FicWad

The fires were finally snuffed out in the Normandy's CIC as the crew began work on trying to repair what they could of their ship, while in the cockpit Rodimus, Orion and Jet-storm were all looking at the holo-screen which was showing the damage that the vessel had sustained. They had only twenty minutes earlier witnessed the Nemesis leave the system via its own Space-bridge vortex, even though the battle-ship had them dead to rights.

"I still don't know why they had left us alone like that, we were completely disabled and just to easy a target to leave alone, and yet they just just upped and left." Jet-storm said with a confused tone, while he waved through the screens of damage reports flooding his holo-interface.

"Well I am more concerned with who 'they' are and what they did to Earth before we arrived." Orion said back, earning a nod from Rodimus as he stood beside them and looked up from another holo-screen on his holo-tool.

"Orion has a point, but we are currently suffering a communications blackout due to our network having been disabled. So all we can so is speculate, but that will only be detrimental to the crew's ability to repair the Normandy. So I ask that we refrain from doing so, at least until we are back on the move." the Commander said back, gaining a nod from both his subordinates.

"Well no offence Commander but unless we can get access to a dry-dock, this damage will not get repaired. There is only so much we can do, especially since we lost half of our engineering crew during the attack." Jet-storm replied as he changed his screen back to the helm controls.

"I know, but I would have the crew focus on the task at hand. It will keep everyone from losing themselves to fear and panic. Anyway, how are the thrusters handling for you?" Rodimus said back as the pilot typed on his holo-interface.

"I am managing to keep us from drifting too much."

"Wait, what's that over there?" Orion said, cutting the others off as he pointed out of the canopy at a far off object that was closing in on them.

"Sensors are still down, so your guess is as good as mine at this point." Jetstorm replied while keeping his eyes on said object.

"But its too small to be a cruiser, maybe its a shuttle-craft." he added.

"Well it is coming from the direction of Earth, let's see if we can hail them on the short range communications, I mean that isn't connected to the network is it." Rodimus said as he looked at his pilot.

"Yes, thats right. Okay I am activating the com sub-link now." Jet-storm replied as he used his holo-interface, and then a fuzzy sounding hiss came through the cockpit's speakers before a faint voice was heard speaking.

"...Normandy, this is Swerve on board shuttle three of the Ultra Magnus. Please respond?"

"Can you...?" Rodimus instantly said to his pilot, who was already typing away at his station.

"Way ahead of you Commander." Jetstorm replied as he tapped on last button.

"...And your on."

"This is Commander Rodimus of the Normandy, we read you Swerve." the Leader said before waiting for a reply through the static coming through the speakers.

"...thank the Allspark, we feared the worst after our sensors picked up your ship and the damage it had suffered." the Autobot responded as the shuttle came in closer to the frigate.

"We have a repair team on board if you require assistance." he added.

"That would be greatly appreciated Swerve, we will open up our shuttle bay and you can come on in." Rodimus replied.

"Will do but I am afraid it will be a quick drop, my main orders are to get you back to Earth as quickly as possible. Things are falling apart back there." Swerve said back, earning a confused expression from all three Bots in the cockpit.

"Why, what exactly has happened?" the Commander asked.

"I can brief you on the way there, but lets just say that a whole lot of shit has hit the fan today...if you will excuse my french." Swerve replied.

"Consider it excused, I will be waiting for you in the shuttle bay with my team then." Rodimus responded as he looked over to Orion and gestured him to get the others.

"Who is on your team? Because there is limited room on the shuttle." came the reply from the speakers, making Orion stop and look back as curiosity took hold.

"I will have with me, Shen Vakarian, Nightracer, my XO Orion Darby and our guest Dr. Liara T'Soni."

"Did you say Darby?" Swerve asked, making Rodimus look back at his XO with a confused expression.

"Yes I did." he said back before it was followed by silence for a long moment.

"...okay, we can make room for them, especially Darby." Swerve replied suddenly as the shuttle flew past the cockpit's canopy.

