Starscream Chronicles

Cybertron, Vos, Golden Age
Hatchling Aged - 0 days (Earthdate: August 21, 10m BCE)

For days he had been vaguely aware of his surroundings. Mostly sounds and changes in ambient temperature; at least he was warm and comfortable. He could hear voices from beyond his tiny room. Occasionally he would feel his chamber shaking and being lifted, this would startle him and he would move around. The temperature would also change dramatically at this point and he could feel warmth radiating into the area where he was being kept. Along with the warmth, a gentle voice would sing a melody immediately after any movement. It soothed him and he would settle down and sleep peacefully. When he was awake he could sometimes hear the voice whisper the word, “Starscream,” softly, lovingly, over and over again.

As days went on he had become aware of the existence of light. And that light would usually be accompanied by darkness. It was very dim where he was normally, then on this occasion the light would become very near and bright. So bright he would react and cover his face with his fists.

This brightness would be accompanied by more jostling of his space and by a much deeper sounding voice. This voice did not sing to him in a soothing manner, it spoke words that did not make much sense. This voice was always accompanied by some strange activity, usually the brightness, and sometimes pain. Often a needle-like object was punched into his enclosure with serum either withdrawn or re-injected; what was put back in was very different that he was used to. He usually was left feeling unsettled immediately after these intrusions.

Then he realised he could see, not only bright and dark, but colours as well. He stared at the boundary of his room and was fully aware that it was curved, and semi-opaque, with red and blue hues. His hands pressed against the curved surface, it was silky-smooth, warm and very hard.

He noticed that something moved in the corner of his vision and he turned his head to look. A small machine paddled by, swimming aimlessly as if it was confused. There were other tiny machines present, and many were unmoving. He wondered if he should be worried.

Beyond his opaque room, brightly coloured lights flickered, these lights attracted his attention. He reached out but the walls of his tiny room had become smaller, or he had become larger, he wasn't sure which. One thing that bothered him was his legs felt sore, and he really wished to extend them. They were feeling cramped. He realised that it had been a long while since he had turned around, and he tried to do so.

Once more he became aware of the constriction in his space and he sort of stretched. First his neck, then his shoulders and arms, and finally his legs. His back kinda wiggled oddly, a sort of flapping motion that was very uncomfortable. There was an audible crack and, and he froze for a moment, frightened.

He turned his head to look at the crack. The bright light beyond shone in and he blinked, trying to shield his eyes from its unnatural glare. His motion caused the crack to widen, allowing more light to spill in. It was then he realised that he was in some sort of liquid as it started to ooze out of the space. It was pale blue in colour and the light on the other side was burning white. Once more he blinked and turned his head away. The unexpected brightness caused him to sneeze violently. His body jerked and the crack widened enough for all of the liquid to spill out.

The change in pressure and the addition of air caused his systems to react adversely. He coughed and spluttered. As he did, his shoulders heaved, and liquid spilled from his mouth. His legs spasmed and the sides of his confinement split apart leaving him suddenly free.

'Free from what?' He wondered.

He looked around as his vision adapted to the new stimuli. There was a new level of depth perception. It seemed that things appeared far away and his hand was the closest object to him. He reached down and grasped at a curved piece of metal and stared at it. It was silky smooth on one side and textured on the other. The textured sides were faintly coloured in red, blue and silver. Looking around again he realised those colours matched him. The fragments he was sitting amongst were in a larger chamber, a box with a clear barrier.

He stood up and pushed on it, and the lid of the chamber sprung open. He wobbled slightly and fell back down into the mess of metal shards, and blue goo. The container he was in flashed a pattern of coloured lights, mostly green and blue. He watched them for a moment, fascinated, then tried to stand up to take a closer look.

His legs wobbled; the remnants that he had been in rocked violently and sent him spiralling out and onto the hard, cold floor below. He lay there for a moment, a searing hot flare of pain shot through him. He was not sure what it was, but it was unpleasant. He sat for a moment and cried out. His voice was weak yet sharp. He squeaked and cried out for several minutes. He knew he had to get attention from someone, and that someone should be there to give him that attention. Yet there was no one present. No lullaby to soothe him at his sudden and unexpected entrance into the world. Feeling unhappy and alone, he stifled his sobs then attempted to stand up. His head ached painfully from the bump he had suffered in his short fall.

