Author Note: Many thanks to everyone who left feedback in form of reviews and/or setting the story to alerts and/or favorites. My apologies for the longish wait but my muse deserted me somewhere around Easter. Now that I have her back, I can continue writing and updating.

Seeing that the beginning of season 3 of the show was already aired, Transformers Prime: Stardust can - and must - be considered AU. I hope you still like where I take the story though. :)

Please enjoy the next chapter.


– chapter nine –

Rugged

Jack's attention was pulled away from the news and drawn back to the fight when he heard a heavy thud, followed by laser fire. Then Arcee cried out. Her scream was unlike anything he had ever heard before, though; it sounded like claws being grated over a blackboard. Immediately afterward, there was a crash and Arcee screamed again before the sound was cut off abruptly.

The silence descending over them was ringing in Jack's ears, unnaturally loud after the noise of the fight. Gulping down his anxiety, he carefully crept closer to the barn's edge until he was able to peek around the corner. What he saw worried him: Arcee lay on the ground, unmoving, and the strange mech was nowhere to be seen. Moving at snail's pace, Jack leaned forward until he had a clear view along the long side of the barn. There, in the shadow of the building, leaning against the wall, stood the mech. Energon was oozing out of several cuts, but Jack saw they weren't deep. The mech wouldn't deactivate from energon loss anytime soon.

Looking back to Arcee, Jack noticed that she was struggling to bring her optics back online, and over the ringing in his ears he caught the stuttering of her vents. Jack sighed in relief; his partner was still alive.

A finger tapping on his shoulder drew his attention. Looking back, he met Dean's frightened expression. "What's going on?" the teen mouthed.

Even if he had had an answer at the ready, Jack wouldn't have told Dean the truth. Fact was, he didn't know himself who that mech was and why he and Arcee had been fighting. From what Jack could discern, the stranger didn't bear the Decepticon insignia, but neither did he appear to be an Autobot. Who was he and what did he want? How did he find them? Questions over questions, and Jack had no answer to any of them.

His reply to Dean was therefore only a shrug.

Of course, the teen didn't settle for an 'I don't know.' "That blue… thing was your motorcycle," he snarled, still speaking quietly enough so that only Jack heard him. Nonetheless, he had regained a little of his earlier snobbery. "You have to know something."

Turning around to fully face him, Jack got right in his face. "You wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't stolen my 'bike.' I warned you something bad would happen if you kept it, but you still didn't listen. This situation is entirely your fault so shut the hell up!" Incredible anger soared through him and momentarily clouded his mind. He had the indescribable desire to hit Dean.

Before he could do something as stupid as beat up the other, Mr. Sanders put a restraining hand on Dean's shoulder. "Jack's right, son, and you know it so drop it. Instead, let's worry about how to get out of here." His voice was calm and he appeared relaxed, but the look he sent Jack clearly said the opposite. Different to the teen, however, the man knew where the priorities lay.

But Jack couldn't, no matter what they did or said. The Autobots weren't his secret to share. If he told them everything he knew about giant alien robots on Earth, they'd be in danger. But even though he hated Dean for having brought them into this situation and felt angry at someone like never before, he couldn't risk their innocence. He had to protect them to the best of his abilities.

That was easier thought than done though, especially when Dean was about to shoot off a snappy comeback. Thankfully, Mr. Sanders noticed and intervened, resulting in a whispered yet heated argument between father and son. Jack couldn't care any less about family disputes and stopped listening, letting their voices fade to background noise.

Besides, his full attention was just then drawn back toward the strange mech for he started speaking and the sounds he made didn't resemble any language spoken on Earth. He was emitting chirrups, clicks and whirs, thus somewhat resembling Bumblebee, even if only distantly. To Jack's immense surprise, Arcee responded likewise, her voice differing like day and night to what he was used to with her; there was nothing human in it, only mechanical sounds. Jack was worried that something might be wrong with his friend and partner, but after another moment, the scales fell from his eyes: the two bots were using their mother tongue! No wonder I didn't realize that before, Jack thought. I've never before heard any of the Autobots speak Cybertronian. As far as he knew, they all used English, even when among themselves. (He might be mistaken with the latter, would only know for certain if he asked any of the Autobots, though.)

