Chapter 2
Moonstar silently stood at Starscream's desk wiping it with a cloth, cleaning it for the umpteenth time in the last few joors. Her processor was drowning in dark thoughts concerning getting sparked, so much so that her optics were white with static. She couldn't hold still and so started to clean the entire hab suite, and kept going back to re-clean it. She stopped to go and clean Dawnstar's hab suite, but after five times she was evicted by her daughter, and so returned to shining her mate's desk.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the clacking of thruster heels or the sound of the door hissing open. She startled slightly when strong arms wrapped around her tiny waist and loving kisses were pressed onto her neck cables.
"Our punk said that you were in her quarters cleaning for over a cycle." Starscream said softly as he hugged his beloved.
"It was dirty." Moonstar replied almost in a whisper.
"Well, it looks magnificent now." He slowly reached a servo forward and gently took her cleaning cloth, subspacing it before taking her servo in his. "I love you, Moonstar." He said quietly before kissing her temple.
She didn't say anything, just swallowed and kept her optics on his servo holding hers. His wings lowered as he kissed her neck cabled again. He vented a soft sigh before slowly turning her around to face him. He placed a servo under her chin plates and lifted her helm to look him in the optics. She didn't smile at him or show any emotion other than anguish. He frowned, just looking at her for a long moment before capturing her lip plates in a kiss. She didn't kiss back for several astroseconds, but he refused to let up until she acquiesced and returned the kiss. They kept kissing, it slowly becoming more and more passionate, their glossas soon playing with each other. Starscream's servos lowered until they were holding her waist, and she placed a servo on the back of his helm, the other on the desk behind her. As they kissed, coolant began to pool in Moonstar's optics, sobs threatening to break out. Her servos reached for just above his codpiece, opening the panel there and reconnecting his wires so that he could spark her.
"Moonstar…" He slowly said in almost a whisper.
"I want to try again." She said in a soft, brittle voice.
"Sweetie, maybe-"
"I want to try again. I want to try again! Starscream, please, I want to try again." She finished connecting his wires and closed the panel, her servos then dipping to touch his codpiece.
"Moonstar, we may not get another creation of our own." He said in a small voice, his one servo gently squeezing her shoulder.
"I don't want to give up, Star. Please, I want to try again." Coolant was pouring from her optics now, her vocalizer barely able to hold back the sobs threatening to break free. "It was so easy to conceive Dawnstar. Maybe-maybe we need to do it like we did then."
"Moonstar…"
"Maybe we should interface in the morning and at night like I did to get her. Maybe you need to do it harder."
"Moonstar, I am not hurting you again." He said firmly, his vocalizer raising some.
"I just want another sparkling. I keep seeing Hook and he says everything is fine. Maybe you need-"
"It's not me, sweetie. I've been seeing Hook as well."
"Then why won't I get sparked? Why is this taking so long?" She managed to say between her soft sobs, her servos wiping away coolant from her cheekplates.
"I don't know, my love." He replied in almost a whisper. "I wish I had all the answers instead of just most of them."
She rubbed over his codpiece, feeling him warm up there until it folded away. Her own codpiece slid open as she reached for his spike and stroked it, preparing it to enter her. He kissed her on the lip plates, allowing her to gently cry into his mouth as she parted her legs and brought his spike to her ready valve.
"Please, please, let this time work." She begged almost inaudibly.
He slid inside of her, his servos grasping her thighs and lifting her onto the desk as her arms wrapped around his neck. He captured her lip plates again in a passionate kiss as he began to thrust into her.
"Don't stop until I'm sparked, please." She said, pulling away from him to look him in the optics.
He studied her for a moment before venting a sigh. "Moonstar, I'm willing to keep trying but you can't be hurting yourself over this."
"Just shut up and spark me already." She said between quiet sobs, her servo quickly wiping away coolant.
"I'm trying, my love. You're not the only one who wants this." He said softly before silencing her with a kiss.
The Next Orbital Cycle:
The black and red F-16 Fighting Falcon roared her engines to life, passing Mach 3 as the F-15 Eagles and F-16XLs gave chase. She twisted and turned in aileron rolls and barrel rolls, attempting to escape her pursuers. She easily left all the fighter jets behind accept for a blue and a black F-15 Eagle. They inched closer to her almost reaching her, but still unable to close the gap persisting between them. The black jet disappeared in a flash of purple and rematerialized just ahead of the F-16, quickly transforming and grasping her nosecone with purple servos.
With a surprised squawk, the F-16 transformed and punched the other Seeker, only for her blow to be expertly blocked. Skywarp twisted her arm and she retaliated by kicking him in the codpiece… hard.
"Argh!" Skywarp shouted painfully as he released her to grasp his injured area. "Primus, you horrible femme!" He groaned painfully.
Dawnstar wasted no time and transformed, swiftly leaving her pained "uncle" behind. Thundercracker transformed and hovered on thruster heels beside his trinemate, no sympathy at all on his faceplates.
"You alright?" He inquired.
"I don't think I'll be fragging you tonight." Skywarp grunted.
"My deepest sympathies." Thundercracker smirked as he patted Skywarp's shoulder before transforming and flying away.
"Dirty fighter… Just like her sire." Skywarp growled to himself, transforming and following his trinemate.
Dawnstar descended, entering a massive canyon and skillfully twisting and turning her way through it. Suddenly, a powerful boom violently shook her frame making everything become disoriented for an astrosecond. She lost control and quickly transformed, her thruster heels stopping her from hitting a canyon wall.
