It took a great deal of effort on behalf of Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Prowl in order to get the two wounded bots back to the base. After the got back, Ratchet wanted to begin repairs on Optimus immediately. But Optimus refused.

"Ratchet, you need to repair StarChaser."

Ratchet shook his head. "Prime, your injuries could be life threatening if not attended to as soon as possible."

Optimus looked up at Ratchet from the arms of Bulkhead and Prowl.

"I don't care. StarChaser is to be repaired first…that's an order."

Ratchet was confused and flustered by Optimus' stubbornness, but soon shook his and asked Bumblebee to carefully bring StarChaser to the med lab. Optimus pulled himself away from Bulkhead and Prowl's assistance and walked to the med bay. When he walked in, StarChaser lay motionless the berth. He gently seated himself and took StarChaser's hand in his, then looked at Ratchet.

"Ratchet, is she going to be alright?"

As Ratchet readied his equipment he looked at Optimus unsure.

"I don't know, but I'll do everything I can."

Optimus sat beside StarChaser the whole time that Ratchet worked, and continued to stay long after Ratchet had finished and left the room. By time Ratchet returned to check on StarChaser, in was 2a.m. and Optimus was still there, still holding her hand and was wide awake watching over her like a hawk. Without even turning to Ratchet, he spoke.

"How could I have let this happen Ratchet? How could I have been so stupid?"

Ratchet slowly approached and stood next to Optimus.

"Oh Prime, it wasn't your fault… you know that Megatron would try every trick in the book to get those fragments,… even kidnap innocent children."

Ratchet then sat down and looked at Optimus' shoulder that was sliced open and sparking violently, and leaking badly onto the floor.

"But Prime I do know that she'll be fine…you on the other hand-."

"Okay Ratchet, you can fix me…" Optimus laughed and turned back to StarChaser.

As Ratchet worked on Optimus' damaged systems, Optimus continued to watch StarChaser extremely close. His hope was that StarChaser would soon open her optics and would say she was alright, or at least move, or SOMETHING. Just ANYTHING to let him know she was alright. Just then Optimus jumped for StarChaser started to stir. But when Optimus jumped, so did Ratchet.

"Sheesh kid, what you tryin' to do? Give me a spark attack?"

Optimus didn't answer; instead he sat quietly watching StarChaser. Ratchet looked over Optimus' shoulder at StarChaser who was finally coming around. Slowly StarChaser's optics began to flutter open and wander around the room, but soon enough stopped and rested on Optimus. She smiled and quietly whispered.

"O-Optimus?"

Ratchet laughed and crossed his arms. "Hey look who decided to join the living."

Optimus passed a glance to Ratchet then looked back at StarChaser smiling. At first he was slow to respond but eventually did.

"Y-Yeah, it's me…how you feeling kiddo?"

She smiles as she looks up at him yawning. "I'm okay. How are you?"

Optimus laughs then smiles as her rested his arms on the berth next to StarChaser.

"I'm feeling much better…now that I know you're okay."

StarChaser's smile only got bigger, but it soon disappeared when she laid her head back and groaned.

"What happened Optimus?"

Optimus sighed and explained that after she passed out, he had defeated Megatron and collapsed himself. Ratchet had finished working on Optimus' systems. He then patted his shoulder and left the room closing the door behind him. Optimus watched Ratchet leave, and then turned back to StarChaser smiling. StarChaser smiled then yawned again.

"So, if Megatron didn't get the fragments, then…where are they?"

Optimus smiled mischievously and then grinned to himself.

"Don't worry, they're somewhere safe."

StarChaser smiled at Optimus curiously, but soon shook her head in amusement at her sire's actions. She then looked down at the floor, then back up at Optimus innocently.

"Optimus, what were you going to say to me before you left to fight the Deceptions?"

At first, Optimus seemed…shy…and a little sheepish and soon found himself staring at the floor but then soon smiles to himself and looks up and sarcastically asks.

"What do you mean?"

StarChaser groans and looks at Optimus amused but annoyed.

"Optimus, you know what I'm talking about…"

Optimus laughs. "Oh, THAT question."

