Starscream felt there was insufficient time to say farewell to Slipstream. It was partly to prove his worth to her, by showing he was still capable of acting for the good of their faction, that he was leaving so early. It was dawn of the local solar cycle; Decepticons would either be recharging, because they had participated in the festivities the night before, or engaged by their own secret meetings. It would not be obvious that he had left, or who had gone with him, until much later. And by then, hopefully, his work would already be underway.

Starscream did slip into her chamber. He stood near her berth, fixed high along the wall – he presumed this was to allow for greater storage space or visibility beneath the berth – and watched her curled in recharge. He was rather pleased with himself that he had not only gained entrance, but that his presence had not woken her. Starscream liked to think this meant her spark trusted him, whether she was conscious or not. It was a rather heady feeling, this being trusted.

Must not ruin it, Starscream told himself. No. Do not abuse the trust. It was tempting. Some part of him wanted to laugh and gloat, draw attention to the fact that he – the one everyone assumed to be so treacherous – had made her trust him. Look what power he had been given!

He did not even touch. Starscream just watched, for a brief time, enjoying the power. He had never felt that anyone was so completely his. He had commanded loyalty before, respect from some, and fear, but not this. Slipstream was so his! And she was perfect. Yes, a bitter nag; there was that. And evasive. Yes. Just inscrutable sometimes. An inexperienced Commander. But, she was also beautiful and powerful and highly intelligent. He had made her!

He, Starscream, the genius, had made her in his image, and she was the perfect helpmate. So, the AllSpark had helped, a little. But he had MADE her! He had triggered her courtship protocols not once, but twice! Narcissism be tossed to the smelting pools! The universe had not seen fit to grant him a paramour, so he had made his own.

She was really cute when she was in sleep-mode. Luscious, pouty, black lip plates. Bunny brand on her tail fin. Cruel, slender, magenta-painted claws, wrapped around one of her own cables, as if she were plotting accessing a system right now.

She made him better. She challenged him. She told him when she disagreed. Megatron, Starscream thought, could have had him as his paramour. But, Megatron had ruined everything; he had not given Starscream what he needed. Slipstream would be better. Starscream was quite confident now. They could make things work out. Megatron? He would leave that protocol running a little while longer.

Slipstream did deserve a token of his affection, however. It was time to say goodbye to Optimus Prime. It had always been a frivolous attraction, and now would forevermore be short-lived. Maybe Optimus could have made Starscream better, but he would have always looked at Starscream with Autobot eyes. Slipstream was a Decepticon. She would make him better, challenge him, and not expect him to change, except to reorient his course when he strayed from their cause.

Starscream shut down the protocol that had triggered when he saw the youthful Prime on Earth.

Starscream had hope. He and Slipstream would find a third. They would make things work. If he had hope, then he could be hope for his faction. He could – he would be the leader they needed, be it figurehead, or example or symbol. And, he would do it with science!

The Decepticons were not going to die in his watch. He understood what they needed. He could provide energy, weapons and military goals as well as Megatron – better. He would give them what Megatron could not. Choices and options long denied them; the ability to exercise the freedoms they were told they fought for. A taste of what was at stake, so they would truly understand their cause. A cause for which they would be inspired to fight, whether it be physical battle, or competition in a field or industry.

It was not about waging war against Autobots or destroying them in battle – though they certainly may end up as targets. It was not even about Cybertron, or any one powerful artifact – though those were admirable goals, if they should choose them. It was about Decepticons controlling their own destiny, regardless of who stood in their way. They did not need Autobots or Cybertron to do that, when there were so many worlds they had yet to explore and sample.

Starscream placed a couple of small holo-projectors upon Slipstream's berth, by way of parting.

He left her room, quietly as he had come. The others were waiting in the corridor. Dirge was there, with both Swindle and Dead End. Scalpel was just saying goodbye to Skywarp. Overcast was standing ready, with Acid Storm and Drench nearby.

Starscream went to Skywarp, where he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, just outside the door to his chamber. Scalpel was on his left shoulder, small forelimbs stroking Skywarp's helm fondly. Skywarp had been sitting here through the night and had not recharged. Starscream had not allowed himself recharge either, but that was because he had been arranging his journey from the city to the Seeker Research Facility on the outskirts. He planned to recharge after he had settled himself at the lab.

