Starxis

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Disclaimer: Don't own the Transformers; Hasbro does.

Author's Notes: Not the easiest chapter to write; you wouldn't believe just how many revisions this one went through. Hope all the effort proves to be worth it.

On a side note, I will say that I have the remainder of the story pretty much all worked out; it's just a matter of getting it down on paper. While I have decided not to include the battle against Nemesis Prime (as I can't figure out how to make that work), I will say that the final fight of the story will be between Starscream and Megatron -- though many of you may be surprised as to how it comes about.

I hope to have the entire story completed by the end of September, so stay tuned. :)

Chapter Seven

Once she got over her mortification, which was somewhat aided by the fact that the boys seemed more interested in the news that she and Starscream could now hear each other's thoughts, Alexis excused herself from the group, saying she had to go home to start packing. When Starscream volunteered to accompany her from the base, she grudgingly agreed; the two of them were walking side by side down the corridor moments later, keeping pace with each other.

"I'm sorry for saying something I shouldn't have," Starscream told her, his head angled to look at her.

Alexis turned her gaze towards him, giving a small smile. "Not your fault," she reassured him. "It's just… I imagine this telepathy thing is going to take some getting used to." She paused, then asked, "Could you hear me, at any time when we weren't in the same room?"

After a second, he shook his head. "It may be too soon to tell, but it looks like it only works when we're in close proximity."

"And so long as Starxis is with us," Alexis answered. After a moment of silence, she went on with, "This is going to be a problem, isn't it? I mean, both of us are bound to have thoughts we want kept private."

At those words, Starscream's musings instinctively turned to a moment of suffering at Megatron's hands. In all his time spent serving the Decepticons, and especially since they'd come to Earth, there had been frequent occasions where he'd been dressed down by his former leader, both verbally and physically. Given the way Alexis flinched, she'd no doubt picked up on the memory.

Alexis stopped in her tracks, turning to look up at him with hints of tears in her eyes. "It wasn't just because he left you to die, was it?" she asked. "Your hatred of Megatron had been building for a long time before that…"

Starscream stiffened at her words, making Alexis regret that she'd even said them aloud. "I don't want to talk about that," he said with a hint of irritation.

Alexis bit her lip. "Then we won't," she said, deflating the argument before it began. A pause, then, "I should be going home. There's a lot I need to take care of before we leave."

Starscream watched her take a few steps, then stopped her by saying, "I'm glad you're coming with us."

Alexis let out the breath she'd been holding, then turned back to face him, a gentle smile on her lips. "Me too," she responded, waiting a moment to see if he'd say something more, then continued with, "Let's make a deal, at least until we get this under control… I won't bring up any painful memories if you'll wait until we're alone before asking about something you don't understand."

Starscream smiled slightly, letting out a sigh and feeling oddly grateful for the suggestion. He would have hated to see this new development come between them. "Deal," he replied and turned to walk back the way they'd come…

By the next morning, the shuttle had been stocked with enough food to keep all five kids satisfied for several months, most of it purchased with their collective allowances. By the crack of dawn, the launch preparations were underway; as soon as everyone was aboard, the shuttle bay was programmed to fill with water via an onboard terminal. When Alexis asked Starscream about this, it was explained that they'd be better able to exit the underside of the mountain through the connecting lake.

As the ship erupted from the surface of the water, Alexis busied herself with typing an e-mail to her family on the laptop she'd brought along. This had, in part, been Rad's idea; it wouldn't be fair to anyone's parents to just disappear with no word. To prove that the story wasn't a fabrication, she was even providing the location of the Autobot's base and instructions on how to get inside. While she wasn't sure how her Mom and Dad might react to the giant structures or unprecedented technology (same went for her friends' parents), she couldn't see any other way to assure them that she was alright.

