Chapter One
Truly, the indigenous lifeforms of this planet were convoluted, Starscream mused. Case in point, he considered the name they bestowed to the landmass he flew over. More than 75% of the surface was covered in ice, yet the fleshings called this place 'Greenland.' In fact, little green existed anywhere here. The Decepticon idly scanned for the color as he patrolled, compiling a ratio of occurrence between green and other colors present to pass his time. The results did not impress him.
As he circled toward the west coast, he strayed within a few miles of one of the human's scientific stations. The weather was clear – as it had been on Starscream's other flybys – and he wondered if the 'observation outpost' would 'observe' him. His alt-form, even if they couldn't see his Decepticon tattoos, should stand out here. They had failed to notice him repeatedly, and he grew more frustrated as time passed. But these were the same creatures that named an icy wasteland 'Greenland,' so he resigned himself to be patient.
Starscream left the scientists behind – the station still showing a discouraging lack of activity to his presence – and approached the west coast. Most of the human settlements clung to the coast, away from the prevalent ice. These creatures, while greater in number than the few scattered scientists, appeared more socially isolated. That did not mean, however, that they would be unable to serve his purposes. He just had to convince them to, without them knowing it. And of course, without Megatron or Soundwave, the latter endlessly watching and reporting from above, knowing. No one was better at subterfuge than Starscream.
He flew parallel to the coast, but just within the humans visual range. Adjusting his sensors to maximum range, Starscream recorded his scans for later. Megatron always wanted proof that he loyally followed orders. Starscream silently chuckled at the thought. Oh yes, he was monitoring for Autobots, just not like this. He thrived in the sky. That was no secret. So when he set up his own private sensor network, he hid it underground, well away from his native element. Soundwave, spymaster that he was, had his mini-cons everywhere. Starscream's system was primitive by comparison. But the others, Autobot or Decepticon, would not expect it. The tiny sensors nodes, placed near all the human ports and landing zones, had one function: to detect energon signatures. Starscream would continue his patrol, as Megatron ordered. But he hardly monitored them. His tiny drones would alert him to any arrivals.
Soundwave, Starscream opened at channel with the orbiting bot.
Yes, Starscream?
Report.
Starscream ignored the spymaster as he droned on, reciting current Decepticon locations and projects. He didn't care. But ever since Megatron had dragged them up to this frigid land – and he had begun laying his own plans – he made a point to check in with Soundwave at irregular intervals. Since his sensors did not distinguish between an Autobot or Decepticon, when they did trigger, he needed to confirm none of the Decepticons were responsible for setting them off. He wanted the other Cybertronian accustomed to responding at a moment's notice. He couldn't afford a false alarm.
As Soundwave finished his report, Starscream snapped the channel closed without a word. Let the other bot think what he wanted. The spymaster was unwittingly complicating the Starscream's plan. Soundwave inhabited a major intelligence gathering satellite. And what he didn't directly monitor, he could easily hack into. The humans regularly used those satellites to search for Decepticon signatures, and images of strange vehicles in places they should not be: like a F-22 Raptor patrolling Greenland. Soundwave distorted those images, or completely altered them to mask the Decepticon presence. Without the orbiting bot's interference, the humans, and by extension the Autobots, would have seen him by now. Instead, he was reduced to pretending to avoid human settlements.
Starscream finished his faux patrol and circled toward the gigantic glacier that covered most of Greenland. He flew over a hundred miles inland before banking sharply into an ice canyon. Darting around ragged walls, he dived and spun towards the ground. At the last instant before impact, he transformed, impacting deep into the ice. He strode toward the figure awaiting him.
"Stop showing off," Megatron's voice echoed through the canyon.
"My apologies, my Lord Megatron. That was not my intention. I felt it necessary, in case our opponents have discovered some new way of tracking us. Something, perhaps, that Soundwave has not discovered. It would be better to disappear suddenly, and completely," Starscream lied, both about the possibility of being tracked, and about showing off. He couldn't help but to throw in the suggestion of incompetence on Soundwave's part.
Megatron stalked forward in slow, measured steps. The Decepticon leader still bore several wounds from his last, fateful battle with Optimus Prime. A gash rent Megatron's face plates almost in two. Several chains – stolen from fleshlings, of all things – held his battered body together. The once proud Cybertronian had fallen far from his former glory. It took all of Starscream's self-control not to scoff at the pathetic specimen. Behind him, a serpentine neck lashed forward, metallic wings flashing overhead. Starscream spared a quick glare at Soundwave's mini-con, Laserbeak.
"So, thinking to cover your trail, you 'disappear' right at my feet? If the Autobots are following you, where precisely do you think they'll start looking?" Megatron's voice rose steadily. Shards of ice shuddered and fell off the walls.
"Not here, my lord."
"Indeed. How do you come to that conclusion?"
"This canyon spreads several miles in both directions, my lord, with multiple junctures into other canyons or caverns. Any of those I could easy traverse to, and quickly as well, without breaking cover. Our enemies would expect me to misdirect them, even backtrack. They would begin their search at possible locations far from here, that I could reach while still hidden from view. And we would detect any such effort long before it approached us." Starscream bowed before his looming master. "Besides, this is all theoretical. It was only a precautionary measure. My lord."
Starscream kept his visage lowered. As this planet's organic lifeforms counted time, only a few moments passed. But to Cybertronians, who could process thousands of functions in an instant, those moments were an eternity.
A metal hand crashed into Starscream's back, forcing him to the ground. Fingers crushed into his delicate inner circuitry. Starscream bit back a startled, pained screech.
"Do I have you attention? I want us to understand each other." Megatron twisted his hand slightly.
"Yes, master," Starscream bit out. He held himself still. Any movement caused his volatile leader to tighten his grip.
"Excellent. You are here to serve me. You are not here to theorize. You are not here to decide what chances to take. And you are not here to drop down directly on our base with any chance of Autobot surveillance on you! You exist to serve. Cease serving me, and you will cease to exist. Does. This. Equation. Compute?"
"Yes. Master."
"Very good, Starscream. I had faith you could handle even simple equations given the proper … incentive." Megatron tightened his fingers one last time, then released his subordinate. He strode away. "Now, after careful consideration, wouldn't it have been easier to tell the truth, and admit you were showing off?"
Starscream shot a venomous glare at Megatron's retreating back. He carefully monitored his voice, keeping it proper and respectful. "Yes, my lord."
This little display was all about control. Megatron needed it, craved it. And Starscream would let him continue his delusion. He would play the submissive pawn in whatever plan Megatron contrived – which currently seemed to include sitting in an ice cave, sulking. The others still believed 'the great Lord Megatron' would rise again. Starscream knew better. Their leader was done, and had been since the Fallen had perished. He needed the others to realize this. They would. And then, Starscream would lead.
But first, the Autobots needed to take his bait.
Author's Note: Starscream in the movies always seemed too compliant to me. Where was his famous back stabbing, his grabs for power? I'd just finished reading the novel Transformers: Exodus (in which Starscream is a strong, devious character, someone I could see being the second in command of the Decepticons) when I saw Dark of the Moon. Remembering that book's Starscream, I tried to imagine how he'd react to the current Megatron, and why he would be acting the way he was. It had to be an act, of course. So, this story was born. I tried to stay as cannon as possible to the movies. This takes place approximately one year after Revenge of the Fallen. Soundwave is still in orbit. Although I don't remember if it was stated in the movie, I'm assuming Laserbeak is part of Soundwave's cadre. Laserbeak is the only Dark of the Moon character that appears in this story.