AN: I only own my OCs.

Authoress: While normally the beginning of the story is boring for me (since I can't bring anybot in until after this) this story is different because I am opening up a new can of crazy! Sentinel as a...*covers mouth* *smirks*

Prologue Part 1: A Mysterious Call

Sentinel Prime's 1st P.O.V.

"What is the role of the tactician?" I read the question out loud as I studied it. Having recently been made a Prime, I was diving into my books to make sure that I knew how I was going to pick my team. So, to help with that, I had asked the old bot who taught the advanced team-building course here at the Academy if I could possibly do some of his homework assignments about the different kinds of bots and how they would affect a team.

…No, I wasn't some data-nerd like Optimus was. Not even close. But, I wanted to have the best team that I could possible get. That meant that a little extra homework was necessary…crucial even. Optimus was already looking into some bots to put on his team. He even tried asking me! Me! Like I would let him continue to be the boss over me. Once I had at least three bots under me, I was going to make my own team and break away from Optimus and Elita.

They were…alright for bots. But, Optimus was too indecisive on what he wanted. At one point, he would seem like a goodie-two-pede bot doing everything by the rules but, at another nano, he would be going off about crazy ideas that would go against the rules completely. He even once had Elita and I sneak into the off-limits sector of Kaon with him. Besides the fact that I didn't want to have Optimus in charge of me, I didn't want a bot like that on my team, whether he was the leader or I was.

Then of course, there was Elita. She was a nice femme and all, but she was really clingy. Stuck to Optimus like he was her very reason for existence. Seriously. The femme needed a better main hobby than making Optimus her personal magnet. Then, when Optimus would show her some attention…the idiot, Elita would act like she was the most oblivious femme out there. Seriously, I didn't know many other femmes…actually I only knew her…and if all femmes were like here than I didn't want to meet anymore.

I was pretty sure that my processor wouldn't be able to handle it.

Shaking my helm, I returned to the question that was on the data-pad in front of me. After thinking about the qualities of a tactician, I began to type as I spoke out loud. "The strategist and battle leader, the tactician issues commands on the battle field and expects them to be followed. The bot who has the role of tactician observes the battlefield, both physical and mental, and devises strategies based off of the information that he has available." Once I had that typed, I submitted it and moved on to the next class of bot.

"The Scout. Scouts work to obtain, distribute, and share vital combat and battlefield information. A scout should be able to work with the tactician on a decent level if the team is to make any headway. A Scout, also known as the 'optics and audios' of any team, can obtain the information they need with little to know trouble, and a good scout can train those around them in the same field."

Now, a scout would be useful. But, I had to be careful in picking a scout. If they couldn't work with the other bots I eventually picked for my team, then we would have too many problems coming up and that could cause my team battlefield hold-ups and that could create great damage for our cause.

However, there were two more classes of bot that I wanted to submit before I went to recharge for the night. This assignment wasn't due for another ten solars and I was already almost halfway done with it. So, I figured it was best to take my time with it.

"What every team should strive to have is a battle medic. It is the duty of the battle medic to make sure that the bots under their care come back online and in as few pieces as possible. In the midst of a battle, the medic must be able to have the ability to both heal their allies and defend said injured allies if a force tries to attack them. Battle medics have the ability to make on the field decisions and, thus, should have a workable relationship with the leader of the team as well as the tactician." So I was going to have to find a medic that I could get along with on a working level that would also be able to work with whatever bot I can find for a tactician…if I decide to get one.

The average Cybertronian battle team had five bots to them, and that included the team leader. There were, of course, more classes than five and that meant that a bot had to choose their team wisely. While I knew that a battle medic was a necessity that I wanted on my team, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to fill the other at least three spots on my team with.

Some teams, like the Wreckers, focused almost solely on gathering strong fighters who would take insane missions. That meant that there wasn't much variability to their team. But, not many teams could match the Wreckers in brute strength and numbers. They were one of the exceptions to the average of five. Last I heard, the Wreckers had twenty five bots. I had seen them walking around downtown Iacon once. They acted like the planet owed them Cybertron on a silver platter. Really annoying to be honest.

