Fanfiction part 8 a.k.a. Transformers Prime: Friendship is Magic

STOP!!! This isn't the beginning! This is!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you haven't seen all of Transformers Prime and Predacons Rising, and read Transformers: Exodus, go no further! I refer to major plot developments that will give spoilers, and also half of this story won't make any sense if you don't read the novel. You really ought to play Fall of Cybertron and/ or read the Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics as well. Everyone should, just because they are so awesome. 

Legal stuff: I don't own any of these characters or settings and this is just a fan work.

Last time, Starscream had started training the young Seekers to fly better. One of them, Solarflare, looked up to him a great deal. Starscream realized that Solarflare and the others did not know he was a Decepticon, and wondered if the Autobots were up to something by withholding the information. He confronts them about it and finally learns what happened to Optimus. They assured him they were really giving him a chance, and it kind of freaked him out, since he is not used to that kind of responsibility.

>>>Soon afterwards, Jetfire shows up from space. He lands at Kaon, since that’s where they put the space port, and calls the Autobots. They tell him to come to Iacon.<<<

*A note of Jetfire: I kept him big like he was in G1 (maybe not that big) and kept his fighting style the same. They don't really describe him in the books, and in the games he is normal size, but I like him being bigger than other Seekers, and having a combination of common sense, kindness, and being a bruiser. It was so cool in Exodus when he became a Wrecker! I have not yet read Retribution, since it comes out tomorrow - I know it tells about the Wreckers and if anything happens to Jetfire I'll cry! anyway, moving on...

“All right!” Wheeljack said, “another Wrecker’s back on the planet! Can’t wait till he flies into Iacon.”

“Oh yeah,” said Bulkhead. “I heard Jetfire joined the Wreckers.”

“Right when the Ark was leaving Cybertron, he joined up on the spot and went head to head with Trypticon!” Wheeljack smacked his fist into his palm. “I wonder what kind of trouble we can get into now that he’s back.”

Ultra Magnus almost smiled. “Now there’s a Wrecker I understood. Cybertron Air Command taught their bots military discipline. Some of them, anyway.”

He and Arcee looked at each other. She smiled.

“My thoughts exactly. Now that another Seeker is here, we don’t have to take Starscream’s static anymore.”

“Boring!” said Wheeljack. “You’re gonna make him babysit those fledglings?”

“It is the best arrangement,” said Ultra Magnus. “For everyone.”

Knockout made a skeptical sound. Everyone turned and looked at him, surprised. He held up a crate of carnauba wax and smiled.

“I deliver,” he said, passing the crate to Smokescreen, who took it, then sidled sheepishly out of the room. Knockout looked around.

“Look, I don’t want to do Starscream any favors, but has it occurred to any of you that he doesn’t like to have his toys taken away?”

“Meaning?” Ultra Magnus asked.

“Meaning he’s having a grand old time as Air Commander, but the whole being a role model and helping others thing is way outside his comfort zone. You can bet he thinks it’s too good to last. Do you really want to hand him an excuse to turn on you?”

The Autobots all looked at each other.

“Who says we give him the chance?” said Arcee. “We do have a perfectly good prison.”

Bulkhead shifted uneasily. “But, he hasn’t done anything – ” Everyone looked at him. “Well, lately. Is it fair to just throw him back in prison once we’re done with him?”

“Yes!” Knockout and Arcee said in unison.

“We should see what Jetfire wants to do,” said Wheeljack. “He might not even want his old pal’s job.”

“Old pal?” asked Knockout.

Arcee chuckled. “You just want to work on some weird science with Jetfire.”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Great minds…”

>>>Jetfire arrives and is surprised to learn that Starscream is loose and in charge of people, but he’s encouraged by it, since he hopes Starscream will change. He doesn’t want to command the seekers per se, but he’s willing to help. He meets them, and it’s tense between him and Starscream. Starscream refuses his help, and Jetfire mostly hangs out with Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus for a couple days.<<<

Jetfire looked up as a smaller jet approached, angling steeply toward the rooftop where he sat. He considered moving out of the way as it overshot its landing and transformed a little too late, but instead he held out his hand to steady the young Seeker. The bot – Jetfire thought his name was Solarflare - tripped and grabbed his outstretched arm, barely managing to stay on his feet.

“Ah, bolts!” he muttered. “I’m never gonna get it.” He let go of Jetfire. “Um, thanks.”

“Landings are the hardest thing,” Jetfire said. “Even harder than night flying. What are you doing out here in the dark?”

“I was trying to land on each tower, and time how long it takes me to make it across the city and back.”

Jetfire looked him over. They were less than a quarter of the way from the edge of the city, and Solarflare already had paint scraped off of his knees and the armor along his forearms. He looked at the next tower, rubbing his arm where a lot of metal showed through his paint, and then sat down beside Jetfire.

“Why are you up here?” he asked.

Jetfire didn’t respond right away. “I was just admiring the stars. It’s so dark tonight.”

“It’s dark every night when the moons are down.”

“It’s strange - for centuries I saw the stars of other worlds, and learned alien constellations, but these stars still look like home after all this time. And yet, when I think of Cybertron this isn’t how I remember it. It’s so still and clear.”

Solarflare didn’t say anything for a while, but he was clearly curious. Finally he spoke.

“You mean not like during the war?”

Jetfire nodded. “During the war, you could barely tell night from day. The smoke and ash over most of the planet was so thick, we fought in a kind of twilight. And at night the laser fire and explosions reflecting off the haze lit the battles below. There must have been hundreds of years when no Cybertronian saw the stars, except those of us who were in space.”

Solarflare leaned closer in undisguised wonder. “You fought in space?”

“I didn’t fight there, though some did. I was a researcher on a space station with Starscream, before I defected. After that, fighting for the Autobots kept me planetside, supporting ground missions and doing R&D on alt-modes to scrape together some semblance of air power.”

“Wait,” said Solarflare, the concern that had appeared on his face at Jetfire’s mention of defecting now turning to confusion. “You defected… to the Autobots?”

Jetfire looked at him sadly. “It was a hard time to be a Seeker, when the entire Air Command declared for the Decepticons. Not everyone felt that way, but we tend to stick together. I’m glad that hasn’t changed, but it has its dangers.” He put his hand on the young bot’s shoulders, but Solarflare didn’t move or respond. Jetfire sighed. “I couldn’t do it though. I’d done the research and suspected what Dark Energon was, and I couldn’t be a part of it.”

Solarflare stood up. “I have to go.” Jetfire started to get up too, but Solarflare had already transformed mid-backflip and blasted away. The flashy takeoff seemed strangely familiar.

Starscream was in a foul mood as he stared out at the moonless night. He had gotten nowhere with finding out where Grimlock was or how to contact him. The Autobots were all for attacking Shockwave, they said, but they were reluctant to involve the Dinobots. They didn’t want to make it about revenge, which was ridiculous. That was the whole point. Grimlock deserved revenge, and he, Starscream, deserved revenge, and that made them allies. Grimlock would surely agree, if he could just ask him. He really wouldn’t even need to agree – all Starscream had to do was point him in Shockwave’s direction and let him go. That was even better. He would just as soon not help Grimlock with the actual combat, since Dinobots were far better suited to battling Predacons. And Insecticons. And the Forged. It was a perfect, simple plan, but the longer it took to find Grimlock, the more chances Shockwave would have to move. He looked around, an uneasy tingle creeping through his circuits. He never felt alone now, with the possibility that Soundwave was watching from the Shadowzone. He had had plenty of time to repair Laserbeak too. If there were only some way to draw one of them out…

The roar of a jet startled him, and it took effort to control the reflex to ready his Null Rays. The plating on his arms clicked back into place as Solarflare transformed over the balcony outside and dropped into a swift walk towards him.

“Nice landing,” he said as Solarflare came inside. The young bot looked surprised and glanced back at where he’d touched down, then shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Starscream said. “Your landing is your first impression. It should be imposing.”

Solarflare looked down, saying nothing for a long time, then, “How do you know Jetfire?”

Starscream considered. “We were colleagues. He did scientific research for me.”

“Were you friends?”

Starscream hesitated before answering. “Once. A long time ago.”