Shortly after the shuttle had cleared Earth's atmosphere, Alexis and the boys (and their three Mini-Con friends) were standing at one of the large bay windows, getting their first glimpse of their home planet from a distance. Starscream stood just behind them, with Starxis once more perched on his shoulder, and Alexis could clearly sense that he too was enjoying the view.

"It's so beautiful," Alexis said with a sigh. She had never imagined that she'd ever see Earth from this angle and had to lightly pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming. If there had been any doubt as to the reality of all this, it was undone by the spectacle laid out before her -- she was actually traveling through outer space with the Autobots to their own world!

Hearing the sound of several sets of heavy footfalls nearby, Alexis turned to see that the Autobots (it looked like all of them) had come here from the bridge to see this for themselves. She guessed that the autopilot had been initiated and, seemingly, that the Decepticons were long gone by now and wouldn't pose any immediate threat.

Feeling a burst of inspiration, Alexis had Starscream lift her up so she was positioned on his shoulder next to Starxis, then handed Laserbeak off to Red Alert with the request that a picture be taken. After Starscream had maneuvered sufficiently in front of the window so that Earth could be clearly seen to his right, Alexis completed the pose by looping her arm under Starxis' jaw, so her hand rested on the left side of the youngling's head.

This kicked off a rather extensive photo session, as the boys, wanting their own mementoes, asked for one particular shot after another, either with one of the Autobots or several of them for a group photo. Seeing that this was going to take a while, Scavenger shortly excused himself, saying he was going to go to the bridge to see that they didn't get too far away from the planet just yet.

Before Scavenger could get too far, Alexis stated that she would like to accompany him, and it wasn't long before she was passed from Starscream's hand into Scavenger's. After shutting off the engines and allowing the shuttle to begin drifting, the elder Transformer took a seat and set Alexis on the nearest counter, knowing that she wouldn't have asked to join him if she didn't have some questions in regards to Starxis.

Leaning back in his chair and cupping both hands behind his head, Scavenger looked down at her. For being such a seasoned vet, he was oft times a very relaxed and easy-going individual. Before she could say anything, he kicked off the conversation with, "I have to admit I didn't quite foresee things turning out this way… When I first saw our friend, Starxis, I didn't have very much faith in Starscream's ability to take care of the little guy."

Alexis blinked. "But you said at the time that you thought he'd do alright!"

Scavenger nodded. "Because I had no wish to add to his feelings of inferiority… I'd worked undercover in the Decepticon camp for some time, remember? I'd seen for myself that Starscream had gotten more than enough of that from Megatron." After a slight pause, Scavenger continued with, "I never expected Starxis, or you for that matter, to have such a positive impact on the guy."

"Why do you say that?"

Scavenger sighed. "If I recall right, Starscream was appointed as second-in-command of the Decepticon army shortly before we Transformers relocated to Earth. From that day, Megatron never cut the guy any slack; above all the other soldiers in his inner court, it's my belief that Starscream was the one he most wanted to mold in his own image… Granted, Starscream has a lot of heart to him, which is a rare thing for a Decepticon soldier, but it's my belief that enough time spent under Megatron's thumb would have caused him to lose his own sense of self."

After a slight hesitation, Scavenger continued with, "It's fortunate for Starscream that the one thing Megatron wanted more than to ensure the well-being of his own troops was to seize control of the Mini-Cons. If not for that, Starscream might never have defected over to our side, and thus would never have found Starxis… I see now that it's the best thing that could have happened to him. He's mellowed out so much since then…"

Alexis shifted her weight, deciding to move on to the topic that was most on her mind. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about Starxis and where he comes from. I've kind of worked out for myself that the Limscree younglings can easily adapt to alien environments, but one thing I was curious about was his expected lifespan."

Scavenger sighed, leaning further back in his chair. "At best, they tend to live for several centuries," he replied. "And, in case you're wondering, he will get bigger -- the equivalent of, let's say, a polar bear, whereas now he's the size of a slightly overgrown wolf."

"What about his homeworld? What was it like?"