Thankfully, while they were a force to be reckoned with when they were on Cybertron, there was a special team that everybot knew about. It was another team that was made of warriors, but this team had been constructed in a different manner than the Wreckers. This team was known as the Guardians. Last I kept track of, there were five Guardians. Didn't seem like much compared to the Wreckers. But, what they lacked in numbers they made up with skill. Their team, while all warriors, also held training in other fields that helped round out their team.

My goal was to have a very rounded out team that would be able to support each other in the midst of a battle. It would do me no good to take bots who just goofed around and didn't work together. Teamwork was essential for fighting the Decepticons and my team would need to be able to work as a team as efficiently as we could.

Shaking my processor out of future plans, I went to the last class of bot that I wanted to look at for the night. "The warrior class. A very battle oriented class that has its own subdivisions based on the bots individual skill set. The warrior can lead a charge against the enemy front lines and can act as a defensive barrier as the rest of your team organizes. As there is such a versatile use for a warrior, a team leader must pick out their warrior, or warriors, carefully. As some of the strongest bots on a team, if not the strongest, a warrior can force control away from the team leader. However, as an ally, the warrior class bots can be a leader's greatest ally. Team leaders should pick a warrior who they can, not only trust, but get along with since both depend on the other to keep them safe."

After I finished typing up my summary of a warrior, I sent it in to the old bot along with the other definitions that I wrote for the night. This was one subject that I knew I would get good marks in. Plus, with this subject under my rep, I knew I would be given a better quality of bots to choose from than those that didn't take this class.

I moved to close all of my monitors down when, to my surprise, my personal communication screen lit up on my desk. What was going on? Glancing at my internal clock, I saw that it was only ten clicks until the official start of the next solar. Who, besides me, would be up this late? Maybe it was the old bot professor with a comment about the stuff that I just sent him. Teachers were up late so it wouldn't be that farfetched of a reason.

But, there was really only one way to know for sure. So, setting up the stand on the back of the screen, I hit accept. At first, the screen was blurry and I couldn't make out anything about the bot on the other side. However, after a few clicks, I could see that this bot, whoever they were, were in some sort of cave. Since the only caves that looked like this…that were on Cybertron, were the energon mines, I figured it must be one of the night miners and they misdialed me.

"H…Hello? Is there anybot receiving this?" The voice on the other side was a femme and seemed very shaken. What was going on? Femmes didn't call me. Plus, I didn't know that many femmes outside of Elita-One. So, who was this calling? Maybe a friend of hers?

Realizing that there would only be one way to find out, I answered the femme's voice, though I still couldn't see her on the screen. "Yes, this is Sentinel M…Prime. Who is this?" I almost said Major. It was still strange getting used to the different title.

On the other side of the screen, I heard a sigh of relief before the helm of a femme came into view. She had a black helm with lime green sensory nodes on top of her helm. I could see that her light gray faceplate was a little damaged and her lime green optics looked hesitant on the other side. "My designation is Pandimala."

Pandimala. Not a designation I was familiar with but, again, I didn't know many femmes. "Where are you calling from? I don't recognize anything around you." I asked the femme on the other side. What? While I had somebot to talk to, I had best take advantage of the situation.

The screen was moved away from her faceplate slightly and I saw that she was worried. "I…I'm not sure. There was an explosion on a ship and, next thing I know, I'm on this strange planet. The surface is covered in a rust like powder and the area around me is a rocky terrain. You wouldn't happen to know where I could be, do you?"

Unfortunately, I didn't. While I had been off-world a few times, thanks to my training to be a Prime, I didn't recognize the sort of environment that this 'Pandimala' was talking about. So, I had to shake my helm. "Sorry. That doesn't sound familiar at all."

I flinched at the disappointed sound that the femme made before she spoke. "It's alright I guess. I was hoping on a long shot anyways…of course it was a longshot that I got a response on this thing. I've been trying to get a connection for the past three cycles."

Wow! Three cycles of trying to raise a bot for hopeful help on a communicator that was in who knew what condition was pretty impressive. But, she still looked upset and, even though I couldn't help get her off of whatever planet she was stuck on, I could find out about her. "So…what do you like to do for fun?"

