Iacon, Autobot Headquarters, the following orn

Medbay, Supply Closet

Ratchet set the last box on the shelf. Seems we gathered a decent amount of spare parts. A sigh of air escaped his intakes as images of Simfur once more replayed in his memory banks. He had had to deal with injuries from skirmishes, raids, and bombings. But compared to Simfur, they were nothing. The death and injury count for the soldiers was far above and beyond any prior engagement. This was the first time the Decepticons had gone so far. The remainder of the Senate had tried to downplay the previous skirmishes, but now there was no way in the Pit they would be able to hide it. The number of casualties was far too great. Five thousand mechs had gone to Simfur. Twenty-seven thousand mechs and femmes had lived in the city-state. Perhaps three thousand soldiers had returned in varying states of injury, and so far no one had been reported alive from within Simfur.

There would be no way to suppress the fact a city-state had been wiped off the face of Cybertron. Ratchet snorted. Not that they won't try. They did that during the riots too, just so no one would know how bad it was really getting before it was too late. Slagging politicians. Always putting their own self-interest before everyone else's. Ratchet had little respect for the system. He'd watched it grow more and more corrupt over the vorns, and Sentinel Prime had been compromised fairly early in his tenure. He didn't like involving himself in the Senate's politics and usually let them have their way in order to avoid conflict, something the Senators had noticed quickly and took advantage of at every opportunity. After Sentinel and most of the Senate had been killed by Megatron and his mechs, and the Matrix had chosen Optimus, the remainder of the Senate had believed his youth would make him easy to control. Even Ratchet had believed that chances were high that this Prime would be as weak as the previous one, which was the last thing they needed with a war situation.

He had been pleasantly surprised and the remaining Senators had not been happy when Optimus proved intractable. The CMO had been told about the threat by Mecurion to Prime when they'd issued that order about the prisoners, so it was no surprise to the medic that Prime had pulled a Seeker out of the penitentiary when he'd found him there. The Senate had spent too much time vilifying them and wouldn't have been happy for one to be in their ranks. Particularly an accused murderer. Ratchet smirked. He remembered seeing Mecurion and that spindly-looking mech storm into HQ that cycle and at the time wished he could have overheard that "conversation".

Shaking off the memories for the time being, Ratchet stretched and turned to walk out of the supply closet. These parts needed to be cataloged, but he could get to that in a few breems. Right now, he had a few patients to check on, one in particular.

He frowned. During the surgery to repair the hole in the mech's chassis, he had had to remove Starscream's wings, for not only were they bent, but the shot had gone through one of his wings as well. When the tetrajet awoke, chances were he was going to be slagged off by their removal. During his residency, he'd once witnessed such a scene with a minibot flier who had had one of his wings removed after a crash. That mini had torn off the arm of the medical assistant who'd tried to restrain him and swore a blue streak. Later on, he had found the flier and asked why he'd done it. The mini had said only that it was a flier's worst fear to be grounded. Ratchet had no doubt in his processor that the Seeker was likely to feel a very similar way. He would have to make sure to let Wheeljack know to get them finished as quickly as possible. Hopefully, they would be repaired before Starscream woke.

"Ratchet?"

The voice broke him from his thoughts and he turned around. When he saw who was standing there, he gave a small smile.

"Optimus. What brings you down here?"

Optimus Prime's optics seemed to grow tired at that question.

"Jazz gave me the report."

Ratchet shuttered his optics briefly. "I see."

Optimus looked towards the ward where Starscream was laying. As he had long suspected it would, the Senate's order had blown up in their faces. He just hadn't expected it to occur so spectacularly. Optimus had been furious to learn that the Prison Brigade had been sent out there in spite of Ironhide's earlier report that they were not battle-ready and probably would not be for some time to come, if at all. In fact, he had recommended the majority be used for guard duty and be paired up with more experienced mechs for even that. After listening to everything Jazz had to say, he had dismissed him and sent for Ironhide.