He glanced upward from where had come. It was high above him with no apparent access from where he was positioned. The pattern of lights had changed to red and orange, and he realised that the beeping sound he had just tuned into was emanating from it. Repelled by the beeping he gazed around once more then struggled to stand up on his wobbly legs.

His legs had been bunched up so long that it felt strange to have them so straight and he struggled to take a step. He tumbled over with a squeak of frustration, then attempted to stand up again. This time he waited for a moment and hung onto the leg of a nearby table. He took a step then wobbled, he tightened his grasp on the table and stabilised. He stood for a few minutes until he felt that his balance was adapting. He took a tentative step and let go. He wobbled and stretched out his arms. Once more his balance felt restored and then he took another step. After several long minutes he found that he could walk around with confidence.

He explored the room bit by bit, looking under counters, and trying to look up at the tables. Periodically he would stop and cry out with a plaintive chirping noise, stop, then listen and then resume his exploration. As time went on he felt himself being overwhelmed by dismay. He was alone and he was feeling an ache in his middle that was growing to an annoying level.

He squeaked once more and when that last cry went unanswered, he decided he would have to move to find someone to help him stop that ache. The room had an opening, the door was ajar. He decided that was the only way out and he would take it. On the other side was another larger room, dauntingly long, very high ceilings with brilliant lights set into them. He looked up at one of them and then was suddenly blinded. He looked away blinking rapidly until the black spot vanished and he could see clearly again. He followed the hallway along then stopped at the end. He could see the path going outward, but it was also went downward.

Each stair step was nearly half his height and it frightened him; he had not yet forgotten his earlier fall. He stopped and dropped to his aft again then he squeaked in dismay. He paused for several moments then chirped loudly in an attempt to call for aid. Once more his pleas went unanswered. He pondered the obstacle for a moment, and then decided that if he turned around and held onto the ground then he could drop down a little. It would be slow, but he should be able to make it down safely.

A half an hour later he had made it down the small flight of stairs, stopping on each step to reorient himself before taking the next step down. Once at the bottom he looked up. It was very high and he wondered if he'd be able to return to his nest. He was not sure he could even if he wanted to, not without the elders he instinctively felt should be present.

He followed the passage, keeping his hand on the wall for support as he gained strength. He stopped to chirp again for help, for company, for anyone who could help him quiet the aggravating hollowness of his middle.

He turned the corner and then stopped looking upward. There was a large barrier in front of him that appeared as if it might move. It covered the path and he could feel a draft and see some light from under it. He stepped forward and pushed on the wall, but as soon as he moved the barrier moved. Startled at the unexpected motion he darted around the corner and looked back as the barrier silently slid across the path, blocking his way once more.

He cowered and after a few moments he decided to step toward the barrier again, this time approaching it from the middle and not the wall edge. The barrier sensed him and opened again. He braced to run, then paused, his little legs quivering. On the other side was a short passage that led to a much larger and brighter area. Bright blue sky above flecked with pinkish-grey clouds. Verdigris trees, with copper trunks bordered a distant edge. Silver-blue grasses swayed in the breeze.

The tiny being walked forward watching the edges of the barrier carefully, hoping it did not want to injure him. After a few steps past, the barrier slid across again. He turned in surprise at the sound, as he did the door opened once more. A small glimmer of realisation struck him. The door reacted to him. He could open it and pass through any time he wanted and safely. With a happy chirp, he stepped past the great archway and into the brightness.

It took a few moments for his optics to adjust. There was a cool breeze that tickled him on the chest, and a warmth that warmed him from behind. The warmth was so pleasant he stopped for a moment and turned his back to it. He flicked his tiny, still soft wings back and they flattened out across his shoulders. For a moment he could forget the nagging hunger in his middle and relax.

The warmth filled him to the core, although he was still hungry, he felt utterly exhausted after his long first walk. He found himself on a large flat surface and hunkered down, his face on his fist then dozed off peacefully. The sun moved across the sky, its warming rays danced over his shimmering silver wings. Slowly his wings stiffened and dried out. After a while they were smooth, shiny and fully functional. The warmth of the sun had appeared to recharge him, at least for a short while.

In the distance he could hear a strange rumble, there had been rumbles for the entire time he had been dozing in the warmth, but this one grew progressively louder. Until it roared overhead with a terrifyingly loud and thunderous boom. He blinked up in time to see a streak of violet and a glint of gold. A large dark shadow rapidly crossed him.

