Ere Author's note. Written by me and the-writing-mew.

Enjoy and please review.

...

The next time Ariel woke up, there was a different Mech by her side.

"Hey," he greeted with a wide smile and she blinked before saying. "Jazz?"

"One and only," he said proudly before saying more seriously. "You feeling okay?"

"Um...yes...I think so," she said slowly, finding that she wasn't as groggy as all the previous times she'd woken.

"Great," he exclaimed, reaching to grab some special medical grade Energon. "Here, you'd better take some of this."

She accepted it and took a sip, finding it to taste a lot better than stuff she'd had in the past.

"His lordship doesn't like bad tasting medical grade," he informed her with a knowing smirk. "So you've no excuses for not drinking it."

This made her laugh, something she certainly had not done in a while. Obediently, she took a much bigger gulp.

"Mmm," she said before breaking into giggles, making him chuckle as well.

"Good femme," he said teasingly. "Laser...that's our medic, says you need to rest as much as possible but if you're feeling a bit more awake, I could take you to the balcony to relax. Or have a femme servant help you with a bath, whatever you want."

"Oh," she said, both of those sounded very good.

"Could I...spend a little time outside and then have a bath?" she queried and he nodded with a wide grin. "Of course you can."

Very carefully, he lifted her up from the berth after detaching a few cables. There was a lot less now and they were mostly for monitoring her while she slept. Laser had given Jazz very precise instructions so the young Mech knew exactly what he was doing. It was mid-morning and Lord Galleon's estate was bustling.

"Here, how's this?" he asked, gently sitting her down.

"Perfect," she said. "Thank you."

"No problem, your master wants to make sure you're well looked after," he told her and she nodded, it was true.

"Where is he?" she asked, turning to Jazz as he leaned against the railing.

"Training with lady Strika," he told her. "She enjoys having a proper opponent to practise on."

"I bet," she said with a smile before sighing. "She's really good for him, I wish he could stay."

"Him?" he questioned and she bit her lip.

"I...I want to return home someday," she admitted, hoping she really could trust him. "But I do want to see Megatron happy, living somewhere safe and being free. It would be much easier for him to let me go if he had that."

He was silent for a few moments before saying. "He's really protective of you Ariel, I'm not sure if he could ever let you go."

"But if he at least had a decent life, then it could work," she argued. "Besides, if we were both free, we could still see each other. He...he could see me in Iacon."

"That where you're from?" was his question and she nodded.

"It's a nice place," he said. "I've been there a few times."

"Are you allowed to leave?" she asked softly and he smiled.

"Sort of," he explained. "These things have a tracker."

He touched his collar.

"But you know, lord Galleon treats us well enough that we don't want to leave," he told her. "We usually go in a little group or sometimes with one of his children. But those are privileges, if you misbehave, you can lose that privilege for a time."

"Of course..." She said. And thinking about it, it was as if they were sparklings that worked than adult slaves.

'What an odd thought' she thought for herself.

Later Jazz was guiding her around in the gardens before the lake was in sight again. She shivered at the thought of that creature that was in it.

As if reading his thoughts, Jazz said: "Lord Galleon keeps a special creature in the lake so it will be protected,"

"Ah?" Ariel said. "Protected?"

"Yeah, you know, anyone may try to enter the estate by using the lake... And those creatures -because there's more than one- protect it," The other servant explained and continued as Ariel seemed confused. "Yeah... Long ago, before I came here to serve, a group of bandits assaulted the estate by using the lake as an entrance... this was when Lord Galleon's mate was killed... And that explains why Strika is younger than all her brothers... even though the youngest looks even younger than her...and don't ask me how," He chuckled at that.

Ariel could only look at him in awe.

Then he continued. "Then someone suggested him to get certain creatures from an alien planet... He did, and the next time someone tried to use the lake as an entrance... There was no trace of them afterwards," Jazz blinked an optic at her. "They were monitored, of course and there are records of them entering the lake and never coming out."

Ariel just remained mute, so he continued; "Good thing you hadn't fallen into it."

She jumped at the idea.

...

Strika was taking a shower alone, Megatron had gone to see his little slave before she could get up; he kissed her goodbye and left.

