Chapter Twenty-One: Thundercracker
Optimus and Ironhide followed Thundercracker along the pathways between the beds of carefully cultivated crystals back towards the palace. The doorway he took them to was a different one than the one Cloudbreaker had used to taken them into the gardens. Like the official side of the palace, the residential wing retained all of the characteristics Optimus had come to associate with Vosian architecture. Countless windows and skylights peppered the hallway and ceilings, creating an open, airy feeling. As Thundercracker led them down a series of hallways Optimus counted at least two open-air atriums with giant domed skylights.
They encountered only one other bot in the hallways - a palace servant. At the sight of them the silver-painted mech stepped to the side of the corridor and dipped into a practiced bow, his wings swinging gracefully out behind him. "Sub-commander Thundercracker," the mech respectfully murmured.
Thundercracker only tilted his head in acknowledgement as they swept past. Always one to acknowledge another bot no matter what his or her job or social rank was, Optimus politely inclined his head as well. The servant saw his nod of acknowledgement and dipped even lower into his bow. As soon as they were past, the servant righted himself and scurried away down another hallway.
As Thundercracker led them onward, Optimus considered the small exchange that had just taken place. It was obvious that Thundercracker was a bot of high standing in the Vosian hierarchy. Cloudbreaker had said he was trinemates with Commander Fallout of the Air Force. Such a position certainly commanded respect. Optimus wondered if Thundercracker was a frequent visitor to the palace or if perhaps he even had his own residency there.
Optimus quietly studied the back of Thundercracker's helm. It was strange seeing the former Decepticon in peace-time Vos like this. He still remembered Thundercracker during the Great War flying in formation with Starscream and their third trinemate. What had been the third one's name? Optimus could still perfectly visualize him in his mind: purple and black with a mischievous grin that could rival either of the Lamborgini Twin's. The mech had been able to teleport. That particular ability had wrought untold grief on the Autobots over the course of the war. Skywarp! Yes. That had been his name. Optimus wondered if Skywarp was maybe Thundercracker and Fallout's third trinemate. From what little Optimus understood about Vosian trine culture, that made sense. After losing Starscream, Fallout would have made a perfect replacement for the Command Trine's fallen leader. Optimus was sure that after the Great War countless seekers had been left with incomplete trines. Reforming trines and replacing fallen members with the survivors of other trines had probably been a common practice in the vorns immediately after the war.
Optimus continued to study Thundercracker. He still remembered Thundercracker from the battlefield - his arm-mounted null rays humming with promised death, his armor scuffed and his body leaking energon from numerous shrapnel wounds or worse. Thundercracker no longer looked like the same warrior Optimus remembered. The blue seeker's armor shined beautifully with polish. The thin bands of etched silver on his wrist-joints jingled delicately against each other as he moved. His wings were adorned with fresh red wing stripes. Protoform-integrated null rays were still mounted on the sides of his upper arms, but they looked more like polished ornamentations now than actual weapons. If Optimus hadn't known better he could have mistaken Thundercracker for a royal courtier rather than a battle-seasoned warrior who had served directly under Megatron.
As though sensing Optimus's optics on him, Thundercracker glanced backwards over his shoulder vent. "I suppose it must be strange to meet a former enemy in a place like this." He made a vague, all-encompassing gesture to the palace around them. "When I approached you in the gardens I wasn't sure if you'd recognize me or not. I don't look the same way I did during the war." The planetary rings on his wrists tinkled against each other as though in emphasis.
Optimus was slightly unnerved that Thundercracker seemed to know exactly what he'd just been thinking. He hid his surprise behind his diplomatic training. "I actually recognized you on the landing pad when we first arrived."
"I see," Thundercracker cryptically said.
"So, sub-commander of the air force, huh?" Ironhide grunted. "Yeh seem ta be doin' pretty well fer yerself, wha' with yeh bein' a former Decepticon 'n all. Yeh pretty much have the same position yeh had durin' the war, don'tcha?"