When confronted, Ironhide had emphatically denied that sending those particular mechs was his idea. He said he had tried to tell Prowl that the mechs would be no good for a siege situation. Prowl had countered by saying that Prime wanted mechs out there, and the Prison Brigade would be one of the units that went to Simfur, like it or not. Furthermore, he had said, they would need to get the experience and if they couldn't handle it, then the Autobots were better off. When Ironhide had still resisted, Prowl had pulled rank on him, threatening to throw him in the brig and send out the unit anyway. The Weapons Master insisted to Optimus that he may not have liked any of those mechs, some more than others, but he wouldn't have condoned sending them on a suicide mission; it would have been a waste of the time he'd spent in training them.

Optimus had ordered Ironhide out at that point and then comm.'d Prowl, demanding he come to his office. When confronted, Prowl had not only admitted it, he hadn't shown any regret whatsoever when told that the Prison Brigade was virtually wiped out.

"If they could not stand the stress of battle, then we are better off without them."

Prime had been less than pleased with that statement, and very coldly reminded Prowl that he was the Autobot Commander, not Prowl. It was his duty to determine which of the units went out based on the recommendations of both the Weapons Master and the SIC. Prowl knew full well what Ironhide had stated about the former prisoners and should not have deliberately disregarded the information. And he shouldn't have unilaterally made the decision regarding which units to send out there.

"We are too short on mechs as it is, Prowl, we cannot afford to waste them!" A thought occurred to him at that point, and taking a gamble, he added, "Especially not on petty grudges."

The doorwings stiffened, and Prime knew he had guessed correctly. "Excuse me, sir. I do not understand."

Optimus shook his head, infuriated. He knew Prowl disliked Starscream and would do all in his power to make his life miserable, but never once did the Prime suspect his SIC would stoop so low as to commit this form of murder. "Yes, you do." He rose from his seat. "You saw an opportunity and sent them out there in hopes that one mech in particular would die in battle, and if the others died along with him, then so much the better."

Prowl shook his head. "I did no such thing." There was a tone in his voice suggesting he was insulted by the accusation.

Prime, remembering how Prowl had reacted at that meeting ten vorns ago when Starscream's name was introduced, did not believe him. He was angered even more by the thought that Prowl was lying to his face. Optimus put his hands on his desk and leaned forward on them, making optic contact with his SIC.

In a cold voice, he stated, "You did, and you came damn near to getting your wish."

"Sir?" The response seemed equally cold, yet Optimus thought he could hear something else as well, something he couldn't quite identify.

"Jazz brought me Ratchet's report. According to his statement, Starscream survived that battle. He was heavily injured, but Hound found him before he bled out. Apparently, he believed that Starscream was a Decepticon Seeker and would have useful information."

Upon saying those words, Optimus watched the mech in front of him very closely for his reaction. He noticed Prowl's doorwings and hands begin to tremble. A few moments later, the datapad he was holding snapped in half.

The Autobot leader took that as all the evidence he needed. It was time to drive his message home.

"From now on, Prowl, you will run all mech deployments by me. We will discuss which mechs would be useful where, and what units should be sent out. You try slag like this again, and you will not only be demoted to foot soldier, but you will also be confined to the brig until such time as I see fit to release you. If I see fit to release you. Am I clear?"

In a frigid tone, the black and white mech replied "Crystal."

Without another word, he turned and stormed out.

Optimus shook his head. He had put an end to one of Prowl's gambits, but was unfortunately all too aware that the mech would not consider this over. He would have to be very watchful and hope that he could prevent further issues before they occurred.

He turned back to Ratchet. "It seems it was Prowl who made the decision to send the Prison Brigade out."

Ratchet's optics flashed. "Dare I ask why, or do I know already?"

"He apparently has a very long memory, Ratchet, and it seems he is unwilling to set past grudges aside in favor of the greater problem."

The CMO found himself wishing he could get his hands on the Praxian at that moment. "A lot of mechs died who didn't have to because of his grudge."

"I know, and believe me when I say that it was made very clear to him what would happen if he attempted another such stunt."

Ratchet, having seen how some of those mechs died, as well as the injuries to Starscream, hoped that the message had indeed been driven home in the strongest way possible. He shook his head. "Hope so. How some of those mechs died was brutal, Optimus."

At Prime's raised browridge, he elaborated. "Some had their heads half blown off. Others had their Sparks torn out of their chest."

He glanced towards the ward containing the Seeker. "Starscream was luckier than most in that he was shot in the chassis. That meant he had more of a chance for survival."

