Chapter 3

Starscream,

If you are reading this, then one of two things has transpired; either you have achieved all your ambitions and are now enjoying life to your spark's content and wish to share the good news with me, or you have not yet achieved your dreams, and have come seeking answers. I, for one, welcome you all the same. It is not the end goal itself that will be your greatest teacher, but the journey you will take to get there.

You are probably wondering where I might be found. I considered staying on at the research facility after you'd left, but then I realized that was no longer a workable option; the growing anti-Destron sentiments had become much too overbearing, to the point that it had begun to interfere with my research, so I was forced to relocate. If all goes well, then you should still be able to find me here:

A short description of the co-ordinates followed, and Starscream put down the data module, resting it gently upon the ground. After leaving the research facility, he had headed out towards a rocky outcrop beside a hilltop, where he was certain he would not be followed.

If the co-ordinates were still valid, Megatron would not be too far from here, and he felt trepidation at the thought of seeing him again. He imagined a bitter-sweet reunion, his mentor offering him some pertinent, unreserved advice for his highest good. Given the challenges that he and his fellow Destrons now faced, he wasn't sure what kind of help, if any, he might receive from his former mentor; nevertheless, he could always rely on Megatron to tell him what he needed to hear, even if it wasn't to his liking. He appreciated his blunt honesty, even if it didn't appear that way to anybody else.

Starscream picked up the data module, and read the remainder of the message.

I expect that, when next we meet, the state of affairs between the Autobots and Destrons will have worsened to such an extent that it will no longer be possible for us to continue in our existence and allow things to remain the way they are.

Above all else, do not feel indebted to those ideals that no longer serve you; in fact, it is of paramount importance that you discard them, if you are to succeed in whatever it is that you have set out to accomplish.

Megatron

Starscream read the last part again, and wondered what he had meant by those words. The message resonated with him in a way that he had yet to fully comprehend. That had always been Megatron's way; he possessed an uncanny ability to know him better than he knew himself, and this had been another reason why they had formed such a close connection from the beginning.

He remained on the hillside for quite some time in silence, reflecting on the message, until finally he headed out to the location determined by the co-ordinates he had been given.

The Destron Air Commander was greeted by a rather nondescript, yet large building that formed part of a small village in a north-east region of Tarn. The place seemed peaceful enough, quiet – he did not see many Transformers around, and those he did see appeared to be unaligned to any group or faction – though it did feel a little desolate. Perhaps that was the very reason his mentor had chosen this place.

He cautiously walked up to the building's entrance, and scanned the door panel. It appeared to be locked. He stood there a moment looking up at the building; he could see that it was comprised of at least two above-ground levels, maybe more below ground. He turned and began to walk around the structure, looking for a side entrance, and was approached by a small blue Transformer, who seemed to deliberately ignore the Destron symbols that were prominently displayed on his wing tips.

"Hello. Can I help you?" he asked simply.

Starscream pointed to the building in front of them. "I'm here to see Megatron," he replied.

The robot nodded in recognition at the mention of the name. He looked up at the seeker suspiciously, hesitating. "He doesn't like to see anyone… he's busy."

"Just tell me where I can find him," Starscream replied obstinately.

The robot continued to look at him uncertainly. He realized that the Destron would probably not take no for an answer, and he didn't think it would be a very good idea to turn him away, especially since he appeared to be a very powerful Destron, and one who could easily get his way. "Alright," the robot finally conceded. "Wait here," he added, and then disappeared down a small side alley.

Several minutes passed by in silence, and Starscream began to wonder whether that blue robot had tried to deceive him. Growing ever more impatient, he finally turned around with the intention of heading back towards the main doors of the building, and was stopped in his tracks by a figure standing before him, arms crossed.

He looked just as he remembered him, only he seemed greater, more powerful, somehow. But perhaps that was just his perception; Megatron was a much taller Transformer than any of the others he had seen around these parts, and larger.

"I assume you received the message I left for you," he said, his silver and black frame gleaming in the Cybertronian daylight, his voice resonating with a confidence and authority that was all too familiar.

"Yes, I…" Starscream started, and then trailed off, still surprised to see Megatron standing before him, after all this time.