Solarflare’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, when he asked, “Why aren’t you friends now?”

“Because he…” Starscream began, then stopped. He didn’t like where the conversation was going.

“Commander Starscream?” Solarflare said, finally meeting his gaze. “were you a Decepticon?”

Starscream was taken aback by the hurt in his voice, and he reacted the only way he knew how. He got angry.

“Did that traitor Jetfire tell you that?”

“No! I figured it out. He said something while he was reminiscing.”

“The war hero telling war stories, eh?” Starscream sneered. “What did he say?”

“Just that he knew you and he defected to the Autobots. Did all the Seekers join the Decepticons…because they followed you?” He fell silent, almost shaking as the enormity of the accusation sunk in. Starscream leaned close to him.

“It’s true. I was a Decepticon. Happy?”

Solarflare looked less happy than any bot he’d ever seen. He looked Spark-broken. All he said was, “Why?”

Starscream straightened up. “I had my reasons. I’m not giving you a history lesson.”

“No, I mean, why didn’t you tell us?”

“Ask the Autobots. It was their idea. Would you have wanted me to train you, had you known?”

Solarflare looked away. “I don’t know.”

“There, you see? Somehow Knockout’s good enough to shine you up after all your so-called landings -“ He jabbed the scuffed finish on Solarflare’s arm. “and Megatron gets to walk around like he owns the place. You’re content to race against what’s-their-names – those two Vehicons - but if I was a Decepticon, it’s a calamity!”

Solarflare covered his scratched paint with his other hand. “They’re not the Air Commander,” he said almost too softly to hear.

“Don’t mumble!” Starscream snapped.

“They didn’t lie about it!” Solarflare said, anger finally creeping into his voice.

“Nor did I! I never said I was an Autobot.”

“You said you killed Decepticons during the war.”

“And I did. Loads of them. My relationship with the Decepticons was…complicated. I don’t have to explain myself. I suppose you want Jetfire to train you now? Fine.” He stepped back. “Don’t follow me, Solarflare. I really don’t want to have to shoot you down.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he transformed and blasted out of the room. A few moments later, Solarflare leapt from the balcony and alt-moded in midair.

Starscream cruised high over the most remote territory he could see, heading west, chasing the cover of darkness. Hanging around the Autobots had lasted about as long as it could have, and it was too bad he wouldn’t have Seekers to back him up, but now he could concentrate on his main plan. Finding Grimlock would mean revenge, and wherever the Dinobots were, that was also the most likely Predacon-free area.

He detected something flying behind him, and it filled him with dismay. Could Solarflare really have been stupid enough to follow him? Maybe he could scare him off – the young Seeker had never seen combat, and seemed to have a greater fear of falling than most. That might explain why he always transformed too close to the ground and overshot his landings. Why was he still thinking about that? It surprised him a little how much he didn’t want to kill Solarflare. A warning shot would likely send him hightailing back to Iacon. He slowed down a little.

As the thing caught up he saw that it wasn’t Solarflare – it was much bigger. He thought for a tense moment that it was another jet-equipped Predacon, maybe a small, defective one that hadn’t grown very large in Shockwave’s tank, but then it got closer. Jetfire! What was he doing coming after him? No matter. He was itching for a fight with anyone except Solarflare. He pulled up into a half loop and dove toward the traitor, waiting until he was close to fire his ion cannons. Jetfire easily rolled out of the way, not surprisingly. He was no slouch. Starscream would see what tricks he’d picked up over the last few thousand years.

He swooped around and shot again, and Jetfire turned into the attack, but did not return fire.

“Starscream, stop!” he said over comms, following Starscream through his next turn. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Too bad!” Starscream was more maneuverable, and he was back on Jetfire’s tail in moments, unleashing a burst of ion bolts. They hit, barely, as Jetfire rolled again. Starscream stayed on his tail, his contrails etching a tight spiral inside the larger spiral from Jetfire’s maneuver.

"You asked for it!" Jetfire said as he accelerated and pulled up into a loop. "We both know I'm a match for you."

It was true. Throughout their long friendship Jetfire had been Starscream's favorite sparring partner, one of the only Seekers who could give him a challenge. 

"Not with turns like that," Starscream retorted, easily climbing inside Jetfire's loop and firing across his nose. Jetfire's engine shut off and he fell. Starscream didn't think he'd hit him.

"That's it?" he said, but an instant later he had to dodge a barrage of ion bolts, followed by Jetfire himself, who had steered his fall so he ended up on top of Starscream. Starscream swooped away and Jetfire fired his engine and followed him through his next two turns, shooting at him, but missing. Both jets sped up, circling madly to get on each other's tail, and Starscream soon gained the advantage. 

Jetfire was above him, turning wider than Starscream, who had a clear shot at his flank. He took it, and Jetfire rolled to get out of the way, but sparks still sprayed from his side. He wobbled but kept flying, turning tighter into Starscream's attack, but still too wide to return fire. He'd always been tough. 

Starscream aimed again, at Jetfire's underside. He could finish the fight right here. Except Jetfire suddenly flung himself into a flat spin, firing wildly in all directions as he lost altitude. Ion bolts stung Starscream's wing and nose as he tried to climb away from the insane maneuver. 

"It'll take more than that to take down a Wrecker!" Jetfire said as he swooped out of the spin and onto Starscream's tail.

"Why do Wreckers always make that speech?" Starscream growled as he turned around. "As if your betrayal wasn't bad enough, you went and joined the most irritating of all Autobot units?"

He fired, and Jetfire fired straight back without bothering to dodge.

"Betrayal, Starscream?" Jetfire asked as both Seekers took hits. "Was I supposed to stay by your side while you sold out our entire planet?" He adjusted the direction of his head to head charge and rolled upside down, slamming his tail across Starscream's back and causing him to tumble. His unusually large size may have put him at a disadvantage using normal dogfighting tactics, but he had found ways to make it work for him.

Starscream regained his balance but Jetfire had already turned and dove onto his tail, firing relentlessly. There wasn't time to turn, so Starscream transformed, cartwheeling into his proto-form and losing a tiny bit of speed, then transformed again, this time facing Jetfire. He opened up his engine and guns at the same instant. The sudden change of direction was painful, but not as painful as the shower of sparks and shrapnel that blew off of Jetfire's wing and through his tail.

"Nice one," Jetfire said, his voice strained, "but you forget, Starscream, I can transform, too!"

“Can you?” Starscream scoffed, as Jetfire only transformed partway. “Did I hit your T-cog or something?”
Jetfire’s arms unfolded from the bottom of his jet mode, and an instant later he tackled Starscream out of the air. He aimed at the ground and sped up.

“I should have knocked some sense into you back when you were hatching your plans for Sentinel Prime, and using Trypticon station as a bargaining chip.”

Starscream tried to shoot his way free, but his cannons weren’t pointed at Jetfire, and he was held too tightly to transform and use his Null Rays.

“I used the station to keep Dark Energon out of Megatron’s hands!” The ground was getting alarmingly close. Jetfire leveled off slightly, but not enough to avoid a crash.

“How’d that work out?” He let go of Starscream an instant before they both hit the ground. Jetfire finished transforming and landed hard, and Starscream slammed into the ground, proto-forming on the second bounce, and finally sliding to a stop at the end of a long furrow of loose metal plating.

He lay stunned for a moment, then his systems came back online and he clattered to his feet.

“You weren’t there!” he yelled, his voice harsh with anger and static as non-vital systems like talking came back online slowly.  He wiped a trickle of Energon from his mouth. “If you hadn’t left, we could have held Trypticon!”

“Not likely,” Jetfire said as he walked down the crash trail toward Starscream. “You of all people should know by now how hard it is beat Megatron.”

Enraged, Starscream rushed him, landing several punches before Jetfire countered with a powerful left hook that knocked him sideways. The smaller Seeker slipped inside Jetfire’s next swing and delivered a combo of spinning kicks that put him behind his opponent. He transformed and blasted off against Jetfire’s back, sending him sprawling, then looped up for a strafing run.

