Chapter two
EARTH?! They exclaimed surprised. The mudball they had barely escaped during the war? Really that mudball? The one they cursed out for its fleshlings and organic life and irregular cycles? Honestly what was starscream thinking.
“Did your circuits fry while you were in that cell?! Why would we want to go back there!” skywarp groaned annoyed and irritated his alt mode warping erratically before stopping in front of starscream's alt.
Starscream pushed skywarp to the side with his cockpit. “Course not you blabbering idiot, but think about it that forsaken planet should still have abandoned energon deposits by both autobots and decepticons, it will be a refuel stop then we leave.” starscream felt a headache coming in, the type you missed but still despise.
“It’ll take deca-cycles to reach earth with our speed and limited energon” sideswipe interjected being the brains of the group. Considering the fact they didn't actually plan or even pack. Honestly they were fragged.
“Eh! That's right we didn't bring any energon or high-grade!” Skywarp exclaimed dread filling his voice before a large clang was heard of sideswipe hitting him.
“Get your head out of the high grade!” irritation laced slipstreams voice. Starscream returned to his root and floated in zero gravity. “How far are we from the closest planet?”
“73 cycles away at our current speed but if we push our tanks and thrusters we can make it in…. Maybe give or take 39 cycles-”
Skywarp interrupts “ thats if we don't run out of energon on the way there.”
Thundercracker returns to his root mode and joins starscream in a sitting position. “I think we can have lookouts while some of us enter stasis to not waste energon and take turns.” thundercracker ponders.
This time sideswipe revs her engine in irritation. “ Absolutely not! Then we’ll have to wait several cycles unfreezing you” she lets a fire exit her thruster to show her irritation.
Thundercracker and starscream return to their alts and head in the planet's direction. “Alright on my command we’ll go full speed” starscream powers his thrusters melting some of the ice that was beginning to form on his frame
On that note they all began speeding towards the planet at a high speed which even the vacuum of space couldn't stifle the sounds of their engines. Exactly to sideswipes calculation they reached the small planet of euro in 40 cycles, one more then expected.
—------
“I HAD ALREADY TOLD YOU TO STOPPPP BUT NOOO YOU JUST HAD TO KEEP TELEPORTING!” thundercracker yelled at skywarp who was being dragged by TC and SS.
During the flight Skywarp had gotten so bored he decided that he would keep warping ahead and return to the group draining his energon tank to a point he was barely online.
“STOP YELLING AT ME YOU SON OF A GLITCH” skywarp yelled back as they entered the planets atmosphere, the heat of it grazing them and melting the ice on them. Once they landed sideswipe got the groups limited amount of currency to buy some energon rations.
Starscream sighed and rubbed his optics. The flight both tired and rejuvenated him. He missed his idiotic brothers and attentive sister who reprimanded them with him, he couldn't help thinking that this is what peace was. That was until they got on his last fuel lines.
“SKYWARP STOP SWEARING! THUNDERCRACKER GO WITH SIDESWIPE!” starscream ordered with that same face he made to the troops when he was second in command, he was even in the same pose, hands on his hips with his height leaning on one pede.
“NOW!” skywarp gave one last glare before sighing playfully and leaning on the ground as thundercracker’s pedes disappeared into the crowd. Starscream swatted at skywarps helm. “You fragging idiot, listen to my commands when i give them.” he muttered
Skywarp chuckled and looked to the skies. “Are you even listening?!” starscream glared at skywarp, his optics softening when he realised the bot had looked to the sky to signal his recharge mode.
“ Fragging idiot…” Starscream shook his head and dragged skywarps limp frame to the side of the path, laying him down on the ground. Soon enough both sideswipe and thundercracker returned holding packs of energon.
“How long will it last?” starscream asked crossing his arms and looking at their limited sustenance. “Until earth if we ration properly” thundercracker drank a pack and opened another to feed skywarp.
“It should last us until we reach earths magnetic field where we can enter stasis and enter the atmosphere.” sideswipe passes a pack to starscream who puts it into an empty space in his arm.
“We’ll recharge here and depart at dusk.” starscream ordered while looking for a place they would find comfortable to spend the night. Thundercracker looked unpleased. “Where? Id rather not be anywhere near these fleshy mechs” he grimaced as sideswipe gave him a (wtf is wrong with you) face.