While Jack might not be having a clue what Arcee and the stranger were talking about, he at least knew their tones were civil for now rather than aggressive. He hoped it stayed that way, fearing for Arcee's life if the stranger decided to attack her once more, and settled for watching the scene while trying to come up with an escape plan that didn't include divulging the Autobots' secret to Dean and company.

Arcee eventually succeeded in fully bringing her optics back online and started to get up. Her movements were slow, and Jack wasn't certain whether it was because of her wounds or to not provoke the stranger to attack her again. All the while she was talking to the mech, her tone imploring. Jack hoped she was trying to get him on their side.

Another tap on his shoulder forced Jack to look back to Dean who had apparently stopped discussing with his father. "What?" Jack growled. Didn't the teen realize that what was happening between Arcee and the stranger was more important than his trivial inquiries?

"Shouldn't we call, you know, the cops? Or someone else?"

If the situation weren't so dire, Jack would have snorted. Instead, he sighed in exasperation. "To have them do what?" he asked the other in return. "Shoot them? In case you didn't notice, they have weapons as tall as we are."

"I know that," Dean snarled back. "But they might have another, secret weapon to fight giant robots." Jack raised his eyebrows incredulously, so the teen added, "They're always experimenting. They might have found something effective."

This time, Jack did snort. "Yeah, sure. Dream on."

But Dean was undeterred. "How would you know? You don't work for the government," he argued.

A sudden sharp whistling caught everyone's attention before Jack had the chance to respond. They looked up and spied a handful of fighter jets quickly coming closer. Decepticons! Jack thought panicked and froze. They found us. But then he recognized an insignia on the tail fin: United States Air Force. He relaxed again, breathing a sigh in relief.

However, the very next moment, the barn behind them exploded. The resulting shock wave knocked everyone off their feet and sent them sprawling to the ground. People were screaming, whether in pain or fear – or both – Jack couldn't tell. He tried pushing himself up with his arms but hissed in pain and sank back down with a groan. His hands and forearms were covered in blood and dirt where he had skidded over the gravel. Suppressing the urge to vomit at the sight, he tried once again to get back up to his feet. His knees were shaking and felt like Jell-O.

That immediately went forgotten when he laid eyes on Arcee's motionless frame not too far away. "Arcee!" he called out, worried for his friend. He went over as fast as he could – hobbled more like though; he apparently had twisted an ankle too and his left knee was throbbing painfully – and crouched down next to her. He carefully put his hand on her shoulder and gently tried shaking her. "Arcee?"

Her optics flickered online and she slowly turned her head to look at him. "Jack, run," she brought out in a pained groan.

But he couldn't leave her behind like this. "No," he said with determination, "I'm not leaving without you."

Before Arcee could reply, another whistling sound cut through the air. Jack wanted to look up to see what was happening. He didn't get the chance, however, because Arcee suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down. A moment later he was glad because she thus shielded him from the shrapnel when a second barn exploded and another shock wave whooshed over them. Then, over the ringing in his ears, Jack made out the thudding sounds of an approaching helicopter. He desperately needed to know what was going on and fought against Arcee's hold, but she kept his head pressed down. "Stay where you are," she said sternly, her tone dismissing any discussion.

Though Jack wanted to protest at first, he thought better of it when in just that moment he recognized the sounds of transformation behind them. The killing shot he anticipated never came, though. Instead, the mech started firing on the fighter jets.

The pilots immediately retaliated and issued a carpet bombing. Jack covered his head with his hands, crunched his eyes shut and pressed as closely against Arcee as he could. Even over the noise of the explosions, however, he could clearly make out a mechanic scream before it cut off abruptly.

