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T he sunset cast vermillion light across the valley. In the distance, the mountain was streaked with harsh shadows and color. Nothing stirred or at least not that he could see from his vantage point.
"Starscream, there you are!"
He half-turned, briefly eye-level with Skyfire who was climbing up the ladder. "Something the matter?"
"I could ask you the same question, commander." Skyfire towered over him and wore a puzzling grin.
"I don't like this."
"They've just gone to that mountain to meet with Sentinel. Is it likely something bad will happen?"
"No, but..."
Skyfire folded his arms. "But it's possible, right?"
"If it's as important as they made it sound to me, then we need to be extra vigilant."
Skyfire put a hand on his shoulder. "We're already doing what we can. There are guards keeping watch in every direction...I think the only thing you'll accomplish out here is a sun-induced headache."
S tarscream sighed, but let himself lean into the touch. "You're probably right. I simply don't like waiting." Seekers were supposed to take to the skies and act, not wait at base. According to the schedule, they wouldn't even quite be there yet—there was still a lot of waiting to do.
"So...don't wait," Skyfire said. "Do something!"
"Like what? With whom?"
Skyfire had the grace to look bashful. "Well, I know a guy..."
"You're incorrigible. We're at war and you want to have a little date." Starscream rolled his optics in mock meanness.
"Just come down from the tower, at least. So you're not staring at a mountain for hours!" Skyfire held out his hand.
"Ah..." Starscream looked at the peak. Despite his reservations, he had to admit there was little he could do at this moment. He focused back on Skyfire and took his hand, allowing himself to be led down the stairs.
The base was calm this time of day. There hadn't been an attack in some time, so mostly, bots were doing chores or trying to look like they were doing something when the commander and his lieutenant passed by.
"I really hope the Primes were correct about this intel and things draw to a close soon," Skyfire said. "Imagine every day being as unexciting as this one."
"I'd get bored. Besides, there will always be a need for a High Guard."
"Will there? And do we have to be at the top of it?"
Starscream stopped by the corner of a building and put his hands on his hips. "What are you suggesting?"
"I've always wanted to travel," Skyfire said.
"We do that all the time."
"The stars! I want to travel outer space."
"Oh." Starscream shifted his weight. "...You want to leave Cybertron?"
Skyfire gently placed his hands on Starscream's shoulders, then brought their helms together. They were mostly in the shadow of the building, so it wasn't like they were making a scene, but Starscream couldn't stop his optics from flitting one side to the other for any onlookers. "I want us to take a trip together."
Starscream's optics widened. "Ah..." He reached up to touch Skyfire's arms, mostly because that was what he could reach. "That does sound nice. Let's save any serious talk for after everything's over, though, all right?"
Skyfire straightened, his face beaming. "Sure. I've got some ideas—"
There was a cry from one of the guard towers. Starscream was running across the field towards the guard towers before the actual alarms came on. "What is it?"
"Quintessons!" Redwing shouted.
The head of the alien ship was emerging from the clouds over the mountain. Starscream began to shout orders as it hovered towards them. Swarms of smaller drones loosed from the ship and began trading fire with the High Guard.
We need to hold out for the Primes, he thought, then the realization hit him; if they were coming, they would have been here before the ship. The Primes weren't coming back. They had to hold out for themselves.
The world was dark and full of smoke. Starscream staggered over uneven ground, hand against a surface he couldn't see. His head was ringing and he struggled to place himself in context. Where was this? Hadn't he just been at the base with Skyfire?
Yelling and gunfire brought him back to reality. Quintessons—this was an attack. He tried to run forward, to join the others, but had to catch himself against a tall piece of rubble. Something must have hit his processor. He was hurt. That didn't matter as much as figuring out where Skyfire went.
He was outside, he realized. Things were burning in the distance, black tendrils of smoke curling into the sky above. A couple dark shapes darted from the opening of one building to another, too far and too fast for him to call out. Still, it was the first sign of life he'd seen. He kept his guns primed and started picking careful steps between the buildings.
Why was he alone in the first place? He'd been with somebody. He was pretty sure he'd been with Skyfire—that was why he needed to find Skyfire. Where was he? Why was he alone ?
Somebody was calling his name. He turned around, laboriously slow, to see Skywarp running towards him.
"Commander Starscream! You look awful," he said.
