The Chaar System.

The Nemesis; the most feared warship in the galaxy. Countless civilizations trembled in terror at the mere mention of the Decepticon flagship. In addition to its monumental size, it was equipped with the best weaponry Cybertronian science had to offer. Rumor has it that the full power of the ship once wiped out an entire planet's population.

But a ship is only as good as the crew that mans it. Megatron and four-fifths of his army had disappeared through the space bridge during the battle against the Ark. The only remaining crew members who had survived the transport were the Seekers; Starscream, Air Commander and First Lieutenant of the Decepticons, and his private armada.

Fortunately for them, a small brigade of Vehicon troopers had also survived the transport, making it easier to maintain control of the ship. But infighting between the Seekers often caused problems in finding a proper course of action. Starscream often argued that being Megatron's second-in-command automatically granted him the right to lead, but Thundercracker and Slipstream constantly made a bid for power.

But after weeks of constant bickering and aimlessly drifting through the cosmos, the ship's communications officer detected a familiar energy signal on the burnt out husk of Chaar. The Seeker trio ceased their argument to acknowledge the finding.

"What is it, Soundwave?" Thundercracker asked.

Without a word, the Decepticon loyalist motioned to the signal, comparing it to one all four of them recognized. Slipstream gasped in surprise. "Residual energy from the space bridge? Just like the Nemesis when we emerged from stasis."

"But this signal appears to be altered." Thundercracker pointed out. "I've seen this energy before. It's dark energon!"

"Are you saying that signal belongs… to Megatron?" Starscream spluttered. "B-but he was microns from the detonation point! Your sensors must be malfunctioning! Ignore the contact! Delete the coordinates!"

Beneath his mask, Soundwave glared at the traitorous commander. Luckily, both Thundercracker and Slipstream shared his sentiment, and crossed their arms in disgust. Upon realizing what he had said and to whom he said it, Starscream smiled, weakly. "Uh, heh-heh. Wha-what am I saying? Ahem, of course, this must be- erm -investigated. Slipstream, take a squadron to the surface. If our master is down there, you will bring him home."

"Oh, thank you, Starscream." The female Seeker rolled her eyes and headed for the ship's hangar. "So surprising that you wouldn't reserve the honor for yourself."

"Don't start with me, woman." The sniveling commander threatened.

Slipstream had taken five Vehicon fliers with her, along with Flatline, the Nemesis' medic. Following the signal, the group transformed upon touchdown and began shifting through the scorched soil of the planet. Hours later, the doctor and Seeker found their leader's heavily damaged body.

Flatline activated the energon sensors in his two fingertips and scanned Megatron's neck. "Hmm… his spark is weak. And growing weaker."

Without warning, Megatron's optics opened up, and he grabbed the startled doctor by his arm. "I… still… function…" He groaned. Upon closer inspection, Flatline noticed a faint glimmer of purple light emitting from his leader's chest cavity. The sadistic medical officer had heard stories of his master collecting scraps of an ancient substance that dated back to the age of the Primes. As a scientist, he refused to believe in it without solid evidence, but there was no denying it now. Megatron had truly discovered the fabled Blood of Unicron.

"Hmm… dark energon." He surmised. "I'll bet my life that's what saved him."

"Can you save him?" Asked Slipstream, anxiously.

"Well…" Flatline grinned, sadistically, at the five Vehicons as his hand converted into an energon harvester. "I'll need some of this!" A stream of harvesting energy struck the Vehicons, draining them of their life-giving fuel. Once the harvester was full, the medic's tool extended four prongs and he jammed it into Megatron's chest. "And then, I'll need to do this!" He laughed, hysterically, as the stolen energon pumped into Megatron's body.

The tyrant's wounds began to rapidly heal as his eyes flickered with light. His entire body lurched, violently, and he rose back to his feet. Leaping into the air, he transformed into his jet-mode and soared into the sky. Slipstream and Flatline followed suit and guided their leader back to the ship. Once they arrived, Megatron reverted to his robot-mode as he landed with a powerful stomp.

The warlord marched through the halls of his flagship, with the two Seekers close behind. At last, he reached the command deck. "Decepticons! Your rightful lord and master has returned!"

"ALL HAIL MEGATRON!" The Vehicons cheered.

Megatron's gaze traveled across the entire deck before he spotted the cowardly Decepticon who had arrogantly taken his place as supreme leader. "Starscream…" He growled. "... I'm home."

"Lord Megatron…" The Air Commander gasped, bowing in respect. "You're… you're here! You have returned! It is a miracle!"

