The Seeker of Vengeance | Written by Sunstar |
The Seeker of Vengeance was started in late 2003 and was finished in early 2004. Going insane from isolation from his own kind, Starscream, revived from the dead, must face the daunting task of returning to Cybertron and facing his deadly enemy: Galvatron. | |
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Prologue - Ghosts Tumble Through Space - 12.20.03 Chapter 1 - Destitution - 12.20.03 Chapter 2 - Brink of Insanity - 01.10.04 Chapter 3 - The God Complex - 01.24.04 Chapter 4 - Disturbing Memories - 01.28.04 Chapter 5 - Obsessed Much? - 02.06.04 Chapter 6 - Any Doubts? - 02.09.04 Chapter 7 - The Ship - 02.16.04 Chapter 8 - Teris - 02.18.04 Chapter 9 - Charr - 02.21.04 |
Chapter 10 - The Conflict of Interests - 02.22.04 Chapter 11 - The Light and Darkness - 02.29.04 Chapter 12 - A Stigma - 03.9.04 Chapter 13 - Scavenger Hunt - 03.14.04 Chapter 14 - Falling Down - 04.17.04 Chapter 15 - Irrefutable Evidence - 04.20.04 Chapter 16 - Dead Mechs Tell No Lies - 04.25.04 Chapter 17 - Bridge Over the River Archeon - 05.05.04 Epilogue - A Star's Death - 05.12.04 |
Chapter 7 | The Ship |
I think you know We're covered in lies and that's OK There's somewhere beyond this I know But I hope I can find the words to say Never again no No never again 'Cause you're a god And I am not - Vertical Horizon, You're a god The sky was the limit with these people. They did anything he had asked without question. His demonstration of his superior hunting skills: taking on the dreaded Wyvern single handedly and raining hell down on the Chief deterred most of them from any resentment, although much of it had to do with his very public display of anger. Word reverberated across the planet that the god would strike down those who stood in his way. The Chief still glowered at him if they crossed paths, but he did not speak of his displeasure in Starscream's rule publicly. The fat reptile was a coward. The people worked dutifully. Most of them did not fear Starscream; they did what was asked of them. They knew that his anger was more aimed at one person and one person only but there were still some who appeared fairly nervous around the Seeker. Those were most likely his doubters; they were smart enough to keep to themselves. Starscream flew through the crystal, azure sky. The air was as clear as spring water and the sun hung very high in the sky like a glowing yellow orange ball of flame. The air was stifling hot. He flew at subsonic speed slowly flying through the sky. He could feel the warmth of thermals on his sensitive wings and the stroke of air as it passed over his body. Being the ruler of the sky had the wonderful benefit of complete freedom. He could fly where he wanted, when he wanted and how fast he wanted. There were no restrictions to Starscream, lord of the air, the tyrant of the firmament. Today he thought it would be nice to slow the pace down, to enjoy life on the wing, to admire the beauty of the brilliant colours around him. He flew low over the jungle, trees shot away under him in a green blur. He nosed into the air again following a glittering blue green snake of a river. The river was joined by several smaller rivers they flowed into one massive body of water a kilometre across. The river joined the ocean. Its deep blue waters turned turquoise as it lapped the shore's brilliant white sand. He levelled off and flew back to land, the warm sun caressing his sleek white body. He added more thrust to his engines picking up the pace a little bit. He flew towards the largest Guana habitation, the village of Atanole, the centre of his operations and the location of his underground base. It was hardly a village anymore it was more of a small town. Houses were being built rapidly as Guanas from outlying areas moved in to help with construction. Forests were being cleared to make room for buildings, training facilities or mines. Several large open pit mines peppered the area towards the mountains: coal, nickel, iron and several other elements. Great swaths of forest were being clear cut to provide room for agriculture. Compared with the rest of the world this was becoming unsightly. They were possibly going to ruin their planet like the humans mangled theirs. 