The timid seeker slowly sipped his high grade, rubbing his sore neck cabling and muttering unflatteringly under his breath. It was the evening of a gladiator battle, so the place was packed - filled with overexcited celebrators of the savage event who weren't planning on leaving sober. Not his favorite crowd, but what else was he gonna do?

It had taken him a while to decide how he was to spend what little was left of his pay on. Earlier that day Starscream had just happened to run in to a couple of muggers, who had left him with less than half of what little allowance he had earned that day in his backbreaking labor. Starscream had come from a wealthy family who found his existence a nuisance, and only kept him around for the benefit of slavery. He was often passed around from mech to mech to find work. Despite the sob story, he remained a wistful thinker... which he wasn't entirely certain about in terms of beneficiality either.

He took another sip of his high grade. Damned idiot.

A bubbly cheer erupted from the crowd, followed by a chorus of drunk appraisal. Starscream looked up. They were celebrating the arrival of a new mech, by the looks of it a gladiator. He didn't look up long enough to see whom. In truth, he hardly cared, if at all.

Unable to think of anything better to do, Starscream laced his claws together, arching his shoulders and staring at his elbow-hinges. He felt drowsy. Not from high grade, he was still sober. He'd been unable to sleep the previous night. It had become a recurring issue the day he'd made residence in the roof of an abandoned building.

The seeker was so busy feeling sorry for himself he didn't even stop to think, well gee, this terrible day can't get any worse. He didn't need to, apparently. He was alerted by the sound of scuffling peds, pinpointed in his direction, which on its own was not good. He looked up, working his claws into a tight knot.

The mech was obviously a gladiator. He could tell from the way he walked, a confident, cocky strut, heavily worn armor decorated with dents and burns. Not to mention the fact this guy was towering, broad-shouldered and unrealistically sinewy. His gaze was on the border of warm and cool, not quite welcoming but slightly kind-spirited. Businesslike, Starscream decided. The gladiator wore a charming smile, one that made him oddly uneasy. The most troubling thing about the mech was that he was looking right at him. Leave me alone, Starscream quietly urged, staring over his shoulder in an attempt to look busied. The mech apparently didn't get the message and strode over, light bouncing off his silvery-platinum armor in a cheerful splash.

"Is this seat taken?" The gladiator rumbled, looking the seeker up and down in an apparent analysis.

Starscream wanted to snap at him, but in all honesty, he was afraid of this mech. Not just anyone could be classified a gladiator. This was the kind of mech that could tear his throat out if pushed too far, he noted, respiratory canal tightening at the thought. Devoid of a more suitable reply he offered a small nod. The mech didn't wait to be asked twice and took a seat, resting his arms on the table and observing the seeker thoughtfully.

"So," he began, rolling his shoulders back in a relaxed, dominant gesture. "What brings you here on the eve of this lovely occasion?" He wondered. His use of linguistic etiquette made Starscream even less comfortable.

"None of your business," he replied quickly, stiffening his wings.

"Respectable," the mech replied after some thought. "I apologize if I make you feel... uncomfortable."

No kidding, the timid seeker growled inwardly.

"I'm Megatronus," he announced, a little quickly. Formal name, he noted. Fit for a gladiator. Megatronus looked at him expectantly.

He hesitated. He hesitated at pretty much everything.

"Starscream," he mumbled after some time. Not a very respectable name, he nearly felt obliged to add. If Megatronus had minded at all, he didn't show it.

The gladiator outstretched a servo in what would have been a friendly greeting. Starscream was more interested in those claws... they were literally filed to a precise point. Scary. He cast him an uncertain glance then slowly took his servo, where the gladiator gave his a firm shake.

Starscream didn't really like this mech.

"Would you like some high grade?" He suddenly offered, out-of-the-blue. "I can buy you a cube, if you'd like."

Okay. Maybe he wasn't so bad.

So, Megatronus ended up paying for the beverages, which put Starscream in a slightly better mood. After giving the seeker his promised cube he decided to strike up a conversation, which the mech only found mildly annoying. For this gladiator was one that commanded respect and authority, with such a powerful tone you just had to listen.

"Come here often?" He wondered causally. Starscream knew this tactic, he was trying to soften him up so he could launch into his point with more ease. But the seeker was educated in these conversational strategies.

"Occasionally," he muttered in solemn reply.

