High command was a complete mess.

Ironhide still hadn't returned. Ratchet was busy dealing with the casualties, including Red Alert who's systems had finally crashed, and Optimus was, for a lack of a better term, an inconsolable wreck.

This left Prowl with no choice but to take charge of the chaos.

The first problem on his agenda was dealing with the Bumblebee situation.

Word had spread quickly about the young scout's abduction. A lot of the mechs on board the Ark had seen Bumblebee grow up and Prowl couldn't blame them for being upset that the bot that they had known since he was a sparkling was in the clutches of Megatron. And the fact that Bumblebee's upgrade party had obviously been cancelled in the wake of his abduction, only punctuated their pain even harder. Prowl could however blame them for their own stupidity as he had already had to talk down more than a dozen half baked plans by vengeful bots to storm the Deception base to rescue him.

And that didn't even take into account the fact that on top if all his usual dutuies, both The Ark and MacCadam's base's locations were no longer secret so the Autobots needed to find a new acceptable place for them to establish a base.

Something that would benfit from the expertise of their head of special opperations. But Prowl hadn't seen Jazz since they had gotten Ironhide's message.

When he did finally see him, Prowl wasn't even looking for Jazz. He had been standing guard inside the hanger to stop anymore foolish rescue attempts when the spy strolled straight past him to the hanger door as though he was simply going on a morning walk.

"Where have you been?" Prowl demanded.

"Preparing for the mission." Jazz said with a suave smile as he pulled the release lever for the doors.

"What mission?" Prowl asked, yanking the lever back up.

"To rescue Bumblebee."

Prowl resisted the urge to sigh. His processor had determined that now that Jazz was a commander, he would be unlikely to ignore direct orders. Clearly he had been wrong.

"You can't go." Prowl told him. "I never signed off on-"

"What if it was Bluestreak he had taken?" Jazz interrupted, his smile turning predatory. "What would you do?"

"I would do what was right."

"This is what's right!" Jazz protested.

Prowl wasn't doubting that. Of course they needed to rescue Bumblebee. Prowl hadn't had many interactions with the young bot himself, but he had heard others talk about how kind and full of joy Bumblebee was. And nobody deserved whatever fate Megatron was currently dealing to him.

But that didn't mean that they could go rushing off to fight the Nemesis without an actual plan. And that being the ward of the Prime could not mean that Bumblebee should receive any special treatment. Their recourses were already so low. The Autobots could not afford to attempt a mission where they could loose more lives than they would save.

"Listen." Jazz said, once again interrupting his train of thought. "If I don't go then Prime is going to end up marching down to the Nemisis himself and we both know that wouldn't end well for anyone."

Reluctantly Prowl had to concede that Jazz had a point. In Optimus's state it only a matter of time before their leader did something drastic and trying to fight Megatron in his condition could only result in their Prime's death.

Prowl fought back a sigh. The Autobots were left with no choice to have to send someone before that happened.

"Why not send one of your agents instead?" Prowl suggested.

"Because Mirage and Hound still hasn't been cleared by Ratchet and even if they had, I'm the only one who has a shot of infiltrating the Nemisis and coming back alive." Jazz stated and Prowl knew that he was telling the truth.

"We cannot afford to loose another commander so soon after Blackout."

"Look if I die you can just replace me with Mirage. But if Bumblebee dies, Optimus will never recover and we will loose the entire goddamm war."

Prowl's computer couldn't argue against the truth of that potential outcome, nor could it come up with any alternative solutions. Reluctantly, Prowl released his hand from the lever. He watched as that predatory smile turned genuine as Jazz pushed it down.

"Don't do anything stupid." Prowl warned.

"Bumblebee's life is on the line." Jazz said, his smile gone and voice deadly serious. "I won't."

Prowl was about to turn away when he heard Jazz say his name.

"Prowl," Jazz's voice was so quiet, Prowl wasn't entirely convinced that his audio receptors hadn't imaged it. "Thank you."

But before he could ask the spy what he was thankful for, the door was closed and Jazz was gone.

Finally releasing his sigh, Prowl commed the twins to guard to door in his absence as he marched back to his office to officially sanction the mission.

On the way he walked past Bluestreak's new dorm. It was the first time that his ward had been given her own room having previously shared Prowl's quaters whilst growin up on their old bases.

Seeing as Bluestreak had made quick friends with Bumblebee, Prowl decided it would be best to check up on her.

He knocked on the door, and it wasn't long before she beckoned him inside.

As a new recruit Bluestreak had no option but to share. Fortunately, whoever her roommate was, at leats they were neat. Bluestreak appeared to have taken the bottom bunk situated against the right hand wall. Her collection of plush toys were piled at the end of the berth and the string of crystal shaped lights from their old quarters was hung on the ceiling of the bunk above. The few memorabilia that they had been able to save from Praxus was placed along the shelf besides her head. This included a photo of her family alongside a selfie she had taken of her and Prowl. Bluestreak herself was currently sat cross-legged on the bed, a banner strewn across her legs.

"Are you alright?" Prowl asked her.

"Oh I'm fine!" She beamed, "What do you think? Did I do the animals right? This was the only yellow Sunstreaker had!"

Bluestreak held up a banner covered in a golden yellow paint adorned in small flying organic creatures that read Happy Upgrade Day.

"It is very well painted." Prowl said in honesty, as the words were all evenly spaced and painted neatly within the lines, even though he wasn't sure what to make of Bluestreak's smile. "What is it for?:

"Well they've cancelled tonight's party so I thought I would get started decorations so that we can throw an even better one for Bumblebee when he gets home!" Bluestreak said as though it was obvious.

Prowl didn't know what to say to that. Bluestreak's optimism had always been one of her greatest strengths and Prowl found himself unwilling to tamper it.

"Have you sent a rescue party yet? Do you need volunteers?" Bluestreak asked.

"Jazz is already enroute." Prowl told her.

"That's good." She nodded, turning her attention back to her painting, adding stingers to the black and yellow striped creatures. "Jazz is the best spy we have."

"Yes he is." Prowl reluctantly conceded.

He had learnt to put his trust in Jazz during the battle. Now, for Bumblebee's sake, he would have to put his faith.

Prowl just hoped that it would be enough.