Author's Notes: I am back my dudes! And this is one long chapter indeed. I hope that makes up for the short break. As always, please comment and let me know what you think, and of course enjoy!


Location: Cybertronian Space. The Renegade

Soundwave

He was careful, retaining his cold demeanor in front of his troops every nano second. The Renegade ventured through the Spacebridge successfully and traveled into Cybertron's galaxy. Since then, Soundwave didn't give himself a moment to think. If he stopped to worry over Rhea, the weight of his anxiety would crush him. He felt a twisted nostalgia for his reestablished detached emotions. His need to rely on the self-placed handicap could be considered comedic. He had existed in this same void for the duration of the war. Back then he had needed to. The weight of loss demanded he cut himself off from processing the grief.

It would not happen again. Soundwave refused to accept the possibility they may fail to save Rhea. Even with this self-serving denial, he didn't risk leaving himself alone with his thoughts. When he wasn't talking to Rhea through their private commlink, he kept busy. He plotted a course to Cybertron's Southern hemisphere alongside a still seething Thunderblast. He was arranging Demolisher and Sharpshot's mobilizing ground and air teams. He was ignoring Starscream's continued gripes about the plan to directly attack the New Council.

He often forgot about the Autobot's presence on his ship. Sometimes he would spy one around a corridor, preparing weapons and plans of their own. Once a passing Wheeljack almost startled him, demanding something else of him. There was always some Bot needing something. "What's the game plan there chief?" Wheeljack had asked.

Soundwave was beyond keeping secrets from the Autobots. There was no time, and he didn't have any more processor power to spare to keep lies straight, even in his own head. "The ship's shielded frequency will get us into the Southern atmosphere. But they will spot us long before we could approach Iacon. We still maintain the element of surprise. But if we attack now without a direct bridge into the Iacon facility or more forces, no death would be more certain or more foolish." He continued down the gangway, trusting the Wrecker would report what he said back to his own group. Soundwave didn't have time to babysit.

Even distracted, Soundwave was able to maintain his keen sense of surveillance. Knowing what was going on around him brought much needed comfort. Because of this, Starscream's swift ped steps announced his presence long before he arrived at Soundwave's side on the Bridge. "Master, I took the liberty of looking over Commander Thunderblast's set trajectory. I had to correct a series of errors she did not bother fixing by the way... but I did find our intended destination… troubling. Are we actually-"

"We are." Soundwave confirmed without letting him finish. "To stage an assault on Iacon, we need more forces. We have to stop in the Kaon Capital before anything else is done."

"But… I don't need to remind you the Predacons are there." Starscream said.

'Will we have enough time?' Laserbeak spoke up between them. His voice was drowning with fear. 'What if you sent me in to retrieve Rhea and the other humans while you gain our back up forces in Kaon?'

Laserbeak already knew from their connection this scenario had crossed Soundwave's mind. Laserbeak was immune to the effects of the Transformation-cog scrambling weapon. He could more easily mask his presence. He could use the ventilation systems of the Iacon prison to stage a solo rescue. He had gone on many solo missions before, so Soundwave trusted him. Overall, it was lower risk then the full-blown assault they had planned.

But the mission Ravage had been sent on was low risk also. But he had never returned.

Soundwave didn't have time to mask the thought. As consequence, Laserbeak made a meek, sorrowful sound at the intrusive thought.

'Until we retrieve Rhea,' Soundwave began gently, 'I would prefer we remain together.'

"And the assault on Iacon is absolutely necessary?" Starscream went on to ask, not knowing he interrupted the moment between Soundwave and Minicon. Soundwave's irritation wasn't helped by the fact it had not been the first time Starscream presented this question. Not by a long shot.

Of course, the Autobots were never far away. They loitered alongside Sharpshot at their station. The many pairs of angry blue optics rose to glare at Starscream.

"And is your presence on this ship, still necessary, flyboy?" Wheeljack grumbled.

"In addition to reclaiming our allies." Soundwave intoned before a fight could break out. "We will recover intel and cripple their largest facility for housing Decepticon prisoners."

Starscream was dismissive with his own reply. "Of course, of course. But aside from the Autobot's human pets, what allies are we liberating?"

Bumblebee interjected. "Knockout is also there. We need to get him out before they execute him. We're also worried about Commander Ultra Magnus and Prowl. Neither has reported in…"

"Knockout?!" Starscream sputtered. "Why bother wasting time on that traitor? My Lord, he betrayed our cause to run off and play Autobot!" He gasped, turning again to address Soundwave.

"Really?" Arcee almost laughed. "YOU are going to talk about traitors? How many times did you try and worm your way into our group while you ran from Megatron on Earth?"

"All tactical decisions to betray you fools and gain Megatron the upper hand!" Starscream snapped.