Suddenly frightened, he covered his audios then dove to hide under the wings of a nearby statue. His body shook with terror at the loudness. He realised he should be watching out for predators not basking carelessly in the sun.

Yet his innate curiosity got the better of him and he put aside his instinctual warnings. He was curious about the maker of the loud roar, which appeared to stop directly overhead. And he could hear new sounds from inside the building he had just left. It was then he decided he would return to look. Maybe those who were supposed to aid him earlier were still inside.

The tiny wings flicked back as he turned around and walked confidently to the door and, as expected, it opened allowing him to enter. He attempted to follow the direction of the sound, which was difficult at first. It seemed to bounce off the different walls, finally he managed to lock onto the right direction.

The noises he heard did not sound good, in fact, they worried him. Thunderous crashing and rage filled snarling met his tiny audios. He glanced around the corner, his wings quivering with worry. He decided it would be best to keep out of sight and see if he could get a glimpse of what creature was creating the noise.

He waited, peeking from around the corner until the creature appeared. He was huge, his wingspan nearly filled the hallway. They flicked back slightly and he was a rich plum violet, with gold and silver stripes. He had yellow accents and a pearl white body. This being was storming into the hallway from the stairs the hatchling had previously descended.

The being encountered a door at the end of the hall and rather than waiting for it to open he smashed it down and stepped inside, his wings flared upward and against his shoulders.

The creature's body language spoke volumes to the hatchling who shook even harder. He instinctively knew this creature was dangerous.

“I saw the pod's remains, where is the hatchling, Halo?” he demanded, his voice was deep, rich and had a slight accent. It was the first time the hatchling heard spoken words, and he instinctively understood it to a degree if not completely.

“The hatchling?!” a lighter voice asked in surprise as if this was unexpected. “He's not expected for another week...” her voice trailed off.

The hatchling recognised that voice, the gentle singer, the soothing one, probably one of the elders that should have been present when he broke the pod.

“Where is your bondmate; where is Darkstar?” he demanded. “I warned you two not to deceive me.” The violet Seeker looked past her wing and spotted the black and red Seeker working on something in the distance. He clenched his fists in anger, gold sparks erupted from his knuckles. “You lied about not wanting offspring, Darkstar,” he snarled as he ran lunging for him.

The hatchling hurried into the room. It was the biggest room he had been into, and there were a number of alcoves with dark forms standing within them. They looked like the violet being, only much smaller, closer to the size of the female. They appeared to be incomplete.

The hatchling was sure that these other two beings were the people he had been looking for. He felt a sense of connection with them, at least to her, the one identified as Halo. Driven by hunger, which overrode his better judgement, he hoped that they had something that would stop the nagging feeling in his chest. He hurried into the room, but something deep inside warned him to stay silent.

Moments after he had decided to enter the room, things began to raise up off the floor, as if moved by an unseen force. The silvery femme turned to confront the intruder, she drew a sword and stood her ground.

It crackled with blue and violet energy that arced up and down its glowing blade. It was a beautiful energy weapon, a powerful weapon. The hatchling stopped to stare at it for a moment.

“My sword! You dare confront me with my own weapon, wench?!” he snarled, reaching for it.

“It's safer in my hands than in yours, murderer!” she snapped back. She kept herself positioned between him and her bondmate. The barrels that had risen off the floor flung at her, and she cut them easily in half with the blade.

The tiny Seeker cowered against the wall, large fragments smashed nearby and he froze for a moment, uttering a tiny squeak of terror, stood on one leg, arms shielding his head from the shrapnel. This squeak was enough to get the attention of the femme, who drew in a small sharp breath at the sight of the frightened hatchling, who had put himself into grave danger.

The dark Seeker had also become aware of the hatchling as well, yet he was focused on the project he had been struggling to complete. Although he was torn about intervening to protect the hatchling, he was determined to finish the weapon. After a few moments he raised it and aimed it at the other Seeker, locking on.

The violet Seeker was ready for him then wrenched the weapon out of his hands. Darkstar screamed in protest as it exploded into bits against the wall. His plan was blown to dust.

The violet Seeker glowered at Darkstar, then raised his hands as energy coalesced around him, he was building up for a teleport. The femme chose that moment of what she had hoped was distraction to lunge toward him with her blade in an effort to kill their foe.

