Chapter Text
He should've left months ago. He should've left when she first emerged. He should've left when he first noticed the change in his spark. But he didn't leave. And like most of the decisions he made, it was about to blow up in his face. Starscream was leaving.
Megatron humiliated him…again. In the grand scheme of things it was one of the better outcomes of their arguments. Just a few dents and pain in Starscream's leg. It was not onlining in the medbay after being pummeled to a pulp.
But still, it didn't matter that this time Starscream wasn't out of commission, it didn't matter that this time he was able to escape Megatron's insatiable wrath, its been almost six months and Starscream could feel that his was luck running out. And it wasn't just his own luck that he was riding on either.
There was a human saying that, three can keep a secret if two are dead, but as an accomplished liar as Starscream was he couldn’t help but wonder if the secret was a living being, would the saying hold true.
There were a lot of what could be considered open secrets in the Decepticon ranks that even the Autobots knew. For instance Starscream and Megatron's hatred for each other was infamous. Not that that could be exploited, no. The Autobots tried early in the war to convince Starscream to defect, but that was when he still believed the Autobots obliterated Vos and even now when he knew the truth, Starscream had sunk too much effort too much of his skill into his position of Second in Command and Air Commander to defect like a coward.
Not even Skyfire could get him to do that.
So why did she?
A sparkling, barely the size of Ravage, still a gleaming silver until her colors came in, Nightblaze, Starscream's daughter.
She looked up at Starscream with her amber optics, a smile on her face as she saw her carrier.
"Carrier! You're back." Nightblaze flared her wings out in joy, as functionless as they were she was still a Vosian jet, emotional communication through wings was hard coded.
"Yes, I am." Starscream picked up the sparkling and held her close to his spark. Pacing around his designated room, a jolt of pain ran through the sensors in his leg. Starscream faltered in his step, careful to not show a reaction.
"Is Carrier hurt?" Nightblaze lifted her head, her wings dipping down slightly.
"I'm ok, Nightblaze."
"But you-fl- flinched." She stumbled over the word.
"Huh, where'd you learn that word?" Starscream noticed Nightblaze's vocabulary growing over the past few weeks.
"'Warp, they were playing a game with Tee Cee." She answered.
Of course, the only two mechs on this ship who knew about Nightblaze. It has been nothing but a miracle from Primus that Skywarp hasn't slipped up on keeping her an absolute secret.
Thundercracker was easier to have faith in, not that he wasn't also a bit of an idiot. He wasn't as scattered-brained as Skywarp was and, while Starscream wouldn’t admit it in a million years, he was the most level headed of the trine.
"Did TC like the game?" Starscream knew how his lieutenants acted, it was most likely Skywarp was being an annoying fragger and teleported in suddenly.
"I don't think so?" Nightblaze scrunched her faceplates up in thought.
"It wasn't much of a game then wasn't it?" The SIC assumed that with a limited vocabulary ‘a game’ was the best her small processor could come up with.
"But games are supposed to be fun, right?"
"Some games aren't meant to be fun." A slip. He shouldn't have said that.
Too young for her to start to be that cynical yet. If he could, Starscream would want Nightblaze to not be here at all, but here she is and just terminating her made his fuel tank rust. It wouldn't be hard to do, she couldn't do anything to stop him from doing so.
"But there is something we can do." He quickly pivoted before his train of thought spiraled even more.
"Is it a fun game?"
"It could be fun." Starscream said, "I can show you the outside world, how does that sound?"
"You mean that outside!" Nightblaze
"Yes, but we have be very quiet, so I need you to hide in Carrier's cockpit."
Nightblaze nodded as her wings were vibrating with excitement as she climbed into the empty cavity of Starscream's open cockpit.
Carrier flight frames were created with the capacity to hold their offspring in their cockpit, no matter if of Vosian descent or not. It kept the sparkling safe and that was what mattered.
He transformed with the grace of an aerial master. The normal flourishes weren't there as dramatics wouldn't help. Even to a defecting Air Commander.
No defection wasn't what he was doing. He wasn't abandoning the cause. It was the cause's leader that was the problem. A problem that Starscream's sparkling shouldn't have to live in fear of. The cause be damned.
***
[Warning: Left Thruster- 50% Functional]
Frag it!
"I don't have time for useless warnings." Starscream growled to himself. He was 500 miles from the west coast of the North American Continent, a little further inland were the forests that would give the two of them some sort of safe area away from most human settlements.
(::Carrier?::) The light crackle of the comms system carried through the small voice of his sparkling.
(::Nightblaze?::) He questioned, wondering why she'd woken up from recharge.