She looked up to see the culprit of the sonic boom attack circling overhead, his blue alt. mode nearing. Her optics narrowed, calculating her next move. The roar of more F-15 engines sounded before her optics spotted the trine of Hotlink, Bitstream, and Sunstorm fast approaching, Hotlink at the head. She transformed and shot straight into the sky, passing by the other Seekers in a blue of colors. They gave chase, none able to near her except for the blue Seeker.
She continued with her mad ascent into the atmosphere, watching her scanners closely as Thundercracker neared. He was preparing for another sonic attack, at this range probably to get her to be disoriented long enough for him to nab her. She heard the tell-tale rumbling of his systems redirecting power to his sonic boom generator, the time it was taking him to charge up was obviously for a very powerful attack.
Her processor was racing. How to take him out without being struck by his sonic boom? Then, it hit her.
She waited, listening to his generator prepare to unleash the boom. Hearing the right cues, she transformed, twisted around, aimed her stun gun, and fired. It struck him in the noise cone right as he was unleashing his own attack. The sudden freezing of his systems and generator releasing its might caused a massive power surge to course through his frame. His engines shut off and he ungracefully plummeted for several astroseconds before managing to transform and power on his thruster heels, stopping his descent.
"Got you good, Thunder!" Nacelle laughed as he rushed by.
Dawnstar transformed and broke the sound barrier as she hurried away. Two of three Seekers who had any hope of catching her with speed alone were now out. She just had to stay ahead of everyone and get to the checkpoint to win the training exercise. She smiled inwardly, proud that she was getting near impossible to catch these orbital cycles.
A sudden flash of red, white, and blue appeared at her side, twisting and reshaping until she was grasped by a pair of blue servos on the wing. She transformed as well, kicking her thruster heel out, but he easily dodged it. His servo reached forward and grasped her shoulder vent, roughly yanking her down, almost making her lose balance. She punched at her sire's faceplates, only to be blocked with his arm.
He summoned a sword from subspace and swung it at her, forcing her to summon her own and quickly catch his blade on hers. He kept forcing his sword against hers as she desperately tried to hold it up, but he was too strong. He kicked her in the abdominal plating hard, eliciting a pained yelp from her as she curled in on herself. He took the opening and swung his sword, stopping inches from her neck cables.
"Deactivated." He grunted.
"You cheated!" She exclaimed.
"There's no 'cheating' in a battle. Only surviving. You don't fight 'dirty' you die." He informed as he subspaced his sword.
"I'm tired. I've been flying around at top speed for over three cycles now!" She defended herself.
"There are no excuses in battle either. You may have to fight for your survival for an orn straight with little recharge. To weaken is to lose."
"Dad, can't I rest? This is ridiculous."
"No. You train and you train hard." He jabbed a digit against her cockpit to emphasize.
"But, I haven't seen any fighting! Why must I learn to fight when no one is fighting around me?!" She exclaimed.
"Because we are at war and it is only a matter of time before you find yourself in the thick of it." He firmly stated, his optics narrowing.
"Can't I rest now?" She moaned.
"No."
"But, dad…"
"You can rest after you go to the Well."
"You are such an aft." She grumbled.
"You'll thank me for being an aft one orbital cycle." He replied.
"You keep telling yourself that."
He smirked. "I shall. Now, fly your aft back to the starting point for another round."
"Uggghhhh!" She vented it as a dramatic sigh as she started to fly by him.
"Keep making those sounds and your vocalizer will be permanently glitched."
Dawnstar swung her sword and smacked the blunt side of it against her sire's aft, not hard but clearly noticeable. He twirled around and glared at her.
"What? I didn't do anything." She said innocently, her expression almost neutral.
"I'll give you ten astroseconds." He said sternly despite the smirk on his faceplates.
"AAHHHHH!" She screamed as she subspaced her sword, transformed, and broke the sound barrier.
Starscream counted the astroseconds before he too transformed and chased after her.
A Decacycle Later:
Starscream panted as he thrust into his Conjunx Endura, causing her to arch her backstrut and gasp out moans. Their sparks joined in a powerful surge and he grunted as he filled her with his fluids. The two mates just sat there, cooling themselves off from their seventh overload of the morning. After a bit, Starscream kissed Moonstar's brow before pulling out of her and climbing off the berth. Their plates slid back into place simultaneously as he walked towards the desk in the berthroom and she shifted to her side to watch him. He fluttered his wings to shake off the tickling sensation of surplus energy pulsing through the delicate appendages, just as he did after every interface session that involved more than three overloads. Moonstar loved how he did that. It made him look so cute, and it was even cuter that his habit had been picked up by his trinemates who unconsciously did it as well.
The Air Commander removed a towel from the small desk and proceeded to wipe away the interface fluids from his thighs and codpiece, making himself presentable for the orbital cycle ahead of him. After he finished he turned around to face his mate, eyeing her for a moment before tossing her the towel. She nonchalantly caught it and sat up to clean herself.
"I will be in the Control Room until 1900 planetary time, my dear." He informed her. "I have to have a vid chat with his Royal Slagheaded-ness and some other scrap."
"Alright, sexy." She smiled faintly as she continued to wipe herself clean.
He approached her and kissed her on the cheekplates. "I love you, Moonstar. I'll also find something for our hellion to do."
"Your hellion, not mine. I have the innocent femmling." She smiled a little wider, her optics still not looking at him.
He chuckled softly. "Of course, my love."
He kissed her cheekplates again before departing, leaving her all alone in the dark berthroom. The femme finished removing any signs of her lovemaking (or rather "sparkling making") and tossed the towel aside to be cleaned later. She just sat there for a few kliks, silently meditating on everything. A dainty servo reached up and touched her abdominal plating, just over her gestation tank. She vented a soft sigh and slid off the berth. Her stiletto heels clicked audibly as she walked out of her hab suite and made her way to the medbay.
