Chapter 2
The Destrons under Liege Maximus' command congregated in the Great Hall near the South Tower to hear his announcement.
"Destrons!" he began, raising his arm to quieten them down. "It is time to set our sights on something much bigger than Kaon, something much more satisfying." The crowd quieted down to a whisper, their attention now fully focused upon him. "Next, we take Polyhex!" His voice reverberated throughout the hall, a deep, resounding boom that would have made any Transformer nervous. The crowd cheered, and he was pleased with the response. The two massive curled horns on his head seemed more prominent and more menacing than usual. "Once Polyhex is ours, we take Iacon, and then Cybertron shall be mine!"
Jhiaxus stood by his commander's side as he observed the Destron army cheer in support for their Liege. He noticed the Air Commander entering the hall at the back of the crowd, accompanied by one of his trine mates, and he let out a low growl. He harboured a deep mistrust for Starscream that bordered on hate, and had long planned for his convenient demise; however, as long as they remained useful to the Liege, he would allow Starscream and his trine mates to exist.
The Liege was too absorbed in his own pursuit of conquest and glory to have noticed them, however, as he continued making his announcement. "Jhiaxus shall lead the attack on Darkmount from the ground, while our Aerial teams…" He paused, searching for the jet-formers amongst the crowd. When he had finally spotted them, he continued, "Shall attack from the air. And I will ensure that Lord Straxus answers only to me!" Darkmount was Lord Straxus' seat of power in Polyhex, and the location of an ancient, fortified castle left over from the days when their creators still walked amongst them.
The crowd cheered again, voices rising and falling in verbal support. The Air Commander stood at the back of the crowd, observing the goings-on in dissatisfaction. If they attacked Darkmount, there would be heavy casualties for both sides. It wouldn't be easy to penetrate the castle, and there was no guarantee that the Liege would be able to get to Straxus.
More importantly, however, he had Destron contacts in Polyhex who would be placed in harm's way should the Liege and his army attack the city-state without warning.
Starscream kept his gaze fixed upon Liege Maximus and his second in charge, Jhiaxus, as they revelled in the triumphant praises of their followers, and in that moment, he made his decision – a decision that was to change not only his own life, but the lives of all those who depended on him, for ever.
Darkmount stood atop a small yet steep hill right in the heart of Polyhex. It was surrounded on all sides by massive stone walls, ancient relics that had been built from the planet's natural rock. It was a gloomy and desolate fortress, much like the city of Kolkular, except that it was in a strategically superior location, and almost impervious to enemy attack.
It was for this reason that Lord Straxus had successfully maintained his rule over Polyhex for so long; no one had ever managed to come close enough to challenge him and his Destron army directly. So, when he received news of an impending attack from Kaon, Straxus was not too concerned.
He was stubborn and set in his ways, yet he maintained a powerful influence on those who served under him. His subordinates did not always agree with his methods or his ideas, but they obeyed his commands without protest, confident in the knowledge that he would continue to keep Polyhex safe from invasion against both the Autobot army and any rival Destron groups.
Laserbeak, having completed his mission, transformed into his cassette mode before returning to his guardian's chest compartment. Soundwave, the Destron communications expert and Straxus' advisor and informant, appeared to tolerate the head of state's ruthless and heavy-handed tactics with a cool aloofness. Lord Straxus was not aware, however, that Soundwave only showed him enough loyalty to remain within his ranks. In fact, Soundwave had a Destron contact within Kaon who revealed to him far more about Liege Maximus' plans than he ever cared to share with Straxus.
"The Liege does not know who he is dealing with!" the ruler proclaimed fervently, after information of the planned takeover had been relayed to him. "Soundwave! Take Astrotrain and Blitzwing on a little errand. Show Maximus that we mean him no harm… and destroy their new satellite."
"As you command," Soundwave responded in his unusual monotonic voice, which was harmonized with a melodic undertone, and then left the control tower, leaving Straxus alone.
The planned attack on Darkmount had not been completely unexpected, though Starscream was thankful that he had been able to warn his contact in Polyhex. As things now stood, however, he was fast running out of time and had to move quickly.
As soon as the Liege's announcement ended, he set out for Tarn, keeping closely within unmonitored air space so that he would not be detected by the Autobots, which meant that he had to take the longest route on his way north.
He knew that he was taking a very real risk venturing out alone this far, and it was for this reason that he had decided against letting his trine mates know. But he figured that he would be back in Kaon before anyone could realize he was missing.
As Tarn came into view beyond, he picked up speed. His sleek, tetra jet form effortlessly glided through the air as he approached his destination; the familiar, low-lying metallic formations sprawling across the landscape below. Tarn was a quiet, less populated region of Cybertron and, as such, posed no threat to the larger, Destron-controlled city-states.
Starscream decreased his speed and prepared to land, as he found the place he was after. It was one of the larger structures within Tarn's capital of Tetrix, and one of the largest research facilities on Cybertron, second only to Iacon's: the Tarn Institute of Science Research and Technology. As the Destron Air Commander walked through the front doors and then down along the many interconnecting platforms and walkways, memories of earlier days flooded his processor. He had been a student here, assigned by the Autobots to help expand their knowledge of the universe and contribute valuable information to further their cause. It was unusual for any Destron to be allowed the privilege of being a part of the research team, but his above-average intelligence and his skill as a scientist had granted him a position at the facility. He had gladly accepted, and for many years had devoted much time and effort to his research before the Destrons began to rebel. Eventually, he had been forced to abandon his post as an increasing number of Autobots regarded him with hate and mistrust due to his outspoken beliefs concerning the forced Autobot rule. After the Autobots eventually abandoned Tarn as war efforts intensified in the larger city-states, Starscream had never returned to the facility, until now.