"We will be ready to dock in just over a minute." he added, earning a nod from Rodimus.

"Very well, we are on our way now, Rodimus out."

The Commander then looked at Orion.

"Go get the others and meet me in the shuttle bay."

The younger Bot nodded and turned away before heading towards the elevator at the back of the CIC, though he could not hide the confusion on his face as he moved. Rodimus then looked back at Jetstorm.

"You are in command while Orion and I are off ship, and I want you to oversee the repairs. Make sure the ship is at least capable of getting back to Earth orbit."

"Yes sir." Jet-storm replied as the Commander then turned and walked away, leaving the pilot on his own in the cockpit.

PRIME EFFECT 4

Galvatron could definitely get used to this, from his position standing on the catwalk that stretched over the length of the CIC, he had a perfect view of everyone that worked there. It was far better than a chair in the center of the room, like the bridge aboard the Icarus. The Predacon leader had been looking through the ship's history on it's database, and while the original Nemesis had to be refitted so it could be piloted by Humans. This version of the former Decepticon battleship was built to be used by them from the start, they just decided to keep everything looking the same but just somewhat more scaled down.

Galvatron was so caught up with his admiring of the ship, he did not hear footsteps approaching behind him.

"Ah, I see you have been admiring my ship." a voice spoke, one that had a grating effect on the Predacon Lord who sighed and hung his shoulders in response as Megatron stood beside him.

"It amuses me how you keep trying to convince yourself that you are not simply a clone of myself, yet here you are...standing on a poor imitation of my very warship."

Galvatron felt his spark beginning to burn again as his anger started to build. But if Megatron had noticed this as his clone stood there, grinding his teeth and clenching his hands into fists tightly, then he chose to ignore it and continue.

"So you still believe that, am I correct?" the Decepticon leader asked as Galvatron simply looked ahead.

"If so then why did you steal this ship, was it to prove something. I believe that you actually wish you were me and all this grand talk and posturing is just your way of denying the truth, that you are just the worthless clone that should have stayed locked up on Cybertron for the rest of time."

That was it for Galvatron who finally let his blood boil, turning to his hallucination in the blink of an eye. His red eyes narrowed and betrayed none of the anger he was feeling at this very moment for the ghost of someone long dead. But again, Megatron's expression was one of barely any interest as he looked back at his doppelganger.

"What? Am I supposed to be intimidated by that stare, because I have seen far more intimidating looks from Knockout...and he wasn't intimidating."

The Predacon Leader ignored the jibe and continued to stare as he gritted his teeth again.

"I swear that one day I will find the spot in here that your ghost resides..." he said while pointing to his temple.

"...And snuff it out." the Clone added, earning a smug grin from the Decepticon.

"If you could, then you would have by now. You will have to face facts that you are me, the quicker you figure that out the better."

Megatron then shoved the Clone with his shoulder as he walked passed him, earning a growl from Galvatron who then looked back to see that the hallucination had disappeared. So the Predacon Leader quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed this, but all the Terracons were still focused on their tasks.

'How long will I have to endure this madness?' he thought as he tried to calm down before hearing footsteps behind him, making the clone's temper go off the charts and he spun around and grabbed the person by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

"...Lord Galvatron...it's me...Six-shot!"

But the Predacon Lord could not hear him due to the rd red haze that was currently clouding his judgement.

"Lord Galvatron!" one of the Terracons shouted which cut through all the rage flowing inside Galvatron who snapped out of it and dropped his Lieutenant back on to his feet. Six-shot looked around at the other Terracons, every one of them had the same unsure expression that he did as they stared at their master.

"My Lord, what was that?" the Predacon Pilot asked in a rather frank way, as everyone watched. Galvatron rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to calm down.

"I...I must be fatigued." he said in weary tone while pulling his hands away, with his face slowly returning to its usual commanding and composed look.

