Why? Why do I do this to myself. I just have chronic Story Starting disorder or something. *sigh* anyway! as fro what your actually here for. Transformers and Mass Effect!

To be clear, Shepard will look like the default Shep. It works just fine in my opinion. He is a Spacer, and war-hero, and paragon. Then there will be the matter of the Transformers. For the most part, the Autobots will look like their FOC incarnations, with the exception of Bee and Optimus. Bee will have his AOE body, but a cybertronian v-mode. Optimus will start as FOC, but he will be getting a new body (shocker... Not) quite early on. For his new vehicle mode, look up 'Optimus Prime BFTE'. I will be using that vehicle mode, because it looks very ME-style, but his 'bot form will be different. As for the ones who didn't appear in the games (Arcee, Bulkhead, Smokescreen) they will have their Prime personas, but more cybertronian bodies and alt. modes. And as for Megs, he had his Prime Body though he will start out as FOC.

Anyway, on with the story.

Cybertron... Once a peaceful world of synthetic organisms. For eons the metallic giants lived in peace, thriving in a golden age... Now it's an apocalyptic metallic wasteland filled with corpses and nightmare-creatures that'll eat your soul. No wonder the occupants left.

Said occupants were transforming robotic organisms of two factions: the Autobots, and the Decepticons. As the 'Bot's made their last bid for freedom, an unstable Space Bridge above their planet, they were hounded upon by their eternal enemies.

The battle raged across the Ark, each victory one side gained was almost instantly countered by the enemy. And all of hit had culminated into a confrontation with the factions' two leaders: Optimus Prime, and Megatron.

The Autobot leader slashed upwards with his sword, sending the malicious warlord flying back. After advancing, he lifted his blade into the air, and sunk it deep into Megetron's chest. The Decepticon roared in pain, and Optimus prepared to end his eon-old enemy.

But then the ship began to shake. A mighty wave of energy threw the warriors off their feet. As they regained their bearings, the pull of gravity began to increase,and both great leaders fell to the ground.

After getting up, Megatron was the first to realize what was happening. "No!" He yelled. "The portal!"

The Prime quickly caught on. "The vortex is TEARING THE SHIP APART!" He yelled as he struggled to be heard over the sound of destruction around him. They tried to claw their way back up the golden hull, but debris swirled around them.

In an act of desperation to take his enemy with him, Megatron grabbed at the bot in front of him, but Optimus kicked the 'Con away, nearly knocking him into the emptiness of space.

The Warlord began to fall back, but fragranced his grip as he seethed with fury, his servos powered by hate and Dark Energon. "NO!" He shouted in rage, desperate to end the enemy he had battled for millennia. "I WILL NOT BE DENIED!"

The Autobot leader twisted, his arm shifting into his heavily modified Path Blaster. "Megetron..." He growled, and took aim. "Begone!" With that, he fired, hitting the warlord directly. The leader of the Decepticons was tossed form the hull of the Ark, and into the void.

The knockback of his weapon had been the last straw for Optimus's grip, though, and for a moment, both leaders hung, suspended in space, as did their ships, both pairs no longer fighting, but falling into the unknown.

At once, every crew member if either faction was ripped from their place on the ships. Ratchet, Jazz, Cliffjumper, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Dreadwing, Soundwave, Knock Out, Breakdown, the Combaticons, Constructicons, Arialbots, vehicons, seekers, soldiers of all class and description, even the stowaway Starscream all hung suspended between the waring vessels for half a moment as nearly their entire species vanished into the physics-defying circle in space.

As the ships vanished into the Space Bridge, it exploded, the wave of energy rippling across the empty space, until only a outline of the portal made of wisps of energy remained above the dead world below.

And for centuries, there was silence.

"My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I send this message to the stars, in hopes more of our race shall find it.

We made it through the portal. But not without cost. The Ark and many of her crew are dead, and the survivors are scattered to the cosmos. This galaxy is now polluted with the stasis-locked bodies of both Autobot, and Decepticon.