Hook was busy sterilizing his equipment when the former-Autobot entered. He heard her discernible clicking and vented a sigh.
"Moonstar, I rather not make you leave in tears again." He called to her, never ceasing in his work.
"Just a quick scan, please, Hook." She said in the smallest of voices. "I just want to make sure."
The Constructicon set aside his tools and turned to her. "Moonstar, sweetspark, you've said those exact words to me more times than I've put Starscream back together. I'm getting tired of this game."
"Just one quick scan. Please, Hook." She begged him, her servos wringing and wings lowered.
The medic rubbed his temples with a green servo as he vented a tired sigh. "Alright, one more scan. But only because you're my favorite." He said as he offered a small smile.
Moonstar nodded slowly before walking to a medberth and climbing on. He approached with his scanner as she lied down. Hook ran the scanner over her and read the results, paused, and rescanned her.
"Moonstar," He said slowly. "I'm sorry, but it appears that you will have to be giving your high grade to Starscream for a while."
"What?" She asked, an optical ridge raised.
He smiled at her as he held the scanner so she could view the results. "Congrats, sweetspark, you'll be fueling for two."
Moonstar's optics widened as she just stared at the scanner, then her servos began to tremble. She slowly sat up, her optics turning white with static as coolant pooled at the corners.
"One orn into development." Hook added, setting the scanner down on the nearby table.
Moonstar couldn't contain it any longer. Her joyful sobs burst forth before she leaped off the medberth and embraced the Constructicon in a tight hug.
"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!" She squealed between her sobs.
"Moonstar, I am not the one you should be thanking for this." He said quickly as he held his servos out, not sure how to proceed with the ecstatic femme touching him so.
"Oh, Hook, this is wonderful!" She exclaimed as she released him and spun around on a heel. "Oh, I need to tell Star! Thank you! Thank you so much! EEEP!"
The black and violet femme then raced out of the medbay leaving a slightly bemused medic behind.
Starscream sat at his console in the Control Room typing something onto his vid screen. He smiled when he heard the steady clipping of his mate's heels approaching from behind, but didn't bother looking back. Loving arms wrapped around his neck, and he reached a blue servo up to pat them.
"Hey, sexy mech." Moonstar greeted softly into his audio receptor.
"Hey, sexy femme." He smirked.
"I have something for you." She continued on nonchalantly as she unsubspaced a datapad and held it before his visage.
"What's this?"
"Supplies list."
"Running low on scrap? Alright, let's see." He then onlined the datapad and began to peruse the contents. "More cleaning supplies, black paint, energon goodies, carrier additives - why is that marked as priority? - waxing clo-" He stopped, his optics widening. He slowly swiveled his chair to look at his mate before speaking. "Is this-?"
Her smile broadened and she nodded her helm, her servos holding her abdominal plating just over her gestation tank. He unconsciously dropped the datapad, frozen in his seat as it loudly clattered to the ground. She just couldn't stop smiling, coolant pouring from her optics from her jubilation.
"YES!" He suddenly exclaimed as he leaped from his seat, embraced her in a hug, and spun her around in a complete 360 before setting her back down. "Primus, really?" He paused to touch her abdominal plating, his voice suddenly quiet and optics still wide.
"Yes, Starscream, we are having another sparkling." She happily cried.
His wings fluttered as is own smile spread itself over his handsome visage. "Guess what you slaggers!" He called to everyone in the Control Room, most of them already watching the odd behavior of their superior. "Moonstar is sparked!" No reaction. Starscream's classic sly smirk made its appearance. "That means ya'll getting over energized tonight!"
A loud, excited uproar broke out, mechs cheering and raising their fists in approval. Someone even shouted, "Spark her more often!"
Starscream turned to his Conjunx Endura and captured her lip plates in a passionate kiss, her first laugh in so long being swallowed by his mouth.
"You summoned me?" Dawnstar said as she entered her creators' hab suite, her wings raised high as she neared them.
Starscream sat at his desk with his mate on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. They weren't smiling, instead looking perfectly normal.
"I did, in fact." Starscream grunted.
"Listen, anything you've heard, it was all 'Warp's fault. I'm innocent until proven guilty." She said insouciantly as she stopped before the desk and placed her servos on her hips.
"I highly doubt that. But I did not summon you here for your criminal record. Moonstar and I have some crucial information to apprise you of." Starscream said it as if he was speaking to another Decepticon officer.
"Proceed." Dawnstar said, an optical ridge raised.
"Dawnstar, you have received a promotion."
"A promotion?"
"Yes. Your status as youngest of the Nemesis crew, and of the Seekers, shall now be that of second youngest."
Dawnstar eyed him for a long moment, in which her carrier snorted a snicker as she smiled. Then, Dawnstar's optics widened. "Wait, you're saying…"
Starscream just smirked. "Your carrier is carrying."
Dawnstar was silent for several astroseconds before a large grin plastered itself over her gorgeous faceplates. "I'm going to be a big sister?!"
"I prefer the term 'First Pain in the Aft,' but, yeah, that works too." Starscream nodded his helm in small, quick movements.
"Oh, stop it, Star." Moonstar said with a playful shove to his cockpit.
"Is it a mech or femme?" Dawnstar asked excitedly as she sat on the desk and swung her legs over it so that they hung over the side nearby her creators.
"Won't know for a while. The little one is only an orn in development." Moonstar replied.
"Hopefully we won't get another femmling. One nightmare is enough for me." Starscream replied, a smile on his faceplates.