Starscream crouched and looked on Skywarp. "I need attention to be on those of you here, for now, and not on me, so I must ask you do not visit. You may comm if you have need. If it is important, send Cid as a messenger. It will not seem suspicious if Acid Storm and Overcast travel between the locations. Take care of the others, Warp," Starscream instructed, "Explain to Trix that she needs to be seen within the city. And tell Thundercracker that I trust he will know when to use my name. Ramjet will look after Sunstorm, and I know Red will look after him."

Skywarp nodded slowly in understanding. He was still hurt and shocked by the revelation the night before, but he would do his part to further their mission.

"I need Scalpel in particular," Starscream told him, "You will still have BB. I am certain we can trust Smokejumper; just say you speak in my name. Ask Thundercracker or Sunstorm to tell you if Smokesniper is proven yet. I am not certain about Smokescream; it depends what his options are. And...I'm sure Vortex is with us."

Skywarp nodded again. Vortex had come, mostly because Swindle had, maybe because he had some amused fondness for his jail mates Ramjet and Sunstorm, but he was Slipstream's now. Not the third she was looking for, but one in her service, as a Decepticon was to another he chose to obey without challenge. "I know," Skywarp said quietly.

"Keep up your recruiting," Starscream suggested.

Starscream stood then. He lay a hand on Drench as he touched helms with Acid Storm. Neither spoke, or commed, but they both understood what was needed. Starscream was going to the Seeker Research Facility with Overcast so he could cultivate protoforms there. Also, as they and Overcast knew, Starscream had some things in safe keeping there, which he had need to access. Acid Storm's duty was to keep optics on the actions of Team Luna within New Kaon, and to continue his data marshalling.

The team had been in New Kaon more than a local solar cycle; enough time for Straxus to take notice and for Imperial sympathizers in the city-state to report their presence. Time enough, also, for Autobot spies to report their location to any listening on Cybertron, including spies placed there. They could expect to see reaction soon; what form, they could not yet project, so they had to be prepared for anything.

Starscream took Scalpel from Skywarp and put him into his own cockpit. Swindle and Dead End had already been given the coordinates of the Research Facility. Dead End had been with Dirge just long enough at this point that it might still be assumed he had merely found a mark last night and enough fuel to keep him out to daylight. Soon, his presence would be missed by his team. Dirge and Dead End realized this, as well as Starscream or the other Seekers. Acid Storm believed it a matter of time before Motormaster came looking for answers.

Starscream found himself thinking on the presence of the Autobot spy in the Stunticon team. He did not himself know why he was so certain of it, or why he was certain Breakdown's identity was Deep Cover, who was Red Alert's creator. When he thought about Deep Cover, the Autobot warden at Trypticon came to his processor. And thinking that, Starscream realized he knew the precise layout of the detention facility and access codes to get through various doors within. Yet, he had no idea how he knew. Diagnostics suggested he had been resurrected knowing the information.

It was time to leave.

Swindle and Dead End went down in the lift to the ground floor to roll out along the roads. Starscream took Dirge and Overcast with him to the landing bay. He assigned Overcast to right wing and Dirge left. "Why can I not have the position of right wing?" Dirge asked.

"If I gave it to you, you would now be asking why you could not have right wing," Starscream said blandly, "and Cast is accustomed to flying right wing for Acid Storm."

"You both go ahead, then," Dirge said, "I will make my own way there. I want to monitor my grounders; make sure they get out of the city."

Starscream agreed. Dirge had the coordinates as well. "Overcast and I will proceed and unlock the facility."

It was a short flight west, with the rising blue star behind them. Overcast kept formation with Starscream well. They used to fly together often, with Acid Storm and Dreadwind. Starscream had never had a trine of his own. He was offspring of a trine, and his peers Thrust and Acid Storm had found suitable Seekers, but Starscream never had. There had not been many from which to choose. A great number had been deactivated in military conflict between city-states, just prior to the Great War. Others had been lost, such as those among the ill-fated Atlantis crew. Many more had died in the course of war. Some few, like Dreadwind had their sparks extinguished by the actions of other races.

The Seeker Research Facility, where Overcast worked was an institution Overcast and Starscream had both worked to keep in existence during the war. It had originally been located within the Cybertronian city-state of Vos. After the conclusion of the Great War, during the time of the Decepticon Diaspora, it had been transferred to the Decepticon Scout Class vessel Hyperion. The aging ship had been transported to New Kaon by a larger vessel, where now it was ground-bound and made up a portion of the current SRF.