I do not know where I am, or if the planet I am on is inhabited. The transit has damaged me severely. Even know, I feel stasis creeping in. If any Autobots hear this message, I want you to continue the fight. If Megatron or the Decepticons still function, it is I parities that they are not allowed to plunder worlds the way he did ours.

I do not know if I shall ever awaken again. If so, I impart command over our forces to Ultra Magnus, or, in the case of his demise, Autobot Ratchet. Good luck my friends.

And to any of my brethren who find themselves lost and alone, I tell you only one thing: an Autobot is never alone. Find allies... Find friends. And beyond all else... Find each other.

May Primus guide you all..."

These words echoed across a barren world as a dust storm raged across the landscape. It was muffled under a mound of sand, but the voice was projected nevertheless. One could see bits of things poking out of the dunes.

Parts of what looked to be buried Cybertronians.

Sudenly one of the dunes started moving. Dust shifted off of it, and revealed a large pod. Connected to it were numerous pods of similar size, all looking like they had been degraded by time.

Suddenly a deep voice rang out from the pods. It was the voice of the Cybertronian Defense Network, Teletraan 1.

"Warning: emergency power depleted. Sparklings at risk. Preparing expulsion." The pods began to hum, and lines of light powered by Energon appeared on them. From behind the glass of the first pod to be revealed, a pair of bright blue optics glowed.

Around the same time as that, there were big thins happening in space.

In a galaxy inhabited by many species, a war was closing in. On one side were the organic beings of that little part of the cosmos. Turians, Asari, Salarian, Krogan, human, the like. They didn't know they were on the same side in a war, but they were.

On the other side were the Geth, a race of synthetic beings far different than the Cybertronians. Much less advanced... But still dangerous all the same. They had started with the humans, terrorizing the paradise-esq. world of Eden Prime. Ironically, they were lead by an organic: Saren, a Turian and a Spectere.

Specteres were special forces agents recruited by the collective government of the galaxy. They were above the law, free to do their duties without obstruction or consequences. And that was what let Saren go rouge so easily. They didn't accept his treachery until it was too late.

In response, they had sent a new Spectere after him: a human called Commander Shepard, the first one of his species. He had been issued the Normandy, one of the most advanced shops belonging to the humans, and recruited a squad if specialists for his cause. And thus, they had been sent on their mission.

That had been months before. All was well aboard the Normandy as she soared away from her latest mission, an odd mission on a colony called Zu's Hop, where the colonists had been controlled by an ancient plant monster called the Thorian. Yes, it was just as weird and disturbing as it sounded.

After some words with each-other and the council, the Ground Squad disbanded, going off to their usual antics aboard the Alliance vessel. Commander Shepard sighed as he went to take off his armor and deposit it in the armory, exchanging it with the far more comfortable Alliance uniform.

He made his way to the CIC, and in front of the Galaxy Map. "Everything's all clear down here, Commander," the XO, Navigator Pressly, told him casually as he past. Shepard nodded at him in return, and leaned over the Map in hopes to find a new target for their mission.

He sighed, and shook his head. "Commander?" The voice of the Flight Officer, Joker, said over the comm.

Shepard looked at the comm with a deadpan look. "Let me guess, Hackett?"

"Hackett."

Admiral Hackett was a high-ranking officer in the Alliance. Highly decorated and respected, the man was right up there with David Anderson in Shepard's personal opinion. However, he had a bad habit of calling on Shepard when there was a problem too far away to do it personally.

The spacer shook his head in weariness. He was tired from the antics at Zu's hope, and would like nothing more than a good amount of hours in his quarters, sleeping off the headache the Thorian and the Asari had given him. But it looked like that wouldn't be the case.

"Put him through." He commanded, and and Joker complied. Sure enough, the Galaxy Map was soon replaced by an image of the old and weathered soldier himself.

"What can I do for you, Admiral," Shpard said not unkindly. He crossed his arms and waited for an answer. The old man sighed and shook his head, as if tired of calling the same channel yet again.