"Oh, stop it, dad. You know I am the best thing that ever happened to you." Dawnstar smiled innocently.
He smirked. "One of four, about to be one of five."
"We need to start thinking about designations." Moonstar said excitedly.
"Yes, but first, it's time to inform my brothers."
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" Skywarp squealed as his wings fluttered and he girlishly waved his fists while bouncing on his peds.
"Thank you. I didn't require functioning audio receptors." Starscream grunted sarcastically as he stood in the doorway to Thundercracker's hab suite where his trinemates were.
"Congrats, Star!" Thundercracker exclaimed before giving his trineleader a hug.
"Oh, Screamer, I can't wait to meet the newest member of our family!" Skywarp excitedly continued, jumping on his peds as he spun himself in small circles.
"You and me both, 'Warp." Starscream smiled at him as he crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. "You and me both."
Four Decacyles Later:
Moonstar clutched her abdominal plating as she purged her fuel tanks… all over her mate who she was sitting in his lap in the Control Room. Starscream just silently watched the pinkish-purplish liquid gush onto his cockpit and abdominal plating, not daring to move.
"Primus, I'm so sorry, sweetie." She pathetically moaned as she wiped the back of a servo over her lip plates.
"No, no, it's perfectly alright." He reassured her as he summoned a cloth from subspace and proceeded to clean himself.
"Here, let me help." She said quickly as she unsubspaced her own cloth and began to wipe the filth from him.
"Nah, I got this, my love. You just sit there and be pretty." He smirked at her as he took her cloth and continued with cleaning himself.
"Alright." She said softly with a small smile, allowing him to do all the work.
The Air Commander finally had himself cleaned and subspaced the dirty cloths. He lifted her chin with a servo as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lip plates.
"Feel better, my love?" He asked softly.
"Much." She smiled back at him.
Starscream started to move in for a much more passionate kiss when Soundwave's monotone vocalizer sounded.
"Starscream. Lord Megatron wishes to speak to us."
The Seeker closed his mouth slowly, his optics narrowing before he straightened himself up. "Coming, Soundwave." He said in that firm, commanding voice that he only used with those he didn't like. Soundwave's visor momentarily brightened, his silent acknowledgment to his superior's words before he departed for the Conference Room. Starscream turned to his Conjunx Endura and smiled faintly at her. "Well, my beautiful, perfect love, I have work to attend to. Would you like it if I call for my trinemates or a couple of my other Seekers to escort you wherever you desire to go?"
"Star, I don't need bodyguards all the time anymore." She smiled at him.
"Yes, you do. I don't like you wandering the Nemesis alone and I hate it whenever you do decide to do it."
"You are so overly protective."
"Cautious. I am cautious." He corrected before looking back and searching for the Seekers working in the Control Room. "Ramjet, Dirge, you are relieved from your shift in order to escort Moonstar."
"Yes, sir!" They said simultaneously as they stood up from their seats.
Moonstar rolled her optics, a smile still on her faceplates, as she climbed off her mate and waited for him to rise. He kissed her on the lip plates one last time before leaving. The femme watched him go, her armed guards standing beside her now.
"So, you guys wanna go get some paint and dump it on Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Dawnstar?" She smiled mischievously.
The coneheads exchanged glances before their own roguish smiles crept over their visages.
"Whatever you would have us do, ma'am." Ramjet replied.
"I don't feel very well so I need to vent it out somehow. Let's go!" She giggled as she proceeded to skip out of the Control Room, the Seekers staying in formation behind her.
Starscream made his way back to his hab suite, finally finished with his meeting with Megatron and Soundwave. He tiredly rubbed a servo over his temples as he stopped before the door to his quarters. He put in his code and entered.
"Hey, daddy!" Dawnstar greeted him from where she sat on the couch cuddling against her carrier, finally cleaned from the earlier prank.
He offered her a small smile. "Hey, my beautiful femmes." His vocalizer was quieter than usual.
"Is everything alright, Star?" Moonstar inquired of him.
The Seeker mech simply sat on the couch next to his daughter so she was between her creators. He slung his arm over them both and held them close, his helm resting on Dawnstar's.
"Things are fine." He lifted his helm so he could look at them both. "But I have been ordered back to Cybertron."
"What? No!" Dawnstar exclaimed. "You can't just leave again!"
"Unfortunately, I must. It is not immediate, but I better have my aft there within an orn."
"How long will it be for?" Moonstar asked.
"That's just it. I won't be coming back. At least, not for the foreseeable future." The femmes' optics widened. "But," He smirked. "Neither will you two."
"What?" Dawnstar raised an optical ridge.
"The base on Cybertron is safe enough for you two to move in. Unfortunately, the medic there isn't one I would trust with delivering my sparkling. Hook will not be able to leave the Nemesis for at least a decacycle until his replacement comes in." Starscream studied his femmes for a moment before continuing. "I would like you two to stay here until you can travel with Hook back to Cybertron."
"No, can't I go with you?" Dawnstar demanded quickly.
"Dawn, I-"
"Star, why don't you take Dawn with you and I'll just stay behind here until Hook leaves. Whichever of your Seekers remain can hangout with me and make sure nothing bad happens." Moonstar suggested, a small smile on her gorgeous faceplates.
Starscream just looked at her, silently thinking over her idea before speaking. "Are you sure, my love?"
Her smile broadened. "You two should go together. I'll be fine here. The sparkling won't come for about three more decacycles and I'll be there way before then."
"Please, daddy!" Dawnstar excitedly begged, her faceplates making an expression that could outdo Skywarp's "puppy eyes."