"Not to interrupt this necessary debate, but we are approaching Cybertron's outer moons, my Lord." Sharpshot managed to say between shouting voices. "So far, they have not detected us through our shielding."

"We do have time to reconsider this plan." Starscream almost pleaded.

'Rhea may not survive starvation if we wait any longer!' Laserbeak pointed out. 'She will already be malnourished by the time we intend to arrive if all goes as planned!'

"I don't see you coming up with something new?" Thunderblast snapped from her consol. Much like the Autobots and himself, she was worrying over the fate of the humans.

"I have many plans less likely to send this whole crew to the All Spark! I was Megatron's Second in Command longer than you have even been a Decepticon!" Starscream fired back.

"Yet you still don't know the best time to shut that mouth plate of yours?" Wheeljack intoned from the corner. Going by his smirk he was fishing for a reaction. He got one.

Starscream whirled around and pointed a sharp digit at the Autobot. "You are lucky we are allowing you to live, Autobot scum! This is a Decepticon matter! Soundwave, if you would just consider my expertise-"

Soundwave wasn't sure what happened. His Spark pulsed hard and hot. An emotion he was aware of, and usually had well locked away, burst out. This time he didn't try and keep it at bay.

"Enough!" Soundwave boomed. The Bridge's activities screeched to a halt. Everyone, Autobot and Decepticon, focused on him in surprise. Even rarer than his sudden outburst, Soundwave was too angry to care about the attention laser focused on him. "I have made the decision to attack the Iacon prison. That order as Decepticon leader will not be questioned by anyone on this ship again!" He scanned the room; trooper's having turned from their stations to behold him. He lingered his glare on Starscream longer than anyone else. "Unless anyone wants to challenge my title for Decepticon leader, I will not tolerate such blatant disregard for my command. This attack is more than a liberation mission to retrieve what is ours. This will be our message sent to the New Council. They have begun a battle they will not win! They have already made a move against us. They expect us to roll over and be the convenient enemy to annihilate and build their new empire upon our Sparkless husks. That will be the last mistake they ever make. Now, does anyone have lingering concerns about the plan, or my effectiveness to execute it?"

Silence.

Starscream was the only one who dared to shatter the stillness. A nervous smile creeped into his features. "O-of course not, my liege. We are behind you, all the way!"

Soundwave only nodded. The Autobots gawking stares was almost burning through his plating. Bumblebee's expression faded from shock to concern. "Soundwave, I need a word."

Soundwave hadn't noticed he had retained his glare until Laserbeak whimpered. 'I do not question your orders, Master. It was not why I suggested I go retrieve Rhea on my own.' He explained meekly.

Soundwave's Spark sank. Great. Laserbeak thought he was angry at him. 'That isn't-'

"Soundwave?" Bumblebee unknowingly interrupted.

Soundwave flinched. He had to many conflicting conversations demanding his attention.

"I do not have the time to engage in small talk." He said to Bumblebee, harsher than he had intended. Now his own voice caught himself off guard. He could guess what the Autobot was going to gripe about. His harsh words to his own crew were no doubt the problem. It was a day of rarities indeed because he agreed with Starscream in this regard. It was none of the Autobot's business.

"Thunderblast, take command of the Bridge until I return." He ordered before heading for the door. He expected someone to question where he was going, but no one dared. Except the Autobots of course.

"Soundwave, wait!" he heard the yellow bot chasing after him. Soundwave mentally hacked the door on his way out, making it slam in Bumblebee's face. This assured it would not open for anyone other than a Decepticon crew member. He ignored Bumblebee's defiant pounding on the doors as he stormed down the hall.

He retained vigilance over the Bridge to make sure the Autobots were not able to follow him. They were all bristled around the locked entrance but didn't attempt to blow their way through. Despite their whispered voices, he heard them through the ship's surveillance.

"Well, that little outburst was concerning." Arcee said.

"Yeah, took him long enough to start filling the dictator roll. Right where Megatron left off." Wheeljack said.

"He's upset about Rhea. We are all upset. He'll be back to normal." Bumblebee said with a vent, coming to Soundwave's defense. During this horrific situation, the yellow Bot's insistence on seeing everything from 'the bright side' only served to aggravate Soundwave more.

Starscream lurked around Thunderblast as she seamlessly took charge. Before he cut off the feed, Soundwave heard whispered voices among some of his own crew in the lower deck. The Autobots were not the only ones gossiping. "I didn't expect that… did you see Master Soundwave put Starscream in his place?"

Another snickered back. "He was ruthless. I have never seen him like that before. It was like listening to one of Megatron's speeches. I wonder what changed?"