"Well, why don't you take a moment for yourself and rest? You haven't done so since before the attack on New Iacon." Six-shot asked, earning a nod from Galvatron.

"Yes, I think I will. Take command in my absence, but keep me apprised with all that happens."

"Of course my Lord." the Lieutenant replied as the Predacon Leader walked past him.

"I do have some questions?" the Pilot added with a curious tone.

"Can they wait for the time being?" Galvatron replied without even looking back at his Lieutenant.

"Yes, I suppose they can."Six-shot answered as his Lord left the room, and then the Predacon turned around and noticed that all the Terracons had been watching their Master and glared back at them.

"Don't you have work to do? Get back to it!" he spat, making the minions almost jump out of their skin as they rushed back to work, earning a smile from the Predacon. But as he stood there on the catwalk, he looked back towards the CIC's entrance.

'What is going on with him?' he thought, this wasn't the first time that Galvatron had done something strange that had caught everyone's attention. And something told Six-shot that it would not be the last, but for the time being he should focus on keeping the others in line during their Lord's absence. So he turned back round and looked out at the planet Cybertron that they were now orbiting.

PRIME EFFECT 4

It was so quiet on the shuttle as it flew from the Normandy to what was left of New Iacon, that you could hear a pin drop as every member of Rodimus's team dwelled on the briefing that Swerve had just given them. They had been told that an enemy force that called themselves 'Predacons' had launched a surprise attack on New Iacon while it was in the middle of the Anniversary celebrations, but that was the only information they were being told right now. And that knowledge or lack of details was still no easier to take in even as the shuttle began passing through the clouds as the ruined capital of the Federation was revealed to them.

"By the Allspark, I have never seen so much destruction." Nightracer said while staring out of the window at the heavily damaged and collapsed buildings below, which made the City barely recognizable to what the Femme remembered it to be like.

"I have unfortunately..." Rodimus said as he sat next to her.

"...Back when I was a teenager and the Reapers attacked the colony where I was living with my father, never thought I would live to see this all over again." he added as Orion and Shen sat opposite them, a confused expression on the young Darby's face as scores of questions flooded his thoughts due to the revelation that his accompanying them was a priority. He was as stunned as everyone else to hear about the attack, even more so to see the aftermath. But he could not help but wonder why 'he' had to among them when they landed.

Liara was seated by herself on the starboard side of the shuttle, but still was facing the others. And through the entire journey from the Normandy really wasn't that long, she had found herself staring at Orion. Well maybe staring is a little strong a word to use, but she was certainly taking a few sly glances every now and then. She could see that something was bothering him, and wished that there was something she could do to help him. but she still felt somewhat like an outsider at this point, despite how much Orion had made her feel comfortable aboard the Normandy. The Asari was suddenly snapped out of her own thoughts when Rodimus spoke.

"Well you said we would get a brief of everything that happened Swerve, but all you have told us is that Earth has been attacked and who it was."

"Forgive me Commander, but we are still in the middle of debriefing those who were witness to the events on the ground." the red and white armored Autobot replied as he stood in the doorway to the shuttle's cockpit, placing his hand to his com-link as he spoke.

"...We are giving you the information as we get it."

It was at this moment that Orion decided to speak up and bring his questions to light. Because if there was one thing he didn't like, it was intentionally being kept in the dark.

"Excuse me Swerve, but why did you insist that I was brought along. I mean you did make that part really clear, but you haven't said anything since."

Everyone looked at the Bot in surprise, but Swerve's expression was one of quiet panic.

"I am sorry Orion, but I cannot say any more on that until we have landed." he said, but Rodimus had noticed the young Darby's expression.

"I don't think so Swerve, you will tell Orion now."

The Autobot looked completely out of his depth as he stood there in the doorway with everyone staring at him.

"I am sorry but I am under orders from Warpath." he said with an unsure tone in his voice, but this still was not going to cut it with Rodimus who glared at him.

"As second in command of the Autobots, I am ordering you to tell us what has happened. And why is Warpath giving commands when Jackson Prime is down there?"

