Oneshot - Prequel to Aftermath: Moment of truth

[silberstreif]

Disclaimer: This belongs to Hasbro.
Beta: Starfire201 - thank you!
Warnings: none
Characters: Starscream, Optimus Prime
Note: If it doesn't make sense... sorry. -.- On the plus side, I'm contemplating to write Starscream's whole story after I finished Aftermath.
Summary: As the Lord Protector of Cybertron, ruler of the planet, has everything. Power, glory, Cybertron. Even the Prime complys to his orders. Yet, he had forgotten, that he can still lose what might be most dear to him...

Starscream's moment of truth

It had been continuing for joors. What once had been a richly decorated, even luxurious, room was now the very picture of destruction. Nothing had remained untouched, not even Optimus himself when he had tried to offer words of consolation. It had only earned him a sharp claw attack, then Starscream had ignored him again in favour of screaming abuse at all that had ever walked on Cybertron, of smashing anything he could touch, of demolishing all and everything.

The seeker's anger was boundless, fearsome and had bleached the sharp face of nearly all sanity.

As the lone observer, Optimus Prime worried. Feared the moment when Starscream would turn around and see nothing more to destroy. Feared when the Lord High Protector and de facto ruler of Cybertron would come back to his senses and seek revenge as was his right. Feared when Starscream would finally lash out at living mechs besides Prime and not care about innocence at all.

He didn't know if he would be able to prevent that. The truce was binding his servos and even ignoring this, would he break the peace for these innocents? He felt cold, when he realised that yes, he would. Would ruin all they had built over the last vorns, because he would never be able to watch murder.

Starscream stopped, the last one of the fine stone statues that had graced this room falling to dust in his claws. A white cloud fell to the floor in sudden, complete silence.

A shudder went through Optimus in anticipation of the worst.

"Prime."

Starscream didn't look at him as he said his title strangely softly, as if it would shatter as everything else had in the room. Instead he stared at his empty hands, cradling them near his spark, wings falling powerlessly at his back. Of the mad creature just klicks before, there was nothing left. It was as if with the dust slipping through his fingers, the anger had bled out of the seeker.

"Prime," whispered Starscream again. "If I walk out of this room, I'll turn all of Iacon into one large funeral pyre."

Stunned, the Prime couldn't find words. The utter truth inside those words cut him, thrust his worst visions nearer to reality. And yet, this tender foreign emotion in Starscream's face... He had learned to respect and anticipate Starscream since the truce. But nothing had prepared him for this side of the mech.

"But if I start slaughtering them all in Skyfire's name..." The seeker's wings trembled. "If he survives, he would never forgive me."

If. Because all this time the flier, bondmate of Starscream, had been fighting for his very spark.

Their love had been doubted by many, Optimus included. No one could understand what Skyfire saw in Starscream, the violent-tempered, merciless tyrant that somehow guaranteed their peace. When they had bonded, the disbelief had shifted from Skyfire to Starscream as it had seemed impossible that such a self-centred mech would merge his spark with another forever. They had carried on, not caring about the opinions of those around them.

Until now. Until a unknown assailant had shot Skyfire straight through the spark in the obvious attempt to kill Starscream.

Optimus wanted to move, wanted to say anything, but the weight of the Matrix on his spark forced him to remain still and to wait. To observe.

Starscream's claws curled. "I can feel him. He's still fighting." His face hardened, but the strange emotion stayed. "Still in pain."

For a long moment nothing moved and Cybertron itself seemed to hold its breath, then Starscream looked him directly into his optics. Optimus froze, as he finally recognised the emotion, one he had never seen on the other face before:

True fear.

True spark-wrenching fear for the life of another.

"I shouldn't be here." The harsh, pain-filled statement left no room for doubt. Red optics brightened with the next words, but the sharp voice remained completely steady: "Prime, I order you as the Lord High Protector, as the former leader of the Decepticons, for Skyfire, find those mechs! Find those who dared hurt him, and bring them to justice in whatever way you see fit."

The words echoed through the now bare room.

Starscream's resolve faltered after this for a moment, then he straightened and turned to walk towards the broken window with the heavy step of a mech on the verge of losingit all. The last words, before the Lord High Protector transformed and flew to the hospital and to his bondmate were as simple as inconceivable:

"I count on you, Optimus."

He left his Prime behind. More, left the Prime in charge. Trusting him. It should have been an impossibility considering that there was a very real chance that Starscream would fade within the next orn to follow his bondmate.

Yet, as Optimus watched the vanishing streak in the sky, he began to understand.