"Thank you for the encouragement, soldier, now..." Starscream paused. "Where did those squids go? I'm not finished with them."
"We just saw the last of them fly off," Skywarp said. "I think it's over?"
Dirge, along with the other coneheads, emerged from cover. "More likely, they've gone back to restock. They'll return to pick off the stragglers."
Starscream was inclined to agree with Dirge's analysis. "We have to find the Primes." A flash of memory from earlier in the night went by his optics. He clenched his fists. "We have to find Sentinel ." He couldn't do anything with his processor like this though; luckily his comms still worked so he addressed everyone who was still conscious. "All units regroup. Treat the injured as much as you can. Where's Skyfire? Get him to assemble a group to go looking for—"
Skywarp and Dirge exchanged uneasy looks.
"What?"
Dirge nudged Skywarp into talking. He stared at the ground as he reported, "Skyfire was with you when the guard tower collapsed, sir."
He remembered now. They'd been outside, standing under it. Something, or somebody, shoved him. Then it was dark.
Starscream turned swiftly and the world tried to make itself vertical. Skywarp and Dirge grabbed him and all but forced him to sit on the ground.
"You're in no condition to look for him right now," Dirge said.
"Leave it to Soundwave," Thrust said. "Here he comes now."
Bots were starting to venture out of cover now, limping to medics or running this way and that. Soundwave was resolutely focused on their small group; he was dented but intact. "Commander, awaiting orders."
"Scan the collapsed guard tower for life signs," Starscream said.
He stepped forward and pulsed the rubble with a life-scanning frequency. It was a tense few seconds. "No life signs found."
"He's unconscious."
"I can detect the thoughts of comatose patients," Soundwave replied, not looking Starscream's way.
He simmered over the words. If he made them stay here and dig Skyfire out anyway, those who were definitely still alive would lose precious time. They needed to leave as soon as possible, before the Quintessons came back to finish them off. "Everyone who can, form up and transform. Those who can't can hitch a ride. We're getting away from here. Thundercracker is on point."
" What about your head , commander?" Skywarp asked. "Surely we can stay an extra minute so Shockwave can look at you?"
"I'm staying."
Everyone, including Soundwave, looked at him. His throat burned, everything felt warm and cold at the same time. "There are bots here who still need to be found. I can't leave him behind."
"He's dead," Soundwave said.
Starscream flinched and snarled. "You—"
"Do not throw yourself away. We all know what he meant to you. And you know how much we're going to need a leader."
He didn't feel like much of a leader right now, but Soundwave's point was made. He stuck a hand out and was helped up by Skywarp. "All right," he muttered. "Lift off, everyone! We fall back to our weapons cache in the southern valley." He transformed, surprised to find that his cog functioned perfectly.
"Are you sure you can fly right now, commander?" Thrust asked.
"My flight systems weren't damaged," Starscream said. "However, if I do fall—just leave me."
The cycles were unkind to them. Who knew what grace allowed them to persist; Starscream no longer thought Primus was keeping them alive. He kept them together but he knew they couldn't go on like this forever.
When the cogless showed up, the tension he'd been holding for fifty cycles boiled over. Nothing after that felt like a plan either—the spontaneous attack on Iacon, being exiled, the branding, it was just more tailspinning.
Starscream led them to the location of another old, rusting High Guard outpost which they would use as a temporary base. At least, that was the intention. Nothing much had happened since then and the realization of Megatron's inexperience was starting to sink in. He vowed to take Iacon somehow, but he had no plan and even if he did they were in no shape to do anything, not with every Autobot in possession of a cog now. The High Guard were military, but they were very finite. They were stuck on the surface again like nothing had changed.
Rain was falling. Little green things, growing between cracks in the metal, swayed in the wind. Few mechs were out, preferring to stay in one of the few buildings they'd been able to salvage so far; only Starscream stood outside, underneath a tarp. It wasn't that the inside was too crowded. They'd all grown accustomed to each other's company over the cycles. He needed the space to think.
It was one of those things brought on by something innocuous. Shockwave started it by stating how many days it had been since the fall of the Primes and wondering if they were going to go back to the old calendar or start a new one. That prompted Skywarp to ask about holidays, which eventually turned into a discussion about old superstitions and legends. Things connected in Starscream's processor and led him out here.
Maybe he was avoiding them a little bit. He'd spent fifty cycles accepting that it was hopeless, that there was no point in even thinking about it...
