((Author's Note, Feb 8th 2021: Just a note that this story is officially off hiatus! I have updated the first three chapters that were posted years ago and new chapters will be posted weekly until complete. Whether you're new or returning, thanks for stopping by!))
Decadence: A process, condition, or period of deterioration or decline, as in morals or art; decay.
"Status report?"
"Same old, same old. A full diagnostic of the ship is still in the works, but I have Breakdown running a complete structural survey as we speak. So far there are a couple of holes here and there, but nothing that needs immediate attention."
"And the crew?"
"Although Breakdown is back on his feet, I advised him against any strenuous activity for the next few solar cycles. Soundwave is still absent from the ship, and several troopers found Airachnid immobilized in a back hallway. I had her placed with the others that met a similar fate." Knockout brought up a quick list of numbers on his data-pad. "I've taken a brief stock of the Vehicon soldiers and it seems that while there were 46 injured and 38 frozen, only seven were beyond repair," he announced, eyeing the numbers.
Starscream raised an eyebrow. "That's good?"
"You trust my professional opinion don't you?"
Starscream scoffed. "Apparently it's why I keep you around."
"Then considering the damage we get on a weekly basis from the Autobots on the ground, we're golden."
"Right," Starscream said, unimpressed. "Have you had a chance to examine Optimus Prime's condition in cell block three?"
"With the exception of minor battle damage, he seems relatively healthy. You know, aside from being a living doorstop."
"How's the crew taking Megatron's sudden absence?"
The medic let out an uncertain tone, glancing sideways for a moment. "Eeh, morale could be better. You've got your typical post battle unease. Word's spread of Megatron's demise, but no one's really sure what happened."
"Good. Let's keep it that way," Starscream finished, starting to turn away.
Knockout sidestepped around to get in front of him. "Starscream-" Seeing the dirty glare his commander shot him, he hastily corrected himself. "Lord Starscream. The whole ship's on edge. Everyone's talking. The more astute bots have even drawn attention to the fact that the Autobots somehow managed to gain access to our ship while it was cloaked, something that I need not remind you should be nigh impossible."
Starscream narrowed his optics almost threateningly. "It was the scout. Most likely he was using a concealed means of communication to contact the Autobots while he was on board. A tragic oversight, I admit, but nothing more. I've been meaning to gather the troops together to address the recent change in command. I'll make it a point to bring up at the assembly. Is that all?"
Knockout hesitated, wary for once at the possibility of pushing Starscream too far when he was already testy. Eventually his curiosity won out. "There is one other thing I wanted to ask you about. At this point most of the ship has been combed over by the casualty crew to gather the downed soldiers for repairs. While there are a few isolated machine levels and storage corners that still haven't been checked, there has still been no sign of our former Lord Megatron's body."
A brief flash of alarm flitted across Starscream's faceplate which he quickly masked with a more neutral expression. "Do you really think I would have left the corpse out where any common soldier could see?"
"Alright then. Where did you have it moved?"
"Well um," Starscream stalled, a bit taken aback. "That's classified information."
Knockout sighed, shaking his head. "Really Starscream? If you didn't want me privy to such mundane details you shouldn't have made me second in command. How am I to make sure your ship is running ship-shape if I don't even know where our liege's body is stowed? The crew is asking whether or not there is going to be a commemoration in his honor."
"A commemoration?" Starscream choked.
"An observance, a memorial, whatever you want to call it," he gestured casually. "It's been nearly a full cycle and someone had to bring it up."
Starscream turned away, processor churning to come up with a reasonable explanation as he brought up several digits to tap agitatedly at the side of his faceplate. "Tell the crew that his body is too desecrated to be shown. Our liege suffered horrific damage at the hands of the Autobots. He would not have wanted to be seen like that," he finally said, wearing a mixed expression of both sorrow and unease.
"Fine, but that still leaves the matter of its location," Knockout said in a matter of fact. "As the ship's chief medical officer, I'd like to perform an autopsy."
"I told you, that's classified." Starscream crossed his arms childishly.
"So what, you're just going to keep Megatron's rusting chassis in your closet?" He held up his servos defensively. "Look, I'm not one to judge, but there are certain health regulations that must be observed when dealing with the disposal and recycling of the deceased."
"A-are you insinuating that I am keeping the whereabouts of our former Lord's body a secret out of some sort of sick fascination?"