'Oh well as long as they get the ship done they can try and repair the damage later.' he thought as he soared in towards the smelter. He transformed and came in for a landing. His feet touched the ground softly. It had been his idea to have the ship built near the smelter and the major mines. It helped speed up the work of his slaves. A group of Guanas raced out the smelter to greet him cheerfully. They chanted his name over and over and ran back to the building telling that he must see their progress. He watched as several labourers pushed huge carts of iron ore, coal and limestone into the smelter. He followed them inside. It was a large room with several huge furnaces powered by energon. Creating the ship took loads of energy but he had plenty to spare. They loaded the coal into one of the large furnaces and heated it at incredible temperatures for around eighteen hours until it became coke, pure carbon for use in making steel. The process was fairly complex. He was surprised, at first, at how quickly the Guanas learned. They built the blast furnace: the huge tower that stood at the end of the room next to the ore crushers. Guanas had simple machines that crushed the ore into pieces. They were fed into a furnace that melted the metal from the rock and that got poured into the blast furnace along with the coke and limestone. It was in there that the coke burned causing the temperature in the furnace to reach 982ºC melting both the ore and the lime. The lime removed the impurities and then the mixture was poured into a huge wheeled trough. The lime slag floated to the top and the Guanas darted around and skimmed it from the surface. Some of the molten metal was poured into ingot moulds, to be sent to another city, while the rest went into the basic oxygen furnace. Again the metal was heated, this time in the basic oxygen furnace, to over 1600ºC, the remaining impurities were burnt out of the iron and it turned into steel. The Guanas shovelled in the special blend of elements that would make the ordinary steel into a Cybertron-like alloy. There was a pained shriek from the other side of the basic furnace. A crowd of Guanas led a limping reptile out. He had a massive burn on his leg. As they were ladling the hot metal into the shaping machine, escaping gasses bubbled up and exploded, spraying hot metal in all directions. There were a few near misses. Starscream felt pity for the creature but there was nothing he could do. The shaper made rods and plates and anything else he could think of for his unending collection of projects. Their ability to handle the heat that was in the smelter was unsurpassed, it hardly bothered them. They opened the windows and allowed the air to flow through. The air outside felt very cold when compared to the inside. He was pleased with the results: all was going smoothly. He stepped out the back door of the factory; there stood a large triangular structure. Surrounded by bamboo scaffolding, hundreds of lizards worked. The tink tink of many hammers echoed off the hills and buildings. Sparks of a few welders lit some of the dark shape. Unfinished as it was, the form was unmistakable; a ship. His ship. He smiled broadly. The other times the Decepticon had worked on a ship he was with others of his own kind. They all had their strengths and working together they could finish the job in amazing speed. It was such a shame the ship was downed in the ocean but it still made a suitable site for building their undersea earth based headquarters. This ship, however, was being created by flesh creatures with the need to stop to sleep, or eat, or for other functions, so work was slow. He had them working three shifts. By night the ship was lit up by metal halide lights. The huge thousand watt lamps lit the area so it was almost as bright as day. Judging by the amount of work that was left to do, he figured that there were several months left to go before his ultimate plan was to take place. The task to collect more energon was already underway. He had a massive stockpile in his headquarters. He rubbed his hands together 'Galvatron would not know who or what hit him! The demented re-incarnation of Megatron had no idea that his "old friend" was alive and well, re-born by the powers of Unicron.' 'Would he not get a surprise when he finds out the truth.' he gloated internally. This thought brought out a chuckle from Starscream. The Guanas looked at him. They seemed pleased that the god viewed their work with such cheer. He decided to give the creatures a hand with their work. He shooed some of the Guanas aside that were trying to heft a huge metal plate into position he held it in place for them while he allowed several Guanas to clamber up him and start to weld or place rivets into position. He felt somewhat uncomfortable with them on him but they would not have done it if he had not suggested it. After they got it attached he moved on to help in other areas. He looked at their plans and suggested a few last minute changes. Things were looking very positive. He leaned back against the wall of the building. He watched and observed. They worked so tirelessly to achieve his goals. He planned on taking only thirty of them to help him run the ship. None of them had space experience and none had flown any form of mechanical craft. He would be the one who would fly the ship. They