The Senate chamber was quieter than usual.
Most of the senators had already arrived, their platforms glowing softly as the chamber prepared for the next session. Starscream entered without ceremony, and his new platform activated beneath him as he stepped onto it. A few nearby senators glanced in his direction. The newest senator of Vos was still something of a curiosity.
Starscream ignored them.
Instead, he scanned the chamber.
It did not take long to find what he was looking for. Soundwave stood near Ratbat’s platform, reviewing a datapad while the Kaonian senator spoke quietly with two industrial delegates. Starscream watched him for a moment. The mech moved with absolute precision—controlled, silent, exactly the same way Starscream remembered from the corridors of the Senate complex.
Starscream stepped down from his platform and approached calmly.
Soundwave noticed him immediately. The blue mech looked up, his red visor meeting Starscream’s optics. For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Starscream broke the silence. “You are Soundwave.”
The response came instantly. “Affirmative.”
“You work for Ratbat.”
“Affirmative.”
Starscream studied him carefully. “Your brother suggested I speak with you.”
That caused the smallest pause.
Soundwave’s visor held on him. “Shockwave.”
Starscream nodded. “Yes.”
Soundwave lowered the datapad. “You seek information.”
“Yes.”
“Regarding Kaon.”
“Yes.”
Soundwave considered that for a moment before speaking. “Sentinel Prime is currently searching for the location of the illegal arenas.”
Starscream had already suspected that. “Yes.”
“Providing that information would compromise the gladiators.”
Starscream nodded once. “That is not my intention.”
Soundwave’s visor narrowed slightly with the smallest tilt of his head. “Clarify.”
“I am not Sentinel.”
A brief pause followed.
Then Starscream added, “I am interested in the gladiator.”
The silence between them stretched for several seconds. Soundwave studied him carefully, and Starscream waited.
Finally, Soundwave spoke again. “Megatron.”
Starscream nodded. “Yes.”
“You intend to meet him.”
“Yes.”
Another pause followed before Soundwave said something unexpected. “That would be… interesting.”
Starscream allowed the faintest hint of a smile. “I thought you might say that.”
Soundwave studied him in silence. Starscream allowed the quiet to stretch. Across the chamber, Ratbat continued speaking with the industrial delegates, apparently unconcerned with the exchange. Or pretending to be. Starscream did not assume indifference from a senator who had already demonstrated such careful silence.
Finally, Soundwave spoke again. “You seek the gladiator.”
“Yes.”
Soundwave’s visor remained fixed on him. “Sentinel Prime seeks the same objective.”
“I am aware.”
“Your positions appear identical.”
“They are not,” Starscream answered immediately.
Another pause followed.
Soundwave waited.
“Sentinel wants to end the arenas诸,” Starscream said.
“Yes.”
Starscream spread his hands slightly. “I want to understand them.”
Soundwave considered that. “You are a senator.”
Starscream did not deny it. “Yes.”
“Senators are responsible for the ban on the pits.”
Starscream met his gaze evenly. “The Senate often acts without understanding the consequences.”
Soundwave did not respond.
“I intend to correct that mistake,” Starscream continued.
“Clarify.”
Starscream lowered his voice slightly. “If the Senate attempts to crush the arenas without addressing the conditions that created them…” He gestured slightly toward the chamber around them. “…the unrest will spread.”
Soundwave’s visor pulsed faintly once.
Starscream finished the thought. “I would prefer to know who the gladiator is before the Senate makes that error.”
The silence stretched again.
At last, Soundwave spoke. “You intend to speak with Megatron.”
“Yes.”
“Alone.”
Starscream paused briefly.
That was risk. Obvious risk. But arriving with Thundercracker and Skywarp would make it look like a Senate probe with escorts, or worse, a threat. Starscream wanted information. He wanted measure. He wanted to see the gladiator without a formation around him changing the shape of the encounter.
“That would be preferable,” he said.
Soundwave considered that. Starscream could almost see the calculations happening behind the visor.
Finally, Soundwave lowered the datapad. “There may be a location.”
Starscream waited.
“But if the Senate arrives…” Soundwave’s visor brightened slightly. “…the consequences will be significant.”
“The Senate will not arrive.”
Soundwave watched him for another moment. Then he said quietly, “Very well.”
The coordinates Soundwave provided were nowhere near the Senate districts.
Starscream arrived alone.
The location lay deep within Kaon’s industrial sectors, where towering smelters and fabrication plants cast long shadows across the streets below. The air vibrated faintly with the constant hum of machinery. Heat rose from vents along the ground in wavering distortion, carrying the bitter tang of metal, fuel, and labor that never stopped long enough to cool.
