Chapter 1
Footsteps*
“StarScream, you have a visitor.”
That mechanical voice on that Primus forsaken day. I'll never forget it, or it's echo.
The halls were empty and the constant echo of Ironhides frame along with starscream’s scratched his motherboard in an irritating way.
Finally starscream was uncuffed and sat down onto a metal chair. If starscreams frame could feel the temperature he'd be freezing. He would have looked around, but these meetings have been happening too often, and starscream was beginning to tire of this room.
Finally the door opened with a burst of sterile air. Starscream felt his body tense. He expected a prime or atleast a counselor, someone from the past ranks that had been coming to speak to him. But the mech that walked in was neither, and starscream wished he died during the war as their optics locked.
“Star-”
Their voice was still as soft as flowing energon but now there was the undertone of gruffness, perhaps a type of disdain? Starscream wouldn't doubt it. During the war he burned many friendships, for survival and power. This old relationship was no different, except for some things. Those blue optics met red. once Two factions. A war is a war. Don't forget that.
“Don’t bother with small talk just tell me why your here.” starscream interrupted closing his optics, if he kept them open and stared at the mech in front of him he feared they'd start to leak.
“Starli- starscream, you keep rejecting the offer the council is making for you to enter the scientific research team. I want to know why? We could really use a mech like you… someone experienced.” their voice quivered slightly.
“I'd rather stay here and rot.” starscream glared.
“Why are you so stubborn?! Starscream this is an opportunity to help cybertron! To redeem yourself! To come back to m–” the sound of metal servos clashing onto a metal table rang out.
“IT WOULD D D-D D D BE BETTER FOR CYYYY-BERTRON IF I SAT IN THAT PRIMUS FORSAKEN CELL FOR THE REST OF MY LIIIIIIYYFE!” Starscream's voice box glitched uncontrollably.
Starescream finally turned to stare at the mechs optics to look for disdain but only found a look that upset him further. He hoped it wasn't pity but with his failing voicebox and current outburst he could only assume it to be.
“Goodbye” starscream turned and allowed ironhide to cuff him and return him to his cell. His optics burned brightly but the glow radiating from them wasnt red.
Once in the safety of his cell he prodded at his voice box in an attempt to save it from completely breaking. After a million years in this jail without a medic or the proper tools he once had access to its fallen to a state of rust and missing parts. As Well as a glitching sound.
As he prodded at his voicebox coolant threatened to fall from his optics.
“Why…”
“wWyi”
“Did it have to be you….”
“If they wanted to torture me let it be more physical than emotional…”
“I hate you… I HATE YOU i hate you…….”
“But why do i still miss you….”
Starscream had a solitary cell where he spent all his time, the cell was large enough for him to transform into his alt but he was incapable of movement in that mode. He often wondered if it was the same for thundercracker and skywarp.
He had been separated from his trine brothers in an attempt to break them all separately. Maybe for them to sell eachother out, but they had all already given up and confessed their crimes, there was no need for it. The autobots had won and Cybertron was alive and bustling…. It's all they had wanted, its all they fought for in the decepticon faction.
Starscream inserted his voice box back into place and closed his optics. “Maybe this time i'll stay offline for good” he mumbled before entering a recharge mode.
[time skip of a couple centuries because im lazyyyy :3]
Starscream looked up from his datapad to find several wreckers and ironhide at the secured door which was opening slowly with a hiss.
“……………”
(holy frag what did i do!? Ive done literally nothing but read WHY ARE THEIR SO MANY FRAGGING WRECKERS HERE!!!” starscream felt condensate well up on his helm.
“W-whats going on here guys?......” holy frag “guys” really starscream!! Get a grip! Starscream yelled internally before ironhide finally spoke with an annoyed voice and expression.
“UP! We are escorting you to the council.”
It clicks for starscream. “Ah… so its been four million years?” he asked setting the datapad down and standing”
“No”
Starscream looks up confused. “Then why am i going to the council?”
Ironhide glares and grabs starscream, beginning to drag him out of the cell to cuff his arms and wings.
“The council has deemed you worthy of a trial to test if you should be released early.”
Starscream tenses, somethings not right, he is one of the mechs most unworthy for such a chance, probably top three beside megatron and shockwave so why was he getting this chance when he wasn't worthy.
“No… I don't want it. Give it to thundercracker or skywarp because I don't want it.” starscream tried to walk into his cell only to be pushed roughly to keep walking by a wrecker.
“Not your choice screamer. Because if it were up to any of us. You could have rusted and rot in that cell for all we care. You don't deserve this chance. None of the decepticons do.”
Starscream zoned out. He was right. For the most part, starscream didn't deserve this chance.. When he was sentenced for four million years instead of the rest of his life he was upset. He didn't deserve the chance to be free. Not when he hurt those he once called friends, family and comrades. He constantly dreamt of that moment. Where he was given four million instead to the amount that was most worthy for him. Life or even death. He was a stain on cybertrons species. He was a stain in his own trine. He didn't deserve any of these opportunities.
He was a monster.
A criminal.
He should have died with ulchtar the moment he first killed a mech.
The moment he tried to usurp Megatron
Optimus prime
Soundwave
He should be dead
Why in both primus and Unicrons name was he not dead.
