Chapter
17 : Queen of Dissension
A/N: Apologies to those who have waited so long for the chapters to be posted and thanks for your comments, reviews and support.
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"This is Channel Wave Plexhar, with the latest news update on Cybertron! I'm Autobot Holler and this is my co-host Decepticon Tunnelcall. Today is an extremely grave day, as just a few astroseconds ago, the wedding of Decepticon leader Megatron, to his second-in-command Starscream, was brought to a devastating standstill!"
"Optic witnesses outside the minster said that they heard a loud crash before the ground collapsed, swallowing all the Transformers attending the wedding, into the old underground sewage system! Both armies then started quarrelling and accused one another of acts of blatant conspiracy, when Shockwave, Cybertron's designated guardian, intervened and directed the Decepticons to excavate the site and find any casualties. There is no coincidence in the matter, when Autobot troops stationed outside the building, found remnants of a custom-made bomb, suggesting the ill-intentions of a third party against the great Decepticon figures of power."
"Autobots who were present at the ceremony were not the intended targets, as their attendance was made private until the day of the ceremony. Transformers have been warned to stay away from the vicinity, as there may be more bombs planted in the area."
"And in other news: has media sensationalist extraordinaire, Joyrock, said too much? Tensions rose among the Decepticon ranks when she openly criticised our great Decepticon leader and Starscream's motives for 'making ends meet'…"
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His bride's face turned to shock when the sensation beneath their feet, forced the ground to bear teeth and swallow the attendants of the ceremony. The sliver of purple snapped before breaking into half between their wrists, which was the last thing Megatron saw before reaching an unconscious state; or to be precise, when a large piece of ceiling broke its fall on his head and placed the aspen mech in stasis lock. His mind reeled in a recollection of memories, with questions, quotes and gibberish curdling in the soup of his consciousness, until a single question arose:
Why was he tying himself to that female?
He only had himself to answer that question. 'She is the only female who can bear my creations without reaching death.'
He thought a little more. Surely, the female deserves more credit than she receives.
'She also has an attractive aft that wobbles interestingly when she walks.'
He thought a little bit harder.
Not that he was without emotion, but Megatron rarely indulged himself with irrational feelings or petty sentiments that could affect his decisions. Maybe that's why he tied himself to her, this overly passionate female: it was their differences that brought them together. The countless vorns of cohabitating with one another revealed more than their fair share of personal habits; having tolerated that, they both wanted things from each other that couldn't be forcibly taken or stolen.
The prime of her youth no doubt made him feel older and it didn't help the harlot callously labelled him 'stuffy', but all that name-calling soon contributed to their volatile intimacy. The seeker's sharpened wit coupled with her cheeky playfulness was a welcomed delight. At first her playfulness was a slight bother, but then the tweak of a small grin would follow after hers and Starscream would take pride in her devilry, hinted for him and him alone. Only the chosen few allowed to 'share' the space in her life, was allowed the same care and determination she applied to her well-being. Reminiscing on such trivial thoughts made Megatron mumble with slurred delight, until a familiar voice broke the bubble of his dreams.
"(…Daddy?)" his creation's voice asked, sounding half-concerned and somewhat confused.
"Don't worry, Coldshock, it takes more than half a building to bring your father down." Megatron heard the familiar voice of his arch nemesis.
'…Prime?' the aspen mech thought, between the fresh clangs of tiny hands slapping his face. '…Prime…'
"Daddy…?" Megatron felt a small weight shuffling away from his body, which coincidentally stopped the tiny hands from being irritating.
'…Prime…'
'…Prime…'
'…Prime…'
"…………PRIME!!" Megatron howled with renewed menace and violently hurled himself out of stasis lock, lunging straight for the Autobot leader. Coldshock watched with an empathic frown at the two mechs exchanging blows as a means of communication, while he waited for his father's optics to see the situation they were in. He turned his thoughts to his crimson mother, wondering whether she was still alive, what condition she was in and where she would be now…
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'…Slag...' she thought. 'Of all the days to ruin, the fates had to pick my WEDDING day…'
Tired-of-the-universe optics flickered online to spot a violet nuptial band, tied to her missing better half. Her ripped cloak was sorely lacking its regal sheen and Starscream checked her surroundings, before openly declaring her current state of mind.
"SLAG SLAG SLAGGING FRAG-SLAG-INS!!" she screeched profanities and more profanities. "My beautiful wedding band! My gorgeous CLOAK! All TORN!"
She paused, if not for dramatic effect.
"MY CROWN!!" Starscream started to paw the three-pronged glory, resting atop her head without worry; it was unharmed. "...DAMN these schemers! Single-circuit plebeians! Sore-sighted sycophants! Ground grovelling invertebrates! I'll find you and I'll KILL you if it's the last thing I-!"