She looked at me with an amused look before she chuckled and responded. "Well, I guess I really like to practice my swordplay."

"Swordplay? So you are a warrior?" I asked her immediately, now really curious. After just completing the part of the assignment about warriors, I was kinda curious to see if she was one.

Pandimala made a so-so motion with her servo, which I noted was black and had sharp digits. "Well, I'm a warrior in training. Before this…I was training with my trainer on how to be a dual sword wielder."

Two swords? I really hadn't heard of many warrior class bots being dual-bladed. "Really? Isn't that kind of risky for a warrior class?"

In return, she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess it could be. But, I wasn't created with a shield and I was created with two swords. So, my trainer decided to give me lessons in dual wielding. It's a lot of work but, when I'm older, I know that it'll pay off." She then motioned to me. "What about you? What sort of class are you working toward? And what weapons do you have?"

I guess it was only fair that I tell her about me. "I really want to be a team leader and make the best team that I can. As for my weapons, I have a lance like sword that I was created with called Stormbringer and I was also created with a shield that I call Skyboom. It can repel attacks and even expand to cover my allies."

"That's so cool!" Pandimala responded to my description of my weapons. She then let out a small laugh. "Kinda makes me jealous that I don't have cool names for my swords." While she looked like she wanted to continue, a sound from her side had Pandimala pause. "I…I have to move. I don't know what that was and I need to be ready to fight if I have to." She then seemed nervous before she continued. "Um…if it wouldn't be too much trouble, can I call you tomorrow night?"

"S…sure." I responded hesitantly before shaking my helm and nodding positively. "Yeah, that would be cool. It was nice meeting you Pandimala. Talk to you tomorrow."

"It was nice meeting you too Sentinel Prime. Talk to you tomorrow." She then hung up her side of the line.

…That wasn't how I imagined I would spend my night cycles. But, it was a lot of fun and I almost couldn't wait for the call tomorrow night. I should be back here by this time and then I could ask Pandimala some more questions. There were so many things that I wanted to know about her and I knew that there were probably things she was going to want to ask me.

Making my way to my berth, I reclined back before starting my recharge procedures. While my systems started to shut down, I took one more click to think about the femme I had just talked to. I hoped she was alright. There were many planets out there that would be dangerous for even Cybertronians to be stuck on. Once we figured out where she was, I would pull whatever resources I could to go and save her. She didn't seem like the same kind of femme that Elita was and that mean that I had to stay her friend…well at least for now.

My thoughts then drifted off as I found the sweet release of recharge.

The Next Night

"Sentinel what's wrong?" Optimus asked me as the three of us left the strategy analysis class we all signed up for. The class was three cycles long and I was glad to be out of it. Our instructor drew out his class like it was his life mission. Figures the one solar I actually try to pay attention to him and he drones on like a broken recording of Perceptor.

But, back to what Optimus asked. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with me." I asked him back.

Both he and Elita shared a glance before they turned to me. "Sentinel, you almost never pay attention in that class. Well, I mean, none of us really pay attention all that much. Even Optimus here. But, this solar you were even taking notes. Do you have some virus?"

Really? I actually try to pay attention to a class and they are worried? This made me even more excited to talk to Pandimala tonight. Even though I didn't know much about her, she didn't seem like the idiots who were in front of me. To answer Elita though. "No! I don't have a virus! Sheesh Elita you would think that I would get something like that checked out." I then shook my helm before continuing. "Sometimes I wonder how you made it to Prime with us."

"Hey! Take that back Sentinel." Elita pouted. When I shook my helm, she sighed. "Whatever. So, answer the question. What's up with you this solar?"

Well, in all honesty, Pandimala's plight got me thinking. What would happen if an accident happened and I ended up stuck on an unknown planet? Would I really be able to survive? Before last night, I would have said yes. I was completely ready for whatever situation was thrown at me. But, last night really got me thinking. Like Elita and Optimus noted, I usually didn't pay attention in the classes that I had, though I could usually scrape by with an average mark in the class, and the classes that we were taking were meant to help prepare us for situations that could be similar to the one that Pandimala was in.

