Starscream smuggled his sons into his room, smiling down at the Seekerlings. "Mama's gone on a patrol, little ones," he purrs. "You have to be quiet with me, okay?" He soothed their whimpers as they were set on his berth. "It's nicer than Mama's, huh? Since your daddy's second-in-command, I get better things than the lower ranking officers." He sat down beside the runt, Firefall.
He blinked red optics up at his father and squeaked, giving him a big denta-less smile. "Hai, Dada!"
The Seeker's wings trembled with pride and he picked his son up, petting his helm as the speakers in his room and in the halls chimed.
"Attention, all Decepticons. The Autobot Crystal has died today."
Starscream looked up in at the speakers in surprise. It had been a long time since an Autobot has died, naturally or by the servo of a Decepticon. He set the sparkling down and he walked out into the hall where the other Decepticons were murmuring skeptically.
"Hard to believe that that femme died," one said loud enough for Starscream to hear. "She was Prime's mate. Wonder if she got Cybonic Plague."
"Who was she?" Starscream heard another ask.
"She was a blue armored femme who seemed to be attached to Prime at the hip. She was found, according to rumor, in the same woods Nightshade was found."
Silence's voice from behind the listening Seeker spooked him. "It's just a rumor. Don't believe every story a mech whispers into your audio." She was holding the servos of her twin sons, Dreadwing and Skyquake.
"How do you know, Silence? You're the newest one on the Nemesis. How could you possibly know our rumors and stories?"
"When you say them loud enough for everyone to hear, you shouldn't be surprised when someone pitches in their ideas."
The mech grunted. "So what do you think?"
"I think that Crystal was born in a different forest than Nightshade, or born in a clearing with a couple trees. The Autobots are so stupid, her mother probably gave birth to her under an apple tree and said she was born in a forest."
Laughter broke out among the troops and some even nodded.
"And if she's dead? Who knows." Her voice sounded strained now to Starscream. "Now I have one less Autobot to gut out."

After the excitement of the dead femme died down, Starscream met up with Nightshade in the woods outside the Nemesis. It had not moved for a months now since the Energon deposit they were over was more extensive than they had previously thought. This forest was rich with their fuel source. They would not leave for another three months if they continued to find such large deposits.
"I was just thinking about the femme and if she's really dead," she whispered, as if she heard Starscream coming.
"She probably isn't. It's been a while since we've killed an Autobot." He hugged her hips. "What does she matter to you?"
She sighed, leaning against him. "She could be my sister," she whispered. "I found out about her recently and we don't remember a lot, but our stories are similiar and, well..."
"You listened to an Autobot? Do you know how many stories they make up every day to scare their sparklings into their faction?"
She nodded a bit. "I guess you're right. I put too much stock into what she was saying."
They flinched when they heard a sorrowful roar.
"NO!"
"That sounded like Optimus," Starscream said. He led Nightshade towards the screaming, curious. They watched as the Prime held onto a pale blue body while Ultra Magnus dug in the dirt. Ratchet tried to soothe the Prime while the forest seemed filled with Prime and Crystal look-alikes.
"How many kids did they have?" Starscream growled under his breath as he counted them up. He lost track after twelve. They all started to move and surround their father and dead mother.
Nightshade gasped and covered her mouth. Crystal had been gutted while she was alive. Her optics were wide open before Ratchet closed them. Ultra Magnus lowered her into the ground, the others holding Prime back. To ensure that the Prime would not dig her back up, the Wreckers pushed a large boulder over her grave and marked it with her name and the date.
"It was too soon, Primus! Too soon!" Optimus howled and shoved the warriors that held him back. He tried to push the boulder off, but it had taken six mechs to roll it over. Prime did not have the power of six mechs. He exhausted himself, then sunk to his belly and mewed like a lost sparkling for his mate.
"He's ruined," Starscream whispered to Nightshade, but she had moved on. "Nightshade, we have the advantage! Prime is done and they have two less Autobots that can fight."
"It's not right," she hissed. "They give us two days to recover each time we lose a mech. Remember when Cloudburst died? Optimus gave us Energon and his condolences. He loses his mate and you want to attack them right away?"
"You actually believe Crystal is your sister."
"I do!" She growled at him and ran back to the Nemesis.

Starscream laid in his berth, staring up at the ceiling as he sighed. Nightshade had taken the sparklings back as soon as she got on board and hissed at him as her door slammed. He decided he would wait for her to come around so they could reconcile. When his door opened, he expected Nightshade, but had the shock of his life when he saw Megatron eyeing him. "Lord Megatron..."
"Starscream," he said.
Before the Seeker could protest, the warlord as on him and he could do nothing but lay with a servo clamped over his mouth.
When Megatron was finished with him, he let the Seeker up. "You will be my pet, Starscream. Congratulations. It is a great honor."
The stinging Starscream felt seemed to be the opposite of an honor, but the Seeker did not dare complain.

It became a regular thing for Starscream. He would patrol with Megatron every morning or so and the warlord would follow the Seeker to his quarters where he was laid on his belly and the larger mech would take him. Then the warlord got up and left him to clean up the mess. Nightshade was the only warrior that knew what was happening to him and she would help clean him up.
She looked up from applying ointment to his valve. He looked away, ashamed. "It's not your fault," she whispered. "He's abusing you."
"He's the warlord. I'm second-in-command. I cannot object." He hugged his knees and whimpered. "I wish when he did that, he'd do it to show he loves me...the way I love him." There. He said it. The secret was out. He was in love with the warlord. And now Nightshade, the femme he got pregnant, knew.
She just blinked her purple optics knowingly and stood, wiping her servos. "Then tell him next time he takes you. Maybe he will be gentler." She kissed his helm, smiling when he pulled her into a kiss.
"Thank you, Nightshade."
She touched his cheek. "Any time, my Seeker." She left him to rest and she blew him a kiss before the door closed between them.