(::Is something wrong?::) Nightblaze asked. Was there some lost coding that gave sparklings a sixth sense for this stuff?
(::No, no, theres nothing wrong-::)
[Warning: Left Thruster- 40% Functional]
(::I just have to make some alterations to the plan.::)
(::Al-Alt-Alterations?::) She struggled with the word.
(::Changes, I have to make some changes.::) Starscream simplified, before adding (::Nothing you need to worry about.::)
(::You're hurt.::) She repeated.
(::Nightblaze, I'm fine. Go back to recharge.::) Starscream cut the comm line, refocusing his systems on the thruster damage to push it just a bit further.
A ping came in not even five minutes later, (::I can't!::)
(::Then just...wait.::) a pause was made before Starscream added,(::Everything is going to be fine.::)
[Warning: Left Thruster- 10% Functional]
[Warning: Emergency Thruster Shutdown]
A controlled crash. His wings sliced through the trees, dents would certainly form and be a pain to get out. Starscream began a partial transformation sequence, narrowly getting his wings away from the now thickening tree trunks as the ground rapidly approached. The seeker fully transformed back into root mode his sliding painfully in place.
It was worse than expected. Starscream's left heel looked like it was crushed, attempting to stand up was a struggle all on its own and even trying to walk, it sent searing pain up his leg with every step he attempted to take.
(::Carrier!::) Nighblaze’s voice cracked through the comms.
Forced to kneel regardless, Starscream opened up the cockpit, letting the small flyer out. Once on the ground the first thing she did was look up at the sky, unfortunately for her it would be a while before she could fly on her own.
"Carrier, I'm hungry." Nightblaze said. Human words. She was speaking Vosain but it was modified. How Nightblaze learned about them Starscream didn't know but it seemed that in his attempts to teach her proper Vosian speech (other than the Iacon Standard which was inevitable), when possible, she stubbornly used words that were human in origin.
Starscream sighed. It was a good thing he planned for a rushed exit from the warship, as he pulled out a low grade engeron cube, handing it to Nightblaze. It wasn't his first time having an extended absence from the faction, but it was the first time with another bot to worry about. Especially a defenseless sparkling. Being Second In Command gave a bot some privileges in terms of rations. Having an emergency ration stash wasn't unusual for Starscream to stockpile on. It was just that was one of the few good things about his position and that was a list he could count on one servo.
Looking down back at his heel, Starscream knew it would be foolish of him to force to walk at this point. His self-repair was already working- it was always working but-even without the constant repairing it would still take a few hours to be able to stand. Dragging himself over to the base of a large tree, Starscream made up his mind, might as well wait it out.
***
"Carrier, Carrier, wake up. There's bright lights."
Starscream's optics were slow to online but once they did his entire frame stiffened . Bright flood lights shone through the trees. The sound of mechanical steps were heard throughout the woods.
"Nightblaze, listen to me. Do. Not. Move." Starscream hissed, as he slowly stood up quietly as he could guide the sparkling behind him.
"I'm scared." She whispered.
"I know, but we have to be quiet and very still."
"Are you sure that signal was genuine?" a voice asked, "It hasn't reappeared in over five hours."
"Yes, even if the signal came was manufactured, it would be better to check than to potentially have a more severe issue later on." A lower and more careful voice answered. Most likely the leader of this squad.
"For all we know it could be a trap by the 'Cons." a much younger sounding mech said, of course it was Autobots. Given the choice it was better for it to be...Autobots than Decepticons at this point. Starscream mentally shuddered at that unfortunate fact.
"It very well could be but that's a risk we have to take." The leader said. As Starscream listened he could swore he knew who it was but it didn't makes sense to his racing thoughts.
"Wait, boss could you point the lights over there? I think I see something." A similar voice to the younger mech said.
The too bright spot light came dangerously close to Starscream's wing. Shit.
"Damn Autobots can't a mech rust in peace?" Starscream said, partially revealing his location. It wasn't a surrender it was to test to see who he was facing. Those flood light were making it difficult to be sure.
"As if peace exists for you Screamer." Sunstreaker said. Oh great.
"Hm-I may be injured but that doesn't mean I'm not ready to kill all of you!" Starscream boasted, his Null Rays charged up.
"Let's see if you even kill one of us." Mocked Sideswipe, if one twin was here the other was certainly not too far behind.
"NO! DON'T HURT MY CARRIER!" Nightblaze yelled as loud as her vocalizer could allow, as she ran into the middle of the standoff.
The lights were angled to her now, it was bright enough to blind her optics. They dimmed a little so Nightblaze could see the bot behind them, but the recalibration of Starscream's optics left lingering blind spots in his vision. Fear hit a part of Starscream's spark that he knew wasn't coming from himself.
