Chapter 130
=0=Autobot City, Mars
They stood on the promontory, a rise of hillocks on the Tharsis Plain. Beyond them in their line of vision was Autobot City. Behind them, rising with a glory that was unknown on the Earth was the awesome form of Olympus Mons. Mount Olympus, the greatest volcano known in the solar system, so tall it created its own weather in its cloud-covered summit cast a massive shadow across the plain which curved toward them as the sun continued its traverse. They'd flown around it experiencing joy together and now they were resting because Starscream was still weak and prone to dizziness.
"This is a good world." Skywarp turned to Starscream. "I can live here."
Thundercracker sitting beside Starscream nodded. "I like it. Cybertron is my spark's home but this will do."
Starscream looking at the sky considered their remarks. "There are only six of us here."
They looked at him considering his mood. "Six is more than nothing," Skywarp said.
"Six is not enough to ensure that our kind do not die out someday. All it would take is an accident or two." Starscream looked at his servos studying them as if he hadn't seen them before. "It would be a cruel thing to have survived all that we have only to disappear from here when we are safe and secure."
"What do you want to do, Starscream?" Skywarp asked.
"We must continue," he said glancing at the two. "We must keep our kind alive." He thought a moment. "I wonder if there are Seekers out there that are wandering? I wonder if it would be possible to bring them here?"
"We could ask Prime but I don't know that he would have any idea beyond us about what is out there," Thundercracker said.
"I want to talk to the refugees. To Magnus. I want to know. Then we have to consider hatchlings of our own," Starscream said quietly. "We cannot disappear." He looked up. "Who would fly in these skies if we do?"
They sat together quietly for a while before taking off once more.
=0=Starscream and Magnus
He sat on a bench outside their barracks soaking up the sun that shown down brightly. He waited for the one he'd asked to come. Starscream sensing his presence opened an optic to stared upward at him. "Sit, Magnus. I need to ask you something."
Magnus moving carefully eased his bulk down beside Starscream. He leaned back and they sat together comfortably and silently. "It's a good sky here, Magnus," Starscream said. "Very nice to fly and so much interesting territory. There is a giant canyon on the plain that runs for thousands of miles and we flew it yesterday. Very intriguing."
"I'm glad you're up to it, Starscream," Magnus said. He actually was. The Seekers had been model citizens of their city and he was warming slightly to them although he doubted he ever would totally trust them.
"We want to know something," he said affixing Magnus with his red optics. "Were there other Seekers out there? Did you see them anywhere?"
Magnus thought back then nodded. "I saw a few here and there."
Starscream nodded. "I would like them to come here. I would like a colony here that can raise hatchlings. I am concerned that our kind will disappear if we do not act."
Magnus felt his objections rising, then quashed them considering what Starscream was proposing. "You would have to assume that any Seekers that came here would be willing to live within the rules that you and your brothers have agreed to. What guarantees would we have that they would step away from war and join you in peace?"
"You would have our word, our personal and Seeker oaths. You would have my word as Air Commander of all Seeker forces. They will obey me."
"No offense, Starscream, but you're ill. How can you guarantee that a bunch of Seekers that are in top form would obey you?"
Starscream smiled slightly. "You underestimate me, Autobot. That has always been the problem with Megatron and now with you. You underestimate me."
"What do you want from me, Starscream?" Magnus replied gently.
"I want you to take my request to Prime. I want our Seeker kin to be here with us, to fly these skies, to help repopulate our numbers. We are a dying species without hatchlings. I long for hatchlings amongst us. I want to put out a call to them, the way that Prime had for you. I want them to come and live here, to fly these skies and be at peace. I cannot live here this way knowing they are lost and wandering. I cannot live here this way knowing that an accident could mean the end of Seekerkin."
Magnus nodded. "I will tell him but I can't promise anything."
Starscream nodded then rose, ruffling his wings as he stared at the sky. "I dream of seeing an end to the misery of my kind. I dream of skies filled with Seekers flying. Give that message to Prime." Then without another word he walked inside.
Magnus sat a moment staring at the sky. In his mind there were Seekers there, multicolored Seekers flying and playing, falling and gliding, making their world seem more like home. Then he arose to walk back to his office in The Fortress.
=0=Later that same night
They lay together wrapped in each other's arms. The younglings were asleep and they finally found time to talk together.
"Magnus told me that Starscream would like to send a call for Seekers to come and stay at Autobot City."
"He did?" Prowl replied with surprise. "Would that be practical?"
"Magnus said that Starscream feels his prestige among them will hold. He said he rather believes it himself. Starscream wants hatchlings. He's fearful of their kind dying out."
