A/N:
I'd like to thank those who reviewed this story! It means a lot, really!
On the question of 'will I insert some 'romance in this story?' (decepticons style! So do not hope for lovey dovey moments) the majority voted yes.
There will be 'romance' (or ' Con-like romance call it what you want) can someone guess who will get their selves involved?
There will be nothing in this chapter though, except if you squint really hard.
Chapter 5:
Starscream cycled a long sigh through his vents as he made his way towards his quarters. It wasn't too far: Since he had exited his lab, he already was at the aisle where his personal rooms were located.
Quickly, he assessed the situation in his head. If his memory didn't fail him, Unicron should not come into the picture before at least two orns. That did not give him a long time to prepare, but at least he knew what to expect from the planet devourer. First, Unicron would attack the moons, then Cybertron itself, but not before the Autobot Matrix of Leadership was effectively out of his way. Now, without a Galvatron to take care of that 'little detail', Unicron would have to find someone else. Since no Decepticon was available for him to make a deal with, that someone else would probably be an Autobot. Probably, but the possibilities were not limited to Cybertronians; Unicron's new pawn could be anyone unfortunate enough to have crossed the Chaos Bringer's path.
But Starscream was positive Unicron would choose an Autobot: To steal or destroy the Matrix, the pawn had to know about the object of his quest – it was obviously the minimal requirement. And who, better than an Autobot, could do the deed?
Starscream knew how he could find out.
He opened a to Soundwave that was almost immediately acknowledged in the tape deck's usual monotone.
/I need you to send one of your cassettes back to Earth. Have the usuals go to the moonbases and infiltrate some Autobot ship heading for the Earth. We need to find out about Optimus Prime's condition./ Granted, Starscream already knew of the ex-Prime's condition, but he could not let the other find out about his knowledge.
/Unnecessary./ Soundwave replied calmly over the comm. /Ratbat: left behind on Earth. Mission: Report on Prime's condition./
/Very well!/ Starscream said, relieved to know that it would be easier than he had thought. / Then you will instruct Ratbat to watch the Autobots' leader closely, whoever that might be if no longer Optimus Prime. Have him give a report on his findings every four groons./ As soon as the information Starscream needed would be revealed, it would be time for Ratbat to return and play back his recordings.
/As you command,/ the blue Decepticon stated. This was getting really too much for one day.
/Thank you, Soundwave,/ Starscream finished the order.
The link was cut and Soundwave, who had been in the Constructicons' medbay, scanning the Decepticons to find whose spark was the most stable, halted in his work. What had Starscream just said to him? "Thank you"?
He shook the confusion off his head, certainly it was only a glitch in his audios.
He quickly relayed the instructions to Ratbat and went on with the task at hands.
Back in the hallway leading to his quarters, Starscream smiled to himself. Things would go smoothly; he had faith. All the cassette had to do was stay around Ultra Magnus, the new Matrix bearer at this time as he had learned long ago during his possession of Cyclonus, and watch out for anyone who would act suspicious around Optimus Prime's heir. Once Ratbat's reports would give evidences of such activities, Starscream would call him back to Cybertron and find out exactly what had happened in the Autobots' base.
A piece of oil cake, as Reflector would say.
Unicron himself would remain the only genuine problem, yet Starscream wasn't too worried... Okay, maybe a little, but he knew he'd find something when the time would come to face the planetformer.
Now, what was that strange feeling that bothered him suddenly?
He almost didn't comprehend the weird sensations when they came, only that something was hampering his functions. He needed – How long has it been since he had last needed anything? – energon and recharge. He had forgotten how it felt to be subjected to basic bodily needs such as fatigue and hunger, having not experienced those for millennia. Being alive had its downsides along its perks.
It was okay, though, he still had time. An energon dispenser and a good berth were waiting for him. He smiled in anticipation to get to drink from the fine brew he kept in his private quarters, a taste he had honestly missed.
He checked his chronometer, content to have one of those useful pieces of equipment again, and realized something that hit him with a wave of morbid nostalgia. This is the moment I first died.
Suddenly, he could hear them again, the trumpets praising his short-lived glory. They re-sounded in his mind, the symphony just as vibrant as then, and he briefly off-lined his optics to savour the memory of a golden crown being placed on his head. The quintessence of his life, an instance of satisfaction that fullfilled millions of years of struggle, it had – almost – been worth paying the highest price for his treachery.