"Commander," he began formally. "I'm sorry to interrupt your mission yet again, but the Council told me to inform you that there was a distress signal in the form of a message intercepted from your position."

"Is it alliance?"

"No," the Admiral shook his head. "The reason they wanted you to investigated it was that its... Ancient. Nearly as old as the Protheans, but completely unlike anything we've recovered from their ruins."

A look of confusion crossed the commander's faced. "Old as the Protheans... But not Prothean? Liara told me that they were theorized to be the only spaceborn race when they were alive."

"Obviously she was wrong." Admiral Hackett responded. "We've analyzed it over and over, and the only conclusive thing we've come up with was that its old and definitely not from them. For one thing, it had a translator. Every species we've let hear it has said it was their own native language."

'Joy...' Shepard thought as he considered the implications. 'Another thing to tell Liara she was wrong about... Let's just hope this isn't another thing that will try to kill everything. ' The commander sighed wearily. "Any chance we can hear it?" He asked.

Hackett nodded, and ordered someone off camera to play the transmission.

A static sound filled the CIC. However, something about the voice that came next instantly caught everyone present's attention. Every technician, every soldier, stopped what they were doing to listen.

"[Static] This is Optimus Prime le[Static] Autobots. [Static] we made it [Static]-ot without cost. The Ark, and many of her crew are dead." The present crew was mesmerized. The voice was clearly that of an old soldier who had seen acres worth of carnage. But he sounded kind and fatherly at the same time. The voice didn't demand respect, but very convincingly asked for it.

There was a large burst of garbled material that sounded like multiple transmissions had been tangled with the distress call. Voices calling out strange names. Names in concern, like 'Bumblebee' or some in fear, like 'Bruticus'.

Finally, the original voice resumed. "... Megatron [Static] plunder worlds..." There was a big burst of static again, before the voice came back again, stronger than before, as if this were the most vital part of the message. "... Never alone. Find allies... Find friends... And above all... Find each other... May Primus guide you all." With that, the call fizzed out.

Shepard swallowed. He had no idea who or what he had just heard, but he felt compelled to answer the call for help that... Optimus Prime's voice had clearly carried. He was hurt... Or dying.

Suddenly he shook his head. If that call was as old as the Prothean becon, Optimus Prime was long since dead, even if he had survived his wounds...

That didn't mean that it wasn't worth taking a look at what he left behind. If whatever he had could make a signal that lasted this long, then there could be something useful down there.

"I... Take it you'll help?" Hackett asked as the message ended.

Shepard nodded silently. It had certainly piqued the soldier's interests, and he leaned against the Galaxy Map's railing expectantly. "Where did the call come from again?"

Not a while after that call, the Normany burst from the Mass Relay near a planet called Civitates in Pulverem.

It was an uninhabited world. The dual suns, a scientific phenomena, made the planet much too hot to live on, and frankly, no one wanted it. The place was devoid of any life, plant or animal. A person could only go a few minuets unprotected on the surface without being burned to a crisp.

The Normandy didn't stay long, only long enough to drop the six-wheeled armored transport called the Mako from the cargo bay.

"This place sucks." Wrex boomed from the rear part of the armored transport as they landed. He had taken the Krogan, Tali, and Garrus with him for this op. Wrex for the muscle, Tali to examine and gather anything salvageable, and Garrus to watch his back as they secured the areas they searched. All of them were earring full-body armor that would shield them and keep the insides of their suits at survivable levels. But not comfortable levels. "And I come from Tuchunka."

There was literally NOTHING but dust in the desert around them. A plain of cracked ground that was perfectly flat in all directions, save for a few mountains of dust left over from the storms. Above them, two suns were high in the sky, mercilessly beating down on the land with heat.

"No kidding, I'm going to need new moisture filters by the time this mission is over," Tali agreed with disgust, already sounding like she was suffering from the heat inside that stuffy helmet of hers. Across from her, Garrus looked equally perturbed, but was silent. The Turian just fiddled with his rifle and kept silent.

