Almost everything was peaceful, except for one reminder. A month had passed before someone had hacked into what should have been unhackable, breaking through prison shielding to unlock thirty prison cells in Kaon. In the ensuing rush to escape, prisoners were either killed or they successfully beat their way into the groundbridge portal that randomly appeared outside. It went without any doubt about who was responsible. Not many had the skills that were Soundwave's trademark, but what really nailed him as responsible was that Laserbeak had been freed.
The overpowering of the system struck the sparks of the Autobots with fear. Soundwave could only have done it with technology superior to theirs, with technology that could not currently be matched. There was no choice but to make all the cells lock manually and to increase guards. Since then, there had been no more escapees, but a clear worry spread across the planet that the military tried to hush down.
It was difficult to stay calm however, when Soundwave possibly had the means to take control over Cybertron's weapons of mass destruction.
The International Space Station of the Hydrax Plateau, though heavily shielded, suddenly found itself as a risk. Ultra Magnus, its leader, had had full confidence in its security until the prison cells had been hacked in Kaon. Then, it was realized that the plasma lasers and nuclear warheads might be turned from the sky to target the largest cities. Vos and Tarn, who also possessed these weapons in a lesser amount, faced the same threat.
Therefore, until further notice, the weapons were disarmed in such a way that only those on the inside could manually arm them again.
Two more months passed, and nothing happened. Everyone settled into a state of unease, particularly those in the military who knew the most. But life moved on, and Starscream tried to focus on what good he could do while he could. Every day, however, he expected that someone would eventually come for him.
Knockout cackled when Starscream explained the plan he had made with Jetfire and Optimus. From his seat beside him on the train, Starscream glowered, "What is so funny, Knockout?"
He couldn't help but be irritated, even if Knockout had paid for his ticket. As a flier, Starscream had never been interested in riding the Sky Rails, the scenic train ride that crossed over Cybertron and showed off its regions. He was used to being so high and seeing the same sights, but for wheeled bots and tourists, the train was a safe way to see Starscream's perspective.
They had been talking quietly enough that no one had heard them, but the nearest collections of Cybertronians, colony visitors, and suited-up alien life glanced Knockout's way at his quick burst of laughter.
"Quiet already," Starscream muttered.
"Ha, sorry. It's just that's so you to think that you're so important. You think others are always thinking about you? Oh, you haven't changed at all then, Screamer."
"Shht!"
Knockout smirked, "It must kill you that the evil bots wanted Soundwave and your old lieutenant more than they wanted you. You thought Slipstream would come back? Her life isn't complete service to you, you know! If no one's cared to contact you by now, they won't be coming at all."
Starscream grumbled irritably and stared out the window.
"Come on now, how can you be offended?" Knockout put up a casual wave. "I thought you wanted everyone to think you're good? Now you want them to think you're evil so that you can sneak into their midst? Your inconsistencies are not going to do you much good. I say just commit to one side and fight off the opposition."
"Well, it's not like I have any other choice," Starscream uttered. "If I could have gotten in months ago, then we might have had a fighting chance. But all we have is nothing, no information at all at our disposal. How am I supposed to do anything?"
Starscream sighed. Knockout said, "It's not like anyone's expecting you to solve all the problems on your own. There you go again, thinking it's all about you. But listen, there's no point in putting all that pressure and stress on yourself."
"I know I'm not going to stop it on my own," Starscream grumbled. "But… I hate feeling so helpless."
"How are you helpless when Cybertron's military's got your back? Stop worrying already about it. Look, are you going to enjoy the scenery or just glare at the glass?"
He saw Knockout's faint reflection grinning at him. When he made eye contact, Starscream couldn't help but huff in amusement. He flipped around and answered, "Am I wasting your shanix, Knockout?"
"I would say so, since you're not appreciating the sights I paid for!"
"Well I tried to pay, even if this was a foolish idea. I told you how many times that I can just fly for free?"