He shook his head to clear his mind. It was another life, one that he could not forget, but that had never happened in this plane of existence. He had to choose a life over a crown. It wasn't that big a sacrifice after all.
...It wasn't like the crown was forever out of reach.
Not even an eternity could have eroded his lust for power. But he had learned the value of patience and knew that heaven could wait.
Good-spirited, he eventually found himself at his door. There, apparently waiting for him and looking very sheepish, were Skywarp and Thundercracker.
After a very short moment of surprise, Starscream greeted them with a smile. "You look fine," he observed. "That is good."
It was a relief for him to think that, in this universe, there would be no Cyclonus or Scourge. He would not have to cringe at the sight of the Sweeps anymore, those grotesque parodies of Seekers created by Unicron. To him, they were no less than an offence to the philosophy and purpose of his model. He hated, truly despised what the Chaos Bringer had done to his wing mates, and more so because it has been his own mistake that had allowed those to be spawned.
He passed them by to key the access code to his room, thankful that he still remembered it. As the door slid aside to give him way, he realized that his seekers hadn't moved at all: They were still in the hallway staring at him as if they had something to as,k but wouldn't dare to.
"If you have something to tell me, then come in," Starscream said in a tone that was not aggressive or commanding. He motioned for them to enter, then went straight for the energon dispenser. The mere sight of the energon made him feel better already, He filled a cube for himself, then after a second thought, filled two more and gave them to his confused wing mates.
He sat on his berth, which was the most comfortable seat around, and lightly moved the cube in his hand. He watched for a brief moment as the purple liquid swirled and sparkled with bright pink nuances inside of its receptacle.
The two others were glancing at each other a little awkwardly. Neither of them seemed to want to talk first. "So what is it you wanted?" Starscream asked calmly, slowly growing annoyed by their behaviour. He wanted to savour his energon and then recharge. He needed the peace the sanctuary that was his private quarters offered.
Skywarp pinched Thundercracker hard. He had probably tried to be discrete about it, but discretion had never been the purple seeker's forte, and Thundercracker let out a indignant squeal. Starscream tilted his head on the side, his fingers tapping against the berth's edge, an indication of his impatience.
"Skywarp told me that you saved us during the travel back from Earth," Thundercracker eventually spilled out.
"Yes. What about it?" Starscream took a sip from his cube. Oh, he had missed that taste! He felt the liquid pour down his pipes and replenish his tanks, a wonderful sensation he had long forgotten.
"Why have you done that?"
The air commander lifted a brow. "Why wouldn't I have done that?"
"You never do something out of altruistic motives, Starscream!" Skywarp finally deigned to enter the discussion.
"And you never use such big words." Starscream smirked. "I guess there's a beginning for everything."
The red seeker drank more from his cube and Thundercracker chuckled at Skywarp's offended expression.
"No, seriously, we know that you will eventually ask something in return for your good care. So what will it be?" Thundercracker continued.
"Yeah, spill it now while we are still feeling grateful! What do you want from us?" his purple pal added.
Starscream finished his cube and licked the last remnants of energon from his lips. He had needed this so badly.
" What if I simply wanted you to survive? Is that so hard to believe?" he replied casually.
The two seekers pondered the question in silence, their optics searching his.
Skywarp shrugged and Thundercracker didn't seem too convinced either. "You've never done that before, for anyone," Skywarp said.
"Or only out of interest," the blue seeker interjected.
Starscream sighed. That was true and he couldn't deny it. But it was all part of another life for him, and if he had requested another chance, it was to prove everyone- and especially himself- that he could change. That, of course, wouldn't be easily believed or accepted by the others. One could not erase more than five millions years of selfish and unfriendly behaviour with only a few altruistic actions.
"Well, you will have to accept this," Starscream said, not looking at them. "You two and I go back a long time, are three of the last dwindling few of the citizens of Vos that remain. We are becoming all that is left of our once magnificent city, its very memory kept in our names. And, if you don't want to admit that I didn't let you bleed to death in the shuttle because I care, then at least tell yourself that I did that to preserve what is left of our origins and the memory of Vos."
Thundercracker and Skywarp stared at him with surprise-mixed shock, then looked down. Nostalgia and the smallest hint of sadness showed on their face and optics. They remained silent for a moment until, eventually, Thundercracker looked up at his air commander.