Shepard just grimaced, and put the Mako into drive, the clumsy transport shaking and bouncing its way along. "Shepard, I hope whatever is here is worth it... Otheriwsise you'll be stuck in a small metal container with three very angry aliens." Garrus finally said, though his tone suggested he was only joking.

"I'll keep that in mind, Vakarian," the commander said dismissively. "We'll just follow the signal to the point of origin, and see what's there. Then we can get off this planet and go back to the nice, air-conditioned Normandy."

Though his face was covered, you could tell that Wrex was smirking. "Ha, look at you all. Complaining about the heat. Your worse than hatchlings, you lot."

"I don't remember you being so cheery about the climate," Tali said scathingly, glowing eyes narrowing into a brutal scowl behind the visor.

That just made the reptilian alien laugh. "You thought I meant the heat? Naw, it's just that there's nothing out here to fight. No prey, no enemies... Not even any Slalarians to pick on. It's just rocks and sand... I knew this mission was gonna be boring." He groaned. Suddenly the Mako lurched as it swerved sideways, throwing its passengers left and right.

The Krogan growled, and tossed a glare at the commander. "Dammit Shepard, drive straight or take some classes!"

"Why don't you try driving this thing, you overgrown bag of scales," the human retorted. "See how well you manage to keep it in a straight... Line..." He trailed off as he saw something moving in the distance.

Tali was the next to see it. There was a bipedal form walking in the distance. It was about human size, but... Oddly shaped, as if they were wearing an obscene amount of armor. It was trekking through the dunes quite quickly, as if unfatiuged by the heat.

"Ok," Garrus said, starring at where it had been. "Please tell me you guys saw that too."

Tali and Wrex nodded, but Shepard was silent.

The big Krogan Battlemaster held his shotgun eagerly, hoping for blood. "Maybe this op won't be so boring after all," he said, a grin in his voice. He began shifting in his too-small seat, obviously wanting to take on whatever the figure had been.

"Do you ever not think about killing every new thing you come across?" Tali questioned, a little annoyed with how quickly Wrex equated "Unknown" to "Target Practice". The Krogan tilted his head at her. "No?" He said hesitantly, as if she had asked a really, really stupid question. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but couldn't help squirming as well.

She was a bit excited about this. That "Optimus Prime" person had something that could transmit a signal, albeit a damaged and faded one, for nearly fifty thousand years. Maybe there was something here that she could use for her Pilgrimage, or to make into something to help stop Saren... Or any number of things. She wrung her three-fingered hands to keep them from going crazy.

Garrus, for one, didn't seem to care. He had his hands folded neatly on his lap as the Mako jerked and swayed across the land, and didn't flinch at Wrex's occasional curses and threats to flay Shepard alive and find whoever had authorized the commander to drive a Mako, and do unspeakable things to that person.

Shapard was lost in his own thoughts again. Something about Prime's voice had reminded him of himself. The exhaustion from years and years of combat, the tone he addressed the people he was calling to in.

'Too bad he's dead,' the commander thought. 'If he was alive, I might finally have some like minded-WOAH!" He said that last part aloud because he had to swerve to avoid something that had been behind a dune he was going around.

The Mako spun out of control tossing its occupants about so hard Wrex's scales went from yellowish to a subtle green, and Tali's faceplate was nearly cracked. Garrus was flat on the floor, and Shepard's fists were white from gripping the controls so tightly.

Thats when Wrex lost it. "That's it Shepard!" He bellowed. "From now on, I'm driving!" He pointed one stubby thumb at himself, and growled. "Why'd you even do that!"

Without speaking, Sheapard pointed to the view screen in front of him. The Krogan looked at it, studying the image. Half out of the dune was... A white car? But not one of Eath origin. It had burns and scratches on it that suggested battle, and advanced looking wheels. The car was painted white and blue, with exposed red headlights and a red symbol on the hood. There was no visible windshield, only blue armored plating where it would be.

Subtly, it reminded Shepard of some old Vids of races his dad had shown him as a kid... NISCAR or something. "... Oh." Wrex said.

