Starscream had listened to Lumen explain about The Fallen. He had been one of the original thirteen Transformers created by Primus. He had been led astray because destruction and mayhem had pleased him too much. He had eventually given himself to Unicron and tried to destroy Primus. His attempt had failed, and along with Unicron, he had been sucked into a black hole.

Lumen didn't know when Unicron had made it back into this universe, but The Fallen had made his return when she collapsed on New Kaon. The pain in her chest had been a warning from her Matrix. She imagined that Rodimus would likely have experienced the same pain. With any luck, he would know that something was coming, and they would already be preparing for any kind of assault.

"I will be in the think tank. I have to come up with some strategies. I don't know what The Fallen is planning. I need to know what he can do if he has all three matrices. He is probably going after Primus himself, so I may have to meditate a bit on that. I'll get back to you when I know more." Lumen got up from her chair, gathering her datapad and a few other tools in her left hand.

She gave Megatron a pat on the shoulder before leaving the main bridge. Starscream watched her go. He had to admit he was a little bit nervous about being left alone with Megatron. He still wasn't entirely sure the Decepticon leader wouldn't just toss him into the airlock and eject him into space.

Both were silent for a while. Starscream cleared dust out of his boomer box and looked at Megatron.

"What was it like? I mean… To find out your sparkling was alive?"

Megatron turned his head and looked at Starscream.

"Do you remember when I fought in the arena on Cybertron?"

Starscream nodded. Of course he did. He had idolized Megatron back then. He had wanted nothing but to serve him. To give his life for him.

"Yes…"

Megatron looked at the monitors in front of him.

"When I joined the fights, I only did so to die."

"Why?"

Megatron flipped a few switches on the dashboard, clearing the path of a few asteroids that moved into their path.

"I took the work in the mines because the pay was good. I had to leave her behind with a neighbor, but it was only for a few duins, then we could find something better. I wanted her to grow up and become something better. She's not built for hard labor or fighting. You can tell."

Starscream nodded, intrigued by the fact that Megatron was actually talking about it.

"The mines were then closed, and all the miners fired. Someone loudly protested, and the guards killed him. The senator was attacked, and in the commotion, I attacked and killed a guard. It was the first time I had ever killed anyone. I could lie and tell you that I found a liking for it, but I didn't. I hated it. I hated myself, and I regretted it." Megatron sighed.

"We were arrested. But on the way, we hijacked the ship and disappeared in Kaon. I tried to contact Resonance to get her to bring Lumen to me… But I was told that nobody had survived Tarn's destruction. I joined the Arena fights just to die along with her."

"Why didn't you?" Starscream asked.

Megatron gave a short laugh.

"My pride got the better of me. If I died I couldn't bring those to justice who took her away. I would destroy the planet and call it peace. Just for her. I couldn't wash my hands of the blood already on them, but I could dilute it with the blood of the guilty. She didn't deserve that fate."

Megatron was silent for a few moments.

"When I realized that the femme in front of me was my sparkling. I felt… regret."

"Why regret? She was alive!"

Megatron looked at the seeker. He was older than Lumen, but not by much. He had been with them since he was a youngling. In many ways, he was so naïve."

"Because I didn't look for her. I never went back to Tarn. I never checked if she was really dead. I could have had her back with me, and avoided this entire farce. I could have left Cybertron with her and lived somewhere else."

Starscream made an exasperated noise.

"No you couldn't have! It's not like you could have just booked a cruise ship off the planet! And you were wanted for murder too. If you'd stepped into Iacon, they would have been on your tailpipe before you were three steps into the city. And if you had managed to get her and get off the planet, where would you have gone? It's not like there's a lot of places you can go when you're already dirt poor!"

Megatron was a bit taken aback by Starscream's tirade. Megatron was used to the seeker's outbursts, but he'd never actually experienced Starscream being… right.

Megatron nodded slowly.

"You are right, Starscream. For once."

Starscream tried to hide a smug grin. Megatron looked at the seeker with a grim expression.

"Don't let it go to your head!"

They both sat in silence for a few hours. Then Starscream suddenly sat up straight.

"We have to make a detour. There's something we have to do before we arrive on Cybertron!"

Lumen woke up, as the door opened behind her. She sat up straight, relocating her datapad and removing a note she somehow had gotten attached to her helmet.

"I'm awake. I didn't realize I had drifted off. I guess these plans were taking more out of me than I realized. I just wish I knew what I was up against. Is a shield going to help at all? Do we need ground forces? Do we have enough energon to prepare an army? What purpose do the matrices serve? Will they help in the fight? Argh, I'm so frustrated…"

She threw her hands up in the air as a sign of relinquishment and leaned back in the chair. A light chuckle erupted behind her.

"Maybe a small break would help you think better, my love?"

Lumen nearly knocked the chair over when she flew out of it.

"Soundwave!" She screamed, jumping into his arms. He embraced her tightly, enjoying her small arms around his neck. She cried into his neck.

"Oh Primus, I missed you so much. How did you get here?" She sobbed.

He kissed her on the top of the head, rocking her back and forth a few times.

"Starscream contacted me. He told me to meet you at these coordinates. I didn't believe him at first. It wasn't until Megatron told me that he was here as well that I stole a ship and left Chaar."

Lumen squeezed herself closer to Soundwave and smiled.

"I'll have to thank him later. Right now I just want you to hold me."

Lumen and Soundwave joined the two others on the Main Bridge just as they neared Cybertron.

"Where do we land?" Megatron asked.

