like he was worried about Starfall not coming. The younger mech had been too excited about the conference to just suddenly cancel. Skyfire knew he shouldn't but deep down he knew he was excited to see Starfall again. They had spent almost the entire anniversary party talking. The entire orn had flown by without either of them noticing. Skyfire had parted ways with Starfall that day feeling a euphoric sense of contentment he hadn't felt in ages.

It was because of that contentment Skyfire had waited to contact Starfall about the conference for several deca-cycles. He'd needed time to gather himself and tamp down the unintentional surge of emotions he'd felt after talking with Starfall at the anniversary party. He had to be careful not to get too close to Starfall. He'd caught himself more than once that orn blending Starfall and Starscream together in his mind. Several times he'd caught himself almost calling Starfall by his former incarnation's name. Spending time with Starfall at the anniversary party had only solidified Skyfire's concern that Starfall was too much like Starscream for him to safely be around for long. He couldn't let himself get too close. It would only hurt more in the long run if he did. His feelings for his lost love had no place in either of their lives now.

Yet while Skyfire logically knew he had to keep his distance he couldn't bring himself to go back on his promise to take Starfall to the scientific conference. He had made a promise to the seeker and he did not have the strength to disappoint Starfall. He would accompany Starfall to the conference and that would be it. Afterwards he could reestablish his distance. He just had to be strong. Ultimately, it would be best for both of them. He couldn't look into anything Starfall said or did tonight too deeply or he would only disappoint himself later down the road.

He knew this. He kept telling himself the same thing again and again.

And yet-

He checked his chronometer again.

Twelve klicks til twenty-eight hundred joors and still no sign of the seeker…

-he couldn't quite stop the flutter in his chest every time he thought about Starfall.

The roar of turbine engines abruptly startled Skyfire out of his conflicted thoughts. He looked up just in time to see a white and blue jet descend straight down between the buildings. About two stories above the ground Starfall transformed into his root form and gracefully landed several paces from where Skyfire waited.

"Skyfire!" Starfall called as he adjusted the stacks of silver rings adorning his wrists. "Am I late? I'm so sorry if I am. I got caught up leaving the Tower. I made it here as quickly as I could."

For a moment Skyfire couldn't find his voice. All he could do was stare at the younger mech in awestruck silence. Starfall looked – for lack of any more refined or poetic word – *beautiful*. The shine of his armor was like a million crushed diamond glittering in the dying rays of the sun. Fresh wing stripes decorated the lengths of his wings. Stacks of polished silver rings chimed around his wrists like music. But most arresting of all was the sheer color of his optics. In the gathering dusk they gleaming an almost unworldly shade of turquoise, like windows into another dimension. Put all together Starfall was the living embodiment of exotic, sophisticated beauty.

Dammit. He'd almost forgotten how handsome Starfall was. Tonight was going to be even more difficult than he'd realized.

"No, not at all," Skyfire finally found his voice. "You're actually still a little bit early."

"Have you been waiting long?" Starfall asked, coming up to the shuttle.

"Not at all. Would you like to go inside and find seats?"

Starfall smiled. "Yes."

Before Skyfire knew what was happening, Starfall stepped up beside him and wound one arm up through his. His hand rested lightly in the crook of Skyfire's elbow. The corner of his wing brushed ever so lightly against Skyfire's side he stood so close.

"Shall we?" Starfall asked, gazing up at Skyfire excitedly.

Skyfire couldn't find the words to respond. He dumbly nodded in reply. It was like Starfall's touch had completely robbed him of coherent thought.

As the two strode towards the door, Starfall leaned against Skyfire and excitedly whispered up to him. "I've been looking forward to tonight since you called me last deca-cycle. Thank you again for inviting me."

"It's my pleasure," Skyfire nodded, still too enthralled by Starfall's hand resting on the inside of his elbow joint to give much more of an eloquent response. "I just hope this conference is half as interesting as you're expecting it to be."

Starfall chuckled. "Even if this conference isn't I'm glad I get to see you again. I was worried for awhile that you'd forgotten about inviting me and I wouldn't get to see you until next vorn's anniversary party."

"I'd never forget about you," Skyfire insisted before he could think better of it.

Starfall's reply was a blindingly handsome smile. Skyfire's spark gave a warm flutter in his chest.