Thundercracker's pace abruptly slowed as though he'd just been delivered a physical blow to the sparkchamber. Optimus and Ironhide had to quickly adjust their speed to avoid running into him. For several moments Thundercracker did not say anything.
Optimus shot his sparkmate a sharp look out of the corner of his optic. He truly loved the gruff old mech, but sometimes he wondered if Ironhide ever thought about what he was going to say before he said it.
Thundercracker uncomfortably cleared his throat line. "You should probably remember, Consort Ironhide, that during the war the entire population of Vos was pledged to Megatron. There is hardly a seeker in Vos that didn't carry the Decepticon symbol at some point on his fuselage. And as for my position as sub-commander… I can see why you'd think I have a nice position in society. I do have a nice position, but it came at an extremely high cost."
A faraway look came into Thundercracker's optics as though he were looking at something in the distance only he could see. "After Megatron's defeat, I managed to escape to Cybertron by spacebridge before any of you Autobots could capture me. I was considered a war hero when I returned to Vos. The Emirate herself rewarded me with several medals for my service on Earth. For awhile my plan was to retire from the military and try to find some peace in civilian life. During reconstruction, though, Fallout approached me with an offer to join his trine. The Emirate had just named him the new commander of the Air Force but his trine was missing a third. Since I had served in Starscream's Command Trine, I had all the qualifications Fallout was looking for. Alone, with no other work, I accepted his proposal and joined his trine. I have been sub-commander of Vos ever since."
"I know what happened to Starscream after the war," Optimus carefully said, "but what happened to your third trinemate, Skywarp? Didn't he survive the war?"
Thundercracker glanced at Optimus. Although his face remained a stoic mask, Optimus could see pain still shining like an open wound behind his optic lens. "No. Skywarp was badly injured during the final battle between you and Megatron on Earth. Starscream was captured in the chaos immediately afterward but Skywarp and I somehow managed to escape. Unfortunately, Skywarp's injuries were too extensive for me to field repair by myself and he died several hours after the battle. I buried him somewhere in the Rocky Mountains so no Autobots could find him and desecrate his body. It was the last thing I could do for my trinemate before I found a spacebridge that could take me back to Cybertron."
Thundercracker paused and looked away, as though unable to hold Optimus's gaze any longer for fear of betraying too many emotions. "I've often thought about going back to Earth to try and find Skywarp's grave," he softly admitted. "To bring him back to Cybertron and give him a proper Vosian funeral. But the Emirate's laws restrict me and all other seekers from leaving the city. Vos's isolation after the war protected those of us who'd served in Megatron's army from Autobots who wanted to arrest us for war crimes. But the same isolation that's protected us for so many vorns has also kept us prisoners in our own city. Perhaps now that the Emirate is considering ending Vos's isolation I can finally go back to Earth and bring Skywarp home."
Optimus's spark constricted in his chassis at the quiet, lingering despair in the blue seeker's voice. "I am truly sorry for your loss, Thundercracker. Please forgive me for bringing up bad memories. That was not my intention."
Thundercracker made a sharp, dismissive gesture with his hand. The bands of metal on his wrist clattered loudly against each other. "What's done is done. The past can't be changed. We all made our choices and must live with them now."
Optimus wracked his processor for something to say, something to ease the festering pain of another bot's loss. Unfortunately, he did not have time to formulate the words.
"Here is your habitation suite," Thundercracker abruptly announced. He led Optimus and Ironhide over to a set of ornate gold doors at the end of the hallway. He opened the door for them and gestured them inside. "This is the Grand Residence. It is reserved only for the highest-ranking dignitaries than visit Vos. The servants should have had time by now to bring your luggage from the transport ship here. I am sure you will find it waiting inside for you."
