Being found by the Autobots was either a blessing or a curse, Shockwave truly couldn't decide. On one hand they were a blessing, after all they had medical supplies, and Soundwave was in desperate need of proper care. On the other hand, they were Autobots.

Shockwave cradled the youngest of Soundwave's sparklings, Ratbat, to her chest in her gun arm, the other sparklings in various stages of recharge. She watched nervously as Omega Supreme, or what Shockwave gathered was the Guardian's head component, worked over Soundwave. Jolt, the pretty blue femme with the highly irate sparkmate, stood at the Guardian's elbow handing the bigger femme any tools that she required. Roadbuster hovered in the doorway, a scowl darkening his admittedly handsome faceplates. Shockwave glanced over at him, single yellow optic shuttered, resting her servo on Frenzy's helm where the little femme was curled against Shockwave's thigh, her twin brother, Rumble curled around her.

Roadbuster's scowl softened somewhat when he glanced down at the twins, his optics flickering to the makeshift berth where his own son was in recharge. Shockwave jumped when Jolt dropped down beside her. "Can I ask how you all ended up on Mars?" Jolt murmured, her eyes on her mate, as he crossed the floor to pick up the now whining Electroshock.

"After the space bridge collapsed, all I remember is getting a comm from Megatron. I assume he was locked in combat with Optimus Prime." Shockwave chirped soothingly to Ratbat, who stirred fretfully when Roadbuster brought the hungry little mechling to his waiting femme-creator.

Jolt frowned thoughtfully even as she shifted open her chest plating so that Electroshock could have access to one of the nursing cables near her spark chamber. The little mech took to cable with little fuss, one tiny servo resting on the revealed translucent protective casing over his mother's navy blue spark. Jolt waited calmly for Shockwave to gather her thoughts.

"By that time, Soundwave had already been injured, and because of our bond, Megatron knew that." The sparkbond that Megatron, Shockwave and Soundwave shared was a well-known fact. Their bond had, after all, been forged in the gladiator pits of Kaon, long before the war began. Shockwave gave a shaky sigh, "He told me to take Soundwave and get off world. So I did a rough patch of Soundwave's injury, we retrieved the sparkling's from where we had hidden them, and we left."

Jolt blinked, the gesture accompanied by the soft click of her optics shuttering off and back on. She did not know how to respond, the thought of Megatron's concerns for both his mates floored her. Not only that, but there was also the deactivation of said mech. No doubt the two femmes had felt Megatron fall. "The little supplies you did have, where did they come from?"

"Before Starscream made it to earth," Here, Shockwave had to roll her single optic, and Jolt understood the battle femme's distaste. Starscream was nobodies favourite Femme. "She and the others; Barricade, Brawl, Bonecrusher, and Blackout, I believe, set up a small base on the surface. It is the only reason we have lasted as long as we have. We had enough energon for only another Orn*." After they ran out of energon, deactivation would have followed quickly after. Especially where the sparkling's were concerned.

Omega Supreme listened as Shockwave explained their flight to the surface of the red planet with half an audio receptor, most of her attention on the monitors that were currently displaying Soundwave's vitals. The one time Guardian of Cybertron, hummed to herself, slender gray servos flashing over the screen as she read through the reports her diagnostic tools were sending to her, not only on the injured telepath that recharged comfortable as repair nanites finally activated, mending the damage in her throat cables, but also on the Decepticon Military Commander and the six resting sparklings. Other than the expected readings of low energon tanks, only one thing caught Omega's attention. Turquoise optics stared, gray servos resting on sunset orange hips. She turned and interrupted Shockwave and Jolt. "Shockwave, when was the last time you sparkmerged with Megatron?"

The unexpected question gave Shockwave pause, her CPU freezing for an astrosecond* before she was able to respond. She answered quietly, "Shortly before the battle in Chicago. Why?" Omega sat on the edge of the second medical berth in the room, bringing up the reading that had caught her attention on the biggest screen in the room. Shockwave read the readings calmly, its contents leaving her with a dull ache in her spark. "…A newspark*?"

Omega Supreme nodded, speaking softly, "Almost ready to be transferred to your gestation tank*, I think, but I will have to examine you to be certain."

"I…yes, of course." She looked down at the various sparkling recharging on or around her. Omega followed Shockwave's gaze.

"The little ones can rest in one of the empty berth rooms, I will show you." Omega stood up from her perch, scooping Rumble and Frenzy up in either arm, cradling the twins carefully. Shockwave gently woke the eldest three sparklings, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage. The three mechlings trailed after her like ducklings, rubbing at tired optics, glancing back at their carrier curiously. But they followed their other momma, knowing that their carrier would be okay. The followed the orange and gray femme down the twisting corridors of the ship they were on to a big room with two berths. The two femmes settled all the sparklings.

