Should I be starting a new multi-chapter story when I still have one unfinished to be working on? Maybe not, but here I am!

Couple things to clarify before we get started: I started work on this series years ago, well before Starscream reappeared in RiD. Since I haven't seen that series and don't really want to, anything established as canon there doesn't apply here. Additionally, while I've modified the Exodus novel for backstory, the latter two books are largely ignored, save for possible references to major events.

Very special thanks goes to grayseeker for her help in figuring out the title, writing the summary, and generally being willing to spend countless hours brainstorming ideas for the entire series. You're amazing, my friend.

And now, without further ado, welcome to Uroboros.

Recognizable scenes throughout the story are adapted from Exodus or Transformers: Prime. In the case of Exodus, no part of the text has been directly quoted except dialogue.

::Do you understand the plan?::

"It's not exactly complicated."

::Which is why it pays to make sure. The simplest plans are the most easily fouled by overconfidence.::

Starscream didn't bother to respond to the voice filtering through his comm unit. Silence would convey his irritation well enough.

He stepped quietly across the darkened sitting room to stand by a wide window through which moonlight fell, folding his arms as he stared out over Iacon. He liked the city at night, when the graceful arches and towering spires were thrown into sharp relief by silver light and deep shadows. But beautiful as it was, he knew corruption lay just below the surface, like rust under an armor plate.

::Starscream-::

"Megatron," Starscream interrupted the impatient voice with a soft hiss, "I didn't get where I am by being incapable. I know my role. Allow me to fulfill it."

There was a low growl from the other end of the connection. ::You might be capable, but you have yet to prove yourself trustworthy.::

Starscream glanced over his shoulder, to the ornate berthroom door separating him from the recharging Prime. He often checked in with the Seekers under his command at night, so Sentinel probably wouldn't pay attention even if he was awake to hear, but Starscream still kept his voice down. "I don't see what you're so worried about. Even if the plan goes wrong, you'll have your demonstration of power. I will be the one to suffer the consequences of betraying the Prime."

::Is it really betrayal to claim your freedom from one who would enslave your entire race if he could? You owe him nothing, least of all your loyalty.::

"I'm sure that would go over well with the Council if I were to be tried for treason." Megatron started to reply, but Starscream kept talking. "All you stand to lose is an advantage. I'm placing my life on the line. If you won't trust me, then at least trust that I have no desire to see this fail."

Megatron chuckled. ::A little dramatic for such a simple operation, don't you think?::

"You're the one worried about success."

::And you aren't worried at all?::

Now it was Starscream's turn to laugh. "Sentinel Prime is in recharge mere mechanometers from where I stand. I could kill him right now if I wanted to, but he knows I won't. He would never dream that I'd turn on him."

::How very foolish.:: Megatron sounded thoughtful, though it was hard to tell if he was referring to Sentinel's trust or Starscream's failure to take the opportunity presented. ::So be it, then. I will leave his removal to you. But Starscream.:: His tone hardened. ::If I find out you've been deceiving me this entire time, you'll wish you had ended up before the Council.::

The connection cut. Starscream rolled his optics. Typical Megatron, always making sure he had the last word. Threats, whether subtle or overt, were equally expected after orns of communication. He returned his attention to the skyline, brows lowered in thought.

From the first time Megatron contacted him, Starscream had known he was playing a dangerous game. Not because he failed to tell his superiors that a self-proclaimed revolutionary was trying to recruit the Seekers - though getting caught was certainly a concern - but because the revolutionary himself was dangerous. If Starscream had tried to tell anyone, he was sure he would have fallen victim to an unfortunate accident soon after. Assuming he wasn't assassinated outright. He was among the highest ranking Seekers and spent the majority of his time in close proximity to the Prime, which made him too dangerous to be left alive if he decided he didn't want to go along with Megatron's scheming. Thus cornered, and pleased by the idea that Megatron was taking a risk in approaching him, Starscream kept their conversations to himself.