The Research Facility was a functioning scientific laboratory, with cramped, but usable workstations for the various fields of Seeker interest, but the largest portions were for engineering of electrical devices and chemistry, because those were Overcast and Starscream's pursuits. The SRF was also, sometimes, a front for other things that Seekers did not wish known to Decepticons at large, or others outside the faction. It contained, for example, Acid Storm's off-site back-up of intelligence files, as well as a database of Seeker ancestry. It had for some time also been the vessel for Starscream's collection of things that were not the AllSpark.

Overcast and Starscream reached the Facility in good time. Overcast demonstrated the newest security features to Starscream and informed him how to gain access. It had been a long time since Starscream had been able to visit this lab. He had made occasional rendezvouses with Overcast, Dreadwind and Acid Storm during the time they had all been mobile and Megatron had Starscream looking for the AllSpark, but it had been at least 50 stellar cycles since Starscream had last been to the SRF.

The Facility, but for required chimneys, portals and vents, was buried below the surface of the planet, which was here had a coarse, discreet soil, along the natural slope of the mound upon which New Kaon was built, and sparsely vegetated with some red plant life. The concealed entrance was positioned at the lower point of the slope, and led to an old airlock, which in turn gave way to the level metal-plated interior.

The cool-tone alloys were a mark of Decepticon metalworking processes. Overcast went before Starscream, into the main corridor of the grounded Hyperion, now oriented along a north-south axis, with its starboard side airlock, through which they had come, to the west. "Much of your equipment is still in this original section," Overcast said, meaning the Hyperion. "And the data banks," he added, "Cid figured, if we ever had to pull out quickly, we could cut loose the annexes and haul the Hyperion. The silicates overhead are really for insulation and shielding, more than camouflage."

Outside, Dirge homed in on the given coordinates. His first visual confirmation was of the array of photovoltaic panels now risen to capture light from the local blue star for conversion to electricity. Now there were also a collection of communication dishes and antennae visible along the surface. The darker ground around the bases of the devices seemed to indicate damper soil had recently been exposed from below, meaning, Dirge surmised, that the devices were retractable.

He commed both Swindle and Dead End, using their preferred scheme, and informed them of the visual indicators they might use in locating the entrance.

Dirge went to the entrance and found it locked. He rapped at the exterior hatch and soon heard a replying metal on metal ping. The hatch was opened. Starscream was in the space of the airlock, which was just large enough, Dirge supposed, for three Seekers to squeeze into together.

"I want to see the science labs," Dirge said eagerly.

"You shall," Starscream promised, "but first: how far out are the others?"

"Maybe two, two-and-a-half kliks at their last speed." Once out of the downtown area, it was a straight shot west and downhill most of the way. An easy drive for both sports-model and utility vehicle.

Starscream nodded. He walked back to the main corridor from which most of the chambers were accessed. He paused momentarily and looked back at Dirge. "You will want to touch things, or take them. Do not. If you can obey, then there are things here I might give you as gifts, or allow you to use, but if you disobey, you could severely damage yourself or another. And we would not want that, particularly in your potentially impregnated state."

"I will make it my mission not to touch," Dirge promised.

"Scalpel is already making an inventory of equipment in my lab, but I wish to speak with Overcast before the others arrive. You may listen."

Overcast was then within his own engineering lab, still at the workstation he had used to raise the arrays. Starscream called to him and Overcast joined the other two in walking through the narrow corridor.

"It looks like a ship," Dirge said, "a tiny ship."

"The Hyperion," Overcast said, with some fondness, "It was my trine's home for many stellar cycles. Just big enough for three, if they are close."

"We might need to increase air circulation," Dirge suggested.

"We had a few difficulties with Dormitory Effect," Starscream explained awkwardly.

They came to the space just behind the unused cockpit, here was the main console to the Hyperion's main computer, with its heavily modified and ungraded data storage and processors. Starscream used his old, but valid access codes to call up a large file containing a chart. He quickly found his designation. "Here," he said to Dirge, "I will let you input the names of you and the other clones."

The chart was a type of registry of lineage, Dirge recognized. So very many designations, linked by lines and symbols. "All Seekers?" Dirge asked.