"May I speak with him?" Optimus had to admit he was curious about how the mech was faring since joining the ranks.

The red and white shook his head again. "Not right now. He's unconscious, and has drifted in and out at least once. I've repaired his chassis and dealt with the wire and circuit damage, but I did have to remove his wings in order for the repairs to be done properly for those. In fact, Wheeljack is working on them right now." He glanced at Optimus and said dryly, "I'd prefer he remain unconscious until they're back on him. I do not want to deal with an upset Seeker."

Prime could concede that point, remembering how the tetrajet's face had changed when asked how long it had been since he'd last flown. He suspected the loss of flight would be damaging to him in more ways than one. Plus, knowing what he did of the mech's temper, he further suspected that awakening and finding his wings missing would garner an explosive reaction.

He nodded and turned to go. "Very well. Just be sure to inform me the moment he's ready for visitors."

Ratchet nodded. Then a thought occurred to him. At the meeting where the announcement was made, Prime had made it clear the Seeker was under his protection, and the CMO had always wondered why. Later on, the way Starscream had resisted giving any information until Prime stepped in had puzzled him as well. The mech had been characterized as violent, and indeed he did appear to have a temper, but overall his behavior and speech patterns did not suggest that he was as vicious as Prowl and Red Alert seemed to believe.

Besides, the medic had to admit he'd always been the least bit curious. Especially after hearing Ironhide's rant about the two talking alone for a while.

"Optimus, a moment," he began. Prime paused and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"I must admit, there is something I've always wondered."

"Go ahead." Optimus had known this would come sooner or later. And that it was Ratchet asking meant that there was the possibility he would be reasonable on the issue.

"Why exactly did Starscream join the Autobots? He is a Seeker, and I know that as a native Vosian, he would be less than sympathetic to them under the best of circumstances. Given that he was convicted of murder under their watch, I would expect him to be even less inclined to care what happens to them or our faction. So why did he come to us rather than remaining in the prison?"

Optimus didn't answer for a moment, weighing his answer. He had known eventually this day would come. But how much should he say? It was undeniable that as a medic, Ratchet would be as neutral as he could on the matter, and he seemed to hold no hostility towards the Seeker. On the other hand, he was aware how the truth would sound...But somehow, that no longer seemed as important now as it was at the time. Decision made, he gave his answer.

"Starscream didn't wish to leave the prison. He made it clear he would prefer to remain than compromise his principles. I merely pointed out to him that remaining would only subject him to more of the ill-treatment he had been receiving." He paused a moment. "I also reminded him that he hadn't flown for a very long time."

Somehow, Ratchet wasn't too surprised by the answer. Plus, knowing that Optimus had not been pleased by the ultimatum and being aware of the general prejudice against war-builds, he suspected that their leader had decided to take a little revenge for the order by removing one from there. He had to admit the thought amused him. "I see."

Then his leader made a surprising statement. "I believe it further helped that I listened to him."

That gave Ratchet pause. "'Listened to him'?"

Prime nodded and turned back around. As he started walking out of the room once more, he responded, "He told me how he ended up there. No one else wanted to hear it. I did. I believe that made all the difference in his attitude towards me."

Ratchet nodded and took the opportunity to ask one more question, already suspecting he knew the answer, given his interactions with Starscream. "Optimus." His leader paused. "Do you think he did it? Kill his partner, I mean."

Optimus, standing in the doorway, bowed his head, mulling over his answer for a moment. He knew what he believed, but he also knew all too well, especially now, that trying to convince others would be impossible without Skyfire's presence. Ratchet, he was aware, had likely observed enough of Starscream's behavior that he would more than likely believe him if he told what he knew. But the fact remained he didn't have Starscream's permission to speak. The jet hadn't requested his silence, but it was still his story, and was his right alone to tell.

Finally, he replied, using his private comm.

::Once you have earned his trust, ask Starscream for his story.::

Ratchet said no more and Optimus left the medbay, leaving the medic to ponder his words, though he strongly suspected his friend had a very good idea of the truth and would waste no time taking up his suggestion.

Optimus had a feeling Starscream would awake to a new ally.

And given Prowl's actions, there was no doubt in his processor the tri-color Seeker would need all he would get.

