Hastily Starscream locked his cable back together and closed his interface-panel, before he looked to his right, to see his attacker lying on the ground. Sentinel Prime had been hit in the shoulder and was seemingly in stasis from the shock and impact, black smoke steamed from his energon leaking wound. The seeker turned his head around, to see who had saved him and to confirm that he was really saved.
The impressive mech he saw, standing in the door frame, with the most furious expression he had ever seen, stirred up many emotions in him, most of all, relief.
"M... Megatron!"
Not sparing the vosian a look, he slowly walked to the other side of the chamber with heavy steps, stopped before the prime and turned the governor over with his pede, to see if he was still a threat. He growled at the still form in front of him, before
turning around, going over to the berth and ripping the pole, that was tied around Starscreams wrists, off with one tug.
"Are you alright?" The gladiator asked him, his vents humming loudly.
Sitting up, the prince rubbed his sore wrists and looked up to his savior.
"Yes, I'm fine. I... thank you. But, how did you know I was here?"
"Your black-purple friend came and asked me to help. So I had one of my men search for you." The gladiator answered, trying to distract himself from the presumably involuntary alluring pose which the Seeker was splayed in on the berth.
"One of your 'men'?" The winged adolescent asked, confused, not noticing how flustered the other was.
"That's not important right now. We should get away from here, before the security arrives."
"Where is Skywarp?" Starscream looked around, searching for his trinemate.
"I left him in my quarters back at Kaon. Bringing him would have been too much trouble." The silver mech inwardly rolled his optics, when he remembered, how the agitated seeker had literally hopped up and down, complaining about wanting to come, like a little youngling.
"But let's go already."
"Wait... we have to take Cloudwing with us..."
When Megatron only gave him a confused look, he stood up from the berth and went to the balcony on the second floor, where the royal advisors cold frame still lay on the ground.
"Oh.." The gladiator heaved a frustrated sigh.
He wanted to tell the seeker, that they did not have the time to drag around dead mechs, but for some reason he couldn't. Striding over to the balcony, he hoisted the other seeker up and draped him over his shoulder.
"Now transform and fly to Kaon, I'll follow."
The prince looked at the strong mech, with a humorless expression.
"I can't. They have installed capsules of concentrated energon into my thrusters."
Rolling his optics in an annoyed way, the silver gladiator walked over to him.
"Then let's rip them out."
Starscream took a step back and held up his hands defensively.
"What? No! You can't do that! If you try to remove them with force, they will explode."
"Then come with me and move it! If we wait around any longer there will probably be a whole military squadron blocking our way!" Megatron bellowed out of habit, startling the seeker, who nodded and started to walk down the corridors.
"Can't you move any faster?"
"Well, actually no, I am a seeker, not a ground pounder, I am made for flying, not running."
"Oh for Primus' sake...!" Throwing him over his other shoulder, ignoring the seekers' undignified cry of surprise, he started to sprint while activating his comm. link.
/Soundwave, we are grounded/
/Soundwave: Will activate abandoned underground transport. Head to coordinates: 48° 12' 20,40'' N 011° 16' 01,20'' E./
-x-
Seekers were claustrophobic it seemed. Getting the dainty four colored mech into the transport had been the pit. He had screamed and scratched his back; but now that he had him in, it was actually quite nice. Starscream sat on his lap and pressed his frame against his own. He had clawed himself into his back armor and buried his head in his neck cables, pristine white wings forming a downward angle, trembling in fright. He really could get used to that closeness... Megatron wanted to slap himself. He was such an aft.
As soon as the transport came to halt on the surface near the gladiatorial arena and the door opened, the seeker leapt out, whipping around to face him, snapping his wings halfway back up and together in an aggressive position.
"You! How dare you force me into that thing?!"
"How dare I save you?" the gladiator retorted with an unamused scowl on his face.
The princes' chest deflated and his wings moved back against his shoulders.
"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that tight compartments make me... nervous."
"I noticed."
"Star!" Skywarp lunged at his trineleader, almost knocking him over.
"Thank Unicron, you're safe." he said, squeezing him tightly by the waist, before looking over to the gladiators shoulder.
"Is... that Cloudwing? ... What happened?"
Starscream sighed, wings dropping again.
"He's offline. Sentinel Prime shot him, when he came to rescue me."
"Offline?" Megatron asked, giving him a strange look.