“What did you say, young one?” The almost gentle (gentle? Why should he be, its Prime? Starscream's processor supplied.) voice of the Prime carried through the silence of the woods. He seemed to be crouching down as if to lower himself to the sparkling's level, even reaching a servo out as some sort of offering.
“Do-not hurt my Carrier!” Nightblaze repeated, as she slowly accepted the outstretched servo. The fear melted into a feeling of protectiveness, almost to the point of personal possession registered in Starscream's spark.
"Night-" Starscream started.
“A sparkling! Screamer got himself sparked! How fragged in the processor do you have to be to pull something that stupid.” Sunstreaker said, like he was over selling his shock. Starscream rolled his optics, he highly doubted Sunstreaker even knew how sparklings, other than blank slate protoforms, were made.
“Maybe it has something to do with ol’ Bucket Head.” Sideswipe suggested.
“Excuse me-How dare you even think-” Starscream shrieked. There was no way. Not even the Planet Eater himself could make that even a thought in his processor, and this Autobot lowlife just verbalized that very revolting thought.
“Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, if you two can’t control yourselves, I will make your next patrol shifts in the Mojave.” Ironhide threatened. Or at least that's what it seemed like, it wasn't the kind of threat that would get Starscream to back off, but it appeared to silence the twins.
“Starscream I believe it is in your best interest to lower your weapon.” The Prime attempted to regain control of the situation.
“I could think of many reasons why its not.” Starscream resets his Null Rays pointing one of them at Prime, he stepped closer to Nightblaze, the shifting of the weight on his heels made him stumble.
"We intercepted an emergency distress signal coming from this area. I must assume you sent it." The Prime explained.
"A distress signal? I- I know nothing of that." Starscream said. His optics flicker off to the side, tearing his gaze away from the Autobot leader, before refocusing. “What does that have to do with anything?”
"It matches your frequency, Screamer." Ironhide added, "So unless there was something in your cockpit-oh I see."
"What?” Starscream followed the grounder’s gaze until his optics landed on his sparkling. A sputtering rumbling sound emanated from his throat, as Starscream internally cursed at himself for not hiding that panel.
“Why does he sound like a rusted Earth engine?" The one lambo twin attempted to whisper.
"Yeah its like hes falling apart." The other said not even trying to be quiet.
"I'm not falling apart idiots!" Starscream hissed.
"I don't know it seems like it, Screamer. Has Megatron finally gain a processor byte and kicked you out?"
"Frag you!" A fully charged Null Ray blast hit Sideswipe knocking him to the ground.
Sunstreaker shot three times at Starscream, the seeker was able to doge two of blasts the third one hitting his knee joint forcing the jet down on his knees.
The grounder dodged the few blasts that Air Commander was able to fire, swiftly snatched Nightblaze from the forest floor.
"Carrier!" The tiny flyer shrieked.
"No!" Starscream readied his Null Rays to shoot again.
"Another shot Screamer and I'll terminate the sparkling." Sunstreaker threaten, the barrel of his gun dangerously close to Nightblaze's head.
"Sunstreaker! Stand down." The Prime ordered, "I will not allow you kill a sparkling."
"And why not? Say that it is actually the spawn of Screamer. What if it becomes exactly like him?"
"That is something we can not control for, but killing a sparkling no matter who the creators may be is a line we do not cross."
"Maybe its a line that you don't cro-SAAAH!Frag!" Sunstreaker yelled, dropping Nightblaze as he clutched his servo that was now leaking drips of energon.
The sparkling hissed at the grounder barring her fangs.
If Sunstreaker were going to fire he never got the chance to, Ironhide was able to restrain the grounder.
A long silence surrounded the Cybertronians.
“The Autobots could give your sparkling, sanctuary.” Prime said suddenly.
“What!” The twins yelled in unison. One was in surprise the other in anger.
“Optimus, you can’t be serious.” Ironhide said.
“I am serious. Starscream-" The Prime redirected his attention to the grounded Seeker, "I will offer you and your sparkling protection from the Decepticons or any other Cybertronian that may want to cause harm to you or your sparkling in retaliation."
"I'm to assume there'll be conditions to this agreement?" Starscream attempted to keep the shock out his voice.
"Not conditions, just precautions. Your history is something we can't afford to take lightly.” The Prime reminded.
“Of course.” Starscream said as if what Prime was saying was the most obvious answer in the world.
“Is that a reasonable offer?” The Autobot leader asked his tone firm as if waiting for a hostile answer.
“Yes.” The Seeker said immediately. "Just keep those two away."