But, since I didn't want Elita and Optimus to know about Pandimala yet, I decided to give a somewhat round-about answer. "I just don't want to have something happen and not be prepared for it. If I'm going to make a good team leader one solar I need to be ready for anything. So, I figured the best way for me to do that would be to actually pay attention as old Trailstrike rambled on this solar."

What I wasn't expecting was for both Optimus and Elita to chuckle before Elita spoke. "Really Sentinel? You're starting to sound like those old rust buckets now. 'You youngsters need to heed our words because you could get in trouble one solar that our lessons could help save you from.'. Seriously Sentinel. Get the pipe out of your aft and relax. We won't need most of the stuff they are teaching us anyways."

I needed to get the pipe out of my aft? No what they needed to do was open their processors and realize that the situations that the teachers talked about really could happen. My processor flashed back to Pandimala's worried look before we hung up last night and I knew that she was scared about what was around her. I never wanted to be in that situation un-prepared.

I went to yell at Elita about taking their words more seriously when Optimus stepped in. "Hey, calm down both of you." While I wanted to continue on arguing with the femme in front of me, Optimus standing there made it slightly hard to do. So, I crossed my arms and looked away. Well, if they wanted to end up in that situation one solar than at least I could say that I tried to help them. "Sentinel, we are going to head over to Maccadams for a pint. Want to join us?"

Really? Trailstrike just assigned us a twenty-page assignment due in three solars about battle tactics during the fighting here on Cybertron against the Decepticons and they wanted to go and get a drink? Well, with my planned call to Pandimala, I knew what my answer was going to be. "No thanks. I want to get started on that assignment that we have due here soon."

Turning to walk away, I heard Elita's pedesteps try to follow me. "Come on Sentinel what's gotten into you? You're like a,"

"Elita enough. Let him do what he wants. We offered and he refused. That's all there is to it." Optimus stopped Elita from coming after me. It was good that he did too because I was about to turn around and give Elita a piece of my processor.

But, since he did, I just continued to walk in silence until I got back to my apartment building. Once there, I went up to my room and, once I closed the door, I went over to my main monitor and started to work on the assignment that was due. I figured that Pandimala would call me when she got a free click and so, while I was waiting, I was going to make sure that I got as much of this assignment finished as possible. My goal was to get at least five pages of the assignment typed today. If I kept on that track, then I would be able to get the assignment finished in the allotted time that Trailbreak gave to us. I really wanted to make sure that I started doing good in my classes. If I ended up stranded like Pandimala was right now, then I wanted the training to survive. It really scared me that a situation like the one that she was in could happen.

And the first move that I could do on my part would be to work on this assignment for my strategy analysis class. So, I dove right into the assignment. It didn't take me long to get to page three but, after that, I got stuck. So, I had to go over my notes and, even then, I only squeezed out page four. Scrap. I needed page five before Pandimala called. I really needed to get my act together.

I was about to try and struggle through said page when my personal communication screen lit up. This had to be Pandimala because I was pretty sure that Elita was too mad at me right now to call, though I really didn't care, and Optimus was probably with Elita and she wouldn't let him call. So, I quickly stood the screen up so I could see and picked up the call. Like last time, the screen was momentarily blurry before the screen cleared. This time, however, Pandimala's faceplate was showing on the screen.

"Hi Sentinel!" Pandimala greeted me happily. I smiled and forgot about my argument with Elita and Optimus.

However, while she was happy, I noticed some scrapes on the side of her helm. "What happened? Are you alright?" I then motioned to the side of her helm.

She looked confused for a nano before her optics widened in realization slightly. "Oh yeah. I was scouting out a cave to recharge in and the cliffside broke apart. Slid down the side of that cliff so fast that I thought that I was going to catch on fire due to the friction." She chuckled at that but I wasn't finding her situation funny.

"What are you laughing at? You could have been really hurt!" I asked her in confusion.

Pandimala stopped chuckling and seemed to study me for a click before asking me a strange question. "For your classes, have you taken a strategy analysis class?"

