Vos, Cybertron
Evening, late Rust Age.

Flying overhead in the distance were the silhouettes of two Seekers. Cybertron's flying and fighting militants who were stationed and trained at Vos. The smaller of the two alien jets transformed first once they were low enough to the ground and landed with an awkward yet subtle grace before his much larger counterpart transformed in mid-air and landed beside him with a hefty thud. The smaller jet, who had red optics, glared around at their surroundings with clear disdain and mistrust written on his face plates. As his comrade straightened up, he laughed and gently held the shoulder of his smaller friend.

"Why so on edge, Starscream?" The larger Seeker tilted his helm to the side with a good-natured and teasing smirk. "Today is supposed to be a good day!"

Starscream tilted his helm at the crowd gathered by the forge not too far away from them. He vented and carefully shrugged off the larger Cybertronian's servo. "We're the last to get an apprentice. I'm the last to get an apprentice!" He hissed as he began walking towards the forge.

The larger jet rolled his optics but quickly caught up with the other. "And why is that suddenly bothering you?"

"Because Skyfire!" Starscream rounded on his heel for a brief moment to glare up at his friend. "What if that means that I'm not good enough? We're not good enough? Not good enough to take on a mentee and teach them how to fly?"

"And fight," Skyfire added which made his friend grumble and nod. "And survive."

"My point is, this is Nova Storm's second apprentice. You've already had training and have been recommended multiple times to take on an apprentice. Multiple chances that you've since turned down in favour of... Of..."

"Of learning how to do this together?" Skyfire offered a hopeful smile. "Like we planned? As best friends are supposed to grow old through their lives and learn together?"

Starscream halted in his advance towards the crowd as he clenched his servos and wore an angry scowl. He heard Skyfire pause beside him and vented as he closed his red optics to think for a moment. Skyfire couldn't be more proud of his friend, from the anxiety and self-doubt to the swift control of the smaller jet's emotional outbursts - Skyfire knew he was ready, even if Starscream himself didn't think he was.

"Am I ready to do this?" Starscream reopened his optics to examine his servos being held up in front of his face plates.

"Of course you are," Skyfire chirped as he glanced over at the waiting crowd. "They put you last because they knew that giving you extra time to catch up on all of our training meant that you, Starscream, would be more than ready for a challenge like this. And me waiting for you just shows that we're both going to be good mentors - great even! We're going to do a good job because we both trained hard for this, and we're both ready."

Starscream then glanced up at Skyfire with a slight pout. "You... You didn't have to do all this. Just for me." He looked down in slight guilt for holding his best friend back.

Skyfire patted him on the shoulder, mumbled something supportive and then they both headed over to the forge to welcome the new Seeker Trine into their world.

......................................................................................................................

Nebula-Lune 75, Earth's Moon
22:36 PM, May 13th 2021

Starscream stared down at the familiar space dust he'd grown accustomed to. Earth's Moon, among the two hundred others throughout this cursed solar system, had become his playground. They were his safe thinking spaces and often the little corners of his world where he would stash very important things or go to hide whenever he wanted to be left alone. Such as now, now he wanted to be left alone because today was just not his day.

He had reactivated from an absolutely horrid night terror and disturbed Megatron greatly. Though their leader was known to be ruthless and cruel, as well as heavily unforgiving, it was Megatron who insisted that Starscream use the spare stasis pod in his quarters. Their leader had grown very concerned over the well-being of his former Air Commander; much to the dismay of many others, including the Vixen and Questor Trines. Starscream in simple terms - slept in Megatron's room. Only due to his nightmares becoming unpredictable and more frequent in recent years since he rejoined back with the Decepticons. This nuisance had bugged Skywarp, though Starscream genuinely believed that Thundercracker was also growing tired of his night terrors, only Skywarp had vocally complained of it. Twice. The youngest in their Trine had been mistaken when it came to their brother's severe C-PTSD. It had resulted in Thundercracker growing more agitated with Skywarp and Starscream having moved out of their sleeping quarters altogether. According to Skywarp and Thundercracker, Starscream was welcome back at any time he wanted and his old stasis pod hadn't been touched since he left it. Most of the Trines slept in threes, though the scouts slept in their designated groups. It was entirely unnatural for any of their close-bonded forces to sleep alone. So that led to Megatron slowly enveloping Starscream into his personal life - whether as a safety precaution to keep watch over him, or to have yet another control over the Seeker's life, Starscream did not care enough to know.