"Not in the strictest sense," Starscream offered, "but all related to Seekers in some way. Some, very distantly, with a single Seeker among their progenitors, many generations back. I know Thundercracker means for us to increase the Decepticon faction, but it would be nice, if we could get ourselves a few more Seekers in doing that."

Dirge marveled at the chart. It went back millions of stellar cycles. Some designations recycled many times over as elders were deactivated. Some designations Dirge had never even heard. Later generations showed Autobots, as well as Decepticons, being descended from Seekers of the distant past, before there were even factions.

Starscream spoke then, to Overcast. "I spoke briefly to Cid; I do not know what he may have relayed to you, but he told me that he would like you to have your own voice in the matter."

"Which?"

"Thrust. Do you know what we learned from Ravage?"

"Yes. I understand Swindle was also involved."

"I do not know what will come of it, only that it does seem that Swindle and Thrust both were part of a scheme to supply Trypticon with a new transformation cog. Thrust is in Trypticon now. But, if there is to be some escape – whoever planned it – we may be able to meet with Thrust again."

"Where was he before?"

"On Titan in the Solar system, with the Triple Changers. I only recently learned of all this, after my resurrection."

"I do not know what to say. My impression was that he was deemed unstable, not suitable for missions. I pity him, I do. It was devastating to lose one mate, and he lost two."

"He witnessed it. One of our final battles on Cybertron. I was there. I was with him, before we all dispersed and became refugees on so many worlds. Physically he was sound, but the loss was too much for his processor. He relies on perceived astrological messages for every decision. He's not even really a Decepticon anymore."

"But he is, physically, still one of us," Overcast said.

"Exactly."

"Star, we cannot just...breed him. That is, I fear, what you are suggesting?"

Starscream made an annoyed, wordless series of clicks. "No. And Thundercracker is not, either. But, if he could be persuaded? What I want to know is: if we have the chance, should and can we shelter him? If need be, protect him from prosecution? Forgive any betrayals?"

"This is all hypothetical. Unless we ourselves plot to get to Trypticon and free him, we have no way of knowing when and if we will see him."

"Hypothetical, yes, but I am suggesting we plan for all contingencies. We are dying, Cast. Seekers even more than Decepticons. I dislike Thrust. I always disliked him, even when he was sane – more or less – but I view him as a Seeker, even if he's given himself over to reading stars."

"If Megatron was behind the scheme with the cog, then I do not think we will have the chance to detain Thrust at all. Megatron would not allow it, assuming the plan is to free them both. But, if there are some other circumstances, any of us, as Decepticons, could take him into custody to question him about the deal with Swindle. Then, we would have at least a little time to observe and determine whether he will cooperate. If he believes the stars want him elsewhere at that point...."

Starscream sighed.

"We could just ask him to help us," Dirge said, "he liked the other Dirge a lot."

"How do you know about the other Dirge?" Starscream asked.

"His name is on this chart, but I knew before that. I almost died lying at the foot of his memorial marker. Ender showed it to me. There is one for the other Ramjet, too. I knew someone must have arranged to have the markers erected."

"I had not realized."

"Do you want me to send him a message? Prisoners are allowed correspondence, aren't they? Or, should Ramjet do it? Those Autobots owe him."

"They would not likely admit it," Starscream said.

Overcast placed his claws, gently, to Dirge's right shoulder. "They were his trine; they cannot simply be replaced."

"Not to mention you have your own lovers."

"I was not really suggesting I breed with him," Dirge said. Though, he was tempted. "My suggestion was merely that if you wish to cement what is only hypothetical, he might be willing to accept as much as a message from one of us."

The discussion was interrupted as Swindle knocked on the entry hatch. "We can discuss this another time," Starscream said, then went to let Swindle and Dead End inside.

The corridor was somewhat difficult for them all to navigate. Starscream's collection, which he intended to show Swindle, and Overcast's lab were both in the rear compartments. Overcast had to stay back in the fore section, so the others could go before him. Dead End entered the main corridor by retracting his armor panels and ducking between Dirge's legs. Swindle squeezed by near the aft section, and then walked before Starscream. The others then followed single-file.

Starscream explained again, as he has to Dirge, that they were not to touch or take anything. The rear port compartment housed a special collection of things that were not the AllSpark. Some were probably rare, but useless; others were powerful in their own right; and a few could cause permanent deactivation.