"And yet you agreed to come," he chuckled back. "Now why is that, Screamy? Could it have been because you just wanted to spend time with me?"
As an embarrassed reaction, he pushed him back with a stiff arm and tried to double-back on the subject. "I still don't see why you placed me at in the window seat, Knockout! Shouldn't you wheel-bound self be enjoying the view?"
"Wheel-bound?"
"You do realize that was a joke."
"I do, but I wouldn't be offended anyhow. This may shock you, but four-wheelers are fine without flying. Nice, familiar roads, no magnificent drop of death from the sky… I mean there's crashing, then there's your kind of crashing. I much prefer the safe and comfortable train ride with the drinks and snacks. And I can still see out the window perfectly fine, thank you very much."
"I suppose the train does have its quirks," Starscream smirked back.
"See? You can relax and let someone do the 'flying' for you. I don't know how even you could complain about that."
"Fine, Knockout, you win. I am enjoying this, so thank you for the ticket."
Knockout replied, "A monumental moment, being thanked by Screamer. Shall we drink to that?"
"If you call me that again, you will be the one who screams," he whispered. "And no. Not unless you want me to purge over your shiny, little feet."
"Little? Look who's talking, heels."
"That is your fault and you know it!"
"What can I say? Got to have something that I can always fall back on and insult. Can't have you feeling too high and mighty, though I guess with those stilettos, you'll always be high up."
Starscream rolled his eyes. He pat his hand on the air, as though measuring Knockout's height in the gesture.
"Anyone is high to you, Knockout."
The tension remained even after another month of peace. Starscream should have had every reason to be happy, except he knew that the organization was still out there, probably cloning a larger army of Predacons. It seemed without any doubt that they were waiting for something before making another move.
But during that time Starscream had gained a popularity among the Predacons of the Valley far greater than Air Raid's had ever been. The sports complex was incredibly beloved with its fields, tracks, indoor courts, pool, and skating rink. There were always events scheduled that Starscream was invited to watch. Predacons scheduled sport games, and already they had established their own leagues and teams. The theatre too had opened, allowing for times of rest with movies that were played. Some Predacons had even taken a liking to drama, and were arranging their own play to be shown.
During the entire construction projects, moral had been at its highest. Sunchaser brought in loudspeakers and despite the judgement of a few Seekers, he danced with the Predacons on break. Earth music was often booming near the construction sites, though the Predacons enjoyed it more than Starscream's teammates.
"Oi, that cloud-brain!" Daybreak threw her blue hands over her head. "He's at it again with that, what was it called?"
"Indie music," Twilight answered. "Popular on Earth though, and I kind of like it."
Starscream generally avoided the spontaneous dancing. Sunchaser knew he still took dance classes, thus he tried to drag Starscream in every time he was spotted. It was best to avoid the area altogether, feigning business elsewhere.
The Air Commander, if he spotted anything not related to training or work, would break it up. The reasons he gave revolved around Sunchaser's lack of awareness and dangerous position when surrounded by the Predacons. Yet nothing discouraged that jovial personality. On one particular day, Sunchaser had organized a yoga session outside the sports complex. He was trying to mimic something he had seen humans do, but he was playing Japanese instrumental music. Starscream had come to check on them, and he had followed the sound of the music to catch Sunchaser at the front of ten Predacons. And at some point, two of Starscream's Seekers had joined. Comet and Charred Mist might have been participating earlier, but had since fallen asleep to the music in a jumble of wings.
Starscream watched them for a minute, unsure how to interrupt without making a bad impression on himself. Then Air Raid dropped down with hardly any warning, shutting off the music and hollering. The smallest Seekers gasped awake, and Sunchaser froze at his aggression. Sensing that trouble was to come, the Predacons hurried off. Air Raid began berating the three fliers, before he rounded on Starscream.