He could have refused involvement and pretended that first call never happened, of course. But he'd known even then that whatever came next, all of Cybertron would soon be involved. Better to dig out a place for himself as soon as possible.

Beyond outlining his intentions for the Seekers in his plans, Megatron said little of interest. At least, not with words. But his mannerisms and the effortless way he had forced Starscream to go along with him said a great deal. He was angry, full of hate for the upper classes, and willing to use force to create change. Smart enough to manipulate others and keep information to himself, but prone to grandstanding. The dramatic approach was likely picked up from the gladiatorial arena, and there was no doubt of its effectiveness in rousing the masses, but Starscream wasn't impressed.

Still, Megatron's vision for Cybertron was intriguing. It had been a long time since Starscream realized he didn't have to go along with what others wanted of him, but the idea of change on a societal level was one he had never given serious thought to. If bots were so set in their ways that even the discontented ones made no effort to improve their situations, that was their problem, not his. But now, after seeing that they could, in fact, be roused from their stupors and encouraged to make more of themselves when given the proper incentive…

Now Starscream was thinking.

He tilted his head back, turning his attention from the city below to the stars above. Space had always called to him. He didn't know if all Seekers capable of space flight felt the same or if it was just him, but the yearning was there regardless. He wanted to know what else the universe held. Wanted to lead the rest of Cybertron out into the universe, and rekindle the adventurous spirit their ancestors had possessed.

Now, for the first time, he had a chance to see that dream become reality. So he would go through with Megatron's plan. Not to prove his commitment to the Decepticons, but because it would get him out from under Sentinel's thumb, and give him the freedom to make his own plans for the future.

For now, those plans necessitated an alliance with Megatron. Starscream had no interest in war, but he was interested in making sure Cybertron survived if war was what it came to, and the best way to do that was to be close to the one most likely to destroy it.

He smiled to himself. A dangerous game indeed. But one Starscream intended to win.

The plan had worked flawlessly. Starscream got no satisfaction from it, though - taking Sentinel captive during the Decepticon attack on Altihex had been no challenge at all. The fool honestly thought Starscream had left to get help.

Perhaps if he had at least attempted to fight the invaders before retreating, Starscream would feel less contempt for him now. But as he left the civilized regions of Cybertron behind on his way to meet with Megatron, thoughts of his now-former leader only filled him with disgust. He shoved them from his mind and flew lower to survey the broken landscape.

The Badlands were aptly named. They resembled an industrial site that had been bombed, rebuilt on top of the rubble, then bombed again. It was hard to tell if the fallen structures had originally been built around the deep canyons and jagged ridges cutting across the landscape, or if the wounds were the result of whatever disaster led to the area's ruin. The sickly scent of rust hung in the air, and even from the sky he could see the dark dust coating the ground, the roads marked only by the trails left by grounder altmodes.

He resented being called into Megatron's domain for their first face to face meeting. Neutral territory would have been preferable. But he could understand the reasoning behind it: as soon as Starscream's followers became aware of what was going on, Megatron could no longer dispose of him without losing the Seekers' support. Now that the balance of power had shifted at last, Megatron sought to off-balance him, to keep control of their interactions by any means possible. Which meant he considered Starscream a potential threat.

Megatron was smarter than Sentinel. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

Starscream reduced his speed as he neared the coordinates he'd been given, scanning the area for signs of life. His sensors picked up only one signal, but he wasn't ready to relax. Megatron was a gladiator, no matter what he now called himself, and physical power wasn't something Starscream was gifted with. If things went wrong, his best course of action would be to flee.

The thought was reinforced a few moments later, when he caught sight of a pale shape near the edge of a crevasse. Megatron was one of the largest mechs he'd ever seen, powerfully built and well balanced. Not the kind of bot Starscream would want to face head on. He transformed a short distance away, wings flared in an effort to look bigger as he approached the cliff.