Tickets were presented to the guard and the two made their way inside the hall still walking arm in arm. As they made their way into the lobby Skyfire counted exactly five point two nano-klicks before their entrance was noticed. He recognized a number of bots milling around the lobby – some of them colleagues, others scientists from other institutes and universities he'd met in the past at conferences like today's. There were several double-takes at first and then like a gentle ripple passing through the room a wave of optics swung towards them and stared. Some stares held surprise, others confusion. But lurking behind each and every set of optics was some measure of appraising wonder.

Skyfire could only imagine what they must think. They were probably all wondering what the Prime's son was doing there with someone like Skyfire – and walking arm in arm no less! He knew how Starfall looked. He understood why others stared. The seeker had been turning heads since he received his final upgrade vorns ago. Decked out in Vosian planetary rings and a fresh coat of polish Starfall was even more eye-catching than normal.

To his credit, Starfall didn't even seem to register the attention. Skyfire supposed the younger mech was just used to it. Growing up as the son of the most powerful and recognizable mech on the planet had probably desensitized him to such things at an early age. Skyfire, however, was not used to so much attention and was acutely aware of each and every set of optics on him.

Unconsciously, Skyfire walked a little straighter. He became even more aware of the weight of Starfall's hand on the inside of his elbow. He knew he shouldn't but some small part of him couldn't help but feel a little proud to know that it was him who Starfall walked beside and no one else.

"Star, is that you? I wasn't expecting to see you here!" a familiar voice called out just as they were about to go into the auditorium.

Skyfire and Starfall both stopped and turned towards the voice.

Wheeljack was walking towards them with another mech beside him.

"Wheeljack," Starfall greeted with a smile. He turned to face the approaching mechs. His hand remained loosely looped over Skyfire's elbow. "I don't know why I'm surprised to see you here," he said with a joking laugh.

Wheeljack chuckled "I should be saying that to you! I basically live here at the Institute. But you're definitely a new face in the crowd." His head fins flashed bright as if in emphasis.

Starfall laughed brightly. "I was talking to Skyfire at the anniversary party and he told me about how his exploration team is presenting their findings at tonight's conference. I haven't been to any scientific conferences since I was still in High Academy and I basically pity-partied Skyfire into offering me an invitation to go with him."

"Is that so?" Wheeljack said. He glanced at Skyfire but not before pointedly letting his optics linger on Starfall's hand that rested in the crook of Skyfire's elbow. If he thought anything about it he didn't let it show. "Well, I'll be glad to see a new face in the crowd tonight."

"Will you be presenting something tonight?" Starfall asked.

Wheeljack's head fins flashed. "I will! I've been working on a new transwarp drive that could potentially allow us to use spacebridge technology to jump to locations that don't have existing spacebridge gates. Kind of like super long-range teleportation. If the technology can be developed on a larger scale we could potentially explore whole new galaxies that are too far away for our current technology to reach."

"Really?" Starfall murmured, openly enthralled. "Is this all still theoretical or have you developed a prototype?"

"Finished developing a prototype several lunar cycles ago. Been teleporting small bits of scrap metals and other objects back and forth across the lab ever since."

"Will you be giving a live demonstration tonight?" A slightly worried look crossed Starfall's face. "Not to disparage your work or anything but I've heard that your inventions have a tendency to, um… explode."

Both Wheeljack and the other mech with him burst into laughter. Even Skyfire had to suppress a chuckle. Wheeljack's lab accidents were the stuff of legends. Over the vorns it had become almost a point of pride to Wheeljack how many small scale fires he had to put out each deca-cycle. Skyfire had even heard there was a long running betting pool between some of the other Institute's scientists for Wheeljack's accidents.

"I'll be giving a small demonstration," Wheeljack said. "But I can assure you nothing will explode. I've replicated the same experiment hundreds of times in the lab with no explosions."

Starfall feigned doubt. "That's great but I think I'll find a seat a little farther back from the stage when you do your demonstrations. Just to be safe…"

The group of mechs exchanged another round of friendly laughter.

As they quieted, Skyfire took to opportunity to gesture to the mech standing beside Wheeljack. "Star, I'm not sure if you know him, but this is Professor Quark. He is the sparkmate of my exploration's team leader, Brainstorm. He heads the Quantum Physics Department of the Institute."

Starfall's expression instantly sharpened. "*The* Professor Quark? As in Professor Quark who wrote about the theoretical possibility of time travel in last lunar cycle's Scientific Institute's publication?"

The mech gave a startled laugh. "Oh my. I never thought the Prime's son would actually know who I am."

"How could I not?" Starfall gushed, thrusting his hand out to shake Quark's. "It is such an honor to meet you. I've been an avid follower of your work ever since you published your study on dark matter several orns ago. I thought it was absolutely fascinating."

