Warrior Star lay quietly on a berth, her cobalt blue optics dim and unfocused as Ratchet worked diligently to repair the damage to her massive frame. Several of her armor plates had been removed, and she looked at them as she offhandedly counted the new scratches, dents, and breaks in the plates.

Ironhide will need to repair my armor, she thought, then her optics drifted to Will Lennox, where he was still sprawled comfortably on her muzzle. Her optics softened as she studied the human, who was currently dozing, his lean frame relaxed and still as his chest rose and fell gently with every breath he took.

Will…it is so good to see you again, my dear old friend. You have no idea how relieved I was when I was informed that you were unharmed and that the report we had received of you being injured was false. You have no idea how overjoyed I was, just hearing your voice again after the long years since I saw you last. Ratchet took note of the deep affection glowing in the femme's optics, and he smiled at her as he continued his work.

"You really missed him, didn't you, femme?" The old medic asked softly as his optics went back to the repairs he was working on. Warrior Star's ears twitched slightly, and a soft hum left her chest before she responded.

"Yes I did, mech. He was the first human I ever met after I landed here, and in spite of the way the Autobots treated me, he still trusted me. He didn't judge me, even after hearing about my past. And he was there when I lost Shadowfang and War Beast. He is the best friend I have ever had." The bronze femme's voice was quiet, and she kept her optics trained on Will as Ratchet paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face, and then he asked a question that she had been expecting for quite some time.

"What about that neutral you brought here? I know for a fact you've offlined every other neutral that has landed in your area over the last five years. What is so different about this mech?" The old medic's senses were still sharp, and he didn't miss the way her optics darkened at the mention of the storm gray mech, nor did he miss how her gaze traveled to said mech where he was sprawled on a berth nearby, deep in recharge as Jolt worked on his damaged leg.

"In all honesty, Ratchet…I do not know. I was set to sink my fangs into his throat and end him…and then he spoke. He asked why I attacked him, why a Guardian class femme was attacking him. He said he was looking for peace…and I don't know. Something made me step back and let him go. And then we were attacked by the mech called Steelbite and the mechs that follow him…and he came back. He came back and attacked Steelbite. He defended me. And he was the one that killed the two mechs responsible for offlining Swiftpaw. And he said…he was sorry. He was sorry for what Steelbite had done. Then he followed us here…and that's it." Though the femme was speaking softly, her voice echoed in the quiet of the Med Bay, and every mech and femme present quieted in their conversations to hear the story of the strange mech in their midst.

"What's his designation?" Jolt's voice split the silence that had fallen, and everyone paused to listen as Warrior Star sat quietly for just a moment, and then she spoke, her voice ringing out like a great bronze bell.

"Breaksteel. His designation is Breaksteel."

Breaksteel slowly came out of recharge to the sound of voices, his processor cycling slowly as each of his systems rebooted and came fully online. He wasn't really paying attention to anything that was being said until a warm, confident, and familiar voice said his name.

"Breaksteel. His designation is Breaksteel." Warrior Star, he thought, keeping quiet and still as the blue mech continued working on his damaged leg.

Why are they talking about me? Breaksteel wondered, but he didn't have time to really think about it too much before the Med Bay door rolled open. Out of habit, the storm gray mech onlined his optics and raised his head, the medic working on his leg jumping slightly in alarm as Breaksteel's optics focused on him momentarily, then drifted to look over his shoulder at whomever was entering the bay.

It was a mech, a huge black bi-ped with ice blue optics, his hulking frame hunched slightly and covered in scars as he lumbered towards Warrior Star where the bronze femme lay quietly on another berth nearby. Breaksteel jolted when a sudden surge of aggression roared through his frame, and almost before he could process it, he was on his feet and snarling, his light yellow optics hard as diamonds and glowering dangerously as his massive dentals gleamed in the light. The medic working on his leg fell on his aft plates with a cry of shock, and every optic in the room fell on him. Breaksteel crouched, his entire frame tensing in preparation to leap when suddenly, a huge paw smashed across his face and sent him tumbling from the berth.