The red and grey jet scoffed at that thought. Wouldn't be the first time.

For all the harsh talk, Megatron's outbursts had lessened over the years, which made Starscream more fearful. If Megatron couldn't be bothered correcting the wrong title here or there, then that led to others walking all over him as they pleased, then that inevitably led to infighting without any consequences - which led to usurping Megatron's power and title to a more ruthless and violent leader waiting in the ranks.

If Megatron was getting old, and soft, then no one knew what horror was about to unfold next. Though Starscream had to admit that the winding down of the rage was a nice change of pace, he couldn't deny that deep down, somewhere in his spark he knew, he felt as if Megatron was giving up.

And his former Air Commander couldn't fix that, because Starscream was giving up too.

They were both tired. Tired of this war, the fighting, the arguing, being so far from home, and losing those they had grown close to.

Starscream was tired.

Megatron only allowed him to rest in his quarters because he felt pity for the frail state of Starscream's processor. If Slipstream had so easily slipped away following the death of Nightress, it damned anyone to know how exactly Starscream would react in the coming battle. And this led them to now.

Skyfire, his old friend, had requested that he and Starscream escape the confines of the Nemesis to go for a fly and catch up. It had been a few months since Starscream had uttered a word to the bigger jet. No fault of anyone other than the fact that Starscream was different. Ever since the Battle of Deception Gorge and the Space Bridge where the AllSpark had quite literally blown up in his face. Starscream had changed and everyone among the Decepticon ranks knew it.

First, it had been Megatron when Starscream had gone against his orders and pleaded for negotiations with the Autobot forces regarding the remains of the AllSpark. Then Skywarp and Thundercracker when Starscream felt off. Slipstream knew that he was different, but still clung desperately to that image of her old friend to try and find some dignity left of her own torment. Then Whirlwind and Skyfire as well as the rest of the Seeker forces. Then eventually the entire Decepticon army as rumours began to spread like wildfire.

Starscream had somehow managed to hold himself together despite everything that had happened to him and managed to pull through on Megatron's bizarre request. A request that inevitably led to Skyfire resenting Starscream.

"Do you even love them?" The larger jet asked once he transformed and landed behind the former Air Commander.

Starscream turned to glare at Skyfire as he asked that.

"The Stars Trine," Skyfire elaborated. "Why did you agree to make them if you don't even like them in the first place?"

Starscream's red optics scanned Skyfire's frame. "I do like them."

"But you don't love them," Skyfire pressed. "Do you?"

Starscream vented and turned to look away. He couldn't for the life of him understand why this matter brought so much grief to his former friend.

"Why is this any of your concern, Skyfire?" Starscream jabbed, his wing struts stiff and high in a clear display of noticeable discomfort and stress. "They're not yours. Not your responsibility anyway."

"No," Skyfire quietly agreed as he clenched his servos. "They're not mine." He was muttering to himself as Starscream turned and began to walk away a little, kicking at the rocks here and there.

"So, I ask you again. Why do you insist on pestering me about my own feelings toward my responsibilities? If you're so concerned about their well-being why don't you just step up and be their mentor?"

"Because they look up to you!" Skyfire burst again, staying where he was as his own wings now adopted the stress position. "You built them Starscream! Even when you didn't want to because you didn't have to because you didn't need to! You built them because Megatron asked you to! You built them for him!"

Starscream paused and narrowed his optics at the ground, his own servos grasped tightly behind his back strut as he listened. Skyfire saw the opportunity and quickly walked to catch up to the Air Commander's side.

"I'm asking you why." The bigger jet lowered his tone in defeat. "I'm asking you why you built them. For him. If..."

"If what?" Starscream slowly turned his helm in Skyfire's direction, silently asking him to continue whatever it was that he was about to say.

"Do you remember Stormlight?" Skyfire tenderly asked as he gave his friend a sideways look.

Starscream's optical ridges snapped downward as a disgusted scowl wrote itself upon his face plates. A hot second later, Starscream was a few meters away from Skyfire, his frame timid and hot with anger. "I told you to never speak of them ever again!"

