WRONG TURN TO THE BABY WAR

[jetsplaining]

So, good news -- the space bridge prototype worked. Less good news -- it seems to have taken Starscream with it instead of the drone, which was definitely not the intent. And he hadn't intended to send it to a...ship? It looks like he's on a ship. He can feel the hum of the engines through the bulkheads. There are almost definitely people on this ship -- whose is it? It seems Cybertronian in make, but it's not as though the ports of Cybertron have been especially bustling lately. The hallway he's in is too nondescript to give him a clue as to just what kind of ship this is, but the lack of Decepticon insignias in sight doesn't install a great sense of confidence in him.

His radio pings are hitting dead air, so either no one else was transported here, or the trip messed with his comms. Neither prospect is especially heartening. Clutching his datapad to his chest, Starscream flattens himself against a wall and starts inching toward the nearest turn in the corridor, calling out in a low hiss.

"Megatron?" Nothing. Well. Hm. "Slipstream? ...Strika? Anyone?"

Comments

[towardspeace]

Megatron stares at him for a moment.

Then he pinches the bridge of his nose and says, "Good grief," and turns away to continue walking ahead.

[jetsplaining]

Starscream's not really sure what a satisfactory response from Megatron would have looked like, but that definitely isn't it. He fumes for a second before doubling his stride to catch up with an annoyed little grunt.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he scoffs, as obnoxiously as possible, and then he snaps his fingers as though he's had some kind of revelation and bares his teeth at Megatron in a small but very rude smile. "Are you jealous?"

[towardspeace]

Megatron's response to that question is a sort of intensely weary grimace.

"I cannot imagine," he says, "being less jealous."

Unlike his confused response to Starscream's claims about his Megatron's relationship with Orion, this is nothing but the truth. The thought of how much more abjectly terrible everything between himself and Starscream might have been if it had started out as some kind of genuine romantic relationship honestly does not bear thinking about, and yet here he is, being forced to contemplate it.

[jetsplaining]

Starscream's mouth pulls back in a dissatisfied sneer, because he actually was gunning for the jealous reaction, because then he'd at least get to feel superior here, in a situation where he has far less control than he'd really like. How can Megatron not be jealous?? The only reasonable conclusion is that the Starscream here really is that bad, which makes Starscream feel simultaneously better and worse about himself. Hm.

"Fine," he says, just a little bit petulantly, but mostly to change the subject to something he is actually keenly curious about. "So if you loathe your Starscream so much, then how did he get to be your second-in-command?"

[towardspeace]

"Because it took the full four million years," Megatron grits out, eyes narrowed, "for it to really sink in exactly how loathsome he really is."

[jetsplaining]

Starscream's expression flattens. "It sounds like that was on you," he says airily, rolling his eyes. "But that's not what I asked. I want to know how he got to be second-in-command in the first place."

Both Megatron and Starscream in this universe seem to be total disasters, a thought that occurs to him with absolutely no trace of irony whatsoever, but whatever this Starscream did, maybe that holds the secret to how he could become second-in-command.

[towardspeace]

Unamused, Megatron looks back at him. "Are you looking for tips? Because frankly I feel like giving them to you would be irresponsible."

[jetsplaining]

He shoots Megatron a seething look. He's really not appreciating what he feels are entirely warranted put-downs. It's not like he's the one you had to suffer through a messy divorce with, Megatron, please.

"No, I'm not looking for tips," Starscream says, lying through his teeth. "Considering our timelines are clearly different, I doubt any advice -- and I'm using that term loosely -- would probably be useless." Also a lie. He'll totally use even the slightest advantage he can glean from this...adventure. "I just want to know why he was your second-in-command instead of Strika."

[towardspeace]

"Strika?" He raises a robot eyebrow. "I don't know him. I expect that's why, if the one in your timeline was competent enough to be promoted ahead of you."

[jetsplaining]

"Her," Starscream corrects irritably, although not because of the pronoun swap. "She wasn't promoted ahead of me. She was a Decepticon well before I was -- she was part of the original movement."

He heaves a sigh, lips thinning. "She was Megatron's...mentor, if you want to call it that. They met in the gladiatorial arena, and she encouraged him to be more proactive with his politics, and -- well, I'm sure you can see where that went. She is a competent soldier," he concedes, a massive understatement, "and she clearly has Megatron's trust, but frankly, as second-in-command, I think she's outlived her usefulness."

[towardspeace]

Megatron raises the other one too as he considers this. It certainly doesn't really mirror his own experience, but... the way Starscream talks about it is pretty familiar. He doesn't say so, because the last thing he wants is to encourage this brat, but he gives this Strika maybe a few years at an optimistic estimate.

He hums thoughtfully. "And why do you think that?"

