Starscream: Rise of the Air Commander

Chapter 24: No Point Pretending The message arrived while Starscream was reviewing the latest flight reports from Tarn. The battle had ended not long before. Smoke still drifted from sections of the city where the fighting had been heaviest, but the defense grid now answered to Kaon’s command codes instead of the old Senate network. Megatron held Tarn, and the Seekers had been active in making that happen. Their flight paths still glowed across Vos’s tactical displays, proof of every strike run, every interception, every corridor they had denied to Sentinel’s forces. The command chamber of Vos remained active as ever. Wings rotated through patrol patterns outside the floating city while pilots reported in across the tactical displays. Thundercracker stood at one of the consoles, studying the planetary map, when a signal forced itself onto the board. Priority override. He glanced up. “That’s not one of ours.” Starscream stepped toward the console. The identifier appeared across the display. Sentinel Prime. Skywarp leaned over the railing behind them. “Well. That didn’t take long.” Starscream accepted the transmission. Sentinel appeared immediately. His armor was damaged from the battle, scoring burned across his chest plating and a deep fracture cutting along one shoulder where something heavy had struck him during the fighting. He had not taken the time to repair it. His red optics locked onto Starscream with cold fury. “You.” Starscream folded his arms behind his back. “Sentinel.” Sentinel stepped closer to the transmitter. “You led them.” It was not a question. Starscream did not answer. “The Seekers,” Sentinel continued, voice hardening. “They fought for Megatron.” The accusation hung in the air. Sentinel’s red optics burned through the screen. “You were a senator of Cybertron. Now you defend the mech who destroyed it.” He leaned closer. “Where is he?” The command chamber behind Starscream was silent. Sentinel’s voice dropped. “What did he promise you?” A moment passed. Then the real question. “What will it take to make you stop?” Starscream considered him for a moment before answering. “You think Megatron started a rebellion.” His optics narrowed slightly. “I realized he started a war.” The words hung between them. Sentinel stared at him. For a moment, the anger in his optics did not move. Then it hardened. “A war.” He took another step toward the transmitter. “You speak as if that excuses what he’s done.” Starscream said nothing. Sentinel’s voice rose slightly. “The Senate is gone.” The words were not grief. They were accusation. “You helped the mech responsible for the destruction of the Cybertronian government.” Thundercracker shifted slightly at the console but did not interrupt. Skywarp watched the exchange with open curiosity as Sentinel continued, “And now you stand there telling me this was inevitable.” Starscream remained calm. Sentinel’s red optics burned brighter. “Megatron is a criminal. A murderer. A pit fighter who thinks he can tear down a civilization.” He leaned closer to the screen. “And I will end him.” The statement was not emotional. It was a declaration. Sentinel straightened slightly. “The Senate may be gone, but Cybertron still has leadership.” The implication was clear. Him. “And you,” Sentinel said, gaze locking onto Starscream, “have made a very dangerous mistake. When I bring Megatron down, you will answer for standing beside him.” The transmission cut. The command chamber of Vos returned to its normal displays. For a moment no one spoke. Skywarp finally broke the silence. “Well. That went well.” Thundercracker had been quiet through the entire exchange. Now he pushed away from the console and looked down at the tactical display where Seeker formations still moved across the skies above Vos. Sentinel had made his position clear. Cybertron had made its choice clear as well. Thundercracker lifted one hand to the side of his wing. A moment later, the plating shifted as he applied the mark. The Decepticon insignia appeared across the surface. Skywarp noticed first. “Oh.” Starscream turned slightly. Thundercracker lowered his hand and looked back at the map. “No point pretending otherwise now.” Starscream studied the new emblem on Thundercracker’s wing. Thundercracker met his gaze. “If Sentinel thinks we’re already enemies…” He shrugged slightly. “…we might as well stop acting like we aren’t.” Skywarp grinned. “About time.” Starscream said nothing for a moment. Then he looked back to the sky outside Vos where the Seekers continued their patrols. The war had already begun. Thundercracker had simply acknowledged it. Starscream studied the emblem for a moment longer, then reached to his own wing. The plating shifted beneath his hand as he applied the same mark. The Decepticon insignia settled into place across the white surface. Skywarp watched the two of them. “Well.” He reached up and did the same. The purple Seeker stepped back slightly, admiring the symbol now set across his wing plating. “That does look better.” Starscream lowered his hand and turned back toward the tactical display. “Make it standard.” Thundercracker glanced over. “When the brigade wings rotate through the command platform,” Starscream continued, gesturing toward the flight corridors outside, “have them apply it.” Skywarp laughed quietly. “Oh, Sentinel is going to love that.” Thundercracker nodded once and began adjusting the rotation schedule. Outside the command chamber, the next patrol wing descended toward the platform. The first of many. One by one, the Aerial Combat Brigade would begin wearing the mark. Starscream watched the first patrol wing settle onto the outer platform before turning back toward the command console. He opened a private channel. Thundercracker noticed but said nothing. The signal connected quickly. Megatron appeared on the screen. The chamber behind him was darker than Vos’s command center: steel walls, tactical displays glowing faintly across the room. Kaon, most likely. Starscream stood where he was for a moment, then stepped back slightly from the console, far enough that the camera could see his full frame. Both wings. The Decepticon insignia visible on each. Megatron noticed immediately. His red optics shifted briefly to the marks before returning to Starscream’s face. “You called.” Starscream folded his arms behind his back. “Sentinel contacted me.” Megatron’s expression did not change. “He demanded to know where you were,” Starscream continued. “He asked what it would take for me to stop supporting you.” Megatron remained silent. “He believes this is still a rebellion he can put down.” A small pause followed. Starscream added calmly, “I informed him he was mistaken.” Megatron’s gaze remained steady. Then the slightest hint of approval crossed his expression. “Good.” Starscream said nothing more. Behind him, through the command windows of Vos, Seeker patrols continued to cross the sky, several now bearing the same insignia on their wings. The report had been given. But he had not opened the channel only for that. Megatron waited. Starscream spoke again. “If I am to command Decepticon air operations, it would be beneficial for me to be included in your strategic meetings.” The request was direct. Not a challenge. Not a demand. A practical statement. Megatron studied him for a moment, then nodded once. “That is reasonable.” Starscream inclined his head slightly. Megatron continued, “The next war meeting concerns Polyhex. Attend.” “Very well.” Megatron’s red optics held on him for a moment longer. “Welcome, Air Commander Starscream.” The title landed with deliberate weight. It was not only for Starscream. It was for whoever stood within range of that transmission, whoever would hear the rank and understand that Starscream was not an accessory to Megatron’s war. He was part of its command structure. Starscream inclined his head once. “Megatron.” The transmission ended. The screen went dark. Starscream stood there for a moment longer before turning back toward the command platform. Thundercracker looked up from the console. “What did he say?” Starscream turned from the display. “I am expected at the next war meeting.” Skywarp tilted his head. “Well. That sounds important.” “It is.” Starscream started toward the command platform, then paused. “The next one is about Polyhex.”