Optimus then laughs hysterically as he gets up and sits down on the berth next to StarChaser. He then swept her up into his arms being careful not to harm her. He turned her in his arms so that her face was facing his.

"StarChaser…"

StarChaser looks up into a pair of gentle mech optics looking at her.

"…what I WAS going to say was that I may not have planned on being a sire so soon in my life, but…now that you're here…I think I've got to be the luckiest mech in the universe."

StarChaser looked dumbfounded and yet flattered at Optimus.

"D-Do you really mean that?"

Optimus responded by only pulling StarChaser closer and putting his forehead against hers.

"StarChaser let me tell you something…no matter what, you are my daughter, and I will always be there for you and…"

Optimus stopped suddenly and looked away, but looked back smiling.

"…and nothing in the universe could ever change that…"

StarChaser smiled and gently rubbed her face against his. There was a long silence between the two as both didn't really know what to say. Optimus then suddenly 'cleared-his-throat' and pulled StarChaser away from his face.

"Well, I guess it's getting late. So…you better go back into stasis."

StarChaser only nodded as she closed her optics and laid her head against his chest. Optimus only smiled as he gently laid the child back down on the berth. Standing up and admiring the child made Optimus wonder: 'am I doing the right thing?'

Optimus shook the thought out of his mind as he turned and walked out of the room carefully pulling the door shut behind him. It had been a long day for him, and it was about time he powered down as well.

Back on Cybertron, things were just a little different. The planet unlike Detroit was full of life, and machines were busy with their lives. But one… was on an extremely important mission; possibly one that could result in life or death.

A femme was wandering around the loading bay for the Elite Guard…looking for something, or more correctly…someone. But soon stopped and sighed in relief.

"Jazz? Is that you?"

The ninja straightened up and turned around to encounter a beautiful young blue femme standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"No way, Chromia? Is that you? I can't believe this!"

Jazz turned around to embrace the femme in a hug.

"Girl I haven't seen you in like…forever. Where have you been?"

Chromia shrugs and smiles. "What can I say Jazz, I've been keeping myself busy."

Jazz laughs. Chromia puts up a hand. "But that's not why I'm here…Jazz, I need to ask you a few questions."

Jazz shrugs. "Ask away…"

Chromia lead Jazz away to talk privately. "Jazz, I need to know, do you know of a mech that is currently in the Elite Guard by the name of Optimus?"

Jazz's face lights up. "What? OP? Are you kidding? Yeah, I know him; he's currently stationed on the planet Earth! Why do ya' wanna know?"

Chromia looks away. "That's not important…what IS important is that I need to get there as soon as possible…"

She then looked up at Jazz with pleading optics. "Jazz, can you help me?"

At first Jazz was a little overtaken by the question, but soon allowed his optics to soften.

"I'll see what I can do…"

Optimus awoke abruptly the next morning with a spark sinking feeling deep within his chest. It was the same sinking feeling he had just previously felt when StarChaser had been kidnapped by Megatron. Optimus sat up abruptly, jumped off his berth and sprinted to the medic bay as fast as he could. And with every step he took, he prayed to Primus that StarChaser would be there. Sure enough, as he came through the door of the med bay, there laid StarChaser sound asleep on the berth…safe and sound. Prime couldn't help but sigh in relief as he leaned up against the frame of the door and watched the child sleep.

Optimus wasn't the only one on the run that morning. Turns out Bumblebee too was doing quite a bit of running. Bumblebee sprinted past the medic bay in search of Prime but stopped in realization that he had just past him. Bee turned around and slowly approached the large mech who seemed to be staring off into empty space. He gently poked Optimus in the back (because he can't reach his shoulder). Optimus turned around to see Bee behind him.

"Yes Bumblebee, what is it?"

Bee rubbed the back of his head and smirked. "Uh, boss bot…we have a little bit of a situation."

"What?" Optimus cocked his head.

Bumblebee shook his head and pointed towards the door leading outside. "Maybe you should just come see for yourself."

Soon enough Prime came out of the base doors with Bumblebee close behind.

