"Optimus" - Ultra Magnus spoke up finally breaking a capital stretch of silence that set after Optimus closed the communication to Earth and released the spacebridge, - "Is it wise to trust Soundwave's word?"
"... and a footage" - Optimus reminded calmly, still staring onto the main display - or rather throught it.
"... and a footage we know he can expertly fake?"
"That was no fake, Ultra Magnus. That was Unicron. I have seen him before. I have fought him before."
Ultra Magnus was not so easily discouraged.
"What if it's some kind of decepticon trick, what if there's a plot behind this..?" - he trailed of hearing his superior give out a short unamused chuckle, - "There undoubtedly is a plot behind this", - the Prime answered, finally turning to his first lieutenant, - "but with Unicron active and heading here we may not have a choice. I need to seek counsel. Carry on from here."
"Whose counsel, sir?"
"Vector Sigma. If it is indeed Unicron we face, I need to be prepaired."
"With all due respect sir, it's not a journey you should take alone. Predaking and cons are still out there"
"I will not be alone. Arcee and Bulkhead will come with me. Bridge us to Kaon."
***
As Optimus and co left and the bridge closed behind them, Ultra Magnus shook his head disapprovingly. Trusting a con! No doubt they were planning something.
He doubled external surveillance and brought captive decepticon workers back to Nemesis brig. Just in case.
Starscream didn't catch the bots off-guard. As soon as the seaker sneaked within shooting distance he was observed. They let him get into the cargo bay before blocking the doors and jumping the unsuspecting intruder. Surprisingly, the con had put up quite a fight.
It took Smokescreen', Bumblebee's and Wheeljack's combined effort to subdue the decepticon air commander. Killing him would have been easier.
Ultra Magnus tried once again to contact the Prime, but he was still out of range. That was not surprising - Vector Sigma had always been isolated from the outside world.
Ultra Magnus flexed his claw a few times - a bad habit he took lately and went to interrogate the sneaky prisoner...
The Seeker was held separately from other decepticon fliers, though it also meant he was held in a small storage room with reinforced doors rather than in an actual brig - the decepticon ship had surprisingly few brig cells. Of course, the storage room could not contain the con for long, hence the stasis cuffs were still on and Bumblebee was standing guard outside the doors. Young warrior spotted a few armor tears of his own, but nothing that would require immediate medical treatment.
As Prime's second in command approached the post, he and the ex-scout exchanged a few gestures, reluctant to alert the prisoner of the upcoming visit.
"How is he?" - Ultra Magnus asked with some effort - the claw was still troubling him.
"Was cursing a while back. Silent now" - Bee opened the door and took aim at the prisoner, who stood with his back turned to the entrance, chained wings up in an unnatural position, obviously to lessen the discomfort from the stasis cuffs. Starscream did not turn.
Ultra Magnus stepped in.
"Is this how you conduct your peace offering, Optimus?" - the Seeker screeched.
"No. But you know the surrender protocol perfectly well, Starscream. It does not include infiltrating our base".
Starscream turned abruptly, optics ablaze, and hissed with open malice:
"Kneel within shooting range, hands above the head and wait for mercy?! Is that how you imagine me, Ultra Magnus?!"
"What were you looking for?" - the autobot asked, choosing not to answer the verbal attack.
Starscream seemed to deflate a bit and leaned his cuffed wings on the wall. He brought his cuffed hands up and spent a few moments examining his long talons (or rather stains of Smokescreens energon on them).
"What if I told you I wanted to check upon my seekers and make sure you treat them right before I consider accepting your generous offer?" - crimson optics glanced up shortly before returning to examining enegron stains. Ultra Magnus stood out of reach and seemed content to remain there. And Bumblebee was still aiming at Starscream's spark, and however Starscream tried to ignore it, it was getting on his nerves.
"I would call you a lier".
"Then I won't tell you that. Where is Optimus? Why is it he sent a cripple instead of himself?" - that was a weak barb, but Starscream still saw it score before Ultra Magnus schooled his features back to their impassive state.
"Maybe you are not important enough" - the autobot answered.
Starscream huffed and turned his back to him again.
"Don't waste my time. I will speak to the Prime only," - somehow he made it sound like he was the one agreeing to an audience rather than a prisoner being interrogated.
There were ways to push the seeker, ways to make him speak. However, they would be counter-productive if this really was the beginning of the surrender negotiations. Ultra Magnus sincerely doubted that. There were chances that Starscream was provoking him for prolonged and hard-core interrogation, planting a distraction for other con forces.
"Very well" - the commander said, and was pleased to see an astonished glance in response, - "you may wait here".
"Wait! I want to see my fliers", - Starscream called to his retreating back, but Ultra Magnus only shook his helm.
As the autobot commander was already out, Wheeljack alerted him over the comm that they had aerial incoming. The ship rattled.
"Activate all shields!" - Ultra Magnus barked and ran to the bridge. So this was it. The cons lured Optimus away and attacked. He knew it!
Bee followed him without waiting for an order. It's not like Starscream was going anywhere, right?
As soon their footsteps faded away, Starscream's scowl turned into a loopsided grin. Of course, it would have been easier if the bots put him into the brig with his eradicons, but he was prepared for the solitary confinement as well. The seeker strained his transformation joints and managed to pulled his thrusters through the cuffed hands, bringing his hands to his back. Another painful effort enabled him to rotate his arms at the elbows, reaching for the upper part of his wings where they attached. Arching back into his own touch in a nearly impossible curve, Starscream managed to reach the underside ofhis left wing where a small secret compartment was hidden. A little fiddling and the plates split revealing a digital lockpick the seeker hid there specifically for this case. Ultra Magnus may think Starscream was planting disturbance for a font-on attack, but in fact it was the other way around - the front attack was nothing but a decoy for the real deal.
In a click he was free of cuffs and couldn't contain a relieved sigh, spreading nearly numb wings.
Now... the door.
As he reached the door, however, he found the lock disengaged and offline. Knockout. A timely assistance. That was so much better than breaking out.
Starscream looked out into the corridor and was pleased to see the surveilance cams were all retracted into the ceiling. He all but pranced out.
Then, as an afterthought, he locked the door behind him.