"Forum of Enlightenment. We need to speak to Prime, and that may just be the best place to land. It's also close to Iacon."

Soundwave looked around the ship.

"Do you think we'll make it that far? It's a Decepticon ship after all?"

"It doesn't bear any insignias, and we had the transmitter exchanged to emit another signature. This is just a debunk transportation vessel for all they can see. We want to talk to Prime and he'll know we're speaking the truth when we talk to him."

Megatron gracefully passed over the Hub capital and continued to the Forum of Enlightenment. They managed to land at the forum before they were hailed on the radio.

"This is Iacon command central. We do not recognize your signature, what is your business here? Over"

Megatron radioed back.

"We are here because our commander had an incident. We heard your Prime had a similar incident and we come to offer our aid. Over"

The radio was silent for a few moments.

"What incident you are referring to. Over"

Megatron sighed and pressed the radio button again.

"Blinding chest pain followed by a feeling of absolute dread. Over."

Again, it was silent for a while.

"Please hold a moment. Over"

Starscream fidgeted in his seat and looked at the others.

"They're readying their cannons to shoot us! Let's get out of here!"

Lumen shook her head.

"No… I think they're on their way… Papa, can you feel it?"

Megatron nodded.

"Yes. The third Matrix is coming closer."

They all looked down as the officer on the other end of the radio spoke up again.

"Stay where you are, Prime informed me that he's on his way. Over and out."

Lumen was suddenly visibly nervous. Megatron got out of his seat and watched her pace back and forth. She suddenly turned to him.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. What if they don't want to listen? I betrayed them! I hurt my best friend! I left them and exiled them. I killed Optimus! I… I…"

Megatron walked over and put his hand under her chin.

"Listen to me, Lumen. They will listen because this Rodimus Prime will know that what you say is true. He will know what you say is true the moment the words leave your mouth. You would not have been given this task if you couldn't handle it."

Lumen nodded and let out a sigh.

"You may want to see this…" Starscream said, backing away from the window as the convoy of Autobots came closer. Megatron and Lumen both looked out of the window. Lumen audibly gasped and double checked the security monitors, zooming in on the Autobots.

Optimus stopped in front of the ship and transformed. He had been called on the radio and asked about the incident. Nobody but him, Elita and Perceptor had known about it, so how did the strangers on the ship know.

Oddly enough, he felt an immediate draw to the ship, like something was calling to him from within. Sprocket had volunteered to come along as a security measure along with Jazz and Hot Rod. But as they had approached, a crowd had already formed.

Optimus approached the ship and waited for a few moments.

"I am Optimus Prime. You said you were here to help. Help with what?"

The ship remained silent for a few moments before the docking platform opened and lowered to the ground. Nobody exited, and Jazz and Sprocket decided to ready their blasters just in case.

Optimus held up his hand to ward them off when someone slowly started coming down the ramp.

Lumen felt like this was perhaps the heaviest steps she had ever taken in her life. Every single step into the light had to be forced because of her fear.

She stopped when she reached the bottom of the ramp and stood there, trying to read his expression. Why did he have to wear that mask? It made it so hard to read him.

Then Optimus fell to his knees. Lumen couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed.

"Dad!"

She ran to him and fell into his arms. He held her so tight, she could barely breathe. She suddenly realized he was crying.

"I thought you were dead, Maria."

She shook her head.

"I almost was. The Last saved me."

Optimus moved back to look at her.

"There's something different about you…"

She opened her chest compartment, revealing the small Matrix within.

Optimus hung his head and covered his face in his hands.

"I never wanted you to have this burden, Maria."

Lumen closed her chest compartment and smiled to him.

"Dad, you will at some point have to call me by my real name."

She stood up and took his hands.

"I have something to show you."

He got to his feet and followed her. Jazz suddenly yelled.

"Optimus, are you sure you want to go with?"

Optimus turned and nodded.

"I'll be okay. Just stay here."

Lumen took him to the base of the ramp and turned around.

"Before we go in… I want you to trust me that no harm will come to anyone. Okay?"

Optimus studied her for a moment, but somehow, he knew she was telling the truth.

"I trust you… Lumen."

She smiled and led him up the ramp and up to the main bridge. When he entered, he was more than a little shocked to find Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream all standing there. Lumen grabbed Optimus' hands and spoke up.

"Remember what I told you! We came in peace."

Optimus eyed Megatron with ill covered malice.

"I've heard that one before."

Lumen walked over to Soundwave.

"Dad, do you remember when you found me in Tarn? How my memory was scrambled? Some of it began to come back in little bits and pieces. Soundwave forced the locked caches of memories open on Earth, and I would like for you to see them."

She knelt in front of Soundwave and he put his hands on each side of her head. He easily found the memories and started projecting them to his chest monitor. Optimus took a step back when he saw Lumen as a sparkling. Megatron was picking her up, feeding her energon cubes and putting her on a swing set. Then there she was handed to the femme she had been found under, and Megatron left to go to the mines. Then the bombings and Lumen and Resonance screaming and running from the Vos ships.

Optimus held up his hands.

"Stop. I've seen enough."

Lumen stood up and walked over to Optimus.

"Dad… Back on Earth, Megatron gave me a choice. I could join him, or stay with you."

Optimus took her hands and nodded.

"I don't blame you for what you chose. I didn't give you a choice, and there were times where I wished I had acted differently."

Lumen's smile didn't last. She looked at the others and sighed.

"Unfortunately. We are not here only to make peace. We're there because The Fallen is coming to Cybertron."

So, if you'd like to leave a review, I'd be pleased.