"I'm only saying that whatever your reasons are, it would be nice to know a roundabout area so I at least know where I should be avoiding."
Starscream sputtered for a moment in an effort to formulate a retort. Failing to come to any sort of solid reprimand, he reached out and grabbed Knockout roughly by the lower jaw. "Why you-"
The sound of the door opening made both mechs freeze mid struggle. They looked over to see a dark slender figure standing just inside the doorway, observing them quietly.
"S- soundwave!" Starscream released his grip on Knockout's face, leaving the medic to shoot him an ugly glare as he rubbed a servo on the affronted area. "What a… nice surprise," he continued through a forced smile, his optic ridges drawn up in a twinge of anxiety. "Where have you been?"
Soundwave didn't move from his position, drawing a steady digit up to point out the large bridge viewport.
Starscream's gaze followed the length of Soundwave's arm to the Earth they were now in orbit around. "Aha, right. Well I'm glad you managed to make it back."
Soundwave merely stared at him.
"I'm sure you must be wondering why no one was operating the ground bridge controls. While you were out, there was a slight gap in security and the little yellow scout that Megatron allowed on board managed to let the rest of his team on as well. I sincerely regret to inform you that as a result of the ensuing battle, our beloved leader Megatron is no more."
He paused, searching for a reaction out of Soundwave. A downturned head, a shifting of weight, anything that would betray the slightest hint of remorse. Only a blank faceplate looked back at him, empty as ever.
Feeling his spark stutter, he rambled on, trying to avoid the chilling stare. "I'm sure this must come as a tremendous shock to you, but the mourning process has to wait. The battle has left the ship in dire need of repairs. So if you could return to your post…" He trailed off. For some reason Starscream couldn't bring himself to issue that last statement as more than a suggestion.
Soundwave stood motionless for what seemed like forever before he finally nodded and walked from the room. Only when he was gone did Starscream realize that he had been holding in his last cycle of air and he let it out in a rush.
From somewhere behind him he heard Knockout utter a note of agreement. "Yeesh, you said it."
In one of the outer halls of the Nemesis, Breakdown shuffled his way down the corridor, relieved to finally be released from his second visit to the med bay in the past three days. Naturally Knockout had objected to discharging him so soon, but Breakdown had insisted despite the lingering pain in his right leg. Anything to get free and clear of the examination table. The only catch was that now he was stuck logging the damages that had accrued around the ship. It could be worse.
The place didn't look half bad all things considered. Most of the damage was merely cosmetic. Random blaster marks in the walls that, while ugly to look at, weren't hurting anything. There were a few areas that were clearly the sites of the more intense battles. The hallway that he now entered had bits of charred metal and spattered fluid littering the ground, although any fallen bodies had been cleaned up in an earlier sweep.
He started on the left wall, marking down any damages he came across until a light sound on his blind side drew his attention. The mech turned his head to see a dark form crouched off to his right.
"Oh, Soundwave. Sorry, I didn't see you there," he apologized, backpedaling several steps upon realizing that he had almost bumped into the communications officer.
Soundwave glanced at him briefly from his position near the ground. As usual, any further conversation went unsaid and he returned his attention to the floor, trailing a long digit along a series of scratches on the metal tiles that lay in front of a nearby exit port.
Breakdown edged around him, careful not to disturb the occupied 'con and found a spot several paces further down the hall to continue his survey of the area. There was a lot of damage here, and the two worked in silence for a while. Halfway through Breakdown's examination, Soundwave rose to his feet and strode off the way he had come without a second glance.
That was… odd. It wasn't the norm to see Soundwave in this sector of the ship. Maybe there was some sort of damage to the com wires here. Breakdown made a note to have that checked out later.
He finished up his report and continued on to the next area… another hallway. Slag, why were there so many empty hallways in this place? They certainly didn't have enough bots to warrant needing this much space. A relic of days long gone he guessed, when there were actually enough Cybertronians left alive to call it a war. It was basically just skirmishes now. Isolated groups of five to ten bots squabbling over something or another...
Something caught his eye in a shadowy corner, disrupting his train of thought. Curiosity piqued, Breakdown reached down causing him to grit his teeth against the tight pain along one of his sore back struts. His digits found the smooth handle of the object and brought it up to optic level.
"The Polarity Gauntlet?" He turned over the device in his servo, hardly believing its presence in such an unlikely place. The last he saw of the relic was when it went home with the Autobots after Airachnid showed up to 'help' him grab it. It must have been brought on board when they infiltrated the place.