"Thank you so much for saying so," Quark replied, returning Starfall's handshake. "It's not everyday I'm recognized for my work outside of the scientific community."

"I've always considered myself something of a science groupie," Starfall admitted with a sheepish shrug. "My trinemates always joke that I'm something of a closet nerd." Growing more serious, Starfall speared the scientist with an intense look of curiosity. "I've always wanted to ask you: what made you decide to switch fields? Skyfire and I were just talking last lunar cycle about one of your earlier publications about the bioluminescent qualities of Earth's dinoflagellates. It's a bit of a jump from xeno-biology to quantum physics. Did your interests suddenly change?"

Quark gave another bark of delighted laughter. "You really are a science groupie to have been following me long enough to know that! You're right. I did start out in xeno-biology. It was one of my first fields of interest. That's actually how I met Brainstorm. But several vorns ago the Institute received a grant to study the long-range effects of deep space black hole gravitational fields. I was offered a position on the team. After completing the study I realized how much more there was to learn in quantum physics and decided to shift focus. I still help Brainstorm with some of his studies when the opportunity arises. I haven't completely abandoned xeno-biology."

"I look forward to hearing Brainstorm's presentation," Starfall said.

Quark glanced up at Skyfire. "If Starfall ever wishes to come to another conference I hope you offer him another invitation. It's so refreshing to meet new people interested in science."

"We'll see how Star likes this conference before we force him to any more," Skyfire replied with a forced smile.

In the back of his mind, Skyfire silently cursed Quark. In any other universe he would have loved the opportunity to spend more time with Starfall. The seeker was everything Skyfire remembered and loved about his former incarnation and more. Starfall was intelligent, charming, and handsome. But unlike Starscream, Starfall was also caring, considerate, and patient – qualities Starscream had never quite seemed to master.

Tonight was to have been Skyfire's one indulgence in Starfall's company before he had to restore a healthy distance from the younger mech. It wouldn't do him any good to get closer. He and Starfall were not destined to be together. He had to keep reminding himself that. He'd already suffered the pain of losing a loved one once. It would only end in disappointment to allow himself to be lulled closer to Starfall's magnetic charm and eventually be left behind and forgotten once the younger mech moved on to someone else more suited for him.

So for Quark to suggest he indulge the possibility of spending more time with Starfall hurt. Why did so many bots feel the need to interfere with his personal life? First Optimus and Jazz at the Anniversary Party, and now Quark. Skyfire was sure it was all done with the best of intentions but that still didn't change reality or dampen the sting of inevitable loss.

The lobby lights suddenly dimmed and brightened again. The groups of bots milling around them began to break up and move towards the auditorium.

"Ah! That's our signal that the party's about to start," Wheeljack announced. "I have to go get ready for my presentation. Enjoy the conference, Star."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Starfall," Quark smiled as he too moved to leave.

"You as well," Starfall said. As the two moved off, Starfall glanced up at Skyfire. "Shall we find seats?" His optics flashed bright with excitement.

Skyfire tried to swallow back the lingering bitterness of his thoughts. "Of course," he smiled, motioning for Starfall to lead the way. Throughout the entire interaction with Wheeljack and Quark Starfall's hand had remained a reassuring weight on the inside of Skyfire's elbow. Skyfire refused to dwell too much on it. Following the press of Starfall's touch, Skyfire allowed the younger mech to guide him through the press of other bodies. Starfall's hand only finally fell away when he led them to a row of empty seats towards the back of the auditorium. Skyfire would have been lying if he said he didn't immediately miss the warmth of his touch.

As they settled themselves into their seats, Skyfire glanced around. Starfall had chosen seats for them almost at the very back of the auditorium. Only a handful of other bots sat in that section. The closest one sat a good five rows away. The majority of everyone else was congregated at the front of the auditorium near the stage.

"Are you sure you want to sit this far back, Star?" Skyfire asked. "I know Wheeljack's inventions have a reputation of blowing up, but I doubt the Institute's director would have let Wheeljack present if there were any legitimate concerns of that happening tonight."

Starfall gave a small laugh. "No, no. Nothing like that. I just know you usually like to sit towards the back of the room. I wanted you to enjoy the presentation too. I know you're always worried about blocking other people's views because of how tall you are."

Skyfire was momentarily struck speechless. "How do you know that?"