"You were here first. Why didn't you stop them? Two Seekers on shift, asleep, when they're supposed to be watching the city's edge! As for Sunchaser, do you think he can just do what he likes? This is a job, not a vacation! If we get paid double, we must work harder than anyone else!"
Starscream saw the point, although the months had been so uneventful. It was just hard to be strict when everyone treated him so favourably. But his Seekers, who were more his than Air Raid's, had pushed it this time.
"I understand," Starscream answered.
"Good, because I need your help keeping track of everyone around here."
Starscream sighed and looked to the other three. "Switch with the district edge's patrol."
There should be no Predacons there. Sunchaser sighed, then the three departed to follow his command. Redwing, Sandstorm, and Soft Breeze came to the city edge long after Air Raid had left to scrutinize surveillance videos. Though months had passed without any speeches of White Dragon, he was searching for any instances of energon dealing, and he watched the ancient Predacon's progress whenever she stalked around the city.
It wasn't often that Starscream was alone with Soft Breeze, but usually all the grey Seeker ever did was talk about Cybertronian and alien animals. He continuously boasted that he had led all the animals away from Predacon Valley, leaving piles of flakes further and further away from the border. Starscream wasn't going to tell Air Raid that Soft Breeze had been sneaking out of the district, since he too was relieved that there were no more animals left to hunt, except for the passing, small, flying creatures.
No Predacon had any sort of pet in the city, which was a little concerning when Starscream thought too hard about what it could mean. He flinched at the thought of slaughtered pets, since all he had were the memories of how Bulkhead's turbofox. He could not imagine why anyone would even think of hurting such a creature.
Soft Breeze had not mentioned his animal-protection project today, and Starscream hadn't just thought these thoughts either. All of it only rose in importance in his mind when a russet Predacon broke out into the open behind them. They had been taking a sample of the fountain's energon for quality, until the Predacon headed toward them with something dangling from its mouth.
Starscream hadn't been the one to spot it. His back had been turned until he heard Redwing holler, "Hey! What is that?"
The Predacon hurled a dripping body into the fountain. The Predacons in the surrounding area jumped at the Redwing's yell, rising and turning just in time to see something splash into the fountain. Limbs sink under the surface, and the Predacons transformed to speak as they hurried forward.
"Whoa, hey!"
"What the slag was that?"
The Seekers bore their blasters and rushed closer. Once they could see into the fountain, Soft Breeze let out an awful, mournful wail. A canine creature lay at the bottom, scored with claw marks to let its blood leak out and camouflage with the rest of the energon. Its eyes were dark, but Starscream knew how they were meant to be full of life. Rusthounds were wild creatures that happily took to being pets, and he had seen so many chasing discs and balls in city parks. Seeing the canine's mutilated corpse sucked him into disgusted ire. Starscream snapped his glinting eyes back to the Predacon.
The reddish-brown Predacon stayed in its draconic form, standing defiantly before the Seekers and waiting for them to react. The other Predacons peeked into the fountain, gasping in horror, then recoiling.
Soft Breeze quivered in rage, barely able to keep his professionalism. "You are under arrest! Do not resist!"
Behind him, a Predacon hollered to his brethren, "What is wrong with you?"
"Why did you do that?" another boomed.
"Don't you know what the news will do with this?"
One of the Predacons here, Starscream recognized. It was a large and long Predacon with four wings that were decorated in a checkered pattern. He was nicknamed Checkers for this. He had just attended Sunchaser's yoga class, and he had been the last to speak.
The Predacon in question glowered and growled at their protest. Fed up, he transformed and roared, "There is nothing wrong with me! You all are just weak, influenced by bipedal culture!"