A huge chunk of Cybertron’s surface came at him, and he rolled out of the way just as Jetfire threw another metal plate. This one knocked him into a spin, too low to maneuver out of, so he transformed. His feet touched the ground and Jetfire was on him. They traded a flurry of blows, as fast and tricky on the ground as they were in the air, too fast for any bot who wasn’t a Seeker to follow. Jetfire landed a powerful kick and Starscream leapt backwards to absorb the force of it.

“You see?” he said, almost smiling. “That’s what I mean! You and I are pretty impressive.”

Jetfire wiped away some Energon that was leaking over his eye. “Maybe our combined strength could have kept the station. But you just would have followed the same path as Megatron.”

“Megatron was a fool!” Starscream spat. “My plan – “

“Would have played right into Unicron’s will. Dark Energon twists bots towards it own goal. That’s what I learned, studying on Trypticon all those centuries.”

“Which is why I never allowed any of the researchers to show it to me.”

Jetfire shook his head. “You wouldn’t have become curious, sitting on something that powerful?”

Starscream shrugged. “Who can say? What’s done is done.”

“Don’t take it so lightly,” Jetfire said, advancing. “I went into Cybertron’s Core when it was corrupted by Dark Energon. I saw what it did. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for that.”

Starscream waved his concern away. “Megatron turned the Plasma Energy Chamber around. I planned to – “

Jetfire’s punch nearly knocked him off his feet. “Your plan! You had what? Dozens? Hundreds of plans? None of them worked!”

He hit him again before Starscream countered, and they began another round, this time with Starscream on the defensive against Jetfire’s fury.

“You have no conviction. Maybe you’re as smart as you think you are, but that doesn’t matter if you hold back. If you’re always looking for a better advantage, you lose out on the advantage you have.”

Starscream got in a series of punches that forced Jetfire back. “If you wanted my plans to work out so badly, you had a funny way of showing it. Traitor.”

“I wanted you to take a stand!” Jetfire backed off, watching for the next attack. “Against Megatron. I didn’t care if you weren’t an Autobot. The Seekers were with you. But you waited and schemed for so long you let him take everything!”

“Shut up!” Starscream shrieked. He attacked in a blind rage, carving four gashes into Jetfire’s side with his claws, and staggering him with an uppercut. That left him completely open, and Jetfire’s body blow stopped him in his tracks, and an elbow between the wings knocked him on his face.

Before he could even get his feet under him, Jetfire sat on him, pressing him flat against the ground.

“You need to hear this,” Jetfire said. “When I’m done you can fly wherever you want.”

Starscream struggled until he was exhausted. He tried to shut out what Jetfire was saying. Megatron had taken everything from him, and there was nothing he could have done! Jetfire kept talking, finally cutting through Starscream’s ability to ignore him.

“…Vos was the first blow to their confidence in you. That demanded swift retaliation, not more plotting. And now the Seekers are scattered and flying is practically synonymous with Decepticons. It’s a disgrace. You had a chance to redeem the Air Command with those young Seekers, and now this? You may think you’re flying off to position yourself for greater advantage, but all you’re doing is burning another bridge.”

Jetfire finally shut up but Starscream said nothing until he was sure he was finished. He tried to look up at him but he couldn’t turn his head far enough. All he could see were his feet.

“Go back then,” Starscream said at last. “You train them. They don’t want a Decepticon anyway.”

Jetfire stood up and reached his hand down.

“I’m not the Air Commander.”

Starscream looked up at him, astonished. After a moment he grabbed his hand. Jetfire pulled him up.

“Did you think it was just luck that I knew where to find you? Solarflare didn’t know what to do when you left, so he found me. He asked me to bring you back. No, they don’t want a Decepticon. But they want you.”

>>>Then they go eat some energon…. The next morning, they both show up for flying practice. The young Seekers and Bumblebee are there, and no one was sure if there would even be practice or who would be teaching. It’s surprisingly unawkward, even though Starscream tries to play it off like nothing happened. Really, Solarflare was the only one who was super shocked that Starscream had been a Decepticon, not that that means much to any of them - they know several bots who were. Solarflare was really disappointed since he looked up to Starscream. He still does, mostly. In the evening they go get shined up by Knockout. Jetfire goes first.<<<  

“Starscream really did a number on you,” Knockout said, putting a sanding wheel on his rotary buffer.

“You should see him,” Jetfire said.

“Oh, I will!” Knockout smiled as he began to grind the scratch marks off Jetfire’s arm. “Too bad I’ll have to fix him up though.” After a moment he turned the buffer off. “Sorry. I know you two were friends.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I gotta ask - how did that even work?”

Jetfire shrugged. “It wasn’t always easy. He can be pretty abrasive.”

“Literally,” Knockout said. “These scratches are pretty deep.”

“When he really got going I would just tune out half of what he said, though I can be hot headed myself. There was a lot of give and take, and arguing. It’s different when you’re around mostly Seekers. A lot of us have… intense personalities.” Jetfire smiled. “There was an old joke about why they had Vos built on the opposite side of the planet from Iacon – to be as far as possible from an entire city of Seekers.”

Knockout could see that, but he thought it was a joke you should only laugh at if you were a Seeker, especially considering what happened to Vos. He only said, “How did you become friends? Was he ever…nice?”

“We rose through the ranks together, and we were sparring partners. I also saw him as a kindred spirit. We were both curious and ambitious, and students of history besides our shared scientific background. We dreamed about space, and I know it frustrated Starscream that the Cybertron we were born into was no longer interested in reaching beyond our orbit. He never was good about having his ambitions thwarted.”

“You can say that again.”

Jetfire shook his head. “I hope, now that the space bridges are restored, there’s a way to start over.”

“Why are you still bothering with him after everything he’s done?”

Jetfire said nothing for a long time, and Knockout began to think he wasn’t going to. It had probably been a rude question, but Jetfire finally said, “It’s been a long war, fighting alongside friends to defend Cybertron, until there was nothing left to defend, only to take the war with us across the stars. Most of them didn’t make it home.”

“I know how that goes,” Knockout  said quietly.

“Some of them deserved it more than me, but since I’m the one who made it back to Cybertron, I want to fight for every friend I have left. Even if it means literally fighting in order to knock some sense into him.” He smiled a little, but he looked tired. “And fighting with myself to find a way to forgive him.”

Knockout shook his head in amazement. “You Autobots really are something else.”

“Well, I hear you’re an Autobot now, for something of the same reasons I am.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Knockout said, moving to Jetfire’s back to buff off the scorch marks between his wings. “Hmm, a way to start over...”

 …

Jetfire passed Starscream on the way out, giving a warning look that meant he was to behave himself. Starscream rolled his eyes and went in.

 “I’m sorry, Knockout,” he said, bursting into the workshop. Knockout turned and looked at him in surprise. Those were three words he never thought he would hear from Starcscream. “Jetfire ruined all the hard work you did when you fixed me up before. Just look at all this!”

Never mind. Still, it was an acknowledgement of sorts, and it was true. Starscream had certainly come off worse from their battle. Knockout walked all around the disgruntled Seeker.

“What happened?” he asked. “It looks as though he dragged you across the ground and sat on you?”

Starscream scoffed. “He did not drag me!” He watched Knockout pry a piece of Cybertron’s crust out of a gouge in his shoulder armor. “He threw me, and I’d rather not talk about it.”

Knockout shrugged and waved Starscream over to a bench while he gathered his tools. He began working in silence, which went unbroken by either bot for the many cycles it took Knockout to sand down all the abrasions on Starscream’s paint. At times one or the other started to say something, but both held back. Ordinarily, Starscream was able to relax and enjoy getting his finish touched up, but he sat tensely hunched, not meeting Knockout’s eye as he painted. By the time Knockout was ready to apply polish, all the things unsaid hung between them in a cloud of oppressive awkwardness.

Finally, Knockout turned to put his containers of paint away, leaving Starscream to look at his finish. He ran his fingers along the smooth paint on his arms, and the Decepticon brand on his chest. Knockout had even remembered to paint it red instead of purple. Still…

“Knockout!” he said after looking down at it for a moment, “You missed a spot.”

Knockout whirled around and glared at him. “I don’t miss spots, Starscream!”

Starscream picked at his Decepticon emblem and said quietly. “There’s… a rough edge right here that needs to be ground down.”

