ON BROKEN WINGS I'M FALLING
Chapter 2: Uprising
Disclaimer: I own nothing here but my OC's please ask before using any part of them. The song for this chapter is "Uprising" by Muse.
Talking: "English or other earth languages"
"Cybertronian"
'thoughts'
(Bond talk)
:comm. link:
Epic foreshadowing/ time skip
Starscream flew back to Cybertron, only stopping to refuel and recharge. Once he got there he went straight to Iacon in search of the Council. When he finally stood before them to give his piece and request their help they glared at him coldly.
"Why have you come here, Seeker?"
Starscream hesitated and began "I am Starscream of Vos, former student of Cybertron's Academy of the Sciences. I was selected by the Council for an exploration mission with my partner, Skyfire of Vos, who has gone missing. I have come to report this and request aide in searching for him,"
The Council was unimpressed. "Does it look like we have time or the personnel to look for missing bots off-world?" One of the Council members saw fit to inform him on what has been going on while he was away. "Over the past few orns there have been disturbances in Kaon threatening the well-being of not only their own residents but those of surrounding cities as well."
Another Council member sneered at him "We just can't spare the time or resources to go gallivanting off to parts unknown to find a single bot, who may not even be online, that was foolish enough to get lost,"
Starscream tried to reason with them—that he didn't just get lost and there was still a chance he survived the storm and was in need of medical attention—but the Council wouldn't have it.
"We are done here, good day Starscream of Vos,"
"But…"
"I said 'Good Day'," And with that, the Council left and Starscream was escorted out by security.
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Starscream walked the streets of Iacon, kicking a piece of debris long as he went. 'Now what? I can't just leave him out there, looks like I'm on my own.'
He made out a plan to petition the general populace to get other bots on his side, all he needed was a few bots to help look, a medic in case one was needed and, if necessary, a ship to get everyone there. Now that he had a plan all he had to do is set things in motion. But first things first…
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Lucky for him he still had that data file Skyfire gave him when they exchanged contact information, including his emergency contact list. 'Since the Council cannot be bothered and no one else knows, I guess it's up to me to inform his family,'
Starscream flew to the location of the only listed address in his emergency contacts list, as it turns out, the only contact he had was his neighbor. He found the location somewhat easily and landed further up the street to walk the rest of the way. He stopped at his friend's home. 'So that's where he lives…' The place looked so well kept that the Seeker couldn't shake the feeling that if he went inside he would find Skyfire inside, as if they never left.
Starscream shook his head at the silly notion and walked up to the yard next door. The gate was open slightly so he let himself in; in Vosian culture if you wanted to keep someone out you would close the doors and gates, if they were open then anyone can come and go as they please. The door however was in fact closed so he knocked and politely waited for an answer.
A gray and sky blue Seekess answered the door. "Hello, how may I help you?" then she realized who she was speaking to and took a step outside and bowed with a fist clenched across her spark and her arm-servo tucked against her back. "Greetings, wing-cousin, the skies have been kind, I see,"
Recognizing the Seeker's formal greeting, and appreciated that she remembered, Starscream returned the gesture "As always, wing-cousin," They use the phrase "wing-cousin" because, while they were not actually related, the fact that they were both Seekers made them kin. Seekers that were related touched foreheads when they bowed and used "wing-sister" or "wing-brother" or however they were related.
They resumed upright stance and cast formalities aside "May I ask who you might be?"
"I am Starscream, Skyfire's partner, I was told you were neighbors,"
The femme's blue optics flashed in recognition. "Oh, you're Starscream… I am Greysky. Is Skyfire alright? Did something happen?"
Starscream sighed 'So they haven't contacted her' "That's… actually what I wanted to talk to you about."
The Seekess hesitated, Then stepped aside to invite him in. Starscream nodded his thanks and stepped inside. Looking around it seemed like a nice place to live; simple, but nice.
She asked him to have a seat in the living area and offered him some energon, which he politely turned down— Skyfire was never specific about it but he heard enough to know how rough they've had it.—as a small sparkling came running down the hall, excited about something, then hid around the corner when she saw him.
Her Carrier saw this "Oh, sorry, she's a bit shy. She must have heard your engines outside and wanted to see what was going on."
