"We would never make it, Lord Megatron- don't be a fool! RETREAT!"
Everyone on the Nemesis watches, and the crew's jaws fall open as the light blinds the screens. Sparks skitter across the void, and flicker out among the stars. A few troupes exchange glances, but all others are locked on the display wall. Did this really happen?
"Rude."
Starscream turns his head to the femme bot next to him.
Her long fingers drape over her hips. A bored frown puts no damper on her full lips and her usually-tinkling tendrils are still. The little beads on either side of both eyes blink with the curved awning over her optics; the silver tips flashing slightly in the light.
He's the only one that heard her- save maybe Soundwave. "Rude?"
She doesn't look at him, "Yeah, he didn't live long enough for me to tell him I told him so."
He hides his smile. If she doesn't see him; he's surely dead.
"I must regrettably note for the log...our Master's spark has been extinguished."
She looks at him now, but only with her eyes.
"All hail, Starscream."
ALL HAIL LORD STARSCREAM!
"I can't hear you!" He sings as he turns.
She relaxes and looks back at the screen; space has returned to its usual stillness.
As the troupes indulge Starscream, she smiles to herself. No more Megatron; finally. His second-in-command is so much easier to deal with.
"One more time!"
ALL HAIL LORD STARSCREAM!
"Let's not allow his passing to keep us from celebrating his successful life. We will continue with our Master's old cause!" He holds his arms out, like he embraces the moment (and he probably does). "What say you?"
They default: ALL HAIL LORD STARSCREAM!
"Sonica!" He whirls around to point at her.
She raises a brow.
"My first order, is for you to put on your best performance!"
A more genuine cheer follows, and she smiles with a one-shoulder shrug.
"Sure, Lord Starscream."
After all, it's what she does... Well, in this life anyway.

Sonica will never tell the Decepticons that her new songs are inspired by ones from earth. Most of them are really well done- a little tweaking, add some Cybertronian lingoes and wha-la, a new song from the almost-famous Eclipse from the the Undergrid.
For anyone in the caste system that couldn't go to Six Flags or the Altihex casino, there was Eclipse, and the other dolls from deep under the freeways and speedways.
Dolls will do anything to entertain- that is their purpose. If you're a talkative mech, you have a friend. If you like a good show, a doll can give you one. Or if you're that sort that wants an electrifying pleasure, dolls always have those special hands just for that.
A doll's long fingers can get in the cracks and between the platings, sending what they call "static" all across their armor and below. It plucks at their energon, speeding it up, and it tickles the sensors netted within their armor and proto-form. It's a high, induced by something like electricity but softer, and it's attracted to all the right places; it doesn't miss.
The former Eclipse casually known as Sonica, was outfitted for that world long before the Great War began. In fact, the first thing she remembers as Sonica, was that day she was assigned.
Sentinel Prime stood next to the medical table she laid on, a few scientists leaning over her.
"She...re-ignited..."
Sentinel Prime leaned in, "Do you know who I am?"
She readied her abilities, holding black energon where she can activate it in nanokliks. "Should I?"
He balked, sort of, and introduced himself, "You really don't remember?"
"Actually, sir,"
Their optics move to the scientist speaking.
"It makes sense that she doesn't. By the reading the scanners have given us, her proto-form is new. She has different, but similar CNA; she's not Moongem anymore."
Thank goodness. What a stupid name.
Sentinel Prime took a somber moment to process this information, and finally nodded. "Very well. Outfit her to be a doll then. Her name will be Sunbreach."
"Frag no," She crossed her arms, "It's going to be Sonica."
His expression implied he was expecting her reaction, but before she could analyze it deeper, he waved a hand and began walking away. "Fine. Her new caste will be as a doll."
But one of the other scientists called after him, "Are you sure? With who she is and..."
"Do as I asked, and bring her to me when you're finished."
The tone is his voice...she recognized it. It's the same in anyone because the edge is identical: there's a war brewing. She's seen a few of those...but she didn't recall any specifics. At that time, she wasn't sure how she knew that.