Swerve just kept quiet and looked down to the ground with the mention of the Prime's name and suddenly the whole shuttle went quiet too, as it dawned on everyone that something terrible had happened. Orion's eyes widened as the shock took a hold of him, feeling like his heart was in his throat as the worst case scenario popped into his thoughts.

"Is...is my Father...dead?" the young Bot asked with a shaken like tone to his voice.

"No, he is alive but according to witnesses he had his arm sliced off and was taken prisoner by the Predacons." Swerve replied, making Orion look down to the ground as he started to shake slightly as he started to feel ambivalent, due to both the fear for his Father's life and anger towards these 'Predacons'. But as he clenched his fists and looked back up to Swerve, he saw that the Bot still had the same expression on his face.

"What is it?" Orion asked, wondering how in the world things could get worse.

"...They have also taken your Mother prisoner too." the red and white armored Bot replied, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him at this moment due to how sour the atmosphere in the shuttle had become. The younger Darby's heart felt like it had stopped at that moment as the realisation that his parents were now in the hands of a deadly new enemy, so he then looked out of the window as he could feel everyone's eyes on him, but the devastation that he saw only made the anger growing in his spark double its intensity.

"Who are these witnesses?" Rodimus managed to ask while both Nightracer and Shen remained quiet, still in shock at the news they had been given. Liara though kept her gaze on Orion who was still looking away from her and out of the window, and her heart went out to him.

"The witnesses are Jackson Prime's team-mates. Smokescreen, Grunt and Garrus."

Shen's eyes widened as he looked away from Orion and right at Swerve.

"Dad!...Is he alright?" he said as everyone turned their attention to the Turian.

"Apart from some bruises and cuts, your Father and the others are fine. They are at a hospital on the outskirts of the city, since the New Iacon General was destroyed in the Predacon attack." Swerve replied, and that was when Orion suddenly turned away from the window and looked at the Autobot.

"I want to go to the hospital and see them."

"As do I." Shen joined in as both stared at Swerve, pilling on the pressure.

"Unfortunately my orders are to take you to meet with Warpath."

"Well I am afraid Warpath will have to wait Swerve, because I concur with Orion and Shen. We will go to the hospital first." Rodimus jumped in, earning a shocked look from the Autobot.

"But my orders are..."

But the Commander just gave him a matter-of-fact look in return, making Swerve feel small in comparison.

"Do I have to remind you who is in charge after Jackson Prime?"

"No sir, you don't." Swerve replied, his expression was one of worry as he sighed.

"It's just..." he tried to add before Rodimus cut him off.

"Look, the first port of call here is to make sure everyone's families and loved ones are alright." he said before glancing over to Orion who had reverted back to staring out of the window.

"And don't worry about Warpath, I know you are just following your orders. But that hot-headed Bot can go over the top sometimes, so I will deal with him later."

The Commander then looked back at his team and apart from Orion, everyone else gave him an appreciative nod.

A few minutes later they arrived at the hospital and it wasn't a sight that any of them was prepared for, as the place was heaving with injured people. It was so overcrowded that many were being treated right there and then in the corridors. It was hard for anyone to walk through as numerous doctors and nurses worked to try and help those in need with just the tools they had on their person, since they could not gain entry to any of the already full operating rooms. While the madness ensued around them, Rodimus and his team made their way slowly through the crowds as Orion and Shen searched for any Smokescreen, Garrus or Grunt.

"I have never seen anything like this." Nightracer said as she, Liara and the Commander saw a woman being held down on a gurney as she screamed at the sight of the stumps that were once her legs.

"Will someone sedate this poor woman already, we cannot treat her in this state." one of the Doctors shouted as she held down the woman with two nurses, when another Doctor appeared with a sedative in their hand and injected it in to the woman's arm, making her calm down as the drugs sent her off into unconsciousness. Nightracer looked over to Rodimus who was looking around him with a blank expression.