Megatronus took his answer into account. He really was interested in what he had to say, which most other mechs would find flattering. He just thought it was creepy.

"I've never seen you around any spectator events," he said thoughtfully.

"I find the duels boring and unnecessary," he snarled. It wasn't like he meant to sound exceptionally rude or hostile, it just came out that way, like a default. Megatronus wasn't even offended by that. Well, if he was, he made no indication of his offense.

"It's not all about fighting," he chimed in. Starscream raised an optic ridge. "It's a very political event. Gladiators - are entrepreneurs. Other mechs listen to us. For obvious reasons," he noted, sort of adjusting to gesture to his figure. "It's not just about the fight. It's about impacting our society."

Okay. So he was an ambassador, of sorts.

"You fight so mechs will pay attention to you?" He wondered.

"Ah - partially. It gives me a solid standing point, an influence. It helps me get my ideas heard." He paused. "Our society is only going downhill. I want to join the council, to help get us back on our peds."

According to his words, he had decent intentions. But you could never be sure.

"First off, I want to equalize our government." He stated. "We can't continue on like this forever, with our citizens so fluctuated. We need a balance of power between all mechs."

Starscream was now fully attentive. This one affected him personally. "What do you think?" Megatronus wondered, full-on politician mode.

"Our idiotic power seperation has to end," Starscream began quietly. "Segregation has put our society into a flux. This seperation needs to end before it becomes a problem."

Megatronus nodded thoughtfully. Starscream felt oddly proud of himself for appealing to the gladiator.

"We could make alot of things better for alot of mechs," he said, almost wistfully. "The Utopia our lordship Unicron always imagined."

Starscream looked over. "Wait, don't you mean..."

Megatronus looked curiously at the seeker. Starscream shut his trap. He wasn't a very... well... religious mech, but everyone knew the stories. Surely the gladiator meant Primus. But then again, the way he looked at him with such confidence and esteem, and that fiery light in his optics that hinted something much, much worse, deep beneath his battle worn armor. But this gladiator was respectable, inspiring... damn, even his charisma was intriguing.

"I want to join the high council," he added. "I want them to make me a Prime."

So, the Unicron follower wanted to be a Prime. The irony. But Megatronus had willpower, and the fierce fire in his optics reflected a dark soul. He was very ambitious. But there was apparently much, much more the gladiator was hiding. He didn't want justice, he wanted revenge. Starscream was starting to like him.

"Utopia, huh?" Starscream wondered, still timid. "How so?"

"Have you ever wished," he began, locking gazes. "That one day, you'd be able to make everything better - for you, for mechs like you? We can change that. You can change that. You won't be an outcast anymore." His tone was light and sugary. Yes, sugary. Weird. "I want you to help me make things better."

Starscream took a breath. He was a really, really persuasive speaker. Ever since Starscream was a sparkling, he'd dreamed of being a king. Some would say it was cute. He was completely serious about his ambition. Even today he treated his childhood dream as a sort of inspiration. Life-goal was a little exaggerated. What this mech was offering... it was scary. In a way that was too good to be true.

Realizing Megatronus had shifted closer, the seeker shot up abruptly. "I have to go," he said swiftly, wings raised in a defensive stance. Megatronus had dropped his wistful demeanor and was looking at Starscream oddly. The seeker turned and started off, angling his shoulders and snaking past several other stragglers.

"Wait!" The gladiator insisted. Starscream tried to ignore him. "I'll - I'll be here tomorrow, after the event! We can meet..." For the first time that day, he sounded unsure, like a normal mech.

Starscream didn't answer him. He left without a word, staring at his peds the whole time.

He would return the next day.

Megatronus settled back down as the seeker left. That had certainly been an interesting encounter. Why he had been drawn to the lonely mech, he had no idea. He was cool and unfriendly, but the innocence was there, like an imprint. At first he'd appeared gullible. But there was more depth to him than he had originally anticipated, and that was important. The whole time he hadn't been staring at the gladiator, but through him, as if he could read his thoughts. Important traits for a rogue. But every mech could be used if you approached him correctly.

He sipped his high grade, lost in thought. He liked that seeker. Defiant, but inwardly frightened, easily intimidated. Ambitious with a place in his spark for vengeful hatred. It sounded like a dangerous combination. But Megatronus liked challenges.

Turns out this challenge was more trouble than he was worth...