Knockout leaned close and examined it. It was flawless. “It’s perfectly polished. I really don’t see where… oh. Well, now that you mention it…” He straightened up. “Starscream, I – “

“Get on with it.” He said it almost gently, and one corner of his mouth slid into a smile.

Knockout just nodded as he snapped on an abrasive wheel attachment in place of his saw. He sanded Starscream’s chest to a uniform silver finish, then buffed it the soft sheen he preferred.

>>>I don't really know how to actually wrap this scene up.... but yeah... That's my fanfiction so far.<<<

Fanfiction part 7

STOP!!! This isn't the beginning! This is!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you haven't seen all of Transformers Prime and Predacons Rising, and read Transformers: Exodus, go no further! I refer to major plot developments that will give spoilers, and also half of this story won't make any sense if you don't read the novel. You really ought to play Fall of Cybertron and/ or read the Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics as well. Everyone should, just because they are so awesome. 

Legal stuff: I don't own any of these characters or settings and this is just a fan work.

Last time Starscream escaped from prison and found himself in the odd position of impulsively distracting an angry Predacon to rescue another Seeker. He used the opportunity to claim the position of Air Commander, to the delight of the impressionable young Seekers and the dismay of the Autobots. They do consider the possibility of letting him do it temporarily because the new Seekers are so bad at flying.

>>>Sooo, yeah, they let him train the new Seekers, but insist that he starts actually cooperating and providing intel. He’s fine with that, since he wants Shockwave taken down, and he likes the feeling of being indispensable. Megatron was totally right about his ego.<<<

After flying in formation all morning the young Seekers were glad to get out and race. Every single one of them could beat Smokescreen now, even through courses with tight turns. It still made Starscream cringe that that had ever not been the case. But what mattered was that they were fast now. The line of them blasted between the towers of Iacon, following the hardest course he had devised for them yet. Up front, he took his time, swooping wide through the turns to get a better view behind him.

What he saw pleased him. Behind the two purple Vehicons, the other seven Seekers were keeping up, hitting every turn exactly right, their altitude changes and hesitation rolls precise. A couple had gotten good at overtaking each other during turns, and the middle of the line was full of varied alt modes waiting for their moment. It was always tense when they did that among the towers, and the Autobots had warned him not to make them do it. They could handle it though.

He rolled over and dove for the final obstacle of the race, a new bridge that was not quite finished. Had he picked it just to show off to the crews working on it? He sure had! Everyone liked to watched his Seekers racing. He slipped under it and pulled up, went upside down, let his nose drop, and swooped under it again, keeping his loop a perfect circle. Then he slowed down and watched.

The Vehicons came in together and nosed downward, with Solarflare right behind them. As the purple jets slowed and lined up on the space under the bridge's widest span, Solarflare flipped onto his back, steepened his dive and accelerated. He rolled a quarter turn and slipped between the Vehicons on his side, then rolled right way up and looped the bridge before they had even crossed under it.

Impressed, Starscream climbed and headed back toward the tower they used as an airfield. He landed on top of it, transforming at the same time, and Solarflare touched down a few moments later, hovering for a couple of kliks before transforming, and wobbling when his feet hit the ground. His landings were still terrible. He looked around, seeming surprised that he and Starscream were the only ones there, and jumped when the Vehicons landed right after him in their usual aggressive poses.

"Whoa! Seriously?" Solarflare cried. "I finally beat you guys! Commander Starscream, you saw that, right?"

"Indeed," Starscream said. "Most impressive. I particularly liked how you passed them with flair." He tilted his hand, imitating the maneuver Solarflare had pulled off, then turned to the Vehicons. "Step it up, you two."

"Jeez, the tyrant of the firmament," one of them muttered.

"Don't worry about it," said Solarflare. "I know you guys have been going easy on us. But you can go all out now that you have some competition."

One by one the other Seekers touched down, making Starscream wince. Tomorrow they would be practicing landings all morning. So said the “tyrant of the firmament”, apparently. Starscream had to admit he liked the name. It was much better than Emperor of Destruction. What had he been thinking? He gave them a moment to rest and marvel at Solarflare's win, then he gathered them back in.

"Next we will discuss armaments and do some target practice, in alt-mode and proto-form." A couple of the Seekers looked excited. "Shooting uses nearly as much Energon as flying, and we will be doing both. Everyone go fill up, then meet back here."

They wandered off, only a couple by air, and Starscream was about to go get some target drones, when he thought of something.

"Solarflare," he said. "A word."

The kid turned around and trotted back to Starscream.
"What is it, Commander?"

"Were you unaware that you stayed in the lead after you looped the bridge? You seemed surprised."

"Well, I just couldn't believe it. I'm not that good at flying."

Starscream thought he was getting there, but there was a problem.

"Did you look behind you? They were right there. You were focused forward, on your route and your speed, and in a battle they would have shot you down."

Solarflare's face fell. "Sorry, Commander Starscream."

"Just stay aware of what is on all sides of you. Obviously in a race it is acceptable to stay in front of an opponent, but you must still know where that opponent is. It will at least make it harder for them to pass you. Hmm, come to think of it, the Vehicons did not seem to know you were behind them either. They should know better."

Solarflare considered that, his wings still drooping. Starscream clapped him on the shoulder.

"Don’t let that stop you from celebrating your victory. Your hesitation rolls are quite precise, and using one to slip between the leaders was just what I would have done."

"Really?" Solarflare's wings perked up, and he followed Starscream toward the elevator to drone storage together. "I’ve been working on them. What else should I practice harder at?"

Starscream smiled. The fact that he asked that question spoke volumes about the young Seeker's dedication. "Landings, Solarflare. Practice landings. Now go get some Energon."

As Starscream watched him fly away, he considered if he should have said anything. Maybe he didn't have to tell them every single thing he'd ever learned about aerial combat all at once. Maybe it was too much pressure. But if he didn't prepare them, they would be in danger. From what? He sighed. Why couldn’t he bring himself to trust the new peace? He certainly didn’t intend to break it, but he needed to be ready to make his move when someone did, and he needed the Seekers to be ready too.

It was nearly noon when all the Seekers stood lined up atop their tower again.

"You have all learned to make weapons, correct?"

"Yes, Air Commander," they said in unison.

"Show me."

With a mishmash of ratcheting sounds, each Seeker went through the partial transformation of turning his arms into weapons. Starscream walked down the line noting each bot's choice.

"Mostly ion cannons," he said. "A good choice, especially for an alt-mode weapon. They are very accurate and pack a lot of destructive punch. They can shoot someone's arm clean off."

A murmur went through the Seekers, who looked at their weapons with newfound respect. The two Vehicons nudged each other until Starscream gave them a look. He held up the portable Grid node he had brought with him.

"This has designs for a few other options you can scan and practice with. I am partial to Null Rays myself." He transformed his arm to show them. "They disrupt electrical systems, including neural nets. Even a glancing shot will often stun an adversary, giving you time and options during a fight. Repeated hits, or an accurate shot to the Spark, are quite deadly. It is a weapon with idiosyncrasies, but I find it to be extremely effective."

He handed the Grid node off and the Seekers gathered around it, flipping through the different options.

Solarflare looked at the Null Ray. "How many Decepticons did you kill during the war, Commander?"

Starscream thought for moment and counted on his fingers, changing his arm back to start a second hand. Megatron counted, even though his demise had been temporary. He lost track somewhere among all the Vehicons and random soldiers.

"Hmm, quite a few it seems." Suddenly he stopped. Why would Solarflare ask that? His treachery wasn't that legendary was it? Which side did they think he had been on? He wondered about it as the Seekers put the Grid node away. Most of them stuck with ion cannons, but Solarflare and one other switched to Null Rays, and one picked (?).

"You two," Starscream said. The Vehicons approached him. "Get the drones powered up and set them for random motion. And get in some practice yourselves. You know what they say about Vehicon trooper aim."

"Wait, no," one of them said. "What do they say?"

"It isn't good," Starscream replied. "Now get going."

"Wait," the other Vehicon said as they walked away, "did he mean what they say isn't good, or our aim isn't good?"

"Same thing," said the other one.

"It's suppressive fire! It's not about accuracy!"