"It's been too long, Starscream," the larger Destron said, giving him a satisfied smile, before the seeker had a chance to say anything further. Then he indicated towards the open door. "Come, we have much to discuss. There's something I want to show you."

Starscream followed him inside the building, and looked around with interest. He was in some sort of work shop, a construction laboratory containing what appeared to be innovative, experimental technology. Various monitors and data pads displayed theoretical concepts that he'd never seen before. He stepped over to a holographic model of an artificial multi-dimensional portal, his optics wide with amazement as he examined the research notes and mathematical computations that accompanied it. "You came up with all this yourself?" he asked, finally, turning towards his former mentor.

The silver and black Transformer looked over at the prototype model. "Not entirely. I've had some help." He watched the seeker intently. "I thought you might appreciate it. It's far from complete; it's still only in the theoretical stages. I've taken it as far as I can here." He didn't wait for Starscream's reply, but moved on to a different subject. "But, all that can wait until later. Tell me, what has brought you all the way out here?"

The seeker contemplated his reply. He had taken a huge risk coming here, of that he was sure, and without even knowing what he might find. He realized that he had needed help, with the situation back in Kaon becoming increasingly complex and ever more desperate for him and his team mates. "I'm not even sure where to begin," he admitted, finally. "Perhaps it was wrong of me to come here."

Megatron offered him a seat. "Nonsense. Now, start at the beginning," he said matter-of-factly, his air of self-assuredness unmistakable.

The Air Commander slowly sat down. "It's the Liege. He's about to take Polyhex, and expects me to lead the aerial assault," he began, a little too quickly, and then stopped. He hadn't even considered the possibility that Megatron may not be aware of his current affiliations with the Destron group, or of all that had happened concerning the major city-states since he had left Tarn. For all he knew, the Destron may have completely turned away from any interactions with the outside world in order to focus solely on his work.

But the larger Transformer showed no indication of any lack of knowledge in current planetary affairs. Instead, he took a seat opposite the seeker, and leaned back in his chair. "And you intend to disobey him?" he asked simply.

"Well, I only want to do what is best for the other seekers, but I fear that, if he is successful in his drive for planet-wide domination, I'll be the first one he'll…" Starscream tried to find the best words to describe his concern.

"You'll be his first casualty," Megatron finished for him, and the seeker nodded. He paused in thought, before asking him another question. "This is the Liege Maximus that we are speaking of, yes?"

"Yes."

Megatron nodded in understanding. "From what I know of the situation in Kaon, your immediate concern should be his second in charge," he stated.

"Jhiaxus? But, he's a spineless jerk. He does everything Maximus tells him to do, even if it means backstabbing his own loyal followers," Starscream explained in disbelief.

"Hm," his mentor acknowledged. "That is exactly the reason why he is all the more dangerous." When the seeker did not respond straight away, he continued. "Starscream, you must ask yourself, why do you serve him at all? What is it that you truly want?"

"What I want is irrelevant," he answered, though he sounded doubtful.

"Is it?" When the seeker had no answer for him, Megatron continued. "You came here seeking my help, did you not? Well, let me tell you what I know." The jet-former held his gaze, as he waited to hear what his mentor had to say. "I see a very capable, highly ambitious Destron, highly intelligent. But – and do correct me if I am mistaken – you often feel as though you must always accomplish things on your own – not because you don't know how to accept help, but because you find it difficult to trust. As a result, you have placed a heavy burden upon yourself. You feel responsible for those who look up to you, and are terrified of failing them. This is why you have not been able to break away from the Liege thus far, and why you have remained under his control for so long."

The room was quiet, as Megatron's advice to the seeker hit home. He couldn't believe how well he had been able to size him up, even after all this time, but it came as no surprise. His emotions were beginning to surface, and he found it difficult to speak. "I should never have left Tarn," he said, finally.

Megatron shook his head. "Your team mates needed their leader. Had you stayed, they would have surely suffered, and you… would have found yourself in no better a situation." He was patient, allowing the seeker to take all the time he needed to gather his thoughts.

"You could come with me to Kaon. Together, we could defeat him–" Starscream said suddenly, a look of renewed hope on his face.