They exited the Mako cautiously, keeping their eyes on the strange vehicle. For all they knew it could be Geth, or worse. Not wanting to take any chances, Wrex and Garrus kept their guns trained on the thing.

Tali crept forwards, not wanting to spring an automatic defense. She studied the machine with glowing eyes, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. After a few seconds, Wrex just lowered his weapon.

"It's just an empty transport," he said, exasperated. "We should find what that thing was in the distance. We need answers, and if we're lucky, we'll get a fight." Tali dismissed him, and kept approaching the vehicle.

She felt drawn to it, almost like she would be to an interesting new person. She laid a gloved hand on the hood, fingers trailing the metal. Her heart kept beating faster and faster in her ears.

It was like when she had seen a Geth for the first time. The machine had both terrified and fascinated her. The most advanced combat drones she had divined hadn't come close to the complexity of a Geth. Her first reaction had been... Awe, curiosity... Wonder. That a machine could become autonomous. Over time, that wonder hand been poisoned by the evil things she had seen the Geth due. Invading planets, manufacturing the Husks with their barbaric spikes, but that still didn't change what she had felt upon seeing her first living machine.

The feeling had welled inside of her, like it was doing now. She wanted to understand this thing, to know why it was what it was. Shepard seemed to sense it to, and got closer. "Tali," he said, reaching a tentative hand towards her, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know..." She said, her hand nearing the symbol. "I just... It's..." Her blood pounded in her ears as her suits systems picked up steady signals coming from the car's hood. At first, it sounded like machine feedback, and some type of odd language, but soon enough the chatter had translated to Khelish in her helmet.

"See? Under control, baby."

"I got yo' back, Orion!"

"You ready Cliffjumper?"

"I see you- seein' me."

"Jetfire! If your done playin' nursemaid, I could use your help right about now!"

"It's dreaming..." She murmured quietly.

Garrus scoffed. "Impossible," he said. "It's just a transport, not a living thing." He turned in the direction they had seen the figure go. "Come on, Tali." He turned to go, but noticed that the Quarian didn't react. "Tali?" He questioned.

The small mechanic was still as a stone, her finger hovering over the symbol on the hood. Sen swallowed as steady transmissions continued to stream from it, getting stronger. They were barely able to reach Tali, who was closest, but they were enough as that voice kept saying things over and over.

"How long have I been in this rusthole anyway?"

"Who! I know OP wouldst leave us to rust!"

"Cliff, you do know you have a cloaker, right?"

"Grimlock..."

"You mean loud and unnecessary?"

"SIDESWIPE!"

"That is a very good question."

Suddenly the signals changed from words to a ringing that echoed inside her helmet. She flinched, and her had jerked downwards, slamming onto the symbol on the hood. A jolt of energy went from the battery of her suit, through her arm, and onto the symbol. At once, it began to glow red, as did multiple other parts of the body.

Across the planet, a change happened. The activation had sent out a signal that bounced off each Cybertronian it came into contact with. It was a walke-up call.

Miles away, a group of metallic humanoids all turned in the direction of the situation, as if instinctually sensing something.

In another part of the desert, dune with a large white and red robot partially laying out of it suddenly spluttered to life, his optics opening with a sudden jolt. Miles away a yellow form stirred in the ruins of an old ship.

And not far away from the group, another Autobot sprang back to life. He was a larger bot by the name of Hound. He had green paint, and resembeled a fat, bearded earth soldier. He stumbled to his feet, disorientated, and groaning.

"Urrrrgghh..." He moaned. "Oh, where the hell am I?" He said, raddjusting his cap and stumbling. He scanned the ground real quick. "This is one mess of a shitsack." He cursed, and began to move in the direction of the nearest signal he could dectect.

Suddenly a new one came online behind him. He turned, and jumped when he saw a grey and red hand laced with puprple light shoot out of one of the dunes. Hound stumbled backwards, arming himself as one of his hand transformed into a Riot Cannon. "Oi! Oi, who are you!"