She only slept better after he left... He might be handsome and a good lover, but Primus how he snores!

She wondered how her sire can possible recharge with all that loud snoring.

"Ah, bathing I see," And speaking of Unicron...

"Hi sire..." She answered now reaching for her valve to clean it and purge his transfluid from within her.

"Wait there, sweetspark..." He said noticing what she was about to do. "What do you think of...him... As a code donor?"

She gasped and looked at him in shock... Was he suggesting...?

"You know what I think..." She said carefully and he nodded before smiling.

"If you're willing, I'll love for you to gift me with a grandson...or granddaughter..." Then blinked an optic at her. "It's up to you, sweetie," He added before walking away.

Strika was left there petrified... He had just blessed her and Megatron to... "Oh Primus..." She gasped covering her mouth and smile as tears flooded her optics.

After all, she loved feeling his sweet fluids flooding her chamber...how would it feel when it transformed into a sparkling?

She reached to touch her abdomen and smiled at the idea.

However... She doubted Megatron would wish to be a sire now... If she ever sparked, she will never tell him...until the sparkling was born... It will be a surprise...better like that.

She couldn't help but smile, this would be certainly be a strong sparkling.

...

"You look better," Megatron told Ariel as he cuddled her to his chest, checking the state of her body. As Laser had predicted, she was healing extremely well and would soon be back to full strength. At least back in Kaon, she could get plenty of rest while he trained and gradually resume her duties.

"I feel a lot better," she agreed, leaning her head against him. Since he'd been sleeping with Strika, she didn't feel so worried about him trying something inappropriate.

"Good," he said, adding. "We will be returning to Kaon soon."

She nodded, she'd been expecting that. She'd be sad to leave Jazz and the beautiful gardens but at least she'd seen Redscar again. Hopefully, he was going alright and hadn't been in any bad fights.

"I'm glad we came here," she now said. "I made a friend."

"Hmm," he grunted, that little Mech had proved very useful, especially when it came to knocking the old Mech out.

"He took me around the gardens, we saw that lake with the creatures," she said with a slight shiver.

"You better not have gone near the edge," he warned.

"Of course not," she exclaimed, she wasn't so foolish as to test her luck again. "Jazz told me they guard this estate, after Lord Galleon's mate was killed. And no one else has been able to enter."

"Enter alive anyway," he said with grim satisfaction. Strika had told him a bit about that lake and the reasons for the creature's installation. Lord Galleon had never sought another mate after what had happened, instead he had indulged in gladiators until Strika was born.

"Yeah," she said with another shiver before frowning. "I still don't understand."

"Understand what?" he questioned.

"Lord Sliverclaw," she explained. "I tried to jump into the lake to get away from him, I had no idea about those creatures and...and he risked his own life to prevent me falling in. He caught me and got me to climb up until I was safe. And then he almost beat me to death."

He was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"I know why he tried to do that."

She stared up at him, a little afraid of the answer. He gently turned her around so he could look her right in the face.

"Ariel," he said seriously. "Do you remember how that music box song is familiar to you?"

She nodded slowly, waiting for the explanation.

"There used to be a gladiator named Punch," he told her. "He used to hum that tune all the time, he was a popular, handsome fighter. And because of a night with one of his sponsors, he ended up having a little femme."

Ariel gasped in shock, she could see where this was going.

"The sponsor was Sliverclaw," he continued, no point in drawing it out. "And since he never laid optics on you previously, when you both came to this estate, his Spark sought you out. That is why you were experiencing those pulls, your Spark was trying to reunite you."

"That...that...Mech is my Sire!?" she said in complete disbelief. "I don't believe it."

"It's true, my sweet femme," he told her gently. "Laser confirmed it."

She swallowed and looked away, trying to take it all in. Finally, she said.

"So...my carrier gave me up for adoption?"

"No," he said gravely, this would be difficult to tell her. "He loved you so much, he didn't want to part from you. He wanted to leave Kaon and raise you himself in another city."

"Why didn't he?" she asked in a whisper.

"Because he was murdered in his berth," Megatron told her. "From the looks of it, he was taken completely by surprise and while he might have attempted to fight back, ultimately, he was killed and his killer got away. No one knows who did it."