"Starscream!"
He jolted. Megatron was stomping towards him through the puddles, rain pouring down his frame. Starscream had never met a bot who didn't mind water, made even more insane because this one had spent his whole life underground. "Yes? What is it?"
"What are you doing out here?"
"I can't stand around?" Then Starscream wondered. "Megatron, what were you told about the past? Did any records of our customs survive?"
"They did, but they were mostly in...the archives." A dark look came over his face and he turned away. "Why?"
"There's a certain holiday coming up. It's...important, to many people."
"What's it about?"
"The past. The dead. It's called the Festival of Lights."
"Like a memorial? We had those."
"It's a time for us to reconnect with the ones who aren't here anymore, and it starts in a few days. I was wondering how we might be able to prepare for it."
"We don't have the time nor the resources for something like that," Megatron said.
"But—"
"Put it out of your mind, Starscream." He turned and walked away through the rain, firmly stating that there was to be no argument.
Later, after Megatron had finally retired for the night, Starscream gathered a few of who he thought to be his closest conspirators in a room that was being used for storage. He put the idea to them.
"Megatron has a point," Shockwave said.
Starscream sank his head into his hands. "I can't believe you're turning against me."
"I am not against you, I just said he has a point." Shockwave gestured upward. "Quintessons could attack as at any moment, still. If we put on the Festival of Lights, we might draw unwanted attention."
"But if that happens," Skywarp said, "won't the Autobots show up too? You heard that new Prime's message."
"That would not make things better," Shockwave said, then turned to Starscream. "Even if we manage it, won't Lord Megatron be very angry with us? Specifically, you?"
"He thinks it'll be too much of a distraction. If we prepare everything without him noticing anything is different, then he's forced to concede that it didn't cause any problems."
The others looked dubious. Shockwave said, "Perhaps we could host a small ceremony indoors. It would be easier to convince Megatron to accept this as well."
"That won't work."
Thundercracker, leaning against the wall in the back because he didn't completely want to be there, fixed a puzzled look on him. "Won't work? It's just a tradition. It's symbolic. The spirits of the deceased don't really visit us."
Starscream scowled. "You might not care about preserving the past, but I do. Megatron didn't even know about the Festival of Lights, and I can only assume the rest of Iacon doesn't either."
"Sentinel never liked it," Shockwave said thoughtfully. "He likely erased any aspect of our culture that he didn't partake in."
"And you agree that's barbaric, don't you?"
"He should not have kept so much knowledge from the new generation, no."
"Wait, wait," Thundercracker said, waving a hand. "Is this about you wanting to honor tradition, or about making a point?"
Starscream paused. If he told them the truth, he would sound even more insane than he already did. "We haven't been able to do it since Sentinel's betrayal," he said carefully. "We've all lost people. Doesn't it feel wrong not to pay respects to their memories?"
The others fell quiet. He sensed that they wanted to agree with him—except Thundercracker, who genuinely couldn't be bothered—but it was another matter to convince them to do something. In the back of his mind, he started wondering how complicated it would be for him to put it together alone.
Then Soundwave, who was sitting on a crate and hadn't spoken or moved in the past several minutes, looked up. "We need a lot of materials, for the lanterns, the things to hang the lanterns on..." He nodded. "I can send my cassettes to look."
A triumphant thrill went through his spark. "If you start sending them out today, they can get everything in time."
Shockwave was tapping his fingers against his gun. "Ah, I suppose I can take the time to create the energon crystals. It flows so freely now, it shouldn't take too long."
Now attention was on his fellow seekers. Thundercracker rolled his eyes while Skywarp looked confused.
"All right," Thundercracker sighed. "I'll help but I'm not putting together those silly lanterns."
"What are you gonna do?" Skywarp asked.
"Both of us will help distract Megatron so he doesn't figure out what these doofuses are up to."
Starscream smirked. "You'll see it was worth it when we get to put on the Festival."
Making preparations without Megatron or other Decepticons finding out was harder than anticipated, even with their little group. Starscream wasn't going to say it out loud but after a few day-cycles he realized he wouldn't have been able to do it alone. He didn't know how much he was working until he was trying to do anything other than that, and because they'd spent so long in hiding he'd forgotten how busy things could get.