Optimus stepped inside and gazed around the room in awe-struck silence. He felt Ironhide's own startled reaction across their sparkbond. To have called the Grand Residence anything other than grand would have been a travesty. Like the rest of the palace, their new quarters were richly decorated. A massive berth took up one whole side of the room. At each corner of the berth was a pillar of carved crystal that rose several meters above the berthmat to support a metal canopy. From this canopy hung lengths of transparent red cloth that could be drawn and shuttered around the berth. Optimus guessed at least five grown adults could have shared the berth and still had plenty of room between them. Windows that spread from floor to ceiling spanned the side of the room directly across from the door. Brilliant sunlight streamed inside the room. Optimus spotted a spacious balcony beyond underneath open blue sky. Off to the side, across from the berth, from what Optimus could tell was the room's wash rack. A number of other things filled the room - table, chairs, a computer station - but Optimus was too overwhelmed by the sheer size and richness of their quarters to take in the smaller details of it just yet.
"Nice," Ironhide nodded in approval.
Behind them, Thundercracker delicately cleared his throat line. As Optimus turned back towards the blue and white seeker, Thundercracker stepped inside the room and softly shut the door behind him, sealing them inside. Beside him, Optimus felt Ironhide tense.
"Was there something you wished to speak to us privately about, Thundercracker?" Optimus asked knowingly.
The Vosian nodded. He held Optimus's gaze steadily with his own. "There is. Maybe you've already guessed it, but that was my son, Thunderclap, your son was playing with in the gardens."
"I did," Optimus nodded. "They seem to be getting along well."
"Do you know why there were so many high-ranking Vosian officials watching the children play?" Thundercracker asked.
Optimus shook his head. The question had crossed his mind, but he hadn't thought about it too much at the time. Something in the way Thundercracker asked about it made him wonder if he should have.
"They were watching to see how Starfall interacts with the other children," Thundercracker explained. "I'm sure Cloudbreaker or someone else from the Emirate's line has approached you by now about arranging a sparkbond for Starfall with someone from the royal spark-line when he comes of age?"
"Cloudbreaker did," Optimus acknowledged. "But as I told him and anyone else who asks: Ironhide and I will never arrange a bond for Starfall that Starfall does not choose for himself. When he is old enough he will be free to choose his own sparkmate for love, not politics."
If Thundercracker was impressed by Optimus's decision he did not outwardly show it. "How much do you know about Vosian trine bonds?" he instead asked.
Optimus's optic ridges furrowed together. A sour feeling of unease began to curdle the bottom of his fuel tank.
"What're yeh gettin' at?" Ironhide growled, his side of their bond flashing suspiciously.
Thundercracker remained the living embodiment of calm in the face of the old weapons specialist's distrust. "I am merely pointing out that while you refused Lord Cloudbreaker's offer of a sparkbond, I believe he might still be trying to foster another sort of bond between Starfall and prince Cloudburst, or at least one of the other children. They are all creations of high-ranking officials. Trines can be formed at any age among seekers. Close friendships between seeker children often develop into adulthood trine bonds. The officials you saw watching the children were looking to see if there were any hints of a potential trine bond. If they see any you can be sure that whoever Starfall is starting to become close to will be encouraged to become good friends with him."
"Why are you telling us this?" Optimus asked. "Are you concerned about Starfall? I assure you that Ironhide and I will not let anyone use our son for their own agenda. We will do whatever we have to do to protect him."
Thundercracker's optics narrowed slightly at the corners. "I am pointing this out to you because I do not want you to be ignorant of certain aspects of my people's culture that could have repercussions for others besides your son. Especially when that other someone could be my son. I saw the way your son and mine were playing. They show the potential of becoming future trinemates."
"How can you tell such a thing?" Optimus demanded. "They are just children playing a game of tag."
"It is in the way they fly together," Thundercracker tightly explained. "Starfall is a born alpha flyer. He is destined to lead whatever trine forms around him. Any trained flyer can see that. The way Thunderclap seemed to instinctively fall into formation beside Starfall while they flew proves they have similar flight skills which makes them potential trinemates."
"Is this a concern for you?" Optimus asked, his voice serious. "Are you opposed to Starfall becoming friends with your son?"