The tiny Seeker remained frozen on the spot, not daring to move, terrified and realising he should not have followed the violet Seeker in. He had sensed him to be dangerous, why did he let his curiosity get the better of him? His tiny wings shivered, drumming against the wall, creating a barely noticeable thrum in the room.

The female Seeker stopped mid air, frozen as if she was levitating. The violet flier had raised his hand, energy seemed to radiate from his palm. With the other hand he opened it and closed it around some invisible object. He had a telekenetic ability which allowed him to wrench the sword from Halo then throw it across the room well away from her reach. As the sword spiralled through the air, it powered down and clanked across the floor until it stopped near the terrified hatchling.

The femme was flung in the opposite direction, she hit the ground with such force that she lay there stunned and unable to move. In order to protect his bondmate, Darkstar made an attack, running for Nimbus. The two Seekers were locked in hand to hand combat, exchanging blows attempting to overwhelm the other with their powered attacks.

The tiny Seeker had his optics fixated on the silvery object that had been a weapon. He knew it could protect him so he scurried out to grab it. His tiny feet slipped and skated on the polished floor. Once he reached the weapon he discovered that it was heavy, very heavy. The tiny hatchling was unable to do more than pull on it. He had no idea how to actually activate it. He stumbled as he tugged and only then did it move slightly.

“So that is your augmented heir, Darkstar” The violet flier hissed. “He does not appear so special, I could crush it under foot in an instant.” Suddenly the violet Seeker vanished from the other Seeker's grasp and then appeared just before the tiny hatchling, who was still struggling with the weapon's hilt.

The violet Seeker reached down and grasped the sword in his hand, the hatchling clung on for a moment before his grasp weakened and he fell off landing on his back. For a moment all wind was knocked out of his system and he struggled to get back to his feet. Finally his intakes kicked in and he could draw in a breath of cool air.

Scared out of his tiny mind he did the only thing he could do- posture and try to make himself look intimidating to the other Seeker. He flared out his little wings much like he had seen the Violet flier do before and hissed.

The aggressor simply bellowed with laughter, then ignited the weapon. He turned the blade downward, aiming it toward the posturing hatchling. His expression was clear, he intended to kill the bitty-Seeker where he stood.

“Die, Whelp!” he snarled, he raised the weapon and drove it downward. His optics filled with savage hatred and the tiny Seeker stood his ground, frozen, more out of abject terror than anything else.

Seconds later the tiny Seeker found himself being flung out of the way. Once more he found himself on his back he flailed, then struggled to his feet in time to see the violet Seeker's blade being driven deep into the chest of Halo, the femme who had shoved him to safety. He paused feeling the searing pain as if it were his own where the hollowness of hunger had once been. He was unsure why he hurt so bad, although he had not been physically harmed.

He looked up over his wing and at the female whose chest was sparking with silver and blue energy, violet fluids bubbled up and out of her lips. The femme turned her head toward him as her optics flickered.“Go, Starscream! run and hide, be safe!” she managed to gasp out.

With a violent jerk, the attacker twisted the sword and a spray of energon erupted forth and coated the room as the pump in her chest hammered for the last time. The light drained from her optics and her colours faded to gunmetal grey.

Unsure of what most of her words meant, he understood 'run and hide', and possibly 'Starscream'. The tiny Seeker bolted, slipping in the sprayed energon. He cast a glance behind him as the Dark Seeker bellowed in rage and anguish at the attacker. The violet Seeker vanished into thin air. For a moment the tiny flier locked optics with the dark one who had run to the body of his mate. The hatchling could feel a burning hatred being directed at him as he bolted out the way he had entered.

He ran as fast as his tiny feet could carry him out of the building. The blue sky and bright sun was a stark contrast to what he was fleeing from. The verdigris trees seemed like the only protection he would have and he fled headlong into the wilderness.

He did not stop running until he entered the stand of copper trees. He stopped then sobbed, resting his head against the nearest trunk. He was unsure of what happened. It was hard to comprehend the words, spoken so fast and loud, and the actions he had witnessed, the death of the femme who he felt was an important elder. He turned around then rested against the tree and lowered himself until he sat under it. He leaned forward and cried into his hands.

He remained that way for several minutes, until he heard the sound of heavy footsteps nearby. He glanced up, frightened once again, fearing it would be the violet Seeker or the Dark one. Either one he felt would intend him harm.