"That's alright," He didn't really think a sparkling would want to her what he came to say, anyway. "So, how much do you know about the mission we were sent on?"
Greysky sat across from him and thought a moment, like she was choosing her words carefully. "Skyfire came here before you left and told us you both were selected for a deep-space exploration mission and… Perceptor sent word of your departure the solar cycle you left."
She had hesitated, which meant she either couldn't remember the mech's designation or that wasn't the whole story. Starscream assumed it was the former and recounted for her all that had happened since they left. "… so I came back to Cybertron to get help but when I went to the Council they outright refused to help saying they have enough to deal with because of the rebellion in Kaon…"
"What is happening in Kaon is hardly a rebellion, just a mass of miners and other lower-class workers that have been treated poorly by their superiors rioting against the caste system and the corrupted Council that set it all up. The Council—and a few Nobles, from what I'm guessing—are just worried that this, as well as giving in to their demands, would ruin their currently lavish way of life and are doing everything they can to stop it without actually putting any effort into it,"
Starscream was shocked by this new information. "So, basically, they are willing to let bots go offline because they are hiding from the problems they should have dealt with ages ago?"
"Precisely," Both Seekers clenched their fists and grit their denta. 'How dare they?'
"You wouldn't happen to know of anyone that would be willing to help, would you?"
"Honestly, I would go myself if I could, but…" she looked down the hall thoughtfully. "Ironically enough the only bot I could trust with my creation for that long is the one we would be looking for,"
"I'm sorry,"
"As am I," Greysky looked back at him with sad optics "I wish I could help you, but I can't, I'm sorry,"
Starscream reassured her. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out. I just figured you had the right to know." Starscream hesitated. "You were the only one on his list of friends and family to contact in case anything happened. I'm surprised you haven't been told already."
"We don't have a communication hub like the complex's in the city and it's not like they would send somebot all the way out here to tell us something that, from what you told me, only you and the Council knows about,"
"Right, sorry," They both stood as he had to leave soon, Greysky stepped into the kitchen area.
"We have some energon goodies here from last night if you want to take some with you,"
"Oh, no thank you I…"
"Oh, c'mon, it's not like we'd be able to eat all these, we just baked more than usual to take our processors off of all that's been going on. Even if you won't eat them I'm sure your trinemates would want some."
Well that did it, only because these were Greysky's energon goodies they were talking about, he nodded his thanks and saw little gray optics peeking around the corner at him.
"May I?" he wanted to get the Carrier's permission before trying to coax her out, Seekers were very protective of offspring—even if it isn't their own—and approaching them, even just to talk to them, without their Creator/Caretaker's permission would be seen a potential threat or just offensive.
Luckily he was granted this privilege under said Creator/Caretakers watchful optics, Starscream knelt where he could see the femmeling without scaring her. "And whom might you be, little one?"
She peeked around the corner timidly. "S-Skysong, sir," Skysong came out and bowed to him Seeker-style. "The skies have been kind, I see,"
The mech's spark swelled in its casing; he had feared that her Carrier might have kept her proud heritage from her and was relieved this was not the case. "As always, little winglet," he returned the gesture. "Skyfire's right, you are quite a little gem, aren't you?"
Skysong's helm snapped up with wide optics. "Are you Skyfire's friend?"
Greysky set a box on the counter and started putting treats in it. "Yes, sweetie, he's the one with went with Skyfire on his trip,"
'Wait, if he's back then…' The sparkling's relatively large optics shone brighter. "Is Skyfire back yet?"
"No little one, I'm sorry. He… he didn't come back with me,"
Skysong looked up at him with these sad, questioning "turbo-puppy optics". "Why? He-he promised!"The distressed sparkling ran over to her Carrier and hugged her legs chanting "He promised," in a whisper through the tears that were threatening to build.
The two were quiet, it was obvious they were talking through their Creator-Creation Bond.
"Why didn't he come back? He promised he'd come back,"
"I know, sweetspark, I know,"
Starscream let them have a moment before he dare intrude again. "Skyfire got lost in a really bad storm, I came back to get some bots to help find him,"
Skysong looked at him, calmer now. "You need help finding him?"
Starscream nodded. "Yes, the area he got lost in is just too big for one bot to search alone."