Sure enough, it was what Prime had suspected; the Autobot flag ship had just touched down just outside the base in an empty parking lot…talk about irony. The ship's main door slowly opened and rested on the pavement beneath it thus emerging a not so happy Sentinel with Jazz, Jetfire, and Jetstorm behind him.

"Okay Optimus, what did ya' do now?"

Optimus just shook the question off. "Well hello Sentinel, nice to see you again too."

Sentinel only pointed into Optimus' chest plate scowling. "Don't get that kind of attitude with me! As your superior officer, I deserve a little more respect from you!"

Optimus crosses his arms and leans against the nearest wall. "Last time I checked Sentinel, you and I STILL had equal rank, so if you think you can order ME around, you're surely mistaken."

Optimus then grinned devilishly yet triumphantly as he relaxed against the wall. Bumblebee, Jazz, Jetfire and Jetstorm just quietly laughed among themselves until Sentinel had turned around and gave them all a deathly glare. Optimus then loses his smile and tries to be serious but fails miserably.

"So, why are you guys here anyway? You weren't due for another check in for another few Earth months."

Sentinel who was too steamed tried to speak but was soon quieted when Jazz stepped in on Sentinel's behalf.

"Well it's like this OP—."

"I think I can introduce myself Jazz."

Everyone including Optimus turned around to see a young femme standing at the top of the ship's ramp. She was just a little bit taller than Bumblebee, yet shorter then Prowl. She stood tall and proud with her blue and silver armor glistening in the light of the rising sun. She stood there perched for the longest time on top of the ramp; surveying the immediate area when her optics slowly rested upon Optimus.

Jazz again stepped forward motioning toward the speechless femme as she descended down the loading ramp. "This is Chromia, and she's here looking for-."

Jazz couldn't even finish his sentence before having Chromia's servo placed on his mouth to hush him. Chromia then slowly approached Optimus; but stopped a little less them arms-length away. Optimus didn't know what to make of this behavior. Why was she looking at him like that? Why did she look angry? Why was she-? But just then with rage screaming from her face, she slapped Optimus as hard as she could across the face plate. There was a moment of gasps, awes and even laughter (from Sentinel of course) as Optimus stepped back in confusion and pain. He held his face where Chromia's hand made contact and almost screamed.

"WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?"

One thing to know about femmes: rule number one; never mess with em' when they're pissed. All at once, Chromia's calm, gentle and peaceful disposition seemed to fade away as anger, frustration, and sheer terror took over. She got right into Optimus' face and yelled; no SCREAMED at him.

"WHERE IS THE SPARKLING?"

Optimus froze for a moment before looking at her confused as well as angry. "What? What are you talking about?"

Chromia pushed in even closer to Optimus face still screaming. "The sparkling that belongs to StarRacer! Where is she! ? She—."

Optimus then pushed Chromia back away from his face and jabbed a finger at her. "Now wait just one slaggin' nano-click! Just WHO do you think you are?"

Chromia's anger at first seems like it's going to get the best of her… again. But instead she took a moment to look away from Optimus and gather her emotions. She turned around and looked Optimus dead in the optic.

"Like Jazz said; my name is Chromia. I am a member of the intelligence monitoring service back on Cybertron…and I was a close friend to StarRacer. We were studying together for the same job, but…"

Chromia trails off but then looks at Optimus again. "…after she found out she was pregnant she was forced to quit school. And if it wasn't for her, YOU probably would've never made it into the Academy in the first place."

Optimus looked down confused so Chromia explained. "If it wasn't for her saying 'she didn't know who the father was' you would have been tracked down and thrown out of the Autobot Academy and you would have never had a chance at the Elite Guard."

Optimus looked at Chromia shocked and confused. "What?"

Chromia sighed. "She was protecting you. She wanted at least one of you to make your dreams come true, slag, even for the longest time she wouldn't even tell me who the father was! But…"

Chromia gently placed a servo on Optimus' shoulder. "…she thought she could raise the child on her own, but after her accident…"

Chromia turned away from Optimus and looked like she was going to cry but soon re-gathered herself. "After her accident at Iacon, I swore that I would protect the child and raise it as my own; that I would be its guardian, and it was before StarRacer died that she told me the name of her child's father…it was then that she told me your name, Optimus."