Starscream descended through layers of industrial haze and landed on a narrow platform overlooking a darkened foundry yard. The facility appeared abandoned. No arena. No crowds. No gladiators. Only black gantries, rust-scored rails, and the heavy silence of machinery shut down for too long.
Starscream folded his arms slightly.
Interesting.
The shadows beneath the broken gantries shifted, and a large figure stepped forward into the dim light.
Starscream’s optics narrowed.
The mech was massive, with a broad armored frame, battle scars across dark metal plating, and red optics that burned with steady, unflinching intensity.
Megatron.
The gladiator studied him calmly. “So.” His voice carried easily across the empty yard. “The Senate finally sends someone to look.”
Starscream did not move. “I came alone.”
Megatron’s expression did not change. “That remains to be seen.”
Starscream gestured slightly toward the empty facility. “This is not an arena.”
“No.”
Starscream’s optics narrowed further. “Soundwave gave me these coordinates.”
Megatron inclined his head slightly. “Yes.”
A faint movement behind him caught Starscream’s attention. A second figure stepped forward from the darkness. Blue armor. Precise movements. Red visor.
Soundwave.
Starscream looked between them, and the realization settled quickly. Soundwave had not simply provided information. He had arranged the meeting.
Megatron watched the reaction carefully. “You wished to find the gladiator.”
Starscream met his gaze. “Yes.”
Megatron spread his hands slightly. “You have.”
Starscream studied him for several seconds. The mech standing before him did not look like the Senate’s description of a rabble-rousing pit fighter. He looked like something far more dangerous.
A leader.
“The Senate believes banning the arenas will silence you,” Starscream said finally.
Megatron’s expression hardened slightly. “The Senate understands very little.”
“On that point, we agree.”
Megatron’s optics brightened faintly.
Interesting.
Behind him, Soundwave said nothing, but he was watching Starscream closely.
“The Senate believes the arenas created me,” Megatron said, optics burning steadily as he took one slow step forward. “They are mistaken.”
Starscream did not move.
“The arenas did not create this movement.” Megatron gestured toward the surrounding factories of Kaon. “The workers did.” He let the words settle. “The pits simply gave them a place to speak.”
The silence between them deepened.
Starscream studied him more carefully now.
This was not just a gladiator.
“Banning the arenas will not silence Kaon,” Megatron finished quietly. “It will only prove the Senate is afraid to hear it.”
Starscream studied him for several seconds before speaking. “You’re correct.”
Megatron’s optics flickered slightly.
“The Senate does not understand Kaon,” Starscream continued.
Megatron waited.
Starscream gestured toward the massive industrial towers surrounding them. “They see unrest and assume the arenas are the cause. When in reality, the arenas simply exposed it.”
Megatron’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Starscream folded his arms. “But revolutions built on anger rarely produce stable systems.”
The words hung between them.
“So the real question is not whether the workers will follow you,” Starscream finished calmly. “The question is whether you know what to do with them once they do.”
Silence filled the foundry yard. Behind Megatron, Soundwave remained perfectly still, watching.
Megatron finally spoke. “You assume I have not considered that.”
Starscream allowed the faintest hint of a smile. “I assume nothing. That is why I came.”
Megatron studied Starscream for several moments before speaking again. “You are not like the others in the Senate.”
Starscream did not react.
“They argue about maintaining control.” Megatron gestured toward the distant towers of Kaon. “They argue about preserving a system that has already failed.”
Starscream followed the gesture. The factories never stopped. Thousands of workers inside them would still be laboring through the cycle.
“The Senate believes the gladiator pits are the source of unrest,” Megatron said, voice lowering slightly.
“Yes.”
Megatron shook his head. “They are only the symptom.”
He stepped forward slightly. “Cybertron’s entire structure is built on a caste system that assigns value at creation.” His voice hardened. “Workers are expendable. Scientists are ignored. Laborers are crushed beneath a system that refuses to change.”
Starscream’s optics narrowed slightly at that.
Megatron noticed. “You know this.”
Starscream did not deny it.
“The pits gave the workers a place to gather shreds,” Megatron continued. “They gave them a place to listen. And they gave them a voice.” He paused. “But the arenas are not the goal.”
Starscream folded his arms. “What is?”
Megatron answered without hesitation. “A new Cybertron.”
The words echoed slightly through the foundry yard.