The dolls and their work zone were destroyed in the line of fire sometime after, save Sonica, as she waited Sentinel's return to their living space. Just as she gave up, she heard a voice calling her. With nothing keeping her there, she followed it. That's how she met Alpha Trion, who put her in a stasis pod, and hid her away; protecting her abilities for a better time when she would be most needed.
The next time she woke up, she opened her optics to Optimus Prime...and a dead Cybertron. They left megacycles later, and it took her an earth year and a half to start to heal from it.
She talked a lot with Optimus Prime during that time; his words of empathy really helped. Though they all hurt, Optimus was easier to talk to because of his undying hope, which she desperately needed. Though they mourn Cybertron, he has an admirable determination to start anew, and do it all right this time.
It was a long time before she finally stopped hating Earth as Optimus' talk about making it a new home became appealing. Then there was a short, and uncertain, talk about uniting the two sides. That echoed...and echoed...
The idea embedded itself in her mind, and fueled a desire to make it happen. Then it morphed into duty when they lost CliffJumper. It took a lot of convincing, but the Autobots approved her plan and let her get picked up by the Decepticons during a scrimmage. She's been here ever since.
She formally met Megatron a short while ago...and he had that retched dark energon with him. He eyed the chunk he found, then analyzed her, as the cluster was set in a containment unit.
"Can you manipulate dark energon just as regular energon?"
"I suppose it's possible." She had stepped back, "But I don't know for sure, as I try to avoid it."
His mind pondered, and concluded, "Does it ill-affect you?"
"And take me offline? Yes, and it will do the same to you."
Thankfully, he was done asking after that. It's all she can do right now to keep from dwelling on it. She needs to talk to the Autobots about it.
After a few songs, she lets some background music play. Soundwave lets her airlink with the speakers in the great hall- finally- and that's where all the excitement happens.
It's the best place for a performance because the kitchen is attached. All they need to do, is move the long tables to the side and she has a mini theatre. Starscream added the "throne table" in the very back; it's set on a hovering platform so he gets the full view of everything.
The funny thing is, Megatron seemed to approve of it after he returned from his three years in space. He nodded a few times during her dances, and that was as good as it got.
An empty glass is shoved at her as she stands at a table with a few warrior troupes.
"More!"
Over-energized or not, she frowns at the vehicon, "Not until you ask nicely."
He slumps, "Please?"
She has to hold the glass, as he's too wiggly to hold it still, then she hovers her wrist over it. A thick spout pokes out parallel to her arm and clean, processed energon pours into the glass.
It took them a while to get used to her little trick; she forgets that it looks like she's feeding them her blood. To her, it's just a sample of the unit-tons of energon she has stored within her fragile body. Of course, it wouldn't be possible without gold energon, but she's not going to tell them that.
"Thank you, Doradus!"
"Just call me Sonica, please."
The fool starts a toast: "To Doradus! The fountain of never-ending energon and parties!"
She rolls her optics and wags her head; hiding a one-sided smile. One of the hanging beaded tendrils on the back of her head clinks pleasantly on her slanted shoulder plates and thin wing-like pieces protruding from her back. It reminds her to check her crowned head-piece to make sure one or two haven't gotten caught there during her dances. Out of habit, she check the front of her plus the "two tails" that hang from her hips, which are her alt mode's delta wings. She's only making sure her clasps, and temporary pinstripe stickers are still on.
Sonica did as ordered: she gave her best performance. Maybe the Decepticons will remember it around the fatigue and depression awaiting them when they sober.

Sonica sits in her quarters, a door down from Starscream's, of course, and sits against the wall with her knees up. In her lap, she's made room for her customized
communicator that she and Ratchet worked on together. He did all the technical stuff and put it together, but he did so in a way that silver energon would work best inside.
Silver energon is as much of a wild card as green energon; even the "fountain of energon" Doradus, doesn't completely understand it. Once in a while, these two types surprise her, but in hindsight, it all makes sense. However, there's no adequate way to describe, in detail, how these types work. They sort of do their own thing, depending on the environment around them.
But there is one thing silver energon does that makes it stand out from all the other types: it connects the un-connectable. It also has an attraction to the Matrix, as she found out during her time with the Autobots.
If Optimus sets a hand on her shoulder or gives in to her waiting motion for a high-five, she can feel the source within her internal chamber leap. Because of that, she felt no reluctance in giving him a sample.