With that thought in mind, he headed towards Perceptor's lab.

Autobot Headquarters, Officers' Wing

Jazz's office

Jazz sat back in his chair, thinking. After he'd returned from Simfur and given the first reports to Prime, he'd seen the Leader's optics visibly harden when he'd told him that the Prison Brigade was more or less completely dead. Quite honestly, when Ratchet told him, he'd wondered what they were doing there. He'd known even before Ironhide's report came down just what the results of their training were. Given what Mirage had told him, there was no way they would be prepared for any engagement for quite some time to come. Ratchet's own medical reports on them in the past had also suggested they were in poor mental and physical condition and unlikely to contribute much for any substantial length of time. As Jazz was leaving Prime's office after giving the report, he overheard the Commander hit the comm., summoning Ironhide to his office. The spy hadn't thought much of it at the time and headed for the commissary for some energon. But just a few breems ago, as he was heading back to his office to finish up a few things before returning to Simfur, he was confronted by an uncharacteristically angry Prowl.

"How dare you?"

Jazz turned around to see a very angry Prowl behind him. Wondering what had ticked off the SIC so much to the point he was showing such a rare emotion, he asked, "How dare Ah what, Prowler?"

Choosing to ignore the hated nickname in favor of his own grievances, the black and white elaborated. "You gave Optimus Ratchet's report concerning the Prison Brigade."

Completely puzzled now, Jazz raised a browridge behind his visor. It seemed that whatever Boss 'Bot had learned from Ironhide had led back to Prowl. But why was Prowl so upset about him giving a particular report to the Commander? It was standard procedure, after all. Prime needed to know what was going on and what had occurred so far, in order for them to have a clearer picture in forming their strategies. And in this case, such a severe loss of mech-power would cripple them seriously, causing the need to compensate for it in their future tactics.

Unless...A very nasty thought occurred to Jazz. Hoping he was wrong, he decided to take a shot in the dark.

Shrugging and putting on an air of nonchalance, he replied, "Boss 'Bot needed information regardin' Simfur and what happened there. We gotta have facts before puttin' plans together and losin' mechs like this is dangerous for us. Don't see what the big deal is."

A snarl came from Prowl. "From now on, you will run all reports by me and I will take them to Prime. Am I clear?"

All of Jazz's alarms went up now. Old experience told him that Prowl was either planning or trying to cover up something. And Prowl had specifically referred to the Prison Brigade.

Then it clicked. Who selected that unit?

He looked at Prowl, really looked at him, as a few memories drifted into his processor regarding a certain long-ago meeting. Then he spoke, and when he did, his voice was calm and cool, with a tinge of disgust. "Ah can't do that, Prowler. Ah answer to directly to Prime and follow only his orders." Narrowing his optics behind his visor, he added one final comment.

"Ya want to cause trouble for someone, ya can do it yourself. Ah won't help ya."

As Prowl's face contorted in rage, Jazz turned and continued on down the hall.

If anyone had asked Jazz, he wouldn't have thought Prowl capable of such underhanded actions. The mech was cold and emotionless, but that was the very reason Jazz had discounted that Prowl would go so far in dealing with old grievances. His battle computer would prevent him from such show of emotions.

On the other hand, Prowl could be calculating, and was more than capable of biding his time. Starscream's designation had never come up again in the time since that meeting, but that didn't mean it had been forgotten. And if at one time he angered Prowl so much that he held on to that anger for over two thousand vorns...

Jazz felt disgusted, and he wasn't sure he would be able to look at Prowl the same way again. He'd pulled some underhanded tactics in his time, he couldn't deny that, but that was part of his job, and to a certain extent, his duty. But as he told Prowl, he answered only to Optimus Prime, and their leader had made it very clear the Seeker was under his protection. Until told otherwise, Jazz wouldn't act. Prowl's defiance of Prime's clear order did not sit well with him.

The silver mech leaned back in his chair. Honestly, he never formed any real opinions one way or the other regarding the Seeker. When Starscream's designation had first come up, Jazz had noted the reactions: Prowl's anger at seeing him there and his reasons why; the smirk that Ironhide threw Prime after hearing what Prowl said; Red Alert's panic (though to be honest, that was kind of expected, given the mech's paranoia on security matters)...For his own part, Jazz had heard enough about Seekers over the vorns that admittedly, he would have subscribed to the general opinion under other circumstances. This time, though, he decided to keep quiet and listen.