However it came to be here, it would probably be best if he gave it to Starscream... Lord Starscream. Breakdown ran the name through his head a few times to ingrain it into his processor. The seeker was picky about titles and he didn't feel like getting on his bad side, especially after Breakdown had so blatantly opted to turn him over to Megatron rather than pay back his rescue from Mech. He still felt a little bad about that.
On the other hand, it was more than a little suspicious what happened the other day. The Autobots just happen to get on board after Starscream arrives, only for him to conveniently snag Megatron's title? The crew was buzzing about it, behind closed doors of course. He'd heard an argument just a few hours ago between several Vehicons as they sorted through bits of scrap and debris. One of them swore they'd been there when Starscream had confronted Optimus Prime for killing Megatron. It described how the Autobots had cowed before Lord Starscream's passionate declaration to continue Megatron's vision, while the other had seemed more than a little skeptical of the whole affair.
Honestly, Breakdown didn't really care whether Megatron was in charge or not so long as he and Knockout still had a place onboard. If Starscream could keep everyone satisfied, then he had no issue with him.
Breakdown looked at the relic once more and hesitated. He didn't make it a habit to keep secrets, but something made him want to take some time to think things over. Call him paranoid. He pocketed the device in his subspace compartment and continued on his way. He could always give the thing to Starscream later.
"Let's see here, ship records; speed, location, altitude…" Starscream muttered to himself, navigating through the information banks on a computer console. "Just input the time stamp and…" His digit hovered over the command key as he threw a furtive glance over his shoulder. The room was empty save for where Knockout stood conversing with a Vehicon near one of the command modules.
Starscream turned back to his screen, hyper aware of the conversation that was taking place behind him, but not registering any of its content. His input was correct, at least as far as he could recall. With it, he could hopefully bring up the ship's logs for the approximate coordinates of the event. Knockout was right in one regard, he needed to locate and secure Megatron's body. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice in assuming the despot's demise.
He fidgeted, staring at the screen for another second before turning to face the pair behind him. "Do you mind? I have important business to attend to. Knockout, I trust you can oversee the repairs elsewhere while I'm otherwise engaged?"
Knockout stopped short with an irked expression. "Hmph, sure," he said offhandedly. "It's not like I have a million other things to do anyway."
"And take that one with you," Starscream gestured to the Vehicon before returning to his search once he was sure the other two were beginning to leave, finally bringing himself to hit enter.
As soon as the command was logged however, a sound resonated from the consol. Laughter; nervous and maniacal. Rising in volume as it echoed through the ship's primary loudspeaker system.
"What the frag?" Starscream mused before realizing with a start that the laughter was his own.
Knockout and the Vehicon fell to a halt just inside the door, tuning their audio receptors to listen to what now sounded like Megatron's voice. "Not only are you a traitor, but a fool! Returning here truly was your worst mistake."
Starscream's optics widened and he scrambled with the console in an effort to clear whatever it was that was triggering the recording. A large message box spread across the screen in response to his inputs. [[Command Rejected]]
A pulsing whirr sounded through the sound system, followed by a resounding crash. "Oh how the mighty have fallen, Megatron! Let me live? If only you could see yourself to appreciate how the tables have turned!"
The lights flickered above them.
"I'd be crazy to let you remain on my ship, functional or otherwise." There was a brief silence followed by what sounded like metal being dragged across the floor. Then the screeches ended abruptly, leaving only the recorded sound of wind until the audio was cut off, followed closely by the lights, plunging them into darkness.
More unsettling however was the deep murmur that ran through the darkness as every computer and terminal that surrounded them powered down as well, and from the deep bowels of the ship came a slow shudder followed by eerie silence as the ever present engines whirred to a halt. Indiscernible shouts could be heard in the distance as bots floundered to figure out what had happened.
Seconds passed and by the time Starscream's optical sensors could adjust to the limited starlight that shone through the great viewport, the lights and machines hummed back to life around him, albeit much dimmer than before.
The Vehicon next to Knockout was the first to speak, raising a servo tentatively. "Lord Starscream, does this mean that you- Grk!" A blast hit its chest and it fell to the ground.
Starscream drew his blaster back into his forearm, grim fury spreading across his faceplate.
"Does this mean that you were the one that scrapped Megatron?" Knockout walked forward, stepping over the body of the fallen Vehicon.