His Decepticon crew seemed impressed. The Autobots were concerned. Soundwave didn't know how to feel about his comparison to Megatron. This was why he didn't emote. Wrongful intentions were always assumed. Laserbeak and Rhea seemed the only sentient beings able to understand… and he was missing one of them.

He needed someplace quiet to think. Retreating to his room seemed a juvenile thing to do after such a shift in his leadership. He instead locked himself into one of the weapon's storage rooms to at least fake usefulness.

With a vent, Soundwave leaned heavy against a support wall. Now that the rage had waned, he was totally overwhelmed. Dark thoughts perforated his subconscious mind. All he could imagine was getting his servos on Decimus. The total loss of control he had surrendered to on the Bridge did not help.

'I am not angry at you, Laserbeak.' He finally said. That was the most pressing issue he needed to fix. 'We will retrieve our human ally. From there, everything will return to normal.'

Laserbeak didn't answer him right away, but when he did Soundwave wasn't prepared.

'What will we do if we lose Rhea?' he feared. Soundwave maintained his stunned silence as Laserbeak's own emotions came undone. 'We haven't split our Spark's to share with her yet for the procedure to turn her Cybertronian. But it feels as if we have done so already. Master Soundwave, I am afraid if Rhea dies, I will die too. It is how I felt when we lost the others. But if you order me to not die, I will not. I don't want to leave you without support.'

Soundwave felt himself buckling again. As he did when he lost Ravage, he had to lean against the wall, knee joints threatening to give out. He touched Laserbeak's wing. He didn't know what to say. Laserbeak continued with his thoughts uninterrupted. Soundwave wondered how long Laserbeak had been carrying all this. 'I wonder, if the All Spark and whatever the humans have for an afterlife are somehow connected? That way, if we one day become one with the All Spark, Rhea would not be lost to us if she dies."

'I, do not know.' Soundwave admitted, his Spark sinking. 'I don't think that would be logical though, for our All Spark to connect to wherever deceased humans go.'

Laserbeak finally fell silent, and the guilt stabbed at him all over again. 'I will not allow Rhea to die, so there is no reason to speculate.' He promised at last, running a hand along Laserbeak's helm.

"Keep up the good fight my friends, my friends, they'll be brighter cycles to come." Someone sang off key in the once silent room.

Soundwave had to refrain from jolting in alarm. Laserbeak almost jerked from surprise in a similar fashion. A quick scan he should have done when he entered unveiled the mystery. He wasn't alone, but he was also yet to be noticed.

Clobber was humming an old Southern Cybertronian folk song to herself as she worked. It was once popular in the lower rungs of Cybertronian society. In fact, he hadn't heard the tune for millennia.

She was oblivious to his presence, engulfed in her task. She was making final weapon checks. Unlike others Soundwave dealt with, Clobber was preparing for the raid without complaint. She had been the first so far.

She vented, massive helm turning from her completed work to glance the only porthole in the weapon's room. She was beholding Cybertron's glow from the small window with wistful longing. Distracted, she began humming again:

Keep up the good fight my friends, my friends,

Primus see us through to hardships end,

They'll be brighter cycles to come,

Together our chosen Spark's drum.

Come with me to claim your voice my friends,

Outward our cries extend.

Come with me to claim your name, once more,

Meet me again on freedom's shore.

Friends await me there, when freedom we claim,

When ya welcome me there, we'll all have a name.

And a voice as one that extends to the sky,

Primus, let our hopes never die!

Keep up the good fight my friends, my friends,

Primus see us through to hardships end,

They'll be brighter cycles to come,

Together our chosen Spark's drum.

Clobber's broad shoulders slumped. Soundwave was unable to guess what she must be contemplating. She set her data pad down and turned for the door. Then she saw him and screamed.

"Ma-master Soundwave!" she exclaimed. Her surprise almost threw her backwards into her organized weapons. "I-I-I'll get back to… I didn't, I thought I was alone, I'm sorry!" She fidgeted from strut to strut, and he wondered if she was going to try and bolt for the door despite him being in her way. She was embarrassed, clearly. He would have felt guilty for startling her, if he wasn't used to her exact reaction from eons of sneaking up on bots, even if he didn't mean to. It came with the territory of being a spy.

"At ease." He said with a raised hand to calm her.

Clobber nodded one to many times. "Um, all weaponry is charged and ready. I am ready for reassignment… If I am needed anywhere else."

Soundwave considered her still mortified expression. "In fact, you can be a great help to me. Shockwave has been working on mass producing synthetic Energon. The cubes need relocating to cargo bay 1." The Autobots had long since informed Soundwave about Kaon's Energon shortage. He had Shockwave make as much as he would be able to in the time allotted. And as he suspected, Shockwave didn't need his notes on Synthetic Energon. Of course he had memorized the recipe.