It was an odd thing to think, but it'd be easier if Megatron was lazy. He insisted on working alongside the Decepticons the entire day, barely taking breaks that would have had him sequestered in a corner of the base where Starscream and the others didn't have to worry about bumping into him randomly while they were trying to sneak around.
Starscream shut the door gently behind him, making a sound no louder than a sigh. "I'm late because of that tyrant," he hissed. "He finally got distracted when the construction team asked him for help, but he'll start looking for me again in a few minutes!"
Most of the floor was taken up by Soundwave and an assortment of items. He nodded in acknowledgment but probably wasn't listening too hard; his hands moved over the surface of a bluish cube, trying to click the sides together so that it would stay sturdy. Near its open top were two holes facing each other. Strewn around his legs was a thick black wire with several finished cubes attached to it. He looped the cube onto the wire then picked up a couple plates of semi-transparent metal that were sitting off in the corner. It looked like he'd been at it for a while, and would be there for a while yet.
"Has Shockwave made the crystals yet?" Starscream asked as he picked up a few plates and adhesive.
"Negative."
He snarled. "It's tomorrow night! Is he dawdling? Tell him this is more important than whatever Megatron has him doing!"
"Shockwave will deliver on his promise."
Starscream grumbled and focused on the cube he was building. He had barely finished attaching it to the wire when he heard Megatron's voice, unmistakably calling his name. He cringed with frustration. "Agh! He's like a sparkling, always needing to be attended to—"
"I'll be fine," Soundwave said. "Rumble and Frenzy will be here shortly."
"Okay." Starscream sighed and slipped out the door to see what his commander wanted this time.
The next day dragged on slower than usual. He was aware of every second that passed, not least of all because there was still the possibility of a Quintesson attack; however unlikely it was, if it happened then there would definitely be no festival tonight.
When the sky was orange and the sun touched the horizon, Starscream gave the order for preparations to commence. Soundwave and his cassettes strung the lanterns up under awnings and around columns and poles—anywhere they could. Gaggles of Decepticons ventured out to see what was happening, which was when Shockwave gave them a quick explanation while handing out the crystals.
Starscream stood in the center of the base, holding his own cube, waiting for things to really start—the festivities, and Megatron.
That look of determined frustration was familiar to Starscream now. Megatron was angry and intended to get to the bottom of something. He marched up and growled, "Starscream! What in the pit are you doing?"
"The Festival of Light," Starscream replied. "We discussed it a few days ago, remember?"
"Yes and I remember telling you it wasn't going to happen."
"Perhaps I remember it differently. So what if Soundwave and a few others helped me set this up? It isn't like we had time to celebrate the end of Sentinel's reign."
Megatron's optics narrowed dangerously. Part of it, Starscream reasoned, was that he didn't like the idea of his subordinates going around doing things that he didn't know about.
Before the situation could escalate further, Soundwave stepped in, having finished stringing up his section of lanterns just in time. "Look at it this way, Lord Megatron," he said. "We were able to put all of this together without compromising our ability to do our actual work. Unless you think we were lacking in some way over the last few days?"
That gave him pause long enough that some of his anger faded. "No," he said. "So you've made your point, Starscream."
He scowled. "I'm not making a point...sir, this is for..." The words caught in his throat. He certainly wasn't going to talk about all of that in front of Megatron. "There are a lot of bots, many of our friends, who didn't live to see this day, and all of the Primes as well. This is for them."
Megatron folded his arms and watched the Decepticons. "What goes on, then?"
"We make these lanterns and put charged energon crystals inside them in the evening. When night falls...it's honestly easier if you see it."
"Okay."
Starscream touched his crystal to his chest. It tingled slightly, then the crystal glowed a bright blue, like a fragment of a star. "We charge them with spark energy." He dropped the crystal into the cube he was holding. His was the only lantern not strung up somewhere. "We can only do this if there's energon flowing, obviously. Plus it only happens once every hundred cycles anyway."
That genuinely puzzled Megatron. "Why?"
"Things need to be in alignment or something like that. You'll see very soon."
All the lights in the base had been turned off. There were only the lanterns now with their ethereal blue glows, the shadows deep and expansive beyond their small reach. The sky was dark, just a few bright stars twinkling in the same hue as the lanterns.
Small groups of bots hung out under the lanterns or in doorways, chatting. Many of them were suddenly holding cups; somebody must have started mixing drinks for the occasion. Did someone laugh? When was the last time any of them could relax?