Thundercracker quickly looked away as sideswipe began to raise her fist to smack him*
Starscream returned to his alt mode and began recharging along with skywarp, soon sideswipe would join along with thundercracker.
And like they had said during dusk they departed. The trine brothers and sisters flew for several cycles and after a mega cycle they reached earths atmosphere. Going into stasis during the entering stage would lead to their separation so as to reconnect quickly the settled to regroup at the Amazon rainforest which would hide their large frames.
“We'll regroup in the middle and stay hidden. There's no need to alert any humans to our presence. Especially because it's been over a hundred years since they've last seen a transformer on this planet.” Starscream spoke as they neared the atmosphere*
“How exactly do you know that only a hundred years have passed here?” Skywarp asked curiously as he was never a mech who was interested in science.
Unlike her brother sideswipe actually knew why and explained for starscream. “ Because the galaxy is smaller and has a slower orbit their galaxy as a whole is slower and hence more primitive.”
Thundercracker looked lost and looked at sideswipe and then to skywarp then back to sideswipe and again.
Starscream interrupted. “In simpler terms they slow because of size, we fast because our galaxy is big and has several orbits.”
Thundercracker and skywarp nod finally semi understanding. They said their goodbyes and entered stasis ready to be separated by the turbulence and high speed of entering a planet.
—--------------
Starscream wakes up in the middle of a a farm, he was in his alt mode and could hear voices outside of his cockpit.
Still groggy he tried to move and get unlodged from the fresh mud to no avail. “Jet- no $## pilot- identified @#$” starscream heard from his radio managing to save some key words just not piece them together quite yet.
Starscream tried to untransform but his frame only made weird unidentifiable sounds. He was stuck. Starscream felt hands on him and immediately shuttered.
The fleshlings were touching him, if he wasn't stuck inside himself he would have squished them for even looking at him.
Starscream grimaced as a young human girl began to speak.
“Dad! guess riches do fall from the skies! You think we can fix it up for cash?” The young human girl began to climb up starscream's wings.
“Alexis get off that thing! That doesn't seem like it's from earth at all look it! We need to call the authorities” the man reached to grab the girl called Alexis.
Starscream's spark lurched, if the authorities were called he'd have a lot more trouble finding his siblings quietly as well as that left over energon. And as easy as it would be to kill these two measly humans the human species isn't so foolish and would quickly realize there are extraterrestrials on the planet.
He needed to wait. Let the humans get him out of the lodge he was in then leave. The last thing he wanted to do was get caught by humans. After all there were only to outcomes to that.
A get dismembered and studied
And
B get imprisoned again
Neither of those options sounded good so he remained in the ground trying to fix his programming.
“What are they gonna do? You know as well as I do that they'll think your not yourself dad. The last time you called the authorities they almost sent you to a mental hospital”
“Please dad, besides we need money.. let's just see what we can do with this piece of metal to get some cash out of it. Then we'll report it.”
The father looked at her with a look of contemplation. On one hand he didn't want his daughter to be near something possibly dangerous. And on the other he couldn't help but feel like a bad father if he denies her what they need.
“Alright.. but the moment something dangerous or weird happens with it were turning it in.” The man crossed his arms and shook his head lightly.
“Thanks dad now… I can get this thing to open..” Alexis tried gripping and pushing the cockpit open to no avail now hitting it in an attempt to activate something.
Starscream rolled his optics at the human and opened the cockpit slowly so that the human wouldn't break his glass and fall in.
“Woah … dad check this out the interior is awesome.” the girl sat on the chair and looked at the monitors and buttons each written with a unknown language. Her eyes gleamed as she took in the sight.
The chair was plush and soft, feeling like a cloud despite appearing like leather. The console itself was smooth the buttons colored clack white red and blue. “Maybe their color coded?” alexis thought before spotting the white button with a gold inscription by the tiller. (steering wheel i had to search this up im not kidding is this common knowledge????)
“Alexis get outta there! You don't know if its safe!” the father began getting close to starscream which irritated him. Two humans near him was too much to tolerate. “Wait dad i think this powers it” alexis pressed the button which closed the cockpit and started starscream's engines and thrusters pushing them deeper into the ground.
Alexis shrieks and falls into the seat, starscream tums off his thrusters and rolls his optics. “Stupid human.” He thinks his cockpit now deeper into the ground, leaving both of them stuck.