"I would be happy to, Master!" she hurried by him, desperate to escape the encounter. She stumbled to a stop before the door and doubled back. Her size loomed over him when she got close. She bowed clumsily to him, having forgotten the gesture before she first headed for the door. She attempted her escape again, then vented loud after stopping. She rushed back into the room, red optic downcast and mortified. She retrieved the data pad she forgot sitting next to the weaponry.

She turned to bow to him again. But before she could rush for the door for a third time, she hesitated. "Um, is everything ok Master?"

Now he was caught off guard. She had been the first to ask. Either she was more insightful than she let herself appear, or his unchecked emotions were hemorrhaging. Clobber was not some scheming master mind. She wore her Spark on her servos. So that meant it was the second scenario, as he feared.

"There is a great deal left to do." He offered, remaining as vague and monotone as he could manage in his state.

"I can imagine." She was quick to agree. "It looks really stressful being Decepticon leader. Not that it's any of my business, I mean, you're just as good at it as Lord Megatron." She attempted to articulate.

There had been a time when such a comparison to Megatron and himself would have been flattering. But with everything he had come to know, he had no idea how to feel about it now. He was starting to worry he must be more transparent than he first thought. If he didn't know any better, Clobber was trying to cheer him up. "Even the Autobots are working with us. That's amazing, you were able to broker peace with the Autobots. Not even Megatron…" she trailed off after her horrified intake interrupted herself. "I didn't mean to imply Megatron was a bad leader, I, nothing is coming out right."

"I understand your meaning." Soundwave assured her before she talked herself any deeper into a hole. "I inherited what Megatron built. I can only attempt to make it flourish, if I am able." He regretted the last comment the moment it left his voice box. It gave far too much insight into his personal struggles. His crew could not see him in such a weakened state of mind. It made him vulnerable in far too many regards.

But this was Clobber. Unlike Starscream, Soundwave was willing to bet she had never even daydreamed about moving up in the Decepticon ranks. Let alone attempt to exploit weakness in leadership to take power. She was a very odd Decepticon indeed.

"You will be able to." She insisted. She was still trying to encourage him, but this only confirmed she picked up on his worry. "Lord Megatron told me, when we first met in the Ditches, that even with enemies closing in, allies are never far away. You have all of us, and all the Decepticons on Cybertron to help out." She put forward a genuine smile.

"He was a fabulous speaker indeed." Soundwave said, attempting to change the topic away from himself.

Thankfully, Clobber's easily distracted personality aided him in this instance, and she took the bait. "He was a great talker! I used to listen to the airwave frequencies all the time, in case he came on. I mean, I didn't get a lot of what he was saying. I am denser than a warship's outer haul when it comes to politics. Like that one thing he used to say a lot, something about you have to suffer, or die… scrap I'm messing up the quote."

Soundwave knew right away what she was attempting to quote. "'It takes more courage to suffer and survive then to be vulnerable and perish.'" He corrected. He had every quote and speech of Megatron's logged away in his processor. But that particular phrase Megatron used so often he didn't have to have it logged away in long term memory files.

"Yeah, that's it!" Clobber said, excited to share her enthusiasm. "I liked that one, but it still goes over my helm. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I just don't get it. I always wondered, what if you suffer, and then still die? And if you do die, does that mean you were never courageous? What if you fear death? I guess that makes me not very courageous, like the second half of the saying… because I do fear termination."

"No." Soundwave said to dispel the allegation against herself. "It only means to not give up, even in the face of adversity. Even in the face of death. Because you are right. There are many Sparks who have died before us, and they were very courageous. I am sure many of them were afraid. But they faced that fear with dignity, and all the strength they had. That's all we can do." He trailed off, realizing he was rambling as well.

"'Face fear with dignity and all the strength we have.'" Clobber repeated. It snapped him out of his malaise. She was smiling again, and she typed with one massive digit into the data pad. "I need to write that down, so I don't forget!"

The ship's radar alert rang in Soundwave's processor, demanding his full attention. Then the alarm sounded in real time, startling Clobber. They both glanced at the small port window. Cybertron's light engulfed the small room they occupied. Clobber turned instead to Soundwave for answers. The time for hurt feelings and contemplation was over.

"Proximity alarm." He explained. "It is almost time. I am needed on the Bridge."

"I-I'll report to Commander Shockwave to help with loading the Synthetic Energon." Clobber stuttered.

They parted ways in the gangway. Clobber clomped in the opposite direction, and Soundwave hurried to the Bridge. He allotted a moment more of hesitation to collect himself. He locked his determined expression, fixed his posture, then threw open the door. Alarms blared; troopers rushed about in chaos.

"Captain on deck!" Sharpshot announced once they noticed Soundwave. It consolidated the panic, and everyone focused on him.

Soundwave took his place before the main console. "Report."