had built other buildings he had noticed. The shaman saw to it that they built institutions of learning to teach the new technologies. Starscream often went to teach them the finer points of flight. He went deep into thought of one of those first classes. When he started talking about the principals of flight. "There are four forces that factor in flight. Thrust, lift, drag and weight. I'll start with Thrust. Thrust is the force that pushes me forwards so that lift can act upon my wings, my engines shoot, at high speed, hot exhaust from my tail. It is this that propels me forward through the air. Lift is caused when the air, caused by the thrust, flows over my wings. Some is deflected slowly down while the rest skims over the upper surface more quickly. This creates a high air pressure pocket under my wings, and a low pressure pocket above my wings, causing me to lift into the sky. Drag is the resistance I feel when I am being thrust forwards. Air is a fluid much like water, when I fly vortexes of churning air form from my wing tips. I am designed in a streamlined manner. This allows air to flow more smoothly across my body and wings reducing the vortexes and the effect on drag. Weight is the effect of the planets gravity on my body. Its the opposite of lift, it wants to keep me on the ground. Its the design of my wings and the power of the thrust of my engines, that counters the weight problem. I weight about 16.5 metric tonnes or half the weight of a fully grown male Wyvern, if you will. The Wyvern can't fly, as an adult, because its wings size is too small for its weight. As a fledgling this is entirely the opposite. It can fly and it flies well." He said his tone was informative. "How is it then that you fly in your natural form?" asked a Guana. "If what you say is true, than you should not be able to fly, and you also occasionally hover while you are in bird form, this too contradicts what you have told us." Starscream thought for a moment. True this does contradict the laws of physics but there were far more complex systems of flight built into a Decepticons body, but he smiled as he replied "I am a god, I can do whatever I want." The other Guanas looked at each other and laughed. Yes the Guana spawnlings were eager to learn the new teachings. They absorbed the information readily. Even Guana hatch failing rates dropped. Better incubators were built that ensured that eggs hatched, and the populations had increased over the last two years. The Wyvern hunts had kept the populations at a manageable level before he had banned hunting, but with the sudden increase, the Guana population would soon take over like the humans did. It was going to be necessary to decree certain areas off limits to Guana intrusion. Parks or Nature reserves, and perhaps suggest birth control. The Seeker icked at such thoughts. He was not an ecologist but his scientist side insisted that this needed to be done. The shaman walked by ordering the workers to halt for a break. Starscream straightened up and he called the shaman over to him. "Santor I need to show you something. It will allow you to better appreciate what I am going to do." The shaman stepped forward; he wore a simple head band of glass beads and feathers and a long tan coloured robe. This gold emblem hung proudly on the front. "Anything I can do. N'kosi." "Good. I am going to transform. I want you to climb into my cockpit and I will show you the populations of Wyverns and your world." He transformed and opened his golden canopy. The shaman was surprised. The great red and white being had never offered any one to fly with him. "Is there a price to pay for this offer?" "Climb in and we shall discuss what I want you to do for me." The shaman clambered into the cockpit. Starscream ordered him to buckle in. The red and white Seeker taxied away from the compound, fired his jets and took off. The shaman let out a yelp of surprise suddenly as he felt his stomach flip in surprise. He had never felt this heavy before. "Don't defecate yourself." Said Starscream suddenly. "I would not be very pleased with you." Down below leaving one of the schools, a young Guana female stopped, shielded her eyes from the sun and watched the flying god depart. The shaman clamped his hands to the hand rests as the Seeker shot into the sky. Clouds rushed towards them as they flew fast into the heavens. They burst through a high cloud layer and the sky got darker and darker till they were in the blackness of space. Stars glimmered. Starscream levelled out and banked so the creature could look out the side of the canopy without hindrance. "Congratulations, Santor, you are now the first Guana in space." said Starscream dryly. "Look down at your world. I am showing you this because I cannot take you with me when I leave, regretfully. You