Megatron’s optics burned steadily. “A world where a mech is not defined by the function assigned to him. A world where strength, intelligence, and will determine leadership.” He studied Starscream carefully. “The Senate will never create that world.”
Starscream tilted his head slightly. “And you believe you can.”
Megatron met his gaze. “Yes.”
Silence stretched between them.
“You are planning a revolution,” Starscream said.
Megatron did not soften the word. “Yes.”
Starscream glanced briefly toward Soundwave. The blue mech had not moved once during the entire conversation. Starscream looked back at Megatron.
“And you believe Cybertron will follow you.”
Megatron’s answer was calm. “They already are.”
Starscream considered Megatron’s words carefully. The vision was bold, ambitious, perhaps even necessary. But there was an obvious problem.
“You are describing a complete restructuring of Cybertronian society,” Starscream said.
Megatron nodded once. “Yes.”
“Then the question becomes obvious.” Starscream gestured faintly toward the distant skyline of Iacon. “What happens to the Senate?”
The air between them grew still.
“And Sentinel Prime.”
The name lingered in the quiet.
Megatron did not hesitate. “They will resist.”
Starscream expected that answer. “And then?”
Megatron’s optics burned brighter. “Then they will fall.”
Starscream watched him carefully.
“The Senate believes it rules Cybertron,” Megatron said, voice remaining calm. He gestured toward the industrial world around them. “But Cybertron runs on labor. On industry. On the workers they have ignored for millions of cycles.”
Megatron stepped slightly closer. “When those workers stop obeying the Senate…” He paused. “…the Senate ceases to exist.”
Starscream was quiet for a moment. The logic was simple. Brutal.
“Sentinel Prime will stand with the system that created him,” Megatron finished.
Starscream nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“And when that system falls…” Megatron’s answer came without hesitation. “…so will he.”
The foundry yard fell silent again.
Starscream studied the gladiator before him. This was not a fighter dreaming of rebellion. This was someone who had already accepted the cost of it.
“You are declaring war,” Starscream said finally.
Megatron’s expression did not change. “I am declaring reality.”
Starscream considered Megatron’s words for a moment. Then he shook his head slightly.
“The Senate is corrupt,” he said.
Megatron watched him carefully.
“They debate resource shortages while Ratbat redirects energon across half the planet. They silence scientists who present inconvenient data. And they pretend the unrest in Kaon appeared out of nowhere.”
Megatron’s optics burned steadily.
Starscream spread his hands slightly. “I have no loyalty to that institution. I only took the Senate seat because Vos needs to remain in the sky.”
Megatron tilted his head slightly. “Vos.”
“The Senate was preparing to ground an entire city,” Starscream said. “That is unacceptable.”
Megatron studied him.
Starscream glanced briefly toward Soundwave. The blue mech remained perfectly still in the shadows behind the gladiator, watching.
“I’m sure you’ve been told,” Starscream said.
Megatron’s optics flickered faintly. Behind him, Soundwave said nothing, but the smallest tilt of his head suggested confirmation.
Megatron returned his attention to Starscream. “Soundwave mentioned your challenge in the Senate.”
“I expected as much.”
Megatron’s expression hardened just a fraction. “He mentioned more than the challenge.”
Starscream waited.
“Altivus considering the polar relocation溫,” Megatron said, voice low. “Ratbat framing Vos as expense. Sentinel allowing the insult to stand. Your vote. Your campaign. The result.”
Starscream’s optics narrowed slightly. “Thorough.”
“Necessary,” Soundwave said.
The single word came from behind Megatron, calm and exact.
Starscream’s attention flicked briefly toward him.
Megatron continued. “You confronted the system openly.”
“Yes.”
Megatron studied him for a moment longer, then spoke again. “That took courage.”
Starscream shook his head slightly. “No.” He glanced toward the distant skyline of Iacon. “It took logic.”
The silence between them lingered. Megatron continued studying Starscream with quiet interest.
Then another voice spoke from the shadows.
“Your conclusion regarding the Senate is accurate.”
Starscream’s head turned, and another figure stepped forward beside Megatron.
Starscream’s optics widened slightly.
Shockwave.
The smooth metal faceplate. The single yellow optic. The same altered form he had seen only cycles earlier in the laboratory.
Thundercracker and Skywarp were not here to react.
Starscream stood alone.
Megatron did not seem surprised by Shockwave’s presence. Shockwave moved to stand beside him, and Starscream looked between the two of them.
“You know each other.”
Shockwave answered calmly. “Yes.”