Skysong nodded, and with a set look of determination, she grabbed him by the servo and pulled him towards the door. "Okay, let's go,"
Starscream spluttered in shock while Greysky looked confused. "Skysong, where do think you're going?"
Skysong turned back and called over her shoulder "to help find Skyfire and bring him home,"
"Oh, no you don't," the Seekess grabbed her creation and pried her digits off of Starscream's. "You're much too young to go to another planet, it's too dangerous."
"But Carrier, Skyfire…"
"No 'but's,"
Starscream stooped down to her level again. "Little one, Skyfire is an adult mech that went through special training so he can go on explorations like this, if he had troubles I shudder to think what could happen to a sparkling like you."
Skysong's lower lip component trembled, and then she thrashed her way out of her Carrier's grip. "It's not fair! He promised he would come back to us, that he would hurry back so we could… Primus, IT'S NOT FAIR!" she ran down the hallway, presumably to her room.
Starscream sighed and rose slowly. "I know, kid, I know." He turned to Greysky. "I'm sorry, I really am. Is there anyone I can call for you?"
Greysky held up a servo. "No, it's just us." She retrieved the box of goodies off the counter. "If you're looking for bots to add to the search party, the medics at the clinic in Praxus are the best around, especially Searchlight, he was a search-and-rescue medic before he became Chief Medic.
"Searchlight… Oh, he was the one that gave Skyfire his physical."
"Uh-huh. Although from the sound of things you'll want one with more experience with flyers, in which case your best bet would also be the clinics in Vos. Since you actually have some connections left in Vos you might actually be able to rally a good sized flock of flyers to whatever you need them to do, but other than that I can't think of anyone else." She handed him the box and pulled him into a hug. "I wish you the best of luck and hope everything turns out okay. If not…I am sorry for your loss,"
Not knowing what else to do, he hugged her back numbly. "um, thank you?" 'My loss? Skyfire was the only family they have left, and vice versa. We were just really good friends and partners, what could she possibly be talking about…?'
They separated and she escorted him out and saw him off before she went back inside to look for her creation.
Starscream stuck the box inside his cockpit and was about to take off when he heard something. He stopped and listened, it sounded like… crying? He followed the sound to a spot in the synth-hedge that separated the two yards. Peering inside he found a silver sparkling with sky blue and lavender tribal markings, her little winglets quivered as sobs wracked her tiny frame.
"Skysong?"
Skysong looked up and saw the older Seeker looking down at her and sniffled; she didn't like it when people saw her cry.
"What are you doing out here? Your Carrier is looking for you…"
She pulled away when Starscream reached for her. "No! Go away! I want Skyfire…"
"I'm going to find him, I promise. I just need a few bots to help look and we'll need a medic, in case he's injured or someone else gets injured on the way. I already asked the Council but they said they wouldn't help."
He heard a rustle in the brush. "Aint the Council supposed be in charge of everything?"
"Yes, but they seem to like being "in charge of everything" a little too much and they've stopped caring about everybot else."
Starscream pushed some branches aside to see her pouting. "Now that's just stupid. Who put them in charge?"
"No idea," She turned to look at him. "But they're not doing a very good job,"
The little femme slowly crawled over to him, like a frightened animal that wasn't sure if a stranger they encountered would hurt them or not. "Do promise you'll bring him back?"
"I promise,"
"Cross your spark?"
Starsceam sighed. 'Kid's a negotiator,' "Cross my spark," he heldup one servo and drew the other one across his chest above his spark.
She crawled out and hugged him "Thanks, good luck on the mission."
"Uh… Thanks," It was an awkward moment, but he had to admit she was a cute little thing. "Better go find your Carrier before she gets too worried."
"Ok, see you later."
"See ya," he got up and walked away while she ran to find her Carrier.
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Starscream flew back to Vos to find his trine, and hopefully recruit a few bots for his search party. He flew low around the side of their apartment building and, transforming, landed gracefully on the ledge outside theirs on knocked on the plex-paned doors. The mech that answered was none other than…
"'SCREAMER!" Skywarp hugged his trinemate and warped them both back inside. "TC, Come quick! Look who's home,"
They heard a loud crash and some grumbling in the next room, from which a tall blue-and-white Seeker came out and froze when he saw Starscream.