"I can see his point," Prowl replied. "What are you going to do?"
"I am going to talk to him and see what I think," Prime said. "The Seekers are part of us and to think that they might not survive would not be good for me or our people to contemplate."
"Do you think they'll start hatchlings among themselves?" Prowl asked.
"They must be discussing it," Prime said.
"I think they would be cute," Prowl said smiling. "Little Seekers with shiny wings buzzing around."
Prime smiled. "You like infants don't you."
"I do," Prowl said smiling. "Oddly enough, I love them. Seekers, mechs, femmes. All of them. Even the human babies are sweet. I'm as surprised as you about this but its real and I like it. I love the idea of children being around, their voices and hopefulness give me hope as well."
"I really have no chance do I," Prime said chuckling at Prowl.
"No," Prowl said raising his helm to peer at Prime who was smiling back at him. "We have to set an example."
"Four mechs, three of them younglings and a grandson coming along. I think we are doing pretty well, Prowl," Prime said smiling.
"Magnificently, I think. I can't wait to see this sparkling. I can't wait to hold it," Prowl said sighing softly. "Bluestreak is so excited."
"Sunstreaker looks like he swallowed poison."
"That will teach him to be reckless," Prowl said fiercely. Then he smiled. "Thank Primus he was. I get to hold a sparkling that belongs to us. We will have to babysit, Optimus. A lot."
Prime squeezed Prowl's shoulders. "I love you."
"I love you," Prowl said squeezing Prime back. "My life is perfect now." He grinned. "Almost."
Prime smiled. "So is mine. You have no idea." / … mostly … / He grinned. He was doomed.
=0=Outside the Seeker's Barracks, Mars
He stood by himself as everyone else inside recharged. He stared up at the sky filled with a longing that was hard to describe. It ate at him, filling him with deep unease. He had so few memories to dwell upon, especially of the past few eons of his lifetime. Most of them were old and faint, the sounds of his family whispering to him, the feel of the sun on his wings as he first took to flight, the echo of old times long gone away.
Walking to the courtyard of the installation where the guards were occupied with their own musings, he spread his wings shaking them gently. Flying was his common memory, the flashes of other times, of his old life all tied together with the silver threads of flight. He shook his wings again feeling stronger than he had in longer than he could find in his memory. As he stood there musing, he came to a decision. Spreading his wings, stepping forward he transformed and flew off into the night sky. He would be breaking the gravity well of Mars before anyone looking would send out the call.
Starscream had flown away from Mars.
=0=Diego Garcia
He'd gotten the message after dropping off his children to their care center. Walking toward the Ops Center, he met Prowl half way across the command deck. They discussed his flight plan, the myriad problems it was causing, then dispatched two Aerialbots to intercept him.
Flying through the vacuum, the cold soothing to his sensitive skin, Starscream maintained a steady course toward Earth. Beyond the emptiness of the orbits of the planets a small island in the middle of a great ocean beckoned him onward. Streaking through the night, flying far better than he had in some, time Starscream made his way.
=0=Aerialbots
They met him as he came within fifteen minutes of Earth. Arcing about, they took up station on either side of him. From the moment he'd left the atmosphere of Mars he'd been on the radar and sensor nets of everyone who had a hand in the maintenance of Earth's security. All around the world, he'd been spotted and they were tracking him, following his path with their interlinked networks, satellites calculating every movement he made as he winged his way forward.
They didn't know who he was. They just knew he appeared around the edge of Mars and flew forth with great speed. Ops Center in N.E.S.T. and Ops Center in the Autobot HQ followed him as he came closer, the Aerialbots confirming that it was an 'unidentified Seeker' who was seeking audience with 'his Prime'.
The threat level was dropped when it was clear it was a 'confirmed neutral' and that the Aerialbots and the grounders at Diego Garcia would have it in servo. They flew into the upper atmosphere of Earth and downward, their flight path taking them to the island in the middle of the vast ocean. Landing gracefully, they rolled to a stop and transformed to be greeted by an armed guard and 'his Prime'.
Colonel Fulton who was standing beside Prime looked at the big figure who was an astonishingly handsome sight to behold. Another form of transformer, he was an aerial bot, different from the Autobot fliers in many ways, Fulton considered. He was colorful, brilliantly colorful and he shone like a mirror. He stood with an almost arrogant grace holding himself straight with a military bearing. His wings were beautiful, ruffling as he set them to rights as he looked at Prime without fear. "Prime."
"Star," Prime said. :You would do well not to let them know who you are. We would not be able to save you if they find out:
Starscream nodded. :I understand. I need to speak with you:
Prime nodded back, then turned to Fulton. "There is no danger here, Colonel. This is a neutral Seeker who wishes to speak with me."