Why
Why
Why
Starscream's vents went shallow, his optics dimmed and his walking became uniform as he allowed himself to be led and pushed to the council, lost in his own mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the crowd saw the once proud starscream at the podium they believed the guards brought a different seeker altogether. It was as if they were looking at a different mech entirely.
The red, white and blue paint that used to adorn starscream's frame was chipped and scratched, parts of his frame and helm dented from when he let himself fall or when he'd punish himself. Most curiously his optics were no longer their wretched red.
Optimus called starscream out of his trance.
“Starscream”
Starscream looked up at rodimus and optimus prime, along with some other senate members, councilors, police, and regular mechs.
“We the primes with the voice of our fellow mechs and primus reward you, your freedom for your well behavior and acceptance of defeat as well as occasional camaraderie during the war.
So it was true. He was going to be a free mech. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to. His spark felt disturbed and cold with that information. Cybertron didn't deserve to have him staining any of its future. Besides, he didnt want to be alone. Not without his trine brothers.
Boos and cheers erupted from the stands, when he looked up he was lunged onto and pulled out of his thoughts. Skywarp, Thundercracker, and even Slipstream stood next to him laughing. All he could register from them was that they were free. Free? That's a strange word for it.
He felt coolant rundown his faceplate as he hugged his trine brothers and sister. How could they truly be free when they were so obviously hated and feared with reason. His optics looked up searching for a star but before reaching one his eyes locked with a large white mech in the stands that towered over every other mech next to them. Their blue optics shining brightly with coolant dripping slightly and with a smile.
It's odd. That his own optics also matched theirs. And for a moment his spark lurched.
It's odd.
Can love still remain when the other should loathe you?
They stared for a moment before he felt his mechanical restraints fall and he lept with his siblings into the sky. The stars shone brightly. And as he stared at his siblings,realizing finally why they were granted this chance.
Red optics often were a sign of corruption or intense emotions, every decepticon had them because of fear or anger towards the death of cybertron or because of any loss during the war. It connected the mechs to unicron in a way.
While blue or aqua/cyan connected the mech to purity, hope , cleansing, and change, it also signified a type of goodwill which is why Optimus's optics were the purest and brightest blue. Blue brought healing and peace. And now starscream and his siblings wore them… it was nice.. It reminded him of when they were still young.
When they landed Optimus walked towards Starscream lending out his arm. Starscream's optics still had coolant leaking so he quickly wiped them away and shook Optimus's servo mumbling a thank you optimus nodded to.
“Starscream, will you join the science and research division? I'm sure they could use another pair of working servos ." His voice was positive and hopeful.
“......im sorry… ahem … no. I can't. I -im not deserving.”
Optimus raised his brow “ is something wrong with your voice box starscream?”
Starscream shook his helm violently “ no NoO … its malfunctioning slightly.”
Optimus was about to signal for ratchet but starscream stopped him.
“I don't need any sort of help.. Ahem.. I will not be joining the science research division because I plan on leaving cybertron.
His trine siblings stopped talking in-between each other and stared confused at starscream. Optimus looked surprised.
“Didnt you want to lead and help Cybertron become stronger?” he asked confused.
“I did… and i still do but i do not feel…” a sigh escapes him. “ i spent five million years fighting for cybertron and two million locked in a cell. Im tired and… i want to be free off world for a while. I plan on continuing research on other planets until a permanent settlement and maybe keeping contact.. But i can't be here.”
Optimus stared allowing starscream to keep rambling. “Cybertron has been my home for far longer than you and megatron. I've witnessed eras and destruction. My spark will always be connected here but … I can't live here. Not without the continuous voice reminding me of the scrap i've done not with the stares. This cannot be my home.. Not for a while.”
Optimus nodded in understanding. “Very well if that's your decision. If you ever wish to contact us or any scientist here on Cybertron you're more than welcome to.” with that optimus left to speak with some mechs.
Slipstream, skywarp, and thundercracker stared at starscream and before he could begin to tell them he'd miss them they embraced him.
“We just got you back! Ain't no way we are leaving you to go explore by yourself!” Skywarp yelled.
“You're stuck with us until the end of time you son of a glitch!” Slipstream smirked .
“Did you honestly believe we'd let you go on your own?!” Thundercracker smirked.
Their words were what he needed, something comforting that grounded him that allowed him to walk past the shadow of his sins with repentance and acceptance. His spark felt warm and he felt more coolant begin to fall from his optics as his smirk grew.
“What, why are you all acting like you can't live without me the great starscream!” he lunged upwords to the sky, his trine siblings and sister joining. “There you are you egotistical frag” they transformed to their alts flying in circles around each other.
As he flew starscream felt a pair of optics on him and he didn't need to see them to know who it was with how his spark felt heavy. Still he returned to his root mode and returned their gaze before they averted it.
Skyfire… always the same aren't you? He felt a smile tug at his lips before returning to his altmode and leaving cybertrons atmosphere with his siblings next to him. And as they bickered over which planet to visit, Starscream already had an idea of one in an entirely diffe
rent galaxy. Somewhere not much time has passed like in cybertrons galaxy.
“How about earth?”