"I'll let you explain that to Starscream."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to practice..."

Starscream only half paid attention to the target practice, distracted as he was by Solarflare's question. He had assumed that everyone knew that he, like the Vehicons, had been a Decepticon. The only possible reason they would not know was if the Autobots had deliberately withheld the information, since they controlled all the information at the moment. But why would they do that? Were they waiting for him to slip up and reveal something that would drive a wedge between him and his Seekers? He would scarcely have credited them with such a Soundwaveish scheme.

As evening approached, Starscream followed the Seekers to their construction shift. They had the night shift, but they always showed up bright and early to fly. Such things were possible now that there was finally enough Energon to keep them going. Two construction bots whose shift was ending ran up to Solarflare, towering over him and telling him how great he’d been at the bridge. They nearly knocked him over in their enthusiasm.

Starscream looked around and finally saw an Autobot, though it was the last one he’d want to talk to.

"Arcee," he said, sidling up to where she was helping load girders onto the crane alt-mode of a huge new bot who would have fit right in with the Constructicons.

"Make yourself useful," she said, dumping a girder into his arms. "Stack these up."

He set the girder down on the crane, and turned around in time to nearly get hit with the next one.

"Keep up," Arcee said, handing it to him..

"I need to ask you something." He set the girder on the pile.

"Talk and work." She shoved another one into his arms.

“Ugh! Fine!” He set it down and took another one, reluctantly settling into the rhythm of the work. “Look, have any of the new bots learned any history?”

“Only the gist of the war and a little ancient mythology. The archives appear to be intact inside Vector Sigma and Teletraan, but bringing them online is taking forever.”

Starscream hesitated. “Specifically, what did you tell them about me?”

“Not enough. I completely disagree with Bumblebee’s call on this one.”

“Which is?”

“To let the new Seekers form their own conclusions about you, and see how you do.”

“Ah. I can’t say that’s wise, if I’m honest.”

She glared at him. “That’s probably the most honest you’ve ever been.”

“It explains why Solarflare thought I must have killed a lot of Decepticons. It turns out I have.” He chuckled. “He thinks I was some kind of hero.”

He reached for the next girder, but Arcee crashed it into him, pinning him against the side of the crane.

“So help me, Starscream, if you do anything to disappoint them, you’ll wish we had banished you into the heart of Predaking’s territory!”

“Please!” He shoved her away. “I don’t mind basking in a little hero worship, deserved or otherwise. I’m not going to screw it up.”

“The way you run your mouth,” Arcee said, “Some of us are taking bets.”

Starscream glared at her. “And what does Optimus Prime think of this little…omission? Where is he, anyway? The library?”

He took a step back. Why did she look so angry?

“Are you guys done?” a deep voice rumbled from above them. “This is my last load before my shift’s over, and I have stuff to do.”

“Sorry, Dirtlift.” Arcee set her girder on the pile and Starscream did the same, keeping one eye on her. The huge bot swung the load up to where the construction crew, now including a few Seekers, stood ready to receive it.

“Come with me,” Arcee said, and walked quickly away.

Starscream followed her nervously. “By the library, I meant restoring the databases. Not relaxing with a good book now that the hard part of the war is over, not that he doesn’t deserve to.”

“Starscream,” she growled. “Not another word.”

Something in her demeanor made him think she meant it, and he followed her in silence, all the way back to the command center. It was quieter now, with no bots bustling around the halls. They entered a room with several maps displayed on screens, that looked to Starscream like a war room. Bumblebee was there, staring at the maps, marking up the progress of construction. Apparently he never needed a shutdown. Ratchet stood nearer the door, with Megatron. Starscream froze.

“You guys talk to him,” Arcee said. “I’m done.” She left him there and Bumblebee looked up from the maps.

“Well, she’s a delight,” Starscream said. “All I did was ask what you’re all playing at, and she hit me with a girder and dragged me in here.”

“You look all right to me,” Ratchet said without turning around.

“Starscream, what are you talking about?” Bumblebee asked.

“I discovered that you neglected to tell my Seekers who I am-” he glanced at Megatron. “or, was. And I wanted to know if Optimus Prime approved of whatever game you’re all playing.” He turned back to Bumblebee. “Arcee doesn’t seem very happy with you at the moment.”

Bumblebee looked at him. “She may yet be proved right.”

“So?” Starscream pressed his question. “Was it Optimus Prime’s idea to give me a chance to behave myself or something? Or were you hoping I’d slip up and shake my Seekers’ trust? Where is he, anyway?”

“You haven’t told him?” Megatron said, stepping away from Ratchet.

“Told me what?” Starscream snapped, bristling. He didn’t like that Megatron and the Autobots were so chummy, and keeping secrets.

“Optimus - ” Megatron began, but Starscream held up his hand.

“Quiet. I want to hear it from him.” He pointed at Bumblebee.

“And you deserve to.” The Autobot came around the table and stood face to face with Starscream. “Optimus Prime has joined the AllSpark.”

“What? You mean he’s dead?” Starscream couldn’t process what that meant, and it surprised him that he felt nothing, one way or the other. “But he defeated Unicron. What happened?”

“That was how he defeated Unicron. He hid the AllSpark inside the Matrix of Leadership. When he returned it to the Core, he went with it. He sacrificed himself so new Cybertronians could be born.”

Starscream considered that that was a typical Optimus Prime move. Was what he felt resentment? Perhaps. Yes. Because he himself wouldn’t have done it. He would have kept it, and ruled a planet of old bots living out their days with no future. He wanted a future, and it seemed Optimus Prime had delivered it. He didn’t like the debt, or the acknowledgement of the kind of leader Optimus Prime was. After a while he said, “Why was I not told?”

“Honestly, we thought you’d be happy, and we couldn’t take it.”

“Happy about being kept in the dark?” Starscream cried.

Bumblebee and Megatron looked at each other, and Bumblebee shook his head. “Happy that Optimus is gone. No one wanted to hear that from you, and we just put it off. It was a mistake.”

So that was what they thought. Not a bad guess, but it turned out he wasn’t happy. He wasn’t sad either. Everything had changed, and he had to think about his next move.

“I am Cybertronian, am I not? I have a right to know about the passing of a Prime.”

Ratchet snorted. “Why do you care? The job’s not open.”

“What? I -” Starscream gasped. Ratchet looked skeptical. “The thought never crossed my mind. So, who did he pass the Matrix to?” Starscream’s eyes widened and he looked at Bumblebee. “You?”

Bumblebee shook his head. “Don’t look at me. Optimus relinquished the Matrix. It can’t be passed down.”

Starscream frowned. That complicated matters.

“But the Autobots look to you, it seems.”

“We’re just trying to figure out how to rebuild right now. It’s a team effort.”

Starscream rolled his eyes.

“Bumblebee is being a bit humble,” Ratchet said. “His accomplishments have earned him a great deal of respect.”

“Well, if temporarily killing Megatron is all it takes, I can offer a few pointers.” He grinned at his former leader and gave a mock salute.

“Don’t push it, Starscream,” Megatron said. “Your liberty is still not guaranteed.”

Starscream stared venomously at him. He still did not know at whose sufferance he was being allowed to command Seekers. If it was Autobots, he could take it until he could command them in his own right, but if it was Megatron – if he was still under Megatron’s thumb – he would rather be in prison. He chuckled, then laughed out loud.

“Oh, now I see what you’re doing – maneuvering into the Autobots’ good graces so you can whisper in their audio receptors and keep your old rivals from getting the same deal. And they must have been eager to believe it. I bet you even fooled Optimus Pr-“

Megatron’s punch staggered him, and he grabbed the wall to stay on his feet. Oddly, he hadn’t expected him to do that. He put his fingers to his mouth and looked at them. He wasn’t even leaking.

“Maybe you really have gone soft,” he growled. “Your punch certainly has.”

Megatron pulled his fist back again, but Bumble stepped between them and pushed Megatron back.

“Starscream, stop!” Bumblebee said. “What are you trying to prove? Look, you were right about being the best bot to take care of the new Seekers. In a way, Optimus did give you this chance to prove yourself, by allowing them to be born. What they think of you is entirely in your hands. You have their trust, and only you can break it, not me or the Autobots, and not Megatron. No one is hoping for that to happen. It would be a tragedy.”