The rooms and corridors looked just as he remembered them, and he wondered who he might find here now. He could recall the names and faces of his old colleagues and supervisors as if it were only yesterday. They had been mostly Autobots, though one other Destron had also been allowed a place at the facility. He had demonstrated a similar level of intelligence and skill as his own, and Starscream had connected with him instantly, realizing later that part of the reason had probably been due to the fact that they shared the same Destron origins amidst a growing group of mistrusting and conceited Autobots. They had spent many hours together discussing their research, as well as other subjects of interest which they both shared; it was a time that had impacted Starscream deeply, and for many years afterwards he could not erase the name from his memory: Megatron.
After his departure from Tarn, he had been eager to find his colleague again, but his long stay in Kaon after having been accepted into the Liege's ranks had preoccupied his thoughts over all other matters, and so the name of the Transformer who had been so much a part of his life had eventually been forgotten.
Starscream noted that there appeared to be no one within the facility. He stopped outside of the Destron's former quarters, and hoped that he would still find him here, but then realized just how silly this whole idea was; the chances of finding his former colleague from long ago in the very place that he'd last seen him, as if he had never left, were probably a million to one. Megatron would have moved on, just as he had done, in order to avoid the worst of the conflicts. He sighed, unsure of whether he should continue his search for the Transformer or head back to Kaon before he was discovered by Jhiaxus and his henchmechs.
The doors to the quarters in front of him appeared to be unlocked and he hesitated, his hand hovering over the control panel, but just as he was about to hit the button a voice called out from behind him, and he instinctively jerked his hand back, startled.
"Starscream? Starscream, is that you?"
The inquiring voice belonged to a large, white jet, almost twice as large as he was, and Starscream instantly recognized it even before he turned around to face the Autobot. "Skyfire. After all this time," the Destron Air Commander greeted him.
Skyfire stepped towards him, shaking his head and smiling. "The most infamous Destron scientist, and the Autobots' biggest headache, walking these halls again?" the Autobot said light-heartedly, teasing his ex-colleague. "So, what brings you here?"
"Ah, I was searching for someone, funny you should ask," Starscream replied. "Perhaps you can help me?"
"Well, I can certainly try," the large jet-former replied. "Who are you after? Oh, wait, let me guess. Megatron?"
Starscream nodded. "Yes. Do you know where I might find him?"
"Hm, let me think. He stayed on for a short while, after you'd left." Skyfire replied, recalling the events of the past. He shook his head. "I'm not sure where he actually ended up after that, though – oh, but I do have something for you that might help." He looked back at the seeker, his lofty frame towering above the Destron's. "Follow me," he said, extending out a hand in the direction further down the hall.
As they walked together in silence, Starscream recalled the familiar laboratories and work shops where he had worked together with Skyfire. "What about you? Did you remain in Tarn?" he asked the Autobot.
"Oh, no; I was called to help out in the conflicts," he replied. Skyfire felt uneasy as he brought up the topic of the Autobot-Destron conflict – he had been opposed to it from the beginning, but he thought that Starscream deserved to know. "I'm only here to transfer the old records stored here."
"To Iacon?" the seeker asked, as they both stepped onto a large platform that would take them up to the top levels.
"Yeah." After further silence, Skyfire continued with the previous topic of conversation. "Starscream… when you left, the other Autobots… well, they saw it as a sign of rebellion, obviously, especially after they'd allowed you a place here." He stepped off the platform as it slowed to a stop at the third level. "I want you to know, I never believed what they said about you."
Starscream followed him. "What did they say about me?" he inquired, and Skyfire hesitated. "Tell me," he prompted.
"They said that you had only agreed to accept a place here just so you could take all our research back to the Destrons… then turn against us," Skyfire answered, his words sounding insecure.
"Well, I can see why they might have thought such a thing, I suppose," the Destron jet responded, surprising the Autobot with his honest appraisal. "Still, it doesn't make it true, does it?"
Skyfire, relieved that his ex-colleague had taken that information as well as he had, motioned for them to head down the hall. "Come on, it's just through here," he said.
They approached a set of doors, and Skyfire accessed a control panel beside them. The doors slid open, revealing a large room filled with long shelves of data modules stacked neatly in rows. "I think he left you a message, in the event that you might return one day," Skyfire assured him, and led the way through the records room. He began searching through a set of data modules, the tall shelves almost as high as he was.
Yes, of course; Megatron always did think a few steps ahead, and it made perfect sense to Starscream that he would have pre-empted his search for him.
After a few minutes of flicking through several collections of modules, Skyfire stopped and pulled one off the shelf. "Here we are," Skyfire said, and handed the object to the seeker. "He wouldn't have left without some way for you to be able to find him."
Starscream looked at the data module, and scanned its title. It had been addressed, 'To the Destron most likely to take down an entire empire single-handedly – or help build one'. Starscream was reminded of the days when the two of them had often engaged in lively banter, philosophizing on a range of diverse topics, and everything in between – from the mechanics of hyper-space drives, to the rise and fall of alien empires. That he would describe the seeker in such a way was typical of his old friend and mentor. "Thank you," Starscream replied.
"He asked me to give it to you, should you ever come looking. I just hope it's helpful," Skyfire said, and then led the way out of the records room, closing the doors behind them.