have been," Starscream paused for a second, feeling uncomfortable about his next words. "A good friend to me and I want you to be the first to see your world as I have seen it. I hope to be back soon though. I will need thirty Guanas. I want the best in the class. They will join me on my voyage. I will give you a list of the types of skills that are required on this voyage. There will be no skimping either, I must have the best." Starscream's voice was insistent. "I am also showing you your world so you understand how fragile it is. The humans of the Earth world overran their planet and destroyed most of it. You must keep your populations in check. Also there are others like me out there, they, for whatever reason, might seek to come here and destroy you. Be prepared. I have given you the technologies that will help you. Your species is very bright, you can build upon this foundation I have placed at your feet." he said with a genuine tone of admiration. The shaman could only marvel at the beauty of the planet as it hung like a brilliant jewel in space. He listened to the words of the Seeker intently. Starscream banked towards the globe. "I am going to be entering the atmosphere. It will look pretty frightening to you. Not to worry, I've done this before. He entered, his angle corrected, he slipped through the sky. The canopy glowed from the flames of the sky as Santor felt the terrible pressure of many times his planet's gravity squeeze him into the seat. Starscream uttered a weak "oooh" as he momentarily blacked out. Then suddenly the flames abated and the view was clear. He saw the ground streaking towards him. Starscream used his wing breaks to slow his rapid decent down to a subsonic speed. They flew over streams, lakes, valleys and young mountains. Starscream flew just above the treetops. The shaman was speechless there were very few words he could use to describe what he was being entitled to see. The world from the point of view of a bird, of a god. The river looked like a bejewelled snake with glistening blue scales. He was in awe. His attention was brought back as Starscream spoke. "Look down and you will see the largest herd of Wyverns that is left. One hundred individuals. That herd is mine. There are only one thousand individual Wyverns left on this world. There was a heck of a lot more when I first arrived. Its an effect from your improved hunting methods and is entirely my fault but the easier hunting has caused adults with young to be killed off, leaving the young without a provider. Those fledglings can't spit venom so they are unable to eat: they die. Again I must insist that they are not to be hunted. Their populations will rebound if care is taken and your hunting can resume. When that occurs then there will be seasons you can hunt. Seasons when they are not with young. You have your herds of domesticated animals, utilise them for your meat and clothing. When the populations of the Wyverns become too large in some areas, I, when I return, will see to it they are re-distributed." He said as they flew over herds. Heads of adult Wyvern whipped up and a few spat at Starscream, who kept himself flying just out of their reach. Primus only knows how he would move a thirty four metric tonne animal without getting killed, but if there is a will, there is a way. "I am not usually big on this ecology sort of thing, but I do like your world and your people. If you wish the survival of your species you will do as I say or else your ambiguous prophesies of the past will be for the destruction of your species. Also, while you are at it, suggest to your people to try to control your population. If there are too many of you diseases and famine will strike, and if that does not take place then wars certainly will. I can speak from experience. I've been at war for millions of years. You really don't want your people to get that way. Its fairly pointless." Starscream's voice was without the usual screech, his scientist side had taken the literal pilots seat for this trip shoving the warrior aside to ick and moan in his head. The shaman sat in silence as he listened to the flashing light on the panel in front of him. "When we launch into space and go to Cybertron there is a remote possibility that I might not return with your people. As you well know my body is not immortal, my spark might be. As I had told you I've had a second chance. But...." He hesitated. He did not want to say that there was a strong possibility of him dying from his efforts, "I might not be able to get free if I get captured, for a long, long time." "Then with you I shall send the best, almighty one." The shaman responded. "And I will pay heed to your words of wisdom. Our world is far too lovely to let it go to waste." Starscream was satisfied with the shaman's