Breaksteel hit the concrete floor hard enough to shake the building, but before he could regain his feet, the same paw smashed down on his chest and pinned him to the ground. He shook his head, clearing the stars from his processor, and looked up, finding himself staring into a pair of flame-red optics that were gleaming with a hellish light. It was the steel gray mech that was Warrior Star's second brother, and the mech's massive dentals were bared in anger. Breaksteel was fully prepared to feel the other mech's jaws close on him when a sharp bark cut across the tense silence.

"Shadowfang! Enough. Get off of him." The massive mech tensed, his optics drifting to the side for a moment, and then he stepped back, removing his weight from Breaksteel's chest. He went to get back to his feet then froze when the bronze femme leaped suddenly, clearing her brother by feet, and landed almost squarely on top of him. His light yellow optics widened in shock as Warrior Star's jaws snapped shut mere inches from his optics, then she lowered her head, glaring at him with cobalt blue optics that burned with rage.

"You have fifteen seconds to explain yourself, mech. I suggest you speak quickly or my brother's wrath will be the least of your fears." Her voice was low and her jaws were ground together so tightly that the gears in her face creaked ominously under the strain. Breaksteel was frozen with fear, unable to speak, nor was he able to look away from her burning gaze.

"Ten seconds." His ears flattened against his skull and he pressed himself to the floor, his spark pulsing wildly in his chest as his processor raced. He didn't even know why he had done what he had done. It was instinct, and he was powerless against it.

"Five seconds." The bronze femme's gaze was terrifying, and the mech wanted nothing more than to run. But the moment he moved, her jaws and claws would tear into him, and he knew it.

"Time's up." The words emerged from her chest quietly but Breaksteel felt them like he had been shot by a fusion cannon. He shuttered his optics and cringed away, trying to figure out how to protect his most vulnerable areas when another voice cut through the silence.

"Sister. I think I understand his actions." Breaksteel felt rather than saw Warrior Star move, and he cracked open an optic to see that her gaze was no longer on him. Her cobalt blue optics were focused on the big black wolf with golden optics, the only mech in the room that hadn't leaped to his feet when Breaksteel had nearly launched himself at the black bi-ped mech.

"Speak, Keystone, since he seems unable to do so himself." Her voice was cold and filled with scorn, and she finally stepped away to walk towards her eldest brother. The mech, Keystone, waited until his sister reached him to speak, his voice so quiet that not even Breaksteel could hear his words.

"You must be joking, brother." Warrior Star said suddenly, taking a step back to stare at the black wolf with disbelief all over her face. He merely shook his huge head, and she huffed in annoyance before turning away and heading for the door. Everyone present watched her walk outside, then they all turned to look at Breaksteel thoughtfully.

"You have some explaining to do, mech." Shadowfang said, staring at him warily as Breaksteel slowly got to his feet. All he could do was look at the other mech and nod.

He had no idea what was going on.

A/N: I love long weekends. They give me much needed time to recharge and relax and work on small projects. I've recently begun working on cross-stitch again. For those of you that have never had the 'pleasure', it is very time consuming and extremely detailed needlework. And oh my god. It can be such a pain in the ass, trying to get each tiny little stitch right. The only reason I picked it up again (after ten years not doing it) was to work on a gift for a coworker that is leaving in a few weeks. She's getting out of the military and going home, so I figured hey, that's a great reason to sit down and do a nice little cross-stitch. Holy crap. I swear, I'm almost regretting it, but the little bugger is almost done. Completed it will be 2.5 by 2.5 inches. I've been working on the damn thing for two weeks. Probably put like eighteen hours of work into the thing. But it's really pretty and quite cute, and I think she'll like it, so that makes it well worth all the time invested.

Anyway! This turned out to be an interesting chapter. Explaining Breaksteel's behavior is turning out to be quite fun, and I rather like how the Muse is making him clueless to his own actions. I also love Warrior Star in this one, back to her bone-breaking, fearsome self. I haven't figured out where Will went after the scuffle...I think she put him down on the berth before she leaped at Breaksteel.

Wow long author's note...thank you as always to my readers, reviewers, and followers! You peeps are amazing!

As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.

Until we meet again...

Kani