Tears started to form in her optics as she realised how much her carrier must have suffered.

"A-and it was because he wouldn't give me up?" she asked as the tears started to fall.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure of the reasons," her master replied. "But Sliverclaw doesn't tolerate bastards, from what I heard, he never even knew you were a femme child. He simply had you sent to an orphanage."

She pressed herself against him, wanting comfort.

"I knew I was abandoned in front of that orphanage," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "But I always thought maybe my carrier just couldn't look after me or something, I didn't know it was..."

"It's okay," he said softly as she started to cry. "I know it's hard to hear but at least you know Punch loved you very much. It was just his bad luck that your Sire was Sliverclaw, with another sponsor, he might have made it out of Kaon with you. Clearly, you inherited all of Punch's code, rather than that old sparkless fragger."

Ariel couldn't help but cry loudly now. The pain in her spark was unbearable.

She didn't know what was worse, that her sire was that horrible mech, or that said sire killed her beloved carrier because he couldn't let go of her... It was too much.

Megatron allowed her to cry; it was too much information to take in after just waking up.

"Oh Primus..." The little femme whimpered and suddenly tried to squirm away from her master who was holding her tightly. "No... No...! Let go of me...!" She demanded before finally he let go...

...she bent against herself and purged her tanks heavily.

Megatron started worrying by now. He'd never seen her act like that before; she did took it bad the news, but she had the right to know.

He placed a supportive hand on her back as she continued crying, and then started paling...as if ready to faint.

"Ariel?" He tried, but just as predicted, she passed out right there. He held her before she could touch the ground.

Megatron grunted in worry before taking her to his chest, cleaned some purge from her mouth and...

"What happened? Is she okay?" A worried Strika came from behind him watching her pale and fainted...and on the floor, next them her purge.

"She didn't took well the news." He said getting up from the ground with her in arms.

Strika gave her a sympathetic look and said: "The poor thing... If I was her I would have reacted worse... Possibly killed my carrier's killer."

Megatron smiled sadly at that and said: "You did that."

The big femme chuckled. That was right.

"But it's different with her Sire," he sighed. "Yours did not order your carriers death, she cannot do anything about what he has done. Not for attacking her or having her carrier killed."

A wave of mental angry at the helplessness of the whole situation washed over him. He knew better than anyone the foolishness of wishing things were better but right now, he could not help it. Who was it that decided certain bots could get away with literally anything and there would be no repercussions. By Primus, if he was ever in a position of power...

"That is true," Strika murmured, nuzzling the back of his head. "But I believe I will have to reward young Jazz for delivering a small amount of retribution."

Megatron couldn't help but smirk at that. Yes, the young servant did deserve something for knocking the old bastard out.

"I like your way of thinking, my lady," he said in a serious tone that made her giggle.

"I have plenty of ideas, if you'd care to hear them," she said seductively before adding in a gentle tone. "I think she'll sleep for a while, we can keep her close if you like."

He nodded, he wanted her nearby in case she woke up upset.

"Come," Strika told him and he obediently followed to her quarters. He placed Ariel onto a divan and wrapped a blanket around her. After giving her head a stroke, he joined Strika on her larger comfortable berth.

She smiled sweetly at him before saying in a purr. "I thought we might try something different since we don't have long together."

"Oh?" he asked, very interested in what she might be suggesting. Especially since her Sire was nowhere to be seen.

Reclining back, she allowed her chest armour to split apart and reveal her glowing blue spark. He stared down at her, this was not something he'd been expecting.

"Merge with me," Strika said, something strange in her optics. "Please?"

That undid him. Moving to kiss her, he also opened up his chest plates, a feat he'd rarely done. His spark glowed brightly, a swirling ball of energy which lit up Strika's face. She stared at it appreciatively, it looked beautiful and strong. Raising her arms, she brought him down for another kiss and felt his tendrils caress her spark. She gasped into his mouth, what a feeling it was.

"OOh, Megatron," she moaned, she wanted to feel his spark.

He lowered himself further, his spark tendrils practically dragging him down until they connected. Both of them gasped out loud as the sensation of two separate energies collided. It was overwhelming, their systems seemed to all light up at once as the giving and receiving of energy began. Megatron's arms shook from the intensity of the spark merge and he felt himself become rock hard.