Starscream realized at that moment that he wasn't relaxed, he couldn't join them in the atmosphere of the evening. He was waiting on tenterhooks for something he knew was ridiculous.
Metal whirred beside him and suddenly Megatron had his cannon raised at a point in the darkness. A blue orb was floating placidly towards them. Once he realized it wasn't a threat, he lowered his cannon, staring at the anomaly as it passed by his face and made a u-turn to approach Starscream.
"That's why it's called the Festival of Lights," Megatron mused, reaching out, but the orb whirled away in the air current created by his movement.
Shockwave's yellow optic was bobbing towards them as well. He must have noticed Megatron's upset. "Nobody quite knows what they are," he said, tapping the tip of his gun against another orb that had appeared. It spiraled into the dark. "Some hold the superstition that they're spirits, crossing over from the Allspark. All we understand is that they only appear on certain nights and they're attracted to small amounts of spark energy."
They were filling up the night now, and most of the others had noticed their presence. There must have been dozens of them drifting up and down, seemingly without direction but always being drawn back towards the lanterns after a few minutes, like moons around their planets.
"There is an extra crystal if you would like to participate, Lord Megatron," Shockwave said.
"I think I'll observe this time," Megatron said dubiously.
"If these are ghosts," Starscream said, "is there anyone you think would visit you?"
"How can I say? Bots died in the mines all the time, so it's possible, but I don't believe in any of this stuff."
Starscream looked down at his lantern. No motes of light were orbiting it yet. "There is also a legend that, if you have a strong enough bond with the deceased, they'll manifest fully and you can speak to them."
Megatron looked at him like he'd grown another head. Shockwave was socially dense so he didn't pick up on the implication. What Starscream didn't expect was for Thundercracker to be right behind him.
"Ah, pit," he grumbled. "I know what you're on about."
Starscream jerked around, actually startled. "What do you mean?"
Thundercracker shook his drink around, took a sip, then leveled Starscream with a bland look. "You're thinkin' Skyfire is going to appear."
"...So what if I do? What's the harm? I mean, I know ghosts aren't real, but it's just a nice story."
Thundercracker stared at the ground between his feet. "You're not the only one who misses him, you know. Maybe if you tried talking about stuff you wouldn't...Screamer?"
That was it. He couldn't take this anymore. Starscream transformed, tossing the lantern into his cockpit as he did so. Megatron grasped for one of his wings but couldn't stop him as he rocketed into the sky.
"Screamer! Where are you going!" Thundercracker yelled.
"Leave me alone!" he yelled back.
H e flew high and far, letting the ground recede beneath him. High, high enough that the atmosphere began to dwindle, stressing his frame. He wasn't space worthy and he knew his limits. This was probably dangerous, broadcasting himself like this to anyone and anything that might be looking, but he wasn't going to go back now.
Starscream lighted on the peak of a mountain, one that was part of a permanent range, and transformed. He caught the lantern in his hand, and with a sigh he set it on the ground. He sat with his legs dangling over the edge. The ghostly light kept him from adjusting to the dark, turning the world into a perfect black lonely abyss.
Maybe he'd go back and play it off, not act like he was humiliated and disappointed beyond measure. Maybe he'd stay out here until he rusted. Maybe he'd find a way to get off Cybertron and go somewhere else, that never seemed like too bad of an idea...
"Hello?"
Starscream's head whipped around at the voice. He was staring at something that looked like a bot, but they were transparent and blurred, such that it was hard to make out their features.
After his processor caught up with him, he realized the bot was Skyfire—that is, whatever he was seeing looked like Skyfire. "I...yes, hello?" Talking to your hallucinations: the second bad sign.
"Oh, so you can hear me! That's great!" Skyfire grinned. "At least I think it's great. I know as much as you do about how this works, I think." He invited himself to sit on the rock next to Starscream.
"You—you're—" He sighed. "I was so desperate to cling to any hope that I guess this makes sense."
Skyfire looked very serious. "I'm pretty sure I'm real. Even if I'm not, don't you want to talk to me?"
"Of course I do! I put on the whole Festival of Lights because of that silly story."
"I know the one you're talking about. I think location matters." Skyfire gestured to the surrounding rock. "This area has a...thinner barrier. I was able to step through when I saw you, sitting by the light of the lantern."
