*You're going to have to be careful for a while longer yet*

*Understood, at least the problem is now fixed*

*Good point*

Soon enough she was nineteen and a half and everyone was wondering the same thing, when would word be received about Jiban

"So...six months since we found out about Jazz's team huh?"

"Yes Yoko, I know we have to give them more time but...I still wish that we had word, or that Gin'shre'an had more information than just seeing his picture"

Suddenly Zoe's phone rings a particular tone and Zoe immediately answers it

"Hello?...hey Jazz what's wrong?...what?...you mean it?...how soon?...I see...okay...okay...yeah I can do that...okay see you then, can I tell the others?...understood...bye"

Zoe then turns to Yoko and switches to Japanese

*Sorry Yoko, I have to go deal with a family situation, if I can update you on it I will ASAP*

*I know*

And so Zoe goes to prepare her apartment for the possible arrival of Jiban after being gone for so long and also makes sure that all the reports that he would need to see were prepared into one concise report with a note stating that all the reports were collected in a package for him should he want to actually read all of them at some point and then told her superior's that she was needed by the EDC for two days at minimum

*Understood Kerenai, can you explain more?*

*Unfortunately not at this time*

*Very well, tell us when possible*

*I will, promise *

And so Zoe heads to base and does the preparations needed there for Jiban and then simply waits for the arrival of Jazz's scouts

*They're here*

And so the two scouts come off of the ship and first salute to Galvatron who was the only leader there since Optimus was in America while Rodimus had to deal with issues on Cybertron that Ultra Magnus didn't have the authority to deal with unfortunately and then they turn to Jazz and Zoe who were standing side by side

*We've chased the lead as far as we could and...Zoe this was all that we found along with what is known what happened to it's owner*

The male scout kneels and gives Zoe Jiban's weapon

*Jiban...what happened to him?*

*According to what we've heard he managed to escape his captors and started heading back to Earth, gaining passage through working on ships in exchange for a ride, he never showed photos of us Cybertronians except once and was going to allow him to be getting a free ride the rest of the way home but...*

The female scout was the one who continued the story

*But before full arrangements could be finalized such as when they would take off and Jiban arguing about buying supplies or working for the supplies that he needed to sustain himself his captors found him and there was a fight which Jiban lost, our allies tried to get to Jiban first so as to at least return his body home but the enemy...the enemy vaporized him instead*

*I see...I'm going to go to my bosses and leave my job which will be waiting for me upon my return*

*Zoe how can you know that for sure?*

*Because of an agreement that they made with me shortly after I turned eigteen and moved out on my own, if there's any solid lead on Jiban, or if he's killed without the ability to be brought home I can leave my job and join the EDC in bringing justice to Jiban's captors and/or killers*

*Zoe, what if you never return to your old job?*

*Then so be it*

*When will you tell them?*

*Two days from now, there's an operation going down tomorrow and they need both police dispatchers that are trained for such a thing and with me being who I am I'm one of them*

*Wait, so they're going to be down a necessary at times police dispatcher once you leave?*

*Yes, but that isn't as big a risk as you're thinking it might be since another dispatcher, one who's actually newer than me has expressed interest in dispatching what's going down tomorrow and they've also seen me leave my post to join in on EDC and Bioron calls and realized that there's a gap that needs filled for those situations*

And so two days after Zoe learned the ultimate fate of Jiban she requested an urgent meeting with her superiors

*You wished to see us?*

*Yes, effective immediately I am leaving the department to work with the EDC*

*Something's happened?*

*Yes, Jazz's scouts have returned with one of Jiban's weapons and stories of his death right as he was going to be able to come home finally, I need to bring his killers to justice and I can only do that with the EDC*

*Understood, your temporary resignation is accepted, however before you leave we have a request*

*What is it?*

*One last training session with the entire police department, we're going to run a simulation where something has happened to you and the rest of the officers have to figure out how to coordinate with the EDC without your help because quite frankly Kerenai, they haven't really learned how to do that with you as a dispatcher who goes to all EDC calls*

*I can agree to that, after all that's probably for the best*

And so an intensive training session later where lots of mistakes were made and corrected and Zoe was cleared to work simply for the EDC so as to bring Jiban's killers to justice, which for Zoe meant arresting them if at all possible and bringing them to trial on Earth

*Now remember not all calls will be easy and mistakes will be made, but if you keep your cool then in the end things will turn out okay, I promise*

*Thanks, but still, must you leave?*

*Due to the situation at hand yes*

*We'll miss you*

*I'm sure you will, but hopefully one day soon I'll be back and when I do return I hope to see everyone having grown from this experience in some way*

*Same here Kerenai, good luck at your new job...whatever it may be*

*Thanks, and hopefully someday you'll understand why I had to temporarily leave this job for another*

*So it is temporary?*

*Yes Yoko, as far as I intend it to be, it is indeed temporary, but unfortunately I can't explain yet why I have to leave for a different job, but our superior's know and understand my reasons*

*Then good luck from me as well*

The next day started Zoe's journey through the depths of space not knowing that she would be gone for several years and find a couple of surprises along the way, most of them good surprises but two of them bad. The first nasty surprise was that Bioron had managed to somehow get in touch with slave traders which is how they managed to team up with EDC enemies in the first place and that was where the EDC enemies took Jiban, a slave market

"A slave market! Jiban was sold to a slave market!"