"Oh...oh...into me...!" Strika begged, her valve dripping with lubricant and begging to be filled.

Megatron happily obliged, sliding into the eager valve with a moan of pleasure. The spark merge was making everything a lot more pleasurable and he reviled in it. He wasn't likely to risk it with anyone else but with Strika, he certainly would.

As they made love, Ariel slowly came round but silently. She felt terrible but heard the sounds and stared in amazement. She'd seen them making love before but never spark merging. She couldn't help but stare.

It was quite the sight.

She'd never seen something like this before... It was... Hard to describe but somehow she couldn't move away her gaze.

"Ooohhh...oh...oh...oh... Megatron...yes...oh...yes...oh yes!" The bulky femme moaned just as he did while moving his hips up and down faster and deeper.

Next to them, without anyone noticing, lord Galleon watched with a smirk. It seems his daughter will be the first one to bless him with a grandchild. Now nothing could make him happier.

Then looked at the petrified little femme staring at the lovers, unable to move.

She may not know what was happening or why she couldn't move. But the reason was than when a couple made love they released a powerful energy around... An energy he enjoyed feeling... And if they merge, the energies are even stronger.

That was why little Ariel couldn't even move... The energies the couple were releasing are too strong for her... He was sure that when they finally overload, she will faint.

He smiled; that was the reason why he loved to see Strika making love to a mech... For the sweet energy that lingered around. The movements of Megatron's hips became erratic, the kisses and touches more passionate... They were close... He can feel it... Besides... Ariel was panting too.

"Oohh... Megatr-ooon...ah...ahh...aaaah...!" Strika howled her release, tightly grabbing the invading spike with her spasming valve as the mech above her roared her designation, tossed his head backwards and rolled his optics completely out of himself as his transfluid filled the femme's chamber completely...

...for a second making him think he was running dry for the amounts he was ejecting...and how greedily she milked him to no end.

It was amazing!

He'd never had in his life an overload like this!

Megatron used his entire willpower to not collapse onto the still moaning femme as their chests parted, energy tendrils licking to each other as if never wishing to part but also saying goodbye...for now.

Then he finally allowed himself to lay his head onto her chest as this one was closed again.

Next to them, lord Galleon supported his weight onto a nearby wall... That release was intense! The wavelength almost knocked HIM out. He then looked at Ariel and smiled... Just as he predicted, she passed out from the strong wavelength. The old mech smiled... Poor little thing.

The two lovers were too wrapped in each other to notice anything else...and it will be like that for a while. Now that they'd finished however, the old mech walked away. A big smile plastered on his face.

Later, Megatron stirred and blearily sat up slightly. For a moment, he was confused as he was experiencing a strange sensation in his groin but then realised it was because his spike was still within Strika's valve. He smirked, feeling rather smug about that fact before gently pulling out.

This caused Strika to grumble in disappointment, making him chuckle softly.

"Did you want me in longer?" he asked as her optics came online although they were a little dim.

"You know I did," she pouted before yawning, she was still tired.

"That was intense," complimented Megatron. "Why don't I clean us both up and we can always carry on later...once we've recovered some energy."

"Sounds good," agreed Strika, as much as she wanted to continue, she really was too exhausted right now. Besides, she wanted to make sure all the transfluid she'd collected had a chance to create the perfect environment for the possible sparkling Megatron might have seeded.

With this thought in mind, she closed up her valve before allowing her lover to clean it up. He was too tired and satisfied to notice what she'd done. She rolled onto her side, ready for a good nap but managed to murmur.

"Is your femme still sleeping?"

He glanced over and said. "Yes, very soundly."

"Mmm, you could always bring her over if you want," Strika said, feeling very generous right now. It would relax Megatron even more and that could only be a good thing.

He leaned down and kissed her, making her smile as she started to drift off into recharge. Climbing off the berth, he almost fell because his legs were so unsteady. Fighting the urge to sit down again, he made it to Ariel's side and lifted her up. She didn't stir at all, just kept on sleeping so he took her back to the berth and placed her by his side while pulling Strika into his arms for something of a cuddle. She nuzzled him back in his sleep and he went into recharge with a nice buzz in his spark.