"New Council's orbit scans detected us. But our shield is doing its job well enough to keep them confused of our exact location." Thunderblast growled.

Starscream pushed his way in front of Thunderblast. "Master, we have adequate time to evade detection if we land in the Southern most region of Cybertron. That would be my strongest course of action, for your final consideration."

Starscream lurched forward when someone shoved him. He had to catch himself with a yelp before he fell into the lower deck of the Bridge. Thunderblast had been the culprit behind the assault. She was not bothering to hide her actions either. "Wretch! I could have fallen! And that short drop wouldn't give me enough time to transform and catch myself!" he snapped over his shoulder.

She looked far from apologetic. "Your subpar transformation sounds like a 'you' problem. Maybe find time to work on it." Thunderblast suggested, and then turned to Soundwave. "But we did a scan of our own. There is a large collection of Autobot AND Decepticon life signals on the ground. They are all mixed up on the edge of Kaon's north most territory."

She brought up the imagery of the location and zoomed in. The grainy video unscrambled into a chaotic battle scene. If it could even be called a battle. A group of bots were running for their lives on the ground. Sleek arial jets buzzed over their helms. They fired lasers mercilessly at those fleeing. The desperate bots were running in the direction of Kaon, seeking asylum.

"It may be the Elite Guard hunting more refugees." Bumblebee said, coming to the same conclusion Soundwave had. "The bots on the ground must have been hit with Shockwave's T-cog scrambling weapon. They can't fight. They can only run."

"They'll never get there on struts alone." Arcee said, and Soundwave felt her demanding optics on him again.

"What great luck." Starscream said cheerfully. Soundwave glanced his way and saw him wearing a characteristic grin. "While the Elite Guard are dealing with them, we can sneak by undetected! Primus is on our side this cycle it would seem."

"Slipstream and Ramjet?" Thunderblast gasped at the silent screen. She zoomed in on two fleeing refugees and unpixellated their faceplates. She was right. There were only two amongst the group who wore true Decepticon emblems. The two well-known warriors Soundwave had not seen in ages. For one reason or another, he assumed they both perished. They were also the only ones putting up any type of fight against the Elite Guard. Like the others, they had no access to their vehicle forms or weapons. Even still they snatched any debris off the ground as they ran and hurled it at the jets. They were trying to buy the other fleeing bots time to escape.

"Their sacrifice will be remembered." Starscream blew off.

"Wasn't Slipstream on your original Seeker team?" Thunderblast reminded him. "Didn't you already leave her for dead once?"

"And that first time bought us much needed time to escape back then, as it will now." Starscream countered.

Such a distraction would provide the Renegade to remain undetected. They had a chance to retreat to a safer location. Would Megatron retreat? Soundwave didn't know. In his early days of rule, he wouldn't have. But as the years wore him down, mercy became less convenient. Survival of the fittest. That was what the Decepticons had become. He could almost feel Rhea's saddened eyes on him, demanding action.

This was his moment to fix that.

"Thunderblast. Disengage the ship's cloaking shield and draw their fire." Soundwave ordered.

After the crew's shock wore away, Thunderblast's expression changed into a sinister smile. "Good, we're fighting this out. I've got some minor anger to work through."

"M-Master?!" Starscream protested but was far too late. The shielding deactivated and the Elite Guard's once tight formation scrambled in all directions once the Renegade became visible on radar. He was sure the Decepticon flagship appearing directly overhead could be considered startling. But aside from the fusion canon, the Renegade had no other laser weapons. Or at least ones with a powerful enough targeting system to lock onto moving marks like the Autobot Jets.

"We'll engage them in the air." Soundwave went on to explain. "Thunderblast, Sharpshot, and Blitzwing. Report to the med bay to retrieve Shockwave's personal shielding against the T-cog weapon. Then to the flight deck to attack. Demolisher, you're in command until we return."

"B-but Master." Starscream began to protest.

"The rest of you, prepare for battle!" Soundwave snapped over Starscream's feeble attempts at a complaint.

He was saluted by every crew member he mentioned, his named aerial force rushing for the door.

"Soundwave," Bumblebee said, having to run to match Soundwave's long strides. As if his whole Autobot band were loyal minicons, they followed Bumblebee without having to exchange any words.

"Make it quick." Soundwave said.

"We can help." He insisted.

"Have you acquired flying vehicle forms while I was not paying attention?" Soundwave asked.

Bumblebee flashed him a grin. "Hey, fighting from the ground is our specialty. We can herd the refugees to safety."

Soundwave caught up with his team in the med bay. Shockwave and the Renegade's medic assisted the other three fliers with clipping the shielding devices onto their armor. Even with only ten devices, they had enough for both parties.

"And, this is going to work, right? None of that processor melting pain and falling out of the sky if we get hit with the T-cog weapon?" Thunderblast wondered.

