4

STARSCREAM'S OFFER

"My achin' transistors…" Astrotrain groaned as he slowly lifted himself up onto his berth. After doing an internal and external diagnostics checked, he calculated that he would need at least two cycles to recharge. As he lowered himself down on his back, he subconsciously decided to place himself into standby mode for now; he didn't want his processors to make him to think about the day's events and silently wished he could purge his memory.

"What the slag happened?" He mused. Their attack on Autobot city turned out to be a fatal disaster. If it wasn't for him, there would have been more Decepticon casualties. He was just grateful that he was their transportation….with his damage, he would have been considered to be nonessential and dumped out into space with Megatron and the others. Megatron was really gone….was all this really happening? "Enough…." He told himself as he closed his optics. "I just need to focus on charging….I will make sense of it all when I'm fully repaired…"

No sooner did he go into standby mode that the door to his portal slid up. "Thought I would find you in here, Astrotrain. You left in quite a hurry." Starscream spoke as he limped into the room.

"In the name of the Allspark…" Astrotrain rebooted his optic sensors as he sat back up on his berth. "What do you want, Starscream?"

"Already tending to your wounds?" Starscream waited for the room's door to close then casually leaned up against it. With his arms crossed, a huge grin spread across his lips as he red eyes looked at the damaged Triple Changer. Astrotrain's damages on his wings did not make him lose his flight capability…just barely. He had a terrible burn on his chest plate, probably from a smaller mech's weapon and his right leg lost some of its surface plating.

"I see that you have none….like always, Starscream." Astrotrain pointed out to the flier's pristine wings.

"If you look lower, Astrotrain, you will see that I have lost one of my feet, you fool!" Starscream spat.

"Funny how the rest of you is undamaged, but you have lost one of your feet. Those Autobots must be aiming low or maybe…." His voice trailed off with a soft chuckle. He really didn't have any idea how the Air Commander got the wound, but he enjoyed seeing Starscream so riled up.

"Watch your vocals before I rip them out with my bare hand…." Starscream hissed as he balled up his fist. "You are talking to the new leader of the Decepticons." The Seeker smiled proudly as he pointed to himself.

"Then excuse me while I return to my recharging, your majesty," The Triple Changer taunted as he shifted his body to the side to lower back down onto the berth.

"I guess you won't be interested in what I have to say…" Starscream smirked as he approached him.

Astrotrain stopped himself and turned his head to look at the flier. "Starscream, I never am interested in what you have to say."

"Oh, but this time you will be, Astrotrain," Starscream's optics lit up as he delicately placed his metallic fingers on the burly mech's arm.

"I'm listening…" Astrotrain kept his eyes on the flier.

"Shockwave is preparing my coronation ceremony that will be taking place in half a cycle-"

"Not wasting any time seizing power are you, Starscream?" Astrotrain cut him off as he laughed. Through the many years he served under Megatron, he always learned that Starscream was always finding ways to benefit himself as the new leader of the Decepticons.

"As leader, I will need a second in command." Starscream continued. "Megatron failed to see your potential, Astrotrain….I will not." He slowly traced his fingertips up the gray and purple mech's arm. "I will put my full trust in you, if you swear complete loyalty to me."

"I have no reason to trust you, Starscream. " Astrotrain moved his body away, he was becoming very annoyed on Starscream touching him and even being present in the room.

"Megatron is offline now, Astrotrain. I need a second in command. You will become very valuable to me… I know what you're capable..." Starscream slowly slid his fingertip back up the mech's arm making the Triple Change shiver. It had been awhile since another bot touched him that way…he just wished it was someone else besides the flier.

"What do I have to do?"

"For now…at the coronation, you will be the one who will place the crown on the Decepticons' new ruler. All eyes will be on you, Astrotrain. They will see how powerful you are…" Starscream purred as he moved his body closer, continuing to run his fingertip along the larger mech's wing.

"Oh and do I get to lead the parade afterwards?" Astrotrain laughed mockingly. "Give me a break, Starscream. You are not sounding very convincing at all."

"How's this for convincing?" Starscream slid himself upon Astrotrain's lap while he sat on the berth. Smiling sadistically, Starscream pressed his cockpit up against the Triple Changer's chest plate letting him feel the heat of his spark. "If you swear your loyalty to me as my second in command, Astrotrain, then I will give you the honor of interfacing with me after the ceremony."

Astrotrain paused for several seconds as if he was actually considering Starscream's many offers. He let out a sigh and then pushed the Seeker off his lap. "Pathetic…" He muttered out from his vocals. Starscream gaped at him in shock and disbelief. How could he reject his advances? "Starscream…"Astrotrain lowered his optics for a bit, then raised them. "I will take your offer as your second in command for now. Heh, guess what I heard about you was wrong after all these stellar cycles."

"What is that, Astrotrain?" Starscream beamed proudly.

"Well when I first entered the ranks, I was told that Megatron picked you straight out of the academy."

"You are correct. I was at the top."

"I guess back in those days, the academy was another term for the brothel. I mean….you're so used to interfacing to get what you want. You must have pleased Megatron well if he put up with you all this time….I guess he must have found a way to silence your vocal processor…" Astrotrain sneered.

Screaming out in pure rage, Starscream backhanded Astrotrain hard, knocking him off his berth onto the floor. He then grabbed him by the neck, tightening around the cabling as he slammed him against the wall. "I should rip out your vocals for your treacherous words!" The flier hissed as he bit down on his denta in anger.

"Ready to kill again, Starscream?" Astrotrain spat out from his vocals as he grabbed the flier's arm.

"Survival of the strongest, Astrotrain…."Starscream tightened his grip. "We, Decepticons, thrive on that code don't we?"

"Then you should have gone offline eons ago!"

Releasing his grip, Starscream stepped back carefully on his only good foot as he glared hard down at Astrotrain who was checking his neck cabling to make sure it was not severely damaged. "I was going to forgive your and Blitzwing's past betrayal, but for insubordination, I will personally see to it that Blitzwing is the first to go offline." With that, he turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" Astrotrain called out as he stumbled to stand back up from the floor. He knew that Starscream was thinking of the time when he and Blitzwing double crossed him to take over. They led Starscream into a trap with Megatron.

"Something you want to say, Astrotrain?" Starscream stopped, only turning his head slightly to address him.

"Slag….you win, Starscream. I will serve as your second in command. Just let me continue my recharge." Astrotrain pleaded as he cursed internally. Starscream was always good when it came to following through on threats. Astrotrain didn't want any harm to come to Blitzwing…

"Of course, Astrotrain." Starscream smiled and exited the room. Once the door closed behind him, the flier stopped. "Pathetic fool…his weakness for Blitzwing will be leverage over him…"

Astrotrain fumed where he was. "Starscream, I swear on Megatron's extinguished spark, that you get what you deserve soon…"