The two large bots hadn't bonded but thanks to the recent merge, their sparks were pulsing in rhythm, sensing the other close and enjoying it very much. Megatron and Strika were utterly oblivious to the tiny little ball of energy currently forming and steadily settling its self until a miniature spark was formed. But it had quite a way to go in terms of forming and growing, so until then, it would nestle very close to its mother's spark.

...

Ariel was the first to wake after a few hours had passed. She felt a little groggy, almost as though she'd overcharged on high grade and yet, knew she hadn't. The young femme found herself against a now very familiar form that was the broad back of her master. She cuddled a little closer to him, her processor reeling over what she had witnessed.

She might have seen him interfacing but spark merging was not something she'd ever expected to see him doing. Of course, she'd always considered interface to be a private thing between couples but merging had seemed even more of a special, private thing. Even though they must have thought she was asleep, she'd never take the risk of someone waking up on her and Orion spark merging.

"Oh," she mumbled, blushing slightly at the idea of imitating Strika and Megatron's actions.

Is that how she and Orion would look like? Their sparks clashing together while he thrust so vigorously into her...

She blushed even more furiously and was a little startled to feel herself growing hot behind her panel at the very idea. It made her squirm and then as she realised she was feeling a little aroused right beside two sleeping bots, it made the ache grow even more.

"This is all your fault," she scolded, giving her sleeping master a smack on the shoulder.

He grunted slightly before continuing to snore loudly. She made a wry face, Primus, what a sound he could make. If he and Strika ever bonded, she did not envy the other femme having to put up with his snoring all night long. She could only hope that Orion never developed that habit, she did not think she could stand it.

Smiling a little at the thought, her face suddenly fell when she recalled the reason she had fainted. The horrible Mech that had continually pursued her and ultimately, almost beat her to death, was in fact her Sire. She placed her face in her hands, it was still too much to take.

"How could you be so cruel?" she whispered to herself, a few tears escaping her cheeks, her arousal fading as fast as it had originally come.

The urge...no, the need to see and talk to her love rose up within her and Ariel found herself moving off the berth and searching for a console. It was risky but she didn't care, she just had to speak with him again. It had been so long, he must be so worried since she hadn't tried to contact him again or so it would have seemed to him.

"Please have a console," she muttered to herself as she began to search lady Strika's quarters for one and to her relief, found one almost tucked away in a corner. Thankfully, the berth would not be in view, she didn't want to have to explain that.

Typing in the correct commands, she waited with baited breath. Orion was probably sleeping so it might take him a while to reply. She could only hope he did and that neither Strika nor Megatron would wake up.

And then...

"Ariel!" her love gasped, having finally answered. "Primus, I've been so worried about you."

"I know," she said, reaching out to touch the screen, tears in her optics. "I'm sorry I haven't called, some things have been happening recently."

"What things?" he questioned before frowning. "Is that someone snoring?"

She nodded awkwardly. "Yeah... It's my master and his mate."

"What?! And what are you doing in their quarters with them sleeping so soundly?" he asked worried.

"What you think?" She tried to see if he would get the wrong idea.

"Did they force you to do something?!"

Yeah...he got the wrong idea.

"And...Where is your collar?" He now asked even more worried.

"Orion..." She sighed. "There are so many things we need to discuss... So many things I need to tell you…" Tried now the femme lowering her head as tears escaped her beautiful blue optics.

"Ariel... Ariel?! What have they done to you?!" He now roared, ready to jump the screen and kill whoever dared to touch his femme.

"Not my master..." She started before whimpering. "He is kind and generous... So is his mate... But..." she trailed off not knowing how to deliver this news.

"But what, Ariel, tell me!" A really worried mech tried. He'd never saw her like this before!

"Orion... I... I..." Sobbed the femme. "I've met my sire..."

"Uh?" Asked now with a dumb face the mech. Why would she cry about- unless it wasn't a pleasing reunion.

He allowed her to continue nonetheless.

