Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Lake

It seemed like forever that Starscream led her through that endless mist of nothingness. Steadfastly, Jaguar followed him, knowing he was her only hope to make it out of here. As they walked, she tried to get him to talk. At first, this was quite the chore, but eventually he began to open up to her.

Through him, she found out many things about her mother that she had never known, just as he found out more from her. Together, they pieced together the true picture of that strange femme, the Seeker who had now become the first Matron. How her twisted life's path had truly fit into the history of Cybertron, and where it may take their species into the future.

She also learned the true scope of the control Megatron/Galvatron had exerted over the minds of his troops. Starscream learning that his own sacrifice had truly served to help save Cybertron, in making his leader reconsider his own values. In death, Starscream had finally achieved what he spent his life trying to get – Megatron's/Galvatron's respect for him as a soldier.

"So what's it like to be dead?" she asked the red Seeker.

He looked over at her as they walked, thinking this was a rather strange question. "You think about what you didn't accomplish, what you'll never accomplish, and how worthless your life had truly been," he stated flatly.

She sighed, feeling sorry for this ghost who clearly hated himself so much. "But your life wasn't worthless, look at the bright femmes you left. They and their offspring make sacrifices in helping others," she explained softly. Her spark was wrenched by this ghost.. His self-blame.. His unwillingness to see the lasting contributions of his life. Without his sacrifice, Galvatron would've never seen the light. Unicron would never have been vanquished. Those three brilliant and fearless daughters of his would never have been given sparks.

He snorted, "If I'd been in their lives, they'd have been nothing more than pawns of Megatron and Unicron – just like me. No, they aren't my accomplishment – they're Raptor's."

Jaguar stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop and turn to her. "You know what, all your moping around and feeling sorry for yourself won't change anything. The only thing that can change it – is action," she stated flatly. Her optics silently challenged him to be more than he was, to change.. To accept...

He shrugged dismissively, "I'm dead. There's no actions left for me."

"Tell that to your counterpart in Raptor's home dimension, he built her AFTER Galvatron had already killed his aft," Her soft voice got stronger, "That Starscream decided to come back on his own. To finish what he'd started." With that statement hanging in the still mist, she let go of his hand and boldly walked in the direction that he'd been leading her, disappearing in the mist.

Starscream contemplated this for a while, and then appeared by her side, walking silently next to her, an expression of decision on his face. As the mist cleared, he took her hand again, leading her to the shore of the expansive lake within the afterlife.

Out of the Mist

The imposing transformer of Death approached the pair, his flaming broadsword in his hand. He stopped in front of them, his legs spread wide, his red eyes gleaming. "You are not welcome to this realm – yet," he stated flatly to Jaguar.

Her optics went wide with fear and her feet felt like they were concreted in place, as she looked into the very visage – of Death. She tried to say something, anything! But her voice synthesizers were suddenly offline. Then a red shadow stepped in front of her, seeming to protect her from this terrible Specter.

"She, she's just lost;" Starscream stammered, "She won't be here long." Even as a ghost he felt the awesome power that was Death. The leader of this realm... More powerful than even Glavatron himself... Fighting back his trepidation in standing up to Death, the red Seeker reminded himself over-and-over that he owed Prime this debt. Prime was the only leader to ever show him any respect. He owed him...

Death stared at the ghost long and hard. The harshness of his optics making Starscream shift his thrusters anxiously. He found it amusing that this wayward ghost had come across this living spark. But the ghost rarely came to enjoy the peace of his realm, instead insisting on flying through the mists alone as he felt sorry for himself and what he thought was his pathetic life. He just couldn't accept the peace that Death offered. "You rarely walk these beaches yourself, Starscream. Do you insist on becoming nothing more than a haunting on the living?" he challenged the wayward ghost.

If the red Seeker could gulp in fear, he would've done it right then and there. For even Megatron himself was nothing compared to the power of Death. "Well, she needs help;" he stammered, knowing this excuse was such a weak excuse for his unwillingness to accept the peace that Death offered him.

Sliding his broadsword back in its sheath across his back, Death crossed his arms across his massive chassis and regarded the ghost with amusement. "So, do you help her for yourself – or her sake?" Since Death wasn't about to allow the wayward ghost to go past him, if Starscream couldn't be honest with him. He suspected there was a good chance that the ghost wanted to use her to go back to the realm of the living.. To forever haunt that realm..

Starscream was quiet, his thoughts racing. Was he actually doing this for the femme? Or was he doing it for himself? To somehow feel some sense of worth by delivering her safely to her sire? To possibly see his offspring, even if they couldn't see him? His emotions fluctuated, for this was the first time since he died, that he had anything to accomplish, anything to care about. Looking up timidly at the specter of Death he said just one word; "Both."

Amazingly, Death looked at him with approval, his stance relaxing. "You have a hard path before you, take care to place your thrusters well," the Specter advised, as he stood aside to let them pass.

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