Starscream once again silently thought everything over, his faceplates an enigma. "Very well. Dawnstar shall leave with me and my trinemates and I will see your beautiful faceplates back on Cybertron in a decacycle." He finished with his trademark smirk.
"EEP!" Dawnstar squealed, jumping in her seat excitedly.
"Pack your scrap, femmling. Anything you leave behind will stay behind." He ordered with his smirk still on his faceplates.
"When do we leave?"
"Three orbital cycles. That'll give you enough time to get all your junk crated."
"I'll start right away!" Dawnstar leaped to her peds and quickly made her way to leave, but stopped at the door and looked back. "Dad, where do I get a crate?"
"Find Skywarp and he'll help you get one to your hab suite."
"Okay, I'll go get him. Oooooh, I'm so excited!" She squealed again, bouncing on her peds before exiting the room.
Starscream waited for the door to hiss shut before looking at his Conjunx Endura. "You sure you'll be fine alone for that long?"
"Star, I'll be fine." She replied as she scooted closer to him and curled into his frame, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.
"You better be, or else I'll deactivate the entire crew of this Primus forsaken vessel." He grunted.
"I'm a big femme. I can handle myself."
"I will be withdrawing all of my Seekers from Earth in order to defend Cybertron. I will leave Sandstorm and Red Wing here the longest. They'll leave after you arrive."
"Mmm," She rested her helm on his chest piece and offlined her optics. "I can't wait to go back home. What will our new living space be like?"
"Much larger than this hab suite. We have our own room while Dawn, TC, and 'Warp have their own each. All the berthrooms are about the size of this entire hab suite, and all have their own washroom. Oh, and there is an entertainment room where we can all be together, and it's two levels."
"Two levels?"
"Yes. You will like it very much. We even get our own cleaning drones."
"Ooh, I like the sound of that."
"Anything for my Conjunx Endura." He smiled as he held her a little closer."
"Is there a room for our newest member?"
"There are two additional berthrooms."
"Two? Hmm, I was hoping we could get our numbers to eight."
Starscream snorted a snicker. "I don't think I could handle eight minis of me. Primus, with that many I could start my own tribe."
"Tribe Star? We're already called 'The Star Family.'"
"Well, I suppose if we stick to the theme of having all our designations containing the word 'star' in them."
"I hope our new sparkling is a mech. I am curious how we can do with raising a mechling."
"Hopefully better than how we did with our femmling." He grunted.
"Oh, stop it. Dawnstar is perfect."
"She is. For being the test subject of our creator skills she turned out pretty spectacular. I suspect because of your creator skills."
"No, it was obviously yours."
"Hmm, I highly doubt it."
Moonstar raised her helm and looked him in the optics. "You are being too hard on yourself. You are a wonderful sire and you did a perfect job with Dawn. We both did despite being scared slagless."
Starscream just smirked at her, his servo lovingly petting the back of her helm. "I think 'scared slagless' is a bit of an understatement of how I was feeling about the whole situation."
"She loves you, and that in itself shows that you did just fine. Everything will be easier with this one." She said as she patted her abdominal plating just over her gestation tank.
"I hope so. I also hope I don't have to go to another ball."
"Aw, but you were so cute whenever she painted you and made you wear that crown." Moonstar chuckled.
"Perhaps, but I have a reputation to uphold."
"The only reputation you need to uphold is being the bestest Conjunxie Endurie, ever!" She giggled as she hugged him.
"That is one I do hope to keep."
"I love you, my perfect Star." She said as she squeezed him lovingly.
He smiled, returning the hug. "And I love you, my perfect Moon."
Three Orbital Cycles Later:
"Use your knee joints! Come on, that's just sad." Starscream grunted as he watched his daughter pathetically attempt to lift up a crate of her property.
"Oh, frag you!" She snapped.
"That's it. Anger helps you lift heavy slag. Don't forget to stack it neatly with the others." He instructed in a tone as if he was speaking about the weather.
"Heh heh heh, you're so cute, Dawn." Skywarp giggled as he walked by easily carrying his own crate of his stuff.
"I've seen an Autobot missing all his limbs lift heavier scrap than that. While he was eaten alive by Insecticons and simultaneously had his spark engulfed by a sparkeater." Starscream commented.
"You are all afts!" Dawnstar growled, barely pushing the crate along the landing platform of the lift tower, inching it towards Astrotrain's entrance ramp.
"And don't ever forget it." Starscream finished as he started to walk away.
"Okay, I got your stuff loaded, Star." Thundercracker grunted as he brushed past his trinemate.
"Good, now you may proceed with your own crates." Starscream smirked as he crossed his arms.
Thundercracker simply flicked him a rude Vosian hand gesture as he walked away. Starscream broadened his smirk, his wings raising slightly. He turned when he heard the clicking of stiletto heels approaching.
"Hello, gorgeous." He greeted his Conjunx Endura.
"Hello, handsome hunk." She smiled faintly at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'm just going to miss you guys for the next decacycle, is all. I'll be fine, don't worry. The hab suite just looks sad without all your stuff in it." She said softly.
"It won't be for long. Besides, I can use this time to appropriately prepare our new home. It looks too much like a bachelors' pad right now. I made the mistake of allowing 'Warp to do as he pleased with the lower level."
"I lived in a 'bachelor's pad' for over a stellar cycle. In fact, I lived in an entire Decepticon capitol ship for about twenty-eight stellar cycles with nothing but bachelors. I think a little mess won't faze me." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on the tips of her peds so she was almost optical level with him.
He snickered. "Yes, and I imagine it was all a truly traumatic event."
