A/N: ;)

Optimus had called a meeting a few days after the calls with Jazz and Prowl. Without those two there to lead the briefing, Prime was relying on Ironhide and Mirage to assist, but they could not seem to get along. There had been plenty of insults bandied about, but it was only when it looked like Ironhide was revving up to punch the spy in the face that Optimus felt like he needed to intercede.

"Thank you, officers, for your assistance. I can take it from here." Prime faced the pinched looks of most of the Autobots that were on Earth. Many rumors had been swirling around about Jazz and Prowl's conspicuous absence from them joining the Decepticons, to being undercover, to them becoming Neutrals and starting a family of sparklings somewhere. Optimus wasn't sure the truth was any better than these alternatives.

"I have received two messages from Jazz and Prowl. They are alive," he said. There were sighs of relief and a few murmurs throughout the room. "However, their situation is grave. They, along with Starscream and Soundwave, have been captured and forced into serving the Quintessons for entertainment."

The room was deathly silent.

"…how are they faring?" Bluestreak asked, his vocalizer weak.

"They are doing the best they can, but things are tough. It appears they have called a truce of some kind and are working together to try and win their freedom."

There were a few mutterings about it being a Decepticon plot as that could not possibly be true. Optimus held a servo up to silence them, and exvented. "We are obviously trying to mount a rescue mission, but it is only in the planning stages now." Prime sighed. "I would also be remiss in not telling any mechs involved in a rescue attempt that Jazz has resigned his position and has declared himself a Neutral."

This stirred outrage as many of them stood and started shouting immediately. Optimus stole a glance at Mirage who looked contemplative and met his optics after a moment. He likely had gathered why Jazz had done this and was likely going to try and be a dissenting vote against a rescue. Optimus sighed.

"He doesn't want us to try and engage the Quintessons. But we cannot abandon him, even if he is a Neutral," he said. He noticed Red Alert share a look with Mirage. That was likely trouble brewing already.

"Do we even know where they are?" Bumblebee asked.

"We don't know. We can assume that Soundwave and Starscream contacted Megatron, so we might be able to trade information with him, if he is cooperative. But know this," he said putting on his best "Prime" look in his optics. "We do not leave any Cybertronian behind to suffer at the hands of the Quintessons. There was a time where we were all united against them as our common foe. Freedom is the right of all-"

"-sentient beings," everyone in the room finished with him, almost like a benediction. He smiled under his faceplate.

"Dismissed."

The hall emptied loud with the chatter and conversations of everyone. One mech remained behind.

"Skyfire, how can I help you?" Optimus said, regarding the shuttle.

"What you said before about Soundwave and Starscream calling Megatron?" he said. Optimus nodded. "Not… completely true."

Optimus arched an optic-ridge.

"It seems that Starscream chose me to call," Skyfire said, seemingly embarrassed.

Optimus was surprised. He knew that Skyfire and Starscream had a history, but he was more than a little surprised based on the nature of Jazz and Prowl's calls. He would have bet shanix on Starscream calling Megatron to insult him, even if it was the last time.

"What was the nature of the call?"

"He insulted me," Skyfire replied.

Ah. Right context, wrong mech.

"Well, I am about to go call Megatron to see if he will share information. I'm… going to need you there, Skyfire."

Skyfire nodded, but then frowned deeper. "Optimus. He was trying to say… goodbye."

Optimus gave the shuttle a hard look and then nodded, indicating that Skyfire should follow him to the communications room.

"I am not really in the mood, Prime."

"That makes two of us, Megatron," Optimus said.

Skyfire thought he was more than a little outranked by the mechs on this call. He wasn't exactly important, and he didn't really want to get dragged into their squabbling.

But yet again, it was Starscream that was throwing him into the middle of the action. He stifled a sigh.

"I'm guessing you recently received a transmission from Soundwave?" Megatron's optics suddenly looked more curious than annoyed. "We received one from Jazz, Prowl, and… Starscream."

"Starscream?!" Megatron bellowed. "That insufferable, traitorous wretch! Did he call you, Prime? Whisper secrets in your audios?"

Optimus looked taken aback. "Erm, no. He called Skyfire."

"Ah," Megatron said, relaxing a little. "Traitors calling traitors. Sounds about right." Skyfire scowled but said nothing.

"Megatron, I was hoping we could come to an arrangement to share information. I want to rescue my mechs, but I'm not even sure where to start."

Megatron looked like he was considering this. "You intend to go fight the Quintessons," he said levelly. "I thought your fight was with me."

Optimus's stare hardened at the warlord on the display. "They are the bigger threat," he challenged.

Skyfire resisted rolling his optics at the posturing going on. There was a reason he wasn't really invited to become an officer. He didn't have patience for either leader's bravado.