Thundercracker did not immediately answer. He stared at Optimus for a tense moment of silence as though debating how to answer. Finally, he said, "I would not be so hesitant to accept the possibility of them becoming friends, and possibly even trinemates someday, if it wasn't for the way your son flies."
"Wha's wrong with the way Star flies?" Ironhide defensively snarled. "He was taught by a flier. Skyfire said Star's a natural."
Thundercracker narrowed his optics at the two, his facial plates tightening around the edges. "Your son flies exactly the same way Starscream used to," he darkly announced. "I also think it's very suspicious how much your son looks like Starscream. They could be close relatives their specs are so similar. I flew with Starscream for vorns. He was my trine leader - the only other bot closer to me than Skywarp. It's hard not to recognize someone like that, no matter what body he's in."
Optimus and Ironhide both physically startled at Thundercracker's accusation. Thundercracker stared at them, his optics boring into them as though trying to drill the truth out of their minds.
"Don't try to deny what I already know," Thundercracker warned. "No one else might see it, but I know my old trine leader when I see him. Your son is Starscream. The way he was flying in the gardens confirms it. Anyone who flew with the same bot every orn for vorns would immediately recognize who he is."
A sinking feeling of panic spread through Optimus's spark and out across his and Ironhide's bond. This was now the second bot who had deduced Starfall's true identity since they'd arrived in Vos. First the Emirate and now Thundercracker. How safe was Starfall's real identity? Everyone who had ever had close contact with the Decepticon Air Commander seemed to instantly recognize him. What did this mean for Starfall's safety?
Optimus decided that feigning ignorance wasn't going to work.
"How do you know about Star's real identity?" he rumbled in a low voice.
Thundercracker crossed his arms across his cockpit, his stance defiant. "After I came back to Cybertron I immediately tried to find out what happened to Starscream after that last battle on Earth. He may have been delusional glitch who'd managed to get captured by Autobots, but he was still my trine leader. I heard about the trials the High Council held for all the Decepticon commanders. I saw the news feeds when it was announced that Starscream had been found guilty and sentenced to death. For the longest time I mourned him the same way I did Skywarp. I thought I was the only one of our trine left. That was around the time I accepted Fallout's offer to become trinemates. The pain of being alone and knowing both my trinemates were gone was too much for me to refuse.
"Then, not long after I joined Fallout's trine, the Emirate requested me for a top-secret solo mission. She wanted me to go meet one of her informants from Iacon on the edge of Rust Sea where no one would see us. My mission was to retrieve a data pad of secret information from the informant then erase his memory banks of the last few orns. As the former trinemate of Starscream I was naturally curious to find out what kind of information was so secret that the Emirate would want her top Iaconian spy's memory wiped. Such diligence was what had kept me and my trinemates alive through most of the war. Imagine my surprise when I read the data pad and found out that not only had Starscream not been executed, but that you visited him in prison and convinced him to surrender his spark to Vector Sigma to be reformatted into a new body. When rumors of a young seeker sparkling being adopted by the Prime began to reach Vos, it didn't take too much effort to put two and two together to figure out who your son really was."
Silence as empty as the vacuum of space filled the room. It felt as though time had suddenly stopped. None of them moved. They seemed locked in place, frozen. Waiting for someone to be the first one to break the tension. Thundercracker stared at Optimus and Ironhide through narrowed optics, his facial plates set in a hard expression.
"What do you plan to do with this information?" Optimus asked, his voice gravelly calm. "If you're planning to somehow use this knowledge to harm Starfall, I promise you you will not succeed. The Emirate knows about Starfall's true identity and has assured me she means to keep it a secret. She considers Starfall a part of her protectorate. If I were to go to her and tell her one of her commanders discovered this information by reading top secret documents not meant for him, what do you think she'd do? Slipstream does not strike me as the kind of bot that would ignore such a blatant act of treason against her authority. You would be lucky if all she did was strip you of your rank and title and kick you out of the military."