Redwing immediately called Air Raid, murmuring to him, "Sir, a Predacon's killed an animal and is protesting. We might need an assist for the arrest…"
The Predacon tossed out his bulky arms. "We were made this way, and there is no shame in it! Primus wants us to be who we are, and who are they to stop us? Let the reporters come, let the world see! We are the superior race, the final and mightiest creation of Onyx Prime-"
Soft Breeze shot the Predacon in the face, forcing his monologue to end in a cry. And though Soft Breeze was usually gentle despite his size, he now let out a bloodcurdling snarl and charged. However, Checkers had already transformed to leap over the Seekers, and now he crashed into the aggressive Predacon in full fury. With rapid bites, he tore at the outer plates of the other Predacon, hissing and struggling to hold him in place for them.
Despite his intentions, however, Checkers' body and his wings flapping for balance completely blocked their shot. The Seekers split evenly and tried to tear around him, but then Checkers was thrown back by a powerful kick. A wing struck Soft Breeze off his feet as he ran, taking him and the Predacon to the nearest wall. The russet Predacon flipped and transformed when he had the chance, ready as the two other Predacons lunged at him. He spun to strike a spiked tail into one's face, before clamping his jaws around the muzzle of the other Predacon.
"They're fighting each other," Redwing breathed as he hurried to Starscream. Sandstorm arrived, and standing together, their eyes flashed as they tried to find a way to get into the brawl. But as Predacons skidded and massive wings and claws lashed in a tornado, they promptly had to run for cover. The passionate Predacons fell back, bloody and hurt from the lone Predacon's cruel attacks. They were trying to hold him down without maiming him, yet they could not match his aggression. Constantly swatting back, the russet Predacon let out a roar of challenge.
Starscream understood the meaning.
"Weak!" he had screeched. "You are weak Predacons!"
He scratched over a cut he had already made on Checkers' face. He chittered in a way that said, "But see how strong I am!"
Redwing growled, "That's it. I'm going in!"
Starscream took a moment to catch what he had said. Redwing broke off running before Starscream understood, and Sandstorm gasped in equal surprise. By then the burly Seeker was hurling himself into the fray as Starscream called, "No! Wait for backup, Redwing!"
Starscream and Sandstorm charged after him as Soft Breeze also broke into a run behind them. Redwing slipped and rolled under limbs and tails, then released a shot right to the russet Predacon's elbow joint. With a screech, the Predacon stumbled for a moment. Yet instead of collapsing, the Predacon lashed out the very arm that had been shocked. Redwing yelped in surprise when a set of claws came at him. He curved back his body, but Starscream had the angle to see how one of the longer claws snagged his gut.
Redwing stood still, trying not to move and hurt himself worse. But then, there was a glint of understanding in the eyes of the russet Predacon in the single second that passed. With an extra push, the Predacon embedded the claw deeper before yanking across and back. A burst of blue, then Redwing toppled over onto his back. Everyone had seen the intentional action, and now Predacons screeched in horror, stumbling back and loosening whatever holds they had had on the Predacon.
The beige Seeker Sandstorm saw Redwing drop. He had already been moving to help his fallen comrade, but then he saw the russet Predacon opening his wings to fly. The full wrath of bloodlust overcame him, and the gravel of his voice came out in full as he reverted back to an old, space pirate accent.
"Beast! I'll skin the pelt of ye for hurting mine mate!"
While the other Predacons had froze, the assailant flapped into the sky. Starscream dashed to Redwing, but the sky above him lit up with furious red as Sandstorm blasted for all that he was worth. Starscream fell to his knees and skidded to Redwing, but when Soft Breeze sprinted to him, Starscream barked, "Aid Sandstorm!"
Soft Breeze soared into the sky and joined the light show wrought with the Predacon's pained screams. Among the racket, there was soon the slashing of steel; Sandstorm had landed on the Predacon and was slicing him mercilessly with a dagger. Yet Starscream did not look up when Redwing lay before him, torn open and trying to cover his own wound.
Some tubes in his abdomen had been cleanly sliced in half, and now an immense amount of energon was gushing from him. Redwing moaned and twitched, and Starscream replaced his hands, snagging the tubes in his hands and clenching them securely together. He squeezed for all that he was worth, trying to keep more energon from escaping. Still, blue leaked out from between his fingers.