response. He banked again and turned to return to the shipyard. They landed and the Shaman climbed out and quickly disappeared into a crowd of the lizards. Starscream transformed and sat down watching the workers slave away. Nine months later: Mid spring, the end of the rainy season. The sun was bright and the temperature was an uncommonly cool 25ºC, as the shaman called together the population of the Guana people. His feathered head-dress was new and his cape made of the hide of the Wyvern that Starscream had slain many months before. Bright white teeth had been strung around his neck. His kilt and tunic were dyed in bright vegetable colours. The other people were similarly dressed. All their clothes bright and fresh. Today was the day of judgement for them. Their tasks completed. Starscream stood off to the right. His body shining brilliantly in the sun. The Guana females took great pleasure in polishing him with a native plant wax. Starscream had revelled in the attention. "I, Santor, present to you, Lord Starscream, your ship, The Blue Dragon." A loud cheer went up. The beat of primitive drums and the bellow of large seashells and the ship was unveiled. Starscream was impressed. The ship was perfect. It was not so large that it could not enter into planets atmospheres but it was not too small that he would find it crowded. The ship was about four hundred meters long and around one hundred meters high and wide at the tail. It narrowed to about fifty meters at the point. It was triangular, similar to his early Cybertron shape. It was brilliant blue in colour. There were no insignia's that could identify the ship as Decepticon built although its shape could be a tip off. That would be counter productive. It, however, had a name written in Guana font on the side which read The Blue Dragon. Santor got the idea of the Blue Dragon from earth myths that Starscream had told him about: how the Wyvern reminded him of the ancient creatures he had once seen. The ship had many small windows dotting the sides but the largest ones were up front. They were made of a special blend of glass and oxides that made them almost completely impervious to heat and cold, which was fortunate. Atmospheric re-entry would have heated the glass too rapidly and caused it to shatter thereby killing everyone on board as it plummeted to the ground. The side hatch opened up and a group of Guanas waved. They tossed out a thick red carpet, their shell trumpets blasted their sound of triumph. It eerily reminded Starscream of his abortive coronation. He cringed inwardly at the thought. He wondered if it meant something foreboding. The group of Guanas led by Santor showed him into the new spacecraft. Again he was taken aback. The handwork of the Guana people was astounding. They had plenty of time on their hands, so they went to town. This was the first time he had been allowed to enter the ship. They insisted that they would follow the plans but make it a place worthy of a god. They wanted some artistic freedom and Starscream had relented thinking that something here and a bit there. He did not realize that they were going to turn the entire ship into a work of Guana art. Each piece was hand formed and polished. Knobs were intricate carvings. Door handles made of polished metals. Gems of various sizes and colours glittered from all manner of places. Normally he would not have thought much of such needless things but the Guana people went out on a limb. They lead him into the cockpit, the bridge of the ship. He walked to the command centre and caressed the seat that was positioned at the console. It was made of a leather from one of the giant sea creatures that looked like plesiosaurs. The skin was iridescent. A feature, he understood, that took rare skill to preserve as those hides often became dull grey after the animals death. The size and shape of the chair was perfect to his specifications. He sat down and rested his hands on the arms. He felt powerful. He looked to his left at helm control. He smiled as he dug his fingers into the soft leather of the arms. Oh, yes this was definitely a nice place to sit. He looked forwards out the window. A Guana called his attention as he pressed a button and the window fogged and an image appeared on screen. It was a rear view image. It showed the smelter behind the ship and the crowds of people who waited happily outside. They managed to get the windows to be monitors as well. He was pleased with their skill at following orders and plans. He had wondered if they would get it right. The bridge had all the latest computer components the creatures had managed to make. Many stations were located around the central command chair. Science stations, tactical stations etc. It was very functional as well as beautiful, an acceptable