LAMENT - POV Starscream
Starscream eyed the approaching orb in the dark expanse of space, the light from the local star illuminating its azule oceans and lands of brown and green. He never wanted to visit here again, especially not after Cybertron's revitalization. But somebody would have searched Darkmount eventually… and no amnesty would be granted to a Decepticon such as him.
Not that he wanted amnesty. No. He wanted to continue the fight… he refused to bend to the Autobots as Megatron had. He will rule the Decepticons… perhaps one day even Cybertron itself… and he will do whatever it takes to get there. Right now that meant finding the legendary minicons, to attain power surpassing even the primes. He tracked them to this solar system before their signal disappeared. He assumed their path led them to Earth, as all things usually do for some reason. Starscream frowned at that atrocity of a planet. He hated it. Dirty and disgusting in almost every aspect… but he'd do what he must. He'd find the minicons. And finally people will take him seriously.
After staring at the Earth for a while, he realized he could also see his own reflection in the glass. He observed himself for a few moments. This upgrade to his old form would be enough to instill respect… but he needed more . Sure, he was powerful. But not more powerful than the likes of Optimus Prime or Megatron. And he had to be.
The longer he stared at himself, the more it hurt. The reflection's colors were muted, and he was no longer looking at the black and primary colored seeker he knew himself to be… instead, in the blurry colorless outline, he recognized two others as well. If it weren't for the expression upon his face, he would've been unrecognizable from Skywarp or Thundercracker. Completely unrecognizable… and as much as it hated for him to admit it, but it hurt .
This is why you were weak , Starscream. You cannot be again. When Megatron offered the frame change, the change to the much weaker frame, you gladly accepted. You didn't want to be reminded of the brothers you lost. But if you had kept your old body, perhaps one of your many coups against Megatron would've succeeded. Maybe you would've been respected… maybe you would've beat Megatron himself.
But no time to linger on the past. Never again can I be weak. Never again will my suffering impede my progress towards my destiny. I will forget the past if that is what's required to forge the future. Nothing will stand in my way.
And in an event of universally fateful timing, a single signal popped up on his radar. He distastefully eyed the signal, located in what the humans called "North America". It was in that general vicinity, but the machine was still attempting to close in on the actual location. Starscream's expression slowly turned from a scowl to one of overwhelming bewilderment as he actually looked closer at the radar. The signal disappeared as quickly as it appeared, with no clue as to location besides the entire continent. But it shattered Starscream's preconceptions nonetheless, and left him abashed. He recognized that signal.
That signal belonged to Thundercracker.