“Dad? Dad!” the girl jumps to her feet and looks at the dirt on the cockpit the soft rumble remaining her that the jet was still on. “Crap crap crap-” the girl was about to press the button again to power the jet off only for a voice to stop her.
“Dont do that.” alexis’s eyes widen as she steps back. “Who said that.”
“The normal jet.” starscream replied sarcastically. Alexis’s eyes narrowed. “Dad?”.
“Do i look like your sire?” starscream revved his thruster. Alexis’s eyes widened your talking! The jets talking! DAD DAD!”
Alexis’s father was trying to chain the jet to his truck. “Dont worry sweety dads here! Im here!” he tied the chain to his truck trying to pull the jet holding his daughter out. “Fuck fuck fuck please.” he muttured pressing the gas.
The ground shook as the truck tried tugging the jet out of the ground. Starscream untransformed what he could of his arms and helped push them out.
“Hey! Put your seatbelt on kid!” starcream told alexis as he pushed. Alexis sat down and hurriedly put her seatbelt on just in time for starscream to be pulled out and transform his arms back into their regular jet place.
Starscream's cockpit opened and alexis quickly jumped out. Her legs shaking violently almost making her fall as she ran to her dad. “Dad DAD! The jet talks!”.
The dad embraced her. “Thank god your safe, you had me worried! We need to get rid of that thing” the man hugged alexis tightly interrupting her.
“Dad the jet was talking to me!” alexis pulled away and pointed to the still jet. “You have to believe me dad it spoke!” alexis did frantic hand signals expressing her urgency.
“Alexis the jet didn't speak you most likely internalized your panic.. Don't worry dads here..” he hugged her tightly and patted her head. “I’ll call the authorities to come take this thing somewhere else because i don't want it here.” alexis dad reached for his phone.
Alexis looked down, she wasnt upset at not being believed by her father, she would also be incredulous to a talking jet. But the thought of an adventure excited her. Especially because the jet was obviously not purposely trying to harm her. At Least not yet.
Alexis turned to look at the jet and grabbed her dads phone. “Dad it was my fault for poking and clicking buttons, i should have been careful.” alexis looked up to meet her fathers gaze. “Let me figure out if we can take any of its parts first then we can call the authorities.” Alexis hesitated knowing her dad just wanted her to be safe. “Please dad?”.
Her dad hesitated but shook his head. “No absolutely not that thing is dangerous-” Alexis interrupted him. “ trust me dad please! I just wanna help the farm! Besides, it could help my college fund." Alexis's eyes were earnest and as the sun set her father couldn't help but see her mother in those eyes. Maybe he was a fool for thinking about it, or maybe he was just a man trying to make his daughter happy.
“Alexis its not that simple.. I don't want you to get hurt.” he shook his head. “ I won't dad I promise! Please believe me.. Dad?”
“Fine but only on the condition that you'll only do it for a couple hours a day alright!” Alexis grinned and hugged her dad. “ Thanks dad! Thank you, thank you! I won't let you down”. Her dad sighed as he got back in the truck, Alexis joining him.
“What are you doing dad?” she put her seatbelt on. “Gotta move that thing to the garage no?” he smiled softly as alexis nodded and smiled back.
—--------------
Starscream was lost in trying to reprogram his comms and reach his siblings; he almost didn't feel something dragging him if you could even call it that since they weren't even budging him. Starscream rolled his optics and began hovering slightly off the ground so they would actually move him.
As he was led off to who knows where he rewired some code and went through frequencies to no avail. He felt like how he did all those millions of years ago when he lost apart of himself. His conjux. His other half.
Disconnected in a world he didn't belong in or understand. The only difference now is that he has already impacted the life of this planet. Burnt it destroyed its organisms which he would have liked to observe and learn about in the past but no longer. And in reality he couldn't stand the idea of returning to that point of himself where he had nothing to lose because had to survive. To have power. To endure abuse so he wouldn't lose more.
Thats funny no? You were a horrible person for what? Not anymech or your siblings even realised what you were doing? They didnt know you were sacrificing what little of yourself you still had. Honestly they thought you had just shown your real colors. After all. Starscream you were never the most available mech both emotionally or physically. Always to caught up in learning and trying to stay connected to what little you had to yourself.