"Ferget about goin' ta the Emirate," Ironhide growled, cracking his knuckle joints against the palm of his other hand. His optics were locked on Thundercracker. "Yeh try an' do anythin' against Star ah'll make sure yeh never even leave this room."
Thundercracker responded with a disgusted sneer. "Why would I ever try and harm Starfall?" he spat, his tone insulted. "He is - was - my trine leader. Such a bond doesn't fade even after death - or in this case rebirth. I flew with Starscream for vorns. The war might have changed him towards the end, but when I first met Starscream he was a good leader and friend. He looked out for Skywarp and me. Even after he became ruthless and power hungry he still protected us in his own way. He took the fall for Skywarp's pranks and got himself beaten by Megatron more times than I can count."
Optimus and Ironhide shared a confused look. Ironhide's fists hesitantly dropped back down to his sides.
"Then… you do not plan to tell others about Starfall's true identity?" Optimus asked.
"Of course not," Thundercracker scowled, once again insulted. "He was Trine. That means it is my sworn duty to do what I can to protect him, no matter what body his spark is in. I owe him. During that last battle on Earth, Starscream was captured by the Autobots because he was trying to create a diversion so I could get Skywarp out of there. If he hadn't done that it's more than likely Skywarp and I would have been captured too. Skywarp probably still would have died from his wounds. I don't think even your medic with all his skills could have saved him. And since I was Starscream's trinemate I would have been put on trial along with him after the war and been sentenced to death. If it hadn't been for Starscream I would be dead right now or running around in a new sparkling body like him. Like I said: I owe him."
"Is that it then? You still consider Starfall your trinemate and want him back as a wingmate someday to repay him for what he did for you?" Optimus asked.
"No," Thundercracker solemnly shook his head. "Starscream as I knew him is gone. Skywarp is dead. I am part of a new trine. Fallout and Stormglide are my Trine now. I've moved on with my life. I've tried to put the war behind me as much as I can. I have a sparkmate now. A son. A family. Whatever I do for Starfall now or in the future is done in memory to the bond I once shared with Starscream and the debt I owe him. Nothing more."
Optimus felt his processor begin to ache. The deeper he delved into Vosian culture the more confusing it became. The concept of trines and trine bonds were still a foreign thing to him. Except for gestalts, no other race of Cybertronians had anything like the Vosians' social structure of threes. Just when he was beginning to feel like he might be starting to understand the seeker's complex social system of duties and responsibilities between trinemates, he was always reminded by something that he was nothing but an ignorant outsider trying to learn the rules of the game while everyone else was already ten moves ahead.
"Alright," Optimus weakly agreed. "But if you still consider Starfall your responsibility in some abstract way, why are you opposed to Starfall becoming friends with Thunderclap? They seemed to be getting along well when I saw them playing together in the garden. Is it because of the trine bond you once had with Starscream that you don't want them to spend time together?"
Thundercracker's discomfort was visible. Whether a conscious act or not, the blue and white seeker's wings flattened against his back. His optics uncomfortably shifted away from Optimus to stare at the far wall. "It's… it's not that I distrust this new version of Starscream. He seems like a good enough child. It's just that… As I said, I flew with Starscream for many vorns. I knew him better than some Vosians know their own sparkmates. I will always remember him as my leader and, yes, even as my friend. But like I said, the war changed him, especially towards the end. Even before we crashed on Earth he'd started to become mean and violent. Starscream had always had something of a temper, but after waking up on Earth it was like something inside him would snap for no reason and he would become this different mech that didn't care who he hurt, even if that someone was himself. Maybe it was because of how much Megatron beat him. Maybe it was because of how little anyone ever listened to him. Or maybe it was because of that shuttle we found in the Arctic that left him to join the Autobots. Whatever it was, the Starscream you knew for the last half of the war was not the same Starscream I pledged myself as trinemate to. If there is a chance my son could become trinemates with your son, how can I be sure Starfall won't someday become the same mech Starscream was? I don't want my son to have to go through the same thing I did as my trinemate slowly headed down a path of self-hate and destruction. I will not allow that to happen. No matter what debts I still owe Starscream, I will not have Thunderclap go through that. There is nothing worse in this world than seeing your trinemate hurting and not be able to do anything about it."