Chromia looked away from Optimus shaking her head. "It wasn't until 2,000 vorns after her mother's death that she was finally old enough to understand what had happened, and it's only now I realize telling her about you was a mistake."

Optimus looked up confused and furious. "Wait a nano-click! How was telling her about me a mistake?"

Chromia looked back him. "Because if I hadn't told her about you she wouldn't have run off!"

Optimus stepped back still trying to process what he had just heard. Chromia sighed and looked away. "I told her about who her mother was as well as what her mother told me about you, how strong, smart and gentle you were and how you made her feel that night so long ago, and how she would never forget your laugh or your smile or the way you looked into her optics before…well…you know."

Optimus looked down at the dirt by his stabilizing servos. He shuffled the dirt before looking up again half smiling. "She really said all those things about me?"

Chromia half smiled to as she nodded but shook away those thoughts as so to get back to the original subject. "But, after the sparkling ran off; I've been trying to find her ever since."

She looks at Optimus and begins to speak in a serious tone. "That's why I'm here…Optimus Prime…because I knew the child would try to find you, so by me finding you first, it would give a better chance of finding her."

Optimus thinks about this logic for a moment before looking at Chromia again curiously. "That still doesn't explain why you had to slap me."

"BECAUSE IF IT WASN"T FOR YOU NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" Chromia exploded as she threw her servos in the air and turned away from Optimus.

Optimus took just a slight offence to this. "Now wait! How is it that-!"

Chromia turned abruptly towards Optimus thus interrupting him. "Please, just tell me…is the sparkling here or not?"

"Hey! Can you guys keep it down; some of us are still sleeping!"

Just then everyone and I mean everyone turned to see StarChaser standing in the door way rubbing her tired optics and holding a giant teddy bear that Sari had given her. StarChaser looked around to see what in the name of Primus was going on, but froze when she saw Chromia. Chromia seemed as if she was going to break down and start crying as soon as she saw the little sparkling. She brushed past Optimus and ran to the sparkling thus picking her up and embracing her in a hug.

"Thank Primus you're alright."

StarChaser on the other hand only managed to blurt out five words. "What are you doing here?"

Chromia pulled the sparkling away from her chest to look at her but laughed and then embraced her again. "I've come to take you home silly!"

Chromia then locked the child in a slightly tighter grip, which caused StarChaser to yip in pain. Chromia released the sparkling and looked at her concerned. Chromia watched as StarChaser rubbed her leg. It had several bandages on it and random dents here and there. She then furiously turned to Optimus; demanding. "What happened?"

Slowly Optimus approached the two and as gently as possibly took StarChaser out of Chromia's arms. "THAT is none of your concern."

Optimus then slowly walked over to Ratchet and handed StarChaser to him and whispers. "Take her to the med bay and see if you can do any further repairs." Ratchet only nods as he adjusts StarChaser so her head is resting on his shoulders, and then proceeds to the med bay. Chromia grabs Optimus by the shoulder again shouting. "What happened! I demand to know!"

Optimus instead only brushed Chromia's hand off his shoulder and proceeded to walk into the base behind Ratchet. Chromia proceeded to nip at Optimus' heels yelling out questions and demands and even periodically curses at Optimus for purposely ignoring her. Optimus on the other hand grudgingly tries to pretend Chromia is not there.

As Optimus turned to enter the Med Bay with Chromia hot on his tail, she stopped in sudden shock and awe at what she saw and was forced to take a step back.

(You see, it turns out that when StarChaser ran from Megatron and he shot at her, a blast from his cannon just winged her on the stabilizing servo but she didn't even realize it because of all the excitement but the shot didn't do any severe damage, but when thrown it made the wound more severe.)

Chromia swallowed hard before asking if that mark was from an energon cannon. Ratchet looked at Prime and wanted to know if he should tell her. Prime nodded.

"She's going to find out anyway Ratchet, so you might as well tell her now."

Ratchet then turned to Chromia sighing. "Yeah, it is."

