No one thrived for very long among the Decepticons if they weren't intelligent. Barricade was certainly intelligent! As soon as Daniel had spoken, he knew that there would be more than one mech trying to kill him. Throwing himself into reverse, he put every bit of power that his engine had into moving. Using a police style U-turn or 'J Turn' as it is also called, Barricade switched to his heavily modified Hemi and prepared to move!

As soon as Barricade moved out, the Terror Twins and Prowl were right behind him. Having already downloaded the specs, they were using Ferrari Enzo FXX alt modes. Because the model of car that they had chosen as alt modes was designed specifically for racing with a Formula One drive train, the Twins were able to keep pace with Barricade while Prowl was left far behind as the trio flew down the runway.

Optimus knew that the severity of the oath Barricade had sworn almost precluded his ability to even defend himself from an attack by an Autobot. It meant that he would have to save the former Decepticon. He transformed and switched over to the massive power plant that Daniel had obtained for him. Even though he'd had this engine for a few days now, Optimus was still amazed by the incredible amount of raw power and speed that was produced.

Elita, Chromia, and Arcee gaped at the Autobot Leader as he practically flew down the runway.

"I've never seen him move like that before!" Elita gasped.

"I didn't know he could go that fast!" Arcee exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's almost as fast as a Seeker!" Chromia blurted.

"I think I mighta just started somethin' I shouldn't have." Daniel said quietly as he watched the proceedings.

"Really? Ya think so?" Maigan demanded in sarcastic exasperation.

"Maybe one day you'll try using that brain of yours for something besides holding your ears apart." General Mallory growled irritably.

"You do realize that you'll feel every injury he receives, don't you?" Starglide asked Daniel with narrowed optics.

"Do I have a reason to be concerned?" Daniel asked warily.

"Sunstreaker and Sideswipe will try to pound Barricade into scrap if they catch him. That's if they don't offline him entirely!" Starglide answered firmly.

"If that's the case, then why didn't you get involved?" Daniel inquired suspiciously.

"Because Barricade is quite adept at close quarters combat. Besides, Optimus will be with him." Starglide replied almost casually.

Had Sunstreaker been in his root mode, his jaw would likely have fallen off when Optimus passed him. He knew he wasn't the fastest Autobot alive, but he was certainly one of them. Sure, he knew that Optimus could move out when he wanted to, but not like this! Yes, the bot was quite fast for his size, but he wasn't anywhere close to being among the fastest of the Autobots. For the Autobot Leader to do what he'd just done was completely unheard of!

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, both of you need to stop and stand down now!" Optimus bellowed.

"But that's Barricade! That slagger deserves the pounding I plan to give him!" Sunstreaker protested.

"You can plan all you want Sunstreaker! Neither one of you are to touch Barricade without my direct orders… is that understood?" Optimus commanded sternly.

Sunstreaker seriously considered telling Optimus to frag off. He wanted to pound on that mech until he was begged for mercy… then he planned to pound on Barricade some more. The one thing that stopped him though, was the fact that Optimus was ahead of him! He swerved to his right in an effort to avoid hitting the big mech that stopped in front of him and transformed. He stared in total shock as his brother also came to a stop and transformed.

"Barricade is not to be harmed! He is under my protection, so the two of you will leave him alone! Is that understood?" Optimus said firmly as he glared at the two mechs.

Sunstreaker glared at the larger mech as his brother gaped. He knew that Optimus was serious about this when the Autobot Leader didn't back down at all. There was a glaring match between the two mechs for a second or so, but eventually, Sunstreaker backed down. That didn't mean he was happy about the situation, because he most certainly wasn't!

"Things are very different here on Earth. The humans are going to assist us in this war, and they have already proven to be very effective. Thanks to the human efforts, we have regained one of our own, discovered a new ally, and have even removed several Decepticons from the battlefield. Barricade is only one of them!" Optimus said sternly.

"There is a lot you need to know about the current situation, and even more that needs to be said before any action is taken!" Optimus said gravely.

"Optimus… that fragger has killed a lot of Autobots and you know it! He deserves to be offlined permanently, and we're just the bots to do it!" Sideswipe growled while pointing angrily at Barricade.

"Barricade and five other Decepticons are now allied with the humans. For now, not being an Autobot is a mere technicality, but they no longer pose any threat to Autobot forces." Optimus stated.

"If they aren't a threat, then there won't be anything to stop me from pounding them into scrap!" Sunstreaker growled angrily.

"I will stop you!" Optimus snapped resolutely. "They have sworn the oath of Primus, and you will not touch them, or I will give you the same damage you give them! Is that understood?"

"Optimus… you know that slagger deserves to die!" Sunstreaker seethed.

"I'm sure that there are many Decepticons who would say the same of you, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen." Optimus replied sternly.

Barricade stood silently with an impassive expression on his faceplates as he simply watched the exchange. This was an Autobot affair, and he knew better than to get involved in it. He could see both twins glaring at him, and he didn't need to be a genius to know they wanted him dead. He was very surprised that Optimus was defending him though.