"So, so traumatizing." She said in almost a whisper, inching her lip plates closer to his.
"Wish things had been different?" He inquired, his vocalizer softer.
"Never."
Their lip plates connected in a hungry, passionate kiss, her servos holding the back of his helm while his servos grasped her waist. They just stayed there, getting their last kiss in as Seekers walked by with their crates of property and supplies, many snickering. It was nearly a breem when Skywarp approached and slapped Starscream on the aft, causing his trineleader to break the kiss and turn to him.
"Everyone and everything is loaded and prepared to go." The teleporter informed.
Starscream nodded his helm in acknowledgment. He released his Conjunx Endura slowly and gestured her to say her farewells to the others.
"Oh, Moonie, I'll miss you!" Skywarp exclaimed as he embraced her in a tight hug.
"I'll miss you, too, 'Warp. Keep a close optic on my mate, will ya?"
"I will."
She pecked a kiss to his lip plates before releasing him to hug Thundercracker. "Watch all of them, TC. You know you're the only one I can trust."
"I shall, sweetspark. I'll even make sure Starscream and Dawnstar don't break each other with their constant wrestling." He replied as he tightly hugged her back.
"Ugh, their wrestling…" She rolled her optics.
She kissed the blue Seeker on the lip plates as well, then turned to her daughter. "You be good, my precious Dawn. Listen to everything your sire says and do what he tells you to do. He knows better and will keep you safe." She instructed as she hugged her creation.
"Don't worry, mom. It will only be a decacyle before you can be telling us both what not to do." Dawnstar smiled.
"Yes, and then all your partying will be over." Moonstar chuckled.
Moonstar finally pulled away from her daughter and just looked her in the optics as a servo held her jaw-line. She stroked her thumb over Dawnstar's cheekplates, simply smiling.
"You look so much like your sire." She said in almost a whisper. "Be safe, Dawn. And don't do anything stupid."
"I won't, mom. You know me."
Moonstar kissed her femmling's cheekplates. "I love you, Dawnstar."
"Love you too, mom."
Moonstar finally removed her optics from her creation and looked back at her mate. She faintly smiled at him before embracing him in a hug.
"I love you, Starscream."
"I love you too, Moonstar."
"I'll see you in a decacycle then."
"I'll carry you from your ship to our new home. Just as I should have done so long ago." He said softly before kissing her on the lip plates.
They finally pulled away and the Seekers left the femme behind. Astrotrain closed his entrance ramp and lifted off. Moonstar watched him go, Sandstorm and Red Wing taking their positions behind her.
Starscream sat at the control panel next to Soundwave, the Communications Officer barely sparing him a glance.
"Let's hope that this will be the last time we find ourselves leaving that ship." Starscream grunted as he leaned back in his chair and propped his peds on the control panel before him, his arms crossing.
"Agreed." Soundwave intoned.
"Hey, dad."
Starscream looked up at his daughter as she stood beside him.
"Can I sit in your lap?" She inquired.
He smirked. "Of course, sweetie."
He returned his peds to the deckplates and his creation climbed onto his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as she curled into him. He slowly stroked her back, loving the feeling of her being so close to him.
Several cycles passed before the metal planet came into view. Starscream was still sitting in his seat gently petting the helm of his recharging femmling. She was holding onto his chest piece just as she always did when she was little and still recharged with her creators. Her faceplates were so calm, making her look even more like her sire. He kissed her on the brow, causing her to slowly online.
"Mmm?" She groaned sleepily, her optics onlining and lazily registering the world around her. "Daddy?"
"It's time to wake up, princess." He said in a low voice.
"Are we there yet?" She asked a little louder, her magenta optics now looking at him clearly.
"Almost. We have yet to enter the atmosphere, but I thought you might like to see Cybertron from a distance."
Dawnstar straightened herself in his lap so she could look ahead, her gaze landing on the war ravaged planet for the first time.
"That's Cybertron?" She inquired.
He smirked. "That's home."
Astrotrain entered the atmosphere and was quickly joined by a Seeker trine, escorting him to the Decepticon headquarters on Cybertron. Dawnstar's optics were wide as they took in the first sights of her species' homeworld. They mostly flew over wastelands before the immense city of Kaon came into view. The Cybertronians flew deeper into the bowels of the city where it had all started, all the pain, death, and despair of the war that seemed to never want to end.
The triplechanger descended and landed on a landing platform within one of the largest towers located in the enter of the city. The escorting Seekers flew away to continue their patrols elsewhere.
"Alright, let's go." Starscream said as he patted his daughter's thigh to signal her to get up.
She did so, leaping off his lap and trotting to the back of the ship. She stopped by the still closed door of Astrotrain's hull and looked back. Starscream, Soundwave, Thundercracker, and Skywarp were approaching, her sire's faceplates no longer smiling. The Air Commander rapped his knuckles against the door, signaling to the triplechanger to open. Skywarp and Thundercracker took their positions behind their trineleader and Soundwave stood beside the SIC.
"Um, daddy?" She asked softly.
"Stay beside me. No matter what happens do not leave my side. Do not speak to anyone and if I tell you to fly away do not hesitate to follow my order." He commanded in that voice of his he reserved for his subordinates.
Dawnstar just looked at him for a moment before nodding. She stood beside him just as the door opened and the ramp lowered. The Seekers and Soundwave coolly exited the purple shuttle and approached the welcoming committee. Well, as 'welcoming' as Megatron could be.
"You're late." The silver tyrant grunted, his expression as friendly as ever.
