The Brat Prince of Vos
Chapter 8
Continuity: Pre- and Post-TF:A, a little bit of AU here and there
Warnings: None for this chapter
Pairings: Slight Megatron x Starscream, now ;)
Within a second, all five targets had smoking holes in the centre of them.
"Again," Starscream barked at one of the soldiers. The green Seeker quickly set up another round of targets, moving away so that Starscream could take aim. The Seeker positioned his null rays - the weapons he had constructed for himself ten years ago - and blew all five targets away.
"Again!" he repeated irritably.
"Why? You hit them all dead-centre," came a voice from behind him, and Starscream spun around to see his older brother Prince Clearsky, accompanied by Princess Nightwing.
"I missed by an entire millimetre," Starscream snapped, turning again to take aim. "If those targets were spark-chambers, a millimetre could mean the difference between killing my enemy and letting them live."
"How awful!" Nightwing said with a grimace, wrinkling her nose plates. "You've become such a violent mech."
The targets were blown away once more, and Starscream barked "Again!" before turning to face his elder sister. "We are close to all out war, sibling," he replied in his usual rasp. "I cannot afford to be anything less."
"Oh, you and your war," Clearsky laughed, patting Starscream condescendingly on the shoulder. "You don't honestly believe those silly stories of the outside world your lunatic of a fiancé tells you, do you?"
Starscream narrowed his optics. "It is not just my intended. The ministers and messengers have all reported increasing tensions in the rest of Cybertron. Fighting has already broken out in Kaon. Even Minister Cyclonus has said so."
"Oh, and I'm sure that's why your intended has been away for a whole century," Nightwing spat sarcastically. "Busy fighting in his awful city. Who would fight for Kaon?"
The thirteenth youngling snarled at his sister wordlessly, before turning to blow each target away one by one, null rays on their most explosive setting.
"Now, now, you two…" Clearsky said worriedly.
"Well it has been a century!" Nightwing sneered, intent on rubbing it in Starscream's face as much as possible. "It's disgraceful enough to be betrothed to a mech that wasn't born a flier! Even worse that he hasn't yet come back for you! He probably doesn't even want you - that's why he's been away so long. He figured out why we gave you to an outsider. You're a curse, Starscream! The unlucky, worthless, thirteenth child! You killed our mother!"
Before either of the older siblings knew what had happened, the Princess had been knocked over onto the floor. Starscream was towering over Nightwing, null ray aimed squarely at her face.
"Our mother," hissed the thirteenth, "should have listened to the advisors that declared her spark too weak to carry another child after she had Shiningstar."
"Starscream," a cool voice interrupted, and all three Royal children looked up to see Cyclonus.
"Oh, good, you're here," Nightwing smirked, "now you can tell Starscream off! Look what he's done!"
"Starscream," repeated Cyclonus in his monotonous voice, "you let your emotions distract you. Had I been an enemy, I would have had more than a minute to shoot you in the back just now. You must detach yourself. Do not allow yourself to be drawn in to petty arguments."
Nightwing and Clearsky gaped. "That's not at all what I meant!" the Princess shrieked, outraged. "Punish him for knocking me over and aiming a weapon at my face! I order you!"
"On the contrary," Cyclonus replied, "I should be punishing you for allowing yourself so carelessly to be defeated by your youngest sibling. However…Starscream, that is enough for today. Come with me."
The thirteenth obediently followed, sparing his siblings one last withering glare.
"Starscream? Are you there?"
The youngest sat up in his berth in surprise. Usually, it was Starscream that called Megatron, and the Seeker only did so sparingly - after all, Megatron was busy fighting in Kaon. The thirteenth youngling had laid down for recharge early that night, although he was no longer required to do so. Now the Decepticon's rich voice was echoing around his audio units.
"I'm here," Starscream answered into the communication device.
"Excellent. Cyclonus contacted me earlier today," Megatron explained. "I hear you are doing well in your training."
"Cyclonus says I am too emotional," Starscream answered honestly, looking down at his lap sadly. "I don't think I am doing well at all."
Megatron snorted. "Cyclonus told me about your siblings. I can assure you they would not last long in battle - they should be able to defend themselves at their age, but you knocked one down with ease."
Starscream smiled to himself. "Hm," he murmured. "Why don't you tell me why you're really calling, Megatron? It isn't like you."
The Decepticon leader laughed. "I am glad to hear that you are not still the gullible youngling I left behind," he replied smoothly. "My reason for calling is twofold. First, I wanted to tell you myself that I am coming back to Vos soon."
"You've said that plenty of times," Starscream sighed, rolling his optics even though the Decepticon couldn't see him.
"I have made all the arrangements, Starscream. I will be arriving in a matter of weeks."
"We'll see," the Seeker replied, voice smug, but not quite betraying his hopefulness. "What was the second reason, then?"
"Since Cyclonus praised you so highly, and you hadn't called in a while, I supposed I would reward you," Megatron almost purred, his voice soothing and hypnotic in stark contrast to Starscream's scratchy rasp. "What will it be, little Prince? A bedtime story?"
"No, no, no," Starscream laughed. "Tell me…about Kaon. Tell me about the war."
The Seeker grinned as Megatron enthusiastically began to recount his exploits, never exaggerating. He could practically hear the pride rolling off Megatron's tongue - the youngling no longer wanted stories of imaginary wars, but the war of his intended. Starscream closed his eyes, trying to imagine what Kaon must be like, occasionally interrupting to ask what things looked like - he was surprised when Megatron told him there were no spires in Kaon, only buildings close to the ground. It was hard for Starscream to imagine what mechs without wings looked like, the only one he had ever seen being the Decepticon leader himself. Ultra Magnus was a particularly difficult mech to imagine - a hammer? How on earth would one wield a hammer in the air?
The every move of the Decepticon army for the past five months was repeated to the youngling in detail, until the late hours of the night, when the rest of the Royal children were quietly in recharge in their own berths. Megatron could hear Starscream's questions were getting less and less frequent as the youngling grew sleepy.
"You're tired, little Prince. I will tell you the rest when I arrive."
"M'kay," Starscream relented, already half in recharge. "Megatron?"
"Yes, Starscream?"
"Do you like me?"
"Yes, Starscream."
The youngling smiled, content to give in to the pull of sleep.