Starfall replied with a wry glance as though Skyfire was silly for even asking. "You told me once. It was vorns ago, but I remember you mentioning it. I felt bad that you felt like you had to sequester yourself away from everyone else when you're in a large crowd. So we'll sit back here so you don't have to worry about it. Also…" Starfall leaned closer as though whispering a secret, "if Wheeljack's demonstration *does* happen to blow up we'll be near the doors and hopefully far enough away from the blast radius."

Skyfire couldn't quite stop a chuckle from escaping his mouth. That mirth quickly morphed into a rush of almost violent affection for the younger mech. It was an understatement to say he was surprised Starfall remembered such a thing Skyfire had mentioned only in passing vorns ago. But it was true. He was extremely self-conscious of his size. He never really felt comfortable in assembled groups like this, because – as Starfall had pointed out – he was always concerned about being in the way and a nuisance to others. That's why he preferred to hang back, behind everyone else. That way he never had to worry about being in the way. So for Starfall to not only remember Skyfire's concern but also go out of his way to accommodate the larger mech's needs made Skyfire's spark constrict. He was almost positive if Starfall hadn't accompanied him that evening, the seeker would have been at the front of the auditorium right in front of the stage. But here he was all the way in the back of the room with Skyfire. Starfall really was too good for him. He couldn't think of anyone else who would have made such a concession for him, let alone without having to even ask.

Skyfire had no chance to remark on Starfall's thoughtfulness before the director of the Science Institute appeared on stage to a swell of polite claps and strode to the podium for opening remarks.

The conference progressed quickly. Skyfire only paid half attention to it. His attention was mostly focused on the younger mech beside him. Throughout the presentations, Starfall's attention was firmly focused on stage. He sat rapt in his seat, wings slightly hitched above his shoulders. Skyfire was sure if Starfall had had a datapad with him he would have been taking notes. He reminded Skyfire of Starscream so much in that moment he could almost imagine they were still in a university lecture several million years ago before everything had changed. Before his crash on a primordial Earth. Before Megatron and the war. Before Starscream was forced to face judgment for his crimes and was reborn in his current form. For several brief joors Skyfire was able to forget all about that and just enjoy being in the presence of his lost love.

Finally, as all good things must, the conference ended. Starfall stood from his seat and stretched. His wings arched behind him gracefully. "That was absolutely fascinating," he said as Skyfire also stood and together they edged out of the row.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Skyfire smiled.

As they headed for the exit, Starfall once again slid his hand up to rest on the inside of Skyfire's elbow joint. An unbidden rush of warmth washed over Skyfire. He didn't know what Starfall's touch meant or why the younger mech seemed so determined to continually broadcast it to anyone who looked who he was there with, but Skyfire was helpless under the seeker's touch. He wordlessly allowed Starfall to guide them through the press of other bots until they were once again outside in front of the Science Institute. Starfall led Skyfire to the side, out of the flow of foot traffic and spun around to face Skyfire. His hand slipped from Skyfire's elbow. Skyfire couldn't quite push down the rush of disappointment at the loss of contact.

It was full dark now. Starfall's optics shined brightly in the shadows as he stared up at him. "I can't thank you enough for bringing me tonight, Skyfire. I really appreciate it."

"Like I said before, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"So where do you want to go now? I know a great bar not far from here that has a rooftop patio. They have some really interesting drinks I think you might like."

Skyfire's internal systems did an automatic reset of his audios. Surely he just misheard that. "I'm… sorry?"

Starfall chuckled, his face splitting into a mischievous smile at Skyfire's confusion. "Drinks. Bar. Remember? I warned you I was going to grill you with questions after the conference. I have a slew of questions, some of them from Brainstorm's presentation about your team's expedition. You left out some very interesting details when we talked at the anniversary party. It's also way too early to call it a night." He took a small half-step closer to Skyfire, his optics bright and cajoling. "Come on. I'll buy."

Skyfire was momentarily speechless. He'd forgotten about Starfall wanting to get drinks afterwards. He'd kind of just assumed that after the conference Starfall would thank him for taking him along and then fly off, leaving Skyfire behind with his memories and loneliness. It still shocked him on some level that the younger mech seemed to want to spend so much time with him.

Skyfire knew that whatever he thought this was between them wasn't real. He knew he was only over-thinking Starfall's words and actions with an aching heart. This wasn't going to end well for him even if he pulled away and ceased all interactions now. In for a penny, in for a pound, as the humans used to say. If nothing else, this would give him a few more joors to enjoy his reincarnated lover's company.

He knew he shouldn't. He'd told himself that at least a thousand times since seeing Starfall at the Anniversary Party. But…

"Alright."

to be continued…