"You left me to die on that wretched planet!" Megatron snarled as he roughly clawed at Starscream's face.

"B-but, no one saw you when we arrived through the space bridge!" The Seeker tried to reason, but his leader did not look convinced. "I-I only did what I did to rally our grand army, master! A-after all, with your fate unknown at the time, someone had to take command-"

Megatron had heard enough. In one swift motion, he gripped his lieutenant's neck and thrust him against the wall. Starscream choked as he desperately struggled to break free.

"Your pathetic attempt at leadership has lead to dissension among what remains of my flag ship's crew!" Megatron snarled, tightening his grip. "The rest of my army is now scattered to the stars and you have been treating it as a means to further your agenda!"

"M-master! Please!" Starscream begged, gagging and kicking as he was lifted higher. "My intentions were true! Please, have mercy!"

Megatron scoffed at his soldier's weak plea. Time and again, Starscream had made clear his desire to usurp him and take control of the Decepticon armies. In truth, the only reason he ever kept the scheming sycophant alive was to maintain a numerical advantage over the Autobots. But by now, his patience had run short.

Just as he was about to tear Starscream apart, the command deck's entrance opened again. A dark soldier stepped forth and bowed before his leader. Megatron reluctantly released his captive and turned to his most trusted lieutenant.

"Arise, Soundwave." He ordered, and the communications officer silently obeyed. "You have something to say?"

"Yes, Lord Megatron…" Soundwave pressed a button on his left shoulder, causing his chest cavity to open. In a blur of motion, Laserbeak emerged from the communications officer, circling the air. "Laserbeak, transform. Operation: Reconnaissance."

As per his master's command, the metal bird of prey transformed into his memory stick-mode and attached himself to the ship's computer. The trio of Decepticons watched with interest as the screen flickered on to reveal footage of what remained of the Alchemor. Only six Autobots appeared to be aboard, judging by the number of voices speaking, and they had just finished calling for help. Not only that, but two 'bot's had split from the group.

"Hmm…" The Decepticon supreme leader rubbed his chin, carefully strategizing their next move. "Starscream."

"Y-yes, my lord?" The traitorous sub-commander quivered, still rubbing his neck.

"Assemble your Seeker Armada and investigate with extreme caution." Megatron ordered. "This may very well be just the advantage we need."

"At once, Lord Megatron!" Starscream opened his comm-link. "Thundercracker! Have Slipstream and the others prepared for take-off! I will join you, shortly."

But as the Air Commander paced towards the hangar, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of his master's voice.

"And Starscream?" Megatron glanced over his shoulder. "Keep in mind; you have been granted your final chance at redemption."

Detroit, Michigan.

Inside the garage of the Witwickys, Sari Sumdac was diligently using Spike's tools to inspect the inside of her robot companion's throat. As soon as they got home from school, she ordered him to transform and lie down while she set up the equipment. In less than half an hour, she had carefully opened up his neck cavity under his instruction and found the damaged voice-box. A fine sheen of sweat coated her face as she meticulously fiddled with the loose circuits and wires.

Bumblebee tried his best to stay still, but he was a restless Autobot by nature. As much as he appreciated what Sari was trying to do for him, but he had been through the same process with three different medics before, and none of them had even come close to repairing his voice. He'd much prefer to spend his time with her by learning more about her planet and what it had to offer. In addition to the music she shared with him, she had taught him about video games and television; both of which he greatly enjoyed.

"Okay… and, done!" Sari lifted her welding mask, having just closed up her handywork. "Okay, 'Bee! Your real voice! Let's hear it!"

Bumblebee sat up, rubbing the hot weld that sealed up his neck. This had been Sari's third attempt at repairing his damaged voice-box, but this time it felt different. This time, he could feel as if something other than static code was rising in his throat. Eagerly, he opened his mouth, preparing to give his friend a sincere "Thank you."

"Ah…aaah... a-ah… a-" Only to be cut short by a loud, violent cough, followed by a disappointed whine.

"Aw… sorry, Bumblebee…" The teenager sadly slipped her headphones back on. "Don't worry, though. I'm not giving up. I'm gonna hear what you really sound like, someday."

["It's okay, Sari. At least you tried."] The yellow Autobot assured his friend, but quickly noticed that her attention was elsewhere. Leaning closer, he could see that she was gazing at a pamphlet for some kind of special event. ["What's that?"] He asked.

"Oh, just something my school is doing, today…" She sighed. "A few of my friends asked if I wanted to help, but I… I turned them down." Crumpling the paper up and tossing it in the trash, she started cleaning up her borrowed tools. "I don't know what my problem is… maybe I just don't deserve to have friends."