[jetsplaining]

"Because she cares more about Megatron's personal wellbeing than winning the war," Starscream says bluntly. "I mean -- I care about his wellbeing, obviously, but Strika's losing her perspective. The plans she objects to are always the ones that carry any serious physical risk for Megatron. She's overprotective."

He scowls at the thought. Obviously Strika and Megatron have a deeper relationship than just leader and subordinate, but sentiment isn't going to win them the war. "And so her tactics always carry that bias. Megatron needs objectivity. If he'd just let me into the tac meetings..." He bites off that thought with an annoyed little grunt.

[towardspeace]

"Hm. And you think he ought to trust his conjunx -- socia, was it? -- to be more objective?" He has to admit he doesn't really like the idea of being actively discouraged from getting in any kind of danger himself, but...

[jetsplaining]

"Do you really not know what a conjunx socia is?" Starscream says, a little incredulously. "And -- yes, I do, when it comes to war tactics. If Megatron wants to put himself in the field, I'm not going to argue just because he might get hurt."

The sentiment behind it is kind of weird and confusing and Starscream doesn't really dedicate any processing power to thinking about it, but a fair bit of is...genuine trust, if only in Megatron's ability to fend for himself. He's not the leader of the Decepticons just because of his ideals; Starscream's seen him in battle plenty of times, and he's seen old vids of some of Megatron's fights in the arena. Strika's overprotectiveness almost seems more like a lack of faith to him.

[towardspeace]

"I haven't heard the term before, no, but I think I can guess what it means." He walks on a couple of steps in silence, reflecting -- and then says, abruptly, "I think your Decepticons might be better off than mine were if anyone in high command is worried about anyone else's wellbeing."

[jetsplaining]

Starscream frowns at that. "Even if it slows us down? Overcautiousness could cost us the war. You can't win without taking risks."

[towardspeace]

"Even if it slows you down," says Megatron. "If you prioritise victory over everything else you lose sight of what you were supposed to be fighting for in the first place."

[jetsplaining]

"I didn't say over everything," Starscream objects, crossing his arms. This doesn't really sound like the Megatron he knows, and it's actually kind of uncomfortable. "Megatron cares about the welfare of his troops. I'm just saying that being unwilling to take the risk of putting one of your most powerful warriors out in the field is stupid."

Which does not really make his original point sound any better, but whatever. He peers curiously up at Megatron. "I'm assuming that's what happened to your Decepticons?"

[towardspeace]

"Yes." Megatron looks back at him levelly. "The goal became conquest above all and we justified increasingly brutal tactics in pursuit of it until that was all the Decepticons were. All I'm saying is that having an influence in your command that might mitigate that could be worth it."

[jetsplaining]

The leap isn't all that hard to make. The logic in it is easy to connect, effortless, especially with the weight of conviction in Megatron's voice, but Starscream's mind shies away from it, because he really doesn't want to believe that this Megatron is right about any of this. Clearly Megatron doesn't think he'd be a good fit for second-in-command -- and that irritates him, because what does Megatron really know about him, anyway? It doesn't change the fact that what Starscream wants is to be second-in-command.

"Megatron isn't interested in conquest," he says stubbornly. "It isn't about that. It's about rebuilding Cybertron. And even if Strika is...necessary, to an extent," he admits grudgingly, "that doesn't mean I shouldn't still be given a chance. I have potential."

[towardspeace]

Starscream says the words 'Megatron isn't interested in conquest', and if Megatron had actual eyebrows instead of just a hat they would be levitating vertically off of his face. He manages to convey this reaction with the look he gives Starscream anyway.

"You do," he concedes. "But you should be careful, and so should he."

[jetsplaining]

Starscream's expression turns into a smug I told you so sort of look, but he purses his lips as he looks at Megatron, trying to tease out exactly what he means by that.

"What is it I should be careful of?" he asks, almost warily, because this conversation is starting to develop an ominous tone.

[towardspeace]

"Ambition," says Megatron with a shrug. "Cruelty. Being too certain that the end justifies the means."

[jetsplaining]

This conversation has taken a sharp turn into the very uncomfortable, and Starscream's grip tightens on the datapad. About thirty seconds ago, he'd been convinced that Megatron didn't know him at all, but now he's hitting dangerously close to home. It makes him defensive, but it rattles him just a little, too.

"What's wrong with ambition?" he scoffs, scrambling to put up another defense. "Nothing changes without ambition. And it's not like any of my goals conflict with Megatron's. Or the Decepticons'."

Yet.

[towardspeace]

That gets another non-eyebrow eyebrow lift. "I didn't suggest they did. I said you should both be careful of letting those things get the better of you. What did you think I meant?"