Shockwave sat on the edge of one of the berths, rubbing Ratbat's back soothingly. Omega waited by the door, watching the cycloptic battle femme carefully. "Are you okay?" She kept her voice low when Shockwave walked towards her.

Shockwave shook her head, "No. No I'm not okay." Her vocalizer trembled slightly, "I always thought that when I had a sparkling, Megatron would be there. He was always there when the sparklings were born. He always made it in time." She closed her optic and her head dropped, antenna lowered. "But he's not going to show up. Not this time."

Optimus vented, antenna drooped in exhaustion as she exited the meeting room that had been established in the recently re-established NEST headquarters. She needed to get of this planet, if only to get away from the irritating amount of red tape that the American Government was so fond of. Leaving would be good for her. And Grimlock. Primus only knew how stifled the Dinobot had been in recent weeks. The humans refused to let him off base in either of his forms. Calling him a liability to national security.

She made her way across the pristine tarmac of the airstrip, her optics scanning her surroundings. As fond as she was of Earth, maybe it was time, not just for her, but for all of her Autobots to take to the stars once again, maybe find a planet that had no indigenous species. Optimus vented heavily once again.

Grimlock was outside the Autobot hanger, and he looked at Optimus curiously when she drew near, returning his attention to the datapad he held. He was seated on a steel cargo canister, long legs stretched out before him, and a small smile curled at his mouth plates when Optimus dropped down to sit beside him.

"We should be able to take the Knight's Terminus in a quartex*." Grimlock made a soft thoughtful noise deep in his chest. Optimus knocked her shoulder against his, "You seem almost content."

Grimlock looked up from his datapad, smiling fully, and Optimus nearly blushed at the startling effect the sight had on her sensors. "Say what you will about their primitive technology, the humans write the most fascinatin' fictional stories." Grimlock snorted, "It's funny really, most of them willnae believe that there are more species in the universe then just themselves, but they will create entire worlds within their writing."

Optimus reached for his datapad and smiled when she recognized a passage from The Hobbit, a book she herself was particularly fond of. She handed the datapad back. "I agree, it is rather curious, but humans by nature are a rather curious species." Grimlock took the offered datapad and put it down beside him.

Grimlock turned his torso to face his sexy battle femme, optics focused on Optimus's beautiful faceplates. Those crystalline blue optics were confused, and Grimlock thought she looked very similar to a kitten, her antenna perked forward, eyebrow ridges arched high. Grimlock had to kiss her, and his sensitive olfactory sensors picking up the soft scent of her sun warmed armour, the sharp scent of coolant, and the faint sweet scent of lubricant. Optimus moaned softly, lifting her servo, trailing it up the broad expanse of the Dinobots chest.

Grimlock rumbled, one massive servo coming to rest on the curve of Optimus' waist, one claw dipping into a seam, and Optimus shivered when she felt that claw on her protoform, the touch feather light. She giggled and the noise shocked them both, Optimus Prime was not a giggler. Grimlock slid his servo around her back, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulled her firmly against him. She felt good there, the curves of her frame snug against the hard lines of his. His free servo trailed up the smooth line of one of her thighs. The gaps between armour were bigger here and his digits lingered over the stretches of protoform.

He felt the contented purr of her engine, pulling away from her mouth, and dipping his head to run his glossa over her neck cables. One thumb stroked over the sensitive protoform of her inner thigh and the smell of lubrication increased. Optimus groaned softly, denta biting down on her lower lip, "Come inside with me." Grimlock rumbled again, and as close as she was to him she felt the vibrations of his engine straight through her form into her valve.

Grimlock stood up Optimus still snug in his arms, and she locked her legs comfortably around his waist, laughing when Grimlock rubbed his nose against hers. Grimlock carried her into the hangar, receiving many shocked looks from any NEST Agents who happened to be on duty. He carried her to her private room where she had her office and recharge berth. He set her down on the edge of her desk, turning and activating the door's lock. Optimus leaned back on her servos, her peds planted firmly against the side of her desk, her thighs spread opened invitingly. Her closed interface panel displayed and when Grimlock turned back to her his air intact hitched.

A/N:Orn: 13 days

Astrosecond: .273 seconds

Newspark: The kindled spark of sparkling, equivalent of a fertilized embryo

Next Chapter: SEXY TIMES (Hopefully)