Megatron added simply, “Shockwave’s conclusions regarding the Senate align with my own.”
Starscream studied them both carefully. Soundwave remained silent behind Megatron. Shockwave stood beside him.
The arrangement was… interesting.
No.
Not interesting.
Revealing.
Starscream’s mind moved quickly. Information. Analysis. Strategy. Command.
Megatron had more than a crowd of angry workers. He had structure forming around him.
“You have communications,” Starscream said slowly, his gaze shifting briefly toward Soundwave. “And logic.” He looked back at Shockwave, then finally back to Megatron. Starscream allowed the faintest hint of a smile. “You are building something far more organized than the Senate believes.”
Megatron’s optics burned steadily. “Yes.”
“The Senate has underestimated the situation,” Shockwave added quietly.
Starscream folded his arms. “That is a mistake they make often.”
Megatron studied him carefully. “And you?”
Starscream’s optics narrowed slightly. “I prefer not to underestimate my opponents.”
Megatron studied him in silence for several moments.
“And where do you stand, Senator of Vos?”
The question hung in the air.
Starscream did not hesitate. “With Vos.”
Megatron waited.
“The Senate is corrupt,” Starscream continued calmly.
Shockwave’s yellow optic flickered faintly beside Megatron.
“They silence dissent. They manipulate resource distribution. And they pretend the unrest in Kaon is the fault of a gladiator rather than the system that created him.”
Megatron listened.
Starscream folded his arms. “But I am not a revolutionary.”
Megatron’s optics narrowed slightly.
Starscream added evenly, “I am a realist.”
A faint pause followed.
“If the Senate collapses…” Starscream looked directly at Megatron and shrugged slightly. “…I have no intention of collapsing with it.”
The words settled into the quiet of the foundry yard. Soundwave watched him closely. Shockwave remained motionless.
Megatron finally spoke. “You expect the Senate to fall.”
Starscream’s answer was simple. “Yes.”
“And yet you remain part of it.”
“For now.”
Megatron studied him carefully. Then he said something unexpected.
“That is… wise.”
The foundry yard was quiet again, the distant machinery of Kaon humming beneath the silence.
“Then perhaps our interests will align…” Megatron paused slightly. “…when the time comes.”
Starscream did not answer immediately. Instead, he considered the statement the way a scientist evaluated a hypothesis: possibility, probability, risk. His optics flicked briefly toward Soundwave, then toward Shockwave.
Communications.
Logic.
Megatron was building a structure around himself.
Starscream looked back at the gladiator. “Perhaps.”
Megatron’s optics burned steadily.
“But if that moment arrives,” Starscream added calmly, spreading his hands slightly, “it will not be because I followed you.”
Megatron’s expression did not change.
“It will be because the Senate forced the outcome,” Starscream finished evenly.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Megatron inclined his head slightly. “A logical conclusion.”
Shockwave spoke quietly beside him. “Statistically probable.”
Starscream allowed the faintest hint of a smile. “Yes.”
Soundwave remained silent, watching all of it.
Starscream finally stepped back slightly. “For now, senator of Vos remains my occupation.”
Megatron nodded once. “For now.”
Starscream stepped back from the meeting place. Megatron did not attempt to stop him. Neither did Soundwave. Shockwave had already returned to silence beside the gladiator.
For a moment, the four of them simply regarded one another across the dim industrial yard.
Then Starscream turned.
His wings spread as his engines powered up, and he lifted from the platform into the polluted skies of Kaon. No one followed. No alarms sounded. No ambush waited in the darkness.
Starscream did not mistake that for safety.
He understood the difference.
Megatron had allowed him to leave.
That was not the same thing.
Below him, the foundry yard receded into shadow, and the distant glow of Kaon’s endless industry stretched across the horizon. Thousands of workers still moved through the factories and smelters. The Senate believed those workers were the problem.
Starscream now understood something far more dangerous.
They were the foundation of the future.
Megatron knew it. Shockwave had seen it. Soundwave was already watching it unfold.
Starscream climbed higher into the sky, the wind rushing past his wings as the industrial districts of Kaon fell away beneath him. He did not feel hunted, but he knew something else with absolute certainty.
Events were already in motion across Cybertron. Decisions were being made. Plans were forming. And there were pieces of the board he had not yet seen.
Starscream’s optics narrowed slightly as he accelerated toward the distant lights of Iacon.
That would change.
He intended to learn exactly what was happening on his world. Every plan. Every alliance. Every move.
Nothing this important would unfold without him understanding it.
Not anymore.