Starscream generally didn't get much time for peaceful thinking. Often, he had to give orders, separate a fight or two, make plans and lead a raid.
But know, in this massive mountainous plain, he had time to think.
And what a place to think. He was sat upon a massive hill, overlooking massive plains, decorated with golden grasses and an occasional lake, flaring in the setting sun, the star red under the atmospheric layer, barely showing through the great mountains. This was a secluded area, where he could be in robot form without fear of discovery from the insects. A perfect place to think.
And what was he thinking about?
Why, his troops.
At the nearest lake, at least 156.78 metres away, his troops were relaxing as well.
Brawl was taking run-ups and leaping into the lake, creating monstrous splashes. Barricade was sitting on the shore nearby, laughing at the tank's antics. Blackout was in his vehicle mode, recharging or something. Bonecrusher had uprooted a thick tree and was holding it casually, saying something to Barricade, whom nodded in agreement to whatever the buffalo said. Seeing the cruiser pick up a large boulder and throwing it at the buffalo, whom swatted it away with the tree, Starscream guessed they were replicating the human sport called........ baseball?
Starscream watched them at their antics with an expression that combined fondness, curiosity and contemplation.
When he had first assembled this team to find the Allspark (And Megatron, as Blackout always reminded him) he had seen them as nothing more then servants, pawns, easily disposed of.
But now-
A sharp chirp from his side enlightened him to the presence of Scorponok, Blackout's symbiotic drone.
"Scorponok." Starscream acknowledged in his sharp voice. "You are here to keep me company?"
The drone nodded slowly, before settling down next to the jet.
"I suppose I could talk of my problems to you, Scorponok." Starscream mused, idly trailing a claw down the scorpions back.
"My problems. Well, first off, I don't see any of you as pawns anymore. I suppose I have gone against my own code in doing that. Getting close to others. But of course, when you have been together with others as long as we have, you start to see them as more then just others. I suppose, dare I say it, that I might consider them..... family."
Scorponok looked on, waiting for the jet to continue.
"Let's start with you, Scorponok." Starscream said. "You are easily the "pet" of the group. You do as you are told, you are loyal, approachable and do not think of anything higher then simple loyalty to your master. You are the pet, the one that can always be relied on, that listens."
Had he not been too absorbed in his speech, Starscream may have noticed the other Decepticons gather around Blackout.
"Your master. I suppose I could say that he is the most disobedient, stuck-up, annoying, unfaithful bastard that I have ever met. He always tries to overrule me, constantly going on about his stupid faith in Megatron.......... And yet, I can't imagine without him. Despite our hatred, we respect each other. He assists me in leadership matters, tactical matters. He can always be counted on to remain calm no matter what. I suppose he could be a good leader if he wanted to. In that way, I consider him the......... uncle. The person not related or interested in us, but is still here, still helping. And I respect him for that.
Barricade is sarcastic, rude, annoying, snide and always plotting something. He has made it clear on his true loyalties, and his disdain for my leadership. But what are we without him? He is our best scout. He can find out anything, find anything, no matter where or what it is. He can be counted on, is reliable, is competent. He knows how to get things, how to find the invisible. He can assist on almost any mission. He is........ a sibling. One whom is naturally argumentative with you, but someone you can count on.
Brawl. My younger sibling. Childish, un-learned, laid back, cocky. But reliable, strong, helpful. He keeps our spirits up with his humour, his constant bets. Some say he is stupid. I am inclined to agree. But just because he has all the processor power of a toaster, doesn't mean he is truly stupid. He knows what to do to cheer you up. Funny. Most would say he only knows the art of destroying everything. But he is more then a tank. He is my younger sibling, the one whom is childish and stupid, but faithful and proud.
Bonecrusher is a whole other story. He is cruel, hateful, uncaring for anything, sarcastic, always complaining. In fact, sometimes I wonder if complaining is all he can do. No, I wonder if hatred is all he is. Yet, he has a.......... quality. He is a fine medic. For someone so hateful as he, he still learns the ways of medicine. I believe that is because he suffers from self-hatred. He hates himself, despises himself. So, he heals others, to make them better, while he is never better. He is smart, strong, a great warrior, a brilliant tactician. He knows which attack would deal the most damage on which target. He is one selfish bastard, but is irreplaceable. He's the cousin that always had problems, yet helps others with their problems. Whatever I may say about him, he is the cousin we never want rid of.
And Frenzy. Another kid brother. Chatty, hyperactive, cocky, too big for his servos. I think his voice is annoying, and he never shuts up. Yet, he is a genius. I take pride in my intelligence, Scorponok, but that is almost nothing compared to Frenzy. He knows practically everything. A master hacker, an agile fighter, a sneaky little spy. Like Brawl, he keeps our spirits up with his jokes and his banter. For all his annoyances, he is caring, willing to help no matter how big the task and can be counted on. A kid brother, a child prodigy. He'll probably be the death of himself, but he'll make sure to go out in style, because he wants respect, remembrance. I would remember him.
And then, there is me. From what the others tell me, I am traitorous, self-serving, selfish, egomaniacal, a fool who only leads for the sake of power, rather then the good of our kind. But then, they tell me I have my good parts. They tell me I am a fast thinker, an intelligent bot, a good fighter, someone who always has some ambition for the future. I only want the survival of our kind. I want to be the one who saves us. So, I am selfish and that, because I want to succeed and make everything right. A hero on the wrong side, some might say. Megatron wants destruction, Optimus wants peace. So different in their goals. I say, go for in-between. Be peaceful, be strong. Firm, but fair. Like they used to be. I wan that back. I want Cybertron to be it's great self again."
Starscream finally paused in his long speech and sighed. "What am I in our family? Should I refer to us as that? Are we merely a group? I do not know. But in this family, I might say I am........ the dad. I want us to do good, I want us to succeed. I will mourn if a brother, an uncle, a nephew are lost. I can be selfish, uncaring, sarcastic, cruel, but in the end, I only want us to succeed, to live happily ever after, I suppose."
"You know, that was the nicest stuff you've ever spewed out, Starscream."
The Seeker jumped to his feet in shock, to see his troops standing in front of him, all of them looking amused.
"Screamer, you are a traitorous bitch-" Blackout said.
"-Selfish, uncaring, egomaniacal-" Barricade continued
"-A pain in the exhaust pipes-" Bonecrusher grumbled.
"-A right wacko-" Brawl sneered.
"-Jerk-" Frenzy piped up.
Before Starscream could retaliate to these words, Blackout continued:
"-But you respect us, want us to do good-"
"-You're willing to be ambitious for all of us-" Barricade said
"-You're willing to bear the responsibilities and suffer the pressures for us-" Bonecrusher growled
"-You really do care, under that smug layer-" Brawl sniggered
"-A good guy-" Frenzy added
"-And we wouldn't want you any other way, Screamer." Blackout chuckled.
Starscream supposed he should be made on the fact that Scorponok had been transmitting his conversation to Blackout, but he didn't care. In fact, he smirked.
"Let us succeed, Decepticons. To a golden future."
The other Decepticons nodded, while Bonecrusher piped up:
"If you femmes try for a group hug, I swear I'll kill you."
Author's Notes: Aw, 'Crusher. We know you care XD
I kinda wondered how Screamer might see his loyal little band. So, this popped up. Might be OOC, but hey, you can only do your best.
Hoped you guys liked it!