The shock fades and Drift's jaw tenses. He shakes his head adamantly. "I wouldn't take no for an answer, Ratchet. He tried to stop me. I told him what he needed to do."

Somebody sure does love taking sole responsibility for things that aren't entirely his fault. Knowing about the vote, though -- that stings, because even Drift is clear-sighted enough to see that that had to have been more about Rodimus's ego than anything else. Drift had told him how important it was that he stay, that he see things through. Maybe that hadn't been enough for him. Maybe he'd felt too burdened with guilt, or...something.

"I can't pretend to know what was on Rodimus's mind when he called for a vote," Drift says evenly, absently clenching a hand around one sword hilt. "But this was never about fairness, Ratchet. It was about doing what was best for the crew. And I still believe it was the right thing to do. That the crew still wants him in place now, months after it happened, that's good -- but how do you think everyone would have reacted if the whole story had come out right after? When everyone was still feeling raw, when we were still holding funerals? The ship would have fallen apart, Ratchet. We would have failed."