Instead of the Violet or black Seeker, there was a light blue Seeker, almost the same gentle colour as the sky, walking along the path through the trees. He was oblivious to the hatchling who had been sobbing amongst them, or for a moment he was. A strange shimmer surrounded the blue Seeker and he stopped, if momentarily confused, then turned around then stepped toward the hatchling's hiding place.

The other Seeker stopped to pick up some things from the ground before he approached again. The hatchling stood his ground and flared his wings out; it was the only thing he could think to do.

The Seeker stopped and pulled back the leaves and looked into the tiny, terrified face of the hatchling, he frowned.

The tiny seeker could see the expression was not hate or harm, but empathy and sympathy. Again the tiny flier felt a connection to the other, he had a strange familiarity about him.

“I'm- I'm a friend,” the blue Seeker said, gesturing to his chest. “I won't harm you.”

The small Seeker nodded, warming up to the other, he did not reply; he only listened.

The other Seeker gestured toward the mill. “I saw what happened, and I understand what you are going through,” he said, taking a step closer before crouching. Watching the little one with concern.

The hatchling could feel his wings quiver, he was nervous, but he did not want to leave the kind appearing Seeker. He placed his hand on his chest then chirped and the blue Seeker nodded, understanding and handed him a small portion of the food stuff he had on him.

Instinctively the hatchling gobbled it up and felt a little more at ease, the nagging feeling was going away. A person who gave him something to eat was friendly in his mind.

“You must protect yourself,” the larger Seeker said, holding out some bits of scrap. “This metal can be used to defend and feed yourself.” He handed the tiny flier a dagger shaped bit of metal that seemed to have a sharp edge.

“These tubes, here, can be used as a weapon,” he connected the rubber to a forked bit of metal and demonstrated how it could be stretched. He lifted up a rock to use as ammunition and below it was a small shard of quartz-like material laying under it. It had a double terminated point; it was a crystallised fragment of spark crystal. It shimmered in the dappled light. The larger Seeker gasped as he saw it then picked it up to examine it carefully. He took a moment to search himself again, he found some wire then twisted it around the crystal securely. He reached over to the hatchling and was about to put it around his neck.

The tiny flier froze in fear. He had never been touched before.

“It won't harm you,” he said with a reassuring tone. “It'll protect you.” He held out his hand as if to show one he was wearing. There was nothing on the blue Seeker's hand but then the tiny Seeker was sure he could see a shimmer of something, a ghostly nearly transparent version of what he had been given. There was a faint flash of pinkish-red and the tiny Seeker nodded.

“Mine's somewhat different from yours, but it's still the same. Don't lose it. Use that slingshot to hunt. Use that knife to protect yourself,” he urged. “Keep hiding.” The Seeker pointed to the chasm edge. “Hide there. You'll know where it's safe.”

The bitty looked toward the edge of the chasm and then hurried over. Just below there was a ledge, he could see a small cave in it. He was sure he could get down. He ran back and nodded, he agreed.

“You've got a long life ahead of you and it won't be easy- trust me. Don't let the setbacks stop you.” The Seeker paused as if trying to determine what he should say. “Follow your dreams, young Starscream, fight for what is yours.” He stood up knowing it was time to go.

There was that word again, Starscream. Halo had used it to urge him to flee, he had heard it spoken while he was in the pod. It must be his designation. The hatchling realising that the other was going to leave grabbed hold of his leg in a feeble attempt to keep him there.

Finally in a tiny voice he begged, “don't go!”

“But I must,” the Seeker said apologetically, removing the tiny seeker from him. He stood back and passed through the leaves and then appeared as if he had vanished. A great distance down the path, just past the mill was a light blue Seeker walking away.

He stood in silence, new weapons in his hand, he touched the stone around his throat, it was warm. Once more he sat back, feeling abandoned and unwanted but at the same time he felt as if he had experienced some incredible power gifted to him by the other Seeker.

Unsure and still scared, he went back to the edge of the chasm that the other had indicated was safe. He stood for a moment then climbed down, using the jagged stones as hand and foot holds. Although he was not even six hours old, he felt as if would be able to fend for himself. He realised he was the only one he could count on for his survival.

As he entered the cavern he knew it would be a good place. Sheltered and warmed from nearby geothermal pipelines and likely inaccessible to most predators. It would take time for him to make it habitable. He was not sure how that would be done. The other thing he realised was that he had a name and it was Starscream.