"He's a cruel mech who killed my carrier just because he tried to keep me with him... My...sire... Is a powerful mech, with his own family and sons... I'm his bastard... He tried to kill me.." The femme told openly crying now. Her love was left petrified. "That is why I'm within my master's optic range... He's looking after me... And it seems my sire thinks he killed me... He's oblivious to the fact I'm alive... But Orion... I'm so scared... I feel so filthy by being his child!"

For once Orion was out of words. He had no idea what to say about it...

"Ariel... I..." He tried gently the best he could. "For what you told me... I can deduce your carrier loved you that he fought for you to death... Your sire might be a filthy creature of Unicron, but you were blessed by Primus, my love... I don't love you less because of your story... I love you more... Just... Because. We've known for so long... I wish I can be there to hug you and tell you everything will be ok... My Ariel..." He was crying now too.

"My Orion... My sweet Orion..." She said between sobs. He smiled at her sadly but with hope in his blue eyes.

They continued talking like that for a while, until both fell asleep with their consoles online... As if that way they can hold hands...or more.

Strika stepped away from her hiding place with a little smirk. The little femme managed to reach her boyfriend and talk for a while.

She'd heard the entire conversation and chuckled before finishing the call. That mech really loved her.

Once again he offered to come for her and she -again- made him swear that he wouldn't do anything like it.

The big femme then took up in arms the little one and placed her back onto the berth next her lover before remembering that 'Orion'...

"He's cute... Just like you... You make a cute couple," She said with a chuckle. Even the thought of hiring her boyfriend along with her crossed her mind... Just to have a cute couple serving them and perhaps just watch them walk around the gardens together.

'That would be fun...and nice,' She thought also thinking her sire may like the idea.

Settling back on the berth, she lightly rubbed her chest, recalling the wondrous feeling of spark merging. Without a doubt she would be repeating the experience with Megatron, as soon as possible. If she was already carrying a spark, then it would do it good.

"Mm," she hummed to herself as her lover suddenly gave a snort and woke up.

"Sleep well?" she asked with a smirk as he sat up with a rather animalistic grunt.

"Exceedingly," he agreed, stretching out his joints. "Hmm, that must have been the best sleep yet."

"Same here," she replied as he glanced over and saw Ariel there.

"She seems to have slept soundly," he commented on, gently stroking her cheek.

"For the most part," Strika said, taking a gulp of some Energon and offering Megatron some.

"What do you mean?" he questioned curiously, accepting the Energon gratefully.

"She called that cute little Mech of hers," she said causally and he almost spat out his Energon.

"She did what!?" he yelped and she shushed him.

"Calm down, let her sleep," she said sternly before he could round on the young femme. "I heard everything they said."

"And just what did she tell him?" he wanted to know.

"What she's been through," she said softly. "He's her special Mech, she needed to tell him about her creators. She revealed nothing about who we are or where she is, merely that her master is kind and generous."

He blinked, his mouth a little open in surprise at this.

"Really, she said that?" he asked, his annoyance lessened somewhat.

"Indeed and more," Strika assured him, amused by his reaction. "Like how you've been looking after her since her Sire attacked her. She'll heal better now that she's talked to him and he's assured her of his continual love."

"Hmm," he mumbled, not sure what to think about this.

"He asked if she wanted him to come to her," she continued. "She told him not to, she doesn't want him at risk."

"I'd have thought she'd be begging him to rescue her," he stated and she kissed his cheek.

"As romantic as that sounds, she's too sensible for that. You should be proud Megatron, even under such stress, she can still keep her head," she told him and he grunted slightly in acknowledgement.

"You know," she now said. "I was considering hiring him."

"Hmm?" He tried while drinking his energon not fully understanding her.

"Yes, you know, he's kind of cute... He would make a nice addition to this place... Along with little Ariel. They make a nice couple," The femme added dreamily.

Megatron just stared at her with a dumb face. 'Was she for real?' He asked himself.

It seems she was.

"Just imagine them walking around the gardens with their little stuff... Their little jewellery and servicing others?" Dreamily she continued.

By then, without him noticing, his jaw was hanging.

"Sadly she can't stay here without you... I wish both can stay..." She continued with a seductive purr before climbing on top of him again and kissed him.

He returned the kiss, but couldn't help but wonder, why would Strika want a couple of little bots servicing her just to watch them?