Because silver energon loves to connect to itself, and the Matrix, this communicator doesn't need any signal. The communication doesn't travel across the air in waves- it goes through the invisible, yet powerful, connection within its atomic makeup. It's untraceable, and perfect for a double agent like her.
Ratchet, naturally, is the first to answer the communicator.
"Hello again, Sonica." His funny version of a "casual smile" takes up the whole view before he sets it down next to his computers.
She loves the Autobots...so much. She doesn't have to pretend around them. The atmosphere about them travels through the visual on her screen and a wide, bright smile stretches across her face.
"Hello, dear doctor. Are you alone again?"
"Optimus is in his quarters. Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead should be back soon."
"Picking up the tiny pink things?"
Ratchet doesn't hide the huff of amusement that escapes, "The Humans, yes."
Always so proper; even when he's hating.
"How are things on your end?" He glances between her screen and the ones he seems to constantly work on.
"Drunk." She chuckles, "Starscream lit up this hover board, and I suspect most are sleeping it off. The less drunk are probably still working."
"What a waste," Ratchet shakes his head.
"Perhaps not totally?" She shrugs, "I'm amused, if that counts for anything."
He hums a passive retort.
"Sonica?"
The baritone voice comes from the side, and the camera eye sweeps over the roof, upstairs, and around.
"Present, pretty, and punctual," She sings, mostly for her self-entertainment, before Optimus' face takes up the whole screen. "How are you?"
"Well. Any other events taking place?"
"No, sorry. I called mostly because I have the down time." Her lip smile pins in place as she recalls her favorite memory of him with the silver energon; the surprise and wonder he showed was so sweet. It took years of war off of him and there's a lot of cute under there.
"Did you see any traces of dark energon in space after the explosion?"
She stops and reflects. Oops.
He reads it in her hesitation, "Did you look?"
A stinging question, even though his voice was purposefully soft, "I'm so sorry...I was..." She recalls Starscream mimicking her dance move from Megatron's welcome party. "Distracted... But I'll scan the sky tonight after the clouds move. I can, at the least, tell you if any fragments are close to Earth's exosphere."
"Please do."
"Again, I'm sorry."
"It should be fine, Sonica. Thank you for looking." He generously let's her see the hints of his smile.
"Next time, I'll pay more attention." She grins and Ratchet's heavy chortle follows.
"Next time? Let's hope there isn't a next time."
Optimus' optics return to the screen, "Are you waiting for the others?"
"I would like to see them. I have a detail I'd like to run past you and my yellow mentor, if you two have the spare time."
"Is it urgent?"
She pauses to think about it. Her definition of "urgent" is different from theirs so she must measure it differently.
"Yes? I mean, I can handle it, and Bee knows I have many masks so they're none the wiser, but I think it's a detail worth logging into your mental notes."
"Very well."
Just as he says that, Bulkhead's horn beats twice, and turns Optimus' head.
"Heeeey!" She hollers, and hears three separate transforming churns.
Bulkhead echoes her tone the same time Miko does. Bee chimes in and Arcee's suave voice has its own smirk.
"Sonica, long time, no speak."
The screen is filled with smears of the base until it settles back next to Ratchet on his "office desk". This time, the communicator faces out. Ratchet's shoulder and elbow cut the left side of the screen, as the rest of them shuffle into view across the room.
Sonica's spark yearns to be there, in person, in safety. She tries not to show it but there's no fooling the scout.
"Are you alright?" His code skips lightly.
"Yes," She turns away for a nanoklik; just a little embarrassed that she got caught, "I just miss you guys." Embarrassed, but not ashamed or surprised. There have been few bots in her lives that she's been able to completely trust. It's very easy to be herself.
"We're all here," Optimus wastes no time, "Is the matter on your mind appropriate for all audiences or do you wish it to be just Bumblebee and I?"
She smiles and waves at the kids down by Arcee's feet, "It's G-rated." That was just for them but the others understand as well.
"Go ahead, Sonica."
With the communicator leaning against her thighs, she frees both hands to gesture as she talks.