After Prime had reminded Red Alert about the device all the prisoners would have installed and countered Prowl's own arguments by pointing out the need for fliers, Ratchet had spoken up with his own opinion, and Jazz found he couldn't refute the arguments either of them laid out. There was no denying they did need a flier's firepower, Seeker or not. Megatron had virtually all of them, and he knew for a fact that those who had refused to join were deactivated. He'd noticed Prime's glance in his direction, but stuck to his decision not to speak, in order to see how this all played out.

The way Perceptor and Wheeljack had reacted to seeing Starscream's name, Perceptor's comments on the matter, combined with Wheeljack's behavior while Perceptor spoke all suggested the pair had some knowledge of Starscream, something that contradicted what the others believed.

Then Prime had weighed in again with his own statement, making clear what his orders were regarding Starscream. Jazz had been surprised by it, and wondered what their leader knew. He could still recall commenting at the meeting's close to Prime that he hoped the Boss 'Bot knew what he was doing, and afterwards one of the assignments he'd given Mirage was to watch the Seeker closely when he went to observe the Prison Brigade.

What he learned surprised him. Ironhide did everything in his power to make the Seeker's life difficult, if not downright miserable, but in spite of that, the 'jet didn't react as Jazz had expected. He followed every order given to him, no matter how degrading or unfair they were. Among his fellow soldiers, he was belittled, but made little response. There were glares and caustic comments, but not the explosively violent reactions Jazz had expected.

Looking back at it now, he wondered just how much of Prowl and Ironhide's opinions were based on perception and how much were based in reality. He strongly suspected they had taken the Seeker's behavior at face value and not even tried to understand his motives. Jazz didn't know the motives, either, but he at least had taken the time to observe before judging, and what he learned rearranged what he thought he knew.

To Jazz's processor, the Seeker was somewhat of an enigma, no doubt about it; but it seemed that whatever passed between he and Optimus was enough to make their leader openly support him.

And one thing Jazz knew for sure: Prime was nobody's fool. The Seeker must have said something that convinced their leader beyond a doubt that he was worth trusting.

With that in mind, Jazz made a decision.

As soon as his mission at Simfur was completed, he was going to do a little digging.

Time to find out some answers.

Autobot HQ, 20 joors later

Medbay – Critical Care Unit

Ratchet finished up another scan of his patient and checked the monitors. It seemed Starscream's healing was coming along well. His body seemed to be accepting the new circuitry and wiring, and the plates and welds were assimilating nicely. If the progress continued at this rate, he would have the mech moved into the main ward the following orn. There was still a bit of physical healing to do, but the 'jet appeared to be out of serious danger.

For now, anyway. Ratchet shook his head as the thought brought up the memory of what Prime told him earlier. For a number of vorns now, he had worked with Prowl, and would be the first to admit that the mech believed in doing whatever it took to get the job done, and was a stickler for keeping order. His reputation for coming across as cold and emotionless was a well-earned one, and the CMO had yelled at the Autobot SIC a few times when he spoke as though the mechs were little more than cannon fodder and insisted that Ratchet only bother with those who had at least an eighty percent chance of being saved. The others were insignificant. Unless any mech could prove a use, he wanted nothing to do with them. Honestly, though, Ratchet would never have dreamed the mech could hold a grudge, particularly not for so long. And certainly, he would never have considered Prowl capable of using such a tactic. This time, it seemed he had been caught out, and Ratchet was somewhat unnerved by his actions. It suggested that the SIC had a far darker side to him than the medic ever suspected.

