At Optimus Prime's request, the Torchbearers form Victorion and stand ready for whatever threat might emerge from the gigantic spaceship that has arrived. Fortunately, the occupants of the vessel turn out to be the cheerful Junkions, whose leaders Wreck-Gar and Rum-Maj explain that they have come to Earth in hopes of trading their technological secrets for Ore-13 they can use to rebuild their destroyed world. Optimus Prime is hesitant to enter into any deals, believing that Junkion technology is of no use to Cybertronians, and that sharing it with Earth would be a further breach of the Tyrest Accord. Rum-Maj asks if Prime actually even speaks on behalf of the planet, and before Prime can give a proper answer, some real Earth representatives turn up in the form of a G.I. Joe unit led by Zilong Qian (codename "Talon"). When a curious Wreck-Gar grabs hold of their Sky Hawk, the Joes retaliate by opening fire, blasting Wreck-Gar to pieces... but he's perfectly fine, his head continuing to chat merrily as Junkion "operators" rebuild his body. Talon orders the Transformers to withdraw, and Optimus and Rum-Maj both agree to reconvene at another time.

Flashback: Four million years in the past, Orion Pax arrests Jetfire following the scientist's attempt on his life and drags him to police headquarters to meet with Orion's old acquaintance Prowl. Now driving a desk rather than pounding a beat, Prowl has no interest in helping Pax investigate Hefter's death... until Pax explains that he wants to investigate corruption in the system. Having already dealt with such problems during his time under Sentinel Prime, Prowl is a great believer in closely monitoring those in power, and agrees to help.

Present: Sky Lynx transports Prime's group back to Autobot City, where the eager young colonist recruits greet them with a flurry of questions about Junkions. Soundwave roars at them to be silent with uncharacteristic anger; after apologizing, he explains that he is the only one present who actually knows who the Junkions are, having been present for a battle that took place on their homeworld early in the war, after Megatron involved them in the conflict. That battle, led on opposing sides by Prowl and Shockwave, resulted in the destruction of the planet, setting the Junkions on the path that has now brought them to Earth. Eager to resolve the situation, Prime decides to invite Rum-Maj and Wreck-Gar to Autobot City to talk.

Down on the Matterhorn, G.I. Joe establishes a base camp to study the Junkions' ship. Spike is unsatisfied with Talon's decision to send the Autobots away, as it means they will now be talking to the Junkions in private, but Talon still remembers with horrific clarity his experiences during the Decepticon invasion of Earth and is determined to keep the matter of defending the planet a human-led concern.

Flashback: Prowl's interrogation of Jetfire starts poorly when a brief fistfight breaks out between the two, but slowly, Prowl manages to convinces the scientist that he and Pax genuinely want to uncover the truth behind Hefter's death. Jetfire admits that nobody ordered him to attack Orion, that it was a move he made on his own, so Prowl asks who told Jetfire about Orion in the first place...

Present: Wreck-Gar and Rum-Maj arrive at Autobot City, though Aileron observes that the two don't seem to be getting along too well. As they are escorted through the city, Wreck-Gar's attention is caught by the medi-bay, where Arcee has been keeping a vigil over Sideswipe as Jetfire tries in vain to repair the spark corrosion that is slowly killing him. Wreck-Gar shocks everyone by revealing that, among their detritus, the Junkions have just the device that will cure Sideswipe: a legendary positron core, unheard of since the days of the Thirteen. It seems, Optimus observes, that the Junkions and the Cybertronians have something to offer one another after all.

The Joes attempt to monitor the Junkions' and Autobots' meeting, but can dete

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