"First of all, nothing terrible, nothing I can't handle, and I'm healthy through and though-" For Ratchet's sake, "It's just a note, that when Megatron returned with the dark energon, it's aggressive aura felt like a hit to the face. It triggered a new memory... I've faced dark energon before. I've gained a discipline towards it that I didn't know I had, but it really helped disguise how it truly affected me. I think you would be proud, Bee. I don't think Megatron noticed."
Sonica sort of trails off as she recalls that memory...back when there were still true Primes. The Golden Era was budding then; the space bridges were still being constructed. She knows this because there was one in the background, and it was somewhat decorated. It must've been a celebration, like a grand opening, and her sister, Lortune, was there, standing next to the Prime of that time.
He called her "delegate", and by the comforting emotion from recalling his face, he knew she was Doradus. The audience applauded her; they knew too. But a rebellious revolutionary came up behind her. He had fashioned the piece of dark energon he stole, into a necklace. All he did was throw it over her head, looping it about her neck...
When she came to, the Prime had grabbed it, and broke it off, but not before she had extinguished his spark. His body slid off her arm and fell to the ground, littered with many other bodies. A blue carnage, of which, left evidence all over her hands.
It took all of her self-restraint through grief and shock, to find the dark energon, and take it to a place where she could destroy it. She didn't want to shatter it on Cybertron and risk the shards or atoms contaminating the other resources, so she took it off-world...into the stars...far, far, far away.
Murderer, the shadow in her peripheral and the disembodied voice in her head, was her constant companion during the time she held that cursed thing. Even after she destroyed it, he still taunted her. Only time cured her of his company.
And she explained all this to the Autobots. The welcoming smiles gone, but not lost, and all seriousness settled in with acute listening.
That encounter with the dark clump of slag concerned her. The memory haunts her more than seeing it in Megatron's hand, but despite the good turn of events that he perished with it, the concern lingers like a scorch mark.
"Then it is all the more crucial that you scan the sky tonight, as you promised."
She looks up from her thoughts to Optimus on the screen, "I agree."
"If there are any fragments left over, we must be sure they cannot be used."
She thinks for a moment, "Well, after what I just told you, this will seem stupid, but I know how to take energon apart down to the atom. If we do find any, I believe I will have the presence of mind to take it apart completely. It will cease to exist."
"Are you able to use this ability from a distance?"
Sonica looks down, "No, I have to absorb the substance..." It breaks down in the same chamber with the sources of the other types of energon.
Expectantly, the room goes quiet, but then Ratchet bends to put his serious expression wholly into the camera's view. His disapproval is more potent than Optimus' shaking head.
"You're right, that does seem stupid."
"I did say I was aware," She deadpans.
"Also, it is not an option for you to be alone up there, should you find dark energon. We barely made it out there to begin with, so we could not help you."
Thorough thinker and master of cold realism: Ratchet.
Bulkhead waves a large mitt that is his hand, "That is, if any of the stuff's still out there. I would be surprised after all those fireworks."
"That would be impossible. Dark energon is as flammable as regular energon, isn't it?" Arcee shifts her weight to one leg as she check with Sonica.
She nods.
"We'll know when she's had the opportunity to look," Optimus finishes.
Bee tilts his head at her image on the communicator, "Didn't you look earlier?"
She doesn't want to answer that again...and it shows.
"Sonica!" He exclaims and she puts up her hands.
"Hey, hey, I want to see you concentrate on things when Starscream is shaking aft on the bridge."
A stunned silence follows. It also tells her that they may have interpreted her statement differently than she meant. The suspicious looks begin to show.
"Oh Primus, NO." She back-pedals, "Not in that way. Ew, you guys."
The kids start laughing and that loosens things; thankfully.
Bee raises a brow, "Is it the heels?"
Her face says "yuck" but her optics say "fight me". For a moment, she's speechless, and Bulkhead and Arcee get their humor out of it.
"Wow, Bee," She looks away for a moment.
Jack and Miko are asking, but the bots are unable to answer. Rafael is laughing too hard to breathe.
It's contagious, and a smile spreads across her features. It takes all the threat out of her pointing finger. "Don't let this go to your head. I have plenty to say, but I like you, and there are youths present. This is a draw at best."