Maybe thats why you became such a monster when all your bad traits were what you needed to survive. Hm thats odd no? You needing to survive using the worst parts of yourself so that when everything ends you can remember how you lost yourself to the darkness of your spark. Kinda laughable starscream. You the once so proud mech who laughed at others self pity now in that same situation.
What? Not feeling it? Thats fine. You were never one to face the consequences of your actions, you did always like to fly off and avoid them. Maybe that why you tried so hard to kill the mech who once loved you so much. Excuse me not you. Ulchtar, because you could never be Ulchtar he was softer, smarter, honest, and a better mech then you could ever be.
Why so sad? What? Did you just notice your trapped in your own helm? That's pathetic. Youre pathetic. Maybe you should have killed yourself the moment you lost who you were before. Maybe then skyfire would still be able to love you instead of remembering you as this monster you've made yourself.
Crying? Why? You don't deserve to cry. You're a monster and you know it. But yet you still have the audacity to cry? You're a lost cause. If skyfire were here he wouldnt spare you a glance. He knows what you are. A monster, someone who wanted his spark extinguished.
“Starscream-” the radio hissed, bringing starscream back to reality. Several voices that he knew spoke through the radio. “Star!” “skywarp?!” “slipstream” “thundercracker!” the voices of his siblings rang through his processor. Starscream let a breath out of his tank that he didnt know he was holding.
Their voices anchored him. His cold spark warmed and his tears stopped falling. He took small breathes and opened his optics. He was in an old building, big enough to hold his form but still cramped. Through the weathered wood he could see the moon was high. And the sky was dark.
He untransformed and stretched his wings carefully. “Slipstream? Thundercracker? Skywarp? Can you hear me?” his voice came out raspier then hed like to admit as he commed through. It didn't take long for them to respond and bombard him.
“Starscream where are you its been hours!”
“Star humans are searching for the us! Well not us but where we landed.”
“Where do we meet up?”
There questions came to quickly as his mind still reeled from whatever trance he was in. he could feel his servos shaking and his senses seemed dull. His legs trembled and he felt like throwing up what little energon he had in his tank.
“Stay hidden..” is all he could mutter before skywarps voice came in. “starscream? Are you okay?” his brothers concern was unwarranted and just reminded him of how cold they were to each other during the war along with his other siblings.
Slipstream and thundercrackers voices came in, sharing their concern. And at some point in time this would have helped but now. Starscream felt empty. Too empty for it to be normal. He could feel coolant on his faceplate and quickly wiped it off. It wasn't the time or place to be upset.
His wings drooped as his legs quivered along with his voice. “Dont make me repeat myself a third time! Stay hidden. And avoid humans until further notice… we’ll meet up where we agreed on already. Middle of the rainforest.” starscream sat down feeling his legs about to give out as he took a shallow breath. “I'm fine. Head into recharge i’ll comm soon after recharge. Goodnight.”
He cut the comm as his voice gave out. His servos reached his mouth as he stifled whatever noise came out of his voice box. His tears falling freely. How jet lagged was he to finally break down.
“Are you okay?” starscream turned quickly to see the young human girl known as alexis next to him, her hair and clothes messy. “Are you crying?”
Starscream's optics went wide as he realized this human girl was seeing him vulnerable and in his root mode. “No!” he tried shrieking but his voice came out more like a croak. Alexis rubbed her eyes as she reached out her hand for starscream’s. “I don't know what you are.. But i know your sad.. That's okay.. I get sad sometimes too. But I like being with someone even without talking so i don't feel alone.”
Starscream lowered his servo for alexis to hop onto and raised her to his faceplate. “You know what this is like?” he croaked out so gently you wouldn't have realized he said anything. “Mhm.. I'm a teenager. I cry a lot because I don't feel like I'm enough sometimes.” she sat on starscream's servo and looked at his leaking optics before reaching out to wipe off the coolant.
“Whats making you sad?” she hummed her eyes full of exhaustion. “I think im lost” starscream muttered staring at the human in his servo. “In what way?” alexis looked at the mech curiously. “I dont know.. I think.. I think im lost in myself.. In my own self pity and doubts. In my own failures.. In parts of myself i havent given myself time to heal from because i dont want to heal. I dont think i deserve to.”
Alexis eyes softened. “I know what thats like… i sometimes feel like running a