...

Later that day Ariel was sitting against a big crystal cluster, sadly gathering everything she'd just learned in the last day.

Strika and Megatron however were still busy making love and possibly merging again since they have little time to be together now... And without doubt Lord Galleon may perv in their room soon... If he hadn't already...

...for a moment she remembered him 'enjoying' the show the two lovers were making while merging…But it was like a little fragment from a much more intense memory.

She sighed and hugged her knees still sad about anything.

"Orion... I wish you were here to give me a hug..." Cried lowly and as silently as she could.

The ornamented collar was back on her neck and she couldn't help but touch it softly. How did that Silverclaw dare to hit her when she was out of his reach by the collar who speak about it miles ago?

It was also horrible to think she was his own creation too.

Now she openly cried and even if her tanks rumbled, she never felt such a tight knot right in her throat that forbid her from wishing any kind of refuel.

"Primus...why me...?" Cried now on the floor, brokenly, the little femme.

Jazz stared sadly at her at safe distance. She was disturbed about everything... He knew, and she needed to mourn over it...definitely needs to.

He really wished she was staying, then he could have helped her recover over the coming cycles but sadly, it was not to be. He didn't like to think of her going back to Kaon, that was no place for a delicate little femme. Lady Strika was alright, especially as most mistook her for a Mech and she knew how to defend herself. But Ariel was completely reliant on her master's protection in a hive of brutish, hungry Mechs.

His guess was that she'd be confined to Megatron's quarters while he fought and trained. And while she might be safe from other gladiators, it was likely to be quite lonely and boring for her. This thought suddenly gave him an idea and he smiled to himself before retreating from the view point he'd been watching Ariel from. He still had some time before he needed to attend to his duties, he could easily take care of the plan he'd formed.

...

"Hey."

Ariel started and sat up, she'd been slumped by a patch of beautiful crystals and barely aware of anything going on around her. But that gentle voice had shook her out of her misery and she realised she'd been there for a very long time.

"Jazz?" she said, blinking up at him. "Am I in trouble?"

"Nah, Lady Strika's still busy with your master," he told her with a smile. "She's really gonna miss him."

"He's going to miss her too," she said with her own small smile. "I hope we can come back here again, Megatron needs this."

"He's not the only one," Jazz reminded her, taking a seat in front of her. "Kaon's no place for femmes."

"Hmm," she sighed in agreement but what could she do?

"I figured you might need a little distraction while you're there," he suddenly said, making her stare at the other servant in surprise.

"You did?" she said in amazement.

"Yep," he stated, bringing forth some items from subspace.

"Here are some datapads for you to enjoy," he began. "And these are some puzzle cubes with increasing levels of difficulty. And this is music for when things are getting a bit too quiet."

With tears in her optics, Ariel hugged her friend tightly while almost crying her thanks. Jazz hugged her back.

"Hey, it's okay," he assured her. "We're friends, I wanna make sure you're alright in Kaon. You just stay safe and out of trouble."

This made her chuckle as she said. "As long as my Sire doesn't appear again, I think I'll be okay."

"Good, I don't wanna have to knock him out again," Jazz teased and now they both laughed.

"Come on, dry those tears," he now said briskly. "Let's have a bit of fun before we gotta return to our quarters."

"Sounds like a good idea," she agreed, accepting his gifts and getting to her feet to follow him.

...

"You can deal with Redscar," Megatron informed her as they flew back to Kaon.

It was the next day and so their time at Lord Galleon's estate had sadly come to an end. Ariel hadn't seen much of her master, he'd been spending time as much time with lady Strika as possible. He looked tired after all that...work but also refreshed. He'd insisted she have a decent meal before she'd left and she'd obeyed.

Strangely, after spending almost half the cycle crying, she felt a lot better. It still hurt to think about her creators but she wasn't so consumed by grief any more. And Jazz's kindness had touched her so much, he'd made sure she'd had a great afternoon and evening and insisted she take a large bag of sweets with her. She really was going to miss him.

"It'll be nice to see Redscar again," she stated, resting against Megatron's chest. "I've missed him."

"I barely noticed," Megatron said with a smirk, causing her to smack him.