"I created both devices." Shockwave answered flatly. "If the weapon worked as you witnessed, then the shielding will work in the same regard." Soundwave accepted Shockwave's help to have the armor clipped onto himself. Then he motioned to Bumblebee over his shoulder, as if they were an afterthought. "If those devices are returned and you do not get in our way, I will allow it. Shockwave, the Autobot's have volunteered in our campaign. Have them outfitted with shielding as well."

Soundwave rushed to the top deck with his fliers in tow, not waiting for the Autobots to prepare. The large bay doors leading to the Renegade's upper most deck opened. Crisp Cybertronian air crashing into them.

"So, my Lord. Are ve in the mood to take prisoners?" Blitzwing wondered innocently.

Soundwave watched the Elite Guard jets turn away from the Refugees and come after the Renegade. Just as he assumed they would. "No prisoners. We either send them flying back to Iacon, or we send them to the Pits."

"Speaking my fragging language!" Thunderblast shouted against the wind. She rushed out into the light of Cybertronian day, manic laughter trailing her. She transformed before she ran out of ship to step on.

"It vill be fun indeed." Blitzwing started to cackle. His optics turned from indifferent to murderous before he followed Thunderblast's example.

Soundwave managed to catch Sharpshot before they took off as well. His own thoughts were distracted, and Thunderblast and Blitzwing being, well, themselves. The Vehicon was the only one Soundwave trusted to remain level helmed. "Provide cover. These Elite Guard may be untrained, but we are still outnumbered."

Even without a mouth plate, Sharpshot's beaming aura smiled for them. "You can count on me, my Lord. They never take us Troopers seriously, until it is too late."

Soundwave ran alongside Sharpshot towards the edge of the ship. They both transformed and took off after their team.

Soundwave's group's combined fire assault hit them broadside. As The Elite Guard wasn't ready for this. They had been focusing their attack on the Renegade itself. They were ready to evade large and slow-moving laser guns. The last thing they had expected was aerial combat from other bots. It was a reasonable thing for them to have assumed. No one sane would take on ten Elite Guard with only four mismatched fliers. But Soundwave had Laserbeak, invisible and quick alongside Sharpshot in the higher atmosphere. And no one could fully comprehend the force of nature that was Thunderblast and Blitzwing working together.

The Guard's formation scattered. As they were set to regroup and turn to face Soundwave's band, laser fire rained down from higher over them. Sharpshot and Laserbeak were like phantoms. They took aim at weak points, keeping them from flying higher. It made it almost impossible to evade Soundwave, Blitzwing and Thunderblast.

As per Soundwave's silent command, the Renegade flew lower. The bottom landing ramp descended. The Autobots came speeding out and onto the ground from the still moving ship. It took them little time to catch up to the Refugees with their wheels. With the Autobots taking care of the Refugees, Soundwave sped forward. He clipped two Guard's wings, forcing them to the ground and out of the fight.

Thunderblast blew past the Autobot flier's formation. Her elated laughter was almost as loud as her boosters. She spun in nonsensical circles in front of the group as if she was drunk on high grade. Her elusive form taunted them as they fired but couldn't land a hit.

"You are making my job of covering you very difficult, Commander." Sharpshot informed her over their shared commlink frequency.

"Well, we can't expect a Vehicon to keep up, can we?" Thunderblast teased.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" Sharpshot snickered.

The banter died when Blitzwing came out of a barrel roll and then transformed midair, but not into a bot. His tank form smashed into one of the Elite Guards full force. The unorthodox strategy took off one of their wings with his spinning treads in the process. He transformed back into a jet before he started to plummet alongside his previous target. "I call that von the 'Flying blitz bombardment,' if anyone vas curious!" Blitzwing explained over their com.

Thunderblast laughed. "Primus! Demolisher is right, he is a crazy bastard! Why can't Blitzwing stay in this mood?"

"Helms up!" Sharpshot announced, all joking gone. "Do you see the flier in the center of the formation, with the blinking device mounted to their bottom?"

Soundwave didn't have to look far. Almost hidden by the other members of the Elite Guard team was one not armed with lasers. Instead, they had a rounded device surrounded by lights, blinking ever faster and gaining a speeding rhythm. "That's the T-cog scrambling device." Sharpshot revealed. "They are going to fly up and out of range. Everything under that device will be hit in a 10 klik radius when it is done charging!"

"No better time to test Shockwave's shield then the present, I guess." Thunderblast said with a nervous chuckle.

What Sharpshot described happened. The remaining Elite Guard turned their noses up and blasted over them. Half remained to protect their comrade with the device. The others went to accost Sharpshot and Laserbeak.