Thundercracker was never one for words. "Uh… welcome home,"
"Thanks…"
Skywarp let him go and looked him over. "You must be low on fuel, I'll get us some energon," he bounced out the room to do just that.
"Didn't think you'd be home so soon,"
Starscream looked down, he was getting so sick of telling bots this. "Skyfire's missing. I thought I'd come see you two before I went running all over Cybertron to find recruits for a search party,"
Skywarp came back with three energon cubes, the third was balanced on top of the other two."Skyfire? Isn't he that really big mech that went with you?"
"Yes, by the way, I stopped to let his family know what happened and they sent energon goodies. Turns out the only bots on his contact list was his neighbor Greysky,"
"Greysky? As in the Greysky? Her energon goodies are fragging legend!"
The three of them caught up over energon and the delectable energon goodies ; Skywarp telling him all that had happened while he was away—with Thundercracker cutting in when he didn't tell it right—and Starscream telling them all he had been through since he had left up until that moment.
The other two Seekers gawked at their Trine leader. "So, the Council just sent you off to parts unknown and then decided you weren't their problem anymore?"
"Afts, who put them in charge again?"
Thundercracker quirked an optic ridge at Skywarp's pout before continuing. "Maybe if you tried again, this time with more bots with you, they will be more willing to listen. Have you talk to anybot else that would want to be in on this 'rescue mission' yet?"
"No, not really, wait, 'anybot else'?"
Thundercracker grinned "Yeah, we're in,"
Skywarp echoed the grin "You didn't think we'd miss all the fun, did you?"
Starscream grinned back "You two are the best sometimes, you know that?"
"Sometimes?"
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The Trine flew to Iacon, once there they staked out a section of one of the main streets and petitioned anybot that passed them but most either told them there was nothing they could do about it or just ignored them completely.
Just when they were about to give up, a large mob came running through the streets shouting angry and violent obscenities.
"I WANT THEIR INTERNALS!"
"GIVE ME A LEG SERVO!"
"IT'S OUR ENERGON AND WE WANT IT NOW!"
Any bots in their path quickly got out of their way; an elderly femme decided to voice her own protest. "You should learn some respect, you ruffians!"
One of the rioters, a purple and grey mech with a red visor and an accent, turned on her "What did ja just say, jou old glitch?"
The femme screamed as he grabbed her and held her down. Starscream saw this and flew down and got between them "Beating on an old femme? Is this a coupe or a youngling gang?"
This angered the mech further as his visor shown brighter. "Jou got somet'ing to zay, preddy bot?!" Just as he was about to strike them he was knocked away by a bigger silver mech with red legs and a fusion cannon mounted on his arm servo.
"Blitzwing, stand down, they are not the ones we are after,"
Blitzwing bowed respectfully. "My apologies, Lord Megatron"
"I'll let it slide, for now, just catch up to the others."
"Jes, Lord Megatron," He turned on his heel and ran after the others. Starscream, recognizing the designation, stepped forward. " 'Lord Megatron'? As in Lord High Protectorate Megatron?"
The taller mech turned to the Seeker that spoke as the older femme beat a hasty retreat "The same, although I do not hold the actual rank anymore, I have kept the title. Now I lead the revolt against the 'high-and-mighty' cowards that dare call themselves a Council while holding those that need them most under their peds while they attend their fancy banquets and other social events,"
"If it is the Council you seek, you will not find them at the Citadel, I was there earlier and they left for the solar cycle,"
The former Lord High Protectorate growled and contacted his lieutenants :Fall back, the target has fled, we will get them another day: After getting a ping of recognition in response he tilted his helm with a calculating look. "Might I ask why you sought audience with the Council earlier?"
"Yes, but I believe that would be a conversation best reserved for a better location,"
Both mechs agreed and contacted their respective groups that they were meeting in a different location.
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Kaon, the roughest neighborhood on Cybertron; the city itself was full of slums and taverns while underground there was a massive gladiatorial ring, almost bigger than the city itself.
The place the bots were meeting was one of the many bars, where they got to know each other better. In addition to telling his story, Starscream found out that Megatron started out as a miner, spent his late youngling years up until early adulthood doing manual labor underground, until he was sold into the gladiatorial pits where he worked his way up to becoming the best gladiator in Kaon. The old Lord High Protectorate was so impressed one evening when he himself came to watch that he took him on as his personal body guard and eventually successor when he went offline due to a virus.