"I..." A raspy voice said. Hound began backing up in fear as dust began to fall of the Cybertronian. He had dull grey armor, with crule spikes and sharp edges. His body glowed with Dark Energon. A large fusion cannon was mounted on his arm. "Am..." He continued, his optics opening slowly, revealing them to be glowing red.

Hound wallowed and backed up.

"... Megatron!" He finished, and aimed his fusion cannon at the Autobot. He fired, and hound quickly transformed into an armored transport, backing up quickly. "Woah, shit!" He yelled, transforming back.

"Ok, you wanna go, 'Con!?" He pounded a fist into his palm. "I'm a Wreaker! And when I'm finished, you-"

"Will be standing over your lifeless corpse." Megatron finished for him, transforming into a Cybertronian tank. He shot forwards, and Hound fired. The Energon bounced uselessly off Megatron's reinforced hull, so it was useless. The cannon in the tank fired , and Hound only barely managed to dodge. The explosion sent him flying, and the fat Autobot struggled to get up. When he did, he found Megatron's tank form smacking into him and knocking him off his feet. The warlord transformed with his foot on Hound's face, the Wreacker's hat clattering away.

He looked up in time to see Megetron's mace forming in his hands, and the world went dark as the weapon went down.

The squad stumbled backwards, raising their guns at the vehicle, which suddenly whirled to life. The engine roared loudly, and he wheels began spinning at astonishing speeds, freeing itself from the dune in nearly less than a second. The vehicle was revealed to have a very streamlined appearance, obviously meant for speed.

But that wasn't what made the assorted aliens nearly fire from shock. As soon as it was free, it skidded around in a circle to face them. Without warning, the chassis began to split apart, parts shifting around and re-arranging themselves on their own. The wheels, still spinning, made sparks go flying as they grinned against the years of filth that covered them. Hands and a head made their appearance as the car continued to transform onto a masculine figure with the good of the car for his chest. He had no eyes, just a broad blue visor, and a mouth under it that quickly astonishingly twisted into a laid-back half smile.

He looked at them, his expression unreadable. And then... He coughed. "Urgh, testing... Testing... You organics understandin' this?" His voice was deep and smooth, not unlike the jazz players Shepard had seen in ancient Vids.

The being stood taller than any of them by far, almost two stories high. Shepard was certain that it could easily disable the Mako without weapons, but he held up his assault rifle up to level with the new, obviously synthetic being's visor.

When the 'bot saw this, his expression turned from relaxed to alarmed. Quickly he held up his hands in a form of surrender. "Woa now, brother. No need for that!"

Everyone, even Wrex was surprised at that. Wrex had been less surprised and more battle ready, but hearing a machine sound so organic so... Young, was like a giant hammer to the face for the Krogan.

When Shepard and the others didn't lower their weapons, his face morphed into distrust. "Now I trust we ain't gonna have to get all nasty with each otha'. I mean we're all sapient creatures here, no need for violence. I'm just a... Well, I'm a big guy made a' metal." He frowned and looked at himself, then them. "That doesn't help does it?"

Shepard shook his head. The robot grimaced, and knelt down, hands in front of him. "Dude, I've been in stasis for a good long while. Your friend over there just brought me out. I was able to sense her suits power scource and draw on it a little, just enough to get me kickin' again, no worries." He laid a hand on his torso, and raised the other one, as if reciting a pledge. "'Bot's honor."

Tali tried to calm down. It was like facing a giant Geth... One that certainly didn't act like a Geth, though. It... His first action had been to try and stop hostilities. The Geth they had been facing would have just shot them, no questions asked. But no matter how hard she tried to rationalize it, the white and blue robot was bringing back every memory of Geth slaughter she had been taught and experienced.

She swallowed, and raised her gun to.

The robot seemed at a loss, finally. He looked at the four in front if him with a pained expression. "Well then, it seems you've forced me to do somethin' I really don' wanna.