Optimus stared at the two bots in front of him sternly. He knew that they were always rather eager for battle, and that they fought enthusiastically when they were given the chance. He knew the two brothers were firm in their support of the Autobot cause, but until now, he hadn't realized just how unyielding that support was. He tried very hard to be fair and impartial while giving every individual another chance. Because of the oath that had been made, he would see to it that Barricade, Soundwave and his remaining cassettes would be given that chance no matter how many Autobots protested.

"We need to return to the others. There is a lot that I need to say, and I only want to say it once." Optimus said with a heavy vent.

"Come on Big Bot. You're acting like you found the All Spark and it crumbled into dust or something." Sideswipe scoffed.

Optimus stared at the red mech for a second before he spoke. "That is actually close to what happened."

Sunstreaker stared at his boss in horror. He'd never thought the war might come to something like this. He knew that in the beginning stages of the war, there had been bots who'd done things that they really shouldn't have, but that was out of nothing more than zealotry. This? This was… monumentally stupid!

Sunstreaker looked over at his brother and saw what he would have sworn was an identical expression. He knew that he wasn't even close to one of the most intelligent mechs alive, but even he knew that the All Spark was the source and cause of all life on Cybertron. For it to be destroyed meant that Cybertron was doomed to eventually become barren and lifeless. He and his brother both hung their heads as they turned and began walking back to the group while wondering how things could possibly have come to… to this!

As he approached the group of bot who had just arrived on the Ark, Optimus noted that there were many humans also in attendance. It was with a heavy spark that he addressed them.

"I would like to welcome all of you to Earth. I know this world is nothing like Cybertron, but we must make it our home now. Unfortunately… and with great sorrow… I must inform you that the All Spark has been destroyed." Optimus began gravely.

Instantly, several bots began to clamor and plague Optimus with questions. Instead of answering those questions, he merely held up his hand and resumed speaking once silence again prevailed.

"Without the All Spark we can not return life to Cybertron. Our world as we knew it, is now lost to us. The humans have graciously given us leave to live on their world and make it into a home. I know this world will never be able to replace Cybertron, but we will make the best of what we have." Optimus stated in a grief laden tone.

"How can we be certain that these humans will be acceptable allies?" Red Alert inquired seriously.

"The humans that we've worked with so far, have assisted us in dealing with Decepticon forces, revived a fallen companion, restored another companion to us, and have even found a mech we didn't know about. They have even caused seven Decepticons to leave the Decepticon ranks. Six of those bots have joined the human forces, while the seventh will join ours." Optimus replied evenly.

"This Decepticon who wants to join us, who is it, and why should we trust them?" Red Alert demanded suspiciously.

"That particular Decepticon is Skywarp. He was captured unharmed by a human. He was convinced to join us by the true Air Commander of Cybertron, so that he can fly with her once again! Yes… you heard me correctly. Starglide has been returned to us. She was heavily damaged in her search for the All Spark, and has spent nearly a vorn in stasis. She has been fully repaired and restored thanks to our human allies." Optimus stated.

"We have Starglide back? That will make a huge difference on the battlefield!" Chromia exclaimed with a grin.

"How the frag did someone manage to capture that pit-spawned slagger, Skywarp? We haven't even been able to use our 'Jet Judo' on him because he teleports away from us!" Sideswipe complained.

"You would have to ask the human who captured him, and so far, he hasn't really said much about it." Starglide said as she stepped forward.

There were quite a few exclamations and shouts of joy as the various bots realized who was standing among them. Starglide simply stood there silently and accepted the greeting and other glad comments. Finally, one bot posed a question that needed to be answered.

"Which human captured that mech?" Elita asked as she looked at the many humans standing around.

"That is the one who captured Skywarp. His name is Daniel, and it is thanks to his knowledge that Jazz was brought back from the Well, I was restored from the brink of it, and my creation's life was saved." Starglide said as she pointed at the Salvage Operator.

Daniel looked up at the group of bots who had gathered around and were staring at him. There were a lot of myriad expressions ranging from disbelief and astonishment, to blatant outrage.

"You? You are the one who finally caught Skywarp? How?" Sunstreaker demanded belligerently.

"He took one look at me, and… like many folks your size… severely underestimated me." Daniel replied with a malicious grin.

"What'd you do? Wait until he appeared in front and blast him?" Sideswipe demanded accusingly.

"Nope! Didn' hurt him at all actually." Daniel answered quietly.

Starglide was very surprised that Daniel didn't brag, or even act smug about his capture. She knew that Skywarp's teleportation ability made him an exceedingly dangerous mech, and that Daniel actually had good reason to be smug about the capture. That wasn't happening though. In fact, Daniel had yet to actually say how he had really caught the rather flighty mech. Instead of boasting about his victory, Daniel was keeping quiet about it.

Daniel wasn't actually thinking about the Seeker he'd caught. Instead, his mind was working at a furious pace as he considered everything he knew about the All Spark. He suspected that since a vast majority of it had been placed in another dimension or something, that none of the stored material had been damaged. If that was the case, then it was possible that a fresh power source could be used by the stored material to regenerate the material that was in this dimension. The only things he could think of that could have the necessary power available were plenty of energon, or a nuclear reactor. He knew he couldn't gain access to a reactor, but he was able to get a hold of the energon!

