A few short months after the incident with the Fallen in Egypt, the world is getting itself back together. World powers met and jointly arranged a cover up story, deeming it a clever, jointly coodinated terrorist attack. The Autobots and Decepticons existence still remains a close secret only known to a select few. Now months later, loose ends are still being tied up. With the Decepticons still at large on Earth, NEST has to expand to deal with the threat by bringing in new recruits. But with the arrival of these new recruits come new challenges, new friends, and new threats.

A/N: All random OCs belong to their orginal owners. I also like to make note that I, in no way claim any ownership whatsoever to the Transformers franchise.

A Soldier's Act

Chapter 1- Overture

-"Okay folks, we're about a half hour out from Deigo Garcia airspace. I know some of you traveled quite a distance and are itching to sleep in a real bed. So far, so good, it's been smooth flying, we'll try to keep that that way through until landing. Until then sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the rest of your flight."-

An assorted mixture of groans and sighs followed the pilot's message.

"Bout dang time." A husky built female Army sergeant grumbled. "I hate flying."

A Navy lieutenant wearing fatigues chuckled, his eyes reflecting the dim lights in the C-17 cargo hold they were in. "If you knew you had to fly to get here then why'd you put in for the transfer?"

The burly, dark haired, brown eyed sergeant crossed her arms over her busty chest. "I didn't put in for it. My base was asked to front up a person and it was a toss up between myself and four others. We choose who goes the most diplomatic way possible."

"How's that?"

"We drew straws. I lost."

An Air Force Staff Sergeant sitting beside the naval lieutenant chuckled. "Sorry to hear that mam."

The lieutenant smiled. "How about yourself? What brings you here to the middle of the Indian Ocean?"

The Air Force sergeant rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well I did it for the promotion. I got my staff strip put on for taking this position." The Staff Sergaent ran a hand through her short cropped brown hair, her equally brown eyes glinting in embarrassment. "Forgive me sir, I'm Staff Sergaent Melissa Bass."

The lieutenant took her offered hand and shook it. "Lieutenant Lee McDonell."

The Army Sergeant, snorted back a laugh. "Sorry sir."

"It's quite alright. I get that all the time. My mother was Chinese and my father was of Irish decent." He paused, smile still spread across his face. "And who might you be?" He inquired of the Army Sergeant.

She extended her hand for the lieutenant to shake. "Sergeant First Class April Ward sir."

"Pleasure to meet you Sergeant. Where you ladies coming from?"

Bass chuckled. "I'm coming from Redneck-ville USA. Straight from Tennessee."

"Ow." Ward winched. "Heh, guess I should consider myself fortunate. I'm from the sunny south California."

McDonell chuckled lightly. "I would have loved to be stationed in California. Sadly due to my rank and job I'm needed closer to the war zone. I'm coming from Ramstein Germany."

"What's your job sir?" Bass asked interested.

"I work in communications." He paused. "How about you?"

"I'm a mechanical engineer." Came Bass with a grin. "How about you Sergeant?" She turned to Ward.

"I'm trained and qualified in two jobs. My first was with munitions."

"And by looking at that grin you are damned proud of that I'm sure." McDonell laughed.

"Damn straight sir. I was mean with a missle launcher." She beamed proudly. "I later cross trained into my second job as a crew chief."

"Cool, what did ya work on?"

"Well I've worked on a two different helicopters, Bass. The Black Hawks and Apaches."

"Very cool." Bass grinned.

Lieutenant McDonell looked thoughtful for a moment, his gaze going up and down the packed cargo bay. "If I'm not mistaken... Aren't there suppose to be five of us going to Diego Garcia?"

"Your right on the money sir." Came a voice from on top of the closest netted cargo pallet. Sitting up from amongst the netting a Air Force Master Sergeant looked down at them. "Hello there. Sorry for not making my presence known sooner. I've been on this jet for waaaay to long and needed a nap, didn't wake up until the pilot made that announcement. Master Sergeant Sean Anderson, Security Forces sniper from Lackland Air Force Base." The middle aged Master Sergeant smiled lightly. His bright green eyes shining in amusement. "Our fifth member is out like a light on the next pallet over." He indicated the pallet to his left.