"Would you mind if I took a closer look myself?" Chromia kneeled down beside the sparkling and looked up at the medic curiously. Ratchet motioned a 'go ahead' gesture with the wave of a hand. So Chromia proceeded.

Chromia slowly approached StarChaser and bent down to get a closer look at the wound. As gently as she could, she touched it and analyzed the residue left behind. Shaking her head; she turned to face the mechs standing behind her.

"This is the same kind of residue left behind from a Mark 3661 Energon blaster, but there's only one supposedly in existence and that one belongs to…"

Chromia stopped herself before she realized what she was actually saying, and then stood up and glared at Optimus with the coldest stare she could muster.

"MEGATRON? YOU LET MEGATRON DO THIS!"

Immediately StarChaser tried to intervene. "It wasn't his fault! Megatron kidnapped me…!"

Everyone turned to look at StarChaser who in turn froze for a moment but then pointed to Optimus.

"…but he rescued me and saved my life...twice!"

Chromia turns to StarChaser putting up a servo to hush her. "Sweet spark, please…stay out of this. This is between your sire and I."

Optimus then yelled almost in an explosion of anger. "Her name is StarChaser! And if she wishes to speak, let her!"

Then all at once, the real fight began. Chromia huffed and stood back with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, so now you decide that you're going to start acting like a real father?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Optimus scowls.

"Oh, I think you know…"

The fight went on and on and on for several minutes with both Optimus and Chromia taking stabs at one another. StarChaser didn't like it at all and wanted it to stop…now. She tried to say something, but no words would come out. So…she started to cry.

Optimus and Chromia stop their bickering immediately and look at StarChaser. Chromia walked over to her taking the child into her arms and tried to calm her down.

"What's wrong? Come on sweet-spark, tell me." StarChaser won't talk; all she can do… is cry.

Optimus then walked over to Chromia and took StarChaser out of Chromia's arms. He then tried to comfort her and hush her.

He gently put his face against her cheek plate. "Shh, little one… It's alright."

Slowly but gradually the tears and whimpers began to lessen. Optimus then gave a warm gentle smile that made StarChaser smile back. Optimus then handed her to Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, will you please take StarChaser to her room for me?"

Bumblebee nodded as he took StarChaser from Optimus. "Yeah boss bot, I can do that."

Bumblebee then proceeded to walk out of the room with StarChaser resting against his chest plate.

As soon as StarChaser and Bumblebee were gone, Chromia delivered yet another cold stare and offending comment; and the fight proceeded yet again as if nothing had ever happened.

Eventually Optimus and Chromia had taken the fight outside the base as to leave poor little StarChaser out of it. But, sure enough… StarChaser was watching everything through the window from inside the base. She couldn't hear just what exactly they were saying, but she had a pretty good idea on what was being said just from watching the changing expressions on their faces. But Ratchet and the others stood back and watched StarChaser from a distance. They all talked amongst themselves, mostly about what they thought was going to happen to the kid.

Sentinel apparently didn't care what happened to the kid, the thing he was having a problem with was the fact he just couldn't believe that Optimus got a chance to interface before he did, and didn't think it fair that a 'grease grunt' like Optimus could achieve such a thing. And what's worse he got a sparkling out of the deal. It's not that Sentinel wanted one; it's just that Optimus now had proof of his "previous interactions" with a femme, and just by that child being here; well, it was like it getting rubbed in his face plate.

Jazz on the other hand was quite impressed with Optimus; his thinking was 'hey if the guy got some, good for him.' He then turned and asked Prowl.

"Hey, how long has that kid been here for anyway?"

Prowl smiled slightly. "She's been here since you guys were last here."

Jazz stepped back kind of bewildered. "Really?"

Prowl laughed. "Yeah, my theory is that somehow she got aboard your guy's ship undetected and used it to get to Earth. Pretty clever on her part."

Jazz too laughed and stepped back in astonishment. "Yeah, she's really smart for her age."

StarChaser heard the conversation about her going on between Prowl and Jazz, so she turned around and smiled at the mechs. But then the smile faded as she solemnly looked at the floor then back out the window to see Chromia who looked as if she was ready to sock Optimus square in the face; only this time, with her fists.