"Then how did you catch him?" Red Alert demanded suspiciously.

"Why don't you ask him? While you're at it, ask him if he wants a rematch." Daniel said softly with a vicious grin.

That was not the response Optimus had been expecting! He'd been sure that the demented little being would gloat in some way, but that wasn't happening. Instead of acting as expected, Daniel was keeping his composure and saying almost nothing.

"So exactly which Decepticons do we no longer need to be concerned with?" Ultra Magnus asked Optimus, as he turned to face his leader.

"Barricade, Soundwave, Ravage, Frenzy, Razorbeak, and Buzzsaw are the Decepticons who are now working with the humans." Optimus said firmly.

"I notice that you didn't mention Rumble. What are we gonna do about him?" Chromia snapped.

"Frenzy swore on the spark of Primus. Rumble violated that oath and the result nearly killed Frenzy in the process. Rumble has been dealt with by Primus himself and is no longer a concern of ours." Optimus answered gravely.

"So Frenzy made an oath that affected all of them?" Wheeljack asked in confusion.

"Yes. Apparently, they are all so closely bound that an oath made by any one of them does affect the rest!" Ratchet said firmly.

"Are you saying that Rumble was killed by Primus because of Frenzy's oath?" First Aid asked in clarification.

"Yes! He was, and believe me… that was not an easy thing to watch." SecDef Keller said sternly.

"May I inquire as to how you are convinced that it was Primus who dispatched Rumble?" Prowl asked clearly.

"He had just attacked my wife and I think he was going to kill her. Then, he started screaming in agony as his whole body started disintegrating until there wasn't anything left! Don't get me wrong, after what he did to my wife, I'm glad he's dead, but nothing should have to die like that!" SecDef Keller said with a sad shake of his head.

"The manner in which you have described Rumble's demise makes it quite obvious that he ran afoul of Primus. The question remaining is, how do we know that Barricade is also of no concern?" Prowl asked.

"Several of us and quite a few humans witnessed Barricade's oath as he swore on the spark of Primus. Frenzy then seconded that oath without any coercion! I will not tolerate anyone trying to take advantage of that fact!" Optimus said in a near growl of warning.

"In that case, it becomes immediately clear that we only need to concern ourselves with Skywarp and his future actions." Prowl stated.

"Skywarp has sworn to Primus that he will once again follow my lead and be under my command. His allegiance to the Decepticon faction is over. Currently, I am the only friend he has that he is certain of. I am hoping that can change and he'll gain more friends. As it stands now, the Decepticons gave him a heavier frame that severely limits his teleporting ability and his intelligence. It's been agreed that we will give him a smaller frame to restore both his teleporting ability and his intelligence so he can become a valuable asset to our faction. As it is right now, his thought processes are limited to those of an under-educated youngling or over-educated sparkling. Right now, he is incapable of comprehending the seriousness that the oath of Primus would invoke. I will not do that to him!" Starglide said firmly.

"How can you be sure he's sincere?" Ultra Magnus asked skeptically.

"When you consider that he was under the impression he'd already been killed and was in the Pit of the Matrix at the time I extracted his vow, I am quite convinced that he meant it!" Starglide replied confidently.

"Me Grimlock think him Skywarp was scared!" Grimlock said with a wide toothy grin.

"Well Grimlock… he did think he was already dead, so I'm sure he was." Starglide replied sweetly.

"Well now that those issues are settled, how 'bout some introductions?" SecDef Keller asked.

"I would believe that to be a prudent course of action." Prowl declared.

Optimus began by introducing Chromia, Elita, Arcee, Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, First Aid, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Prowl, Grimlock, Kup, and Bluestreak to everyone. He also introduced all of the Earth found bots which included the former Decepticons, and the humans.

There were nine bots who needed alt. modes. Those bots were Arcee, Blaster, Bluestreak, Chromia, Elita, First Aid, Kup, Ultra Magnus, and Wheeljack. All of the bots were easily satisfied by various vehicles available on base.

Ultra Magnus chose to scan 'The Road Warrior' that Daniel had borrowed from Darrel. Elita chose to scan the F-1 modified '68 Shelby GT 500 that Daniel owned. Kup settled for a military issue Hummer. First Aid chose a bright red Air Force Fire rescue truck. Wheeljack decided to scan the A frame wrecker that had been obtained for Daniel but went with white instead of black. Blaster had grinned when he scanned the metallic orange 2001 Chevy Tahoe with a ninety-thousand watt stereo system that belonged to Mgy. Sgt. Romero. Chromia went with the sapphire blue 1996 Skyline GTR-34 owned by Lt. Meyers. Bluestreak chose the smoke grey Chrysler 300 driven by Gen. Mallory. Arcee liked the red 2006 Porsche 911 turbo that was proudly owned by Col. Anderson. Grimlock didn't actually change his alt. mode very much. The Tyrannosaurus Rex wasn't actually very different from what he had already been using.