Scavenger gave a slight smile. "Similar to Earth, only more mountainous. The Limscrees do love to run, I remember that… That's not to say that they don't have their own brand of technology. They had a factory which would be used to engineer more of the pods that had been constructed for them."

"Was this factory built for them like the pods were?" Alexis asked. "I mean, Starxis hardly looks like he'd be able to build anything on his own."

"That will change as he gets older," Scavenger answered. "The adults I've seen were all bipedal, capable of standing upright on their hind legs. Their front paws also develop, in that they are able to use them as hands… Don't get me wrong though -- Starxis will still be able to switch back and forth between his current mode and the one that's coming."

Alexis was silent for a moment, then continued with, "How did you come to find out about the wish?"

Scavenger cleared his throat. "Through a member of one of the other alien races that was commissioned… Funny as this sounds, she actually got lost one day and wandered into the nest. One or two of the baby Limscrees imprinted onto her, inspiring the adults to explain what she'd gotten herself into."

"So, do the babies offer wishes to their own parents, or is this just given to individuals outside their own kind? And is there any limit to what kind of wish could be made?"

"Just to others," Scavenger said. "It's their way of saying 'thank you for accepting me into your life despite our differences.' As far as I'm aware, there are no limitations, but I won't swear by that. For instance, a wish to bring back someone who's passed on might be stretching it a bit. Also, I'm under the impression that the younglings come to emulate their adoptive guardians over time."

"Emulate?!" Alexis asked in surprise. "How's that?"

"By taking on some characteristic or ability that their adopted parent has. It could be as simple as copying a personality trait… I'm sorry I can't be more specific than that."

Alexis lightly bit her lip, looking thoughtful. "You said that each pod was designed to hold a hundred eggs. Could there be any more of them up on Mars? Or, could the pod have come to Earth?"

Scavenger gave a deep sigh. "If there were any more on Mars, they would have hatched by now… As for Earth…" He hesitated, then decided he didn't want to depress her by speaking of an obscure report he'd found that indicated that the pod may have been shot down. "I think it may have bypassed your planet, possibly because there were no more eggs onboard."

Alexis bowed her head, giving no indication that she saw through the lie. After a moment, she said, "I guess I have one more question… How is it that none of the other Autobots knew what Starxis was? In all that time, it seems like others like him would have found their way to Cybertron."

"They didn't because I arranged it that way," Scavenger replied, much to her surprise. "The Limscrees would never have survived on our planet. Cybertron is a purely mechanical world, not an organic one. We Transformers had nothing to offer them."

Alexis nodded, thinking back to Scavenger's much earlier statement that Starxis could survive on a minute amount of tuna per day. (She had made sure to bring along a supply of that as well for the youngling.) After another minute or two spent conversing, she and Scavenger were given a break when Hot Shot came looking for them, calling them out for the remainder of the photo session…

As Alexis wasn't sure how Starscream might react to the fact that she now knew some of his history with Megatron, she remained very conscious of her own thoughts for the next day. At the end of the allotted time period, when she realized she couldn't indefinitely be on guard, Alexis asked to speak with Starscream privately and made him promise he wouldn't get mad before letting him in.

When he didn't readily say anything in response, Alexis averted her gaze, turning to look out the window. They were now deep enough in outer space that Earth was no longer in sight. Quietly, she said, "I know you don't like talking about your past, but you can't fly off the handle if I happen to find out about some of it. I'm still friends with the Autobots we're traveling with, and something was bound to come out."

Starscream gave a deep sigh, peering out the window as well. "Scavenger's right," he said, making Alexis turn to look at him in amazement; it wasn't quite in character for him to be so receptive. "Megatron may be cruel and power-hungry, but… I don't know if he wanted me to be the one to succeed him or not. In some ways, he's very difficult to figure out."

Alexis hesitated, then reached out to touch Starscream's leg. "I don't think you could have ever been like him, no matter how much he tried to change you," she said. "I know you, Starscream. You're far too willful to have ever let that happen."