"This doesn't bother you Commander?" she asked, gaining the older Bot's attention.

"It does Nightracer, but unfortunately I have seen far worse in my time."

"You mean during the Reaper War?" the Femme replied, earning a nod from Rodimus.

"Yes, for during that time there were no wounded or even hardly any dead after those black monstrosities had visited a colony. Because the Reapers didn't just kill, but instead harvested a world of it's population and turned them in to instruments…..weapons to use against the rest of us who still drew breath and fought back." the Commander replied as memories of those dark days came flooding back into his mind.

"I have to agree with Rodimus on this." Liara added while looking around the room as she remembered the friends she had lost during the conflict, many of which she had to fight once they had been converted. As both Asari and Autobot thought on the past, Nightracer saw an active terminal nearby that showed a list of the confirmed dead on it's large holo-screen, so she walked over to it and typed her Mother's name into it's search engine. The screen then flashed up a no results message, which made the Femme breath a sigh of relief as Rodimus's eyes noticed a name in the list that scrolled down behind it.

"No…." he said, making Nightracer turn to him, with Liara mirroring her expression.

"What is it?" she asked as he placed his hand on the holo-controls and highlighted the name he was looking at, and that name was…..Ironhide.

Meanwhile Orion and Shen were still moving through the crowded corridors of the hospital when someone called out their names.

"Shen! Orion!"

Both Bot and Turian turned to see a familiar bot waving at them from across the corridor, he was wearing white and blue armour that was battered and burnt all over, but they both recognized him instantly.

"Smokescreen!" they said in unison as the Autobot joined the pair.

"Hey guys, glad to see that you too are alright."

"Yeah you too, though shouldn't you be in bed." Shen asked as he noted the bruises that were still visible on the Bot's face, but he shrugged in response.

"Nah, there are more people in need of a bed here than me. And this is all just cosmetic, I mean the last dose of medi-gel did the trick. I am already starting to feel better." Smokescreen replied while gesturing to his face.

"That's good to hear." Orion replied with a slight smile, gaining a similar one from Smokescreen before his expression changed to one more solemn.

"Orion…..I am really sorry about your parents, if only I hadn't been sucker punched, I may have been able to help your Dad."

The young Darby though shook his head in return, not willing to let Smokescreen take the burden.

"You shouldn't blame yourself Smokescreen, since we have seen what these Predacons have done to the city, I doubt there would have been anything more you could have done. I can only take solace in the fact they are not among the casualties." he replied, earning a nod from older Bot.

"That's kind of you to say, I know we will get them back and make that Galvatron pay for what he and his Predacons did."

Both Orion and Shen's eyes widened at the mention of that name.

"Did you say Galvatron?"

"Yeah, that was what the Leader of the Predacons called himself. Why? Have you heard of him?" Smokescreen replied, earning knowing looks from the pair.

"We should get Liara." Shen said, gaining a nod from Orion in agreement but before they could do that, a voice called out suddenly.

"Shen!" it said which made the young Vakarian turn around quickly and spot another Turian standing only a few feet away, a smile appearing Shen's face as he recognised him.

"Dad." he replied before rushing over and embracing his Father, who returned the hug just as affectionately.

"Its good to see you Son." Garrus exclaimed happily as the two remained in the embrace for a few seconds longer as Orion and Smokescreen joined them.

"I am glad you are alright Dad." Shen replied before they finally parted, with Garrus placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Well, I have picked up some new scars here and there, but its nothing when compared to what I have been through before." he said back reassuringly.

"Is Mum okay..." Shen then asked, gaining a nod from his Father.

"Your Mother's fine Shen, she is still back home on Rannoch. I just wish I could contact her, but all long range communications are offline."

"I bet you can thank the Predacons for that." Smokescreen said, making the Turians look over to him and Orion.

"Orion..." Garrus then said as his happy expression changed to one that was more subdued.