"Meaning what Zoe?"

"Meaning that the people who killed and vaporized him could be anywhere's by now"

"And there's the fact that we don't know who he was even sold to"

"Oh...that's a problem, but why didn't my scouts tell me about that?"

"They probably didn't know Jazz, the universe is huge and quite frankly we weren't even aware that the enemies that Bioron teamed up with even knew about the intergalactic slave market as far as I'm aware"

"Good point, this could take longer than you thought Zoe"

"I know, but I vowed to bring Jiban's killers to justice and that's what I'm going to do"

"Zoe I think I need to ask this before we go any further, what is your version of justice?"

"They're found, arrested and put on trial back on Earth where a jury of Jiban's peers will make the ultimate decision on their punishment unless they resist arrest to the point that there's no other option but to kill them"

"Let's hope you keep those thoughts in the forefront when it's time to confront them"

"I will"

"In any case the search continues then"

"Agreed"

A month later and the first good thing to happen to the group was discovered after the blow that had been dealt to them a month earlier. Omega Supreme who had been thought dead since Zoe was only eight years old was found in a gladiator tournament with his freedom being on the line that day

"I'll fight for his freedom should he lose"

"But Zoe..."

"No buts, he's being freed today and that's final"

"That's not it, are you sure they'll allow late entrances and what you are asking for?"

"They will because of what's on this flier I have"

And so the group reads the flier and realizes that Zoe was correct and that she could not only enter the tournament that day but also ask for Omega Supreme's freedom and that's exactly what she does since Omega Supreme lost his fight, first she enters the tournament and states her ultimate reward for winning said tournament and then starts fighting in all of her designated rounds and was winning while inhibiting herself by making sure that her powers were sealed during the tournament. Finally though she was told that it was the final round and she was relieved that since he lost Omega Supreme was not allowed to continue in the tournament unlike a couple of other people she'd fought (this was because of the fact that she didn't know about a triple elimination rule that was in effect for this tournament due to the fact that the tournament was actually several days long and Omega had lost his third elimination round on the last day of the tournament which was the day she'd entered said tournament). Once she saw her opponent though she realized that this wasn't going to be an easy fight due to the fact that he was three times her size easily

"Okay, you're a big person"

"Yes, such is the nature of my species"

"Are you here willingly or by force?"

"By force, I was captured and sent here many years ago, but I know who you really are and why you're fighting, I can wait a little longer for my freedom, but your friend may not survive if he fights for much longer under the conditions he's forced to fight in"

"Don't throw the fight though because they'll notice, if I lose so be it"

"I know I can't throw the fight, doesn't mean I have to go full out on you because I will kill you if I do"

"Wait you're allowed to limit yourself to half strength so that your enemies survive?"

"Yes, these aren't death matches after all"

"Then let's go"

And so the two fought long and hard, long enough that the match ultimately had to be in bouts of fifteen minutes after a full two hours of them going at it because Zoe was simply that skilled even with her abilities inhibited

"You're better than I thought all things considered"

"You're not half bad yourself"

"Okay you two, to your places"

And so the two went back to their posts and started yet another round of fifteen minutes of fighting, but the thing was even with fifteen minute breaks both of them were getting tired and both of them had plenty of bruises. There was also the fact that while both were doing their best to seriously avoid killing each other Zoe had been deliberately holding back in regards to her full strength so as to keep from being noticed by the event coordinators who might try and keep her there despite the agreement, but finally she'd had enough and decided to truly go full out with her powers inhibited and suddenly one of her kicks broke the arm of her opponent and it was a very obvious break too, she then quickly proceeded to shatter the left kneecap so as to prevent her opponent from ever being able to properly fight again (at least make everyone think that was the case because she knew that she or her family would be able to deal with the shattered kneecap easily)

"I concede, I can't fight anymore"

"Which makes you useless, if your opponent decides to keep you then they can, otherwise you know what happens to fighters who are useless"

"Yeah, I know"

Zoe didn't like the tone she was hearing and spoke up

"I accept him into my care so long as it doesn't interfere with my ultimate prize request"

"It won't, the robot Omega Supreme is now yours as well to do with what you wish, though I don't know what you'll do with a useless fighter"

"I'll figure something out"

As soon as Omega Supreme sees his new master he instantly realizes what was going on and also makes sure that he doesn't show he recognizes any of the EDC officers or the person who was obviously an adult Zoe. As soon as they were a good distance away though Zoe quickly hugs Omega's leg