Starscream took a small step backwards, kneeling so they could see each better. "How is it that you know me so well? Or that you're so easy to talk to? I… almost feel like I could tell you anything, Alexis."

She looked up at him, smiling amiably. "To the second question, it's called trust. It's what the best of friends feel towards each other… To the first, well… I guess it takes just one stubborn person to recognize another."

Starscream was silent for a time, marveling over all the foreign concepts she (and Starxis) had thrown at him ever since he'd joined the Autobots. As a Decepticon, he'd never known the sensations that came with being given a gift, of having someone care for him unconditionally or take risks on his behalf, and now having someone call him a friend. He found he rather liked the emotions these engendered; it was a sharp contrast to the days when Megatron had made him feel utterly worthless.

Before either he or Alexis could say anything further, their attention was diverted when Rad and Carlos came racing into the corridor, followed closely by High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock. Without a word, the two boys ran right up to the window next to Starscream and Alexis, peering out and looking awfully excited. "You're never going to believe what Sideswipe picked up on the radar, Alexis," Rad said aloud, eyes peeled for something. "I'll let you judge for yourself… You should be able to see them any second now."

Even as she turned to look, Alexis asked, "Who…?" The instant she saw the pinpricks of green lights in the distance, whatever she was going to say was lost. As she watched, the lights grew in size as they got closer to the shuttle. Gradually, she began to see that each of the glowing spheres (there had to be hundreds of them) contained one of the Mini-Cons!

Alexis' sense of wonder grew as her eyes darted from one diminutive bot to the next, making her say, "Where did they all come from?"

Rad seemed in an awful hurry to get it out, almost stumbling over his own words. "When the Mini-Cons' shuttle first entered our solar system, it had been damaged. Many of them were scattered all over and remained dormant until now…" He looked over at Alexis. "High Wire sent out a message yesterday soon after we left Earth, awakening them all and getting them to come straight to us!"

"Isn't it great?!" Carlos put in. "If there was any doubt that the Autobots would succeed in stopping Megatron from laying claim to Cybertron, this is it! High Wire called them all out of hiding to help us in the battle ahead."

Anything further that might have been said was laid to rest when High Wire suddenly spoke, repeating his earlier declaration once more in English. "Enemy…"

Carlos started to say something about the Decepticons, but Alexis stopped him by laying one hand against his arm, even as she turned to look at High Wire. However, her attention was diverted when Sureshock spoke next, also in English: "Unicron..."

Then, from Grindor: "Will… Destroy…"

Feeling a chill, Alexis looked at the third bot who'd spoken. She'd never heard the name, Unicron, before, and the thoughts she was getting from Starscream told her that he was as in the dark as she was. Swallowing nervously, she asked, "Who's Unicron? Is he the enemy you're talking about?"

High Wire gave a slight nod, which Alexis would have missed if she hadn't been watching out of the corner of her eye. "Is… Coming…"

"Is he a Decepticon?" Alexis asked after a moment, in a tone that reflected whatever fear she was feeling. The fact that the Mini-Cons seemed aware of an enemy that none of them had ever heard of was enough to get her skin tingling.

High Wire's slightly vague answer certainly didn't help any. "Will… Destroy… Everything…"

At this, Rad looked at Starscream, noting that the larger bot looked just as puzzled as they were. Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you have any clue what they're talking about?"

Starscream raised one hand to rub at the back of his neck. "I don't," he replied, turning to look out the window once more. "But something tells me that all the little guys out there aren't here simply to help us take down the Decepticons… And that can only mean…"

Alexis finished the thought that was on Starscream's mind, when he trailed off. "There's something or someone a lot bigger out there," she said, peering out into the vastness of space and the uncertain future that undoubtedly awaited them. All at once, she yearned for Earth to still be in view; it would have been comforting to see a familiar sight at this point…