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]

"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?"

[jetsplaining]

Starscream shoots him a Look. "You were very vocal about how lying and manipulating are your Starscream's main talents. I think it's clear you expect the same from me."

How dare you, Megatron!! He doesn't want to murder his boss/boyfriend (yet) he just wants to be smug and in charge.

[towardspeace]

He sort of nods as if to admit to that, but then he shrugs and says, "Mmm... Well, maybe you won't try to kill him, but," he looks at Starscream sidelong, "if you do end up going down that route, you know that's going to mean I'm right."

[jetsplaining]

Starscream's eyes flash, and he lets out a resentful little hiss, squaring his shoulders. "I am not going to try to kill Megatron," he snaps. "I just want to be his second-in-command. And the head of the Decepticon scientific corps," he admits, but hey, go big or go home, right? "But mostly his second-in-command. I know I can do more, I can do better -- I just want him to give me a chance."

It sounds so pathetic when he says it out loud, and he immediately grits his teeth, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I deserve a chance," he says, with conviction backed by entirely unearned confidence. Seriously, what is the point of being Megatron's conjunx socia if he's not going to get a promotion out of it.

[towardspeace]

Ah. Hm.

"Maybe you do," Megatron allows, "but I can warn you right now it won't be enough."

[jetsplaining]

Starscream can't believe he is still being forced to endure this conversation, or that he has no conceivable way out of it right now. His eyes dart around for signs of other mechs, but right now this stretch of corridor seems to be utterly empty save for the two of them.

"What do you mean?" Starscream narrows his eyes. "I don't want be in charge of the Decepticons. I loathe politics, and when this war is over, when we win, that's going to be half the job. Besides -- more importantly -- if I'm running the entire Decepticon army, I'm not exactly going to have any time for scientific pursuits." He clenches his jaw. "One of these days, I am going to get my name first on the byline of a paper," he mutters.

[towardspeace]

Oh, that's right. The whole science thing. Megatron is finding that absolutely surreal but also kind of charming, in a detached, bewildered sort of way. The idea of Starscream writing a scientific paper is absurd? But this one seems very passionate about it.

"Hm. Yes. I'd focus on the science, if I were you," he says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. It can't be worse than how it's turned out in his timeline, anyway, he thinks. "I'd imagine second in command would be a lot of politics too, though." He supposes so, anyway. In his experience it's mainly seemed to involve murder attempts.

[jetsplaining]

"At least then I'd have some input," Starscream says, but that sounds like a lame argument, and Megatron is forcing him to think about that particular goal in ways he hadn't considered. He absolutely hates it. He falls silent for a few moments, his shoulders stiff.

"I do actually like him, you know," Starscream says abruptly. He doesn't mean for it to come out as defensive as it does, but while Starscream absolutely flatters himself by thinking he's capable of a certain level of ruthless, what Megatron is accusing of his future self makes it seem like he doesn't believe Starscream actually cares for him. He's insufferable and utterly self-absorbed, but the should-be perks of the job aren't the sole reason he's there, shockingly enough.

[towardspeace]

Megatron looks at him in faint surprise. That isn't a lie, he realises, and that's an extremely weird realisation. It's not as if he never liked Starscream; he wouldn't have promoted him at all if he hadn't. But, well. It was never like that, and he's fairly sure that any admiration Starscream had for him at the outset was subsumed fairly quickly by his craving for power.

"... Why?" he asks, genuinely curious.