Disclaimer - Transformers are entirely the property of IDW/Hasbro/Dreamworks/Takara and likely many others with highly trained attack lawyers. I own nothing.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

The Autobot leader rubbed his optics wearily before re-opening the Mission City reports Captain Lennox had supplied. He felt his spark ache with memories of the battle as he read through the civilian casualty list. Really they had been incredibly lucky, Ratchets genius had brought Jazz back from the Matrix, the humans however, had not been so fortunate. Sam and Mikeala had survived, along with Lennox's team; but there were a half dozen others who had been lost on the highway alone, a dozen more during the main battle within the city, along with nearly a hundred seriously injured.

And that was without counting the military losses. Primus humans were fragile.

With a heavy sigh he laid the datapad face down on the desk.

:: Ironhide – come in ::

:: Optimus?::

:: Please ask Captain Lennox to arrange a meeting with Secretary Keller as soon as possible and report back ::

:: Understood ::

:: Thank you old friend – good night ::

Closing the comm he rose and exited the office leaving the reports behind, time for some much needed recharge before Ratchet had him dragged to his room – again.

-----------ooo0ooo-----------

'I appreciate you finding the time to speak to me Secretary Keller'

'We owe you and your men a great debt – I can always find the time to talk. Now how can we help you?'

'We would very much like to pay our respects to those whose lives were lost in Mission City'

Keller looked stunned, of course the government had agreed to pay for the funerals of the dead along with the medical expenses of the injured, compensation to families, and any repairs required to the buildings that had surrounded the battle. But under the circumstances the Autobot leaders request could prove, well, tricky.

Homeland Security were still calculating the costs of keeping so many people quiet about the giant robots, blaming a series of meteor strikes in an attempt to placate the press. However, even Keller realised that in the modern age of digital cameras and instant communication word would soon leak about their alien visitors. After all, you can't have a flight of F-22s scrambling over a major city without somebody asking questions.

'It was our war that caused their deaths, it is only right that we offer our condolences' Optimus continued.

'Prime you had no control over what happened in Mission City, and we are making sure their families are taken care off. Collateral damage is unfortunate but not always avoidable in any battle. Please, let us take care of this'

The large mech was uneasy at the humans choice of words, as a soldier he had seen many casualties over the years, but he mourned each one, committing their name to a spark-wrenchingly large file in his processor, alongside the names of fallen Autobots. He sometimes wondered if this was a holdover from his previous function as an archivist or a sign of something deeper. The humans phrase, collateral damage, seemed somehow dismissive faced with the enormity of so many lost sparks.

Logically he knew that Megatron was to blame for their deaths, that his brothers insane lust for power had driven their war to this world, and that without the Autobots help, the human casualties would have run into billions. But still, each loss, including the Decepticon ones, weighed heavily on his spark.

The sound of the human clearing his throat pulled him from his thoughts.

'Of course, I am sure you know best under the circumstances'

'Thank you, and if you'll take some advice, from one old soldier to another, don't beat yourself up too much about it, without your help we would have lost everything'

'I… thank you Secretary Keller'

'Welcome, and please, call me John'

'Very well – thank you John. Prime out'

Turning off the screen he shuttered his optics, rubbing at the vague ache across his foreplate.

'He has a point you know' The Autobot commander started at the voice, knocking a stack of datapads to the floor. Bending to retrieve them he regarded his CMO warily.

'Ratchet – must you do that?' The medics face was stern, an optic ridge pointedly raised.

'What's that human phrase you like so much? Oops my bad?' placing a mug of hot energon on the desk he stared at his leader 'To the fallen' raising his own drink 'May Primus welcome them to the Matrix' slowly Prime picked-up the mug, returning the toast.

'Now' he said, downing the remaining liquid 'No more work today, and definitely no more brooding'

'Doctors orders?' A ghost of a smile played across the medics lips as he nodded.

'That, and you have to see what the Twins have done to Ironhide before he wakes-up'

The lack of care taken to avoid human casualties during the films final battle surprised me a little given how much importance they put on avoiding it earlier, why on earth did they take the Allspark into a major population centre and make no effort to evacuate? With all the destruction I figured there had to be a few lives lost - so you get this.