"Shh! Keep your voice down." Starscream whispered fiercely, shooting a frantic glance around the empty bridge.
Knockout rolled his optics. "Because that didn't just broadcast throughout the entire ship."
Starscream cursed inwardly. Of course this would happen. Of course. All he asked was for one plan to go without a hitch. Just one simple thing. But no, the universe hates Starscream. Primus forbid he should be happy for once.
The seeker let out a tight growl, wings drawing up in frustration. With a huff, he strode over to the dimmed communications panel, angrily pushing a digit down on the com button.
"This is Lord Starscream. Can anyone tell me what the frag just happened?" He waited impatiently for a response.
"So tell me again what you did with the body?"
Starscream jumped at Knockout's sudden presence at his side, his dark optics eyeing him with a sort of self-assured curiosity. The seeker spun to face him. "He's not on the ship." he hissed, leaning in close.
Knockout's features scrunched a bit as he adopted his associate's harsh-whisper, leaning in closer. "What do you mean, not on the ship? Do you mean to say that the Autobots-"
Starscream clenched his jaw in frustration. "No, I mean I disposed of him! Gone. Frozen. Earthbound!"
"Earthbound- You mean you just shot him and pushed him off the ship? By far, that is the dumbest thi- And why are we whispering? Every bot on this ship now knows exactly what you did!"
"What they heard is irrelevant. There is no proof! The Autobots killed Megatron in their push to take the Nemesis. Anyone who believes otherwise is a malcontent intent on spreading lies and dissent among the crew," Starscream finished with a steely stare, as if daring Knockout to disagree.
After a moment Starscream spun back to the communication console, beating a fist on the keypad. "Slag it! Is anyone there?" He scowled at the silence that followed and addressed his second in command once more.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add to that story, Doctor?" he added menacingly.
"No, not really," Knockout shrugged with an ill-fit casualness. "The Autobots killed Megatron. Too bad. It would have been a great achievement if you had been the one to take him offline as part of your grand plan of succession."
Starscream felt his faceplate twitch in irritation and he had half a mind to smack the red mech. Before he could determine whether or not it would be equitable to do so, there was the sound of an engine approaching the main door, followed by the squeal of braking tires. The doors swept open with a wheeze and a Vehicon trooper stumbled through unceremoniously, clearly having just driven a substantial distance very quickly.
It stood in a hasty salute. "Sirs, I apologize for the lack of communication, but the com systems are down."
"What? What's going on down there?" Starscream demanded.
"We don't know my liege. There was a- uh… that broadcast, followed by an energy surge that shut down the main power core. The ship's dead in space. Backup engines are running to keep it in stable orbit, but our main power and all communications are down."
"Blast, where's Soundwave?"
"There have been several reports that he was seen departing through the Ground Bridge less than half a cycle before the power surge."
"Of course," Starscream muttered. He should have known that Megatron's most loyal subject would be behind such an act of sabotage. "Have someone get me the coordinates of his destination."
"I'm afraid that that's impossible. The bridge data has been scrambled and the backup generators aren't powerful enough to run the device even if we did get it up and running."
Starscream cursed himself that he didn't have someone tailing the communications mech the moment he returned to the ship. As it was now, he would just have to add Soundwave and his actions to his growing list of things gone wrong.
"Spread the word that there will be a mandatory debrief in one solar hour. I want everyone present."
Word of mouth worked quite effectively it seemed, given the time. An hour later had every bot available standing on the lower level, from soldiers to miners and those well enough to make it out of the med bay. Above them Starscream walked slowly with his servos clasped behind his back, pacing back and forth along the second story platform that made up the command portion of the bridge. Only Knockout stood behind him, standing idle near the exit port of the room with his arms crossed.
Primus, I am really not in the mood for this. Starscream thought, letting his gaze wander across the crowd, noting the profuse amount of hushed conversation that was taking place despite his presence on stage. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to get as worked up over it as he would usually. All he really wanted was to get this over with. It was strange really. Normally he would have enjoyed this kind of thing; to be given the chance to address his troops after a particularly daring coup. Regardless, he found his attention wandering even as his voice rose over the crowd.
"Decepticons, if you could direct your attention. While I'm sure most of you have a general idea of the events that occurred yesterday, I have been made aware that some important facts may have been skewed along the grapevine. Thus, clarification is necessary to secure order in these difficult times."
He stopped pacing to face his audience. "First and most importantly; Megatron is dead," he stated simply.