"Perhaps someone may want to wake him up before we land." The lieutenant suggested.

"Her." Master Sergeant Anderson corrected.

"I'll do it." Volunteered Ward with a grin, undoing her seat belt the sergaent climbed the up the ten foot tall pallet using the netting and found the young airman out like a light, her iPod still playing, muffling the sounds of the massive jet. Grinning like the devil, she reached out and gently and slowly pulled one of the ear bubs out from her ear. Hefting herself up over the edge, she leaned in close to her ear and shouted, "WAKE UP!"

The young airman yelped rolling over away from the intrusion. Unfortunately that caused her to roll off the top of the pallet. She would have hit the floor if she didn't lash out and snag a hand full of cargo net. "Dude!" She growled loudly. "That was uncool!"

Ward laughed loudly before looking over the edge at the airman. "Well it was one way to wake your butt up." She smiled sweetly. "Need a hand?"

The airman glowered at the older sergeant but relented grasping the offered hand, being pulled up. "A nice poke to the shoulder would have gotten my attention to so you know."

"But where's the fun in that?" Patting the young airman on the back, she continued. "So what's your name shorty?"

"I hate the word short. I prefer vertically challenged." The airman said, pushing some of her short golden highlighted brown hair out from her face, she glared at Ward with her hazel eyes. "The name's Senior Airman Kayleigh Sheppard."

"Don't forget us people down here." Bass called up from the floor.

"Why don't you guys come down. I'm pretty sure climbing those pallets much less falling asleep on them isn't allowed." McDonell pointed out.

"Good point." Anderson muttered climbing down from the pallet he was on. He was shortly followed by Ward and Sheppard as they climbed down off their pallet.

Once her feet touched ground, Sheppard stretched her arms up over her head. "Those pallets really don't do wonders for your back."

"Your fault for falling asleep up there." The mechanical engineer pointed out with a smile. "Wow you really are short."

"So I've been told..."

-"Okay guys and gals, we started our final descent to the Diego Garcia."- The pilot said from over the loud speakers. -"Fasten your seat belts, we'll have wheels on the ground in ten minutes."-

All did so. Anderson seated himself beside beside Bass as Sheppard sat beside Ward.

"So Sheppard where you coming from and what brings you to Diego Garcia?" Anderson asked conversationally as they felt the plane shudder some as the wheels were lowered.

Sheppard seemed hesitant for a moment before she answered. "I'm coming from the Air Guard in Vermont. I left the Guard to go active duty. I would've been sent to Lackland to become a MTI if my recruiter hadn't informed me that there was a job opening for my specialty."

"From Guard to actuve duty huh?" Ward pondered. "Bet ya weren't expecting to be deployed to the Indian Ocean for your first deployment."

"I wasn't even told where I was going until I got to my transfer flight in Italy." The younger airman shrugged.

"So, " Bass came in. "What's your job?"

Sheppard sighed, pocketing her iPod. "It seems Diego Garcia is in need of a equipment operator."

"Ah a civil engineer." The lieutanent said aloud thoughtfully. "The civil engineers are the ones responsible for the hardening of alot of the bases in Iraq and Afganistan." He paused. "I know Guardsman don't get deployed very often, have you ever been deployed? Simply out of curiosity."

"Unfortunately no." Sheppard sighed. "This will be my first full blown deployment."

"I can pretty much promise you it won't be your last." Anderson said slyly.

"Joyous rapture." The airman whirled her finger around sarcastically as the plane finally made ground fall. Once the nose wheel touched down, everyone in the jet was thrust forward as the pilot applied reverse thrust, slowly the massive cargo jet down before taxiing off the active runway.

Moments later the pilot came over the intercom again. -"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Diego Garcia, home of sunshine and the weird and the wonderful."-

Sheppard looked up at the intercom overhead, a stray thought hitting her. 'Why doesn't that sound right?'

----

Read and Review!