"Don't be mean," she scolded, making him laugh.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what," she informed him but he simply held her closer.

"Very well femme, you win," he teased. "I suppose it will be good to see that scrounger again."

She shook her head, he was incorrigible. They didn't talk much more for the rest of the journey, they were too busy musing over the experiences during their time away from Kaon. But as they approached the city, Ariel couldn't help but cuddle more into her master as the familiar helplessness washed over her. In the lovely estate of Lord Galleon's, it was easy to forget that you were a slave but in Kaon, it was only too real.

"We're almost here," murmured Megatron, giving her a little kiss. "Be brave, my little femme."

She nodded. Her face, the picture of utter worry.

It was night time when they arrived, but the smog in the skies was still clear, covering the skies and the stars she learned to love while in lord Galleon's estate.

Being able to walk out or staying in Megatron's quarters looking at the roof, there would be no difference as those stars were hidden from her..

...

The next morning, the little femme found herself alone on the big berth. Her master obviously went to train as his side was cold. She grimaced as the memories of the recent events invaded her again... Her evil sire... Her poor carrier.

Thinking about the poor gladiator's luck -that now is almost shared by Megatron but at least her master is not carrying- made her spark sink. The little femme wondered why some bots had to have such bad luck, bad life; no one deserves that.

Pondering over this, she reached for her golden music box, opened it and a little music sounded. Somehow her spark recognized the sound even if she couldn't catch any lyrics from it... Or her carrier's face. Megatron said that her carrier, Punch was his name, was a handsome gladiator, he hadn't gave her much details since he was barely starting as a gladiator when Punch's murder happened.

Ariel couldn't help it and cried, mourning her carrier's death. When it happened she was too young to realise anything... But now... She wondered if anyone, ever, mourned him...

...she doubted it.

She laid on her side in a depressed state before offering him some prayers to his spark.

...

Redscar had his jaw hanging; he just couldn't believe what Megatron was telling him...

...no, it wasn't about the Lord's estate, it was about Punch...

...and little Ariel is his child!

"You've met him, right?" Megatron started as the other took deep intakes. "You knew that song... Redscar..."

Silence passed through them before the older gladiator finally spoke again: "Yeah...yeah... I... I have a picture of him.. Just if you wanna show it to lil Ariel... And... Does she know?" He asked in worry.

Megatron just grunted with a nod.

"The poor dear..." Redscar said in pity.

"Yes," Megatron said, grimacing. "She's taken it as well as you would expect. I don't think she remembers her carrier but she still grieves for his fate. And her Sire might as well have been spawned from Unicron. Not nice for an orphan to find out."

"Indeed not," Redscar said seriously. "Is there anything I can do for her?"

"Just come round later," Megatron stated. "I know she's missed you."

Redscar smiled and said. "Still a sweetie."

Megatron nodded as his friend now said slyly. "So tell me, how did you find Strika?"

Of course his friend would ask about that. So, he decided to ignore him and instead began limbering up, ready for another spar. Pouting, Redscar nudged him.

"Come on, tell me," he wheedled. "Did you have a good time with her?"

"Perhaps," Megatron said delicately, trying to decide who he was going to fight. A gladiator like him could just walk up to any and initiate a bout. He had a good choice, since the season was quiet, everyone was getting in as much training as possible.

"I see there are some new fighters," he mused.

"Yes, fresh from the youngling training centre," Redscar confirmed, a little bit of contempt in his voice for the last bit. "I swear, they look younger each season."

"That's because you're getting older," Megatron informed him.

"Hah, says the Centurion," Redscar shot back. "To them, you must be ancient."

This made Megatron laugh out loud, causing the new young fighters to stare at him. He smirked at them and they huddled closer together, not wanting to be picked out.

"I believe," he said. "That they require a little demonstration of how things work around here."

"Don't traumatise them too much," advised Redscar as Megatron grinned before marching forward to pick a fight with a Mech named Dreadwing.

"Nonsense, I shall simply show them what to expect," Megatron replied, picking up a heavy mace. "I'm doing them a favour."

"Sure," Redscar said, rolling his optics.

Author's note. Someone is attacked in Kaon but who is it? Find out next time, until then.