"A-h-h, Moonwing," Redwing groaned. "Help, please…"
Starscream popped open his cockpit and rushed, "I have to let go for a second. I'm going to call Ratchet."
One hand stayed pressed down, and he pushed down his arm as well with some hope that it would help cut off the bleeding. Starscream yanked out his phone and scrambled to call Ratchet from the contact he had given him. Once it was ringing, he dropped the phone and grabbed the tubes once again. Starscream shivered as he waited for a response. Predacons ringed them at a distance while elsewhere, something heavy crashed from the sky, but none of it mattered to Starscream as much as this.
"I-is it bad?" Redwing quaked under his hold. "Oh please t-tell me… I don't want to d-die…"
The rings kept coming. Ratchet was not going to answer. Starscream did not know if the others had already called for help, or if any Predacon had. But he had to be sure that someone would come for Redwing. Starscream switched to his commlink, shouting urgently for medical attention.
After he had ended the call, Starscream stared him in the eyes. "You aren't going to die."
"I-I don't want to…"
"Save your energy, help is coming."
Redwing's shaking calmed as he looked back at Starscream, and he obediently stayed quiet. More blood seeped over Starscream's fingers, but he repeated, "They will fix you, Redwing."
He closed his eyes and nodded once back to Starscream. Then, the sound of a portal cracked up behind him. It has only taken seconds after his call, but it had felt like hours until the paramedics had arrived into the Valley. Even with their arrival, Starscream refused to let go of the tubing, not wanting Redwing's energon to squirt out immediately. He looked over the paramedics, waiting for them to give him a command, to take his place at Redwing's cut.
One of them dropped beside Starscream and touched Redwing's neck. Desperate for an order, Starscream barked, "What should I do?"
The paramedics looked to another. Then, someone touched Starscream's wing to pull him away.
"What?" Starscream protested, refusing to leave. "But if I let go-"
"I'm sorry," the paramedic kneeling beside him murmured. "He's already offline."
"What?" His yelp choked. "No, he was just speaking to me-"
When they eased him away from Redwing, when Starscream finally let go, hardly anymore energon leaked from his tubes. Starscream stepped back into the enormous puddle of energon that stretched around Redwing. He felt its fresh heat on his heels, then he realized, that the warmth was already all over his legs, chest, and arms.
"No!" Starscream growled. "He was alive! Just moments ago, he-"
Starscream thrashed against the consoling arms and dropped back down to Redwing. But by the time he was kneeling again, he saw that Redwing's eyes had never really closed. They were still creaked open, the light of life absent in them.
Suddenly, he noticed a silence over the area that was interrupted only by rapidly approaching jets. Air Raid, with Airglow and Skylight, approached in the sky. Starscream turned his unfocused eyes to them as Airglow and Skylight broke off, moving to where the Predacon had landed. Air Raid's path stayed straight, and he landed onto the battleground.
"Move!" he boomed. Starscream stood up on feeble legs as paramedics were shoved out of his way. Air Raid had cleared a way in an instant, but then he stepped into the blood and saw Redwing's still form for himself.
In that instant, his voice lost its power.
"No, Redwing…" he whispered.
And then, the Autobot collapsed to pull the body of the former Decepticon into his arms.
"Redwing, why, Redwing…?"
Starscream's arms hung uselessly at his sides, energon slowly dripping off his fingertips. It was as though he had forgotten how to move as his throat and chest ached, increasingly aching more at the sight of Air Raid.
"Moonwing," Air Raid groaned, curled over the body. "What happened?"
Starscream murmured, "It all happened all suddenly. The… the Predacon came without reason, then everyone fought and got in our way… Redwing… R-Redwing, he charged on ahead…"
Air Raid jerked and shook.
"He was brave," he whispered. "Such a good Seeker… a true Autobot… Why did this have to happen to you, Redwing?"
Air Raid snapped his head around as he noticed all the Predacons that were watching. He set Redwing down and jumped to his feet.