Skyfire stared at Starscream as he said that, but it was clear that with raw power to the bigger jet's advantage, and with the privacy of space all around them - he wasn't going to back down this time as he stepped forward.

"I know," Skyfire's voice was soft as he raised his unclenched servos in an attempt to come off as peaceful. "I know you said not to speak of him, or the others ever since what took place on Cybertron but... But please, Starscream, just listen to me for once!"

The red and grey jet glared at Skyfire yet his silence was permission enough to let him continue.

Skyfire inhaled sharply before he continued. "I still remember the day that Light came from the forge. You were so anxious, constantly glancing up at me and asking me if you were ready for this. To become a mentor. The moment when that little Seeker laid his optics on you," Skyfire trailed off as he shook his helm. His vocals had begun trembling at the distant memory. "I knew then that you'd do anything he could ask of you. You were his world, Starscream..."

"And they were my everything." The red jet muttered softly to himself. The memory already had invaded his processor.

Skyfire nodded and took another step forward. "Storm and Light, if... If they had survived what would you have done? If they were here with us now? If Megatron asked you to build those other Seekers?"

Starscream gave Skyfire a sharp look. "What are you suggesting, Skyfire? Do you despise my creations?"

"No!" Skyfire quickly shook his helm. "Primus, no! No, no, they're gorgeous, Starscream, all four of them! You have no idea just how much I truly adore your creations! Each and every last detail of them; it brings many of us joy to hear them racing around on the warship every morning and I know for a fact that it brings comfort to your spark too."

Starscream was quiet for a moment as he glared at Skyfire, waiting for the inevitable counterargument to make itself known.

"My problem lies not with your... Creations," anyone be damned if they dared say that the Stars Trine were Starscream's 'children'. "It lies with you."

They stood staring at each other in silence for a moment as the vast emptiness of space flowed around them. Starscream still did not move or speak as he interrogated Skyfire with his glares alone. Skyfire vented and looked down as he shook his helm in defeat. "I... What I'm trying to ask is if you didn't want a repeat of Stormlight, out of fear of losing someone close to you again, then why go ahead and make not one, but an entire Trine? And why do it for Megatron?"

Starscream lessened his glare as his optics shuffled away, he was caught off guard, even if he knew that the question had been lined up from the start.

Skyfire continued. "Something's not right with you, you're not thinking clearly. Bringing children online is one thing but bringing them into a war? You stated it yourself that you would never again go through what happened with Stormlight at the academy! You turned your back on that future..."

"A future with you?" Starscream glanced at Skyfire with a raised optical ridge.

Skyfire went quiet but nodded.

Starscream narrowed his optics in thought for a moment before the gears began turning in his helm. "You're upset with me... Because I chose to create new life for Megatron. Against my former beliefs of children, war and loss."

"Yes," Skyfire nodded again, there was slight hope in his voice as he glanced towards his former friend. "Why did you do it for him? Do you... Are you and he..."

"No," Starscream swiftly cut the larger jet off with a warning look. "No, we're not."

Starscream then turned away so Skyfire was facing his left side. The former Air Commander thought for a moment before he inhaled deeply and raised his helm.

"You forget why I joined the Decepticons," he began in a stoic and reserved tone. "I joined the day that Storm and Light were ruthlessly maimed right in front of me... I joined because for a moment, Megatron allowed me to walk right up to him and scream in his face. I joined because of two empty promises that he gave to me." Starscream then lazily turned his helm to look at Skyfire. "One promise that he gave to us."

When the silence began to unnerve Skyfire he took another cautious step forward and asked. "What promises? What did he say he would give to you?"

Starscream turned to gaze out over the millions of distant stars watching them. "That he would restore Cybertron to its former glory was his first mission, that was his empty promise to everyone. The second, the more personal mistake, was that he promised to give me the same children his bizarre fanatics took from us. He said that when the Well of AllSparks functioned again and Cybertron would be free, the first five children to rise from it would be ours. Militants or not, he promised me."

"In exchange for..." Skyfire seemed to lose his vocals momentarily as he stared at Starscream.

"In exchange for my undying loyalty towards him," Starscream turned to look sadly over at Skyfire. "And the Decepticon cause. Skyfire," he turned fully to face his massive friend when the other became crestfallen. "I would do anything to see Cybertron restored. Under Megatron's leadership, through his vision or someone else's, I no longer care for that. All I care about is going home again and flying over Vos one last time before I die."