When Megatron saw the injustice amongst the people, he spoke up against the Council and was discharged from duty and rank. But he continued fighting for the cause and he wasn't the only one, in fact a lot of his followers were also in his old military unit and gladiators like him.
"… So it would seem we have a common enemy, would it not?"
"Yes, it would,"
"Perhaps there is a way we could help each other out, while I obviously have a formidable fighting force on the ground, we lack the air support for a frontal assault. However I still have a few… 'inside connections' amongst the higher ups, just as you seem capable of rallying a few flyers to your side as the need arises. If you could perhaps sway a few of your flight capable friends to our cause we might be able to change their minds, and if not, at the very least I can spare a few bots to help you on your quest, if we are not all arrested for our actions, that is."
Megatron held out his servo "Do we have a deal?"
Starscream hesitated, something about this seemed so wrong, but as long as everything worked out in the end… He reached out and grasped the servo "Deal,"
Megatron grinned as they departed.
If only he'd known he just sold his soul to the Devil.
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Over the next few Orns, The two—along with one of Megatron's "right-hand-mech" Soundwave, a tape-deck bot—had begun gathering followers in their respective city groups, and each Orn they tried again to get to the Council, but each time they had encountered resistance which, after a Vorn or so, escalated into an all-out war; their side being known as the Decepticons due to their underhanded methods to win, and the opposing side known as the Autobots, led by a mech designated Optimus Prime.
Over time, The Decepticons figured out a way they all could fly and both sides had forgotten what they were fighting for and begun just fighting to fight until the planet's energy was nearly depleted, then they started fighting over that too.
When word spread that the Autobots were planning on going off-world to find a new energy source, Megatron decided they would follow them, leaving his most trusted lieutenant Shockwave in charge of Cybertron.
Starscream, who was now Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticons, had long since wised up to his leader's madness and tried to reason with him and received a verbal and physical beating for his efforts.
In the end, both sides each boarded a ship and blasted off in search of something. Eventually the Autobots detected the ship following them and tried to shake them which in turn lead to the 'Cons boarding their ship and the two sides began fighting. With no one at the controls there was no way they could avoid being pulled into a nearby planet's gravitational field.
"What's happening?"
"G-forces… they're dragging us down"
Too late, the two factions stopped fighting only long enough to make a vain attempt to pull up; only to lose the Deepticon ship—the Nemesis—in orbit and the Autobot ship—the Ark—with everybot inside, to crash into the side of a volcano. The impact of the crash grounded the vessel and knocked all of its occupants into stasis.
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Four Million Years Later…
On the planet Earth, a volcanic area in Oregon was undergoing seismic tremors, which caused a rockslide on one of the inactive volcanoes there. Unbeknownst to the local populace, embedded in the side of the mountain side was a large ship that crashed there many years ago, containing Autonomous Organisms from another world.
This rockslide caused the ship's computer to reboot and shine a beam of energy that woke up one of the bots, the Decepticon Skywarp, who helped get the first bot he saw, their leader Megatron, into the light as well and the two went about getting the rest of their faction repaired before gathering on top of the volcano to regroup.
Deducing that they were on another strange planet ripe with resources, Megatron decided they would plunder its energy for Cybertron.
Before he left, Starscream saw fit to bury the Autobots by blasting at the rocks, not knowing this would result in their own awakening. As he turned to follow the other 'Cons, he picked up a familiar beacon signal from long ago. The signal… The planet… 'No, it can't be… can it?'
AN: *whew* finally, I'm back. Sorry it took so long, if it wasn't writer's block it was my busy schedule practically knocking the computer out of my hands.
Many Thanks And Energon Goodies—they are Greysky's recipe so you know they are good—to those that reviewed: Enchanted (Guest), Sami-SDGForce, I love all yoai; just to name a few.
Can anyone guess the references? Extra E-treats, inside info and an honorable mention in next chapter to anyone can catch any references in the chapter or previous ones.
Suggestions are welcome and feel free to point out any mistakes you see (Don't worry I won't get mad it you do, still un-Beta-ed). Any flames will be converted into energon to be made into energon goodies for the nice people that review.
Until then, Hugs and mugs,
Lady Quickshift.