Why was she asking me this? What did strategy analysis have to do with the situation that she was in? "Yeah, I'm taking it right now. Why?"

She motioned around her, I was guessing to amplify the area she was in. "When you are stranded, or holed up by the enemy, one of the worst things that you can do is fall into worry about the situation you are in. Stay on guard, yeah, that is fine. But, don't let small mishaps put you down. What good would getting upset about my chassis getting scratched up do me right now? I'm on an unknown planet alone and I have to get energon to help me survive. Trust me, it's no picnic staying in a cave with little ventilation. Been causing my claustrophobia to act on the fritz." I then noticed that she visibly shuttered.

Wait, that was what I needed to get that fifth page done. It would finish up my opening argument and later, in the assignment, it would be a great point to argue and help me fill in pages. While Pandimala's situation wasn't the best, it was helping me get my assignment finished. Sounded terrible in my processor but it was true. Plus, as Pandimala just pointed out, it was a positive way to look at a bad situation. "Thanks for the insight. You just helped me finish the fifth page of my twenty-page assignment in said strategy analysis class."

She let out a laugh, which caused me to laugh too, before she spoke. "Well, then I am glad that I could give you some help on your assignment."

We both laughed for a bit before something that she said earlier suddenly clicked in my processor. It seemed stupid that I didn't catch it before but it wasn't something that I was used to. "What's claustrophobia?" I hadn't heard of it before and, in the entrance medical class I took, it wasn't mentioned. Well…at least I didn't pay attention if it was and it wasn't important for the exams in that class.

Again, Pandimala gave me a confused look. But, unlike last time, this look stayed on her faceplate when she answered me. "It's a fear of enclosed spaces. I usually panic like no other when there isn't a proper air-flow in a place that I am staying. Bots like my make are really affected by it." She then paused. "Have you really never heard of claustrophobia?"

Shaking my helm, I decided to ask her another question. "No. If they mentioned it during my introductory medical class, they didn't make a big deal about it." I then tried to look at her better before asking said question. "What sort of bot are you?"

Pandimala looked at me for a click before she seemed to mess with her monitor before she seemed to scoot back and, after she did, my optics widened when I finally saw her completely. While she was taller than I expected, and the fact that she was a war build, since I could see cannons coming out from behind her shoulders, was sending warning alarms ringing in my helm, the only thing that my processor would let me focus on was the fact that she had wings. Wings. There was only one kind of bot that I knew of that had wings…and it wasn't good. "I'm a triple changer. Is that a problem?" She seemed really worried about my opinion about what sort of build she was.

While a part of me wanted to reassure her that I didn't mind, the stronger part of my processor was on high alert. I had to find out more important information on Pandimala…and now. "I don't know. You're a flyer…are you a Decepticon?"

I felt surprise when her optics narrowed and she shook her helm. She had brought the screen closer to her again so the motion was really noticeable. "No. I was created by two Decepticons but I ran away with a neutral trader that came to our planet. He came to our planet every so often and I always thought that he was kinda short compared to me, but other bots told me that he was tall. He was a faded dark blue color with orange and lime green markings. His designation was Swiftfire and he was also my trainer on dual-blade wielding. He was tinkering with one of his inventions when the explosion happened. I…I don't think he made it." Her voice drifted off at that and I felt a twinge of pain in my spark for her.

And, thankfully, I had heard of Swiftfire. I had asked Councilmech Alpha Trion, for an assignment on the history of the Great War, on whether there were bots who left the Decepticons. He answered me that, while none of the turncoats from the Decepticons came to the Autobots, there were some who went to become neutral and made vows to stay neutral for the rest of the conflict between us Autobots and the Decepticons. One bot in particular that he mentioned was Swiftfire and said that he would take the risk and go to Decepticon heavy planets and pull bots who want to be either neutral or Autobots out of harm's way. Alpha Trion had even mentioned his color scheme so I knew that Pandimala was telling the truth.

She…did she want to be neutral or did she want to become an Autobot? Figuring that there was only one way to find out, I asked her. "Pandimala…did you leave your family because you wanted to be a neutral or an Autobot?"