After all the millennia of war, of living on the edge of death, Starscream had found something more important to him than power – and had realised that only in the very moment when all his titles and power had failed to protect that one mech. Worse, had endangered that mech for this very reason.

It must have come as a shock to the arrogant seeker.

With a last glance around the wrecked room, Optimus Prime left to do as Starscream had commanded – for the first time obeying with sincerity.

Maybe, just maybe, this truce would be able to last.

Comments

[pjlover666.livejournal.com]

Go Starscream! ... it's sad :( Starscream learned a lesson the hard way, he learned what truly mattered to him the most, and that is Skyfire :) I love this! It's frightening how easy he could lose it all.
And I'm impressed with Starscream; knowing what he's capable of, just how hot headed he is, the wreckage to the room was 'tame' for him :D But just like Optimus, he probably realizes how important this truce is and he truly impressed me holding himself while feeling Skyfire struggle for his life over the bond. Wonderful! <3
"I count on you, Optimus."<< the words just made me shiver... this is big coming from Starscream <3 <3 <3

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comment!
Yeah, suddenly he realises that he has *everything* he ever wanted, but that doesn't mean he'll be able to keep it.
I like a Starscream with temper.
Yeah, that sentence was *big* for him... he suddenly had to trust, because he couldn't be in two places at the same time.
The truce here is important. And with how RiD goes at the moment, I think there is a certain chance that Starscream might be interested in keeping peace as long as he has power.
~silber

[exactly-what.livejournal.com]

Very nice. A bit sad, but... more bittersweet than anything. Poor Starscream...

Tell me, does he have an immortal spark in this? Because that could be keeping Skyfire alive... ^.~ (*is always looking for a happy ending and a way to keep all the canon characters alive*)

And yay! Go Screamer and Prime! I love peace fics. Or happy-ending fics. As I said before, more bittersweet than anything, but... still hopeful. :D

Great job; I really enjoyed it.

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)
Starscream doesn't have an immortal spark here, but Skyfire will survive. ^^ After all this plays in Aftermath-universe and how should Chapter 2 happen if they both die here? ;)
I really love fics that have a dynamic between Prime and Starscream. I'm now even contemplating to write more the whole story of Starscream in the Aftermath universe. But first - I've got to finish the old story.

[exactly-what.livejournal.com]

Well, I did assume that they would live (unless you were planning on writing a story about how Optimus avenges his friend and LHP... or something.)

Me too! Optimus and Starscream make for an interesting pairing - especially when you consider how different they are. :D

And I can't wait to see more of this. It's... intruiging. (and I'm positive I spelled that wrong... :-P )I like the idea behind it. :)

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

:D While revenge-fics can be interesting, somehow I can't see Optimus as an Avenger.

Oh yes! It's like putting fire and water together and wait for the inevitable explosion. Still, I think that they might have a few things they share... somewhere. It's this 'somewhere' that's tempting me.

[exactly-what.livejournal.com]

Oh, very true... Still. Possibility. (which is why I asked about Starscream and Skyfire living.)

And yes! Or... what's that chemical that explodes when it comes in contact with water? Magnesium? Something like that. }:D

[ayngelcat.livejournal.com]

Very touching and despite the tragedy of the situation, optimism is there at the end. This was sensitively written :-)

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :) I hoped to show that this Starscream was still the self-centered glitch, but also capable of more than that. If that makes sense. ;)

[neverminetohold.livejournal.com]

I really like this one, probably even more so because I love how you depict Starscream and Skyfire in general.

Here I liked most the raw emotions, Starscreams destruction of the room, his anger and fear, hiding underneath it. - How horrible, to target one bondmate to kill the other *shudders* Even more so, I like that Starscream - well, for being himself ^_^" - keeps a level head and leaves dealing with the attackers to Optimus; for Skyfire. And the message is great: love that changes us, no matter who we are/were. Nicely done!

I'm looking forward to the next part!

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) I think Skyfire could have been the calm core of Starscream's life.

You found the message! :D Yeah, Starscream is changed by the love. (and a few other things, but well too short a oneshot to list them here)
The next "part" is a whole series of Prowl and Jazz after the war. ;) So far I've got 4 chapters, bit I think it'll grow to 8 probably.

[neverminetohold.livejournal.com]

On second thought - Optimus and other TFs wondering what Skyfire sees in Starscream is a bit funny, isn't it? Such 'odd couples'/opposites attract ones are really pretty widespread... Finding someone who balances you; Screamer is a lucky bug! :)

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

It is funny, you're right. They're so different, that anyone would thing: How can they like each other? But deep down they're probably pretty similar... or not. ;)
Yep, Skyfire is Screamer's saving grace. ^^