Overcast went separately into his own lab, in the starboard compartment, while Starscream led Dirge and the two grounders in to see his collection. The interior of the compartment was quite literally crammed with assorted display cases, shipping containers, storage bins, stacks of similar sized objects, and large freestanding objects.

Swindle immediately recognized a few rare and valuable objects. Starscream had a whole bin of force chips! Dirge wanted everything. Dead End saw a few shiny things that looked like they might be energy sources, if not mildly radioactive. "Starscream, my old friend..." Swindle started.

"I will give you a suitable percentage for any sales you manage. That is why I invited you here."

"Sure, sure," Swindle said, wringing his hands. He glanced at Dirge; he looked quite fetching in a gold cone-shaped helm today: Swindle's recent gift. He had made it sound like coming here was all his idea, but then Swindle supposed it was very Dirge to claim possession. "Explain the deal to me."

"All of this I collected over the course of several million stellar cycles of looking for the AllSpark and not finding it. Our crew did our best to appease Megatron, of course. He may have played with a few of these baubles for a while, but he tired of them. So I 'disposed' of them here." Starscream lifted a jewel-encrusted gold orb from a crate of various orbs. "Pearl of Bahoudin – need to remember to give this to Overcast." Starscream tossed the so-called pearl from hand to hand then placed it on a nearby shelf. "These items are not my only investments. I have currency in financial institutions on numerous worlds, various real estate and prospecting claims, things like that."

"We all do," Swindle said, waiting for Starscream to get to the point. He casually appraised a box of keys lying atop a broken memorial marker that showed only a pair of feet.

"Not all of us. You can't take it with you." Dead End walked around a stack of crates to a display case containing samples of various colored liquids, maybe he thought, even some rare types of energon.

"Oh, yes you can," Swindle disagreed, "If I go offline – permanently – I'm making it a condition of my termination protocols that I have a monolithic space mausoleum constructed in my honor, with all my material possessions sealed inside, and automated defenses."

"That is...mildly tacky, My Lover," Dirge said, "Are you certain you would not prefer a somber, traditional recycling into some useful object that I can have?"

"Maybe you would like to get sealed in the mausoleum with my cold, gray, deactivated shell, My Lover?"

"And forego the opportunity to dramatically throw myself into the smelting pool after you?" Dirge asked, "doesn't sound all bad. Maybe I could reanimate your shell with Quintesson technology and have my own zombie playmate."

"It will all end up back here with Starscream," Dead End said morosely, "you realize these relics and artifacts were likely robbed from tombs and temples?"

"Do you know how much effort I went through to collect these slagging trinkets for Megatron? How many worlds I had to invade? How many alien races I had to wage war against? I earned these!"

"So, back to what I get out of this."

"I am willing to part with some of this," Starscream explained, still agitated. So many things here made him think about Megatron and how disappointed he had been. "I will keep those objects that will be of real use to Team Luna, and safeguard those that are too powerful to risk sending into another's keeping. The rest I am willing to sell, if you can find suitable buyers."

"Fifty percent?"

"No way. More like five."

"There's a lot of legwork involved."

"Over comms."

"It should be 25 percent."

"Fifteen," Starscream offered. "And that does mean I get eighty-five; not you get fifteen, while your other associate gets ten and another still five, until I am down another fifteen percent!"

"Well, since you are clearly such a valued repeat customer," Swindle said, "I will accept fifteen percent."

"I think you could have had him for eight," Dirge said coolly, "You know Swindle's marketing skills, he'll make these old artifacts sound like they are one-of-a-kind sacred treasures..."

"They are one-of-a-kind sacred treasures!" Starscream said. "I've got a whole box of matrices, a case of crystals of mysterious origin – including a Doomstone that sucks sparks from your very shell – and a vial containing the cure for scraplets!"

"I said they were stolen from temples," Dead End said quietly.

"Isn't the cure for scraplets just water?" Dirge asked.

"Just water?" Swindle asked, "Imagine what that one vial of water would mean to a village of sick mechlings on a planet that has no water. It would be priceless."

"My Lover? Really? You are going to sell water to scraplet-infested little mechlings? Can't you see what you could have if you gave it to them for free? Their admiration, their eternal gratitude!"

"Their currency." Swindle sidled up to Dirge to try to influence his opinion on the price of water, "Dirge, Lover, do you know the logistics involved in transporting something the density of water from one planet to another? Who pays for that, if you give the cure away?"