"You haven't mentioned Vos since we last gazed upon its ruins. Back then, I had the impression you did not care at all… You seemed to have moved on so easily."
"I had to..." Starscream said softly. The sadness in his voice sounded genuine enough, but Thundercracker and Skywarp knew better than to trust their commander's apparent emotions.
"I had to," Starscream continued, "or our enemies' victory would have been complete."
He felt really tired now, he wanted to lie down and sleep at last. How long had it been since he last slept? Many millions of lifetimes for certain.
"You know," he said, as if he was talking to no one in particular, "if the war happens to end at some point, with me or Megatron as your leader, I'll have Vos rebuilt. Yes, I'd want that."
"Are you serious?" both Thundercracker and Skywarp asked out loudly.
"I could promise, would you see any value in that?" Starscream knew his promises had always been like his pledges of loyalty: Worthless and so easily forgotten.
The two seekers, who had apparently come to the same conclusion, kept silent and resisted the urge to give their commander a mocking smile. Starscream groaned and stood, a few of his joints wincing as he moved to place his empty cube in the recycle bin.
" It doesn't matter if you believe me or not for now. You'll see for yourself when the time is there. Now...!" He made a gesture with his hand toward the exit, but his smile was playful. "Leave me be. I need the few precious groons of recharge I can afford to take!"
Both seekers placed their untouched energon cubes aside and stood up from their seat, used as they were to follow orders on the spot. But once they were standing, they hesitated to leave just like this. Skywarp looked at Thundercracker insistently and their facial expression changed several times, as if they were having some kind of silent discussion, which was probably the case.
Starscream watched them with curiosity, wondering just how deep their mutual friendship really went. After a short moment of silent deliberation, Thundercracker turned towards Starscream.
"We don't know how genuine your nostalgia for Vos is, Starscream, or how much you actually care about us... but, anyway... know that we are sincerely grateful for what you did today, commander." He finished with a little smile and a respectful nod. Skywarp did the same and they took their leave.
Starscream waited for them to be gone before he let a true smile of happiness reach his lips. I can do this, he promised himself. He could not remember a time in the past when this had happened, so he decided this was a first occurrence: The first time he truly cared about another individual's opinion towards himself.
oOoOoOo
They stood in silence, unsubstantial and side by side, as the universe shifted irreparably around them.
In the distance, yet another solar system was swallowed by a black hole. That was quite an eye-catching sight, to witness that star sucked in the anti-matter vortex. The pull of the black hole's core getting too powerful for the stellar material, the fading star was soon ripped apart. But right before the actual destruction happened, the star emitted an abrupt burst of high-radiation energy, a long flare of ultraviolet and x-ray light.
If the space hadn't been made of void, they could have heard the last screeching noise the condemned star made when its energy flared out: A scream that would have echoed through the galaxy. (1)
Starscream let out a huff of derision.
"Either my creator was such a visionary that he foresaw my ultimate fate or this is just ironic. To say I will die like this star and live up to my name at last..." he commented after the 'show' was over. Nothing was left of the debris besides that back hole which continued on its path, unperturbed.
Primus looked down at the dead seeker, a small smile on his translucent features. "You will be the last spark of energy in this universe, and I know that you derive no little pride out of that fact."
Starscream said nothing, but his smug smile told it all for him.
"Have you found what you were looking for?" Primus enquired softly after a moment of thoughtful silence.
"Not yet. But this is far from over... I made a few big steps towards what I consider to be a great improvement, and I still don't know how things will evolve but I can tell you..." He was cut by Primus's energy touching his in a way equivalent to a slight tap on the shoulder.
"Be careful," the god warned calmly. "We are no longer alone."
The dead seeker followed Primus's gaze. There, standing not too far behind them, seemingly very shocked even though his facial features were designed to hide emotions, was Soundwave.
Starscream bared his teeth at the intruder. "What are you doing here? You don't belong here!"
He extended a hand and his mental barriers immediately went up, pushing Soundwave roughly out of his subconscious.
Starscream woke up and sat up straight. Soundwave was there, in his quarters, stumbling back awkwardly away from him.
"How dare you?" Starscream roared at him. He was on his pedes in an instant, his twin arm-mounted rifles pointed at the blue Decepticon. "I should terminate you for this!"