Shaking off the bothersome thoughts, Ratchet turned back to his patient. There was at least one thing he could do to protect the Seeker, at least for the time being. When Ratchet had first begun the repairs on the Seeker's chest, he found that whoever had shot Starscream had ended up doing him a favor. The device the Senate had demanded installed in each of the prisoners appeared to be in the path of the blast and was irreparably damaged as it tore through. Upon this discovery, Ratchet had removed what was left with a grim sense of satisfaction. He included it in his report under high-level security, and encrypted with his own personal code. As yet, though, he had not told Prime. The Senate had never taken kindly to Starscream's being in their ranks, and there was no doubt in Ratchet's processor that if they found out the device was destroyed and Prime knew about it, they would have a strong handle to try and undermine Optimus. With only three or four Senators left now after Ratbat's disappearance, they were going to do all they could to try and regain some control. Ratchet had spent some time juggling the privacy and ethical issues regarding keeping his silence, in the end deciding it was best for Prime to remain in ignorance for now. He would only release the information to Optimus if Starscream gave his permission.

He left the Critical Care Unit and started back to the supply room to complete the job of cataloging the new parts only to be stopped by the sound of a voice.

"Ratchet."

Ratchet looked around to see who had spoken, and spotted Perceptor standing there, looking every bit as calm and stoic as Prowl.

"Hello, Perceptor. What can I do for you?"

"Actually," the mech replied calmly, "I am here to inform you of something. Wheeljack has requested of me that I let you know that Starscream's wings are nearly repaired and completion should be within the next few joors."

Ratchet nodded, and mentally took the task of speaking to Wheeljack off of his list. "Thank you, Perceptor." He started to turn around only to be stopped once more before he could walk away.

"There is also something else."

Ratchet turned his head back around. "And that would be?"

"Wheeljack and I would request of you that we be allowed to visit Starscream when he is well. There is something we desire to ask of him."

After what he had heard about Prowl, and even though he remembered that Perceptor and Wheeljack had never spoken a word for or against the Seeker, Ratchet still felt a bit suspicious of the out-of-the-blue request.

Warily, he asked, "Why do you want to visit with him? As far as I know he has never met either of you, having gone straight into the training barracks upon his release from prison."

"That is our business."

Ratchet now got a bit annoyed. It was his job to take care of his patients and see to their well-being and that included their physical safety while in his medbay. With that in mind, he responded coolly, "If you won't give me a reason, then I can't let you see him."

For the first time he could remember, the Chief Medic saw Perceptor seemingly lose his unflappable demeanor for a moment: His hands clenched and optics flashed briefly. "It is not your concern, Ratchet." His voice was ice-cold.

"I'm making it my concern. Seekers did aid in the destruction of Simfur, after all. Once that tidbit gets out, anyone slagged off enough about that will want to go after Starscream, and won't care that he didn't fire on the city. I have to protect my patient, Perceptor."

Perceptor just gazed coldly at him, but Ratchet refused to back down. "You know Prime will say the same thing if you take this to him."

Perceptor's face went blank, but he didn't reply. Ratchet waited for a few kliks, but when the Chief Science Officer continued to keep silent, he decided to cut the conversation short. "Thank you for letting me know about the wings, but I still have a few things to do, Perceptor, so if you will excuse me..."

"Very well."

Ratchet raised a browridge in surprise. "'Very well'?"

"It is commendable you put his welfare first, so I will provide you with the reason why we wish to speak with him. But first, I must give you a bit of background so you can understand."

Somewhat surprised, Ratchet nodded. "Go ahead."

"Long ago, prior to his arrest and conviction, Starscream and Skyfire were professional colleagues of ours. Starscream's expertise was in the Mechanics and Engineering field, and Skyfire also worked in Mechanics, and dabbled a bit in the Chemical field. Eventually, both went on into Exploration, and took courses in Xenobiology and Astrography to that end. In spite of what the Science and Exploration Council would have everyone believe, both were extremely competent scientists and good friends.

"We did not know each other personally. I would only go so far as to say that we were aware of each other's designations and accomplishments. In fact Wheeljack, working in the Engineering field, knew somewhat more about Starscream than I did. But I knew that he had a keen intelligence, and certainly was deserving of more than he received. When he and Skyfire went into Exploration on a full-time basis, we heard less of them beyond when they left for or returned from a mission."

Perceptor paused a moment before continuing. "Then came word that Skyfire had disappeared while on one of those missions. To a point it was surprising, as they worked well as a team and had a high success rate, so to hear that their streak of luck had ended was indeed somewhat startling. But given the high mortality rate for those who went into that field, seventy-three point three nine one percent, in fact, it was not too great a shock. Many teams were lost before, or had lost at least one member. The true shock came when the news arrived about Starscream being arrested for his partner's murder. Such a thing had never happened before."