"No, he's not. His sparkbeat may be very faint but he's only gone into stasis lock."
The seekers looked at him, puzzled and hopeful.
"What do you mean?"
"I am a gladiator In the pits of Kaon. I have killed more than enough mechs, to know what an offlined frame feels like and believe me, this one is not dead."
"So why are we waitin'? Let's bring him to Hazeglide!" Skywarp exclaimed, unwrapping his left arm from his trinemates waist, to grab the silver mechs' wrist.
"'Warp, wait! You can't bring an outsider to-"
Starscream yelled, before they disappeared with a purple flash,
"-Vos..."
-x-
After a moment of bewilderment, the medic started doing his job, by now, he should be used to Skywarp just appearing right in front of him.
"You!" The white stealth jet pointed to Megatron, who was still a little perplexed, because of the teleport.
So that is how the flippant seeker had managed to get out to them although he had locked him in his quarters...
"Lay Cloudwing down on a berth. After I have stabilized him, I will examine the rest of you, so go and take a seat over there, all of you." The medic ordered, not questioning the presence of the outsider, he didn't have time for useless questions right now. Cloudwings state was critical.
Though he addressed his prince, turning briefly to look at him.
"Your Highness, It's good to have you back."
The gladiators' head snapped to the four colored seeker, confusion and surprise written all over him.
"Highness?"
Starscream looked at him sheepishly.
"I didn't mention that?"
"Star, you're back." Thundercracker walked into the room.
"I thought I sensed something through the trinebond. ... Why is he here?" The blue seeker began to ask, looking at Megatron, before a normally calm seeker intervened in a sharp voice.
"Be quiet I need to concentrate here. Sit down with the others, so I can examine you too."
"But you just released me this cy-"
"Just sit down and let me work!"
Two groons later, Hazeglide huffed a content sigh. Cloudwing was stabilized, Skywarp and Thundercracker had been ok, he had reactivated the princes' weapons and comm. link, removed the explosives from his thrusters and completely repaired the battered frame of the non-vosian, with a lot of bickering and some resistance.
"Ok, now you can tell me what this is all about. ...-"
"-... we need to report this to the seneschal. It's our duty."
Sentinel Prime awoke with a buzz in his processor and pain in his shoulder. For a moment, he could not access his memory files. Supporting himself on the wall beside him, he stood up. The governor closed his optics briefly, bracing his injured shoulder with his hand, before onlining them again, to take a look of his surroundings. He was in his own quarters. The door was missing, a pole had been ripped from his berth, dented and thrown across the room.
What happened? Why did he find it strange, that his berth was empty? When his memory files were accessible again, ire riled up in his systems.
"The seeker! Where is my seeker?! That slagging pit-fighter!"
That. was. it. Megatron and his Decepticon followers had always been a thorn in his optics. Actually, he despised the whole Decepticon bunch, be they normal citizens or not. Now, he had been attacked. Now he had a reason to strike back. Ever since Megatron had come to him in the Supreme Court of Judicature in Helex, to propound his vision of a new system in cybertron, he called 'just', he had wanted to terminate him.
And now... he finally could.
After a short comm. link call, Sentinel Prime transformed, drove over to the Court and ordered the staff to broadcast what he had to say to all Autobots in Cybertron. Quickly, he shot the other governors without a second thought, creating a horrible image for the masses to see, before he let the recordings start.
"Fellow Autobots." He began his speech that was broadcasted as an emergency message.
"This cycle, our Decepticon brethren... have declared war on us. Behind our backs, they have confederated, with the intention on killing or enslaving us all. This cycle, a mech, a warlord, a monster, named Megatron has come before the Supreme Court, to state his claims. He demanded, to receive the Matrix of Leadership, to bring all of our world into subjection. He demanded to be the new supreme ruler of Cybertron and when we denied him his insane request, imploring him to stray from his mad path... he shot us down.
As you can see, there are many casualties. Sadly, I am the only survivor. This... is the doing of a madmech. We are glad, that this fiend was not able to steal the Matrix from my spark, as Primus forbade it. Dark times stand before us, my brethren. We are on the threshold of war. But do not fear, fellow Autobots, for we are not as weak and inferior, as the Decepticons believe we are. This cycle, we will arm ourselves and bring out our own military, so that with Primus' help, we will stand our ground and protect our families, our friends... our home."