Dirge looked down and saw Swindle's large, purple optics gazing up at him. "Can I have your optics, if you go offline – permanently?" Dirge whispered.

"Probably, if you made one of those sad infomercials, like the ones I see when I have trouble recharging, you could convince wealthy beings to pay for transport of water between planets, retain and surplus as expense in operating your charity, and still give away enough water to gain all the admiration you desire," Dead End suggested.

Swindle, now trying not to look at Dirge, even as he leaned against his side, extended his left hand to Dead End. "Come back over here, Gloomgoodie." Dead End returned as requested and took Swindle's hand with his own. "I knew there was a reason we decided to keep you around. That was just...priceless."

"I was just thinking of all the things that go on in the galaxy," Dead End admitted.

"Don't be sad," Dirge said. "Swindle really likes your idea! Everyone wins. Donors get to feel good about themselves, mechlings get the cure they need, and we get currency and undying gratitude! It was a really beautiful thought, Ender."

Starscream sighed. "Yes, yes, all well and good until someone protests the water mining operation is negatively affecting their ecosystem. Or until someone figures out you ran out of actual scraplets infestations and persuaded Oil Slick to cause a few more."

"Hey, Oil Slick is in prison, and you're the one with the slagging vial in your collection."

The collection. Starscream reached into his subspace storage he drew a palm-sized crystal out into his right hand, passed it to his left, then reached in again and drew out a small red data crystal. "He offered the smaller, red crystal to Swindle. "Here, I prepared-"

"What is that?" Swindle asked.

"As I was trying to say: I made a copy of my inventory so you may beginning locating markets."

"Is that the Heart of Cybertron?"

Starscream regarded the larger crystal in his left-hand claws. "Yes. It's not for sale."

"You cannot possibly use it. Do you know what it's worth?"

"Better. I know what it can do...installed in a properly equipped starship."

"You want the currency to buy a starship?" Dirge asked.

"I want the currency, and I am willing to buy a starship, if I cannot get one by other means." Starscream pushed the small data crystal into Dead End's hand, since Swindle's were occupied. "Let me know if you need to prepare images or supply provenance for potential buyers," Starscream said then, "I will escort you back in here."

"Meaning we are leaving," Dirge said.

"I need to recharge," Starscream admitted. "There is a guest chamber: midsection port side, beyond the chemistry lab. Dirge may access the ship's computer, and you are allowed to enter my labs, of course, but the collection is not to be disturbed."

As they walked from the compartment, Starscream went last, and exchanged the Heart of Cybertron for the Pearl of Bahoudin. As they came to the narrow corridor again, Starscream locked the door on his collection. Dirge ushered the other two before him and turned to Starscream. "Can you check again?"

"Check what?"

"The halo," Dirge whispered.

"I should warn you, though the contents of the SRF are not harmful to Cybertronians under normal conditions – some devices and objects affect electromagnetic fields and may harm sparks, particularly newsparks, if not shielded within your spark chamber."

Dirge studied Starscream over the top of his half-spectacles. "So, actually, what you are saying is: no sparking in the labs?"

Starscream laughed a static-laced chuckle. "The guest chamber has suitable shielding, as have very specific areas of the labs. Come." Starscream walked then into Overcast's lab. The engineer was presently drafting a plan for a new microprocessor at his workstation. Starscream sauntered to him and presented the jewel-encrusted sphere. "I have been meaning to give you this."

"Yes. Excellent. Weather control applications, if I am not mistaken."

"I thought of you," Starscream said. "I am about to recharge, but Dirge and I need to make use of the shielding for a moment."

Overcast nodded agreement, fascinated by the Pearl. Only in retrospect did he question what he had heard. Surely Dirge and Starscream were not to share themselves?

Starscream pressed Dirge into a particular alcove and shut a sliding partition behind them. "Open," he said.

Dirge complied, again trusting Starscream to look on his spark. Starscream, again regarded the spark while keeping as much distance as possible. "Halo is still present," he said, "fainter than before. I have to say I believe it is dispersing."

"You mean, I'll lose it?"

"No, Dirge, it simply never was. I told you, a halo is not the same as a newspark, it only sometimes is able to coalesce."

Overcast took notice of their conversation. "Do you need assistance? I have some experience."

"He does," Starscream said.

"Yes, I would have Overcast's assistance and experience as my own."