Before he fully knew what was going on, Arcee suddenly sprung up and pulled Jack with her. She transformed mid-leap, apparently ignorant to her injuries, and even somehow managed that he ended up astride the seat. And whilst she raced away from the scene of battle, Jack clung to her for dear life.

Arcee stopped only when they were long out of town and once again in the middle of nowhere. She chose a secluded patch along the road. As soon as Jack had dismounted, he sunk onto the ground because his legs wouldn't carry him any longer. His hands were shaking; apparently, he was in shock.

Arcee transformed and knelt down to look him in the eye. "Everything's all right, Jack," she said softly, soothingly. "We're safe."

"I hope so," he mumbled in reply. He had had enough excitement for one day to last him for the rest of a lifetime.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments. It gave Jack the time to calm down again and process the most recent events. When he remembered the strange mech, his head snapped up to look at Arcee. He had totally forgotten about her injuries in the explosions and following hasty getaway. He immediately zeroed in on scrapes stretching from her left shoulder to the middle of her stomach and grimaced. "I'm sorry, Arcee," he said.

She glanced down herself in confusion, then shrugged. "Just a couple of dents and scratches. Nothing that won't heal."

"But I saw you lying unmoving on the ground!" Jack protested.

Arcee held up her hands. "Don't worry, Jack. He scored a hit, but I rerouted some energy and am as fit as before."

He opened his mouth for another protest, but the helicopter thudding reached their ears again. Jack looked up with a mildly rising panic, but Arcee was calmness personified. "Don't worry," she repeated when the helicopter made to land close-by. Jack didn't know whether she meant her injuries or the helicopter, but got a clarification when she added, "That's the United States Air Force. I suppose Agent Fowler sent these men."

Jack prayed to whatever deity listened that his partner was right.

"… And Agent Fowler really ordered you to come look for us?" Jack asked for what felt like the hundredth time since the chopper had taken him and Arcee – in alt-mode of course – aboard, but only because he still couldn't believe he should be this lucky after what happened so far that day.

The soldier treating the cuts on his arms and palms obviously struggled not to roll his eyes, but he managed. Barely, but Jack couldn't care any less at the moment. "Indirectly, but yes," the man confirmed and exchanged the cloth with which he cleaned his cuts for a package of Band-Aids.

Leaning back, Jack muttered, "Cool." After a brief pause of silence, he added, "Heh. I knew he was all right."

This time the soldier did roll his eyes, but there also was a small smile gracing his lips.

The rest of the journey passed in silence.

They were brought to Offutt Air Force Base. It wasn't their final destination, however. A transport plane was already waiting on the tarmac to carry them to wherever Agent Fowler was currently leading operations from.

Where the helicopter had been cramped for Arcee, she could now travel with comfort. She sat in robot mode next to Jack, providing company as well as a shoulder to lean on. They talked for a while about anything and nothing at all before eventually lapsing into contented silence. It gave Jack the time to fully realize that they were safe and headed to a military base that would be able to provide the necessary protection from the Decepticons. But that also inevitably reminded him that not everyone was as lucky. How were his friends faring? His mom? And what about Dean, his friends and, most importantly, Mr. Sanders?

"A penny for your thoughts," Arcee said softly, interrupting his musings.

He sighed. "Just wondering what became of Mr. Sanders et al," he voiced out loud his latest train of thought. He was grateful for the man's help after being stranded by Dean and company and didn't want him to come to harm.

"They're fine," came the relatively quick reply. He looked up at her, and when their eyes met, she smiled. "I overheard the soldiers that picked us up when they communicated with the jet pilots who stayed behind."

Jack frowned. "Really? I heard nothing at all."

Arcee's smile morphed into a grin. She tapped the side of her helm and said, "Radio transmissions ran on a frequency I monitored in case the others tried contacting us."

"Oh." That explained things of course. "What'll happen now? I mean, they've seen you and this… mech. Who was that anyway?"