The Seeker backed up slowly, not sure what Bumblebee was up to, and not liking it. He ducked out of the room and left the building, onto a quiet street. The night was cool and most of the city lights were still out. It was into that night that he launched himself, soaring up until he could see the curvature of Cybertron, glowing blue and alive below him. He could fly anywhere. Kaon was also being rebuilt, having been the least damaged of any city. How many Predacons could there really be? Far to the southwest, his sharp eyes could just make out the gleam of the Well of AllSparks.

New bots were being born right now. Maybe Seekers. He thought of Solarflare and his good flying and terrible landings. What would it prove to leave him and the others behind? It would prove Megatron right, that’s what it would prove. He could keep flying. He was his own bot. And as such, he turned around and headed back down to Iacon, casting a last look back at the Well. Tomorrow they would move landing practice to the afternoon. In the morning he would take them in formation over the Well of AllSparks, a salute to Optimus Prime for giving him a chance. He had all the time in world to figure out how to take advantage of it later.

To be continued...

Fanfiction part 6

STOP!!! This isn't the beginning! This is!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you haven't seen all of Transformers Prime and Predacons Rising, and read Transformers: Exodus, go no further! I refer to major plot developments that will give spoilers, and also half of this story won't make any sense if you don't read the novel. You really ought to play Fall of Cybertron and/ or read the Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics as well. Everyone should, just because they are so awesome. 

Legal stuff: I don't own any of these characters or settings and this is just a fan work.

Last time Knockout and Ratchet repaired all the damage Starscream had suffered, including replacing his damaged wing, but when he realized he would not be allowed to fly, Starscream came off as pretty ungrateful, only deepening the divide between him and Knockout. He was arrested by Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack.

Note: Make sure you have read Transformers: Exodus before this, since there are spoilers in this segment.

>>>Starscream sits in prison for a couple of days and hardly gives the Autobots any more info, since he is sulking.<<<

“Starscream! I know it’s you! Transform and show yourself!”

Starscream looked around wildly and pressed against the wall near the window of his cell. The voice had come from outside, and it was the unmistakable feral rasp of a Predacon. They’d found him!

The guard did not appear to have heard anything, being on the other side of a buzzing force field. Starscream considered demanding to be moved to an interior cell that was more secure, despite how much he hated being deep inside buildings, when a jet roared past just outside. There was no time to move now - he was doomed! Shockwave had outfitted a Predacon with a jet engine! Was that what he meant by modifications? What an idiot! He steeled his nerve and leaned toward the window to see the abomination, then ducked as a massive shape darted past, collided with the wall, and leapt off again, shaking the building. That was the Predacon, an ordinary one if there was such a thing, and the jet… was fighting it? No. Starscream peered out and spotted the jet, a slim, angular alt-mode, racing away with the beast close on its tail, rolling clumsily to avoid a blast of fire.

The alt-mode bore no Autobot or Decepticon markings, and it was painted yellow and red, but Starscream supposed a creature as stupid as a Predacon might have mistaken it for him. It was distracting the brute, anyway. He looked around and spied a crack, high up on the wall. Glancing at the guard, who was looking around nervously after the big boom, he armed his Null Rays and went to work on the crack. They hadn’t disarmed the weapons he could create from his own body, an invasive procedure that Ratchet did not seem eager to perform, but he would have preferred to have his missiles – Null Rays did little physical damage to things that were not electrified.

“Stop that!” cried the guard, banging on the edge of the force field generator.

“That thing won’t be gone long,” Starscream said, “and I do not intend to be here when it returns!” He kept firing, and the guard trans-readied his blaster hand and opened the force field. A Null Ray to the face dropped him before he set foot inside. Starscream shook his head as he stepped over the unconscious bot. He hadn’t even planned that - it had been too obvious – but he took the opportunity. If he could just escape the Predacon with his life, he was going to like this Cybertron full of naïve new bots.

If there had been other guards posted, they were gone, likely to see what the commotion was outside, and no one stopped Starscream as he simply walked out of the building. Outside, he could hear shouting off to the left, on a wide street, and he ducked behind a pillar as a small shadow whisked over him, followed by a huge one. He watched as they chased off into one of Iacon’s vast golden boulevards the size of a small canyon. The Seeker was flying low along the terraced buildings, and he kept circling back and then darting away, all the while letting the Predacon get close enough to rain fire on him. He was looking for a place to land, but he didn’t look injured.

Why would he do something so stupid? He’s been hanging around wheelbound Autobots, Starscream thought to himself. A Seeker was safest in the air, with the advantage of altitude and three dimensions to move around in. This Seeker had cut himself down to just two, with the ground so close below and the Predacon above. Maybe that infuriating Silverbolt could pull off a low altitude dogfight, but this bot was no Silverbolt. At least he wasn’t stupid enough to descend all the way into the artificial chasm and get really trapped.

A crowd of bots was coming from the left, toward where Starscream was hiding, all racing to follow the aerial chase. His window of escape was shrinking. After checking to make sure the doomed Seeker had led the Predacon far enough away, he leapt into the air and transformed, blasting skyward in a tight spiral. It was possible someone saw him leave, but what did he care? Below, a trio of Autobots, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Smokescreen, he thought, roared ahead of the crowd in vehicle mode, transforming occasionally to fire uselessly up at the Predacon. The rest were likely new Cybertronians from the Well of AllSparks, and they simply moved together in a frightened clump. He spied a handful of Seekers on the edge of the crowd, and two flying Vehicon troopers, still painted with their Decepticon purple uniforms.

None of the flight-capable bots was doing anything, though one of the new ones kept nervously assuming alt-mode, but then hesitating and landing again. There was clearly a vacuum of Seeker leadership, not surprising since none the Autobots there could fly. Not that it would do any good against a Predacon. Except maybe – where was Prime?

Starscream suddenly remembered something he hadn’t thought of in ages. Another missing Prime, Sentinel, whose failure of leadership was the reason he had joined the Decepticons in the first place. At least when Optimus Prime was absent it was because he was off doing something, usually something that thwarted Starscream. That was at least admirable, though frustrating. Starscream scanned the horizons for the Prime’s new flying silhouette. He’d never wanted him to show up before. Where was he? His thoughts returned to Sentinel - he had been absent right in front of all Cybertronian’s faces for centuries, not fighting for those depending on him to lead. Starscream had hated him for it.

He pulled up into a half loop and dove back the way he’d come. He was going to hate himself in a moment.

With the sun at his back, he could see his shadow racing below him along the ground, whisking over the little crowd and the fighting Autobots, then dropping into the shadowed street as he dove on the Predacon. He waited until he was near, then peppered it with ion-cannon fire, right behind the head. He felt a primal lurch of fear as its attention turned to him, and he used the fear to roll faster under the blast of fire that came his way. As he rolled he shot again, sending a spiral of ion bolts into the beast’s face and shoulder.

They did nothing.

He pulled up and twisted away as an orange glow formed in the Predacon’s throat, but no flame chased him. Scrap! The Predacon hadn’t forgotten its first target, and now the other Seeker had moved into the open to make its escape. The beast drenched it in flames, nearly knocking it down, then turned and growled at another barrage from Starscream.

The Predacon hesitated, circling between its two foes, one wounded and one an imminent threat, and then it did the worst thing it could! It turned on Starscream, roaring a furious challenge, and at the same time it swept the other Seeker out of the air with its tail. The Seeker tumbled, reverting to its proto-form in a panic, the Predacon flapped skyward, and Starscream dove straight down.

He could feel the heat off the Predacon as he slipped below it, its jaws snapping shut on nothing but contrails. A quick roll moved him safely around its lashing tail and then he gunned his engine. If he could just crunch his speed and that of the irregularly flailing Seeker… He slammed his elevators up, all but stopping mid-air, and the bot crashed into him. It latched on in a death grip as if they’d been magnetized together, and it was all Starscream could do to stay airborne.

“You have wings!” he yelled, blasting his vocoder over the howl of his straining engine. “Get off me and transform!”