Optimus could not find any words to speak for several moments of stunned silence. So that was it. Thundercracker was afraid Starfall was doomed to become the same bot Starscream had been towards the end of his first life. Such fears were understandable. Until not that recently, Ironhide had held very similar reservations towards Starfall himself.
"I assure you, Thundercracker, that Ironhide and I will not let Star become the same mech Starscream was. When I offered Starscream the choice of being reborn through Vector Sigma instead of execution, I did so because I have believe that all sparks are inherently good at their core. When Starscream surrendered himself to Vector Sigma it healed whatever wounds had turned Starscream into the mech we all knew. Starfall is an innocent sparkling now. He is without any of his previous format's sins. Vector Sigma has returned Starscream's spark to its original state before he became so bitter and mean. I swear to you, Ironhide and I will do everything we can to give Starfall a good second chance at life. I will not let him become that mech again."
Thundercracker studied Optimus's face for a long moment of silence as though trying to decipher any hint of deception on it. Finally, as though accepting Optimus's promise, Thundercracker bobbed his helm in a defeated nod of acceptance. "Very well. I trust you to keep your word and make sure Starfall doesn't turn out the same way Starscream did." He met Optimus's gaze again and offered him the tiniest hint of a smirk. "I can only imagine what Starscream would say if he could see how Vector Sigma reformatted him. Despite his resemblance to his former self, Starfall is an exceptionally cute sparkling. Starscream would be absolutely livid if he could see himself now."
Sensing they had reached some kind of unspoken truce, Optimus held his hand out to Thundercracker. Thundercracker seemed surprised by the gesture, but after a nano-klick of hesitation accepted Optimus's hand and shook it.
"I do hope that Thunderclap and Starfall become good friends, Thundercracker," Optimus said in his most sincere voice. "Starfall enjoys being around other sparklings the same model as himself. I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is for a seeker sparkling like Star to find another flier his age to play with in Iacon."
"Near impossible, I imagine," Thundercracker said. The two broke their handshake and stepped apart. There was a moment's hesitation, but then Ironhide also stepped forward and stiffly offered his hand to Thundercracker. The blue and white seeker bowed his head to Ironhide as they shook.
"I must admit," Thundercracker hesitantly said as they broke apart, "it is extremely unsettling to see you two interact with Starscr- I mean, Starfall the way you do. He looks so much like my former trine leader… If I didn't know better one would think he really was your son by the way you treat him."
"Star is our son," Ironhide was quick to point out. "It don't matter who he was in his past life, he's our kid now. We found him an' adopted him. He's ours. Ain't nothin' nobody says is gonna change that."
Thundercracker studied the old mech with a thoughtful look on his facial plates. "Maybe Starscream really does have a chance to do something better with his life this time around…" he murmured just loud enough for both of them to hear. Offering them each a small smile, the Vosian Wing Commander bowed his helm to them. "I must get back to my duties. I suggest you take Lord Cloudbreaker's advice and get some rest before tonight's reception. It will go very late into the night."
"Will you be there?" Optimus asked.
Thundercracker nodded. "Yes. Commander Fallout requested that Stormglide and I go with him as a trine. My sparkmate and son will also be accompanying me. If you wish, I will be sure to seek you out during the party to introduce you to them."
"I would like that very much," Optimus smiled behind his mask. Despite the tense conversation they'd just had, Optimus felt a kinship forming between himself and the former Decepticon. They both knew the secret of Starfall's true identity, and that bonded them together in a way a lot of other things could not.
"Until then," Thundercracker politely inclined his head. Then, smartly spinning around on one thruster, Thundercracker walked towards the door and quietly let himself out.
to be continued
Hope I didn't disappoint with Thundercracker's appearance. Sorry, fans of Skywarp.