"...I am sorry that we didn't..." he began to say, only for the young Darby to cut him off.

"It wasn't your fault Uncle Garrus, I just told Smokescreen the same." he replied, gesturing to the bot beside him, earning an embarrassed look from him.

"Where is Grunt?" Shen said after noticing the group was short of a particular Krogan, and one of them was never hard to spot in any crowd.

"Even though the Doctors told him to stay right here, he just walked off. Said he was hungry." Smokescreen replied, gaining an eye roll from Garrus.

"Typical Krogan."

"So what do you guys know of this Galvatron?" Orion asked, surprising both the Bot and Turian. But before either could reply, the rest of the team appeared.

"There you are." Liara said as she, Nightracer and Rodimus joined them.

"About time you showed up Rodimus, can't say I am a fan of Warpath's command style." Garrus said, earning a nod from the Commander, who looked somewhat distant as he turned his attention to Orion.

"Before I deal with that...Orion, I...I am..." he began to say, but having trouble just letting the words out.

"Whats wrong?" Shen asked as Liara and Nightracer shared the same expression as the Commander, which Orion found himself uncomfortable with.

"What's going on?" he asked as Rodimus took a step toward him.

"I don't know how else to say it..."

"Then just say it, lets not beat around the bush here." the young Darby replied, clearly getting agitated with the uncertainty that Rodimus was uncharacteristically showing.

"...Ironhide is dead." the Commander then replied and then suddenly all the sounds of the doctors and patients around Orion became white noise as he tried to comprehend not only what He had just been told, but also balancing it with the fact that his parents were in mortal peril at the hands of monster like Galvatron. It was so much for him to take, the young man suddenly felt ill as his stomach started to stir and upset him.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." he said before pushing Shen aside and rushing over to the currently vacant visitor's bathroom, not even waiting for the door to close behind him as he vomited into it's toilet. Everyone just stood there, completely unsure of what to do for their friend. But Liara walked over to the door and waited, wanting to something rather than leave the Bot to his own despair.

Inside the bathroom, Orion had finally stopped vomiting and was just standing over the toilet, holding his hands out on the wall to keep himself in position, looking down at the mucus as it floated on the water inside the bowl. His entire body felt like it was aching, from his stomach through his chest to the back of his throat.

Tears started to well up in his eyes, but not from the pain his body was currently feeling, but through the realization that his entire immediate family was under threat of being snuffed out. But he knew he could not simply hide in this bathroom from his problems, that were continuing to mount without fail.

So he forced himself from the toilet, flushing it before moving over to the sink so he could wash his hands and face. Once done, he looked at himself in the mirror that was positioned over the sink.

'First Mom and Dad captured, now Uncle Ironhide was killed. What was next for the my family? Quickstrike was currently off-world and so out of reach, and Aunt Chromia was...Chromia!' he thought before opening the door and startling Liara and the others.

"What about Aunt Chromia?" he asked with urgency in his voice, but the reaction of the others was not very encouraging.

"Orion, Jack told us before all the craziness happened that he was going to meet up with your Mom, Uncle and Aunt. But we never saw signs of either."

The young man felt like he was going to lose control again but before he did, a Doctor approached him.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but did you say Chromia?"

"Yes, yes I did." Orion replied with a slither of hope in his voice, earning a hand motion from the Doctor to follow him.

"This way sir, if you will follow me."

Orion followed the doctor through the crowded corridors of the hospital with the rest of his friends in tow, before stopping next to a door.

"If you would please come inside." the doctor said as he opened the door and let Orion enter the room first. The bot walked in to see a large white curtain spread around what only could have been a bed, and he could hear a heart monitor consistently beeping very softly as the doctor walked past him and toward the curtain.

"Can you identify this woman?" he asked before pulling the curtain back and Orion's eyes widened instantly as he recognized the patient lying their on the bed.

"Aunt Chromia!" he exclaimed before rushing to her bedside and taking her right hand in his own.