"Safe to enter?"

Starscream appeared, agitated, to Dirge. He wished to shield Dirge with some part of himself, but shied from putting his own chest closer. Instead Starscream side-stepped and pressed a portion of his wing close against Dirge's open canopy and spark chamber. "Now, quickly."

Overcast opened the partition, stepped inside the cramped cubicle, then slid the partition back into position. He could see Dirge was anxious, twitching. Starscream seemed completely lacking in so-called berthside manner; he cringed from Dirge's exposed spark. Overcast put claws to Dirge's shoulder and leaned in close to examine his spark. "Relax," he said, "In absence of actual elder kin to advise you in such a situation, perhaps you might regard me as something of a subject matter expert."

The use of jargon relaxed Dirge, more than even he expected. He had not really understood that he might be at disadvantage in not having surviving elders, but learning of the lack and having it filled all in a nanoklik sated his greed. "Is it normal?" he asked.

"Were you trying to conceive when you got the halo?"

"No, but when there seemed even a potential for it, Swindle seemed really happy."

"Probably happy to sell it," Starscream said skeptically, pressing his wings to the interior of the cubicle to make room for the examination.

"He was just happy," Dirge said defensively, "I was, too. You don't understand, My Creator. Swindle is older than I am by stellar cycles, and he has never had offspring. Even if it was just all some conditional programming, I know it was important to him."

"I believe you," Overcast said, "it is a natural reaction. A mech should feel proud at the prospect of successful breeding and continuing his lineage. But, I must concur, this halo seems to be dispersing."

"Oh."

"The good of it is you can always try again! Even while you still have the halo."

"That's good to know," Dirge said. His posture relaxed further.

"Was it your first time?" Overcast inquired.

"With the three," Dirge replied honestly.

"Then you may tell the other two that you should all be proud. A halo on a first try with a young mate like yourself is a very good sign. You've a strong spark, Dirge." Overcast whispered then, "Mine is gold, too."

Dirge often liked to think that he possessed things that others did not, but in this case, everything Overcast said was reassuring. His spark was normal, strong. "Everything is all right. We can just make another one."

"Right. Cid and I are trying, too."

"Trying is fun!"

Starscream sighed. Overcast and Dirge looked to each other, realizing a camaraderie as mechanisms who shared in a type of experience from which Starscream was thus far excluded. "It is fun!" Overcast agreed. "Important to always remember that. Just keep having fun, and soon you'll find yourself with a strong newspark."

"You can close-up now," Starscream grated miserably. He saw Dirge closed his spark chamber and cockpit canopy. "Go," he ordered.

Dirge grinned at Overcast then slid away the partition to exit.

"He is a lot like you."

"He's my slagging clone."

Overcast laughed, because Starscream was being rather juvenile himself at the moment. "You used to be like that: hungry, curious." Before the war. Before Starscream lost his kin and his friend.

"I still want; it is different now, I have had to accept there are things I want and cannot have. I am angry that I accept it."

"Rather insightful."

"I can be insightful," Starscream insisted, "It is actually very easy with versions of myself running around on the outside."

"Technically not insight then." Overcast saw Starscream was not amused. "You can share my berth in the recharge loft."

"No." Starscream had planned to use the limited facilities in his lab. He was here to work.

"You used to get in our berth all the time."

"Just to recharge!" Starscream said, too defensively.

"Same thing now," Overcast said. Starscream was his Lord. Acid Storm had made it so long ago, on behalf of their trine. Still, Overcast could clearly remember when Starscream was an Academy brat they knew from the neighborhood; and when, a little older, they had all worked for a neighborhood Boss, taking care of their own during pre-war conflicts.

Starscream nodded. "I'm not well lately. Scalpel is helping me take care of the matter. I will be myself again. Better. Soon. The faction needs their figurehead."

"You truly are our Liege," Overcast said, "I would recommend caution with any of Ravage's progeny, however."

Starscream walked from the shielded cubicle through the lab and along the corridor to the entrance to the loft, just behind the Hyperion's cockpit. Overcast walked with him. When they reached the door, Starscream finally spoke. "I know the rumors, too, and I've lately suspected there is some truth behind them, but I trust Scalpel." He shrugged, "I even trust Ravage in so much as I know she will act according to her own interests, and that of her progeny. They are not ones we can afford to have as enemies right now."