"You... You already did."

"I know," Starscream agreed nonchalantly as he stared hard at Skyfire. "It scared me, quite good. I died when the AllSpark blew up, do you remember that?"

Skyfire nodded.

Starscream turned to glance out over the stars yet again with his left servo clenched. "I helped Megatron build the next generation of his army because deep down, I can only hope that they'll succeed where we all failed. Whether in negotiating peace with the next generation of Autobots, or finding a way back to Cybertron."

"And what if they cannot?"

Starscream gave a slight shrug. "My hope rides on you and the other, more capable, Seekers to guide them in that direction. Megatron has lost his way, and I have grown tired. We're giving up."

Skyfire stared at his friend in horror at the realisation. "So that's it? You're just going to leave? After everything you've done to keep the Decepticons together in Megatron's absence, after everything you've done for Megatron himself, after coming back from the dead and now giving life to more future cannon fodder, you're just going to leave?"

"I'm not leaving," Starscream glared at him. "I never said that. All I said was that I'm giving up. I'm too tired to keep going around in circles with Megatron, to hide how I feel from Soundwave, to pretend like I'm doing something right and still functioning around the others, and I'm tired of having to keep Slipstream together when I'm falling apart."

Skyfire searched Starscream's face for any signs of even the slightest hesitation that his friend was having doubts but the only ambition he could find was in the confirmation that Starscream was going to inevitably step away at some point.

"And leave the rest of us behind?"

Starscream looked away as he grumbled. "I told you! I'm not-"

"Commander Starscream, this is Stormsea, please come in."

Both Seekers straightened up as Stormsea's voice cracked over their comms unit. Starscream was the first to speak as he addressed the open line. "This is Commander Starscream, I am still with Skyfire. What is the problem?"

"Reports indicate that the mission assigned by you to the Stars Trine was a failure," Stromsea stated. Skyfire looked over at Starscream as he felt the other's spark tighten in fear. "Earth-wide media has displayed a... An emotional reaction from Starsinger's actions."

"Is she alive!?" Starscream nearly screeched into his comms.

"Oh, yes! Yes, she's...." There was muttering in the background before Stromsea spoke again. "Yes, sorry Air Commander, Starsinger is still alive. However, you must return to the Nemesis at once, Soulscream is livid and Lord Megatron has just been notified."

"What did she do?" Skyfire gently asked as he hopped on the line.

"She, uh... She saved a human, Sir."

"Did she bring it to the warship!?" Starscream screeched, making Skyfire wince.

"No! Haha, n-no, it's uh... It's still in Berry Town, where you sent them. Just that she saved two of them in front of local news media, which has now gone worldwide." Stromsea awkwardly debriefed them on the situation.

Starscream pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned in annoyance. He would never hear the end of this now.

"We'll report back to the Nemesis immediately," Skyfire covered over the comms. "We'll fly back now, over and out."

"Ok," Stormsea casually confirmed before ending the call.

Skyfire glanced over at Starscream who vented, held up a servo and shook his helm. Skyfire gave a small smile to himself before they both transformed, shot up into the air and began to head back towards Earth.

Not too far away, two spirits were outlined in a mythical array of stars. They were like small, walking constellations as they stood side by side and watched as the bigger, and very real jets, took off.

"Do you think they still hate each other?" One said to the other, he was adorned in silver and dark blue colours that were barely visible beneath the transparency of his frame.

"I don't think they do, Storm." The grey and white constellation playfully nudged the other. "I don't think they ever hated each other."

"Then how come they don't talk about us? Or hang out together anymore, Light?" Storm sadly glanced over at his brother who shrugged.

"Maybe they're just busy."

As the two Seekers headed back to Earth, the horrific event that had unfolded at the academy millions of years ago was all Starscream could think of as he flew side by side with Skyfire.

"Starlight," Starscream suddenly said which made Skyfire fault in his haste to get back within reach of the planet's atmosphere.

"What?"

"You called him 'Stormlight'," Starscream corrected. "Their names were Jetstorm and Starlight. They named themselves after us." He reminded the other with a hint of sadness.

"So you do remember them," Skyfire smiled proudly in his alt-mode.

"I never forgot about any of them in the first place."