compromise. The tour managed to coax him out of his command chair. They walked to a door in the wall of the bridge. There was a knobbed door and the Guanas asked him to open it. He pushed the door forwards and stepped in. It was a smaller room than the one he had in his headquarters but the function was the same. It was his living quarters. It contained all the comforts of home. A computer sat on a desk. A large resting couch against the wall was adorned with rich fabrics and plump pillows. The desk itself was covered in gold and platinum. Again they choose the colours that best complimented him. Deep reds and black blues. They also had some rich materials that were gold and platinum shot. On the wall was painted the Decepticon insignia in a royal purple. The chief or even the shaman did not go to this extent in richness or wealth but then again they valued other things that earth humans did not. Life and challenge were the two most valuable items and Starscream gave them a challenge. The tour took him to another hallway where there were simpler quarters. Guana quarters. Although they were simple they were not Spartan. There were thirty rooms each with a lock panel that they could key in a personal code. They also had a galley and a recreation room. They had ensured that they also had all the comforts of home. They showed Starscream the brig. A room with metal bars that could be charged with energon. It was big enough to hold a couple of Transformers or the entire compliment of Guana crew if need be. Yes that was to his approval. They even left the brig relatively undecorated. The engine room was the next stop. The huge turbine reactors were ready to be fuelled with the massive supply of energon he had had the people hoard. It was necessary to take on a greater than needed supply in case they somehow got marooned somewhere else... 'Primus forbid!' The engine room was in the tail end of the great ship. It had huge vaulting ceilings where lights hung to illuminate the turbines. Metal catwalks hung overhead so the people could look into the energon feeds. The energon rooms were stacked full with millions of cubes. More energy then Megatron had ever acquired. 'Oh yes' he thought 'Galvatron was in for it.' The Guana tour and Starscream returned to the throng. They waited in silence. Starscream nodded and smiled and the crowd erupted into an uproar. Starscream revelled in the experience. He looked over the crazed population as they leapt up and down. They were delighted that their god had approved of their hard work. Almost all of them had a turn in the construction of the ship. That evening the party took place. Great platters of cooked meats and seafood were served. Baskets of fruit and vegetables lined tables and a large table was filled with energon goodies as well as a fine keg of filtered energon ale. After they had eaten, the Guanas partied. Starscream had never seen the like. They started by eating and drinking. Their chatter was noisy. The music stepped up in tempo and a few of the reptiles would leap into the square in front of the dais. They would grab one another and spin and leap wildly to the music. Their voices would chant and sing as well. They had a great time. The sky slowly darkened to night and it became very dark. The Guanas lit huge torches and posted them around the party area. Shortly after that the dancing and music got wilder. They shouted and pranced. Starscream even found his foot tapping in time to their primitive beat. More food was brought out and the hoards stopped dancing and dug on in. They laughed as they ate. The best drink of the night was brought in, Marula. It was a very potent drink that they drank only at very special occasions. It packed a powerful punch and was slightly narcotic. The flavour was very sweet: it only wetted their appetites for more. After drinking that, the Guanas ended up in a super frenzied state. They gyrated and writhed in ecstasy. Slowly one by one the Guanas passed out from drink and fatigue. They lay in all sorts of places happy and full. Starscream enjoyed the party although part of him was made sick to admit it. He was enjoying these creatures, but they were not like whiny humans. He suddenly felt like he was home. This was home! Almost nine years since he crashed in the swamp. The scientist in Starscream had re-awakened as the warrior ways got put aside. No, the thoughts of squishing the shaman and blasting the village where he had his shops set up was not in the plans anymore. This was Starscream's world and he was king of it. This is what he wanted. He could still seek vengeance as it was his right. But here he was god. Let the Autobots and the Decepticons destroy themselves in a fruitless war. Starscream had already tasted death. That was not an enjoyable experience. Luckily for