Something loosened a little inside Starscream. He was typically known to be sort of uptight, but it sounded so much like Skyfire's voice. "Okay. I'll pretend this is really happening, for now." He smiled. "It's good to see you."
"It's so good to see you too!"
"An obvious question, but how is the Allspark?"
Skyfire was momentarily silent. "It's hard to describe. I don't really remember it? Like the memories don't cross over, or can't form in that place. It's just a...unity. Of selves."
"Sounds dreadful, to be honest. All those souls crowding together."
"You're at peace, and you don't really mind it."
"You never get sad in there, then?"
"Oh, there's sadness. But it's experienced differently. You're just suspended in this timelessness where you're everything you ever were or could be, but you're in complete acceptance of all of it. I can't tell you what it looks like or anything, though. And I don't think we can talk to each other...but I'm not sure." He shook his head. "But never mind all that. How have things been for you?"
Starscream told him everything about the last fifty cycles, up to and including Megatron's takeover and their second exile from Iacon.
"These Autobots...just threw you out?" Skyfire looked very serious. "Knowing that our enemies still remain undefeated?"
Starscream huffed. "In a sensible world, we'd be defending the wielder of the Prime, but now Megatron intends to go to war with them." He shook his head. "I can't say this around him, but like it or not, Prime and his Autobots are the best defense we have against the Quintessons. Unless Megatron has an answer for them, then fighting the Autobots isn't the brightest idea."
"You resist him in other ways."
"Yes." He smirked. "Like putting on the Festival tonight. He didn't want us to waste time. He seemed rather interested when things got underway, though."
"Mostly I'm glad that you're still fighting." Skyfire glanced around. "Did you know this was Vos?"
"What?" Starscream couldn't see anything; the landscape did change so abruptly, though... When he referenced his internal map he saw that Skyfire was right. "How did you know? There's nothing left."
"It's like I can see it how it used to be," Skyfire said. "I see everything that way."
"Even me?"
Skyfire smiled softly. "Even you, commander. It's like not a minute has passed."
Starscream felt differently and he wondered what Skyfire would say if he could see things for what they were. "Since your death I haven't felt like the same seeker. " He stood abruptly. "I'm tired of sitting around and talking about sad stuff. Aren't you? Let's fly."
T hey did so. For the first time since Skyfire's death, Starscream let himself forget everything that was going on and rejoiced in the sensation of defying gravity, defying his leader, defying death.
"How far can you go?" Starscream asked.
"A little more," Skyfire said. "The lantern is helping."
"So you couldn't go back to our base to see the others, or how we've set things up."
"Probably not. You'd have to bring them here. Maybe next time?"
"If we make it that long."
They lapsed into a companionable silence. Beneath them rolled a low valley, and above a melange of many-colored stars. Starscream's engine made his frame rumble, but he noticed he couldn't hear Skyfire's. He supposed he wouldn't, but it made him wonder.
"I think this is about as far as I can go," Skyfire said, beginning to bank. "Let's touch down here, shall we?"
Starscream followed him. They transformed near the ground. It was immediately apparent that Skyfire was more faded than earlier, more of a suggestion than anything. "Are you okay?"
"It was getting dark," Skyfire said, then forced a smile. "I'm good now though."
They ended up laying side by side on the ground, watching the stars. "Where did you want to go?" Starscream asked.
"Hmm?"
"Out there. What planets did you want to visit?"
"Oh, there were so many places. There's a planet with a surface made of diamonds. There's a gas giant that has an enormous cyclone in its southern hemisphere—it's large enough to swallow Cybertron—and the storm's been going for hundreds of years. Nebulae in every color you can imagine. A star being eaten by a black hole." His optics shone as he spoke, and it was certain he was imagining the places as vividly as if he stood there.
"You always did find such wonder in the universe." The only place that ever mattered to Starscream was Cybertron. It might as well be the center of everything.
Skyfire sighed. "I wish being dead meant I could at least go wherever I wanted. I mean, there are worse things about it, but it's being stuck that gets me. If you hadn't gotten lucky, we wouldn't have even met each other tonight." He glanced over, a sad look on his face.
"I'll go to those places," Starscream said. "I'll go, come back in time for the next Festival of Lights, and tell you all about them."
Skyfire smiled wanly.
Out in the darkness, something stirred. Starscream shot up, optics and guns trained on the location. The noise came from behind two large rocks.