"Leave!"
They shuffled back in surprise, their sorrowed eyes now widening. When they did not scatter immediately, Air Raid yelled, "This is your fault! All of you got in the way, and he is dead because of you!"
Checkers transformed and clutched his wounds. "We didn't mean to…" he whispered. "We're so sorry…"
Air Raid bristled and raised a blaster.
"You couldn't resist fighting," he gritted his teeth. "Of course. How typical of your kind. Now get out. I don't want to see any more of your beastly faces right now."
"Wait," a paramedic announced. "They are all injured. They must receive treatment."
"Then take them!" Air Raid snarled. "Enough about them! Get them out of my sight!"
Then his eyes fell from the open portal down to Redwing again.
"And… please… take him as well."
Air Raid stood with Starscream and watched the gang shuffle into the portal. When they lifted Redwing's body, Air Raid's hands clenched into fists beside Starscream.
"Things must change," he uttered. "This will never happen again."
Through his commlink, Airglow called Air Raid, nearly interrupting him, "Sir, they have the Predacon cuffed."
"On my way," he murmured. Air Raid then noticed and glared at the new Predacons padding into the area. Before anyone could get near, Air Raid growled, "Anyone who dares come near that energon is under arrest!"
Of course, he had not meant the fountain, but the stretch of Redwing's remaining blood. Thus, before he left, he ordered Airglow and Skylight back to guard the area. Then, he turned to Starscream, his tone heavy with grief.
"Moonwing, thank you for trying to help him. It… It must have been easier for him, to have you there with him…"
He placed his hand onto Starscream's lowered wing.
"You've done enough. Go… go clean yourself off. You may go home if you wish."
When Air Raid took off however, Starscream did not even know where he should go. There were public oil showers, yet he could not imagine going there to wash off the Seeker's blood. And the more he thought about what was on him and how it had gotten there, the harder it was to move. He stared into the shining puddle of energon, then crumbled silently.
Airglow jogged up to him and held his shoulder. "Lieutenant, it isn't your fault. No one could have prevented this."
He understood that much, yet the tragedy remained in all of its irreversible prominence. Starscream could only imagine what could have changed. If he hadn't switched the patrols, if he had more agile Seekers like Sunchaser with him. If he had grabbed Redwing before he ran in. If Starscream himself had cleared his mind enough to take control of the chaos, taking the lead…
But thinking could not change any of this.
Skylight lifted the dead rusthound from the fountain by one of its hind legs.
"Predacons are the spawn of Unicron," she uttered, primarily addressing the Predacons near enough to hear her. "They say the Primes were all slightly corrupted by Unicron when they fought him. And so, it is understood that Predacons are the dark creation of Onyx Prime that should never have emerged from the Well of Allsparks. This world would clearly be better without them."
And with the blood-smeared clearing and the dead hound hanging in her grasp, the Predacons were too stunned to say anything. Even if they thought We would never do this, they could not find a way to say it in this situation that would sound believable. They crouched, tails lowered, and eyes hollow.
Starscream sat until someone would tell him where he could go now. When a group of Vos Seekers arrived, Skylight and Airglow rose to attention. A blur of things went on around him, and then, police officers and workers had come to clean up the area. Starscream managed to stand up on his own, but he stayed put until someone roused him by gently shaking a wing.
Jetfire had been told about what had happened, but the coating of blood splattered over Starscream was enough to tell the story.
"Come on," Jetfire murmured. "Let's go back to Vos."
Starscream wordlessly followed him.
"And it is a tragedy," White Dragon said. "I understand. The Seekers are our friends, and we mourn the death of Redwing."
It had been her first speech in months since the night skirmish. And she wasn't alone on the stage. Predaking stood beside her, his expression etched with lingering shock. She held the microphone, and although she herself did not look mournful, her words made the heads of the crowd lower.