"Apologies, but Astrotrain got stuck in a ditch and we all had to get out and push." Starscream quipped. Megatron just looked at him, not in the mood for jokes. The Air Commander took a couple of steps closer to his superior and spoke in a low voice so only Megatron could hear. "Have you been missing my hugs that much?"
"There is nothing about you I would ever miss, Starscream."
"That hurt." Starscream said in the same tone, his vocalizer a little louder as he placed a servo over his spark.
"I have received reports that Optimus Prime has arrived on Cybertron." Megatron replied as he started to walk away, his Second instinctively walking beside him.
"Ah, straight to business as usual. Have our spies discovered-" He stopped and looked back. "Dawnstar, stay with my trinemates. I will be busy for a bit."
Dawnstar was still beside Thundercracker as she watched her sire depart. "Alright, daddy." She said softly, not wanting him to disappear and leave her alone on such a strange, new world.
He didn't act as if he even acknowledged her. He simply turned back to Megatron and the two Decepticon leaders resumed their discussion as they left.
Thundercracker placed an ebony servo on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "It's alright, Dawn. Why don't we get our stuff together and go to our new living quarters." He said gently.
"Okay." She nodded her helm slowly, finally removing her optics from the distancing form of her sire.
The Seekers and other mechs that had joined them on their trip removed all the cargo and allowed the triplechanger to finally transform. The femme and her "uncles" gathered their luggage in a pile before having Skywarp teleport it and them all to their new home. They rematerialized in the entrance room, which was large and had only a bench, no other decorations.
"If you want to explore you can." Thundercracker informed the femme. "'Warp and I will get these crates to their designated rooms. Just don't go outside."
"Okay, Uncle TC." She smiled back at him before going deeper into the house.
The entrance room led into an entertainment room where there was a massive vid screen on one wall with two couches before it and some other seats. An energon dispenser sat in the far, right corner surrounded by cabinets that held plenty of cubes and energon goodies.
To the right of the entertainment room was a door that opened to a large room filled with only a long table and several chairs around it, obviously meant for meetings or games.
The far, left corner of the entertainment room had an open staircase leading to the upstairs. Two doors were on the left wall each leading to the spare berthrooms. The spare berthrooms were identical in that they each had a berth, some shelves, a few storage units, and a small washroom.
The upstairs was simply four berthrooms with a central gathering room where there was a small table, a few chairs, and a decent sized vid screen on the wall. All the upstairs berthrooms were almost the size of Starscream's entire officer hab suite back on the Nemesis, each with their own washroom, berth, desks, computers, wall mounted vid screens, couches, chairs, storage units, shelves, and a purple Decepticon insignia painted on the far wall.
Starscream and Moonstar's berthroom was the largest, easily passing the size of the hab suite. It had a berth large enough for the Elite Trine and Moonstar to all recharge together on, a desk almost twice the size of his former one, a washroom with plenty of space for multiple winged Seekers to wash themselves within, and enough shelves and storage units for two occupants. It even had its own energon dispenser in a corner.
It was this room that Dawnstar was now inspecting, studying the Decepticon insignia proudly proclaiming its presence just over the berth. Dawnstar approached the desk on the left wall, walking around it to sit in the seat. She looked at all the multiple monitors and the already high stack of datapads resting on top of it. She couldn't wait to see her sire sitting here working in their new home.
After a breem, she stood up and left her creator's quarters to go to hers. It was the one directly next to theirs on the right, the walls soundproofed so she didn't have to hear them at night. Her crates were already placed within, and she proceeded to open them up and remove her property.
So far Cybertron seemed like an awesome place. She had a huge house - even though her sire claimed he would get a much larger one when the war came to an end - and she would no longer have to deal with all the maze-like corridors of the Nemesis to get to the Rec Room for Energon or to visit her "uncles." The house was still located in a military base strategically placed by the main headquarters building where her sire would be spending most of his time strategizing and meeting with Megatron, but it almost felt as if she was for once not surrounded by an army.
It must be boring for those who were never raised in a military base or war ship. No massive, heavily armored warriors to hide behind when paint balloons were being thrown at you, or being able to carry a gun at the age of seven stellar cycles and no one raise an optical ridge. Dawnstar liked this life with nothing but warriors. She had never seen any war, and it felt so far off. Her sire was protecting her and her carrier, and nothing was going to stop him from doing so.
No, as long as he was around they were safe.
"And this is Vos. Well, what remains of it." Starscream explained as he, his trinemates, and Dawnstar flew in their alt. modes over the ruined city. "Nothing here now but scrap metal, empties, and Syk users."
"What's Syk?" Dawnstar inquired.
"Circuit booster. Nasty slag. Only savage grounders use such filth. After one try they get addicted and keep using until they deactivate themselves. Syk is so bad that it is even illegal for Decepticons to use."
"So, it's like a circuit speeder?"
"Kind of, but it usually paralyzes the user while circuit speeders just make you temporarily enhanced in some senses, but can also make you… crazy. And if you take too many at one time you can deactivate yourself."
"In other words: drugs!" Skywarp giggled.
"Yes, that."
"Those things 'take you places.'" Skywarp continued. "We've never taken any, obviously because we're superior Seekers, but I've talked to users and they have some funny stories. Especially the Syk users."
"Who is taking Syk?" Starscream demanded.
"Can't tell you. If I did I would have more enemies."
"I would have Soundwave read your processor if it didn't mean instant deactivation for him. Last thing I need is more work to do." Starscream grunted.
Skywarp laughed insanely. "Oh, Screamer, you're such a silly."