Starscream clipped her teeth shut, when she suddenly recalled the social etiquette that was expected from her. With Megatron as her mate, she was now the queen of the Deceptions, and as such, her current manner of speech was not befitting of her title!
"Fragging slag!" Or so they say, before the femme con started exploring her surroundings between her mulling, scanning the walls and gliding her palms across the gritty surfaces. What would those simple creatures who call themselves Megatron's - no, her! - Her troops know? She is the talented and beautiful STARSCREAM, queen of these single byte, lowlife, slag-sucking glitch heads below her feet! They flap their chins and talk about how the'bitch' was going to be a BIGGER bitch, and she's heard them all. Megatron's method of ignoring his troops gossip helped to a certain extent, but for Starscream it gave little consolation, as said subject of these petty rumourswas herself! Numerous times has she elucidated this mind aggravating issue to her mech counterpart, and several times he told her to ignore it and shut up.
'Starscream, I know some females like to pay particular attention to such, (ah-hrm), enlightening conversations, but it's mere gossip. We have other, more IMPORTANT things-' note how he said important like she didn't understand the word! '-to worry about than your celebrity status, now pay attention. This diagram-'
The crimson seeker hated it when he did not indulge her, so she would reinforce her opinions in a higher tone of voice. Starscream expected her lord to brush her off with words or hand, but sometimes, he would deviate from the usual options. On quieter occasions, Megatron would watch her livid gesticulations. She knew he wasn't really paying attention, but pretended to look like he did, following her sky blue arms trying desperately to grasp thin air, or watch her joints bend and turn with emotion, before ending her frustrations in a forced embrace. Her silver lord would look into her protected optics, while she let hers dart between confusion and displeasure. Starscream would pout in lingered discomfort which he called 'cute', just to produce a retch of revulsion from her, but in truth the seeker wanted to stay in his arms for as long as possible. In them, she could get away from worlds and galaxies, drown them with her worries and lose herself in his company.
But such sentiments made her feel very much alone right now. Sure, she was emotionally alone for most of her life, surrounded by countless mechs who have sorely disappointed her with their stubborn morals and chauvinistic bravado. But who could blame them? The majority of Decepticons were male anyway, and she got tied to the best of them all, sarcasm not included.
'I lo-…' her thoughts suddenly took a dead end, and Starscream quickly dropped them with her arms, previously tangled in physical memory of her lord's touch.
'…If he wasn't a magnet for trouble, we wouldn't be in this mess!' The walls wearily groaned with an echo, reminding the femme con of its general frailty. It took her another breem or so to make an exit from her confined space, just in case the rest of Cybertron decided to collapse on her. Starscream clicked her jaws shut and sucked her lips in, spitting the hatred she recited half and hour ago. "(Whoever-…whomever did this…I'll find you…I'll-!)"
"Mother?"
Starscream stopped her bitter musing when she heard the call. A fold of old, forgotten sentiment blanketed her spark and the jet croaked a name in recognition.
"……Lightburst?"
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"If you didn't jump to conclusions, Megatron, your fusion cannon would still be attached to your arm," Optimus Prime gestured to the aforementioned item buried into the wall. It rasped in protest when Megatron yanked it from the rubbish and clipped it back on his arm, satisfied with the familiar black weight. Both faction leaders looked at each other in obvious contempt, until Coldshock broke his father's glare.
"(Let's go…)" he whimpered, much to Megatron's chagrin for meekness. "…We have to find mother!"
The grey Transformer flicked his communicator open to tickled static running across the screen, crackling to no signal found. The other two in Megatron's company checked their communicators for reception, before dwelling in the same frown of disappointment plastered on the tyrant's face.
"…Someone's jamming our signals," stated the Autobot leader.
"Then I guess you're on your own, Prime," sneered Megatron, who started to walk away. The Autobot leader shrugged off his nemesis' words. "That's fine by me."
With the patter of feet following his creator's thunderous steps, the youngling whipped his head back to find Optimus' azure gaze, deep with wisdom and hope for the future. Coldshock wished his father had the same undeniable gaze, but kept those wishes to himself and hurried his pace, not to leave Optimus Prime but to locate his female creator.
Having watched both father and son disappear into the dreary darkness, Optimus Prime headed in the opposite direction, letting caution guide his way to the surface. Walking, crawling and clambering through the unpredictable maze, the Autobot leader feared for everyone's safety, as the surrounding pipes muttered and creaked in warning of a dreadful tide. A tremendous rumble alerted him for the worst, not because his balance was to be thrown astray, but the source of the tremors that shook his entire system came from Megatron's direction.
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"Lightburst, (Lightburst)," Starscream spoke in the gentlest tone she could foster, and calmed her child to small hiccups. "Just tell me what's going on and why are you-"
"N-not dead?" the minute Decepticon sighed. "I-I-I was barely alive when the femme con team was ambushed, and-!"