It was the afternoon of the next day. Complete news hadn't been reported to all of Cybertron, but the rumors had spread, causing veins of fear to stretch over Cybertron. But the Seekers of the Valley were not afraid, only caught in melancholy. Traces of the event had already been thoroughly erased, the energon cleared away, the rusthound buried, and the fountain dumped and refreshed. Yet they all knew that Redwing was being prepared for his funeral at that very moment, and the first Valley Seekers took it the hardest.
No teachers were in the Valley that day; only Predacons were watching the speech with the group of Seekers on top of a roof. Air Raid was at the front, Aceflight and Cloudtips stood at one side, and at the back near Starscream, Sandstorm sat with Sunchaser holding him tight. The russet Predacon had apparently died from the wounds Sandstorm had inflicted, some stabs piercing into his brain. But that fact alone did not save him from mourning. Hearing White Dragon's words locked Sandstorm in such grief, that he burrowed into the smaller Sunchaser, whispering, "Redwing… My first friend on Cybertron… A good bot was he."
White Dragon paused to look at Predaking, then she continued, "But we agree, that it could have been prevented. We may welcome the Seekers here, but they should be no more than visitors. They are only fliers, and it is unfair to expect them to be our police force."
The Air Commander rose to his full height, eyes narrowing.
She said, "Without meaning to offend them, someone has to be the one to say that Seekers are not strong enough to be our police. We should be the ones protecting them, not the other way around. It takes many of them to fight one Predacon. Not only is that far too much effort and a waste of funding, but how can we put them into such danger? If they are our friends, we have to stop this. For their sakes. We need strong Predacons to be our own police. The Predacons who fought today, if they had had training, would have been more effective at arresting the criminal. They endured savage attacks, yet the poor Seeker was killed in one blow."
Aceflight did not know if he would get in trouble for yelling out, but he hissed among them, "How dare she judge us? Better than Seekers? We're the best of the best, and Sandstorm finished off that Predacon when he caught up to it, stabbing its beast face beyond recognition!"
The white Predacon continued, "The fliers should stay with their own race. They can serve them best, and they would be much safer there. There is simply a biological difference. Of course, we would not dream of hurting our friends. Times have changed, but we understand that Primus built us capable of dominating them. They were never made to compete with us, to fight us. They are quick and agile, but only to escape us. These are the natural roles we must accept. I'm sure that those of you who have played with the Seekers understand, but never wanted to say it and offend their friends."
Aceflight seethed during her words. "So that Predaking agrees with all this? Thinks we're too weak or something?"
Yet Predaking and the crowd were silent, never protesting to her analysis. Heads nodded, and eyes turned towards them with pity. That pity infuriated more than Air Raid and Aceflight. Even Sandstorm was distracted from his sorrow to stand and glare, and Starscream snapped his attention to Predaking. As he had predicted, he was staring back at him. Predaking was thinking of how frightened Starscream had been of him, and of how easily it had been to corner him. The fact that Predaking seemed to want to save him from fear, to be kind to him, made Starscream hate him more than ever before.
If there was anything Starscream knew he hated thoroughly, it was being pitied.
"Without their shock blasters, they can't hurt us. If you went full out while playing, they could stand no chance of facing you. So I beg of you, be considerate and honourable. The new duty of Predacons should be to use our claws to protect the Seekers, among all the little creatures of Cybertron…"
Air Raid shouted, "And what say you to this, Predaking? What is the meaning of this speech? Are you implying that we should leave?"
Predaking ushered the other Predacon aside, taking her place. He looked across the clearing to the roof of Seekers, and he answered, "We appreciate everything that you have done. And we welcome any of you to return here, but, I must agree. It is best if Predacons serve their own kind as police officers, receiving the training for it."
"You think we are not capable!" Air Raid hollered. Starscream stood tall at his defiance, agreeing by placing his wings high and forward.
"You say that the Predacons prevented you from making the arrest," Predaking replied. "But, had you been more capable, nothing would have gotten in your way."