Ratchet frowned. Some of the pieces were now falling into place. "I see. But the trial took place in Iacon. You and Wheeljack were based in Crystal City."

Perceptor shook his head. "I cannot tell you how that came about. All I can tell you is that those who were even slightly acquainted with the pair were not invited to the trial to testify. Nor were those who could speak as to the low survival rate within that particular field." Another pause. "After his conviction, the records for both Skyfire and Starscream were suppressed, as were any experiments or projects they had worked on. All data regarding them was placed under Omega clearance. No one could view them without the express permission of the Crystal City Science Council." A smirk. "However, I do have copies of the data, downloaded and hidden before the trial was ended and the order to suppress came down."

Ratchet was quiet a moment as he digested everything the red mech told him. "Seems you were planning ahead for something that under normal circumstances would never happen. But why did you go to that trouble?"

Perceptor's optics seemed to harden. "I may not have known them personally, but the personalities of both were widely known. And while Skyfire may have been known as a pacifist, it was equally known that he did have a bit of a temper himself, and would involve himself in a fight if he believed something important was at stake. Plus, I did witness their interactions a few times. It seemed to me as though Skyfire had a calming influence on Starscream, and they actually seemed to enjoy each other's company. I highly doubt that Starscream would have betrayed Skyfire such a manner."

He cleared his intakes. "This brings me to why I am here. Optimus Prime approached Wheeljack and I after his visit to you a little while ago. He intends to place Starscream in with the core army as his unit is destroyed. Apparently he knows of Starscream's history and wished to know if we would be willing to accept him in our section. Wheeljack was more than eager. He has apparently always secretly harbored the desire to work with Starscream. For my own part, I cannot deny I would not mind having another scientist around me who does not blow up his experiments just by looking at them. More than likely, he would be able to help me prevent such explosions."

Perceptor concluded his statement. "However, we felt it would be best to speak with him regarding the matter before Prime does, to demonstrate our willingness to work with him. Given the circumstances of his imprisonment, plus particular treatment he has received in the past, it is highly possible he may not trust our motives."

Ratchet pondered what he had been told for a moment. He didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, but now he was starting to understand a little better why Starscream behaved as he did. A thought occurred to him. "You said Prime made the request of you to put Starscream in your section, I assume when he isn't on duty. It seems to me he's already made the decision, whether Starscream wants it or not. If what you've just told me is true, Starscream is not going to be given the option of refusal here, and won't take kindly to it."

"True, but as you stated, he will likely have many enemies here after word of Simfur is circulated more widely. I suspect Prime believes it would be better for him to be around others who know something of him and would not condemn him at first glance."

"That makes sense," Ratchet mused thoughtfully. "Tell you what, Perceptor, I'll let Starscream know when he wakes up that someone asked to visit him. I'll even ask Prime to put off telling him about the order until you've had the chance to approach him. I can't promise anything, though."

"Fair enough." The scientist nodded. "Thank you for your time, Ratchet. I will send Wheeljack your thanks concerning the repairs." With that, Perceptor turned and left the medbay.

Ratchet then went back to the task of cataloging what was in the supply closet. If Wheeljack was going to be finished up soon, then it would be best if he could get as much done while he could, and perhaps he could snatch a bit of recharge before taking Starscream into surgery. He could ponder the new information later.

Unbeknownst to him and Perceptor, someone else had overheard their conversation. Someone with red optics who observed both speaking as he sat in the ventilation grate just above them.

And that someone else was at that moment crawling back through the vents to take a certain report back to his master. One he would be very interested in.

Outskirts of Iacon, 4 breems later

::Soundwave to Lord Megatron.::

::I am here. Report.::

::Presence of Autobot Seeker confirmed. Designation: Starscream.::

Silence for a moment as Soundwave waited for his master's response.

::I see.:: Even over the comm. link, the anger in those two words was palpable.

::Further orders, my Lord?::

::Only one. Find out all you can about this Seeker, Soundwave. Bring me anything that may be useful in neutralizing him.::

::Affirmative. Soundwave out.::