"Do you know who's doing this? Do you! Are they the same Transformers involved in this?! Tell me, TELL ME-!" Lightburst yelped when Starscream forcibly grabbed her frame and the larger female quickly dropped her tired daughter. How could Starscream forget the day her children were ambushed by faceless scum, carrying malicious intent beyond her knowledge? The day she lost her personal entourage of female Decepticons who failed to complete their mission, to continue to protect their leaders and live their lives?
Memories of the damage site burned vividly in Starscream's mind, where discarded limbs that were violently torn from the femme cons lay scattered in the rubbish. They said her children were nearest to the impact, and when their bodies were neatly incinerated, their ashes could be lost in the wind. How could Starscream forget the need to spill the culprits' energon and grind their metal to dust, twisting her hatred to unthinkable depths. Starscream's lips, now pursed to sharp angles of odium, summoned the words through her teeth. "(Tell me what you know, daughter…)"
"Mother…" sniffed Lightburst, which brought her closer to her mother's bright frame. A delicate blue hand stroked her shaking body, to quell the pleading tenor in her voice. "…S-Soundwave…Soundwave wanted us dead. H-he wanted T-...he wanted Teratron dead, but I think he didn't want witnesses so…so he laid an ambush an' tried to kill us all…"
Starscream continued to coo to her daughter, as the rage seethed furiously within her deathly form. "(When I get out of this mess, I'm going to kill that bastard and eat his spark!)" she spat between gnashed teeth.
"M-mother…please…I'm sorry…" Lightburst wet Starscream's cockpit, unable to control the tears. "Midnight doesn't know, but…I-…I saw Teratron come out alive…we-…we helped each other get better, but Teratron didn't want to reveal ourselves because-"
"Soundwave?" the tiny femme con nodded to Starscream's hushed words. "…Do you know why he would want Teratron dead…?"
"I- (…I couldn't come back…)" the Cassetticon whispered. "If-If-If I did, I'd be-! And you'd-!"
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Tiny grazed hands searched the aspen giant for movement, but Megatron looked lifeless in stasis lock. That last fall was enough to stun the Decepticon lord into unconsciousness, while his creation would have been torn to pieces, if he wasn't shielded in the fall. The youngling was well aware of his father's actions and the scratched silver metal grew painfully colder under Coldshock's palms. A hard cough forced a cloud out of Coldshock's breath and his frame jerked, suddenly becoming afraid of his surroundings, afraid of something…anything, catching him unaware. Was Optimus Prime too far to hear their descent? Will he come and save them? Without the strength of his creators', Coldshock felt like a lonesome, little speck in life, defenceless and ripe for the picking.
"Coldshock."
He jumped to his name and wedged himself between his father's arm and body. The sparkling could not recognise voices in his panic anymore, and the elongated tunnels exaggerated the echoed voice with a warbling gurgle. A rich blue-coloured hand crept out of the shadows, and the navy blue Decepticon crept into the light for Coldshock to recognise.
"Do not fear, Coldshock," said Soundwave, in his voice of dead variety.
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"(…Teratron's not afraid of Soundwave)," the small voice grew softer in fear. "She-…she had a plan. She'd spent a lot of time on it in secret, but when I found out what it was, I couldn't tell anyone, because-! B-Because if someone else knew what she was doing, she said she'd kill me! And then-! …Soundwave got in her way." Lightburst ended in dead silence. Starscream's mind was beyond casual pondering. "So the plan to kill Soundwave was…wait a click, what?! You mean-?!"
"(She has two plans, now)," muttered the smaller femme, caught in half-guilt and dread.
The red jet threw her palms in the air upon hearing those words, if her confusion was not apparent enough. Lightburst hid her disconcertment with Starscream's self-depreciating sarcasm and continued. "Teratron wants to get her revenge on Soundwave. But before that, she had other plan-…the first plan she made, Soundwave found out first…"
A clumsy knock stole the females attention to the darkness ahead of them. Clinkering, rattling, the odd tinker of metal drew closer, while Starscream instinctively held Lightburst to her chest. Moving in dramatic sloth, the head of the assassin appeared, with the dim light reflecting off his worn helmet. After the battered faceplate came the severed neck, and a hand which threw the communication officer's dismembered head at Starscream's feet.
"The mech who tried to take my life has been found and terminated," said the deadpan voice of Starscream's older creation, holding it's usual calm. "…Now…"
Teratron's purple frame emerged from the black depth, unscathed and fully armed with a scabbard in one hand. "…My first plan: the extinction of my creators, for the advancement of the Decepticon empire."
"(I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-)" Looking upon her daughter's poised frame, the creator let her jaw hang aghast in disbelief.
"…Huh…" Starscream felt oddly proud at Teratron's efforts.
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A/N: OMGWTFUGGINBBQ! This isn't as long as the other chapters, but right now, I'm preoccupied with other things. Also, a big thank you to my sister for proof reading this chapter!