Two blurry shapes burst from cover. He took potshots at their backs, connecting with one as they were mid-transformation. They cried out and fell to the ground while their friend screeched away on four wheels.
The Autobot flipped over and glared up at Starscream with equal amounts of fear and anger. They couldn't do anything as the barrel of a gun was pressed into their personal space.
"Trying for a sneak attack?"
"Th-this is Autobot territory," they replied, their voice squeaking. "W-we're supposed to be here, you're not!"
Starscream hadn't realized—he was too focused on Skyfire. He scowled. "I'll go wherever I want, brat. Goodbye."
"Stop!" Skyfire tried to put his hands on Starscream's arm, but they went right through.
He still paused. "Why?"
"They're...they meant you no harm. They were running."
"We're fighting a war, Skyfire. This is an Autobot."
Skyfire's optics widened. "These are Autobots? You made them sound much different!"
"These are just scouts, the real fighters are more worrisome."
"So let them go."
Starscream's mouth twisted. He glared at the Autobot. "Hey. Can you see and hear him?"
The Autobot nodded.
"Describe him."
"He's large and...not all the way here, like a—a ghost."
"I am a ghost. I died long ago."
The Autobot trembled.
"Starscream, please..."
He lifted his gun. "Go. Before I change my mind."
The Autobot scrambled to their feet, transformed, and drove away.
When Starscream mustered the courage to look at Skyfire, he was staring in the direction the two had gone, looking deeply sad. "I'm...sorry you had to see that."
"I don't think I fully understand what's happening. But please don't let it grind you down like this." Skyfire faced him. "We fought to protect all Cybertronians."
" And we learned not all of them are worth protecting." Starscream frowned. "Let's go back to the mountain. We know there won't be any interlopers there."
They did so, flying in a silence that felt more strained than before. When they touched down, Skyfire stared off into the sky, and Starscream steeled himself for whatever happened next. The more time passed, the less he could stand it.
"Skyfire," he started.
"Dawn is near." Skyfire turned to him, suddenly anxious. "Starscream, I don't have a lot of time left."
"Oh." That's what he'd been staring at, the lightening of the sky. "It'll be all right, won't it? You spent the last fifty cycles in the Allspark."
"Yes, but..." Skyfire stepped forward and stooped to abruptly put his arms around Starscream in an imitation of a hug. "Will you promise to come back again?"
He was surprised. "Of course."
"The Allspark isn't bad, but now that I know about how this works, I fear it will be harder for me. It's easy to not think about what happens to the living when you're no longer with them, but like this..."
"Things still matter, when you can come back to see it," Starscream said. He raised his arms to return the false embrace. "I'll get here."
"Try to bring the others if you can. I'd enjoy seeing the other seekers and Soundwave and...everyone, really."
"I don't know about that," he muttered. "It'd be very crowded up here."
Skyfire pulled back momentarily. He was nearly gone now, the first rays of the sun shining through him. He brought their faces together and pressed his lips to Starscream's, and though nothing could be felt, Starscream's spark jolted like it'd been brought back to life.
"Goodbye," Skyfire said. "I love you."
Starscream watched him continue to fade. "I love you."
He stood alone on the peak. It was like waking from a dream, but one he knew was real. He raised a hand to his face and felt wetness underneath an optic, a little surprised that he hadn't noticed himself shedding any tears. He hadn't cried in dozens of cycles; but Skyfire, like always, had gotten him to open up.
There was no reason to stay. Plus his energon reserves were getting low. He flew back to base and landed casually, giving an air like nothing weird was going on.
Thundercracker had sighted his approach and was running over within a couple minutes. "Where did you go?" he asked in a huff. "It freaked me out, you know!"
"I was safe," Starscream said. "I just needed time to myself." Besides the issue of sounding insane if he shared what happened, he wanted to keep the night secret. The memories were precious and belonged only to him and to Skyfire.
"Well...did it help? Are you okay?"
Starscream grinned. "Thundercracker, I haven't felt this good in a long time."
"Even without any recharge?"
He was starting to notice the effects of that. It'd get really bad in a while but right now he was fine. "I've gone without recharge before. I'll be careful."
That seemed to satisfy Thundercracker, who left him to attend to something else. Starscream would get to his morning duties soon but he stood outside for an extra few minutes to watch the sunrise, and not even Megatron bothered him. For now, regardless of whatever was going on in other corners of the world, there was peace.