Megatron huffed his vents. "Fine. I can agree there is nothing I wouldn't do to stop the Quintessons; even consider working with you." Megatron made a smile that could curdle energon. "And while I don't doubt our ability to unite against a common foe, I only doubt the depth of your conviction to do what needs to be done."

"There can be no peace with the Quintessons. Of this I am sure."

"No quarter?" Megatron asked with a murderous glint in his optic.

"No clemency. No mercy," Optimus said with finality.

It's no wonder these two had been at war for so long. Still, Skyfire didn't particularly like the Quintessons either, but seeing Optimus and Megatron agree like this was… chilling.

"And besides if they think they can just pluck us from the battlefield to serve as their entertainment without repercussions, we'll be fighting them all the time," Optimus continued.

"I don't disagree with you. What info did you get from your mechs?"

Optimus explained about the arena, winning, and rewards. Megatron had a similar tale from Soundwave. Skyfire had felt his fuel tanks lurch since some of these finer details he had been unaware of; things Starscream had failed to mention. And Starscream had just called to say he hated him? How petty was the seeker? Primus.

"It's been hard on them. I can judge my men pretty well and they aren't doing well, but they are doing the best they can. They made a temporary truce to keep each other alive," Optimus finished.

"A necessary evil," Megatron said, his optics dancing in the dim light of his base. "Soundwave explained they severed his bonds with his cassettes as a way to make things fair. Likely intending to prevent us from locating them."

"You think that's why?"

"If the cassettes still had their bond, then yes we would at least have a heading as to where they are located. I am of the opinion that if they were well-defended, they wouldn't care about being found. This smacks of them trying to hide."

"That could be a boon for us," Optimus agreed.

Megatron looked thoughtfully at Optimus for a moment, then said, "Soundwave also managed to send a large data burst of encrypted information. It's taking us quite a bit of time to decode it. We would welcome your assistance."

Optimus tilted his helm a little. "We are few codexes behind in Decepticon encryption. Especially without our spymaster," he replied.

"He didn't send it in Decepticon encryption. He sent it in Golden Age Era encryption."

Optimus seemed surprised and then impressed. "He hoped you would share it so that we could help. To work with us."

"That is what he was asking in subtext, yes." Megatron then turned his gaze towards the silent shuttle. "What about… Starscream? What did he say? Any worthwhile information he imparted?"

Skyfire reset his vocalizer. "Uhm, well. He mostly insulted me. And then said ….goodbye."

Megatron stared at him for a moment with an unreadable expression on his faceplate.

"'Goodbye?'"

"He said he didn't think he'd have another chance to do it," Skyfire said, maybe with a small crack in his vocalizer. He sighed. "I didn't understand what was happening. He just calls me and starts to berate me as usual-"

"As usual?" both Megatron and Optimus said in unison.

Skyfire frowned. "He… sometimes comms me to berate me. Usually after a lot of high grade."

Megatron rolled his optics, but Optimus looked thoughtful. "You didn't think to tell us?"

Skyfire glanced sideways at the Prime. "The content of these comms wasn't relevant," he said finally. "Regardless, this call was similar. He called me names, brought up all the old arguments we've ever had. It might have been a touch more vicious than usual, especially since he brought up my thesis and insulted my findings-"

Skyfire stopped talking as if he had stalled.

"Skyfire?"

"That… son of a glitch," Skyfire breathed. "That son of a glitch!" He said smiling widely, meeting Optimus's optics. He went to the computer and started typing away quickly.

"Skyfire! What in Primus-"

"I need a map. A big one. Primus. He told me where they are!" Skyfire nearly shouted.

Again, oddly in tune with each other, both Megatron and Optimus said, "What?"

"He told me. I'm such a fool for not figuring it out until now," Skyfire said regretfully. "He mentioned my thesis from the academy; it was on a specific binary star system in a strangely opaque oort cloud. It's like a cloud of icy planetesimals… erm, cosmic dust, proposed to surround a star system, marking the boundary of the star's gravitational influence. It's usually a great place for comets to be born-" Skyfire then stopped himself seeing both of the leaders' optics glaze over. He cleared his vocalizer. "Anyway – whatever planets might be in this particular system would be hidden. And it's near Cybertron."

"How would he know? I assume they would never be able to see sky to get that frame of reference, especially if they were going to let them call us. Especially Starscream," Megatron said.

Skyfire couldn't help but grin. "Both Starscream and I have a sub-plating low frequency navigational array from when we were explorers. It's so low tech and quiet; it won't look any different from an EM field. They might not have noticed it was there."

The three of them paused, letting the silence settle across their processors. "This could be a trap as well," Optimus said, lowly. "They might want us to come."

Megatron grinned wickedly. "I would hate to disappoint them." Then after a beat, "Let's discuss the terms of our truce."