Megatron stopped him before he could complete his sentence. "No."

"But… why not? You always used to talk about how a united front could defeat any enemy, no matter how big or powerful," Starscream reminded him.

"That is true. But how do you expect to form a united front, with only the two of us against an entire army? Besides, I still have my work to finish."

Starscream stood up, walked over to the model. He turned towards Megatron, who was watching him intently. "You can't do any more with this here; you said so yourself! What have you got to lose?"

This much was true; the silver and black Destron could not argue that point. And it did present him with an intriguing opportunity. With help, if he were able to build a working prototype of the space portal, defeating Liege Maximus and his followers would become almost too easy.

Still, Megatron remained uncertain. "We're going to need more than just you and me – if I'm going to even consider this," he said, finally.

Starscream's expression changed to one of subdued excitement, and he couldn't help but smile at the prospect. "I can speak for the other seekers in Kaon; they wouldn't hesitate, given the chance… and, there are Destrons in Polyhex who I know have been holding out for just such an opportunity."

Megatron stood up and walked over to the seeker. He looked about his work space, contemplating what needed to be done. "Very well. There are some in Iacon I might be able to persuade." He paused in thought. "Are you sure this is what you want, Starscream?" he asked.

"I've never been more certain about anything in my entire life," the Air Commander replied, filled with more resolve and determination than he'd ever felt before.

His mentor looked at him, and understood his sincerity. "Good. Then, we leave first thing tomorrow."

Soundwave and Blitzwing sat inside Astrotrain as he transported them all high above Kaon in his space shuttle mode. Once the small team had arrived within the satellite's sensor range, the communications expert gave Astrotrain the order to hold his position. Blitzwing started heading towards the shuttle's exit, his gyro-blaster in hand ready to let loose on the satellite, but Soundwave stopped him.

"Refrain from taking action, Blitzwing. There's been a change of plans," Soundwave informed him.

The purple triple changer turned to face him. "Change of plans? I was never told about any change of plans."

"I am telling you now," Soundwave answered, and then opened up his chest compartment to deploy two of his mini-cassettes. "Rumble; Frenzy: operation satellite hijack."

The two Destron saboteurs transformed into their robot modes and landed with their feet on the floor of the shuttle. They looked almost identical, save for variations in their exterior markings, and their differing color schemes; Rumble was purple and blue, while Frenzy was red and black.

Rumble stepped past Blitzwing towards the exit. "Come on, let us out, Astrotrain," he said.

Astrotrain hesitated. "Soundwave, are you sure about this?"

"Don't let 'em out until he tells us what's going on," Blitzwing said, interjecting.

The communications expert hesitated. "Very well," he said. "Straxus has been deceiving you. Once he's defeated Liege Maximus, he plans to destroy both Autobots… and Destrons, and rebuild his army so that he can take command of Cybertron."

Blitzwing looked at him in shock. "Rebuild his army? How does he plan to do that?"

Frenzy replied, speaking for Soundwave. "Here's a hint: Autobots, Destrons… smelting pools… mad scientist Deluge… you do the math."

The Destron triple changer recoiled. "That's disgusting," he said, grimacing. He paused in thought before asking, "How do you know all this?"

This time Rumble gave him the answer. "No one gets anything past Soundwave."

"No, I guess not." Blitzwing shook his head in disbelief, and then looked towards the blue guardian. "So, what's the plan?"

Frenzy spoke again. "Simple. We reroute the satellite so that it works for us. Then, when the time's right, we can use it to help stop Straxus from gaining the upper hand over Liege Maximus, or vice versa."

"Making it more difficult for either of them to gain any real advantage," Rumble finished for his twin. "Stalemate."

"Well, it sounds good in theory, I guess. But how do you know when the time's right?" Blitzwing asked.

"We don't," the mini-cassette continued. "But it's always better to be prepared."

Astrotrain conceded, and opened his exit hatch. The two saboteurs launched into the atmosphere, and landed on the satellite's dish. They set to work, reprogramming its communications port and overriding Kaon's access codes, replacing them with their own encrypted commands. As far as the Liege would be able to tell, the satellite no longer existed.