Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing in the sandbox until I get chased out.
Optimus Prime had never been questioned on his choice of officers, those who would lead in his stead when forces needed to be split and in a way, made up his own council for each decision to be made. Keeping a system of checks and balances in place so that no extreme could dominate the choices unless it was the best choice for all it involved. A group that would be the paradigm of what it meant to be a faithful autobot in this war, as a collective symbol of what others should strive to become, while they looked to Optimus Prime as the infallible leader that could do no wrong.
Of course to those that had ever known the group of officers before Optimus had been given the Matrix of power, all systematically crashed upon seeing for themselves who these officers were for the first time. To the Ark crew it was mostly an odd rumor with an occasional witnessed report of one of the high officials upon meeting one of the Prime selected officers shorting out, nothing more and nothing less. Until after a particularly brutal battle that landed a large chunk of their numbers in the medbay right before an officer from Cybertron arrived. The sequence of events was told in the same order of the large mech greeting Optimus and the small group that did not have major injuries, hearing the names of the missing officers and where they were currently at, the mech all but running towards the Medbay, to stop in sheer astonishment and wide optic staring at the group of officers sitting or lying against one wall of the medbay (Depending on their injuries and energy levels), and only a strangled phrase that sounded almost like, "You lot really are officers…" before the mech promptly had smoke curling from around his logic processors and suddenly becoming well known with the ground as he crashed.
As one every optic of the crew turned to the group of officers, silently asking for an explanation. Ratchet glared and went back to reconnecting Bluestreak's foot, Prowl silently ignored them all, Jazz grinned, Blaster and Wheeljack just laughed a bit, and Red Alert just twitched before curling farther into his corner. The arrival of Optimus Prime and Ironhide with the rest of the Ark had those optics go from staring at the group to staring at the Weapons Specialist.
"Ah havn' the microchip worth of ahn idea on why they do that."
Optimus just looked as confused as they did, and the silence once more reigned. Sideswipe hobbling enough to poke at the still crashed mech on the floor.
"Wheeljack, you slagging start it."
The voice of Ratchet startled a few into giving out a yelp of surprise, even as Wheeljack's earfins began to blink an amused shade of blue.
"Well, I can see why you ask me Ratch, I mean I'm not technically an officer, just seem to be around the officers all the time. Though I was there for most of the rest of you showing up, was probably a very boring stay for you at that base before the myself and the others started trickling in."
A brandished wrench did nothing to stop the amused tone from Wheeljack, but did make him actually start his story properly.
"Well, I should first ask if everyone is familiar with base Delta Five Seven Nine since that death trap of a base was where most of us met for the first time. This was before Optimus was Prime and the war hadn't gotten as bad as it is now mind you…Ratchet had been there already a Vorn and I was the next lucky one to be exiled to that rock…"