By reflex, Soundwave put his hands in front of himself in a defensive gesture. "Apologies. Plead: Mercy."
"Why should I? You have violated my head!" Starscream walked towards him and forced Soundwave to step back until his back collided with the wall.
"Finding: Insignificant. Realisation: Only a dream." Soundwave crossed his hands over his chest, obviously wanting to protect his spark from a possible blast from Starscream's cannons.
"You prodded my mind while I was in recharge, what else did you expect to see?" The red seeker moved even closer to the tape deck. Not close enough to actually touch, but enough so that the other could feel the heat radiating from him.
"Facts: Starscream's behaviour towards Megatron: Unusual . Personal response: Confusion. Purpose of mind-prodding: Obtain answer."
Starscream stepped back a little; He didn't like to be that physically close to someone. "Is that so? Just because I didn't act like a treacherous jerk, it made you suspicious?"
"Affirmative!"
"Well, be at peace!" Starscream sighed. "I have no other intention than ensure our leader will survive!"
"Observation: Starscream, always up to something. Always wants leadership for himself."
"Observation: You've 'observed' me well!" Starscream mocked him. "And you are right! I still want to become your leader, someday... just... not now. Not like this!"
Soundwave said nothing, but tilted his head on the side questioningly.
Starscream sighed. He was pissed off to have been disturbed in the middle of his recharge, angry towards himself to have let his defences down, but he wanted to settle things now. He would have too much on his hands in the next orns, he knew that for sure. And he certainly didn't need to add a suspicious Soundwave to the picture! He had no other option but a talk with the telepath, an honest explanation that would ease the mech's suspicions for good. Was it worth doing this during his allotted recharge time? Well, it was not the last sacrifice he'd have to make, no doubt!
"Megatron was broken, almost terminated after his fight against Prime," Starscream explained. "How grand would that have been, to take advantage of his condition to seize an opportunity to become the new leader? Who would have acknowledged me as their rightful commander after that? Tell me, who?"
"Estimation: Enough," Soundwave answered even though it had been a rhetorical question.
"Enough, yes, hypocrites or opportunistic fools! But none of them would have respected me like they respect Megatron. I've been thinking and now I understand a few things. Leadership is not something that can be offered by chance or destiny. It is something that must be deserved and taken with a fair hand!"
As Soundwave kept silent, the seeker went on.
"I'll become the new leader the day I prove myself as such, to the Decepticons and to Megatron. Then I will have gained respect from you, all of you, including Megatron. Either he will relinquish leadership to me as his heir or I will have bested him in a fair fight! Anyway, as long as he will lead us, I will remain his right-hand mech and this until he dies or I become a better soldier than he is."
"Probability: Shaky. Suspicions: Unaffected," Soundwave stated after a moment of reflection.
Starscream frowned at him, anger shining in his optics. He knew what he had to do to prove himself to the telepathic mech, but he didn't like that at all. The very thought of it disgusted him.
Yet, he had no other choice.
"If you don't believe my words, then look into my spark since it can never tell lies."
Soundwave hesitated a moment. He didn't want to risk a shot from the moody second-in-command. Starscream's burst of anger at his recent prodding was too fresh a memory.
But his doubts dissipated once Starscream opened his chest plates and bared his spark before the blue mech's optics. "I will lower my spark's fire walls and protections." The red seeker said through gritted teeth. "Dare touch it and yours will be extinguished the next instant!"
Oh, he hated to have to do this, but it was necessary to convince Soundwave: He didn't want him to infiltrate his head at any of the many occasions the tape deck would get. He had his mental barriers in place most of the time, but he couldn't always control them, especially when not he was in recharge and dreaming. It was unthinkable to give Soundwave even a tiny chance to read his mind and discover the extent of his data banks' content: About six billions of years of memories that were not supposed to exist, knowledge of a future no one other than himself could be allowed to gaze upon.
Soundwave stared at the brilliant orb of swirling energies before him. He had seen sparks before, but this one was exceptionally intense to look at. It was so bright, so lively, a spark befitting his owner. It was beautiful too, very beautiful, but this was not an appropriate thought to have.
Mentally shaking himself out of his trance, Soundwave moved his face closer and focused on Starscream' s spark core.