The Seeker took orders well, and a moment later Starscream was lighter. “Get out of here!” he said. “Get altitude. Fly crazy. Don’t sit in front of its fire.” A brief lesson on dogfighting tactics, but it would have to do.

He fired his engine hard, not caring anymore where the other bot went. If he couldn’t get clear he was on his own – Starscream had just used up all the heroics he could muster. Now he needed to escape, and to do that, he needed altitude. For now, that advantage was the Predacon’s.

Starscream fired at it as he closed, drawing level with it for a moment, then skidded left to avoid its claws. The tail came from the other side, and Starscream transformed, using his sideways momentum to flip his bot form over the sweeping blades. They shaved sparks off him as he arced his body over head first. Pointing down now, he alt-formed and fired his engine, swooping under the Predacon, using the extra speed to gain an enormous amount of lift. He got above the confused beast, fired a parting shot, and blasted away.

The Predacon screeched and flapped harder, giving chase, but Starscream was much faster in the open. He easily dodged a couple of fireballs and did a victory roll, flashing in the sun. Primus, it was good to fly!

He was nearly in the clear when his rear facing optics saw something he could not believe. The Predacon contracted its neck in, shortened and stiffened its wings and tail, and fired a jet engine that opened on its back.

“Shockwaaaave!” howled Starscream as he rocketed away with the Predacon gaining. They hurtled southeast, toward Kalis. Starscream looked down. The roads along the fusion link tunnels connecting Kalis and Iacon looked all right, at least from the air. Hopefully the tunnels were still open - this was the time to fly low. He dove, rolling and jinking from side to side, pleased that fireballs were hard to aim at these speeds, but not willing to trust that Shockwave hadn’t installed more weapons on his latest monster variation.

Just below him was a tunnel opening, and he couldn’t believe his good fortune. Energon must have started welling up in Kalis again, because it looked as though a river of it was running inside the tunnels into Iacon. He slowed as much as he dared, letting the Predacon catch up. Shockwave may have made you faster, he thought, but I bet he left you stupid. He gave one final burst of speed, flying just inside the broken road surface, then snapped a turn down the tunnel, careful to skim the roof and the keep his engine from igniting the Energon. That happened soon enough. The Predacon unleashed a fireball at Starscream’s vanishing tail, and crashed into the tunnel a moment later in a devastating blue conflagration.

Starscream’s shadow leapt up in front of him against the blue-lit tunnel walls. His optics nearly whited out from the intense light, making it hard to dodge the odd chunks of debris that criss-crossed the derelict tunnel. There was a light ahead, and that was all he focused on. A little farther, but the heat and pressure of the explosion were on top of him, creating a wave of turbulence. He pulled up and grazed the opening as he burst into the cold air. It stung, but not as much as getting blown up would.

He circled once, with a dread creeping up on him that the Predacon may have survived, before deciding that he would rather not know than face it again right now. And he also did not want to be alone in a world where such things existed. He turned and flew northwest.

The bots in Iacon looked up from the excited mob they’d formed around Solarflare, the young Seeker who’d just been chased by a Predacon and rescued by someone the older Autobots had called Starscream, and seemed mystified about. The sky to the southeast was burning blue-white, with a huge column of smoke. A couple of Seekers circled up to see what it was, but it was far outside the city.

The commotion below gave Starscream an idea, and he rolled into a steep dive. He transformed just as he landed and straightened up, brushing some fresh metal shavings off of his arm.

“Got him,” he said, and was instantly surrounded by young Seekers. He avoided eye contact with the Autobots glaring from the back of the crowd, and just let the new bots bask. They parted as the Seeker he’d rescued pushed through, shadowed by Ratchet. The scorched bot stopped in front of Starscream and almost reached out to touch him, awe on his face. He pulled his hand back.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said. “Who are you?”

Starscream drew himself up. “My name is Starscream. Supreme Air Commander of all Cybertron.”

A murmur of admiration went through the crowd of new bots. It didn’t matter that all of Cybertron amounted to about eighty bots at the moment, only a handful of whom could fly.

“Puh-lease!” growled Ratchet, but none of the crowd seemed to notice. Arcee shoved through the other bots and grabbed Starscream’s arm, pulling him aside.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He jerked his arm away from her. “I think I just saved that bot’s life,” he said smoothly.

“You know what I mean. You’re not the Air Commander. You’re the worst kind of war criminal.”

“The worst? Spare me. You haven’t spent the last lunar cycle with Shockwave and his science projects.” Starscream shuddered. “He’s much worse than I am.”

“It’s not a contest! And ‘not as bad as Shockwave’ isn’t going to fly.”

“Neither will these young Seekers if they aren’t properly trained. At least not for long. You lot haven’t taught them anything.” Starscream looked around. “Do you see any other flying bots who know what they’re doing? Any Aerialbots? No? Then that makes me Air Commander.” His own anger surprised him. He wanted authority, obviously, and to be out of prison, but here he was, sincerely advocating for those Seekers. If Arcee thought she was protecting them from him, she was wrong.

“Do they get a choice?” he said, his voice soft but icy. Then, before she could say anything he turned back to the Seekers, who were waiting, confused. He threw his arms open. “Who wants flying lessons?”

They all pressed forward, hands raised, including one of the flying Vehicons until the other slugged him in the side. Starscream grinned at Arcee, who returned a look of pure loathing. He acknowledged the crowd with an unctuous wave and turned to her.

“You wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would you?”

“Bulkhead.” She jerked her head at Starscream, turned on her heel, and stormed off. Bulkhead’s heavy hand landing on his shoulders nearly knocked Starscream over, and the huge Autobot gripped the back of his neck and marched him after Arcee.

“We just need to figure out some scheduling details,” Starscream called back to the Seekers. “I wouldn’t dream of stealing you from the construction crew!”

As soon as they were inside Arcee snapped manacles around his wrists and Bulkhead let go of him.

“Aw,” Starscream moaned, pulling uselessly on the cuffs. “Why do you even have these?”

“It’s a prison,” Arcee said bluntly. “Did you forget you were just here? Come on.”

To Starscream’s surprise they walked straight through the building and out onto the streets beyond, turning into the smaller but grander structure the Autobots had been coordinating reconstruction out of. Inside that building, they entered a room where Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus were looking over a map of the Kalis region.

“We have a situation,” Arcee said.

Bumblebee looked up, and if he was surprised to see Starscream, he didn’t show it. “What’d you do?” he asked.

“Only something amazing!” Starscream said. “For which I think a little gratitude is on order.”

Bumblebee looked at Arcee.

“He broke out of prison and declared himself Air Commander.”

Ultra Magnus snorted. “He can say it all it he wants, it doesn’t make it so.”

“I feel the need to mention that something happened in between!” Starscream said. No one said anything, so he went on. “I broke out because a Predacon was in the city, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near the vile thing. However, it was attacking one of your poorly trained new Seekers, so I distracted the beast and saved his life.”

Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus just looked at each other, and then both started laughing. Apparently Ultra Magnus had a sense of humor, and Starscream didn’t appreciate it.

“It’s true,” Arcee said. That shut them up.

“There’s the Predacon on the loose?” Bumblebee asked, alarmed.

“Not anymore,” Starscream said. “The fool exploded when it crashed into an Energon river under the old Kali-Con road.”

Bumblebee leaned on the table. “Starscream, we needed that!” Ultra Magnus tossed away the map they they’d been reviewing.

“It was that or let the beast catch me, and I do not relish the thought of ever being in one’s clutches again,” Starscream said. “It was against my better judgment to engage it in the first place.”

Bumblebee just looked at him for a long time, until Arcee stepped between them.

“Come on, Bee, this is ridiculous. He needs to go straight back to prison.”

“Agreed!” Ratchet entered the room, followed by Smokescreen. Starscream raised an eyebrow.

“And how is your patient?” he asked. “Singed? Shaken? Dented? But still in one piece. You’re welcome.”

Ratchet faced up to him and jabbed him with his finger.

“And how do we know you and Shockwave didn’t plan this whole thing? Have us take you prisoner to get inside Iacon, and then use one of his Predacons to make you look like a hero?”

