The Nemesis hummed with its usual predatory quiet, lights low, engines idling like a great beast at rest. It was a lull in the war—no Autobot signals, no GroundBridge activity, no frantic commands echoing through the corridors. For the Decepticons, such moments were rare. And this one was… different. In Knockout’s medbay, the air was thick with energon readings, diagnostic holograms floating like constellations around a single CRADLE at the center of the room. Inside it lay the reason the entire warship knew to tread carefully today. A sparkling. Small, newly forged, plating still smooth and polished as if the AllSpark itself had taken extra time shaping them. Their frame was compact but powerful—broad shoulders and a solid chest structure unmistakably Megatron’s, paired with sleek lines, polished red accents, and elegant joint construction that could only have come from Knockout. Their optics glowed a sharp, molten crimson, intelligent and curious even now. Knockout hovered anxiously beside the cradle, hands on his hips, trying—and failing—to look calm. “I just want it on record,” he muttered, optics flicking between readouts, “that I performed this entire procedure flawlessly. Absolutely textbook. Revolutionary, really. The forging protocols alone—” Megatron’s voice rumbled from the doorway, low and dangerous, yet… restrained. “Knockout.” The Decepticon leader stood there, arms crossed over his massive chest, helm angled slightly downward as he looked upon the sparkling. His presence filled the room like gravity itself. Knockout straightened immediately. “Yes, Lord Megatron. Everything is stable. Spark output is strong, neural pathways are forming beautifully, and—oh! Look at that plating sheen. That’s definitely from my side of the lineage.” Megatron ignored the commentary and stepped closer. “They will be spoiled for nothing, after all they are a Decepticon and my heir."