Even without the microphone, White Dragon called up, "It is hard to accept, I realize, but our races aren't built the same!"
Air Raid exploded, "Predacon! You think you are strong? You think you are scary? All of you ignorant beasts were absent in the War! Not built the same? Ha! Do you think that ever stopped the Seekers from fighting genetically modified super soldiers? Hulking gladiators of the pits powered by the blood of Unicron? Towering combiners that could vaporize your city in a few blasts? We have seen more under the stars than you could ever imagine, Predacons! Out there, on distant planets, and here on home turf. You do not scare me. I have fought much worse monsters than you, but we called them Decepticons."
The Air Commander shouted over the heads of all the Predacons.
"We will not leave! We were soft from the peace, but things will change! We will be ready, and we will be stronger. None of you will ever underestimate the power of the Air Command ever again!"
Then pointing back to White Dragon, he growled, "And since when do you care about us? All you do is say what the people want you to say. You sulk by yourself, waiting for whatever opportunity to take power. Let no one, Predaking as well, be fooled by you!"
Starscream and most of the others shouted out in firm approval. Then, Air Raid hissed to his Seekers, "Come now. We're leaving."
Aceflight muttered, "If we leave, they're gonna keep talking scrap."
"I don't have the patience!" Air Raid snapped. "I have said all that I could, and if I can't convince them now, then I can't convince them with words alone. But it doesn't even matter if they agree. All of you, on your next day off, will go to Vos and receive the most powerful heat-seeking missiles available. No one will drive us away. We have a job to do, and we must defend our honour. We need better weapons instead of mere null ray blasters. I want you all to be able to injure or kill anyone who dares to threaten you. Cybertron is relying on us, and we cannot afford any more softness."
He shot a searing glare at Sunchaser.
"If you associate with those accursed Predacons again, I am sending you back to Vos."
His mouth opened then shut quickly.
"Moonwing," Air Raid said without pause, and without looking at him.
Starscream answered, "Yes?"
"If you can't uphold my commands, you will also be sent back to our capital."
He jolted slightly, but replied, "I… understand."
"Good."
Air Raid leapt off the roof, then he led the group nowhere particular, just to get away from it all. Starscream understood his attitude. He too had taken great offense, and he was also caught up in the tragedy of Redwing's death. When he had told Redwing that he was not going to die, Starscream had truly believed it. Now, it was as though he had been ripped away mercilessly, his absence becoming a throbbing wound in his spark. And the pain cried out for him to do something, but he could not understand what it was that he should do.
It was much easier just to follow. All the stress and possibilities were crushing him, and he felt lost in his emotions. Part of him wanted to take revenge, and another part just wanted to hide away in someone else's shadow. As hard as he might try to plan, he could never predict the enemy, thus what could he really do? Perhaps, Knockout had been right to say that he did not need this responsibility. If he could just pick a side and let the others take care of everything, the world would be simpler and consistent.
If only he could be truly helpless again and have no excuse. He longed for the days when Optimus and Smokescreen helped him with everything, holding him and reassuring him. Before any of his friends had died, when Starscream had not known how cold the nights truly were when inside, it was so warm.
He was far from wanting responsibility, and far from wanting to be the leader of anything at all. At last, he understood why he had returned to the Decepticons after his experience of going rogue. Why he had eventually lost his ambition to overthrow Megatron. In times of fear and helplessness, he would give anything for certainty. If he could not be strong, then Starscream needed someone to be what Megatron had eventually and once become for him.
Just to let you all know, I will keep working on concept art and I will post them on Deviantart (EmperorKumquat). Maybe this practice might actually make me better at drawing...? Anyway, a silhouette for White Dragon has been posted, and I am working on a Charred Mist concept currently. I will also write status updates on Deviantart about chapter progress and what I am colouring next.
Don't forget to review here or comment on Deviantart and let me know your thoughts and predictions. They're always appreciated.