"A search and rescue team found her lying unconscious in one of the destroyed areas of the city, she had a stab wound in her stomach and had lost a lot of blood. They managed to stabilize her, but she also has sustained multiple injuries to numerous areas of her body. So once she was brought here, we induced a coma so that her body could concentrate on healing itself without any distractions."

Orion looked at his Aunt as her lay there looking all peaceful.

"A Coma? Will she reawaken?"

"Yes, she will in time. We induced the coma artificially, so we can bring her out when her treatment is complete and her vital signs are strong and healthy again." the Doctor replied, noticing the young Bot's expression as he looked at Chromia.

"Your Aunt has a strong spark, she will make it. I will personally see to her well being during her stay here."

"Thank you Doctor, may I stay a while with her?" Orion asked, earning a nod from the Doctor.

"Of course, I will be outside if you have any other questions."

With that the Doctor turned around and headed for the door.

Outside the room, everyone else was waiting to find out what was happening, while also making sure not to get in the way of the other doctors, nurses or patients.

"I hope that's who I think it is in there?" Garrus said, earning a nod from Smokescreen and Rodimus as Nightracer looked over to Liara and noticed her expression.

"You alright Liara?"

"What?...Yes, I am okay. Its just with all the terrible news that Orion has had to take on just now, it brought back some bad memories for me."

"You mean when you lost your friends during the war?" the Femme replied, gaining a nod from the Asari.

"Yes, I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone, let alone Orion." she said back as she glanced back at the door to the room the Darby was inside. Nightracer noted the look of concern on her face and was about to inquire further, when the door opened and out stepped the Doctor.

"Is everything alright Doctor?" Rodimus asked.

"Yes, everything is fine. The young Man is simply spending time with his Aunt right now." the Doctor replied before Garrus took a step toward him.

"Chromia is alright isn't she?" he asked, gaining a nod from the Doctor.

"She is fine, but I am afraid that I can only share details with family members. But rest assured, Chromia will be alright. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more patients to see." he replied before walking past the group and back into the crowds.

"Finally some good news, I was starting to think that things were only going to get worse." Smokescreen said with a little relief in his voice.

"I wouldn't breath easy yet Smokescreen. With the communication network still down, we have no idea where these Predacons will strike next." Rodimus replied, earning nods from the rest of the group.

"And that Galvatron is a real piece of work..." Smokescreen began saying before Liara jumped in, her eyes wide with shock at the Turian's comment.

"Did you say Galvatron?" she asked as Rodimus and Nightracer looked equally as surprised.

"Yes, Galvatron..." the Bot replied, making Liara's face go pale as it all started to dawn on her.

"...that's what he called himself." he then added, while Shen noticed the Asari's sudden change in complexion and guessed the reason why.

"Liara..."

The Asari then placed her head in her hands and breathed heavily.

'By the goddess, its my fault. Its all my fault.' she thought as her behavior gained the attention of the others.

"Whats wrong with Liara?" Nightracer said as she looked up at everyone with a startled expression.

"It's my fault..." she said, earning confused looks from all.

"What do you mean?" Shen replied, before a group of soldiers appeared through the crowds and approached them, one of them was wearing red armour and looked like he was in charge.

"Commander Rodimus, I thought I would find you here." the Bot said, earning the Commander's attention.

"Warpath, as Swerve should of told you already. Members of my crew needed to be here to find out if their loved ones are alright."

"Yes, he did tell me that. But your presence has been requested by what remains of the Senate." Warpath replied.

"Swerve informed me of what happened at the Decagon, how many Senators did we lose in the attack?" Rodimus asked, earning a bemused expression from the Autobot.

"Over half of the Senators were killed when the star-ship crashed into the building...wait, you were informed about this and yet came here first?"

Rodimus narrowed his eyes in response to Warpath's rather hostile sounding question, not amused by his attitude what so ever.

