Author's note. Happy New Year everyone. I wish everyone the best in the new year ahead of us.

Just a short bit with Moonracer, Darklight and Starscream, it will continue next chapter. This chapter reveals an incident from Megatron's past, read on to find out what that is.

Suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

Moonracer walked by Starscream's side as he carried Darklight through the Nemesis to his quarters. The Seeker had a rather expressionless face but she suspected he was thinking very hard about the situation he was in. He was in all probability the Sire of Darklight's Sparkling and this would mean big changes to his life.

For one, was he going to Bond with Darklight or would she merely be the mother of his Sparkling. She knew this would be a difficult question, Darklight could barely contemplate having a Sparkling, let alone Bonding with anyone.

And what about poor Darklight? She was just laying limply in Starscream's arms, resting her head against his chest. She was used to looking after no one but herself. She survived by pleasing Mechs and had little experience with Femmes or Sparklings. At least Chromia, Firestar and Echo had this and in the case of Chromia and Firestar had loving partners.

Firestar didn't exactly have this but she was a very independent Femme who could easily look after herself and others. But she still had the Combaticons who seemed happy to take responsibility for the Sparkling that one of them had helped Sparked. At the very least, she'd have one father and four uncles to look after and protect her Sparkling.

But poor Darklight, she was still so young and Moonracer was worried about how this would affect her.

But one thing she did know was that she'd be there for her as would all the other Femmes. She'd help look after the Sparkling, teach the younger Femme how to look after and nurture it. It was just as well that she wasn't expecting, it wasn't easy to focus on another Femme's Sparkling when you had your own.

Moonracer suddenly swallowed as she remembered how close she'd been to having a Sparkling of her own. How would Skywarp take the news that his comrades were going to be Sires and he wasn't? Would he be angry or disappointed?

She'd been so mad at him when he'd gotten her to sleep with him but her attitude had softened somewhat. It had happened a few days after that incident, she'd found him being attacked by the Conehead Seekers. They'd been seeking revenge for the beating the purple Seeker had giving them for bothering her.

So she'd stepped in and helped him fight them off long enough to get away. He'd gotten revenge against them later that day but Warping them out of the base and into the sea. But thankfully they decided against any retaliation.

So after that, their relationship had improved and he hadn't tried anything since. Apparently, he'd taken her words about not sleeping with him to Spark and left her alone in that respect.

But he still liked to spend time with her and have fun. He was a big fan of movies, both human and transformer ones. And he wanted her to enjoy them as much as she did. She smiled about this, they were meant to be watching another one later tonight. Would that be a good time to talk to him about what had happened?

She glanced at Starscream, dare she ask him for advice.

"Starscream, may I ask you something?" she said softly to him.

His optics flicked to her and then he looked straight ahead again.

"What is it?" he asked sourly.

"How should I tell Skywarp that...I'm not pregnant? I-I take it he'll be disappointed?"

Starscream didn't say anything for a moment, they were nearing his quarters. But then he said.

"I imagine he will be very...disappointed. He would have been over this planet's moon if you had become pregnant."

"Oh," she said softly, bowing her head.

Despite the fact she still loved her mate Wheeljack, she couldn't help but be sad about this. The other Femmes were all expecting Sparklings but she wasn't. Obviously Eilta and Arcee weren't but Elita had Arcee and Arcee was still a child. So in a way, she was totally alone.

But as she thought this, Starscream gave her a sharp look and said.

"You don't look happy. I would have thought you'd be delighted that nothing came of your little on night stand with my Trine mate."

Moonracer blushed angrily at this.

"I can't help feeling like this when all my friends are expecting."

Starscream grinned grimly.

"Ah, the Femme basic instinct, the need to procreate when others do so."

Moonracer scowled but didn't argue. It was true that when one Femme had a Sparklings, childless Femmes got certain urges to have their own. But they weren't completely ruled by this coding, it was just a bit annoying.

Starscream chuckled at her mutinous expression but sadly, Darklight didn't really react. She seemed to be in a sort of depression. This wasn't good, depressed Femmes didn't do well if they were expecting Sparklings as their condition would only worsen.

"Look Darklight, we're nearly at Starscream's quarters," she said encouragingly to Darklight who merely shrugged.

Moonracer sighed as they entered, this was going to be harder than she thought.

Elita's POV

Elita hummed as she walked to Megatron's quarters. He commanded her to return to him after she'd sorted out her Femmes, in particular Firestar. The Combaticons had been so shocked at her pregnancy that they'd almost fainted. She'd spent the morning explaining about a Femme's carrying stage and what they should expect.

It had been amusing to see them droop with the knowledge they couldn't continue with their nightly interfacing that involved all five of them with Firestar. Last she'd heard, they were going to be working out a schedule that meant they could take it in turns to spend the night with her.

At least she was getting her own berth, apparently, she'd been forced to share a different berth each night cycle. Lucky Firestar, Elita still had to sleep with Megatron each night.

When she arrived at his quarters, he was already waiting for her. He'd been toying with a cube of Energon but now he put it aside as she entered. Not bothering to get out, he said.

"So, you finally decided to come."

Elita frowned, he seemed to be in a bad mood.

"The Combaticons had a lot of questions that needed answering. Firestar needed my support to answer them. And though Hook's a good Medic, he still needed back up for this."

Megatron scowled but didn't say anything. Elita sighed and went over to him and got on his berth. She moved behind him and started to massage his shoulders. She knew she had to get him into a better mood, otherwise he might impose restrictions on her Femmes.