Arcee chuckled. "Let me answer one question after the other. Mr. Sanders, Dean and his friends will most likely have to sign NDA's."

"NDA?" he asked. He had heard that before but couldn't remember where or when.

"Non-disclosure agreement. They mustn't tell anyone what they've seen or heard."

He frowned again. "We didn't have to sign those when Fowler first discovered us at your base."

"Well, you were under our guardianship and telling the secret would have been counterproductive for your own safety."

"True," he had to admit.

"Besides," Arcee added, "Optimus vouched for you."

His eyes widened in incredulity. "Really? Woah." That was news to him. He'd always believed that the bots trusted them – and Optimus more than the rest of his team (especially after he entrusted the Key to Vector Sigma to Jack) –, but he would never have expected Optimus to vouch for someone he barely knew. When he looked up at Arcee, he was met with a fond smile. He couldn't help but return it. She had become more than just his guardian.

She was his best friend.

"So what of the stranger you fought?" he inquired. "Who was that? Anyone of the Autobots?"

She sighed wistfully. "I wish, but no. That was one of the Star Seekers." He only needed to raise his eyebrows questioningly for her to add, "They're a group of Cybertronian pirates that hunt any and all Cybertronian they can find."

"Huh?" he made incredulously. "Isn't that like… contradictory? Why hunt your own species?"

Wry humor laced Arcee's next words. "Why do human bounty hunters target other humans?" she rhetorically asked. Jack grimaced, but before he could say something along the line of 'Point taken,' she explained in a sober tone, "The Star Seekers come from a planet that once belonged to our empire during the Golden Age. We had back then spacebridges to connect Cybertron with colonies on various planets. However, when the spacebridges failed, the colonies went lost – and over time forgotten.

"The Star Seekers' planet, Lithone, derived its energy out of geothermal power, enabling them to continue on even without the energon supply from Cybertron. That proved fatal in the end; they exploited their planet until it imploded. The only survivors were those stationed on the satellites and off-world mining stations. They henceforth hated all Cybertronians for abandoning them and allowing their world to die, and with it many sparks."

Jack was baffled. He hadn't known Cybertron had once been the center of an entire empire. He wondered how many worlds had been part of it, and how many more remained. Would their inhabitants hate the Cybertronians too for something they couldn't prevent? "But how could you have helped them without functioning spacebridges?" he wondered out loud.

"We couldn't."

"So tell them." It would be the easiest way, and no one else would ever have to fight again – at least outside the war between Autobots and Decepticons.

Arcee sighed. "We tried, but their hate has been an integrated part in both their processors and sparks for centuries. We can't make them see reason. Believe me, we tried. Various times." She sounded weary.

Jack put his hand on hers and squeezed it comfortingly – or what he would call squeezing. With her hand consisting of metal, he stood no chance to ever being able to actually squeeze it, but he hoped she nonetheless understood the intention behind it. He received a thankful smile in return.

"So how do you know so much about them anyway?" he asked, hoping to distract her.

She shrugged. "We learned bits and bytes from them, and pieced together the rest. We traveled to Lithone, only to find the place devoid of the planet that once was there. That was the confirmation of our assumptions about their background we needed."

"With 'we' you mean Team Prime?"

She shook her head. "No, the crew of the Ark."

Jack blinked. "Ark?"

"A spaceship, not unlike the Nemesis regarding the size." Arcee stared off into nothingness. "Optimus, Ratchet, Bulk and 'Bee were aboard. In fact, that's how they came here." She sighed. "Cliff and I only joined them at a later stage. We came to Earth via a spacebridge."

Such a large spaceship is too big to be commandeered by only four bots, Jack thought. But that would mean more Autobots weren't too far away… or were they? "So where is the Ark now?" he asked, hope growing that reinforcements were indeed on their way to help them fight off the Decepticons.

Arcee let her head fall back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "If only I knew…"