him his spark was spared, so he could get into all sorts of fun mischief. But being a ghost was lonely, and travelling through space for years was also lonely. Starscream looked to the sky. The bright blue star. Cybertron's star. Not at all far away with a good ship, was his own kind. He finished off his mug of ale then poured himself another... He found himself getting fuzzy vision. He chugged back some more of the energon ale. He hiccoughed. He looked at the mug as if he had never seen it before in his life, giggled and passed out. His face planted itself heavily on the table. No one noticed. Every one else was gone for the count. Morning arrived. The sun shone through big, white, puffy clouds. A cool breeze awakened Starscream. The Guanas also awakened, their Marula drinks knocked most senseless. They were picking themselves off the ground and brushing themselves sheepishly of leaves or dirt. Most of the food on the table had been eaten. Everyone still looked happy although some were showing definite signs of hangovers. The little spawnlings ran around noisily, catching early morning flying insects as snacks. They leapt and darted. Insects, it seemed, were a favourite amongst the children. Santor explained it was because they were more insectivorous in the child state. His head spun and his optics kept giving him double vision. He felt nauseated. Too much energon ale. It was an unusual energon formula that a Guana scientist had concocted it was supposed to have similar effects as the Marula drink. The hangover was incredible. He stood up and reeled backwards. His head pounded and he placed his hands to shield his optics from the bright morning sun as he gingerly walked to the stone encircled glade where his underground headquarters were hidden. He had not ingested a lot of energon by mouth in a while. He had sips of high grade now and again, but that did not leave him feeling like a Guardian robot had stepped on his head. He placed a hand on the altar stone and it slid open. He winced as the stone made a loud grinding noise. The hall was brilliant, almost too bright for his present condition. With a hand on the wall he slowly walked down. There was loud chattering of voices. The Seeker looked around. Uniformed Guanas stood in groups looking over the last launch plans. He staggered as his head throbbed again. He let out a moan of displeasure and the Guanas stopped and looked at him. He waved at them in a gesture of I'm OK, get lost, go back to work. Guanas were already there working away at satellite readings. Starscream had insisted on a uniform for those who were chosen to accompany him on his journey. The women sewed jump-suits with many pockets and made padded protective footwear so the Guanas did not hurt their toes. Thirty Guanas in total would join him on his jaunt to Cybertron. He opened the door to his personal chamber. He looked at the familiar, comfortable surroundings. He would have to do something about his hangover. He sighed. Watch first rest later. He turned the computer into Galvatron's direction and listened in. Very rarely did his name ever come up in conversation. When it did it was used in a form of insult or a bad joke. Cyclonus and Scourge were often the butt of jokes as they were unfortunate enough to be host to the ghost. Then the topic would turn to some other matters. Rodimus Prime was a common topic. The fact that Cybertron was a thriving planet once more with Autobots returning from all over the galaxy. Even sometimes he would tune into the others when Galvatron was not around, Cyclonus and Scourge would talk about Galvatron's insanity. They thought he was not fit to lead anymore and his decisions were often bad. Unicron, it appeared, had placed a torture circuit in his head and at some point in time, it got permanently fused on driving the present Decepticon leader to lunacy. Starscream flipped the switch to on and tuned in on Galvatron. Another battle had gone bad. Casualties were low, but they had lost Thrust. Starscream felt a pang of regret. Fewer and fewer of the Decepticons he knew were left alive. Thrust, Skywarp & Thundercracker all gone. Those that were still around had either forgotten him or didn't care either way. Starscream had been humiliated that day. Other than the hunting trip he had done for the Guanas, he had not engaged in warfare in almost twenty years. He had studied most of the planet. Examined the large oceans and the seas and lakes. He had categorised animals and other creatures, rocks and plant life. For a warrior he was doing Autobot-like activities and this disgusted him. 'The activities of science. To further learning about other forms of life. It's not disgusting, it's needed.' Starscream ignored the thought. Very soon he would be on his way home, hopefully to put ends right. |