The lights on the device stopped blinking before Soundwave could stop their assent. From the device a bright white light burned his sensors. Pinpricks of electricity coursed through him. But unlike before, it focused around the shield clipped to his armor. The light faded, the mildly irritating feeling passed, and he was still airborne. His teammates remained in their alt forms. A glance towards the Autobots on the ground revealed they still had access to their wheels too. The shields had worked.

"HAHA! Still got my wings, chumps!" Thunderblast shouted over the com and out loud despite the roaring wind.

The formation of the Elite Guards almost stalled. Soundwave recognized their confusion and fear. They didn't know about the shielding Soundwave and the others carried. For all they knew the weapon the New Council's minions relied on to win every battle had failed at the worst possible time.

Soundwave preyed on their moment of weakness and struck. He arched upwards and unleashed fire at boosters, wings, and engines. He was clearing his path so he would have an unhindered shot at the Guard baring the device.

Blitzwing and Thunderblast blasted through their shattering ranks. Thunderblast started chanting "Tank, tank, tank!" as Blitzwing caught up to one of the last fliers in Soundwave's way. He utilized his previous unrefined technique of 'smash into them with his tank form.'

Clear shot. The weapon started charging again. Soundwave unleashed blaster fire until he caught the device and its carrier. Shockwave's T-cog weapon exploded. Cybertron was free of one of the few infernal devices that existed. One less weapon the New Council could use against them.

The Elite Guard disengaged in a shamble of smoking wings and flickering boosters. They landed, or crashed, somewhere over the distant hills. Much like the Refugees they once hunted, they would have a long way to walk. Soundwave was confident those remaining would not get back to Iacon in time to report Soundwave's presence on Cybertron. Decimus would be none the wiser before they could save Rhea. Or they would be accosted by Terbofoxes on the way back and the problem would fix itself.

Soundwave circled downwards towards the Renegade with the others close behind him. A scan revealed the ship had taken some damage, but not so bad it could not fly. The lower landing ramp was still open. He guessed the Autobots and Refugees had retreated there. He slipped through the opened landing ramp and transformed. He was correct.

Bumblebee's team was tending to the wounded bots. Alongside the wounded Slipstream and Ramjet, only a few wore the Decepticon crest. The others had no affiliation, or at least they had not before. Now almost every bot amongst the once fleeing group beheld Soundwave with reverence.

"Primus Praise you, Lord Soundwave! You saved us!" one bot exclaimed. Many fell to their knee joints and bowed.

Thunderblast and the others arrived from the outside, transforming to take in the scene. "Nice fetching work, Autobots. Who knew you were good for something?" Thunderblast said.

"'Thank you' would have been the correct way of saying that." Smokescreen explained with crossed servos.

A pained chuckle came from the back of the group. It was the larger framed Ramjet. He leaned heavy against a wall where Wheeljack was attempting to patch his bleeding. "What have I kept telling everyone? He would be coming back, and at the most dramatic time too."

"And thank Primus, Megatron gave the gig to Soundwave and not Starscream." Slipstream snickered, in better shape than her partner.

Soundwave called for the injured to be taken to the med bay. Thunderblast took the chance to help Slipstream and Ramjet on their way there with the other Refugees. "Good to see you two fools again. Good on you both for doing the only thing you're decent at, being convenient targets for Autobot gunfire."

"Like old times." Slipstream vented. "Any way we can hitch a ride?"

"Meh, since we are all headed in the same direction." Thunderblast said with a shrug.

With nothing else in their way, Soundwave had the Renegade continue into the Kaon Capital. It was significantly different then the last time he laid optics on it. Many additions Megatron had added during the war were now dismantled. It was a mish mash of pieced together architecture making up a glorified slum. Lights were dim, even in the darker alleys. That made sense. If they were so low on Energon, then they wouldn't waste it on lighting. That was at least something Soundwave could fix right away. Shockwave had synthesized a generous amount of Energon. Once they reclaimed the Kaon underground and all its resources, they would have access to even more.

Bumblebee was also able to contact Predaking in Dark Mount. So Predacons would not accost them before they were able to land. The Autobots presence was paying off in that regard.

The Renegade came down in the open stretch of land leading up to Dark Mount. Through the view screens, Soundwave was able to see the rush of Bots from the city surround the ship. They waved their servos in the air, cheers filling the streets. They knew whose ship had landed. All these Bots had been waiting for him. They chanted his name, as if he was Megatron.

"Your people await." Arcee said behind him as he continued to study the faceplates in the crowd. "I'd fix that face of yours, big guy. You look nervous enough to slip into stasis lock."

"Not as bad as Starscream looks." Smokescreen pointed out, failing to hide his amusement.

As if on cue, the silver seeker appeared by Soundwave to observe the viewing screens. His hands locked together, and wings hung low. "There are even more Predacons then I remember. Please, Master. Predaking is a brut. He will take this chance to attack."