The bot stood and... Cleared his throat? "Erm... How did old Rust-butt say it? Oh yeah. Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong," He tried with a hopeful smile, making a series of absurd hand gestures that was impossible to take seriously.

There was silence in the air for a moment as the four looked at him, not quite knowing how to respond to that. They stared at each-other for a minuet, until one sound was heard.

A snigger. Garrus was sniggering, his shoulders shaking slightly and his mandibles vibrating as he tried to hold it in. Caught off-guard, Wrex chuckled, which made Tali start giggling, and Shepard tried to fight down a burst of laughter. Eventually everyone lost their battle and dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"Wh-what the hell was that?!" Shepard managed as he hugged his sides.

The Krogan and Turian were still shaking with mirth behind him, and Tali had her hands over her speech-light, trying not to loose it completely. Never, not once in her life, had she expected something so ridiculous to come out of a synthetic, especially one such as the giant white mech in front of her.

The robot rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, embarrassed. "It's supposed to be a Universal Greeting. Apparently it's just an only drill Sergeant wanting to see his cadets make fools of themselves." He said good-naturedly.

When they calmed down they looked up at the giant bot, who just raised his hands peafully. "Look, ya'll. I'm Jazz," he knelt again, and offered a large hand to them, which none of them really quite knew what to do with.

Seeing this, he retracted the limb awkwardly. "I can see there's some issues here, but what do ya say we act like calm, rational beings and see where we stand before we go puttin' holes in each other."

Shepard blinked. This was a first for him. He enountered something big, new, and possibly quite powerful... And he wanted a chat. 'Jazz' looked at them all with a grin, and shifted to face Tali. The small Quarian froze, but didn't make any other movement. Momentarily afraid that he would hurt her, Shepard started forwards, but he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was Garrus. The blue-painted Turian shook his head with a look that said 'don't piss off the big thing made of metal'. Shepard scowled, but nodded, and turned back around to see what was happening.

"I owe ya my life 'gal." Jazz said, smiling. "If you guys hadn't a' come along when ya did, I mighta entered permanent stasis." Tali herself was a bit frozen as the giant mech kneeled in front of her.

She studied him for a moment, her yes scanning him from visor to heel-strut. "You don't have any affiliation with the Geth, do you?" She asked hesitantly. At this point, she knew it was a stupid question, but she had to ask.

"Geth?" Jazz asked, confused. He shook his head, still smiling. The genuine surprise in his voice calmed the group a little. This wasn't any Geth, or other simple synthetic they were facing. There was something... Alive about him

"What's a... Geth?" He continued, scratching the top of his head. "I'm an... Auto... Bot..." He trailed off as he looked into the distance. Something was approaching on the horizon, kicking up dust in its wake.

Jazz stood up, taking a few steps towards the approaching figure. "Ya'll stay behind me," he said. "If that's who I think it is, I don't want 'ya getting underfoot. At my size, that could be bad for ya' health."

They didn't have times before his hands transformed into a pair of Subsonic Repeaters. The mech's face had turned from cool and laid back to a look of utter seriousness. He raised his weapons at the figure in the distance.

As it came closer, the mech seemed to get edgier. The organics at his feet got nervous as well. They all kept a tighter grip on his weapons, and leveled them at the approaching shape.

It was a tank. A floating tank, painted gunmetal grey with red highlights, purple lights and a multitude of cruel looking spikes. "Friend of yours?" Garrus asked.

Jazz shook his head. "Naw, I only go' one friend who's a tank. And he's a lot nicer lookin'." Suddenly a look of shock came across his face. "Ohhhh... Scrap, I think I know who that is."

He began backing up a bit, and the organics behind him followed suit as the tank got within ten feet and transformed. The fighting transport had quickly turned into the Decepticon warlord, with his insignia glowing on his chest.

"Autobot!" Megatron thundered with malicious glee, leveling his fusion cannon. His voice was more hoarse than Jazz remembered it, bit it didn't make the 'Con any less intimidating. "Prepare to join your brethren in the Allspark!"