Summary: The Decepticons have discovered and repaired an ancient Cybertronian scouting vessel named the Solaris, and are using it's solar generators to convert power from Earth's sun into energon. This makes the yellow star unstable, and as the Autobots board the ship to stop Megatron and his army, a freak accident sends the ship into uncharted space. Can two opposing armies share a tiny vessel long enough to return home?

. . .

It was a cut and dry mission. Still, Thundercracker had a sinking feeling in his chest.

"Hey, hand me a wrench, Screamer." he called over his shoulder. A wrench was handed back, and the seeker was surprised that there was no sarcastic retort from Starscream. He didn't like being relegated to assistant mechanic, but Thundercracker was the only one with knowledge of the ship, and his trine was helping out.

"Yo, Starscream, you okay?" Skywarp asked, waving a hand before Starscream's dazed optics.

"Of course I am, you dolt! I was just lost in thought. Plotting, that is."

Now THAT was a typical Starscream response.

"Say, TC, when is this hunk of junk gonna be finished?"

"Gah!" Thundercracker cried out as he hit his hand with the flame from his welder. "Ugh. It would be finished faster, if I wasn't being distracted. Anyway, this isn't just junk, okay? This is a B class Cybertronian Scouter Craft. It was designed by seekers, for energon hunting."

"Impressive." Starscream muttered, and Skywarp shrugged.

"B class or whatever doesn't matter. Will it fly?"

"Oh she'll fly alright. Wherever Megatron wants to take her." Thundercracker ran a hand along the chassis gently, and Skywarp decided not to ask when "it" had become a "she".

. . .

"So Bumblebee..." Spike looked up at the little robot. Even one of the smallest Autobots was still much taller than an adult human, and Spike was even taller than most.

"What is it?" the yellow bot asked, as they sat on a grassy hill. Spike cradled the black velvet box like a child, and kept opening it to look at the piece of jewelry inside.

"Do you think Carly will say yes?"

"Huh?" Bumblebee tilted his head to the side. "I understand that offering this ring is a human custom, but if she really loves you, it won't matter if she likes the stone or not."

The yellow mech chuckled as he leaned back on the grass.

"She'd probably marry you if you gave her a lug nut."

Spike laughed at that and closed the box, only to open it up again a few minutes later. Bee wondered if this was normal behavior for humans. His thoughts were broken by the crackle of a radio.

"Bumblebee, come back to the base. We've got a problem!" Ratchet's voice broke through the static, and Bee shrugged.

"Do you need a ride home, Spike?"

"Nah," the male human answered, looking down again at the box in his hands. "I can make it on my own. You don't need my help, do you?"

Bumblebee shook his head.

"It's just the Decepticons. I'll see you tomorrow, Spike!"

. . .

The newly improved Solaris was true to design, and launched beautifully. Settling into orbit across from the sun, the ship began to do what it was made for: siphoning energy from a sun, and converting it to fuel and energon.

"Wonderful." Megatron crooned from the control panel. "The ship is not only converting all the energon we need, but with this fuel supply, we should be able to make it back to Cybertron in one trip!"

"Caution..." Soundwave muttered from the copilot's seat. "Our energy siphoning is causing the sun to become unstable. We must leave before it goes supernova."

"Noted." Megatron said as he monitored the energon intake readings.

"Perimeter warning." Soundwave said as he opened his chest and retrieved Laserbeak. "It seems the Autobots have arrived, Megatron."

"While I had hoped they weren't going to follow us, I prepared for just such an eventuality." He turned to the radio, and sent out his orders. "Starscream, take your seekers and intercept the Autobots before they arrive."

"I will send Ravage and Frenzy to guard the loading dock."

"Good idea." Megatron nodded, and kept his optics on the monitors.

He watched as the trine transformed in the loading dock, and flew out of the back of the ship, opening fire on Skyfire, who had ferried the Autobots to the ship in his alt-mode. Despite their efforts, Skyfire made it to the ship, and Megatron decided to head down to the loading dock to lend a hand. His fusion cannon or alt-mode might make or break a battle like this.

Jazz, Bumblebee, Optimus, and Ratchet emerged from Skyfire's hatch, and opened fire on the cassettes. When Skyfire transformed with a pained groan, Ratchet left the fire fight to tend to his injuries. By this time, the seekers had returned, and transformed, guns blazing.

"Starscream!" Megatron called out, and transformed. Starscream caught him, and aimed the gun at their enemies.

Thundercracker and Skywarp aimed their attacks at Skyfire, who was only lightly injured by the crash. Jazz and Optimus tried to avoid being victims of Megatron's deadly aim, and Frenzy's chaotic Ravage retreated, injured, to the control room, he was followed by Ratchet.

"Oh my. What a nice little setup you have here." The medic purred, flicking the switch that halted the energy conversion. "I'm afraid I have to cut the party short though!"

"Intruder!" Soundwave hissed. Even injured, Ravage was ready to protect his master, and slammed into Ratchet, knocking him back into the control panel. Unknowingly, Ratchet hit several buttons, and then a lever. With a roar of energy, the occupants of the Solaris found that they were now drifting in dead space.

Back in the loading dock, Megatron transformed, and grabbed Bumblebee, holding his fusion cannon against the Autobot's head.

"Ceasefire!" He called out, and everyone in the room froze. Decepticons ceased fire because they knew their leader's tone, and the Autobots stopped because Bee was a hostage. Even Starscream reluctantly agreed to a temporary truce.

"Something has happened." Optimus noted, and Megatron agreed.

"Yes. We aren't in proximity to Earth's sun any longer." He released Bumblebee and powered down his cannon. "I propose a truce, at least until we figure out what happened."

Everyone made their way to the control room, where they saw Ratchet being restrained by Laserbeak, Ravage, and Rumble. Frenzy transformed and returned to Soundwave's tape deck.

"Megatron..." Soundwave began in an uncharacteristically shaky voice. "That idiot fell onto the controls. He somehow activated the space warp system, and sent us to unknown coordinates!"

"Not true!" Ratchet exclaimed. "Your mangy mutt knocked me into the controls! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have fallen!"

"Stand down." Megatron ordered, and the cassettes returned to Soundwave. "There seems to be a simple solution. Can't we just use the same system to return to Earth?"

"I can't..." Soundwave muttered. "The last warp used all of our fuel."

"This ship runs on solar energy, right? Let's just find the nearest star and fill back up." Skyfire suggested.

"We... aren't near any solar system. The nearest one is several years away, and we are headed the wrong direction." Soundwave sounded like he was ready to pass out.

"What sort of solar-powered ship has the capability to be sent to coordinates without a solar system!?" Starscream cried out, and Thundercracker gulped.

"Er, actually, that was the main reason the B class Scouter Craft was decommissioned..."

"So basically..." Optimus sighed. "We are trapped on this ship together... indefinitely."