In return, she seemed to calm down before she answered. "I'm…not sure. I ran away wanting to be neutral, because I had heard so many things about the Autobots from when I was younger, that I was scared to even consider being a part of their faction." She then paused and I noticed that she smiled shyly. "But, with these two talks I've had with you…I'm not sure." She then stopped herself again. "You are an Autobot right?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. With my normal life here on Cybertron, that seemed like a simple thing to answer. But, I had to remember that she was from a Decepticon family…and planet, and so she wouldn't have too many Autobots hanging out. From how she was talking, I was even the first Autobot she met! I was glad I was making a good first impression. However, even though I was still laughing, I had to answer her. "Yeah 'Mala I'm an Autobot. I'll have you converted fully before you get rescued from there and we can have the chance to meet in the bot."

Immediately I felt hesitation. Scrap! I had just called her a nickname even though we had only known each other for a solar…and had only talked for maybe six cycles. When I accidently called Elita 'Lita'…she had tried to tear my faceplate off…and that was in every literal sense possible. I was fearing my continued existence at that point. I was such an idiot when it came to these things. Maybe I needed to talk to femmes more often? Get used to talking to them before Pandimala eventually got to come here. That sounded like a good idea.

"I'll hold you to that Sen!" She answered me with a wide smile before she dove into a story about one of the times that Swiftfire visited. While she did, I found myself deciding something important. Until Pandimala was safe and maybe even here on Cybertron, I wouldn't tell anybot else about her. They could react the wrong way and I didn't want Pandimala to have to go through that.

I had a feeling that tonight marked the beginning of a great friendship with Pandimala and I could barely wait to meet her.

Authoress: Yes! I get to write a story where Sentinel is a good bot! Oh this is going to be so much fun and I really can't wait to get this moving!

Sentinel: *sighs* You know, you don't have to sound so amazed that you get to write me as a good bot. I normally am a good bot. You're just a twisted Decepticon fan who has to tear down the stronger pillars of the Autobots.

Authoress: *gives knowing stare*

Sentinel...*gives up* Fine! I may not always be the strongest argument for being an Autobot but at least I am one! That's more than I can say for you Authoress...you little Decepticon lover. *shudders*

Authoress: *smiles widely* Guilty as charged!

AN: And here is an amazing new story that is taking a turn from everything that I have ever done! I hope you are all liking this so far. This idea has been floating in my head for days and I just wanted to get it out and, now that I have, I am really excited. However, before I get too into my excitement, I feel like there are some things about the story that I need to explain.

The first noticeable thing is that Sentinel is going to be a good bot. Not arrogant, not judgmental, and not stuck up (and no shady deals). My argument for doing this will be more explained after the second part of the prologue. But, for now I will say that I believe there was a certain point in Sentinel's past that changed him into the arrogant, evil, stupid, annoying bot that we all know and hate. I'm changing the tides.

Secondly is the attitude of Optimus. While I know that he is normally a bookworm and studious bot in the show, I decided to make him the mech to take the most risks. I didn't change Optimus completely but I feel like he would serve my purposes better as the more adventurous of the two mechs.

As for Elita...well, we didn't get to know her too well and so I have decided to make her very attached to Optimus and very immature at the moment. She wants things her way and gets upset when they aren't so. It won't be as extreme in later chapters as it is here but, remember, this is the prologue.

Now that I think I have most of the issues out of the way...*squeals* This was so much fun! And it seems like Sentinel is a little awkward when talking to femmes (Sentinel told me to tell you all that Elita doesn't count as a femme...and now Elita is chasing Sentinel around...*facepalm*) Anyways, I plan to have a lot of fun with this story and I hope you all stick around with me while I do so. Also seems like Sentinel is trying to figure out what his team is going to be like. I wonder what sort of bots he will have?

Well, I guess that is all for now. I should let you all go after such a long authoress note. So, I'll end with asking for you all to review, even to say hello, so I know that you all are out there. Flames will be used to heat up the smelting pits so I can throw the senders in said pits. *dark laugh* Well, until next time, TTYL! *singing about a sharp dressed man*