He could read minds better than he could read sparks. Most of the time, he couldn't read spark at all, unless the subject of his analysis was conscious and cooperative, such as now. Starscream allowed him to read his spark and not his mind for the simple reason that a spark cannot show precise or clear thoughts, but only feelings. And now, what Soundwave was to look for was evidence, proof of blatant honesty.
"Request: Repeat explanation."
"I'll become the new leader the day I prove myself as such..." Starscream repeated all of what he had said earlier. As he was talking about his intentions to remain Megatron's second-in-command until the gunformer would die or Starscream would become a better soldier than he, something in his spark was revealed to Soundwave.
The telepath straightened himself shortly after the seeker stopped speaking and Starscream swiftly hid his spark back inside his chest.
"Starscream: Telling the truth."
The seeker huffed, feeling not really at ease after what just happened. What a pity he had to resort to such radical solutions to get a point across.
"Now that you have your answers, can I hope for you to leave me in peace?" he asked, a little more harshly than he had intended.
Soundwave gave him a nod, much similar to the ones Thundercracker and Skywarp had given him earlier. "Further disturbance: Unnecessary. Apologies: Renewed. I will be awaiting orders, commander."
"Have you found someone who possesses the required parameters for the spark-control?" Starscream asked, purposefully changing the topic, not wanting to bother himself further with threat and/or apologies acceptance.
"All Decepticons scanned with the exception of the units still undergoing repairs, the Constructicons, as well as Thundercracker, Skywarp and yourself. A few soldiers reach nearly acceptable values of spark stability, ranging from 0,8 to 0,4 units of amplitude away from perfect value." (2)
"It cannot be more than 0,2 units of amplitude away from the perfect value!" Starscream retorted. "Let's hope that one of the remaining soldiers will satisfy that requirement."
Soundwave had been ready to drone out yet another order acknowledgement, but before he could do so, the red seeker addressed him again. "This can wait the next orn. You should go to your quarters and take a few groons of recharge. Tomorrow promises to be another long orn!"
For the umpteenth time that orn, Soundwave found himself slightly shocked by Starscream's words. Even though he should have been used to Starscream's new programming by now, he was still not expecting the seeker to act like he did care about someone else's well-being. That was completely new, but Soundwave had the feeling the he could easily come to appreciate that new aspect of the second-in-command. With a last nod, he exited Starscream's room.
Starscream watched him go, then checked his chronometer and sighed. Almost one whole groon of good recharge had been lost to that most unpleasant 'discussion'. He checked the lock on his door, knowing he'd have to change the code once again later on, and returned to his berth. If he was lucky, he could still get nearly three groons of much needed sleep.
oOoOo
Soundwave was grateful for the time of rest he was allowed to take. He had to admit that the past orn had been among the most eventful he had experienced in his life: The attack on the shuttle, the raid against Autobot City, the messy battle, the long travel back to Cybertron, the groons passed trying to keep his leader alive and then the tedious task to scan every Decepticon one by one, all that adding to the stress caused by Starscream's new and strange behaviour... One had to admit, such was too much for a single orn.
The blue mech keyed the code to his room and entered in silence, cautious not to disturb the recharge of those who shared his private quarters. He looked at the three cassettes lying on the bench outside of his bedroom, a smile hidden within his mouth plate. As he passed them by to reach his room, one of them spoke.
"Boss? Where have you been?" Rumble asked after transforming into his bi-pedal mode.
"Advice: Return to recharge!" Soundwave replied lowly.
But the little blue robot was too curious to leave it at that. "Did you discover things about the Screamer? Has he lost it at last?"
Soundwave's visor flashed once in annoyance.
"Order: Show more consideration for your superiors."
"Pff, as if you ever considered the Screamer for more than his worth as spare parts!" Rumble laughed and attempted a failed grotesque imitation of Starscream doing some grimace.
"Personal realisation," Soundwave droned a bit more loudly, "Starscream: More worthy than previously estimated. Opinion on Starscream: Improved. Order: Sleep now!"
To make it clear that the conversation was over, Soundwave added nothing, walked to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.
"Now who would have thought 'that' would ever happen!" Rumble declared to no one, huffed mockingly and went back to cassette mode to resume his recharge.
TBC
Thank you for reading! Now, some infos:
more about the phenomenon referenced as 'Screaming star' http: / . ( if the link doesn't work, then just google 'screaming star)
Explanations on spark-control and spark stability, see end of chapter 4.