["What?"] Bumblebee scoffed. ["That's ridiculous, Sari! You're the coolest human I've ever met!"]

"Aw, 'Bee…" Sari blushed brightly before giving a confused and skeptic expression. "Wait… aren't I the only human you've ever met?"

["My point still stands."] He pouted, crossing his arms.

Sari chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least one thing is going right for you, today. In just three hours Mrs. Witwicky will be back from work and we can head to Mt. Saint Hilary-"

"Wassup, chica?!" Suddenly, the garage door swung open and Carlos, Rad, and Alexis barged in. "How's it-"

Bumblebee was frozen in terror at the sight of the three humans. Had he spent almost two weeks going unnoticed only to be discovered by accident? Sari wasn't faring any better, herself; she thought that her friends had something better to do since she had all but rudely pushed them away. Regardless, she finally found her voice, again. "H-hey… what're you guys doing here?"

"Well, we wanted to see if you at least wanted to come see the parade." Rad hadn't taken his eyes off of the giant robot.

"But… what is that?" Alexis gaped.

Sari's mind desperately raced to come up with an excuse, but she couldn't think of a way to explain why she had a ten-foot-tall, yellow robot sitting in her host-parent's garage. Thankfully, she remembered the one thing that could save Bumblebee's secret. "SURPRISE!" She smiled, awkwardly. "I-I built a parade float! For-for-for the thing! The Parade!"

"Really?!" The trio smiled, unaware that Bumblebee was now staring at his companion in disbelief.

"Y-yeah! Totally!" Sari went on. "I wanted it to be a last-minute surprise, but it looks like you beat me to it! Oh, well!"

"Well, this is great!" Carlos cheered. "With a float like this, we're sure to win the contest!"

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no." Sari shook her head, nervously. "I-I don't want to enter the contest."

"Uh, then why did you build a parade float?"

The poor girl's eyes nervously darted over to Bumblebee, who silently begged her to come up with something. Acting on impulse, she tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. "To win the contest!"

"Now, that's the spirit!" Rad gave her a pat on the back. "So, how do we move it?"

"Uh… I move it!" Sari lied, rummaging around in her backpack until she felt her phone in her hand. "Y'see, uh, I just-uh, I just-I have it hooked up to my phone! And, I control it through Bluetooth!"

"That is so cool!" Carlos exclaimed. "How'd you do that?"

"Uh…" The exchange student was running out of excuses. "Ah, y'know… my dad's an engineer. He taught me a few tricks. I guess I just have a knack for this stuff."

"Well, the parade's gonna start in about half an hour." Alexis checked her watch. "We better get going!"

"Yeah… let's get going." Once her friends were gone, Sari turned back to Bumblebee. The Autobot was shaking in fear. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but we just have to get through this parade. It's only three miles. Just move slowly like those robots in those cheesy old movies I showed you the other day and we'll be fine."

["Are you sure?"] He whined.

"Yes. Yes, it'll be okay." She promised, rubbing his arm for comfort. "Just… just stay close to me and everything will be fine."

["... okay. I trust you."]

A few minutes later, Bumblebee was standing alongside the parade floats, trying to convince the other students that he wasn't alive. Sari kept her promise and stayed beside him the entire time, making sure no one got too close. As his friend spoke with her teachers and classmates, the Throttlebot couldn't help but overhear some of the students talking about Sari behind her back.

"Can you believe she built that?"

"Eh, she probably paid someone to do it for her."

"I mean, she's from India. They're supposed to be tech-savvy, right?"

"Heh, she's just a girl, though. Betcha it falls apart the first ten minutes of the parade."

Bumblebee growled under his breath; now he understood why Sari thought so little of herself. Of course he could empathize her, being one of the smallest and youngest of the Autobot military, he had endured numerous rude remarks from the higher-ranking soldiers. He would never wish that kind of mistreatment on anyone else, least of all one of his friends.

Eventually, the parade started. Bumblebee did as suggested, moving like a stereotypical robot he'd seen in old movies Sari watched with him. But the farther they got down the road, the young 'bot quickly noticed the crowd looked bored with him. He felt sad seeing Sari and her friends look so disappointed in the outcome. He decided to step up the game a little.

Bumblebee punched the air and stretched, earning everyone's attention. "~Alright, alright, alright! ~ What's up, my people?!~" His radio blasted.

"What are you doing?!" Sari half-screamed/half-whispered, pulling on her ponytails. But the robot just winked at her and went on, waving at the crowd on the side of the road. Everyone gathered around were completely bewildered by the incredible sight to behold.