"Is there anything that we need to know?" Colonel Fulton asked.
"I will be the first to tell you," Prime said.
Fulton nodded back and then began to walk back to the administration building nearby. "I will issue a stand down if you agree."
"I do," Prime said watching as the Colonel walked away. He turned to Starscream, shaking his head half with concern and half with amusement. "You have put us all in a bad way, Starscream. The whole world knows you are here and they had no idea before."
Starscream smirked. "I had to speak with my Prime," he said with a smirk. "Am I not still a citizen?"
Prime grinned at the big irrepressible Seeker. "Unfortunately, I do believe you are." He gestured. "Shall we go and talk?"
Starscream smiled, a rather rare and beautiful sight. "I would be happy to," he said as he stepped forward.
They walked together followed by soldiers with arms and disappeared into the Embassy together. The masses of humans that had gathered to see him spent some time together talking about the strange transformer who appeared to meet the configuration specifications as Starscream.
Small world.
=0=In the conference room
Starscream sat down, then accepted the energon given him by Prowl. Sitting himself, Prowl and Prime both waited for him to speak. He sipped his cube. "Good quality. Both here and Mars."
"We try," Prime said smiling slightly. "What brings you all the way here? Against orders, I might add."
Starscream snorted. "Orders? What orders?"
"You're going to use your memory loss to your advantage, I see," Prime said relaxing as he oddly enjoyed the moment.
"Advantages aren't advantages unless grasped," he said draining the cube. He set it down and folded his servos. "I wish to call to my kindred and bring them to this place of peace and safety."
"Magnus told me," Prime said.
"And your decision? I wish to know. My dreams plague me. Death and dying. Seekers falling out of the sky. I am a desolation of worry, Prime. It would be a loss uncalculated to our species if our kind disappeared."
Prime nodded. "I agree. I am thinking about it. Right now, we would be amiss to do it. Give us a week. Seven orns. Then I will sanction it."
"Seven orns," Starscream said. "What is time to me? I cannot find in my present any memories. It's all in the past that I find myself now. I wish to see Seekers in the sky, infants amongst us. I am lonely for a future for my kind."
Prime nodded. "We understand."
"You do," Starscream agreed. "No one can breach this system without you knowing it. Your defenses are surprisingly good considering you consort with organics who are as comparable to us as bacteria. Their technology leaves much to be desired."
Prime smirked. "They beat you twice."
Starscream frowned a moment. "I do not have memories of that. I will assume you are telling me the truth."
"The Fallen fell," Prowl added quietly. "Megatron is gone. We are secure here and our fellows are coming."
"The Fallen is gone?" Starscream asked musing on that detail. "I can almost believe that but I would be a fool to assume that Megatron won't come back. He will. He haunts me. He will kill all our kind unless we come to a safe place and have time and energy for hatchlings. Our hatchlings failed, I think. Maybe it was with the Fallen. I can't remember clearly." He sat thinking a moment. Then he glanced up at them both. "Call my people, too, and I will give you my word that they will be peaceable. We are all very weary."
Prime looked at him, considering his request for a moment, then nodded. "In eight orns, I will come to Autobot City and help you make the call."
"The Matrix," Starscream said.
Prime nodded. "We will send out the call and wait for them. They will come, Starscream. The Seekers and our lost brothers and sisters. We will take them in and protect them."
"There will be sparklings again," Starscream said. "Sparklings and hatchlings. It will be good. Very good."
Prime nodded. "I think we have agreement then?"
Starscream nodded and extended his servo. They gripped wrists and the electrical charge between them sealed the deal. Rising, Starscream looked around. "This is good." Then he looked at Prime appraisingly. "You almost make me think that Megatron won't be back but he will. He would never leave me alive. Never forget that, Prime. I can't."
Prime rose and took Starscream's arm leading him out of the facility and into the light. Cosmos was sitting on the tarmac as Prime turned to Starscream. "I would like you to ride back in Cosmos. It will help you conserve your energy."
"You think I need this?" Starscream said slightly amused and offended at the same time.
"If you are working on hatchlings, yes," Prime said.
Starscream smiled genuinely as he looked up at the sky. "I see them flying, their wings are beautiful and they are safe. That is what I see when I dream, Prime. What do you see?"
Prime smiled slightly. "I see an end to the war."
"Ah," Starscream said shaking his head. "We are both certifiable." With that, he walked onward boarding Cosmos to disappear back to Mars.
Prime stared after him with astonishment in his mind that he could feel something besides hatred for one of the most implacable foes of his long and fabled career. Then he walked back to his life.