Megatron's tenseness disappeared slightly and he relaxed into her touch. She smiled slightly, he always responded if she showed him any affection. Sometimes she gave it freely, it was much safer to have him in a good mood. The only drawback was that he tended to read more than there was into it.

"Mmm, Elita," Megatron murmured, reaching up a hand to stroke one of hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. "Aren't you pleased about the Sparklings?"

"Mmm, yes, it is good news," he admitted softly. "They will make a great morale boasts to the troops."

Unseen by him, Elita lowered her optics at this. The Sparklings should be providing morale to the Autobots, in particularly a certain red Mech. But no matter, she knew they would love them all anyway.

"I'm sure they will," Elita said softly. "But if you're not worried about that, what's wrong?"

Megatron suddenly sighed heavily.

"It does have something to do with Sparklings but not the fact my men are having them."

Elita was very intrigued, what could this be about?

Megatron suddenly removed her hands gently and twisted in his seat to take a hold of her. Taking her into his arms, he leaned back onto the berth, spreading out with her half lying on his chest. Lightly stroking her back, he said softly.

"You know there is a very slight chance the Sparkling that Darklight carries belongs to me?"

"Yes but it isn't very likely," Elita said gently. "When a Femme interfaces with two Mechs, her systems respond better to the Mech she is more attracted to. And I don't just mean physically but also on an emotional level."

"Darklight has connected better with Starscream, in all probability her Sparkling is Starscream's."

Megatron nodded slowly, a strange expression on his face.

"Do you know what I was before this War, Elita?"

She shook her head, she didn't know.

"I was a miner," he said softly. "Since I was a Youngling until the Miner's riots, I worked Cybertron's mines. It was hard, slogging work and we barely made enough to live on. Injuries were common and decent medical attention was hard to come by."

Elita nodded, wondering where he was going with us.

"Well, we also had few rights and those of a higher class often liked to take advantage of us," Megatron said with a growl. "Our Femmes were used as pleasurebots while we Mechs were often forced to fight as gladiators."

Elita looked sad at this, she knew things for the lower classes hadn't been good. She came from a middle class family, not up there with the Senators and Nobles but not at the level of the miners and other low class citizens.

"I'm sorry," she said softly and he shrugged.

"You're not responsible for this Elita, do not apologise," Megatron said in a slightly biting tone and she bowed her head.

"Anyway," he continued. "One work cycle we learned just how much we mattered to the Senate."

He said the last bit with a pronounced sneer.

"There was a terrible accident in the mines one day, many were killed. It must have been...how old are you now?" he asked and she told him.

He nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, you would have been in your first of second form, you wouldn't remember this. I was one of those badly injured and needed to be transferred to a Medical Centre. Well, I was sent with the others and we were treated, though this involved doping us up until we were in Status."

"When we woke up, we were repaired, better than we normally were. But there was something wrong."

Elita looked up sharply at him, what had the Senate done to him? He pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her helm. He paused before saying.

"Our...interfacing equipment felt strange, as though we had just had an enormous overload. But the injuries we had, there was no way anything should have affected our Spikes. Unless they were interfered with."

Elita was now staring at him in horror, Primus what had happened to him?

He looked her right in the optic and grimly said.

"They took transfluid samples from all of us. And I don't mean small amounts, I mean a lot of transfluid."

"Why?" Elita asked. "Why would they want it?"

Megatron gave a harsh laugh.

"They wanted our coding. Because despite our low breeding, we are considered to have strong coding. Our population was large, the genetic variation was diverse and that was what they wanted."

"To what end?"

"To give the Upper classes Sparklings," Megatron said bitterly. "They took it with the intention of helping upper class couples conceive. With our healthy coding, it was much easier to get their Femmes pregnant. And in most cases, we would have been the true Sires of those Sparklings."

"You fathered a Sparkling?" Elita gasped in amazement.

"I believe so," Megatron said softly. "But it is unlikely I will ever know for sure. They did this in total secret, they could not risk us seeking out our children and laying claim to them. They are lost forever to us."

Elita didn't know what to say, a million thoughts were running through her head. To think that Megatron and his fellow miners were abused in such a way, it was unthinkable. No wonder so many had rebelled against the Senate if they had truly employed such tactics.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, burying her face against his armour. "You didn't deserve that to happen, none of you did."

"No, we didn't," Megatron said simply. "Many were devastated by what had happened, and mourned the loss of their children."

"Were you?" Elita asked.

"Partly," he said. "But I knew it wasn't the child's fault and I also knew it would have a better life. Even if I had found it, I was unbounded, I would not have been suitable. I couldn't have provided for it like its parents undoubtedly did."

"Besides," he said with a small shrug. "It's possible its Creators were innocent as well. The Senate probably didn't tell them how they were providing them with the means to have children."

Elita was pleasantly surprised about how mature Megatron sounded. She would have thought he'd be burning for revenge. Probably he had been in the beginning but had been forced to accept the situation in the end. She was sure it had been a very bitter blow to him and he was likely hurting more than he let on.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again. "But...you mustn't give up hope. Maybe one day, Primus will bring you and your child together."

"In the Well of the All Sparks perhaps," Megatron said dully. "And that's assuming I reach there of course."

"At this moment, you certainly deserve it, much more than the Senate," Elita said firmly as Megatron settled them both more securely on the berth.

"Maybe," he said softly before saying. "We'll talk later Elita, for now I just want us to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet."

He smirked and then said.

"I hear Sparklings are noisy little things."

Elita smiled and snuggled in the crook of his arm.

"They sure are," she said with a soft sigh.

"They sure are."

Author's note. In the next chapter, Starscream and Moonracer work to get Darklight out of her depression. And one Femme suffers a tragic event. Find out what that is next time, until then.