"Holy frijoles, Sari!" Carlos clapped, happily. "You went all out!"

"Is that the radio?" Rad smiled, equally excited.

"This is amazing!" Alexis shrieked with joy.

"~Okay! ~ Now, DJ ~ I'mma need me some fresh beats! ~" Bumblebee snapped his fingers and pointed at the girl who orchestrated this plan. Sari gazed at the impressed faces in the crowd, feeling a sense of excitement building up in her heart.

"Uh… o-okay." Scrolling through her phone's playlist, she tried to think of some songs she and the Autobot had danced along she found the perfect choice. Once she pressed "play," Bumblebee instinctively bobbed his head along to the upbeat tunes. Soon, he was tapping his feet and clapping his hands, encouraging everyone else to follow suit.

"~Party rockers in the house, tonight! ~ Everybody just have a good time! ~ And we gon' make ya lose your minds! ~ Everybody just have a good time!~"

Sari was amazed at how loudly everyone cheered and danced to the music. Eventually, she found herself dancing as if no one could see her. And soon after that, Alexis, Rad, and Carlos did the same.

"~Shake that!~" Bumblebee mimicked Sari's dancing, perfectly, as they moved further down the road. The five youths felt elated as a thunderous applause echoed around them. At last, the parade ended, and they all posed humorously at the song's conclusion.

Half an hour later, Bumblebee was back to standing perfectly still while the entire school crowded around to get a picture of him, Sari, and her friends. The exchange student was resting on his shoulder, waving to everyone gathered. When no one was looking, she leaned towards the vent under Bumblebee's horn and whispered, softly.

"This is the most fun I've ever had! Oh, here comes Principal Dean!"

"Welp, I'm sure this comes as no surprise," The robust woman smiled, carrying a large trophy and a blank check. "The winners of this contest are Sari Sumdac, Alexis Di Thang, Rad White, and Carlos Lopez!"

Everyone clapped and cheered in celebration. Sari insisted that Alexis hold onto the check to distribute the winnings equally. But the other three wouldn't let her hand over the trophy, seeing as how it was her "float" that won them their victory. After that, it was only a matter of time before she was able to lead Bumblebee into an isolated area to revert to vehicle-mode.

Once her friend had transformed, the teenager lifted up the trophy with one hand and aimed her phone's camera with the other. "I am so posting this on Instagram!"

What she didn't notice, however, was that the blue Alpha-Key that had brought Bumblebee back to life was still dangling from her neck. It was a detail she would overlook at the time, but someone else would eventually take note of it. Someone sinister.

Regulon Four.

"Bluestreak!" Cliffjumper shouted as he raced after his partner over the infertile soil. "Bluestreak, get your bumper back to the ship!"

"You want me?! Come and get me!" Bluestreak yelled back and increased her speed.

"GRRRR!" The red minibot growled as a cloud of dust covered his windshield. "This isn't funny!"

"Then why am I laughing?!" The silver-plated soldier cackled and raced into a tunnel, with her partner not too far behind. "Tell you what, Cliff; if I get to the end of the tunnel before you, you owe me a kiss!"

"This is no time for games, Bluestreak!" Cliffjumper replied. "Now get back to the ship, or I'm gonna-huh?"

Meanwhile, as she continued down the winding cavern, Bluestreak's frame was illuminated by beautiful crystals that accumulated the walls. "Huh. For a dead world, this planet is kinda pretty." She thought, just before she drove past a prehistoric fossil. "Ugh, in a necromantic kinda way, I guess."

At last, she reached the end of the cave and transformed to jump with joy. "Ha ha ha ha! I beat ya!" Bluestreak laughed. "Too slow, Cliff…! Cliff? Cliffjumper?" Surprisingly, she couldn't even hear the purr of her partner's engine. She peeked inside, waiting for him to catch up, but he never came. "Hey, Horn-Head, are you okay?"

Eventually, she started backtracking through the blinding darkness in search of her friend. When she finally found him, he was standing in front of a petrified skeleton, optics wide open. It wasn't until she saw the position of the skeleton when she understood why.

"Oh, no…" She cupped a hand over her mouth.

Millenia ago, during the war for Cybertron, Cliffjumper was bound and caged inside the Decepticon stronghold in Kolkular. His captor, Lockdown, specialized in hunting and torturing Autobot soldiers to obtain vital information. The Decepticon general had cut, beaten, and blasted his latest prey to the brink of death, but the strong warrior wouldn't say a word.