"My first and main responsibility is to my crew Warpath, it's something that you have never really comprehended and that is why you never advanced past Captain. Now as soon as I know that one particular member of my crew is alright...he is in the room behind me right now with his Aunt, oh and his parents are currently prisoners of the very force that attacked us by the way."

Everyone...except Liara looked on in awe at Rodimus who was showing real metal as a Leader while he stared down at Warpath who despite all his fluster, looked more likely to run and hide than stand his ground in this moment.

"...his parents...you mean Orion Darby, Jackson Prime's son?" Warpath replied with a very unsure tone as he looked up at the Commander, who merely nodded back.

"Yes. Once I know he is alright, I will happily go and see the Senate, but not a moment before. Am I crystal clear enough for you?" Rodimus answered, earning a somewhat shaky nod from the red armored bot who looked away, feeling very small in comparison. That was when his eyes caught the sight of Liara who still had her head in her hands, with Shen sitting beside her with his hand on her shoulder.

"...What's wrong with her?" the Captain asked, trying to change the topic and draw attention away from his humiliation.

"I'm not sure?" Shen lied as he looked up at both Warpath and Rodimus.

"She just said that it was her fault."

"What is your fault Liara?" the Commander asked, making the Asari look at him as he knelt down on to see her at equal level.

"Galvatron…." she simply said in return and it was right then that Rodimus realized exactly what Shen and Nightracer both thought at that moment, remembering what Liara had told them during her debriefing.

"Ah I see." he said before breaking eye contact with her for a second while looking away, Liara though did not know what to make of this action by Rodimus. But she looked at the others, and she saw supportive expressions from both Shen and Nightracer, while Garrus and Smokescreen just looked confused by the whole situation. But then her eyes fell on Warpath and his look was definitely more aggressive then everyone else.

"Would someone like to fill me in with what is going on here. Who is that for starters?" he said, earning a sigh from Rodimus as gave Liara a slight but sad smile, acknowledging that he knew what she was currently thinking before getting back up and looking at the Autobot Captain.

"This is Doctor Liara T'Soni, survivor of the Icarus incident on Cybertron."

"T'Soni, Matriarch Benzezia's daughter. She will be most pleased to know you are safe Miss T'Soni." Warpath replied with a smile.

"My Mother, she is here on Earth?" the Asari replied.

"Yes, she was one of the lucky ones I guess. Your Mother was at the edge of New Iacon when the Predacons attacked."

But then the Captain's expression changed as he narrowed his eyes at her, making Liara feel uncomfortable.

"Now as your mother has told us and Rodimus has just confirmed, you were a crew member on board the Icarus, the very ship that as of this moment is half buried in what remains of the Decagon. Which means you must know more about these new enemies of ours."

"Wow, this guy is a real Sherlock Holmes isn't he." Smokescreen joked to Garrus who looked back at him with a confused expression.

"Sherlock...who?"

But Rodimus and the others ignored the pair and focused on Liara and Warpath, that latter of which looked almost confrontational as he stepped closer to the Asari and stared down at her.

"Are you going to tell me why you consider this all your fault, because the way you are looking right now screams of guilt."

"I…..I don't….I…" she started to stammer as the pressure from Warpath was becoming too much for her to take, causing her to breakdown there and then. Rodimus suddenly stepped in between them both and pushed the Captain back, startling him.

"Nightracer, Shen! Get Liara out of here while I deal with this arse-hole." he snapped while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Warpath.

"She's not going anywhere, guards!" the Captain said, making his men ready their weapons, but Garrus and Smokescreen instantly equipped and aimed their hand guns at the soliders as did Shen. Nightracer motioned Liara into the room where Orion currently was before doing the same, while Rodimus stood his ground with Warpath.

"Everyone lower your weapons now, that's an order!" he shouted, startling not only the group but the doctors and patients around them. They all lowered their weapons while looking completely bemused as the Commander turned his attention back to Warpath.

"As for you…" he started to say before punching the Captain square in the jar and knocking him out, sending him to the floor.

"…consider yourself relieved."