"We have little choice." Soundwave said. He signaled to the crew stationed on the Bridge. Starscream audibly moaned but fell in line with the others. "Bring the Energon to the landing ramp. It should be enough to maintain the city and win Predaking's favor. Or at least start to." If the Energon didn't convince the Predacon leader, Soundwave had something else he was sure would work.

Before the landing ramp lowered, Soundwave stood alongside his crew and the Autobots. He took the opportunity to check his posture, and as Arcee suggested, fix his face. He locked his expression into a cold mask of strength and indifference. Megatron wore it often in the old days. It was a look that promised he knew what he was doing.

The ship opened, and the cheers were near deafening. In the din that welcomed them home, Soundwave heard his name, Megatron's, or simply 'Decepticons!' It was all chanted with raised servos and prideful screams. It was like he was standing victorious in the Pits of Kaon…

Soundwave felt someone nudge him. He didn't turn to see which Autobot it had been. It was enough of a stimulus for him to thaw. "Begin to distribute Energon." He relayed the simple order to his crew.

Clobber appeared from the ship with Demolisher and the Energon. She gave the crowd a nervous wave before passing large barrels down to the awaiting masses. The crowd snatched at the offered Energon, passing it back to others. Many starving Refugees almost wept with relief when they held a small cube of their own.

Massive shadows flew over Soundwave and his crew, drawing his attention skyward. The snarl of a familiar Predacon reverberated through the air. Soundwave stood his ground when the beast landed hard in front of him, followed by two others. Predaking rose out of his transformation. He came to tower over Soundwave and even Clobber or Demolisher.

Soundwave remained neutral, even when his crew flinched. Starscream was hiding behind Soundwave's back. The only bots to advance were the Autobots. Bumblebee and his party placed themselves strategically in the way of Predaking and Soundwave. Though not the most intelligent decision, Soundwave appreciated their attempts to maintain peace.

Predaking's sharp features studied Soundwave, square jaw hinge locked in an enduring frown. The other two remained as beasts, growling behind their leader, awaiting the command to attack. Predaking's piercing yellow gaze took in the crowd. Most were still to elated by the gift of life saving Energon to register the tension between leaders. But things had quieted considerably since Predaking arrived. The looming Predacon then glared at Starscream. Soundwave felt the seeker grip onto his arm and shrink even farther behind him for cover.

Soundwave shook Starscream off and stepped forward. The two Predacons behind their king snarled. Soundwave ignored his want to have his blasters out and ready. Predaking did not flinch but did finally speak. "Soundwave, I have heard much about you since we parted ways on the Nemesis. Your people, whom I have taken into my city, have spoken often of your return. Will I take you standing before me now as confirmation that Megatron is no more?"

"He relinquished command to me." Soundwave confirmed. "I speak for the Decepticons now. And in the name of my people, I offer an alliance, and ask of your help."

Predaking did snarl at that, clawed hands balled into fists. "I have not held Megatron's treachery against the Decepticons who sought asylum here. But you are a different matter. What do you have to reciprocate such an alliance? Can it make up for the atrocities Megatron did to my people, and you no doubt stood by and allowed?"

Soundwave had been ready for the question. He retrieved the lesser known of Shockwave's inventions from inside his armor. He held it out for Predaking to inspect. "The New Council has enslaved your fellow Predacons, and I hear from the Autobots you have been freeing them one or two at a time. When you assisted us to reclaim Shockwave, the good scientist refused to leave without the data required to complete this device. Shockwave was able to create backdoor contingency protocols in everything the New Council forced him to create. This includes the collars that control your people. This will bring an end to your people's enslavement."

Predaking was uncharacteristically careful with the device. He examined it in his claws, turning it about, optics narrowing thoughtfully. "And if we offer our help, and this device fails to liberate my people?" he demanded, hardened gaze finding Soundwave again.

Soundwave deployed one of his data cables. With the sharp edge of one of its graspers, he cut a gash into his own servo. With the end of the grasper drenched in Energon, he presented his life blood for Predaking to scan. Despite the stunned silence around him, even from Predaking, Soundwave elaborated. "If the device is unable to liberate your people, you may use my Energon to find me wherever I am. You may then terminate me. This can be recompence for your people, murdered under Megatron's command."

Predaking was once again trying to read Soundwave's true motives with an intense, hunter's gaze. His eyes illuminated bright as he scanned Soundwave's Energon. Then the looming king held out a clawed hand. "Interesting. This offer tells me you have something I never saw in Megatron. A willingness to put your Spark on the line for your cause. I accept."

Soundwave accepted the gesture and shook on the deal. The crowd that once watched the tense exchange with bated intakes burst out in celebration.