“First of all,” growled Starscream, swatting Ratchet away with his cuffed hands, “I let you take me prisoner to get away from Shockwave’s dubious medical care, not to conspire with him. Second, I’ve had my fill of working with Predacons. You saw what those wretched beasts did to me! And third, he tried to have me eaten by scraplets! Even Shockwave’s plans aren’t that recklessly convoluted!”

“Even assuming that’s true,” Arcee said, “why was the Predacon even here? It was looking for you.”

Starscream took a step back. “So?”

“So, maybe we should just let you go. You can take your chances out there.”

“You mean… banished?” His wings drooped a little. “But you can’t! That is, I can help you.”

Arcee just turned away.

“Why did you come back instead of escaping?” Bumblebee asked after a moment. “You could have left while the Predacon was distracted. Even after you fought it, you could have kept flying.”

Starscream straightened up and tried to look as dignified as he could in shackles.

“I returned because Cybertron needs an Air Command. War refugees aren’t the only things out there in space, and even some of the them may not be too pleased with how the war turned out. If pirates, or Quintessons, or Decepticons show up, or something worse follows the refugees home, what will you do?” No one said anything, and he continued. “If you wonder about my loyalties, rest assured they are to Cybertron. They always have been.”

“Cybertron with you in charge,” corrected Arcee.

“Fair enough,” said Starscream. “But even if the peace holds, those Seekers deserve a chance to find out what they’re good at. None of you can provide that.” He looked around. “I shall await your decision.” With that he left the room.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Bulkhead said.

Bumblebee waited until they were out of earshot.

“He’s right.”

“He’s lying!” Arcee snapped.

“Why can’t it be both?” Bumblebee said, getting stunned stares in return. “Regardless of his motives, he does seem like the best bot for the job.”

“Bumblebee!” Ratchet said, “You can’t be serious!”

“Who did Starscream rescue?”

Ratchet took a moment to respond, annoyed at the subject change.

“Solarflare.”

“Is he all right?”

“Physically he’s fine, aside from some scrapes and burned paint. But I think he’s still in shock.”

Bumblebee nodded then said quietly, “It could have been worse.”

“It could,” Ratchet conceded, shaking his head. “Most bots don’t escape a Predacon attack relatively unscathed, if they escape at all.”

Bumblebee turned to Ultra Magnus. “What’s your estimate of the new Seekers’ abilities?”

“They’re pathetic.” He looked around at the others who seemed put off by his bluntness. “They’re slow and clumsy in the air, and only a couple have shown any enthusiasm for high altitude flying.”

“I can outrun some of them driving,” Smokescreen said.

“Unless some Aerialbots show up, I’m afraid that’s never going to change.” Bumblebee said. “If there are more Predacons, and Soundwave and Shockwave are still out there possibly recruiting old Decepticons, they’re in danger, and we can’t protect them unless they stay grounded, which isn’t right. I hate to say it, but we may need Starscream on this one.”

“He’ll just do what he always does,” Arcee said. “He’ll wait, and make the Seekers loyal to him, and then try to take advantage somehow.”

“But we know he will,” said Smokescreen. “And he knows we know. Would he still try something, knowing we know he knows we know?”

“He’ll try something,” Arcee said. “No matter what.”

“Until then,” Ratchet sighed, “I agree he may be a great help to our young Seekers.”

“They need to know who he is,” Arcee said. “What he’s done. He’s too dangerous to be allowed to influence young bots.”

Bumblebee held up his hand. “We need to consider his proposal, that’s all. And we need to ask Megatron. If anyone knows all of Starscream’s tricks, it’s him. We don’t need to decide right now.”

All the Autobots agreed, though none were happy about it.

“Bulkhead,” Bumblebee said over his commlink, “Take Starscream back to prison.”

---

The forcefield blinked open behind Starscream, and he didn’t turn around at the sound of heavy footsteps. Megatron’s footsteps, a sound Starscream would always recognize, and didn’t feel like acknowledging.

“No Null Rays or escape attempts, Starscream?” Megatron said. Starscream turned around and the guard outside, the same one he’d knocked out, gave him a wounded look.

“So the Autobots have you running errands for them now, Lord Megatron?” They stared at each other and Megatron lifted one finger.

“One point for arrogance.”

“What are you doing?” Starscream asked, glancing at the finger, unsure if he should worry. What was Megatron playing at?

“They want me to try and get a sense of your true intentions before they decide what to do with you.”

“My intentions are just what I said! I know no one trusts me, but is it so hard to believe I want to be the Air Commander? It should be obvious!”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you. Why these bots? Surely you’d rather command battle-hardened Decepticons who are doubtless returning from space as we speak. That was your intent when you flew away, was it not?”

“And go back to Shockwave’s lunacy and Soundwave’s plotting? They’ll feed me to their Predacons if I show my face.” He glanced out the window, nervous, for the first time in his life, about what might come from the sky. “Besides, I can do more here, for these Seekers.”

Megatron raised an eyebrow. “You really have the patience to train them?”

“If it takes a thousand years! And it might.” Starscream sighed. “Do you understand how irritating it is to witness gross incompetence taking place before your very eyes?”

“Yes, Starscream, I think I may have mentioned it to you a few times.”

“Very funny. All I want to do is show them what they’re capable of. I want them to take care of themselves, not depend on ground rolling Autobots as long as they don’t fly too high. Since no one else can, doesn’t that make me responsible?”

“And you suddenly care about taking responsibility?”

Starscream stepped up to Megatron, trying to keep his sudden anger in check.

“And who removed my responsibilities? This time around, I intend to protect my Seekers, and I can, since no one is going to throw them away on suicide missions just to put me in my place, or wipe their city off the face of the planet to erode my power, or hand them over to Shockwave as experimental playthings.”

Megatron said nothing, and just stared down at Starscream. Starscream expected to see rage blazing in his eyes, but he was calm. He thought he could have struck him then and Megatron would have taken it, and not responded with a crushing beating. Instead he turned back to the window.

“Go explain that to your Autobot masters.”

He heard Megatron leave and gazed up at Moonbase 1, its ruins faintly visible on a clear night like tonight.

“Well?” Arcee asked as Megatron entered the command center again. He hadn’t been gone long.

“My opinion hasn’t changed.”

“So is that a yes or a no?” asked Bumblebee.

“I leave that to you.” He moved to the middle of the room and addressed all the Autobots.

“You asked me to find out certain things. Is he planning something? I am certain he is, but it hasn’t crystallized yet. For the moment he is resting on his laurels, relieved to be alive and away from Shockwave, whom he hates. He is, however, getting restless, and while it is not in his nature to be satisfied, his ego is easily stroked. For now you can let him have his way and your Seekers will benefit enormously from his expertise. He is sincere about that, and he’ll train them with absolute dedication. But understand, as their abilities grow, so will his arrogance, and you must watch for the moment when he tries to recruit the most skillful among them to his cause, whatever it ends up being.”

“You’ll recognize the signs, right? You’ve seen how he operates.”

Megatron could not resist laughing. “Oh I’ve seen his schemes come together, fall apart, adapt, and even work out sometimes. It was almost entertaining. But I am not getting involved this time.”

“Why not?” asked Bulkhead. “He’s afraid of you. It might make him behave.”

“If he thinks I am in charge over him, he’ll try to subvert me before doing anything else. And if he thinks I did him any favors, he’ll balk. It’s personal.”

Silence descended on the room, finally broken by Bumblebee.

“What was he like as Air Commander?”

Megatron considered. “He was quite skilled. Maybe brilliant. I’m sure you know what a difference his Seekers and control of space made in the war. Many of my victories hinged on them. It almost made up for his arrogance and constant scheming, and thus I suffered him to live, as long as he was kept in his place.”

“Sounds fun to be a Decepticon,” muttered Smokescreen.

Megatron went on. “He was a very different bot then. Still a schemer, to be sure, but he was brave. Even when he was out for himself, he had a few things he would have died for. Cybertron was one. I believe the loss of the planet changed him, made his own continued existence and vague power grabs his only priorities. His Seekers and their pride were another. I understand he risked challenging a Predacon to save a Seeker? That is not something I would credit him with doing, but thousands of years ago, I might have. Perhaps a restored Cybertron means the restoration of other things that were lost as well.”

To be continued...