Doing his best to mask his grimace at the fresh wave of murmurs that flowed through the mass below, he continued. "It is regrettable that such a strong and inspirational leader has passed, but do not despair, for this does not mark the end of the Decepticons."
His optics panned across the sea of nearly identical faceplates and easily picked out Breakdown's rust colored face. It was clear by the way he held himself that the only reason he was here was through obligation. The thought crossed Starscream's mind that perhaps he should have also included Knockout's partner with them on the second floor seeing as he was the only other commander currently active. Slag, he was short staffed.
"Megatron was dedicated no doubt; but in the past several centuries he had grown increasingly delusional, grasping at powers beyond his reach. Though it pains me to admit, I do believe his time had come to join the Well of Allsparks. He was a visionary for his time, but every era must come to an end."
A voice called out from among the crowd. "Is it true then, that you were the one who put Megatron offline?"
"Who said that?" Starscream stalked closer to the edge in order to search out the offending person. A shuffling of Vehicons made it clear who had spoken as several bodies pressed away from the one who stood with its faceplate upturned to the stage.
Starscream's mouth drew into a thin frown. "I suppose you're drawing your conclusions based on the audio clip that was fed through the ship's intercoms," he stared down at the mech, annoyed that it didn't so much as flinch.
He continued. "If you wish to believe that I am the one responsible for our former lord's demise, then go right ahead. It makes no difference how he perished, and I will not waste my breath trying to justify my rightful succession as Megatron's second in command."
"Wasn't that title given to Airachnid in your absence? How are we to trust what you say when there are no witnesses?" The Vehicon took a step forward as the others around him seemed torn between being intrigued by the current events, or whether to disassociate themselves from their outspoken comrade as much as possible.
Oh, fantastic. This is exactly how I wanted to start off my leadership, talked back to by one of my lowest ranking soldiers.
"Airachnid is currently out of commission due to the latest battle with the Autobots. As such, my centuries of experience with serving directly under Megatron's leadership make me by far the best suited for continuing the legacy that he left behind. 'Peace through Tyranny', Megatron once proclaimed. And now that we don't have to suffer the weight of his personal vendetta against Optimus Prime, we can move forward with renewing his original vision of conquest."
"So, we're supposed to blindly follow you, the one who may-or-may-not have killed our long-time leader?" the soldier spoke up again, calling out the overall ambiguity of what was said.
Starscream rolled his optics with a sigh, casually taking out the Immobilizer from where he had it tucked away. Enough was enough. He didn't have to put up with this folly.
Below him, the soldier was really starting to go at it, now motioning to encourage those around him. "I propose it's time for a new order; a collective group run by its individual components! Never again will the underdogs be treated like mere scrap! What we need is-"
A beam of energy passed over him and the rising revolutionary froze in mid-gesture, one servo still reached to the sky in a passionate appeal. Starscream harrumphed, his mouth twisted in an irritated frown as he holstered his device.
"Memorial service for Megatron will commence after the ship is fully operational, and not a day sooner," he announced brusquely. "Until then, get to it." He stalked from the room, brushing past Knockout on his way out.
The red mech looked after him with bewilderment, then out to the rest of the room which was now buzzing with confusion. Down below, several Vehicons were straining to see over the heads of their brethren to get a view of what became of the one who had been speaking out. Those who had been standing near the victim however, recoiled as if afraid that whatever had afflicted them would settle into their own joints. "So much for putting the troops at ease…" Knockout muttered.
Knockout turned to leave, intent on discreetly following Starscream's cue when he felt a hundred pairs of optics fix upon him for closure. He swiveled back to address the crowd cursing Starscream for making him clean up his mess. "You heard him, back to your tasks." He made a shooing motion as if to sweep them from the room. "You guys have some sort of internal chain of command right?"
"Well, typically the second in command coordinates our duties." One of them offered up.
Knockout's shoulders drooped a bit. "Right… As the second in command," he stalled, making up something on the spot. "Ah, continue working on whatever needs to be done. I hear Starscream wants his ship fixed. That's a good place to start," he pronounced winningly. "If there are any questions; designate a select few among you to see me in my office and we'll work something out."
A wave of confusion swelled up again and Knockout gave up on his original plan of a graceful exit and made a brisk dash for the door, calling out before it slid shut behind him. "Oh, and someone transfer our newest doorstop to the holding bay with the others!"