"Y'know, I've done this to several of Prime's elite commanders." Lockdown bragged as he sharpened his hook. "Star Saber, Victory, Powered Convoy, Metalhawk… they put up a good fight at first, but it never took long to get what I wanted out of them. But you? You've proven to be a tough lug nut to crack."

Cliffjumper said nothing. He only glared at the psychotic hunter, waiting for him to finally snuff out his spark. "In fact," Lockdown continued. "I'm willing to bet that no matter what I do to you, you'll never tell me where Magnus' Elite Guard is going to strike. But let's see what happens when it's not your spark on the line."

All confidence Cliffjumper had washed away as two Vehicons dragged a white and blue Autobot into the dungeon with him. "Mirage…?" He whimpered.

"Ugh…" Lockdown sunk his hook into the scout's shoulder, lifting him into a seprate stasis field.

"What have you done to him?!" Cliffjumper snapped.

"Nothing… much." Lockdown grinned, sadistically. "Now, just tell me what I want to know, or… well, you're smart. I'm sure you can guess what happens to your pal, Mirage."

"I don't know about the attack coordinates!" The Autobot prisoner admitted. However, his captor wasn't convinced, and moved back to the unconscious scout. Cliffjumper struggled against the field that held him. "I swear to Primus, it's the truth!"

"Well, I'm afraid I can't take your word for it." The hook retracted into the Decepticon's arm, replaced by a long buzzsaw. "Megatron demands either the coordinates or an Autobot's head."

"No! No, please!" Cliffjumper had never begged before; especially not to a Decepticon. But it was always because he was the one being threatened. Mirage was too weak to even hold up his head, and yet this sadist was about to slice him to pieces with no remorse. "Please! Don't do it!"

Mirage's eyes rolled towards his friend, trying to say something. But Lockdown started the saw, and tilted his victim's head towards him with his free hand. "You have your partner to thank for this."

"No! Please! Stop!" Thin streams of lubricant leaked out of Cliffjumper's optics as Lockdown aimed his weapon.

"C-C… Cliff-?" The last thing the Autobot saw was his oldest friend, just as serrated steel tore his spark chamber wide open.

"MIRAGE!" Cliffjumper's anguished cry echoed around the ship.

"Hmm… too bad. He would've been good for a few upgrades." Lockdown mused as he picked shards of energon-soaked metal out of his saw. Then, he turned to his other prisoner. "But since you're all but useless, I guess two heads will be better than one."

Suddenly, a powerful blast blew a hole in the wall, and an Autobot rescue team stormed the facility. Streetwise, Stakeout, and Prowl kept Lockdown busy while Bluestreak rushed to save the only surviving Autobot. She freed him of the containment field, but he pushed her aside and fell to the ground due to his injuries.

"H-hurry!" Despite his damage, Cliffjumper forced himself to crawl over to the imobile body of his comrade. "Mirage, get up! C'mon, Mirage, get up!" He shook his oldest friend as hard as he could, but there was no response. "Don't you dare quit on me, Mirage! Stay with me, partner! You're gonna make it! You're gonna make it, Mirage!"

Unfortunately, it was no use. The light finally faded from Mirage's optics, and Cliffjumper screamed in anguish. Prowl ordered Bluestreak to grab Cliffjumper and make a break for the exit. But the Autobot soldier was having trouble pulling him away from the corpse.

"No! No, no, no!" Cliffjumper wailed. "I can save him! We-we need to save him!"

"Cliffjumper! Cliffjumper, listen to me! He's dead! We have to go, now!"

"No! He needs me! Let me go!" At last, the group managed to drag the traumatized warrior out of the Decepticon stronghold.

Back in the present, streams of coolant ran down the red Autobot's face as his lifelong grief slammed into his spark once more. "Oh, Cliff…" Bluestreak put her hand on her partner's shoulder, only to drop to her knees and embrace him once he collapsed. "Cliffjumper, I'm sorry."

"I couldn't… I couldn't save him!" Cliffjumper sobbed into his friend's lap. "I couldn't save my partner!"

"Shh, shh. It's okay, Cliff… it's okay, I'm here." Bluestreak rubbed Cliffjumper behind his horns, trying to calm him down. "Let's get back to the ship."

The duo slowly walked back to their temporary headquarters, when something caught their eyes. The tallest of the two slid a telescopic visor down from her helmet, enhancing her view of the menacing objects. Cliffjumper didn't need a visor to see what it was' all he needed was the same feeling in his spark he'd felt countless times since the beginning of the war.

"DECEPTICONS!"

To Be Continued!