"Anyway… This is where every Seeker, but you, is from." Starscream continued with the tour. "Although, I suspect 'Warp came from a meteor that crashed down and was discovered by two unfortunate sparks who took him in. And from within the casing of his shell he scanned the form of a Seeker and so has been walking amongst us, a stranger in our own frames. Saddest part? I recharged with him more than once and have become infected with his foreign filth. I'm sorry, Dawnstar. I failed you so as a sire."
Skywarp couldn't stop his loud guffaws, his wings twitching with his uncontrollable laughter. "Oh, and don't forget the part where I turned into a green monster and swallowed an Autobot whole!"
"It was truly a traumatic event. His jaw just unhinged itself and everyone ceased fire for an entire joor before fleeing in panic on both sides." Starscream continued as if he was telling a true story, a smile obviously on his faceplates if he had been in root mode.
"Yeah, and he has tentacles that come from his cockpit when he interfaces. Don't ask where they go." Thundercracker added.
Skywarp almost crashed into a nearby spiral he was laughing so hard.
"You guys are weird." Dawnstar stated, flying a little closer to her sire.
"Well, that's why we're a trine." Starscream replied, inwardly smiling. "If you can joke and laugh about such things with your trinemates, you have a good trine. Trining is more than just finding someone to fly and interface with. A trine is your family, best friends, and partners in crime. That's why you never rush finding your trinemates."
"I want a trine, I really do, but how am I supposed to find trinemates if I am the youngest Seeker by thousands of vorns?" Dawnstar inquired.
"Hopefully this war will be over soon and there will be more Seekers. Right now the only things breeding are those disgusting empties."
"They can't all be bad."
"No, not all, but many are. Too depressed about everything that's going on that they seek release in circuit boosters, high grade, and interfacing. Best to just stay safe and avoid them, alright?"
"Alright, daddy."
"That's my good femmling. Now, let's proceed before our signals get picked up by Autobots."
"Hey, dad, can you show me where you grew up? Like, your sparkling-hood house and everything?" She asked excitedly.
Starscream was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice a little softer. "There's nothing there, sweetie. It was bombed away long ago."
"Oh, okay. Well, how about where 'Warp and TC grew up?"
"That I can do." He replied as he banked to his right and proceeded to fly through a partly destroyed building.
Skywarp edged a little closer to Thundercracker. "I thought only the center of Vos was bombed. Star said he came from the edge of the city."
"Yeah, you're right, Sky. I think he's hiding something." Thundercracker replied in a low voice.
"When is he not?"
"And thus concludes the private tour." Starscream said as he transformed and landed before the front of the house, the other Seekers following suite.
"Cybertron just looks awful." Dawnstar commented.
"Yes, it does. And you have the Autobots to thank for that." Starscream replied, his wings fluttering to remove any ash and dust that may have collected on them from the flight.
Dawnstar unconsciously mimicked the action. "So, what now?"
"Now, we get some recharge because I have a slagheap of work to do tomorrow." He grunted as he put in the code for the front door and entered.
The other Seekers followed him, their thruster heels clacking loudly in the silent building. They all made their way to their own berthrooms with little more being said. Dawnstar shut her door behind her and manually turned on the lights, since the voice activation hadn't been repaired yet. Her new room was set up almost identical to her former hab suite, her shelves filled with all the trinkets her sire had gotten her over the stellar cycles. She sat on her berth and just looked around.
The walls were not the purple ship plating she had grown up to only know. They were grayish and lacking any warmth. Despite the arrangement of the room being familiar, it still felt so foreign. So alien.
She slid off her berth, turned off the lights, and left her room. She silently made her way through the darkness and palmed open the door to her sire's room.
"Dawnstar? What's wrong?" He inquired as he quickly subspaced a datapad.
She smiled sheepishly at him. "I was just wondering if I could recharge with you tonight?"
He eyed her for a moment. "Why?"
"I just… It's my first time not on the Nemesis and it's just kinda… I'm just not really that comfortable with recharging alone. I know, I sound stupid, but-"
"Not at all, sweetie. There's nothing wrong with being afraid." He replied with a small smile.
"You're never afraid."
"I wish that was so." He muttered. "Alright, you can hang out with me." He acquiesced with his smirk.
"Yay!" She squealed as she excitedly leaped onto his berth.
"You better not kick." He grunted as he reached for the lights.
"Only if you try to tickle me." She giggled.
"I'll warn you now: kick me and you will be shoved off the berth. Don't believe me, ask Skywarp." He said as he turned the lights off and approached the berth.
"Oh, I believe you. Especially that story about Skywarp being from another planet and having tentacles."
Starscream snickered as he climbed into the berth. "Yes, truly terrifying revelations were revealed this orbital cycle."
He lied on his back and his daughter cuddled against him, her arm wrapping around his waist as she placed her helm on his chest piece. He lovingly stroked her back, listening to her inner fans and systems running.
"I love you, daddy."
"I love you too, sweetspark."
She then powered down her systems and fell into a deep recharge. Starscream smiled to himself. His most precious femmling, safe and happy in his arms during such a horrible time and in such a dangerous place. No one would ever harm her or his Conjunx Endura as long as he was around.
Not now. Not ever.
Circuit boosters, circuit speeders, and Syk are real Cybertronian drugs in the IDW TF comics.
I chose a F-16 Fighting Falcon as Dawnstar's alt. mode because it is slightly smaller than a F-15 Eagle, but still quite similar. It fits a smaller Seeker femme who looks so much like her F-15 transforming sire.
Skywarp is totally an alien from another planet with tentacles. You know this to be true! :P
Why does everyone want Dawnstar to hookup with an Autobot? You all hate Starscream so much. XD
Heh, more foreshadowing. I so evil. :P