"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

- Lao Tzu

Only a week into their expedition, and already everyone is getting antsy. Much to the crew's ultimate displeasure, the planets that they have come across are uninhabitable for beings such as themselves.

In order to pass the time, and avoid boredom, the crew found things to keep themselves occupied…

Steeljaw had plenty of work ahead of him - too much to list - and often locked himself in his room. On the rare occasion that he did leave his makeshift den, it was either to lounge about with a cube of Energon, or to bother Bumblebee.

Aside from attempting to ignore Steeljaw, Bumblebee spent the majority of his time piloting the ship.

With no one currently in need of medical attention, Moonracer opted to study and familiarize herself with the ship itself, just in case something needs to be fixed or utilized in the future.

As for Knockout…

He's building-up the courage to talk to Starscream. Everyone else has made an attempt to socialize with the imprisoned Seeker, but he either gave them the silent treatment, or said something to get them to leave…

Bumblebee spends barely 5 minutes in the brig before storming out.

Moonracer tries for hours at a time to get Starscream to talk to her, but fails to get more than a word or two out of him.

Only Primus knows what happens when Steeljaw goes in.

Based on what he's seen so far, Knockout predicts that it will most likely go one of two ways: horrible, or not as bad as expected.

After putting the inevitable off for long enough, Knockout enters the brig. He shuts the door behind him, making sure it's locked so that no one can come in and interrupt what's about to occur.

"You really think locking yourself in here with me is a good idea?" A raspy voice from behind the red medic questioned. Knockout turned to look at Starscream, who wore a malicious grin while leaning against the bars of his cell with crossed arms.

"It'd be a shame if something were to happen..."

"Before you go off on one of your tangents, Screamer, I can assure you that if something were to happen, everyone else has the override code to get in here," Knockout explained. "Not to mention that Steeljaw doesn't even need the code, since he can lock and unlock just about anything, courtesy of his control over sub-sonics. At least, that's what I've heard."

Starscream didn't answer. Not directly, anyway. His twitching servos betrayed his irritation.

"Well, get on with it, then," Starscream sighed. "Whatever you have to say, just say it. The sooner you do, the sooner you can leave."

Knockout stood by in silence as he watched Starscream retreat to his berth. He sat down, back hunched, with arms resting on thighs and gaze focused on the floor. Knockout waited a few more minutes before taking a seat on a chair just outside the cell door. He mimics the Seeker's hunched posture, but rests his chin on folded, elevated servos.

"Starscream," Knockout says, but hesitates to continue. He vents to calm his nerves. "I have a lot of things that I need to say… I mean, we both do, but… there's just some things I need to get off my chassis while I'm at it, or something like that.

For starters, I am not very good at being… um… I don't want to say sentimental, but… yeah, I can't think of another word.

Wow, I am so bad at this. Um… I guess I just want to say that I'm sorry, for everything that's happened. I know at the end of the war, we didn't part on the best of terms..."

"You mean when you abandoned me to be with the Autobots?" Starscream interrupted. He slowly rose off his berth and stalked over to Knockout.

"And to think, it was all because I simply lashed out at you. Pardon me for losing my temper with you in a life-or-death situation!

First Shockwave had to protect me from those unruly Predacons that he for some unfathomable reason decided to clone and bring to life, and then Unicron shows-up out of nowhere, possessing the body of my millennia-old tormentor, and resurrects his own army of undead Predacons to destroy Cybertron!

I ran away from Shockwave… I just left him there… and then I found out where the rest of you were being held and freed you. I could've just left you all, but I didn't. I even tried to get us off the planet, but the Autobots wouldn't cooperate! That was when you decided to open your mouth and act like nothing was wrong! Meanwhile, I was standing right next to you, having a fragging panic attack!

You're a medic! And, you were my… friend."

Knockout's optics widened. Of all the things Starscream could have said, that last word was one that he wasn't expecting. He actually felt touched that Starscream would even consider…

"At least, I thought you were, but I should have known better."

Starscream spoke in a low, barely audible tone, but that didn't matter when Knockout felt his own spark break from all the negative emotions that were poured into that one sentence.

"The longer I think about it, the more I believe that I would have been better off staying with Shockwave."

Starscream didn't continue. Knockout sat in silence for a minute before realizing that the Seeker was waiting for him to look up. So, Knockout did, and was met with glaring red optics…

And they were full of hate.

"Starscream, I…" Knockout tried to speak, but Starscream held up a servo to silence him.

"Don't, Knockout. Please. I don't want to hear it."

Frame shaking as a myriad of emotions rushed to the surface, Starscream stumbled to a corner of his cell and curled in on himself.

"Everyone has hurt me more times than I can count. Megatron has abused and manipulated me for longer than I care to remember. Nobody ever listens to me. Nobody wants me unless they need to use me for something, more often than not having me cooperate against my will. No matter what happens, I always get the blame, even when I have nothing to do with it. I try to make connections. I try to do good, or do good at being bad.

I try…

And try…

And try…

But it's never enough.

While you were far from the most likable 'Con around, Knockout, you were at least tolerable. Primus, you would annoy me to the Allspark and back, but I enjoyed your company. I figured we could be friends. I thought we were friends, for a time, but then that happened."

Knockout hadn't budged at all. He was listening intently to the Seeker's plight, knowing that he could have helped his friend . . .

"You stabbed me in the back."

. . . but didn't . . .

"And left me to rust."

. . . and now, he's bearing witness to what his friend has become.

An empty husk of his former self.

"At least with Shockwave, I wouldn't have had to worry about him betraying me over a teeny tiny emotional outburst."

Knockout continued to not say anything. Both he and Starscream sat in silence for a long time, reflecting on all that has happened between them. Knockout wanted to say something, - anything to make Starscream feel better - but he knew it would do no good. If anything, it would make things worse. Instead, Knockout did the only thing he could do.

Leave.

Knockout rose to his pedes, stared at Starscream for another minute, then walked over to the door and unlocked it.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Door half open and with one ped out in the hall, Knockout turned to look back at the cell. He couldn't see Starscream from where he was, but he didn't need to.

"Later, Screamer."

"I thought I told you I hate being called that."

" . . . Goodnight, Starscream."