Moondancer sat in her throne room, her pitch-black trinemates, as always, standing in formation. Although her expression remained neutral, she was overly glad to see the vosian heir back in full health; and relieved, that her son was still online.
"...So Cloudwing will be repaired?"
"Yes, seneschal. He will be fully functional again in a quartex." Hazeglide answered dutifully, after bowing low in a show of respect.
Moondancer nodded.
"So... would someone explain to me why an outsider is standing in my throne room?" She regarded the sturdy, silver-violet mech before her with skeptical optics.
The old femme knew that gladiator. Although she had never met him, her citizens in the Iaconian academy, who had the side-mission to keep track of the events in Cybertron, had often transmitted recordings of his speeches to her. Secretly, the vosian ruler supported the vision and words he spread. She knew, that the situations outside of Vos were unjust and downright horrible. Still, she did not intent to let on about anything of this; not yet, at least.
Starscream stepped forth, and answered her question.
"We teleported him along with us by accident."
"And why was he with you in the first place?"
"He saved my life."
A displeased frown formed on Moondancers faceplate. This was bad. She heaved a sigh and did her duty.
"Then, we are indebted to you grounder. As a reward for saving his royal Highness prince Starscream of Vos, we will grant you one wish. Choose wisely...Megatron."
"How do you know my name?" The gladiator growled, suspicion creeping up his systems.
"I may be old, but my optics and audio receptors are still functioning. Do not take me for a fool, gladiator. I know very well, about what happens outside of our city. Vos has not isolated itself for no reason after all. So, what is your request?"
Megatron considered for a moment, before looking into the seneschals eyes with burning determination.
"I want your full support in my quest for a just cyberton. With my recent attack on Sentinel Prime, to rescue your prince, war is sure to come. The governors have long searched for a valid reason to attack the mechs I have gathered around me and through my action today, I have given him one. Surely you know this just as well as I do. Join my cause. Help me fight for Cybertron. Give me the control over your military, so I can send them out to defend against the enemy."
Moondancers frown deepened further upon hearing what she feared she would.
"This will not be possible. Vos is already preparing for evacuation on my order. It is our plan, that in case of war, we seekers will retreat to a distant planet our queen Nightscream has secured for us; and she has already been notified."
Starscream stared at her with disbelieving optics.
"You are still in contact with my carrier? ... And didn't bother to tell me about it? ... I thought she was dead!"
"Calm down. It is not as you think. Direct contact is not possible, the only thing I did was to send out a signal. And no, she is alive, but be assured, that she left with a good reason and grief in her spark. She does love you Starscream and I am sure you can sense it through the bond you still share with your carrier. The presences you feel besides your trinemates' are your creators'."
"Yes, yes, I know about the special bond between creation and creator. I just don't understand why she left. But anyways... I will stay behind."
All optics were on him in an instant.
"That is not an option, young prince." Moondancer said insistently.
"You are the vosian heir."
Starscream fanned out his wings, putting his right thruster in front of the other, the talons of his right hand barely touching his chestplate, his left arm stretched out parting the space between his legs and wings in the middle and looked straight into the seneschals' optics, undeterred.
"I owe this mech my life. He has saved me twice already, actually. No, matter what you say, I will stay here on Cybertron and help him fight his war. Even if I should be alone in this. I will stay here with Megatron."
The old seeker femme could hardly hold back her feelings. When her friend, the queen Nightscream had told her about her decision, to leave Vos with her bondmate, she was standing there in the exact same way her son did right now, with the same determination flaring up in her bright red optics. She knew it was a lost cause.
Holding back her tears with an iron will, she nodded and let her wings sag just a little bit.
"Then so be it. I will part the military. Everyone who is willing to participate in the war, will stay here with you. The others,"
She added, knowing well, that every single one of them would gladly stay behind to protect their prince,
"will be forced to escort us safely to Caelifer."
With a stern expression on her faceplate, she looked over to Megatron, who was staring at the adolescent prince in surprise and something else, she didn't like at all.
"You better protect him and treat him well, gladiator."
TBC...
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
A little bit sooner this time because I was asked for a quick update and I don't have time tomorrow.
So here you go.
I know that it's clichè that Cloudwing isn't really dead, but I needed a good reason why Megatron would end up in Vos, so I had to revive him.
Besides, Transformers fans should be used to dead characters reawakening. I mean, Optimus "dies" in every freaking TF-world and comes back stronger. Cloudwing won't come back stronger though.