"The operation at Altihex went well," Megatron said by way of greeting. "You played your part perfectly."

This from the one who'd been worrying about success. Starscream waved a dismissive hand, passing Megatron to stand right on the edge of the cliff. "It was an easy part to play," he replied absently, gaze moving to the sky. "I have been close to Sentinel Prime in a protective capacity for some time."

There was a flicker of silver on the edge of his vision as Megatron moved to stand beside him. "Altihex is ours. Now every Cybertronian knows that the Decepticons are a force to be reckoned with, and that our opposition is weak, disorganized, and unwilling to resist. When the new history of Cybertron is written, I am the one who will write it. What part do you want to play?"

Starscream chuckled. "You cannot threaten me, Megatron. If you want a war, you might get it. But if you want to win a war, you're going to need me and my forces. The Council will deploy plenty of air power, and right now you've got a bunch of gladiators who don't know any more about high-altitude combat than they do about the chemistry of star formation."

He made no effort to keep the contempt out of his voice. After a few moments Megatron hummed. "A standoff, then. Fair enough. I can leave now, and you can make your own choice. But I warn you: the next time we see each other the offer may not be the same."

Starscream cast a sidelong glance up at Megatron, gaging his response as he said, "What I will do is go to Trypticon Station."

"Trypticon?" Megatron repeated, sending a similarly searching glance Starscream's way. "And what will you do when you get there?"

Starscream was pleased by the lack of comprehension, but he kept his voice casual when he replied. "Protect it. There is much on Trypticon that would be dangerous for Cybertron-" another sidelong glance "-if it fell into the wrong hands."

Megatron turned to face him fully, expression dark, and Starscream mirrored the movement. "And you suggest that my hands are the wrong ones?"

"I suggest that Cybertron needs change, but that it does not need annihilation. I will watch over Trypticon to make sure one does not lead to the other."

Megatron wanted to attack him. Starscream easily recognized the signs of a mech who was barely holding his rage in check. But he kept himself still, refusing to back down, and after several kliks Megatron's clenched fists opened stiffly. "I will ask you plainly. Starscream, are you with us?"

Starscream offered a humorless smile. "I'm not against you, Megatron. I don't think I'll say more than that. The Council might yet be listening."

"Still hedging your bets? That's a good way to lose no matter what happens. The High Council would never imagine that a low-caste gladiator could have any ambition beyond the next battle."

"Holding a grudge still?" Starscream countered. He shook his head pityingly. "Megatron, if you are going to fight you must fight with a clear head. Most Cybertronians - even the ones who disagree with you - don't care one way or another about the caste system. Would you set them against you because they don't share your obsession?"

"I would set the universe against me if it meant the lines were clear," Megatron growled. "Beware, Starscream, that you do not find yourself on the wrong side of that line."

He backflipped away, transforming in mid air. Starscream watched him go through narrowed optics. It seemed he had been right in his evaluation of the threat Megatron posed, not just to him, but to Cybertron as a whole. It also seemed that he was incapable of thinking in anything other than the black-and-white, life or death terms of the arena, and if that was true, Starscream had an important advantage.

All or nothing mindsets were for the followers who did what they were told without question, not for the leaders who had to consider variables and negotiate with other leaders. Starscream had spent longer than he cared to remember standing at Sentinel's shoulder during Council meetings, watching the heated debates and political maneuverings with rapt interest. He had come to understand the value of compromise, win-win situations and throwing some fights to procure a better position for others. Things Megatron, by all appearances, did not understand. If Starscream could use that to his advantage, it should be easy to establish good relations with the Decepticons without officially joining their ranks.

Starscream turned back to the sky, optics narrowed. He had only just escaped the control of one dictator. He had no intention of meekly placing himself, or his Seekers, in the clutches of another.

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter! To avoid confusion, this story will alternate between past and present, with next chapter being set in the present. I already have several chapters written, so updates will come every week until I run out.